Scrappin' Scarps • Blogs

There’s an article on today’s Toronto Star confirming what many were especulating – Ontario will most likely join Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec in banning cellphones while driving. The Liberals’ bill is backed by the Transport Minister Jim Bradley, who also seeks to ban GPS, Blackberrys and other equipment that can distract the one behind the wheel.

The bill follows a gobal tendency to ban pieces of equipment that can take the attention of drivers and potencially cause accidents. A June article on IDG Now, part of the Brazilian UOL news portal, mentions a research in Utah that proves talking on the phone while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving.

I agree that anything that distracts the driver will raise the risk of accidents. My one and only concern is that of the productivity of those devices. I ride the TTC, public transit, in Toronto, and have to admit those hours inside the bus are the most productive for work and contacts. Calling people while on the run is not only convenient, but intelligent, because you’re using time that would be otherwise lost and thrown away.

If I were driving instead of taking transit, I’d probably do as much as I can for now because those laws can kick in at any time. Speak now, or forever shut up.

Tags: ban, Brazil, Canada, cellphone, drive, driving, mobile, Ontario, prohibition, telephone, Toronto, Toronto Star, UOL

Have got nothing to do this weekend in Toronto? Well, then head to the Steamwistle Brewery in Toronto at 8pm on Oct. 25th for the 2008 Rock Paper Scissors World Championship! Oh yeah, boys, the game we’ve all played at one point in our lives, jan-ken-pon, has a world championship.

I wonder what are the chances for one of the previous champions to become champion again. I mean, how much of a win is luck and how much is actual “strategy”. Anyhow, they do have a strategy guide at the website, and you can check it all at http://www.worldrps.com.

Tags: championship, jan-ken-pon, rock paper scissors

The latest edition of Gravando!, uploaded today on PanTV brings a discussion about food. Price, quality, cultural differences, possible risks and benefits related to eating are debated in a dynamic and interesting way.

The debate is anchored on Brazilian immigrants’ experiences in Canada. What are the differences between eating habits in Brazil and Canada? What are the options for someone who just arrived in Toronto? How can you prepare healthy food without taking a lot of time and money?

Felipe Scarpelli, Sandro Miranda and Marcelo Paolinelli look for answers and share experiences with the viewers, and you, as always, can participate by sending us suggestions, critics and ideas. Check the latest edition of Gravando! and I see you soon!

Tags: Add new tag, cost, cultural, culture, difference, eating, food, Gravando!, immigration, life, living, PanTV, safety

Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Zappa, Hedley, Misfits, Panic at the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Donavon Frankenreiter, Gym Class Heroes and many other artists are hitting Toronto this October!

Click below to continue reading and check all our recommendation of music and events for this month of October in T.O.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: event, list, October, schedule, show, tip, Toronto, upcoming

Today is election day in Canada. All Canadians have the right to vote in their Member of Parliament, therefore participating in the selection of the new Prime-Minister. This is the first major difference between elections in Canada and in Brazil. While in Brazil citizens have the right and obligation to vote, in Canada this is only a right, ignored by many.

There are no major manifestations, pamphlets flying through the air, posters on traffic and light poles. No reckless attacks on debates, no major social mobilization. Even the day of the elections, a working Tuesday, would surprise Brazilians used to vote on a Sunday that looks much more like a holiday than a civic responsibility.

There is a huge differente between elections in Canada and in Brazil, but the biggest of all is that here in Canada there is an enormous feeling no matter the outcome of the elections, nothing is going to change. Brazilians, despite the disblief in politicians, never stop dreaming of a better future. This collective hope is the biggest difference from the Brazilian to the Canadian that votes thinking nothing will change. Maybe because of that, it never will.

Tags: Brazil, Canada, elections, Toronto

If you are interested in Brazilian events, parties and festivals in Toronto, you can’t miss the latest edition of  Panorama on PanTV. Celebrating Brazilian Independence Day, the most recent edition of PanTV shows a bit of Brazil from Canada. The show starts with the celebrations of September 7th (Brazilian Independence Day) at Toronto’s City Hall. After that, we head to the Brazilfest, an annual summer festival in Toronto that happened at Sunnyside Beach. Still in this edition, we checked the Brazilian Heat, a Brazilian-themed night at Canada’s biggest nightclub, The Guvernment.

This Panorama edition is filled with Brazil but that’s not all. There’s humours, interviews, curiosities and much more. You can’t miss it!

The other show of this PanTV’s edition, Panzine, analyses the commercial relations between Brazil and Canada. Sandro Miranda interviews film directors and business men to understand why Brazil and Canada relations are at their highest. Among the interviewees are the directors Bruno Barreto and Daniela Thomas, who were in Toronto to promote their movies Last Stop 174 and Linha de Passe at the 2008 TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival).

Check these shows at PanTV’s website and I see you all in the next Gravando!, which airs on October 15!

Tags: Brazilfest, Brazilian Heat, business, cinema, community, event, film, Panorama, relation

There are always several things going on during summer weekends in Toronto, even after Labour Day, and this weekend is not different. There’s something for everyone.

If you enjoy movies, the Toronto International Film Festival, considered by many the most important festival after Cannes, runs until next Saturday, September 13. You can watch the movies, including the Canadian-Brazilian production Blindness, or just go to the festival grounds and try to get a picture with you favourite actor or actress at Yorkville, the Bay x Bloor area.

If your thing is music, Virgin Festival runs this Saturday and Sunday, including Foo Fighters, Oasis, Bloc Party, Against Me!, Silverstein, Moby and much more! The festival is happening at the Toronto Islands. Make sure to check that out!

If you prefer performing arts and street festivals, you can’t miss the Junction Arts Festival, including visual arts, performance and music! The festival is happening on Dundas St. W. between Keele St. and Quebec Ave., close to home here. I’ll make sure to check this one out.

Finally, if you like Brazilian culture and music, this weekend celebrates the Brazilian independence day from Portugal. The Brazilian flag will be raised at Toronto’s City Hall at 2pm to celebrate the occasion. Following that, hit Sunnyside Beach at Lakeshore and Parkside for the 5th annual Brazilfest, showcasing Brazilian music, dance and culture.

It doesn’t matter whether you like movies, music, arts, Brazilian culture, there is something for you in Toronto. Enjoy it while summer lasts and we may see you there! Yep, we will be recording with PanTV throughout the weekend, so you never know…

Tags: art, Brazil, festival, film, music, weekend

The Warped Tour is big. It’s bigger than big! It’s a rock tour with daily shows that runs for almost two months. There are more than 100 bands playing every day in 10 different stages. The tour travels throughout the whole US and Canada, and guess what? We were there!

Panorama’s edition featuring the 2008 Vans Warped Tour is online starting today! Fifteen minutes of music, backstage, interviews, and lots of fun with the bands playing on the tour. The show is great! I believe this is our best edition yet for one ironic reason – the bands are the ones running the show!

Check our interviews with Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, Against Me!, From First to Last, Story of the Year, The Color Fred (ex Taking Back Sunday) and We the Kings! I’ll see you there!
On the other show of this edition, Panzine, Sandro Miranda brings a report on bycicles and how they are been used as means of transportation in Toronto. The benefits and disadvantages of this new trend in Canada’s largest city! Check that out!

Tags: interview, music, Panorama, PanTV, punk, rock, show, Warped Tour

I went to Madison Avenue Pub last night. It’s located on Madison Avenue (wow) near Bloor x Spadina. I’ve been there two or three times before, but this was the first time I actually paid attention to what was going on around me. Madison is the Wal-Mart of pubs. Gigantic. I mean, it’s a complex of two (maybe three) houses connected by doors, corridors and stairs that God knows where they lead to. It’s a nice place to go with friends and see beautiful people. I said “see” beautiful people because 90% of their clients are snob college students who think they are the owners of the world. It’s not really a good place to meet new people, but again, if you just wanna hang out with friends, have some beers, get lost in doors and corridors and see some beautiful people, that’s a great place to be at.

What you don’t know:

If you are driving to Madison, make sure you go to the parking lot on the opposite side of the street, approach the gate and ask for your friend to get out of the car and hold the gate up. Get inside the lot, park your car and leave as nothing happened. When you leave the lot, simply approach the gate and it will open for you. As I said in one of my previous posts, I’ve always been an honest guy, but sometimes you just..

Tags: drink, enjoy, entertainment, friends, night, pub, Toronto

Hey it’s me, Felipe Scarpelli over here.

Things have been busy lately. We recorded two great shows during the past 2 weekends and that accounts for more than 6 hours of video, which I magically have to shrink down to two 10-minute shows. Quite a task. And that’s what I’ve been doing during these past days. Holiday weekend here in Canada. Not that much of a holiday for me!

The Wakestock edition of Panorama is coming this Wednesday, August 6th. You can expect lots of music, sports and beautiful people on the coverage of the world’s biggest wakeboarding event. Panorama’s coverage of the 2008 Van’s Warped Tour comes next, on the edition following the Wakestock. Warped Tour is the biggest rock tour in the world and or coverage contains lots of music, interviews with bands and much more!

Other than working for PanTV, I’ve been working for PanTV! Boy, that takes time… more than any would expect. For this coming week, more working on our shows and next Saturday we’ll be recording another show at the Guvernment. It’s the 6th annual Brazilian Heat at the Guvernment and I hope to see you all there! Have a great week!

Tags: island, music, sport, Wakestock, Warped Tour