Credit card 'idiot tax' angers bar patron

A St. John's woman is angry that a George Street pub charged her a 25 per cent gratuity because she accidentally left her credit card at the bar.  

"I can understand being charged a 15 per cent tip," Katie Jackson said. 

"And the fact that they actually named it the 'idiot tax.' It's not very good customer service." 

Email response from Brian Day, the owner of Christian's, to CBC: 

"It is our policy to close off all credit cards at the end of the night and include an industry standard 15% gratuity or service charge on all cards left behind. If there are any issues with the services provided, we are more than happy to refund without question, there has never been a issue or a complaint up until now.

In the past we have learned that people cancel or suspend credit cards after a night on the town claiming to have forgotten where they have left it.

I throw out hundreds every year.  We are unable to be compensated at this point and the consumer would get away with a free night and be issued with a new card. 

I do not consider this to be an "idiot tax" to my customers. I would consider it a service provided for serving them drinks on a priority basis all night, and keeping their credit card safe and protected until they pick it up."

Jackson explained that she was at Christian's, a popular downtown pub, with a group of friends earlier this month, and used her credit card to buy a round of drinks. After she left, she realized she left her credit card at the bar. 

When Jackson went back to Christian's the next day to get her card, she discovered that the bar had added a 25 per cent tip to her credit card. At first, Jackson thought it was a mistake. 

"But then I checked with my friend who also accidentally left his card as well," she recounted. "And he said, 'Yeah, I got charged 25 per cent, too.'"

A week later, Jackson's friend, Allison Penney, was at Christian's. Penney bought a round of drinks with her credit card and asked the bartender to close her tab right away.

"I told him the only reason I had wanted him to close it off right away was because of what I had heard happen the weekend before," said Penney. "And he said, 'Yeah, we call that the 'idiot tax.' "

Brian Day, the owner of Christian's, said in an email to CBC said that his business closes off all credit cards at closing time and includes an industry standard 15 per cent tip.

He added that he has had customers cancel or suspend credit cards after a night on the town, claiming they have lost their cards. That leaves Day unable to be compensated for charges on the cancelled cards.

"I do not consider this to be an 'idiot tax' to my customers. I would consider it a service provided for serving them drinks on a priority basis all night." 

Seamus O'Keefe, the executive director of the George Street Association, said there are no established guidelines among bar owners when it comes to forgotten credit cards. 

"Generally what would happen in these types of situations is they [the bartenders] would not close off their individual credit card tabs until they [the customers] picked up their card either the next day or some time in the future."

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Japan airing 156-part series on Green Gables translator

P.E.I. is hoping to draw more tourists from Canada in 2014, but it's also relying on a new TV series in Japan to help attract many more fans to Anne of Green Gables.

The province released its Tourism PEI and PEI 2014 marketing plan Friday. While most efforts will focus on potential visitors from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it also hopes to capitalize on a 156-part Japanese series about Hanako Muraoka, the woman who translated Anne of Green Gables to Japanese.

It's being produced by NHK, Japan's national broadcaster, and will be shown in a time slot that draws tens of millions of viewers. Each 15-minute episode will feature P.E.I.

The province is partnering with the Canadian Tourism Commission to develop additional promotion to coincide with the series.

"We are extremely excited about this opportunity and we look forward to working with NHK as this drama series is rolled out," said Robert Henderson, minister for tourism and culture.

"We're already hearing from Japanese tour operators who are expecting a significant increase in interest about Prince Edward Island. Some are already considering charter flights to the island because of an expected increase in demand."

The Japanese series starts in March and runs for six months. 

2014 marks the 150th anniversary of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, the meetings that paved the road toward confederation.  

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$100 burger is 'like having a Thanksgiving dinner'

Would you pay $100 dollars for a high-end burger?

The folks at Vagabond Brewery think so and now have one on their menu.

"It's something people can eat and tell a story about, 'Hey, guess what I did last night. I didn't go the movie, I didn't go to the zoo. I had this $100 burger and let me tell you about it," said Chef Dale Neisz.

The burger is topped with black truffle cheese, red onion jam, foie gras, duck confit, heirloom tomato and lettuce and served on a French-style brioche bun.

Vagabond owner Lee Borschowa said he got the idea down south. 

• Full Calgary Eyeopener report: ​

"We want to be in your face, have some fun with it," said Borschowa. "It's booze and food, it's not rocket science."

But he said customers should come prepared.

"Don't eat for about five hours before because it's literally like having a Thanksgiving dinner after," said Borschowa. "You're just full. You want to lay on the couch and watch some football and hockey."

Food writer Dan Clapson says the entrée definitely has some shock value to create some buzz.

"A dish of that size probably best shared, not just for one person, unless you want to have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner — which I don't think anybody does," he said. "But you know what — have at 'er."

Customer Brian Ingram decided to give it a go.

"It's good — definitely messy," he said with duck fat dripping from his chin. 

"The boys challenged me so I couldn't back down from the challenge."

The restaurant says it is selling two to three a day.

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Spain court acquits concert pianist of 'noise pollution'

Prosecutors sought a sentence of seven years for pianist & her parents

The Associated Press Posted: Nov 27, 2013 10:23 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 27, 2013 10:23 AM ET

A Spanish court has acquitted a 28-year-old concert pianist on charges of causing noise pollution and psychological damage to a neighbour.

The court in northeastern Girona absolved professional pianist Laia Martin and her parents of both charges, according to a written ruling issued Tuesday.

The trial this month caused a storm of ridicule and disbelief when prosecutors sought a sentence of seven years. They later reduced this to 20 months.

Martin's neighbour, Sonia Bonsom, complained the pianist practised five days a week for eight hours at a time between 2003 and 2007 in an apartment building in the nearby town of Puigcerda. Bonsom told the court she now hated pianos so much she can't even stand to see them in movies.

The court said it found Bonsom's claims unreliable and exaggerated. It said there was no proof that Martin's playing surpassed the 30-decibel limit laid down for musical instruments in the town – as the prosecution claimed – or that the playing was the direct cause of Bonsom's problems.

Martin's parents were attached to the case when they carried out soundproofing work twice, but this failed to quell Bonsom's complaints.

A normal conversation produces 55-60 decibels, with noise in a typical Spanish bar reaching 65-70 decibels.

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Sriracha hot sauce factory ordered to partially shut down

A California judge has given a dose of cold water to the hot sauce Sriracha, ruling Tuesday that the factory that manufactures the trendy condiment must partially shut down after neighbours complained of the spicy smells it was producing.

Judge Robert H. O'Brien found in favour of the city of Irwindale where Sriracha recently relocated, saying sauce maker Huy Fong Foods must stop any operations that could be causing the odours and make changes to mitigate them.

O'Brien's injunction, given in response to a lawsuit filed by the city on Oct. 21, does not specify what types of actions are required or force the factory to shut down altogether, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Huy Fong Foods did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Times or The Associated Press.

The company had previously argued that there is no reason to close the plant now because harvest season and subsequent grinding of red-hot Jalapeno peppers, the sauce's key ingredient, has passed. That suggests that the injunction may not have a major immediate effect on the company's production or the nation's hot sauce supply as Huy Fong keeps up its year-round mixing and bottling.

The judge acknowledged there was a "lack of credible evidence" linking locals' complaints of breathing trouble and watering eyes to the factory. But he said the odour that could be "reasonably inferred to be emanating from the facility" is, for residents, "extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses warranting consideration as a public nuisance."

Irwindale officials commended the decision.

"We believe it's a strong ruling that acknowledges and is reflective of the concerns that the community has raised about the health impacts of the odour," City Attorney Fred Galante said.

The case could still go to trial, but Galante said the city would like to see a settlement outside court, and does not want to shut down Sriracha altogether.

"We're going to try to keep having a conversation with Huy Fong," Galante said, and hopes to find a collaborative way to "make sure the odour problems are addressed."

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Family Guy's Brian Griffin killed off

Family Guy fans reacted in shock, dismay and anger Sunday night after Brian, the Griffins' family dog and a fan-favourite regular character, was killed off and replaced with a new pet in short order.

In the episode titled "Life of Brian," the talking dog voiced by show creator Seth MacFarlane is hit by a speeding car while crossing the road. A lengthy hospital scene shows Brian pass away surrounded by the rest of the Griffin family.

Brian has been a series staple since the show debuted in 1999. An articulate talking dog frequently at odds with his family, fans perhaps knew him best as the travelling companion of the megalomaniacal baby Stewie Griffin on numerous episodes.

Fans reacted with shock and disbelief at Brian's death. FOX's official Family Guy Twitter account posted a picture of Brian after the episode aired. The hashtags #familyguy and #RIPBrian later reached the top of the social media network's trending lists.

True to Family Guy's breakneck pacing, it introduced Vinnie, a new dog voiced by The Sopranos' Tony Sirico, in the same episode.

Family Guy executive producer Steve Callaghan told E! Online that the idea to kill off a main character "caught fire" quickly once it was pitched, and Brian seemed the least painful choice.

"It seemed more in the realm of reality that a dog would get hit by a car, than if one of the kids died," said Callaghan. "As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet."

Assuming the character death remains permanent – show creator MacFarlane can presumably return to the role whenever he wants – Brian Griffin joins the list of deceased cartoon pets including Seymour the dog from Futurama and at least four cats named Snowball from The Simpsons.

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Phallic sculptor strikes again, but city strikes back

There won't be any more shrubs trimmed into phallic symbols in a small plot of land near the Windsor Sculpture Garden.

John Miceli, Windsor's director of parks and facilities, said the city was made aware of the latest prank on Thursday.

"Someone placed the letters 'penis' at that site," said Miceli.

Miceli believes the vandal used garland to make the letters. The city reacted immediately, removing the offending letters, and pulling out nearby shrubs.

And now the garden has no shrubs. (CBC\Tom Addison)

In October, in two separate incidents, shrubs in the garden plot were turned into phallic shapes by unknown people.

Both times the city moved quickly to re-shape the shrubs, even though they were attracting a lot of attention.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late night talk show, featured the bushes twice.

"It's always a shame when governments repress artistic expression," Kimmel said on his ABC late night show after the second penis bush was discovered and re-shaped.

At the time, Miceli found some humour in the situation.

"The sculpture garden is getting all kinds of attention, and the bushes in the sculpture garden are getting all kinds of attention," he said in late October. "It's a good thing. Hopefully people will visit our sculpture garden more often and take a look for yourself."

However, writing the word 'penis' onto the garden took the joke too far.

"It's language we really don't want to see on the riverfront," he said. "Unfortunately some people are taking it to a whole other level.  We just want to deter people from doing that kind of stuff."

City of Windsor staff moved quickly to reshape this bush once CBC News brought it to their attention in October. (Greg Layson/CBC News)

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Grey Cup fans camp out in freezing Regina parking lot

Video

Ice fishing tent joins RVs to brave temperatures in -20 range

CBC News Posted: Nov 23, 2013 9:42 AM CT Last Updated: Nov 23, 2013 5:55 PM CT

Grey Cup fever in Regina 3:05

Grey Cup fever in Regina 3:05

Grey Cup fans are not being discouraged from attending the game, despite a shortage of hotel rooms in Regina. Many have set up camp in the parking lot beside Mosaic Stadium in sub-zero temperatures.

There are dozens of RVs in the lot, where football fans await the start of Sunday's championship game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. But what really stands out is a large ice fishing tent where about 20 friends are braving the cold weather in style.

Environment Canada says the temperature was -23 C in the city Saturday morning, feeling more like -29 C with the wind-chill factor. Those in the tent aren't worried; they have a wood stove to keep them warm.

Bonnie Allen has the details in this report.

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Doctor describes delivering baby on KLM flight

Canadian family medicine resident Erin Sullivan credits her time as a Northern nurse for helping her deliver a baby on board a KLM flight before it made an emergency landing in Yellowknife earlier this month.

The KLM Airbus 330 was on its way from Amsterdam to Calgary on Nov. 14 when flight attendants made an announcement asking if there were medical personnel on board, Sullivan said.

Sullivan is a former emergency and critical care nurse who recently graduated from medical school in Ireland.

She answered the call and found a woman in distress in one of the airplane's washrooms. The woman, who was in labour, spoke no English.

"I politely asked the flight attendants to clear out business class as fast as they could, and got her positioned between the last two rows, because that was the widest area we had," she said. "Thank goodness for the extra leg room in those sections."

She was joined by a number of nurses who also happened to be on board the flight, but she was the only physician. 

By the time she opened up the on-board medical kit and put on one of the two pairs of sterile gloves included, "Delivery was imminent," she says.

She describes the obstetric supplies in the medical kit as "scanty" and consisting of two sets of sutures, one pair of scissors, and one umbilical cord clamp.

"You know when they go around with the moist towelettes in the beginning? I had a couple of packs of those ready in case she started bleeding," she says. "But other than that I had nothing."

To Sullivan's relief, the woman gave birth without complications. She delivered a vigorous, healthy, baby boy who appeared to be full-term.

However they couldn't clamp the umbilical cord properly to cut it, because that requires two clamps, until one of the nurses had an idea.

"She said, 'Wait, I know,' and she grabs her purse and she's fumbling through it and she pulls out one of those plastic clasps you use to reseal potato chip bags with, and I'm like 'Perfect!'" says Sullivan.

She credits her Northern nursing experience for helping her make do with what was available.

"Up north we had to do a lot of MacGyver-ing when we ran out of supplies and things like that," she said.

When the plane landed in Yellowknife, the mother and child were taken by ambulance to Stanton Territorial Hospital while the remaining passengers stayed on board. The flight then continued on to Calgary after a short delay. 

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What election? Mayor retains post after town forgets to vote...again

A mountain town in the state of Utah had to skip an election after officials forgot to advertise or prepare for it.

The Wasatch County town of Wallsburg, population 275, says it will just keep its mayor and council for two more years.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports it wasn't the first time the mountain town flubbed an election.

State elections director Mark Thomas says Wallsburg didn't schedule an election two years ago either, and the council members had to be appointed then as well. The appointees were supposed to go up for election earlier this month.

Wasatch County Clerk Brent Titcomb says Wallsburg will get another chance in 2015 to get it right.

Wallsburg is southeast of Salt Lake City.

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Boeing 747 jumbo jet lands at wrong Kansas airport

A Boeing 747 jumbo jet mistakenly landed at a small Kansas airport not far from the air force base where it was supposed to land to deliver parts for the company's famed new 787 Dreamliner.

The 747 landed Wednesday evening at Col. James Jabara Airport, about 13 kilometres north of its intended target, the McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. Jabara's runway is just 1,860 metres long, much shorter than is ideal for an aircraft of that size.

Roger Xanders, chief of the Wichita Airport Authority's police and fire department, told KMBC-TV that nonetheless the plane should be able to take off around noon Thursday. The plane, operated by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, has been turned around by a tug to prepare for departure, said Brad Christopher of the Wichita Airport Authority.

"We've been in contact with Atlas company headquarters in New York," Christopher said. "They've assured us they've run all the engineering calculations and performance and the aircraft is very safe for a normal departure at its current weight and conditions here."

Atlas Air spokeswoman Bonnie Rodney did not immediately return early Thursday calls and an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said he could not immediately provide any information on how or why the jumbo jet landed at Jabara.

The two-person crew was not injured and the airplane and airport property were not damaged, Christopher said.

The modified 747, one of a fleet of four that hauls parts around the world for the production of the Dreamliner, was bound for McConnell because it is adjacent to Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, Birtel said. Spirit makes the forward section or nose area of the Dreamliner's fuselage.

These jets, which the company refers to as Dreamlifters, are crucial to the Dreamliner's construction. Boeing is using a global network of suppliers to develop and build most of the new plane's parts in locations as far away as Germany, Japan and Sweden. Boeing says the Dreamlifter cuts delivery time down to one day from as many as 30 days.

The final aircraft is assembled at plants outside Seattle and in North Charleston, S.C.

It is not the first incident of a large aircraft landing at an airport ill equipped to accommodate a plane of that size.

In July last year, a cargo plane bound for MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, Fla., landed without incident at the small Peter O. Knight Airport nearby. An investigation blamed confusion identifying airports in the area and base officials introduced an updated landing procedure to mitigate future problems.

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Selfie named Oxford Dictionary's word of the year

By Oxford's definition, a selfie is a "photo one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."

And according to Oxford Dictionaries, the frequency of the term has increased 17,000 per cent since this time last year, making it their international word of the year.

 "Using the Oxford Dictionaries language research programme, which collects around 150 million words of current English in use each month, we can see a phenomenal upward trend in the use of selfie in 2013, and this helped to cement its selection as word of the year," said Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, in a release.  

Origin of the word

According to Oxford, the word has been in use since 2002.

The earliest known reference to a selfie was found in an Australian online forum post.

"Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie," said the Sept. 13, 2002, ABC Online forum posting.  

Dennis Storoshenko, an assistant professor in linguistics, language and cultures at the University of Calgary, said he's not surprised to hear the word has Australian roots.

"It's exactly the same process that in the '80s would have just given us the 'shrimp on the barbie,'" he said. 

"So, it turns out Australian English has this habit of shortening words and ... selfie was a shortening of self portrait."

Social media spurred popularity

Shortlist sample

• Bitcoin: A digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
• Schmeat: A form of meat  produced synthetically from biological tissue.
• Showrooming: The practice of visiting a shop or shops in order to examine a product before buying it online at a lower price.
• Twerk: Dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram helped popularize selfies.

"Social media sites helped to popularize the term, with the hashtag #selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flickr as early as 2004," said Pearsall.

"But usage wasn't widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources."

University of Calgary student Eric Patterson says everyone takes selfies — and he doesn't see anything wrong with that.

"Especially with camera phones why not take the opportunity every time you're in a bathroom or every time you have the opportunity why not get yourself out there."

There was some stiff competition for Oxford Dictionaries' top word including schmeat, showrooming, bitcoin and twerk.

The word selfie is not in the Oxford English Dictionary, although it may be added in the future.

However, it does appear on oxforddictionaries.com.

Are selfies art?

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Green comet bad Grey Cup omen for Ticats: Sask. astronomer

Soothsayers have long looked to the skies for signs and now Rider Nation has a doozy — a green-and-white comet that flared up just in time for the Grey Cup.

To the naked eye, Comet Ison appears in the predawn sky as a dull smudge, but under magnification, it displays the bright hue familiar to all Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.

"Being green and white, I think it's doom for Hamilton," Regina astronomer Martin Beech told CBC News, tongue firmly in cheek. "That would be my interpretation."

Green and white are the team colours of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The team takes on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the Grey Cup on Nov. 24.

The comet comes by its coloration honestly, Beech said, with the green indicating the presence of cyanogen, a toxic gas.

"Many of the telescopic images that have been taken of this comet do show it having a green colour, which is in fact a true colour," he said.

'Being green and white, I think it's doom for Hamilton.'- Saskatchewan astronomer Martin Beech

Ison was located more than a year ago and is being carefully monitored as it nears its closest encounter with the sun on Nov. 28.

If it survives that, there could be a brilliant display in early December, he said.

Much like the Riders themselves, there were great hopes for Ison earlier in the year, but it was thought to be fizzling out a few weeks ago. Then there was a resurgence.

It's not clear why it brightened so dramatically, said Beech, a professor at Campion College. It may getting hotter or it may be falling apart.

He noted that throughout history, people have seen comets as signs of great or terrible things to come.

Today, he added, some may take note of the fact that Ison has spent billions of years in the outer reaches of the solar system only to appear to us at Grey Cup time.

"Coming in now means it's clearly expecting something spectacular to happen," he quipped.

The Roughriders take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the Canadian Football League championship at home in Regina on Nov. 24.

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Camera-craving cat pounces on CBC crew

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N.B. couple makes it to altar 75 years after first kiss

A man and woman from Saint John married on the weekend, 75 years after their first kiss.

George Raynes and Carol Harris, both 83, have known each other since they were in Grade 1, in 1936.

In Grade 3, they played the lead roles in their class production of Sleeping Beauty.

"I was sleeping beauty and he was my prince," Harris told CBC News.

Raynes says he wasn't supposed to actually kiss Harris during the play. "But the rascal that I was, I laid a big wet one on her. And she jumped up like a startled deer, you know," he said, chuckling at the memory.

"And actually, so she's the first girl I ever kissed."

Raynes moved to Ontario after he graduated from high school, and later married and raised a family.

But he kept in touch with Harris, who never married.

In June, months after his wife of 61 years died, Raynes drove to Saint John for what he called "a last look around."

"Thank goodness," said Harris, because the long-time friends soon fell in love and Raynes proposed on the deck of a romantic restaurant in Ontario.

'I can't help but think … that my prince from Grade 3 has finally come home to stay. And I think it's just marvellous.'- Carol Harris

"He will tell it differently than I. He will say he had sunstroke when he asked me," she said. "But he made an offer that he says I couldn't refuse, which was true actually.

"He suggested that we had had a great time and we had always been good friends and why don't we spend the rest of our lives together."

Harris didn't hesitate in saying, 'Yes.'

"I can't help but think … that my prince from Grade 3 has finally come home to stay. And I think it's just marvellous," she said.

Harris says Raynes came back into her life just as she had given up on the idea of ever tying the knot.

"There was a time when I thought I was going to be single forever," she said.

"When you get into your 80s and you're still alone, it begins to sink in that perhaps this is the way it's going to be until you pass away."

But the happy couple married on Saturday at the Lancaster Baptist Church in Saint John.

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Feathers fly in London parakeet fight

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET

London's tough Isle of Dogs neighbourhood is not the monk parakeet's natural habitat. The bird is native to Latin America. But, nonetheless, the monk parakeet has settled in. 

Wildlife authorities are now trying to remove this feral parakeet population. However, they also have Lorraine Cavanagh to contend with. She and some of her neighbours are rallying together as self-styled parakeet protectors, determined to foil any and all attempts to remove the unauthorized feathered visitors.  

As It Happens co-host Carol Off speaks with Cavanagh, who was at her home in London.

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Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

Stay Connected with CBC News

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Ottawa man returns home after 23-year, 195-country trip

Like many other adventurous young people, Ottawa's Mike Bown set out to see the world when he was 21 years old.

"At the start I was just travelling because I wanted to to find more wilderness areas and experience different animals and nature," he said.

"Then I realized that people are equally interesting, if not moreso, so I guess I just got hooked onto travel and once I got into Asia I couldn't stop. I had to see the whole planet."

Twenty-three years and 195 countries later, Bown is back in Canada with journals full of stories and the same backpack he left with.

He said he spent a month in some places, as much as a year in others, making sure to visit every country on the map — including bribing his way into war-torn Iraq.

"I like to go in and actually meet the people, eat the food, see the sights and see what fun there is to have in each country," he said.

Bown said he was only robbed twice during his travels and despite contracting dysentery and malaria, never had to see a doctor.

Because he was mostly camping, he said he could survive on little money, mostly from trading goods from country to country.

"Because I was living so cheap and living in a local manner, I didn't really need a lot of money — because I was mostly camping and my cheapest hotel was three cents, for instance," he said.

Bown said he's reconnecting with his family and friends while staying with his father, but has plans to write a book (on the road, of course).

"I'm going to be attracted by some very low price for a flight down to Guatemala or Panama or something, there I'll get a nice cheap hut on the beach for a few months and start writing," he said.

See some of the photos he's collected over the years in the photo gallery above and watch Steve Fischer's television story in the player to the left.

How long could you travel before you wanted to come home?

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Feathers fly in London parakeet fight

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET

London's tough Isle of Dogs neighbourhood is not the monk parakeet's natural habitat. The bird is native to Latin America. But, nonetheless, the monk parakeet has settled in. 

Wildlife authorities are now trying to remove this feral parakeet population. However, they also have Lorraine Cavanagh to contend with. She and some of her neighbours are rallying together as self-styled parakeet protectors, determined to foil any and all attempts to remove the unauthorized feathered visitors.  

As It Happens co-host Carol Off speaks with Cavanagh, who was at her home in London.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Ottawa man returns home after 23-year, 195-country trip

Like many other adventurous young people, Ottawa's Mike Bown set out to see the world when he was 21 years old.

"At the start I was just travelling because I wanted to to find more wilderness areas and experience different animals and nature," he said.

"Then I realized that people are equally interesting, if not moreso, so I guess I just got hooked onto travel and once I got into Asia I couldn't stop. I had to see the whole planet."

Twenty-three years and 195 countries later, Bown is back in Canada with journals full of stories and the same backpack he left with.

He said he spent a month in some places, as much as a year in others, making sure to visit every country on the map — including bribing his way into war-torn Iraq.

"I like to go in and actually meet the people, eat the food, see the sights and see what fun there is to have in each country," he said.

Bown said he was only robbed twice during his travels and despite contracting dysentery and malaria, never had to see a doctor.

Because he was mostly camping, he said he could survive on little money, mostly from trading goods from country to country.

"Because I was living so cheap and living in a local manner, I didn't really need a lot of money — because I was mostly camping and my cheapest hotel was three cents, for instance," he said.

Bown said he's reconnecting with his family and friends while staying with his father, but has plans to write a book (on the road, of course).

"I'm going to be attracted by some very low price for a flight down to Guatemala or Panama or something, there I'll get a nice cheap hut on the beach for a few months and start writing," he said.

See some of the photos he's collected over the years in the photo gallery above and watch Steve Fischer's television story in the player to the left.

How long could you travel before you wanted to come home?

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Ancient bird tracks in B.C. among oldest in the world

Click on the image above to enlarge it. (Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation)

Paleontologists hunting for dinosaur tracks in B.C.'s Peace Region have unexpectedly discovered tiny footprints that they believe could be among the oldest bird tracks in the world. 

The amazing find was discovered when a huge rock slab was sent from the nearby canyons to the Peace Region Paleontology Research Centre for analysis of tracks possibly made by the meat-eating theropod Allosaurus.

But next to the large dinosaur footprints, Tumbler Ridge paleontologist Lisa Buckley found four tiny tracks, likely belonging to ancient shore birds.

"[These were] little birds that would have looked a heck of a lot like the sandpipers, the plovers, and even larger wading birds like storks and herons and ibises," said Buckley.

According to a news release from Tumbler Ridge Museum vice-president Charles Helm, the canyon where the prints were discovered cuts through rock laid down about 140 million years ago.

Helm says this makes the tiny footprints the oldest in the Peace Region and among the oldest bird tracks in the world.

Just as impressively, Helm says, at the time these rocks were formed, the Peace Region was located at a latitude of approximately 62 degrees north. .

Buckley said the canyons near Tumbler Ridge are a gold mine for paleontologists and their rocks are a rich source of dinosaur tracks.

"These are the oldest track-bearing rocks we have in the Peace and likely in Western Canada."

Tumbler Ridge and the Peace Region are already known for their fossil bird tracks, albeit from four younger Cretaceous rock formations.

According to Helm, the canyons in the mountains west of Tumbler Ridge were systematically explored for their fossil potential in 2013.

Other important finds included a footprint left by a sauropod — the largest animals ever to live on land — and another site with huge markings possibly left after multiple sauropods trampled the area.

Multiple trackways were also found in another canyon, covering an area of almost 1,000 square metres. These were made by large theropod and ornithopod dinosaurs.

All of the new discoveries will eventually be displayed in the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery in Tumbler Ridge Museum.

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Feathers fly in London parakeet fight

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 14, 2013 9:16 PM ET

London's tough Isle of Dogs neighbourhood is not the monk parakeet's natural habitat. The bird is native to Latin America. But, nonetheless, the monk parakeet has settled in. 

Wildlife authorities are now trying to remove this feral parakeet population. However, they also have Lorraine Cavanagh to contend with. She and some of her neighbours are rallying together as self-styled parakeet protectors, determined to foil any and all attempts to remove the unauthorized feathered visitors.  

As It Happens co-host Carol Off speaks with Cavanagh, who was at her home in London.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

Stay Connected with CBC News

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Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend'

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 09, 2013 4:34 PM CT Last Updated: Nov 09, 2013 4:37 PM CT

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Jim Sautner, who lives near Spruce Grove, Alta., keeps a bison named Bailey Jr. as a pet.

Sautner told Trail's End's Allison Devereaux that caring for a bison isn't much trouble. He eats hay and oats, and takes care of his own coat.

"All I do is I take an air hose from the garage and blow his coat off before we go in a parade or to a function of some sort," Sautner says.

Sautner says that in his old house, Bailey would come in and watch TV, drink water out of the sink and generally behave like a dog. Bailey is not permitted inside the new house.

Bailey Jr. is Sautner's second bison pet. Bailey Sr. died in 2008. 

"He's my best friend." Sautner says. "He's my buffalo."

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Rural Colorado voters want to form their own state

The nation's newest state, if rural Colorado residents had their way, would be about the size of Vermont but with the population of a small town spread across miles of farmland. There wouldn't be civil unions for gay couples, legal recreational marijuana, new renewable energy standards, or limits on ammunition magazines.

After all, those were some of the reasons five counties on the state's Eastern Plains voted on Election Day to approve the creation of a 51st state in the first place.

Secession supporters know the votes were symbolic, designed to grab the attention of a Democratic-controlled Legislature. They say the vote results emphasize a growing frustration in conservative prairie towns with the more populous and liberal urban Front Range, which has helped solidify the Democrats' power.

"We can't outvote the metropolitan areas anymore, and the rural areas don't have a voice anymore," said Perk Odell, 80, a lifelong resident of Akron in Washington County, which voted to secede.

The five counties share borders, covering about 9,500 square miles and have a combined population of about 29,200. Four of the counties — Philips, Yuma, Kit Carson and Cheyenne — border Kansas. They are solidly Republican areas that have long identified more with Kansas and Nebraska because of their agricultural background.

Towns like Akron, population 1,700, were founded in the 1880s along railroads and thrived as agriculture producers, booming in the 1900s during grain shortages. They began a decline in 1920s that continued through the Dust Bowl and their populations have decreased or remained stagnant since then.

What remains are tight-knit communities where grain silos are sometimes the tallest structures around.

Other parts of the state, meanwhile, have grown. More than 80 percent of Colorado's 5 million residents live on the Front Range. The counties that voted to secede currently only have two state representatives and one state senator.

For the cluster of rural counties to become a new state, Colorado lawmakers would have to sign off, followed by Congress — a scenario that even supporters of the plan say is highly unlikely.

Long shot though it may be, supporters of the 51st state movement say they believe they've succeeded in getting their message across that lawmakers at the state's Capitol aren't listening to their concerns.

One of the concerns that wasn't heard was about a proposal mandating that Colorado's rural cooperative electric associations get 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, up from 10 percent. The bill was approved by Democrats without GOP support.

In other states, voters who feel alienated have also recently looked to secede.

Conservatives have been working to create the state of "Western Maryland," saying they're fed up with the Democratic majority in Annapolis. And Democrats in southern Arizona's Pima County, angry at Republicans' controversial immigration law two years ago, also talked of seceding and creating a "Baja Arizona" state.

In the rugged hills of Northern California and Southern Oregon, the grassroots organization Jefferson Declaration Commission has won resolutions from two rural counties supporting creation of a "State of Jefferson," an idea that has ebbed and flowed since the 1850s Gold Rush.

None of those proposals has made the ballots.

Not everyone in Colorado is behind the concept of secession. Six other counties that had the measure on the ballot rejected it, including Weld County, where elected officials first raised the question.

Akron resident Charles Johnson, 69, said there were many unanswered questions about how secession would work, like what the state would be called, where the capitol would be and how schools would be funded. He also didn't like the message a secession vote would send.

"The sad thing is it makes us all just look like whiners out here," said Johnson, a retired teacher and former superintendent. On a recent trip to Texas to visit family, he said it was a few minutes before relatives started questioning him about the secession movement.

Kim Weninger, 55, doesn't see it that way.

"I do think that we do have to send a message to the Front Range that you aren't the only people in the state," she said.

Folks out here don't like that voters approved recreational marijuana last year. And they chafe at new restrictions on firearms, including banning magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. The gun laws only highlighted an urban versus rural divide, Weninger said.

"I have people tell me all the time that I have no reason to have a gun. Well, you know what? We have rattlesnakes in our yards. We have coyotes that get a hold of our cats. I need a weapon to protect animals, to protect myself. But somebody in Boulder is not going to understand that," she said.

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Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend'

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 09, 2013 4:34 PM CT Last Updated: Nov 09, 2013 4:37 PM CT

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Jim Sautner, who lives near Spruce Grove, Alta., keeps a bison named Bailey Jr. as a pet.

Sautner told Trail's End's Allison Devereaux that caring for a bison isn't much trouble. He eats hay and oats, and takes care of his own coat.

"All I do is I take an air hose from the garage and blow his coat off before we go in a parade or to a function of some sort," Sautner says.

Sautner says that in his old house, Bailey would come in and watch TV, drink water out of the sink and generally behave like a dog. Bailey is not permitted inside the new house.

Bailey Jr. is Sautner's second bison pet. Bailey Sr. died in 2008. 

"He's my best friend." Sautner says. "He's my buffalo."

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Rural Colorado voters want to form their own state

The nation's newest state, if rural Colorado residents had their way, would be about the size of Vermont but with the population of a small town spread across miles of farmland. There wouldn't be civil unions for gay couples, legal recreational marijuana, new renewable energy standards, or limits on ammunition magazines.

After all, those were some of the reasons five counties on the state's Eastern Plains voted on Election Day to approve the creation of a 51st state in the first place.

Secession supporters know the votes were symbolic, designed to grab the attention of a Democratic-controlled Legislature. They say the vote results emphasize a growing frustration in conservative prairie towns with the more populous and liberal urban Front Range, which has helped solidify the Democrats' power.

"We can't outvote the metropolitan areas anymore, and the rural areas don't have a voice anymore," said Perk Odell, 80, a lifelong resident of Akron in Washington County, which voted to secede.

The five counties share borders, covering about 9,500 square miles and have a combined population of about 29,200. Four of the counties — Philips, Yuma, Kit Carson and Cheyenne — border Kansas. They are solidly Republican areas that have long identified more with Kansas and Nebraska because of their agricultural background.

Towns like Akron, population 1,700, were founded in the 1880s along railroads and thrived as agriculture producers, booming in the 1900s during grain shortages. They began a decline in 1920s that continued through the Dust Bowl and their populations have decreased or remained stagnant since then.

What remains are tight-knit communities where grain silos are sometimes the tallest structures around.

Other parts of the state, meanwhile, have grown. More than 80 percent of Colorado's 5 million residents live on the Front Range. The counties that voted to secede currently only have two state representatives and one state senator.

For the cluster of rural counties to become a new state, Colorado lawmakers would have to sign off, followed by Congress — a scenario that even supporters of the plan say is highly unlikely.

Long shot though it may be, supporters of the 51st state movement say they believe they've succeeded in getting their message across that lawmakers at the state's Capitol aren't listening to their concerns.

One of the concerns that wasn't heard was about a proposal mandating that Colorado's rural cooperative electric associations get 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, up from 10 percent. The bill was approved by Democrats without GOP support.

In other states, voters who feel alienated have also recently looked to secede.

Conservatives have been working to create the state of "Western Maryland," saying they're fed up with the Democratic majority in Annapolis. And Democrats in southern Arizona's Pima County, angry at Republicans' controversial immigration law two years ago, also talked of seceding and creating a "Baja Arizona" state.

In the rugged hills of Northern California and Southern Oregon, the grassroots organization Jefferson Declaration Commission has won resolutions from two rural counties supporting creation of a "State of Jefferson," an idea that has ebbed and flowed since the 1850s Gold Rush.

None of those proposals has made the ballots.

Not everyone in Colorado is behind the concept of secession. Six other counties that had the measure on the ballot rejected it, including Weld County, where elected officials first raised the question.

Akron resident Charles Johnson, 69, said there were many unanswered questions about how secession would work, like what the state would be called, where the capitol would be and how schools would be funded. He also didn't like the message a secession vote would send.

"The sad thing is it makes us all just look like whiners out here," said Johnson, a retired teacher and former superintendent. On a recent trip to Texas to visit family, he said it was a few minutes before relatives started questioning him about the secession movement.

Kim Weninger, 55, doesn't see it that way.

"I do think that we do have to send a message to the Front Range that you aren't the only people in the state," she said.

Folks out here don't like that voters approved recreational marijuana last year. And they chafe at new restrictions on firearms, including banning magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. The gun laws only highlighted an urban versus rural divide, Weninger said.

"I have people tell me all the time that I have no reason to have a gun. Well, you know what? We have rattlesnakes in our yards. We have coyotes that get a hold of our cats. I need a weapon to protect animals, to protect myself. But somebody in Boulder is not going to understand that," she said.

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Pirate Joe's owner plans 'big M' fast food joint

The Vancouver entrepreneur who won a trademark infringement fight with Trader Joe's is now planning a fast food burger joint - with a big black letter M for a logo.

Michael Hallatt currently makes a living shopping at Trader Joe's in the U.S. and reselling the goods in Vancouver at his Pirate Joe's store.

Last month a Washington State judge dismissed a lawsuit against Hallatt, ruling that Trader Joe's - which does not operate in Canada - could not prove Pirate Joe's was hurting its brand.

That's not the case with McDonald's, which has more than 1400 locations in Canada, but Hallatt said his plans for a burger store using 'M' as a logo are just meeting demand.

"The problem I have is I want a healthier hamburger than the one McDonald's is offering," said Hallatt.

Pirate Joe's re-sells Trader Joe's merchandise bought from the U.S. (CBC)

"I think there's an alternative and it requires an entrepreneur to look at it again, revisit fast food and rather than looking at sugar and salt as a way of making things tasty, start with fresh, organic, sustainably harvested ingredients.

Gina Lupino, an U.S. intellectual property lawyer articling in Vancouver, says Hallatt should make sure customers don't confuse the shop with existing players. 

"If I were representing him I'd tell him, 'Before you pick a fight, at least go and do some trademark clearance searches'," said Lupino.

Hallatt said he does plan to run his new venture by his lawyers... but in the end, he believes he has every right to open a fast food joint using the letter 'M' as a logo.

"Let's say you see my black M and you're thinking that must be a reference to McDonald's in some way, you know it's a free market," said Hallatt.

'McDonald's doesn't have a copyright on the letter M, I don't think.'- Micheal Hallatt, Pirate Joe's

"McDonald's doesn't have a copyright on the letter M, I don't think. I know corporations tend to overreach, I've had some experience with that recently."

Hallatt hopes a crowdfunding push in the coming months will have him flipping burgers by summer 2014.

Hallatt's new venture should not be confused with other enterprises to also use a big letter M as a logo or name.

Most notable of all is the first ever McDonald's restaurant. Opened in 1940 by the McDonald brothers, it was forced to change its name to "The Big M" when all the other franchises in the chain were sold to Ray Kroc in 1961.

'The Big M' was eventually driven out of business, after Kroc opened a McDonald's franchise just one block away.

Also not to be confused with either venture, is The Big M, a burger restaurant in Pickering, Ont., which first opened in 1965 and has a bright red M as a logo.

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Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend'

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 09, 2013 4:34 PM CT Last Updated: Nov 09, 2013 4:37 PM CT

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Jim Sautner, who lives near Spruce Grove, Alta., keeps a bison named Bailey Jr. as a pet.

Sautner told Trail's End's Allison Devereaux that caring for a bison isn't much trouble. He eats hay and oats, and takes care of his own coat.

"All I do is I take an air hose from the garage and blow his coat off before we go in a parade or to a function of some sort," Sautner says.

Sautner says that in his old house, Bailey would come in and watch TV, drink water out of the sink and generally behave like a dog. Bailey is not permitted inside the new house.

Bailey Jr. is Sautner's second bison pet. Bailey Sr. died in 2008. 

"He's my best friend." Sautner says. "He's my buffalo."

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pirate Joe's owner plans 'big M' fast food joint

The Vancouver entrepreneur who won a trademark infringement fight with Trader Joe's is now planning a fast food burger joint - with a big black letter M for a logo.

Michael Hallatt currently makes a living shopping at Trader Joe's in the U.S. and reselling the goods in Vancouver at his Pirate Joe's store.

Last month a Washington State judge dismissed a lawsuit against Hallatt, ruling that Trader Joe's - which does not operate in Canada - could not prove Pirate Joe's was hurting its brand.

That's not the case with McDonald's, which has more than 1400 locations in Canada, but Hallatt said his plans for a burger store using 'M' as a logo are just meeting demand.

"The problem I have is I want a healthier hamburger than the one McDonald's is offering," said Hallatt.

Pirate Joe's re-sells Trader Joe's merchandise bought from the U.S. (CBC)

"I think there's an alternative and it requires an entrepreneur to look at it again, revisit fast food and rather than looking at sugar and salt as a way of making things tasty, start with fresh, organic, sustainably harvested ingredients.

Gina Lupino, an U.S. intellectual property lawyer articling in Vancouver, says Hallatt should make sure customers don't confuse the shop with existing players. 

"If I were representing him I'd tell him, 'Before you pick a fight, at least go and do some trademark clearance searches'," said Lupino.

Hallatt said he does plan to run his new venture by his lawyers... but in the end, he believes he has every right to open a fast food joint using the letter 'M' as a logo.

"Let's say you see my black M and you're thinking that must be a reference to McDonald's in some way, you know it's a free market," said Hallatt.

'McDonald's doesn't have a copyright on the letter M, I don't think.'- Micheal Hallatt, Pirate Joe's

"McDonald's doesn't have a copyright on the letter M, I don't think. I know corporations tend to overreach, I've had some experience with that recently."

Hallatt hopes a crowdfunding push in the coming months will have him flipping burgers by summer 2014.

Hallatt's new venture should not be confused with other enterprises to also use a big letter M as a logo or name.

Most notable of all is the first ever McDonald's restaurant. Opened in 1940 by the McDonald brothers, it was forced to change its name to "The Big M" when all the other franchises in the chain were sold to Ray Kroc in 1961.

'The Big M' was eventually driven out of business, after Kroc opened a McDonald's franchise just one block away.

Also not to be confused with either venture, is The Big M, a burger restaurant in Pickering, Ont., which first opened in 1965 and has a bright red M as a logo.

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Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend'

Audio

CBC News Posted: Nov 09, 2013 4:34 PM CT Last Updated: Nov 09, 2013 4:37 PM CT

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Bison is Alberta man's 'best friend' 10:04

Jim Sautner, who lives near Spruce Grove, Alta., keeps a bison named Bailey Jr. as a pet.

Sautner told Trail's End's Allison Devereaux that caring for a bison isn't much trouble. He eats hay and oats, and takes care of his own coat.

"All I do is I take an air hose from the garage and blow his coat off before we go in a parade or to a function of some sort," Sautner says.

Sautner says that in his old house, Bailey would come in and watch TV, drink water out of the sink and generally behave like a dog. Bailey is not permitted inside the new house.

Bailey Jr. is Sautner's second bison pet. Bailey Sr. died in 2008. 

"He's my best friend." Sautner says. "He's my buffalo."

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Asteroid with 6 comet tails puzzles astronomers

The strange multi-tailed space rock was imaged by the Hubble space telescope twice in September, and seemed to have rotated in-between the two dates. (NASA;ESA;D. Jewitt/UCLA et al.)

A strange object with half a dozen comet-like tails has been spotted in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, leaving astronomers wondering what it could be.

"We were literally dumbfounded when we saw it," said  David Jewitt, an astronomer at the University of California, in a statement announcing the object's discovery today.

Jewitt is the lead author of a scientific paper published today titled "The extraordinary multi-tailed main-belt comet P/2013 P5."

Unlike the dusty ice balls that we normally think of as comets, P/2013 P5 probably doesn't contain ice, said the paper, which is published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Instead, it is described as a very unusual asteroid.

"Unlike all other known asteroids, which appear simply as tiny points of light, this asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, resembles a rotating lawn sprinkler," reported NASA in a news release today.

The asteroid, which is about 240 metres wide, was first spotted by the Pan-STARRS survey telescope in Hawaii at the end of August.

Because the object was "unusually fuzzy-looking," scientists used the Hubble space telescope to take a more detailed image on Sept. 10, revealing the six tails.

The tails looked quite different and were pointed in different directions when astronomers observed it again on Sept. 23, suggesting that the object had rotated.

While a typical comet's tail is formed by jets of gas and dust evaporating from the comet's body, researchers don't think that process is responsible for the six tails on P/2013 P5.

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World DJ Championships spotlight Canada's turntable scene

Despite myriad technological advances, "an iPod will never be able to replace a DJ" says DJ Jazzy Jeff — great news for Canadians since he also feels Canada is a hotbed of turntable talent.

The music producer and performer — perhaps best known for his collaborations with Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith — is in Toronto to judge the Red Bull Thre3style World DJ Championships, which wrap up a week of nightly competitions on Saturday.

Quebec City's Adam Doubleyou is among nearly 20 disc jockeys from around the world vying for the coveted crown.

"A lot of great DJs hail from Canada — from the entire spectrum, West Coast to East Coast, from A-Track to guys like Skratch Bastid and Kid Koala," Jazzy Jeff, whose real name is Jeff Townes, told CBC News this week.

"When you have that kind of talent pool, it only breeds more talent."

DJ Shintaro, a 24-year-old from Toyko, is seen in Toronto Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 competing for the World DJ Championships. (David Donnelly/CBC)

Also on hand to judge this week's competition are two of the Canadian DJs he mentioned: Montrealers Kid Koala (Eric San) and A-Track, aka Alain Macklovitch, who at the age of 15 became the youngest-ever world champion in 1997.

A talented turntablist is a musical storyteller crafting a unique sonic journey, according to Jazzy Jeff.

In the attached video, he talks to CBC's Eli Glasner about Canada's place in the DJ world, the impact of social media on the industry and why DJs matter.

Tune into CBC's The National on Friday for Glasner's report on the 2013 world championships.

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Asteroid with 6 comet tails puzzles astronomers

The strange multi-tailed space rock was imaged by the Hubble space telescope twice in September, and seemed to have rotated in-between the two dates. (NASA;ESA;D. Jewitt/UCLA et al.)

A strange object with half a dozen comet-like tails has been spotted in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, leaving astronomers wondering what it could be.

"We were literally dumbfounded when we saw it," said  David Jewitt, an astronomer at the University of California, in a statement announcing the object's discovery today.

Jewitt is the lead author of a scientific paper published today titled "The extraordinary multi-tailed main-belt comet P/2013 P5."

Unlike the dusty ice balls that we normally think of as comets, P/2013 P5 probably doesn't contain ice, said the paper, which is published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Instead, it is described as a very unusual asteroid.

"Unlike all other known asteroids, which appear simply as tiny points of light, this asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, resembles a rotating lawn sprinkler," reported NASA in a news release today.

The asteroid, which is about 240 metres wide, was first spotted by the Pan-STARRS survey telescope in Hawaii at the end of August.

Because the object was "unusually fuzzy-looking," scientists used the Hubble space telescope to take a more detailed image on Sept. 10, revealing the six tails.

The tails looked quite different and were pointed in different directions when astronomers observed it again on Sept. 23, suggesting that the object had rotated.

While a typical comet's tail is formed by jets of gas and dust evaporating from the comet's body, researchers don't think that process is responsible for the six tails on P/2013 P5.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

World DJ Championships spotlight Canada's turntable scene

Despite myriad technological advances, "an iPod will never be able to replace a DJ" says DJ Jazzy Jeff — great news for Canadians since he also feels Canada is a hotbed of turntable talent.

The music producer and performer — perhaps best known for his collaborations with Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith — is in Toronto to judge the Red Bull Thre3style World DJ Championships, which wrap up a week of nightly competitions on Saturday.

Quebec City's Adam Doubleyou is among nearly 20 disc jockeys from around the world vying for the coveted crown.

"A lot of great DJs hail from Canada — from the entire spectrum, West Coast to East Coast, from A-Track to guys like Skratch Bastid and Kid Koala," Jazzy Jeff, whose real name is Jeff Townes, told CBC News this week.

"When you have that kind of talent pool, it only breeds more talent."

DJ Shintaro, a 24-year-old from Toyko, is seen in Toronto Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 competing for the World DJ Championships. (David Donnelly/CBC)

Also on hand to judge this week's competition are two of the Canadian DJs he mentioned: Montrealers Kid Koala (Eric San) and A-Track, aka Alain Macklovitch, who at the age of 15 became the youngest-ever world champion in 1997.

A talented turntablist is a musical storyteller crafting a unique sonic journey, according to Jazzy Jeff.

In the attached video, he talks to CBC's Eli Glasner about Canada's place in the DJ world, the impact of social media on the industry and why DJs matter.

Tune into CBC's The National on Friday for Glasner's report on the 2013 world championships.

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Justin Bieber under police investigation over graffiti in Rio

Police in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday said they were investigating whether Canadian teen singer Justin Bieber had illegally spray painted graffiti on an exterior wall of a beachside hotel.

The 19-year-old singer, in Brazil as part of his ongoing South American tour, was photographed early Tuesday, along with members of his entourage, painting the wall outside an upscale hotel in Rio's Sao Conrado neighborhood.

After complaints by local paparazzi that Bieber's bodyguards had accosted them, Rio police said they would look into the incident and determine whether Bieber had broken Brazilian laws against the destruction of property.

In a statement, Brazil's civil police force said they had already interviewed a Bieber representative and would continue gathering details about the incident.

Brazil's federal police, the force charged with immigration matters, denied local media reports that investigators had sought to prevent Bieber, bound Wednesday for a show in Asuncion, Paraguay, from leaving the country.

The incident follows a whirlwind of tabloid headlines during Bieber's Brazilian stay, including reports that he had attended a Rio nightclub that in the past has been shuttered for prostitution.

Tabloids published photos they said were of the singer, wrapped in a bedsheet to conceal his identity, leaving the Centaurus club over the weekend.

Melissa Victor, a publicist for Bieber at Universal Music Group in New York, did not return a phone call for comment.

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WWE legend The Iron Sheik challenges Rob Ford

The city hall spectacle following Mayor Rob Ford's crack-smoking confession became an even more bizarre sideshow Wednesday, with the appearance of a 71-year-old WWE wrestler challenging the mayor to an arm wrestle, and Ford blowing kisses to media as he escorted children through the offices for Take Our Kids to Work Day.

Outside the municipal headquarters, protesters wrote chalk messages on a wall urging Ford to resign. Inside, an agitated Ford supporter wearing a red sweatshirt interrupted a councillor's media scrum to give a fiery defence of the mayor.

But the appearance of WWE hall-of-famer, The Iron Sheik, carted into the building by wheelchair, brought a truly circus-like atmosphere to city hall.

"I want to see Mr. Ford," The Sheik shouted during a media scrum, saying he had "no respect" for the mayor.

"I just want to know: Is he a real man, or no?"

Aided by an assistant, The Sheik said he would "absolutely" put Ford in his signature "Camel Clutch" chin-lock, given the opportunity.

'What kind of mayor is he?'

"The man eats the cheeseburger and smokes crack. What kind of mayor is he?" he went on.

The semi-retired wrestler, who is in town for a roast event, extended an invitation for the mayor to meet him for an arm wrestle in Ford's office.

"What kind of role model is he for the Toronto city?" he said.

The Iron Sheik was asked multiple times by city hall security to keep his voice down.

"That's my voice. You want me to change my voice. I can't change it," he replied, before being asked to leave because he was too loud.

The Iron Sheik isn't the first pro-wrestling legend to challenge the mayor to a physical feat of strength. In August, Hulk Hogan lost to Ford in an arm wrestling match.

Defence of Ford Nation

The strange day at city hall was compounded by the fact it was also Take Our Kids to Work Day. At one point, Ford walked by and blew a kiss to a throng of journalists as he took a group of youths on a tour of his offices.

Ford Nation supporter Tajinder Bains says voters will continue to back Toronto's embattled mayor, even in light of his crack cocaine scandal. (CBC)

Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon said Ford was setting a poor example.

"As a role model, I have some serious concerns with that. Hundreds of emails from residents, especially parents who have to explain to kids as young as six years old what crack is," she said.

The mayor, who refused on Tuesday to resign or take a leave of absence — even after admitting he used crack cocaine "probably in one of my drunken stupors" — continues to retain impassioned public support.

Speaking to media gathered outside the mayor's office, Tajinder Bains refuted the idea that Ford Nation was dead in the face of the mayor's scandals.

"Ford Nation is every single mother out there who is having a hard time paying their bills, every senior citizen who can't afford groceries because inflation is too high. Every dad working two jobs to put his kids through a good school," he said.

"That's who Ford Nation is and you're saying you're going to get rid of them? I doubt that, pal. I doubt that."

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Justin Bieber, bad boy in Brazil, loses Twitter title to Katy Perry

Justin Bieber has just released a new track called Bad Day, a fitting title after a tumultuous weekend in Brazil capped by the Canadian pop star losing his Twitter crown to fellow pop star Katy Perry.

After several weeks of laying relatively low, the 19-year-old pop star from Stratford, Ont., was back in the news with an apparent return to bad-boy behaviour as he kicked off the Brazilian leg of his Believe world tour.

The singer made headlines when various local media outlets were tipped off to his purported Friday night visit to the Centauros private members club, widely considered a brothel, in Rio de Janeiro. Media carried images of Bieber's security guards leading an unidentified, bedsheet-wrapped young man from the notorious location.

Bieber then cut off a Saturday concert in Sao Paulo early, storming offstage without a word after a water bottle was tossed at him mid-performance. Though fans appealed for his return and waited for half an hour, they were greeted simply by staffers who began putting the equipment away.

According to local media, the singer also arrived hours late to a fan meet-and-greet event, started a concert late and showed disrespect to the Brazilian flag offered up by a fan when he kicked it offstage.

The crazy weekend continued on Sunday, when a male fan in Rio rushed onto the stage, managing to weave through Bieber's back-up dancers and grab onto the singer from behind before security guards eventually dragged him away.

Then, on Monday, came more disappointing news: that singer Perry has now overtaken him as the most followed person on Twitter, a social media crown he snatched from Lady Gaga in January. Perry, who is promoting her new album Prism, has 46.53 million followers to Bieber's 46.51 million.

"Brazil, you have been amazing. Thank you," the ever-optimistic Bieber posted on his Twitter account on Monday.

"Except this guy," he noted, posting a video of the Sunday onstage incident. "He was too much."

Bieber released Bad Day as part of his ongoing "Music Monday" series of unveiling new tracks.

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Napoleon's will to be auctioned off in Paris

The frail Napoleon knew he was near his end as he penned his will and asked that his ashes be scattered along the Seine among the French people he loved.

This rare flash of emotion from the once-mighty French emperor is revealed in the only known copy of the historic document being auctioned in Paris' Drouot Auction house Wednesday. It gives an unusual insight into the final days of Napoleon's life.

Napoleon wrote the letter on April 16, 1821, 19 days before his death. As the ailing 51-year-old was putting ink to paper, he said to a friend, "My son, it's time I go, I feel it," according to the auction notes.

The original letter, penned in Napoleon's own illegible hand, is in France's national archives and unavailable for purchase. The only copy, written by a close adviser, is expected to fetch 120,000 euros ($162,000 US).

"This document is very special in the great mass of documents produced in Napoleon's era," said Napoleon expert Pierre Gheno. "Napoleon always writes in a factual way. But here we see emotion, saying that he wants his ashes to be scattered on the banks of the [river] Seine among the beloved French. He knew he was dying."

As it turns out, the fallen emperor's ashes weren't exactly scattered along the river, but transferred to the Invalides monument in Paris around two decades later in 1840.

The document that will go up for auction at the Drouot Auction house in Paris is believed to be the only copy of Napoleon's original will, which is in France's national archives. The copy is expected to fetch $162,000. (Benjamin Girette/Associated Press)

​

Historians say that the new king ignored the will's wishes and delayed bringing Napoleon's remains back to Paris out of fear his legacy was too linked with the French Revolution.

In addition to Napoleon's wishes for his ashes, the will also calls for his remaining possessions to be distributed among his close friends in exile on the island of Saint Helena. The will reveals how little Napoleon had during his punitive six years of captivity at the hands of the British following his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

The once-feared general, who conquered half of Europe, had nothing more than a few jewels, sculptures, porcelain crockery and the odd painting at the time of his death.

"He was very modestly housed. He hardly had anything," Gheno said.

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1,000 dolphins swim beside ferry off B.C. islands

Video

Rob Maguire filmed the pod while on the ferry from the Gulf Islands to Tsawwassan

CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 5:29 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013 5:31 PM PT

Passengers aboard a BC Ferries vessel were treated to a rare sight on Friday, as a pod of about 1,000 Pacific white-sided dolphins swam next to the boat for several minutes.

Though this species of dolphin is known for forming large pods, it's unusual that such a large pod was spotted in the Strait of Georgia, rather than in more open waters, such as on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

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Unlicensed, uninsured driver racks up $45K in fines

A 23-year-old man was held in the lockup in St. John's on Saturday night, on a number of traffic offences — including owing $45,000 in fines.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary pulled over the driver around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the New Gower Street area, for a traffic violation.

It was discovered the man driving the vehicle had no valid driver's licence or insurance, and the registered owner was charged with allowing his vehicle to be operated by an unlicensed, uninsured driver. 

The driver was held for a provincial court appearance on Sunday, and the vehicle was impounded. 

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China's Canadian-designed, high-tech man cave

IMAX says it will begin installing luxury home theatres in China at a cost of $250,000 and up. (David Gray/Reuters)

China's newly minted rich can now get up close and personal to the movies after mega-screen maker IMAX Corp signed a deal to produce luxury home theatres in the company's second largest market.

The fifty-fifty joint venture with Shenzhen-based TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Ltd will give Chinese the chance to watch IMAX-enhanced Hollywood blockbusters in the comfort of their homes, maybe even on the day of their world premieres.

The price? At least $250,000. The joint venture is targeting wealthy homeowners in Hong Kong, Russia, and the Middle East, but the main focus, IMAX Chief Executive Richard Gelfond said, is China.

"China now is our second largest market in the world, and our fastest growing market," Gelfond told Reuters on Friday. "We spend a lot of time concentrating on the Chinese market."

Mississauga, Ont.-based IMAX earns 16 percent of its revenue in China, and now has 131 screens installed there.

Like other global brands, IMAX is betting on the appetite of ultra-rich Chinese for luxury goods and unique experiences, which is also helping the sales of retailers like LVMH and Tiffany & Co.

The number of Chinese millionaires rose by more than 14 percent last year to 643,000, the most recent wealth survey by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management shows. The country is now home to the fourth largest number of high net-worth individuals in the world.

Neither IMAX nor TCL Multimedia Chief Financial Officer Edmond Chen would forecast how many home systems the company expects to sell when it kicks of production in 2015. The deal was signed this week.

TCL estimates annual growth for home theatre sets is likely to exceed 20 percent in the next five years. It said the market for home theatres may be about 2,000 sets now.

In July, IMAX announced an agreement with local conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Corp to build up to 120 new theaters in China. The deal would raise the number of IMAX theaters to about 400, with Wanda running around half.

Gelfond in September helped Dalian Wanda launch a $8 billion production, entertainment and real estate project in the coastal city of Qingdao, surrounded by stars including Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

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1,000 dolphins swim beside ferry off B.C. islands

Video

Rob Maguire filmed the pod while on the ferry from the Gulf Islands to Tsawwassan

CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 5:29 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013 5:31 PM PT

Passengers aboard a BC Ferries vessel were treated to a rare sight on Friday, as a pod of about 1,000 Pacific white-sided dolphins swam next to the boat for several minutes.

Though this species of dolphin is known for forming large pods, it's unusual that such a large pod was spotted in the Strait of Georgia, rather than in more open waters, such as on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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