1 HALF A BILLION DOLLARS IN STIMULUS MONEY IS AT RISK BECAUSE OF PROJECT DELAYS Read all about it. Still, we wouldn’t want the feds to hand out extensions for delayed projects. If you give extensions to children doing homework, they’ll just go out in the park and play. (CBC, StarPhoenix)

2 FORMER CHILD SOLDIER WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN TORTURED WHILE IMPRISONED IN A U.S. CONCENTRATION CAMP IN AN ALMOST CERTAIN VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION STANDS BEFORE A U.S. MILITARY COURT Just calling ‘er like she is. Hey, isn’t this happening in the country that, under the Bush administration, invaded a former military ally — the sovereign nation of Iraq, which has never attacked the U.S. — on the lie that Iraq had WMD stockpiles? Why I do think it is.  Here’s today’s Omar Khadr news. (Toronto Star)

3 JAILS ARE FOR PUNISHMENT, NOT REHABILITATION Three-hundred cows were removed from the Frontenac prison farm near Kingston, Ontario–part of a Canadian government decree to shut down the farms, which were used to rehabilitate low-risk offenders. Nine protesters were arrested during a demonstration. If you think shutting down a prison farm sounds like it’s not a big deal,  you should look into it more closely. I say it’s dumb, brainless and angry, and it’s taking Canada’s justice system in a hate-based, U.S. -style direction we shouldn’t want to go. I‘ll bet Margaret Atwood would agree with me. (Globe And Mail)

4 THERE’S A HEATWAVE KILLING PEOPLE IN MOSCOW And not just a heatwave but a heatwave compounded by wildfire smog. The Russian city’s morgues have around twice as many bodies as normal (BBC). I heard on CBC radio this morning that there’s so much carbon monoxide in Moscow air spending a few hours outside is like smoking a pack of cigarettes.

5 CRITICISM FOR VETERAN CUTS There’s a flap brewing over changes and planned cuts. Flap flap flap! (Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press)

6 ISRAELI PM TESTIFIES AT FLOTILLA INQUIRY And he says it was Turkey’s fault that Israel killed their citizens. You may recall that on May 31, Israeli commandos attacked Turkish ships in international waters and killed nine activists. (Guardian)