20 Questions... (well, actually, uh... 15)

The Globe & Mail, yet again, goes looking for the racist agenda at the end of the rainbow...

"Even though I studied hard, I found the test really, really tough,” she said, noting many questions weren’t straightforward and required critical thinking."

Well, now... "critical thinking?" Heaven forbid, 'cos it's not like acquiring citizenship is a big deal or anything.

Now, it's been a while... but can anybody tell me how many questions you have to answer to get an Ontario driver's license? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and venture that it's a tad more than 15.

In it's infinite wisdom, the Globe however, has no problem apportioning blame...

In 2010, the Conservatives overhauled the test, requiring a higher score to pass, emphasizing a need to speak English or French and making questions about Canadian history, identity and values more challenging.

Exactly how "challenging" are we talking here? Memorising & reciting the British North America Act? Enumerating the process to make maple syrup? Compiling a list of the women Pierre Trudeau bedded?

To pass the multiple-choice exam, applicants have to get 15 out of 20 questions correct, compared with only 12 previously.

That's right... correctly answering 15 questions... which is a way less rigourous process than my adolescent sisters went through every Friday when they wanted to go to a party that included (gasp) boys.

The real question here should be... "Is Canadian citizenship an asset of considerable value"... or should it simply (as in years gone by) be treated as a greasy pole to swell Liberal party membership rolls?

It appears the Globe & Mail has made up its mind.

**********

FROM THE GLOBE COMMENTS:

"This article failed to mention that perhaps - just perhaps - education standards are higher and illiteracy rates lower in Britain or Australia etc. This in turn will show up on the citizenship test. Like it or not, women from countries like Afghanistan etc might have minimal education because of a culture which won't allow women to be educated. Probably the best thing that can happen is that these people attend the citizenship & language classes here in Canada and get some sort of education."

Orwell was right

For every $1 parliamentarians contributed to their plan last year, taxpayers gave $24.36, said Thomas. That works out to a compounded total of $4.5 million in parliamentarian contributions compared with $110.7 million from taxpayers.

"It certainly provides peace of mind, knowing that you are one of a thousand people with a piece of a billion-dollar nest egg," CTF federal director Gregory Thomas said Friday about those eligible for the platinum plan.

To put it into perspective, the average Canada Pension Plan payout this year is $534.10 a month compared to $5,970 an average MP who retired last year receives.

Having their cake...

"Edith Bramwell, who works as legal counsel with PSAC and often deals with issues of political activity, said the union fully supports the principle of a politically neutral public service."

And eating it too...

"Bramwell said for the average public servant who is just going about their job at their office – not a head of a department or other senior level manager – there should be no limitations on their political expression."

Isn't it the compassionate, intellectual left who's always screaming about hate speech?

**********

FROM THE CBC COMMENTS:

"I didn't own a computer back in the 90's and don't even know if this CBC site existed, but if it did, did the Liberals take this kind of grief when they laid off 3 times the people?"

"Just curious."

**********

RELATED: In other Planet Pinko news...

-- OTTAWA -- Canadian tax dollars are supporting a francophone rapper whose latest video glorifies the Taliban and applauds the slaughter of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The video presents a sympathetic view of Taliban fighters planting a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, detonating it, opening fire on the soldiers who emerge, and finally executing a wounded soldier hiding behind his vehicle.

I sure hope Obamacare works out better...

...than his "I have an eco-dream" agenda...
**********

RELATED: Don't you fret Ontario...

...Uncle Dalton's got you covered...

This week, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced $8-billion more in green investments, on top of the $7-billion he announced a short while ago. He’s determined to outspend B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, who also wants to be the king of green.

You can almost smell the rehabilitation

I dunno about Social Studies, but I betcha he just blazes through his Electrical & Metal Shop classes...

"By the end of the second visit, he was mastering the techniques of essay writing (on the Hunger Games novels) and learning to analyze the poetry of John Donne."

And what's a typical, well-rounded Canadian student without the maple-syrupy equivalent of "The Waltons"...

"To provide some breaks from serious studying, Zinck also sent down episodes of CBC television comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie for Khadr to watch."

Yessirree... a little poetry and a dose of CBC's finest social engineering... I'm sure this'll be a seamless transition.

**********

UPDATE: Teacher's (heavy) Pet(ting)

"Your letters are like candles very bright in my hardship and darkness," Khadr wrote to Arlette Zinck, an English professor and dean of arts at the Edmonton school, from his cell in January 2009.

I guess it was a dark & stormy night.

**********

RELATED: In other R.O.P news...

Testing the validity of the MSM's "peaceful, westernised muslim" meme.

No, no, no... not the flower child who...

...used to party with Mick & Keith... the other one...

"Liberals yearning for the glory days of Trudeaumania as they head into a leadership contest could face a choice between Pierre Trudeau’s eldest son and the mother of his only daughter."

Frankly, I'm a little surprised they don't just get it over with and re-elect the Emperor himself... it's not like he's any deader than the federal Liberal party anyway.

"Ms. Coyne bristles at suggestions that 'somehow I’m just a mouthpiece for things that Pierre Trudeau may have said in the past.'"

Of course not, Deborah... everybody knows that's Justin's job.

**********

FROM THE GLOBE COMMENTS:

"Will Prince Charming finally do battle with the wicked Step Mother?"

"I hear Trudeau's plumber is throwing his name into the race."

**********

COMPASSIONATE, INTELLECTUAL LEFT REPLIES:

"neo just can't stand the fact evil Pierre got more action than neo ever will."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 3:15 PM, June 27, 2012

As per usual with the lunatic left... it always comes down to their genitalia.

Capitalist Dream Come True

A consumable product that creates a demand... for itself...

Gotta have priorities, right?

What the heck did politicians actually do... before there were all these compulsory celebrations of varied combinations & intermingling of genitalia?

-- TORONTO -- "City Councillor Janet Davis aid THERE WAS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT than being at the flag raising Monday."

Of course, Janet... absolutely nothing.

**********

RELATED: All those rainbows & unicorn farts...

...they don't come cheap, you know?

“The problem is there might have been a better place to spend our money where we would have truly had some measurable results that would have saved us more money and done more for the environment,” said Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, chairman of the audit committee.

“If you can’t tell, how do you know?”

Oh, Doug... you're such a troglodyte.

Just something to think about, folks... the next time you're writing that municipal tax cheque to cover Toronto the Good's nonsensical socialist agenda.

**********

UPDATE: Lunatic left blindsides Mayor

"In a bold move that could relieve gridlock across Toronto, the chair of the TTC is proposing a significant increase in property taxes to pay for a sweeping, 170-kilometre public-transit expansion that would start with a Scarborough subway."

Sure, Torontonians are a generous carefree people... they won't mind 30 billion in extra taxation... to fix Scarborough.

Seriously... a serial murderer?

Who could have possibly seen that coming?

"Despite Lamb's vast and varied criminal record (he's amassed more than 100 convictions to date), the judge handed him a major break and ordered him to serve a supervised conditional sentence of 18 months in the community."

"He now stands accused of the serial murders of three Winnipeg women."

In yet another outstanding example of "both sides now" professional journalism, find out why Mr Lamb is so, well... un-law-abiding. Choose between his apparent kidnapping & placement (quote: a politically-motivated "scoop" of aboriginal kids :unquote) with a sadistic white foster family... or the subsequent trauma of discovering that he was born aboriginal (quote: a revelation he described as "overwhelming" and caused him to resume a long-standing cocaine habit :unquote)

Not word one about any of his three "alleged" actual victims.

Nada. Zilch. Zero.

**********

RELATED: It's a "legal" system...

...don't ever confuse that with anything to do with justice...

-- TORONTO -- A cash-strapped clerk who fatally stabbed his 81-year-old neighbour and shopped at her expense will spend at least 15 years in prison, a judge ruled Monday.

Excuse me... a "cash-strapped clerk"... don't you mean sadistic killer? 'Cos that's what I'm seeing here...

Crown attorney Susan Ientile said that Hamadeh exploited a trusting, independent woman and stabbed her more than 91 times, using three different weapons.

What kind of monster could possibly do something like this? Oh, wait... he didn't have enough money... according to professional journo Sam Pazzano.

More to the point... why would anyone ever, after 15 years or 50, consider releasing this guy back out into the field of folk?

Hey, Sam... you forgot to tell us about his childhood.

And Cheech & Chong wept

I'm bettin' the medical marijuana constituency drops faster than the drachma...

"Technology website Gizmodo called the Israeli researchers 'killjoy scientists' and accused them of having 'bred the fun out of medical marijuana'."

It's a real whodunnit...

...say local homicide cops...

A 28-year-old Somali-Canadian found fatally shot in an expensive Toronto apartment building Saturday night was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, an autopsy has found.

But as to why Hussein Hussein died, Detective Sergeant Dan Nielsen of the homicide squad said it was too soon to speculate whether the killing was tied to the rash of drug violence that has plagued Somali-Canadians in Ontario and Alberta during the past seven years.

Well... maybe not...

Also known as “Biggie,” he had spent time in Alberta as well, Det. Sgt. Nielsen confirmed, without elaborating. According to Alberta Somali-Canadian sources, Mr. Hussein lived in Fort McMurray from 2006 to 2010.

Locals said he was in the drug trade, but moved to Ontario a couple of years ago as violence within the business, including numerous homicides, began to escalate.

“Everyone knows him,” one source said.

Not anymore they don't.

**********

UPDATE: No wonder cops need help...

...apparently they've got Inspector Clouseau handling this case...

"Nielsen confirmed that Hussein did not reside as a tenant of the building but was allowed to live in the suite and had been doing so for the last few weeks. Police are still trying to find out the identity of the tenant who lived there."

**********

RELATED: Speaking of mysteries...

“The only way we can stop them from joining these bad activities is to make them busy with positive programs.”

Forgive me for stepping in here... but what's wrong with imbuing your children with values like... "don't sell drugs" or "don't shoot people?"

Because, of course, Scarborough is...

...virtually indistinguishable from any other community in Canada...

"This could be anybody's house, anybody's neighbourhood and it's quite alarming," Det. Sgt. Justin Vander Heyden said.

Scarborough, Scarborough... that sounds so familiar.

Let's take a trip back to 2007...

Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly had issued a call for city council to ask the media to sign a "protocol" in which news outlets would agree to stop identifying Scarborough as the location of crimes occurring east of Victoria Park Ave.

**********

RELATED: More Toronto the Good

Hours earlier, around 1:30 p.m., a 17-year-old was stabbed repeatedly in a fight near Lawrence Ave. W. and Weston Rd.

It was not immediately clear if the teen would pull through.

Ten hours earlier, around 3:30 a.m., a man was shot in his thigh in the Annex.

On Thursday a group of youths armed with knives rampaged through the city’s downtown core terrorizing people in the wee hours.

Six people were mugged in four separate incidents in a violent 10-minute span, three were sent to hospital with stab wounds.

**********

LAST WORD: QOTW

“It’s not the safest neighbourhood, but it’s a place to live, right?”

Ask a Liberal Supporter

The compassionate, intellectual left and their daily potty-mouth pitstop...
Perhaps that's the inevitable result of having smelly old best friend hippies... in place of actual parents.

**********

RELATED: Speaking of potty-mouth

These dumb bunnies do all the work for us.

**********

AND RIGHT ON TIME: Tonight's double dose

"You are a complete and utter a$$hole."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 12:09 AM, June 26, 2012

"niggers killing niggers? Where's the problem, right neo?"
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 12:12 AM, June 26, 2012

The love-fest continues...

"I think a little weed would improve your world view considerably. You're a miserable old prick."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 9:21 AM, June 26, 2012

"The whole idea is to legitimize the coming required morning recitations of 'Heil Harper'. You see expressing hate or love for Herr Harper is not in itself political, it's accepting or rejecting the cult of personality being forced upon us. How many portraits of Dear Leader are gracing the Parliament buildings these days?"
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 5:19 PM, June 29, 2012

Nope... not emotionally invested at all. The funniest part is, in between all the silly name-calling & threats, nonny's constantly whining about how I won't publish All of his little diatribes.

The Sausage Factory of Chicago politics...

...once again raises its ugly head...

"For the last several years, Nayak had been the aching thorn in Jackson’s side after Blagojevich was heard on tape saying that Jackson’s emissary — Nayak — offered what Blagojevich believed was a $1.5 million offer in exchange for the Senate seat."

**********

RELATED: Remember how Obama's BFF...

...was gonna fix up Chicago? Maybe hugs & wishes just aren't gonna be enough...

"Mr. Emanuel listed safer streets among his top three priorities when he became mayor a year ago, but Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, is now testing that promise. Homicides are up by 38 percent from a year ago, and shootings have increased as well, even as killings have held steady or dropped in New York, Los Angeles and some other cities."

Those secretive, controlling Republi...

...wait a minute...
Maybe the Democratic t-shirt slogan should've been "Yes, We Can't"...

“The White House decision to invoke executive privilege implies that White House officials were either involved in the Fast and Furious operation or the cover-up that followed. The administration has always insisted that wasn’t the case. Were they lying, or are they now bending the law to hide the truth?”

Dawn of the (brain) Dead

What exactly does it take to be more popular than Michael Ignatieff?

"The poll suggests Mr. Trudeau has the greatest early potential to maintain the Liberals’ current support and draw support from other parties. Even so, 67 per cent of respondents said they’d be unlikely to vote Liberal – a number that rose to 82-89 per cent with other possible contenders at the helm."

Yup... you can almost smell the science...

"The poll results likely reflect recognition of his name as much as any perceived leadership qualities."

**********

QOTW:

"Perhaps Justin Trudeau really is a secret policy wonk who talks monetary policy with his friends down at the bistro. If so, he hides it well."

Another leftwing cultural icon...

...goes on an unscheduled road trip...

The founder of the whistle–blowing website, who was due to be extradited in just nine days, entered the building in Knightsbridge and requested asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.

The Swedish authorities want him to answer accusations of raping a woman and sexually molesting and coercing another in Stockholm in August 2010 while on a visit to give a lecture.

Yeah... I mean there's no way Assange could possibly get a fair trial in that infamous hotbed of unapologetic conservativism... Sweden.

**********

UPDATE: Just ask Leon Trotsky

Funny how often "old comrades" screw each other over...

"The asylum bid took many Assange supporters by surprise — including some of those who put up 200,000 pounds ($315,000) to guarantee his bail. Assange’s high-profile guarantors include “Fahrenheit 911” director Michael Moore, human rights activist Jemima Khan and British filmmaker Ken Loach."

I think it's just outrageous...

...that a corporation is actually forcing kids to wear... wait a minute...

"The JS Roundhouse Mids, which featured plastic orange chains and a cuff that strapped around the ankles, were slammed for resembling shackles, and many criticized Adidas for using an image reminiscent of slavery."

Call me crazy... but couldn't the free market (never mind common sense) work this one out on it's own?

**********

UPDATE: The Mayor weighs in

"ADIDAS did the right thing by canceling the slavery shoe. There are certain things that are accepted in the US and certain things that are taboo."

(via ffof)

**********

RELATED: Sensitive, huh?

I guess it's all relative...

“We wanted to be a place where people could come together and be a community,” he says. “We’re going to be sensitive to it being a religious word. We’re not looking to make fun of religion at all.”

If only they had listened...

...to Toronto City Councillor Adam Vaughn and banned all those nasty bullets...

Word of the shooting raced through Little Italy, and residents of nearby Crawford Street identified the slain man, whom they knew as “Johnny,” or “Little John,” as an affable sort who owned a house about two blocks from the crime scene. They said he had recently renovated the home for his mother to live in.

“He was certainly good to her,” one man said.

Okay, that's nice... the standard complimentary eulogy from the "professional journalist" community... immediately followed, of course, by pointed innuendo implying a darker side... you know... something for everybody...

Johnny often seemed to drive various expensive cars, including a BMW, a Maserati and a Volvo. He told people he made money flipping houses, and that he rented arcade games.

The many cafés that line College Street, in what has long been regarded as one on the safest of downtown neighbourhoods, were filled as local residents watched two Euro Cup soccer matches.

The safest, huh? Not any more. kiddies.

**********

UPDATE: Covering all their options...

...that's what "professional" journos do...

First... the sugar & spice...

"The 35-year-old was a confidant to his mother, loved his young son and had a passionate, spontaneous personality, ready to give his opinion on any subject."

Then the snips & snails...

"Police, meanwhile, knew Mr. Raposo as a low-level gang leader, once the main man in the McCormick Boys, a small west-end crew that bought drugs from Italian organized crime to push on the streets."

**********

COMPASSIONATE, INTELLECTUAL LEFT REPLIES:

"Where was your outrage at the armed robbery at the U of A? Fuckstick."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 10:14 AM, June 19, 2012

National Velvet Touch

"And until it airs, there is little more to do than speculate on who will portray whom. Howie Mandel as Layton? Rick Mercer, with prosthetic eyebrows, as Michael Ignatieff? Bruce Greenwood as Stephen Harper?"

Whaddaya wanna bet a certain Chinatown enterprise gets nary a single mention in this Ode to Saint Jack?

**********

FROM THE POST COMMENTS:

"I understand that in the first draft of script, they spend a lot of time on the incident where JL went undercover to a Toronto massage parlor and rescued the immigrant teen who had been forced to work as a prostitute."

"Apparently he had done this numerous times at many brothels and massage parlors, tirelessly working to save prostitutes, with little or no fanfare."

And...

"House of Commons records for 2009 state that Chow and Layton charged Canadian taxpayers over a million dollars. Chow's expenses tallied $530,304.73 and Layton's was $628,913.68."

"That is about $1,160,000. Divide $1.16 by 365 to realize that these two very privileged people spent $3178.08 of someone else's money every day of the year. $3178 EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. After rent and travel, where did the rest of the money go?"

"Jack and Olivia had to get up mighty early in the morning every to spend over $3000 every single day of the year!"

In other "Keepin' it Real" news

Another cultural icon bites the dust...

Over the last 20 years, he had had repeated contact with law enforcement. He long ago stopped keeping track of his arrests for crimes such as driving under the influence and domestic assault. "Eleven times?" he said earlier this year. "Twelve?"

"I would change a few things, but not that much," he said. "Yes, I would go through that night, yes I would. I said once that I wouldn't, but that's not true."

Four million dollars and he still managed to die a penniless criminal fuckup.

Those darn "Vandals"

Sometimes I just get the feeling I might not be getting the whole story...
Like, maybe the perps here were white guys... with hispanic mothers... which would make this a hate-crime, right?

"The youths, who Montasser said are not “regular students” at the school, have also been charged in connection with a break and enter at the nearby band council office early Sunday."

Funny how that Zimmerman-Trayvon type specificity doesn't apply right across the journalistic board.

**********

RELATED: Obviously, professional journalism...

...is all about sensitivity & damping down emotional flashpoints...

"A report commissioned by the African Canadian Legal Clinic that claims a black person is 37 times more likely to be shot and killed by police in Toronto was condemned by the head of the city's police union yesterday."

Unless, of course, you're talking about those nasty Canadian "police death squads".

**********

COMPASSIONATE, INTELLECTUAL LEFT REPLIES:

"Get those fucking indians out of my school, eh herr neo?"
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 4:34 PM, June 16, 2012

Ah, nonny... you do all the work for me.

When those pesky laws against...

...shooting people just aren't enough...

The 6:30 p.m. event, organized by Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, is a response to the disturbing spate of recent gun violence that culminated with a fatal shooting inside the Eaton Centre on June 2. Seven people were injured in the shooting, including a 13-year-old boy and a pregnant woman who was trampled in the rush to evade bullets.

“We all cared about the single day shooting at Eaton Centre. What about everyday threat of gun-violence in distressed neighbourhoods?” Wong-Tam asked on Twitter.

Thank you Ms. Wong-Tam... I'm sure this ban will be just as effective as Toronto declaring itself a nuclear-weapons free zone back in the Layton/Chow salad days... wait a minute...

A 31-year-old man has remarkably survived after he was shot 10 times in North York on Monday night, just a few hours after a downtown vigil calling for a gun-free Toronto.

Police were called to the Frontline Sugar restaurant on Wilson Avenue, east of Weston Road, for reports of gunfire around 10 p.m. Officers didn’t find a victim at the scene.

Investigators are still searching for a suspect, described as black and 24 to 25 years old. He was wearing a grey T-shirt and Capri jeans.

Okay... maybe this thing won't do shit about Toronto's notorious street-gang violence... but it did get Kristyn Wong-Tam some free publicity.

In pinko Toronto... it's all good.

p.s. - small correction here... the restaurant is actually the Frontline Suga... a small, but no doubt important distinction to its owners, staff & clientele.

**********

RELATED: Compassionate, professional journalists...

...let us know the real problem... yup, the cops...

A transgendered person faces G20 police on Friday, June 25, 2010. Michael Talbot/CITYNEWS.CA

I'd love to know how much money...

...the Liberals threw down the polling toilet finding out that Rae didn't have a hope in hell...

"The news is surprising, especially considering it came on the same day the party executive was poised to formally release Rae from his pledge, as interim leader, not to seek the permanent helm."

"Rae said last week he would wait to hear the new rules from the national executive before announcing a decision."

His pledge? You mean his promise upon assuming the interim leadership that he wouldn't run, right?

You know who isn't surprised here? Anyone (outside of the MSM) who lived in Ontario during Bob Rae's stint as Premier.

**********

RELATED: The mighty Globe & Mail...

...has something for everybody...
Remember... journalist are so much smarter than you...

"His decision not to run will lessen the internecine tension that has afflicted the Liberals for decades. Already, the party was dividing into two camps: those who wanted Mr. Rae to lead the party into the next election, and those who wanted anyone but Mr. Rae in that job."

Or, let's go with Occam... the Liberals have been polling and Bob didn't make the grade.

Frankly, I'm shocked... I had no idea...

...you could even be charged for this "victimless crime" anymore in Ontario...

-- OTTAWA -- Police are hunting for a 17-year-old girl accused of forcing other Ottawa teens into prostitution.

Two 15-year-olds, already in police custody, face almost a dozen charges. The third suspect is the wanted 17-year-old.

**********

COMPASSIONATE, INTELLECTUAL LEFT REPLIES:

"Lovely bunch of brownshirts today I see, Herr neo."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 12:38 AM, June 13, 2012

This is the same simpleton who emails me a "Heil Harper" every day at this time... after getting home I imagine, from his less than satisfying career in the (fast) food service industry.

He occasionally throws in a "fat faggot" or a "nazi-neo"... often icing his cake with the "n-word".

He's been doing it for years and I imagine he couldn't stop now... even if he wanted to.

This is the real reason for the resurgence of the political right... the failure of imagination on the sinister side of the political spectrum.

Nonny... you do all the work for me. Keep up the good work...

"Harris Decima tracks the Cons at 35%, well short of any majority. They've already peaked only a day into week 2. It's grim."

"We don't have to win, we merely need to keep Harper from majority. The rest will be sorted with Conservative blood lust seconds into May 3rd. Bet on it."

"ps. I can only imagine how your beefy temple will throb when Harpo fails to deliver the magic majority. Can't wait."
Posted by Anonymous to halls of macadamia at 8:05 PM, April 04, 2011

I almost feel sorry for him.

"Love is better than..."

...wait a minute...

"Members of Parliament are bracing themselves for a marathon session of voting this week as the opposition puts forward 871 amendments to the Conservative government’s budget bill."

871 obstructive serial actions... no wonder government doesn't work. Just try to imagine the chaos if the NDP ever got into a position where they were actually pulling the levers of power.

"128: The number of hours it would take MPs to get through 871 amendments should the Speaker allow individual votes for each one."

Ontario's health-woes continue

At one FHT, when staff reportedly couldn’t persuade bureaucrats to stop sending payments for ghost employees, the FHT banked the money and allegedly gave their regular physicians an unsolicited — and improper, as defined by the FHT-ministry deal — “bonus” at year’s end.

“They should not be turning millions of dollars over to people they’ve not vetted. If you’re an embezzler, this is the place to be.”

All three troubled areas — Air Ornge, e-Health and FHTs — fall under the ambit of the same government arm, the Ontario ministry of health and long-term care.

Gives a whole new meaning...

...to the phrase "shop 'til you drop"...

"Police flooded Kensington Market Saturday afternoon, taking down at least two people at gunpoint only a day after the arrest of a man suspected of a stabbing in the downtown neighbourhood."

"Bystanders said a running altercation started in Bellevue Square Park over a drug deal and then moved through the crowded market. At least one of the four men involved brandished a knife and his target at one point ran into an army surplus store, reportedly looking for a weapon with which to defend himself."

The Eaton Center. Kensington Market. Two areas in Toronto frequently paired with the words "vibrant" & "tourist."

Probably less so now, as the bodies start to drop. Don't say you haven't been warned.

**********

RELATED: More media fairy tales

"Media obfuscation may still work in the court of public opinion -- it got Obama elected in 2008 -- but it will not work in a court of law. The truth will out. When it does, the major media will lose a good chunk of whatever credibility they have left."

C'mon now... everybody move along...

...nothing to see (or talk about) here...

-- TORONTO -- Nicholas Dillion-Jack, 18, was wanted in connection with a stabbing and mugging in the downtown area and an east-end home invasion and pistol-whipping. A sighting Thursday had sparked a major police operation that lead to heightened safety procedures at 15 schools.

Published reports late Thursday said that Mr. Dillion-Jack may have a connection to the Sic Thugs, the Regent Park gang believed connected with the fatal Eaton Centre shooting last weekend.

Hmmm, that's funny... the "professional journalists" couldn't seem to provoke enough commentary about the recent Luka Magnotta cannibal murder thing.

Why would Regent park gangs be off-limits? Something to do with the "crime is down, not gang-related" argle-bargle the media seem to be peddling?

I'm sorry, folks... but if you agree...

...to be fooled, then you're part of the problem...

-- TORONTO -- A 40-year-old man who brutally beat a teen hooker into a coma and left her for dead in a snowbank in 1996 is back on the street after serving a “life” sentence.

Police say Jarrar refused to participate in any treatment program or counselling during his incarceration.

So, seriously... in what way, shape or form is this a "life sentence?" Let's stop pretending that such a thing actually exists.

Can anybody else see the writing on the wall here?

After serving "the full duration" of his sentence, he was released into the community Friday under “strict conditions” that require him to report weekly to police and obey a nightly curfew.

You mean like the Eaton Center shooter who was under "house arrest?"

Sleep tight, Toronto.

If only it was something important...

...like a surgically manufactured vagina & breasts...

"Take one small child, add a rare disease that threatens to take his sight. Mix with bumbling bureaucrats who’d rather piddle $1 billion down the drain on eHealth and squander millions at Ornge - and what do you get?"

"A heartless, hopeless decision that sent one small, lovely family into the depths of despair."

**********

RELATED: In Dalton McSlippery's socialist paradise...

...it's all about the Big Picture...

" -- BARRIE -- An inmate of an institution for the criminally insane who insists she is a "female trapped inside a male's body" is begging for a $15,000 assessment that would qualify her for a government-funded sex change."

**********

UPDATE: McGuinty runs for cover...

Liam’s family has spent more than $45,000 out of their own pocket for surgery and semi-annual follow-ups because Ontario’s health insurance plan has repeatedly denied it funding, arguing equivalent care is available here. This was despite the fact that doctors in Toronto told the family they couldn’t do anything more for Liam and directed him to a world-renowned surgeon in Michigan.

Moral of the story... if you want proper care for yourself or your family... make sure you have access to the media.

As good as his word

So, what other promises would Bob Rae be prepared to abrogate in his pursuit of the gold ring?

-- OTTAWA -- When Rae became interim Liberal leader in 2011, one of the caveats was that he wouldn't run for permanent leadership of the party.

Changes to the Liberal Party executive in the past year mean members are now likely going to allow Rae to throw his hat in the ring.

I guess that's just one of the benefits of having a brother who's a backroom Liberal Party powerbroker.

Well, if the oh-so-gullible West...

...can swallow that feng-shui horse puckey...

What’s telling — and typical — is the government’s argument for insisting dirty air is clean. Mr. Wu, the vice-minister, maintains it’s unfair to judge Chinese air by western standards because China is a developing country. China’s pollution monitoring “takes into account the level of our current stage of development.”

Cultural relativism... the all-purpose justification for absolutely anything.

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RELATED: Cheer up, folks...

...every once in a while, sanity breaks through those dark clouds...

Five years ago, during testimony in the case of Warman v. Lemire, Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) investigator Dean Steacy was asked “What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate?” His response: “Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value.”

Fortunately, there are those of us who do.

Just something to think about...

...the next time you're signing that considerable municipal tax cheque...

-- TORONTO -- Let me put City Hall’s proposed merit pay scheme for its already highly paid 3,807 managers in perspective for a moment.

Does the $155,525 senior manager who presided over the Bloor Transformation project that went $4.4-million over budget and finished 1.5 years behind schedule deserve a bonus?

What about the senior city executive — pulling in $210,856 last year — who should be held accountable, and hasn’t been, for the as yet unfinished Homeless Hilton which has gone 100% over budget?

I wonder if a bonus is an automatic as well for the $115,213 senior bureaucrat who was busy crowing last week about all the awards the revitalized Nathan Phillips Square design has won already even as the project is costing $9-million more than originally budgeted and is at least 1 1/2 years behind schedule.

Even city manager Joe Pennachetti — who made $330,386 last year — should be asking himself why he deserves to be rewarded seeing as the review of the city’s anti-discrimination policy ordered by council last June will only now just appear on the June 12 executive committee.

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RELATED: Ask the Toronto Red Star...

"It’s never a good time to cut Toronto’s already-slim cadre of youth outreach workers. But slashing their number by almost 60 per cent after the Eaton Centre shooting spree that left one person dead and seven injured would be nothing short of irresponsible."

Yeah, more people working with... wait a minute...

Toronto politicians were shocked to hear the alleged Eaton Centre shooter had a City of Toronto job working with kids up until two weeks ago.

City councillors will vote as early as Thursday to order a review of the city’s policies when it comes to police background checks on employees who work with kids and other vulnerable populations.

The vote comes after the Toronto Sun first revealed Wednesday that Christopher Husbands — who is facing one charge of first-degree murder and six charges of attempted murder for Saturday’s shooting — worked from November 2011 until May 2012 in the after-school program at Stan Wadlow Clubhouse in East York.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said he’s demanding the names of the managers who let Husbands continue to work without providing details of his criminal record.

Oops.

More Root Causes

Or, call me crazy... they could just stay away from that whole dealing drugs thing...

Since 2006, at least 30 Somali-Canadian men have died in Alberta, with about half of the victims killed in Edmonton. All but a handful of those cases have gone unsolved. Local community leaders point to that as evidence more needs to be done in Edmonton.

Bashir said Edmonton police must do more to connect with the city’s Somali community.

Yeah... let's blame the police.

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UPDATE: Funny how the cops insist...

...this thing is not gang-related...

Mr. Husbands, Mr. Hassan and the third man were all affiliated with the Sic Thugs gang, according to a person familiar with the public-housing complex – Canada’s oldest, and in the throes of a major facelift. Comprising roughly 30 members and associates, including some aspiring rappers, the Sic Thugs were formed about three years ago, and grew out of the older Point Blank gang.

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LAST WORD: More media math...

At a press conference, Acting Deputy Chief Jeff McGuire thanked the “heroes” in the food court that day who stayed behind to help the injured,

He also said Toronto remains a safe city despite the fact shootings are up nearly 45% from this time last year.

Shooting Shocka

I can't wait for CBC's "The National" to tell us all about Mr Husbands lengthy criminal recor, er... ongoing history of oppression by "The Man"...Meanwhile, a 13 year-old boy lies in critical condition in an induced coma after being shot in the head.

Seems like incarceration (Mr Husbands is coming off a five year bit... nearly half of his total length of residency in Canada) didn't make that much of an impression on ol' Chris.

It's past time to bring back the death penalty.

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RELATED: Let's blame Society...

...says city councillor Adam Vaughan...

Adam does the front crawl...

"You can’t point to a date on a calendar or an event on a rap sheet and say that’s what caused this. It is part of an intensifying rivalry that defies geographic description in the same way it defies racial description."

Then, Mr Vaughan, immediately & somewhat perplexingly... switches to a furious backstroke & proceeds to point to just that...

"The Eaton Centre shooting followed about three months of escalating violence involving youths from Alexandra Park and Regent Park, the city’s largest public-housing complex, located east of downtown."

Yup... no geographic OR racial elements there, huh? C'mon folks... move along now.But if you think that jibber-jabber was impressive... check out...

Mr. Vaughan said it’s not clear how, or if, the two incidents are related. “For a while it looked like the two were directly connected, but they are part of the same issue we’ve been managing, or trying to manage, without any resources,” he said. “But it’s unclear now how intricately the two are related.”

Just what sort of resources... outside of a hulking SWAT team... is Mr Vaughan asking for?

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LAST WORD: The Globe's "professional" journos...
Something for everybody.

Less Tweet... more street

Hang on a second...They knew this guy was a ticking time bomb...

The man in custody was recently released from five years in prison and sources said what happened Saturday was retribution.

"When this guy was released it was predicted something would happen," a source said, adding the sentence was related to 2005 Summer of Gun activities.

Sources tell the Sun there had been a shooting earlier Saturday in Alexandra Park and "THE ARGUMENT" moved to the Eaton Centre.

The "argument", huh? An argument with, well... bullets... right? Hmmm, perhaps the 'gentleman' in question was a tad 'overwrought'... a little 'peeved' perchance?

Perhaps the Toronto Police 'Service' should cut down on the number of media relations officers it apparently has... and drop a few more street coppers back onto the front lines.

And somebody help me out here... if they saw this thing coming, why was this less than civics-minded (you don't get 5 years in a Canadian prison for jaywalking) convict allowed to run around without some sort of oversight?

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RELATED: Okay... let's all respect his privacy

They've had all that video & now arrested this guy... but nobody gets to know who he is.

Trayvon™ !!

We’ve seen hundreds of pictures of gay cannibal Luke Magnotta, but so far not even a crappy “police artist” composite or official police description of yesterday’s shooting suspect.

Canadians... we're a sensitive lot... in some cases.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Given the poor quality of the shooting, obviously the poor man wasn't allowed adequate access to the prison shooting gallery. The least we can do is to ensure that those released from prison can shoot straight."

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LAST WORD: Relax Toronto... it's just business

It seems the gangbangers were just carving out their territories...

A meeting over gang turf that turned violent is believed to be behind the brazen downtown shooting at the Eaton Centre, police sources said following the arrest of a suspect.

One man, Ahmed Hassan, 24, was killed and six others hit by bullets.

The suspect and Mr. Hassan were meeting at the food court to discuss “turf arrangement” but matters got out of hand and shots were fired.

Hmmm, ask yourself Torontonians... which gang owns your hood... and, by extension... your lives?

And while we're here... what are the criteria for a "brazen" downtown shooting? Are they so frequent that people don't really notice the "ordinary" ones?

Homicide Squad frantically...

...rounding up local farmers, hunters & skeet shooters as we speak...

POLICE CONFIRMED THE FOLLOWING DETAILS AS OF 9:20 P.M.:

Victim #1: Male, 25yrs gunshot wound | deceased

Victim #2: Male, 20yrs gunshot wound | critical

Victim #3: Male, 13yrs gunshot wound | critical

Victim #4: Female, gunshot wound | serious

Victim #5: Male, gunshot wound | serious

Victim #6: Female, gunshot wound | serious

Victim #7: Female (pregnant) knocked to ground, minor injuries

Victim #8: Female, grazed by bullet

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RELATED: In other "crime is down" news...

The warning signs have been there when it comes to shootings.

In fact, this disgusting act at the Eaton Centre was the 100th shooting incident in Toronto for 2012.

Last year at this time Toronto had 69 shooting incidences.

It’s almost a 45% increase over 2011.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Obviously, we need to make this sort of thing super-duper, extra-special, double-stamp no quitsies double-plus ungood illegal..."

Got your calculator handy?

Just for fun, try multiplying these types of numbers across the entire federal civil service...

"In all, the hospital loses about $500,000 on all its cafeteria services — which are apart from the in-room food the hospital prepares for patients. That could pay for five extra full-time registered nurses."