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Weekend Newsstand: July 2, 2011
Ah, the Saturday after a Friday stat holiday, the most disorienting Saturday of them all. In the news: Giorgio Mammoliti is heading to the Dyke March with a video camera in hand, a Canada Day miracle, councillor gets hot under the keyboard again, and it looks like the mayor’s not the only one trying to leave town.
Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) is vowing to videotape the Dyke March. As the march winds around the Village on Saturday afternoon, Mammoliti plans to be there, camera in hand, to catch the “cockiness,” and collect evidence to support his claim that “this group of lesbians has balls.” And by “this group,” Mammoliti means the Dykes and Trans People for Palestine group that is planning to pick up where Queers Against Israeli Apartheid left off. QuAIA withdrew from the Pride festivities so as not to give council a made-up reason to defund the whole festival. Giorgio was fired up then, and he’s fired up now. But hey, at least one of Ford’s guys will be at Pride, right?
For the naysayers who are all like, “Ugh, Canada Day is so tacky,” and “too commercial” and “not as good as the Fourth of July,” here’s a story that will warm your heart and renew the Canada Day spirit. Thirty new Canadians took the oath of citizenship at Queen’s Park on Friday for a very special Canada Day special. It was a day of hope, laughter, patience, braveness, and goodness. Truly a moment to when we can all say a noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. Except the souls that commented on that Toronto Sun article. Don’t scroll down to that part. Really, just don’t.
John Parker (Ward 26, Don Valley West) is in hot water again. As the long weekend rolls into town, and barbecues are fired up to make hotdogs and out of town guests check in to hotels, the Order of Canada is awarded to bigshots on the Canadian scene. One such recipient was comedienne Mary Lou Fallis, who received a congratulatory tweet from councillor Parker proclaiming her “seriously hot, with a sense of humour.” If this sounds like not really a big deal to you, wait until you hear this bit! Parker was scolded by the mayor last week for tweeting: “Delighted and honoured to help unveil eight new Toronto heritage plaques and meet hot chicks in the bargain. I love my job.” See, so now you get it right?
And on this Pride long weekend, as so many people are telling the mayor he’s made a huge mistake fleeing the City for the tradition of cottaging with the fam, enjoy this tale of “sort-of record breaking” traffic jams as people tried to flee into cottage country.