Wednesday August 27, 2008
G-G cancels trip; PM says election nearly certain
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked Governor-General Michaelle Jean to cancel her plans to leave for China Sept. 5, portraying a snap election as a near certainty and hinting he will ask Ms. Jean to trigger it next week.
LPGA's demand for fluency in English leaves international players teed off
With its brand growing ever more global, the LPGA will require the best female golfers from around the world to speak English - a blatant effort, critics say, to bring the women at the top of its leader board into line with its sponsors.
Inspectors failed to adopt more rigorous U.S. measures
Canadian meat inspectors failed to learn crucial lessons from a deadly listeria outbreak a decade ago, experts on the bacterium suggested yesterday as the food-safety crisis spread further with three more deaths, including that of a woman in Saskatchewan, under investigation.
'Obama is my candidate,' Clinton declares
Hillary Clinton rallied her disgruntled supporters yesterday, urging them to work hard to help the man who trounced her in the Democrat primaries - Barack Obama - reach the White House.''Obama is my candidate and he must be our president,'' Ms. Clinton told thousands of cheering supporters at the Democrat National Convention. ''I haven't spent the last 35 years in the trenches ... to see another Republican in the White House,'' she said.
Report on Business 
How Pilgrim's Pride survived its meat recall
Pilgrim's Pride Corp. knows what Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is going through, after the discovery of listeria in its factory triggered what in 2002 was the largest recall in U.S. history.
Biden favours trade that is 'fair' not free
Brace yourself for a barrage of tough rhetoric on trade from Joe Biden, Democrat Senator Barack Obama's vice-presidential pick.The U.S. senator from Delaware has vowed to overhaul the North American free-trade agreement and take Prime Minister Stephen Harper ''to the mat.''
And a pile of fries for every plate
McCain Foods Ltd., the world's largest maker of French fries, is wading into the U.S. Presidential election, shedding its normally cautious advertising approach for some timely political satire.
Nike fumbles Nadal's makeover
There he was, on a humid Monday afternoon in New York City, scrambling around with almost reckless disregard, his sleeveless blue shirt melding into the blue hard court of Arthur Ashe stadium.
BMO burned by subprime mortgage exposure
Bank of Montreal has been dragged further into the subprime mortgage crisis, putting aside hundreds of millions of dollars for troubled loans tied to the U.S. real estate sector.
Globe Sports
ALLEN RUMOURS ABOUND
The first rumours of Damon Allen, 45. returning to the field are flying. Speculation has him rejoining the Argos as insurance in case starter Kerry Joseph is injured. With Michael Bishop traded to Saskatchewan, neither Toronto's No. 2 or No. 3 quarterbacks, Cody Pickett and Reggie McNeal, has ever started a CFL game. But head coach Rich Stubler said he isn't expecting Allen back. ''No, not this week,'' Stubler said.In Hamilton, the Ticats are likely to still be without Casey Printers for next Monday's game against the Argos. Printers is still having problems with the thumb of his throwing hand.
ARGOS, BOMBERS TO HAVE RETRO LOOK
The CFL often touts its history. Now it's going to wear it.The league will follow the lead of other major-league sports on Sept. 12 when the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers sport retro uniforms reflective of the 1950 Grey Cup game, known as the ''Mud Bowl'' and played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.
Steinauer out, others may follow
The release of safety Orlondo Steinauer may have been just the beginning of changes to a Toronto Argonauts defence that until this season had dominated the CFL with its zone coverages and bend-but-don't break philosophy.
ORACLE LAUNCHES NEW TRIMARAN
The new trimaran that Oracle will use in its America's Cup duel against defending champion Alinghi has touched water for the first time.The 90-foot carbon-fibre yacht was lowered into Fidalgo Bay on Monday near Anacortes, Wash., where it was built, after it was commissioned with the traditional bottle of champagne smashed across the bow, Oracle said in a statement.
ON TELEVISION
(All times Eastern)BASEBALL MLB, Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays, Sportsnet, 7 p.m. MLB, Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels, Sportsnet (Pacific), 10:30 p.m.HORSE RACING
Globe Life
YOUR MORNING SMILE
What is the philosophy of the gazelle when surrounded by predators? Survival of the fleetest.- Manish Patwari, Montreal
Panic in the lunch box
First it was peanut butter on the endangered sandwich list. Then tinned albacore tuna. Now it's cold cuts, benched by the continuing listeriosis crisis. On the eve of the first day of school, many parents will be giving up cafeteria staples including salami, turkey breast and pastrami, and not just those made by Maple Leaf Foods Inc., because of a heightened awareness of the potential risks of meat processing.
Side dish
A PICNIC FOR LOCAVORES Does British Columbia have a true regional food culture?If so, what are the shared cooking techniques? What do waterside Victoria and mountaintop Whistler have in common?
NUTS AND CORN WON'T INCREASE BOWEL DISEASE RISK
Contrary to popular belief and common medical advice, eating seeds, nuts, corn and popcorn does not cause the bowel disease diverticulosis or its painful complications, according to researchers. In fact, nuts and popcorn may even provide some protection from the complications and those who avoid nuts may be depriving themselves of valuable nutrients, said Lisa Strate and colleagues at the University of Washington school of medicine in Seattle.
What's in your sandwich? Listeria isn't the only risk
Lips, snouts and tails. There are a lot of popular myths about the ingredients used to make hot dogs, bologna and other processed meats. While those schoolyard assertions are based on fiction, the reality is that many popular ready-to-eat meats contain a wide variety of chemical preservatives, fillers and other artificial ingredients used to improve the product's taste, colour and shelf life.
Globe Review
Striking a chord with glitz-weary fans
The first time Arcade Fire performed in Paris, Mathieu Saura stood outside the venue with his girlfriend, holding up a sign that read, ''Please, we want to come to the show.''
Forget intelligence - what the world needs is warm fuzzies
Today I will attempt to link blonde jokes, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and the Broadway musical. Omigod you guys. Just watch me.To begin, I had no idea that the movie Legally Blonde had been turned into a hit Broadway musical. I was clueless.
Vancouver Opera to stage Ghosts of Versailles
Hot on the heels of its announcement that it will present the Canadian premiere of the John Adams opera Nixon in China, Vancouver Opera is set to reveal today that it will also present the Canadian premiere of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles.
Sticking to its roots serves this Italian eatery well
Mama is impressed.She's visiting from Toronto. I've taken her to La Quercia, one of the most authentic regional Italian restaurants Vancouver has ever seen.We're digging into a fatty hunk of grilled pork belly, served with a charred wedge of polenta and raw fennel-radish salad.
Detective shows battling for honours
A pair of detective shows - one set in the 19th century and another that takes place in present-day suburbia - are this year's leading Gemini Award nominees.Murdoch Mysteries, which airs on CITY-TV and stars Yannick Bisson as a sleuth who solves crimes in 1895 Toronto, is up for 14 of the awards, which recognize excellence in Canadian television.
TRAVEL
HALLOWED WALLS
With Yankee Stadium in its final season, I'm reminded of my earliest memories of the House that Ruth Built. I heard often about the grand ballpark while growing up in western New York; thinking that my great-aunt Ruth had removed 45,000 cubic yards of earth, assembled 2,300 tons of structural steel and turned a million brass screws, I was impressed, though puzzled by the lack of doilies.
EXECUTIVE CLASS: BOYD MATSON, TV HOST, WILD CHRONICLES
Boyd Matson is the host of the National Geographic television series Wild Chronicles on PBS.How often are you on the road?My travel has varied over the years with the work I've been doing. At the height, when I used to work for NBC News [Sunday Today], at some points I was gone two-thirds of the year, when I was single. Now I'd say it's half the year.
DEAL: TAHITI ON SALE
Air Tahiti Nui is offering three inexpensive packages to French Polynesia from Nov. 1 to May 31. With the ''Family Fun'' vacation, children 2 to 11 fly, stay and eat for free. Six days in Tahiti, including airfare from Los Angeles, five nights at the oceanfront Le Meridien Tahiti,and transfers start from $1,998 (plus $97 in taxes)
Editorials
Stigma suffers a real setback
Canadian employers may not like an Ontario court's decision objecting to the firing of an employee with a major mental illness. But the ruling in the case of Paul Lane, who was fired eight days into the job when he began acting strangely, struck a blow against the stigma of mental illness. It was the right decision.
Faking independence
The Wizard of Oz has come to Moscow, with a twist. ''Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,'' Dorothy and her companions are enjoined in that iconic film - just as Russia's political leaders, having needled Georgia by recognizing the ''independence'' of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, are hoping that no one will glance eastward, to Chechnya, for an object lesson in the Kremlin's true attitudes toward secessionist movements.
A shield, not a sword
The Conservatives have outflanked Liberal attempts to portray them as the anti-abortion party, showing how partisanism stands in the way of reasonable attempts to legislate on anything that conjures up the ''A-word.''
Comment
Lessons of a postmodern war
How does the world look in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian war? Some observers have interpreted this war as a sign the 19th century is back: a world of great powers fighting great games over control of natural resources.
Gender politics and Hillary Clinton's enduring appeal
Barack Obama has referred several times to Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals, but it's not clear whether he fully grasps the historical message.The book showed how Abraham Lincoln brought into his cabinet the men he had defeated for the Republican nomination, each of whom thought he, and not Lincoln, should have been the nominee. Through wisdom and patience, Lincoln salved the wounds of defeat, flattered the vanities of his rivals and forged a surprisingly effective team to fight the Civil War.
Will the PM get away with his risky election gambit? Probably
Book it: election in October. It's a gambit straight out of Stephen Harper's catechism. ''When I say jump, you say how high?''This time, he's going to strange lengths. To get his way, the Prime Minister made it clear yesterday he will pull the plug on his own government. Even though it involves some dicey dealing, better for him to set the date, he reasoned, than leave it to the antagonists.
Listeria hysteria can't hurt
The latest listeria outbreak is a warning that cannot be ignored. It reminds us how vulnerable we are to threats generated from our food supply. And the simple fact is, our government-monitored food supply is no longer capable of protecting us.
Obituaries
Two-way Roughrider won Grey Cup after 15 tries, then hung up his cleats
The final game of Reg Whitehouse's long football career ended with his beefy arms wrapped around the Grey Cup.For 15 seasons, Mr. Whitehouse slogged in the trenches of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' offensive line. He did double duty on defence, and handled converts and field goals as placekicker. But he was more successful in winning the admiration of his team's long-suffering supporters than he was in winning a league title.
FORMER BOXING CHAMPION FOUND STABBED TO DEATH
Edip Secovic, a former World Athletic Association boxing champion, died early yesterday in a knife fight at his own pub. He was 50. The body of the Serbia-born Austrian boxer was found around 6 a.m. on the sidewalk in front of the pub, police said.
HE SHARED 1954 NOBEL FOR RESEARCH ON POLIO
Dr. Thomas Weller, a Harvard professor whose research on the polio virus earned him and two others a Nobel Prize in 1954, died in his sleep Saturday at home. He was 93.
WINDSOR, ONT., LAWYER SURVIVED WAR AS A PoW
William Cowan, a decorated war hero, lawyer, lover of arts and father-in-law of former prime minister Paul Martin died Saturday at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto after a short illness. He was 89.
LAST WORDS
The hearse, the horse, the driver - enough!Luigi Pirandello, writer, 1867-1936
Globe Real Estate
Zoning loophole allows for supersized home
When he won an Ontario Municipal Board ruling against plans to build an oversized house next door, Forest Hill homeowner Mark Lederman thought he had a rare citizen's win at a tribunal with a reputation for favouring developers.
Home sweet home. At last, some positives
Ugly. Horrific. Troubling. These are just a few of the adjectives one could use to describe yesterday's batch of U.S. economic reports.Here's another one: hopeful.Before we explain why, let's make it clear that we are by no means predicting an imminent rebound for the broken U.S. economy, which is grappling with a credit crisis and housing slump of epic dimensions. What we are saying is that Uncle Sam may be close to hitting rock bottom, which is a necessary condition for recovery.
Japanese property sector sinks amid bankruptcies
Shares of Japanese developers sank yesterday as the property sector - already reeling from a slew of recent bankruptcies - extended its decline on news of its latest casualty. Facing the brunt of the selloff was Asahi Homes Ltd., a Tokyo-based home builder whose stock tumbled almost 30 per cent a day after its main shareholder filed for bankruptcy protection. Sebon Corp., a real estate developer that owns 85.25 per cent of Asahi, folded with yen62.1-billion ($593.8-million) in liabilities, said corporate credit research firm Teikoku Databank. Like others that fell before it, Sebon succumbed to sluggish housing demand, rising material costs and tighter lending by banks wary of increasing their exposure to real estate projects. 1913 (Tokyo) fell yen16 to yen42 (40 cents)
Education
The world is beating a path to Canada. Why isn't Canada beating the world?
Dezso Horvath is frustrated. In two decades as dean of York University's Schulich School of Business, he has made it his life's work to create business men and women who see the world as their oyster. Its international orientation has made Schulich a global contender.
N.B. bars 15-seat vans from use in student transport
The New Brunswick government is permanently outlawing 15-seat passenger vans for school use as it implements new safety standards in response to a road accident that killed eight people last winter.
Heroes of Dawson shooting to be recognized
Vincent Pascale remembers the bullets whistling over his head that day two years ago when he scrambled across the Dawson College cafeteria floor to a group of students hiding under tables from gunman Kimveer Gill's murderous rampage.
Concerns are hardly bupkes
Clifford Orwin is correct that Canada has a strong tradition of protecting the freedom of scholars and academics (Canada Does Not Protect Academic Freedom? What A Load Of Bupkes - Aug. 26). However, concerns about academic freedom in this country are hardly ''bupkes.''
Back to school? Get your employer to pay
Eighty-four per cent of senior executives said their company offers tuition reimbursement benefits to employees, according to a survey by staffing service Accountemps. And all of the 100 Canadian senior executives surveyed said their company will also cover costs for other kinds of professional development. Staff
