[HANASHIR:14981] A question for my non-Canadian music friends.

[Ros Schwartz <ros_schwartz...>]

I apologise in advance for the fact that the only Jewish connection to
this music question is ... that I am Jewish, and that you are my Jewish
music community.  But the list has been quiet lately, and I don't think
I've ever posted a bending-the-rules-question before, and I am
desperately curious for the answer to this question.  So please *reply
to me off-list* at roslynschwartz (at) sympatico(dot)ca .

I just came back from what has been called "SARStock":  Toronto's
attempt to recover from the tourism disaster caused by the recent SARS
outbreak, by mounting a day-long concert featuring bands such as Rush,
AC/DC, The Guess Who, and headlined by the Rolling Stones.  I was there 
with 450,000 other decent civilised Canadians ... the huge parking lot 
that I had to pay $25 to reserve a spot in, turned out to be the back 
field of a local high school (many many local sites had offered space 
for cars);  before the concert, the Toronto chief of police announced 
that "marijuana is of course illegal, but if you smoke it quietly & 
don't make a disturbance, the police will probably not notice";  the 
security guard at the gate said, "Did someone search your backpack 
already?", and when I said (truthfully) yes - he let me pass;  and when 
we left, the ground was littered with ... empty water bottles.  And yes, 
the music was great.

So here are my questions - please reply off-list.

1.  Have you heard about the Toronto SARS outbreak?  How big a deal was
it, in the news where you live?

2.  Did you hear about the concert?  Did you see or hear any advertising
for it, before the fact?  Any reports of it, after the fact?  Did it
have any effect on the tarnished Toronto image, where you live?

(and please don't say,  "but where's Toronto???"  ;-)  )

Thanks for indulging me,

- Ros

------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+