Education Minister Liz Sandals is in danger of talking through her hat when she tries to explain how Ontario children have learned mathematics but somehow or other can’t apply it. That does not make sense, does it? CP24 

Two women have been arrested after a Sunwing charter flight to Cuba was turned back to Toronto after what the airline calls a serious disruption aboard the flight. Peel police said two female parties caused a disturbance on-board that aircraft and also uttered some comments that were concerning to the pilot. There is a shedding of inhibition with the prospect of a vacation, and perhaps a drink or two. 

There is new video which shows a touching and informative initiative taken by a dolphin in the wild near Hawaii in getting a human to help the mammal free itself from netting that had become knotted on one of its fins. As the narration in this ITN report tell us, the dolphin sought out the diver and pushed up against him with the entangled fin. As you will see, the diver went to work to remove the netting.

Two boaters were about two miles from the brink of Niagara Falls when they were snatched from disaster by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Coast Guard officials say their Buffalo station received a call around 9:15 p.m. Monday (August 26, 2014) reporting a 19-foot motor boat with two men aboard was anchored in the Niagara River about 2,000 feet inside the 2.5-mile exclusion zone from the falls. A crew from the Coast Guard air station in Detroit was dispatched to the scene, along with a Coast Guard vessel from Buffalo and boat crews from state and local police. The river’s shallow depth prevented the vessels from reaching the anchored boat. A Coast Guard helicopter rescued the two boaters shortly before midnight.

Canadians are said to be freaking out that Burger King will somehow wreck Tim Hortons. The company has issued a news release this morning trying to reassure consumers. Yesterday the news caused an uproar in Washington where Democrats are incensed that Obama loyalist Warren Buffet threw in three billion dollars so Burger King could make the deal.  Washington Post 

According to police, a contractor has cut a power line with a backhoe under the sidewalk outside the Chicken ‘licious restaurant at 2789 Danforth ave. putting approximately 6,000 area residents in the dark on the hottest day of the summer. The bad luck backhoe did its work on in East York. Toronto Hydro says thousands of customers are in dark from an area bounded by Danforth to Queen, and Victoria Park to Main Street. A tweet from TTCing says that the escalators are stopped at Main Street Station. Emergency crews are on scene but the prognosis is for serious sweating until at least dawn. Affected residents are asked to not open the fridge or freezer to allow for items to stay cool, while unplugging non-essential appliances in order to avoid a power surge. Toronto Star  Toronto Sun  #darkTO

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says it is taking no position on whether there should be some type of inquiry into the deaths of native women. It is easy to understand the care with which police approach the subject.  They are traditionally the whipping boy for some frustrated people when it comes to giving the sad story of aboriginal women a happy ending. The question of an inquiry is deeply inflamed. The political interests of native groups, the provinces and the federal government are thoroughly mixed together when demands are made for an inquiry. The issues extend far beyond aboriginal women. More native men die violently than women. Those who oppose this type of expensive and ineffective grandstand are often portrayed as heartless lowlifes blocking milk deliveries to the nursery. Maybe an inquiry can help. But appeals for one come with the vaguest ideas of what might be achieved. Issues related to aboriginal life in Canada are among the most intractable known to the country. Those working on the ground like former prime minister Paul Martin find occasional insights. His Martin Aboriginal Educational Initiative has found that home ownership gives native people a greater incentive to keep their homes repaired and liveable. It is a small thing but it has the potential to change a culture. Chris Selley in the National Post reviews opinion on how to help native women. He agrees with a writer who says an important cause is poverty on the reserve. How is that fixed? No judicial inquiry anywhere ever eliminated it. Whatever the answer, Selley observes tartly:  “It’s some job, though. isn’t it?”  Chris Selley Full Pundit