Tories want cops to be able to stop you for 'no cause' anytime The federal justice minister is considering a new law that would allow police to conduct random breathalyzer tests on drivers, regardless of whether they suspect motorists have been drinking. "It has no real place in a democratic society." (Ed: How about an easy route to police harrassment?) 3/12/2010 9:18:49 AM
Liberals take another shot at Tory 'Bonnie and Clyde' Helena Guergis and Rahim Jaffer were compared to the notorious criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde today as Liberals questioned why the couple has not had to account for their behaviour. During intense questioning Thursday, Ms. Guergis sat quietly in her seat, often looking down and frowning. 3/12/2010 6:36:58 AM
David Perry billed school board ZERO for conferences In his first seven months on the job as school trustee, David Perry billed Okanagan Skaha School District 67 absolutely nothing for expenses. Perry, a retired teacher and former mayor of Penticton, said he felt money for trustee conventions could be best spent elsewhere. 3/12/2010 4:56:11 AM
Apex Resort in full swing during Spring Break It's feeling like Spring in the valleys but up at Apex Resort, west of Penticton, the skiing, snowboarding, and just all around Winter fun is still happening. Lot's of snow and Spring break is in full swing with the Tim Hortons Tube Park open from 10am-9pm and night skiing from 4pm-9pm. 3/11/2010 10:18:53 AM
U.K. millionaire to move to mud hut A 41-year-old millionaire businessman who nearly died in a car crash eight years ago is leaving behind his exquisite 16th-century farmhouse and lavish lifestyle to move to a mud hut in Uganda and start a children's charity. 3/11/2010 8:18:13 AM
Todd Palin's Snowmobile Team Sponsored by Venezuelan Oil Company Political blogs in Alaska are harpooning former first couple Sarah and Todd Palin for associating with a Venezuelan oil company, in spite of former Gov. Sarah Palin's condemnations of the Venezuelan government and her calls for energy independence. 3/11/2010 6:58:22 AM
Driving While Shaving! Fla. Woman Arrested After Crash, Grooming "Bikini Area" Megan Barnes was driving while doing what?!?! No, the 37-year-old woman wasn't on her cellphone. She wasn't texting, either. The Florida Highway Patrol says Ms. Barnes was driving while shaving - there's more - driving while shaving her, uh, "bikini area." Well, that's what the cops call it. 3/11/2010 6:31:57 AM
Women guilty of feeling too guilty, study shows Kim Moldofsky can feel guilt over just about anything — her children, stray cats, her work, her husband. “I am easily guilted,” she told me, laughing. Meanwhile, her husband, Brad, 41, remains blissfully guilt-free. “Sometimes I want him to get caught up in the emotion.” 3/11/2010 6:16:29 AM
Forbes estimates Jim Pattison worth $4 billion Self-made B.C. billionaire entrepreneur Jim Pattison ranked 212th on Forbes magazine's list of the world's wealthiest people with a fortune estimated at $4 billion. Pattison, 81, who acted as president of Expo 86, has run businesses ranging from car dealerships to supermarkets to media companies. 3/11/2010 6:13:04 AM
Police say robber scored $6 from holding up 11 people They say crime doesn't pay. For one robber in California, it did - but not much. Authorities in Riverside County say a woman with a gun robbed 11 customers at a market and got away with $6. A Sheriff's Department statement says the woman was armed with a semi-automatic pistol. 3/11/2010 5:21:52 AM
French, English Canadians locked in sado-masochistic relationship: Expert Quebec will never separate from Canada because the French and English are locked in a sado-masochistic love relationship, says Clotaire Rapaille, a marketing guru hired to rebrand Quebec City. "There is pleasure in sado-masochism," Rapaille said. "Otherwise it would not work." 3/10/2010 6:17:25 PM
Cyber-bullying cases put heat on Google, Facebook Although Google, Facebook and their rivals have enjoyed a relatively "safe harbor" from prosecution over user-generated content in the United States and Europe, they face a public that increasingly is more inclined to blame them for cyber-bullying and other online transgressions. 3/10/2010 5:00:05 PM
Is a woman's place in the home? 1 in 4 say yes: poll Women head governments, run companies and comprise about half the world's workforce, but a global poll shows that one in four people, most of them young, believe a woman's place is in the home. However, the majority, or 74 percent, of those polled believe a woman's place is certainly not at home. 3/10/2010 4:07:43 PM
Bill Gates no longer world's richest For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man. Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth. 3/10/2010 3:46:26 PM
Boy, 7, rescues family from home invaders There is no mistaking the terror in the boy’s voice. On the 911 recording, you can feel it like a physical object. “They come. They come. They open and ring the door. They have guns. Can you come, really fast? And bring soldiers, too,” the unidentified 7-year-old says in 911 tapes. 3/10/2010 3:01:49 PM
US Female WWII aviators receive gold medal They flew planes during World War II but weren't considered "real" military pilots. No flags were draped over their coffins when they died on duty. And when their service ended, they had to pay their own bus fare home. These aviators — all women — got long-overdue recognition on Wednesday. 3/10/2010 2:57:49 PM
Olympics brought big benefits: Canada poll A new poll suggests that Canadians see substantial benefits from the 2010 Olympic Games for Canada, for B.C. and for the city of Vancouver. But British Columbians and Vancouverites were less likely to see great benefits. A total of 55 per cent of B.C. residents and 59 per cent of Vancouver residents thought too much was spent. 3/10/2010 2:48:07 PM
Mobile that allows bosses to snoop on staff developed Researchers have produced a mobile phone that could be a boon for prying bosses wanting to keep tabs on the movements of their staff. Japanese phone giant KDDI Corporation has developed technology that tracks even the tiniest movement of the user and beams the information back to HQ. 3/10/2010 2:23:11 PM
Bad luck and a bad crowd, but she's 'not a criminal' On a clear, crisp March morning, Marianne Christine Sullivan sits on a dock at Trout Lake in east Vancouver and talks about being homeless and broke after the B.C. government took her $562,000 home under civil forfeiture legislation. 3/10/2010 6:42:01 AM
Workers feel pressured to check smart phones while driving: survey Despite the fact that it is illegal in much of Canada, workers are still checking their smart phones while driving, with many citing pressure from their jobs to do so. 51 per cent of workers who have smart phones - such as BlackBerrys or iPhones - said they check it while driving. 3/10/2010 6:38:22 AM
Yawn! Daylight Saving Time begins this Weekend Time springs ahead one hour on March 14, but will you? Time changes reflect a change in social clocks not biological ones. Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists that have to be on time for work on Monday morning will be immediately affected by the time change. 3/10/2010 6:13:32 AM
Adult sports and arts groups lose gambling grants An overhauled grant program will restrict non-profit sports and arts organizations to using B.C. government gambling revenues for young people and the disabled. Wildlife rescue and other environmental organizations will have to raise their own funds to keep going, as will sports and arts groups that cater to adults. 3/10/2010 5:33:53 AM
'Extra Small' Condoms for 12-Year-Old Boys Go on Sale A leading condom manufacturer in Switzerland has created extra-small condoms for boys as young as 12 years old. The condom, called the Hotshot, was produced after family planning groups and the Swiss AIDS Federation campaigned to have the condoms made following several studies. 3/9/2010 8:29:19 PM
Woman Charged for Squirting Breast Milk at Deputy A Kentucky woman was charged with assault after she allegedly squirted breast milk into the face of a deputy, sparking online debate Sunday in the local media. Toni Tramel, 31, was arrested Thursday for public intoxication, but it is what she did next which has attracted headlines. 3/9/2010 8:24:14 PM
Reaction: Jaffer court case sparks outrage across Canada Former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer's guilty verdict in an Ontario courtroom has ignited an outrage across Canada. Many are now questioning why the charges of cocaine possession and drunk driving were dropped in the case. But now, some are saying the former Edmonton-area MP received special consideration and got off easy. 3/9/2010 7:25:34 PM
Older men more interested in sex than older women: Study Women may live longer, but it appears men are more likely to go out with a smile. A study published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal found that the sex lives of men tend to significantly outlast those of women, even though women live about five years longer. 3/9/2010 7:08:11 PM
Niqab-wearing Egyptian immigrant should go back to Egypt A Muslim woman in Quebec has been kicked out of a language course for the second time. The Egyptian immigrant made headlines last week when it was revealed officials expelled her from a government-sponsored French class several months ago after she refused to take off her niqab. 3/9/2010 6:54:53 PM
Defectors: Church of Scientology hides abuse Raised as Scientologists, Christie King Collbran and her husband, Chris, were recruited as teenagers to work for the elite corps of staff members who keep the Church of Scientology running, known as the Sea Organization, or Sea Org. They worked seven days a week, for sporadic paychecks of $50 a week at most. 3/9/2010 11:55:58 AM
Visible minorities to make up 1/3 of population by 2031 The next generation of Canadians could be comprised of nearly one-third visible minorities according to new projections from Statistics Canada, which also suggest that the majority of immigrants will continue to make their homes in large urban centres. 3/9/2010 11:42:28 AM
Tory Cabinet Minister's husband gets 'free ride' on Drunk and Drug charges There are 2 stories about fines in the Toronto Star today. One, a guy charged with a garbage misdemeanor. Fine $750. And the other, a guy who was caught doing 93kph in a 50kph zone, his blood alcohol over .08, and he possessed cocaine. Fine $500. Difference? He's the husband of Tory Cabinet Minister. 3/9/2010 11:10:49 AM
Petition taken up over changes to Community Centre Tina Martin can‘t understand why Penticton city council won‘t guarantee soon-to-be-laid-off community centre workers their jobs back when the facility reopens next year. Martin, a mother of three young children, launched a petition campaign outside the community centre Monday. 3/9/2010 6:49:36 AM
Britons demand details about notorious toddler killer British authorities are under pressure from the public to disclose more information about why Jon Venables -- one of two former schoolboys convicted of killing a toddler in 1993 -- has returned to jail. Given new identities upon their release, the public has long demanded to know more about what happened. 3/9/2010 6:36:01 AM
Is Palin a Candidate, Pundit or Celebrity? On Thursday came word that the former Alaska governor was working on a TV series about her home state, currently being pitched by one of television's top producers. A day before that, her publishers announced she was embarking on a second book. (Ed: It's all about the MONEY.) 3/9/2010 6:21:31 AM
New Zealand woman sells souls to highest bidder The rare spirits that went under the gavel at a recent online auction in New Zealand weren't aged brandies or hard-to-find liqueurs. Instead, two glass vials purportedly containing the ghosts of two dead people sold for $2,830 New Zealand dollars ($1,983) at an auction. 3/9/2010 5:14:14 AM
Cawston family makes additional generous donation to Keremeos Health Centre Gurdial Singh Dhaliwal of Cawston was grateful for the treatment he received from the Keremeos Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. Gurdial made a donation of $10,000 to the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation. He passed away last month. Gurdial’s family recently donated another $9,500 in memory of their father and husband. 3/8/2010 5:47:57 PM
BC Liberal rip-off: Adult sports, arts lose gambling grants Wildlife rescue and other environmental organizations will have to raise their own funds to keep going, as will sports and arts groups that cater to adults, Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman said Monday. (Ed: And the grant total is still down from 2 years ago.) 3/8/2010 5:32:15 PM
RDOS: Olympic spotlight shines on region The 20-by-40-foot tented area that the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen was allocated on B.C. Street for a $50,000 commitment during the O Zone festival held in Richmond over the Olympics (Feb. 12-28) was a success. 3/8/2010 5:06:50 PM
Viola Desmond: Nova Scotia to apologize to Canada's 'Rosa Parks' Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said he hopes to grant a posthumous pardon to Canada's "Rosa Parks" — Viola Desmond — who was jailed 63 years ago for sitting in a movie theatre section reserved for whites. In a spontaneous act of defiance, she ignored the rule, and took a seat anyway. 3/8/2010 4:43:35 PM
Jamaican dogsled team seeks Iditarod title (Video) If you're following the Iditarod, and I'm sure you are, then you know that Newton Marshall is currently in 23rd place as the event enters its third day. That's significant because Marshall is the musher for the Jamaican dogsled team, which sounds totally made up by I assure you it's real. 3/8/2010 3:26:50 PM
International Women's Day absurd: Supermodel (Video) Millions of women around the world are feted on International Women's Day but for Waris Dirie, the Somali nomad turned supermodel, the idea is absurd. "Every day, women move mountains. It is an insult to have an international women's day," Dirie told Reuters. 3/8/2010 2:15:00 PM
Four in five believe Web access a fundamental right Four in five adults believe access to the Internet is a fundamental right, and half believe it should never be regulated, according to a global survey. Of the 27,000 surveyed, more than half agreed that the "Internet should never be regulated by any level of government anywhere." 3/8/2010 2:06:07 PM
Ferguson to deploy "mothers' army" to connect women Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, announced plans on Friday to deploy an army of mothers worldwide as part of an Internet-based network to connect women in need with people ready to help. Ferguson described it as the "mothers' army initiative." 3/8/2010 1:57:44 PM
6th-generation Key West resident wins conch shell blowing contest A sixth-generation Key West resident, who first blew a conch shell as a child, played two shells simultaneously to take top honours Saturday in the island's 48th annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest. 3/8/2010 9:20:30 AM
Facebook murderer to serve at least 35 years A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting the kidnap, rape and murder of a teenage girl. Peter Chapman, 33, must serve a minimum of 35 years in prison. Court heard he met and befriended 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall on Facebook by posing as a teenage boy. 3/8/2010 8:57:45 AM
F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss breaks ankles in elevator fall Sir Stirling Moss is recovering in hospital after falling down a lift shaft at home and breaking both ankles. The Formula One racing legend, 80, fell three floors when his lift/elevator opened in error. Sir Stirling is known as the greatest driver never to have won the Formula One championship. 3/8/2010 8:54:52 AM
Oliver Crokinole championship still has player openings They call him “Crokinole Clif,” and his current mission is to bring crokinole lovers from all over to play in the B.C. Crokinole Championship. “It's open to anyone who has played crokinole,” said Clif Antypowich, founder of a new club called the Crokinole Players of B.C. 3/8/2010 7:37:54 AM
Best asked of wine judges Wine judging: it‘s all about supping the stuff and giving medals to the ones you like best, right?
Wrong. Actually, even if a judge tastes 35 wines in an hour, there‘s very little drinking. 3/8/2010 7:35:19 AM
Pre-war fears of Hitler Youth link-up with Boy Scouts Clouds of war were gathering over Europe, and the English police officer was concerned. A group of black-clad Germans had been spotted heading for London — by bicycle. British intelligence files reveal the ripples of alarm that spread through the country as Hitler Youth cyclists toured Britain in 1937. 3/8/2010 7:34:24 AM
Hollywood: Ocar Night....Pictures..The Red Carpet With all the glamour, glitz, and famous faces on show at the Academy Awards, we know that many of our readers enjoy the photographs of the famous, and not so famous, as they parade on the Red Carpet prior to the event. This selection from the Globe and Mail has 45 photos. Check them out... 3/8/2010 6:33:44 AM
KVR art students among those to recognize World Women’s Day The creative works of a group of arts club students from KVR Middle School commemorating International Women‘s Day is currently on display at the Penticton Public Library. Teacher Lindsey Mennell said she collaborated with Chandra Wong of the Penticton and Area Women‘s Centre on the project. 3/8/2010 5:52:11 AM
Canadian unity in 'sweet spot' thanks to Olympics The fervent flag-waving, raucous singing of O Canada and thrilling success of the athletes during the Vancouver 2010 Games appears to have influenced more Canadians - especially Quebecers - to view themselves as "Canadian nationalists," according to a survey conducted in the days following. 3/8/2010 5:35:02 AM
Sarah Palin gives speech, sympathetic ear in Calgary oilpatch With a sense of humour and a populist vision, Sarah Palin on Saturday evening brought her message of lower taxes, free markets and energy development to the heart of Canada's oil and gas industry. It was a receptive crowd that listened to the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate. 3/7/2010 12:42:19 PM
Reservist injured in Afghanistan carries Paralympic torch Trevor Greene won a gold medal Saturday in the hearts of those who watched the former Canadian Forces reservist push his wheelchair slowly down Lyall Street in Esquimalt, moving the Paralympic flame on a 31-leg tour of Greater Victoria. No one put more effort into the task than Greene. 3/7/2010 6:27:22 AM
Kilted skiers set 'world record' More than 200 skiers and snowboarders have set a new "world record" for the most people in kilts going down a run/piste. A totals of 235 intermediate and advanced level skiers took part in the attempt, which organisers described as a "fantastic spectacle". 3/7/2010 6:11:12 AM
Sarah Palin to give speech in Calgary Saturday night Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin will give a speech before a paid audience in Calgary tonight. Palin will speak the Fraser Institute's influential speakers program. Since stepping down as governor of Alaska, Palin has not disappeared from the public eye. 3/6/2010 5:01:13 PM
Teacher's Naked Pictures Popular with High School Students Perhaps New Hampshire high school teacher Melinda Dennehy missed the orientation session when they explained that sending your naked photos to a student is sort of a bad idea. Police say the 41-year-old English teacher sent four sexy shots of herself to a 15-year-old male student. 3/6/2010 11:43:10 AM
Starbucks tests super-sized Trenta Starbucks is testing a super-sized cup for iced coffees and teas that measures close to a litre. The new size, called a Trenta, is 31 fluid ounces or about 920 millilitres. The Trenta, selling at $3.30 US for iced coffee and $2.60 for iced tea, was getting a good response in Phoenix. 3/6/2010 9:38:56 AM
More than 3.5 million pairs of red mittens supported Canada's Olympians They helped create a sea of patriotic red during the Winter Olympics, waving wildly on the hands of supporters as Canadian athletes competed and took the podium. Now, Vanoc's chief executive officer is thanking everyone who purchased a pair and showed their support. 3/6/2010 9:36:59 AM
British Olympic team gives Vancouver charity all their equipment A Vancouver group that organizes sports programs for disadvantaged inner-city children has been given all of the equipment the British Olympic team bought and used during the Vancouver Winter Games. Everything from flat-screen televisions to bar fridges have been donated to Moresports, a not-for-profit group. 3/6/2010 8:12:53 AM
Woman bitten by bear at Wis. zoo, fingers severed Police say a bear bit off a woman's fingers at a Wisconsin zoo after she ignored barriers and warning signs to try to feed the animal. The woman's boyfriend was bitten as he tried to pry the bear's mouth off her hand, but he didn't lose any fingers. Her 3-year-old granddaughter wasn't injured. 3/6/2010 5:39:14 AM
Sumo wrestler 'steals cash machine from Moscow shop A man believed to be a sumo wrestler ripped out a cash machine weighing 90kg (200lb) and made off with it on his shoulders, police in Moscow report. The suspect and an accomplice were arrested after being stopped in a BMW with tinted windows which they were driving without number-plates. 3/6/2010 5:35:16 AM
Penticton Mayor has a short memory, where was he during SOEC mess? Penticton city council says laying off three city managers following a core services review was necessary to control a debt that began spiralling out of control in 2002. Friday, Mayor Dan Ashton said that when the current council took office in 2008, it realized the city was spending unsustainably. 3/6/2010 5:06:34 AM
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games made Canadians feel proud An overwhelming percentage of Canadians felt prouder of their country as a result of our Olympic athletes’ gold rush at Vancouver 2010, according to a national survey conducted in the days following Canada’s most successful Winter Games ever. 3/5/2010 8:10:01 PM
Should Carla Bruni have worn a bra? By Hanna Betts - My circumstances being what they are — thirties, single, fashion flighty — my underwear rivals Agent Provocateur HQ in its embrace of wisp and frippery. Undergarments allow for all manner of tacit deviance. For, like Carla Bruni, I will go sans brassière should the occasion demand. 3/5/2010 4:51:00 PM
Harlequin reveals female mating strategy An analysis of decades of Harlequin romance novels has found the secrets to their success: spinning a tale of an arrogant rogue tamed by the love of a devoted, fertile woman. “In the books, she’s successful” at changing the hero’s ways. “In real life, not as much,” said Dr. Maryanne Fisher, an evolutionary psychologist. 3/5/2010 3:35:34 PM
Trekkers set off for North Pole Eric Larsen is attempting to be the first person to trek to the South Pole, North Pole and Mount Everest in one year. Larsen completed the South Pole leg in January, and on Wednesday began the nearly 500-mile North Pole trek along with two team members. 3/5/2010 2:31:33 PM
Secret millionaire gives fortune to alma mater, $7 million Grace Groner lived through the Great Depression, so saving money was her expertise. Nobody knew just how much she had saved until she died in January at age 100 and left $7 million to Lake Forest College, her alma mater. She lived in a one-bedroom house and worked as a secretary for 43 years. 3/5/2010 2:29:10 PM
Cure for info overload? News from friends Technology was supposed to make our lives simpler and save us time. In many ways, it's done just the opposite. Last month, we took a look at how often our gadgets let us down, and how screen-based devices are literally rewiring our brains and robbing people of focus and social skills. 3/5/2010 2:25:35 PM
Flip-flop: Conservatives ditch plan to revise anthem The Harper government announced this afternoon that it is abandoning its promise to make the national anthem gender neutral by taking out the reference to “sons command” and replacing it with its original lyrics – “true patriot love thou dost in us command.” 3/5/2010 1:02:28 PM
He did not have sexual relations with that woman. Or did he? When the former U.S. president Bill Clinton said he “did not have sexual relations with that woman” during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, researchers from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University used it as an opportunity to poll college students on what the term “had sex” means and found there was little agreement. 3/5/2010 12:56:31 PM
Emotional wife calls council's behavior 'shameful' (Video) The wife of one of the three senior managers terminated by the city addressed Penticton council at a meeting this morning, calling their behavior 'shameful.' "They were two years away from retirement, and this is what you've done to tarnish their careers," said Deb Andreychuk. 3/5/2010 12:30:58 PM
Car passenger charged with impaired driving A man sitting in the passenger seat of a car driving down the wrong side of an eastern Newfoundland highway has been charged with impaired driving. Police said the 55 year-old Bonavista man was teaching a 21-year-old Upper Island Cove woman how to drive. 3/5/2010 12:27:48 PM
NASCAR fan may get plea in parrot's shooting Prosecutors will make a plea offer by next month to Dennis Zeglin, 67, accused of shooting his pet African grey parrot to death last year because the creature's squawks annoyed him as he watched NASCAR. Zeglin was intoxicated June 7, 2009, when he shot Mikey, a 20-year-old parrot. 3/5/2010 6:06:10 AM
Teen's bottom spray-painted as graffiti punishment A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging. The mayor of San Juan del Rio in Queretaro state says police caught the 13-year-old tagging a wall last week and turned him over to the official. 3/5/2010 6:03:40 AM
11-year-old spends $44 million on Dubai homes Even by the standards of a city that celebrates extravagance, it was a spectacular shopping spree: In just two weeks early last year, an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became the owner of nine waterfront mansions. The total price tag: about $44 million -- or roughly 10,000 years' worth of salary for the average citizen of Azerbaijan. 3/5/2010 5:56:42 AM
Shipwrecked sailor ate lichen to survive Vancouver Island wilderness A shipwrecked American sailor was plucked off the rugged shores of the west coast of Vancouver Island Wednesday ending a five-day wilderness ordeal eating nothing but lichen. Keith Carver, 56, of Tucson, Ariz., said he doesn’t think he would have lasted much more than one more day. 3/5/2010 5:53:13 AM
Japan's Princess Aiko skips school after being bullied Japan's Princess Aiko, granddaughter of the emperor, has missed several days of classes because of bullying by boys at her elementary school, a spokesman for the royal family said Friday. The news provided a rare glimpse into the private affairs of the world's oldest hereditary monarchy. 3/5/2010 5:25:12 AM
Olympics have made curling cooler than ever There perhaps has never been a cooler time to curl. Canada's gold and silver successes at the Winter Olympics had passionate fans at the rink cheering and sent TV ratings soaring. And beyond the bonspiel, the country's beloved icy pastime has been generating serious buzz. 3/5/2010 4:54:31 AM
Letter about 2010 Olympics: Scotland says sorry May I, as a Scot, offer my apology to Canada for the crass and offensive behaviour of much the British press at the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It is my hope that the next time the Winter Olympics are held in Canada there will be a team from an independent Scotland at it. 3/5/2010 4:36:50 AM
Joannie Rochette bids her mother farewell at funeral Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, the Olympic bronze medalist whose determination in the face of adversity in Vancouver last month inspired a nation, is saying a final goodbye to her mother Thursday. The funeral for Therese Guevremont-Rochette, who was 55, is underway this afternoon in Berthierville, Que. 3/4/2010 1:19:40 PM
What's the Gender Gap Index? Did you know that women's human rights in Canada have been steadily eroding? Did you know that women now make only 70.5 cents for every dollar made by men? Did you know that Canada ranks 25th on the World Gender Gap Index? That's below Ecuador, Mongolia, Lesotho and South Africa. 3/4/2010 1:06:53 PM
Chatroulette craze brings out the Web cam creeps Some creep pretending to be the Jonas Brothers asked me to show him my boobs on Chatroulette the other day. I declined, if you're wondering. The new bare-bones Internet chat program, invented by a 17-year-old whiz kid in Moscow, connects users by webcam with one random stranger after another. 3/4/2010 12:24:18 PM
China’s dwarf theme park: ‘Zoo’ or ‘fairy tale’? Chen Mingjing’s entrepreneurial instincts vaulted him from a peasant upbringing to undreamed-of wealth. And so last September, Mr. Chen did what any socially aware entrepreneur might do: He opened a theme park of dwarfs. Mr. Chen has big plans for his Kingdom of the Little People. 3/4/2010 5:56:49 AM
Judge blasts siblings for neglecting ailing mother during inheritance fight Ontario Superior Court Judge Dennis Brown finally lost his patience with a trio of squabbling siblings who waged a legal war of attrition as their 87-year-old mother, Ida Abrams, sank deeper into dementia. The Abrams children fell out in 2005 over what they expected their parents to leave them as an inheritance. 3/4/2010 5:50:12 AM
The highs and lows of wine: Buy one Bordeaux or three bargain cab-sauvs? The fashion and design worlds have a concept style mavens call “high/low.” It’s the savvy shopper’s secret, a way to achieve a posh look on a student’s part-time salary. You carefully shop the bargain bins for items that either eerily look like the latest overpriced designer wear. 3/4/2010 5:04:56 AM
Red Herring? Tories want to change the words in O Canada Get ready to memorize new words to the national anthem. Parliament is to be asked to review the "original gender-neutral wording of the national anthem," says the throne speech. The surprise proposal had parliamentary observers buzzing. The throne speech gave no indication what prompted the plan. 3/3/2010 8:02:36 PM
Naked woman tied to tree ‘consensual' A report of a naked woman tied to a tree in the Owen Beach area brought Tacoma police to Point Defiance Park on Tuesday. A witness called 911 and reported seeing the woman, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. A man was spotted nearby. 3/3/2010 4:13:03 PM
FAA suspends pair after kids radio pilots at JFK As planes waited to take off from Kennedy Airport, the jargon-packed radio chatter between controllers and pilots was interrupted by a young boy's voice: "JetBlue 171, cleared for takeoff." The boy made five transmissions to pilots preparing for departure, according to the recording. 3/3/2010 3:52:35 PM
Dial-a-Confession: Catholics Repent by Phone French Catholics too busy to go to church are now being offered a dial-a-confession telephone hotline to confess their sins -- to an answering machine. The hotline, called "Cord to the Lord," was launched at the beginning of the Christian fasting period of Lent. 3/3/2010 3:34:05 PM
"Smoking Killed Me" Sign Placed on Grave A smoker who died after battling emphysema has had his dying wish granted with the placement of a "Smoking killed me" sign on his hearse and his grave. Albert Whittamore blamed his youthful smoking habit for the lung disease. 3/3/2010 2:17:57 PM
Why French women don’t get old Relaxez-vous. This isn’t going to be another hagiography about a France that doesn’t quite exist. I lived in Paris for a year before university, and when you’re a 19-year-old woman, a less forgiving, more intrusively sexually aggressive city this side of Riyadh it is hard to contemplate. 3/3/2010 2:10:24 PM
Letters from former Mayor Jake Kimberley and others, on the Community Centre shut down I write concerning the year-long closure planned for Penticton’s Community Centre. It is a deplorable decision on the part of city council who could surely have found other options. Instead, the citizens of Penticton, both young and old, are to be deprived of the facilities offered by the centre. 3/3/2010 11:51:48 AM
Cop/Prosecutor Romance takes an ugly turn The rocky romance between a Manitoba Crown attorney and an RCMP officer culminated in two ugly confrontations -- one inside a courtroom, the other inside a police station -- that left several victims of crime unwittingly caught in the crossfire. New details emerged in court Tuesday of the relationship. 3/3/2010 10:37:12 AM
Tiger inspires cheater-friendly app Accenture and Gatorade jettisoned him. Maybe the tight-knit community of love rats and international spies will pick up that slack. Tiger Woods has just inspired a new iPhone app called TigerMail. It allows users to send text messages that “dissolve” from the receiver’s phone screen within 30 seconds. 3/3/2010 6:56:15 AM
For medalists, new attention is a little hairy It was supposed to be a simple haircut. Then the fans descended and the cameras started clicking. Gold-medalist Jon Montgomery better get used to it: Medal-winning Olympic athletes returning home are learning to strike a balance between their normal lives and their new-found fame. 3/3/2010 5:39:35 AM
Gainer the Gopher and the flag of Canadian victory It's one thing to spend seven years as Gainer the Gopher at Saskatchewan Roughrider games. It's quite another to be part of the iconic image of Team Canada's rapturous on-ice celebration, after their overtime victory against the United States on Sunday. 3/3/2010 5:31:07 AM
Asked to remove niqab, Quebec woman lodges human-rights complaint The class was designed to encourage open conversation among immigrant students, but one new arrival from Egypt refused to remove the veil covering her mouth. It set off more debate over the lengths to which public institutions should go to accommodate Muslims. 3/3/2010 5:27:30 AM
Fox killed by chickens after breaking into their coop Being chickens, they probably didn't put too much thought into it. But somehow a flock of four birds managed to kill a fox that had slunk into their pen. 'I went inside and the fox was laying there. I've never heard of anything like this before. It's like revenge of the chickens.' 3/3/2010 5:19:58 AM
Romantic? Newlyweds spend first night in jail A newlywed Massachusetts couple spent their wedding night in separate jail cells after police said the bride tried to run over an old flame of the groom. Her husband, 37-year-old Timothy Keene, was riding in the car with her and was charged with disorderly conduct. 3/3/2010 5:14:15 AM
U.S. sports writer likens our patriotism to Nazi Germany Sure, Canadians seem multicultural, friendly and good-natured on the surface. But that's just what they want you to think. Dig a little deeper and you'll find that they're plotting to crush the world under their jackboots. Or snowshoes. Whatever. 3/2/2010 5:04:00 PM
Over-protected children missing out on 'dangerous' childhood: author A few suggestions for anxious parents who typically hover on the edge of the playground with a first aid kit: Let your child lick a 9-volt battery, just to see what happens. Encourage them try to drive a nail. And by all means, let them play with fire. There is a belief that today's bubble-wrapped children are missing out. 3/2/2010 4:08:26 PM
Canada's stock soars south of the border Whether it was all that gold or the self-effacing glory that followed, Vancouver 2010 sent Canada's stock soaring. For a country that so often struggles for its rightful blip on America's radar, there were just too many Canadian journeys to the podium not to notice. 3/2/2010 3:49:18 PM
Scotland: Skiing in kilts world record bid A ski centre is to attempt to set the world record for the largest number of kilted skiers and snowboarders going down a piste at the same time. CairnGorm Mountain hopes to find 600 people willing to wear kilts and go down in a line from the Ptarmigan Top Station. 3/2/2010 3:41:59 PM
The definition of Canadian Well, it's over. The last few weeks have been a remarkable ride for many Canadians, especially so for those of us on the West Coast. There have been many defining moments. For some it was a stunning performance by k.d. lang at the opening ceremonies, for others the first gold medal for Canada won on Canadian soil. 3/2/2010 3:10:43 PM
Woman rushed to hospital in wedding dress gives birth to boy An Ohio woman taken to a maternity ward in her wedding dress became a newlywed and a new mom on the same day. Jamie Phillips says she felt contractions while her father walked her down the aisle, but she thought it was a false alarm. 3/2/2010 3:06:08 PM
Like jeans it depicts, racy billboard going down Like the pair of jeans it depicts, a billboard poster in downtown Newark is coming down. The ad for Akoo jeans shows a woman kneeling in front of a man and facing the camera. The man's jeans are unbuckled, and the woman appears to be pulling them off. 3/2/2010 1:51:02 PM
Washington St. man dies after peeing on downed power pole Authorities believe a man was killed by accidentally urinating on a downed power line after a car crash. Roy Messenger was not seriously hurt after he collided with a power pole Friday and called a relative to pull his car from a ditch. 3/2/2010 1:33:00 PM
Teens glued to screens less close to family: study The more time teens spend watching television or playing on a computer or games console, the less likely they are to be close to their family and friends, new research suggests. Conversely, teens who spent more time reading and doing homework reported a higher level of attachment to parents. 3/2/2010 1:18:30 PM
Women and children first, time permitting The primal instinct to selfishly flee from a dangerous situation takes precedence over helping others — unless you have time on your hands, according to Australian researchers. They compared the behaviour of individuals on the ill-fated Titanic and Lusitania passenger ships. 3/2/2010 1:12:15 PM
Tiger tees off again after marriage counselling Tiger Woods is back at home after a week of family counselling in Arizona and is trying to get into a routine that includes golf and fitness. Woods returned to his home near Orlando on Saturday and has been hitting balls on the range at Isleworth, not far from where he ran his SUV into a tree. 3/2/2010 12:24:36 PM
What gives a better return: tax software or tax help? This time of year should come with horror-movie music – dun! dun! dun! Or maybe that sad tune that follows Charlie Brown around when he’s missed kicking another football and has to walk home in the rain. Yeah, it’s tax time. 3/2/2010 7:23:48 AM
Surrey couple hits $25 million jackpot A husband and wife couple of postal workers from Surrey won $25 million, the biggest lottery prize in B.C. history in Friday’s Lotto Max. Derek and Frances Bird had just returned from a 30th anniversary cruise in Mexico when Frances bought the lottery ticket that will change their lives. 3/1/2010 5:12:09 PM
Too sexy for Apple? Daisy Mae suddenly vanished without a trace last Friday, leaving a concerned Hong-Yee Wong searching in vain for an explanation for her disappearance. Then, on Monday she was back. Why she disappeared, where she went and what caused her to be returned are questions only Apple Inc. can answer. 3/1/2010 4:40:00 PM
DIY pet rescue: How a one-day CPR class could save your pooch Would you give the “kiss of life” to your furry best friend? One person who’s 100 per cent behind pet CPR is Matt Armstrong of Toronto. He revived his neighbour's dog, Sheena, when her heart stopped during a walk in the woods last month. 3/1/2010 3:45:17 PM
72nd Annual Summerland Chamber Awards Handed Out The 72nd annual Summerland Chamber of Economic Development and Tourism Awards were held over the weekend. Manager, Lisa Jaeger says there were almost a dozen nominees in business excellence, and the Mayor's Excellence Award went to Ruth Manning of Emergency Social Services (pictured). 3/1/2010 3:07:29 PM
142 years old and still hot Dozens of entrepreneurial hot sauce bottles line up on a typical grocery store shelf, but only two or three boast significant market share. Tops among them is Tabasco, which has been made by the McIlhenny Company out of Avery Island, La., since 1868. 3/1/2010 2:56:31 PM
Nakation: Defeat baggage fees - vacation naked Want to give the airline industry a metaphorical thumb in the eye? Travel without baggage. Security screeners won’t get to paw through your underwear, baggage handlers will have to find somebody else’s shoes to try on in the break room. Two words: the Nakation. 3/1/2010 2:54:02 PM
One in four Germans wants microchip under skin: poll It sounds like something from a sci-fi film, but one in four Germans would be happy to have a microchip implanted in their body if they derived concrete benefits from it, a poll Monday showed. The results appeared to surprise even the high-tech sector. 3/1/2010 2:41:12 PM
Obama smokes, eats too much junk food: Physician Barack Obama's struggle to quit smoking has been amply chronicled over the past couple of years: apparently being president of the United States doesn't make it any easier to break a bad habit. "Put the potato chips down," Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman, quipped Monday. 3/1/2010 2:32:51 PM
‘Temperamental’ pet bull kills owner Ricky Weinhold was attacked Saturday by a one-ton bull on a farm where he leased barn space in Wernersville, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. "The poor man, he loved his animals," Coroner Terri Straka said. "They were his pets." 3/1/2010 2:18:31 PM
Too many laws hurt our society In earlier times, enforcement agencies had a simple job description -- catch bad guys. Today it's much more muddled. Instead of policing criminals, officers might spend their days policing the public. Petty crime levels have soared. Meanwhile, community relations have soured. 3/1/2010 9:18:40 AM
How to raise joyful kids: Reject perfection and let them fail Every parent wants their child to be happy. In a new book that is part science, part anecdotal testimony, Christine Carter, a sociologist, as well as the mother of two young daughters aged 7 and 9, offers advice on how to raise kids to be optimistic and kind adults. 3/1/2010 9:14:20 AM
What a great time we all have had Didn't it feel good, Vancouver? To wave the flag, to sing the anthem, to see your beautiful sunlit city swell with pride for all the world to see? Didn't it feel just great? Wasn't it wonderful to see that slumbering Canadian patriotism jolted wide awake? 3/1/2010 8:47:42 AM
Our Olympic legacy: the world thinks we're cool The Olympic cauldron is now extinguished. But don’t feel let down. The 2010 Winter Olympics have ignited something even more powerful that will linger on and shape Vancouver and Canada for years to come. We’ve just experienced an urban and national coming together. 3/1/2010 8:33:21 AM
Naked photo at Sydney Opera House highlights openness More than 5,000 people have shed their clothing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to pose for a photograph by the American artist Spencer Tunick. The organisers had only expected about half that number to take part. 3/1/2010 4:47:02 AM
Hawaii can wait: Man cuts short vacation to return to Vancouver for Olympics Even as Blair Mercer was stepping onto the plane headed to one of the world’s most beautiful islands, there were images of home he just couldn’t shake. He couldn’t stop thinking of Vancouver and the party it was about to throw — the party he had booked a vacation specifically to escape. 3/1/2010 4:36:37 AM
Washington State: Teen burglar may have struck again Notorious teen burglar Colton Harris-Moore has apparently eluded the long arm of the law once again after a break-in at a hardware store on Orcas Island. Several witnesses report an unusual level of police activity across the island for several hours, including SWAT teams and search teams with dogs. 2/28/2010 2:21:02 PM
Happiness Ain't All It's Cracked Up to Be The Founding Fathers liked happiness so much they considered pursuing it an inalienable right – but maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Happiness seems to make people more selfish, the latest in a series of revelations suggesting it changes how you think – and not in a good way. 2/28/2010 2:06:04 PM
Parents should go for less materialistic birthday celebrations A few years ago, I had to bail on a first-birthday party. I was living in Vancouver, the party was in Victoria and B.C. Ferries employees were engaging in some wildcat strikes that made me worry about getting back in time for work. 2/28/2010 10:23:18 AM
Social Media Messages Telling Too Much? Your Twitter messages may just be 140 characters, but they can tell the world a lot about you. As "Early Show" National Correspondent Hattie Kauffman reported Friday, telling friends your every move on social networks could be dangerous. 2/28/2010 6:01:15 AM
Girl Scout Cookie Maker Announces Recall Little Brownie Bakers, the maker of Girl Scout Cookies, announced a recall of some of its cookies Thursday. The company, located in Louisville, Ky., said Lemon Chalet Crème cookies, while still safe for consumption, are not up to its quality standards. 2/28/2010 5:36:17 AM
Pit bull rescued twice in a week For the second time in a week, Dano is resting at the Saint John Animal Rescue League after being rescued. Dano was first rescued from the Toronto Humane Society where the light-brown dog was to be euthanized. Dano was getting acclimatized to his new surroundings when two women walked into the shelter, specifically looking for a pit bull. 2/28/2010 5:06:25 AM
Olalla: Apology too late for child migrant Former child migrant Tom Isherwood, who was taken from his native Birmingham, England, sent to toil on a farm on Vancouver Island as a youngster and grew up in a string of foster homes, doesn‘t want sympathy. Isherwood also doesn‘t want to accept the formal apology from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 2/28/2010 4:20:50 AM
Is there life after retirement? John and Shelley Eby weren't interested in a conventional retirement of golf, cruises and condos in Florida. Instead, they started a little NGO in Guatemala and built a high school. “We wanted something challenging,” says Shelley. “With this, you see the difference, and the impact of it.” 2/28/2010 4:09:41 AM
Solo sailor Jessica Watson set to make millions Jessica Watson could be one of Australia's richest teenagers, with a multi-million-dollar sponsorship bonanza awaiting her return to dry land. Jessica, 16, who sailed out of Australian waters in a rush of controversy, has entered the home stretch. Her website receives about one million hits a week. 2/27/2010 8:04:04 PM
Joannie Rochette wins Terry Fox Award Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, whose emotional performance in the wake of her mother's sudden death, was named one of two recipients of the Vancouver 2010 Terry Fox Award. Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic, who like Rochette won a bronze medal at the Games, was also named a recipient. 2/27/2010 5:49:08 PM
Britain says Slimming sixties not a myth Despite fewer visits to gyms and a love of high-fat foods, people in the 1960s were slimmer simply because they were more active, the government says. Rates of obesity in English adults have risen from 1-2% in the 1960s to around 26% today, figures show. 2/27/2010 5:32:26 PM
Funeral to be held for Canada’s last known First World War veteran The body of the last known First World War veteran who served Canada will be laid to rest Saturday in Spokane, Wash., where he spent much of his working life. John Babcock died Feb. 18 at the age of 109, severing a link to the era that saw Canada come of age as a nation. 2/27/2010 4:19:55 PM
Dumb Job Interview Mistakes The job interview is usually the most critical step in the job-seeking process. But you'd be surprised what some people during those all-important sessions! CareerBuilder.com did a survey of hiring managers to compile a list of the most common interview mistakes. 2/27/2010 8:53:41 AM
Drinking, smoking chimp sent to rehab A Russian chimpanzee has been sent to rehab by zookeepers to cure the smoking and beer-drinking habits he has picked up. An ex-performer, Zhora was transferred to a zoo where he fathered several baby chimps, learned to draw with markers and picked up his two vices. 2/27/2010 8:21:21 AM
Driver clocked at 123 km/h in 50 zone, was in a hurry A 19-year-old man has been charged under the province's stunt driving law after Windsor police clocked a car doing more than double the speed limit. The officer questioned the driver about the excessive speed and was told the driver was late to pick up a rental car. 2/27/2010 7:16:47 AM
'Most unfortunate baby names' revealed What do you call some of the most unlucky people in Britain? Justin Case, Barb Dwyer and Stan Still. It sounds like a bad joke, but a study has revealed that there really are unfortunate people with those names in the UK. Joining them on the list are Terry Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas and Anna Sasin. 2/27/2010 4:54:18 AM
Angry passenger eats prize ticket A Ryanair passenger who became enraged when he was told he could not claim a scratchcard prize on his flight ate his winning ticket. The man was flying from Poland to the East Midlands on a Ryanair flight when he won 10,000 euros. 2/27/2010 4:52:11 AM
Joannie Rochette opens up about her mother Finally able to tell the world about her mother Therese who died suddenly on Sunday, Joannie Rochette smiled, cried and even cracked a joke. Rochette, now 24 chose skating, and when she did she had to commit herself totally or hear about it from her demanding mother. 2/26/2010 3:55:35 PM
UK Woman jailed for sex with boy, 12 A Teesside woman who had sex almost 200 times with a 12-year-old boy has been jailed for nine years. Angela Sullivan gave the boy a pair of sneakers as a reward when he slept with her for the 100th time. 2/26/2010 12:36:35 PM
Star spotting at Olympics: Shania Twain, work or pleasure? Shania Twain was strolling Whistler village Thursday, her second day at the Olympics. Chilling out before a Sunday appearance at the closing ceremonies?... Michael J. Fox was with some family members at Thursday's Canada-U.S. women's hockey final...Wayne Gretzky and Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger chowed down together in Yaletown. 2/26/2010 12:19:38 PM
Kelowna: Fundraiser to help Caleb The community is rallying around the Lanz family as eight-year-old Caleb Lanz battles a brain tumour. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a bottle dropoff is being held at Ellison Elementary School near the airport. Rhea Taylor is organizing the event and said bottles and donations are being accepted. 2/26/2010 5:47:47 AM
The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights The White Stripes have always done things a little differently than most bands. For most of their 12-plus years together, Jack and Meg White claimed to be siblings, when in fact they were married for three and a half years. (Each is now remarried to someone else.) 2/26/2010 5:26:02 AM
Spitzer's "Madam" Kristin Davis Running for New York Governor Kristin Davis, the "Manhattan Madam" who says she paired disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer with call girls, will officially announce her own candidacy for governor on Monday. Davis will announce her plan to petition her way onto the ballot as an independent candidate. 2/25/2010 6:14:44 PM
Conservative Minister Helena Guergis apologizes for airport outburst Conservative MP Helena Guergis has apologized to staff at the Charlottetown airport for speaking "emotionally" to them last week. An anonymous letter accused Guergis and an aide of arriving late for the flight and treating airport employees abusively. 2/25/2010 2:50:59 PM
Facebook briefly pulls down Norwegian pants Not to worry, curling fans — they were back up after a 2½-hour scare. A Facebook page dedicated to the funky, diamond-print pants worn by the Olympic men's curlers was mistakenly taken down Wednesday, making it temporarily inaccessible to its 435,000 followers. 2/25/2010 1:57:34 PM
Speed skater Clara Hughes donates $10,000 bronze-medal bonus to Vancouver charity Canadian speedskater Clara Hughes will give her Olympic bronze medal bonus to a Vancouver program that helps at-risk youth. Hughes said she'll give $10,000 to the Take A Hike Foundation that works with troubled youth. 2/25/2010 1:09:03 PM
80-year-old US woman with 55-year record gets 3 years in prison An 80-year-old woman with a criminal record stretching back to 1955 has been sentenced to three years in state prison for ransacking and stealing cash from a medical office. Doris Thompson thanked a judge Wednesday for not sending her to Los Angeles County jail. She also told the judge, "God bless you." 2/25/2010 11:32:31 AM
Heading out? New website lets everyone know it As more people reveal their whereabouts on social networks, a new site has sprung up to remind you that letting everyone know where you are - and, by extension, where you're not - could leave you vulnerable to those with less-than-friendly intentions. The site's name says it all: Please Rob Me. 2/25/2010 10:25:36 AM
Pop-singer-turned-bank-robber gets 4 1/2 years in prison She aspired to become a singing star in her home country of Belize, releasing her first CD at the age of 19 with the promise of more to come. But somewhere along the way, Emelda Marie Cuddy became a bank robber, holding up six credit unions in Winnipeg. 2/25/2010 10:04:36 AM
Italy offers lessons in ice cream at Gelato University (Video) Italy is world famous for its ice cream, so perhaps it is no coincidence that it claims to host the world's only ice cream university. Duncan Kennedy reports from the 'Gelato University' in Bologna, which attracts 6,000 students a year. 2/25/2010 6:03:56 AM
The man who refused to die (Video) They came to think of themselves as the forgotten army - the men who endured years of suffering in Japanese Prisoner of War Camps during World War II. Yet many of the survivors, when they came back, never spoke of what they had seen and suffered. Now, one survivors broken his 65-year silence. 2/25/2010 6:01:03 AM
‘Millennials’ an always on, texting generation They bring their cell phones to bed with them. They admit to texting while driving. They're almost certain to have a profile on social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook or Twitter. You likely already know them, but in case you don't, meet a majority of the "Millennials," the generation born after 1980. 2/25/2010 5:36:45 AM
No fair! Why your brain hates inequities At some point in our lives, we've all cried "It's not fair!" In fact, it's human nature for us to dislike unequal situations, and we often try to avoid or remedy them. Now, scientists have identified the first evidence of this behavior's neurological underpinnings in the human brain. 2/25/2010 5:27:19 AM
Employer maternity leave top-ups rare Few Canadians get extra payments from their employers while on parental leave, even though it appears a useful strategy for retaining workers. Just one in five mothers on parental leave also got top-up payments from their employers in 2008, a proportion that's little changed over the past decade. 2/24/2010 4:55:07 PM
The Pride of Canada, Especially the Grandmas The line stretched out the door of the Vancouver Curling Club on Monday afternoon, the entrance blocked by a bouncer, befitting the rock-star status of the man inside. Those fans came for Kevin Martin, the most famous, perhaps baldest and most decorated curler in Canada. 2/24/2010 1:06:58 PM
Outpouring of patriotism surprises Vanoc officials Vancouver Olympic officials were wholly taken by surprise over the positive public reaction to the 2010 Winter Olympics, to the point that they underestimated the crowds that would turn out to see the waterfront cauldron. "This is all new for us, but it is a pretty cool kind of patriotism that's going on." 2/24/2010 11:33:27 AM
Ashleigh McIvor wins gold for Canada: 'What more could I ask for?' Call it performance on demand. Call it bragging with portfolio. Call it living up to the spirit of Canada's much-maligned goal of owning the podium, If the Olympics come down to an athlete bringing it at the moment, Ashleigh McIvor, the brazen, delivered on demand Tuesday at Cypress Mountain. 2/24/2010 11:22:41 AM
Multicultural Festival celebrates world of differences Each year it seems Penticton’s Multicultural Festival draws bigger crowds. So much so that this year organizers moved the festival from its home of eight years, the Lakeside Resort, to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. 2/24/2010 10:15:58 AM
Wealthy people don't enjoy the little things in life A new study from the University of British Columbia shows that wealthier people, and people who have money on their minds, don’t take as much pleasure in simple joys such as going for a weekend getaway, finishing spring cleaning or eating a piece of chocolate. 2/24/2010 9:53:38 AM
Joannie Rochette: First place in all their hearts They cried for her courage, for her strength; they cried because, by skating with her heart broken, Joannie Rochette broke theirs. The tears started soon after Joannie Rochette took the ice less than three days after her mother died. She received a standing, uproarious ovation when she finished. 2/24/2010 9:41:00 AM
Bomb Dog: Black Lab awarded British military medal A perky British Labrador whose bomb-sniffing exploits helped save lives in Afghanistan was decorated for canine courage. The military nominated Treo for the prize in recognition of his help uncovering a series of Taliban bombs during his time serving in Helmand Province in 2008. 2/24/2010 9:21:43 AM
Danica in stock car? Makes sense, and cents She's sassy, sexy and yet to crack the top 30 in her first two NASCAR races, but Danica Patrick has come to stock car racing at the perfect time for both her and her sport. Patrick, the open-wheel sensation who is trying her hand at stock car racing part-time this season, is a media darling. 2/24/2010 8:23:04 AM
$3.37 beer lands Quebec man back in jail A young man will spend the next 60 days in jail after stealing a beer from a convenience store in Quebec. He stole the $3.37 beer to celebrate having just gotten out of jail. Denis Danny Roberge, a 19-year-old repeat offender, had been convicted several time for petty theft. 2/24/2010 8:16:46 AM
Woman says her love handles saved her life A Florida woman said her love handles saved her life when she was shot entering an Atlantic City bar. Samantha Lynn Frazier told The Press of Atlantic City that "I could have been dead. They said my love handles saved my life." 2/24/2010 8:10:32 AM
Joannie Rochette in third days after her mother's death Bouquets flooded the ice after Canadian skater Joannie Rochette skated her short program tonight at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Rochette, whose mother died suddenly of a heart attack during the Games, sits in third place with a score of 71.36. 2/23/2010 8:18:48 PM
'Justice' minister defends refusal to seek Khadr's return Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said Tuesday that he's satisfied a diplomatic note sent to the Americans is remedy enough for a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that confirmed Canadian officials violated Khadr's constitutional rights. Seven hours of videotaped CSIS interrogation shows Khadr moaning and sobbing and asking for protection. 2/23/2010 3:28:50 PM
Tofino, B.C. named surfer dude heaven An influential U.S. magazine has named Tofino the number one surf town in North America. Outside Magazine has published its first annual editors' choice awardsIn the editors' words, "the best surf town in North America is in Canada. Who knew?" 2/23/2010 3:19:38 PM
New market for macho cupcakes Containing everything from bacon to beer, so-called "manly cupcakes" are a tongue-in-cheek response to the apparently too-prissy offerings that dominate display cases. As a female observer wryly put it: "Pink frosting and/or sprinkles cause testicular shrinkage. Men just can't be too careful." 2/23/2010 2:41:37 PM
‘Tillman’ a highlight at doggone Olympic Games Watch your back, Shaun White. There's a new snowboarding superstar in town who promises to leave a mighty big impression on the slopes. Meet Tillman, a four-year-old English bulldog from Oxnard, Calif., whose prowess with a skateboard has already made him a YouTube sensation. 2/23/2010 2:35:01 PM
Why you don't see Wayne Gretzky smiling The demands for autographs and other favours are virtually endless, and being out in public is hard work. 'I don't know how he keeps it up day after day after day,' his brother says...For perhaps 30 seconds it looks like Wayne Gretzky will have peace from the autograph-seekers and the cameras. 2/23/2010 9:33:21 AM
Don't fish and drink: RCMP The RCMP in Manitoba are cracking down on people imbibing in ice-fishing shacks. The Mounties, along with natural resources officers with Manitoba Conservation, conducted checks on Saturday of fishermen and ice-fishing shacks on the Red River near Selkirk, just north of Winnipeg.(Ed: Big brother is everywhere.) 2/23/2010 8:07:15 AM
Things that will get you kicked off a plane Passengers won't be surprised to find out that joining the mile-high club or reading porn will get them kicked off their flight. But did you know discussing the safest seat or asking for water are offences that could easily have you holed up in airport security? 2/23/2010 7:57:49 AM
German female Protestant bishop drove drunk The head of Germany's Protestant church has admitted drink-driving, after she was charged with running a red light while three times over the legal limit. Bishop Margot Kaessmann, appointed the church's first female leader last year, was arrested in Hanover at the weekend. 2/23/2010 7:46:07 AM
Woman admits selling 2 kids for 1 bird, $175 A 52-year-old Louisiana woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of sale of a minor for trading two children to a couple in exchange for an exotic pet bird and $175. Donna Louise Greenwell was accused of selling the couple a 4-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy in return for the cash and a cockatoo. 2/23/2010 5:53:22 AM
Nominees announced for Women Front and Centre Some of the South Okanagan's most accomplished women will be standing front and centre next month. The South Okanagan Women In Need Society has announced the 40 nominees for this year's Women Front and Centre awards. The winners will be announced at the March 6 dinner gala at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. 2/23/2010 5:13:31 AM
Tall Ship Adventure: Safe but not sorry Tears of joy flowed freely as Sarah Smith was welcomed home from the adventure of a lifetime. The 19-year-old Oliver woman spent two harrowing days adrift in a life-raft in the Atlantic Ocean after the tall ship she was on sank rapidly 500 kilometres off the coast of Brazil last week. 2/23/2010 4:34:25 AM
Ex-premier, bid backer Glen Clark loving every moment He's a man who suffered a dizzying fall during a brutal political scandal, only to rise to new heights as a top executive with one of the richest men in Canada. Now Glen Clark's incredible odyssey marks yet another milestone, as Vancouver's Olympic Games -- a "crazy dream." 2/22/2010 4:24:58 PM
Seniors turn to pot to fight pain as they age In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of wine. A copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana. 2/22/2010 2:26:30 PM
Wired Child: Do your homework – or no DS tonight They hide it under the covers and sneak it into their school bags. They flip it open when you aren’t looking. And when they aren’t playing, they are intently strategizing about the games with their friends. 2/22/2010 11:15:28 AM
Who let the dogs pig out? Someone once said that if your dog is fat you're not getting enough exercise. So it's no surprise that as human obesity rates soar, man's best friend is loyally packing on the pounds as well. "Overweight people are more likely to have overweight dogs," said Victoria Stilwell. 2/22/2010 11:08:45 AM
Tiger who? Dalai Lama disses golfer The Dalai Lama commented on Tiger Woods' sex scandals Saturday, saying self-discipline is among Buddhism's highest values, one day after Woods said he strayed from his Buddhist faith. He said that he had not heard of Woods, but said that when it comes to adultery, "all religions have the same idea." 2/22/2010 8:50:18 AM
One-third of working Canadians say they will never retire The majority of Canadians feel there is no appropriate age to retire, while nearly one-third of working Canadians say they will never retire. The fact that so many Canadians say they may delay retirement indefinitely may be a good thing for Canada. 2/22/2010 8:23:51 AM
'World's strongest' beer with 32% strength launched A controversial Scottish brewery has launched what it described as the world's strongest beer - with a 32% alcohol content. Tactical Nuclear Penguin has been unveiled by BrewDog. BrewDog was previously branded irresponsible for an 18.2% beer called Tokyo. 2/22/2010 5:51:29 AM
Bikers cried when lost dog CinnaBun was returned After three weeks of a desperate search for his beloved pit bull, Jesse James Tweeted Wednesday that he and CinnaBun have been reunited. A woman brought CinnaBun to Jesse James's Long Beach bike shop, where upon sight of the long-lost pooch, the crew started crying. 2/22/2010 5:40:28 AM
Expectant couple tie the knot — mid-labor A Wisconsin couple had just one request for the hospital where their baby was to be born this week: Get us married, STAT. Originally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, the wedding was to take place only a week before their baby's Feb. 26 due date. 2/22/2010 5:34:37 AM
Fire chief sees red when he sees gold The sight of a gold-plated fire hydrant may suggest the City of Kelowna has money to burn when it comes to street beautification. “It‘s not a good thing at all for people to paint over hydrants because they think they look nicer,” Kelowna fire Chief Rene Blanleil said. 2/22/2010 5:29:36 AM
Young B.C. heroes honoured with bravery awards Just before the Olympic medals were awarded on Sunday night, BC Place was host to another, more personal honour ceremony. Two young men from Surrey received Vital Link awards for courage under fire -- and for saving a father's life. 2/22/2010 5:00:41 AM
Child Migrant Program: A burden to Britain, ‘trash' in Canada Marjorie Skidmore was torn from her family 73 years ago, a frightened child shipped to a Canadian farm to be raised under the harsh tutelage of a cottage “mother” because her country deemed her to be a burden. Next Wednesday, she will arrive in London to hear an apology from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 2/21/2010 2:37:37 PM
The world's most bizarre house pets In 2009's smash comedy The Hangover, the drug-addled protagonists make off with boxer Mike Tyson's pet tiger. It's a hilarious vignette -- and funnier still when you consider how many people in the real world in fact keep tigers, and all sorts of other unlikely beasts, as pets. 2/21/2010 1:40:30 PM
Bull charges into US woman's home Excuse anyone who heard about Sally Joyner's weekend and figured she was full of bull. Even she didn't expect to be taken seriously when calling for help Saturday morning. "I called 911 and said, 'Please don't think I'm crazy, but a bull just crashed through my front door'" 2/21/2010 12:23:09 PM
Nepal’s shortest man seeks record A Nepalese man who is only 56cm (22in) tall is travelling to Europe in a bid to be recognised officially as the world's shortest living person. Khagendra Thapa Magar is flying with his father and a supporter to Italy, where they plan to file a claim with London-based Guinness World Records. 2/21/2010 11:09:33 AM
Big push from Canada is not panning out Canadian Olympic officials very publicly announced long ago that they expected to “own the podium” and lead the medal count for the first time at an Olympics. Midway through these Winter Games, however, Canada sat in fourth place. (5th as of this morning.) 2/21/2010 10:45:22 AM
Sex trade an open book during Games Cherry Kingsley's life story is an open book. Until the end of the month, Ms. Kingsley will be part of a “living library” put together by Atira Women's Resource Society, a non-profit housing agency in the Downtown Eastside. Ms. Kingsley, 39, is, on occasion, a sex-trade worker. 2/21/2010 10:31:03 AM
Saudi women to win court access Saudi Arabia is planning to bring in a new law to allow women lawyers to argue cases in court for the first time. Justice Minister Mohammed al-Eissa said the law was part of King Abdullah's plan to develop the legal system. At the moment, they can only work behind the scenes in government and court offices. 2/21/2010 9:03:58 AM
US renames Negrohead Mountain after black pioneer A California peak formerly known as Negrohead Mountain has been officially renamed in honour of the black pioneer who settled there in 1869. The 619-metre peak near Malibu, became Ballard Mountain after John Ballard, a blacksmith and former slave. 2/21/2010 7:34:02 AM
Nap 'boosts' brain learning power A nap during the day doesn't just beat tiredness, but actually improves the brain's ability to absorb new information, claim US scientists. Volunteers who slept for 90 minutes during the day did better at cognitive tests than those who were kept awake. 2/21/2010 7:28:43 AM
Montgomery is the life of Whistler's party No one exemplifies the festive atmosphere of this mountain-backed resort town better than beer-swilling party animal Jon Montgomery. Now that he has a gold medal — the first medal by any Canadian in Whistler — the men’s skeleton racer has become the toast of the town. 2/21/2010 5:45:36 AM
Penticton Spelling Bee: Agony and ecstasy Fifteen rounds – it‘s the length of a professional boxing match. It was also the number of head-to-head rounds it took to declare a regional champion in the Canwest Canspell 2010 spelling bee, sponsored by the Penticton Herald and The Daily Courier. The word that clinched the victory – acrostic. 2/21/2010 5:12:19 AM
Ski and snowboard culture eschews helmets "Despite compelling evidence that shows wearing a helmet significantly reduces the chance of head and brain injury, there are still those who argue that helmets are not fashionable or part of the ski culture," according to a commentary by a Toronto neurosurgeon published Thursday. 2/20/2010 6:10:39 PM
Facebook users complain of glitches A problem with a single Facebookserver was responsible for glitches across the network that shut some users out and made it impossible for others to access some of the site’s features on Saturday morning. Some users were unable to log in, while others couldn’t post anything to each others’ profiles or upload photos. 2/20/2010 5:54:06 PM
Standing on guard against Tommy Douglas We have learned from Professor Franz Kafka that if the state is after you, you must be guilty. If you're not guilty, the state would not be after you. What you are guilty of is purely irrelevant and often unknown. But you're guilty of something. Why else would the Mounties have spied on him for 50 years? 2/20/2010 10:27:33 AM
Once more into the breach of online comments When the words “COMMENT REMOVED” started popping up on websites carrying stories about a lack of French at the Olympics, Keith Bilous' employees were hard at work. ICUC Moderation Services, which manages comment at globeandmail.com, were busy last week after the Olympian French flap. 2/20/2010 10:19:03 AM
High School Teacher, Charged with Sexing Up Her Students Her personnel file shows that Megan Baumann was a highly regarded and promising young social studies teacher at Clinton High School in Tennessee. But to the male students, she was something more: the faculty sex kitten and enchantress of young men. It seems Baumann liked her students a little too much. 2/20/2010 10:05:47 AM
Brave Granny Beats Robbers with Scanner (Video) A fabulous video from Malden, Massachusetts: Bad guys try to rob a store, but a granny shopper will have none of it. As they rifle the cash register, granny starts beating a man with a hand-held bar code scanner. The men are forced to bolt when granny won't stop whacking them. 2/20/2010 10:02:28 AM
Mellisa Hollingsworth crushed with 5th place in skeleton Mellisa Hollingsworth entered the Vancouver Olympics as an overwhelming favourite to reach the podium in women's skeleton. "It's really hard. I feel like I've let my entire country down," Hollingsworth told CTV through tears. The 29-year-old from Eckville, Alta., sat second overall heading into her fourth and final run. 2/20/2010 8:23:47 AM
Austrian mayor gets dead mice in mail in what looked like box of pralines The mayor of an Austrian town has received a package in the mail containing two dead mice in what looked like a box of pralines. Mayor Walter Ernhard got the chilling package last week along with an anonymous, handwritten letter that contained personal insults. 2/20/2010 7:22:09 AM
War veteran's family says no to state funeral During his life, Mr. Babcock – known as Jack – asked to be cremated, with his ashes scattered in the Pacific mountains where he had loved to hike. Canadians had signed a statement asking Parliament to give Mr. Babcock a state funeral, but Mr. Babcock himself said he didn't want it. 2/20/2010 5:46:04 AM
Internet making our brains different, not dumb A decade from now, Google won't make us "stupid," the Internet may make us more literate in a different kind of way and efforts to protect individual anonymity will be even more difficult to achieve, according to many of the experts surveyed for a look at "The Future of the Internet" in 2020. 2/19/2010 6:46:15 PM
Sex addiction real — or excuse for cheating? Tiger Woods’ shocking cheating admission and subsequent parade of alleged paramours has resulted in more than just unending fodder for the tabloids. The golf superstar has also given comfort to spouses who have long suspected their partners are incapable of fidelity, says Maureen Canning. 2/19/2010 6:44:26 PM
Newest Canadian saint a humble healer Born into dismal Quebec rural poverty in 1845, the child who was to become Brother Andre was conditionally baptized the next day because he was not expected to survive. On Friday, the Roman Catholic church made him Quebec's first male saint. 2/19/2010 5:41:14 PM
Danica already a NASCAR force A white Chevy Tahoe pulls up in front of Danica Patrick's trailer at 11:45 a.m., 15 minutes before she goes on stage, and Patrick isn't quite sure what to expect. Of course it was crazy on the IndyCar circuit. In the days after her near-win at the Indianapolis 500 five years ago, everybody seemed to have a Danica sighting. 2/19/2010 12:51:33 PM
Canada's hockey heroes hit Vancouver hot spot It was Team Canada's first official dinner at the Olympics. And all 23 of Canada's best hockey players, who often battle each other in the NHL, were in their own zone as they walked in. They just took their seat at a long table. Some wine and beer began to flow, there was lots of laughter; they're a team now. 2/19/2010 7:47:48 AM
Scottish terrier Sadie wins Westminster dog show A peppy Scottish terrier known as Sadie was crowned the nation's top dog on Tuesday, winning Best in Show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club championship. Sadie, a jet-black four-year-old, displayed the ideal combination beating out 2,500 entrants at the 134-year-old dog show. 2/19/2010 5:43:43 AM
Sex at work: weapon or repression? People can use relationships at work to kick-start their career, but relationships can also turn out to be repressive and hinder careers from flourishing. Research shows that a large proportion of workers have had amorous relations with colleagues, but what if they are rivals or the boss is involved? 2/19/2010 5:28:29 AM
Governor General speech criticizes rampant materialism Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean strayed from her regal ceremonial functions to excoriate the excesses of capitalism in a speech that encouraged young people to aim for more than just profits. Jean made a series of pointed criticisms Thursday about a fend-for-yourself market mentality, while championing other values. 2/19/2010 5:21:02 AM
Penticton: Is city playing games with Community Centre staff? While 36 city workers at the Penticton Community Centre face layoff notices next month, city council won‘t say whether they will have jobs to return to once the $23.3-million pool upgrade is completed next year. Mayor Dan Ashton declined to be pinned down, 2/19/2010 5:10:05 AM
John Babcock, Canada’s last known Great War veteran, dies at age 109 Canada's last known First World War veteran, John Babcock, has died at age 109, the Prime Minister's Office says. Born on an Ontario farm in 1900, Babcock enlisted to join the war at the tender age of 16. He lied about his age to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force 2/18/2010 7:26:04 PM
The secret to winning at team sports? It’s all talk Jen Wilkinson can’t stop talking when she gets on a dodge-ball court. She’ll yell to her teammates about how to attack the other side. If someone on her side makes a good play, she shouts praise. After six years Ms. Wilkinson has come to realize that being all talk is what wins games. 2/18/2010 7:14:58 PM
What’s hotter than a woman yelling 'harder?’ Harder,” she said. “Hard, hard!” No, honestly, she did.It was only midafternoon too. And it went on for hours. A fella could go weak at the knees. Women’s curling, my friends – sexiest thing at the Olympics. You can have your Lindsey Vonn, ouchy-shin and all. 2/18/2010 5:48:44 PM
Lightfoot very much alive, despite reports Celebrated singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was in his car on Thursday when he heard some curious news over the radio: Gordon Lightfoot was dead. Contrary to the report, however, Lightfoot had just had a dentist appointment and was driving to his Toronto office. 2/18/2010 4:28:49 PM
Penticton: Romp statue on the move The popular bronze statues of three children playing in the waters of Okanagan Lake will soon find a new, less secluded yet still watery home due east of its current location at Marina Way Park. Last August city officials removed parts of Romp for repairs after damage from vandalism. 2/18/2010 11:09:43 AM
NASCAR: Danica Patrick among competitors in California IndyCar star Danica Patrick makes her second consecutive Nationwide start on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. It will be her first taste of what most of NASCAR racing looks like - no restrictor plates or bump-drafting. Last week? Yes, she wrecked. But she and NASCAR got plenty of attention in her Nationwide debut. 2/18/2010 9:29:06 AM
Nelson: Angry bank customer breaks door over reduced hours Tempers flared and glass was smashed at a credit union in Nelson, B.C. Wednesday when customers got frustrated over shortened office hours caused by a staff strike. One man was so angry about long delays in getting his cheque cashed that he put his foot through the front glass door. 2/18/2010 9:20:02 AM
Why does the West love the Dalai Lama? A US president is again choosing to meet the Dalai Lama despite Chinese opposition. But why is this Tibetan spiritual and political leader such a popular figure in the West? To the Chinese government and to many of its people he is an inciter of violence. 2/18/2010 6:17:07 AM
Starving photographer rescued from B.C. wilderness A wildlife photographer who planned to spend the winter living in a remote trailer in the wilderness of northeastern B.C. narrowly escaped starving to death after he failed to pack enough provisions. Hudson's Hope RCMP say the 42-year-old man was trapped for more than two weeks without food. 2/18/2010 5:06:53 AM
PleaseRobMe website reveals dangers of social networks A website called PleaseRobMe claims to reveal the location of empty homes based on what people post online. The Dutch developers told BBC News the site was designed to prove a point about the dangers of sharing precise location information on the internet. 2/18/2010 4:46:09 AM
Community centre will close for a full year, staff laid-off The Penticton Community Centre will be closed for the next year, and three dozen city workers laid off, during a $23-million upgrade of the pool. The closure takes effect March 22, the city announced Wednesday. The layoffs will affect 36 of the community centre‘s 46 full- and part-time staff. 2/18/2010 4:24:46 AM
Public gets a little cozier with Olympic cauldron Vancouver Games officials have opened a rooftop viewing platform to give the public a great look at the Olympic cauldron, stemming controversy over its location behind a chain-link fence. About 150 people at a time can go up to the platform beside the waterfront plaza that is home to the 2010 cauldron. 2/17/2010 2:24:13 PM
Racist taunts cost boss $25,000 The words were shocking and so unfamiliar that Cheryl Khan's friends could not believe her boss used them. "Paki," he called her, according to Khan's testimony before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. "Half-nigger babies," he said of her two little boys. "That's what you get for sleeping with a nigger." 2/17/2010 9:10:54 AM
Lawsuits question school responses to bullying In her mother's eyes, there are two versions of Jaclyn Petersen. There's the girl who enjoyed swimming classes and asked questions with a beaming grin, and then there's the anxious little girl who wet her bed, hid behind her long, blond hair and sobbed at the sight of a school bus. 2/17/2010 6:42:07 AM
Dubai driver racks up $97,000 in traffic penalties A Dubai student who racked up traffic offence penalties of $97,000 has been caught by police. The man, who eluded officers for two years and continued to collect speeding tickets, also had his 4X4 vehicle seized. Local media said the man committed 400 separate offences. 2/17/2010 6:08:50 AM
Pub named best in Britain for second year A Sheffield pub has been named the Campaign for Real Ale's national pub of the year for the second year running. The Kelham Island Tavern, which was described by 2009 judges as a "small gem", was praised for its quality of beer and attention to detail. 2/17/2010 6:05:20 AM
Chan has big mountain to climb for Olympic glory The ending of Patrick Chan's short program Tuesday night summed up his skating routine perfectly: Just a bit off. With the elite skaters at the top of the standings definitely hitting their stride, it will take the performance of Chan's life plus slip-ups from the men ahead of him to give Chan a sniff at medal glory. 2/17/2010 4:37:10 AM
Thorpes named honourary co-chairs of OUC fund drive Two well-known citizens of the South Okanagan are adding their support to the fundraising campaign for Okanagan College‘s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation in Penticton. The husband and wife duo of Rick and Yasmin Thorpe have a long association with Okanagan College. 2/17/2010 4:23:01 AM
Going berserk in the House of Orange On Monday afternoon, we were walking along the Richmond river dike to get to the Olympic oval when we were stopped by a pretty blond girl wearing a toque decorated in the national colours of the Netherlands. Her name was Emilyn Edwards. 2/16/2010 5:22:36 PM
Ukulele-playing takes Langley schoolkids from Hawaii to Olympics You'd think that sending a small group of ukulele-playing Langley schoolkids to Hawaii year-after-year to entertain locals and tourists would be akin to "carrying coals to Newcastle" since the tiny, four-stringed musical instrument has long been associated with those balmy islands. 2/16/2010 4:26:54 PM
There's nothing like team spirit to ease the pain Mission resident Tanya McCracken has discovered that winning gold is great for back pain. "Gold medals must be anti-inflammatory," McCracken said Monday. She could feel the relief on Sunday as freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau brought home Canada's first gold medal during the Winter Olympics. 2/16/2010 4:21:21 PM
Small changes help couples stay happy: 'Love Doctor' An American researcher and psychologist who has spent more than two decades tracking married couples to learn what keeps twosomes together says it's small changes and gestures that make big inroads into helping couples stay happy. 2/16/2010 3:36:21 PM
Let the show begin! Westminster Dog Show follies (Video) It's day one of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and 25-hundred of the most pampered dogs from around N. America are getting their chance to strut their stuff! But in the wake of a Brooklyn family receiving what seemed to be a doggie ransom note, Jeanne Moos wanted to see how owners keep their beloved dogs safe. 2/16/2010 12:16:28 PM
Pork-flavored doughnuts? A Chinese market beckons Patrick Lin is sure he can succeed where others have failed, and get the Chinese hooked on doughnuts. But the doughnuts this entrepreneur is selling won't be readily recognizable to Westerners. Toppings include ham and cheese, red spaghetti sauce, salmon, spicy beef and seaweed flakes. 2/16/2010 12:13:41 PM
Disgraced in skirt scandal, woman is Carnival star Geisy Arruda's transformation from a student famed for being kicked out of college for wearing a miniskirt to Carnival queen hit a snag late Monday. Wearing a "Carnivalized" version of the very dress that got her expelled, the 20-year-old Brazilian had big smiles and waves for the crowd. 2/16/2010 12:08:26 PM
King Tut felled by malaria and broken leg Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate and club foot, likely forcing him to walk with a cane, and died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria, according to the most extensive study ever of his mummy. 2/16/2010 12:05:41 PM
For Patrick Chan's father, the Olympics are just the beginning Lewis Chan has sat in the stands watching his son's figure-skating practices for 13 years, but this morning's practice might just be the most memorable. Patrick, 19, will take to the ice to warm up for the men's figure-skating short program this afternoon. 2/16/2010 11:35:16 AM
Nice guys finish loved: Study Nice guys may finish last, but they also get lucky, says a University of Guelph professor. His research debunks the notion that "bad boys" or aggressive people are more attractive to potential romantic partners, and suggests that altruistic or generous behaviour makes one lucky in love. 2/16/2010 9:18:45 AM
Sexual violence going unpunished in the US military Marti Ribeiro was born into a military family. Her grandfather and father were both in the Air Force - and all her life she had wanted to join the armed forces. While she loved her job as a public affairs specialist, from the time she arrived she was routinely harassed and called Air Force Barbie. 2/16/2010 5:58:06 AM
When teens grind, parents and schools freak When Susan Schmaeling’s 16-year-old son complained to her that the priests chaperoning his Catholic high school's dance didn't allow him and other students to grind, she fought her impulse to scream. Instead, she tried to stay calm yet be very direct in her response. 2/16/2010 5:51:50 AM
Top-earning athletes of the 2010 Winter Olympics Last February energy-drink maker Red Bull built U.S. snowboarder Shaun White his own half-million-dollar half-pipe in the back country of Silverton, Colo.-- so remote he needs a helicopter to shuttle him there. (White makes in excess of $7.5 million a year.) 2/15/2010 6:03:18 PM
Office Romance OK With Most Folks For all of you who found your Valentine at work, here's good news. "Most people believe romantic relationships 'at work' are OK as long as they don't affect productivity, de-motivate other colleagues or have an impact on the overall work environment," 2/15/2010 5:03:48 PM
Bright, clean rooms promote good behaviour Scientists have conducted a series of small experiments designed to test how changes in an environment — differences in lighting or smell — can affect human behaviour. "What we found was that participants randomly assigned to the dimmer room … were more likely to lie or cheat. 2/15/2010 4:51:56 PM
2nd place Australian Snowboarder is 'Poor Loser' Dale Begg-Smith is the Canadian bloke who became an Australian bloke because the Canadian freestyle ski team training schedule didn't fit into his Internet business schedule - or something like that. No one knows because he doesn't give interviews. He won the gold in Turin in 2006 for Australia. 2/15/2010 4:48:13 PM
Fraud sentence is a joke: 11 years for stealing $50 million Former Montreal financial adviser Earl Jones was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Monday, after pleading guilty to two fraud charges related to his $50-million Ponzi scheme. "He can rot in hell," said Bevan Jones of his brother, who bilked him and nearly 150 other investors of their personal savings. 2/15/2010 4:30:50 PM
Biggest Loser winner has gained more than she lost Ali Vincent struts into a downtown Toronto restaurant, a whirling dervish in a magenta dress. The first female winner of NBC’s hit reality show The Biggest Loser, she has the unstoppable quality of someone who has realized that all she needed to get what she wanted was focus. 2/15/2010 10:47:26 AM
Tiger Woods tape 'shows graphic threesome' Tiger Woods made regular hush money payments to quiet two girls he had a threesome with on tape, The New York Daily News reported. The fidelity-challenged superstar golfer was in bed with the pair when he noticed one of them taking pictures or videotaping him with the other girl. 2/15/2010 10:24:55 AM
Baltic, the Polish pup rescued from ice floe, swimming through fan mail The incredible story of Baltic, the Polish pooch rescued from an ice sheet at sea, has struck a chord worldwide. The seagoing mutt is being bombarded with email, will likely soon have a Facebook page and one family drove more than 500 km. from the Czech Republic in the false hope he was theirs. 2/15/2010 9:43:26 AM
Women say some rape victims should take blame - British survey A majority of women believe some rape victims should take responsibility for what happened, a survey suggests. Almost three quarters of the women who believed this said if a victim got into bed with the assailant before an attack they should accept some responsibility. 2/15/2010 6:00:19 AM
'Net Viral: Naked guy. Click. Naked guy. The first thing to know about Chatroulette – the latest gonzo fixation to sweep the Web – is that it's not safe for work. It's not safe for children; it's not safe for the squeamish; it's not safe for any purpose. It contains people. Chatroulette is a website that does one thing: It connects users to live video chats with complete strangers. 2/15/2010 5:49:48 AM
Anti-HST petition gets underway in Penticton With the Boundary Similkameen riding organized, anti-HST organizer Paul McCavour is looking to get Penticton ready for the Fight the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) petition starting April 6. “I’ve got all our communities, right from Grand Forks right to Keremeos, all organized and ready to go." 2/15/2010 5:21:58 AM
Penticton Poet speaks to the world at Olympic ceremony (Video) Slam poet Shane Koyczan is still reeling from his appearance at Vancouver's Olympic opening ceremony in which he delivered what many call a defining moment for Canadians with his poem We Are More. Koyczan says the enormity of the moment didn't hit him until the curtain was about to drop. 2/15/2010 4:47:56 AM
Seven-year-old Rio carnival queen bursts into tears A seven-year-old has broken down crying as she took the controversial lead of a Rio de Janeiro carnival parade. Julia Lira became the youngest drum corps queen in memory, but her role has sparked much debate in Brazil. Hundreds of thousands of fans watched the first parades. 2/15/2010 4:28:06 AM
Women at war: Life on the front line for Canadian The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first in which tens of thousands of women have fought alongside men for prolonged periods. In 2003, Lt Col Jennie Carignan made history by becoming the first female deputy commanding officer of a combat arms unit in the Canadian military. 2/14/2010 6:49:12 PM
Seattle: 911 dispatcher helps save his own son OLYMPIA, Washington - A Thurston County 911 dispatcher helped save his own son’s life. On February 4, Chris Scott’s wife Janna called 911 because their 6-month-old son Jacob was choking. He was unconscious and had stopped breathing. 2/14/2010 6:34:03 PM
Colonel arrested for murder: On Cosy Cove Lane Larry Jones is just beginning to come to terms with the fallout from being Col. Russell Williams' next-door neighbour. The Tweed man was an initial suspect in two sexual assaults with which Williams is now charged. The Citizen's Lee Greenberg talks to Jones and others. 2/14/2010 3:06:14 PM
Singles in China rent fake dates to appease parents Single people in China have come up with an innovative way of pleasing their pushy parents during the annual lunar new year holiday -- they are renting fake dates. Advertisements posted by people seeking to pay young men or women to come home with them for Spring Festival. 2/14/2010 3:03:48 PM
Ohio man sets record with 7,777 hugs in 24 hours in Las Vegas A 51-year-old Ohio man has embraced the Valentine's Day spirit faster than anyone before, giving 7,777 hugs in 24 hours for a new world record. Jeff Ondash, who sought the squeezes under the costumed alter ego Teddy McHuggin, broke the record Saturday night. 2/14/2010 1:54:00 PM
Georgian president thanks Canadians for their compassion If they’re passing out gold medals for grace under impossible circumstances at these Olympics of ours, they might want to award the first one to the Republic of Georgia. Saturday would have been the day when it really sunk in: the initial shock of losing a teammate, friend and countryman. 2/14/2010 1:51:35 PM
Danica crashes in NASCAR debut Danica Patrick's debut in NASCAR's Nationwide Series ended with a need for some of her own car insurance. Involved in a wreck on Lap 68, the front end of her No. 7 Chevrolet was torn to shreds, turning her hopes for a dazzling debut into the worst three-letter acronym in the sport: DNF. 2/14/2010 6:21:09 AM
Australian grandmother, 60, beats off attacking shark An Australian grandmother has survived a shark attack by repeatedly punching and kicking the animal. Paddy Trumball, 60, suffered several deep bite wounds and lost a huge amount of blood in the incident. 2/14/2010 6:13:43 AM
Saudi call for boycott against men selling lingerie Campaigners in Saudi Arabia have urged women there to begin a two-week boycott of lingerie shops with male staff. They say it is a contradiction that in such a conservative, Islamic country, women have to give their underwear sizes to men they do not know. 2/14/2010 5:28:04 AM
Jenn Heil: Finding love among the moguls Jenn Heil stood at the bottom of the Olympic moguls course exulting in her gold-medal win four years ago, but the person she most wanted to share it with wasn't there. Her boyfriend, Dominick Gauthier, was still up on the hill, fulfilling his duties as coach of the Japanese team at the 2006 Turin Games. 2/14/2010 5:18:43 AM
What women are starting to want For four days every January, about 250,000 people swarm the halls of a Las Vegas convention centre to check out the latest in X-rated videos, sex toys, naughty underthings and other unmentionables on display at the Adult Entertainment Expo. 2/14/2010 4:31:51 AM
Kelowna Health show sells well The power of mind over body. Reversing heart disease. Preventing swine flu. Misunderstood cholesterol. The exercise excuse game. They were popular subjects for guest speakers Saturday at the sixth annual Kelowna Total Health Show at the Delta Grand hotel. The show runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. 2/14/2010 4:05:41 AM
Teen Kidnaps Own Dog to Save Pet from Euthanasia This time Billy saved Lassie -- or to be more exact, Bronson saved Buck, and almost went to jail for it. Bronson was told by a veterinary clinic in New Zealand that unless he could afford $2,500 surgery for 5-month-old Buck, who was hit by a car, his pet would have to be put down. 2/13/2010 7:17:02 AM
Sexist Vintage Ads: My, how times have changed! My, how times have changed! Could you imagine what the reaction would be if any of these advertisements were put up today? (Ed: This is a group of print ads placed in newspapers and magazines a few decades back.) 2/13/2010 7:01:06 AM
Chinese man who camped in Japan airport is home A Chinese activist who spent more than three months camped inside Tokyo's international airport as part of a protest flew home to China on Friday and was allowed into the country. Feng Zhenghu arrived on a flight from Narita International Airport, where he stayed from early November. 2/13/2010 6:32:44 AM
Man convicted in Web model’s rape, death A jury convicted a man of capital murder and rape Friday in the killing of a Kansas college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn model. 18-year-old Emily Sander's disappearance received national attention after it was revealed she also was known as Internet model Zoey Zane. 2/13/2010 6:25:41 AM
Never too late to pop the question Marie-Rose Paquette was wary at first about the man who had sat down beside her. "Now I know what it is like to sit beside an angel," he had said. Those were his very first words to her. She had been a widow for five years; he had been widower for seven months. 2/12/2010 10:43:32 AM
Chinese New Year is all about good food For those of Chinese descent, whether they live in Beijing, Sydney, Singapore or Victoria, Chinese New Year is the time to celebrate with good food, family gatherings and a host of traditions. This year, Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 14. It is the year of the tiger. 2/12/2010 10:21:24 AM
Sex addict runs out of women, had to move SEX addict Danny James had to move out of a town in North West England because he had slept with every girl in it. The Sun online reports the tattoo artist, who has bedded more than 500 women, turned to therapy to cure his urges. 2/12/2010 6:57:30 AM
Don’t let tech ruin your Valentine’s Day Valentine's Day, or more properly St. Valentine's Day if you please, was invented a bazillion years ago by Catholics, not Hallmark. It wasn't fully conceived in its modern form with all the heart-shaped letters, and an economy of chocolates and diamonds for nooky and/or forgiveness. No, we can thank the French. 2/12/2010 6:18:29 AM
Inventor of Frisbee dies, aged 90 The man who invented the Frisbee, one of the world's most popular toys, has died at his home in Utah aged 90. Walter Frederick Morrison developed his aerodynamic plastic disc in the 1950s, and hundreds of millions have been sold worldwide since. He originally called his toy the Pluto Platter. 2/12/2010 5:57:43 AM
Metro Vancouver residents remain ambivalent on eve of Olympics: poll The Angus Reid poll, released Thursday, found that a majority of those interviewed — 63 per cent — expect the Vancouver Games to run a deficit, and 83 per cent believe the Games are planned to benefit elite members of society. 2/11/2010 5:06:29 PM
Valentine's Day: World’s strangest aphrodisiacs Some people put on a strong aftershave. Others cue up a little Barry White. Still others go a different route when they’re looking to get in the mood: they drink a glass of cobra blood. Sound strange? It won’t if you visit China. To some men imbibing the blood of a venomous snake is as conducive to seduction as the soulful tones of Barry. 2/11/2010 4:08:24 PM
Doc to Big Woman: "Go on a F***ing" Diet She clearly likes everything sugar coated, but her surgeon says that's her biggest problem. A New Zealand woman claims her surgeon didn’t mince words when counseling her on gastric bypass surgery -- in fact he chose some of the juiciest ones. 2/11/2010 11:50:16 AM
Young girl to dance at raunchy Carnival A RIO de Janeiro court has given permission for a seven-year-old girl to lead a parade in the city's upcoming famed Carnival, despite protests from child rights groups. Julia Lira will thus be allowed to be the "dancing queen" for the Viradouro samba school when it struts its stuff Sunday night. 2/11/2010 11:47:01 AM
Nancy Kerrigan defends brother over father's death Nancy Kerrigan, the former Olympic figure skater who was once the victim at the centre of a sporting scandal, has leapt to her brother’s defence after a coroner ruled that he killed their father. Mark Kerrigan, 45, has been charged with assault and battery. 2/11/2010 11:26:59 AM
Man arrested after he smashes 29 TVs at Walmart Police in Georgia say a 23-year-old man grabbed a baseball bat inside of a Walmart store on Wednesday and smashed 29 flat-screen televisions. Witnesses tell police he grabbed a metal baseball bat from the sporting goods section, then walked to the electronics department and destroyed the TVs on display. 2/11/2010 10:56:12 AM
A short history of Olympic cheating In endurance sports like speed skating, cross-country skiing and biathlon, there's a worrying history of skullduggery through drug use — a trend that has given rise to squads of medical experts collecting blood samples. Here's a look at how cheaters try to prosper in some Olympic sports: 2/11/2010 10:50:23 AM
Kelowna rabbit supporters ask public to show their heart The Responsible Animal Care Society will hold a special Valentine’s event in honour of the hundreds of rabbits they have humanely captured over the past two years. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.13, at Total Pet, 1985 Harvey Ave. 2/11/2010 6:23:09 AM
Don't be driven by greed, Jarislowsky says His book’s title is The Investment Zoo, but Canadian investing guru Stephen Jarislowsky should have considered calling it The Investment Jungle instead. In the investing world, “you’re always besieged by predators,” he says in an interview. “Everyone is a predator of the investor.” 2/11/2010 5:21:41 AM
Area teen helps others, in Mexico andThailand This year is already proving to be an eventful one for Brittany Apolzer, a 17-year-old Okanagan resident. In March, Apolzer will participate in her fourth Hero Holiday project when she travels to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, to help those in need by building houses. In August, Apolzer will be off to Thailand. 2/11/2010 4:30:03 AM
Vancouver poet laureate blasts VANOC, bows out of Games Charging VANOC with misrepresenting Vancouver and suppressing political activism and free speech, Vancouver’s poet laureate has announced that he will not participate in the Olympic celebrations. On his website, Brad Cran outlines the reasons he has declined an invitation to read poems during the Olympic Games. 2/10/2010 5:22:19 PM
You can bore yourself to an early death Can you really be bored to death? In a commentary in the International Journal of Epidemiology, experts say there's a possibility that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early. "People who are bored also tend to eat and drink more, and they're probably not eating carrots and celery sticks." 2/10/2010 4:54:29 PM
Anglican Church facing the threat of extinction The Anglican Church in Canada – once as powerful in the nation's secular life as it was in its soul – may be only a generation away from extinction. The report calls Canada a post-Christian society in which Anglicanism is declining faster than any other denomination. 2/10/2010 8:21:30 AM
Vancouver Olympics get an ‘F’ for failing to curb sex trafficking: group The Citizens Summit Against Sex Slavery, a coalition of women’s groups, academics and politicians, gave VANOC, the B.C. government and the federal government an “F” for “failing to make sure women and youth are secure against human trafficking during the 2010 Olympics.” 2/10/2010 7:01:59 AM
Arab ambassador discovers bride is bearded and cross-eyed behind veil The envoy had only met the woman a few times, during which she had hidden her face behind a niqab. After the marriage contract was signed, the ambassador attempted to kiss his bride-to-be. It was only then that he discovered her facial hair and eyes. 2/10/2010 6:52:27 AM
Fort Lewis, Washington soldier used water torture on daughter, 4 A Fort Lewis Army sergeant who served in Iraq is facing allegations of using water torture to punish his 4 year old daughter for not reciting the alphabet. Police in Yelm responded to a report of a drunk man wearing a Kevlar helmet and threatening to bust residents' windows. 2/10/2010 6:27:35 AM
Man in Motion lights up crowd in Richmond Wheelchair marathoner Rick Hansen — known to millions as the Man in Motion from his worldwide fundraising tour — lit the Olympic cauldron in Richmond, B.C., in front of a crowd of thousands Tuesday night. 2/10/2010 5:09:45 AM
Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department looking for a few good men and women The Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) is actively seeking new recruits. Previous training or experience in emergency response is not required as every new recruit brings valuable previously acquired skill and enthusiasm to the team. 2/10/2010 4:47:02 AM
Danica: 'I want more racing' How did former IndyCar star Danica Patrick think her stock car racing debut went over the weekend? Let her tell you: “I want more racing,” she said. As expected, Patrick officially announced Monday she was jump-starting her debut in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. 2/9/2010 4:21:31 PM
Hoarder's home boarded up Emergency crews boarded up a Winnipeg home and shut off the power Monday after removing a compulsive collector they said posed a danger to himself. District fire Chief Ron Lucas described the man as a hoarder, someone who gathers and stores items in a dwelling until only narrow pathways are left between the piles. 2/9/2010 2:49:35 PM
One fifth of adults choose pets over spouse on Valentine's Day The survey of 24,000 people in 23 countries found 21 percent of adults would rather spend February 14 with their pet than their spouse, although the French were least likely to choose a furry friend over a human with only 10 percent taking that option. Men and women were evenly split. 2/9/2010 2:25:31 PM
Beer, especially pale ale, promotes bone health: Study Beer drinkers now have a good excuse to order another round -- the brew may help keep bones strong, a study has found. Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, have found beer is a rich source of silicon and may help prevent osteoporosis. 2/9/2010 2:21:11 PM
Hello Botox, Bye-Bye Sadness And here I thought my Botoxed friends were happy, mellow, and sweet-tempered because a couple of injections of a neurotoxin had eliminated their frown lines, knocked years off their apparent age, and made them no longer look "tired and unapproachable," as the company's Web site cheerfully puts it. 2/9/2010 7:43:13 AM
Newsweek: Why sports bring out the worst in us Genial, welcoming, equable Canada, shortly to be the host of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, is now the object of a stream of complaints from British and American sports officials, who say that their athletes are being denied full access to the venue's ski runs, tracks, and skating rinks. 2/9/2010 7:26:26 AM
Critics mock Palin's 'helping hand' at Tea Party speech (Video) Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been criticised for writing crib notes on her hands for her Tea Party speech on Saturday. Mrs Palin was shown reading from her hand and displaying the scribbled notes after she had made the address. (Ed: She was paid $100,000. to make that speech.) 2/9/2010 5:16:34 AM
Pride flies high at UBC Okanagan About 50 people stood and clapped in the UBC Okanagan courtyard as the rainbow coloured Pride flag was raised and flown at the same level as the Canadian and B.C. flags. And there it will stay for the rest of the week as UBCO celebrates Outweek. 2/9/2010 5:07:32 AM
Marijuana Meatballs: Cop Says He Got Fired Over Wife's Secret Recipe Anthony Chiofalo probably thought there was something new about his wife's meatballs but he didn’t think it would get him fired. The retired New York City counterterrorism detective says he failed a 2005 random drug test because his wife spiked his meatballs with marijuana. 2/8/2010 9:16:19 AM
Canadians love Valentine's Day: Survey A new national survey reveals Canadians aren't as hard-hearted as they put on. Turns out, nearly nine in 10 adults who participate in the so-called Hallmark holiday give gifts to loved ones because they want to, not because they feel they have to. 2/8/2010 5:37:24 AM
Australian sword swallower sets Guinness world record (Video) An Australian performance artist has set a Guinness world record by swallowing 18 swords at the same time. Chayne Hultgren, also known as the Space Cowboy, beat his own 2008 record by swallowing the swords, each 72cm (28.35in) long, at an event in Sydney. 2/8/2010 5:34:03 AM
Year of theTiger to usher in jungle power Ken Leung has dire predictions for the world this year, including Canada‘s governing Conservatives. Leung, a Feng Shui master living in West Kelowna, has consulted his charts and books for more than a decade to make predictions for the Chinese new year, which begins on Sunday. It‘s the year of the tiger, which symbolizes power in the jungle. 2/8/2010 5:27:16 AM
Tim Hortons bans complaining customer A coffee enthusiast in St. Andrews, N.B., has learned the customer may not always be right. After complaining three times about "burnt" decaffeinated coffee at the local Tim Hortons, Jimmy Craig is now banned for life from that outlet and the one in nearby St. Stephen. 2/8/2010 4:40:25 AM
Tacoma: US soldier 'waterboarded' daughter, 4 A Tacoma, Washington soldier allegedly waterboarded his four-year-old daughter because she failed to recite her ABCs. He admitted to police that he chose the CIA torture technique because his daughter was terrified of water. 2/7/2010 8:16:01 PM
Half-naked women protest Ukrainian election Serval young topless women barged into a Ukrainian polling station, rowdily protesting before a candidate cast his ballot. The women, members of a small feminist group called Femen known for staging eye-catching protests, were hustled out of the Kiev polling station by security guards. 2/7/2010 7:55:23 PM
Danica proves she's a natural in stock car JR Motorsports team owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick could not keep their eyes off the TV screens Saturday afternoon. There were 43 cars on the racetrack during Saturday’s ARCA romp, but SPEED was focused on Danica Patrick’s debut and so were the men at the table. (Ed: She may race again in the Daytona Nationwide race on Saturday.)
2/7/2010 7:33:53 PM
Penticton Chamber honours Beth Campbell Beth Campbell has held many titles and offices during her career as a local entrepreneur and politician. Chamber president, councillor, mayor. Indeed, her latest (and perhaps most prestigious) is an appointment as corporate board chair of Best Western. 2/7/2010 5:12:15 PM
Column: So you thought Generation X was angry? Warning: This column contains dry-eyed realism, economic frustration and intergenerational resentment. Parents or young people wishing to preserve a sense of blind optimism about the future are advised to turn the page. Reader discretion is advised. 2/7/2010 4:43:22 PM
Ottawa: Arrest of bank manager shocks residents News that a Hawkesbury bank manager has been arrested for an armed robbery of her own bank -- and for a string of other robberies and home invasions -- is the talk of the town in Hawkesbury and Vankleek Hill. The big surprise, is the bank manager. The CIBC was robbed at gunpoint just before Christmas. 2/7/2010 4:13:04 PM
‘Oh, Canada!’ Stephen Colbert crudely redefines our national history Canada’s history is being rewritten — online, at least — in terms so crude, it could make any Canunk blush with a patriotic tinge. On his late-night TV show this week, satirist Stephen Colbert took aim at Canadian magazine The Beaver. 2/7/2010 3:56:35 PM
Volunteers try to dissuade young sex workers on Super Bowl weekend Just as Miami's hotels, restaurants and retail stores are seeing a bump in business for one of the biggest sporting events of the year, law enforcement and social service agencies say they are also witnessing a spike in trafficking of underage sex workers. 2/7/2010 10:02:09 AM
Premier Campbell's cheesy PR stunt is good politics With Gordon Campbell soaking up more Olympic photo-ops than Quatchi, Miga and Sumi combined, I'm starting to wonder if the premier might put on one of those fuzzy mascot suits and start stealing their TV face-time, too. Campbell's ride on the Olympic zip line over Robson Square.....(more) 2/7/2010 9:57:52 AM
Prime Minister's Senate appointments seen as hypocritical, poll finds Two-thirds of Canadians believe Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a hypocrite for appointing five new senators, a new Angus Reid poll says. The survey found 65 per cent of respondents see the appointments as hypocritical. 2/7/2010 8:43:27 AM
Facebook dominates UK mobile use Facebook dominates the lives of mobile internet users in the UK, according to figures from a mobile industry body. The social network accounts for nearly half of all the time people in the UK spend going online using their phones. Google sites were second. 2/7/2010 8:40:26 AM
Policing Mexico's deadliest beat Police in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez have a tough beat, with one of the world's highest murder rates and the all-powerful drug cartels to combat. Yet eager recruits are still ready to join the fray, as Katya Adler reports. 2/7/2010 8:33:56 AM
In Paris, the customer is not always right The idea of service is taken very seriously in France where any feeling of subservience is strongly resisted, as Emma Jane Kirby discovered. The customer is allegedly always right in London but, in Paris, he or she is little more than an irritant. 2/7/2010 8:32:24 AM
Obama's Super Bowl party: Chips, dip and one Republican - Today is Super Bowl XLIV and so President XLIV of the United States is having a few folks over to the White House to eat and drink and maybe watch. What a numerical coincidence! And in the spirit of Barack Obama's professed bipartisanship, the Democrat has invited one Republican. 2/7/2010 5:56:24 AM
Tiger‘s troubles money in the bank Never did West Kelowna‘s Mike Caldwell think his golf ball collection featuring Tiger Woods‘s alleged mistresses would be such a hot seller. “I thought it would be fun and I‘d make some money off it,” said Caldwell. So far, Caldwell has sold 3,000 boxed sets, for a grand total of almost US$135,000. 2/7/2010 4:32:14 AM
'Sexualized' Sports Illustrated cover of U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn draws criticism, controversy Lindsey Vonn is an elite alpine athlete set to tackle the world of women's skiing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, but her appearance in this month's Sports illustrated, complete with cover shot of the skier posed bent over has drawn fire from critics as "sexualized." (Ed: Whaaat? She's a downhill skier.) 2/6/2010 5:17:46 AM
Louisiana Student clashes with principal over Colts jersey A Louisiana high school student says he was sent home for wearing an Indianapolis Colts jersey Friday - the day the principal encouraged students to wear New Orleans Saints black and gold as the teams get ready to face off in the Super Bowl. ``If they tell other students to support their team, why can't I support mine?'' said Brandon Frost, 17. 2/6/2010 4:45:25 AM
Danica Patrick qualifies 12th for Daytona race Saturday After all 47 drivers had taken their respective shots, Danica Patrick held the 12th starting position for her much-heralded stock car racing debut, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT Saturday. Defending race winner James Buescher will start from the pole after a lap at 181.543 mph. 2/5/2010 5:36:57 PM
Teenage matador ready to take on six bulls Parents of teenage boys usually worry that their sons are drinking or dabbling in drugs. Celia Moreno, however, will today be watching anxiously as her 16-year-old son steps into a ring to face six muscle-bound half-tonne bulls. 2/5/2010 5:15:03 PM
Champ Downs 238 Wings to Win Philly Fight They came, they saw, they ate 'em all. For the 18th year in a row, Philadelphia sports radio station WIP-AM held its bizarre "chicken eating" tradition before a packed house at the Wachovia Center Friday morning. PJ Whelihan's in Haddonfield, Penn., cooked up 9,000 wings for the 29 contestants 2/5/2010 4:55:21 PM
Panty-stealing British ex-mayor jailed The ex-mayor of a Lancashire village who got "sexual kicks" from breaking into women's homes to steal underwear has been jailed for two years. He was caught after one victim set up a hidden camera, catching him in the act. 2/5/2010 4:31:18 PM
Can the power of thought stop you ageing? How much control do you have over how you will age? In 1979 psychologist Ellen Langer carried out an experiment to find if changing thought patterns could slow ageing. But the full story of the extraordinary experiment has been hidden until now. 2/5/2010 4:23:31 PM
Teen who dreamt of better world kills himself over bullying The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district will review its bullying and suicide safeguards after a 15-year-old boy who was tormented by school bullies killed himself. Woodlands Secondary School student Ashkan Sultani hanged himself on Jan. 12. 2/5/2010 4:13:31 PM
Online dating gains acceptability as singles face time constraints Any lingering stigma about finding true love online seems to be fading, particularly among older adults. In a study of 175 newlywed couples scientists said those who met through online dating agencies, or social networking sites, tended to be older than other couples who met through traditional ways offline. 2/5/2010 3:42:42 PM
Calm comes on four legs Walking the dog that day, I was in a bad mood. The kids had been home sick most of the week, and my list of Things Not Getting Done had grown by leaps and bounds. Today was for catch-up and here I was languishing in the ravine while my canine friend checked his pee-mails at every stump. 2/5/2010 3:10:19 PM
Rex Murphy: The private life of Danny Williams It's his heart, it's his surgery, and it's his choice. Danny Williams, Premier or no Premier, and his family are the only ones at this point who have any real say about where he chooses to have life-threatening surgery. 2/5/2010 11:03:03 AM
My boyfriend gives nothing but expects a lot Group Therapy is a relationship advice column that asks readers to contribute their wisdom. Each week, we offer a problem for you to weigh in on, then publish the most lively responses, with a final word on the matter delivered by our columnist, Lynn Coady. 2/5/2010 10:36:19 AM
For Scots, a Scourge Unleashed by a Bottle What is it about Buckfast Tonic Wine that makes it so alluring to consumers and yet so repulsive to politicians? Perhaps it is its special caffeine-and-sweet-wine recipe, which allows overly enthusiastic consumers to be tipsy and bouncy at the same time. 2/5/2010 10:18:02 AM
What travel agents don't want you to know THEY may smile and seem like they are sharing the holiday joy with you, but from preying on those in grief to lying about cheap trips, travel agents can be just as cut-throat as the meanest in any industry that works on commission. 2/5/2010 8:42:17 AM
Mauled owner fights off his own pit bulls A New Zealand man attacked by his pet pit bulls at home managed to fight them off and shut them in a room before calling emergency services for help. The 34-year-old was in a serious but stable condition yesterday after surgery for multiple lacerations to his scalp, face and arms. 2/5/2010 7:37:20 AM
Erotic-photo banker keeps his job An Australian banker caught viewing erotic images in the background of a live TV interview will keep his job, his employer has said. David Kiely became an internet sensation when the Channel 7 interview, showing him looking at images of model Miranda Kerr, was posted on YouTube. 2/5/2010 6:00:00 AM
Danica Patrick: Confidence overtakes crew chief's concerns Tony Eury Jr. is comfortable discussing just how uncomfortable he once was with the prospect of trying to mold Danica Patrick into a stock car driver. The reason: She's already proved to her crew chief that she can do this. They expect to be up to speed in Patrick's first stock car race on Saturday. 2/4/2010 8:15:00 PM
Walter Huebert named Penticton’s Senior of the Year A retired 35-year Princess Margaret Secondary School teacher and former School Board 67 trustee has won Penticton’s 2009 Senior of the Year award. A humble Walter Huebert was presented the award by Mayor Dan Ashton at a Downtown Rotary Club luncheon Wednesday. 2/4/2010 5:33:47 PM
After 40 years, Heinz revamps ketchup packets The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment. 2/4/2010 11:53:53 AM
Two-inch LEGO gun gets 4th-grader in trouble Patrick Timoney, a 9-year-old student at PS 52 in Staten Island, N.Y., was in the school cafeteria Tuesday playing with LEGOs when he was taken to the principal’s office and threatened with suspension. One of his toys was a LEGO policeman that holds a 2-inch plastic gun. 2/4/2010 11:51:57 AM
N.Z. Student sells her virginity online to pay for tuition A student has auctioned her virginity to a stranger for almost $30,000 to help fund her university tuition fees. The 19-year-old New Zealand woman offered her virginity to the highest bidder in an online auction on the www.ineed.co.nz 2/4/2010 7:52:46 AM
Dog rescued from icy sea gets new master Baltic, the spunky dog who floated at least 75 miles on an ice floe, has a new owner: The seaman who rescued him. The decision was made after the dog rejected six people who had claimed to be his original owner. The dog's new master is Adam Buczynski, who pulled him to safety. 2/4/2010 6:47:37 AM
Despite media crap, Majority of Canadians plan to retire on time Almost three-quarters of Canadian investors say they still plan to retire on time despite the uncertain economic and market conditions over the last few years, according to a survey from Scotiabank and TNS Canadian Facts released Thursday. 2/4/2010 6:24:38 AM
Drunk S.African had 49 children in 16-seat taxi A South African minibus taxi driver five times over the legal blood alcohol limit at breakfast time was arrested on Wednesday for transporting 49 children in a 16-seat vehicle. The children, aged between three and 13, were crammed on top of each other for the morning ride to school. 2/4/2010 6:22:52 AM
Medal of Bravery for Castlegar boy Castlegar youth Cody Sloot is one of a number of people set to receive Canada's Medal of Bravery, at a ceremony in Ottawa tomorrow. Sloot is being recognized for his actions in June 2007, when as a 10 year old he travelled 5 kilometres through the wilderness to find help for his injured father. 2/4/2010 6:10:44 AM
The 7 Weirdest Things Women Do to Their Privates Andy Wright has a fascinating, and disturbing piece up at AlterNet detailing the "6 weirdest things women do to their vaginas. "The procedures Wright lists are bizarre and troubling, but she leaves off one of the weirdest approaches to vaginal beauty I've heard of recently: gluing shiny things on. 2/4/2010 5:58:41 AM
'Nude' photos seen on banker's PC in live TV interview An Australian banker is in hot water after being filmed looking at semi-nude photos of a model while a colleague was doing a television interview nearby. He could be seen clicking on photos of in the background of the interview. 2/3/2010 4:35:07 PM
Farmer loses High Court fight to save hidden castle A farmer who built a castle hidden behind a stack of straw bales has lost a High Court bid to save it from being demolished. Robert Fidler, of Salfords, Surrey, built the home - complete with turrets - without planning permission. 2/3/2010 4:28:06 PM
You can teach an old employee new tricks At 54, Dan Johns wanted to find his future, and he decided it would be in renewable energy. He'd spent nine years in the same role as leader of construction and engineering insurance for insurer RSA in Toronto, and was ready for a change. 2/3/2010 11:39:49 AM
Family can sue: Cops emailed accident photos to friends Christos and Lesli Catsouras, whose daughter's fatal car accident was shown in photos posted on thousands of Web sites, can sue the California Highway Patrol for releasing the photos and prolonging the family's anguish, a California appeals court has ruled. (Ed: The girl was decapitated in the accident.) 2/3/2010 9:14:13 AM
Tom Watson believes Tiger Woods must show more humility upon return to golf Tom Watson says Tiger Woods needs to "show some humility to the public" when he returns to golf after sorting out his personal life. Watson also said Wednesday that Woods should clean up his on-course behaviour in order to be considered among the true greats of the game. 2/3/2010 6:42:40 AM
Jenny Sanford: Governor Husband asked me for affair advice In a new memoir, South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford writes that Gov. Mark Sanford sought her advice about his romance and how to deal with the media after she discovered his extramarital relationship with an Argentine woman. Mark Sanford was once considered a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate. 2/3/2010 6:33:16 AM
German man lost on frozen North Sea saved by woman watching sunset on webcam Police say a woman watching the sunset on a webcam spotted a German man lost on the frozen North Sea and probably saved his life by alerting police. He used a camera to flash for help. That got the attention of a woman hundreds of miles away in southern Germany who was watching the sunset over the sea on her computer. 2/3/2010 6:24:20 AM
74-year-old Canadian woman extradited to U.S. on 29-year-old pot charge A 74-year-old woman from Hamilton, Ont., who attempted to cross the border into New York state earlier this week learned the hard way that the United States does not take kindly to drug charges — no matter how old. A routine criminal-record check revealed that Cole was the subject of active felony warrant issued on April 1, 1980. 2/3/2010 6:11:02 AM
Chamber honours the best in the business The Penticton business community honoured its best Saturday evening. The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce held their 22nd Annual Business Excellence Awards and dinner Saturday evening. 2/3/2010 5:46:21 AM
AC/DC singer tells rockers to stop charity lectures Anglo-Australian rockers AC/DC have a message for rock stars out to do good – stop lecturing audiences about giving money to charity. Brian Johnson said people don't want rich celebrities, like Bob Geldof and Bono, telling them to think of starving children. 2/3/2010 5:36:01 AM
Meet Howard Soon, wine master of the Okanagan Howard Soon helped craft the German-style riesling blend at Calona Vineyards during Canada’s jug-wine era. Apparently, it was sweet and light enough to sip mountainside between runs without fear of a nasty tumble – Gatorade with a happy kick. 2/3/2010 5:30:42 AM
Caledonia: OPP chief's pursuit of activist laid bare in e-mails OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino and upper levels of the provincial police force appear to have been virtually obsessed with arresting activist Gary McHale. Commissioner Fantino appears to have been intimately involved in what he once labelled the effort to “take him [Mr. McHale] out.” 2/3/2010 5:04:29 AM
Why Sleeping Separately Is Good For Some Relationships By Sophie Keller, happiness expert: I started my new 'Balanced Life' segments on the KTLA 5 television news show last year with what seemed like a 'Trial By Fire.' The subject chosen -- 'Why Sleeping Separately Can Be Good for Your Relationship' -- is one of the most controversial that I tend to speak out about. 2/2/2010 5:06:00 PM
Faster! Higher! Stronger! Pricier! Why they're called 'fleece' jackets On the fifth floor of The Bay downtown, amid the household goods and tableware department, members of the public can now experience first-hand the true meaning of the Olympics, which is, of course, merchandising. (Ed: Much of the clothing was made in China and the far east.) 2/2/2010 3:40:18 PM
Students finding new ways to cheat though Internet In a new twist on using the Internet for academic cheating, students are outsourcing their essays and assignments through freelancer websites intended to allow prospective employers to post one-time jobs for skilled professionals to bid on. 2/2/2010 2:59:28 PM
Exposure to luxury can alter decision making: Study For the good of us all, step away from the Rolex. The mere exposure to luxury goods can have a corrosive effect on decision-making that pushes individuals to put their interests over the interests of others, according to a Harvard Business School study. 2/2/2010 2:22:58 PM
Quail’s Patch Art Studio offers classes and workshops in the Similkameen The madness that seems to guide consumerism, narcissism, and greed, toppled by the urgent call to action by spiritual leaders, scientists, peace activists, and environmentalists is enough reason to make you want to engage in an initiative such as the one at Quail’s Patch Art Studio.” 2/2/2010 8:37:59 AM
Motorists caught driving minutes after losing licences CBC News caught a handful of Ontario men driving minutes after having their licences suspended. "The first four trials we sat through where people were convicted and [whose licences were] suspended — every one of those four drivers went back out into the parking lot and actually drove away." 2/2/2010 6:22:40 AM
Study: Most use bank password everywhere For years computer security experts have been preaching that users should never share the same password across their connected lives -- at online banking sites, at Amazon, on their Web mail services, even on their cell phones. Apparently, most people ignore that advice. 2/2/2010 6:00:24 AM
‘Gothic kittens’ — groomer pierces necks, ears A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is heading to trial on animal cruelty charges for marketing "gothic kittens" with ear and neck piercings over the Internet. Thirty-five-year-old groomer Holly Crawford is scheduled for trial Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre. 2/2/2010 5:56:41 AM
Poverty: B.C.’s PR nightmare scenario Welfare-cheque lineups and tent cities were identified months ago by the B.C. government as potential public-relations disasters during the Winter Olympics, according to a confidential risk-management plan. In February, Welfare Wednesday will fall on Feb. 17, five days after the 2010 Winter Games start. 2/2/2010 5:27:04 AM
Haitian girl recounts tearful bus ride with supposed orphans For she knows not how long, Berline Chéry travelled toward the Dominican border in a blue-and-white bus with 32 other children. She didn't know where they were going or who was taking them there. That's when the police opened the doors and found them. 2/2/2010 4:53:41 AM
Hunting dog triggers shotgun, hits master A hunter trying to retrieve duck decoys got a surprise when he was accidentally shot by his own dog. The accident occurred Saturday when the female Labrador retriever stepped on her owner's loaded shotgun, causing the safety to disengage and the weapon to fire. 2/1/2010 4:26:27 PM
Maxwell has earned the Vees’ respect Murray Maxwell replaces a water bottle on the players’ bench of the Penticton Valley First Vees prior to the start of a recent BCHL game at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The longtime volunteer helps in any way he can throughout the season for the club. 2/1/2010 2:19:12 PM
Ritchie Bros. co-founder to sell 220-ft luxury megayacht at Grand Cayman auction Dave Ritchie, co-founder of Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, will sell his 220-ft luxury megayacht at a Ritchie Bros. auction in Grand Cayman in March. The Apoise, the world's 89th largest yacht, will be sold to the highest bidder on March 30, regardless of price. 2/1/2010 10:09:05 AM
Sex and the Olympics: Huge rise in demand for strippers, escorts Let the sex games begin. Olympic fever is taking hold in Metro Vancouver's sex industry, with businesses and workers preparing to welcome a deluge of eager visitors. One purveyor of sex for sale is seeking to entice new prostitutes with promises of tens of thousands of dollars. 2/1/2010 9:36:29 AM
Smothering parents may do more harm than good for children Parents so accustomed to being called 'Mom' or 'Dad' that they've forgotten their own first names might think their personal wants and needs belong on the back burner. But experts say being a parent and not a person can harm your relationship with your spouse, your emotional health, and even your children. 2/1/2010 9:06:40 AM
Young Offered 'Gigantic' Sum for Edwards Sex Tape The former John Edwards aide who claims to have a sex tape of the one-time presidential candidate and his pregnant mistress said he'd been offered a "gigantic" amount of money to sell it. Andrew Young didn't say who offered to pay for the video, but it's apparently in demand. 2/1/2010 8:48:49 AM
Students failing English because of Twitter, Facebook Little or no grammar teaching, cellphone texting, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, all are being blamed for an increasingly unacceptable number of post-secondary students who can't write properly. For years there's been a flood of anecdotal complaints. 2/1/2010 4:58:05 AM
Pet-sharing: Part-time doggie Victoria Huntley treats her five-year-old English cocker spaniel, Jay, as though he were her own dog. She takes him to an off-leash beach in the mornings, she teaches him to heel and to wait for her before crossing the street. But to say he belongs to her is only partly true. 1/31/2010 7:33:52 PM
Why are you so terribly disappointing? What the hell is wrong with you? Are you really going to wear that? Why aren't you right now cooking me a nice meal and wearing those hot boy shorts you know I love and saying those words you know I want to hear at exactly the moment I like to hear them, to make me feel better about everything, even though I probably won't? 1/31/2010 12:55:54 PM
Prince William pays warm tribute to his late mother In an interview with journalists, he was asked if he had got his affinity with sick youngsters from the late Princess. “I wouldn’t say I was anywhere near her level,” he replied. “She had a fantastic affinity with kids and with everyone." 1/31/2010 11:52:29 AM
Canadians can't resist temptation Whether it's snooping at a colleague's pay stub, snitching on the boss or pondering getting physical with a friend's significant other -- which a higher percentage of Canadian men have done than any other surveyed nationality -- it seems the one thing we can't resist is temptation. 1/31/2010 11:20:26 AM
Australia: Kids' sex talk rocks teachers TEACHERS are overhearing Tasmanian primary students, children in grade 4 and 5, boasting about having oral sex.
Roz Madsen from the Australian Education Union said teachers "felt helpless" at how to deal with the problem. "Oral sex has become the new kissing." Sexting was also a growing problem. 1/31/2010 9:19:21 AM
Turkish twins with different fathers 'trigger divorce' A Turkish man decided to divorce his wife after DNA tests showed he was the father of only one of their twin boys. The phenomenon of twins with different fathers -- known scientifically as heteropaternal superfecundation -- is very rare in humans, though more common in animals such as cats and dogs. 1/31/2010 8:58:59 AM
Got a decision to make? Get some sugar in your system: study If you're about to try to negotiate a pay rise, it might be a good idea to have a sugary drink beforehand. Not only did having a higher blood sugar level make study participants less likely to act impulsively, but taking a diet drink made people more likely to act on impulse and take the immediate, smaller reward. 1/31/2010 8:55:30 AM
Gates Foundation will give $10 billion to research, deliver vaccines for world's poor The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world's poorest countries, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said Friday. Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization, called the Gates contribution unprecedented. 1/31/2010 8:50:42 AM
Crooked? 'Rich Dad' seminars deceptive: Marketplace A high-profile workshop series that purports to teach Canadians how to invest in real estate and stocks uses deceptive tactics, gives questionable advice and focuses more on getting participants to pay for more seminars, according to CBC-TV's Marketplace. 1/31/2010 8:37:54 AM
2000s were 'decade of debt': report Canadian household savings collapsed in the 1990s and debt levels rose to record highs in the 2000s, according to a preliminary report by the Vanier Institute. They found that household income barely budged in the 1990s, moving up by just one per cent, compared to a 10 per cent rise between 2000 and 2009. 1/31/2010 8:33:34 AM
Why do people often vote against their own interests? Last year, in a series of "town-hall meetings" across the country, Americans got the chance to debate President Obama's proposed healthcare reforms. What happened was an explosion of rage and barely suppressed violence. 1/31/2010 7:56:15 AM
How I learned to love the minivan Like a monk who has decided to renounce celibacy, I knew that buying a minivan marked a point of no return. Now the moment was here: I was in a car dealer's inner office, known in the trade as “the closing room.” I gripped a pen in my sweating fingers and prepared to sign the contract. 1/31/2010 6:03:12 AM
Pastor accused of pulling gun on son at church The son of a well-known Alcoa, Tennessee pastor has taken out an order of protection against his father. The younger man told police his father pulled out a handgun when they met at the church to discuss church attendance. 1/31/2010 5:47:02 AM
Penticton Rotary Club creates a lasting legacy The Penticton Rotary Club is taking steps to honour the memory of Sharon Amos, creating an endowment fund in her name to ensure a lasting legacy for the community leader. An extraordinarily dedicated and memorable person, Amos was involved in many facets of community life. 1/31/2010 5:25:34 AM
Dodi Morrison: Harper’s actions speak volumes Stephen Harper has said that The Economist is his favourite magazine. But he may just be cancelling his subscription. A recent editorial, titled “Harper goes prorogue,” was very critical of this latest move. It calls suspending government, with various explanations for doing so, “naked self-interest.” 1/31/2010 5:22:44 AM
Beastly! Lovers told to pay fine in buffaloes, pig A news report says a Malaysian court has ordered two lovers to pay a fine of four buffaloes and a pig after they were found guilty of having an illicit affair. Native Court in Penampang district on Borneo island ruled Friday that the man and woman must compensate their communities with the animals. 1/31/2010 5:14:46 AM
Fundraiser for Haiti snowballs in Oliver When the earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, one of the first groups in the Okanagan to react was an unlikely threesome – a trio of Grade 10 students from Oliver. “We were sitting in class and watching a YouTube clip about the earthquake, and the three of us said, ’We should do something about this.‘” 1/31/2010 4:27:59 AM
Female sexual abusers not as rare as widely believed She gave him life and was the only parent he ever knew. In the way she snapped photos of him sleeping and playing happily, she was like any other adoring mother. But she also committed unspeakable acts to his little body, turning him into a human sex toy in her pornographic broadcasts. 1/30/2010 3:25:17 PM
What's in a name? iPad jokes swirl around web You have to wonder whether there were any women in the room when the marketing geniuses at Apple decided to call the company's new gadget the "iPad." Because the jokes about feminine hygiene products are flying. "Will women send their husbands to the Apple store to buy iPads?" went one joke on Twitter. 1/30/2010 5:41:03 AM
United Way Just Shy of Goal just before deadline With only $4,000 to go before they reach their $1.3 million goal, United Way is pleading for donations. The books will closed Friday at 4:30 p.m., but they’re optimistic, said Harry Grossmith, CEO of United Way. "We’re confident. We’re going to make this," he said with only five hours until the deadline. 1/30/2010 4:48:13 AM
Italian scientists hope to solve "Mona Lisa" mystery by exhuming Leonardo's body The legend of Leonardo da Vinci is shrouded in mystery: How did he die? Are the remains buried in a French chateau really those of the Renaissance master? Was the "Mona Lisa" a self-portrait in disguise? A group of Italian scientists believes the key to solving those puzzles lies with the remains. 1/29/2010 9:56:07 AM
Video: Terrified dog rescued from ice floe A Polish research vessel has rescued a frightened dog who apparently wandered out onto a frozen river and was washed out to sea. The dog was first spotted on Poland’s Vistula River, and firefighters attempted a rescue, but were unsuccessful. He was nearly 25 kilometres out to sea when a ship spotted him. 1/29/2010 9:45:31 AM
Coach says speedskater Hughes to carry Canadian flag at Vancouver Games Clara Hughes, an Olympic champion speedskater and humanitarian activist, has been named Canada's flag-bearer for the Vancouver Winter Games. Ingrid Paul, a Dutch native who is a coach with the Canadian long-track team, revealed the flag-bearer's identity via Twitter. 1/29/2010 9:29:48 AM
Telethon gives Penticton teen reason to smile Penticton’s Ciara Walls will be back for a repeat performance on this weekend’s annual Variety Show of Hearts telethon. Featured on last year’s fundraiser which airs on Global TV, this time around the 17-year-old will help open the show . 1/29/2010 5:40:44 AM
Summerland: Ice photos fill gallery walls It all started when Jeremy Hiebert took a margarine tin out of the freezer. The tin had a chunk of ice in the bottom. Hiebert popped the ice out and thought the pattern of air bubbles frozen inside looked interesting. With his point and shoot camera, he took half-a-dozen photos. 1/29/2010 4:42:55 AM
Bill Clinton hails Canadian generosity to Haiti Bill Clinton is singling out Canadians for their generosity to Haiti. "It has been unbelievable. First, the Canadian people are so generous," said the former U.S. president. "I'll bet you on a per-capita basis, they're No. 1 in the world now in helping Haiti." Clinton is also the United Nations' special envoy for Haiti. 1/28/2010 9:47:42 AM
Human "bed-warmers" at Holiday Inn International hotel chain Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming service at three hotels in Britain this month. If requested, a willing staff-member will dress in an all-in-one fleece sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets. 1/28/2010 7:32:47 AM
Parents of brain-damaged baby back in court to fight for life support A severely brain-damaged infant who has become a medical cause-celebre around the globe will remain on life support for at least another few weeks, an Edmonton court ruled Wednesday. "It definitely gives us some more breathing space," said a relieved father Isaac May. 1/28/2010 7:12:37 AM
Veterans Affairs looks to dogs to help stress disorder Elizabeth Baker, owner of Thames Centre Service Dogs, takes abandoned and surrendered dogs with good personalities and turns them into psychiatric service dogs. Baker takes abandoned and surrendered dogs with good personalities and turns them into psychiatric service dogs. 1/28/2010 5:51:18 AM
Boulder crashes through home, barely misses woman in bed Emergency officials say a boulder about the size of a compact car crashed into an apartment building, barely missing a woman sleeping in her bedroom. Emergency officials say a boulder about the size of a compact car crashed into her apartment building. 1/27/2010 1:41:19 PM
Fans call for re-instatement while Fonyo serves time Supporters threw him parades, named him honorary mayor of Regina, and composed a celebratory song in his honour. Sylvester Stallone personally told Steve Fonyo at the time that his one-legged trek across Canada would inspire the actor's fight scene in Rocky IV. 1/27/2010 8:28:37 AM
Penticton Art Gallery Exhibition tackles Olympics Today marks the start of the Cultural Olympiad, two weeks of art and culture prior to the opening of the games themselves. It also marks the opening of Legacies 2010 at the Penticton Art Gallery, an exhibition taking a different look at how the arts intertwine with the big event. 1/27/2010 7:06:18 AM
Study ranks Kelowna 38th most expensive place to live world-wide For the third year running, Kelowna has been counted among the least affordable places to put down roots across the globe. Kelowna’s affordability was examined alongside 272 metropolitan markets in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. 1/27/2010 6:34:50 AM
Retirement – who needs it? It's the script we're meant to follow: Start working, keep working, retire as soon as you can, then play golf all day, every day. The general assumption is that if you're still working through the latter half of your 60s or, god forbid, into your 70s and beyond, then it's an unfortunate turn of events 1/27/2010 6:02:43 AM
Teacher, 100, gets degree a day before dying It was Harriet Richardson Ames' dream to earn her bachelor's degree in education. She finally reached that milestone, nearly three weeks after her 100th birthday. On Saturday, the day after receiving her diploma at her bedside, the retired schoolteacher died, pleased that she had accomplished her goal, her daughter said. 1/27/2010 5:29:52 AM
Former Vernon boy, Steve Fonyo's cruel fall from grace Erstwhile Canadian hero Steve Fonyo knows hard times. The man who once ran across Canada on one leg has done his share of time and wrestled his share of demons. Now, by ordinance signed by the governor-general, he is no longer a member of the Order of Canada. It is a spectacular fall from grace. 1/27/2010 4:55:06 AM
No stripping in Whistler, but Wet-T-shirt contest OK Ron Ross remembers Whistler when he could take his pet chicken into a bar on double-rum night and watch the strippers. “Whistler is not a lot of fun anymore,” Ross lamented Tuesday after hearing exotic dancing has officially been banned by the town’s council. 1/27/2010 4:53:11 AM
Trying to tame Tokyo's adult playground Masatoshi Shimbo has always felt more than a bit paternal toward the changeling Roppongi district, the inner-city neighborhood where he grew up and his family made its real estate fortune. Good or bad, in this famously safe city, Roppongi stands out: elegant one block, seedy the next, Tokyo's most cosmopolitan dusk-to-dawn adult playground. 1/26/2010 5:49:32 PM
They're heeeere? Scientists say alien life could already be lurking among For decades, scientists have scanned the heavens in search of extraterrestrial life. Perhaps they should have looked for alien life closer to home. "How do we know all life on earth descended from a single origin?" physicist Paul Davies said, speaking at London's Royal Society. 1/26/2010 5:21:34 PM
Australians look to Canada in Union Jack debate Advocates for a new Australian flag have launched a high-profile campaign to emulate Canada's 1965 rebranding by dropping the Union Jack from the current design and adopting a homegrown icon comparable to our maple leaf — perhaps a kangaroo? 1/26/2010 5:15:23 PM
Ice palace takes shape for Vernon Carnival Vernon Winter Carnival’s new Queen Silver Star will begin her reign in a sparkling ice palace in Polson Park. Ice and snow carver John McKinnon of Nelson and his team started work last summer by visiting the site and making sketches. Now they’re hard at work with chainsaws and chisels. 1/26/2010 5:05:39 PM
Eco-spirituality: Perhaps the Vatican should be worried about nature worship On the fictitious world of Pandora, Avatar director James Cameron unleashed many terrible things: greed, brutality and a bewildering array of savage beasts, not to mention a biotech means of going native that Grey Owl (the Victorian “Indian”) could only dream of. None of this alarmed the Catholic Church. 1/26/2010 12:22:54 PM
South Okanagan cheers the Olympic Torch The cheers were deafening as Susie Welch proudly marched the Olympic Torch towards the stage outside the South Okanagan Events Centre on Monday. A crowd of about 5,000 was on hand to catch a glimpse of the flame. (Ed: Also pictured is Mariah Gauthier who sang O Canada to a happy crowd).
1/26/2010 11:26:20 AM
BBC: Americans' love affair with motorhomes It took the genius of America to recognise that with a little extra hammering and spannering the motor car could readily be converted into the motor home. I am told it was a matter of days - weeks at most - before someone had converted the first horseless buggy into the first recreational vehicle (RV). 1/26/2010 11:13:23 AM
2010 won't change relaxed approach to B.C. bud That sweet smell in the air during next month's Olympic Games might be the smell of success. Then again, it could just be the pot. Both police and marijuana advocates say Vancouver's relaxed attitude won't change during the 2010 Games. It's not unusual to catch a whiff of weed on the streets of Vancouver. 1/26/2010 11:05:03 AM
Man who swallowed stolen ring coughs up evidence during questioning Police say a man accused of stealing a ring coughed up the evidence while officers were questioning him. Pictures of the two-carat diamond ring worth about $20,000 were sent to jewelers in the Joplin area after it was reported stolen when someone took the owner's purse from her car on Thursday. 1/26/2010 5:11:43 AM
Sorry, all those Facebook friends aren’t really friends Technology may change, but the number of friends we can have appears to stay the same. While social networking sites allow users to have thousands of “friends”, the mind is only capable of handling a maximum of 150 relationships at one time, according to a new study. 1/25/2010 6:14:44 PM
Diddy gives son $300,000 car for 16th birthday Sean “Diddy” Combs has upped the ante on MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16.” The reality show is fond of documenting the coming of age party of wealthy American teens, and the highlight usually comes in the episode when the newly 16-year-old gets a new car from their folks. In Combs’ case he got a Maybach, worth more than $300,000. 1/25/2010 5:35:57 PM
Dirty Campbell tricks: BC Freedom of Information office decapitated The independent Freedom of Information Commission has suspended operations after the government appointed commissioner David Loukidelis to a new job, but failed to name a replacement. Here is the entire "extremely urgent" letter sent Friday by FOI executive director Mary Carlson to Speaker Bill Barisoff pleading for help and direction. 1/25/2010 4:36:36 PM
It's Robbie Burns day: Got a craving for some haggis? It’s a strange irony that I left Scotland, my home for almost 30 years, on the verge of its year of “Homecoming” in 2009. Centred around the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s bard, Robert Burns, Homecoming was planned as a year-long celebration of Scottish culture. 1/25/2010 3:38:49 PM
Adrian Nieoczym: The Games aren’t worth giving up our values for One day when I was about 18, I was walking towards a subway station in Toronto after seeing a movie with a friend. As we neared the station entrance a cop car slowly pulled up beside us and stopped. My friend and I gave each other a worried glance but kept walking. An officer rolled down the window and barked at us to come back. 1/25/2010 10:59:50 AM
Go ahead, honk! It's all the rage The other day I'm turning right and two women begin to cross the street. So, like the law and basic morality dictate, I wait for them to finish. Seems reasonable? What does the “man” in the car behind me do? He presses his paw on his horn and lets it bray. 1/25/2010 7:43:37 AM
More Canadians exhausting EI: report More Canadians are running out of jobless benefits without finding work, a national report said, suggesting many will have to turn to savings, loans, family members or welfare for financial help. Even before the recession, about one in four people ended benefits without finding a job. 1/25/2010 7:39:17 AM
Never forgetting a face Many of us struggle sometimes to put a name to a face, but what if you could recognise someone many years after seeing them for a moment? You know the woman crossing the street. But where from? 1/25/2010 5:10:06 AM
Adultery website owner aims for stock market listing Adultery enabler Ashley Madison may be too hot for Toronto's streetcars, but not for the stock market. Avid Life Media Inc., the parent company of dating websites such as .com , a site for people seeking extramarital relationships, is raising $60-million and is pushing for a listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange. 1/25/2010 4:42:11 AM
Rexin versus Rexin makes for Olympic irony The Vancouver 2010 Olympic torch relay is pitting a husband against his wife in this Southern B.C. town. While Ann Rexin was busily buzzing around organizing the community torch relay celebration Sunday night, a lone protester stood on a corner across the street. 1/25/2010 4:27:57 AM
16-Year-Old Starbucks Barista Sues Over 'Sex Demands' at Work An "alarmingly high" number of high school students are reporting sexual advances from their adult bosses and other supervisors at some of the country's best known fast food operations, according to an official of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The issue is being raised in a number of lawsuits. 1/24/2010 9:45:03 AM
Searchers refuse to give up, despite end to official rescue operation in Haiti Searchers brought closure for one Canadian family Saturday. The body of former Liberal MP Serge Marcil was recovered Friday night from the ruins of the Hotel Montana. Marcil’s wife, Christiane Pelchat, travelled to Port-au-Prince. She said Marcil had been found by a Canadian search team. 1/24/2010 4:28:21 AM
New exhibit celebrates history of women in Auto racing "Women in the Winner's Circle," a traveling exhibit on the history of women in racing, is now open at the Daytona 500 Experience. This unique exhibit recognizes the past history, growing achievements and the future of women in racing. (Danica Patrick, seen above, will be racing at Daytona this year). 1/23/2010 3:17:54 PM
Bristol Palin files for child support Sarah Palin's oldest daughter, Bristol, is seeking child support from the young man who fathered her 1-year-old son. Bristol Palin is seeking $1,750 a month from 19-year-old Levi Johnston, her former fiance. Their son, Tripp, was born in December 2008. 1/23/2010 12:37:14 PM
Firefighter hospitalized after saving dog in helicopter rescue A firefighter splashed into a rain-swollen river Friday to rescue a German shepherd and managed to hang on, even after the dog furiously bit his arm and hand. For an hour, firefighters stood at the top of the steep, concrete banks, throwing life vest and float rings, hoping the dog would grab on. 1/23/2010 11:26:42 AM
Earthquakes, cruise liners and the Age of Precariousness A mere 97 kilometres from Port-au-Prince, where the voices buried under the rubble of the earthquake hadn't stopped howling, the 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas disembarked at a guarded resort on the north coast of Haiti for a weekend of watersports and barbecues. 1/23/2010 10:13:17 AM
'21st century syndrome' or just a case of the blahs? In the late 1970s, while working as a chiropractor and naturopath in Fergus, Ont., James Wilson began noticing patients with circadian rhythms out of whack. They had trouble waking up in the morning, needed caffeine to get through the day, and felt a drop in energy mid-afternoon. 1/23/2010 10:06:57 AM
Skydiver will try to break sound barrier (Video) The Austrian extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner says his next goal is to try to break the long-standing record for the highest ever parachute jump. It is 50 years since the American Joe Kittinger made history by leaping from a balloon at 102,800ft (31km). 1/23/2010 9:34:03 AM
Club Penguin kids subvert privacy settings Children using Club Penguin and other kid-oriented websites are finding ingenious ways to subvert privacy settings to reveal personal information, says a mom who has gone undercover. For instance, to prevent online bullying and negativity many of the websites also try to block out certain phrases. 1/23/2010 8:56:54 AM
Travel: Winning photo snapped with Sony Cybershot Saved by the bears. That’s what happened to this week’s It’s A Snap! photo contest winner, Craig Drummond, while he and his buddy hiked to Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome in June, 2008. The duo chose to avoid the crowded daytime rush to the top and to instead hike at night. 1/23/2010 7:51:55 AM
Boy stuck with 31 needles leaves Brazil hospital A hospital in northeastern Brazil has released a toddler who underwent three surgeries to remove 26 sewing needles his stepfather stuck into him. Ana Neri Hospital spokeswoman Susy Moreno says the 2-year-old was released to his mother Friday. 1/22/2010 7:07:17 PM
Surfing etiquette's up in court When two surfers collided off Nova Scotia last year, it set off a lawsuit that turned a small claims court into a class on surfing etiquette. And this week, it became a $839.68 lesson for one of them. Donald Crowe and Jeffrey Adams ran in to each other while surfing along the Eastern Shore, near Halifax. 1/22/2010 4:28:41 PM
Cellphones, Google among women's life-changing products of the decade Women rate the most life-changing new products of the last decade in a similar way to what you would expect from men, according to results of a new poll, but women are more likely to view the latest advancements as a solution to life's problems. Busy modern lifestyles play a role in the rankings. 1/22/2010 4:02:37 PM
'Miracle on Hudson' plane on auction block For sale: One severely water-damaged jet. Hero not included. The banged-up US Airways plane that Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger deftly landed on the Hudson River a year ago after a flock of geese disabled its engines is being auctioned off. 1/22/2010 11:14:40 AM
Meteorite punches hole through roof in doctor's office Doctors at a small U.S. medical practice got a big surprise when a tennis ball-sized meteorite punched a hole through their roof. No one was injured. Dr. Frank Ciampi says the rock struck the two-story building around 5:30 p.m. Monday in Lorton, Virginia, a town not far from Washington, D.C. 1/22/2010 11:12:31 AM
US brothel hires country's first legal gigolo; 'prostidude' A brothel in Nevada has hired the state's first male prostitute, a muscular college dropout who abandoned a brief stint as a porn actor in Los Angeles to become the only legal gigolo in the United States. The Shady Lady Ranch successfully won approval to clear the way for the "prostidude,." 1/22/2010 11:00:54 AM
Imperva reveals top 20 passwords people use A California company has found that computer users consistently choose weak passwords, with the most common one being 123456. The second-most common password is 12345, followed by 123456789. Of 32 million passwords, more than 290,000 were 12345, the report found. 1/22/2010 10:33:52 AM
Okanagan Falls author Longworth publishes sixth book To say that Okanagan Falls writer Alan E. Longworth is a prolific writer is almost an understatement. The longtime resident published his sixth book The Blackstones in December, and it has the usual unexpected and intense twists and turns that Longworth’s readers have come to expect. 1/22/2010 6:13:43 AM
Want to solve her problems, guys? Stop trying It’s that time of the year again when it’s everyone’s time of the month – guys included. Here in the bowels of winter, bad moods get badder, personal issues get issuier, and up to 15 per cent of us may even slide into that infamous cesspool of darkness: seasonal affective disorder. 1/22/2010 5:51:34 AM
Okanagan Gleaners will remain in rural Oliver The Okanagan Gleaners‘ ongoing fight to remain in their rural Oliver home appears to be almost over. Spokesman Don Chapman, with close to 100 Gleaners supporters packing the RDOS boardroom, outlined the society‘s operations. 1/22/2010 5:08:14 AM
Witness: Peterson said he planned to kill wife The stepbrother of a former Illinois police officer accused of killing his third wife told a hushed courtroom Thursday that he helped Drew Peterson carry a large blue barrel that he now fears may have held the body of his relative's fourth wife. 1/22/2010 4:49:35 AM
Olympic flame coming to Penticton, South Okanagan (except Keremeos) On Monday, Penticton resident Susie Welch will be handed the torch when the Olympic flame makes its way to the South Okanagan Events Centre as part of a four-hour celebration from noon until 4 pm. (Ed: Keremeos area is not on the torch route, best guess is it's because the area has a NDP MP.) 1/22/2010 4:40:33 AM
Surrey pastor says controversial Haiti comments 'taken right out of context' A Surrey pastor has found himself in hot water over comments he made on the weekend about Haiti. “Haiti is infamous for its voodoo spiritual darkness,” he said in comments tape-recorded by a parishioner. “I can’t help think that maybe God has shaken them, shaken them against the kingdom of darkness.” 1/21/2010 11:02:10 AM
Cindy McCain poses for same-sex marriage campaign Cindy McCain, the wife of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, has posed for a Web site promoting same-sex marriage. McCain, who's married to Arizona Sen. John McCain, appears in a photograph on the site with a piece of silver duct tape over her mouth and the slogan "No H8" written on her cheek. 1/21/2010 10:41:38 AM
Broadcaster Colleen Walsh guilty of air rage charges A former TV broadcaster from Toronto has been convicted of assault in connection with a mid-flight incident last March that occurred on an Air Canada plane diverted to St. John's, N.L. Police said they were called to the plane after it landed after reports that a female passenger was yelling and swearing. 1/21/2010 5:18:09 AM
Summerland: Young singer to perform anthem A Summerland girl will be delivering the national anthem at the Olympic torch ceremony in Penticton. Eight-year-old Mariah Gauthier was contacted by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics (VANOC) to sing ‘O Canada’ at the torch ceremony. 1/21/2010 4:35:20 AM
Air France may bar obese passengers from flights Air France has revealed it may prevent obese economy passengers from boarding its planes for "safety reasons". It said that, under new rules, if a flight was full an overweight person who did not fit into a single seat might have to take another plane. 1/20/2010 7:14:49 PM
Was Shakespeare a woman? One of the most prestigious academic journals devoted to Shakespearean authorship studies has just added a new candidate to the centuries-old debate about who else plausibly might have written the works we associate with the little-educated merchant and actor from Stratford-Upon-Avon. 1/20/2010 1:49:46 PM
Farm workers of the Similkameen Valley By Doe Gregoire, Keremeos Review: We have both local farm workers and transient farm workers in the valley. Various farming operations require workers at different times of the season, some early on for cherries and then later in the season for grapes, as well as for crops in between these times. 1/20/2010 7:15:53 AM
Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim gives $65M for genetic research on cancer, diabetes, kidney disease Telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim pledged $65 million Tuesday for genetic research on cancer, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. Scientists from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Mexico's National Institute of Genomic Medicine will collaborate on the initiative. 1/20/2010 6:12:14 AM
Joyous reunion as B.C. students finally make it home Seventeen high school students from southeast B.C. who had been stranded for days in Haiti returned home late Tuesday, grateful to be with their families but still thinking about what they had left behind. The students have pledged to continue to work to help the people they met in Haiti. 1/20/2010 4:38:39 AM
Penticton council commits to Shatford restoration The building referred to as the “Parthenon of Penticton” is now one giant step closer to being restored. Penticton council voted Monday to commit $200,000 to an Okanagan School of the Arts plan that would partially restore the Shatford building as a home for a proposed Centre for the Arts. 1/19/2010 7:59:44 PM
Exposed: the real meaning behind the clichés people use They're every editor's nightmare, those banal, trite, overused expressions that often say absolutely nothing. But are clichés really as simple as they seem? A new, humorous book reveals clichés should never be taken at face value, as they often mean the opposite of what they're supposed to mean. 1/19/2010 7:46:47 PM
Penticton Cyclists up for the challenge Riding 270 kilometres on the seat of a bicycle in two days may seem like a lot. “We are riding from Vancouver to Seattle over two days for the Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser,” said Chantel Tadey, a member of an eight-person team from Penticton. “I am personally setting a goal of raising $10,000 and a team goal of $80,000 raised.” 1/19/2010 5:50:34 PM
Burrows' parents appalled by CBC's treatment of their son The father of Vancouver Canuck winger Alex Burrows says his son was the victim of "verbal assassination" by the CBC's Ron MacLean in a weekend Hockey Night in Canada segment. "Alexandre told the truth, he's a very straight guy, he felt something happened, he told the truth," Rodney Burrows said. 1/19/2010 4:30:30 PM
Duthie Books to shut down after 52 years Independent bookseller Duthie Books will shut its doors at the end of February after 52 years in business. Facing pressure from online bookseller Amazon and multinational chains such as Chapters, owner Cathy Duthie Legate has decided to pack it in and close the last of eight locations. 1/19/2010 4:01:23 PM
Social Web's true impact on China, Haiti We've seen some major world events unfold on the social media stage in the past week, the biggest being Google's threat to pull out of China and the Haiti earthquake. Just like the Iran election crisis, those events are causing people to reassess the impact of social media on the world. 1/19/2010 6:00:56 AM
Pity the powerful: They can’t control themselves Take it easy on Tiger Woods, who sold us the image of a morally correct family man while he was secretly enjoying an extra-curricular lifestyle that Hugh Hefner might have envied. “People in power,” Adam Galinsky, professor of ethics, says, “act more like themselves; their true personality emerges.” 1/19/2010 5:30:35 AM
Extreme Acetaminophen Reaction: Woman Takes Pill, Loses Skin Imagine this: you're feeling under the weather, as if you a have a flu virus coming on and so, following doctor's orders, you take an ordinary painkiller to ease the symptoms. Hours later, you wake up disfigured by what look like severe burns from head to toe. This is what happened to 19-year-old Eva Uhlin. 1/18/2010 8:45:24 PM
Royal Caribbean Cruise ships still find a Haitian berth Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jetski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks. The decision to go ahead with the visit divided passengers. One said he was "sickened". 1/18/2010 8:12:39 PM
UK: All-you-can-drink pub offers facing ban "All-you-can-drink" promotions could be banned and compulsory identity checks introduced under government proposals to crack down on problem drinking. If the plans for a mandatory code for England and Wales are approved, bars will also not be able to hold speed-drinking competitions. 1/18/2010 6:57:54 PM
Famous commuter cat Casper killed by car Six months after becoming an international star, Casper the bus-riding cat has been killed by a hit-and-run driver. Casper was a local legend in Plymouth, England. For four years, he lined up each morning at the stop outside his house. Once on board, he’d curl up in a corner and fall asleep. 1/18/2010 3:46:51 PM
Pretty women 'anger more easily' Attractive women may have the competitive edge by letting their temper flair more. Researchers found women who rated themselves as pretty displayed a war-like streak when fighting battles to get their own way. Attractive women also had higher expectations of what they deserved. 1/18/2010 3:44:13 PM
The grown-up kid’s secret weapon: mom and dad It was a bountiful Christmas for Katie Tobin. Returning to Toronto from her family home, the 23-year-old was loaded up with gifts, as well as three boxes of groceries, homemade pasta and a wheel of cheese, specially ordered by Dad. Ms. Tobin also carted back several loads of laundry, washed and folded by Mom. 1/18/2010 6:07:28 AM
Housing advocates unimpressed by VANOC charity An Olympic event organized to feed homeless people in Vancouver Downtown Eastside has left a bad taste in a few activists' mouths. Step, a Vancouver homeless man, says one day of charity won't change his view that the Olympics are not making things better for the city's homeless population. 1/18/2010 5:59:19 AM
Today is Blue Monday, Four ways to cope Welcome to the most depressing day of the year. Jan. 18 has been designated “Blue Monday” – the day when the perfect storm of failing our new year’s resolutions, working through debts from the holiday season and the grim weather make us feel horrible. Here are four ways to get through the day: 1/18/2010 5:47:45 AM
Blondes 'are more aggressive than brunettes' Women with blonde hair have the competitive edge, being more aggressive and determined than redheads and brunettes, say scientists. Fair-haired women, whether natural or out of a bottle, display a warlike streak when fighting battles to get their own way. Even those who dyed their hair blonde. 1/18/2010 5:07:21 AM
Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky. On the day of the collision last month, visibility was good. The sidewalk was not under repair. As she walked, Tiffany Briggs, 25, was talking to her grandmother on her cellphone, lost in conversation. Very lost. “I ran into a truck,” Ms. Briggs said. It was parked in a driveway. 1/17/2010 8:09:49 PM
Prince William gets new set of wings Britain's Prince William was awarded another flying badge Friday after completing an advanced helicopter training course that moves him one step closer to becoming a search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force. William, 27, attended his convocation ceremony at the RAF's Defence Helicopter Flying School. 1/17/2010 7:30:49 PM
Venezuelan ice-cream parlour's 860 flavours You might imagine that the shop selling the largest number of ice-cream flavours in the world would be in Italy or perhaps the US, but in fact it is in the Venezuelan city of Merida. The selection includes chilli, tomato, gherkin, onion, mushrooms in wine, garlic, and cream of crab. 1/17/2010 6:01:12 PM
Canadians open their hearts, wallets for Haiti Canadians horrified by the images of quake-ravaged Haiti are responding with generosity. Donations have been pouring in at an astounding rate. The Canadian Red Cross has so far received $22.2-million for Haiti relief. “It's just individual donations. "That's not counting the corporate donations.” 1/17/2010 4:13:47 PM
We don't need Pepsi to tell us how to cheer for Canada Only official (that is, paying) sponsors may exploit terms such as "Olympic" or "2010" or the inukshuk logo...We've had enough attempts to hijack national pride as a corporate marketing tool. The maple leaf shouldn't come with a trademark symbol attached...We don't need Pepsi to tell us how to cheer for our country. 1/17/2010 10:23:01 AM
Stories of Survivors who were trapped in Hait quake Stories of survival after Haiti's devastating earthquake have been few and far between. Some, however, have been trapped in the rubble and still managed to survive a natural disaster that may have killed tens of thousands of people. Their stories from the BBC. (Ed: Just click on the pic.) 1/17/2010 7:46:19 AM
Penticton mayor and council: Is a handshake still meaningful? Some years ago, a handshake deal was arranged between the City of Penticton and School District 67. They agreed that, in order to preserve two historic buildings at Pen
Hi, the district would take responsibility for one and the city would take care of the other. The school district lived up to its part of the bargain. 1/17/2010 7:33:51 AM
US woman's car repossessed with 2-year-old son sleeping in backseat Police in California say a car dealer who repossessed a San Jose woman's car left with something a bit more valuable: her 2-year-old son. The child was sleeping in the back seat Tuesday night when the car was taken away because the boy's mother was behind on her payments. 1/17/2010 7:31:20 AM
New Penticton visitors guide released this week The 2010 Penticton and Wine Country Tourism Visitors Guide is being released this week. Along with extensive information on Penticton, including sections on wine, outdoor adventure heritage and culture and golf, this comprehensive 56-page guide offers stunning imagery. 1/17/2010 5:35:56 AM
A scolding evangelist puts the ‘hate' back in Haiti They swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the prince.' True story. And so the devil said, ‘Okay, it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed …” That's Rev. Pat Robertson. 1/17/2010 5:31:11 AM
War deserter released from U.S. prison "If I had to do it again I would, because I'm not killing innocent people," Cliff Cornell told CBC News. Cornell, 28, spent four years in British Columbia before the Canadian government denied him asylum as a war objector. 1/16/2010 8:03:34 PM
Sarah Palin's Booze Hypocrisy The former governor's upcoming speech at a liquor convention in Las Vegas doesn't square with her previous efforts to dry out Alaska. Yet the group has just announced the former vice-presidential candidate as the keynote speaker for its 2010 convention and expo. (Ed: They are paying her $$ Thousands. It's about MONEY.) 1/16/2010 9:47:19 AM
Rush and Robertson: Shameless Haiti Wingnuts With the horror in Haiti’s true dimensions dawning on Americans, leave it to the Wingnuts to find the ugliest possible spin on the devastation. Reverend Pat Robertson said, Haiti deserved it because the country made a deal with the Devil, and the politically correct crowd wants to keep this truth from coming out. 1/16/2010 9:40:20 AM
Olympic Torch arrives in Penticton Jan. 25 with celebration The Olympic Torch Relay's national route began on October 30 in Victoria, and will arrive in Penticton in the early afternoon of Monday, January 25, nineteen days before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies. A ceremonial cauldron will be lit by local resident Susie Welsh. 1/16/2010 8:10:36 AM
Agencies credit Internet, social networks for massive Haitian giving Social media like Twitter and Facebook as well as the Internet itself are playing a significant role in the speedy, massive outpouring of pledges and donations from Canadians. The Canadian Red Cross reported commitments of $15.8 million by late Friday afternoon, with some 85 per cent of donations coming from online. 1/16/2010 5:47:18 AM
Penticton community leader’s death a monumental loss Penticton is in mourning this week after the passing of one of our most prominent citizens. Sharon Amos passed away early Thursday morning. “She was dedicated to Penticton and showed that through the centennial celebrations and other organizations,” said former mayor Jake Kimberley. 1/16/2010 5:06:42 AM
When did you get so smug, Canada? Not cool, man Dear Canada:
Who would have thought, a year or two ago, that things would be looking so good for you? It all starts off so innocently, doesn't it? Without really meaning to, you find yourself at the top of the international heap. 1/16/2010 4:35:53 AM
World Solo teen sailor Jessica's parents pay a visit She was just a "tiny pink speck" in a vast ocean but, for Jessica Watson's parents, their first glimpse of Ella's Pink Lady was a sight for sore eyes. As their intrepid teenage sailor rounded South America's treacherous Cape Horn, Julie and Roger Watson marked the mid-point of her solo sail with a memorable 45-minute flyover. 1/15/2010 7:27:40 PM
Sports: Opportunism is on the rise France “won” the right, over Ireland, to go to the 2010 World Cup via Henry’s opportunistic use of his hands and fans around the world were stunned. How could this be? The failure of the referee or his assistants to see what millions could on television. 1/15/2010 6:35:02 PM
Prorogation riles many Canadians - and splits the Kent family Peter Kent isn’t feeling the love from his little brother these days. Arthur is the brother in question – an award-winning foreign correspondent. Arthur Kent knows of what he speaks, having covered the Afghan story since the 1980s; he knows the people, the region and the issues. 1/15/2010 4:39:57 PM
Mom inundated with misguided calls for Pizza Hut A North Vancouver, B.C., mother says she's losing sleep because she shares her phone number with a former Pizza Hut location. Jennifer Tremblay said since moving into her new home in October she's been receiving an average of three or four phone calls a day from people looking for pizza. 1/15/2010 4:27:13 PM
Mass murderer Nathan Fry seeks 'upbeat' pen pal Hey, ladies: Have I ever got a man for you! He's single, fit, artistic, interested in history and devoted to his family. Plus, he's a Capricorn — said to be practical, funny and patient. Just don't expect long walks in the moonlight. He's serving a life sentence for first-degree mass murder. 1/15/2010 4:16:12 PM
Summerland's Kristi Richards — On the Road to 2010 As I boarded the plane to the next venue in Deer Valley, Utah, I had mixed emotions about the last two World Cups in Calgary. I came out of the weekend with a solid 6th place finish from the first day last Friday, then a disappointing 28th on the second day. 1/15/2010 4:10:16 PM
Sweden: Floor caves under Weight Watchers weigh-in As a Weight Watchers group gathered for a routine weigh-in, the dieters got an idea of how far they still had to go: The floor underneath them collapsed. "We suddenly heard a huge thud; we almost thought it was an earthquake and everything flew up in the air." 1/15/2010 3:53:18 PM
Divorce fair highlights services for split couples It can be painful, expensive and downright nasty. But experts who guide millions of Canadian couples through the tricky terrain of separation every year say there are alternatives to ugly legal battles -- and they plan to highlight them. 1/15/2010 3:10:17 PM
Aid agencies overwhelmed by Canadian generosity for Haiti Aid agencies say they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of Canadians, as the federal government announced we will match individual donations up to $50 million to registered Canadian charities working in Haiti. The sheer volume clogged up the call centre and even shut down web servers. 1/15/2010 11:50:46 AM
Aid agencies overwhelmed by Canadian generosity for Haiti Aid agencies say they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of Canadians, as the federal government announced we will match individual donations up to $50 million to registered Canadian charities working in Haiti. The sheer volume clogged up the call centre and even shut down web servers. 1/15/2010 11:50:23 AM
Undeserved compliments can undermine kids, psychologists say That's fantastic, sweetie! Awesome! You're so smart! A lot of well-intentioned parents cover their kids with a blanket of constant praise in the hopes of promoting self-esteem and confidence, as well as showing their love and support. But child psychology experts say there's a definite downside. 1/15/2010 11:43:44 AM
Skeleton: Mellisa Hollingsworth on podium again Mellisa Hollingsworth added another World Cup medal to her growing collection this season, after finishing second in skeleton in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Friday. She was just 0.04 second behind Britain's Shelley Rudman, who won the gold medal. 1/15/2010 11:35:56 AM
Haiti Earthquake: First of Canadian evacuees home They arrived clutching Red Cross blankets and bottles of water, carrying with them tales of harrowing escape. The first group of Canadians evacuated from quake-torn Haiti landed in Montreal early Friday morning – tired, some bloodied and bandaged, but grateful to be alive. 1/15/2010 5:12:07 AM
Sharon Amos dies suddenly: Penticton loses a gem Sharon Amos, well known for her theatre work and significant contributions to the Penticton arts community, died Thursday morning in Vancouver General Hospital. Amos had been vacationing in the Mayan Riviera with her husband, Ben, and other family members when she collapsed after experiencing a cerebral aneurism on Jan. 5. 1/15/2010 4:38:18 AM
Meet Mikey Hicks, 8: U.S. has him on watch list "Meet Mikey Hicks," said Najlah Feanny Hicks, introducing her 8-year-old son, a New Jersey Cub Scout and frequent traveler who has seldom boarded a plane without a hassle because he shares the name of a suspicious person. The first time he was patted down, at Newark Liberty International Airport, Mikey was 2. 1/14/2010 3:13:55 PM
Michelle Obama takes wrap off new hairdo U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has a new hairdo. Mrs. Obama tried to minimize the buzz her new do would set off by telling reporters Wednesday that it was just "a little cut," unworthy of being newsworthy. But as with other first ladies before her, any clothing or hairstyle change is noticed and talked about. 1/14/2010 2:41:35 PM
Family wants apology from B.C. for hanging of ancestor in front yard of his home In 1869 a First Nations man was hanged in the front yard of his home by the province of British Columbia for a crime his descendants say he did not commit. The family is not giving up. The Amos family have approached the B.C. Union of Chiefs for political support. Stewart Phillip, Grand Chief, said the family has it. 1/13/2010 8:01:13 PM
Seniors snared in Lethbridge prostitution crackdown The arrest of four elderly men for solicitation has raised eyebrows in a southern Alberta city that recently decided to name the accused clients of prostitutes. Four seniors, three in their 80s, have been arrested since the policy began last October. Lethbridge police Chief Tom McKenzie is defending the policy. 1/13/2010 6:56:26 PM
Keremeos: “The Wiz” is coming to SESS in January Little Theatre Company is proud to present the wonderful musical version of “The Wizard of Oz.” “The Wiz” is a jazzy, upbeat version of “The Wizard of Oz.” The storyline is much the same as the original, but there are many twists and turns along the way. 1/13/2010 5:53:19 PM
I’m a girl living in boy land Boys. One, two, three sons. Four, five with stepsons. Six with my husband. Seven when my brother comes over and eight when he brings my nephew. I am a girl. And I live in boy land. In boy land there are weekends I go from Friday after work until my Monday morning return to the office with not a female in sight. 1/13/2010 12:25:40 PM
Adopt a Pet: What a surprise awaited us We had lost our previous dog six months before and had come to realize that we were simply not a complete family without a dog. We had put our name in to adopt a dog. Little did we know the surprise awaiting us. Willow, a beautiful black Lab/Newfie cross, had just come into the shelter. 1/13/2010 12:06:20 PM
Privacy is dead on Facebook. Get over it. Once upon a time at Facebook, or so the story from an anonymous Facebook employee goes, there was a general password employees could use to access Facebook accounts. For kicks and giggles, some Facebook employees recently interviewed on the Rumpus Web site, did just that. 1/13/2010 11:52:06 AM
Caster Semenya free to compete as woman, coach says Caster Semenya's coach says the 800-metre world champion is free to compete internationally despite an ongoing gender-test investigation. Michael Seme said Wednesday that he does not have details but learned from Semenya's lawyers that she can compete. 1/13/2010 5:51:25 AM
Penticton: Swimmers may feel safer this summer Lifeguards could be keeping watch over Penticton beaches this summer under a proposal put forward by a city council member. However, other council members are divided over the idea. Coun. John Vassilaki suggested to council Monday night that lifeguards be established at Okanagan, Skaha and Sudbury beaches. 1/13/2010 4:49:26 AM
Penticton: Torch relay details unveiled The flame will arrive here sometime in the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 25 as part of a 106-day relay, taking the iconic torch to more than 1,030 communities in every province and territory across Canada. The event will be hosted by local masters of ceremonies Steve King and Dennis Dumas-Walker. 1/12/2010 7:28:26 PM
Woman Charged With Trashing McDonalds A woman was charged with trashing a McDonald's restaurant in Missouri because she was unhappy with her cheeseburger. In the video a customer is seen throwing a sign and a water dispenser over a counter and pushing three cash registers to the floor. 1/12/2010 6:36:18 PM
Starbucks has boosted some prices, now the PR spin Coffee lovers are now paying more for certain specialty drinks at Starbucks Coffee shops in “select markets” in Canada, courting a potential backlash during an economic slump. Starbucks Canada said it was “ fine-tuning pricing in select markets.” The move, which saw some prices increase by 10 to 25 cents, was rolled out on Tuesday. 1/12/2010 2:52:29 PM
Artists, VANOC clash over aboriginal art The artists complain that the Olympic committee is misleading the public about the authenticity of aboriginal products. VANOC is calling products that are manufactured in China with a Canadian aboriginal design "authentic aboriginal products," says Shane Jackson of Vancouver-based Spirit Works. 1/12/2010 2:31:46 PM
NYC cab driver returns $21,000 to passenger A New York City cab driver is being praised for returning over $21,000 lost by a visitor from Italy. Felicia Lettieri, who's 72, left her purse in a Manhattan taxi on Christmas Eve. It contained traveling money for her and six relatives. Police told them not to get their hopes up. 1/12/2010 2:12:14 PM
8-year-old boys save drowning man at Aussie beach Two 8-year-old boys in a young lifeguards training program rescued a man who was struggling in the ocean off Australia's east coast. Jake Satherley told Australian radio that he and friend Spencer Jeams saw a middle-aged man having trouble Sunday off Northcliffe beach. 1/12/2010 1:43:51 PM
No 'cougars' allowed on Carnival Cruises Carnival Cruise Lines won't be sailing anymore with a boatload of "cougars" and their willing prey. The Miami Herald reports that the company has turned down a request from a singles travel group to book another cruise with the cougar theme. The term refers to older women who date younger men. 1/12/2010 1:41:15 PM
Facebook: Guantanamo guard reunited with ex-inmates (Video) Why would a former Guantanamo Bay prison guard track down two of his former captives - two British men - and agree to fly to London to meet them? The journey of reconciliation began almost a year ago in Huntsville, Texas. 1/12/2010 8:06:21 AM
Vernon Winter Carnival: 50 years in the making This year’s theme, to commemorate the special anniversary, is “50 Years of Carnival,” meaning a lot of familiar events will be around during the 10-day celebration, joined by some new events for all ages. Kicking off carnival will be the proclamation of the 50th Queen Silver Star Jan. 28. 1/12/2010 7:55:40 AM
'Mobile igloos' serious winter driving hazard Of all the hazards on winter roads, one of the most dangerous is also one of the least publicized: driver laziness. A new international survey finds a third of people fail to properly clear the windshield before setting out, with most claiming to be "in too much of a rush." 1/11/2010 6:52:15 PM
Pizza: Domino’s tough love on itself is getting noticed For a pizza joint, it's a bold move to tell customers your crust tasted like cardboard and your sauce was like ketchup. But that's just what Domino's Pizza has been saying since last month in untraditional ads about the recipes it abandoned when it launched its reformulated pizza. 1/11/2010 5:21:16 PM
Activists go undercover to thwart puppy mills Megan Anderson's nerves are shot. But she presses ahead — the dogs need her. She pulls into the driveway of Scarlet-Maple Farm Kennel. She tells the adolescent boy who greets her that she's looking for puppies to give to her nephews for Christmas. It's a lie. A necessary one, Anderson thinks. 1/11/2010 5:16:03 PM
Networking mommies: Here’s my card, let’s do sandbox In the days before designer diaper bags, moms who met at the park would exchange numbers after rummaging through their purses for pens and paper scraps (which often ended up on the kitchen floor, stained with Cheez Whiz). In the past few years, “mom cards” of all description have been showing up. 1/11/2010 4:58:53 PM
Florida lottery winner vanishes; sheriff suspects he was killed In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare - a truck driver's assistant who lived with his mother - won $30 million in the Florida lottery. His good fortune may have cost him his life. "There are a lot of odd and bizarre circumstances in this case," Sheriff Grady Judd said. 1/11/2010 4:48:21 PM
Harper underestimates Facebook at his own peril Over at the National Post, Matt Gurney recently stated that "Facebook groups are just about the dumbest way to advocate a political cause." His comments echo those of a number of pundits and politicians who give online activism – and Facebook groups in particular – short shrift. 1/11/2010 3:27:01 PM
74 million a day now playing FarmVille Canadians are going mad for FarmVille – an online farming simulation that draws in 74 million users around the world every day, making it the most popular game among Facebook's 350 million users. 1/11/2010 7:10:12 AM
Roxxxy the sex robot introduced at Las Vegas show A New Jersey company says it has developed "the world's first sex robot," a life-size rubber doll that's designed to engage the owner with conversation rather than lifelike movement. Owners will also be able to select different personalities for Roxxxy, from "Wild Wendy" to "Frigid Farrah." 1/11/2010 6:32:53 AM
Skaters take to Amsterdam canals (Video) Parts of Amsterdam's historic canal system have frozen over for the first time in over a decade, and amateur ice-skaters have taken full advantage. City water authorities banned tourist canal cruisers on parts of the canal system, in order to let them to freeze over. 1/11/2010 6:30:32 AM
'Plumper lips and pout' make women look younger Women who have fuller and firmer lips are seen as younger than they really are, research suggests. Even with a few wrinkles or grey hairs, a plump pout can takes years off a woman, Unilever scientist David Gunn has found. 1/11/2010 6:22:52 AM
Hundreds strip for ‘no pants’ subway stunt Hundreds of New Yorkers rode the city's subway trains in their underwear on Sunday. They stripped down to their undies for the ninth annual No Pants Subway Ride. The idea is to act like nothing unusual is going on. 1/11/2010 5:46:28 AM
Transport minister defends invasive search of 85-year old senior Transportation Minister John Baird was unapologetic Sunday about the invasive search of an 85-year-old woman conducted by security personnel at the Ottawa Airport. Baird was asked Sunday about the treatment of the four-foot-10, 90-pound woman who was travelling from Ottawa to Toronto. 1/11/2010 4:46:44 AM
Palin believed her Republican VP candidacy was 'God's plan' Sarah Palin believed that Sen. John McCain chose her to be his running mate in 2008 because of "God's plan," according to a top political strategist in the Arizona Republican's campaign. "60 Minutes," On "60 Minutes," Steve Schmidt described Palin as "very calm - nonplussed" after McCain met with her. 1/10/2010 5:53:38 PM
Stop for hot chocolate results in sweet lottery win A stop for hot chocolate has led to a sweet lottery win for an Edmonton-area woman. Joy Bailey of Leduc became $2 million richer when she scratched a Super Set for Life ticket while she waited for cocoa at a drive-thru with her daughter. 1/10/2010 5:36:18 PM
Guide to a good life: Talk to strangers Ask a stranger a question. Go on. Especially cab drivers. Or your dry cleaner. Or the woman two seats to your left carrying a pillow on the Sherbourne bus. Or the nurse standing behind you at the bank machine kiosk. Or the uncle you see once every four years. 1/10/2010 5:24:37 PM
Jeremy Clarkson's 'Car of the Decade - 254 mph It all began when Volkswagen bought Bugatti, and Ferdinand Piëch — the mad-eyed boss — decided he wanted his new acquisition to make a 1,000 horsepower car that could do 400kph (248mph). Piëch was talking about a normal road car that could be driven round town like a Golf and last a thousand years. 1/10/2010 8:41:25 AM
Rare nickel fetches $3.7 million at auction A rare 1913 U.S. Liberty Head nickel that was featured in a 1973 episode of the television series "Hawaii Five-O" has been sold for $3.7 million at a public auction. Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss paid $200,000 for the coin in 1978. 1/10/2010 6:05:48 AM
Exercise the best medicine for senior citizens Joe Derochie, 70, of Vernon doesn‘t want to be a frail old man.
So he exercises – a lot. Such a lifestyle is ideal for turning back the clock on age-related frailty, according to a new UBC Okanagan research study done on exercise and aging. 1/10/2010 5:29:44 AM
Pulled over by the cops: Now what? A survey conducted by InsuranceHotline.com found that the best way to talk your way out of a ticket is by being polite, admit your guilt (if you're guilty) and ask for a break. Getting the police officer to crack a smile doesn't hurt either. 1/10/2010 5:17:43 AM
Bookie refuses to pay out $11 million on snow bet Bookmaker Ladbrokes is refusing to pay out more than 7 million pounds ($11 million) to a man who gambled on a white Christmas across the UK, as the bet was accepted by mistake. Cliff Bryant had placed two bets that snow would fall on 24 towns and cities on Christmas Day. 1/9/2010 9:50:59 AM
Man ties record for biggest largemouth bass A man was being credited with tying the 77-year-old world record for catching the biggest largemouth bass. The International Game Fish Association announced Friday that it had confirmed the 22-pound, 4-ounce fish caught by Manabu Kurita. 1/9/2010 5:47:14 AM
Forget the hundred-mile diet -- buy a mango One of the worst by-products -- among many -- of the rapid expansion of government in the past 50 years has been the politicization of everything, including aspects of personal daily life that government has no business in. 1/8/2010 5:18:04 PM
Bra colors sweep Facebook in awareness push This week a campaign apparently designed to raise awareness about breast cancer is sweeping the social networking site with a message asking women to update their status with one simple word: the color of their bra. 1/8/2010 3:38:06 PM
Skaha Rotary steps up effort to improve trail network One sunny day in Penticton, you will be able to round up your kids and dog, throw on some runners or hop on your bike and enjoy a system of community trails, circulating from lake to lake and throughout the city. That is, if Ben Minuk and members of The Rotary Club of Penticton Skaha chapter have it their way. 1/8/2010 2:54:00 PM
Don't avoid conflict, get a backbone It's a new year, and as is my habit, I'm taking advantage of the occasion to reflect on how to be a better human being. For the second year in a row, this means making a resolution to be more stubborn, pick more fights and just generally be harder to get along with. 1/8/2010 2:37:32 PM
Northern Ireland rocked by PM's wife's affair with teen The leader of Northern Ireland is under withering political fire after it emerged that his wife, a 60-year-old MP, may have given political favours to her teenage lover. The salacious details are piling up prompting calls that he step down. (Ed: Her name is Mrs. Robinson)
1/8/2010 2:26:40 PM
Texas mom 'groomed' Ontario teen for sex A 42-year-old Houston mom relentlessly "groomed" an Ontario teen online before flying north and having sex with him at a hotelU.S. authorities say. Lauri Price, a mother of four, met the boy online playing "World of Warcraft" in September 2008 when he was 15. 1/8/2010 9:21:07 AM
10 ways to be a whole lot happier The year 2009 was one that few of us will soon forget. But the tough times we’ve been through illuminate the human ability to weather challenges that might at first seem overwhelming. As so many millions have painfully learned, we can’t fully control our circumstances. 1/8/2010 6:02:08 AM
Man cuts off penis in restaurant A man cut off his penis with a knife in a packed London restaurant. Police were forced to use CS gas to restrain the man when they entered the Zizzi restaurant in The Strand on Sunday evening. 1/8/2010 5:51:03 AM
Brenda Martin in trouble, arrested for intoxication A Canadian woman who spent more than two years in a Mexican prison has been arrested again for public intoxication. Brenda Martin, 53, was arrested late Thursday in an apartment lobby in Trenton, Ont. She was taken to nearby Belleville and held in a local jail. 1/8/2010 5:21:04 AM
Marc Emery could be extradited to U.S. Friday Vancouver marijuana activist Marc Emery is taking his last puff of freedom — as the clock counts down on an extradition order that will send him to a U.S. jail for five years. "I've been enjoying every moment of it out with my wife. We are just living day to day," he said. 1/8/2010 5:12:43 AM
Wal-Mart Sam's Club to sell private-label premium vodka Discount chain Sam's Club is venturing into the world of liquor, launching a new store-brand premium vodka this month in more than 240 stores across the United States. 1/7/2010 4:43:37 PM
Man uses buttocks to smash ex's 72-inch TV Oklahoma City police arrested a Midwest City man early New Year's Day after his ex-girlfriend said he kicked in her door, fought with her current boyfriend and used his rear end to smash her television set. He was banging on the front door when police arrested him. 1/7/2010 1:43:24 PM
Speeding Swiss millionaire fined $290,000 A Swiss court has slapped a wealthy speeder with a chalet-sized fine — a full $290,000. Judges in eastern Switzerland, based the record-breaking fine on the speeder's estimated wealth of more than $20 million. A statement on the court's Web site says the driver was a repeat offender. 1/7/2010 1:39:07 PM
Marketers mine your Facebook info Got an e-mail list of customers or readers and want to know more about each one, such as their full name, friends, gender, age, interests, location, job and education level? Facebook has just the free feature you're looking for, thanks to its recent privacy changes. 1/7/2010 12:44:58 PM
In war of dogs vs. cats, the winner is clear Cats. Dogs. Those can be fighting words in some circles. Cats are "nasty, stinking creatures," says Mark David of Warrensburg, Missouri. And dogs? They're noisy, disruptive and "lick you and themselves," counters Sanford Reikes of Louisville, Kentucky. 1/7/2010 12:05:26 PM
Shania Twain recalls impoverished past to help charity Canadian country pop singer Shania Twain has started a charity called Shania Kids Can that she hopes will open opportunities for talented boys and girls from underprivileged backgrounds. Twain began singing as a teenager for $25 or $50 an engagement, money that immediately went to the family finances. 1/7/2010 11:17:54 AM
Canadians unhappy with PM's climate performance A new on-line poll suggests that Canadians were not overly enthused with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s performance at the climate-change summit. Just 28 per cent said they were content with the leadership shown by Mr. Harper. Almost half (48 per cent) were dissatisfied. 1/7/2010 6:43:43 AM
Jail-bound ‘balloon boy’ dad: It wasn’t a hoax The Colorado father who pleaded guilty to a felony in the runaway balloon saga insisted in an interview set to air Friday that the event wasn't a hoax. Richard Heene said that he believed that his 6-year-old son, Falcon, was in the homemade balloon when it took off. 1/7/2010 6:08:29 AM
Woman sues gym over pole-dancing injury A woman has filed a lawsuit alleging that a Manhattan gym left her hanging when she tried a new workout: pole-dancing. Sue Ann Wee is seeking unspecified damages from the companies that run the Crunch fitness center chain. 1/7/2010 5:48:47 AM
Penticton Music festival going green After 83 years, the Penticton Kiwanis Music, Dance and Speech Arts Festival is changing its colours. For the first time the annual festival is going green by allowing people to download and print off event programs from its website. 1/7/2010 5:28:31 AM
BC Political quotes of the decade, by Michael Smyth Some examples: - "He's a Liberal. But he's a conservative. If you know what I mean." - Then-Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, describing B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell......"Sober." - Liberal whip Kevin Krueger, describing the mood in the government caucus after Campbell's drunk-driving arrest. 1/6/2010 6:29:20 PM
Bad gym teachers can ruin sports for kids It turns out that humiliating a child by forcing them to try to climb a rope in front of their classmates is not the way to keep them active in sports. Repetitive basketball drills, or sitting on the bench forever watching the athletic kids finish the dodge ball game, don't help either. 1/6/2010 5:19:51 PM
BC Trucker plans to golf more after $6.7M lotto win B.C.'s latest lotto millionaire says he'll be trading truck driving for driving golf balls. Karl Hoolsema of Aldergrove is taking home $6.7 million, half of the $13.3 million jackpot from the Dec. 12 Lotto 6/49 draw, with the other half going to a Quebec resident. 1/6/2010 5:09:15 PM
A spanked child may be a better adult: study The U.S.-based research states that spanking children up to six years old made them more successful in school, more optimistic about life, more likely to take voluntary work, and more keen to attend university than their never-spanked counterparts. 1/6/2010 2:13:13 PM
The year Canada becomes cool Wooo-hooo! It's 2010. Brace yourself. We're about to be discovered as one of the coolest places on Earth when the Olympic circus comes to town. And I don't mean temperature-wise. I mean temperament-wise and even style-wise. Let's face it, Canada has long been quietly and consistently cool. 1/6/2010 11:45:51 AM
Lawyer son of acquitted Air India suspect suspended, fined The lawyer son of a man accused — then acquitted — of taking part in the Air India bombing has been suspended for a month and fined for misleading a B.C. court about his family's finances before the high-profile trial. Jaspreet Singh Malik has been ordered to pay $2,520 to the Law Society of B.C. 1/6/2010 11:35:05 AM
Mountie to name son after boy who escaped cougar The RCMP officer who shot a cougar in Boston Bar, B.C., to save the life of a cherished family dog says he will name his son after the dog's young owner. Gravelle said the incident has helped him and his wife pick a name for their child. 1/6/2010 10:52:51 AM
Okanagan Art nominations wanted for Valley Awards Nominations closing...Communities all through the Okanagan are encouraged to nominate individuals and organizations for their contribution to the arts before the deadline on Jan 11. The Okanagan Arts Awards celebrate the arts, artists and arts supporters in a variety of disciplines. 1/6/2010 10:00:44 AM
* Mega-church preachers promote gospel of 'winning' It was one of the more brilliant journalistic ideas I'd seen in a long time. Canada's Geez Magazine dug into what is being taught from the pulpit at 20 of the largest churches in the U.S. and Canada. The big-name evangelical preachers (all male) put a strong emphasis on winning. 1/6/2010 7:43:57 AM
If you've got it don't flaunt it, US Marine tells Aussie women A US Marine Captain has attacked the dress standards of Australian women after a night on the town in Darwin. "Ladies have been conned into thinking that just because you have it means you should flaunt it," he wrote. 1/6/2010 6:58:52 AM
Job list highlights the best and worst careers of 2010 Being an actuary, calculating statistics to determine probability and risk, is the best job to have in 2010, while working on an oil rig as a roustabout is the worst. The second-best job is software engineer, followed by computer systems analyst, biologist and historian. 1/6/2010 5:28:57 AM
Officer recognized: Dog saves boy, Mountie saves dog he B.C. RCMP officer who shot and killed a cougar that had attacked a family's golden retriever was recognized for his quick response Tuesday. Angel, meanwhile, was still recovering from surgery Tuesday but her prognosis is good, doctors have said. 1/6/2010 5:14:37 AM
Penticton Yacht Club defends beach accessibility If you’re going to develop the east side of Okanagan Lake, keep the marina affordable to local boaters. This was the underlying message the Penticton Yacht and Tennis Club had. They held an impromptu press conference Monday afternoon to voice their concerns regarding comments Mayor Dan Ashton made. 1/5/2010 8:09:20 PM
Update: Fred the dog rolling home It must take quite a winning personality to shine out from a crate in a train car rumbling across Canada. But Fred the dog has done just that, rolling over for visitors to rub his belly, making babies giggle at stops en route and charming the train's chef into cooking for him. 1/5/2010 3:16:27 PM
Poker champ shares $100,000 with his buddies Jamie Klinger is divvying up the top prize from a six-day Texas Hold-'Em tourney three ways. A one-third slice goes to him, with equal slices going to two high school buddies - "now very grateful old high school buddies," Klinger chuckled - who each agreed to stake him to one-third of the $750 entry fee. 1/5/2010 3:14:13 PM
Wife of cheating governor Jenny Sanford exacts a political revenge Among the many collections of quotes from 2009 in the American media, none has been complete without “hiking the Appalachian trail” — the euphemism given by the office of Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina, to explain his absence while he was in Buenos Aires with his Argentine mistress. 1/5/2010 10:54:49 AM
Winnipegger rescued by shiny-shoed stranger A frail, elderly Winnipeg woman narrowly avoided being stranded at a U.S. airport thanks to a stranger in shiny shoes who transformed into her guardian angel. Elsie Clark's return trip home from a holiday with family in Texas last week became turbulent quickly after she was dropped at the wrong departure gate. 1/4/2010 8:22:39 PM
Neighbour saves dog using CPR Cats may have nine lives but this dog definitely has more than one. Matt Armstrong, 46, brought his neighbour's dog, Sheena the Boxer, back to life by performing CPR after she collapsed and stopped breathing while on a walk. "Just out of nowhere Sheena collapsed, she had no life signs, no heartbeat. 1/4/2010 4:22:56 PM
Man sues former lover for showing sex tapes to ex A West Vancouver man is suing his former lover after discovering she videotaped their sex acts and showed them to her ex-husband. CPG claims that had the woman - who's a school teacher - warned him about her videotaping habit, he wouldn't have entered into the relationship. 1/4/2010 1:03:56 PM
Simple pleas of a humble snow plower (Ed: More snow in the Okanagan this morning) - Snowplows are to be respected and given wide berth, not played chicken with and given the finger. "Those flashing lights are not our way of celebrating the holidays or adding bling to our trucks. It is to mark that we are a very real danger to motorists." 1/4/2010 6:00:46 AM
Italian man robs store to avoid spending holidays with family A Sicilian man stole sweets and a packet of chewing gum so he could get arrested and spend New Year's Eve in a jail cell rather than be with his wife and relatives, Italian media reported on Friday. 1/4/2010 5:32:22 AM
Olympics or bust as Rawlinson removes implants Star Austalian hurdler Jana Rawlinson has had her breast implants removed to boost her chances of winning a medal for Australia at the 2012 Olympics, a magazine reported on Monday. Rawlinson, whose private life has often made headlines, said she enjoyed having larger breasts but did not want to "short-change Australia". 1/4/2010 5:25:22 AM
It's pancakes. In a can. It's made $15 million In 2001, Sean O'Connor was co-owner of a San Francisco club that served up punk bands alongside yak burgers and bear-meat chili. When the dot-coms collapsed, he pared down the menu to focus on cheap. During an experiment with whipped cream canisters he stumbled on a better idea: putting pancake mix in pressurized cans for quick and easy breakfasts. 1/3/2010 5:14:55 PM
A few good men weren't hard for brothel to find Wanted: "A few good men. 21 to 40. Must have a good work ethic. Must be service-oriented. Have a willingness to please. Have a positive attitude." The Shady Lady Ranch wants to be the first brothel in Nevada to legally offer the services of male prostitutes for women. 1/3/2010 3:53:16 PM
Internet: Virtual friends no answer They may be more "connected" than ever, but even among young people loneliness is a problem. A recent survey found that young people worried more about loneliness than the elderly: 21 per cent of 18 to 24's said it was one of their main worries, compared with 8 per cent of the over-55s. 1/3/2010 6:03:49 AM
Tiger Woods' wife plays hardball over payout Tiger Woods' betrayed wife has taken another chunk out of the love-rat golfer. Elin Nordegren revealed to friends how she extracted revenge when they asked what the shamed golfing superstar had given her for Christmas. She coolly declared, "Three hundred million dollars, thank you very much." 1/3/2010 5:34:28 AM
Just Say No to Aging? Imagine that you could rewind the clock 20 years. It's 1989. Madonna is topping the pop charts, and TV sets are tuned to "Cheers" and "Murphy Brown." Widespread Internet use is just a pipe dream, and Sugar Ray Leonard and Joe Montana are on recent covers of Sports Illustrated. 1/3/2010 5:22:49 AM
Biblical scholar's date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Harold Camping lets out a hearty chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012. "That date has not one stitch of biblical authority," Camping says. The real date for the end of times, he says, is in 2011. 1/3/2010 4:53:33 AM
Pent. Chamber set to host annual Community Awards The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce is excited to be hosting the 22nd annual Community Excellence Awards Banquet on Jan. 25. The theme this year is “The Sport of Business Excellence” in honour of the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics being held in British Columbia. 1/3/2010 4:49:28 AM
Osoyoos: G & M feature salutes Chief Clarence Louie There are no oil riches, nor are there veins of gold to be found on Canada's most successful native reserve. In fact, the land of the Osoyoos band in the Okanagan Valley straddles this country's only true desert – hardly an auspicious starting point for an aboriginal economic revolution. 1/2/2010 8:17:48 PM
You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off! The pair used so much dynamite that they managed to destroy the entire bank building - and themselves with it. Wendy Northcutt declared them the 2009 winners of the Darwin Awards, given to those doing the most to improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it. 1/2/2010 3:09:25 PM
Marijuana Pepsi will see you now Celebrities giving their offspring names that they call creative and others call bizarre is nothing new. But celebrities aren’t the only ones who enjoy inflicting challenging names on their children. Take, for instance, the aforementioned Marijuana, whose full name is Marijuana Pepsi Sawyer. 1/2/2010 9:39:46 AM
Public funeral to be held for Lt. Andrew Nuttall Victoria: A public funeral service for Lt. Andrew Nuttall will be held at Christ Church Cathedral at 1 p.m. Monday. Along with a soldier from the Afghan National Army, 30-year-old Nuttall was killed Dec. 23 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. Nuttall was born in Prince Rupert. 1/2/2010 9:01:56 AM
Calgary man mourns fiance lost to Taliban bomb Michael Louie spent his "entire life trying to find Michelle Lang," only to lose her to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan this week. Even before Mr. Louie proposed in November on a drizzly Vancouver night, the pair had booked the Calgary Winter Club for their July wedding. 1/2/2010 8:43:43 AM
Guide to a good life: When all hope is lost, pray A year ago, Marcella Dubuque was preparing for what she believed would be her last Christmas. A month earlier, she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, the tumour that had been growing in her right breast had already invaded her lymph nodes. Too advanced for surgery. She was 76 years old. 1/2/2010 8:37:56 AM
Oilers ‘went ballistic’ over $18,000 bill at Calgary restaurant Members of the Edmonton Oilers are accused of starting off the year by causing a scene at a Calgary restaurant that now has them labelled as cheapskates. The owner of the high-profile Calgary restaurant says the players refused to pay a massive New Year’s Eve tab. 1/2/2010 8:19:47 AM
Summerland: Swimmers start year with chilly plunge The new year started with an icy swim for the participants in the annual Polar Bear Dip at Sunoka Beach on Jan. 1. Frederik Numsen, organizer of the event, said at least 85 people took part in the swim, while many more watched from the sidelines. Swimmers had a variety of reasons for participating. 1/2/2010 5:27:27 AM
Valley welcomes New Year’s babies, Penticton first. A baby girl born in Penticton became the first New Year‘s baby in the Valley this year. Mother Sukh Mandeep Kaur and Navdeep Singh are the proud parents of the girl, who entered the world at 2:42 a.m. Friday weighing six pounds 15 ounces. 1/2/2010 4:45:31 AM
Russia doubles price of vodka The Russian government has set a minimum price for vodka that more than doubles the cost of the cheapest vodka on the market in an effort to fight rampant alcoholism. The measure also is aimed at reducing the extraordinary number of deaths caused by drinking in Russia. 1/1/2010 11:47:29 AM
Horoscopes: The year ahead Happy New Year! The Moon in Cancer today trines the planet of the unexpected, Uranus, bringing a quirky flavor to the first day of 2010. Time spent with home and family may bring some fun and enjoyable surprises, so don't be afraid to try something new. 1/1/2010 5:59:38 AM
Burning snowman seen on Rattlesnake Island If you see massive flames lighting up Rattlesnake Mountain tonight, don’t panic! It’s not a forest fire, or a ceremony to bring Ogopogo up from the depths of the dark, cold lake. Instead it will be a giant burning wood snowman. Tonight the torched snowman is a 100 year centennial send off. 1/1/2010 5:10:49 AM
New Year's 2010 around the world (Video) Cities throughout the world have been welcoming 2010 in a variety of ways. Fireworks lit up the skies of major cities across the world, whilst in Japan balloons were released, and in Paris the Eiffel Tower was illuminated with a laser display. 12/31/2009 5:38:34 PM
Poetry to warm the wintry soul: Rhonda Ganz Inspiration takes flight It was an airplane flight that launched Rhonda Ganz's path as a poet. Ganz was flying home about five years ago. Victoria poet Wendy Morton was reading poems aloud to passengers as part of her duties as WestJet's Poet of the Skies. 12/31/2009 11:47:52 AM
Guardian angels bringing Fred the dog home Fred the dog has two guardian angels who will travel across the country tomorrow to fetch him, in a journey that shows just how far some people are willing go for a pet - even one they've yet to meet. Fred was found by Cyril Roy's side Nov. 30, three days after the man died. 12/31/2009 7:35:01 AM
Guest column: The time to start showing your love is now This Dec. 23, at 9:30 a.m., I received a frantic phone call from my mother that jolted me out of my sleep. Even though I only heard her voice for a second, I knew the call would change my life. "Your dad is scaring me. He was dizzy in the shower and now he's talking funny. I don't know what to do!" 12/31/2009 6:50:59 AM
Olympic torches continue to be auctioned off for big profit The value of the spirit of the Olympic flame hasn’t fizzled out as the torch relay approaches its halfway point; an eBay auction selling one of the torches carried in Ontario recently was fetching bids of $1,500 US Wednesday. 12/31/2009 5:28:16 AM
DUI charge could keep Olympics tourists out You're an American who's arrived at the border, or perhaps landed at the airport, on the eve of the Olympics. Those pricey tickets to the opening ceremonies and medal round hockey suddenly have become worthless - to you, anyway - when the Canada Border Services agent orders you to turn around. 12/31/2009 5:05:47 AM
Eight stories that rocked the fitness world Our week-long recap of stories from 2009:: Whether we cheered, cringed or contemplated, the year's defining stories in athletics reverberated far beyond the soccer pitch or ski hill: If the cameras hadn't been rolling, we may never have been introduced to Elizabeth Lambert. 12/30/2009 7:38:48 PM
'Dead mother and son' alive after Christmas 'miracle' (Video) A mother from Colorado who doctors said had died while giving birth to her son, has said it is a Christmas miracle. Tracey Hermanstorfer's heart stopped beating and her son Coltyn appeared lifeless. However a few minutes after he was delivered, both began breathing again. 12/30/2009 5:43:27 PM
Setting some goals to create a memorable year How many of you can say that 2009 was one of your best years of the decade? The year 2010 is the year of the Tiger (the cat) and it has the potential to be a “10” for you if you set some goals that are realistic, measurable and above all, have a fun factor. 12/30/2009 10:53:47 AM
Hungry monkeys belly up to buffet in Thailand We have so much to be thankful to monkeys for: they're the butts of our jokes, the typists on our theoretical typewriters, and the subjects of our medical experiments. Monkeys help us feel as if we've made some evolutionary progress over the past couple million years. Yet seldom do we say thank you. 12/30/2009 10:21:02 AM
God created women to be men's companion: Pope Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday God wanted women to be a companion for men and neither his slave nor dominating boss, as he brought up family issues during his weekly audience at the Vatican. "God created woman from Adam's rib so she would not be dominating, or a slave, but his companion." 12/30/2009 9:58:07 AM
Penticton: School of arts to pitch plans for Shatford If a permanent arts centre is established in Penticton, the city could become an innovative and creative hub of arts and culture. On Jan. 11 the Okanagan School of the Arts plans on sharing its drive to develop a permanent teaching and training centre at the Shatford Building. 12/30/2009 6:03:59 AM
Tomb of warlord Cao Cao found in China Chinese archeologists working in Henan province believe they have found the tomb of Cao Cao, a 3rd century general and ruler known for his ruthlessness. He ruled northern China from 208 to 280 A.D. during the Three Kingdoms period, when what is now modern China was divided into three kingdoms. 12/30/2009 5:59:33 AM
Couple stranded after GPS leads them astray As Starry Bush-Rhoads and her husband, John, drove along a remote Oregon road on Christmas Day, their SUV struggling through freshly fallen snow, the familiar female voice of their GPS system informed them that they had just shaved two minutes off their trip home to Reno, Nev. 12/29/2009 2:06:40 PM
Out with the Aughts: The end of privacy In this series, we look at the ideas that shaped the past decade. Today, the end of privacy...With the advent of online social-networking sites, blogging, celebrity sex tapes and reality television, the past decade has seemed at times like a stampede to surrender privacy. 12/29/2009 10:16:15 AM
Author sues Google, wants money over scanned book A Chinese novelist is suing Google Inc. for scanning her work into its online library. Mian Mian, a counterculture writer known for her lurid tales of sex, drugs and nightlife, filed suit in October after the U.S. search giant scanned her latest book, "Acid House." 12/29/2009 7:51:35 AM
Bristol Palin seeks full custody of baby A judge's ruling has revealed a heated legal custody battle between Sarah Palin's daughter and the father of her grandson. Bristol Palin's request to keep the proceedings closed was denied. Levi Johnston, the father of 1-year-old Tripp, has pushed for open court proceedings. 12/29/2009 6:16:12 AM
What not to say when buying a car It's easy to get excited by a new car, like the Porsche 911 Carrera S which has a six-cylinder, 385-horsepower engine that gets to 60 miles an hour in 4.5 seconds, and it tops out at 188 mph. But if you want a chance at getting a good deal on one of the 2010 models, keep that enthusiasm to yourself. 12/29/2009 6:00:41 AM
Penticton: Ring in the New Year with a helping hand Complimentary champagne — sounds like a great way to bring in the New Year. But, it’s the $3 donation that local night club, Nite Moves, is collecting from patrons New Year’s Eve that is going to make 2010 even better. The money raised will go to a new CT scanner for the Penticton Hospital. 12/29/2009 5:36:33 AM
Boyfriend pillow for Japan singles Japan's single women are being offered the ultimate sleeping partner - a comfort to cuddle up to, but one which does not snore or make demands. The Boyfriend's Arm Pillow, shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm, has been on sale since December. 12/28/2009 5:16:15 AM
War vets, shelter dogs heal together in program Dave Sharpe was troubled by thoughts he could not share after he returned from a tour in Iraq. "I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, punching holes in walls, kicking and beating the refrigerator door," he said. Then one day, he went to a local pit bull rescue and took home a puppy. 12/27/2009 6:26:58 PM
Tribes buy back America — acres at a time Native American tribes tired of waiting for the U.S. government to honor centuries-old treaties are buying back land where their ancestors lived and putting it in federal trust. Native Americans say the purchases will help protect their culture and way of life. 12/27/2009 6:21:15 PM
Great moments in world buffoonery, 2009 Orgies! A teenage girlfriend for a grandfather-aged man! Expensive divorce! And that's just for one world leader. Here's a guide to some of the most buffoonish and outlandish behaviour by leaders on the world stage in 2009. 12/27/2009 5:45:50 PM
'Barefoot bandit' continues to eludes police Eighteen-year-old Colton Harris-Moore is achieving folk hero status as the "Barefoot Bandit" in the US and Canada after a string of burglaries and dare-devil escapes from the law. Harris Moore has a criminal record stretching back to when he was just 12. 12/27/2009 3:22:42 PM
Carla Bruni 'befriends homeless man' in Paris It is a heart-warming tale of rags and riches - or first lady and the tramp. Carla Bruni has reportedly befriended a homeless man who lives near her home in Paris's 16th arrondissement, giving him money and talking about music. 12/27/2009 9:08:52 AM
Chilly swim to mark New Year's Day It will be a bracing and icy start to the new year as around 100 brave or foolhardy swimmers will participate in the Polar Bear Dip at Sunoka Beach on Jan. 1. The event, which begins at noon, will mark its 25th year. People from Summerland and the rest of the Okanagan are expected to take part. 12/27/2009 7:40:15 AM
Christmas Eve North Vancouver house fire had silver lining He lost almost everything in a fire Christmas Eve, but a North Vancouver man still believes he experienced a miracle. He had hidden a diamond engagement ring at the top of the Christmas tree, planning to propose on Christmas morning. "Please," he told a firefighter, "you have to get that." 12/27/2009 5:19:20 AM
Armchair deputies enlisted to patrol US-Mexico border When John Spears gets home from his sales job in New York, he sits down at his computer with a bottle of beer and starts patrolling the US border. He is one of tens of thousands of people around the world who are volunteering to patrol the 1250-mile long (2000 km) stretch between Texas and Mexico via the web. 12/26/2009 8:07:20 PM
OMG, how obsolete am I? I exchange a lot of e-mail with a certain friend of mine, whom I'll call A. A is quite expressive, and until recently she concluded her e-mails by writing, “LOL, A.” Eventually she discovered her mistake – but only after sending several condolence messages 12/26/2009 7:27:30 PM
2009: And the dubious achievement 'winners' are ... Worst Family Planning: Octomom. Though Nadya Suleman already had six children, she convinced a fertility doctor to implant six embryos. After two of them split, she gave birth to octuplets. Even her mother thought she was crazy. 12/26/2009 12:46:35 PM
Canadians have long-standing love affair with skating When Bob Poldon was a young man living in Ottawa, he would grab his skates in the worst weather and head for the Rideau Canal. "I would go out skating at night when it was minus 27 and windy. Beautiful." In the next week or so, when we get a good stint of sub-zero weather, Poldon will be out in the cold again. 12/26/2009 12:10:05 PM
'Polar bear' plunges a healthy way to ring in the new year? Ever get the notion that it would be “fun” or “invigorating” to ring in the New Year with a quick dip in icy Cayuga Lake? Members of the Polar Bear Club do it every year, after all. Well, let Carol Sames knock some sense into you. She does urge caution. 12/26/2009 12:00:07 PM
Indian governor, 86, resigns after tape shows him in bed with 3 women The 86-year-old governor of a southern Indian state resigned Saturday, a day after a television news channel broadcast a tape allegedly showing him in bed with three women, an official said. The television channel ABN Andhra Jyoti News said the tape was made in a sting operation. 12/26/2009 9:26:10 AM
White Spot staff forego wages, tips for charity In a troubled economy, the last thing you'd expect a company to do is give away part of its revenue -- but that's what happened at a Richmond White Spot on Friday, where even the workers were giving away their earnings. 12/26/2009 9:05:00 AM
Fred, the loyal dog, is going to a new home Fred the Dog is going home. Via Rail has offered free tickets for Fred and two Montreal residents who will fly to Vancouver to accompany him on a four-day ride to Montreal and a new home with relatives of his master, who died in November. Fred was found at his side and taken to the local pound. 12/26/2009 6:21:25 AM
Good-doing brands succeed Doing good really does pay, with a global survey finding more than six in 10 people would buy, and recommend, a brand that gave back to society or helped the environment, even if it wasn't the cheapest. (Paul Newman, pictured, was a great example.) 12/26/2009 6:14:19 AM
.Do-it-yourself spa treatments let you indulge without a huge expense Picture yourself at a Palm Springs resort spa modelled after an Italian villa, relaxing in a river-like, saltwater pool surrounded by waterfalls and flagstone. If the image appeals, but the $300-to $400-a-night price tag doesn't, here's an alternative: create your own spa experience at home. 12/26/2009 6:11:00 AM
Penticton Mayor casts eye towards city’s waterfront “The city and the community has done an incredible job if you take a look at Okanagan Lake Park and if you take a look at Marina Way Park. All these new improvements have really made a huge difference down here,” says Ashton. “This is kind of the last piece of the puzzle." 12/26/2009 5:38:58 AM
Books: A Quebec country Christmas Michael and I had been married five years when we moved from Montreal to Sutton, in Quebec's Eastern Townships. It was his second marriage, after losing his first wife, and my only marriage, having spent my life in a primary relationship with myself. Now it was time to love someone else. 12/25/2009 11:38:26 AM
Osoyoos launches 2010 visitors guide The many faces of Osoyoos will again extend their warmest welcome to visitors to the South Okanagan. The 2010 Osoyoos visitors guide features some of the prominent faces from the region gracing the front cover just in time for the Olympics. 12/25/2009 10:11:33 AM
How to sum up the 'Noughties' 2000 - 2009 ?? (Ed: As 2009 draws to a close, you might enjoy this video clip from the BBC World service. Runs about 4 min.) - Time Magazine called it the 'decade from hell', but despite 9/11, two wars and a financial crisis it hasn't been all bad. So how would you describe it? Watch Matt Frei's thoughts. 12/25/2009 9:26:15 AM
Be a smart shopper and avoid Boxing Day scams Boxing Day may yield great bargains, but beware the scams, says the Better Business Bureau. "People get caught up in the excitement of hunting for a great deal and they forget to ask questions before buying," said Lynda Pasacreta, BBB President. 12/25/2009 8:16:05 AM
Money: How a family reaped a 600-per-cent gain Last Christmas, the Quattrone family – father Joe, mother Barbara, Joe, Jenny, and Kateri – did something rather unorthodox. Instead of giving each other presents, they pooled their money and invested it. As it turned out, The stocks they bought did rather well. The Family Fund, which began with $700, is now worth about $5,000. 12/25/2009 7:52:05 AM
What are you doing for New Year’’s? Kelowna is one of the coolest places to be in Canada this New Year‘s Eve, the Toronto Star says. The newspaper‘s Lifestyle magazine has named the Midnight in New Orleans party, planned for the Kelowna Community Theatre, as one of 10 unique places to ring in 2010. 12/25/2009 6:05:38 AM
Kelowna chef turns gingerbread house into a village At the Guishican House Restaurant in Kelowna Thursday, Christmas Eve lunch featured crepes, but chef and proprietor Goerg Rieder had other things on his mind. He was putting the finishing touches on a gingerbread house that grew into a gingerbread village. 12/25/2009 5:49:33 AM
Single present saved in North Vancouver house fire A North Vancouver family has lost all of their belongings in a massive fire the day before Christmas, save for one particularly precious gift Jamie Poole bought for his wife-to-be. One of the most valuable items in the house was a diamond engagement ring, which Poole had stored in a box within the family's Christmas Tree. 12/25/2009 5:46:10 AM
Customer repays Edmonton store — 24 years later When a mysterious caller rang up a camera store in Edmonton two weeks ago, general manager Neil McBain was skeptical. Wanting a private appointment, the man said little. But right on schedule, a nicely dressed man entered the shop. He explained he was a recovering alcoholic wanting to make things right. 12/25/2009 5:42:29 AM
Pregnant mom involved in Calgary sex ring to stay in jail A pregnant mother of three facing removal from Canada after she was arrested during an ongoing investigation of a Calgary sex trade ring will remain behind bars until she is sent back to Hong Kong in the new year. Siu Ling Wong wept quietly during a detention review hearing. 12/25/2009 5:39:00 AM
Salvation Army major slain on Christmas Eve (Video) A Salvation Army major was shot dead in front of his three children on Christmas Eve in North Little Rock, Arkansas, authorities said. Maj. Philip Wise, 40, was gunned down Thursday. He was found lying by the back entrance of a Salvation Army facility, said a police spokesman. 12/25/2009 5:27:43 AM
Canadians still helping tsunami victims, 5 years later Last year, the Canadian Red Cross passed out disposable cameras to 41 children in Indonesia and gave them each an assignment. The children, living in two regions devastated by the 2004 Asian tsunami, were to take photographs of what made them happy. 12/25/2009 5:22:11 AM
Gordie Howe carries torch near Windsor, Ont. After a daylong journey through southern Ontario, where it thrilled thousands in Leamington, Kingsville, Essex, Amherstburg and LaSalle, where it was held high by hockey legend Gordie Howe, the Olympic torch entered the City of Windsor. 12/24/2009 5:34:42 AM
Keremeos: Big league neighbour It may not be the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Wendell Clifton will have some of his baseball memorobilia displayed in perpetuity - or at least for as long as the Crowbar and Grill remains a sports bar after a surprise commemoration event at the restaurant in Keremeos last Thursday. 12/23/2009 2:26:59 PM
Holiday regifting: Naughty or nice? In the Seinfeld episode aptly titled "The Label Maker," Elaine calls Dr. Tim Whatley a "regifter" after he gives Jerry a present originally gifted to him by Elaine. Almost a decade after Elaine popularized the term it's no longer just a punchline -- regifting is a popular gift-giving phenomenon. 12/23/2009 2:12:54 PM
Priest's advice to shoplift should not be taken literally, ethics prof says There is great value — not just controversy — in the words of a British priest who advised his congregation to shoplift, said Clara Joseph, an associate professor and expert in ethics at the University of Calgary. 12/23/2009 6:10:56 AM
Schumacher confirms he's coming out of retirement Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is coming out of retirement to drive for Mercedes in 2010, saying Wednesday that he expects to contend for the title again. The German, who turns 41 on Jan. 3, announced his comeback after three years away from the sport that he dominated. 12/23/2009 6:00:31 AM
Grinch steals Burnaby family's Christmas For the Lavin family, who immigrated to Burnaby from Ireland six months ago, Monday seemed just like any other day. In the afternoon, Karen Lavin loaded her two young children, aged four and six, into the car and drove off to pick up their father Daragh from work. 12/23/2009 5:55:36 AM
N.Z.: Naked biking allowed, with helmet Two young men caught cycling with no clothes on have escaped charges of offensive behaviour, but received a warning to wear protective headgear. Policewoman Cathy Duder was unfazed. "They were more shocked than I was, trying to cover up their bits and pieces with their hands," she said. 12/23/2009 5:25:42 AM
Welfare authorities want young Dutch sailor put in care Child welfare authorities will request a Dutch court on Tuesday to remove teenage sailor Laura Dekker from her father's care after she returned to the Netherlands following her disappearance last week. She was found on the island of St. Martin in the Dutch Antilles, off the coast of Venezuela on Sunday. 12/22/2009 9:57:10 PM
Balloon boy parents must pay $42,000 rescue bill US parents who triggered a major alert by claiming their son was adrift in a helium balloon have been ordered to pay the $42,000 (£26,000) rescue bill. The Colorado couple reported in October that their young son had been carried away by the balloon. 12/22/2009 6:01:29 PM
Animals trump presents for Cody on his eighth Cody McGunigle has a passion for helping animals in need. The David Thompson elementary student donated $321 to the BCSPCA — money that was given him by schoolmates on his eighth birthday party. 12/22/2009 5:27:14 PM
LED Christmas lights don't cut it: holdouts Holdouts to the LED Christmas light revolution are finding it harder to get replacement bulbs for well-loved incandescent strings that have been passed on within families. Steve Walls of Oklahoma has been using the same old-style, torpedo-shaped Christmas lights for years. 12/22/2009 4:53:46 PM
Prince WIlliam sleeps with homeless on London streets Britain’s Prince William spent a night sleeping on the freezing streets of London to draw attention to the plight of homeless people, a charity said Tuesday. William slept on cardboard boxes in an alleyway near the River Thames last week. 12/22/2009 8:49:16 AM
One of Canada's Great Escapees dies at 91 The most fascinating entry on his resume was Harold Garland's involvement as a Second World War prisoner of war in the mass breakout later immortalized by the Hollywood film The Great Escape. Though Garland wasn't among the escapees, he helped to make it happen. 12/22/2009 5:21:27 AM
Dying man tried out his coffin first A month before cancer finally claimed his life, Craig Royce told his family there was something he wanted to do – pick his own coffin. His wife and daughter were mortified but, on a doctor's advice, they didn't stand in his way. 12/21/2009 8:46:50 PM
Salvation Army demand up, donations down Demand for Salvation Army services is up by about 25 percent across B.C., yet donations have fallen far short of this year's targets. "Our kettles are almost half a million dollars behind where they need to be to meet our goals," says Major Brian Venables, a Salvation Army spokesman. 12/21/2009 5:36:16 PM
D.C. chief slams cop over gun at snowball fight The city's police chief slammed a veteran detective Monday for pulling a gun during a mass snowball fight. Chief Cathy Lanier said she watched video clips from the confrontation and has no doubt the off-duty detective pulled his gun after snowballs hit his personal car. 12/21/2009 4:47:41 PM
Sarah Palin's health care 'death panels' warning named 'Lie of the Year' PolitiFact.com has chosen an August Facebook posting by Sarah Palin, warning that Barack Obama's health care reform would bring "death panels" was chosen by 61% of the 4,864 award voters. The next runner-up with a paltry 12.3% of votes was talk show host Glenn Beck. 12/21/2009 12:51:32 PM
Buying Toys as an investment for your child You still have a few more days to buy two toys for each child on your Christmas list. Make a gift of one, and hide away the other toy unopened in its original box for 20 years. In 2029, give the now-grown child the second copy, which they can sell to a collector and use to buy a house -- or at least a sofa. 12/21/2009 11:59:04 AM
British priest urges congregation to shoplift A British Anglican priest is facing criticism following a controversial sermon in which he advises his congregation to shoplift, according to a report from The Daily Mail. Rev. Tim Jones, 41, told his followers stealing from large chain stores is sometimes the best option for the poor. 12/21/2009 11:54:50 AM
John Baird has reneged on airline ad reforms Transport Minister John Baird has reneged on a commitment to hold public consultations this fall as the last step in a long-delayed plan to force airlines to advertise the full price of airfares. After 30 months, it hasn’t happened. Critics say this latest delay shows the government is stalling. 12/21/2009 7:20:19 AM
When in doubt: an atheist's Christmas I lost my faith in God when I was 13. It wasn't as if I hadn't tried. Before my confirmation in the Episcopalian Church of Wilmette, Ill., I spent months in ardent prayer, longing for a conversion experience that would erase my growing doubts. Sadly, it didn't happen. 12/21/2009 5:06:16 AM
Savona: How Tigger came in from the cold When we moved into our home, homeless Tigger spent much of his time on our porch. Over the month, my husband Jordan and I realized that no one was feeding Tigger, as we had originally assumed. Soon we were buying cat food and putting it out on the porch. 12/21/2009 4:58:19 AM
Missing Dutch teen sailor found in Antilles A Dutch teenager who went missing after child welfare authorities thwarted her attempt to become the youngest person to sail singlehanded round the world has been found in the Dutch Antilles. Laura Dekker, 14, has been found on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. 12/20/2009 4:16:46 PM
Standing in for Santa Claus made my Saturday "Was that Santa?" Hearing that innocent statement drift down the hallway in one of the upper floors of a dilapidated Jane-and-Finch highrise seriously made my day. If the incredibly warm "thank you" the boy's father had given me was any indication, Santa really did need a little help this season. 12/20/2009 12:18:46 PM
Switching from one race car to another - what's the big deal? It’s interesting how many people are suggesting that Danica Patrick won’t be able to make the transition from Indy cars to stock cars and that, in fact, she’ll likely fall flat on her kisser. Okay, perhaps all forms of car racing have become so sophisticated as compared to the "olden days" that it’s not all that easy 12/20/2009 6:06:58 AM
Flying Chihuahuas! Dogs head east due to glut Chihuahuas have been flying out of California since other states learned about the glut of little dogs in the Golden State. A group of 25 dogs has already arrived at the Humane Society in New Hampshire, thanks to "Grey's Anatomy" actress Katherine Heigl, Kinder4Rescue in Studio City and American Airlines. 12/20/2009 5:40:32 AM
Paradise lost for many Canadian rural dwellers Wendy Deavitt remembers the day in 2001 when she spotted her dream home in the country. At the end of a tree-dotted gravel driveway stood the farmhouse and adjacent horse barn that turned her fantasy about rural living into a reality. “This is heaven,” she recalls thinking. 12/20/2009 5:13:13 AM
Penticton Chamber of commerce ushers in changes Nominations are open for the 2009 Community Business Excellence Awards which is themed “The Sport of Business Excellence” to honour the 2010 Games here in B.C. If you have someone you would like to nominate, you have until Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. to get your application in to the Penticton Chamber. 12/20/2009 4:46:03 AM
Survivor, families struggle with aftermath of avalanche that killed eight Jeff Adams' tormented mission drove him again and again to the mountain ridge that spewed deadly waves of snow last December. Each time he returned, Adams would dig up debris left behind from the frantic rescue effort: snowmobiles, helmets, pieces of winter gear. 12/20/2009 4:38:30 AM
Prayer boosts forgiveness: study "What seems to be operative here is that people experience a selfless love when they pray; they appear to be connecting more with humanity and feeling more positively toward humanity as a whole. That's what leads them to be more willing to forgive." 12/19/2009 6:42:26 PM
Bookies take bets on size of Woods divorce settlement If Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife get divorced, Elin Nordegren won't be the only one collecting on the settlement. British bookmaker William Hill is taking bets on just how much Nordegren will get if she decides to divorce the world's No. 1 golfer. 12/19/2009 6:21:34 PM
$50M lotto winner plays Santa A small-town Manitoba ringette player was given a big-time Christmas present thanks to a chance encounter with one of the province's newest multimillionaires. The mother and daughter said they plan to pass on Kirby Fontaine's kindness by doing something generous for someone else. 12/19/2009 6:13:23 PM
Dad somehow lifts car off 6-year-old girl A Kansas mother is praising a neighbor as "Superman" after her 6-year-old daughter told her he somehow found the strength to lift a car off her. The girl escaped with minor injuries after she and neighbor Nick Harris said she was pinned under the vehicle. 12/19/2009 1:37:40 PM
SESS to present “The Wiz” “The Wiz” is coming to SESS in Keremeos in January. Little Theatre Company is proud to present the wonderful musical version of “The Wizard of Oz”. “The Wiz” is a jazzy, upbeat version of the original story. The musical is directed by Scott Tremblay. 12/19/2009 6:27:33 AM
Canadian-British couple split by immigration officials reunited for Christmas Chantel Barden is reuniting with her husband for the holidays, and this time, she hopes it's permanent. The Alberta woman met Darren Jarrad, 28, more than three years ago while he was in Canada with the British army at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in southern Alberta. 12/19/2009 6:12:51 AM
Two-legged dog Faith inspires after learning to walk A two-legged dog named Faith is inspiring disabled veterans across the United States after learning how to walk upright, despite missing her two front legs. She was rescued from a junkyard in January 2003. Faith was nursed back to health and taught how to walk by Reuben Stringfellow and his mother, Jude. 12/19/2009 5:31:21 AM
Porn popular with young web surfers Just when you thought little Susie was surfing for news of Twilight or Johnny was looking for Lego parts comes the distressing news from Symantec that youngsters have put sex and porn among the top overall search terms for kids age 18 and under. Symantec announced the results of data collected. 12/19/2009 4:49:14 AM
Boy, 4, caught with beer, stolen gifts Tennessee investigators say a 4-year-old boy was found roaming his neighborhood in the night, drinking beer and wearing a little girl’s dress taken from under a neighbor’s Christmas tree. The child’s mother said the boy “wants to go to jail because that’s where his daddy is.” 12/19/2009 4:09:45 AM
The do's and don'ts of trying to act younger As older employees are increasingly surrounded by younger ones, they risk displaying telltale signs of their age that can lead to unfair stereotyping. It's a tricky balancing act: You don't want to come across as an oldster, or try too hard to appear young. 12/18/2009 12:34:08 PM
Herald's Be An Angel campaign goes over the top! So far, this year‘s Be an Angel campaign is over the top. With about a week to go, it has amassed $17,600 easily surpassing the target of $15,000 set out when the campaign launched on Dec. 1. The funds raised go towards the Christmas hampers that will be given to families in need in the area. 12/18/2009 5:00:42 AM
Seniors' home residents need more protection: ombudsperson Residents of B.C. seniors' homes need a bill of rights, better access to information online, and greater say, according to a long-awaited report. Carter spent months listening to seniors and their families, hearing complaints about dreadful food, soiled linens, inadequate cleaning, and staff shortages. 12/18/2009 4:58:04 AM
The Zalm loves every minute of HST fight Ex-premier Bill Vander Zalm is in his glory these days, soaking up the most positive press he's enjoyed in years with his robust and spirited crusade against the HST. He pleaded with Premier Gordon Campbell's MLAs to rise up against the tax. He appealed to federal MPs, too. 12/17/2009 5:06:47 PM
'Bigots' react to Brison's Christmas card Nova Scotia Liberal MP Scott Brison has received some negative feedback from "a handful of bigots" who didn't like his Christmas card. The politician's glossy holiday greeting features him and his spouse casually dressed and posing in a pastoral setting with their golden retriever. 12/17/2009 4:49:45 PM
Olympics’ Molson Canadian Hockey House slashes entry price to $99 Molson Canadian Hockey House officials have slashed the entry price to the Olympic hockey pavilion from $500 for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink, all-day pass to $99 for a "Fan Zone" pass that lets you stay for half a day. The passes allow access to entertainment and food but only include two drinks. 12/17/2009 3:55:04 PM
The grim reality of life as Flight Attendant (Ed: BA workers had voted to strike before Christmas. The court just stopped that). British Airways' Imogen Edwards-Jones says that it’s no wonder cabin crew have had enough — the old days of job satisfaction and glamour are long gone. 12/17/2009 2:05:46 PM
50 of the world's best design blogs Do you aspire to something more original than a generic Ikea-filled home? These blogs are full of inspired home-styling ideas, handmade items and vintage and modern homeware, as well as tips for upcycling old furniture. All post regularly and have a strong identity with original content. 12/17/2009 1:25:25 PM
Formerly homeless hero honoured He selflessly rescued two people from drowning on separate occasions this summer. And on Wednesday, Faron Hall, once lovingly dubbed Winnipeg's "homeless hero," was honoured three times for his bravery. At the time of the first rescue, Hall had been homeless for years. 12/17/2009 1:06:01 PM
'Sexting' on the rise among U.S. teens (Canadians too) Fifteen per cent of U.S. teenagers aged 12 to 17 who own cellphones have received nude or nearly nude images of someone they know, according to a survey. The Pew survey found that girls and boys were equally as likely to have sent a suggestive picture to another person. 12/17/2009 7:30:36 AM
Salvation Army struggling with campaign With a week to go until Christmas Eve, the Salvation Army has raised just half its $16-million goal for this year's kettle campaign to match 2008 donations, even while it estimates the need for its feeding centres, food banks and Christmas hampers is up 10 to 40 per cent across Canada. 12/17/2009 7:21:34 AM
Check your Facebook privacy settings. Now! If Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg can't figure out his social networking site's privacy settings after they were ripped open earlier this month, what hope is there for the rest of us? Zuckerberg has since slammed the door on his Facebook profile's open access, and it's time for you to do the same. 12/17/2009 6:19:24 AM
Efforts grow to transport loyal dog from Vancouver Island to late master's Montreal family Fred the dog might not make it home for Christmas, but he has already given his late master's grieving family a present. Fred ended up at the Parksville, B.C., pound Nov. 30 after police found him at Cyril Roy's side three days after the 58-year-old died alone of heart failure. 12/17/2009 6:09:55 AM
Britain: Parents giving children alcohol 'fuels binge drinking' Parents who allow their children alcohol at home may be increasing the chances of future drinking problems. Sir Liam Donaldson accused some parents of a "laissez-faire" approach and said letting children taste alcohol to ready them for adulthood was "misguided". 12/17/2009 5:56:44 AM
Unholy row over Virgin Mary image An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ. A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow". 12/17/2009 5:54:23 AM
'Do the right thing' and ignore Woodlands settlement cutoff Former residents of Woodlands School and their advocates are calling on B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong to lift an “arbitrary cutoff date” that will see more than 500 victims of abuse not eligible for compensation. “Premier Gordon Campbell should do the right thing." 12/17/2009 5:21:52 AM
Cindy Crawford, Michael Phelps among Vancouver Olympic visitors Supermodel Cindy Crawford heads a list of Omega celebrity "ambassadors" who will visit Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics, Omega confirmed today. The Olympic sponsor said Crawford will appear at an event to be held Feb. 14 at the Omega boutique at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. 12/16/2009 1:17:58 PM
Students are a force for change Several less fortunate families in the South Okanagan will have a bit more joy this Christmas, thanks to the generosity and dedication of students at Penticton Secondary. In less than a month, the students at Pen High managed to collect enough spare change to help out 15 families. 12/16/2009 1:05:57 PM
Chihuahua frozen to death in domestic dispute A Southern Alberta man who allegedly left the family dog to freeze to death during a domestic dispute has been charged with two criminal offences. Temperatures in the Brooks area dipped to –31 C on Monday, as a deep freeze gripped most of Alberta. 12/16/2009 5:57:40 AM
Tony Parsons' 35-year reign on Global TV ends Wednesday night Tony Parsons is wrapping up 35 years as the voice and face of Global TV’s supper-hour newscast Wednesday night, but says he’s not ready to give up TV news. “[Wednesday] is my last day doing the broadcast,” Parsons said Tuesday. “I’m not retiring, I’m just leaving Global TV.” 12/16/2009 5:28:55 AM
Fairytales come true for local children Adrenaline could easily have fueled the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet to destination Disneyland last Thursday morning. Leaving the aircraft the group was met by over 100 people, including representatives of the Orange County Sheriffs Department, the kids’ companions for the day. 12/16/2009 4:54:21 AM
Victims of Keremeos house fire look for support Brian Brown and his family are trying to put their lives together after fire left them homeless in Keremeos last week. Brown is finding himself considerably stressed, having been subjected to a couple of experiences that have left him wondering what has happened to some people’s sense of humanity. 12/15/2009 4:21:17 PM
Television evangelist Oral Roberts dies at 91 Television evangelist Oral Roberts has died, a posting on the Oral Roberts Ministries site said Tuesday. He was 91. "The Oral Roberts University family was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our dear Chancellor, Oral Roberts," Oral Roberts University President Mark Rutland said. 12/15/2009 12:14:42 PM
$53million Joke: Cornwall inquiry fails to quash pedophile ring rumours There were systemic failures in how local and provincial institutions responded to historical allegations of sexual abuse in Cornwall, Ont., a public inquiry has found. "Throughout this inquiry I have heard evidence that suggested that there were cases of joint abuse, passing of alleged victims." 12/15/2009 11:53:52 AM
Tiger Woods speaks of family values in interview Tiger Woods spoke of his commitment to his family during an interview screened in New Zealand on Tuesday that was conducted before his car crash and subsequent admission of several infidelities. Asked in the interview "family first and golf second ... always been that way?" Woods replied: "Always. Always." 12/15/2009 9:04:13 AM
Summerland: Torch relay participants sought When the Olympic torch passes through the community on Jan. 25, it will be a time to celebrate. A ceremony at Centre Stage Theatre Jan. 24th will recognize Summerlanders who are taking part in the torch relay. The last part is proving difficult, since names of the participants are not being released. 12/15/2009 8:24:46 AM
Noisy sex woman admits breaching court order A woman who was given an anti-social behaviour order banning her from making loud noises during sex has admitted breaching the order. Caroline and Steve Cartwright's love-making was described as "murder" and "unnatural" at Newcastle Crown Court. 12/15/2009 6:52:25 AM
Urn with human ashes turns up at Value Village Employees at a Value Village in east Saint John got an unusual donation over the weekend: an urn filled with human ashes. Leisa Dube said the staff's curiosity was piqued when they saw the crematorium sticker on the outside of the urn. 12/15/2009 6:34:57 AM
Americans more generous than Canadians: Report The holiday season is a time for giving, and according to a report released Monday. "There's a commonly held notion that Canadians are more generous than Americans, but this is clearly not true," said the report's co-author. 12/15/2009 5:12:54 AM
If you see a doctor coming, swerve Is there a connection between your career and how you perform on the road? Yes, according to researchers at Quality Planning Corp., a San Francisco-based firm that validates policyholder information for insurance companies...I was floored by the results. 12/15/2009 4:42:03 AM
Tiger Woods wired regular payments to girlfriends According to several women who were involved with the golfer, Woods wired money to them on a monthly basis. The dollar amounts they cite range from $5,000 to $10,000 per month, and there’s talk among those women that someone out there might be getting as much as $20,000 per month. 12/14/2009 7:35:40 PM
Emotional funeral for lost boy in Nova Scotia Police, paramedics and ground searchers each placed a spruce cutting on top of James Delorey's casket following a funeral Monday for the little boy who died last week after spending two nights lost in the woods. Rev. Errol MacDonald said during the sermon that Canadians didn't get the miracle they hoped for. 12/14/2009 3:44:47 PM
Tiger Woods update: Betrayals mount as mistress deals some low blows On Sunday, Jamie Jungers made a bid for her fifteen minutes of infamy, telling the British tabloid News of the World that she was with Woods at his family home in California when his father died. The affair lasted eighteen months, during which time she was a regular visitor to Woods's home. 12/14/2009 3:03:36 PM
America's richest families For Sam Walton, low prices meant vast riches. By 1985, Walton was America's richest man. At the time of his death in 1992 he and his family were worth at least $23 billion, proceeds of a life spent selling everything he could fit under the roofs of his Wal-Mart stores. 12/14/2009 2:18:08 PM
Dogs are better pets than cats, study finds The New Scientist is resorting to science to try to find the truth about cats and dogs. Using a wealth of recent research to measure pets in 11 categories, the magazine has come to the reluctant conclusion that dogs are better pets than cats, by a whisker. 12/14/2009 2:11:12 PM
New Facebook privacy settings make your private photos public As far as I can tell there is no way to keep your profile picture private on Facebook anymore. Not only that, Facebook has also now decided, in its infinite wisdom, that the whole world should know who all your friends are and what organizations, TV shows and/or political parties you are a fan of. 12/14/2009 9:27:45 AM
Marijuana Mom and the Cannabis Kid The crop has been harvested, and Diane Irwin's secret technique paid off. "Every morning I would go out and talk to my girls," she said, "pray over them and ask them to provide good medicine." Her "girls" are marijuana plants destined for her son Jason's medical marijuana dispensary in Denver. 12/14/2009 8:55:35 AM
Miss February found 12 strangers to pose naked for Babes go Bare fundraising calendar Don't be surprised to see Joseph Caddy hawking calendars around town. After all, his pretty, vivacious daughter Trish is Miss February. She's also naked as a jaybird, with just a cocked leg and strategically placed hand protecting her modesty. But that doesn't bother Joseph. 12/14/2009 8:18:32 AM
Grandpa doesn't want another necktie Sometimes it is hard to find a present for an older person – especially someone who is downsizing and wants no more "stuff." What they really want is time together, say those who work with seniors. "They love their family to visit and to have Christmas together," says elder caregiver Lorraine Tischart. 12/14/2009 7:25:53 AM
Manitoba leads Canada in charitable giving: Report The holiday season is a time for giving, and according to a report released Monday, Manitoba is Santa Claus. For the 10th year in a row, Manitoba beat out every other Canadian province and territory with the most number of charitable donations given in 2009. 12/14/2009 5:17:56 AM
'Baby-faced' people live longer People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age than those who look more than their years, work shows. Danish scientists say appearance alone can predict survival, after they studied 387 pairs of twins. 12/14/2009 4:56:49 AM
Summerland: Dogs provide therapy Murphy is a four- year-old Bernese Mountain Dog From Summerland. He and Karen Christensen have been part of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program since May 2009. They visit the residential care facility at Summerland Seniors’ Village weekly. 12/14/2009 4:16:34 AM
Penticton: Efforts brighten a lonely Christmas “One wakes up to a bleak, small Christmas morning usually with snow on the ground. It seems to make this otherwise special day that much more alone and lonely,” begins Robert Enns’ description of Christmases past. Like many in Penticton with a mental illness, Enns lives alone. 12/13/2009 9:26:22 PM
Healing powers of a good guitar Hari Sihvo, known as "the guitar guy" to many of his friends' children, is sitting in the living room of his comfortable house in Scarborough surrounded by stringed instruments. A 45-year-old executive with Molson Canada Inc., Sihvo is, like many of his generation, passionate about pop music. 12/13/2009 8:20:14 PM
Good! Bankers 'whacked' in arcade game An arcade game that allows people to vent their anger at bankers has proved so popular the owner keeps having to replace worn out mallets. Inventor Tim Hunkin introduced "Whack a Banker", which is based on the older "Whack a Mole" game, at his arcade in Suffolk. "I keep having to replace worn-out mallets," he said. 12/13/2009 10:58:33 AM
More heat on Facebook as privacy advocates slam changes Privacy advocates slammed revamped Facebook privacy controls on Thursday, saying the change masks a move to get members to expose more information online. The controversy came a day after Facebook began requiring users to refine settings with a new software tool. 12/13/2009 10:33:45 AM
Stick to list, shop, go home: credit expert Consumers can keep to their holiday budgets if they bring a list of what they want to buy and follow it religiously while shopping, says the executive director of Credit Canada. "Stick to the list and make sure you have a dollar amount there, and when you are done with that list, go home." 12/13/2009 9:48:25 AM
Miss Penticton Royalty program holding meetings The Miss Penticton Royalty program is gearing up for the next chapter in its long and storied history. The committee is inviting students in Grade 11 or 12 to take part in the program that provides an opportunity to learn valuable life skills and represent Penticton as an ambassador. 12/13/2009 8:12:17 AM
Going green with a real tree You can’t wipe the friendly grin off Josh Ilott’s face and who can blame him, considering who his customers are. “Almost every person that comes here is happy and leaves happy,” said Ilott beneath a heavy jacket and hood that covers his head. 12/13/2009 5:41:52 AM
Lottery winners reshaping Manitoba community It was a massive lottery jackpot. And now, on the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, about 100km from Winnipeg, signs are starting to emerge of the generosity of the couple who last month won $50 million. But getting people to talk about Kirby and Marie Fontaine is no easy task. 12/12/2009 11:22:18 AM
The dawn of a new day in sexual liberation is upon us? As the glitter settles on the Queen Elizabeth stage after three consecutive performances from pop iconoclast Lady Gaga, the cultural ground is rumbling: In the realm of human sexual expression, a seismic shift in underway. 12/12/2009 11:11:56 AM
Why (most) women like to shop, and men don't Our ancestors didn't shop for holiday gifts, but the way we buy may owe credit to thousands of years of evolution. In a new study, researchers propose that our mall-visiting behaviors harken back to the days when men hunted and women foraged. 12/12/2009 9:07:26 AM
Disneyland Trip a screaming good time for sick kids The 2009 Sunshine Dreamlift to Disneyland was a scream, literally. The 81 kids screamed as their Boeing 737 rocketed down the runway at Kelowna Airport. They screamed again when they passed low over the Magic Kingdom. They screamed as they careered around the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 12/12/2009 7:11:48 AM
Toronto rejects streetcar ad promoting infidelity Life is short. So was this affair. It took about a day for an infidelity-promoting ad to go from what philandering website AshleyMadison.com thought was a done deal to the dustbin of streetcar advertising when the Toronto Transit Commission rejected it Friday. 12/12/2009 5:04:51 AM
Genetic 'map' of Asia's diversity An international scientific effort has revealed the genetics behind Asia's diversity. Their findings support the hypothesis that Asia was populated primarily through a single migration event from the south. Previously, there has been some debate about whether Asia was populated in two waves. 12/12/2009 4:44:56 AM
US woman of 98 accused of choking roommate aged 100 A Massachusetts jury has charged a woman of 98 with suffocating her 100-year-old nursing home roommate after complaining of too many visitors. Police in Dartmouth initially believed Elizabeth Barrow had committed suicide but eventually recommended a murder charge against Laura Lundquist. 12/12/2009 4:41:30 AM
Facebook: Depressed woman fails to recoup benefits A Quebec woman who says her disability pay for depression was cancelled because of her Facebook profile has lost her first bid to have her benefits restored while she battles her insurance company. Manulife stopped paying her sick-leave benefits, and her mortgage company, Desjardins, ended her insurance payments. 12/11/2009 3:24:23 PM
Whitehorse dog spared from death row needs a home Months after a Yukon court spared Trevor the dog from euthanization at the city pound, the Humane Society Yukon is still unable to find a suitable home for the troubled canine. (Ed: That's because the court order came with some pretty stupid conditions, like Trevor has to stay in Whitehorse. Why?) 12/11/2009 10:16:51 AM
Tiger Woods paid $60K for kinky sex, three-ways, claims Hollywood madam Tiger Woods was into threesomes and shelled out more than $60,000 to cat around with high-priced hookers, a Hollywood madam claimed Thursday. Woods "had a pretty big appetite for women" added Michelle Braun, as the world famous athlete's list of extramarital "transgressions" continues to grow. 12/11/2009 9:41:37 AM
Court grants injunction to bar naked photos of Tiger British lawyers acting on behalf of Tiger Woods have won a British court order banning publication in Britain of any photos or video showing him nude or having sex. Several outlets have reported that Playgirl is in possession of nude photos of a man resembling Woods. 12/11/2009 9:33:49 AM
The Grape Divide: What women want Walk into any wine outlet and chances are 50-50 you'll see a woman buying wine. No surprise there. It's a fact of the wine market here that women love wine as much as men, even more so when it comes to whites and rose. But there's a fundamental difference between the two sexes. 12/11/2009 5:26:21 AM
Sex, lies and online profiles: Can you spot the fakes? Women lie more about their weight and men more about their height and balding patterns, says new research into deception in online dating profiles from a Cornell University professor who once worked as a Canadian border guard. Online daters who are lying tend to avoid using the words “I” and “me.” 12/10/2009 7:04:24 PM
239 lbs. lighter, he’s ‘Biggest Loser’ of all time Like the previous seven seasons of “The Biggest Loser,” Tuesday’s finale ended with dramatic weight losses and one fit winner. But season 8 also had a few surprises, including a live marriage proposal and a new big-money challenge for one contestant. 12/10/2009 5:41:51 PM
100-year-old N.Y. child molester to be freed New York's oldest registered sex offender is scheduled to move by out of a Buffalo halfway house and into a place of his own, after completing his latest prison term for molesting little girls. Being grandfatherly was how the 5-foot-5, 150-pound Sypnier found his victims, authorities say. 12/10/2009 5:37:54 PM
Roomba - Top Christmas gift for a Family (Video) It seems that every year before Christmas time the popularity of the automatic vaccum cleaner, the Roomba, surges. Roomba is the small electric circle that can sense dirt on a floor, then go and pick it up. The Roomba gained worldwide popularity 4 years ago and has been a popular gift ever since. 12/10/2009 11:27:31 AM
Cosmetic surgery becoming part of wedding to-do list More than half of Britain's brides-to-be and 39 percent of grooms are considering cosmetic surgery or an aesthetic treatment in preparation for their wedding, according to a new study. Treatments and procedures range from botox through to breast augmentation. 12/10/2009 11:11:01 AM
Tiger Woods 'mistress' apologises to wife Cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs has issued an on-air apology to Tiger Woods’ wife, saying that she was “deeply sorry for never considering her” during her 31-month affair with the golf star. 12/10/2009 7:49:33 AM
Chemistry puts pep in dancing steps Chemistry -- just how important is it in any relationship or when you're dating? I'm not talking about just sex. I'm talking about butterflies in the stomach, that aching feeling of missing and needing that person to be in your presence? I say "very" and here's why. 12/10/2009 7:36:45 AM
Facebook faces criticism on privacy change Digital rights groups and bloggers have heaped criticism on Facebook's changed privacy policy. Critics said the changes were unwelcome and "nudged" people towards sharing updates with the wider web and made them findable via search engines. 12/10/2009 7:28:30 AM
End near for historic building with a naughty past A 100-year-old building with a storied - and sometimes naughty - history could soon be torn down in Vancouver's West End to make way for a 20-storey rental and market housing tower. The building is currently occupied by a cabaret, Maxine's Hideaway. 12/10/2009 7:20:14 AM
Okanagan Dreamlift becomes a reality The gasp of 81 excited children said it all. They were watching a video of the Disneyland log ride, knowing that in less than 24 hours it would be them getting soaked in the Magic Kingdom. At 6 a.m. today, the Southern Interior kids boarded an Alaska Airlines Boeing 747 for a whirlwind day at Disneyland. 12/10/2009 6:44:17 AM
Penticton Art Gallery: Last call for 2010 art Time is running out for artists wanting to participate in the 2010 Legacies Now Exhibition planned for the Penticton Art Gallery in January, with only a few days left for artists to get their confirmation and artist statement by Dec. 18. The gallery has issued an open invitation to artists from across B.C. 12/10/2009 5:58:07 AM
Most Canadians believe Afghan detainees tortured: poll Despite recent testimony from Rick Hillier, the former chief of defence staff, and other top generals before a parliamentary committee, the majority of Canadians believe that some prisoners who were handed to Afghan authorities by the military were tortured. 12/10/2009 5:38:40 AM
Outrigger Canoes: Radical ocean racing Two local outrigger paddlers recently competed in the Vaka Eiva Outrigger canoe races in Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Seven days of racing and ceremonies saw paddlers competing in one and six-person boats at varying distances. 12/10/2009 4:44:56 AM
Big White big thrill for Hawaiian family What do Hawaiian children do the first time they see snow? After watching Charlie Brown‘s Christmas on TV, Rylan and Alyssa Sakai made snow angels as soon as they arrived at Big White. “We had a snowball fight, we made snow angels and we tasted snow,” said their mother, Rae, with a laugh. 12/10/2009 4:37:11 AM
Pink stinks campaign: Pink is the new crack On one level the campaign, founded by London sisters Abi and Emma Moore, is about the tyranny of pink, but more importantly it’s about widening the world view for girls and giving them role models apart from pop stars and reality TV contestants. 12/9/2009 8:57:00 PM
How Tiger Woods affair story is playing in Sweden The saga of Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, has played out on a huge stage here in North America, writ large on Web sites, TVs and tabloids alike. The same can be said in Sweden, where Nordegren is a major public figure. 12/9/2009 7:29:44 PM
Sarah Palin's dad and 'the minority type thing' Sarah Palin's school years come back to haunt again, this time with a quote from father Chuck Heath. During the presidential campaign, the media scrutinized her college history, which begins in -- of all places -- Hawaii, Obama's home state. 12/9/2009 6:28:30 PM
91-year-old almost-Olympian carries torch in Quebec With more than a thousand people cheering Peter Duncan skied down Quebec’s Mont Tremblant ski resort, his arms in the air, and one hand holding the Olympic torch. At the bottom he handed the torch over to 91-year-old Peggy Austin who would have made the Olympics but for WW11. 12/9/2009 6:12:22 PM
B.C. homeless win court fight over tent cities Homeless people have the right to set up temporary camps in public parks if the community cannot provide enough shelter beds. A British Columbia Court of Appeal panel upheld a lower court ruling that a ban on so-called tent cities in parks violated a homeless person's constitutional right. 12/9/2009 5:31:31 PM
Small horses a big attraction in Texas When the horses you're herding are about the size of chunky golden retrievers, roundup time is no big deal in this part of south-central Texas. Sister Angela certainly had few problems corralling her frisky purebred miniature horses in time for the early-morning arrival of tourists. 12/9/2009 4:51:05 PM
Bribing the motivation out of our kids My daughter came home from school today with another prize she earned from the treasure chest. Her behaviour was in the "green" zone all week, which meant she earned a trip to the prize box. Kids who end up in "red" don't get a reward. At the dentist, she gets another prize. 12/9/2009 4:37:55 PM
Iraqi man, lucky dog reunite after Baghdad blast Liza is one lucky dog. And so, it turns out, is her family. The ginger-colored mutt stranded alone atop the bombed-out ruins of her Baghdad home was reunited with her owners Wednesday after a night spent chained to a railing, bringing a few smiles after the Iraqi capital's latest day of sorrow. 12/9/2009 1:47:48 PM
Aboriginals more likely to volunteer than non-natives: Study First Nations, Inuit and Metis have higher rates of volunteerism and family involvement than non-aboriginal Canadians. The study found that more than 70 per cent of First Nations adults living on-reserve volunteered within their own community, compared to 46 per cent of adult Canadians. 12/9/2009 12:45:48 PM
Testosterone leads to fairness, not aggression: researchers Testosterone doesn't cause people to become aggressive or risky as many people believe but actually encourages fairness. Instead, the study, published this week in Nature, found that women who received the testosterone behaved more fairly and had fewer conflicts in their negotiations. 12/9/2009 11:44:59 AM
Anonymous donor feeds more than 1,000 More than 1,000 of Windsor, Ont.'s neediest citizens were served a turkey dinner — with stuffing, potatoes and gravy — thanks to an $8,500 gift to the local Salvation Army. They were also treated to a performance by a local orchestra and top-notch service from more than 100 volunteers. 12/9/2009 11:28:42 AM
Cop arrested for attack on boyfriend having sex with her daughter A sheriff's corrections deputy was arrested Monday for assaulting a man at gunpoint who was having sex with her daughter in the deputy's home. Dorethea Collier, 48, was charged with false imprisonment, aggravated assault and battery for the Nov. 2 incident. 12/9/2009 10:18:22 AM
Tiger Woods: Porn star Joslyn James is tenth woman, so far A pornography actress was today the tenth woman to be linked to scandal-hit golfer Tiger Woods. Joslyn James, who has starred in a number of extremely explicit adult films, allegedly slept with the sportsman on a number of occasions. 12/9/2009 6:29:11 AM
Barry Bonds son arrrested for assaulting his mother Nikolai Bonds was an omnipresent cheerleader during his father's quest for history. Now he's 19 and arrested for assaulting his mother. They grow up so fast. For unknown reasons, Nikolai went after Sun Bonds, Barry's wife from 1988 to 1994. 12/9/2009 6:25:10 AM
Why is the NBA getting a pass in Donaghy, referee scandal? You get the feeling that a bunch of real-life Tony Sopranos and Don Corleones could sit courtside at an NBA game, hand out $100 bills to the refs as they run by, and the league executives would still insist that the NBA is clean as a whistle. Credibility problems? What credibility problems? 12/9/2009 6:04:23 AM
Beware cheaters: Your lover's spouse can sue you The next time a married man or woman glances your way, you might think twice before acting on impulse and frolicking between satin sheets. The scorned spouse could sue you. Yes, you read that right. You, the paramour, can get hit with a lawsuit. 12/9/2009 5:56:37 AM
Holy cow? White cross on forehead of calf A holy cow in Connecticut, perhaps? Or maybe a divine bovine? A calf with a white marking on its forehead in the approximate shape of a cross was born last week at a dairy farm. Neighborhood children have named it Moses. 12/9/2009 5:31:06 AM
TV chosen over longer life: Poll What would you refuse to give up even if it added five healthy years to your life? According to many Canadians, you can put television on that list — and don’t try to take away booze or red meat, either. The breakdown was more pronounced along gender lines. 12/9/2009 5:27:55 AM
Tennessee Mayor sorry for Obama 'Peanuts' accusation A Tennessee mayor is apologizing for writing on his Facebook page that President Barack Obama deliberately timed a speech last week to block the "Peanuts" Christmas special. Russell Wiseman also said the president is Muslim. Obama is Christian. 12/8/2009 6:27:31 PM
Holiday magic awaits local youngsters Penticton’s Shayna Stickney will be among 81 very special passengers on board Thursday morning’s flight leaving Kelowna International Airport and winging its way south to the “Happiest Place on Earth.” 12/8/2009 5:12:11 PM
The Jungle Book predators who have forged a lifelong friendship They make an unlikely trio, but Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger have forged an unusually strong bond. Considering that they would be mortal enemies if they ever were to meet in the wild, it is stunning to see their unique and genuine friendship in these intimate pictures. 12/8/2009 5:06:51 PM
Woman who battled cancer by embarking on string of adventures plunges 100m to her death A young woman who battled cancer by going on a series of adventures plunged 100m to her death whilst on a family walking holiday. Ruth Holdway, 29, is believed to have stumbled whilst clambering across rocks to explore a tunnel behind a waterfall on the island of Madeira last week. 12/8/2009 4:49:09 PM
Senators urge serious look at guaranteed annual income The cycle of poverty must be broken in Canada "once and for all" by lifting all people out of its grip, says a new Senate report. It says governments at all levels must join forces with community groups to go beyond alleviating to actually eliminating it. 12/8/2009 4:01:35 PM
Danica Patrick to race in NASCAR Danica Patrick ended months of speculation when she announced on Tuesday a deal to race part-time in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. The only woman to win an IndyCar race will suit up for JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick. 12/8/2009 2:51:03 PM
Tiger Woods' mother-in-law admitted to hospital Tiger Woods' mother-in-law was admitted to a hospital early Tuesday with a stomach ailment, a hospital spokesman said. Dan Yates from Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Florida, said doctors are still evaluating Barbro Holmberg. 12/8/2009 7:29:44 AM
Young boy dies after being found in N.S. woods Hospital officials have confirmed the death of James Delorey -- the seven-year-old Cape Breton boy who spent two days in the cold and whose disappearance triggered a massive search involving aircraft, police and volunteers. Delorey went missing on Saturday after following his dog. 12/8/2009 7:23:27 AM
Online spoofs targeting Tiger Woods go viral Christmas may be a time of good cheer, but peace and good will likely weren't on the minds of people behind a growing number of online spoofs aimed at poking fun Tiger Woods' alleged martial infidelity. The Tiger Woods Voicemail Slow Jam is the most popular of the spoofs. (*Link here.) 12/7/2009 12:56:15 PM
Update: N.S. boy found alive suffering from hypothermia (Video) James Delorey, a young autistic boy found in the woods this morning after being missing for two days, is alive but suffering from hypothermia and is in critical condition. Seven-year-old James Delorey is being flown by a LifeFlight, an emergency services helicopter 12/7/2009 12:38:06 PM
Were your parents cooler than you? Exhibit A: Your dad pulling an Evil Knievel on his motorcycle in little more than short shorts. Exhibit B: Your mother on a cruise wearing pigtails and a bikini while stocking up at the buffet. Twentysomethings who have come to realize their parents are human. 12/7/2009 8:57:18 AM
Kamloops: Celebrating and cycling for change Every month, they come on their bikes and ride around the city. It’s a group of friends, friends of friends and the occasional newcomer. They amiably talk about the weather and other places they have cycled. Riding bikes is what brings them together. 12/7/2009 6:44:26 AM
List of Woods’ legion of ladies likely to grow The number of women connected to Tiger Woods could topple a dozen by week’s end, according to several sources familiar with Woods’ behavior during his frequent trips to Las Vegas. “He wasn’t one to send away someone who was interested. There was a revolving door of women with Tiger,” said one. 12/7/2009 5:35:42 AM
Ottawa woman safe after Antarctica ordeal An Ottawa resident who is trekking solo across Antarctica says she is doing fine despite a "pretty serious fall" down an icy crevasse just two days into her expedition. She had to use a satellite phone to call for assistance. Meagan McGrath is attempting a 45-day, 1,100-kilometre journey to the South Pole. 12/7/2009 5:16:12 AM
Maggie Grad class a driving force for holiday safety It's only December, but the 2010 grad class at Princess Margaret Secondary is hoping to earn enough money for an excellent party to go to. That's the annual dry grad, an alcohol-free blast to mark the end of their grade school years. But putting on a good party is expensive. 12/6/2009 6:54:19 PM
Strip club Christmas charity draws controversy The moment the first stripper walked onstage you got the sense that it wasn't your average fundraiser. All Sunday afternoon exotic dancers bared it all -- for free. The cover charge, the drink sales, and the money from raffles are all going to the Maple Ridge Christmas Hamper Society. 12/6/2009 6:45:10 PM
Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots We're still far from the sci-fi dream of having robots whirring about and catering to our every need. But little by little, we'll be sharing more of our space with robots in the next decade, as prices drop and new technology creates specialized machines. 12/6/2009 6:41:05 PM
America's new fun pastime: Tiger Woods jokes Tiger Woods jokes are currently sweeping the nation. And unlike the joke tsunamis that always seem to hit after tragedies and natural disasters, this concerns illicit affairs and a car accident in which no one was seriously injured. In other words, potential comedy gold. 12/6/2009 8:27:43 AM
Teacher filmed stripping in front of class reprimanded A supply teacher filmed stripping off in front of a class at a Suffolk school has been found guilty of misconduct. A pupil filmed Martin Rouse removing his shirt in June 2008 at Sudbury Upper School and put the footage on YouTube. 12/6/2009 8:10:52 AM
Let's get to the bottom of our butt obsession Last week, I was running in the park when a strange man called out to me. I swiveled around, breathless, sweaty and turnip-faced, thinking I had dropped my keys. I was astonished when he smiled and said simply: “Nice butt.” 12/6/2009 5:24:46 AM
Man busted at airport carrying drug-stuffed chicken Customs inspectors at Dulles International Airport say a man from Guatemala was detained after he tried to carry a cooked chicken stuffed with more than $4,000 worth of cocaine. Customs says agents decided the fully cooked chicken warranted closer inspection. 12/5/2009 7:50:35 PM
Prostitutes to offer free sex to UN climate summit participants Prostitutes of a Danish sex workers association will offer their services for free to delegates of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen. The move was meant to protest an anti-prostitution initiative undertaken by Copenhagen city hall. 12/5/2009 7:43:25 PM
B.C. government says no to most arts and culture funding requests The government has approved 350 applications made by arts and culture groups, totalling $8.9 million. Last year, the government gave out $18 million to 840 arts and culture groups through the same program. Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman was not available for comment. 12/5/2009 6:08:48 PM
When wedding bells ring a second time If you're getting remarried, you may find yourself wondering what rules have changed since the last time you said, "I do." Here's a look at wedding etiquette then and now, with thanks to Elise Mac Adam, author of Something New: Wedding Etiquette for Rule Breakers, Traditionalists, and Everyone in Between. 12/5/2009 10:33:48 AM
Why Glee's Losers and Mean Girls Are So True to Life Versions of the mean, popular high-school girl character have been in movies and television for years, but since the release of Mean Girls, the character has almost become a modern archetype. However, there is a new show that really is getting it right, week after week. Fox's Glee. 12/5/2009 5:50:31 AM
Marilyn was right: Diamonds are a girl's best friend Are diamonds the new gold when it comes to safe investments? “When times are tough, hard assets like diamonds are in greater demand because they will hold their value when inflation hits – and it will hit,” says jeweller Myles Mindham. 12/5/2009 5:15:11 AM
The Secret World of Golf Groupies Tiger Woods isn’t the only golfer with carousing issues. Retired players and current caddies tell Gerald Posner about the game inside the real PGA: The “Party Groupie Association.” Plus, Posner on exclusive details of Tiger's new prenup. 12/4/2009 7:11:40 PM
Disneyland Dream takes flight Pure magic is expected next Thursday as a special bunch of children forget their troubles and head to Disneyland. Eighty-one kids with severe physical disabilities and life-threatening illnesses will fly to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. for the day as part of the sixth Sunshine Dreamlift. 12/4/2009 6:50:13 PM
No time for 'terminal' in her busy life Samantha Mattersdorfer is living with more than 20 tumours in her lungs -- and a dire diagnosis. Yet the 19-year-old from Ladner, who is battling an aggressive form of bone cancer, intends to defy expectations armed with little more than a smile, courage and unyielding optimism. 12/4/2009 6:01:26 PM
Court orders Wikipedia to reveal identity of editor A nasty office dispute has led to the first court order against Wikipedia to disclose the identity of one of its editors. The entry "contained private and confidential information of a sensitive nature concerning herself and her child," the judge said. 12/4/2009 5:38:10 PM
Tiger Woods' furious wife accuses mother-in-law of turning blind eye YET another woman entered the spotlight in the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods yesterday – his mother. Reports emerged that "tensions" over the champion golfer's extra-marital affairs already existed between Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, 29, and his mother, Kultida, 65, before the car crash. 12/4/2009 4:59:07 PM
$50M lotto winners share wealth A Manitoba couple who won a $50-million lottery jackpot in November are sharing the wealth with their Sagkeeng First Nation community. Kirby and Marie Fontaine have outfitted a hockey team and set their sights on a hot meal program at a school on Sagkeeng First Nation 12/4/2009 4:31:52 PM
Amanda Knox sentenced to 26 years An Italian jury has found American student Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito guilty in the stabbing death of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years. 12/4/2009 4:09:14 PM
Scroogenomics: Gift-giving is waste of money, economist says Christmas is a waste of money because people who give presents overestimate how much recipients will enjoy their offerings, economist Joel Waldfogel said. Waldfogel, an economics professor, is the author of Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays. 12/4/2009 9:04:01 AM
Santa in Keremeos tonight, Penticton Saturday night (Ed: Keremeos celebrates Santa Friday night beginning at 4:30) - So, Santa has checked in and everything is ready to go for the annual Santa Claus parade Saturday in Penticton. “He is very excited to come,” said Barb Haynes, executive director for the Downtown Penticton Association. 12/4/2009 7:29:14 AM
Woods 'snoring' after car crash A neighbour of Tiger Woods has said he found the golf star lying in the street "snoring" after a car crash last week. Woods's wife, Elin Nordegren, was with the golfer and there was "definitely" no sign he had been drinking, Jarius Adams told Florida police. 12/4/2009 5:25:50 AM
Toronto woman to get $110,000 a month in spousal support A 61-year-old Toronto woman whose marriage fell apart after 33 years has won a record-setting spousal support award of $110,000 a month. The extraordinary award also included two years of retroactive support at $140,000 a month. 12/4/2009 5:06:06 AM
TMZ: Rachel and Tiger Spoke Last Night Gloria Allred has never canceled a news conference in her career ... so why was today's scuttled? Sources tell us Rachel Uchitel and Tiger Woods have been communicating. Sources say Rachel was in touch with Tiger and his reps before Friday's car accident and last night for approximately a half hour. 12/3/2009 12:32:45 PM
Secret Service puts 3 on leave over Gate crashers President Barack Obama says "the system didn't work the way it was supposed to" at last week's White House state dinner, where an uninvited Virginia couple got in and shook hands with the president. Obama said, "I could not have more confidence in the Secret Service." 12/3/2009 11:28:44 AM
Think your kid isn't ‘sexting’? Think again Sexting — sharing sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cell phone or online — is fairly commonplace among young people, despite sometimes grim consequences for those who do it. More than a quarter of young people have been involved in sexting in some form, an Associated Press-MTV poll found. 12/3/2009 11:17:32 AM
Tiger's wife having pre-nup rewritten, and more The Daily Beast has learned exclusively that the beleaguered golfer is negotiating an immediate $5 million payout to his wife—and revising her prenup to give her as much as $55 million more to stay with him two more years. 12/3/2009 10:40:14 AM
Tom Jackson, Singing for Supper in Penticton Monday Tom Jackson, currently touring Canada raising funds and food donations for food banks, brings Singing for Supper to the Cleland Theatre Monday, December 7. “Tom is well known through his Huron Carol Christmas Show that toured the country for 17 years and was also shown on television” said Andrina Iliffe, local organizer. 12/3/2009 9:28:34 AM
Bride doused by sister-in-law with black spray paint It was supposed to be a quick bathroom break at the local Tim Hortons before the bride-to-be walked down the aisle. But Nancy Rose knew her big day was about to turn ugly when she spotted an enraged woman in a tube top racing toward her, a can of spray-paint in her hand. 12/3/2009 7:06:07 AM
What really killed Jane Austen? It is a truth universally acknowledged -- or nearly so -- that Jane Austen, the author of "Pride and Prejudice," died of a rare illness called Addison's disease, which robs the body of the ability to make critical hormones. Katherine White doesn't believe it. 12/3/2009 6:26:20 AM
All men watch porn, finds University academic When Simon Louis Lajeunesse launched his project with men in their 20s, he wanted to interview subjects who had never been exposed to pornography — porn virgins. But he couldn't find any. Lajeunesse suggested that pornography has been demonized and that its effects are negligible. 12/3/2009 6:03:46 AM
Amanda Knox lawyer delivers emotional plea A defense lawyer for Amanda Knox made an impassioned plea to the jury Wednesday as the high-profile case neared its conclusion. Knox is the Seattle student accused of killing her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, at the villa they shared in Italy. 12/3/2009 5:58:53 AM
Maple Ridge home features 40,000 Christmas lights Mike Czepak is putting the finishing touches on his Christmas light display -- that he started just before Halloween. Not a spot on his Maple Ridge, B.C., home isn't twinkling with lights. There are about 40,000 of them. And, of course, there's Santa on the roof. 12/3/2009 5:30:34 AM
Life for wives of pro athletes no 'fairy tale' Erin Crispin feels a great deal of empathy for Tiger Woods' wife. "It's a double-edged sword, because you get special treatment when things are going well, and you also get special treatment of another sort when things aren't," said Crispin. 12/3/2009 4:35:50 AM
Tiger Woods apologizes to family as alleged phone call to mistress released (with clip) Tiger Woods said Wednesday he let his family down, as he made his first public statements since allegations of an affair with a Los Angeles cocktail waitress broke on Tuesday. Wednesday's statement culminates nearly week of turmoil for Woods, and his wife, Elin Nordegren. 12/3/2009 4:19:10 AM
Canadian Tire launches limited edition $1 coin Some Canadian Tire shoppers were scratching their heads with confusion on Wednesday after the iconic retailer took a cue from the loonie and temporarily introduced a dollar coin. The coins will be arriving at stores in most parts of the country on Saturday and ending their run on Sunday. 12/2/2009 6:47:31 PM
Mountie escapes charges, and no answers offered She could tell you about the pain she deals with – the excruciating reminders of her son Orion's too-short life that she confronts virtually every day. But for now, Judith Hutchinson prefers to keep it to herself. “Nothing can repair our pain or replace our loss.” 12/2/2009 6:03:34 PM
Makeover: Burka Barbie The words "Barbie doll" used to elicit the image of a ditzy blonde bimbo. No longer. Since Nov. 20, the 50th anniversary of this iconic doll and beloved plaything of little girls everywhere, 500 Barbies have been on show, including various Barbies wearing chadors and full burkas. 12/2/2009 2:31:46 PM
Girl Guides' new motto: We'll fight if we have to Northern lights and stars in the inky black of night. Girls' voices echoing across Gillies Lake. Beaver paths and the call of loons. For decades that was the way of life for Girl Guides at Camp Ashwene near New Liskeard. With declining membership, fewer Guides are using the camps. 12/2/2009 11:38:12 AM
L'Oreal family fight over Multi-Billion $ fortune The daughter of Europe's richest woman, a L'Oreal heiress, has asked that she be placed under judicial supervision to stop her handing away her money. Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers argues 87-year-old Liliane Bettencourt is no longer in her right mind after she gave more than a Billion dollars to a friend. 12/2/2009 11:34:15 AM
Movement under way in California to ban divorce Til death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way. In a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California. 12/2/2009 11:29:57 AM
I am profoundly sorry, Tiger Woods says Golfer Tiger Woods has apologized for his "transgressions" and for letting "his family down" after the release Wednesday of a voicemail message that suggests he had an extramarital affair. In it, Woods asks would-be reality star Jamiee Grubbs, 24, to change the outgoing message on her voicemail. 12/2/2009 11:07:56 AM
Racist Obama image shines light on Web searching When a racist image of first lady Michelle Obama surfaced from the ugliest corners of the Internet last week to top Google's image search results, the episode shined a spotlight on the mysterious workings of search engines. 12/2/2009 6:26:38 AM
Alleged Tiger Woods voice mail released by Us Weekly magazine Tiger Woods' private life took a new hit Wednesday. A cover story in Us Weekly magazine alleges that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer. Jaimee Grubbs told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub. 12/2/2009 6:15:18 AM
Is Ovechkin a dirty player? Every interested hockey eye has been turned towards Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday, but this time it's for all the wrong reasons. The Capitals superstar was ejected from Monday's game against Carolina after a knee-on-knee hit on Tim Gleason left both players sprawling. 12/2/2009 6:03:18 AM
Woman denies affair with Tiger Woods A New York nightclub hostess identified by a supermarket tabloid as Tiger Woods' mistress has called allegations that she is romantically involved with the golf superstar false and "ridiculous." Rachel Uchitel told The New York Post that a disgruntled acquaintance sold the story. 12/2/2009 5:04:38 AM
Woods to be cited for careless driving Tiger Woods will be cited for careless driving in a car crash outside his Orlando-area mansion, but will not face criminal charges. Woods faces a $164 fine and four points against his driver’s license, not close to enough to have it suspended. The citation closes the investigation of last week’s crash. 12/1/2009 12:12:30 PM
Penticton racers had great finishes at Ultraman Hawaii At the just completed Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii, Penticton racers held the distinction of being the youngest and oldest finishers. Sheena Miller, 26, knocked an hour off her Penticton time. Ellis Andrews, 65, was the oldest finisher in the field, breaking legendary Ultraman Bill Bell's record. (*Complete results) 12/1/2009 12:06:05 PM
Uninvited guests deny they crashed White House party Appearing on a nationally broadcast morning news show with his wife, Michaele, Tareq Salahi said the furor surrounding their attendance at the state dinner for the visiting Indian prime minister has been a "most devastating" experience. 12/1/2009 6:04:57 AM
Dreamlift kids counting down to fun Dreamlift to Disneyland: nine sleeps and counting. More than 80 special needs children from the Southern Interior are anxiously awaiting Dec. 10 when they will board an Alaska Airlines charter jet bound for the Magic Kingdom. 12/1/2009 5:47:18 AM
Are you raising a bratty kid? Okay, parents, here's a pop quiz. Say you're at the sandbox and your two-year-old bops another toddler on the head. You tell him not to. He does it again. Do you a) apologize to the kid's mom and explain that your son is teething/overstimulated/going through a tough developmental stage. 12/1/2009 5:23:32 AM
Reality bites back for Tiger Since bursting on the scene more than a decade ago as the most exciting golfer alive and living up to his promise as the most dominating athlete in professional sports, Eldrick (Tiger) Woods has been in the spotlight precisely because he seems unlike anyone else. 12/1/2009 5:20:46 AM
Loneliness can be contagious, new study finds We’re used to hearing about people spreading colds and flu. But according to a new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, there’s another human condition that’s equally contagious: loneliness. “Loneliness spreads across time,” says John Cacioppo. 12/1/2009 5:08:47 AM
Renowned wine journalist George Taber finds new ground in wine tourism Review: Thirty-three years ago, George M. Taber set the world of wine on fire with a four-paragraph dispatch about a tasting in France that compared the work of French vintners with those of their counterparts in California. The California wines won, and winemaking in the New World has never been the same. 11/30/2009 6:08:52 PM
You vs customer service: How to complain and conquer(Video) 'Tis the season to shop till you drop – but also to suffer through terrible customer service. Here's your battle plan for successful complaints.
1. Name and shame
2. Threaten to go elsewhere
3. Keep records
4. Go to the top
5. Stay cool 11/30/2009 5:11:47 PM
Does being the eldest, middle or baby in your family determine personality? QUESTION - Is there any truth to the notion that your birth order in your family determines your personality? And if so, what generalizations can be made?
ANSWER - Birth order, and its relationship to personality, has been the subject of much research and debate. 11/30/2009 5:02:10 PM
Chelsea Clinton to wed next summer Chelsea Clinton, the 29-year old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has become engaged to her longtime boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky. A spokesman for the former president confirmed the engagement Monday. 11/30/2009 12:37:55 PM
Danica resigns with Andretti racing, what about NASCAR? Danica Patrick unveiled her splashy new car in New York's Times Square, its bright green, black and orange color scheme right at home with the flashy billboards and lights above. A car with fenders could be next for IndyCar's most marketable star. 11/30/2009 11:53:02 AM
Tiger Woods tourney this week? He's not coming out Tiger Woods has pulled out of this week's Chevron World Challenge and won't appear at the tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif., the golfer announced on his website Monday. Woods cited the injuries he suffered in a car accident outside his Florida home on Friday as the reason for his withdrawal. 11/30/2009 11:28:35 AM
An unforgettable lesson on a cold winter day Pitt Meadows Secondary Grade 12 student Laura Third will never forget the time she got an unexpected gift from someone who was homeless. About two winters ago near Christmas, she was walking across a field and her feet broke through the ice, filling her boots with water. 11/30/2009 11:12:18 AM
Canada's most powerful women named The list, compiled by the Women's Executive Network, included Auditor-General Sheila Fraser, Lululemon Athletica CEO Christine Day and Supreme Court of Canada chief justice Beverley McLachlin. The women were chosen from a number of sectors. 11/30/2009 11:08:18 AM
What is the appeal of Scottish identity? Tartan, shortbread, haggis and whisky...Some of the stereotypes might make the average Scot cringe. For the past 10 months thousands of people of Scottish descent have been heeding a call to return "home" for a visit. What is the appeal of the Scottish identity? 11/30/2009 6:18:25 AM
Tips for safe online holiday shopping As Canadians enter their second holiday season under the strains of the global economic recession, they continue to turn to the web for bargains, product reviews and hard-to-find items. But if you're thinking about doing your holiday shopping online this year, there are a few safety tips to consider. 11/30/2009 5:40:28 AM
Bellevue bikini espresso stand told to close its drive-thru Traffic control cones were in place at Knotty Boddies late Tuesday afternoon, blocking cars from using the drive-through window of the bikini espresso stand. Walk-up customers still were being served. Knotty Bodies opened without first obtaining a business license. 11/30/2009 5:34:16 AM
Less than 1% of $1.9-billion social-housing fund spent so far Less than 1 per cent of a $1.9-billion federal fund for social housing has actually been spent – more than a year after it was announced by the Harper government in the midst of the 2008 election campaign. Another $1.5-billion of social-housing money allotted in February's budget is also only trickling out the door. 11/30/2009 4:43:53 AM
Tiger calls his accident a ‘private matter’ Despite presenting his side of the car-crash story and asking that it remain “a private matter,” Tiger Woods may still not be in the clear. Yet several public-relations experts believed there was little chance of that request being honored. 11/30/2009 4:27:25 AM
Mafia wife urges others to turn in husbands too The wife of a Sicilian gangster, who has been praised for betraying him at their daughters’ request, has appealed to other mob women to leave their men. The challenge to the Mafia by Carmela Iuculano, 36, whose evidence sent her husband, Pino Rizzo, to jail for life, is rare. 11/29/2009 11:20:25 AM
Jet-powered Ford guns for 300 mph (500kph) Joe Wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged, alcohol-injected Hemi-engined hot rod more power: Put a jet engine in the trunk. "It started as a hobby and turned into a monster," said Wilkins. He plans to attempt a land speed record in the near future. 11/29/2009 11:19:02 AM
Why Tiger's crash is raising eyebrows GOLF.com It was not a happy Thanksgiving for Tiger Woods. When Woods was involved in a late-night, one-car accident near the driveway of his home in the wealthy gated community of Isleworth in Windermere, Fla., it took 13 hours for news of it to become public. 11/29/2009 10:47:40 AM
Cat's tunes turn Spokane man into fat cat (Video) Years ago, people dreamed of striking it rich by sending their funny - and sometimes terribly embarrassing - home videos in to "America's Home Video." Today, Charlie Schmidt is striking it rich thanks to his dearly departed cat, Fatso, who known to the rest of the world as "the Keyboard Cat." 11/29/2009 10:36:08 AM
Gold parties raise the eyebrows of established bullion dealers As gold prices soar into the stratosphere and other value benchmarks crash, it’s no wonder that gold parties are rapidly gaining in popularity. “Hostesses” invite friends over to sip wine while an appraiser sizes up their dated gold jewellry. 11/29/2009 7:52:59 AM
Cawston: Basketball at Kobau Well, it’s been a couple years in the making, but the basketball hoops are finally up at Kobau Park. The project initially began with the support of the Similkameen Recreation Committee giving Kobau Park a grant to pour the cement slab. Then, Mike Freeman at Central Fabricating, created the poles and mounting brackets.
11/29/2009 7:40:37 AM
US: Grandma delivers baby, Thanksgiving dinner A Boston woman has succeeded at one of the all-time great Thanksgiving Day juggling acts: She cooked the turkey while helping deliver her baby granddaughter. Patricia McCalop was in the middle of preparing the meal when her daughter suddenly went into labor two weeks early. 11/29/2009 7:17:49 AM
Justice: Canadian crime and American punishment With remarkably little debate, the Conservatives have pushed through major changes to the justice system in the name of being ‘tough on crime.' But legal experts say it all could lead to a U.S.-style future of bursting prisons and cash-strapped courts – without making us any safer. 11/29/2009 7:07:08 AM
Penticton's Sheena Miller in 4th place at Hawaii Ultraman Day 2 is complete at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Penticton's Sheena Miller, 26, remains in mid-pack overall, and 4th in the women's division. Brazil's Alexandre Robeiro leads, Texan Shanna Armstrong is top woman. Day 3 is now underway. Steve King is the race announcer. (Here's a link). 11/29/2009 6:14:28 AM
The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz (Video) When millions would have done anything to get out, one remarkable British soldier smuggled himself into Auschwitz to witness the horror so he could tell others the truth. When millions would have done anything to get out, Dennis Avey repeatedly smuggled himself into the camp. 11/29/2009 5:46:47 AM
Science: Why smart people do dumb things Keith Stanovich, a professor of human development, studies why smart people do stupid things - or, in more scientific terms, how intelligence is distinct from rationality. His work offers insight into important cognitive abilities that are not measured by IQ tests. 11/29/2009 5:12:56 AM
Brazilian student whose miniskirt triggered uproar to star in Carnival parades Brazilians will be seeing a whole lot more of the student whose short pink dress got her booted from college: She's agreed to march in the nation's famously flesh-baring Carnival parades. "Sometimes, good things come from bad things," she said. 11/29/2009 4:48:03 AM
Tiger Woods delays police questions again (Video) Tiger Woods will not speak to police about his car crash outside his Florida home on Friday until Sunday. "It is unusual that we haven't gotten a statement," said Florida Highway Patrol Sgt Kim Montes. (Ed: Woods private life was featured in the National Enquirer this past week.) 11/28/2009 7:31:49 PM
Dad‘s visit couldn‘t be more special This being “Parents Weekend” for the Penticton Vees, mothers and fathers have travelled from as far away as Montreal, California, and Minnesota. None, though, came farther than Rich Curadi, who last week was flying helicopters in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. 11/28/2009 4:53:56 AM
Christmas tree rental firms hope to stop waste Two Vancouver-area firms are hoping to capitalize on the concept of a "green Christmas" by renting out live potted evergreens for the holidays. For about $100, both firms will drop off an evergreen at your door and then pick it up at the end of the holiday season. 11/28/2009 4:45:42 AM
Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons Ariana Leonard's high school students shuffled in their seats, eagerly awaiting a cue from their Spanish teacher that the assignment would begin. "Take out your cell phones," she said in Spanish. The teens pulled out an array of colorful flip phones, iPhones and SideKicks. 11/27/2009 5:12:06 PM
Cops: Wife used golf club to help rescue Tiger Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said his wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and help get the world’s No. 1 golfer out of the SUV. 11/27/2009 3:38:09 PM
World's Strongest Beer: How about 32% alcohol? A Scottish brewery is courting controversy by releasing a beer that is 32 per cent alcohol — nearly as strong as whisky. Fraserburgh's BrewDog calls its creation Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Only 500 bottles will be sold. BrewDog - www.brewdog.com - is selling it online for $69 per bottle.
11/27/2009 7:59:54 AM
Dirty Tricks: Speaker rebukes Tories for `damaging' flyers The federal Conservatives have earned an official rebuke from the Commons Speaker. Irwin Cotler said he was pleased that the Commons Speaker recognized the "abhorrent" nature of the Conservative pamphlets dropped into Liberal ridings, including his own, with significant Jewish populations. 11/27/2009 7:43:42 AM
Dad locks kids in trunk, goes shopping A man locked his two young sons in the trunk of his car while he ran an errand. Police allege Michael Monahan put his kids, ages 3 and 6, in the trunk of his Pontiac Trans Am for several minutes Monahan told investigators the boys like to play in the trunk. 11/27/2009 7:32:25 AM
N.B. military widow feels betrayed by Ottawa and Military A Fredericton military widow says she feels betrayed by the Canadian Forces and federal government. Susan Short was reacting to being told by CBC News that the military has no idea what happened to the men suspected of killing her husband in 2003. 11/27/2009 5:45:59 AM
Shaquille O’Neal pays for slain girl’s funeral Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal has paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl whose kidnapping and slaying received national news coverage. More than 2,000 people attended her funeral Sunday. The girl's body was found Nov. 16 beside a rural road. 11/26/2009 10:14:53 AM
Report says Berlusconi's wife seeking pricey alimony Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's estranged wife is seeking 43 million euros, or about $65 Million US, A YEAR in alimony in a divorce case she launched after her husband was embroiled in a sex scandal, an Italian newspaper reported Thursday. 11/26/2009 9:32:34 AM
Man confesses to abuse in Mother’s Day card A Winnipeg man used a Happy Mother’s Day card to tell his common-law wife he’d been sexually abusing her 11-year-old daughter for several months. His startling confession was read aloud in court Wednesday after the 37-year-old pleaded guilty to sexual assault. 11/26/2009 6:16:36 AM
Summerland lights to shine on Friday Summerland will glow on Friday evening as the 22nd annual Festival of Lights will feature plenty of excitement for all ages. Lisa Jaager, manager of the Summerland Chamber of Economic Development and Tourism, said the festival schedule has changed for this year. 11/26/2009 4:53:07 AM
Stanley Park petting zoo and Bloedel Conservatory axed The Vancouver Parks Board voted late Wednesday 4-3 to approve a $2.8-million budget shortfall that will close the children’s farmyard in Stanley Park and the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park. Emotions ran high as taxpayers and commissioners argued. 11/26/2009 4:43:53 AM
Deja Vu again: Penticton eyes wakeboard championship Penticton council voted unanimously to consider pursuing the opportunity to become the host location for the 2010 Canadian Wakeboard Championship. The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce asked council to do so in a letter written by chamber president-elect Cary Schneiderat. 11/25/2009 3:49:31 PM
Road rage after 69-year-old woman flips him the bird A 22-year-old man has been ordered into anger management counseling after a 69-year-old woman flipped him the bird. "She fingered me five times," Pelletier told the court. "You can't hit a woman so what's the next best thing? Hit her car, right?" 11/25/2009 12:53:32 PM
Women more cautious driving in winter: Poll Next to men not asking for directions, the hoariest of automotive cliches is that women are the less confident sex behind the wheel — especially during poor conditions. Those who cringe at this stereotype should stop reading now. 11/25/2009 12:15:44 PM
Vladimir Putin's endangered tiger is missing, despite satellite collar Vladimir Putin’s tigress is missing. The rare Siberian tiger that Russia’s Prime Minister shot with a tranquiliser dart and fitted with a satellite-tracking collar has disappeared, according to environmentalists. 11/25/2009 11:51:27 AM
Daughter says release secret RCMP files on Tommy Douglas Actress Shirley Douglas says decades-old RCMP Security Service files on her father Tommy Douglas should be made public. The government is refusing to turn over all the documents on the socialist politician, essentially on the grounds of national security. 11/25/2009 11:15:42 AM
Lewd Latin email shocked woman, court told Ariane Gordji, a young university graduate looking for work, began a correspondence with millionaire banker Mark Lowe in early 2006. Gordji told a court yesterday that it seemed high minded and friendly. Until she translated it. Lowe stands accused in front of an employment tribunal in London, England. 11/25/2009 9:54:01 AM
Rocket man bid to fly from Morocco to Spain fails A Swiss adventurer ditched safely into the chilly waters between Morocco and Spain on Wednesday after a technical malfunction ended the first attempted intercontinental crossing on jet-powered wings. A rescue helicopter winched Yves Gossy to safety from the wind-swept Atlantic. 11/25/2009 9:44:56 AM
She's gone: 2-year ban for speedskater Pechstein Five-time Olympic speedskating champion Claudia Pechstein lost her appeal against a two-year ban for blood doping Wednesday and will miss the Vancouver Games. The Court dismissed the German's appeal against a ban imposed by the International Skating Union. 11/25/2009 7:32:20 AM
Cdns skeptical government's detainee abuse denials: poll Canadians aren't buying the Harper government's story on Afghan detainee torture. Canadians are twice as likely to believe whistleblower Richard Colvin's claim that all prisoners handed over to Afghan authorities were likely abused and that government officials were well aware. 11/25/2009 6:28:25 AM
Women on board: How far have we come? While women appear to be making headway in the boardrooms of the nation, a lack of CEO experience and access to some crucial business networks mean that directorships are still proving elusive, the latest Report on Business survey reveals. 11/25/2009 6:22:47 AM
Salvation Army kettles take credit There could be less jingle in the Salvation's Army's hallmark red kettles this season. The charity is testing kettles that take debit and credit cards. In Colorado Springs, fundraising last year went up $64,000 from the year before, an 11-per-cent increase. 11/25/2009 6:17:51 AM
Child entrepreneur gives back for holidays In the home of eighth-grader Jason O'Neill, teddy bears are everywhere. They're white, black or brown. Some have bow ties and some have ribbons. They sit on chairs, tables, counter tops and the floor. O'Neill has been giving money to charity since he started Pencil Bugs four years ago. 11/25/2009 5:59:22 AM
S. O. Event Centre Marketing Director 'Fired' GM Curtis Webb said that Ryan McCarthy’s leaving had nothing to do with the lower than expected attendance at Vees’ games. (Ed: Despite denials from Global Spectrum, we have it from a very reliable source that Ryan McCarthy was Fired. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.) 11/25/2009 5:33:22 AM
'Comfort food' relieves stress: Australian study A high-fat, high-sugar diet could have the same effect on brain chemistry as mood-altering drugs. "We asked the question, if you're stressed early in life and then you're given yummy food to eat does that reduce your behavioural deficit, and basically that's what we found," said researcher Margaret Morris. 11/24/2009 5:52:38 PM
Don Cherry says new CBC biopic doesn't pull any punches: 'I was selfish' "There's no lying about it. I guess I was a selfish guy. ... I only thought of myself, I never thought of the family a lot - that's the way it comes out (in the film). It's tough to see yourself like that, but that's the way it was." 11/24/2009 5:24:27 PM
Regina man survives 3-day ordeal on B.C. island A Regina man considers himself lucky to be alive after being alone for three days on a small B.C. island with his bones broken and nothing to eat or drink. Jordan Nicurity, 26, is in hospital in Vancouver, his pelvis broken in three places in a hiking accident last month. 11/24/2009 4:05:52 PM
Mistletoe kisses adapted for H1N1 It's more hygienic to exchange kisses on the cheek than to shake hands, so the swine flu pandemic should not make people afraid of kissing under the mistletoe this holiday season, Britain's authority on etiquette says. 11/24/2009 5:37:14 AM
“I couldn’t breathe, but I just pushed on,” says Quesnel River rescue hero When Kimberly Friesen leapt into the raging Quesnel River to save an eight-year-old boy it took her breath away — literally. “I couldn’t breathe, but I just pushed on, it was instinct,” said Friesen, a Quesnel elementary school teacher. 11/24/2009 4:55:34 AM
Michael Buble's not so smooth side (Video) SILKEN-voiced Michael Buble is sick of being typecast as a "cheesy crooner", warning the next person that dares criticise him will end up with a fist in their face. Buble unleashed an uncharacteristic expletive-laden rant when discussing the journalist who described his music as being "as cheesy as a quesadilla". 11/23/2009 8:48:31 PM
'Rock star sex' for hero pilot The Pilot who landed a jetliner in New York's Hudson River said his heroics have led to "rock star sex". In an interview with NBC's People of the Year TV, Chesley Sullenberger and his wife, Laurie, said the famous incident had done wonders for their marriage. 11/23/2009 8:45:49 PM
The Realities of Love at First Sight You walk into a party and head for the bar. Suddenly someone is beside you, offering to get you a drink. You begin to talk. Almost immediately you're struck by the eerie feeling that you may have just found Mr. Right. But that's crazy, isn't it? Or is it? Can a person really know something this life-changing so fast? 11/23/2009 5:36:54 PM
Man in ‘coma’ heard everything for 23 years For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out. The car-crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but appears to have been conscious the whole time. 11/23/2009 3:47:11 PM
Dogs trust too much to know you’re lying to them Can you con Fido? Can he really tell which hand is holding that dog biscuit? Or whether your calls for treats are really a ruse to get him back on the leash? That’s what Dalhousie University PhD student Mark Petter set out to find out with his research that was just published. 11/23/2009 8:17:14 AM
Educated immigrants underemployed in Canada Two-thirds of university-educated recent immigrants to Canada are underemployed in jobs requiring at most a college education or apprenticeship, according to a Statistics Canada report released Monday. 11/23/2009 8:03:32 AM
Like it or not, your name can impact your career Throughout Shuki Khalili’s career, he suspected his name might be holding him back. When he worked for a Wall Street headhunter, he felt potential clients would blow him off when they heard his name. 11/23/2009 7:36:55 AM
Why women can't afford to ignore Palin's ego trip I'm aware of what we've assembled with our ever-expanding media – news channels, print, the Internet and its offbeat children, Facebook and Twitter. And yet I was concerned as Sarah Palin's memoir, Going Rogue , launched this week that even with all of this in her hands, there still might not be enough rope for Ms. Palin to hang herself. 11/23/2009 5:57:58 AM
Britain: Abused by their own children Beaten and abused, but what if the bully is your own child? Parents are regularly being threatened, abused, even beaten up by their own children, says a UK parental guidance charity. Many have reached the point where they are afraid to be left alone in the house with them. 11/23/2009 5:45:05 AM
Teens love to be miserable: Study Parents who've ever wondered how a teen with an iPhone in one hand and the world in the other can be so miserable now have their answer: adolescents, sometimes, intentionally seek to feel unhappy. By contrast, people over 18 are more often pleasure-seekers. 11/23/2009 5:02:50 AM
Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner A kangaroo startled by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, pinning the pet underwater and slashing the owner in the abdomen with its hind legs. He said he was walking his blue heeler, Rocky, on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo. 11/23/2009 4:40:43 AM
B.C. RCMP officer helps deliver neighbour's baby Steve and Heather Boey have always felt safe in their Vancouver-area home, having an RCMP officer living nearby. But they didn't realize what a great neighbour they had until the officer helped deliver their baby boy -- inside their Maple Ridge home. 11/23/2009 4:37:01 AM
Houston, we have a baby Shuttle Atlantis astronaut Randy Bresnik awoke early on Sunday to a much-anticipated call that his new daughter had been born. Bresnik's wife, Rebecca, gave birth to Abigail Mae Bresnik just after midnight. At the time, Bresnik was in orbit aboard the International Space Station. 11/22/2009 5:34:45 AM
Pot controversy prepared Rebagliati for politics Ross Rebagliati says when he first heard about Vancouver winning the 2010 Olympic Games, he considered getting back on his snowboard. Rebagliati announced last month he would seek the federal Liberal Party nomination for the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding, currently held by Stockwell Day. 11/22/2009 4:50:44 AM
Sign with topless woman too much for Games, business owner suspects The owner of a Vancouver tattoo parlour suspects a bid to clean up the city for the Olympic Games is behind a visit he received from city inspectors about a sign outside his shop that features a bare-breasted woman. “If it’s an Olympic crackdown, I think it’s pretty tacky,” Thomas Lockhart fumed Saturday. 11/22/2009 4:22:08 AM
The Carrie Prejean story: Sex, lies and too many videotapes Today: V is for vetting, a process right-wing conservatives ignore at their peril. Instead, they’re quick to trumpet the virtues of anyone who shares their views and looks vaguely presentable. That’s how they ended lining up behind Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California and self-avowed Christian. 11/21/2009 4:44:26 PM
Harwick wins season finale, wife wins owners championship Kevin and Delana Harvick were an extremely happy couple Friday night. Kevin Harvick made a late pass to cap a dominating show to win the season-ending Trucks Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and wife Delana clinched the owners' championship. 11/21/2009 12:30:19 PM
Marks go up after school bans homework (Video) Kids at Prince of Wales Public School in Barrie, Ont. are probably some of the happiest in the country. Not only because their school banned homework last year, but because their marks actually went up as a result. 11/21/2009 8:19:40 AM
Barmaid claims sex with South Australia Premier SOUTH Australian Premier Mike Rann says claims by a former parliament house barmaid that they had a sexual relationship are "wildly sensational". The woman, Michelle Chantelois, has claimed she had sexual relations with the Premier in his Parliament House office on several occasions. 11/21/2009 7:56:48 AM
Ugly invite mayor wins sexism 'award' A CALL for "beauty-disadvantaged women" to consider moving to a remote Australian mining town in northwest Queensland has earned Mt Isa mayor John Molony this year's golden Ernie award. Now in their 16th year, the aim of the awards is to shame men for outrageous sexism. 11/21/2009 7:50:47 AM
No. 99 discusses Wayne Gretzy Estates and the winemaking tradition in his family When Wayne Gretzky was a child, his grandfather - a Russian immigrant - used to make wine at home in Ontario. "He grew his own grapes, everything," said Gretzky, who remembers trying it when he was younger. Flash-forward more than 30 years. 11/21/2009 5:25:30 AM
Lesbian U.S. soldier wins bid for asylum A lesbian soldier who deserted the U.S. army won a key court victory Friday when a judge ordered the refugee board to reconsider her failed asylum claim and take into account compelling evidence that she was persecuted and that her sexual orientation could mean stiffer punishment for going AWOL. 11/20/2009 3:12:25 PM
Net erupts over video of fish eaten alive An internet video purportedly shot in an unidentified Chinese restaurant is firing up animal rights activists for showing patrons eating a live fish. The video being circulated on YouTube shows diners laughing as they dig into a fish deep-fried, as it continues to wiggle around and gasp. 11/20/2009 7:35:36 AM
Heidi Klum wows crowd at Victoria's Secret show Heidi Klum and her post-baby body led the parade at the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, which returned to New York with some fresh faces after four years on the road. But Klum, who gave birth to a daughter five weeks ago, was the audience favourite. 11/20/2009 5:52:03 AM
More teachers flexing around homework For elementary-school teacher Sally Frazer, this is the perfect homework assignment: sending her science pupils outside with their parents to watch the lunar eclipse. “It's the teachable moments that count,” says the Grade 4 teacher at Fairview Elementary School in Red Deer, Alta. 11/20/2009 5:48:58 AM
U.S. postal service to stop sending letters to North Pole Thousands of starry-eyed children all over the world are writing letters to Santa Claus, the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season, but they will not likely get a response. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular effort begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole. 11/20/2009 5:35:29 AM
South Okanagan: Hampers fill a growing need “We are now accepting applications for our Christmas Hamper campaign and we have a steady stream of people who are coming through our family services office,” said Christine Simmons, community ministries director for the Penticton Sally Ann. “I think the economy is the main reason. A lot of people have been laid off this year.". 11/20/2009 5:09:41 AM
Fundraising in style at the OSNS Evergreen Ball Hundreds of people will be dressed to the nines for a gala to benefit at the O-S-N-S Judy Sentes says the organization is hosting the Evergreen Ball, a glitzy glamourous event for a good cause. The night includes dinner, charity auction, entertainment in a Christmas-like environment at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. 11/19/2009 5:38:03 PM
Beans’n Jeans fundraiser nets $1,700 for Kenny MacLean statue Lynda Routley of The Royal Canadian Legion, Okanagan Falls Branch 227 and Stan Maber of the Okanagan Falls Lions Club recently presented to Director Schwarz a cheque for $1,716.29 from funds raised at the Okanagan Falls “Beans ‘n Jeans” fundraising event. 11/19/2009 9:52:32 AM
Long-haired man targeted by West Van cops takes case to human rights tribunal After successfully suing the West Vancouver police for unlawful arrest, Don Sipes is hoping the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal will help him in his fight against illegal police profiling. Sipes, 47, has long hair and often wears scruffy clothes because he works as a labourer. 11/19/2009 6:11:53 AM
Snow removal in the hands of angels On Monday night, council authorized staff to begin developing and implementing a Snow Angel program pairing snow-shoveling volunteers with citizens in need of assistance. Only Coun. Mike Pearce voted against endorsing the program. (Ed: We guess someone has to be Scrooge.) 11/19/2009 5:11:49 AM
'Viagra for women' stumbled upon by researchers A drug that failed to fight the blues could be the female Viagra. Women who took the drug flibanserin when it was being tested as an anti-depressant said it didn’t help them beat the glums, but did give them "an increase in libido that they liked," said John Thorp. 11/18/2009 7:47:57 PM
More homework rebels speak out This month, a Calgary couple took the controversial step of negotiating a legal contract with their children's school that prevents teachers from giving them homework – adding fuel to the homework debate constantly playing out in schools and families across the country. 11/18/2009 5:11:35 PM
Affectionate cat distracts policeman (Video) A police department in Texas in the US has released footage of an over-affectionate cat distracting a policeman trying to issue a ticket to a motorist. The video, filmed by a camera in officer Keith Urban's patrol car, shows the cat crawling up his leg and then onto his head. 11/18/2009 4:36:23 PM
Britain: Rabbi 'offered cocaine for sex' A rabbi financed a drug-dealing business and offered cocaine to girls in exchange for sex. Rabbi Baruch Chalomish rented an apartment where he could "relax and have a party", Manchester Crown Court heard. Police discovered a total of 101 grams (3.6oz) of cocaine. 11/18/2009 4:31:13 PM
Hockey dads take the stink out of gear So you've come up with what you're convinced is a dynamite little product, but success rests on getting those hordes of potential customers on board. And how do you get it to market? In the case of Tsawwassen resident Keith Howlett, testing it on friends and family was a great route to liftoff. 11/18/2009 11:17:48 AM
Beautiful bright lights shine for dying boy On a crisp Halloween night, icicle lights and Santa Clauses mingled with ghosts and jack-o'-lanterns in a Washington, Illinois, neighborhood. The community is helping a family squeeze in a little extra holiday cheer with their young son. 2-year-old Dax Locke is losing his fight with acute myeloid leukemia. 11/18/2009 11:02:53 AM
Clint Eastwood is ticked off about America GQ magazine's Men of the Year issue is out next week. Clint Eastwood was named “Badass of the Year.” Eastwood, 79, didn’t mince words. "[The U.S. is] becoming more juvenile as a nation. The guys who won World War II and that whole generation have disappeared, and now we have a bunch of teenage twits.” 11/18/2009 10:58:01 AM
10-year-old girl is tasered by cop in Arkansas Ozark Police Chief Jim Noggle says one of his officers used a Taser on a 10-year-old girl who was combative when the officer tried to get the girl into a patrol car to be taken to a youth shelter. The girl was violently kicking, the report said, and struck the cop in the groin. 11/18/2009 10:27:59 AM
'Hamster hotel' opens in France It’s a unique concept according to its creators, a hotel in the French town of Nantes is offering the chance for people to become a hamster. For 99 euros ($148.10) a night, you can eat hamster grain, run in a giant wheel, sleep in hay stacks in the what is called the “Hamster Villa.” 11/18/2009 8:52:14 AM
Teen’s efforts promise to spread holiday warmth A Penticton teen has turned what many deem an environmental nuisance into a charitable solution. Ashley Aoki, a Grade 11 student at Penticton Secondary School, has created sleeping mats out of plastic shopping bags to give to the Soupateria. Aoki came up with the idea with her mom Patti. 11/18/2009 7:03:19 AM
Britain: Square Mile sex scandal heats up The headlines scream of a lurid sex scandal with London papers salivating as a normally staid employment tribunal hears tales of prostitutes, hitmen, strip clubs and inappropriate sexual advances. At the centre of the storm is Jordan Wimmer, 29. (She's from Toronto.) 11/18/2009 6:05:26 AM
Cheating woman soccer player now has 'so much regret' Nearly two weeks later, the University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert said she still could not fully explain what led her to yank an opponent from Brigham Young down by her ponytail. “I look at it and I’m like, ‘That is not me,’ ” said Lambert. (See the video). 11/18/2009 5:55:06 AM
Kelowna: Recession making it very tough on food banks Working on the front line against poverty, it would be easy for Vonnie Lavers to become depressed. It was especially depressing the past week when the Kelowna Community Food Bank executive director got calls from two regular supporters, company owners who warned their workers could become food bank clients. 11/18/2009 5:00:23 AM
South Similkameen Christmas Hamper drive underway South Similkameen Christmas Hamper Fund is made up of volunteers from local churches and townspeople, who come together each year to canvas, then assemble food hampers in order to deliver to recipients in time for Christmas. A fund raising drive is well under way. 11/17/2009 7:45:44 PM
Parents note: How one family won the battle to ban homework Sherri and Tom Milley were exhausted by the weepy weeknight struggles over math problems and writing assignments with their three school-aged children. They were fed up with rushing home from soccer practice or speed skating only to stand over their kids tossing out answers so they could finish and get to bed. 11/17/2009 7:10:05 PM
Better not cough: Santas lobby for H1N1 shots Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine. Many U.S. Santas want to be given priority for the vaccine. Swine flu has become such a concern that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas featured a seminar on the illness at a recent conference. 11/17/2009 2:14:22 PM
Man killed wife 'during a dream' The trial of a husband accused of murdering his wife as they slept in a camper van has heard he killed her while he dreamt she was an intruder. Swansea Crown Court heard Brian Thomas, 59, accepts he killed her but says he has a sleep disorder. 11/17/2009 1:55:03 PM
9-year-old 'hero' rescues family from house fire A 9-year-old Mission girl is being credited with saving her family. "I woke up and I was really scared. There was so much smoke in Dad's room, I couldn't breathe," said Macey Finlay-Podnar. "I had to crawl on the ground and go upstairs and wake everybody up." 11/17/2009 8:16:07 AM
Sarah Palin gets even, and making millions doing it “I was naive to think that the media would leave my kids alone,” said Sarah. You gotta love her. She never doubted for a second that she could do the job. But she was an innocent among the wolves. That perky, snotty Katie Couric. John McCain's evil campaign aides. Levi!!! 11/17/2009 5:30:48 AM
U.S. says 14% of Americans short of food More than 49 Million Americans — one in seven — struggled to get enough to eat in 2008, the highest total in 14 years," the U.S. government said. Anti-hunger groups pointed to the huge increase from the preceding year when 36.2 million people had trouble getting enough food. 11/16/2009 5:37:08 PM
My wife wants to drive. What should I do? There are two times when it is okay for my wife to drive our car:
1. I've had one of those evenings. When this happens, the keys are hers. I'm in the passenger seat trying to use mindfulness meditation techniques to combat my impending hangover. 11/16/2009 5:09:27 PM
Canadian's world-record buck could come up short For nearly 20 years, it's been a source of national pride among Canada's hunters. But the majestic animal, a white-tailed deer with the biggest antlers of their kind ever recorded in the world, may finally be dethroned. A Wisconsin bow hunter killed a "monster" deer earlier this month. 11/16/2009 3:25:15 PM
'Unfriend' is 2009 Word of the Year: Oxford dictionary A testament to how popular social networking has become, Oxford American Dictionary has picked the word "unfriend" as the word of the year. According to the dictionary, unfriend is a verb that means to "remove someone as a friend on a social networking site such as Facebook." 11/16/2009 11:01:45 AM
Losing free speech is a sign of Olympic times Picture this: a resident of a downtown Vancouver apartment puts a sign in her window during the Olympics that says, "B.C. homelessness — a disgrace." She finds a notice from the city on her door ordering her to take it down, and she refuses, believing the Charter protects her right to express political opinions. 11/16/2009 10:40:39 AM
No sign of apology to Canada's 'home children' The Canadian government is showing no signs of an apology to the families of thousands of poor children who were shipped to Canada and Australia from Britain -- children who were often abused and forced into labour. Some children were told their parents were dead. 11/16/2009 9:06:26 AM
Miss Colombia beauty pageant comes to a big end When it comes to feminine pulchritude, human passion and good old-fashioned politics – all enlivened by a generous dollop of scandal – the yearly competition to be crowned Colombia's most beautiful woman is likely equalled by no other contest on Earth. 11/16/2009 8:23:51 AM
You betcha! Palin's way o' talkin' is darned funny Sarah Palin and her distinctive way of talking are about to bombard the public soundscape again. Monday, she's on Oprah. Tuesday, the first of a five-part series of interviews with Barbara Walters airs on Good Morning America . Wednesday she hops on a bus for a three-week tour. 11/16/2009 5:16:56 AM
Idaho boy kills bear that wouldn’t leave porch An 11-year-old Idaho boy fatally shot a black bear on his family's front porch after he said it wouldn't leave. The boy was at his home near Driggs, just west of the Idaho-Wyoming border, with his younger sisters last Wednesday when the bear showed up. 11/16/2009 5:00:38 AM
Shackleton's whisky to be dug up Two crates of Scotch whisky which belonged to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton are to be recovered after a century buried in the Antarctic ice. The whisky was found buried under a hut built and used during Shackleton's unsuccessful South Pole expedition between 1907 and 1909. 11/16/2009 4:47:35 AM
Life isn't all perfect for the perfectly beautiful A minor fuss has erupted over the global launch of BeautifulPeople.com, a self-described "elite dating site" that allows only good-looking people to join. It works like this: Would-be members submit a bio and photo. Existing members then rate the applicants, voting them on or off the virtual island. 11/15/2009 6:54:54 PM
Dog swims dangerous waters to leave new lighthouse home The wide open spaces of Trial Island might be paradise for most dogs, but one canine apparently found life at a lighthouse a little too quiet for his taste. the 10-year-old Labrador-shepherd cross, called Malcolm, dog-paddled his way back to Victoria through dangerous waters. 11/15/2009 6:49:25 PM
Rebagliati turns page on days as Olympic champion dude Yes, the marijuana controversy is covered in Olympic champion snowboarder Ross Rebagliati‘s new book. “It is what it is,” said Rebagliati, 38, during a signing session Saturday at Kelowna‘s Mosaic Books for Off the Chain: An Insider‘s History of Snowboarding. 11/15/2009 6:34:55 PM
Website touts itself as an EBay for billionaires In the market for a 51-carat pink diamond? How about a $74 million, 313-room resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico? Perhaps you'd like to buy Alex Rodriguez's Miami mansion for $9,999,999? These items, plus a slew of other pricey toys, are available on a new auction site aimed at the mega-rich. 11/15/2009 6:08:33 PM
Rediscovering canoeing at 90 "Nimble," is how Linda Thomson, president of the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club, describes newest member Mike Brodsky. At 90, Brodsky is still a highly skilled, focused and energized paddler. A strong and elegant 90-year-old canoeist is rare enough, but Brodsky is blind, too. 11/15/2009 5:34:26 PM
Out of the closet and into the cabinet When Toronto mayoral candidate George Smitherman (pictured) kissed his spouse, Christopher Peloso, before a bank of cameras this week, he announced his campaign with a public display of affection normally reserved for heterosexual candidates and their spouses. 11/15/2009 5:13:31 PM
Colombian cooking concocts dessert with passion fruit - and Viagra A Colombian cooking school has concocted a "love dessert" made with passion fruit - and Viagra. Student chefs at the state culinary school in Quindio province wouldn't give the complete ingredients but say it contains the active ingredient in Viagra. 11/15/2009 1:05:35 PM
Australia: Elite college students proud of 'pro-rape' Facebook page A GROUP of past and present University of Sydney students set up a ''pro-rape'' page in the sports and recreation section on Facebook, describing themselves as ''anti-consent''. The Facebook page ran from August until late last month, and is part of a broader culture at the residential colleges experts say. 11/15/2009 7:44:09 AM
Here's a little of that Sarah Palin Book NBC News has obtained an advanced copy of Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life" Below are some of the fascinating excerpts, thanks to the tireless efforts of the fine folks working the late shift. The excerpts are presented in order as they appear in the book. 11/15/2009 5:50:48 AM
45,000 attend Enke's memorial (Video) More than 45,000 fans, friends and team mates have paid their last respects to Germany's national goalkeeper Robert Enke, who killed himself on Tuesday. His flower-draped coffin was put in the middle of the stadium of his team, Hanover 96, for the memorial ceremony. 11/15/2009 5:23:47 AM
Langley couple hires psychics to help find their missing dog A Langley couple has hired two American animal psychics to help find a missing four-legged mom. Nisga’a, a prized Coton de Tulear pooch, disappeared Nov. 9 while being walked by an international student staying with the couple. 11/15/2009 4:56:12 AM
The best excuse yet for men not to do the housework It's the get-out clause work-shy husbands have been praying for for years. A study has found that household chores – including using a vacuum cleaner or microwave oven – could reduce a man’s chances of having children. 11/14/2009 4:16:08 PM
Britain: Health and safety snoops to enter family homes Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents. New guidance urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on parents. 11/14/2009 3:27:07 PM
Woman jailed for poisoned puddings A Stripper who tried to poison her lover by lacing his mousse dessert with anti-freeze has been jailed. Sophie Mardon, 26, poured half a bottle into a purple dessert. The boyfriend, his brother, and father tasted it, but found it so disgusting they refused to eat any more. 11/14/2009 11:00:17 AM
Conrad Black: On teaching fellow inmates (Ed: Conrad Black is currently in prison in Florida.) My arrangement with my gracious temporary hosts includes the understanding that while I write a great deal for publication in many places in several countries, I do not describe what happens here, other than in the sketchiest terms. 11/14/2009 6:19:48 AM
David Frum on Sarah's Choice A rising young governor from a state remote from America’s media is given a big national chance. That’s the story of Bill Clinton. As Sarah Palin planned her own comeback strategy, she could have learned a lot from it. Instead of attending to her job as Alaska governor, she quit halfway through her first term. 11/14/2009 5:40:52 AM
Elizabeth Lambert is the modern female athlete (Video) Elizabeth Lambert, who achieved Internet and now television fame by basically hitting, hair-pulling, and beating the tar out of BYU's women's soccer team, is the picture of the modern female athlete.
What?
Yes. And no, this is not an endorsement of her actions. 11/13/2009 7:47:47 PM
Keremeos light up promises to be a little different The Keremeos Christmas Light Parade will be held on Friday, December 4. It will start at Valley First and continue down Main Street to the village offices. This year the Memorial Park gazebo will be decorated and Santa will be stopping there to visit with the children. 11/13/2009 7:25:59 PM
Russia's Putin wins respect at hip-hop party Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rubbed shoulders with rappers and was hailed with "respect" in a television show on Friday that could help boost his flagging ratings. Putin, wearing a turtleneck sweater and jacket, went on stage to present awards. 11/13/2009 5:49:15 PM
Mike Tyson: I was defending my wife and child It may come down to a tale of the videotape. A publicist for Mike Tyson said the former boxing champ was merely defending his wife and 10-month-old child after an altercation with an overaggressive photographer at LAX on Wednesday. Both men made citizen's arrests on each other. 11/13/2009 5:15:05 PM
Sports widows need their own hobbies Anne Young's husband Nathan spends three nights a week watching sports and playing poker with his buddies – and devotes his weekends to the NFL six months of the year. Instead of nagging him, Ms. Young, a 28-year-old fourth grade teacher, started a Facebook group. 11/13/2009 4:58:00 PM
Man arrested for calling 911, asking for sex Florida police say a man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 looking for sex claimed it was the only number he could dial after running out of cell phone minutes. Tampa police said Joshua Basso made sexual comments to the 911 dispatcher and asked if he could come to her house. 11/13/2009 5:43:17 AM
Principal bans four-letter word — ‘meep!’ Who knew "meep!" was a four-letter word? The utterance favored by bungling lab assistant Beaker of "The Muppet Show" has been banned at Danvers High School in Massachusetts after students said it to repeatedly interrupt schoo 11/13/2009 5:39:10 AM
$1 million car driven into marsh A man blamed a low-flying pelican and a dropped cell phone for his veering his million-dollar sports car off a road and into a salt marsh near Galveston. The Houston Chronicle reported the Texan has become something of a celebrity. 11/13/2009 5:37:23 AM
Orchardist family adapts to apple harvest evolution The orchard industry’s annual Golden Apple Award goes this year to a Lake Country family who operate Dorenberg Orchards—60 acres where they’ve specialized in growing just three varieties: Sunrise, Royal Gala and Ambrosia. Marc Van Roechoudt has seen a lot of changes. 11/13/2009 5:22:08 AM
Friday the 13th phobia? You're not alone Henry Ford would have hated 2009, and not just because it's been a tough year to sell cars. Ford refused to do business on Friday the 13th, and this week marks the third time this year that the 13th will fall on a Friday -- the most times it can happen in one year. 11/13/2009 5:09:43 AM
Kids aware of racism by age 9, study finds By their ninth birthday, most children are aware of racism and know the stereotypes other people hold about certain groups, according to a new study that belies the idea of innocent, colour-blind childhood. “Kids are very savvy, they are wired to understand the social world.” 11/13/2009 4:45:25 AM
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