Results tagged “goodnews”

You'd think it would be common practice these days for everyone to regularly wash their hands, especially if they work in the health-care profession. Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care advises that frequent handwashing is "the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases." (Cooties are the obvious exception here, since they can only be prevented by administering a cootie shot.) Unfortunately, the statistics indicate that health-care workers aren't very diligent about soaping up.

Barack Obama thumps Hillary Clinton in last night's primaries. Obama for the first time won the majority of Latino voters, the majority of women voters, and the majority of senior citizen voters, while broadening his support in the demographics he was already winning. On the bright side for Hillary, she did manage to win the vote of nearly 87 percent of the voters who thought she was more qualified to be President than Obama. On the Republican side, John McCain won all his primaries, then told us that Barack Obama is a young whippersnapper selling false hope, and that grownups know that despair is the only rational response to the world.

Kennedy Station will remain closed today, at least for the morning. So, if you live in Scarborough, enjoy those shuttle buses.

Good morning university and college students, and good news: you don't have to go to school today.

The TTC says that they plan to improve service on the 501 Queen streetcar route, which has been the object of much complaint over unpredictable service and frequent delays. The good news story here is that National Geographic recently declared the route one of the top ten streetcar trips in the world, so next time you're standing out in the freezing sleet desperately scanning the horizon for a glimpse of that red rocket, make sure you smile at a tourist.

Just in case this is something you like to be reminded of, you're going to die someday. The good news is that day is likely to be further off than ever, because average life expectancy in Canada has risen, with a baby born in 2005 likely to live to 80.4 years of age. On the other hand, who wants to be an 80-year-old baby?

Andy Warhol's Factory parties were the ultimate hot spot for an elite cabal of celebrities, radicals, drag queens and porn stars. There has never been a better place to rock out while on an amphetamine high amid mass-produced silkscreen paintings and a fleet of floating silver balloons.

Today at 2:00 a.m., University of Toronto law graduates received an email from their alma mater, stating that an "unprecedented announcement" would be made at 1:00 p.m. today and inviting them to join the law school "for this special moment" via webcast. Breathless even by U of T law standards, the email left alumni everywhere in suspense. Would it be the launch of a new global declaration on human rights? An announcement that justice had...

It is entirely possible that in 6 months, the only building standing on the south side of Queen Street West between Abell Street and Dufferin Street will be Woolfitt's Art Supplies. For those of you not that familiar with the 'hood, that is roughly the distance from the Drake to the Gladstone on the other side of the street.

Toronto places three roads in the province's worst twenty streets. Steeles placed fifth, Bathurst ninth and Dufferin twelfth in the survey of the worst-maintained roads in Ontario. That having been said, be glad you don't have to drive in Sudbury (first, third, eighth and tenth). Take THAT, Sudbury!

I don't know, I only came close. I can at least tell you that practice has nothing to do with it. I'd practiced my speech a lot.

Last night's Ontario leaders' debate was replete with the kind of wit, sophistication, and rhetorical flourish we've come to expect from our candidates. Tory to McGuinty: You're a big fat liar. McGuinty: Am not. Hampton: Are too. Big fat liar. McGuinty: You guys are the liars. Green Party Leader Frank DeJong wasn't invited to the big kids party, even though he got a haircut and everything.

The price of oil scaled new heights yesterday, climbing up over $80 US for the first time ever. That's good news if you're an oil company, but bad news if you're a regular folk who likes to go places, or do things, or eat stuff.

Apparently, Rod Muir, Waste Diversion Toronto founder, former Toronto mayoral candidate, and current Waste Diversion Campaigner for the Sierra Club of Canada, doesn't mind his nickname. "Mr. Garbage" loves, well, our trash, inspired by all of the lost energy and resources we throw out every day.

In spite of legislation passed by opposition parties requiring the government to achieve Kyoto standards by 2012, the Conservative government has presented their original plan which doesn't even come close. A spokesperson said "We wanted to meet our Kyoto obligations, but it looked like it was going to be really hard." The government did say they were commited to ensuring that future generations had a climate of some kind.

Ever since the creation of the Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GTTA) last year we have been eagerly awaiting some information about what it is they actually do and/or when/where they will actually do that thing. So, last week when Dalton McGuinty announced that (if re-elected) he would invest $17.5 billion in transit programs to be administered by the GTTA we decided it was time to do some serious research (i.e. Google them). Alas, we found naught but for the homepage of GO Transit.

We have good news for fans of Joel Plaskett Emergency. Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 2), Joel's going to be shooting a video for "Fashionable People," the first video from his latest album, Ashtray Rock, and everyone's invited to take part.

The good news: tonight, there are three great literary events happening in our fair city. The bad news: you’re going to have to choose.

Are you hungry?

It’s fitting that Maggie MacDonald is one of four self-appointed prime ministers of the Republic of Safety. She’s a political and creative force, using art as her weapon of choice. Her current bands, The Hidden Cameras and the aforementioned Republic of Safety, are musical meeting points for sex and politics. She’s exhibited her visual art and had her comics published in The Globe and Mail and Lola magazine. When she was just 20, MacDonald ran a dynamic campaign as a provincial NDP candidate. Her writing, which has received accolades from none other than quintessential riot grrl Kathleen Hanna, includes a self-published magazine, the illustrated novel Kill The Robot and critically-acclaimed plays.

After a three week hiatus, the music listings are back! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays.

The Christmas tree that a judge banished from the Jarvis Street courthouse lobby was mysteriously moved back to the lobby yesterday morning, then back to the hallway, and apparently will now be returned to the lobby at the orders of the Attorney-General. Little Cindy Lou Who was quoted as saying “it’s a Christmas miracle.”

Yes, a few weeks after our initial confusion over the Toronto International Latin Film Festival at the Royal Cinema, it's confirmed: The Royal Cinema (at 608 College St.) is re-opening its doors officially on December 15th, with the exclusive Toronto engagement of Monkey Warfare. Now, although we didn't like Monkey Warfare much (if at all), this is only good news. The aim of the new Royal cinema is in line with the other Theatre D Digital cinemas; as a post-production facility, but also for use for exhibitions, film festivals and special events.

The Maple Leafs have announced that GM John Ferguson will get a one-year contract extension. It's not that we think he's doing a bad job per se (though, sorry to break it to you, no Stanley Cup this year) but we kinda find ourselves agreeing with the Globe's David Shoalts in saying, "So what?" It's a slightly more exciting announcement than, "Our team colours will continue to be blue and white or white and blue, depending where we are playing," but not by much.

Following-up on this morning’s news of a last-minute deal to save Toronto’s bid for the 2015 World’s Fair, it’s now being reported that Toronto’s bid for Expo 2015 (doesn’t have the same ring as Expo ’86, does it?) is dead in the water. Is this good news? Bad news? Are you indifferent about it? Would this have been a key cog in the revitalization of the waterfront? Was it worth a projected deficit of $700 million to $2.2 billion? Upset you wasted $200 bucks printing up "Toronto World's Fair 2015" t-shirts at Bang-on? What does everyone think?

And where can we get some? 110 Spadina Ave. is the building that houses the House of Anansi Press among other things. The medium-sized publisher is having an amazing year. First was the news that two of their books, Rawi Hage's De Niro's Game and Gaetan Soucy's the Immaculate Conception, made it on to the weirdest Giller shortlist in years. Then this morning the boys and girls at Anansi got even more good news. Hage's debut novel about the Lebanese civil war was also picked for the Governor General's shortlist and Peter Behren's the Law of Dreams also got the thumbs up from the GG.

So the CBC couldn't hang on to This is Wonderland and there are rumours flying around that Hockey Night in Canada might be shuffling over to a rival network but there's some good news at the Ceeb if they can still pick up Arrested Development in syndication.

We know that keeping track of shows is tricky. You've gotta check Torontoist (obviously!), all the newspapers, the artist's website, venue websites, and call your friends. It sucks, and sometimes you only hear about a show once tickets are sold out or - worse - once it's already happened. But we have good news.

CopyCamp is an "unconference" (hateful term) coming to Toronto September 28, 29, 30, at Ryerson Student Campus Centre. It's very much a planned do-it-yourself-you-participants affair, so there's no agenda (yet) and the wiki doesn't go up until a couple of weeks prior. From their site:

CopyCamp is a place to meet people making art and making waves, an opportunity to discover how the Internet can work for artists and fans, and a chance to debate the value(s) of copyright with some of the key players. It is an event in which participants drive the programming, and debates are genuine round-tables. There are no observers: everyone has something to offer and is expected to contribute.

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