The weather sucks, here’s some news

4Montreal’s Chinatown Olympics celebration not hampered by cloudy skies | Cérémonies d’ouverture: Les yeux rivés sur Pékin The Olympics will be broadcast live at Sun Yat-Sen Park from 10am-10pm every day right up to the closing ceremonies.

4Agression sauvage sur un itinérant Awful.

4Guerre confirmée avec la mafia

4Cellulaire au volant: 1700 contraventions à Montréal This is interesting news. I was just thinking the other day while witnessing guy talking on his phone while driving that perhaps this new law hasn’t sunk in yet.

4Concrete falls from Montreal North overpass | Attention, chute de béton

4Un second souffle pour le secteur L’Acadie-Chabanel

4Les calèches sont dans la dèche: Quite truthfully this doesn’t break my heart — I usually feel sad for those dear horses. They look miserable.

4Voitures de police saccagées: 400 000$ pour tout remplacer

4Moratoire sur les gîtes touristiques au centre-ville

4La météo affecte les artistes de rue

4Un «dépotoir» au sommet du mont Royal

4Des renforts sur le mont Royal

4Averses: des commerçants veulent poursuivre la Ville de Montréal

4Réasphaltage de la rue Notre-Dame: un chantier qui dérange

4Pride, shame in the métro: Disabled groups applaud elevator plan, but rake city over long wait for accessibility

4City’s pools clean, water tests indicate

4City’s pool plan makes waves: Local group petitions Plateau Mont Royal mayor to stop conversion of wading pool in St. Michel Park

4Lights out for Plateau softballers: Crumbling lamps end Laurier Park night games after city ignores warnings, league head charges

4Bus terminus crowding leaves riders on street

4Contest peddles rent-a-bike service to Montrealers: I’m interested in what our readers think of the five names they’re proposing. I’m not dazzled by any of them, personally.

4Paradise, just around the corner: descriptions of 17 of the city’s parks.

4Le climat joue sur le moral Pardon my language, but no shit, huh?

And, of course you may have heard that Iggy and the Stooges had their entire truck of gear stolen from outside the Embassy Suites on St-Antoine on Monday. The truck itself was recovered nearby, empty, on Wednesday. It’s pretty bizarre to me that they parked on the street considering that it’s basic tour smarts to not leave gear out in the van overnight like that. My friends who tour often take valuable stuff inside if they absolutely must park on the street. Plus, the Embassy Suites offers parking, and is very very close to the highway. But, of course nothing justifies theft, so if you’re looking to buy used equipment, be sure it’s not their stuff — the serial numbers, photos and details are available at the link.

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Some stuff happening this weekend despite the crappy weather:

Semaine Italienne de Montréal at locations all over town.

La Fête Bio-Paysanne in St-Michel, which I still plan to make an appearance at, but probably not on bike.

Repercussion Theatre continues their “Theatre in the Park” series with presentations in French and English, rain or no.

La Grande Rencontre festival focuses on diverse presentations of violin.

Photo from Snowdon Theatre by Colros on Flickr.