Sunday, July 4, 2010

Margin Notes: Flags, Inukshuks, Pride


A car displaying a Canadian flag, World Cup-style, was noted at Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The flags on vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area during the World Cup aren't all of nations playing in the World Cup. The same small flags have been mounted on vehicles in honour of Canada Day, as the above example at Ontario Place was just one of many plying the streets this long weekend.

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A German and a Spanish flag were flying from this vehicle noted passing near High Park in Toronto, Ontario on 4-July-2010

The most intriguing flags to me are on the vehicles sporting more than one. Do these represent mixed marriages between the nationalities? Simply fans of more than one team in a given family? Or just a Canadian conviction that everyone should win? Besides the German-Spanish combination seen above, there has been an Uruguay-Argentina combination minivan driving through my neighbourhood (always in the shadows) that I'm quite curious about.

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This inukshuk was located at the west end of Ontario Place in the public area along the bike path on 4-July-2010

Besides flags, the other symbol continuing to proliferate around Toronto is the inukshuk. There were a lot of them at Pearson Airport on a variety of signs in the customs area, but no photos are allowed in there. The latest inukshuk find? A fairly large one located east of Ontario Place, still on the grounds but in the public area between Lake Shore Boulevard and western gap into Toronto Harbour.

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It's not legal to be naked in that public space (though it's just across the water from a designated nude beach), but that wouldn't be true in Seattle. As noted before, there is no generic law against nudity in public parks in Seattle. Thus, with a proposed law banning guns in public parks in Seattle probably unconstitutional based on a recent Supreme Court ruling, it looks like it will remain legal to carry a firearm in Seattle parks while naked for the foreseeable future.

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A wolf painted up in rainbow colours was noted in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

A public event likely involving nudity today in Toronto was the Pride Parade. Thanks to the controversy over the participation of the Queers Against Israeli Aparthied group there have been a few interesting signs around town this year, including "Take Back the Dyke 2010." Some signs of Pride Week were more subtle and unexpected, though, like the rainbow wolf seen in Trinity Bellwoods Park above.

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