IA & a loss

i got rid of my old blog because i didn't like the direction. i wasn't writing what i wanted to write, and instead i found myself typing about things that even bored me! which...pretty much defeated the purpose of having this blog in the first place. so, all boredom erased and starting fresh from the beginning, i'm laying out what i want this to be from the start- a means of continuing my introspection addiction.

ed mirvish died this morning- a toronto icon who made this city what it is today. and that's not me being cliche, because that's what he did: he made new immigrants feel welcome, he gave them and young couples just starting out a place to buy things to start their homes. he saved theatre in the city when he saved the Royal Alex Theatre on King from being demolished in 1963, and with his son david, constructed the princess of wales theatre in 1993. he received more than 250 awards over his life time for his contributions. his visions for toronto made the city that we live in today, and we must never forget that.
our mayor, david miller, described ed mirvish as a local hero this morning, and said that "ed's passion for the city was second to none". and although we knew this day was coming as mr. mirvish was two weeks away from celebrating his 93rd birthday, it can be said that each and every torontonian now walks the streets of the toronto that mirvish wanted us to enjoy. he loved this city, and had fun making it what it is- something that is not said enough about our local icons.
although my generation has not seen ed mirvish with the same eyes as our parents saw him in the '60s and '70s, i hope that we can all remember a great man, in no matter what ways, that loved his city and the people in it.
he will be missed. ed mirvish, thank you for everything.

michael moore spoke in the situation room last night with wolf blitzer. fantastic interview, and one that everyone should watch. one part in particular struck me quite hard though (the video's not up on youtube yet or else i could quote it directly). he said we don't have politicians like we used to. there used to be leaders like FDR that could speak to their people and whom people could look up to. they don't make them like that anymore. michael moore's right- and that doesn't just go for politicians anymore, it goes for our local icons as well.
within the last five years we've seen the deaths of johnny lombardi, jane jacobs, and now ed mirvish. who are we left with? those were people who weren't politically affiliated but who loved this city and wanted only the best for it. i wish people would be willing to stand up and change things like they used to.
mind you, we've got a few, to be fair. i suppose it seems to me that we should have more people that want to better the city in which we live, and beyond that- the world.