The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a heated debate over the efficacy of DIY masks made of materials commonly found at home. Now, a new study published in the journal Physics of Fluids yesterday claims to have found the optimal homemade mask design. Researchers compared four makeshift face-mask styles, which they considered accessible options for most: a bandanna tied over the … Read more
Following more than a month of anti-police brutality protests, calls continue for more police forces in Canada to adopt body-worn cameras. Many political leaders have been calling for broader use of body-worn cameras on police officers, saying it would provide increased accountability in the wake of global protests against racism and police violence. But the majority of research into the … Read more
Yesterday Ontario did not release updated new COVID19 numbers because of the Canada Day holiday. In Quebec, another 24 COVID19-related deaths were reported, pushing their provincial death toll to… Read more
A strain of the swine flu virus has become prevalent in pigs in China and has the potential to spread to humans and become another pandemic, researchers claim. Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say pigs are a key intermediate host or “mixing vessel” for viruses spreading from wild animals into humans. The Chinese research team have … Read more
Toronto city council has passed a motion seeking reform of the city’s police department. But councillors rejected a cut to the force’s budget. Two councillors had put forward a motion to cut the police budget by 10 per cent, or about $107-million dollars. But in a series of votes at a meeting yesterday, council decided to take a more incremental … Read more
Premier Ford has announced the province is setting up a task force to come up with a plan to regulate the tow truck industry amid major criminal investigations. The announcement comes just days after Toronto police charged 11 people including one of their own officers in an investigation linked to tow truck operations — and one led by York Regional … Read more
Ontario reported 257 new COVID19 cases yesterday and seven new deaths. That number is somewhat misleading though. Health Minister Christine Elliott says nearly 70 per cent of the 257 new cases of COVID19 reported were just in the Windsor-Essex region. Elliott says 177 of the new cases were the result of extensive testing over the weekend of temporary foreign workers … Read more
Starbucks Canada is accelerating the transformation of its stores with the launch of Curbside Pickup. The company will begin testing in 10 stores in Ontario cities starting July 9 and will add 20 additional test locations through the summer. Starbucks Curbside Pickup enables customers to be served in a safe and convenient way that respects physical distancing while maintaining the … Read more
As if Mercury moving backward isn’t enough, July is going to get even wilder for sky watchers. Three more big astronomical happenings are coming up next month — dueling meteor showers and a lunar eclipse. The lunar eclipse starts at roughly 11pm July 4. And on July 5, the moon passes extremely close to Jupiter and Saturn. The trio will … Read more
Cam Newton’s wait has ended, and the 2015 MVP now has a chance to revive his career with one of the most storied franchises in NFL history. Yesterday, Newton agreed to a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports. The first overall pick of the 2011 draft, Newton became a free agent after the rebuilding Carolina … Read more
A woman is being mocked online after claiming her husband contracted chlamydia from wearing a protective face mask on a business trip. Twitter user @Jenwifonen shared a screenshot of the now-viral comment that was posted on WIS TV’s Facebook page on Thursday, writing: “Y’all… this just happened on our local news site… what is life.” The woman, who … Read more
A pregnant British woman discovered she has two wombs and is carrying a twin in each one — meaning she could give birth with two separate labours, according to a new interview. Kelly Fairhurst, 28, told The Sun that after her 12-week scan she was told she was one in 50 million who carry twins in separate wombs. “I … Read more
New cases of COVID19 in Ontario outpaced the number of new resolved cases yesterday. That’s the first time that has happened in recent days. There were 178 new cases of the illness reported on Sunday, compared with 175 new resolved ones. The province is now at 34,654 total cases, which includes 30,107 considered resolved and 2,658 deaths. Six of those … Read more
Sunday is Father’s Day. Thinking of putting together a playlist for Dad? “Billboard” has put together a list of “Dad Songs”. Here is the top 25 songs for Dad: … Read more
Police say they’re investigating a report that the face of a statue was covered in black paint at Pierre Elliot Trudeau park in Vaughan. York Regional police do not provide any further information in a tweet about the vandalism. But a photo posted on social media shows a life-sized bronze statue of the former prime minister with black paint on … Read more
A mother and her three daughters were killed in a horrific multi-vehicle crash in Brampton yesterday afternoon. It happened at Torbram Rd. and Countryside Dr shortly after noon. It’s believed that a blue Infiniti was driving erratically and sped away when a Peel Police cruiser turned on its lights to pull it over. That car ran a red light and … Read more
More regions of Ontario are moving into the second stage of the province’s reopening plan today, including parts of the Greater Toronto Area. York, Durham and Niagara are among the areas allowed to further open their economies, though Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex will remain in the first stage until at least next Friday. In the second stage, restaurants can open … Read more
The officer who shot dead Rayshard Brooks has been charged on 11 counts including felony murder, a charge that carries a possible sentence of life without parole or the death penalty. The charges were announced at a press conference held by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. Former cop Garret Rolfe, 27, has also been charged on several counts of … Read more
After reintroducing a new version of its “$5 Footlong” promotion (a controversial move in and of itself), Subway has seemingly removed two popular sandwiches. Roast beef and rotisserie-style chicken have disappeared from the menu entirely. One of Subway’s official Twitter accounts appeared to confirm that the offerings were largely discontinued, and only still available at “some locations.” Twitter … Read more
Canada has been humbled on the world stage after failing to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council in a loss to Norway and Ireland. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne denies the vote result was a rejection of Canada’s foreign policies. Champagne says Canada is more connected on the world stage now than ever because of its campaign … Read more
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got tossed from the House yesterday after he called a Bloc Quebecois MP a racist and refused to apologize. Singh was angered when a New Democrat motion on RCMP discrimination failed to get unanimous consent from the Commons. Alain Therrien would not support the motion. The Speaker ordered Singh … Read more
Again yesterday, Ontario reported less than 200 new COVID19 cases. The number was 190 and again, the bulk of the new infections were in Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex. The number of people in hospital dropped to 383 yesterday, which is the lowest number since the province started reporting that figure in early April. The numbers of people in intensive care … Read more
Donald Trump unveiled his police reform executive order yesterday afternoon in the Rose Garden, which includes setting up a register of bad actor cops, as he bashed Barack Obama for not doing something about it during his tenure. The president’s plan will ban police from using chokeholds except for in instances when their lives are at risk and will set … Read more
7-Eleven has been running Free Slurpee Day since 2002. On July 11th, which is 7/11, 7-Eleven held its first Free Slurpee Day. They have done it every July 11th since. But 2020 is not a typical year so 7-Eleven has had to cancel Free Slurpee Day for the first time. They cite, “uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.” … Read more
A convicted felon from Oregon who accidentally shot himself in the groin and blamed it on a homeless man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison. Marcus Davis Jr, 35, who has an extensive history of gun and drug offenses, learned his fate on Monday after pleading guilty to a count of being a felon in possession … Read more
It could be a big day for Prime Minister Trudeau on the world stage. The P.M. has been pushing hard for a shot at a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council — and voting begins today. Trudeau says winning … Read more
The federal government will provide eight extra weeks of benefits for people whose jobs or earnings have vanished because of COVID19. It comes with the requirement that people must look for work and take a job when it’s reasonable to do so. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will continue to pay out $500-dollars a week — but now for up … Read more
A 911 dispatcher watching real-time footage of George Floyd’s arrest in south Minneapolis last month became concerned about the officers’ behavior and told a police supervisor she didn’t want to “snitch” but thought he should be made aware of the situation, according to an audio recording. The supervisor promised to “find out” what was happening, but … Read more
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects gay and lesbian people from discrimination in employment, a victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court. The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 known as Title VII that bars job discrimination because of sex, among other … Read more
Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex are still being held back from moving to Stage 2 of the province’s phased COVID19 re-opening plan. Premier Ford says Durham, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara and York can move to Stage 2 this Friday. That will allow restaurant patios and hair salons to re-open among other easing of restrictions. Premier Ford is asking Toronto, Peel … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has threatened that another U.S. lockdown will be on the cards if coronavirus cases spike. “If cases begin to go up again, particularly if they go up dramatically, it’s important to recognize that more mitigation efforts such as what were implemented back in March may be needed again,” the CDC’s deputy … Read more
Another “Karen” was caught on camera deliberately coughing over a fellow customer at a bagel shop in New York City after being called out for not wearing a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic. The customer was picking up her order in the Manhattan bagel bar when she appeared to lose her temper after being told that she was putting … Read more
An Atlanta police officer has been fired and a second officer placed on administrative duty following the fatal shooting of a black man. The move was announced by police early yesterday and came shortly after the resignation of the police chief. Police bullets killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. He struggled with police who approached him because he was sleeping in his … Read more
As clients’ hair grows in lockdown, so does this shuttered Manhattan salon’s waiting list. But the $1,000 price tag for a cut hasn’t budged, despite the pandemic and the recession. “We have over 1,000 people on a waiting list,” Julien Farel tells Bloomberg News of his tony Julien Farel Restore Salon, Spa & Fitness. Many customers will … Read more
On Friday many regions outside the G.T.H.A. made the move to “Phase 2” of the COVID19 reopening plan. Restaurant patios, hair salons, nail salons, shopping malls and more opened their doors for the first time in nearly 3-months. Today the government will announce which, (if any) more regions are moving to Phase 2 this Friday.
Ontarians Can Now … Read more
In an effort to suppress misinformation and knee-jerk retweets, Twitter is testing a new feature that would ask users whether they’ve actually read the content they’re about to share. The new function has already been added to some Android devices. “Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you tweet it,” said … Read more
Dairy Queen has brought back their summer menu and this year brings lots of new treats to try. In addition to the new cotton candy dipped soft serve cones, there are 4 new Blizzards and another favourite that is returning. Here is the list… Read more
It’s a big day in much of Ontario — with the exception of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, the province is moving into phase two of its COVID19 reopening plan. That means places including restaurant patios, malls, hair salons, childcare centres and swimming pools will be able to welcome clients back. Provincewide today, the limit on social gatherings will … Read more
After experiencing an alleged phone mishap, Missouri’s Raevon Terrell Parker attempted to get even with the world’s largest tech company by suing them for $1 trillion — their approximate net worth. If successful, he would become the richest man in the world, eclipsing Amazon’s Jeff Bezos by almost $850 billion, according to Forbes. Parker, 39, claimed his iPhone was stolen … Read more
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has made a major change to its guidelines on cancer reduction and prevention, now saying it’s best to cut alcohol completely out of one’s diet. “It is best not to drink alcohol,” said the ACS in the new guidelines. Previously, the society recommended limiting alcohol consumption to one drink a day for … Read more
