Tag Archives: Offbeat News

{ Copied and Pasted from Radio Free Earth News — Mary Ellen S.’s Birthday 🙂  ———jim w——— }

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Saturday, 27 September, 2014  -( 56˚F / 13˚C –  Sunny & clear here @ 9:30 am in Ithaca )-

{ 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. ———djo——— }

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“Climbers descend Mount Ontake amid smoke and ash after it erupted without warning on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. The 3,067-metre mountain is 210 kilometres west of Tokyo. (Kyodo News/Associated Press)”

{ Thank You -Jim W- for filling in for me – I’m back, – I think, -counting fingers and toes etc, yeah, I think I’m all here —> Doug, who’s finally getting over his ‘mild flu’. }

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Lead Articles:

-Updated- Volcano erupts in central Japan, injuring at least 40   { Mount Ontake erupted without warning, catching mountain climbers of guard. Seven people were missing at last notice.   —djo— }

Neil Young performs at anti-pipeline concert in Nebraska   {  }

Paul Calandra’s non-answers prompted by PMO staffer: CBC   { “Conservative MP Paul Calandra choked back tears while apologizing Friday for responding to NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s questions on Canada’s mission in Iraq this week with an attack on the NDP position on Israel. – But CBC News has learned that Calandra was put up to the responses by a senior staffer in the Prime Minister’s Office. Several Conservative MPs also told CBC they were furious as they listened to Calandra’s answers in the House.”  —djo—  }

Petra Kvitova beats Eugenie Bouchard in Wuhan open final   {  }

U.S. urges Canada to give as much as it can to fight ISIS   { Should I quote Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane? “War’s good business, so give your sons-”  —djo— }

Why the Newfoundland soccer stabbing has shaken parents to the core   {  }

3 high-tech ways to limit the flow of arms in Syria   {  }

-Photos- George Clooney’s wedding in Venice   {  }

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“Tabulator Ale”

“Offbeat”

Picaroon’s new Tabulator Ale pokes fun at N.B. election   { Picaroon’s is a ‘micro-brewery’. The Tabulator glitches are what slowed down Monday Evening’s election results. Everybody thought their new high-tech toys would speed up the results news specials. Nope- Some of the politicians gave up and went home before they announced probable winners after midnight. A manual recount is still a possibility.  —djo— }

Richard Branson offers unlimited vacation days (you read that correctly)    { “You’re exhausted. You feel like you work 24 hours a day because your phone is always on, always beeping, vibrating — a leash to your cubical. And even though you (hopefully) love what you do, you just need a rest. – Sound familiar?
You start looking at flights and find an fabulous deal. You can taste the margaritas. You can feel the sand between your toes. And then reality smacks you in the face: you’re out of vacation days. The dream is over and all you can do is battle through the next few months until the cycle begins again.-But what if you could take a holiday whenever you needed it? – If this idea sounds appealing to you, consider lobbying your employer with this idea: -Virgin Group founder and chairman, Richard Branson, announced via his website Tuesday, that he’s giving his whole personal staff unlimited vacation days. -The Financial Times reported that the rules apply to about 170 staff at the Virgin head offices in the U.K. and U.S. -However, the 50,000 employees of the larger Virgin Group won’t be subject to the same policy, at least not right away. (Branson did assert in his note that if this initiative is successful, he’ll encourage Virgin’s subsidiaries to adopt the policy.)”  * Is he taking applications? —djo— }

“Holy Muttrimony, Bat Man these dogs are getting married!”

Round of a-paws expected at Brandon ceremony of Holy Muttrimony    { “Two Brandon [ Manitoba ] dogs will be joined in Holy Muttrimony this weekend. – Opus the sheltie and his bride-to-be, November, a mix-breed from the Humane Society will marry in Brandon’s Stanley Park on Sunday. -November (left) and Opus are set to tie the knot on Sunday in Brandon’s Stanley Park. – “There will 120 white chairs,” said owner Alyssa Fletcher. “Opus’s bow tie just came in and November will be wearing a floral wreath.” – When asked whether the groom would be kissing the bride at the end of the ceremony, Fletcher said the newly weds will be taking a different approach. – “They’re going to kibble each other,” said Fletcher. “He’s going to kibble his bride so she’ll get a nice little bowl of food.” –‘Anybody and their dog is welcome to the wedding.’– Alyssa Fletcher- Fletcher, who runs Grassroots Grooming in Brandon, said the idea to wed her dogs was sparked during a conversation with a friend.”  —djo— }

& There’s a repeat of yesterday’s disgusting story about an abandoned truck full of rotten chicken being cleaned up in Montana.   { “Ick” <—-<< That’s my daughter’s comment. & that about sums it up for me too.  —djo— }

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“Most Viewed”

Deck collapse in south end Halifax sends 6 to hospital   {  }

Adam Keunen, Niagara-area teen, killed on co-op placement   { “Niagara Regional Police say a teenager on a high school co-op placement has died in an industrial accident. – Adam Keunen, 17, of West Lincoln, Ont. was fatally struck by a front-end loader around 9:45 a.m. Friday at Plazek Auto Recycler. -Keunen was a fourth-year student at Beamsville Secondary School. – Paramedics and firefighters were unable to save him. – Keunen was a fourth-year student at Beamsville Secondary School, where flags were lowered to half-mast and grief counsellors were on hand. – “Students and staff are in shock, naturally, they’re devastated. Adam was a very loved member of the Beamsville community,” said Kim Yielding, spokeswoman for the District School Board of Niagara.”  *  I’m not sure whether a ‘co-op placement’ is when they let students work during school hours and get some kind of credit of it, or not. I was told that many school systems in Canada have a requirement for graduation that includes working so many hours in some kind of community service volunteer position. —djo— }

Moderate alcohol use increases breast cancer risk, UVic study says   { “UVic” = University of Victoria —djo— }

Mysterious Developments website publishes rare gems from old rolls of undeveloped film   { Link >>—->  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/mysterious-developments-website-publishes-rare-gems-from-old-rolls-of-undeveloped-film-1.2779549  }

TTC ‘Leprechaun’ spurs outrage, legal questions   { An unknown man wearing a green shirt and a bowler hat, nicknamed ‘Leprechaun’, refused to move his stuff, on the seat next to him on a bus, when a woman passenger asked him to move it so she could sit down. He was captured on somebody else’s smart phone while he sat there, engrossed in what he was doing on his smart phone –  and pushed the woman away when she tried to sit down anyway. * I think that’s what happened, I didn’t watch the video —djo— }

Chelsea Clinton gives birth to baby girl   { 🙂 }

-24 photo slide show- The week in pictures Sept. 20-26   { Weekends don’t count? The first photo in the group is a couple white tiger cubs, one looks like he might want to eat the camera-  —djo— }

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Other:

Humans hard-wired to ignore climate change: George Marshall   { George Marshall is described as an author and activist. The article says that ‘top military officers have called climate change “A huge threat to national security”, but activists think that environmental issues have slipped off the political agendas around the world.’ *1. You can’t believe a word any ‘top military officer’says, they’re trained to “tell them anything you have to, just get them to follow orders” 2. Those same ‘top military officers’ are probably the biggest threat to national security on the planet- magnitudes more dangerous than anybody else, with the exception of the ‘Banksters’ who control them.  —djo—   }

Microplastic pollution discovered in St. Lawrence River   { “Microbeads” – “They’re normally found in face wash, shower gel and toothpaste. But plastic microbeads are now showing up in lakes and rivers. – A team of researchers from McGill University and the Quebec government have discovered these microbeads — often marketed by the cosmetic industry as a way to feel extra clean — at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River. – “The more we looked, the more we found. That was definitely really worrisome,” said Suncica Avlijas, a graduate student at McGill University. – Microplastics are a global contaminant in the world’s oceans, but this is the first time they been detected in fresh water. – Researchers collected sediment from ten locations along a 320-kilometre section of the river from Lake St. Francis to Quebec City. – Microbeads were sieved from the sediment, and then sorted and counted under a microscope. – At some locations, the researchers measured over 1,000 microbeads per litre of sediment, a magnitude that rivals the world’s most contaminated ocean sediments. -Biologist Anthony Ricciardi says if microbeads appear in large numbers, they can enter the food chain. – “I was surprised because they’re buoyant, they’re small, they’ve only been reported as floating,” said Anthony Ricciardi, a McGill University associate professor and biologist. – Ricciardi is worried the small plastic beads will end up in the food chain. Scientists say toxins like PCBs can latch onto microbeads which then get eaten by fish. – McGill researchers are dissecting some fish that feed on the riverbed, looking for microplastics inside. – “If they build up in large enough numbers, as they appear to be, they can more easily enter the food chain,” Ricciardi said.

Legislation wanted

– “-Illinois recently became the first U.S. state to ban the sale of cosmetics containing microbeads. – Quebec’s Green Party wants the province to follow suit. – “What we hope is that if a couple of states or jurisdisctions in North America ban the sale of microbeads then the manufacturers will extend that ban to all their products simply to have uniform distribution,” said Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec. – Cosmetics companies such as L’Oréal and Johnson & Johnson are pledging to phase out microbeads from their products within the next three years. – “Our ability to detect things in our environment has just increased exponentially in the last number of years. This kind of science has now come to light and the appropriate steps are going to be taken to make sure they’re eliminated,” said Darren Praznik, president and CEO of the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.”   —djo— }

A mail carrier couldn’t deliver a parcel because a female black bear was sauntering around the house where the parcel was supposed to be delivered. The note the carrier left was photographed and uploaded and went viral on social media.

Meet the Canada Post worker who wrote the ‘Bear at Door’ non-delivery slip   { See photo to the left  —djo— }

5 steps to safeguard against the ‘Bash bug’   { “Bash can typically only be found on Unix-based devices, such as those running the Mac OS X and Linux operating systems and the servers behind the world’s websites. – Even then, most Macs aren’t vulnerable, Apple said in a statement Friday, because it ships OS X in a configuration that doesn’t allow “remote exploits of Bash.” Some Mac users who have turned on advanced Unix services could be affected, and Apple said it is “working to quickly provide a software update” for those customers.”  *** Link to article with 5 things you can do to protect yourself: >>—-> http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/bash-bug-aka-shellshock-has-no-easy-fix-1.2779383   —djo— }

Former U.S. Fed examiner made secret recordings of Goldman Sachs meeting   {  “The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says it “categorically rejects” allegations made by a former examiner that the Fed has become deferential to America’s biggest banks and fails to effectively regulate them. – The New York Fed was responding to a story on news site ProPublica and radio show This American Life that alleges a culture of deference to banks such as Goldman Sachs. – Former Fed bank examiner Carmen Segarra says she found a culture of compliance with the banks when she was posted at Goldman Sachs in 2012. – The report critical of the Fed is driven by secret recordings made by New York Fed bank examiner Carmen Segarra, who was fired after just seven months on the job. – She had been stationed inside Goldman Sachs in 2012, as is the practice for all Fed examiners. She alleges she attempted to make constructive criticism of the bank, only to be contradicted and eventually fired by Fed managers. * The Federal Reserve Bank is not a department of the United States Government. It is a private group of ‘Bansksters’ who have blackmailed their way to power and now pretty much control US currency and US Politicians. *** The US Revolutionary War was fought as much against bansksters as anything else. “No Taxation without representation” was only part of the problem. The straw that broke the camel’s back happened when the Bank of England insisted that the Colonists pay their taxes in Bank of England Notes. These Bank Notes were almost impossible to get in the colonies and when available cost way more than their face value. Thomas Jefferson, who physically wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the 3rd President, after George Washington and John Adams, has been quoted as saying “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” The U.S.A. successfully fought off attempts by unethical ice-holes to copy the Bank of England’s tactics and install what eventual became the Federal Reserve, for two hundred years. This gives Banksters, not governments, the power to create money. ‘Credit’ evolved from a scheme that would get con artists life sentences in prison, but the banksters got away with it because they got politicians to write what should be illegal legislation to give them their authority. The huge bailout after 2008 is only the latest fiasco in a long line of illegal, immoral and unethical maneuvers on the part of and in the name of these ‘banksters’. Their first con job is: They have on deposit “X” amount of gold or similar assets, they can then ‘lend’ 20 times that amount, in effect, creating credit out of thin air. The banks get away with this. You would be in jail or evicted from your property if you tried this. AND – we keep hearing that a lot of eviction notices have been served to people whose payments on their homes were perfectly up to date. The system doesn’t care. The banksters don’t care. They want to control you and they believe that if you’re in debt to them, they control you. Grrrrr! Lock ’em all up. —djo— }

Egypt postpones verdict in case against ex-president Mubarak   { But what’s happening with the phoney charges against the Canadian-Egyptian journalist? }

Gay teen says he was forced to wear ‘GAYTARD’ nsme-tag at work   { “A teenaged fast-food worker from Yankton, South Dakota has become the unwitting poster-child for workplace discrimination this week after teaming up with the ACLU to take on an employer who allegedly forced him to wear a name-tag with the word “GAYTARD” on it. -Tyler Brandt, 16, told South Dakota’s KELO that he had taken a part-time job at the Taco John’s chain restaurant in Yankton this summer to make some extra money. -Unfortunately, upon starting the job, Brandt found his manager to be consistently agitated and “verbally abusive.” – I’ve been very vulnerable and I’ve been allowing him to say things to me that shouldn’t be said, and after a while I was just worried about being terminated from my position at Taco John’s,” Brandt said, noting that he continued to work despite what he felt was ongoing verbal harassment. – Near the end of June, Brandt says he was pulled into the manager’s office and given a name-tag that read “GAYTARD” and asked to wear it. – The gay teen put the badge on for fear of losing his job, despite feeling humiliated in front of customers. -“I would always stay behind the till so they couldn’t see the name tag, I didn’t want them to see it, but even though they couldn’t see it, he would still call me by the name across the store and customers would notice,” he said. – Brandt quit his job one day after being given the name-tag and sought legal help, which eventually came in the form of representation by the American Civil Liberties Union. – “No one should have to face slurs in their workplace – no boss should be allowed to label their employee with insults,” wrote the ACLU on its website. “This is why the ACLU is representing Tyler with his charge of discrimination against Taco John’s – but it’s time they also apologize to Tyler and publicly speak out against discrimination and bullying in the workplace.”  – The ACLU has assisted Brandt in filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as a discrimination charge with the South Dakota Department of Labor. -The complaints allege the restaurant violated the American Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that prohibits employers from discriminating against workers based on race, religion, sex or national origin.”  —djo— }

 B.C. First Nation granted leave to appeal Northern Gateway pipeling approval   {  }

-Politics- Canada ‘joins the big leagues’ with EU trade deal, Harper says   { And Stephen Harper goes down in history as one of the biggest economic criminals of all times with this one act. But that’s not all he’s guilty of. —djo— }

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“Local / New Brunswick”

Serious assault in Saint John has police investigating   {  }

Fredericton police chief speaks out about serious assaults   {  }

A weekend in the Maritimes, as seen by you   {  }

& a repeat of the Picaroon’s Tabulator Ale article   {  }

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“Aboriginal”

-Q&A- Rosanna Deerchild takes you behind the headlines on Unreserved   { “Unreserved” is a new Radio programme – starting this Saturday on CBC radio one. }

-Poll- The Daily Show airs controversial Redskins segment   {  I still like the teeshirt some people were wearing with a ‘whited-out’ maskot of the Cleveland ‘Indians’ reworded to “Cleveland Caucasions” –  I only wonder if me wearing it would be seen as an insult to Native Americans / First Nations people anywhere.  —djo— }

N.W.T. language complaints backlogged for 10 months   { “N.W.T.” = North West Territories.   —djo— }

Lesbian couple first to wed at Sagkeeng First Nation   {  }

Gitxaala First Nation granted leave to appeal Northern Gateway pipeline   {   }

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{ 12:30 pm and I thought this would be a nice, easy day here- lots of news to check through and colourize  ———djo——— }