Critical Kitten

That's It For That!

2007-04-05T19:34:00.000-05:00

After much consideration I have decided to end this blog.

Never fear however, I will now be chanelling my blogging energy into writing for Reading Toronto as well as updating my Flickr site. Since I recently lost a bunch of photos in a hard drive crash, that should give me some incentive to get out there and get clicking once again.

Its been fun! Cheers!

See Ya in April

2007-02-13T23:21:00.000-05:00

I've decided to go on a temporary hiatus. I've just been too busy with school and life in general to keep updating regularly. By the time April rolls around, and I have some more time, I'll be able to decide whether to keep this blog going, or just focus on expanding and updating my Flickr site (which is still pretty basic right now).

Thanks, and check back in April 2007.

Kensington Market Festival of Lights 2006

2006-12-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

Homeless Funding Now!

2006-12-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I attended a protest outside of Jim Flaherty's office (federal finance minister) to protest the massive cuts to homeless programs and funding. Although we could not get in to see the minister (there was heavy security both inside and outside the Sunlife building), we did have a good picket outside, and a turkey lunch was served. Here are some pics from the event.

Kramer the Racist

2006-11-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

Heard about those comments that Kramer made in a stand up comedy routine? They were so inflammatory, I have to wonder if its no just a publicity stunt.

See the video here.

Kiran Desai Wins Booker Prize

2006-11-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

Seems like us brown people are popular these days on the author circuit....the most recent example being Kiran Desai, who has just won the extremely prestigious Man Booker Prize for her novel The Inheritance of Loss. And if you read it for no other reason, the cover is a beautiful blue!

Here is an excerpt from a CBC article:

“In India, the Booker is really followed by the media,” she says. “After I won, the press called my family there for their reaction. All my old aunties ran at high speed to the phone, so happy to say embarrassing things about me, like ‘Kiran was never a bright student, but she once cooked me a very nice meal.’”

See the rest of the CBC article here.

Read the Bold Type interview here.

Read the Refiff interview here.

No Seats? Greyhound Says "Free Ride"!

2006-10-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

On the weekend my partner and I went to visit his parents in lovely Fergus Ontario. For our return trip, we boarded a Greyhound bus at the Guelph bus terminal. We were surprised to see how full the bus was for 9:20 on a Sunday night, but we didn't expect it to be totally full, which in fact, it was. We managed to get seats, but when we made the next stop at the University of Guelph, there was only one seat left, and several passengers waiting.

Here's the surprise: the bus driver advised the waiting passengers that they could either wait for the next bus (about an hour later), or ride standing, and the ride would be FREE! I was amazed by this, as I had always understood that in this situation, Greyhound would simply call for more buses to deal with the extra passengers. I'm not sure whether this is Greyhound policy, or if it is up to the discretion of the driver, but I was most pleased. I'm sure that (what I assume were) Guelph students didn't mind standing to save about $15. Somehow, I can't imagine Go Transit doing this.

This reminded me of the victory for the Bus Rider's Union in Los Angeles, which insisted that people were not sardines, and should not be packed into overcrowded buses. They demanded from the Metro Transit Authority that if there were no seats on the bus, they shouldn't have to pay the fare. This was especially salient because the reason buses were so overcrowded was that the MTA was not fully servicing minority and poor areas of L.A.

Grounds for Art Public Art Competition

2006-10-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

Manhole Cover from France

Manhole Cover from Japan

Although "manhole covers" are not first and foremost in our minds when we think about public art, why not? They're necessary, so why not make them beautiful and meaningful too? Many cities have done great things in this regard, as the pics above show.

See more on the what different countries and cities have done with their manhole covers on ManHole.ca.

Now its Toronto's turn. As part of the Regent Park Revitalization, the City of Toronto is holding a competition to design new gratings for utility hole covers such as water valve covers, storm sewer covers and sanitary sewer covers. This is a fantastic idea, as manhole covers are always there, but mostly ignored. Its an easy way to inject some creativity into the city, literally from (below) the ground up.

Anyone can submit up to three designs, so get cracking! The deadline is Nov. 27/06. Read more about it here.

York University Gets $ 1 Million and Uses It Wisely

2006-10-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

TD Bank recently gave a cool 1 milliion dollars to York. Big Whoop. But, it sound like its actually going to something worthwhile: community engagement with the neighbouring, much maligned Jane/Finch community. It would appear that they're trying to combine providing community services, support and outreach while allowing York students to learn about, and get hands on experience doing. I do have a nagging suspicion that it may turn into some sort of exploitive relationship, i.e.: having (comparitively well off) York students just using the black community to get their assignments done, or to have something good to put on their resume. But I'm probably just being too suspicious. Unless.....

Read the whole article here.

Sock Hop Arousal Gig - October 15, 2006

2006-10-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

Checked out the band Sock Hop Arousal , and Undadogg the other night at The Kathedral, as part of Frygirl's twice annual (I think) Hempfest. It is so named, because one can access a special "smoking room" (which is really a covered over outdoor area), and purchase some "special" baked goods.

Sock Hop Arousal was brilliant as always, with their dub sounds and socially conscious lyrics. Check out pics of Sock Hop from the gig here.

Undadogg consistently delivers smooth and soulful trip hopp-y grooves, and they're tight as all get out.

Frygirl was also excellent, with her stripped down, honest acoustics, with haunting melodies. Doesn't hurt that she's got a voice that could carry across a continent! This time she has some accompaniment (guitar and djembe, I think), but I think I prefer her solo, as I've heard her before.

Curitiba Brazil: Model Sustainable City

2006-10-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

As I just completed some research on sustainable cities, I thought I would include an excerpt here from my paper (minus the diagrams). I won't bore everyone with the theoretical basis of sustainable cities, but you'll get the idea by reading this section about the city of Curitiba, Brazil, which is generally acknowledged to be one of the most sustainable cities in the world. This fact is even more remarkable when one considers that it is quite a poor city, yet has managed to achieve more sustainability than cities in the global North through innovative means. For example, the pic above is of bus 'boarding tubes'. When you're waiting for the bus (which isn't a long wait), you enter your token to get into this tube. This saves precious time, as when the bus gets there, everyone is ready to just get on without fare-paying delays. Enjoy!

Case Study: Curitiba, Brazil
At this point, it will be very useful to examine the sustainable city initiatives of a particular city in order to further illustrate the previous theoretical points. Rabinovitch (1992) notes several historical facts about the development of Curitiba’s sustainable policies and structure. The city of Curitiba is located in South Brazil, and has been both a political and administrative centre for a many years. During the 1960’s, planners made a conscious decision to prioritize public transit over the car, focus on hundreds of small projects (while avoiding large expensive ones) and discourage new developments downtown. The goal was to encourage urban expansion along the transit lines (which extend outward from the downtown), which would leave the downtown area’s history preserved, and allow more public space for citizens. Thus, a more transit and pedestrian friendly city was created.

There are several specific features of Curitiba which deserve further examination (see Figure 3 for a complete list).

First, the city’s heritage has been preserved in its architecture. Local government allowed businesses to utilize historic buildings with the condition that the building was not substantially physically changed. Thus, a theatre now sits in a building which was once a gunpowder arsenal.

Second, lest the reader think that a sustainable city cannot have industry, it should be noted that the city also has an industrial area, which is not isolated but contains housing, schools, green space, etc. Industries must adhere to strict environmental regulations. (Rabinovitch, 1992).

Third, Curitiba provides many services (delivered in an inexpensive, innovative and sustainable fashion) to their citizens. Rabinovitch (1992) notes that their water sanitation system, which uses a system of local lagoons for filtration, is cheap, effective and uses the local ecosystem. Many environmental education programs have been implemented in poor areas, and old city buses are used as mobile learning centres to teach adults useful trades. Basiago (1999) describes a program in which the poor can exchange six bags of garbage for healthy groceries, thus combating urban starvation and keeping the city clean. With recycling, and equally innovative approach was taken: the local government asked citizens to separate wet from dry garbage. The government then set up plays at local schools featuring the “Leaf Family” to show kids how to recycle. Thus, kids consider recycling fun, and encourage their families to participate. The author also observes that the local government ensures that the basic needs of the poor are met by providing free dental and health care. Further, free child care is provided to allow parents to work, which has resulted in a significant decline in infant mortality rates.

Fourth, the many green areas not only provide aesthetic value, but also act to control flooding. (Rabinovitch, 1992). Curitiba has taken many measures to encourage green space such as creating ‘green zones’, building a botanical park downtown, and passing laws to discourage cutting down trees while mandating that two trees must be planted for each one cut down. (Basiago, 1999).

Fifth, strong local governance and active citizen participation are encouraged. The mayor of Curitiba has noted that “….we take the administration to the community and promote administrative decentralization, cutting red tape and serving the people” (Alberti & Dos Santos, 1996, p. 438)

Finally, the pride and joy of Curitiba is their transit system. The choice to use only buses proved to be exceedingly practical and economical for Curitiba (see Figure 4). Not only have they implemented a bus system with many desirable features, but it is well integrated into land use planning and zoning. For example, only high rises are allowed to be built along major bus routes, and the bottom two floors of these must contain stores. Thus, residents need to travel less for shopping, many residents have easy access to transit and it provides local employment. The express buses travel in bus-only lanes, and are supplemented by local and downtown routes. In addition, passengers pay their fare while waiting for the bus, which makes the boarding process faster and more efficient (Basiago, 1999). Rabinovitch (1992) adds that one fare is valid for all types of buses, making travel much more convenient. Consequently, two-thirds of the population uses transit and this popularity allows it to pay for itself (Basiago, 1999). Thus, “Curitiba’s public transportation system is directly responsible for the city having one of the lowest rates of ambient air pollution in Brazil….residents spend only about 10% of their income on transport, which is a relatively low proportion for Brazil”. (Rabinovitch, 1992, p. 66).

References:

Alberti, M & Ricardo Dos Santos, C. (1996). Interview with the Mayor of Curitiba on Habitat II. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 16, pp. 435-438.

Basiago, A.D. (1999). Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability in Development Theory and Urban Planning Practice. The Environmentalist, 19, pp. 145-161.

Rabinovitch, J. (1992). Curitiba: Towards Sustainable Urban Development. Environment and Urbanization 4(2), pp. 62-73.

Otto Vass Inquest - October 2006

2006-10-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

You may remember hearing about Otto Vass a few years ago, as the guy who was beaten to death by police in front of the 7-11 at Landsdowne and College in 2000. The police were never charged, and after much controversy, today they are beginning a new inquest.

Riddle me this: if the idea of the inquest is that Vass did not receive the justice he deserved, why is it that a group representing Vass' family (the ones who can really ask the tough questions of police) are not being allowed standing? WTF? Add to this the additional discrimination that comes with the fact that Vass had a history of mental health issues, and this becomes totally ridiculous.

Quote from a CBC article:
"We are going to have a very unbalanced inquest where there won't be anyone really probing the police," said Peter Rosenthal, a lawyer representing a group called the Committee for Justice for Otto Vass.

Read the whole CBC article here.

Check out Justice for Otto Vass here.

Get the story on what really happened from OCAP here.

Asia Republik

2006-10-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

You Annex-rats may have noticed that the space formerly occupied by the sterile and uppity Goldfish now houses the new restaurant Asia Republik. My partner and I tried it out on Friday night, which I admit, was only because our first choice (Thai Basil) had a lineup almost outside the door. Sometimes my theory that no one will go out for dinner on one of the first really cold nights this fall, doesn't pan out.

Asia Republik looks almost as sterile as Goldfish did, but with more silver than blue. There is some very nice backlighting goin' on, as well as some interesting textile wallcovering (I'm guessing woven strips of bamboo painted silver). All in all, it could by no stretch of the imagination be described as a warm atmosphere. It seemed a bit early 90's minimalist to me.

The servers (some very attractive, I might add) provide excellent and attentive service. However, we were surprised that they took away our water glasses when we ordered green tea to drink. Can't you have both? We were also slightly non-plussed that our veggie spring roll order had chicken in it.

The menu is definitely "Pan-Asian", heavily leaning on Thai and Vietnamese, with the odd Japanese (and I think Malaysian) dish thrown in. We both ordered Pad Thai, which was good, but not great. A bit too kethcupy for our taste. However, the portions were large, and generally well executed.

The crowd seemed to be the typical Annex mix of students, older hipsters and stylish late-twenties and thirtysomethings.

The prices are great, and its worth checking out.

See the BlogTO review here.

Douglas Tompkins' Conservation: Good or Evil?

2006-10-13T12:41:00.000-05:00

This morning on the CBC Radio One show The Current, I heard a piece about Douglas Tompkins, a San Franscisco millionaire. Seems he has been buying huge tracts of land in Chile and Argentina and turning them into nature reserves. Sounds great, no?

Not for everyone; the local people have big problems with this. So, here comes the rich, white, male foreigner into their country, buys their land, and tells them what to do with it. Not too crowd-pleasing. In some things I have heard, the media seems to be implying that the locals do not know enough about conservation, and this is why they disapprove of his project. How about the truth? That these countries are sick and tired of the West telling what to do, how to do it, and that they will be better off if they just listen. Sounds like the usual colonial, condescending attitude of the West to me.

Naturally, the local forest and other resource extraction industries are against this. But isn't it good to save the forests from destruction? But isn't it bad to take away the livlihood of the local people? Here we have the main problem in resource management.

My suggestion: by all means turn them into reserves, but the least he can do is help the government set up employment initiatives for jobs in or around the reserve, so that the locals will actually have a good reason to support it. As it is, they just see another white guy taking away their livlihood.

Having been in Environmental Studies for a few years now, it has come to my attention that the majority of the environmental movement (in Canada anyway) is middle class and white. Many such individuals (and this is a very general statement here, before anyone gets upset)are not able to see the vailidity in the above argument that I'm making. They would say that its our job to tell 'these people' how to take care of their environment....yes, the same people that live closer to it that we do by a mile. If Tompkins really wanted to help alleviate the situation, he could still create the reserves in close collaboration with local governments and the public to come up with a 'made locally' solution. But no, since its his money, he must have the final say on how it is spent, no? Ridiculous.

Here this segment of The Current here.

Liminal Landscapes at York University - Post # 1

2006-10-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I went on a tour of the 'liminal' landscapes at York University, as part of my Imagining Toronto course. The majority of the York campus is sterile, angular, full of concrete and devoid of character. However, there are many beautiful and historic natural features on the campus, which few people (including faculty and staff) know about. It was hard to believe we were still on campus, and not on a hike somewhere in a conservation area!

Enjoy this post, and the next one which feature scenic fall foliage from "wild" locations on campus, Stong Pond, the Maloca Garden and...that body of water you see is Black Creek! Yep, its not just an expressway, you know.

Liminal Landscapes at York University - Post # 2

2006-10-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Sebadoh Reunites!

2006-10-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Photo Courtesy of Magnet Magazine
Lou Barlow is full of good news these days. Pitchfork is reporting that the original Sebadaoh line-up will be reuniting, and touring next spring! Woo-hoo!

Add to that, that Dinosaur Jr. will be releasing a new album (also next spring), and it gives indie kids everywhere reason enough to make it through the winter.

Read the entire Pitchfork article here.

The Quartertones

2006-10-09T16:48:00.000-05:00

Just heard this Toronto band today (The Quartertones), gotta love these laid back jazzy downtempo grooves. Would be perfect for the 2-3 am music slot at a house party. More here.

Postsecret Blog

2006-10-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Recently I've had a bit of an obsession with trying to see through the bullshit and facades which we are presented with everyday in this crazy world. In particular, I've been interested in having REAL conversations with people, about real, honest things. Like lonliness. Abuse. Addiction. Self-worth. I feel like there's a whole other parallel universe out there that we can access, not by going to another dimension, but just by having honest, heartfelt interactions with others.

Accordingly, I was happy to find out about this blog. This guy decided to leave postcards (pre-paid, I think) and pre-addressed all over the place, with requests that people write down their secrets and mail it back to him. Damn, I wish I had thought of this first. Some of them are by turns funny, horrifying, and slit-your-wrists-vertically tragic. See the Postsecret blog here, which is updated every Sunday with new secrets. Now, its even more interesting because people make their own postcards, and I think you can even send in your own secrets! Of course, if anyone feels the immediate need, you can leave an anonymous secret by commenting here!

Sunday Afternoon in Dufferin Grove Park

2006-10-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today being a day of unseasonable warmth in Toronto, my partner and I decided to venture out to Dufferin Grove Park, which has been described as a community centre without walls. Couldn't agree more.

This is a pic of the cob courtyard, a fun area where kids can play about. I love this roof! Have you heard about the great composting toilet they're putting in very close to this structure? It has galvanized the community, will bring greater awareness of composting toilets and their environmental benefits, and will give parents quick and easy access to a washroom when they're using the playground with their kids. More here.

Here are some pics of general park fun, and some saucy squirrels!

Friday Night at Spadina Station

2006-10-08T18:53:00.000-05:00

We all know that the TTC has its problems, mainly with service. Here is the large crowd waiting for the Spadina streetcar on Friday night. Eventually, as often happens on Spadina, three streetcars came at once. I was hoping that this would stop when they reintroduced the streetcars, as I remember the same thing happening when buses ran on Spadina many years ago. Answer me this: why is it, that when people can clearly see that there are two other streetcars waiting, they feel the need to stuff themselves onto the first streetcar?It doesn't pay off; the first streetcar out will have to pick up the most people once it starts making the stops.

Also managed to get a shot of a cop/merchant interaction, also at Spadina Station. Perhaps there was a a robbery? Who knows, but I like the body language that this shot caught.

Toronto's First Annual Nuit Blanche 2006 - Post # 3

2006-10-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

This is the final post in a short series about the Nuit Blanche Festival in Toronto.

These three pics are on Philosopher's Walk (behind the ROM). This is the much publisized fog sculpture, the idea (or so I heard) being that as you walk through it, each person changes and creates the scuplture. Although walking through the fog with a bunch of strangers was really cool, I didn't find that the above idea really held. Its interesting how fog can be captured on film.

These next two pics were, I think, also on Philosopher's Walk. Each of these long pieces of paper ties to tree branches with tinsel were printed with wishes. Bad part: there were only a few originals, the rest of the papers were just repeats. The good part: visitors took it upon themselves to write in some of their own wishes in pen. Most memorable, something like "I wish that everyone could be happy in their own way". Amen to that! Testify!

And, finally, my friend the lovely Miss Kitty Galore (aka Kristyn Dunnion) did a reading of her most excellent literary work (at the Heliconian club which can be seen in the previous posts).

All in all, this was a great festival, and I hope they do it again next year, and every year following. Toronto has been trying extra hard in the last few years to promote itself as world city (Waterfront Revitalization, Four Seasons Centre, ROM, AGO and Royal Conservatory renos, downtown wi-fi) just to name a few. This can thus be seen as the latest attempt to achieve this end. Let's see if the results are good enough to see it thorough to next year! To see what other people were saying about Nuit Blanche, see bloggers here and here. On Flickr, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail, and of course, Spacing.

Toronto's First Annual Nuit Blanche 2006 - Post # 2

2006-10-03T17:37:00.000-05:00

Second in a series of posts about the Nuit Blanche festival.

These two pics were at the Heliconian Club in Yorkville. It was pretty frightening for my partner and I, who had never actually been to Hazelton Ave before. Yipes....each store more expensive looking, trendy and pretentious than the last. This was formerly a church (more on its history here), and is a beautiful space. We met a lovely and very chatty woman there, who is part of this exclusive club. She told us that the space has been used by a womens' musical ensemble since 19-0-something (hey it was 3:30 am, and I'd been nipping from my friend's flask, so don't expect me to remember exact details). I just loved the atmosphere: cushions strewn about, fireplace roaring, and they even served free hot chocolate and cookies! The actual event was a reading, one more pics of that in my third and final post.

These next two were in an alleyway off of Queen West, and featured a wall covered with various white shoes, with interesting notes written on the wall.

A beautiful ice sculpture on Queen West.

Toronto's First Annual Nuit Blanche 2006 - Post # 1

2006-10-03T16:46:00.000-05:00

Toronto has finally decided to join the ranks of many other "world class" cities (Paris, Brussels, etc.) and has thus started to hold the Nuit Blanche Festival. Although they did reject my proposal (not that I' m bitter or anything), I went, I frolicked, I drank lots of coffee (and other intoxicants) and had a blast. It was so cool to navigate the city at night and see so many people out. I was reminded of my trip to Spain many years ago, when it was such a novelty to me to be out in a foreign city, at 3 am, and feel totally safe because there were families, couples, etc, just strolling around. If you haven't been to Spain, get off your ass and go!

Anyway, on to the Nuit Blanche pics:

The Drake was hopping, as it is anyway on a Saturday night. These projections onto the building added some visual interest.

Some trendy folks busting a move outside the Drake. Note to very trendy and dressed up ladies seen on Queen West and Yorkville: heels and light capes are not appropriate attire for running around the city in misty weather.

A car wash on Queen West that had four "garages", each one set up like this, but with a different video playing. Brilliant idea, although not many people were actually sticking around to watch them.

On Queen West, this was quite the extravaganza. The man below was performing a live play, and he was featured in a separate performance on the screen which was set to dramatic opera music, while the people on the sidelines waved flags and fire. Can you find the sign that says "Queen W is Dead"?

Another one of the Queen W. car wash videos.

Be cool, get rid of your car!

2006-10-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

I was very pleased to read a recent article by Martin O'Malley which extolls the virtues, frugality and fun of not having a car. Here is an excerpt:

"I have become a better person by not owning a car. Jostling with other humans on the subway and on city sidewalks brings me new experiences every day that I would not enjoy locked inside a hermetically sealed automobile. I’m convinced what many car-owners most enjoy about driving their cars is the delightful privacy in lives otherwise fettered to jobs and families. In the lush privacy of their automobiles, even on hour-long commutes, they can listen to their favourite music, follow sports, smoke and chat on their cellphones."

Read the whole article here.

Budget Cuts

2006-09-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the recent Federal Conservative budget cuts (while agreeing to put about a billion toward the national debt), my partner wrote the following letter to the Toronto Star, which they published today:

Reassert values of social justice
Sep. 28, 2006. 01:00 AM
Tories cut $1B despite surplus
Sept. 26.

The announcements of budget cuts made by Jim Flaherty and John Baird clearly demonstrate they are still operating from the agenda of Mike Harris's Common Sense Revolution. The common sense being that the poorest and most in need do not matter. Program cuts to the unemployed, immigrants, those struggling with literacy and cuts to the advocacy of human rights for women, gays and minority groups. These are all programs aimed at improving access and opportunity for the marginalized. Failure to reinvest the vast surplus into education, housing, health and employment is grossly negligent.
It is time to give these bullies the boot and reassert the values of social justice and equality.

Chris Dowling, Toronto

Hugo Chavez Calls Bush the Devil

2006-09-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

View the approx. 9 minute long video here of Chavez (President of Venezuela) recent remarks to the UN. He calls Bush the devil, saying that he can still smell the sulphur! He makes some excellent remarks about the global South: the Imperialist attitudes of the US, the fact that the South is waking up and mobilizing against it, and suggests that perhaps the UN should be moved to another county, one in the South.

OK, Venezuela is not perfect, but I love this man. He alone (with the exception of the leader of Iran) makes very pointed remarks about the US policy and Bush, without denigrating the US people themselves. It doesn't hurt that he is an excellent, and amusing speaker!

Influence of Television

2006-09-22T12:50:00.000-05:00

A recent study shows that in the States, many homes have more tv sets than people. Canada is slightly better, but not much.

About 6 years ago I made a conscious decision to give away my tv. It was the best decision that I have ever made. I have since noted the following 2 important benefits:

More time to do "real" tasks, ie: spend time with loved ones, read, etc.
Less influence of the media leading to more independent thinking. Believe me, you do not realize how much of an impact the television media has on you (especially for young women with particular emphasis on issues such as body image). Without tv to tell you what your priorities are, you are free to define them for yourself.

As someone who watched an alarming amount of tv growing up, I will admit that it was a hard habit to break. However, it was infinitely worth it. When I tell people that I don't have a tv, their usual first reaction is "What do you do?". My answer to that, is that you have no idea how time sapping tv is, until you manage to break free from its hypnotic spell. You will then discover how much time you can spend doing things that are much more intellectually, spiritually and physically gratifying.

I'm not trying to be holier than thou, there are some good things on tv: my partner and I own DVD sets of The Simpsons, Family Guy, Kids in the Hall and Keeping Up Appearances. What I'm saying is that most people find it difficult to engage in selective viewing. You know the scenario: you mean to watch a particular halfhour program, and before you know, you'ven been sitting there for 2 hours, wondering where the time has gone.

I challenge you to try life without, or with reduced, tv watching for a week and see what happends. The result may surprise you.

Spacing Votes

2006-09-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

The always excellent Spacing Magazine's site the Spacing Wire has just launched a sister site dedicated to public space issues in the upcoming election. A great way to keep up with these issues without having to wade through the rest of the election rhetoric.

Skool Me Daddy!

2006-09-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Update: I did go to the show, and boy did my friend and I feel old amongst the 20-ish crowd. Big Norm had his moments during his stand-up routine (although his mom, watching in the audience in a cute yellow raincoat, did flee the stage after he mentioned her), and the crowd seemed into it.

Isis was amazing, that girl has a voice and minor-key backing melodies and dope beats that made it sweet!

Great hip-hop show coming up this Thursday at the El Mocambo. As is appropriate for this time of year, its called Skool Me Daddy, and will include some fantastic Canadian performers such as Isis and Brassmunk.

Isis alone should be worth seeing...she's only 20, but has an amazing voice and uses great old jazz samples in her music. Should be sweet!

As a side note, now that I'm now back to school I may not be able to post as many of my Toronto outings as I have over the summer, but I always strive to keep up to date on interesting events/issues going on in the T-dot. Stay tuned!

The Waspinator

2006-09-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

I happened across this product, the Waspinator, which claims to keep wasps away. Its basically a replica of a wasps' nest, which apparently keeps other wasps away, because they think that they have come across an enemy wasp nest in their midst. I love these products: the ones that actually use animal knowledge to come up with a simply solution, instead of simply killing them or using harsh chemicals which are harmful to other creatures (us included) as well. Happy fall picnicing!

Toronto Book Award Winner - Dionne Brand

2006-09-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

Congrats go out to Dionne Brand, the winner of the Toronto Book Award! The judges noted that Brand managed to make Toronto itself a main character in the story.

Learn more here.

Read my post from a few months back on why you have to read this book here.

Fjord Rowboat/Versoma/Red Sparrowes Show

2006-08-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

Checked out Versoma and the Red Sparrowes on Saturday at Lee's Palace.

Unfortunately I missed Fjord Rowboat's set, but heard from others it was fab. Sorry I couldn't post pics, I just didn't feel like lugging the camera out. But, I think I saw Frank there, he may post some pics in the upcoming days.

Versoma was, without hyperbole, the loudest band that I've ever seen (in a club show), that title being formerly held by C'mon. I had to move back from the stage twice! Not sure if its because I'm getting old or what (although they almost asked me for id...how flattering!), but I think earplugs are now in order. Anyhoo, despite the intense volume, Versoma was really good. Very heavy, but good minor key melodies going on. The funny thing about them was that they all (except for the bald, heavily sweating guitarist) looked like cuddly emo-listening-cardigan-wearing boys. Good on them. Highly recommended live, with earplugs.

The Red Sparrowes exceeded all my expectations....like Godspeed You Black Emporer but better in the sense that they can limit their soundscapes to less than 20 minutes. I wasn't surprised to learn that one of their members used to be in metal band Neurosis, who I used to be a big fan of. beautiful lush, heavy stuff with great backing images on a projector screen behind them. I think I'm in love with their amazing bassist. Make sure to catch them on their next trip to Toronto, they're from L.A.

Festival of South Asia 2006

2006-08-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I checked out the Festival of South Asia in Little India. The rain held out, and we got to take in soe great dance, music and food. The beautiful Kathak dancer below was the best I've ever seen. This is my fave kind of Indian dance because the bells on the ankles add an interesting element, and it takes incredible skill. My dad commented that you could tell how good she was because at certain points her feet were moving so fast that it looked like she was levitating!

Other pics below are of some (pre roasting) corn, and a Punjabi Bhangra dance troop. I really have to start doing ore Bhangra dancing, its so much fun!

Alleyjaunt 2006 - Post # 2

2006-08-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to see what was in the garage (the door never opened, you had to lay down like these folk to see what was in there), but I thought this looked neat!

This garage was amazing. The inside of it was completely covered in this aluminum like material, which was much more airy and flexible than aluminum. What you see here is some metal posts that were knocking in rhythm against the material on this spinning record player.

Can't remember the name of this collective, but these ladies have spent the last year or so making the city of their dreams in textiles. Can't say enough good things about this one: beautiful, inventive, cute, the urbanists' dream work in textiles. Got the pics in the wrong order, but they're the one below, and the last one.

This one (I believe the people are called the Quicksand Collective) are pushing quicksand awareness.

Alleyjaunt 2006 - Post # 1

2006-08-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

Checked out the Alleyjaunt (installations and artwork in the garages and alleyways around Trinity-Bellwoods Park) last weekend. Divided into two posts for your viewing pleasure.

This one was great. A little tent that had this video playing on a drop down screen set to great 30's jazz. Click to enlarge the pic, and you can see that there is a chair set up in front of the screen, and the figure sitting in it is the same one in the video. It was great, because you felt totally removed from the sunny park outside, and felt like you were transported to another place. It really reminded me of those old-school video booths they used to have in malls when I was a kid, that had cartoons playing.

This is a pic of the ceiling of one garage used in an installation. I just thought the colours of the various pipes and wood was great in and of itself. The guy that "donated" his garage to an artist to do his thing was this old fella named George. He was so entertaining that my friend Don thought that HE was the installation. Hilarious.

This is from the same garage. Hurray for paint chips that can brighten a day so easily!

This one was just too cute: little wire urban animals with tiny stylish clothes (seen on the next pic below). The gals were great, and we discussed the virtues of well dressed urban animals soe length....a much underdisscussed topic!

Yet Another Anti-War Rally

2006-08-19T19:03:00.000-05:00

I believe that these weekly rallies have stopped because of the cease fire, although Israel has been at it again. These pics are from a rally a couple weeks ago.

Picnic on Ward's Island

2006-08-19T18:38:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I got together some friends for a picnic on Ward's Island. Ducks...is there anything they can't do?

This swan was looking particularly regal. Click on the pic to see the larger version to note the drop of water dripping off of its bill.

This one is a bit stereotypical, but I just had to do it! Forgive me.

Mexican Fishermen Rescue

2006-08-16T20:03:00.000-05:00

I'm so fascinated by those 'lost at sea" stories, here's a real life one. These guys were at sea for about 9 months, surviving on rainwater and raw seabirds and fish. More here.

Temporary Disruption

2006-08-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Having some camera problems, so I'll be offline for a (hopefully) short period. Check back in a week or so, I have lots of pics from recent events to upload! Above is one from lovely Fergus Ontario to tide you over!

George Galloway Interview

2006-08-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

So refreshing to hear someone speak the truth about Israel being a terrorist state! See the approx. 9 minute long interview here.

Juana Molina

2006-07-28T18:51:00.000-05:00

Finally picked up Juana Molina's new album Son, out on Domino Recordo. Great chill out music that is that rarest of all albums that fulfills two roles: first, you can listen to it while doing nothing, and examine the intricate guitar, horn and electronic flourishes. Or, it makes perfect background music while reading, chatting, cooking etc. All in all, very mellow, relaxing, and interesting. Also, it has some of the most beautiful cover (reflective silver dots are neat!) and inside art that I've seen in a while, consisting of textile designs done by her grandmother.

Listen here.

See what Pitchfork had to say.

Bird Entertainment

2006-07-28T18:40:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I saw a great play being put on by my friend's theatre company, Bird Entertainment. Always entertaining, be sure to check out their next performance!

Avalon Organics

2006-07-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

Avalon Organics is one of my favourite "body care" product companies. Organic, limited chemicals, no animal testing, wide range of products. Although I've been using their products for years, I wanted to give mad props to their Lavender Moisturizing Cream Shave. Smells great, you don't have to use much, and it really does give a smooth shave, unlike many other products that only claim to, but fall flat. Very useful in this summer shaving season.

Revue Film Society

2006-07-28T18:19:00.000-05:00

(Photo courtesy of http://www3.sympatico.ca/menright63/revue001.jpg)

Although the Festival theatres have now closed, there is still hope. The Save the Revue society is trying to get people and funds together to reopen the Revue theatre and run it on a non-profit community basis. Sweet. They need to raise some funds by mid-August, so if 700 people contributed $20, it would meet the target! Please donate and learn more about the effort at the Save the Revue site. Tell all your friends! Why should we be forced to pay over $12 to see a movie?

Mass Anti-War Rally - July 22, 2006 - Post 2

2006-07-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is the second(last) post in a two post series of the rally. Chris almost got into it with someone, which was quite funny....we were waiting at a stop light when some white guy leaned out of his van and yelled at us "They're only trying to defend themselves!". Chris maintained his cool, but when another white guy in yet another van gave us the finger, he started to chase him! Unfortunately the light changed, so we'll never know what may have happened...

I believe that this is a Mohawk flag (readers, correct me if I'm wrong), but I just loved the look of it against the Toronto Hydro building at the corner of Queen's Park and University.

I love to see proud Palestinian children!

I must admit that I didn't know much about the whole Guernica thing before reading this sign....if you're in the same boat, look here.

I love this shot...this young boy looks so plaintive yet excited, invovled yet removed. Call it a study in opposites.

Mass Anti-War Rally - July 22, 2006 - Post 1

2006-07-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

Chris and I attended a "get-the-hell-out-of Palestine-and-Lebanon" rally last Saturday. I was surprised at the turn-out, which, I hear, numbered about 10,000 people! This is the first in a two post series of pics of the rally.

To me this is a quintessential Toronto picture: activism (the rally) alongside culture (the ROM).

Some signs didn't exactly make grammatical sense, but its the thought that counts!

This one is of the crowd in front of the ROM construction.

Stop the (Middle East) War Rally - Saturday July 22!

2006-07-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

(photo of Lebanese village courtesy of CBC.ca)

Israel's actions making your blood boil? Feel the need to protest? In the Toronto area? Come on out to the rally this Saturday, organized by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War. Here are the details:

MASS RALLY Saturday, July 221:00pmIsraeli Consulate180 Bloor Street West(west of Avenue Road, north side of Bloor)

The situation in the Middle East has rapidly escalated into an international crisis that threatens to pull the entire region into full-scale war. In response to the capture of one of its soldiers, Israel has attacked Gaza - bombing water and electricity stations, bridges, roads and other vital infrastructure, creating a humanitarian disaster for hundreds of thousands of people.

Israel has now spread its attack to Lebanon - bombing Beirut's international airport, major highways and other civilian infrastructure, at the same time issuing threats to Syria and Iran.Scores of innocent people in both Gaza and Lebanon have now been killed by Israeli bombs. These are war crimes.

Join the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War and its allies for an emergency public meeting on Monday night to discuss the growing threat of war throughout the region and what we can do to stop it. Then join us for a mass rally on Saturday to demand an immediate stop to Israel's attack on Gaza and Lebanon and to oppose an attack on Syria and Iran.

Organised byToronto Coalition to Stop the WarEndorsed byCanadian Arab FederationJewish Women's Committee to End the OccupationCoalition Against Israeli ApartheidMuslim Unity Group - TorontoFor more information or to endorse, please e-mail stopthewar@sympatico.ca.
Toronto Coalition to Stop the WarTCSW is Toronto's city-wide anti-war coalition,comprised of more than fifty labour, faith and community organisations,and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance.www.nowar.ca stopthewar@sympatico.ca 416-795-5863

Darth Vader Ants?

2006-07-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

I have developed a recent fascination with ants, which led me to the discovery of the so-called "Darth Vader" Ant. You can be the judge, from the pic above. They have this helmet-like structure around their head, and they have spikes along their bodies. Its a South American ant (where all the most developed and large insects come from), and has recently been discovered exhibiting gliding behaviour. Apparently, if dropped from a tree, these ants can do a turn in mid-air and come back to the tree trunk. This supposedly protects them from falling to the forest floor (almost certain death), and allows them to find the branch where they nest. Neat. See the 4 minute video here and learn more here.

I have this theory that one day, cockroaches and ants will take over the world. Ants have the social organization and strength, and cockroaches have the staying power. Don't think humans will be around to see it though. Maybe Speilberg will make a sci-fi film about it. Chris told me the other day that the film Them is hilarious (in a way that only horror films from the 50's can be). I'll have to check it out one day....

Afrofest 2006

2006-07-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to Afrofest in Queen's Park. We were just sitting on the grass, enjoying the fine African tunes, when these two adorable little boys jumped on Chris' back in a friendly attack! They hung out with us for at least 20 minutes, and the parents were cool with it, so we let them. In these pics you can see them sharing our drink, and cleaning Chris up. At one point a black woman walked up and commented to Chris that it must be nice to have someone to clean you up...we were kind of embarrassed, as having two little black boys clean up a white man wasn't looking too good!

Above is a pic of some very powerful African drummers...didn't catch their name, unfortunately. Below is an example of the fine wares that were for sale. I myself picked up a sweet wooden bracelet for $7. Word to crafters: it doesn't take much time to remove hot glue threads from your handmamde jewelry, and it will make it look much more professional!

Canada Day Weekend in Tobermory 3: Wind Project

2006-07-10T21:18:00.000-05:00

This is the last post in a series of shots taken in and around our cottage on July 1st weekend. These shots are all of the Melancthon Wind Project. Not the best quality, as I took them from the car while driving by. We always pass the township of Melancthon on our way to the cottage, but this year is the first year that they've really gotten the wind project underway. The last couple of years there were a few wind turbines, but this year there are so many! There have been some grumblings from farmers and other area residents about how the turbines are an eyesore, but I feel quite differently. When I saw them, so many of them, my heart just leapt. They are like pure, wild, white, graceful creatures in the sky that also happen to create energy. This is only phase I, and phase II will be shortly underway.

Canada Day Weekend in Tobermory 2: "Nature" Shots

2006-07-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is the second post in short series of shots taken at our cottage in Tobermory on the July 1st weekend. I just love rocks, they live such a different existence than we do. Good ol' rock, nothing beats that.

We had some scary and amazing looking storm clouds come in. Sweet.

This is a shot of the lovely stone steps on the cottage next to ours. We often see kids clambering about on the rocks in search of crayfish and frogs.

This one is of Singing Sands (so named because it is so flat and windy so that the wind "sings"through the sand), which is part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park. I love this beach because you almost feel as if you're at the end of the world. Also, you can walk out for a good quarter mile and still have the water only come up to your knees. One of the only places that you can go swimming this early in the year....we wouldn't dare go swimming in Georgian Bay yet!

Niyaz

2006-07-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

Heard this great artist on the CBC today called Niyaz, on the always wonderful Six Degree Records. Although I love classical Persian, Turkish, Iranian, Kurdish and "Gypsy" music, I usually steer clear of those artistis billed as some sort of "Eastern electro-fusion". What this usually means, is that its basically a Western electronic song, with the odd minor key flourish of an Indian flute or oud, or the odd tabla beat. Niyaz however, does fusion the opposite way (and better): heavy on the classical Persian music, with some very subtle electro beats. Amazing vocals, strong melodies, traditional beats. Get out the bong, put it on, bliss out and get your body moving! Listen here.

Get Your Retro Fix!

2006-07-07T00:14:00.000-05:00

I've spent way too much time tonight on this site. Watch clips of your fave 70's and 80's tv show intros and commercials. So far, I've checked out the Ewoks, Smurfs, A-Team, Knight Rider and some of those "say no to drugs" ads from the 80's, among others. Good, clean, nostalgic fun!

Canada Day Weekend in Tobermory 1: Sunsets

2006-07-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

This is the first post in a series of ones taken at our cottage in Tobermory this July 1st weekend. I always forget that when you're out of the city, the sky becomes so much more a part of your immediate field of vision. Enjoy these spectacular sunsets!

What We All Long For

2006-07-04T22:57:00.000-05:00

No, this post isn't about sex (well, not directly), its about the book What We All Long For by Dionne Brand. This is, without hyperbole, the best book I've read in a long time for four reasons:

Books set in Toronto are great, as us Torontonians can really relate a lot more to someone talking about something happening in Kensington Market, as opposed to Time Square or something.
If, like me, you were born and raised in and around Toronto and are the child of visible minority immigrants, this book is for you. The rest of you will still enjoy it, but it won't have the personal tang that it does for those in my category. Honest. Proper.
I always admire writers that can create meaningful dialogue between characters in slang, which is something that I can never accomplish in my writing.
Always good to read something from a black-feminist-lesbian-Trinidadian author.

Stop reading about it and go buy it now at one of your friendly neighbourhood book retailers like Book City or Pages or Another Story Bookshop or the Toronto Women's Bookstore or A Different Booklist.

Rate My Kitten!

2006-07-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

Just came across this site today by accident.....we all think we have the most beautiful kitten, right? I guess we all do, since our own opinion is really all that matters. But, if you feel the need to have strangers validate your opinion of your own kitten's cuteness, check out the site! I believe there are also rate my bunny and puppy affilated sites as well.

PS - I really do have the cutest kitten (well...more like a grown up cat but she'll always be kitten to me)! Her pic is above!

Queen of Sheba

2006-06-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

Had dinner this evening at the always wonderful Queen of Sheba (on Bloor St. just East of Dufferin). I knew the food was damn good, but today I discovered their incredible drink prices: import beers $3.50. Sweet. We also sat beside a nice family who was encouraging their son to do the downward dog on the carpet, but he was too shy. I offered to do it first, but he didn't seem into it. On second thought, maybe its not the best idea to do the downward dog after a meal! Great food, cheap beer (and food), friendly (if infrequent) service and family friendly. I believe they were also the first Ethiopian resto in Toronto.

Magical Brew

2006-06-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

With some photo post-processing this sure looks like a magical stew made of light, no? Actually its just pasta!

Boards of Canada and Black Turtleneck

2006-06-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

Picked up the latest Boards of Canada EP, Trans Canada Highway and the debut release Musical Chairs from Black Turtleneck from the always excellent record shop Soundscapes on the weekend.

Trans Canada Highway is the usual Boards of Canada fabulousness - they somehow manage to consistently make the ultimate chill out music (no matter who you are or what you listen to) without sounding canned and generic (I won't mention any names - cough- Thievery Corporation). The first track is also on their latest full length release, Campfire Headphase, but the rest of the tracks are new and sweet. Sit back with your intoxicant of choice on a sultry summer night and lose yourself in the groove.

Do you like Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb, Adult. and so on? This is for you: Black Turtleneck makes an impressive first release, although one of the members is the talented Solvent, and the experience shows. Crunchy angular electro-synth-pop that may not be incredibly original, but good listening. The opening track Discontinued Parts is a beauty, more tracks like this please! Music for when the party is just getting off the ground, cleaning, or wandering around the more industrial parts of the city. I think I remember hearing an interview with them on CBC Radio3 where they said that the name of the band typifies the anticipated wardrope staple of their anticipated musical audience.

Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market

2006-06-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ah, Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market.....where cars are a no-no and street life is allowed to flourish. If only it were like this all the time! Check here for more dates and goings-on for Pedestrian Sundays. Above is an installation on Augusta Ave. that is set up to be played like a chess game. Great family activity!
I always see the guy above on Queen St., guess he's relocated temporarily to Kensington Ave. for this event. Beautiful, incredibly detailed work as always.
Also caught some amazing slam poetry on Baldwin St. This guy was amazing, and hot! Check out the next poetry slam at the Drake on July 22nd, always a good time.

Dyke Pride

2006-06-25T17:26:00.000-05:00

I skipped the Dyke March itself, but did head down to the gay village for some post-march frolicking. As you can see above, there was a ridiculously high police presence. But instead of being evenly distributed throughout the area, they were concentrated in certain areas, as above. It looked completely ridiculous. Mind you, the best part was when my friend was talking loudly about how high he was, and where you can get good pot seeds etc. while standing right in front of this cop phlanx. Nice.

As above, the usual suspect were out, like Enza, the B-Girlz, and this one who I see around fairly often.

My friend pointed out to me this little noticed, but very clever pride decoration. Considering that the Steamworks in one of Toronto's classiest bathouses, this pearl necklace deco was all too appropriate.

And of course, the usual food/drink vendors were there. Every year I never miss getting a great, mixed before your eyes fruit shake from these Jamaicans. This year it was pineapple mango (mmm.....pineapple mango).

It seems that every year there are more and more men on Saturday, what is supposed to be the "womens' day" of pride. In fact, not only was I there with two gay men, but I ran into a guy I knew from high school. He wasn't out then, but I sure had no doubt that he was out when I saw him on Saturday. Gay as fuck. I've been a hag in training for a long time, is all I can say.

I also caught some great performances, but couldn't really get close enough to take good photos. the Greek/Arabic sounds of Masa Meze, the Indian/jazz sounds of Autorickshaw, the queer-positive pop of the Wet Spots (their "do you take it in the ass" song will remain in your head for days after you hear it..from the last link, go to their music page and hit "do you take it") and the Skin Tight Outta Sight Burlesque troop (hosted by my friend, the lovely Miss Kitty Galore) were all fantastic.

OCAP Rummage Sale

2006-06-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, a beautiful summer day in Toronto, my partner and I went to the OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) rummage sale in lovely Dufferin Grove Park. The pic above is of a lovely garden that we saw along the way. I have total garden jeaously.

The pic above is of a lonely child's sandal that I saw in someone's front yard. I couldn't help feeling a bit sad at the sight of this discarded, but beautiful, sandal.

Above is a pic of an interestingly modified stop sign.....hear hear!

The pic above is in the park itself. They have this great mushroom shaped tent structure set up, and this pic was taken while lying inside it and shooting upward. Nice.

The pic above is the same structure...I'm taking the pic from inside while my partner Chris poses outside.

Back Again

2006-06-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the absence, family illnesses will do that to a person.

Finally saw Capote tonight (surely you've all seen it? I don't need to provide you savvy internet users with the link, right?). Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a very gifted actor. See Love Liza if you're not sure about this, even after seeing Capote.

Best (approximate) quote by Capote from the film, in reference to one of guys accused of murdering four people: "I feel like we grew up in the same house, except that he went out the back door and I went out the front door." I feel this way (with respect to myself) about so many people, I can't even tell you.....

Temporary Disruption

2006-06-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

Due to some illness in the family, I won't be posting for a while. Check back in about a week or so. Thanks.

Nuts to Drivers Licenses!

2006-06-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

Today I read an article in Spacing (by Liz Worth) which discusses the allure of getting (and keeping) driver's license. It goes over the fact that when you turn 16 there is this imperative to get a driver's license because it represents freedom and independence, even if parking and getting around in downtown Toronto in a car is more difficult than taking the TTC. The author mentions that many people eventually come to the conclusion that the latter issues are too problematic, and start taking the TTC or biking again. The paragraph that got my attention:

"Now, driver's licenses sit expired in friends' wallets, and come out only for comic relief when they feel like showing off some bad pictures."

I was so happy to see this. I sometimes feel like a second class citizen because my license has been expired for many years now, so I can't really use it for identification. Because my passport is also expired at the moment, and I still have one of the old health cards (without the photo), I sometimes find myself unable to prove that I am who I say (and know) I am. Having an expired license also means the odd lecture from my parents about how I should "really take care of that", etc. Kudos to Spacing for legitimizing us folk who have deliberately let their licenses expire, and instead, can enjoy the streetscape on a much different (and, I would argue, more enjoyable) level than drivers.

Sleeping Pills Wake Vegetative Patients

2006-05-29T22:54:00.000-05:00

The Guardian is reporting today that a certain sleeping pill has resulted in dramatic (but temporary) improvements in patients that have been in persistent vegetative states for years. For at least a few hours, they could talk with their families and watch tv after being given the drug.

This just shows is how little we know about comas and vegetative states. How a sleeping pill resulted in awakening these patients is beyond my medical knowledge, but clearly our knowledge is lacking, at best. I've often thought that people in these states may be having profound experiences that the rest of us in our supposedly preferable "conscious" state do not have access to. Maybe its something like an extremely deep meditation. I suspect that its a state that we can't even imagine (like explaining colour to a person who has never had sight) because it is too far from our experience.

TTC Strike: Steve Munro's Take

2006-05-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

Local transit guru Steve Munro has made some very insightful comments about the strike here. I totally agree with him in that the way it was done was very amateurish, i.e.: the union president (Bob Kinnear, I believe) couldn't be found for comment for a good part of the day. If you're going to have a wildcat strike, at least be available for the positive and negative repercussions, and to keep the public up to date.

I took a subway ride on the Bloor-Danforth line at about 9:30 this evening, and it was sweet. Let's not take out transit (flawed though it may be) for granted.

TTC Strike and Cormorants

2006-05-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

This pic was taken today at the lonely looking Ossington Station. Usually this shot would have been crowded with buses.

It looks like the short-lived TTC strike is over, so I'm sure that most stations are bustling once more by now. I was quite surprised to hear Mayor Miller strongly condemn the strike today, in his 3 pm press conference. He argues that the appropriate response from the TTC union in such a situation would have been to work with the TTC management to resolve the problem. I would agree that this is ideally the best route, but when is a situation ever ideal? The recent TTC announcement that TTC employees should exercise discretion with respect to fare collection, coupled with the even more recent announcement that many TTC cleaning and track maintenance staff would be switched to permanent night shifts (from their current day shifts), on top of the usual TTC mismanagement of staff has brought us to this. The TTC management is notoriously difficult to deal with, but the union always gets the blame. Ask any TTC employee: they will tell you that this has been brewing for some time. These recent events were just the catalyst. So, while I don't think that anyone wanted this strike to happen (especially considering that today is the hottest day of the year so far and the first heavy smog day) this is desperation in action. Unfortunately this strategy often backfires: instead of gaining public support for their cause, such strikes (especially ones with little warning like this one) result in increased animosity toward TTC employees. Perhaps tomorrow, when service has resumed as usual, people will take advantage of the "discretionary" fare collection, and act belligerently to the staff to make up for the inconveniences they had to suffer today.

Its a fact: some animals are more media savvy than others. When the public sees baby seals getting killed its a catastrophe, but other animals, such as cormorants, have little such support. A couple of years ago the province started a cormorant cull (a much nicer word than massacre isn't it?). But today, the Toronto Star is reporting that many cormorants are being left to die a painful and lingering death instead of being humanely killed. I strongly agree with Rob Laidlaw, who notes that if people saw deer (who the province also culls) left to die with their legs blown off, there would be an uproar.

Doors Open Toronto Finale - Former Massey Mansion

2006-05-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

This building has gone from a mansion for one of Toronto's richest families (that's Massey as in Massey Hall) to a technological institute. It must surely be the most beautiful technological institute in Toronto: lots of large windows, beautiful murals and the same ornate detail as Gooderham House.

The careful observer will note that three of the buildings I visited are on Jarvis, close to Wellesley. Jarvis used to be home to the great (old-moneyed) families of Toronto in the pre-automobile days. However, with the advent of the private automobile, more lanes were added to Jarvis which meant that the beautiful old trees which lined both sides of the street had to go. No longer being the tranquil desirable address it once was, all the old money moved North. Hooray for events like Doors Open Toronto which allow this history to be remembered.

Doors Open Toronto - Gooderham House

2006-05-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

This house was stunning. Gentlemen who are third and fourth generation Gooderham provided the tour - they wryly noted that the wealth had not trickled down to their generations. Although this house had an overall decadent beauty, the real treaures were in the small details: ornate ceilings, door hinges, radiators etc. stole the show. Bonus: restaurant on the ground floor with a large patio. Caution: expensive restaurant on the ground floor with a large patio.

Doors Open Toronto - Canada's National Ballet School

2006-05-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

This building was amazing. There was so much light and open space that I felt like dancing myself!

Interesting fact about the beautiful floors: they are basically parquet floors, but with each piece of wood turned on its side instead of being laid flat. This creates a more interesting and intricate pattern, as well as making the floor more sturdy and flexible: form and function!

Interesting historical fact: the building housed the CBC for many years, until 1995. In its current incarnation, it provides space for dancers to practice, and there are residences as well for the dancers that do not live within commuting distance.

Interesting financial fact: almost half of the dancers receive substantial bursaries, so that no one is turned away as a result of financial need.

Interesting ballet education fact: there is a music room to provide a music education as well as dance. I guess it makes sense that you would have to be well versed in music in order to be a good dancer. The third shot is the outside of the building, in which choreographical notations (how choreographers write the steps) are etched in the glass. It is apparently very complicated....I believe it!

Doors Open Toronto - The Carlu

2006-05-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today was spent viewing the glory that is old Toronto architecture as part of Doors Open Toronto. Definitely a day well spent. I visited four buildings: The Carlu, Canada's National Ballet School, Gooderham House and The York College of Industry and Technology (formerly the Massey Mansion). The intricacy of the workmanship and the attention to detail was truly breathtaking. These photos are from the Carlu. I will create a separate post for each building, so that you can concentrate on one building at a time.

The best word to describe this building is posh. From the thick carpets to the skylights to the old-fashioned "phone closets", this is definitely high class. You wouldn't think so from the rest of the building (yes you do know this building...its the one at Yonge and College/Carlton with the Winners and the Tim Hortons), but once you reach the 7th floor, its a different world. The lighting was what really caught my attention, as these photos indicate.