Photo of Ben Stein by Patrick Metzger. Just so you know, Torontoist did not ask Ben Stein to say "Bueller? Bueller?" for the tape recorder, and we'll go to the grave regretting that failure of courage. Nevertheless, we spent an interesting 20 minutes with the monotone lawyer/writer/economist/actor/game-show host when he was in town last week promoting his documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed which opens in Toronto this Friday. The film argues that scientists willing... [continue]

The government has introduced revamped copyright legislation intended to address the needs of the digital age, arousing the ire of people who like to copy stuff. However, the topic is complex and controversial, and MPs are ready to head to the cottage for the summer, so it's unlikely the changes will be passed anytime soon. A new survey has found that 75% of Canadians have used the Internet, with the percentage rising to 97%... [continue]

Hey, CBC—you wanna come over to Torontoist's house and play a little Texas Hold 'Em sometime? CBC got called on their Hockey Night in Canada bluff today as rival CTV announced that they've struck a deal for the rights to the HNIC signature tune. The news comes four days after the kind-of public broadcaster announced they were pulling out of negotiations for the storied 40-year-old theme, and mere hours after they suggested that they... [continue]

Is your dog scratching up the door, whining like a leaky squeaky toy, and in general acting uncommonly agitated? If so, better free up your calendar because chances are she knows that Woofstock is coming to town this weekend (alternatively, she's sensing an imminent earthquake, in which case just fill the bathtub with water and crouch under a table). Woofstock has been around since 2003, when the Toronto Star dubbed it "the summer of canine... [continue]

It suddenly gets hot today with a forecast high temperature of 32º, meaning newspapers are required by law to run daily photos of people frolicking in fountains. Sprinklers are also acceptable, provided a dog is included in the shot. Union members angry about the impending job cuts at GM in Oshawa are blockading the entrance to the plant, and CAW President Buzz Hargrove is threatening a strike. The latter would prevent GM from paying... [continue]

Look for packs of perplexed wheelie-encumbered tourists roaming Front Street this week in a fruitless search for shelter, as the Fairmont Royal York darkens its iconic rooftoop sign for seven days. The hotel is taking the step as part of Energy Awareness Week, an initiative spearheaded by the Ontario Power Authority to raise awareness of and disseminate information about energy conservation (events include "Tieless Tuesday," not a huge conservation measure in itself, but with... [continue]

At 6:45 a.m., Cy Goldsbie spotted a guy spraypainting this message on both of Spadina station's Spadina-immediately-north-of-bloor entrances and was kind enough to snap these pics for us. TTC labour issues and graffiti, together again at last.... [continue]

Remember when you went to that modelling agency that used to be over the Pizza Pizza, and they said you had potential but you should pay 500 bucks for some head shots, so you did and then they looked at them and said sorry but you're actually kind of ugly? Or was that just us? Anyway, this weekend there's a chance to achieve not only redemption, but fame and fortune. Scouts from famed agency... [continue]

A boarded-up house on Sherbourne Street makes a desperate plea for attention and care. Sad, but much nicer than the "AVENGE ME" and "REDRUM" that you typically see on talking houses.... [continue]

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Mayor David Miller unveiled a YouTube video asking Canadians to sign an online petition urging Ottawa to ban all handguns in Canada. While most handguns are already illegal, the gesture would serve a powerful symbolic purpose by pushing the blame for Toronto gun violence onto the feds. CBC News says that a highly publicized series of raids in 2005, which police said took a major gang out of commission, have resulted in almost no... [continue]

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve. I fell in love with the world through the eyes of this girl, boy and worker, big big girl in a big big world, & couple BY DAILY_MISERY... [continue]

Now that Spring is officially here, we can retrospectively name Winter 2007–2008 "The Winter of the Pothole." As the snow dunes melt, an ever-growing number of colossal crevices are appearing on the city streets and highways. City crews are working overtime to patch up the damage, but Toronto already spent $1.3 million of its $4 million annual pothole budget by early March. Yikes. So when are they going to deal with that crater in... [continue]

The 1930s were a difficult decade; dark, dirty, dangerous, and destitute, albeit laden with alliterative possibility. In America the population posed picturesquely in sepia-toned breadlines, while Europeans brooded over the tragedy of the Great War and plotted a rematch. The people of Toronto, like much of the rest of the world, wallowed in a cesspit of poverty and misery from which no number of Shirley Temple films could extricate them. However, in the depths of... [continue]

Four federal byelections are being held today, including two in the Toronto ridings of Willowdale and Toronto Centre. The Liberals are considered to have the edge locally, where the Conservative "We Loathe Toronto" campaign of the last two years hasn't been as well-received as hoped. Happy St. Paddy's Day and remember to get voting before you get drinking. Conrad Black's son, Jonathan, 30, has been charged with failing to stop after an accident, driving... [continue]

In the most important news story of the day, two people have been arrested in the mysterious case of Huckleberry, the dog who vanished from outside a Yonge Street bakery and was returned after his owner offered a $15,000 reward. Police haven't said whether they believe Huckleberry was in on the caper. Oil prices closed yesterday at over US$100 a barrel yesterday, spooking financial markets. And my mom said I was crazy for keeping... [continue]

The Tory minority government is double-dog-daring the Opposition to force an election over their crime bill. Prediction: Stéphane Dion will grumble and pretend he doesn't care, Jack Layton will howl impotently, and the Bloc will negotiate another billion dollars for folk-dancing in Rimouski. Stephen Harper is truly the alpha Parliamentarian in this bunch. Did you know that Toronto has already gotten as much snow this winter as the past two winters combined, and that... [continue]

In this occasional feature, two Torontoist staffers face off to debate an issue that is important to our city. We invite our readers to join in the debate in the comments section after the post. For the first time since amalgamation, City Council has been presented with a budget that doesn't require a new round of hand-outs from Queen's Park in order to balance. The price of this achievement is high. Along with new land-transfer... [continue]

Say, who's that dude with the pitchfork selecting the next queen of Toronto's tourism industry? Hmmm, could it be...SATAN?!!! It seems that a Toronto woman was invited to judge a local beauty pageant, only to have the invite retracted because some of her hobbies were deemed a little too demonistic. Stephanie Conover, an actor, singer, dancer, and current Miss Canada Plus 2007, was asked about three weeks ago if she would be interested in judging... [continue]