Toronto Public Library card holders may take out 5 streaming loans per month … movies and music. Movies are available for three days, albums for seven. Content is automatically “returned” when the time is up. You get a fresh 5 loans each month but you can’t carry over unused loans from previous months.
Why try to list what’s available when you can go see for yourself?

Would you pass up a chance to make a rhyming headline? Neither would I.
Two announcements:
I have maxxed the RAM in my iMac to 6 gigs, using a kit I imported from Other World Computing.
I have also begun work on another Colombo book cover. The man never rests. His latest is about Sax Rohmer, inventor of the evil Dr. Fu Manchu.
The RAM increase was in anticipation of installing the latest, free OS X operating system from Apple, called Mavericks. Although I am pleased to have more RAM, I have decided not to let Mavericks onto my iMac yet. It has a bad reputation for slowing down computers and I don’t think more RAM will be enough to solve the problem. I shall wait for a later version.

Danica and I were among the first to see this important show, which opened today at the Art Gallery of Ontario and runs until July 20th. Of course, Torontonians are privileged to own a large collection of works by Henry Moore, but this was my first viewing of Francis Bacon‘s work, other than in reproduction.
So Bacon first. The AGO has had to display the huge, framed canvases behind shiny glass and has been unable to light them satisfactorily. Reflections of the surrounding gallery, patrons and lights make viewing difficult. It’s bad enough to be serious problem, especially for Bacon’s darkest pictures, which act as mirrors. Too bad.

True story:
Our friend Kathy Bertrand tipped a neighbour to the fact that kitty litter is as good as sand on slippery, icy sidewalks.
When she saw that her advice had been taken, she went to the neighbour again.
“NOT USED KITTY LITTER!” she said.

Never a dull moment at the Flying Pony Café and art emporium. This month’s artist is Anthony Marrelli and he has filled Andrew Horne’s walls with foodie, sexy surrealism.

Overacting girlies and guys have had their lusty faces clipped and pasted onto colourful freehand drawings of stylized bodies, not doing what they were doing in the skin mags they came from, but eating, drinking, smoking and talking on cellphones. The effect is very funny, but critical at the same time.
Bodies with human porno faces look especially ridiculous in the company of bodies with animal heads. Goats, rams, bears and wildcats often look intelligent, reserved and dignified, compared with silly, hedonistic humans.
The digs at self-absorbed, gratification-obsessed society are clear, but they are lighthearted, too. That owes partly to the loose, carefree rendering style. Marrelli has a lot of skill at drawing, but his work doesn’t look in the least laboured.
Andrew Horne figured people would either love or hate the show. Personally, I don’t see what’s to hate, unless people think the human figures are wearing religious garb. At at glance, many of the figures could seem to be wearing nuns’ habits or hijabs, I guess.

As Helen advanced in years, female figures in her pictures aged, too. Not surprising, really, that she should have seen elder women as worthy subjects. Her pictures of old aboriginal women are striking. I think she identified with them.
More curious though, is a recurring image of the mythical Kwakiutl figure, Tsonoqua, Wild Woman of the Woods. What was Helen’s relationship with this strange character? Tsonoqua is an old woman monster figure who steals children and eats them. Not the sort of character you’d expect someone to identify with.

Here, Tsonoqua is a flying figure, draped in a Northwest Coast button blanket (see video below).Painting on canvas by Helen Andersen. Present location unknown.

What’s more, old Tsonoqua was slow, rather stupid and nearly blind. She also possessed great wealth. Not like Helen in any way and not much to admire.

Finally, council voted … unanimously … that they will have to study the jets issue further, before any decision can be made about airport expansion and jets. Porter’s Deluce takes this to mean that he still has a chance. Highly unlikely.
No decision will be made by this council. A new council, after the October election, will have a different make up. Only if Toronto chooses to reelect Rob Ford and a council to match will Deluce get his jets. I can’t believe Toronto will make the Rob Ford mistake twice.

The Ford Brothers were pretty much missing all morning, although Doug wandered in briefly. Mayor RoFo appeared for a few minutes after 2:00, but he did not stay long. Nothing much has happened regarding the Billy Bishop Airport … just a bit of political jockeying and querying of staff about reports.
Danica and I have been here since the meeting started at 9:30 this morning. Logged into city hall wifi, I can blog from my seat in the gallery. Porter employees are back in the audience, this time in yellow tee shirts. I think to myself, “Even their costumes are loud”. Still, the Porter crowd appears to be greatly outnumbered by No Jets people.
There’s no certainty that council will stop Porter’s plans today. It may turn out to be an anticlimactic duck and dodge meeting. It depends on the motions put forward for a vote. Council could simply vote to “receive” the most recent staff report, but to do nothing more. That would kick the debate down the road, postponing any real deliberation.
Back home again
We left at 3:15 to beat the rush hour home. At the rate things were proceeding (I would say glacial, except with global warming, glaciers are moving faster), the voting might not happen until tomorrow, or even Thursday.
Comic relief was provided by a heckler who was unable to contain himself during a particularly stupid dissertation by Councillor Mammoliti. Calling out “Sit down, sir. You are an idiot,” got the guy thrown out. He was right about Mammoliti, but wrong to shout out the obvious. The snooze fest resumed.

It’s back to city hall this April Fools Day, to root for the councillors who say NO to Porter plans for Toronto Island jet traffic.
Danica may be along this time, if a sore foot permits. The more the merrier!
There is some worry that certain councillors have gotten a way to weasel on the vote, because city staff have come up with conditions that they say should be met before jets can be approved.
A “Yes with conditions” opens the door to all kinds of trouble. Not only will this expensive, tedious sideshow drag on even longer, Porter’s Deluce will see such a vote as encouragement. If and when his jet plan is finally defeated, he will probably sue the City (us) for millions. We will waste even more time and money on this nasty business.
I certainly hope the votes will be there to stop Porter plans dead in their tracks on April 1st.

It was a fine day for free antique streetcar rides up and down Kingston Road today. Our tireless city councillor, Mary-Margaret McMahon, gave up 4 hours of her Sunday to shepherd the eager crowds aboard.

I was on a nostalgic mission to remind myself of the days when streetcars had comfortable, padded seats. Didn’t actually get to sit in one, but they looked as comfy as I remember them.