After yesterday's punishing downfalls and as Toronto deals with the throes of another wet and rainy summer season in general, I thought it might be time for a discussion of umbrella etiquette. I'm an umbrella user and fully appreciate the advantages of staying dry; but if people can't learn to handle their bumbershoots, then they deserve no less than a good soaking.

People are becoming more vocal about the ongoing Toronto city union strike... especially online, where anonymity allows everyone to openly vent frustrations. Though many comments take the shape of rants, they also reveal the impact this strike is having on the everyday lives of Torontonians.

One citizen (who requests anonymity) has decided to channel some of this anger and frustration in the form of an informal petition to End the Strike Now. In Toronto's often lukewarm political environment, it's refreshing to see the reaction. From garbage in parks and swimming pools, to child care concerns, the End the Strike Now campaign is attempting to record the impact of the strike and the legitimate concerns of dissatisfied citizens.

Too bad it took such a stinking mess to evoke a response.

The Virgin Music Festival 2009 (the Ontario edition) announcement FINALLY dropped this morning, and thankfully the rumours were true... NIN will be headlining at this year's Vfest!

This year will also see appearances by Ben Harper & Relentless7, and the full line up boasts some impressive talent. But with the good news, comes the bad: an out-of-town (I mean WAY out-of-town) venue, and some interesting marketing tactics to monetize the event.

This year definitely promises to be an exciting new chapter in the Vfest saga and I've got all the line up, venue, ticketing and VIP details right here.

Rock the Bells rolled into the Molson Amphitheater on Sunday, returning the urban music festival to an appropriately urban space. Having been relegated to Arrow Hall for the past two years, this hip hop heavyweight concert has been way off my radar - but I was thrilled to see it return with a massive line up this year.

Between meeting Tech N9ne, Krizz Kalico and K'naan, standing stage-side for Rza of the Wu-Tang, and seeing a spontaneous Blackstar reunion, this year's Rock the Bells turned out to be a seriously sweet ticket!

If you were lucky enough to have missed the garbage strike in Toronto in 2002 (or any of the subsequent service disruptions since) don't worry - in this city it's becoming a regular tradition.

Only a few short years since the last strike, City workers have again walked off the job, shutting down services like summer camps and swimming pools, and suspending Toronto trash collection. Nothing says summer like a stinking city full of kids on summer vacation with nothing to do. And be prepared; after only one day, Torontonians have already begun to nominate street curbs, alleyways, and even parks as unofficial dumping grounds of choice.

I'm beginning to wonder if we should bother with trash collection at all... why not turn Toronto into one giant refuse pile? :P

NXNE officially rolls into town this Wednesday for its 15th year, ready to transform small stages all over Toronto into the ultimate music, film and party conference. Based out of the new Hyatt Regency on King, NXNE includes over 500 bands at 50 venues, along with conference panels and film screenings - which can make the festival somewhat difficult to plan for!

It's going to be an awesome week of music-fueled madness, so we've hand-picked some of the best in our NXNE 2009 Party Guide. This will give you the inside track on NXNE 2009's hottest events, plus a small taste of what sort of coverage to expect from the blogTO team.