May 14 2023 - Eurovision

 

Eurovision is in progress and finishes today.  It seems similar  to the Olympics with complicated processes for awarding host countries- all kinds of bidding and winning.  It says it is based on having the capacity, capability and experience to host an event this scale and complexity. Ukraine was to be the 2023 host but it is in Liverpool. Here's some info from Wikipedia:  "In addition to the main venue, the host city is also organising side events in tandem with the contest. The Eurovision Village is the official Eurovision Song Contest fan and sponsors area during the event weeks. At the Village, it is possible to watch performances by contest participants and local artists, as well as the three live shows broadcast from the main venue." The contestant for France is La Zarra from Quebec.  Celine Dionne won for Switzerland  in 1988.  ABBA won in 1974 for Sweden. I have to include the picture off ABBA - what a blast from the past! They sang "Waterloo". Graham Norton has been a Eurovision host for a while.  Here are some of his best jokes:  Norton once commented on a strobe-filled metal performance, saying: “If you’re watching with pets or sensitive older people, maybe now’s the time to put them in the utility room.” On the opening of Eurovision in 2018, Norton said: “Now it’s time for the flag ceremony. It’s a new tradition. It’s a way of making the show just that little bit longer.” Talking about Norway’s entry in 2015, the Irish TV host said: “He said he did something terrible as a boy. We don’t know what it was. It might have been write this song.” When telling BBC viewers about Italy’s 2017 performance, Norton said: “If you’re going to get someone to dress as a gorilla, at least get a decent outfit. That looks like couple of old car seats sewn together.” A nice rural image today - who left the gate open? Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

April 7th - Economists as Geometrists

The weather has been exceptional this spring - much warmer than previous years, particularly the last 2 years where we had a late and wet spring. Are we finished with snowflakes on the weather forecast?  No.  There are snow flakes with scattered flurries for next Thursday April 16th.  Last April we visited Kingston and Ottawa, and experienced the much colder weather in Eastern Ontario, with a snow storm in Ottawa.   The National Post had this headline about the economy:  What will your recovery look like?  Economists look beyond V, L and U projections in unprecedented times This article has a catchy introductory sentence:  "The global economic downturn has transformed economists into part-time geometrists"  To describe their projections, most economists turn to letters of the Latin alphabet.  A V-shaped recovery sees a steep decline in GDP being met with a rapid bounce off the bottom, whereas the dreaded L-shape spells recession, with GDP failing to return to its pre-crisis levels for years.  Here's the visual from the National Post article. Within that article was a quote that brings back memories of Monopoly:  There's going to be a price to pay for ensuring the system is saved.  There's no get out of jail free card  - that comes from David Rosenberg of Rosenberg Research & Associates.  It got me thinking about Monopoly and other fun Catch-Phrases: Corner the market  Do not pass Go  Get out of jail free  Get out of jail free card  Go directly to jail, do not pass go Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200 Here's the field where yesterday's Queen Anne's Lace was blooming.  It may look like a rural setting, but just beyond the crest of the hill is the QEW highway.

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Urban Abstractions - an Update

I look for abstracts to be found in the urban and rural landscape of decays, dents, peeling paint and paper, and any kinds of wear and tear.

Here are a few found in Niagara:

Dents on a sign at the Lake, Vineland Ontario.

"Abstract in Yellow"

Decay in cement:

"Red Moon Blue"

Glue remains on a wall in St. Catharines after the signs are gone.

"Even Strokes"

A City in a Park

A City in a Park.  That's the slogan that's on many of Toronto's park signs.  If you turn your head to the right as you drive over the Mimico Creek Bridge on Bloor Street in Toronto Ontario Canada, this is what you'll see.  It looks like a pastoral rural scene, not a busy city centre.  Yet Toronto is a city of ravines with parks  and also the largest city in Canada.  And this combination makes it a comfortable and pleasant place to live.

Of course I had to pay to park to take this photo, as this is Toronto with its forest of parking meters, but I'd stopped in at Vince's, the little grocery shop, to buy a few things and took advantage of the benefit of all of these worlds at once.


   Where are your favourite parks and scenic landscapes in and about Toronto?  I would love to hear about them...