Election Fog

Today was a mixture of fog, rain and snow which perfectly reflects the ongoing election campaigns - partly confusing with a chance of victory. Polls continue to favour the Conservative party so people wait for a game changer or we head into another Conservative minority or maybe even a majority government this time.

Sometimes we have a vague idea that we will probably vote for a certain party and will only change our mind if they say something that makes us mad, or if the other party says something so great that it completely changes our mind about the candidate.

I don't really understand the commercial that says "A vote for the Liberals is a vote for Michael Ignatieff" because I am pretty sure that's the way it has always been. You vote for both the local representative and the leader of the party when you cast your vote. Conversely, a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Stephen Harper. If that's the most negative advertising that's going to happen I will be impressed by how civil the election is being run.

We need everyone to jump on the streetcar, or bandwagon, and get out there and vote on election day May 2nd, 2011. You can pick one of the five main parties (Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Bloc Quebecois or the Green Party) or chose an independent or other registered political party like the Pirate Party of Canada or the Rhinoceros Party.

Remember, you can't talk about the election without talking about parties!

Gore-Gore Rollergirls vs Chicks Ahoy - April 9th

You know what I like about the Toronto Roller Derby? EVERYTHING! I like the scantily clad battlin' femmes, I like how the action and excitement of a hard fought bout is worth every penny of the reasonable ticket price, I like how friendly and often shy the ladies are when greeting their cheering fans and I like how the beer isn't $20 a can.

The 2010 Champions Gore-Gore Rollergirls will be rolling against Chicks Ahoy at the Downsview Park Hanger - game time at 6:30pm. The league says "The Chicks Ahoy! are no strangers to victory. Team captain Tara Part is confident the sailors will emerge victorious in their rematch against the champs: “We've been training really hard on developing our strategies and especially our team work... which I believe is the key to a successful team.”As for the Gores, the champs are eager to defend their position at the top. Taking inspiration from the leopard whose motif appears on their uniforms, team captain Brim Stone claims “Adaptability, speed, stealth and opportunistic hunting habits will win the Gores this game.”

Bambi

Land Shark from the Death Track Dolls

Doors open at 6:30 pm with skaters hitting the track at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased in advance online and at our ticket outlets for $12, or at the door for $18.  Children aged 9 and under are welcome without charge (with adult accompaniment). Bring blankets and folding chairs for trackside seating, or find a spot on the bleachers surrounding the track. Food and refreshments are available for purchase."

Toronto Islands thawing out

Today was another sunny spring day and as the snow continues to melt (we are supposed to get more snow over the next day or two, damn) it's time to start thinking of picnics across the harbour on the Toronto Islands. The enjoyable ferry ride, with or without bikes, brings you across to the cozy paradise of the interlinked small chain of parkland, homes and yacht clubs. Red lifejackets of various shades are suspended above peoples heads on the ferry boats in the above picture.

The view from the ferry docks looking towards the city.

Lineups to get onto the ferry heading back to the city.

Large tires become bumpers at the docks.

An artistic woven stick fence and gate welcome people to the sandy beaches.

Buildings in the sun, that is what they are

White wall and white fire escape near Rogers Centre

Front Street near the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The crane is reflected in the windows of the CBC building.

Fairmont Royal York Hotel across from Union Station.

Condo Newspaper Boxes

The City of Toronto has introduced a new, sexy type of newspaper box - a community type of box with multiple newspapers living together in harmony, a sort of hippie newspaper commune or a condo-box for a condominium city. The grey structure I found at Queen Street West and Bay Street is branded with the City of Toronto Logo, holds eight different papers with up to four paid editions possible (yeah, like that will be necessary in the near future). Maybe they can remove the coin slot area and stick in more free editions as necessary. This design was actually released to the media in 2008 and shown in this Torontoist article but this is the first time that I have seen it in the wild.

The other newspaper boxes are scared of the beautiful lines of the new box and fearful of a future where they may have to go to for recycling. You can see the City's logo on the side of the box.

This sleek new baby replaces the long line of multi-coloured newspaper boxes that fill many street-corners and which many people consider an eyesore. I didn't mind the old individual boxes because they were sometimes the most colourfull objects on a downtown street. You can see that they must have just taken the wrapping off the installation as the dull grey finish is yet untouched by stickers, graffiti or posters. I will check back later this week to see if the finish remains virgin.

The old boxes in front of the Starbucks wait for the transfer of the paying editions to the new box. They are remarkably clean with very little marks added by artistic citizens. Both the Star and the Sun boxes have small stickers which mention agendas and lies.

Radiohead: King of Limbs & The Universal Sigh

The new Radiohead album ‘The King of Limbs’ was released in the U.S. and Canada today (March 29, 2011) and a special event was held worldwide to give out free copies of a souvenir newspaper called ‘The Universal Sigh’. In Toronto the location for the distribution of the paper was at the Yonge-Dundas Square, just across from the Eaton Centre. There was a nice lineup of people waiting to get their hands on a copy (or return for more copies) while many people walked by wondering what the lineup was all about – there was no advertising posters or handouts to describe what was happening. They also took your picture with the newspaper if you allowed them to – look for me on the website.

This paper is not the one that will accompany the album and they say it will not be repeated. They also mention that “this is not a live performance of Radiohead”.

The 12 page newspaper features art, stories and weird sayings all in black and white, except for the front and back covers. I think the cover art depict ghouls – pretty scary. Forests and pointy tree limbs devoid of leaves are a visual theme running through the edition. The centre page has a one page art work with a title at the top ‘Gather up the pitiful’ with a blood red snowflake, some unusual bat/stingray creatures that are both flying and smiling over some possible white, heavily eyelashed eyes and the empty limbs of a tree stretching up to the sky.

Radiohead is an alternative rock band from across the pond (England) featuring 5 members: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Coling Greenwood and Phil Selway. They released their first album in 1992 and by 2007 had sold over 25 million copies of their albums.

I will finish with a short paragraph found on the centerfold:

JUST

SAY

WHERE YOU WANNA BE

I’ll take you anywhere

You want to go.

I can turn you on and

I can make you happy.

High Rise Fire Unit on Queen St West

A Toronto Fire Department High Rise Unit blows past a TTC streetcar on Queen Street West as it goes into the Yonge Street intersection. Not too much slows down the pace of Torontonians so everyone goes about their business, including climbing into the streetcar.