Best of August

Budi, a 6-year-old Orangutan at Toronto Zoo. Budi is one of two sumatran orangutans at the Toronto Zoo who are being trained to use an iPad. Currently, they love to watch videos of other orangutans but the hope is to use the devices for training and learning. (Rick Madonik)

 

Rick Madonik, Staff Photographer

 

As usual, August fell somewhere between the feast or famine when it came to photography at the Toronto Star. Steve Russell continued his endless effort of supplying great pics from LONDON 2012. The Olympics dominated the sports story for the month of August, whereas the discovery of various body parts in Mississauga and Scarborough, dominated the news angle.

Russell recently posted a blog of his favorite images from the summer Olympics, and they can be found by following this link: http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/2012/08/the-end-is-here-steve-russells-favourite-pictures-from-the-games.html

The monthly roundup of pictures can be found below. As usual, it runs the gambit from funny/cute animal pics, to strong portraiture and everything in between.

Canadian distance runner Cameron Levins, fifth from left, runs the 5,000 at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium  in London.   (STEVE RUSSELL)

A solitary figure walks through Hall Beach, NWT.  In the foreground is a lament written on a handrail leading to one of two stores in town.  It reads, "No Good.  I got no friends and I'm so bored!" (Richard Lautens)

Sayed Shah Sharifi , the former combat interpreter for the Canadian Military in Afghanistan, reflects on his the third day in Canada. He's in his room at the COSTI Immigration centre in Toronto, a place run by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (Chris So)

Iranian-Canadians protest outside of the TD Canada Trust bank on the corner of Yonge Street and Finch Ave. in Toronto Saturday August 25, 2012.  Iranian-Canadians who had their bank accounts suddenly closed by TD decided to hold a protest, after many received letters in May and June saying their accounts had been closed due to economic sanctions against Iran. (Tara Walton)

Police officer examines plastic bag believed to contain body parts found by Star reporter Dale Brazao while walking the banks of the creek taking photos. (Dale Brazao)

Andrew Jadilski, 11, of Mississauga, digs into a corn dog at the CNE Midway. The CNE officially opened its 133 season today August 19.  (BERNARD WEIL)

Park goers watch a show in Marineland's King Waldorf Stadium in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  (TARA WALTON)

Nyambene Hills farmer Jafred Mithika sits in his field with a pocket full of khat.  He spends hours a day chewing on the mild stimulant that, when chewed in large quantities, produces a mild euphoric high.
(Lucas Oleniuk)

Consumers inspect the days shipment of fresh khat in Eastleigh after a delivery from Maua arrived that afternoon. (Lucas Oleniuk)

Khat loaders secure a load of khat in the back of a truck at the khat market in Maua, Kenya.  The khat will be shipped to Nairobi where it will be sold in local markets or transported worldwide. (Lucas Oleniuk)

A man walks past a mural on Howard Park Avenue near Dundas St. West on August 10. (CARLOS OSORIO)

Street scene of Car Free Sunday in Kensington Market, August 5. Some of the market's merchants are not happy with events restricting cars driving in the area. (ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE)

Joe Carter (Toronto Blue Jays alumni) laughs in amazement as Pilot Michael Gibson (behind with controler) flies his 6 blade camera copter right up to Carter so he can inspect  it close up during the practice day at Eagles Nest Golf Club for tomorrows Joe Carter Classic. (DAVID COOPER)

Gudrun Hardes (front center) doing yoga on a stand up paddle surf board on Lake Ontario. She is a yoga instructor and avid standup surfer and the combo of the two sports were an natural evolution. (Rene Johnston)

Toronto's skyline with dramatic clouds. (DAVID COOPER)

Bengal Siberian tiger cross, Robbie, stares at the camera inside of his pen at the Bowmanville Zoo. (Lucas Oleniuk)

Elephant trainer Robert Crawford joins the Hackenberger boys in bathing 49-year-old Asian elephant Limba in the Soper Creek which runs beside the Bowmanville Zoo where the elephant is kept.
(Lucas Oleniuk)

A team member fixes the string to a flywheel. A team of engineers, called AeroVelo, begin to assemble their human powered helicopter at Vaughan Soccer Centre. (Rick Madonik)

 Diana Matheson meets and greets kids of the Oakville Soccer Club. Matheson scored the winning goal for Canada's women's soccer team in the bronze medal game at the London Olympics. (Rene Johnston)

Jim Brown and his dog Daisy who is a Morkie (Yorkshire Terrier and and Maltese breed) paddle a kayak in Lake Ontario. (Carlos Osorio)

14-year-old Annaleise Carr posed on the shore of the lake where she trains on, in Port Dover, Ontario.  Carr became the youngest swimmer to cross Lake Ontario Sunday night and raised over $100,000 for charity in the process. (Lucas Oleniuk)

Toronto city Councillor Adam Vaughan poses for a photo in his office Wednesday August 15, 2012.  No one is quoted more frequently criticizing Mayor Rob Ford than Councillor Vaughan.  (Tara Walton)

Keegan and Tanya Johnson, with son' Denzel, and Dante. Dante has Prader-Willi Syndrome, which leaves him continually hungry and in danger of eating himself to death. The Mississauga couple's One Small Step Walk/Runs have so far raised $2 million for research and they have been invited to the White House as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move anti-obesity initiative. (Vince Talotta)

 Sex assault victim, Alice Moran, who wrote open letter against Krista Ford's Twitter comments. (BERNARD WEIL)

Audette Shephard, and photo of her son Justin, who was shot and killed in 2001 at the age of 19. (JIM RANKIN)

 Mona Piulgrim, outside Etobicoke General Hospital. Mona's son, Justin Pilgrim, a prisoner at Metro West attempted to hang himself in solitary confinement. The 24-year-old failed and is now in a coma. (Keith Beaty)

Canadian musician Alanis Morissette, in Toronto, to talk about her latest album and how her life has changed over the last decade, especially with the birth of her son.  (RICK MADONIK)

Yieshima Gupta poses at York University. Gupta, an international student from Dubai, was one of more than 5,000 York University students who took advantage of a wider offering of summer courses this year, so she can have a lighter load this fall and hold down her part-time job on campus in the Student Success office. (ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE)

Angelica Beatriz Mercau poses for a photo in front of her family at their apartment in Scarborough. Angelica was born in Toronto and is fighting to have her parents and two siblings live in Canada legally. L to R in back are: Father Juan Dante Mercau, sister Carol Mercau,  brother Paul Mercau and mother mother Angelica Elena Mendoza Poblete. (Pawel Dwulit)

Eugene Cartmale, of Woodstock, heaves hay bails into a large metal container. (Bernard Weil)

Fans try to haul in a foul ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder Colby Rasmus. (Richard Lautens)

In the last play of the game, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Jeff Mathis (6) manages to hold on to the ball for the final out of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Elliot Johnson. (Richard Lautens)

Blue Jays Yunel Escobar stretches to try and catch a soft liner to centre field off the bat of White Sox Alexei Ramirez. (Carlos Osorio)

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Yan Gomes looks to the umpire's call after trying to tag Texas Rangers David Murphy at home, in the third inning at the Rogers Centre. (Vince Talotta)

Court crews begin to prepare Centre Court for the revised schedule as rain delays play at Rogers Cup action at the Rexall Centre. (RICK MADONIK)

Bella a 3-year-old toy poodle and Lincoln a 7 month old great dane see eye to eye. (Colin McConnell)

The line up was huge all day and the dogs were trimmed and brushed before their photo shoot with the hopes of being chosen to star in the upcoming Fido advertisement. (Colin McConnell)

Comments

[northierthanthou]

Interesting batch of pictures. Like the mural especially.