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Rants and Raves

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know business transactions don’t always work out fairly for all parties involved, but I recently spent more than $60 at a bar without getting the slightest bit drunk. I

mean not even tipsy, and I’m a lightweight. Although I downed multiple drinks, including a shot of tequila, my buzz remained just out of reach the entire evening,
gradually emptying my wallet and forcing me to preserve my funds by retiring at 11 p.m. Why did I not simply hop on over to another bar? The apprehension about
paying a cover charge, and the stubborn sense that the Vancouver bar scene would not get any more of my money. Some bars are notorious for watering down their
drinks, but getting nothing in the way of a thrill after spending more than $60 seems excessive and downright cruel. I don’t drink to quench my thirst, so shelling out
money for cover, drinks, food, and tips with a very clear memory of my cash slowly draining, is not cool.

- Parsimonious pint

 

 

ur summer weather has so far been erratic in the extreme, sometimes bringing sunshine, other times showing why people love to make jokes about “Raincouver.” To

be honest, I don’t really mind this flip-flopping. Sure, consistency has its appeal, particularly when it comes to shifting from a rainproof wardrobe to tan-conducive
clothing, and remaining in limbo is not ideal. Still, I really don’t mind when it cools down and starts to pour. My reasons are many-fold, including the fact that I love to
snuggle up on the couch with a book, some DVDs, and a hot cup of tea, but my main—and entirely superficial—reason is this: I like to have a break from shaving my legs.
It’s not a huge issue, and I do enjoy having smooth-as-a-baby’s-bottom legs, but the days when I can lounge around in sweatpants with calves resembling a rainforest are
the days I cherish in the hot, short-sporting months.

- One rainy wish

 

 

‘m extremely proud of my collection of books and the shelves that house them. I’ve collected many volumes over the years, which I read, reread, and stockpile for future
reference. What annoyed me recently was seeing the update of a Facebook friend, posting a picture of their fat stack of newly purchased books—including the works
of Irvine Welsh, Sylvia Path, Nabokov, and other blatantly impressive authors—and asserting that “sometimes you need a challenge in bed.” There’s nothing wrong with
reading these authors. I include their work in my list of books I want to read. It becomes exasperating, though, when the reader clearly isn’t reading solely for the purpose
of these writers’ words, but to display their own literary chops. I ooh and ah over other people’s bookshelves and compare my collection, feeling genuinely inferior when

 

I see stacks of Hemingway, Dante, Dickens, and Whitman. I stop feeling inferior as soon as it’s clear that person is trying to impress me. Read your books like a normal
person and simply be impressive, don’t show it off.

- Shelf-esteem issues

 

 

In or out-cohol: Should public drinking be legalized?

By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer

[ British Columbia and all
of Canada, except Quebec,
public drinking is not only
frowned upon, but illegal. If
the sobering law catches you
with “open liquor,” you can be
charged with a $230 fine—that’s
your monthly supply of booze
down the drain. Vancouver is
recognized around the world for
its laid-back attitude, so why are
we so uptight when it comes to
drinking in public? Is the person
walking down the street with an
open bottle of Double Diamond
any more dangerous than the
guy walking down the street
with a can of Dr. Pepper? How
is binge drinking at home or in
abar any different from binge
drinking at a park or at a beach?
If the argument against
public drinking is that we're
living in a developed country
and that respectable, classy
people don’t consume alcohol
in the open, consider this: the

United Kingdom is as classy as
it gets, and they allow drinking
in the open. New Zealand,
instead of banning “open
liquor,” simply created alcohol-
free zones, most often situated
in business districts. And then
we have the Japanese who,
despite having public drinking
and public intoxication,
maintain consistent global
dominance. If those societies can
function with public drinking,
why can’t ours?

What would a day in
out life look like with people
drinking alcohol in the streets
and the parks? Those against
public drinking might say that
overconsumption in a public
setting would cause rowdiness
and violence, and without
bouncers and bartenders to keep
the drinkers in place, tragedy is
more likely to occur. Meanwhile,
the proponent of public
drinking might say that it would
normalize our attitude towards
alcohol, creating a healthier
drinking culture. After all, just

because something is legal
doesn’t mean people would
abuse it. Naps are legal, but you
still get out of bed at some point.

There are very few beautiful
days in this city, and when we
do get some sunlight peeking
through the clouds, it would
be a pleasure to enjoy a bottle
of beer, a glass of wine, or even
a cocktail in the open without
feeling like a criminal.

Liquor laws in BC are fickle;
adhering to them is not only
difficult for consumers, but also
for proprietors. Local theatres
such as the Rio on Broadway
have been disputing with the BC
Liquor Control and Licensing
Branch since 2011, trying to
incorporate live theatre, cinema,
and liquor consumption. Sadly,
LCLB only allows alcohol in
live performances, not in movie
theatres. “That’s what the
province has told us. They’ve
made it very clear,” owner and
general manager Corinne Lea
says. “With this application
process we must now be a live

venue exclusively.” Since then,
Rio has transitioned back to a

cinema and live theatre venue,
omitting the liquor license.
This year, BC allowed
catering companies to obtain
liquor licenses to meet their
clients’ needs. Before that,
people hosting events with
liquor required a special
occasion license, to complete
the Serve it Right course,
to purchase and transport

 

the liquor, and to accept all
responsibility and liability for
the liquor service.

Vancouver is a beautiful
city, but the stress it puts on
itself makes it an ugly place to
live sometimes. While some
might call it a First World
problem, I disagree. A law that
makes criminals out of decent
people simply aiming to enjoy
a gorgeous day with a harmless
beverage is a social problem.

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