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On Threatening Malls And Horrible Ideas For Aboriginal Education

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by Sean Orr | You leave our fucking malls out of this! Al-Shabaab video urges attack on West Edmonton Mall. Yeah, but have you even seen that mall? It’s hideous! Oh god, did I just break Bill C-51 again?

A modest proposal: Would boarding schools improve First Nations education? Because it worked so well the first time…

Pyrrhic victory: Robert Dziekanski Taser death: Kwesi Millington found guilty of perjury. Moral: if you kill someone in public, don’t lie about it.

Transportation not deportation: Metro Vancouver Transit police end controversial agreement with CBSA. And we didnt even need a referendum!

Speaking of referendums, how about that “breeding whales in captivity” one: Nanuq, beluga whale, dies at SeaWorld Orlando, on loan from Vancouver Aquarium.

Throwing the baby out with the bath drinking water: Nestlé B.C. water deal too cheap, says NDP. “Starting in 2016, corporations will be charged $2.25 for every one million litres of water they extract”. In a cruel act of semantic jiu jitsu, Mary Polak says, “If you create water as a commodity for government — as a revenue stream — imagine what that does to conservation.” So, just give it away instead? Although, I guess that’s what we’ve been doing with our resources for decades now, so…

Bao down: Chinatown’s last stand.

“This is not the first time Chinatown, one of the oldest and largest Chinese neighbourhoods in North America, has been under threat, however. During the race riots of 1907, an anti-immigration rally exploded into violence and vandalism in both Chinatown and neighbouring Japantown…”

Demographics are changing, sure. But to compare that change to race riots is disgusting. “It’s a line in the sand…” says the guy who built a giant parkade and endorsed the Historic Area Height Review.

Related: Ken Lum’s ‘Vancouver Especially’ exhibit a critique on the state of Vancouver real estate.

Bonus: Social realism, B.C. style: Historic mural may need new home.

On Ken Sim’s So-Called “Swagger” and ABC’S Class War

Sean Orr is back from his hiatus with a rundown of the local headlines that have been running on a ticker tape through his mind over the past six months...

On Post-Election Recuperation, Platform Paradoxes and Refund Communities

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr finds irony in "safety, affordability, and sustainability", and shouts out a bunch of amazing local organizations working on the frontlines.

On Running for City Council, Playing Whack-a-Mole with Homelessness, and the Public Washroom Deficit

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr finds a park ranger with a grudge, a gross misuse of air quotes and Tripadvisor slander.

On Living in a City Preoccupied with Street Cleaning, Chandeliers, and Campaigns Against the Homeless

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr hones in on the recent Langley shootings, and the ongoing criminalizing and dehumanizing of the homeless population.