September 2009

All articles posted in September 2009.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood English Cast

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 25, 2009 • Anime

The English Cast for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has been posted on the Official FUNimation Blog. Those who’ve seen the first series will recognize some familiar voices along side the new ones.

Vic Mignogna reprises his role as Edward Elric, Caitlin Glass as Winry Rockbell, Travis Willingham as Roy Mustang, Laura Bailey as Lust, Wendy Powell as Envy, Chris Cason as Gluttony, Sonny Straight as Maes Hughes, Ed Blaylock as Fuhrer King Bradley, and Colleen Clinkenbeard as Riza Hawkeye.

Newcomers to the series include Maxey Whitehead as Alphonse Elric, J. Michael Tatum as Scar, and Bryan Massey as Isaac McDougal.

Aaron Dismuke, who originally voiced Alphonse Elric, will return later on in the series under a different role.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows the manga storyline by Hiromu Arakawa much more closely than the previous televised series.

Source: FUNimation

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Alain Vigneault extends contract with Vancouver

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 24, 2009 • Hockey

Alain Vigneault, Head Coach for the Vancouver Canucks, has been granted a three year extension on his contract with the team. This extension would see Vigneault through to the 2012-2013 season.

Vancouver has won its sixth Northwest Division title with Vigneault behind the bench, making it his second in three years.

Source: Vancouver Canucks

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Wii Price Drop

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 24, 2009 • Gaming

Wii

Nintendo has announced that on Sunday, September 27th, 2009, the price of the popular Wii will drop to $199 USD. Following the move of Sony and Microsoft who have also tried make their consoles more affordable, Nintendo has shaved $50 off the suggested retail price of $249 USD.

Mario fans can look also look forward to “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” which is scheduled to hit shelves in North America on November 15th, 2009.

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SkyTrain ticket vending machines upgrade

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 23, 2009 • News

TransLink is advising commuters using the ticket vending machines on the Expo and Millennium Lines that they may experience problems when paying with debit or credit cards. For the next six weeks, the ticket vending machines are being upgraded, and during this time debit or credit service may be impacted. However, those who are paying with cash shouldn’t expect any problems.

TransLink recommends bringing cash along just in case or to pick up FareSavers or FareCards from authorized vendors. Should you encounter any problems, try using another machine or inform a SkyTrain attendant for assistance.

TransLink will try and limit the interruptions during of peak hours of operation.

Source: TransLink

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Naruto Shippuden Jacket at Hot Topic

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 23, 2009 • The Otaku Culture
Naruto Shippuden Jacket

Naruto Shippuden Jacket

For the Naruto fan, Hot Topic is now selling the Shippuden version of the blond ninja’s jacket.

Ripple Junction, manufacturer of tees based on anime, cartoons and movies, has faithfully recreated the jacket using a blend of  black and orange cotton/polyester fabric. The familiar red spiral is embroidered on the back with another smaller gray spiral on the upper left sleeve. The smaller spiral has two vertical pieces of brown fabric on each side, with a stem of orange plastic on the right side. It looks a little strange, but when you glance at the actual jacket in the series, it makes sense (I have no clue what its purpose is for though).

Unlike the previous style that the younger Naruto wore, there are exterior pockets on both sides, but no MP3 player pocket on the inside.

The jacket is pretty comfortable, but not really warm when I put it to the test this morning. The cool Vancouver weather let me know to wear something warmer underneath.

All in all, it’s a really nice jacket. You can buy it in most Hot Topic stores or online.

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Anime Evolution 2010 dates and venue

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 22, 2009 • Conventions

The dates and location for Anime Evolution 2010 have been released. The convention will be held on August 13th to 15th, 2010 at the University of British Columbia.

The date change was done to accommodate other conventions in neighbouring provinces and states, while the decision to return to the university was made due to room setup and configuration issues.

Personally, I liked the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre due to its location and proximity to public transit, food and accommodation. The bonus: everything under one roof with air conditioning! Wearing a jacket and wig in summer is not fun. However, beauty is skin deep and while it looks nice on the outside, the convention staff ran into some situations with room setup and other things.

Registration is not open at the moment and is expected to begin later this year.

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Evergreen Line progressing

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 20, 2009 • News, Trains
SkyTrain at Waterfront Station

SkyTrain at Waterfront Station

The latest extension of the SkyTrain, the Evergreen Line — which will run from Lougheed Station on the eastern edge of Burnaby, through Port Moody and up to Coquitlam, is slated to have construction start in late 2010.

Although TransLink is struggling to obtain additional funding to maintain existing services, both the Provincial and Federal governments have earmarked $800 million dollars for the 11km project. The Province will work with the Metro Vancouver-based transit company on how to raise the estimated $400 million needed for completion.

The Evergreen Line will use the same Mark I and II cars that run on the Expo and Millennium Lines and is expected to be completed sometime around 2014.

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Tolls on Lower Mainland bridges

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 17, 2009 • News

Cash strapped TransLink is looking to plug a hole in its pocket by possibly adding tolls on some bridges in Metro Vancouver. The Knight Street Bridge on the north arm of the Fraser River between Richmond and Vancouver, has the potential for charging motorists who use the span. Currently, only the Golden Ears Bridge, linking Maple Ridge and Langley, has tolls.

TransLink, the organization that operates many of the bridges in the region, needs around $130 million a year  in order to maintain costs in keeping the bridges up to code along with bus and rapid transit service, according to the Regional Transportation Commissioner.

The plan for tolls on the Knight Street Bridge have not been finalized and it may take some time to get the idea out and work with the communities that use the crossing.

Source: News1130

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Possible new Green Line stop

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 16, 2009 • News, Trains
CTA Pink Line at Quincy

CTA Pink Line at Quincy

The Chicago Sun-Times overheard the CTA talking about a new station on the Green Line near the Museum Campus and Soldier Field. While there are no plans for this stop at either Cermak Road or 18th Street in the immediate future, there is a need for a station on the Near South Side in the 2.5 mile gap between Roosevelt and 35-Bronzeville-IIT. Unfortunately, the Green Line is plagued with a few significant stretches of track where there are no stations.

Up until 1978, there was a station on Cermak Road, but was closed and removed due to budget cut backs.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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White Rock in Pictures

Frederick Linsmeyer • September 12, 2009 • In Pictures
White Rock at night

White Rock at night

There are some new photos up of White Rock on Gallery. Had the camera out earlier this evening and was trying some new techniques such as long exposures to capture some really beautiful shots. Take a look and judge for yourself!

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