Past Articles:
These "Articles" are dated from February 1st, 2008 - February 29th, 2008.
 Liberals to RCMP: Investigate Tory bribe claims
29/02/08
 Obama staffer gave warning of NAFTA rhetoric
28/02/08
 Mulroney won't appear before committee: lawyer
27/02/08
 Schreiber says Mulroney 'frightened' by truth
26/02/08
 Is French president Sarkozy losing his cool?
25/02/08
 Raul Castro confirmed as Cuba's president
24/02/08
 Lohan film earns record-breaking 8 Razzie Awards
23/02/08
 Anti-poverty activists vandalize B.C. premier's office
22/02/08
 Autistic girl makes headlines around the world
21/02/08
 Last total lunar eclipse until 2010 happens tonight
20/02/08
 Toshiba quits HD DVD business
19/02/08
 Late DVDs lead to criminal charge for Que. couple
18/02/08
 Critic says new Enbridge fee 'outrageous'
17/02/08
 Tofino, B.C. comes together in search for boy
16/02/08
 Police arrest two suspects in N.S. murder probe
15/02/08
 Canadair jet crashes in Armenia, injuring 10
14/02/08
 Man with box cutter in standoff at day-care centre
13/02/08
 Ontario police carry out major child porn bust
12/02/08
 NHL's Zednik has surgery after throat cut during game
11/02/08
 Hasty V-Day shoppers spend more to avoid conflict
10/02/08
 Will U.S. spy satellite debris pose a threat?
09/02/08
 Woman stabs pilots on New Zealand plane
08/02/08
 Southern U.S. towns ripped by twisters mourn
07/02/08
 Tornadoes kill at least 44 people in Southern U.S.
06/02/08
 Celine Dion leads Juno pack with six nominations
05/02/08
 Google assails Microsoft over Yahoo deal
04/02/08
 Striking writers reach deal with indie producers
03/02/08
 Canada's groundhogs agree: Spring's coming early
02/02/08
 Microsoft makes unexpected $44.6B offer for Yahoo
01/02/08
=======================
 
Liberals to RCMP: Investigate Tory bribe claims
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 28  2008  22:46  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 29th, 2008
The Liberals are calling on the Mounties to investigate allegations that the late Tory MP Chuck Cadman was offered a bribe by his party in an effort to influence his vote.

Liberal justice critic Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday the RCMP needs to look further into claims that Cadman was offered incentives to sway his vote on a budget vote in 2005.

The Canadian Press reported Thursday night that the RCMP has confirmed it is examining a claim by the Liberals about the incident.

The allegations come from a forthcoming biography of Chuck Cadman -- who succumbed to cancer in the summer of 2005.

In his forthcoming book -- "Like a Rock: The Chuck Cadman Story" -- Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk claims that Cadman was offered a bribe by Tory officials to vote against the Liberals.

Harper spoke to author
Hear the interview with Harper in the video clip on the right-hand side.

Zytaruk interviewed Harper in Surrey, B.C, in September 2005, shortly after the MP's death. Zytaruk asked if Harper knew anything about allegations that Tory officials had offered Cadman a $1 million insurance policy to help his wife.

"I don't know the details. I know there were discussions," Harper replied.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion asks Harper about the allegations that party agents offered inducements to Chuck Cadman before a vote that could have toppled the former Liberal government in May 2005, during question period in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Independent MP Chuck Cadman votes during a confidence vote on the federal budget in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 19, 2005. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Tom Hanson)
Harper also said the discussions included talk of money.

"The offer to Chuck was that it was only to replace financial considerations he might lose due to an election," he told the author.

Harper also said he did not believe that Cadman would be swayed to change his vote.

"I told them they were wasting their time. I said Chuck had made up his mind," he said.

Dona Cadman speaks

The allegations are quoted from Cadman's widow, Dona Cadman, who is now a Conservative candidate in her husband's former Vancouver-area riding of Surrey North. The independent MP's vote would have triggered an election.

In an interview with CTV British Columbia on Thursday, Dona Cadman backed up Zytaruk's account of their interview. She repeated what she told the author, telling CTV that two men visited her husband and offered him a $1 million life insurance policy "and a few other things."

Those, she said, included "being welcomed back into the Conservative Party." Asked if she considered the offer a bribe, Cadman said, "Yes, in a way."

Read the transcript of the interview with Dona Cadman  <<>>
Prime Minister Stephen Harper responds to questions during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Chuck Cadman's wife Dona leaves the church following Cadman's memorial service in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday, July 16, 2005. (Chuck Stoody / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
She also noted that her late husband -- who was terminally ill at the time -- was extremely upset about the alleged bribe.

For his part, Zytaruk told Canada AM he didn't intend to accuse the Conservatives of misdeeds, but was simply reporting what he had been told through the course of numerous interviews with Dona Cadman.

"I'm saying this is what Dona has said has transpired. There was one person in the office besides Chuck. Dona wasn't in the office, but husbands and wives do talk and share intimate details of their day," he said.

Allegations dominate question period

The Cadman bribe allegations dominated question period Thursday. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Stephane Dion exchanged sharp barbs over the issue.

Harper strongly denied the claims saying, "There is absolutely no truth (to it)."

The Liberal Leader of the Opposition hammered Harper in front of a typically raucous House of Commons.

"He knew it was unethical, he knew it was illegal . . . why did the prime minister authorize this type of tactic?" Dion asked.

Harper responded that, "Chuck Cadman himself on national television . . . indicated that the story was not true."

He was referring to an interview Cadman had with Mike Duffy on CTV's Countdown in May 2005.

Cadman told Duffy that rumours he had been offered an unopposed nomination in his B.C. riding by Conservative officials, were true.

However, Cadman said he declined the offer.
"That was the only offer on anything that I had from anybody," he added, rebuffing suggestions he made a deal to throw his support behind the Liberals.

"There were no offers on that table up to that point, on anything from anybody."

Ethics committee leader Paul Szabo confirmed to CTV.ca that the committee will discuss the allegations. The story was denied earlier Thursday by Sandra Buckler, director of communications for Harper.

"The then Leader of the Opposition at no time directed any party official to make any kind of financial arrangement with Chuck Cadman," she said in a statement, adding that Harper met with Cadman's widow on Sept. 9, 2005, and was asked by her about the accusation.

Later on the same day, Zytaruk contacted Harper and also asked about the story, Buckler said.

"The then Leader of the Opposition looked into the matter with party officials and could find no confirmation. And that is the last time he heard anything regarding this matter," she said.

Harper is quoted in the book as confirming to Zytaruk that a visit occurred and that the officials were legitimate representatives of the Conservative Party. But any offer to Cadman was only to defray losses he might incur in an election, the book cites Harper as saying.

Zytaruk said it was not his intention to pass judgment.

"I spoke with Stephen Harper and he had his say on the situation and I basically left it to the readers to decide," he said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Obama staffer gave warning of NAFTA rhetoric
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 27  2008  23:45  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 28th, 2008
Barack Obama has ratcheted up his attacks on NAFTA, but a senior member of his campaign team told a Canadian official not to take his criticisms seriously, CTV News has learned.

Both Obama and Hillary Clinton have been critical of the long-standing North American Free Trade Agreement over the course of the Democratic primaries, saying that the deal has cost U.S. workers' jobs.

Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.

The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value.

But Tuesday night in Ohio, where NAFTA is blamed for massive job losses, Obama said he would tell Canada and Mexico "that we will opt out unless we renegotiate the core labour and environmental standards."
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama participate in a debate at Cleveland State University in Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP / Carolyn Kaster)
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty speaks with Canada AM on Wednesday, Feb . 27, 2008.
Late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Obama campaign said the staff member's warning to Wilson sounded implausible, but did not deny that contact had been made.

"Senator Obama does not make promises he doesn't intend to keep," the spokesperson said.

Low-level sources also suggested the Clinton campaign may have given a similar warning to Ottawa, but a Clinton spokesperson flatly denied the claim.

During Tuesday's debate, she said that as president she would opt out of NAFTA "unless we renegotiate it."

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday that the candidates' criticisms of NAFTA were misguided.

"(They) should recognize that NAFTA benefits the U.S. tremendously," he said. "Those who speak of it as helpful to (just the) Canadian or Mexican economies are missing the point."

Liberal MP and finance critic John McCallum told Canada AM that the U.S. pulling out of NAFTA "would be a disaster for Canada."

But he added, "I hope and I believe that it's politics, because they're in a high-stakes contest. I believe after this nominee is decided, this issue will go away."

John Fortier, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise institute, said that in an effort to gain votes in the anti-NAFTA state of Ohio, each candidate might find themselves "locked-in" to their pledge to renegotiate NAFTA.

"Last night, both candidates really locked themselves in to at least doing some serious renegotiation," Fortier told Canada AM. "But how serious they are and what the changes (will be) . . . that's another question.
"But I don't know how Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton can get out of last night's very clear pledge that they are going to use the opt-out (clause) as a threat to do some serious renegotiation."

Crucial primaries in Ohio and Texas are just one week away.

During Tuesday night's debate, each candidate was quite specific about using the six-month opt-out clause in NAFTA, to pressure Canada and Mexico into renegotiating the deal.

The March 4 primaries are seen as vital for each candidate, but particularly Clinton. It's expected that without a decisive win in both Texas and Ohio, she has no chance of winning the Democratic nomination.

Clinton once had a large lead in each state, but recent polls are showing the candidates as close to even, with Obama surging ahead.

Early polls show that there is a strong possibility of a Democrat in the White House in January 2009.

Obama, in particular, is surging in popularity throughout the U.S. and some polls give the Illinois senator an almost double-digit lead if he were to run head-to-head against the expected Republican candidate, John McCain.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV's Tom Clark in Washington
=======================
 
Mulroney won't appear before committee: lawyer
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb.  26  2008  19:25  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 27th, 2008
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney will not return to the House of Commons ethics committee, his counsel confirmed Tuesday, officially declining a request from chairman Paul Szabo.

No reason was given for the decision, but Guy Pratte, Mulroney's lawyer, said he would be giving a detailed response to Szabo on Wednesday.

Szabo had requested Mulroney make another appearance before the committee on Thursday, to answer more questions about his business dealings with German-born arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber.
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney testifies before the Commons ethics committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
On Monday, Schreiber repeated claims that he gave Mulroney $300,000, expecting him to lobby the Canadian government to buy light-armoured vehicles. He said Mulroney never did any work.

Mulroney has said he was only given $225,000, and that he asked international leaders -- including the late Russian president Boris Yeltsin -- to buy the equipment.

Despite his refusal to testify in front of the committee again, Mulroney has said he's willing to participate in a full inquiry on the matter.

After Schreiber's testimony on Monday, a website devoted to defending Mulroney in the affair, Brian Mulroney Media Room, posted an angry response to the businessman's claims.

"Key to his endless game of hide and seek with journalists and the justice system has been Mr. Schreiber's claim to possess mountains of damning evidence related to each of his improbable allegations," the website said. "But when challenged, his evidence is never revealed."

Schreiber may not appear before the committee again. He's currently fighting extradition to his native country on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Schreiber says Mulroney 'frightened' by truth
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb.  25  2008  22:32  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 26th, 2008
Karlheinz Schreiber launched a new round of verbal attacks at Brian Mulroney on Monday, accusing the former prime minister of putting on a "smoke-and-mirrors show" to escape a public inquiry.

"Mr. Mulroney is frightened by the truth," Schreiber told the House of Commons ethics committee, in what was his fifth -- and possibly last -- appearance.

He even quoted an unscientific online poll that suggested a majority of Canadians believe his testimony over that of Mulroney.

"I'm very honoured," he said with a grin. "Canadians gave me 84 per cent -- 27,800 votes."

Schreiber, a German-born arms dealer, is currently fighting extradition to his native country on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Committee member Pat Martin, a New Democrat MP, said he may not have another chance to ask Schreiber questions because of his legal battle. But Schreiber joked that he would "look him up in Winnipeg."

At issue Monday was the conflicting testimony given by Schreiber and Mulroney.
Karlheinz Schreiber testifies before the Commons ethics committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday February 25, 2008 . (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Former Mulroney cabinet minister Elmer MacKay listens to committee chairman Paul Szabo (left) via teleconference before the Commons Ethics committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday Feb 25, 2008. (Tom Hanson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Schreiber insists he paid Mulroney $225,000 in cash to lobby the Canadian government to buy light-armoured vehicles, but claims Mulroney never did the job.

Mulroney testified in December that he actually received $300,000 from Schreiber in the early 1990s, not $225,000, and that he actively lobbied international leaders like the late Boris Yeltsin.

He specifically recounted the Yeltsin meeting, saying the Russian president had told him he would love to buy the vehicles but that Russia was effectively "broke."

On Tuesday, Schreiber dismissed that story as false.

"Mr. Mulroney lied to you,'' he claimed, calling the testimony "smoke and mirrors."

"He is motivated to try to show that there is no need for a public inquiry. That is his only goal," he said.

Schreiber also contradicted Mulroney's testimony that he felt uncomfortable being paid in cash.

"He accepted the cash because he didn't want it traced," said Schreiber. "The $300,000 was trust money given to Mr. Mulroney. He stole it because he didn't do any work for me."

A website devoted to defending Mulroney in the affair, Brian Mulroney Media Room, posted a response to Schreiber's testimony, accusing the businessman of playing games with the committee.

"Key to his endless game of hide and seek with journalists and the justice system has been Mr. Schreiber's claim to possess mountains of damning evidence related to each of his improbable allegations," the website said. "But when challenged, his evidence is never revealed."

Former Mulroney-era cabinet minister Elmer MacKay, the father of Defence Minister Peter MacKay, also testified Tuesday. The Committee members asked why Mulroney and Schreiber disagreed on the amount paid.

"I don't want to say that either one of them are lying," said MacKay, who is a friend of both men. "I find it incongruous that one says $300,000 and the other says $225,000. But what do I know?"

Committee members are hoping to hear further from Mulroney, but sources told CTV News that likely will not happen. Those close to the former prime minister said he finds the committee process unfair, and wants to save any more testimony for a public inquiry.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV's Graham Richardson in Ottawa
=======================
 
Is French president Sarkozy losing his cool?
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb.  25  2008  09:27  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 25th, 2008
PARIS -- With his poll numbers sinking, is French President Nicolas Sarkozy losing his cool?

An opposition leader pounced Sunday and Web surfers gawked by the hundreds of thousands at video footage showing Sarkozy snapping at a man in a crowd at a Paris trade fair.

"Casse-toi alors, pauvre con, va,'' he said, a phrase whose mildest translation is: "Then get out of here, you total jerk.''
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech at the plant of the French engineering company Alstom, in La Rochelle, western France, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP / Christophe Ena)
On Saturday while the president was working a crowd to intermittent boos, a freelance cameraman caught on tape an unidentified man telling Sarkozy not to touch him. The man accused Sarkozy of "dirtying me.''

Sarkozy briskly snapped at the man and then moved on, continued to smile and shake hands with others along his path, saying "merci.''

Le Parisien newspaper posted a video of the incident on its Internet site and tallied more than a half-million views by Sunday afternoon.

The president's spokesman, David Martinon, did not respond to a call to his mobile phone and a lower-level official in the presidential press office declined comment on the incident.

It is not likely to be welcomed by Sarkozy's fellow conservatives, who are already concerned his sinking popularity rating could damage their chances in next month's municipal elections.

Socialist leader and frequent Sarkozy critic Francois Hollande, speaking Sunday on Canal Plus TV, said Sarkozy was out of line and it is "intolerable...that the president isn't exemplary.''

Sarkozy bared a short fuse last year by calling Martinon an "imbecile'' before storming away from an interview with the CBS program "60 Minutes.''

Sarkozy has engaged in public shouting matches and used tough language from time to time over his political career. While interior minister in 2005, he angered many residents from poor housing projects by calling young delinquents "scum.''

The president has seen his popularity sink in recent months. Some voters have been put off by Sarkozy's flaunting of his romance over the last few months with former supermodel Carla Bruni, whom he wed Feb. 2, at a time when many French are more worried about pocketbook issues and the creaky state of France's economy.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Raul Castro confirmed as Cuba's president
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb.  24  2008  16:20  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 24th, 2008
Cuban lawmakers have officially named Raul Castro as Cuba's new president today, ending his older brother Fidel's nearly 50-year run as leader.

Raul Castro, 76, has headed the communist country for the past 19 months after Fidel underwent emergency intestinal surgery. Fidel announced this past week he would not seek another term as president.

The 614-member National Assembly, elected on Jan. 20, will select a 31-member Council of State headed by a president. The president will be head of state and government.

Fidel, 81, had held the job since 1976, when the current government structure was developed. For 18 years before that, he was prime minister -- a position that no longer exists. He will remain a National Assembly member and will head the Communist Party as first secretary.

If Raul had not gotten the job, it would be a huge shock.

Besides his elder brother, the country's long-time defence minister is supported by "Raulistas" -- top military men.
Cuba's acting President Raul Castro reacts during a session of Cuba's National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. (AP / Ismael Francisco,Prensa Latina)
Cuban lawmakers raise their hands to vote during Cuba's National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. (AP)
Five generals are members of the Communist Party's 21-member Politburo. Two run the interior and sugar ministries. Unlike many Latin American countries, Castro's Cuba hasn't experienced a military rebellion.

Raul's leadership style

Last year, Raul Castro hinted in a speech that some "structural changes" are required in Cuba's economy -- although it is also hobbled by a U.S. trade embargo. It was a signal to many that there were differences between the brothers' political plans.

Wayne S. Smith, the director of the Center for International Policy's Cuba Program, told CTV Newsnet that changes can be expected under the new president, but not sweeping ones.

"The future will not change much," Smith said shortly after Raul Castro's confirmation as president. "I don't think that Raul will bring in sweeping reforms.

"None the less, Cuba has been ruled by Fidel Castro for almost half a century, it will not be the same without him."

But Smith added that while the world may be seeing drastic change in Cuba, life will be much the same for Cuba's citizens.
Fidel Castro's younger brother Raul Castro, center on blue suit, addresses a speech after being elected President of Cuba's supreme governing body, the Council of State, by the new National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. (AP / Javier Galeano)
"The people of Cuba will take this in stride," Smith said. "They know perfectly well it doesn't mean any great change (for) their lives."

But analysts are noting some differences between the Castro brothers in terms of economic policy.

Ken Frankel, chair of the Canadian Council of the Americas, told CTV Newsnet on Sunday that some subtle changes have already occurred in how the economy operates and in the seeking of feedback from Cubans.

"This will continue under Raul, in my opinion," Frankel said.

Raul is considered to be pragmatic and highly organized. "The sense is ... he's open to ideas," he said.

"It's known that Raul is an admirer of the Vietnamese and Chinese economic model, for example."

Those countries maintain the political repressiveness of communism with a largely capitalist economy.

Although Raul can be warm, especially with the troops, he can be very tough, having done some dirty work for his older brother.

Raul oversaw the executions of officials from the deposed government of dictator Fulgencio Batista. He voted to uphold the death penalty for Gen. Arnaldo Ochoa, once one of his closest friends, after the general and three others were convicted of drug trafficking.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Lohan film earns record-breaking 8 Razzie Awards
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb.  23  2008  14:11  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 23rd, 2008
As the big stars gear up for the Sunday night Oscars showdown, many of the industry's less-touted films are having their moment in the sun a day early, when both the independent Spirit Awards and the notorious Golden Raspberry Awards (a.k.a. "The Razzies") hit California stages.

As one of the sassiest award shows, the Razzies announced Hollywood's worst for the 28th consecutive year at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday.

The day's big "winner" was "I Know Who Killed Me," a suspense film starring Lindsay Lohan that's been pummelled by reviewers since its July 2007 release.

Earning the worst picture award, it also won Razzies for worst actress, worst screen couple, worst remake or rip-off, worst director, worst screenplay, and the awards' newest category, worst excuse for a horror movie.

"Nominated individually for each of her characters (in "I Know Who Killed Me"), Lindsay 'won' a pair of Worst Actress statuettes when she received the same number of votes for both roles," said the Razzies' website.
Lindsay Lohan is nominated for multiple Razzies, including worst actress, for her role in 'I Know Who Killed Me.' (AP / Mark J. Terrill)
Eddie Murphy was the winner of three Razzies for the film 'Norbit': worst actor, worst supporting actor and worst supporting actress. (AP)
"For a scene in which she appears opposite herself at the film's finale, Lohan was also Razzed as the year's Worst Screen Couple."

The project's eight wins broke the previous Razzies record for most awards won by a single film, earning the not-so-coveted "gold spray-painted, $4.89 statuettes that signify their winners stank."

The event was held at Santa Monica's Magicopolis, a magic show venue that bills itself as the best birthday party location in Los Angeles.
Ellen Page and Michael Cera star in Jason Reitman's 'Juno.'
Topping this year's list of "berry bad movies":
"I Know Who Killed Me".
Eddie Murphy's "Norbit," won worst actor, worst supporting actor and worst supporting actress, all for roles played by Murphy.
"Daddy Day Camp," winning the award for worst prequel or sequel.

All three were up for the worst picture award alongside "Bratz" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry."

The winners almost never show up to the roast, with one exception: Halle Berry joined the festivities to accept her 2005 prize for "Catwoman."

The only Canadian nominated for a Razzie this year was comedian Jim Carrey. The Newmarket, Ont.-born Carrey earned a worst actor nod for his role an as animal control officer in the suspense film "The Number 23."

The winners are decided by Razzie members, who must buy a paid membership to take part in the vote. For the full list of nominations, visit the Razzies' website.

Spirit Awards handed out tonight

A much more reputable affair, the low-key independent Spirit Awards are usually given away on the beach in Santa Monica. However, rain is forecast for tonight and no alternative venue is mentioned on the award's website. They celebrate the best in independent filmmaking.

Montrealer Jason Reitman and his teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" are nominated for four awards including best director and best picture; its lead actress, Halifax's Ellen Page, is nominated for best actress and Diablo Cody is up for best first-time screenplay for the film.

"Juno" was tied with the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" for the highest number of nominations.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Anti-poverty activists vandalize B.C. premier's office
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 22  2008  00:01  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 22nd, 2008
B.C.'s attorney general says a group of anti-poverty activists who vandalized Premier Gordon Campbell's constituency office are nothing more than a "lawless" bunch intent on "terrorizing people."

"To have louts like these people (go) there -- who think they have a message to give to people but in fact create mischief -- it's disturbing," said Wally Oppal.

On Thursday, four members of the Anti-Poverty Committee, a Vancouver-area protest group that made headlines last month for shouting profanities at Governor General Michaelle Jean, tried to burst into Campbell's Vancouver office. When they were shut out by staff members, they vandalized the building, splashing it with paint.

They painted the wall outside the office with Olympic colours to protest the 2010 Games.

"Why we went to the premier's office was to protest the budget, the lack of any real money being spent on what poor people need, you know, housing, not hotels but real social housing," group spokesperson David Cunningham told a Vancouver-area radio station.
Wally Oppal says he was personally threatened by a person claiming to be a member of an anti-Olympic group.
Premier Campbell's constituency office was covered in paint Thursday afternoon.
He told CTV British Columbia, "If doing something like this means mild probation or a night or two in jail, it's worth it to get housing."

But the province's attorney general said the group's antics are little more than intimidation tactics. A few days ago, they vandalized the Olympic Clock in Vancouver and last year the group trashed the premier's office in Victoria.

"They're not really in favour of democracy," said Oppal.
Anti-poverty activist David Cunningham.
"They're not democratic at all. They're a bunch of lawless people who are intent on forcing their own views on other people."

Oppal said the alleged vandals frightened the staff at the constituency office. He also noted that he doesn't believe the group is representative of other protesters and demonstrators who get their message out peacefully. He said dissent and debate is necessary in a democracy. But he added, "These activities of these people have no place at all in any democracy."

Oppal said police will investigate and authorities will then take appropriate action. Police called the actions a "criminal act."

"This is mischief and there will be charges coming out of it," said Vancouver Police Const. Jana McGuinness.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Autistic girl makes headlines around the world
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 20  2008  21:09  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 21st, 2008
The family of a 13-year-old Canadian girl with autism who learned to communicate through her laptop has been overwhelmed by the public response to her story -- and insists she is doing it without any help.

CTV News first aired the story of Carly Fleishmann, a non-verbal girl who communicates through instant messaging software, on Sunday. The Toronto family's story was picked up Tuesday night on ABC News in the United States.

Carly is unable to verbally communicate, but since finding a way to "talk" she has been providing long-sought-after insight into what it feels like to have autism. She said it feels like "being in a room with the stereo on full blast" or like her legs are on fire and she is covered with ants.

Since Sunday, people living with the condition and media outlets around the world have taken notice of what Carly's story could indicate for the future of autism treatment.
Carly, uses a computer to communicate with her family, a rarity amongst those suffering from autism.
Carly's father, Arthur Fleishmann speaks with CTV's Avis Favaro.
"Thank you Carly for being so brave and letting us read some of your thoughts!!!" wrote one woman named Gretchen, one of many to email CTV in response to Carly's amazing breakthrough. "I have a 2 1/2 year old autistic daughter but she is verbal. She still can't tell us what is wrong or how she is feeling. I love this story!! As a mom it gave me a better insight to this disorder!"

"This girl and what she has to say absolutely breaks my heart," said another reader named "T". "I can understand how she feels, not because I have an autistic child, but I can feel from her writing how she desperately wants just to be like everybody else, but can't."
Carly is seen at a young age, where she showed early signs of autism.
"As a mother of an autistic child myself, my hope is that some of our political leaders will see stories like this one and be moved to take meaningful action to ensure that all children with autism have access to the services they need to reach their full potential," wrote a mother named Laura.

An interview with Carly's father Arthur continued to spread her story, reaching millions of viewers in the U.S. "We realized inside was an intelligent, articulate, emotive person," he said. "We were stunned."

Alongside the well-wishers, there have been a handful of those who are skeptical about Carly's achievements, some wondering Carly is being cued -- either consciously or unconsciously -- about what to write.

Carly's mother Tammy says that is simply not the case. She says Carly often writes email by herself, with no one else in the room, and when there is someone there to help here, they are there primarily to help Carly focus.

Tammy says she knows that Carly is not simply repeating phrases she's been taught because Carly has demonstrated she's learning things on her own.

"My daughter knows about all kinds of things we have not told her about and she writes spontaneously about them," Tammy wrote, responding to a comment left by a viewer on ABC's website. "For instance, we told her we were taking her to New York to see a doctor there and she wrote she wanted to see Ground Zero and the lady with the torch. We had no idea she knew these things.

"I have no incentive for making this up or embellishing her accomplishments and neither do the huge team of doctors and other professionals who have seen Carly over the years."

Carly's speech pathologist confirms the words are indeed her own.

"All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her," says Barbara Nash-Fenton. "It was an exciting moment because we didn't realize she had all these words. It was one of those moments in my career that I'll never forget."

Experts in the specialized form of autism therapy Carly has undergone, called Applied Behaviour Analysis, say they're not sure whether her unusual language abilities make her a rare case or whether her new writing skills are the result of her intensive training.

But as people touched by her story from around the world can attest, Carly Fleishman has at the very least provided a window of hope for thousands who want to know what living with autism is really like.

CTV.ca readers with questions for Carly can send them to health@ctv.ca. She will do her best to respond later this week to some of them and we will post her comments.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff
=======================
 
Last total lunar eclipse until 2010 happens tonight
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 20  2008  06:40  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 20th, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings.
The moon over central London on the night of a total lunar eclipse on Saturday, March 3, 2007. (AP / Lewis Whyld)
Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.

As the moonlight dims -- it won't go totally dark -- Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse."

Wednesday's event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.

The weather could be a spoiler for many in the United States. Cloudy skies are expected for most of the Western states with a chance of snow from the heartland to the East Coast, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

"It looks like it's going to be a hard one to spot," Seto said.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.

The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.

Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.

Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Toshiba quits HD DVD business
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 19  2008  06:51  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 19th, 2008
TOKYO -- Toshiba said Tuesday it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video.

"We concluded that a swift decision would be best," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters at his company's Tokyo offices.
Models pose with Toshiba's 'HD-XA1' HD DVD player in Tokyo on Friday, March 31, 2006. (AP / Katsumi Kasahara)
The move would make Blu-ray -- backed by Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, and five major Hollywood movie studios -- the winner in the battle over high-definition DVD formatting that began several years ago.

Nishida said last month's decision by Warner Bros. Entertainment to release movie discs only in the Blu-ray format made the move inevitable.

"That had tremendous impact," he said. "If we had continued, that would have created problems for consumers, and we simply had no chance to win."

Warner joined Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co. and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox in that move.

Nishida said his company had confidence in HD DVD as a technology and tried to assure the estimated 1 million people, including some 600,000 people in North America, who already bought HD DVD machines by promising that Toshiba will continue to provide product support for the technology.

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray deliver crisp, clear high-definition pictures and sound, which are more detailed and vivid than existing video technology. They are incompatible with each other, and neither plays on older DVD players. But both formats play on high-definition TVs.

HD DVD was touted as being cheaper because it was more similar to previous video technology, while Blu-ray boasted bigger recording capacity.

Only one video format has been expected to emerge as the victor, much like VHS trumped Sony's Betamax in the video format battle of the 1980s.

Nishida said it was still uncertain what will happen with the Hollywood studios that signed to produce HD DVD movies, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation.
Toshiba's pulling the plug on the technology is expected to reduce the number of new high-definition movies that people will be able to watch on HD DVD machines. Toshiba Corp. said shipments of HD DVD machines to retailers will be reduced and will stop by end of March.

Sales in Blu-ray gadgets are now likely to pick up as consumers had held off in investing in the latest recorders and players because they didn't know which format would emerge dominant.

Despite being a possible blow to Toshiba's pride, the exit will probably lessen the potential damage in losses in HD DVD operations. Goldman Sachs has said pulling out would improve Toshiba's profitability between 40 billion yen and 50 billion yen ($370 million-$460 million) a year.

The reasons behind Blu-ray's triumph over HD DVD are complex, as marketing, management maneuvers and other factors are believed to have played into the shift to Blu-ray's favor that became more decisive during the critical holiday shopping season.

Once the balance starts tilting in favor of one in a format battle, then the domination tends to grow and become final, said Kazuharu Miura, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo.

"The trend became decisive I think this year," he said. "When Warner made its decision, it was basically over."

With movie studios increasingly lining up behind Blu-ray, retailers also began to stock more Blu-ray products.

Friday's decision by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. retailer, to sell only Blu-ray DVDs and hardware appeared to deal a final blow to the Toshiba format. Just five days earlier, Netflix Inc. said it will cease carrying rentals in HD DVD.

Several major American retailers had already made similar decisions, including Target Corp. and Blockbuster Inc.

Also adding to Blu-ray's momentum was the gradual increase in sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 home video-game console, which also works as a Blu-ray player. Sony has sold 10.5 million PS3 machines worldwide since the machine went on sale late 2006.
HD DVD supporters included Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 game machine can play HD DVD movies, but the drive had to be bought separately, and Nishida said about 300,000 people have those.

Worldwide sales of personal computers with HD DVD drives total about 300,000 worldwide, including 140,000 in North America and 130,000 in Europe, he said.

Recently, the Blu-ray disc format has been gaining market share, especially in Japan. A study on fourth quarter sales last year by market researcher BCN Inc. found that by unit volume, Blu-ray made up 96 percent of Japanese sales.

Sony said it did not have numbers on how many Blu-ray players had been sold globally.

Toshiba's stock slipped 0.6 percent Tuesday to 824 yen after jumping 5.7 percent Monday amid reports that a decision was imminent. Sony shares climbed 2.2 percent to 5,010 yen after rising 1 percent Monday.

Also Tuesday, Toshiba said it plans to spend more than 1.7 trillion yen ($15.7 billion) for two plants in Japan to produce sophisticated chips called NAND flash memory, which are used in portable music players and cell phones. Production there will start in 2010.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Late DVDs lead to criminal charge for Que. couple
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 18  2008  14:21  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 18th, 2008
A Chateauguay, Que. couple can't believe they ended up being criminally charged after forgetting to return some DVDs.

"It was just ridiculous. I can't believe the police took the time and put the effort into this," Helena Pawl told CTV Montreal on Monday.

Pawl and her boyfriend, Jean-Francois Mainville, forgot to return the movies to Video Carnaval.

The store claimed they tried to contact the couple several times to request the return of the movies, but the couple claims they heard nothing.

So the store filed a complaint with police over the $81 bill.

After a call from the Chateauguay police, Pawl and Mainville quickly returned the DVDs, but that didn't end the matter.

A few months later, the Surete du Quebec, the provincial police force, pulled Mainville over for speeding. While processing his licence, they found a warrant out for his arrest.
Helena Pawl and her boyfriend, Jean-Francois Mainville, were criminally charged after forgetting to return DVD rentals to a store in Chateauguay, Que.
Video Carnaval filed a complaint with the police about the couple's outstanding $81 bill.
"They used a loudspeaker, telling me to exit the vehicle and put my hands on the hood," Mainville said in French.

The couple has hired a lawyer to fight the case, spending about $1,000.

At their court date, the video store didn't even show up. While that meant an acquittal, Mainville now wants his name and mugshot completely cleared from police files. But hiring a lawyer to help with that would cost yet more money.

"Oh my God. I think it's ridiculous. Give me the late charges. I'd rather pay the late charges," said Pawl. "We were three weeks late bringing back these DVDs."

A Chateauguay police officer said it really doesn't make any difference that this incident involved late DVDs.

"It's a product (with) a monetary value to it," said Tony Sciullo. "All complaints, we have to take them down," he said of the store's complaint.

Pawl said: "We didn't rob the store. We didn't go in with masks and take the movies. We forgot to bring them back."

Mainville said: "You don't destroy someone's reputation for $70."

CTV Montreal tried to reach the store's owner for comment, but he never returned the calls.

As to the movies themselves, were they any good?

"No! Of course not!" Pawl said, adding they rented a romance movie for her and "some really bad action movie."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report from CTV Montreal's Todd Van der Heyden
=======================
 
Critic says new Enbridge fee 'outrageous'
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 16  2008  21:57  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 17th, 2008
Enbridge is set to charge its Ontario customers a new fee to help pay the costs of an out-of-court settlement. In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled against the natural gas company -- for charging unfair fees.

The Supreme Court found that the company had billed illegal late-payment penalties from 1994 to 2002. The fees had been approved by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).

The company agreed to pay $22 million in a settlement, but the OEB said Enbridge now has the right to reclaim that money, even if it's from the same customers it overcharged.

Gord Garland, who launched the lawsuit against Enbridge over the late fees, said the company is again mistreating its customers.

"It's outrageous that a company engaged in and essentially convicted of a criminal act would then ask its customers to pay for that act," he told CTV News.
Enbridge is charging customers to pay the cost of an old court settlement after the company was found with over billing customers illegal late fees.
Gordon Garland filed a lawsuit against Enbridge in April 1994.
In the Supreme Court ruling, Justice Frank Iacobucci wrote that "the late-payment penalties were collected in contravention of the Criminal Code," which trumps any OED ruling.

The OEB has also approved the new fee. In response to questions from CTV News, the OEB issued a statement explaining its decision. It noted that:
Costs had been incurred prudently;
Enbridge was acting in accordance with provincial government guidelines;
the late payment penalties Enbridge was charging were approved by the Board at that time; and,
the Ontario Superior Court had ruled in favour of Enbridge on two prior occasions, before being overruled by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Lawyers said that because Enbridge is a utility, it's guaranteed 'cost recovery.'

"What the OEB does is determine what the costs were and allow the utility to recover them from the customers," said regulatory expert George Vegh.

The new fee may be only a few dollars, but Garland said customers will be furious.

"That is money being taken out of Enbridge's customers' pickets and being put into Enbridge's pockets," he said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV's Amanda Lang in Toronto
=======================
 
Tofino, B.C. comes together in search for boy
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 16  2008  14:06  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 16th, 2008
A massive search continues in the tourist town of Tofino, B.C., today for a little American boy who went missing in the Vancouver Island community on Friday morning.

Eight-year-old William Pilkenton of Bellingham, Washington, was last seen with his father at Duffin Cove, a beach area with rocky terrain on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The boy briefly left Dave Wilkenton's side and has not been seen since. Wilkenton called police within 30 minutes and a search for William began shortly afterwards.
William, 8, of Washington State, shown in this undated family handout photo.
Police believe the boy may have fallen into the ocean or he may have wondered into the nearby woods.

"But we're not ruling anything out," RCMP Const. Susan Boyes told CTV.ca.

By late Friday, the RCMP had brought in a dog team and a helicopter with infrared equipment. Search and rescue crews from communities around central Vancouver Island have also joined the search, along with about 100 area residents, including local First Nations communities. Some residents have also brought out their boats to search nearby waters.

"The community response is not surprising," said David Wiwchar, a video journalist who is covering the story of the missing boy for a local television station.

Wiwchar, who is from Port Alberni, a mill town that is a short distance from Tofino, told CTV.ca on Saturday: "The people know what the terrain is like here. They know the danger, and they know they need to help out."

Boyes added: "(There's been an) overwhelming community response. It's a small town so word spread quickly. It seems like everyone wants to help in one way or the other, so it's good to see."

Police told CTV British Columbia that the family has been closely monitoring the effort, but they are obviously very distraught.

The beach area where the boy went missing, while picturesque, is also rugged. It is rocky along the shoreline and the woods in the adjacent rain forest are dense.

Boyes noted that William was not prepared to be out in the cold when he went missing. He was wearing a red jacket and a pair of jeans with rubber boots. Boyes said the temperatures dipped overnight, but police have noted that it was probable the boy would have likely survived if he was lost in the woods.

Fog made search efforts difficult early Saturday morning, but the weather has since cleared.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  
=======================
 
Police arrest two suspects in N.S. murder probe
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 15  2008  07:33  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 15th, 2008
Investigators probing the murder of a 12-year-old Nova Scotia girl have arrested two suspects and say they feel the case is moving forward.

Officers from the RCMP and Bridgewater Police Service announced Thursday that a body found on the weekend was that of Karissa Boudreau -- who had been missing since Jan. 27.

The two suspects -- whose identities have not yet been released -- were arrested Thursday and were held overnight, RCMP Const. Grant Webber told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.
Karissa Paige Boudreau is seen in this undated handout photo made available by the Bridgewater Police Service.
Police executed at least two search warrants Thursday in the Bridgewater area.

No details were released about the suspects but police said they would be questioning them on Friday.

"I think we believe this is still an isolated incident. We have two suspects in custody. No charges have been laid at this time, we have executed search warrants and the investigation is ongoing," Webber said.

RCMP Sgt. Mark Gallagher told Canada AM that investigators are beginning to build "a pretty good case" and are asking anyone with any information whatsoever to step forward.

"We're going to continue speaking to these people. We feel we're starting to feel were getting valuable information -- information that people thought may have been insignificant at the time," Gallagher said.

"We're asking people to call us if they have any information regarding this homicide and let us decide what information is valuable to us," Gallagher said.

An RCMP criminal profiler was in the area this week and helped investigators build their case.

CTV's Danelle Balfour reported Thursday that police know how Boudreau died but are keeping quiet to maintain the integrity of the investigation.

The body of the Grade 6 student was found near Bridgewater, last Saturday, although police only confirmed her identity after an autopsy was conducted Wednesday in Halifax.

She was eventually identified using dental records, police said.

Boudreau disappeared on Jan. 27 after having an argument in the parking lot of a Bridgewater shopping mall.

Penny Boudreau said she went into a grocery store after the argument and returned to her car 10 minutes later to find her daughter was missing.

Boudreau's parents were notified of their daughter's death at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  
=======================
 
Canadair jet crashes in Armenia, injuring 10
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 14  2008  07:03  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 14th, 2008
YEREVAN, Armenia -- A Canadair plane carrying 21 people flipped over and burst into flames during takeoff from Armenia's capital today, injuring 10 people.

The head of Armenia's civil aviation authority says the Canadair CRJ-100 was heading for Minsk, Belarus, when it crashed on the runway at Zvartnots Airport.

Avtiom Movsesian says there were 18 passengers and three crew members aboard.

Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries.

A spokesman for the airport, Gevorg Abramian, says none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

The plane belonged to Belarus's state airline Belavia.

The CRJ-100 is made by Montreal-based Bombardier.

Last year, many of Bombardier's Q-400 turboprop planes were grounded after a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft skidded off a runway with 52 people aboard.
Experts examine the wreckage of Belarus' Belavia Airlines Canadair CRJ-100, which was heading for Minsk, Belarus, when it flipped over on the runway at Zvartnots Airport near Yerevan and burst into flames on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. (AP / Photolure / Melik Bagdhdasaryan )
A CTV map detailing the location of Yerevan, Armenia.
Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Man with box cutter in standoff at day-care centre
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 13  2008  07:52  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 13th, 2008
ROME -- A man who took 12 hostages at a day-care centre in southern Italy has begun releasing his captives.

The top police official in Reggio Calabria says five youngsters have been freed, leaving six children and the teacher inside.
RAI state television showed footage from inside the classroom, with the man waving a box cutter and shouting as children mill around him, some of them crying.

Police had said the man demanded to speak to reporters, and the cameras were apparently allowed into the classroom to record his comments.

Police say the man complained about judicial problems, and felt himself "a victim of persecution.''

Several of the man's relatives, including his father, brother, uncle and a cousin, are at the scene and are taking turns speaking with him.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Ontario police carry out major child porn bust
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 12  2008  07:39  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 12th, 2008
The Ontario Provincial Police are set to unveil the results of what is being called the largest child pornography investigation in the province's history.

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino will hold a news conference today in Toronto about raids
carried out Monday by 18 different police forces.

The news comes on the heels of a new study of child pornography activity in Canada's largest province.

A U.S. task force, working with Toronto police, has found that more than 4,000 computers in Toronto are involved in trading images of child sexual abuse, the Toronto Star reported Tuesday.

About 45,000 computers across the nation are involved in child porn trading, with about one-third of those in Ontario.

Canada ranks fourth in the world in online child pornography distribution activity. The top three are Bermuda, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

According to U.S. data, about 30 per cent of those who view such imagery go on to commit sexual offences against children, the Star said.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  
=======================
 
NHL's Zednik has surgery after throat cut during game
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 11  2008  07:51  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 11th, 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The NHL is reeling from a pair of serious injuries caused by skates over the weekend, including an incident Sunday where a player was sliced in the neck by a teammate.

Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik underwent surgery to close a deep gash on the right side of his neck, where he was accidentally slashed by the skate of Panthers captain Olli Jokinen in the Panthers' game against the Buffalo Sabres. He was listed in stable condition.

Jokinen was upended by a Buffalo player when his right leg flew up and struck Zednik directly on the side of the neck.
Florida Panthers right winger Richard Zednik, of Slovakia, skates towards the bench holding his neck after being injured during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y. on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. (AP / Don Heupel)
Clutching his neck, Zednik raced to the Florida bench, leaving a long trail of blood. Zednik was then helped off the ice by a trainer and a teammate and escorted to the Panthers' dressing room.

The injury was severe enough to consider not finishing the game, a decision Jokinen would have welcomed.

"We shouldn't have finished the game,'' Jokinen said. "I saw the replay, that it was my skate that hit him in the throat. I think we were all in shock. I've never seen anything like that. There are bigger things than (finishing the game). It was terrifying.''

In a statement, the NHL said that league vice-president Colin Campbell talked to commissioner Gary Bettman and decided to continue the game after knowing that Zednik was stable, that trainers had stopped the bleeding and that the teams were willing to go on.

It was the second serious injury caused by a skate this weekend.

On Saturday, NHL linesman Pat Dapuzzo needed dozens of stitches to close a cut on his face after he was hit by the skate of Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie in a game against the New York Rangers.

Dapuzzo, scheduled to retire at the end of the season, didn't return after the second-period injury.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Hasty V-Day shoppers spend more to avoid conflict
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 10  2008  09:35  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 10th, 2008
A U.S. consumer study suggests that as the Valentine's Day gift-giving deadline approaches, a last-minute shopper's goal shifts from finding the perfect gift to finding a gift that avoids a relationship meltdown.

Researchers from the Universities of Chicago; California, Berkeley; and Stanford found that consumers are drawn to products with positive outcomes when there is ample time to consider the purchase.

In contrast, shoppers are drawn to products that will help prevent negative outcomes when Valentine's Day is fast approaching.

"Consumers facing an imminent decision are confronted with the negative possibility of failing to fulfill their purchasing goal," said the authors of "Time Will Tell: The Distant Appeal of Promotion and Imminent Appeal of Prevention."
Secrets From Your Sister, a Toronto store specializing in women's lingerie, stands to benefit greatly during the Valentine season. (CTV.ca / Ashleigh Patterson)
"When the purchase is still far off in the future, however, consumers are likely to be fairly optimistic about succeeding and less concerned with the possibility of goal failure," they said in a written statement on their findings, which were published in the Journal of Consumer Research in February.

Last-minute shoppers spend more

Participants were asked to consider a trip to Europe. Some were told to consider a last-minute summer vacation while others were told to consider one several months away -- over the winter holidays.

They were then shown ads from a non-existent website, PriceAlerts.com. Some ads were cast in a positive light, for example: "Give yourself a memorable vacation!" and "Get the best deal!" But others had negative undertones: "Don't get stuck at home!" and "Don't get ripped off."

Participants planning a last-minute trip were willing to pay $178 more on average, the researchers found, when presented with "negative" ads rather than "positive" ones.

In contrast, those planning a trip that was months away responded to the positive ads and were open to paying $165 more, the study found.

Linda Brigley, owner and operator of Spirit Urban Spa in Halifax, told CTV.ca that when the Valentine's Day deadline is looming, consumers are not as likely to be planning an elaborate day of relaxation for their loved one. Instead, they're looking for a quick and easy fix.

"I think the last-minute shoppers are the flowers-and-chocolate type. Or they'll call and try to do something but often we're all booked up," she said.

Brigley said couple's spa packages for Valentine's Day are often booked three to four weeks in advance, leaving hasty buyers with limited options.
"What happens for a lot of last-minute shoppers is they're buying gift certificates. I think that's sort of the same as buying flowers and chocolates," she said.

The study, published in the February edition of Journal of Consumer Research, suggests that consumers are even willing to pay more for a last-minute gift in order to avoid a negative outcome.

Liliana Mann, owner of specialty lingerie boutique Linea Intima, told CTV.ca that feelings of guilt often prompt shoppers, most often men, into spending over budget.

"The guilt trip gets them to buy things that are more expensive," she said from Toronto during a recent phone interview.

"Sometimes they try to be very specific but it's the last moment and they can't find that specific request because it might be sold out. So then they'll buy whatever they can find and will spend more because they see they have no choice."

Mann says the wrong size, an obnoxious color, improper gift wrapping, or a card without a heartfelt message, are tell-tale signs that a gift was purchased under time constraints.

Samantha Conover, manager of lingerie boutique Secrets From Your Sister, says men will be prompted to spend more on Valentine's Day in an effort to look like they really did their homework.

Do your research

Before whipping out the credit card, Conover says some research is in order.

"Look at what your significant other likes already, what they already have. If everything in their drawer is really simple and cotton, they are most likely not going to want this see-through, netted, lacy over-the-top thing," Conover said from the Toronto store.
If you don't have a month to prepare, a piece of jewelry can convey emotion and a sense of preparation when crunched for time. The key is finding a jeweller who asks the right questions.

Susan Outerbridge, jewelry designer and buyer with Touch of Gold in Halifax, told CTV.ca that being able to convey your partner's tastes goes a long way in picking the perfect gift at the last minute.

"Most cases we are trying to help them choose something that is going to really be greatly appreciated and is going to be suitable," she said.

"We take the time to ask questions about who they are shopping for and help them to choose something that is going to be very meaningful."

Knowing if your partner prefers white gold to yellow gold, if they like sporty over sparkle or have a modern versus classic sense of style is a good place to start.

What if the gift you receive is off the mark? The key is to provide some sort of positive reinforcement, Mann said.

"If he got it wrong and you're going to be upset with him because he got it wrong, if you're going to be negative about it, you might as well forget about a gift the next time," Mann said.

"If you have a positive attitude about it and you make a joke about it or take it in good stride, they will remember next time."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from Ashleigh Patterson, Special to CTV.ca
=======================
 
Will U.S. spy satellite debris pose a threat?
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 09  2008  09:12  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 9th, 2008
A U.S. spy satellite, reportedly the size of a school bus, will re-enter the atmosphere and plunge to Earth some time before April.

However, where it will land, nobody knows.
"They're usually controlled," Sarah Poirier, staff astronomer with the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, told CTV.ca of such celestial descents.

"You might have an object of this size falling back into Earth every three or four weeks, but normally they can control where it comes down," she said.

"For spy satellites in particular, they want to control where it lands so it doesn't end up in some foreign country where their secrets can come out," Poirier said.

"This is a bit of an anomaly," as the satellite is out of control, she said. The object lost power and U.S. authorities lost the ability to communicate with the satellite.

Such crashes happen more often than one might think, Poirier said. There are up to 3,000 satellites and another 10,000 pieces of space junk floating around up there, waiting to return to Earth.

Satellites of all types come equipped with small rockets and rocket fuel. Because of the atmosphere's drag effect or the need to avoid space junk, scientists must periodically adjust a satellite's orbit, she said.

During controlled re-entries, scientists try to aim the satellite so that it can land in an ocean. For example, NASA guided the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to land in the Pacific Ocean in 2002.

The U.S. can track this satellite's path as it descends. It will have a good idea of where the satellite will hit about a day before it happens, she said.

"They can then notify the local authorities," Poirier said.

Danger is minimal
The now-defunct satire magazine National Lampoon once made fun of satellite crash fears with a faux news story that NASA, the U.S. space agency, had decided to give hardhats to every resident of Wyoming -- something it claimed to do every so often for a deserving state.

That article was published about the time of the 1979 Skylab crash, the U.S.'s first space station. The uncontrolled re-entry of that 78-tonne object left a trail of debris over western Australia and the Indian Ocean.

The risk to people from even an uncontrolled re-entry should still be minimal, she said, adding she's never heard of anyone being injured or killed by falling space debris.

That's not to say it couldn't happen if a person is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Poirier said pieces of debris about the size of a cafeteria tray could survive re-entry and strike Earth.

Think about an object that size moving at least 320 kilometres per hour, or the speed of a dive-bombing peregrine falcon.

"It could do some serious damage," she said.

Another issue is the satellite's rocket fuel, a substance known as hydrazine.

Poirier said that substance has toxic effects on the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. "But the engineers are saying the fuel tanks should break up and burn up before they hit the ground," she said.

In Canada's most famous case of toxic satellite debris, Cosmos 954, a nuclear-powered satellite belonging to the then-Soviet Union, broke up over the North.

The satellite's debris landed on Jan. 24, 1978, hitting mainly near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. However, fragments were found in Alberta and Saskatchewan -- an area of about 124,000 square kilometres.

Efforts to recover the debris lasted until October and cost $15 million and only picked up a tiny fraction of the material. The Soviets eventually paid about half that bill.

Profiting from space junk
Cleaning up space junk costs big bucks. But if a piece of this satellite were to land in your backyard, it could put some jingle in your jeans.

"There's a crazy market out there for meteorites or pieces of asteroids that crash down," Poirier said.

"I'm sure there's a market on eBay for this stuff. I think this stuff can potentially be valuable if you do find it.

"And certainly if you find a piece of a government spy satellite and you report it, I'm sure they're going to be all over you," Poirier said.

Did she mean a visit from the "Men in Black"?

"Yeah, exactly - and waving their pen in front of your eyes!" she joked, referring to the 1997 movie starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as alien-hunting government agents.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from Bill Doskoch
=======================
 
Woman stabs pilots on New Zealand plane
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 08  2008  06:42  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 8th, 2008
WELLINGTON, N.Z. -- A knife-wielding woman tried to hijack a regional domestic flight in New Zealand on Friday, stabbing both pilots and threatening to blow up the twin-propeller plane before she was subdued, police said.

The wounded pilots were able to land the plane safety in Christchurch, causing chaos at the popular tourist city's airport as police and emergency crews rushed onto the tarmac to arrest the suspect, evacuate the six passengers and search the plane for bombs.

The airport was closed for about three hours.
The Eagle Air Jetstream plane involved in a hijacking is seen at Christchurch Airport, Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. (AP / NZPA, John McCombe)
Air New Zealand, the national carrier who operated the flight through a charter company, said it was reviewing security measures nationally following the incident. In New Zealand, passengers and their luggage on short-haul flights are not subject to security checks.

Christchurch police Cmdr. Dave Cliff said the 33-year-old woman, originally from Somalia, attacked the pilots about 10 minutes into the flight from the regional city Blenheim, 65 kilometres south of the capital Wellington, to Christchurch, about 355 kilometres south of the capital.

After the woman had been subdued, the pilots made emergency radio calls reporting the attacker said there were two bombs aboard the plane, Cliff said.

Army and police bomb squads searched the plane and luggage on but found no explosives.

During the ordeal, the woman demanded to be flown to Australia; a destination that was beyond the Jetstream aircraft's range.

The woman, who was not named, was charged with attempted hijacking, wounding and other offences. She was due to appear in court in Christchurch on Saturday, police said.

The pilot suffered a severely cut hand in the attack and the co-pilot was injured on the foot, Cliff said. One passenger suffered a minor hand injury caused by the attacker, Cliff said. He did not explain how the woman was subdued.

The passengers included four New Zealanders, an Australian and an Indian national.

"Today's incident, although a one-off, has naturally given us cause to conduct a thorough review of our safety and security systems and processes on regional domestic flights,'' said Air New Zealand's general manager of short-haul airlines, Bruce Parton.

New Zealand last year adopted legislation allowing armed air marshals on international flights but only if other countries required such measures. There are no marshals on domestic flights.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The  Associated Press
=======================
 
Southern U.S. towns ripped by twisters mourn
Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Feb. 07  2008  06:28  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 7th, 2008
LAFAYETTE, Tenn. -- County Mayor Shelvy Linville could only shake his head at the horrific toll left by a deadly series of tornadoes that pounded across the South.

"It really is unbelievable that Mother Nature can create that much devastation," he said
Wednesday evening at his Macon County home. "We need your prayers."

Rebuilding has barely begun in this northern Tennessee community and in the others where dozens of tornadoes ripped across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, killing at least 55 people and injuring hundreds more in the nation's deadliest set of twisters in more than two decades.

"I'm surprised that I'm alive," said Telia Sorrells, 24, who survived one twister that left only parts of two walls standing in her home. A gash on her head required eight staples at a hospital to close.

Federal and state emergency teams poured into the hardest-hit areas, along with utility workers and insurance claims representatives.

President Bush, who said he called the governors of the affected states to offer support, plans to come to Tennessee on Friday. "Prayers can help and so can the government," Bush said.

Thirty-one people were killed in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama, emergency officials said. It was one of the 15 worst tornado death tolls since 1950, and the nation's deadliest barrage of tornadoes since 76 people were killed in Pennsylvania and Ohio on May 31, 1985.

Among the most remarkable survival stories: in Castalian Springs, Tenn., a baby was discovered unscathed in a field across from a demolished post office. A bystander swaddled the crying child in his shirt. There was no word on the child's parents' fates.

"He had debris all over him, but there were no obvious signs of trauma," said Ken Weidner, Sumner County emergency management director.

The National Weather Service issued more than 1,000 tornado warnings from 3 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday in the 11-state area where the weather was heading. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., put out an alert six days in advance.
There were no comprehensive estimates yet on damages, but the tornadoes' paths left behind flattened streets and treelines, shredded mobile homes, flipped-over tractor-trailers and trucks, and concrete floors where homes, garages and carports once stood.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who viewed the northern Tennessee damage by helicopter, said after his aerial tour: "It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground."

Weather conditions were ripe for tornadoes and forecasters were ready with warnings and in many hard-hit areas, sirens and TV warnings were credited with helping keep the death toll from being even worse.

In the mostly rural area of Lafayette, there are no tornado sirens. Linville, the county mayor, said he didn't think they would have made much difference because of the way the 23,000 residents are spread out.

"You don't really think it's going to hit you until you realize it's on top of you, then it's too late," he said.

Just outside town, Melissa Bryant watched as friends picked through the heavily damaged home where her 78-year-old mother Dorothy Collins survived in a bathroom.

"It's devastating and terrible," Bryant said. "But she's very lucky; she's alive."

The two-story garage was gone, and in a yard filled with debris, the bellows of a bull that neighbors said had been injured by a fallen tree could be heard from hundreds of yards away.

Students took cover in dormitory bathrooms as the storms closed in on Union University in Jackson, Tenn. More than 20 students at the Southern Baptist school were trapped behind wreckage and jammed doors after the dormitories came down around them.
With five minutes' warning from TV news reports, Nova and Ray Story huddled inside their home outside Lafayette and came out unscathed. But nearby, their uncle, Bill Clark, was injured in his toppled mobile home.

They put him in the bed of their pickup to take him to a hospital, and neighbors with chain saws tried to clear a path. What normally would have been a 30-minute drive to the hospital took well more than two hours because the roads were clogged with debris. Clark died on the way.

"He never had a chance," Nova Story said. "I looked him right in the eye and he died right there in front of me."

Sorrells, who with her mother and her mother's boyfriend filled garbage bags with belongings pulled from the rubble of her home Wednesday evening, said she was sitting on her couch watching storm coverage on television and talking with her mother by cell phone when the power abruptly went out.

"Something is hitting the house," she told her mother. Then, "It's here!"

The next thing she knew, she said, "I was looking up at sky."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The  Associated Press
=======================
 
Tornadoes kill at least 44 people in Southern U.S.
Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Feb. 06  2008  08:42  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 6th, 2008
At least 44 people are dead after tornadoes ripped through sections of Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.

CNN's Sean Callebs, reporting Wednesday from Jackson, Tenn. said at least six tornadoes touched down shortly after dark on Tuesday.

"They know that the swath that the tornado carved through was only a couple of kilometres wide," Callebs told CTV's Canada AM. "That's significant because that shows it was a very compact storm, very powerful."

So far, 24 deaths have been reported in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas and seven in Kentucky.

No deaths have been reported in Mississippi.

Callebs said eight students were eventually freed after being trapped in a battered dormitory at Union University in Jackson.

"We are told that their injuries were not life-threatening but the big concern is that this storm hit at dark and they simply haven't been able to get out to all areas to make sure everyone has been accounted for," said Callebs.
Union University staff and students search through the rubble of dormitory buildings destroyed when a tornado passed through the campus in Jackson, Tenn. on Tuesday night, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP / The Jackson Sun, Amanda Herron)
Police survey the damage to a Sears store at the Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis, Tenn. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. (AP / Greg Campbell)
In Allen County, Ky., near the Tennessee state line, officials said Wednesday morning that four more people had been found dead.

In Memphis, the roof of a Sears store collapsed after being struck by high winds.

Meanwhile, in Atkins, Ark. -- located northwest of Little Rock -- two parents and their 11-year-old child were confirmed dead.

The family died after their home "took a direct hit" from the storm, said Pope County Coroner Leonard Krout.

"Neighbors and friends who were there said, 'There used to be a home there,'" Krout said.
A funnel cloud of the tornado that touched down in Atkins, Ark., is seen at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. The photo was taken outside Atkins High School. (AP / The Courier, Mike Avery)
In Mississippi, warehouses were shredded at an industrial park in the city of Southaven -- located south of Memphis.

"It ripped the warehouses apart. The best way to describe it is it looks like a bomb went off,'' Atkinson said.

The twisters were part of a line of storms that struck as Super Tuesday primaries were wrapping up in Arkansas and Tennessee.

Several of the candidates -- including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee, paused to remember the victims of the storms.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The  Associated Press
=======================
 
Celine Dion leads Juno pack with six nominations
Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Feb. 05  2008  08:53  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 5th, 2008
TORONTO -- Celine Dion has scored a leading six Juno nominations.

She's closely followed by Avril Lavigne, Feist, and Michael Buble, who earned five apiece.

The nominees for the awards, honouring the best in Canadian music, were announced this morning at a news conference in Toronto.

Arcade Fire, Finger Eleven and Blue Rodeo received three Juno nods each.
Singer Celine Dion does interviews with the news media at Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong)
The annual Juno gala takes place April 6 at Calgary's Saddledome.

The host of the show will be comedian Russell Peters.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The  Canadian Press
=======================
 
Google assails Microsoft over Yahoo deal
Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Feb. 04  2008  06:47  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 4th, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. raised the spectre of Microsoft Corp. using its proposed US$42-billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc. to gain illegal control over the Internet, underscoring the online search leader's queasiness about its two biggest rivals teaming up.
The critical remarks, posted online Sunday by Google's top lawyer, represented the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's first public reaction to Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo since the offer was announced Friday.

"Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo raises troubling questions,'' David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, wrote.

"This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.''

Google's opposition isn't a surprise, given that Microsoft views Yahoo as a crucial weapon in its battle to gain ground on Google in the Internet's booming search and advertising markets.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has been trying to depict a Yahoo takeover as a boon for both advertisers and consumers because the two companies together would be able to compete against Google more effectively.

But Google is painting a starkly different picture, asserting Microsoft will be able to stifle innovation and leverage its dominating Windows operating system to set up personal computers so consumers are automatically steered to online services, such as e-mail and instant messaging, controlled by the world's largest software maker.

Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt also called his counterpart at Yahoo late last week to offer help in frustrating the bid, said a report on the Wall Street Journal's website Sunday, which cited anonymous people familiar with the matter. The help did not include a counterbid but may have included supporting other counterbids, or guaranteed revenue in exchange for an ad outsourcing agreement with Yahoo, the people said, the newspaper reported.

AT&T Inc., Time Warner Inc. and News Corp. aren't planning to bid for Yahoo, the Journal said, citing the people familiar.
To help make its point, Google pointed to the way Microsoft previously used Windows to help extend the reach of its Web browser and other applications -- a strategy that triggered a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging the software maker illegally used its operating system to stifle competition. The dispute ended with a 2002 settlement that required Microsoft to abandon some of its past practices.

"Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC?'' Drummond wrote.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said preventing Microsoft from buying Yahoo would undermine competition by allowing Google to become even more dominant than it already is on the Internet.

"Microsoft is committed to openness, innovation, and the protection of privacy on the Internet,'' Smith said.

"We believe that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! will advance these goals.''

If they get together, Microsoft and Yahoo would have about 16 per cent of the worldwide Internet search market -- still far behind Google's 62-per-cent share, said comScore Media Metrix. But Microsoft and Yahoo already are far bigger than Google in e-mail and instant messaging and conceivably would be in a better position to squash rival services if they combined.

Illustrating the enormous stakes involved in a deal that could reshape the technology and media industries, Google and Microsoft are already debating the pros and cons before Yahoo has responded to the offer.

Yahoo so far has little to say except that its board will carefully examine Microsoft's bid -- a process that "can take quite a bit of time,'' said a message posted on the Sunnyvale-based company's website.
The review "will include evaluating all of the company's strategic alternatives, including maintaining Yahoo as an independent company,'' Yahoo said on its website.

Most analysts believe Yahoo will have little choice but to sell to Microsoft, with its stock price near a four-year low at the time of the bid and its profits falling since late 2006. When it was first announced, Microsoft's offer was 62 per cent above Yahoo's market value -- a premium analysts doubt any other suitor will be able to top.

If Yahoo accepts, antitrust regulators in both the United States and Europe are expected to begin an exhaustive review that some experts think could last a year. Microsoft believes it could get the necessary approvals to take over Yahoo late this year.

If nothing else, Google probably will try to raise enough alarms about the Microsoft-Yahoo deal to delay its approval for as long as possible. By doing so, Google would have more time to draw up plans to counteract the combination.

Google also is borrowing a page from Microsoft's book by urging antitrust regulators to take a hard look at the proposed marriage between its two rivals.

Just days after Google struck a $3.1-billion deal to buy online ad service DoubleClick Inc. last year, Microsoft began lobbying regulators to block the transaction. U.S. regulators blessed Google's DoubleClick acquisition late last year after an eight-month review but the antitrust inquiry in Europe remains open.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  with files from The Associated Press
=======================
 
Striking writers reach deal with indie producers
Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Feb. 03  2008  16:55  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 3rd, 2008
Striking Hollywood writers reached an interim agreement on Sunday with four independent filmmakers based in New York.

A joint announcement by the two sides is a step toward ending a strike by the Writers Guild of America, which has halted film and television production across the U.S.

The latest agreements will enable the four indie producers, GreeneStreet Films, Killer Films, Open City Films and This Is That Corporation to resume business immediately.

No details of the agreement were announced, but officials from both sides said it's similar to
Satirical rock band Tenacious D composed of Kyle Gass, left, and Jack Black perform for striking Writers Guild of America union members as they picket in front of FremantelMedia, in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 7, 2007. (AP / Kevork Djansezian)
agreements reached earlier between the union and 13 other film and TV production companies.

Jonathan Handel, an entertainment lawyer with TroyGould Attorneys in Los Angeles told CTV Newsnet on Sunday that the success of the negotiations so far could be attributed in part to the fact that the studios wanted to first wait until a deal was struck with directors.

"They wanted to put the writers to the side and do a deal with the directors, which they did a couple of weeks ago, and then try to use that as a template for the writers," he said.

Both sides, Handel said, made concessions to move negotiations forward.

"The writers dropped their demand for jurisdiction over reality and animation production... about 10 days ago, and that helped open the floodgates to productive and formal talks. The studios though, it's reported, have made some concessions and granted the writers some improvements over the director's guild, which is something they'd initially said they'd never do."

The biggest factor in driving things forward could have been fear of losing the Academy Awards ceremony.

"The Oscars are definitely a driving factor here," Handel said. "The writers demonstrated their power when they turned the Golden Globe ceremony last month into basically a cut rate press conference. The Oscars are... just about the most important day in American broadcasting for the networks and advertisers. So everyone was afraid... that the Oscars would once again implode as the Globes did."

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  
=======================
 
Canada's groundhogs agree: Spring's coming early
Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Feb. 02  2008  13:42  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 2nd, 2008
Three of Canada's top rodent weather forecasters have predicted an early spring, capping off a tough weather week with at least the hope of good news.

Ontario's Wiarton Willie, Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam and Alberta's Balzac Billy -- who is actually a stuffed gopher, not a live groundhog -- all failed to see their shadows after being roused by their handlers this morning, paving the way for an early spring.

Sam was the first to weigh in, waddling into the rain at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, an
Wiarton Willie makes his annual winter weather forecast in Wiarton, Ont. Saturday, Feb.2, 2008. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)
hour north of Halifax, on Saturday morning at sunrise.

Willie emerged with his handlers shortly after 8 a.m. ET, and after being held up to face fans' flashbulbs, indicated that he agreed with Sam on the winter issue.

"Dignitaries, me lads and ladies," town crier Bruce Kruger told those gathered in the Bruce Peninsula town: "Get your shorts and T-shirts too, Wiarton Willie's annual task is through. Now the town crier proudly rings, Willie predicts it's an early spring."
Balzac Billy -- located north of Calgary, where gophers are plentiful -- followed afterwards.

However, it seems the country's revered rodents did not confer with their counterpart across the border before making their predictions, as Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil indicated to thousands gathered at Gobbler's Knob to hunker down for six more weeks of chilly temperatures.

"Here ye, hear ye, hear ye," exclaimed William Cooper, President of Punxsutawney's Inner Circle, one of many members of the local groundhog club waiting to greet their muse in black trench coats and top hats. "After casting a withered eye on his followers ... (Phil has declared) 'a bright sky I see and a shadow beside me, six more weeks of winter I see.'"

Organizers insist Cooper is the only person in the world who can speak "groundhog-ese."

Legend has it that if a groundhog emerges to a sunny day and sees his shadow, he will scoot back into his hole for another six weeks. If not, winter's chill will soon be over.

The festival is believed to have stemmed from a German superstition and is held on Candlemas, the Christian custom where candles are lit during the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.

A tough weather week

The fun of the annual forecast comes after a tough winter weather week in Canada.

Parts of British Columbia and the Prairies suffered under temperatures, that when combined with windchill, made it feel like -40 or -50 Celsius.

Tragically, two little girls died of exposure on the Yellow Quill reserve on Tuesday. They are to be buried today.

Some in Prince Edward Island are still without power after an ice storm on Tuesday.

At least one traffic death is being blamed on a major snowstorm that hit Central Canada on Friday. Ontario Provincial Police say more than 900 crashes occurred during the storm.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff  
=======================
 
Microsoft makes unexpected $44.6B offer for Yahoo
Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Feb. 01  2008  08:40  ET
Giant Dwarf Posted: February 1st, 2008
Software giant Microsoft Corp. is making a US$44.6-billion bid to acquire search engine operator Yahoo Inc., in the most recent attempt to unseat Google Inc. from longstanding dominance.

The unsolicited offer, comprising both cash and stock, was announced Friday in a letter to Yahoo's board of directors from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Offering US$31 per share, the bid represents a 62 per cent premium over Yahoo's closing price Thursday, around $19 per share, and is not dependant on financing.
A Times Square news ticker flashes a headline about Microsoft above a billboard for Yahoo in New York. (AP / Mark Lennihan)
Yahoo's current market value sits at about $25 billion, although the announcement sent its share price up 54 per cent in pre-market trading. Its shares had dropped 46 per cent since October, when they hit a 52-week high of $34.08.

Not first takeover attempt

Ballmer's letter referred to last year's attempt by Microsoft to take over Yahoo, which was rebuffed by former Yahoo chairman Terry Semel.

"In February 2007, I received a letter from your chairman indicating the view of the Yahoo board that 'now is not the right time from the perspective of our shareholders to enter into discussions regarding an acquisition transaction,'" Ballmer wrote.

"According to that letter, the principal reason for this view was the Yahoo board's confidence in the 'potential upside' if management successfully executed on a reformulated strategy based on certain operational initiatives, such as Project Panama, and a significant organizational realignment."

"A year has gone by, and the competitive situation has not improved," Ballmer added.

The deal offers Yahoo shareholders a choice of cash or a fixed number of Microsoft common shares, totalling one-half cash and one-half stock.

The Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft expects to see at least $1 billion in savings if the merger goes through, adding it expects the takeover to be cleared by regulars and close in the latter half of 2008. It plans to offer retention packages to Yahoo's engineers, management and employees, who are currently headquartered in Sunnyvale, Ca.

On heels of chairman's resignation
According to Business News Network's Michael Kane, Microsoft is prepared to deliver a draft deal immediately and start friendly talks as soon as possible. He said the offer is notable as it comes a day after Semel resigned from his post at Yahoo, where he was seen as losing too much market share to Google.

"(Semel) joined Yahoo as CEO in 2001 but was unable to stop Google from scooping up a lion's share of internet advertising dollars," Kane told CTV's Canada AM. "He began to negotiate his departure months ago when it was obvious he was losing the fight."

Semel also formerly held Yahoo's CEO portfolio, but surrendered the title seven-and-a-half months ago under pressure from shareholders.

Prior to Semel's resignation, Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang said the company will cut 1,000 jobs, or seven per cent of its workforce, in an effort to reduce costs.

Meanwhile, Microsoft forecast a rosy 2008 last week after surpassing Wall Street's forecasts for a second consecutive quarter.

The fight against Google

The search and advertising market that Microsoft is vying for is expected to nearly double in worth by 2010 to $80 billion. So far, Google has outpaced Microsoft in search engine users in every quarter since Google's initial public offering in 2004. In the latest three-month period, Google made a profit of US$1.21 billion, with sales going up 52 per cent.

Written by CTV.ca News Staff