True Crime

This time we'll be reading Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Here's the blurb: Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems. First published in 1972, *Roadside Picnic* is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels. The book is available here: Amazon- Paperback, eBook, Audiobook: https://www.amazon.ca/Roadside-Picnic-Arkady-Strugatsky/dp/1613743416/ref=sr_1_1?crid=4CF8Z2KM9FR5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OkKU7AC1WfScTlwfheDPnXc6RoH27bTDKMyfAgC_JANost0NCKJUcjZqbrLEile8IathzFMmAmFe9oXiUWLxKh0sg2kayNmgEhJeLKnThaxDk_9Nmn1yHf77Bct23OqBlVzxGEpNppD1tjZHWL0s7jQ4OA2YCoqJ5wL-eUmc8we34pauk-oG5kcohPzDgi_je8CjkyuMZtBD9FL-ijN8lzwv7OthBw_4PRiTvvZPAoimmLqGW3osojbapjD2J2EwKkDSsW8nh6xzHTdnXuVZKsuwVD2Pb6_99nT4Yqhn-WU.W4eSQPh8pV3pjNwYowMlY_NWsCM75jm2_aqs1Z4WAl0&dib_tag=se&keywords=roadside+picnic&qid=1768352378&sprefix=roadside+picnic%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1 Indigo- Paperback: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/roadside-picnic/9781613743416.html Kobo- eBook: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/roadside-picnic-1?sId=a2633ff7-55e3-4248-88ad-9f7fedb4c18f&ssId=1AYtAyk0vt3KTVdGTn8zv&cPos=1 Toronto Public Library: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2898868&R=2898868 Toronto Public Library- eBook https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1075415

**Set goals.** **Be accountable for them.** **Move your life forward with purpose.** Our goal is to cause greatness by mentoring men to live with excellence and, as mature masculine leaders, create successful families, careers and communities. If you have the desire to work on being the man that your legacy demands that you be (which means being the best you can be, we can work on what your legacy demands with you later) and the man you always wanted to be then we look forward to you attending. Our group is part of Mentor Discover Inspire (MDI). This group meets Mondays, North of Finch Avenue, usually indoors, outdoors in the summer but occasionally on Zoom. To confirm this week's location, please rsvp to Ricardo, call/text (647) 880-1488, or email ricardophilip@hotmail.com From MDI website[: https://goo.gl/3DQ6](https://goo.gl/3DQ6aY)aY From Toronto Sta[r: https://goo.gl/oDH](https://goo.gl/oDH3uX)3uX Regular attendees do not always RSVP, expect 6-8 men to be present.

We are a men's group where you can expect a frank and confidential space to speak personally, engage in interesting conversations or get support for your personal goals. This new team meets weekly on the East side of Toronto. Our group is part of Mentor Discover Inspire (MDI). This group prefers to meet outdoors but occasionally on Zoom. Guests are welcome but it's pretty casual so make sure you are expected in case we move locations. You can rsvp via meetup or call Tim @ 416-278-3058 to confirm this week’s location. The MDI Mission: To cause greatness by mentoring men to live with excellence and, as mature masculine leaders, create successful families, careers and communities. From MDI website[: https://goo.gl/3DQ6](https://goo.gl/3DQ6aY)aY From Toronto Sta[r: https://goo.gl/oDH](https://goo.gl/oDH3uX)3uX

Weekly Monday night online meditations in a welcoming community 35-minutes of sitting meditation practice followed by interactive sharing, discussion We experiment with different solo meditations, from restful absorption to creative visualizations, mindfulness-style noting (of various mind-body components), loving-kindness, sound meditations, choiceless awareness and many others. You don’t need to follow any of these techniques if you don’t want to – some people prefer to stay with their tried-and-true regular practice. The CEC is passionately nonsectarian – both humanistic and contemplative traditions are represented. Check our website for more sit details: http://cecmeditate.com/calendar/ Since Covid-era lockdowns began in 2020, we've hosted these on zoom. zoom link: [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/799184864?pwd=UXIvUkZ4QVBZQ0Q2VUh0Y2NNVnJkQT09](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/799184864?pwd=UXIvUkZ4QVBZQ0Q2VUh0Y2NNVnJkQT09) Starting May 2026 we're meeting in person in Toronto AND online. Come sit with us!

At our last April Meetup ([https://www.meetup.com/volition/events/313622208](https://www.meetup.com/volition/events/313622208)), we broke down what we called: **👉 “The best deal we’ve seen in Toronto in 20 years”** \~6% cap \~$11,000/month rent \~$2,500/month cashflow We didn’t finish. We stopped the presentation short. And, in fact… This is where the deal started to fall apart. **👉 We didn’t even get to the part where the real decisions had to be made.** Instead of people immediately leaving after the presentation was done: 👉 they stayed 👉 they kept asking questions 👉 and the #1 question was: **“When’s Part 2?”** **So here it is – Dead Reckoning: Part 2** (In true Mission Impossible style…) **No clean path forward. Just decisions under pressure.** If Part 1 was identifying the problem… **Part 2 is where we had to execute.** Where we left off: * Power of Sale (seller = lender, not owner) * No protections (Schedule C overrides) * Open permits with real risk * Legally a duplex… not a 5plex * Potential $250K HST exposure **Most investors would walk away here. But we didn’t.** In Part 2, we go into what happened next: * Financing starts to break down * The deal has to be restructured under pressure * Assignment is used to keep control * Appraisal isn’t ready… but a decision still has to be made * The buyer is forced to consider going firm without full certainty At multiple points, this could have: * collapsed entirely * failed financing at the last minute * or left the buyer exposed to problems they couldn’t unwind **This wasn’t a clean process.** It was a series of decisions made under pressure – where getting it wrong could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. **And most of what mattered… wasn’t obvious.** **This is the part most people never see.** We aren’t talking about the numbers. We’re talking about: 👉 The decisions 👉 The pressure 👉 The execution when things aren’t clean We had to figure out how to move forward – without exposing the buyer to unnecessary risk. **Why this matters:** Most people don’t lose money on obvious bad deals. They lose money when: **“Something feels off… and they don’t know how to navigate it”** The biggest risks aren’t always the ones that look scary – they’re the ones people assume are fine. If you’re actively investing – or planning to – this is the part you need to understand. **You’ll leave with a very different lens on how to evaluate – and execute – deals like this.** Part 1 was about: 👉 Identifying risk Part 2 is about: 👉 What to do when everything starts breaking **Bottom line:** Anyone can analyze a deal. **Very few know how to execute when it gets messy.** We didn’t get through this last time – and we’re picking up exactly where the real execution began. **👉 Come see how this actually played out – and how deals like this get done in the real world.** **Note:** If you came to Part 1 – this is the continuation. If you didn’t – you can still attend… we will be doing a short recap of Part 1. **👉 Just know: this is where the real execution begins.** *** **Schedule:** **Monday, May 25, 2026, 6:00-9:00 pm** * 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Check-in and Networking (remember that your network is your net worth!) * 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Presentations from the Volition team **Location:** Suite#803, 105 Gordon Baker Road, North York, ON, M2H 3P8. (On the 8th floor of building 105, free underground parking available) \*\*\* **About the Speaker:** * **Matthew Lee,** Founder of Volition Properties, is a thought leader and advocate. Matt is passionate about the transformative change that real estate investing offers when done correctly. Working with investors for over 15 years, Matt has helped clients build over $100M in wealth through strategic Toronto real estate investments, all the while building this Meetup Group into the largest in Toronto with over 5000+ members. Matt brings practical, tested approaches – not theory – to help you structure better deals and maximize upside. * **Ming Lim,** Managing Partner of Volition Properties, is a passionate educator and brings 25 years of real estate investment experience in Toronto, the GTA, and Southwestern Ontario. He loves nothing more than to teach, mentor, and advise. Ming’s background in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and construction experience give him a unique analytical lens on investing and a practical approach to implementing investing strategies. *** **Volition Properties:** *Make smarter real estate moves — buy, sell, or invest with confidence. Volition Properties offers tailored advice, education, and community — grounded in strategy, built on trust.* Contact us today for any questions about real estate in Toronto! 📧 info@volitionprop.com 🌐 [www.volitionprop.com](https://www.volitionprop.com "https://www.volitionprop.com") 📞 1-877-416-BRRR

Join us for ESL Cafe on Mondays nights at St Paul's Bloor Street. We have groups for all levels of English: Basic English, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. At ESL Cafe, you can practice English conversation, drink coffee (or tea) and have lots of fun meeting other interesting people!!

[[RESULTS](https://opavote.com/results/4829900303499264) of the poll for this event] ABCD Reads AND Watches "**Train Dreams**", a [novella](https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C2792355) written by Denis Johnson, and a [film](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/train-dreams) directed by Clint Bentley. **:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::** "Suffused with the history and landscapes of the American West—its otherworldly flora and fauna, its rugged loggers and bridge builders—this extraordinary novella poignantly captures the disappearance of a distinctly American way of life. Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainer, a day laborer in the American West at the start of the twentieth century—an ordinary man in extraordinary times. Buffeted by the loss of his family, Grainer struggles to make sense of this strange new world. As his story unfolds, we witness both his shocking personal defeats and the radical changes that transform America in his lifetime." (from [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12991188-train-dreams)) **:: ABOUT THE MOVIE ::** "Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation's railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled." (from [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/train_dreams)) **:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::** Instead of just reading the book as usual, this time we're asking that you also watch the movie adaptation. During our discussion, we'll explore the strengths of both the book and the movie, evaluate the adaptation's effectiveness, and touch on any other topics that arise. You are welcome to arrive 30 minutes before the event and stay 30 minutes or longer afterward to connect with other attendees outside the book talk. Please ensure you have read the book and watched the movie before attending (though finishing either is not a barrier to participating, as long as you don't mind spoilers). First-time attendees can join for free. If the event is full, we maintain an unofficial waitlist. Please send [Michael](https://www.meetup.com/members/55295192/) a direct message for more information, in either case. We request a $3 contribution from regular attendees to help cover our monthly meetup costs. **:: ABOUT OUR NEXT READ&WATCH ::** At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next Read & Watch (date TBA). If you have a good pairing in mind, please ensure that the book is between 200-400 pages long, available from the Toronto Public Library, and counts as contemporary literary fiction (though these are not hard and fast rules), and that the movie or TV-series is readily available. When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.

Tickets must be purchased in advance! [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/life-lessons-from-a-cardiac-operating-room-by-dr-bobby-yanagawa-tickets-1989051291958?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/life-lessons-from-a-cardiac-operating-room-by-dr-bobby-yanagawa-tickets-1989051291958?aff=oddtdtcreator) Life Lessons from a Cardiac Operating Room — Dr. Bobby Yanagawa Step inside the high-pressure world of cardiac surgery for an unforgettable evening of stories, insight, and conversation with renowned cardiac surgeon **Dr. Bobby Yanagawa**. Hosted by Stellar Socials Lectures, this unique social lecture experience blends intellectual conversation with a stylish nightlife atmosphere — bringing ambitious and curious people together to learn, connect, and engage. From life-and-death decisions inside the operating room to lessons on pressure, leadership, discipline, and the human experience, Dr. Bobby Yanagawa will share captivating stories and perspectives rarely heard outside hospital walls. Whether you’re in healthcare, business, entrepreneurship, or simply love meaningful conversations, this is an evening designed to inspire thought, spark curiosity, and create real connection. ## 🎤 What To Expect • A captivating live lecture by Dr. Bobby Yanagawa • Real stories from the cardiac operating room • Life lessons on leadership, focus, resilience & decision-making • Networking with ambitious, like-minded professionals • A stylish social atmosphere with drinks & conversation ## 🧠 About Stellar Socials Lectures Stellar Socials Lectures brings together professors, experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders for engaging talks hosted inside upscale bars, lounges, and social venues. Our mission is simple: create experiences where learning feels social, inspiring, and genuinely enjoyable. Because education shouldn’t stop after graduation. ## 👥 Who Should Attend? • Young professionals • Entrepreneurs & creatives • Healthcare professionals & students • Curious minds & lifelong learners • Anyone looking to meet inspiring people and experience something different ## ✨ Why Attend? ✔ Expand your perspective ✔ Meet new people in a relaxed social setting ✔ Hear fascinating real-world experiences ✔ Enjoy an elevated alternative to traditional networking events 🎟️ Limited tickets available. Early registration is strongly recommended. ## About Dr. Bobby Yanagawa Dr. Bobby Yanagawa is the Division Head, Division of Cardiac Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital and Program Director, Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Toronto. He holds the SURE General Contractors Inc. Professorship in Infective Endocarditis. Dr. Yanagawa completed residency training at the University of Toronto and INOVA Fairfax Hospital (Fairfax, VA) and an advanced valvular fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, NY). His research training includes a PhD at the University of British Columbia and post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Wales College of Medicine (Cardiff, UK) and National Cardiovascular Center (Osaka, Japan). His clinical and academic focus is surgical revascularization and surgery for infective endocarditis. He is the Director of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. His research interests include clinical outcome studies of ischemic and valvular heart disease. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, 40 reviews and 15 book chapters. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Guest Editor - Current Opinions of Cardiology and Feature Editor, Annals of Thoracic Surgery. ### **Agenda** 6:00 p.m. - Arrival. Doors open as soon as 5 p.m. Come in, grab a drink, some food, and settle in. If you’d like to sit closer with your friends, we advise coming in early. 7:05 p.m.- Introduction, lecture begins, followed by Q&A 8:15 p.m. -One-on-one with the lecturer, socializing. You can order another round of drinks. 8:30 p.m. -Wrap up

**🥰 Deeper Connections Disguised as Game Night \|** STOP Swiping & START Playing\! \| Facilitated Games & "Cards FOR Humanity **= *Board Game foreplay"*** #### * 5️⃣ Welcome to **"Wildcard Wednesdays!"** *Inspired by "Timeleft*" we also curate tables of 5+ people based on your **"Play Personality"** a quiz we created exclusively for our events = Intimate Experience & every week is different depending on the group & games. * 🎲 **Board Game ForePlay!** \~ "Choose your own Adventure" **100+ Games** Collection \~ Something for everyone! = Variety of themes * ***🃏 BYOB \~ Welcome to Bring your own Board games/convo cards/tarot deck & Booze*** 🍺🍹 **[💌 PLEASE ](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1979316462822?aff=oddtdtcreator)*[CLICK ME ](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1979316462822?aff=oddtdtcreator)*[TO RSVP ON EVENTBRITE 🎟️](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1979316462822?aff=oddtdtcreator)** ### **👩‍❤️‍👨 OUR HOSTESS RAINBOW: She hosts this event partly because she is living proof that LOVE is REAL, she has been in a Healthy & Happy relationship for over a decade! & hopes to help others find true love as spontaneously as she did, make sure you ask her how she found LOVE?** ### **🤗 WHO IS THIS FOR?...EVERYONE! :)** * 👩‍❤️‍👨 **SINGLES** & Looking to Mingle? Curated Games for "Slow Connection" vs "speed dating" * 💝 **COUPLES** \~ New Date Nights vs "Netflix & Chill" \~ Discover something new! * 🙋‍♀️🙋🏽 **FRIENDS** \~ Fun way to reconnect & deepen friendships in a playful way * 🌎 **SOLO** \~ Easy to meet new people or **spend an evening as a local** if your a tourist * 🇨🇦 **NEW TO TORONTO? \~** Eager to learn english? Easier to learn while having fun! * **🌈 ALL-INCLUSIVE \~** LGBTQ2S+ & BIPOC & All Ages/Abilities) ⚠️ want more info? please find the full event description on Eventbrite

We will be discussing how to do public showings of Leaving Neverland and how to lobby the government to ban media productions put out by the estate such as MJ The Musical and Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson One and the Michael Biopic from Toronto, and how to publicize our organization. All Meetings are at 736 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario. Email roxstew5media@gmail.com

**✨✨ Toronto Tech Week 2026 is here!! ✨✨** Here’s the May edition of our in-person event at Super.com on May 27, 2026 Join us for some drinks, snacks, and a Tech Talk. Coming from TTW and looking for an informal meetup to meet new people? Our May meetup is your place! Get introduced to TorontoJS events format with a Tech Talk, and then join other like minded folks over some food and beverages. Make sure to mark your calendars and come out and join us for this event! **🕑 Agenda & Schedule ✨** * **18:00** - Doors open * **18:20** - Intro and announcements * **18:30** - **Shipping AI Chat in Production: The Things JavaScript Demos Don’t Show** by [Sanyam Khurana](https://www.sanyamkhurana.com/) **Abstract:** *Adding AI chat to an app looks simple in demos, but production is where it gets real. I’ll cover streaming, rate limits, cost control, retrieval, and security pitfalls like prompt injection—plus patterns to move from prototype to reliable, production-ready systems.* * **19:00** - Networking over Food and Beverages * **21:00** - Doors Close *** (**Note**: *All times in the schedule are an approximation.*) Please RSVP to confirm your attendance. If you have your friends or teammates joining please ask them to RSVP as well. This event is open to all skill levels. Many thanks to [Super.com](Super.com) for hosting us! We're looking for sponsors for events like these. If you or your company would like to support TorontoJS and get a message out to our community, please get in touch with organizers@torontojs.com The Code of Conduct is enforced at all TorontoJS events and spaces - online or in-person. TorontoJS is a volunteer-led not-for-profit organization. **Please help us** with tidying up. Otherwise, the venue staff and volunteers will have to pick up after you. \-\-\- # **The Venue 🏠** The venue is next door to Shoppers Drug Mart, a nondescript door that you'll have to look for a little more carefully. “*Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com*” \-\-\- *TorontoJS is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. Our Code of Conduct applies both online and in person at all our events and spaces.* See you there! 🎉

Join Toronto’s leading founders, builders, investors, and creatives for a refined post-conference experience during Tech Week. Whether you’re a professional in a STEM field, an entrepreneur, or simply a music lover eager to connect with like-minded people, this is your night. Enjoy a blend of networking and nightlife as we dance and mingle at one of Downtown Toronto’s newest standout venues, Story Toronto. Come for the great vibes, stay for the even better connections. What to expect: Music Immersive lighting + elevated venue vibe Bar + late-night atmosphere 📍 Where: Story Toronto, 214 Adelaide St W 📅 When: May 28, 2026 🕕 Time: 7pm 💵 Cost: Absolutely FREE!

Join us for Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn! Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story-and survive this homecoming.

Why are we unhappy? Where does emotional pain come from? Studies show that people who suffer from long-term emotional pain have painful experiences in their lives that were never fully resolved in their mind. In other words, there were issues in the past that were not completely dealt with. This can include abuse in childhood, breakups, divorce, death of a loved one, to name a few. How do you know whether you have gotten over something painful? Here is an easy test: Do you still have attention on what had happened to you? For instance, do you still find yourself thinking about something painful that you went through? If you are, then you are not over it. In fact, in severe cases, people find themselves playing a "tape" in their mind over and over again. So how do you heal from your past? How do you stop the "tape" playing in your mind? In this meeting, you will learn a technique to help you with that. Come join us! Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is created by the Dianetics and Scientology life improvement center.

This is the 50th Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris. Significantly, in 1976, California wines unexpectedly outperformed French wines in a blind tasting with nine French judges, challenging the perception that only French wines were of the highest quality. This event helped elevate the status of California wines on the global stage and is considered a pivotal moment in wine history. House Wine, in Worthington, modestly, recreates that moment in history with a tasting both American and French wines in a fun, casual atmosphere. Come at 6:45, pay your fee at the register and join your friends for this "Judgey" tasting. https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/the-judgment-of-paris-turns-40/ Arrive when you can and we'll have a table for gathering. Feel free to bring your own food as it is welcomed at this local gem or order from the newly opened Worthington Inn, or local favorites such as Dewey's, Everest, Jet, Worthington Tavern and The Whitney. Each person pays their tasting fee, typically $15, and gets their wine glass, then approximately five pours of the wines being served. **Parking is tough**. Try the second lot behind House Wine accessed by the land by the back parking lot or the municipal lot one block north of House Wine. **Waiver and Liability and Attendance Policy.** Participation by you and your guests means you agree to the Waiver of Liability and Attendance Policies on our Group Page. People who have two more or Attendance policy violations are subject to removal from the group.

Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.