Every Saturday morning, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Photo of Orange Parade at Queen's Park in 1912. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1388. Nowadays, the Orange Order is thought of as a quaint anachronism, a benevolent society that marches every twelfth of July to commemorate the victory of William III at the Battle of the Boyne. But the......

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......

......

For the forty-sixth year, St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church brought together the community of Little Italy with a procession marking Good Friday. Torontoist was there, capturing some of the faces of the neighbourhood event.......

Seriously? Photo by sevennine from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.......

City councillor, unintentional humourist, and Torontoist favourite Councillor Rob Ford has grabbed himself some headlines again. He refuses to apologize for his comments on Wednesday, "the Oriental people, they're slowly taking over...they're hard, hard workers," because his sweeping generalization was intended as "a compliment." However, a spokesperson for the Canadian Council of Lazy Asians has said that the remarks were "deeply offensive." A devout Sikh man has lost his bid to overturn the law......

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......

Rarely does a Toronto murder get such visceral international attention. As you have probably heard by now, Aqsa Parvez (pictured at right), Grade 11 Applewood Heights Secondary School student, was killed by her father, allegedly (according to the girl's friends) because she fought with him over whether to wear a hijab. The news is as big in the States as it is here, with CNN and MSNBC both running stories for a hungry audience. If......

Benny Hinn arrives in Toronto this weekend. True story: when I was a kid I used to look in the TV listings, see the listing for "Benny Hinn," and wonder why the TV guide was misspelling "Benny Hill." (Da da da DEE DEE da da da da, da da da da da da da da, da da DEE DEE da daaaaaa.) White House firmly states that Omar Khadr isn't going anywhere. The Star notes that......

It's that time of year again, when punks (and punk wannabes) dust off their Doc Martens, ply up their mohawks, master their moshing, and make their way to Park Place in Barrie for Vans Warped Tour. Saturday's show will see bands such as Bad Religion, New Found Glory, Ill Scarlett, Killswitch Engage, and Toronto's own k-os hitting the stage. This year marks the 13th annual event, which has previously showcased such great acts as......

It's a busy music week, this one. There's everything from samba to classical music, so all of you anti-hipsters should be pleased. Most importantly, Torontoist's 'Back to School' Party is this Thursday, and we better see y'all there -- especially you anonymous commenters. You know who you are. As always, if there's a show happening that we haven't listed, let us know in the comments. Recently Announced Oct. 4 - The Long Winters @......

Looking to check out some live music this week? Here's your listing of what's happening around the city between August 7-13. If you know of any good shows this week that we missed below, let us know in the comments. Feel free to also let us know about upcoming shows that would be worth checking out. Recently Announced Aug. 12 – OXFAM Music 4 Change Fundraiser feat. The Diableros, The Coast, These Electric Lives......

Yesterday, our PM with the same initials admits he needs to focus more on specific issues for the upcoming year. In contrast, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman admits nothing. It seems Smitherman and the Ontario Liberals could use the same help with focus, as they plan to toughen up their tough anti-smoking laws in the midst of greater health crisis. Within the next 18 months, the Ontario government is planning to ban all smoking in......