Link: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2359481647_a9861a45b2_o.jpg

There's an article on Spacing about TTC plans for renovating subway stations on the Bloor-Danforth line, and how a local font-obsessed citizen, Joe Clark, is up-in-arms about it. I'm more inclined to support preserving the heritage of local McDonald's restaurants over subway stations, so I can't really get on board with Joe's crusade against "fake helvetica" signage on the TTC.

Joe points out an interesting aspect of the station design along the Bloor-Danforth line that, despite my near daily trips from one end of it to the other, I had never noticed before. Station tile colors for stations east and west of downtown match up with each other starting from the center of the line (St. George and Bay stations) all the way to Kennedy and Kipling stations respectively. You can check out this handy chart for an explanation of what stations match one another. I guess it would be kind of a shame to break-up the uniformity of this design, but then again the stations are still pretty ugly on this line and in need of work. I guess either way is fine with me. What would be neat though would be if they added chimes to stations like they do in Tokyo.

Link: http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2861

I just read on Spacing that my favorite McDonald's in Toronto is being torn down to build a condo! The McDonald's in question is the big one opposite the ROM at Bloor and Avenue rd. It is also well known around the world as the McDonald's where a drunk Ashlee Simpson went nuts a few months ago. The building is really cool and unique looking, and even though the condo they are building will have a new McDonald's you can pretty much guarantee that it won't be anywhere close to as nice as this one.

Never before has anything ever gotten me this angry and fired-up! Help stop this terrible injustice and save this historic McDonald's while there is still time!! Join my new Facebook Group and help the cause!!! Fight the power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article808724.ece

This could be interesting. The Hulkster is apparently planning to start his own wrestling promotion to compete with the increasingly irrelevant WWE. The intriguing part is that he seems to want to move wrestling back to its glory days of larger-than-life caricatures and colorful costumes. I pretty much stopped watching WWE shows right around the time it lost its WWF name in 2002. Around that time they also lost most of their best starts including The Rock, Steve Austin and Mick Foley. All that's left now is a roster of indistinguishable 'roided-up muscle-heads in black tights lacking any discernable gimmicks or personality, and equally dull bimbos called "Divas" that do nothing but stand around in their underwear.

Still, even during these dark days, you can always count on occasional short moments of greatness. Now with the passing of the Fabulous Moulah, these moments are becoming few and far between. There is however a bizarre story line going on right now that only Vince McMahon himself could have crafted. It involves a magical leprechaun named Hornswaggle who also happens to be Vince's illegitimate child. You can read all about it at Wrestlecrap.com. For me, Hornswaggle illustrates well the biggest hurdle Hulk Hogan has to overcome with his new wrestling show. Even in the WWE's darkest hour, you can still count on Vince McMahon to come up with something crazy and unpredictable. While I welcome the Hulkster's call for a return to gimmicks and colorful characters, I fear that Hogan just doesn't have what it takes to think-up the kind of strange and irreverent stuff that Vince loves to do. Anyway, I look forward to finding out just what Hulk has in store.

I never got a chance to attend one of these shows while I was in Japan. It looks so awesome that I just might have to go back to Japan just to see a show live.

Link: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1946743.php

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I found a bunch of Aomori train related videos on You Tube that perhaps only I would find interesting. For what it's worth, here they are...

This one apears to be some sort of low-budget music video featuring Aomori train station. I think it's called "Many Lover Aomori Station"

There's also lots of fun techno music videos about the trains of Aomori. Here's some of my favorites...

Seikan Tunnel Trains

My personal favorite Aomori train, the Heat 789.

Who needs Maid Cafes when there are train cafes?