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RANT/RAVE (July 7)

Look both ways I just heard a comment from our police force telling people to pay attention while crossing streets and watch for oncoming cars, bikes and so on.

Look both ways

I just heard a comment from our police force telling people to pay attention while crossing streets and watch for oncoming cars, bikes and so on. Have we devolved to the extent that authorities have to remind us of this? When I was a kid growing up in the 1940s and 1950s we were lectured as children by teachers and parents to look both ways while crossing the road and never, ever trust that a car was going to stop for you in a crosswalk until the vehicle is actually stopped. Thats when its safe to make your move as a pedestrian. Simple stuff. Have schools and parents stopped teaching their kids this basic fact of life and left it up to the police to tell people to do this? Where did society go wrong?

Just asking.

Anonymous

Words to live by

Former U.S. president Woodrow Wilson wrote: You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. Thought-provoking words to live by. As a gardener, I believe I do achieve those goals. The beauty nature has to offer needs to be shared with as many people as possible. By planting gardens throughout the West End, I have been able to share that beauty with thousands of residents. Over the past seven years, it has been my pleasure to volunteer my gardening services. I do the traffic circle on Nelson at Jervis. It is particularly pretty this year. Another is a boulevard garden on Nicola, across from the fire hall. There are four lovely mature Mayberry trees there. I have also cultivated flower beds at the base of each tree. One of the plants is called a lupin. I chose a yellow to go with the white petunias. I shopped at three nurseries before I found those plants. Having watched them grow, bud, and finally flower this week, was so much fun. One of our residents liked them so much, he/she walked up to all four trees and broke the flower stems off. There is a chance the plants may re-flower. Please folks, Listen to Woodrow Wilson.

B. Allen

Animals gone wild

Im all in support of the lady who wanted to give city skunks the boot. A dense residential area like the West End is not the place for wild animals. I also live at English Bay and my concern is all the damn birds. At first dawn light it sounds like the wild kingdom outside my windows. Could we not get rid of all these birds too? I even have an idiot neighbor who has a bird feeder, which attracts birds to our building that shit on my balcony, despite the rules against feeders. Screeching birds shitting everywhere! And then there are the urban gardeners. We live in the city people! Why are you trying to garden on your balcony? When you water your plants, water drips on my balcony below talk about inconsiderate! No matter how much I complain people treat me like Im crazy. And the rain drives me nuts. Who can I complain to when it rains?

Anonymous

Enough already

Why do you keep posting cigarette butts are litter rants? We get it. The whole world gets it. Same with bus stop smoking rants. We all get that, too. And yes, Im pretty sure cooks wash their hands after their smoke break. Well, I gotta go now. What do you think I do? Write letters all day?

Navin

Can I see your bikers licence please?

Ive been following the debate over the bike lanes since it began and I just have a question for Mayor Gregor Robertson: Why dont cyclists have to have a licence, just like motorists? That would contribute a few dollars toward paying the $3.2 million for the bike lanes. We as drivers have to take drivers training, get a drivers licence, register our vehicles and buy very expensive insurance. How come cyclists dont have the same responsibilities? I would love to know the answer.

Anonymous