Month: January 2014

Mystified by the Harper Government’s building of more federal prisons even though the crime rate has been falling year after year? As we learn how our domestic spy agencies are breaking the law, the need for a lot of jails to house them becomes clear.
Canada’s Action Plan. It all makes sense.

This guy was kind enough to interrupt his duties in the Al Premium superstore to let me snap his picture. Then he was quickly back on his rounds, delivering gifts of lucky New Year candy to browsing shoppers.

Danica, a Year of the Horse person, was introducing me to the hugely diverse selection of products near Eglinton and Birchmount. In fact, she treated me to lunch there … a delicious, garlicky chicken shawarma.
Then we drove off to buy more mat board for the Helen framing project. More about that soon. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Worth 3 minutes to build your computer literacy, no?

The comparison between numbers of lines of code in Linux versus lines of writing in literature is utterly absurd, but Linux is making a powerful impact in its own way.

I just learned that the Toronto Public Library is in negotiations with digital media streaming service Hoopla. Soon, I expect that library card holders will have free online access to 10,000 movies.
One more reason why I won’t need Netflix. apparently Hoopla offerings will often be releases that came out a few years ago, but oldies are goodies and I have probably missed seeing many of them. I’ll be able to check them out with a simple login and watch them on my home screen.
Victoria, Edmonton and Hamilton are already ahead of Toronto, so I’m glad we are catching up.

This grrrrreat photo was on the birthday card I got from my Windsor family, the Drcas. Not too sure what the old lion is doing. Maybe yawning before a big nap? Sounds right. Anyway, he looks happy about it. That’s the main thing.
Thank you for the tasty gift, Kathy, Paul, Kristie, Nicole and Mollie. I promise to enjoy it unwisely.

Painter Gilles Arsenault is going up on the walls of Andrew Horne’s Flying Pony Café. The official opening is on Saturday (drop in 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.) but I was lucky enough to stop in for coffee just as Andrew was hanging the first canvases. Gilles was busy signing the backs, so I got to meet him. too.
The show is well named. Gilles Arsenault uses colour in completely surprising combinations that really work. I thought the pieces looked like jewels hanging against the dark brick of the Flying Pony exhibition wall. Compositions wrap right around the stretchers, so no need for frames.
The chap assisting with title tags asked about one of the paintings, “What’s this one called?” “Excellent, if I say so myself,” Arsenault replied. “Could you make that title a little shorter?” asked the tag man. “Just use the first letter of each word,” I suggested.
Now you know what the work called EIISSM is about.
You can call the next one “Modesty is Bullshit”, laughed Andrew Horne.

Thinking different.

Harry Locke turns 87 today. He was my English, Art and Music teacher during my high school years at University Hill in Vancouver. Harry was one of those rare teachers who influence students for their lifetimes. He opened my eyes and ears to literature, to art (especially avant garde art) and music. Harry composed music, too. I remember attending a performance of one of his works in the 1960s. Full orchestra. I was very impressed.

Harry did more than teach, appreciate and create art … he encouraged and supported others. So important! Above, he appears in a 1989 photo taken in Bill Reid’s studio, while the famous Spirit of Haida Gwaii sculpture was still in its plaster stage. That’s my mother, Helen Andersen with him. The photographer was probably Bill Reid himself, because he appears with Helen in this picture, taken the same day, probably by Harry.

Thank you, Jack Richmond, (a former classmate) for alerting us all to Harry’s birthday. I’m sure many stories and good wishes will pour in for this distinguished, kind and accomplished man. He’s one of the good guys.

There is some question about how long this game will be available, so abuse it while you can.
The trick is to make labels that get around Coke’s list of banned words. A nod to the creator of Puck Futin.
At the same time, you find out about some of Coke’s sensitivities. The word “calories” is on the blacklist, and even the word “water”.
[My NoMore Fords can was inspired by Cheryl Cooke’s excellent campaign cry for Toronto, 2014]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI6f3FTNr2U&sns=em
Danica and I both enjoy this little spot, not just because we live in Truntoh but because the acting and editing is so nicely done. We like Oka Cheese, too.
“Kes-kah-say le cheese don le my wife’s boosh.” Magnifique!