Kaleidoscope Painter
A cool painting tool. Killed at least 5 minutes of my time!
Don Pyle: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1899
21 hours ago
Monday, June 06, 2005
Man misses his own funeral
TorontoSun.com - Canada - Man misses his own funeral
Not to be too cruel to the family, but we all know things can get lost in the mail, so why would you trust Canada Post 100% to handle a package like this?
Just asking.
As for Canada Posts' $600 value on this package, is it possible to have it appraised again? It seems a little on the cheap side. Perhaps some government sponsorship money could be added. Right, this family is probably not a friend of the Liberals. :)
Not to be too cruel to the family, but we all know things can get lost in the mail, so why would you trust Canada Post 100% to handle a package like this?
Just asking.
As for Canada Posts' $600 value on this package, is it possible to have it appraised again? It seems a little on the cheap side. Perhaps some government sponsorship money could be added. Right, this family is probably not a friend of the Liberals. :)
Hospital Funding Lowest In York
So now the provincial government is shortchanging the Toronto area for health care. York Region alone, as this story notes, on a per capita basis receives $554.00 less than the provincial average. The overall shortfall across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is $544 million dollars every year. Think about what hospitals could do with that money.
On top of that York Region in the past has been the fastest growing region in not just Ontario, but all of Canada. The hospitals have not really kept up to the growth. Hence the 94% occupancy rate of the hospitals. This is nearing dangerous levels as this may already result in backed up Emergency Rooms because some hospitals may not be able to admit patients due to lack of bed space in some high demand departments.
Southlake Regional Hospital (formerly the York County Hospital) in Newmarket is, along with the communities it serves are undertaking an enormous expansion and renovating its current facilities. Much of the money has been raised at the local level by various service clubs, corporate donors and individuals. There is a large community involvement in York Region towards expansion projects.
What is missing is the money to maintain the day to day operations of the hospital. What will happen to the hospital's funding once the new buildings open? The newly expanded Southlake Regional Health Centre will require more employees because the hospital will require more doctors, nurses, cleaners and other employees. Add on top of this the new cancer centre Southlake has been awarded by the province. More money will be required. Yet in recent years, as noted in the article, the province continues to underfund York Region hospitals including Southlake. So when Dalton McGuinty goes after the federal Liberal government for a better deal for Ontario, McGuinty should make sure if a deal is struck that some of this new money trickles down. The money is obviously needed in the Greater Toronto area and especially in high growth areas like York Region that need funding for provincial responsibilities like health care.
Lets also remember that the City of Toronto is also heavily voted Liberal in both the last federal and provincial elections. So both the federal and provincial Liberals had better start paying attention. I don't mean make empty promises to do something. We have seen that at the federal and provincial levels over the Toronto Waterfront that has lead to money being spent on a corporation that has done absolutely nothing in terms of redevelopment except release plans. Why has the corporation done nothing yet spends millions of dollars a year? Because it cannot get the province (or its related ministries), the feds (or its related ministries) and the city to come to an agreement. Mere empty promises with nothing to show for it.
Take note provincial finance minister and Liberal MPP Greg Sorbara of this fiscal shortfall that York Region is experiencing in health care and other possible funding issues. Otherwise, Mr. Sorbara, MPP for Vaughan-King-Aurora (which is all in York Region) you may find yourself without a provincial seat to sit in come the next election because that seat may change from Liberal red to Conservative blue. Why not NDP orange to get more funding? That is highly unlikely since the constituency and its past incarnations (due to population increases the borders have been changed several times) has historically never voted NDP. So best of luck Mr. Sorbara.
Traber, Chris. “Hospital funding lowest in York.” The Era-Banner. 5 May 2005. Online. Internet. 6 June 2005. Available: http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/story/2760120p-3194829c.html
On top of that York Region in the past has been the fastest growing region in not just Ontario, but all of Canada. The hospitals have not really kept up to the growth. Hence the 94% occupancy rate of the hospitals. This is nearing dangerous levels as this may already result in backed up Emergency Rooms because some hospitals may not be able to admit patients due to lack of bed space in some high demand departments.
Southlake Regional Hospital (formerly the York County Hospital) in Newmarket is, along with the communities it serves are undertaking an enormous expansion and renovating its current facilities. Much of the money has been raised at the local level by various service clubs, corporate donors and individuals. There is a large community involvement in York Region towards expansion projects.
What is missing is the money to maintain the day to day operations of the hospital. What will happen to the hospital's funding once the new buildings open? The newly expanded Southlake Regional Health Centre will require more employees because the hospital will require more doctors, nurses, cleaners and other employees. Add on top of this the new cancer centre Southlake has been awarded by the province. More money will be required. Yet in recent years, as noted in the article, the province continues to underfund York Region hospitals including Southlake. So when Dalton McGuinty goes after the federal Liberal government for a better deal for Ontario, McGuinty should make sure if a deal is struck that some of this new money trickles down. The money is obviously needed in the Greater Toronto area and especially in high growth areas like York Region that need funding for provincial responsibilities like health care.
Lets also remember that the City of Toronto is also heavily voted Liberal in both the last federal and provincial elections. So both the federal and provincial Liberals had better start paying attention. I don't mean make empty promises to do something. We have seen that at the federal and provincial levels over the Toronto Waterfront that has lead to money being spent on a corporation that has done absolutely nothing in terms of redevelopment except release plans. Why has the corporation done nothing yet spends millions of dollars a year? Because it cannot get the province (or its related ministries), the feds (or its related ministries) and the city to come to an agreement. Mere empty promises with nothing to show for it.
Take note provincial finance minister and Liberal MPP Greg Sorbara of this fiscal shortfall that York Region is experiencing in health care and other possible funding issues. Otherwise, Mr. Sorbara, MPP for Vaughan-King-Aurora (which is all in York Region) you may find yourself without a provincial seat to sit in come the next election because that seat may change from Liberal red to Conservative blue. Why not NDP orange to get more funding? That is highly unlikely since the constituency and its past incarnations (due to population increases the borders have been changed several times) has historically never voted NDP. So best of luck Mr. Sorbara.
Works Cited
Traber, Chris. “Hospital funding lowest in York.” The Era-Banner. 5 May 2005. Online. Internet. 6 June 2005. Available: http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/story/2760120p-3194829c.html
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Central Park: the second installment
Today I finished up my tour of Central Park. It was a warm and sunny day with the temperature around 29 degrees celcius. I travelled up to West 72nd Street and Central Park West to Strawberry Fields. Then I made my way through Central Park to Fifth Avenue stopping at various locations along the way.
Once I got to Fifth Avenue, I noticed a parade was in progress. You never know in New York City when a parade is going to erupt. Anyway, I walked the parade route (behind the crowds) to Grand Central, after stopping off at Wendy's for a Frosty.
Anyway, here is what I came across along the way:
"Imagine all the people..." a mosaic dedicated to the Beatles' John Lennon in Strawberry Fields (72nd street and Central Park West).
All the countries that contributed to the landscaping of Strawberry Fields following the death of John Lennon.
Shakespeare's Garden with the Swedish Cottage.
Shakespeare's Garden.
Shakespeare's Garden with the Swedish Cottage.
Belvedere Castle. Belvedere Castle is home the National Weather Service's weather station for Central Park and Manhatten's Weather Station readings off the top of the tower (at right in the photo).
Turtle Pond from Belevedere Castle with the Upper East Side buildings in the background.
Delacorte Theatre. Home of the summertime Shakespearian Plays. Meryle Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Helen Hunt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline have performed here.
Turtle pond from the top of Belvedere Castle. The Great Lawn of Central Park is just to left in the picture.
A look at the Upper East Side skyline from the top of Belvedere Castle.
A look at the Great Lawn of Central Park from Belvedere Castle.
Another look at Delacorte Theater from the top of Belvedere castle along with the buildings of Upper West Side in the background.
A look at the buildings of Upper West Side from the top of Belvedere Castle.
A look at the Great Lawn of Central Park.
Belvedere Castle and Turtle Pond looking south from the Great Lawn.
The Great Lawn, another view.
Cleopatra's Needle, located at the rear of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This obelisk began life in Heliopolis, Egypt around 1600 B.C. and somehow landed in New York's Central Park.
Once I got to Fifth Avenue, I noticed a parade was in progress. You never know in New York City when a parade is going to erupt. Anyway, I walked the parade route (behind the crowds) to Grand Central, after stopping off at Wendy's for a Frosty.
Anyway, here is what I came across along the way:
"Imagine all the people..." a mosaic dedicated to the Beatles' John Lennon in Strawberry Fields (72nd street and Central Park West).
All the countries that contributed to the landscaping of Strawberry Fields following the death of John Lennon.
Shakespeare's Garden with the Swedish Cottage.
Shakespeare's Garden.
Shakespeare's Garden with the Swedish Cottage.
Belvedere Castle. Belvedere Castle is home the National Weather Service's weather station for Central Park and Manhatten's Weather Station readings off the top of the tower (at right in the photo).
Turtle Pond from Belevedere Castle with the Upper East Side buildings in the background.
Delacorte Theatre. Home of the summertime Shakespearian Plays. Meryle Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Helen Hunt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline have performed here.
Turtle pond from the top of Belvedere Castle. The Great Lawn of Central Park is just to left in the picture.
A look at the Upper East Side skyline from the top of Belvedere Castle.
A look at the Great Lawn of Central Park from Belvedere Castle.
Another look at Delacorte Theater from the top of Belvedere castle along with the buildings of Upper West Side in the background.
A look at the buildings of Upper West Side from the top of Belvedere Castle.
A look at the Great Lawn of Central Park.
Belvedere Castle and Turtle Pond looking south from the Great Lawn.
The Great Lawn, another view.
Cleopatra's Needle, located at the rear of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This obelisk began life in Heliopolis, Egypt around 1600 B.C. and somehow landed in New York's Central Park.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth."
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted." -- Tuesdays with Morrie.
I started reading a book my roomate gave to me considering I now have so much spare time because of the resignation of my position from my school.
She gave me a book titled Tuesday's with Morrie and I came across the above quote on page 40 of the book. After reading the above quote on the Brooklyn Promenade, I stopped for about five minutes to think about my life.
Coming in August I will have been working in New York City for about a year. What a year it has been! There have been up times (like getting the job on my birthday in 2003) and down times (having to resign my position from the school because of school politics) and everything in between. I have felt both joy and depression, sometimes even in the same week. In other words my life is just like a rubber band being pulled back and forth.
At the beginning of the school year in September, I thought the school I was working at was going to be great place to spend most of my teaching career. Then by mid-April I realized that the school had some issues that were festering and were going to explode. Just like a rubber band, eventually the problems I was having at the school snapped and I had to split.
I will never take life for granted anymore. I am going to enjoy every day as much as possible. That was one reason I decided to become a teacher I guess. To show the world of literature can be interesting to students, to see students grab a book or newly learned concept and then stand back as their faces light up. Sharing passions with others is perhaps the best thing we can do with each other. These passions can range from gardening to reading to baseball to simply enjoying a nice subway ride to who knows where because you have never been there before. Why enjoy these things? Because, just like Morrie, who knows when you may not be able to do these things anymore.
These are the things I hope to bring to my students at Sheepshead Bay High School in the fall of 2005. The joy of adventure through reading and writing. To share in my passions. As I always tell my students, "all I am asking for you to do is to try." Try things out for the first time, see if you like it, learn from an expert if you can.
I am by no means an excellent photographer. But I want to share my adventures with people who are interested in what I am doing. Thus, I am finding that I am taking my camera with me on my adventures throughout New York City. Why do I take my camera? Because I don't want to take this city for granted. New York City is a magical place year round with lots of things to see and do. Many of these things are posted on my blog as well as on my website. I don't want to take New York City for granted just because I live here. Why? Who knows what will happen in the future and where the rubber band of life might take me.
I started reading a book my roomate gave to me considering I now have so much spare time because of the resignation of my position from my school.
She gave me a book titled Tuesday's with Morrie and I came across the above quote on page 40 of the book. After reading the above quote on the Brooklyn Promenade, I stopped for about five minutes to think about my life.
Coming in August I will have been working in New York City for about a year. What a year it has been! There have been up times (like getting the job on my birthday in 2003) and down times (having to resign my position from the school because of school politics) and everything in between. I have felt both joy and depression, sometimes even in the same week. In other words my life is just like a rubber band being pulled back and forth.
At the beginning of the school year in September, I thought the school I was working at was going to be great place to spend most of my teaching career. Then by mid-April I realized that the school had some issues that were festering and were going to explode. Just like a rubber band, eventually the problems I was having at the school snapped and I had to split.
I will never take life for granted anymore. I am going to enjoy every day as much as possible. That was one reason I decided to become a teacher I guess. To show the world of literature can be interesting to students, to see students grab a book or newly learned concept and then stand back as their faces light up. Sharing passions with others is perhaps the best thing we can do with each other. These passions can range from gardening to reading to baseball to simply enjoying a nice subway ride to who knows where because you have never been there before. Why enjoy these things? Because, just like Morrie, who knows when you may not be able to do these things anymore.
These are the things I hope to bring to my students at Sheepshead Bay High School in the fall of 2005. The joy of adventure through reading and writing. To share in my passions. As I always tell my students, "all I am asking for you to do is to try." Try things out for the first time, see if you like it, learn from an expert if you can.
I am by no means an excellent photographer. But I want to share my adventures with people who are interested in what I am doing. Thus, I am finding that I am taking my camera with me on my adventures throughout New York City. Why do I take my camera? Because I don't want to take this city for granted. New York City is a magical place year round with lots of things to see and do. Many of these things are posted on my blog as well as on my website. I don't want to take New York City for granted just because I live here. Why? Who knows what will happen in the future and where the rubber band of life might take me.
A Walk in Central Park...
I went for a short afternoon walk through Central Park. Here is what I saw along the way:
The Pond in Central Park looking southward from the Gapstow Bridge.
The Pond looking southward from Gapstow Bridge. The green roofed building is the Plaza Hotel.
The Friedssam Memorial Carousel. Moved to Central Park in 1951. THe Carousel is the second oldest carousel located on the East coast in North America.
A look at the carousel's horses.
Sheep Meadow looking North-Westward.
The Mall (a.ka. Literary Walk) through the middle of Central park shaded by the largest collection of American elms in North America. You may recognize this scene from movies.
The Bethesda Fountain. Also seen on many movies.
A close look at the Bethesda Fountain.
A reverse look at the Bethesda fountain (facing south).
"The Lake" from behind the Bethesda Fountain facing North-Westward.
A look at "Cherry Hill". Formerly a water fountain for horses.
A look at "The Lake" from Cherry Hill. Looking North-West.
The Pond in Central Park looking southward from the Gapstow Bridge.
The Pond looking southward from Gapstow Bridge. The green roofed building is the Plaza Hotel.
The Friedssam Memorial Carousel. Moved to Central Park in 1951. THe Carousel is the second oldest carousel located on the East coast in North America.
A look at the carousel's horses.
Sheep Meadow looking North-Westward.
The Mall (a.ka. Literary Walk) through the middle of Central park shaded by the largest collection of American elms in North America. You may recognize this scene from movies.
The Bethesda Fountain. Also seen on many movies.
A close look at the Bethesda Fountain.
A reverse look at the Bethesda fountain (facing south).
"The Lake" from behind the Bethesda Fountain facing North-Westward.
A look at "Cherry Hill". Formerly a water fountain for horses.
A look at "The Lake" from Cherry Hill. Looking North-West.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Welcome to Sheepshead Bay High School....
Sheepshead Bay High School
So I went into a job interview at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn not expecting much. Why? Cause heck after all I have been throught this year I figured I shouldn't expect much.
Well, I talked to the Assistant Principal for English for about ten to twenty minutes. Next thing I know he is praising me by saying it sounds like you are a hardworking and friendly person. I thought to myself...ok...this is different. Then he said how would you like a tour of the school? He showed me classrooms and everything else he could think of.
Then he brought me down to the Assistant Principal of Operations/Organization (or something like that) and said welcome to Sheepshead Bay High School for September. Is there anything you are missing from downtown? I replied not that I know of.
So I went into the job interview expecting nothing and got something out of it! I am eagerly looking forward to next year.
So I went into a job interview at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn not expecting much. Why? Cause heck after all I have been throught this year I figured I shouldn't expect much.
Well, I talked to the Assistant Principal for English for about ten to twenty minutes. Next thing I know he is praising me by saying it sounds like you are a hardworking and friendly person. I thought to myself...ok...this is different. Then he said how would you like a tour of the school? He showed me classrooms and everything else he could think of.
Then he brought me down to the Assistant Principal of Operations/Organization (or something like that) and said welcome to Sheepshead Bay High School for September. Is there anything you are missing from downtown? I replied not that I know of.
So I went into the job interview expecting nothing and got something out of it! I am eagerly looking forward to next year.
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