The Squirrel

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae

Now, some people will call me paranoid, but I am somewhat convinced that squirrels are slowly but surely taking over the St. George Campus. I first noticed this last year as a confused and egotistic first year, and simply attributed the large number of squirrels to the downtown environment. This year, I know better. They’re after us.

To be more precise, they’re after our acorns and nuts. It is fall after all and just the time when they’re all busy gathering acorns and hiding them away for the long winter months. So that might be the reason we’re seeing more of them; it’s probably their most public time of the year!

Yet in my mild paranoia, I Googled some facts about these suspicious rodents and came across the following link: http://www.toronto.ca/animal_services/squirrel.htm

Since nothing was said of an impending squirrel army, either I’m being delusional or (more likely) the government’s trying to cover it up.

However, for anyone who’s somewhat curious about the squirrels of downtown Toronto, here are some basic facts taken straight from the City of Toronto’s website:

• Squirrels breed twice a year; from late winter to early spring and then again in mid-summer to early fall.
• Mother squirrels are very protective of their young and if threatened have been known to attack people and pets.
• Squirrels are active during the day and sleep at night. They do not hibernate over winter.
• Never grab a squirrel, even if you have gloves on – squirrels can bite through any glove.
• Never corner a squirrel — it may become aggressive.
• Never light a fire while a squirrel is trapped in a stove or fireplace — you may injure or kill it, leaving you with a smelly dead animal to remove.

This is a great opportunity for all of you interested in architecture and/or photography. Here’s lookin’ at you, Erik and Jimmy! Note: This text has not been edited in any way by blogUT.

Award winning architecture studio RAW invites all architecture buffs, shutterbugs and those interested in city design to contribute photos to a new Harbourfront Centre exhibit ‘TOO TALL?’ launching Sept 30.  In conjunction with the Toronto Society of Architects, Harbourfront has invited top architecture firms including RAW, Architects Alliance, KPMB and visual artist Douglas Walker to engage the public in a debate on the role, benefit and beauty of tall buildings.

Through a social media campaign, RAW is offering the general public a rare opportunity submit photos to the exhibit and put the debate over tall buildings into perspective.  Hundreds of images are needed!  Examining scale as a relative term, people are encouraged to send in a quick pic using any device of ANY building they consider to be tall, framed between their thumb and index finger. Could be a building people like or hate, just put it in perspective with a caption up to 140 characters.  Pictures will be incorporated into RAW’s ‘TALL IS MORE’ digital installation. Deadline for image submissions is Monday, September 26^th.

Images can be submitted via Facebook, Twitter or Email and should include a brief description up to 140 characters. Max file size is 600×800 pixels.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAW-architects-and-designers/133960586658656
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rawdesignTO
Email: tall@rawdesign.ca

‘TOO TALL?’ will launch with a VIP event Friday, September 30^th, and will be open to the public from October 1^st, 2011 through December 31^st, 2011. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8. For more information, please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Where: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (at Osgoode Subway)
When: Tuesday-Saturday (26-30) at 7:30PM
Tickets: $35 if you’re under 30 and join <30 DanCap; $40-65 regular admission.
More information: See the Next to Normal website

The best show in town this week, and possibly even this summer, is the 2009 Tony award-winning musical, Next to Normal, playing at the Four Seasons Centre, the last stop on its North American tour. Next to Normal tells the story of Diana Goodman (played by Alice Ripley in a Tony award-winning performance), a woman with bipolar disorder, and her family as they struggle to cope with the strains from her condition. Diana’s husband, Dan (Asa Somers), sticks with her, trying his best to help her cope with her condition, still clinging to the image of the woman he first met in his early twenties but that may no longer exist, deluding himself that everything is fine. Their daughter, Natalie (Emma Hunton), is a straight-A straight-edged student, who eventually hits breaking point, after starting up a sweet and optimistic romance with her supportive stoner classmate.

It’s been just over two months since classes (thankfully) ended for the dedicated and tireless troopers here at U of T, but let’s face it: as much as we all look forward to some free time spent out in the sun, or even likelier spent inside our video game caves (Portal 2 anyone?), it’s all but impossible to avoid those boring days spent asking oneself, “What am I going to do today?”. I’m very happy to report that due to my brilliant sleuthing skills—okay, Googling skills, really—I stumbled upon an event that will delight playgoers, English students, and tree-huggers alike. That’s right, it’s the 29th Annual Canadian Stage Dream in High Park, featuring a play by everyone’s favourite bearded bard that is sure to delight, The Winter’s Tale.

To try and draw in those of you who perhaps prefer Two and a Half Men repeats (or anything at all) to Shakespeare, the performance is free, with donations of any amount accepted at the gate if you’re feeling generous à la Scrooge after seeing the three ghosts. As for you Shakespeare connoisseurs out there, this adaptation of the play by Canadian theatre director Estelle Shook is wonderful. With minimal props, live music in between acts thanks to two amazing violinists, and actors occasionally coming out into the “aisles” of the amphitheater, you instantly feel yourself enveloped in Shakespeare’s fictional land of Bohemia. Actor John Blackwood’s humorous portrayal of the roguish pickpocket Autolycus was of particular note and was clearly an audience favourite, garnering laughs and applause at each reappearance. David Jansen was also stirring as the guilt-ridden Leontes and provided a pleasing contrast to the comedic scenes, rounding out the play’s “tragicomedy” label.

For the remainder of you who, like me, are somewhere in between Shakespearephobes and Shakespearephiles, this play is a welcome chance to get out into the fresh summer air and enjoy a play full of twists and turns, tense drama and laugh-out-loud comedy, and even a man exiting the stage being pursued by a bear, as the famous stage directions dictate. So hop on the Bloor line to High Park station with a bag full of snacks, take the beautiful walk through the park to the amphitheater, snuggle up under a blanket with some friends (and yes, a mosquito or two), and enjoy an entertaining night under the stars. There is a certain unique ambiance that the outdoors provides to any dramatic performance.  This atmosphere particularly lends itself to Shakespeare’s plays, which often debuts at The Globe, the open-air amphitheater founded by the playwright himself. It is certainly fitting then, to appreciate his work in the way it was intended to be seen, in the way it has been admired by so many throughout the centuries; I’m certainly no bard, but you could almost call it poetic.

The Canadian Stage Dream in High Park will run until September 4, 2011 at the High Park Outdoor Amphitheater. The show can be seen every Tuesday to Sunday and begins at 8 p.m. (weather-permitting). Gates open at 6, so get there early to snag a good spot!

For more info, stop by http://www.canadianstage.com/dream

Toronto is a city full of history and interesting stories. So, to both longtime residents of our lovely city and newcomers that have come to study at U of T, did you know that:

• Front Street got its name because that’s where the waterfront used to be. The shoreline got moved down to Queen’s Quay because we filled the inner harbour for industrial development purposes.

• Yorkville wasn’t always the posh, high-end neighbourhood it is now. In fact, it used to be the place for hippies to hang out. A lot of artists got their start in Yorkville, and the first line in Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” (‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’) refers to a spot in Yorkville. That particular parking lot has since been transformed into the Village of Yorkville Park (the ‘park’ with the giant artificial rocks).

• The King Edward Hotel at King and Yonge is supposedly the most haunted building in Toronto, since it was built on a hanging yard.

• In the past, you could discern a person’s social class by the way they said, ‘Spadina’. If someone said ‘Spa-dee-nah’, they were of the upper class, while people of the lower class said, ‘Spa-die-nah’. Since there were more people in the lower class than the upper class, the latter pronunciation is the one used today.

• When the ROM’s crystal was in its final stages of construction, staff members signed one of the beams that forms the structure, immortalizing themselves forever within the museum. And yes, Daniel Libeskind designed the crystal on a napkin which is now in one of a ROM’s storage facility.

• The glass facade of the AGO is supposed to looked like a tipped canoe. Why Frank Gehry chose such an inauspicious symbol is beyond me.
• Chinatown used to be a little bit east of where it is now. Streets like Elizabeth Street and Chestnut Street used to be part of Chinatown. The Lee Benevolent Association at Dundas and Chestnut is a vestige of Chinatown’s previous location.
• Even though it’s one of the official languages of Canada, French is only the 12th most spoken language in Toronto.
• The Distillery District features some of most well-preserved examples of Victorian industrial architecture in North America.
• The CN Tower no longer holds the record for being the highest free-standing building in the world, but it still holds the record for having the world’s highest wine cellar.

Feel free to add these tidbits to your Repository of Completely Useless Information (aka ROCUI, which is a lot more fun than ROSI).

(Pictured above, Mixed Berry Pavlova from Pangaea Restaurant – a dessert from their 2008 Summerlicious menu.)

Food is a passion of mine. Every time I see a restaurant that looks interesting, I note the location in my head so that I may visit it with some friends at a later date. As a result, a food festival like Summerlicious (and its winter counterpart, Winterlicious) is a godsend.

So what is Summerlicious?

Summerlicious is an event in which restaurants in Toronto (often high-end restaurants where bills would amount to $50+) offer a prix fixe menu for lunch and/or dinner. The restaurants usually offer 3 course meals ranging from $15 – $25 for lunch and $25 – $35 for dinner.

When does Summerlicious start and end?

Summerlicious starts on July 8th and ends on July 24th. However, restaurants are already taking reservations so make sure to call in early!

Which restaurants are participating in Summerlicious?

The full list of restaurants, along with their menus, can be found here. There is a wide variety of restaurants representing the diverse food cultures of the world.

Do I have to make a reservation?

Yes, you must make a reservation with the restaurant if you wish to dine. Also, make sure that you notify the restaurant as you make your reservation that you will be dining with their Summerlicious menu. Since reservations for participating restaurants began a few days ago, certain popular restaurants (such as Canoe) may already be fully booked for Summerlicious.

What if I’m a vegetarian?

Many participating restaurants offer vegetarian options and, after scouring a lot of menus, I can confirm that there are a few restaurants that offer vegan and gluten-free dishes on their menu.

Bon appetit!

A recent article released by the Toronto Star states that the air quality in Toronto might not be as bad as we all think it is.

This may seem hard to believe, considering the extreme density of the downtown core.  Ironically though, it is the suburbs which we should avoid.

The mid-20th century boom of the suburbs in the GTA was supposed to be a Renaissance in urban development and infrastructure. However, another Toronto Star article indicates that the typical infrastructure of the suburbs is what causes high levels of CO2 emissions. The greatest amount of the emissions in the GTA comes from the town of Whitby at 13.02 tonnes per year. Where do they place the blame? Distance from the sidewalk. Apparently, living in a house that is set well back from the sidewalk makes one more inclined to ride around in a large, gas-guzzling SUV. But is it worth risking our environmental well being to get to and from soccer practice, the corner store, or even through the long lineups at McDonald’s (which consequently makes us fat) by driving a gas-guzzler?

So why should we be living in the city? The answer is actually quite clear. Public transportation is much better in the city and the sidewalks are closer to retail buildings and housing. Getting around is just easier. No one has much need for a car, except for Mayor Ford, who continues to pick fights with the ‘evil streetcars’. But that brings me to my next point. Not everyone can afford public transportation in the city; $3 a ride adds up.

Much to the pleasure of many, the bicycle has made a miraculous comeback. Everyone is using bikes. Children, adults, professors, students, hipsters… just about everyone scurries to one of the many bicycle shops in the GTA to get the latest one speed, skinny tire, weave-basket-carrying bicycle. Biking is no doubt the best way to get around the city, especially with the numerous picture-esque tree-lined streets and bike paths (another enemy of our beloved mayor). Even many of our adored professors at U of T, including Professor Brym (Department of Sociology) take their bikes wherever they go. It is almost impossible  to avoid cyclists on the St. George campus, especially the ones that we almost run into while jaywalking across St. George Street to get to Sid Smith.

Recently, downtown Toronto was introduced to the BIXI bike system. This system allows anyone to go to the one of 80 BIXI stations and pay the small fee of $5 per day ($40 per month, or $95 per year) to use a bike and go their merry way.

However, there are some downsides to the program.  You still have to find a station, pay a security deposit with a credit card, and there is no discounted rate for students. Despite these obstacles though, there are still many stations on campus for students to use.

In this day and age,  I truly believe that our generation has the power to make an environmental change. We don’t have to make the same mistakes our parents did, driving around in gas-guzzlers.  Instead, we should make sure to utilize the numerous ways of being environmentally  conscientious so that the next generations can enjoy the earth too. As the centre of research for our ‘true north, strong and free’, the students of U of T should join together in a revolution against irresponsible automobile use with the same enthusiasm as Louis XIV and Napoleon – on our bikes, ready to take on CO2 emissions (and succeed).