Tuesday Newsday (an urbandaddy original)

Stories in the news that tickle my fancy, thanks to google.ca;

1. Ontario bans lawn and garden pesticides' It's the right of kids to play in the grass ... without compromising their health,' Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he hopes a new ban on the sale and use of lawn and garden pesticides will allow children to again roll around on the grass.
"Our generation has taken to the cosmetic use of pesticides and I think, perhaps unwittingly, not fully understanding the dangers it represents to ourselves and, most importantly, to our children," he told a news conference in the back yard of a mid-Toronto home.
"It's the right of kids to play in the grass .. without compromising their health."
The new law, which is expected to come into effect next spring, would prohibit 80 chemicals and 300 products that experts say pose a potential health risk.
I can't believe I actually agree with the Premier on something that makes sense like this. And to think, it was just yesterday that I walked outside with my boy and took a deep breath of my neighbours freshly sprayed lawn. Last year we asked her not to spray the grass we share due to the horrible chemicals. She didn't. This year... She did.

2. Bank of Canada signals economic woes, slashes interest rates by half-point. The Bank of Canada signalled concern over the stalling economy Tuesday, slashing interest rates half a percentage point for the second time in two months and signalling further reductions in the future.
The latest move makes it cheaper to borrow money by dropping the key overnight rate to three per cent, a full 150 basis points from where it stood at the beginning of December.
"The bank is now projecting a deeper and more protracted slowdown in the U.S. economy," it said in a statement.
"This has direct consequences for the Canadian economic outlook, with declining exports projected to exert a significant drag on growth in 2008."
What does this mean? It means the US is bordering on an economic slowdown (or recession) and that Canada - although very dependant on the US economy - does not wish to go down that road. It also means hopefully lower mortgage rates for us variable guys and of most importance, if you have debt, now is a pretty fine time to get a consolidation load from the bank to reduce your debt load and reduce monthly payments.

3. Ice hockey: Sixteen arrested after playoff win by NHL Canadiens. Sixteen people were arrested for riots overnight, breaking shop windows and trashing police cars after the Montreal Canadiens advanced in the National Hockey League playoffs, police said Tuesday.
The Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Boston Bruins 5-0 Monday night to win their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff first-round series four games to three.
Afterwards, thousands spilled onto downtown Montreal streets to celebrate the hard-fought victory, but festivities quickly degenerated into rioting with several police cars smashed and set on fire.
Sixteen people, aged 14 to 25 years, were arrested for break-ins, assaulting officers and damaging a total of 17 vehicles, including 16 police cars, of which five were set ablaze, said police spokesman Laurent Gingras.
Damage to the municipal vehicles was estimated at 500,000 dollars, authorities said.
$500G's in damage and this was only the first round of the playoffs... I guess hooligans need any excuse to damage other people's property. I did laugh however when I saw the headline used the word "Ice Hockey"... Stupid Associated Press... Like field hockey would have this problem...

4. Book Teaches Kids About Plastic Surgery - My Beautiful Mommy is a new kids book about plastic surgery. It was written by Michael Salzhauer, a plastic surgeon in Bal Harbour, Florida. The book details the conversation and process a mother and daughter go through as the mother gets a tummy tuck and nose job. Salzhauer says he came up with the idea to help parents explain cosmetic procedures to their children"It sounds like a joke but there really is a need to address this issue," Dr. Salzhauer told Reuters. "Hundreds of thousands of women have this operation in the United States. This is for a specific consumer at a specific time in their life that is going to turn their household upside down for a couple of weeks."
I really thought this was a joke. I passed over this story a few times thinking it could not be real, but it is. About a conversation between a mother and a daughter about size EE breast implants. "Dear, Mommy needs these to feel better about herself..." Says to her daughter, "You can have EE's too when you are 14". Oy vey. How come this is for women only? What? Guy's don't have plastic surgery too?!? Hey little dude, Daddy is having pectoral implants put in and his penis lengthened to make it with the ladies... Geez. Of course it's not for guys, cause we don't care. What a vain society!!! Now excuse me while I pluck my wayward eyebrow hair and shape my pubic hair into the rebel logo from Star Wars...

5. Toronto Jazz Festival Unveils Lineup.
The most important part of this story is the fact that my neighbour is playing June 22nd, 9pm @ The Pilot in Yorkville, as the Andrew Scott Quintet. Go check him out. We've been to the Pilot as a family to see him and the place was jammed. The show... Awesome. Need I say more! Here is the URL. http://www.tojazz.com/Pages/Toronto_Downtown_Jazz_Festival_pgS96.asp