Oil sands threaten our survival, Al Gore warns

Extracting oil from Alberta's tar sands jeopardizes the survival of our species, says Al Gore.

"Gas from the tar sands gives a Prius the same carbon footprint as a Hummer," the former U.S. vice-president told the Star in an interview prior to a Toronto speaking engagement scheduled for Tuesday evening.  Full Story

On This Day

Today I am celebrating my 42nd birthday. I thought it might be fun to see who shares my birthday and what else happened on this day. I found all this at: On this day.com

Louis XVIII (France) 1755
Rock Hudson 1925
Gordon Lightfoot 1938
Martin Scorsese 1942
Danny DeVito 1944
Lauren Hutton 1944
Lorne Michaels 1944
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio 1958
RuPaul 1960 
Daisy Fuentes 1966
Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe) 1967



1558 - Elizabeth I ascended the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary Tudor.

1603 - Sir Walter Raleigh went on trial for treason.

1796 - Catherine the Great of Russia died at the age of 67.

1869 - The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas.

1880 - The first three British female graduates received their Bachelor of Arts degrees from London University.

1904 - The first underwater submarine journey was taken, from Southampton, England, to the Isle of Wight.

1913 - The steamship Louise became the first ship to travel through the Panama Canal.

1913 - In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm banned the armed forces from dancing the tango.

1970 - The Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1. The vehicle was released by Luna 17.

1979 - Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

1988 - Benazir Bhutto became the first woman leader of an Islamic country. She was elected in the first democratic elections in Pakistan in 11 years.

1990 - A mass grave was discovered by the bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. The bodies were believed to be those of World War II prisoners of war.

Green Party of Ontario Choses New Leader

Mike Schreiner was elected leader of the Green Party of Ontario on November 14, 2009.

A leading advocate for independent businesses and sustainable communities, Mike Schreiner is well known for his leadership in co-founding the award-winning Local Food Plus organization and brings a proven track record in business and leadership roles to the GPO leadership.
A respected, successful entrepreneur, Mike started his career in Toronto operating his own food distribution business for over 10 years that specialized in delivering local and natural foods to homes in Toronto.
Building on that success, he established Local Food Plus, which worked to bring farmers and consumers together to promote financially, socially and environmentally sustainable local food systems.

Full Story

Congratulations Mike, you will be a great leader for Ontario Greens!

Pigs in Toronto get shot first

Unionized staff at Mount Sinai Hospital are calling for the resignation of its board of directors after members were given early H1N1 vaccinations meant to be reserved for health workers and those at high risk of complications.

"What we are seeing evokes scenes from the Titanic, the privileged pushing to the front and leaving vulnerable women and children to a chilling fate," said Sharleen Stewart, President of the Service Employees International Union, Local 1. "This was a serious ethical lapse by the board and the CEO and a profound error of judgment by the chairman. The chair is left with no choice but to resign."

This is disgusting, but of course in Toronto, nothing will be done about it. Par for the course.

Scientology 101

Yonge street in Toronto is home to a large Scientology building. I pass by regularly and am often offered information by members. On more than one occasion, I've been offered, and taken information being handed out by protestors. As an atheist, and someone with a bit of common sense, I feel that Scientology is really nothing more than a scheme to make money, by what amounts to nothing more than a cult. However, I shouldn't pass judgement so quickly since I don't know much about Scientology, which is what I aim to find out in a new series I am calling Scientology 101. 


More after the jump.

Accusations fly at Oshawa lesbian assault trial

As the trial for an Oshawa man accused of beating a lesbian couple continues, some Oshawa residents say the November 2008 incident stems from hatred towards homosexuality and ignorance within the suburban community.

"It's a closeted community where the gays and lesbians hide . . . because of fear of being beaten up, bashed or harassed," said Jayme Harper, Ontario director of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), a gender-identity and sexual orientation support charity.

Harper said he also notices "a higher tone of racism in the Durham Region."

He and about a dozen members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in Oshawa have attended both days of the trial for 44-year-old Mark Scott, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault after Anji Dimitriou and her partner, Jane Currie, were verbally and physically assaulted outside their children's elementary school.

Both Dimitriou and Currie told Ontario Court Justice Katrina Mulligan that Scott attacked them in the parking lot of Gordon B. Attersley public school.

Both women testified that Scott asked Dimitriou, "Which one of you f------ 'men' talked to my kid?" Both women said he called them "dyke bitches."

They told the court Scott punched Currie once and Dimitriou twice.

Read the full story here. For some reason I can only seem to find any coverage of this story at Global News, I guess the others don't think suburban gay bashing is important? This story is from Friday.

The Poppy Campaign

The following is from the Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) Website:

Each November, Poppies blossom on the lapels and collars of over half of Canada’s entire population. Since 1921, the Poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance, our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations. The Poppy also stands internationally as a “symbol of collective reminiscence”, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
This significance of the Poppy can be traced to international origins.
The association of the Poppy to those who had been killed in war has existed since the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada. There exists a record from that time of how thickly Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France. This early connection between the Poppy and battlefield deaths described how fields that were barren before the battles exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.
Just prior to the First World War, few Poppies grew in Flanders. During the tremendous bombardments of that war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing “popaver rhoes” to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the Poppy began to disappear again.
The person who was responsible more than any other for the adoption of the Poppy as a symbol of Remembrance in Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War.

Movember Appeal

I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to prostate cancer.  I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation.  The funds raised go directly to Prostate Cancer Canada.

What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to afflict Canadian men with 25,500 diagnosed and 4,400 dying from the disease each year.

Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved.  

To make a donation, you can either: 

•    Click this link http://ca.movember.com/mospace/93711/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or
•    Write a cheque payable to ‘Prostate Cancer Canada’, referencing my Registration Number 93711 and mailing it to: Prostate Cancer Canada, 145 Front Street East, Ste. 306, Toronto, ON M5A 1E3, Canada.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click [HERE]. 

Thank you,


Mark Daye

Anti-Olympic protests force 2010 torch relay to divert in Victoria

Protesters agitating for years against the 2010 Olympics took their first chance to disrupt Games planning Friday and forced a diversion of the torch relay just before the Olympic flame was to be triumphantly presented at a community celebration wrapping up its first day on Canadian soil.

Several hundred anti-Olympic activists, angry that billions are being spent on the Olympics instead of housing and health care, blocked Victoria city streets for hours.

Full Story

Way to go protesters, you all deserve medals!

Happy Halloween

Hundreds turned away as flu vaccine runs short

Hundreds of angry, frustrated people were turned away from the Etobicoke Civic Centre this morning after health officials announced they were running out of H1N1 vaccine.

The centre had 2,500 shots of the vaccine but the lineup far exceeded that number. Many people who were turned away left furious at the system.

Earlier, pregnant women and the elderly braved the cold winds and young children jumped in puddles, but as time went on, frustrations in the crowd started showing.

Inside the clinic, where a crowd pressed against the information desk, Joseph Almonte held two coveted cards, numbers one and two in the lineup for the vaccine.

Obama lifts ban on US entry for those with HIV

President Barack Obama said Friday the U.S. will overturn a 22-year-old travel and immigration ban against people with HIV early next year.

The order will be finalized on Monday, Obama said, completing a process begun during the Bush administration.
The U.S. has been among a dozen countries that bar entry to travelers with visas or anyone seeking a green card based on their HIV status.
"If we want to be the global leader in combatting HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it," Obama said at the White House before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Begun in 1990, the program provides medical care, medication and support services to about half a million people, most of them low-income.
Read the full story

Christopher Skinner Vigil Video

Hundreds Attend Christopher Skinner Vigil

Hundreds of people came out to an emotional and moving vigil tonight for a young gay man, Christopher Skinner who was first viciously beaten, then run over with an SUV on Adelaide Street in downtown Toronto last Saturday, October 18.  Christopher was making his way home around three a.m. from celebrating his sisters birthday at a downtown nightclub.

In a moving tribute, we heard about Christopher's passionate love of life and his fellow man. Christopher was described as someone who was very outgoing and always making new friends.

Observing a moment of silence, the crowd raised their candles and looked to the sky in a show of solidarity honoring the memory of Christopher.

Many in attendance, including myself, did not know Christopher, but felt it was important to show support for his family and friends. And to show that we are not afraid, and we will not let Christopher be forgotten.

Observers on the street applauded as we walked from the corner of Church and Wellesley in the heart of Toronto's gay village south to Adelaide and Victoria streets where Chris was savagely beaten and run over. A haunting rendition of Amazing Grace was sung by some in the crowd, as marchers signed the banner bearing Christopher's name that had led the vigil to the downtown corner.  

If you have any information about the murder of Christopher Skinner, pleasce contact Detective Stacy Gallant at 416−808−7410 and Detective Doug Dunstan at 416−808−7406, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). 

Toronto Police News Release: Homicide #43/2009

Toronto Police News Release: Homicide #43/2009 Update

Toronto Police Release Additional Security Video In Christopher Skinner Murder

Three new video clips released Saturday show Skinner trying to hail a cab at different points on Adelaide St. The first is at 2:36 a.m. in the Entertainment District, where he seeks a cab then walks east.The second clip, 15 minutes later, shows Skinner looking at what police believe is his cellphone or iPod.The third and longest clip has Skinner east of Yonge St., not far from where he was killed.