Rob Ford: Serially Scandalous

The Economist has such a way with words.   In their article on How harmful is crack cocaine?, The Economist describes Rob Ford as "Toronto's serially scandalous major". Sigh. What a way for Toronto to be (in)famous.  The article includes a reference to a study* comparing the relative harm caused by different drugs.

So, Rob Ford hits both #1 and #3 on the list.  I love this photo from cbc.ca.

One third of Torontonians still support this moron.  Wonder what drug they're consuming?

* "Drug harms in the UK: a multi-criteria decision analysis", by David Nutt, Leslie King and Lawrence Phillips, on behalf of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. The Lancet.

Toronto Leads Because Toronto Reads

Yup, Toronto leads - and I don't mean in the number of jokes about its mayor. With its 98 branches, Toronto boasts the largest public library system in North America, and the highest per capita circulation in the world. At 19M, Toronto libraries attract more than Toronto's top 10 attractions* combined.

The public library is a source of pride to Toronto folk, and activists have risen up to defend the system against Mayor Ford's agenda for significant cuts. Sort of makes up for the embarrassment of Rob Ford. Well, a bit.

There is a great video celebrating Toronto's library system here.


*CN Tower, CNE, The ROM, TIFF, The Science Centre, Toronto Zoo, Canada's Wonderland, the AGO, Skydome and Air Canada Centre