Canada Needs An Abortion Law?

Ah, the things you miss when you don't read The National Post daily... Wonderful editorials like this one by Jonathan Kay. What a piece of work this guy is. He'd be a lot of fun at a party.

Matinee Slim Show Tonight

Matinee Slim & The Ultralight Orchestra will be playing tonight at The Mod Club in Toronto. If you or any of your friends are in the area, go to this show. You won't regret it. It'll be fun. We can have a beer.

Spring cleaning day, too, if mostly because we'll have guests over the weekend. Still, it's always surprising how much crap one can accumulate over the course of a winter. I've just finished scrubbing my arms after being elbow deep in the toilet. Fun.

It's Not Unusual To Not Post For A While

Life has been rather busy around here lately, hence my lack of posts. I've been working on a load of video for Len, a Canadian band who are currently working on a new record, the first in some years. Their old videos will be posted on YouTube, and linked to their existing MySpace page. In theory, a full site will follow. Anyway, encoding and compressing video takes some time, and I've had to catch up a bit on the newest technology and techniques.

The film business seems to finally be picking up in Toronto as well, good news for me and all the other film technicians in the area. This year I'll be working as a permittee for both of the local unions: IATSE 873 and NABET 700. Last year I worked only for IATSE, so this should bring more calls, which is very nice! I've also been organizing a slew of training courses I need to take. In about a month's time, I'll be certified in 3 different types of forklift, 2 or 3 different types of propane handling, cranes and zoom-booms, and my personal favourite - entry level theatrical pyrotechnics. Finally, I'm on my way to blowing things up! Not that I would ever blow up anything I wasn't supposed to... Really.

So that's where it's all at. I'll certainly try to post more often, and to get out there and take more interesting photos of jolly old Toronto. In the meantime, let's forget our worries about the world and celebrate with Tom Jones.

The Toronto Anti-War Rally, Or "Canada Out Of Canada"

Rallies against, well, war in general it seems, were held around the world over the weekend to mark the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Here in Toronto, the protesters gathered across University Avenue from the U.S. Consulate. Estimates on the number of protesters vary depending on the source. The Canadian Press and Toronto Police give a figure of around 1,000, while wsws.org (the World Socialist Web Site) claims 25,000. Let's put it this way: I was there. There may have even been 2,000, but 25k is so utterly ridiculous I have to laugh. Unfortunately the organizers of the event, the Toronto Coalition To Stop The War, seem to have had a website outage problem, but I'm sure they'll be more realistic when they get their site back up...


This is the sight that greeted us as we made our way south on University to the site of the protest. Lots and lots of cops. Cops on bikes, cops walking, riot cops, horse cops; you name it, they were there. In the foreground, you can see the flags of Iraq and Palestine fluttering in the cold wind.

Here's the lone American Guy. He stood there defending all things Yankee to any and all who would listen. I think he was serious.




I had all kinds of looks like this from the cops while I took their pictures. Haha, it's good to be free.









Freedom for us to do whatever includes freedom for them to video us doing it, apparently... That's the Video Services Unit in the background. Smile for the camera!

One of my favourite posters. And there were a lot that were humourous in one way or another... See if you find this one funny, too!




Here are some shots of the aftermath. The crowd had marched off up University Avenue, and it seems some people forgot their signs.




A few more signs lying about. There were quite a few piles like this. I guess the wind was too cold to carry them. A real pity, because I'm sure that the 23,000 marchers that joined after we left could have used these...

I like this one. One of the best overall sentiments I saw all day.







I laughed and laughed at this. Canada out of Canada. But let's not fight about it...






Granola down! Medic! One of the funniest things you can see on the road after an anti-war protest. That includes cops and hippies.








After the protesters had moved off to the north, along with all the other cops, we were left virtually alone with Toronto's Finest Riot Outfit. Don't they look fine in their ski masks?

So, after all this cynicism (fun, though, wasn't it?!), let's be serious for just one second. The people at this rally were against war, totally and utterly, in all its forms. Having done my homework before going off to their rally, I know roughly where they stand. I just can't figure out why. The seems to be no thought beyond "No War". Is Iraq the same situation as Afghanistan? Iran? Where does Haiti fit in? (For that matter, where does Quebec fit in?!!) What would these people have been saying if the year was 1939? I invite you all to peruse the literature of these anti-war groups to see if it makes sense to you. Start with the links at the top of this post. I am not pro-war. I am also not anti-war if the circumstances call for it. All I ask is that people educate themselves before choosing their position; to be honest, I saw little to no evidence of that at the Saturday rally. Ouch.

Sex For Dummies?!!

Here are a couple of funny shots I took today while running around doing some errands. They make me lol...



Obviously, some people are more in need of help than I realised. They should include paper bags to put over your head while purchasing. Wow...



This one I like a lot. These are Air Canada poster ads that have been plastered all over downtown Toronto. Some have the company logo and some, like these, do not. However, further to yesterday's post about people being unable to write... Well, you can figure that one out on your own. Shouldn't large ad companies do a little better than this? At the end of the day, a good reason to carry a Sharpie with you at all times.

Canadian Troops, An Afghan Taxi, And A Comment I Didn't Make...

Anybody who is interested in the current situation in Afghanistan, particularly the involvement of Canadian troops there, may have read this article in the Globe & Mail. Anyone who is really interested may have started to read some of the 140-odd comments that readers have posted so far. If you could stomach the crap most of these idiots write, you may have made it to #39, written by one Andrew S. from Toronto. For the record, this IS NOT me. At least this guy can spell, which is more than I can say for most of these people.

I'm really concerned with the general intelligence level of Canadians after reading these comments. If one were to start at the top of the comments page, one would immediately see several posts about the driver of the taxi being shot. If one were to read the article before commenting, one would see that, in fact, it was one of the three passengers who was killed. My point is this: Why should I take anyone's opinion into account who can't even be bothered to read the story properly before making badly-written comments filled with spelling errors? I imagine there are at least a few young girls now going to school in Afghanistan who can write and spell better than this. Now, why are they in school again?

Toronto In The Clouds

Yesterday evening, just prior to dusk, I took a walk down Spadina Ave. to Queen St. West. I was playing with lighting settings and such, but managed a few good shots. I'll post a few of the best here, and post the rest on the companion site afterwards.



There are two of these large Kensington signs mounted on the city parking lot in the market. This one faces southeast on St. Andrew St.



Here's the Bank Of Montreal building, one of Toronto's tallest, poking its head through the clouds.



Things kept appearing through breaks in the low clouds. Facing east on Queen St. West, the downtown buildings faded in and out of view.



There are many small market stands like this one on Spadina in Chinatown. Here, a woman buys fruit on her way home.

Harper Takes A Double Double To Kandahar

Stephen Harper is in Afghanistan. Right in there with the troops. "These are the responsibilities that go with the office," he said, when asked about any risks involved with venturing into a war zone. He added that he would like to get as close to the front line as possible while minimizing the danger. Erm... Front lines? If there were any, it might help. As I understand it, there are areas that are safer than others. Period. Whatever the case, I'm not sure that the Prime Minster of Canada putting himself directly into harm's way is a good thing. Unless you're Peter Mackay. I'm just joking, I don't want Harper to blow up.

Meanwhile, I love stories like this: A Tim Hortons mobile unit is being prepared for shipment to the Canadian Forces airbase in Kandahar. The mobile units are normally used as temporary stores during construction and/or renovations, and look like this:

Thanks to Matt Clare for the photo.

Sure it's a huge marketing grab, but hey, this is pretty cool of Tim Hortons. They're going to make a lot of troops happy, and that's a good thing. I bet it costs them far more than it makes, too.

Someday I'll post some photos of my local Tim Hortons. It's very Chinese.

It's Hard Out Here For A Shrimp...

Because it's the Day of the Lord and I didn't go to church this morning (wait a sec, I never do), I did a little religious exploration of my own. So, who knew exactly how hard life is for a shrimp? These guys did, apparantly, and they're not afraid to tell the world. At least the portion of the world that uses Old Testament quotes to support their socially-regressive policy of the week.

For all the heathens, I recommend this seemingly-delicious recipe for Shrimp Pancakes w/ Sour Cream. I will have two servings, just to secure my corner office in hell.

Fun Fact: The shrimp.com domain name is currently available for the low, low price of $1,000,000 American dollars. Yikes.

Companion Site Up Now

Phew. The companion site is now up and running here. You can access it at any time through the link to the right. The content is limited to photo galleries for the time being, but this will change as 1iOPN changes and grows. For now, I've documented last year's trip to Bonaire, and started a gallery for shots around my neighbourhood. Enjoy!

Who The Hell Is This Guy??!!!

Check this out. Anyone? Anyone? Eddie Van Halen. Wow. I had no idea. My brother started a group email yesterday asking this same question. A few possibilities offered were "Charles Manson and Yoko Ono's 1959 love child", "Sharon Osbourne" and "Keith Richards prepping to be the Daddy Pirate in the next Pirates of
the Caribbean". BZZZT. Wrong. It's the king of two-hand-tapped arpeggios, the eruptor himself. I'm not sure why this is so frightening, but, well, it is. This guy is not holding it together very well at the age of 50. He doesn't look much better off than Keith Richards, in fact, who is 11+ years older. Eddie quit drinking in Otober 1994, but continued to chain-smoke cigarettes; a habit that contributed to his diagnosis of cancer of the mouth. After treatment, the Diver Down was pronounced cancer-free, but had to have hip replacement surgery for a degenerative condition also thought to be linked to his earlier lifestyle. Eventually, he broke up with his wife, Valerie Bertinelli, and slipped back into his old habits, picking up a meth addiction in addition to the coke and booze. The picture tells the rest of the story. Careful, kids, nobody wants this to happen to them...

Little Known Van Halen Fact: Eddie and his older brother Alex were actually born in Holland before emigrating to the U.S. in 1962 with their parents. Isn't that weird?

Oscar’s Midwest Abortion

One word for the Oscar show: Boooooo… I’m not going to blame it on Jon Stewart, as one has to respect what he just did, and how much he could get away with saying. His “And none of those issues were ever a problem again” comment was a brilliant jab at Hollywood’s self-congratulatory status quo. Don’t get me wrong. The entertainment industry, represented here by the movie industry, continues to do a lot towards opening minds around the globe to social issues and such. However, perhaps they could build a few houses in New Orleans instead of hiring a few “locals” to help make disaster movies that will put profits into the pockets of the producers. If I see anything about these productions donating their profits to hurricane charities, I’ll be sure to let you know. Don’t hold your breath.

Now let’s do a quick 180-degree shift, and check out South Dakota’s latest contribution to progressive thinking. Today, Governor Mike Rounds signed legislation making almost all abortions illegal in S.D. Abortions will only be available if they are necessary to save the mother’s life. Raped? Too bad. Incest? No problem, you shouldn’t have teased your dad, now you can shut up and bear his child. The law is scheduled to take effect July 1^st (a wonderful addition to our own Canada Day celebrations), but will likely be suspended by a federal judge during the ensuing legal challenges. Large sums of cash have already started to pour in from abortion opponents across the country to bolster a legal fund set up by the S.D. state legislature. This is the big one, people. We’ll soon get to see which way the wind really blows regarding John Roberts and Samuel Alito, the recently appointed conservative justices on the Supreme Court. Governor Rounds issued a short written statement, but refused all media requests for interviews.

Good night and good luck.

Who Let Jon Stewart Drive At The Oscars?

Oddly, I'll be watching the Oscars tonight for the first time in years... For one reason only, let it be known: Jon Stewart is hosting. I don't know who exactly came up with this one, but it seems our illustrious J.S. will be having what many call the biggest night of his career so far. I have no idea what he's going to do up there on that stage, but I guess we're all about to see. If I were an Oscar producer, though, I might be worried, if not downright scared. I'm thinking Chris Rock hits Michael Moore in a head-on crash. Maybe that's not giving J.S. enough credit, though. Either way, Hollywood and the world are in for it tonight. This should be fun to watch.

The companion site I've been working on has been growing over the past few days. All weekend I've been lost in ActionScript code I know very little about. In any case, I seem to be winning the battle, and later today or tomorrow the site will be launched. Depending on the Oscars, of course...

Today's Fun & Why The World Is A Little Better

I've been working all day on a companion site to the blog. It's starting to come together nicely, if I do say so myself. And I do. Say so. Myself... It's going to include a whole lot more graphic content than I can reasonably fit in these posts. Many of the blog posts will have accompanying sections on the website. I'll also post here whenever I add other content there. Fun.

On a lighter note, the world is a better place today since the Bush administration has agreed to release the identities of most prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. Until now, the Defense Department had claimed that releasing names, nationalities, etc. of the prisoners could "subject their families, friends and associates to embarrassment and retaliation". Well. Pity they couldn't actually charge anyone with anything. In any case, at great risk to the prisoners' extended circles of family and friends, we now know who the Americans are illegally detaining. Cool.

Chinatown Central or Where It All Happens

So let's start with where I am. Here are a few shots I just took to give the lay of the land, so to speak...


This is the view from the window beside my computer. I look at this a lot. Items of note are the liquor store right across the street in the foreground, and the smokestack spewing medical waste in the distance over on University Avenue. Wait, it can't be, they wouldn't do something like that.


Look a little to the right and you'd see beautiful Downtown Toronto bathed in the glow of the setting sun. This truly is the center of the universe. I revel in its glory daily.


The view from the backdoor... Looking into the Kensington Market area, with Toronto Western Hospital in the distance. Wait a second, what the hell is that?



Eeew. Your chinese food at work. There are pools of grease at the base of this restaurant vent. I covered it all with earth and now long grass and morning glory grow in the summer.

So that's the 'hood. Come visit sometime, we'll have a beer.

Here We Go!

So here it is. Off into the great digital beyond. I decided to start this project for a number of reasons. First of all, as a platform to speak to the world, mostly to rant and rave I'm sure... Secondly, as a vehicle to display media I've created and tell the stories that surround the various pieces. Thirdly, because I'm bored stiff waiting for work in the film industry here in Toronto. That said, I'll be carrying my camera more often, and we'll all see what comes of it together. Anything is possible out here on the frontier, so I'm told...

A disclaimer should be added here saying that I promise nothing and reserve the right to say whatever the hell I want at any time. Enjoy the site, and please feel free to comment/email, I'll always answer within a year. Again, no promises.