Mayor Rob Ford's approval rating remains steady

Mayor Rob Ford (QMI AGENCY PHOTO)

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Mayor Rob Ford's approval rating still seems to be bulletproof, according to a new poll.

A Forum Research poll provided exclusively to the Toronto Sun Tuesday found Ford's approval rating is at 46% -- that's little change from a poll last month that pegged the mayor's approval rating at 47%.

However, around 54% of those polled disapprove of the job Ford is doing.

And when it comes to issues that have been in the news lately, the majority of those residents polled Monday agree with Ford's stance -- except for his opposition to safe injection sites.

" The mayor's approval is as high as we've measured it, except right after the election, and he's championing some policies which are popular with Torontonians," Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said in a statement Tuesday. "They may not be big wins, except for the Scarborough subway, but they'll be remembered."

Ford walked out of this month's council meeting heralding a big win when it comes to council supporting extending the Bloor-Danforth line into Scarborough.

That Scarborough subway vote doesn't seem to have caused a bump in his approval rating, but it seems to have helped keep it steady despite Ford being plagued by crack cocaine allegations earlier this year.

According to the Forum poll, Ford's approval rating is high-e st among older residents, poorer residents and Scarborough residents (around 60%). Although Ford lost a fight at council to cut the number of council seats from 44 to 22, the poll found around 58% support slashing council in half, while only 27% were against the idea.

Most residents polled (55%) now agree with Ford that the land transfer tax should be reduced by 10% rather than cancelling it entirely.

Around 45% want to cut the tax outright, while 41% think eliminating the land transfer tax is a bad idea.

Ford rolled out a city pilot project last week to paint curbs red in an effort to tell drivers where not to park.

The poll found 74% of residents like the red curb idea. Around 16% disapproved of the red curb idea and 10% didn't know.

Around 51% of Toronto residents approve of the idea of a safe injection site in downtown Toronto.

While Ford has balked at the idea, only 36% of those polled disapproved and 13% had no opinion.

The poll also found around 86% of those polled think the city's tattoo parlours should be licensed -- just 5% disagreed with the idea and 9% said they had no opinion.

The poll was an interactive voice response phone survey of 1,368 residents.

Forum considers the results accurate plus or minus 3%, 19 times out of 20.

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/07/31/mayor-rob-fords-approval-rating-remains-steady

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Ford To Enter 2014 Dakar Rally With Mustang-Powered Ranger Pickup

Custom Ford Ranger to be entered in 2014 Dakar Rally

Custom Ford Ranger to be entered in 2014 Dakar Rally

Sign up for our Daily Newsletter Get daily news, spy shots and more! Ford confirmed it will enter the 2014 Dakar Rally using its latest Ranger pickup truck currently sold overseas. The rally, which once again will be taking place in South America instead of its traditional home in Africa will run from January 5-18 next year.

Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] will enter two Rangers in the arduous rally, but we?re not talking run-of-the-mill Rangers here but highly modified versions complete with 5.0-liter V-8 engines borrowed from the Mustang GT.

The engine has been tuned to deliver more torque at lower revs and offer improved economy, but this has come at the cost of horsepower. Peak output for the engine in the Dakar-contesting Rangers stands at 348 horsepower and 412 pound-feet of torque.

The engine is matched to a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox and drives all four wheels via a limited-slip differential on both axles. Independent suspension is used at both ends and 16-inch Evocorse wheels shod with 245/85 Michelin feature at each corner.

Despite a body composed of composite materials, the mass of the vehicle is still a hefty 4,300 pounds. Ford claims a top speed of 105 mph.

The purpose-built Rangers are being prepared by South African firm Neil Woolridge Motorsport while logistics will be handled by Germany?s South Racing. Similarly, the driver lineup is made up of international contenders. Among the driver lineup will be Lucio Alvarez and Ronnie Graue in the first Ranger and Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst in the second vehicle.

The 2014 Dakar Rally is sure to be as trying as ever. The event will start in Rosario, Argentina on January 5 and finish in Valparaiso, Chile on January 18 after thirteen stages of competition, which will comprise a total distance of over 5,200 miles. New to the rally will be a visit to Bolivia.

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Mummified Inca child sacrifice gives up her secrets

Sitting cross-legged, a Mona Lisa half-smile playing on her lips, the Llullaillaco Maiden looks at peace. When she was unearthed in 1999, the lump of coca in her teeth and her icy mountaintop tomb were the only clues that she was part of an Inca child sacrifice ritual 500 years ago.

Now the latest studies of her perfectly preserved body offer an unprecedented glimpse into her life in the months leading up to her death ? possibly from hypothermia ? and raise questions about the extent to which she was aware of, and accepted, the fate that had been mapped out for her.

The frozen body of the 13-year-old Maiden was entombed in a small chamber 1.5 metres underground near the summit of Volc?n Llullaillaco in Argentina, together with the bodies of two 4 or 5-year-olds. With the blood still visible in their hearts and their lungs inflated, the three are probably the best-preserved mummies anywhere in the world, says Andrew Wilson at the University of Bradford in the UK. "They look very recognisable as individuals, which adds to the poignancy of their story."

The children were the centrepiece of an elaborate capacocha ritual ? the Inca practice of child sacrifice used to mark important events in the emperor's life. What we know about the ritual comes from 17th-century Spanish accounts, but they reveal little from the children's perspective. The mummies, in particular that of the Maiden, help fill that gap.

Timeline in hair

"She has fantastically tightly braided hair, which effectively acts as a timeline stretching back almost two years before her death," says Wilson. With colleagues, he has analysed how chemical traces in the hair differ from root to tip. The results show the Maiden experienced important dietary changes in those final two years.

Around 12 months before her death, for instance, the Maiden's diet changed markedly from simple to much richer food ? perhaps indicating the moment that she was plucked from humble surroundings and elevated to a higher status as someone chosen for sacrifice.

The chemical markers also show she consumed large quantities of alcohol and coca ? from which cocaine is extracted ? in the final months of her life. Her coca use peaked when she had six months to live, possibly coinciding with a hair-cutting ritual she underwent at the time. The final six weeks of her life, meanwhile, were marked by her consuming more alcohol than usual. This was not seen in the two younger children sacrificed alongside her, who almost certainly both played some subordinate "attendant" role in the capacocha ritual.

This difference intrigued Wilson and his colleagues, who speculate that it may reflect a greater need to sedate the Maiden as the capacocha ritual approached.

Coping mechanism

It's certainly a possibility, says John Verano at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. "We can only hypothesise, but being older, she might have had more of an idea of what was going on around her," he says. And although she may have considered her imminent death an honour ? as we know the Inca were encouraged to do ? it may equally have caused her anxiety. "Was she nervous and using drink as a way to deal with it?" asks Verano.

However, Verano points out that the Maiden's increased intake of alcohol may simply reflect her involvement in more rituals before the capacocha ? maize beer being an important component of Inca ceremonies.

Charles Stanish at the University of California, Los Angeles, offers another interpretation: rather than the alcohol and drugs being used to sedate the Maiden to make it easier for her carers to manipulate her, they might have been for her benefit ? to numb her to her fate. "Some would say that within this cultural context, this was a humane action," he says.

There may be a way to throw more light on the issue, says Verano. Hair also contains the stress hormone cortisol, so it should hold clues to the Maiden's stress levels. "If [cortisol] also increased towards the end of her life, that would certainly be interesting," he says.

Journal reference: PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1305117110

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Tough fight ahead for Ore. GOP governor contender

By JONATHAN J. COOPER The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. -- A Republican state representative is getting an early start in his bid to be Oregon's next governor. But if history is a guide, then Dennis Richardson has a challenging road ahead.

No one younger than 27 has lived in Oregon under a Republican governor, and it's been more than a decade since a GOP candidate was elected to statewide office. Even in 2010, the best year in memory for Republicans, the tea-party fueled conservative wave crashed short of Oregon.

"People are ready for a change," Richardson said last week after announcing his run for governor. "They want a plan that they can believe in."

Richardson represents Central Point and is largely unknown outside southern Oregon except to those who follow the Legislature closely.

Among his challenges will be introducing himself to the electorate and convincing Portland-area voters to give a conservative a chance. Democrats have been able to make up for weaknesses in the rural areas of Oregon by running up strong margins in Portland and its suburbs.

All of that will take a lot of money. Chris Dudley, the 2010 Republican nominee, spent more than $10 million in his losing bid, much of it his own money.

"There are always two races. The first race is about the money, and the second race is about the votes," said Greg Leo, a lobbyist and former chief staffer at the Oregon Republican Party. "We'll see what happens on the fundraising, which now starts in earnest."

Richardson also faces a Republican primary. Eastern Oregon rancher Jon Justesen is seeking the GOP nomination, and other Republicans also could jump in.

"I'm announcing now so that other Republican candidates might have the idea that, 'Well, if Richardson's willing to do this, we'll support him rather than getting into a highly contested primary,'" Richardson said. "If one comes, that's the way the system works, I'm happy to work with that, it gives us practice for the general election."

The biggest factor that will determine the course of the governor's race, however, is the decision of the current governor about whether to run. Kitzhaber has said he's still making up his mind about whether to run and will announce his decision in the fall.

After three terms in the governor's office ? the first two from 1995 to 2003 ? Kitzhaber is a well-known figure in Oregon. He's carved out socially liberal and fiscally moderate positions, sometimes angering the left.

Asked about Richardson at a press conference Thursday, Kitzhaber said the Republican was "a very solid partner" in the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions, which he called "extraordinarily bipartisan and productive."

"I welcome anyone who wants to seek higher office in this state," Kitzhaber said. "I have not made a decision about my own political future, but I wish Rep. Richardson well."

Richardson, 62, grew up in Los Angeles and flew helicopters for the Army in Vietnam. He settled in Southern Oregon in 1979, was first elected to the Legislature in 2002 and rose to be the co-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee when Republicans shared power with Democrats after the 2010 election.

"By and large, I think he's got a very, very low profile," said Len Bergstein, a lobbyist and former Democratic political consultant. "I haven't see any polls, but I think he doesn't come anywhere near challenging Kitzhaber in public awareness, perception, reputation."

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/28/3527336/tough-fight-ahead-for-ore-gop.html

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