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Leafs Get Ready to Say Good-Bye to a Bad Year, and Hello to a Good One

April 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It’s not too late yet, but the chances that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be contenders in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year is looking very dim indeed. No one really wants to start talking about next year just yet, but with only three games left and quite a few points still to gain, it’s really starting to look like next year will be the next time the Leafs have a chance to make the playoffs. But if they keep playing like they are right now, the 2012 playoffs could very well be a reality for the Leafs, who have not made the playoffs since the 2003-2004 season.

While the Leafs aren’t out of it just yet for this year, they are pretty close and their odds of making it are growing slimmer by the game. If it’s not bad enough that they must win all three of their remaining games, add to it that the Buffalo Sabres have to lose each of their three games, and the outlook isn’t good. The good news is that the Leafs can win their games in either regulation or overtime, but if any of their games comes to a shootout, their playoff chances are done for this year. So will the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs in the 2010-2011 season? Probably not. But it’s not all bad news.

The Leafs have been looking fantastic for the past month or so, and this bodes well for a team that hasn’t seemed to be able to find their footing in several of the past years. And that could mean that come next year at this time, talk could be starting about who the Leafs will be facing in the playoffs, rather than whether or not they will even make it. And that’s the best news that Leafs fans have had to cheer for in recent seasons.

So while no one is eager about starting to talk about next year before this year’s season is officially out, the players and the fans are hopeful as ever for what next year will bring, and are still revelling in the excitement from the past few weeks. There’s no doubt that it’s been playoff-like atmosphere just trying to get that coveted spot; and while it may not have happened this time, fans and players alike have more reason to believe than ever that next year will be their year.

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SlutWalk Starts in Response to Toronto Police’s Insensitivity

April 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

When Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke about safety practices at York University in late January, he probably thought that he was going to enlighten today’s youth on how to keep themselves safer and avoid dangerous situations. He probably didn’t realize he was going to shed light on the fact that many Toronto police officers are still ignorant about situations as serious as rape, or that he was about to start a major nationwide protest.

When Const. Sanguinetti arrived at the school, he began his lecture on regular safety procedures and personal safety. Shortly after the officer began speaking about rape he told the crowd of students that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” The statement is shocking in this day, and caused a great deal of backlash from students and residents of Toronto. But the response from the Toronto police department has caused many women to take matters into their own hands – and out onto the streets of Toronto.

The first official SlutWalk was held on Sunday, April 3, 2011. The walk consisted of people, mostly women, walking around in stiletto heels, fishnet stockings, shirts with plunging necklines, and anything else that could be considered “slutty.” These women were out to make a point – that women have a right to wear whatever they want, and that those choices do not lead to rape. The women were enraged with the police officer’s remarks that put the blame back on the victim instead of the perpetrator, but they seemed even more incensed at the little action that was taken by Toronto police after the ignorant remark was made.

The Toronto police came out publicly almost immediately after the remark was made, to say that Constable Sanguinetti’s remarks were not consistent with the training of the Toronto police and that all Toronto police officers must complete sensitivity training as well as proper rape training. Chief Bill Blair also said that Sanguinetti was properly disciplined over what he said, but there were no details given on just what that discipline involved. Constable Sanguinetti is also still part of 31 Division, although he was not on duty on Sunday during the walk.

But the lack of response to Sanguinetti’s comments isn’t the only thing that SlutWalk organizers are protesting; they also feel as though their concerns are being ignored by the Toronto police. Co-founder Heather Jarvis, told reporters at the event that she had made three different, specific requests to Toronto police that had gone unanswered. The requests included restructuring education and training for Toronto police, implementation of that training from third-party sources, and an improvement on public outreach programs including education regarding “rape myths.” That, along with the disinterest of the police to take part in the walk on Sunday, only seemed to cement the belief of many that the Toronto police aren’t as sensitive as they should be to the issue of rape.

But the Toronto police department says that’s just not the case. Constable Wendy Drummond did tell reporters that that the organizers of the walk were provided with an outline of the changes and revisions made to sexual assault police procedures. Const. Drummond also responded to the fact that there was no Toronto police officer actively participating at the event by saying, “We have reached out to them. But wanting to put us up there and not be heard, is just not something that we’re going to do.”

SlutWalk Toronto has also spurred on other SlutWalks in cities such as Vancouver, Ottawa, and Boston.

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More Somali Terrorist Activity in Toronto and Canada

April 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The city of Toronto was slightly shaken this past week when a man was arrested at Pearson International Airport for terrorism charges, due to his affiliations with Al Shabaab, a terrorist group in Somalia. And while this may have been the first time many had even heard of the group, it’s been infiltrating Canada and the United States for some time, and is an organization that is slowly but surely taking citizens of those countries to come join the organization. What’s even more frightening is that this terrorist group seems to now be focusing on recruiting women, and this news seems to have people more scared than ever, as it shows that the group has shifted their focus from recruiting only men.

Two women have been identified so far as leaving Canada to join the Al Shabaab in Somalia. These women were aged 18 and 20 and they disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving entire families behind that had no idea where or why they had gone. Since their disappearance, the girls have emailed home a few times, only to tell their parents that they were fine and that they didn’t want their parents coming to look for them. The girls have emailed several other times after that, but that’s been the extent of the communication.

The news that the Al Shabaab is now getting recruits from Canada is troubling, and our neighbours to the south are also facing the same issues. In 2010 two Somalia-American women were charged for eliciting funds from individuals in order to send back to the terrorist group. After they were indicted it was also found that these women were also doing fundraising in Canada to support the organization. The Somali Six was another group that was known to be supporting the Al Shabaab and trying to seek funds for them. This group was all men, but they all vanished in 2009 much the same way the young women did earlier this year.

Omar Jamal, who works with the United Nation’s Somalia mission, has expressed great worry about how the Al Shabaab now seems to be infiltrating Canada and the United States, and taking citizens of these countries to go and take up arms with a terrorist group. Jamal says that the Al Shabaab is focusing more on women now than on young men because it’s believed that they are more dedicated and more loyal.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is currently working to find the location of the two girls who disappeared in January, and they’re always working to find new ways that these groups are infiltrating Canada; right now it seems to have much to do with the presence that they carry online. Tahera Mufti, a spokesperson for the agency, said in an interview that while the agency is always trying to identify and persecute anyone who’s a threat to Canada, they will not release details on any of the operations put in place to do so.

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Toronto Man Arrested on Terrorism Charges

April 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

On Tuesday night Mohamed Hersi, 25, was about to board his plane in Pearson Airport when instead, police arrested the man on terrorism charges. There were two charges in total; one was for attempting to participate in terrorism activity and the other was providing counsel to someone who could then participate in a terrorist activity. The arrest came after an anonymous tip was placed with police in September, indicating that Hersi was involved with a terrorist group in Somalia. That tip led to an investigation that went on for more than six months, and to Hersi’s ultimate arrest.

There is little that’s known about the charges or the investigation, as it is still ongoing and authorities are reluctant to release more information until they know more. They do believe that when Hersi was boarding the plane he was headed for London, England, where he would catch a connecting flight to Cairo, where he could then easily get to Somalia. It’s believed by police that once in Somalia, Hersi was planning on becoming part of the terrorist group, Al Shabaab. This group has been recognized as a terrorist group in both Canada and the United States, and having any affiliation or participation within that group is considered to be a crime.

Hersi graduated from the University of Toronto in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also held a job in the Toronto area until recently, but police would not say where he worked, what he did, or his reasons for leaving. RCMP Inspector, Keith Finn, who’s been helping head the investigation against Hersi, has said that the RCMP and the police officers working on the case have enough pieces of critical evidence to lay criminal charges, and that even though a lot isn’t being said about the case right now, authorities are also very confident that they have enough to make and support a case against Hersi. Hersi appeared in court very briefly on Wednesday where he was remanded until Friday. At that time, a special bail hearing date will be set, which will probably be on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

Toronto officials say that while this latest terrorism charge is worrisome, it’s indicative of the “radicalization” they’re seeing more and more within Canada, and that it seems to mostly be the country’s youth that are becoming radicalized. Both the RCMP and the Toronto Police are urging people to become more aware and more educated about the amount of radicalization, so that communities and police can work together to stop it, just as it happened in this case.

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Earth Hour: How Much Electricity Did Toronto Really Save?

March 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

If you were expecting to drive along Toronto’s streets on Saturday night during the Earth hour of 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and find everything dark, you would have been surprised. Especially if you drove by the houses of some of those that are leaders in the area. Yes, this is the one hour every year that we’re supposed to disconnect and unplug everything electric, all in an effort to save electricity and show our commitment to doing so every day from hereon out.  So you would expect that the leaders of the city would be doing the same, right? Disappointingly, no, that was not the case on Saturday.

The Toronto Star did their own digging and drove around to some of the most prominent houses in Toronto during Earth Hour on Saturday to see who were following their own rules, and who were not. The results were indeed surprising. First up was Jed Goldberg, the President of Earth Day Canada. Surely his lights would be out, wouldn’t they? Nope. Reporters took pictures of the light radiating out of the windows of Goldberg’s home and as they were doing so, a neighbour asked them what they were doing. After telling her, the neighbour went back into her house. Just a few minutes later, the Goldberg home went dark. Only for a few minutes though. Then a young man came out of the house yelling that the picture was not taken fairly; they have solar panels on their home and drive a hybrid car. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t play by the rules on a day that they helped impose.

Ontario Energy Minister, Brad Duguid, was also put to the test as his house was also checked on during Earth Hour. Duguid actually wasn’t even home during the energy-saving hour, but his family was. And they had the lights on in the kitchen and the living room. Later, a statement was made saying that the Duguids had their lights off for the “majority” of the time and that they only turned them on to receive some food that was delivered. However, Star reporters say that they were outside of the Duguids home for the entire hour and that the lights were on for about half an hour, and no food was delivered.

David Miller, former Toronto Mayor, also had several lights on in his home including two on the front porch, one in the hallway, and other odd lights here and there. However, he gets a bit of a pass as he’s currently overseas and won’t be returning until later this week. But what were the reasons for the other oversights? They seem to be only limp excuses from those who are pushing us to constantly reduce and conserve.

But it wasn’t just the lights on at the leader’s houses that hurt Earth Hour this year. Toronto only saw a 5% reduction in the energy used during Earth Hour 2011, which is half of what was reduced during Earth Hour 2010. Mississauga faired much better though, reducing energy used by 8%.

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Video Games Aren’t Just for Fun Anymore!

March 27, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt that video gaming consoles have come a long way. We’ve gone from gigantic consoles that needed many accessories and controllers, to small boxes that can fit snugly in a drawer or on a shelf, and no accessories required. Yes, technology is certainly advancing and gamers are reaping many benefits from it. But, surgeons too? Yes, surgeons at Sunnybrook Hospital are now using the XBox Kinect to help them during their procedures and to keep the sterile integrity of operating rooms.

We’ve all seen surgeons on TV or even in real life that rely on television monitors in the operating room to guide them through procedures, showing them where to go, what to cut and what to suction. In the past though, the surgeon had an assistant that would flip through frame after frame, sometimes as many as fifty or a hundred frames, because the surgeon often needs to go back and forth during one procedure. Sometimes surgeons don’t have assistants though, and in these cases the surgeons must leave the operating table, wash up, and go over to the computer. After touching the keyboard and the mouse, the surgeon then needs to scrub back in so that they can again enter the sterile environment of the operating room. This can add as much as two hours onto any operation and poses a slight risk to the sterile environment.

But now an engineering team, Matt Strickland and Jamie Tremaine out of Waterloo, have realized that the XBox Kinect could do the same thing. The same way that millions of people use the gaming console to jump over ski hills and give boxing ring jabs in their own living rooms, surgeons can now use in surgery; and the process is much the same. When people are playing games on the console, the system uses their hand and body movements as commands, telling the console what to do next. In the operating room, it works the same way. The XBox is programmed to correspond with the surgeon’s movements. If they move one way, the XBox will move forward a few frames. When they move another way, it will go back as many frames as they need.

The solution is an ingenious one, really, as minimizing risks in operating rooms is always one thing that every hospital strives to achieve. With reducing the amount of contamination, and keeping sterile areas absolutely sterile, it could reduce the amount of time and money that are spent on operations, simply by reducing the time for it. It could also open up operating rooms sooner for patients that need them. Most importantly though, shaving this much time off a procedure and keeping the operating rooms as sterile as possible, could turn gaming consoles into life-saving tools.

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Mississauga Man Charged with Fatally Stabbing Wife

March 27, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It was early afternoon on Tuesday, March 22, 2011, when a teenage girl ran out of her house on Longford Drive screaming that her mother had been stabbed. A neighbour, Michele Markovic, saw the girl standing in the street hysterical and brought her into her home.

Maria Avidago had been at her job working as a dental hygienist when she had to come home to get a car seat for her daughter, who was coming back to her home in the United States. Victor Avidago was at home and shortly after his wife, Maria, arrived home, he began stabbing her. The teenage daughter was home, and it was at that time that she ran out into the street screaming about how her mother had been stabbed. While Michele Markovic took the adolescent girl inside her home and called police, another neighbour went over to the Avidago’s home trying to speak to Victor. However, he would not come outside. Markovic also took Maria’s sister and her two-year-old daughter in for shelter while they waited for police to arrive on the scene.

When police arrived, they too tried to speak to Victor Avidago but he was being very reluctant and difficult in saying anything that had happened. A standoff occurred, which prevented paramedics from tending to Maria and helping her in any way. Eventually, police had to use a Taser gun to get Victor under control. He was then arrested on the scene for second degree murder.

Victor Avidago had an appearance in a Brampton court yesterday. The hearing only lasted a few minutes, before Avidago was remanded to custody. The two Avidago daughters, ages 10 and 13, are currently staying with relatives.

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Is Toronto Going to Legalize Prostitution?

March 23, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

When City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti ran for the seat of Mayor last year, he promised the city that should he be elected, there would be a new prostitution red light district set up somewhere within the city of Toronto. Mammoliti withdrew from the race though and any dreams residents may have had about legalized prostitution quickly dissipated into nothing. Now that Mammoliti is working very closely with Mayor Rob Ford, he’s back on the push for legalized prostitution. And he even has the perfect spot for brothels – the islands.

Mammoliti has just one reason why he thinks legalized prostitution could benefit the city, but it’s a big one – tax revenue! The idea is simple, really. Set up brothels, tax the heck out of them, and the city makes money that it can use to make up some of the $784 million budget gap that it’s looking at for the year 2012. Mammoliti also argues that prostitution is happening illegally all over the city; so why not legalize it and have that money going into the pockets of the city, instead of the pockets of pimps and back out onto the street.

Mammoliti makes a good point that legal brothels on the Toronto Island would bring in millions, if not billions, of dollars in not only the brothels but also the hotels, restaurants, and other businesses it would attract, especially if casinos were also permitted to be built on the island. But, is City Council or the city’s residents going to stand for something that has such negative connotations with it, just to make a few bucks? It certainly doesn’t sound very “Canadian”; in fact it sounds much more “Vegas.”

But, that’s not the only problem that Torontonians have with the idea of legal brothels. Many are concerned about the proposed location. Mammoliti has stated this is the perfect location because it’s already missing a family atmosphere, what with the nude beach Hanlan’s Point so close. But parents disagree – and vehemently. With a public school also located on the islands, parents are extremely concerned that their children would be riding to school with prostitutes, and getting the wrong message with a brothel running during the school hours.

Other residents on the island also didn’t like the idea. Marci Crist though, runs a bed and breakfast on the island, and says the school isn’t the only thing to consider. Right now, crime on the islands is relatively non-existent, and she’s concerned that brothels may bring in the wrong kind of crowd – and bring in crime along with it. And, what if something does happen? What if someone gets into real trouble on the islands, because of the new crime that the brothels brought, and police can’t get out there quickly enough?

It’s clear that the idea of brothels is a controversial one in Toronto, and it’s also clear that the idea of legalized prostitution will bring much benefit to the city, but could also have some serious side effects. There’s no word yet on whether or not the brothels will be a go, but it is up for discussion with the city.

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Vicious Attacks in Parkdale Continue

March 22, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

If you ask the staff and residents at the boarding house where he lived, George Wass, 62, was a “gentle giant” that had mood swings, and was always quick to apologize when he was wrong. He’s also the fifth victim in a string of attacks on Parkdale’s mentally ill, and the first death that has resulted from the them.

George Wass was standing outside on the porch of the Parkdale boarding house on Friday morning, smoking a cigarette, when a man wearing a ski mask severely beat him. Wass suffered two broken ribs, cuts to his head and face, and a black eye before the attacker took off on his bicycle. Wass was immediately taken to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries and then released.

People who lived with George, as well as the staff at the boarding house, all said that he seemed to be in good health after his return to the boarding home. And one resident of the home, Karen Polisak, said that later Friday afternoon she and Wass, her “best friend”, made their daily walk to Holy Family church, where he seemed to be in good spirits. However, on Monday morning, Wass was found lying unconscious in the hallway on the second floor of the boarding home. Staff called 911 immediately and Wass was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital where he was immediately pronounced dead.

George Wass was developmentally delayed, and he had the mental capacity of an 8-year-old child; and that’s probably the only thing that made Wass a victim on Friday. Not only was this the third attack outside of this same boarding home, but it’s also the fifth attack on mentally disabled people since January, all of them taking place within the Parkdale area. Just two weeks ago a 55-year-old man in the same home was beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable. Wass was the one that phoned 911 to get the man some help, and he continually told the other residents to avoid going outside by themselves.

It’s thought that the same man is responsible for all five beatings. He is described as about 5’8” tall, stocky, wears a ski mask, and sometimes rides a bicycle, he’s been seen escaping on one in two of the five attacks. Police believe that the man probably lives in the area and are asking any residents to please send in any information they have regarding suspicious people. They’re hoping that the perpetrator has either broken his hand, become cut himself, or had blood on his clothing that would give him away to other people. Police are also hoping that if this is the case, residents will step forward with any helpful information. Individuals are urged to do this by calling 11 Division at 416-808-1100.

It’s unclear if Wass died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the attack. Authorities are conducting a post-mortem autopsy today, and this will tell them the cause of death. If the cause is due to the injuries, it will mean that the death will be considered a homicide.

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Torontonians Want to See Charlie Sheen’s Meltdown – Live!

March 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

People either love him or hate him, but according to the sales at the Roy Thomson Hall box office say that in general, Torontonians love Charlie Sheen. It was here that tickets to Charlie Sheen’s show, My Violent Torpedo of Truth, went on sale Saturday. And not only did they go on sale here, they were also completely sold out just 45 minutes after going on sale. So just what exactly are these people paying for?

Many of the people in line were quiet about what they were hoping to see, but those who did comment pretty much all had the same thing to say: they were hoping that Charlie Sheen would have his complete meltdown at some point during the show. Most even agreed that that’s what they were paying to see. Others, while in the minority, stated that they wanted to see the show just because they liked Charlie Sheen, and that they didn’t think he was “mad” or “crazy” just “different.” These same folks seemed to also be the crowd that talked about how relatable Sheen’s humour was, and how he spoke the truth, whether people liked it or not. Alice Barnett was one person in line who wasn’t there to buy Charlie Sheen tickets at all, and was somewhat horrified that there was so much interest, either because of people’s interest in seeing the meltdown take place live; or because Sheen was cashing in on such a serious situation.

Regardless of whether you love him or hate him, or what the reasoning is behind going to see his show, it’s clear that Torontonians support Charlie Sheen and will still pay to see him. And they’re not alone. Sheen’s show has also already sold out in Detroit and Chicago on his tour around the United States, which has already expanded to include 12 more shows, Toronto’s being one of them.

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