Photo: "window washing @ Yonge/Finch" by Phil Marion, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Friday October 3rd, 2008:

Who's tired this morning? I am. And I suspect many of you are too, after watching both the Canadian leaders and the US Vice Presidential candidates debate last night.

Highlights of the four-on-one brawl Canadian leaders' debate: Dion promised "more fun for Canada", Layton wants to know if the Conservative platform is being hidden "underneath the sweater", May was feisty and finger-pointing and using the word "fraud", Harper's son is "learning to play the guitar" (i.e. he's an "artist"), and at one point Duceppe looked like he was going to jump over the table if Harper wouldn't say "reimbursable". And it was moderated by a familiar character. 9/10

In the Nascar race south of the border US VP debate, Biden was on and, for the most part, Palin was able to avoid crashing and burning (and giving Tina Fey direct quotes to use on Saturday). 7/10

The proposed arts centre at the base of the forthcoming "L Tower" at Yonge & Front has been axed due to lack of funding from the provincial and federal governments. What will we get instead? Retail space, a food court, a fountain, and condos. Sigh.

Disgusting crack pipes will be replaced by comparatively pleasant doggy doo. That's the change that developers, councilors, and residents hope the new off-leash dog area at Allan Gardens will bring about.

Playing an active role and influencing the flow of the plot isn't something you can usually do as a film viewer. Tomorrow night, however, audience members at the NFB Mediatheque will be treated to a unique film experience when they participate in an interactive film screening of Late Fragment.

This special screening will also feature an informative panel discussion about the making of interactive film, and includes director Mateo Guez, producer Anita Lee, editor Roslyn Kalloo, and line producer Tina Santiago.

Want to go? blogTO has 10 pairs of free tickets to give away to readers eager to get in on the experience, and details about how you can buy tickets if you're not a winner today.

Photo: untitled by a virtual unknown, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Thursday October 2nd, 2008:

What's being described as a "head-butting" rift between Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and Ontario Provincial Police head Julian Fantino is reportedly going to lead to less cooperation between the two forces in battling organized crime. Ontario-wide public safety at risk of being compromised, mainly due to egos of these hot shot top cops, is disconcerting.

A new report pegs the cost of a TTC strike to the city at $50million per day, and as a result once again raises the question about essential service declaration of the transit system. If we give them more of what the union wants but make striking illegal, does that make up for the potential losses caused by strikes? On a related note, Viva is still not running north of the city, and Mississauga Transit votes today on their new contract.

The much loved flashing neon sign at the former Sam the Record Man shop will be lit up one last time this weekend in celebration of Nuit Blanche 2008. Watch for the Flickr pools to light up with Sam sign shots one last time too.

Chicago punktivists (sometimes it's ok to make up words) Rise Against are just about to release their new record Appeal to Reason and are rolling through Toronto this weekend for two shows at Sound Academy.

Known for being a band with strong leftist political views (you may remember their somewhat startling video launch on the PETA site for the 2006 song "Ready to Fall"), the timing of the tour (right the middle of bitter election battles on both sides of the border) couldn't be better.

Want to see them live on Friday? blogTO has a pair of tickets to give away.

Photo: "Fresh From Greenfields" by sniderscion, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Wednesday October 1st, 2008:

Forget about bringing in much needed city revenue by taxing drivers and homebuyers in Toronto. Perhaps what we should be doing instead is taxing the stupid and gambling addicted - those that play scratch tickets, lottery, horse racing, and slots!

Could the solution to Toronto's homeless problem lie in turning inexpensive shipping containers into makeshift dwellings? Where in the city would they end up being located? How long would it take before some nut politician proposes that we fill them up and ship them far away?

The province's Ombudsman has slammed the Special Investigations Unit, accusing the "toothless" watchdog organization of being very clearly biased in favour of police. If the public can't trust that the police will be held accountable for their actions, then the public can't have any trust in the police.

Photo: "still summer" by swampr0se, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Tuesday September 30th, 2008:

Fly in, check out the CN Tower, catch a Jay's game, chow in Chinatown, and get a liver transplant. A couple of Markham doctors are apparently planning to launch a medical tourism company that caters to foreign patients looking for affordable, quality healthcare. It's still unclear where procedures will be performed, but if a back door express line for ailing Americans appears at your local hospital, I'm sure it'll cause an uproar.

All your investments are belong to us. Bay Street, and markets the world over, are scrambling to tame the biggest nosedives in nearly a decade. The last time we saw this big a drop at the TSX was during the tech bubble burst of 2001, when somebody set up us the bomb. Yesterday, the only safe investments were gold, and soup.

Mayor Miller wants to create two new city corporations aimed at bringing in revenue while stimulating growth. The idea hinges on selling off portions of Toronto's unused and valuable real estate portfolio, and attracting foreign investors. Can you guess who Miller thinks should be the Chair of both "Build Toronto" and "Invest Toronto"? Himself, but of course.