According to a recent Reuters report, police in the Congo have taken action to protect local “sorcerers” from being lynch over allegations that they are using black magic to steal or drastically reduce the size of men’s penises.

13 suspected sorcerers and 14 purported victims were temporarily rounded up by the authorities in an effort to put an end to this silliness. Rumors circulating around the capital city of Kinsasha say that a sorcerer can make a man’s member shrivel up and/or disappear completely simply by touching him.

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I’m really disappointed, perhaps because I used to really admire Ben Stein for his intelligence. I used to dream that one day I could have my ass handed to me on Win Ben Stein’s Money, even after Jimmie Kimmel left the show. But then I found out about his new movie, Expelled, which looks at the alleged persecution against scientists who believe in Intelligent Design.

 
I can’t believe that someone I used to think was so bright is so dim when it comes to the scientific method. Word up, Stein - if the scientific method made room for conjecture that had absolutely no physical evidence, it wouldn’t be very scientific, would it?

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So what’s the deal? For the last couple of weeks, there have been little snippets of “pirate” video sneaking their way into MuchMusic television broadcasts, which has people all abuzz wondering if someone is actually hacking into a live broadcast.

Credit for the “heist” is being taken by one Phreak615, who is telling the world how brilliant he is in his own blog, literally referring to himself as “the second coming.” He claims to play guitar in a band called The Nunnery, but they appear to be the only local act without a MySpace page

 
So, how does one hack into a televised broadcast? According to Phreak615, you have to have access. That’s right; it’s an inside job. “I have direct access to our digital media server,” he boasts in his blog, allowing him to hack in with a WIFI laptop from his car when he’s not at work.

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Nationwide Protest to Raise a Ruckus for Radio Two

Recently, CBC Radio Two has proposed some changes to its schedule. What used to be the go-to resource for classic and contemporary art music is slated to become a more diverse source of everything from “jazz, folk, world, R & B, singer-songwriter and roots” music, with the classical content being relegated to a five hour slot from 10am to 3pm. While the CBC says this is a celebration of our cultural diversity, a large number of the station’s loyal fans are furious, and they’ve organizing a national day of protest to make sure the state-sponsored radio network hears what they have to say.

While one might expect such a group to be spearheaded by residents of a retirement home, it’s actually being led by Peter McGillivray, a Toronto man in his early thirties, who set up a Facebook group called “Save Classical Music at the CBC.” In a few short weeks, the group has attracted over 13,000 members online, and fueled by this success they’ve decided to take their protest to the next level: the real world

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Photo by BlogTO flickr pooler funinthegym

T-shirts are awesome. They’re comfortable, machine washable, and always in style. As an added bonus, it’s easy to print cool images and pithy remarks on them. There’s no more convenient way to tell the world that you can’t wait to procrastinate, you’re with someone who is stupid or you should be kissed because you happen to be of Irish descent than to have it boldly emblazoned across your chest in 100% cotton glory.

So where are the best places in town to go to get the coolest tees imaginable? We recently put this question to the smartest and hippest people we could find (our readers), and here’s what you had to say …

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Photo of the best t-shirt ever by BlogTO Flickr pooler vasta

What would you do to save a life? Would you donate a kidney? Volunteer for a bone marrow transplant? Sign an online petition?

Mayor David Miller has gone online to get your support for his Community Safety Plan, including a petition asking the federal government “to take immediate action to ban handguns in Canada.”

 
In a video posted on YouTube yesterday, Miller recalls consoling families and friends of victims of handgun violence and vows to each and everyone of them that he will do everything in his power to put a stop to it.

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Aaron Shelbourne has a long history of sticking up for the little guy through his work with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), and he’s also a founding member of Independence Unlimited, an advocacy group for people with disabilities.

He’s also a victim of discrimination.

 
Shelbourne, who lives with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and communicates through augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) which requires an assistant, used to be a regular patron of Everest restaurant on Queen Street, until he was recently asked to never come back by manager Karma Sanchok.

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Faithful blogTO readers will remember this video we posted back in December of the Shared Propulsion Car being pulled over by Metro’s finest back on October 25, 2007 alleging the driver, Dean Baldwin, was operating an unsafe vehicle.

Brainchild of Montreal artist Michel de Broin, the 1986 Buick Regal had been stripped of its engine, suspension and transmission so that occupants could propel the car using pedals. Think of it as a hard shelled luxury cycle built for four. As an added touch, de Broin had replaced the car’s headlights with votive candles (no word on whether or not they were scented, but they did stay lit for the entire trip).

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The Toronto Cyclists Union aims to be this city’s first membership-driven cycling advocacy group, working towards creating a sustainable city by working within the community to affect positive change for Toronto’s pedal-powered citizens.

The Union will be holding a free Cycling Advocacy Workshop at City Hall next Sunday (April 13) from 11 AM to 4 PM. The workshop will be geared towards helping Toronto residents improve cycling conditions in their neighbourhoods, and will also give tips on navigating local political networks effectively in order to be a force of positive change in this city.

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Separating fact from fiction is one of the core responsibilities of any news organization, and today being April Fools Day the tip lines seem to be clogged with bogus leads.

I thought I’d share one particularly elaborate hoax which almost made it online at blogTO. The story reports the development of a huge amount of condos right in the middle of the biggest patch of greenspace in Toronto, High Park.

Toronto landmark lost for ever
Toronto Star (4/1/08) Peter Cole, City Hall Reporter

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