Month: February 2014

Moderator: CBC journalist Jesse Brown, Panelists: Colin Freeze — Globe and Mail national security reporter, Ron Deibert — U of T prof and Citizen Lab director, Wesley Wark, U of Ottawa prof and two-term member of the PM’s Advisory Council on National Security.

Is it good to know that our government is spying on us and making end runs around our Charter rights to privacy? Even if there seems to be little we can do about it?
A two-hour panel discussion at the Toronto Reference Library raised these questions and revealed the stunning extent of corporate and government espionage. The price tag to do this to ourselves has rocketed upwards, apparently unchecked. No end in sight. Very little in sight, in fact. The laws governing our spies are themselves secret.

Kash and Carlotta opened a nifty Italian gelato shop on the main street of Niagara-on-the-Lake last season. Big hit! So now it’s tweaking time and Kash is always looking for little ways to please his customers. When he told me about plans for a storefront bench, I was tantalized by the opportunity to put some branding on it. Kash says it’s a go.
UPDATE: Nice try, but the Department for the Preservation of Artificial Quaintness will allow only a small plaque on the bench. The words are OK, though …. so far. The yellow is illegal, I think.

Detailed rebuttal of Porter spin, here … Say No Petition, here.

Danica and I went to watch the Porter PR machine work the room at a civic meeting in Scarborough tonight. Before we even entered the auditorium, we were handed glossy leaflets promoting Porter plans for Island airport expansion. They want to overturn the ban on jets, too.
Inside, it immediately became clear that Porter boss Deluce had a stack of employees in the audience. Nothing says he can’t do that, but his claque could not outdo the opposition. Porter has spent plenty on lobbyists, publicists and advertising. Money talks.
Money talks, twists and distorts. Jets are “whisper jets”, 400 metre runway extensions into the lake are “modest”. “Polls” have one third of Torontonians flying Porter. Yeah, sure.
Money also connects. One of the funniest jokes of the evening was unintentional. Playing down Porter’s violations of curfew times, Deluce bowed his head and said that his company had paid fines for these transgressions. Guess who collects the fines? Porter’s expansion-backing friends at the Toronto Port Authority. And guess who gives the Toronto Port Authority a huge part of its income? Porter, of course.
If the Toronto waterfront is to stay out from under jet traffic, citizens will have to defeat a persistent, wily foe. Loud voices, publicity tricks and determination will be required.

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The Leslieville Flea Market gets around. I first heard about it when it was being held at the Jimmy Simpson Community Centre on Queen but we caught up with it today in the Distillery District’s Fermenting Cellar.
Great location. Like a giant industrial age attic. Terrific grungy walls, spotty lighting and loads of oversized, rusting iron fixtures. Talk about atmosphere!

Samuel Johnson’s famous quotation continues to ring true. I shudder with revulsion when the word “patriotism” is in Rob Ford’s mouth. Same goes for Tim Horton’s “patriotic” advertising, hiding their so-so products behind a screen of sentimental Canadiana.
Are we really as gullible as the scoundrels believe?

Nice to see some greenery after all of my snow photos, eh? Friend John McCready was born in Burundi to his missionary parents, but grew up in North America. Having reached a stage in his life where he is able to think about more than just his personal well-being, John went back to the land of his birth to see if he could contribute something.
Burundi is a small country in Africa, near Kenya. Its economy is not providing sufficient income or food for its citizens, so John has been organizing practical, grassroots projects that Burundians can run on their own. You can read about them on his blog. The picture above illustrates a tree-planting project.
John goes over to Burundi at least a couple of times a year, paying his own way, to consult and guide the initiatives that he has started.

John and Ruth Colombo came over today, to converse and deliver two fresh copies of John’s latest book of poems, “effects” and “dream diaries”. John and I collaborate on ideas for the covers of these annual publications, so I am always eager to see the finished, printed book. This one came out very well, expressing JR’s wish for something with a film noir feel.

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The wind wasn’t biting today, so an opportunity to enjoy the ice-coated lakeside was too good to pass up.
Most Torontonians are tired of the lengthy winter we’ve been having, but when I look out at the lake, I wouldn’t want to do without this season. It has its charm, and the snow pack will greatly help the trees later on. Our urban canopy took a hit during the ice storm, with many mature trees suffering broken limbs. A good, deep watering by slowly melting snow will help many of them to recover.

Canada’s national rodent takes its toll, too. There must be a pun available about winter’s bite. Should I make one? Gnawwww.

Above: A still grabbed from the live web cam pointing at London’s most famous crosswalk. You can watch in real time as Beatles worshippers stop traffic to capture their own version of the 1969 album cover.

Sign of Spring?