Ontario Boosts Transit Funding Across Province Doubles Municipal Share Gas Tax

January 27, 2017 The Silo 3 Comments

Ontario is boosting support for nearly 100 cities and towns across the province, providing them with reliable, long-term funding to improve and expand their local transit systems and offer more travel options for commuters and families.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca were at York Region Transit’s Richmond Hill facility today to announce the new investment.

The province has heard directly from people who are frustrated by their daily commute and from municipalities [Municipalities are often also incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.] that are struggling to meet their transit needs. In response to these concerns, starting in 2019, Ontario will be increasing funding for local transit through an enhancement to the existing gas tax program, doubling the municipal share from two cents per litre to four cents by 2021. There will be no increase in the tax that people in Ontario pay on gasoline as a result of the enhancement to the program.

Cities and towns receiving the new funding are able to plan for and make major infrastructure upgrades, buy additional transit vehicles, add more routes, extend hours of service, implement fare strategies and improve accessibility.

Ontario recognizes that commuters need reliable transit options before revenue-generating measures such as road tolls are implemented. For example, the ongoing GO Regional Express Rail project will not be completed and in service before 2024. That is why the province is not supporting plans for municipal road tolls at this time. This new investment, along with Ontario’s $31.5-billion transit and transportation investment across the province, will support more buses in cities like Thunder Bay and Windsor, new LRT lines in Waterloo and Ottawa, and GO Regional Express Rail in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including SmartTrack in Toronto.

Supporting stronger public transit systems is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
QUOTES

” People in communities across Ontario can’t afford to waste time stuck in traffic — we all need better options to get to work and home to our families sooner. This substantial boost to funding for local transit in cities and towns across the province will help them make significant improvements that will have a big impact on people’s day-to-day lives.”
– Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario

” We’ve heard loud and clear from municipalities that they need more sustainable funding for public transit to keep up with the demand to provide more service. By modernizing Ontario’s gas tax program we are helping municipalities improve their local transit service so people can easily get where they need to be.”
– Steven Del Duca
Minister of Transportation
QUICK FACTS

Funding will increase to 2.5 cents per litre in 2019–20, 3 cents in 2020–21 and 4 cents in 2021–22.
This year the province committed $334.5 million in gas tax funding to 99 municipalities [Municipalities are sometimes incorrectly called “County”- though they are legally incorporated as a super-city Ed.] . This amount is expected to increase to about $401.3 million in 2019–20, $481.5 million in 2020–21 and $642 million in 2021–22.
Ontario made its gas tax program permanent in 2013 to provide a stable source of funding for municipalities.
One bus takes up to 40 vehicles off the road and keeps 25 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere each year.
Research shows that every $100 million of public infrastructure investment in Ontario boosts GDP by $114 million, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
LEARN MORE

Gas Tax Funding for Municipalities
Ontario.ca/BuildON

Available Online

Disponible en Français

L’Ontario accroît le financement des transports en commun des villes de l’ensemble de la province
Plus d’options pour les déplacements et amélioration du transport en commun local pour les navetteurs et les familles

27 janvier 2017 09h35

L’Ontario accroît son soutien à près de 100 villes de la province en leur fournissant un financement à long terme stable qui favorise l’amélioration et l’expansion des transports en commun locaux et offre un plus grand nombre d’options aux navetteurs et aux familles.

La première ministre, Kathleen Wynne, et le ministre des Transports, Steven Del Duca, se sont rendus aujourd’hui à la gare de transports en commun de la région de York à Richmond Hill pour faire l’annonce de ce nouvel investissement.

La province a directement recueilli les propos de navetteurs frustrés et de représentants de municipalités qui éprouvent des difficultés à répondre à la demande en services de transport en commun. Pour donner suite à ces préoccupations, l’Ontario augmentera à partir de 2019 le financement qu’il accorde aux transports en commun locaux et bonifiera son programme actuel de financement par la taxe sur l’essence en doublant la part municipale pour la porter de deux cents le litre à quatre cents d’ici 2021. Cette bonification du programme n’entraînera pas de hausse de la taxe provinciale sur l’essence.

Les villes qui toucheront ces nouveaux fonds pourront planifier et entreprendre des rénovations d’importance à l’infrastructure, l’achat de véhicules de transports en commun supplémentaires, l’ajout de circuits, la prolongation des heures de service, la modification de leur structure tarifaire et l’offre de services plus accessibles.

L’Ontario reconnaît que les navetteurs ont besoin d’options de transports en commun fiables, avant même que des mesures génératrices de revenus soient mises en oeuvre. Par exemple, le service régional express de GO Transit est en chantier et ne sera pas opérationnel avant 2024. C’est pourquoi la province ne soutient pas de plans pour installer des péages municipaux en ce moment. Ce nouvel investissement, qui s’ajoute à l’investissement de la province de 31,5 milliards de dollars dans les transports en commun et les transports à la grandeur de son territoire, soutiendra l’achat d’un plus grand nombre d’autobus dans des villes comme Thunder Bay et Windsor, la construction de nouvelles lignes de train léger sur rail (TLR) à Waterloo et à Ottawa, de même que le service régional express de GO Transit dans la région du grand Toronto et de Hamilton, dont le SmartTrack à Toronto.

Le soutien permettant l’amélioration des réseaux de transport fait partie de notre plan visant à créer des emplois, à stimuler notre économie et à améliorer la vie quotidienne de notre population.
CITATIONS

« Les habitants des collectivités ontariennes ne peuvent se permettre de perdre du temps dans des embouteillages — nous avons tous besoin de meilleures options pour nous rendre au travail et rentrer à la maison afin d’y retrouver notre famille plus rapidement. Cette hausse substantielle du financement affecté au transport en commun local aidera les municipalités à apporter des améliorations appréciables qui auront des effets marqués pour les gens dans leur vie de tous les jours.»
– Kathleen Wynne
première ministre de l’Ontario

« Les municipalités nous ont clairement fait comprendre qu’elles ont besoin d’un financement plus durable pour le transport en commun afin de satisfaire à la demande accrue en services. C’est en modernisant le Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence que nous aiderons les municipalités à améliorer leurs services de transport régionaux, de telle sorte que les gens pourront se déplacer plus facilement.»
– Steven Del Duca
ministre des Transports
FAITS EN BREF

Le financement augmentera à 2,5 cents le litre en 2019-2020, à 3 cents en 2020-2021 et à 4 cents en 2021-2022.
Cette année, la province s’est engagée à verser 334,5 millions de dollars en financement par la taxe sur l’essence à 99 municipalités. Ce montant devrait augmenter jusqu’à environ 401,3 millions de dollars en 2019-2020, 481,5 millions de dollars en 2020-2021 et 642 millions de dollars en 2021-2022.
C’est en 2013 que l’Ontario a rendu permanent son Programme de financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour ainsi offrir une source de financement stable aux municipalités.
Un seul autobus permet de retirer jusqu’à 40 véhicules de la route et réduit de 25 tonnes par année les émissions de gaz à effet de serre de l’atmosphère.
Des recherches démontrent que chaque tranche de 100 millions de dollars d’investissement dans l’infrastructure publique de l’Ontario fait croître le PIB de 114 millions de dollars, tout particulièrement dans le secteur de la construction et le secteur manufacturier.
POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

Financement par la taxe sur l’essence pour les municipalités
Ontario.ca/ONrenforce

Disponible en ligne

Available in English

Art

Light, Interviews, Books to Inspire, And A Call To Artists From Rome

January 27, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Consider for a moment the nature of light and time. Fleeting, infinite, unknowable, and yet familiar as our own minds. We long for more time while cursing its slow progress. Temporal matters dictate every aspect of our human lives. We are beholden to the times in which we live. We cannot grasp light and yet we are surrounded by it. When we enter into the unknown, art is a light guiding us toward better days ahead.

Mary Temple's "unsolved red white and blue" — Mary Temple’s “unsolved red white and blue”

Mary Temple has the ability to incorporate all of this into her artwork in the most surprising ways. She can capture a moment and freeze it for all eternity with the stroke of her brush. Her ethereal public art painted on existing architecture preserves the memory of a moment of light. Temple also focuses on the times in which we live, using her art to engage in global political discussion. Her series Currency depicted world leaders in such a way that ranked them according to their ability to achieve progress in matters of world peace. Temple uses time as a dimension in her work. Currency was an up to the minute newsfeed told through hand drawn portraiture, while her public artwork uses light to capture time and hold it still for all to see.

Susan Silton lets our life and times inform her art. Through performance, installation, video, photography, text, audio, participation and print-based projects, Silton speaks to the turbulence around us. She fuses humor, unease, beauty with the intention of shining a light on the failures and triumphs of our moment on the planet. Her video work “Turn the Beat Around” was a direct response to the 2016 attack on an Orlando, Florida nightclub. Her art is a conduit to process grief, come to terms with the violence in our society, and seek common ground.

Writer Murong Xuecun once said, “Literature is not at the service of the government; on the contrary governments should do everything in their power to create a favorable climate for literature.” In these uncertain political times, what are you reading? Click here to contribute your books in the comments or use the comments feature at the end of this post. Tony Maslic, is reading “The Dispossessed” by Ursula Le Guin. Lian Brehm has turned to Suzi Gablick’s “The Reenchantment of Art” while artist Mary Temple cites the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as well as her TEDx talk We Should all be Feminists as necessary fuel.

The Rome Glocal Brightness 2017 Light Festival has issued a call for artists. The Festival illuminates the sixth district of Rome allowing viewers to experience undiscovered corners of the city.

This bringing of light does not seek to diminish the dark, but to emphasize that the darkness can become a canvas in itself.
As we stand together at the edge of a new ravine, let us not fear what may be but embrace what is in each moment and never stop reaching toward the light. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard Carey is an artist, author and educator. You can attend one of his free webinars for artists here. He also has an educational platform for artists called Praxis Center.

*featured image- Mary Temple “Currency”Series

Sci-Tech

Why The Future Of Healthcare Is Virtual Reality

January 26, 2017 The Silo 2 Comments

Presently and in the not too distant future, virtual reality in healthcare will become the norm. In this piece, we’ll show you how VR can help detect, treat and cure patients in all sorts of different sectors, such as Surgery and Dentistry, as well as teaching the Nurses of the future.

VR will also be used to help the development of people suffering from mental disabilities such as Autism and help cure phobias and tend to soldiers dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Via the Luminous Group, for the Silo, Georgia Davies.

Culture

Toronto Erotic Arts And Crafts Fair Returns To The Gladstone Hotel In February

January 24, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

The Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair is Back! Toronto’s first – and most beloved – fair celebrating all things sexy is popping up once again this February at the Gladstone Hotel!

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be brought to you by Hallmark – for another way, full of charm, wit, and craftsmanship, visit Toronto’s beloved Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair this season! The Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair is a one day celebration showcasing local handmade wares celebrating love, sex, and community, hosted by ‘anti-capitalist worker-owned co-operative’ Come As You Are.

Visitors can expect lovingly made goods ranging from raunchy embroidery, whimsical gitch, natural contraceptives, zines, pasties, jewelry, erotic art, leather bowties, sex toys, BDSM gear, and so much more! Come As You Are will also be offering free prize draws throughout the day, plus free sweet treats.

Date: February 11, 2017
Time: 10-4
Cost: Free
Venue: The Gladstone Hotel, North Ballroom. 1214 Queen St. West. Wheelchair Accessible!

www.eroticartsandcrafts.com
https://www.facebook.com/eroticartsfair

About Come As You Are: Come As You Are is the world’s only worker owned and operated sex toy store, and is currently celebrating it’s 20th year. Come As You Are’s mandate has always been guided by the co-operative’s love of sexual health, pleasure, and education plus a profound sense of dissatisfaction with the “sex industry” as a whole.
Click here for a sampling of this year’s vendors.

BlackLine Accessories

A vegan up-cycled jewelry and accessories line made from motorcycle inner tubes.

Crafty Chas Crochet

These dolls are made in the hopes that a wide range of people can finally feel represented, to act as a healing tool, and made to remove the shame from nudity.
Lovecrafters

Geeky, playful, whimsical and fun adult fantasy toys. All hand sculpted and made out of safe platinum grade silicone.

Michelle Gauthier Art

Gauthier creates feminist and reproductive-themed works in order to promote self- love, to embrace individuality, and to show that there is no cause for shame when it comes to what is natural.

Milkweed Zine

Milkweed is a sex-positive erotic zine, featuring photography, visual art, poetry and short fiction from around the world. It explores playfully explores identity, sexuality and eroticism, reflecting a diversity of experiences.
Sartoria

The finest cashmere undergarments for a superior winter experience.
Vanessa Walsh

Watercolour artist specializing in hyper-realistic erotic and bdsm art. Definitely not your grandmother’s watercolours!
vintagelove

A subversive peek into the 1950s modern lifestyle and aesthetic.
Weal & Breech

Makers of bespoke implements for impact and restraint play. All of their toys are designed and made by hand out of the finest local and exotic woods, and full-grain leathers. For the Silo, Noah Kloeze.

Gaming

Creators Of World’s Most Played Mobile Sports Game Introduce Spellsouls Combat

January 23, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

BELGRADE, SERBIA – (JANUARY 23, 2017) – Nordeus, an independent developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced Spellsouls: Duel of Legends, a new quick-play card-based mobile MOBA set in an epic fantasy world. In development for nearly two years, Spellsouls is the next big project from the company that created Top Eleven, the most-played mobile sports game with more than 150 million players worldwide. In Spellsouls: Duel of Legends, players will experience an engaging blend of intense three-minute battles and deep strategy in an immersive fantasy experience, built from the ground-up for mobile on iOS and Android.

With Spellsouls, Nordeus is looking to bring the competitive intensity and “easy to start playing, hard to stop” gameplay to the realm of card-based spells and magical duels. As seen in today’s new walkthrough trailer, the game is a completely new, graphically-rich title designed to bring a compelling high fantasy world to life.

Set in an ancient kingdom fallen prey to divisive realm wars, where powerful Spellcasters vie for power, the game invites players to enter into a thrilling, competitive experience. Gamers will choose a Spellcaster, collect and upgrade powerful spells, build the deadliest decks and unleash hordes of minions to compete with friends and adversaries around the world.

“We set out to ensure that Spellsouls builds on our strengths in competitive gaming to bring players a true blend of game genres that balances fast action and deep strategy” said Ivan Stojisavljević, CTO and co-founder of Nordeus. “We’re bringing a lot of the knowledge and expertise gained from years developing and running Top Eleven to Spellsouls; with AAA production values and deep engagement as our two highest priorities.”

In Spellsouls: Duel of Legends, two powerful Spellcasters will face off in fierce battles with elements of MOBA action combat, card deck building and Nordeus’ trademark focus on compelling PvP, that rewards smart strategic decisions. Players launch minions from top and bottom lane portals to attack their opponent’s minions and defense towers en route to defeating enemy Spellcasters.

Players boost minions with card-based spells, blast enemies with direct and area-based attacks, and strategically choose how to introduce new minions into the fray for maximum effect—while their opponent simultaneously does the same. Packed into three-minute battles, the game’s real-time competition is a mix of careful planning to build the perfect deck, white-knuckle intensity and well-timed strategy to execute the game-changing tactics that will lead to victory.

Spellsouls: Duel of Legends is currently in soft launch for iOS only in select countries including Taiwan, Canada, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. More details on how Spellsouls: Duel of Legends plans to enter the world of PvP mobile gaming in 2017 will be revealed in the near future with development updates and game announcements. To pre-register for the game when it becomes available in your country, visit www.spellsouls.com. To stay in touch with Nordeus and Spellsouls, follow us on facebook.com/spellsouls and twitter.com/playspellsouls. For the Silo, Jeffrey Fong.

About Nordeus

Founded in Belgrade in 2010, Nordeus is an award-winning independent mobile games developer that has actively pioneered cross-platform competitive mobile gaming. Top Eleven, the company’s premier competitive sports game in which players manage a soccer team vs. other managers, is the most played sports game worldwide with over 150 million registered players and a 4+ star rating across the App Store, Google Play and Facebook. The company is launching a major new fantasy card-based MOBA game, Spellsouls: Duel of Legends, in 2017. For more information, visit nordeus.com.

Politics

Live Stream Of The Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States

January 20, 2017 The Silo 1 Comment

LIVE STREAM* President-Elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President-Elect Michael R. Pence will be sworn in to office on the west front of the United States Capitol. It’s Inauguration Day.

Art

Emerging China Wine Market Impacts USA, Canada and Global Wine Markets

January 18, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

It’s no secret that luxury brands have thrived in China in recent years amid a population increasingly oriented toward high-end consumer goods like fashion, jewelry and automobiles—and the elevated social status such items confer. Today, the Chinese population is immersed in a new love affair: with grape-based wine! According to internationally-renowned sommelier, Noel Shu, China is about to be known producing quality wine bringing the region on par with other wine producing regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma in California.

A self-made entrepreneur who serves as Managing Partner for ultra-luxe wine and spirits purveyor, Prodiguer Brands Shu recently launched his new book, China Through a Glass of Wine, to provide the most in-depth understanding of the wine marketplace to date and an extensive analysis of the modern Chinese wine industry, revealing a delicate interplay between commerce, the government and the consumer.

International-renowned sommelier, Noel Shu, provides in-depth look at the modern Chinese wine industry and guides us through the misty vineyards and crowded wineries of China.

Following the tradition of great traveling sommeliers, his no-holds-barred journey through China’s emerging wine culture is part ethnography, travel guide, tasting guide, cross-cultural examination and snapshot of the Chinese wine trade and consumer culture at large.

China Through a Glass of Wine also includes insightful interviews with key industry movers and shakers, including China’s largest wine importer and distribution company as well as boutique and unique chateaus across the region, revealing what wine making in present-day China is really like.

Casual wine enthusiasts and travelers as well as serious collectors and globally-minded investors will appreciate the accurate portrayal of China “through a glass of wine.” For the Silo, Trina Kaye.

About the Author
Internationally-regarded sommelier Noel Shu, Managing Partner for the ultra-luxe, award-winning wine and spirits purveyor Prodiguer Brands, is a 24-year-old self-made millionaire, entrepreneur and author of the newly released title, “China Through a Glass of Wine.” With impeccable panache and style, Shu, has already accomplished more than many do in an entire lifetime. He earned his undergraduate at West Point, completed the U.S. Army’s elite and grueling Combat Diver Qualification Course at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School (regarded by many Soldiers as the toughest military school to endure), and has personally designed and sold extraordinary multi-million dollar timepieces and necklaces to China’s elite through his ancillary, highly successful luxury jewelry business. Always striving to for growth and self-improvement and with a reverence for continuing education, despite his busy schedule Shu is currently pursuing an Ivy League Master’s degree at Columbia University. As a globally-minded business practitioner, Shu understands commerce on both sides of the Pacific and brings that expertise to bear with his various ventures, including the highly anticipated upcoming release of “Regale”—an exclusive wine brand expressly developed for the Chinese marketplace, which will be exported to the region in early 2016. For more information about Noel Shu, visit www.prodiguerbrands.com.

Sci-Tech

The Broadband Struggle Of Modern Living In UK Rural Areas

January 17, 2017 The Silo 1 Comment

Living in a rural location has its perks. It’s peaceful, it’s quiet, and you’re out the way of all that city centre pollution. Bliss. However, when it comes to keeping up with technology, it can become a bit of a broadband nightmare.

In this piece, we’ll be delving into the struggles that people living in rural communities are facing and find out what is being done by the government and other people in the rural communities to help get these affected areas better connected in the 21^st century.

For example, we’ll be showing you via the infographic below just why rural communities have such a poor internet connection and what one MBE industry leader is doing to help. We’ll discover the future of deliveries to rural areas, take a look at a trust that is installing defibrillators in phone boxes and much more.

Compliments of fuelfighter.co.uk Click me for more! — Compliments of fuelfighter.co.uk
Click me for more!

Politics

Significant Gasoline Price Hikes At Ontario Pumps

January 13, 2017 The Silo 4 Comments

January 1^st kicked off 2017 with significant gasoline price hikes at the pumps courtesy the Ontario Liberal government’s cap and trade legislation. I obviously voted against that bill.

Ontario’s cap and trade, Canada’s price on carbon

Another reality is that Canada is putting a price on carbon, the nature of which is still being negotiated with the provinces. With national carbon pricing being the new reality, Opposition Leader Patrick Brown has written an open letter to Justin Trudeau indicating that Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade law “does not have Ontario’s best interests at heart,” and requesting that Ontario cap-and-trade be removed from the Trudeau carbon pricing system. I’m not holding my breath on that one.

The problem with the provincial cap and trade tax and the federal price on carbon is that going electric is neither technologically nor economically feasible for most, thanks to the Ontario Liberal’s Green Energy Act. I also voted against that bill. The cap and trade tax system serves as a stick to try and modify behavior without offering a viable alternative and without a carrot to reward changes made, other than using the revenue for more subsidies for things like electric cars and Toronto transit.

As Ontario’s Official Opposition we have committed to dismantle the cap and trade system ever bearing in mind the federal government is mandating all provinces put a price on carbon.

On January 1, the province capped greenhouse emissions and will sell allowances to companies who have to exceed the cap. The province will lower the cap over time. Companies exceeding their cap can also buy additional allowances, or if they come in below their annual limit, can sell their emission allowances to other companies within a market comprised of Ontario, Quebec and California.

It is estimated Ontario businesses will be paying $300 million a year to California.

We maintain the government is so desperate to hike taxes, they have rejected a revenue-neutral plan – cap-and-trade money will disappear into general revenues.

Cap and trade has clearly not been designed to return money to those paying – it is a blatant $2 billion-a-year tax grab under the guise of environmentalism. It will seriously impact everyone’s pocket book. Oil refineries for example will pass their recovery costs of cap and trade to their customers at the pumps. It subtracts money from people, not only for gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, heating oil and aviation fuel but also for groceries, clothing and other consumer goods produced and delivered by carbon-fueled plant, equipment and transportation.

Ontario drivers are being treated like clowns.

Ontario’s Auditor General reports the cap and trade tax will cost families an extra $156 this year for gasoline and natural gas, rising to $210 by 2019. Added transportation costs for goods and services will be another $75 per household by 2019.

We are committed to dismantling the cap and trade scheme and the Green Energy Act. This is the best way to ensure people’s hard-earned money stays exactly where it should stay…in their pockets.

In conclusion, I ask you the reader – where do we go from here? There probably won’t be an election until June 2018 and this is the time to consult on policy.

Provincially, the Ontario PC Party has committed to dismantle the Wynne cap and trade law, as well as the Green Energy Act. However, carbon pricing is now the reality in Canada and Ontario will be bound by the Trudeau price on carbon. For the Silo, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett.

Politics

Economic Aspects Of Globalization In The Past Material World

January 12, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Questions and deliberations concerning globalization are more than a hot topic of extended cross-disciplinary focus in academia; they are also central to the long-simmering debates regarding policies and their implications that today often enter the public arena. For example, a quick perusal of broadly accessible media outlets from late 2013 and early 2014 reflects a suite of still unresolved but vibrant civic pondering: “When did globalization start” (The Economist 2013), “The dark side of globalization: why Seattle’s 1999 protesters were right” (Smith 2014), and “Have we reached the end of globalization?: (CNN 2014).

Yet can such issues really be evaluated judiciously without defining the critical elements of globalization, and then dissecting and assessing its historical scope? Given the broad temporal and spatial elements implied by the concept of “globalization”, it is not most likely that the outcomes and effects of this multifaceted process would be highly variable across time and space?

But through a diachromic and comparative examination of human connections over time, might we see some commonalities and learn relevant lessons?

Continue reading this essay by Gary Feinman by clicking here.

*Banner image of Ronald McDonald -McDonalds China courtesy of image.minyanville.com

Art

Gainsbourg Still Alive Exhibit In Paris, France Is Smashing Tribute

January 11, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Emerging and established contemporary artists pay tribute in a new exhibit to SERGE GAINSBOURG, to his libertarian and rebel spirit. SERGE GAINSBOURG was very close to SALVADOR DALI, whom surrealist genius fascinated him.

Like Dali, Gainsbourg knew how to play with his image and how to manipulate the medias to communicate about him.

Author, composer, producer, actor and photographer, Gainsbourg is the Artist of the 80s.

On the occasion of the 25th birthday of his death, emerging and established contemporary artists revisit the famous portrait “Gainsbourg-Dali” immortalized in 1985 by the photographer ROBERTO BATTISTINI

READ the gainsbourg-still-alive-pdf For the Silo, Nathalie de Frouville.

Exhibition address-

Etude Cornette de Saint Cyr

6 avenue hoche

75008 Paris

France

L’IDÉE A l’occasion du 25e Anniversaire

Des artistes contemporains majeurs et de jeunes plasticiens rendent hommage à SERGE GAINSBOURG à son esprit libertaire et contestataire. SERGE GAINSBOURG était très proche de SALVADOR DALI qu’il avait côtoyé et dont le génie surréaliste le fascinait.

Comme lui, il savait jouer de son image et manipuler les médias pour communiquer. Auteur, compositeur, réalisateur, acteur et photographe, il est « l’Artiste » des années 80.

A l’occasion de la commémoration du 25e anniversaire de sa disparition, des artistes contemporains majeurs lui rendent hommage en revisitant le célèbre portrait « Gainsbourg-Dali » réalisé en 1985 par le photographe ROBERTO BATTISTINI.

LISEZ gainsbourg-still-alive-pdf Pour le Silo, Nathalie de Frouville.

Adresse de l’exposition-

Etude Cornette de Saint Cyr

6 avenue hoche

75008 Paris

France

Culture

Ontario’s Fertility Program Marks One Year Anniversary

January 11, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Ontario is helping thousands of people fulfill their dreams of starting or growing a family with the Ontario Fertility Program.

Today, Premier Kathleen Wynne celebrated the success of the Ontario Fertility Program alongside families who have participated in the program over the past year. Since the government launched the program in December 2015, Ontario has provided more than 6,500 people with funding for in vitro fertilization and related services.

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a medical procedure in which an egg is retrieved, fertilized by sperm outside the body, and the resulting embryo is then implanted in the uterus. One cycle of IVF can cost more than $10,000 if paid for privately, in addition to the cost of drugs, making it unaffordable for many of the roughly one in six Ontario couples experiencing infertility. The Ontario Fertility Program helps to reduce the cost of IVF, making it more affordable for people with all forms of infertility, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation or family status.

Improving affordability and access to reproductive health care is part of the government’s plan to build a better Ontario through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care.

QUOTES

” Infertility can be an emotionally and financially draining experience. With this program, we are helping ease the financial burden for thousands of people and making it easier for people to start or grow a family. I look forward to seeing more happy and healthy families as the program continues.” – Kathleen Wynne Premier of Ontario

” Nearly one in six Ontario couples is affected by infertility, and we are pleased to see so many people embracing the Ontario Fertility Program in its first year. Children are our future and by creating a more reasonable and accessible fertility program, Ontario is supporting family building for those who need the assistance of IVF.” – Dr. Eric Hoskins Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

” I am proud Ontario is supporting families and has taken such positive steps towards strengthening our adoption system, and we remain committed to keeping the process as smooth and successful as possible. All children and youth in Ontario deserve supportive, loving homes, and I’m thrilled to say that many families are one step closer to making this a reality.” – Michael Coteau Minister of Children and Youth Services

” Ontario has shown great leadership with the Ontario Fertility Program and is a successful model for other Canadian provinces when it comes to providing equitable access to IVF. We congratulate all the families who have had a positive experience with the program to date — from those who have welcomed a new addition to their family to those who have gained a renewed sense of hope for the future.” – Danielle Xavier President of the IVF advocacy group, Conceivable Dreams

QUICK FACTS

In its first year, the Ontario Fertility Program has provided almost 4,800 patients with funded egg retrieval, embryology and fresh embryo transfer services, and over 1,700 IVF patients with funded frozen embryo transfer services.
There are 18 clinics in Ontario where patients can receive a funded IVF cycle.
To further support people looking to start or grow a family, the government is also strengthening the adoption system.
Helping people conceive and adopt children builds on a number of recent steps Ontario has taken to better support growing families, including increasing the number of newborn screenings, increasing the number of birth options and creating two out of hospital birthing centres, funding well-baby visits through primary care, opening the province’s first ever breast milk bank and recognizing the legal status of all parents, whether they are LGBTQ2+ or straight, and whether their children were conceived with or without assistance.

LEARN MORE

L’Ontario aide les gens à fonder ou à agrandir leur famille

Le Programme de procréation assistée est offert depuis un an

10 janvier 2017 09h30

L’Ontario aide des milliers de personnes à réaliser leur rêve de fonder ou d’agrandir leur famille grâce à son Programme de procréation assistée.

La première ministre Kathleen Wynne a souligné aujourd’hui le succès du Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario, en compagnie de familles qui ont participé au programme au cours de l’année écoulée. Depuis que le gouvernement a institué le programme en décembre 2015, l’Ontario a fourni du soutien financier à plus de 6 500 personnes pour leur permettre d’accéder à la fécondation in vitro (FIV) et aux services connexes.

La FIV est un acte médical qui consiste à prélever un ovule et à le féconder à l’aide de sperme en dehors du corps de la patiente. L’embryon qui en résulte est ensuite transplanté dans son utérus. Lorsqu’il est payé par des particuliers, un cycle de FIV peut coûter jusqu’à 10 000 $, en plus du coût des médicaments, ce qui est trop onéreux pour de nombreux couples ontariens qui ont un problème de fertilité. On évalue qu’environ un couple sur six éprouve un tel problème. Le Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario aide à réduire le coût de la FIV et à rendre ce traitement plus abordable pour les personnes ayant une forme ou l’autre d’infertilité, sans égard à leur sexe, à leur orientation sexuelle ou à leur situation familiale.

Rendre les soins de santé reproductive plus abordables et plus accessibles, cela fait partie des objectifs du gouvernement visant à bâtir un meilleur Ontario grâce à son Plan d’action en matière de soins de santé, qui donne la priorité aux patients.

CITATIONS

« L’infertilité peut causer des difficultés émotionnelles et financières. Grâce à ce programme, nous contribuons à alléger le fardeau financier de milliers de personnes et les aidons à fonder ou à agrandir leur famille. Nous anticipons le plaisir de voir de plus en plus de familles heureuses et en bonne santé au fur et à mesure que se poursuit le déploiement du programme.» – Kathleen Wynne première ministre de l’Ontario

« En Ontario, près d’un couple sur six éprouve un problème de fertilité, et nous sommes enchantés de constater qu’un si grand nombre de gens aient fait appel au Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario dès sa première année. Les enfants sont notre avenir et en instaurant un programme de fertilité plus raisonnable et plus accessible, l’Ontario aide les personnes qui ont besoin de la FIV pour agrandir leur famille.» – Dr Eric Hoskins ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée

« Je suis fier que l’Ontario soutienne les familles et que nous prenions des mesures propices, par exemple renforcer notre système d’adoption. Nous restons déterminés à ce que le processus demeure aussi souple et fructueux que possible. Tous les enfants et les jeunes de l’Ontario méritent de vivre dans un foyer où ils sont bien traités et aimés, et je suis ravi de pouvoir dire que de nombreuses familles sont encore plus proches de réaliser leur objectif à cet égard.» – Michael Coteau ministre des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse

« L’Ontario a joué un rôle d’avant-garde avec son Programme de procréation assistée, qui est devenu un exemple de réussite dont s’inspirent d’autres provinces canadiennes lorsqu’il s’agit de fournir un accès équitable à la FIV. Nous félicitons toutes les familles qui ont vécu une expérience positive avec le programme — tant celles qui ont eu le bonheur de s’agrandir que celles qui nourrissent un nouvel espoir pour l’avenir.» – Danielle Xavier présidente du groupe de revendication de la FIV, Conceivable Dreams

FAITS EN BREF

Au cours de sa première année, le Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario a accordé du soutien financier à près de 4 800 patients qui ont bénéficié de services de prélèvement d’ovules, d’embryologie et de transplantation d’un embryon frais. En outre, plus de 1 700 patients de la FIV ont obtenu des services de transplantation d’embryons congelés.
Les patients de l’Ontario peuvent obtenir un cycle de FIV financé dans 18 cliniques.
Afin de mieux appuyer les personnes désireuses de fonder ou d’agrandir leur famille, le gouvernement renforce aussi le système d’adoption.
L’aide offerte aux personnes qui veulent concevoir et adopter des enfants fait fond sur des mesures récentes que l’Ontario a appliquées en vue de mieux soutenir les familles en croissance, y compris une hausse du nombre de tests de dépistage des maladies chez les nouveau-nés, l’augmentation du nombre d’options pour la naissance, la création de deux centres de naissance hors hôpital, le financement de visites de santé du bébé dans le cadre des soins primaires, la mise sur pied de la toute première banque de lait maternel de la province ainsi que la reconnaissance du statut juridique de tous les parents, qu’ils soient LGBTA2+ ou hétérosexuels, que leurs enfants aient été conçus avec ou sans aide.

POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

Culture

On Demand Car Services Are Latest Group To Take Heat Over Discrimination

January 10, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Discrimination. African American customers wait up to 35% longer for Uber and Lyft rides, in addition to drivers cancelling rides 2x as often for customers with “black-sounding” names.³

[To be fair, a quick search engine result for “racism in the Taxi industry” reveals that discrimination exists in all ride service industries regardless of the company. CP]

New studies have found that the cost of this type of discrimination can run companies up to USD$200,000 in lawsuits – in addition to tarnished reputations, companies experience, lowered morale and abandoned trust.¹

Michael Welp, co-founder of White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) a leading diversity process consulting firm to Fortune 500 companies, says the new economy is forcing companies to come to grips with old biases if they want to protect their bottom line.

“Systemic bias in the workplace will inevitably reach deep into the pockets of the employer, while its ripple effect undermines the principles of good business. There is simply too much at stake to ignore the warning signals.”- Welp

47% of the millennial generation said they consider diversity and inclusion to be an important criterion when considering potential employers. Additionally, more than 2 million workers quit their jobs each year due to discrimination – costing the US economy more than USD$64B annually.

Per Welp, diversity and inclusion not only breed innovation, creativity but also a greater market share.

Welp explains that full diversity has the potential of propelling this new economy further by:

Creating more jobs,
Reducing lost production time due to having to train new hires,
Less discrimination lawsuits, and
Increased innovation that will be produced by diverse teams working together.

In his new book, Four Days to Change, Welp provides the solution to systemic inequality through a comprehensive approach including diversity consulting, experiential learning, and leadership development. He also adds that all efforts should lead to tangible action and measurable results.

WMFDP’s mission is to inspire leaders (especially, white men) to examine their mindsets and assumptions, in order to shift behaviors that create sustainable and inclusive work cultures, which in turn drives business results. Their client list includes: Rockwell Automation, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, BP, Shell, Intel, AT&T, Dell, Microsoft, HP, NASA, Catalyst (women’s advocacy leader), and MARC (Men Advocating Real Change).

1. Schappel, Christian, “What will the next discrimination charge cost you?” HRMorning, November 6 2015

2. Schrader, Brendon, “Here’s Why The Freelancer Economy Is On The Rise,” Fast Company, August 10, 2015

Ehrenkranz, Melanie, “Uber and Lyft drivers exhibit racial bias against passengers, study finds,” Mic Network Inc, October 31, 2016

Philanthropy

Dominican Republic Province Altagracia Suffering With Poverty

January 5, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Villa Altagracia is the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The name “La Altagracia” (High Grace) commemorates a painting, Our Lady of La Altagracia, brought from Spain in the early 16th century. Our Lady of La Altagracia is known to the Dominicans as a protector of the Island, to create miracles.

Our Lady of Altagracia Painting by Unknown Artist. Exhibited at Basilica Nuestra Senora de La Altagracia

Altagracias 2

Sadly, as we drove up the hill of Altagracia, we couldn’t help but notice that a miracle is what this village needed the most. We noticed the roads were unpaved, uneven, and more so just paths of orange dirt. The houses are shacks, made of tree branches, plastic and debris from the streets, the bedrooms separated by tarps and bed sheets, sometimes, a single room holding a family of seven. As we made our way up, we spotted a young boy, fully nude – gripping onto his mother’s hand. She didn’t seem much more lively than the boy. Her skin was cracked and her spirit seemed tired and broken. These people aren’t living, they are merely surviving as best they can to provide for themselves, and their children.

La Altagracia is suffering from poverty.
Poverty. It isn’t being “broke”, it isn’t frugality, or living paycheck-to-paycheck, it isn’t going without your television for a month or cutting back on extravagances.
Poverty is real. It exists. For the people of La Altagracia, it is a normalcy, and it is a harsh reality. These people cannot turn on a sink to wash their hands or brush their teeth. They cannot flush a toilet or take a shower. They don’t have access to fresh, running water. In extreme hot temperatures, these people have to walk a mile and a half to get water from a lake and then walk back with only the amount of water they are able to carry. These people lack countless luxuries that most people take for granted, they don’t know anything else.

Any donations will be utilized to build a public restroom and a well in the village of Altagracia. In the future, we have planned on offering additional resources throughout the village. As for now, we are taking baby steps to provide them with necessities. You have the ability to provide our leaders of tomorrow with the resources they need to build their minds today. We need at least six notebooks per child, books, pens, and other basic school supplies – $10 per child is all it takes to change a life and provide an opportunity for a higher education. Your donations will help make this dream turn into the miracle this village so desperately needs.

Altagracias 3 All donations will go out to the Village of Altagracia in Dominican Republic. Because of your generous giving, Villa Altagracia will be provided with water, a public restroom, educational resources, and an overall growth and unity in community living. For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.

Please visit their website at Altagracias.org

Art

Across The Arts Vulnerability Prevails And Here’s Why It’s An Asset

January 4, 2017 The Silo 1 Comment

Just for a moment, think about all of the many career fields in the world. Now think about those that require a personal emotional investment as a matter of course.

How many bankers make a regular practice of exposing their deepest insecurities to the world through their work? How many veterinarians routinely put on display the most precious and personal aspects of their hearts and minds? Probably not that many. As an artist, you are literally doing this all the time. Whether the emotional investment is major or minor, and whether you are exposing personal joys or defeats, the fact remains that careers in the arts by their very nature involve a whole lot of very personal investment. Unfortunately, some artists view this as a liability and allow the idea that they don’t possess the right self-esteem to affect their ability to work. It is important to find ways to lay these insecurities to rest and accept that by its very nature, art puts us in a vulnerable space. Embrace this rather than allowing it to overwhelm you, consider it an asset going forward.

Across the arts fields, vulnerability prevails. It is what often informs some of the most beautiful work. Whether we are talking about a performer or a visual artist, human nature dictates that when we put ourselves out into the world in the way that an artist does, there is a certain measure of vulnerability built in to the equation. It is a rare thing indeed to find a performer who doesn’t experience the butterflies of stage fright however subtly, no matter how seasoned he or she may be. And it is equally unlikely to find an artist who operates from a place of pure confidence free of the weight of uncertainty.

The world of art, not to mention the world at large, would be a very different place if insecurity did not exist. If everyone walked around with stiff confidence all the time there would be no room for tenderness, bravery, courage, and the bonding commonality of vulnerability that we all experience which is often the key to connecting an audience to a work of art. Every human alive understands what it is like to feel overwhelmed and uncertain and it is often this understanding that leads people to seek out art as a means of connecting to others through this shared human emotion.

Self-esteem has become a buzz word without a strong definition to back it up. We allow it to inform us as though it is some sentient entity that can make or break our resolve as artists. The fact is, self-esteem is merely a label for the way we view ourselves. It is us, and us alone, who decide how we approach the world. Allowing a vague concept like self-esteem to stand in the way of creating something that speaks to the very soul of who you are makes as much sense as allowing a phobia of flying stop you from seeing the world. You must conquer these self-made fears and come out on the other side.

Jackson Pollock Number 1 1950 Lavender Mist

The fact is, there is no way around baring your very soul as an artist. Whether it is only a glimpse or whether you let it all hang out for the world to see, in every work you create there is, inherently, a very personal piece of you. Without this, your work would lack meaning and depth. People view art expecting the spectacle of human emotion. To deny this because of some feeling of low self-esteem is to deny an opportunity to yourself and your audience.

There are no guarantees in life, everything we do carries a risk. Every career has its risks and benefits, though these vary wildly across the spectrum depending on what field we look at. Art is no different. There are no guarantees. Sometimes you will expose your most private self and receive less than gentle feedback. Under no circumstances should this give you anything more than a moment’s pause. Brush off, stand up, and get back to it. Use these experiences to further inform your work. Explore the feeling of exposure and the insecurities of this concept of self-esteem. Look fear in the eye and let it look right back.

Ultimately it is up to you how you choose to face the very real challenges of so-called self-esteem in your work as an artist. Only you can know your own limits, and only you can be brave enough to step beyond them. No one ever achieved very much who didn’t expose their inner selves to total annihilation. While this may sound like a terrifying prospect, consider why you are sitting here reading this blog in the first place. If you’re an artist, by simply declaring to the world that you are an artist, you have already chosen the path of courage. You have willingly stepped into the ring with your heart on your sleeve. There’s no turning back now. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Supplemental- The start of abstract expressionism challenged “safe, established painting styles”

Culture

Perfect Allaire Cristal Age Tequila

December 19, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

In case you’re looking to get in the spirit (pun intended) to ring in the new season of decorations, family time, and counting down the new year, you may need a boost and we have just the thing. Tequila!

Let’s toast in glitter and gold with Allaire Privee‘s Golden Margarita-

Recipe:

2oz of Allaire Cristal Age tequila

fresh squeezed lime juice

Organic agave

Pour over ice

Topped off with 24K eatable gold powder that melts on top of the cocktail, giving a melted gold look floating on top of the Margarita.

If you’re looking to give a little extra this season, Côte d’Azur, Allaire luxury spirits are an opulent trifecta of quality, elegance, and uniqueness.

The collection

menage a trois with smith wesson gold handcuffs

Vodka: Unequaled flavors and aromas originate from Allaire’s choice of select grains grown in the heart of the polish plains. Their crafting methods, distilling it six times and then filtering it five times, gives it outstanding purity, clarity and shine. The complete process tops up its elegant taste.

Tequila: The premium tequila is made with 100% select blue weber agave that were slowly cooked to give a perfect balance of sweetness. Made in small batches and crafted free of any additives to respect its true essence. Aged in bourbon casks and filtered with an innovative process to give it a smooth agave flavor and characteristic crystal tone.

Rum: Rum from Barbados is considered by many the archetype to be taken as a reference point for others. Allaire’s rum is the ultimate representation of excellence from the island. Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels and filtered with their proprietary method that gives it a beautiful crystal tone and enhances the sensory richness.

If you can’t choose just one, have a Ménage a Trois, which features a collection of Allaire’s premium Vodka, Tequila, and Rum cased with 24 karat gold Smith & Wesson handcuffs. For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.

Politics

Read Here- Putin “Bilateralism” Christmas Letter To Trump

December 9, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

Statement from President-Elect Donald J. Trump

(Palm Beach, FL) – President-elect Donald J. Trump released the following statement in response to the attached letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“A very nice letter from Vladimir Putin; his thoughts are so correct. I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts, and we do not have to travel an alternate path.”

Click on the hyperlink above to read the full letter.

Philanthropy

1000 Apple Trees At Röbäcksdalen Fully Funded Via Kickstarter For Brännland Cider

December 2, 2016 The Silo 1 Comment

Brännland Cider’s new apple terroir at Röbäcksdalen in Umeå, Sweden.

At the beginning of November Brännland Cider, an international award winning cider producer in Umeå, Sweden, where I happen to work, started a Kickstarter campaign called “1000 apple trees at Röbäcksdalen”, to fund the creation of an orchard and the start new apple terroir in their Northern home county of Västerbotten, not very far from the Arctic Circle.

30 days later, after international attention and countless shares on social media, the campaign is now fully funded. The funds have streamed in from private backers, businesses and institutions in the region and foreign backers in the markets where Brännland Cider is present, in the form of adoptions of the trees planted in the orchard.

Funding is primarily earmarked for research into organic farming practices and all research results and knowledge derived from the orchard will be shared with anyone who wants to grow fruit in Northern Sweden. The ultimate long term goal is to create a new apple terroir for cider production.

We’re totally amazed by the support that’s been coming in from our local as well as the national and international communities. In the past four years we’ve striven to produce the best cider and ice cider possible using the best Swedish apples. It is fantastic to see that our work has inspired confidence enough in what we do, that people want to lend us this kind of support.

The next step for Brännland Cider is to create a dedicated web for the orchard where adopters can follow their specific tree through the seasons. In spring time, a limited edition cider will be produced and offered only to the backers of the Kickstarter campaign as a celebration of the funding of 1000 apple trees at Röbäcksdalen. For the Silo, Andreas Sundgren Graniti, CEO Brännland Cider AB.

Prizes and Awards: www.brannlandcider.se/index.php/awards

Brännland Cider producerar iscider och cider på 100% svenska äpplen för en nationell och internationell marknad. Bolagets första årgång Brännland Iscider, ett isvin producerat på äpplen med sitt historiska ursprung i Kanada, släpptes 2012.

Supplemental- Ottawa’s Trees need your help! Adopt-a-tree.

Art

Boston Based Artist Jeannie Motherwell Draws Structures From Uncertainty

November 28, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

Dear Artist, Aristotle differentiated humans from their animal counterparts by dint of logos, the power of rational speech. Napoleon was attributed the quote, “four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” Human civilization was founded on the exercise of this divine faculty, and is destroyed by it in equal measure. Speech, in its complexity and weight, is the only world capable of rivaling nature.

This week, in view of two ponderous interviews, I ask you to summon to mind those rare and revelatory conversations that have left an indelible imprint on your life. What intimate discussion would you revisit and savor, if you were aware of the contents beforehand? What words of the past would be left unsaid or better spoken with the retrospective guidance of age?

Abstract acrylic painter Jeannie Motherwell refuses to grow cold in the artistic shadow of her father and stepmother, Robert Motherwell and Helen Frankenthaler. As a stable ecosystem quells its wrestling constituents, Motherwell’s refined intuition hushes the spontaneous boundaries of dilating paint on clay board and canvas. Over a soberly spoken interview, the New York artist now based in Boston, admits in her work the faint pursuit of a faded horizon: the shifting waters from the view of an old home, replaced, in time, by a windowless studio. The methodology of Motherwell’s art – to draw a structure from an uncertainty – eerily echoes a ritual from her upbringing: discerning, with the right words, to the joy of her guardians, the spiritual essences behind their cascades of paint.

Jeannie Motherwell in her Joy Street Studios, Somerville, MA Click image to visit her studio website.

Inexhaustible curator and researcher Ele Carpenter maintains that the lasting footprint of humanity will not be a monument or an idea, but a radioactive glare. Radioactive isotopes of a unique breed first entered the Earth’s atmosphere with the testing of the earliest nuclear bomb, signaling the beginning of a geological period known as the nuclear anthropocene. Dedicated to disseminating information about the irreversible changes to the environment caused by human hand, Carpenter organizes discourse and collaboration on a global scale, uniting scientists, activists, and visionaries in the depiction of a haunting reality that eludes the senses.

Additional interviews include: Barbara Wilks, Nate Page, Frans van Lent, and Katya Gardea Brown.

Looking for new additions to your reading list? Rachel Wolfe, one of our users, is deconstructing and rebuilding her fundamental conceptions of nature and mind. Sensitive Chaos, by Theodor Schwenk, vacillates between rigorous and metaphorical depictions of the underlying systems of movement that govern aeolian and liquid dynamics, from the furious dance of a hurricane to the soft aria of a developing child. Strange Tools, by Alva Noe, is a philosophical text that sees artmaking as a faculty for reflection, a primordial instinct that consciously and unconsciously takes stock of the external conditions that govern our identities and worldview.

Occupy Museums is seizing the means of cultural production with Debtfair, an exhibition dedicated to the overworked and underfunded. Creators, performers, and thinkers with financial weights on their shoulders have until December 9th to see their arduous narrative showcased in the 2017 Whitney Biennial. Debtfair serves to expose the aggressive business models that permeate leading art institutions, while encouraging solidarity amongst all encumbered populations of the economically segmented social landscape. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but no artist needs to bear the burden of Atlas.

The great American poet Wallace Stevens, envisioning life’s origins with a brain that thought without words, once instructed, “Begin, ephebe, by perceiving the idea / Of this invention, this invented world, / The inconceivable idea of the sun.”

As always, here are the links to interview archive and free resources page. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

*Highlight image: Absolute by Jeannie Motherwell. Visit Jeannie’s Boston Studio by clicking here.

Sci-Tech

Canada’s Original Black Friday- ‘Cancelled Arrow’ Was Cutting Edge 1950s Jet Interceptor

November 25, 2016 The Silo 3 Comments

I began writing this post after an annual viewing pilgrimage of sorts. Each year on the eve of shopping’s busiest day, I crack open the well worn plastic jewel case and fire up the DVD player. It’s a fictional account but based in fact and is very entertaining and I can’t help but wonder what “might have been” after watching CBC’s 1996 mini-series “the Arrow” again. [You can watch this right here at the end of this post CP]

Over the decades fact and fiction have become tangled but the basic truths remain intact. In the late 1950’s a highly advanced jet interceptor designed to seek (and if necessary destroy) Russian nuclear bombers was conceived, designed, built and flown in Canada by a predominantly Canadian team. Here’s where things get fuzzy. The Arrow was developed when the federal Liberal party were in power but was finished and flown when the Conservatives were in power. It represented not only the technological capability of Canada’s aviation industry- but also the econo-political agenda of the mid-twentieth Century. So what happened at that time to help spell the doom of the Arrow?

-The ICBM- intercontinental ballistic missile was viewed as the future of warfare not the nuclear bomber. This meant that a jet interceptor was obsolete because it would be unable to intercept approaching missiles.

-Bad timing: on the day of the rollout of the very first completed Arrow, the Russians launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. In the public eye jets seemed unimportant.

-The American Bomarc missile system was designed to intercept incoming nuclear bombers and ballistic nuclear missiles. The Bomarc had a small nuclear warhead which would detonate in the pathway of approaching missiles (or bombers) and create a nuclear ‘shield’. The Bomarc was highly controversial at the time because our Prime Minister did not want nuclear missiles on Canadian territory. However, our Defence Minister did not agree and eventually resigned over the matter. This defence ‘split’ exacerbated the Arrow program and any chance for an Arrow squadron legacy.

-The Canadian designed Iroquois engines were not readied in time and were not fitted into the Arrow. These engines were innovative and theoretically could have propelled the Arrow to speeds of Mach 2.5 or possibly Mach 3.0- far beyond every fighter of the time with the exception of secret black technology projects like the American Blackbird SR-71. Had the Canadian engines been readied and proven, there seems little doubt that international orders would have offset some of the Arrow’s mounting costs.

Black Friday…….almost 15,000 workers lose their job.

There is no official record of just who ordered the destruction of the remaining Arrows. Other than a few recovered test models, an incomplete cockpit and a few seconds of in flight film, nothing remains of this wonderful airplane . For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

The completed Arrows being cut up and readied for a Hamilton,ON scrap dealer.

Supplemental-

University of Saskatchewan The Nuclear Question in Canada http://www.usask.ca/diefenbaker/galleries/virtual_exhibit/nuclear_question_in_canada/

Post Featured Image- http://plunkettgw.deviantart.com/art/AVRO-ARROW-17-139364086

Boeing’s Bomarc Missile http://www.boeing.com/boeing/history/boeing/bomarc.page

Culture

Day Marks Another Anniversary Of JFK Assassination

November 22, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

2015’s historic JFK 50th assassination Special was a riveting and powerful demonstration of media technology. We co-hosted the CBS feature which “rebroadcast” their original assassination television coverage in real-time, fully and completely. Every detail was reproduced exactly as it was shown on that fateful day- even the interruption of a certain soap opera with the first “bulletin” announcement. Live internet coverage began at 1:38 EDT exactly 50 years to the minute of the initial CBS news broadcasts.

If you have any #JFK thoughts (perhaps you even remember that fateful day)- or if you watch the archived live stream please share your feelings by commenting below at the end of this post. We will respect all requests for anonymity.

In the meantime, you may want to view Newsmax TV documentary: “I killed JFK” claiming to showcase a newly revealed “confessed killer”. In 1978 a US Congressional Investigation into Kennedy’s death determined that there were likely more than one shooter/killer.

JFK visits Ottawa 1961:

@CBSNews live tweeting during this historical rebroadcast event- image:CBS Twitter

Supplemental- The United States National Archives Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives
References: I. Findings in the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Politics

Regular Updates- President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces Senior White House Leadership Team

November 14, 2016 The Silo 52 Comments

(New York, NY)- President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced that Trump for President CEO Stephen K. Bannon will serve as Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to the President, and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will serve as White House Chief of Staff. Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive. Bannon and Priebus will also work together with Vice President-elect Mike Pence to help lead the transition process in the run-up to Inauguration Day.

“I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country,” said President-elect Trump. “Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again.”

Photo: Reuters News. Did you know? Reuters computer predicted large Republican win for presidency? Click image for more info.

“I want to thank President-elect Trump for the opportunity to work with Reince in driving the agenda of the Trump Administration,” noted Bannon. “We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory. We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda.”

“It is truly an honor to join President-elect Trump in the White House as his Chief of Staff,” added Priebus. “I am very grateful to the President-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism. He will be a great President for all Americans.” For the Silo, Trump For America, Inc.

Comics

Neal Adams Unveiled Bucky O’Hare Digital Comic At L.A. Comic Con

November 7, 2016 The Silo 1 Comment

LOS ANGELES – Bucky O’Hare – the original comic book series turned into a classic cartoon – made its debut in the digital domain with an 8-page exclusive Swipe Studio e-comic book written and illustrated by brand creators Larry Hama and Michael Golden together with Neal Adams and his Continuity Productions. Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace made its premiere appearance Day One of Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con recently held October 28-30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Designed utilizing the tools available on the all-new Swipe Studio design app, the latest offering in the Bucky O’Hare legacy follows Bucky and his crew as they do battle with the Toad Armada. The special Los Angeles Comic Con presentation featured legendary artist Neal Adams together with Swipe Studio’s famed creator Satoshi Nakajima.

The 8-pager provided fans with a glimpse into the creative for the planned Bucky O’Hare theatrical motion picture now in the works with Neal Adams producing and directing.

The brainchild of software genius Satoshi Nakajima – the engineering architect responsible for Windows 95 and Windows 98 along with Internet Explorer versions 3 and 4 – Swipe empowers everyone from consumers to creators to easily animate everything from emails to digital comics with media-rich digital elements and make use of animation, video, vector graphics as well as full audio for voice, music and sound effects on tablets and smartphones. Created to take full advantage of today’s touch-enabled smartphone and tablet technology, Swipe eliminates the need for complex programming typically required to build animation or other forms of design content. As a result, creators, designers, animators and artists have the tools to create media-rich animated digital content for consumption via touch-enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and touch-enabled set-top-boxes, such as iPhone and Apple TV.

In addition to the Swipe Bucky O’Hare comic book, artist Neal Adams also worked with the Swipe team to load into the platform an impressive portfolio of Bucky art elements and animation that can be adapted by anyone for any digital purpose, including e-mails or presentations of any kind, including all main characters and several backgrounds.

Creators and artists can now experience the free Swipe app instantly by downloading Swipe Studio to their iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and begin to create media-rich animated digital content. To download the Swipe Studio, go to App Store https://appsto.re/us/hlcDeb.i Note- Swipe Studio is available only for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch users with version iOS9 or later.

Swipe Studio users are welcome to join Facebook group; Swipe Studio Users https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076516299084537/

“We are thrilled to unveil the newest Bucky O’Hare creative from the team responsible for this celebrated and enduring property at Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic con,” said Nakajima. “I [had] tremendous enthusiasm towards sharing a panel with the great Neal Adams whose brilliant use of the Swipe Studio design tools helps us usher in a new era in digital design.”

“It has been a lot of fun to work with Swipe Studio and I encourage artists to check it out for their own design projects. In fact, Swipie – which is Swipe’s platform for consumers – continues to offer a wealth of art and animation applications to enhance everything from emails to digital presentations. Mr. Nakajima has built an extraordinary platform and I am proud to contribute Bucky O’Hare as a way of underscoring its power as a design platform,” said Neal Adams.

About Swipe, Inc.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Swipe, Inc. is the parent company for Swipe™, an open source platform embedding the full range of visual and audio media into digital documents for smartphones, tablets and other touch-screen devices. Swipe, Inc. Founder-Chief Technology Officer Satoshi Nakajima is recognized industry-wide as the lead engineer and architect of Windows 95 and Windows 98 which he created during his tenure with Microsoft. Visit Swipe, Inc. online at http://www.Swipe.net/.

Fashion

Four Solutions To Free Up Space In Cluttered Homes

October 21, 2016 The Silo 1 Comment

Nobody likes to live in a home that is cluttered, messy and full of stuff – but as you and your family accumulate more belongings, it can become easy to end up in this situation and then difficult to get back out of it. However, one of the simplest tricks to living without clutter is to make sure that it’s super easy for you and your family to clean up in the house quickly. We’ve put together a list of great tips that you can follow to ensure that your home can go from chaotic and cluttered to calm and clean in no time at all.

Closed Storage

Having closed storage is a great way to minimize clutter and also ensure that your home is tidy with minimal effort. Everybody likes the look of open shelving when everything on there is lined up perfectly, however the sad truth is that it’s not always very practical or possible to keep everything perfectly tidy and in order. Closed storage, when well thought out, can look just as good if not even better. If you’ve got a lot of stuff, stay away from open shelving wherever possible and use drawers and doors to conceal everything.

Under Bed Storage

Bedrooms, especially kid’s rooms, can quickly become cluttered if they have a lot of things and need constant reminding to tidy up after themselves. However, using beds with built-in drawers underneath makes a great storage space for bedroom clutter, and are easy and accessible enough for kids to clean up after themselves without even putting in that much effort. In an adult bedroom, under the bed storage makes an excellent space for storing shoes or other items of clothing that aren’t worn frequently.

Storage Containers

If you have boxes and boxes full of things that you don’t want to get rid of but barely use, they can take up a lot of room in your home and cause it to be quite cluttered. Investing in a storage container could be a great idea, especially if you don’t have free room at home such as in your shed or garage to store any extra stuff that’s just sitting around taking up room. Solutions for public storage Montreal offer a range of different sized storage containers which you could rent to put your stuff for the amount of time that you need.

Have a Clear Out

Although this might take a day or two to complete, having a full clear out of your home will really pay off. If, like most families, you have a lot of things lying around, sorting through the things and deciding what you do and don’t need is likely to free up a lot more room in your home. Clothing items could be sold on to make more money or given to charity, and any electrical things you don’t need can be listed for sale online, meaning that your clear out could result in a cleaner home and more money in the bank. For the Silo, Dimitry Karloff.

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Comics

Toei Animation Simulcast Brings Back Dragon Ball With World & Japan Linkup

October 20, 2016 The Silo 2 Comments

LOS ANGELES – Toei Animation Inc. will debut an English subtitle simulcast of Dragon Ball Super on multiple digital platforms on October 22nd. For the first time, fans in North and Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will be able to view Dragon Ball Super simulcast. Since its debut in Japan in July 2015, the hit follow-up to one of the greatest anime series of all time has been eagerly awaited by followers around the world. Through non-exclusive streaming partnerships with Crunchyroll, Daisuki.net and Anime Lab, Dragon Ball Super will finally be available.

Kicking off on Saturday October 22 at 9:00pm EST, viewers of Crunchyroll, Daisuki and Anime Lab can log in for a non-exclusive English-subtitled simulcast of episode 63, “Don’t Define Saiyan Cells! The Curtain Rises on Vegeta’s Intense Battle!!” which leads into the thrilling conclusion of the “Future Trunks Arc.” Audiences will get to join Japan live during the broadcast, and then tune in weekly for future new episodes.

Crunchyroll: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for subscription viewing on demand (SVOD) and advertising video on demand (AVOD). Latin America and South Africa can only be viewed on SVOD.

Daisuki.net: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Anime Lab: Australia and New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Dragon Ball Super’s fourth arc features the return of Future Trunks. Hunted by a mysterious being bent on destruction, Future Trunks is brought into a fight spanning time and space. Episode 63 follows Future Trunks’ epic battle against Goku Black, and Goku’s acquisition of the powerful “Evil Containment Wave” technique.

To prepare for episode 63’s debut, viewers will also be able to stream the entire Future Trunks arc (the arc begins at episode 47). Then, starting on October 30, the complete series will roll-out, with 10 episodes released a week at a time.

“Patience always pays off, and we’re delighted to finally share Dragon Ball Super with our fans around the world. And believe me when I say there’s more to come. Stay tuned for additional exciting news before the end of the year!” said Masayuki Endo, President of Toei Animation Inc.

About Toei Animation Inc.

Based in Los Angeles, Toei Animation Inc. manages the film distribution of Toei’s top properties, including Dragon Ball all series, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Saint Seiya, and many others to North America, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Toei Animation Los Angeles office further handles all categories of consumer product licensing based on its film and television brands within these territories. For more information, please visit http:www.toei-animation-usa.com or contact [email protected].

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Toei Animation Co., Ltd

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (Jasdaq:4816) ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing with sales offices in Paris, Hong Kong and representative office in Shanghai. Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 11,000 episodes of TV series (more than 200 titles) and more than 215 long feature films. For more information, please visit http://www.toei-anim.co.jp.

Supplemental- Have questions? http://ask.fm/DragonBall_Nation

Sci-Tech

Watch Live Stream Attempt Here By ESA Exo/Mars To Land On Red Planet This Wednesday

October 17, 2016 The Silo 1 Comment

At about 17:30 CEST on 16 October, the data link with the ExoMars/TGO orbiter had still not been fully re-established following separation. Subsequently, at around 18:40 CEST, ESA (the European Space Agency) re-established a full data link with the spacecraft, and the mission control team could confirm that separation had taken place as planned, at 16:42 CEST. Both the Schiaparelli module and the TGO orbiter are in good shape and en route – separately – to arrive at the Red Planet on 19 October. We will be hosting the live video feed from ESA and wish them all the best of success in landing on Mars.

Schiaparelli Mars Rover

An orbiter carried on the ExoMars 2016 mission will hunt for methane in the atmosphere and show if it’s likely to have been generated by geology or biological processes. In other words- suggestive evidence of life/past life on Mars.

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Fashion

Charity Provides Free Dresses To Underprivileged Girls For School Dances

October 13, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

A new charity called the “Believe in Yourself Project” is helping to replace the poor body image that afflicts many girls and women. This image is heightened by what the traditional fashion industry deems as beautiful: Women are expected to appear a certain way and live up to a manufactured and unrealistic notion of what beauty is. At the same time, strained finances can prevent many girls from keeping up with what’s trending or cool, making them feel isolated among their friends for not being able to afford clothing that is deemed as “in” socially.

In an attempt to promote a positive body image, online fashion site www.ustrendy.com has created the ” Believe in Yourself Project.” The aim is to help women feel better about themselves and their physical attributes and to promote healthy self esteem among young girls at an early age, empowering these young women to take on active social roles within their school communities.

Over the past year, UsTrendy has given formal dresses to underprivileged high school girls and college students across the USA (with talks about expanding into Canada), for them to wear at their school dances. Donations began last winter, and UsTrendy reports that many of the girls in the program have had the self confidence to attend their first school dance.

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The Believe in Yourself Project is part of a broader initiative. UsTrendy is currently in talks with various influential women who at one time or currently have struggled with body image, encouraging them to serve as speakers and mentors to the various girls within the program.

“We hope to dispel the notion that you need to be a size 0 in order to be beautiful,” says UsTrendy Founder Sam Sisakhti.

Ultimately, the Believe in Yourself Project seeks to make people feel comfortable in their own skin and not let physical or financial insecurities or limitations affect their confidence.

For the Silo, Sam Sisakhti.

Gaming

World’s Best Street Fighter V Players Battled Head-to-Head at ESL One New York

October 7, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

COSTA MESA, Calif. — ZOWIE, BenQ’s eSports brand, was the official tournament eSports monitor of The Brooklyn Beatdown, recently held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Held alongside the ESL One New York Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament, the Street Fighter V event featured the RL Series console monitors as 256 competitors battled for a $75,000USD prize pool. The ZOWIE RL Series armed competitors with experience-enhancing features such as head-to-combat, lag-free technology, instant response and adjustable stand.

“The Brooklyn Beatdown was an intense weekend full of epic battles between the world’s best SFV players,” said Ronald Kim, eSports marketing at BenQ America Corp. “We’ve been looking forward to watching the pros compete head-to-head on our RL2460 monitor.”

The Brooklyn Beatdown streamed matches utilized the RL2460 monitor’s exclusive head-to-head feature, which allows multiple monitors to connect to the console system without any additional lag and eliminating split screen sharing.

About BenQ Corporation
Founded on the corporate vision of “Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to Life,” BenQ Corporation is a world-leading human technology and solutions provider aiming to elevate and enrich every aspect of consumers’ lives. To realize this vision, the company focuses on the aspects that matter most to people today — lifestyle, business, healthcare and education — with the hope of providing people with the means to live better, increase efficiency, feel healthier and enhance learning. Such means include a delightful broad portfolio of people-driven products and embedded technologies spanning digital projectors, monitors, interactive large-format displays, audio products, cloud consumer products, mobile communications and lifestyle lighting. Because it matters.

www.ingearpr.com/BenQ/160928BenQ-ZOWIE.docx

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