I’VE JUST RETURNED from vacation. After a week of sunning on the beach, I’m relaxed and ready to get back at it (sort of). Being away was great. Getting there and back was a pain, though. Indeed, given the frustrating … Continue reading →
THE BOSTON GLOBE has a nifty Earth Hour 2010 feature on its Big Picture blog. (The blog itself is pretty darn cool on any given day, BTW, always worth checking out.) Toronto got knocked a bit in the local press … Continue reading →
GOOD ON THE London Sperm Bank for its ballsy attempt to inject a bit of life into a, ahem, sticky situation. (Via Boing Boing.) ryan@roadtostarrdom.com
I WAS SHOCKED – pun intended – to read about that recently-aired fake French show, ‘The Game of Death,’ in which contestants are instructed to torture a man with electricity for giving wrong answers. The show, in actuality part of … Continue reading →
SO SAD TO hear that Peter Graves died over the weekend. Graves was best known for playing Jim Phelps in the television series Mission: Impossible, but that was a bit before my time. I’ll always remember him as Captain Oveur from … Continue reading →
ON SLATE THE other day, technology columnist Farhad Manjoo looked at whether there should be official ground rules for etiquette in this age of super-duper smartphones. Manjoo was focusing on “non-voice phone usage – texting, e-mailing, Web browsing, and other activities that … Continue reading →
I ENJOY WATCHING the Oscars. I’m a big fan of movies and I like seeing which films and actors end up winning showbiz’s most prestigious prize. Yes, I also enjoy ogling all the Hollywood hotties strolling down the red carpet, … Continue reading →
JUST WHEN YOU thought there was nothing left for people to get uptight about, along comes a real gem to file under “Political correctness gone ridiculously wrong.” In Wednesday’s throne speech, Canada’s government said it would be looking into a proposal … 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.
