CBC News Community team, from left to right: Andrew Yates, Lauren O'Neil, Andrea Bellamare, John Bowman (Not shown: Andrea Lee-Greenberg, on leave)
If you're part of the CBC News community, you're likely to meet one of us: we're the folks working to produce and promote your stories. Read more about us.
With Tuesday's release of Justin Bieber's latest album Believe Acoustic, the Canadian pop star is poised to enter the record books.
The latest from the Stratford, Ont.-raised Bieber, 18, marks his third studio album (he has also released multiple remix albums).
If Believe Acoustic tops the Billboard 200 chart, he will be the first artist to rack up five No. 1 albums before the age of 19.
If he achieves the record, he will also join a rarified company of artists, including The Beatles and rapper Jay-Z, to have released four No. 1 albums in consecutive years. His past chart-toppers include 2012's Believe, 2011's Under the Mistletoe and 2010's My World 2.0. Bieber burst onto the scene in 2009 with My World.
Believe Acoustic features slower, stripped-down versions of Bieber's uptempo hits such as Boyfriend and As Long as You Love Me. It also includes several new tracks, including Nothing Like Us, a heartbreak ballad inspired by the dissolution of his high-profile relationship with singer-actress Selena Gomez. The songs largely feature Bieber singing alongside piano or guitar accompaniment, harkening back to his roots as a young busker in Stratford.
Bieber, who recently set a record for being the "most-followed" Twitter user, is set to host and perform as the musical guest on long-running sketch show Saturday Night Live on Feb. 9.
The Grammy Awards take place in Los Angeles the following night, but Bieber — who did not receive any nominations this year — told Billboard he was not planning to attend.
It's typically a December tradition for local wineries: getting out in the cold, often deep in snow, to pick the grapes to satisfy true oenophiles.
It's the annual ice wine harvest. But because the winter weather has been so wonky, small wineries like Puddicome Estates in Winona, Ont., had to wait until the cold snap last week in January to harvest their grapes.
'The sugars will be high. The quality will be fantastic.'—Lindsay Puddicome, winemaker
"It took longer than normal," said Lindsay Puddicome, the Estate's winemaker since 1999. "We typically harvest in December [for ice wine]."
This year, Puddicome had a marathon session of harvesting their grapes beginning at 4 a.m. on Jan. 22 and ending that evening.
"You can't play with Mother Nature," said David Hulley, director of customer experience at Vineland Estates Winery. "You run, you don't saunter."
Vineland Estates, located in Vineland, Ont., was one of the lucky ones. It's also a larger winery, so manpower was on its side. Hulley said they managed to harvest the full crop on Jan. 1 and 2.
"We had a great harvest and did extremely well," he said. "Many of our neighbours still had grapes on their vines."
Canadian federal law states the grape temperature must be at -8 degrees Celsius, or frozen on the vine, before they are harvested.
Hulley said the longer the grapes stay on the vine, the more of their water volume they lose, making it harder for them to freeze.
So once grapes at Vineland hit the legal freezing temperature, Hulley said they "worked around the clock" to harvest.
Back at Puddicome, because the grapes were on the vines about a month longer than normal, their volume is reduced. That means a smaller yield.
"We got about 50 per cent of what we normally get," Puddicome said. "It's not as much as we'd hoped."
But the fact that the grapes stuck to their vines for a longer time will also make for a treat once drinkers are ready to pop the corks on this year's yield.
"The sugars will be high," Puddicome said. "The quality will be fantastic."
As per the rules of supply and demand, a smaller yield means ice wine consumers might pay a premium for the coveted product.
"It will definitely affect the price of the product," Puddicome said. "But since we're a grower and a winery, we can keep costs down. We still want to make the product affordable."
Puddicome said they are reviewing numbers this week, but expect the price for a bottle of their ice wine to increase by a few dollars.
Hulley said Vineland's customers won't see a change in their price point.
Wine consumers won't feel the 2013 pinch for a while, due to the time that must pass between the harvest and the point where wine is ready to sell. In the spring, Puddicome plans to bottle their 2011 harvest for a release in a couple of years' time.
A Vermont high school's recent ban on skin-tight leggings seems to be part of a larger trend spreading across North America.
Over the last year, school boards in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Halifax have all prohibited their students from wearing form-fitting clothing such as leggings, skinny jeans and yoga pants.
One man at the centre of the so-called 'war on leggings' is Dov Charney, chairman and CEO of American Apparel, a leading retailer and manufacturer of the body-hugging garment.
'One could say this age is more provocative than the age of when the boomers were young adults, but then one could look at Victorian clothing and the bustiers of that time and say that they're even more revealing.'—Dov Charney, American Apparel CEO
Speaking to CBC Radio's As It Happens, the Montreal native said these kinds of battles over clothing are nothing new.
"There's always going to be a tug of war of young people wanting to wear certain things and perhaps the academic institutions wanting them to wear other things. I think it will always be part of the history of clothing," Charney said, pointing out that similar bans on denim jeans in the '60s and '70s prompted Levi's to invent the corduroy pant.
Charney, whose company has faced criticism in the past for its sexualized advertisements, also said that what is deemed provocative is "all relative."
"One could say this age is more provocative than the age of when the boomers were young adults, but then one could look at Victorian clothing and the bustiers of that time and say that they're even more revealing," Charney said.
While Charney believes that schools do have a right to draw a line on what students are allowed to wear, he said he hopes that both sides can find a compromise.
"Somehow I'm sure the students and the school administration will find a middle ground…hopefully in the Canadian form," he said. "I hope there's no bloodshed over it."
New York City's "Don't Honk" signs are coming down, but it's still against the law to blow a car horn unnecessarily.
The city Department of Transportation says all the signs will be removed by the end of the year.
According to The New York Times, city officials say the decision is part of an effort to de-clutter the streets of signs that generally go ignored.
Unnecessary honking carries a $350 fine but is rarely enforced.
The DOT says complaints about honking have declined 63 per cent since 2008.
But City Councilwoman Gale Brewer said in a letter to the DOT: "I can't tell you how many requests I get for 'no honking' signs."
The signs were introduced during Mayor Ed Koch's administration.
A 68-year-old man is facing multiple gas theft charge after police arrested him at the Esso service station on Dutch Village Road in Halifax on Friday morning.
Police said the suspect was captured on video gassing up his vehicle and leaving without paying back in October.
Police allege he pulled a "gas and dash" 11 times at the same station.
They arrested him around 8 a.m. when an attendant spotted the car and called police.
The Halifax man was held in custody and is set to appear in a Halifax provincial court on Friday.
He faces 11 counts of theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property under $5,000.
The baby-snatching fake eagle is helping a deserving student take flight.
The viral video of the eagle, which was created by students at Montreal's Centre NAD, has received international media attention and had more than 41 million views on YouTube since it was posted on Dec. 18.
And the school says it's also generated a few bucks that will go toward a scholarship for a deserving student at the 3D animation and digital design school.
School spokeswoman Claude Arsenault says the amount of the scholarship hasn't been determined because the cheque hasn't yet arrived from Google, YouTube's owner.
The school and the students who made the video can't profit from it because it was made with software bought under an educational licence.
That means the software is sold at a reasonable cost to schools as long as it is used for educational, not commercial, purposes.
Making money with the video, created as part of a class project, wasn't the goal, Arsenault stressed.
She said the AdSense account with the social network video site wasn't even created until some time after it had been initially posted as the school ensured it could do it in accordance with its licences.
Putting the money to a good cause is fine with the video's creators, who were rewarded with a grade of A plus for their work.
"Knowing that we helped get the school on the map — it's a good feeling, " said Normand Archambault, one of the students who put together the minute-long video which purported to show an eagle swooping down and grabbing a toddler in its talons at a Montreal park.
Many people treated the hoax as the real deal.
It had only been on YouTube for 30 minutes before it got its first Reddit comment and then the Twittersphere lit up. Posts on Buzzfeed and Slate appeared and within three hours of it being posted, mainstream media in Quebec, Australia and the United Kingdom picked it up.
As people began realizing the video was a hoax and views climbed into the millions, the students were bombarded with interview requests from media in Canada, Thailand, the United States, Japan, Chile, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Belgium, Germany, Russia and Mexico.
The school says the clip has become the most watched YouTube video produced in Quebec.
"I'm super impressed every time I see it," said Archambault. "I'm still always speechless."
Andrew Swartz, a spokesman for Google Canada, said people seeking to make money on their videos can do well in the YouTube partner programs such as AdSense as they sign up to allow static ads, banner advertising and pop-ups on their page.
He said Google does not divulge revenues on partner videos. The program works on a revenue-sharing basis where a portion goes to Google and a portion to the creators. Advertisers pay based on the number of views the page gets.
"Obviously the more views you have that have ads against them, the more revenues you're going to make," Swartz said.
"Our partner revenue has doubled for the fourth consecutive year," he said in a telephone interview from Toronto. "Thousands of channels on YouTube are now making six figures annually."
He noted that the Korean pop anthem "Gangnam Style," was first posted in July 2012 and recorded one billion hits by the end of the year, making it the most watched YouTube video ever.
The eagle snagged 30 million of its views within four days. It has since levelled off.
"Forty-one million is certainly quite a lot of eyeballs on that video," Swartz said. "That is pretty impressive."
Archambault says the students have also received a few job offers from small software companies but are currently concentrating on their end-of-program projects.
"Our teams are making more of an artistic project than a realistic video like the eagle," Archambault said.
Added Arsenault: "It definitely won't be a hoax."
Subway is apologizing that its "Footlong" sandwiches fell short of expectations.
The world's largest fast-food chain faced widespread criticism last week after a man posted a photo online showing a "Footlong" next to a tape measure that showed it to be just 11 inches.
Subway said Friday that it's redoubling efforts to "ensure consistency and correct length" in all its sandwiches.
The company had already noted last week that bread length could vary when franchisees don't bake to its exact specifications and that it would reinforce policies to ensure consistency.
In a statement Friday, Subway expressed "regret" for "any instance where we did not fully deliver on our promise to our customers."
It declined to comment on lawsuit filed this week by two New Jersey men over the subs.
A 68-year-old man is facing multiple gas theft charge after police arrested him at the Esso service station on Dutch Village Road in Halifax on Friday morning.
Police said the suspect was captured on video gassing up his vehicle and leaving without paying back in October.
Police allege he pulled a "gas and dash" 11 times at the same station.
They arrested him around 8 a.m. when an attendant spotted the car and called police.
The Halifax man was held in custody and is set to appear in a Halifax provincial court on Friday.
He faces 11 counts of theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property under $5,000.
Subway is apologizing that its "Footlong" sandwiches fell short of expectations.
The world's largest fast-food chain faced widespread criticism last week after a man posted a photo online showing a "Footlong" next to a tape measure that showed it to be just 11 inches.
Subway said Friday that it's redoubling efforts to "ensure consistency and correct length" in all its sandwiches.
The company had already noted last week that bread length could vary when franchisees don't bake to its exact specifications and that it would reinforce policies to ensure consistency.
In a statement Friday, Subway expressed "regret" for "any instance where we did not fully deliver on our promise to our customers."
It declined to comment on lawsuit filed this week by two New Jersey men over the subs.
A 68-year-old man is facing multiple gas theft charge after police arrested him at the Esso service station on Dutch Village Road in Halifax on Friday morning.
Police said the suspect was captured on video gassing up his vehicle and leaving without paying back in October.
Since then, police allege he returned 11 times to "gas and dash" at the same station.
They arrested him around 8 a.m. when an attendant spotted the car and called police.
The Halifax man was held in custody and is set to appear in a Halifax provincial court on Friday.
He faces 11 counts of theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property under $5,000.
The ones and zeroes of digital data were converted into sequences using the four-letter alphabet of DNA. The sequences were then encoded into synthetic strands of DNA. (iStock)It can store the information from a million CDs in a space no bigger than your little finger, and could keep it safe for centuries.
Is this some new electronic gadget? Nope. It's DNA.
The genetic material has long held all the information needed to make plants and animals, and now some scientists are saying it could help handle the growing storage needs of today's information society.
Researchers reported Wednesday that they had stored all 154 Shakespeare sonnets, a photo, a scientific paper, and a 26-second sound clip from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. That all fit in a barely visible bit of DNA in a test tube.
The process involved converting the ones and zeroes of digital information into the four-letter alphabet of DNA code. That code was used to create strands of synthetic DNA. Then machines "read" the DNA molecules and recovered the encoded information.
That reading process took two weeks, but technological advances are driving that time down, said Ewan Birney of the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, England. He's an author of a report published online by the journal Nature.
DNA could be useful for keeping huge amounts of information that must be kept for a long time but not retrieved very often, the researchers said. Storing the DNA would be relatively simple, they said: Just put it in a cold, dry and dark place and leave it alone.
The technology might work in the near term for large archives that have to be kept safe for centuries, like national historical records or huge library holdings, said study co-author Nick Goldman of the institute. Maybe in a decade it could become feasible for consumers to store information they want to have around in 50 years, like wedding photos or videos for future grandchildren, Goldman said in an email.
Researcher Nick Goldman, showed here hold in a vial of DNA, suggested that in a decade, it could become feasible for consumers to use DNA to store information they want to have around in 50 years, like wedding photos or videos for future grandchildren. (European Molecular Biology Laboratory/Nature/Associated Press)The researchers said they have no intention of putting storage DNA into a living thing, and that it couldn't accidentally become part of the genetic machinery of a living thing because of its coding scheme.
Sriram Kosuri, a Harvard researcher who co-authored a similar report last September, said both papers show advantages of DNA for long-term storage. But because of its technical limitations, "it's not going to replace your hard drive," he said.
Kosuri's co-author, Harvard DNA expert George Church, said the technology could let a person store all of Wikipedia on a fingertip, and all the world's information now stored on disk drives could fit in the palm of the hand.
Toronto folksinger Corin Raymond is unveiling a uniquely homegrown project this week: his two-disc album of Canadian-penned songs, funded by Canadian Tire money.
Almost exactly a year after recording their live performance at Toronto's Tranzac Club, Raymond and his band The Sundowners are releasing Paper Nickels, the 20-song album and 144-page booklet he describes as a "coffee-table CD."
In the year since his so-called "caper" began making headlines (even drawing the attention of the Wall Street Journal's foreign currency reporter), Raymond has received Canadian Tire money — which the retailer introduced in the 1950s — from across the country.
Corin Raymond described his project as something 'poetic' that resonated with many people, who sent personal stories, pictures and artwork to him along with donations of Canadian Tire money. (Mark Drolet) The colourful, small-denomination bills were often accompanied by fan mail: letters, pictures and inspirational artwork in which senders shared their personal stories about Canadian Tire money, reactions to his 2011 song Don't Spend It Honey about the Canuck "cash" (which sparked the unusual crowd-sourced funding campaign) and messages of support.
"The whole year has just been kind of this slow avalanche of love," Raymond told CBC News.
"People just got more excited about it …. If you're lucky enough to ignite people's imagination and fire up their hearts, these incredible acts of community can just suddenly happen."
The more than 25 kilos of Canadian Tire bills he's amassed amount to almost $6,200.
Raymond says he remains about $1,100 short of the bill for Rogue Music Lab, the Toronto studio that has accepted Canadian Tire money at par for 20 years and where Paper Nickels was recorded and mixed. However, he feels confident that he and his band will gather the remainder in the next few weeks (any excess will be earmarked for future recordings).
"I have a feeling people are going to be giving me Canadian Tire money for the rest of my life, whether I want them to or not," he said.
Today, many struggling independent artists rely on crowd-sourced funding or other non-traditional methods to produce their albums, but Raymond feels his caper offered something special and poetic that resonated with many Canadians.
"Without the caper, I'd just be a guy you never heard of singing songs you don't know," he acknowledged.
However, "all that Canadian Tire money represents the sort of leftovers of daily and forgotten life because each one of those bills represents a time when someone went down to get a bicycle pump or a garden hose," he said.
"Though alchemy, all those little moments got translated into a record, which is a series of translations of songs, which are already translations of little moments."
CBC News Community team, from left to right: Andrew Yates, Andrea Lee-Greenberg, Lauren O'Neil, John Bowman
If you're part of the CBC News community, you're likely to meet one of us: we're the folks working to produce and promote your stories. Read more about us.
A road tunnel in northern Norway will be shut for several weeks after a 24.5-tonne truckload of sweet goat's milk cheese caught fire.
Regional traffic department chief Geir Joergensen says flames engulfed the tunnel last week and gases from the melting, brown load hindered firefighters.
It took four days to put it out.
The driver was not hurt and no other vehicles were in the 3.6-kilometre tunnel at the time.
Joergensen said Wednesday that the tunnel near the small Arctic municipality of Tysfjord, some 1,350 kilometres north of the capital, Oslo, likely will be closed for two more weeks.
Goat's milk cheese, a sweet delicacy with a high sugar and fat content, is an essential part of many Norwegians' daily diet.
CBC News Community team, from left to right: Andrew Yates, Andrea Lee-Greenberg, Lauren O'Neil, John Bowman
If you're part of the CBC News community, you're likely to meet one of us: we're the folks working to produce and promote your stories. Read more about us.
Gareth Morgan has a simple dream: a New Zealand free of pet cats that threaten native birds. But the environmental advocate has triggered a claws-out backlash with his new anti-feline campaign.
Morgan called on his countrymen Tuesday to make their current cat their last in order to save the nation's unique bird species. He set up a website, called Cats To Go, depicting a tiny kitten with red devil's horns. The opening line: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer."
He doesn't recommended people euthanize their current cats — "Not necessarily but that is an option" are the site's exact words — but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. Morgan, an economist and well-known businessman, also suggests people keep cats indoors and that local governments make registration mandatory.
Morgan's campaign is not sitting well in a country that boasts one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world.
"I say to Gareth Morgan, butt out of our lives," Bob Kerridge, the president of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the current affairs television show Campbell Live. "Don't deprive us of the beautiful companionship that a cat can provide individually and as a family."
For thousands of years, New Zealand's native birds had no predators and flourished. Some species, like the kiwi, became flightless. But the arrival of mankind and its introduction of predators like cats, dogs and rodents has wiped out some native bird species altogether and endangered many others.
"Imagine a New Zealand teeming with native wildlife, penguins on the beach, kiwis roaming about in your garden," Morgan writes on his website. "Imagine hearing birdsong in our cities."
But many New Zealanders are against the campaign. Even on Morgan's website, 70 per cent on Tuesday were voting against making their current cat their last.
Morgan could not be reached on Tuesday.
And the science remains unclear. Some argue that cats may actually help native birds by reducing the population of rodents, which sometimes feed on bird eggs.
Morgan's separate personal blog, in fact, has a separate campaign to raise $1 million to eradicate mice from the remote Antipodes Islands, where rodents are the only predators.
A 2011 survey by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council found that 48 per cent of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, a significantly higher rate than in other developed nations. The survey put the total cat population at 1.4 million.
Scientist David Winter said cats are indeed a problem in New Zealand, having contributed to the extinction of at least half a dozen New Zealand bird species. Writing on his blog "The Atavism," Winter said Morgan's campaign appeared designed to "start conversations."
Still, he added, "What hope is there for environmentalists in conversation where our side wants to take people's kittens away?"
The original Batmobile from the 1960s television series has sold at auction for $4.2 million US.
A spokeswoman for the Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. in Scottsdale, Ariz., says the winning bidder has not been disclosed following Saturday's auction.
The 19-foot-long black, bubble-topped car was used in the Batman TV show that starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader.
The car's owner — famed auto customizer George Barris, of Los Angeles — transformed a one-of-a-kind 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the sleek crime-fighting machine. On the show, it boasted lasers and a "Batphone" and could lay down smoke screens and oil slicks.
The publicist for Barris says his client is pleased with the auction result.
Talk about whisky on ice: Three bottles of rare, 19th century Scotch found beneath the floor boards of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's abandoned expedition base were returned to the polar continent Saturday after a distiller flew them to Scotland to recreate the long-lost recipe.
But not even New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who personally returned the stash, got a taste of the contents of the bottles of Mackinlay's whisky, which were rediscovered 102 years after the explorer was forced to leave them behind.
"I think we're all tempted to crack it open and have a little drink ourselves now," Key joked at a ceremony handing over the bottles to Antarctic Heritage Trust officials at New Zealand's Antarctic base on Ross Island.
The whisky will be transferred by March from Ross Island to Shackleton's desolate hut at Cape Royds and replaced beneath the restored hut as part of a program to protect the legacy of the so-called heroic era of Antarctic exploration from 1898 to 1915.
Shackleton's stash was discovered frozen in ice by conservationists in 2010. (Antarctic Heritage Trus/Associated Press) Bottled in 1898 after the blend was aged 15 years, the Mackinlay bottles were among three crates of Scotch and two of brandy buried beneath a basic hut Shackleton had used during his dramatic 1907 Nimrod excursion to the Antarctic. The expedition failed to reach the South Pole but set a record at the time for reaching the farthest southern latitude. Shackleton was knighted after his return to Great Britain.
Shackleton's stash was discovered frozen in ice by conservationists in 2010. The crates were frozen solid after more than a century beneath the Antarctic surface.
But the bottles were found intact — and researchers could hear the whisky sloshing around inside. Antarctica's -30 Celsius temperature was not enough to freeze the liquor.
The bottles remained unopened as they were returned Saturday — if Shackleton couldn't have a dram, no one could — but their contents nevertheless formed the basis for a revival of the blend.
Distiller Whyte & Mackay, which now owns the Mackinlay brand, chartered a private jet to take the bottles from the Antarctic operations headquarters in the New Zealand city of Christchurch to Scotland for analysis in 2011.
The recipe for the whisky had been lost. But Whyte & Mackay recreated a limited edition of 50,000 bottles, costing about $157 each. from a sample drawn with a syringe through a cork of one of the bottles. The conservation work of the Antarctic Heritage Trust has received five per cent of the proceeds from every bottle sold.
The original bottles had flown in two combination-locked containers with Key to Antarctica in a U.S. Air Force transport plane from Christchurch on Friday.
Antarctic Heritage Trust manager Lizzie Meek, who was part of the team that found the whisky, recalled its pleasant aroma.
"When you're used to working around things in that hut that perhaps are quite decayed and some of them don't have very nice smells, it's very nice to work with artifacts that have such a lovely aroma," Meek told the ceremony by radio from explorer Robert Scott's Antarctic hut which she is restoring.
"And definitely the aroma of whisky was around very strongly."
The original Batmobile from the 1960s television series has sold at auction for $4.2 million US.
A spokeswoman for the Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. in Scottsdale, Ariz., says the winning bidder has not been disclosed following Saturday's auction.
The 19-foot-long black, bubble-topped car was used in the Batman TV show that starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader.
The car's owner — famed auto customizer George Barris, of Los Angeles — transformed a one-of-a-kind 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the sleek crime-fighting machine. On the show, it boasted lasers and a "Batphone" and could lay down smoke screens and oil slicks.
The publicist for Barris says his client is pleased with the auction result.
A Vancouver Island woman will be able to keep living with the deer she has raised from a fawn as a pet, B.C.'s environment minister has decided.
Minister Terry Lake says the province will permit Janet Schwartz and the animal named Bimbo to continue living together, with the help of a veterinarian and conservation officers.
The decision comes after conservation officers told the longtime Ucluelet, B.C., resident they would be seizing the deer and moving it to a wildlife rehabilitation centre.
"As a veterinarian, I am very aware of the bonding that takes place between people and their pets," said Lake.
"I am confident that by working with the provincial veterinarian and trained conservation officer staff, Ms. Schwartz will be able to follow a plan of care that will see her and Bimbo continue to live together."
He said ministry experts are highly concerned about the habituation of the animal and understand there are risks associated with removing an animal that has become accustomed to a home setting.
Schwartz has lived with the creature for more than 10 years, feeding it goat's milk and allowing it to sleep in a bed with her and her dog.
Schwartz and Bimbo first made the news in 2009, when officials with the B.C. Ministry of Environment ordered her to set the deer free or take it to a rehabilitation centre, saying wild animals should not be kept as pets.
Schwartz said conservation officer backed off after the story hit the news, but recently turned up at her door with new papers, demanding she turn the deer over, once again.
Complicating matters is the news that Bimbo is one-month pregnant and has cravings for chocolate cookies, she says.
With files from The Canadian PressCBC News Community team, from left to right: Andrew Yates, Andrea Lee-Greenberg, Lauren O'Neil, John Bowman
If you're part of the CBC News community, you're likely to meet one of us: we're the folks working to produce and promote your stories. Read more about us.
A woman in Paradise wants to offer private pole dancing classes at her home, but the town of Paradise is refusing to issue her a permit — citing traffic and parking concerns.
Pole Dancing for Fitness owner Lisa Woolgar has more than 100 people signed up for one-on-one pole dancing lessons in her home studio.
"I wonder if this is discriminatory," mused Woolgar. "I'd like to ask if this application had been for a weight training facility, would that have been turned down."
Woolgar said many people associate pole dancing with strip clubs and other seedy businesses, but she emphasized that her operation is strictly for fitness.
"There's nothing to do with people paying to watch or women taking off their clothes," said Woolgar.
"Women of all ages, 30s, 40s, 50s, women come in here, they have such a good time. It's a great workout and it's something fun. It's no different than a dancer uses her bar, a gymnast uses the uneven bars or the beam."
Paradise mayor Ralph Wiseman said the town's decision wasn't a moral judgment, but simply a decision based on traffic.
Ralph Wiseman is the mayor of Paradise. (CBC) "We don't legislate morality here. Whatever is done in the walls has to be done legitimately in accordance with the provincial laws," said Wiseman. "In this particular case, the overriding factor was the traffic condition in the area."
But Woolgar said she already had a permit to operate a hair salon out of her home, and the town has never had a problem with traffic and parking associated with that business or with many other home based businesses in Paradise.
"There's plenty of people doing private lessons, whether it be yoga or dancing, zumba, these types of classes are all over the community," Woolgar said.
Wiseman said if Woolgar wants to find a commercial space for her pole dancing business, the town will reconsider her application.
But Woolgar said most of the new developments in Paradise are residential, and commercial space is hard to find.
She said if the town doesn't change its mind on her application, she will have to search for an alternative location for her business or give her customers refunds.
"I thought this town was more progressive than that," said Woolgar.
A female chimpanzee given access to a TV and remote control has astonished Spanish scientists, who discovered she has a particular fondness for tuning in to soft-core pornography.
Primatologist Pablo Herreros told CBC's As it Happens that he and his fellow researchers found that when it came to her TV habits, Gina the chimp, who lives at the Seville Zoo, regularly chose to watch adult entertainment over other programming like cartoons.
Herreros said he wasn't sure whether Gina was aroused by the images, or whether the porn-addicted primate was just fascinated by the sight of unclothed human bodies.
"Maybe she likes only the naked bodies, not the sex. We know that chimpanzees and other great apes, they have a tendency to love to watch our skin," he told host Carol Off.
"I hope I can continue and find out more deeply exactly what Gina's feeling or thinking about these images," he added.
Savo Duvnjak looks around the room, lifts a metal baseball bat and wrecks everything in sight — bed, table, shelves, chair — until there's nothing left to wreck.
This isn't a criminal onslaught. It's the Rage Room.
And it's smashing its way to success in Serbia one angry visitor at a time.
"This feels so good!" Duvnjak said sweating and panting, as he admired the mound of debris he created — for just a modest fee.
"I feel I let go of all my negative energy," the 18-year-old gushed. "This last year was a tough one and I wanted to end it with a bang!"
'This is better than getting into a fight.'—Savo Duvnjak, Rage Room user
Since it opened in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad in October, the Rage Room has drawn a flurry of attention in the Balkan country where two decades of war, political crisis and economic hardship have driven many people over the edge. Inspired by a similar "Anger Room" in Dallas, Texas, Serbia's version was set up by two teens who saw the U.S. original online and figured it could be a way to earn pocket money.
"On average, we have one person a day, enough to keep us going," said Nikola Pausic, an 18-year-old who runs the room with a friend.
The Dallas version costs up to $75 per session and has an array of objects to destroy, including computers and office furniture. Serbia's Rage Room, organized in a refurbished garage, is much more basic — and cheaper.
Included in the roughly $6 fee is the right to smash a chair, a table, a bed, a coat-rack and a book-shelf, along with items such as framed photographs, empty cans and plastic containers. Clients must wear a helmet, protective glasses and gloves. Afterward they get to unwind to relaxing music, leaving the clean-up to staff.
"Dozens have come so far," Pausic said, "people of all ages" — adding that it's also popular among women. He said that visitors usually need about five minutes to destroy everything inside.
While it may be an easy way to let off steam, experts warn that projects like this are no replacement for anger management therapy.
Sanja Marjanovic, a psychologist from Belgrade, said that modern science looks for ways to control frustrations before they explode into full-blown rage. She explained that "venting anger does give you an immediate sense of relief but in the long run, one becomes accustomed to feeling angry."
"In a stressful situation, one can count to ten, or take calm, deep breaths," she said. "It's much more useful to practice yoga."
Pausic said each visitor must sign a document that includes a clause saying the Rage Room does not aspire to offer medical assistance.
And, after the session is over, customers are given a CD that includes information about professional therapists and how to contact them.
For his part, Duvnjak found therapeutic value in the Rage Room. He said the session helped to take off some of the pressure that had built up in his studies — adding that many of his friends felt the same way.
"This is better than getting into a fight," he concluded.
CBC News Community team, from left to right: Andrew Yates, Andrea Lee-Greenberg, Lauren O'Neil, John Bowman
If you're part of the CBC News community, you're likely to meet one of us: we're the folks working to produce and promote your stories. Read more about us.
Bimbo the black-tailed deer shares some food with her human house mate in Ucluelet, B.C. (Submitted by Janet Schwartz) The B.C. owner of a domesticated deer that likes to eat cookies, watch TV and dance to rock and roll says provincial officials are once again demanding she turn the animal loose.
The black-tailed deer has been living inside Janet Schwartz's home in the Vancouver Island town of Ucluelet since it was a fawn, and Schwartz is refusing to force the 10-year-old animal out.
Schwartz said she and the deer, which she's named Bimbo, have been living happily since provincial officials backed off when the story first hit the media in August 2009.
"She's still living in the house, she still sleeps on the bed and she still loves Elvis Presley," Schwartz told CBC News.
But on Tuesday, environmental officers were back.
"The ministry of the environment came here with a new paper, stating I've got to let Bimbo loose totally — no collar, no bell, no nothing. If I don't let her go, they're going to charge me."
Complicating matters is the fact that Bimbo is pregnant.
"She's been pregnant a month and she's craving cookies like you wouldn't believe, chocolate cookies," said Schwartz.
Bimbo has her own bed in Schwartz's home. (Submitted by Janet Schwartz) Schwartz said she isn't sure if it was a male elk or a buck deer who visited Bimbo in her outside pen.
Schwartz said she's not sure what she'll do with the fawn when it's born, but said as far as she's concerned, Bimbo isn't going anywhere.
"I'm not going to let her go, no way."
With files from the CBC's Rob Zimmerman[View the story "'Ottawapiskat' Twitter tag spoofs Idle No More criticisms" on Storify]
Storified by CBC News Community· Mon, Jan 14 2013 11:30:50
#ottawapiskat... Political Cartoon http://pic.twitter.com/q1xA0qvZYoda TurtleIsland
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper were a First Nations chief and Canada were a reserve, what questions would he have to answer to prove his honesty and competence?
That question inspired artist and author Aaron Paquette, who goes by @aaronpaquette on Twitter, to introduce some satire into the ongoing debate about the grassroots movement Idle No More by fusing the name of the struggling northern Ontario reserve Attawapiskat and Canada's capital city, Ottawa.
Can we get #Ottawapiskat going? As in, Parliament sure is wasteful in #Ottawapiskat ;) just some good natured satireAaron Paquette
#Ottawapiskat is a word that popped in my head last night as I was painting. I literally laughed out loud and had to share it. #idlenomoreAaron Paquette
It wasn't long before others followed suit.
#CPC blocking investigation of election fraud - subverting law and the democratic process. Leadership in question. #Ottawapiskat #idlenomoreAaron Paquette
#Ottawapiskat Chief refuses to talk to media.Su
#Ottawapiskat chief is living in a mansion while many of his people are homeless.J M
The #Ottawapiskat long form census is how our previous Chiefs used to determine the state+needs of the villagers. Chief Harper scrapped it.Org9
RT @Evolving: #Ottawapiskat Chief spent $300,000 on sunscreen n bug spray and $14,000 for glow sticks for G8-G20 summit. @marygkosta http://pic.twitter.com/uWxf427PAllison
(In one re-purposed image, Harper is seen wearing a headdress. The photograph was originally taken in July 2011 after the prime minister was made an honourary chief of the Blood Tribe in Stand Off, Alta.)
Have you seen #Ottawapiskat on Canada Day? They all gather in a tribal celebration and they drink so much!Melody McKiver
No accountability from #Ottawapiskat Chief and Council, a pass and permit system should be implementedRichard RH
A million people from their tribe use foodbanks each month, while their Grand Chief GG serves 10 course meals in his palace. #OttawapiskatChristine Myrden
#Ottawapiskat debt hovering around $600,000,000,000. Might be time for a third-party manager.Hayden King
Chief Harper of #Ottawapiskat spends $28M to commemorate the War of 1812, but cheaps out on funerals for the veterans of more-recent wars.GregorBurton
@artnapoleon Hey Art, how are you! I was in #Ottawapiskat last week encouraging the Chief to be Accountable! http://pic.twitter.com/HK6rOdTajrwrath
Paquette himself seemed surprised at how quickly the hashtag took off. It began trending across Canada soon after it was created on Sunday.
Huh, you eat dinner, put the family to bed and find out #Ottawapiskat is trending only behind the Golden Globes. Good work everybody! :)Aaron Paquette
Several observers, including high profile Canadians like authors Naomi Klein and Margaret Atwood and columnist Andrew Coyne, expressed enthusiasm or participated in the trend.
I am hopelessly in love with the #ottawapiskat hashtag.Naomi Klein
Ha! #Ottawapiskat invites you to apply usual jabs at #FirstNations to Ottawa gov't financial gaffes+fashions. #idlenomore Lotsa good ones!Margaret E. Atwood
In #Ottawapiskat, vast sums of money are centrally controlled by the chief, who doles them out to his cronies and favoured interests.Andrew Coyne
There were, however, a few people who stepped forward to criticize the trend for a variety of reasons.
#ottawapiskat is the dumbest hashtag since hashtags were invented... fun fact; twitter was discovered by the germans in 1902kyle bazinet
@aaronpaquette our cultural ways hve nothing 2 do w/assimilation u r aware of assimilatory gestures of govt past/prsnt no room 4 humor hereduanelinklater
The comment threads below the three most commented-on stories on CBCNews.ca (at time of writing) show how polarized some Canadians are about the ongoing protests and the activists' tactics.
Can Idle No More comment threads be more constructive? - Your CommunityAre you satisfied with the level of discussion and debate in our threads about Idle No More? What can be done to encourage the most intel...
In this context, a lighter take on the movement came as a welcome approach for many on Twitter.
#idlenomore is what social justice movements should be - fed up with injustice but hopeful, joyful, and FUNNY. #OttawapiskatLiz Ludwig
Loving this #Ottawapiskat hashtag. Some condemn the management of Can's poorest communities, ignoring the mismanagement going on in Ottawa.Mike @ mbtrg
@aaronpaquette it was a fantastic idea! The double standard is beyond blaring for #Ottawapiskat I applaud you sir.\m/ MARLIN \m/
For a subversive & witty take on #FirstNations issues follow #Ottawapiskat hashtag via @aaronpaquette @windspeakernews #IdleNoMoreAndré Picard
What do you think of the #Ottawapiskat Twitter trend? Does it effectively re-frame the issue? Is it a fair comparison, do you think? Why or why not?
A cleaner stole an empty commuter train from a depot Tuesday and drove it to a suburb of Stockholm where it derailed and slammed into an apartment building, officials said.
The woman was seriously injured in the early-morning crash and was flown to a Stockholm hospital, police spokesman Lars Bystrom said. No one else was injured.
Bystrom said the woman was arrested on suspicion of endangering the public.
Tomas Hedenius, a spokesman for train operator Arriva, said the woman, born in 1990, stole the four-car train at a depot outside Stockholm.
She then drove it about 1.6 kilometres to the end station on the railway line, where it jumped off the tracks, careered for about 25 metres and crashed into a three-storey building.
Photographs from the scene showed the crumpled front car of the train buried deep into the structure.
"There were three families inside the apartment building, but no one was injured. At least not physically," Hedenius said.
The motives of the woman, who worked for a company contracted to carry out cleaning for the train operator, were not immediately clear.
"We have only heard good things about her. We're investigating how this could happen, and why she did what she did," Hedenius said.
He said it's unclear how she got the keys to the train, but added that driving it is not that complicated.
"Generally speaking that's possible even if you're not a train driver," he said. "You can read about it on the internet, or observe how others do it."
The U.S. will not be building a replica of the Death Star from Star Wars, despite a more than 34,000-signature-strong petition for the government to begin construction by 2016.
"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," wrote Paul Shawcross, the White House's science and space branch chief, in response to an online petition on the government's We the People website.
In order to receive an official response from the White House 25,000 signatures were needed in 30 days — the petition received 34,435 signatures.
In addition to Obama's stance on inter-galactic warfare, Shawcross wrote that the U.S. would not invest in a Death Star because:
Shawcross says that even though the U.S. won't have a Death Star any time soon, the world is already living in the future. He points to the International Space Station, Mars rover and floating robot assistants. Plus, he writes, there are several more projects being developed, including "a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun ... and a much more powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will see back to the early days of the universe."
He encourages people to join the field so that "the Force will be with us."
An armed mob set out into the Florida Everglades on Saturday to flush out a scaly invader.
It sounds like the second act of a science-fiction horror film, but, really, it's pretty much Florida's plan for dealing with an infestation of Burmese pythons that are eating their way through a fragile ecosystem.
Nearly 800 people signed up for the month-long "Python Challenge" that started Saturday afternoon. The vast majority — 749 — are members of the general public who lack the permits usually required to harvest pythons on public lands.
"We feel like anybody can get out in the Everglades and figure out how to try and find these things," said Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "It's very safe, getting out in the Everglades. People do it all the time."
Twenty-eight python permit holders also joined the hunt at various locations in the Everglades. The state is offering cash prizes to whoever brings in the longest python and whoever bags the most pythons by the time the competition ends at midnight Feb. 10.
Dozens of would-be python hunters showed up for some last-minute training in snake handling Saturday morning at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie.
The training came down to common sense:
Many of the onlookers dressed in camouflage, though they probably didn't have to worry about spooking the snakes. They would have a much harder time spotting the splotchy, tan pythons in the long green grasses and woody brush of the Everglades.
"It's advantage-snake," mechanical engineer Dan Keenan concluded after slashing his way through 400 metres of scratchy sawgrass, dried leaves and woody overgrowth near a campsite in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
Keenan, of Merritt Island, and friend Steffani Burd, of Melbourne, a statistician in computer security, holstered large knives and pistols on their hips, so they'd be ready for any python that crossed their path. The snakes can grow to more than six meters in length.
The most useful tool they had, though, was the key fob to their car. Burd wanted to know that they hadn't wandered too far into the wilderness, so Keenan clicked the fob until a reassuring beep from their car chirped softly through the brush.
The recommended method for killing pythons is the same for killing zombies: a gunshot to the brain, or decapitation to reduce the threat —The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals doesn't approve of the latter method.
Pythons are kind of the zombies of the Everglades, though their infestation is less deadly to humans. The snakes have no natural predators, they can eat anything in their way, they can reproduce in large numbers and they don't belong here.
Florida currently prohibits possession or sale of the pythons for use as pets, and federal law bans the importation and interstate sale of the species.
Wildlife experts say pythons are just the tip of the invasive species iceberg. Florida is home to more exotic species of amphibians and reptiles than anywhere else in the world, said John Hayes, dean of research for the University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Roughly 2,050 pythons have been harvested in Florida since 2000, according to the conservation commission. It's unknown exactly how many are slithering through the wetlands.
Officials hope the competition will help rid the Everglades of the invaders while raising awareness about the risks that exotic species pose to Florida's native wildlife.
Keenan and Burd emerged from the Everglades empty-handed Saturday, but they planned to return Sunday, hoping for cooler temperatures that would drive heat-seeking snakes into sunny patches along roads and levees.
Burd still deemed the hunt a success. "For me, I take back to my friends and community that there is a beautiful environment out here. It's opening the picture from just the python issue to the issue of how do we protect our environment," she said.
The U.S. will not be building a replica of the Death Star from Star Wars, despite a more than 34,000-signature-strong petition for the government to begin construction by 2016.
"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," wrote Paul Shawcross, the White House's science and space branch chief, in response to an online petition on the government's We the People website.
In order to receive an official response from the White House 25,000 signatures were needed in 30 days — the petition received 34,435 signatures.
In addition to Obama's stance on inter-galactic warfare, Shawcross wrote that the U.S. would not invest in a Death Star because:
Shawcross says that even though the U.S. won't have a Death Star any time soon, the world is already living in the future. He points to the International Space Station, Mars rover and floating robot assistants. Plus, he writes, there are several more projects being developed, including "a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun ... and a much more powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will see back to the early days of the universe."
He encourages people to join the field so that "the Force will be with us."
An armed mob set out into the Florida Everglades on Saturday to flush out a scaly invader.
It sounds like the second act of a science-fiction horror film, but, really, it's pretty much Florida's plan for dealing with an infestation of Burmese pythons that are eating their way through a fragile ecosystem.
Nearly 800 people signed up for the month-long "Python Challenge" that started Saturday afternoon. The vast majority — 749 — are members of the general public who lack the permits usually required to harvest pythons on public lands.
"We feel like anybody can get out in the Everglades and figure out how to try and find these things," said Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "It's very safe, getting out in the Everglades. People do it all the time."
Twenty-eight python permit holders also joined the hunt at various locations in the Everglades. The state is offering cash prizes to whoever brings in the longest python and whoever bags the most pythons by the time the competition ends at midnight Feb. 10.
Dozens of would-be python hunters showed up for some last-minute training in snake handling Saturday morning at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie.
The training came down to common sense:
Many of the onlookers dressed in camouflage, though they probably didn't have to worry about spooking the snakes. They would have a much harder time spotting the splotchy, tan pythons in the long green grasses and woody brush of the Everglades.
"It's advantage-snake," mechanical engineer Dan Keenan concluded after slashing his way through 400 metres of scratchy sawgrass, dried leaves and woody overgrowth near a campsite in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
Keenan, of Merritt Island, and friend Steffani Burd, of Melbourne, a statistician in computer security, holstered large knives and pistols on their hips, so they'd be ready for any python that crossed their path. The snakes can grow to more than six meters in length.
The most useful tool they had, though, was the key fob to their car. Burd wanted to know that they hadn't wandered too far into the wilderness, so Keenan clicked the fob until a reassuring beep from their car chirped softly through the brush.
The recommended method for killing pythons is the same for killing zombies: a gunshot to the brain, or decapitation to reduce the threat —The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals doesn't approve of the latter method.
Pythons are kind of the zombies of the Everglades, though their infestation is less deadly to humans. The snakes have no natural predators, they can eat anything in their way, they can reproduce in large numbers and they don't belong here.
Florida currently prohibits possession or sale of the pythons for use as pets, and federal law bans the importation and interstate sale of the species.
Wildlife experts say pythons are just the tip of the invasive species iceberg. Florida is home to more exotic species of amphibians and reptiles than anywhere else in the world, said John Hayes, dean of research for the University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Roughly 2,050 pythons have been harvested in Florida since 2000, according to the conservation commission. It's unknown exactly how many are slithering through the wetlands.
Officials hope the competition will help rid the Everglades of the invaders while raising awareness about the risks that exotic species pose to Florida's native wildlife.
Keenan and Burd emerged from the Everglades empty-handed Saturday, but they planned to return Sunday, hoping for cooler temperatures that would drive heat-seeking snakes into sunny patches along roads and levees.
Burd still deemed the hunt a success. "For me, I take back to my friends and community that there is a beautiful environment out here. It's opening the picture from just the python issue to the issue of how do we protect our environment," she said.
[View the story "Canadian dog stars in real life 'Where's Waldo'" on Storify]
Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Jan 11 2013 14:32:01
#foggymorning #northernontarioandrewknapp
A 4-year-old border collie from Northern Ontario is making his mark on the web this week, giving people all over the world a reason to smile, laugh, and reach for their glasses.
I created a website so you can find momo from your office or arboretum. findmomo.tumblr.comandrewknapp
"He started it completely on his own," Knapp told CBC News. "Every time I throw a stick, he runs into the forest and hepops his head out. Sometimes, I can't see him at all until after I throw it."
#findmomoAndrew Knapp
Tumblr
#findmomo Andrew Knapp
Knapp started taking photos of Momo hiding with his iPhone to share on Instagram with the hashtag #findmomo. Eventually, he opened up a Tumblr blog to archive their best shots.
find momomomo is hiding in every one of these photos.
Dearest @elatedalyne... We love out matching tuques. Thanks for the early Christmas gifts.andrewknapp
"Now if I'm driving with him and I see a coolplace, I'll stop," Knapp said, noting that on a recent road trip Momo was photographed as far away as Iowa.
Tumblr
Tumblr
#FindMomo is drawing comparisons to the classic Children's book series "Where's Waldo" online, but while Knapp says he enjoyed reading the Waldo books as a child, he didn't base his project on them.
Where's Waldo for the Instragram Age (and for dog lovers). http://findmomo.tumblr.comhogepodge
Find waldo version chien, beau Tumblr : find momo http://bit.ly/WDQhKfThoma Daneau
"Where's Momo?" - the canine version of "Where's Waldo?" http://findmomo.tumblr.com/ #AWWJoanne Wong
Forget "Where's Waldo?" - let us introduce you to "Find Momo", a canine version of Where's Waldo! http://fb.me/1LiQ20EZlWag Club
Where's Waldo, but with a dog. http://p-bu.mp/odaPhilip Bump
"maddie on things" + "where's waldo" = #FindMomo http://instagram.com/andrewknapp /lurve this....Josh Copeland
"I love Maddie," says Knapp, noting that he uses the same Instagram filter as Maddie's owner Theron Humphrey -- Valencia.
Tumblr
"Everyone from the get go was telling me to make a book orwhatever," Knapp said. "My intention was to make a book for my nieces and nephewsfor Christmas, which I did.I gave a few to my friends too."
Meanwhile at @cafepetitgateau, Momo is becoming increasingly famous. I'm practically serving as his PR pro, @andrewknapp! #findmomoHilary Duff
#FindMomo The Book. Thanks @andrewknapp. I won't tell anyone.Christian Pelletier
Can you find Momo?
Tiny the cat has reached his vet's goal weight of just over 17 pounds in just over a year, after tipping the scales at 30.2 pounds.
He was dropped off at the Fredericton SPCA in a big box and weighed three times the size of an average domestic cat.
The attention generated by Tiny's new regimen of diet and exercise helped raise $10,000 for the shelter.
His foster mom was to officially adopt him on Saturday.
CBC's Catherine Harrop has the story, from Fredericton.
[View the story "Canadian dog stars in real life 'Where's Waldo'" on Storify]
Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Jan 11 2013 14:32:01
#foggymorning #northernontarioandrewknapp
A 4-year-old border collie from Northern Ontario is making his mark on the web this week, giving people all over the world a reason to smile, laugh, and reach for their glasses.
I created a website so you can find momo from your office or arboretum. findmomo.tumblr.comandrewknapp
"He started it completely on his own," Knapp told CBC News. "Every time I throw a stick, he runs into the forest and hepops his head out. Sometimes, I can't see him at all until after I throw it."
#findmomoAndrew Knapp
Tumblr
#findmomo Andrew Knapp
Knapp started taking photos of Momo hiding with his iPhone to share on Instagram with the hashtag #findmomo. Eventually, he opened up a Tumblr blog to archive their best shots.
find momomomo is hiding in every one of these photos.
Dearest @elatedalyne... We love out matching tuques. Thanks for the early Christmas gifts.andrewknapp
"Now if I'm driving with him and I see a coolplace, I'll stop," Knapp said, noting that on a recent road trip Momo was photographed as far away as Iowa.
Tumblr
Tumblr
#FindMomo is drawing comparisons to the classic Children's book series "Where's Waldo" online, but while Knapp says he enjoyed reading the Waldo books as a child, he didn't base his project on them.
Where's Waldo for the Instragram Age (and for dog lovers). http://findmomo.tumblr.comhogepodge
Find waldo version chien, beau Tumblr : find momo http://bit.ly/WDQhKfThoma Daneau
"Where's Momo?" - the canine version of "Where's Waldo?" http://findmomo.tumblr.com/ #AWWJoanne Wong
Forget "Where's Waldo?" - let us introduce you to "Find Momo", a canine version of Where's Waldo! http://fb.me/1LiQ20EZlWag Club
Where's Waldo, but with a dog. http://p-bu.mp/odaPhilip Bump
"maddie on things" + "where's waldo" = #FindMomo http://instagram.com/andrewknapp /lurve this....Josh Copeland
"I love Maddie," says Knapp, noting that he uses the same Instagram filter as Maddie's owner Theron Humphrey -- Valencia.
Tumblr
"Everyone from the get go was telling me to make a book orwhatever," Knapp said. "My intention was to make a book for my nieces and nephewsfor Christmas, which I did.I gave a few to my friends too."
Meanwhile at @cafepetitgateau, Momo is becoming increasingly famous. I'm practically serving as his PR pro, @andrewknapp! #findmomoHilary Duff
#FindMomo The Book. Thanks @andrewknapp. I won't tell anyone.Christian Pelletier
Can you find Momo?
Tiny the cat has reached his vet's goal weight of just over 17 pounds in just over a year, after tipping the scales at 30.2 pounds.
He was dropped off at the Fredericton SPCA in a big box and weighed three times the size of an average domestic cat.
The attention generated by Tiny's new regimen of diet and exercise helped raise $10,000 for the shelter.
His foster mom was to officially adopt him on Saturday.
CBC's Catherine Harrop has the story, from Fredericton.
Riding on the rails of nostalgia, a Toronto-area train enthusiast has reconstructed a precise model of a 1970s-era Via passenger coach in his home basement.
Jason Shron, a train devotee in Vaughan, Ont., has taken his passion to a whole new scale, spending four years on building a replica of Via car 5647 from scrap parts taken from a 50-year-old decommissioned Via train.
"I'm completely, madly obsessed," Shron tells CBC's Ron Charles, showing off the historically accurate Via ticket holders, napkins and even garbage bags he had printed up, and displaying interior details such as the original 1970s wood panelling, seats, "smoking permitted" signs and radiator covers.
"Everybody has their happiness. They have a special place they love to feel most comfortable with, and for me it's the train," Shron says.
If the U.S. president gets his way, the signature that guarantees all the country's currency could soon look a lot less like someone's earnest John Hancock, and a lot more like a doodle.
Barack Obama nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to become America's next treasury secretary on Thursday.
In addition to a host of duties related to stickhandling the U.S. economy, one of the more high-profile roles of that position is to endorse U.S. currency with a stamped signature, ensuring the money will be backed by the U.S. government.
The words "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" is written, in capital letters, on all U.S. bills, of any denomination. That pledge is accompanied by the signature of the treasury secretary. Most U.S. bills currently in circulation are likely to have the signatures of one of two men: Either Henry (Hank) Paulson, who held the office under President George W. Bush, or Timothy Geithner, who has held the office since Obama took power in January 2009.
Canadian bills have a similar promise, with the words "This note is legal tender" emblazoned in both official languages down the side of all bills. That's accompanied by the signature of the governor of the Bank of Canada — a post currently occupied by Mark Carney.
'It looks like money bags on the run.'—Elaine Charal, handwriting expert
All of the aforementioned men has a fairly typical signature — each with a hint of uniqueness, but for the most part, legible.
That could be set to change if Obama's man gets the top job, because Lew has one of the more memorable signatures of any public figure, ever.
As the photo illustration above shows, it starts with a barely decipherable soft "J" before quickly devolving into an incomprehensible series of loops.
"The fact that it's illegible means on a deeper level, he's someone who doesn't want to show his true self," Toronto handwriting expert and graphologist Elaine Charal said in an interview.
Charal says she has analyzed the signatures of many prominent figures, including Obama himself ("the threading in his letters shows he's a chameleon able to adapt to any situation," she says), but says Lew's is among the more interesting signatures she has ever come across.
"It looks like money bags on the run," she says. "It's probably a trademark but it's protective," she says. "He's protecting himself."
In and of itself, a public signature that looks more like the result of someone testing a pen before buying it than an august endorsement from Uncle Sam is certainly among the least of America's problems.
And the story is likely nothing more than a sideshow in the ongoing U.S. debate over how America will pay down its debts. But amid talk of raising the debt ceiling and possibly minting a $1-trillion coin, it's one of the more lighthearted distractions.
Ultimately, it's probably fairly unlikely that Lew's signature will make it on all legal U.S. tender as is, without some sort of coaching or alterations. Indeed, the Senate could make changing it a requirement of his confirmation.
Geithner himself was asked to do just that for his signature, changing it from a short line with large bulbous letters into a more conventional, and readable version. Lew himself made a joke about it at the news conference naming him at the White House on Thursday, saying of his predecessor: "We both share a common challenge with penmanship."
Obama even played along, saying he'd never noticed Lew's signature, but he joked he'd considered rescinding the offer once he saw it. But he said he was convinced once Lew promised to work on "at least making one letter legible in order not to debase our currency."
Because, as Charal says, "Your signature is your public self."
Unless something changes, puzzled Americans could possibly be forgiven for thinking the greenbacks in their pocket might not be worth the paper they're printed on.
Roses are red, violets are blue. If you've got a dollar, then request a custom poem, just for you.
Halifax University student Jon Bolduc, 19, is offering to write poetry for money.
For $1, he'll write a poem. The topic is the buyer's choice.
"One person who emailed me worked at a call centre," said Bolduc. "I wrote a poem, tried to give her hope."
Bolduc, a second year student at the University of King's College, says his Kijiji ad already has more 600 views — and ten requests for poems. He's even finished writing a few of them.
But Bolduc has run into some complications when it comes to the payments.
"I set up a PayPal but someone told me you have to pay $1.35 for every $1 transaction, so I don't know I'll have to figure that out," he said.
For the past six years Halifax has had a poet laureate, but there's no wordsmith in place right now. Halifax City Council still has to decide if it wants to fill the position again.
In the meantime the city has a poet for hire.
Riding on the rails of nostalgia, a Toronto-area train enthusiast has reconstructed a precise model of a 1970s-era Via passenger coach in his home basement.
Jason Shron, a train devotee in Vaughan, Ont., has taken his passion to a whole new scale, spending four years on building a replica of Via car 5647 from scrap parts taken from a 50-year-old decommissioned Via train.
"I'm completely, madly obsessed," Shron tells CBC's Ron Charles, showing off the historically accurate Via ticket holders, napkins and even garbage bags he had printed up, and displaying interior details such as the original 1970s wood panelling, seats, "smoking permitted" signs and radiator covers.
"Everybody has their happiness. They have a special place they love to feel most comfortable with, and for me it's the train," Shron says.
Busy, congested, stressful. This is how the world's first subway system was depicted by London newspapers in 1863, a situation that would be familiar to nail-biting passengers of today as the Tube turned 150 years old today.
"The constant cry, as the trains arrived, of 'no room,' appeared to have a very depressing effect upon those assembled," the Guardian newspaper reported on the public opening of London's Metropolitan Line on Jan. 10, 1863. The first stretch of rail had opened the day before, on Jan. 9.
The line — the first part of what is now an extensive London transport network that has shaped the British capital and its suburbs — ran 120 trains each way during the day, carrying up to 40,000 excited passengers. Extra steam locomotives and cars were called in to handle the crowds.
Architectural historian David Lawrence said the rapid expansion of the subway network — better known in London as the Tube — had a major impact on the city's design. The Tube helped lure people away from the inner city into new areas where new housing was being built in a village style near the stations.
"They were selling an England which had already passed by that time," said Lawrence, a principal lecturer at Kingston University.
In 1919, the Metropolitan company became directly involved in developing what came to be called Metro-land on surplus land. One of the company's promotional posters displayed drab rows of inner city terrace houses and urged people to, "Leave this and move to Edgware."
However, they were also selling the dual benefit of a quiet, unpolluted suburban life paired with rapid access to the cultural and economic benefits of the metropolis, Lawrence said.
The pioneering Metropolitan Line sparked a new wave of underground development which today has grown into a 402 kilometre system carrying 1.2 billion passenger journeys each year.
Although Londoners love to complain about its sometimes sketchy performance, the Tube and its related rail lines can be a remarkable efficient way to move vast numbers of people in and out of the city, with roughly 3.5 million journeys completed each day. It provided nearly flawless transport during the recent London Olympics despite fears that it would buckle under the extra strain.
The Met Locomotive No. 1, restored from 1898, travels through Baker Street subway station in London. The train will make a journey on Sunday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the subway system. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images) Charles Pearson, a lawyer who saw the line as a tool of social reform that would enable the poor to live in healthier surroundings on the perimeter of the city, began promoting the line in the 1850s.
Pearson made a crucial contribution by persuading the Corporation of the City of London — the governing body of the financial district — to invest in the line.
Like many an innovation, the proposal to build a 4.8-kilometre underground rail line from Paddington Station in central London to Farringdon on the edge of the financial district in the east aroused great skepticism and criticism when it was first proposed.
An editorial in the Times of London at the time found the concept repulsive.
"A subterranean railway under London was awfully suggestive of dank, noisome tunnels buried many fathoms deep beyond the reach of light or life; passages inhabited by rats, soaked with sewer drippings, and poisoned by the escape of gas mains," the newspaper declared.
"It seemed an insult to common sense to suppose that people who could travel as cheaply on the outside of a Paddington bus would prefer, as a merely quicker medium, to be driven amid palpable darkness through the foul subsoil of London."
London's Daily News took a more macabre view: "For the first time in the history of the world men can ride in pleasant carriages, and with considerable comfort, lower down than gas pipes and water pipes," the newspaper said, adding, "lower down than graveyards."
For the anniversary celebrations, Transport for London will run old-style steam powered trains underground — but only on Sunday, so as not to disrupt its crucial people-moving function during the working week.
The Twilight finale had better reviews than the franchise's previous four movies, but you'd never know it from the Razzie nominations singling out Hollywood's worst of the year.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 led the Razzies lineup late Tuesday with 11 nominations, including worst picture, lead-acting slots for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and supporting-acting nominations for Taylor Lautner and Ashley Greene.
Other worst-picture nominees are the naval action tale Battleship, the family flick The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Adam Sandler's raunchy dud That's My Boy and Eddie Murphy's comedy flop A Thousand Words.
A spoof of the Academy Awards, the Razzies announcement came a little more than a day before Thursday's Oscar nominations. Winners for the 33rd annual Razzies will be announced Feb. 23, the night before the Oscar show.
The final installment in the supernatural romance involving vampires, werewolves and a moody schoolgirl, Breaking Dawn — Part 2 also had nominations for worst director for Bill Condon, plus worst sequel, screenplay and screen ensemble. It picked up two nominations for worst screen couple — for Stewart and Pattinson and for Lautner and child co-star Mackenzie Foy.
'This is our equivalent to The Lord of the Rings. It's our members' last chance to razz Twilight'—Razzies founder John Wilson
Stewart's worst-actress nomination came for two performances in 2012, her Bella Swan of Twilight and the title role in Snow White and the Huntsman.
Earlier Twilight movies have been regular nominees for the Razzies but have not come away with any key worst-of awards. But the finale seems to be the one Razzies voters have been waiting for, the way Oscar voters were waiting for the last Lord of the Rings film, the one that finally won the big prize.
"That's the analogy we're making, that this is the Razzies' flipside," said Razzies founder John Wilson. "This is our equivalent to The Lord of the Rings. It's our members' last chance to razz Twilight."
Here's how Razzies organizers describe the Twilight finale in the nominations announcement: "The ultimate installment of the inexplicably successful series focuses on Shirtless Werewolf Jacob and his creepy relationship with the daughter of Sparkly Vampire Edward and Gloomy Goth Gal Bella. Together, the four face a final showdown that will determine the fate of Romantic-But-Boring Monsters everywhere."
Sandler — whose Jack and Jill made Razzies history last season by winning a record 10 awards, sweeping every category — remains a Razzies favourite this time. That's My Boy ran second with eight Razzie nominations, among them worst actor for Sandler and supporting actor for both Nick Swardson and Vanilla Ice.
Tyler Perry was nominated for both worst actor (Alex Cross and Good Deeds) and actress (Madea's Witness Protection, in which he reprised his cross-dressing title character).
Along with Sandler, Pattinson and Perry, worst-actor contenders are Nicolas Cage for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and Seeking Justice; and Murphy for A Thousand Words.
Joining Stewart and Perry in the worst-actress lineup are Katherine Heigl for One for the Money; Milla Jovovich for Resident Evil: Retribution; and Barbra Streisand for The Guilt Trip.
[View the story "Rainbow igloo lights up Edmonton backyard" on Storify]
Storified by CBC News Community· Mon, Jan 07 2013 14:58:12
Imgur
But that's exactly what he ended up doing when he arrived in Edmonton five weeks ago with his girlfriend, Kathleen Starrie. The couple made the trip to Canada to visit her family.
Imgur
"I wanted to keep him occupied, not with my daughter necessarily. I wanted to keep him busy with something else," said Brigid Burton in an interview with Global Edmonton. "I didn't want (Dan) to just be twiddling his thumbs while he's here in Canada so I thought, this needs to be something that's got some meat to it."
Imgur
"Made a coloured ice igloo while visiting my gfin Edmonton, Canada," wrote Gray in the thread. He linked to some photos of his creation and a local news article in which he explains the process and the inspiration behind the project.
Burton had been preparing for the project sinceOctober, saving up old juice cartons and filling them with coloured water in anticipation of Gray's visit.
Imgur
As for how the ice bricks were held together, hecredits a substance called "snowcrete."
we mixed snow and water together which stuck very well to the ice and held it in placedaniboi22
Melting wasn't an issue thanks to Edmonton's sub-zero winter temperatures, and according to Gray, the spiral structure of the dome makes it quite strong.
yeah but it is very solid. I have sat on the top of it.daniboi22
Imgur
In total, it took Gray, his girlfriend, her family and some neighbours approximately five weeks, 500 blocks and 150 hours to complete the project. Gray's online reaction to the amount of attention the igloo is receiving indicates it was well worth the effort.
Thank you all so much for your up votes and comments. Never would have imagined that it would have been this popular!! The weather channel is now coming over to have an interview and we are having an igloo party this afternoon.daniboi22
Many on Twitter and Reddit were taken with the rainbow igloo.
Just saw the cutest igloo ever on the news <3 it was built with rainbow bricks and love <3 <3 #CanadianRomance @MadelnCanadaKatrina Stasyk
I want to live in an igloo in Canada.Mauro Accinelli
And lived in Canada, MT: @ywallin This is the first thing I'd do if I had a backyard: How to Build a Rainbow Igloo http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/01/how-to-build-a-rainbow-igloo/sgabe
It's snow joke... it's a rainbow igloo! http://boingboing.net/2013/01/05/rainbow-colored-igloo.htmlPee-wee Herman
Looks like a good place to chill.Ditka_Da_Bus_Driver
I CE WHAT YOU DID THEREGoldenDriller
Pretty cool way to use old milk cartons! Yes, we said cool and yes it was a pun. http://fb.me/ZGXuQ4zvFair Oaks Farms
How cool is this multicolored igloo? Only in Canada, eh! http://imgur.com/a/R5V5xPatti McKague
Astronauts have a down-to-Earth problem that could be even worse on a long trip to Mars: They can't get enough sleep. And over time, the lack of slumber can turn intrepid space travelers into drowsy couch potatoes, a new study shows.
In a novel experiment, six volunteers were confined in a cramped mock spaceship in Moscow to simulate a 17-month voyage. It made most of the would-be spacemen lethargic, much like birds and bears heading into winter, gearing up for hibernation.
The men went into a prolonged funk. Four had considerable trouble sleeping, with one having minor problems and the sixth mostly unaffected. Some had depression issues. Sometimes, a few of the men squirreled themselves away into the most private nooks they could find. They didn't move much. They avoided crucial exercise.
"This looks like something you see in birds in the winter," said lead author David Dinges, a sleep expert at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
'This looks like something you see in birds in the winter.'—David Dinges, University of Pennsylvania sleep expert
The experiment was run and funded by Russian and European space agencies. A report on the simulation's effect on the men was published online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dinges said scientists can't tell if the men's lethargy was just lack of sleep or was also caused by other factors: the close quarters, lack of privacy with so many cameras or being away from their families for so long.
It's a problem that has to be fixed — and can be — before astronauts are sent to Mars, as U.S. President Barack Obama proposes for the mid-2030s, Dinges said. The trip to Mars, Earth's closest neighbor, would take about six months each way.
The world record for continuous time in space — 14 months — is held by Dr. Valery Polyakov, who was on the Russian space station Mir in 1994 and 1995. American astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are scheduled to spend an entire year in space on the International Space Station, starting in 2015.
When leaving confinement in November 2011, the six volunteers — three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese — called their experience successful: "We can go forward and now plan to go to Mars and move confidently," said volunteer Romain Charles of France.
Russia's Sukhrob Kamolov, France's Romain Charles, Russia's Alexander Smoleyevsky, China's Wang Yue, Russia's Alexey Sitev, and Italy's Diego Urbina, pose before entering the facility at Moscow's Institute for Medical and Biological Problems on Thursday, June 3, 2010. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press) The data scientists collected wasn't as rosy. Devices on the volunteers' wrists measured their movements and showed that when they were asleep and awake they were moving much less than they should have been, an unexpected and disturbing finding, Dinges said.
One of the six volunteers — who were paid $100,000 to live in the mock spaceship with limited and time-delayed contact with the outside world — slept nearly half an hour less each night than he did when he started the mission, affecting how he went about his day, Dinges said.
The loss of sleep matters because astronauts will have to perform intricate tasks on the way to Mars and while on the red planet. And they have to do vigorous exercises daily to fight the toll that near-zero gravity takes on the bones and other parts of the body. And most of the volunteers weren't doing that.
The Moscow study, based on the ground, couldn't take into account the added difficulty of near-zero gravity.
Former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who holds the American record for longest space mission, said he could relate to the study findings. During his 215 days in orbit on the space station, he sometimes had trouble getting back to sleep because he didn't have a sense of lying down or having his head on a pillow.
The lack of sleep and lots of work caused him to sometimes nod off during the day, and the lack of gravity meant that when he fell asleep accidentally he would float away and awaken elsewhere in the station, he said.
"It happened more than once, but I never thought it was a big deal. I thought it was amusing in a way," Lopez-Alegria said in an interview.
Excerpts from astronaut diaries in a NASA report show prevalent sleep problems, with space station residents talking about nodding off while typing and obsessing over getting too much or too little sleep.
"I just need sleep," one unidentified astronaut wrote.
'I just need sleep.'—Unidentified astronaut in NASA diaries
"The morning started disastrously. I slept through two (wake-up) alarms... My body apparently went on strike for better working conditions," wrote another.
Jerry Linenger, a medical doctor and NASA astronaut who spent more than four months on the Russian space station Mir in 1997, said he watched cosmonauts fall asleep in mid-conversation. And after a couple months, Linenger started having sleep problems despite his best efforts, which included using eye shades and bungee cords to put pressure on his body.
"It's kind of like you're wiped out after New Year's Eve, kind of like a hangover or something," Linenger said. "You are aware you're not performing. So I'd be extra careful if I had to switch some buttons.
Later in 1997, a cosmonaut on Mir who had a sleepless night accidentally disconnected a system that gathered solar power for the aging station, said Charles Czeisler, a sleep professor and space researcher at Harvard Medical School.
Czeisler, who wasn't part of the Dinges study, said the new work was important in demonstrating the challenges of a Mars mission.
Astronauts do use sleeping pills to help them sleep.
And one solution experts like Dinges and Czeisler agree on is lighting. Blue evening light is essential for resetting a body's natural rhythms, Czeisler said, and changing the color and timing of lighting has been shown to help people sleep on Earth.
A New York City musician used a combination of technology, seduction, a hammer and a bribe to reclaim his missing iPhone from a confused crook.
Jazz trombonist Nadav Nirenberg says he left the phone in a livery cab on New Year's Eve. The next morning, the 27-year-old learned via email that someone was sending messages to women using a dating app on the phone.
Nirenberg logged on to the service and offered the man a date — posing as a woman. He even posted a picture of a pretty girl.
When the culprit arrived at Nirenberg's Brooklyn apartment building with wine, the musician greeted him with a $20 US bill while holding a hammer — just in case.
The thief handed him the iPhone and left without a word.
An Alberta man is perplexed after thieves made off with a large outhouse from his farm near Edmonton — but he doesn't plan to take the crime sitting down.
"I think at least four to six guys had to come here to do this … two guys? No way they could do this," said Randy Nemirsky, as he stood at the edge of the hole where the outhouse used to stand.
'How low can you go to steal a man's privy?'—Randy Nemirsky, victim of outhouse theft
The farm near Lamont, about 60 kilometres east of Edmonton, has been in the family for nearly 90 years. Last summer Nemirsky and his son Nick tore down the original outhouse, which had been built in 1936, and rebuilt it.
"We planned this summer to rebuild the old outhouse there and we dug the hole and it was a whole summer project."
The new structure was meant to be a major improvement to the farm and was finished in August. But when the family returned to the property in the fall, they found the outhouse missing, with the hole in the ground and a few scattered boards as the only sign anything had stood there.
"I got a phone call [from Nick] … "He said, 'The outhouse is missing,'" said Nemirsky.
"I said, 'What?'"
He says the outhouse wasn't just a flimsy structure — it was bolted to the ground and weighed between 350 and 450 kilograms. A large picnic table was also taken.
Nemirsky says while the theft may be unusual, it's not a laughing matter. Between building, painting and siding the outhouse, he suspects he's out about $1,000.
"You spent time building it, and where do you go now?
"I can build another one, but how low can you go to steal a man's privy?"
The family reported the theft to the RCMP. After a month with no progress, they decided to put an ad online with a $500 reward for information on the theft.
Randy Nemirsky says he got a chuckle out of the theft, but estimated he's out around $1,000 after rebuilding the outhouse. (CBC News) It didn't bring in many leads, but the family has received many messages of support.
"The best one I heard was to steal a man's throne is a pretty low down, man," said Nick Nemirsky.
The family says they plan to build a replacement — a reinforced version that will be harder to swipe.
While he doesn't think it likely they will ever see the missing outhouse again, Randy Nemirsky said he will still keep a close eye in nearby fields and lake lots for his property.
