Bright Idea for Facades

Let St. Lawrence Market light up your life

A new nighttime program to light up facades in the downtown St. Lawrence Market area showcases some of Toronto's most important heritage buildings. The Flatiron Building, St. Lawrence Hall, the market itself and nearby buildings on the south side of Front Street will be lit up year-round as part of the initiative, which is intended to support tourism in the neighbourhood.

"These are some of the most photographed buildings in Toronto." said Councillor Pam McConnell, noting the lights will also make the area more appealing for city residents. Lifting the gloom that can pervade a city during the darkest months of the year is another goal.

"Lighting, especially in winter cities like Toronto, is a way to animate streets and bring life to the public realm," the city said in a news release. The switch was flipped on November 6 as part of events marking the 205th anniversary of the market and the city's 175th birthday.

from the Travel Section of the Hamilton Spectator, Saturday, November 14, 2009

What is your favourite Christmas story?

What I enjoyed about this version of A Christmas Carol is that it unbound the 'story' from decades of interpretation and returned it to our imaginations. The scenes were as dreams, fantastic and improbable. The viewer was immersed into the film as a reader of the novella should be. The identity of the actors was irrelevant, serving only as calling cards for the turnstiles. The film left me eager to reread this classic, realizing too that after more than 160 Christmases past, the story needs to be continually retold and revisited. What is your favourite Christmas story?

Building the Future on Yesterday's Foundations

An interesting conference, Building the Future on Yesterday's Foundations, will be held Tuesday, November 17th at St. Andrew's United Church in Downtown Brantford. The conference is organized by the City's Brownfield and Heritage Advisory Committees. Featured will be an exhibition of work by 76 area photographers taken Saturday, November 7 when they were permitted one-time-only access to the massive Massey industrial complex, which is slated for redevelopment. A creative way of involving the public in documenting a heritage site, in this case before it is lost. For information about the conference email ttran@brantford.ca

10 of the most significant visual artists...

Timothy Neesam of CBC News has created this list of ten of the most significant visual artists of the 2000's. Canadian artists are well represented and in good company.

... a visit from the milk man

For the past year we have been purchasing bottled milk from a vendor at the Brantford Farmer's Market. It is a little more expensive, but the quality is superior, and the market experience is always enjoyable. Wouldn't it be great if we could turn back the clock, and have goods delivered to our door again?