[PHOTO] Office behind glass, Bloor-Yonge TTC station

This office on the Bloor level of the Bloor-Yonge TTC station was, for a change, not hidden from public view by darkened glass when I passed by on Wednesday.

[VIDEO] 26 Dupont, from St. George Station west past Dovercourt, facing south

"26 Dupont, from St. George Station west past Dovercourt, facing south" (Watch on YouTube)

After a brief detour west on Prince Arthur Avenue and north on St. George Street, the 26 Dupont bus heads west on its usual route along Dupont Street. I filmed until after the bus passed Dovercourt Road. The transition from dense and expensive housing at the route's beginning downtown, through gentrifying areas on Dupont, towards the mixed residential-industrial districts at the west, is eyecatching.

[BLOG] Some Friday links

• The Big Picture shares photos of the Fort McMurray fire in Alberta.


• blogTO shares</> shares photos of Yorkdale Mall in the 1960s and 1970s.


• Centauri Dreams notes the odd interaction of Pluto with the solar wind.


• The Dragon's Tales notes that, however Planet Nine got there, it's an anomaly.


• The Everyday Sociology Blog looks at the demographics of studying aging populations.


• Joe. My. God. notes that with the ascendancy of trump, at least some prominent evangelicals are disengaging.


• Marginal Revolution notes that Japan has quite a few charging stations for electric cars.


• Maximos62 notes that extensive dam construction on the Mekong threatens the entire area.


• Steve Munro notes the very erratic nature of the 510 Spadina streetcar.


• The NYRB Daily notes an exhibit of Russian portraits.


• Spacing Toronto reviews a book exploring the transformation of Paris into a walkable city par excellence.


• Strange Maps notes maps showing some unusual divisions of different countries into equal halves.


• Towleroad notes that Colton Haynes has come out.


• Transit Toronto notes another disruption of the Bloor-Danforth subway this weekend.


• Libertarian Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy explains why Hillary Clinton is a better choice than Donald Trump.


• Window on Eurasia notes how Russia is using the Second World War as propaganda.

[NEWS] Some Friday links

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-05/the-biggest-party-in-pyongyang-will-shape-north-korea-s-economy
http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-05-05/sometimes-a-nimby-is-a-just-a-nimby

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-three-amigos-1.3567229?cmp=rss
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mike-duffy-speaks-first-time-1.3568130?cmp=rss
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/fort-mcmurray-insurance-cost-1.3568113?cmp=rss
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/syrian-refugees-food-banks-1.3562887
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cellphones-crtc-cheap-plans-1.3562679

http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/05/seeking-a-new-farming-revolution/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/160502-rising-seas-climate-change-atlantic-city/

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto-police-sergeant-charged-with-sexual-assault-for-the-second-time-in-two-months

https://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/ralf-grabendorff/cuestiones-geopol-ticas-en-el-cono-sur-una-visi-n-desde-buenos-ai

http://www.universetoday.com/128710/new-particle-announced/
http://www.universetoday.com/128711/how-do-we-terraform-ceres/

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/richard-nicholson-the-projectionists/
http://www.wired.com/2016/05/insane-challenges-fighting-albertas-inferno/

[NEWS] Some Friday links

• Bloomberg notes the upcoming meeting of North Korea's governing party, observes the absence of a groundswell in favour of Brexit in the United Kingdom, and notes NIMBYism can appear in many forms.


• CBC reports on the upcoming summit of North American leaders, notes Mike Duffy's first appearance in the Senate, reports on the likely huge toll of insurance payouts in Fort McMurray, and notes the dependence of many Syrian refugees on food banks in Canada.


• The Independent notes that Brexit might depend on the votes of Wales, which could be swayed either way by the fate of the Port Talbot steel plant.


• The Inter Press Service notes, in a photo essay, how Third World farmers are seeking a technological revolution for their industry.


• National Geographic notes how Atlantic City is coping with rising seas, mainly badly in ways which hurt the poor.


• Open Democracy considers the Argentine government's likely approach to geopolitics in the South Atlantic.


• Universe Today notes the possible discovery of a new particle and looks at how Ceres might, or might not, be terraformed.


• Wired looks at a new documentary on film projectionists and reports on the difficulties of fighting the Alberta wildfire.

[URBAN NOTE] "High Park’s cherry trees may not blossom this year"

blogTO was kind enough to list places other than High Park in the city of Toronto where cherry blossoms may be found. I may have to make these pilgrimages, for, as Steve" Kupferman writes in Toronto Life, the inconstant spring may mean that there will be no sakura in High Park this year.

Anyone planning on Instagramming the hell out of their cherry blossom picnic may want to sit down for this. Steve Joniak, who in past years has been reliable at forecasting peak bloom in High Park’s famous Somei-Yoshino cherry groves, writes on his Sakura Watch blog that this year’s fluctuating temperatures will prevent the vast majority of the little pink flowers from poking out of their buds.

“2016 proved to be such an up and down year that we simply didn’t have enough consecutive warm days to help the trees along,” Joniak writes. “[I]f they are stuck in this cycle long enough, they just forget [blossoming] and let the leaves take over instead.”

The High Park Nature Centre agrees with this assessment. “If they do bloom in mid-to-late May there will certainly be fewer flowers,” the centre’s website says.

Links are at the site.

[URBAN NOTE] "Videofag closes shop"

Daily Xtra's Chris Dupuis notes the impending end of queer theatre forum Videofag. It was huge; it mattered.

Three-and-a-half years ago, two boys fell in love and decided to move into a dilapidated Kensington Market barbershop. The goal was to create both their first home together and a community art space where like-minded folk could convene to share ideas and show work.

The unlikely success of William Ellis and Jordan Tannahill’s romantically-inspired business venture has been astounding to everyone, including them. Nearly four years, several hundred events and one breakup later, the duo are giving up their lease and moving on with their lives.

“From the beginning we never wanted to grow into a permanent institution,” Tannahill says. “Getting bigger and more established wasn’t the goal. It was always supposed to be something transient, here one moment and gone the next. The space was really borne out of our romantic relationship and about sharing a home and a life together. We’re still good friends, but now that we’re no longer partners it feels like the right time to move onto a new adventure.”

The unapologetically queer space has been critical hub for homo artists from Toronto and across Canada. It’s served as a development point for works that have gone on to play Vancouver’s PuSh Festival, The Kitchen and Dixon Place in New York, Buddies in Bad Times, Harbourfront Centre, and Montreal’s Festival TransAmérique. But when you ask the pair what they’re most proud of, the answer has nothing to do with their programming.

“I feel very good about the fact we’ve maintained really great relations with our neighbours and landlord,” Ellis says. “We spend a lot of time worrying about the impact of the space on their lives, and I think we’ve done a good job negotiating that and they’ve been incredibly generous and patient with us.”

“Managing to pay our rent every month has been a pretty big accomplishment,” Tannahill adds. “That and not getting busted by the cops for selling beer out of our kitchen.”

[URBAN NOTE] "Kensington Market is Becoming a Haven for Pot Dispensaries"

The subtitle of Stefanie Phillips' Torontoist article, "'I'm so surprised,' said no one ever[,]", sums up my reaction as well.

On a road trip from Florida to San Diego and up the Pacific coast to British Columbia, Chris Cardozo made a pit stop in Venice Beach, California, where he purchased a licence to buy marijuana from dispensaries. From there, the Toronto-bound Cardozo stopped at dispensaries all along the way. “This is how it should be everywhere,” he thought. “This is awesome.”

Cardozo saw the weed industry like Mark Zuckerberg saw the internet: it was prosperous. He needed to get his foot in—and Toronto was the next mecca.

With help from business partners, Cardozo opened his own dispensary in Kensington Market: Toronto Holistic Cannabinoids, or THC (the acronym was intentional). Sitting on the corner of Baldwin Street and Kensington Avenue, THC was the second dispensary in the Market when it opened in July 2015. Now, almost a year later, there are 10 others.

The Market, Cardozo predicts, is well on its way to becoming Toronto’s hub for medicinal marijuana. “I don’t think these shops are going anywhere,” he says.

The Kensington Business Improvement Area is aware of the rise of dispensaries in the Market. They’ve seen trends before with vintage clothing stores, coffee houses, and bar-restaurants—but nothing as contentious as dispensaries. BIA chair and Market business owner Mike Shepherd says the increase in the shops is on the BIA’s list of concerns and it’s talked about at almost every meeting.

[URBAN NOTE] "Popeyes in fight over Halal chicken"

I'm not Muslim, but I do eat occasionally at Popeyes. Laura Stone's Toronto Star report highlights an interesting controversy.

A group of Muslim restaurant franchisees is fighting fast-food chain Popeyes Louisiana Chicken in court over the right to sell hand-slaughtered Halal meat for religious reasons.

The battle in Ontario Superior Court comes after the Atlanta-based franchise moved to replace the chicken supply with machine-killed birds in 14 Toronto restaurants. The company says it’s still Halal-certified; the franchisees claim the machine method is against the beliefs of a majority of Muslims.

“If I begin selling machine-slaughtered chicken, I will immediately lose an enormous segment of my customers,” reads the sworn affidavit from Abdul Haffejee, who owns eight Popeyes in the GTA.

Haffejee, who donates Popeyes chicken to mosques and sponsored Muslim Day at Canada’s Wonderland, said between 50 and 80 per cent of his customers are Muslim.

“All of the members of the Muslim community that I have worked so hard to attract will be gone instantly. They cannot be replaced,” he said in his affidavit, claiming tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars at stake.

Halal is a term used to denote if something is lawful in the Islamic faith.

There are specific requirements for killing animals: a slaughterer who is Muslim or a believer, a blessing, and certain arteries cut before the slaughter.

For over 25 years, Popeyes sold hand-slaughtered Halal meat in all of its 59 southern Ontario stores, according to court documents. This occurred without major incident until January this year, when the long-time supplier announced it would be getting out of the hand-slaughtered chicken business because it was moving on to larger birds, an industry trend.

[URBAN NOTE] "The top 33 bookstores in Toronto by type"

Derek Flack's blogTO list might be best taken as an indicative list rather than a master one. It's still quite a good reference.

Toronto book stores haven't all packed up shop just yet. On the contrary, a survey of the city's book scene reveals that bricks and mortar shops are still plentiful despite the near-constant doom and gloom we hear related to online sales. In fact, the local book shops that have been the most resilient in the face of competition are independent outfits with a specific focus.

These are the top book stores in Toronto by type.

Academic Books
The Bob Miller Book Room is tucked away in the basement of a building near Bloor and Avenue Rd. but grad students will know it as a place to find academic trade paperbacks that you can't your hands on anywhere else. If you like literary theory and history, a visit here is a must.

African and Caribbean Literature
A Different Booklist is a cross-genre bookstore with a focus on literature and history related to Toronto's African and Caribbean communities, but it's more than that too. Here you'll find an excellent selection of books for youth, texts on international politics, and human rights.

Architecture and design
For coffee table worthy design and architecture books, look no further than Swipe Books at 401 Richmond. Owner David Michaelides is passionate about books and stocks his store with hard-to-find titles that you won't see on shelves elsewhere. The magazine stock is also pro.

The list continues for another thirty entries. It's quite worth reading.

[URBAN NOTE] "Toronto’s Queen Video was my film school during a dark time"

I quite like Christopher Blow's March essay at The Globe and Mail, with photos by Fred Lum, about his tenure at Toronto's Queen Video. The video store might be displaced by the Internet, but it leaves behind a rich legacy for the people involved.

The situation was dire. I didn’t have work. The proceeds from my first welfare cheque had evaporated. To eat, I scrounged from Kensington vegetable stands. I needed a job.

A friend told me there was an opening at Queen Video. I didn’t know a lot about movies, but I’d worked in retail and restaurants before. I applied and I got a position as a video clerk. Eleven dollars an hour. I felt rich.

But I didn’t know yet how rich I’d become.

After 35 years in business, the flagship store on Queen Street is now closing up shop. I worked there for one of those years, and what I learned during that time transformed me.

[. . .]

When I first met Howie Levman, the owner, I expected him to be a film buff. He’s not really. He’s a businessman above all. He opened the store in 1981 selling televisions and VCRs with just a few movies. It was clear that what he wanted to do was put films on the shelf that people were going to rent.

The store is at Queen and Spadina, the beating heart of downtown Toronto, so that meant a lot of interesting people. Hippies, punks, rockers, nerds, the early evolutionary kin of the Bellwoods hipster. Film geeks come in all sorts.

But the store wasn’t just for them. The shelves were always stocked with dozens of copies of the biggest hits and they went like hot-cakes.

On any given night, the aisles were bustling. A customer would tell you about a film you should see. No academic review – just “have you seen this?” So you took home one more film and learned a little more.

There is much more at The Globe and Mail. Go, read.