Wikipedia meets US$6 million fundraising goal

The non-profit foundation that runs Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia of user-contributed articles, said Friday that it has met its US$6 million fundraising goal for fiscal 2008.

With about six months left in this year's campaign, the Wikimedia Foundation said it has raised US$6.2 million. A flood of donations came in after the site's founder, Jimmy Wales, posted an appeal for support in late December.

The foundation said about 50,000 contributors chipped in a total of US$2 million in the space of eight days, bringing the total number of donors to more than 125,000.

The money will go toward improving the software Wikipedia runs on as well as upgrading the servers and Internet bandwidth that accommodate the site's traffic. Wikipedia consistently ranks among the top 10 most visited Web sites in the world.

The foundation operates the site without advertising as a matter of principle, making donations critical.

Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia's fundraising prowess has expanded quickly. The foundation hauled in US$1.3 million two years ago and US$2.2 million last year.

In March 2008, the site received a $3 million gift from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to be dispensed in US$1 million annual installments. Last month the Stanton Foundation gave US$890,000 to make Wikipedia's editing process more user-friendly.

The Wikimedia Foundation hopes the growth in big-name donors will help improve the encyclopedia's uneven reputation for accuracy, both by showing that civic-minded institutions are willing to make an investment and by funding programs that increase outreach to new contributors.

Wikimedia spokesman Jay Walsh said expanding the foundation's Wikipedia Academies will be a major goal in the coming year. The program sends Wikimedia staff to institutions around the world for discussions with experts in different fields, partly in hopes of drawing more academics and professionals to the site.

"There's work to do in getting the word out about how Wikipedia works," Walsh said.

In a thank-you note posted on the site Friday, Wales told donors, "You have proven that Wikipedia matters to you, and that you support our mission: to bring free knowledge to the planet, free of charge and free of advertising."

Make the Winter Classic an annual tradition

While i'm not really sure if I would have called it a home run (a hat trick?), Without question, the 2009 edition of the Winter Classic was a solid hit for the NHL. You can bet the house that, a year from now, we'll be watching a similar event take place at yet another frozen outdoor locale (How about Toronto???).

For one, this is a game that simply makes a TON of money for the host team, the NHL and the television networks. League commissioner Gary Bettman had talked during the week about the number of sponsorships that came in specifically for this game in Chicago, and we've heard a ton about the buzz in a city dominated by other sports the past few months.
Tickets at Wrigley Field were both more plentiful and more expensive than a regular game at the United Center, and it's safe to assume the Blackhawks will see their revenues bumped up a few million dollars as a result of the one game.

This will easily be Chicago's best year, revenue wise, in ages. Maybe, Perhaps, EVER!

The Oilers, for example, turned a profit on their season back in 2003-04 simply because they hosted the Heritage Classic, and every cold weather team is going to want on the bandwagon. The Maple Leafs are already making noise about getting the game in the future — although I think it's highly unlikely they NHL doesn't go into American markets for the next three or four years.

I fully expect the TV ratings on NBC to better the solid numbers they posted for last year's game.

Chicago and Detroit are both bigger national television markets than Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and it's likely the buzz factor from the fact that this was the second annual outdoor game helps boost those totals as well. For that reason alone we're likely to see NBC push for games in places like New York, Boston and Philadelphia — the largest "cold weather" markets in the U.S. — in the near future (and they can't forget Toronto and Montreal on this side of the border, both HUGE).

As for the game itself, it wasn't bad, maybe not great, but not a bad game either.

This gives you an idea of what it was like at Wrigley:

The game itself was a bit surprising, if only because scoring wasn't inhibited by the conditions. In previous outdoor NHL games, either the cold or the ice kept the goals for and against down, but it seemed the 'Hawks and Wings were flying almost as if in a playoff game from the start.

The weather — overcast and just below freezing — was pretty much perfect, and it's hard to complain about the Windy City producing a few gusts during the game.

Besides, if wind results in plays like this, count me in for more of the same.

The best part of this year's game being at Wrigley was something that Tom Benjamin alluded to after the game: Hockey has definitively "recaptured the heart of the Chicago sports fan." It has been ages since there was as passionate an NHL fan base in the city as there has been to this point this season, and people like Al Yellon, who runs Bleed Cubbie Blue, are back on the Blackhawks' bandwagon after years and years away."

Al's one of the legion of former hockey fans who swore off the 'Hawks in the early '70s (and later on) — which was before I was born by the way — and they've managed to coax him and others back into the fold without winning a championship or even making the playoffs. That's really saying something.

The best part if you're a new Blackhawks fan? While the team was outplayed in this one, mostly in goal, this is the tip of the iceberg for this group, and there's a very real possibility they'll be a contender over the next few years.

Patrick Kane is 20 years old and 11th in NHL scoring. Duncan Keith is 25 and a future Norris trophy winner in waiting. Captain Jonathan Toews, only 20, is the third member of the trio that is all locked up through next season for a cap hit of $1.475-million or less (before bonuses) What a bargain!.

When your three best players are also three of the lowest paid, that gives you options. They can afford to bring in some heavy hitters next season.

Some are still wondering if Chicago's quick rise up the Western Conference standings is a mirage, but this team is honestly better than advertised to this point. Sure there's going to be some growing pains, but there's real depth amongst their youngsters, with players like Dave Bolland, Andrew Ladd and Cam Barker just now getting their feet wet in the NHL — and excelling. Some of the bit players like Troy Brouwer, Ben Eager, Aaron Johnson and James Wisniewski have also really impressed in their roles, and — can you believe it — Marty Havlat has stayed healthy!!.

With the way they've played with Nikolai Khabibulin in goal this season, the 'Hawks have been one of the top handful of teams in the NHL. They're the real deal and could make some noise in the postseason.

Once they figure out how to beat Detroit, that is.

Obama Plans Guantanamo Close, Hold trials in US

President-elect Obama's advisers are putting together plans to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison and prosecute terrorism suspects held at the base in the U.S., a plan the Bush administration said "was easier said than done."

Under the plan being crafted by the Obama camp, some detainees would be released and others would be charged in U.S. courts, where they would receive constitutional rights and open trials.

But, underscoring the difficult decisions President-elect Obama must make to fulfill his pledge of shutting down Guantanamo, the plan could require the creation of a new legal system to handle the classified information inherent in some of the most sensitive cases.

Many of the about 250 Guantanamo detainees are cleared for release, but the Bush administration has not able been to find a country willing to take them.

Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans aren't yet final.

The plan being developed by Obama's team has been championed by legal scholars from both political parties. But as details began to surface, it drew criticism from Democrats who oppose creating a new legal system and from Republicans who oppose bringing terrorism suspects to the U.S. mainland.

Obama's foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said the president-elect wants Guantanamo closed, but no decision has been made "about how and where to try the detainees, and there is no process in place to make that decision until his national security and legal teams are assembled."

Obama seeks a break from the Bush administration, which established military tribunals to prosecute detainees at the Navy base in Cuba and strongly opposes bringing prisoners to the United States.

At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday that President Bush has faced many challenges in trying to close the prison.

"We've tried very hard to explain to people how complicated it is. When you pick up people off the battlefield that have a terrorist background, it's not just so easy to let them go," Perino said. "These issues are complicated, and we have put forward a process that we think would work in order to put them on trial through military tribunals."

But Obama has been critical of that process and his legal advisers said finding an alternative will be a top priority. One of those advisers, Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, acknowledges that bringing detainees to the U.S. would be controversial but said it could be accomplished.

"I think the answer is going to be, they can be as securely guarded on U.S. soil as anywhere else," Tribe said. "We can't put people in a dungeon forever without processing whether they deserve to be there."

The tougher challenge will be easing fears by Democrats who believe the Bush administration's military commissions were a farce and dislike the idea of giving detainees anything less than the full constitutional rights normally enjoyed by everyone on U.S. soil.

"I think that creating a new alternative court system in response to the abject failure of Guantanamo would be a profound mistake," Jonathan Hafetz, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents detainees, said Monday. "We do not need a new court system. The last eight years are a testament to the problems of trying to create new systems." Senate Judiciary Committee member John Cornyn, R-Texas, said it would be a "colossal mistake to treat terrorism as a mere crime."

"It would be a stunning disappointment if the one of the new administration's first priorities is to give foreign terror suspects captured on the battlefield the same legal rights and protections as American citizens accused of crimes," Cornyn said Monday, noting that the Senate overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding Senate bill last year opposing bringing detainees to the U.S.

Obama did not vote on that measure. He has said the civilian and military court-martial systems provide "a framework for dealing with the terrorists," and Tribe said the administration would look to those venues before creating a new legal system. But discussions of what a new system would look like have already started.

An Obama administration will want to avoid the criticisms that have marked the Bush administration's military commissions. Human rights groups and defense attorneys have condemned the commissions for lax evidence rules and intense secrecy. Some military prosecutors have even quit in protest.

"It would have to be some sort of hybrid that involves military commissions that actually administer justice rather than just serve as kangaroo courts," Tribe said. "It will have to both be and appear to be fundamentally fair in light of the circumstances. I think people are going to give an Obama administration the benefit of the doubt in that regard."

Some weren't so sure. "There would be concern about establishing a completely new system," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee and former federal prosecutor who is aware of the discussions in the Obama camp. "And in the sense that establishing a regimen of detention that includes American citizens and foreign nationals that takes place on U.S. soil and departs from the criminal justice system _ trying to establish that would be very difficult." Though a hybrid court may be unpopular, other advisers and Democrats involved in the Guantanamo Bay discussions say Obama has few options. Prosecuting all detainees in federal courts raises many problems. Evidence gathered through military interrogation or from intelligence sources might be thrown out. Defendants would have the right to confront witnesses, meaning undercover CIA officers or terrorist turncoats might have to take the stand, jeopardizing their cover and revealing classified intelligence tactics.

That means something different would need to be done if detainees couldn't be released or prosecuted in traditional courts. Exactly what remains unclear.

"I don't think we need to completely reinvent the wheel, but we need a better tribunal process that is more transparent," Schiff said.

According to three advisers participating in the process, Obama is expected to propose a new court system and may appoint a committee to decide how such a court would operate. Some detainees would likely be returned to the countries where they were first captured for further detention or rehabilitation. The rest could probably be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts, one adviser said. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, which have been private.

One challenge will be figuring out what to do with the 90 or so Yemeni detainees - the largest group in the prison. The Bush administration has sought to negotiate the release of some of those detainees as part of a rehabilitation plan with the Yemeni government. But talks have so far been fruitless.

Waleed Alshahari, who has been following Guantanamo issues for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, said the plan being discussed by the Obama team was an improvement over the current system. But he said he expects most detainees to be released rather than stand trial.

"If the U.S. government has any evidence against them, they would try them and put them in jail," Alshahari said. "But it has been obvious they have nothing against them. That is why they have not faced trial."

Whatever Obama decides, he should move quickly, Tribe said.

"In reality and symbolically, the idea that we have people in legal black holes is an extremely serious black mark," Tribe said. "It has to be dealt with."

AirTran apologizes to Muslim family removed from plane

Just to follow up on my posting from January 2nd at 4:15pm:

AirTran Airways finally did the right thing and apologized Friday to members of a Muslim family for kicking them off a plane and refusing to rebook them despite requests from FBI agents who had
cleared them of wrongdoing.

The families of Atif Irfan, a tax attorney, and his brother Kashif Irfan, an anesthesiologist, were removed from a flight in Washington before takeoff Thursday after a passenger reported hearing Atif Irfan's wife say something suspicious.

The FBI interviewed the family and cleared them of wrongdoing.

"We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security level it did," AirTran said in a statement Friday afternoon. "But we trust everyone understands that the security and the safety of our passengers is paramount." (you can read the rest of the statement they issued here)

The airline said it has refunded the family's money and has offered to fly the family home to Washington for free.

One family member, Kashif Irfan, said on Friday that he was "very appreciative and surprised" by AirTran's apology. "It's a very generous gesture," he said.

The statement by Air Trans was an abrupt about-face for the airline, which only three hours earlier had issued a press release with an unapologetic description of the incident.

In that statement, the airline said it did not re-book the family only because the security concern had not been resolved, and because one member of the group "became irate and made inappropriate comments."

That account of the incident differed from accounts from the family and the FBI.
The FBI said agents interviewed the family, resolved the security concerns and then tried to help re-schedule the flight with the airline. The FBI ultimately helped the family book a flight on US Airways.

The dispute erupted at approximately 1 p.m. Thursday, as Atif Irfan and his brother Kashif Irfan boarded AirTran flight 175 at Reagan National Airport near Washington for a trip to Orlando, Florida. They were accompanied by their wives, a sister and three young children.

Federal officials say a passenger on the plane notified a flight attendant about a suspicious conversation, and the flight attendant notified the pilot and Federal air marshals who were aboard. The pilot asked the air marshals to remove the passengers, said Transportation Security Administration spokesman Christopher White.

"The conversation, as we were walking through the plane trying to find our seats, was just about where the safest place in an airplane is," said Inayet Sahin, Kashif Irfan's wife. "We were [discussing whether it was safest to sit near] the wing, or the engine or the back or the front. But that's it. We didn't say anything else that would raise any suspicion."

The conversation did not contain the words "bomb," "explosion," "terror" or other words that might have aroused suspicion, Atif Irfan said.

"When we were talking, when we turned around, I noticed a couple of girls kind of snapped their heads," said Sobia Ijaz, Atif Irfan's wife. "I kind of thought to myself, 'Oh, you know, maybe they're going to say something.' It didn't occur to me that they were going to make it such a big issue."

Authorities first removed Atif Irfan and Sobia Ijaz, then returned for the rest of the family, including three small children. They also removed a family friend, Abdul Aziz, a Library of Congress attorney who was coincidentally taking the same flight and had been seen talking with the family.

After the FBI interviewed family members, the agency released them, Irfan said.

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," said Sahin. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."

In statements Thursday night and Friday morning, AirTran said it had "complied with all TSA, law enforcement and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the matter."

But TSA spokesman White said it was the pilot's decision to remove the family and the airline and pilot had the ultimate authority to decide whether to allow the family back on AirTran flights.

An FBI spokesman confirmed Friday that agents intervened on behalf of the family with AirTran. When AirTran declined to book the family, agents helped them get tickets with US Airways, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said.

"Our agents went way out of their way to make sure this family went on their trip," Kolko said.

After the family and friend were taken for questioning, the remaining 95 passengers, the crew and baggage were removed from the plane and rescreened, AirTran said.

Family members said Friday they had not decided whether to accept AirTran's apology, saying there were a variety of opinions. (My personal opinion? too little too late, I wouldn't take the tickets)

Meanwhile, an Islamic group -- the Council on Islamic American Relations, or CAIR -- filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees airlines.

"We believe this disturbing incident would never have occurred had the Muslim passengers removed from the plane not been perceived by other travelers and airline personnel as members of the Islamic faith," CAIR said in its complaint.

9 Muslim passengers kicked off U.S. flight

Airline offers passengers an official apology

Nine Muslim passengers were kicked off a flight going from Washington, D.C., to Florida after other passengers on the plane reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security.

Despite issuing an official apology to all the passengers on the flight on Friday, the airline has maintained that the steps taken on Thursday were necessary.

"We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security level it did on New Year's Day, but we trust everyone understands that the security and the safety of our passengers is paramount and cannot be compromised," said the news release issued by the company.

AirTran Airways spokesman Tad Hutcheson called the incident on the New Year's Day flight from Reagan National Airport to Orlando, Fla., a "misunderstanding", but defended the company's response. He said the airline followed federal rules and did nothing wrong.

One of the Muslim passengers, Kashif Irfan, told the Washington Post the confusion began when his brother was talking about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' "

Irfan told the newspaper he thought he and the others were profiled because of their appearance.

The men had beards and the women wore headscarves, traditional Muslim attire.

Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist and his brother is a lawyer. Both live in Alexandria, Va., with their families and were born in Detroit. They were traveling with their wives, Irfan's sister-in-law and Irfan's three sons, ages 7, 4 and 2.

A family friend also was traveling with the group to a religious retreat in Florida.

Federal officials ordered the rest of the passengers off the plane and re-screened them before allowing the flight to depart about two hours behind schedule.

Not allowed on another flight

The family was upset that AirTran Airlines didn't allow the Muslim passengers to book another flight.

The airline said in a news release issued earlier on Friday that one of the passengers became irate, made inappropriate comments and had to be escorted away from a gate desk by local law enforcement.

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," says Inayet Sahin, one of the family members kicked off the flight, She told CNN "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."

The family and friend eventually made it to their destination on a US Airways flight.

In the written statement, AirTran said it refunded the airfare for the nine passengers and planned to reimburse them for replacement tickets they bought on another airline.

AirTran also apologized to 95 other passengers on the flight who were delayed because of the incident.

"We apologize to all of the passengers — to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight. Nobody on Flight 175 reached their destination on time on New Year's Day, and we regret it," the written apology said.

Hutcheson said AirTran had initially refused to rebook the family because the airline had not been notified the investigation was complete.

"The passengers are now welcome to fly on AirTran since being cleared by authorities," he said.

"At the end of the day, people got on and made comments they shouldn't have made on the airplane, and other people heard them," Hutcheson said. "Other people heard them, misconstrued them. It just so happened these people were of Muslim faith and appearance. It escalated, it got out of hand and everyone took precautions."

Transport official defends handling of situation

Christopher White, a federal Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said the situation was handled appropriately.

White said the pilot, after being informed of the remarks, requested that two federal air marshals on board remove the individuals.

TSA then alerted authorities, including the FBI, which conducted an investigation. Once authorities determined there was no threat, it was up to the airline whether to allow the family to reboard or not.

"If the pilot is uncomfortable with someone flying on their plane, that's their decision," White said.

A spokesman for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

One of the passengers removed, Abdur Razack Aziz, said he will consider filing a lawsuit against the airline.

This seems to be like "Life imitating art". The pilot episode "Little Mosque on the Prairie" had the very same (almost exactly identical) situation...

The fact that the family was not allowed back onto a plane even though they were no longer deemed a "threat" is just ridiculous, extremely paranoid and clearly a sign of racist, stereotypical profiling by the airline officials.

The ironic thing about this and similar situations of this manner, is that not a single one of the 9/11 terrorists looked at all out of the ordinary for Western appearance except perhaps being a bit dark skinned. Doesn't it seem weird to think that a terrorist would go on to a plane in such obvious attire as the traditional Muslim dress? Would they not want to dress in "western attire" to NOT draw attention to themselves on the plane if they were terrorists? i'm pretty sure they wouldn't be so stupid as to talk about plane security if they were terrorists either, on the contrary, they'd probably stay really silent until they were "ready to act".

The FBI had cleared them and attempted to have the airline fly them to their destination.

Before anyone states the obvious about mistakes happening...I know that misunderstandings can and do occur. However, the fact that this family of Muslims was neither allowed to return to the plane nor rebook their tickets with the same airline, even though it was determined without a doubt that they were no threat whatsoever, should raise some major alarm bells. This was more than a legitimate security concern; it was racist, stereotypical profiling (and I don't think that the airline has officially apologized to the family involved either, maybe to the other people on the plane, but I don't think they've officially apologized for there mistake to the family). Come on, even federal officials were convinced that these individuals were no threat and actually asked the airline to let them back onto the plane, but to no avail. This kind of action breeds anger and resentment and in a worst case scenario might actually push some frustrated Muslims into the clutches of the terrorists. Do we really want that to happen? do we???
Airport and border security is pure madness these days. A single shoe bomber results in billions of us taking off our shoes every time we want to get on an airline now. A single goo bomber means billions more can no longer bring toiletries on the plane with us (but we can put them in the hatch).

Throw in the x-ray machines, sniffing dogs and machines, intrusive searches (bodies, luggage, computers), machines that show you naked, having to get there two hours early, being reported in advance to security agencies, no-fly lists, criminal records (where you've paid your dues) that still prohibit you from traveling abroad....Sheer and utter MADNESS.

I wish them luck in there lawsuit against the airline, if it were me, I would include EVERYONE on the airline that said ANYTHING or was in ANY way involved in me being taken off the plane, and being kept off...but that's just me...

Is this the sort of world we now live in? what its now come to?

NBA opts not to discipline Vince Carter or referee

The NBA confirmed on Friday that one of its officials referred to Vince Carter as "boy" during an argument, but it has decided not to suspend either man, according to a report.

The New Jersey Nets guard was ejected after arguing a call on during a game Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons. Carter received two technical fouls and had to be restrained from the referee, Derrick Stafford, who is also African-American.

League senior vice-president Bryan McIntyre told the New York Post that both Carter and Stafford had been spoken to regarding the incident, and there will be no further disciplinary action.

"Derrick Stafford expressed regret for the use of the term 'boy.' But we are [convinced] he did not mean it in a derogatory fashion," McIntyre said.

Carter told the Post that he had already put the incident behind him.

The long-time Toronto Raptor is averaging 22.7 points and more than four rebounds and assists for the New Jersey Nets.

Hockey player dies from fight-related injury

A fight-related injury has cost a 21-year-old senior hockey league player his life.

Don Sanderson, a defenceman for the Whitby Dunlops of the O.H.A. (Ontario Hockey Association), died in Hamilton General Hospital early Friday. The news was reported on the Whitby, Ont., team's website.

Sanderson had been in a coma since Dec. 14, as a result of his involvement in a fight during an Ontario Hockey Association senior game against the Brantford Blast.

Sanderson was fighting forward Corey Fulton during the third period and his helmet came off during the confrontation. Near the end of the tussle, both players fell and Sanderson's unprotected head hit the ice.

Sanderson was out cold on the ice for about 30 seconds, before briefly regaining consciousness. He eventually fell into a coma and was was placed on life support.

Dunlops president Steve Cardwell says the fight wasn't that rough.

"It didn't look like it was as bad as obviously this has turned out to be," he said. "At the time, it looked like so many other fights that anybody connected with hockey would have watched over the last number of years."

Cardwell thinks there needs to be a dialogue on the bigger issues surrounding Sanderson's death.

"Any time a tragedy like this happens — and it could have been prevented by a number of rule changes, or the way helmets are made, or the way that they work — that debate needs to happen," he said.

Team dedicates season to player

Sanderson, a native of Port Perry, Ont., attended York University. He had also played in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League for the Ajax Attack and the Trenton Sting.

His death is making Whitby captain Peter MacKellar wonder if the rules should be changed.

"I got into a fight one or two games later and my helmet came off, and all of a sudden you're thinking about Don and you're thinking, `Jeez this could happen right now,"' he said.

"But I've seen so many helmets come off and I've seen people hit their heads on the ice before and, you know, [there were] no real complications."

MacKellar says the Dunlops are dedicating the rest of the season to Sanderson's memory.

"We'll just have to work just as hard as he did, because he really worked so hard this year, and I was just so impressed with his work ethic and just his loyalty to his team," he said.

"If we can rally for him and play for him — play in his honour — I think that'd be a nice touch."

Merrill Lych closes it's doors.

Merrill Lynch workers stand, applaud, say goodbye.

New York City investment bank Merrill Lynch has seen its last day.
As of Thursday the company will be part of the Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp. At the closing bell on New Year's Eve on the fifth floor of the World Financial Center in Manhattan, Merrill Lynch & Co.'s employees held what's known as a clapoff: Hundreds of them stood and applauded solemnly to pay tribute to their company. Merrill Lynch lost billions of dollars in the subprime mortgage crisis. Some employees say Wednesday's clapoff was to mark the end of the company and the end of a very bad year. The clapoff is a tradition that was used when people left the firm or retired.

First Baby of 2009 Born At the Stroke Of Midnight

What are the odds? Right on the stroke of midnight, as fireworks lit up the Toronto sky to ring in 2009, the city's first baby of the year was born.

Baby Nyla Adrianna (pictured) came into the world at Toronto East General Hospital, oblivious to the celebrations going on around her.

"Twelve o'clock on the dot she came out.They did the countdown in our room," revealed new dad Paul Gonsalves. "As soon as she came out, everyone started cheering."

Mother Erica Dumont agreed.

"There was an audience in there as I was pushing."

But she managed to keep her composure throughout the entire delivery, which, relatively speaking, was a breeze. Nyla weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces.

"They were surprised I was eight centimetres dilated when I came in because I was so calm. And I was just laughing. [Paul] was making me laugh."

It was something of a photo finish in the race for the title of first new year baby.

About two seconds later, Chantal and Roberto DiMarco became the proud parents of a healthy baby girl, 7-pound Milana Amelia, at the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga.

"I'm just glad she's healthy. That's all that matters, really," noted Roberto.

Chantal had been in labour for most of Wednesday, which also happened to be her 32nd birthday.

Baby number three was a little girl also born in Mississauga at Credit Valley Hospital.

And eight seconds into the new year, baby boy Martin popped out at North York General Hospital.

Man Clings To Life Following Overnight New Years Shooting

What a way to bring in The New Year, Bullets rang out on Danforth Ave during an argument outside a New Year's party at the Paradise Sports Bar and Billiards Club at 940 Danforth Ave at about 3:30am Thursday. The gunfire sent two men to hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.

"It's very critical, I'll put it that way. We don't know if he's going to make it or not. He's being watched closely by the doctors at this point," explained Det. Gerald Ball of Toronto Police.

Paramedics found the gravely hurt victim on the sidewalk, shot in the head. He's listed in critical condition in hospital.

The other individual was shot in the leg, but was still able to run for his life. Officers picked him up a short distance from the club.

The shooter fled with a group of friends.

Investigators would like to speak to anyone who brought in the New Year at the Danforth and Jones Ave. area bar.

"When we got here, they were almost all gone. There was no one here except for about eight people. So if there's anybody that can offer any information, we would like to speak to them," noted Det. Ball.

You can call Toronto Police 54 Division at 416-808-5400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Another person was shot in the leg not far away from where this incident took place, in the area of Dawson Ave. and Earl Grey Rd. There's no word on whether that incident, which occurred at about 5am, is related to the shooting earlier in the night.

Meanwhile, police in the west end are also looking into the circumstances of a shooting near Dixon Rd. in the west end. The victim in this shooting suffered a gunshot wound to one of his legs. He was taken to Etobicoke General Hospital to be treated but his injuries weren't considered life threatening.

Anyone with information in any of the overnight incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477), Again, you can do so anonymously if you prefer