Guelph Mercury reporter Rob O'Flanagan immersed himself in the chaos of the downtown Toronto "Red Zone" on Saturday afternoon. I urge you to read his riveting account of the scene and the thought-provoking question he poses: which comes first, the riot or the riot police?
Love, it seems, will always prevail - even in the midst of a $1.2 BILLION riot squad. Take that, Paris!
Well, Toronto is (slightly) back to normal today after a whirlwind weekend of rule and order - G20 style. Here are some select videos from the weekend.
Today, General Stanley A. McChrystal was fired from his post as the commander of American forces in Afghanistan after a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House. Obama called McChrystal in for the meeting after he made comments criticizing administration officials and the War in Afghanistan policies in a highly-publicized Rolling Stone article.
While I tried to find one quote that exemplified McChrystal's detraction from the administration, there was just too much gold to choose from. So here is a series McChrystal quotes taken directly from the Rolling Stone article that best exemplify the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan:
"All these men, I'd die for them. And they'd die for me."- Referring to a dinner in Paris where he is to deliver a speech.The article goes on to describe McChrystal as a man who hates anything too "Gucci."
- At an Irish pub in Paris called Kitty O'Shea's, referring to his inner circle of military advisors, who at the time of this comment, the writer of the article describes as "completely shitfaced."
- Referring to the civilian death toll in Afghanistan as a result of the war.
"I ask you what's going on in your world, and I think it's important for you all to understand the big picture as well. How's the company doing? You guys feeling sorry for yourselves? Anybody? Anybody feel like you're losing? Strength is leading when you just don't want to lead. You're leading by example. That's what we do. Particularly when it's really, really hard, and it hurts inside."- During a discussion with two-dozen soldiers in a tent on an army base in Afghanistan.
- Referring to the idea that American forces can not kill their way out of Afghanistan."Even Afghans are confused by Afghanistan."
- Referring to the wild, tumultuous history of Afghanistan
As the G20 Summit gets set to rock Toronto this weekend, make no mistake: this is not TIFF or the Virgin Music Festival. Toronto will literally be ground to a halt as 20* of the most important people in the world flood the city.
The Great Fake Lake was unvieled today at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place. The lake, with a price tag of $57,000, is part of the $1.9 MILLION Experience Canada tourism pavillion in the G20 media centre. The outrageous cost of the media centre, and specifically the fake lake, became a contentious issue in the House of Commons in past several weeks. The lake itself became the icon of the controversial $1.2 BILLION cost of the G20 Summit.
The Prize is an incredible eight-part documentary series that tells the story of petroleum from its first discoveries through its critical role in industrializing the world. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Daniel Yergin, the series follows the history of oil from the 1850's when oil was first extracted and marketed in the United States through the 1990's and the first Gulf War.
"Sprayed with reflective paint, this barrier shimmers in the sun, making it impossible to take pictures of things on the other side. On the elevator a colleague and I were discussing the fact that it was impossible to shoot through. I felt compelled to explain to the other passengers that I meant "shoot" as in video camera. Though I suspect these metal fences would do a good job of deflecting bullets as well."
A city worker puts the finishing touches on the three-meter high security wall surrounding the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in preparation for the G20 Summit this weekend (June 26-27). The wall is just one of the more visible signs of the intense security being put in place in Toronto, which includes thousands of uniform and plain-clothes offices, snipers, traffic diversion, a sound cannon, and now a water cannon.
Yes, it's true. Michael Jackson's estate has grown by over $250 MILLION since his death almost a year ago on June 25, 2009. The executors of his estate, John Branca and John McClain, have used some of that revenue to pay off Jackson's remaining $70 MILLION worth of debt. The rest is payed to his children and various children's charities.
As was the case of the estates of both Elvis and Yves Ste. Laurent, Jackson's death has spurned renewed interest in the King of Pop's music. A Sony Music deal to distribute unreleased tracks by the late artist worth $200 Million over seven years has already contributed $125 MILLION to the estate. The Jackson film This Is It grossed $252 MILLION worldwide last year. Sony Pictures paid the estate an advance of $60 MILLION with more to come from DVD sales. Merchandise deals and a Ubisoft video game have added $26 MILLION. Jackson's music catalogue made $25 Million over the last year. And the Beatles' catalogue, of which Jackson's estate owns 50%, made an addition $11 MILLION. There is also the $25 MILLION from the rerelease of Jackson's autobiography, Moon Walk.
