Morning Brew: August 6, 2008

Real estate prices are officially down. Nice, now you can afford those extra few square feet to squeeze in Poofie's jogadog.

A quick guide to Beijing's extreme makeover; covers all your bases from turtle blood bans to feline extermination to rainfall-controlling silver-iodide-filled rockets. Apparantly they weren't as prepared for the Muslim separatists. Meanwhile, nature responded in style to that silver rocket bullshit. The government was successful, however, in completely eliminating both Ron MacLean and any sign of natural human life from their capital city.

One of the most interesting pieces yet to emerge from the steady flow of Vancouver history-blogging: The Dope Craze That's Terrorizing Vancouver: a look at how the Downtown Eastside has been a drug haven since the '30s -- we just used to keep it all indoors. Great stuff.

One woman plans to complain to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal after she's told by H&M to take the breastfeeding to the changeroom. Uncalled for, perhaps... but I'd say introducing one's child to H&M at such an early age is the biggest human rights violation in this story.

A visual exploration of how the American diet has changed in the last 30 years, including an overall increase in 1.8 pounds of food consumed per person per week. What we've lost in veal and lard we've more than made up for in cheese & corn. You are what you eat?

World's Worst Person Decides to Go Into Marketing

Been awhile since we've had any of this stupidity in the news: fatal crash in Delta blamed on street racing. The crash itself occurred after the police attempted to stop the race, and a few days after the CBC published this survey: should we legalize street racing?

I guess I have to stop mocking the technology, 'cause apparently text messaging can make you a hero. That's one message I definitely wouldn't want getting sabotaged by my inability to figure out that damn 'smart-text' bullshit.

Check out the B.C centenary logo, which served as the original template for our province's flag... until it was met with a 'shower of puns and derision'.

Another priceless local craigslist find courtesy of Quinn.

It's battle of the advertisements when it comes to our national green plan. Don't fall victim to the Dion tax trick! (Or the National Post, for that matter.) Regardless of how stupid our campaigns may get, we'll never have anything on those Americans. Check out this unfortunately legitimate McCain ad, then take a trip down comment lane and finish slitting your wrists.

Holy shit, after looking at the official Will You be Tricked? website I take all the American bashing back. Who decided the discount mattress motif was going to make Canadians take you any more seriously?

So they're even prescribing antidepressants to "treat" PMS these days? I know life sucks and all, but do we really need to medicate every last ounce of humanity out of ourselves? Here's a dash of perspective for all the menstruating women out there.

Aside: The Vancouver Sun seems to have finally enabled comments on their newsfeed, and the first reaction to the antidepressant story? "Indica... that is all." I guess he's right, but all I can think about is lobbying for a 'no posting comments during your wake-and-bake news-trawl' bylaw. Makes me rethink the implications of this whole 'death of the newspaper' thing.

Take a gander at Olympic torch design through the ages, then check out how much cooler the 2007 Canada Winter Games torch was.

Proof that not everyone has lost faith in the Beijing Olympics: one Chinese dude tattooed the Beijing 2008 logo on his forehead. I've got my across-the-back Olympic tat' planned... but I can't find that sweet graphic Only whipped up with the 2010 mascots getting tasered. Anyone?

Who would you rather invite to your dinner party, a flat-earther or a flatulist?

photo by yours truly in the BR flickr group (finally got a camera...)