Blog Posts by Marc Weisblott

Welcome to Morning Brew, our daily roundup of early-bird news:

• J. Crew has announced its first Canadian location will be a women's-only store at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, with a separate one for men to follow, as part of an expansion by the higher-end U.S. fashion store that recently restored its classic styles. (The Globe and Mail)

• A man who wished a group of police good luck before the G20 summit last year, which led to him allegedly being strip-searched and beaten in an 11-hour ordeal, has now sued the Toronto Police Services Board, the attorney general and four officers. (Toronto Star)

• Target Corp. has lost the first round in the fight to use its name in Canada, after a legal challenge against the little known Target Apparel, whose owner Isaac Benitah has sought his own injunction to prevent anyone else from opening a Canadian store called Target. (The Globe and Mail)

Kevin O'Leary has become famous due to his role on "Dragons' Den."

But some viewers might have wondered why the terms used to describe the pitch of an invention to a panel of investors needs to be so menacing.

After all, those violent connotations were recently the subject of a review by the CBC ombudsman.

The language of business commentary, which O'Leary delivers daily on CBC News Network, was questioned in the most recent complaint over the venture capitalist.

"The incumbent CEO has not delivered anything for shareholders," O'Leary commented on the financial performance of General Electric during an April 21 broadcast. "And at some point, the institutional shareholders are going to put a bullet in his head."

Such a metaphor, asserted viewer Dick Harling, was "encouraging terrorism."

While the vocabulary would be uncommon for a traditional news program, executive producer Robert Lack defended the co-star of "The Lang & O'Leary Exchange," even if he contradicted CBC practices that

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada gained its widest attention to date for taking on Facebook.

But more companies have recently come under fire for their failure to protect digital data.

Staples was admonished this week for not fully wiping the hard drives of reconditioned electronic devices. The federal agency also criticized dating website eHarmony for keeping the information of former members.

Yet, as privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart singled out these companies as part of an annual report to Parliament some have wondered why she doesn't have the power to take more immediate action. The showdown with Facebook suggested Canada was more concerned about these details than most other countries.

Certainly, increased awareness that someone is formally watching the watchers could help alleviate fears society has fallen under too much surveillance. Much of that access can be easily abused.

A complaint filed with the federal commissioner, uncovered by the Toronto Star,

Welcome to Morning Brew, our daily roundup of early-bird news:

• Vancouver Airport Authority is seeking someone who wants to live in its plane terminal for 80 days and 80 nights, and chronicle the experience through social media channels, in order to communicate the virtues of flying out of YVR. (CNW)

• A list of the top 50 travel destinations favoured by Americans on their 2011 Indepedence Day holiday weekend, based on reservations through Priceline.com, has shown Montreal, Ottawa and Niagara Falls to be among the most popular. (CNW)

• Sears Canada has announced a new president and chief executive, Calvin McDonald, a veteran of Loblaw Companies, who will be faced with the challenge of reviving the traditional department store format for the 21st century. (CNW)

Canadians might have found a way to express their exasperation with the Hollywood star machine.

After all, how many more stories is the public willing to take about Angelina, Britney and Paris? Coming to the rescue, apparently, are Anushka, Bipasha and Priyanka.

The actresses, known on a first-name basis in Bollywood, will be among the visitors to Toronto for the 12th annual weekend awards held by the International Indian Film Academy.

Curiosity over the first IIFA festival in North America seems long overdue. Despite the multicultural composition of Canada, entertainment figures from much of the world remain unknown outside of specific communities, in favour of the homogenous made-in-America star system.

Media outlets accustomed to going through the red carpet motions during the Toronto International Film Festival each September seem particularly enthused by the delegation from the more song-heavy exotic style of Hindi cinema.

Plus, the IIFA events are also scheduled for the suburban

The anniversary of the G20 summit in Toronto is being marked with police dumping their most contentious crowd control technique.

'Kettling' was a concept unfamiliar to Canadians when it was employed last June 27 to keep about 300 people boxed in at the corner of Queen and Spadina streets at the conclusion of a tense week of security measures throughout the downtown.

A year of controversy over what happened on other side of the fence meant to isolate the summit delegates has followed. The Independent Civilian Review into Matters Relating to the G20 Summit said on Wednesday it now plans to obtain internal documents from the Toronto Police Service and interview key individuals.

While more than 1,100 people were arrested in the midst of protests, just 24 of the 317 charged have been convicted, while 58 per cent had their charges dropped.

A protest march down Queen Street West on the Sunday during the event was closely watched by police who feared a repeat of the vandalism that broke out

Welcome to Morning Brew, our daily roundup of early-bird news:

•  Bixi chairman Roger Plamondon has defended the value of the bike-sharing service after Quebec ordered the company to unload the global component of the business following a report from the auditor-general that stated the company has failed to be accountable to its Montreal city backers. (Montreal Gazette)

• The difference between the Canadian and U.S. legal systems could become apparent on Friday should a Chicago judge rule that Conrad Black has paid his debt to society while Garth Drabinsky has yet to spend one day in prison after being found guilty in Toronto on comparable charges. (Toronto Star)

• "A Dangerous Method," the latest movie from David Cronenberg, about the relationship between psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, has been picked to open the Venice Film Festival; the director has recently started work on "Cosmopolis," with $2.7 million in Telefilm Canada funding. (Toronto Star)

Public libraries across Canada have long taken a stand against censorship.

The annual Freedom to Read Week, held each February, has focused on the fact librarians aren't willing to stop the distribution of every book a member of the public finds offensive.

When it came to "Go the F**k to Sleep," however, most major cities haven't planned to keep too many copies around.

The satire of illustrated bedtime stories for children became a sensation after the pages leaked online.

Adam Mansbach, who wrote the text based on a joke status update he posted on Facebook, has noted its novelty value is pretty much dependent on the sale of physical editions.

Floating around the local library, though, it's more likely to fall into the hands of young children. Parents who aren't clued into the subversion are likely to be mortified by it.

Currently, a week before its Canadian publication date, "Go the F**k to Sleep" is at the top of the sales chart at Indigo.

Toronto Public Library, meanwhile, has