Even though Vancouver is only a few hundred years old, there is a heck of a lot of history, much of which is bound to raise a brow or two. To get a better idea, watch the above video featuring Chris Mathieson from the Vancouver Police Centennial Museum as he offers a small sampling of what to expect in one of his fascinating “Sins of the City Walking Tours.”

A unique two-hour must-see for anyone wanting to learn about the edgier side of this great city, the 10-block tour on foot leads you through the oldest parts of Vancouver as Chris regales you with stories about:

* Bootleggers, prohibition, and the often quirky evolution of liquor laws (and their enforcement) in the city
* The development of the early drug trade and the surprising Vancouver origins of Canada’s narcotic laws
* Racial and labour tension boiling over into demonstrations, riots and murder
* The evolution of the sex trade, from brothels to streetwalkers
* The city’s considerable predilection for gambling

Pick a topic: Drugs, sex, alcohol, gambling and there will be something worth discussing. It would also be very worthwhile to discuss the origins of the phrase “skid row” with Chris; our Downtown Eastside is a classic example, especially when you look at its early history.

Previous to working at the Police Museum, Chris worked in Chinatown and gave tours of that area, discussing the history of the early Cantonese immigrant community. Although he sometimes alluded to the brothels, opium dens and gambling houses that used to be there, he didn’t get to cover them in any detail. Once he started his new job, the topic seemed like a perfect fit for the Police Museum. And, of course, it’s just darned sexy stuff!

The Police Museum has always been relatively unknown to those who live in Vancouver, but the tourist guidebooks (like Frommers and Lonely Planet) consistently rate it as one of the best and most interesting museums in the city. Tourists have definitely found this tour appealing (thanks in part to an international surge in so-called “black tourism”), but locals also seem to be keen on learning more about their own city’s naughty past, particularly when we have such a squeaky clean appearance.

Chris says that back then, men greatly outnumbered women in Vancouver, which is why brothels weren’t just about sex. Men went to a brothel to smoke cigars, drink brandy and hear some music. It was about finding the comforts of home and sometimes that included the services of a woman. The city’s first madam was named Birdie Stewart, who opened a brothel at the corner of Water and Abbott streets. But as the neighbourhood grew, the community forced her to move. A cream-coloured building on Alexander Street was a hospital before it became a brothel and then a rooming house, which it remains today.

“Ohhh! That’s why things are that way!” is the most common reaction. Often, people will walk down the street and see things, but not really understand them. Why are there separate “Gentlemen’s” and “Women with Escorts” entrances into the old hotel bars? Why is Vancouver so casual when it comes to marijuana? Why do we have government-run liquor stores? Why are there so many rumours of tunnels under Chinatown?

There really are too many misconceptions to recount. A few include: That Vancouver is a quaint seaside city with a quiet and boring history (the tour proves otherwise!), that the issues of the Downtown Eastside are a recent phenomenon (they’ve been there for 120 years), that there was a large system of tunnels in Chinatown (ummm… no!), that Vancouver is and always has been a multicultural city (we’ve actually been pretty profoundly racist for much of our history)…the list is long.

The Downtown Eastside and Gastown are the oldest (and some of the most beautiful) neighbourhoods in Vancouver. Chris doesn’t go down Hastings Street on his tour, as it can be a bit chaotic; the majority of the tour happens on quiet streets that are perfectly safe during the day. He’s not had an incident and honestly doesn’t expect one (part of this tour is about busting the reputation of the Downtown Eastside; there’s so much more to it than Hastings and Main).

Now in its second year, Sins of the City Walking Tours are led by Chris himself, rain or shine, every Friday and Saturday from 4 – 6 PM throughout the summer. All tours depart from the museum, which is located at 240 E. Cordova St, Vancouver.

The cost is $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. This includes tax, as well as admission to the museum on the day of the tour. There is no age limit set, but this is definitely a tour for adults. A few cool parents have brought their teenagers, but this is definitely racy material.

Reservations are required 24 hours in advance by calling 604.665.3346 or emailing programs@vancouverpolicemuseum.ca. Chris can accommodate up to 30 people per tour, and can do tours at custom times and days for groups of 10 or more at a discounted price, regardless of the season. For more info, visit www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca

If you’ve ever experienced any type of pain, you know very well how interconnected your muscles are to your nervous system. One small movement while you’re in discomfort can sometimes send paralyzing bolts of pain up and down your body. As one who spends much too much time in front of a computer, I know what I’m talking about. Those of you who’ve experienced pregnancy really know what I’m talking about. This relationship between muscle and nerve is the core of the Bowen Technique, which was first developed by an Australian osteopath by the name of Tom Bowen in the 1960′s.

The easiest way to understand this is by using one of our most basic body movements as an example: If we want to bend our arm, we consciously bend it. However, once moved, we no longer think about keeping it bent. This is because the nerves innervating each muscle involved send a message to the brain that we have shortened some muscles and lengthened others. The brain understands these messages and resets the length of each muscle to hold that position. With a series of gentle rolling motions applied by the thumb or other fingers, a Bowen therapist such as Dr. Heidi Rootes from Vitality Clinic can ‘challenge’ a muscle without actually changing its length. Even though your muscles aren’t contracting and extending during this procedure, a ‘default’ message is still being sent to the brain, which shoots a signal back to the muscles, telling them to reset to their resting position. This relaxes a tight muscle or shortens a stretched muscle and by reseting the entire muscular system in such a way, you eventually achieve relief from pain; any kind of pain.

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As attackers are generally of the cowardly sort, they often sneak up from behind, thinking this gives them a positional advantage. That may be so in those first few seconds, but with proper training, your body will reflexively know how to respond to this kind of an attack. In this week’s demonstration, Sensei Anthony Britton shows us one of the many possible ways that an aggressor can approach you from the back. Don’t underestimate the art of distraction under such a situation.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Have you ever taken a holiday with your hubby in an effort to rekindle that flame that has fizzled out under the stresses of your day-to-day life, only to come back more tense and dissatisfied? If you answered “yes,” and don’t know why, watch Dr. Cheryl’s latest video. There is a logical explanation as to why so many couples are faced with this dilemma, and some sensible suggestions that will jump start your relationship and help you “remember why you love him/her.” As our experienced psychologist explains, “the love’s still there…it’s just covered by all the stress.”

To learn more about Dr. Cheryl Fraser, click here.

Tune in next week as we begin our exciting new series “He Thinks, She Thinks”! Men and women may sound like they’re speaking the same language but we all know that’s not the case. If you want a better understanding of the opposite sex, this is definitely for you. Imagine all the extra free time you’ll have because you’re not spending it arguing as a result of miscommunication!

What is it about little girls and their love of horses? I swear that those of us with that double x chromosome are genetically predisposed to developing this attachment when we’re young. I remember a time when I was so obsessed with them that I was willing to do just about anything to own one. It was always just a pie in the sky though. I never actually considered the possibility that I might be able to do something about it. I just continued begging and pleading, hoping that one day my parents would simply cave and grant me my wish.

Triana Segovia isn’t just a dreamer though. She’s a doer. Only nine years of age, she has already set the goal to purchase her first horse by the time she’s eleven. If that sounds far-fetched, you need to check out the video. There’s passion and then there’s Triana’s love of horses. She’s at the North Shore Equestrian Centre twice a week for lessons, but don’t be mistaken; there is a lot of work and responsibility involved. Before a horse can be ridden each time, Triana needs to ‘tack it up.’ Releasing a horse afterwards is also a process which includes cleaning the equipment just used. It may sound like work, but not to Triana. She loves everything (and I do mean everything) about horses, even cleaning out their stalls.

Two years ago, when her mother was preparing an exhibit for the Eastside Culture Crawl, she suggested that Triana should display her own drawings and paintings. Originally a mere hobby, Triana’s talent very quickly evolved into a career! She had ten pieces that year and they sold out on the very first day. The following year, she returned to the same event with twice as many drawings and again repeated her success on day one. The demand was so great that she immediately went home and got back to work. Buyers had caught the bug and Triana had another clean sweep on day two.

Realizing the value of her product, Triana opened an account and now deposits every penny that is earned through her sales in the hopes of one day accumulating enough funds to buy a horse to call her own (“a big gray or white Appaloosa gelding” to be exact). That is no small task, so that’s where all of you come into play.

If you live in or around Vancouver, come and check out her inaugural art exhibit THIS Saturday August 4th from 7 to 9 PM at The Petri Dish, an eclectic little shop that is located at 42 Kingsway. You can support her by purchasing one of her affordable $4 cards. Larger drawings are also available that range in price from $10 to about $30 for a framed Triana original. Quite the burgeoning artist, her drawings are whimsical and possess a charm that only a child can transfer to paper.

If you didn’t at one point dream the same dream, I’m sure you know someone who did. This is your chance to make it a reality for a very deserving little girl.

If you don’t live ’round these parts, send me an email and I’ll let you know how you can help feed the Triana horse fund.

Are you noticing your makeup melting away under the annoying heat of the sun? If you can’t avoid wearing makeup, this is probably an uncomfortable time of year for you. If you’re not too crazy bout water-resistant products, that’s probably warranted as not all such products are created equal. You may want to reconsider though, when you hear what Dawn Kolke has to say. The makeup artist for Kiss & Makeup, a charming little store in The Village at Park Royal, shares a couple of suggestions on what to use in the Summer:

Sue Devitt‘s Tinted Moisturizer has a Sun Protection Factor of 30, which is great for keeping the sun’s damaging rays from your skin. It’s also practical for those on the go because it acts as a moisturizer, sunblock, foundation, and powder all in one!

Kiss Me Mascara is a great water-resistant mascara that can be removed with just warm water. It’s actually pretty impressive. Check out the video to find out how that’s possible!

Stop by the store if you’re in West Vancouver. The people that work there really know their stuff and will be more than happy to run through the many lines that are not carried anywhere else. If you don’t live ’round these parts, check out their online store, where you can virtually buy anything that’s available in the boutique.

If you’re like Kalpna Solanki, only the very best foods make it to your child’s plate. Nutrition is all-important at any age, but particularly in the first year. She saw many parents feeding their babies solid foods too early or feeding them only a few foods, making their nutrition limited and less than perfect. So Kalpna developed BOBOBABY – the first frozen, organic, age-appropriate baby food available in the country. Her own daughter was the inspiration for wanting to assist other parents with the ‘baby’s first foods’ mystery.

Kalpna recreated her daughter’s menu plan to reflect a baby’s critical and changing needs from 6 – 9+ months. The recipes for each phase are backed by the latest research in infant nutrition, are all certified organic, kosher, and also offer baby foods that contain no added salt, preservatives, sugar, colour, peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry or meat. Research indicates that feeding a child a vegetarian diet for the first 10 to 12 months of life can decrease the risk of diabetes and obesity in childhood.

For our featured recipe, and to learn more about BOBOBABY and your child’s important nutritional needs, read on!

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If you should ever find yourself in this dire situation, your natural instinct is likely to try and pull your attacker’s hands away from your throat, or to strike him/her until you’re released. However, no matter how hard you try, especially if your attacker is larger than you, your success rate is quite low in your weakened position.

In this week’s installment of Essential Self-Defense Tips, Sensei Anthony Britton demonstrates two simple ways to release yourself from as many types of choke holds. These two techniques are surprisingly easy to learn and very effective in helping you escape a potentially deadly scenario.

You’ve probably noticed that Sensei Britton often refers back to our first lesson on the principles of Vital Point Striking. Be sure to learn the basics to establish a solid foundation to prepare you for later and more difficult lessons. If you haven’t already done so, review Sensei Britton’s earlier lessons so you can tackle future ones more efficiently.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Great news everyone! Due to popular demand, Sensei Anthony Britton and his skillful assistant Kristy will now be a regular feature on Dabbler.ca! Be sure to check back every Monday for more expert advice.

Our next lesson will cover a basic attack from the back. Do you know what to do if someone grabs you around the waist? Find out next week!

According to a reputable research study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine yesterday, yes it is! But hold on now, don’t panic. Before you pull out your hazmat suit, you’ll be relieved to know that your body is already built with antibodies to fight off this epidemic…it’s called self-awareness and will power.

That’s right. Just because a 32-year study says that you’re more likely to be obese if your best friend is doesn’t mean that it validates your lifestyle or diet. I know it’s easy to say “there’s nothing I can do about it because it’s been scientifically proven that my chances of being obese are high,” but keep in mind that it only says that you are predisposed, NOT to be mistaken with predestined.

It does explain a few things though, as psychologist Dr. Cheryl Fraser elaborates on in the video. You can’t fix it if you don’t know what’s broke, so hopefully this will help you identify the root cause of your problem and better equip you to fight it.

To learn more about Dr. Cheryl Fraser, click here.

Image is everything. No matter what people tell you, what you wear, what you say, how you say it…it is all processed and critiqued upon whether you like it or not. There’s only one chance to make a good first impression and that first meeting is of utmost importance.

What we’re tackling today is how to meet and greet like a professional in a business setting. I don’t know about you, but I’d say I only encounter a good assertive handshake maybe one out of every ten times. It astonishes me how many people don’t know how to do this properly, which is why image consultant Kimberly Law is lending us a hand and teaching us how to make that first impact count. Check out the video!

If you’d like to learn more about image and etiquette, email me with your ideas and you may just see Kimberly answering your questions in future segments.

To learn more about Kimberly, read on… Read the rest of this entry »