New and different things about Upper Canada in 2002:
- There is no more music on AM radio: the AM dial has been almost completely converted to talk-radio format. The most striking and unusual example of this is Mojo Radio, the station formerly known as 640 CHAM. It now bills itself “The World’s First and Only Talk Radio Station for Guys” and its hosts address serious global issues like “Man-bags and the Wussification of Society.” Advertisers tend towards strip clubs, hair-loss clinics and sporting events. In an apparent move to counter this, venerable 1010 CFRB is coujnter-programming “Wednesday Mensday.” Really.
- Shopping malls that used to contain 100 little stores now contain 25 big stores. Yorkdale, for example, used to be a rather dowdy old shopping centre. It’s now host to William Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Eddie Bauer and Indigo, all of which are huge. There appears to be no difference between the stores you find in a mall in Peabody, MA and the stores you find in Toronto, ON.
- On television, all the sportscasters are women. This is probably true on PEI too, as we get the same channels by and large — I just notice it here more because I’m around my sports-loving brothers. Brian Williams and ‘casters of his ilk are now the minority.
- There is still strong competition in the wireless telephone market: Fido, Telus, Bell and Rogers all have kiosks or chichi stores in all the malls, and the emphasis is on small and sexy phones and gimicky rate plans (i.e. “free calling after school”)
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Comments
Winter’s retreat is coming,
Winter’s retreat is coming, Peter. A mere 8 hours south in Portland there are now crocuses blooming, at least one red wing black bird doing a mating call in the median of I-95 and a calling cardinal in my buddies backyard - does PEI ever get a cardinal? Took the Holton route back and there is much more snow around Katadyn than here. Give it two weeks.
Alan, you are falling into
Alan, you are falling into the trap of “it’s April, it’s spring in the south, therefor it will be spring here soon” reasoning. This is demonstrably not true. Spring is still about 2 months away if memory serves, and we can expect several more crippling snow storms.
Let me demonstrate…out my way
Let me demonstrate…out my way, the onions are already seeded and sprouting in the mudroom. In the field, garlic is sprouting as planted last fall and the parsnips are ready for harvest having spent the winter in the place they were planted last spring, now jam packed with sugar for ginger-parsnip soup. It may not be summer but it isn’t winter either.
Just ‘cause it snowed last
Just ‘cause it snowed last night doesn’t make you right!
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