The internet is rife with assholes happily excreting their opinions, underlining the Internet's brutal (and sadly predictable) common denominator. Perhaps the biggest forum for all things hateful and vile on the net, 4chan.org/b/ recently caught the eye of an anonymous Toronto East-ender with an interest in art and futurism.

The result? The Internet Excrement Machine.

Ron Craven, known to some as Ronzig, is one of the most compelling voices I've heard in the call to combat homelessness on the streets of Toronto. So what does Ron see as the problem in getting Torontonians to take action? "I won't say that most people feel that homeless people deserve to die on the streets because they are substandard human beings, not better than vermin, but far too many Torontonians feel that way."

I could hardly pass up the chance to talk to this amazing survivor turned advocate; his story, incredible and almost unimaginable, demonstrates the ongoing challenges of fighting revolving door homelessness in our city.

Once a wealthy businessman who considered running for Mayor of East York, Ron Craven fell in love and fell victim to the world of crack cocaine. Within 2 years he was bankrupt and living on welfare, and spent the next 10 years struggling to get off the streets. Given his experiences on the streets of Toronto, Ron shares unique insight into the issues surrounding homelessness in our city.

With another amazing Canadian Music Week in the bag, I was especially impressed with the energy radiating from the indie scene this year. Honouring the hardcore credibility of the indie segment of the industry, fans gathered this weekend at the Royal York hotel for the 2009 Indie Music Awards.

With live performances from some of the biggest indie names in homegrown music like Crystal Castles, Hey Rosetta!, and Arkells, I think the Indie Awards were a perfect way to celebrate the ambition and energy necessary to make it in the often ruthless music industry.

It's not everyday I get to meet someone like Jesse 'Boots Electric' Hughes. Sporting a rock star mustache and tight pants, I watched him being interviewed by a couple of Toronto media outlets before the sold out Eagles of Death Metal show last week at the Phoenix. Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) was absent from the tour, and Jesse got to soak up the entire spotlight - which suits him just fine.

But when it came my turn to interview the Southern party animal, I was told to meet him downstairs in the back of a waiting van; we were going on a little field trip to the Puma store. Of course I was pretty psyched to rock the back of a van with the Eagles of Death Metal front man... but really had no idea what I was getting into.

At this time of year spirits can be low, and just as the cold weather was starting to creep into my soul, I attended Fidelio, the Canadian Opera Company's first production of 2009. This fierce tale of romantic heroism, beautifully presented by some of the company's top vocal talents, served to warm my winter-addled heart.

As Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio is a unique experience in and of itself, and the COC co-production with the Opera National du Rhin and Staatstheater Nurnberg was no exception. Presented in the political light of early 20th century Germany, punctuated with Kafka epigraphs, and set in the oppressive confines of a Spanish prison, I wasn't sure whether the love story would shine through the production slant; but to my delight, I found the performance was profoundly romantic, showing how love and loyalty triumph in even the coldest of circumstances.

Joshua L. Obront, better known as DJ Jelo, has been a solid member of Toronto's techno/electro scene for the past several years. Having seen him alongside dozens of deck masters (most recently at The Crystal Method) I'm finding myself pretty hyped for The Jelo Show tonight at Footwork, featuring a pairing with Hatiras - another Toronto fixture, both of whom have carved out a diamond reputation locally and abroad.

The Jelo Show is now in its third installment and shows no sign of slowing down, with near-capacity crowds always ready for some techno-electro-chaos in the pants. Seeing as this is my first time going, I thought I'd pick DJ Jelo's brain about the often-debated Toronto 'scene'.

Here are his creative answers to my rather straightforward questions... best read when accompanied by a solid beat.