This one takes the cake. It’s Santa, soliciting custom letters for your kids. Must be tough feeding the reindeer and keeping unionized elf staff when the economy is in the dumpster.

The best part? When you try to unsubscribe, a bright red screen fills you with insurmountable guilt over your child’s unfulfilled wish.

I am going to save this one along with “Easter bunny pâté – on sale at 30% off”.

Amongst likely voters who have decided who they would vote for, 45.6 per cent say they would make Ford the next mayor.

Via CTV

It boggles my mind someone like Rob Ford can have so much support in the city. Why? Actually, wait, I’m not all that surprised. Granted, I’m not a huge fan of other candidates (all of them), but Ford is an illiterate clown. I am not going to dissect his platform in this post, but I do want to give you an idea of how the reported support statistics give us a skewed idea of his widespread support.

• There are 1.5 million electors in Toronto’s municipal election.
• Population of Toronto is close to 2.5 million.
• Voter turnout in the 2006 election was 39% – 585,000 in today’s population.

Assuming a similar turnout, I estimate that 46% Rob Ford votes will come from approximately 269,100 city residents (46% of 585,000). Based on that assumption, we are letting approximately 11% of Toronto residents elect Rob Ford to lead this world-class city.

Ford doesn’t seem all that popular once you break down the numbers. But obviously he struck the right chord with quite a few voters. There is no easy answer to who should lead Toronto -  selecting the right candidate isn’t easy when the choices are so limited. Unfortunately I don’t find the other candidates to be more promising so it’s a tough choice to make.

But, there is a real possibility of Rob Ford becoming a mayor. And that’s scary (to me).

Whether you support him or not, take a look at the data, do some research and take 15 minutes out of your day to make an educated vote – don’t let others do it for you. Otherwise you let the 11% minority opinion run your city for the next 4 years. I am an eligible voter and taxpayer and believe that he doesn’t represent the majority opinion in this city.

Statistics: City of Toronto, CTV
Photo: CCUE

WIND, the first new mobile service provider to enter the Canadian market in ten years, launched in Toronto and Calgary in December of 2009 and was expected to provide fresh competition in the Canadian wireless market by offering low-cost plans and services as an alternative to Bell Mobility, Telus and Rogers Wireless which have dominated the Canadian market for decades. Canadians have long complained of high cellphone bills in comparison to much of the world and many consumers were expecting WIND to make a dent in mobile service prices by introducing low rates and forcing competitors to follow suit, but it doesn’t seem like to be the case so far.

The other day I was asked by Brand New to write a critique on an identity for Wind, a new mobile provider in Canada. You can read the full article here.

1. I sure hope I land on my feet. Are the chances that slim?
2. Judging by the harness and the type of parachute, it’s most likely a tourist being dragged behind a boat somewhere in the Caribbean.

What are you trying to say, Ryerson?

“Our hidden charges get porked.”
“Our low mortgage rates butchered your landlord.”
“Let us meat your banking needs.”
“Don’t settle for the wurst interest rates.”

What an odd choice of a line.

Solving crosswords with determination and concentration of a Zen master, he leisurely smiles at passersby with astuteness of a lobotomy patient. Is he an undercover agent? Is he staking out a dangerous criminal? What is his purpose? I was curious – will he notice people walking through? Will he check the fare that comes into the cash box? Not likely. The next person walking in threw her fare in the box and the collector kept on going with the crossword. And it wouldn’t be the first time. The volume at the station is low enough for another turnstile to handle, even during rush hour – where is the key to this mystery?

You know what? I am not going to be bitter about it. I don’t want the poor guy to lose his job or get in trouble – I am going to go with the flow and offer myself as a viable candidate for an incredible opportunity such as this. I’m just going to come out and say it – dear councilor Adam Giambrone, can I apply for a job at TTC? I will beat any collector in a crossword-solving competition, thus proving myself worthy of the best job in the world.

And hey, I will even blog and tweet about it! Island Caretaker will have nothing on me.

Drop me a line!

University of Toronto made a pretty poor design decision by fading out St. Michael’s lower extremities in the hospital logo. To me it looks like he’s taking a leak. To others it might look like something else, not so uncommon amongst sexual deviants in Toronto downtown parks. Here is my artistic rendition of what I see every time I pass by the hospital:

There is also a massive billboard adoring the wall of the hospital – in this one steamy clouds are rising as St. Michael is taking a satisfying urban leak on our great city of Toronto. “$5 if you can hit the CN Tower!”

Below is what the original statue in the lobby of St. Michael’s looks like. This photo was taken by a Flickr user jp1958. If you have the time, you can  read a brief touching story about the statue and it’s importance to the hospital on St. Michael’s website.

Now, traditionally, St. Michael is portrayed treading on Satan or a serpent, carrying a banner, scales, and sword. A good example is a painting by Guido Reni.

Why did the University of Toronto and the hospital make this poor choice? Who knows, but it makes me wonder how many sets of eyes have seen what I see. And how many hospital admins thought this was a great rendition of the logo and rubber-stamped it all the way to the billboard.

Disclaimer: I have no doubt that St. Michael’s Hospital is a fantastic teaching hospital that does a lot of great work. I would not hesitate to be treated there in case of a medical mishap. Unfortunately, it does not reflect in their logo. It does not do their symbol great justice. Instead it opens up it’s interpretation to various wondering, perverted minds, like mine.

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Via Triblle Agency