Author: Bill

Danica pointed out these soon-to-be-obscured air vents and we recorded them before a condo goes up on the site next door. They are probably copper, judging by the patina. Lovely things atop a grand old Toronto Hydro utility building. Man, they built things well, once upon a time. The vents turn in the wind, thanks to their distinctive vanes.
Eagle-eyed viewers will have have noticed that the flag is distinctive, too. There’s a close-up after the break. I call it Old Sorry.

Sure, the Conservative Party of Canada has to accept its reputation for underhanded electioneering tricks, muzzling of scientists, a shameful environmental record, deportation of refugees to torture and invasive internet legislation. But that stuff doesn’t matter because Conservatives are GENIUSES at managing our finances, right?

Oh, there was a bit of bungling on the F-35s, but only by 30 or 40 billion. Balanced books inherited from Paul Martin are now carrying the biggest deficit numbers in Canadian history, but that’s because of foreigners, nothing Jim Flaherty could help. A few tens of millions in tax money somehow went into media advertising, patting the Conservative Economic Action Plan on the back, but that’s money well spent, not cheating.

Cat’s first time in snow.

Bill Byres surveys the Toronto Archives. Two storey stacks of storage boxes
Is there an easy way to access files stored in this remarkable treasure trove of old documents and photographs? Yes. The Toronto Archives building is a very pleasant building, staffed by a small band friendly, helpful archivists, so it’s well worth visiting. But first, see what they have stored in there, from the comfort of your own internet device. Here’s a link to the database.

Mr Byres and I had to go back to the corner of Bathurst and Dupont for lunch today. A couple of weeks ago we were a few steps away from Vesta Lunch’s venerable counter, enjoying a great meal at Annapurna. But when Bill told me about the time-standing-still hot hamburger at the Vesta, I suggested another lunch.
Glad I did. What a great place. Open 24 hours a day! I’ll bet there’s some very interesting company in there at 4:00 a.m. Look at how narrow the diner is… exceptional. All the old time fixtures are still functioning and movie art directors love the ambience. Bill said it’s a favourite location for shoots.
Even the coffee mugs were 50’s style… just white mugs but a little narrower than today’s. The coffee was good, fresh and the cup is bottomless. Bill and I both had hot hamburgers… two big patties smothered in gravy, sitting on a couple of slices of white Wonderbread. Fries on the side… pass the ketchup. Perfect comfort food on a crisp day. Under $10, including taxes. We left tips on the counter, too.

It looks like the convenience of simple, cookie-stored passwords will soon go away. There are just too many ways to crack them, faster and cheaper than ever.

Warm air was melting away the last dots of snow and the birds were singing when we walked along Lakeshore Boulevard this morning. The road is named for the Great Lake whose shore it traces, but you’ll have to take my word for it. City officials have chosen to decorate the water side of the Lakeshore with their own idea of what’s beautiful.

Construction continues. A huge streetcar barn is underway. The natural gas plant (McGuinty Towers) has been in place for a while now… a bit further west.

Richmond Timelapse from Sam Javanrouh on Vimeo.

Danica and I went to hear him speak at Hart House one evening, years ago. I’ve been a fan and follower of his photo blog ever since. His unique yet varied view of our (let’s be honest) sometimes not-so-lovely city is on display daily.

Inspired by the collection of quotes published by this blogger, I decided to air my own affection for the grumpy quotes of Fran Lebowitz. I’ve liked her every since I heard she’d said:

In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.

So here are some more favourites…

The leaked audit report citing lack of documentation for band spending by the Attawapiskat First Nation is having it’s intended effect. News media have focussed on the “story”, which says nothing about band misappropriation of funds. The auditors say they just don’t know in many cases.
Responsibility for this lies with both the government overseers who failed to do their job and with the band, who also failed to document properly.
Government and band council accounting shortcomings are temporarily diverting attention away from the bigger issue of Bill C-45 and, more specifically, the environmental measures included in that massive omnibus bill.
Although the leaked audit report accuses no one of misspending, the innuendo effect amounts to a smear tactic. I leave it to you to guess who might have wanted that effect to happen.