A Serious Note, courtesy of nihilicious...

December 6th is recognized in Canada as a "National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women".

On December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine massacred 14 female engineering students at Montreal's École Polytechnique. It was a calculated act of anti-female violence; he specifically targeted women, strangers to him, and announced his actions as an attack on feminism. It was one of the darkest days in our history--at least in my lifetime. Everyone I speak to is dumbfounded that sixteen years have passed.

You can see CBC archival footage here.

Hopefully you get a moment today to contemplate the senselessness of it all.

This is one of a very few horrifying Canadian tragedies. We've been stupendously lucky in that regard. It doesn't make us better, but hopefully makes us more sensitive to them.

Downtown Needs More PARK(ing)

courtesy of heartovmidnight

A Temporary Urban Park

One of the more critical issues facing outdoor urban human habitat is the increasing paucity of space for humans to rest, relax, or just do nothing.

For example, more than 70% of San Francisco's downtown outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm.

Feeding the meter of a parking space enables one to rent precious downtown real estate, typically on a 1/2 hour to 2 hour basis. What is the range of possible occupancy activities for this short-term lease?

Poetic Wisdom

If you open your heart to a cat and love it forever, it will eventually love you back. (link)

People Are Stupid, Tuesday Edition

Sample calls to 911:

• "What is the capital of the new territory up north, Nunavut?"
• "Hi there, I'm really sorry to bother you, I'm just not sure who else to call. I lost the number to the cellphone company. Would you happen to have that number?"
• "What are the ice conditions today? We want to go ice fishing today."
• "I live in Kitchener. I want to go to Toronto. Can you tell me how to get to Palmerston Avenue?"

Don't call 911 for directions or weather reports, police chastise