Apple thretened Rogers by pulling the iPhone last week for ripping off customers by offerring only one plan which was outrageous and overpriced: 60$ a month for 3 years, 150 minutes and only 400 MB of data. Under pressure from consumers and Apple. Rogers announced other plans as listed on their website.

It was reported by AppleInsider that Apple had already diverted shipments bound for Canada to Europe creating a shortage. Thus participating Rogers stores are officially stocked with only 20 iPhones and limiting two per customer.

CHCH News was interviewing people camping overnight and braving the rain outisde a Rogers store in nearby Burlington. I decided to check out how things were in my neighbourhood. So, at 8:30 this morning, I went to the mall near where I live. There’s a Roger’s store and also Wireless Wave, an independent retailer specializing in subsidized rates and plans.

I was running in the rain, afraid to miss out on the excitement only to find that there there was nobody waiting at the Rogers Store. Personne ! There was a family of four and some other dude waiting at Wireless Wave. Nobody else around except a bunch of elderly mall-walkers racing by.
I was very surprised because I was expecting a line up and wanted to take pictures of those loosers. But now, I would have taken my sweet-sweet time to ask all the questions and even buy me two if I wanted to. I spent around ten minutes playing with the demo and annoying the sales-persons preparing to open their kiosk.

I am not buying the iPhone because I currently own a Sony Ericcson W810i which I bought two years ago. It’s an EDGE phone, with a full support browser, text and email, a 2.0 MPx camera with auto-focus, 1GB memory expandable to 16GB, bluetooth and many features I never use ! It’s part of the Sony Walkman line of phones and plays a variety of formats.  

image by Rich Niewiroski Jr.

Therefore, the iPhone does not wow me as much, when comparing to the W810i. But if you live in the Hamilton area and want your hands on one, try your luck by heading out to Eastgate Square this morning.

However, last night, LIUNA turned in a signed deal over to city officials - just hours before the promised $7 million funding by the Province of Ontario expiring.
Under this deal, LIUNA will also restore Lister Block before the city moves into the building by 2012 and buy it for $25 million.

It was clear that nobody wanted to loose the $7 million grant. For more information, check out a draft of this story on CHCH news .

I think this is a good time to take a break from stories about Lister Block for a "few months". Obviously I am getting very excited with any new developments and it’s holding me back from other things I need to do !

Also, Happy Canada Day fellow Canucks. Hope you have a great day. I’ll be unfolding a chair in my balcony in the evening to watch the fireworks.

Before I go on, I have a confession to make. I put off buying a calendar because I thought it would be the traditional January 2008 to December 2008 calendar no matter in which month it was purchased. I thought I’d instead buy one in November this year to get a 2009 calendar. Boy was I wrong as you will see.

The package actually arrived on Thursday. But since no one was home that afternoon, I had to pick it up this morning at the post office.

The pictures are gorgeous - the online photos look nothing compared to print. I can’t wait to show it to everybody offline !
Thank you Lee ! You made me a customer. Same time next year !

The proposed second phase would hold a senior’s residence and several retail shops. It is estimated to bring $600 000 a year in tax dollars back to the city.

LIUNA found this unacceptable on the city’s part and declared that their business with the city was over. Deals of the City buying and restoring Lister Block have been on and off in the past. But Joe Mancinelli, VP of LIUNA said last night that this time, the deal is dead.

Now that the city is no longer involved in the Lister Block project, it will not get the $7 million promised by the Province of Ontario, towards purchase and restoration.

LIUNA is now looking to the private sector in hopes of finding a buyer for Lister Block.

The City of Hamilton is strapped for cash and they hoped that this was one way to get some flowing. But this time they got too greedy. Now that we a are back to square-one, hopes of revitalizing King William and James area any time soon are now dim.

Sean Cowen on CHCH news was was the corner of King William and James this morning asking people about their views. Everyone was upset at what was happening and wished that a new solution be found soon.

Current there is a poll going on at CHCH news homepage asking if Lister Block be torn down. So far 73% have responded in affirmative.

I think completely demolishing it first is quite obvious.

Updates

• LIUNA changes mind agreeing to Lister Block Deal

Keralites form a majority among the population of foreigners especially in western Saudi Arabia and have become a stereotype among the South Asian population. They are commonly referred to as Malabari in the Gulf because the majority of Keralite Muslims there come from the Malabar region . Their language, accent and to some extent their gullibility, make them irresistible for the rest of the expatriates to poke fun at them.

Note: This piece is to be read as is. Please do not attempt to correct any grammar and spelling. I shall not attempt to translate.

I saw this meme in Kathy’s Junk Drawer and this is the coolest meme I’ve come across thus far. This meme was originally created by Bud, who changed the rules slightly.

The Concept

This meme is about creating a collage, that is to be built by answering a few following questions, but by using pictures ! Here are the rules:

1. Type your answer to the questions below, into Google Image Search or the same type of search engine.
2. Pick an image form only the first page of the results. You can’t search forever for a certain image.
3. Use a graphics program of your choice (MS Paint, Tux Paint, GIMP etc.) to post the pictures in a mosaic pattern. You can post them as 3×4 or 4×3. I used Macromedia Fireworks.

The Questions

1. What is your first name ? - Jaffer source image
2. What is your favourite food ? - Shrimp Fried Rice. It’s my comfort food. And I make good fried rice ! source image
3. What is your favourite drink ? - Coffee. Although I’m trying to cut down for the summer, Coffee still tops the list every week ! source image
4. What high-school did you go to ? - International Indian School, Jeddah. Never again ! source image
5. What is your favourite colour ? - Navy Blue. source image
6. Who is your celebrity crush ? - Do I even have one ? But when I was in high-school, I did take every chance to watch a movie starring Mahima Chaudhry. source image
7. What is your dream vacation ? - Old Quebec City. I went there in 2004. I think it’s the most beautiful and romantic city I’ve been to. source image
8. What is your favourite dessert ? - Chocolate cake. Who counts calories when there’s chocolate cake ? source image
9. What do you love most in life ? - Learning something new. It excites me as long as it’s interesting, useful and it makes sense. source image
10. What do you want to be when you grow up ? - A Traveller. source image
11. Describe one word that describes you. - Calm. I always think happy thoughts even when bad things happen. source image
12. What is your blog name ? - ManiaRavings of a raving maniac. source image

So there you have it! I’m not inclined to thrust a meme on others, so feel free to tag yourself if you’re interested.

Euro Cup 2008 kicked off today and the first game was played between Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Czechs won the game by scoring 1 goal in the 68th minute. The Swiss did have a couple of chances of making a tie, but their confidence was largely shaken after the Czech score.
Within the next hour another game will begin between Portugal and Turkey, which will be played in Geneva. I’ve been posting live game highlights and scores on my Twitter.

I don’t have a favourite team among the Europeans because it’s very hard to predict. But their football is always very entertaining.

Since I don’t have Cable TV, I’ll be watching the games on OMNI-TV, where commentary is mostly in Italian and a few games will be broadcast in Portuguese, Polish and Greek. If you live in Ontario, you can follow the schedule on the OMNI-TV Website.

The Lister Block is an eighty four year old, six-storey building that sits on the corner of James St. and King William in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. If you walk by this building, chances are that you will not even notice it and ignore it because it’s windows are boarded-up and there’s graffiti all over. The most you will want to care about is that it is abandoned and is falling apart and that you want to walk faster ! To Hamiltonians however, Lister Block is part of their history and the building’s history holds a sentimental and nostalgic value to them.

The beginnings: 1886 - 1923

The building was named after Joseph Lister, who was a clothier from Lancashire, England. He immigrated with his family in 1884 and setup a store at at James and King William.

In 1886, he decided to expand his store and built a four storey block of stone row-houses which he called "Lister Chambers". It became one of the most desirable locations of the city and was right across from the Old City Hall on James street.

Joseph Lister died in 1892. The property remained in the hands of his family and in 1911, his grandson Joseph Edmund Lister took over. Joseph E. had big plans for the Lister Estate and had publicly declared in early 1923 of expansion. Blueprints were already completed and the project was expected to be completed by the following year.

Fire and Reconstruction: The New Lister Block

But tragedy struck on February 23, 1923 when fire destroyed Lister Chambers to the ground. The Hamilton Spectator had reported that it was the most spectacular fire than Hamiltonians had ever seen. The interior walls and floors were all made of wood and all that was left standing was the exterior stone structure.

A new six storey building was constructed in it’s place at a cost of $300,000 and it was opened formally by Mayor Thomas William Jutten on June 7, 1924. At that time the new Lister Block was one of the most advanced buildings in Canada, complete with elevators and a separate boiler house.

The new building was designed by architecture Bernard H. Prack and was built with re-enforced concrete this time. The decorative terracotta features on the exterior and a crown on the top immediately made it one of the most beautiful buildings in Hamilton.

The first two floors were designated shopping areas with stores on both sides of an L shaped arcade. The upper four floors housed around 200 offices with each floor segregated according to business like lawyers on one floor, real estate agents on the next and so on.

The trip downhill: 1950 to 1985

The City was a major tenant of Lister Block due to space limitations at Old City Hall. But by 1950, Lister Block too had become over crowded and the City decided to move out and build a new City Hall on Main Street. This shifted focus away from James and King William and it was especially pronounced with the opening of Jackson Square on King St. and James in 1970. Old City Hall was combined with Jackson Square and was converted into a mall which is now known by "Hamilton City Centre".

Meanwhile, financial woes at the Lister estate amounted to lack of maintenance and more tenants moving out. This was highlighted in 1984 when the Hamilton Spectator reported of a large chunk falling off a wall, damaging the sidewalk below.

Changing hands and eventual abandonment

Lister Block was sold in June of 1985 when Cornham Development bought it and five other properties in the area for a total of $5 million. The property was sold again in 1989 to Metrus for $1 million. But in 1994, Metrus began issuing eviction notices to all its properties including Lister Block. Tenants were to move out by January 31, 1995.

Since 1995, Lister Block has been sitting there abandoned and taking the damage from the weather, and vermin of both animal and human kinds. It has become a living example of how buildings decay when there are no humans to look after them.

Heritage Canada has put Lister Block on its Top Ten Endangered Places List with a note "Demolition by Neglect"

In 1999, the Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA ) bought Lister Block for $1.6 million with the intention of demolishing it and building a replica in its place and with hopes of reviving surrounding area.

The Money question: Restore ? or Demolish ?

When LIUNA applied for a demolition permit, there was an uproar among Hamiltonians and politicians. Heated arguments, letters to the editors and signed petitions like "Save the Lister" circulate to this date. But the City approved the demolition permit anyway in July 2006 with a condition that a series of studies be conducted to find out the heritage impact of destroying such a building.

The Ontario Heritage trust conducted the first study to assess the damage to the interior and the exterior. They found the building to be structurally strong and the roof intact, which meant that there was little damage on the main floors.

The first two floors were found to be well preserved, although the decorative plaster, the wooden frames and glass windows were found damaged due to vandalism. The Basement was found severely damaged due to seepage and a broken water pipe.

Much of the exterior work was found to be intact. But there was significant damage found of the decorative terracotta elements like discolouring, cracking and loss of anchoring; largely blamed on harsh weather.

The study concluded that Lister Block was a strong candidate for conservation, and it could be restored efficiently and cost effectively. When refurbished, the would have the same feeling as high quality new construction.

During his election campaign last fall, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty promised $7 million to the redevelopment of the Lister block area, increasing his pledge by $3 million from the previous figure of $4 million.

Days Numbered

Further studies were conducted on the buildings adjacent to Lister Block, but unfortunately, some were not lucky to be chosen for conservation. Between March and April, two buildings adjacent to the Lister Block were demolished. Asbestos was also recovered from the demolition. To prevent dust from going airborne, the sites were being constantly hosed down during the process.

Regarding Lister Block itself, there are reports awaiting that should tell if going ahead with total demolition is safe and if not, we will be awaiting more reports on how to go about restoring it.

But personally, I believe Lister’s days are numbered. If there are any chemical and biological hazards in the building, I rather see the entire structure come down and see it rebuilt as envisioned by LIUNA.

References

This post was inspired by a fact-finding report I did in college. Finding historical information about Lister Block was not easy because it is not as famous as srtuctures like the CN tower or the Château Frontenac. The Hamilton spectator was a great resource as it has been covering issues surrounding Lister Block in detail since 1923. I also found bits of information on a handful of websites and a few pages in books from the library.
All the black and white photographs were retrieved from the Special Collections at the Hamilton Public Library. The librarians did mention that there were thousands of pictures but I had to be very specific what I was looking for. That was not easy either because these photographs are uncredited, undated, and have yet to be filed ! All I was able to see were those that sit in a drawer at the library simply marked "James and King William".
Thanks to Mr. Will Rosart (where ever he is), who lent me the report by the Ontario Heritage Trust which detailed every squarefoot the building and assessed the damage, complete with illustrations and colour photographs.

Updates

• City council kills Lister Block deal

Hamilton is known Canada-wide for it’s steel industry and the pollution that comes with it; but that was all in the past. Today, the steel industry is only part of it’s economy, along with health care, education and a growing biotechnology industry. Hamilton has many best kept secrets like and its natural beauty and biodiversity is one of them.

The Niagara Escarpment is the very cliff over which the Niagara river plunges to form the Niagara Falls and it runs through south-western Ontario following the Georgian Bay shore, into Michigan and finishes in Illinois near Chicago. In 1990, it was designated as a UNESCO world biosphere reserve, which means all non-conservation activities along and near the escarpment are prohibited.

The Niagara escarpment cuts straight through the city of Hamilton, where it’s called “The Mountain”, and separates the city into Upper Hamilton and Downtown. The two parts are connected through a series of roads called “Accesses” that were built by cutting into the rock. My apartment faces the escarpment but unfortunately, I’ve been unable to take a picture that actually makes the escarpment look like an escarpment. So I have to leave you with the entry from Wikipedia, which has a nice picture of from the air.

I took the bus up the Mountain in the afternoon, and got off at Sam Lawrence Park where I took most of the pictures. After spending an hour there, I began my hike down the mountain, along the Jolly cut and took the bus back home from downtown.

The pictures came out too light because I was using the daylight effect on my camera. You can hover your mouse over the pictures to see their description.