I can’t believe I’m bothering to quarrel with a report from the Fraser Institute, but sometimes it’s just too tempting to resist. The right-wing think tank released a survey yesterday that will be the foundation of its urban policy research agenda, headed up by that champion of cities, former Ontario premier Mike Harris. Among thecontinue reading
June 2008 Archives
The TTC does fine, except for the actual riders –
The original hat tip for this in the Toronto blogosphere goes to 299bloorcallcontrol, as far as I’m aware, though Spacing has weighed in: The TTC has just begun installing a new 2008 edition of its subway network maps in subway cars … The TTC did away with just displaying the approximate address numbers along Yonge,continue reading
And if you like world class cities, go live in one
Ever-wise city councillors vote to kill street life on Bloor. I guess they’re hoping this will transform the exciting line-up of nondescript architecture, inexpensive European chain clothing stores and discounters into Toronto’s own answer to the Magnificent Mile. If you’d rather be able to buy the occasional hot dog, well, perhaps you should just move: Councillorcontinue reading
The neighbourhood is different. The crime is the same.
Do you remember Tyler Roulston? What about Tristan Wright? Jonathan Rodrigues? What high schools did they go to? They were all shooting victims under the age of 25 this year in Toronto. One may have been known to police. Another was shot in front of a house party with dozens of witnesses. Another was killedcontinue reading
Or like being entangled in an enigma wrapped in a riddle
An awfully specific simile from the Economist: Spending time in Russia is a bit like taking the psychotropic anti-malarial drug Larium: anyone with a propensity to anxiety should probably avoid it.
Peaking skepticism
A recent Economist article highlights some of the questions over whether we’re experiencing peak oil now or not. There have been a number of stories recently alleging that oil prices are artificially high right now in part because there are vast quantities of crude sitting on ships offshore. Another issue is limited refinery capacity. Accordingcontinue reading
Tasteless classical music marketing, part 2,178
Given the state of the classical music market you can’t blame people for trying to be inventive. But we are still recovering from the design of one of EMI’s latest releases, a Chopin disc by the Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter. Donald Manildi raved about it in International Record Review this month and I picked upcontinue reading
In today’s news —
A piglet scared of wallowing in mud has overcome its fears with the help of some Wellington boots. ROME (Reuters) – An Italian couple who were caught having sex in a church confessional box while morning Mass was being said have repented and made peace with the local bishop. Some days my media scan iscontinue reading
The Price is Right
Shocking news from our friends at BMO: Canadian shoppers are still paying 18 per cent more on average than Americans for the same items, BMO Nesbitt Burns says in a study that suggests consumers aren’t reaping the benefits of a strong dollar. The rest of the article seems to indicate that, in fact, the reportcontinue reading
The longest post in the last five minutes
Business reporters are constantly under pressure to quantify whatever they’re writing about. Unfortunately, there’s so little context associated with this that the reader is left with absolutely no idea as to whether the information is significant or not. Case in point: the dreaded “in XX period of time” construct. First example, from today’s Globeinvestor.com: Pricescontinue reading