Space, Place & Scale

2009-12-14T10:49:00.001-08:00

This article is from the Toronto star titled ’10 crazy New year’s rituals’. It goes on to talk about 10 rituals from different geographical area’s and bizarre traditions that various places have.
1) Spain
- At midnight it is a sign of good luck to eat 12 grapes quickly to have good luck for each month of the following year. Quite the bizarre superstition, but perhaps I’ll give it a try this year.
2) Central and south America
- The wearing of different colour underwear signifies what is to come for the new year. Example is red is for love and yellow is for money. I’ll be sure to have my red and yellow underwear on for the New Year.
3) Finland
- By putting a casting molten tin into water people in Finland interpret the shape of the metal after it hardens. Such as a ring signifies marriage or a ship means travel. Quite the interesting thing to try.
4) Philippines
- Similar to Spain round fruit is thought to bring good luck so in the Philippines its not upcoming for people to eat exactly 12 fruits at midnight to show a sign of good luck.
5) Belarus
- Unmarried woman play games to see who will get married next. Example is a pile of corn is put infront of every woman and a chicken is set loose. The first pile that is approached signified who will get married next.
6) Denmark
- Standing on chairs and jumping off them at midnight is very common in Denmark, as it signifies banish spirits and bring good luck. Not sure how safe being drunk on top of a chair would be.
7) Scotland
-some folks swing giant fireballs around poles to show a faith of good luck. Also playing with fire while drunk is not the best of idea’s. Trust me.
8) Japan
- It is tradition to watch a music tv show called red and white song battle, in which the audience decides who is the winner, The white (men) or the red team (woman)
9) Panama
- Munecos are burned in a bonfire, to represent the old year burning along with evil spirits. Apparently lots of people like playing with fire when their intoxicated.
10) Estonia
- The tradition is to eat seven meals on new years day to show that there will be abundant food. Quite contradictory though.

Hoarders: You can have too much stuff?

2009-12-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

While flipping through channels recently, I stumbled past a truly bizarre and yet completely enthralling program entitled "Hoarders". Yup, it's a show about people with too much stuff. It follows the lives of compulsive hoarders, those who suffer from an inability to part with their belongings that is so out of control they are on the verge of a personal crisis.

The program raises questions about the nature of all our stuff. I began thinking about all the stuff I own and how important it is to me. My belongings all have personal meaning or use, and without them my home would feel empty, sterile and cold. They may just be objects, but you attach a certain idea or feeling with them, and together those ideas and feelings help cater to the creation of a home, or at least a place with some meaning to you. This is why model homes and condominiums seem to lack any feeling and come across as ‘unliveable’. But clearly from watching the show, people all have very different ideas about what is and isn’t valuable, and what is and isn’t a liveable space. While some can live in magazine perfect houses and feel at home, others need to be surrounded by their multitude of things in order to feel the same way. When does stuff become too much stuff?

Considering the consumer society we live in, aren’t we all actually hoarders? While we attribute meaning to our belongings, is that simply because we have let ourselves become convinced that we need and/or want it all? We can look around at all our worldly belongings and feel stifled and realize just how truly useless they are, but then turn around be reminded of how significant they all are and how fortunate we are to have them.

Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy all your new stuff.

Leading up to Christmas, stores better watch out!

2009-12-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Although we finally seem to be surfacing from the long, hard economic downturn, it appears that not many people are eager to dive back into debt. The Christmas holidays can be a challenging experience for some people, especially after such an extreme market crisis. In an article titled, “Leading up to Christmas, stores better watch out”, it is stated that while the volume of shoppers has risen, spending by the shoppers has fallen. In my opinion, this is because people are willing to go from store to store in search of savings this holiday season instead of just freely purchasing whatever their heart desires. Is this increase in shoppers and decrease in spending because people are going to the mall with the intentions of stealing, or is it just because people are generally not buying anything?

The article mentions how there is a clip of a Sears security guard trying to apprehend a shoplifter in the store parking lot. After the security guard catches and corners the thief, a handgun was pulled out and the thief shot the guard in the face... twice. This makes me think of how consumers who were greatly affected by the market drop must feel during Christmas holidays. When consumers are backed into a corner by being forced to spend money that they don’t have, the only other option for them is to steal. Although it may not be as extreme as shooting someone, it is a last resort for a lot of people.

Not Welcome

2009-12-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

We have talked in the past about homelessness and what it means to be homeless on a personal scale. The article which we read for class, “Contours of a Spatialized Politics: Homeless Vehicles and the Production of Geographical Scale,” by Neil Smith, discusses some of the challenges faced by homeless people and how they deal with them. A few weeks ago, I came across a somewhat parallel article in the Toronto Star about a homeless person named Al Gosling who had died as a result of...not having a place to stay. I am certain that there are many other occasions of homeless people dying due to their status, although they are almost never reported. The reason why this particular case is reported is because the Toronto Community Housing Corporation claims that it has no responsibility over Mr. Gosling’s death.
However, as the article clearly explains, Mr. Gosling had been evicted from the shelter prior to his death which left him with no place to go in time when he would have needed it. Thus, there is a pronounced sense of placelessness in his case – Mr. Gosling did not own a Homeless Vehicle, he was evicted from a homeless shelter to become as homeless as one can get.
The author of the news article, Joe Fiorito, goes on to address the issues that surround the lack of maintenance of homeless shelters and how this affects the well-being of those who visit them. This is a clear illustration of the City of Toronto’s negligence when it comes to homelessness. They are all around us (and around city officials), but there is not a whole lot of action being taken to minimize their suffering, which would, in turn, minimize homelessness in Toronto.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/711132

Guantanamo Bay as a moral place

2009-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Flipping through the pages of various newspapers, I noticed that there were a lot of articles discussing how Obama will, admittedly, miss his proposed January 2010 deadline of closing down Guantanamo Bay. Guantanamo Bay is an American detainment facility located in Cuba, that is used to hold suspected terrorists and war criminals believed to pose a serious threat to the national security of the United States. As I read these different articles, I noticed that this issue sparked heated debate around Guantanamo as a moral place. As the Toronto Star article entitled “How to empty Guantanamo” shows, there are those who think that it should not be closed. These proponents who are mostly Republican and were members of the Bush administration, such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, believe that it is a place that helps fight America’s “war on terror” by holding captive dangerous suspected terrorists. To them, Guantanamo Bay is a moral place because it serves the good of the nation through protecting the safety and security of all Americans. They believe that all of the activities that occur at Guantanamo are justified because it is done for the good of the American people. For them, the “ends” justifies the “means”.

On the other hand, there are opponents of Guantanamo Bay, such as Obama, who do not see it as a moral place. As he states, it is a “misguided experiment” that sets back the U.S.’s “moral authority”. This is believed mostly because of the accusations of cruelty and torturous acts that occur in Guanatanamo Bay. There are many reported incidents of torture involving “interrogation techniques” to extract information from prisoners such as sleep deprivation, beatings, druggings, sexual assault and waterboarding. In light of these immoral acts, many want the facility to be shut down and agree with Obama when he expressed that “I believe strongly that torture is not moral…any program of detention and interrogation must comply with the Geneva Conventions, Conventions on Torture and the Constitution.”

For the wide majority of the public, Guantanamo constitutes what Robert Sack would consider an “evil place”. It is narrow and obscures our vision by cutting itself off from the rest of the world. It is isolated as a place of secrecy with maximum security, no access for outsiders and little contact with the outside world. It also asserts control over other places, occupying an area of land claimed by the United States on foreign soil.

The debate over whether Guantanamo Bay should be shut down by the Obama administration shines light onto the many moral issues that arise from such a place. In viewing the moral dimensions of places, like Guantanamo Bay, it provides us with an overall, greater understanding of place.

Articles found here: http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/734972--how-to-empty-guantanamo

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/us/politics/22gitmo.html

The Post-Colonial Effects on Minor Hockey

2009-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

The article entitled "Violence and racial slurs on the rise in kids' hockey" which was published in the Toronto Star, focuses on incidents of racial slurs in amateur hockey today. The article speaks of Carl Friday, an official in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, who recounts an experience where a 16 year old boy called him the n-word and then threatened his life. From a social-constructionist, postcolonial perspective, this appears to have long-standing roots which date back to colonial times. Until today, it is possible to see people making distinctions based on colour, a practice dating back to colonial times.

It is vital that we teach the children playing these games that this type of behaviour is unacceptable and there will be consequences such as suspensions if it continues. Further, it is imperative that their parents set a proper example. However, the article cites at the very end that some parents have also been caught using similar derogatory slurs such as telling a black official to go back to basketball or football. As such, it appears that the league will have to continue to take on the role of being the disciplinarian, at least for the time being.

The article is available through the Toronto Star website at: http://www.thestar.com/sports/gthl/article/734837--violence-and-racial-slurs-on-the-rise-in-kids-hockey

But...I'm a York Student!

2009-12-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, there had been much anticipation about the relocation of the Archives of Ontario to York University's Keele Campus. This was supposed to open our eyes to different aspects of Canadian history by providing us with easy access to historical documents, photos and maps.
Since the opening of the building, I had walked by it a handful of times, but had never thought to go inside. I felt hesitant because, in my eyes, this building was bigger than me, too good for me. There was no place for me inside those doors, I was not welcome. I knew that a few of my friends went over to study there from time to time and a couple of days ago I decided to join them, albeit very anxiously.
The study area, which consisted of a few tables, about 4 chairs at each table and few couches on the side, was ideal. It was quiet and there was a kitchen area in case you wanted to heat up food in the microwave or even use the refrigerator. The setting was very informal and this made studying a lot easier and more relaxed.
After about 3 hours of studying, a woman who worked there approached us. She passed through us all, mind you we were all, except for one, visible minorities, to the only person in our group that was the closest to Caucasian; she had blonde hair. She told us that the area we were in was a secure area and that students were not allowed there. This came as news to us because we had walked in with no trouble at all, without being stopped by anyone and had not been asked to leave in the last 3 hours we had been there. She also told us that we were not allowed to bring food there, although there was a kitchen in plain view. This was odd to me because why would it matter whether we were allowed to bring food if we were not allowed to be there in first place.
I've been a tuition-paying student at York for about 4 years now. There is no doubt in my mind that our money had gone into the construction of the Archives of Ontario and the York Research Tower. So why then are we not allowed to access these buildings?

Who are we to bully

2009-12-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

There are two sides to bullying either you are the one being bullied or you are the bully. Unfortunately, for Daniel Sebben he spent most of his youth being bullied and tormented by his peers. During Sebben time in high school he was subjected to homophobic slurs, insults, and verbal abuse by a group of six boys. With years of bullying Sebben had finally reached his breaking point. Becoming depressed and eventually attempting to commit suicide. When Sebben’s mother realized what her son was being subjected to at school she immediately took action. The superintendent and board were notified. However when Sebben returned to school it just made matters worse and the bullying did not stop.

The Sebben’s family experience is far too common for many students. One must wonder if the way we are handling school bullying is sufficient. It seems that the pyramid of authority is being turned around. If superiors like parents and principals cannot stop bullying among peers then we need to look to other students for help.

Most school’s today have implemented police present in order to ensure safety within the school community. But is this enough? Bullying in the twenty first century has reached a new extreme. With the introduction of online chatting sites like facebook people are now becoming more spatially connected. Compressing space and time together, resulting in the merge of the public and private sphere. So, are we really ever safe from bullying?

References: http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/727868--why-canada-can-t-stop-bullies

Is life in the Suburbs making you fat?

2009-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

I picked up the Brampton Guardian earlier this October and read a special part one of part two feature on whether life in the suburbs are making its residents fat. On the back of an overweight woman standing on a scale between the folds of her skin the message printed on her behind says “Study finds 47% of Peel residents are overweight.” The article warrants our attention for people who live in suburbs or plan on raising their families in the suburbs. Dr. Jason Gilliand, associate of geography and urban development program director at London’s University of Western Ontario said that increased attention to environmental and health related issues have pushed municipal planners to rethink how suburban neighbourhoods are planned. Gillian said that suburban planners are now revisiting the merits of high-density development, which is building vertically. Because of the large availability of cheap land and cheaper gasoline low density planning became the norm in planning. As a result more and more people were getting into their cars in order to purchase their goods.

Another study conducted in San Diego State University revealed that people living in the urban neighbourhoods are twice as likely to be physically active than those in the suburbs. I found it surprising that when people began moving into the suburbs it was regarded as a healthier place to live. I would think that it is common sense that not needing a car to get from place to place requires people to not only use other modes of transportation but simply walking more.

Gayle Bursey, the peel Region’s director of chronic disease and injury prevention believes that modern societies have created ‘obesogenic environments’ or public spaces that discourage people from maintaining a healthy weight. It was suggested that the rise in chronic diseases like diabetes and the excess of 12 millions pounds in Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon are a result of how planners have built up communities with low mix of land uses and poor road connectivity. I completely appreciate how this article written by Peter Criscione does not blame the person, and instead look critically at how space affects people and how the institution of provincial city planning affects society.

Continuing Hockey in Maple Leaf Gardens

2009-12-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, (November 30th 2009) it was officially announced that the former Maple Leafs Gardens would become home to Ryerson Universities athletic facility as well as a Loblaws supermarket. The buidings was originally purchased in 2004 by the Loblaws company but for the past five years the building has sat vacant. The building will undergo $60 million worth of rennovation and is set ot be opened in the spring of 2011 (the image above is an artist's randition of what the complete rennovations will look like) The cost of the new development will be split three ways. $20 million from the federal government, $20 million from Ryerson University students who voted to pay an increase of aprox $126 in tuition to fund the project and a final $20 million from various donations (of which Lowblaws is providing $5 million).

With the news of this new development I am most pleased that the nostalgia behind the Maple Leaf Gardens is being preserved and, in addition, the tradition of hockey will continue to take place. The official plan is to have the grocery store located on the first floor of the building and the second storey to house a new ice rink with seats for up to 5, 000 spectators to watch the Ryerson Ram's hockey team. The top storey will house a volleyball and basketball court.

By keeping the original building in tact and continuning the tradition of athletics in the building, the former Maple Leaf Gardens will remain to be a building full of memories from the past. Those who had the privilage to watch hockey games will always remember the experience(s) they had and the major significance that Hockey has in Canadian Culture.

If it were up to me, I would have the Maple Leaf Gardens become a heritage site and would turn the space into one that would commemerate the events that took place in the building. Another interesting idea would be to turn the building into the new Hockey Hall of Fame.

Information and photo taken from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/hockey-in-store-for-gardens-as-ryerson-strikes-deal/article1383349/

A Day of Remembrance

2009-11-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

On Monday November 23, 2009, York University's Tamil Student Association (YUTSA) hosted a "Maveerar Naal" program in remembrance of all the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in the on-going war back home in Sri Lanka. My two younger brothers, mom, and I decided we wanted to attend the event after we heard about it from my older sister, who was going to be apart of the performances for that evening. It was very important for me to bring my young brothers to this show because it would allow them a glimpse at the reality that so many innocent people have been faced with and continue to face 'til this day.

Upon our arrival at Founders Assembly Hall, I was happy to see that many people had showed up, including family members and non-Tamil students. As we approached the seating area, each person was given a red piece of paper with a date and a location of a massacre that was targeted towards Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Later that night, the hundreds of us that were there lined up, paid our respects, and handed our red paper to the two men that were standing at the front of the stage. They taped the pieces of paper in a way that by the end of it, it resembled the piece of land that we have been fighting for, known only as Tamil Eelam. This was the perfect backdrop to the performances that followed.

The program consisted of powerful plays, monologues, cultural dances, and speeches that left the audience in tears and more importantly, inspired. I was thankful that YUTSA was able to find a space inside York to hold this event. Within those walls of the Assembly Hall, I felt such a strong sense of acceptance and unity for my first time at York University.

Please visit the following link for additional pictures from this event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomcochrane/sets/72157622750019735/

Safe Places?

2009-11-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

What is really considered a safe place in today’s society? Take the example of women being sexually assaulted at York University. Women usually fear walking alone in the dark, walking to classes that are far away from each other, to parking lots, or even the bus stops alone. Sometimes, there is always a fear of just being alone in the dark. However, even places that are considered “safe” aren’t really safe anymore. For example, most people would think of the Scott Library as a safe place, where people can go and relax, study, and do research. However, there was a case where a woman got sexually assaulted in the library. This has to make us think, what is considered safe now? Even in the library, where most people do feel comfortable and safe, there has been this incidence that has occurred. Therefore, there is a change in how people think of certain spaces or places as safe or not. Even in a place we might feel is safe, it may not be.

The Final Frontier?

2009-11-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

I am sure that by now most people have heard the news that NASA has discovered water on the moon. In my opinion, this in itself is incredible but after I read the article “Water On The Moon” by Michio Kaku on the Wall Street Journal website, I realized that this discovery will change the idea of “space” and “place” altogether. In his article, the author not only relates the news of the discovery but also discusses the new possibilities that water creates for space travel. He points out that water contains hydrogen which can be used for fuel. This means that spacecrafts will not need to carry as much to start with and would be able to refuel on the moon. Water also contains oxygen which people can use for breathing. These reasons alone are enough to start contemplating a possible colony on the moon, which could be used as an in-between for further space exploration. Even as I write this I am aware of how sci-fi and futuristic it all sounds. Building a colony on the moon could potentially lead to building a colony on Mars, the ramifications of this is enough to rethink the term geography. Scholars would have to reconsider the meanings of terms such as “colonization” as well as what it is to dwell. It would also change concepts of scale in enormous ways. If there was a permanent colony on the moon, it would mean a giant leap in astronomical research as well. We would be able to send people, space crafts, cameras and satellites much farther into outer space for a far less expensive price. The information we would acquire could potentially give us a whole new understanding of our sense or space, place and scale on a far grander level.
The article referred to in this blog can be found through the following link
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704431804574539454196040232.html
Student #-208771164

Will the Pan Am Games be for the Public?

2009-11-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

As we all now know, Toronto has won the 2015 Pan Am Games. I think it is great that Toronto is finally an important part of international news, and the Games have the potential to be a means for positive change in Toronto. However, there are also several issues that could create negative impacts on this city.
The Pan Am Games will cost a lot of money, but government officials’ state that the long-term benefits will be worth it. Various benefits will include upgrades to the transit network, a rail line to Pearson Airport, new affordable housing, new sports facilities, a push for renovations, and of course a massive boost in tourism.

The first negative issue that I would like to address deals with marginalization. There has been a trend where metropolitan hosts try to hide their ugly side when international games are to take place. Examples of this include the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and the upcoming Vancouver Olympic Games. Already, Vancouver has stated that the homeless must be removed from certain areas or face arrest. I have the feeling that Toronto will follow the same trend when faced with a conflicted interest in public space.
The new sports facilities that will be built for the Games are said to be open for public use once the Games are finished. However, there is no guarantee that the tax money collected to build these facilities will actually be open for public use. A world class aquatics center is going to be built on the U of T Scarborough Campus. This could prove problematic because the facility will be built on private property, which means that free access to this facility might be limited to students only, just like the athletic centre at the downtown U of T campus.
New affordable housing is a great idea for mixed landuse. The only problem with this is that it could end up costing us a lot more than initially planned. The Athletes Village built for the Vancouver Olympics is already going to cost more than planned because of the money it takes to transform these houses into affordable permanent dwellings. I think that they should have been planning to build affordable housing whether Toronto won the Pan Am Games or not.

Provincial and municipal money is ultimately our money, and we need to have affordable access to these locations without being marginalized. Public profits should produce public space.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/panamgames/article/720191--a-vision-beyond-2015-pan-am-games
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=172479

Bambi takes a wrong turn

2009-11-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

More than 4 1/2 hours after a deer was first spotted outside Union Station in Toronto , police tranquilized and safely captured the frightened animal. Police cruisers blocked off a small green space at the corner of Chestnut and Edward Street where the deer was hiding in the shadow of a multi-story commercial building. After a zoo veterinarian fired the tranquilizer dart, the deer jumped up, startled by officers holding large nets, and leapt over police tape onto Chestnut St. there officers tasered the animal and pinned it with a net before safely lifting it into the back of an animal service vehicle.

The animal will be watched over by veterinarians and then likely given to the Toronto Zoo, Still no one knows where the deer came from. Some believe it made its way from Rouge Valley or Humber Valley. The question of How? no one really knows.

Its great to see how much respect was given towards the animal. The intersection of Edward and Chestnut streets was cordoned off . Chestnut was closed from Edward to Dundas and Edward St. was closed from Center Avenue to Elizabeth St. They took great precautions to ensure the safety of the animal and of the people who gathered to gawk at this out of place animal. I've heard of seeing deers in the suburbs, but downtown?

Link:www.thestar.com
www.680news.com

Fear of Thieves at York University

2009-11-24T00:05:00.001-08:00

The article, “Laptop thieves strike Student Center…again” in the month of November Excalibur is something that is not new to York University. Ever year it seems more and more students are losing their personal belongings with an expensive price tag. As lap tops are becoming more slick and portable, more of it is susceptible to be stolen in the eyes of the thieves. In a space where more student are more concerned than ever about their safety and stolen electronics, little action has been taken to prevent that. According to the article, many students feel that York University administration is not doing enough to stop the problem and therefore a sense of fear in a university space. If, however, the number of thieves increases within York University the presence of security and surveillance should also increase in relation. As the days are getting shorter, my concerned is the number of laptops and purses being snatch in the dark,which is, often, too many in the campus. As I was walking home one night last week around 6:00 after class, just outside of York Lanes in a very dim light, I felt somewhat isolated and susceptible to being mugged by the thug guys lurking around the corner. As a guy, I would fight back, but statics show, women are much more vulnerable as target to being mugged or even worse, assaulted. I think York University needs to take a drastic measure for its safety in campus by boosting up more security presence during late evenings and through out the night in 24 hour Scott Library. In a situation where thieves are stealing personal belongings, surveillance camera is not enough to make students safer especially when they are outdated or broken. Crime occurs quickly and by relying too much on the cameras which the university seems to be doing, the damage has been done already. I don’t think the crime rate will go down unless the university takes a different approach. By then, I will have graduated with thousands of students who probably had their lap tops, Ipod and cell phones stolen. I think York University is trying to find ways to save that extra million dollar a year to compensate for the post strike that happened last year. So, I am pessimistic about student’s safety at York University because security measure means investing thousands, if not, millions of dollars in security. So, for now, students are responsible for their own safety and hope things don’t go missing while you’re studying.

Children and Technology

2009-11-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

As I read the paper a few days ago, I came across an article titled, “How to Handle a Cyber-bully”, and I began to reflect on how the use and identity of various spaces has changed. Technology has become integral to the individuals identity, and to the identity of a society. Technology has the power to interfere with the order of things, raise the level of communication, increase security, and set standard for pop culture. Bullying used to occur in playgrounds and classrooms, and while I am sure it still does, technology has opened up an entirely new realm for this process. There is no doubt that the present era is fixated with technology, and that children are constantly accessing their e-mail, MySpace, or Facebook accounts. Also, with the growing popularity of iPhones and Blackberrys, you can constantly receive up to the minute notifications. With all these technological advancements, it is unfortunate that some people decide to abuse these privileges. Technology has provided us with a space through which we can stay connected with people and events globally, and it has created various platforms for people to express themselves. However, this space has clearly taken over social processes that used to exist in other public platforms. Children constantly struggle with fitting in, and technology has become a pop culture phenomenon that has raised the standards for what it means to be 'cool'. Therefore a child not only has to deal with the pressures of attaining access to technology, but with the pressures of dealing with all of the social processes that come with this access.
Educators and other child oriented professionals need to be aware of the growing impact that technology has on children in order to effectively deal with problems such as bullying.
Link: http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/727137--how-to-handle-a-cyber-bully

Rethinking Spaces of Education

2009-11-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

Every day on the way from school, my younger sister never hesitates to tell me the day's adventures in grade five at her public school. I took more interest than usual one day when she told me about an upcoming project on “social injustice”, with a focus on race relations. I immediately thought back to my grade five days in public school, where I remember studying little, if any, material that was similar to this. Despite this nostalgic thought, it was not a great surprise, considering the constantly changing trends in education. One such change is being proposed in Ontario's high schools, as a gender studies course is being added to the curriculum. The intent here is to improve understanding of gender identity in an environment where this is treated with little regard. Some of the topics to be discussed here include gender in the media, homosexuality, and transgender issues, among others. It is refreshing to see proof that students can think more critically about the ways of society, whether in university, high school, or elementary school. True, it is important to learn grammar, mathematics and all the other staples of a high school education; it is more important still that people are open to new ideas previously unexplored, especially within the public school system. Not only will this prepare them for the road ahead, but it can also help the individual gain a deeper understanding of themselves and those around them. The only thing to determine now is whether the majority students will be comfortable with the subjects being covered, and if all goes well, this initiative – like my sister's social injustice assignment – will definitely not be “just another class”.

Story ("Gender Studies Coming to a High School Near You") comes from Torontoist, November 19, 2009.

A City Shut Down

2009-11-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

In the November 20th issue of the Toronto Star, columnist Christopher Hume spoke of the recent performance of the TTC transit system.
Just days after confirming a significant fare increase, another detrimental event struck the Toronto transit system. On Wednesday, November 18th, an error in construction resulted in a hole being drilled directly into the underlying subway tunnel. As a result, the Yonge line was closed between Bloor and Eglinton for six hours. The chaos that ensued was far beyond what many would have imagined. Tens of thousands of commuters filled the streets as they waited for a taxi or shuttle bus to take them home. For many, this wait was hours long.
This event acted as a reminder of how essential public transit is to the city of Toronto. As Hume points out, we are so reliant on this service that the functionality of the city can at any minute turn to disaster. Since Toronto is such an expansive city, an efficient transportation system is essential for the navigation across such great distances. However, Hume also points out that due to unreliable TTC service, many have chosen to use their cars instead. This has resulted in traffic and grid lock on all major roads and highways. Therefore, it is clear how the TTC has such a massive impact on the way in which the city functions, and how people navigate across the city. If fare prices and system shut downs continue to plague the city, then we may see more Torontonians choosing a different method of transportation, which would essentially alter the spatial landscape of Toronto.

MPs fight internet suicide predators

2009-11-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

When I first saw this head line I thought to myself, there are people actually out there who would push someone to commit suicide. And I am not talking about bullying over the internet someone actually telling a person, yes by ending your life is pretty much the best thing for you. I couldn’t believe my eyes after reading this story about Nadia Kajouji who committed suicide in March 2008. As the investigation unravelled its self to police, they found that her suicide may have had something to do with a 47 year old male nurse from Minnesota, who was posing as a 28 year old women online. Here is a girl from Ontario who attended Carleton university getting advice from a person in another country. The internet connects spaces and places very easily as we all know, however never did I think that they would need to come out with a Law about aiding or abetting (which was not clearly defined in the article) about encouraging someone to commit suicide, threw online chat. The internet has provided us with many beneficial things, from easy research, to staying in touch with people around the world. However the internet still seems to bestow some sort of fear (mostly on parents in my opinion) as you can always control what you child will be able to view or who they are talking to are actually who they say they are. We have all heard about online bullying, however this is usually done by someone who knows the person, they just use the internet to bully as it is a much easier way and a way where they think they and maybe feel they aren’t really bullying. But to know that a complete stranger can encourage someone who they have never met to commit suicide there must be something done about this. This always seems to be the case that someone has to die or something tragic needs to happen in order for laws and rules to be regulated. Maybe this law was never created until now because they never thought that such things could occur, without bullying or other forms of abuse taking place.
“Section 241 of the Canadian Criminal Code says "everyone who - counsels a person to commit suicide, or aids or abets a person to commit suicide, whether suicide ensues or not, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years." ( CBC local news)

http://news.sympatico.cbc.ca/Local/ON/ContentPosting?newsitemid=to-ottawa-kajouji-motion-mps-support&feedname=CBC_LOCALNEWS&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True

H1N1 Hysteria...

2009-11-15T11:03:00.001-08:00

Without a doubt at least once a day, if not numerous times throughout the day we are inundated with warnings and information about the H1N1 Swine Flu virus. What exactly is the H1N1 flu virus? H1N1 is a new strain of the typical flu virus that is spread from person to person, and it has transcended many territorial 'boundaries'. In just a few months it has spread to many countries around the world prompting a global flu pandemic, in turn causing mass hysteria among citizens world wide. Has this worry-some nature amongst us turned into something positive? I argue that is has, as people in general have become more conscientious of the spaces and places they are in and have come in contact with. More and more, countless public places and stores have also become aware of the increasing need to be sanitary, and have provided their patrons with the use of hand sanitizer. Although there have been countless unfortunate outcomes, this mundane and repetitive cry of H1N1 has in fact been very effective in that we are all more careful of how we can avoid the spread and contraction of germs.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/qanda.aspx

Pearson Airport: A Gateway for Illnesses

2009-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

On November 8th in the Toronto Star there was an article titled, "Pearson aiport: Flu Magnet." A key quote from the article states, " As Toronto struggles through H1N1 influenza amid shortages of vaccine, it is here, at the international arrival gates of Pearson, that ever subsequent pandemic will also arrive, borne from every single imaginable corner of the plant. By one estimate, Toronto is the third most vulnurable city in North America, suprassed only by New York and Los Angeles in its potential exposure to diseases that develop elsewhere and quickly travel the worldwide airlines, unseen."
This quotation implies that the space of Pearson Airport, where thousands of people come and go on a daily basis is like a gateway and an entry point for all different viruses to enter into a country and infect hundreads and thousands of innocent people. What may have started off as a pandemic in a country across the ocean, within hours it can arrive into North America exposing the rest of the continent to it.

Fort Hood suspect angered over wars

2009-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

A place to live, a space of freedom, that's all people want. On November 5th 2009, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s grew angery over the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he opened fired at a base in Fort Hood, Texas. This left 13 people dead and 29 others wounded. Hasan raised eyebrows for comments he made that the war on terror was “a war on Islam” and wrestled with what to tell fellow Muslim solders who had their doubts about fighting in Islamic countries.

The question is why are they still fighting in these countries? is it for oil? is it for land? or is it religous beliefs? I am not saying what has happened was right i am just saying. whatever their fighting for isn't right, 100's of people dying everyday, young and old. It's time for the Us and their allies to step out and worry about their problems in their own countries.

Hasan likely would face military justice rather than federal criminal charges if investigators determine the violence was the work of just one person. This quote was taken from the Toronto star "Hopefully, they can put together the pieces and find out what in the world was in his mind and why he went crazy,” Danquah said. “Aaaaah, it’s sad. Those soldiers could have been my soldiers.” The sad part is, how Danquah just see's them as soldiers not as people with a family and a home, but just people to be sent out to seek and destroy. All this wouldn't have happened if there was no war, and if everyone in the world was at peace.

According to Greenwich

2009-10-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Space and place in terms of individual experience and interpretation is usually different from space and place in terms of an empirical, coordinate-based interpretation. However, the two blend in an interesting way when examining the case of the Greenwich Prime Meridian and how its meaning has shifted through time and space. Up until the 19^th century, there existed 20 different prime meridians introduced by different countries in accord with their specific geography and area. The Greenwich Prime Meridian was introduced in 1884 following a conference of 20 nations, during which Britain was chosen to be the location of 0° 0' 00". Britain had a lot of power and influence at the time which was part of the reason why it was chosen to be the center of the world according to which all other nations would adjust their time to for a 24hour loop throughout the day.

Mid 19^th century, countries were beginning to be more connected through railways, which meant that they needed common time zones: the Prime Meridian created universality in terms of tracking time. However, in 1984, when science had the available technology to master the precision of time, the Greenwich Prime Meridian had to be shifted 100m east to keep in sync with the Earth’s rotation anomalies. Thus, the Prime Meridian is now a historical site of random choice of a starting point in comparison to the scientifically corrected Prime Meridian (although the newest location of the Prime Meridian is still based on the arbitrary point of Greenwich, just more precise).

This shift clearly illustrates the arbitrary nature of boundaries and points chosen by those in power. A quotation from the article precisely states, “Dr Ariel argues this [adjustment] renders the historical Prime Meridian no longer meaningful. But Dr Higgitt believes it simply highlights the fact it is not a scientifically-determined line and simply the result of global agreement.” This concept means that if Upper Canada was as influential as Britain was at the time, the Prime Meridian would be located here, and the world would go about in accord with Toronto.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8266883.stm

Google: A New Way to Invade Privacy

2009-10-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Technology has made a huge impact in condensing space. For the last few decades, we have been able to communicate with people all over the world effortlessly. It began with phone calls, to emails, and now to other forms of communication such as texting and Skype. These developments have been received with positive responses, but how far can companies actually go without invading the privacy of the public to the extent that would create a backlash.

The answer is: Pretty far. A few weeks ago, I went to the mall because my cell phone desperately needed to be replaced. The sales respresentative explained all the cool features on my new Google phone and I was ecstatic. However, the last thing he mentioned shocked me. He explained that I would be able to put a phone number into my cell phone and be able to track the whereabouts of its owner. There are probably some restrictions that apply, but I was in such awe that I didn't think to ask.

A few days later, I learned from a Metro article that Google also has Streetview which enables anyone with access to the internet to view any street corner across most major cities. The example they gave was that you'd be able to spy on any unsuspecting individual walking out of an adult video store. To think that the general public which is mostly composed of genuine, decent individuals, but let's face it, also has its fair share of creeps and weirdoes, has access to such applications, baffles me. I haven't seen or heard of any sort of negative reaction yet, but I wonder how long that would last...

A Community in Transition

2009-10-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Regent Park was built in 1948, and is Canada’s oldest and largest funded community housing. The community is culturally diverse with an average household income of $15,000. The neighborhood was originally designed to depict a “garden city” by having more closed off public spaces and fewer streets and walkways. This was to provide a safer environment for the youth by creating a close nit community. Unfortunately, the opposite affect had occurred. Instead the design of the closed community caused it to be isolated from the rest of the city and became more susceptible to criminal activities. Regan Park is now known in Toronto as one of the most dangerous areas to reside in. With the severity of this problem the government has invested $1 billion in a span of 15 years to improve the housing community. This will be done by tearing down the original housing complex and replacing it with new subsidized apartment buildings and condos. The construction has already begun and progress is slowly beginning visible.

This type of development in the city is a representation of Lefbvre’s description of contemporary spaces. That this once uniquely designed community will resemble the rest of the city. “Repetitious spaces are the outcome of repetitive gestures”. A common problem, decaying housing has a common solution. It is another example of Toronto aiming for a postcolonial atmosphere to achieve particular identity. This article also makes one think of why the area was designed the way it was. Regan Park is an example of Marxism, an area that enclosed lower class families from rest of the city. It is interesting to evaluate the design of not only this area, but also many others around the Toronto and hopefully the new development will lower crime activity as well as increase safety.

Public Space & The Waterfront

2009-10-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

In a recent walk around Toronto’s waterfront I took notice of the many projects happening within the area as part of the cities waterfront revitalization project. The Harbourfront project that was completed in June of 2005 is only one piece of the cities mission to improve the areas, foster economic growth, and create new sustainable communities as well as parks and public spaces.
Though the main goal of the revitalization is geared towards encouraging people to use the space for recreation I began to notice that much of the park and walkways had been built specifically to exclude various forms of activity. The image below is of the Wave Deck found along the Queens Quay sidewalk which has surely grabbed many people’s attention. Although the bridge like structure is attached directly to the sidewalks, the artistic piece quite obviously does not allow for any forms of recreation activity to take place there. The large metal bars prohibit people not only from skateboarding, rollerblading or bike riding but, does not even provide pedestrians an open path to walk on the deck. In addition to the Wave Deck, many concrete slabs located along the Harbourfront demonstrate this same exclusionary feeling to various forms of recreation. The slabs, that have been placed as a form of bench/resting area in the parks, were constructed with various pieces of metal along the edges to prevent skateboarders from using the slabs as rails for grinding and other tricks.
The waterfront area presents an interesting debate on the idea of true public space. Though the city states that the main initiative in their development is to promote open public space, it is quite clear that power relations plays a large role in how this space is actually used.

Waterfront info taken from: http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/index.php?home=true
Wave Deck picture taken from: http://www.azuremagazine.com/newsviews/index.php?month=1243828801

Ont. gets full-day kindergarten next year

2009-10-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

The ontario government has proposed, and now, excelling towards keeping four and five year olds in school for the entire day. This is going to cost the government, although already having a deficit, $1.5 million dollars a year. This plan is set to be finished by 2015 which makes the total money spent $500 million dollars. McGuinty talks about how important it is that we invest in the younger generation to built up a strong workforce that will compete with the best in the world. This will also bring changes in the classroom with early educators being in the classroom along with the teachers. This upcoming September, however, only 16% of enrolled chilren will have the opportunity to stay a full day. This is not new for francophone schools in Ontario as they already have full day Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten. Jocelyne Auger, the principal of Gabrielle Roy Elementary School in Toronto states in the article that they find the vocabulary of the children entering Grade 1 is much better and they are ready to do higher levels of work. Finally, McGuinty has stated that this program and more after school programs are mainly directed towards lower-income neighbourhoods. The aim is to give the children the best education they can possibly get.
I sit on the fence with this article. On one hand, the children can definitely benefit from having a full day. I do beleive, also, that they will be able to communicate better as they enter the older grades from kingergarten. However, these are also four and five year olds in a confined space for eight hours. Along with the children, will the teachers like early educators in the classroom with them? Although it is a crucial time for learning, children this age might not enjoy being in school all day. All the people I went to school with have turned out fine with having kindergarten half a day. I have to say I disagree with McGuinty's statement about doing this for the future workforce. I believe that full day or half day, these children will not become smarter. Besides the school perspective, having your 4 year old in school all day does provide a break on babysitters for families. And as well, they will already be accustomed to full days rather than first experiencing it in grade one. Overall, it sounds like a smart idea, but intelligence will not change in my mind.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/27/full-kindergarten.html

Ontario joins with other provinces on banning handheld phones while driving

2009-10-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Monday October 26, 2009 marks the start of hands free driving in Ontario. After months of continuous talks the province has finally implements the law, hands free driving. Prior warnings and a grace period was given to prep all Ontario drivers for the enviable ban on handheld phones. If caught using a handheld device while operating a motorized vehicle tickets can range from $100 to $500. The controversial ban on cell phones has left many people with mixed feelings. One driver who wants to remain anonymous was asked his feelings towards the ban on handheld devices. He states, “there is no difference between hands free driving and talking on a handheld cell phone, either way a person is going to be distracted”.

There is also the question about space and place. How far should the province go to tell us when and where we can talk on our own phones? Do we not have the right to talk on our phones in our cars which we pay for? And, where does the separation come in place between the private and public sphere?
So, with this being said will this ban on all handheld devices lead us into a future where we are all forced to conform, or is it for our best interest?

Reference:
http://www.thestar.com/wheels/article/711130--most-drivers-using-cellphones-will-get-lectures

Cleaning up Billboard Clutter: Activists take on Advertisers

2009-10-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 26 of this year, an article was published by ABC News regarding the prevalence of billboards in North American cities. Using Toronto as a case study, the article shines light on advertisements, and how they have completely dominated the landscapes of contemporary cities. In Toronto, nothing demonstrates this fact more than a simple visit to Dundas Square. Here, individuals are bombarded with huge advertisements, billboards and commercials in an array of colours, lights, sounds and displays, all vying for our attention. This space truly exemplifies the Marxist idea of commodification. Dundas Square, and space in general, is largely viewed as a commodity that can be used, sold and consumed to generate profit. This view is widely held by multi-national businesses and corporations, who erect these billboards to serve this very purpose.

But on the flip side of this, there are those who oppose mass billboards and advertisements within the city. As the article shows, many feel as though it threatens public space; believing that “public” spaces, like Dundas Square, should be freely enjoyed by all without the invasion of private interests or corporate messages. As a result of this, many activist groups and organizations have emerged to challenge and combat large outdoor advertisements. And in many cases, anti-billboard laws have even been enacted in certain jurisdictions. In Vermont, Maine, Hawaii and Alaska for example, they have completely banned billboards within the state.

I think this provides an interesting debate on how space should be used. The article illustrates some of the power relations behind space, and importantly, how different groups, whether the corporations and businesses or the local citizens, understand space.

The article can be found here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/cities-clean-billboard-clutter/Story?id=8675403&page=1

Canadian-invented wheelchair rugby not for the faint of heart

2009-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Canadian-invented wheelchair rugby not for the faint of heart

Wheel –chair rugby, a combination of hockey, basketball and rugby, all in a wheel chair. This head bashing sport was made popular by the 2005 movie, monster ball and was invented by a Canadian 32 years ago in Winnipeg. “Murderball, a.k.a. wheelchair rugby, is part court smarts, part speed, where super-tough chairs are used like battering rams in a game that combines pieces of hockey, basketball and rugby. Every 10 seconds, the ball must be dribbled or bounced.” The sport is extremely contact as hitting is allowed at anytime however hitting from behind is illegal. In 2002 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships team Canada knocked off the mighty American team to capture gold, a feat they have not yet to match. However the team is gearing up for 2010 championships which will take place in British Columbia.

I believe that this amazing sport is a wonderful description on Canadian heritage and the advancements in disabilities. When they athletes roll onto the court they do not feel different, they do not feel they are being judged for their handicap. For the 60 minutes that they are on the court they battle their hardest and show they are not any different from you and I.

Can't Stop/Won't Stop which is a documentary on the Canadian wheel chair rugby team “ is scheduled to debut Monday in Ontario on OMNI.2 at 3:30 p.m. and repeats Wednesday at 10 a.m. The documentary, produced, directed and written by Joe Recupero, was funded through OMNI's Independent Producers Initiative. For more information, see OMNItv.ca. “ I strongly encourage everyone to check it out and support Canada in a different aspect that many of us have failed to encourage.

Whose Space Is This? Examining Toronto's Waterfront

2009-10-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

It is not often that I get to explore Toronto's downtown, but when I do, I am often times near the waterfront. Going there, one could not help but notice the great amount of construction occurring there. The number of new condominiums built every year is difficult to count. The new Wave Deck at Queen's Quay seems to be a favourite for locals and tourists alike. Plus, it looks like the newer, “greener” initiatives are well under way. Considering all of these developments, I am forced to wonder: who is this space made for? Combining all of these new additions does help portray the downtown core as a place for all, but it can also cause conflict between individuals and groups. For example, the waterfront has been completely overshadowed by the towering condominiums, which may hint at the idea that the beach is made only for residents living in them. Adding to this distinction between downtown residents and those from elsewhere is the infamous Gardiner Expressway, which appears to draw a dividing line between the lakefront and the rest of Toronto. Some have called for the freeway to be demolished; others have imagined more unique plans for it. Also, plans for a tunnel between the city and the Island Airport were quickly abandoned, citing deadlines that cannot be met, but not mentioning opposition. This is slightly odd, given that this airport is used much less than Pearson. No matter what the city plans to do to make the waterfront worth seeing, it helps to keep in mind all who pass through.

Links from the City of Toronto, Torontoist, Toronto Star, Spacing Toronto, Azure Magazine and the Globe and Mail.

New swine flu ads to urge Canadians to roll up their sleeves for the shot

2009-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

For a while all we heard about was the Swine flu, and how it was spreading around the world at a rapid pace. The H1N1 pandemic spread quickly. Causing a devastation to the Mexican tourist economy. Then it simply disappeared, well from the media. However the uproar of publicity for this deadly virus is among us again, as there is now a vaccination for the H1N1 virus. This week the clinics will be set up for nurses, doctors, police officers, paramedics, fire fighters, pregnant women, people over the age of 60 and children between the ages 6 months to 5 years old will be vaccinated first. The first wave of people are seen to be the most susceptible to the virus. After the first wave of vaccinations are distributed, then all other citizens across Canada will be able to get there H1N1 vaccination. There will be many more adds to come that will address all Canadians to get the shot. We have all seen the ads already posted about how to protect ourselves and others such as the cough and sneeze into your sleeve, wash your hands with soap, use hand sanitizers. However according to Steve Rennie “The agency topped up its marketing budget this month to $8.5 million, which is being spent on newspaper and public transit ads and radio spots that began airing recently.” So I wonder if they are spending this much money to get the news out there to inform us, if I should get the H1N1 shot.
Are any of you?

http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=22403357

T.O. Board plans for a Boys-only school

2009-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

The article I have chosen is about a new report regarding an all boys school, which is being suggested by the Toronto District School Board Director Chris Spence, to be launched in Toronto. The idea is to start a "male leadership academy" in September 2010 for boys who are in kindergarten to Grade 3. The program would expand by adding an additional grade each year. Studies have shown that there are a greater number of male high school dropouts and so they are hoping to fix this problem by starting them young in a male oriented school. Most, if not all of the teachers in this school would be male. He states this program would give boys a sense of ownership which will benefit them in their future success. Boys who do not have strong father figures in their life would be among those benefiting the most from this program, says Spence.

I think this program will pose more problems than actually fix them. It would cause segregation between males and females and cause boys to not develop the essential social skills to relate to girls which could affect their future. The idea of schooling is to prepare kids for success in the future, how can that be possible without interaction between boys and girls which is necessary for their social development. Social interaction between girls and boys is essential to the development of children especially at a young age when they learn to play together and work together on homework projects.

I think what the school board needs to do instead is to invest in education and hire more teachers and therefore have smaller classrooms. This would make it easier for the teacher to focus on each individual student and if necessary the boys that are getting lost in the shuffle will be able to get the attention they need.

For further information:
www.toronto.ctv.ca
www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/Article/print/61128
www.parentalcentral.ca/parent/articleprint/713446

Province denies aid for Vaughan

2009-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Space, place and scale, the article that i have chosen is about a Tornado that hit Vaughan, ON. The storm took place in August leaving 600 homes damaged, and many people homeless but the ministry says criteria for "Disaster" not met. Now the question arises on what is a disaster? and how can the people who were affected by the tornado find a new place to live.

I live about 2 minutes away from were the tornado hit. Shortly after the tornado hit i went to see the destruction that it had caused. There were pieces of homes all over the road, people were in tears without any shelter, it was devastating to see this happened to these people. And for the province to consider this not a disaster, its sad.

In Vaughan, the people who were hit by the Tornado believe that the province should reconsider it's decision. Mayor Jackson is trying to help these people, she plans to call the minster's office to discuss options. Mayor Jackson has told the public that she is just waiting for a estimate of the tornado's toll form the insurance Bureau of Canada. A gentleman from Woodbridge has stated "the fact is even though it wasn't a humongous scale, it is a disaster. Some of these people have moved in with other family members and some into Hotels. It will take awhile till the place and space that they call home will be cleaned up, hopefully the province will reconsider and help these people out.

An absence of Heart and Sole

2009-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

The article I have chosen focuses on a shoe-repair store that used to be located within the Don Mills Shopping Center. I found this article to be very interesting, but at the same time, extremely unfair. The store was named, “Quality Shoe Repair”, and it goes back 50 years or more. It was viewed as a stalwart in the old Don Mills mall before it was rebuilt. Kamran, the owner of this shoe repair shop, was forced to move during the teardown of the old mall. The developer, Cadillac Fairview, stuck him in a lonesome corner, away from everything except the dry cleaner.

After the new Don Mills Shopping Center was built, Kamran had been signing monthly contracts with Cadillac Fairview for the 3 years he had been situated in the mall, but it was finally time for him to get the boot. The developers decided that the repair shop looked as if it was too run down and it seemed that it was giving the mall a bad reputation. The repair shop was typical – it had arch cushions and shoe trees all over the place, along with shelves of dyes, polishes, and trays of rubber soles.

Kamran did not know that the landlord was planning on doing this to him. He bought Quality Shoe Repair just prior to the redevelopment of the mall and paid a total of $160,000 for it. In the article, he even mentioned that one of his costumers wrote a letter about the situation, on his behalf, to the president of Cadillac Fairview. The president wrote back by saying, “Sorry I can’t be of more help, business is business.” What puzzles me is that there are five shoe stores in the shops, but not enough room for one repairman.

Is Nuit Blanche Really Only About Art and Sex?

2009-10-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

In the days following the happening known as Nuit Blanche, I was somewhat disappointed by the limited commentaries on the event in the media. The nation's serious newspaper, the Globe and Mail, offered up only Russell Smith’s view that “Nuit Blanche rocks a new sexual vibe” (Globe Oct. 8). Like Smith I also think that contemporary art was not the major draw in compelling thousands of people out roaming the streets on a cool, wet October night.
Smith makes the claim that it was sexual curiosity that brought us out. For sure for some this might have been the lure, but what about the rest of us who just felt the need to get out, look at the city and each other regardless of the pretext? I think many of us don’t “get” contemporary installation art. What we do seem to understand is that we need the opportunity to look each other over in a relaxed and casual setting. The fact that Nuit Blanche occurs at night does inject some mystery into the encounter and this is where Smith detects the “sexual vibe”.
Let us not discount however that this is the most important place making event of the year. To repeat, art was not the goal only the excuse for so many of us. To survive as a society we need to be more aware of who we are living with and what have we built together? There are forces that are being built into our society that make meaningful contact increasingly difficult as Debord states we are “isolated individuals to be recaptured and isolated together”. By trivializing such events like Nuit Blanche as simple exercises in sexual voyeurism we lose sight of the bigger purpose. Simply “gaping at the city” will not address the issues of alienation and isolation in the community. Let us elevate the event and make it the occasion when we regain our sense of ourselves and of our place.

John Scheffel

Widening gap between rich and poor

2009-10-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Just last week, there was a newspaper article about poverty becoming prominent. When people think of poverty, it is usually between those of the developed and developing countries. However, not many people really focus on the growing gap of rich and poor neighbourhoods in an urban centre and this is a problem.
As poverty is on the rise, people are becoming more aware of how there isn’t just a gap between countries, but even gaps between people living in the same city. Poverty is a huge problem in that most of the people living in poverty do not have proper jobs, and thus no proper housing. As apartment rents are also on the rise, this forces even more people into poverty and out on the streets.
People living in poverty also tend to stay in the same neighbourhood as each other. These neighbourhoods are associated with poor housing, waste dumps, unclean areas, dangerous areas, and so on. Because of the same type of people living in the area, social services that want to help these people will tend to be in the same area, thus even attracting more people in poverty. Therefore, how can the government help to relieve some of this gap between the rich and the poor so that certain areas can stop being associated as dangerous areas or poverty stricken ones? That is a complicated question to answer because so many areas are associated with poverty already and the gap between the rich and the poor just continues to widen everyday.

Can Bono Save Africa...Or Can Africa Save Itself?

2009-10-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

There are numerous stereotypes and misunderstandings of Africa. Firstly, it is a continent and NOT a country, as many seem to believe it is. Secondly, skewed are our views by popular media images that it is solely a place of extremities, mainly that of famine and poverty. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to those who haven’t studied this place or visited it we are forced to believe such a large discourse. Granted, there are some parts within the continent that do measure up to these extremes, but more often than none these extremes are not the case.

Famine is not something natural; it is socially and politically driven through uneven distribution of land, water and crop. However, these images of African famine do draw us to pay attention to it and to try to do something about it. The largest contribution is that of a celebrity intervention led by Bono and his ONE campaign, aimed to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease particularly in Africa. The ONE campaign is not one of charity; it is about justice and equality and ensuring policies are implemented effectively. This begs the question, Can Bono really save Africa? The answer… no one can save Africa but Africa as itself. An advocacy organization cannot solely fix the African policies and problems because the solution must come from within. Many see the African continent as one that is waiting and sitting around for someone (like Bono) to come save them and eradicate years of accumulated debt, but this is a far cry from reality. Africans don’t want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community they themselves are capable of unprecedented growth.

Many tend to focus on all the negative aspects of the African continent but fail to see that they can from within promote regional integration and bring down trade barriers therefore focusing on the regional economy. Bono cannot save Africa, however, with his help and the help of his ONE campaign Africa can learn to save itself.

http://www.one.org/us/

How important in the CN Tower to Canada??

2009-10-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

I picked up the Toronto Start at York and read a brief article about the CN Tower. The CN Tower stands at 553 meters tall and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest free standing structure. But in January, the CN Tower lost this title to Burj Dubai as it is already at 800 meters and growing. So the thoughtful Guinness World Records gave the CN Tower another title as 'the world's tallest free standing tower' vs. 'structure'. Carey Low a Canadian adjudicator with Guinness said "I understand that some people might think its semantics." But isn't exactly what that is? She further tried to justify this differentiation by describing that Dubai and Toronto's buildings are different as Burj Dubai will have residential space, a hotel and office suites, where the CN Tower has less than 50% of unusable floor space, making it a tower.
The article goes further to explain how the Tokyo Sky Tree in Japan an expected 611 metres and the Guangzhou TV Tower in China an expected 610 meters are in competition for this title in 2011 and 2010. What is the CN Tower's fate? Jack Robinson, the tower's chief operating officer said that since 1975, Guinness has been the source for the CN Tower's hype designation.
The CN Tower may very well have in its future keeping the record for the highest wine cellar at 351 meters. Even in my travels out west, I was confronted with someone who fought to reclaim that the Calgary Tower was in fact taller because of its altitude above water.
It is apparent from this article how important Guinness's stamp of credit is.
What happens to this iconic tower and a piece of Canadian identity when it constantly has to change it's accreditation in order to stay on top? Or is it simply like everything in society that the importance isn't necessarily in the title, but the fact that we fight to keep its relevance.

What the Flock!?

2009-10-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

As we now enter the third week of October, the fall season is in full swing. The leaves are changing, the temperatures cooling, and iconic to the Canadian landscape, flocks of geese are migrating southwards. The familiar "V" formation seen crossing the skies is a welcome sight to most, as we appreciate the grace and elegance of these home grown creatures. However, as soon as these birds cross the 49th parallel, their presence is not so welcome.

When people migrate between countries, they bring with them their passports and other official documentation in order to cross the border. They may even choose to become a permanent resident of this new land, and can do so by obtaining their citizenship. These formalities help improve the security of the country, and keep out any unwanted illegal aliens. However, these are travel restrictions applied to humans - these claims of territory and political boundaries are all abstract features used by man to claim political space. So why is it that when the Canadian Goose innocently crosses the border into the United States of America, they are immediately at risk of losing their lives?

In Canada, these birds are thought of as a national symbol. However, in many areas of the United States, the annual visit of these birds as they follow their migratory path is viewed as a nuisance. Over the past few years, the goose population has been on the rise. Many American officials complain of the waste and feces left behind by these larger flocks, and have decided that it is within their right to start controlling the size of the population. In many cities, such as Seattle and New Jersey, the Department of Agriculture workers are instructed to slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of geese each season. At dawn, the workers go out into the fields where they capture and bind the birds. They separate the goslings from the adults, and kill the geese by gunshot, snapping their necks, or carrying them in bundles to a portable gas chamber.

These geese are simply following their innate instinct to migrate to warmer climates. They are unaware of the fact that they are crossing man-made, political boundaries, which consequently puts their lives at risk. And since the Canadian geese have entered American territory, how could we possibly protect our native bird? The definition of political territory holds great importance, and each country rightly feels they must protect their land from any threats. However, when our politics begin to encroach on the ability for animals to migrate, then we have gone too far. Geese cannot see political boundaries or understand territorial space. And yet they are the ones to feel the effects and suffer the consequences of these abstract features.

There is plenty more material available on this topic. For more information from an animal protection group, feel free to consult the following:

http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/2005/may/lets-control-ourselv.html

“Local TV Matters” vs. “Stop the TV Tax”

2009-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Today (October 8, 2009.) I awoke to a panel speaking out on behalf of local Canadian TV channels. It was on a national TV news station, a channel that I helps me catch up on daily events when I attempt to wake myself up in the morning. From this broadcast I gathered that local television channels are ‘going under’ and that they have launched a campaign in order to spread awareness and gather support, this campaign is titled “Local TV Matters”.

Not even an hour later I spotted a similar commercial on a different channel. You may have seen it: a cheesy commercial actor ventures through a city asking Canadian’s if they think it is right for Canada’s big television networks to raise monthly cable and satellite bills by up to $10. Well anyone posed with a question that results in paying more money will comprise of a negative response. I went to the website shown at the end of this commercial and noticed that several cable and satellite companies have come together and launched a rival campaign against the local television networks titled “Stop the TV Tax”. This made the issue more interesting.

Briefly summarized, the issue involves about 30 small and medium sized local TV networks that are affiliated with Global, CTV, and CBC. They are demanding money from satellite and cable providers who are currently offering these channels to the public without a fee. Both campaigns attempt to gain support by pitting the public against the other. For example, ‘Stop the TV Tax” is trying to convince the public that the local TV stations want viewers to pay an extra $10 a month, while “Local TV Matters” is saying that the money should come directly from satellite and cable providers. On the other side of the scale the local TV networks are saying that the satellite and cable providers are ‘stealing’ their programs, but the satellite and cable providers must carry these local networks by law, and therefore do not feel the obligation to pay them.

This issue encompasses more than just a debate over money. It is a question of who controls what we are able to watch. Local Canadian television covers local news, entertainment, arts, school closures, councils, festivals, traffic, weather, sports, and various other forms of local media. It is also a way of voicing the opinions of small communities while displaying small town Canadian stories. In short, it is a window into Canadian culture. The scale of power is tipped in favour of the satellite and cable providers when it comes to what will be viewed on television, but after all they are corporations, and they are acting as corporations often do. Of course they will pay more money to HBO and OnDemand when they are the channels everyone is watching. If Canadians want to save local TV then they have to show the satellite and cable providers that they are worth saving. It is our choice; we have the power to decide what we watch in the place we dwell. We pay the providers, and therefore the scale is tipped in our favour. However, we will have to wait until the hearings are held in Ottawa this December for the outcome.

You can visit the homepage for each campaign here:

http://www.stopthetvtax.ca/

http://localtvmatters.ca/

Nuit Blanche - Bringing together the differing views of Toronto

2009-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Test "Title"

When travelling to downtown Toronto, you are greeted with two divergently opposite types of people in Toronto, and each has their own unique space in the Downtown core. On the one hand, you have the business people who always seem to be wearing a suit regardless of the season and can be seen looking very serious at all times of the day. These people have claimed the Business district including Bay Street. On the other hand, in the Entertainment district, you can see people who seem to either have gotten dressed in the dark or who simply want to look like they don’t care what they are wearing. These two sides don’t seem to want to have anything to do with one another and refuse to enter into eachothers’ space. This is the fact however, only 364 days a year. The 365^th day has come to be known as Nuit Blanche.

This year, I decided to go down for the first time to check out the festivities. While I am not really an artsy person, it was so nice to see the culture and art that had been blown into the otherwise stuffy bank buildings on Bay Street. In the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for example, the artists had removed the water from the water fountain in the lobby and replaced it with Vodka. I did not and continue to not understand the significance behind this art, but I was moved by the fact that, if for only one night, the two conflicting pictures of Toronto, converged into one.

http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/zone.shtml

Pedestrian Scrambles: Becoming the Norm?

2009-10-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Recently, in the metronews there was an article titled “Young, Bloor set to scramble.” This article announces that on Friday October 9th pedestrians will be able to cross the intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets in any direction –north-south, east-west, or diagonally -when the traffic lights give them the signal to do so. The new signal will halt all the cars in every direction allowing the pedestrians to cross however they like. Yonge and Bloor will become Toronto’s second “scramble” crossing, following the intersection of Yonge and Dundas, which came to be in August of 2008. At the end of the article the writer quotes a city councillor saying that “we’ve been waiting for ages” for it.
After reading this article what came to mind was the lack of uniqueness that exists in the world, and the way everything now resembles something else. For instance, the newest scramble at Yonge and Bloor will resemble the scramble at Yonge and Dundas which resembles the pedestrian scramble in Los Angelos and in Shibuya, Japan. I believe that although the pedestrian scramble may have appeared to be something different and exciting, by creating these scrambles all over the place it is becoming something typical and expected and it is diminishing the "wow factor." I think by solely creating a second pedestrian scramble at Yonge and Bloor it will take away from the pedestrian scramble at Yonge and Dundas, and eventually this type of crossing will become the norm across city intersections.

http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/photos/2008/08/yonge-dundas_scramble_milestones_max_01.jpg

The Boundless Playground

2009-10-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Playgrounds are spaces that have been designated for children. A typical playground has equipment such as a see-saw, swingset, monkey bars, and more. The social and physical benefits are among the many advantages of this play area. These spaces have been proven to be very beneficial to children because it allows them to build on their social skills, by providing them with an environment to communicate and interact with their fellow peers. Playgrounds also give children the opportunity to have free play andget exercise while doing so. These benefits are open to all children, assuming that they have access to the "public spaces" in the first place.
The unfortunate truth is that playgrounds are not public, but are rather exclusive, tending only to the needs of a specific population. My opinion is that the playground is a barrier, one that prevents children with special needs from taking part in all that it can potentially offer. Before doing research on the children's playground, I did not give much thought into how this space affected children with different needs, and I doubt many of us ever do.
The article I read was about the first Boundless Playground that was built in Boston, Massachusetts earlier on this year. A Boundless Playground is a play area that is truly public. It caters to the needs of all children, with and without special needs. Its' design is different from a regular playground in many ways. An example is removing the gravel to help children in wheelchairs move around more freely. This idea was discussed in the Homeless Vehicle article. The homeless person is unable to move around to their liking because they would have to bring all of their belongings with them. Similarily, a child in a wheelchair is also unable to move around in certain places because the environment is not always wheelchair accessible.
The production aspect of building these Boundless Playgrounds can be expensive, but it is definitely worth the cost. The Boston Public Schools database states that approximately twenty per cent of children enrolled in these schools are given special education for some type of disability. This means that the production of these playgrounds is an important need that would be put to good use. More playgrounds like this are needed around the world to liberate children of different needs from the exclusion that they typically face.

Sources used:

http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/index.php

http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/newsroom/documents/cvscaremarkbostonbp052109.pdf

The Living Tree House - A Futuristic Home

2009-10-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

The concept of a tree house has been well discovered before humans ever build modern homes suited to their lifestyle. A home is a form of place one can identify and interact socially, economically, politically and environmentally. It adequately forms a space that determines their everyday lifestyle and how nature is formed, reproduced and consumed into political space driven with economics. Marxist contextualizes how division of labour is the fundamental concept that creates capitalism, whereby places are formed differently through spatial and temporal scale.

In science of futuristic homes, the idea of, "The Living Tree House" is a different approach that combines science and ecology within the parameter of place and space. It aims to look at alternative living for those who are interested in science integrated with the environment, whereby it can reduce over consumption significantly and promote sustainability. The science of the "The Living Tree House" eliminates, if not, significantly reduce production and consumption being marketed into condos, apartments and houses. This concept of a scientific tree house uses technology to form the main structure of a house by bending the branches and main trunk of a young tree. Over time, the main structure matures and strengthens the main frame of a home. Much like the nomadic people, this idea of a tree house is seen as part of their life style which combines nature and knowledge as means of survival. By using the environment to adapt into a new place, tribes are well equipped to produce in the environmental space. This scientific home illustrate what might become a possibility that will allow us to live much like tribal people who use ecology as a means of sufficiency yet meeting our western lifestyle needs in the near future.

Although, the tree has been long thought of and many designs use for children's play ground, this particular idea derived from that and it is still relatively new concept that one day will become a possibility for people to dwell in.

Check out the following cool videos available:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLCmIeGovs

http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/09/18/fab-tree-hab/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMN1W2LZYs&feature=related

Blog completed by: Joseph Howland

A Place of Escape

2009-10-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

As I sat at the computer searching movie times, one film in particular caught my eye; ‘Couples Retreat’. I had seen several previews for the film, and alongside a group of well known actors the movie seemed fairly interesting: a group of 4 married couples experiencing relationship problems decide to go on a tropical-island vacation to work things out.
As I began to think about the setting of the movie, I realized how often films place couples in warm locations. Is there something about the warm, tropical, ‘down-south’ setting that heals relationship problems? As I pondered this question, I began to realize how often advertisements associate this setting with couples. Take for example Sandals Vacations; in almost every commercial or brochure, there are couples holding hands, walking along the beach, and watching the sun set. This symbolism that is attached to these warm destinations indicates a strategic marketing attempt to bring in a specific group of individuals to their resorts.
Not only does it advertise the types of people that the resorts want to come, but it also portrays an image of what the resort will bring you. In the case of the film ‘Couples Retreat’, the resort will bring you clarity and a realization of how important your significant other is to you. Is this because a couple needs to escape their fast-paced city lives and enter a surreal space where they are pampered and waited upon to successfully work on their relationship? The reality is that these tropical vacation places do not only exist for couples to use when they need to ‘work’ on their relationship, but when they begin their relationship as well. This is obvious through the mass marketed ‘honeymoon’. Tropical destinations have become widely known for their honeymoon accommodations in the last decade. It is ironic how places become associated with rituals such as the honeymoon, or in the case of this film, as an escape from our problems. However, isn’t the place where these problems occurred where you have to return to after your week in paradise? Maybe these tropical islands can only serve as a temporary escape from our very evident problems that will continue to be around after we return.

My Temporary Home at the ACC

2009-09-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, my boyfriend and I bought tickets to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Philadelphia Flyers in a pre-season exhibition game at the Air Canada Center. Like most people in Toronto, the only tickets we could afford were in the purple section, and like most students in Toronto, the only ones in the purple section we could afford were in the standing row. Our plan was to grab empty seats close by after the game had started.

The seats we chose were also in the purple section and not much better than the standing section our tickets assigned us. As the start of the game neared, we sat in our stolen seats in utter silence, waiting for their owners to claim them. And of course, they did. We were told by a young couple quite harshly that we were in “their” seats, waving their tickets before us as proof of their claim. We kindly moved up to the standing section were we belonged and stood in sections one and two. Ours were in fact sections twenty-nine and thirty but we figured no one would really care up here. First period started and we began to enjoy the game. The Leafs scored a goal within the first five minutes and as we hugged each other in celebration I felt a tap on my shoulder. Another young couple, tickets in hand, announced in the midst of the celebration, rather abruptly, that we were standing in “their” spot. Again we apologized and sulked towards “our” spot, where we resided for the rest of the game.

During first intermission I began to think about these spaces and why normally rational people defended these two foot by two foot spots vehemently as “theirs” when confronted with intruders. Was it the money they paid for them? I don’t think so, because people in the purple section seemed just as upset and confused when someone was in their space, as the guy in the gold section who paid one hundred and fifty dollars more. Even in the standing row, the worst place to watch the hockey game in the Air Canada Center, individuals were genuinely upset and put out when we were in “their” area. These rather insignificant spots, places the individuals who occupied them never even considered before entering the arena, or will consider after they leave it, became a place of safety, “their” private quarters in a public space. Because of this experience I understood more clearly how someone could consider a cardboard box or shopping cart home. It’s not so much the size or the worth of the space but the security these dwellings offer when one is placed in a public atmosphere. Because my boyfriend and I had print outs that clearly stated in black ink that we “owned” seats twenty-nine and thirty in row eighteen of the purple section we were armed to defend “our” spots against any intruders who dared take them from us.

They were our spaces, our private quarters in a public area. With a five four win in over time, everyone filed out of the ACC, their temporary homes abandoned, never to be considered again. And all of the sudden these spaces became “anti-spaces” with no one to claim them, just a small piece of plastic with a metal number on them, almost like a void, exaggerating the emptiness of the place. Even spaces twenty nine and thirty in the purple section, completely forgotten…until the next game.

Hundreds Rally in Toronto for Free Tibet

2008-04-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

On March 23 2008, over 1000 members of Toronto’s Tibetan community organized a large scale demonstration shouting slogans such as “China lies, People Die” and “Shame on China the World is watching” throughout the streets of Queen and Yonge until finally arriving at Queen’s Park. Now it’s very interesting to note that these political disputes that are occurring simultaneously worldwide, while China is preparing for the Olympic games. These acts are not coincidental but instead are used to shame China since they are getting all sorts of media coverage. These disputes represent a vehicle of politics where people want the world to recognize that the Tibetans are treated unfairly and unjust. As demonstrators progressed down the streets of Toronto they waved flags and carried pictures of people imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities. Although these people live in Canada, they share a hybrid national identity and use the streets as spaces to signify their contestation and voice out their struggles. This article directly shows that even simple public spaces such as streets can serve as strong networks for power and transform these places for other means. For example people were laying in the streets and blocking traffic hence causing delays to the daily processes of what these spaces are initially meant to serve. These cries help people all over the world come together in a globalized manner to help promote awareness of what is occurring around various countries hence forming a powerful voice.

Redefining sound in public spaces

2008-04-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Recently, the excellent CBC radio program, Spark, featured a story about these "audio spotlights" from Holosonic Research Labs.
Basically, Holosonic has developed technology which has allowed them to develop speakers which can direct sound in a very narrow field, "pinpointing" that sound in a very specific direction and area. This, effectively, allows a spotlighting of sound, so the projected sound can only be heard if the listener is positioned in a very specific spot.
I thought this was a fascinating issue in regards to space, for many reasons (several of which were profiled on Spark,, the podcast for which can be found here, if anyone's interested). As can be expected, given that this is new technology, the audio spotlight was first employed as part of an advertisement. A huge billboard for A&E's Paranormal State not only towered above passers-by - it also emitted spooky sound effects, and apparently, people were initially pretty spooked. Mission accomplished. 'Where is that sound coming from?' they would wonder. Extrapolating from that, it's easy to imagine audio spotlighting for any ad. We all know how catchy jingles can be, but imagine if you heard jingles every time you walked past a bus stop advertisement. Now that is spooky.
But the audio spotlight is being marketed to private owners now. Imagine, if you will, sitting in a living room with someone who is watching TV or playing Xbox. The whole time you're trying to study, or nap, or whatever. Well, with audio spotlighting, your friend can enjoy their TV/music/videogames/whatever, and you can revel in your silence! It's kind of like headphones... but better?
The audio spotlight raises an interesting question about the ol' public/private space issue: how can we simultaneously occupy both at once? Headphones, for example, are a visible indicator of people trying to block the outside world from their perception (as I read in an article, "to avoid the horrors of mass transit"). So when you encounter someone with headphones, they may seem unapproachable. Thus, they can be used to say to the world, "leave me alone for now." With audio spotlighting, the line between private and public becomes a bit blurry...

Oh, and if anyone's curious, this is the "how'd they do that" bit, from Holosonics...

Earth Hour…Where do we go from here?

2008-04-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

By: Sonia Toor 206781181

All the lights around the world were shut off on Saturday March 29th, 2008 during the hours of 8pm-9pm. Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund and calls Earth Hour a huge success. This article was mainly about how through this one event or action made by people simply integrated the world and brought together people form all different parts of the globe, it created a connection.

Earth Hour spread from the city of Sydney in Australia in 2007, and it spread to more than 300 communities in two dozen countries. Millions of people around the world participated in the event by turning of lights and other electrical gear during the hours of 8-9pm. The best results are from Christchurch in New Zealand, and Melbourne Australia. Toronto Hydro reported the drop in Toronto to be 8.7% compared to the three year average. Ontario as a whole was 5.2%.

The organizers from the beginning have called Earth Hour a symbolic event to show the concerns and inspire long-term action. The question that arises is that will Earth Hour really be an indication social change or just become an idea that slowly erodes over time? The real challenge for Earth Hour is how to take it to the next step, and take it from being an awareness raising campaign into something bigger and more concrete. “It would be better to involve all environment groups and businesses, and possibly combine it with events like Earth Day” said Andy Ridley who is the executive director of Earth Hour.

This article relates to the course in a way that the event of Earth Hour compresses the space between countries around the world and connects them with this one event. Groups were also created on facebook in regards to how many people were going to participate in the event, and people were engaging in discussions about how they are or aren’t and the reasons behind it. Therefore, Earth Hour is an idea that not only leads the world to engage in change, but also brings the world closer together.

Source: Toronto Star, Monday March 31st, 2008, page A1 and A17

Hitting you where you live

2008-04-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sonia Toor 206781181

There are many differences in the places in which we dwell in, ranging from the landscape, environment, community and the prices we pay for living in that particular place. While reading the Toronto Star I came across the article titled “Hitting you where you live” on the front page and I continued to read it as it seemed to interest me and also related to the course. The article simply discusses the disparity amongst various regions in regards to the price in property taxes homeowners pay and the reasons behind this difference.

The highest property tax in the GTA is in Oshawa, while Toronto and Milton have the lowest property taxes. This comparison seems to create an array of questions by the community because Oshawa is an aging industrial city while Toronto and Milton are the country’s fastest growing communities. The reason that Oshawa faces such a high property tax is due to many reasons, one of them being aging structure, low property value and increased capital costs. It is difficult to do a city-by –city comparison for many explanations, one of them being that the same amount of money buys “less house” in Toronto than it does in Oshawa, but the house in Oshawa has a bigger bill in taxes than the house in Toronto. Toronto homeowners pay taxes to single entity: the city, while in other places residents pay both a city and a regional tax.

Chris Brown who is the director of finance in Oshawa states that residents do face higher taxes than others, but it is due to low property value and the fact that the city has made a decision to invest largely in infrastructure projects. Oshawa has even implemented special incentives to encourage companies to build residential and commercial buildings downtown. “This type of investment attracts assessment, if assessment increases, individual taxes could go down in the future” stated Brown.

To compare Oshawa with Milton it can easily be seen that Milton is a booming city where development is helping to pay for new infrastructure. Milton is located along Highway 401 between Toronto and the U.S. border, which makes it an attractive place for businesses. The population of Milton has grown by 71.4% in the last 5 years, making it the fastest growing community in Canada. Big companies like Magna and Whirlpool have picked Milton for its new distribution facility. “We feel blessed. We are well positioned geographically. We are three hours from the Windsor border” stated the Mayor of Milton, Gordon Krantz. The Mayor of Ajax, Steve Parish stated that “in the case of places like Mississauga and Vaughan, one real driver that attracts industry is the proximity to the airport.”

This article simply is portraying the difference amongst cities in the Greater Toronto Area, and it is surprising to see how places that are next to one another can differ so much in regards to the prices homeowners pay, what the district has to offer and why some cities are doing better off economically than others. It all depends on where the city is located geographically and the amount of economic activity that is taking place. These factors all in turn create an image of the city and lead to either people moving into or out of the place.

Source: Toronto Star, Monday March 31st, 2008 page A1 and A6

2008-04-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

The response to Internet service providers traffic shaping : is the response because internet is a place that we experience being changed without consent?

This article I read was about the internet and internet service providers (ISP) are practising “traffic shaping”. Traffic shaping is when the ISP limit how much speed that it customers get to download. It has implications for users of Bittorrent which is a site where you can download large files in the form of torrents. I just want to bring to attention the internet as a space. We talked about virtual places in class which made me think of this article. I am someone that does not believe that virtual places are actually places or spaces but reading this article makes me feel different. The reason why it makes me feel different is because of the amount of people that responded to this article. People were feeling betrayed by Rogers Inc and Bell Inc because their internet was slowed down. So if the internet was not a place why is there this attachment to the the fact that ISP’s were limiting it. It is because there is some sort of attachment and experience with this place. You are able to do what you please on the internet, create experiences like dating our downloading was an important factor to these people. If the internet is not a place then what it is? I also want to bring the attention that the internet has many geographies like many of the areas we consider places. The internet as a place has the geography of production and consumption in being able to buy things and sell things, it is also a place where experience fear and have many security measures to hackers. This is just some ideas that jumped out at me when reading this article.
By Ariana Peters
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/03/28/tech-netneutrality.html

Evolution of the social network

2008-04-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

Evolution of the social network

By Marc Cieslak Reporter, BBC Click

Andrea Sousa 207530405
April 1, 2008

The article talks about the evolution of social networking on the internet and it dismisses recent reports indicating a decline in them but in actuality, they are not. Although users are tired of repetitive actions being sent to them from other users such as pokes and requests to join groups, this does not solely indicate that this is one reason or indication of a decline. The reason is not because this is a social fad which will eventually be exhausted and then our attentions will shift towards a new one but rather there is a plateau of participation: there is only so many people that it relates to. Even though there is a plateau of participation rates, the users enrolled are in the millions from across all over the world. This ‘big player’ involved with social networking sites will tap into the million of users and try to make a profit out of it. There is big business in social networking sites which could revolutionize sites like Facebook in order to profit out of them: this means new features could be adapted into the sites in order to become more marketable. The article provides examples of new breed sites which have taken in the idea of social networking like brownbook where users can contribute business reviews for others to view and it’s for free. The big players own the sites where ideas are from the users and they also have the users so the combination of the two may spawn new social networking sites.
There is a geography about the internet in that it connects people from all over the world to one space whether it is in the real realm or in the fake realm such as the cyberspace. Even in a space that is un-grounded do we find commercialism at its best, trying to market their ideas for a profit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7318288.stm

Yankee Stadium

2008-04-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

"no other venue in North American pro sports has ever brought more tears to more grown men's eyes, created more special moments, sending chills through more cynical athletes than Yankee Stadium"

The article I read discusses the final year of one of the most famous sports venues in the world, Yankee stadium. The reason I chose this article was twofold, first, the phenomenological implications that Yankee stadium represents and second, the fact that I have been there and experienced it first hand. The New York Yankees, one of the most storied franchises in major league baseball history, is set to move across the street into a brand new, state of the art stadium. In moving, the Yankees are leaving a place which holds a certain mystique for sports, something I was lucky enough to experience firsthand. When entering the stadium, one cannot help but feel a sense of authenticy, that this is the place where former greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle played. From the plaques on the walls to the distinct smell of the ballpark, the atmosphere makes for the ideal baseball experience. It is not only fans who hold this special sentiment, as mentioned in the article, current Jays players such as Vernon Wells and David Eckstein still look back at their first experiences at Yankee Stadium with fond memories. Yankee Stadium was also a unique place to experience because of the attitude of the fans. Their enthusiasm and non-stop cheering help contribute to what is undeniably a true 'home field' advantage. The experiences Yankee Stadium has provided the people of New York, as well as baseball fans all over the world, will linger on despite its closing at the end of the year.

Hollow Tree in B.C Stanley Park to be Cut Down

2008-04-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

There is controversy over whether or not to cut down a hollow tree in B.C. Stanley Park which after the massive storm in 2006 had become a hazard.

This tree has become a tourist attraction for Stanley Park where people stand inside and take pictures, I actually have a picture of myself in it when I visited B.C. last summer (glad i have it now). This tree has been a natural monument since 1880, when it was first photographed; it is thought that it got its distinctive look after a lightning bolt hit it.

Many people do not want the tree to be cut down because the history and attachment that they feel towards the tree. Many have pictures of themselves, parents, and grandparents, of people who are gone; the tree has become a symbol of family, of people’s history. Many of those who have this attachment either want the tree not to be cut down, or if it must be removed then parts of the tree to be saved and made into a monument, to have pieces of its history.

Others argue that the tree should be able to decompose in its natural way, meaning that it should be left, and not cut down, but also not preserved. The problem with this, which I believe would be most appropriate, is that it still is a hazard to the inhabitants of the park. The reality is that we have made this tree unnatural; we have made it a tourist attraction.

Maybe we are so reluctant to remove the tree because we have grown an attachment to it with our continuous pictures through the generations. Could it be that we are trying to hang on to a dead tree because it represents the nature that use to be, that the hollowness allowed us to feel one with nature in an era when we are extremely separated from nature due to living in a society of mass production and consumption?

Laura Hammond

Abandoned Baby

2008-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Abandoned Baby

I am commenting on the abandoned baby who was found in late January in an outdoor stairwell. This baby had been later named, Angelica- Leslie by the Children's Aid Society, for no one has come forward claiming to know or be her parents.

I would like not to focus as much on this horrible crime, but rather on the place that she was abandoned. I would like to apply the phenomenological approach to this space, which is anything that presents itself to experience; appearances and essences.

I have noticed that stairwells produce a negative image and feeling. It is a place where we as people are warned to be careful. We are fearful of being attached, mugged, or rape. Outdoor stairwells usually smell, of urine, and or garbage. In fact, they are usually littered with garbage.

Stairwells may be a place where the forgotten go to find shelter (homeless people). And in society we have been taught to regard homeless people as people to avoid, that they are crazy and dangerous.

Overall, stairwells, especially in an urban setting are a place where one is taught to be careful and cautious, as well as a place where things and people are disregarded, hidden in the corners and cracks. Where people expose and release their bodily functions, and where the unwanted go to find shelter.So it is not a surprise to me that someone would choose a outdoor stairwell to dispose of someone/something they didn't want, what sadness me is that it was a helpless child.
Laura Hammond
Posted by Laura at 11:51 AM 0 comments (Amy, i posted this in February but for some reason it didnt work..i think that i made my own blooger or something...)

Response to Greenpark Homes

2008-04-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Woodbrige is a great place to live. I live just on the outskirts of it and woodbridge avenue and vellore woods are two of the most successful and famous places in this area. Although i beg to differ on the fact that the feature collection of homes are elegant and exquiste, but rather that it is the same as any ither house in the area, just more up to date. It is not good for the area i live in that continues to develop over time, because taxes are never ending!! These spaces which will eventually turn into places are like any other place in scale. They just make these new homes sound so perfect with a "powder room, gourmet island kitchen"..etc. It is just a tool advertisers use to pull one into the market of buying an extravagent home. About any neighbourhood on the urban fringe is family friendly, surrounded by life's necessities like food stores, shopping malls. Although it is important to note that these homes are trying to be sold as high class entities that are used by the middle and upper middle classes. Relating this to lectures and readings, this is an area which is highly inaccessible by public transport for people who have physical disabilities. Services and places must be reached by car or public transit, because almost nothing is in walking distance. Fear can also be discussed in terms of security and types of people (families) that will be living in the area. If older families move into this nieghbourhood and become emptynesters, many young people will be seen walking the streets. If younger families move in, children will be playing the yards and more family acitivities will take place in the community. As these children age and become young adults, they will hang out in the streets at night and cause the elder people to be fearful. Personal spaces such as the home may be a fearful place, even in woodbridge,where more and more crime has been taking place over the years.
Spaces and places have been changing and transforming over the years, this process will never finish! (FIRE ALARM WENT OFF!! I HAVE TO CUT THIS SHORT!!) sorry....have a great summer everyone!

Space, place and scale… and time.

2008-04-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

I whish to add this dimension because it seems to me that we experience space and place through time. If Heidegger says that to live is to “live there” and in English “there” means only there in the spatial dimension; on the other hand in French “there” is translated by “là” which mean there in space but also in time. Therefore to live is to live there, to be present, spatially and temporally.

Moreover, time profoundly affects our experiences, it partly allows to transform space into place. It is by spending time at a certain place that you become an authentic people.
It is by the speed of the time spending that our experience will be pleasant or not and so the experience of the place. Just take a class room as an example, if you are not tired and the lecture and lecturer interesting, you will have a pleasant experience of the place, and you would even go back the next week. Rather than if the lecture is boring and the lecturer depressed and you are bored, the time will pass so slowly that your experience of this place will be totally different. As Relph also said it: “every geographical space also has innumerable forms because our moods and purposes change and because the season and climate vary” (Relph 1971, 17).
Furthermore as it has been seen this semester, the increasing acceleration of communication means (Internet, high speed train, etc.) are in a certain way, emptying (destructing) space. A lot of theories try to analyse these effects like the “tunnel effect” theory or the “key nodes” one.

Finally, I couldn’t fill more space because I didn’t have time; Do you see how both concepts practically interact?!

Fear of the Streets

2008-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

In John R. Gold’s and George Revill’s article Exploring landscapes of fear: Marginality, Spectacle and Surveillance converses about how landscape creates fear for several people. From the phenomenological point of view there are numerous of people that are experiencing fear till today. There are many people that fear the dark, war, violence, fear of bullies, prison, etc. In the article Smith Admits London Street Fear in The BBC News illustrates that Jacqui Smith, the home secretary fears walking around in London when it is dark and in affluent areas. Smith also indicates that one should not walk in unknown areas. Many people fear the streets due to the incidents that may occur. For example; murder, death, being kidnapped or raped, robbery, etc. The street is a public space that indicates fear of felony and chaos.

The Metropolitan Police had revealed that in October 2007 the number of crime in the capital had decreased to 6.1 percent. Gold and Revill illustrates that street violence is increasing in cities and it is frequently women that are experiencing this anxiety. Furthermore, gun crime has gradually increased to 10 percent, during last year of April and September. Smith addresses that the government played a huge part in convincing the populace that cities and towns are not dangerous. The article also reveals that most of the money is going towards ID scheme when it should go towards hiring additional police officers on the streets to tackle crime. Smith only wants to know what is occurring on the streets, as well as who the officers are and what they do. Therefore, having extra police officers on the streets would help a lot of people feel secure to walk at night in places and spaces.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7198508.stm

Subway Space

2008-03-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Star from Tuesday March 25th had an article about the possible early close of the subway in order to get maintenance work completed. The liners of the subway tunnels are apparently decaying and it is estimated that by 2010 they will no longer be deemed as safe as they could be. To fix the problem, crews have been working at night to replace the liners. When the subway closes at 2:00am and the power is shut off around 2:30, the crews have been able to work until about 5:00, when the workers have to be cleared out and the power turned back on for the start of the subway at 5:30. This 2 1/2 hour work period has not been enough to get the work done, and it is estimated that at this rate the work will not be finished until the year 2013. In order to get the work done by 2010, the suggested date of decay, it has been proposed that the subway be shut down at 12:30am to allow workers extra time.

This whole situation brings up the issue of scale. The major problem here is that there is a possible safety issue. While it is just a precaution (there is no certainty that the walls will crumble in 2010), the problem does need to be fixed. However, shutting down the subway line at 12:30 will undoubtedly affect a lot of people. The article does not cite numbers, but I can say for certain that there are still a number of people using the subway in the very early morning. In fact, I'm sure most people who have lived in Toronto can say that they have depended on the subway at one time or another for safe transportation during the night hours.

I guess the thing to keep in mind, is the mass amounts of people who would be affected if the subway were to shut down completely. The article states that if this plan does not work, the only other option might be to shut down the entire subway line for about three months in order to complete the work in an appropriate time. If this were to happen, I would hate to see the streets. A lot of people who could not take the subway would likely drive, which would clog up the streets even more than they allready are. The TTC would also have to provide above-ground transportation for those who depend on it, which only adds more traffic. In this sense, the best option seems to be the earlier shut-down at 12:30. While it would affect a lot of people, it would not be as bad as a full shut down.

Karen Giannetti

Green park Homes ( re-posted Blog 2)

2008-03-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

2^nd Blog

Greenpark Homes' phase two grand opening of new lots and designs at their Vellore Park neighbourhood (located at Major Mackenzie Dr., east off Weston Rd.) is the latest chapter in the ongoing success story of this already sensational Woodbridge neighbourhood.

"Wise homebuyers know that Vellore Park is a hallmark of success in Woodbridge," says Susan Crangle, Greenpark's director of marketing. "They are also well-informed about Greenpark's long-standing reputation as Woodbridge's most preferred builder."

This brand new release features a wide collection of towns, semis and singles, all built to Greenpark's exacting standards of quality and backed by award-winning after-sales service. Home styles include smartly designed freehold towns. These 3- and 4-bedroom designs include an elegant master bedroom with well-appointed ensuite; two more bathrooms, including a handy main-floor powder room; a full dinette kitchen; and a living/dining room. Some layouts also offer a main-floor library. Greenpark's freehold towns with four free appliances start from $334,990, up to 2,142 square feet.

Spacious semi designs feature three and four bedrooms, three bathrooms with main-floor powder room and a cozy family room off the full eat-in kitchen. Semis with four free appliances start from $359,990, up to 1,974 square feet.

Also available, stunning fully detached designs on full-depth lots 39-42 feet wide. These feature four and five bedrooms, including an exquisite master retreat with elegant ensuite and walk-in closet; four bathrooms; gourmet island kitchen, family room with gas fireplace; separate formal dining room; main-floor library, powder room and laundry room. Singles start from $488,990, up to 3,315 square feet.

Long regarded as one of Vaughan's most desirable areas, Woodbridge is a family-friendly setting, surrounded by all of life's necessities. Here, your family can enjoy life to the fullest with elegant and convenient dining spots and many entertainment and shopping opportunities, including the fabulous Vaughan Mills mall.

Vellore Village The Signature Collection offers estate homes on lots 60 and 80 feet wide, up to 175 feet deep, in an exclusive forested ravine setting, starting from the $800s, up to 5,585 square feet.

Greenpark's sales centres are open Monday through Thursday from 1 to 8 p.m, weekends and holidays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Visit greenparkhomes.com for all of Greenpark's low-rise communities and condominium residences. Prices and information correct at press deadline.

Geographies

Space, Spacious semi designs feature three and four bedrooms, three bathrooms with main-floor powder room and a cozy family room off the full eat-in kitchen. Semis with four free appliances start from $359,990, up to 1,974 square feet. Place, (located at Major Mackenzie Dr., east off Weston Rd.) Phase two grand opening. Scale, estate homes on lots 60 and 80 feet wide, up to 175 feet deep, in an exclusive forested ravine setting, starting from the $800s, up to 5,585 square feet.

National Post

Nancy Leoni.

Re posted my 2 blogs

2008-03-31T16:02:00.001-07:00

to make sure it was posted probably...have a great summer and I enjoyed your lectures, best wishes for you're bundle of joy!

Linda Leoni

Old Mill (Blog 2)

2008-03-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

2^nd Blog

At its meeting tomorrow, Toronto's green council is poised to approve a ritzy 10-storey condo development across from the stately Old Mill Inn which will involve the removal of 322 trees.

The city report, which refers to the location where the condo is to be built as bounded by the Humber River Valley and part of the "green space system"

There it says the 322 trees -- all "predominantly non-native" will be removed with "only a slight impact to the environmental features of the study property" and then refers to a potential restoration plan.

Planner Pedro Lopes said because the development will be built on what is being used as a parking lot for the Old Mill Inn, the city wasn't interested in buying the property in order to preserve it or the trees, he said.

Milczyn added that the condo development was initiated to "help pay" for a larger parking garage the developers really wanted to build, noting the developers will end up with 50 more parking spots than they have now. "That will alleviate illegal parking on the neighbouring street," he said.

Milczyn also confirmed the developers contributed $750 to his 2006 campaign and he held his victory party at the Old Mill at a cost of $5,098.

The rationale aside (as tenuous as it may seem), it is worthwhile noting there was no input provided in the aforementioned report by the city's tree police chief, Richard Ubbens. Reached late last week, Ubbens was all over the map as far as his involvement, or lack thereof. "It is a parking lot, which there's a bunch of invasive trees on that property," he said, noting its private property and they can't prevent the condo from being built unless they go to the OMB.

Yet in a three-page December 2007 report to the very same community council, Ubbens adamantly denied a request by Grandville Ave. couple Perry Thompson and Norma Graham to remove ONE non-native, invasive Norway Maple tree, whose roots have infiltrated their house's foundation, its pipes, the basement walls and flooring -- and which has cost the couple $17,500 in repairs and lost property.

Led by Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, council's tree emperor, the request by the couple was also turned down flat at January's council meeting. Two councillors who voted against them -- Suzan Hall and Gloria Lindsay Luby -- approved the Old Mill condo development application at the Feb. 12 community council meeting without a word of protest.

Holyday said what really disturbs him is his community council colleagues voted for the condo development without "uttering a word" about the trees. "It was the hypocrisy of the trees which really stunned me," he said.

Graham was furious about the city's plan for their tree. "This is a game they're playing with us," she said. "What they're proposing is absolutely ridiculous."

Geographies

Space, ritzy 10-storey condo development across from the stately Old Mill Inn. Place, The Old Mill, Humber River Valley and part of the "green space system". Scale, cutting down 322 trees

National Post

Linda Leoni

THE BIG WHITE AVALANCHE (Blog 1)

2008-03-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Description

19 year old skier from Quebec was killed and his friend buried in an avalanche while back country skiing on Mount St. Piran in British Colombia. The two boys where swept away in a rush of snow. One boy clung onto a tree and called the police. Steven Colk described himself skiing down Parachute Bowl at Big White resort in B.C. when avalanche almost killed him and that killed his friend. The friend’s name is unannounced for the reason that, the family has yet to identify his body. Mr. Colk had stated that “it was pretty scary” as he felt a wave of snow sweap him off his feet. Mr. Colk and friends heard a hollow popping sound. As they watched a huge slab of the slobe broke away. Mr. Colk said “it took me a second to realize that I was falling”. Mr. Colk estimated that he was caught for about ten seconds and felt as if he was like drawing. Mr. Colk tried to stay above the snow to stay alive. Ironically, an avalanche survival class was taught nearby. The class rushed to the scene to help and look for any survivors. According to the RCMP, the searchers were quickly joined and an avalanche rescue team. At first, six people were missing however, all six were found except for the unannounced boy and Mr. Barnier 21, who worked at the housekeeping resort. Mr. Barnier was last seen skiing before the avalanche occurred. The RCMP is treating this as a missing person’s investigation.

Geographies

Space, Big White Parachute Bowl 2319 meters high with extreme steepness of the double black diamond hill at Parachute Bowl. Place, British Colombia at Big White’s Parachute Bowl ski area. Scale, avalanche covered about 1.6 hectares of the 22.6 hectare bowl on both sides of the chair lift.

Anatomy of a Slab Avalanche

The slab avalanche is a slight weight that can trigger the top layer to loosen and slide down the mountain taking everything with it. It begins at the most volatile area of slope. Surface snow cracks and slides away from fracture line.

Slab information

A fresh snowfall can increase mass to critical level. Buried surface hoar, which is an icy crust that forms at the surface. Depth hoar snow, which is a large low density crystal formed by rising water vapour. As the temperature rises the bottom layer acts like a layer of ball bearings.

National Post News…

Linda Leoni

The Construction of a New History, Experiences, and Memories of Wasaga Beach

2008-03-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

The town of Wasaga Beach has become such a popular destination among the summer months for teenagers and adults since the main strips is full of bars, hotels, arcades, bikini shops, and many other attractions that these people enjoy. People come here to party by the beach where they catch some summer rays, hang out with friends, meet new people, and get drunk, even though it is illegal. Wasaga Beach began as a small community where businesses began to start up by the beach in order to attract more city people that would invest their money into the town. Wasaga has transformed from a rural space into a place that is known by large amounts of Ontarioians as a wild party scene that has become a mini city of its own. Stepping into this place for the first time, one is aware of its beach party vibe that is made up of mainly younger individuals. It is not a place for relaxation or a family vacation because it so loud with music blaring from bars, stereos, and cars that are lined up on the strip to show off. As well, there are so many young males and females walking around barely dressed in anything acting rowdy and drunk which may be a reason why families do not come and expose their young children. The town has become so attractive to people that it is home to many seasonal people that have bought cottages just for the excitement that comes along during the summer months, as well for temporary residents that rent motels and cottages to get away from the large city.
However, Wasaga Beach on Novermber 30, 2007 experienced a large fire that burnt down 70% of the main strip that consisted historical buildings and shops that dated back from the 1930’s. Not only did businesses and residents suffer because their community had been destroyed and has lost its history due to all the structures that were lost. The phenomenological approach would illustrate how people will now gain a new experience in Wasaga Beach that will transform it into a different place. This place that had given a fun experience and used to celebrate prom after parties or long weekends will now only become a memory. They can no longer go back and have the same experiences since the original setting has been damaged and the reconstruction will give a new vibe to the place. In a way, people that have relied on it as a summer vacation will experience homelessness this year since they cannot return to it and must find another place to give them a similar experience.
Although, it is not to say that this is totally a negative impact because although the history of town have been destroyed, the town has a new chance to give off a new meaning, image, and experience. The fact that the city will have to build new structures may be positive since it could attract more people to check out the new facilities where they can invest their money and continue its streak of fun experiences. A $400 million development is being planned along the beach and is expected to revamp the area with upscale restaurants, trendy boutiques and a new theme park. This plan for a modern look may be beneficial since before the fire, the main strip gave off a raunchy vibe due to the older rundown buildings. Wasaga Beach will continue to be known by many people as a place full of excitement from all the memories and experiences shared by individuals. It will still be a beautiful setting and popular due to its beach even after the disaster. It will also allow for new experiences and give the town a new history and improved look. Many businesses have suffered and full time and temporary residents were forced to lose out this summer where any plans that they made from before the fire have to be changed. People can only wait and see how the new Wasaga Beach strip will look and the vibe it will give off. It might be successful in attracting more people whereas some will miss its old ways. However, people will try to make the best of it because it has been a home to many whether all year round or only in the summer months. But it is definite that visitors will come to check out the new Wasaga Beach.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/281363
Karolina Kepa

Yahoo Fantasy Sports

2008-03-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Second Blog

Warning: Okay, i'll be honest. All of the ideas of space, place and scale have been taken up by my classmates on the blog, class discussions and from the course itself. So, this may not be the best blog out there. However, i'll try my best to make my case - or at least I hope so.

Yahoo: Is an American public corporation and global Internet services company. It was founded by Stanford University graduate students Jerry Yang and David in January of 1994 and incorporated on March 2, 1995. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale California.

Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Is a section of Yahoo! Sports which was launched on December 8 1997. Yahoo! Fantasy Sports was created with Yahoo's acquisition of Sportasy.com for an undisclosed amount in December 1998. It has grown to include numerous sports. Yahoo! offers both free and pay fantasy sports. Yahoo! Fantasy Sports had 3.1 million users in July 2006 of the more the 15 million adults that play fantasy sports in the United States.

Fantasy Sports is a Mecca for all hardcore sports fans. You are able to draft, control and monitor players as you wish. This space itself is filled with competitors, the ability to manage a sports franchise successfully and one’s sense of feeling to belong. This virtual place gives an identity of togetherness with people who have similar interests and rivalries can be created to emphasize the need to thrive for glory and pride. The scale of the fantasy sports leagues is very large. It can be a family based leagues, public groups, custom created to your preferences (scoring systems) and you get to meet fans across North America! After all, the geography of Sports is worldwide! Fans that religiously follow a certain sport may have insider reports on the status of players and rumours that may usurp in matter of hours. Since there isn’t a central location behind the Yahoo Fantasy Sports due to it being a virtual space, mobility is not a factor. You can use your laptop to check up on your team’s success (or failure) and you can propose trades to other managers in your league to improve your team. There is always a way to connect to people worldwide (internet is all about communicating across the world through the web). Just like a sports arena filled with fans watching a hockey game. Here, sports fan enter the realm of virtual space to manage their hockey team(s).

PS: I enjoyed this course very well and this course is A LOT better than Psychology 1010 (my elective, lol).

~ Ruban Jesudiaharasa

AccessON.ca

2008-03-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Everywhere around Toronto since January I have witnessed a huge campaign for disability rights, causes, etc. Everywhere from TTC stops to subway cars, I have found and noticed these disability related campaigns. They have a site on the internet now devoted to fixing the unfair advantages of Toronto against people of different disabilities. Posters with people trying to read small print restaurant menus to a man in a wheelchair trying to get into a work interview and being obstructed by a curb right before the door to the interview. I looked up this site and was stunned to see the lengths the government is going to to rectify or attempt to rectify the problem of unfair advantage of "regular people" over people with various differing disabilities. Some of the ads are quite funny and humorous and right to the heart of the issues.

Non-governmental organizations have been lobbying for some time now to get the government to shape up and make the world, especially cities and large urban areas, more accessible to all citizens. It appears as though the government is finally taking a stand to change for the better. This problem with spatial boundaries is evident all across Toronto and especially when it comes to transportation and the workplace. Sometimes preventing citizens from functioning as the law says they should be able to. People with disabilities as victims of a selfish, capitalistic society and are helpless due to the significant geographical problems with places where disabilities are not taken into account for.

These places of disablist repression can have astounding psychological consequences and negative phenomenological consequences to the people victim of these places. Geographical places and buildings must be constructed in such a way as to not oppress certain individuals and give certain people advantages over others. The buildings of Toronto and the cities transportation system must be changed and shaped geographically so that no one person has an advantage over another.

By: Timothy Barnett

Blog #2

2008-03-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Halton Ranked Fourth Safest Place to Live in Canada
Maclean’s Magazine

According to Maclean’s magazine, Halton Region is the fourth safest place in Canada and the safest region in the greater Toronto area. They ranked safety levels on the per capita crime rates for murder, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, break and enters, and auto theft. In relating this article to our course, I questioned why these categories were used to judge what makes a place safe, and what other aspects could be included to describe a safe place?
Those of us who describe our homes as safe places would contribute this factor to such things as being surrounded by people we trust, being in surroundings that are familiar, and for some, living in a house that has safety measures such as alarms and locks. Similarly, most people who say they feel safe in their neighbourhoods feel this way because they ‘know the area well’ or know the people in the area. I believe safety has a lot to do with familiarity. This is evident when many people would find the ‘Jane and Finch’ area to be high risk or dangerous, whereas most people who are familiar with the area, or live there feel perfectly safe there. We fear the unknown and believe what we hear about certain 'dangerous areas', which only perpetuates the fear.
Overall, I feel safety of a place is a very personal judgment to make; one that is proven to differ among each individual, depending on their experiences, or lack there off, of a particular space or place.

Toronto Ranked Canada’s 26th Most Dangerous City

2008-03-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

MacLean’s recently released an exclusive on Canada’s National Crime Rankings. Based on 2006 per capita crime rates (the most recent data available from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics), the article lists the most dangerous as well as the safest cities (with a population of 50,000 or more) in Canada. Upon learning of this report, the first thought that came to mind was that it would be perfect to address the concept of places of fear. However, after reading the article I feel it fits well with the representation of place(s). Interestingly, Toronto, which many believed would top the charts, ranked a “sleepy 26th” on the list of most dangerous cities. Similarly, another large city of Canada, Montreal ranked 19th. The article addresses the fact that there is a correlation between the poorest postal codes and high crime rates. When it comes to Toronto, it is said that there are “small pockets” of crime, but that the community as a whole is generally safe.

Taking the title for the most dangerous city in Canada is Regina, Saskatchewan. Perhaps surprising to many, the break and enter rates in Chilliwack (B.C.), Victoria and Regina, according to the report, rank within the top 10 per cent of all American cities. Your car is also more likely to be stolen in Winnipeg or Joliette (QC) than anywhere in the U.S. You may be wondering… where all the safe places are. Close to many of our homes, Caledon placed 1st on the list of safest cities in Canada. Peel Region’s overall crime rate was 52.9% below the average, while York Region and Halton Region were both below (the average) by over 70%. It should be noted, however, that statistics don’t always tell the full story… For more information on how the major cities of Canada ranked, see the full article by clicking on the link below.

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080312_110944_110944

Ryerson students get a seat at movies

2008-03-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Blog 2

I came across an interesting article in Toronto Star which described how Ryerson University will be holding morning lectures in half of the 24 theatres in the AMC multiplex located in the Toronto Life Square building at Yonge St. and Dundas St. The article illustrates how they have created mini desk tops for students that will fit into the cup holders which can then be stored away when the movie goers arrive. Students are offered perks such as discount tickets as an incentive, although they still may not accept this concept with open arms. This puts a totally different spin on the traditional lecture hall and could be something that might be more and more evident in the future. An upside to this would be that he students won’t have to be in lecture halls that are old, with bad acoustics or poor lighting. This directly relates to space and place particularly our discussions on the classroom as a place. Personally I find it strange that the university would resort to using a movie theater but if it proves effective then I guess there is no problem with them. Having discussed space and place throughout many of our class lectures, this is one real life example that is quite accurate to what we studied. To be more specific the idea of places being socially constructed, as once the professor enters the theater; it completely changes the use of the space. It would have been interesting to have a lecture in a movie theater, specifically one on space, place and scale.

Earth Hour

2008-03-27T12:35:00.001-07:00

For this blog I decided to read “An Earth Hour primer,” written by Emily Mathieu. In her article the author writes about “Earth Hour,” which is an event taking place on Saturday, March 30, between 8-9pm. The author writes “On Saturday, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., people around the world will turn off the lights in their homes and businesses to conserve power and draw attention to climate change.” Hundreds of homes and businesses have rallied together to support this cause. The first ever “Earth Hour was held in Sydney March 31, 2007. It obtained huge international attention and has this year, encouraged hundreds of other countries, around the world to join in the environmental awareness movement. It amazes me that just 2 million people and 2,100 businesses, switching their lights off for an hour, could have such a huge impact the world over. Media coverage of this event obviously had a lot to do with the impact that this small and subtle but powerful statement had on the international community. This year, dozens of cities, like Montreal, Manila, Dubai, Tel Aviv, etc have pledged to turn off their lights to raise awareness about climate change and stress the importance of conservation in a world where everything seems to have become disposable. In the Cyberworld, Facebook started a group to publicize this event and thousands of people signed on, pledging their support for this cause. The wall for this event is full of suggestions for things to do in that hour that do not involve the use of electricity. It is very interesting to see that a small scale idea in a country on the other side of the world has had such a huge impact on the global community. So…What will you be doing during “Earth Hour?”

Man puts $12,000 engagement ring in balloon, and watches it dissapear..

2008-03-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I thought that writing about something a little more entertaining that deals with space, place, and scale would be a great addition to this blog! This article is based on a man named Lefkos Hajji who decided that he was ready to propose to his loving girlfriend. He thought that he had a great idea when he placed the engagement ring inside the space of a balloon filled with helium. He thought that getting his girlfriend to pop the balloon as soon as he popped the question would be romantic and unique. What he did not think of was what could happen after he placed that extremely expensive ring in the helium filled balloon. The second Lefkos left the store where he purchased the balloon and had the ring already placed inside, the balloon floated into the air. Instead of his plan following through, and proposing to his girlfriend at a specific place that he planned ahead of time, the $12,000 dollar ring floated away to a place that was unknown.

The man who lost the ring stated, "I just watched as it went further and further," he told the Sun newspaper. "I felt like such a plonker. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me."

He tried to chase down the balloon and see where it was headed to but after a while he couldn't spot it. Even though he did just loose a ring that cost $12,000 his girlfriend was upset with him and said that she wouldn't forgive him unless he bought her another ring!

Nature - Culture. Has London made a Connection among the two?

2008-03-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Nature - Culture. Has London made a Connection among the two?

Joanna Nowosad

London, England has transformed an empty concrete space into a nature lover’s paradise. Since early in the 50’s it was a market for trade, barter and interchange of ideas through similar passions for the natural world. Natural world in this sense, meaning rare plants, flowers and trees. From the busy hustle and bustle of busy London comes this small street, in an alley that transforms into a market filled with exotic colours, not only from the natural specimens but the people themselves. The individuals that work here demonstrate an excitement for their job as they yell rhymes, meet and greet newcomers and interact with one another.

Interestingly, although this is a market and the bottom line is capital, the regulars don’t treat it that way. To those that visit it, it can be an escape from the real world into a natural jungle with exotic plants and flowers. To those that work there, it is a wonderful place to enhance and expand their horticultural knowledge. “These people eat, sleep and breathe gardening. When plants and flowers are a passion, then even picking flowers 16 hours a day in the rain seems a pleasure," George Gladwell, the market representative adds.

Now let’s stop and think for a moment. Do you think those living and working in the busy city centre of London think about connectivity with wildlife and nature? Are they interested in being involved in that under the concrete they walk on? Do they care? Do they even notice? These are themes that have passed us by in our lecture, especially those when dealing with nature and culture. When hearing Peter Fruchter’s story many don’t understand his way of thinking and understanding of the natural world. Is this because of our constant interactions with advanced technology? I think so. This street in London has no ties with technology, other than that which the buyers bring in with them. The market vender's are there to enjoy and share their passion for nature and gardening and not necessarily for making that extra buck. Interestingly enough, when Jewish immigrants expanded this market, they were interested in market value and commodity, yet today, although that continues to be present, the horticulturalists are there just to enjoy being nature – cultured.

Ottawa a Tier One Global City

2008-03-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

In the face of globalization and an ever growing global economy, it is inevitable under capitalism that certain cities will emerge economically and become more prominent and powerful than others around the world. Such cities that become dominant both economically and socially over the global economy are frequently referred to as world or global cities. Global cities are not necessarily the largest cities on a spatial scale but they do have a dominating control over the global economy and over less influential cities. Ken Gray wrote an article entitled “Ottawa ranks as global city: prominent residents: TD Bank report uses author's 1989 criteria to reach definition” which was printed in the Ottawa Citizen to which he interviews many prominent and influential citizens in Ottawa in order to make a case for Ottawa being seen as a global city. He uses criteria from the TD Bank report from 1989 as well as generally accepted characteristics of global cities to reinforce his argument. Increased economic competition on the global scale has led to cities of the developed world making extensive strives towards becoming globalized to better compete in the global economy.
Ken Gray’s article is written concerning the possibility of Ottawa being ranked as a tier one global city and what it will need to be able to establish itself as one. It is well documented throughout the article that most economists and CEO’s do not see Ottawa as being fully a global city, but do believe that it is well on its way. Elements that many believe do make it a global city include the cities technological core, the Corel Center and quality of life. Undisputed factors however that hold Ottawa back from being declared a global city include the low level of convention space, international events and its relatively low population as compared to other global giants such as New York and London. As discussed in the article, “there is not enough diversity in industry and not much manufacturing to push Ottawa to the top echelons” (Gray: 2007, Ottawa Citizen) which provides a clean summary as to why many cities similar to Ottawa have trouble establishing themselves globally.
Although Gray’s article is able to intelligently sort out what elements and limits construct an effective global city, he is far too ambitious in his claim to establish Ottawa as a tier one global city. Gray is able to stray from the incorrect but often cited definition of a global city which is almost entirely concerned with population and density. He instead focuses more on the widely accepted definition which as geographer Michael Pacione states, “Global cities are not measured by their population size (as in the case of megacities), or their status as capital cities of larger countries, but rather by the range and strength of their economic power.” (Pacione: 2005, 297). However he does not make a convincing case for Ottawa becoming a tier one global city to compete against such globally competitive cities as New York, London and Tokyo. The diversity of industry, international status and location of finance and business in these cities is why Ottawa will never reach this tier. It is not absurd however to think of Ottawa competing on a second tier level with cities such as Toronto and Chicago, and it is perhaps this focus that the article should have been narrowed to.
In an increasingly global economy cities are beginning to fall behind others as economic competition has exploded onto the global scale. Cities of various land and population size are beginning to discover the successes that are being accomplished from cities that are focusing themselves globally. It is through this process that developed cities of various scales are taking considerable steps to meet the criteria of a truly global city. As more cities are continuing to deindustrialize and attempt to rise in the hierarchy of global cities, the global economy becomes even further manifested on the urban scale which makes its even more difficult for non-global cities to compete economically. Michael Pacione illustrates, “At the urban scale, economic globalisation is manifested on the one hand in the rise of global cities, and in the deindustrialization and decline of older industrial cities on the other.” (Pacione: 2005, 285). With the further integration of the global economy, cities will continue to push for global status amongst the superpowers that currently dominate it.
Global cities will continue to emerge over the next decade at a pace that may constitute a four tier system due to the increase in global economic activity. Although Ottawa will most likely never be seen in the same terms as New York or London, it still has substantial steps to carry out to establish itself as more of a global player. Many may argue that this form of globalization is rather a case of internationalization; it cannot be argued that as global activity becomes increasingly vital at the urban scale so too does the role of the city in managing it.

Source
The Ottawa Citizen
http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/pqdweb?index=2&did=236854801&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1200278708&clientId=5220

Pacione, Michael (2005) The economy of cities. Urban Geography: A Global Perspective, Second Edition. New York and London: Routledge, pp.285-307

Posted by Nick Michael 2nd Blog

Expanding the Suburbs!

2008-03-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

2^nd Blog

Geographies

Space, A new addition to the one of the last existing rural areas of Woodbridge.

Place, (located at Major Mackenzie Dr., east off Weston Rd.) Phase two grand opening.

Scale, The dwelling addition has attracted investments from new families that currently live in the Toronto downtown core and or surrounding areas.

National Post

Nancy L.

Park not Condos: Protesters

2008-03-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

The issue of land space being developed into condos and/or apartments is a continuous battle, not only in Toronto, but in other Canadian cities as well. I found an interesting article in the 24 Hours newspaper dated Monday, March 10, 2008 that dealt with the threat of an apartment development on a historical site in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Upper Fort Garry is the Canadian historical site where Louis Riel and the first government officially signed the treaty that went to Ottawa,” said Andre Carrier, president Le Conseil Elzear-Goulet, a branch of the Manitoba Metis Federation (The Canadian Press, 2008).

Presently, protesters are protesting the development of an apartment on the site. Their plans are to get the site recognized as part of Canadian history, as a park where Canadians can visit their history. I hope they are successful in getting this space established, as this place is in need of recognition and preservation.

Source:
The Canadian Press (2008). ‘Park not Condos: Protesters.’ 24 Hours newspaper. Toronto, Ontario. Sun Media Corporation, Vol. 5 No. 85. http://toronto.24hrs.ca

Posting by Brenda Dixon

Freeganism

2008-03-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

About three weeks ago I was home flicking through the channels on TV when I came across an advertisement for Oprah’s upcoming episode. It featured Lisa Ling, from National Geographic, and she was discussing something I had never heard of before “freeganism”. I decided to watch and it was very interesting. For those who have not heard of this term before it describes a group of people who have chosen a lifestyle of anti-consumerism. These individual’s are living an alternative lifestyle whereby they attempt to limit their consumption of resources and do not give in to consumerism. They partake in what is commonly known as “dumpster diving”. They raid grocery store dumpsters salvaging unspoiled food that has been discarded as they have passed their expiry date, but is still edible. They not only salvage food, but also household items such as bed sheets, furniture, clothes, basically any items that are still usable. They choose to live this way not because they have become homeless or are poor, but because they want to make a political statement about over consumption and capitalism.

I relate this to space, place and scale in that by raiding a place (dumpsters) whose physical space has been occupied by discarded items that are still usable, lends a hand to limiting the amount of waste going to landfills on a global scale. I focus more on space, as North American’s we are large consumers of everything. Not all stores discard their products; some do donate to homeless shelters and food banks. This type of recycling helps to keep unnecessarily discarded items out of land fills, and also aids those members of society who cannot afford to partake in the gross consumption of consumerism. A very practical idea is to buy local produce rather than canned as this will help to save on the amount of garbage we produce. Going green is a wonderful idea for the environment, but be cautious that you do not go and discard everything you currently own to replace it with all green items as you will be contributing to filling up all the landfill space around.

I must note that many Freegan’s earn a decent salary and are highly educated individuals. We as consumers are constantly tempted by advertising trying to encourage us to throw away and replace our goods. This over consumption of products is ruining the space that we live in. By living a Freegan lifestyle they are reducing the amount of garbage and pollution that so called waste contribute to space as a whole. I find this idea of Freeganism very intriguing and I am unsure that I could adapt to such a lifestyle, but I do feel compelled to make an attempt to limit my consumption of unnecessary products and reduce my contribution to wasted space.

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200802/tows_past_20080227.jhtml

Gas prices rising all over GTA

2008-03-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

I read an article in the Toronto dated Wednesday March 12th titled “A Real Pain in the Gas: Think gas prices are bad now? You just wait”. At a first glance, one may not think this can relate to place and scale, but in fact I realized it does. The steep gas prices have much to do with the price of crude oil, which has a lot to the US dollar. Because the US dollar has not been doing well lately, it has pushed the prices of gas. Furthermore, they are predicting that we may see price as high as between 1.40 to 1.50 by the month of May! And think about this, in the next decade it will hit 3.00! So what will bring gas down? This here has to do with place, as it would involve great worldwide changes, such as a depression. What I found interesting was that an oil analyst said even if all of Toronto stopped driving, it would still not do much to alter gas prices. And to get an idea of scale, in August 1989, record high gas prices created a huge chaos at Ontario-US border because the price of gas was 54.2 cents a liter, where was in Niagara Falls at the time it was 32.3 cents. The following year, gas reached its record high of 60 cents a liter, which was an unbelievable high at the time. The other thing in this article that I could relate to this course was when a oil analyst said “There's nothing on the horizon that suggests oil or gasoline are going to drop in price, and yet, there's more and more consumption." This made me think of our lecture on consumption. I remember in Guy Sparkes’ article The Society of the Spectacle, he speaks of the dictatorship of the vehicle. I think this is certainly true. While people will complain and complain about high gas prices, people will always rely on their cars and need to drive. Of course, depending on where one lives, they certainly do need to rely on their car. However, for many, the car is a luxury rather than a real necessity, but yet they still refuse other forms of transportation. In reality though, if the oil analyst is saying that even if we all stopped driving in Toronto it wouldn’t lower gas prices, what is the point if we just want to try and lower the costs. They do give a list of suggestions on how to save gas though, which can be found on this website:http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/03/12/4977616-sun.html

-Maria Marrella

The Affect of Media on Our Perception of Places

2008-03-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

The way in which we experience a place where we have never been is greatly affected by the various exposures that we have had to that place. In particular, the ways in which different forms of media create theses exposures can have a strong influence on one’s perception. In order to explore this concept, I will use the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

In North America, through newspapers and television, the media has more often than not depicted the Middle East as a hostile environment that is dangerous for anyone to live in due to security and safety reasons. For someone who has had limited exposure to the region and that exposure has been mainly through the media, the perception which they have is greatly influenced. When there are increases in violence, these perceptions, which are the expected ways in which one would experience that space, become more influenced as there is generally greater coverage. As sources of media are generally biased, those who control them can have great power over how someone else perceives a space.

On the contrary, when you speak with people who have lived in the Middle East or have family who live in the Middle East, the way in which you perceive this same violent, hostile space is very different. This difference in perception is because you are experiencing the space through a different lens. Although there will be similarities between the two lenses, the end result is likely to be very different as the person you speak with recognizes the issues of safety and security but often it is not to the overwhelming extent of the media who solely focus on this.

After experiencing both of these situations and having visited the Middle East, I feel that the media can have a very large impact on ones perception of a space and this influence can have great strength as it not necessarily overcome easily. Although it is easier to overcome our perceptions of a place once we truly experience it, the perceptions which we have up until this time and the experience that we have at this time can be greatly influenced by the media which we are exposed to.

Joel Friedman

View of the World - American Perspective?

2008-02-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last year at Brock University while I was attending a Political Science course, the professor showed the class an image of how the Americans viewed the world. It showed different features that many people may feel strongly agreeable or strongly disagreeable. After the lecture, I asked the professor if it was possible for him to send that image to my university e-mail address and he was more than glad to. I kept it stored onto my computer but now I have a very good use for it. At that time, I found this map to be just a hilarious piece of artwork. However, with the theories we learned in this GEOG 3300 class, I was critically thinking about it and understood it as a spatial division of geography. Meaning, spaces and places are not just bounded under a certain region of scale but it can also have a global effect. This map shows how Americans view the world according to their own interest and concerns. Like for example, how they view India (Curry) or how they view Southern Africa (Diamonds). It may seem bluntly stereotypical but it does show a lot of truth behind it.

I just wanted to know if any of you would agree to the perspective of this map and if anyone out there would disagree with it. I personally agree that ‘some’ Americans, to the most part, really do follow this map that they created in their minds.

PS: Well, I uploaded my blog just in time but I really do hope I did this participation web blog thing properly and not mess it up.

Reference: Brock University, POLI 1F90 Lecture - 2006.

Alternative Africentric School

2008-02-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

A school in general is a place. It is a place where students from all ethnic group comes together to gain education. Moreover, a school is a place of social interaction where you are constantly interacting and learning.
In The Star, the article “Board okays black-focused school” by Louise Brown and Brett Popplewell dated on January 30, 2008; discusses about the “Africentric alternative school.” The Toronto School District Board had come to a conclusion of implementing this school. The votes were 11 to 9 and the school is suppose to be open on September 2009. This article also demonstrated what black parents thought of having such a school in Canada. For example, Donna Harrow and Angela Wilson were excited when this was announced. Donna Harrow had stated that: "I'm ecstatic, but the struggle continues and we want this school to open in 2008, not 2009." The positive thing about implementing this school is teaching students about Africentric Heritage. Many students say that they would love to do so. I personally think it is always good to learn about your heritage and about others to. Therefore, this shows that this school is a place where students will come to learn. Moreover, it is also a place where it will leave memories for the students. The things that they will learn, the students that they will interact with and the teachers that made a difference in their lives. Also the school will create experience for the students.
However, Loreen Small, the mother of Jordan Manners who had passed away in C.W.Jefferys of last year indicates that is not a good idea. She had said, "Don't propose it – Martin Luther King thought we could sit at the front of the bus together. If black kids need to graduate, let's get teachers in there and learn how to interact with black kids," I kind of have to agree with Loreen Small. To me, the thought of this school being implemented only leaves me with the image of segregation rather than integration. More on the line of Small, it is teachers that we really need. They are the ones who should help these students get further in life and help them improve in the things they need to. If teachers played a huge role in the students’ life than maybe the drop rate wouldn’t be that high. Although teachers are important role models, parents also have to get involved in their children’s academic. They should also help them get further in life. Also a negative aspect of implementing this school is that some people think it is “dangerous” just because it can lead to racial segregation. Most of the students would be black leaving the rest to be the minority. Implementing this school shows a place of segregation. The students will not be expose to various ethnic groups. They may not get a better understanding of different holidays that are celebrated by different religion.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/298714

January 30. 2008

Black-focused school is a go.

2008-02-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, the Toronto District School Board voted 11 to 9 in favour of opening an alternative Afrocentric school. Initially proposed as a solution to help improve the high drop-out rate among students of Afro-Caribbean origin, the alternative Afrocentric school has sparked great debate. On one side, “activists in the black community are saying that their kids are not actively engaged in the education [provided] for them. There’s no mentor there, there’s no encouragement.” The alternative school, it is argued, would create an environment “where they’ll be motivated to come to school everyday.” On the other side, individuals like Anthony Hutchinson, an economist and former university professor, have this to say: “This belief that if we teach kids about their social and cultural identity they’re going to perform a lot better is just stupid.” Rather, the high failure rate of students “would be more effectively addressed by smaller class sizes and more one-on-one tutoring”.

In light of the controversy surrounding the approval of what will be the country’s first black-focused school, Global News aired a two part special-report (February 28-29) that analysed the Afrocentric Malcolm X school in Detroit. Upon its opening, protesters tried to shut the school down. Today, its graduation success rate is almost double the city rate. It is interesting to note that parents who enroll their students in the school must sign a contract committing themselves to 30 hours of volunteer service in the school. The lack of parental involvement in inner city schools has been an issue in Toronto – perhaps their increased interest in their children’s education and their schools would motivate students and improve their success rates. Overall, Malcolm X alternative school in Detroit has proven to be successful and has taught us that it is important to educate the public about the school (and its initiatives).

Personally, I don’t know how I feel about the Afrocentric school in Toronto. While it risks being a contested, segregated space, it can also prove to be a place reflective of nationality, heritage and success. As a future educator, I am all for the success of students, but I am not sure that a black-focused school is the solution. While I understand that the high drop-out rate of black students is an issue - as a Canadian, I question what implications a black-focused school will have for people of other ethnicities. It is important to note here that a black-focused school is not a race-specific school, but rather one that would “aim to use the sources and knowledge and experiences of peoples of African descent as an integral feature of the teaching and learning environment.” What implications will this have on students after they graduate? And might it not raise the issue of incorporating other ethnic sources, knowledge and experiences in the curriculum? As of now, the location and specifics of the curriculum for the Afrocentric alternative school have yet to be decided. It will be interesting to see what kind of place/space this alternative school will turn out to be – especially with all of the controversy surrounding it already.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7217212.stm
Global News @ 6:00 p.m. - February 29, 2008

Tuberculosis is Spreading

2008-02-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

Being someone who loves science especially biology, what came to my attention was all the articles on Tuberculosis this week in the major newspapers such as the National Post, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. Most of the articles are very similar but I am responding to the article published by the Toronto Star on February 27th.
The brief summary of the article is the World Health Organization released a report saying that a strain of Tuberculosis aka TB which is an infectious disease has emerged and its rates have hit record highs.
This article interested me for two reasons, the scale of the spread of Tuberculosis (TB) and the idea of transforming nature into culture which I will further explain later in my blog. TB is a disease that has inhabited our world for a long time. It is a disease that is in 81 different countries throughout the world. This new strain which is called XDR-TB for extensively drug resistant tuberculosis is now reported in 45 countries throughout the world. The problem is that XDR-TB is almost untreatable from of respiratory disease. What most people do not realize is that TB is a very infectious disease infecting and killing many people throughout the world over the years and the scale of the amount of people and places it infects will continue to rise including in Canada.
This article also had me thinking of the Wild places lecture that we had on February 28th. Tuberculosis is said to have originated in cattle and jumped scales to inhabit humans. In lecture we spoke of transforming nature into culture. I was thinking that if cattle was not domesticated and left in their place or space would TB had the chance to be spread to humans. This is something that I thought of in all infectious diseases such as HIV and its origin of Chimpanzees. If humans had a relationship with nature and these animals and understood them instead of making them pets and domesticating these animals would there be the infectious diseases that occurred today?
I do not know the answer but it is something I think about when I hear about all these infectious diseases. A lot of them occur in nature first then jump scales to infection of humans.
By Ariana Peters

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/307408

Life in Captivity

2008-02-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is a response to the article "Freed hostages given 'opportunity to live again'" in The Toronto Star from Febrary 28th. The article is about four Colombians who had been held hostage in by rebels, and were freed on the 27th. The article has made me consider how spaces can be transformed, and also about the creation of places.
In terms of transformation of space I am thinking specifically of the area in which the hostages were held. What has struck me, is how this space would represent different things for those on either side of the captivity. For the rebels who are holding the hostages, the area of captivity would be a place of power for them. It would be the physical manifestation of the authority they have over the hostages. The area could also represent a sense of triumph at having succesfully held the hostages there against their will. These things would create a sense of pride and create positive emotional attachments to the space. The hostage area however, would also be a place of struggle. It would be a constant reminder of the war they are waging and the extremes they have gone to in order to continue the fight. One can see how this space would hold conflicting emotions as a place that signifies the power gained by holding the hostages, but also an unavoidable indicator of the fact that they are in a battle.
For the hostages themselves, it is not difficult to guess at the fealings, emotions and memories that have been attached to their area of captivity. They would likely feal scared due to not knowing what might happen next. Helplessness is likely a constant fealing as they would probably have little or no control over their own lives. There is probably also a sense of defeat, especially after having been held captive for a long period of time. It is easy to see the down side, the negative, terrifying fealings that would accompany the hostages, but is there no positive side? I have to wonder if after a long period of time in any bad situation (such as captivity) one does not reach a point of acceptance. Acceptance might not be the right word, but I think that at some point you would have to stop focusing on the bad parts (not seeing your family, being tortured, starved, etc.) and find some way of making a 'place' for yourself. This probably sounds very naiive and utopian, but isn't it possible to mentally construct a home out of a forced area of habitation? Many of you will think the idea is far-fetched, but when in such terrible physical conditions, why not allow your mind to make it a home.
These are just some thoughts that came to me while reading about these hostages who after being held against their will for such a long time, were now just thrown back into their 'regular' lives. I have to wonder if they truly had not been home since they were taken, or if their captive area became a sort of home.
Karen Giannetti

"Greening" of Fashion

2008-02-29T05:17:00.000-08:00

This blog is in reference to “Bride’s gown the ultimate eco-friendly statement,” published in the Star, by Erin Kobayashi, on February 28, 2008. Being an aspiring fashionista and an environmentalist, I was delighted to stumble upon this article, as it made me realize the scale of the environmental movement.
“Having a wedding has become the ultimate disposable experience," as Jaye Marsh (the bride-to-be and an environmentalist) points out. From the disposable plastic wedding favours, to the copious flowers that decorate the reception hall, every aspect of a wedding is lavish and wasteful. Environmental awareness, however has led to a shift towards the adoption of eco-friendly wedding options.
A good example of the magnitude of this movement is the “Eco Wedding and Lifestyle Show” which is an event taking place on March 1st and 2nd in Toronto, for the very first time. It is a testament to the thirst for more environmentally sustainable alternatives to the conventional indulgent wedding. Fashion designers are eager to tap into the rapidly growing market for organic goods, and consumers are excited about the prospect of being trendy and mindful of the environment simultaneously.
The market for organic and eco-friendly products has swelled dramatically, partly because of the environmental awareness campaigns that we, as consumers, are exposed to on a daily basis. Over the past few years, the scale of the environmental movement has grown exponentially, with more people opting for “greener” goods and services.
Even the government is doing its part to reduce our ecological footprint, with the introduction of the green organic bins and ad campaigns that promote “greener” methods of generating electricity.
Big department stores, like Loblaws and Wal-Mart are doing their part to reduce environmental degradation, from encouraging their customers to use re-usable bags instead of plastic ones, to powering down the intensity of the lights in their stores and to decreasing the level of heating(in the winter) and cooling (in the summer) in their stores.
I am not suggesting that people, governments and businesses have done their part to make the Earth ecologically viable for future generations, far from it. I do think that the environmental movement has come a long way from its humble beginnings, in its efforts to educate the public, businesses and governments about the dangers of environmental degradation and suggest solutions to reduce our ecological footprint so that our great grandchildren may enjoy a clean, green Earth.
I’m happy to say that stores like Roots, the Gap, H&M, Joe Fresh, etc all have their own lines of organic clothing, so you can be both chic and environmentally conscious as the same time!

Furniture Should Do Double Duty In Tiny Space

2008-02-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

A brief summarization of the newspaper article: A women who recently purchased new home is worried of how to furnish it due to its small size. An ‘expert’ on interior decorating provides her with two pages of his opinions of how to make it appear larger.

What I found most interesting about this article with regards to space, is that when anyone is decorating a small space, the main objective is not to decorate it tastefully or to have it contain items that are meaningful to us, these are important, but the number one issue is to make it appear larger. But why? Does larger mean more expensive? In some cases it may, but it is also possible to have a large room with little value of purchased goods within it versus a small room with expensive furniture and decorative pieces. The interior decorator suggests things like ‘no space should go unused or underused’ and that the notorious underused dining room should be put to better use. These common opinions reveal that those who are able to afford a larger home with larger rooms are able to have spare space. Is this not an odd characteristic for appearing wealthier? Is it not simply pointless to have extra space that will not be put to use? Though I have heard that the larger a room appears, the better, (whether through lighter paint colour, smaller furniture and /or better lighting) multiple times, I have recently questioned this view. In my personal opinion, I believe that a smaller room decorated with meaningful items, is more favourable and tends to be where most people gravitate to due to its ‘cozy’ factor, as opposed to a large room that often feels impersonal and colder. I believe that it is a large misconstruction to say larger equals better or more appealing when it comes to rooms or homes, and small and cozy is taken for granted by many, or unseen for its greatness and utility.

From public to private, television as a global scale

2008-02-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ciara Shanahan

Technology connects humans on a global scale, whether it is publicly or privately. As a medium, television has always done this; think back to one of the very first televised elections was in 1960’s: Kennedy and Nixon’s Presidential debate. Nixon had just endured knee surgery, was 20pounds underweight, and refused to wear make up. Conversely, Kennedy was just back from California and so had a tan. Many that listened to the election on the radio confirmed their thoughts that Nixon won, however the 70 million people that watched it on television were convinced Kennedy won. Why? Unlike radio, television is visual and the viewers made their assumptions from what they saw and not what they heard.

More on the public eye, television has caught historical moments like Princess Diana’s funeral, the tragic 9/11, Matt Sundin passing Darryl Sittler’s record of goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Michael Jackson’s court proceedings for child molestation, and in more recent news Britney Spears public breakdown(s). All of these moments have been caught on tape and have shown to the public, and no matter where people were during any of these moments they can now always go back and watch the recorded video feeds. A tragic event like 9/11 may or may not have actually been witnessed by many people. However it was consistently covered and shown over and over again to the point that we have an emotional attachment to September 11^th. Television brought us steps closer to the real thing; and this not always a bad thing. Yet it does show how public our lives are through something so private, like the television that we have in our own living rooms.

The Coffin Guy

2008-02-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Star recently published an article about Hans Scholze, a homeless man who is famous for living under the Gardiner Expressway East. Scholze is notably different than most homeless people because of the coffin-like plywood box he called home. Refusing charity or a warm place to live, the “coffin guy” would move his mobile home to another block if police officers or other dwellers bothered him. Scholze moved around 2000, when the Gardiner was coming down, to the port lands near Commissioner St. But for the last two years, there have not been any confirmed sightings of the coffin guy who was once a visual footprint of the city’s homeless issues.

Despite the descriptions of Scholze being mentally unstable (see the article link for more details), he provides a good example of a person who finds comfort in a space that most would regard as unsafe, cold, and unsuitable as a home. I think many people would disregard Scholze’s “home” as one, although it provided the necessities he needed, even if the bare minimum. It was his shelter from the cold, a place for his belongings, and there was heat from a Coleman stove. Scholze had a better home than most people living on sidewalks or doorways of Toronto’s buildings.

When he moved to the port lands, Scholze became the poster boy for the city’s homeless as he clearly displayed the harsh reality of Toronto. The article mentions that there is no official body that keeps records of who is homeless. Plainly stated, Toronto does not care about who is living on the street because it is not considered a taxable space. So if it’s not taxable to the government, then the home does not exist. And if the city does not acknowledge the home, in essence they are not acknowledging the homeless person’s existence.

By: Justine Tieri

http://www.thestar.com/article/304331

Beyond Density

2008-02-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

Browsing the Toronto Star recently, I came across “Mississauga wants life on its sidewalks”. Further reading revealed that there is a move to revamp downtown Mississauga, commencing in the spring of 2008. Inspired by the urban designs of other large cities, the Mississauga urban design panel seeks to design and create Mississauga’s first “urban village” dubbed Parkside Village – an urban style “pedestrian-oriented development”. Despite encompassing a broad mix of land uses, downtown Mississauga lacks street vitality. With the development of Mississauga’s Parkside Village, special attention will be placed on the street grid in an effort to increase pedestrian flow, thus encouraging active encounters. Sidewalks will be created wide enough to allow cafe-style seating and gathering points. There are plans to construct high-rise, midrise, and town house units, restaurants, stores, banks, offices, and a hotel in a bid to draw people to the streets. In addition, there are future plans for the construction of a park and the redevelopment of two existing squares.

This article is relevant to the course, since it is an excellent example of analyzing and applying the three main approaches to space/place (descriptive, phenomenological, social constructionist) in the understanding of Mississauga’s downtown as a place. As stated by Creswell, place is defined as “humans investing meaning to a portion of space and becoming attached to it” (e.g. by naming it). Well, Mississauga’s downtown, once a vast vacant space, has been transformed from a quantifiable, fixed, and framed location to place filled with meaning and social value, given that, presently, emphasis has been placed on creating an exclusive community-based “home”. The new design will enable one to have a sense of attachment and intimacy towards this place. With increased pedestrian activity, Mississauga’s downtown will be a place injected with meaningful encounters – the changing of physical space to inculcate one’s experience. Additionally, it will become a place that welcomes people, is accessible to all, thus, enabling people to be included in the circuit of production and consumption. Parkside Village is an urban symbol striving towards putting people “in place”.

Beyond Density
Toronto Star (Ontario Edition)
Dan O'Reilly
Jan 26, 2008

Pollution Turns China River System Red

2008-02-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

Pollution Turns China River System Red
Globe and Mail
Associated Press (Anita Chang)
Date of Article: February 27, 2008

Andrea Sousa (207530405)

In the Globe and Mail there is this article called Pollution Turns Central China River System Red. Just the title alone caught my attention: how can a vast amount of water just turn red? And where is all this pollution coming from? Apparently, this is not just one large accident that occurred over night but rather many incidents over time. The pollution was discovered Monday February 25, 2008 (so does that mean the water was of a normal colour before it was discovered?) by a water plant worker from Jinali County which Dongjing river is a tributary of the Han. The water had apparently turned red and foamy. They tested the water and showed high levels of amnonia, nitrogen and permanganate, which is a chemical used in metal cleaning, tanning and bleaching. The source of the pollution is unknown as of right now. Since the pollutants have leaked into China’s water system, many people are without tap water. Roughly, 200,000 people had there water supply cut and are relying on water from fire engines and bottled water. China’s water supply is already facing a critical water shortage which is partially due to chronic pollution and chemical accidents. Majority of china’s waterways are severly targetd by industrial, agricultural and household pollutants. The pollutants from a large scale of places are accumulating quickly and are being dispersed in China’s water ways which then is spread at a much rapid pace. There are 200,000 people affected by this over a large space. In addition, even Russia has been affected by China’s polluted waters. Something must be done in order to control waste disposal and management or there will loose their most important natural resource which is essential for sustaining life.

Personal Sonic Devices: Reclaiming Space or Privatizing Social Connections?

2008-02-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Technology has the power to connect us, to transform us, and to empower us. It has played a vital role in organizing our lives locally and globally. As such, technology continues to define and redefine space. This organization can be looked at from two different positions, its positive and negative effect on space. Let us narrow technology down to a device most people have and can relate to: personal sonic devices (iPod and mp3 players). The iPod as a small pocket size music player, questions the borders of public and private space. Do personal sonic devises give users autonomy or is our social connection to the world diminishing because of it?

Personal sonic devices can be a tool whereby users manage space, time, and boundaries around the self, cushioning their daily routines around an inner/sonic space. Is listening to your iPod/personal sonic device a way of reclaiming public space or a way of continuing to privatize space? If we think of urban experiences we often think about the visual, what is seen, neglecting to pay attention to sound and what is heard. That is, we live in a visually dominated culture, whereby our city streets are bombarded with advertisements, billboards, signs, and cars, to say the least. When looking at the city experience from this perspective of visual bombardments, personal sonic devices can be looked at as a sonic shield, a world escaping from the bombardments outside and around the self. Users may even see themselves as having choice, choice of what music they want to listen to rather than what images they should be looking at. Being in this ‘sonic bubble’ may in fact undermine some of the urban messages consuming us. Users may feel a sense of empowerment in being able to manage their own space. However, is this self-engaging empowerment a way of reclaiming personal space or further privatizing space and disconnecting society?

iPod and personal sonic device users may become so self-contained, operating without shared experiences – or within specific shared experiences – that they become disconnected from society. No real interaction takes place, as users continue to cocoon themselves from social life. Although not directly intended, the use of iPods and personal sonic devices can irreversibly cause social damage by blocking social interaction. Isolation properties related to sonic device use focuses on the individual user, creating a docile culture of branded users.

Personal sonic device and iPod users tend to ‘tune in and fade out’, that is their visual surroundings become insignificant as they isolate themselves within a sonic bubble. Listening to your own music player signals to other that you are unavailable and wish to be left alone. As such, the use of personal sonic devices continues to challenge the public/private dichotomy. Personal sonic device users continue to challenge this boundary by creating private spaces within public areas, and thus fulfilling their own interest. Just as people construct their own meaning of places, because places are socially constructed, so too do sonic device users.

Thus, personal sonic device users challenge the border of private/public as they bring the private sphere within public space. Although personal sonic devices have the potential to harm social interaction and communication, they can also be empowering to the individual user in reclaiming space. In a visually dominated society bombarded with advertisements, billboards, signs and cars, personal sonic devices give individual users power to control their private space by listening to the music they want and fade out their public visual surroundings. Of course this fading out can be detrimental for social interaction. Users isolate themselves from ‘outside’ interaction. Personal sonic devices may be somewhat beneficial to the user, but not so beneficial for the people who interact with them. Thus, it is important to realize the power technology may have, and it is our responsibility not to abuse its use. After all, there is no replacing real-time human interaction, and for this reason we should not let technology dictate our lives. Look, listen, and interact.

Virgin Makes biofuel flight

2008-02-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is my response to Virgin makes biofuel flight, taken from The Toronto Star on February 24^th,2008. The article talks about a recent flight made by a Virgin Atlantic 747 Jumbo Jet from London, England to the Netherlands. This particular aircraft was outfitted to run on a specific kind of biofuel, and thus has captured the attention of environmental and aviation enthusiasts alike. One of the interesting controversies surrounding this issue in general is the lack of information we have about biofuels in practise. Some scientists argue that there are obvious environmental advantages with this and other forms of a new breed of ‘green’ fuels. However, others believe that biofuels, although known for their reduced amount of carbon dioxide waste, actually release increased levels of other greenhouse gases during their breakdown process. Thus we seem to lack a general consensus regarding whether these new eco-friendly fuel alternatives are really eco-friendly at all.

In the bigger picture I think it’s interesting to look at the evolution of new technologies that are aimed at reducing the environmental destruction that occurs everyday as a result of our fuel consumption. Vehicles that utilize hybrid, biofuel and solar cell power generation are becoming increasingly more available in today’s market, but often at an increased cost. The effect of this problem is that it seems as though we are now pitted between our desire to save environmental resources and our desire to conserve our own personal economic resources. How many of you would consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle if it were much more expensive, so much so that it might takes years of operating the vehicle in order to see savings equal to that of the additional cost of buying the vehicle initially, if at all?Or how many of you would pay more for an airline ticket simply because the aircraft you travel on is powered by a more environmentally efficient and also more costly fuel source? The extent to which we each side on issues like these largely depends on the extent to which we personally feel responsible for preserving our environment, and thus protecting our own spaces. The revelation that biofuels may only offer limited, if any, environmental benefits, further brings into question our motivations for utilizing such technology. Is biofuel part of a new large scale trend that promotes environmental awareness or simply representative of a new platform upon which companies can now begin to market their products in order to fuel their own economic interests?

Kensington market as a Public Space

2008-02-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

Kensington market as a Public Space

Joanna Nowosad

Kensington market is an area in Toronto that’s been around for many years and has been an accessible place for all. Depending on ho you speak to, Kensington market is a different place. Some see it as a neighborhood in which they live in, their business thrive in, their weekly market, their entertainment district. But this space was created into a place long ago when the Jewish people immigrated here and formed a small, tight community for each other. To them, it was refuge from areas they were discriminated against and was a community and a home away from home. This too happened to the Portuguese, who were next inhibiting this area. As one can observe, spaces transform into places by people who form them.

The space Kensington market is located in is a central one, right around the corner from Chinatown. With a couple steps out the streetcar, who can resist visiting the outdoor vendors utilizing the exertion of fruit smells as a trap? The many different shops illustrate diversity to the max through the different cultures and ethnic shop owners who use colours and national symbols to demonstrate that.

In ‘Project for Public Spaces’, Andrea Winkler lists several key reasons why Kensington market is so great. She begins by introducing how easily accessible it is. As this market is focused on being environmentally friendly, there are many walkers, bikers and users of the public transit that can easily enter the area.

The second point she makes is how comfortable the area is as well as the image it portrays. When one enters this place, it is hard not to notice the murals on the wall, exerting familiarity, comfort and a sense of possession and belonging; all characteristics of a dwelling of place. The mix of different sorts of places you see there, such as cafes, vintage stores; restaurants create a nice vibe to keep all different people entertained.

The uses and activities is the third mention about this place. As stated above, different areas are used by different people, just like anywhere else. What is different is that during the day, the clusters of Indie style cafes invite a political and active group of people to the area. At night, all is different as a variety of people from around the city make their way to the clubs there. These spaces during the day, transform into places of entertainment at night.

As one can observe from above, certain characteristics help make a space a place, which has been done here in Kensington Market. The idea of familiarity and attachment are main indicators of places. The community here cherishes, preserves and enhances Kensington market and treats is as something personal, rather than just a physical space near them.

Reference

Winker, Andrea. (2008) Great Public Spaces. Project for Public Spaces, New York. Retrieved on February 20, 2008.

Four pets die in fire at Vaughan, Ont. vet clinic

2008-02-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

This article deals with a place that is located in the city of Vaughan Ontario, called the Thornhill Veterinary Clinic. On Sunday December 23rd of the year 2007, a massive fire arose throughout the space. The assumption was made from officials that the fire had started from a clothes dryer in the basement. This place was well known for it’s great service and many individuals chose to bring their pets over for a place to stay.

The space was usually calm and collected, but on that Sunday night, it became hectic since “Several animals were trapped inside. Fire crews tried to get to them all but several pets couldn’t be saved in time” (Toronto.ctv.ca). This fire has left many dog owners clearly upset for the reason that four of the pets passed away due to the flames that lit up in the clinic. In relation to scale, this fire has affected not only the construction of the veterinary clinic itself, “the estimated damages are at $50 000” (Toronto.ctv.ca), but also the residential area surrounding it. Since I live in the area of Thornhill, it is clear to me that places nearby have been affected on the outside of their surfaces.

The Destruction of Place Identity by Urban Renewal

2008-02-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

An article written by Alexandra Zabjek entitled “City risks being defined by generic urban landmarks; Heritage Foundation chair worries Edmonton's future identity will come from big-box landscape, not unique architecture” is written about the concerns of the chair of Heritage Canada Foundations Catherine Cole concerning urban renewal. The article suggests that the city of Edmonton’s historic architecture and neighbourhoods are being torn down for more modern buildings and big box retail centers. Cole describes this process as being disastrous to the community’s sense of culture seeing that “The built environment is so important because it helps to shape that community identity.” (Zabjek: 2007, Edmonton Journal). Cole sees the downtown of Edmonton falling under the same attacks as so many other cities across Canada are in the face of urban renewal programs which is the destruction of historic architecture and the creation of modern prosperities which is creating sameness amongst once distinct urban centers.
Whether dealing with the city, local or neighbourhood scale urban renewal is a process that must be contested by the community if the embodiment of the population believes it to bring forth negative effects on the city as a whole. In the case of Edmonton’s culture being erased as a direct cause of urban renewal, Zabjak describes Catherine Cole who is a willing member of the community contributing to the stoppage of such attacks on the cities identity. As Cole is quoted in the article, “If we become so generic that you can drive through Edmonton and it's the same as anywhere else, who would want to live here?"

The Edmonton Journal
Alexandra Zabjak

Article available online through York E-Resources
http://ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/pqdweb?did=1388872041&sid=8&Fmt=3&clientId=5220&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Posted by Nick Michael

Union Station a symbol of our political paralysis

2008-02-22T19:12:00.001-08:00

This article deals with the revamp and reconstruction of Union Station. The idea to build Union Station came about in 1904 and was actually built in 1930, nearly three decades later. On average more then 200,000 people travel through Union Station daily and is more heavily trafficked then Pearson International Airport. Since so many people travel into and out of Union Station and is usually the first place people see when arriving into Toronto, it is no wonder why redevelopment talks have arisen. As one of the focal points in out downtown core, it is important for Union Station to look its best and if that means re-development then so be it. The article compares other major cities that have redeveloped their stations. New York’s Grand Central Station did a successful revitalization of their subway station. San Pancras Station in London re-opened after an 850 million pound re-make. The Reno was part of a $12.1 billion high-speed rail line that allowed for people to travel to London and Paris in 2 hours and 15 minutes. So if all these cities are improving their conditions, why not Toronto? We have the money and the resources to make Toronto a notable place on the map. There does not need to be a complete re-make of the station but improvements can be made. Improving the building and making it more appealing and attractive so it can be noticeable.

The Toronto Star
Christopher Hume

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/295248

Heavy Winds Cause Damage to the GTA

2008-02-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

Description

Toronto was the Windy City on January 9, 2008 that didn’t stop pedestrians from huddling in their coats and garbage flying everywhere. However, we do see these events from time to time during the winter season. The high winds didn’t stop there. A car was crushed by a falling tree on Markham St., and an LRT fire broke out about 250 yards from McCowan Station during rush-hour. At Buttonville Airport, the wind was so strong it flipped a light aircraft. The provincial high was a blustery 133 km/h in Point Petrie, just south of Belleville. According to Geoff Coulson a meteorologist said “the intense cold front this morning, coupled with more cool air that came in behind it, generated the unusually high winds that caused problems across Toronto”. Winds recorded at Pearson Airport hit a high of 107 km/h this morning and a few clicks shy of the 115 km/h mark forcing the delay of about 20 flights. Pearson Airport was forced to shut down some runways to keep planes out of strong winds, causing delay. Toronto Hydro reported that at 20 power lines were down, and about two or three thousand homes lost hydro as a result of the wind knocking down trees. “Extra crews were called in and they were working around the clock,” said Toronto Hydro’s Denise Attallah. “Our number one priority is to restore power to our customers.”

Geographies

Space, strong gusts flip over light planes causing delay of about 20 flights. Winds knocking down tress causing lose of hydro.

Place, Pearson Airport, Buttonville Airport, Belleville Airport and throughout the GTA

Scale, Ranges from residential effects to global. Lose of power, locally and cancellation of overseas flights.

The Toronto Sun

Nancy Leoni

Economics will stop plastic bag menace

2008-02-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

This posting is about the tug-of-war issue of Canadian grocery stores giving and/or selling the dreadful plastic bags, which are harming the environment. Plastic bags take a few hundred years to break down as oppose to biodegradable plastic bags, which take as long as a few months to a couple of years. Countries such as China and Uganda have banned stores from giving them out, while others such as The Isle of Wight, Ireland and Ontario charge 5-20 cents per bag. It is a shame that money is always linked to possible solutions, even if it does not necessarily solve the problem, and by this I mean, that instead of Canada following China and Uganda by banning plastic bags for the health of the environment and people, they chose to charge a small fee for its use. Although most grocery stores have new and reuseable 'green friendly' shopping bags, either made from cloth, nylon, canvas or vinyl, they are still selling the dreadful plastic bags as well.

When will these stores realize that our health is important? When will they realize that if we do not take care of our country, provinces and cities, we will no longer have a place to call home (our space). This is where the economic part comes in. The article goes on to say that since plastic bags are cheap, they are everywhere and it encourages businesses to use and sell them, and customers to buy them. However, one suggestion made by the artictle states that "if the cheap part is taken away, people will find alternatives" (Teetzel, 2007). I agree with this statement because if businesses were charged dollars instead of cents for packaging, it would prompt them to change their packaging policies, especially if they know that their customers do not mind the change if its good for the environment. Another solution given is the use of biodegradable plastic bags which are gentler on the environment. If we all take the necessary steps in improving the way we shop by using greener-friendly materials, our environment will thank us, but we all have to work together to make 'our space' better.

Source:
Teetzel, D (2007). "Economics will stop plastic bag menace" from The Vaughan Citizen. Metroland Media Group Ltd. Richmond Hill, ON. Retrieved on January 10, 2008. www.yorkregion.com

Posted by Brenda Dixon

2008-02-08T08:21:00.001-08:00

This post will be a travelling post, from one place to another, crossing space, crossing spaces. From one mind to another; from one PC to a Mac; from 001101010010010101 to words, images and feelings. Yes, this post is about travels and travelling experiences. It is about changes. By closing eyes, by closing doors -sometimes of no return. It is about travelling through spaces with music, spices, and people. And it is most of all about moving from place to place, moving inside ourselves thanks to a trip somewhere, elsewhere.

The distance created by our displacement; from our studying room to the kitchen that has to be cleaned, to our boring bed to the park down the stairs, from our city to the nearest mountain or sea, from our country to the Antipodes, between home and university. It is this distance that allows us to be reflective. Reflective on the place we left, reflective on the present place -the place where we are now-, and finally reflective on who we are and where we are at.

This spatial distance is important.
The bigger the change is from one place to another, the more we are able to reflect on different ways.

However when we travel abroad, we can, or not, experience a different reality. That depends on us, only on us.

To do so, to be reflective on ourselves, that is, to know us by knowing Others (things or livings), we need at least two capacities.
The first one is the passibility, the faculty to open ourselves, the ability to let ourselves being penetrated.
Once we have succeeded we can go on with the second which is empathy, or the aptitude to put ourselves at one’s place.

By these two capacities we can achieve an epistemological off center movement. That is, we can find what remains to us.

If we are not able, we can not be inter-related.
If we are not able to open, we are autistic.
If we are not able to open ourselves, we only project our reality.
If we are not able to open ourselves to Others, we refuse to transform ourselves.