Victoria police shut down tent city, arrest the homeless, and things certainly aren't any better over here. Meanwhile, protesters at City Hall on Sunday were met with calls of "get a job!" (And echoed over at The Province's comment roll - yikes.)

On that note, a new piece from Matt Good: Where People Become Dirty Words.

The NAOMI results were finally released, and show that heroin-assisted treatment is safe, effective and better than methadone. Maybe more surprisingly, so is the legal drug dilaudid.

Nice one from the Tyee: testosterone poisoning and the economic meltdown. Damn right I've got a weak jawline, I'm just more highly adapted.

If you haven't given up on politics after last week... get ready to? 'Cause it's the Kitsilano Kid or the Happy Planet Man for mayor, and Bula's article in the Globe just makes it all seem extra boring. But, but, but... who has the nicer house?

Stuff sounds way more fun over at the activist/fringe table, though I know I'd get lost in Emery's eyes (seriously, necessary?) So now I'm torn between voting Gölök Z Buday for the killer name and facebook photo, or the Nude Garden Party:

- if you want a "pied a terre" in your own 21st century city to congregate naked in your god body with your fellow citizens to honour one another with our presence, fraternity and our uncommon and idiosyncratic existence...

if you would like to welcome the world as a fully evolving unleashed wild laughing, loving, dancing and singing multiracial, classically nude in appropriate public places and buildings and businesses, as a super sophisticated urbane classical society.

- if you want the Olympic's to proceed on a fair budget.

Make sure to browse the rest of that priceless list. Then there's the Work Less Party; like the Marijuana Party, but with a bit more motivation? Here's your full list of candidates, but honestly...

Upside Down Dogs.

The Sun had their special Economy Edition this weekend. Apparently men are too broke to buy Southeast Asian wives, and holy shit - Africans are poor! "Welcome to Main Street Africa... the vast majority of their people have little grasp of sub prime mortgages." Oh my.

They also offered a bunch of great money saving tips, which include learning how to make your own mojito and spray-on tanning solution - to cut the cost of those expensive salon visits. They forgot the easiest first step: canceling your newspaper subscription.

Pathetic, but not all that surprising: B.C.-certified offshore schools are an embarrassment. The union responds; obviously, the government's fault. When will they learn?

B.C ends gift card expiry dates and cracks down on halloween fireworks (doesn't requiring an online application, like, make fireworks more appealing to kids today?). Also this Halloween, sorry children, pimpin' will not - I repeat not - be easy.

Meanwhile, bisphenol A could become officially labelled as 'toxic'. What? They line our cans with that crap? That switch to aluminum was the first New Year's resolution I've made in years, dammit!

The Vancouver Historical Society presents An Early History of Punk Rock in Vancouver. Be sure to check out this wicked collection of old photos and memorabilia.

While the economic situation is giving everyone some olympic sized 2010 anxiety, for some odd reason Coca Cola is not concerned. And if we ban all those bottles and cans? (Aside: Cancer > Heart Disease?) Whatever, you don't need me to list all the reasons why we all need to put down the bottled sugar.

photo courtesy of Renters at Risk