Here we go again

Toronto City Councilor Rob Ford is objecting to funding for AIDS groups, leading to this quote:

"If you're not doing needles and you're not gay, you won't get AIDS, probably. That's the bottom line -- and that's preventable."

Being gay is preventable? Is that also why he objected last year to the city giving funds to the LGBT Youthline (all $3000 out of whatever large amount Toronto's budget is).

Not to mention the obvious points that AIDS is not just a gay or drug user disease, of course this is also the councilor who said that spending money on anti-racism and youth initiatives was wasteful.


(All of the funding did pass without his vote anyway)

from the Scottish newspaper, The Daily Record (12/06/06):

MIGRAINE sufferers have a bigger sex drive than those with ordinary headaches, according to research.

A study found sufferers reported a sex drive 20 per cent higher than those who experienced tension headaches. American university researcher Timothy Houle said: "Our study suggests sexual desire and migraines may be influenced by the same brain chemical."

Ah, another one of those health-study articles with very little information in it...like other research on the same area, how was the study conducted, sample size, measurement methods etc.

goodbye rep cinemas

The Revue, the Royal and the Kingsway are closing as of the end of June...leaving the Paradise and the Fox? (the Bloor is not part of Festival Cinemas).

I suspect these venues were cheaper to book than U of T's Isabel Bader etc, so it is a sad day for smallish film festivals; as well as for people like myself who love old cult films. I'm certainly going to miss them.

The next question that arises is, what will happen to the buildings?
-a Chapters store à la Runnymede
-years of fighting like with Eglinton, and resulting in a high end party venue
-a return to its past life as a live venue, like the Music Hall

Headlines

The Toronto Star online: "Canadian Woman Soldier killed"
The CBC is reporting that a woman Canadian soldier has been killed in Afghanistan.

CBC online: "Canadian solider killed"
A female soldier from Canada has been killed while serving in Afghanistan, military officials said Wednesday.

Woman soldier anyone? While we're at it, are there are woman doctors in the field? What about male nurses?

Here I was thinking that the word soldier included both men and women.

There's a big difference between stating that the yet unidentified soldier is female and using language implying that all soldiers are men.

That this story is breaking news is no excuse for something like this.