by Sean Orr | Caveat: some of these links might be a little dated because I’m typing with a wound. For some reason I punched a ceiling while performing with my band Needs and I broke my hand. I guess I’m no longer Working For the Weekend (and no I didn’t do it so I would miss washing dishes for the entirety of Dine Out).

I didn’t want to talk about Neil Young bashing the Canadian oil industry mainly because everyone is, but also because he’s old and irrelevant. My answer of “I agree, but I don’t care what he says” is the least popular vote in an Edmonton Journal poll that finds 72% of respondents saying “I agree with him, it makes me like him more”. Nevertheless, it’s fun to see the industry apologists rallying en masse against such a cult figure: Neil Young’s tune is insulting. Deborah Yedlin of the Calgary Herald claims people like Neil Young should be held to the same scrutiny as oil companies, then cites a bunch of statistics from…oil companies.

Speaking of facepalms statistics, or in this case, a lack of them, Police report controversial DTES jaywalking enforcement at all-time low. Yeah, based on ticketing stats from 2008, and only 2008.

I get so emotional, baby: Rex Murphy: The callousness of protest on display in Vancouver (with a happy ending). Only Rex Murphy could make me want to completely reverse my opinion and instantly grab a papier-mâché pickle and stand outside of Pidgin. It’s not this black and white, Rex. Even the owner of Pidgin knows this. Hero? Come on, he’s just a business man. Demonizing the protesters only gives them credibility. Sure, some of these protesters have poor decorum, but they are the manifestation of decades of frustration and mistrust between those with power and those who are marginalized by that power. “I truly believe that the act of protest has, in many contexts, become something of a moral disease”. Why would you bring morality into it when simple pragmatism would suffice? The protesters say the same thing, they have the moral high ground. In the long run, cooler heads always prevail.

Listen, Paul Dewar! Ariel Sharon was a war criminal. Meanwhile, Stephen Harper “received a very warm welcome in Jerusalem today”. Canadian Cynic retorts, “Not surprised … years of ass-kissing pandering will have that effect”. Satirical news site The Beaverton takes it even further: Israeli Prime Minister Stephen Harper returns after long visit in Canada.

Yellow journalism? Is the Komagata Maru pisser related to a cop, judge, or politician?. He’s not getting charged? You’re taking the piss, right?

Mmm, sandwiches. I like mine with truffles and foie: Life and debt in B.C.: Sandwich generation finds that extravagant habits don’t add up. This is pretty much the exact sentiment as the Baby Boomer Dad meme. Alternatively, New Fraser Institute report touts benefits of no longer being alive. Bwah hah, “Atlas Croaked”. Brilliant.

What It Would Be Like If We Treated Poor People Like Celebs. Clever, but I’m not sure our coverage of poverty is all that different. How many times have you heard the DTES melodramatically referred to as a “war zone” or “ravaged by drugs” in the mainstream press?

Even the pope doesn’t believe in trickle down economics: Kevin O’Leary says 3.5 billion people living in poverty is fantastic news. In other news, Hunger Games is now reality: “May the odds be ever in your favour”.

Let them eat…moose? 1,200 folks in the DTES served organic moose hotdogs, duck chilli, and venison stew by Canuck David Booth. Now that is a power forward.

Mals: Bad Boss Award To Bon’s Off Broadway Diner.

Bonus: Beautiful Color Photographs of Vancouver, Canada in the 1970’s.