Last week Downsview Park got a jump on the crazy holiday lights season by unveiling a trail of more than 400,000 light bulbs. They're apparently energy-efficient LED lights so I guess we shouldn't all freak out at the energy consumption happening north of the 401. And the Trail of Lights is sponsored by Tourism Toronto which means this is one of the key things bringing in all those tourists from Chicago.

But, no need to rush. They'll be sparkling until the end of December so there's plenty of time to wander the park and check them all out, plus Canada's largest walk-through, illuminated Holiday Tree.

Photo by Sam

Are people in this city ugly? What about our architecture and streets?

Killing some time yesterday, I discovered some definitive evidence to refute the critics' claims that our Toronto is ugly. We're not that unattractive after all, especially when compared to other Torontos.

Harnessing the power and reach of Flickr and geotagging, I've discovered that there are, without a doubt, far uglier Torontos out there.

Photo: "Swimming with ColorCheckers" by Daifuku Sensei, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Toronto managed to evade a winter storm this weekend, but a few of our prominent local politicians have become embroiled in a storm of epic proportions. The Prime Minister's Office sent out a recording made by the Conservatives of an NDP caucus teleconference that reveals Jack Layton leading coalition-related discussions. I'm pretty sure I have an opinion on what's worse - that these discussions were held well before the insane economic plan was delivered by the Conservatives, or that the talks were infiltrated, taped, and shared by the Conservatives. It's believed that a deal to form a Liberal-NDP coalition, with support of the Bloc is in the works, and coalition action in the form of a stimulus package is being planned.

Total mayhem and horror erupted at a child's birthday party in Oshawa this weekend, leading to the stabbing death of a mother, injury to a few others (including two kids), and the assailant being shot dead by intervening police. What a horrific tragedy.

Something about this story just doesn't seem right. Five fires broke out in five different TTC subway stations within half an hour of each other - due to heaters used by the TTC to prevent switches from freezing? Ummmm. Does this happen often? Even Fire Marshall Bill wouldn't approve!

Many people might not realize that Toronto once had a monorail. It wasn't where you'd expect it - at the airport, on the islands or zipping around the Metro Convention Centre. Instead, it was east of the city and part of the Toronto Zoo. It was called the Canadian Domain Ride and opened in 1976 to shuttle visitors to remote areas of the zoo where they could see animals that weren't confined to the typical entrapments.

Photo: "Trapped in a dumpster " by mikepop2ca, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

The media is experiencing tough times for sure. First it was Canwest doing the canning, and now it's CTV axing 105 Toronto jobs. Fear not, though; Toronto blogs aren't next, I don't think. We don't have nearly the same level of resources, operating costs, overheard, or high-priced journalistic talent ;)

While the concept is still in its infancy, Loblaws is poised to take a leap and take the plastic grocery bag fee nationwide. They're insistent that it's not a cash grab, and are committing excess profits on the bags to outside environmental causes (after they pay for the required publicity, extra training, and checkout redesign costs associated with reusable bags).

It's big news for Waterloo. Superstar scientist Stephen Hawking has taken up a position as a research chair at the University of Waterloo. Understandably, he's not that keen on snow, and will spend a good chunk of his time there next summer. Who wants to hook up with Hawking and pick his brain over a beer on the patio? I do!

Photo: untitled by Jeremy Nathan, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Seeing the frightening scenes from Mumbai broadcast on every television news network yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder how horrific it must be for those more involved. The Sun reports on reaction to the events from Toronto's Little India, and the CBC is reporting this morning that Canadians are amongst those being held as hostages.

A recent report by PollutionWatch (PDF) highlights the not-so-surprising intersection of poverty and pollution in Toronto neighbourhoods. Communities with higher numbers of low-income residents just don't have political and social strength to keep the polluters out of their back yards.

Out in the country, some neighbours are total asshats. A Caledon family with a 3-year old child suffering from Cerebral Palsy also has a pony (which is part of the child's therapy and helps maintain his well-being). A violation of zoning laws, the pony has sparked complaints from some nearby residents who claims that the pony's smell is problematic (even though cattle graze on the other side of their backyard fence, and manure is part of everyday life in the community).