So what is the Bombardier #C-Series anyway?

It’s a nice looking jet and it’s great to see that a #Canadian company may possibly compete with the likes of #Airbus and #Boeing. Seating between 100 – 149 seats and leaving a smaller environmental footprint I dare to say that maybe “less is more”. With the rumors of Porter Airlines purchasing these jets it will be interesting to see what happens in the long-term. Will they expand Billy Bishop Airport? Will these planes fly out of Montreal? Maybe, with the new Airport link, they will fly out of Pearson? What about Hamilton, Oshawa Airport or Buttonville? We will have to wait and see what actually happens today at the announcement. Hopefully the Bombardier C-Series will shake up the industry. Maybe we are just a bit nostalgic over the prominent days of the Avro Arrow and Canada being on top once again.

By: @iammannyj

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Bombardier CSeries is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners that are being developed by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Models are the 110-seat CS100, and the 130-seat CS300. These were initially named C110 and C130, respectively. In November 2012, Bombardier announced that the CS100 would take its maiden flight in June 2013 and enter service in 2014. 

To learn more about the CSeries go to http://cseries.com/info/en/

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Different modes of transit in Greater Toronto – removing political spin and disinformation

Photo By Myke Waddy, Sept 5th 2006. Health Sciences LRT Station, Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Explaining different modes of transit in the G.T.A; removing political spin and disinformation

Found a great article on transit through “What happens to public opinion when LRT is explained”. It is a great piece, which is quite informative. Take some time to read the article. Cherise Burda takes to time to explain the differences between subways, light rail, GO Trains, rapid bus and right-of-way streetcar modes of transit.

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2nd Heart Attack Grill Victim?

Las Vegas Strip (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2nd Heart Attack Grill Victim?

For the second time in two months, a customer at Las Vegas‘ Heart Attack Grill collapsed mid-meal and was carted off to a hospital.

The female customer, a Las Vegas resident in her 40s, had been devouring a “double bypass burger,” puffing on cigarettes, and sipping a margarita when she collapsed Saturday night, the Grill’s owner told ABC News.

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The debate over Subways or LRT transit is over – David Miller will see his vision for Toronto

David Miller‘s original plan for Transit City will go ahead. The debate is over and it’s time to move on. It is pointless to delay building transit in Toronto and we should accept the conclusion. According to the original plan, if Transit City was started on time the Sheppard portion would have been completed by 2014. Hopefully the province will get it done quickly and on budget. Any further delays will add to the overall costs. Oddly enough construction on the Sheppard portion of the LRT will not begin until 2014, in a municipal election year. Is it a coincidence? Rob Ford may want to consider leaving this issue alone during the next election. Let’s look at the Downtown Relief Line (DRL), or something else. Unless he has a Federal ace card up his sleeve he may find himself on the wrong side again.

http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/transportation/article/1167448–metrolinx-recommends-sheppard-lrt-building-start-in-2014

David Miller (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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• Poll shows that we want subways and we are willing to pay for it (thegtapatriot.wordpress.com)
• Ford-Stintz showdown underway over transit future (cbc.ca)

Google Drive to offer free storage in the cloud

Outline of a cloud containing text 'The Cloud' (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Google Drive to offer free storage in the cloud

Google is expected to shortly launch a major new consumer service offering cloud-based storage for photos and other online content.

The effort – dubbed Google Drive – is likely to offer 5GB (gigabytes) of free storage with more available for a monthly fee. It would challenge services including Dropbox and Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Experts suggest it could also force rival Facebook to enter the cloud market.

Read more

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We love Mayor Rob Ford!

Rob Ford with puppet, at the "Better Ballots" Mayoral Candidates Forum at Hart House, University of Toronto. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We love Mayor Rob Ford!

According to a new Forum Research poll, more than half of Toronto residents want to scrap the city’s land transfer tax, license cyclists, contract out cleaners, toss out the plastic bag tax and support a subway-based transit plan.

The Forum poll conducted Wednesday found 61% of Toronto residents approve of ending the city’s land transfer tax and licensing cyclists so that traffic laws can be enforced on them.

Ford campaigned on abolishing the land transfer tax but has yet to make any progress on dropping it from the city’s books.

Among those surveyed, support has grown since a Forum poll last month for a subway-based transit plan with 60% now in favour of the idea rather than 36% who favour a transit system based on LRTs.

Read more

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Embarrassed to sing “O Canada”? It’s only a ”Pittance in Time”!

national Flag of Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Toronto Catholic District School Board had to pass new guidelines, forcing students to “sing” O’Canada. I just listened to the news and heard students state that they will not sing “O Canada“, or that they were “embarrassed” to sing it. Also heard one say “I will not be singing it because its my right not to”, with a very disturbing tone. How did we get to this point? What happened to our patriotism? Do we care about Canada? It’s only a “Pittance in Time”, to those who fought and died so we could enjoy it. Just saying!

Read more “Students must sing O Canada, school board rules”

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A great source for transit information – The LRT Information Blog

my photo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With transit in Toronto taking a back seat to casino expansion and red-light districts it’s nice to see that there is still action taking place outside of the G.T.A. In particular York Region and expansion of the Yonge line, north of Steeles and LRT expansion in Peel. With the Yonge line I am still a bit concerned about the load factors affecting affecting travel along the route. Toronto needs to seriously look into expansion of a Downtown Relief Line, as soon as possible; to ease the congestion on the Y-U-S. The Toronto LRT Information Page provides updates and commentary on both the Yonge Subway extension and the Brampton / Mississauga LRT expansion plans.

Read more

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Qatar Airways keen to expand in Canada

Qatar Airways keen to expand in Canada

The CEO of Qatar Airways has said he is struggling to secure more landing rights to boost services to Canada.
Akbar Al Baker said in a speech in Montreal that Canadians deserved a better airline service to the Middle East but government restrictions were hindering progress.

“Qatar is of course interested in forging even closer ties with Canada but we are struggling with being granted additional landing rights,”

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Is it time to open the skies in Canada and allow U.S carriers?

Air Canada Boeing 747-133 C-FTOC at Zurich International Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is it time to open the skies in Canada and allow U.S carriers?

Despite the issues pilots have with their employer, Air Canada, the issues today are showing the serious flaws in Canada’s transportation system. Air Canada, like the photo, is starting to look old and out-dated. There are alternatives for trips to Montreal, Ottawa and other locations; using Porter or WestJet, however other remote and specific locations are leaving Canadians hanging. People are upset and rightly so. There is a dependency in Canada, on Air Canada. However, there are a not a full list of choices. I am sure Buffalo Niagara is seeing an increase and maybe it’s time to get other carriers in Canada. Our Federal policies prevent an American, or other carrier, from flying within Canada. Air Canada is taking a big hit and Canadians are angry. The Conservatives, now with a majority, may take notice. We have underutilized airports in Hamilton, London and even Oshawa. Is it time to open the skies?What do you say?

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Friday the 13th and things you may not know about superstition in Asian cultures

Deutsch: Freitag der 13. im Kalender English: Circling Friday the 13th date on calendar with marker (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am always fascinated by culture and superstition. In particular I find the number 4 interesting. The Number 4 is considered an unlucky number in many Asian cultures. Many numbered product lines skip the “4”, so if you have something you are marketing, please remember to keep that in mind. In recognizing Friday the 13th, here is an interesting post on Chinese superstitions. There are still some that adhere many superstitions traditionally. Here are the most popular superstitions and believes.

Friday the 13th and things you may not know about superstition in the Chinese culture

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So who really runs the city of Toronto?

So who really runs the city of Toronto?

It’s interesting times in the city of Toronto. Mayor Mel Lastman had his issues, however we did not seem to have this endless deadlock. The former flamboyant Mayor definitely had his detractors, but we still got things done. Unfortunately Mayor Ford tried to do whatever he wanted and it has not worked out as planned. He had to work with council and it was not good enough to say that he has the support of Toronto citizens. It was all about the approach, in my opinion and unfortunately he has spent a large portion of his his political capital.  Rob Ford is a great person and has done a lot for the city. There is another side to Rob Ford, which is often not talked about. He has done a lot for the community, and continues to do so even as the Mayor. Mayor Ford has helped to control city spending; helping to promote the fact that council must respect the dollar. He has also been a great defender or the suburban areas of Scarborough and Etobicoke. So where does he go from here? I hope he continues to stay in politics, as it’s always good to have a good balance on council. It’s always good to hear opinions on both sides of the spectrum.

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