Instagram scrolling experiment runs away from its keepers

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The brains at Instagram launched what they thought was a limited experiment in horizontal scrolling of posts Thursday but it got out of hand. The unannounced refresh, which Instagram has since labeled as a bug, took users by surprise. Instead of scrolling through posts vertically, some people were forced to swipe and tap left and right through their feeds, similar to how the app’s stories feature works. Users went berserk on social media, with #instagramupdate trending on Twitter. Instagram quickly reverted back to the original top-to-bottom scrolling feature even before everyone had seen the update. All just part of the heavy burden of being manipulated by geniuses running your social media life.

105 appointments in yearly Order of Canada announcement

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Governor General Payette has announced 105 new appointments to the Order of Canada. The new member list includes 3 Companions (C.C.), 20 Officers (O.C.) and 82 Members (C.M.). Recipients will be invited to accept their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date.

Kite surfer rescued when blown off board at Cherry Beach

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Undated file of fun at Cherry Beach/Toronto Grand Prix Tourist

Teen boy shot Thursday at townhouse site in northwest City

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Carrie Bradshaw CBC@Carrie2Bradshaw
NewstalkRadio@Newstalk1010

A teen boy has been shot in as yet unknown circumstances in or at a townhouse area at Driftwood Ct and Driftwood Ave. in the City’s northwest around 9:55 a.m. Above are two shots of what appears to be fairly extensive crime scene. A second boy, 17, is in custody.

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Elsewhere, there have been two stabbings in recent hours (video at left) and a TTC bus was stuck in the Warden subway station Wednesday when its roof tank apparently exceeded the ceiling space. Odd.




Swedes break up terror plot, six charged with funding ISIS

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Sweden’s prosecution authority said Thursday it had charged three men with planning a terror attack in Sweden, warning the plot could have caused serious damage had it not been prevented. The three are accused of “obtaining and storing large amounts of chemicals and other equipment with the aim of killing and wounding other people,” the prosecution authority said in a statement. The men were also charged, along with three other people, with financing terrorism. Prosecutors accuse them of sending money abroad to fund ISIS’s operations. The trial is expected to open on January 7. The men, aged between 30 and 46, come from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, two of the five Central Asian countries known as “the stans” tucked between India, Russia and China. The status of the accused in Sweden was not stated.

Toronto couple die in snowmobile mishap in the Kawarthas

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A Toronto couple, Gerald and Patricia White, have died in a Christmas Day tragedy as they were snowmobiling home from friends near Peterborough Tuesday. Their vehicle crashed through ice on Jack Lake south of the village of Apsley that evening. They were last seen by their friends at about 11 p.m. Tuesday as they left. Mr and Mrs White were 76 and 69 years old. OPP indicate only that they lived in Toronto.

CBC stories of travel and hospital dog therapy for holidays

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Here are two nice takes by the CBC on how dogs continue to be the faithful friends they have always been.




Saving Christians, aggravated cruelty and Dow Jones joy

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Jeremy Hunt
Jerald Jeske
Dow Jones joy

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (left) has announced a new effort by the UK government to reverse the persecution of Christians in Egypt and elsewhere in the middle east. The Bishop of Truro will conduct a review, Hunt said. In Chicago, Jerald Jeske (centre) is charged with felony aggravated cruelty for throwing two small dogs off a second floor balcony in a dispute with his wife. At right, the face of this trader says it all as the Dow Jones has its largest single increase in history Wednesday. It was up 1,000 points.

Cruiser collides with Porsche in call to Square One burglary

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Two people are in hospital with unknown injuries and a Peel Region policeman has minor injuries after a collision between a cruiser and a Porsche at Square One. The incident was apparently preceded by a break-in at Holt-Renfrew. As seen in photos by Tony Smyth, the injured were cared for at the scene. The story is developing.

“Disoriented” man drives north up 427 south Christmas day

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Pedestrian hurt when hit by SUV after dark in Etobicoke

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A man thought to be in his 70s was seriously injured when he was hit by an SUV in Etobicoke Wednesday night on Dundas West at Cordova Ave. at around 7 p.m. The driver remained at the scene.

Vision Zero safety hopes fall short especially in Scarborough

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Mayor Tory has told the CBC that the European concept adopted by Toronto called Vision Zero to end all traffic deaths is simply “not working.” There have been more than 60 fatal collisions in 2018 including more than 40 pedestrians and cyclists. He was interviewed by Lauren Pelley of the CBC. The many deaths on roads in Scarborough especially perplex the mayor. “It’s been incredibly frustrating . . . I’d say it’s not working in the sense that you can’t quibble with the numbers,” he explained. The Vision Zero plan involves everything from physically re-making intersections to zebra-striped crosswalks to bicycle lanes. For many VZ was never about eliminating traffic deaths, but rather an attempt to greatly lower them.