Laura goes 4 for 4 in spelling semi finals

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Laura Newcombe pulled off what one judge called a “clutch performance” this afternoon to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington this weekend. The Deer Park pupil had to spell four zingers, isochronal, theopneustic, chlorthalidone and choralcelo to advance. At the championship round Laura will compete against the 13 best young spellers in the world. The Star reports that chlorthalidone caused Laura some furrows but she plunged on, correctly finishing the word. Star story.

Shopping at Loblaws? No (Veal) Baloney!

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The linked story from the Star lamenting Loblaws decision to stop carrying Lisa’s Salad Dressing recalls a simmering grocery beef. Despite the wonderful array of food on display, the company is ruthless about eliminating products that for various reasons aren’t wanted any more. Whether it’s expensive canned Hearts of Palm for your salad, Soy based ice cream or savoury Veal Baloney (sandwich above) — you will do without them if you’re shopping for these items at Loblaws. Memories fade but it’s a good bet that these foods were once on sale at the Weston giant. Now they’re not. All this might have been seen on the horizon when then president Dave Nichols (President’s Choice) shocked brand name firms like Coca Cola when he kicked them to the back of the store in favour of Loblaws product. The owner of Lisa’s Salad Dressing is fearful that his business will fail without Loblaws. His predicament is a cautionary tale for any business person not to let a single customer get a stranglehold on your future.

Christie Blatchford back at National Post

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Christie Blatchford, who has been writing a column for the Globe and Mail for a few years now, has bolted to the National Post. The announcement in a press release issued by Postmedia, offered the following quote from the woman known in media circles as just Blatch: “I’m glad to be back in the fold. It feels like my natural home. I never stopped reading National Post every day, I think it’s the prettiest and best written newspaper in the country. I’m really happy to be back.” Postmedia president and CEO Paul Godfrey called the hire a “game changer” for Postmedia.

Attention Occupant, we’ll be back later

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We’ll be asking Hank the mailman (letter carrier?) if we’ll see him tomorrow morning. It’s a purely reflexive thing on our part because by the time we can report his answer, you will know yourself whether there’s a strike. But as someone has already asked, if there’s a strike will anyone notice. It’s not right to make light of strikes of any kind, for all the impact big or small they might have on our lives. There is however a certain appeal to a morning without fat catalogues of outdoor wear, American Express “offers” and “rewards” posing as real money and various Attention Occupant notices.

McSorely’s — good for a laugh on itself

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Old timers will remember such crowd-pleasers as the all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs. It was a staple at McSorley’s, the friendly local tavern, in its early days. Today the food, service and prices (three out of three!) are still great. And McSorley’s is celebrating 20 years on South Bayview with its typical self deprecating humour. Who else would have the guts to put up a sign like this one. Congratulations to McSorely’s and here’s hoping for at least another 20.

Dark thoughts about raccoons

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It’s repugnant and wrong no doubt to bludgeon raccoons in your backyard. As a local man has learned, society rightly considers this type of behavior cruel. Then however the story, as reported today by CP24, observes that police were “trying to figure out the motive.” Honestly, unless this man was deranged, as opposed to merely misguided, the motive seems to be quite obvious. There will not be a homeowner in the city who does not concede that raccoons are a dirty, costly nuisance. And how could it be otherwise? Raccoons are essentially a protected species which over-populate Toronto. They are treated like creatures endangered by extinction. It’s all well and good to invoke the criminal law when something like this occurs. But it is irresponsible to ignore the foolish public policy that perpetuates this nuisance and occasionally leads people to the breaking point when it comes to raccoons.

Warehouse 13 in the Green P

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The Sci-Fi series Warehouse 13 moved into the Green P parking lot south of the TD Canada Trust Tuesday. The posed car crunch above is part of an episode. No lead actors around but lots of TV people busy with the shots. Warehouse 13 is looking around for a network or station to carry it this Fall. Below, you see stars Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly on the hunt for a buyer. No, that’s not true. In truth, the premise creates mild interest. Two Secret Service agents are assigned to hunt down supernatural objects that the U.S. Government has collected over the centuries. Did we say mild?