[PHOTO] Two Kensington Market Synagogues

Toronto's Kensington Market district was arguably first defined by waves of Jewish immigrants towards the end of the 19th century as Elysse Zarek writes at www.jewishtorontoonline.net.

Jews settled in Toronto as early as 1832, but the waves of immigration from Eastern Europe didn’t take place until 1890. Arriving poor and with limited English language skills, the new immigrants sought work in the garment factories and congregated in the cheapest area of town, bounded by Yonge, Queen and Gerrard Sts. and University Ave. Synagogues, kosher food shops and schools sprung up in the neighbourhood. By 1914, the community began to creep west to Spadina Avenue and the streets behind it. Four years later, Kensington Market had several synagogues and an outdoor market. As the decades past, the Jewish community moved west and north along Bathurst St.

The diaspora along the Bathurst Corridor happened and most of the Jews left to be replaced by migrants of any number of nationalities, and most of their religious institutions closed down, but at least two didn't and remain active.

Anshei Minsk Synagogue, 10 St. Andrew's Street
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

I've blogged in the past about Anshei Minsk Synagogue at 10 St. Andrew's Street, its name suggesting the congregation's origins in migrants from today's Belarus. The synagogue's website goes into more detail, also establishing the congregation as orthodox.

Kiever Synagogue, 25 Bellevue Avenue
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

I haven't blogged in the past about the Kiever Synagogue at 25 Bellevue Avenue, though I made an informed guess that the shul was founded (in 1914, as it happens) by migrants from the area of Kyiv. In fact, the congregation was founded in 1914 Ukrainian migrants, but only in 1927 was the modern synagogue opened up. This building was declared a historic site in 1979.

[PHOTO] Looking south, past Varsity Stadium

Looking south, past Varsity Stadium
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

I know that I've posted this view of downtown Toronto across the low-lying Varsity Centre, but to me this picture symbolizes so much about the Toronto that I love that I don't care if I'm double-posting.

[LINK] "Plains of Titan to be Named for "Dune" Novels"

Thanks to james_nicoll for pointing out this piece of news to me.

Titan's mysterious dark plains will be named after planets in the series of "Dune" science fiction novels by author Frank Herbert. The US Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center announced the first plain or "planitia" given a name will be designated as Chusuk Planitia. Chusuk was a planet from the Dune series, known for its musical instruments. Chusuk Planitia on Titan is located at 5.0S, 23.5W, and in the picture here is the small, dark area next to the "C" of Chusuk.

The Cassini spacecraft has enabled us to finally see these dark plains on Titan. This moon is enveloped by an orange haze of naturally produced photochemical smog that frustratingly obscured its surface prior to Cassini's arrival. Since 2004, the spacecraft's observations have taken the study of this unique world into a whole new dimension.

This link leads to a PDF map of Titan including the named features.

Amusingly, this news appeared that the same time that I saw Lynch's 1984 film Dune and other things. It was cool news to share with friends then.

[LINK] "LiveJournal Confirms DDoS Attack After Twitter Hit"

So this is why I couldn't get onto Livejournal for most of today.

LiveJournal is the latest social networking site to confirm a denial-of-service attack, company officials confirmed Thursday.

LiveJournal was hit with the DDoS attack at approximately 6 AM Pacific time, a spokesman said in an e-mail. The company cannot 100 percent confirm that it is the same attack that plagued Twitter this morning, but "it would be a huge coincidence if they aren't tied to one another," he said.

Things are now back to normal on LiveJournal.com, the spokesman said.

[LINK] "Madonna 'To Close Finnish Sea' For Gig"

Doesn't 80 thousand people equate to 2% of the Finnish population?

Madonna has applied to close the seas around Helsinki, Finland so she can commandeer a small island to stage a gig for 80,000 people, according to reports.

The Holiday hitmaker is taking her Sticky & Sweet world tour to Jatkasaari, Helsinki in August (09).

And she has applied to officials to close the sea and airspace over the area to prevent ticketless fans from enjoying the spectacle for free, reports Britain's Daily Star Sunday.

A source tells the publication, "Madonna couldn't find a stadium in Finland big enough for all her fans so instead she's taking over an island.

Is she especially big in Finland?

[URBAN NOTE] "Union Station makeover finally a GO"

I quite like Union Station, not only for its architecture but for its central role in Toronto's passenger rail and subway networks. Renovating it is a good thing.

Almost nine years after the City of Toronto took over Union Station, the money has finally been found to carry out a $640 million revamp of the landmark transportation hub.

By early next year, major work will be underway to transform the building into a more commuter-friendly place with larger concourses, a major underground retail mall and new head office for GO Transit in the west wing.

The project is to be completed by 2015.

One of the first jobs is to build a new PATH tunnel under York St. north to Wellington St., which commuters will use while work goes on to refurbish the GO concourse and triple the space to 122,000 square feet, vastly improving pedestrian flow.

Yesterday, the federal government announced it would chip in $133 million, on top of $172 million from the province, for a total of $305 million from the two governments.

"All of us who use the GO train and who use VIA Rail know how important Union Station is and know how much it is in need of revitalization and renovation, and the ability to handle more people," said federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

[. . .]

The announcement was made on the north side of Front St. with the station forming an impressive backdrop – but one that also showed signs of the building's neglect, with water-stained and mossy masonry clearly visible.

The renovation plans have the potential to turn the building into a transportation showpiece, with improvements to the subway, GO and VIA train as well as bus travel and a possible future rail link to Pearson International Airport.

Now I have to find the time--and, sadly, the money--to visit the TTC Transit Stuff store at the subway level.