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Morning Brew: New TTC Rocket subway temporarily out of service thanks to anti-Ford graffiti, York University considers giving security handcuffs and batons, and the Sun asks if taxpayers should pay for Layton's state funeral
This is classy. A new Toronto rocket subway train was temporarily pulled out of service after someone spray painted "F--k Rob Ford" inside. The quick-thinking vandal also noticed the train's security camera and spray painted the lens too. TTC spokesman Brad Ross said he was unsure if there were witnesses and the investigation is still ongoing. I'm not picking sides on the "graffiti vs. Rob Ford" debate, but did it really have to be one of the new rockets?
More news from the city's underground transit. Unlike yesterday's report of a violent altercation on a TTC streetcar, this latest show of violence on a TTC subway car did involve a TTC employee. Just before 9 p.m. last night, a TTC employee was viciously beaten after approaching a man who was hopping between moving subway cars as the train was pulling into Islington station. A suspect has been charged with assault.
In response to the university being deemed unsafe, York University is considering equipping its security staff with batons and handcuffs, allowing them to intervene when criminal activity is suspected and possibly detain suspects. Previously, security staff were told not to do anything when they saw suspicious activity but to call police, which makes you wonder why they were called "security staff" and not just "staff." Needless to say, not all York students are thrilled about the idea.
Now it's the Sun's turn to rain down on the Jack Layton funeral parade (procession) questioning whether Layton's state funeral is the appropriate choice in spending taxpayers' money. Joe Warmington argues that Layton was never a prime minister, cabinet minister, or even John Lennon, so where does the line stop? He also wonders if the money would be better off spent in Goderich, or for the homeless, which is just silly because we all know how the Sun feels about the homeless.
IN BRIEF:
- Layton advisor emerging as front-runner to take over NDP reins
- Jays fall to Royals
- Lifeguards rescue woman from drowning at Kew Beach
Photo by mauriciojcalero in the blogTO Flickr pool
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Screw the sun, I went to their web site last night for the first time in months and one of the headlines is child born with clown nose. Who in their right mind would take that tabloid seriously? Plus there is huge public support for the state funeral and Harper made the right call.
That would be his perfect ending!
Mr. Layton loved to live large off the public. To do so in death would be perfect... in his mind and his family.
Time to stop this endless expense to 'working families'.
To that end Mr. Layton was a huge waster of $$$s on pet projects. His funeral is and should be a family matter and expense. Unfortunately, like every other aspect of his life it too is up for public subsidy.
In the case of Bouchard he was the Leader of the Opposition and in the case of Duceppe his popularity (recent election aside is probably comparable to Jack's in Toronto). I think the potential for a slippery slope is huge. It is fair to ask if this is appropriate but maybe not 36 hours after it happened.
Ottawa would do something official of some sort, but nothing big like they will for Layton.
There is no slippery slope, because when somebody dies who nobody gives a shit about, it never becomes bigger than it is.
Leave it to the Sun to pee all over the grave of a politician their editorial staff dislikes before it's even dug. I have to ask how they would react if the Opposition leader had been Harper - and if the Star published a similar article. Quebecor is trying really hard to be Canada's equivalent to News Corporation.
When RFK was running for president in '68 he was confronted by someone on camera about all the social programs that he was going to enact. When the reporter sneered at him and said "who's going to pay for all this", He looked the reporter in the eye and said "YOU ARE".
50,000 people for his funeral was huge back then, what I didn't know his funeral was one of the first public events in Canada to be recorded on film.
I just have an issue with the sudden outpouring of love towards Layton from many people who probably didn't care about him at all in life.
Reminds me of the wave of new Nirvana fans after Cobain died.
Frankly, I don't have the knee-jerk anti-separatist reaction a lot of people have. I have no problem with people deciding an existing relationship or political entity no longer works for them and choosing to organize their own system; adults can decide to change things without condemning the other parties in a split. As far as I'm concerned, that's a basic right of all humans, to decide how they wish to organize and who, if anyone, they wish to delegate authority to. My main concern is what kind of system they would organize for themselves, whether it would be an egalitarian one or otherwise, but that's academic until separatism gains support again, if ever. The BQ represented a large group of people in this system. Attacking people for daring to support a sovereigntist movement on the federal level did nothing to address their concerns or desires; heck, it probably reinforced the sense of exclusion and isolation from the rest of Canada that the BQ and PQ thrived upon.
The NDP was able to eat the BQ's lunch because it offered a set of policies and ideals that BQ supporters, burned out on the flagging chance for achieving sovereignty, could support within the existing system. Give people a reason to stay in an existing organization, and they'll stay. Isolate and ostracize them, and they will wish to leave. Learn from history, or repeat the same mistakes.
@dnr - sorry, bud, but your lack of maturity (and perspective) is showing. Thirty years ago, I loathed the Sun. Claire Hoy ranted against the gays and anything else he didn't like. The paper was so far in right field it wasn't even in the field. Then about 10 years ago, something weird started to happen. At first, I would have to use a gas mask and gloves to read the paper at work if someone left it laying around, then I found myself starting to agree with their editorials once in a while, then more and more. Intriguingly, I started to choke at the Star, then had to wear gloves to read it, then finally cancelled my subscription to that rag about 6 or 7 years ago.
Claire Hoy, who is a frequent guest on Michael Coren's TV show, has softened his position over the years - even has a few gay friends today. Michael Coren, who I rarely agree with, has a great TV show, which is well balanced with panel guests and deals with very important issues facing Canada today. At least he has guests who can debate the other side.
My guess is that the median age on this site is either 15, or many of the posters have not grown up yet. I would love to meet a few of the people who post here in about 10 or 15 years and see if they still hold the same opinions that they exhibit now.
Have you seen my ear medicine?
Are they ever?
York is a hive of knee-jerk lunacy, whichever end of the idealistic spectrum it lays on.
<i>Where? Outside Toronto, who really gives a rat's a$$ about this man?</i>
Well, Rick, maybe the people who voted NDP rather than Liberal in May? BTW, it's okay to write words like 'ass' here - you're not on the Globe site now.
<i>I would never gloat over the passing of someone I vehemently disagreed with, but I sure as hell won't glorify it</i>
And oddly enough, that's something Sue-Ann Levy understands is possible but Blatchford does not. It's possible to respect someone who disagree with about practically everything, and also possible to dislike someone and say so without doing a hatchet job on them when they're no longer around to defend themselves.
Newsflash: Quebecor already <i>is</i> Canada's equivalent to News Corporation (or at least Fox News)