Margin Notes: Cherry Trees, Media, Wappler

Japanese Cherry Trees were in full bloom at High Park in Toronto, Ontario on 22-April-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I spend a remarkably small amount of time in High Park, despite its proximity to my residence and all the natural attractions there. One of those features are the Japanese Cherry Trees which I had never seen in bloom any of the years I have lived here. The trees were not in bloom when I walked through High Park on 16-April, but when I returned this Thursday, there they were; it wasn't as impressive as Washington DC, but it was neat.

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The High Park cherry blossoms were even mentioned this year on CBC's local Metro Morning morning show, but it was another CBC host that alarmed me this week. I realize he is on a book tour, but did any other Canadians get nervous when Terry O'Reilly of the Age of Persuasion appeared on NPR's All Things Considered on Saturday? All we need is to lose one of the more entertaining Canadian media voices to the United States...

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Speaking of things heard on NPR, I was surprised to find more evidence that Green Day's "American Idiot" album may be becoming one of the more influential albums of the last decade. It inspired what is arguably the best mash-up of all time, The Boulevard of Broken Songs by Party Ben, and now it's being turned into a musical, as reported on Weekend Edition Saturday.

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A White Fallow Deer enjoyed his afternoon snack at the High Park Zoo in Toronto, Ontario on 22-April-2010.

I doubt this White Fallow Deer buck was feeling alienated at High Park on Thursday. In fact, it rather looked like he was really enjoying some exquisite straw.

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If this were a more popular blog, someone would probably complain that I showed a picture of a buck instead of a doe. I have taken some heat in the past for not including enough female voices on my ideal radio schedule and my weekly radio picks. Thus, I want to point out this week that it was an absolute pleasure to listen to Jane Clayson sit in for Tom Ashbrook on WBUR and NPR's On Point. She's someone that deserves her own current affairs radio program.

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Finally, I would like to note the passing of Harry Wappler, the long-time weatherman at KIRO-TV in Seattle, Washington. I grew up watching Wappler's weather forecasts, and while many suspected that he actually liked rain, at his prime he tended to be notably more accurate than his peers. Seattle weather forecasts haven't been the same since he retired in 2002. While I was too young to see one of the all-time great Wappler bloopers the first time it aired, this forecast with J.P. Patches may have been the most-played Wappler moment on the air. Wappler was 73; those in Seattle may be able to catch a half-hour tribute tonight at 6:30.