City
Morning Brew: Honour Killings, Bike Rental Program, Emergency Council Meeting Agenda, American Tourists
Photo: "Canada.... EH!..." by chewie2008~, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
Did the influence of western culture on his three daughters drive a man, his wife, and son to conspire to kill them and their caregiver (who also happened to be the man's former wife)? The mysterious case of the four women found drowned in a car in the lock in Kingston has investigators and the media speculating that it may have been an "honour killing" after evidence and an email from abroad add suggestions to that effect.
Should Toronto adopt a city-run public bike rental program modeled after BIXI (the one launched in Montreal in the spring), even though the program has demonstrated flaws? Bikes are pricey ($2000 each!?) and vandalism and theft have been observed.
Swine flu is expected to have a major second wave, and the cooler fall and winter flu seasons may be unlike any we've ever seen (if what's going on in South America, for example, is any indication). School boards are working on plans for shutdowns should the need arise.
Travel to Canada by American tourists is down in some places, with blame placed in part on the recently imposed need for a passport for travel between the two countries. Some B&Bs in Niagara are seeing far less visitors, and $3 T-shirt sales on Yonge Street are likely dropping off too. Recent stats show that 56% of Canadians hold passports, while prior to the passport requirement just 30% of Americans held passports.
The probe investigating accusations of animal suffering at the Toronto Humane Society has been extended, and some continue to insist that the OSPCA's push for the probe is politically motivated. While I can imagine that a high volume of animals in need, coupled by low resources to deal with them, would result in deficiencies, I can't see the Humane Society being staffed by people that are intentionally cruel and abusive to animals.
And the mayor has finally called an emergency city council meeting for early August. The agenda looks daunting and is mostly aimed at approving funding of all kinds of projects and events. If they plan to address all 60 items on the agenda, how much time do they have to discuss the merits of each?
Discussion
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You need to stop by and meet some of the people that work there.
But in her mind there is nothing at all wrong with what she is doing.
too spicy ?
Your comment was captured by our filters (i.e. it was not published and removed).
Your phrase "please get the fuck out of this country" is the likely problem.
Let me rephrase.
Although this current case in the star is likely not and honour killing. But that is just guessing.
People that come here with their kids and expect them not to absorb the culture are (something the filter would take out). I am an immigrant and i came here precisely because this place is not like my country.
Sure i have the occasional complain, like some of my culture. But i am here precisely for the reason because the place is not like home.
You most likely didn't leave your place because it's better than here. Part of it may be economics, but those are also formed by your daily culture. So i would say if that culture includes agreeing with the idea of an honour killing please get the flower out.
Why copy something that isn't a proven success? Just because?
There's got to be better successful Bike Rental program models to copy OR we could probably come up with our with that is equally flawed as Montreals without needing to copy.
With humans in an abusive relationship / abusive environment. We think - get them outta there as soon as possible, I don't care where you take them but get them the hell outta there!!!
I do think the idea of a bike rental system is good. Implementation I'd leave to the experts.
Currently i don't go shopping on my bike, i commute and leisure ride. This way my bike is never left out where it will likely get ripped of. So i would consider using bike rental to go shopping a little bit further without needing my car or the TTC.
Vandalism will always sadly be part of the system.
Ryan, that is important IMO, thanks for bringing it up.
Could you blame the victim any more directly if you tried? Here, let me try:
If only those girls hadn't talked to boys! If only those girls had covered themselves in burkas, like all good women do, they wouldn't have driven their poor parents and brother to defend the defiled honor of their family. So many things those four women could have done to avoid driving their family to kill them. And Canada? If only Canada hadn't so blatantly polluted those girls with terrible values. If only Canada had good morals like Afghanistan, those poor beleaguered parents wouldn't have been driven to such desperate, but clearly necessary measures! Really, what else could they do, other than drown them in a canal?
There... I think that actually blamed the victims more than your headline. Took some work though.
Maybe three or five of the 60 items to be considered on August 5-6 will garner any significant debate, not including Rob Ford's entirely offensive (and predictable) rants about grants for AIDS, drug, homelessness and priority neighbourhood programming.
You're a moron.
Sincerely,
Everyone who is not a moron
PS. Stating why someone was motivated to do something does necessarily imply that those motivations were valid in any way.
Maybe a bit ambiguous, but that's my interpretation.
You're all aware that they euthinate animals right?
So they're allowed to kill them, but suffering is wrong.
Meanwhile humans can't get assisted suicide when they're suffering to death and want the assistance. Animals got better rights then us, and they don't even have an opposing thumb!!!
One thing that would be great, epidemic or not, is if someone could get custodians in public and private buildings to wipe handles and door knobs... ever! I don't touch them.
I try to go through all my flus with no meds to keep my immune system in tip top shape
I remember a case in Israel a few years ago. There was a family (an Arab one): father, mother, two older brothers and 4 sisters (teenagers). One of the sisters started dating a Jewish boy. So the mother and all the males decided to kill her for a "honor" reason. But not only that, they decided to kill all the other girls in order to prevent similar cases in the future! So, one of the brothers brought home poison (he was working in a hospital). And they injected the substance into each of the girls. Then, when they thought all girls are dead, they called an ambulance and told the paramedics the girls committed suicide. Unfortunately (for the murderers), one of the girls survived to tell the story.
Cases like this force me to re-think my anti death penalty position.
This is a common sense in many Muslim countries. Many of these people bring their ill practices with them to the West. How can we confront that? I'm not sure. That's something to ask the Immigration policy makers, I think.
How are these numbers at all relevant? The relevant numbers are: before there were 300 million Americans who could visit Canada as easily as anywhere in the States and now there are 90 million. It's likely that the vast majority of the other 210 million would not be visiting Canada anyway but a certain percentage of them would have but now will go elsewhere.
"along with the fact that once you've seen the Niagara region, and once you've been to Toronto, how often are you going to return for the same thing?"
I don't know if you're aware of this but they're actually making new people every day. The number of American tourists coming to Canada (like pretty much everything involving people) has historically increased over time. If you want to explain a decrease in tourism, just saying "Canada is boring" isn't going to do it. "Canada is more boring than it used to be" would work, though you should offer some actual justification for that.
I still think partial assimilation is to be expected.
But assimilation has become a dirty word.
I came here to be part of this world. I bring some culture with me.
No one asks me to give it up, no one forces religion on me.
commons sense to me dictates that i shall abide by the morals of the country that i came to.
I'm also aware "new people" are made daily (though your parents did us all a disservice by spawning another internet troll trying to provoke a fight when there's none to be had). I said the passport issue isn't the whole story and I stand by it. It may be a cause but it's hardly the only one.
One thing is certain: if I had a pet, and if that pet happened to run away, I'd be much happier if it ended up at the THS and not in one of the City's pounds.
Of course there is the typical story of the cab driver who, after seeing some 14 year old girls walking down the street past 9pm started ranting about that 'this is what is wrong with Canada' and despite his passengers being quite white was quick to tell us all about how they were dressed like 'sluts' (they were wearing tshirts and jeans) and that it was beyond insulting that they were outside without a male escort.
If that wasn't disgusting enough, the cab driver had to turn onto the road that the girls were currently walking across (they had the right of way). He started honking and leaned out his window, threw a bunch of insulting remarks their way and told them to get the F* out of the way.
Rightfully they responded with a "Get the F* out of the way? How about you just F* off"
The entire rest of the trip he was absolutely fuming. "They tell me to F* off? Well, I will F* them and show them their place." (reminder, this girls were like 14)
While I'm all for multiculturalism, there are certain aspects of certain cultures that can stay the F* out of this country.
You are the biggest moron.
Signed
Me
Matt has a valid point. The wording is translatable to what he perceived. Mike W is probably right, that it is an inaccurate interpretation of what was intended but on plain reading Matt's take was not wrong as it could easily be interpreted that way. Clearly the question "Did the influence of western culture on his three daughters drive a man, his wife, and son to conspire to kill them and their caregiver" asks if western culture is to blame for the killings. One wouldn't ask "Did the provocative clothing of a woman drive the suspect to rape her?"
More appropriately the question should have been; "Did some whacko, his wife and son conspire to kill his daughters based on some stone-age cultural leanings?" It is appropriate to ask what failing the family had to kill the girls not whether our culture "drove" them to it.
The Humane Society is mostly a "No Kill" shelter. They don't often euthanize animals and many suffer needlessly there.
Animals don't have better rights than us. That is just a ridiculous statement.
DO the job your were hired to do and when you're finished then and ONLY then should you start something new.
Oh, that's right, it's far easier to beat up on the hapless motorists and tax them into oblivion, while trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
http://helpths.wordpress.com/
That's just for a start and is run by numerous current and former staff and volunteers. The Globe and Mail series is also very sound.