.25

No software endorsement here.

2012-01-31T18:24:00.003-05:00

A while ago I listed a few of my favourite software programs - from across the 20 years since Windows 3.1 and a 486 processor were once considered hi-tech. Well, I received an e-mail offering a free copy of a current program if I mentioned it.
We all like something for free...
Except... What do I know about recommending software? Recently I ran across a comment thread where someone sneered at people still using Windows XP as an operating sytem. Hey, I still use Windows XP. My (updated) hard drive is under 200Mb, and doesn't match the current connection design. There's no DVD player in my mid-tower. Mid-tower.
And the keyboard, natch., is IBM - chunky finger widths, weighs a ton, and manufactured (is that still a word?) in pre-NAFTA Mexico. Gamepad or motion detector? I got a used 1-button joystick just waiting to discover a 9-pin PC-keyboard connector, btw. (And my TV has a '3'.)

Touting a product or service when my own related position is clearly out-of-date - wouldn't be so fine with me. Not that I would be that interested anyway. I gripe and bellow as on some days I see fit. And I applaud, yes, when I genuinely feel moved to.

Is there a cost? Perhaps. Then again, little so far in MY life has ever been really worth holding onto. Except for my soul. And that - on a dusty shelf - is still worth its full, and unmarketed, price.

of Inter-planetary Craft

2012-01-30T17:55:00.001-05:00

The full main cast of Star Trek, The Next Generation are reported to be attending the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, scheduled for this April 27-29.
Plus others such as: The Honky Tonk Man, Dave Prowse - the man inside the Darth Vader costume, Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica, Amanda Tapping from Stargate SG-1, and Gil 'Buck Rogers' Gerard.

And 'Batman' Adam West. So what, no 'Smallville'? Perhaps with a few years' more time.

Speaking of Star Trek-TNG, the complete series (!) is receiving the HD upgrade treatment, AND preserving its original aspect ratio. Unlike that letterbox-butchered Seinfeld comedy series, as currently being syndicated.

Calling Occupants

2012-01-30T17:48:00.002-05:00

This Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 is RUSH day.

I would expect that every S. Ontario boy, of an approximate vintage, has his favourite mini-era for RUSH. Mine would extend from Hemispheres to Signals.
Yet in thinking back, I favour the short, radio friendly, hits of the mid 80s rather than some of its originating - and well admired - sit-down prog. rock of the mid 70s.
It's funny though. They have been releasing music albums throughout the past 38 years; I don't recall having heard a new song of theirs since the Roll the Bones video of 1991.
Their new album - expected for this Spring - is called Clockwork Angels.

An off-week,

2012-01-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

Last week didn't carry a ton of blog worthy topics here. Pardon that. Part of this lull was also my own preoccupation(s) elsewhere. ~~Hopefully~~ assumedly, I'll find more topics of note along with the free moments to muse upon them.
Today's all-star games - both NHL and NFL are one such combined topic. I wish these leagues would use their own all-star game's purpose as does MLB. For the NFL that would mean playing for the next season's Superbowl advantage - (and/or maybe also for which Conference plays at home during next season's Week One?). Something. Players recently knocked out of the playoffs are not going to strive for... a predetermined coin toss result (?), for a next-week championship they cannot still hope for.

Woodgrain HDTV?

2012-01-26T23:08:00.001-05:00

Another cool item found online: an HDTV-in-cabinet. A new twist on a former commonplace retro item. via Digitalhome.ca's Over-the-Air Forum.
Except it is missing the TV lamp on top. ;)

Actually, I'd settle for a new TV that can optionally switch channels WITHOUT the dreaded on-screen clutter (which too often hangs around for a couple Mississippi's). And maybe also a three to five channel Last Channel Button option as well. That would be fantastic for sports viewing! Or, perhaps a picture - beside picture feature, similar to the old picture-in-picture feature.
That, and maybe a universal remote control that has ALL the buttons I actually use or wish for, and none of the dozens that I haven't a clue about. :)

Denmark disputes 'Canadian' Outer Space.

2012-01-25T11:36:00.003-05:00

This is actually pretty cool. A tiny Lego man was sent into [near] space by a pair of Ontario teenagers, complete with Cdn. Flag. (a video image is included).
Denmark may be considering an international space~land claim, based on the history of Hans Island - located between the N-E edges of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland - and that the Lego man itself has Denmark origins.
... should have used a MegaBlok figure? Then Quebecers, instead, could strive (again?) for an Outer Space separation against the rest-of-Canada?

Make that 61 cents a Blue.

2012-01-22T18:53:00.001-05:00

Remember ~~buck~~-a-Beer, er, 65 cents a bottle of Labatt Blue?
This week's U.S. Border city sale price is 61 cents per Blue (saving $1 per case).

* Balloon ride, over the falls, not included.

2012. Year of the Dragon?

2012-01-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

Tell that to our three aging Elephants - now moving to California.

The Metro Toronto Zoo, Elephants, Zebras, and Hippos.
John Hinde Studios (Ireland), photo by D. Noble. 2TOR 44.

Steeltown AHL Alumni Classic stolen.

2012-01-21T13:06:00.001-05:00

There are a few marquee sporting events that I crave for. The Superbowl, the Indy 500, the Queen's Plate, The MLB all-star game, and... Hockey Alumni and/or Outdoor games.
Right now, Rogers Sportsnet is cable casting the regular (Pepsico) AHL Outdoor game from Hamilton, Ont. The home team is a representative of the Montreal Canadiens franchise; the visitors are the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise.
Last night, and not televised, was their alumni outdoor game! Here are the early line-ups. The CBC's Ron McLean joined the referee squad. What is available are just pictures of the AHL's Hamilton Outdoor Alumni game.
Sure there is an ordinary NHL league game at the ACC tonight between Toronto and Montreal. And it will air, as expected, on the CBC's Saturday HNIC broadcast. Yet big deal, they play against each other eight times a season - including the Leafs home opener for 2011/2012.
The CBC has featured AHL games, from Hamilton, before. Rogers Sportsnet is a full-fledged sports network with its own pro hockey interests. Rogers also owns three OTA broadcasters in Toronto; CityTV, Omni1, and Omni2.
Like the annual Grey Cup on TSN - I didn't get a chance to see last night's Alumni Game. Yet neither did cable /satellite system subscribers!

Toronto.
Montreal.
Alumni players.
In Hamilton.
Outdoor - first AHL version played in Canada.
Ivor Wynne Stadium.
.. and seriously, this wasn't televised during Friday night (and on a broadcast channel at that)?

Today's top selling story.

2012-01-21T10:40:00.001-05:00

GM IS back!
This appeared at the bottom right corner of the The Globe and Mail website this morning.
General Motors regained the top spot amongst wordwide vehicle sales for 2011. Its 9 million units represented a one year growth of 7.6% over 2010, with Chevrolet setting its own division sales record.

Add this to the recent story of Chrysler Canada posting its greatest Fall Sales months of Sep. and Nov. since 2001. Honda and Toyota also had strong current year improvements during this same time period.
And yes, Ford (also via the Huffington Post article) was in a reported lead for Sales Volume in Canada. It's numbers represent their best output since 2002. Hyundai (Canada) also found success, too, breaking into the top five for 2011, here in Canada.

Sometimes, this ailing(?) 'doom and forever gloom' economy is really all about its permitted perception. This should have been the banner story(!) of this early 2012 weekend - and not just dumped into a bottom media owner's assigned corner. In the title words of a Russian Futurists song, "It's not really cold when it snows."

Quick re-Pick

2012-01-21T00:16:00.001-05:00

Wow, I just checked the OLG website (minutes before midnight, EST). They already had the prize announcement for next week's LottoMax draw displayed. The amount, btw, stands at $50 million plus 2 extra draws. Note: Lotto 6/49 for tomorrow night's twice-weekly draw is for $25 million.
Often I will watch the Toronto late news, on a Friday, and be told that an unknown winner - general location still unknown as well, cannot yet be confirmed. I didn't expect this next exact prize amount (with no current winner) to be publicly available - before midnight. I guess Faye Dance knows her stuff*.
* a co-host of former Wintario's televised drawing road show reference.

Bravo, Retrontario.

2012-01-20T12:55:00.006-05:00

Youtuber Retrontario has been steadfastly sharing an archive of lost Canadian and Southern Ontario area TV commercials (and local news' sign ons-offs) for a number of years. The Globe and Mail's Susan Krashinsky neglects to provide a reference when she dismisses his singular efforts as: "with nearly everything in video form, there’s a poor-quality version on YouTube." That still doesn't stop Bell Media from directly linking to a posting, by Retrontario, of a Clio recognized Caramilk ad of 1980.

Bell Media is the current owner of Toronto's iconic 1050 Chum am radio station, now serving as TSN Radio. Previously they gutted 1050 Chum - as an oldies station - and used the AM frequency to simulcast its recently purchased cable news channel CP24 (originally named for competitor CityPulse news). In the process Bell Media eliminated its own 1050 Chum webpage AND its decades meticulous collection of weekly Chum Chart images and freely online top 30 music lists.
This is a common problem with Canada's major media groups. I discovered this as I attempted to link to various year-old music charts three weeks ago.
Shaw Communications' Edge 102.1 station is the closest to sharing any tidbit of historical data. Yet it also denies its own past as an independent 1980s era fansite, and Shaw's recent legal letter to its former 1990s morning show team, will attest. Meanwhile, Q107 archives? Or local TV and radio archives under other ownership groups? Hardly.
Without individuals like Retrontario, we wouldn't have any pop culture past in Toronto - to even dismiss as 'poor-quality' - at all. The Bell Media's of Canada would rather have us all living in their groundless Demolition Man e-World.

Wounna shounna, Taronna.

2012-01-17T12:09:00.001-05:00

There's a standard "world class, Toronto?" article in today's Toronto Star, via their GridTO.com website.
Toronto definitely isn't what it used to look forward to. But I don't put all of this city's woes unto the previous mayor. His predecessor, a conservative, mayor Lastman made critical mistakes, and so on.
We should have built the Eglinton West subway line from Yonge Street then directly curled to the airport. instead we pondered a shunt extension to Sherway Gardens and partially built the Sheppard line, east of Yonge yet short of reaching the DVP highway. And then the St. Clair streetcar revision and narrowing of other downtown arterial roads with fancy sidewalks and specialty trees.
A limited stop rail line route from the shoreline hugging Union Train station up to the distantly ugly 3-in-1 horse racing track, then back south again to the Airport is being built. And we cannot settle upon diesel or electric.
We should have protected our waterfront development. Instead the city looks like a tacky sardine can. Even Rogers Communications uses a 21-year old barren land photo of its then-unbranded Rogers Centre - for a mispelt 2011 postcard. Because otherwise it's immediate vicinity would look like an eyesore? Probably.
Our malls used to be nice. Now we have outdoor mega centres, grungy half abandoned mini-malls or malls given ill-fitting extensions, or worse - refurbished major malls in harsh lighting, off white decor, and blaring meaningless noisy music.
We should be connected to our immediate neighbouring suburbs. I have written here about the simple lack of an Etobicoke Creek footbridge between the QEW and Lakeshore, and how the Islington Station connection remains a dismal failure*.
I suggested that a diagonal TTC surface rail corridor line from Malvern (and the 401/DVP) into both sides of the University Spadina subway line - at Summerhill and Dupont. I asked why the VIA trains through lower Mississauga have no station stop until Oakville. Now we have a metropolis where Fortune 500 companies prefer to set-up shop - upon its outside. And all future public transit plans only flow straight into the deepest and most congested hub at Lake Ontario's shoreline - with its awkward bus / train alignment.
We have expanded the PATH concourse system. Yet it has grown more disjointed and ineffective with each new development. Purpose One is for workers to walk indoors betweeen transit hub and office place, not to meander aimlessly about. And we failed to use clear and internationally recognized direction symbols in connection with Union Station, for int'l visitors.
Housing? We are erecting permanent townhouses and condos as though the "Golden Horseshoe" and S. Ontario region is a tiny island and not a connected part of the world's second largest land mass country.

I posted a series of fond Toronto images (1972-2002) over the Rembrance Day through New Year's period. Does anyone really think - forget the this mayor /council or that mayor /council talk - that we are a better city right now, in 2012? Seriously?
* looking for this reference, to be updated.

Blame Miller (and Co.).

2012-01-16T19:38:00.002-05:00

Here is Sue-Ann Levy's latest column on Toronto's municipal well-being.
She itemizes a lot of major projects and generous labour settlements as to their ongoing costs. Yet when I look around within just a neighbourhood circle, there sure was a ton of needless upgrading made. And I don't believe that very many of these things were true upgrades at all! Just being fancy doesn't equal "better or improved".
I rent. I went to college and continued career training courses. By neccessity, I don't own a car. I don't have security in employment, pension, or medical plan. I WOULD LOVE to learn what percentage of Toronto Employees; cops, teachers, parks workers, TTC staff, indoor workers, etc. rent their places of residence! Probably there is an underclass of non-unionized staff in local government offices just etching out their own livlihoods? Maybe a majority of this union /management underling class actually lives inside of the city of Toronto. But is it only due to having one part-time job paying like a comparable full-time salary in the private sector?
Please go ahead... tell me how you are just getting by, gosh darn it. Blame everyone else who is living worse off than yourself.

Good luck, Mayor Ford.

2012-01-16T18:40:00.001-05:00

Toronto's mayor Rob Ford, along with his first-term councillor brother Doug, has taken a public pledge of losing weight.
Their six month weight loss challenge can be found at CuttheWaist.ca.

Dear Mayor Ford:
Best wishes. Take it easy, yet seriously. Remember that adding muscle will add weight since it is heavier than their replaced fat cells - but can assist with calorie burning metabolism. Walking is the best exercise (IMHO)! Please use caution if/when you choose to involve treadmill jogging. No one, not even regular weekend runners, can "run a marathon or a 10K" within their first few months. Best to use a walk / jog / walk routine. Then progress at YOUR OWN pace.
Exercices like bicycling are easier on the knees, yet won't provide the same immediate results, as being upright and unassisted. A charity fun run /walk in the Fall would be a worthy goal to pursue.

Another Cdn. 'kill me now', Weblog Awards 2011.

2012-01-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

via the nominated 'On procedure and politics'.
Another annual Canadian Weblog Awards site?

At least this one sounds professional - with a sizable jury panel instead of a popular voting scheme. Still, look at 'MY' blog [.25, since Sep. '04] AND honestly tell me everyone else's is better. Some, sure. Here, I don't hardly even get comments; I've yet to reach a double digit response towards any single entry - all-time. Jeesh.
Yet I am lucky to have heard of even one of the shortlisted nominees throughout all its categories.
At least my awareness is a little better in reviewing their full 2011 list of nominees.

I hate Inventions.

2012-01-15T16:57:00.003-05:00

That is, I hate when I get the shadowy idea of an product invention.
Sure enough, I was just watching the early game, surfing the channels during a lull, and the inspiration happened. I then attempted a slight variety of Google searches - Big Research, lol - and they came up negative.
You can see those people who spend their personal fortunes upon good sounding yet failed ideas, every week on a show like Dragon's Den or Shark Tank. They could spend $200,000 and have only $3,000 in sales for it, and an empty-handed "commitment to consider" from a potential buyer. And of course, most probably my idea would share that same fate. Except I don't really have that chance for it.
That's frustration.
So what was this great or not-so-great imaginary product? ~~Not telling~~. Okay, Muskoka Chair, interwoven (square tube) folding Lawn Chair... "Lawnoka".

Ability of the Press (Cda. vs. USA)

2012-01-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

This week illustrates it:

via Warren Kinsella.com
George says:
January 14, 2012 at 2:22 pm

Watching the goings-on on CPAC this afternoon and I have to say what a pathetic show so far. Techno. problems in voting, people mad at not having been communicated with re: resolutions, not reading the resolutions for those with disabilities. As the new Liberal delegate from Trinty/Spadina just said if that’s how the Liberals operate then that’s not the part she signed up for.

The worst part of it all is that it’s on TV for everyone to watch, and Warren, you might see strength in those 3,000, but all I see so far is frustration and really bad unification of purpose.
Reply

*
CQ says:
January 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm

Only for Cable / Satellite subscribers. The TVOs and CBC over-the-air transmitters could utilize subchannels. Bell Rogers Shaw forbids it via their defacto CRTC joint venture.
Reply
*
CQ says:
January 14, 2012 at 4:11 pm

p.s. I watched part of the local New Hampshire Primary detailed results show as transmitted by Buffalo PBS’s commercial free 17-3 channel this week, in live prime time. If it were the Spring or Summer, I’d might have tuned in to the Rochester PBS channel 21s instead – as they broadcast at greater allowed strength (than permitted Cdn broadcasters) across the downtown Toronto, past the skyscapers and CN Tower.
Meanwhile CTV Toronto shut it down at 12:05 a.m. each night this week – no notice or explanations.

Meanwhile, The Toronto Star's Public Editor employee offers a backhanded lengthy double-speak apology for its hockey game story.
Then its main weekend Editorial Page congratulates Canada's new Golden Age of Writing as a Cdn. book publisher is bought out by Foreign Interests (unlike their own protectedly licenced newspaper company - and owner of Harlequin Romance In'tl.)
And why not, in another: just lead off about those evil so-cons [not really] cancelling existing marriage laws for non-Canadians.

Lifting the Myst**

2012-01-14T05:15:00.006-05:00

When I reloaded the .25 archives last November, I figured that using the search button of this Blogger blog would suffice to further pinpoint exact entries or topics by name. Without being a testing expert: it doesn't seem to work with against the restored and pre-dated entries. Optionally: clicking a tag field brings up only its more recent category entries; I still haven't learned of a way to showcase a next page continuation. Still this is a no-cost blogging site. I used to include a drop-down sidebar item for these and as well for the old Toronto Bicycle Path entries.
Perhaps this new entry will both provide a direct path and remake a web search dent. Google Search Result indicators have been surprisingly few, but not completely nil, towards these postings.

The Myst** series were modest write-ups about Mystery writers and their creations. Many are aboat a pre-1965 era and highlight mystery fiction of a variety of subgenres. Nearly all were originally posted between the Septembers of 2004 & 2006. With the John D. MacDonald and Lilian Jackson Braun entries their running total is 40 writers, plus three issue entries.

Doug Allyn
Charlotte Armstrong
H.C. Bailey
Bill S. Ballinger
Jack Batten
E.D. Biggers
Ernest Bramah
Lilian Jackson Braun
John Dickson Carr
Leslie Charteris
George Harmon Coxe
Carroll John Daly
A.C. Doyle
Stanley Ellin
Dashiell Hammett
Cyril Hare
Chester Himes
Harry Kemelman
Maurice LeBlanc
Frances & Richard Lockridge

John D. MacDonald
Philip MacDonald
Ross MacDonald
Ngaio Marsh
Johnston McCulley
William P. McGivern
Frederick Nebel
Ellery Queen, editor
Clayton Rawson
Craig Rice
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Damon Runyon
Dell Shannon
Rex Stout
The Three Investigators
S.S. Van Dine
Roy Vickers
Edgar Wallace
Raoul Whitfield
Cornell Woolrich

Race and Sexism
Summmer spellng
Run Dick, run.

Myst** John D. MacDonald

2012-01-14T00:03:00.003-05:00

It's been a while, yet here is one more Mystery Writer blog entry. ;)
John D. MacDonald was a writer during the 30 years - after WWII. Only a part of that legacy is his Travis McGee series of 21 novels. One myth is that he was to have considered one more novel where-in his independent crime hero / 50% fee salvage consultant of South Florida was to have died. This is in part owing to the use of colour within the Book Titles; Black had not been used. The author himself died unfortunately+ after a heart bypass operation in 1986, at the age of 70.

There is little that I can add beyond my own viewpoint of the McGee series. I've read about 15 of the novels - most via omnibus reprint editions as well as a few early career short stories. Quite a few others, however, have already written about the author and his main series character in greater detail.
Generally 'I' prefer the later novels of this 1964-1985 series. I know that one of the mid-era novels I read was a leading disappoint within my larger field of mystery fiction readings (it might be the stolen stamp collection novel). IMO it was dull and had no victim until the last third.
However, most are a lively mixture of tense action, casual relationships, location setting, and the hero knight's unfavorable philosophies upon his modern developing society. AKA 'Future Mankind is slowly Doomed'. The philosophy bits can get a bit unwieldy at times.
Confessions of a Mystery Novelist... wrote about the first McGee novel, earlier this week. JDM had already been writing for about 18 years before beginning what started off as a paperback original series.

selected web links:
+ The Trap of Solid Gold, a blog celebrating JDM.
Travis McGee and Me, a blog celebrating the McGee series.
JDMhomepage.org, the extensive website of JDM and McGee topics.
Interview with John D. by Ed Gorman (1984). From Mysteryfile.com

Tripled Friday the 13ths

2012-01-13T12:53:00.001-05:00

From the Detroit Free Press:
Three Friday the 13ths, 13 weeks apart, a rarity.
by Wade Malcolm, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal

Ambassador jail.

2012-01-12T18:01:00.000-05:00

Here is an item from today's Globe and Mail: 84 year-old owner of U.S./Cda. bridge ordered to jail - due to construction delays.

We need to get North America working in earnest. This guy just isn't helping our shared cross-border situation.

Origins of "Beer and Popcorn".

2012-01-11T18:37:00.007-05:00

A few collected and recent thoughts:

1) "Beer and Popcorn" was one of the prominent slogans of the past decade in Canadian Politics - as issued by a Liberal Party magazine writer. Busted! Today I saw an old episode of 'Bachelor Father', part of a Nifty Fifties programming block, btw.
This episode - began with the Chinese houseboy* speaking directly to the audience a la John Forsythe's later Charlie's Angels introductory voiceover. Given a flare-up over personal expenses, 'Root Beer and Popcorn' was joked over and later served to a prospective upscale client at dinner.

2) Middle-Youngish People say the Seinfeld sitcom was the Show About... Hazel?
With the appearance of Antenna TV, I awoke early for an overnight airing of the Hazel sitcom. It was an argument over a curb-side parking space - just like a late season Seinfeld episode.

A pair of popular onliners [fairly] turned away a pair of my comments this week:
3) Over at TV Feeds my Family, I mused that CBC-TV had turned into a Sausage-fest. This week has the brand new Redemption series with Kevin O'Leary and 8 out of 10 contestants being real men - and the first person out is one of the women. Then it is Arctic Air, 'Mister' D, and Russell Crowe guest-starring on Republic of Doyle.
I'd say the CBC has learned from their unexpected ratings variance between 'The Week the Women Went', and 'Dragon's Den', versus say, Being Erica, Rumours, or The Gill Deacon Show... They even have a rugged cooking guy during the afternoons now following 'Stephen and Chris'. A year ago CBC afternoons were headlined with the successful-yet-girly U.S. import 'Ghost Whisperer'.
Today, TVFMF mentions the CBC's ratings boost. I'll also note that this year, the CBC did not premiere its mid-season shows directly against the annual TSN World Juniors Tournament.
This is the revised direction of network television. Just look to the overall failure of the U.S. fall season. Scripted Television had prodominently been skewing strongly against men during this past half-decade. Hopefully a balance can be found instead of a pendulum swing.

4) "I reckon et tu, Cowboy Liberal."
Popular Liberal 'Outsider' Warren Kinsella posted an anti-Oil Companies cartoon, with many of his progressive followers chipping in and being automatically against the Northern B.C. Pipeline Development. At other times on his journal, Kinsella speaks of growing up partially in Texas, USA. What did Texas offer that couldn't have been found before in Western Canada? Economic Prosperity. Underscored and courtesy of all dem Oil Fiends shown in the highlighted editorial cartoon.
It followed an earlier posting of the day before. That, too, was in opposition to a leading B.C. Pipeline supporter.

* 5) Think a middle-aged Chinese houseboy character is racist? Perhaps no more than when 2-time Men's Figure Skating World Champion Patrick Chan speaks publicly, last month, of feeling more at home in China than throughout Canada, and a Korean-American woman dining at a Papa John's restaurant in New York is referred to - typed upon her bill - as "lady chinky eyes".
The houseboy character meanwhile attends night school to better himself and goes to court to protect and preserve his perfect 20-year driving record.

5b) I was watching a bit of the mid-70s Good Times sitcom as well. Read on Wikipedia that the two parent actors both left the show over its racist stereotyping of blacks. They had signed on expecting a standard era anti-stereotypes show. This weekend SNL had former NBA-star Charles Barkley as its host. Yet, despite a recent increase of its usual number of non-white supporting cast (1), they still often need to utilitize Black-Men-in-Drag. And don't expect to see many East Asian performers either.
2012, and the First Lady has to fend off an "Angry Black Woman" portrayal from a recent book release.

The point(?) of all this rambling:
Maybe today's society needs to recognize - instead of progressively dismissing out of hand - when it is little (or less) better than its straight-talking predecessors'.

5c) Also on Bachelor Father. The lead actor in one episode talked of always being set-up with anyone's daughter or sister. Than took his refuge in a men's steam room - and again got introduced to someone. Warmly quiped afterwards that most of the introduced were women.
Saw a Leave it to Beaver episode as well. Parents looking after another boy for the afternoon. Ward, scanning his newspaper, suggests a movie. June says, (paraphrasing) "Not that one. That's an adult film. See, it was made in Sweden".
Early gay TV character? Consider Route 66's co-star Buzz. Never 'gets the girl', yet never puts on the sissy sass routine either.
Glass Ceiling Women? Consider Hollywood's Nancy Malone. Her production credits outnumber her acting credits. And beautiful onscreen...

For younger people who says Everything before Yesterday was too simple, too ignorant, and too naive; please just try for a second and more open appraisal - for both Then and Now. And sometimes you don't have to go back that far either.

Hidden condo skyline.

2012-01-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

I was outside of the Eaton Centre earlier this evening and I looked up to the south-east. Towering over the streetscape opposite of the north-end mall entrance on Yonge were the twin Pantages / Opus condominiums. Per the link above, both towers share a developer. There's the higher living deluxe and concave high-rise on the south, and its little squarish brother built directly north. Very directly north.

I just kepting thinking of some owner, dwelling upon the south-side middle of the north shorter and square building. He's languidly holding a glass of red wine.
He's looks south-westward... and finds the other immediate condo curling half-across his view in a concave fashion. He turns himself thusly to the south-east... and meets the same vantage fate. Then he tries looking upward only to have the adjacent and double height south tower blocking any glimpse of sun or the moon. Would very many radio or over-the-air TV signals penetrate through to here?

Perhaps if he, or she, looks straight ahead they may find one of their opposite neighbours, who at least likely paid more.
Yet, just 15-30-45 minutes away and hopefully one could find another place more 'breathable'. With parks and schools and drivable roads nearby, perhaps a modest backyard and a deck...

Images borrowed from Livehigh.com and Househunting.ca.

Coffee lid coaster

2012-01-09T21:33:00.005-05:00

Instead of coffee, here's a tea story.
Not feeling like caffeine this morning (after a late night panic attack*) I took to a non-caff. herbal tea.
And when I drink tea I use a double-sized hot chocolate mug. Then often I will save and then re-use the tea bag for a second turn. That makes for about 4 coffee cups' worth; or 5-6 tea cup portions worth.
The story part concerns the coaster. With the post-Christmas switch-up, I dug out an older coaster. This one was round and glossy, just a bit wider than the mug.
Not wanting to either sip the tea quickly or have it cool off, I instinctively put the coaster, upside-down, over the lightly steaming mug.
Did that ever take me back.

Many years ago I found myself at work in a brand new office building. And greeting its day one workers was a coffee cup at each work station. I still have that cup.
Added to it was a matching lid. You don't see that very often. The idea is that Busy People don't have the time for coffee; my boss, a really good guy btw, at the time singularly used to drink his coffee plain. I, and other co-workers, was young. Younger people don't typically drink coffee black. We asked+. He told us.
At this corporate place I felt lucky to have 35+ hours a week. Overtime? In white collar work? It just isn't available to the rank and file. The mid-level boss however was - as I would learn - one of the actual 'core dynamos' within the larger organization.
Anyway, eventually my time was up, replaced by further young recruits. And that coffee cup / coffee lid combo got separated.
Today's make-shift spur-of-the-moment flashback wasn't a perfect match but it worked to perfection.
So how many years beyond years have I been sipping tea or a daily coffee AND just not re-thought of simply keeping the mug warm?

* Panic Attack. That has happened a couple of times - yet not often. Last night's was worse though. It was more of a fearless constriction. I felt instead like a lifeless cord of cut wood. Suddenly after a pleasant few temporal days, that was a very eerie feeling.
+ And forever since, I've taken to the same no-cream no-sugar 'zero zero' habit. Sometimes I truly wish I could thank those individuals directly here. And his downsized firing of me was actually a good favour.

Raonic wins 2nd ATP event.

2012-01-08T12:12:00.001-05:00

Milos Raonic has won the Chennai Open final.
via The New York Times.

Prodendorse: The good socks.

2012-01-08T11:32:00.003-05:00

Now that I've sorted away the post-season clutter, I find myself with a catchet of 'good socks'. What happens is that at each Christmas time I often get a few new pairs of socks. Only, I tend to store these away; they're the good socks!
Mostly the brand by preference is McGregor. 'Happy Foot' 'Weekender' indeed.
Instead I keep on wearing my old socks. I wear through holes in them and later turn those socks upside down - so that the heel section is topside, along with most of the holes. And the old socks only develop bigger and more holes.
Once in a while I need to just purge that supply of worn out socks.
I think that this will be one of those months.
I just wish that I could say the same for the 'ol underwear supply, lol. Excepting that my non-exclusive-yet-preferred brand, Harvey Woods disappeared from the local department stores a few years back.

How about a Skydome NHL game?

2012-01-07T06:34:00.001-05:00

The weekend sports talk is all about a potential Red Wings - Maple Leafs outdoor game next season, in Michigan. For all the reasons I've noted here, I would like to see an "outdoor" game at the closed roof Rogers Centre. Ideally it would be two years from now, circled nearer to the dome's 25th, 1989, anniversary date. And with the possible opening of the Ryerson arena at the old Maple Leaf Gardens as a tie-in?
Except(!) that means NOT having the Leafs scheduled as back-to-back participants in what, until now, has been an All-American New Year's Game. Also I welcome the adjustment by the NHL away from its regionalism which has caused the current situation of separate outdoor games for Canadian teams and U.S. teams.
(I also strongly wish to repeat my preference for keeping the full Conference half playoff seedings. And it will be nice when, or if, Toronto ever improves enough into becoming a regular playoff expectant team.)

Toronto Star Feminism

2012-01-06T15:40:00.001-05:00

Here's a laugh. I left a comment last night but, to-date, it hadn't been accepted.
The column regards a personal finance viewpoint of a middle-aged female employee at the Toronto Star. They edited it, they published it, they wrote it. She is happy taking home 20% less pay each week. Apparently she has a guarantee of her next five years' employment AND a man(!), working full-time, to pay her living costs.
It is part of a four years' salary paid out over five years deal. She leaves 20% with her employer and four years later takes a paid fifth year off (while her man assumedly continues to work at his 100% and pay their bills). Plus someone else does her career work in lieu, I guess.
The Toronto Star Corporation is one of those leading left-wing progressive opinion leaders. Yet look past its 'Front-page Feminism' and this is its 2012 reality.
They also own the Harlequin Romance publisher.

How Green was your Christmas?

2012-01-05T11:30:00.001-05:00

I've put away the Christmas trappings for another year. Which isn't a big deal, especially having neglected, even, the Christmas Bowl for 2011.
Usually though, my rule of thumb is the first weekend of January and it is already the fifth. I still have the accumulated packaging garbage to dispose of - do not want to throw out that wrong item owing to a hurried up mistake.

But the real topic of this post-holidays entry is its accumulated packaging. What is the deal, especially, with candy and chocolate items at Christmas? Millions of people who will otherwise recycle re-use and reduce all throughout the year buy up (expensive) stuff suffocated in plastic. Soft plastic, hard plastic, cased and individually wrapped, plastic plastic plastic!
And average wrapping paper, too, is often tagged as non-recyclable. Yet, god-forbid, one throws out a section of a daily newspaper or an unrinsed tin can?
I'm not a leading recycling super-enthusiast. I, too, prefer having my day-to-day permanent items - such as CDs / DVDs stored in sturdy cases. For me it is just a balancing act of environment vs. personal comfort.
But darned if those top-selling itty-bitty Christmas Candies don't use a lot of needless plastics.

I shopped there.

2012-01-03T18:14:00.000-05:00

The Book Mark, along the Bloor West Village, near Jane St., is closing its door. And I can say that I bought an item there last month for a Christmas gift.
It was a small yet nice store, well suited to its robust and friendly neighbourhood. Although I don't know how they ever made the rent and property taxes.
And that's a real and functioning store. Walk along and you will see those no-sale poser places and/or variety store dumps - although there aren't so many dump stores in this neighbourhood. Most people still think of Bloor West as an entitled ultra-upscale neighbourhood. Which is true, in its classical few condo 'eyesores' / more Libraries than Timmy's / multi-stops subway way. However, the busiest store must be the cramped No Frills supermarket near Runnymede (and not a fancy Loblaws nor Great Cdn. Superstore). It is an effort at times to navigate past its entry doors.
I hate seeing these smaller stores close.

DTV Clock-time

2012-01-03T17:10:00.004-05:00

1) Say, what is with the time displays for over-the-air television broadcasters? From both Toronto area and Buffalo, NY, major and minor - few seem to adhere to a standardized time measurement.
Some have merely let the hour slip without a reset during the last clock adjustment. Yet others are chronically ahead or behind the expected time by anywhere of 2 to 10 minutes.
If it were me, I make little mistakes here and I correct them. Not so with some of these companies. Global Ontario, and Hamilton's CHCH, amongst others, don't even use their display banners to list current programs. I guess there is an excuse for each; Shaw is a major national satellite service provider which currently owns Global, and CHCH is conversely too small to extend the effort?
To me, their viewer, it is just a perception of not caring.
I woke this morning at 4:30, just to watch an episode of Hazel being newly shown on Antenna TV, and I Married Joan on TCT-3. I'm a pop culture fan.

2) While on the TV watching topic and Global Ontario - why did that station air a 1995 horror film, starting at Saturday midnight on New Year's Eve 2011? They had carried a Niagara Falls event special immediately preceding the movie. Couldn't they have just extended a half-hour (or shown a Prairies area - or repeated - special newscast) and joined NBC's delayed SNL repeat? And why a horror film, if it wasn't even Canadian content?
Of course, flagship competitor CTV Toronto wasn't much better. Sure they put up and advertised the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins for the evening. But straight after their News came a 18+ Martin Lawrence sequel. What point were they trying to make when showcasing this pairing?

As (often before) I would love to hear from any of these media groups - or rather, their in-charge owners. Or from some of the others about leaving haphazard DTV clock usage and/or non DTV program listing for over-the-air broadcasting. If had their licenced business chance to provide a service, [besides a running profit] I would wish to make the effort.

School's back.

2012-01-03T08:53:00.001-05:00

Published by Len Martin Sales, photo by Ramon Stringer.
KS-6259A. Super Natural.

A Traveltime product, photo by Ramon Stringer.
KS-5913. Majestic.

Thank you America. Thank you America. Thank you America!

2012-01-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

This really should have been a bigger story. Via the Hamilton Spectator's Dec. 24th edition appeared the Canadian Press article concerning Canadian Land Donations for American taxpayers.
Thanks to much co-operation, Americans who own land in Canada, such as vacation properties, may donate that land without incurring a tangle of cross-border taxation barriers.
More information about the 'American Friends of Canadian Land Trusts' may be found, as linked, at the Nova Scotia Nature Trust website.
This is a great way to start the year (besides the postings of seasonal images, here at .25). Regardless of the economic, trade, or ecological differences we share from time to time - this is yet another great example of how both countries, Canada and the United States, continue to help improve the conditions of one another through mutual consideration and open co-operation.

Welcome back, Travellers.

2012-01-02T10:04:00.002-05:00

Royal Specialty Sales, photo by C.P.S.P.-Scanavision.

Air Canada 747 (being readied) at T.O. Int'l Airport.
Royal Specialty Sales, Mastichrome. P300469.

High Park in the Winter.

2012-01-01T09:22:00.002-05:00

A quiet place to escape(?) for a day, during any season.

This image of a streetcar at High Park was taken on Feb 20, 1972.
JBC Visuals, photo by Ted Wickson. JBC-67

Happy New Year's Eve.

2011-12-31T14:33:00.002-05:00

Prestige Postcards. T-002.

John Hinde Studios (Ireland), photo by E. Ludwig. 2TOR6.
"A philosopher once said that great architecture is frozen music. This then is Toronto's symphony to future generations."

Year-end radio charts

2011-12-31T12:03:00.001-05:00

Something I miss from my youth is listening to a year-end radio station music countdown. It is a part of why I've made my own across the past few years. Everyone is a sucker for year-end reviews and lists - whether it is about the news, sports, movies, deaths... or music.

I had always wished that by (honestly) displaying some of the 'obscure' songs in my song listings that maybe one or two of those corporate stations here - and multi-national media conglomerates - would be, however lightly, influenced. That just allowing the music to semi-naturally sort itself out, rather than insisting upon a top-down push of tightly controlled popularity, might occur.
As far as being a regular radio listener; I gave that up a few years back. Once in a blue moon I'll spin through the dial for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I still miss that feeling of being a part of a greater listenership. My own personal internet efforts, while vastly preferred, and the individual perrusing of varied online music bloggers, do leave that nagging sensation.
So did walking past the empty lot of Yonge Street's former Sam the Record Man and the half-sized HMV this year.

Single digit Canadian Blog Awards

2011-12-30T13:57:00.002-05:00

Just re-visited the 2011 Canadian Blog Awards site.

Seriously??
The Music Blog category is led with a nominated entrant having 11 votes, over its next 2nd and 3rd competitors' TWO first round votes.
The Popular Culture category had only one entrant above single digits.
Best Professional Life had no one garnering a double digit voting total.
and Best Political Blog did marginally better. Its top four broke into the double digits, as did the 'Religion and Philosophy' category.

This is why Toronto, Southern Ontario, and Canada, and its blogosphere sucks. How many websites do you ever visit directly, or exchange comments at?

A murderous Holidays.

2011-12-30T13:13:00.002-05:00

Needing a post-Christmas week cheer-up (I really thought that there would some level of site visitation awaiting - given the daily images being uploaded during this year's end):

Here is an extensive listing of Mystery Novels set during Christmas and New Year's (via Mystery Fanfare).
New Year's Day list.

Christmas (A-D) list.
Christmas (E-H) list.
Christmas (I-N) list.
Christmas (O-R) list.
Christmas (S-Z) list.

Plus a Chanukah list.
And a book tree.

... I guess not.

Activity at City Hall

2011-12-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

Toronto's Nathan Philips Square, at day and night.

Royal Specialty Sales, photo by Peter Mintz. 2TOR-321.

(part of a thin, double-sided, paper set) published by Metro Toronto News.
1972 D.C.C. (Dexter Color Canada) Ltd.

Antenna TV comes to T.O. (almost).

2011-12-29T19:01:00.001-05:00

As of early January, Universal Sports at Buffalo channel 2.2 is expected to go off air as it resets into becoming a pay-TV channel for NBC. Already last September, the sub-channel 2.3 RTV (retro) station was cancelled; leaving WBBZ 67.1 (Me-TV) as Buffalo /Toronto's premier retro tv station. Unfortunately, the signal strength of WBBZ is vastly weaker than for WGRZ's under-utilized channel 2 lineup (as well as compared to every other Buffalo, N.Y. broadcaster signal).
Replacing Universal Sports will be, however, an Antenna TV affiliate! Here is a listing of its programming's shows. The Bounce, an African-American oriented channel took a sub-channel over in Rochester - at 8.2.
I'm not surprised at this changing. U.Sports was a lousy channel. While there must be a marketplace for Amateur and Individual sports such as figure skating; no one likely ever wishes to tune in to an Iron Man race - only to find out that it isn't live... it isn't from within the same week, or a month, or a year... but is an over two years' old sporting event.
Although, I wouldn't mind if it was a (scheduled) "retro" sporting event of at least 15-20 years' past. For pro sports, this is sucessfully called ESPN Classic; but the Cdn. DVD set of the 2006 Winter Games is strictly a Dollarama budget item.

My tech call to TOSHIBA Canada.

2011-12-29T12:44:00.003-05:00

It would NOT appear that Toshiba provided me with a 'Lump of Coal' this Christmas. I got a DVD Player, SD3300KC, that ~~doesn't~~ works.

The error is that for my older TV, Red is Video, and Yellow is Audio (neither the red nor white line). Recalling my last DVD player hook-up, I thought [for sure!] White was the Video. White, however, is an output line on my TV. And whenever I (knowingly) attempted to insert the yellow (video) plug into the yellow (audio) placement, the DVD machine would beep an error. So I plugged the Yellow video back into the White 'output placement'; hence no video in *.
One more combination switch up did the trick. (There is no "red/white stereo" with my TV set.)
* I had received blurring static lines when testing with a DVD. So I thought again that White was the Video.

So I apologize to Toshiba for my [removed] complaint posting of yesterday. However [and I dislike using that part of it] their online english language website support was not helpful, and their ''Canadian' customer service was indeed terrible.
[UPD. at 9:50 p.m., Dec. 30th] Problem solved.

Greetings to Snowbirds

2011-12-29T11:09:00.003-05:00

Sure, enjoy your new-found weather!

The Water Show at Ontario Place, performed during the CNE, 1975.
I.P.S. (Handicrafts) Ltd., photo by Dick Smith.
1975 DCC Ltd. DT-21246-D.

Levant's February Getaway joke?

2011-12-28T23:55:00.002-05:00

Having seen part* of a recent Holidays episode (SunNews TV stopped over-the-air broadcasting in October), I then encountered a recent column by Ezra Levant as printed in a Sun chain newspaper.
I don't get it. Is this supposed to be a 'Family Day [as it is called, in Ontario] weekend' joke? Is there a follow-up column spoofing out of touch tax-funded Socialists frolicing about in the prestigious Ontario cottage country region of Muskoka? Or a mock-weenie roast to be held at Tony Clement's G20 folly, with mock chicken weiners?
Huh??
I really don't get this.
If it is real - who the heck is it intended for. The $100 a plate crowd, the $1,000 crowd, the $10,000? Was Warren Kinsella invited; he works at SunNews TV - at least as a regular on-air contributor.
Or is it a pre-cancellation blow-out for the news channel's staff?

p.s. Christmas is completed for me. It went well. (Yes, I'll write something more positive sounding in its regards shortly). Right now I am decompressing like a returning deep-sea diver. (And besides: no one commented here, during this interim.)
* Where was Rogers own NewsChannel supposed to be? Their analog cable had a 4/3 crop of WNED-DT repeated at channel #15.

A Yorkville (happy holidays) scene.

2011-12-28T12:06:00.001-05:00

I hope your pre-Christmas runabouts had gone smoother:

Photo by Henry Lin. ThisisYorkville.com

Back to Shopping

2011-12-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

For other (U.S.) malls visit here.

Square One in Mississauga.
Royal Specialty Sales, P307662 B67. Mastichrome.

Scarborough Civic Centre with the Scarborough Town Centre Shopping Complex.
KS-5278. A Traveltime product, Majestic.

Eaton Centre, all at once.

2011-12-26T10:36:00.003-05:00

Three main levels of shopping.

And that's not even on a Boxing Day (note the shirt sleeves). ;)
Published by Len Martin Sales, Super Natural.
photo by Ramon Stringer. KS-7717.

Christmas day, Toronto.

2011-12-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

For some, perhaps a church (St. James Cathedral, St. James park - tallest steeple in Canada):

The Postcard Factory, photo by Gerard Romany.

For some, perhaps a subway station (Glencairn). Skylight is entitled "Joy" by artist Rita Letendre.

Published by the TTC, photo courtesy of Shin Sugino. 89348-D, TTC 11.

One day to Christmas.

2011-12-24T11:41:00.001-05:00

For other (U.S.) malls visit here.

Yorkdale mall, then 'Plaza'.

photo by Ramon Stringer. KS-5032-10.
A Traveltime product, Majestic.

School's out

2011-12-23T15:35:00.001-05:00

Published by Len Martin Sales,
photo by George Hunter. KS-60728. Super Natural.

Royal Specialty Sales. P325791.

Leaving for the Holidays

2011-12-22T13:47:00.004-05:00

Published by I.P.S. (Handicrafts) Ltd.,
photo by Lee Boltin. 1975 DCC Ltd, DT-21224-D.

note: I missed buying the snowy winter version. Union Station is currently under construction.

Published by JBC Visuals,
photo by Ted Wickson, April 9, 1981. 81996-D, JBC-72.

old City Hall, during the festive season.

2011-12-21T22:53:00.002-05:00

Last one to leave...

The Postcard Factory, photo by E. Beldowski. ref PC57-TOR 0558.

In the News.

2011-12-20T23:41:00.002-05:00

1) An $88 million dollar... apartment? (in NYC). (For that I could maybe rent for the next 88-odd... generations).

1a) Downtown Toronto's PATH system to be expanded towards the lakefront condos. I went in there, early one weekday evening, for the TD Centre's excellent toy store this month. Christmas season, yet it was closed by 7 p.m.

2) HMV closes major Vancouver store. It's regrettable to see. Toronto's flagship HMV location is also smaller than before. We're gonna become a society of ignorants if we let ourselves be lulled into only buying music, etc. at a Safemart-BuyShop. And the thing with online shopping is that - like newspaper substitution, many people will only search for what they already know. And nothing else.

3) Arab Spring, and then this Fall with Libya and Syria. Now Kim Jong Il's passing. 2011, this year of future change?

4) Rengel Murder involvee receiving a corespondence Cdn. University acceptance from youth 'jail'. That's right. Just like the Bathtub killer sisters and the formerly named Holmolka.

4a) Numerous First Nations Reserve people living in remote distance hardship. Per the usual, sadly.

5) Presto GOes your e-cash.

Bright lights, Brightest lights.

2011-12-20T17:29:00.001-05:00

In Toronto, there's still a place like this place:

The Postcard Factory, photo by L. Fisher. ref T-583.

Big Money Canadians.

2011-12-19T17:34:00.002-05:00

While checking through my loose change, I noticed a special Toonie ($2 Cdn. coin). This was in recognition of Quebec City's 400th anniversary in 2008. First I wondered why it didn't just get a quarter - as like Newfoundland's 400th (2004), centennials for Saskatchewan and Alberta (2005), Armistice's 90th (2008), 65th - end of WWII (2010) etc.
The Olympics series of 12 quarters were active from 2007-2009 /10. Yet they were interupted by the addition of three Moments quarters during their scheduled releases. (I still haven't seen the Women's Hockey coin - nor the post Olympics Games released Loonie).

Then I found a Canadian coin collector's webpage - with images of all the specialty circulation coins. I already had a Montreal Canadiens 2009 loonie (a couple of times). There is also a Saskatchewan Roughriders 2010 loonie as well as a Canadian Navy 2010 dollar coin as well. Plus a newer set of Toonie, Loonie and three quarters for Parks Canada's centennial.

Sure, I like collecting these quarters - ever since the 1992 series and the 1973 Mountie edition. But really, it is getting to be too much like "a child playing with his/her food". Plus there are both the regular and more limited colour-added quarters - for Olympic Moments and 2011's Parks Canada quarters.

112 songs of 2011.

2011-12-18T10:37:00.008-05:00

+ and the drum beat carries on .. 2011

An unassuming year in music. A pair of lesser known acts, Adele and a PB&J soundalike commanded the mainstream throughout much of 2011's music calendar. (And last year's headline Grammy to Arcade Fire.) 2011: Mainstream, Indie, Farflung, Hometown... here goes then:

1)
Adele .. Rolling in the Deep
Blouse .. Into Black
Good Dangers .. Abigail
Ellis-Bextor, Sophie .. Not Giving Up on Love (2010)
Waylayers .. Weightless
Mates of State .. Maracas
Light Asylum .. A Certain Person (2010)
Iffy the Bad Man .. Do You? (still think about me)
Spoons .. (Yet to be Heard) local comeback band -c
Foster the People .. Pumped up Kicks
11)
O' Connor, Geoffrey .. Whatever Leads Me to You
Lavigne, Avril .. What the Hell? -c
Soft Science .. Better be Good
Emma-Louise .. Jungle
Little Dragon .. Shuffle a Dream
Tiger Baby .. Landscapes
Papertwin .. Coma
Charli xcx .. Nuclear Seasons
Those Dancing Days .. I'll be Yours
Acrylics .. Nightwatch
21)
Polarsets .. Sunshine Eyes
Austra .. Lose It -c
McGuire, Clare .. Shield and Sword
Niteflights .. Here Comes Tomorrow
Huff, Ashley .. Heart of Gold
Minogue, Kylie .. Better than Today (2010)
Kills, the .. Future starts slow
Cars, the .. Sad Song
Cake .. Long Time
Gomez, Selena .. Love You like a Love Song
31)
Lady Gaga .. The Edge of Glory
Cloud Control .. This is what I Said
Super Cannes .. New York London Paris Toyko
Friedberger, Eleanor .. My Mistakes
Real Estate .. It's Real
Fonda band .. Some Things aren't Worth Knowing
Holy Ghost .. Wait and See
Huddle .. Islands -c
Black Light Dinner Party .. Gold Chain
Architecture in Helsinki .. YR Go To
41)
Future Islands .. Balance
Spector .. What you Wanted
PineMarten .. Never Far Away
Horrors, the .. Still Life
Balloon Magic .. I'd Like to Build a House
Gang Gang Dance .. Glass Jar
Class Actress .. Let Me Take you Out (2010)
Lodger, the .. The Good Old Days
Twin Sister .. Bad Street
Murphy, Peter .. I Spit Roses
51)
TOPS .. Diamond Look -c
French Miami .. Motor Skills (2010)
Theme Park .. Milk
Mechanical Waves .. Where our World Ends (2010)
High Places .. Year Off
Seapony .. Where we Go
Chairlift .. Le Flying Saucer Hat
Robotanists .. OnOff the Ledge
Computer Magic .. In So Many Ways
Art Brut .. Lost Weekend
61)
Monarchy .. I Won't Let Go
Wild Flag .. Future Crimes
Hospitality .. Friends of Friends
Milagres .. Here to Stay
Roosevelt Radio .. The Siege
Two Wounded Birds .. Night Patrol (2010)
Acres of Lions .. Narrow Miss -c
Darkness Falls .. The Void
Li, Lykke .. I Follow Rivers
Big Troubles .. Misery
71)
Brocade .. Riot Riot -c
Funeral Party .. Giant Song (2010)
Powers .. Second Summer -c
Ericson, John Alexander .. The Man in White
Schonwald .. Mercurial (near instr)
Silent Section, the .. Drifting Ahead Backwards
Ramona .. Steve McQueen
Native Roses .. Out of the Water
Sound of Arrows, the .. Nova
Guilty About Girls .. Dancefloor -c
81)
We the Kings .. Say you Like me
Friends Electric .. Something You Should Know
Hush Now, the .. Arkansas
Hifi Phantom .. All at Sea -c
Peace .. Vials
Woodsman .. In Circles
Memory Tapes .. Wait in the Dark
Advisory Circle, the .. Everyday Hazards (instr)
Digitalism .. 2 Hearts
Atlas Genius .. Trojans
91)
Washington .. How to Tame Lions
Swiss Lips .. U got the Power
Lightouts .. See Clear
Scientists of Modern Music .. Because If I Die
Tea Cozies .. Dead Man's Sister
Army Navy .. The Long Goodbye
Saturnettes, the .. Girl named Sue
Fight, the .. Houses -c
Pallers .. Come Rain, come Sunshine
Mother Mother .. Chasing It Down -c
-----------------------------------------------------
101, (and could-or-should have listed in 2010)
Cuff the Duke .. It's All a Blur -c
Russian Futurists .. Walk with a Crutch -c*
Summer Camp .. Better Off Without You *
Two Door Cinema Club .. What You Know *
Red Hot Chili Peppers .. Rainy Day Maggie
Parallels .. Salome -c*
Android Automatic .. Lost in the Streets (instr) *
Insane Clown Posse .. Miracles (2009/10) - saw on CoolTV
Matt and Kim .. Cameras *
Coast, the .. Heartbreak City -c*
111)
Young Rival .. The Ocean -c
Active Child .. Diamond Heart *

+ Lead Sentence lifted from Nickelback's When We Stand Together.
-c, denotes 12 & 5 Cdn. music acts.
* 2nd songs after 2010 music list(s).

Eaton Centre, once upon.

2011-12-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

The Eaton Centre, once upon at night:

Published by Len Martin Sales, Super Natural.
photo by Ramon Stringer. KS-7723.

Nighttime at Sam's

2011-12-15T18:03:00.002-05:00

In Toronto, this was Sam's and A&A's:

The Postcard Factory, photo by Larry Fisher. ref T-573.

Pronouncing Z103.5.

2011-12-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

After a fitful half-sleep last night, a thought came to me, "What's with the American pronounciation for local radio station Z103.5? Zee rather than Zed.
Obviously it rythmes. But why even copy an exact formatting name? Good station, but it is a lazy non-effort. I was also surprised to discover - another Q107.1 from Washington D.C. and another Edge with its own long-running Edgefest located in the Texas region.
So I mused, "D, E... T". Tee ryhmes with Three; Tee can also stand for Toronto. More...
How about T.O.? The 'O' could stand for Orangeville - where this smaller owner dance music station emanates from according to CRTC licencing.
Then I quickly moved to TONA 103.5.
It could be pronounced as Tone-Ah, since tone is a musical word. Or alternatively referenced as 'T' 'ON' (for Orange) 'eh'. "Toronto-On, they play a TON of music." And in select hours it could be tweaked as TONee, "they play some of the Euro-Electro stuff too." Which is true when compared to their competitors.
That was just a two minute after-thought after a difficult and shortened sleep where the awakened eyes are dry and stinging.

Am I wrong for always believing that organizations should try to brand themselves postively and serve their potential customers as best as possible, while focused upon being naturally profitable? My failing middle-aged life would say so.

Timely Flatiron sale.

2011-12-15T02:32:00.001-05:00

Toronto's Flatiron building has been sold for $15.2 million. That's the darkened building (as if) seen in Wednesday afternoon's posting. In 1999 it sold for $2.2 million; $10.1 million when sold in 2005.

Dealing with a Bully? Take the beating.

2011-12-14T17:41:00.000-05:00

There was an Anti-Bullying rally today for youngsters here in Toronto. The whole anti-bully movement has gathered up steam, given a few very unfortunate incidents.
Here's my advice: take the beating. Fight back. Honestly: learn yourself HOW to fight back. Don't be such an impotent sap.
I used to get picked on a lot as a kid. Made fun of and pushed around. Most of the 'bully' kids were just got up into the sideline banter of it all. When it (push) actually came to shove - then, and not beforehand, I shoved back. If things escalated, I accepted any schoolyard fight. Very few, but still a couple, actually came about. I never made it easy for a bully.
Things were definitely gentler in my day; but the principle of real anti-bullying holds true. Victims often make their own worst enemies.
I had a gym teacher who complained at me that other boys picked on me - because I 'thought' I was tough. I replied, "What, a person is supposed to lay down and just take it?" I didn't care one way or the other. If a blackeye or a broken arm was a risk, so what? Wounds heal and tears dry out. I knew I wasn't anybody else's doormat.
What can a bully actually do to you? They can pound you, trash you, screw you over in life. But they were going to do that anyway.
So face your bully. Cowering away only gives the bully the daily excuse of "no real harm no real foul". Earn your self-respect(!) when there's nothing else left. Because... nothing else truly matters.

SplitScreen Winter

2011-12-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

10 days of sludge(?) and shopping. Enjoy ;)

Published by Martin Sales, photo by Ramon Stringer. KS-8756
A Traveltime product, Majestic.

Workopolisn't

2011-12-14T12:56:00.002-05:00

Another frustrating visit to Workopolis.com today.
Last night I had scanned for new jobs, and saved a couple individual pages for submissions later on.
While I am attempting to e-mail a first ad; up pops Workopolis's occasional survey. I've done this a couple times before - since a summertime website change. A few things had been improved upon as I pointed out for them, in their commenting blocks.

Yet They REFUSE to reset my long standing password! On repeated e-mails.
They changed to a system no longer using usernames. Fine, my e-mail address is in place - along with its username. But they also changed password acceptability! A minimum of 8 characters plus a required mix of letters AND numbers. My old password was just five letters.
Their website won't accept it - since AUGUST. And it will not provide me to receive a notice to change it. If I try to make a fresh set-up; my e-mail address is locked up and already "registered". Contact to have it restored went unanswered TWICE. How many times do I need to beg to have a lousy password reset?

Most job ads have been providing their direct e-mails within their adverts. By plain volume, they probably know...
Yet, like today, I get to an individual ad which only uses Workopolis's template application form. But I cannot log in to it!!!
For example: I tried to applied twice to a local financial company for a job this fall. No go. I went to this company's public website - no street address or general e-mail given. I figured I would then politely contact their parent company (also here in town) - they don't deal with subsidiary hiring, thank me very much. Of course they advertised again a month later. I would have shown up first thing (from the first time), next day and been qualified, experienced for the role, and grateful for life. And that is just for a "job" which would never enable me towards home ownership, or afford to operate a reasonably used car.

What more can a person do? Major Jobsites that won't acknowledge system blocked passwords. Employers - who if they ever advertise themselves - won't allow public contact. (Another company -direct industry exp. - in North-East Scarborough refused to grant me a HR e-mail - when I called them by phone!)

What bothered as well is that I accepted their, partial screen obscuring, survey pop-up (after sending a e-mail application). So I get a few questions in - and its push answer options had no selection for a negative "nothing else, thank you" response. It's 2011 -who hires an incompetent to set-up a lousy forced response survey for themselves. Not to mention large scale company(s) with very shitty public relations and tech response.
Don't give me a flood of template excuses, give me a hiring. So if I screw it up, then you can just fire me - that same day /week /month, duh. Don't make believe for finding a mystical super over-qualified, yet very badly paid star. Just make an honest hire and, get on with it.

Xmas is near~over.

2011-12-13T22:13:00.002-05:00

It's a good feeling. I'm done with the shopping! Okay, one last item (already picked out) to buy this weekend. Yet even with a further reduced budget; I think that my choices will be as welcome as from any other year. (And believe me, a few gifts - here and there - of Christmas Pasts have landed as a dud.) Plus, I mean honest welcome - not that plastic cheese-please smile and wordless nod kind of 'welcome'.
I still have to wrap everything though. Then there's always the credit card surprise in January (really, see top of blog 'job hunter' textline.) So we'll see how jolly I'm feeling later on throughout 2012. Tonight - it was above zero degrees and no early slush to stomp through.
For now, I'm just feeling the completed shopper's high - yes, it's a thing. I only started last Friday. Had a couple of pre-ideas. Gained a foot blister or two.
And made the audible call out of necessity a few times. Tonight was a good example of that. And I think that the final choices became their better for it.
That, and I like how the annual .25 music list is forming. I was expecting a 2011 dud. A separate treat is awaiting repeat visitors here, too.

Sidewalk Parking is a-ok.

2011-12-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

A Markham couple has amassed 600 tickets for parking on their home driveway. The crime, parking over the sidewalk portion.
This is about the stupidest thing regarding GTA housing development; driveways split by sidewalks - approx. 6ft in from their residential roads.
Why?
Because that is the by-law planning.
Why?
If some unsuspecting child, which has the ability to know better - dies or gets injured because they wouldn't bother to look ahead as to whether a car happened to be parked in front of them (with room to spare for walking around it!!) - then...
Are we THAT namby-pamby?
Here in central Toronto, where the short grid streets were laid out 100 years ago, ALL of the sidewalks are formed directly against the road. Even the main streets are "unprotected".
Left-wingers reduced a few main inner city roads from 4 to 2 lanes in recent years, yet even they refused to install suburban-wise safety margins. Instead downtown sidewalks get widened. Are there very many pedestrian deaths or accidents - other than when crossing at a busy intersection? It can't be as a statistical reality, surely?

Who is to blame? Try municipality planners. Recklessly over-built power regimes only give fuel to nanny state rule slaves. Plus factor in the Housing Developers - for their cheap-mindedness of always forcing too much housing unto too little property space. Then, take issue with the hapless neighbours.
Seriously, average commenters are saying that the owners themselves shouldn't own a large vehicle in the first place, such as a pick-up, or a second car.
I say, God bless these parking ticket receivers. They'll likely still lose. Maybe they ought to string up an eco-friendly clothesline over top of the parked car and front-yard sidewalk. Make it worth their bylaw officer's time.

Aeh, not Meh.

2011-12-11T10:02:00.004-05:00

One of those irritants of Life is how simple words get universally misspelt. Central Canadian dialect's 'Aboat' is a top ten'er. And at number one is Aeh.
Lots of people now say, based upon its currently in vogue spelling, Meh - with an 'M'. Until 3 or 4 years ago, I had never even heard anyone ever utter a single 'Meh'.
If spelled just as Ah, that reads as Awe or Saw. If spelled as Eh, that instead reads as Ay, as in Hay or Bay. Hence its problem spelling. And both Ahhh, and Eh are small words in their own right.
Meh reads wells enough - but verbally it forms a miserable translation. Leading off with a hard M sound - it distorts this socially neutral half-word into an automatic negative. It sounds far too much like No, Never, Nothing, Maybe-not (with no real 'maybe' intended)...
Meh - its altered meaning: I wasn't going to accept your answer, no matter what and without any regard. Forcibly, no - and I also cowardly sneer at you while stating so.
Aeh - the original meaning: Either way, I am fine with your answer, there is not a 'wrong' response. I will graciously take it or leave it. It doesn't matter greatly (for me) - it is your call.

That said: Ex no-trade clause Leafs' defenceman (of a dozen seasons), Tomas Kaberle is a Montreal Canadien, after an undeserving Stanley Cup run with Boston and an off-season resettlement to Carolina playing under a (now fired) ex-Leaf coach. For that, I can say - Meh.

The War-blings of 2012.

2011-12-08T12:50:00.000-05:00

Currently, there are 4 out of the top 5 U.S. Billboard album spots being held by Canadians. Unfortunately, those acts are Justin Bieber and Michael Buble, each with a new Christmas album, the love/hate mega-group Nickelback, and Drake.

Right now, I am trying to stitch together my own annual music list. It's, well, a work-in-progress. And I am instead noticing a lack of Canadian talent. Actually 2011 is appearing to be a poorer musical year overall - beyond the mainstream. But then again that "mainstream" now includes past indie darlings as Lady Gaga, and Adele.
Still, it is a little prideful when seeing any Canadians being listed anywhere within Billboard. Although I'm more keyed at seeing those Kia Motors ads with fellow Christmas albumer Paul Anka.

Bell - small type, and small type.

2011-12-06T17:15:00.002-05:00

Since I don't pick up the mail, every single day, it accumulates a bit. So I found TWO letters from Bell Canada.
One is for my featureless landline phone bill; the other was a TV / Internet bundle offer.
Of course, with Bell (as with Rogers, Telus, or Shaw) it is details details. So I flipped to the back page of each letter.
The BILL had small type I could still read - leaving 67% of the backpage blank. The 'Offer' was impossible to do so. That text ran firm across the entire page width without any break, for approx. a dozen tinier compressed lines - leaving 83% blank.
Then I notice one other difference. The BILL is always produced in dark text. The Offer is printed in fainter, lesser, ink. Even the mailing address portion which appears through the clear plastic envelope spot is more easily spaced - for the BILL than the Offer.
C'mon. They think this is good customer relations? They even have a VP who signatures for Bell's faint tiny type Offer letter. Yet no ever one signatures my phone bill.

Continous Deficit spending is the 'War on Children'.

2011-12-06T13:24:00.002-05:00

Toronto councillor Adam Vaughan invokes the Maude Flanders' defence against proposed user fees and upcoming fiscal responsibility.
And in other matching civic news, it is only the caring and gentle [mostly] women of our CUPE Local who keep our citizens 'safe'. So refuse nominal user fees, raise more taxes, hire more connected friends for life, keep raising salaries - throughout both good times and bad, borrow more money(!), build (and re-build) needless grandiose public works, ignore debt. Just listen to your deficit-fare betters speaking softly - and all will be wonderful.

(We've been getting a flood of local advertisements from those extremely soft spoken CUPE workers recently.)

Prestigious Univ. life in Montreal, 2011.

2011-12-05T12:54:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow happens to be the 22nd anniversary of the 1989 Montreal massacre.
So I ended up surfing across this recent (Nov.) McGill University story, just today.
Which recalled to me another unfavourable student story taken from just this Fall.
I bet a lot of good young, and more deserving, other Canadian men would have readily given their souls to have received such a Montreal Universities' opportunity.

Madonna?

2011-12-05T10:44:00.002-05:00

Well, I guess NBC got its desperation "hit" this morning. Madonna is confirmed as the Superbowl 46 half-time artist.
In a year where Hank Williams Jr. got booted out of ABC's Monday Night Football for giving an untoward layman's opinion, and presidential candidate Herman Cain got chased out of the political race - before a single primary vote, Madonna? For the Superbowl!
Of course, she is a major singing star. Still.
This is the woman who had walked unto the all-ages Live 8 world broadcast, as its leading headliner in 2005, and greeted the audience with, "Hello mother f*ckers." Perhaps Janet Jackson's other nipple would be a safer choice.

Besides, what's with (wonderful) Cirque du Soleil's co-appearance? After Nickelback receiving the 2011 Thanksgiving nod in Detroit [followed by our same weekend Grey Cup] - that's two ultimate prime NFL audience draws for Canadian acts. We, up north, will grumble amongst ourselves if when anytime that goes the other way around. Thanksgiving... and the Superbowl... same season half-time performances... difficult U.S. economy... huh?

What's with the Toronto Star?

2011-12-04T22:21:00.005-05:00

I had the displeasure of reading the print edition of the Toronto Star this past weekend. I got to the Saturday Business section (placed behind their Sports pages).
So there on page S12 - page two of the Business portion - is a Nazi faked photo of Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel. Really Torstar? Just shut yer f*ck up. It was a Nazi-faked uniform photo of the woman. I don't want to even hear it - your oh so clever excuses, that is. Shut it.
The whole Toronto Star attitude stinks, IMO. They are not their father's generation of the Toronto Star. Not by a Gary Lautens, Milt Dunnell, nor Pierre Berton eyebrow.
Take their Saturday Business section, for example.
The Toronto paper leads with "18,600 jobs lost" as the banner headline. And below-the-fold are a pair of "sales dismal" for RIM and "Shoppers angry about Black Friday" articles. Then the whole page with its Nazi photo article plus extra article of S12. Then Torstar's own full colour page, and non-paying - surprise - self-advert. A continuation page and a half. A little more of the same. Get to the back of the financial index pricings and the next glaring headline is, "Markets sag at end of positive week". It was a measly -38.2 points for the day. I felt badly for the CIBC which actually took a back page advertisement for this Sports / Business section. So they endorse the Toronto Star with advertising dollars? Fake Nazis and relentless economic gloom.

Now let's compare it to Torstar's own City of Hamilton newspaper of the very same day:
It's Hamilton. Just two pages following Travel - leading with "vibrant and modern" Israel, Christmas rocks in [NFLD], 3-D adds more kick to Rockettes [New York], Switzerland, Australia, a vegan road trip, and Hawaii's top spot for 2012.
The Business two-page section of Hamilton:
"Overconfidence pushes males up the corporate ladder". "City bucks jobless trend". "RIM making the news - for wrong reasons". So it's not just a white-wash of only rosy sounding news. "Strong profits at RBC, Scotiabank". And also, "Black Friday, Cyber Monday draw in Canadian Dollars" (sales grew 15.4%). On page two was its index pricings headline, "Profit taking at end of positive week". [CQ note: The TSE bounced back, up over 600 points for the week, or 5.3%]. And 14 backpage boxes from local organizations and companies listing Help Wanted ads over in their Classified Section.
Hmmm.

And on the Friday, the Spectator had a 'Best November Sales in a full decade for Chrysler' story. Perhaps the Star also carried that positive economy item, too - I didn't notice it from them.

Then if one glanced at The Stars' Arts section listing 100 new books, they gave former columnist Linwood Barclay a prime spot on the front. And then criticizied his latest mystery fiction as being 'implausible'. Seriously could it have been any more backhanded from a glib 'shopping season review'.
What's sad is that multiple other people - commonly better off and University educated, than me - were actually praising the Toronto Star this weekend. And that's from only perusing across of a few personal local journal sites* of this Sunday eve.
*Both examples given here also used faked up photos (of the local mayor) in their entries.

Drugs-are-4me.ca?

2011-12-04T20:52:00.003-05:00

Anyone ever notice the transit ad for DrugsNot4Me.ca? Tell me I'm not the only one who maybe thinks the whacked out street gal is way better looking than her two earlier selves. There are three side by side photos of a same young teenager / young woman. First is an unfocused high school portrait of a seemingly blithesome teen. Second the standard "wiser than anyone else" older teenager - spoiledly expectant and privileged, and perhaps just a little too extended upon the good time(?) dust. Third is the worn out, too far gone, cold hard stare photo of a desperate broken life young woman who could guest star, without makeup, on a Sci-Fi show or movie.
And this is supposed to dissuade teenagers from drugs?
A good message, but the wrong delivery. Maybe instead shown should be the drugged out girl who justs sits around completely vacant to the living world.

Snowbird driveaway

2011-12-03T08:46:00.002-05:00

Bon Voyage and safe travels.

Royal Specialty Sales, photo by R. Ettinger. L-97720-D

Made by Alex Wilson Publications Limited, 22442R. Premiere.

1 Superman vs. a 3333 Multiverse

2011-12-01T13:16:00.002-05:00

A rare, high quality, copy of Action Comics Number One has recently been sold for $2.1 million dollars. Meanwhile, Mike of the 'Amazing World of DC Comics' website is currently down to an overall 3,333 missing editions of all DC Comic publications. Including issues 1-16 of Action Comics, btw.
Um, any takers for a torn up, coverless, issue of Superfriends, #1?

MP of the Year: Bob who?

2011-12-01T00:06:00.002-05:00

via Onward James arrives this tidbit, Maclean's Magazine has selected interim Liberal leader Bob Rae as Canada's 2011 Parliamentarian of the Year. And the runner-up? John Baird.
Serously, how did the late Jack Layton NOT receive the unanimous* vote? (For a second, out of five, annual Maclean's selection btw.) The man was staving off cancer - while saddled with a post hip-operation cane - and lifted his entire federal party into its first-ever Official Opposition status with a 100+ seat count. And earned a special State Funeral, given his lifetime of public service.
That would be like capping Gretzky at one NHL award during his prime. Lifetime Achievements are the Apology awards you give those that had kept finishing second or fourth each year.

* It was the 308 member House of Parliament which nominated their choices. As did the CFL cronies hold back all-time QB leader Damon Allen from a 1st year Hall of Fame induction back in 2010.

Praise for American Airlines.

2011-11-30T11:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, the parent corporation of American Airlines filed for bankruptcy. That happens. Aviation - with its sizable fuel costs, competitive discounting, labour strife, and customer security checkpoints; it's a tough business.
But compare how they are unwinding to, say, Canada's Jetsgo - in front of the March Break of 2005. Amer. Airlines did not close its doors just ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving. They didn't quietly decide to continue booking Christmas Season tickets up until that last day either.
They also didn't strand returning international passengers while exhorting $200 a person for a last fuel refill. That had happened just a couple of weeks ago, overseas.
Well done American Airlines. I hope your operation may bounce back or be enveloped into another competitor's service. I have previously written about very poor business results (re: Bre-Tel entries). It is always uplifting to hear of decent business practices - especially if they must occur during such adverse struggles.
Well done.

Bell sends warm wishes.

2011-11-28T14:10:00.001-05:00

Bell responded.
Okay, not quite, but their mass mailing was addressed. Still in November, they sent me a warm Holiday wish card. (Please no, I'm not getting into a full "Christmas" naming thing here. This is the big city - we are people from all faiths and no-faiths. 'Holiday card' is the correct term from them.)
Inside is a notice to save $50 if I buy something high-tech from them, within three weeks. Why, that's almost as good as a gov't ordered rebate cheque drawn out to look like junk mail. Of course, I've probably chiped in an extra $10 or $12 dollars this year since August - for their low-tech, and featureless, land line increased billing.
And not to forget last night's gift from Bell Media. They provided a non-simucast broadcast of a U.S. movie starring Matt Damon, and an episode of The Amazing Race - 19(!), in lieu of last night's night-time 99th CFL Grey Cup game. Thanks for your kind thoughts Bell.

Countdown for CFL's 100th.

2011-11-28T12:02:00.002-05:00

Countdown to next year's 100th Grey Cup, at the dome*.

Royal Specialty Sales (the front billboard reads 'Labatt')

*sorry, no specifically Argonauts image.

Splitting the Blame game.

2011-11-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Sun's Lorrie Goldstein calls it down the middle as to the U.S. led, private companies, under regulated financial meltdown in his Sunday opinion column.
Usually a person reads a newspaper alone. Oh how I would love to be amongst all those millions of ramrod types, which have done nothing but sputter their duelling partisan obsessed yammerings, as they might read Goldstein's words on this topic. He's right, you know.
The second sentence nails it. The rest of the column puts any useless partisanship to rest.
That's done. So now what?
What else within our financial solvency is of concern?
Fellow columnist, and former Provincial Conservative, John Snobelen chips in here. Perhaps easier said than done, all public spending needs to be validated instead of just getting rubber-stamped (and increased).
And even then, governments of all political stripes, including our own province, - are going to have to get serious about controlling unaffordable spending. Who knew?

A million diehard LeafsTV subscribers.

2011-11-27T11:58:00.004-05:00

Within another chattery article about the Toronto Maple Leafs and its owners is announced this fact: LeafsTV has a million cable subscribers!
Sure they seem to have turned a corner from six straight non-playoff years, plus a league lock-out year. But a million steady customers for a digital channel featuring only 12 regular season games? In a country of just 34 million - pared down after french language, Habs fans, and other regional populations.

39 software stuffs

2011-11-26T22:12:00.002-05:00

Years back, following a missing HAL file incident I listed a short number of free programs. Here is a semi-updated and varied listing of small-sized computer programs (I still use an older PC, with its 4/3 'ish monitor):

Moldies, but goodies:
Astronomy Lab v1.13, from 1992 - night sky program (shareware).
BioGraf v1.1 by John Napier, from 1992. - bio rythms per birthdate (shareware).
Convert_It! v1.51, from 1993 - measurements converter (shareware).
World Time Clock v2.49 by Johannes Wallroth, from 1992 - 5 country, city selected, clock display (orig. free version).
Past Present and Future v1.1 by Bob Dolan, from 1997 - 3 month calendar display (free).

TClockEx v1.4.2, a taskbar clock replacement.
From Scratch v4.01, shareware database for food recipes, unavailable.
Countdown 99 v1.7 replaced by paid program.
Widget Print Directory v3.1.
J-Creator v3.50, a free Java Developer Program, updated to v5.00.
LCC-win32, a free C Compiler.
MacGyver episode guide v1.02 by Ketil Moland Olsen and DXS, from 2000.
STNG Information v1.2.9 by David Bradbury, from 1997 - episode guide.

mainly shareware board/card games:
Bago v3.17 (5x5 boggle-like) by H.G. Wrekshun, from 1992.
Dots for Windows! v2.0 by Ralph W. Whitfield Jr., from 1993.
Another Mastermind by Davor Slamnig, from 1994.
Shogi Variants v1.55a by Steve Evans, from 1998.
Cribbage Squares solitaire v1.3 by Art and Darcy Araya, from 1995.
Poker Challenge v1.4 (solitaire) by John Cutter, from 1997.
3 Peak Perfection v1.1 (solitaire) by Steven Stiles, from 1998.
BIG2 v1.01 (4-player card game) by TEGL Systems Corp., from 1990 (dos).
Hexxagon v1.3 from by Software Creations, from 1993 (dos).
Chinese Checkers v2.3 by ImagiSOFT, from 1995 (dos).

Recently active:
Rangoon solitaire variant by Rudy Muller.
Word and solitaire games by Haversack Software (shareware).

KeyTweak v2.3.0 by Travis Krumsick, keyboard remapper.
Calculators 3000 v5.1 - cool & functional 'photographic' Soviet calculators simulator.
RJ's Calc v1.54, updated to 1.71.
FontPage v3.02.
Fast File Renamer v2.0.
Scott's JPEG commenter v1.2 by Scott M. Baker, comment field editor.
Visdir v1.5 by Scott M. Baker, free disk space finder.

Currently active:
Visual Pinball v7 or v8, for real pinball up to about 1985. VPinmame2 add-on for later years' tables.
M.A.M.E, for early 80s arcade emulation, quasi-legal - 14 years running.
Zillions of Games low-cost program, with 1950+ free user created games.
Meggiesoft Rummy (two-player) card games, shareware.
Solsuite - solitaire, 530 variants, low cost program.
Pretty Good Solitaire 770 variants, low cost program.

JPEG Saver v4.4 Photo slideshow & screensaver (recently updated - Nov 15th) note: will require two DirectX v9 files; d3d9.dll and d3dx9_39.dll.
Acrobat Reader v7.0, updated to v10.1.
Mp3DirectCut v1.38 no re-converting back to wav, updated (watchout for d/l service page banners.
TagScanner v4.9.2, (Russian website) for mp3 ID tags. Note: I liked 4.9, didn't care for a v5.1 update.
Winamp v5.62 much enlarged since 2003's v2.91.
ECU - The Earth Centred Universe v1.1a 1992 shareware updated to 2011 paid program.
Free Download Manager v2.1, updated.
Winzip v9.0 (eval), updated to v16.0.
WinRAR v3.42 by Alexander Roshal, file compression. updated to 4.10

Hi y'all, part-2.

2011-11-26T02:18:00.002-05:00

Something that struck me while republishing .25's entry backlog - [it seems] I had a larger circle of online blogosphere acquaintances. Of course there is still a current listing upon the sidebar. Here were just a few notables* from throughout earlier days:

* shown links may be inactive or changed, as during their interims.
Maria at Adventures in Downtown Toronto
Bike Refugee
Bound by Gravity
Bow. James Bow.
Brock on the Attack

Calgary Grit
Canadian Steele
Jen at Circadian Shift
Crazy Biker Chick
Cuppojoe's Musings of a Caffeinated Mind

Daimnation
Bill Doskoch
The Expo Lounge
Gen X at 40
Sarah at Hollywood North Report

Impudent Strumpet
A Journey through Time
James Koole
JB's Warehouse
Mildly Annoyed Canadian

My Blahg
Rugged Intellectual
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff
Sean Incognito
Shireen at Talk Talk Talk

Of course - not that I knew any of above personally, nor hadn't challenged upon an occasional entry item. These, amongst many others, would be the friendly bloggers as readily encountered online.
As I left off the 'One Book' meme, years ago:

10. Now tag five people.
_Whatever...
_Okay, if you are reading this, then you are all 'it'. All 'five of you' ;)

BlackFriday TTC streetcars

2011-11-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

Macy's - Gimbels vs. Eaton's - Simpsons:

JBC Visuals, photo by Ted Wickson. JBC-340.
photo taken on May 24, 1974.

... and now for the big city shopping season, in earnest:

Blogging backward.

2011-11-24T14:51:00.004-05:00

Okay. I said I wasn't going to restore the previous years' entries to the .25 blog.
Well I am doing so. At the moment I've reset many of the entries as far back as Fall of 2006. This blog began in Sep of 2004, btw. Any omissions and re-editings - well, that's owner's prerogative. ;)

You may have also noticed a few adjusts to the blog itself. I mentioned the (unpaid) ico-Ads about a week ago. The top-line hiring plea (Toronto) is real. It links back to an October '11 personal entry. It also is copied far down at the footer graphic. One contact, one snap of the fingers or an accepting nod... one handshake offered - and this actual person behind the screen is greatly relieved. And appreciative.
Maybe it is a 'real' career opportunity. Or maybe it just 'pays the rent' for now.

I am neither too good for some positions nor not worthy enough for some others. Yet per the Oct. entry - I have my strong points and less strong points. Everyone does. Essentially I am a results focused, and private, guy; I just WANT and NEED to contribute. As well I might. Please let me if you can.
The e-mail account is: classic25blog @ yahoo.ca

Tomorrow (Fri.) appears a special item at .25; part of a new series.

Not my parade(s).

2011-11-24T14:48:00.001-05:00

Well, I watched a few minutes each of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade from this past Sunday and then today's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York. Neither really appealed to me.
Of course, I wasn't their core audience. But 'most' everyone usually loves a parade. Right?
Recently, I had surfed upon a blind person's blog - via the CBA 2011 nominations. His being "taken to events as a younger person" wasn't always the automatically pleasant occasion as kindly intended.
Well, what I don't care for about our annual Toronto parade is its typical sunny weather. I understand they can sell the filmed program internationally, but this year the day in question was even warmer than usual. And I definitely missed the prior Global-TV announcing team, led by Susan Hay. Given the immediacy of modern broadcasting production, a couple weeks later would just add that slight missing touch of crisp Cdn. reality - for a 'Christmas' parade.
The New York parade is one that I am less familiar with. However. When dropping in for its last 15 or 20 minutes; it just seemed so massively overwhelmed by its near Times Square locale! With all of the video screens on every building frontage being active, during broad daylight, it was awkward for seeing the floats and giant balloons. Maybe I could have enjoyed it more IF it was relocated to another area of that city. A parade itself should be the main attraction, not its backdrop. Although any backdrop should still be appealing in its own right.

The light went out.

2011-11-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

Maybe a year ago, I bought some extra GE 100 watt lightbulbs. The 'Soft White' kind. After using up whatever was on hand, I selected the first of these bulbs.
Immediately I felt that the newer light itself was harsher to the eyes. And that was why I usually bought soft-coated bulbs. I then checked and saw that it was labelled 'made in Mexico'; the previous GE bulb wasn't so labelled.
So it eventually burned out, today.
I replaced it.
Again and this time I thought that the second new lightbulb was a tad brighter. It didn't last more than an hour under Off and On usage today. Pffpht it noisily went - like Nero Wolfe was on the assembly line. "1 Year Long Life" as advertised on the packaging box?
They just are not up to what I expect from General Electric quality.

Pardon for the lessened daily blogging; and, yes I am home - regardless of any lightbulb issues.

Galens' Gardens?

2011-11-22T00:40:00.001-05:00

An odd sports /business arena item from Yesterday's Toronto Sun. Loblaws is opening their new 'Carlton cashbox' food store location on Nov 30th "and [it] will be called Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens, according to a company release". Huh?
Just last month the Ont. Teachers' owned MLSE threatened a lawsuit against Ryerson University for also wishing to use the traditional MLG name.
I'd make a harmless quip that the Westons must "know" someone, except however that they are the 'someone's'. ;)

MLSE UPD:
Jeesh. Maple Leaf Gardens has new name and look, but [Teachers' Union] MLSE isn’t mollified, by National Post Nov. 30th, Peter Kuitenbrouwer.

Prodendorse: MeTv's Thanksgiving Christmas.

2011-11-21T00:26:00.001-05:00

I thought I would mention that MeTV (channel 67.1 in Buffalo, NY) is airing a bunch of Christmas episodes from this Thursday evening through Friday, Nov 25th. Their daily schedule can be found here.

Leafs at 20.

2011-11-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

After a quick start to their season, the Maple Leafs have slid back into the pack. My season's opening prediction is for them to finish their season in 7th place and I hold to it. I don't see them this year as being a bottom-5 conference team, nor a top-5; that leaves 3 out 5 middle spots to make the playoffs. Math.
Part of what pushes this team forward is its soft scheduling. I hate the current NHL scheduling design where "rivalries and region teams" face off up to eight times during every season! Yawn. It is the old Norris division trick all over again.
As a teen in the 80s, I would watch the Buds share that division's annual non-playoff spot (21 teams, 16 get in) as though it were the lead position of a cycling peleton. Today the NHL uses a two conference set-up of 15 teams and 8 spots. The financially secure Leafs have missed out for about seven years in a row.
One token appearance for 2011/12 will appease the 'Carleton Cashbox' fanbase.
Sorry, but I view all pro sports to be near par with Pro Wrestling. Each season's Champion and Cinderellas might be open to real competition, but at the macro view of the leagues... It is a consolidated business, after all. Hence every team's 'third' jersey /sweater.

NHL League Scheduling idea:
The only way I could buy-into pro sport is if each team meets up with every other team evenly, and without being stretched by excessive back-to-back game nights versus rested at home teams. Ottawa has already done that twice with their team's Saturday 'event night' visits to the ACC in Toronto.
For this idea to work the Leafs (etc.) would face all other 29 teams, both home and away for 58 games, plus another 22 in-Conference games. Those 22 games could be adjusted for parity - i.e.; last year's best plays the top 11, while the worst plays the worst 11, etc.
That's 80 games.
Then, I would insert a 'minimum rest' three game (all at one team's home) series between positions 13 thru 20. There must be something for winning during the regular season! Those winners then meet their next - or 'first round' opponents in a five game series. Only the final three series would be scheduled for seven games! Gate and TV money from the eight 3-game series is equally split across those top-20 teams.

I am liking the way Major League Baseball set-up its (league vs. league) All-star game for deciding home-field advantage. Fun and games, and then it actually matters. Although I still think my former 8 run lead at the top of the 8th extra win/loss mercy rule should be adapted.

I don't E-member.

2011-11-19T16:40:00.005-05:00

I don't E-member. I don't E-call.
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn.
-Peter Gabriel, paraphrased song lyrics from "I Don't Remember", 1980.

I've been clearing out my e-mail folders today. Old sub-folders of stuff kept stored. Stuff that must have meant something at its time. Threaded Stuff I can't even decode as to whom is writing which lines after which?
Do I need years' past train ticket confirmations? Or tech support enquiries and replies saved since 9/11 didn't need its /01? Aged chitchats? Usually I am pretty good about maintaining my inbox and send folders. What happens is that I store much of the 'actual e-stuff' into sub-folders. And it is from there that these dialogs get forgotten and abandoned.
This is partly why I eventually deleted everything from my .25 blog prior to July of 2010. I still receive the occasional visit looking for an old item; and I feel bad about it. Someone looked for* my top 200 of the Aughts (2000s) music list. It was gone. Someone looked for a mystery writer blurb of mine; that was gone as well. After lingering considerations, I had made the all or nothing archive decision. Life is not a library stack.

Sometimes I feel nostalgic - or I wish to look up something I once posted. I usually do keep saved webpages. Most individual items here are saved through wordpad as First Drafts; however I make a lot of initial spelling and grammar mistakes that get revised later on.
So. As a bonus - I went to dig out my P. Gabriel CD - for the printed lyric check. This after deciding to post a post-cleanup journal entry. Instead I stumbled on another (forgotten) Gabriel CD from which I only ripped a couple of tracks.
Digital Housekeeping gets it reward.

Sun 2:00 p.m. UPD:
It turns out that Blogger entries can be exactly republished (without any former comments) simply by using the DD/MM/YY posting date feature. Existing online links will thus resume.
While I won't be adding back incomplete monthly archival pages, I did use a Reprint tag (and others). A Yearly archival page - available along with the monthly set-up , i.e; blogspot.com/2009 would be a nice feature to have.

New Jays logo scores a B.

2011-11-18T13:22:00.001-05:00

The Blue Jays unveiled a new logo (yes, in mid-November) today. I got to actually liking my own logo attempt, especially given the number of google hits it generated. :)
At first glance, I love the double blue outline circle and the keeping of the double style naming font. Overall, it is a glossy and new (and very) retro re-design.
At a second glance - it is darker than the original. Whether future uniforms will continue to be dark as well remains to be seen. I like baseball as a happy and cheerfully at ease sport. Hard boy sh*t attitudes bore me to death.
Technically, the double font is changed; most noticably from sans serif to serif (i.e.; pointy lettering). And the city name portion is a solid font printing. The red maple leaf is now twice as large. That was a real concern as to how team owner, Rogers Communications, would apply that colouring. A lot of fans expected only the worse; see TFC, its "national 'red flag-like' stadium", or the Raptors and its scattered ACC eyesore for comparison.
A red leaf is something I really don't like in a team logo. If it is a small accent, fine. Otherwise it always feels j*rkfaced and ramrodic to go about - home fans and U.S. opponent fans - both all screaming, "the team is from Canada, the team is from Canada...". It really does. The hockey Leafs uniform, to compare, predates our national flag by forty years and is its own colour.
More lightness - swapping the darkest shade for original light blue shading would change my grading to an A. A smaller Canada leaf would plus size either grade. As it stands, B.

Tell your boy to read it himself!

2011-11-17T18:45:00.001-05:00

Mommy blogger Danigirl of 'Postcards from the Mothership' posted an entry which caught my atttention today. Five great books to read aloud to boys. My Y chromosome left a comment.
No one ever 'read' to me; certainly not past the age of memory - which would be five-six'ish? I had tons of reading material. The Golden Book series when I was little, plus the daily comics from the newspaper as well as armloads full of comicstrip paperbacks etc. Everything I read was lite. Once I did begin reading books, myself, - it was never from a weighty tome.
When I was growing up, back in the seventies, my folks were good average suburban parents. They didn't praise me for much, but they let me just be a kid. That was different from the worried brat expectations of the modern society. I mentioned family camping trips. A car ride meant looking out the window - no booster seat - 'for over a couple of hours and being quiet' - during both Friday rush hours and Sunday nights. Fishing on the lake, at dawn or dusk, meant 'for over a couple of hours and being quiet'. The rest of time I was a constantly active wanderer, unless I was reading.
Oh, I had my share of mischieves; but overall, I think I was a reasonably confident and happy kid! I still consider those innocently naive years (8-15) as being the best of my life. Mostly this is due to my being able to live then completely as myself and as I wanted to be.
Spoiled a bit? Yeah. Yet I read my own books, tied my own shoelaces, and went outside 'to play' whenever told to. That encouraged independance has (unexpectedly) really helped me to endure setbacks later on throughout life.

PlayBall-free Toronto school.

2011-11-17T14:04:00.001-05:00

I thought this was column tripe when I glanced past it at The Star. H/t to Small dead animals, for the National Post article link:

Parents cry foul after elementary school bans balls over playground safety. NP's Matt Gurney touts the east-end Toronto story with a bit of satire.

First off - I don't agree with the common use of a Kindergarten through Grade Eight - plus daycare, single school. Why not just mix in high schoolers? This is a problem exasperated by operating a dual public school system. Put the kids together, as is (allow the discipline of teachers saying no, grading fair and accurately, and giving out detentions and suspensions if warranted), and we can have proper school infrastructure enough for all to share.

In this story, the teachers are to blame. Why? Because it is their fiscal power which is primarily raising the current generation through the Public Ontario Teachers' owned businesses. They own the pro hockey and basketball sports teams and venues - where a player nicknamed 'Killer' is the most lionized, even years after his career, and hard music must thunder down its forced upon support at every stupid moment. They part-owned, at a time, CTV Globemedia with its eTrash and endlessly junk 'reality' music station offerings. They even own the malls through a real estate developer. They force the school boards to bring in junk food contracts once the real money risks drying up after meeting salary demands. And they allow the school system to further its feminization slant. And don't forget the tens of millions of dollars raised through union dues to push for a, self-interested, 3rd majority political party.
Now they have a field of kids who don't even know how to play - let alone learn and to think for themselves.

As to the article, a child at six years' old isn't already supposed to have endured a broken arm playing soccer. And that is with a parent opposed to the new ball ban. Who was also in that game, Jackie Earle Haley? And that wasn't even the playground incident which set-up this ban. I don't fault the specific principal in this case; fault leaves collectively for passively letting things get out-of-hand in the first place.
Today's Ontario kids, K. thru grade 8 - from small children to pre-teens, cannot even manage themselves on a playground without multiple injuries and concussions to bystanders??? That is a Fail.

Finally, a Windows tablet!

2011-11-16T18:03:00.001-05:00

...in 2012.
Per a G&M article, Nokia is planning to launch a Windows 8 tablet next summer.

Say what you will about Microsoft. Its browser, its office applications... the Operating System is still King of the Technology World. With a Windows enabled tablet, it might be possible to carry forward cherished and pre-existing programs designed to run on a Windows platform. Solitaires, card games, Visual Pinball, old abandonware (for lack of a better term) - including Dos for Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition(?), etc. If you needed to click with a mousepad or a limited set of character keys, then you should be able to use a touchscreen in lieu of.
We won't need an entire emulation of former platforms - just the selectable stuff. I've got a subdirectory of old Windows system files loaded unto my XP desktop; stuff like vbrun100-300.dll's and 3Dlabel.vbx, etc. Together they add up to a barely there 8 mb. Until an old software program cannot proceed without one specific, forgotten, O/S stored file.

Not everything "computer" revolves around surfing the net and chatting. That's like watching whatever's on TV right now, and never having access to DVDs, PVRs, VCRs, or alternate channel sources.

icoAds - byCQ

2011-11-16T12:44:00.003-05:00

For visitors of the past 20 hours or so, I've been tinkering with .25's blogger template again. I've created a line of "ico-Ads", so named as they are close to desktop icon size.
The sizes run from 32x32, to 48x32, 64, 80, and 96. A larger ~~144~~ 112x32 image is also included.
A couple of logo lines also appear within the previously empty footer section. OF course, being brand new - none of the selected companies have paid anything. Graphics permission and formal contact was also not undertaken. Each company has its website (usually Canadian division) attached to its respective brand logo.

This is how I think online advertising should proceed; with multiples of visual, unobtrusive small file imprints, big organizations and small. If you were of one of these, or any other, company - wouldn't you want your chosen brand displayed across blogs or media sites? The file sizes are just 3k and smaller.
There were limits to what I could do within a free blogger template. Editing an additional thin vertical column strip, for instance, wasn't within my knowledge. Shown images were created and shaped in MS-paint - nothing else.

RPRnT, How Online Media should look.

2011-11-14T21:35:00.002-05:00

This is an re-edited reprint entry (from Apr, 2009):
Okay. Something that is bothering me during this economic downturn is that it almost seems as if nearly every single industry is trying to lose money. So many highly qualified experts, yet here we all are?
[both missing] In the illustrated newspaper example below, I made an image of the Toronto Star's online Entertainment page - seen at the far left. Next is the Sault Ste. Marie newspaper site, Soo Today. Here I finally found a media page loaded with actual local advertisers - not just a few self-promotion blocks. National beer maker (or int'l division), Labatt was the top banner spot during an evening page load. Perhaps too many ads with too much fast image changing, it still provided inspiration.

Shown is how I believe Online Media should appear:

The Star is simply the biggest fish in the local media pond. Generally any other comparable website could be substituted for this example.
HERE is the NEW STUFF:
Postmedia opts for paywall, Oct 30, 2011 - h/t to Greenslade Blog.

About my fake ad-loaded newspaper image:
Note that there are four varied, made-up, ad spots along the very top; GM, Home Depot (in a double length square), McDonalds, and ING Direct. Next is a Capital One credit card image below the far corner. In the original is a banner ad - for TorStar's own business; there are a couple of real banners, also available during random page loads.
On site expansion for advertisers beyond a simple square could also be implemented in a variety of ways beyond this simple illustration.
This webpage is for an Entertainment News section. Therefore the first major (revenue supplying) advertiser ought to be related. Here I simply pasted a Cineplex logo. Perhaps a changing window displaying film titles could be added. And it would appear before scrolling. As a modest redesign, I moved the movie location box from the middle columns far below to immediately beneath.
Farther down the page, the beige banner ad happens to be for book publisher McClelland & Stewart (celebrating 100 years). Modified from their company's site, I added in an image of one of their current books. As with the film titles, I would expect a form of alternation where different books appeared. It could also be from a series of static McClelland banner ads page loaded at random.
Multiple visual fast-shifting on a web page should be tempered for readability. Per the original image, another unpaying self-promotion banner.
And I did prominently include one smaller extract of the company promotion - located above the Cineplex logo/film titles box.
Before noting the bottom right corner jumble of ads, a quick recap is in order. There are five big companies at the top and right corner, (one self-promotion), two major advertisers related to the Entertainment news, plus two more small square ads. Modification total: nine advertisers. Per the original page: zero. [or, 1 or 2 per 2011?]
A reminder, once again, that fairly any competing media page could have been used for this example.
Now for the part which the SooToday page excelled at: local adverts. In real size, the revised bottom corner area contains another six squares and two sets of two half rectangles. The ads, as borrowed here for illustration purposes, are for a restaurant, a college, tax preparation, vehicle dealer, home inspection, etc. In other words, local businesses. It is hard to believe that there isn't a single local business here in the big city that would wish to be noticed via a high traffic local website. Every bus or subway car will contain a similar assortment of adverts. Heck, sometimes an entire bus or station is blanketed by a single advertiser. I also note that the SooToday page didn't provide me with advanced geo-based alternatives, but allowed me a 'true visit'.
Next time you visit a professional media website - newspaper, radio, television: ask yourself where its 'real world' advertisers are.

2011 note: Someone PLEASE tell POSTMEDIA to get a clue. Just trying to become better than failing online competition is not success. You got print advertisers? Put them on your website free for nine months. Birth your 'online' baby. Put the real (non-animated) adverts onto every single unique article page! Follow my suggestions above. Make your company ad-revenue-able as an online site. Mobile devices gaining in usage? Then adapt the strategy.

An unfortunate cycling death.

2011-11-14T09:06:00.001-05:00

Everyone in the city probably knows of last Monday's fatal cruel cycling accident. That is what this was - a cruel accident.
The root problem is the inherent positioning of the local two (three) roads themselves. Dundas at this point is sitting high, between two merging rail line bridges and angled on a straightaway diagonal. Sterling is a minor north-south road that rises up to start from Dundas. There is a slight curve to help square it against Dundas. A pedestrian crosswalk exists on the east (or left-side) while streetcar tracks roll in front along Dundas - also serving the College St. route.
Recently, a bike path was built along the rail corridor between Dundas and Dupont Avenue 2km northward. That paved trail makes a sharp upward 90 degree turn to the edge of Sterling Avenue on its west side. So its effect is to add in human powered traffic; but not at any real speed.
Compounding the usual high traffic level is the abrupt and hidden end of arterial College Street occurring just to the east upon Dundas's dual railbridge rampway. This is the third road - which heightens the safety concern at Sterling. For a truck or car, the first natural concern is looking left.

There is a stop sign for College, however many cars - while stopped - will speed up to accelerate upon their upward diagonal routing at Dundas. IMO, a Bike Lane installation wouldn't make a difference here. Without looking steadily left, any driver risks getting themselves T-boned while moving from Sterling, or College, onto Dundas Ave. The elevation slant, the acute angle, and the speed from College St. entrants (or Dundas drivers looking to 'breakout') after a few kilometres of a steady business district from the Lansdowne intersection lights all contribute to the immediate road safety risk.
It, the local road layout, was flawed over a 100 years ago. Before our current 21-century traffic intensity took over.

Gnarly!

2011-11-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

I just caught a segment of CBS's Courage in Sport show in late afternoon. They featured a young man working within the field of extreme sports - on a wheelchair!
Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham is the 20 year-old athlete, working with the Nitro Circus Live Tour.
Usually I avoid so-called Extreme Sports. One wrong fall can seriously cause a permanent injury. Fotheringham, already living with Spina Bifida, is no exception to this rule. Chicken? I don't even ride the upside down roller coasters.
Still, you gotta admire the sheer pluck of just attempting Fotheringham's stunts. That's a younger man's living dream world. Forget the jumping; I could not believe that he even rode down that giant ramp - like a young Evel Kneivel. And that was a seriously big time spectacle back in the day.
Then, because everyone thinks it, yes he crashes at times. While the clips of various daring flips abound, CBS also showed him in practice, repeatedly, when attempted landings and tricks are not pinpoint perfect. Wow. Just like auto races, or ski jumpers; anytime an athlete can 'walk away from it', it is an exciting part of sports viewing.
I just wish him well and safe landings.