Toronto Mike

News

Total 152 Posts

Raveena Aulakh

I've never met Raveena Aulakh, environment reporter at the Toronto Star since 2008, but I recently learned she took her own life the weekend of May 28. She was only 42 years old. I've read a great deal about the sordid circumstances surrounding her suicide, first in Frank Magazine, and
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Future Shop, 1982 - 2015

News broke this morning that all Future Shop stores have been shuttered, effective immediately. 66 are gone for good while 65 will be turned into Best Buy outlets. The end result will be the loss of 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time jobs. What irks me is the complete lack
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My Thoughts on Pope Francis

I'm not a fan of the over-the-top press this week's papal conclave has garnered.  Like so much baggage, it's overdone pomp and circumstance for a bunch of old men to elect another old man to lead the Catholic church, a man-made institution designed to control and oppress.  No thanks, I'm
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Slow News Day?

My go-to source for news is the CBC.  Sometimes it's CBC Radio One, sometimes it's their Andoid app for news and other times it starts at http://www.cbc.ca/news/. Just now, after looking at the clock in the top right corner of the screen and seeing it's almost
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Luka Rocco Magnotta's Digital Trail

At this hour, police are hunting for Rocco Magnotta, also known as Luka Magnotta, in connection with the torso found in Montreal yesterday and the body parts mailed to political parties.  Luka Magnotta is a male model and porn star, originally from Toronto but now living in Montreal. This story
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The Last WWI Vet Has Passed Away

Florence Green has died.  She was the world's last surviving First World War veteran.  Florence would have turned 111 in a couple of weeks. She signed up to the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) 93 years ago in September 1918, when she was aged just 17.  She was the last
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Mountain Dew vs. the Mouse

It's tough to skip over a headline that references Pepsi and mouse carcasses.  Pepsi has an interesting defense in a case from a guy who claims he found a mouse in his Mountain Dew. Pepsi Co., facing a lawsuit from a man who claims to have found a mouse in
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Larry Predicted It :)

Here's a scene from this past season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. As you'll see, Larry and Jeff discuss the use of smiley faces in texts and Larry predicts the New York Times will eventually use it in a headline. Yesterday, the New York Times published this article with the headline
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It's Not The Heat, It's The Stupidity

An Associated Press article got my attention with the headline "Northeast braces for temps near boiling point". That's pretty scary stuff.  The boiling point, of course, would be 100°C or 212°F.  What exactly are these temps near 100°C or 212°F? Boston's 99 degrees on Friday could
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The Royal Wedding

Have you heard Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton are getting hitched?  Friday at Westminster Abbey, I hear.  I honestly could not care less. Judging from the television coverage, I'm the exception.  When I catch a news item on the royal wedding, I can't click away fast enough.  I simply
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Mark McAllister's Minor Medical Issue

Global News Toronto reporter Mark McAllister suffered what's being described as a "minor medical issue" while live on the air Monday night. Here he is, struggling to speak about defence minister Peter MacKay. He's been back on the air since and claims to be feeling fine.  Here's hoping that moment
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Speak To Tweet Gives Egyptians Voice

The last of Egypt's main Internet service providers, the Noor Group, went offline yesterday.  Without internet, Egyptians are being muted, leaving "The Papyrus Revolution" without a voice. This past weekend, Google and Twitter introduced a speak-to-tweet service, allowing Egyptians to tweet using just a voice connection. It’s already live
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Damien Cox Quits Toronto Star for TSN

Star of Cox and Berger of the Bells, and columnist for the Toronto Star for as long as I can remember, Damien Cox has apparently resigned from the Star to take a full-time position with TSN. I can already hear Canadians outside of the GTA complaining that TSN has hired
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