Metblogs FTW: We're all tough behind the keyboard: "Sean Orr of Beyond Robson, whose life goal is to defeat poverty with sarcasm, called the people at new local blog Vancity Buzz cocks. The two sites have been going back and forth from there, mostly arguing over the fact that Orr is left wing and the pseudonomous bloggers at Vancity Buzz are either right wing. Or bar stars. Or both."

Urban Vancouver stole my blog. That's funny because Buzz Bishop stole my content for his newspaper article (attn lawyers, this is what is known as a joke. I am not actually accusing Buzz Bishop of plagiarism).

One way bus tickets for the homeless for 2010. But yeah, China's evil.

Federal health minister slams Insite injection site. Oh yeah? Well Dr. Buddy over there just slammed Clement: "Who do you want to believe? Do you want to believe published articles in the New England Journal or Lancet, do you want to believe the World Health Organization or do you want to believe Tony Clement? It's embarrassing."

Young artists emerge in east Vancouver. Wow! I thought East Vancouver was full of biker gangs and smoke filled, dimly lit tattoo parlors.

Stolen dog recovered.

image by Avenida Once.

Don't keep reading because there isn't anything else...

I got this offensive, asinine flyer in my mailbox and figured it was a Yaletown-targeted thing, only to realize they sent it to every home in East Van as well. I was gonna go on a short rant about the the hypocrisy of it all, but Eby does the job nicely. I'll channel that rage into giving you an extra bloated Monday brew, as this is probably all you'll be seeing of me this week. Good for two cups, at least?

The Province has a good piece on the feasibility, implications and outright necessity of a tent city, echoing some sentiments we've heard time and time again about the lack of any real government action when it comes to our city's homeless.

More awesome stuff from Past Tense: Harm Reduction, 50s style. "What's regarded today as the novel philosophy of harm reduction was simple pragmatism in 1952." Even back then, the Sun was reporting that there was "little doubt that the European system of cheap drugs and medical treatment is infinitely superior to our faltering system of straight police suppression."

On the other hand, this one makes Harper's slander seem like small beans: "Vancouver's Chief Constable told the Committee that addicts should all be quarantined on an island somewhere to prevent them from recruiting new users." The 'Salt Spring Solution'?

First dog-nappings, and now dog poisonings in Burnaby. I'm calling a temporary moratorium on small-dog jokes for all the victimized pooches out there. Rent this to escape the canine hate.

And like I said, I'm not gonna add to the pile of Olympic reportage, but I can help teach you how to handspin your newspapers into yarn.

Attention residents of Small Dog Land, ie Coal Harbour/Gastown/Yaletown. There is a couple out there snatching yr poodlez! My friend Damian recently had his adorable Boston Terrier Liza yanked from right underneath his nose, but it was caught on tape. First, the guy will distract the owner, then his partner comes along with a jacket and scoops up your special little guy. I heard a similar scheme a few years ago regarding the theft of laptops, but come on, SMALL DOGS? They are so small. Apparently they've struck before. I saw a poster for a missing little guy called Gargamel, whom I had met the previous day, skulking out from his owner's book bag. Is there no common decency? Have we reduced ourselves to barbarians? Why are people so desperate for money that they'll burn down Woodlands to get a few pieces of copper, or rob a convenience store with a bloody hypodermic needle? I thought we were living in times of economic prosperity...

The number of major B.C. construction projects keeps growing. Spending some decent time on the streets of downtown Vancouver today, It almost looks like we're in the process of digging the entire city up in preparation for some kind of secret relocation to Mars. Yeah, I lingered too long on the library steps staring at a ripped-up Robson Square while inhaling secondhand pot smoke, sue me.

Vancouver's street people won't be hidden for the 2010 Olympics. Are we just gonna pull a Beijing-style replacement; some sober, cleanshaven lookalikes who sweep the streets and shine our shoes? I hear we've got a lot of under-employed actors kicking around... And are the Vancouver games bound to be overshadowed by the spectacle of Beijing, Mr. Campbell? "No. I think it's... uh... we're going to have spectacular mountains for sure, I guarantee it." Yeah, the view here works wonders for the peace of mind.

Slot machines are a go in Hastings Park. Gov just loves to keep those addictions flowin', so long as they help pad the bureaucratic beer bellies. Um, longterm social costs? These things are a cancer.

Holy Fuck, ya damn conservatives! Never judge a record by its cover.

Wanna see a real life tasering? Friday night might be your best chance: SkyTrain Pub Crawl! P.S. don't wear sandals.

I know Jon linked to the Cambell conference article yesterday, but I just wanted to point out to all those people who say the APC are a bunch of thugs whose message is lost in violence: "When one reporter from the China Daily, considered by Westerners to be a government mouthpiece, zeroed in how Campbell will handle "anti-Olympic groups such as the Anti-Poverty Coalition," Campbell gave a political lesson of his own. "In Canada we will be open to opportunities for people to express whatever views they have," he said. "There will not be opportunities to break the law, [but] we will make sure there will be full and equal expression throughout the 2010 Olympics." Yes, in Canada we pose as police officers and arrest you. In Canada, we close our VANOC meetings and surround it with secuirty forces. In Canada we throw our Native elders in prison to die. In Canada we tear up villages in favour of massive capital projects.

Woodwards Set To Revitalize Gastown. Awesome. A new blog for me to make fun of.

Kelowna rabbit exterminators call for RCMP protection. "Awk, that's ne ordinary rabbit. That's one of the most foul, cruel, bad tempered rodents ye ever set eyes on"

Starbucks opens in Uranus.

It's thus far evaded our linking, but Naomi Klein's short piece on how China is using the Olympics as an attempt to create a 'Police State 2.0' is essential reading. You may also want to check out the longer Rolling Stone article from may, China's All Seeing Eye.

A soldier from BC dies, along with a Brit and another four civilians, while the Tyee go all Tyee on the pandering in Afghanistan. If anything, military service does have the potential to harden our citizens into naked 78 year-old vigilantes.

If there's one good thing to come out of China's crackdown on free speech, Campbell's taken a retaliatory hard-line stance on freedom of expression for 2010. It was a 200-year event, ya damn Commies! If someone had mentioned drunk driving, do you think he would've promised free weed?

The Canadian government wages war on arts and culture. Hasn't CBC television been doing that for years?

Closing down Insite will bring out the angel of death. 'Angel of death' - that's 3 parts heroin, 2 parts coke, and 1 part lysol, right?