"Ole Krarup's" Bench Q:5

Question 5: Write a journal response about your trip to the park..

One nice January morning, my grandpa and I went for a dog walk down at Harbourview Park. It was a cool, sunny, winter day around 10:00 o’clock in the morning. We drove down in my grandpa’s Dodge Caravan,with the dogs in the backseat. We then found a parking spot in the small parking lot, and let the dogs go off leash. The trail starts off under a cover of trees, but eventually after about a 5 minute walk, it opens up and you are walking right down beside the water. At the end of the trail there is a lookout point there where you can go up some stairs to get a great view of the city. It is a very nice and not too busy trail. With the thought of finding a bench to write about for my blog in the back of my mind, I set off down the trail with my grandpa and our two dogs Kayto, and Molly. As my grandpa and I walked along, we passed a number of benches all with dedication plaques on them. I quickly read each one as we walked along, and eventually came across one that I thought was different from all the rest. As I explained before, the inscription was not just the regular, “You will be missed,” It had more detail and I really liked it. It was also in a great spot where you get an awesome view of Vancouver from across the water. I sat there for a minute or two with my grandpa talking about our plans for the rest of the day while enjoying the fresh winter air. The dogs continued running up the trail and after a nice break, we got up, called the dogs and started on our way back. On our way back we bumped into an older couple with an Airdale Terrier, the same breed as my dog, Kayto. We talked to them for a few minutes and found out that they named their Airdale, Gustaaf, because the Airdale is the “King” of the Terrier Family, and the King of Norway’s name is Gustaaf. We then carried on, walking at my grandpa’s slow but steady pace. We eventually made our way back to the car, dried the dogs off, and loaded them up to head home.

"Ole Krarup's" Bench Q:4

Question 4: If you dedicated a bench, where would you like the bench, and what would you like the inscription to say..

If I dedicated a bench, I would dedicate it to my grandpa because he is a big part of my life and I think that he would love to have a dedicated bench in his name. I would want the bench to be in a dog trail because my grandpa is always walking his dog. He walks his dog 3-5 times a day, sometimes even in the middle of the night. I would want the bench to be in one of my grandpa’s favourite trails, close enough to home so that I could visit it every now and then. I would make sure that the bench stayed in good condition every time that I visited. The inscription on the bench would take me a very long time to figure out. I would want it to say something about him that was very special and would speak true to any member of our family that read it. I would also want to add something about the man I thought he was. This would take me a long time because I could go on forever, and to narrow it down to a sentence or two would be extremely difficult. 

"Ole Krarup's" Bench Q:3

Question 3: If a bench were dedicated to you, where would you like the bench, and what would want..

If a bench were ever dedicated to me, I would not want it to be any ordinary bench. If possible I would want the bench to be unique because think that I am a unique person as everyone is different in their own ways. I would want the bench to be somewhere with an amazing view. Not necessarily in Vancouver, but somewhere where my family and I shared memories worth remembering. Somewhere that would be visited by people who would get to enjoy a comfortable, relaxing seat when they need it and read the dedication to myself. I would want the inscription on my bench to also be unique. I would want it to say something about my personality and the person that I was, just like in the bench that I chose to write about. Then I would want it say something that came from the people dedicating it, such as a short, simple goodbye, or a quote or something meaningful. I think that having a bench dedicated to someone is a really nice and thoughtful thing to do because it will be there for a long time and is a place where people can visit that is a little less depressing than visiting a cemetery. 

"Ole Krarup's" Bench Q:2

Question 2: From the bench, describe what you see, what you feel, what you think, what you want.. 

From the bench, I see my city of Vancouver from across the water. I see all sorts of different people with their dogs passing by as I sit there, and I see other wildlife such as birds all around. I can also see all of the wear and tear that the bench has received while sitting there year in and year out, left to brave the elements. I can see the shipyards on the right and the rocks in the water when the tide is out. This bench makes me feel relaxed and calm. It is very peaceful just sitting outside, with a nice cool breeze coming off the water. I also can’t help but feel like I have been in the exact same place before, almost like déjà vu. I used to go to Harbourview trail all the time with my grandpa when I was younger, and sitting there only brings up memories from the past. I can also feel the cold on my face, and the sturdy bench beneath me. From the bench, I think of all the people that must have sat here before me. I wonder if they sat in the exact spot, in the exact way that I am sitting. I think about all of the years and all of the snow, rain, wind, and sun this bench has seen in its life. I think about all my memories from the past that come to life from being here. I want this bench to support me as long as I sit there so that it doesn’t break and I fall flat on my butt. I also want the bench to be there for as long as possible because it means a lot to the people who dedicated the bench, and to the man that the bench is dedicated to.

"Ole Krarup's" Bench Q:1

Question 1: Visit a park, choose a bench, explain your choice, and describe your bench..

The other day I went to Harbourview Park with my grandpa for a dog walk. Harbourview Park runs right down beside the water, and it has a beautiful view of downtown Vancouver. I chose a bench that sits off to the side of the trail that looks across the water to downtown. I also liked the dedication that was on the bench. I thought that this bench had the perfect spot. Sitting on the side of a popular dog trail, with a great view, and I’m sure many admires of the unique dedication plate. Most benches just say the classic, “you will be missed’ but this particular bench had something a little more original. It wrote: “A stoic old man who worked hard and loved well” - Ole Krarup Jensen. “We miss you and are grateful for the time that we had together.” I thought that this was a really nice dedication on a bench that had amazing scenery. My bench is made of wood that looks like it has been there for a while. The dedication to the man on the bench was from 1945-2005 so I’m assuming it has been there for 7 years. The bench has three old, greeny-brown planks of wood that combine to make a backrest, and six planks that form the seat part of the bench. It stands on two strong metal legs secured into the ground that are painted green. The armrests on either side are also made of metal and are also painted green. Green bolts have been placed in either side of each plank to keep it sturdy, and the metal dedication plate sits right in the center of the backrest, green with gold writing. The bench sits on a slab of concrete that is a little wider than the bench itself, and has a chain link fence behind it, which runs along the majority of the side of the trail. The bench could used a little TLC as it shows some wear and tear, but then again it does add to its character.

Rare Tiger dies at Toronto Zoo

Brytne the Sumatran Tiger

On Thursday December 15^th, a rare Sumatran tiger died at Toronto Zoo after she was badly injured in a fight with another, younger tiger. Brytne was a 13-year old “beautiful and loved” tiger at the Toronto Zoo who died of a crushed larynx. Brytne and a 3-year old male tiger named Harimau Kayu from the San Diego Wild Animal Park were being paired together on a breeding recommendation, as a part of a species survival program. Zoo employees had been working for the past six months in efforts to carefully introduce the two tigers to get them to reside in the same habitat. Despite showing positive signs such as nuzzling, and chuffing, the two tigers ended up fighting causing Brytne’s death. The zoo said in a statement that, “ On rare occasions, in both the wild and captivity, tigers will fight and react instinctively.” With approximately 300 to 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, and 71 in captivity, the loss of Brytne is a devastating loss for the already critically endangered species.

I am personally appalled by this story because I am completely against having animals held in captivity for the entertainment of the public. I think it is absolutely ridiculous and sick. The fact that the tiger population has depleted by outrageous amounts over the years is completely unacceptable and I think that people should be ashamed of themselves. Tigers are not the only case in which this is a problem, there are many species on the brink of extinction because of humans and I wish that something would finally get done to save the animals. Once they are extinct it is clearly too late, and at the rate we are going the populations of animals such as Sumatran tigers and other endangered species will slowly drop to where they no longer exist. I know that there are already many people and organizations making efforts to save these animals, but I think that it is time that something drastic changes in order to keep these species alive. I am saddened to hear of Brytne the tiger’s death, and I hope that no more accidents such as this one happen at any other Zoo’s in the future.

CBC News,"Tiger dies at Toronto Zoo", December 15, 2011, By: The Canadian Press

Sources: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/12/15/toronto-zoo-tiger.html

B.C home to Canada's most dangerous city

According to Maclean’s Magazine, the most dangerous cities based on homicides, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, robberies, vehicle thefts and break-and-enters are in western Canada. For the second year in a row, the two most dangerous spots in all of Canada were Prince George, B.C, and Victoria. Prince George being the number one, “most dangerous” city two years running. Western cities, according to results, dominate the rankings as worst for crime while populous cities in Ontario and Quebec consistently score well. Prince George was ranked number one due to its gang wars, drug problems, and for being the hometown of Cody Alan Legebokoff who has murdered several people. Victoria showed very high rates in sexual assault and robbery as compared to elsewhere in the country. Rankings were scored from Statistics Canada data. Saskatoon and Regina, two big Saskatchewan cities also ranked numbers three and four on the list of most dangerous cities in Canada. Other big city ranking included: Winnipeg-9^th, Vancouver-18^th, Edmonton-19^th, Montreal-22^nd, Windsor, Ontario-35^th, Calgary-50^th, Toronto-52^nd, and Ottawa-74^th.

I am extremely surprised that both Prince George and Victoria are so high on the “most dangerous” list as they are so close to home, Vancouver. I did not even know about the apparent drug ward of Prince George, which is also very surprising to me. On a positive note, all I can say is at least there is one large metropolitan city ranked worse than Vancouver! I think that some people may be quite offended when they hear that their hometown is high on the danger list as they most likely have nothing to do with all the crimes, which is unfortunate. I agree that it is not a great feeling to know that your home city is up there for “most dangerous” in Canada; it is unsettling to say the least. I’m interested to follow these ranking over the next few years to see if any cities improve as time goes on.


The Vancouver Sun, "B.C. home to Canada's most dangerous city, Maclean's says", December 15, 2011, By: Derek Abma

Sources:http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Woman+shot+dead+Vancouver+while+child+watched+from+back+seat/5864743/story.html?tab=PHOT