Where Books Come to Life

This is beautiful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jyXJTlrH0

It's an animation by Maurice Gee, put out by the New Zealand Book Council. It's a book that physically morphs itself into the illustrations of a novel.
Just gorgeous, and very cool.

It actually reminds me of my ENG921 course, Narrative in a Digital age. Actually, I sent it to my prof. Yeah, I'm a big keener.

A Moment on Earth

This semester I took ENG 921: Narrative in a Digital Age.
Never have the readings for an English course been so cool! All the "readings" have been digital media, digi art and digital archives of one form or another.

This week we had to look at, among other things, a digital text called "A Moment on Earth." It's the website for two movies that were made a few years ago.

-- 60 filmmakers around the world shot their film at the exact same moment in time around the world, and then did it again 12 hours later
-- On August 5, 2004, at 12 p.m. GMT and again at 12 a.m. GMT, simultaneous moments were caught all around the globe.

It's the perfect demonstration of global synchronicity, and it beautifully shows how we're all connected. Global village and all that jazz.

(Click the cool link-y picture below to check it out.)

We also had to be writing a blog for this course about the readings and our reactions etc. I may post bits and pieces of it here if I have the time.

Update

Just an update on the TTC "quicker" front:

They have not changed the sign. They're all still there and they all still bear the horrible "quicker" reference. How annoying, and still quite embarrassing.

I know, I'm obsessed. But it really needs to be changed, for the good of a grammar-correct society.

An embarrassment

I was doing some research for an article I'm currently working on. It's about how playgrounds are changing, becoming less structured and essentially more natural.

I took out some books from the Ryerson library. The books are looked pretty good from the outside, nothing obviously wrong with them, which is what I expect from a university library.

Usually, they're in pretty good condition, but of course there is the odd ass-hole who will write all over pages, highlight text and circle things they want to look at a later. It's annoying, but at least the text is there and legible.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened up one of these books, started scanning some pages and came across this!











A giant hole cut out of the middle of a page!
That's a lot of information missing. Was it text? Was it a photo? I will never know if it was something that I needed. What if it was life-altering information that I will now forever be missing?

Plus, this says a lot about the respect that students at Ryerson have (or rather don't have) for the library material. Frankly, when I found that giant hole, I was embarrassed to be a young student attending Ryerson University.

Summer Baking--- yuuummmm

So I had a bit of a mishap with my tiny digi camera and it somehow re-set the memory card so that only my camera could read my memory card.
So my photos from the last three months were sort of stuck on there.
BUT my I.T. Support father worked some computer magic and luckily got my 435 photos off of my camera.

What that means for this blog is that I can finally post my summer baking adventures!

My first attempt at baking was Dark Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce.

It was absolutely delicious, easy to do, but greatly in need of constant attention (which is definitely not my forte in any kind of baking or cooking).
But I'd say it turned out rather well.
I had to improvise for a couple things- I ran out of milk chocolate and didn't actually have any baking chocolate. So instead I used some cocoa powder mixed in with the crushed milk chocolate that I did have on hand.Also, I ended up pouring in too much butter milk into the heated butter while making the caramel sauce, so it was pretty runny.
Aaanndd because of these two blunders, the mousse wasn't quite as light and fluffy as mousse typically is. The mousse was a little heavier, and the sauce a little runnier, ergo the sauce actually sunk to the bottom shortly after I took these photos.

But it was delicious just the same!

And now, for the best Banana Bread I've ever made in my life.
Best looking.
Best tasting.
Best texture.
Just The Best.
I think I've finally got the trick. And I think this because I actually replicated the same Best outcome a few weeks later!

New Shirt

I was at the beloved V.V. with Tay Tay last week, and we saw these WONDERFUL shirts.


So we got four. This way, Sarowitz, TayDick, Leah and moi may all have matching ones.
So... back-to-school outfit, anyone?

The Hogtown Project

Toronto has two sides: Tourist Toronto and Torontonian Toronto.

Tourist Toronto involves big, busy places, bland, average North American culture, and it usually requires a lot more money than the average person has.

But the other side of the city, the Torontonian view, is what residents of the city see every day. There are small shops, well-loved neighbourhood niches and extensive cultural activities, festivals and experiences. Most of it doesn't require any money, but it all expands your mind.


This is why Kristie Macor and Nadine Dolly have created The Hogtown Project, a new coffee-table book devoted to showing the world the Toronto that is known and loved by Torontonians.


Many people have tried to create Toronto books, but this one is definitely different. Every other Toronto coffee table book has at least one photo of the CN Tower. But Macor and Dolly focus on the parts of Toronto that actually give the city its life.

For the past three years, Macor and Dolly have photographed over 180 locations in Toronto.
They've captured the Junction, small shops on the east end of the Danforth, laundry mats in quiet areas, and restaurants closing up after a busy day of work. They've photographed festivals and attractions with the eye of a true Torontonian.

The book also includes interviews with Toronto residents like city councillor Adam Vaughan and spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan.

The creation of this book cost the pair $20,000 to produce, and their advertising is 100 per cent word-of-mouth, as they say on their site. So check out The Hogtown Project website and if you like the look of the book, pass on the info.


* Photo Credits: The Hogtown Project website

I think I might need these...

Not to wear.

Just to look at.

Just because.

Boys and cars

"Boys are like cars. You sort of just have to steer them away from a bad situation and wait until they slow down."

- Sam

Croissant

"Sam, did you eat that croissant?"
"No."
"You know the cat was eating that croissant."
"....."
"You ate it didn't you?"
"Yes."

Yay

My review of The City Man was posted on TEACH Mag's Summer Book Bag.
It was then posted on the Coach House website!

Go me! Go my career! Go journalism!

New fashion is old fashion (Re-posted from school blog)

This is a post I actually wrote for my online class back in April- we had to write on fashion or sports. Needless to say I chose fashion...

Spring is a new season, and with it comes new fashions, but recently the new fashions are old fashions: vintage, second-hand and thrift-store finds are the way to go this season.

Cassie Cowie, 19, created and runs her own online consignment store, MYEXCLOSET, in three different cities: Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
"Fashion is always coming and going, and what better way to bring trends and styles back with vintage and second-hand. It is a very authentic way of doing it, instead of buying a new version of the trend re-vamped," Cowie wrote in an email.

Luckily, Toronto has a great collection of thrift stores. Plus, there is the Toronto section of Preloved, a company that creates new high-end fashion pieces out of old clothes.

Tess Roby is a 16-year old student at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. She mostly shops at Value Village because it's cheap, but she likes to buy new clothes every season from stores like H&M, which she says is very good.
But Roby thinks that a lot of stores, like Urban Outfitters for example, "pull their ideas from vintage shoppers" and use them to create more expensive fashions.

"I definitely like that [thrift] one-of-a-kind," Roby says. "Sometimes there can be stories behind clothes." A friend of hers once bought a dress from 69 Vintage that was a traditional hand-made Dutch dress.

Isabel B. Slone also has a lot of thrift clothing. She writes Hipster Musings, which gets 5,000 to 6,000 visitors a week. She picks thrift clothes from the 80s and 90s that are "cheap, outrageous and tacky, which kind of suits my personality," she says.
"Designers are always looking through their archives for present inspiration from the past," Slone says about thrift fashions effecting new fashions. "Everything in fashion seems to get recycled eventually."

*Photo Credits: Alexandra Auger and Isabel B. Slone

It's a $57,000 "water feature"

The fake lake being built at the media centre for the G20 and G8 summits is actually only going to cost taxpayers $57,000 out of a budget of $1.9 million, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works to The Globe and Mail.

The rest of the money is supposedly being spent on graphics, food, drinks and media communications material.

Totally makes sense.

Not.

"They also stressed that the much maligned fake lake is not a lake at all. 'It's a water feature,' I was told," wrote Siri Agrell for the Globe and Mail.

I hope the Tories drown in their fake lake.

If I was not already disgust concerning the ridiculous and over-the-top spending and procedures going on regarding the G8 and G20 summits, I am now.

No, not even disgusted. I am too shocked to be disgusted. I am so embarrassed that the Canadian government could possibly be spending this much money that I am almost at a loss for words.

Today, the media picked up the news that there will be an indoor lake that costs nearly $2 million dollars, and they ran with it.

How is it that the Canadian government, that has a deficit of over $56 billion dollars, can afford to host this summit?!

They're paying for several very large, expensive meeting locations, for hotel accommodations and food for all those in attendance.

They're paying for many new high-tech security systems, like CCTV, and new gadgets for the police force.

They're paying for hundreds of police officers to line the perimeter of the security zone because they know the 10-foot wall being built to keep people out won't hold if the huge amount of protesters who will be demonstrating decide to storm the conference.

But that money could be used for health-care, education, homelessness, environmental issues and so, so much more and better issues than a two-day conference.

Is it necessary? Will it change the world? Will it change what is said and decided at the summits? Does Canada need this? Does the world need this?

The world is laughing at us as we throw money down the drain. I was laughing until I realized what this all really means. And the truth is embarrassing.

Germs- ew!

So I was sitting on the subway this morning on my super-long train ride out to Rexdale and this woman in a long floral skirt and clunky black shoes came on and promptly pulled out a hard-boiled egg and ATE IT right there on the spot. Just put her whole hand around it and shoved it in her mouth and took huge bits, and there was egg falling everywhere around her.

Now, I understand eating a bag of chips or an apple on the subway because you're a little peckish. But really, a slippery hard-boiled egg on public transit that is used by thousands of people each day?

I mean, to eat a hard-boiled egg without a bowl and cutlery, you need to grab the thing with your whole hand, so all of your palm and fingers are touching it. That's the hand that you just touched the railing, the door handle and the train poles with.

Don't get me wrong, hard-boiled eggs with a bit of salt and pepper and veggies are delicious and nutritious, but only when you've had a chance to wash your hands and take a seat.

Needless to say, I was a little grossed out. She just ingested way too much of other people's sneezes, coughs and snot.

Photo Credit: the cosmic cowgirl

Tobi, I accidentally dyed your book blue.

Long story short:

I tripped, fell, wasn't feeling well so someone gave me a bottle of water and when I was ready to go I popped the water bottle in my bag.

What I didn't do was put the lid on properly.

So the water dripped out of the bottle, into my pencil case, through my mini blue highlighter and consequently onto the book I borrowed from Tobi.

And now Tobi's book is blue.

The end.

90s fashions are definitely back!

It's true-- I really believe that 90s fashion (at least the good parts of it) are completely back in style.

Jean jackets. Short floral dresses of [sensible] cotton. Lace shirts. Onesies. Crop tops. Platform wedges and heels with ankle straps [so that you're feet aren't actually dying at the end of a party-packed night). High-waisted (but not obscene) pants, jeans and skirts.
These fashion pieces are all over the place.

At first, I thought it was just a bit of 90s inspiration leaking in, but I'm totally convinced that this summer we're going to re-live 90s fashion.And let's not forget tame, straight, non-extravagant hair and dark lipsticks and nail polish. So serious.

By the way, check out my floral-and-denim combo. I wore this on St. Patty's Day, took the photo and promptly forgot about it until I accidentally opened up Photo Booth.

That's Love

"Just love me! You can blow your nose in my hair!" said Sam, wanting a hug.
I had sneezed and needed to blow my nose.
That is love.

TEACH

I have officially gotten the internship position at TEACH Magazine. It is my first-ever internship. Hopefully not the last. I'm pretty excited and a little dubious.
We'll see how it goes.

Damn Heels

The best invention for any fashion-loving woman: fold-up flats for sore feet after a night of clubbing, partying or just plain standing around in killer heels.
Hailey Coleman, a student at Ted Rogers School of Management was given a prize for her product Damn Heels, black roll-up flats that come in their own pouch and are small enough to fit in a purse.

I knew that this type of product was available in the U.S. but it was not until today that I knew these wonderful shoes were available in Canada.
I actually first heard the U.S. version through College Candy- there was a blurb about City Slips.
But, after seeing this Canadian option Damn Heels, I generally like them better.
They have a different type of sole and they actually look more comfortable. Even though there aren't different colour options, the Canadian ones look like they're made of a nicer material.
There's also a price difference of five dollars (City Slips are $24.99 USD and Damn Heels are $20 CAN) which can really make a difference after shipping, handling and duty costs (if ordering from the states).
And, of course, they're Canadian.

Public art as a public service

Jason Shelowitz, a graphic designer and artist from New York, has started a public art campaign that draws attention to people's bad manners and horrible etiquette on the New York subway system.
He has created a series of posters that look like official transit posters and he has posted them around the New York subway lines.
The posters' messages are about anything from people clipping their nails or eating messy food to playing loud music or simply littering while riding public transit.
"The messages are barbed and to the point," writes Debra Black in today's Toronto Star article about Shelowitz's art campaign.
Check out an image gallery of Shelowitz's posters here.


I wish a public art campaign of that nature could happen here.
It's really terrifying the amount of gross and ill-mannered things I see people do- smoking on the subway train, clipping fingernails on the streetcar and leaving piles of garbage under seats.

I don't treat the system like crap because I don't want it to look like crap. Yes, people are employed to clean up the streetcars, trains and buses. But that doesn't mean I want it to look and feel like a garbage dump before they get a chance to do their job.

It's really disgusting how people will treat their surroundings when they think that someone else will clean up after them.


Photo Credit: Toronto Star Article

By Definition

Actually, by definition an accord is an agreement.

Photo of the billboard on the Southeast corner of O'Connor and Donlands.

Quicker

Alright, TTC. I really didn't want to take a shot at you since every other media-related person is lately, but I feel I sort of have to.

There are signs on the Southbound platform at Yonge and Bloor that encourage customers to move down the platform. There are some reasons why you should move down listed in bullet point.
The first point is "You will board quicker."

But you can not board quicker.
You can board more quickly or you can board faster.
But you can't board quicker.

Such a simple grammatical mistake makes them look really stupid.

I actually lodged a formal complaint about four months ago. I also spoke with an employee on the platform about this issue. But it hasn't been fixed and it's really getting on my nerves.
It's such an easy thing to correct. They don't even need new signs, they can just cover up that one word and laminate on a new, corrected version of the sentence.

Wanda's: a work place the size of a closet (Re-posted from school blog)

Sam Nadal, 19, works in the back of the tiny Wanda's Belgian Waffles store building fancy waffles as fast as he possible can. "Everyone is always moving," Nadal says about the tightly-packed kitchen. "It's just a fast-paced environment. Everyone has a station in the back and they stick to it."

Usually, the six-by-eight feet restaurant (if it can be called that) has two or three people working and a line of eight customers spilling onto Yonge Street, waiting for their Liège-style vanilla waffle or their concoction of chocolate sauce, ice cream, bananas and whipped-cream.

People strolling along Yonge are usually drawn to the store because of the delicious, sweet smell wafting from its open window. "Open-window stores like this are really popular in Belgium. They're everywhere," Nadal says. "If one or two people line up, other people will come see too."

On the weekends Nadal, a George Brown culinary student, makes up to 800 waffles. Each waffle is anywhere from three to six dollars. Although the repetitive nature of the job doesn't seem to bother him. "I love it," he says about working in the hole-in-the-wall store. "I love to cook."

While the online community gives Wanda's mixed reviews, mostly agreeing that the plain waffles are delicious while the fancier ones need some work, the line-up out front suggests otherwise.

Photo Credit: Foodhogger

Things my boyfriend says to my best friend.

"Hey, Martha, Sam, when you guys make babies can I babysit?" says Tobi.

"Fuck no! My kids won't need babysitters. They'll have better things to do," says Sam.

"I think of Tobi less as a competitor and more of a team mate. We share a common goal," says Sam, about me.

"If I knew you girls looked this good, I would have actually come home," says [drunken] Sam on St.Patrick's day.

not4me

If you've taken the subway any time in the last three months, you probably will have noticed ads put out by the Canadian government that are encouraging youths to say no to drugs and instead spend their time roaming about a new website: not4me.ca

Recently, there was an article (which I am still desperately searching for but can't seem to find- I swear it exists) that I read online that pointed out that many alcohol ads warning against binge drinking only made the viewers want to binge drink.

I think that these recent advertisements about not4me.ca have been having a similar effect.
I really want to know if these advertisements are doing their job or if they are causing the opposite of what they intend. Are they intriguing or deterring?

They show photos of drugs- a marijuana is shown in one ad and a few tablets of colourful pills (presumably E or some other kind of upper) are shown in another.

Personally, the advertisements make me want to know more about the drugs.
The photos are intriguing.
They don't make me want to say no. They make me want to find out more.
This reaction is the complete opposite of the advertisements' intended reaction.

Solely looking at the website, it's a pretty hilarious website. The advice is so... well, it would not work.
They whole site just reeks of staunchy old people who are trying their best to be politically correct and seem as if they're doing something to make a difference.
Not to mention the testimonies in the "Share Your Story" section seem completely fake. I would go so far as to say that they are fake. I really don't think any kid who has gone through school system could be that naive and ignorant. Kids talk. Kids know. And by the time you're in grade 10, you can't pretend not to know.

Although, the site does have some really great picture-puzzles you can re-create if you'd like. I always love to spend my time putting together puzzles that feature a giant pile of weed. Fun!

But, again, this is just my opinion.

SUV: Symbol of Western ignorance (BEWARE: Ranting)

SUVs are the ultimate symbol of Western consumerism and ignorance.
They generally represent Western fatness- the over-consumption and wastefulness of North American culture.


Anyone that owns a ginormous SUV tends to have a ginormous ego to go with it.

1- They think that since they have this big huge car, they can take up as much space as they want in the parking lot or on the street.
I've seen people with big cars park in the middle of two parking spots, because they're just too important and too effing huge to park in only one single parking spot.
I've also seen people with huge cars stop in the middle of the street in order to pick up or drop off a passenger, because apparently their car is too big to pull over to the side of the road.

2- Apparently no idling by-laws do not apply to them. Especially in school zones where children are playing in school yards or in the middle of a packed street downtown.
I guess since they can afford the honking huge SUV they can afford the gas it takes to idle the thing. Does this mean that they can afford to have their children and grand children live in a purified-air capsule because there is too much smog outside to breathe normally?

3- They tend to be rude drivers, constantly honking and refusing to let other people in. If you've ever been on the DVP during a Friday-afternoon rush in the height of cottaging season, you know that people in SUVs tend to sit in traffic and honk their horn in hopes that the 800 cars in front of them will move faster. And God forbid you need to change lanes- there is no way that a-hole in the SUV is going to let you in because if they can be half a car's length ahead of you, by George they are going to keep that spot.


They also usually have either huge amounts of money (to be able to afford an over-priced and unnecessarily large vehicle) or they have huge amounts of debt (because they couldn't actually afford the over-priced overly-large vehicle but wanted to appear as if they could, and therefore put the SUV on credit and they now have a unnecessarily large debt pile).


But I'm not bitter.
Okay, yes, I am bitter. Very bitter indeed.


But mostly, I don't see the point in owning an SUV- especially in the city.
In a city like Toronto, you don't need a big car that is able to go cross-country. Our roads are generally well taken care of thanks to a tax-system- albeit there are a few pot holes, but even a bicycle can make it over those without many problems.

I suppose if you are an avid camper and you need a big 4X4 that will get you up that mountain's side, then an SUV is a the perfect option.
I also suppose that if you, for some reason, choose to live in the suburbs and you, for some reason, have to work downtown and can't take the subway because you are too far, then a car makes the commute much better. But I mean a car. A nice small or mid-sized sadan that serves it purpose. Better yet, get a nice small or mid-sized hybrid and save gas money and the environment.

But if you live in downtown Toronto, you don't necessarily need a car at all. Although a car does make that grocery run for a family of four waaay easier. So, yes, get a small car with that oh-so-convenient trunk space.

But PLEASE do not get an SUV.
It just makes you into one big giant gaping a-hole.

Spring Gardening

I can not wait for the ground to thaw just a teensy-bit more because (and yes, I'm sort of an old-lady) but I really like gardening.
I'm not big into fancy gardening, but I like to dig in the dirt, plant a few flowers, weed and water.
And, why not do this in style? Which is why I got a new gardening trowel, spade and gloves! And they match!
The only thing is, the gloves are inexplicably giving off the strange odour of glitter-glue.

Things My Boyfriend Says

He says a lot of things.
But these two recent comments stuck out the most.

“You’re hair feels like something soft in a toilet paper ad.
Like the toilet paper, not the poo.”

“Eating yogurt lying down is always a bad idea. It’s all about strategy... and speed!”

It snowed. Finally!

"When the snow falls, you almost believe the world is clean again."
- Jeanette Winterson

Vancouver is having Olympic-appropriate-weather performance issues, and Toronto has Vancouver's weather. But who in the world has Toronto's weather?

Washington, I suppose.

Online Media: Is it Taking Over? (re-posted from school blog)

According to Clay Shirky, an American writer, the publishing industry is going to become extinct in the very near future.
He outlines his thoughts in the article Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable.

After newspapers die, readers will receive news online written by "excitable 14 year olds" rather than trained journalists.

Getting news online isn't a problem. Getting news from a potentially uninformed 14 year old is.

But there is hope yet for print journalists! We're not completely S.O.L.

"A lot of people still love the actual physical act of flipping through pages. They still hold that dear," said Kim Shiffman, senior editor of PROFIT.
Shiffman edits an online publication that posts reports and data. But she said that print is the vehicle for long-form storytelling. "It doesn't seem like people like to read that kind of thing online."

"As a reader, I like to hold things in my hand," said Megan Griffith-Greene, editor of Chatelain and Shameless magazines. On the weekend, Griffith-Greene likes to read the paper, but during the week, she gets her news online.

So, yes, the week-day newspaper is dead. During the week, everything will be online. It is fast and easy to access.
But, it is likely there will be a weekend newspaper. It’s part of a relaxing weekend morning for most people.

Shirky is right. We don't need news on paper, but we do need journalists. Journalists will survive. Newspapers won't.

NFB's Screening Room: Leading the Way for Canadian Content (re-posted from school blog)

The National Film Board of Canada's Screening Room launched last year, making Canadian films accessible to the world. But it's only a small portion of an already minute amount of Canadian content available on the web.

Michael Geist wrote about NFB in his article NFB Unreels Online Smash Hits.
"The NFB may never replace YouTube in the minds of most when it comes to Internet video," Geist wrote, "but a series of innovations have highlighted the benefits of an open distribution model and the potential for Canadian content to reach a global audience online."

Having a Canadian website, available to the entire world, showing intelligent, well-made and creative Canadian videos is great.

"There's a lack of Canadian content," says Willow Knoblauch, formerly the head of managing live videos on BlogTV.ca (now only available in the United States as blogtv.com).

Videos posted on sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV and BlogTV are often unintelligent or uploaded illegally by "excitable 14 year olds".

But YouTube and other user-generated-content sites can still include intelligent, innovative material. "For people that actually use it for what they're supposed to, it's a stepping stone to launch themselves into what they really want to do," says Knoblauch. That could be anything from acting to short films, animation or production. "It's a good platform for creative people."

So far, NFB's Screening Room seems like the best Canadian video site out there. Knoblauch thinks its a huge step in the right direction. "It's guaranteed, original, Canadian content."

American-Style News

From Adam Giambrone's university-aged side dish and his confession of multiple inappropriate relationships to Col. Russell Williams of The Canadian Forces being charged with two murders, Canadians have really gotten a taste of American-style news.

And the papers, broadcasters and bloggers have been eating it up.

It's tantalizing gossip full of stories about other women and the potential of a serial murderer.
It's almost a reflection the sensationalized-style news stories that appear often south of the boarder.

[Just to be clear, these things are not good. They're horrible, especially the women who were murdered. I hope for their families' sake that the police get to the bottom of this case.]

But my gosh they sure are keeping us all entertained.

Man, that was fast.

Giambrone quits mayoral race.

This doesn't mean I'm rooting for Rocco Rossi though.

Back Stepping

Adam Giambrone could have could have done magnificently if he'd completed this campaign. All of Toronto was watching, and he started off on the right foot. He would not have necessarily won, but he would have made a step in the right direction.


Royson James sums up the Giambrone-and-his-affairs issue perfectly in his column in The Star. He describes the situation quite eloquently. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hazel McCallion, Perfect Vintage

Joseph's Estate Wines will launching it's new line of wine later this month.
It will be named after Hazel McCallion, Mississauga's mayor.

And, with the launch of bottled Hazel McCallion, I have the perfect opportunity to explain why I love her.

McCallion will be 89 in a couple weeks. She has been Mississauga's mayor for 31 years, and she's done a damn good job.
She spends time with people, actually participates in local events, is always open to new suggestions and will talk with just about anyone.

She is the epitome of what a mayor should be.

She walks and shops regularly in her own neighbourhood, contributing to the local economy and making herself available for chats with local residents.

Not only that, but McCallion bikes everywhere! That is what I love most.

When you think of Mississauga, usually what you immediately think of is suburban houses and lots of cars. But they've had a Cycling Advisory Committee since 1994, and Hazel McCallion is a frequent cyclist.
So far as I know, for the past two, if not more, World Carfree Days, McCallion rode her bike seven kilometers to City Hall.

Imagine, an 89 year old that can ride her bike to work, while there are 20-somethings who drive their SUVs to the corner store.

When I'm 89, I want to ride my bike to work.

Shopping Spree at the VV

I love Value Village!

• -It's CHEAP! Affordability is a huge plus-- It's good for students on a tight budget or thrifty-shoppers.
• It's environmentally friendly-- It's exactly like buying new things, minus the gas it took to ship it to Canada from China or India or Turkey.
• It recycles! It gets rid of other people's old clothes, instead of sending them to the dump to rot.
• The stock changes all the time. This means you always have new choices.
• They help the community -- The store creates jobs. The clothes are affordable for those who don't have cash to burn. Money and clothes are donated to local non-profit groups, and many of the clothes are sent to developing countries

There are tonnes of second-hand stores all over Toronto so you don't necessarily have to go to a Value Village.

BUT I've found, by chance, a few really great big-name items at VV. (They're a little more expensive compared to other items at the VV, but they're obviously a deal.)
FCUK wide-leg jeans for $10.
Tommy Hilfiger navy wool blazer for $19.
Gap lilac wool wrap-sweater for $15.

VV is a good place to get essentials and basics, and if you happen to find a really nice brand-name piece, scoop it up.
Otherwise, to find those big-name pieces, check out MYEXCLOSET.

Please Note: I had previously wrote that Walmart owns Value Village. This is in fact a rumour and I took that line out of the post.

Adam Giambrone: Attracting Younger Voters

Adam Giambrone hasn't even announced his candidacy for mayor of Toronto yet, and he's already got his campaign in full-swing.
He posted this video today on YouTube. It's a short and rather amusing, low-production "vote-for-me" video.

The aim, I suppose, is to attract younger voters. But will it work?

Young people are notorious for not voting.
Well, Canadians in general seem to be notorious for not voting. In the 2008 general election, only 59.1 per cent of Canadians voted. But the younger population is especially reluctant to head to the polls.

Although this YouTube tactic could potentially work very well. Not only because it's using a medium used by the younger generation, but because it's funny. It's a very humorous video.
He doesn't give the air of a stiff-necked politician, like our current Prime Minister.
In fact, the video seems closer to a College Humor spoof than a serious campaign attempt. Well, to some extent it isn't serious. But I think that's exactly what makes it so appealing.

So, Keep it up Giambrone. The whole World Wide Web is watching. Well, at least the Torontonian section of it is.

Rocco Rossi

An article published today in The Star says Rocco Rossi (mayoral candidate) won't put new bike lanes on certain streets. He even wants to look at removing existing bike lanes.
He says he would move lanes to quieter streets parallel to major roads.
Yeah, that will be GREAT for getting over the Don Valley. Bikers can just follow the quieter road that runs parallel to the Bloor viaduct.

Oh wait, there isn't one.

Rossi also wants to put the planned Transit City lines on hold until later."His promise to kill bike lanes on Jarvis will win him support in neighbourhoods such as Rosedale, Moore Park and Leaside," says the Star.
Well that's true. People who live in those neighbourhoods get up every morning and drive their large, gas guzzling vehicles to their downtown offices. Why should they worry about those who can not or choose not to own a vehicle? Why do they have to worry their pretty little heads about the majority of the population who have to take public transit or power their own way to work?

The article says that Rossi's ideas about removing bike lanes shows a lack of understanding of Torontonian values and what is going on at city hall.

It's hard to believe this egg-head is from the Liberal Party.

Let's hope Toronto is smart enough not to elect Rocco Rossi.

Somethings Broken: Kim Phuc Speaks at Ryerson

"Before the war, I was never afraid. Then one day soldiers came pounding on our door very loud. And that day I knew fear," said Kim Phuc. Her voice was soft and level as she spoke to students at Ryerson University.

Kim is best known as the naked nine year old girl in the photograph from the Vietnam war taken by Nick Ut, an AP photographer. In the photo, Kim is running from a napalm explosion, burnt and screaming from the pain.

The morning after that photo was taken, it was known all around the world. Nick Ut won a pulitzer prize.
It has changed the way we look at the Vietnam war and at all wars.

During her talk, she spoke about her childhood before and after the war, before and after that photograph and those four bombs.
"I was nine. I knew nothing of pain. I'd fallen off my bike and it hurt," she told the crowed with a smile. "But napalm is the most terrible pain you can imagine. It's gasoline burning under the skin."
(Keep in mind, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Napalm burns at 800 to 900 degrees Celsius.)

Despite the painful memories and the painful scars, Kim Phuc spoke eloquently and with a light heart, making jokes and laughing easily.

I'd heard that she is a very happy person willing to share what she was learned. But I don't think I believed it until yesterday.
She spoke of the horrible things that happened to her. But she never spoke with bitterness or anger, which surprised me.
If I had been in that situation, I would be furious with those involved in the Vietnam war. I would probably just be a warped, frustrated old woman. I wouldn't be able to talk about the experience with as much grace, understanding and enlightenment as Kim does.
Her acceptance is truly something to admire.

Kim now lives as a Canadian citizen in Ajax with her husband and two sons. She travels regularly to speak about her experience, raise awareness and promote peace.

Haiti: Speedy Text Message Relief (re-posted from school blog)

More than $25 million dollars has been donated to the Red Cross by Canadians since Haiti was hit by an earthquake last week, said a Red Cross spokesperson Tanya Elliott on Monday.

Such speedy fund-raising was made possible by today's technology. Phone companies have made it possible to send a text and instantly donate five dollars. Or, people can donate any amount of money online.

Last week, the government told Canadians they would match donations up to $50 million dollars.
On Tuesday, the International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda, announced that the government is contributing $80 million dollars to relief efforts in Haiti.
It seems the government has finally kept a promise.

The CBC has made a web page about Haiti Relief information. It includes a list of all registered charities and a list of numbers to text to instantly donate money to a charity.

Text message donating is a good idea. It has probably gotten a lot of younger people involved. It’s easy and hassle free. People are more likely to punch in a number, a few letters and press send.

According to the Canadian government, 665 Canadians are still unaccounted for, 13 have been killed and 1,206 have been evacuated.

Dancing through Time

I danced at Pegasus Dance Studios for more than ten years.

I tried ballet for a few years but the rule-oriented form of dance wasn't for me.

I took tap classes and loved them.
Alana Hock taught these classes. Alana opened her own studio in Ottawa, Dance With Alana, which I hear is very successful. She was the reason I went to class, and when she left Pegasus, I left tap.

The one class I stuck with for the most time was modern dance.
Modern dance is a much more relaxed style of dance. It does not require shoes or specific clothing. Mainly, it focuses on the interpretation and expression of feelings through movement.

Janice Pomer (author of Perpetual Motion) was my dance teacher for many years. I love Janice. Dancing in her class made me feel so much more comfortable with and confident about myself.

Pegasus is open and welcoming. They do not focus on the competitive aspect of dance and that makes dancing much more satisfying.
Also, pilates classes with Briar Munro are great. They're so great actually that you forget how much work you're doing and you feel great afterwards.

Check out the Pegasus website or their blog.

Saving the Environment, One Ex at a Time

Want to save money, be trendy and help the environment? Buy some Exes.

MYEXCLOSET is the place to get used designer clothing. This site sells used and vintage clothing (some big brand names and some not, but all hip and in good condition). Every piece is hand-picked by the staff, so there is a good selection of fashionable, unique pieces.

A former school mate of mine, Cassie Cowie, thought up this brilliant idea last summer. With the help of her friend, Hayley Dineen, the site was up and running in a matter on months.
The site operates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but anyone in Canada can buy from the site. If you're living in one of those cities, contact your city's Closet Manager to get rid of some Exes. Contact information is online.

What's on my Ex wish list?

• Red Vintage Linen Skirt
• Black Sequined Dress
• Diane Von Furstenburg Tank

Also check out Fashion Television's article and Slice.ca's articles about MYEXCLOSET.