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who employs me
I am a staff writer with CTV.ca News. That operation is part of CTV News, which is of course nestled into CTV Inc. and CTVglobemedia.

I don't speak for my employer on this blog. I don't comment about the internal affairs of my employer.

Any views expressed here are my own.
View Article  Psst. Wanna lease a jazz supper club space?

Opal on Queen West has shut down, one of a number of downtown eateries I've seen go under in the last month or two.

What I don't know is whether it's because the concept (jazz and supper all in one place) was bad, or because people are tightening up in general on their resto spending -- with resultant casualties among the weaker operations. Opal did get a solid review from the Globe and Mail's Joanne Kates in April 2007:

Sopra is a more expensive room than Opal: It suits its proximity to Yorkville while Opal fits in on Queen Street West. For my money, the jazz being about equal, I'd take Opal any day, thanks to good basic bistro food, sensitive service and almost unbearably lovely decor -- black and whites of jazz greats on brick walls, lit by cool napkin-draped hanging halogens with a "chandelier" made of white cards (all with mysterious writing on them) clipped to transparent wires fanning out from a central light. Opal is not luxe, but the passion for jazz, food and warm welcome go a long way toward the high notes.

Ah well. It's gone now.

View Article  Buy a cookie. Help a musician.

There is a place just east of Dovercourt on College St. that has the greatest Brazilian chicken sandwich in the world! Or at least on College.

At least, in my opinion.

Churrasqueira Oliveira had the generousity of spirit to sell cookies made by a local artist -- Terri Oliver, who is trying to raise money to record an album.

She bills herself as a soul/jazz/r n' b artist. Here's her MySpace page.

So, if you are jonesing for a chicken, chocolate and sugar fix, go to this fine little Brazilian deli and pick up a sandwich and a packet of cookies. You can't go wrong with either.

More about CO:

Very strangely, that interview didn't talk about the chicken.

View Article  Fox News's hardball media relations strategy works -- in some ways

The NYT's David Carr says the "Irish, tribal" side of him admires Fox News's tenacious defence of its team. And more importantly, he says its bullying ways work ... er, make that tactically rather than strategically.

   more »
View Article  The ATI shuffle

The Globe and Mail's Gloria Galloway offers a case study of the new, streamlined access-to-information request system of the federal government.

   more »
View Article  Sometimes, Toronto drivers surprise the shit out of you

I'm at an intersection. The walk light comes on. I leave the curb.

A Toronto driver comes barrelling around the corner on a right turn.

I freeze, but, bizarrely, he comes to a halt. Not only that, he waves a little with his right hand as if to invite me to continue crossing the street. So I do -- warily.

However, he does not accelerate or try to strike me with his car. Nor does he scream "asshole!" at he or utter a guttural, Sopranos-like "go fuck yourself."

I cannot explain this aberrant behaviour.

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