Morning Brew: May 22, 2008

Local criminals on all ends better watch out as the CBC sparks an investigation into BC casino money laundering, while the VPD plan a crackdown on Carnegie Corner... which, as The Blackbird shows us, has already begun. Have the cops smoked away their memory? "A war on drugs that targets street level dealers won't succeed and those trying to fool the public know it."

A man in East Van got shot in the head Tuesday morning, and I demonstrate unconventional restraint by refusing to make a pun about the end of Likely, BC's main industry: "the sheer size of the operation was enough to produce a marijuana cigarette for everyone in the province every year." All these stories come just in time for the Maclean's front-pager: How B.C became a world crime super- power. I think port city + proximity to border + seasonal affective disorder pretty much explains it.

Oh, and they caught those campground shooters, who were apparently just forty-year-old men 'playing war' with real firearms. Ok, maybe the weed is the problem.

What do the readers say? Is it worth getting Olympic tickets come Oct 3? Or should we save our money for a plane ticket inland to escape the inevitable tsunamis? Shit, never gave that one too much thought...

The second free transit re:post is up. But with free rides, could Vancouver buses might end up looking something like this come 2010: Tokyo train packing. Required viewing.

Check out the Center for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology. Also, how green roofs work, from Scientific American. I imagine with the food crisis and all it's time to give rooftop agriculture some serious thought. In North America, things are really being spearheaded right here in Van.

So he's got seven charges of assault against him, he's an admitted alcoholic, and he's still the mayor of Port Coquitlam? Am I missing something? And now I see that he's plead guilty... and he won't serve any time.

A guide to Vancouver's outdoor pools.

Expect to hear lots about the $20 million Granville makeover soon, but for now...

H&M opening today! Apple store opening on Saturday! Wash away all your eco/social worries the North American way... consssssuuuummmmme. But really, I'm totally with the suck city on anticipating the Apple store. I'm more than tired of being fucked around by Vancouver's private Mac retailers, though it'll mean one less opportunity to see Yaletown yuppies being fiscally exploited...

If you make it outta' H&M with your will to live in the western world intact, tonight's screening of City Reflections at the Vancouver Museum sounds intersting. The film blends Vancouver street-car footage from 1907 with a modern re-enactment. Check out these images as a preview.

Add caribou to the list of iconic Canadian wilderness that we'll soon be eradicating. If the beavers start dying, I'm moving to Australia.

What to do with all those leftover creme eggs. Okay, I concede there's no such thing, but that video is one of the sleekest rube golbergs I've seen.

photo of Carnegie Center courtesy of The Blackbird