Margin Notes: Photos, Chetzy, Weather

Are these locomotives hungry, or did we invite them for dinner? Two locomotives owned by the city of Toronto, Ontario were posed just outside the Leon's furniture store in the John Street Roundhouse for a photo shoot on 20-March-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I spent the first half of the day yesterday orchestrating the movement of Toronto Railway Heritage Centre equipment for a photo shoot at John Street Roundhouse, and then putting the pieces back in their places afterward. It took a team of five of us to move the three locomotives and various maintenance equipment into the appropriate positions outside Leon's furniture store for a requested photo shoot from inside the store. It certainly led to a unique sight, with three very distinct locomotive faces peering inside the store, as if they were shoppers wanting to be allowed inside.

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Speaking of transportation pictures, the new Washington state ferry "Chetzemoka" has been launched at Todd shipyards in Seattle, Washington. A variety of photos are posted on this thread on the West Coast Ferries Forum. It seems believable that the vessel may enter service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route this summer, allowing the state to return the "Steilacoom II" leased from Pierce County.

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It's hard to look ahead to summer when the temperatures are heading downward again in Toronto. After temperatures reached 18.5 C on Thursday (that's 65 F), there were actually snow flurries on Saturday and it is expected to freeze tonight. Spring may have officially started yesterday, but it already visited and has decided to leave for awhile.

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Whether it feels like spring or not, Earth Hour is coming next weekend. From 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time across the world, various cities and civic groups are calling for people to turn out lights and other energy-using appliances and walk with their neighbours for an hour on Saturday, 27-March-2010.

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Graffiti or art? This painting was located on a pedestrian bridge over the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario on 11-March-2010

This guy isn't going anywhere, nor is he going to do anything for Earth Hour. This resemblance of a monk has been painted on a bridge pillar at the Humber River for some time now, and has been the subject of debates of whether it is art or graffiti. One thing it isn't--unless there's a new gang centered on Buddhism--is an example of tagging.

Margin Notes: Earth Hour, Trains Restored, CBC

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Toronto Hydro's figures are out, and power use was down 15% during Earth Hour last night. On today's Dr. Joe Show on CJAD and CFRB, host Dr. Joe Schwarcz read a letter pointing out that in areas were power comes primarily from hydroelectric and nuclear power, Earth Hour actually results in increased carbon emissions, as candles emit carbon dioxide and the sources of electricity do not. Somebody seems to have missed the point that the event is designed to raise environmental awareness, not reduce carbon emissions--as a joke on This Hour Has 22 Minutes put it a few weeks ago, the event would delay the end of the Earth "by one hour." Perhaps the most amusing take on the event was on blogTO, which had the headline "Earth Hour Makes Like the TSX: Power Use Drops 15%". There's nothing like the economy to keep things in perspective.

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As people continue to look for signs of what is happening with the economy, some very strange indicators are being cited. I've been known to cite the amount of traffic I see on freight trains and the operating pattern of railroads. The Canadian Pacific had apparently stopped running its daytime "Expressway" trains carrying trailers between Toronto and Montreal earlier this year, leaving only the overnight "Expressway" trains running. However, I saw train #122 from Toronto to Montreal starting its journey just after daybreak on Friday morning, so the daytime trains are back--and there were quite a number of Canadian Tire trailers on the thirty-platform train, implying that the retailer may be seeing some strength in the economy.

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CBC/Radio-Canada has certainly been affected by the economy, announcing cutbacks this week that included 800 layoffs. One question raised by the cuts is what CBC Radio One will broadcast in the early afternoon. If regional noon shows will only be an hour long, that opens up the 1-2 pm hour in many markets, and if "The Point" is being canceled, that opens up 2-3 pm or 2-3:30 pm, depending on the market, leaving at least a ninety minute hole in the afternoon. My guess? The current 11 pm programs (repeats of weekend programming from Quirks and Quarks to Writers and Company to Vinyl Tap) will be run at 1 pm, introducing them to yet another audience. Then, from 2 onward, a national program will be made up of "best-of" morning shows from across the country. In Toronto, it would be nice to hear the best interviews from Rick Cluff, Jim Brown, Kathleen Petty, Don Connolly and other regional and local hosts around the country, and we can share Andy Barrie. All it would cost the CBC is a little production time.

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Public radio stations in many areas in the United States are reminding listeners what it costs to listen to them through fund-raising drives. One interesting comment heard during KUOW-Seattle's fund drive last week was "Conversation" host Ross Reynolds saying that when he hears legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, he thinks of tote bags, a common premium for giving to public radio. Come to think of it, I'm surprised NPR hasn't sold Totenberg Tote Bags.

Margin Notes: Stock Tips, iPhone Envy, Earth

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Canadians probably had an eerie feeling this week as they watched US President Barack Obama at a press conference on Tuesday say that "Profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you’ve got a long-term perspective on it." Back in October during an interview with the CBC's Peter Mansbridge during the campaign, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that he believed there were "probably some great buying opportunities out there." The statement was heavily criticized for being out-of-touch with average Canadians--and we all know what's happened to North American stock markets since October. Obama's quote was not substantively different than Harper's--draw your own conclusions about the validity of the advice and whether the same criticisms apply.

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Unfortunately for the Republicans, their public statements sound even less rational than Obama's. While Rush Limbaugh could perhaps be expected to stick to ideology, the same basic message was being voiced by Newt Gingrich today on NBC's Meet the Press as well as by other Republicans at a time when they probably should be listening to moderates in their ranks; I've already praised David Brooks enough. A caller to the Dave Ross Show on KIRO-FM in Seattle summed it up best: "When I listen to Republicans, it's like a Miller Lite commercial, except instead of 'Tastes Great' and 'Less Filling' they're saying 'Lower Taxes' and 'Less Government.'"

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I don't know if Bill Gates and his family would take the side of lower taxes or less government (or if they are even Obama supporters), but a CNET report this week broke the news that Melinda Gates and their children have iPhone and iPod envy. The family has reportedly decided not to buy any Apple products in favor of Microsoft products, but are increasingly jealous of friends' iPhones. Then, of course, there are those of us that don't even have a "smart" phone of any kind.

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Interestingly, cell phones do not need to be turned off during Earth Hour, which for those planning ahead is scheduled for 8:30 pm local time on Saturday, 28-March-2009. This year, organizers are characterizing the act of turning off one's lights for an hour to be a "vote" for Earth instead of global warming. Considering that most people don't vote in any election and not voting is equivalent to a vote against Earth, I'm expecting the planet to lose this one.