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Entries from July 2015

British press doesn’t like our Olympics, thinks we’re mean? Take this

February 18th, 2010 · 28 Comments

Most of the flag-bedecked partiers here don’t have a clue that we’re being trashed in the international media and, even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. But it’s a big topic among the inner circle of Olympics diehards, reporters and news junkies. I got invited to give a local perspective on the Games and […]

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Olympics Day 5: Many random thoughts and observations

February 17th, 2010 · 11 Comments

1. It was a beautiful day, with crocuses blooming and people shedding too-warm jackets everywhere as they buzzed through the city. 2. It’s nice to see the city hasn’t cleaned up the Downtown Eastside. It’s there in all its usual glory: drug dealers around the Carnegie, people smoking crack in the alleys, more people selling […]

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Uh-oh, we’re surrounded by downers

February 16th, 2010 · 23 Comments

Oh, you may all be thinking you’re having a great time out there in your Canadian-flag capes, having a great time crying when our medal-winners make their charming, modest speeches  and then partying your hearts out at various live sites, bars, and overcrowded buses. But, didn’t you know, things are not really so great. We’re […]

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Police arrest “ringleader” of Saturday’s violent protest

February 16th, 2010 · 15 Comments

This just in from the Vancouver police. I’m not sure this is going to make Quebec, currently fulminating over the lack of a French presence at the opening ceremonies, feel any better. Vancouver – Vancouver Police with support of the V2010 Joint Intelligence Group are announcing more arrests in connection with the protests last weekend. Police have arrested a man they suspect […]

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Vancouver mayor jumps into cauldron uproar

February 16th, 2010 · 12 Comments

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson caught the media’s attention today with a brief answer he gave at a scrum after a totally different newser (Olympic village gets certified as greenest neighbourhood in North America by U.S. agency). Yes, he was concerned about the cauldron being inaccessible to visitors. And he made a call to John Furlong […]

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Two members of “black bloc” issue statement: we “only undertook strategic attacks against corporations”

February 16th, 2010 · 15 Comments

This statement, sent to the Georgia Straight, is rapidly making the rounds here and there. In defense of the black bloc: A communique from Olympic resisters February 14th, 2010 – Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories   On February 12th and 13th, 2010, thousands of courageous individuals came together to resist the 2010 Olympic police state and […]

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Vancouver lays off some staff and hires others

February 16th, 2010 · 3 Comments

I know it’s hard to pay attention to this kind of thing when our whole city is in major uproar mode and 800 staff are currently enjoying the sunshine out at various Olympics sites, but … Interesting to note that hiring seems to have picked up at the hall. There are currently 19 positions posted, […]

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Tags: City Hall Talk

Housing march and tent city keeps focus on the real message: homelessness

February 15th, 2010 · 10 Comments

No black hoodies or newsbox-stand throwing today. Instead, activists who organized the rally and march in the Downtown Eastside today did a lot of smart things. 1. They held the rally at Pigeon Park, where there are lots of local people easily available for news crews to interview, people who were happy to talk about […]

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Does Vancouver have enough to do for a city full of Olympics visitors?

February 14th, 2010 · 30 Comments

In the last two days, I’ve heard from two kinds of people: those who are over-the-top thrilled with the experience of the Games so far and those who are trying to be thrilled, but who have spent a lot of time roaming aimlessly in the streets, sometimes lining up for hours to get into venues […]

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Police say protest violence the result of a small group of “criminal inflitrators”

February 13th, 2010 · 49 Comments

This news release just out from the VPD Vancouver – As Vancouver Police faced protestors once again today they encountered a criminal element within the legitimate protestors.   The criminal element apparently willing to wield anything that might cause damage or injury marched among about 200 legitimate protestors this morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. They […]

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