Archive for February, 2008

Canadian Official Threatens Obama and Clinton With Cutting Off Tar Sands Oil

contact February 29th, 2008

From treehugger:

“Why worry about keeping church and state separate when oil and automobiles already poison North American political culture? Here’s the latest dustup:- a trade war threat by a Canadian official against US presidential candidates. Analysis by category.

Car Making
Canada exports numerous cars that are designed in the US, assembled in Canada, and then sold in the US, bringing many jobs and sustaining a positive balance of trade for Canada (which does not want things messed up by challenges to NAFTA by US Democrats).

Lobbying
Neither do the Detroit-based car companies and the US oil companies operating in Alberta, all of which seem to have positive relationships with the present US Federal and the Canadian National Governments. Tactical similarities between national leaders of the US and Canada are remarkable:- see: Prime Minister Mini-Me Cans Science Advisor

US Politics
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both have been trash talking NAFTA a bit lately, taking a populist stance toward jobs and health and environmental protection. For Ohio’s sake.

Canadian Politics….”

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CN Tower Timelapse

contact February 27th, 2008

time lapse of cn tower toronto
Click here to see it

Science for Peace - February 29, 2008

contact February 25th, 2008

science for peace toronto forum

Science for Peace- An Environmental Forum
Feb. 29, 2008 - 1pm to 5pm
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Oise Auditorium
252 Bloor Street W (at St. George Subway)

Science for Peace is a charitable Canadian-based organization of natural scientists, engineers, social scientists, scholars in the humanities and lay people throughout the world. It brings together professors, graduate students and first degree students who are concerned about peace, justice and making an environmentally sustainable future. SfP has NGO status at the United Nations.

Speakers for the event: Tony Clarke, winnter of Alternative Nobel Peace Prize and tar, sands, water and anti-corporation campaigner, Peter Victor, Bill Vanderburg, Eduardo Sousa, Jocelyn Thorpe, Lois Wilson

For more information: 416.535.6605

Canada’s secret war in Iraq

contact February 24th, 2008

From sott:

Most Canadians still proudly believe that their government refused to join the Iraq War. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some of the ways in which we joined the fray.

How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again! - Mark Twain

On March 25, 2003, during the “shock and awe” bombardment of Iraq, then US Ambassador Paul Cellucci admitted that “… ironically, Canadian naval vessels, aircraft and personnel… will supply more support to this war in Iraq indirectly… than most of those 46 countries that are fully supporting our efforts there.”

Cellucci merely scratched the surface of Canada’s initial “support” for the Iraq War, but he had let the cat out of the bag. As then Secretary of State Colin Powell had explained a week earlier, “We now have a coalition of the willing… who have publicly said they could be included in such a listing…. And there are 15 other nations, who, for one reason or another, do not wish to be publicly named but will be supporting the coalition.”

Canada was, and still is, the leading member of this secret group, which we could perhaps call CW-HUSH, the “Coalition of the Willing to Help but Unwilling to be Seen Helping.” The plan worked. Most Canadians still proudly believe that their government refused to join the Iraq War. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some of the ways in which we joined the fray:

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Canadian Legislation bans use of evidence tied to torture

contact February 24th, 2008

From globeandmail:

“The Canadian government will reintroduce a controversial anti-terrorism measure as early as today in a bid to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that has forced Parliament to give more rights to immigrants accused of links to terrorist groups.

In addition to assigning so-called “special advocate” lawyers to act for defendants in closed hearings, the new law bans making detainees answer allegations flowing from torture in foreign jails.

Further, government officials have privately signalled they will no longer use evidence from alleged al-Qaeda trainer Abu Zubaydah. The Guantanamo Bay detainee’s statements had figured in two of Canada’s six ongoing “security-certificate” proceedings.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency this month admitted to “waterboarding” Abu Zubaydah to get information about possible terrorist cells. The interrogation method is designed to make a suspect talk by inducing fears he is drowning.

“I can confirm that the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration will not rely upon information provided by Mr. Zubaida,” John Sims, deputy minister of Justice Canada, wrote in a Jan. 11 letter.

The correspondence was sent to defence lawyer Paul Copeland, who represents an Algerian held under a security certificate. Mr. Sims’s letter pointed out that Canadian judges were already giving “no weight” to the Abu Zubaydah evidence.

The old law left admissibility of such evidence up to…”

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Toronto Researchers Discover the Power of Tumeric

contact February 23rd, 2008

From the nationalpost:
tumeric
“The spice that gives the kick to many Indian curry dishes might also help prevent the ravages of heart failure, a surprising new Canadian animal study has concluded.

Researchers at Toronto’s University Health Network found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, both prevents and dramatically reverses enlargement of the heart in mice.

Enlarged hearts can lead to cardiac failure, a common and often fatal condition where the organ is unable to pump enough blood to keep the body functioning properly.

If similar results were one day duplicated in humans, the widely available spice could …”

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Toronto could be debt-free by 2010

contact February 22nd, 2008

From the National Post:

The City of Toronto, which has insisted for years it cannot escape a fiscal straightjacket created by the province, could be debt-free by 2010, according to an independent panel whose recommendations include tolling expressways, taxing parking lots, streamlining city operations, beefing up the mayor’s powers and studying the sale of assets including Toronto Hydro, the Toronto Parking Authority and Enwave.

Authored by six eminent Torontonians hand-selected by the Mayor, the report identifies up to $3.5-billion that could be squeezed out of city assets — either by selling them or finding other ways to extract more money from them — and urges council to axe $50-million in spending this year and $150-million in future years.

“Ultimately, if you could implement this and you had the will to implement this, you could get to a situation where Toronto is debt-free and [has] a balanced budget … within three years,” said panelist Paul Massara, the president of Genesis Capital Corporation, in a meeting with the National Post’s editorial board. “The question is, is there the political will?”

At the top of the panel’s wish list is fixing the “broken” …

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The Living Wall in Toronto

contact February 20th, 2008

toronto the living wall“The air-purification system at the new University of Guelph-Humber building in Toronto is anything but industry-standard.

And when visitors spot the four-storey wall of plants dominating one side of a light-filled atrium, the reaction is universally “Wow”, says vice-provost Michael Nightingale.

But while the lush array that includes orchids, ferns, ivy and hibiscus is impressive, the truly innovative part of the biofilter - which has been operating for less than a year - is its capacity to break down hundreds of different kinds of contaminants found in indoor air.

Thanks to the action of microbes that live on the plant roots, common pollutants such as formaldehyde, toluene and benzene are transformed into harmless water and carbon dioxide. While the plants themselves have little impact on contaminants, they provide the environment for the microbes to work efficiently…”

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Thompson Hotel Toronto With Pool and Ice Rink! Coming Soon

contact February 18th, 2008

thompson hotel toronto
Set to open during the summer of 2009, the Thompson Hotel will feature a rooftop pool and bar with amazing views of Lake Ontario, Fort York and the CN Tower, all completely unobstructed; 102 rooms and 340 residential units; 42-inch plasma TVs, private 40-seat screening rooms; an outdoor skating rink with an rink-side lounge!

Thompson Hotel Toronto
550 Wellington Street W
Toronto ON M5V Canada
Telephone: 212.204.5010 (for info)

[via]

Valentine’s Day for Singles: Toronto Dance Clubs

contact February 14th, 2008

On your own tonight? Lots of people are date-less on Valentine’s Day; there’s no need to be ashamed or anything. Go have a great time dancing the night away. Invite some other solo Valentine’s friends and have a blast burning off some calories and listening to fun music:

Ba Ba Lu’u
136 Yorkville Ave., Telephone: 416-515-0587

Bovine Sex Club
542 Queen St. W., Telephone: 416-504-4239

Cira
126 John St., Toronto, Telephone: 416-979-0044

Courthouse
57 Adelaide St., Telephone: 416-214-9379

The Dance Cave
529 Bloor St. W., 2nd floor

Devil’s Martini
473 Adelaide St. W., Toronto, Telephone: 416-603-9300

The Docks
11 Polson St., Toronto, Telephone: 416-469-5655

El Convento Rico
750 College St., Telephone: 416-588-7800

The 5th Social Club
225 Richmond St. W., Toronto, Telephone: 416-979-3000

Fluid Lounge
217 Richmond St. W., Telephone: 416-593-6116

Funhaus
526 Queen St. W., Toronto, Telephone: 416-703-4999

The Guvernment/Koolhaus
32 Queens Quay E., Telephone: 416-869-0045

Hotel Boutique Bar
7 Peter St. Telephone: 416-345-8585

Inside
218 Richmond St. W., Telephone: 416-591-0009

Limelight Nightclub
250 Adelaide St. W., Telephone: 416-593-6126

Muzik
15 Saskatchewan Rd., Toronto, Telephone: 416-595-9998

Shallow Groove Lounge
559 College St., Telephone: 416-944-8998

This is London
364 Richmond St. W., Telephone: 416-351-1100

Tonic
117 Peter St., Telephone: 416-204-9200

[source]

Scenes of Toronto in Movies

contact February 13th, 2008

Milla Jovovich climbing down the wall of City Hall, helicopters and approaching zombies, and Toronto being nuked in Resident Evil - Apocalypse.

Brinks truck blowing up in Nathan Phillips Square in The Kidnapping of the President.

Train crashing through a wall of Union Station in Silver Streak.

Santa Claus with a gun pushing his way down an escalator in the Eaton Centre in Silent Partner.

Danny DeVito climbing over cars in traffic jam in Other People’s Money.

Claude Van Damme’s chase through the Zanzibar strip club and down Yonge Street in Maximum Risk.

Crowds rushing out of the University cinema in Strange Brew.

Racing car chase along University Avenue and Molson Indy in Driven.

Exploding bomb at Woodbine race track in Bait.

Geena Davis standing across from Honest Ed’s sign in The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Rock band Lighthouse playing at U of T in Frankenstein on Campus. Other bands that have had acting rolls include Rough Trade, Bare Naked Ladies, and The Tragically Hip.

Man alone in the world in the future shot at the new Science Centre, Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future.

Crowd outside of the CN tower in the climax of Canadian Bacon.

A TD bank tower containing a drug bank in Half Baked.

Casa Loma as the school for training the X-Men.

U of T in so many films like The Skulls, Superstar, Good Will Hunting, PCU and horror ones.

[Source: FIT]

Dim Sum in Toronto

contact February 12th, 2008

dim sum
For an out-of-this-world Cantonese inspired dim sum in Toronto, make a bee-line over to Lai Wah Heen Restaurant, which is housed inside the Metropolitan Hotel. Dim sum is served during lunch, seven days a week.

Dim sum chef Terence Chan is the mastermind behind the offerings at Lai Wah Heen. With his finger on the pulse of the most recent trends in Chinese cuisine, Chef Chan offers the most delectable shrimp, pork and vegetable dishes perfectly seasoned with exotic herbs and spices from the Pacific Rim.

NEVER leave this place, either, without trying the desserts! Here’s what’s available:

-Mini cream custard freshly baked in a puff pastry shell
-Sweetened cream roulade filled with hawthorn fruit paste
-Deep-fried dumpling of banana & sweet potato
-Deep-fried cream custard in a puffy cocoon
-Steamed mini soft cake flavored with honey-glazed walnut
-Tower of coffee & espresso pudding
-Deep-fried bun filled with mango & cream
-Baked puff pastry of sweet squash paste & almond
-Chilled duo tea pudding of lychee & jasmine flavor

To see the Dim Sum menu click here

Lai Wah Heen Restaurant
Metropolitan Hotel Toronto
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1R3 Canada
Telephone: 416.977.9899

Can’t Sleep? Head Over to the Insomnia Cafe

contact February 11th, 2008

insomnia cafe toronto
I’ll join you because I can’t sleep either. This is a perfect place to hang out in the middle of the night, when most Torontonians are getting their much needed zzzzz’s. The decor won’t make you go too insane as it’s rather sparse decorated in a mix of funky styles. Grab a late night snack or light meal. What are some things on the menu? Fried calamari with tzatziki dipping sauce. Don’t like it fried? Have it grilled with a side of salad. Or have a crostini with hummus or roasted garlic and brie. Looking for something more substantial? Have Fries! :D or steamed mussels, quesadillas, soup & salad and more. I’m hungry now.

By the way, the folks at Insomnia run a bar, so if you’d rather fill up on “liquids” try their yummy mcyumyum martinis.

Insomnia Internet Cafe
563 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M5S 1Y6, Canada
Tel: 416.588.3907
Sun-Wed 11:00am-2:00am, Fri & Sat 11:00am-4:00am

Canada’s Oldest Book Store (The Book Room) is Closing

contact February 10th, 2008

From The Book Room:

“The Book Room will be closing its retail bookstore on Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over the next few weeks The Book Room will begin an orderly shutdown of its retail store and dispose of its inventory by the end of March. However, the wholesale operation will continue.

The management and staff of The Book Room wish to thank its loyal customers, as well as the publishers and suppliers, the authors and many friends in the strong book community both in Halifax and throughout Canada whom we are proud to have served and privileged to have been part of. The store was founded in 1839 and is the “Oldest Bookstore in Canada”.

Mr Burchell said: “Changing times and market conditions have necessitated our decision. The coming of big-box-bookstores with their large inventory at discount prices; the expansion of books into grocery and drugstores; the ease of ordering books at discount prices over the internet and the dual pricing of books with higher selling prices in Canada than in the United States have made operating a profitable independent bookstore in Canada extremely difficult. I am very disappointed to make this announcement as The Book Room has been an institution in Nova Scotia. The bookstore has survived two World Wars, the Halifax Explosion, the Great Depression and many economic ups and downs over its 169 year history. It is the end of an era, one which I am proud and privileged to have been part of during my 42 years with the bookstore.”

Scary Canadian Public Service Announcement (PSA)

contact February 9th, 2008

scary public announcement made in canada
Watch the clip here

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