This will be the first time Toronto hosts a serious international sports event, with the exception of the 1992 and 1993 World Series and the odd indoor track and field championship, or something of similar calibre.
A number of infrastructure projects will get done around town now. New sports facilities, too. There will be lots of other economic spin-offs for Toronto and surrounding municipalities. Though taxpayers will ultimately end up with the big honking bill, of course.
But never mind all that right now. It’s time to rejoice. Winning the Pan Am Games means Toronto is no longer a loser, at least that’s what politicians and the local papers are saying.
Let’s not get too excited here, though. The Pan Am Games are a B-list event at best– they’re not the Olympics. Montreal, Calgary (and soon Vancouver) got to host the Olympics, the biggest of all international sporting events. Despite Toronto’s world class aspirations, the city faltered in its two Olympic bids.
Lastman: Afraid of being eaten by Kenyans.
It didn’t help back in 2001 when, with Toronto vying to host the 2008 Summer Games that ultimately went to Bejing, then-mayor Mel Lastman (a furniture salesman turned politician who was quite possibly crazy) managed to spark global outrage.
Shortly before leaving for Mombasa, Kenya, on a mission in support of the city’s Olympic bid, Lastman said to a reporter: “What the hell do I want to go to a place like Mombasa?… I’m sort of scared about going out there … I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me.”
Who cares if the Pan Am Games are a poorer cousin of the Olympics. At least Toronto didn’t offend an entire confident this time. Here’s to small victories.
THIS WEEK’S visit to Canada by Prince Charles and Lady Camilla has renewed an age-old debate about whether Canada’s constitutional monarchy should be replaced by an elected head of state.
A former British colony, Canada still retains a significant connection to the Crown, right down to having the Queen E. on our currency. (The governor-general is our resident head of state, the Queen’s viceroy here; but the GG is largely a ceremonial position.)
Friends of mine in England were amused recently when I pulled out a Canadian $20 bill with the Queen’s face on it. I think they enjoyed feeling like they were still our colonial rulers or something.
Canadians have had a lasting fondness for Queen Elizabeth II.
The majority of Canadians seem to hold Queen Elizabeth II in high regard – or are indifferent to her at worst – so the idea of cutting ties with the monarchy has never gained much momentum. There’s a sentimental attachment to her. When the Queen came to the throne back in 1953, Canada was in its adolescence, still trying to figure out who it was in the post-war world. We weren’t British, but not American either. (Unfortunately, it’s an identity crisis that endures to this day.)
In the not-so-distant future, though, the Queen will be gone, and I’m pretty sure Canadians do not feel the same affection for Prince Charles. Indeed, the Toronto Star had a poll that showed 49 per cent of Canadians viewed Charles “unfavourably” (Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, fared marginally better: only 51 per cent didn’t approve of her.)
Diana: Would she have helped keep the royals relevant?
Perhaps things would be different had Diana lived and stayed with Charles. I’m sure she could have given the institution of the royal family renewed staying power in the former colonies. They’re perfectly intelligent and gracious people, Chuck and Camilla, they just don’t have anything close to the same appeal as Diana (could anybody?)
But this is not really about people or personalities. The fact is, it’s high time Canada officially grows up and elects its own head of state (I’m guessing that would be a president?)
I realize ditching the Crown is a lot easier said than done and that a change like this would be complex and complicated to carry out.
It doesn’t have to be the end of everything. Just because we’re breaking free, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t retain certain things. The legal system we inherited from the British, for example. Or our membership in the Commonwealth, an affiliation that offers obvious advantages.
And we still have the cultural ties and places whose names pay homage to the old empire (Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Alberta, Victoria, Regina, and the list goes on…)
Let the sentimental attachments prevail, but when Queen Elizabeth II’s reign comes to an end, Canada should move toward electing our own independent head of state.
It might not help to solve our identity crisis, but it’s a start. And it sure beats having King Chuck on our $20 bill.
CANADA’S PRIVACY commissioner has just given the OK to airport scanners that enable security officers to see through the clothes of travelers.
Ostensibly, this scanner will show if people are packing explosives or any other weapons that might slip through a conventional metal detector.
Oooh... scanner porn.
Officers will view this three-dimensional image in a separate room, and won’t actually see the traveler he or she is “inspecting” on the screen.
And apparently the images can’t be stored or captured in any way, limiting the chances they’ll end up on some fetish porn site for people who get off on vaguely defined nude airport security images (hey, there’s no accounting for taste).
The manufacturer of the scanners claims the majority of passengers prefer such a full-body scan to having to undress or be patted down.
I have my doubts about this system.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t have much faith in the professionalism or competence of those charged with handling security at airports. They might well be perfectly upstanding citizens, but there are always bad apples (read: perverts) in every bunch.
So what’s to say a bored, underpaid and quite possibly undersexed security dude isn’t going to kick back to enjoy a little scanner-porn on his coffee break.
And if he likes what he sees, maybe he’ll decide he’s in the mood to explore a few cavities; or at the very least ask for some hot girl’s number. After all, he’ll know exactly what he’s in store for.
Harper: Doesn't want to hear what the news media says about him.
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER Stephen Harper created a bit of a stink last week when he told a business luncheon that “I don’t like to watch Canadian news.”
The PM, leader of the Conservative Party, said he doesn’t enjoy hearing what “everybody else is saying about me, so my hobby is to watch politics elsewhere … mainly American news.”
Harper is well-known for having not-so-thinly veiled contempt for the press. He’s had a rocky relationship with those who cover him since taking office nearly four years ago.
Perhaps not surprisingly then, the bulk of the outrage over his comments has come from the Canadian news media (as well as opposition politicians, obviously, who have seized on the opportunity to portray Harper as out of touch).
I’m neither a Harper supporter nor a detractor (though I’m not sure the other parties offer a better alternative at the moment). Regardless, I think the reaction to his statement the other day is a tad overblown.
I don’t necessarily believe it’s cool for the PM to admit he doesn’t watch Canadian news, but most of us, if we’re honest, would acknowledge that the subject matter on offer here is generally not all that exciting, despite CBC’s efforts to jazz things up.
But just because Harper doesn’t tune into the Canadian news to follow the political coverage, doesn’t mean he’s uninformed. He is the top dog after all. The guy gets the inside line on the stuff that matters; it’s not like he needs to watch the evening news to know what’s up.
Truth is, it seemed there were just as many people on blogs and in comments sections last week who were with the PM on this one: they don’t watch Canadian news either.
It might be unfair to say that it’s because our news is boring. All I know is that many times I’ve left this country for weeks on end and returned only to find that nothing all that exciting/significant happened while I was gone.
I mean really - what is Harper missing by not tuning into Canadian news? Polar bear trapped on ice floe? Cold snap leads to run on parkas? Beaver population surpasses moose? Maple syrup shortage sparks panic?
Why would the PM bother with this trivial pap when he could just flip on Fox News or CNN and get the latest on Balloon Boy.
Williamson: Wouldn't want to see him nude, but did he break the law?
I PITY Eric Williamson, the Springfield, Va dude who was arrested earlier this week for indecent exposure after some lady walking her kid to school spotted him in his kitchen making coffee buck naked and called police.
The woman claims Williamson, 29, deliberately exposed himself, twice. (Apparently the house is located across from a school-bus stop.) And police say Williamson may have been involved in at least one other incident like this.
“I wasn’t wearing any clothes,” he admitted, “but I was alone, in my own home and just got out of bed. It was dark and I had no idea anyone was outside looking in at me.”
>> Watch the news report here:
I feel bad for Williamson. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy being in the buff in your own home when you have the chance? There’s something liberating about it. Didn’t Alanis Morrisette recommended walking around naked in your living room? (Wonder if that would hold up as a defence – ‘Your honour, Alanis said it was OK…’)
Granted, Williamson probably should have thought to close the curtains/blinds, especially if kids are walking past the house on a regular basis. Still, I’m with the people who think the woman who called police is a no good busybody/peeping tom.
Looking at Williamson’s mugshot, I can see why someone might be scared shitless to see this dude in his birthday suit, but he’s no criminal. If he were truly a flasher, wouldn’t he have walked out onto the front lawn to show the world his goods?
A man’s house is his castle, as the saying goes, and he can do what he damn well pleases inside it. Isn’t that freedom? And what’s wrong with the naked body anyway? Williamson’s might be really hairy and disgusting, but it’s the way God made him. This woman needs to get over it.
I just hope Williamson doesn’t ever decide to cook bacon in the nude. No doubt that would teach him to put on a house coat.
This boys-only school would be a first for Ontario. Up until now, the all-boys thing has largely been the domain of private and Catholic schools here.
The idea with the all-boys academy is to help youngsters who are disengaged at school – whether due to learning challenges or behavioural issues (often the result of absentee fathers and a lack of positive male role models) – avoid slipping into downward spirals and jeopardizing their futures (or more immediately, to ward off the possibility of a kid marching into school one day and busting a cap in someone’s ass).
“The real objective is to cast a critical eye on how we reach and teach our boys,” Spence said upon releasing a report, ‘A Vision of Hope,’ which in addition to the all-boys school also calls for single-sex classes and programs.
“In most situations, a co-ed environment will be the best environment (but) there’s going to be individuals who will thrive in a single-sex setting … we understand that students learn in different ways … trying to provide those kinds of ways is important.”
Spence – a former Canadian Football League player, BTW – has come under fire for proposing what some see as a segregationist approach to education, dividing a school population versus bringing it together. Spence counters that no one would be forced into going to these schools.
While an all-boys school might not technically constitute segregation, I think it’s a lousy idea all the same. Boys need to be around girls, as distracting as they might be at times (and God bless them for that). Dealing with girls is part of becoming a normal, functioning member of society.
If a kid can’t concentrate at school with girls around and he never learns to, how will he cope when he enters the real world? My bet is he either becomes an introvert who women scare the crap out of, or he becomes a sex-crazed freak who wants to hump anything remotely female (animals included). Either way, not healthy.
High school can be a bit rough, but that's life.
I’ve always thought the same about all-boys private schools or Catholic schools: How do these boys learn to be men unless they’re forced to go through the awful awkwardness of puberty right alongside girls? Anyone who went to high school knows: it can be downright excruciating at times and there is no shortage of horrifying moments – and they usually have something to do with a member of the opposite sex. But you get through them and hopefully come out stronger for it. This is the point of school, after all – to prepare you for life.
I understand these all-boys schools and classes might help to boost the academic performances of young men and to curb their bad behavioural tendencies, which is laudable, of course. (Perhaps a more pressing concern should be the fact that only 10 per cent of Ontario’s elementary teachers are male.)
But school is not just about the education you receive in books and classrooms. A large part of it is also about socialization; getting to know and understand the opposite sex – intellectually, emotionally and, eventually, if you’re lucky, sexually. Taking girls out of the equation creates an artificial learning environment.
How can we expect young boys to understand and respect girls if they are isolated from them at an early age? More important: What use is an otherwise good education if you end up failing Women 101?
IT WAS ALLa hoax. One that had been in the works for weeks, too, apparently.
Busted: Dickie Stormchaser and Balloon Boy
Sheriff Jim Alderden said Sunday that Richard and Mayumi Heene – the Fort Collins, Colo. couple who days ago reported their six-year-old son Falcon had floated away in a wayward helium balloon – “put on a very good show for us, and we bought it.” (The police might have bought it, I don’t think many others did, though.)
“It has been determined that this is a hoax, that it was a publicity stunt,” the sheriff said, “and we believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes to better market themselves for a reality show.”
Of course they did. My lord. Dickie Stormchaser and his weird wife should definitely be made to pay the entire bill for their son’s “rescue” operation. Their children should be taken from them and put in the care of people who aren’t goddamn crazy.
And forget charges. This nutjob couple should be put in a faulty hot air balloon and sent out over the Rockies in the dead of winter and left to fend for themselves. Come to think of it, that could make a great reality show…
Falcon’s parents (who names their kid Falcon?) told authorities he hid for fear of being punished for playing with his dad’s balloon; apparently Falcon thought he may have been responsible for it breaking loose from its tethers and taking off, police said.
But things got a bit fishy afterward when Falcon was asked in an interview why he didn’t respond to his name being called during the search. Falcon replied: “You guys said… that, um, we did this for the show.”
>>Watch:
Yikes. Out of the mouth of babes, right?
It remains unclear whether this was a hoax/publicity stunt. But Falcon’s father Richard clearly loves the spotlight. Twice he got the family on the ABC reality show Wife Swap, apparently to plug a documentary he’d done.
Turns out the company that produces Wife Swap had been working with the Heenes on a show of their own, but nothing ever came of it. The family had also pitched TLC an idea for a reality program (Richard is an avid stormchaser).
When the balloon incident went down – or up, I suppose – Richard’s first call was to the local news station, then the FAA, and eventually 911. Way to have your priorities straight there Dick.
On Friday, with the media ritualistically camped outside the Heene home, one of the other sons cracked the front door open to inform reporters that the family – after doing the morning TV show rounds, interviews during which Falcon vomited – wouldn’t be talking anymore. “My dad said he’s tired of this show,” the kid said.
Not for long, though, eh Richard? Hoax or no hoax, we all know where this is headed. We’ve just witnessed the birth of America’s next reality show, a new family of freaks to obsess over for a bit and then cast aside.
The law requires that drivers use a hands-free device when on their cellphones. Sending e-mail or texting behind the wheel will be outlawed, as will fiddling with GPS units or iPods. Ditto for DVD players and video games (who plays video games while they drive?!)
Those who violate the new law could face fines of up to $500.
In adopting the cell phone driving ban, Ontario joins three other Canadian provinces, three U.S. states and more than 40 other countries.
I’m usually not a fan of Nanny State antics. But I also fully understand that drivers who use handheld devices are way more likely to be in a crash – four times as likely, according to a Transport Canada study.
Not that anyone who’s ever driven behind a 17-year-old while she’s yakking on her cell or texting with her BFFs needs a study to tell them that. Indeed, it can be downright scary how out of it some people can be despite the fact that they’re operating a two-ton homicide machine.
The new law will help to curb this kind of behaviour. Still, as critics point out, just because you have Bluetooth and can speak hands-free, doesn’t mean you’re going to be less distracted. You’re still talking on the phone, after all, and your mind is not fully focused on the road. (And what about people who eat and drive, or girls who put on make-up behind the wheel? There’s no law to address the danger these folks pose.)
If governments want to eliminate the problem all together, they should probably outright ban the use of cell phones while driving – whether it’s hands-free or not. I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I’d adjust.
And I’d be comforted by the knowledge that other people on the road are focusing on job #1: getting somewhere without killing anybody – or me, more specifically.
A DARWIN AWARD is a dubious distinction, an accolade given to those who “ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion.”
Unfortunately, that disqualifies the two dumb-asses who hopped a barb-wired fence at the Calgary Zoo in the wee hours Monday and ended up getting mauled by the resident Siberian tiger, Vitali. The men’s injuries are not considered life-threatening. Their genes are still in the pool (ie. no Darwin Award).
>>Here’s video from the Calgary Herald on the whole ridiculous episode:
There have been reports that one of the guys could lose his arm. I hope he does. I think it should be amputated regardless and tossed back into Vitali’s enclosure, a small reward for him not killing these idiots when he had the chance.
Come to think of it, Darwin Awards are not just for stupid deaths. They can also go to people who are rendered sterile by their idiotic actions.
With that in mind, perhaps the men’s genitals should also be given to Vitali to feast on. These clowns may have escaped death at the zoo the other night, but they still need to be removed from the gene pool.
His Chevy Impala collided with a tractor trailer and burst into flames, trapping and killing the 72-year-old driver and sending the truck careening down an embankment.
“We may never know why he was backing up on a highway that wasn’t even shut down,” a police spokesman said. “Maybe he missed his turn and decided he didn’t want to go to the next exit.”
The Economist has a somewhat similar take on the matter. Their conclusion? Apathy towards this (non?) issue means that the status quo will most likely remain. http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14745051 Although I agree with you that having Charles as head of state is not quite as appealing as Elizabeth II - at least in my mind […]
why does he still get to be called "Balloon Boy"? He wasn't even in the balloon... "Attic Boy" or just "Poor Boy with the Crazy Parents" might be more appropriate at this stage. If the fam doesn't end up in jail, how much do you bet they actually get a reality TV show?
i actually lmao'd when i found out it was a publicity stunt i actually believed it and come to think of it how could i have? how could a 6 year old possibly fly 8000 ft into the air in a glorified helium balloon ? xD but yeah that guys gonna rot in hell so someone bury him with sunblock
I can't help but wonder how bad H1N1 really is. Is it as bad as the media claims or is it just more of their fear-mongering hype? In either case I believe that we've become too sanitary, we kill bacteria willy-nilly completely disregarding the fact that some bacteria is good. How are we supposed to build antibodies to diseases and the various strai […]
Shame on us. I cant believe we would stoop so low as this. every one deserves an equal chance. Let everyone in the world have equal practice time. If we cant win fairly I dont want us to get a medal. I have always been proud of my country BUT NOT NOW.
I found this article just last night and my jaw dropped. At first I thought it was a joke, and then I found myself researching Paul Farhi to see if he was a real person - after all, who would put their name on this nonsense. Glad others like you saw it & I appreciated your response/interpretation.
I've got the aeroplan and airmiles cards - but havn't collected anything on either of them...but I keep on getting emails from both companies with all their ridiculous offers. When I first signed up I was seriously tempted to get a magazine subscription because they had some double aeroplan points event on. But then I had a reality check and realiz […]
ryan, you came to london? i'm saddened not to have seen you. also, isn't there a credit card that will offer you miles without such an awful annual fee?
My brief rant about "famously" two weeks ago prompted readers and colleagues to share complaints about other words that might deserve a rest. Some of these, too, are familiar refrains, but worth a reminder.
By now, members of the national press have descended on Fort Hood, Texas to tell the story of the worst soldier-on-soldier massacre in U.S. military history. Their job will be fraught with professional and emotional pitfalls. One of the biggest, and the one that poses the greatest potential danger at this point, concerns the “why” of the rampage that left... […]
Daniel Froomkin, who blogged until earlier this year for the Washington Post and now is at Huffington Post, lays into to the bankrupt notion of "objective journalism" in an Economist interview: Journalists should strive for accuracy, and fairness. Objectivity is impossible, and is too often confused with balance. And the problem with balance is tha […]
Charles Arthur: Murdoch's threat unlikely to worry GoogleMore on charging for contentRupert Murdoch says he will remove stories from Google's search index as a way to encourage people to pay for content online.In an interview with Sky News Australia, the mogul said that newspapers in his media empire – including the Sun, the Times and the Wall Stre […]
The premature revelation that Andre Agassi would admit to using crystal meth in a forthcoming autobiography caused commotions at Time Inc. and CBS News.
Poynter Online | Columbia Journalism Review At the Austin American-Statesman, social media editor Robert Quigley set up @FtHoodShootings and sent the first tweet with the first story the paper had on the shootings. By the end of the night, the list had more than 3,000 followers. || Related from Megan Garber.
Memo to Detroit Free Press staffers from the paper's top editors Folks, We do not talk to advertisers about what's in our news stories. We don't defer to them. When appropriate, we do take advantage of chances to bring news content together with advertising on a common-sense basis -- which we've always done. Think sports season previews, […]
Washington Post Among the many reader complaints about the Post's design changes, none have been louder than those reacting to the new weather layout and the smaller map, says ombud Andrew Alexander. The original map returns next week.
The San Francisco Chronicle is the first major U.S. newspaper to print on glossy paper, starting on Monday. The magazine-style glossy paper will appear on the first page of most sections and show up on inside forms as well, according to a story in the Associated Press.Besides making the Chronicle more pleasing to read, the magazine-style glossy paper could h […]
[from Mediaweek] - The New York Yankees' 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies drew an average audience of 22.3 million viewers. With an average del...
Funny Canadians. Our editors get into knockdown-dragout brawls where they kick the shit out of each other just for bad writing. The Northern version? Your union editing job: outsourced. Take a memo, mark it up, send it to the internet! Via Torontoist, the story goes like this: the Toronto Star—Canada's largest daily circulation newspaper—is, like every […]
Whether your relationship is in a rut, moving toward matrimonial bliss, or barely off the ground, these romantic gifts for her will get things heading in the right direction: your bedroom
TORONTO WAS awarded the 2015 Pan Am Games Friday, walloping its competitors Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia. Pan Am Games: We'll take em! This will be the first time Toronto hosts a serious international sports event, with the exception of the 1992 and 1993 World Series and the odd indoor track and field championship, or something of similar calibre. A […]
No other prosperous country not torn by civil conflict has anything like our volume of mass killings. Lee Siegel on America's shameful epidemic. Nidal Malik Hasan may have shouted "Allahu Akbar" before his murderous onslaught at Fort Hood, but his...
Sitting in a rooftop bar in central Monrovia, slowly realizing that I’m finally here, in Liberia, a country which I have thought about at least 10 times a day over the course of the last three years. It’s surreal. My last visit to West Africa was in April 2008, when Celina (The Niapele Project’s co-founder and director) and I spent a month in the Buduburam r […]
In this five-part series, the Toronto Star follows the development of a highrise condominium – Blade in Brampton – from site selection through to the sales launch, offering an in-depth look at the logistical challenges and critical decisions that emerge along the way.
Bloomberg LP, the new owners of Business Week magazine, are apparently mulling over the possibility of charging $1,000 a year for access to stories about certain topics, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
Could Canadians handle a King Chuck? THIS WEEK’S visit to Canada by Prince Charles and Lady Camilla has renewed an age-old debate about whether Canada’s constitutional monarchy should be replaced by an elected head of state. A former British colony, Canada still retains a significant connection to the Crown, right down to having the Queen E. on our currency. […]
