[PHOTO] West from Broadview and Danforth, evening

[PHOTO] Two photos of a Heiltsuk canoe, AMNH (@amnh)

The legend suggested this giant ornate canoe came from the Northwest Coast, most probably from the Heiltsuk of coastal British Columbia.

[BLOG] Some Wednesday links

• Yesterday, James Bow celebrated the 16th anniversary of his blog.


• Centauri Dreams shares some of the latest probe imagery from the Kuiper Belt.


• D-Brief notes the amount of energy used in bitcoin mining in Iceland is set to surpass the energy used by Iceland's human population. This cannot be a viable trajectory.


• The Dragon's Tales notes the steady expansion of China's nascent space industry, with Wenchang on the southern island of Hainan being a particular focus.


• Drone360 notes that, in certain conditions, drones can make parcel deliveries at a lower environmental cost than traditional courier methods.


• io9 notes Wesley Snipes' observations as to why Blade is not more generally recognized as the first big superhero film.


• JSTOR Daily notes the various influences, from those of formal portraiture to African-American folk culture, in the recent Amy Sherald painting of Michelle Obama and her dress.


• Language Hat notes the publication of a new collection of the poems of Juan Latino, an African slave in 16th century Spain who went on to become a free man and leading poet.


• Lawyers, Guns and Money notes the appalling treatment that many national parks in the US are going to experience, deprived of professional management and opened to development.


• Lingua Franca, at the Chronicle of Higher Education, notes how on Valentine's Day there is such a close and visible link between hearts and ashes.


• The LRB Blog notes outbursts of racism and fascism in Italy following a murder of an Italian by an immigrant.


• Leon Aron at the NYR Daily looks at the past century of millennarianism in the politics of countries on the edge, from Lenin to ISIS.


• Towleroad notes how Burberry has introduced the colours of the LGBTQ rainbow to its plaid in its February 2018 collection, as a fundraiser for charity.


• Window on Eurasia notes a demographer who predicts, on the basis of reliable demographic trends, a sharp uptick in the Muslim proportion of the Russian population in coming decades.

[URBAN NOTE] Six Toronto links: Come From Away, Toronto Tool Library, 401 Richmond, homeless, crime

• Toronto Life interviews the creators of hit musical Come From Away, come back from New York City to play in Toronto.


• blogTO notes that crowdfunding has saved the Toronto Tool Library.


• Toronto city council backs a bigger tax break for culture hubs like 401 Richmond, the Toronto Star reports.


• Paul Salvatori at NOW Toronto reports on one night--sad, fearful--that he spent in a Toronto shelter for the homeless. Surely the city can do better?


• The Church of the Holy Trinity recently saw a memorial ceremony for the homeless of Toronto. The Toronto Star reports.


• The iconic Leuty lifeguard station, down at Woodbine Beach, was recently tagged with racist graffiti. Police are investigating.

[URBAN NOTE] Four city links: New York City, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Regina

• The landlord who destroyed the 5Pointz warehouse in New York City, for real estate development, despite the importance of its graffiti, has been ordered to compensate the art's creators almost seven million dollars. VICE reports.


• Pittsburgh's model of urban renaissance, based on heavy investment in high-tech and education, is still used as a model for cities everywhere. Bloomberg View has it.


• Vancouver has announced plans to remove viaducts and to replace them with towers and park space. Global News reports.


• Saskatoon and Regina, the two leading cities of Saskatchewan, are leading Canada in terms of growth. Global News reports.

[ISL] Five islands notes: Caribbean and Jamaica migration, Diomedes, Indonesia, Finland

• Lyman Stone, at In A State of Migration, takes a look at the slow population growth in even the well-off Caribbean, thanks to substantial emigration.


• At Jamaica Observer, Edward Seaga summarizes the history of Jamaican emigration--economically necessary--and worries about the impact of Trump.


• Bad Astronomer Phil Plait takes a look at Big Diomede and Little Diomede, two islands in the Bering Strait that not only have different sovereigns (the US and Russia) but different dates, too.


• Russell Darnley takes a look at how the indigenous population of Siberut, an Indonesian island west of Sumatra, are dealing with the effects of deforestation and cultural disruption.


• Global News reports on an entrepreneur who wants to make an island in Finland into a women-only resort.