CANADA’S PRIVACY commissioner has just given the OK to airport scanners that enable security officers to see through the clothes of travelers. Ostensibly, this scanner will show if people are packing explosives or any other weapons that might slip through … Continue reading →
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER Stephen Harper created a bit of a stink last week when he told a business luncheon that “I don’t like to watch Canadian news.” The PM, leader of the Conservative Party, said he doesn’t enjoy hearing what “everybody else is saying … Continue reading →
I PITY Eric Williamson, the Springfield, Va dude who was arrested earlier this week for indecent exposure after some lady walking her kid to school spotted him in his kitchen making coffee buck naked and called police. The woman claims … Continue reading →
TORONTO SCHOOL board education director Chris Spence on Tuesday announced plans for a boys-only public school, a so-called ’Male Leadership Academy’ that would offer an alternative learning environment for underachievers. This boys-only school would be a first for Ontario. Up until … Continue reading →
IT WAS ALL a hoax. One that had been in the works for weeks, too, apparently. Sheriff Jim Alderden said Sunday that Richard and Mayumi Heene – the Fort Collins, Colo. couple who days ago reported their six-year-old son Falcon … Continue reading →
MOVE OVER Octomom. Here comes Balloon Boy. That would be Falcon Heene, the six-year-old Colorado kid who reportedly floated away in a homemade helium balloon on Thursday, setting off a massive search operation and a media frenzy – only to … Continue reading →
A NEW distracted driving law comes into effect later this month in Ontario. The law requires that drivers use a hands-free device when on their cellphones. Sending e-mail or texting behind the wheel will be outlawed, as will fiddling with … Continue reading →
A DARWIN AWARD is a dubious distinction, an accolade given to those who “ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion.” Unfortunately, that disqualifies the two dumb-asses who hopped … Continue reading →
THE GUARDIAN — one of the more highly regarded news organizations in the world — has produced this pretty cool “advert” that imagines how the paper and website would have covered the story of the Three Little Pigs. The video … Continue reading → […]
Merry Christmas to all — if you celebrate it, or even if you don’t; and even if you don’t, you’re still going to love Simon’s cat in ‘Santa Claws’ (unless you don’t like cats, in which case, forget you). Happy … Continue reading → […]
NOVEMBER HAS BECOME synonymous with “Movember,” the annual event during which guys around the world grow moustaches to raise money and awareness for men’s health, prostate cancer specifically. It’s a brilliant publicity campaign that has gathered a huge amount of … Continue reading → […]
HOW’S THAT FOR heeding a warning? Saw this head-shaking piece of work on the way into a Toronto-area hospital yesterday. If the genius driver responsible for the damage could read the sign, apparently he didn’t get the message. ryan@roadtostarrdom.com […]
CANADIAN NOVELIST Russell Smith had a thought-provoking column in the Globe and Mail a few weeks back examining the growing tendency these days for young creative people, writers in particular, to work for free. The spur for the discussion was … Continue reading → […]
Perhaps. But check out The New Yorker’s fabulous cover tribute to Jobs: Says it all really, doesn’t it? ryan@roadtostarrdom.com […]
Recent Articles
Dream Home brings green design to the masses (March 13, 2012)
The Dream Home R-House featured at this year’s National Home Show is part of an effort by its developer to “bring contemporary green design to the mass market.”
Massey Tower will ‘breathe new life’ into neglected site (February 25, 2012)
For years, whenever developer Gary Switzer passed by the abandoned Bank of Commerce building at 197 Yonge St., he felt a deep sense of civic disappointment.
Indx: It’s a man’s world (February 25, 2012)
Indx Condos will be the first purely residential tower built in the Financial District, so its developers didn’t have to spend long determining the project's target market.
2011 was ‘astonishing,’ BILD chair says (February 25, 2012)
BILD chair Paul Golini needed just one word to capture his reaction to the GTA real estate market’s 2011 sales totals: “astonishing.
Jared Menkes is building strategically hip condos (January 28, 2012)
Jared Menkes has a simple yet effective way of dreaming up the kinds of condos he’s going to develop. “I want to build projects that I’d want to live in,” he says.
Architect instructed: 'Give me something different' (January 28, 2012)
Architect Richard Witt knew he’d designed a great condo when a community meeting for the project ended with him receiving a round of applause.
Living down by the river (January 28, 2012)
David Wex has been so impressed with what’s happening at Underpass Park that the developer recently threw a party there to show it off.
The value of good karma (January 28, 2012)
Karma condo's charity/marketing campaign generated a great deal of interest in the project and raised over $15,000 for three local charities.
Nice guys really do finish first (January 21, 2012)
A gutsy approach to business — tempered by humility and community mindedness — has served Charles Mady well.
Toronto embraces Shangri-La living (January 14, 2012)
If the rip-roaring success of condo sales at Shangri-La Toronto can serve as any indication, this city appears to have embraced the new arrival with open arms.
New townhomes on the ‘Block’(January 14, 2012)
The success of this redesigned townhouse project is a testament to the demand in the city for at-grade contemporary housing.
Lago takes full advantage of Lake Ontario views (January 7, 2012)
Lovely vistas are a big selling point for Lago Condos, Monarch’s latest project at its Waterview master-planned community in Humber Bay.
Merton townhouses have a custom home feel (January 7, 2012)
It’s a cold morning, but Sarit Chandaria, principal of Tibro Developments, offers a warm grin and firm handshake as he welcomes me to The Merton.
Counting out loud (December 2011)
Women started outnumbering men as law school grads a decade ago, but no one knows how they’re faring in the profession. It’s time for law firms to go public.
Financial Freedom: 50-somethings (December 2011)
It’s an all-too familiar scene: A guy in his mid-50s shoots out of bed at 3 a.m., sweating buckets, deep in the throes of a serious “Oh crap!” moment.
Financial Freedom: 40-somethings (October/November 2011)
So you’ve hit the big 4-0. Your glory days aren’t necessarily behind you, but things aren’t as carefree anymore.
Financial Freedom: 30-somethings (September 2011)
You’re in your 30s and you still know how to live the good life, but the realities of adulthood have set in.
Financial Freedom: 20-somethings (July/August 2011)
A bit of planning and saving in your fancy-free 20s could mean a plump nest egg and stopping work sooner.
The new retirement (May/June 2011)
Retirement isn't what it used to be. How do different generations envision their post-working years?
Keys to a healthy, long-lasting roof (December 2, 2011)
There’s nothing more important to the well-being of your house than a properly functioning roof.
Household insurance and weather damage (August 19, 2011)
Simply purchasing a policy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be sheltered from the potential financial fallout after a storm hits.
Colleges worried about CSC funding cuts (September 16, 2011)
Ontario schools see great value in the relationships they've formed with the Construction Sector Council.
Project owners fear loss of sector council data (September 14, 2011)
The federal government's decision to phase out core funding to the Construction Sector Council has raised concerns among owners.
Justin Trudeau: The world is watching Canada (October 2010)
Our abundant natural resources, educated workforce and diverse population position Canada to be a global leader, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau says.
