"Once-in-a-millennium" celebration of holy days

Good Friday! Happy Purim, Eid, etc... - Time Magazine

In 2008, March 21 has special significance for Christians, Jews and Muslims, as well as Persians, Hindus and Buddhists. In what is described as a "once-in-a-millennium" statistical event, on the same day as Christians remember Jesus' death on Good Friday, there is the Jewish Purim (celebrating the biblical story of Esther), Persian New Year (Narouz), the Sunni
Eid Milad an Nabi (celebrating the Birth of the Prophet), the Hindu Small Holi (an Indian festival of bonfires) and Magha Puja, a celebration of the Buddha's first group of followers, marked primarily in Thailand.

Vancouver's Best Festival

Dine Out Vancouver - 2008
Although Dine Out Vancouver isn't normally described as a "festival", this annual event is my favourite cultural celebration. For 2008, Dine Out Vancouver has over 180 restaurants in the Greater Vancouver area are offering a selection of 3-course meals for a fixed price of either $15, $25 or $35. The menus are posted online, and have suggested pairings of BC wines.

For most of these restaurants are offering meals at a much lower price point than usual, so you get the chance to go for the eating spots with the best menu or the most buzz. Booking ahead is highly recommended. Dine Out Vancouver 2008 runs from January 16 to February 3.

Bon appetit!

All the good links are from Japan...

This upcoming weekend, Vancouver is hosting the Powell Street Festival; which is Vancouver's annual Japanese cultural festival . I'm looking forward to some great food, like Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki and Yakitori. Yummy!!

In honour of the Powell Street Festival, here are 4 fascinating links that are all related to Japan.

1. Stunning 360 degree view of Yokohama Harbour (Quicktime VR)
2. Maywa Denki - Japan's far-out version of the Blue Man Group (videos)
3. Tokyo's Shinjuku station signage made with adhesive tape
4. Video profile of hetero male hosts at a Japanese Host Bar

Today's Link source: Linkjockey Tumblr

Over 3 gigs of free mp3 downloads from SXSW

2007 SXSW Showcasing Band MP3s (Torrent)

Click today's link to start downloading over 3 gigabytes of hot new indie music, featuring showcase artists from the 2007 South-by-Southwest art and music festival in Austin Texas.
SXSW is a cool festival with lots of shows, where all kinds of new bands get their big break. It sounds like a load of fun, and I would like to go someday. It runs from March 9 to 18 this year.

The link requires Bit Torrent software to work. If you haven't used Torrents before, you'll be able to download the free software here. And yes, it's completely legal, although some people use Bittorrent for other purposes too.

If you'd rather pick-and-choose songs by band name, try this link instead. 3 gigabytes of mp3s is a LOT!