Toronto Mike

Déjà Vu with Apathy

Eight years ago, I was already writing pleas to Bettman and Goodenow to get a deal done so I could enjoy NHL hockey again.  I really, really cared, and my heart broke when the entire season was cancelled. Eight years later, there's that same multi-billion dollar pie being fought over
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Today I Learned About Open Matte

Open matte is a filming technique that involves matting out the top and bottom of the film frame in the movie projector (known as a soft matte) for the widescreen theatrical release and then scanning the film without a matte (at Academy ratio) for a full screen home video release.
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Maple Moose

There's an Irish owned and operated restaurant chain I've seen in Dublin called Maple Moose.  They sell crepes, scoop & whipped Ice Cream, Slush Puppie, Waffles and beverages, and they do it all with Canadian branding. I particularly like the logo. Learn more at maplemoose.ie.
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Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol is a prison in Dublin, opened in 1796 and closed as an active prison in 1924.  The history of Kilmainham Gaol is fascinating, especially with regards to its political prisoners, so yesterday I toured the facility. And Peter from the Kilmainham Gaol Museum, if you're reading this, you're
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Look Right, Look Left

For 38 years, all I've known is cars drive on the right side of the road.  When crossing the street, I naturally look that way - it's ingrained in my muscle memory. In Ireland, they drive on the left side of the road, and I can't seem to remember that.
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Guinness Storehouse

On Saturday I visited the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, and wanted to follow that up yesterday with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.  The two tours and experiences are quite similar, and I enjoyed both. This building was built in 1902, but the Guiness we all know and
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Heineken Experience

On my last day in Amsterdam before heading for Dublin, I visited the Heineken Experience.  My thinking was that I could enjoy the Heineken Experience one day before visiting the Guinness Storehouse and effectively compare the two. This brewery started brewing Heineken back in 1867 and was recently renovated to
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See You Next Tuesday Open Mike

I'm posting this Open Mike from Amsterdam, looking forward to visiting Dublin this weekend.  If you have any travel tips for Dublin, I'd love to read about them in the comments. You can also let me know what's happening back home in Toronto.  A glance at my Twitter feed tells
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