Shaped

Nova Scotia

Saga of Black Refugees who left N.S. 200 years ago shaped a Canadian trailblazer

Rhonda McEwen, a distinguished Canadian leader, received her official royal letter of appointment as an honorary captain of the Canadian…

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US Election 2024

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl” to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: “I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,” she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City — when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass,” the report states. “She was amazing,” Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I’ve been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic.” After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy” nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. “I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she’s a big, tough Bronx girl,” said Slater. “To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous.” “Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie,” said Slater on “Fox & Friends First” last week. “She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team.” “She’s lying about her background, she’s lying about her upbringing,” Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep.” “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known for her tough Bronx persona, is facing scrutiny over a resurfaced childhood nickname that contradicts this…

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Canada

Canadians vote today after fierce campaign shaped by Trump

Millions of Canadians are expected to cast their ballots today in a pivotal election that will decide who will lead…

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Canada

5 Asian Canadians share experiences of life in B.C. and how culture has shaped their identity

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada — a time to learn about the history and culture of Asian communities…

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Canada

Rick Mercer celebrates Walk of Fame induction in the hometown that shaped his craft

Actor, comedian and author Rick Mercer returned to his hometown of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, N.L., to celebrate his induction…

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Entertainment

Canada’s entry at Venice Biennale shows how glass beads shaped the modern world

Over the years, 60 Canadian artists have won the honour of showing their work in a small, angular, wood-and-glass pavilion…

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Sports

He built his dream barbecue shaped like a football. Now he’ll fire it up at the Super Bowl

Stéphan Genest was tailgating in Los Angeles 15 years ago when he had an idea that would bring him to…

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