Briefs

City in Brief

Smoked out
Smokers will likely have a harder time staying in their apartments or finding new ones. The landlord lobby group Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec, commonly known as the CORPIQ, told CJAD News that 35 per cent of the landlords it represents said they will include a no-smoking clause in their new leases. Complaints about smoking represent are the most frequent complaint the lobby group deals with now.

Strict on street hockey

A Dollard-Des-Ormeaux dad is contesting a $75 ticket he was issued after his son’s street hockey game received a noise complaint. David Sasson had organized a street hockey party for his son and friends but the game was broken up by public security, who pointed to a long-standing municipal bylaw making it illegal to play any game on the street. The law, however, is rarely enforced and even then only when a complaint is lodged. Sasson, who sent in his not-guilty plea this past week, said police twice asked the woman to retract her complaint, but she refused.

Passover puck mishap
A group of Dollard-Des-Ormeaux teenagers had to forfeit their semi-final hockey game Monday night because 10 of the players would be at home celebrating the first night of Passover, CTV news reported. The D.D.O. Civics worked an entire year to make regionals, but the Lac St. Louis hockey league has refused to reschedule their game. The league said they didn’t want to set a precedent which would force them to make exceptions for any of the other 350 participating teams.

Don’t drink and ride
Drinking on the bus or metro in Montreal will land you a big fine, some John Abbott College students found out last week. While riding the 211 from the West Island, a couple of friends took a few sips from the bottle of cider one had in her bag. Undercover transportation inspectors caught them, got the bus driver to pull over to the side of the road and slapped each with a $144 ticket. In 2009, the MTC handed out 95 tickets to people who were caught drinking while riding.

Disease-fighting syrup
Maple syrup is chalk-full of disease fighting antioxidants, according to a U.S. study. While testing samples of Canadian maple syrup, a plant scientist from the University of Rhode Island found 13 new compounds that are linked with improving or sustaining human health. The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers helped fund the research, providing $115,000 with the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.


Nation in Brief

No-go for gophers
The government of Saskatchewan designated the gopher a pest last week, giving municipalities the power to pass bylaws to have the animals eradicated. Gophers, officially called the Richardson’s ground squirrel, are now included in the Pest Control Act, which already made the removal and control of rats and grasshoppers, by any means necessary, completely legal. The province’s agriculture industry has struggled to deal with the animals as they tear up fields and land, so a rebate program was instituted in 2009 which reimburses farmers for half the cost of their gopher poison. The lack of love for the animal seems ironic considering the mascot of the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL team is none other than “Gainer the Gopher”.

Advertising: not as easy as a . . .
the builders of a condo in Calgary have been forced to remove an ad campaign after it was the subject of online uproar for being too sexist. Point of View Developments said it was trying to appeal to young, professional men with the ads, some of which read “A $20,000 down payment is as easy as a 25-year-old scotch, or a 25-year-old blond on a 25-year-old scotch. Get on it.” The ads were on posters placed in men’s bathrooms at various nightclubs in the city, until one offended patron posted pictures of the ad on Twitter and a few other websites. The hundreds of negative online comments on the photos have prompted the builder to remove the ads, and the company that designed them, Watermark advertising, has since issued a public apology.

Unique property
Tiny isn’t an adjective you normally want to hear when you’re house-hunting. But a little piece of Toronto tourism called the “tiny house,” an approximately 300 square foot home built into what was supposed to be an alleyway, has officially hit the market. The small house, which is squeezed between two normal size homes, is selling for just under $180,000, about $220,000 less than the average home in the city. It became something of a tourist attraction after being featured in many articles and being featured on an episode of Ellen. The century-old home is in the Little Italy district of Toronto and includes three renovated ground-floor rooms, a full bathroom, basement storage, a back patio and two parking spaces.

Beard blunder
The Fraser Health Authority, a government agency that runs health care in part of southern British Columbia, has been forced to apologize after a nurse shaved a Sikh man’s beard in the weeks before his death. A nurse allegedly misunderstood the family and believed she had their consent. The family was reportedly deeply affected by the shave as one of the five articles of faith for baptized male Sikhs is to not cut their hair or beard. Besides for a private apology to the family and a public apology on a local Punjabi radio station, the agency has apparently provided more information to staff concerning spiritual and cultural sensitivity. A similar incident had already occurred another Fraser Health facility in 2008.

World in Brief

Edison strikes back
This past Saturday, at 8:30 p.m., millions of people shut off their lights around the world for Earth Hour, a symbolic event in support of energy conservation. But not everyone was so inclined. A group of smart-ass University of Michigan students called the Students of Objectivism have created “Edison Hour,” an event that encourages people to turn on every lightbulb in the house during Earth Hour. This is the second year the group has been promoting Edison Hour, named after one of the famous inventors of the lightbulb, and they’re largely organized through a Facebook group.

Energy star-iffy

A report released by the General Accounting Office, the U.S government’s watchdog agency, suggests those “Energy Star” appliances might not be all they’re cracked up to be. The GAO took 20 fake products to the Energy Star certification board, which is run by Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency, and got 15 of them certified by the EPA as being energy efficient. One of the certified products was an alarm clock over a foot tall and powered by gasoline. Another was a heater with a duster attached to it, which was passed off as an air purifier.

Iceland sucks more than ever
Iceland, Sudan’s biggest competition in trying to be the least fun place on Earth, recently banned all strip clubs. The cold-hearted legislators of the Nordic country have banned profiting off of any nudity, which also includes the use of topless waitresses as well. The country of 300,000 people is being celebrated as the first country to ban the clubs for feminist, rather than religious reasons. The law will take effect this summer but meanwhile, Iceland has gone bankrupt and is getting ransacked by volcanic eruptions. Divine retribution? We think so.

Obligatory tasteless brief

An 18-year-old in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was mad at his girlfriend, so he decided to deal with it in a mature, calm manner. Just kidding. He decided to defecate in the backseat of her car. Trouble is he managed to somehow pick the wrong car. He smashed a Civic’s window, climbed in, but was caught mid-act by the car’s real owner, reports the Las Cruces Sun-News. A somewhat awkward exchange followed, after which the young man ran away but was caught. He is being indicted on several charges of property damage.

Red hot hand grenades

The Indian military is experimenting with a new form of hand grenade – one made with burning hot chili pepper in them. Bhut jolokia, the hottest pepper in the world, is being engineered to be used in non-deadly grenades, which would in turn be used to disperse crowds. Indian authorities have said it could be used by riot police and counter-insurgency police in the north. Presumably too, you could toss “em over top of tortilla chips and cheese for some deadly instant nachos. Get it? Deadly?

City in Brief

Just keep swimming
A 91-year-old Dollard-Des-Ormeaux woman has done something no other woman her age has even attempted &- she swam in a 1,500-metre freestyle race. West Island-resident Lillian Warren now holds a world record after swimming the 60-lap race for the D.D.O. Masters’ Swim Club at a meet on St. Patrick’s Day. The race took her just over 50 minutes to complete. Women don’t actually swim the 1,500 race in the Olympics, but the male world record time is just under 15 minutes. Warren told CTV news that she’d like somebody else her age to swim the race and give her some competition.

Cop collision

Three police officers and four civilians were injured March 19 when a police cruiser collided with another vehicle while on a call downtown. The police car was rushing to Berri-UQÀM metro to respond to reports of an armed man in the metro, when the vehicles crashed on René-Lévesque Blvd. near the corner of St-Urbain Street. All seven individuals were taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Though neither driver has yet officially been held responsible, police said the driver of the other car attempted to make a left turn on a green light when he did not have priority, resulting in the collision.

Bernard bust
After 45 years of serving Montreal skiers, snowboarders and other sports fanatics, Bernard Trottier Sports is going out of business, reportedly as a result of the recession and the weather. The sports chain was founded in 1995, but has been owned by Michler Active Life Style Associates Ltd. since 2008. The owners have been forced to close the chain’s four stores after the company’s bank decided to stop funding the business. About $113 million worth of inventory is being liquidated. Store owners blamed the rainy, cold summer and short mild winter for the businesses failure.

Money maintenant: SQ
An ÃŽle-Perrot resident is fuming mad after being ticketed by the Sûreté du Québec and being asked to fork over the cash right away. Blair Houston, 41, was on the way to a ski hill with his wife and kids on March 6 when the SQ pulled over his mini-van. The police alleged that Houston was not wearing a seat belt, though he claims he was, and slapped him with a $168 fine, which they said he had to pay “toute suite” or they’d be taking a trip to the police station. The demand, which forced Houston to be escorted to the bank to take out money in order to pay, is absolutely legal according to the SQ, though they admit it is rare in practice. The police may have chosen to ask for the money up front because, while Houston was born in ÃŽle-Perrot, he has a driver’s license from Florida where he also owns a home.

Nation in Brief

Hockey. Flush. Hockey. Flush.
The city of Winnipeg released a graph last week depicting the city’s water consumption levels before, during and after the Olympic men’s hockey final game on Feb. 28. The graph showed huge spikes in the number of toilets flushing during the game’s intermissions. Water usage peaked right after the third period, when Winnipegers were using the water at a rate of almost 330 million litres per day, more than 50 million litres above the average for that time of year. During overtime, water production was down as low as 175 million litres per day. The water usage in Winnipeg was not unique 8212; Edmonton and Ottawa released similar reports, both showing flushing spikes between periods.

“I’m not dead, I swear.”
An elderly woman in Nova Scotia asked for an apology from the federal government last week after they stopped sending her pension cheques because they thought she was dead 8212; for the second time. The 76-year-old woman, Theresa Fraser, first found out the government declared her dead in the fall, when she went to the bank to ask about missing pension cheques. She began to receive her cheques again, and thought the matter was cleared up. But two weeks ago, Fraser received a letter from the Canada Revenue Agency asking her to return the cheques to her own post-mortem estate. While the CRA has since resolved the matter of her living status, Fraser expressed concerns about filing her taxes, noting it might be confusing to receive taxes from a dead woman.

“Smart” criminal flips off cop

An Alberta man in possession of stolen goods might have wanted to reconsider his decision to flip off an Ontario police officer. Dragutin Cabor, 19, was hitchhiking near Kenora, Ont. when the police officer approached. Cabor started to wave him down, but then gave him the finger. When the police officer pulled over to speak with Cabor, he found him in possession of two stolen credit cards, a stolen GPS, Blackberry and iPod charger. Cabor was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime.

Still searching

The search for a P.E.I. man who went missing 17 years ago was rekindled last week after the Missing Children Society of Canada decided to start a poster campaign near where he was last seen. On March 20, 1993, Steven O’Brien, then 18, went missing after finishing his shift at the Holland College Culinary Institute in Charlottetown, where he was studying. The MCSC will be releasing posters with O’Brien’s description, and has offered a $10,000 reward for information about his disappearance.

Belleville becomes Murderville

Belleville, Ont. has earned the dubious nickname of “Murderville” after eight homicides happened there over the last 10 months, two that made national headlines. Belleville residents Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau were allegedly killed by former Canadian Forces base Trenton commander, Col. Russell Williams. The most recent homicide occurred last week, when 24-year-old Roy Mays was shot at a downtown house party. Despite the murders, Belleville police say crime has actually decreased in the last few years.

World in Brief

Rollback to racism
A 16-year-old teen in New Jersey was arrested Friday after creating a stir when he got on the PA system of a local Walmart and said “Attention Wal-Mart customers: all black people leave the store now.” Black customers were understandably enraged, especially after there was confusion over who broadcast the message. Security tapes were reviewed, and it was found that the youth had simply picked up one of the courtesy phones, flipped the PA switch and made the announcement. He was found, arrested and is now facing charges of harassment and intimidation.

Britain’s other mini-driver
Thomas Chatfield, age 5, was only doing what millions of other little boys have done when he rustled into his mother’s purse and took out her car keys. What was a little more unique was Chatfield getting into his mother’s SUV, starting the engine, putting the car in drive and going on a six kilometer drive. The Daily Mirror reported that neighbours were shocked to see the vehicle rolling along at 15 kilometres per hour with the toddler behind the wheel. They chased down the car in time to see it crash gently into a wall. The child was reportedly crying and terrified but apparently not such a bad driver as he managed to turn onto and then off of a multilane road during his little joyride.

Brother power!

Hefei, China has a new celebrity after a man ran out in the middle of the street and began trying to lift cars off the ground, while yelling “give me the power!” Oh, and did we mention he was stark naked? The man apparently tried to lift multiple cars unsuccessfully for a full half hour while loudly decrying modern society. Many people managed to snap pictures of the man before police finally put an end to his heroic quest. Locals have since given the man the nickname “Brother power!”

Lay off the wedding cake
A wedding in South Africa became a little more memorable than usual when the entire wedding party – all 80 of them – crashed through a wooden pier where they had posed to take photos. The groom, the bride and her family were all included in those who plunged into the frigid water below, but the hardy South Africans wrung out their clothes, posed for more photos and kept on eating, drinking and partying.

Copsmacked
Marium Varinauskas of Scotland was fined for assaulting a female police officer on March 16 with the only weapon he had handy – his penis. The BBC reported that Varinauskas was heavily intoxicated when the police officer came to his house after his girlfriend had complained he was drunk. Varinauskas stood on the sofa and began waving his penis at her face, forcing her to take “evasive action.” He didn’t get off soft though – the British penal system is giving him a stiff dose of justice. He was slapped with a £600 ($920) fine. For his part, Varinauskas has promised to quit binge drinking after the incident.

City in Brief

Just keep swimming
A 91-year-old Dollard-Des-Ormeaux woman has done something no other woman her age has even attempted &- she swam in a 1,500-metre freestyle race. West Island-resident Lillian Warren now holds a world record after swimming the 60-lap race for the D.D.O. Masters’ Swim Club at a meet on St. Patrick’s Day. The race took her just over 50 minutes to complete. Women don’t actually swim the 1,500 race in the Olympics, but the male world record time is just under 15 minutes. Warren told CTV news that she’d like somebody else her age to swim the race and give her some competition.

Cop collision

Three police officers and four civilians were injured March 19 when a police cruiser collided with another vehicle while on a call downtown. The police car was rushing to Berri-UQÀM metro to respond to reports of an armed man in the metro, when the vehicles crashed on René-Lévesque Blvd. near the corner of St-Urbain Street. All seven individuals were taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Though neither driver has yet officially been held responsible, police said the driver of the other car attempted to make a left turn on a green light when he did not have priority, resulting in the collision.

Bernard bust
After 45 years of serving Montreal skiers, snowboarders and other sports fanatics, Bernard Trottier Sports is going out of business, reportedly as a result of the recession and the weather. The sports chain was founded in 1995, but has been owned by Michler Active Life Style Associates Ltd. since 2008. The owners have been forced to close the chain’s four stores after the company’s bank decided to stop funding the business. About $113 million worth of inventory is being liquidated. Store owners blamed the rainy, cold summer and short mild winter for the businesses failure.

Money maintenant: SQ
An ÃŽle-Perrot resident is fuming mad after being ticketed by the Sûreté du Québec and being asked to fork over the cash right away. Blair Houston, 41, was on the way to a ski hill with his wife and kids on March 6 when the SQ pulled over his mini-van. The police alleged that Houston was not wearing a seat belt, though he claims he was, and slapped him with a $168 fine, which they said he had to pay “toute suite” or they’d be taking a trip to the police station. The demand, which forced Houston to be escorted to the bank to take out money in order to pay, is absolutely legal according to the SQ, though they admit it is rare in practice. The police may have chosen to ask for the money up front because, while Houston was born in ÃŽle-Perrot, he has a driver’s license from Florida where he also owns a home.

Nation in Brief

Hockey. Flush. Hockey. Flush.
The city of Winnipeg released a graph last week depicting the city’s water consumption levels before, during and after the Olympic men’s hockey final game on Feb. 28. The graph showed huge spikes in the number of toilets flushing during the game’s intermissions. Water usage peaked right after the third period, when Winnipegers were using the water at a rate of almost 330 million litres per day, more than 50 million litres above the average for that time of year. During overtime, water production was down as low as 175 million litres per day. The water usage in Winnipeg was not unique 8212; Edmonton and Ottawa released similar reports, both showing flushing spikes between periods.

“I’m not dead, I swear.”
An elderly woman in Nova Scotia asked for an apology from the federal government last week after they stopped sending her pension cheques because they thought she was dead 8212; for the second time. The 76-year-old woman, Theresa Fraser, first found out the government declared her dead in the fall, when she went to the bank to ask about missing pension cheques. She began to receive her cheques again, and thought the matter was cleared up. But two weeks ago, Fraser received a letter from the Canada Revenue Agency asking her to return the cheques to her own post-mortem estate. While the CRA has since resolved the matter of her living status, Fraser expressed concerns about filing her taxes, noting it might be confusing to receive taxes from a dead woman.

“Smart” criminal flips off cop

An Alberta man in possession of stolen goods might have wanted to reconsider his decision to flip off an Ontario police officer. Dragutin Cabor, 19, was hitchhiking near Kenora, Ont. when the police officer approached. Cabor started to wave him down, but then gave him the finger. When the police officer pulled over to speak with Cabor, he found him in possession of two stolen credit cards, a stolen GPS, Blackberry and iPod charger. Cabor was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime.

Still searching

The search for a P.E.I. man who went missing 17 years ago was rekindled last week after the Missing Children Society of Canada decided to start a poster campaign near where he was last seen. On March 20, 1993, Steven O’Brien, then 18, went missing after finishing his shift at the Holland College Culinary Institute in Charlottetown, where he was studying. The MCSC will be releasing posters with O’Brien’s description, and has offered a $10,000 reward for information about his disappearance.

Belleville becomes Murderville

Belleville, Ont. has earned the dubious nickname of “Murderville” after eight homicides happened there over the last 10 months, two that made national headlines. Belleville residents Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau were allegedly killed by former Canadian Forces base Trenton commander, Col. Russell Williams. The most recent homicide occurred last week, when 24-year-old Roy Mays was shot at a downtown house party. Despite the murders, Belleville police say crime has actually decreased in the last few years.

World in Brief

Rollback to racism
A 16-year-old teen in New Jersey was arrested Friday after creating a stir when he got on the PA system of a local Walmart and said “Attention Wal-Mart customers: all black people leave the store now.” Black customers were understandably enraged, especially after there was confusion over who broadcast the message. Security tapes were reviewed, and it was found that the youth had simply picked up one of the courtesy phones, flipped the PA switch and made the announcement. He was found, arrested and is now facing charges of harassment and intimidation.

Britain’s other mini-driver
Thomas Chatfield, age 5, was only doing what millions of other little boys have done when he rustled into his mother’s purse and took out her car keys. What was a little more unique was Chatfield getting into his mother’s SUV, starting the engine, putting the car in drive and going on a six kilometer drive. The Daily Mirror reported that neighbours were shocked to see the vehicle rolling along at 15 kilometres per hour with the toddler behind the wheel. They chased down the car in time to see it crash gently into a wall. The child was reportedly crying and terrified but apparently not such a bad driver as he managed to turn onto and then off of a multilane road during his little joyride.

Brother power!

Hefei, China has a new celebrity after a man ran out in the middle of the street and began trying to lift cars off the ground, while yelling “give me the power!” Oh, and did we mention he was stark naked? The man apparently tried to lift multiple cars unsuccessfully for a full half hour while loudly decrying modern society. Many people managed to snap pictures of the man before police finally put an end to his heroic quest. Locals have since given the man the nickname “Brother power!”

Lay off the wedding cake
A wedding in South Africa became a little more memorable than usual when the entire wedding party – all 80 of them – crashed through a wooden pier where they had posed to take photos. The groom, the bride and her family were all included in those who plunged into the frigid water below, but the hardy South Africans wrung out their clothes, posed for more photos and kept on eating, drinking and partying.

Copsmacked
Marium Varinauskas of Scotland was fined for assaulting a female police officer on March 16 with the only weapon he had handy – his penis. The BBC reported that Varinauskas was heavily intoxicated when the police officer came to his house after his girlfriend had complained he was drunk. Varinauskas stood on the sofa and began waving his penis at her face, forcing her to take “evasive action.” He didn’t get off soft though – the British penal system is giving him a stiff dose of justice. He was slapped with a £600 ($920) fine. For his part, Varinauskas has promised to quit binge drinking after the incident.

City in Brief

Drive-by in heaven
A drive-by shooting Sunday morning, outside of Heaven Bar in Ahuntsic, left four people injured, three with gunshots wounds, and the last with a broken leg, which the victim suffered as he fled the scene. Police say that a “light-coloured SUV” drove up to the front of the bar on St. Laurent Blvd. around 4 a.m. and multiple rounds were fired from the vehicle, hitting three of the victims, aged from 30 to 40 years old, in the legs. None of the injuries were life threatening. Police have no suspects at this time, or any idea of the motive behind the incident.

Aerial war

Air Canada’s chief executive told many of Montreal’s business leaders on Monday that the desire expressed by Emirates Airlines to expand service to Canada threatens Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport’s potential to increase business. Calin Rovinescu said that the airport could increase its traffic, but since it depends largely on connecting flights, these openings would be stunted if the Dubai-based airline “dumps its excess capacity” on Canada. Rovinescu also mentioned that taxes hurt the airport’s potential, as Air Canada pays almost double to land certain planes in Montreal what American airlines pay to land the same flights in major U.S. airports. In 2009 almost 13 million passengers reportedly flew through Montreal, 6 million of them with Air Canada.

Expelled ConU student to sue university
A Concordia University student who got expelled last month is taking the school to court to try and overturn the decision, the Gazette reported Monday. Former engineering student Charles Rossdeutcher was expelled for allegedly forging a professor’s signature, but the student is arguing that he was not given a fair trial. A Student Rights Panel had initially cleared Rossdeutcher last June, but he was charged again under the Academic Code of Conduct, leading to his expulsion. He has asked the Quebec Superior Court the put a temporary halt to the expulsion, and is also looking to sue the school for $100,000. Rossdeutcher was reportedly four courses short of graduating.

CSU’s poster no-no
Katie Seline, station manager of Concordia University’s radio station, CJLO, is questioning the Concordia Student Union’s poster policy during CSU elections. While organizing an upcoming CJLO event, Seline was dismayed to find out that while election campaigning is taking place the CSU will only stamp 10 non-election posters for both campuses, making advertising an event during an election a difficult process. “What I don’t understand is how 10 posters, for a campus of more than 10 buildings, is enough to promote an event,” Seline wrote in an email, adding that even a 30-poster limit would be more realistic. CJLO was granted a few more posters after bringing the issue to the CSU.

Nation in Brief

Double the trouble
A former receptionist at a chiropractor’s office in Winnipeg pleaded guilty to two separate counts of fraud last week after stealing $10,000 from her boss, around half of which she used to buy herself breast implants. The aspiring medical student was sentenced to two years house arrest for forging a total of seven cheques between 2006 and 2007. The court was told that the 29-year-old woman got the breast augmentation “in her belief that she would like herself more,” the Toronto Sun reported, but now her breasts serve as a “daily reminder of the poor choice she made.”

Beauty and Benito
Women’s groups in Alberta are enraged after Edmonton legislature member Carl Benito suggested that the province host an international beauty pageant in order to increase tourism profits, the Canadian Press reported. Alberta’s Tourism Minister Cindy Ady apparently didn’t reject the idea, saying it had to be looked into further, but multiple women’s rights advocate groups, like Womanspace, have said that they will fight the proposal if it is pushed further. Benito, a known Conservative party backbencher and the MPA for the Edmonton Mill Woods district, was also behind a bill a year ago which led the province to designate the Red Cap as the province’s official mushroom.

Bottled water free? Or free bottled water?
Cedar Springs Bottled Water company, based in Concord, Ont., ran a counter-campaign to Canada’s first ever Bottled Water Free Day last Thursday, by giving out free bottled water. Anyone who called the company could request four 11 or 18 litre bottles of spring water, which the company would actually deliver to their homes. The campaign by Cedar Springs used the same title as the national event, and even shared the same website name, simply changing the “.ca” to a “.com.” The original event was organized by the Canadian Federation of Students, the Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris Institute as part of their on-going campaign to get people to cut down on bottled water consumption and start drinking tap water again.

Snake attack
A Peterborough, Ont. man was rushed to hospital last Thursday after being bitten by a California king snake. The man, who was reportedly in his 20s but did not want to be identified, was working at his computer around midnight when the three-foot, non-venomous snake bit his hand. He was able to fling it off and trap it in a garbage can but the snake was later euthanized due to injuries sustained during the incident. The animal was allegedly a neighbour’s pet and was assumed to have entered the apartment through a vent or pipe.

Rogers ups 911 cost
Canada’s largest cellphone provider, Rogers Wireless, has announced that they will be raising the monthly fee for 911 services from $0.50 to $0.75. While Rogers customers can technically call 911 as many times as needed for free every month, all users who signed up before October of 2009 pay what is called an “emergency access fee.” Those who have signed up in the last six months instead pay a “government regulatory recovery fee,” which will not be affected. The increase is allegedly just raising the fee to a level comparable to other service providers in Canada.

World in Brief

Cutthroat politics
A man from Florida aims to set a historic first – become the first vampire President of the United States. According to Florida news website 10connects.com, Jonathan Sharkey, 45, of Tampa Bay, is moving to the nation’s capital to make a run at the 2012 presidency. What’s heartwarming is that his 19-year old fiancée, whom he met online and who also calls herself a vampire, fully supports his ambitions. Sharkey claims to be descended from Vlad II the Impaler, who is better known as Dracula, which puts him roughly in the same boat as Caroline Kennedy.

God call the queen

Not everybody thinks Elizabeth II doesn’t do anything. A study commissioned by OnePoll in Britain found that around 10 per cent of British schoolchildren thought the British monarch invented the telephone. Elizabeth was born in 1921, the phone was invented in 1876. That’s not even the most serious error the evidently confused school children came up with. Many of them also thought the famous 17th century mathematician Sir Isaac Newton invented the Internet, and more than half thought he invented fire. A significant number also thought Luke Skywalker was the first man to walk on the moon, but that’s a fairly understandable mistake.

Texas text tiff
Texas has decided to approve a radically revised school curriculum that will call into question the separation of church and state, and promote conservative economic principles. The new program was passed by a vote of 10 to five in the Texas Board of Education. The board was led by a group of conservative Republicans, who felt that history had been too skewed to the left. Among the changes is removing references to Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers who emphasised the need for a secular state. The large textbook demand in the state has always given it a lot of influence on publishing houses.

LSD allegation

The NY Post is reporting that in the 1950s the U.S government released LSD into the New York subway system to test the effect of LSD on an unsuspecting populace. Declassified reports of CIA drug testing correspond with medical records from the 1950s of hundreds of people reporting hallucinations which they could not explain, and one case of a man jumping out of his window to his death, perhaps because of the effects of the LSD.

Bloody, yet peaceful protest
Protesters in Thailand looking to force the resignation of the country’s prime minister have turned the conflict bloody. The blood, as it turns out, is their own. Opposition groups are setting up booths near parliament where their blood will be drawn, and then poured on the steps of parliament, to put pressure on Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call elections, citing human rights violations. The Asian country is currently battling an insurrection in the south, and various groups have been calling on the PM to resign.

City in Brief

Drive-by in heaven
A drive-by shooting Sunday morning, outside of Heaven Bar in Ahuntsic, left four people injured, three with gunshots wounds, and the last with a broken leg, which the victim suffered as he fled the scene. Police say that a “light-coloured SUV” drove up to the front of the bar on St. Laurent Blvd. around 4 a.m. and multiple rounds were fired from the vehicle, hitting three of the victims, aged from 30 to 40 years old, in the legs. None of the injuries were life threatening. Police have no suspects at this time, or any idea of the motive behind the incident.

Aerial war

Air Canada’s chief executive told many of Montreal’s business leaders on Monday that the desire expressed by Emirates Airlines to expand service to Canada threatens Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport’s potential to increase business. Calin Rovinescu said that the airport could increase its traffic, but since it depends largely on connecting flights, these openings would be stunted if the Dubai-based airline “dumps its excess capacity” on Canada. Rovinescu also mentioned that taxes hurt the airport’s potential, as Air Canada pays almost double to land certain planes in Montreal what American airlines pay to land the same flights in major U.S. airports. In 2009 almost 13 million passengers reportedly flew through Montreal, 6 million of them with Air Canada.

Expelled ConU student to sue university
A Concordia University student who got expelled last month is taking the school to court to try and overturn the decision, the Gazette reported Monday. Former engineering student Charles Rossdeutcher was expelled for allegedly forging a professor’s signature, but the student is arguing that he was not given a fair trial. A Student Rights Panel had initially cleared Rossdeutcher last June, but he was charged again under the Academic Code of Conduct, leading to his expulsion. He has asked the Quebec Superior Court the put a temporary halt to the expulsion, and is also looking to sue the school for $100,000. Rossdeutcher was reportedly four courses short of graduating.

CSU’s poster no-no
Katie Seline, station manager of Concordia University’s radio station, CJLO, is questioning the Concordia Student Union’s poster policy during CSU elections. While organizing an upcoming CJLO event, Seline was dismayed to find out that while election campaigning is taking place the CSU will only stamp 10 non-election posters for both campuses, making advertising an event during an election a difficult process. “What I don’t understand is how 10 posters, for a campus of more than 10 buildings, is enough to promote an event,” Seline wrote in an email, adding that even a 30-poster limit would be more realistic. CJLO was granted a few more posters after bringing the issue to the CSU.

Nation in Brief

Double the trouble
A former receptionist at a chiropractor’s office in Winnipeg pleaded guilty to two separate counts of fraud last week after stealing $10,000 from her boss, around half of which she used to buy herself breast implants. The aspiring medical student was sentenced to two years house arrest for forging a total of seven cheques between 2006 and 2007. The court was told that the 29-year-old woman got the breast augmentation “in her belief that she would like herself more,” the Toronto Sun reported, but now her breasts serve as a “daily reminder of the poor choice she made.”

Beauty and Benito
Women’s groups in Alberta are enraged after Edmonton legislature member Carl Benito suggested that the province host an international beauty pageant in order to increase tourism profits, the Canadian Press reported. Alberta’s Tourism Minister Cindy Ady apparently didn’t reject the idea, saying it had to be looked into further, but multiple women’s rights advocate groups, like Womanspace, have said that they will fight the proposal if it is pushed further. Benito, a known Conservative party backbencher and the MPA for the Edmonton Mill Woods district, was also behind a bill a year ago which led the province to designate the Red Cap as the province’s official mushroom.

Bottled water free? Or free bottled water?
Cedar Springs Bottled Water company, based in Concord, Ont., ran a counter-campaign to Canada’s first ever Bottled Water Free Day last Thursday, by giving out free bottled water. Anyone who called the company could request four 11 or 18 litre bottles of spring water, which the company would actually deliver to their homes. The campaign by Cedar Springs used the same title as the national event, and even shared the same website name, simply changing the “.ca” to a “.com.” The original event was organized by the Canadian Federation of Students, the Sierra Youth Coalition and the Polaris Institute as part of their on-going campaign to get people to cut down on bottled water consumption and start drinking tap water again.

Snake attack
A Peterborough, Ont. man was rushed to hospital last Thursday after being bitten by a California king snake. The man, who was reportedly in his 20s but did not want to be identified, was working at his computer around midnight when the three-foot, non-venomous snake bit his hand. He was able to fling it off and trap it in a garbage can but the snake was later euthanized due to injuries sustained during the incident. The animal was allegedly a neighbour’s pet and was assumed to have entered the apartment through a vent or pipe.

Rogers ups 911 cost
Canada’s largest cellphone provider, Rogers Wireless, has announced that they will be raising the monthly fee for 911 services from $0.50 to $0.75. While Rogers customers can technically call 911 as many times as needed for free every month, all users who signed up before October of 2009 pay what is called an “emergency access fee.” Those who have signed up in the last six months instead pay a “government regulatory recovery fee,” which will not be affected. The increase is allegedly just raising the fee to a level comparable to other service providers in Canada.

World in Brief

Cutthroat politics
A man from Florida aims to set a historic first – become the first vampire President of the United States. According to Florida news website 10connects.com, Jonathan Sharkey, 45, of Tampa Bay, is moving to the nation’s capital to make a run at the 2012 presidency. What’s heartwarming is that his 19-year old fiancée, whom he met online and who also calls herself a vampire, fully supports his ambitions. Sharkey claims to be descended from Vlad II the Impaler, who is better known as Dracula, which puts him roughly in the same boat as Caroline Kennedy.

God call the queen

Not everybody thinks Elizabeth II doesn’t do anything. A study commissioned by OnePoll in Britain found that around 10 per cent of British schoolchildren thought the British monarch invented the telephone. Elizabeth was born in 1921, the phone was invented in 1876. That’s not even the most serious error the evidently confused school children came up with. Many of them also thought the famous 17th century mathematician Sir Isaac Newton invented the Internet, and more than half thought he invented fire. A significant number also thought Luke Skywalker was the first man to walk on the moon, but that’s a fairly understandable mistake.

Texas text tiff
Texas has decided to approve a radically revised school curriculum that will call into question the separation of church and state, and promote conservative economic principles. The new program was passed by a vote of 10 to five in the Texas Board of Education. The board was led by a group of conservative Republicans, who felt that history had been too skewed to the left. Among the changes is removing references to Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers who emphasised the need for a secular state. The large textbook demand in the state has always given it a lot of influence on publishing houses.

LSD allegation

The NY Post is reporting that in the 1950s the U.S government released LSD into the New York subway system to test the effect of LSD on an unsuspecting populace. Declassified reports of CIA drug testing correspond with medical records from the 1950s of hundreds of people reporting hallucinations which they could not explain, and one case of a man jumping out of his window to his death, perhaps because of the effects of the LSD.

Bloody, yet peaceful protest
Protesters in Thailand looking to force the resignation of the country’s prime minister have turned the conflict bloody. The blood, as it turns out, is their own. Opposition groups are setting up booths near parliament where their blood will be drawn, and then poured on the steps of parliament, to put pressure on Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call elections, citing human rights violations. The Asian country is currently battling an insurrection in the south, and various groups have been calling on the PM to resign.

City in Brief

St-Henri murder
A 16-year-old male is being charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death March 7. The victim, 24, was stabbed at 3:25 a.m. outside of the Black Jack Bar in St-Henri after having spent the evening there. A knife with blood on it was found. This is the fourth murder in Montreal so far this year. Police have not yet revealed a motive for the killing.

STM turns down Zhuzhou
The Société de transport de Montréal turned down the bid of a Chinese company, Zhuzhou Electric to provide the city with new metro cars. The STM is currently going through a long, drawn-out process to replace its cars. Quebec-based company Alstom-Bombardier is also competing for the contract. Zhuzhou had wanted to use steel-wheeled trains, unlike the rubber-tired models currently in use. The Chinese company has vowed to fight STM, and is willing to take them to court.

Shelter in scandal

The Lisette-Dupras Readaptation Centre has been investigated by the provincial government for financial irregularities, reports ruefrontenac.com. Over $2 million was paid from the provincial government to the centre, which provides shelter and rehabilitation for those who are mentally handicapped and have suffered abuse, for services which were never provided. The shelter has only had enough demand to operate at around half-capacity the past several years.

Kazemi lawsuit
Quebec’s superior court is deliberating on whether or not a Montreal man should be able to sue the Iranian government through a Quebec court for the death of his mother. Montreal-based photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died in an Iranian jail in 2003 after being detained for having taking photographs. The physician who examined her body said he saw signs of rape and abuse, charges the Iranian government denies. Her son, Stephen Hashemi, is attempting to sue Iran’s supreme leader and two prison guards for $17 million. Allowing a civil case against a foreign government to proceed through a Quebec court would create a new precedent.

Close school loophole

Quebec’s language advisory panel, the Conseil supérieur de la langue française, has told the Charest government to prevent allophone children from transferring from English private schools into the English public school system. Under Bill 101, most allophones cannot enter the English public school system, but at present they can enter English private schools, which are unaffected by Bill 101, and then transfer into a public school after a year. Last year a law enacted in 2002 closing the loophole was deemed unconstitutional by Canada’s Supreme Court. The Charest government is currently deliberating how they want to adjust to the court’s decision.

Nation in Brief

Chewy bacteria, yum!
A new gum hit Canadian shelves this week that will apparently help fight various ailments and infections, because it contains a friendly bacteria. The chewing gum was invented by Dr. John Tagg, a microbiologist from the University of Otago in New Zealand, but was created using research from the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun reported. The approximately 500 million Streptococcus salivarius bacteria in each piece actually produce certain antibacterial substances which can help combat anything from strep throat to earaches. The gum is being distributed in various health stores in Vancouver with each pack setting you back about $8.

Gold medal gear gone missing

No one can ever take away Sidney Crosby’s Olympic gold medal-winning goal, but apparently they had no problem taking his equipment. The hockey star’s stick and one of his gloves were stolen at some point during post-goal celebrations. Reebok Canada, one of Crosby’s sponsors, has offered a $10,000 reward for the return of the two items, with no questions asked. The situation is nothing new for Crosby who had his jersey stolen after winning the 2005 world junior hockey championship, though it was later found in a Lachute, Que. mailbox.

One serious case of addiction

A woman in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. was arrested and charged with mischief last week after she repeatedly called 911 asking police to go to the store and pick her up some cigarettes. After a night of drinking, 67-year-old Moira Williams ran out of smokes and evidently decided that the situation was an emergency. The 911 operators told Williams after several calls to stop phoning unless she had a real emergency. When she refused to heed their warnings by 3 a.m., police were sent to her home to arrest her.

Naked man with a plan
A Regina man was arrested March 2 and is facing a number of charges after entering city hall completely naked and attempting to reach the mayor. After entering the building, the nude man caught an elevator to the 15th floor, where the mayor’s office is located, only to find the mayor was out. For his actions, 34-year-old Brendan W. Cross was charged with two counts of assault and one count of performing an indecent act, among other charges. Cross was once actually a public figure in the community, having founded the now-defunct First Nations Party of Saskatchewan, but apparently took to streaking, having accumulated multiple charges of indecent exposure and other minor offences in the last 15 years. The incident prompted a review of city hall security.

Plane lands on Newfoundland highway
A small Cessna plane attempted an emergency landing on a Nova Scotia highway but crashed into an apple tree March 7. Three people were taken to hospital. The RCMP are not yet sure what caused the plane to come down on the highway, where it narrowly missed a vehicle, and left the pilot in critical condition and his two passengers 8212; employees of Environment Canada 8212; with non-life threatening injuries. The plane will be examined by Transport Canada investigators to determine the cause of the accident.

World in Brief

Jumping the Gun
Lawrence Reynolds Jr. was hours away from being executed by the state of Ohio, when he earned a reprieve – by overdosing on pills he’d obtained. The move forced Ohio correctional authorities to hospitalize Reynolds and delay the execution until he becomes healthy enough to be killed. The execution is now set to take place March 16. Reynolds was convicted of strangling a 67-year-old woman to death in 1994 for alcohol money. State authorities are currently investigating how he managed to get his hands on the pills.

Only in Florida
Keys News has a cautionary tip for all drivers out there – don’t try to shave your crotch while at the wheel. A woman in Cudjoe Key, Fla, caused a two-car accident on Friday, trying to look her trimmest while on her way to a meeting with a boyfriend in Key West. Even stranger is that part of the blame goes to her ex-husband, who was in the passenger seat next to her, and was supposed to be manning the wheel. Megan Barnes, who perhaps unsurprisingly was also driving with a revoked license, faces numerous charges including driving without insurance and leaving the scene of an accident.

Will break hearts for money
Nobody likes breakups- except maybe Bradley Laborman of Iowa, who’s found a way to make some money off them. The Globe and Mail reports Laborman has set up the site IDUMP4U.COM, where, for a fee, he’ll break the bad news to your significant other. Not only that, but he also posts the audio of the phone calls online onto YouTube. And business is booming. But it doesn’t seem to bother him too much. “I enjoy doing it in the fact that I’m actually making a difference. Maybe it’s some sort of delusional thing that I think I’m making a difference,” he told the Globe.

Oh, the humanity
The Pennsylvania company that made ashtrays for the ill-fated Hindenburg zeppelin was destroyed in a fire. The owner told the local television news station that the fire started in a workshop where lacquer is sprayed on bronze parts. Nobody was harmed in the fire, which started around 2 p.m. on March 3. The Hindenburg, a German passenger zeppelin, famously caught fire and was destroyed in May 1937 as it tried to dock. Ninety-seven people were on board, and 35 people died. The disaster effectively ended the era of airships.

Seeing screwy

While the British are known for bad dentistry, they may have another notch under their belt – incompetent optometrists. In Britain, seven-year-old Tayla Don suffered for two years from headaches and sickness and couldn’t figure out why, until an eye inspection at the hospital revealed the problem. According to the Sun, her optometrists had managed to install the lenses in her glasses backwards. The long-suffering girl was given a new set of specs and an apology from the store that had gotten her all mixed up.

City in Brief

St-Henri murder
A 16-year-old male is being charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death March 7. The victim, 24, was stabbed at 3:25 a.m. outside of the Black Jack Bar in St-Henri after having spent the evening there. A knife with blood on it was found. This is the fourth murder in Montreal so far this year. Police have not yet revealed a motive for the killing.

STM turns down Zhuzhou
The Société de transport de Montréal turned down the bid of a Chinese company, Zhuzhou Electric to provide the city with new metro cars. The STM is currently going through a long, drawn-out process to replace its cars. Quebec-based company Alstom-Bombardier is also competing for the contract. Zhuzhou had wanted to use steel-wheeled trains, unlike the rubber-tired models currently in use. The Chinese company has vowed to fight STM, and is willing to take them to court.

Shelter in scandal

The Lisette-Dupras Readaptation Centre has been investigated by the provincial government for financial irregularities, reports ruefrontenac.com. Over $2 million was paid from the provincial government to the centre, which provides shelter and rehabilitation for those who are mentally handicapped and have suffered abuse, for services which were never provided. The shelter has only had enough demand to operate at around half-capacity the past several years.

Kazemi lawsuit
Quebec’s superior court is deliberating on whether or not a Montreal man should be able to sue the Iranian government through a Quebec court for the death of his mother. Montreal-based photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died in an Iranian jail in 2003 after being detained for having taking photographs. The physician who examined her body said he saw signs of rape and abuse, charges the Iranian government denies. Her son, Stephen Hashemi, is attempting to sue Iran’s supreme leader and two prison guards for $17 million. Allowing a civil case against a foreign government to proceed through a Quebec court would create a new precedent.

Close school loophole

Quebec’s language advisory panel, the Conseil supérieur de la langue française, has told the Charest government to prevent allophone children from transferring from English private schools into the English public school system. Under Bill 101, most allophones cannot enter the English public school system, but at present they can enter English private schools, which are unaffected by Bill 101, and then transfer into a public school after a year. Last year a law enacted in 2002 closing the loophole was deemed unconstitutional by Canada’s Supreme Court. The Charest government is currently deliberating how they want to adjust to the court’s decision.

Nation in Brief

Chewy bacteria, yum!
A new gum hit Canadian shelves this week that will apparently help fight various ailments and infections, because it contains a friendly bacteria. The chewing gum was invented by Dr. John Tagg, a microbiologist from the University of Otago in New Zealand, but was created using research from the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun reported. The approximately 500 million Streptococcus salivarius bacteria in each piece actually produce certain antibacterial substances which can help combat anything from strep throat to earaches. The gum is being distributed in various health stores in Vancouver with each pack setting you back about $8.

Gold medal gear gone missing

No one can ever take away Sidney Crosby’s Olympic gold medal-winning goal, but apparently they had no problem taking his equipment. The hockey star’s stick and one of his gloves were stolen at some point during post-goal celebrations. Reebok Canada, one of Crosby’s sponsors, has offered a $10,000 reward for the return of the two items, with no questions asked. The situation is nothing new for Crosby who had his jersey stolen after winning the 2005 world junior hockey championship, though it was later found in a Lachute, Que. mailbox.

One serious case of addiction

A woman in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. was arrested and charged with mischief last week after she repeatedly called 911 asking police to go to the store and pick her up some cigarettes. After a night of drinking, 67-year-old Moira Williams ran out of smokes and evidently decided that the situation was an emergency. The 911 operators told Williams after several calls to stop phoning unless she had a real emergency. When she refused to heed their warnings by 3 a.m., police were sent to her home to arrest her.

Naked man with a plan
A Regina man was arrested March 2 and is facing a number of charges after entering city hall completely naked and attempting to reach the mayor. After entering the building, the nude man caught an elevator to the 15th floor, where the mayor’s office is located, only to find the mayor was out. For his actions, 34-year-old Brendan W. Cross was charged with two counts of assault and one count of performing an indecent act, among other charges. Cross was once actually a public figure in the community, having founded the now-defunct First Nations Party of Saskatchewan, but apparently took to streaking, having accumulated multiple charges of indecent exposure and other minor offences in the last 15 years. The incident prompted a review of city hall security.

Plane lands on Newfoundland highway
A small Cessna plane attempted an emergency landing on a Nova Scotia highway but crashed into an apple tree March 7. Three people were taken to hospital. The RCMP are not yet sure what caused the plane to come down on the highway, where it narrowly missed a vehicle, and left the pilot in critical condition and his two passengers 8212; employees of Environment Canada 8212; with non-life threatening injuries. The plane will be examined by Transport Canada investigators to determine the cause of the accident.

World in Brief

Jumping the Gun
Lawrence Reynolds Jr. was hours away from being executed by the state of Ohio, when he earned a reprieve – by overdosing on pills he’d obtained. The move forced Ohio correctional authorities to hospitalize Reynolds and delay the execution until he becomes healthy enough to be killed. The execution is now set to take place March 16. Reynolds was convicted of strangling a 67-year-old woman to death in 1994 for alcohol money. State authorities are currently investigating how he managed to get his hands on the pills.

Only in Florida
Keys News has a cautionary tip for all drivers out there – don’t try to shave your crotch while at the wheel. A woman in Cudjoe Key, Fla, caused a two-car accident on Friday, trying to look her trimmest while on her way to a meeting with a boyfriend in Key West. Even stranger is that part of the blame goes to her ex-husband, who was in the passenger seat next to her, and was supposed to be manning the wheel. Megan Barnes, who perhaps unsurprisingly was also driving with a revoked license, faces numerous charges including driving without insurance and leaving the scene of an accident.

Will break hearts for money
Nobody likes breakups- except maybe Bradley Laborman of Iowa, who’s found a way to make some money off them. The Globe and Mail reports Laborman has set up the site IDUMP4U.COM, where, for a fee, he’ll break the bad news to your significant other. Not only that, but he also posts the audio of the phone calls online onto YouTube. And business is booming. But it doesn’t seem to bother him too much. “I enjoy doing it in the fact that I’m actually making a difference. Maybe it’s some sort of delusional thing that I think I’m making a difference,” he told the Globe.

Oh, the humanity
The Pennsylvania company that made ashtrays for the ill-fated Hindenburg zeppelin was destroyed in a fire. The owner told the local television news station that the fire started in a workshop where lacquer is sprayed on bronze parts. Nobody was harmed in the fire, which started around 2 p.m. on March 3. The Hindenburg, a German passenger zeppelin, famously caught fire and was destroyed in May 1937 as it tried to dock. Ninety-seven people were on board, and 35 people died. The disaster effectively ended the era of airships.

Seeing screwy

While the British are known for bad dentistry, they may have another notch under their belt – incompetent optometrists. In Britain, seven-year-old Tayla Don suffered for two years from headaches and sickness and couldn’t figure out why, until an eye inspection at the hospital revealed the problem. According to the Sun, her optometrists had managed to install the lenses in her glasses backwards. The long-suffering girl was given a new set of specs and an apology from the store that had gotten her all mixed up.

City in Brief

Council changes mind

Concordia Student Union council decided to allow student group Le Frigo Vert to ask students for a fee levy increase 8212; after twice denying the same request since September. Council voted unanimously Feb. 18 to include the food co-op’s request for an increase of 11 cents per credit in its March referendum. The question as it will appear on the referendum, however, will ask for a 12-cent increase, which is the amount Le Frigo Vert sought at two previous council meetings. The question was approved at 11 cents because council rules were misinterpreted to state that a defeated motion can not be reintroduced verbatim. Upon learning proper procedure was not adhered to, CSU president Amine Dabchy returned the requested increase to 12 cents. If students vote in favour the increase, Le Frigo Vert’s fee levy will increase from 25 cents to 37 cents.

New ASFA execs elected

Aaron Green was elected president of Arts and Sciences Federation of Associations Feb. 19. His Innovation team won five of the seven seats on ASFA executive, with Allie McDonald elected vice president social, Alexa Newman elected VP finance, Chad Walcott elected VP external and sustainability, and Terry Seminara elected VP academic and Loyola affairs. Two members of the Stronger ASFA party also won executive positions; Anna Goldfinch took VP internal and Sarah Moore won VP communications. Serge Keverian and Megan-Jane Renshaw of Innovation, and Kelly McDougald of Stronger ASFA, were elected as independent councillors. Over 1,300 students voted in the elections, which was marked by a high rate of abstentions. For three of the four referendum questions, all of which passed, more students voted to abstain than voted yes. The race for VP external also saw more abstentions than votes for the winning candidate. Green received 435 votes, while his closest competitor Joel Suss of New Energy received 365. Charlie Brenchley of Stronger received 281 votes. There were 227 abstentions.

Tax-paying drug dealer wont go to jail

A Montreal pot seed seller who made millions with his business will not be serving any time behind bars. Instead, he was sentenced to two years minus one day to be served in the community. The books on Hratch Richard Baghdadlian’s business, called Heaven’s Stairway, showed he made about $3.5 million between 2000 and 2005. Lawyers for Baghdadlian, 42, argued the accused was unaware his business was illegal, pointing to the fact that he ran the business openly and even payed taxes on his profits. While a Quebec court judge didn’t buy it, he noted Baghdadlian was doing well in rehab and that he had already handed over over $500,000 in cash and material goods when he was arrested in 2006. The crown prosecutor was looking for five years in jail, and might appeal.


Nation in Brief

Dean of mean gets fifteen

A world-class engineer was sentenced to 15 months probation last Thursday in a bizarre case where he head-butted a woman in a London, Ont. drug store, QMI News Agency reported. Brian Thompson, 54, was found guilty of assault earlier this year, but was only sentenced last week. Thompson, the owner of an international consulting business, is the dean of the faculty of engineering at the University of Ottawa and has also taught in New York and at the University of Western Ontario. Along with his probation, Thompson must pay a $2,000 fine. Thompson’s claim was that the woman in the store grabbed his genitals and that, though their heads touched during the altercation, he did not in fact head butt her. But the victim, a 46-year-old mother, and two witnesses said Thompson was agitated in the store and when confronted by the woman, responded with a head butt.

One-way ticket out of Parliament

Many Canadians, including representatives of the Liberal Party of Canada, have called for the resignation of Conservative MP Helena Guergis, after she threw what has been called a “tantrum” in a Charlottetown, P.E.I. airport last week. Guergis, the minister of state for the status of women, allegedly verbally abused staff at the airport after she arrived 15 minutes before her flight and was forced to check baggage that was too large to carry on, and take off her boots for the metal detector. Guergis apparently swore numerous times and when an employee reminded her that passengers are expected to be at the airport two hours early, she responded with “I don’t need to be lectured about flight time by you. I’ve been down here working my ass off for you people.” The MP has since apologized, to the satisfaction of the Prime Minister’s office.

Pickle >Nickle… back

A picture of a pickle officially surpassed Canadian band Nickelback in Facebook fans last week. It took less than a month. The pickle now has over 1.5 million fans on the social networking site, around 100,000 more fans than the band, which has yet to respond to the Facebook group. The page’s creator, Coral Anne from Canada, wrote a note once the group reached its goal, saying that the page was meant as a joke and not as a way to insult or show a lack of respect towards the band. Maybe the Russian Olympic committee will take a cue from the webpage and have the pickle perform at their closing ceremonies.

Sumo, a stray saviour

A stray cat is being credited with saving a Winnipeg woman, the CBC is reporting. Winnipeg resident Judy Danchura heard a cat meowing outside her door last summer and decided to give the animal a temporary home and some food. While she was sleeping the cat leapt onto her chest, causing the woman considerable pain. It was this twist of fate that led Danchura to notice a bump on her breast ultimately causing her to see a doctor where she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Danchura, whose chances of survival are estimated at 95 per cent, credits the cat, now named Sumo, for finding the tumor.

World in Brief


Bull spoils party

A Pennsylvania man was killed the day before his 53rd birthday after he was attacked by his pet bull. According to the Berks County coroner’s office, Ricky Weinhold was killed on his farm on Saturday from wounds sustained from the hooves and head of his large, “temperamental” pet. The victim was killed on a farm he had been renting where he kept 10 pet cattle. The farm’s owner said she believed the same bull that killed Weinhold was responsible for breaking several of his ribs last summer. The owner, whose son found the victim’s body on the day of his birthday, also said Weinhold was encouraged to get rid of the animal. “The poor man, he loved his animals,” said the coroner. “They were his pets.”

UK trashes UFO sightings

Britain’s defence ministry has decided to shred records of UFO sightings after 30 days, rather than keeping them on file. The ministry announced the move on Sunday in response to a steadily growing number of public sightings which were called a waste of defence resources by the British government, according to The Associated Press. The 634 reported sightings received by the defence ministry in 2009 were well above the average of about 150 over the past decade, and the most since the 750 sightings reported in 1978.

Pocket-dial leads to trial

Two Florida teens are facing burglary charges after one of them accidentally pocket-dialled 911 and police overheard them talking about breaking into a car mid-theft. 19-year-old Stefanie Vargas and her girlfriend’s 13-year-old brother were discussing what was worth stealing inside the car before Daytona Beach police were dispatched to the scene. One of the teens was spotted inside a car by police and the two suspects were arrested.

Obama to lay off the cake

After a physical on Sunday, American president Barack Obama was encouraged by his doctor to lower his cholesterol, the CBC has reported. White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs blamed the spike on the president indulging in too many desserts and cheeseburgers. Living at the White House, the president has an entire kitchen staff, including a pastry chef, at his disposal, making it more difficult, according to Gibbs, for him to deny his sweet tooth. Obama responded to the recommendation on Monday by walking back to the White House from a speech, or as the president put it, “walking off some of that cholesterol.”

McGwire highway on the way out

The state senate of Missouri is pushing to have a highway named after former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire renamed after McGwire admitted to having used steroids during his baseball career. After McGwire, now the Cardinals’ hitting coach, hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1999, section of Interstate 70 was officially designated “the Mark McGwire Highway.” This achievement has since been tainted, however, by the revelation that he used performance-enhancing steroids, leading the Senate to call for McGwire to lose his stretch of pavement, the Associated Press reported Monday. Republican Senator Kurt Schaefer has recommended that roads only be named after people posthumously so that they don’t encounter similar problems in the future.

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