by Sean Orr | This is just what we need. Pope Francis invited to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. “Graves believes that a visit by Pope Francis would change not the disenfranchised of the Downtown Eastside and First Nations reserves, but those with wealth and power who can make a difference…” Using the Pope to guilt rich people? What a refreshing change!

…and now for one of the most depressing headlines in recent memory: Tenants not surprised by Vancouver murders. “Tenants say these deaths and worsening safety conditions stem from the fact that hotel desk clerks are only present at night, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. This lack of supervision allows unwanted guests to enter the building…” When I asked google who operates The West so I could say “see this is what happens when you weaken the Portland Hotel Society”, I found this Yelp review instead: “Makes the Star Wars Cantina look like a J Crew catalog…”

Courage: Nickelback come back home to Vancouver. The headline should have read: “Nickelback fans bravely show faces at large public gathering…”

Slippery slope: Jobless numbers indicate widespread fallout from oil’s plunge. “The number of public-sector workers grew by 24,300 in February, while there was little change in private-sector employees and the self-employed.” Yup, your “bloated government” is the only thing keeping the economy afloat while your much touted “job creators” are running with their tails between their legs.

Related: The Decline of Vancouver.

Real estate appreciation is not unique to Vancouver. Calgary and San Francisco, for instance, have seen gains in the real estate market near Vancouver rates, but those gains were a result of booming economies and income growth in those areas from oil and tech respectively. Vancouver has experienced no commensurate economic or income boom.

Our Provincial government isn’t helping: BC minimum wage increase leaves workers in poverty. Maybe it’s time for a maximum wage.

Ego Boosterism: The Church of TED. “I grew up among Christian evangelicals and I recognize the cadences of missionary zeal when I hear them. TED, with its airy promises, sounds a lot like a secular religion.”

Why I intend to wear a niqab at my citizenship ceremony. Canada, where exercising multiculturalism is now an act of defiance.

The psychology of the National Post publishing this article: The psychology of ‘no’: Vancouver transit vote is case study in why it’s so hard to do what makes us happy. The government understands this psychology. That’s why the question is “do you want a tax” and not “do you want to find a new way to fund transit”. It’s really quite clever. Insidious, yes, but clever.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is Awesome took to Facebook to make fun of global warming. Oops.

Hometown represent: YouTube video shows motorcyclist chased through Guildford mall. There’s so much that isn’t shown. For example, I know for sure someone held the door open for him so he could escape while flashing the devil horns and shouting “Slayer!”