"As long as you show up..."

"...you're not gonna fail.""There's a lot more leniency and a lot less work in credit recovery," says a teacher at one middle-of-the-pack Toronto school. "Kids know that, if they fail, they can do the class again in six weeks." Credit recovery is also a convenient way for some teachers to shuffle the losers out of their hair. "It has turned into a huge program here," says the teacher, who, like most,...

The I-word

How long will it take the "race hustlers" to pop up and label this guy... an "Uncle Tom-Tom"?"This is a biased blog. It reflects a point of view." "My name is Robert Jago, I live in Yorkville in Toronto, where I am the head of an HR firm. I am a card carrying American Indian, educated in Vancouver and the Middle East."It's pretty amazing what you can accomplish when you're not sitting around fomenting...

Dear CHRC...

"One of the tenets of Canadian law – a real human right, not one of your counterfeit human rights such as the 'right not to be offended' – is equal justice under law." "That means that rich or poor, powerful or powerless, everybody is treated the same way before the law. It’s a legal tradition that dates all the way back to the Magna Carta signed by King John." "I know he’s a dead white man, and Christian...

Remember when you were a kid...

...and you'd always be stumbling across people with bullet wounds when you went out to play with your friends?A 26-year-old man is recovering from a bullet wound to the leg after he was found screaming and writhing in pain between two homes in Vaughan. Police added witnesses saw a number of people running away after the shooting, but are focused on one, possibly two males, as suspects in the shooting....

And that'd be... BLINK!!!

Jack and Gilles went up the Hill... and Steffi came grovelling after...Meetings with NDP Leader Jack Layton and the Bloc's Gilles Duceppe have so far followed a similar script: the opposition leaders emerged to say Mr. Harper is intent on breaking his promise not to dissolve Parliament before October...

Voting with their wallets

-- Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain took in $6.8 million in donations yesterday, when he named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin his running mate.The amount was a single-day record, McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said last night. The amount is more than the Arizona senator raised during the entire fourth quarter of 2007.**********RELATED: To all the Palin doubters...Everybody...

The Audacity of Hopelessness

Isn't this sorta like pullin' gum off the underside of the restaurant table... and crying "Eureka!"Green party Leader Elizabeth May introduced Independent MP Blair Wilson — a former Liberal first elected in 2006 — as a Green MP at a news conference Saturday morning in the capital.The Vancouver MP resigned from the Liberal caucus last fall after allegations of spending irregularities in his 2006 campaign.Mr....

Stand by for breaking news...

...on gravity holding stuff do...

If you can make it there...

...you'd better be wearing a condom...New York City's Department of Health and Human Hygiene said the report is the "most precise estimate yet" of annual infections of the HIV virus in New York City.The report says in 2006, nearly 4,800 New Yorkers contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This means there were 72 new infections per 100,000 people. That number is three times higher than the national...

Shssssh.... they're not cops

They're, well... sort of a teaching aid...The School Resource Officers are part of an experiment to address crime and earn student trust, the heads of the public and Catholic boards said yesterday.And, of course, there's absolutely no correlation between this police deployment and areas known for gun-toting...

More bad news for Timmy

The top Canadian soldier in Afghanistan announced Saturday that 800 American soldiers have officially joined his own forces in the dangerous Kandahar province of Afghanistan.The arrival of the American battalion last month almost doubled the number of foot soldiers on the ground in the province that is under Canadian command.They will be stationed in the Maywand district northwest of Kandahar city...

What's not to like?

The presence of Palin on the ticket also gives the GOP a claim on the historic nature of this election: Barriers will be broken no matter who wins. "You want change," says a McCain aide. "Here we come."She was a sportscaster and a fisherwoman, doesn't mind smelling like salmon occasionally, was once...

Oh, man... that's just spooky

So, Charlie... what you're saying is... the Inspectors at Maple Leaf Foods... were totally unqualified alcoholics who got their jobs because their dad was the boss? -- OTTAWA -- The Mayor of Walkerton, Ont. is calling for a public inquiry into the outbreak of listeria, saying he cannot believe lessons failed to be learned from the tainted water tragedy that killed seven people in May 2000.Mayor...

"He is still angry..."

"...for me throwing him out, and is upset that I haven't just forgiven him, however, the information I have received, is - as hard as it is - I need to be resolute in my message that what he has done is abhorrent and unacceptable...""So – tell me that a nice clean clinic isn’t, to some degree, a subtle message that:a) Using heroin can be 'safe';b) Society doesn’t judge you for what you are doing,...

Whoa... never saw that comin'

I thought... maybe Condi Rice...**********RELATED: At CTV... the spin starts early...After hearing of McCain's choice of running mate, Democratic nominee Barack Obama congratulated Palin.""He told reporters in Pennsylvania while he hasn't met her, Palin seems like 'a compelling person' with a 'terrific"...

David Miller's "Phony War"

Yes, Toronto... rise up and praise your mighty warrior-king...The final shot for the Canadian National Recreation Association Gun Club's shooting range in Union Station was fired Wednesday night --the fatal round coming from Toronto Mayor David Miller.Are you feeling safer today with the eviction and closure of this pistol range? Or did you even know it was there, since nothing terrible happened...

Iran continues...

...to pump up the "nuclear jam." -- TEHRAN -- A top Iranian official say the country now has 4,000 working nuclear centrifuges.Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Sheik Attar made the claim to Iranian state media Friday, saying another 3,000 centrifuges will soon be installed at Iran's main nuclear site in Natanz.And, altruists that they are, the mad mullahs are more than willing to share the love.Iran...

To give Obama his due...

...he gives good teleprompter...McCain's campaign dubbed the stage constructed for the evening the "Temple of Obama," and hoped the rally would strengthen their efforts to portray Obama as a political celebrity out of touch with ordinary voters."Looks like they're getting ready for the emperor to arrive, don't you think?" quipped Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a potential McCain's vice presidential...

cc: Bernie Farber

"Wake up and smell the kangaroos...

McCain VEEP done deal?

Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and one top prospect, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, abruptly canceled numerous public appearances.The Arizona senator will appear with his No. 2 at an Ohio rally on Friday, aides said, though they provided no details on McCain's pick.Without explanation, Pawlenty called off an Associated Press interview at the last...

Just another reason...

...to get the hell outta Hogtown...When Toronto high school students return to class, they will be joined by Toronto police officers, CTV News has learned.Uniformed police officers will be posted at about two-dozen public high schools and two Catholic high schools beginning in Octobe...

Even the junkies know...

...this really isn't about their salvation...These are the people to whom Insite really matters; not the drug addicts themselves, but the bureaucrats and politicians who will have smaller empires if Insite is closed. They are selling Insite to the public on the basis that harm reduction represents the compassionate way to deal with addiction. They are the empathy industry.**********FROM THE COMMENTS:...

Here's hoping...

...they'll finally be able to break that... ribbed, lubricated "latex ceiling." -- TORONTO -- The University of Toronto will launch Canada's first graduate program in sexual diversity studies this fall, allowing students to pursue master's and PhD programs focused on the sexual aspect of everything...

To tell you the truth, Bill...

You seem more like a... "live and don't learn"... sort of guy to me..."Everything I learned in eight years as president … has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job," Mr. Clinton said to a wildly waving sea of American flags.**********RELATED: Everybody just settle down......Hillary knows what's best for you too.Earlier in the day, Mrs Clinton earlier halted a roll call vote - in...

Fixed Date Elections Bill (C-16)

- Third Reading - 6 November 2006 - Notes for an Address by the Honourable Robert Nicholson Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform Excerpt: * Mr. Speaker, some Opposition members had concerns that this bill is illusory in that the Prime Minister can call an election at any point up until the fixed date for the election. * However, Mr. Speaker, the...

Spirit of Trudeaupian generosity...

...to, actually, themselves... puts BC Liberals in NDP's sights...Huge pay hikes for senior bureaucrats may account for the NDP passing the governing Liberals in a new poll, the Liberals admit.Finance Minister Colin Hansen said yesterday it's "quite possible" that senior staff wage increases up to 43 per cent accounted for the Angus Reid poll numbers.NDP honcho Carole James thinks it's more than a...

Goofy, Mickey and...

...INCOMING!!!!!!!...Tourism is a tough sell in Iraq, however, because there are still suicide attacks that kill dozens and infrastructure is weak. But since insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have declined over the past year, Iraqis are venturing outside their home...

The proof is in...

...the pudding-head. -- Financial Post -- The most overblown comments have come from Liberal leader Stephane Dion, who has suggested that the Maple Leaf situation reflects that of the tainted water tragedy at Walkerton eight years ago, when seven died and several thousand became sick.Mr. Dion pointed out that Mr. Clement was part of the Mike Harris Ontario government that was allegedly "partly"...

The New Oil?

A Quebec think-tank with a blue-chip business board of directors has waded into one of the most controversial issues in Canadian politics by coming out in favour of bulk water exports.“Large-scale exports of fresh water would be a wealth-creating idea for Quebec and for Canada as a whole,” the Montreal Economic Institute said Wednesday. “It is urgent to look seriously at developing our blue gold.”Indeed,...

Dems counting on "Slick Willie"

To work his manly charms... The convention has also zeroed in on the two critical demographics: working-class voters and women, which make up a large percentage of the undecided voters and were the core groups supporting Hillary Clinton in the primaries. In 2004, women and Latinos were the key deciders...

Different, uh... strokes

This sorta puts me in mind of those gory mock crucifixions the media trots out every year around Easter.A devout Muslim has been found guilty of child cruelty after forcing two boys to beat themselves during a religious ceremony, in an unprecedented case.The jury at Manchester Crown Court found 44-year-old Syed Mustafa Zaidi guilty of two counts of child cruelty. The boys, aged 13 and 15, were forced...

So we went down...

... to the Walmart superstore in Belleville to get school supplies for the boy... and as usual... there were 3 cashiers manning the almost 30 checkout stations.I mean, why do they even put in more than three stations if they don't intend to ever use them? It's like they're saying... "Obviously, with a few more minimum-wage scanner jockeys, we could speed this process up... but you're just not important...

More adventures in...

...the pursuit of... well... something other than excellence. -- BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA -- A school in northern Australia will review a ban on cartwheels, handstands and other gymnastic tumbles in the playground after a community backlash, the state education department said Wednesday.Kylie Buschgens said her 10-year-old daughter had been punished for doing cartwheels, even on the grass, after students...

Dear Mayor Miller

Maybe picking on members of the Olympic shooting team... isn't gonna solve Toronto's problems after all...Cops now believe he'd been lying there for hours before a passerby stumbled onto his lifeless body. But beyond figuring out who killed him and why, they have an equally perplexing question: how...

If there is a God...

...he's got a pretty weird sense of humour. -- LOS ANGELES -- Dave Freeman, co-author of “100 Things to Do Before You Die,” a travel guide and ode to odd adventures that inspired readers and imitators, died after hitting his head in a fall at his home. He was 47.**********FROM THE COMMENTS:"Things to do - No.#68... Fix loose step on basement stairs...

Biden & the "Dead Cat Bounce"

-- PRINCETON, NJ -- It's official: Barack Obama has received no bounce in voter support out of his selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate.Say it ain't so, Joe!Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 23-25, the first three-day period falling entirely after Obama's Saturday morning vice presidential announcement, shows 46% of national registered voters backing John McCain...

"Holy crap!"

...say freaked out Liberals... "These guys say stuff... and they actually mean it." -- OTTAWA -- “The country must have a government that can function during a time of economic uncertainty, and if it's not this government, or not this Parliament, the public will have an opportunity to decide whom.”“The opposition parties have been threatening and or demanding an election for some time, so I think...

Yeah, I'm shocked...

...who could have possibly seen this coming? -- Pyongyang -- North Korea says it has halted work to disable its main nuclear reactor. Official media in Pyongyang blame Washington for the move and warn the government may restart its nuclear program, breaking international promises to dismantle i...

They can't take care of themselves...

...and now we're gonna magically turn them into horse-whisperers?The Vancouver-based organization behind the city's controversial supervised-injection site hopes to purchase a piece of land where recovering hard-core addicts could take care of horses as part of a long-term recovery program geared toward those using its supervised-injection site and detox facilities.With the whole health-care system...

A little pushback...

...from the guys on the other side of the fenc...

Say, Teddy...

...while we're still on audacity...Party officials will be hoping the Kennedy magic will help to heal rifts that remain between the supporters of Senator Obama and his rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton.I guess I'm just a little unclear why anybody would look to this guy to walk their dog... never mind heal any rifts.Ted Kennedy's own tilt for the presidency foundered in 1980, but his career...

The pursuit of... well...

...something other than excellence... -- NEW HAVEN -- The fighting started this week when Coach Wilfred Vidro refused a directive by league officials to replace 9-year-old pitcher Jericho Scott, whose pitching they say is so hard, fast and accurate that it might frighten or discourage other players.So...

Those triumphant Dems...

...sure know how to party..."There's a moment that you want to enjoy your bitterness...

The God Card

Of course... he's nothing like that famous demon-worshipper... Stephen Harper..."Is this God of whom you speak an important factor in your life?" "It is part of the hope I have" was the reply. "A creator who is full of love. I hope this is true. I am a man of hope.""I will play hope but Stephen Harper...

He's not a rich guy like McCain

Good ol' Barry's just like you and me...Obama officials said a key purpose of the convention is to give voters a better sense of the candidate’s biography and roots. A film that appeared to be a biography of Obama was playing silently in the Pepsi Center Sunday afternoon.In Wisconsin Sunday, Obama said he hoped convention viewers would conclude, “He’s sort of like us. He comes from a middle-class...

The View from Here

Joe Biden - Democrat"Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine. You sit there at night...after you put the kids to bed and you talk, you talk about what you need. You talk about how much you are worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. "He'll have to figure out which of the seven...

Seriously, I can't wait for next weeks...

..."preventing your baby from being stolen and replaced with a changeling" initiative.Hey, Petey... if your 50 seat airliner falls out of the sky and plunges into a lake at 200 kilometers per hour... trust me, water wings are the least of your worries.Air Canada Jazz’s decision to drop inflatable life vests from its flights is "asinine," Halifax-area MP Peter Stoffer said Saturday."They’re removing...

See Steffi... the thing is...

...you start to remind people of a junkie who can't scare up his connection... it's all over..."One thing is sure," said Dion. "The parliament is working. The parliament is not dysfunctional. This is full improvisation, and it shows panic from the Prime Minister."It's showin' panic from somebody... that's for sure.**********RELATED: As Stephen Taylor said last week..."The leader of the opposition...

Dump Musharraf... everything's fine

Well... not quite. -- ISLAMABAD (AFP) -- Pakistan's fragile ruling coalition was at risk of being pulled apart on Monday, setting the stage for a major political showdown two weeks before the country's lawmakers choose a new president.Former premier Nawaz Sharif, head of the second-largest party in the coalition, has laid down a Monday deadline for the reinstatement of judges sacked by Pervez...

The audacity of...

...pissing off millions of Democratic party supporters...The latest, released by the campaign early Sunday, features clips of Ms. Clinton during the primary battle saying critical things about Mr. Obama, including, "Senator Obama's campaign has become increasingly negative."A voiceover announcer says, “She won millions of votes but isn't on the ticket. Why?" "For speaking the truth."And suddenly,...

In other...

..."you'll never hear it on CTV" news...In what is being hailed as the biggest show of force this year in the Taliban stronghold, Canadian and Afghan forces pushed through the central part of Zhari, battling with insurgents and confiscating weapons caches and a "significant amount" of materials used for building improvised explosive devices.The three-day campaign, code-named Op Timis Preem, kicked...

A Toronto state of mind

Jacqui Wilkinson stepped out of her nearby Shaw St. home to find an officer analyzing a bullet that landed inches from her doorway.But "it doesn't bother me," she said. "To me this (neighbourhood) is like suburban bliss, and it wasn't here, it was on Ossington."Well... that certainly explains a few thing...

Inject this, you idiots

From the folks who brought you government-sponsored heroin parlours...B.C.-based organized crime groups are controlling the sale of methamphetamine across Canada and abroad, according to Criminal Intelligence Service Canada's annual report.Meth production in the province was up in 2007 "primarily to meet expanding international market consumption," said the report, which marks trends in organized...

Kick off your work boots...

...put on your thought slippers, and prepare for a science course so mind-blowing, it’s written almost entirely in italics.#4. The Theory: EvolutionThe Crazy Part: The part where the family tree of every living creature on Earth collides at a single point on a single day in the past, making you related to Hitler as well as every insect you’ve ever killed.What It Says: We’re all familiar with the...

The Lichtenstein Cave...

...is a short drive away from Manfred's village, deep in the Harz mountains.This is the spot where Manfred's relatives, dating back 3,000 years, were buried. The 3,000-year-old skeletons were in such good condition that anthropologists at the University of Goettingen managed to extract a sample of DNA. That was then matched to two men living nearby: Uwe Lange, a surveyor, and Manfred Huchthausen,...

That Joe Biden...

...he's flexible...The party also announced the release of a new television commercial by U.S. Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, called "Biden."The video shows Biden on TV news programs criticizing Obama, and in an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," saying he considered McCain (R-Ariz.) a friend and could run with him for president.The party said the ad would air...

Despite the horrible, systemic racism...

...apparently nobody wants to leave... -- LOS ANGELES -- Immigration authorities on Friday ended a trial offer not to jail illegal immigrants who had been ordered to leave the country if they surrendered at government offices. In the three weeks that the federal immigration agency tested the program in a handful of cities, only eight people came forward.There are 457,000 “fugitive aliens” who...

Yet another dead teen

It's hardly even news any more...The most violent year in Peel Region's history continued last night as a 15-year-old boy was shot dead behind a school in Mississauga.Yesterday's death brings Peel's homicide total to 19 – a record for the region. Last year, there were 15 homicides; in 2006, 12 people were killed.**********UPDATE: Remember when you were a teenager......and all your friends were running...

Our litigious world

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the man charged with handling London's 2012 Olympic security preparations, is suing his employers for $2.3 million on racial and religious grounds, according to the British Broadcasting Corp., which did not cite a source for its report.Mr. Ghaffur, born in Uganda to parents of Pakistani descent, joined Manchester's police force in 1974. He switched to the Metropolitan...

It isn't just the health care system...

...that's imploding...It took nearly seven months — or 205 days on average — for criminal charges to be resolved in Ontario courtrooms last year, up from 176 days in 2000 and 115 days in 1992, government statistics show.While reducing appearances is a good start, Ontario courtrooms are still starving for more provincial resources, said Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.“There are lawyers and...