1. Bloor Street Revitalization
The real heroes of Bloor street are the skilled workers who were out there toiling in the summer heat to lay this wonderfully widened sidewalks of "thank you quebec" granite, along with sustainable soil cell systems for trees and diffused lighting.
A near derelict water main system below forced this makeover that will perhaps one day expand beyond the Church Street to Avenue Road area. It's been a maze on this busy strip of Bloor and everyone is so looking forward to when the snow and salt finally lifts and we can enjoy the first summer in the last two years without obstruction and construction.
Though the new sidewalks end at Avenue Road the coolness factor continues west on Bloor where alternatives to the automobile and street art get some space.
2. Nipples
A simple, sheer, no-underwire bra is impossible to find at La Senza Lingerie. You will be dazzled by an array of fluorescence and brassieres embellished in lace, sequins, animal patterns, always padded, underwired, shoved together for emphasis on deep pushed-up, cleavage and nipples protected under inches of foam.
What's the big deal about showing some nipple? A Mom in Montreal breastfeeds her child in a secluded area of a children's store and starts a storm. Kim Kardashian is all up in a rage over some nipple show in a recent photo but no concern over the showing of bottoms. Jeanne Beker reports on nipples as a trend so we know it must be back and I'm glad to hear it.
3. Fast Fashion
Forever 21 hits Toronto this spring with a new store in the basement level of the Eatons Centre. Everyone loves the fifteen dollar bargain. With tax, it's not too much to spend a $20. and marketers at stores like at Zara, H&M, FCUK have figured out, it's our price point.
Fast fashion, like fast food means inexpensive clothing everywhere, copied fresh of the runway and made possible by our manufacturing wizards in the east. OK, so now when I purchase a t-shirt, it's so transparent that you need to purchase three more just to cover up. Is there too much fashion, too much waste in the industry?
4. Kensington Market
Things are way down downtown. The busy sidewalks of Chinatown disguise For Rent signs, boarded up stores, decaying buildings and homes ready for the next wave of immigrants who can no longer afford the downtown prices. Chinatown is changing. Does anyone else feel it?. Until there's a major revitalization in the Spadina Kensignton neighbourhood, we'll have to keep things alive with festivals that win back the streets in the summer.
5. Evergreen Brickworks
With a grand restoration underway, this once hidden oasis in the city is now busy on weekends with the farmers market. The french fry dudes just clean up with hand-cut Yukon gold potatoes and homemade ketchup during the summer months at the Brickworks. After buying all the healthy organic stuff from the farmers, you get kinda hungry, so save some strength for standing in line to get your hot, crispy fries in a hand rolled paper cone.
6. Body Browser
Peeling back annatomical layers of the human body, in 3D no doubt, to take a look at your muscles, organs and bones is still in beta development at google. But you don't have to wait to explore this ground-breaking learning tool. And thinking about exposed bodies, does anyone else worry about the effects of the 'soft porn' ads at the back of the NOW newspaper that's available freely everywhere in news boxes and subway newsstands. We are concerned about our children being exposed to internet porn when this stuff is in plain sight.
7. Netflix vs itunes
I got the netflix $9.95 a month deal and free for the first month after being an avid itunes downloader since it's inception. There are lots of good, popular choices but try searching something classic such as "The Candidate" with Robert Redford of Quentin Taratino's "Pulp Fiction", you'll probably come up not available. I've kicked them to the curve for now along with Primus as my home service internet provider. For now it's pay-as-I-go at Apple and saying no to monthly charges.
The promise of unlimited download, lighting-fast bandwodth evaporated at the end of the year when they were "forced" to break their contract and start charging usage-based fees. The issue continues.
8. Al Jazeera
Watch TV News Now at the Al Jazeera network and gain another perspective.
You won't find an entertainment section and there seems to be a lot old BBC guys on the network but guess what, you'll also find the really cool Avi Lewis co-hosting Al Jazeera's Fault Lines series and probably the best investigative reporting on what's going on the the world right now.
9. Buteyko
Could it be that breathing deeply is in fact bad for you?. The Buteyko Method is a set of breathing exercises developed by Dr K. P. Buteyko to restore healthy breathing patterns, which help to maintain the correct ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the bloodstream. According to his research, some 150 diseases are linked to dysfunctional breathing: think asthma, anxiety, hypertension, allergies or maybe you're being kept up a night by someone else's snoring.
Last summer, I took the Buteko Breathing course with renowned instructor Christine Bauman who was in town from Vancouver a training the trainer session. There's no quick fix. You have to do the exercises. This Spring Buteyko classes will be available in mid town Toronto area.
10. Chinese Checkers
I've cleared out all computing devices from my living room area and dragged in the yoga matt, weights and some board games with the hope of inspiring some family noise. With eveeryone plugged into there own devices with headphones listening, chatting, interacting with something or someone else, it gets pretty quiet together but alone in the new world.
So I'm bring out my favourite game of Chinese Checkers, along with Scrabble, Chess and a deck of Playing Cards in the hope of making some noise again.
11. Electricity
Have you noticed what going on with electricity which is highly subsidized by our government so you don't have to actually see the real cost that we're paying. Everything is plugged in. Even if you're mobile, it's only a matter of time, a few hours maybe, before you have to get juiced up again.
Now electric cars are coming on strong so the demand is going to grow. Smart meters measure electricity usage every hour so take a look at time of use rates because it's almost double during the day from 11 to 5pm.
12. Cloud Computing
When I talk to clients about using online-based applications to manage their business communication, they worry about security, brand reinforcement and document ownership issues. I ask "what if you spill that cup of coffee on your laptop or misplace your USB key?"
What's next is my blog documenting my adventure as a design geek working in the Google Cloud with Gmail and Google Apps business accounts.
Love to have your comments and feedback as always.
The real heroes of Bloor street are the skilled workers who were out there toiling in the summer heat to lay this wonderfully widened sidewalks of "thank you quebec" granite, along with sustainable soil cell systems for trees and diffused lighting.
A near derelict water main system below forced this makeover that will perhaps one day expand beyond the Church Street to Avenue Road area. It's been a maze on this busy strip of Bloor and everyone is so looking forward to when the snow and salt finally lifts and we can enjoy the first summer in the last two years without obstruction and construction.
 |
| Sculpture of Unknown Student by Dale Heinzerling at the corner of Bloor St. and Huron St. |
 |
| Go see for yourselves - Detail of new art by Runt started summer 2010 on the front walls of Lee's Palace |
 |
| Our Urban artist "Runt" does some revitalization of his own with some new art for Lee's Palace |
 |
| Art that fits right into its environment |
2. Nipples
A simple, sheer, no-underwire bra is impossible to find at La Senza Lingerie. You will be dazzled by an array of fluorescence and brassieres embellished in lace, sequins, animal patterns, always padded, underwired, shoved together for emphasis on deep pushed-up, cleavage and nipples protected under inches of foam.
What's the big deal about showing some nipple? A Mom in Montreal breastfeeds her child in a secluded area of a children's store and starts a storm. Kim Kardashian is all up in a rage over some nipple show in a recent photo but no concern over the showing of bottoms. Jeanne Beker reports on nipples as a trend so we know it must be back and I'm glad to hear it.
3. Fast Fashion
Forever 21 hits Toronto this spring with a new store in the basement level of the Eatons Centre. Everyone loves the fifteen dollar bargain. With tax, it's not too much to spend a $20. and marketers at stores like at Zara, H&M, FCUK have figured out, it's our price point.
Fast fashion, like fast food means inexpensive clothing everywhere, copied fresh of the runway and made possible by our manufacturing wizards in the east. OK, so now when I purchase a t-shirt, it's so transparent that you need to purchase three more just to cover up. Is there too much fashion, too much waste in the industry?
 |
| Fast Fashion $10-15 tops at The Rage |
4. Kensington Market
Things are way down downtown. The busy sidewalks of Chinatown disguise For Rent signs, boarded up stores, decaying buildings and homes ready for the next wave of immigrants who can no longer afford the downtown prices. Chinatown is changing. Does anyone else feel it?. Until there's a major revitalization in the Spadina Kensignton neighbourhood, we'll have to keep things alive with festivals that win back the streets in the summer.
 |
| Yummy cappuccinos at Sublime Cafe, Kensington Market |
5. Evergreen Brickworks
With a grand restoration underway, this once hidden oasis in the city is now busy on weekends with the farmers market. The french fry dudes just clean up with hand-cut Yukon gold potatoes and homemade ketchup during the summer months at the Brickworks. After buying all the healthy organic stuff from the farmers, you get kinda hungry, so save some strength for standing in line to get your hot, crispy fries in a hand rolled paper cone.
 |
 |
| Nature walk at the Evergreen Brickworks |
6. Body Browser
Peeling back annatomical layers of the human body, in 3D no doubt, to take a look at your muscles, organs and bones is still in beta development at google. But you don't have to wait to explore this ground-breaking learning tool. And thinking about exposed bodies, does anyone else worry about the effects of the 'soft porn' ads at the back of the NOW newspaper that's available freely everywhere in news boxes and subway newsstands. We are concerned about our children being exposed to internet porn when this stuff is in plain sight.
7. Netflix vs itunes
I got the netflix $9.95 a month deal and free for the first month after being an avid itunes downloader since it's inception. There are lots of good, popular choices but try searching something classic such as "The Candidate" with Robert Redford of Quentin Taratino's "Pulp Fiction", you'll probably come up not available. I've kicked them to the curve for now along with Primus as my home service internet provider. For now it's pay-as-I-go at Apple and saying no to monthly charges.
The promise of unlimited download, lighting-fast bandwodth evaporated at the end of the year when they were "forced" to break their contract and start charging usage-based fees. The issue continues.
8. Al Jazeera
Watch TV News Now at the Al Jazeera network and gain another perspective.
You won't find an entertainment section and there seems to be a lot old BBC guys on the network but guess what, you'll also find the really cool Avi Lewis co-hosting Al Jazeera's Fault Lines series and probably the best investigative reporting on what's going on the the world right now.
9. Buteyko
Could it be that breathing deeply is in fact bad for you?. The Buteyko Method is a set of breathing exercises developed by Dr K. P. Buteyko to restore healthy breathing patterns, which help to maintain the correct ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the bloodstream. According to his research, some 150 diseases are linked to dysfunctional breathing: think asthma, anxiety, hypertension, allergies or maybe you're being kept up a night by someone else's snoring.
Last summer, I took the Buteko Breathing course with renowned instructor Christine Bauman who was in town from Vancouver a training the trainer session. There's no quick fix. You have to do the exercises. This Spring Buteyko classes will be available in mid town Toronto area.
10. Chinese Checkers
I've cleared out all computing devices from my living room area and dragged in the yoga matt, weights and some board games with the hope of inspiring some family noise. With eveeryone plugged into there own devices with headphones listening, chatting, interacting with something or someone else, it gets pretty quiet together but alone in the new world.
So I'm bring out my favourite game of Chinese Checkers, along with Scrabble, Chess and a deck of Playing Cards in the hope of making some noise again.
11. Electricity
Have you noticed what going on with electricity which is highly subsidized by our government so you don't have to actually see the real cost that we're paying. Everything is plugged in. Even if you're mobile, it's only a matter of time, a few hours maybe, before you have to get juiced up again.
Now electric cars are coming on strong so the demand is going to grow. Smart meters measure electricity usage every hour so take a look at time of use rates because it's almost double during the day from 11 to 5pm.
12. Cloud Computing
When I talk to clients about using online-based applications to manage their business communication, they worry about security, brand reinforcement and document ownership issues. I ask "what if you spill that cup of coffee on your laptop or misplace your USB key?"
What's next is my blog documenting my adventure as a design geek working in the Google Cloud with Gmail and Google Apps business accounts.
Love to have your comments and feedback as always.
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