Morning Brew: October 23rd, 2008

Photo: "Lower Spadina" by Derek Flack, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA:

Toronto police have officially launched their latest gun amnesty program called Pixels for Pistols. The concept is novel (people trade in old guns for a digital camera and free photography lessons) but its efficacy still unproven (will this actually make a difference?). I suspect it'll bring in a few old guns collecting dust in closets, but beyond that I can see it doing much to target the much more serious illegal gun trade or gang-related problems.

A ring of suspected petty thieves, dubbed The Family, has finally been apprehended. The group of seven bandits is believed to be responsible for a long list of big box and liquor store distract-and-scoop style thefts in the city. Wearing disguises, driving rental cars, and working as a team, they were able to steal lots of stuff before finally being caught. Two are still on the lam.

World-renown 3D chalk/street artist Julian Beever is at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto this week, doing a paid promotional gig for a grocery store pizza product launch. I suspect that the finished results will be pretty cool to observe. Like.. woah, man... that pepperoni is, like... jumping out at me.

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North of the city, the frantic search continues for the 15-year old boy from Barrie, who has been missing for almost two weeks. After having his videogame playing privileges revoked, he took off on his bike and hasn't returned. It's believed that he may have been lured by to an Internet predator who is playing a far more sinister game.

Ontario's economic forecast isn't looking too hot. We're going to be running at a $half billion deficit this year, and next year isn't looking any better. And the loonie continues to tank today and is now below $0.79USD for the first time in years. The parity party was short-lived indeed.

Toronto radio personality Alan Cross has taken a leap by quitting as program director of 102.1 and launching what he refers to as a human-run version of Pandora or last.fm. Exploremusic aims to be an interactive, user-generated resource site that brings hidden gems to light. Seems worth giving it a whirl.