Morning Brew: June 16, 2008

Well, I'm back from Athens, as close to tanned as I'll ever get, and more than ready to unload (on) the latest local news. Sean still seems to be living the unplugged life, so I'll plan on a Monday/Wednesday/ Friday brew for the time being.

So Sunday was Car Free Day, with pedestrians and bikers taking over three different streets for 2008 (the above photo at Denman). I wasn't there, but 125,000 were. I guess it wouldn't be a Vancouver parade without some shirtless male Mantique shoppers and transvestites on stilts, eh. And while I tend to dislike people when they gather in such large numbers, those streets are still a lot more pleasant than these: Hanoi Traffic Flows.

Parading was a no-go for me; still recovering from jet-lag and busy stewing over the new Canadian copyright laws. I've always been a firm believer in supporting our artists (financially and beyond), and spend way more than I should on music. I also download a lot before dropping any cash. The current internet free-for-all situation is certainly a bit of a mess, but this ain't any solution. Brendan Canning and Michael Geist have some good responses. And you might as well join the Facebook group... since... you know, democracy has moved there too now.

I was blown over by the consistent quality of the graffiti in Greece (I'll drop a link to some pictures soon)... but it's hard to beat this great Vancity street art: taser eye surgery. And how about this wonderful little piece on the absurdity of BC taser politics.

Oh and cyclists are complaining about another bridge, this time the Second Narrows. Meh, I say be grateful you're not riding wooden bicycles.

While the fate of 14-30 year old dudes' iPod libraries nationwide may still be in limbo, Canada's old-man demographic is guaranteed to feel the copyright burn, as the only song they still care about will no longer accompany the crack of a can on Saturday night.

The Vancouver Acquarium welcomes a new baby beluga. Oh, how I've missed the evil bliss of YouTube.... as I had visions of this after seeing that story. Now you must as well.

There's been a string of missing B.C men over the last year, and it looks like they're probably related. "Is someone kidnapping them and taking them to some kind of fight club and they have to fight their way out?" Too sad to be funny... while tasers and gangs are all that really make the news. The comment roll is filled with shouts of "RCMP denial".

Say what you will about Yaletown, but Surrey really hates on the beavers. Am I the only one who sees an Olympic merchandising opportunity? Tangentially related nostalgia: Naked Gun in 10 minutes. (see 2:15).

re:place has a nice article up about the fastest-growing fad in local housing, 'Mohawks': Vancouver's junk-food urbanism.

Gregor Robertson won last nights Vision nomination by quite a margin. Did someone say Juiceman?

While composting may be a little 'creepy', I reckon the British gardener who recently died due to fungal poisoning might call it something else. "Manure & Fruit: The Eco-Killer" next on Fox News?

In celebration of the Hulk's box-office domination: Superheroes Who Can't Have Sex.

And finally, a foreign travel journalist visits our city with their brain turned on.

photo by ChromaticRat