New Media

Step one, wait until the jerks all fall asleep.

Step two, walk out the door.

Good for you, Marc Aubriere. All’s well that ends well.

Taking a bike ride along Vancouver’s seawall.

Drinking a cup of organic coffee at Pedro’s.

A visit to the Granville Island Brewery to sample some of the local product.

It’s the beer out here.

The sake out here, too.

A little fresh produce for desert later.

Enjoying the scenery.

What could possibly go wrong here?

A great book that has confirmed for me the essence of effective fiction dialogue: never, ever let your characters give a straight answer to anything.

Before the airport passengers’ lounge stands a Kenyan immigration official. To this official there comes a woman from Canada and prays for admittance to the lounge. But the official says that he cannot grant admittance at the moment, particularly as this woman has failed to pay the requisite bribe. The woman thinks it over and then asks if she will be allowed onto her plane later.

“It is possible,” says the official, “but not at the moment.” Since the gate stands open, as usual, and the official steps to one side, the woman stoops to peer through the gateway into the interior. Observing that, the official laughs and says: “If you are so drawn to it, just try to go in despite my veto. But take note: I am powerful. And I am only the least of the officials. From hall to hall there is one official after another, each more powerful than the last. The third official, with the Canadian High Commission, is already so terrible that even I cannot bear to look at him.” These are difficulties the woman from Canada has not expected; freedom of movement, she thinks, should surely be accessible at all times and to all Canadians, particularly those bearing 12 perfectly legal forms of ID, including a valid passport…

Pure Kafka.

Let’s hope that now that she’s home, the authorities will be more accommodating as she attempts to get some justice.

As for those who see Mohamud’s suit as a pure money grab, I’ve got one word for you: “empathy”. Try and get some.