And the news has come out that Conservatives don’t care about cities anyway. Well, duh.

At least now we can contact the nearest hospital without paying for 411. Thanks, Google. I can’t wait to try this out.

First, a video -

Many thanks to Spacing Toronto for this video.

Save the CBC -

These posters (and more) have come from Marnina via Save jPod.

In other CBC news, it seems that the biggest worry with respect to the cancellation of Sounds Like Canada is the fact that programming is being taken away from Vancouver (which, the CBC insists is not happening). While the loss of jobs anywhere in Canada is bad news, I have a hard time feeling badly for Vancouver when I can’t seem to find any nationally-broadcast content on Radio 1 coming from anywhere in Atlantic Canada. Last time I checked, Definitely Not the Opera comes from Winnipeg, so the Prairies have something. Most national shows seem to come from Toronto, which (don’t hate me) makes sense, but the last time I remember hearing something from the East was the final episode of the now-defunct That Time of the Night with Francesca Swann.

Nay, the real tragedy is the loss of great personalities like Shelagh Rogers. Jian Ghomeshi is okay, but my afternoons haven’t been the same since Bill Richardson moved on. Even his successor, Tetsuro Shigematsu, was pretty swell (and had a name that was fun to say, too!), but he was dismissed after a relatively short stint.

All I can say is that the new mid-morning program had better be pretty damn good.

Transit Woes -

Leaving the TTC alone for a moment, it looks as though there’s some GO Transit news (links here and here). The gist, as I understand it, is that the transit company isn’t willing to offer rebates for late trains, but they are going to make changes to improve the system.

Now, I would think that if the system were to be improved, there wouldn’t be a problem offering rebates for trains running later than twenty minutes because there wouldn’t be trains running later than twenty minutes because the system will have been improved. Hm.

Toronto’s a Safe Place -

Old news, as far as I’m concerned. But here’s some proof. If anything, this survey should inspire CBC personalities and Producers to head back to St. John’s where they can broadcast in safety, far from the dangers of Winnipeg, Regina, and Vancouver.

The Bigot in Blue -

From CBC Toronto news: Tory ‘deeply troubled’ by racist e-mail linked to Ryerson Conservative club member. I’m not saying that all, or even most Conservatives woman-hating racists, but let’s face it – Conservatism is probably the best political outlet for woman-hatig racists that Canada has to offer. Enough said.

New Madonna (!!) -

This is apparently the cover to Madonna’s new album, Hard Candy, due to be out next month. As always, there’s going to be a bonus track available in the Japanese release. Is there a reason for this? I suppose some folks will rush out and buy another CD, but not I. That’s what the internet is for.

It’s also come out that M wants to play opera houses, for a more intimate feel (may I suggest the Four Seasons Centre?). The article included this inspiring quotation:

‘I just love theatre and the magic of theatre. You can hear people breathing and you can see their sweat, you can see the work.

Another Great Tragedy -

If only we had more love in Canadian theatre. It’s been announced that two of the three new Artistic Directors at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival have resigned (link link). This is, well, completely unsurprising. It’s all well and fine to have collaboration, but it won’t work unless someone’s in charge. This is not rocket science.

Toronto does not need another WalMart. Last year, I spent a few days in Nova Scotia. It’s a beautiful place, which only added to the horror when I was taken to a new development of box stores in Dartmouth. Box after box after box, and all I could do was look around and wonder how a pedestrian could ever penetrate the compound (let alone actually shop there, wandering through massive parking lots with bags in hand). Dartmouth doesn’t need this, but on some level it’s understandable: the East Coast is all about car culture.

Toronto, however, is another story. We have pedestrians and the TTC! Well, for now, anyway. We also have a significant, if fragile, film industry. We need that. We need the culture, the jobs. We don’t need box stores and more minimum wage jobs.

Phone-in shows are among the things that are unfortunate, but unlikely to go away (think: car alarms, encounters with close-talkers, Nickelback). Why? Because people keep phoning in. And though hearing about a range of opinions and experiences can be interesting, this format is probably one of the worst ways to go about presenting it.

That said, there’s one rule, which, if followed diligently by all callers, would do much to improve what’s otherwise an unfortunate situation:

Be brief.

Let’s break it down:

Be brief – The host (and guest, if applicable) are fine. Or they’re not fine. Maybe they’re upset, or worried, or maybe the guest has a gas problem and everyone in the studio is reaaaaaaaly uncomfortable. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Don’t ask. A brief, “Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I was wondering about…” will do.

Be brief – Prepare one comment or one question or one anecdote. If the host thinks the audience would like to hear more, she’ll ask. Do not try to sneak one extra comment or question or anecdote in at the end of your call. It’s over. Hang up. Call a friend. Write in your journal.

Be brief – Get to the point. If your question (or…) requires more backstory than you can deliver in, say, ten or fifteen seconds, it’s not phone-in material. Write a letter instead and let an editor pick out the good stuff. If you feel you can say what you’d like to say in a reasonable amount of time, write it down. Even a short thesis statement would do; anything that’ll keep you from babbling.

But not all is lost. You’re likely more thin and less smokey than your under-educated counterparts, and you’ll live longer, according to a Harvard study.

So take a moment to thank that piece of paper on your wall (or fridge) before you go to bed tonight. It’s bought you a few extra nights.

We fall down, which, I’m guessing, is precisely the reason why many people will need the 500+ minor orthopedic surgeries that will soon be offered in a private clinic in Nova Scotia (story here). Granted, these are publicly-funded procedures, but this is also a pilot project.

Living without a family doctor in Toronto, I’ve experienced these sorts of public-private partnerships at walk-in clinics in the city. It hasn’t been fun. Sure, they accept my health card, but there are other ways to bleed money from patients (a few years ago, I paid abut $12 for a hastily-scrated note to excuse me from class). The fact is, if there’s a need to generate profit, profit will be generated, likely at the expense of proper patient care. If we need more operating rooms, let’s build some! I bet those couple of cents we’re saving on our grocery bills (thanks to Harper’s GST-cuts) would have gone a long way to help this cause.

Walking outside this morning was a real treat. Rather, it would have been a real treat had I not been running fifteen minutes late, but that’s not for here. The point is that the temperature was hovering around zero degrees when I left home, which we often forget is the melting point for water. Melting snow! Spring! I didn’t have to wrap my body mummy-style before stepping outside and it was glorious.

The good news is that, contrary to earlier reports, it looks like the snow’s going to leave gracefully, thanks to our “gentle thaw“.

The bad news is that, in some instances, the thaw won’t be so gentle. Case in point: the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. It looks like the abandoned set from a 1992 game show came to life and is trying to eat the Royal Ontario Museum. And now it’s trying to kill us.

Come to think of it, we may not see much of transit at all. With the possibility of a strike looming, the TTC employee’s union could be making April Fools of us all.

BlogTO was quick to condemn:

Anyone who has ever had to go from south Etobicoke to north Scarborough by TTC knows what I mean. Anyone that has cheerfully approached a TTC employee only to be scowled at knows what I mean. Taking the TTC can be a terrible experience. It’s inefficient, dirty, and the image of the TTC worker overall is severely tarnished by the many miserable people who are members of the union and staff the system.

Ouch. Granted, their propaganda video (shown at the aforementioned blog post) makes me grimace, and I have come across the odd sourpuss, but I also think it’s important to separate frustrations with TTC emkployees from those of the system as a whole. I’m probably angrier than most at things like overcrowding. Or late trains. Or unexplained stops at random subway stations for no apparent reason with the train doors open. But I think we all know that most of this can’t be pinned on the union or its members.

Then again, it’s hard to support a strike when these folks already make exponentially more than I do.

To make matters worse, we may end up out on the streets during a flood. So much for our safe streets. And I know all of this sucks, but at this point I think I’d take a bit of flooding (though not a bit of mugging) if it meant sur-zero temperatures. That’s why God invented capris, no?

Oh, and if my limp-wristed commentary has offended you, you may want to think about running me over with your new Ford. It’s okay to buy them again! Perfect for hate crimes. Or, considering the company’s track record, maybe it’s just convenient timing.

Iggy Pop covering Madonna (Burning Up; Ray of Light). He half-knew the songs, and Madonna was half smiling and then he starts walking about the audience telling them to “feel the music”. Pure effing gold.

In the meantime, enjoy this Madonna/Iggy encounter from 2004:

Am I the only one?

Also down the drain is a significant portion of CBC TV’s new material. Today, Tod Maffin talks about promoting our television. Out of the three shows discussed, jPod was the only one I’d seen. I was actually a regular watcher until it was sent to the gallows of the Friday night slot. Even so, I think I was tuned in mainly out of loyalty to the book. The show had a pretty stellar cast, but no performance could save a retelling of the Coupland masterpiece sans all the good stuff. McDonald’s, Toblerone, Jeff Probst. Coupland names names; it’s one of the things that makes him great. The television series was watered down.

Of course, David Kopp was fun to look at.

Yes, please!

And speaking of attractive singers, Madonna is currently being honoured by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since she was announced as one of the five successful candidates, there’s been some outcry because apparently Madonna’s not Rock and Roll enough. Point taken, but what about Leonard Cohen? I mean, c’mon. Walk into any record store and you’ll see that the musical genre is quickly becoming a thing of the past.