Andrew Pask

Zohran Mamdani elected mayor of New York City in historic win Democratic nominee beats Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Silwa, becoming city’s first Muslim mayor

Nice!! A brilliant campaign by Mamdani pays off.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A tough loss for the #BlueJays for sure... but a fantastic game and and epic World Series overall. Both teams played solidly throughout, and tonight the better team won. Well done #Dodgers. It's ours next year.

Logo by Kory Parkin

Centrist D66 party projected to win most seats in Dutch election Result would pave the way for the Netherlands’ first out gay prime minister and end far-right populist Geert Wilders’ time in power

"The liberal-progressive D66 party was forecast to become the largest in the Dutch parliament, after a snap general election in which Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party was predicted to lose a third of its seats"

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

One of the many lessons from the evening: the importance of advancing human rights in 'small places' - local settings, whether at a dinner table, among a your own peers, in your own public spaces and neighbourhoods. The big work isn't always about the global stage.

Listened to a fantastic conversation on human rights between @alexneve.bsky.social - who delivered this year's #CBC #MasseyLectures - and @globalreportingcentre.org ED Andrea Crossan.

Link to the dialogue here:
www.crowdcast.io/c/a310u7zofbh0

Organized by #BCLibrariesPresent

Reclaiming the City Through Care: Public Urban Cultures of Care (open access)

Practices of #care become ever more important in times of multiple societal crises in which the quality of life of individuals and communities is significantly under stress.

www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplannin...

Walking just 4,000 daily steps once a week cuts risk of early death in older people, study suggests Researchers say the target significantly reduces risk of dying and lowers likelihood of cardiovascular disease

"Researchers found achieving 4,000 steps per day on one or two days a week was associated with a significantly lower risk of death and lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared with not reaching this level on any day."

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

What a game!! An incredible 7th inning turnaround by the Jays with a three run homer by George Springer... and Toronto is heading back to the #WorldSeries for the first time in 3 decades! #GoJays

‘One of the oldest urban centres on the planet’: Gaza’s rich history in ruins The territory’s ancient heritage has too often been ignored. As we mourn incalculable human losses, learning about its past can help us better understand the present

"The human cost of what the UN commission of inquiry recognises as a genocide is of course incalculable, but fewer are aware of how much rich history and archaeology has also been destroyed in these horrific months."

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Some of the faces that you meet -- on Mississaga St, #Orillia ON.

Another great example of a new use for an old corner store: Pique-nique in #StCatharines ON, a popular little bakery, cafe and wine bar, tucked away in a residential neighborhood.

Monorail! (Okay, "Automated People Mover"). #Pearson #YYZ #Toronto

A favourite on my annual cultural calendar - the return of #VIFF!

Tonight, caught #RichardLinklater's #NouvelleVague. A movie about a movie, retelling of one of the most pivotal moments in cinema history: the making of Godard's "Breathless." Guillaume Marbeck does a great turn as JLG.

Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival Main Day Events Harvest Fair | Twilight Lantern Procession | Streamside Lanterns

If you're around Vancouver this coming Saturday, you should definitely check out this event. The annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival - by Still Moon Arts Society.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/renfrew-ra...

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91 Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour

"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

"Canada claims to be a country of freedom, democracy, equality, rights, dignity, and the rule of law, but there was a price that was paid for Canada's existence, and that price was paid by First Nations. We're still paying that price." (Reuben George. It Stops Here.)

Two things to note about the Minneapolis airport: (1) they have a surprisingly well curated book store (Open Books), and (2) there is a shop devoted exclusively to selling Prince merchandise.

Zahra Ebrahim: Messy Cities Does everything in a city need to be perfectly planned? Or can spontaneous solutions help cities thrive? Come hear renowned urbanist Zahra Ebrahim discuss her new co-edited book Messy Cities. She wil...

Vancouver! Monumental urbanist and Messy Cities co-author @Zahra Ebrahim will speak at the VPL with @fabulavancouver.bsky.social Oct 14. It's going to be a cracker.
vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/68b20...

Portraits. #StreetArt #Graffiti #ReggioEmilia #PlacemakingEurope

Buonanotte, Claudia.

The west and east sides of Piazza di San Prospero, Reggio Emilia.

Finally, on the subject of maps, #ReggioEmilia is famous for its approach to early childhood education - and, in part, its focus on nurturing symbolic communication.

Here is a map of the centre produced by children included in a 1993 research paper by Sheridan Bartlett and Lella Gandini.

Fast forward to the 21st-century, and the historic centre of #ReggioEmilia is surrounded by newer neighbourhoods - as this contemporary real estate map shows.

A few more related notes about him the urban history of #ReggioEmilia. Well, the map I used for my. #walkaroundthecity was from the 16th century, it looks like the hexagonal boundaries continued to define the city even into the late 19th and early 20th centuries as these more recent maps show.

And here we are, back at Porta Bernone where I started. It's been about two hours, with a few minor detours and stops along the way. Just about 5.5 km total.

(A note of caution to anyone following along with the walk - I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of some of the locations I've flagged as a gates! My walk was based on a quick comparison of historical and present day maps - so I may well have gotten some locations wrong!)

... But the current city entrance at Piazza Armando Diaz, definitely feels more gateway like.

On my map, it looks like this is roughly where Porta Castello was (looking "inward" towards a rather dilapidated but intriguing structure; outward to an apartment complex).

SW of the gate, a mix of stately looking homes hidden behind walls, and apartments of varying size, scale, and condition.