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Ottawa Music Festivals have all the big names and quirky acts too

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. Summer Music Festivals: Big Names. Odd Names. Heck just play! The Hill (and the Ottawa Valley) is alive with the sound of music Toronto, June 12, 2009 – When the curtain drops on 2009 there will have been almost 50 (48 to be exact) festivals played out in Ottawa. And while opinions may differ on which festival was the best, all will agree that the Capitol’s summer music festivals are something to sing about. Sometimes Unconventional. Always World Class. In Ottawa it is the summer of the Treble Clef. Jazz. Blues. Classical Music. Three different genres and three separate multi-stage festivals with enough star power to draw visitors from around the world. The TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival (OIJF) features some of the jazz world’s most popular cutting-edge musicians. The OIJF provides visitors to the city with a unique opportunity to enjoy free and ticketed performances both indoors and out. Audiences can enjoy over 80 different jazz performances day and night

Jazzing up the McMichael. Fundraiser in Kleinburg

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- Classy Friday Night Fund Raiser at the McMichael A Celebration of Canadian Art, Music, Cuisine and all that Jazz background info/article for Vaughan Citizen, Corriere Canadese (Toronto daily Italian newspaper) and Vaughan Today The woods, the hills and even the galleries of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection were alive with the sound of music. Jazz at the McMichael, an annual fund raising celebration of art, music and cuisine, was blessed with picture perfect weather and a large supportive crowd, the evening of Friday May 22nd. Attending and speaking at the Jazz concert was the Honourable Aileen Carroll, Ontario’s Minister of Culture. 200 people joined the Minister, who enjoyed an exceptional evening of fusion jazz with the Vaughan based VSM Trio. The trio featured popular musicians Vito Rezza, Shelly Birger, and Mario Romano. The three musicians were joined on the McMichael stage by violinists Valentina Romano and Leonid Pejsahov. This unique fundraiser benefits ongoing exhibi

The BEST places in Florida and the rest of the world to take pictures underwater

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DIVER MAGAZINE SIDEBAR (TO BE PUBLISHED IN JUNE 09) ABOUT DIVING AND SNORKELING FOR STEPHEN WEIR STORY ON DIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS GUIDE TO THE FLORIDA KEYS AND POMPANO BEACH (AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN) Five Great Places To Dive and Take Underwater Photographs in the Florida Keys 1. Biscayne National Park - 95% of this park is underwater. Outstanding reefs covered in picturesque elk horn coral. Shipwrecks abound. Northern tip of the Florida Keys. 2. Wreck of the USN Speigel Grove. 155m. (510ft) retired warship scuttled to create artifical reef, 10 kms (6 mi) offshore of Key Largo. Ship originally lay on its side but after Hurricane Dennis (‘05), the ship is now upright 40m (130 ft) down. Experienced divers only. 3. Jules’ Undersea Lodge. La Chalupa Underwater Research Lab has been converted to world’s only underwater hotel. Two hotel rooms have glass picture windows onto the reef, air-conditioning, hot showers, a fully stocked galley, and unlimited diving for divers! Key Largo 4. Ten-Fath

The Condo Generation ready to raise their families in downtown High-Rises

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Mathew Rosenblatt, a principal with Cityscape Development Corporation (Distillery), plays with his daughter in the Distillery area's daycare - photo by Toronto Star. GEN-CONS LOOK SKYWARD - THE CONDO GENERATION READY TO RAISE THEIR FAMILIES IN DOWNTOWN HIGH-RISES Published in the Toronto Star, May 2, 2009. By Stephen Weir A new high-rise trend led by the Condo Generation, is pulling into two downtowns. A small but growing number of Gen-Con parents are forsaking dreams of family homes … you know, the one with the white picket fence and the swing set in the large backyard … for condos in the city. There are already family-friendly buildings in downtown Toronto, and Mississauga, with more on the way. Builders, architects and realtors agree that over the next decade an increasing number of parents will decide to raise their children in high-rise condominiums within the city core. Urbanization, a Toronto condo think tank, isn’t so sure. They believe that as long as units are small, pri

Family Condo Factoids - sidebar NOT used in Toronto Star story May 2, 2009

' FAMILY CONDO FACTOIDS In the United States the National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Council regularly issues information on the Multifamily (Condo) Outlook. Among its findings is that: • In multifamily buildings renters have more children than condo owners, but the magnitude of the difference varies by structure type. Fewer school-age children are found in buildings (rented or owned) with 20 or more units • The highest number of children per 100 households is 90.8, which is found among households that have recently moved into newly constructed single-family detached rental units. The lowest number is 3.2 for newly constructed condominiums with 20 or more units. • The National Association of Home Builders found that in hot metro markets - American cities that have retained a vibrant core -- investment buyers now account for 15 percent of purchasers of multi-family condominium units. Speculators are prone to flipping condos, even before the suites are completed. • How

Families moving into downtown condos around the world. Sidebars NOT used in May 2nd Toronto Star story

. SIDEBAR What are downtown condos projects offering parents in other cities? • Singapore's Capital Land builder has constructed over 40 family friendly condo projects. Their new 420-unit Clearwater Condominiums has: a children's playground, family fitness corner, children's pool, karaoke room, rooftop BBQ, a kid's space net and outdoor maze. Their Waverina has an outdoor wave pool. • The downtown Denver 42-unit Zocalo Condominiums opened in 2006. The building includes a small city police station at street level. • Daniels Capital Condominium in Mississauga has two 30-story high-rise condo towers and a few three-storey family friendly villas. It has a Hollywood style home theatre, barbecue patios and indoor pool. At street level there is a dental practice, a walk-in medical clinic and a pharmacy (which delivers to your condo door). Mississauga Living Arts Centre right across the road. • Craig's Ranch, a planned community in Texas includes, homes, soon-to-be built

Condo Toronto Star Story about bringing up children in downtown condos

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http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/626607 I have received feedback from readers (which is very very rare for my condo stories) already. These four emails were posted on the Toronto Star site. Don't disagree with any of them! sl119 mf123, Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah, familyof3, Saime: You miss the point. Condo markets attract a certain kind of customer with a particular mindset. This kind of customer wants only a condo, regardless of the deals on homes with yards or other opportunities out there. These condos attract people with money (and these people are clearly, at least monetarily, not an "average family"), and they don't mind the prices. There will always be people out there who will scoop these condos up. Submitted by Sherry119 at 5:41 PM Monday, May 04 2009 | A million for a 2.5 bedroom or... how about some acreage with a big home just on the outskirts of Burlington? Even $400 000 for a 2 bedroom plus den is ridiculous. Again, in the 905 you could pick up a nice