Hate Crimes Against Muslims Rose 60 Per Cent in 2015: Here’s What We’re Reading

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Here’s what we’re reading today.

1. Political rhetoric drove 60 per cent rise in hate crimes in 2015

“National Council of Canadian Muslims vice-chairman Khalid Elgazzar called 2015 a ‘difficult year’ for Muslim Canadians, as two terrorist attacks in France inflamed anti-Muslim sentiment and former prime minister Stephen Harper made a woman’s right to wear a veil at citizenship ceremonies a ‘central issue’ of the election campaign.

“‘The Canadian Muslim community bore the brunt of sinister political rhetoric surrounding the federal election which painted Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers as well as being anti-women,’ he said during a news conference on Parliament Hill.”

CBC News

+1: 30% of indigenous hate crimes took place in Thunder Bay, Ont. – APTN

2. Jeff Sessions testifies: Says suggestion of collusion is an ‘appalling and detestable lie’

“Sessions took particular aim at news reports about a possible meeting he had with a Russian official during an April 2016 event at the Mayflower hotel, where Trump gave a pro-Russian speech. He acknowledged being at the event and said he had conversations with those there, but did not remember any with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

“‘If any brief interaction occurred in passing with the Russian ambassador during that reception, I do not remember it,’ Sessions said. If he did have a conversation with the ambassador, it was ‘certainly nothing improper.'”

Washington Post

+1: Russians electoral hacks hit 39 states – Bloomberg

3. What if Baby Boomers just moved out of their empty nests already?

“The baby boomer generation is occupying the housing that the millennials want, choosing over-housing rather than a move outside their traditional single-family home neighbourhoods”

Toronto Star

4. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick takes leave of absence

“Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive, said he would take a leave of absence from the ride-hailing service after an investigation into the company concluded that Uber must repudiate its aggressive start-up culture.

“The developments were part of a flurry of actions at Uber on Tuesday morning, which began with an internal email from Mr. Kalanick right before a staff meeting got underway. In the email to employees, Mr. Kalanick said he would take a leave of absence to work on himself and reflect on building a ‘world class leadership tea’” for the company. He did not specify how long he would be away.”

New York Times

5. A man constipated from birth was carrying over 28 pounds of shit

“His parents didn’t think his condition was serious.”

Inverse