Here's a story about some folks who decided they would not turn their backs on high school drop-outs.  They knew that once a kid leaves school before finishing grade 12 - there's not alot out there to help them get the training needed to obtain good, interesting jobs. 

What with all the mascots, mittens, pins and such - you just know the Vancouver Olympic folks will leave no retail marketing stone unturned.   Witness the latest from the Spirit of BC (North Shore) Committee. 

Hey, I love the smell of a freshly mowed lawn, and cinnamon buns in the morning.   It's great to catch a whiff of hotdogs at a baseball game.  But I never thought you could make money from odors.

   If you have spent any time in Vancouver's Chinatown, no doubt your attention has been drawn to the Wing Sang Building on Pender Street.  It was built in 1889 and for the past several years, it's been boarded up as construction crews work on it.  Most of that work is now finished, and it's a remarkable thing to see what it looks like inside.  Private Museum 

I've reached the age when I can start puffing out my chest and beginning sentences with "Well, in MY day....."  and then go on to pontificate to young people.  Here's one I can use right here - Well, in my day - when we went to museums, we used to see dozens and dozens of stuffed animals.  Not any more though, most museums have long since relegated their menageries to the storage rooms - or worse (or better, depending on your view). 

You may have noticed fig trees in Vancouver.  Not too many though, I suspect because we live in what gardeners call a hardy growing zone and getting a good crop of figs is never a sure thing.  But this year's fig crop appears to be pretty good, and the picking has begun.  I joined a special group of fig harvesters, who share their bounty with others.  Tree Fruit Project   

2010 Olympic announcements are becoming a near daily event as the February games get closer.  But unveiling of the medals to be awarded to athletes surely ranks as a big one - maybe almost as big as the decision to close half of downtown to traffic when competition starts. 

I've heard the coffee world has Barista championships each year.  I once interviewed somebody who was going to them.  But when Vancouver hosted the Canadian competition this year, I had to go.  And boy, was I surprised.  Coffee Champs 

Oh boy.  Do I ever love Halloween.  Always have, always will.  Sure it's not quite the same thrill since I gave up trick or treating when I turned 37.  But even giving out candy to the kiddies is a joy to me.   

In Vancouver, the Ghost Train at Stanley Park has become a Halloween tradition that thousands of people love.  Spooky lights, scary actors, and a different theme every year.  I just had to go down there and get a behind the scenes look at the show.  Underworld Demons 

Back in the 90s, I did a story about a group of people who hunt for mushrooms, year round, but mostly in the fall when the forests explode with fungal delights.  They tend to be a furtive, secretive bunch who keep to themselves the location of their favourite 'shrooms.   

I took piano lessons for more than decade when I was a youngster, and bedevilled my parents the entire time by never practicing enough.  I bedevilled my adult self by never becoming much of a player.  So it was remarkable to meet with a group of pianists who actually love to play, particularly ...

Normally I don't take CBC cameras on my holidays.  But when the trip involves wandering a Yukon mountain with donkeys carrying the gear, why not? 

Talk about wearing your emotions on your sleeve.  Canada's atheletes are being asked to alter time honoured Olympic behaviour so they don't catch Swine Flu during the 2010 games.

I've used to live in Beijing and Hong Kong for a couple of years back in the 80s and 90s, and my love affair with Chinese food remains as strong today as it has always been.  So when I got invited to an event promoting Vancouver's Chinese Restaurant awards - there was no saying no.