Your morning news rrrroundup for Thursday January 18th, 2007:

The monstrosities known as Megabins are being yanked from our streets and replaced by more conventional silver bins after the money the city hoped to generate from the contract fell short. Is this an indication of things to come, or is it still a good idea to grant the street furniture and garbage collection bins contract to a single private company?

News from the high school scene is a little disturbing: students in NYC gave a girl a violent beat down with the intention of posting it to Youtube and Myspace. GTA education officials and parents worry that this could be a trend to contend with (after a "Fight Club" in Orangeville surfaced online last year, and similar videos came from Barrie and Toronto).

In other high school news, students at a Richmond Hill school are campaigning for the recognition of a "Gay-Straight Alliance" club, while the principal is pushing for its members to be a part of a larger and more generic "Diversity Advocacy Group".

Oranges, strawberries, and other California-sourced fruits are going to soar in prices at our grocery stores after freak freezing weather destroyed crops. In a way, I welcome the news, since it adds a pocketbook dent to the incentive for joining the buy local movement.

(photo: theGentries Flickr pooler a friendly vampire)