Extreme Fitness loves their direct mail. Every month or so another one of their flyers shows up in my mailbox. They all say the same thing: No Annual Contract! Only $8 month. Offer ends [insert revolving date here].

Marketing such as this has become a hallmark of the fitness industry. As consumers, we have become so conditioned to assume that there will be hidden fees, contracts we can't get out of and a variety of deceptive practices that the new marketing tactics many clubs now employ are designed specifically to address these concerns.

Bread is one of the most concise and versatile film props. It was bread that finally drove Sam and Frodo apart. Yet when a film needs to look idyllic, the art director can still just pop a baguette in the scene (preferrably sticking jauntily out of a bike basket) and take the rest of the day off.

Toronto's taste in bread is growing up. We're getting away from the "how many grains can you fit in a loaf" game, which, while fun, isn't all that bread has to offer. These days we're favouring artisanal loaves, and we won't settle for any bread without a crust sturdy enough knock a man out at a thousand paces.

Welcome to The Shop Crawl, the weekly post where I provide you with a listing of sales for the week. The crawl covers retail, warehouse, and sample sales.

reia N studio Sample Sale. May 7 - 9. 555 Richmond Street West, Suite 706.

Canadian Spirit and Johnny Yiu Designer Sale - May 9 - 10. 130 Commander Blvd, Scarborough.

Next Door's 1st Anniversary Sale. May 10 - 11. 433 Queen Street West.

Rodan Menswear Sample Sale - May 8 - 9. 543 Richmond St. W.

Mode Spring 2008 sale - May 1 - May 18. 632 Queen Street West.

Shimmer's Fun Fabulous Jewelry Sale - April 26 - May 11. 2778 Dufferin Street, suite 103.

Fabric Clearance Centres Moving Sale - Starts on May 1, 2008 till all stock gone. Fabric Clearance Centre, 4884 Dufferin St. Unit 6.

PYA Importer Ltd. Men's and Women's Annual Sample Sale & Inventory Clearance - May 1 - 16. 15 Apex Rd.

Agency One Sample Sale - May 7 - 10. 10 Wingold Ave, 2nd Floor.

C2 Apparel Designer Brands Sample Sale - May 7 - 10. 63 Wingold Avenue Suite 208.

Gsus Sindustries Sample Sale! - May 7 - May 9. 543 Richmond st West.

The blogTO Flickr Forum is a weekly sampling of themed photographs taken by Torontonians and aims to not only feature the talent they possess, but also spur dialogue and reveal the stories behind the images.

Today's collection of Toronto photographs is made up of responses to our call for photos that fit the theme "UP". These images were all recently submitted to the blogTO Flickr pool.

To the photographers: we'd love to hear about your photos. A little info on where it was taken and the story behind the photo is always a great start.

To the rest of you, feel free to ask questions to the artists, submit photos to the blogTO Flickr pool for next week's consideration, or just sit back and enjoy our weekly mosaic.

Continue for links to larger versions, and to check out the next theme.

Photo: "Contact @ MOCCA" by Peter Grevstad, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Friday May 09th, 2008:

With oil prices up to $125 a barrel, the price at the pump will correspondingly be raised to a rather steep $1.25 per litre. I remember when it used to be only 79 cents... it was only a matter of time before we fell in line with the rest of the world.

Parents (and fiscally-responsible taxpayers everywhere) are shocked after a government report showed that Catholic School Board trustees were living high on the hog and claiming excessive personal expenses to the overall tune of $1 million. A $100,000 average per official suggests they're claiming more than just travel expenses and health benefits.

Crowded House rocked the Danforth Music Hall last night in their first of two nights, touring their latest Time On Earth album.

A few songs in, lead singer Neil Finn commented that Toronto is the city in North America where they've played more than any other over their many years of touring. Having worked as an usher at Massey Hall in the mid-to-late '90s, I can attest to seeing them live at least a half-dozen times, as they always sell out multiple nights.

Kudos to Crowded House for not playing larger venues such as the Molson Amphitheatre, The Kool Haus or worse yet, The Docks (now Sound Academy). I'm sure they'd still sell out stadiums in Australia.

Crowded House is one of those bands that has endured since the late '80s, crafting beautiful pop songs that have stood the test of time. Ever since Something So Strong hit the airwaves in 1987, I was hooked by their catchy melodies, clever lyrics and charming personalities during interviews and live on stage.

Over 20 years later, after a break-up, a farewell gig in front of the Sydney Opera House, a lost drummer (to suicide) and a reformation, they're back at it, albeit a little matured and weathered for the course.