It rained a lot yesterday, and it will most likely rain more today. Then it will probably rain some more on Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday. If you're like Torontoist and don't have air conditioning, you are all for more rain. Keep raining, rain! (But no more funnel clouds, please. That kinda freaks us out.) Omar Khadr wrote a letter to the CBC answering six questions they sent him. The young detainee says he......

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. Fourteen TablesBY ROOM929 WhitneyBY .NATALIE Angels of the UndergroundBY Air33 Canadian WinterBY [RAPHY] why don't you save meBY -STACEY- streetcar......?BY SYNCROS Snow StormBY MV10......

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve. In My Neighborhood #2 (Alternative Grounds) BY LEPAGEJP......

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. TreaTzBY STILLSINFLUX Cream Fog SkylineBY + PHOTENDO + Morning SunriseBY NEWS46 Pump House ReflectedBY MICGORMIT dooby doooBY HARALD BENZ AbyssBY DIPP Be SilentBY MICGORMIT......

In the wake of TIFF celebritymania, it's hard to imagine any Torontonian giving a Big Name the cold shoulder. But The New York Daily News reports that chef Guy Rubino of Rain threatened to kick Nelly Furtado and her entourage out of the elite pan-Asian fusion restaurant after her manager got uppity in the kitchen. "She made a reservation for ten guests," explained Rubino at the Bon Appétit magazine awards dinner on Monday. "She......

Today Masaryk-Cowan Park will host the third annual Parkdale Festival, rain or shine. Set to kick off at 12 p.m., the festival is going to have a smorgasbord of activities. Whether it be employment, food, shelter, or counselling, the festival's main goal is to promote awareness for a number of youth services within the city. Participating youth service organizations include: Smart Sckool, Soulpepper Theatre, P.E.A.C.E, Gay and Lesbian Youth Line, and many more. Combining entertainment......

"Busker? Don't even know 'er!" jokes aside, Toronto's annual street performer extravaganza is back until Sunday with a new roster of bizarre talents from around the globe. Buskerfest, the last of the major summer street festivals, draws about 350,000 spectators over four days and it's the best place to see someone jam a sword down one's esophagus up close. Magicians and balloon artists are also present for the kiddies, and there are plenty of......

Thousands of Torontonians are expected to head to the Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario this weekend to attend the Cutting Edge Music Festival. Featuring names like Alexisonfire, MSTRKRFT, illScarlett, and Moneen, the all-ages, BYOB festival represents the evolution of last year's Cutting Edge stage at WEMF 2006. The inaugural festival, which runs from this Friday, August 3rd to Monday, should be another interesting experiment in combining the often dissonant sounds of what's......

Hanging out in the city with Torontoist's Summer Reads. LitTO continues this week with a few summer reading picks. These are literally reading choices for the season, as we haven’t read them yet, but plan to take them to the cottage. Films and Poems by John Barlow, LyricalMyrical. John Barlow’s poems have a habit of looking at this crazy world, not agreeing with it, and finding their own peace and happiness. He has a......

Much like the budding romance between Hero and Claudio in the play itself, Wednesday night's open-air premiere of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing was threatened by the malevolent influence of outside elements, in this case a light drizzle that foreshadowed an impending downpour. As the skies darkened, it seemed likely that this year's Canopy Theatre premiere in Philosopher's Walk would be postponed for a day. But the actors seemed impervious to the rain......

After some talk in April, we were worried that the movement on street food had fizzled out. Lo and behold, Councillor Filion is rounding up his troops of chefs for the promised Toronto Street Treats Event on Friday at Nathan Phillips Square from 12 to 2 p.m. with little to disappoint. A full list of the playful and potential street food that will be served was released along with the official word that August......

This week, the already-awesome Dufferin Grove Park is absolutely ablaze with awesomeness, with tendrils of wicked cool billowing through its leafy canopies and filling the lungs and hearts of theatre aficionados everywhere. The Cooking Fire Theatre Festival, which runs from June 20-24, is a presentation of five short plays, accompanied by a spectacular organic meal and infused with a spirit of collaboration and comraderie from start to finish. This is not your ordinary trip......

Recycling plant fire closes the 407. Officials commented how deeply ironic the fire was. "It's a recycling centre and it's contributing to smog!" (Not ironic: rain on your wedding day, good advice you just didn't take.) Canadian soldier killed near Kandahar, two wounded in roadside bomb blast. Trooper Darryl Caswell brings Canada's military death total in Afghanistan to 57. The Sopranos comes to an end with an episode that, depending on your viewpoint, was......

Photo of Griffin Nominees by Poetography.ca. Please forgive! The listings are a day later than scheduled. Blame it on the rain or blame it on The Griffin Poetry Prize. Last night, six of seven poets nominated for The 2007 Griffins—and one actor—read to a sold-out house at the Macmillan Theatre. Imagine: 800+ people clapping ecstatically for poetry, and a standing ovation for lifetime achievement winner Tomas Tranströmer (people wept). Nominee Ken Babstock, who has......

This evening (Tuesday), the kings and queens of Kensington migrate a little bit south and west to bring us their third annual Streets Are For Picnics! event. With more than a little help from the TTC, the pedestrians and cyclists of Toronto will reclaim the stretch of Dundas at Ossington, colonizing it with games and music, picnic blankets and baskets. The festivities will then be capped off with a street screening of the movie......

The City of Toronto's Community Environment Days combine a number of different worthwhile initiatives into one event. They began last month and continue until the end of September, with each Ward getting their own day. There are four main stuff-related activities to do:Buy stuff like recycling bins, green bins, water efficiency kits, and rain barrels.Get free stuff, like leaf compost and rain gauges. (Actually, that's it for the free stuff. Go leaf compost!)Get rid of......

While last weekend saw a number of free, outdoor parties in various legal and quasi-legal locations in the city, the springtime rain has washed out similar aspirations this weekend. No matter, for on these next nights Toronto's underground has prepared a number of special treats for our ears: Tonight at Crosstown, Montrealer Akufen brings his glitchy, techy microbeats to Hogtown for some raw audiophile action at what is increasingly becoming the city's showcase of......

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... Over at Sampaist, spring has more than sprung: it's sweltering! But, as everyone knows, museums are an ideal......

There was an unexpected windfall for Green P as a major dump of snow, along with high winds and freezing rain, turned much of the GTA into a parking lot during the evening commute yesterday. Apart from the traffic mayhem, fallen trees and power outages have also been a problem throughout the city. It sure looks pretty, though. The Toronto District School Board will meet with provincial officials today after trustees rejected a recommendation......

Each weekday morning, we pick a recent image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve! We love this photo because it breaks all the supposed "rules" of photography -- that a picture needs to be in focus, or that it needs to have a clear subject matter. Instead, Toronto photographer -- jenny -- (jenny......

Parents watch their kids toboggan in High Park on Christmas Day, 1910. Photo courtesy of William James/The Toronto Archives. That little weather icon above our logo is starting to get pretty depressing. With 8 days left until Christmas, there's still no snow on the ground, and with the exception of the few centimeters that we had just over a week ago that quickly melted, there's barely been a speck in the sky since last......

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward......

EXT. QUEEN STREET SIDEWALK. LATE MORNING. RAIN. TORONTOIST walks purposefully West, STREETER ambles into her path. STREETER: Excuse me Miss, I was wondering if you could help me? TORONTOIST: Yes? (readies self to give directions, time) STREETER: I was wondering if I could buy you a glass of wine? TORONTOIST: No thank you. STREETER: You're good? You're cool? TORONTOIST: (Retreating) Um... yeah. STREETER: Alright Miss, just checking. Overhear something that you've got to share? Send......

Not even a month's worth of rain will deter people from waiting for the Playstation 3. Torontoist wandered down to the newly opened Best Buy and found a block-long line waiting for some 94 units. We even chatted with some of the people waiting outside. Read on for interviews.......

I hope everyone has built their ark – it could get wet. Meteorologists are saying a month’s worth of rain – up to 75 mm – could fall upon Toronto over the next 36 hours. If Mel were still here he’d call in the army. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is going to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao. Wait a minute – no he’s not. Hold on – it looks like the two will meet after......

At left: Jennrock's sign says it best. (Photo by B-Mom Marta van Eerdewijk) Top right: the familiar set. Bottom right: stage door throngs in Buffalo. Last month, ever dedicated Torontoist undertook a special mission to Buffalo with b-girl crew, Shebang!, to preview the touring road show of So You Think You Can Dance before today's Toronto performance at the Hummingbird Centre. Truth be known, we could not get tickets for the Toronto date. That......

There seems to be something for everyone this week, but let's just call it the 'week of The Hip' and be done with it, since they've taken up residence at The Phoenix for four sold out shows. We're curious to know if anyone actually paid $60 + TM charges per ticket to attend all of them? 'Fess up! If that's not your thing, you can always get spewed on by Gwar tonight at the......

Toronto's annual Zombie Walk is today, and in case you're wondering, the event is rain or shine: "Rain has not been known to kill zombies, and their motor functions are usually good enough to hold an umbrella. The Undead will Spread come rain or shine." Torontoist wants to remind you of the hilarity last year when the horde of brains-hungry zombies crashed an anti-violence rally at Dundas Square and the DJ dropped "Thriller". Toronto......

Being a cyclist in Toronto isn't easy. Between streetcar tracks, freely swinging car doors, parked vans and cellphone-hugging drivers it's a wonder that most cyclists make it through the day. It's even worse on wet days like today. So we thought we'd share BikingToronto's guide to cycling in the rain. The guy commutes 7km to work, rain or shine. So we think he knows a thing or two about wet weather survival. He has......

In Rome, at least 1 person has died, and 10 more have been seriously injured in a subway collision involving two trains. It has been over 10 years since the Russel Hill incident here in Toronto. The Toronto Star's editor-in-chief Giles Gherson and publisher Michael Goldbloom resigned on Monday. Goldbloom wrote about the declining newspaper industry in his resignation letter. Canada's prison system is systemically discriminatory against aboriginals, according to the ombudsman for inmates. Also,......