Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  ASTROTURFING: YOUR LYING ASS IS FAKE GRASS   This article is based on an exam answer I submitted to my University of Windsor Poli-Sci Media course on June 20th 8pm Even though the root of the word  Astroturfing  has largely disappeared from our current vocabulary, here in Ontario it is a term that is very much a part of the political lexicon. Back in 1968 the  Houston Astrodome  became the first NFL stadium to install artificial grass on its indoor football field. First called  ChemGrass , the phony turf soon was dubbed AstroTurf by sports announcers. Fans watching the first game on Astroturf liked what they saw, a perfect green field with clearly marked yard lines and unsmudgeable advertisements. What they didn’t see was the concrete and dirt underneath.   The players hated it: despite looking like soft turf it was all a lie - it really hurts when tackled on the Astroturf. Injuries abounded. Makes sense that now in the 2020’s the term  Astroturfing  refers to a rather nasty, expensi

Nelson Mandela.  His Toronto visits.   His South African life. By Stephen Weir Two important exhibitions about the life and times of Nelson Mandela are set to be on display in Toronto this fall.  A free Toronto Star Mandela photo exhibit opens next Wednesday downtown at Brookfield Place and on October 10 th  a full-scale museum exhibition will open in North Toronto at the Meridian Art Centre  (formerly the Toronto Centre for the Arts) Clyde Wagner, the president and CEO of TO Live told the Caribbean Camera yesterday, that given what is happening in the world today, Nelson Mandela’s life story must not be forgotten.  “ The time is right for this photo exhibit!”   Mandela: Through the Eyes Of the City  will be on display for almost a month at  Brookfield Place in the Allen Lambert Galleria, 181 Bay Street.  The free photography show has exclusive images from the Toronto Star’s photography archives. In addition to the pictures, visitors will see The Star’s front-page co

. Washington’s Urban Land Institute believes you can’t take the starch out of lakeside Port Credit condominium project By Stephen Weir When the US research organization Urban Land Institute (ULI), set out to pick the ten best land-use projects in North America, Europe and Asia, one of the 21 finalists was the Port Credit Village development on Lake Ontario's north shore. The Washington based nonprofit association vigorously likes how the privately owned Fram Building Group has transformed a demolished starch factory into a lakeside condominium project which, through its design, encourages residents to work at home, walk, ride bikes and use mass transit. The annual competition is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the “achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognized and rewarded.” Its Awards for Excellence makes an all-encompassing holistic examination of each nominated project, looking beyond its architectural design. The criteria include: “leadership, contr

. Cutline: left: Dick Wehrs masks fight for wall space in a Water Tower Pisan window filled condo. Far Left: No room for art in this small downtown condo. Below: Roving I, a Flickr photographer took this picture of art in a bathroom in Macau. BIG CANVAS OR FLAT PANEL TELEVISION. FLOOR SCULPTURE OR UMBRELLA STAND. HOW DO CONDO OWNERS BRING ORIGINAL ART INTO THEIR LIVES. JOURNALIST NEEDS YOUR HELP IN RESEARCHING A FEATURE STORY ABOUT THE ART OF CONDO ZEN Has the downtown condo boom hurt the sale of original art? If you don't have wall space do you just buy smaller art? The Zen of Condos (according to an article I wrote for the US trade magazine Paint Decorating Retailer) says that when you live in a finite space you must remove something old to make room for something new. Buy a chair? Throw out a coffee table! What about art? Buy a painting throw out a wall clock? In space challenged downtown condos the norm is for the builder to provide as much natural light as possible ... at