[URBAN NOTE] Three reviews of The Art of Banksy, Toronto (#theartofbanksy)

• The title of the John Sewell review in NOW Toronto, "The Art Of Banksy exhibit is utterly vulgar", sums up the critic's take on the Sterling Road exhibit, the exhibitor, and to some extent even the artist outside of the street.


• Sidney Drmay at Toronto Life concentrates more on the ephemeral Internet commentary, of tweets and memes, surrounding The Art of Banksy.


• Adrian Lee at MacLean's suggests that the mechanics of The Art of Banksy--how the show was mounted, and so on--are perhaps as interesting as the art displayed therein.

[PHOTO] One photo of blue sky on Dupont and three photos of flowers on Pacific Avenue

I took a stroll early this morning, dashing to the west and then dashing back again under a perfect blue sky.



Flowers I saw on Pacific Avenue--rose of sharon flowers on a tree, tiger lilies by the street, hollyhock curling up a pole--cheered me. I love these colours.

[URBAN NOTE] Five Toronto links: Drag Queen storytelling, Toronto FC, Eglinton, Parkdale, Jane/Finch

• blogTO notes< that Christian fundamentalist news source Life Site News is unhappy with the drag queen storytelling hours offered by the Toronto public library system.


• Why did Toronto FC fans set a fire in the stands in Ottawa while their team was playing there? Foolishness. blogTO reports.


• Urban Toronto shares some insights about Eglinton Crosstown construction on Eglinton Avenue East, here.


• NOW Toronto reports on a much-needed Toronto initiative to support rooming houses in Parkdale, here.


• New Community Safety Minister Michael Tibollo's claimed need to wear a bulletproof vest in visiting Jane and Finch is, at best, overkill. The Toronto Star reports.

[URBAN NOTE] Five city links: London, Halifax, Cerro Belmonte, Munich, Hong Kong

• CBC reports on a terrible incident of racist harassment at a London, Ontario Sobeys grocery store, where one man tried to detain someone non-white as a supposed "illegal."


• Global News reports on a scandal in Halifax's growing Buddhist community, of sexual improprieties by a leader, here.


• Ozy reports on how Fidel Castro helped the Madrid suburb of Cerro Belmonte fight off an expropriation bid, here.


• Citylab discusses the proposal for an aerial gondola in Munich, as part of that city's mass transit system.


• Matthew Keegan at Guardian Cities describes how feng shui remains a central feature of design and architecture in Hong Kong.

[ISL] Five island links: Northern Ireland, Malta, Mallorca, Nauru, Jeju

• Tory MEP Charles Tannock notes how Brexiteers' disregards for the special interests of Northern Ireland threaten to un-do the United Kingdom. He writes in the New Statesman.


• Can Malta become a world centre for blockchain production? CBB reports.


• Anti-tourism protests in the Balearic island of Mallorca are gaining strength. Condé Nast reports


• The conditions facing refugees detained by the Australian government on the island of Nauru are horrific. The Guardian reports.


• Yemeni refugees residing on the South Korean island of Jeju, known for its tourist industry, are encountering mixed reactions. The South China Morning Post reports.