Shopping Carts in Ravines

In the loading dock of Queen West’s newest.

AVERAGE POP PRESIDENT LIST STATE IQ ELECT 1 Connecticut 113 John Kerry 2 Massachusetts 111 John Kerry 3 New Jersey 111 John Kerry 4 New York 109 John Kerry 5 Rhode Island 107 John Kerry 6 Hawaii 106 John Kerry 7 Maryland 105 John Kerry 8 New Hampshire 105 John Kerry 9 Illinois 104 John Kerry 10 Delaware 103 John Kerry 11 Minnesota 102 John Kerry 12 Vermont 102 John Kerry 13 Washington 102 John Kerry 14 California 101 John Kerry 15 Pennsylvania 101 John Kerry 16 Maine 100 John Kerry 17 Virginia 100 George Bush 18 Wisconsin 100 John Kerry 19 Colorado 99 George Bush 20 Iowa 99 George Bush 21 Michigan 99 John Kerry 22 Nevada 99 George Bush 23 Ohio 99 George Bush 24 Oregon 99 John Kerry 25 Alaska 98 George Bush 26 Florida 98 George Bush 27 Missouri 98 George Bush 28 Kansas 96 George Bush 29 Nebraska 95 George Bush 30 Arizona 94 George Bush 31 Indiana 94 George Bush 32 Tennessee 94 George Bush 33 North Carolina 93 George Bush 34 West Virginia 93 George Bush 35 Arkansas 92 George Bush 36 Georgia 92 George Bush 37 Kentucky 92 George Bush 38 New Mexico 92 George Bush 39 North Dakota 92 George Bush 40 Texas 92 George Bush 41 Alabama 90 George Bush 42 Louisiana 90 George Bush 43 Montana 90 George Bush 44 Oklahoma 90 George Bush 45 South Dakota 90 George Bush 46 South Carolina 89 George Bush 47 Wyoming 89 George Bush 48 Idaho 87 George Bush 49 Utah 87 George Bush 50 Mississippi 85 George Bush

Mindfully.org: US Election 2004

“Our reach is unmatched around the world. We’re reaching people from the moment they wake up until they fall asleep.

We give them their morning weather and traffic reports through our television outlets around the world.

We enlighten and entertain them with such newspapers as The New York Post and The Times (of London) as they have breakfast, or take the train to work.

We update their stock prices and give them the world’s biggest news stories every day through such news channels as Fox or Sky News.
…
Before going to bed, we give them the latest news, and then they crawl into bed with one of our best-selling novels from HarperCollins.”

- News Corporation 1999 Annual Report

I might also add, to anyone who hasn’t seen the documentary “Outfoxed,” that each day these related news outlets would synchronize around certain memes, often for political purposes. As far as I can tell, it looks like this effectively brainwashed quite a few people, likely exposed to little or nothing but Fox’s insane extreme right-wing positions.

Since I’ve added and started using a “Recent links” section to the sidebar, I ought to point it out.

In an effort to keep the main posts for original content and occasional things I particularly want to highlight, links related to the themes of this blog but not part of a larger piece of writing will generally only be included here.

So do check it now if you found any of that stuff interesting. It will list the past 10, but you can view the entire history by clicking “Recent links”.

Are You Generic? has this AOL boycott jam video in which they replaced the ads on 25 shopping carts with anti-AOL flyers.

For example:

I got a chance to take a look ’round the University of Toronto’s brand new pharmacy school today, and it’s pretty wild. Every time a building goes up in the city that looks like this, we all get a significant step closer to the futurist 21st century vision. The new genetics building a couple doors down is pretty wild too, but I’ve only seen the outside of it.

These crazy orbs take up most of the free space in the main lobby. They are pretty overwhelming to encounter when you first walk in. And just imagine when they turn on all these differently-coloured spotlights…

My understanding is that inside each orb is a classroom, while on top is an open lounge. Here is an overhead shot of one of the lounges, taken from several floors above:

I wish I could show you what it’s like to be in the elevator. I tried so many times to get a photo that captured the view or a video that captured the insane vertigo these dots give you, but was pretty much totally unsuccessful. But if you get a chance, do take a ride in the elevator yourself.

Don’t go showing up to the building just yet, though, much of it is still being finished and moved into. I should also mention that, even when totally completed and operational, security may expect any visitors to have a good reason to be there.

Update, October 3rd, 2006:

Air’leth just took this photo of the building fully lit up at night.

If you noticed the way I categorized it, you may be wondering: What makes network neutrality about fascism?

There is a quote, and frankly its a tad in dispute whether it was Mussolini or Giovanni Gentile, but regardless, the statement that fascism is a blend of corporate and government power is a truth. In this way, the mutual-back-scratching we are witnessing is that of the NSA using AT&T to tap the internet and other telecoms to datamine phone records, in exchange for the government granting the lobbyi$t$’ reque$t$ for this ludicrious move against network neutrality, handing over control of the internet to government-friendly businesses that otherwise have no real right to it.

This fascist power bed is another example of how the United States is textbook fascism. The comparison to the Nazis that is constantly made is a very rough fit, and doesn’t match in a lot of ways. This is not Nazism - but this is fascism. Technically and definitely.

I just found out about this new documentary, America: From Freedom to Fascism, and it looks absolutely incredible. Definitely do check out the website, it has trailers, video clips and eCards to send to any Americans you happen to know.

Related:
Executive branch to EFF: We’re above the law
Bushflash: Fascism?
Noam Chomsky - Why it’s over for America
Washington Post - Neo-Fascist U.S. Supreme Court Eases ‘No Knock’ Search Ban
Coulter spews hate on Leno

As far as I know, this (at Dufferin Grove) is the only double length bus shelter in town.