by Sean Orr | Hey, maybe we should name the controversial Main Street poodle “Ted”? Why TED Is a Massive, Money-Soaked Orgy of Self-Congratulatory Futurism. Yup, and that’s exactly why TED is absolutely perfect for Vancouver.
What do you get when you there are massive cuts to Employment Insurance and the Canada Assistance Plan, massive cuts to welfare, de-institutionalization and cuts to mental health, a frozen minimum wage, a patchwork housing system of crumbling hotels, a failed Olympic housing legacy, decades of economic divestment, decades of institutionalized racism and mistreatment of First Nations, the removal of street car lines, the removal of the Japanese during the war, and a policy of social containment? You get the blame put on fancy restaurants. Behold: Gentrification Atrocity in the DTES.
The Tweet of the Day via Bob Mackin
Fun Fact: Preem Clark’s first B.C. #FamilyDay holiday coincides with Sarah Palin’s 49th birthday. #bcpoli— Bob Mackin (@bobmackin) February 11, 2013
Asylum of the times: Harper vows ‘high-risk’ law to keep criminally insane locked up. Yeah, I mean…imagine if they had locked me up for longer than a month? The world would be such a better place…
Sino the times: Vancouver residents sense rise in anti-Chinese sentiment in Canada. Perhaps it’s time for a Cultural Sensitivity Advisory Board for Chinatown.
News to nobody in the DTES: Woman claims Surrey Memorial mistreated her until tests proved she wasn’t on drugs.
Vancouver’s ‘No Fun City’ reputation a misnomer. “Yes, such iconic hangouts as the Waldorf Hotel and smaller theatres may be sadly closing their doors, but look beyond the neon signs downtown and you’ll find such gems as the Commodore Ballroom, the Vogue and Orpheum theatres, Celebrities and BC Place lit up and buzzing just a few blocks apart”. Yeah, you just have to look a little closer to find all of those hidden, super secret gems. “This month alone we’re spoilt for choice with Dine Out Vancouver, free ice-skating in Robson Square, the Chinese New Year parade, and B.C.’s first Family Day”. Who writes this stuff? Maybe it’s time we did a better job of defining fun. If only there was a website that made a weekly list of cool things to do…