Made in Tieland
contact December 31st, 2007
Bags from recycyled ties! Made in Tieland
Archive for December, 2007
Canadians warned to avoid travel to Pakistan
contact December 30th, 2007
From Canada.com:
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada is warning Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Pakistan.
“Canadians who choose to travel to Pakistan despite this warning should evaluate carefully the implications for their security and safety,” the government warned on its website.
The warning was issued Friday, the day after Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.
Pakistani soldiers stand guard during a lawyers’s protest against the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, in Quetta, 29 December 2007. Pakistan’s planned elections were in doubt after polling officials said the vote had been “adversely affected” by a wave of violence and unrest after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
“News reports indicate that riots and violence have occurred in several locations throughout Pakistan, mainly in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi,” according to the warning on the website.
“During the period of mourning and the funeral, riots and large-scale demonstrations may take place. Heightened security measures have been put in place in major cities, including the set up of checkpoints.”
Canadians are warned to exercise an extreme level of caution, monitor news reports and follow the advice of local authorities.
The warning also said to avoid all crowds, demonstrations and political gatherings, “and stay away from areas where they will occur, as they may turn violent without warning.”
Heated Waterslide at the Delta Chelsea Hotel
contact December 29th, 2007
I can’ really recommend the actual hotel or condition of the Delta Chelsea Hotel. What I can mention here and want to share with you is the very awesome 130-foot heated indoor waterslide! Pretty neat.
Delta Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard Street West
Toronto (Downtown), Ontario
M5G 1Z4
Tel: 416-595-1975
Radioactive Waste Found in Ontario Groundwater
contact December 28th, 2007
From Canada Environment:
Ontario Ministry of Environment officials are downplaying the discovery of high levels of a radioactive substance called tritium (radioactive waste) found recently in the groundwater of a Pembroke landfill.
“While there was tritium in the ground water at the site, [it was] well below our ministry standards,” said Ministry spokesperson Kate Jordan. “We don’t feel that they pose a risk to the community or to the environment.”
Tritium is widely used in nuclear weapons for boosting a fission bomb or the fission primary of a thermonuclear weapon.
The highest level found in the dump’s groundwater was 1,000 Becquerel/Litre - which is 7 times lower than the level considered “safe” under Ontario law.
Not very reassuring when you consider that the the European Union’s “safe” level of Tritium concentrations in water is 100 Becquerel/Litre. In California the allowable level of Tritium in groundwater is 15 Bq/Litre.
Toronto Says Goodbye to a Legend: Oscar Peterson
contact December 27th, 2007
Canadian jazz piano virtuoso, Oscar Peterson, died on Sunday at the age of 82. A gentle giant of a man, Peterson set the standard for taste and invention and shaped the jazz scene indelibly in the history of music.
Although his greatest influence was undoubtedly Art Tatum, he incorporated elements of Nat King Cole and Teddy Wilson into his own inimitable sound. Norman Granz discovered him in 1949 and put him to work in his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts.
In the early 1950s, Peterson began performing with Ray Brown and Charlie Smith as the Oscar Peterson Trio. Shortly afterward the drummer Smith was replaced by guitarist Irving Ashby, formerly of the Nat King Cole Trio.
Since the late 1950s, when Oscar Peterson gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading pianists in jazz, he played in a variety of settings: solo, duo, trio, quartet, small bands, and big bands. However, his solo piano recitals, as well as his solo piano recordings were rare, until he chose to make a series of solo albums titled “Exclusively for my friends.” This solo piano sessions, made for the MPS label, were Peterson’s response to the emergence of such stars as Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner.
Oscar Peterson also taught piano and improvisation in Canada, mainly in Toronto. He also published his original jazz piano etudes for practice. However, he asked his students to study the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Well Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and the The Art of Fugue, considering this piano pieces essential for every serious pianist. [source]
Love Handles
contact December 26th, 2007
Love Handles is a hand-crafted handbag company based out of a Toronto bedroom. The handles are hand-made and wooden and the fabric is organic or vintage. Since it is all found in charity shops, there is a real variety of patterns and colors, from little girl to Scandinavian and a variety of choices in between.
You can order online or shop at these stores:
LEFT FEET @ 88 Nassau St
Located in Kensington Market, Toronto Ontario.
(a sweet Vegan Shoe store you should check out either way)
Heart on Your Sleeve @ 61a Bellevue Ave
a sustainable boutique… that includes organic cottons & reused/reworked clothes!
(corner of Nassau & Bellevue… attached to Left Feet!)
The Bag Boutique @ 1018 Queen St. West
Located just west of Ossington.
Lunatic Adventures - Sustainable Living Tours
contact December 24th, 2007
Lunatic Adventures is a wilderness guiding company committed to developing environmental awareness through the provision of safe, informative, and enjoyable wilderness experiences. From canoeing to snowshoeing, our guides will provide you with the skills, knowledge & confidence needed to make the most out of your next wilderness adventure
The LUNA Project is an alternative learning center that provides opportunities for people to develop and reflect on their values and to consider how they might take an active role in creating a healthier environment for future generations.
Lunatic Adventures Inc.
250 The East Mall
Suite #1691
Toronto, Ontario
M9B 6L3 Canada
Solar Powered Car Wash in Toronto
contact December 23rd, 2007
Solarco has completed the installation of twenty solar thermal panels at the Wash N’ Go Car Wash, located at 4000 Dundas St West in Toronto. The system pre-heats process hot water used for washing cars. Awesome.
WashNGo
4000 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Canada
416.766.7024
Toronto’s Littlest House is for Sale! Again.
contact December 22nd, 2007
This most adorable teeny tiny abode squished between two seemingly ginormous buildings is the littlest house in Toronto, a 300-square-foot home. It was originally meant to be an alleyway.
But guess what? It’s up for sale in Toronto, effective December 18, 2007! Built in 1912, it was bought and renovated this year, and is back on the market for $173,000 (Canadian dollars, which is equivalent to $172,000 USD).
Any takers? I kind of want it. Badly.
Toronto Neighborhoods
contact December 21st, 2007
Thought this might come in handy if you’re trying to get a feel for Toronto. Here are the neighborhoods and their names:
In-town
Annex
Beaches
Cabbagetown
Danforth
Dufferin Grove
Downtown
Kensington Market / Chinatown
Little India
Little Italy
High Park
Queen Street West
Riverdale
St. Clair West
Yonge St. (central)
Yonge & Eglinton
Yorkville
Suburbs
Etobicoke
North York
Scarborough
West of Toronto
North of Toronto
The Gift of Glenn Gould
contact December 20th, 2007
For the longest time, I couldn’t listen to The Goldberg Variations without thinking about Hannibal (The Cannibal) Lechter from Silence of the Lambs
It made me sad because I love this recording by Glenn Gould
My baggage aside, one of the best things you can do for your life, is to stop everything and JUST listen to beautiful music for a while. You don’t have to spend the entire day doing this; just spend some allotted time to step away from the chaos of life, and just…chill. And chilling with music rules. Some of you are so used to multi-tasking and always doing a million things at the same time. You know I’m talking about you. Your days are filled with a continuous string of tasks back to back to back sans cesse, if you know what I mean. Calm, serenity, quiet, peaceful - well, these words do not exist in your life’s vocabulary.
Cut it out!
Do yourself a favor and find great music, like Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection
So…..WHY am I writing about Glenn Gould on this Toronto blog? I thought you’d never ask. Glenn Gould was born in Toronto on September 25, 1932. Thought you’d like that bit of trivia.
About Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection
Each of the 60 single and 9 double CDs consists of the exact recordings as first issued on vinyl and looks like a miniaturised form of the original disc: the CDs are in cardboard slipcases in the original design, and the CD itself is designed to look like a LP.
Supplemented by two bonus CDs, the limited “Glenn Gould Complete Jacket Collection” comprises 80 CDs mounted in a high-quality display case with a booklet of more than 240 pages. This booklet contains a new, detailed essay by the German Gould specialist Michael Stegemann on Glenn Gould and the LP recording era along with texts and repertoire details to all recordings in the edition, plus a listing and depiction of the records with reissue dates for repertoire that has appeared before.
The bonus CDs include the last great interview that Glenn Gould gave the American journalist Tim Page in 1981 and an essay on Johann Sebastian Bach and the fugue that Gould recorded in 1972 for a bonus LP. They also feature a number of late recordings that never appeared on vinyl: fragments of the “Italian Album” and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll in its orchestral version — Gould’s recording debut as conductor and his last recording of all, made on 8 September 1982 with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Another rarity is Gould’s own film music to George Roy Hill’s Slaughterhouse Five from 1972.
- celebs , information , music , shopping , toronto , trivia
- Comments(0)
Tiger Bar
contact December 19th, 2007
From an article in toronto.com
If you’ve ever dreamed of a Guitar Hero battle in the midst of a safari disco dance party, you’re in luck. With its painted jungle décor, basement vibe and some of the city’s hottest weekly events, Tiger Bar is bringing out College Street’s wild side.
If you have no idea where Tiger Bar is on College Street, you’re not alone. Although its parties have been on everyone’s lips as of late, the venue itself is as hidden as a hidden gem could be, with two completely hidden entrances and no signage. One entrance is in the alleyway behind popular brunch spot Aunties and Uncles on Lippincott Street, while the second is tucked inside the brightly lit, cafeteria-esque College Street Diner. In fact, the only way you’ll find it is if you look for the handwritten sign simply stating “Bar.”
But don’t expect Tiger Bar to look anything like the above bar College Street Diner. Tiger Bar is dark and appropriately dressed like a…
- bars , hidden secrets , music , nightlife , toronto
- Comments(0)
National Film Board, Toronto Mediatheque
contact December 18th, 2007
This gem is THE place to watch the best in Canadian animated, documentary, short and feature films in the state-of-the-art personal viewing stations. There are always new titles added monthly to a growing database of 1500+ films.
Free admission.
Weekend animation workshops for kids ages 3-13; $5 per child with guardian. Mon.-Tue. 1-7p.m.; Wed. 10a.m.-7p.m.; Thu.-Sat. 10a.m.-10p.m.; Sun. 12-5p.m.
Mediateque
150 John St (at Richmond St W)
Toronto (Osgoode subway station)
M5V 3C3 Canada
416.973.3012
Hours of Operation
Monday & Tuesday, 1 – 7 pm
Wednesday, 10 am – 7 pm
Thursday - Saturday, 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday, Noon – 5 pm
Fees for Digital Viewing Stations
Unlimited Day Pass - $2
Annual Unlimited Pass - $12
Annual Unlimited Family Pass - $15
Red Carpet Pass - $50
- celebs , information , music , toronto
- Comments(0)
Soundscapes for Discerning Music Lovers
contact December 17th, 2007
From their site:
Soundscapes is an independent CD and music book retailer located in the Little Italy neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The shop was founded with the simple intent of carrying the best music of all styles and persuasions. Our inventory includes (but is not limited to) folk, jazz, world, psych, garage, prog, blues, soul, reggae, classical, experimental, noise, americana/country, electronic, hip-hop, R&B, metal and pop/rock. We also devote our energies to finding the best in reissues of all genres and imports from across the pond. Finally, our store has one of the city’s best selections of local indie artists.
Soundscapes is a ticket outlet for many independent promoters and we regularly provide tickets for the town’s cornerstone venues, such as The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee’s Palace, The Mod Club, The Music Gallery and The Opera House, among others. A long-time supporter of Toronto’s independent music scene, we have a large consignment section and a seven-year relationship with local indie club night Wavelength (the breeding ground for Broken Social Scene, The Constantines, Royal City and Do Make Say Think to name a few).
Since its birth in August of 1999, the store has quickly grown into one of Toronto’s most-respected and loved music shops. Most importantly, our shelves are stocked not only by the tastes of our staff, but also through suggestions of many a regular customer. We pride ourselves on a relationship with our clientele that is based on respect and a mutual love of music.
In August 1999, Greg Davis first opened the doors on a modest shop in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood. The space used to be a children’s clothing store. Now it was a fledgling CD shop called Soundscapes. Greg had arrived at this place in a very un-rock n’ roll way. Although a native son of nearby Burlington, he had spent the previous two years as an accountant living in San Diego. Like a lot of number-crunchers he found his job profitable but boring. Unlike the majority of his cohorts, he decided to do something about it.
Greg’s record-store-owner-by-way-of-accountant history was unconventional and so was his approach to the indie record shop. Instead of the cluttered bins and surly attitudes depicted in High Fidelity, he favoured clean lines, broad genre stocking, and wide-eyed enthusiasm. The idea was that while he was a huge fan of music himself, he had as much to learn as the next person. Soundscapes was to be a meeting place of like open minds, where the customer had as much to say about the stocking of the shelves as the owner himself.
When the shop first started, it had no more than a couple thousand titles and Greg was the only employee: day in, day out. In the years since, the store has greatly expanded with an inventory of some 20,000 CDs, books and DVDs, as well as over a dozen employees. The shop’s well-chosen, always-improving stock ranges from folk, pop, rock and soul to jazz, classical and experimental, not to mention numerous reissues and import titles.
Soundscapes
572 College Street
Little Italy
Toronto, Ontario
M6G 1B3 Canada
ph: (416) 537-1620
Sunday-Thursday:
10AM-11PM
Friday-Saturday:
10AM-midnight