Sure, the NDP is the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and are about a week away from electing their new leader, but the federal election is more than four years away. Why Rae, and why now? He’s only temporarily responsible for the now-third biggest party in Canada. 

 

Seems a little peculiar. Over the weekend, the Conservatives launched a new television and online video criticizing Rae’s record as Premier from 1990 to 1995. During this time, Rae was the leader of Ontario’s NDP; a time when the province faced one of its worst recessions, and tremendously high deficits. And, who can forget “Rae Days?” According to the video, Rae’s reign resulted in Ontario becoming the, “welfare capital of Canada.” Naturally.

 

The video brands the Toronto-Centre MP a failure, literally, and takes aim at his supposed desire to run for Prime Minister. But, oh, how these attack ads make me yearn for the days of NotaLeader.ca or “Just Visiting.”

 

 

Eek! On Monday, a lone gunman opened fire on a Jewish school in France, killing four, including a father and his two sons, before fleeing on a motorized scooter. The yet-unidentified gunman is suspected of committing two similar attacks, and possibly filming his school shooting.

The gunman opened fire on a Jewish school in the southern French city of Toulouse. Just days earlier, three soldiers of ethnic origin were also shot, and killed, by an unidentified man on a scooter not too far away. This horrifying news prompted President Nicolas Sarkozy and his electoral opponent, François Hollande to take a break from this spring’s Presidential campaign. Both candidates visited the school on Monday.

Prosecutors are looking for a series of clues about the subject, though he remains at large. New eyewitness testimony states the gunman may have been wearing a camera around his neck; information that can help identify the subject.

And Finally, Ashton Kutcher is Going to Space; Lance Bass Gently Weeps

Image: HollywoodTreatment.net

How’s this for random news? Ashton Kutcher paid a reported $200,000 for a spot aboard business magnate Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flight into space. Not a bad way to celebrate the not-yet renewal of his adopted TV series, right?

Branson writes on his blog, “Our 500th future astronaut customer has just signed up! Even better news, is that the number 500 is Ashton Kutcher.”

Though a date for Kutcher’s fantastic voyage has not been released, the actor will be required to undergo a series of exhaustive safety training. Also rumoured to be on board? Stephen Hawking, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Tom Hanks. A typical combination of bros, of course.

Still, this $200,000 seems like peanuts compared to what NSYNC-er Lance Bass had to go through a decade ago. Bass, at the height of his boyband fame, was desperate to be thrust into space. Bass was later booted from joining a Russian space station after his financial backers rescinded their offer to cough up the $20-Million fee. Poor Lance. He’ll always be a space cowboy.

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Joanna Adams writes the Morning Cable, and lots more, for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at ‏ @nowstarringTO.

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