canadian bank bailout

i sort of knew that we, the taxpayers, were backing up mortgages for the banks. however, the number i had in mind was a $25B commitment to support banks if they needed it. i didn't realize that the "best banks in the world" needed an extra $50B added to that so that they would keep loaning money

yes, we have a $75B Canadian bank bailout package. Makes the $4B auto bailout look a bit better. A very little bit.

safety first

South end of the eglinton station platform, you come up the stairs from the subway and the doors to the bus platform open in. isn't this how people die horribly, crushed to death? Aren't there laws about this?

Sky Farm!

This is an amazing concept that could transform urban living - the Sky Farm designed by Gordon Graff; a skyscraper greenhouse that feeds 40,000 people a year!

Update Feb. 17: Additional conversation at the Torontoist. See also my post from the same day on Vertical Farming. 

signs of my times

I often feel the need to get my thoughts on a social or political thought written down. There must be a dozens of these notes in books, emails, and scattered across hard-drives. From now on, I'll try to keep them here.