Historicist: Life in Wartime
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse
David Soknacki, the right-winger picked by David Miller to be his budget chief, has announced that he is retiring from politics and will not be running for re-election in Ward 43 - Scarborough East this fall.
Some councillors see this as another sign that Miller can't work with others who don't see his viewpoint. In the past, Soknacki has openly criticized the Mayor and his allies. Nonetheless he's earned the respect of many from Miller's camp, including Councillor Shelley Carroll, " "I've been sitting here racking my brains.... There isn't a name that comes to mind that could fill his shoes right this very minute," she said to the Star. We agree with her, Soknacki has skillfully dealt with difficult budgets and gotten a good consensus amongst council. With the city not out of the financial woods, those skills are still sorely needed.
The 10-day, million dollar, Queens Quay experiment comes to an end and gets mostly good reviews. Of course many complained about the cost and drivers complained about the inconvenience but cyclists and pedestrians love it.
First it was the province dropping the ball on funding new subway/streetcar purchases, now it's the Feds who are unsure about funding the York U subway project. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said that the money isn't a sure thing and may actually want to fund new highway construction. The whole thing reeks of political manoeuvring and it makes us sick.
The Docks can't catch a break. They're still embroiled in a court battle to keep their liquor license but now the police want to chat with them over alleged security concerns. A disorderly patron apparently threw a bottle at a man on the street.
Police are looking for a man that assaulted a 15-year old girl last month in the Danforth and Coxwell area. They stepped up their canvass and are handing out sketches of the man.
Statistics Canada reports that urbanites are actually thinner than their rural counterparts. The national average for obesity is at 23% but in cities this rate hovers at around 20% with Toronto averaging much lower than that at 16%. Those fitness crazy Vancouverites are the least obese at 12%, almost half of the national average.
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Statistics Canada reports that urbanites are actually thinner than their rural counterparts.
Sure, but you're not forgetting that rural fat is the 'good' fat and urban fat is the 'bad' fat.
What is this 'good fat' you are talking about?
I thought all obesity was bad fat. From wikipedia: "Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals, is increased to a point where it is thought to be a risk factor for certain health conditions or increased mortality."
C'mon Ben. It's a joke. The thing I didn't write about which worries me is how kids everywhere, urban, rural, suburban are getting more obese. I've seen the future people and it's sitting in front of the computer eating ding dongs, ho hos and playing WoW.
The extension above Steeles was purely political on the part of Greg Sorbara, provincial moneybags and MPP for the riding - it should have been several LRT lines not one subway line. No surprise that politics is going to hold it up. What annoys me is that it will probably affect the bit that's needed (below Steeles)
The subway-news told me last week that now more people on earth are overweight than malnourished.
I don't generally trust the subway-news but if this is true...
And no doubt 'rural' people are fatter-- when you live in a housing-development maze walking to the corner store isn't an option, but 4-car garages and Sam's Club bulk purchases certianly are.
If political manoeuvring from Minister Flaherty is what it takes to kill the ill-conceived subway to York University, then manoeuvre away, Jim. ¡Please!
From what I've heard, most transit advocates believe that the York extension is the wrong transit project at the wrong time. Transit money should be spent where it is able to provide the most benefit to the largest number of people. Thankfully this is clearly laid out in the Ridership Growth Strategy.
If you're smelling political manoeuvring reek, I'm sure that the smell of the Ontario Liberals trying to befriend Vaughan voters overpowers that of any of Flaherty's moves. And who's the Liberals's point man on this issue? Oh yeah, right. It's Greg Sorbara.