Samsung selling 110-inch TV for $150K US

Samsung said a 110-inch TV that has four times the resolution of standard high-definition TVs is going on sale for about $150,000 in South Korea.

The launch Monday of the giant television set reflects global TV makers' move toward ultra-HD TVs as manufacturing bigger TVs using OLED proves too costly.

Last year, Samsung and rival LG Electronics, the world's top two TV makers, touted OLED as the future of TV. OLED screens are ultrathin and can display images with enhanced clarity and deeper colour saturation.

But Samsung and LG failed to make OLED TVs a mainstream option that would replace LCD television sets and are still struggling to mass produce larger and affordable TVs with OLED. Meanwhile, Japanese media reported last week that Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. decided to end their OLED partnership.

Demand for U-HD TVs is expected to rise despite dearth of content while its price will likely come down faster than that of the OLED TVs. Much of the growth is forecast to come from China, a major market for the South Korean TV makers. Chinese TV makers have been making a push into the U-HD TV market as well.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, global sales of ultra-HD TV sets will surge from 1.3 million this year to 23 million in 2017. More than half of the shipments will be taken by Chinese companies between 2013 and 2017, according to NPD.

While Chinese TV makers have been seeking to boost sales of U-HD TVs with a lower price and a smaller size, Samsung's strategy is to go bigger with a higher price tag. Samsung's 110-inch U-HD TV measures 2.6 metres by 1.8 metres. It will be available in China, the Middle East and Europe. In South Korea, the TV is priced at 160 million won ($152,000 US) while prices in other countries vary.

Samsung said it received 10 orders for the latest premium TVs from the Middle East. Previously, the largest U-HD TV made by Samsung was 85 inches measured diagonally.

The ultra-HD TVs, whose picture resolution is four times greater than that of a standard 1080 pixel HD TV display, are also known as "4K" because their horizontal resolution is roughly 4,000 pixels.

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'My son won't give me the remote control': 2013's worst 911 calls

A list of 2013's most absurd 911 emergency calls has been released by E-Comm, the regional emergency communication centre responsible for handling southwest B.C.

E-Comm 911 call-taker Matthew Collins took the worst call of the year when someone called 911 wanting to rent a fire truck for a street party.

"What people don't realize is that when they call 911 for information or any other reason that is not an emergency, they're tying up valuable resources that are meant to be at-the-ready for people who are in serious need of help," said Collins in a statement released on Monday morning.

E-Comm's top-ten 911 nuisance calls for 2013:

1. "I'd like to speak to someone about renting a fire truck to block off a street for a party."
2. A caller phoned 911 to get their date's contact information so they could confirm details of their plans.
3. A caller phoned 911 to report a missed newspaper delivery.
4. Caller asks 911 if they can get the 'OK' to drive in the HOV lane because "traffic is backed up and they are late for an important meeting."
5. Caller dials 911 to activate voicemail on his cellphone.
6. "I threw my phone into the garbage can and can't get it out."
7. Caller dials 911 to ask for a morning wake-up call.
8. Caller dials 911 to ask how to call the operator.
9. "Can an officer come over to tell my kids to go to bed?"
10. "My son won't give me the remote control." 

Calls put others at risk

"More than 2,500 911 calls flow through E-Comm every day," said spokesperson Jody Robertson in a statement released on Monday morning.

"Our teams are dedicated to helping to save lives and protect property. For them, having someone call 911 to ask for 'the time of day' is exasperating."

Calling 911 when you don't have an emergency wastes the valuable time of call-takers. (E-Comm)

E-Comm tweets its "911 head scratchers" every Friday and the year-end top-ten list was compiled based on Twitter responses from followers and input from staff.

"Sadly, it was hard to narrow down our list of absurd reasons to call 911 to just ten," added Robertson.

"We're reaching out today to remind the public that 911 is not an information line, it's a life-line. 911 call-takers cannot answers questions about power outages, when the clocks turn back or local or international events.

Please use both 911 and the non-emergency lines responsibly."

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The Brick Boxing Day discount reversal angers customers

Video

The Brick says mega-deal was a glitch

CBC News Posted: Dec 29, 2013 1:48 PM PT Last Updated: Dec 30, 2013 5:51 AM PT

External Links

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

Some online shoppers are angry after an accidental 50 per cent discount offered on The Brick furniture store's website last week was taken back.

The Brick apologized to customers on its Facebook page saying the mega-deal was a glitch.

As the CBC's Tim Weekes explains in this video report, the company is now offering affected customers a 10 per cent credit of the purchase price to be put toward future purchases.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

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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Samsung selling 110-inch TV for $150K US

Samsung said a 110-inch TV that has four times the resolution of standard high-definition TVs is going on sale for about $150,000 in South Korea.

The launch Monday of the giant television set reflects global TV makers' move toward ultra-HD TVs as manufacturing bigger TVs using OLED proves too costly.

Last year, Samsung and rival LG Electronics, the world's top two TV makers, touted OLED as the future of TV. OLED screens are ultrathin and can display images with enhanced clarity and deeper colour saturation.

But Samsung and LG failed to make OLED TVs a mainstream option that would replace LCD television sets and are still struggling to mass produce larger and affordable TVs with OLED. Meanwhile, Japanese media reported last week that Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. decided to end their OLED partnership.

Demand for U-HD TVs is expected to rise despite dearth of content while its price will likely come down faster than that of the OLED TVs. Much of the growth is forecast to come from China, a major market for the South Korean TV makers. Chinese TV makers have been making a push into the U-HD TV market as well.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, global sales of ultra-HD TV sets will surge from 1.3 million this year to 23 million in 2017. More than half of the shipments will be taken by Chinese companies between 2013 and 2017, according to NPD.

While Chinese TV makers have been seeking to boost sales of U-HD TVs with a lower price and a smaller size, Samsung's strategy is to go bigger with a higher price tag. Samsung's 110-inch U-HD TV measures 2.6 metres by 1.8 metres. It will be available in China, the Middle East and Europe. In South Korea, the TV is priced at 160 million won ($152,000 US) while prices in other countries vary.

Samsung said it received 10 orders for the latest premium TVs from the Middle East. Previously, the largest U-HD TV made by Samsung was 85 inches measured diagonally.

The ultra-HD TVs are also known as "4K" because they contain four times more pixels than an HD TV.

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Four-metre Christmas tree built with 1,100 empty bottles

Dalius Valukonis spent 3 years making tree out of 1,100 empty champagne, sparkling water bottles

The Associated Press Posted: Dec 28, 2013 6:23 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 28, 2013 6:24 PM ET

Here's a recycling project just for the holidays: a 4-metre tall Christmas tree made of 1,100 empty bottles of champagne and sparkling water.

Policeman Dalius Valukonis says he spent three years and hundreds of hours of his free time to create the tree using bottles he got from local restaurants, bars, family and friends. (Mindaugas Kulbis/Associated Press)

Lithuanian policeman Dalius Valukonis says he spent three years and hundreds of hours of his free time to create the tree using bottles he got from restaurants, bars, family and friends.

The non-drinker said Saturday a metal structure with special hooks and construction foam holds the bottles in place. It's an
eye-catcher that makes motorists in the town of Lazdijai near the Polish border snap pictures.

Valukonis says he intends to build something even more impressive next year.
 

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$20K holiday ham heist ends in arrest of Ontario man

A man has been charged after allegedly stealing $20,000 worth of ham from a refrigeration truck last week in southwestern Ontario.

London, Ont., police said a tip led them to a home on Tuesday where they arrested a 33-year-old man.

Honey-Bee Hams owner Jeff Brode said 26 of the 180 hams stolen from his company have been recovered.

The company said there was never a risk of its special honey-glaze recipe being pinched too, as the hams were untreated.

Nickolas Lister, 33, is charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000.

Police continue to investigate the whereabouts of the rest of the stolen meat.

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Beer made of Nova Scotia Christmas trees in high demand

A Halifax brewery is using one of Nova Scotia's biggest exports to make a traditional, if not entirely conventional, beer.

Garrison Brewing Company has released a limited edition batch of spruce beer, a brew made using Christmas trees.

Brian Titus, president of Garrison Brewing, said when the idea of making the beer was first proposed, he was not a fan.

"Not gonna to do it. No," he said. "This is not going to be the beer that takes this brewery down."

Spruce beer is a Canadian tradition that has had Canucks snipping trees back to the days of our earliest settlers, a tradition that our neighbours to the south also embraced. (CBC)

Garrison brewmaster Daniel Girard had heard stories about his grandfather's spruce beer.

"So then I decided to work on it and see how I would have made a spruce beer myself if I were a first settler, like years ago," he said.

Spruce beer is a Canadian tradition that has had Canucks snipping trees back to the days of the earliest colonists, a tradition also embraced to the south.

"I know that the Americans would do it because George Washington made spruce beer," Girard said.

'How Canadian can you get, eh?'- Brian Titus, company president

To make the traditional brew, Girard harvests spruce sprigs, as well as some fir twigs, and puts them into a large boiler. After a good soaking, he takes out the branches, adds some malt, blackstrap molasses, dates and hops.

Eventually, he asked his boss to crack one open.

"You know, just some wonderful aromas... that come off it. It feels like you're out in a winter evening, walking through the woods. It's pretty wonderful. You just can't feel your toes any more cause it's starting to kick in a little bit," Titus joked.

At 7.5 per cent alcohol content, the beer is not for the faint of heart.

Tracy Phillippi of Garrison said the brewery has seen a lot of demand for spruce beer.

"Maybe a month ago, the emails started to come in, you know one or two a day or Facebook messages saying, 'When is spruce beer coming? We need to mark it on our calendar, we're going to take off work,' " Phillippi said.

Once the batch was ready for sale, customers showed up bright and early to nab some of the beer made from Christmas trees.

"How Canadian can you get, eh? We like to say, 'Party like it's 1749,' " Titus said.

The brewery's Marginal Road location still has some of the specialty beer in stock, though supplies at NSLCs may be harder to find. 

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Orphaned bear cub found living with chickens

A severely malnourished and orphaned bear cub has been rescued in B.C.'s West Kootenay region, after it was found co-existing with hens inside a chicken coop.

The Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C., was alerted to the cub's whereabouts on Sunday, after the tiny bear was seen on a farm in the village of Midway.

When found, Tinsel, as he's being called, weighed only 10 kilograms. A 10-month-old cub should have weighed close to 30 kilograms. (Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter)

Angelika Langen, who works with the shelter, said this was a first in the 23 years she's been rescuing animals.

"Usually they break into the chicken coops and eat the chickens, not eat with the chickens," Langen said.

It is thought the bear, now named Tinsel, was living in the coop for nearly five days.

When he arrived at the animal shelter on Christmas Eve, he was severely undernourished. The 10-month-old cub should have weighed close to 30 kilograms, but instead weighed less than 10.

Langen said it's likely the bear was alone and without its mother for at least two to three months.

"They're very good at finding each other again, so I'm more inclined to think something happened to the mother."

Langen said Tinsel is making a good recovery, starting with a special Christmas dinner.

"Porridge made with water and some honey. He loved it. Dove right into it and licked it all up."

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Beer made of Nova Scotia Christmas trees in high demand

A Halifax brewery is using one of Nova Scotia's biggest exports to make a traditional, if not entirely conventional, beer.

Garrison Brewing Company has released a limited edition batch of spruce beer, a brew made using Christmas trees.

Brian Titus, president of Garrison Brewing, said when the idea of making the beer was first proposed, he was not a fan.

"Not gonna to do it. No," he said. "This is not going to be the beer that takes this brewery down."

Spruce beer is a Canadian tradition that has had Canucks snipping trees back to the days of our earliest settlers, a tradition that our neighbours to the south also embraced. (CBC)

Garrison brewmaster Daniel Girard had heard stories about his grandfather's spruce beer.

"So then I decided to work on it and see how I would have made a spruce beer myself if I were a first settler, like years ago," he said.

Spruce beer is a Canadian tradition that has had Canucks snipping trees back to the days of the earliest colonists, a tradition also embraced to the south.

"I know that the Americans would do it because George Washington made spruce beer," Girard said.

'How Canadian can you get, eh?'- Brian Titus, company president

To make the traditional brew, Girard harvests spruce sprigs, as well as some fir twigs, and puts them into a large boiler. After a good soaking, he takes out the branches, adds some malt, blackstrap molasses, dates and hops.

Eventually, he asked his boss to crack one open.

"You know, just some wonderful aromas... that come off it. It feels like you're out in a winter evening, walking through the woods. It's pretty wonderful. You just can't feel your toes any more cause it's starting to kick in a little bit," Titus joked.

At 7.5 per cent alcohol content, the beer is not for the faint of heart.

Tracy Phillippi of Garrison said the brewery has seen a lot of demand for spruce beer.

"Maybe a month ago, the emails started to come in, you know one or two a day or Facebook messages saying, 'When is spruce beer coming? We need to mark it on our calendar, we're going to take off work,' " Phillippi said.

Once the batch was ready for sale, customers showed up bright and early to nab some of the beer made from Christmas trees.

"How Canadian can you get, eh? We like to say, 'Party like it's 1749,' " Titus said.

The brewery's Marginal Road location still has some of the specialty beer in stock, though supplies at NSLCs may be harder to find. 

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Orphaned bear cub found living with chickens

A severely malnourished and orphaned bear cub has been rescued in B.C.'s West Kootenay region, after it was found co-existing with hens inside a chicken coop.

The Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C., was alerted to the cub's whereabouts on Sunday, after the tiny bear was seen on a farm in the village of Midway.

When found, Tinsel, as he's being called, weighed only 10 kilograms. A 10-month-old cub should have weighed close to 30 kilograms. (Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter )

Angelika Langen, who works with the shelter, said this was a first in the 23 years she's been rescuing animals.

"Usually they break into the chick coop and eat the chickens... not eat with the chickens," Langen said.

It is thought the bear, now named Tinsel, was living in the coop for nearly five days.

When he arrived at the animal shelter on Christmas Eve, he was severely undernourished. The 10-month-old cub should have weighed close to 30 kilograms, but instead weighed less than 10.

Langen said it's likely the bear was alone and without its mother for at least two to three months.

"They're very good at finding each other again, so I'm more inclined to think something happened to the mother."

Langen said Tinsel is making a good recovery, starting with a special Christmas dinner.

"Porridge made with water and some honey. He loved it. Dove right into it and licked it all up."

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Merry Christmas! Relax with our virtual wood stove

Some television stations bring you a view of a roaring fireplace during the Christmas season.

We decided to do something different: an authentic, downhome wood stove. We introduced the feature last year, and we're happy to bring it back again today. 

It runs about seven and a half minutes; if you find it relaxing, just play it again! We heard that the video is a suitable complement to a variety of activities, including unwrapping presents, making breakfast, reading and enjoying a day at home with family. 

Our thanks to the folks at Lester's Farm Market. 

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Sweater-wearing cat returns home Christmas morning

A Halifax woman had a very Merry Christmas after her seven-month-old black cat 'Meow-Meow' returned home.

Meow-Meow went missing Sunday evening, near North and Clifton streets, wearing a festive red sweater with the Peanuts' character Snoopy on the back.

Owner Chantelle Rideout was thankful to have him back.

"3 a.m. on Christmas morning, and we found Meow-Meow!Thanks everyone for your help and kindness!" she tweeted.

Rideout was especially worried because Meow-Meow is an indoor cat.

"We're hoping, a little bit, for a Christmas miracle and that he makes it home by Christmas," said Rideout, a few days after her cat ran away.

In terms of Meow-Meow's festive Christmas sweater, Rideout said it's not his only outfit.

"We just bought him a couple of shirts and people said he probably wouldn't like them but he at least doesn't seem to mind them. He always has one on," she said.

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Neanderthals' incest, interspecies sex revealed by genome

Neanderthals liked to keep it in the family with DNA sequencing of an ancient toe revealing long-term inbreeding amongst a Siberian-based population.

The sequencing results, published today in the journal Nature, also reveal Neanderthals, early modern humans and a sister group to Neanderthals, Denisovans, met and reproduced in the Late Pleistocene between 12,000 and 126,000 years ago.

'Everyone is bonking everyone else … it's quite impressive.'- Alan Cooper, University of Adelaide

Alan Cooper, a professor at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, says the study "completely rewrites what we know about human evolutionary history".

"We now have a reasonably definitive picture of the mixing and matching of [hominin] groups through time," he says.

And according to Cooper, the research reveals that "everyone is bonking everyone else … it's quite impressive".

First author of the paper Kay Prufer, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany says the findings are based on DNA extracted from a toe bone found in the Siberian cave where the first Denisovan fossils were discovered in 2008.

The toe bone belonged to a Neanderthal woman who they estimate lived about 50,000 years ago, he says, adding that DNA analysis shows the woman's parents were very closely related.

"We conclude the parents of this Neanderthal individual were either half-siblings who had a mother in common, double first cousins, an uncle and a niece, an aunt and a nephew, a grandfather and a granddaughter, or a grandmother and a grandson," the researchers write.

Reason for extinction?

Prufer says the analysis shows this inbreeding was not a rare event.

"The parents were very closely related, but even if you ignore that [DNA analysis shows] … the past parents of the parents were related," he says.

Prufer says the inbreeding suggests the Neanderthal population was quite small or fragmented and this may have played into their demise.

"Of course if you have a small population size you begin to move into the danger zone [for extinction]," says Prufer.

Cooper, who was not involved in the study, agrees: "If you are breeding with your uncle, your population is on the way out. The fact this group has been doing it for a while suggests it was in decline."

Interbreeding across species

As part of the study, the international team also compared genomes of Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern-day humans.

Previous research has shown that while Neanderthals contributed to the genetic heritage of all modern populations outside Africa, Denisovans contributed exclusively to populations in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

However Prufer says the analysis reveals the picture may be more complex.

Their study shows gene flow from Neanderthals to Denisovans indicating interbreeding between the two groups.

The Denisovan DNA also contained genetic material from an "unknown archaic human that lived a million years ago", says Prufer.

He says this "unknown archaic human" could be Homo erectus, but further analysis is needed to determine its origins.

Prufer says by comparing the genome of the various hominin groups, researchers will also be able to pinpoint the "defining changes" in genome that genetically make modern humans.

Their work suggests the proportion of Neanderthal-derived DNA in all people outside Africa is about 1.5 to 2.5 per cent.

'Complicated and messy'

Cooper says the findings show evolution works in a "complicated and messy fashion".

"And when you try and reconstruct evolutionary history by looking at modern genetic data you get it completely wrong," he says.

While the work is "very convincing" Cooper says it is unlikely to be the final version of evolution.

"Five years ago we didn't even know of the existence of the Denisovans," he says.

"It is an incremental process [but] these discoveries are really changing how we think about human evolution."

Cooper says the sequencing of the genomes also opens up the possibility to "identify what bits of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA survive in us and what they might be doing".

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Merry Christmas! Relax with our virtual wood stove

Some television stations bring you a view of a roaring fireplace during the Christmas season.

We decided to do something different: an authentic, downhome wood stove. We introduced the feature last year, and we're happy to bring it back again today. 

It runs about seven and a half minutes; if you find it relaxing, just play it again! We heard that the video is a suitable complement to a variety of activities, including unwrapping presents, making breakfast, reading and enjoying a day at home with family. 

Our thanks to the folks at Lester's Farm Market. 

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Pictou County's 'brown sauce' pizza shipped to Fort McMurray

Homesick Nova Scotians working out west and pining for a taste of home this Christmas are helping keep business booming for pizza shops in Pictou County.

For $100, UPS says it can get two pizzas from New Glasgow to Fort McMurray in two days.

Rhonda Cougias​ is one of the owners at Acropole​, a purveyor of the highly-prized brown pizza from Pictou County.

"It's not your typical pizza sauce, the red sauce that you see. It's a brown sauce. It's got vegetables in it, herbs and spices. It's a secret sauce," she said.

"It's just as addictive as Tim Hortons coffee."

Lobster from Nova Scotia jet set around the world to feed people on Christmas Day, but Cougias​ said the nostalgic tastes and smells of pizza are comfort food.

"It started with them at school and now they have moved away and are wanting the pizzas," she said.

Cougias said they've seen their business boom in the last five years.

"People didn't realize how easy it was to do; they thought it was pretty well impossible," she said.

"One of our regular customers who lives out in Fort McMurray, her sister came in, got the pizzas, froze them, shipped them out. Sent us a picture, they look just as good as when they were made."

And it's not just the pizza shop and UPS cashing in.

Hours away in Halifax,  the smoke house at Brothers Meats, another taste of home for Nova Scotia expats, makes the pepperoni for the brown pizza.

Cindy Kelbrat hauls 20 pounds of links on a stick as travellers line up to get a supply for their suitcase or for their back seats.

"This time of year we are here around sixteen hours a day," she said.

Back at Acropole, Cougias said she's been getting texts from people thanking her for making them pizza.

"Got to have the taste of home," she said.

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Neanderthal's incest, interspecies sex revealed by genome

Neanderthals liked to keep it in the family with DNA sequencing of an ancient toe revealing long-term inbreeding amongst a Siberian-based population.

The sequencing results, published today in the journal Nature, also reveal Neanderthals, early modern humans and a sister group to Neanderthals, Denisovans, met and reproduced in the Late Pleistocene between 12,000 and 126,000 years ago.

'Everyone is bonking everyone else … it's quite impressive.'- Alan Cooper, University of Adelaide

Alan Cooper, a professor at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, says the study "completely rewrites what we know about human evolutionary history".

"We now have a reasonably definitive picture of the mixing and matching of [hominin] groups through time," he says.

And according to Cooper, the research reveals that "everyone is bonking everyone else … it's quite impressive".

First author of the paper Kay Prufer, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany says the findings are based on DNA extracted from a toe bone found in the Siberian cave where the first Denisovan fossils were discovered in 2008.

The toe bone belonged to a Neanderthal woman who they estimate lived about 50,000 years ago, he says, adding that DNA analysis shows the woman's parents were very closely related.

"We conclude the parents of this Neanderthal individual were either half-siblings who had a mother in common, double first cousins, an uncle and a niece, an aunt and a nephew, a grandfather and a granddaughter, or a grandmother and a grandson," the researchers write.

Reason for extinction?

Prufer says the analysis shows this inbreeding was not a rare event.

"The parents were very closely related, but even if you ignore that [DNA analysis shows] … the past parents of the parents were related," he says.

Prufer says the inbreeding suggests the Neanderthal population was quite small or fragmented and this may have played into their demise.

"Of course if you have a small population size you begin to move into the danger zone [for extinction]," says Prufer.

Cooper, who was not involved in the study, agrees: "If you are breeding with your uncle, your population is on the way out. The fact this group has been doing it for a while suggests it was in decline."

Interbreeding across species

As part of the study, the international team also compared genomes of Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern-day humans.

Previous research has shown that while Neanderthals contributed to the genetic heritage of all modern populations outside Africa, Denisovans contributed exclusively to populations in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

However Prufer says the analysis reveals the picture may be more complex.

Their study shows gene flow from Neanderthals to Denisovans indicating interbreeding between the two groups.

The Denisovan DNA also contained genetic material from an "unknown archaic human that lived a million years ago", says Prufer.

He says this "unknown archaic human" could be Homo erectus, but further analysis is needed to determine its origins.

Prufer says by comparing the genome of the various hominin groups, researchers will also be able to pinpoint the "defining changes" in genome that genetically make modern humans.

Their work suggests the proportion of Neanderthal-derived DNA in all people outside Africa is about 1.5 to 2.5 per cent.

'Complicated and messy'

Cooper says the findings show evolution works in a "complicated and messy fashion".

"And when you try and reconstruct evolutionary history by looking at modern genetic data you get it completely wrong," he says.

While the work is "very convincing" Cooper says it is unlikely to be the final version of evolution.

"Five years ago we didn't even know of the existence of the Denisovans," he says.

"It is an incremental process [but] these discoveries are really changing how we think about human evolution."

Cooper says the sequencing of the genomes also opens up the possibility to "identify what bits of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA survive in us and what they might be doing".

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P.E.I. Christmas 'miracle' thanks to kindness of strangers

A Prince Edward Island man is making a Christmas wish come true for his elderly parents with the help of thousands of strangers around the world.

Mark Enman's ailing parents, Don and Bev, both have advanced dementia and live in a Summerside nursing home.

Christmas is the couple's favourite time of year, and their favourite holiday movie is Miracle on 34th Street.

This year, Mark Enman and his sister wanted to do something special for their parents by recreating the scene in the Christmas classic where thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus are delivered to a courtroom — their mother's favourite moment in the film.

"I kind of put the two things together — her love of Christmas cards and that scene," said Enman.

"I said, 'Let's give Don and Bev, my parents, A Miracle on 34th Street moment.'"

Enman started a Facebook page asking people to send his parents Christmas cards — and word spread fast.

He expected perhaps a few hundred cards but more than 17,000 cards arrived from all across the globe, including far-reaching places like New Zealand and South Korea.

"I did not even once anticipate my parents would receive 17,000 cards," said Enman.

Granddaughter Hayley was surprised by the outpouring of Christmas cheer.

"I think it's amazing how they would use their time to just send Christmas cards," she said.

Thanks to the love and kindness of so many people, Enman got his Christmas wish.

"It made her smile. And that's what this was all about. To bring my parents a smile for a holiday when they haven't had one for a long time."

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Pictou County's 'brown sauce' pizza shipped to Fort McMurray

Homesick Nova Scotians working out west and pining for a taste of home this Christmas are helping keep business booming for pizza shops in Pictou County.

For $100, UPS says it can get two pizzas from New Glasgow to Fort McMurray in two days.

Rhonda Cougious is one of the owners at Acropolis​, a purveyor of the highly-prized brown pizza from Pictou County.

"It's not your typical pizza sauce, the red sauce that you see. It's a brown sauce. It's got vegetables in it, herbs and spices. It's a secret sauce," she said.

"It's just as addictive as Tim Hortons coffee."

Lobster from Nova Scotia jet set around the world to feed people on Christmas Day, but Cougias said the nostalgic tastes and smells of pizza are comfort food.

"It started with them at school and now they have moved away and are wanting the pizzas," she said.

Cougias said they've seen their business boom in the last five years.

"People didn't realize how easy it was to do; they thought it was pretty well impossible," she said. "One of our regular customers who lives out in Fort McMurray, her sister came in, got the pizzas, froze them, shipped them out. Sent us a picture, they look just as good as when they were made."

And it's not just the pizza shop and UPS cashing in.

Hours away in Halifax,  the smoke house at Brothers Meats, another taste of home for Nova Scotia expats, makes the pepperoni for the brown pizza.

Cindy Kelbrat hauls 20 pounds of links on a stick as travellers line up to get a supply for their suitcase or for their back seats.

"This time of year we are here around sixteen hours a day," she said.

Back at Acropolis, Cougious said she's been getting texts from people thanking her for making them pizza.

"Got to have the taste of home," she said.

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IT workers construct massive Grinch with 900 Post-it notes

Tinsel, twinkle-lights and… Post it notes? A group of Winnipeg IT workers have used the stationary staple to get into the spirit this year — and to spectacular effect.

The IT team at Ducks Unlimited have found a new use for the little sticky papers — creating an epic Christmas-themed tableau.

Staffer Colin Koop came up with the idea for a Christmas scene made entirely of Post-it notes when he was surfing the internet, looking for ways to win his office decorating contest.

"It gets pretty serious. It gets a little heated. Our boss is kind of choked that

[our department] didn't win last year, so we knew we had to step it up a little bit," he said.

Colin Koop secures a Post it note to his office's top-prize winning holiday decoration. (Meagan Fiddler/CBC)

That's when he spotted a video online of a man using Post-it notes to make art.

"He was sitting at a window, and it was just him tacking Post-it notes after Post-it notes, and I thought, 'Hey! That's pretty cool! I can do that!" said Koop.

So Koop and his IT colleagues went to work.

The group used hundreds of the sticky squares to create a scene complete with a Santa Claus, reindeer and a snowman. Then they embarked on their masterpiece — a Grinch.

The final product came after four people spent six hours affixing almost 1,000 Post it notes to the wall.

Koop said the group did it "just for the bragging rights — for the whole year!"

In the end, though, the group took the title, with a display that featured duck decoys in different positions for the 12 days of Christmas coming in second.

The opposition, though, was gracious in their defeat.

"It was good fun, and if we had to lose to anyone, the IT group did an awesome job, so it's all good," said Dave Howerter.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Poltergeist behaviour haunts St. John's family

A doll that won't stay in the same location and other strange happenings are giving a St. John's family goosebumps.

Judy Ryan, her partner and her four sons moved into a home in the East Meadows neighbourhood in the east end of St. John's last month. The house — built in the 70s — is an ordinary home in a nice neighbourhood, but Ryan's son Julian noticed strange things happening shortly after the move.

A small yellow doll that Julian, 17, made in Home Ec class ended up on his pillow instead of in the nightstand where it was usually kept.

"I tried to talk to Julian, it's nothing, maybe he's hallucinating. I came downstairs because he was afraid to come down and I came in his room and you have to understand his doors were locked into his basement in-law apartment right?" Ryan said.

"When I came down and I shook the bed covers looking for the doll, underneath the pillow and I couldn't find it, so I looked under the bed. It wasn't under the bed so I started opening the drawers and it's back in the drawers, so I took the doll. As I entered the room I had these shivers come up my spine and it was just really creepy, you get goosebumps like I have right now cause I'm in his room."

She hid the doll again in the library area of the house.

"We went around about our own things throughout the day and as I was going upstairs to put my seven-year-old to bed, the doll was on my pillow, it was in my bedroom on top of my pillow on my side of the bed," she said.

Ryan said that freaked her out. She also thought maybe the kids were playing a prank, but didn't truly believe that.

"So I took the doll again and I hid it again in another spot underneath the sink in sort of like — I have a dressing area," she said.

"I came back and that doll was downstairs in front of my son Adrian's bedroom door. And my son Julian came back and the lamps were tipped over in his bedroom and his skateboard was on top of his TV which is a very large TV."

She said her son Adrian, 14, feels as though he's being followed, and has heard the handle on his closet jiggling. Ryan has also heard a tap-tapping from the main floor at night.

Julian and his mother said they've both been in his bedroom when the radio is off and then they hear static coming from it. They say there's a constant chill in the basement — they blast the heat but yet it never truly gets warm

A friend of Ryan's posted an entry about the house on Facebook. He received a lot of responses — everything from advising the friend to move, contacting a medium or setting up a camera to record any activity. People also shared their stories of odd happenings where they live.

Ryan decided to go to a psychic, Trudy Oakley who reads cards and says she can see spirits and talk to them. Judy recorded the reading. It went on for awhile, but here's a little of it.

"There's actually two girls in your house. One is older. One is three and one is seven. The other girl, there's the older lady, there's two little girls here, not one. One is three and one is seven. The seven year old is the one looking for her father, the three year old is fooling around with your youngsters," Oakley told Ryan in a recorded reading.

"The seven year old is more, she kind of says, 'stop.' You know, but it's the three year old who's moving everything. (She wants attention?) No, she wants your child to know that here's your dolly."

The psychic told Ryan that the spirits were dead about 70 years even though the house hasn't been there that long. She thinks they may have come with Ryan from somewhere else. Oakley said she thinks the father possibly died during WW2 and the mother and two children also died around that time but are separated from him.

Right now the family is planning to stay put. They are slowly adjusting to the weird presence in the home. However, Ryan says they may contact a priest or use a medium to try to clear the home of whatever is there.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

IT workers construct massive Grinch with 900 Post-it notes

Tinsel, twinkle-lights and… Post it notes? A group of Winnipeg IT workers have used the stationary staple to get into the spirit this year — and to spectacular effect.

The IT team at Ducks Unlimited have found a new use for the little sticky papers — creating an epic Christmas-themed tableau.

Staffer Colin Koop came up with the idea for a Christmas scene made entirely of Post-it notes when he was surfing the internet, looking for ways to win his office decorating contest.

"It gets pretty serious. It gets a little heated. Our boss is kind of choked that

[our department] didn't win last year, so we knew we had to step it up a little bit," he said.

Colin Koop secures a Post it note to his office's top-prize winning holiday decoration. (Meagan Fiddler/CBC)

That's when he spotted a video online of a man using Post-it notes to make art.

"He was sitting at a window, and it was just him tacking Post-it notes after Post-it notes, and I thought, 'Hey! That's pretty cool! I can do that!" said Koop.

So Koop and his IT colleagues went to work.

The group used hundreds of the sticky squares to create a scene complete with a Santa Claus, reindeer and a snowman. Then they embarked on their masterpiece — a Grinch.

The final product came after four people spent six hours affixing almost 1,000 Post it notes to the wall.

Koop said the group did it "just for the bragging rights — for the whole year!"

In the end, though, the group took the title, with a display that featured duck decoys in different positions for the 12 days of Christmas coming in second.

The opposition, though, was gracious in their defeat.

"It was good fun, and if we had to lose to anyone, the IT group did an awesome job, so it's all good," said Dave Howerter.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Poltergeist behaviour haunts St. John's family

A doll that won't stay in the same location and other strange happenings are giving a St. John's family goosebumps.

Judy Ryan, her partner and her four sons moved into a home in the East Meadows neighbourhood in the east end of St. John's last month. The house — built in the 70s — is an ordinary home in a nice neighbourhood, but Ryan's son Julian noticed strange things happening shortly after the move.

A small yellow doll that Julian, 17, made in Home Ec class ended up on his pillow instead of in the nightstand where it was usually kept.

"I tried to talk to Julian, it's nothing, maybe he's hallucinating. I came downstairs because he was afraid to come down and I came in his room and you have to understand his doors were locked into his basement in-law apartment right?" Ryan said.

"When I came down and I shook the bed covers looking for the doll, underneath the pillow and I couldn't find it, so I looked under the bed. It wasn't under the bed so I started opening the drawers and it's back in the drawers, so I took the doll. As I entered the room I had these shivers come up my spine and it was just really creepy, you get goosebumps like I have right now cause I'm in his room."

She hid the doll again in the library area of the house.

" We went around about our own things throughout the day and as I was going upstairs to put my seven-year-old to bed, the doll was on my pillow, it was in my bedroom on top of my pillow on my side of the bed," she said.

Ryan said that freaked her out. She also thought maybe the kids were playing a prank, but didn't truly believe that.

"So I took the doll again and I hid it again in another spot underneath the sink in sort of like - I have a dressing area," she said.

"I came back and that doll was downstairs in front of my son Adrian's bedroom door. And my son Julian came back and the lamps were tipped over in his bedroom and his skateboard was on top of his TV which is a very large TV."

She said her son Adrian, 14, feels as though he's being followed, and has heard the handle on his closet jiggling. Ryan has also heard a tap-tapping from the main floor at night.

Julian and his mother said they've both been in his bedroom when the radio is off and then they hear static coming from it. They say there's a constant chill in the basement — they blast the heat but yet it never truly gets warm

A friend of Evans posted an entry about the house on Facebook. He received a lot of responses — everything from advising the friend to move, contacting a medium or setting up a camera to record any activity. People also shared their stories of odd happenings where they live.

Ryan decided to go to a psychic, Trudy Oakley who reads cards and says she can see spirits and talk to them. Judy recorded the reading. It went on for awhile, but here's a little of it.

"There's actually two girls in your house. One is older. One is three and one is seven. The other girl, there's the older lady, there's two little girls here, not one. One is three and one is seven. The seven year old is the one looking for her father, the three year old is fooling around with your youngsters," Oakley told Ryan in a recorded reading.

"The seven year old is more, she kind of says, 'stop.' You know, but it's the three year old who's moving everything. (She wants attention?) No, she wants your child to know that here's your dolly."

The psychic told Ryan that the spirits were dead about 70 years even though the house hasn't been there that long. She thinks they may have come with Ryan from somewhere else. Oakley said she thinks the father possibly died during WW2 and the mother and two children also died around that time but are separated from him.

Right now the family is planning to stay put. They are slowly adjusting to the weird presence in the home. However, Ryan says they may contact a priest or use a medium to try to clear the home of whatever is there.

22.55 | 0 komentar | Read More

Edmonton grandmother knits 1,000 hats for the homeless

Jane Van Zyll Langhout, an 85-year-old grandmother, first learned to knit as a young girl in Holland.

However, when her husband passed away 25 years ago, she started to knit more.

"It [got] really lonely, and then I started knitting. I did it for the neighbourhood mostly," she said.

Now, she knits every day.

"I could almost do it with my eyes closed" she said. "Touques are easy to make … and the older I get the more I like to sit down."

For the second year in a row, she is using her talent and passion to give back, donating 1,000 hand-knit touques to the Share the Warmth Campaign.

To prepare for this year's donation, Van Zyll Langhout spent about eight hours every day knitting, usually completing three hats a day.

The campaign was first started by retired NAIT teacher Gordon Smith 10 years ago when he heard there was a need for socks in the homeless community.

Wanting to help, Smith asked around for donations.

"All of a sudden I got two or three pairs of socks. Then 50 pairs, then 500 pairs – and then all of a sudden I'm in the sock business," he said.

Since then, Share the Warmth has expanded to include socks, scarves, mittens and touques – all of which are donated to shelters across the city.

This year, the campaign has also gathered more than 2,000 warm clothing items for Edmonton's homeless.

When asked if she was going to take a break from knitting after making her donation, Van Zyll Langhout smiled.

"I already made 20 other ones at home, after this."

• On mobile? You can see how much yarn Van Zyll Langhout used here

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See how your province or territory stacks up — in Lego

A Nova Scotia photographer is taking Lego to a whole new level.

Jeff Friesen has built and photographed a Lego scene for every province and territory and American state.

"Most of the work in making this series is finding bricks," Friesen says. "It never seems to be as big as a pile as I need it to be. Sometimes I'm looking for a piece, and this isn't organized Lego, this is just a big bin of it."

Friesen credits his daughter as his source of inspiration.

His creative process is somewhat whimsical.

Friesen describes the process behind the scene for Nunavut, which shows two Inuit paddling a boat near an iceberg:

"I was going to have them paddling a piece of ice and then I always like to add something extra to the idea so I thought 'Oh wouldn't it be funny if the ice was shaped like a gondola from Venice?' Then I thought I would add a moonlit sky."

He would have liked to make an igloo for Nunavut, he says, but the medium is challenging.

"Again it goes back to the bricks," he says. "I'm somewhat limited by the bricks that we have."  

Friesen calls his work "The Brick Fantastic project." The photographs are available for sale online.

The Brick Fantastic is not officially endorsed by the Lego company.

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Nova Scotians can be forced to shovel snow under old law

Nova Scotians complaining about the state of the province's roads in the wake of Sunday's winter storm should be careful how much they grumble.

An old law still on the province's books can order "all physically fit male persons" between 16 and 60 years of age to shovel out highways made impassable by snow. At some point the law was amended to include women, too.

And for those conscripted, don't be a shovel scofflaw. The financial penalty if you don't show up for duty is paltry in today's money, between $5 and $10. But if you don't pay you could end up in the slammer for 10 days.

Snowplows have long taken care of clearing highways, of course. The province's Transportation Department says it's not certain when the legislation was used to send out a shovel brigade, but safe to say it was some time ago.

The law is still in place simply because no one has bothered to remove it.

"It's good entertainment for everyone. We never use it," assures Barb Baillie, executive director of maintenance and operations at Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Joan Dawson, author of the book Nova Scotia's Lost Highways, said statutory labour was introduced in Nova Scotia in 1761. Settlers, for example, were responsible for clearing roads in their community.

But she's "amazed" the highway shovelling law still exists.

"In the old days they used wooden shovels and sometimes they got out teams of oxen or horses to beat the roads down," Dawson said.

Some people out shovelling their sidewalks Wednesday were also mystified to hear that such a law is still in place.

But one of them, Craig Brown, said his wife's grandfather used to drive in from Musquodoboit Harbour after storms, picking up men with shovels along the way.

They then loaded dump trucks with sand, shovelling it by hand, and spread it on local roads.

A lot has changed since then.

"With man-made machines things got a bit easier," Brown said. "But people still cry for you to get it done."

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Quest for a new gerbil takes breeder to Regina

Trina Ng's fascination with gerbils has prompted her to move to Canada from the Far East in her quest to breed the furry creatures.

Ng is from Singapore, a part of the world where gerbils are not popular as pets.

"They see a gerbil, they just think 'That's a rat, that's a mouse,'" Ng told CBC News. "To Chinese, rats and mice are not very desirable."

But Ng, 21, has a deep affinity for the gerbil and is especially keen to breed different strains. In her native land, however, the gene pool just isn't diverse enough to satisfy her curiosity.

"Most people in Singapore don't keep gerbils," she explained. "Gerbils are quite rare in Singapore. Pet shops sometimes don't even know of them."

Ng took up studies at Western University in Ontario as a foreign exchange student, however, and now she is able to carry her gerbils to a much wider breeding stock. Ng says shipping gerbils is next to impossible, so she ends up escorting them for breeding opportunities.

Even that is something of a logistics chore, as she must ensure she uses an airline that will accept gerbils for transport and has planes with heated cargo holds.

Her most recent quest for a new gerbil has taken her to Regina, where she discovered some rare stock — the coveted blue gerbil that is usually found in Europe.

Ng was eager to breed a blue gerbil with one of her own, another rare example because it has what is known as the underwhite gene. She found the Regina blue gerbils through the internet and contacted owners Shayna Close and her mother Johanna, who are also enthusiastic gerbil fanciers.

"We had maybe about 20, for a long time," Shayna Close says. "Everybody knew about it, and I was the crazy gerbil person in school."

Their most recent acquisition, the blue gerbil, is rare in Canada.

"It's a nice colour," Johanna says. "They're interesting because they come in a whole bunch of shades and they actually change colour over time."

Ng believes that no one has ever crossed the blue gerbil with the underwhite gerbil.

The animals have been together for about a week.

If all goes according to nature, the new gerbil pups could be born 25 days after a successful mating.

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Married couple fabricate stolen Christmas gifts story

A married couple from Mississauga, Ont., have been charged with public mischief, after police say they falsely claimed that Christmas gifts fell out of their vehicle and were subsequently stolen during a bizarre incident that never occurred.

Peel Regional Police say that a man and woman showed up at a collision reporting centre on Monday, claiming that their vehicle had been damaged when ice fell off a transport truck on the weekend.

The couple told police that the ice struck and broke their rear window which caused the vehicle to lose control near Hurontario Road and Ray Lawson Boulevard in Brampton.

Police were also told that a bag of Christmas gifts fell from the vehicle, which the couple claimed was then stolen by "unknown parties."

But after police began probing the alleged damage and thefts, the man admitted to having "fabricated" the theft and the story of what happened to the vehicle.

Const. George Tudos told CBC News that in terms of the damaged vehicle, police are confident that the man's story ""didn't add up."

The accused — a 37-year-old man and 47-year-old woman — are due to appear in a Brampton court in January.

Police are looking to hear from anyone who might have information that could assist them with this case. Investigators can be reached at 905-453-2121, ext. 2233, though tips can also be passed on anonymously through Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Tudos said that when the media initially reported on the story the couple had put forward, there was a great outpouring of support from community members who wanted to help out that family.

When CBC News talked to people on the street about the story of the gifts that weren't actually stolen, several people said they found the whole situation "sad."

Tudos said police don't want to discourage the public from donating to charities, though anyone reaching into their pocket should carefully consider who they are supporting.

08.04 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nova Scotians can be forced to shovel snow under old law

Nova Scotians complaining about the state of the province's roads in the wake of Sunday's winter storm should be careful how much they grumble.

An old law still on the province's books can order "all physically fit male persons" between 16 and 60 years of age to shovel out highways made impassable by snow. At some point the law was amended to include women, too.

And for those conscripted, don't be a shovel scofflaw. The financial penalty if you don't show up for duty is paltry in today's money, between $5 and $10. But if you don't pay you could end up in the slammer for 10 days.

Snowplows have long taken care of clearing highways, of course. The province's Transportation Department says it's not certain when the legislation was used to send out a shovel brigade, but safe to say it was some time ago.

The law is still in place simply because no one has bothered to remove it.

"It's good entertainment for everyone. We never use it," assures Barb Baillie, executive director of maintenance and operations at Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Joan Dawson, author of the book Nova Scotia's Lost Highways, said statutory labour was introduced in Nova Scotia in 1761. Settlers, for example, were responsible for clearing roads in their community.

But she's "amazed" the highway shovelling law still exists.

"In the old days they used wooden shovels and sometimes they got out teams of oxen or horses to beat the roads down," Dawson said.

Some people out shovelling their sidewalks Wednesday were also mystified to hear that such a law is still in place.

But one of them, Craig Brown, said his wife's grandfather used to drive in from Musquodoboit Harbour after storms, picking up men with shovels along the way.

They then loaded dump trucks with sand, shovelling it by hand, and spread it on local roads.

A lot has changed since then.

"With man-made machines things got a bit easier," Brown said. "But people still cry for you to get it done."

08.04 | 0 komentar | Read More

McLaren aims to eliminate windshield wipers from cars

Elite sports car maker McLaren Automotive is working on a wiper-less car that uses jet-fighter technology to keep its windshield clear, the Sunday Times reports.

"The windscreen wiper is an archaic technology," Frank Stephenson, chief designer at McLaren, told the British newspaper in an interview confirming that the Surrey, U.K.-based company was working on an alternative that could start appearing in McLaren models in 2015.

McLaren makes Formula One racers and high-performance sports cars, such as the MP4-12C and the P1, which have a Canadian manufacturer's suggested retail prices of $239,400 and $1.19 million respectively.

Stephenson said he noticed the lack of wipers on some military aircraft, but it "took a lot of effort" to convince a military source to explain how such aircraft kept their windshields clear.

Visitors sit in a McLaren 12C Spider car at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition in China in November. Wiperless models of McLaren sports cars could start appearing as soon as 2015. (Reuters)

"I was told that it's not a coating on the surface but a high frequency electronic system that never fails and is constantly active," he said. "Nothing will attach to the windscreen."

Stephenson would not provide any more specifics over fears that competitors might steal the idea.

However, there has been widespread media speculation that the system would generate high-frequency sound waves or ultrasound, similar to those produced by devices that dentists used to remove tartar from people's teeth, or that are used to clean objects ranging from medical devices to jewelry.

A similar system to remove rain and snow from a windshield was patented by Tokyo-based Motoda Electronics Co. Ltd. in 1988. The device, called an "ultrasonic wiper," was to consist of vibration-generating oscillators on the top and bottom of the windshield designed to push rain and snow in particular directions. According to the Sunday Times, it is not thought to have gone into production.

Ultrasound waves can also remove dirt from surfaces that are covered in water, as the vibrations cause the production and collapse of tiny bubbles that lift up and peel away anything attached to the surface.

Traditional windshield wiper technology is more than a century old. The idea of using a rubber blade on the windshield to clear off rain and snow was conceived by an American woman named Mary Anderson in 1903. That was five years before Henry Ford created the Model T. Anderson received a patent for her device, which was controlled by a lever inside the car, in 1905.

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Mary Poppins, Pulp Fiction preserved for future audiences

Just in time for a new movie about the making of Mary Poppins, the 1964 Disney classic starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke has been selected for preservation at the U.S. Library of Congress so future generations can see it.

On Wednesday, the library is inducting 25 films into the National Film Registry to be preserved for their cultural, historical or cinematic significance. This year's selections include Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the space race film The Right Stuff, and Michael Moore's documentary confronting the auto industry, Roger and Me.

Curators said it was a coincidence that they selected Mary Poppins just ahead of its 50th anniversary and during the release of the new Disney film Saving Mr. Banks, which is about the making of the movie. Steve Leggett, program coordinator for the library's National Film Preservation Board, said Mary Poppins had been on the short list of picks many times before.

"It's just a title that everyone has seen and recognizes, and the musical numbers and just the Julie Andrews and the shim-shim-a-ree — it's just become a real, imbued part of our culture," he said.

The films chosen this year span from 1919 to 2002 and include Hollywood classics, documentaries, silent films, independent flicks and experimental pictures. Congress created the program in 1989 to ensure that gems from American movie history are preserved for years to come.

Some are chosen for their influence on movies that would follow, as with Pulp Fiction from 1994. The film board called it a milestone for independent cinema, and Leggett noted Tarantino's "stylized violence and kind of strangeness" in the cinematography.

Older films often become endangered of being lost, said Librarian of Congress James Billington, "so we must protect the nation's matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity."

This year's selections represent the "extreme vitality and diversity of American film heritage," Leggett said. Many illustrate American culture and society from their times, he said.

The oldest films joining the registry this year are from the silent era. They include 1920's Daughter of Dawn, which featured an all-Native-American cast of Comanche and Kiowa people, with a fictional love story and a record of Native American traditions of the time. The 1919 silent film A Virtuous Vamp, a spoof on workplace romance, made Constance Talmadge an early film star. And Ella Cinders from 1926 featured the famous actress Colleen Moore.

Earlier this month, the library released a study that found 70 percent of America's feature-length silent films have already been lost.

'Over the years, [Roger and Me] has received many acknowledgements, but this is certainly the one I cherish the most'- director Michael Moore

Other notable selections this year include the 1956 science-fiction film Forbidden Planet, which depicted humans as space travellers to another planet ahead of the real space race to the moon; the popular Western The Magnificent Seven from 1960; and the 1946 film Gilda, which is the first in the registry featuring actress Rita Hayworth. Also included is the 1966 adaptation of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, starring the real-life couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The movie earned Oscar nominations for them both, a win for Taylor, and launched the screen-directing career of Mike Nichols.

Original prints of even newer movies, such as Michael Moore's Roger and Me from 1989, have become endangered. In a statement to the library, Moore said he learned last year that there were no more usable prints left of his film about the hemorrhaging of jobs at General Motors in Flint, Mich.

"Over the years, this movie has received many acknowledgements, but this is certainly the one I cherish the most," Moore said of the movie's selection for preservation.

"The true regret I have is that the cities of Flint and Detroit, which are at the center of my film, are now in much worse shape — as is the American middle class in general."

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How to catch a bobcat, step 1: Deploy window blinds

When a wayward bobcat got caught up in some window blinds, one RCMP officer MacGyvered a solution with two broom sticks, a knife, and of course, a roll of duct tape.

The incident began on Friday afternoon in Nelson, B.C., when Leanne Kalabis, who has a young son and is five months pregnant, heard strange noises coming from her basement.

She caught a glimpse of a furry face and thought it might have been a lost domestic cat, but when she went downstairs with her dog to investigate, it turned out to be a wild one.

"That's definitely not a house cat... that's definitely a bobcat," she recalled thinking.

Her dog gave chase and got a little scratched up, and the bobcat then scaled a wall and made it to the top of a window, where it caught up in the blinds.

Hissing and lunging for the dog, Kalabis said it became "quite entangled," and she decided to call for help.

"What do I do? I've got a bobcat in my basement," she said.

She called over a neighbour, who agreed the bobcat was going nowhere fast, and then the Mounties. The RCMP officer who responded had to improvise.

"He initially thought maybe he could put a blanket over the bob cat and try to get it out this way. But realised quickly that it was very distraught and very vicious — Its claws were coming out and it was hissing," Kalabis said.

Instead, the officer MacGyvered a solution. 

"He very creatively thought to put two broomsticks together, tape them with duct tape, put his knife on the end and was able to, from a corner, get the stick close enough to the blinds where he could cut the blinds and free the bobcat," she said.

The bobcat dropped from the cut blinds, ran at a few windows trying to get out, and then found the basement door and made it outside.

Kalabis said the whole incident was very surreal, and that she will be double-checking that her basement door — which she thinks blew open earlier in the day — stays closed from now on. 

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As NORAD tracks Santa, critics track NORAD

The U.S. and Canadian military will entertain millions of kids again this Christmas Eve with second-by-second updates on Santa's global whereabouts. But there's something new this year: Public criticism.

A children's advocacy group says an animated video on the NORAD Tracks Santa website injects militarism into Christmas by showing fighter jets escorting Santa's sleigh. It's a rare swipe at the popular program, which last year attracted a record 22.3 million unique visitors from around the world to its website.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command defends the video as non-threatening and safe for kids.

The kerfuffle erupted two weeks ago over a 39-second video on noradsanta.org called "NORAD Tracks Santa Trailer Video 2013."

A 5-second segment of the video — which is also available on youtube.com — shows two fighter jets flanking Santa.

The Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood said the video brings violence and militarism to a beloved tradition. Others had similar criticism. Blogs and Twitter lit up with volleys from both sides.

Josh Golin, the coalition's associate director, reiterated his criticism in an interview with The Associated Press — but he called the brouhaha "a media-manufactured controversy." The coalition hadn't known about the fighter jet video until reporters called, he said.

"Nobody in my organization was out there protesting," he said.

U.S. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a NORAD spokesman, said he understands the critics' point of view but disagrees.

"We really do feel strongly that it's something that is safe and non-threatening, and not something that would negatively impact children," he said. "In fact, we think that it's a lot of fun."

Davis said the fighter escort is nothing new. NORAD began depicting jets accompanying Santa and his reindeer in the 1960s, he said.

And he insisted the fighters in the video are unarmed: They're Canadian Air Force CF-18s, with a large external fuel tank under the belly that might look like a bomb. The wing racks that would carry bombs or missiles are empty, he explained.

The flap has driven lots of viewers to the video — nearly 265,000 on YouTube by midday Monday.

"That's way off the charts for any other videos we've done before," Davis said.

A second video on noradsanta.org and on YouTube, "NORAD Tracks Santa Command Video 2013," has drawn nearly 122,000 views. It's a longer, fast-paced mix of animation and real-life footage billed as a test flight for Santa, who gets the military tag "Big Red One."

"This is very much a fun and safe and nonviolent site that children of all ages can visit," Davis said. "Parents can be confident their children will walk away (and) have had fun and potentially have learned something, too."

NORAD is a U.S.-Canadian operation based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. It's charged with defending the skies over both nations and monitoring sea approaches.

The Santa program began in 1955 when a typo in a local newspaper advertisement had children calling the hotline of NORAD's predecessor, asking to talk to Santa.

It's now a Christmas tradition that thrills millions of kids, and parents. Last year, global monitoring of Santa's voyage logged 114,000 phone calls to NORAD, 1.2 million Facebook followers and 129,000 Twitter followers.

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1959 message in a bottle a clue to glacier melt

Ward Hunt Island is one of Canada's most northerly pieces of land.

​In the High Arctic, it's not unusual to find a cairn of rocks built by human hands, even somewhere as remote as Ward Hunt Island, which sits off the northern coast of Canada's most northerly Arctic Island, Ellesmere. The nearest community is tiny Grise Fiord, Nunavut (pop. 150) 800 km to the south, and many who travel to these distant realms feel an urge to leave something behind.

But the message found in a bottle there this summer sent shivers through the spines of a team of scientists.

"It was really quite extraordinary to be holding that piece of paper in my hands," says Dr. Warwick Vincent, who led a team of scientists to Laval University's remote research station established on the island in 2010. "It was like a message from the past."

American geologist Paul T. Walker showed unusual foresight by leaving a message in a bottle designed to document the retreat of a glacier. Click for larger image. (Denis Sarrazin CEN/ArcticNet)

The note was signed by Paul T. Walker, an American geologist who'd been on the site in July 10, 1959. It left detailed instructions asking whoever found it to measure the distance between another cairn and the glacier.

In 1959, the distance between the cairn and the glacier was 1.2 metres. This summer it was 101.5 metres.

Ian Howat is an associate professor at Ohio State University, where Walker was working at the time. He says it took foresight to leave the note to measure how far the glacier had moved.

"You weren't going to get any proposals funded to study deglaciation in the 1950s, so if anything, most scientists would think their cairn and their message in a bottle would be overridden by the advance of the glacier, not a marker for retreat."

Walker never heard from anyone.

Exactly one month after he wrote the note, he had to be flown out after he became paralyzed by a brain seizure.

He died a few months later in hospital. He was 27.

After reading and photographing the message, Vincent and his team put it back and added their own, that they hope will also receive a response sometime in the future.

 

 

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How to catch a bobcat, step 1: Deploy window blinds

An RCMP officer used two broomsticks, a knife and a roll of duct tape to free a bobcat trapped in the blinds of a home in Nelson, B.C.

The incident began on Friday afternoon when Leanne Kalabis, who has a young son and is five months pregnant, heard strange noises coming from her basement.

She caught a glimpse of a furry face and thought it might have been a lost domestic cat, but when she went downstairs with her dog to investigate, it turned out to be a wild one.

"That's definitely not a house cat... that's definitely a bobcat," she recalled thinking.

Her dog gave chase and got a little scratched up, and the bobcat then scaled a wall and made it to the top of a window, where it caught up in the blinds.

Hissing and lunging for the dog, Kalabis said it became "quite entangled," and she decided to call for help.

"What do I do? I've got a bobcat in my basement," she said.

She called over a neighbour, who agreed the bobcat was going nowhere fast, and then the Mounties. The RCMP officer who responded had to improvise.

"He initially thought maybe he could put a blanket over the bob cat and try to get it out this way. But realised quickly that it was very distraught and very vicious — Its claws were coming out and it was hissing," Kalabis said.

Instead, the officer MacGyvered a solution. 

"He very creatively thought to put two broomsticks together, tape them with duct tape, put his knife on the end and was able to, from a corner, get the stick close enough to the blinds where he could cut the blinds and free the bobcat," she said.

The bobcat dropped from the cut blinds, ran at a few windows trying to get out, and then found the basement door and made it outside.

Kalabis said the whole incident was very surreal, and that she will be double-checking that her basement door — which she thinks blew open earlier in the day — stays closed from now on. 

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Supersonic sketches capture the art of flying a CF-18

A Vancouver artist says he became the first person to make art while flying at supersonic speeds when he was allowed to fly on board a CF-18 fighter jet.

Michael Markowsky got the chance as part of  the Canadian Forces' Artist Program, which supports Canadian artists who wish to contribute to the history of the Canadian Forces.

"My goal is to convey the experience of travelling at the speed of sound, so that all Canadians can share in my experience," he told CBC News in an email.

While he was up in the clouds in Canada's most sophisticated front-line combat aircraft, a RCAF CF-18 Hornet fighter jet plane, Markowsky managed to sketch 100 drawings of the 90-minute flight.

Markowsky said the drawings will inform his creation of a 21-metre long mural and a life-size wooden sculpture based on a CF-18 that is intended to be something that can be climbed on and in.

Flying in a fighter jet is something Markowsky says he's wanted to do since he was a kid going to air shows. 

"I was finally able to achieve my dream," Markowsky said in an interview with CBC Radio's Rick Cluff on The Early Edition.

Michael Markowsky is seen sketching while in-flight in a CF-18 Hornet fighter jet. The drawings will inform a mural and life-size sculpture he will be creating, and footage from the experience is to become part of a short film about the project. (Michael Markowsky/YouTube)

But getting the permission for July's 90-minute flight did not happen overnight. Markowsky worked on his proposal with the Canadian Armed Forces for five years, and underwent six months of extensive training before he even got on base.

"It's probably the first time an artist has had to physically train!"

Flying with a qualified military pilot from the armed forces, Markowsky says he was able to take control of the plane at times, proudly noting he was able to do a "loop-de-loop."

He says people in the forces were initially skeptical of his plan, but they appreciated the art afterwards.

As part of an accompanying documentary project, the experience was recorded as digital video and a teaser trailer with some of the footage has been posted to YouTube.

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6,000 people dressed as Santa Claus run in Spain

Around 6,000 people dressed as Santa Claus and his elves have run a "mini-marathon" through the streets of Madrid to promote festive cheer as the country tries to emerge from a two-year recession.

While grown-ups dressed in red costumes with wispy white beards, children donned green elf outfits to run the 5.5-kilometre course through the city centre.

The race was organized Saturday by one of Spain's leading department stores and it contributed 1 € (or about $1.34 US) for each entrant to a charity that buys Christmas presents for deprived children around the world.

Javier Menendez, one of the runners, said he was surprised at the number of people who have donned the robes for the run.

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MDs say James Bond an impotent alcoholic unfit for 'defusing a nuclear bomb'

He may have a license to kill, but is James Bond sober enough to shoot?
 
British doctors who carefully read Ian Fleming's series of James Bond novels say the celebrated spy regularly drank more than four times the recommended limit of alcohol per week. Their research was published in the light-hearted Christmas edition of the medical journal BMJ on Thursday.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in the action adventure film, "Skyfall" in a film image released by Columbia Pictures. The level of functioning Bond displayed in the books is inconsistent with the physical, mental and sexual functioning expected from someone drinking so much alcohol, British doctors say. (Francois Duhamel/Sony Pictures/Associated Press)

 
Dr. Patrick Davies and colleagues at Nottingham University Hospital analyzed 14 James Bond books and documented every drink Bond had. They also noted days when he was unable to drink, such as when he was hospitalized, in rehab or imprisoned.
 
The academics found that the spy also known as 007 drank about 92 units of alcohol a week; more than four times the safe amount recommended by the British government.
 
One unit is about eight grams of pure alcohol. A pint of beer has three units of alcohol, about the same as a large glass of wine.
 
Bond's drinking habits put him at high risk for numerous alcohol-related diseases and an early alcohol-related death, the authors write.
 
"The level of functioning as displayed in the books is inconsistent with the physical, mental and indeed sexual functioning expected from someone drinking this much alcohol," the authors conclude.
 
Davies and colleagues also suspect Bond's trademark order that his martinis be "shaken, not stirred" may have been because he had an alcohol-induced tremor and was simply unable to stir his drinks.
 
They noted his biggest daily drinking binge was in the book, From Russia with Love, when he downed nearly 50 units of alcohol. They also suspected alcohol may have been a factor in Casino Royale, when he knocked back 39 units before getting into a high-speed car chase, lost control and crashed the car.
 
The authors recognized that Bond's high-stress job may have also driven him over the edge.
 
"Although we appreciate the societal pressures to consume alcohol when working with international terrorists and high stakes gamblers, we would advise Bond be referred for further assessment of his alcohol intake," they concluded.

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Zebra on the loose in Tennessee

Tennessee Bradley County dispatchers say they've had several people call to report sightings of a Zebra near homes, businesses and even a highway. (The Roanoke Times/Stephanie Klein-Davis/Associated Press)

The black-and-white-striped animal that's been spotted at different places around a Tennessee town isn't a funny-looking horse.

Nope, there's a zebra loose in East Tennessee.

Bradley County dispatchers say they've had several people call to report sightings of the animal — near homes, businesses and even a highway.

Although some people have tried to catch him, the animal named Zeek has remained elusive.

Zeek's owner, Ronald Price, told WRCB-TV  that the animal escaped from his farm in Cleveland about three weeks ago by jumping a high fence.

Price says he's keeping a watch out and hopes that someone is able to help Zeek return home safely.

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WestJet 'Christmas miracle' video warms hearts on social media

More than 250 passengers on Calgary-bound flights were part of a "Christmas miracle" put on by WestJet. 

The Calgary-based airline had a virtual Santa ask passengers what they wanted for Christmas as they scanned their boarding passes at a kiosk in Toronto and Hamilton. 

While the flights were en route, 175 WestJet volunteers gathered gifts from Best Buy and CrossIron Mills. 

Once at the Calgary International Airport, passengers' asked-for items started filling up the baggage carousel. 

In a blog post explaining the video, WestJet's sponsorship lead Greg Plata wrote they would give away holiday flights to a family in need if the company cracked its goal of 200,000 views — which the video met Monday evening around 7:30 p.m.

"In early August, we sat down with our friends at Studio M and started brainstorming what 'giving' looked like at its best. We wanted to do something big, exciting and fresh," wrote Plata. 

Studio M is a digital production company based out of Toronto. 

The airline tried a similar stunt last year, when passengers going from Calgary to Toronto were surprised by a flash mob of singing and dancing elves. 

The 2013 video, which was posted Sunday, made quite a splash online Monday afternoon. 

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Titan Arm: a cheap, light exoskeleton for everyone

Need a hand lifting something? A robotic device invented by University of Pennsylvania engineering students can help its wearer carry an additional 18 kilograms.

Titan Arm looks and sounds like part of a superhero's costume. But its creators say it's designed for ordinary people —those who need either physical rehabilitation or a little extra muscle for their job.

In technical terms, the apparatus is an untethered, upper-body exoskeleton; to the layman, it's essentially a battery-powered arm brace attached to a backpack. Either way, Titan Arm's cost-efficient design has won the team accolades and at least $75,000 in prize money.

"They built something that people can relate to," said Robert Carpick, chairman of Penn's mechanical engineering department. "And of course it appeals clearly to what we've all seen in so many science-fiction movies of superhuman strength being endowed by an exoskeleton."

The project builds on existing studies of such body equipment, sometimes called "wearable robots." Research companies have built lower-body exoskeletons that help paralyzed people walk, though current models aren't approved for retail and can cost $50,000 to $100,000.

Prosthetic aid, injury prevention

The Penn students were moved by the power of that concept — restoring mobility to those who have suffered traumas — as well as the idea of preventing injuries in those who perform repetitive heavy-lifting tasks, team member Nick Parrotta said. 

"When we started talking to physical therapists and prospective users, or people who have gone through these types of injuries, we just kept on getting more and more motivated," said Parrotta, now in graduate school at the university.

So for their senior capstone project last year, Parrotta and classmates Elizabeth Beattie, Nick McGill and Niko Vladimirov set out to develop an affordable, lightweight suit for the right arm. 

They modeled pieces using 3-D printers and computer design programs, eventually making most components out of aluminum, Beattie said.

The final product cost less than $2,000 and weighs eight kilogram — less than the backpack that Beattie usually carries.

A handheld joystick controls motorized cables that raise and lower the arm; sensors measure the wearer's range of motion to help track rehab progress.

From soldiers to seniors

Since its unveiling, Titan Arm has won the $10,000 Intel Cornell Cup USA and the $65,000 James Dyson Award. The resulting publicity generated a slew of interest from potential users, including grandparents who find it hard to lift their grandchildren.

"We found out that some people can't even lift a cast-iron pan to cook dinner," McGill said.

Experts say the aging population represents a potentially big customer base for exoskeletons, which originally were researched for military applications.

"There is certainly a market, but it's slowly emerging because the systems are not perfect as yet," said Paolo Bonato, director of the Motion Analysis Lab at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

Titan Arm's design impressed Yong-Lae Park, an assistant professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh who watched a video demonstration. He noted, though, that its low cost represent parts only, not the salaries or marketing built into the price of other products.

Park's research is focused on making exoskeletons less noticeable — "more like a Spider-Man suit than an Iron Man suit," he said.

The Titan team hopes to refine its prototype, although three members are now busy with graduate studies at Penn and one is working on the West Coast.

Among the considerations, Parrotta said, are different control strategies and more innovative materials and manufacturing. 

And, of course, a second arm.

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Charlie Brown's Christmas drummer returns after 48 years

For the first time in almost 50 years, the legendary jazz drummer behind Charlie Brown's Christmas special played the music that has moved generations.

Jerry Granelli played drums in the Vince Guaraldi Trio for the first airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965. He didn't play it again until this weekend. 

On Sunday, the Halifax man took to the stage for a reprise. He's the last surviving member of the trio that created the music.

"I haven't done it in 48 years. There are so many memories. All my friends who were on it are dead," he reflected in true Charlie Brown style.

He also played it Saturday as part of the Ottawa Children's Festival. 

Granelli was 24 when he performed the track the first time. He had just landed the gig with Guaraldi, who was riding a major hit. "A lot of people wanted that job, but I got it," he told the audience at Halifax's Spatz Theatre.  

The trio hadn't seen the show and it hadn't been narrated, so they composed and played on their own. "We were just trying to play good music," he said.

'It's wonderful. I'm just trying to not drop the drumstick.'- Jerry Granelli

They wrote the soundtrack, but "nobody wanted it."

Critics said the show was too religious and the jazz music too cutting edge. But 15 million Americans tuned in to the first CBS airing — almost half of all possible viewers. It became an instant classic and has aired every Christmas since.

So why hasn't Granelli played it since?

"I think I was a little too serious and immature, but this had a life of its own. It crept up on me," he said.

He recorded 25 albums and went deep into his own jazz before returning at age 72 to take the stage and play Charlie Brown's music. He received a standing ovation, which was extra special coming from his home audience.

"It was really fun," Granelli said backstage. "As long as it works its magic, we'll keep on doing it. It's wonderful. I'm just trying to not drop the drumstick."

He admitted that for his artistic temperament, a warm reception can be harder to take than rejection. But in old age, he's come back to the music that means so much to so many. He might even play it again next Christmas.

"What really touches me is that people know that music, and they enjoy it," he said. 

The performance was part of JazzEast's winter fundraiser and the money went to music education programs. Granelli was joined by Simon Fisk (bass) and Chris Gestrin (piano). 

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–93.2 C: Antarctica sets new cold weather record

A satellite view of Antarctica is seen in this undated NASA handout photo obtained by Reuters in February 2012. (NASA/Reuters)

Newly analyzed data from East Antarctica say the remote region has set a record for soul-crushing cold.

The record is minus 135.8 Fahrenheit (minus 93.2 Celsius).

A new look at NASA satellite data revealed that Earth set a new record for coldest temperature recorded. It happened in August 2010 when it hit –135.8 F (–93.2 C). Then on July 31 of this year, it came close again: –135.3 F (–92.9 C).

The old record had been –128.6 F (–89.2 C).

Ice scientist Ted Scambos at the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced the cold facts at the American Geophysical Union scientific meeting in San Francisco Monday.

"It's more like you'd see on Mars on a nice summer day in the poles," Scambos said, from the American Geophysical Union scientific meeting in San Francisco Monday, where he announced the data. "I'm confident that these pockets are the coldest places on Earth."

However, it won't be in the Guinness Book of World Records because these were satellite measured, not from thermometers, Scambos said.

"Thank God, I don't know how exactly it feels," Scambos said. But he said scientists do routinely make naked –100 F (–73 C) dashes outside in the South Pole as a stunt, so people can survive that temperature for about three minutes.

Most of the time researchers need to breathe through a snorkel that brings air into the coat through a sleeve and warms it up "so you don't inhale by accident" the cold air, Scambos said.

Waleed Abdalati, an ice scientist at the University of Colorado and NASA's former chief scientist, and Scambos said this is likely an unusual random reading in a place that hasn't been measured much before and could have been colder or hotter in the past and we wouldn't know.

"It does speak to the range of conditions on this Earth, some of which we haven't been able to observe," Abdalati said.

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Christmas tree too big? Go through the roof

CBC News Posted: Dec 09, 2013 8:28 AM CT Last Updated: Dec 09, 2013 8:50 AM CT

A Christmas tree at a home in Winnipeg's River Heights neighbourhood is causing quite a buzz.

The tree inside Kate Pentney's house at 280 Ash Street appears to start on the main level and go through to the second floor and then out the roof.

Pentney said she got the idea from seeing it at other houses in Calgary and Europe. She said many people are stopping by and asking her about it.

"I've gotten a lot of, 'Did you cut a hole through your roof?'  And just, 'Uh, how'd you do it?' People are just curious," she said.

Pentney said they cut the tree to fit on each floor and attached the top of the tree to the roof to create the optical illusion.

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Cold-resistant cockroach from Asia found in North America

The High Line, a park that turned a dilapidated stretch of elevated railway on Manhattan's West Side into one of New York's newest tourist attractions, may have brought a different kind of visitor: a cockroach that can withstand harsh winter cold and never seen before in the U.S.

Rutgers University insect biologists Jessica Ware and Dominic Evangelista said the species Periplaneta japonica is well documented in Asia but was never confirmed in the United States until now. The scientists, whose findings were published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, say it is too soon to predict the impact but that there is probably little cause for concern.

"Because this species is very similar to cockroach species that already exist in the urban environment," Evangelista said, "they likely will compete with each other for space and for food."

That competition, Ware said, will likely keep the population low, "because more time and energy spent competing means less time and energy to devote to reproduction."

Michael Scharf, a professor of urban entomology at Purdue University, said the discovery is something to monitor.

"To be truly invasive, a species has to move in and take over and out-compete a native species," he said. "There's no evidence of that, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned about it."

The newcomer was first spotted in New York in 2012, by an exterminator working on the High Line.

The scientists suspect the little critter was likely a stowaway in the soil of ornamental plants used to adorn the park. "Many nurseries in the United States have some native plants and some imported plants," Ware said. "It's not a far stretch to picture that that is the source."

Periplaneta japonica has special powers not seen in the local roach population: It can survive outdoors in the freezing cold.

"There has been some confirmation that it does very well in cold climates, so it is very conceivable that it could live outdoors during winter in New York," Ware said. "I could imagine japonica being outside and walking around, though I don't know how well it would do in dirty New York snow."

The likelihood that the new species will mate with the locals to create a hybrid super-roach is slim.

"The male and female genitalia fit together like a lock and key, and that differs by species," Evangelista says. "So we assume that one won't fit the other."

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