City
Morning Brew: February 26th, 2009
Photo: "saturday afternoon at The Rhino" by Peter Grevstad, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
Remember that chilling video that police posted to the net after an 18-year old was gunned down execution style in a building lobby last March? Two suspects were arrested but now may be released without trial due to a lack of witnesses. Are people afraid to come forward with evidence, or are these not the guys who did it? We may never know.
The owner of an all-female gym in St. Catharines is being taken to task and facing the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario after dismissing a man's phone call query to join the gym. It turns out that the man calling was actually a transsexual who identified as a woman but still had her... um... man parts. Is the gym owner in the wrong for not immediately accepting the application, or should the transsexual applicant be granted the apology and cash settlement being sought?
A think tank looking into the fiscal state of universities during the economic downturn has proposed a 25% hike in tuition fees. What?! Apparently it's kind of overdue (when inflation and tax credits are considered). The Educational Policy Institute says that parents can afford the increase, while the institutions can't bear the downturn on their own. The banks that dole out student loans must love this idea.
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Ticketmaster is making headlines again. This time they're taking flack for selling tickets on TicketsNow at jacked up prices in advance of the scheduled release of regularly priced tickets on Ticketmaster. These guys have been running the show too long, and, in my opinion, should have these questionable practices halted by new legislation that makes them illegal.
And I've made the decision to remove 680news.com from my RSS reader. I've found that they no longer cover local news effectively enough, instead opting to feature brief snippets related to national and international stories. I'll still stay on their breaking news email list though, only because they are often first to point to breaking news.
Discussion
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Barring the fact that most financial aid comes from the government in the form of OSAP, how about the students who don't get mommy and daddy's help with tuition but aren't eligible for OSAP? How is it fair to them to raise tuition?
Furthermore, what about the students that get OSAP but really don't need it and then turn around and spend it on cars, stereo equipment, etc.
The whole financial aid system needs to be re-examined and reconfigured. Not to mention the work study program on campuses which wont allow you to even apply for a job you may be more than qualified for because you don't get OSAP!! (discrimination much?)
@Universities. How do they expect that parents can "afford it", the economy is in the can right now and all these kids' parents are losing their jobs. I'm an OCAD student right now and with both parents working im just making ends meat for tuition and supplies and living and eating. This is ridiculous
how do you propose the govt determine who is getting mommy and daddy's help? i know people who were rejected by OSAP b/c their parents make enough money, yet the parents never provided a dime of actual support.
ALCK OF WITNESSES?!?!?!
COMMON!!!
SEND THEM TO LABOUR CAMPS IN THE YUKON...
I BET YOU THOSE GANGTAZ WILL FIND IT REAL....COOOOOOOL WHEN ITS MINUS 20 IN JUNE!!!
AFAIK, OSAP applicants can claim financial separation from their parents (thereby qualifying even though their folks are swimming in money), but it's more paperwork and they face a social stigma and fear of being judged, etc.
I was under the impression that OSAP rules have changed entirely and no longer require details of parental incomes - my first time through school (2000) it was a requirement, my second time (2004) it was no longer a necessary disclosure.
I *think* (at least this is how it worked for me) if you are independent from your parents for 4 years, you can apply for OSAP.. well that's how it worked for me and BCSAP.
So because I did a victory lap, I got BCSAP in my final year.
@ m
I WAS one of those students whose parents didn't support them but was not eligible for OSAP until my final year when I had been out of High School for 4 years, and thus declared automatically independent.
My biggest beef though is the jobs on campus which require one to have OSAP in order to get the position. The logic behind that escapes me.
I am not pretending to have any or all the answers. I am simply stating that the system needs to be reexamined as I knew people who got gratuitous amounts of financial aid because their parents had 'retired', but spent it on non-school related items because they were still being supported by them. I believe OSAP is meant for school and only school.
There should at the very least be some sort of oversight analyzing what the money is spent on to ensure those that truly need it are getting it and spending it on SCHOOL.
I just graduated last year from my second graduate degree. Work ing part-time and through the summers in a retail job paid for my living expenses, rent and education. No help from the government or my parents.
It's doable.
(I'm now sitting at my desk job, in my chosen field and realzing that working for a living is harder than school ever was.)
I think gym owner being sued is unfair. A lot of world is not at a point where it can accommodate man/women/various others, even if it should. I'd hesitate too before letting a biological man into a women's locker room.
But factor in that this is the plaintiff's second lawsuit? I smell a cash grab.
I don't think it's fair to say that the gym owner is in the right because of the discriminatory practices of the rest of the world - regardless of the various opinions of citizens, people have to follow the codes and laws that are in place to protect people from this kind of discrimination. That said, I think this is definitely a tricky case, especially since it does seem that the gym owner never actually said "no" to the request.
HOWEVER, the article says nothing at all about this being the plaintiff's second lawsuit. They don't even mention the plaintiff's name. They reference a previous case with a different plaintiff against a different gym, to show what kind of a precedent is set. So don't jump to any conclusions about the motivations of the plaintiff in this case...
Wow you removed 680 News, here's your cookie. Don't forget to twitter us what you had for breakfast!
The guy is a guy, it's a womens gym NOT allowed. How would the rest of the women members feel knowing thier man's parts in the gym which is why the joined a womens gym in the first place.
If I throw a wig on should I be able to join?
What bugs me most about the think tanks and politicans that recommend massive increases to tuition fees is that they were almost all educated at a time when tuition fees were little more than a token contribution. Now, instead of getting a good start in life like the Dalton McGuintys of the world, students are graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. How is that fair? The Boomers just pulled up the ladder on Gen X/Y.
Wow. That is seriously offensive. You need a lesson in trans-sensitivity. If you read the linked article you'll see that there's already been a case like this and the WOMAN now happily attends the womens only gym and hasn't been bothering or upsetting anyone. And throwing a wig on is nowhere near the same as actually transitioning to another gender - which generally involves a lot of hormone therapies, etc. before any actual surgery can be done - if that person can even afford to have the surgery.
I think it's about time we end these 'Women-only' gyms, as well as 'women-only' bus stops, etc.. They're clearly sexist policies. Some people will argue about how they unsafe at the gym, but I don't see how since it's well lit and supervised. It sucks living near a Loblaws that has one of these but traveling to the next gym that serves your kind. Although I'm not a big fan of the Human Rights Commission, it's time to end this suffrage once and for all!
"These guys have been running the show too long, and, in my opinion, should have these questionable practices halted by new legislation that makes them illegal."
+1
until the parts are gone, you're a man otherwise why do they make the full transition?
Liz you need to take less offense to other peoples thoughts and feelings, they are mine, yours are fine too.
I am a man, male, boy am I allowed in there? Shoudl I fight for my right to be there? I can
Why should I take a lesson in trans-sensitivity?
I'm also surprised that the owner of a commercial establishment is allowed to discriminate between customers on the basis of gender.
But that seems to be the case, so until that changes I believe the gym owner can refuse to serve a man who swears he's a woman just as rightfully they can refuse to serve a man.
Oh, and where's the sensitivity on the part of the transgendered individual to the fact that not all women may want to share a locker room with her aslong as she has male genitals?
Sounds like you could use a cookie or ten.
I think two questions need to be raised:
1) Can someone be considered legally (by means of official documentaion) the other gender while pre-op?
2) Should someone be entitled to the benefits given to another gender if they aren't officially registered as one.
I sympathize with the woman involved, but when there is 'cash settlements' involved, it reminds me of the wheelchair-bound man in Southern California who makes a living being a professional litigator. Not even over major issues. He would search out places of business and find minor problems, such as paper towel dispensers or coat hooks being two inches higher than regulations. He'd then make a scene and sue the business for hundreds of thousands of dollars (of course he'd then settle for tens of thousands). He wasn't trying to improve conditions for the wheelchair bound, he was merely taking advantage of a system that was put in place to protect people like him.
At least the blogs about cookies are useful
Yeah or that blind a-hole who sued the TTC for not calling out the names of stops on the streetcars. That dick didn't even work for free, he was so selfish he asked for money to pay for the high fees of hiring lawyer to force people to comply with the law!
It's not always a matter of safety. It's more a matter of comfort. It can be intimidating for women to workout around 'macho' men. Also some religions do not allow for men and women to workout in the same room. Women's only gyms were created as incentive to get women to workout more, in an environment they feel safe and welcome in.
You can argue also that there could be more male-only gyms to serve the same purpose.
Or you could also argue that we should start educating people to feel more comfortable in society so that we don't need to segregate the genders.
In regards to allowing trans-gendered people to attend same sex only establishments, that just opens a whole new chapter that needs to be added to the Human Rights Charter.
Just my thoughts.
Andrew... I'm a news junky. Many MB readers are as well. I thought it might be worthwhile discussing the apparent shift in 680news' focus away from local news. If you don't find this useful, then so be it. But do you really need to turn into a nasty comment troll over it? I hope not.
jerrold i'm sorry I hurt your feelings, maybe you should update the button and replace 'comment' with 'praise'
Maybe you should return to adding value to your comments instead of jab and run trolling. They don't hurt my feelings, but they are mildly annoying. I'll give you that.
I didn't run, I've been posting here all day!
I didn't find your last paragraph at all relevant to the morning news, so I posted my feedback. You can take it any way you like.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adasuits5-2009jan05,0,1199199.story
Accidentally hit enter in the wrong field and it submitted early
"One fighter in a burgeoning army of crusaders for disabled access, Mundy says he has filed more than 150 lawsuits in 18 months demanding damages from small businesses in violation of the exacting requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act."
...
""He might as well have had a gun and asked me for $1,000 when he came in," Paul Venetos, owner of Anaheim's Varsity Burgers, said of an April visit by Mundy that led to a lawsuit over a condiments counter that was half an inch too high.
The burger joint's security camera recorded Mundy wheeling in, looking around for a few minutes then leaving without perusing a menu or attempting to order, Venetos said. He believes Mundy came in only to look for a chink in his ADA armor."
I can only re-iterate what I've already said.
He's a disabled guy who spends his free time persecuting businesses that don't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although this doesn't jive with the BlogTO crowd's vision of free health care and amnesty for illegals, someone has to pay the lawyer fees to get people to comply with the law and here's a shocker: he expects compensation for the time he spends investigating! :O
You can be legally considered of a gender/sex if you haven't "fully transitioned" - which is a really medical and biologically essentialist idea of gender (e.g. is a penis or vagina the only thing making you man or women?). The level of juvenile and fallacious arguments about the inclusion of trans people both in this post and comments is appalling.
@ Jeff - not everone "fully transitions" even if they fully identify as a woman or man - it's much more complicated and costly than your priviledged and superficial penis=man understanding of the world.
Appaulling. Whatever. Grow up MB. Live and Let Live
It is my right to be juvenile and have my opinions and I can fight for my rights and freedoms just like the rest of y'all
The tuition hikes should be accompanied with broad establishment and promotion of three year light-degree.
For example, I graduated with a four year business degree in finance. After four years working, I have rarely made use of the material covered in my fourth year. When I have,it was material I had rehashed and covered again by rigorous industry association courses that are mandatory for the jobs using those skills.
What did I do that fourth year for? If I could do three I would have. Save the four year degree for someone who want's to do an MBA right afterwards.
Not according to the content creator:
"If you don't find this useful, then so be it. But do you really need to turn into a nasty comment troll over it?"
Hey Jerrold,
We're all news junkies here. However when I look at the news I look at all the newspapers, tv, and radio websites that I can. Something on 680NEWS may not be on TheStar.com, and vice-versa.
Similairly Morning Brew is a collection of the stories that YOU like, when there are many other stories out there to tell.
But we still read MB.
LOL. Are you seriously continuing this, Andrew? I'm clearly not here to suppress opinions. The _very reason_ for this daily Morning Brew post is to incite and engage the readership in opinion sharing. I'm merely pointing out that there are better ways to make your opinions heard without coming off sounding like a troll (like you did in your cookie comment). Make of it what you will, but please don't twist things and make it look like I've told you that your opinions aren't welcome here. That's obviously not the case. Your comments and opinions are most certainly wanted here.
Point taken. The MB highlights just a tiny slice of what's out there, and I'm glad it's part of your news routine.
My feelings about 680news.com stand though. In the last two years of doing daily scouring of almost all local news sources, I've found that they've shifted away from local. I mean, they even syndicate CNN headlines now.
Furthermore, I've found that they don't have news items that aren't found elsewhere, and often the story elsewhere goes into much (much) greater depth.
The cookie comment wasn't trolling, it was rather an insightful diatribe that playfully asked the question 'What is the 'brew?'
A man with man bit's and without lady bit's declaring himself a woman to gain access to a womans gym is much like drunk declaring himself sober to drive a car. Just because you feel you are a woman, doesn't mean other women will be comfortable to be naked in the presence of your boner.
Transgendered people are neither men or women, but a category(or categories) of their own, they should not be discriminated against, but should realize that they do fall outside the definition of that gender.
The solution would be to request another changing room option, much like a special needs bathroom, that transgendered people can use.
The University tuition increase would suck, but it does make total sense.
Despite the fact that the student unions seem to convince the gullible, lefty sheep in universities that somehow holding signs will cause universities to say "okay, here, keep a few million bucks", the reality is that raising them is much more likely.
Why?:
-Enrollment has been increasing over the past decade, with something like ~20,000 students being rejected each year
-Poor economies lead to MORE education as when you can't find a job, you go to make good use of your time and improve your skill set
-University investment funds have taken a hit
-Corporate sponsorship is down
-Alumni endowments are down
-Wages and rent are constantly increasing.
How ANYONE thinks this can translate into lower tuition is beyond me. These sheep lack the business savvy to run a lemonade stand.
When he's filing lawsuits over a half an inch discrepancy, it's pretty clear that he isn't just fighting to get people to comply with the law. This guy makes $300,000+ a year on these litagations alone (This is not even including his lawyer fees. His lawyer makes an additional $300k+). This doesn't sound like he's just trying to cover his expenses to me. He makes more annually than the Prime Minister of Canada. And he's not alone. There are many other people like him. Many are found to have been deliberately abusing the system and end up barred from filing further lawsuits.
But, back on topic, I don't think this is the case here. I was merely commenting that whenever cash settlements are involved over minor issues it always ends up harming the credibility of the person filing the lawsuit.
So?
He's forcing people to comply with the law, and he makes a profit for his time spent making the world more accessible to himself and other as unfortunate. It's capitalism and it shines, sorry if it's too right for you that this otherwise out of work paraplegic makes more money then you think he deserves.
"Like his clients, Batsakis said the law would be more just if it gave businesses 30 or 60 days to fix the problems.
Absent that warning period, attorneys often advise their clients to pay the litigants a few thousand dollars to drop the suit, even if they believe they haven't violated the law."
So is the problem with these watch dogs, or with the law?
The article clearly states the plantiff's lawyer sent a letter threatening action and demanded cash. That is called extortion and is illegal.
That aside the plaintiff's motive was made very clear.
This is very much an example of a pc system turning itself inside out and to what end?
Silly waste of time.
If it was there wouldn't be much of an article would there.