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It's Wednesday December the 13 around 6:01AM and

Vancouver Magazine's "Power-less 50"

Picked up the latest Vancouver Magazine this weekend. It's the big 6th Annual Power 50 issue. Now credit must be given to the mag's revised website, that seems to be updated quicker, and even more crazy, actually has some content online. Particularly this month's blast from the past article "When We Were Young" about the 1950's photos of Fred Herzog and the article on Chris Haddock.

But the Power 50 is quite a let down. Maybe we only need a power 25 or maybe a power 10, since most of the people on this list would hardly qualify as powerful in any other city. I mean David Baines (25) is a pretty good writer but let's not jump overboard here, he's not Walter Lippmann or anything like that. His personal highlight from the last year, "Having exposed some of the questionable claims behind Cold FX—the popular Don Cherry-touted herbal cold and flu remedy." Really? It screams power.

Sam Sullivan is #7. Because he is mayor? Come on. The hard hitting question he is asked, "What’s your best stress-reliever?" The answer: Mashed potatoes. Wow, it's times like these when you actually long for the tender hand of Mike Harcourt in a flower shirt back running the city.

And tied for most powerful? CEO of Translink Pat Jacobsen and Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon. "There’s little doubt that transportation is the central issue of the day, or that the minister’s the dominant force shaping the city’s transportation future. The province brought TransLink into this world, and Kevin Falcon has the power to take it out." Right, well I guess that settles it then. With all that power you'd think they could get the Skytrain to work in the snow, or enough buses out there. Sadly, no. But I guess when an accompanying article features the corny hosts of Urban Rush, Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes, calling them the " reigning couple of Vancouver chat" you realize the whole power "issue" is a bit much.