Top Tyee Stories of 2010

Many thanks to you for helping make this year, The Tyee's seventh, our biggest for viewership. Traffic spiked in February for the Olympics and again in November and early December as the BC Liberal and NDP leadership dramas played out. When you break it down into two lists based on where our readers live, British Columbia versus everywhere, people in B.C. showed more interest, not surprisingly, in provincial politics. But the Olympics topped everyone's interest, with bicycle wars, tar sands and mudslides grabbing wide attention. And two stories, one on porn and the other a son's memoir of life with a crazed preacher, were popular enough that they made a 2010 list even though they were first published in 2009.

TYEE FAVOURITES AMONG BC READERS FOR 2010:

Based on numbers of page views, here are the top dozen Tyee stories of 2010 read by those of you who live in British Columbia.

1. Let the Bailout Games Begin by Bob Mackin (Jan. 11)
NBC expects to take a bath and VANOC, rocked by recession, still has its hand out.

2. Will McMartin Shoots Down Squawking Gaggle of Campbell Praisers by Will McMartin (Nov. 8)
A "great" premier whose fiscal skill made BC "great" for business? The facts say no.

3. Arrests, Beatings as Saturday Protest Turns Violent by Geoff Dembicki with photos by Justin Langille (Feb. 13)
Black-clad activists smash downtown Vancouver store windows, police crack down.

4. Who Are the 2010 Protesters? by Geoff Dembicki (Feb. 2)
Within their ranks are several distinct strands, and styles, of dissent. A primer on their issues and demands.

5. Stunning Photos of Massive Meager Slide by David Steers with text by Michael LaPointe (Aug. 12)
Rescue worker David Steers was there to save hikers, and he took his camera.

6. What Those Who Killed the Tar Sands Report Don't Want You to Know by Andrew Nikiforuk (July 15)
Why did a parliamentary committee suddenly destroy drafts of a final report on tar sands pollution? Here's what they knew.

7. Economist Calculates BC Hydro on Path to Ruin by Rafe Mair (Aug. 23)
Five 'vectors' spell doom for once-solid Crown corporation. Blame Campbell's energy policies.

8. Worst Fudge-it Budget Proven, but Free Ride from Media by Will McMartin (July 12)
On Thursday we learned Campbell's Liberals ran for election on an impossible budget promise that inflated tax revenues by $2.5 billion. Why are media selling this as good news?

9. Librarians Told to Stand on Guard for 2010 Sponsors by Geoff Dembicki (Jan. 12)
"If you are planning a kids' event... approach McDonald's and not another well-known fast-food outlet," instructs memo.

10. Fill Your Opening Ceremony with Arts, then Cut Them by Mark Leiren-Young (Feb. 15)
Thanks for the show, artists -- now get lost. B.C. to slash 90 per cent of culture funding.

11. Who Are the NDP's 13 Dissidents? by Andrew MacLeod (Dec. 4)
Broad labels don't seem to apply to diverse group of MLAs revolting against leader Carole James.

12. Pie in Face Signals Split in Olympics Protest Movement by Geoff Dembicki (Feb. 19)
Charged debate among resisters over tactics splatters into the open.

TYEE FAVOURITES AMONG ALL OUR READERS FOR 2010:

Here are the dozen stories most read by everyone who visited The Tyee in the past year:

1. The 10 Most Harmful Novels for Aspiring Writers by Crawford Kilian (May 14)
Rand. Hemingway. Tolkein. Stay away if you know what's good for you!

2. What Those Who Killed the Tar Sands Report Don't Want You to Know by Andrew Nikiforuk (July 15)
Why did a parliamentary committee suddenly destroy drafts of a final report on tar sands pollution? Here's what they knew.

3. Make Love Not Porn! by Vanessa Richmond (Dec. 16, 2009)
Porn may not be a "neurotoxin" but it's time to talk about how it's changing our sexual lives.

4. Rick Salutin's Last Words by David Beers (Sept. 30)
Why did The Globe fire its popular columnist? Do his last pieces offer clues?

5. Let the Bailout Games Begin by Bob Mackin (Jan. 11)
NBC expects to take a bath and VANOC, rocked by recession, still has its hand out.

6. Dad, the Hateful Preacher by Trevor Melanson (Oct. 7, 2009)
Can Nate Phelps, whose father heads the notorious Westboro Baptist Church, heal his battered soul in B.C.?

7. The New Class Warfare over Bicycles by Yves Engler (Dec. 13)
Don Cherry and Rob Ford twist it backwards. The elitists are pro-car politicians, slowing up a better life for the working class.

8. Will McMartin Shoots Down Squawking Gaggle of Campbell Praisers by Will McMartin (Nov. 8)
A "great" premier whose fiscal skill made B.C. "great" for business? The facts say no.

9. Arrests, Beatings as Saturday Protest Turns Violent by Geoff Dembicki with photos by Justin Langille (Feb. 13)
Black-clad activists smash downtown Vancouver store windows, police crack down.

10. Harper's Christian Right Wing by Murray Dobbin (May 17)
The PM is fomenting a culture war, but his opponents barely seem to realize it.

11. Pie in Face Signals Split in Olympics Protest Movement by Geoff Dembicki (Feb. 19)
Charged debate among resisters over tactics splatters into the open.

12. Librarians Told to Stand on Guard for 2010 Sponsors by Geoff Dembicki (Jan. 12)
"If you are planning a kids' event...approach McDonald's and not another well-known fast-food outlet," instructs memo.

Thanks everyone for making 2010 the best year yet for The Tyee.