March 2012
55 posts
#Route501 nerds | #TOpoli
See the full gallery on Posterous
Mar 31st
10 tags
That guy singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the back of...
I love this guy. Robert Wilkinson, his name is. (I want to be the person who wrote this: “They did not let him go.”) That popping sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of karaoke-machine makers all over the world shooting themselves in despair. 
Mar 30th
Mar 30th
53,294 notes
Mar 30th
459 notes
2 tags
Two tweets | #TOpoli
Media apologist @MarcusGee tries to smear me for smearing his beloved Pammy. Predictable. Perhaps try some real research next time.— Sue-Ann Levy (@SueAnnLevy) March 29, 2012 @SueAnnLevy Actually, his twitter handle is @marcusbgee. Perhaps try some real research next time.— Sol Chrom (@sol_chrom) March 29, 2012
Mar 29th
1 note
10 tags
Video: This is what a public servant looks like |...
As I tweeted last week: I think I love @kristynwongtam. Quiet, reasonable, thoughtful, classy - and kicking #TeamFord ass. #TOpoli— Sol Chrom (@sol_chrom) March 22, 2012 Related posts: Politics, decency, and finding common ground: the restoration of civility | #TOpoli #cdnpoli Turn your backs on #TeamFord | #TOpoli #TeamFord has no subway plan | #TOpoli #transit
Mar 27th
20 tags
Politics, decency, and finding common ground: the...
So I was listening to Matt Galloway talking to Karen Stintz on Metro Morning Friday. The interview isn’t up on the CBC web site yet, but as you might imagine, the topic was the future of public transit in Toronto in the wake of Thursday’s decision by council to opt for LRT on Sheppard East.  It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to the extent to which the debate had...
Mar 25th
2 notes
5 tags
Mar 24th
3 notes
“… he’s essentially standing on the sidelines screaming into the stands...”
– Ed Keenan, Rob Ford: on the wrong track Snerk.
Mar 23rd
1 note
5 tags
Video: The Ford subway downfall | #TOpoli
Kick ‘em while they’re down, I say. NB: This is not my remix, just so we’re clear. Credit for this should go to YouTube user iSkyScraper. I’m just linking to it.
Mar 23rd
3 tags
“Indeed, a new phrase – “they really Forded that issue” – should enter our...”
– LORINC: Mayor Ford fumbles for third time on transit « Spacing Toronto
Mar 23rd
8 tags
Turn your backs on #TeamFord | #TOpoli
The last couple of days at Toronto Council have been pretty, um, dramatic. Those of you following the #TOpoli action on the Tweetr know this already, of course. But I’ve been wondering about how we, as citizens, can make our disapproval of Team Ford’s antics known without sinking to their level and without disrupting Council’s decorum. We’ve all seen how snippy the...
Mar 22nd
“If Team Ford’s subway plans are truly dead, would someone mind driving a stake...”
– Adapted from Toronto Port Lands Corporation « All Fired Up In The Big Smoke
Mar 22nd
Mar 22nd
5,820 notes
3 tags
“In a letter circulated Tuesday to Ford and other councillors, Moeser (Ward 44,...”
– Toronto News: Mayor Rob Ford’s allies suggest tax hike for subways - thestar.com
Mar 21st
9 tags
#TeamFord has no subway plan | #TOpoli #transit
Really, is there any point in rehashing all the LRT / subway comparisons again? Go read Steve Munro, Ed Keenan, CodeRedTO, or FordForToronto. It’s all set out there. I know, I know, at some point I have to recognize that I’m preaching to the converted already. So I’m aiming this post at the councillors perceived as swing votes.  Recall the events of the last year and a half....
Mar 20th
13 tags
Subway fetishists, snake oil, and Scarborough |...
So Team Ford’s subway boosters were out in force tonight, substituting boosterism and catchphrases for facts and evidence. Just one question, guys: if the private sector is just waiting to throw bags of cash at a Sheppard subway once you get shovels in the ground … why hasn’t it happened yet? Special thanks to @chaicube. If you ever have to buy a drink in this town again, sir,...
Mar 20th
6 tags
This ain’t no trolley | Mez Dispenser | #TOpoli...
This week, City Council will be debating and voting on what type of transit to use on Sheppard Ave East.  An expert panel has recommended “Light Rail Transit”, commonly known as LRT.  Others are advocating for an underground subway. There are merits to both points of view, but the first step towards choosing the right system is to get beyond the rhetoric.  Some of those who support subways,...
Mar 19th
3 tags
“Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean Where the hand of opportunity...”
– The Pogues.
Mar 17th
13 tags
Toronto's transit future: avoiding the Team Ford...
Next Wednesday, city council will meet to debate the shape public transit will take for the next several decades. We’ve seen a fair amount of sound and fury regarding the subway / LRT debate. We’ve seen a public servant fired for nothing but spite. We’ve seen public meetings where the facts and evidence have been presented, and we’ve seen public meetings whipped up to...
Mar 17th
13 tags
Video: The Ethical Oil spokespuppet rap |...
Oh dear. Look what some guy named knagata has done. Typical mean-spirited biased liberal lamestream media smear …  (h/t Jymn) I’m going to miss you, Posterous. Related posts: The Birdman of the Tar Sands The #EthicalOil meme is pathetic PR bullshit | #cdnpoli #tarsands #EthicalOilBullshit, the Sierra Club, and demonization: Where we juxtapose, once again | #astroturf...
Mar 17th
Democrat chastised for saying 'uterus' on House... →
In 2012. Pathetic.
Mar 16th
9 tags
A few more tumblr / posterous comparisons
See the full gallery on Posterous First image is from Posterous, while the rest are from Tumblr. Not judging. You may also note that the audio content in the related links is hosted on Posterous. Some of these were done before I started using Posterous to auto-update Tumblr, mind you.  And in addition, the words of Professor Crabwise Stabbington may be apropos … Related posts: ...
Mar 16th
3 tags
Do Palestinians Ever Have the Right of Self... →
According to some folks, there’s only one possible answer to this.
Mar 15th
1 note
3 tags
Mar 15th
1,406 notes
7 tags
Mar 14th
1 note
5 tags
Karma hits ultrasound-loving Virginia legislator... →
Reminiscent of the #TellVicEverything meme, but even better.  So this is one of those guys who wants to force medically unnecessary ultrasounds upon women seeking abortions. (Garry Trudeau’s been on about this in Doonesbury, and because of that, the strip’s been dropped by a few newspapers.) (H/t @BinaBecker) Related posts: I can eat a bowl of alphabet soup … So this guy...
Mar 14th
Another posterous / tumblr comparison ...
via yfrog.com Via Business Insider’s Jay Yarow. (h/t @ShaneDingman)
Mar 13th
3 tags
“… it says a lot that an error in judgment, rather than raising questions...”
– Me, commenting on this piece from @JohnLorinc. Related posts: @TOMayorFord and conflict of interest: legalities and optics | #TOpoli Why do the suburbs get all the wide roads, while downtown gets stuck with the narrow streets? Conservatism: is it a label? Is it a brand? Or maybe just a little...
Mar 13th
1 note
6 tags
Mar 13th
457 notes
Twosterous? Pitter? WTF?
So one microblogging platform gets acquired by Twitter. Reactions are mixed. Been using both it and Tumblr, liked both, but have to say, Posterous gave better support. Have to wait and see if that continues. What some of the comments said about Tweetdeck. I’ve been crossposting to both — using Posterous for the “serious” stuff, Tumblr for the fun stuff. Will it stay this...
Mar 12th
2 tags
Mar 12th
1 note
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@TOMayorFord and conflict of interest: legalities...
Well, the #TOpoli twittersphere, as it so often does, has crystallized the dilemma efficiently. If Rob Ford’s found to be in violation of conflict-of-interest guidelines, the remedy is removal from office. John Michael McGrath and Hamutal Dotan provide the background. On the one hand, there’s the Javert approach: There is only the law.  @sol_chrom @GraphicMatt The goddamned...
Mar 12th
6 tags
“Going after new revenues really must be a joint municipal-provincial project....”
– Where Should We Go From Here? | Steve Munro So hard to pick just one point from this excellent and thought-provoking piece from Steve Munro. Anyone interested in transit, and not just the stale LRT vs. subway debate, really needs to read it.  I guess I settled on this paragraph because it...
Mar 12th
Mar 11th
4 tags
“Why do the suburbs get all the wide roads, while downtown gets stuck with the...”
– A fair question. Paraphrased from Richard Murray.
Mar 10th
2 notes
Of course we can pay for subways! What are you,...
Maybe it’s more of a … Madrid kind of idea …
Mar 10th
12 tags
Frank Graves poll: The beginning of the end of...
Not only is our rearview now more likely to feature regret and decline, our long-term view of the future is unremittingly grim. Worse, these negative views are most entrenched amongst the Gen X, Gen Y, and millennial cohorts who will shoulder both the responsibilities and fruits of the future. These outlooks have been getting worse rather than better during the past several years and the...
Mar 9th
1 note
19 tags
Conservatism: is it a label? Is it a brand? Or...
That smartypants fancypants @Cityslikr is forcing me to put on my crankypants. I warned you youngsters what would happen if you didn’t get off my lawn! All right, all right, so I telegraphed that one. Indulge me. The #TOpoli twittersphere / blogosphere / wankersphere (my usual preserve) has been all lit up over the past few days, thanks to John Michael McGrath and his thoughtful essay...
Mar 8th
3 tags
Signature Quotes: Matt Taibbi | I Acknowledge... →
Just in case anyone thought the Occupy phenomenon was over.
Mar 7th
3 tags
Mar 7th
3 notes
14 tags
City Council is Supreme | politics | via...
… we are optimistic. We have a government that is working. It is making decisions based on evidence, and it is defending those decisions over time. It is a government that has set a direction on the most fraught and most important policy file we have. It is a government that is doing its job even though Rob Ford isn’t doing his, and if it keeps on doing so Toronto may come out of this...
Mar 7th
3 tags
What's Toronto's history of non-majority mayors? |... →
A gentleman and a scholar, that Jamie Bradburn. Still curious about that audio file (cough).
Mar 6th
1 note
3 tags
“So here’s the bottom line: if the Stintz coalition get down and dirty with the...”
– LORINC: Council opposition needs to keep eye on prize « Spacing Toronto
Mar 5th
12 tags
@AdamCF and @JM_McGrath talk governance,...
I’ll say it again: two of the smartest fellas on #TOpoli. I’ve already linked to JM’s thoughtful and well-argued piece, but for those of you who haven’t read it, it’s here.  It sparked a bit of Twittertalk last night (really sad, what passes for Saturday-night fun among #TOpoli tweeps), and while I won’t pretend I managed to capture the full discussion, I did...
Mar 5th
4 tags
“… redesigning a system of governance in response to an extreme situation...”
– Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler, in response to John Michael McGrath. 
Mar 5th
10 tags
@jm_mcgrath, Rob Ford, and municipal governance |...
What #TOpoli social-media types get up to on Saturday nights. Sad, isn’t it. [View the story “@jm_mcgrath and the dysfunctions of municipal governance | #TOpoli” on Storify] Seriously, though, a thoughtful, well-argued piece that raises several worthwhile questions about our current governing structures — questions that go beyond the personality-related issues...
Mar 4th
Photo: Dundas & Ossington, #Toronto, Sat. March 3,...
What the hell is this? A *mugging?*
Mar 3rd
6 tags
THIS is what the Toronto transit fight is all...
As a resident of St Clair West, I really resent the presentation of the St Clair streetscape as some kind of second coming of Darfur. Yes, the construction was bungled (largely because of Hydro adding to the scope and a lawsuit by a small number of residents that held up the construction for a year) but I take it every day now and it is fantastic. If you don’t believe me, look at the...
Mar 3rd
7 tags
“Anyone who supports subways — including the mayor, his greedy developer friends,...”
– Toronto News: James: If you want subway, Toronto, you must pay - thestar.com
Mar 3rd
3 notes