Today was the day of Ontario Coalition Against Poverty’s (OCAP) Mass Panhandle on the PATH. The Police presence was massive and many tenants were warned that a “demonstration” was going to take place, part of it during the lunch hour.

In the end the demonstrators were pretty unobtrusive and were outnumbered at least 5 to 1 by police and security. The Mass Panhandle didn’t incite violence or seriously impede business any more than the usual people traffic on a Wednesday. A few individuals handed out pamphlets while others asked for change. In OCAP’s words the demonstration was an attempt to bring light to “Huge cuts to social programs and a desperate lack of affordable housing have fueled a crisis of homelessness in Toronto”.

Jo and Jane businesspeople may have been listening. There were as many coins offered as blank indifferent stares. Both the Police and OCAP were politely respectful of everyone. Hot heads on either side of this situation would have been a disaster for everyone (especially the MERCHANTS!!!).

Whether or not one believes in the “tactic” of doing something en masse like this, OCAP succeeded in their peaceful “information demonstration” today. Homelessness is a problem that has not faded away. Charging a homeless person $125 for sleeping on the street is hardly a solution to Toronto’s own homeless problem. With all the talk and fear of crime it would be better to focus our energy on its roots. Fighting poverty couldn’t hurt.

Well, I’m back from my time off from blogging. It’s been quite interesting. Went out for lunch recently, something quiet, something good to nosh on, a time to relax and let the mind go blank. But then a young woman came breezing in and plunked herself down at the table beside me, opposite a very patient man. He’d been waiting about the time it took me to order, get my meal, make serious inroads into it, and watch him finally order a bowl of soup. He quickly ordered a main. She was talking through her own soup when his steaming hot lunch arrived. She stopped waving her spoon around and dove it into the end of his loaf, the end closest to her, and said, “This looks so good, you don’t mind if I try some.” Now, what’s a guy to do? He was gracious and said, “Go ahead.” I wonder if he just didn’t care about her slobbered-on spoon desecrating his meal or decided to eat up to but not that portion of his loaf. I left before I discovered the answer to my question.

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Sitting semi-comatose on the subway train, waiting in the station for who knows what reason, I stared mindlessly out the open train doors. Into view scurried a little hump-backed, deep brown-furred creature with a thin, long tail. Blink. Pause. Blink, blink, blink. The hallucination didn’t disappear. Instead it sniffed between the raised yellow circles on the yellow warning band that edges the subway platform, and it went hither and thither on the trail of crumbs and kleenex bits dropped by your typical TTC patron. I sat up. Was it coming closer? Nope. It swooped away from the doors and scurried out of view. The chimes sounded, the doors closed, and I had no photo of this first-in-a-lifetime event. (Acutally it’s the third rat sighting I’ve had late this year, and I don’t think I’ve seen 3 in all the decades before that.) The shock made me forget all about getting a photo! It even struck me dumb. And I became rather nervous when I had to leave the train, looking hard to the floor to the left and right of me. I should’ve shouted, “RAT!”

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The Toronto Maple Losers, um, Leafs have apparently become a hot topic. I’ve long since grown bored with the Leafs. They never win, they never even look like they’re going to win, and their owners clearly don’t care as they’re raking in the cash in bumps and hikes of millions and millions. At least in Harold Ballard’s day, his antics and controversies — which makes today’s look like so much milky mush — overshadowed their perennial losing and kept us amused. Now the faceless corporate entities don’t even do that. They just hide in their counting house, ca-chinging the money flowing in. Rats!

So it’s poppy time again. Rememberance day is coming and it’s a day to remember our fallen. Do you have your poppy? I don’t. Surprisingly this is the first year I haven’t seen much people handing them out, or maybe I’m not around much. So today i am going to keep an eye out for my poppy.

So why the poppy?

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

By John McCrae 1915

One of my favourite photographic events to hit the city and now in its 6th year at Brookfield Place, World Press Photo. The exhibit showcases the finest in photojournalism. Art that makes you think, laugh and cry. (There are some disturbing images though they are tactfully displayed and shielded from general public view).

I was interested to hear there is little to no budget for this project and that it survives on sponsorship and donations. Amazing! They have even gone so far as have a Globe & Mail photographer, professors, photo editors and other media professionals providing free lectures for the public. Better yet high school students have had tours of the show as part of their curriculum. I couldn’t think of a better idea. All the sponsors and volunteers should be commended for their efforts. You make Toronto proud!

Well check it out before 6pm today because the exhibition will be on its way to Belgium… That’s right Montreal and Toronto are (or were) the only Canadian stops for this International exhibit.

World Press Photo 2007

7am - 10pm daily - including Sundays
Closes Wednesday, October 24 at 6pm

(Today is the last Day!!!)

Wear blue and head on over to Christie Pits at 1pm for the HUMAN RIVER WALK. The Human River Walk is a free guided tour with different speakers, arts, crafts and music for the whole family. The walk follows the path of Garrison Creek which still flows under the city of Toronto.

As mentioned in my earlier post a great way to spend a sunny Sunday and learn about the environment in your own backyard. There will be an art show and mini reception around 4 to 4:30pm at the end of the walk at Fort York - Blue Barracks.

Human River Walk and Art Show
Sunday October 21st
Starts at 1pm at Christie Pits Park - Pavillion
Ending at Fort York - Blue Barracks

more info: http://www.publicspace.ca/humanriver.htm

Talk about taking things into your own hands. I’m sure this guy has been around for awhile but this weekend was my first encounter with the “Litter Guy”. Cool to see this man with a mission on the streets. At the same time it sad that someone else has to go to the trouble of picking up anothers garbage (for pay, for free or donation). Even in the era of global warming I guess the litterbug is not yet extinct.

A bit fuzzy from the night before I knocked my 35mm film camera over. Deciding to assess any damage I took lazy walk on to the balcony and had a surprising view. Almost a soon as I framed the street and checked whether the lens could focus, or was even cracked, I was seeing a man getting mugged!

An elderly man was having his wallet stolen by some character but luckily his cries for help were answered. Within a few seconds a young woman and man from a local restaurant were able to wrestle the would be thief off the older gentlemen and free him. The old man was able to shuffle away (still in possession of his wallet) and no one got hurt. No knives, no guns, no grandstanding. As quickly as it happened everyone dispersed. It will be interesting to see the film frames of this theft that almost happened. Evidence that a few caring souls still live in this city.

Twice in two weeks, and at different stations, I’ve been a “victim”. Perhaps its Karma but the few occasions that I don’t buy tickets from a body in a booth I got scammed, well almost.

Last week a TTC constable saw my ill fated coins disappear into a machine without spewing a token. Lucky. I still got to ride the subway. Today I was just trying to grab a token for later in the day while I passed by Union. Again the scammers played tricks. One penny fell from the coin return but no token. Argh! Thanks to a kind woman I got my token from here cache.

Sad to see, yet again, that the TTC is getting hit by “poor scammers” jamming token machines in order to harvest coins. Probably happens everday. Thankful that I had help riding the rocket by any means necessary!

The third annual Human River kicks off in style August 30th. The Human River project celebrates Garrison Creek, Toronto’s largest buried river, which runs under the heart of the city, around Christie Pits down to Old Fort York.

The kick off will be held in a ravine carved by the waters of the Garrison Creek and will explore the histories and environment of our city, crafts, music and film. The film to be screened is Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time. An truly amazing view of one of the world’s most interesting artists in his ENVIRONMENT.

The film will be start around dusk so there’s plenty of time to mingle learn about the creek, walk through the trees with LEAF, create sculptures with Art Attack or help make crafts for the Human River Walk, all to the beat of Drummers from Exile.

Best of all the event is Free/PWYC and is put on as a co-presentation between Human River and Streets to Screens, in collaboration with LEAF and the Toronto Tree Tours, RiverSides, filmswelike and Drummers from Exile.

The place to be is Trinity Bellwoods bowl on Thursday August 30!

Schedule of events:
6-8:30pm: Information, crafts, art attack…
7:30pm: Tree Tour
8:30-10:30pm: Film starts after dusk: Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time

Photo by Points North

This is what policing used to be like in Toronto, when cops lived in the city and corruption hadn’t tainted their reputation and we didn’t have a bad taste in our mouths from bully union bosses.

The police were our friends. We were comfortable talking to them. We assumed they’d be there for us when in need. Heck, we used to feed our local, neighbourhood police trap baked sweets till his bosses said it was a no-no. That was dumb. Plying him with cake and conversation ensured that he knew what was going on and that we would readily tell him if anything was up. We didn’t interrupt his work as we were cognizant of why he was there. And I doubt he missed one speeder because of us.

Photo by Points North

Now we see vestiges of the old days only at events like Taste of the Danforth, when cops are approachable, the Chief mingles with the crowds, and people aren’t seen automatically as the enemy. I’m still astonished at how the police in the last almost 2 decades have squandered the goodwill they had with people like me. If you’d asked me in my teens if I’d ever view the Toronto Police Service with mistrust, I’d would’ve stared at the questioner as if he’d lost his mind and answered no, of course not. How stupid behavour does change things. I wonder if this Chief will be able to reverse the clock?