Edward Brain's Blog

Canadian Opera Company’s Un Ballo in Maschera

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Edward Brain

: Four Seasons Centre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last night I attended a performance of the Canadian Opera Company‘s (COC) production of Un Ballo in Mashera (A Masked Ball) by Guiseppe Verdi. It starred Adrianne Pieczonka (Amelia), Dimitri Pittas (Riccardo), Elena Manistina (Ulrica), Roland Wood (Renato), and Simone Osborne (Oscar.)

The performance was conducted by Stephen Lord, and c0-directed by Jossi Wieler & Sergio Morabito with the set designed by Barbara Ehnes. The revival director is Samantha Seymour. Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged A Masked Ball, Adrianne Pieczonka, Barbara Ehnes, Canadian Opera Company, COC, Dimitri Pittas, Elena Manistina, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Giuseppe Verdi, Guiseppe Verdi, Jossi Wieler, Review, Roland Wood, Samantha Seymour, Sergio Morabito, Simone Osborne, Stephen Lord, Un Ballo in Maschera | Leave a comment

Jim Fregosi has Died

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Edward Brain

It has been announced that former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager Jim Fregosi has passed away. His death was reportedly due to a stroke he recently had.

Mr. Fregosi was both a player and a manager. As a player, he played for the Los Angles/California Angels, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. His normal position was at shortstop. He made his debut in late 1961, and retired as a player during the 1978 season. Continue reading →

Posted in Obituaries, Toronto Blue Jays | Tagged American League, Aneheim Angels of Los Angeles, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Jim Fregosi, Los Angeles Angels, Major League Baseball, MLB, National League, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays | Leave a comment

Toronto Argonauts 2014 Schedule Announced

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Edward Brain

The Toronto Argonauts 2014 Schedule has been announced. The two main highlights include 2 games against the Ottawa Redblacks, the newest team in the league, and the return of the Labour Day Classic against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The highlights of the season include the following: Continue reading →

Posted in Toronto Argonauts | Tagged 2014 Schedule, 2014 Season, B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Canadian Football League, CFL, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Montreal Alouettes, Ottawa, Ottawa Redblacks, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto, Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Leave a comment

Shirley Temple Dies at 85

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Edward Brain

movie star Shirley Temple (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shirley Temple, the famous child actress, has passed away at the age of 85 in Woodside, California of natural causes. Ms. Temple was born on April 23th, 1928 in Santa Monica, California to George and Gertrude Temple.

Shirley Temple starred in movies in 1932 at the age of three, but made her breakout in 1934 in the movie Stand Up and Cheer! Later in 1934, Bright Eyes was released and was the first movie to specifically created based on her talents and which saw her name appear above the movie’s title. Continue reading →

Posted in Obituaries | Tagged 85, Academy Award, Actress, American Center of Films for Children, Bright Eyes, Charles Alden Black, Child Actor, Curly Top, Death, dies, Fort Apache, Heidi, Juvenile Academy Award, Life Achievement Award, Little Princess, Natural Causes, Poor Little Rich Girl, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Red Skelton Show, Screen Actors Guild, Shirley Temple, Shirley Temple Black, Stand Up and Cheer!, The Little Princess | 5 Comments

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 62 Years as Queen of Canada

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Edward Brain

English: Queen Elizabeth II at Queen’s Park (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s ascension as Queen of Canada. Queen Elizabeth II is also Queen of 15 other nations, and is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne of Canada when her father, King George VI passed away in the early hours of February 6th, 1952. Prior to this date, she was the Heir Presumptive to the crown. Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged Ascension, Canada, Canadian Constitution, Dominion of Canada, Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada | 1 Comment

Reforming the Senate

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Edward Brain

English: The chamber of the Senate of Canada

The chamber of the Senate of Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

About 10 months ago, I wrote about whether or not Canada needs a Senate. I supported having a Senate, and I still do.

With the recent suspensions of three Senators, as well as the announcement that Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau had kicked out Liberal Senators from the Liberal Party Caucus, I would like state that I still support having an Upper Chamber.

Many other nations – including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Switzerland, and Russia – have an Upper Chamber and Canada can benefit from having one. Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged Accountability, Alberta, Auditor General, British Columbia, Canada, Constitution, Democracy, Dominion of Canada, Good Government, Government, House of Commons, Justin Trudeau, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Parliament, Parliament Hill, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, reform, Saskatchewan, Senate, Senate of Canada, Senate Reform, Senator, the Senate, Yukon | Leave a comment

Should the Minimum Wage be Increased?

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Edward Brain

The Government of Ontario has announced that it plans to increase the minimum wage to $11.00, up 75¢ from $10.25. The increase is planned to come into effect on June 1st, 2014.

The decision has created discussion on whether or not the increase is needed or whether the benefits will be outweighed by the added costs. Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics | Tagged $11.00, Business, Government, Government of Ontario, Inflation, June 1st 2014, Minimum Wage, Ontario, Ontario government, Purchasing power | 3 Comments

Developer Must Pay Share of Maintenance Fees

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Edward Brain

Gerry Hyman has a new article about condominiums. So lets discuss it:

QUESTION: Following registration of our condo, the developer appointed the first board of directors. The board then passed a resolution limiting the common expense contributions to be paid to the corporation for the developer’s unsold units. The developer, in fact, paid no fees on those units until the turnover meeting held 20 months after the condo registration. Is the developer required to pay its share of common expenses for the units it owns from the date of the condo registration or from the date of the turnover meeting? Can the board appointed by the developer pass a resolution reducing its common expense contributions? How can the board elected at the turnover meeting recover the unpaid common expenses? Continue reading →

Posted in Condominiums | Tagged Board of Directors, By-law, Condo Office, Condominium, Condominium Act, Condominium Reform, Developer, Gerry Hyman, Mainteance Fees | Leave a comment

Canadian Opera Company Announces New Season

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Edward Brain

The Canadian Opera Company (COC) has announced its 2014-15 season.

The new season sees a reduction in the number of productions from seven operas to six. three performances are new, while the other three are revivals. Some are the COC’s own productions, while others are co-productions with other opera companies. Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged 2014, 2014-2015 Season, 2015, Alek Shrader, Amanda Echalaz, Andrea Carè, Arnold Schoenberg, Atom Egoyan, Béla Bartók, Bluebeard's Castle, Brian McDonald, Canadian Opera Season, Cecilia Hall, Christine Goerke, Clifton Forbis, COC, Die Walküre, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Don Giovanni, Dwayne Croft, Ekaterina Gubanova, Elizabeth DeShong, Els Comediants, Erwartung, Falstaff, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Frédéric Antoun, Gerald Finley, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Gregory Dahl, Guiseppe Verdi, Heidi Melton, Jane Archibald, Jennifer Holloway, Johan Reuter, Johannes Debus, John Relyea, Joshua Hopkins, Kelly Kaduce, Krisztina Szabó, Kyle Ketelsen, Lauren Segal, Madama Butterfly, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Michael Hofstetter, Michael Schade, Patricia Racette, Patrick Lange, Renato Girolami, Richard Wagner, Ring Cycle, Robert Carson, Robert Gleadow, Robert Lepage, Rory MacDonald, Russell Braun, Serena Malfi, Simone Osborne, Stefano Secco, The Barber of Seville | Leave a comment

Alex Rodriguez Suspended One Year

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Edward Brain

Following lengthy arbitration, Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, plus the play-offs. This is due to his use of use of performance enhancing drugs. Initially, he was suspended for over 200 games, plus the play-offs. He immediately appealed the MLB’s decision to suspend him, which allowed him to finish out the 2013 season.

This is not the first time Rodriquez has had issues with drug use. MLB had to admit that he had tested positive in 2003 for steroid use. Rodriquez also acknowledged that he had used Steroids. Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Tagged 2014, Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, PEDs, Performance Enhancing Drugs, Pete Rose, Suspension | 1 Comment

Edward Brain's Blog

Canadian Opera Company’s Un Ballo in Maschera

Jim Fregosi has Died

Toronto Argonauts 2014 Schedule Announced

Shirley Temple Dies at 85

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 62 Years as Queen of Canada

Reforming the Senate

Should the Minimum Wage be Increased?

Developer Must Pay Share of Maintenance Fees

Canadian Opera Company Announces New Season

Alex Rodriguez Suspended One Year

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