LOOKS LIKE I’M not the only one in for a long weekend – those doofuses in the U.S. Congress continue to wrangle over raising the debt ceiling with the deadline just days away. Hopefully these “leaders” can reach some sort of deal soon and avoid destroying their own country and taking the world economy down along with them.
LIVING IN ONTARIO is sort of like being condemned to life as a perpetual teenager. I say that because this province has stupid laws dating back to Ontario’s tight-assed-Protestant days that give the government strict control over where alcohol is sold and who can sell it.
Residents can only buy beer, wine and booze from a limited number of distributors. The Beer Store (as our chain of retail outlets is so originally called) is owned by three large international brewing consortiums, effectively a foreign-controlled monopoly. Our liquor and wine store, the LCBO, is government-owned and operated. Continue reading →
IT’S A STORY I really wish I’d written. Christopher Muther of the Boston Globe has done a fine job examining an epidemic that’s threatening the well-being of the English language: rampant misuse of the adverb “literally.”
The word, which Muther writes is “gaining popularity as both a throwaway intensifier and a replacement for ‘figuratively’ … has been misused by everyone from fashion stylist Rachel Zoe to President Obama, and linguists predict that it will continue to be led astray from its meaning. There is a good chance the incorrect use of the word eventually will eclipse its original definition.”
As seen above – “literally” means “in a literal sense, as opposed to a non-literal or exaggerated sense.” Simple enough. “It should not be used as a synonym for actually or really,’’ author Paul Brians is quoted noting in Muther’s piece. “Don’t say of someone that he ‘literally blew up’ unless he swallows a stick of dynamite.’’ Continue reading →
IN WHAT HAS to be the ultimate act of douche-baggery, a super-rich Abu Dhabi sheikh had his name, HAMAD, carved into sand on an island he owns, in letters so large they can be seen from space.
The Sun newspaper reports: “The name is two miles across — with letters a kilometre high. It is so huge that the “H”, the first “A” and part of the “M” have been made into waterways.” Continue reading →
Columnist Viv Groskop zeroes in on Brooks’ free-flowing red mane – which, IMO, makes Brooks look like a scary cross between Medusa, Sideshow Bob and Carrot Top – and the supposed power it wields:
Brooks doesn’t have a hairdryer. Her look is natural. It says: “I do not waste time at the salon. Don’t mess with me.” Big hair with no effort. That is real power. Or at least it was for Brooks.
Big hair is always impressive. If you have it you either are important or you want to be. Big hair cannot be ignored. It is big for a reason.
THE BBC STRUCK OUT big time last week when the respected British news organization mixed up its interviewees during a live broadcast, making for an excruciating whoopsie moment that has now gone viral, naturally.
The host thought he was interviewing Ben Walker, the baseball editor for the Associated Press, about the Roger Clemens trial.
Turns out the guest was actually Michael Wolff, a Vanity Fair contributor and author of a Rupert Murdoch biography, who promptly shuts down the interviewer – a clip that is as awkward as it is hilarious, especially since the presenter then unabashedly and abruptly cuts Wolff off and moves on to other news):
U2′S MAMMOTH 360° tour – or spaceship, as it were – landed in Toronto last night, offering compelling evidence of why they’re the world’s biggest band: these lads know how to put on one hell of a show.
It was a performance that was originally supposed to have happened in July 2010, but Bono’s back surgery put the kibosh on that plan. So there we all were, one year later: 65,000 of us packed into Rogers Centre (nee SkyDome) for a concert that delivered everything you’d expect – and pay good money for – a U2 show to deliver. Continue reading →
WHEN CONGRESSMAN ANTHONY WEINER resigned amid a “sexting” scandal last month, I featured the front pages of all the New York City tabloids – the New York Post’s “Weiner’s Rise and Fall” was my personal favourite.
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.
