What's troubling is that the homophobic and racially slanted comments allegedly made by Rob Ford have received little or no scrutiny. The biggest stain this scandal brings isn't the possible addictions of a well-known politician. It is the fetid stench of acceptance and normalization of blatant bigotry that stinks to high heavens. Have we become collectively complacent in the face of bigotry?
Though this week's "Game Of Thrones" certainly served up plenty of doom and gloom, it also gave the optimists among us new reason to hope, as Tyrion, Sam and even Ser Davos notched some unlikely victories over the generally ascendant forces of destruction.
The obvious question is, if Mayor Ford is charged with possession of crack cocaine does he then lose his post? The short answer is "no." Absent imprisonment, there is really no way to remove a mayor who is charged with an offence.
Just because you've been getting away with a social gaffe for decades doesn't mean you shouldn't stop making it. By the time you're 50, you should know a thing or two -- or 25 -- about etiquette.
This is how the entire situation boils down: You are giving your money to a website so they can give your money to a member of a gang which wreaks violence on your city so that they, the website, can make money for themselves. Does this make any sense to you whatsoever? If you don't like Rob Ford, fine, don't vote for him. Smear him all you want. Insult him at every party. Call him a fascist Michelin Man. Frankly, I don't give a damn. But for the love of God, please don't give money to drug dealers.
As bittersweet as the undertones of the show were, it still played like your average installment of "Saturday Night Live." There wasn't an endless parade of Bill Hader and Fred Armisen's greatest hits. Instead, both men left as they arrived, standouts of the ensemble, without overshadowing the cast. A fitting sendoff.
As Mike Duffy's senatorial career implosion peaked this week, I was left wondering if all was really as it appeared, or if something far more complex was taking place. If Duffy -- and Wallin, and Brazeau, and others -- are part of a some plan to discredit the Senate to the point that all citizens demand its abolition.
Yep, if you've got a yen for island living, we can't think of any island that delivers more than this one.
I was 33 years old and working the local news beat with the CBC's supper hour news cast when the universe hurled a wicked curve ball my way. On the Tuesday morning after the Canada Day holiday, I tripped and fell in the newsroom, scraping my knee. Forty-eight hours later I was admitted to Emergency in a Toronto hospital. And I learned that something was terribly wrong with my health.
Well, that's that. Tears have been shed. Stories have been finalized and Creed ends up right where he belongs... jail. Sometimes the days were long, sometimes the coffee was odd, but the company was always... hmm, well, odd also.
Keeping track of what you should and shouldn't be eating is hard enough! When we start throwing supplements into the mix, it gets even more confusing! We've developed this easy to follow chart to help you better understand what foods help breakdown those vitamins and make it easier for your bodies to absorb them.
My appearance borders on high femme, yet I too am guilty of being a lezbro: I've brought my "male gaze" to parties with go-go dancers, and I've described women's bodies in a manner that I learned from my straight male friends, mostly because I thought it was the cool thing to do.
Quebec comedians have a strange affliction. It sporadically resurfaces time and again and it's proven almost impossible to cure. The affliction in question is the Quebec comedy scene's' sick, inexplicable obsession with blackface. Last Sunday it exposed itself yet again.
It's smoothie season! Well, wait. Every season is smoothie season as far as I am concerned. Even though I have recently retired my hat as a vegan, I do still prefer using a non-dairy base in my blended concoctions.
While women are equipped with the necessary skills to perform well as leaders, they are not exercising the ability to self-promote. The issue lies, in part, with a woman's confidence or lack thereof. Women tend to "self-select out."
Of all the places to which sun seekers migrate, none is as popular as the beach or swimming pool. For many, there is nothing quite like becoming one with the water. Unfortunately, the escape comes with its own challenges, namely that of infections.
This week has been an emotional roller coaster for Canadians who follow the news. Lost in the shuffle were two stories that were of no particular importance, relatively speaking, to Canadians. One of them is about the way well-heeled Manhattan moms have worked the lineup system at Disney by hiring a disabled person to be a "family member" for the day.
Was your car stolen? Complain. But if you couldn't find a parking spot, you stubbed your toe, your phone bill was too high last month or the coffee you're drinking is just a little too bitter, swallow the complaint, don't vocalize it and move on.
This week was so full of disillusioning news that it was hard to keep an optimistic outlook. In Belize, thousands of years of history were razed when one of the country's largest Mayan pyramids was bulldozed. In Toronto, Gawker and The Toronto Star published details of a video alleged to show the city's mayor, Rob Ford, inhaling from what two Star reporters who saw the video say "appears to be a glass crack pipe." Meanwhile, in Ottawa, expense scandals led to Senators Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy leaving the Conservative caucus. What's a defeated HuffPost reader to do?
The best way to deal with a blank page (or blank screen) is to simply not have one. Asking how one deals with a blank page is a bit like asking how one deals with an Ed Hardy thumb ring or a pinstriped fedora. Just avoid that whole landmine by not ever having one.
Canadians are not meeting the Food Guide recommendations, especially when it comes to eating enough fruit and vegetables. Part of the problem is knowing how many fruits and vegetables we need to eat in a day and what a serving size should be. Guess what? We all have a terrific tool at our disposal to help us eat healthy -- our dinner plate.
What needs to happen next is that the Mayor should address the allegations head-on then move on. What Toronto needs to do is start vetting potential Mayoral candidates for 2014 as Ford has made it clear that he'll be running again. When you honestly think about it, our standards are not that high when it comes to politicians; we need to raise the bar.
With an expansive lakefront, bustling business district and renowned entertainment scene, Toronto shines in summer. If you are planning a trip to Canada's largest city, use these tips for hidden secrets from a local and make your trip one to remember.