A recent and probably not coincidental spate of earthquakes around the world has our Oh Dearist hearts aflutter and Translink ready with volunteers holding bibs and shiny tins -- one of which I added a shiny loonie to. While at my parents' house in New Westminster, I listened to CBC Radio play a song not unlike "We are the World" composed by Knaan and a cast of CanCon talent called "Wavin the Flag."

Now, it's not a bad song -- despite the obvious nationalism associated with flag waving -- until some rapper who wants really badly to sound like Lil Wayne comes in and says, "take a look around, what if it happened here?" Listening to it made me think about his question. No sooner did Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine come to mind than I thought, "it wouldn't happen here."

Katrina, New Orleans, Haiti: these places are kept in such a constant economic catch-up game with the World Bank that they couldn't possibly pay back their debt, so they are more susceptible to massive infrastructure failure -- and thus chaos -- than a city like Vancouver. Which then, of course, leads to orchestrated and often privately contracted clean-up jobs. An earthquake here would wreak havoc, but we aren't a third-world country -- although you just know some developer is thinking about all those weakened brick hotels in the DTES. Maybe they'll sit on that property a little longer.

Paralympics aim to keep Vancouver's party going -- but they're going to need to break out the strong stuff as Disabled again on BC Liberals' Hit List.

Province slashes gaming grants to arts, culture, sports groups. Hey, that gold medal game was great huh?

How does The Guardian like us now? Cypress Bowl re-opens for business Tuesday. That makes no sense. Did you have to airlift snow during the Olympics? And is there so little so pack that potential water shortages are forecast this summer?

Olympics are over, now start praying. "We are, it seems, fighting to stay asleep." Wherein Allen Garr accidentally comes up with a great 90s instrumental post-rock album title.

Could Vancouver and Seattle bid for World Cup? Holy shit people relax, its Boxing Day and you're already thinking about next Christmas.

ORN Spokesperson Destroys Journalists Recordings. In fighting monsters it is important not to become one yourself.

Unpopular HST will create jobs, better pay in B.C: report. I guess if the unpopular premier won't do it, somebody has to.

Olympics have made curling cooler than ever. Uh, yeah -- okay, Dad.

In the meantime, everyone will be making a fuss about how those teens died because they were on the 'party drug' ecstasy. Not much I'm afraid will be made about the fact they are a product of the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society. Put that on a fucking inukshuk and sell it for a couple grand.

B.C. doctors offer to pay for OR nurses. Yeah, because that's the way our health system should work. "So Mr. Hot Shot M.D., you want a nurse to do all your dirty work? Well then you better pay up, Dr. Fancy Pants."

Shipwrecked sailor ate lichen to survive Vancouver Island wilderness. Hey did you know that lichen is a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus and an algae? Holy shit I'm bored, can we bring back the Olympics?

If the Games were a success -- and by many accounts they were -- they were so in spite of the bumbling, bureaucratic incompetence of VANOC: $2.5M lawsuit filed by ice cream parlour against VANOC.

Editorial: Private broadcaster wins gold for Games. Yeah, fuck the CBC and being available for free in remote communities. Who needs relatively impartial, publicly funded, milquetoast media when you can have a network that promotes an image of a tough New Conserva-Canadian, pragmatic and boisterously patriotic, while at the same time getting some fat contracts that will pad one or two already rich white CEOs' pockets? Alas, it's the denigration of the chaotic multitude: Patriotism & the Consumption of Carnival.

Arts alliance says B.C. budget cuts arts funding, but Liberals cover it up by including museum funds in total. That is a ridiculously long headline, especially considering I don't really have much to say about this -- other than it really sucks.

Gag writer defends closing ceremonies. What are you, some kind of humorist?

OK, so that was pretty fun.

I have to say though, before I start, that the police did a wonderful job at crowd control. They were high fiving people down Granville St. and playing street hockey. Although one officer didn't like my "end prohibition, open up the liquor stores" chant. Let the hangover begin.

Alas, for every golden moment there was a glitch. And questions will continue to pile up: 2010 Olympic closing ceremony: Why wasn't there any aboriginal content? Because its hard to poke fun at the way we've treated them?