Back of the Class

I’ve always had a vague interest in criminology, and this is really fascinating and mystifying. In the past few years a number of adult men have gone missing, mostly in the Vancouver area and some in Kelowna. Disappeared without a trace. No bodies have been found and no clues to their whereabouts. Police say their disappearances are not connected. Some families say they are.

I cannot imagine anything more traumatic for their loved ones than not knowing what has happened to them. There can be no closure for them until the mystery is solved. May 25th was National Missing Childrens Day in Canada, and although these men are adults, they are still someone’s child.

If you know anything about these men, that could help, please contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222.TIPS (8477)

1. Chilliwack resident Michael Scullion, 30, last seen in Agassiz April 10, 2008.
2. Burnaby resident Kellen McElwee, 25, last seen in Langley March 19, 2008.
3. Langley resident Derek Kelly, 32, last seen at Bridge Lake Jan. 1, 2008.
4. Langley resident John Kahler, 29, last seen at Stave Lake Nov. 2, 2007.
5. Burnaby resident Brian Braumberger, 18, last seen June 1, 2007.
6. Vancouver resident Richard Tamassy, 42, last seen April 15, 2008.
7. Vancouver resident Greg Cyr, 43, last seen Oct. 26, 2003.
8. Vancouver resident Ron Carlow, 38, last seen June 20, 2007.
9. North Vancouver resident Matthew Price, 22, missing since July 15, 2004.
10. North Vancouver resident David McMorran, 45, last seen Feb. 14, 2005.
11. Burnaby resident Patrick Ratto, 43, last seen July 25, 2006.
12. Burnaby resident Terry Beckett, 55, last seen April 21, 2008.
13. Burnaby resident Asim Chaudhry, 24, last seen July 20, 2007.
14. Coquitlam resident Kenneth Shigehiro, 46, last seen March 4, 2008.
15. Chilliwack resident Brandyn Thomas Dirienzo, 20, last seen Oct. 4, 2006.
16. Abbotsford resident Beric Bason, 26, last seen at Loon Lake July 25, 2007.
17. Surrey resident Ranvir (Ron) Atwal, 28, last seen April 5, 2004.
18. White Rock resident Wade MacKenzie, 23, last seen in North Delta Jan. 16, 2008.
19. Kelowna resident Aaron Derbyshire, 22, last seen Sept. 30, 2006.
20. Kelowna resident Michael Bosma, 26, last seen Jan. 9, 2006.
21. Kelowna resident John Ernest Patrick, 40, last seen March 21, 2008.
22. Greenwood resident Gary Hansen, 52, last seen May 27, 2005.

If you feel that 33′ wide Vancouver lot is cramping your style, for the price of some real estate in Vancouver you can buy yourself an exotic island. Yes, these islands are not only for the filthy rich.

Cabbage Cay in the Bahamas is a 35 acre island is cheap at only $2 500 000

This island, on the St. Lawrence river, between Ontario and New York, boasts a 100 year old castle and is available for rent. Price upon request.

A catastrophic earthquake, measuring 7.9 struck the the mountanous region of Chengdu in the province of Jiangyou on Monday leaving 12 000 people dead and injuring more than 26 000. The numbers are hard to comprehend. Hundreds more are trapped in buildings, schools and factories. 900 teenage students were trapped or killed when the school building they were in collapsed.

Ten students and a professor from British Columbia’s University College of the Fraser Valley were among the millions terrorized in Chengdu when the earthquake struck. Miraculously they all survived when they ran to a nearby field to avoid the debris falling around them.

The quake was already China’s biggest natural disaster since another earthquake leveled the city of Tangshan in eastern China in 1976, leaving 240,000 people dead.