Category: Weather

Thursday, 16 October, 2014  -( 70˚F / 21˚C –  & cloudy  @ 12:00 pm near Ithaca )-  { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson & jim wellington }

{ We’ve been doing this because we believe the CBC may be more honest and more respectable than Media in the U.S.A., & not a lot of people in the U.S. may know that or have access to anyone who might point them toward the CBC & their web site. }

{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news.— & You can also find a link to the web cast of the most recent broadcast of “The National” the CBC’s ‘flagship nightly newscast’ under the “Must Watch” heading on their main page. — Thanks. — & Jim W convinced me to take credit for this, above.  ———djo——— }

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Thursday, October 9, 2014 –  would have been John Lennon’s 74th birthday.

Both Jim W and I have had really weird stuff happening with our computers yesterday and today. Unwanted pop ups, unwanted new browser pages telling us we have an outdated version of firfox with serious security issues  and need to download the fix without telling us what that fix is or should be- And we both coincidentally downloaded and updated those browsers to version 33 yesterday. Whattaya think? are we under attack here? Tune in later folks, maybe we’ll know in a couple hours.  ———djo———

{  This from Variety: “No amount of familiarity with whistleblower Edward Snowden and his shocking revelations of the U.S. government’s wholesale spying on its own citizens can prepare one for the impact of Laura Poitras’ extraordinary documentary “Citizenfour.” Far from reconstructing or analyzing a fait accompli, the film tersely records the deed in real time, as Poitras and fellow journalist Glenn Greenwald meet Snowden over an eight-day period in a Hong Kong hotel room to plot how and when they will unleash the bombshell that shook the world. Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways. (Read the full review)” —djo— }

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Lead Articles:

-Live- CDC head grilled by U.S. Congress on Dallas Ebola response   { * One of my favorited watchdogs told us last week that the federal government knew they would have someone with Ebola coming to the US and directly to Dallas. They basically knew the whole story from beginning to end six months before it happened and did nothing. I have no contacts on the ‘inside’ there to check on this, but, after listening to Remote Viewers and other scientific future checker out-ers like ‘half past human dot com’ — and others— I don’t need to take stuff like this on blind faith. If it isn’t true that somebody in government or close to government is ‘psychic’ enough to hone in on future events, then maybe somebody in a dark ops office is sitting there planning how and when to release ‘information’ or ‘disinformation’ with believable photos and ‘eyewitnesses’ ahead of time and have everything in place and ready to fly up and bite us when they believe the time is right? Remember the quote from the movie ‘The President’s Analyst’ – “I’m not paranoid! Somebody is really trying to get me!” —djo—  }

CSIS bill allows tracking suspected Canadian terrorists abroad    {  }

3 Canadians rescued, 4 among 27 dead in Nepal avalanche   {  }

25 people tested for Ebola in Canada so far; all negative   {  }

Canada to contribute $30 million more to Ebola fight: CBC     {  }

Nurse with Ebola was cleared to fly before diagnosis: CDC   {  }

-Analysis- Alberta’s hurting, but industrial Canada could benefit from oil shock  {  }

-Updated- Canada’s new anti-terror measures to boost spy agency powers   {  }

-Analysis- How the law follows the wealth gap in modern-day America: Neil Macdonald   {  }

 

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“Offbeat”

 

Puck the Bunny predicts Habs win over Bruins at home opener   {  }

Fan interrupts Florida gubernatorial debate — and electric fan {   }

Lulelemon’s Buffalo sports tribure a sheer misfire   {  }

‘Turnip for what?’: Michele Obama dances with a vegetable on Vine   {  }

-Yesterday- Squid swarm attacks research sub in Greenpeace video  { * “These squid are used to being able to eat pretty much anything they see.” * —djo—  }

 

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“Most Viewed”

5 Outrageous fees consumers are being charged  { * – Watch Marketplace’s season premiere, Canada’s Dumbest Charge, Friday Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador). Join the discussion on Twitter by using the hashtag #dumbcharge – From paying to receive a paper bill to getting charged for checking airline luggage, if there’s one thing that bothers many of us, it’s beingnickel-and-dimed with add-on fees and dumb charges. – CBC Marketplace is on the hunt for the country’s dumbest fee. Canadians submitted more than 700 complaints about fees from across the country, expressing outrage at a huge variety of charges big and small. – Marketplace narrowed the submissions down to five fees that affect most Canadians. The five finalists will be announced on the season premiere, Canada’s Dumbest Charge, and viewers can vote for which fee takes the (dubious) top honour. (The special one-hour premiere airs on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. / 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #dumbcharge.) – While Marketplace was poring through the submissions, it came across some shocking fees that seemed especially outrageous. While these didn’t make the final five, here are some of the most ridiculous fees that Canadians are paying: – The fee you didn’t expect: Charged for takeout – Want those leftovers? One submission pointed to a local restaurant’s doggy-bag fee, charging people who want to get their uneaten food wrapped up to go. – “It’s only $2, but [the restaurant] charges that much to take leftover food (not very good food) home,” the submission from Vancouver read. – The fee for doing (almost) nothing: Salad set-up fee – A woman  from Edmonton called out a catering company that charged a “salad set-up fee” of $7.50. – “When I accompanied the catering staff to the room where we were setting up for a meeting, I watched the young man with the salad – he took the plastic wrap off the bowl, and walked away. I asked him if there was anything left to do for the salad “set-up” and he said “Nope.” That was it. $7.50 to take the plastic wrap off a bowl of salad… hmmm…” – The fee that feels cruel: Permission fee to watch dog euthanization – Many people were especially upset when they were charged fees that seemed inappropriate or insulting. One man complained that when he took his dog to the vet to be euthanized, he was charged a fee because he wanted to be in the room for his pet’s last moments. That fee? $50. – The fee for absolutely every small cost: Staple and paperclip fee – One of the most ridiculous submissions takes nickel-and-diming to a new level. One man complained of being charged precise amounts for every office supply his lawyer used. – “[I was] charged separately for staples ($0.07 each) and paperclips ($0.12 each) on my legal bill for doing up a will.” – The simply unfair fee: Wheelchair taxi fee – One submission called out a cab company for charging extra to take his mobility equipment in the car. – “Taxis that charge $5.00 extra per trip because I use a wheelchair.” – (The special one-hour premiere of Marketplace, featuring Canada’s Dumbest Charge, airs on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. / 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #dumbcharge.) –   —djo— }

Ebola symptoms: What are they?   {  }

Loonie oil prices could fall much further: Don Pittis  {    }

Canada Post court challenge launched to save home mail delivery  { *”The union representing Canada’s postal workers is hoping the courts will reverse Canada Post’s decision to stop delivering mail door-to-door in urban centres. – With termination notices rolling out across the country, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, along with groups representing seniors and the disabled, are launching a Federal Court challenge. – “The reaction was immediate from every part of this country,” said Denis Lemelin, the union’s national president, at a press conference in Ottawa Thursday. – ​”Today we want to thank the people of this country, because people care about the postal service,” he said. – “Postal service is here to stay,” he said, vowing to maintain a “public post office” as well as home delivery. – Lemelin said the December 2013 decision, which was supported by the Harper government, was announced without prior consultation with the public or postal workers. – Court injunction possible – The challenge has been finalized and could be filed in Federal Court “within the week,” constitutional lawyer Paul Cavalluzzo told the press conference.  Other applicants are still deciding whether to join the case. – After the challenge has been filed, an injunction could stop service reductions until the court rules. >>—->

The case will argue:

• The elimination of mail delivery violates Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees equality rights for groups like disabled citizens.
• The decision violates the federal Human Rights Act because of its effects on employees and vulnerable citizens without prior consultation.
• Canada Post did not have the authority to declare it will no longer perform a public service that’s defined as part of the statutory monopoly it enjoys. Only the Parliament of Canada can take this decision.
• Canada has contravened its international law obligations, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires all states to provide accessible public services, and the Universal Postal Union obligations, which require all states to provide affordable and accessible service.

>>—-> “I don’t think taking away home delivery has anything to do with universality or accessibility,” Cavalluzzo said. – “If you look at their accommodation program [for vulnerable groups], it’s really a program that Canada Post is making on the fly,” he said. “It’s totally inadequate and doesn’t make any of the requisites of our human rights law.” –  The lawyer also noted that a massive review of Canada Post operations done for the Harper government in 2008 made no mention of ending delivery. – “Did you have any studies of the impact of the decision on seniors and disabled before you took the decision?” he said he wants to ask Canada Post. “Our view is that this came out of the blue.” >>—->

Businesses still served

>>—-> Cavalluzzo pointed out that businesses will continue to receive mail delivery, making them entitled to a fundamental service that individual Canadians no longer have. – “At the present time the government is hiding behind the decision of Canada Post Corporation.  They shouldn’t be let off so easily,” he said. -Seniors groups and organizations for people with disabilities are joining the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in a legal challenge to preserve home mail delivery. – The National Pensioners Federation, which says it represents 350 seniors groups and over a million Canadians, has joined the challenge because it wants to reverse what it says is a trend of erosion of services. Mail delivery, it says, is important to help seniors stay in their homes for as long as possible. – Carmela Hutchison from the Disabled Women’s Network of Canada told the press conference that community mail boxes can put personal safety at risk when vulnerable women get their mail in public, while increasing the risk of theft if they ask someone else to get their mail on their behalf. – Mail carriers can sometimes spot people in distress, she said. She’s skeptical about Canada Post’s pledges to accommodate the women she represents. – “Do we put a big handicapped sign on the door? Who approves it? The Canadian Medical Association wisely indicated it would not,” she said, adding that paying for doctor’s letters to prove special services are required can be an economic barrier. – If things proceed, Canada will be the only G8 country without home mail delivery, the union says. – The union also says 110 municipalities oppose ending home mail delivery and do not want the burden of maintaining community mailboxes along streets and sidewalks. – The labour movement and the NDP have been canvassing door-to-door with petitions to maintain the service. – Canada Post ‘confident’ – In a statement, Canada Post said it is “confident” that its plan “will withstand any and all legal scrutiny.” – “Digital alternatives are rapidly replacing traditional mail and that trend will accelerate,” the statement said. Two-thirds of Canadian households already do not receive mail delivery at their door, and the decision to discontinue the remainder was “difficult.”  – Canada Post’s accommodations program is “robust” and it spent “months” talking to human rights experts and organizations, the Crown corporation said. – “The changes being made are necessary to secure the future of postal service in Canada and avoid becoming a burden on the taxpayers.” <—-<< *** My Response to the management of Canada Post? “BULL SHIT!” *** Go read the definition of Fascism again. *** —djo— } { Go Read>>—->  CAFR1.Com }

Ebola outbreak: Priority is stopping it at the source, CDC says  {  }

Apple iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 pics leaked ahead of event   {  }

Nepal avalanche: Quebec woman says she was lucky to escape deadly slide  {  }

Mata Hari and Edith Clavell: Women, intrigue and WWI propaganda  {  }

McDonald’s coffee cup contained dead mouse, Fredericton man says  {  }

-12 photo slide show- Hong Kong pro-democracy protests   {  }

-Blog- Kissing protesters flood British grocery store to protest treatment of lesbian couple  {  }

 

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Other:

-New- 5 reasons Neil Patrick Harris will shine at the Oscars  {  }

-New- Dropbox passwords posted online   { * “Anyone who would give up a little liberty in favour of a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” Benjamin Franklin —djo— }

-Updated- Assisted suicide ‘a last resort’ for some, Supreme Court told   {  }

Why it m ay be time to ‘take the brakes off’ producing an Ebola vaccine    {  }

Brawl causing drone from Serbia-Albania soccer match found by police   {  }

Switching to natural gas won’t slow climate change   {  }

Panic, bloodshed in Eaton Centre shooting video shown in court   {  }

Falling oil prices could delay tax cuts, economists say  {  }

Oscar Pistorius’s apology to family called insincere by cousin  {  }

Secret murder in Saskatchewan: RCMP say woman’s homicide is a private matter   {  }

-Updated- Telus misleads by picking and choosing wireless speed data, critics say   {  }

-Must Watch- Wingsuit World Fying Contest    {  }

-Must Watch- Avalanche victims and survivors   {  }

-Must Watch- Canadian soldiers depart   {  }

-Editor’s Pick- Mata Hari and Edith Cavell: Women and WWI propaganda   { * Elsewhere described as “The sexpot and the saint: Women and WWI propaganda” “Iconic women of era were used in campaigns to bolster war effort” “- Scholars commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War are turning their attention to female icons of the era — two of whom were used in propaganda campaigns after their deaths to bolster the war effort, albeit in very different ways. – One was notorious exotic dancer and courtesan Mata Hari. – The other was revered British nurse Edith Cavell. – Both of these iconic women were convicted of treason. – Both were executed by firing squads. – And both were mythologized after their deaths in ways that neither one of them would have sanctioned. – The ‘Bad Girl’ – There is a photo of Mata Hari wearing one of her famed diaphanous outfits in Paris, 1906. – At the crack of dawn on Oct. 15, 1917, 41-year-old Mata Hari (nee Margaret Zelle) was brought to a military firing range after being convicted of espionage for the Germans. – “Mata Hari was a woman of courage,” says biographer Julie Wheelwright, author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. – The notorious femme fatale Mata Hari was elegantly dressed and refused to be tied to the stake. She also refused to be blindfolded, staring down the 12 soldiers assigned to the firing squad. – The soldiers were given the signal to fire. – “And then Mata Hari fell into what one witness described as nothing more than a heap of petticoats,” says Wheelwright. “And I find that description really poignant because it brings back to earth the fact that she really was harmless and it was really an unnecessary death.” – Julie Wheelwright, author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women In Espionage, says the propaganda machinery at work during WWI perpetuated fears of women who were autonomous sexual beings breaking social conventions. – Convicted on flimsy and fabricated evidence, she went from being the most sought-after exotic dancer and courtesan in Europe to the most vilified spy. – “Mata Hari was quite open about the fact that she had all these lovers. She was quite open about the fact that she enjoyed sex, and that she moved around and took her clothes off on stage. All of those things make her all wrong.” – Wheelwright argues that the execution sent a clear message at the time – especially to women. – “It was a message of ‘stay in your place,’” says Wheelwright, who points out that the propaganda machinery at work during World War One perpetuated fears of women who were autonomous sexual beings breaking social conventions. – “And certainly in France during the war, the images of women are images of caretakers, not of voluptuous women out to be artisans or courtesans.” – The ‘Good Girl’ – British nurse Edith Cavell was executed by a German firing squad as a spy on Oct. 12, 1915. – Just a couple of years prior to Mata Hari’s execution, another woman was executed by firing squad – this time in German-occupied Belgium. British nurse Edith Cavell was 49 years old when she was convicted of treason for helping Allied soldiers escape the country. – Her death on Oct. 12, 1915, was quickly turned into a rallying point to recruit British soldiers to avenge her. In the 10 weeks following her execution, recruitment to the British military doubled from 5,000 a week to 10,000. – And the war propaganda around her death took liberties with her story to suit the needs of the state at the time. – “She’s often shown to be quite young and vulnerable-looking,” says historian Tammy Proctor, author of Female Intelligence: Women, Espionage and Propaganda in the First World War. “A lot of the tributes to her emphasize her purity because she was unmarried. She embodies this notion of what women should be – nurturer and nurse who suffered for her country. That’s why her image becomes so important.” – Edith Cavell’s image was used to draw volunteers to fight shortly after her execution in 1915. – But there is a profound misinterpretation of what motivated Edith Cavell during her lifetime, argues biographer Diana Souhami. “She didn’t want any young men to die in the trenches.” – Cavell was a devout Christian who eschewed war, and as part of her nursing creed she believed it was her duty to help anyone who was sick or suffering, regardless of nationality. – “She was not motivated by patriotism. It wasn’t a flag-waving thing,” Souhami says. – The night before Cavell’s execution an English pastor met with her in her cell and said she would be remembered as a martyr. According to the pastor’s account, Cavell responded: “Don’t think of me like that. Think of me as a nurse who tried to do her duty.” – Yet there are more monuments to Edith Cavell than any other female figure from the first world war – including a 10-foot white marble statue just off Trafalgar Square in London. When her body was repatriated to England after the war her coffin was paraded through the streets of London on a gun carriage escorted by 100 soldiers. It was draped in the Union Jack for the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. – “People want symbols,” says Souhami. “To say that here was the spirit of good as opposed to the spirit of evil.” -”  —djo— }

-Editor’s Pick- Parents could be liable for what their kids post on Facebook, Georgia court rules   {  }

-Editor’s Pick- What’s happened to the 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls?   { * ‘Hope is now fading fast,’ leader of parents group says. *  —djo—  }

-World- Fighter jets roar over Kobani, Syria, as ISIS battle ramps up  {  }

-World- EU will be hard pressed to deal with turmoil in Greek stock, bond markets  {  }

-Canada- ‘No one wants to die if living is better’ Supreme Court told   {  }

-Canada- Canada’s new anti-terror measures to boost spy agency powers  {  }

-Canada- Polar bears push Halloween activities indoors in Arviat, Nunavut   {  }

-Business- TSX, Dow continue slide on weak economic news   { * & The guys at half past human dot com forecast this to the day it began happening. *  —djo— }

-Business- Ottawa complains to WTO about Chinese duties on Canadian wood pulp   {  }

-Business- AbbVie board backs away from Shire deal over new tax rules   {  }

-Business- U.S. jobless claims drop to 14-year low   { * But the actual jobless rate is still way above the b.s. numbers they report. Last estimate puts it well above 24% }

-Politics- Canada Post court challenge launched to save home mail delivery  {  }

-Arts & Entertainment- Women filmmakers call for gender equity in male-dominated industry   {  }

-Technology & Science- New Poodle security bug found in web encryption technology   {   }

-Technology & Science- Facebook creates ‘Safety Check’ tool for disasters   {   }

-Technology & Science- First-ever spacecraft to land on a comet next month   { * And what happens if they find a million year old space craft sitting there waiting for them? *  —djo— }

-Technology & Science- Google unveils new Nexus tablet, smartphone, streaming device   {   }

-Technology & Science- Parents could be liable for what their kids post on Facebook, Georgia court rules   {  }

-Community- The internet has had enough of GamerGate   { * “- For months now, members of the the embattled gaming community have been at war with each other over everything from accusations of biased video game journalism to reports of widespread online harassment against women within the industry. – The web has come to know this ongoing saga as — a term that is as difficult to define as it is to keep track of. – First used by actor Adam Baldwin on Twitter in August of 2014, the#GamerGate hashtag was initially used to organize a heated online conversation about ethics in gaming journalism. – That conversation was sparked by one man’s claims that his ex-girlfriend, a noted game designer named Zoe Quinn, had cheated on him with several men in the gaming industry — one of them a writer for the Gawker media-owned blog Kotaku. – Quinn’s ex-boyfriend appeared to imply within his post that her relationship with a Kotaku writer earned her game, Depression Quest, favourable coverage on the popular video game-themed blog — an implication that many online ran with. – “Quinn turned into the victim of an aggressive attack on her personal life, which included threats of rape, hacking attempts, at least one death threat and doxxing, or the Internet-based practice of publishing private information about an individual,” explained Abigail Elise of the IBTimes. “Those who attempted to defend Quinn from the attacks were given the label ‘social justice warriors,’ quickly escalating into a virulent attack against Quinn and the ethics of video game journalism. Journalists who refused to cover what seemed to be a very public examination of a woman’s private life were labeled gaming journalism conspirators, and a black list was even circulated by gamergate supporters.“-”  —djo—}

-Community- Vatican sparks controversy by saying gay couples have ‘gifts and qualities’   {  }

-Community- Kissing protesters flood British grocery store to protest treatment of lesbian couple   {  }

 

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“Local / New Bruswick”

Moncton the hub of a fibreoptic superhighway  { Let’s hope that corporations don’t decide they can arbitrarily slow down fibreoptic connections just because they can.  —djo— }

Horizon Health is refusing to fill housekeeping jobs, CUPE says    {  }

RCMP watchdog reviews police handling of shale gas protests  { *Now, this one could become quite interesting.*  —djo— }

Mentor program hopes to help intellectually disabled teens find work   {  }

McDonald’s coffee cup contained dead mouse, Fredericton man says   {   }

Community group gives natural resource lessons for N.B from Tanzania   {   }

 

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“First Nations”

Tina Fontaine’s family weeps as men who killed father apologize    {  }

Mary Johnny inquest: ‘Something weird and unusual happened,’ Dr. says {  }

First Nations Bank opens branch in Yellowknife   {  }

Federal court to review Jackpine Mine expansion today   {  }

Three big ‘whoppers’ told about the Ring of Fire   { *This ‘Ring of Fire’ is a mining operation in northern Ontario. A mining expert says the promise of its mineral development area has been overstated.  —jim w— }

[First Nations] voters gear up to cast ballots in Winnipeg’s civic election  {  }

Discrimination not a factor in Mary Johnny’s death: son   {  }

HUnt quotas cut for southern population of polar bears   {  }

Watchdog says B.C. government ignoring recommendations to help children   {  }

 

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{ 4:15 pm —Ready to Rock and Roll— Had help again from Jim W one more time — Thanks, Jim   ———djo——— }