It has come to our attention here at Operation Global Media Domination’s Mountain Lair that not everyone around the world celebrates Christmas the way we here in the People’s Republic of Canuckistan do. In Belgium they prepare their children for abduction by the loathesome Black Peter, while in Spain there’s something about six or eight black men…I didn’t really follow that part…and in Australia, of course, where it’s the height of summer, they spend the solstice season celebrating the birth of Archie.
This is how we celebrate the season in my country:
HOCKEY!
BITCHING ABOUT WORK!
Union Lightbulbs
OCCUPYING!
Occupy Christmas
PRETENDING INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY SINGING OUT LOUD!
DRINKING!
Now THAT is a Canadian Christmas
What else is there when you can’t afford to shop? Oh, right, work for awesome clients who pay in cases of wine instead of cash! This is my favorite way to get my Christmas shopping done, actually.
If I do say so myself, I got some kickass photos today.
And won the Great Poutine Bet, although I should have known better than to bet with a tory with a tory judge presiding. Count your fingers after making THAT handshake deal.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
According to the one protester left to mind the placards and People’s Lovely Lending Library, about 300 people showed up, with the protesters only slightly outnumbering the media. After the obligatory speechifying (which I am glad to have missed) they then strode over to the viaduct into the port, where they were met by a count of 35 Vancouver police officers ranged across the bridge, completely blocking traffic, whether pedestrian or vehicular.
Here is Court, reporting from the scene:
Now, the Great Poutine Bet has everything to do with whether or not traffic was able to move into or out of the port, even though Dave doesn’t seem to think so. He and I had a bet: that if Occupy Vancouver shut down access to the port (and by that, what moron would think I meant completely sealing it off? We don’t have a geodesic dome big enough anymore!) on Monday the 12th, I’d win all the poutine I could eat, and if OV did not shut down access to the port, he would win all he could eat.
Is #FreedomCurds or is it not the best hashtag of all time? Thank you, it is.
Anyhoodle, Dave weaseled out of the bet as expected, even though FoodNotBombs shut down access via the Clark bridge in the morning, OV shut it down at Britannia in the afternoon, and in early evening another group of OV shut down the Clark onramp again. Shut down access to the port.
Five people were arrested at the second Clark occupation (well, five people left involuntarily in custody of the police, although police say only two were arrested) and later released without charges filed.
Oh well, one must be philosophical about such things. Once Dave tries my cooking, he’ll realize that there are many ways of winnning, and many ways of losing.
The Greedy Eagle Casino Grand Opening by IndigFlygirl
We at the ol’ raincoaster blog salute our First Nations brothers and sisters of the West Village Band of Zuccotti Indians as they proudly reclaim their ancestral territory.
And promptly put a casino on it.
“Hit me!”
“No, that comes later.”
This may be the funniest, least PC thing I’ve ever posted. Should be good for at least one flamewar with some White Liberal Guilt-Having Vegan. Hey, don’t blame me, blame the 1491’s! Blaming the Natives: we should have perfected it by now!
Our Robot Overlord Stephen “Landru” Harper didn’t get quite the reception he was expecting at today’s photo-op at Science World in Vangroover. Or maybe he did. Either way, today was an unequivocal win for the Occupy movement, even before the Prime Minister’s gilded coach SUV ran over a couple of bicycles while fleeing the scene.
In fairness, she looks hella dangerous. And what business did she have locking her bike up on a city-provided bike rack in the first place? Asking for it, totally.
And by the way, nobody seems to have noted that it is illegal to drive motorized vehicles on the Seawall in Vancouver, so Heil Harper was in fact breaking the law. But the VPD got flak when they broke the idling laws:
After a while (and I believe after we had started effecting Harper’s schedule) the motorcycle cops started their engines and moved into a formation. They then say there idling and the crowd began to remind them of Vancouver’s anti-idling laws. A good time was had by all!
Not all of his escorts were unsympathetic to the protest:
raincoaster 