Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany

A German official says Justin Bieber had to leave a monkey in quarantine after arriving in the country last week without the necessary papers for the animal.

The 19-year-old singer arrived at Munich airport last Thursday. Customs spokesman Thomas Meister said Saturday that when he went through customs he didn't have the documentation necessary to bring the capuchin monkey into the country — so the animal had to stay with authorities.

Bieber performed in Munich Thursday night on the latest leg of his European tour. He's giving several concerts in Germany and Austria over the next week.

Bieber had a trying stay in London recently, first being booed by fans when he arrived late at a concert, then struggling with his breathing and fainting backstage at a show.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family's Easter decorations has neighbour hopping mad

A family in Dartmouth, N.S., is firing back with a festive flair after an anonymous letter called their Easter decorations too "tacky" for the calibre of the neighbourhood.

Decorating the house for holidays has always been a tradition for Lori Perron and her family and Easter is no exception. Coloured eggs line the porch railing and bunnies dot their front lawn.

But last month, someone wrote the Perrons a note criticizing their home.

"Dear homeowners," the letter reads. "Before Easter comes, the community asks that you do not demoralize our subdivision and street with yet again, your very tacky decorations. Halloween and Christmas was enough. Perhaps you should consider that this area is a step above you."

It was signed by "a concerned neighbour."

At first, Perron said she felt hurt by the letter.

"No one has the right to tell someone that they're not good enough to live in a different neighbourhood. What's so great about this neighbourhood? Because we pay higher taxes?"

But then she decided to fight back with more decorations

"First I thought, 'No, I won't decorate.' And then I thought. 'Yeah, I will, and I'll go worse, I will be tacky.'"

People who have heard her story are driving by to show support.

"I admire this lady because she said, 'I'm not taking the bullying, I'm me and I'm going to be me' and I think she needs support," said Joan Keddie.

Passerby Don Clark said he's pleased with Perron's boldness.

"We need people like this, with a good sense of humour. Isn't that life?" he said.

Perron said would like to meet the note writer.

"Whoever you are, knock on my door, come in, meet me, have a cup of coffee with me, have dinner with us and you'll realize life isn't that bad," she said.

"Happy Easter to whoever you are."

Despite the note, the family said they'll continue to decorate for each holiday.

They said they already have big plans for Canada Day.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

How an ancient astronomical error affects Easter

How a misunderstanding of astronomy can make us wait up to a month to celebrate Easter.

By Kaleigh Rogers, CBC News

Posted: Mar 29, 2013 9:49 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2013 11:15 PM ET

 

Easter weekend brings a lot of things to mind — religion, family, food, bunnies and Easter eggs, to name a few. The moon usually isn't on that list, but it actually has a big influence over the date on which the holiday weekend falls.

In fact, an ancient misunderstanding of astronomy can make us wait up to a month to celebrate Easter, depending on the year.

For hundreds of years, churches have looked to the sky to determine when they should celebrate Easter, trying to align it with the Vernal, or Spring, equinox. The holiday is a time of renewal and rebirth for the Christian church, so celebrating around the dawn of Spring made sense.

But way back when people were determining the rules for when the date would fall, humanity's understanding of the sky was a little lacking. Robert Cockcroft, a McMaster University astronomer and physicist, explains.

"Back in 325 A.D. these rules were made, but they couldn't accurately predict astronomical events because they didn't understand it all, so they set up estimations," Cockcroft said.

The church decided Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after a full moon that falls either on or after the Spring equinox.

The Spring equinox, Cockcroft explained, is the point in the year when the path of the sun crosses the line representing the projection of the Earth's equator, meaning it's making its way back to the northern hemisphere and spring is on the way.

Unfortunately, when they were making the rules nearly 1,700 years ago, they didn't realize the date of the equinox changes slightly every year. It can occur on March 19, 20 or 21 (most often on the 20), but the church fixed the date for the equinox at March 21.

Church officials also followed an ecclesiastical calendar to determine when the full moon would fall — the 14th of a "lunar month" — which isn't always the case, either.

"Those understandings of the words 'full moon' and 'Vernal equinox' are not the astronomical definition of those terms, which is where the complication arises," Cockcroft said.

Out of sync

Most years the church's definitions are pretty much in harmony with the actual astronomical events taking place. This year, for example, the equinox occured at 11:02 a.m. on March 20 and the first full moon to follow occurred early Wednesday, so Sunday's date is accurate.

But some years, the discrepancies mean the two dates fall out of sync: six years from now, the church's Easter date falls almost a full month after the astronomical Easter date.

"I can imagine it would be confusing during the years when they don't agree," Cockcroft said.

And it gets even more complicated depending on where in the world you're celebrating Easter.

Western Christianity follows the Gregorian calendar — that's the civic calendar we follow — to determine the date. Eastern Christianity follows the Julian calendar, which is 13 days out of sync.

Therefore, Easter can fall on any Sunday between April 4 and May 8 for Eastern Christians; this year it's May 5.

Cockcroft explained it's not just churches that can get caught up in old traditions that don't mesh with new understandings; it happens all the time in science.

"This is how science works as well. We look for a pattern and categorize it, then realize later on those categories are incorrect, but we're kind of stuck with them," he said, pointing to the categorization of stars as an example.

"Rather than label stars hottest to coolest from A to Z, we label the hottest O, followed by B, then A, F. It's because it's arranged differently than when we first made the rules."

On the bright side, Easter may change from year to year and hemisphere to hemisphere, but at least the cream eggs stay the same.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany

A German official says Justin Bieber had to leave a monkey in quarantine after arriving in the country last week without the necessary papers for the animal.

The 19-year-old singer arrived at Munich airport last Thursday. Customs spokesman Thomas Meister said Saturday that when he went through customs he didn't have the documentation necessary to bring the capuchin monkey into the country — so the animal had to stay with authorities.

Bieber performed in Munich Thursday night on the latest leg of his European tour. He's giving several concerts in Germany and Austria over the next week.

Bieber had a trying stay in London recently, first being booed by fans when he arrived late at a concert, then struggling with his breathing and fainting backstage at a show.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Rent a Mourner' fills your funeral with fake friends

The professional grieving market is still quite niche in the U.K., but this type of service has been popular in parts of China in the Middle East for years. (iStock) It's a niggling question familiar to anyone who has ever thrown a party; What if nobody shows up?

A new company in the U.K. is addressing - and capitalizing upon - that fear by promising to ensure your last gathering on earth is a very well attended one.

Rent-a-mourner, based in Essex, hires out actors at a rate of $70 Cdn per hour to attend funerals as "professional grievers."

Their goal is help the deceased appear sufficiently popular and beloved, going so far as to cry openly and behave as if they knew the person in front of their friends and family.

"We are typically invited to help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected," reads the company's website. "This can usually be a popularity issue or being new to an area, or indeed, the country. We can supply professional, polite, well dressed individuals to attend funerals and wakes."

The company currently employs 20 "mourners" who are well briefed on a deceased client's history, background, accomplishments and relationships.

"Our staff will meet with the client beforehand and agree on 'the story', so our staff will either have known the deceased professionally or socially," said company founder Ian Robertson to the Telegraph, noting that he's booked 52 gigs since the company was founded last year - and turned down 60 more due to travel concerns.

The professional grieving market is still quite niche in the U.K. according to Robertson, but this type of service has been popular in parts of China in the Middle East for years.

"We were actually inspired by the market growth in China," Robertson said. "The Middle Eastern way is to provide wailers -- crying women -- as opposed to the quiet, dignified methods we use."

Some are pointing to the growth of this trend as a byproduct of an increasingly multicultural England - while others see it as something much sadder.

"Too many people die alone: alone, that is, not at the instant of death; but alone for the years which precede it," wrote Telegraph columnist Graeme Archer in response to the now-viral story.

Father Alexander Lucie-Smith, a British priest and doctor of moral theology, agreed in a blog post on The Catholic Herald, saying that this story reflect the very breakdown of our society:

"Behind all this is something rather sad; if people are hiring mourners these days, or pseudo-mourners as it might be better to call them, is this not a sign of familial and societal breakdown? Once upon a time, everyone who died could be assured of a good turn out at their funeral. Their relatives would be there, which could be up to fifty or sixty people, and, especially in working class communities, all the neighbours would be there. If we are now forced to pay people to come to funerals, this may well be a sign that family ties are not what they once where, and neither are community ties."

What are your thoughts on professional mourners? Would you include a budget for fake friends in a funeral budget, or does the idea make you uncomfortable? Share your thoughts below.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

How an ancient astronomical error affects Easter

How a misunderstanding of astronomy can make us wait up to a month to celebrate Easter.

By Kaleigh Rogers, CBC News

Posted: Mar 29, 2013 9:49 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2013 9:54 AM ET

 

Easter weekend brings a lot of things to mind — religion, family, food, bunnies and Easter eggs, to name a few. The moon usually isn't on that list, but it actually has a big influence over the date on which the holiday weekend falls.

In fact, an ancient misunderstanding of astronomy can make us wait up to a month to celebrate Easter, depending on the year.

For hundreds of years, churches have looked to the sky to determine when they should celebrate Easter, trying to align it with the Vernal, or Spring, equinox. The holiday is a time of renewal and rebirth for the Christian church, so celebrating around the dawn of Spring made sense.

But way back when people were determining the rules for when the date would fall, humanity's understanding of the sky was a little lacking. Robert Cockcroft, a McMaster University astronomer and physicist, explains.

"Back in 325 A.D. these rules were made, but they couldn't accurately predict astronomical events because they didn't understand it all, so they set up estimations," Cockcroft said.

The church decided Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after a full moon that falls either on or after the Spring equinox.

The Spring equinox, Cockcroft explained, is the point in the year when the path of the sun moves along with the equator, meaning it's making its way back to the northern hemisphere and spring is on the way.

Unfortunately, when they were making the rules nearly 1,700 years ago, they didn't realize the date of the equinox changes slightly every year. It can occur on March 19, 20 or 21 (most often on the 20), but the church fixed the date for the equinox at March 21.

Church officials also followed an ecclesiastical calendar to determine when the full moon would fall — the 14th of a "lunar month" — which isn't always the case, either.

"Those understandings of the words 'full moon' and 'Vernal equinox' are not the astronomical definition of those terms, which is where the complication arises," Cockcroft said.

Out of sync

Most years the church's definitions are pretty much in harmony with the actual astronomical events taking place. This year, for example, the equinox occured at 11:02 a.m. on March 20 and the first full moon to follow occurred early Wednesday, so Sunday's date is accurate.

But some years, the discrepancies mean the two dates fall out of sync: six years from now, the church's Easter date falls almost a full month after the astronomical Easter date.

"I can imagine it would be confusing during the years when they don't agree," Cockcroft said.

And it gets even more complicated depending on where in the world you're celebrating Easter.

Western Christianity follows the Gregorian calendar — that's the civic calendar we follow — to determine the date. Eastern Christianity follows the Julian calendar, which is 13 days out of sync.

Therefore, Easter can fall on any Sunday between April 4 and May 8 for Eastern Christians; this year it's May 5.

Cockcroft explained it's not just churches that can get caught up in old traditions that don't mesh with new understandings; it happens all the time in science.

"This is how science works as well. We look for a pattern and categorize it, then realize later on those categories are incorrect, but we're kind of stuck with them," he said, pointing to the categorization of stars as an example.

"Rather than label stars hottest to coolest from A to Z, we label the hottest O, followed by B, then A, F. It doesn't make any sense, but it's because it's arranged differently than when we first made the rules."

On the bright side, Easter may change from year to year and hemisphere to hemisphere, but at least the cream eggs stay the same.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Swimsuit-clad 'granny' makes last video of season

A Manitoba woman who became well known for YouTube videos showing her doing winter stunts in a bathing suit has made her last video of the season.

Brandon's "Canadian Granny" has a series of online videos that show her doing everything from snowshoeing to ice-skating in a bathing suit and a trapper's hat, complete with furry earflaps.

Southern Manitoba has been plagued by a winter that just won't quit — with 200 per cent more precipitation than normal and icy temperatures dipping way below seasonal in February and March.

But instead of grumble, Kim Bright decided to embrace the cold.

"There's nothing we can do about it, so take a different attitude. Be positive and it goes faster," Bright said Wednesday.

Since the CBC News story on her antics last week, Bright said she received a ton of suggestions for what she should do in her next video.

Ultimately, she decided on a simple jog — with a surprise ending and some special guests.

But there is the possibility that Bright will be back next season.

"We may come back because we've had so many suggestions for ones we didn't get done this year, so maybe next February," she said.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Rent a Mourner' fills your funeral with fake friends

The professional grieving market is still quite niche in the U.K., but this type of service has been popular in parts of China in the Middle East for years. (iStock) It's a niggling question familiar to anyone who has ever thrown a party; What if nobody shows up?

A new company in the U.K. is addressing - and capitalizing upon - that fear by promising to ensure your last gathering on earth is a very well attended one.

Rent-a-mourner, based in Essex, hires out actors at a rate of $70 Cdn per hour to attend funerals as "professional grievers."

Their goal is help the deceased appear sufficiently popular and beloved, going so far as to cry openly and behave as if they knew the person in front of their friends and family.

"We are typically invited to help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected," reads the company's website. "This can usually be a popularity issue or being new to an area, or indeed, the country. We can supply professional, polite, well dressed individuals to attend funerals and wakes."

The company currently employs 20 "mourners" who are well briefed on a deceased client's history, background, accomplishments and relationships.

"Our staff will meet with the client beforehand and agree on 'the story', so our staff will either have known the deceased professionally or socially," said company founder Ian Robertson to the Telegraph, noting that he's booked 52 gigs since the company was founded last year - and turned down 60 more due to travel concerns.

The professional grieving market is still quite niche in the U.K. according to Robertson, but this type of service has been popular in parts of China in the Middle East for years.

"We were actually inspired by the market growth in China," Robertson said. "The Middle Eastern way is to provide wailers -- crying women -- as opposed to the quiet, dignified methods we use."

Some are pointing to the growth of this trend as a byproduct of an increasingly multicultural England - while others see it as something much sadder.

"Too many people die alone: alone, that is, not at the instant of death; but alone for the years which precede it," wrote Telegraph columnist Graeme Archer in response to the now-viral story.

Father Alexander Lucie-Smith, a British priest and doctor of moral theology, agreed in a blog post on The Catholic Herald, saying that this story reflect the very breakdown of our society:

"Behind all this is something rather sad; if people are hiring mourners these days, or pseudo-mourners as it might be better to call them, is this not a sign of familial and societal breakdown? Once upon a time, everyone who died could be assured of a good turn out at their funeral. Their relatives would be there, which could be up to fifty or sixty people, and, especially in working class communities, all the neighbours would be there. If we are now forced to pay people to come to funerals, this may well be a sign that family ties are not what they once where, and neither are community ties."

What are your thoughts on professional mourners? Would you include a budget for fake friends in a funeral budget, or does the idea make you uncomfortable? Share your thoughts below.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bill Cosby's lawyers unravel Cosby Sweaters website

[View the story "Bill Cosby's lawyers unravel Cosby Sweaters blog" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Tue, Mar 26 2013 12:36:10

Tumblr

The eponymous sweaters worn by Bill Cosby during his run as Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show are fondly remembered by many as bold, bright and -- much like the actor himself -- often quite funny.

But as the founders of a popular sports and culture blog named in their honour have recently learned, Bill Cosby's lawyers have little sense of humour when it comes to the comedian's wardrobe.

Wordpress

Kiley Kmiec is the co-founder of CosbySweaters.com, a popular two-and-a-half year old website for "sports fans who love music, tech, pop culture, and dumb Internet videos" that currently boasts over one million page views a month.

In a recent blog post called "Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us," he revealed that Cosby's legal team had sent him a cease and desist letter, alleging that the site's name was a violation of the actor's intellectual property rights.

An exerpt from the legal document, prepared by Cosby's legal representatives at the Manhattan-based firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, appears in that post:

"Mr. Cosby has used his name for decades in connection with activities as an entertainer. His name is famous throughout the world and he has acquired tremendous goodwill and valuable intellectual property rights, including a United States trademark registration...

In addition, as you know, the multi-colored, multi-patterned sweaters that Mr. Cosby wore on "The Cosby Show," an iconic television program that aired from 1984 through 1992 and has continued in broadcast as reruns and in syndication both domestically and internationally through the present, are strongly associated with Cosby. The term "Cosby Sweater" instantly evokes Mr. Cosby and The Cosby Show."

Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us"Hey", you're asking yourself, "what happened to Cosby Sweaters?" Let's start at the beginning: About 2½ years ago, we launched a site fo...

"I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? My childhood hero is, suing us?'" Kmiec said to Gawker, noting that the website, which has nothing to do with the 75-year-old comedian's wardrobe, was more of a nostalgic tribute than anything, chosen to reflect the site's eclectic composition.

"Our site looks like everything is thrown randomly--it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it works when you pay attention," he said.

In response to the letter, Kmiec and his crew have changed the name of their website to Next Impulse Sports.

"We think we could fight this case in court," he wrote on March 21. "Unfortunately though, we don't have the millions of Puddin' Pops™ to mount what could be a long and costly legal fight. The bottom line is this: It got hot and we have ditched the Cosby Sweaters name."

The site owners maintain a positive outlook, promising expanded coverage in light of the re-branding, but fans of the site, which was named one of TIME Magazine's 50 best websites of 2012, are not impressed with Cosby's actions.

Litigious is what you get when relevance is lost RT @NImpulseSports: Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us: <a href="http://t.co/hyslWo8tq0" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>James Blackwell

So, Bill Cosby kind of pulled a jerk move here <a href="http://t.co/o2XvkcnLGb" class="">huff.to/YAXxss</a>HuffPost BC

I'm sure there was a time when Bill Cosby wasn't a mean, grumpy, ligneous jerk. Unfortunately, that time was the 1980s.Defunct Games

You're a party-pooper @BillCosby. RT @NImpulseSports: Thank You, Mr. Cosby, For Threatening To Sue Us: <a href="http://t.co/KOeSD6tN4T" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>Kurt Stadelman

uh, wasn't bill cosby famous for his sense of humor? <a href="http://t.co/8kbjl6hTH1" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>javi grillo-marxuach

Flip side of an affective legal system is it gives birth to ridiculous cases. And what's up with dude Bill Cosby? <a href="http://t.co/rkxv4QZxg4" class="">nextimpulsesports.com/2013/03/21/tha...</a>Amit Mehra

I don't care what @BillCosby and his hired goons say, @NImpulseSports will always be Cosby Sweaters to me. #CozSweaters4LyfeJeff Greenwell

Imgur

Though at least one fan sees a silver lining:

Free promo, right @NImpulseSports? "@HuffingtonPost: Bill Cosby issues cease-and-desist <a href="http://t.co/cm9ZeyypWA" class="">huff.to/15Bz6i1</a>"Walker Westbrook

Fair point!

What's your take? Should CosbySweaters have been allowed to keep its name, or does Bill Cosby have a right to protect the namesake of his kooky style?

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ryan Gosling hotline helps fans through actor's hiatus

[View the story "Ryan Gosling hotline helps fans cope with hunk's hiatus" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Tue, Mar 26 2013 15:39:43

Uproxx

 Ryan Gosling fans were crushed last week to learn that theCanadian actor / most-giffable-man-alive would be "taking a break" from his careerfor a while.

"I've lost perspective on what I'm doing. I think it's goodfor me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it," hetold the Associated Press, to which the internet collectively cried "Nooooo!"

Ryan Gosling announced he's taking a break from acting. In my despair, I decorated @drewrheik's desk. <a href="http://t.co/4TIlVAe7C8" class="">pic.twitter.com/4TIlVAe7C8</a>Calli

Clearly, the thought of a world withoutfresh Gosling flicks (which provide the online masses with viral Tumblr fodder and shirtless screencaps galore) was distressing for many...

So, Ryan Gosling is taking a break from acting for a while... <a href="http://t.co/OKpPKmYozL" class="">pic.twitter.com/OKpPKmYozL</a> Beth

OH MY GOD IM CRYING. WHY RYAN GOSLING WHY <a href="http://t.co/J5Nr6BcbjB" class="">pic.twitter.com/J5Nr6BcbjB</a>Abigail Holt

ryan gosling has decided to take a break from acting <a href="http://t.co/vK9LUAWIZy" class="">pic.twitter.com/vK9LUAWIZy</a>becky

That moment you find out Ryan Gosling is taking a break from acting.... <a href="http://t.co/5CwwoihiSX" class="">pic.twitter.com/5CwwoihiSX</a>Stacie

In an effort to help soften the blow (and perhaps generate some earned media buzz) a British video-on-demand service called Blinkbox has opened up "The Gosline" -- a 24-hour hotline that fans can call to hear clips of the actor's soothing voice in films like The Notebook, Gangster Squad and Drive.

For who better to help you through RyanGosling-induced heartbreak than Ryan Gosling?

Tumblr

Despite the fact that the British number is not toll-free, women and men from around the world are giving the Gosline a ring to hear the Canadian star say things like "We're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, everyday."

Victoria B.C.-based radio DJ Jon Williams gave the line a ring while he was live on the air this week:

The "Gosline" by WilliamsOfJonI'm super upset Ryan Gosling is taking some time off to recharge and become a director an stuff. Thank goodness someone saw a way to make...

And he's far from the only one to do so. The Gosline appears to be a hit.

I've just called the #gosline. I'm not even ashamed.Dani Millward

I've called the gosline like 10 times nowHair glice

Is it bad that I kind of desperately want to call #TheGosline on my lunch break?Kerry-Rose O'Donnell

Calling the Gosline, I'm a distressed fan. <a href="http://t.co/e7OnhPpUJh" class=""><a href="http://t.co/e7OnhPpUJh" class="">pic.twitter.com/e7OnhPpUJh</a></a>Jessica Rowlands

The Ryan Gosling Helpline Is The Best Invention Ever Invented, And That's A Fact: Sure electricity's great and... <a href="http://t.co/hhqcrBWsFk" class="">bit.ly/YxsKCV</a>Ugly Betty News

It worked #GoslineSam Radford

Just called the Gosline, doesn't quite have the same effect down the phone. <a href="http://t.co/6y29qrp1Ko" class=""><a href="http://t.co/6y29qrp1Ko" class="">pic.twitter.com/6y29qrp1Ko</a></a>Dionne Taylor

Many are praising BlinkBox for its originality and quick-thinking today. It's worth noting however, that they're not the first company to open up a fandom hotline.

Earlier this month, the "Twi-line" opened for British fans who are mourning the end of the popular Twilight film series.

Feed2

And in December 2011, the "Callin' Oates" hotline -- a U.S.-based Hall & Oats tribute "for when you just want to listen to some sweet H&O" -- went viral.

Unnecessaryumlaut

It continues to be popular more than two years on, with a new, fresh batch of songs recently added to its inventory.

Its one of those days for a brief @CallinOates break & "the sound of Philadelphia" #TSOP http://www.<a href="http://t.co/Jb1pc5F0iX" class="">CallinOates.com</a>Don Hinkle-Brown

So, so glad Callin' Oates is back. I felt Out of touch and Out of time without it. #moreiconiceightiesartistsonspeeddial.shawn

According to my iPhone, drunk Lou called Callin' Oates (Hall & Oates' emergency hotline) 18 times St. Paddys Day. 18 times. (719) 266-2837Louis Contaldi

Would you call a fan hotline? If so, for who?

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

3 abandoned bear cubs found near Fredericton

Two male bear cubs and one female cub are recovering after being discovered on Thursday by a couple driving home near Fredericton.

Zen Fedory, a high school teacher, and his girlfriend Krissy Green made the discovery as they were heading to their home in Springfield, located outside of Fredericton.

Fedory said they noticed something moving in the snowbank.

"And it's just this little black dot that I probably would have missed but she didn't. We got a little closer and we saw a little baby cub," he said.

Fedory and Green pulled over and waited to see if there was a mother bear around but there was no sign of her and eventually they decided to call the Department of Natural Resources.

As they were waiting for provincial officials to arrive, Fedory said they heard noises in the woods across the road and soon discovered two more cubs.

When the DNR office arrived, he found a basket and a blanket not far from where the cubs had been.

Fedory said it looked as though someone had dropped the cubs off.

Atlantic Wildlife Institute caring for cubs

Three bear cubs were discovered in a snowbank in Fredericton last Thursday. (CBC)

Pam Novak, the director of wildlife care at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute in Cookville, said she believes it is possible the bears were dropped off.

"Cause it's an odd place whrere they were found — along the side of a road too so you know something obviously isn't adding up," she said.

Novak said something could have happened to their den or their mother may have been killed.

"They're only three or four pounds, so they're not going to be out foraging, especially with snow cover still on the ground so there's not going to be a lot of activity with bears outside their dens," she said.

Novak said since arriving at the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre the bear cubs have been doing well.

She describes them as "quite feisty and lively."

"So now we're just looking to see where we go from here, what the health status is and start putting them on a diet so that we can just start working with them over the next few months," Novak said.

She said she expects the black bear cubs will remain at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute for at least a year before being released back into the wild.

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Yahoo buys teen developer's bestselling app

One of Britain's youngest internet entrepreneurs has hit the jackpot after selling his top-selling mobile application Summly to search giant Yahoo.

Seventeen-year-old Nick d'Aloisio, who dreamed up the idea for the content-shortening program when he was studying for his exams, said he was surprised by the deal. As with its other recent acquisitions, Yahoo didn't disclose how much it is paying for Summly, although British newspapers suggested the deal's value at several million dollars.

"I would have never imagined being in this position so suddenly," he wrote on his website, before thanking his family, his school — and his venture capitalist backer Li Ka-Shing — for supporting him.

Summly works by condensing content so readers can scroll through more information more quickly — useful for the small screens of smartphones.

The deal announced Monday is Yahoo's fifth small acquisition in the past fi months. All of them have been part of CEO Marissa Mayer's effort to attract more engineers with expertise in building services for smartphones and tablet computers, an increasingly important area of technology that she believes the internet company had been neglecting.

Although the Yahoo acquisition won't close until later this spring, D'Aloisio said the Summly will no longer be available. Summly's technology will return in other Yahoo products, he said.

D'Aloisio will work for Yahoo in its London office — in part so that he can complete his high school exams. Two other Summly workers will join Yahoo at its Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters.

D'Aloisio is younger than Yahoo, which was incorporated in March 1995.

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Hollywood actress sleeps in glass box for NYC art installation

Actress Tilda Swinton is performing the art of sleeping at New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

A museum spokeswoman says the Moonrise Kingdom star presented her one-person piece called The Maybe on Saturday.

In The Maybe, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs.

There is no published schedule for the piece, which will occur about a half dozen more times through the end of the year.

Swinton first performed the piece at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995. In 1996, she performed it in the Museo Barracco in Rome.

She won an Oscar in 2008 for best supporting actress for her role in Michael Clayton.

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Rare bird gets peg leg after losing limb in golf accident

A sandhill crane, a rare sight in the Lower Mainland, is standing up again after losing a leg in an accident at a Richmond, B.C., golf course.

Elizabeth Melnick, who runs a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation centre in Abbotsford, said the bird's leg was shattered in early March when it was struck by a stray golf ball.

'He's unusually tame for a wild bird.'—Dr. Ken MacQuisten

"The crane was brought in because he was hit by a golf ball and his lower leg was shattered, so the vet, Dr. Ken MacQuisten, tried to see if it would work possibly with surgery," she said.

"It just wasn't a go. So [MacQuisten] decided to amputate the lower leg and now he's getting a prosthesis put in."

MacQuisten said the leg was badly broken and the limb had died by the time the crane was captured.

"It took about five days to catch him and bring him into the veterinary hospital. So, we had to amputate the foot and now we've fitted him with a prosthesis so that he can balance and walk with it," MacQuisten said.

This juvenile sandhill crane is about the size of a great blue heron. (CBC)

MacQuisten fitted the bird with a temporary limb for now. He says a permanent prosthetic leg will be attached once the stump is fully healed.

According to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, sandhill cranes typically migrate through the central prairies and winter in the southern U.S. states, and in B.C. some cranes pass through the central interior.

But a small number of sandhill cranes have been living in the Lower Mainland after a pair of captive-hatched birds were released in the area over 30 years ago. The tame birds never reproduced, but they did attract wild sandhill cranes to settle in the region.

In the 27 years Melnick has been running her shelter, she has never come across one before.

MacQuisten also said the crane was a rare subject to work with for other reasons.

"This is a very unusual patient," MacQuisten said. "He's unusual in the sense that there are very few sandhill cranes in the Lower Mainland, here, but he's unusually tame for a wild bird," MacQuisten said.

"He makes a great subject to see if we can do something to help him with the ultimate goal of sending him back out onto the golf course."

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Hollywood actress sleeps in glass box for NYC art installation

Actress Tilda Swinton is performing the art of sleeping at New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

A museum spokeswoman says the Moonrise Kingdom star presented her one-person piece called The Maybe on Saturday.

In The Maybe, Swinton lies sleeping in a glass box for the day. The exhibit will move locations within the museum every time Swinton performs.

There is no published schedule for the piece, which will occur about a half dozen more times through the end of the year.

Swinton first performed the piece at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1995. In 1996, she performed it in the Museo Barracco in Rome.

She won an Oscar in 2008 for best supporting actress for her role in Michael Clayton.

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Canada's future breakdancers bust a move

Canada's future breakdancers hoping to secure a spot at the world dance championships busted out their best moves Saturday at a competition in Toronto.

The competition drew more than 200 dancers to Metro Toronto Convention Centre to face-off against each other with hip hop routines.

Some of Canada's youngest breakdancers were amongst the more experienced performers. The youngest category at the competition was for aspiring dancers ages six and under.

The top three dancers from each category were selected to represent Canada at the World Street Dance Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in August.

Judges included Buddha Stretch, who choreographed one of Michael Jackson's music videos, and Lil' C, a guest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance.

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Anti-smoking ad equates social smoking with farting

"It's true that I fart, but I wouldn't call myself a farter," a woman says. "I'm a social farter, I really only do it when I'm out with my friends who fart."

That's how the Ontario Health Ministry's latest ad campaign targets social smokers, equating the silly notion of farting at social events with the idea of casual social smoking.

The ad is part of a campaign, called Quit the Denial, which is seeking to target Canadian youth — social smokers age 18 to 29.

The hope is that humour would help get the message across, which apparently it has since the video has already gone viral, with more than 300,000 YouTube views.

The ministry also hopes that the humour will show how ridiculous the habit is and is using other gross comedic examples such as ear wax picking to emphasize the point.

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Alberta man to sell home for Bitcoin virtual currency

It's not often that Canadian real estate listings make international headlines, but a mid-sized Alberta bungalow has people around the world buzzing today after its owner declared that he would like to sell it -- for Bitcoins.

If successful, 22-year-old entrepreneur Taylor More would be the first person ever to accept the fast-rising virtual currency in exchange for property.

"My home is being traded for Bitcoins!"  reads the listing for More's "quaint" two bedroom home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. "Properties like this rarely come on the market and this one's priced to sell in one of the most sought after recreation areas of the Rockies."

The property is listed for $405,000 CDN, but More writes that "the price can be reduced" if a buyer has some Bitcoins to spare.

It will cost you 5,362 Bitcoin, or $405,000 to buy this two-bedroom home in Southwest Alberta. (Taylor More / Forsalebyowner.ca)

Bitcoin, a cryptographically secure peer-to-peer virtual currency first introduced in 2009, allows people to send money from anywhere to anywhere without restriction.

Unlike the dollar or other currencies, Bitcoins aren't issued by a bank and don't exist physically. This makes transactions notoriously difficult to track - a feature valued by users who want or need privacy.

While initially linked to "dark web" trading sites like online drug marketplace Silk Road, Bitcoin has been growing in mainstream popularity, both online and in the physical world.

Pizzaforcoins.com allows people to order food from Domino's using the currency, while an office space rental company in Toronto now accepts Bitcoins for rent. Earlier this year, a team of American entrepreneurs developed the first dollar-converting Bitcoin ATM, prompting many to write about whether or not the currency will ever go mainstream.

According to Bloomberg, Bitcoin is the world's most widely-used alternative currency, with a monetary base valued at over $600 million USD.

One Bitcoin is currently valued at about $75 Cdn, making the value of More's house approximately 5,362 Bitcoins.

"Bitcoins are really hard to get your hands on if you want to get them in large quantities," he told the BBC when asked why he decided to accept the currency for his home. "I have a couple projects that I want to get started, and they will take a lot of Bitcoins."

What are your thoughts on alternative currency? Would you ever buy or sell something using Bitcoins? Why or why not?

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Rare peregrine falcon pair expecting, are stars of webcam

Hamiltonians can watch young falcon family live on falcon cams this spring

By Megan Thomas, CBC News

Posted: Mar 21, 2013 7:07 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2013 8:02 AM ET

 

Hamilton could soon have some new feathered residents. Peregrine falcons Surge and Madame X appear to be expecting.

The pair of peregrine falcons nest in special boxes on a ledge near the top of Hamilton's Sheraton Hotel. A group called Hamilton Falconwatch keeps an eye on the birds, which are listed as a species of special concern in Canada.

With a crop of new chicks imminent, the group has switched on two live cameras it has trained on Surge and Madame X.

Mike Street, a volunteer with Hamilton Falconwatch, says eggs are expected by the end of the month. The youngsters should hatch about five weeks later.

"It's almost always mother's day," said Street.

In past years, the first egg atop the Sheraton has appeared as early as March 26, and as late as April 6.

These two peregrine falcon chicks had a short vacation from their nest at the downtown Hamilton Sheraton in 2012. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Surge and Madame X hatched three male chicks last year, in keeping with the usual peregrine brood of three to four young.

By early June, the young birds start to experiment with flight, and that's when things get busy for birdwatchers in the city, Street said.

"Imagine yourself as a baby peregrine and you fall out of the nest 180 feet to the ground," he said. "If they come to the ground, then they really can't help themselves."

For about three weeks in June, volunteers will hold a dawn-to-dusk vigil to rescue any chicks that flutter down from the nest and can't fly back up. Over the years, some 22 birds have been saved, Street said.

"We have never lost one on a rescue," he said.

Peregrine falcons all but disappeared in much of their Canadian range after heavy use of DDT in 1950s. The population started to rebound after the toxic chemical was banned in the 1970s.

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Co-operative urban chicken coop pitched in Windsor

An unemployed Windsor man wants the city to reconsider its ban on urban chickens.

In a city where unemployment is 9.2 per cent, Mahfooz Zafoor, a father of four, said keeping his family well fed is a growing concern.

"The people who can understand [are] those who don't having a job. Otherwise, when your tummy is full you cannot understand," he said.

Zafar wants to provide his family with an endless supply of eggs by raising chickens in his backyard.

This coop in his yard is ready to be occupied, but Windsor's bylaw banning urban chickens is in the way of putting it to use.

Bylaw 8156, passed on March 18, 1985, bans the keeping of chickens, turkeys, ducks and other "domestic fowl" within city limits. The fine for violations is $100.

"I am not a rich man. If a person like me can eat fresh eggs, please, don't stop us," Zafar pleaded.

Zafoor said he is a law-abiding citizen, so he won't break any bylaws but others have alleges Philippa Vonziegenweidt.

"Yes I do know of a couple of people," she claimed.

Since council refused to have a committee look into the idea of urban chickens, Vonziegenweidt found another way to take a crack at having fresh eggs.

She is a member Windsor's CLUCK, a group that runs a coop co-op in Essex County. Approximately 15 urban farmers have banded together and built a small co-op out in the County. Each member takes turns caring for the flock.

"We go and collect eggs on that day and when you have your turn you have to also clean out the coop and bring food and water to the chickens and take care of them," she said.

Low-income families struggle

But the location out in the county puts lower income families of Windsor at a disadvantage. They struggle to find the transportation to get them to the coop to participate in the co-op.

Windsor's council has said long denied chickens running free in backyards but coop co-ops have never been addressed, said Coun. Drew Dilkens.

Dilkens took a hard line on urban chickens calling it "clucking ridiculous" and citing problems for neighbours.

Vonziegenweidt said there are some misconceptions about urban chickens.

"For example people believe that chickens make noise. they're afraid that there will be roosters everywhere. We want to explain to them that it's not about having roosters," She said. "And they're not smelly, they don't attract vermin.

"Although if you have a messy coop, that might cause issues. But we don't want to have messy coops. We want to have clean coops that have good quality eggs."

Approximately 400 people have signed a petition to have a collective coop built in Windsor.

A collective co-op has Dilkens reconsidering.

"I consider myself to be a reasonable person so let's sit down and look at whether there are any opportunities to have a coop," he said. "If there's a reasonable place we could find, that's not in someone's backyard or where it's going to disturb or be a nuisance to neighbours, we should explore the idea of a collective co-op. I'm not against it."

That thrills Vonziegenweidt, who said she intends to reach out to Dilkens.

"I started off believing that everybody should be allowed to have a backyard coop if they wanted to, but since we started our collective, I realize that there's a lot of good things to be said about the collective model," she said. "One of the most important things is that you can get away. If you want to go away for the weekend then there's somebody else to take care of it.

"I think it's important to have both options but starting a collective in the city would be a great way to start."

Windsor isn't alone in its ban on backyard chickens. They aren't allowed in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton or Hamilton.

Should Windsor allow a collective chicken coop co-op within the city?

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Gandalf to officiate Captain Picard's real-life wedding

[View the story "Gandalf to officiate Captain Picard's wedding" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Wed, Mar 20 2013 19:43:12

#meme I Want To Go: Professor X/Captain Picard To Marry Long Time Girlfriend, Magneto/Gandalf To Officiate Wedding http://twitpic.com/cczcnxCodices of Meme

Sorry / you're welcome sci-fi superfans; the ever-so-dreamy Captain Jean Luc Picard (actor Patrick Stewart) will soon be marrying his jazz-singer fiance Sunny Ozell, taking him off the market until death they do part.

But there's a silver-haired lining to the situation; Stewart's wedding ceremony is set to be officiated by his longtime friend and X-Men costar Sir Ian McKellen.

That's right, Magneto is marrying Professor X. Gandalf is marrying Picard.

Blogspot

McKellen, 73, broke the news this weekend during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.

"I'm going to marry Patrick," stated the British actor when the topic of X-Men: Days of Future Past came up. "How else do you put that? I'm going to officiate at his wedding."

Sir Ian McKellen On The Jonathan Ross Show Full Interview (16-3-13).swiss2007

No date or location has been leaked, but McKellen did reveal that Stewart, 72, and Ozell, 35, wouldn't be the first couple he's joined in matrimony.

"I've done it once before with two guys having a civil partnership. I was crying my eyes out," he said.

News of the upcoming ceremony inspired similar reactions across the web.

So apparently Ian McKellen will officiate Patrick Stewart's wedding http://bit.ly/15Y9E8l (via @TheMarySue) http://pic.twitter.com/kEKUMae6YsCatie Leary

Ian McKellen is officiating Patrick Stewart's wedding. I'm crying. #xmen #JonathanRossJo Geaney

I just found out Patrick Stewart is getting married BUT Ian McKellen is officiating the wedding so it's a rollercoaster of emotion todaysarah james

In case you haven't heard, @IanMcKellen will be officiating @SirPatStew's wedding. AWESOME: http://j.mp/WVeoeythinkgeek

Many took the opportunity to geek out over the fact that the Gandalf the Grey from the Lord of the Rings films (McKellen) and Star Trek's Captain Jean Luc Picard (Stewart) hang out, and that the Marvel's Magneto (McKellen) and Professor X (Stewart) are not, in fact, mortal enemies, but good friends in real life.

Just read that Gandalf/Magneto will be conducting Captain Picard's wedding. Nerd heaven.DMHardc

Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto!) is officiating the wedding of Patrick Stewart (Prof X!) and I just died of amazing. http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/03/18/ian-mckellen-patrick-stewart-wedding/#more-243811 ...monica hesse

I am so happy Captain Picard and Gandalf are friends. sniff.Wakawaka WineReviews

Ian McKellen will officiate Patrick Stewart's wedding. Worf must've been busy. http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2013/03/ian-mckellen-officiating-patrick-stewarts-weddingVince Mancini

Pandawhale

Others were more interested in booking McKellen for their own ceremonies -- or scoring an invite to the wedding.

I will get married purely to try and get Ian McKellen to officiate. Seriously. OMG and if Patrick Stewart was there, too... ERMAHGERD!Shell Shocked

Gandalf is going to officiate at Jean Luc Picard's wedding! I need an invite #jonathanrossIzzie Rivers

Holy fandom. Ian McKellen is performing Patrick Stewart's wedding. I wonder if Ian's available for vow renewals too.http://www.startrek.com/article/gandalf-to-marry-picard-and-his-fianceeRichelle Mead

PATRICK STEWART (CAPTAIN PICARD) IS GETTING MARRIED AND IAN MCKELLEN (GANDALF) IS THE OFFICIANT #omg #iwanttogo ...Amanda Jarman

That Gandalf will officiate at the wedding of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, we give you thanks and praise, O Lord. http://entertainment.time.com/2013/03/19/sir-ian-mckellen-to-marry-sir-patrick-stewart-no-not-like-that/Unvirtuous Abbey

In an appropriately nerdy twist, the Taiwanese animation company NMA has given the Ian McKellen / Patrick Stewart wedding their signature wacky CGI treatment:

Magneto to "marry" Professor Xnmatv

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Rare peregrine falcon pair expecting, are stars of webcam

Hamiltonians can watch young falcon family live on falcon cams this spring

By Megan Thomas, CBC News

Posted: Mar 21, 2013 7:07 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 21, 2013 10:56 AM ET

 

Hamilton could soon have some new feathered residents. Peregrine falcons Surge and Madame X appear to be expecting.

The pair of peregrine falcons nest in special boxes on a ledge near the top of Hamilton's Sheraton Hotel. A group called Hamilton Falconwatch keeps an eye on the birds, which are listed as a species of special concern in Canada.

With a crop of new chicks imminent, the group has switched on two live cameras it has trained on Surge and Madame X.

Mike Smith, a volunteer with Hamilton Falconwatch, says eggs are expected by the end of the month. The youngsters should hatch about five weeks later.

"It's almost always mother's day," said Smith.

In past years, the first egg atop the Sheraton has appeared as early as March 26, and as late as April 6.

These two peregrine falcon chicks had a short vacation from their nest at the downtown Hamilton Sheraton in 2012. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Surge and Madame X hatched three male chicks last year, in keeping with the usual peregrine brood of three to four young.

By early June, the young birds start to experiment with flight, and that's when things get busy for birdwatchers in the city, Smith said.

"Imagine yourself as a baby peregrine and you fall out of the nest 180 feet to the ground," he said. "If they come to the ground, then they really can't help themselves."

For about three weeks, volunteers hold a round-the-clock vigil to rescue any chicks that flutter down from the nest and can't fly back up. Over the years, some 22 birds have been saved, Smith said.

"We have never lost one on a rescue," he said.

Peregrine falcons all but disappeared in much of their Canadian range after heavy use of DDT in 1950s. The population started to rebound after the toxic chemical was banned in the 1970s.

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Ancaster man reels in 18-foot Great White shark on fishing holiday

new

Warning: video contains foul language.

By Flannery Dean, CBC News

Posted: Mar 19, 2013 3:30 PM ET

Last Updated: Mar 19, 2013 3:34 PM ET

 

Ancaster's Fab Marchese has an epic fishing tale to cherish for the rest of his life. Last week, during a fishing trip in Florida, the 46-year-old landed the biggest catch of his fishing career: a Great White shark.

He didn't go out with Go Fast Fishing Charter looking for sharks. Instead, he'd paid $1,200 to the charter company to help him and three friends, also from Hamilton, land Goliath Grouper and Amber Jacks in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Things were quiet," Marchese told CBC Hamilton by phone from Go Fast near St. Petersburg, Fla., describing the fishing that afternoon.

"Then Captain Joe saw a big dark spot of in the distance."

The fishermen baited a reel with bonita and dropped it in the water.

"Five minutes later the [shark] grabbed it and the fight was on," says Marchese.

The shark was about 18 feet long and estimated to weight between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds.

"The head alone was probably four feet wide, maybe more."

Marchese admits he was awestruck by the very sight of the shark. "I'd only seen a Great White on TV!"

Marchese, who simply wanted to get the shark close enough to the boat so they could photograph it, struggled with the fish for more than three hours. During the struggle, Marchese says the powerful fish pulled the boat nearly four miles off course.

Once the shark was close enough to the boat, the fishermen cut the line, releasing the fish.

The wrestling match took its toll on the lifelong fisherman.

"I was pretty damn sore. My hands were cramped up and my stomach muscles were sore," he said.

Marchese describes the encounter of the highlight of his fishing career. Previously the biggest fish he'd ever reeled in was a Goliath Grouper, which can weigh up to 350 pounds.

But the moment was bittersweet, too.

"At one point it was emotional for me," says Marchese, adding that this year was the first year he wasn't joined on his annual Florida fishing trip by his father and his brother-in-law. Both men passed away in the past few months.

Marchese is set to return home on Saturday.

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Grammarians rejoice as English town drops apostrophe ban

A district in England made headlines last week when it announced plans to drop the apostrophe on local street signs in order to "avoid confusion" on GPS systems.

But after an outcry from grammar purists around the world, the Mid Devon council reversed its decision Monday, the U.K. Times reports.

One of the people who led the charge to save the punctuation mark is John Richards, founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society in England.

Richards, who called the district's ban on apostrophes "appalling," said he made an appeal to the Mid Devon council and argued that trying to avoid confusion on GPS systems should not be done at the expense of proper grammar.

"I merely told them how disappointed I was and I was sorry at their disregard of English grammar," Richards told Carol Off, host of CBC Radio's As It Happens.

"I also pointed out it set a bad example for local children who were being taught about apostrophes in local schools. What would they say? 'Why should I bother about apostrophes? The council doesn't,'" he said.

Richards, a retired journalist, founded the Apostrophe Protection Society after years of correcting the mistake in copy written by reporters.

"I found it so irritating that when I retired, I started this Apostrophe Protection Society and was rather surprised at how well it was received," he said, adding that he has received emails from people in over 50 countries supporting his apostrophe advocacy.

He has taken on causes large and small — from writing to Birmingham officials after the city decided to ban apostrophes on road signs last year to pointing out errors at local businesses.

"When I pointed out a local café had 'teas' engraved on their window T-E-A-apostrophe-S, the owner said, 'Well, that's the way I like it,'" Richards said. "You can't do anything about that."

While Richards has devoted most of his attention to the apostrophe, he says there are a few other grammatical mistakes that irk him.

"I don't like the way hyphens are being dropped now," he said. "I don't like the way people don't use commas properly. In fact, someone wrote to me and said could I start a Comma Protection Society?"

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'Instasham' lets social media braggers fake fabulous lives

Instasham lets you "upgrade your Instagram game" with carefully selected images from a number of lifestyle categories. (Insasham.me)In an age where it's easy to learn volumes about one's friends, enemies and potential love interests with just a few mouse clicks, it makes sense that most people construct their digital identities very carefully.

We tweet our wittiest thoughts, selectively check into the most interesting spots on Foursquare, and upload only the photos that make us look attractive to Facebook.

But for some people, it isn't enough to simply keep up with the social media Joneses - they want to blow them away.

Tapping into (and poking some fun at) this trend, two Brooklyn-based artists have launched Instasham - a free, online collection of fabulous stock photos for posting to Instagram.

"We are a society that brags through megapixels," reads the media art project / social experiment's about page. "It is in this insight that we saw an opportunity and Instasham was created."

Created by Andy Dao and Stacey Smith, Instasham features hundreds of high quality phone-sized images that look like they've been ripped from an A-Lister's life.

If you've ever wanted to floss like you drive an Aston Martin, travel around the world, have a closet filled with designer duds, nowis your chance.

Whether or not your followers believe that you party with Kanye West sometimes is another story.

"If you can't make it, Fake it" the site suggests.

Have you ever, or would you ever deceive your social network to make your life look more interesting?

Would you fake a social media update to look impressive?

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Roll up the rim to wed: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal

[View the story "Roll up the rim for ring: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Mar 15 2013 11:04:44

Like many Canadian coffee drinkers at this time of year,Jaimie Baisley religiously rolls up the rim of her empty Tim Horton's coffee cup to see if she's won a prize.

Saturday morning was no exception, but after 12straight "Please Play Agains" in a row the 36-year-old Etobicoke woman wasn't expecting much. 

Imagine her delight then to find a very special, very personal surprise -- something not listed among the donuts, coffees and SUVs on the company's prize list.

My proposal! Good job honey! http://pic.twitter.com/iFXivqgHTlJaimieB

The story goes that Baisley's boyfriend Jeff Chapman, 37, came into her room with two hot cups of Tim Horton's coffee Saturday morning.

Knowing how much she loved to play the game of chance, Chapman let her roll up the rims on both her own and his coffee for a chance to win.

The first cup was a dud. The second contained a message: "Will you marry me?"

Chapman pulled out a ring, got down on one knee, and waited for a reply.

"I said yes, yes, yes," Baisley told the Huffington Post of her now-fiancee's unique proposal.

And then she shared the news on Twitter, to much love from her followers and friends.

@JaimieBaisley So cute!!Sonamm

@JaimieBaisley who cares if he is not crafty....his ability to select a beautiful ring is superior....what an awesome ring....looks great.Pam Collins

Imgur

The company itself, no doubt grateful for the PR boost, extended its congratulations several times on Twitter after the news was brought to them by a friend of the couple.

@huricanechris This is great! What an amazing prize to get! We love the creativity. Thanks for sharing with us!Tim Hortons

@JaimieBaisley Hi Jaimie, we wanted to personally congratulate you on your engagement. Wishing you and your future husband all the best :)Tim Hortons

As it turns out, Baisley and Chapman aren't the first couple to celebrate their love with help from the iconic Canadian brew.

EngagedHere is a picture of the cup I was drinking when my husband proposed to me while sitting at Tim Hortons.

Hundreds of Tim Hortons love and marriage stories can be found the company's own "Every cup tells a story" microsite, which allows customers to share their own memories and experiences.

Amazonaws

"My husband and I met at tim hortons 10 years ago and Sept. 8th were recently married," wrote site user @tarabj3 in October. "The best part of our day, stopping at Tim Hortons to share a cup of coffee, xo."

User HollyMacKenzie shared a similar story: "In November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seated and how I felt. So when he wanted to return to get photos taken on our wedding day, I gave in (after much fuss). So glad I did. Thank you Tim Horton's"

Warm Wedding MemoriesIn November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seate...

Do you have a unique engagement story, or do you know someone who does? Share it with us below!

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Regina pub defending St. Patrick's Day beer-serving record

A pub owner in Regina is hoping to pull way ahead of the rest this St. Patrick's Day, with a goal of serving more pints of Guinness than any other bar in Canada.

The pub won those bragging rights last year.

Several beer lines have been hooked up, dedicated to serving Guinness at O'Hanlon's Pub. (CBC)

O'Hanlon's goes through about 30 kegs of the stout in an average week.

"There are 110 kegs of Guinness in here right now, with another 100 back up in the other room," said pub owner Niall O'Hanlon.

He says selling Irish beer in Saskatchewan has gotten easier lately because of an influx of his countrymen.

"What's going on in Ireland right now, is there's a building slump, which is the opposite of Regina. You have all these skilled tradesmen that are ready to go and they'll move anywhere for this work, so they follow the boom."

The Saskatchewan government has actively recuited hundreds of skilled workers from Ireland.

O'Hanlon says anyone with an Irish accent and passport can skip the St. Patrick's Day lineups today and head straight into his bar. During celebrations last year, drinkers at O'Hanlan's emptied 55 kegs, just under 5,000 pints in 12 hours.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Roll up the rim to wed: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal

[View the story "Roll up the rim for ring: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Mar 15 2013 11:04:44

Like many Canadian coffee drinkers at this time of year,Jaimie Baisley religiously rolls up the rim of her empty Tim Horton's coffee cup to see if she's won a prize.

Saturday morning was no exception, but after 12straight "Please Play Agains" in a row the 36-year-old Etobicoke woman wasn't expecting much. 

Imagine her delight then to find a very special, very personal surprise -- something not listed among the donuts, coffees and SUVs on the company's prize list.

My proposal! Good job honey! http://pic.twitter.com/iFXivqgHTlJaimieB

The story goes that Baisley's boyfriend Jeff Chapman, 37, came into her room with two hot cups of Tim Horton's coffee Saturday morning.

Knowing how much she loved to play the game of chance, Chapman let her roll up the rims on both her own and his coffee for a chance to win.

The first cup was a dud. The second contained a message: "Will you marry me?"

Chapman pulled out a ring, got down on one knee, and waited for a reply.

"I said yes, yes, yes," Baisley told the Huffington Post of her now-fiancee's unique proposal.

And then she shared the news on Twitter, to much love from her followers and friends.

@JaimieBaisley So cute!!Sonamm

@JaimieBaisley who cares if he is not crafty....his ability to select a beautiful ring is superior....what an awesome ring....looks great.Pam Collins

Imgur

The company itself, no doubt grateful for the PR boost, extended its congratulations several times on Twitter after the news was brought to them by a friend of the couple.

@huricanechris This is great! What an amazing prize to get! We love the creativity. Thanks for sharing with us!Tim Hortons

@JaimieBaisley Hi Jaimie, we wanted to personally congratulate you on your engagement. Wishing you and your future husband all the best :)Tim Hortons

As it turns out, Baisley and Chapman aren't the first couple to celebrate their love with help from the iconic Canadian brew.

EngagedHere is a picture of the cup I was drinking when my husband proposed to me while sitting at Tim Hortons.

Hundreds of Tim Hortons love and marriage stories can be found the company's own "Every cup tells a story" microsite, which allows customers to share their own memories and experiences.

Amazonaws

"My husband and I met at tim hortons 10 years ago and Sept. 8th were recently married," wrote site user @tarabj3 in October. "The best part of our day, stopping at Tim Hortons to share a cup of coffee, xo."

User HollyMacKenzie shared a similar story: "In November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seated and how I felt. So when he wanted to return to get photos taken on our wedding day, I gave in (after much fuss). So glad I did. Thank you Tim Horton's"

Warm Wedding MemoriesIn November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seate...

Do you have a unique engagement story, or do you know someone who does? Share it with us below!

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Regina pub defending St. Patrick's Day beer-serving record

A pub owner in Regina is hoping to pull way ahead of the rest this St. Patrick's Day, with a goal of serving more pints of Guinness than any other bar in Canada.

The pub won those bragging rights last year.

Several beer lines have been hooked up, dedicated to serving Guinness at O'Hanlon's Pub. (CBC)

O'Hanlon's goes through about 30 kegs of the stout in an average week.

"There are 110 kegs of Guinness in here right now, with another 100 back up in the other room," said pub owner Niall O'Hanlon.

He says selling Irish beer in Saskatchewan has gotten easier lately because of an influx of his countrymen.

"What's going on in Ireland right now, is there's a building slump, which is the opposite of Regina. You have all these skilled tradesmen that are ready to go and they'll move anywhere for this work, so they follow the boom."

The Saskatchewan government has actively recuited hundreds of skilled workers from Ireland.

O'Hanlon says anyone with an Irish accent and passport can skip the St. Patrick's Day lineups today and head straight into his bar. During celebrations last year, drinkers at O'Hanlan's emptied 55 kegs, just under 5,000 pints in 12 hours.

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Roll up the rim to wed: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal

[View the story "Roll up the rim for ring: Ontario woman gets coffee cup proposal" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Mar 15 2013 11:04:44

Like many Canadian coffee drinkers at this time of year,Jaimie Baisley religiously rolls up the rim of her empty Tim Horton's coffee cup to see if she's won a prize.

Saturday morning was no exception, but after 12straight "Please Play Agains" in a row the 36-year-old Etobicoke woman wasn't expecting much. 

Imagine her delight then to find a very special, very personal surprise -- something not listed among the donuts, coffees and SUVs on the company's prize list.

My proposal! Good job honey! http://pic.twitter.com/iFXivqgHTlJaimieB

The story goes that Baisley's boyfriend Jeff Chapman, 37, came into her room with two hot cups of Tim Horton's coffee Saturday morning.

Knowing how much she loved to play the game of chance, Chapman let her roll up the rims on both her own and his coffee for a chance to win.

The first cup was a dud. The second contained a message: "Will you marry me?"

Chapman pulled out a ring, got down on one knee, and waited for a reply.

"I said yes, yes, yes," Baisley told the Huffington Post of her now-fiancee's unique proposal.

And then she shared the news on Twitter, to much love from her followers and friends.

@JaimieBaisley So cute!!Sonamm

@JaimieBaisley who cares if he is not crafty....his ability to select a beautiful ring is superior....what an awesome ring....looks great.Pam Collins

Imgur

The company itself, no doubt grateful for the PR boost, extended its congratulations several times on Twitter after the news was brought to them by a friend of the couple.

@huricanechris This is great! What an amazing prize to get! We love the creativity. Thanks for sharing with us!Tim Hortons

@JaimieBaisley Hi Jaimie, we wanted to personally congratulate you on your engagement. Wishing you and your future husband all the best :)Tim Hortons

As it turns out, Baisley and Chapman aren't the first couple to celebrate their love with help from the iconic Canadian brew.

EngagedHere is a picture of the cup I was drinking when my husband proposed to me while sitting at Tim Hortons.

Hundreds of Tim Hortons love and marriage stories can be found the company's own "Every cup tells a story" microsite, which allows customers to share their own memories and experiences.

Amazonaws

"My husband and I met at tim hortons 10 years ago and Sept. 8th were recently married," wrote site user @tarabj3 in October. "The best part of our day, stopping at Tim Hortons to share a cup of coffee, xo."

User HollyMacKenzie shared a similar story: "In November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seated and how I felt. So when he wanted to return to get photos taken on our wedding day, I gave in (after much fuss). So glad I did. Thank you Tim Horton's"

Warm Wedding MemoriesIn November 2010, I met my future husband for the first time at our local Tim Horton's. I'll remember the day forever, where he was seate...

Do you have a unique engagement story, or do you know someone who does? Share it with us below!

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Boy Scouts of America introduces video games badge

Teaching an adult how to play a video game is part of the new Cub Scouts award for games. (iStockphoto)

Boy Scouts of America has introduced a new video games award for its Cub Scouts, boys 7 to 10 years of age - but it will take more than simply playing a game to earn it.

The award -- in the form of a loop worn on the belt -- requires a scout to explain the importance of a video games ratings system, create a daily schedule that includes chores and homework alongside playing video games, and learning to play a new videogame that is approved by a parent, guardian or teacher.

The symbol for the new video games pin. (Boy Scouts of America) The higher level "academics pin" adds several other requirements, such as teaching an adult how to play a new video game or playing a game that helps practice math, spelling, or other skills that should be transferable to helping them in their homework.

The video games belt loop and pin are included in the Scouts' academics and sports program, alongside other categories such as art, geography, hockey and soccer.

"Belt loops and pins are a great way to help fulfill the aims of Scouting -- build character, develop citizenship, and encourage mental and physical fitness," according to the Boy Scouts' website.

In North America, most retail games are rated by the ESRB, or Entertainment Software Rating Board. Ratings range from EC (early childhood) for young children to AO (adults only) for ages 18 and over.

Video games are currently not listed on Scouts Canada's list of Cub Scout badges or Scout badges, but a "computer" award is available for both levels.

What do you think of the new video games award for Boy Scouts of America? What can children learn about education and design while working towards this award?

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Bluenoser makes it into the Oxford dictionary

Bluenoser, a moniker long used to describe Nova Scotians, has been added to the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary.

According to the dictionary, the term defines a native or inhabitant of Nova Scotia or occasionally New Brunswick.

Bill Davey, a retired Cape Breton University professor, has long studied the origin of word.

"One referred to the early Nova Scotian sailors who would be out in the cold weather and supposedly their nose would get cold and turn blue and the other one refers to the early settlers who would eat a lot of blue potatoes and herring," he said.

"I think it was probably originated as a bit of an insult but people sort of redeemed it or bought into it and so it became something of pride, particularly because of the success of the Bluenose sailboat, the schooner."

He said during the 1760s when the term was first coined, the land that is now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was just referred to as Nova Scotia.

The word Bluenose itself is now used for businesses and events across the province.

"I guess it adds a certain amount of prestige and maybe pride that they're in such an important book," Davey said.

In Cape Breton many people, like Christie Nickelo, were surprised the term bluenoser wasn't already an official word.

"I think that not that long ago the word bootylicious from Beyoncé was added so if we're going to add things like that I can deal with bluenoser being added."

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B.C. piano prodigy, 5, plays Carnegie Hall

A five-year-old piano prodigy from West Vancouver is preparing for his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall.

Ryan Wang will play as part of a showcase for young musicians by the organization American Protégé.

It seeks to encourage more young musicians to perform and grow.

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Rare triplets born to cow on Melfort-area farm

A rare triple birth of calves was recorded on Wally and Kerry LaClare's farm near Melfort, Sask., this week.

The calves were healthy and were walking around and nursing within about an hour, Wally LaClare told CBC News.

The mother cow, an Angus cross, delivered her first calf around 6:30 a.m. CST.

LaClare was on hand for that and said he had no idea there were more to come.

"There was no inkling at all that she was going to have more than more than one calf," LaClare said.

However, when he checked on the animals an hour later, he found the cow was giving birth to her second calf.

"It was quite a surprise," he said.

LaClare said he pulled that one out and, an hour later the story repeated itself for a third — and final — time.

LaClare said he believes two of the calves are from one bull on the farm and the third is from another, based upon their different markings and colours. One calf is light brown, the second has a reddish tint, while the third is jet black.

While no one was rushing to book them as guests on a Jerry Springer paternity episode, veterinarians said it is very possible that two eggs were fertilized and one of those eggs divided to create two calves.

The weights of the animals, LaClare said, were 90 lbs, 88 lbs, and 70 lbs, or roughly 41 kg, 40 kg and 32 kg.

An expert from the veterinary college at the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon, said the odds of having triplets in beef cattle are about 1 in 105,000.

The mother, who is about 14 years old, is doing fine, LaClare said.

"She's getting the kid glove treatment at the farm," he said.

The three calves, born on a Melfort-area farm, are doing fine. (Courtesy: Wally and Kerry LaClare)

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Baby monkey welcomed in Saint John zoo

A baby Callimico Goeldii monkey was born in Saint John's Cherry Brook Zoo last week to a mother that was snatched from the facility five years ago.

The baby monkey was born on March 9 and weighs barely more than one ounce, according to the zoo.

Lynda Collrin, the director of zoo development and a primatologist, said the Callimico GoeldiI is one of the rarest primates on Earth, though scientists are unsure how many remain.

The Cherry Brook Zoo is part of an international species survival plan and the new baby is destined to play a part in that initiative.

"That baby will, when the time comes, be sent off to hopefully establish a new blood line," Collrin said.

Zoo staff say they do not know yet if the baby is a male or female.

The newborn monkey will stay with its mother for at least a year before it joins a mate as part of the species breeding program.

Monkey breeding like 'eHarmony but with a lot more research'

The baby monkey's mother, April, was snatched from the Saint John zoo for three days in 2008. Zoo staff did not know how that incident would affect April as a mother. (Courtesy of the Cherry Brook Zoo)

When choosing a mate for the tiny monkey, the zoo staff was able to pick between two male Goeldii's brought from Quebec.

Collrin said she picked the bigger, stronger specimen for April to mate with.

"It's like eHarmony, but with a lot more research and careful tracking put in to it," she said.

The zoo's new monkey is the first baby for April, who has been at the facility for several years. This isn't the first time April has become the centre of attention.

April was kidnapped from the Saint John zoo and held for three days in 2008.

April was nine months old when she was taken from the Cherry Brook Zoo. She was discovered after an anonymous tip sent police to the Bayside Drive area of the city, where she was found in a blue plastic box.

Collrin said she wasn't sure how that trauma and separation would affect April as a mother.

But she said so far the experience has not affected her maternal instincts.

"She is an amazing mother, we're shocked to be honest," she said.

The concern over the long-term impact of the kidnapping comes after another monkey at the zoo experienced lasting effects. In 2009, the zoo said April's brother, Charlie, had become overly protective of her following the theft.

Charlie's overprotective tendencies had resulted in three baby monkeys dying since April was stolen. The monkey was trying to protect the babies and did not allow them to have enough nourishment.

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Bieber fans make dead hamster worldwide Twitter trend

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.

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Vatican reveals smoke-signal components

The Vatican is revealing what the smoke signals emerging from the Sistine Chapel chimney are made of, after the stir caused by how much more distinct the black smoke in this conclave has been compared to the past.

The Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the black smoke that came Tuesday and Wednesday — indicating a pope had not been elected — was made by adding cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar), and sulphur to the burned ballots.

The white smoke signalling a pope has been elected is produced by potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin.

The Vatican is burning the flares following confusion in past conclaves about smoke colour. Lombardi said that neither the chapel frescoes nor the cardinals inside suffered from the smoke.

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Stonehenge started as giant graveyard, study suggests

British researchers have proposed a new theory for the origins of Stonehenge: It may have started as a giant burial ground for elite families around 3,000 B.C.

New studies of cremated human remains excavated from the site suggest that about 500 years before the Stonehenge we know today was built, a larger stone circle was erected at the same site as a community graveyard, researchers said Saturday.

"These were men, women, children, so presumably family groups," University College London professor Mike Parker Pearson, who led the team, said. "We'd thought that maybe it was a place where a dynasty of kings was buried, but this seemed to be much more of a community, a different kind of power structure."

Parker Pearson said archeologists studied the cremated bones of 63 individuals, and believed that they were buried around 3,000 B.C. The location of many of the cremated bodies was originally marked by bluestones, he said. That earlier circular enclosure, which measured around 91 metres across, could have been the burial ground for about 200 more people, Parker Pearson said.

The team, which included academics from more than a dozen British universities, also put forth some theories about the purpose of the second Stonehenge — the monument still standing in the countryside in southern England today.

Multiple theories

Various theories have been proposed about Stonehenge, including that it was a place for Druid worship, an observatory for astronomical studies, or a place of healing, built by early inhabitants of Britain who roamed around with their herds.

Parker Pearson said the latest study suggested that Stonehenge should be seen less a temple of worship than a kind of building project that served to unite people from across Britain.

Analysis of the remains of a Neolithic settlement near the monument indicated that thousands of people travelled from as far as Scotland to the site, bringing their livestock and families for huge feasts and celebrations during the winter and summer solstices.

The team studied the teeth of pigs and cattle found at the "builders' camp," and deduced that the animals were mostly slaughtered around nine months or 15 months after their spring births. That meant they were likely eaten in feasts during the midwinter and midsummer, Parker Pearson said.

"We don't think (the builders) were living there all the time. We could tell that by when they were killing the pigs — they were there for the solstices," he said.

The researchers believe that the builders converged seasonally to build Stonehenge, but not for very long — likely over a period of a decade or so.

The mass monument building is thought to end around the time when the "Beaker people," so called because of their distinctive pottery, arrived from continental Europe, Parker Pearson said.

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Wrigley to sell caffeine chewing gum

One of the world's largest chewing gum companies plans to start selling a gum next month that has half the caffeine content of a cup of coffee.

In April, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. will come to market with Alert Energy Caffeine Gum, a gum for adults that the company is calling an "energy solution that gives consumers the power to control how much caffeine they get."

The gum will be sold in packages of eight pieces of either fruit- or mint-flavoured gum, and retail for about $2.99 US. In a release late Monday, the company said it will sell the gum in select markets starting next month.

Wrigley says the product is not recommended for children or people sensitive to caffeine.

One piece will contain 40 milligrams of coffee, or about half the same amount as can be found in a small, six-ounce coffee.

Among other brands, Wrigley makes the Big Red, Juicy Fruit and Doublemint brands of gum.

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Program lets Twitter users tweet after death

More than 7,000 Twitter users have signed up for LivesOn. (iStock)

Twitter fanatics can now rest in peace comfortably knowing that they can continue to tweet from beyond the grave.

Drew Matthews, 35, an avid Twitter user from Toronto is one Canadian who has signed up for a project that keeps a Twitter user's account going after they die.

LivesOn, being developed by British ad agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine, will set up a second Twitter account that will add "--LIVESON" to the user's current handle and study tweets, favourites, retweets, and even writing style in order to eventually begin replication.

Matthews says he tweets about 10 times per day and wonders how LivesOn will be able to mimic his style.

"Sometimes tweets are just movie or song quotes and sometimes it's situational," says Matthews.

"I tend to complain about a lot of stuff so I don't know if (my LivesOn account) will be complaining until the end of time or if it knows I've tweeted about songs and it picks out other lyrics to post."

Dave Bedwood, a LivesOn spokesman, says the accounts will begin generating tweets while the user is still alive as it continues to improve its mimicking of the user's syntax.

"Once people get over the death question, there's the fact that this will be very useful for the living," he says.

"In fact it needs the living to work, they have to teach it and in doing so, it becomes an online twin."

LivesOn accounts will be private and will only have one follower: the user that it's mirroring.

When the user is deceased, a family member or close friend, who Bedwood calls an executor, can decide whether to make the account public so that tweets can continue to be generated from the afterlife.

"It's all a very early beta version of the matrix," says Bedwood.

Experiment in artificial intelligence

Bedwood says LivesOn is more of an artificial intelligence experiment at the moment as research and development work is being done in partnership with Queen Mary University of London before programming begins later this month.

Currently only five people are working on the project and there are no plans to monetize it.

Company officials say that as of March 5, more than 7,000 users have signed up across the world.

LivesOn has drawn some negative attention, especially on Twitter where some users have tweeted about how the service is unnatural and scares them.

'It's morbid seeing tweets from the dead, it's not you and you're not there so it just feels fake.'—Social content strategist Patrick Tomasso

Patrick Tomasso, a social content strategist in Toronto, says he has left his Twitter account in the hands of a computer before, scheduling tweets for a week while he was away on vacation, and wasn't happy with the results.

"It's morbid seeing tweets from the dead, it's not you and you're not there so it just feels fake," he says.

The social media expert predicts that LivesOn will mostly appeal to a niche market and that its current growth rate is a result of users jumping on the bandwagon.

But his largest concern is about how LivesOn will alter the manner in which Canadians cope with death.

"If people are trying to move on from a loved one passing away, no one will be able to so," says Tomasso. "It's doing a disservice by acting as a constant reminder that someone is gone."

Marilyn Miller, a psychologist based in Toronto who specializes in grief counselling, says that LivesOn can be compared to visiting a loved one's gravesite.

"People like to keep the deceased alive in memories, go to their gravesites, talk to the grave, and so there could be mindsets open to LivesOn," she says.

Miller says the appeal of LivesOn will depend on the generation using it.

"If you're talking to my generation, they'll be appalled, but for the generation that was born with a device in their hands, there may be a different philosophy and attitude about it in the future," she says.

As for Matthews, he says he looks at it as more silly than creepy.

"You just come back from my funeral and I'm tweeting about how it's a beautiful day," he says. "My family would be saying, 'We just put this guy in a hole and here he is tweeting,"' says Matthews.

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Zombie trend driven by societal unhappiness, professor says

Zombies seem to be everywhere these days.

In the popular TV series The Walking Dead, humans struggle to escape from a pack of zombies hungry for flesh. Prank alerts have warned of a zombie apocalypse on radio stations in a handful of states. And across the country, zombie wannabes in tattered clothes occasionally fill local parks, gurgling moans of the undead.

Are these just unhealthy obsessions with death and decay? To Clemson University professor Sarah Lauro, the phenomenon isn't harmful or a random fad, but part of a historical trend that mirrors a level of cultural dissatisfaction and economic upheaval.

Lauro, who teaches English at Clemson, studied zombies while working on her doctoral degree at the University of California at Davis. Lauro said she keeps track of zombie movies, TV shows and video games, but her research focuses primarily on the concept of the "zombie walk," a mass gathering of people who, dressed in the clothes and makeup of the undead, stagger about and dance.

It's a fascination that, for Lauro, a self-described "chicken," seems unnatural. Disinterested in violent movies or games, Lauro said she finds herself now taking part in both in an attempt to further understand what makes zombie-lovers tick.

"I hate violence," she said. "I can't stand gore. So it's a labour, but I do it."

Origins in Toronto

The zombie mob originated in 2003 in Toronto, Lauro said, and popularity escalated dramatically in the United States in 2005, alongside a rise in dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq.

"It was a way that the population was getting to exercise the fact that they felt like they hadn't been listened to by the Bush administration," Lauro said. "Nobody really wanted that war, and yet we were going to war anyway."

The mid- to late 2000s also saw an uptick in overall zombie popularity, perhaps prompted in part by the release of post-apocalyptic movies including Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later.

As of last year, Lauro said, zombie walks had been documented in 20 countries. The largest gathering drew more than 4,000 participants at the New Jersey Zombie Walk in Asbury Park, N.J., in October 2010, according to Guinness World Records.

"We are more interested in the zombie at times when as a culture we feel disempowered," Lauro said. "And the facts are there that, when we are experiencing economic crises, the vast population is feeling disempowered. ... Either playing dead themselves ... or watching a show like Walking Dead provides a great variety of outlets for people."

But, Lauro pointed out, the display of dissatisfaction isn't always a conscious expression of that feeling of frustration.

"If you were to ask the participants, I don't think that all of them are very cognizant of what they're saying when they put on the zombie makeup and participate," she said. "To me, it's such an obvious allegory. We feel like, in one way, we're dead."

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Man's Netflix tattoo scores free year's service

A man who permanently inked his body with the Netflix brandname has received a year-long free subscription to the online streaming service.

A man using the Twitter account TheRealMyron, later identified by media reports as Myron Robinson of Kokomo, Ind., sent out a message with a photo of his recent tattoo — the Netflix logo on his upper torso.

The message was directed at Netflix, with Robinson telling the company he "loves them" and that it should feature him in a commercial.

"NO WAY! Free year for you," some tweeted from the U.S. Netflix account when they saw the photo of Robinson's tattoo.

When Robinson heard the news, he tweeted that "Netflix just made my year." He continued to press the company for a commercial cameo and asked Netflix to offer him a job. It appears the company has not responded to those requests.

But, not everyone is impressed with Robinson's new body art. In a Reddit discussion forum where the story was posted, commentators questioned his reasoning. One person cringed at the idea of copy-cat tattoos, saying "Prepare for a wave of idiots with Netflix tattoos hoping to get a free year."

Many commentators also said they thought that Netflix should have offered Robinson a free lifetime subscription rather than just a year.

A Netflix subscription costs $7.99 per month, meaning a year-long subscription tallies just under $100 before taxes.

Robinson is a college student and entrepreneur with his own clothing line, according to his Twitter account.

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