Toronto

There are 67 posts tagged Toronto (this is page 5 of 12).

Why Do Zombies Eat?

What is it about zombies that has them becoming so popular. It’s not my thing. I think they are just too creepy and gross to have any feeling of affection for them. Originally, I think, they were reanimated corpses used by Voodoo Priestesses. They were controlled by the Priestess and did not attack or seek out people to attack and eat. They had no mind of their own, to think enough to look for food. They would fall apart gradually as they were no longer alive. Being dead they ceased to have need to eat and replenish their body with food in order to heal and regenerate cells. Zombies eating anything is backwards, not logical.

My sister, my nephew and my ex-husband all went on Zombie Walks this year, different locations.

Canadian Zombies

Zombie Walk: Canadian Forum

Toronto Zombie Walk

Write about a zombie who lives next door to you. Usually a quiet family type guy. At one point you think he owned a dog… What is his story and how do things turn out for him?

Hyperlocal, What is It?

I’ve seen the term hyperlocal come up three times lately. I decided to spend some time to find out what it is exactly and how it is being used.
Of course, Wikipedia comes up first in the results I get from Google. : Hyperlocal –

refers to the emergent ecology of data (including textual content), aggregators, publication mechanism and user interactions and behaviours which centre on a resident of a location and the business of being a resident. Hyperlocal content, often referred to as hyperlocal news, is characterized by three major elements. Firstly, it refers to entities and events that are located within a well defined, community scale area. Secondly, it is intended primarily for consumption by residents of that area. Thirdly, it is created by a resident of the location (but this last point is discussed because for example a photo can be hyperlocal but not locally produced).

Hyperlocal World – Developments in news, people and the first law of geography.
HyperlocalBlogger.com – Tips and discussion for local bloggers.
Hyperlocal 101 – Tools and technique for the hyperlocal revolution.

Blog TO is a hyperlocal news blog from Toronto. It comes from a network, Freshdaily.ca (site is not up).

Other hyperlocal blog networks:

Individual hyperlocal content blogs:

If hyperlocal blogging is interesting you take a look at TwitterLocal, which gives you a Twitter feed by location and LocalTweeps which is a directory built with zip codes. Also, look for blog directories based on regional locations, each blog you find there is a possible source of news and events locally. You may find other locals to post their perspectives, advertising, photos and news stories on your hyperlocal blog. Of course everything local is a marketing/ promotion resource for a hyperlocal blog. You don’t need to be in to top rank of international lists for blogs, keep your focus on local in every way.

The links for networks and especially those for individual hyperlocal blogs are just a few I found when I went looking. There are masses of sites once you know what to look for. Some don’t use the term hyperlocal, they may call themselves citizen journalists, or maybe cell journalists.

A Vintage Burlesque Star

Renee Andre claims to be one of the first strippers to have a breast enlargement. It almost killed her. I read this in a book review (Chatelaine magazine) for Pretty Things, about burlesque queens and vintage glamour shots, by Liz Goldwyn.

I couldn’t find anything about Renee Andre, just mentions of her in regards to other burlesque stars and movies. I thought that’s kind of sad.

So, invent her life. Who was she from her humble beginnings, through her torrid youth and on into her creaky old age? Write up a biography for a vintage burlesque star.

The Burlesque Women’s Institute

The Burlesque Guide

Toronto Burlesque Festival

Glossary of  New Burlesque (from the BBC News article)

  • Neo-Burlesque: A wide range of performance styles, from classic striptease to modern dance, from satirical comedy to theatrical mini-dramas.
  • American Burlesque: Originated in 19th Century music hall entertainment. In the early 20th Century it re-emerged as a populist blend of comedy, theatre and striptease.
  • Male Burlesque: Acts who have become popular in recent years include Bearlesque and the Dream Bears.
  • Guerrilla Burlesque: When a burlesque act happens spontaneously at a show, or when burlesque performers descend upon a show uninvited.

Storytelling

What the ear does not hear cannot move the heart. — Cape Breton saying

March 25th I am attending a local Storytelling workshop. I’m looking forward to it and I really like Joanne, the woman who does the workshop. Today I looked up storytelling to find out a bit more and see what we might be doing in the workshop, just curious. There are a vast amount of resources for storytelling online.

From Wikipedia: Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture and in every land as a means of entertainment, education, preservation of culture and in order to instill moral values. Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot and characters, as well as the narrative point of view.

Storytellers of Canada

Storytelling Toronto

Vancouver Storytelling

Ottawa Storytellers

National Storytelling Network (USA)

International Storytelling Center

Society for Storytelling (UK)

Australian Storytelling

Professional Storyteller Network

World Storytelling Day is March 20th. Great timing for my workshop.

Digital Storytelling and Digistories

Congratulations Elicia Mackenzie!!!


Elicia Mackenzie wins to become Maria in The Sound of Music in Toronto. Found some of her singing from the Maria? contest on YouTube.

From Macleans:

“I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in me!” MacKenzie, 23, sang to reporters at the CBC studios after a live finale in which she landed the role of Maria von Trapp in a Toronto production of “The Sound of Music,” set to open Oct. 3.