After working at a haunted house last year, I've become slightly infatuated with the whole idea, and think they're far too underrated. This year there's quite a few major haunts I plan to check out over the next month.

And while Corina took a look at some more substantive or serious election websites, this one is irreverent and loads of fun. Whack the PM also happens to be 2 for 2 in election prediction: in 2004 and 2006 it knew the results before the ballots were counted.

Plus this will likely be the first - and last - time you see any of the candidates rubbing shoulders in a single hot tub.

What's happening in the GTA:

Unknown vandals have been trying to mess with the upcoming federal election by harassing Liberal supporters with phone calls, property destruction, and by cutting their car brake lines. Now it's being reported that Liberal candidates homes have been targeted. Somebody please catch the culprit so we can take turns tar and feathering him/her/them on our way to voting stations next Tuesday.

Last night the Leafs managed to kick off the season by beating the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Detroit. But the bigger story was the announcement of the finalists in the CBC's new Hockey Night in Canada theme. A 13-year old from Toronto has made the cut. Go Robert Go!

The only thing worse than seeing your baby's stroller hit by a car is being accused of being at fault for a car hitting your baby's stroller. This will end up being one serious lesson learned regardless of the outcome in her trial. The child suffered very minor injuries.

What's happening in the GTA:

Say goodbye to fresh, local peaches and cream cobs, and say hello to frozen nibblets shipped in from Timbuktu. Urban sprawl is quickly depleting arable farm lands surrounding Canada's largest city, at a time when people are aiming to eat more local. You know what they say about hindsight...

A report by a think tank (that largely opposes our involvement in Afghanistan) claims that the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan will cost the federal government $28billion by 2011 - a heck of a lot more that what Harper's Conservatives have estimated. Another report comes in at $22billion. Will this be money well spent during a looming global recession?

Listeria is proving to be one resilient microorganism at Maple Leaf's Toronto plant. Ongoing screening has found that 4 of 5000 products tested positive for Listeria. None of the affected product was shipped. The news comes shortly after we learned that the CFIA sat on their hands with lips sealed for several days before going public on the first major outbreak.

About to get on the Queen streetcar just east of Landsdowne, I noticed a maintenance crew busily working at the spot previously occupied by a bus shelter that had been noticeably absent in recent weeks.

The new bus shelters are an extension of the TTC Next Train Arrival program announced last month that will bring us information such as when the next TTC vehicle is to arrive to the streets of Toronto. The displays on the new shelters will also feed us information on delays, helping us make decisions like "Should I wait for the next vehicle, take a cab or walk instead?"

It's not certain at this point what drug was found to be causing impairment, but police Sgt. Tim Burrows has told reporters that some tests have been sent off to lab for analysis.

Nash was first to hit the streets and distribute signs - using leftovers from her previous campaign with "re-elect" stickers added - but Kennedy quickly countered with signs of his own. In a sort of candidate love-fest, it's become standard to see signs for both candidates in the same window or yard.

The campaign took a strange turn with recent vandalism in the riding, but neither candidate seems to be ahead of the other. It's hard to predict what this election will turn on as constituents weigh their loyalty to the incumbent (Nash) and their longtime former MPP (Kennedy).

What's happening in the GTA:

Police in Brampton have no right to pull you over and ask you to pay for your crime in cash, on the spot. Real cops tried this on me once in Manila, but if this happens in the GTA, you've gotta ask yourself if the guy asking for money is actually a police officer. Chances are, he isn't.

The tanning industry (I'm talking about people paying to get fake-sunned, not animal hides being prepped in Acton) is an odd one to begin with. Now it's coming under government scrutiny because so many salons aren't playing by the rules designed to keep it safe.

The Daily Bread Food Bank's fall food drive is not going very well, and drastic shortages of donations are a cause for concern. Perhaps with the looming economic meltdown, people are starting to worry more and more about themselves than those in far more dire need?

What's happening in the GTA:

It's a classic case of they said and the police said different. Did Toronto police mistake a physically and mentally handicapped man for his brother? Was entering his bedroom and beating and tasering him more than once excessive? The courts will have to decide.

More than half of the hundreds of homeless people surveyed in Toronto suffer from traumatic brain injuries. This raises some important questions, for sure. Is brain injury be a risk factor for becoming homeless? Can the risk be reduced if detected and treated early?

The story is thin on details so far, but someone out there is a wannabe gangster, who actually pulled the "two slugs" routine by shooting the victim in both legs at a Mississauga bar. Not sure if the slugs took out the knee caps.

What's happening in the GTA:

As many as 25 homes with signs expressing support for the Liberal party reported serious vandalism and potentially deadly sabotage. Did we wake up in Toronto this morning, or are we in Baghdad? Cutting the car brake lines of people supporting different political views is not something that should happen in a civilized democracy.

Nuit Blanche 2008 was a huge success, drawing a million people onto the streets of the city for an all-night contemporary art experience. It's a shame that we don't have a contemporary transit system or a more logical road closure plan to accommodate the crowds. Again this year many people are complaining about the difficulties getting around, and in a terrible accident, one woman even ended up pinned under a streetcar at Spadina and College.

Looks like our own irrational exuberance has caught up with us and combine that with a tightening credit market and the subprime mess and all indications are the worst is yet to come.

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.