Photo: "Toronto Sunrise" by Edge100, member of the theGentries Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

For the second time this month, public mischief charges have been laid by Toronto police after carjacking abductions were allegedly faked. First it was a woman from New Brunswick, and this week it's alleged that 22-year old Torontonian Furqan Muhammad-Haroon set the stage by claiming that he was being chased and then snatched from his car at gunpoint. In addition to a tough sentence, they should consider giving him a Golden Raspberry.

At High Park this morning, it appears to have been a coordinated escape effort between the laughing llamas, the pasture-seeking yaks, and someone who wanted them to be free and used tools to cut their fencing open. Police and zoo staff were able to corral all of them, so fear not... your afternoon nap in the park won't be interrupted by a kangaroo face lick.

Only half of organic waste generated in Toronto actually makes it into the green bin compost stream. This is an embarrassing and unfortunate statistic, but it pales in comparison to what's going on in China - where some 65% of organic waste makes it into people.

On the same day that the media is reporting on an arrest in the vicious homicide behind the Brunny in the Annex, the National Post has an interesting interview with someone who has decided to jump ship and move to Leslieville. A number of my friends have also commented on their neighbourhood's apparent decline. Is it really slipping that much, or is the recent rash of crime merely coincidental?

KISS and contest-winning Oshawa have kissed and made up. Apparently the band will be playing the city east of Toronto after all. Apparently it was just a misunderstanding - something that they should probably avoid going forward, because putting elderly people (i.e. the band and their fans) on roller coaster rides like this is really dangerous.

And there's one thing at the Ex this year that may be worth trying. Deep-fried Oreo cookies and Twix bars look and sound heart-stoppingly divine, don't they?