Marilyn's Photos - June 17 2026 - No Free Hockey

 

A headline more terrifying than the U.S. invading Canada?   Yes - hockey will no longer be televised free on the CBC.  That seems like an earthquake in our social and economic fabric.  It is headlined as the end of an era. I think so - it has been on for nearly 75 years on television, and 95 years overall including radio.  It is considered an essential Canadian story and in a time slot similar to a public holiday. Would you change Christmas Day?   While there are lots of things that are no longer free or available, this is particularly troublesome.  CBC owns the brand moniker Hockey Night in Canada, so while it will still show up on Rogers Sportsnet, it will have a different identity of sorts - something to be discovered when it shows up, I guess.  There are lots of articles on things that used to be free and now cost money. They aren't very serious articles, mostly complaint lists. Maybe that's the point - there are so many now. All we can do is add to the list to keep up with things.  We're in a fast-moving transition where the digital world will dominate. We really don't know how it is going to go, or maybe we do - with everything being mandatory on the digital platforms and costing more.  We could start the list of the before and after world of monetization.  I guess it would need to be a database as it would get big, fast. Part of it is that monetization has taken on a new, expanded meaning with the internet and social media.  There are descriptions of how to fast track monetization on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.  You can take YouTube courses on getting "there" fast.  What I know is that things started to accelerate within the last 10 years, and everything got under the microscope so it could generate more revenue.   It makes me wonder if RethinkX has some ideas here.  They are the disruption technology prediction company.  I seem to be wondering if monetization itself is going to turn out to be the most disruptive technology of all.

This is rose season.  These are from the Portland Rose Garden years ago - an astonishing collection of historic roses.  The garden preserved old varieties during the second world war.   Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - June 16 2026 - Enter the Cat

 

Today's Globe and Mail has a picture of the Mexican soccer team's mascot, a duck.  The duck is named Merlin and has its own custom Mexican national soccer jersey.   The British press covered a story about a ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet where a stray cat walked on stage during Romeo's death scene.  The performance was in an open-air theatre.  Romeo and Juliet continued their scene while the cat curled up next to Romeo and played with his hair.  Tragedy turned to comedy with an "All's Well that Ends Well" air of enjoyment. There are more stories like this: In a Belarus performance of Swan Lake, a stray cat wandered onto the set, strolling among the ballerinas.   In a performance of the musical "Cats", an audience member's service dog broke free from its leash and sprinted onto the set to chase the lead actor. During a performance of Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker, a mouse went downstage, crossed the set, and disappeared under the bed that the lead actor was sitting on.

I wouldn't be surprised if June is the sweetest month, starting with lilacs, then these honeysuckles and bursting forth with roses.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - June 15 2026 - Peregrine Alert

 

The BMO Soccer field had some aerial excitement before the matches started.  A nest of Peregrine Falcons was located above the stands.  There were four hatchlings learning to fly as the crews worked to prepare the stadium.  I wouldn't want to be buzzed by one of those parents.   It was bad enough last year with a Redwing nest beside the driveway, and I had to use an umbrella to get to the car. There have been peregrines nesting at the stadium in the past so this isn't a new experience, just one with difficult timing given the FIFA games.  The birds had fledged before the start of the games so there was no direct game conflict.     Add to that, there's a resident hawk at the BMO Field and it has the job of warding off seagulls attracted to the stadium.  The bird flies in during the pre-game ceremonies and goes to its overlook position before kickoff.  The bird has the lamentable name of Bitchy.   There are a number of North American stadiums that have trained hawks that perform on the day of matches, and there are stadiums that have working falcons and hawks as pest control.  It is those nuisance gulls and geese that need clearing.  In the UK, they have to clear out the local pigeons.

The Spring hawk count happens in Grimsby each year around Easter.  Aren't you shocked by the size of an eagle up close?  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - June 14 2026 - Bumpers, Fenders and Grilles

 

I saw an old 1950s T-Bird yesterday and smiled when I saw the front end. The front grille is a big shiny thing with lights that look like they have eyelids. This one seemed to be in between grinning and frowning.  And I thought about it - front grilles in the current models seem to me to be more frowning and threatening than smiling.   I found a grille or two that look smiley.

Much more common are the menacing grilles - this one is called an "American modified shark grille"  What to think about grilles on EV cars?  Some have grille designs, others don't.  And when I looked at pictures, they all have some sort of mouth out front.  Can grilles actually disappear the way shiny bumpers and fenders did?  It seems like we prefer things with faces. We've given this a name - pareidolia.  It is a "deeply embedded neurological process."  An area called the Fusiform Face Area activates at the same level as when looking at actual human faces.   Even the all-time popular car like the VW - with  no grille.   Wouldn't we argue that it has a really big nose?  Every car seems to have a facial profile. Gerry's Porsche doesn't showcase a grille - the front end facial profile is considered a friendly face with a smile and a blunt, rounded nose. Here's he is going around the corner on Sunnylea.   Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Mairlyn's Photos - June 13 2026 - CN Tower

 

It is Doors Open Weekend and Toronto has included a guided tour of the inside of the CN Tower.  It is sold out, so we won't get to look up into the 300 metre hollow interior in person. We can get the tour in this CBC article HERE. Here's a trailer for the documentary The Tower that Built a City HERE.  And here are pictures from the construction. It was declared one of the Modern World Seven Wonders in 1995. It seems to me the wonders are the feats that have been accomplished.  Stuntman  Dar Robinson jumped off the CN Tower twice - in 1979 and 1980, first using a parachute and second time using a wire decelerator.  Then there was Dan Goodwin who used his hands and feet to climb the outside of the tower twice on the same day. When the glass floor was installed in 1994 we could all have the experience of being 342 metres from the ground. It is great to have it on the horizon across the lake - it is easy to know where Toronto is along the shoreline. Happy views of the CN Tower.

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