toronto: ‘city of the future’

toronto was named runner up (behind chicago) for the city of the future in a british financial magazine’s ranking of north american cities of the future. more.

what happened to: no more wars, no more walls?

Read Part 2: the (un)intended consequences of building walls

9/11 has definitely changed our global society: not exactly the way the taliban had planned, but nevertheless, it will no longer be the same. Forgive my pessimism, but I can’t help but notice the widespread embrace of walls as a substitute for good neighbours. They’re quick, cheap, easy to deal with, and don’t need negotiations to please.

A popular slogan graffitied on one of the sections of the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall, reading: “No more wars. No more walls. A united world.”

blank: quebec’s american apparel

blank clothing is 100% locally made. their store at 926 sainte-catherine east has their work areas visible through a window, where all the clothing sold is made right in the back. the clothing costs more than your typical wal-mart stuff, but it’s well-made, and won’t break after the second wash.

great coca-cola ads

jack white ad:

a good gated community?

Yonge and Clarke gated community hidden behind commercial office tower (homes on the left side)

Just outside my Thornhill (GTA) neighbourhood is a gated community - surprisingly enough, I only recently recognized it as one because it has been so well integrated into the surrounding area.

This is not to say that gated communities are good for urban areas. Although they are an increasingly popular trend, they are incredibly detrimental to cities, safe streets, and community living. In certain areas of the Southern United States, over 60% of new homes are built in gated communities, and many retirement resorts in Florida are blocked off from the rest of the urban city areas with walls and gates. Currently, over 7% of America’s households live in gated communities.

post-abortion syndrome a load of bull

A number of anti-abortion activists are now turning to the concept of post-abortion syndrome to aid their fight against abortion, reframing the debate from one about the rights of an unborn child, to one about protecting the mother from making dubious decisions.

Toronto Blue Jays Frank Thomas Commercial

wind-powered walking sculptures

Theo Jansen is an artist, sculptor, engineer who creates what he calls kinetic sculptures. His “Strandbeest” works resemble large animals which he releases in flocks on beaches to walk, powered only by the wind. He uses genetic algorithms to create artificial life, including a measure of “fitness” for his creations. The creations which are most successful at walking along the beach are bred together and regraded for future designs. “Over time complex designs emerge which sprout wings and flap in the breeze pressurizing what look like plastic 2 liter soda bottles.”

senior citizens can’t afford to pay their dope bills

The Toronto Star reports that the government is charging up to 1500% more for certified medical marijuana than it pays to buy the weed in bulk from its official supplier.

These prices are still lower than those on the street, however.

Sketches of Montreal

Stephen Leacock Building, second-story interior perspective, McGill University