VIDEO: Downtown St. Catharines Sunset Timelapse 4K

Video snapshot

We always love discovering any videos Niagara-related so stumbling upon this magnificent time-lapse video by St. Catharines-based audio/video producer Adam Marshall, capturing downtown St. Catharines' sunset, was a wonderful surprise.

This particular spot was captured near the junction of The Merritt Trail and The Twelve Trail, according to one viewer. 

CANADIAN WINGSUIT LEGEND GRAHAM DICKINSON FOUND DEAD | Ottawa SUN

Very sad to have learnt of Dickinson's death. He died doing what he loved. RIP. ...

From Ottawa Sun:

Friends and colleagues of a Canadian adventurer who died in China are flooding social media with glowing tributes, loving remembrances and some small measure of resignation at the inevitability of his demise. 

The body of 28-year-old Graham Dickinson was found last Thursday on a cliff in the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in the central province of Hunan. 

The day before, he posted a picture of the mountain on his Facebook page, accompanied by a smiling emoji and the description “feeling like he is dreaming.” 

Dickinson was regarded as one of the best in the world at a sport called wingsuiting, in which athletes jump from high places and glide to the ground with the aid of aerodynamic body suits that make their wearers look a little like flying squirrels.

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There have been numerous fatalities of wingsuit flying - almost since the inception of the sport but there were 2 that stood out in our minds because they occurred in Canada:

• On May 9, 2007 - American adventurer and TV personality Jimmy Hall, age 41, was on an expedition to Baffin Island in northern Canada. After several days of successful jumps, Hall attempted a wingsuit flight through a canyon. He failed to clear a ledge, and impacted the cliff.
• And back on June 26 of last year (2016), Gary Kremer, 30-year-old American basejumper and former U.S. Marine, died while wingsuit flying with friends in Canada.

NIAGARA SQUARE TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY | NiagaraThisWeek (+ Remembering Niagara Square)

Montrose Road, 7555 - Niagara Square Shopping Centre - Niagara Square sign | May 2005 | Photo by Rashid, Alina Rida

Sad times but we guess it was inevitable. The mall was always near empty every time we visited and we've often wondered how long it would last like this - or what would become of it...

From NiagaraThisWeek.com

NIAGARA FALLS — The already largely empty halls of Niagara Square will be emptied for good this spring as the mall is set to permanently close.
Tenants inside Niagara Square were sent notices this week saying their leases will be terminated as of April 30. 

The notices were sent by RioCan Management Inc. on behalf of the mall owners and affect stores in the mall that do not have a separate entrance from outside. 

One of the tenants affected is the Niagara Falls Humane Society’s Cat Adoption Centre.
“It’s been a very sad day telling our staff, volunteers and supporters that the Adoption Centre is closing on April 30,” Fugler said. “We’ve been there for over seven years, and well over 2,000 cats and other small animals have found their happily ever-after from the centre. It’s been a haven for cats, for volunteers, and for people, too. It’s been amazing. Our city has been so supportive of this project throughout the years.  

The notice states the mall will close permanently on May 1, 2017, and that a plan is in place to transform the enclosed space into "refurbished retail space" with more parking. 

- Read more here.

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Remembering Niagara Square...

Winter Series | Falling-Snow-Effect on a Few Photos I Took... (11 Photos)

I discovered some old photos I took back in 2013-14 in St. Catharines that Google animated with the falling snow effect. I think we all have some of those. Some turned out good, others I didn't care for but all I am sharing with you in this Winter series - gify style...

"LAMBADA" Singer LOALWA BRAZ Discovered Dead in Burnt Out Car

What an awful way to go...
Loalwa Braz, born June 3rd, 1953 in Brazil, was better known as providing the lead vocals for the French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma in their worldwide hit "Lambada". She was fluent in four languages, having recorded songs in her native Portuguese, as well as in Spanish, French and English.

According to BBC News, Braz was discovered dead in a burnt-out car in Brazil.
Local police confirmed it was Braz, but the circumstances of her death are unknown.

Loalwa Braz, with Kaoma, performing Lambada on BBC show Top of the Pops in 1989 | Source: BBC News

RIP Loalwa...

Source: bbcnews