Electric Vehicle Charging in Multi-family Projects

On July 9th, the Planning and Environment Committee will consider a report proposing that developers be required to install electric vehicle charging facilities in new multi-family developments. I learnt about this initiative after hearing Jeff Fisher, Associate Executive Director of UDI expressing some development industry's concerns regarding this proposal on CBC's Early Edition. The UDI concerns related to cost, the adequacy of electrical supply, and the uncertain future for electric cars. Frankly, I was surprised by the UDI position, so I decided to review the staff report. You can find it on-line at http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/documents/penv3.pdf.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that for many years I have been interested in electric vehicles. When I first started working on UniverCity at SFU, I explored the feasibility of purchasing an electric vehicle for the community from Dynasty Motors . However, provincial government restrictions severely restricted its use on provincial highways so we purchased a hybrid vehicle instead. I still drive a hybrid.

So what is UDI objecting to? The staff report proposes that developers be required to install electric car charging facilities in 10% of the underground parking spaces, starting 18 months from now. The initial proposal was for 20%, but was modified based on UDI concerns. The city will also be investigating public charging stations and installations in its Easy Park lots.

While I can appreciate that this will add some costs, and there will be issues related to allocation of parking spaces to those with electric cars, and metering to ensure that those who charge their cars pay for the electricity, I support the city's inititative. After all, this really is a chicken and egg proposition. The number of electric cars will be limited by available charging facilities, and vice versa! Furthermore, by recently agreeing to significantly reduce the required number of parking spaces in multi-family developments, the city has already reduced the cost of building parking for developers. I expect that the additional costs for electric charging facilities will be significantly less than these savings.In researching this post, I was fascinated to see the different electric charging facilities that are now being marketed and installed around the world. It is apparent that this time, the oil companies and major automobile manufacturers will not kill the electric car. It is coming!And as for me, while I wait for my GM Volt electric car, I have to decide whether to trade in my 2008 Prius for the 2010 Prius with its solar electric sun-roof (which can power an airconditioner to cool the car before you enter) and self-parking capability. I mean, ten years ago, who would have predicted that you could find these features on a gas/electric car selling for under $40,000?

Retourne-toi: Post-Cannes

Though it was barely more than a month ago, I haven't seen a whole lot of post-Cannes coverage anywhere. And maybe that's because not a whole lot has stirred since then. I have uncovered some details about US releases of a few of the titles. Sony, maybe predictably, plans Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winning The White Ribbon for a week-long run in New York and Los Angeles on Christmas, though I'm not clear if it will expand from there or wait, à la The Class, a couple months before showing up elsewhere.

IFC will unleash Antichrist this October, before Halloween, On Demand as well as in NY and LA, though the Variety article didn't mention anything about the Uncut vs. "Catholic" version of the film. Jane Campion's Bright Star still looks to be the first release from the late Picturehouse's former president Bob Berney's new company, which is still nameless. A September date is expected.

Ken Loach's Looking for Eric has a tentative 2009 release date from IFC, while Cristian Mungiu's Tales from the Golden Age will, more than likely, be out early 2010. I also heard that IFC snatched up Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank for a 2010 release, but I can't find an official announcement of that. So let's just hope so.

And closing out IFC's acquisitions from the fest thusfar is Marina de Van's critically savaged Don't Look Back [Ne te retourne pas] with Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci.

As for the pre-bought/produced titles, Almodóvar's Broken Embraces is locked for limited release date of 20 November from Sony Pictures Classics; Inglourious Basterds is still set for 21 August from The Weinstein Company, with Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock a week later from Focus. Focus is also releasing the first of the In Competition titles to play stateside, Park Chan-wook's Thirst, on 31 July.

Here Films, newly revised and expanding beyond their initial catalogue of solely gay flicks, nabbed Xavier Dolan's I Killed My Mother [J'ai tué ma mère], planned for early next year. No date seems to be set for Sony's release of Jacques Audiard's A Prophet [Un prophète].

And, though I don't think this is official information, it looks as though Strand might have picked up Lou Ye's Spring Fever. Strand also released the director's Suzhou River in the early part of the decade.

The In Competition titles still without a US distributor are then: Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void, Brillante Mendoza's Kinatay, Alain Resnais' Wild Grass [Les herbes folles], Isabel Coixet's Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, Elia Suleiman's The Time That Remains, Johnnie To's Vengeance, Marco Bellocchio's Vincere, Tsai Ming-liang's Visage and Xavier Giannoli's In the Beginning [À l'origine].

...which leads me to Toronto's unveiling of their first wave of titles to play at their International Film Festival in September. All (except maybe two) have premiered elsewhere before they'll screen in Toronto. Expect the announcement of the rest of the festival soon, including the world premieres, and additionally, the line-up for Venice which begins at the end of August.

From Cannes:

- Air Doll - d. Hirokazu Koreeda
- Eyes Wide Open - d. Haim Tabakman
- Face [Visage] - d. Tsai Ming-liang
- Fish Tank - d. Andrea Arnold
- Huaco - d. Alejandro Fernández Almendras
- Independencia - d. Raya Martin
- Irène - d. Alain Cavalier
- Karaoke - d. Chris Chong Chan Fui
- Like You Know It All - d. Hong Sang-soo
- Nymph - d. Pen-ek Ratanaruang
- La Pivellina - d. Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
- Police, Adjective [Poliţist, adjectiv] - d. Corneliu Porumboiu
- Samson and Delilah - d. Warwick Thornton
- The Time That Remains - d. Elia Suleiman
- To Die Like a Man [Morrer Como Um Homem] - d. João Pedro Rodrigues
- Wild Grass [Les herbes folles] - d. Alain Resnais
- The Wind Journeys [Los viajes del viento] - d. Ciro Guerra

From Berlin:

- Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl [Singularidades de uma Rapariga Loira] - d. Manoel de Oliveira
- Gigante - d. Adrián Biniez
- The Happiest Girl in the World [Cea mai fericita fata din lume] - d. Radu Jude

And Elsewhere:

- Kelen - d. Ermek Tursunov
- Lourdes - d. Jessica Hausner
- Men on the Bridge [Köprüdekiler] - d. Asli Özge
- Should I Really Do It? - d. Ismail Necmi

The bridges of Santiago Calatrava

As noted in an earlier post, Gregory Henriquez and Mayor Robertson recently announced a pedestrian/cycling bridge across False Creek. The design presented reminded me of the work of Santiago Calatrava, one of the most celebrated bridge designers in the world. In case you are not familiar with his work, I am including a few images. You can check out his work at www.calatrava.com

A pedestrian/cycling bridge over False Creek?

The very talented architect Gregory Henriquez and Mayor Gregor Robertson made news this week with a public proposal to build a new pedestrian/cycling bridge across False Creek. A number of people asked me what I thought of the idea, and I told them that I supported it in principle, having mused about such a bridge during last year's municipal election campaign. Indeed, I included images of similar bridges in Melbourne and Dublin during a subsequent presentation on 12 Great Ideas for Vancouver From Around the World which I presented in the final week of the campaign.

Based on what I was told following my public propositions, my two concerns about such a bridge proposal are its cost, and functionality (especially for commuting cyclists). However, I was seduced by the idea, and decided to take a quick look on-line for other pedestrian/cycling bridges.

One of the first that I found was the Sundial Bridge in Redding California (illustrated above). According to on-line reports, the bridge proposal began with a $3 million price tag in 1995. By the time it opened in 2004, the price had ballooned to $23.5 million.

The Sundial was the first U.S. bridge by architect Santiago Calatrava of Valencia, Spain, whose work is legendary throughout Europe. Some might speculate that it could have inspired Gregory's design!

The 700-foot long bridge is 23 feet wide. It's deck is opaque glass from Quebec. The 14 cables hold up the bridge without needing in-river support, a major design factor because the clear-running Sacramento is a salmon-spawning stream as it runs through Redding.

The bridge takes its name from a 217-foot high pylon, which acts as a giant sundial, on the north side of the bridge. The shadow follows such a large arc that the measuring circle can record time only four hours a day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT) on summer solstice.

My favourite blogger Frances Bula, who is away in Europe recently shared her thoughts on a pedestrian/cycling bridge (see www.francesbula.com) as have many of her readers. Like so many things in life, one could argue for and against such a proposal. However, whenever comparing propositions from other cities...London, Melbourne, Dublin and so on, one does have to be careful to consider the context of the idea.

What I do find a bit odd about the Mayor's recent announcement, however, is its timing. After all, on July 13, his highly publicized proposal to alter the Burrard Street Bridge to accommodate cyclists will begin its trial period. Why did he announce an alternate proposal just now? Is the timing serendipity, or strategically determined, in anticipation of some serious negative feedback on his Burrard Street trial. While many fear that the bridge trial will fail, I would like it to succeed, even though the last trial cost my good friend Peter Ladner a lot of support in many circles.

And as for the cost of this proposal, I can say with certainty that should this proposition progress, a bridge design along the lines presented by Gregory will likely cost significantly more than $45 million. The city engineers know this too. I wonder if the Mayor asked them. Somehow, I don't think so!

EMBERS: it has nothing to do with fires!

During the course of the last municipal election, I came across a very interesting organization in the city. EMBERS helps people who are unemployed and homeless by training them, and finding them work. It quietly goes about its activities with little fanfare, but with considerable success.

Like most similar organizations, it needs to raise money, and last month, it held its inaugural EMBERS’ Against All Odds Golf Tournament Fundraiser. Sadly, I had to miss it, but more than 90 golfers enjoyed a beautiful sunny day at Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club and over $7,000 was raised. This is not a lot, compared to what many other tournaments raise, but the money will help a lot of people find work. To quote Lois Brassart, the Executive Director:

"EMBERS is all about miracles and second chances. We believe that strong individuals make strong communities and that every individual needs a strong foundation to build a secure future.

There are three basic needs we all share. We need health. We need shelter. And we need to be productive in life, to be able to contribute to a larger community. EMBERS helps people become productive again and create an income for themselves through employment. Many of the people we work with have faced major set backs and life challenges that makes it difficult for them to participate in the economic mainstream of our society. EMBERS works with people to help them create an economic future through work they love.

EMBERS has two employment programs. EMBERS Microenterprise Program works with people on low income and helps them turn their dreams and talents into small businesses. Every year EMBERS provides training and support to 75 aspiring entrepreneurs. Our other program, EMBERS Staffing Solutions, connects employers with graduates of drug and alcohol recovery programs, people starting over in life who are committed to living life clean and sober. In 18 months, EMBERS Staffing Solutions has employed more than 100 workers from the addiction recovery community, giving them a second chance in life. "

At a time when governments are spending more than $1,000 per bed per month for shelters, I would love to see more assistance given to worthwhile organizations like EMBERS. For more information, check out:

EMBERS Staffing Solutions
Creating Futures: Changing Lives Through Employment
604-692-0782 (office)
604-561-6750 (cell)
www.embersstaffing.com

Staying Alive?

Tony Manero - dir. Pablo Larraín - 2008 - Chile/Brazil - Lorber HT Digital

Written for Gone Cinema Poaching.

Like Taxi Driver and Man Bites Dog, Pablo Larraín's Tony Manero offers a new addition to the league of cinema's most fascinatingly maladaptive sociopaths with Raúl Peralta (Alfredo Castro). Set in Chile during Pinochet's oppressive reign over the country, Larraín takes an unflinching look at his nation's history through Raúl, who'd rather be referred to as Tony Manero after John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever. While bearing some resemblance to Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely, the two films part ways quickly as Raúl's celebrity projection turns rapidly grim when we discover that he also brutally murders innocent people without a glimpse of reservation.

More than Taxi Driver, to which it shares a political leaning, Tony Manero recalls some of Michael Haneke's notable works. Like a hybrid of Funny Games' Paul (Arno Frisch) and The Piano Teacher's Erika (Isabelle Huppert), Raúl incorporates Erika's appalling acts of sadism with Paul's absence of remorse. He's not inhuman as much as he's beyond it, a product of the devastating reality of his world and Hollywood's endless dream-pushing.

I resist calling Tony Manero a satire or even a dark comedy as, like The Piano Teacher, its moments of rabid cruelty only spark laughter as a relief from the unshakeable dread the film creates and the repugnance that it instills. In one of the film's most memorably ghastly scenes, the local theatre's change of attraction from Saturday Night Fever to another Travolta vehicle Grease propels Raúl to crush the elderly projectionist's skull inside the projection booth.

While the underlying idea in Tony Manero rings familiar on a couple of levels, those associations never infiltrate the hypnosis Larraín and Castro, who co-wrote the screenplay, place the audience under. Whether it's mortification or a seedy desire to where the film could possibly be headed, there's something thoroughly transfixing about Tony Manero, which sustains its foreboding uneasiness to its final, astonishing sequence.

DVD Update, 1 July, Plus Maybe The African Queen After All?

Some DVD release updates, ordered by release date:

- Sin nombre, 2009, d. Cary Fukunaga, Sony, 1 September
- Camille, 2007, d. Gregory Mackenzie, National Entertainment/E1, also on Blu-ray, 15 September, w. Sienna Miller, James Franco, David Carradine
- Easy Virtue, 2008, d. Stephan Elliott, Sony, also on Blu-ray, 15 September, w. Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jessica Biel
- Grace, 2009, d. Paul Solet, Anchor Bay, also on Blu-ray, 15 September, w. Jordan Ladd
- Lymelife, 2008, d. Derick Martini, Screen Media, also on Blu-ray, 22 September, w. Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon
- O' Horten, 2007, d. Bent Hamer, Sony, 22 September
- Nightmare, 2005, d. Dylan Bank, IFC Films, 29 September
- The Skeptic, 2009, d. Tennyson Bardwell, IFC Films, 6 October, w. Tim Daly, Tom Arnold, Zoe Saldana
- American Violet, 2008, d. Tim Disney, Image, also on Blu-ray, 13 October, w. Will Patton, Alfre Woodard, Tim Blake Nelson
- Chinatown, 1974, d. Roman Polanski, Paramount, Centennial Collection, 13 October
- Gnaw, 2008, d. Gregory Mandry, Dark Sky Films, 13 October
- Sorry, Wrong Number, 1948, d. Anatole Litvak, Paramount, Centennial Collection, 13 October, w. Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster
- The Stepfather, 1987, d. Joseph Ruben, Shout! Factory, 13 October, w. Terry O'Quinn
- The Butcher, 2007, d. Kim Jin-Won, Palisades Tartan, 27 October
- Night of Death! [La nuit de la mort], 1980, d. Raphaël Delpard, Synapse, 27 October, w. Charlotte de Turckheim

Also look for Stop Making Sense on Blu-ray from Palm on 13 October and the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol on Blu-ray on 3 November. And, maybe, The African Queen will really come out on 13 October as part of Paramount's Centennial Collection.