{"id":1359,"date":"2015-04-01T01:20:54","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T08:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/?p=1359"},"modified":"2015-04-01T11:28:10","modified_gmt":"2015-04-01T18:28:10","slug":"toronto-the-cognitive-dissident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/?p=1359","title":{"rendered":"Toronto the Cognitive Dissident"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-1367 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000539-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"P1000539\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000539-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000539.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>It is a city of myth and surprises. Most of the myths are about cold hearts in glass walled towers of commerce. Popular stereotypes\u00a0of \u00a0titans of industry roosting in\u00a0oak panelled offices, walking knee deep in plush pile carpets and polishing their massive desks with the broken dreams of those who trudge along the streets far below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">And there is some truth to the rumours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It is a cold city and large, even by North American standards. It is certainly the largest in Canada; depending on whether there is someone from Chicago in the room and how much<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-1363 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000462-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"P1000462\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000462-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000462.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/> you wish to remain unventilated, Toronto is either 4<span class=\"s1\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span> or 5<span class=\"s1\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span> largest metropolis in North America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Commerce is the engine driving the city and it is centred on Bay Street. It pulses through\u00a0a forest of columns growing\u00a0in\u00a0corporate pairs and to\u00a0a height determined by sibling rivalry and the conspicuous display of resource exploitation. A testament to industry, commerce and the Gecko <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0094291\/quotes\" target=\"_blank\">code of good.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">There was a time in the history of this metropolis when it was known for an older, gentler kind of good. When the streets were rolled up by ten o\u2019clock on a Saturday evening so all could be sober and rested for church service early Sunday morning. That used to be the one day of the week the Methodist centre of the universe took time off from generally rocking the Protestant work ethic to give thanks for their express <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1366\" src=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000524-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"P1000524\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000524-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/P1000524.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>pass to heaven.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The bank towers may have all but swallowed up the churches, the board rooms are no longer the exclusive domain of old white guys wearing old school ties and the Masons may be considering holding membership drives in the RBC west tower lobby Thursday mornings but believe it or not, Toronto the Good still breathes and walks among us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Genuine good. Friendly, open, frankly surprising good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This was my 3<span class=\"s1\"><sup>rd<\/sup><\/span> visit to Hogtown but my first one exploring Toronto\u2019s downtown core from below street level. My personal mission this time was a safari into the largest shopping mall in North America &#8211; on a technicality, I\u2019ll grant you (as a former native of Edmonton, I am required by law to add that) &#8211; that extends underground from the waterfront all the way to city hall.\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1300\" src=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P1000493-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"P1000493\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P1000493-300x195.jpg 300w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/P1000493.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Who knew?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What could be more appealing to an old prairie dog than running through tunnels, popping up in different parts of town and diving back underground again?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">So, pay attention Billy boy, there be not just shops and food courts and enough barista coffee to float an extremely nervous navy; follow close and tread lightly, me lad, there be dragons here. Welcome to tales of<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center;\">THE<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1360\" src=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Path2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"The Path - sign\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" srcset=\"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Path2-300x86.jpg 300w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Path2-1024x293.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Path2-900x257.jpg 900w, http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Path2.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is a city of myth and surprises. Most of the myths are about cold hearts in glass walled towers of commerce. Popular stereotypes\u00a0of \u00a0titans of industry roosting in\u00a0oak panelled offices, walking knee deep in plush pile carpets and polishing their massive desks with the broken dreams of those who trudge along the streets far&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[218,217],"tags":[210,221,219,223,220,222,209],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1359"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1359"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1374,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1359\/revisions\/1374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sermonsinstones.blaseckie.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}