spring sun

Morning Brew: Street Food, Songbirds and Blue Jays

Photo: "...hay cosas que escribo en el aire..." by girltravel, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

The three decade Sri Lankan civil war appears over and reports from the island suggest the Tamils have resigned defeat, but the tune is a little different here in Toronto. The numbers are down and the chants more muted, but our band of Tamil protesters have not hung up the signposts just yet, and aren't convinced the Tamil leader is actually dead. I've been loving the protests, and may even miss them, but I can't help but wonder how much violence could have been averted if more officials had listened to the protesters.

Toronto street food carts now have more than tube steaks and Lauren gave the new food on offer a thumbs up... mostly at least. Biriyani, souvlaki and fajita are a far cry from the undersized sausages on oversized buns, or at least should be, but restaurant critic extraordinaire Corey Mintz is less than impressed. I'll keep an open mind until I try for myself, but bureaucracy + food carts is a recipe for disaster in my book.

The city implemented its ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides in 2004 and the health committee will meet today to pat each other on the back and claim success, with 60% fewer homeowners reporting pesticide use. Etobicoke Centre's Doug Holyday doesn't like the ban, though, because he believes dandelion quantity is up and the ban amounts to a token. Because not putting chemicals on our land - the land our children play on - is a token? [Bonus content for the link above: new "obsequious" TTC ads thank Premier McGuinty for LRT funding]

Tens of thousands of songbirds flock to Toronto as part of their annual migration. Tommy Thompson Park (or Leslie Street Spit) researchers have documented 308 different species on the island, but cannot explain exactly why the birds stop. It would be cool to visit the park to see all the birds, but I think I'll be sure to wear a wide-brimmed hat.

The surprising Blue Jays completed their sweep of the White Sox yesterday, further establishing themselves as the best team in the American League. Next up are the Red Sox which should be a barometer of just how good the Jays are. But good news for Jays fans still not going to the park: TSN2 games will now be available on Rogers cable.


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