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[PHOTO] Looking up at The Crossways
Aug. 31st, 2020 06:48 pm
St. Nicholas of Bari Catholic Church, at 1277 St. Clair Avenue West in the heart of Corso Italia, is a bit of an unusual church, built to fit into the streetscape of this traditionally Italian-Canadian neighbourhood. Still, the stained glass windows stand out, even from across the street at twilight.
I took a walk Friday evening down Yonge Street Friday evening, starting at a quarter to 7 at the Toronto Reference Library just above Bloor and finishing a couple dozen minutes later at Yonge-Dundas Square. The city was tense, but still alive.
- A historic bridge over the Credit River in Mississauga, happily, will not be demolished but instead will be repaired. CBC reports.
- Now that automobile production has stopped at the Oshawa General Motors plant, what will become of that city? CBC reports.
- The auditor-general of Ontario will investigate the claimed costs that led to the cancellation of the Hamilton LRT. Global News reports.
- A new bus route now connects London, Ontario, to Sarnia. Global News reports.
- Kingstonist reports that filming for the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery has just finished up in Kingston, at the pen.
- Joe Buongiorno writes at CBC Montreal at his, specifically Italian Canadian, experiences with the Jean Talon Market in Montréal.
- Le Devoir notes that many radio stations in Québec City are leading opposition to the proposed streetcar system.
[URBAN NOTE] Seven Toronto links
Dec. 22nd, 2019 05:48 am- Some of the apartments hit by the Gosford apartment fire have been repaired and opened to their tenants again. Global News reports.
- Steve Munro maps the 70 O'Connor bus route in action as a case study, here.
- Condo developers have created the new neighbourhood of "West St. Clair West" out of, among other established neighbourhoods, Carleton Village. blogTO reports.
- The plans for the controversial new Pharrell Williams condo development at Yonge and Eglinton look interesting. blogTO shares.
- Should Toronto have free public mass transit? NOW Toronto makes the case.
- Brian Doucet at Spacing Toronto takes a look at the Toronto CLRV streetcars in their North American context, here.
- The repeated flooding of the Toronto Islands, as NOW Toronto points out, surely demonstrates the reality of climate change for Toronto.
[BLOG] Fifteen Toronto links
Dec. 18th, 2019 11:29 am- blogTO reports that Toronto has been testing Eglinton Crosstown trains, here.
- What TTC routes might be changed by the Eglinton Crosstown? A map illustrates, over at blogTO.
- The new tower proposed for 888 Dupont, at Ossington, will even include a vertical farm. blogTO reports.
- Venerable Agincourt Mall is going to be a new condo development. blogTO reports.
- Is co-ownership actually the only way most people in Toronto will end up owning a home? blogTO considers.
- Residential tenants in a Leslieville building who complained about their landlord may end up getting evicted from a building never zoned for residents. CBC reports.
- The City of Toronto has taken over the deserted shopping arcade at Queen Street West and John. CBC reports.
- Katrina Onstad at Toronto Life tells the story of Katharine Mulherin, the Queen Street West gallery owner who changed her neighbourhood but was broken by gentrification.
- The bar Tequila Bookworm is closing, displaced by rising rents. NOW Toronto reports.
- NOW Toronto interviews night mayor Michael Thompson, here.
- Steve Munro considers the TTC's express bus services, here.
- Terra Lumina, the nighttime cultural event at the Toronto Zoo, looks fantastic in these photos over at Toronto Life.
- Oh, what the map of Toronto subways could have been if only we planned! blogTO shares one.
- Steve Munro examines the TTC's plan for 2020-2024, here.
- The TTC may not act to decrease overcrowding on some routes. blogTO reports on why.
- A new storyboard in Niagara Falls displays the importance of railways to the city. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- Niagara Falls city council is considering the idea of linking casinos by aerial car. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- Global News reports on a drug bust that saw two people arrested in Niagara Falls.
- The Niagara Falls Review reports the number of reported homicides in Niagara Region tripled in 2019, to six.
- The immersive live nativity hosted by a Niagara Falls church sounds interesting. More is here.
- A recent discussion at Niagara Falls city council was dominated by discussion of housing issues and of homelessness. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- Most revenues from the casinos of Niagara Falls have been directed to the infrastructure of the city. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- City council in Niagara Falls has approved the construction of a 72-storey hotel. Construct Connect reports.
- In November, the mayor announced the old city hall and courthouse in the downtown of Niagara Falls was scheduled to be demolished. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- The Bath House Hotel once was intended to be a centrepiece of local tourism. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- Carrie Bosco writes about the experience of a customer service associate working at the Niagara Falls Public Library, over at the Niagara Falls Review.
- The Niagara Falls Public Library in winter is a happening place for locals. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- A Chinese developer hopes that a proposed $C 1.5 billion dollar project in south Niagara Falls will still go forward. The Niagara Falls Review reports.
- Niagara Falls is going to have a hard time replacing city historian Sherman Zavitz. The Niagaa Falls Review reports.
- Niagara News reports on the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls.
[BLOG] Some Friday links
Dec. 6th, 2019 04:48 pm- Architectuul looks at the Portuguese architectural cooperative Ateliermob, here.
- Bad Astronomer Phil Plait looks at how white dwarf WD J091405.30+191412.25 is literally vapourizing a planet in close orbit.
- Caitlin Kelly at the Broadside Blog
explains - Centauri Dreams looks at the slowing of the solar wind far from the Sun.
- John Holbo at Crooked Timber considers the gap between ideals and actuals in the context of conspiracies and politics.
- The Dragon's Tales reports on how the ESA is trying to solve a problem with the parachutes of the ExoMars probe.
- Far Outliers reports on what Harry Truman thought about politicians.
- Gizmodo reports on a new method for identifying potential Earth-like worlds.
- io9 pays tribute to legendary writer, of Star Trek and much else, D.C. Fontana.
- The Island Review reports on the football team of the Chagos Islands.
- Joe. My. God. reports that gay Olympian Gus Kenworthy will compete for the United Kingdom in 2020.
- JSTOR Daily looks at how early English imperialists saw America and empire through the lens of Ireland.
- Paul Campos at Lawyers, Guns and Money does not like Pete Buttigieg.
- The LRB Blog looks at the London Bridge terrorist attack.
- The Map Room Blog shares a map of Prince William Sound, in Alaska, that is already out of date because of global warming.
- Marginal Revolution questions if Cuba, in the Philippines, is the most typical city in the world.
- The NYR Daily looks at gun violence among Arab Israelis.
- The Planetary Society Blog considers what needs to be researched next on Mars.
- Roads and Kingdoms tells the story of Sister Gracy, a Salesian nun at work in South Sudan.
- The Russian Demographics Blog shares a paper noting continued population growth expected in much of Europe, and the impact of this growth on the environment.
- Strange Maps shares a map of fried chicken restaurants in London.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains why a 70 solar mass black hole is not unexpected.
- John Scalzi at Whatever gives his further thoughts on the Pixel 4.
- Window on Eurasia notes that, last year, 37 thousand Russians died of HIV/AIDS.
- Arnold Zwicky starts from a consideration of the 1948 film Kind Hearts and Coronets.
Tags:
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- architecture,
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[URBAN NOTE] Ten Montréal links
Dec. 4th, 2019 12:26 pm- The Map Room Blog links to some old maps of Montréal.
- Major English-language newspapers in Montréal, including the Montreal Gazette, are no longer being distributed to Québec City clients. CBC reports.
- Radio-Canada employees' union is concerned over cost overruns in the construction of a new headquarters for the French-language chain. CTV NEws reports.
- La Presse notes how the to-be-demolished Champlain Bridge is a home for, among others, falcons.
- The Bibliothèque Saint-Sulpice, after the latest delay, will have been closed for nearly two decades. La Presse reports.
- The Montreal Children's Library is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a fundraiser. CBC reports.
- CBC Montreal looks at how, even without a stadium, legendary mayor Jean Drapeau brought major league baseball to his city.
- The anti-gentrification University of the Streets group has some interesting ideas. CBC reports.
- The city government of Montréal is looking into the issue of the high retail vacancy rates in parts of the city. CBC reports.
- At CBC Montreal, Ontario-born Jessica Brown writes about her struggles with employment in her adopted city.
Tags:
[URBAN NOTE] Eight Toronto links
Dec. 2nd, 2019 07:51 pm- blogTO notes the strange house, a fantasia inspired by Greece, at 1016 Shaw Street.
- blogTO shares photos from inside Paradise Theatre on Bloor, reopened after 13 years.
- blogTO notes that GO Transit will now be offering customers unlimited rides on Sundays for just $C 10.
- Photos of infamous Toronto chair girl Marcella Zoia celebrating her 20th birthday are up at blogTO, here.
- Many residents displaced by the Gosford fire in North York have been moved to hotels. Global News reports.
- A TTC worker has launched a court case against the TTC and city of Toronto over issues of air quality. Global News reports.
- Jamie Bradburn reports on how the Toronto press covered the opening of the Suez Canal, here.
- Transit Toronto explains what, exactly, workers are building at Eglinton station and Yonge and Eglinton more generally.
Downsview Park subway station is impressive, spacious in the right ways. If only it was more heavily used!
[URBAN NOTE] Six Toronto links
Nov. 28th, 2019 02:57 pm- Google has apologized for the negative shade its image search cast on Scarborough with a Twitter thread. Global News reports.
- The National Post looks at the story of the architecturally remarkable Integral House, on sale for $C 21.5 million.
- South Indian Dosa Mahal, a beloved Bloordale restaurant apparently displaced by landlords, has found a new home. blogTO reports.
- The infamous Parkdale McDonald, at King and Dufferin, has officially been closed down, relocated. blogTO reports.
- The Ontario Cannabis Store is experimenting with a same-day delivery program. NOW Toronto reports.
- Lia Grainger writes at NOW Toronto about how poor city planning has resulted in multiple dangerous intersections. (I know of two in my broader neighbourhood.)
- Ending free coffee for municipal employees in the Québec community of Pierrefonds created massive controversy. CBC reports.
- The mayor of the Francophone city of Edmundston in New Brunswick has encouraged immigrant Québec students hurt by immigration changes to come to his community. CTV News reports.
- The price of crystal meth in Saskatoon is apparently as low as $3 a bag. Global News reports.
- Guardian Cities notes how Louisville, low on trees, is trying to regreen the city as a way to deal with rising temperatures.
- Open Democracy considers if the DUP is about to lose its strongholds in Belfast.
- Guardian Cities looks at the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Kafr Aqab, a place where Palestinians can access their metropolis (and their partners).
- CityLab shares photos of the wonderful new public library of Helsinki.
[BLOG] Some Sunday links
Nov. 24th, 2019 06:39 pm- Architectuul visits the studio of Barbas Lopes Arquitectos in Lisbon, here.
- Bad Astronomer takes a look at a new paper examining the effectiveness of different asteroid detection technologies, including nuclear weapons.
- Centauri Dreams reports on a new study suggesting potentially habitable planets orbiting Alpha Centauri B, smaller of the two stars, could suffer from rapid shifts of their axes.
- John Quiggin at Crooked Timber argues some polls suggest some American conservatives really would prefer Russia as a model to California.
- Bruce Dorminey notes the discovery, by the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia, of 27 supernova remnants in our galaxy.
- The Dragon's Tales shares a collection of links about stealth aircraft, here.
- Gizmodo notes a new study suggesting that DNA is but one of very very many potential genetic molecules.
- Language Hat shares a reevaluation of the Richard Stanyhurst translation of the Aeneid, with its manufactured words. Why mightn't this have been not mockable but rather creative?
- Erik Loomis at Lawyers, Guns and Money celebrated the 50th anniversary of the takeover of Alcatraz Island by Native American activists.
- Chris Bertram writes at the LRB Blog, after the catastrophe of the Essex van filled with dozens of dead migrants, about the architecture of exclusion that keeps out migrants.
- Marginal Revolution shares a comment looking at the fentanyl crisis from a new angle.
- Jenny Uglow writes at the NYR Daily about a Science Museum exhibit highlighting the dynamic joys of science and its progress over the centuries.
- Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw takes a look at the question of how to prevent the wildfires currently raging in Australia. What could have been done, what should be done?
- The Planetary Society Blog reports on proposals from China for two long-range probe missions to interstellar space, including a Neptune flyby.
- Drew Rowsome reviews the wonderfully innocent Pinocchio currently playing at the Young People's Theatre.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel looks at the evidence for the universe, maybe, being closed.
- Window on Eurasia notes that the Alexandria Patriarchate is the next Orthodox body to recognize the Ukrainian church.
- Arnold Zwicky looks at irregular versus regular, as a queer word too.
Tags:
- alpha centauri,
- architecture,
- asteroids,
- astronomy,
- australia,
- blogs,
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[BLOG] Some Friday links
Nov. 22nd, 2019 06:45 pm(A day late, I know; I crashed after work yesterday.)
- Antipope's Charlie Stross has a thought experiment: If you were superwealthy and guaranteed to live a long health life, how would you try to deal with the consequence of economic inequality?
- Vikas Charma at Architectuul takes a look at the different factors that go into height in buildings.
- Bad Astronomy notes S5-HVS1, a star flung out of the Milky Way Galaxy by Sagittarius A* at 1755 kilometres per second.
- The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly shares photos from two Manhattan walks of hers, taken in non-famous areas.
- Centauri Dreams looks at habitability for red dwarf exoplanets. Stellar activity matters.
- Maria Farrell at Crooked Timber shares words from a manifesto about data protection in the EU.
- Dangerous Minds shares photos from Los Angeles punks and mods and others in the 1980s.
- Bruce Dorminey notes a ESA report suggesting crew hibernation could make trips to Mars easier.
- Gizmodo notes that the Hayabusa2 probe of Japan is returning from asteroid Ryugu with a sample.
- Imageo shares photos of the disastrous fires in Australia from space.
- Information is Beautiful reports on winners of the Information is Beautiful Awards for 2019, for good infographics.
- JSTOR Daily explains how local television stations made the ironic viewing of bad movies a thing.
- Kotaku reports on the last days of Kawasaki Warehouse, an arcade in Japan patterned on the demolished Walled City of Kowloon.
- Language Hat notes how translation mistakes led to the star Beta Cygni gaining the Arabic name Albireo.
- Language Log reports on a unique Cantonese name of a restaurant in Hong Kong.
- Robert Farley at Lawyers, Guns and Money links to an analysis of his suggesting the military of India is increasingly hard-pressed to counterbalance China.
- The LRB Blog notes the catastrophe of Venice.
- Marginal Revolution notes a paper suggesting states would do well not to place their capitals too far away from major population centres.
- Justin Petrone at North! remarks on a set of old apple preserves.
- The NYR Daily looks at how the west and the east of the European Union are divided by different conceptions of national identity.
- Jim Belshaw at Personal Reflections reports from his town of Armidale as the smoke from the Australian wildfires surrounds all. The photos are shocking.
- Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society Blog lists some books about space suitable for children.
- Drew Rowsome reviews the Canadian film music stand, inspired by the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
- The Russian Demographics Blog shares a paper noting that, in Switzerland, parenthood does not make people happy.
- The Signal notes that 1.7 million phone book pages have been scanned into the records of the Library of Congress.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains the concept of multi-messenger astronomy and why it points the way forward for studies of astrophysics.
- Strange Maps looks at how a majority of students in the United States attend diverse schools, and where.
- Strange Company explores the mysterious death of Marc-Antoine Calas, whose death triggered the persecution of Huguenots and resulted in the mobilization of Enlightenment figures like Voltaire against the state. What happened?
- Towleroad hosts a critical, perhaps disappointed, review of the major gay play The Inheritance.
- Understanding Society's Daniel Little looks at the power of individual people in political hierarchies.
- Window on Eurasia shares an opinion piece noting how many threats to the Russian language have come from its association with unpopular actions by Russia.
- Arnold Zwicky explores queens as various as Elizabeth I and Adore Delano.
Tags:
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- astronomy,
- australia,
- blogs,
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- california,
- central europe,
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- Work on the second stage of Ion expansion, south into Cambridge, will not even start until 2028, and is expected to cost at least $C 1.36 billion. Global News reports.
- This proposal for regular two-way GO Transit rail connections between Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo, frankly, is desperately needed. The Record reports.
- A cyclist faces charges for careless driving leading to a collision with a LRT in Kitchener. CBC reports.
- A GoFundMe campaign for a woman hit by a train in Kitchener has raised more than $C14 thousand. The Record reports.
- A school bus driver has been charged for stopping his vehicle dangerously close to a rail crossing in Cambridge. The Record reports.
- Waterloo Region is a successful testbed for virtual doctor visits. The Record reports.
- The Charles Street bus terminal in downtown Kitchener is not going to be redeveloped for at least a couple of years. The Record reports.
- Waterloo Region hopes to create more than 600 affordable new homes, in five developments, over the next decade. CBC reports.
- The number of single food bank users in Kitchener-Waterloo has doubled over the past five years. CBC reports.
- Waterloo is spending $C 3 million to renovate and modernize a handsome old Carnegie Library. CBC reports.
- A pop-up in Kitchener, Vivid Dreams, is charging customers up to $C 20 to use one of a dozen backgrounds for their Instagram photos. CBC reports. A Kitchener woman, Heidi Bechtold, has a thriving new dog-related business, Complete K9. The Record reports.
- The new digital lab at the Kitchener Public Library sounds great! The Record reports.
- Andrew Coppolino at CBC Kitchener-Waterloo takes a look at some of the different cuisines and restaurants in Waterloo Region featuring noodles, here.
- Andrew Coppolino at CBC Kitchener-Waterloo looks at the pastel de nata, the Portuguese egg custard, as an emerging commercial snack in Waterloo Region.
