Anti-Olympic protesters burn 1992 Barcelona flag and vandalize countdown clock again

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by worldwide

they do have a security guard. every bank has a security guard, and they still get robbed.





this has to be a joke... either that or you have no idea what its really like out there right now.

I just finished my college diploma in urban planning. trying to work for a while to save up to go to 3rd and 4th year, but i cant save anything. i'm working my ass off as a bike messenger for only 1200 a month. i'm one cheque away from homelessness, and i cant even get a job interview at safeway. I applied for a job, planning technician 1 at the city of north van. there were over 80 applicants. so much for that.

just cause life's a gravy boat for you doesnt mean that its easy for everyone

this is a growing problem. i mean i know when i've lost jobs in the past, i've gone unemployed for long periods of time. sure there are lots of jobs out there, but even though someone has an add up, it doesn't mean they're actually hiring. i've even been "homeless" in the sense where i was staying with a friend because i couldn't afford a place on my own. however, there is a difference between situational homeless, and habitual homeless. i know when i address the homeless situation, i'm meaning the habitual homeless. the ones that are there because they want to be there, or because their addictions have forced them there.

what we should do, seeing is how tax payers have foot the bill for the Olympic Village, is push our MLAs and city councilors to use it as a co-operative transitional social housing project after the games. complete with community centers for job training and addiction support. this would help to appease the "we're against the Olympics because people are homeless" crowd.

[Canadian Mind]

Originally Posted by Distill3d

this is a growing problem. i mean i know when i've lost jobs in the past, i've gone unemployed for long periods of time. sure there are lots of jobs out there, but even though someone has an add up, it doesn't mean they're actually hiring. i've even been "homeless" in the sense where i was staying with a friend because i couldn't afford a place on my own. however, there is a difference between situational homeless, and habitual homeless. i know when i address the homeless situation, i'm meaning the habitual homeless. the ones that are there because they want to be there, or because their addictions have forced them there.

what we should do, seeing is how tax payers have foot the bill for the Olympic Village, is push our MLAs and city councilors to use it as a co-operative transitional social housing project after the games. complete with community centers for job training and addiction support. this would help to appease the "we're against the Olympics because people are homeless" crowd.

Uh, haven't people already paid down payments on the units?

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by Canadian Mind

Uh, haven't people already paid down payments on the units?

meh. buy them out.

i got the impression that the developer wasn't selling these units, and went broke. thats why the government had to bail the project out.

[Canadian Mind]

I was under the impression that they were developing these units, and that the bank stopped sending money either because of lack of confidence, lack of money to give out, or both.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Canadian Mind

I was under the impression that they were developing these units, and that the bank stopped sending money either because of lack of confidence, lack of money to give out, or both.

Bingo. The units are sold for the most part, the deposits are taken, and the developer has certainly not gone bust. They are still around... it's Millenium for goodness sake.

Obviously the sensationalizing media that does not (well, very rarely) mention this very important fact (that the Government WILL get the money back) has added a lot of fuel to the fire.

http://www.millenniumwater.com/

[Canadian Mind]

So it is just a matter of American banks jst being stupid?

Why again does the city have to pay any cancellation fee?

[johnjimbc]

While I am not sure of the details, I suspect the cancellation fee has to do with the fact that it is written into the terms of the loan contract in some fashion. My guess is there is some caveat that has been broken, such as the cost overruns since the project is expected to cost more than original bid, etc. It might not be that exactly, but there are probably specific terms on which the original hedge-fund lender can extract a cancellation fee.

Rather than fight that, it might well prove easier and more cost-effective to pay the one-time fee, be free of the higher interest rate, and move on with better financing - as the city plans to do.

As far as the costs, the city will recoup most if not all of the expenditure. It pains me when I hear the arguments in which folks proclaim disgust at the fact that taxpayers "might be" on the hook for a billion dollars (if NO units sell), then in the same breath suggest that rather than try to recoup that expense via unit sales to instead just convert it all to public housing.

That is EXACTLY the solution that would cause taxpayers to be on the hook for the entire amount. The responsible act on behalf of taxpayers is to do absolutely everything possible to sell the units in an excellent new neighborhood to recoup the costs. Don't forget that some of the housing (250 or so units) is already set aside for below-market housing so there is a social component already.

[Metro-One]

Haha, not to mention turning the entire development with its high density and narrow alleyways into social housing would create the world's most expensive ghetto. What a horrible idea, as posted above some lower income units sounds great to add to the mix in creating a true neighborhood, but the whole thing into a resort commie block? I don't think so. I guess we could re-locate the entire downtown east side there, but in the end it would probably become even worse than the DTES.

[IdahoMountainBoy]

I guess social activism has no sympathy from this group of people.

[dreambrother808]

Naive, unrealistic, and unworkable solutions won't get much sympathy, no.

[usog]

Well, anytime the NDP starts to remotely make sense to me, I just go and remember who closed all the mental institutions XD

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

Originally Posted by s211

Am I the only one tempted to go to one of these "events" with a can of paint and, when the time comes to nail the clock, "accidently" soak the crowd with it and say "Oops! Missed!" ?

I don't know if anybody else would like to do this, but I think many would prefer a less painfull way of commiting suicide.