Filed under: bad news | Tags: Atlantic Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, toronto, Toronto Star, TTC, urban sprawl, WalMart
I came across this article from the Toronto Star this morning.
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.
Filed under: bad news, good news | Tags: capris, cars, flood, gays, toronto, TTC
I came across this article yesterday about streetcar-centred development. Interesting idea, but, as someone who spent more than three years living on a streetcar line, I’m not particularly excited about it. Subway lines are where it’s at. Sadly, I doubt we’ll see any more of those popping up any time soon (or ever?).
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.
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.
Filed under: bad news, eye candy, good news | Tags: Canadiana, CBC, David Kopp, douglas coupland, Jeff Probst, jPod, Leonard Cohen, madonna, McDonald's, television, Toblerone, Tod Maffin, TTC
The good news is that, now that’s caught the media’s attention, TTC washrooms may finally clean up their act. The bad news is that, until today, I didn’t know there were washrooms in subway stations.
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.
