National Non-Smoking Week starts January 20—as most New Year's resolutions to quit go up in smoke. It's a shame that the National Non-Smoking Week website sucks. The layout is plain, the links aren't updated frequently, and the only materials up for 2008 are a few fact sheets and posters with this year's theme, "Taking My Life Back From Tobacco." (The artsier French version is better: "Ma nouvelle vie sans tabac" or "My new life......

Each week, Torontoist shows off the most interesting, creative, and cool submissions to our Torontoist Flickr Pool. We're especially partial to photos that show our city in a new light, highlight a recent event, and remind us why we live here. Join the Flickr pool and show us what you've got. Ray of LightBY DOSHA UntitledBY SHUTTERNEWBIE  Toronto Eaton CentreBY UNDOMESTIC Toronto at 7amBY DUCKTROLL Workingman's BluesBY MOVEMENT ON THE WIRE InspectingBY INVENTOR_77 Waiting......

Happy New Year! Thousands of GTA-ians jammed Nathan Phillips Square to watch CIty TV's tiny perfect anchorman Gord Martineau host his 75th New Year's bash. Thousands more did not. Toronto also rang in the new year with another snowstorm, which is expected to continue all day and inflict up to 10 cm of inconvenience on the city. Stupid climate change. Today the GST drops by a penny to 5%, meaning that the shwarma you......

Photos by Paul Terefenko. Tomorrow eve is New Year's and the clock is ticking. Still stuck for party plans? Torontoist counts down the top ten ways to kiss off 2007.......

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Each Sunday, the editors of every site—from LAist to Londonist—choose their most interesting article, a list which is compiled into the network-wide feature Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse. SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others.Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish......

Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated yesterday in a bloody suicide attack that killled at least 20 other other people. Anyone thinking that this news isn't sufficiently Toronto-centric should hope that the destabilization of this nuclear-armed extremist-incubator state doesn't have much direct impact on Toronto, because if it does it's likely to be in ways that are not at all fun. Climate change remains in the news––Environment Canada have declared the dramatic and......

The Drake is gearing up for an ambitious week of post-holiday, end of year music celebration. They are calling the short run What's in the Box: 5 nights, 5 bands, 5 bucks—a clever ploy to attract the empty-pocketed portion of the city (that's if you go for the music, not the booze). Despite being known for attracting enemies to the neighbourhood in the past (err...every Saturday night), the 5 nights (5 bands, 5 bucks) of......

The ever-reliable Transit Toronto has just posted a comprehensive list of a number of Ontario transit services' holiday hours. If you have any intention of using any or all of Barrie Transit, Brampton Transit, Burlington Transit, Durham Region Transit, GO Transit, Guelph Transit, Hamilton Street Railway, Milton Transit, Mississauga Transit, Oakville Transit, Orangeville Transit, Region of Peel Transhelp, Toronto Transit Commission, or York Region Transit between today and December 28, the list is an invaluable......

Per a suggestion by chairman Adam Giambrone, The TTC has voted to provide free service after midnight this New Year's, along with extended subway hours until 4 a.m. The free service—an attempt to deter people from drunk driving—hasn't been offered by the TTC since the late 70s, and you'd think it might be a costly venture. But it's not exactly setting them back that much; the free admission offer will only cost the TTC an......

Showdown's hot picks for cold season include cropped leather jackets and cute jumper dresses. Photos courtesy of Showdown Vintage. Why Showdown Vintage isn't like Toronto's 1348 other vintage stores: 1. It's not really a store. Staysail Shedd, Mick Jackson and Andrew Pepall launched Showdown as an eBay retailer in April 2006, using their combined years of vintage-picking expertise to sell the coolest of Toronto's castoffs to customers all over the globe. But with a......

Photo of delighted fans by Carrie Musgrave. It's a curious bit of magic that can connect eighties synth-pop, Bob Marley, and bouncing castles with a seventeen-year-old boy wizard. It's even more curious to see how far that wizard and his multi-billionaire creator have come in just a few short years. Last night, magic and wonder invaded the typically staunch and business-like intersection of Bay and Bloor. To celebrate the release of Harry Potter and......

Starting today, the three-week long New Ideas Festival 2007 takes over the Alumnae Theatre. Week one and two feature six plays each while week three has five. Each night of the festival, you get to see them all. But they're short! So it's OK! Opening tonight are Gift Baskets by Siobhán Dungan, Job Descriptions by Peter Bloch-Hansen, Louise, Thelma and Something in the Middle by Julia Lederer, Poached by Emily Pearlman, and Tea on......

When the half of the moon not illuminated by the sun faces the Earth, the moon is dubbed a "new moon." The Lunar New Year -- more commonly known as the Chinese New Year -- is on the first New Moon of the Gregorian calendar. In 2007, Lunar New Year's Day is on February 18, the first day of year 4705 according to the ancient Chinese calendar. It will also be the year of the......

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's Big......

Now that New Years resolutions to lose those extra holiday pounds are firmly in place, the perfect excuse to break them and indulge is just around the corner -- Winterlicious. Beginning January 28 and running until February 8, the fourth annual Winterlicious provides the opportunity to have a tantalizing 3-course meal at some of Toronto's top restaurants at an affordable price point. With 130 participating restaurants offering prix fixe menus at $15 or $20 for......

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend......

Photo by avp17 from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. There's a more interesting way to keep those "this year I will get in shape, no, really" New Year's resolutions than a membership to some stuffy gym that you'll stop using in a month and a half anyway-- a way that can even help you show off your new buffness and make you appear cooler on the dance floor next New Year's Eve, in the last......

Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on Friday, and video of the execution popped up on the internet by Sunday. The CBC link doesn't have the video, because they're a news organization, and as such not in the business of providing snuff films. If you want to see it, go to Fox or CNN, who both have it. No, no links. Torontoist is likewise not in the business of providing snuff films. Canada's chief of......

Water rates are due to rise nine percent in the New Year. City officials also say that similar rate increases will probably happen every year until at least 2012 - the city's water pipe infrastructure simply needs the money. For those wondering how this affects your "real" costs - a typical four-person household spent $429 on water in 2006. Assuming a nine percent increase every year, that means the same household will spend $720......

So you're stuck at home with the kids. Or you're feeling under the weather. Or you're tired of scrambling around at 11:58 looking for someone to make out with. There are many, many reasons why you might be staying in this New Year's Eve. But there is no reason why you can't be a party of one in front of the tube! There are offerings for any taste Sunday night for those who don't make......

¡Prospero año! Perhaps the only party "weekend" that Torontonians take more seriously than Halloween weekend, New Year's starts days before the calendar ends and terminates in a hangover, often in strange settings. We have rounded up what this Torontoist considers the best parties at which to get your groove on and completely forget the year 2006. When the glitter settles, the real question will be, "Where's the afterparty?" Goodfellaz and Nocturnal Commissions present Kenya......

For live music junkies, the week between Christmas and New Year's can offer very little in terms of quality shows. The folks at The Drake Hotel are trying to remedy the situation with their What's In The Box? week of shows. Running from the 26th to the 30th, the Drake Underground and Lounge are featuring the best acts from 2006. Each day is five dollars and features five bands, leading to a nice "5 Bands......

What's the perfect way to combat the inevitable disappointment of your New Year's Eve plans? How about celebrating tomorrow night, instead of December 31st? It's another wacky event from our friends at Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College): a New Year's masquerade in November. Attendees are required to sport formal attire and, of course, a mask. Your $12 ticket (available at Soundscapes) gets you admission to the event, which includes music ranging from DJs to a......

From the newest Year of the Dog-themed Google logo, everyone should know that this is the Year of the Dog. Other fun facts you may want to know: - It's a good year to get married, if you're into that sort of thing. - It's a good year to invest in land-based industries, as opposed to anything water-based. - There are a number of dog-related GTA festivities all week. - Restart your resolutions using this......

Today marks the "100% Canadian Cool" beginning of L'Oreal Fashion Week. Sensibly titled Toronto Fashion Week last year, the fashion-forward event will include trend-setters such as Ula Zukowska, Beckerman, Jeanne Beker and Shinan Govani. Unfortunately for the non-industry types, it's mostly media/special guest/invite only events - like the screening of Fernando Meirelles produced Brasil documentary on Thursday. Introductory remarks by "his worship" David Miller, however, are open to the public. Read more of the sked.......

Last year, the blatant ripping off of U2 hit its most maddening with Pilate's Into your Hideout, the U2 song Torontoist was quite excited about before finding out it wasn't U2. Of course, Coldplay had done a fair job stealing from their elders with the bridge from Clocks. So Torontoist supposes it's only fair that the best rock band alive evens out their ledger of debits and credits. Their latest has been hailed and assailed......

You either stumble upon it or have to hunt for it, and it seems you either love it or you hate it. The unassuming Shanghai Cowgirl Diner is either a great hit or a bad miss. Lucky for us, Torontoist has had only good times at the trendy late night spot on Queen West. Open till 4am on weekends, it's a great place to stop in for a reliable meal or decent drink any......

This Friday, Torontoist will be among the millions ringing in the New Year with family, friends, lovers and other people. This is also the night that Torontoist will unveil his new bouffant style hairdo. But, most importantly, Torontoist, like many others, will be reflecting upon the year in a time of extreme crisis. Not meaning to preach or dampen any celebrations, but Torontoist would like to make the following suggestion: For those hosting a New......

Brit-pop has officially become a legitimate cultural subset in Toronto. The Anglo-affectionate crowd already has several successful music nights (Dance Cave, Labyrinth Lounge, or anything involving DJ Mark Holmes), clothing stores (FCUK, Vespa, anywhere that sells Ben Sherman), and now a publication. UKULA, the brains behind the monthly DJ night at Andy Poolhall and a weekly set next door at Ciao Eddie, have compiled a nice looking website and matching glossy magazine. In it's first......

It was more genuine laughs and less polite encouragement as Katie Crown took home the prestigious Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award last night at the 9th annual Cream of Comedy Awards. The award recognizes the year's best emerging comedic talent, and the best emerging comedic talent recognizes the Cream of Comedy's $3,500 prize money. Crown is a 23-year-old Ryerson graduate and Oakville native who performs regularly at the Rivoli and Catch 23 Improv, as well......