A search for ice cream flavours beyond chocolate and vanilla turns up unusual items, but the critic is not pleased by all of them. posted at 11:56

 
Finally someone considers the ecological impact of the fireworks competition: I've wondered on and off for years about this. Clouds of fine particles, containing various chemicals used to create the different colours, drift after the shows and have been shown to afflict people with breathing difficulties. There are alternative methods of launching fireworks that cut down these effects, but they're expensive. Despite this, the fireworks displays remain eternally popular with a public that hasn't wearied of the free shows since their inception in 1985, and they do help generate revenue for many. posted at 11:53

 
Some fascinating stuff here about the recent geological history of the Hochelaga archipelago on which we live. Also a sidebar on ways of exploring the geological evidence around town. posted at 11:05

 
Rima Elkouri describes a day at a food bank in Saint-Henri. posted at 10:46

 
The city is planning to appeal this week's ruling that a by-law forcing ordinary citizens to clean around their properties or businesses impinges on blue-collar workers' right to do that same work for pay. But the by-law is still in force for the moment. posted at 10:34

 
A meter-wide hole in the road on a Turcot Exchange ramp yesterday closed the northbound half of Highway 15 for emergency repairs yesterday. Parts of the huge exchange will be closed on and off for weeks as its aging concrete and asphalt get patched back together. 280,000 vehicles pass through there every day. posted at 10:20

 
Canadian crime stats are down and Montreal's stats fell more than any other major city, a drop of 14 percent from 2006 to 2007 in theft and violent crime. But people still don't feel safe. I think there are reasons for this that aren't mentioned: one is that our population is, on average, getting older, and older people tend to be more nervous and feel more vulnerable. Another is xenophobia (see yesterday's entry on how none of Quebec's 10 most wanted criminals are white francophones). But a major one is that many people watch American television, which I'm convinced gives them a lurid and completely unrealistic idea of the danger in our streets. posted at 08:29

 
As islanders we're naturally concerned with the water surrounding us, and the good news is that most of the natural watercourses around us were in better shape in 2007 than in previous years, continuing a trend of improvement, although samples are inevitably still tainted with some bacteria considering that three million people live on this archipelago. The Lachine Canal is apparently in fine shape, which is a nice turnaround from the years when it was a sump. posted at 08:16

 
A little fuss about the arrival of American chain Lord & Taylor in Canada mentions the decline and extinction of Canadian icons Eaton's and Simpson's but doesn't take into account the notable success of Simons, for example. posted at 07:58

 
Ville-Marie's year-old law requiring citizens to clean the area around their properties – a law that, in effect, forced ordinary people to do unpaid work – is found to infringe on the rights of blue-collar workers to do that work for pay. posted at 07:53

 
A glimpse of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal down on Place d'Youville. (At first I thought the headline implied it had closed! But it hasn't.) posted at 07:36

 
Rima Elkouri has thoughts on how to impress a visitor who only has one hour in Montreal. (Depending on their tastes, I might take them to Schwartz's or to Notre-Dame, myself.) Another La Presse writer offers a spirited debunking of the underground city as tourist attraction. posted at 08:33

 
There are two gay pride events planned this summer: Divers/Cité at the end of this month, and a parade in mid-August. gay.com gives a list of places and events to check out. posted at 08:31

 
An American TV show is to get involved in the hunt for a Montreal murder suspect presumed to be on the lam in the United States. He's Harinder Singh Cheema, shown here on Quebec's "10 Most Wanted Criminals" site, sought for the murder of his wife and abandonment of their two kids.

(The Quebec site shows nine men and one woman. Six are black, three of them of Haitian origin, two Jamaicans, and one Somali. There's a Latino, a Greek, an Anglo biker gang guy, and Cheema, who's of Indian citizenship. What are the odds that of the top ten Quebec crooks, not one is a Québécois de souche?) posted at 08:15

 
Jacques Villeneuve is to drive in the local NASCAR race on August 2. posted at 08:04

 
The CHUM, which has a temporary new boss, has to track down delinquents that don't pay up, either non-residents who take off on their hospital bills, or Quebecers who refuse to pay for hospital extras. It's a phenomenon repeated in other local hospitals too. posted at 07:50

 
There have been far fewer smog days this summer compared to last, but whether this dip is due to the price of gasoline or merely to the vagaries of the weather is not clear. posted at 10:56

 
Public swimming pool water is said to be improved this year, after a scare two years ago when a study showed water quality to be poor in many pools. But it seems to have been forgotten that doubt was cast on the qualifications of the man who carried out that 2006 study. posted at 10:50

 
Montreal will be host of the 2009 NHL draft next June, as well as doing the NHL all-star game in January, both to mark the team's centennial. posted at 08:53

 
This Sunday a street parade to Mount Royal will close the Just For Laughs fest with a bang.
Full disclosure: I've been working at the comedy festival this season, but not as a publicist. I do print media graphisme. But I thought I'd better mention it to be scrupulously fair. posted at 08:33

 
StatsCan asked people about incivility in their cities and Montreal came second or third after Halifax and Vancouver on issues like prostitution and drug use. (All port cities, you'll notice.) The journalist then gets some quotes from people who work near the corner of Ste-Catherine and the Main, which is like shooting fish in a barrel, and Marcel Tremblay reminds us of the city's decent numbers on serious crime. Also, Quebec City is perceived to be much tidier than the metropolis – again, not a startling observation. posted at 08:25

 
The Quebec Human Rights Commission has told city police to pay damages in an incident in which police tried to arrest three people, all black, who were merely cleaning out the garage belonging to one of them. The city hasn't said yet whether it will appeal. posted at 08:20

 
I have an Opus card! posted at 19:34

 
The CREM, a committee of local elected officials, is concerned about the river level issues that might follow from changes in water management upstream envisioned by the binational group that controls water flow from the Great Lakes into the Seaway. posted at 08:42

 
They may not be tourists, but 2000 scientists in space research are here for a conference. Although their sessions aren't open to the public, at least a model of the new space telescope (to replace the Hubble) is viewable at the Old Port. posted at 08:38

 
A prankster who put up a website for a fictional company saying it was redeveloping Île Ste-Hélène into a golf course has had to take it down after a couple of lawyers' letters. posted at 08:29

 
The AMT and STM are running out of ideas how to promote public transit usage, but there's really only one answer: fast, reliable service. Nobody cares if the metro cars are 40 years old, so long as trains come along pretty often. And we need more buses. It's pathetic that a route like the 55 on Saint-Laurent dwindles to two buses an hour after 7 p.m.

The new Opus card, simplifying transit use, may be a boost, though. posted at 08:24

 
American tourists are in short supply this year, a dropoff blamed on factors ranging from a more difficult border crossing to the attractions of Quebec City's anniversary activities; although the strength of the loonie isn't mentioned, I think a big culprit is that Americans can no longer live large here off the exchange rate. posted at 08:14

 
The MUHC vapourware hospital at Vendome has been delayed another year for reasons to do with the complexity of managing the project, or so it appears. posted at 07:55

 
Biggest local news today is that Bombardier is going to start building its C-Series jet, pimped as the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its class, in Saint-Laurent and out at Mirabel, which will create 3,500 jobs in the area. But federal support for the project may yet cause trade issues. The Journal has a dossier. posted at 08:29

 
The film production drought and impending actors' strike in Hollywood is grounding local production facilities and disappointing posh eateries which had grown accustomed to the occasional party of stars. posted at 07:58

 
Rima Elkouri describes a day at the Casino. posted at 07:50

 
Strikingly lurid little tale of a prison escapee's suicide attempt. posted at 15:52

 
More consideration on public bathrooms: the pharma-funded Powder Room/Au Petit Coin site seems to be getting press attention during the silly season. posted at 14:11

 
A list of cool and chilly places around town for hot days, although some are workplaces and not accessible to the public. posted at 14:06

 
Palestinian villagers are suing a Montreal construction company in Quebec court for building housing on disputed land. posted at 12:54

 
The police don't just have a new vehicle (the word trottinette is sure to scare potential criminals), they have a mascot called Flik. But I wonder what advantage these little vehicles give them over their own two feet. posted at 11:52