Earlier this week the Toronto Star announced, among other changes, that it was planning to outsource some one hundred in-house, union editing jobs. In the press release issued by the union in the wake of the announcement, union chief Maureen Dawson explained that "Journalism is a collaborative effort, the product of a team of reporters, photographers and editors working in concert to produce the kind of activist agenda that has served Star readers and our community so well for so long...To remove a critical element of that work is to shortchange everyone who depends on it." Now, one (apparent)...

Scott James of NYT Bay Area did something a bit crafty. He perched a camera at Duboce and Steiner, capturing cars and cyclists during their morning commutes. While not the busiest or most dangerous intersection in San Francisco, it is, as James points out, a complex one where "cars, pedestrians, cyclists and the MUNI N-Line all converge." During the speedy video (40 minutes condensed to 8), "7 cyclists come to a complete stop, 15 cyclists pause at a stop sign before continuing and 91 cyclists blow through the intersection." Goodness, that sounds rather dangerous. It should also be noted...

Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment storm the grounds of the Soldier Readiness Center in a show of force as they help in the apprehension of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan Thursday. (AP Photo/David Morris, Killeen Daily Herald) We were all shocked yesterday afternoon watching coverage of the shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas. This morning, the tragedy hits close to home as it's been learned one of the 13 people killed, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, was from Bolingbrook. Pearson's mother Sheryll told the Tribune, "We thought it was going to be okay, because we thought it was...

Ugh, servers. After they bring your food they're always butting in asking if you're "still working" just as you're reaching the punchline of your most well-rehearsed anecdote! Weren't we supposed to eliminate the human element from the dining experience with computers and conveyor belts by now?! While the world waits on that technology, would-be Hamptons restaurateur Bruce Buschel has completed his list of 100 things servers should never, never do. For instance: Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on...

Classic Kerik Former NYPD Commissioner and Giuliani crony Bernard Kerik could not hold back the tears during his court appearance yesterday to plead guilty to eight felonies. According to the Daily News, "As the judge spoke, Kerik seemed to take measure of the magnitude of his fall. He bowed his head and repeatedly wiped his eyes with his fingers... Kerik kept daubing his eyes, his face going red as if with the strain of all he was trying to hold in. He did not seem to be weeping so much as seeping." Wow, we felt zero sympathy for Kerik...

Bad news for the cabbie who kicked the embracing gay couple to the curb on Monday night — Mayor Bloomberg has gotten involved! The NY Post reports that he declared everyone has the right to ride in a cab (duh), and added, "I thought the taxi driver's behavior -- if it is as reported -- was a disgrace. Somebody's orientation has absolutely nothing to do with whether they can ride a taxi. That kind of attitude doesn't fit with what this city's become." Paul Bruno and his boyfriend say that Medhat Mohamed tossed them from the taxi after they hugged...

According to the Army, seven people were killed and 20 were wounded in two shooting at an army base in Fort Hood, TX. The AP reports, "An Army spokesman at the Pentagon says the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Fort Hood. The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Banks, says two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on identities of the dead. He says it is too soon to tell whether there is any link to battle stress or repeated deployments." Update: CNN reports...

Photo by JOkazaki On a sad day after the killing of 13 people at Ft. Hood in Texas, the Post is delving into the local ties of suspected shooter Maj. Nidal M. Hasan. He was born in Arlington, graduated from Virginia Tech, prayed at a mosque in Silver Spring and spent the better part of his professional career caring for trauma victims at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He apparently went on the shooting rampage in response to his upcoming deployment to Iraq; he had expressed opposition to both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rhee Gets Engaged:...

Some residents of the Upper West Side are outraged that a new business called Pet Fashion, mostly selling overpriced leashes and whatnot, is selling dogs from a puppy mill. The store, on Columbus Avenue between West 87th and 88th streets, often puts attention-getting pups on display in the front window, but West Side Spirit reports that "these dogs come from puppy mills, and the store is not welcome in the neighborhood." While puppy mills are legal, they're frowned upon for their unsafe conditions and disregard for the well-being of the animals. As such, "Pet Fashion’s critics delivered 540 petition...

             

The crisp and clear weather was perfect for a Yankees 27th World Series Championship ticker tape parade—so perfect that the streets along the Canyon of Heroes were teeming with excited people celebrating the Bronx Bombers victory. In fact, check out the Gothamist Newsmap and see the incidents of "large crowd," "unruly crowd," and "airmail" (things larger than confetti/streamers being thrown) in the area. At City Hall, Mayor Bloomberg hosted the Yankees for lunch (former mayors David Dinkins, Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani don't seem like they were invited, since they were sitting on the dais before the ceremony started) and...