[URBAN NOTE] Five Toronto links: U Pass, #ossingtonbae, Hotel X, marijuana, TTC fraud

• A poster put up by a man who wanted to reconnect with another guy he saw at Ossington station has gone viral. This has the potential to be quite a cute story, I’d say. blogTO reports.
• The TTC has approved the creation of a new monthly pass program for post-secondary students, subject to approval at different universities and colleges in the city. The Toronto Star reports.
• Hotel X, at Exhibition Place, is now open for business. Good news that it’s finally open, but bad news that such an ugly tower still mars the area’s skyline. blogTO reports.
• NOW Toronto’s Samantha Edwards notes the strong possibility that marijuana smoking will be prohibited in condos come legalization. This makes sense: why wouldn’t marijuana smoking be treated like tobacco smoking?
• Toronto Life reports on a massive fraud case involving TTC workers submitting fraudulent claims for orthotics. As described, I can almost believe that some of the hundreds of workers who fired did not quite know that what they were doing was fraud.

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[PHOTO] Thirteen photos of Ossington between Queen and Dundas

The Jane’s Walk tour of the Ossington strip north from Queen to Dundas took us past many sites, from street art to trendy bars to hip charchuteries to, even, intersections I once lived near, with the Portuguese and Vietnamese legacies of this neighbourhood still apparent at places.

[PHOTO] Looking east in the tunnels at Ossington

[BLOG] Some Sunday links

• blogTO notes the growing concentration of chain stores on lower Ossington.
• The Broadside Blog’s Caitlin Kelly describes her luck in interviewing a New York City firefighter.
• Citizen Science Salon reports on a citizen science game intended to fight against Alzheimer’s.
• Language Hat starts from a report about unsold Welsh-language Scrabble games to talk about the wider position of the Welsh language.
• Lawyers, Guns and Money shares the astounding news leaked about Donald Trump’s billion-dollar losses.
• Marginal Revolution links to a psychology paper examining the perception of atheists as narcissistic.
• Towleroad reports on the informative reality television series of the United States’ gay ambassador to Denmark.
• Window on Eurasia notes how Russia’s war in Aleppo echoes past conflicts in Chechnya and Afghanistan, and examines the position of Russia’s border regions.

[BLOG] Some Thursday links

• Centauri Dreams considers, among other things, studies of Alpha Centauri.
• D-Brief talks about the unexpected chill of Venus’ poles.
• The Dragon’s Tales shares a photo of the San Francisco shoreline.
• Far Outliers notes the rare achievements of Michael the Brave.
• Joe. My. God. notes the recent finding by an American court that transgendered students are protected.
• The LRB Blog reports on the nuitards.
• Marginal Revolution notes some of the singular failure of the Brazilian economy over the past century.
• The Power and the Money’s Noel Maurer wonders why some people apparently call Russia and North Korea the 51st states.
• pollotenchegg maps election results onto declared language in Ukraine.
• Savage Minds starts a series on decolonizing anthropology.
• Torontoist celebrates the tenth anniversary of Type Books.
• Transit Toronto notes upcoming repairs to Ossington.
• Window on Eurasia reports on Russian fears that the Russian economy might be doomed to stagnate.

[PHOTO] Looking west down the subway tunnel at Ossington Station, Toronto

[BLOG] Some Wednesday links

• Crooked Timber is skeptical of the idea that technology has a relationship with secular stagnation.
• D-Brief notes research suggesting that human brains cannot be sorted into distinct categories of male and female.
• The Dragon’s Tales links to speculation on embedding American marines in Filipino units, the better to deter China.
• Far Outliers notes the complexities of ethnic identity in Azerbaijan.
• Marginal Revolution starts a–alas!–not enlightening discussion on Muslim integration in Christian-majority societies.
• Steve Munro notes unimpressive ridership statistics for the Union-Pearson Express.
• Towleroad links to a profile of ex-SEAL MTF Kristin Beck.
• Transit Toronto notes that, finally, the repairs to the bus area of Ossington station are complete.
• The Volokh Conspiracy notes the legal complexities of the Iranian-American nuclear deal.
• Window on Eurasia warns of consequences for Ukraine of Belarusian support for Russia.
• Yorkshire Ranter Alex Harrowell is critical of British arguments for war, generally.