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Tag: Canada

  • Google Rolls Local Update Out To More Countries

    Back in July, Google launched an algorithm update that shook up local search results in the U.S. While Google never gave it an official name like Panda or Penguin that we’re aware of, Search Engine Land started calling it the “Pigeon” update, and that’s what people in the industry have, for the most part, adopted for it.

    That update has now reportedly started rolling out to other countries including the UK, Canada, and Australia.

    Back in July when the update launched, people noticed missing 7 packs in some types of local results, and Google confirmed the update, saying that it “ties deeper into their web search capabilities, including the hundreds of ranking signals they use in web search, along with search reatures such as Knowledge Graph, spelling correction, synonyms, and more.”

    The update was also said to improve distance and location parameters.

    Search Engine Land is now reporting that the update has significantly affected local businesses in the new regions, and points out that Google is, once again, making major algorithm changes around the holidays, which it had pretty much stopped doing until recently.

    As we’ve talked about in the past, Google updates around the holidays can deliver major blows to businesses at the most important sales time of the year. Now, not only are they rolling this update out, they’ve been slowly rolling out a new version of Penguin.

    Image via Google

  • Amazon Launches ‘Pickup Points’ At Canada Post Locations

    Amazon Launches ‘Pickup Points’ At Canada Post Locations

    Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Pickup Points in Canada. This is a new delivery option for Canadians where they can pick up orders at Canada Post retail locations throughout the country.

    “We’re continuously working to introduce new programs and shipping options that make our customers’ lives easier,” said Alexandre Gagnon, country manager for Amazon.ca. “We know the holidays get busy, so we’re excited to introduce Amazon Pickup Points which give customers who are always on the go a convenient and secure alternative to receive Amazon.ca packages.”

    “Canadians want delivery options that suit their busy lifestyles,” said Canada Post CEO Deepak Chopra. “By providing access to our 6,200 locations across the country, Amazon.ca is adding unparalleled convenience for its customers.”

    Here in the U.S., Amazon has a similar service called Amazon Locker, which consists of lockers at various retail locations, where customers can pick up their orders. Meanwhile, the company continues to experiment with numerous ways of delivering goods and services to customers.

    The company has been testing taxis for package delivery as well as bike messengers. As you probably also know, it wants to get its Prime Air drone program off the ground (so to speak), though that faces some significant regulatory hurdles.

    For customers to use Pickup Points, packages must have a length of no more than 2 meters or a length + girth of no more than 3 meters, and have a shipping weight of no more than 30 kilos.

    Image via Amazon

  • Lori Douglas Nude Photos Prompt Inquiry Against Her

    Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas is facing removal from her position due to an inquiry on nude images of her being posted on the Internet without her consent. On Tuesday, October 29, the Canadian Judicial Council’s independent counsel, Suzanne Cote, said that some judges on the committee that appointed Douglas to her position in 2005 were not aware of the photos and would have decided differently. Cote also argued that the members of the Canadian Judicial Council panel should see Douglas’ photos because they were part of evidence.

    In 2003, when Douglas was still a lawyer in private practice, her husband Jack King, also a lawyer, reportedly gave three of many intimate photographs he had taken of his wife to a client named Alex Chapman. King also allegedly enticed Chapman to have sex with his wife. In response, Chapman alleged sexual harassment and received $25,000 from King’s firm to keep quiet. However, Chapman kept the photographs and sent them to the media in 2010.

    Douglas has claimed all this time that she had no knowledge of her husband’s actions. Now, Cote is saying that the photos call into question whether the public can believe that Douglas can impartially decide cases.

    “The photos have been made publicly available without my knowledge or consent and in violation of her privacy rights,” Douglas argued in her notice of motion. “Such conduct by others is not capable of supporting a recommendation of removal (from the bench).”

    The inquiry aims to determine whether Douglas failed to disclose knowledge of the nude photos on the Internet when she applied to become a judge, whether she changed a diary entry after learning she was being subject to an investigation, and whether her presence on the bench undermines the integrity of the justice system.

    Cote argued that Douglas was obliged “to explicitly disclose that the (pictures) had been in the public domain.” Cote also argued that it was necessary for the panel to see the pictures to come to a conclusion. “You cannot simply ignore what it is that these images depict,” she said.

  • Ottawa Shootings: Parliament And War Memorial Among Scenes Of Violence

    Ottawa Shootings: Parliament And War Memorial Among Scenes Of Violence

    Citizens across Ottawa, Canada are presently experiencing a lock-down situation as reports emerge that a series of shootings have taken place in the capital city.

    Though the story is still developing, it’s believed that the first outbreak of shooting happened at the War Memorial. An unknown gunman opened fire, hitting a soldier. The wounded man was soon after rushed to a nearby hospital.

    It was confirmed by Jason Kenney, a member of the Canadian House of Commons, that the soldier has died.

    According to Reuters, a witness saw the masked gunman hijack a vehicle and drive towards Parliament.

    The driver was reportedly not harmed by the shooter.

    A short while later, there was gunfire exchanged between Parliament security officials and at least one armed man.

    Not long after the incident at Parliament, shots were reported near Rideau Centre Mall.

    A reporter for The Globe And Mail who was inside Parliament at the time officials exchanged fire with at least one individual recorded video footage of the harrowing incident:

    There are presently conflicting reports as to the state of the gunman. Some sources say that the individual is dead while others are saying that this has yet to be confirmed for certain.

    Also a source of disagreement is the number of parties said to be responsible for the shootings.

    While some claim that it was a lone gunman responsible for the three shootings, there are also reports that at least one other person is being sought by authorities.

    Aside from the soldier at the War Memorial, two other individuals were reportedly hospitalized in connection with today’s incidents:

    No members of Parliament were believed to have been injured during any of the shootings.

    More details to come as information about the shootings is confirmed.

    UPDATE (1:20 PM)

    Shooter confirmed dead; this is the man credited with taking down the shooter:

    Military bases are being closed across Canada as a precaution:

    UPDATE (1:27 PM)

    Possible eye-witness confirmation that the first gunman was killed:

    Eye-witness tweets claim the first gunman was killed before the third shooting took place near the Rideau Centre Mall:

    This would confirm reports that more than one shooter is involved.

    UPDATE (1:39 PM)

    Due to today’s events, the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators has been postponed:

  • Mouse In Coffee Cup? Read This And Think Twice Before You Sip.

    Mouse In Coffee Cup? Read This And Think Twice Before You Sip.

    Imagine finding a mouse in YOUR coffee cup the next time you patronize a restaurant.

    This is allegedly what happened to a Canadian man when he visited the local McDonald’s.

    Ron Morais of Fredericton, New Brunswick told CBC News that he didn’t suspect anything was wrong.

    He sipped away contently until he got to the last few sips. As a habit, Morais always takes the lid off of his McDonald’s coffee to gulp down the last of it.

    This time the man said that when he did so he made a rather gruesome discovery.

    “when I took the lid off, there was a little bit of a surprise in my coffee cup. It was a dead mouse.”

    It’s gross enough that the man had supposedly been drinking coffee containing a deceased rodent.

    Unfortunately the horror doesn’t end there.

    According to Morias the mouse left behind some “going away presents” before he died.

    Jennifer LaHaye works with Ron Morais and was there when he made the claim that he’d discovered a dead mouse in his coffee cup.

    Said LaHaye, “The first time I looked [at the dead mouse], I actually looked and it’s really, he’s not joking.”

    Seeing the entire thing in person was more than enough to convince Morais’s co-worker that he is absolutely telling the truth.

    Needless to say, McDonald’s Canada was quick to respond to the horrific allegation. The company issued a statement almost immediately:

    “Food safety and quality are a top priority for McDonald’s Canada and all of our restaurants are held to high industry standards. [W]e take allegations involving cleanliness and sanitation very seriously.”

    The company said that it intended to launch a thorough investigation and it cautioned the public against “jumping to conclusions”.

    Regardless of whether or not this story turns out to be true, it’s yet another story that teaches us to look carefully at the food items we order before consumption.

    Do you think this mouse story is legitimate or a hoax? Comment below!

  • Spotify Finally Launches (Fully) in Canada

    Spotify Finally Launches (Fully) in Canada

    After announcing back in 2012 that it would eventually move into Canada, Spotify launched on an invite-only basis back in July. Today, Spotify is announcing its full Canadian launch.

    Alongside the more than 20 million songs, 320kbps streams, and the multi-platform availability with which Spotify typically coaxes US users, the company is also advertising “one of the most extensive Canadian music catalogues available including a comprehensive Quebecois library.”

    “Spotify is launching in Canada with a comprehensive catalogue featuring the best local music from every genre, region and generation,” said Ken Parks, Chief Content Officer. “This is a Spotify that has been tailor made for Canadian music fans.”

    Basic Spotify service is free in Canada, and like the US, an upgrade to premium will run $10 (CAD). Of course, Spotify’s premium service includes offline listening, top-tier audio quality, and gets rid of those pesky ads.

    It’s been a long wait for Canadians. Spotify first launched in the US in July of 2011 – so our neighbors up north have been waiting for over three years to have access to one of the most popular streaming services in the world.

    In May, Spotify announced that it has crossed the 40 million active user mark – 10 million of whom pay for the service.

    Image via Björn Olsson, Flickr Creative Commons

  • Richard Crenian Sees Foreign Interest in Canadian Real Estate as Valid

    Commissioned News Story (Source: ReDev Properties Ltd)

    2014 has heralded a period of growing interest in Canadian real estate from foreign investors. In fact, this attention toward Canada’s market is said to be growing exponentially, mainly due to Canada’s relatively stable economy. While the rest of the world has struggled through a prolonged recession, Canadian banks and capital markets have continued to remain healthy.

    Richard Crenian, founder and president of ReDev Properties Ltd, sees foreign interest in Canadian real estate as valid. “Canadian real estate is a very promising investment right now,” says Crenian. “In Alberta, for example, there are no new taxes and a massive, multi-billion dollar surplus will undoubtedly help existing local businesses expand. Coupled with a boom in new construction and school growth, all of this will result in an incredibly appealing opportunity for investors elsewhere in the world.”

    Since founding ReDev Properties Ltd in 2001, Crenian has grown the asset management company using a long-term approach to manage over 25 commercial properties, primarily located in Western Canada, on behalf of over 2,500 investors worldwide.

    According to Canadian Real Estate Magazine, the best mortgage rates are currently hovering around 3 per cent. Five-year mortgage rates are at record lows.

    Recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) stats further reveal that there were 185,939 new home starts in June of this year, as compared to 184,019 in May.

    “This is in line with CMHC’s analysis indicating that the new home construction market in Canada is headed for a soft landing in 2014,” says Bob Dugan, Chief Economist for the CMHC. “Builders are expected to continue to manage their building activity to ensure that demand from buyers seeking a new unit is channeled toward unsold units, whether these are under construction or completed.”

    Starts have been increasing particularly in the Atlantic Canada and Prairies regions, while decreasing in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Still, a report from The Toronto Star marks Toronto as the hottest housing market in the country.

    The Canadian Real Estate Board will release its latest data on sales of existing homes next week. According to The Globe and Mail, local boards have been painting a picture “of strength,” particularly in high population markets like Toronto and Vancouver.

    High-end home sales are said to be booming across the country, and the outlook is similarly positive for cabins, cottages, camps, and condos.

    “It’s no wonder foreign interest is on the rise,” says Richard Crenian. “Low vacancies have resulted in an explosion of development, resulting in massive real estate growth. As more and more investors all over the world are now recognizing, commercial real estate here in Canada is an attractive, viable investment platform.”

  • Amazon Prime’s Discount for College Kids Hits Canada

    Amazon Prime’s Discount for College Kids Hits Canada

    Amazon Student, the program that allows college and university kids to receive free and then discounted Amazon Prime memberships, has just landed in Canada.

    Eligible college students can sign up today and receive six months of Amazon Prime for free (two-day shipping). After that, they’ll pay 50 percent of the full subscription price for Amazon Prime, which is currently $39 a year (it’s $49 in the US, after Amazon’s Prime price hike).

    Once you begin paying for Prime, you’ll get the other benefits like Amazon Prime Instant Video and Prime Music.

    “We want students to feel empowered by offering a program that makes going off to university and preparing for the upcoming semester easy and affordable — where students can get fast, free shipping and have everything they need delivered directly to their doorstep,” said Alexandre Gagnon, country manager for Amazon.ca. “Amazon Student saves time and money and makes it convenient for university students to find deals on room essentials and campus must-haves like electronics, small kitchen appliances and more. Plus, students can find a wide variety of textbooks – all at Amazon.ca.”

    After you graduate or at the end of your fourth year of Amazon Student Prime benefits, whichever comes first, your subscription will automatically upgrade on its anniversary date into a full paid subscription for Amazon Prime, according to Amazon. So make sure you keep an eye on how long you’ve had your student membership.

    Image via Amazon.ca

  • Stroke Signs in Viral Selfie Save Woman’s Life

    A woman in Toronto may very well be alive today because she pulled her car over to take a selfie.

    Stacy Yepes, who lives in the Toronto area, had been experiencing some odd tingling and numbness sensations for three days. The tingling would come, then go away again. She had been to the hospital to have the situation looked at. Doctors performed tests, decided that the whole thing was simply stress-related, and sent Yepes on her way with instructions to control her breathing. She even had the same sensation in the hospital parking lot as she was leaving.

    But the next day, when the tingling started again, Yepes pulled her car over and grabbed her cell phone.

    “The sensation is happening again,” Stacey Yepes says on the selfie video. “It’s all tingling on left side.”

    Doctors say that Yepes action may have saved her life.

    “I think it was just to show somebody, because I knew it was not stress-related,” Yepes said. “And I thought if I could show somebody what was happening, they would have a better understanding.”

    Doctors now say that Yepes was having “mini-strokes” caused by plaque buildup in her arteries that restricted blood flow. She has been put on medications to help the situation, including blood thinners, and has not had any mini-strokes since.

    The American Stroke Association uses the acronym F.A.S.T. to help people understand the signs of a stroke.

    F- Face dropping
    A- Arm weakness
    S- Speech difficulty
    T – Time to call 911

    In the video, Yepes face clearly droops on one side when she tries to smile. She explains that it is “all tingly on the left side”. Her speech is slurred. She explains that her “hand is hard lift up”. These symptoms all fit the signs of a stroke.

    Doctors are now saying that the video is a textbook example of what to look for in a stroke. They are recommending the video to students and patients so they can have a clear picture of the symptoms, perhaps saving another life in the days to come.

    Then again, there’s this …

    Image via YouTube

  • Best Lawn Mowers: Consumer Reports Finds The Answer

    Consumer Reports has tested over one hundred products to find the best lawn mower.

    Their answer? It depends on your lawn, but you can’t go wrong with the $250 Cub Cadet SC100 11A-A92J, which will give you an excellent cut as well as maneuverability.

    But really, they say, it depends.

    “Most important is to consider the size of your property. If you have a larger property, that is it takes you more than a half an hour to mow your lawn, then you should consider a self-propelled mower,” Consumer Reports’ Peter Sawchuk . According to him every lawn needs a different type of mower. Speed, drive, and power source are all important considerations.

    But some types of mowers have to be better than others right? It really does depend on what you need. The magazine has published a detailed buying guide regarding the different features for manual-reel mowers, electric mowers, gas-powered mowers, lawn tractors, zero-turn-radius mowers, and even robotic mowers. But to see the reports on a product-by-product basis, you’ll need to purchase a subscription.

    To help you figure out what mower you need, Consumer reports published this helpful YouTube video:

    Of course, if you’d rather do the research and the testing yourself, but lack the funds of buying a hundred mowers, you could always follow the example of some thieves in Canada and steal them. Saturday, CBC News reported a thief of several mowers in Arborg, Manitoba. “Maybe they had a lot of yard work to do,” they speculated, also publishing a full list of stolen items:

    2 John Deere riding lawn mowers
    2 John Deere zero turn lawn mowers
    2 John Deere push mowers
    1 Ariens rear tine rototiller
    1 white GMC 2500 pickup truck
    1 white Triton Tow Dolly trailer

    Yard work, indeed. Maybe reading the reports is easier and cheaper after all.

    Image via Consumer Reports, YouTube.

  • Instagram Ads Going Global ‘Later This Year’

    On the heels of what the company is calling a very successful ad rollout in the US, Instagram has announced that they plan on taking their new ads global very soon.

    According to Instagram, they will build on their “momentum” by launching ads in users’ photo feeds in Canada, Australia, and the UK ‘later this year.”

    “The results for advertisers have been positive—and in some cases, well above the ad industry’s average for performance. We’re excited to build on this momentum, and in the coming months we will extend the same level of care and consideration as we introduce ads on Instagram to our global community,” says the company in a post.

    “As with our initial roll-out, we are committed to learning as much as we can while building Instagram as a sustainable business. Later this year, we’ll start by introducing ads on Instagram in three countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In the future we’ll also look to introduce ads on Instagram to additional countries across the world.”

    After a month-long soft launch period, Instagram finally unveiled in-feed ads back in November of 2013. Starting with big-name partners like Ben & Jerry’s, Burberry, Levi’s, Macy’s, PayPal, and Michael Kors, Instagram’s ads look like regular old posts – but are marked with a ‘sponsored’ tag. Users can also hide them from their feeds if they so desire.

    The move came a little over a year after being acquired by Facebook.

    Image via Michael Kors, Instagram

  • F-35 Fighter Jet: Canada Will Have 65, Please

    Lockheed Martin will score big if Canada decides to buy 65 of their F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets. Rueters reported that an internal 18 month review recommends the purchase. The only reason this deal is less than official is due to the fact that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet hasn’t signed off on it yet.

    The purchase will cost the Canadian government 9 billion of their dollars, which translates to 8.22 billion in United States currency. The large price tag, plus the high cost of upkeep and maintenance, stopped a similar deal from happening in 2010.

    Will the deal go through? Probably. After all, what government wouldn’t be seduced by the F-35’s look and performance?

    Images and videos of the jet exist across the internet, emphasizing its impressive design and its impressive cost.

    If you’re eager to hear Canada seal the deal, you’re probably going to have to wait until Tuesday. CBC News reported that sources regarding the decision are contradicting themselves all over the place. One said the deal is done. Another said the government may seek a more competitive bid. And yet another said the report was impartial and did not in fact recommend the F-35s at all.

    The constant speculation has been great for Lockheed Martin’s stock. TheStreet ratings team recommended the company as “a BUY”. “This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate,” the recommendation stated. Although the expected order was not taken into consideration, it may be added to the list of reasons soon enough.

    That is, if indeed Canada orders the jets from Lockheed Martin as expected.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Moncton News: Shooter of 5 Mounties Still at Large

    At 7:20 pm Wednesday night, five Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to a phone call reporting an armed man, wearing camouflage, traipsing about a small neighborhood in Moncton, New Brunswick. At 8:30 pm, photographer Daniel St. Louis arrived on the scene and was immediately shocked by what he saw.

    “I walked over and I saw two feet, facing the street, toes up. I realized, ‘Oh my God. There’s somebody down.’ As I got close, I realized it was an officer and this is not a good situation.”

    St. Louis’s assessment could not have been more accurate.

    The RCMP are still looking for the suspect, 24-year-old Justin Bourque. Bourque is being pursued for the killing of three police officers and the wounding of two more. At the time, not much is known about the suspect. Police are asking his family and others to volunteer all the information they have on the suspect, however.

    In the meantime, the RCMP continues to ask people to remain inside their homes and to stay vigilant: “The suspect is being pursued, he is well armed and extremely dangerous. Know that we have and will continue to bring the full weight of the RCMP to the task of catching this person, and looking after our people,” informed Commissioner Bob Paulson in a statement Thursday.

    To ensure that everyone is as protected as possible, the RCMP tweeted a map of the area in which the shooter has been spotted, along with a picture of the suspect.

    Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc expressed his disbelief of the scenario which has unfolded, stating, “Never in my darkest dreams did I think we would be facing what we’re facing today in Moncton.”

    The same sentiment was shared by St. Louis: “Our quiet little city, what is going on here? How is this happening to us? It always happens to somebody else.”

    The attack against the police in Moncton is the largest such attack against the RCMP since 2005, when a man shot and killed four mounties in Alberta – the most devastating attack against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 120 years.

    Image via YouTube

  • Board Shorts Ban In Nova Scotia Challenged By Parents

    A school board in Nova Scotia recently banned girl from wearing short shorts. While it’s commonplace for schools to ban shorts, it’s usually a school-wide ban. In this particular case, only girls were targeted and one parent is not happy.

    Canoe.ca reports that girls were recently chastised for wearing short shorts at a middle school. The reason given to the girls was that the shorts were a distraction to the male students and teachers. One of the girls’ parents, Julia Roberts-Davison, has started a petition in support of her daughter being able to wear shorts. She argues that the school’s stance isn’t about the shorts, but rather one that suggests women should change how they look for the men around them.

    Because our daughters are being treated as though it is ok for men and boys to use them as sexual objects. They are being taught that they should change the way they dress but that men and boys do not have to change their way of thinking .

    Even worse, Roberts-Davison claims that another female student was told to wear pants due to the “distracting” scars on her legs:

    Another child in my daughter’s class, who was in the office at the same time , was told that she was not allowed to wear shorts because of scars on her legs. I should add that these scars are the result of a hard time in this child’s life. She was at a point in her life where she used to self-harm …the scars were the result of this. She was told that her scars were inappropriate for the learning environment and that other kids were distracted by them.

    Alongside the petition, the school is getting slammed on Facebook by members of the community:

    Post by Jan Hawkins Piller.

    Post by Kristina Marie Daye.

    Defending its decision, the school says it implements the fingertip test to determine whether a student’s shorts are too short. In short, the shorts are fine if they go past the student’s finger when their hands are at rest. It also supplied the following statement:

    “If a student wears an article of clothing that is not appropriate — pants that ride too low or muscle shirts, for example — then a conversation happens with the student and his/her parent or guardian. If possible, the student is asked to change into something more appropriate.”

    As you can imagine, the current situation is messy for everybody. It’s understandable for the school to enforce a short shorts rule, but it should have enforced the rule as is. By bringing in the student’s sex into the matter and saying she was a distraction, it has opened a can of worms it obviously isn’t prepared to handle.

    Image via The Morning Show/YouTube

  • 1,500 Teens Trash Mansion at Epic Party

    “Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.”

    In an event that is a stunning testament to the power of social media, a house party at a mansion in Ontario, Canada turned into a flood of people that nearly brought the house down, literally.

    Police estimate that, at the height of the event, there were as many as 1,500 people packed into the 5,000-square-foot mansion under construction. In the ensuing melee, people began to wreck the place, causing $70,000 worth of damage.

    Apparently the party started off intentionally and innocently enough. The homeowner’s son invited people to the site. But news of the party at the mansion went viral on Twitter with the hashtag #MansionParty. That’s when all hell broke loose.

    “There was just kids coming in packs of 10, 20, literally no room to walk in the house,” said a neighbor.

    Concerned neighbors saw the disaster as it was happening and called area police, but by the time they arrived, over 200 cars were lined up down the street from the mansion.

    “There was a potential, a real potential for something to happen something deadly,” said Thomas Ruttan with Peel Regional Police.

    Windows were broken out, stair rails were torn down, and the grounds around the house were strewn with beer cans and cellphones.

    As police tried to control the crowd and vacate the house, they say they were assaulted by teens, resulting in arrests. Teens were taking pictures of themselves around the police cruisers at the scene and tweeting them.

    One tweeter said he saw someone beaten with a ball bat, saw a star rail being pulled down, and SWAT team members pointing guns at people.

    Image via Twitter

  • Rob Ford Takes Break From Re-Election Campaign To Enter Rehab

    Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced that he is taking a break from his campaign in order to enter rehab and seek help for his alcohol and drug abuse.

    Ford has been the center of attention since May when reports of his crack-cocaine smoking surfaced. The announcement of his break came after report that a new video has emerged showing Ford smoking crack. The video, which was said to be filmed just last Saturday, shows Ford with a drug dealer. He was smoking from a copper-colored pipe.

    The video was said to have been taken in Ford’s sister’s home. Ford’s sister, Kathy, is also a self-confessed addict. The video was not released to the public, but still images have been circulating on the internet. According to reports, the drug dealer has offered to sell the video to the media for a large sum of money.

    In a statement, Ford said “It’s not easy to be vulnerable and this is one of the most difficult times in my life.” He also admitted that he has been struggling with his alcohol addiction for a long time.

    “I have decided to take a leave from campaigning and from my duties as mayor to seek immediate help,” he said.

    Dennis Morris, Ford’s lawyer said that his leave from office is effective immediately.

    Despite the first news of his drug usage in May, Ford still went through with his decision to seek another term in office. At the start of the year, he was also the center of controversy when a video of him talking bad about the city’s police chief was posted on a social media site. At that time, Ford said that he is a human being who is entitled to a personal life.

    Ford ended his statement by saying that he knows that he needs professional help and that he is “100% committed” to setting his life straight.

    Image via YouTube

  • Whale Carcass Feared Ready to Explode

    Whale Carcass Feared Ready to Explode

    Residents of Trout River in Newfoundland, Canada fear that a blue whale carcass that washed ashore last week may be ready to explode. The stinky, 82-foot-long cetacean has been expanding due to a buildup of various gasses, and might go by the way of a putrefied sperm whale that exploded in the Faroe Islands last November.

    Emily Butler, Trout River town manager, commented, “The whale is blowing up. It looks as if it’s a big balloon, from a distance. There is a possibility as well, with all these gases inside the whale, that it may possibly explode…That’s a major concern for us.”

    Trout River, pop. 600, had asked for a hand in removing the carcass from provincial and federal government agencies, but were told that they have to deal with the whale themselves. Butler added, “I wouldn’t want to direct anybody to actually remove this animal you know, under the town’s responsibility because we don’t have the expertise to do such a thing. I’m also hearing that DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) would seem to take this as being an interference with navigation if it’s taken back out to the ocean.”

    The blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever existed, sometimes reaching 100 feet in length. and weighing almost 200 tons. Trout River residents are already complaining of the stench of the whale, which would be compounded if it blew up. Though, it would appear that some sort of gaseous release will occur regardless of how the situation is handled.

    During the putrefaction process of a dead animal, various gasses begin to build up within the abdominal cavity of the carcass, specifically methane, sometimes resulting in animal explosions. These foul forces of nature are rare, though not unprecedented. Here is a clip of the Faroe Islands explosion:

    It is not yet clear how Trout River plans to dispose of their whale, and Butler said, “We’re really concerned about the smell from this. We are also concerned with the health aspect of this animal being on the beach line.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Man Named Popadick Fulfills Surname Destiny in Public Park

    Until just now, I’d never come across any “Popadicks.”

    My introduction to the surname comes in the form of a story about one Donald Popadick, who Ottawa Police claim exposed himself in a public park.

    Yep. A man named Donald Popadick apparently exposed himself in a place called Mooney’s Bay Park. Everything does happen for a reason!

    From an official Ottawa Police Service release:

    The Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section have charged a 62 year old Ottawa man following an incident at Mooney’s Bay Park situated on Riverside Drive. Ottawa Police had received several complaints of an adult male exposing himself in this park since April 14th, 2014.

    On April 29, 2014 around 9:00 am, an adult male exposed himself to a person near a pathway in the park. Police were in the area and were alerted. The suspect was arrested at the scene.

    He’s been charged with an indecent act of mischief.

    News about a old, bald, white guy in glasses acting weird around people in a park isn’t all that uncommon. But when that criminal appears to be living up to a destiny prescribed to him by his father, and his fathers before him, well–it becomes something more.

    No, The Onion has not contributed to this report.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Amanda Todd’s Cyber-Bully Arrested in the Netherlands

    After almost two years, a breakthrough in the case of Amanda Todd, the Canadian teen who was bullied to death over the internet, has been made. The Dutch police have made an arrest and filed charges against the man who they believe who targeted her until her suicide in 2012.

    CTV News posted a timeline of events concerning Todd’s suicide. Since the Royal Canadian Mounted Police opened the investigation in October of 2012, both federal and provincial governments of Canada have introduced and passed anti-cyber-bulling legislation. No updates on the case had been made until two days ago. On Thursday, the RCMP confirmed a Dutch man was facing charges of extortion and child pornography in regards to her case. Mother Carol Todd said it was what “we’ve been waiting for.”

    The suspect has been only identified as Aydin C. due to Dutch privacy laws. The Associated Press reported that he has dual nationality between Turkey and the Netherlands and was arrested in January at his vacation home in the town of Oisterwijk. Prosecutors stated that “the suspicions against the man are that he approached underage girls via the Internet and then seduced them into performing sexual acts in front of a webcam He is suspected of subsequently pressurizing them to participate in making new material.” They also suspected Aydin C. of blackmailing men in a similar way by posing as an underage boy.

    Defense Attorney Van Dijk said the prosecution lacks evidence for a conviction. The Canadian Press quoted him as saying “prosecutors seem to think they have a big fish here, but if I see the evidence, it’s not much. Lots of references to IP addresses and such.”

    Amanda Todd’s mother, Carol Todd, told CBC that she hopes this arrest will lead to others who were involved in the bullying: “There were multiple people in those chat rooms. So this would hopefully be the first layer of many layers that they could uncover.”

    Image via Current News Offical Channel, YouTube

  • Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister of Canada, Has Died

    Jim Flaherty, Canada’s third-longest serving finance minister of all time, died on Thursday simply weeks after he had retired from his post. While no official cause of death has been released, police stated they had responded to a call reporting a heart attack at his residence at 12:30 pm Thursday. He was 64 years of age.

    Flaherty first rose to national and international prominence when he was elected to a federal office for the first time in 2006. Once elected to the House of Commons, Flaherty was inaugurated as the Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. From that point forward, the two men worked together as minority members of the Conservative Party of Canada to exert whatever influence they could to better their nation.

    Unfortunately for Flaherty and Canada, one of his first actions in office violated an important campaign principle and platform issue he and other conservatives had run under – the taxation of income trusts. Flaherty’s decision to change the income trust tax rules led to a $20 billion stock market loss overnight and much opposition from many political bodies on both the left and right of the political spectrum. Despite this negative feedback, however, Flaherty stayed the course – a trait he would become known for internationally.

    Flaherty’s greatest success came with leading Canada through the great recession which swept the international marketplace by storm in 2008. At that time, he and prime minister Stephen Harper decided to goes against political lines once again by introducing a massive government stimulus to spur economic growth.

    The stimulus was the largest Canada had seen since World War II. Remaining true to his ideological and political ties, however, Flaherty ended the stimulus as soon as possible and has since added $162 billion back to the pockets of the federal government, essentially ensuring that the Canadian budget will be balanced once again in 2015.

    Canada’s performance during the Great Recession was better than any other nation in the G-7 in all but one of Flaherty’s terms as Finance Minister.

    “This is a man who was a true believer in multilateralism. They way he went about it was direct. He led, he cajoled, he urged members around the table to pursue the right policies … he wouldn’t settle for anything less,” stated Mark Carney, the chief of the Bank of England and close confidant of Flaherty.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Smart Car Tipping Nearly Global Now

    Smart cars are gas sippers, and some models don’t use gas at all. They are really good for the environment, comparatively speaking, and are all the rage among skinny folks. While the name may seem to be self-explanatory, there is actually a story behind it. Long story short, the car’s history is tied up with both Mercedes and Swatch, the wristwatch company. In fact, they wanted the car to be called a Swatch Car, which may explain a lot. Mercedes (Daimler-Benz), thankfully, balked at that idea.

    “Smart”, instead, is an acronym. An acronym is an abbreviation or initialism that is pronounceable as a standalone word. Contrary to what telecommunications reps and IT workers try to tell you, abbreviations like HTML, URL, HDMI, and GPS are NOT acronyms. They are simple initialisms. They are not pronounceable as a standalone word. On the other hand, LASER, NATO, SCUBA, AIDS, and ROM are acronyms.

    The acronym SMART is short for Swatch Mercedes Art.

    And the trouble with the little wristwatch cars is that they are easy to tip. We’re not talking early Geo Tracker tipping. We’re talking about a group of punks — sometimes as few as two — rolling the vehicle over on its back, top or side. We even told you earlier about how some kids in Amsterdam pick them up and toss them into the canals along the streets.

    But Smart car tipping, as it is called here in the United States — it may be called “car tossing” elsewhere — is not a new phenomenon. We have already discussed the Amsterdam sport. But the Canadians have seen it too.

    In 2009, the Toronto Star reported that vandals were tipping Smart cars in their fair city. In one reported case, the car was tipped by a single individual. Bystanders were so amused that they posed with the tipped car for pictures.

    In fact, the reactions of most people upon seeing the tiny tipped vehicles is to chuckle. Of course, it’s no laughing matter for the vehicle owner. Depending on how the vehicle is damaged, it could total the car. But if not, they may end up footing the bill for repairs themselves, into the thousands of dollars.

    Tipping a Smart car, no matter how funny it looks, is no different than smashing the windows of any other vehicle. And that’s what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps.

    Image via YouTube