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Wallenda on the wire during a previous stunt (Image: kevint3141)
Having finally convinced the Niagara Parks Commission that he’s not going to fall to a watery death, a date has been set for American daredevil Nik Wallenda to cross Horseshoe Falls along a steel cable. On June 15, the world will turn its eyes on Southern Ontario to witness the stunt, which should pump $120-million into the local economy and will likely be more memorable than a trip to the casino or wax museum. [Globe and Mail]
(Image: ashleymadison.com)
Ashleymadison.com, the “infidelity dating site” (and, it would seem, Centreville zoo fan) has revealed that, in Toronto, the Beaches, Forest Hill and High Park have the most people looking for a little extramarital action. (All three are blue chip real estate neighbourhoods: coincidence?) According to data compiled from the adultery-enabling website’s 400,000 GTA users, Rosedale, Etobicoke, Downtown, North York, Midtown, Leaside and Scarborough round out the neighbourhoods with the most cheaters. Other tidbits: Leaside members had the most affair partners, while Etobicoke had the fewest, and Scarborough members had the most overall encounters. We’ll bet that, right now, someone in the Beaches is snooping through their spouse’s computer history.
(Image: Toronto Zoo)
When we saw the Toronto Zoo’s new baby lemur, we thought, “That’s a cute lemur.” When the folks at the Toronto Star saw said lemur, their thoughts were more along the lines of, “That lemur’s mom is kind of slutty.” Apparently, male and female lemurs have multiple mates, hence the paper’s attempt at humour. But who needs sensationalism to draw eyeballs when you’ve got a photo of a baby animal? Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Nik Wallenda doing something crazy (Image: kevint3141)
Back in December, Canada cemented its reputation for being both a bore and a buzz kill when officials nixed an American daredevil’s plan to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls, even though authorities on the American side had already agreed to it. Now the Niagara Parks Commission has reversed its decision, allowing Nik Wallenda to walk the line this summer. The reason for the about-face: apparently, Wallenda convinced Ontario Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan and allayed safety concerns from commission members and park staff (we’re pretty sure a report that the stunt could generate $120 million for the area played a role, too). Wallenda, a Guinness record holder and descendant of the famous Flying Wallendas, will be the first person to walk across the falls since 1896, and, if he falls, likely the last. No pressure though. Read the entire story [National Post] »
Who can resist clicking through a photo gallery dedicated to the polar bear cub the Toronto Zoo unveiled last week? Nobody, that’s who. Check out five sweet, cuddly (and downright shameless) pics right now »
Look, it’s Friday. You’re probably not going to be that productive anyway, so you might as well waste your time on something enlightening. Toronto’s TEDxTalks are being broadcast online today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and there are some big names and big ideas that are worth a listen. Up first was wunderkind Bilaal Rajan, who we profiled saving the world two years ago. National Ballet School CEO Jeff Melanson, whom you may remember from his brief stint as arts and culture advisor to Rob Ford, talks at 4:50 p.m. And if you’re feeling a touch nostalgic, David Miller is the last speaker on the schedule. Of course, there are plenty of other talks from plenty of other influential Torontonians throughout the day. Watch online [TEDxToronto] »
Councillor Josh Matlow (Image: Toronto.ca)
One of the issues that Josh Matlow has been following is decidedly outside of his ward: the proposed quarry in Melancthon (about 100 kilometres north of Toronto) that could become one of the largest in North America. Matlow previously asked the executive committee at city hall, in turn, to ask the province to force an environmental assessment of the proposed “mega-quarry” project, but before the committee could even meet, the Ontario government beat them to the punch.
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A bloody but supposedly uninjured man appeared in court yesterday in a wheelchair and with only one shoe after allegedly dragging a police officer behind his car for 75 metres. As the story goes, Stephan Cummings reversed while an officer was leaning into his open driver’s-side door and dragged the officer behind him (the incident sounds surprisingly similar incident to a fatal one in June, so we’re relieved to learn the officer’s injuries, although serious, are not life threatening). According to a police statement, Cummings escaped uninjured, but the blood, the wheelchair and the missing shoe seem to suggest otherwise. That said, with the basic details of this case confirmed and a man in custody, we request that the Star turn its reportorial attention to the fate of that missing footwear in hopes that it contains some crucial evidence and fodder for excellent headlines. Until then, we’ll be waiting for, uh, the other shoe to drop. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
As if these weren’t ubiquitous already (Image: Matthew Ingram)
For your Friday afternoon stalking viewing pleasure, take a look at this cool website, dreamed up by the folks at, er, Tourism Toronto (we were surprised too). With features like the Streetcam and CityView, Trending Toronto logs Toronto-related tweets in real time.
The Streetcam offers a street-level account of what Torontonians are tweeting about, while the City View provides a detailed bird’s-eye map of Toronto, allowing viewers to navigate the city and see where people are going. It almost makes up for last summer’s Toronto ad campaign in the New Yorker featuring the city’s most recognizable fixtures, drunk-kids-in-a-limo.
Wiarton Willie saw a winter this big (Image: Explore the Bruce)
The groundhogs have weighed in, and it’s nearly unanimous: Punxsutawney Phil, Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam all failed to see their shadows today, declaring that Canada and the U.S. would see an early spring. With arbitrary, superstitious consensus like that, it’s a sure thing, right?
Not so much. Check out this quote from the website of Alberta’s Balzac Billy.
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Aside from the boilerplate nature of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech last night in Toronto—it was filled with his usual catchphrases, such as “girly men” and “I’ll be back”—the former chief executive of California bragged about his unique status among politicians. The National Post was there to hear it: “I know that this is a place where so many speakers come through. I’m very much aware of the Henry Kissingers and the George Bushes and the Bill Clintons… But I am somewhat unique… George Bush didn’t dance with Danny DeVito. Or, for instance, how many of them were naked in Terminator 3? … How many have been pregnant, like I was in the movie Junior?”
Here’s a surprisingly effective PR campaign. (Let’s be honest, right?) A GTA couple signed up to let a Facebook group vote on what their unborn daughter’s name would be. The winner, as of the child’s birthday? The surprisingly pleasant “Melania.” The Toronto Star reports:
The vote was organized by FabFind, a four-month-old daily deals website. CEO Bill Heilmann said more than 22,000 people — some from as far away as South Africa, China and Brazil — voted to name little Melania.
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“Cellphones? We want it! Computers from the pre-Internet age? We want it! TVs encased in mahogany? We want it!” It’s rare that a municipal ad campaign gets it right, but when it does, the world sits up and takes notice. That’s the case with Toronto’s “We Want It” Web ads, in which a burly pair of guys named Chuck and Vince implore viewers to recycle their used electronics.
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It’s video like this (at left) that makes us want to learn more about Latin American politics. In a soccer match designed to show that Bolivian president Evo Morales and his main political rival could play hard but still keep it clean, things went a bit awry when Morales kneed Luis Revilla hard, and where it counts. It might be a big fail when it comes to keeping it clean on the pitch, but it’s a big win in terms of YouTube hits right now (10,129, and it’s been posted less than a day).
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