THE STAT $301 million Total emergency assistance to the Philippines requested by the United Nations

THE VISUAL “Rob Ford and a baby”—snapped by NOW Magazine news writer Ben Spurr, as Ford autographed bobbleheads

THE QUOTE

“I don’t think there’s a politician in the country, including the prime minister, that could have bobblehead dolls and have them line up around the corner.” —Doug Ford, brother to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

THE NEWS

Rob Ford: The spectacle at Toronto’s city hall continues. Three hundred people lined up to receive bobbleheads fashioned after the city’s wayward mayor, Rob Ford. The Canadian Press reports that the crowd included supporters who “wanted to be part of the event.” The mayor is finally a tourist attraction all his own, his public image immortalized by a toy with an unsteady head. At some point, Ford started signing the bobbleheads. Critics may carp about Ford’s apparent detachment from reality, but he at least understands the basic truth of his personal spectacle.

Senate reform: The Supreme Court’s hearings into Senate reform opened this morning. Lawyers from across the land filled the room, and the esteemed justices on the bench heard their arguments. The room’s concerned with a number of questions the feds asked the court about term limits for senators, consultative elections to the Senate, property ownership requirements for senators, and the process to abolish the Upper Chamber. The Toronto Star‘s Tonda MacCharles, tweeting from the courtroom, has more details. As noon approached, Ontario’s lawyers were making their case. Maclean’s political editor Paul Wells kept an eye on the proceedings. His view, in sum: federal lawyers couldn’t hide their lack of confidence, the judges appointed by Harper didn’t lob softballs, and CPAC could be slightly more helpful. Maclean’s contributor Emmett Macfarlane explains in great detail what’s at stake with the Senate reference.