Hey there. Happy Tuesday!

This weekend, I ventured deep into Point Grey, taking the 42 all the way to Spanish Banks to see how the West Side elite (or people with cars) live. The water was rather green—which, it turns out, might have been due to the smoke we've had. 

Wildfires have a lot of complicated effects on the world, but they can carry nutrients that fuel algae blooms. Particles from the smoke make the ocean cloudier too—which means that even after our skies clear, the ocean still remains stormy.

— V.
Senior editor

Do you have seven minutes to spare? Would you be spending that time scrolling your phone, checking your emails, or otherwise looking at a screen? Great news—you can instead take that time and put it towards something that matters: voting in the Best of Vancouver awards. This year marks three decades of our reader-voted awards, so it's an extra-special occasion (and we'll be extra-upset if you forget). Cast your votes here.

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In a time when technology is taking jobs, the Straight remains what it has always been: a small team of scrappy journalists, doing our best to cover the stories that matter to the city we all love.

For just $8.25 per month—the cost of one fancy latte—you can help support the 60-year legacy of the Georgia Straight. In exchange for your hard-earned money, we've got a huge range of deals, discounts, and free tickets up for grabs—but only for Insiders. 

Right now that includes free tickets for Amy Miller's Vancouver is Funny show; free tickets to Come From Away at the Arts Club; discounts on drinks at Prophecy and Riley's; special deals at Minami and Pourhouse; and much more besides.

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IDS is set to return this September 24-27 with a new Keynote program, the can't miss IDS Party and brands from across Canada. Get your pass before prices increase September 9.

What has ABC actually done with four years of a strong city council majority? It's arguably easier to list what it hasn't done. Like, for instance, its ambitious Villages Plan, which would introduce density onto non-arterial roads around the city… which the party voted against. Editor in chief Nathan Caddell explores what that means for housing reform in Vancouver.

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You might know director Matt Johnson from his smash hit earlier this year, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. But despite playing a fictional version of himself in that film, he says that his latest feature—about Anthony Bourdain's early kitchen career—is actually his most personal work yet. "I had never actually made a movie about me before," he tells us before Tony releases this week. "I had never confronted the things that I thought were scary when I was a kid."

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Depending on your age, you might know Joe Keithley better as either the frontman of Vancouver punk heroes D.O.A., or as Burnaby's erstwhile two-term city councillor. But, as Allan MacInnis explores, those two jobs are two sides of the same coin for Keithley: working hard, being kind, and trying to make a difference, one show—or council meeting—at a time.

MUSIC: Wit and Wonder puts chamber music on the big stage. (August 11 @ Pyatt Hall)

COMEDY: Colin Cowan and James Lebuke headline a Tuesday night standup show. (August 11 @ China Cloud Studios)

FILM: VIFF is making a bold claim: that Jackie Brown is the best Tarantino movie. (August 11-13 @ VIFF Centre)

FOOD & DRINK: DQ has a business proposition: you order a Blizzard Treat, and they give the proceeds to BC Children's Hospital. (August 13 @ DQ)

MUSIC: The 7th annual Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival will tug at your heartstrings. (August 13-16 @ CapU Centre for the Performing Arts, North Vancouver)

BOOKS: If you find yourself on the Sunshine Coast, the local Festival of the Written Arts is sure to be a page-turner. (August 13-16 @ Rockwood Centre Grounds, Sechelt) 

THEATRE: The Movie Star reminds you that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. (August 13-23 @ Waterfront Theatre)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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