I just came across an incredible little video thanks to a post on a local web forum.
It shows some very very early images (starting late 1800s) of Port Alberni, showing schooners, horse-drawn mail coaches, horse logging, the first steam train in Port Alberni, and many images of buildings and hotels that are still in Port Alberni today (but don’t look anything like the pictures!!)
It’s well worth watching the entire thing, so please do:
So yesterday we had a real ripper of a storm here in Beautiful BC. It hit most of the Southern Coast of the province including Vancouver, Victoria and Vancouver Island.
Hardest hit seems to have been my own town of Port Alberni. There were trees falling everywhere, 105km/h winds on my weather station branches being ripped off and flying down the street. 113mm (about 4.44in) of rain fell in about 12 hours and flooded rivers, streets, and homes.
Here are some pictures and I even uploaded some video to YouTube.
Pictures:
And here is the video… YouTube… power to the people! 
Actually, to be honest, Tree found the charger, I had nothing to do with it aside from complaining that I couldn’t find the battery charger for the digital camera.
So… the battery is charging… which means the camera will be operational again.. which means I will FINALLY put up some new pictures of our little mons—err, beauty.
Stay tuned!
Chris
We all know pictures make the “news” more interesting… so I got to thinking… I like to cover “International” topics… so maybe my readers would appreciate a Google’s eye view of the days events.
So here are the four main topics I’ve been tracking today… clicking the picture will take you to Google Maps.
#1: Continuing reaction in Iraq…
Fierce streetfighting at my doorstep for the last 3 hours. Rumor in the neighbourhood is that men in black are trying to enter the area.
due to the bombing of this Mosque in Iraq.
#2: The attempted bombing of this Saudi Oil refinery.
Guards opened fire on at least two cars carrying explosives as they tried to ram the gates. Two guards were killed.
#3: The Canadian Men won Olympic Gold in Curling at Turin today.
The 25-year-old skip [Brad Gushue] and his St. John’s-based rink of third Mark Nichols, second Russ Howard and lead Jamie Korab scored six in the sixth end to propel themselves to a 10-4 win over Finland in eight ends in the gold medal game on Friday in Pinerolo, Italy.
Congratulations!
#4: Sticking to the Canadian theme (sort-of)… Ancient Giant Beavers found in Inner Mongolia, China.
Castorocauda was preserved in exquisite detail, flattened in sediments at the bottom of an ancient lake. Hair impressions surround the body, which includes a 20-centimetre-long flat, beaver-like tail.
It’s funny cuz it’s True!
These multi-national oil companies are a whole herd of deer grazing on a bounty of spilled corn in Interstate 10 outside of Houston at 5:00 AM. There is a giant semi-truck cresting the hill with its bright lights on called Peak Oil bearing down on this herd. Some may make it off that highway. Some definitely won’t.
Read the whole post about how entire Oil Companies are just going about their business.. largely oblivious to long term realities.