By the time I arrive at Yaletown Brewery to watch the U.S. election returns, at an event sponsored by the Vancouver chapter of Democrats Abroad, things are well under way.

I have to admit, I haven’t paid that much attention to Madonna lately, not since about 1989. So it was with a little bit of trepidation that I trundled off to the big show at B.C. Place last night.

On November 4, Barack Obama won the vote for presidency of the United States, begging the question, how will an Obama administration affect Canada?

Lately, there have been an increasing number of pretty serious Republicans deserting John McCain.

There were no knockout blows. No 1988-style “You’re no Jack Kennedy” moments. And no real fireworks.

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth today after more than three days in orbit and China’s first spacewalk.

Professional Bigfoot trackers Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer have announced the discovery of a body that appears to be an adult Bigfoot.

In an interview with Bob Woodruff of ABC News this morning, former presidential candidate John Edwards admitted to having an extramarital affair in 2006 with Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker who made documentaries for Edwards’ campaign Web site.

Another big step in the ongoing history of space travel: yesterday, in New Mexico, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, and spacecraft designer Bert Rutan unveiled WhiteKnightTwo.

Phoenix’s sensors and robotic digging arm will analyze Martian soil, search for frozen water, and maybe–just maybe–find evidence of life

Some sad and potentially far-reaching news came out of Massachusetts General Hospital this morning: U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.

Hillary Clinton’s impressive victory in the West Virginia primary this week raises some interesting questions. Is she once again a viable candidate? Why can’t Barack Obama close the deal? And, with such a polarized base, can either Democrat beat John McCain?

When Hillary Clinton gingerly downed a shot of Crown Royal at a campaign stop this week (see below), it illustrated the dangers of pandering to blue-collar voters.

When I was a boy, Stanley Park was pretty much my very own back yard. I grew up in an apartment on the corner of Gilford and Robson, so the park was only a block away and I spent most of my outdoor time there. It was a wonderful place to spend your childhood, with infinite new things to discover and amaze.

It’s been said that in America there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Leave it to the Swedes, with their Volvos and meatballs and midnight sun, to come up with the best holiday tradition ever – a giant straw Christmas goat (or, Julbock), which is constructed every year in the town of Gavle.

I never knew my grandfather. He died 10 years before I was born, so I never had the chance. As a boy, I would hear the odd mention of him having fought in the Spanish Civil War, and having served in the navy in the Second World War, but there were never many details. With some research, I’ve been able to piece together his story, a Greatest Generation saga that took him around the world and through two wars.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love the space program, and I love Star Wars (the first three movies, anyway), but something about NASA sending Luke Skywalker’s light saber up on the current space shuttle Discovery mission smacks of, well, marketing tie-in.

By Max Brooks. Crown, 342 pp, $32.95, hardcover.

Viewing a shuttle launch and touring NASA facilities takes you back in time.

Ah, the life of a cowboy-city behind you, wide open space in front, a trusty horse underneath, and the sweet smell of sagebrush-what could be more liberating or more of an adventure?

When summer embraces Vancouver, there's nothing better than grabbing a rod and reel and heading out to a favourite fishing spot. You see, fishing isn't about actually catching anything. It's not a sport, no matter what some serious anglers would have you believe. It's about relaxing, time well-spent with friends, and communing with nature. It's a Zen-like enterprise with a zero-sum gain in tangibles.

I bought my first Vespa motor scooter in the spring of 1983, and, hooked by the Vespa's captivating qualities, I've owned one ever since. It was my first taste of freedom--real freedom--where I'd finally thrown off the shackles of boyhood and embraced life's possibilities. I imagine youth is a lot like that for everyone, but for me the Vespa played an integral part. It was stylish, it was fun, and it was part of a burgeoning subculture.