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I first blogged about the Martha and the Muffins 1980 hit "Echo Beach" back in May 2005, noting how the song resonated with me. The narrator, dreaming of an escape to an idyll beyond in the mid of a boring conventional job, speaks to me.
On a silent summer evening
The sky's alive with lights
A building in the distance
Surrealistic sight
On Echo Beach
Waves make the only sound
On Echo Beach
There's not a soul around
I was also amused to learn in 2011 that the song was going to give its name to a new performance space down at Ontario Place.
I heard the song again, sitting on my lunch break at patio of the Church and Wellesley Second Cup coffee shop when the song came on the speakers. Again, it resonated deeply: Who would not prefer a summer rather different from this one?
As I noted back in 2005, the song is a classic. It lasts; it not merely endures the decades, it thrives.
On a silent summer evening
The sky's alive with lights
A building in the distance
Surrealistic sight
On Echo Beach
Waves make the only sound
On Echo Beach
There's not a soul around
I was also amused to learn in 2011 that the song was going to give its name to a new performance space down at Ontario Place.
I heard the song again, sitting on my lunch break at patio of the Church and Wellesley Second Cup coffee shop when the song came on the speakers. Again, it resonated deeply: Who would not prefer a summer rather different from this one?
As I noted back in 2005, the song is a classic. It lasts; it not merely endures the decades, it thrives.
- The rescue of cats from the Newfoundland outport of Little Bay Islands, now abandoned, was a success. Global News reports.
- Cats in Australia may be in a position to ravage vulnerable survivors of the wildfires. Wired reports.
- The Purrsong Pendant is a new fitness tracker for cats. CNET reports.
- Humans do need to be able to read the body language of cats, and not only to figure out when they are in pain. CP24 reports.
- Is anyone surprised cats might eat human corpses? Newsweek reports.
Tags:
[BLOG] Some Thursday links
Dec. 26th, 2019 11:51 am- Bad Astronomer Phil Plait notes that Betelgeuse is very likely not on the verge of a supernova, here.
- Centauri Dreams looks at the mapping of asteroid Bennu.
- Chris Bertram at Crooked Timber reposted, after the election, a 2013 essay looking at the changes in British society from the 1970s on.
- The Dragon's Tales shares a collection of links about the Precambrian Earth, here.
- Karen Sternheimer at the Everyday Sociology Blog writes about fear in the context of natural disasters, here.
- Far Outliers reports on the problems of privateers versus regular naval units.
- Gizmodo looks at galaxy MAMBO-9, which formed a billion years after the Big Bang.
- io9 writes about the alternate history space race show For All Mankind.
- JSTOR Daily looks at the posters used in Ghana in the 1980s to help promote Hollywood movies.
- Language Hat links to a new book that examines obscenity and gender in 1920s Britain.
- Language Log looks at the terms used for the national language in Xinjiang.
- Paul Campos at Lawyers, Guns and Money takes issue with Jeff Jacoby's lack of sympathy towards people who suffer from growing inequality.
- Marginal Revolution suggests that urbanists should have an appreciation for Robert Moses.
- Sean Marshall writes, with photos, about his experiences riding a new Bolton bus.
- Caryl Philips at the NYR Daily writes about Rachmanism, a term wrongly applied to the idea of avaricious landlords like Peter Rachman, an immigrant who was a victim of the Profumo scandal.
- The Russian Demographics Blog shares a paper looking at the experience of aging among people without families.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains why the empty space in an atom can never be removed.
- Strange Maps shares a festive map of London, a reindeer, biked by a cyclist.
- Window on Eurasia notes how Mongolia twice tried to become a Soviet republic.
- Arnold Zwicky considers different birds with names starting with x.
Tags:
- africa,
- alternate history,
- astronomy,
- birds,
- blogs,
- canada,
- china,
- chinese language,
- cities,
- demographics,
- disasters,
- earth,
- english language,
- environment,
- former soviet union,
- ghana,
- history,
- humour,
- links,
- london,
- mass transit,
- migration,
- mongolia,
- oddities,
- ontario,
- physics,
- politics,
- popular culture,
- popular literature,
- science,
- social sciences,
- sociology,
- space science,
- television,
- united kingdom,
- war,
- west africa,
- xinjiang
[NEWS] Twenty news links
Dec. 23rd, 2019 09:43 pm- NOW Toronto looks at the Pickering nuclear plant and its role in providing fuel for space travel.
- In some places like California, traffic is so bad that airlines actually play a role for high-end commuters. CBC reports.
- Goldfish released into the wild are a major issue for the environment in Québec, too. CTV News reports.
- China's investments in Jamaica have good sides and bad sides. CBC reports.
- A potato museum in Peru might help solve world hunger. The Guardian reports.
- Is the Alberta-Saskatchewan alliance going to be a lasting one? Maclean's considers.
- Is the fossil fuel industry collapsing? The Tyee makes the case.
- Should Japan and Europe co-finance a EUrasia trade initiative to rival China's? Bloomberg argues.
- Should websites receive protection as historically significant? VICE reports.
- Food tourism in the Maritimes is a very good idea. Global News reports.
- Atlantic Canada lobster exports to China thrive as New England gets hit by the trade war. CBC reports.
- The Bloc Québécois experienced its revival by drawing on the same demographics as the provincial CAQ. Maclean's reports.
- Population density is a factor that, in Canada, determines political issues, splitting urban and rural voters. The National Observer observes.
- US border policies aimed against migration from Mexico have been harming businesses on the border with Canada. The National Post reports.
- The warming of the ocean is changing the relationship of coastal communities with their seas. The Conversation looks.
- Archival research in the digital age differs from what occurred in previous eras. The Conversation explains.
- The Persian-language Wikipedia is an actively contested space. Open Democracy reports.
- Vox notes how the US labour shortage has been driven partly by workers quitting the labour force, here.
- Laurie Penny at WIRED has a stirring essay about hope, about the belief in some sort of future.
Tags:
- agriculture,
- alberta,
- atlantic canada,
- borders,
- california,
- canada,
- caribbean,
- china,
- democracy,
- demographics,
- economics,
- environment,
- european union,
- federalism,
- fish,
- food,
- futurology,
- geopolitics,
- global warming,
- globalization,
- goldfish,
- history,
- internet,
- iran,
- jamaica,
- japan,
- libraries,
- links,
- lobsters,
- mass transit,
- mexico,
- new england,
- news,
- north america,
- nuclear energy,
- oceans,
- oil,
- ontario,
- peru,
- philosophy,
- politics,
- québec,
- saskatchewan,
- south america,
- space travel,
- technology,
- united states,
- wikipedia
[BLOG] Some Monday links
Dec. 23rd, 2019 03:13 pm- Anthropology.net notes a remarkably thorough genetic analysis of a piece of chewing gum 5700 years old that reveals volumes of data about the girl who chew it.
- 'Nathan Burgoine at Apostrophen writes an amazing review of Cats that actually does make me want to see it.
- Bad Astronomy reports on galaxy NGC 6240, a galaxy produced by a collision with three supermassive black holes.
- Caitlin Kelly at the Broadside Blog writes about the mechanics of journalism.
- Centauri Dreams argues that the question of whether humans will walk on exoplanets is ultimately distracting to the study of these worlds.
- Crooked Timber shares a Sunday morning photo of Bristol.
- The Dragon's Tales notes that India has a launch date of December 2021 for its first mission in its Gaganyaan crewed space program.
- Andrew LePage at Drew Ex Machina looks at the Saturn C-1 rocket.
- Karen Sternheimer at the Everyday Sociology Blog considers if the vogue for minimalism meets the criteria to be considered a social movement.
- Far Outliers ?notes how, in the War of 1812, some in New England considered the possibility of seceding from the Union.
- Gizmodo looks at evidence of the last populations known of Homo erectus, on Java just over a hundred thousand years ago.
- Mark Graham links to a new paper co-authored by him looking at how African workers deal with the gig economy.
- io9 announces that the Michael Chabon novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is set to become a television series.
- Joe. My. God. shares a report that Putin gave Trump anti-Ukrainian conspiracy theories.
- JSTOR Daily considers what a world with an economy no longer structured around oil could look like.
- Language Hat takes issue with the latest talk of the Icelandic language facing extinction.
- Language Log shares a multilingual sign photographed in Philadelphia's Chinatown.
- Paul Campos at Lawyers, Guns and Money notes the document release revealing the futility of the war in Afghanistan.
- The LRB Blog looks at class identity and mass movements and social democracy.
- Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution suggests that, even if the economy of China is larger than the United States, Chinese per capita poverty means China does not have the leading economy.
- Diane Duane at Out of Ambit writes about how she is writing a gay sex scene.
- Jim Belshaw at Personal Reflections reflects on "OK Boomer".
- Roads and Kingdoms interviews Mexican chef Ruffo Ibarra.
- Peter Rukavina shares his list of levees for New Year's Day 2020 on PEI.
- The Russian Demographics Blog shares a map indicating fertility rates in the different regions of the European Union.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains how quantum physics are responsible for vast cosmic structures.
- Charles Soule at Whatever explains his reasoning behind his new body-swap novel.
- Window on Eurasia notes how the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Paris show the lack of meaningful pro-Russian sentiment there.
- Yorkshire Ranter Alex Harrowell talks about his lessons from working in the recent British election.
- Arnold Zwicky looks at a syncretic, Jewish-Jedi, holiday poster.
Tags:
- afghanistan,
- africa,
- agriculture,
- anthropology,
- astronomy,
- blogs,
- canada,
- china,
- clash of ideologies,
- conspiracies,
- demographics,
- european union,
- evolution,
- food,
- former soviet union,
- futurology,
- genetics,
- geopolitics,
- glbt issues,
- globalization,
- history,
- holidays,
- homo sapiens,
- human beings,
- humour,
- iceland,
- india,
- indonesia,
- journalism,
- judaism,
- language,
- links,
- mexico,
- new england,
- photos,
- physics,
- popular culture,
- prince edward island,
- russia,
- science fiction,
- sexuality,
- sociology,
- south asia,
- southeast asia,
- space science,
- space travel,
- star wars,
- technology,
- television,
- ukraine,
- united states,
- war,
- west norden,
- writing
[NEWS] Fourteen links
Dec. 22nd, 2019 09:42 pm- By at least one metric, New Brunswick now lags economically behind a more dynamic Prince Edward Island. CBC reports.
- NOW Toronto looks at toxic fandoms. ("Stanning" sounds really creepy to me.)
- This CityLab article looks at how the particular characteristics of Japan, including its high population density, helps keep alive there retail chains that have failed in the US.
- MacLean's looks at Kent Monkman, enjoying a new level of success with his diptych Mistikôsiwak at the Met in NYC.
- Can there be something that can be said for the idea of an Internet more strongly pillarized? Wired argues.
- I reject utterly the idea of meaningful similarities between Drake and Leonard Cohen. CBC did it.
- Toronto Life looks at the life of a Hamilton woman hurt badly by the cancellation of the basic income pilot, here.
- Inspired by the death of Gord Downie, Ontario now has the office of poet-laureate. CBC reports.
- Is Canada at risk, like Ireland, of experiencing two-tier health care? CBC considers.
- A French immigrant couple has brought the art of artisanal vinegar to ile d'Orléans. CBC reports.
- Shore erosion is complicating the lives of people along Lake Erie. CBC reports.
- MacLean's notes how Via Rail making it difficult for people without credit cards to buy anything on their trains, hurting many.
- Michelle Legro notes at Gen that the 2010s is the decade where conspiracy culture became mainstream.
- This essay by Robert Greene at his blog talking about what history, and historians, can do in our era is thought-provoking.
Tags:
- atlantic canada,
- canada,
- clash of ideologies,
- conspiracies,
- economics,
- environment,
- first nations,
- food,
- france,
- glbt issues,
- great lakes,
- history,
- internet,
- japan,
- links,
- new brunswick,
- new york city,
- news,
- ontario,
- popular culture,
- popular literature,
- popular music,
- prince edward island,
- public art,
- québec,
- rail,
- social networking,
- united states
- 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] Ten Montréal links
Dec. 19th, 2019 01:37 pm- MTL Blog shares this map of the Greater Montréal mass transit network, with a uniform design for all its networks, here.
- Exo commuters in Montréal are decidedly unhappy with the Exo chairperson for the unhelpful tips they gave. CTV News reports.
- Montréal has bought 140 acres of land in the West Island for its planned great park there. CTV News reports.
- Notre Dame East is set to be revamped as an urban boulevard. CTV News reports.
- Controversy over the Royalmount shopping complex grows. CBC reports.
- Montréal is reckoned by a Google team to be a major centre for game development. CTV News reports.
- A new fund seeks to increase the diversity of artists whose works are displayed in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. CTV News reports.
- Montréal mayor Valérie Plante promises to help out record stores fined for being opened past 5 on a weekend. CTV News reports.
- Royal LePage suggests that home values in Montréal will grow sharply in 2020, more than in any other major Canadian city. CTV News reports.
Tags:
- La Presse carries the concern of a Québec journalist that the decline of daily papers could have a catastrophic impact on the province's culture.
- The Québec government would like financially-stressed newspaper group to form a coop. CTV News reports.
- That the Toronto Star shut down its free Metro affiliates across Canada made the news in Halifax. CBC reports.
- The closure of the Transcontinental Media printing plant in Borden-Carleton means that PEI no longer has a local printer for its media. CBC reports.
- Sabrina Wilkinson writes at The Conversation about the increasingly tenuous nature of journalism in Canada, not least as an employer.
- This Alex Migdal piece looks at how Guelph, Ontario, has fared since the closure of the Guelph Mercury daily.
- The town of Innisfil is looking forward to some very futuristic developments. Global News reports.
- Jeremy Deaton at CityLab reports on how, buffered by the Great Lakes, Buffalo NY may end gaining from climate change.
- The Ottawa chain Bridgehead Coffee has been sold to national chain Second Cup. Global News reports.
- Many of the more eye-raising installations in the Gay Village of Montréal have since been removed. CTV News reports.
- Warming huts for homeless people in Winnipeg were torn down because the builders did not follow procedures. Global News reports.
- Open Democracy looks at innovative new public governance of the city budget in Amsterdam, here.
- Singapore, located in a well-positioned Southeast Asia and with working government, may take over from Hong Kong. Bloomberg View makes the case.
[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:
- CBC reports on suggestions that Kingston should plan for a population expected to grow significantly in coming decades, to not just expand but to have intensified development downtown.
- The rental housing market for Kingston is very tight, not only because of large student populations. Global News reports.
- Kingstonist reports on Queen's plans to build a large new student residence on Albert Street, here.
- The Whig-Standard carries an account of the new Queen's principal being interrogated by Kingston city council over issues of friction between school and city, including costs for policing (and not only at Homecoming weekend).
- This summer, farmers in the Kingston area saw poor crop production as a consequence of the weather. Global News reports.
- Happily, the budget of the city of Kingston was made to accommodate costs for Murney, the police force's horse. Global News reports.
- Weston Food's plant in Kingston has seen forty jobs cut. Global News reports.
- Lake Ontario Park, in the west of the city, may be reopened to limited camping. The Whig-Standard reports.
- Kingston hockey player Rebecca Thompson is now playing for the team of Queen's. Global News reports.
- Queen's University is not alone in urging its exchange students in Hong Kong to evacuate. The Whig-Standard reports.
- Yesterday, a plane crashed in the west of Kingston, killing all seven people aboard. CBC reports.
- Chris Morris at Kingstonist has a long feature examining the Kingston Street Mission, interviewing outreach worker Marilyn McLean about her work with the homeless of the city.
- Kingston-born street nurse Cathy Crowe talks about homelessness, in Kingston and across Canada. Global News reports.
- The family of Royal Military College cadet Joe Grozelle, who disappeared from his campus and was later found dead two decades ago, wants his fate reinvestigated. Global News reports.
- A hundred students at a Kingston public school are being taught how to skate, part of a pilot program. Global News reports.
Tags:
- Guelph will be holding an open house to see what development will replace the Dolime Quarry. Global News reports.
- The town of Innisfil has extended its Uber subsidy program for people in need of transit. Global News reports
- Archeologists in Montréal have found a mass grave of Irish famine victims. CTV reports.
- The Québec town of Asbestos is changing its name so as to avoid the link, in English, with the toxic mineral. CTV reports.
- A subway, alas, would be too big for Québec City. Streetcars would work better. Le Devoir reports.
- Can a hyperloop be built to plug Edmonton together with Calgary? Global News considers.
- Richmond, British Columbia, has unveiled a cultural harmony strategy to help its diverse population get along. The National Post reports.
- 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.
- The Ottawa Citizen suggests a recent audit of OC Transpo should have offered warnings of the Confederation Line problems to come.
- A project office has been set up for the extension of the Yellow Line in Longueuil and elsewhere on the south shore. CTV News reports.
- La Presse looks at the concerns of some artists in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie that they might be forced out by gentrification.
- That the Bay Building in downtown Winnipeg has been evaluated as being of little value offers an opening to Heritage Winnipeg. Global News reports.
- The New Brunswick government is forcing suburbs of Saint John to pay for city facilities that they also used. Global News reports.
- Short-term rentals are having a negative effect on real estate markets in Halifax. Global News reports.
- Downtown Lethbridge faces struggles to attract business. Global News reports.
[BLOG] Some Monday links
Nov. 25th, 2019 05:51 pm- Bad Astronomer Phil Plait observes that a team may have discovered the elusive neutron star produced by Supernova 1987A, hidden behind a cloud of dust.
- Chris Bertram at Crooked Timber shares a photo he made via the time-consuming 19th century wet-plate collodion method.
- Drew Ex Machina's Andrew LePage looks at the Apollo 12 visit to the Surveyor 3 site to, among other things, see what it might suggest about future space archeology.
- Karen Sternheimer at the Everyday Sociology Blog looks at the story of rural poverty facing a family in Waverly, Ohio, observing how it is a systemic issue.
- George Dvorsky at Gizmodo looks at how Mars' Jezero crater seems to have had a past relatively friendly to life, good for the next NASA rover.
- Joe. My. God. reports on the latest ignorance displayed by Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter, this time regarding HIV.
- JSTOR Daily looks at how Climategate was used to undermine popular opinion on climate change.
- Language Hat links to an article explaining why so many works of classical literature were lost, among other things not making it onto school curricula.
- Language Log shares a photo of a Muji eraser with an odd English label.
- Scott Lemieux at Lawyers, Guns and Money suggests Pete Buttigieg faces a campaign-limiting ceiling to his support among Democrats.
- The LRB Blog argues that Macron's blocking of EU membership possibilities for the western Balkans is a terrible mistake.
- The Map Room Blog shares a map depicting regional variations in Canada towards anthropogenic climate change. Despite data issues, the overall trend of oil-producing regions being skeptical is clear.
- Marginal Revolution links to a paper examining the slowing pace of labour mobility in the US, suggesting that home attachment is a key factor.
- Frederic Wehrey at the NYR Daily tells the story of Knud Holmboe, a Danish journalist who came to learn about the Arab world working against Italy in Libya.
- Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains why thermodynamics does not explain our perception of time.
- Understanding Society's Dan Little looks at Electronic Health Records and how they can lead to medical mistakes.
- Whatever's John Scalzi shares a remarkable photo of the night sky he took using the astrophotography mode on his Pixel 4 phone.
- Window on Eurasia shares an opinion that the Intermarium countries, between Germany and Russia, can no longer count on the US and need to organize in their self-defense.
- Arnold Zwicky shares a photo of his handsome late partner Jacques Transue, taken as a college student.
Tags:
- albania,
- astronomy,
- blogs,
- canada,
- central europe,
- economics,
- english language,
- environment,
- european union,
- extraterrestrial life,
- former yugoslavia,
- geopolitics,
- glbt issues,
- global warming,
- history,
- hiv/aids,
- imperialism,
- in memoriam,
- italy,
- japanese language,
- libya,
- links,
- mars,
- moon,
- photography,
- physics,
- poland,
- politics,
- sexuality,
- space science,
- space travel,
- technology,
- ukraine,
- united states
- The mayor of Ottawa is suggesting freezing Confederation Line fare increases in light of the system's problems. Global News reports.
- La Presse looks at the problems faced by the Marché Jean-Talon, here.
- Greater Moncton, arguably the leading metropolis of New Brunswick, wants to double its intake of immigrants. Global News reports.
- Jamie Bradburn looks at Lafayette Park in Detroit, designed by Mies van der Rohe.
- Will Vancouver be connected to Washington State by a high-speed train route? Global News reports.
[URBAN NOTE] Six Toronto links
Nov. 12th, 2019 05:35 pm- blogTO notes the maps made by artist Peter Gorman showing the strange intersections of Toronto.
- This imagining of a wholly pedestrianized lower Yonge Street looks attractive. blogTO has it. <
- Jamie Bradburn tells how couples in Toronto during the Second World War expressed their love, here.
- This condo at 701 Dovercourt Road looks amazing. blogTO reports.
- Toronto Pearson Airport failed in its obligation to provide services for French-language travelers, the Official Languages Commissioner has ruled. CTV News reports.
- So-called "unicorn poutine" is offered for sale at a north Toronto restaurant. Global News reports.
