G20-something

I got the hell out of dodge.

So my commentary on the G20 Summit is simply as a citizen of Toronto, who stradles the centre of the politcal spectrum.

My first and main issue is with the decision to have the summit in Toronto. In the downtown core, no less. The summit is not designed as a site seeing visit for politicians….so location should have more practical security sense than 'showcasing' Canada's biggest city. And if the big idea was to entice the international press to speak the good word of TourismToronto…this was certainly not the stage to do so. Who wants to visit a police state with a contrived pond? Sounds like an Orwellian tale, not my Toronto.

The massive price tag associated with summit security was due to the absolute integrated nature of the venue. The mulitple access points. The residential condos surrounding the building. The underground PATH system. It wasn't because our fence was made of gold, we just required much more fence.

However, I don't blame the pre-emptive security measures taken. People learn from history. No global summit has occurred without violence. It would be ignorant to suggest that the fence was not necessary. It's just a shame that the apparent main objective was to protect the leaders at the expense of the host city.

I feel for the protestors who had a message. The media coverage was geared toward chaos, thereby perpetuating the extremists' argument that in order to be heard you must use violence as your medium. Unfortunately, that tactic takes away from the cause and makes violence the story. Nobody wins.

Things got out of hand. Some protestors got out of hand. Some police got out of hand. The police had the added weighty responsibliity of keeping order amidst chaos. I can appreciate that…I was in Muskoka with 9 children at one point.

Thank goodness they weren't organized…and couldn't reach the matches.

The Man Scan

I've taken up a new hobby. I like to call it "man browsing", but depending on the degree and circumstance it can be elevated to "man stalking".

There's the natural "man scan" that occurs when you're going about your daily life, essentially sizing up every man that crosses your path. Giving them the green or red, sometimes yellow. Based purely on superficial attraction and possibly rooted in primal survival instinct.

Then, there's the more commited approach. Beyond the street pass, this could be someone in your office building or a neighbour or a clerk at your movie rental spot. Someone you could potentially cross again and again and again (if you're lucky and have the stamina).

Today, my office building complex had a barbeque. Most see it as an opportunity to score free grub. Me? An opportunity to see what these walls have been hiding. M and I had our radar going. Even though she is 'with boy', she is pretty supportive of my cause. We were covertly and overtly scoping out the scene, including taking photos with our blackberrys for later identification…I'm pretty sure that was the 'overtly' part.

…or there's the neighbour who is unaware of our (his and mine) pending relationship. Haha.

…or the friend who met a guy at the bar and we managed to find out his last name, the name of his employer, the address of his office and his mom's maiden name…all from a general idea of what he did and a broad intersection. Google knows.

Kidding about the maiden name thing…now that would just be nuts.





What's a single girl to do?