Had the great pleasure of attending a Dan Bern concert Sunday afternoon at a bar downtown. It was a small back room venue with excellent sound, perfect for this type of performance – one singer with a guitar and harmonica. From wiki “Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein) is an
Continue readingTag: urban
Things Are Good: Improve Transportation by Ending Subsidies for Automobiles
Many drivers think that gas tax (or their car-related taxes in general) more than cover the costs of infrastructure of cars. The reality is quite the opposite. People who don’t drive subsidize those who do. In terms of infrastructure itself we have spent more money on roads than on other
Continue readingThings Are Good: Detroit’s Farms May Save the City
Detroit is a city that has been witnessing a lot of change thanks to poor urban planning and bad economics. The past decade has been very rough for the people of Detroit and they are turning to old, but innovative, ways to revive the city. We have seen artists move
Continue readingThings Are Good: Montreal’s Streets Continue to be Focused on People
Walking the streets of Montreal already provides a pleasant experience – and it’s about to get better. The city has dedicated an additional $1.7 million to what it already spends on making selected streets car free. The pedestrian areas promote local artists and encourage people to visit neighbourhoods throughout the
Continue readingPostArctica: Today on Mount Royal
Unusually mild for today’s date and with a lot of snow and ice on ground level that makes for some perfect fog, especially as you go higher on Mount Royal. How foggy was it? That is Beaver Lake straight ahead. It was quite surreal up there, you could hear people
Continue readingThings Are Good: Busting Urban Planning Myths
There’s a lot of misconceptions about how to make cities a better place to live that need to be cleared up. A popular belief is that adding more lanes for cars will help curb traffic jams – when the opposite it true. Some backwards-looking individuals think that adding bike lanes
Continue readingThings Are Good: Trees are Great for Cities
Cleaning the air and keeping areas cool are what trees do best. A new study has looked into how best to use trees from a purely utilitarian standpoint. Essentially they drilled down to what trees do best and where they can thrive. The researchers cataloged the best places to plant
Continue readingPostArctica: Almost Done!
Tomorrow is the last day of autumn which means it is also the last day of L’automne (please drop by and like the page if you haven’t already). One of the most interesting experiences of my life has been walking and photographing the Verdun waterfront over the last three months.
Continue readingPostArctica: A Symphony of Ice with Beaver Update
It was pretty cold out there today and a huge sheet of ice was breaking up and floating down the river when I got there. You can hear it as the individual pieces clang against each, especially the moving ones banging against the more solid ice close to shore. (and
Continue readingPostArctica: Beaver Situation Takes A Turn For The Weird
Was down at the river today just trudging through the lower trail when I spotted some chicken wire fences wrapped around some trees. As I had blogged about a problem with beavers aggressively attacking trees on the Verdun waterfront, I assumed there might be a connection. So this is
Continue readingPostArctica: When Nature Gets Creepy
It is cold and there is enough of a wind to blow some of this tall grass around, occasionally flying into your face. Snow has fallen forcing swaths of it to collapse creating the illusion of these low lying dark spaces where all kinds of horrible troll like creatures may
Continue readingPostArctica: Beaver Activity on Verdun Waterfront
Well, there usually is. I have been walking the Verdun waterfront almost every day since October 1st and while I have noticed the odd tree that has been chewed, it is only the last week or ten days where it has been disturbingly noticeable. I say “disturbingly” because it really
Continue readingPostArctica: December 6, 1989
Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the
Continue readingPostArctica: Come To Standing Rock!
Inspired by veterans at the site I wrote this song tonight. My gift. Feel free to add, subtract, change, whatever it takes to make this a great song. We have blood and dirt on our hands from all these son’s and daughter’s commands we never really did very much
Continue readingPostArctica: Lately
Some from the last week or so. My new thing is that I now call these types of pictures my “Picturebook Pictures” lol. Shooting directly into the sun but a 1/4000th of a second shutter speed makes a half arsed image possible. looking the other way. Seen on a door
Continue readingPostArctica: Remembering Leonard Cohen
Stopped in at Parc du Portugal today where people were paying their last respects and remembering Leonard Cohen who lived off this little square just off The Main. Lots of people filtering through the space every day. It’s a really nice atmosphere, nothing loud, nothing very sad either, just people
Continue readingPostArctica: The Dance Floor
Took these last week. During the summer in the evening this place is usually packed with dancers but not on November afternoons.
Continue readingPostArctica: Unmanifest At BBAM! Gallery
Stopped in last night at the opening of this show at BBAM! Gallery featuring the work of two excellent young artists, Lana Filippone and Adam Giroux. From the Facebook page… THROUGH THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE : UNMANIFEST This is probably one of the most ambitious exhibitions we’ve ever attempted
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