IN THE NEWS TODAY

CANADA
Swine Flu vaccination queue jumping
In Canada, an Alberta health authority employee was fired for a decision to release H1N1 flu vaccine to Calgary Flames players and their family members, coaching staff and management. Albertans considered to be at high risk for contracting the virus, including small children, continue to be unable to get shots.

-- Same thing has happened in New York where Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and the Fed Reserve, Morgan Stanley, Columbia University, Time, Inc, among others, got the vaccine before schoolchildren. With CDC approval. (AP story.)

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National Gun Registry Vote
By 164-137, MPs voted to end the long-gun portion of the registry, eliminating the need to register rifles and shotguns. The requirement to register handguns would remain in place. The bill now goes to an all-party committee for public hearings before it returns to the House of Commons for a final vote and then heads to the Senate. The estimated cost of the registry is $1 billion.

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CHICAGO MAYOR DALEY AIDE IN NEW JOB
Reporter Fran Spielman at the Chicago Sun-Times reports,

Despite a burgeoning financial crisis that has forced a $43 million property tax increase and hundreds of job cuts, the Chicago Board of Education has found a $154,000-a-year job for an all-purpose mayoral troubleshooter.

Barbara Lumpkin, 59, will serve as deputy CEO for external affairs for the Chicago Public Schools forging partnerships with the business community to support school programs.

Lumpkin made $169,452 as Daley's chief procurement officer. She has also served as Daley's city comptroller, budget director and city treasurer following the conviction of Miriam Santos.
Scroll down to read Lumpkin's involvement in controversial pay raises. The city expects a shortfall of $900 million next year.

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BRITAIN
British Judges no long have to declare if they are Freemasons. A Tony Blair "reform." They tried doing it with police officers, too. Just in case, I suppose, they might be religious or something.

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$PORTS (formerly sports)
"South Africa's Olympic body has suspended the president, board and members of Athletics South Africa over the handling of 800 metres world champion Caster Semenya's gender tests." The 18-year-old Caster Semenya won a gold in Berlin, a week after gender tests were performed by the International Association of Athletics Federations on her on August 7 in Pretoria. ASA head Leonard Chuene initially denied the tests were conducted and that he was advised by team doctor Harold Adams to withdraw her before the 800m final.

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SWITZERLAND
From The Wall Street Journal. "On Nov. 29, the Swiss will vote on a referendum to ban the construction of minarets, an initiative promoted by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, who argue that a minaret is a symbol of Islamic intolerance."
The Swiss People's Party gathered twice the required signatures needed to call a vote. The party, the country's largest political group is a fierce critic of immigration. (Doesn't matter how the Swiss vote, the EU courts will overturn the decision as a violation of the Human Rights of someone someplace.)

Meanwhile, Switzerland has suspended their "normalization deal" with Libya as Libya continues to hold two Swiss businessmen.