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Obamamania still thriving in Canada, poll suggests	31/10/09
Single dose of H1N1 vaccine enough for kids: WHO	30/10/09
Greyhound will continue bus service in Manitoba	29/10/09
Coyote mauling victim dies from her injuries	28/10/09
Many brave long lineups for swine flu vaccine	27/10/09
Cellphone ban now in effect for Ontario drivers	26/10/09
Interest rates to remain at historic lows: Carney	25/10/09
U.S. Army buys balloon-like aircraft tested near border	24/10/09
Pie-splattered comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83	23/10/09
Health Canada approves H1N1 swine flu vaccine	22/10/09
Swine flu found in Ontario turkey breeding farm	21/10/09
Full results show AIDS vaccine of modest help	20/10/09
Police expected to lay charges in 'Balloon Boy' hoax	19/10/09
Climate change dispute a 'fake debate,' expert says	18/10/09
Jackson's ex-wife seeks $500k in lawsuit vs. woman	17/10/09
'Boy in Balloon' family never shied from spotlight	16/10/09
Opposition calls out Tories for partisan cheques	15/10/09
Suspects in 2002 B.C. murder arrested in China	14/10/09
Suzuki wins 'alternative Nobel prize' for eco work	13/10/09
Butler-Jones defends swine flu vaccine decisions	12/10/09
Doomsayers point to Mayan calendar's end in 2012	11/10/09
Laliberte to begin journey back to Earth tonight	10/10/09
Unemployment rate falls for first time since recession	09/10/09
NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn	08/10/09
Church heard pornography allegations in 1980s	07/10/09
Canadian-born physicist named as Nobel prize winner	06/10/09
'Hillbilly heroin' a growing problem in B.C.	05/10/09
Final arguments at Taser inquiry begin Monday	04/10/09
Afghan policeman opens fire, killing 2 Americans	03/10/09
Cirque du Soleil founder arrives at space station	02/10/09
Second earthquake strikes Indonesia	01/10/09

Obamamania still thriving in Canada, poll suggests Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 31 2009  20:01  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 31st, 2009 OTTAWA — Barack Obama's honeymoon with the public isn't over yet -- at least not in Canada. Two in three people surveyed for the latest Canadian Press/Harris Decima poll said they believe the U.S. president is doing an excellent or good job. Doug Anderson, senior vice-president of the pollster, says Obama's approval ratings may be declining in the United States. But Canadians, if anything, are more likely to say their opinion of the new president has improved than worsened.	U.S. President Barack Obama is saluted by RCMP officers as he walks towards Air Force One in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
When asked to describe Obama's job performance, 19 per cent of Canadians described it as excellent and 45 per cent as good. Those with higher incomes were more likely then their counterparts to believe Obama is doing well. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Single dose of H1N1 vaccine enough for kids: WHO Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 30 2009  13:04  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 30th, 2009 One dose of swine flu vaccine appears to be enough for children, a vaccine committee that advises the World Health Organization reported Friday. The committee, known as SAGE (Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization) said a single dose of vaccine is enough to immunize children over 10. It added that while more data on children between 6 months and 10 years are needed, countries should start by giving younger kids at least one dose. "The SAGE recommendation (for children under 10) could change as more data come in," said WHO vaccine chief Marie-Paule Kieny.	Two year-old Arianna Benjamin, centre, screams as her mother Dian holds her as she gets her H1N1 flu shot in Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
For the time being, she said, "the priority should be to give them at least one dose of vaccine now, and to cover as many of them as possible." Currently, Canada and many other countries are recommending children under 10 receive two doses of H1N1 vaccine, given at least 21 days apart. That could soon change. Canada's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Butler-Jones, said Friday that experts advising the Public Health Agency of Canada are considering moving to a one-dose recommendation for children, and have been studying the issue for a while. SAGE also reversed its earlier recommendation that countries offer adjuvant-free vaccine to pregnant women because of a paucity of research on the adjuvanted vaccine in pregnant women. The committee said animal studies of adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccines found "no evidence of direct or indirect harmful effects on fertility, pregnancy, development of the embryo or fetus, birthing, or post-natal development." Nor did studies using live-virus flu vaccines, which are not used in Canada; flu vaccines here use inactivated -- i.e. dead -- viruses. Based on the data review and the fact that pregnant women face an elevated risk of complications from swine flu, the panel recommended that any H1N1 vaccine could be given to pregnant women. "This is based on the fact that the safety profiles of adjuvanted vaccine and the non-adjuvanted vaccine are very similar and the fact that the non-adjuvanted vaccine has been recommended for pregnant women for many, many years," said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, director of the WHO's initiative for vaccine research. "So there is no reason, in SAGE's view, to distinguish between both types of vaccines." The WHO noted between seven and 10 per cent of all H1N1 patients sick enough to need hospital care have been pregnant women. Vaccine flow to slow over next 2 weeks
The WHO's change in policy comes as Canadian health officials announce there will be temporary shortages of swine flu vaccine, because the manufacturer is halting production lines to focus on creating unadjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates deliveries of regular swine flu vaccine over the next two weeks will be below the two million doses a week that GSK had been producing for the past few weeks. But the flow of regular swine flu vaccine is expected to pick up shortly afterward. After the temporary shutdown, GSK is expected to return to producing about three million doses a week. The hope is that with six million doses already gone out across the country, there will be just enough to cover all the people considered high-priority for first access to vaccine. That's estimated at between seven and eight million people. Nevertheless, some local health units are already considering cancelling some flu shot clinics. Manitoba warned in a news release Thursday evening: "Regional health authorities may have to adjust their clinic schedules, including postponing clinic dates, until there is sufficient vaccine supply. In New Brunswick, the first province to roll out vaccines, five schools in the Moncton area were shut down Friday after an outbreak of a sickness that may be H1N1. The schools won't reopen until sometime next week because so many teachers are sick, there aren't enough to supervise the children. An estimated half of all students were already absent. Three students tested positive for H1N1 in the area and some parents are believed to be keeping their kids at home because of it. More long waits expected at Friday flu clinics
All of this comes as flu shot clinics across Canada contend with another day of massive lineups. In Toronto, for example, the lineup for one clinic at Metro Hall began before 6 a.m. -- four hours before the clinic was scheduled to open. Many of them have now been given slips of paper with a time on it, telling them when to return for their vaccination. On Thursday, two Toronto vaccination clinics that had opened early for high priority groups saw thousands of people turn up. By early afternoon, the clinics were turning away newcomers. Those who made it to the end of the line waited over six and a half hours to get the vaccine into their arms. While many in line were clearly pregnant or had small children in tow, for others it was not clear whether they fit the category of "high-priority." But nurses said that no one who waited in line would be turned away. Flu shot clinics across the country saw lineups that snaked around outside clinic buildings, even in regions where rain was falling and cold winds blowing. In St. Eustache, Que., more than 1,000 people had to be turned away from the hours-long lineup outside the Centre de vaccination. And in Calgary, wait times at clinics were sometimes as long as six hours, leading to frustration amongst many in line. Despite the change in policy from the WHO on adjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women, it's expected many will still want to wait for the non-adjuvanted vaccine. While the Public Health Agency of Canada has stated that adjuvanted vaccines are just as safe as unadjuvanted vaccines, many pregnant women are still worried about the adjuvant and have said they would prefer to stick with the non-adjuvant vaccine. SAGE also noted Friday that giving swine flu and seasonal flu vaccine flu shots is safe, though live-virus vaccines should not be given at the same time. Around the world, 14 countries are now vaccinating against H1N1. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Greyhound will continue bus service in Manitoba Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Oct. 29 2009  06:50  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 29th, 2009 WINNIPEG — Greyhound has backed off its threat to pull its buses out of Manitoba, thanks to a promise of government subsidies. The company issued a statement Wednesday saying it is working on a deal with the provincial NDP government that will allow bus service to carry on. "Officials will continue to meet and expect to secure the precise details of an agreement in the near future," Greyhound said in a written statement Wednesday. "Both the government and the company agree that some combination of direct investment and reduction of service will be required."	A bus departs from the newly opened Greyhound Terminal at the James Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg Thursday, September 3, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/ John Woods)
Greyhound had threatened to stop service across Manitoba as of next week, and had stopped selling tickets for service beyond Nov. 1, saying it was losing money because of reduced ridership. The company has also planned to stop service in northern Ontario by next month, and is reviewing its operations in the other western provinces and territories. The possibility of leaving rural residents without transit was too much for the Manitoba government. "It's a necessity and an important mode of transportation for many northerners and rural Manitobans, including people using our health care service," Transportation Minister Ron Lemieux said Wednesday. "We haven't nailed down a specific figure (for subsidies) because we have to continue those conversations with Greyhound going forward. They're coming forward with more information for us." The government subsidy will be less than the $4 million a year that Greyhound has said it is losing in Manitoba, Lemieux said. That means some routes may be served less frequently and others might be closed altogether, he said. Both Greyhound and Lemieux are hoping the federal government will put up money as well, but federal Transport Minister John Baird dismissed the idea last month and accused Greyhound of trying to "bully" the provinces. Greyhound, the only transit option in many remote areas, has said it is being hurt by rural depopulation and a faltering economy. It has been seeking subsidies as well as a loosening of federal regulations that require it to operate money-losing routes. Other provinces do not appear to be as eager as Manitoba to prop up the bus company. Federal and provincial transportation ministers set up a working group earlier this month to look at the issue. Following the meeting, Lemieux said some of his counterparts "felt very strongly" that bus service should not be subsidized. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Coyote mauling victim dies from her injuries Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 28 2009  08:05  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 28th, 2009 A 19-year-old Toronto woman has died from her injuries, the day after being attacked by two coyotes at a national park in Cape Breton. The woman was hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday afternoon when the animals pounced. She was airlifted to a Halifax-area hospital but died overnight after sustaining "serious injuries," according to RCMP.	RCMP Sgt. Brigdit Leger describes the police response to the coyote attack in Nova Scotia.
Emergency officials received a call at around 3:15 p.m. about a hiker being mauled on the popular Skyline Trail. RCMP Sgt. Brigdit Leger said police rushed to help the woman and had to shoot a coyote that was being aggressive. The second coyote fled into the woods. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Many brave long lineups for swine flu vaccine Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 27 2009  08:16  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 27th, 2009 VANCOUVER — Canadians from coast to coast rolled up their sleeves Monday as the country's provinces and territories began vaccinations for the H1N1 virus, but for many the process was far from smooth. In British Columbia, long lines were the norm at vaccination clinics, and some were even turned away due to vaccine shortages. "There's quite a pent up demand. I think people have been hearing about the vaccine for quite a long time now and it's here and people are eager to get it," said Gavin Wilson, a spokesman for health authority Vancouver Coastal Health.	Karen Styrchak comforts her daughter Isabelle after she gets vaccinated against the H1N1 flu on the opening day of public clinics in Winnipeg, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. (John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
But not everyone is convinced of the benefits of the hotly contested injection. Many Canadians are confused or conflicted about getting the flu shot. In Ontario, doctors and health officials were doing their best to convince residents to get the shot, by appealing to their sense of duty, their flu fears, or just their sweet tooth. "There was no pain whatsoever," said Dr. Bob Bell, chief executive officer of the University Health Network and a surgeon, who rolled up his sleeve at Toronto General Hospital. "And there's a chocolate bar to follow." In the Vancouver area, Wilson said turnout was higher than expected and one clinic had to turn people away after giving out all 350 of its shots. At a downtown Vancouver clinic, people waited up to 40 minutes to get their immunizations, saying they had no choice if they wanted to protect their health. "I used to have hepatitis C and I got that cured but currently I have HIV so I want to make sure I'm really healthy," Shane Hutt, 37, said. The lineups were even longer in Alberta, where residents waited up to four hours to be vaccinated. Clinics in Calgary stopped anyone new from lining up after 5 p.m., and clinics were still to stay open until 11 p.m. to deal with the back log. Alberta had asked that high-risk groups get their shot first, but had also said that no one would be turned away. In the Alberta legislature, Liberal Kevin Taft criticized the provincial government for having just four immunization clinics in Calgary and five in Edmonton. "The organization is clearly not in place for this to succeed," Taft said. "Even if the current clinics run 24-7, the flu season may be over before a large portion of the population is immunized." Premier Ed Stelmach said his Tory government would do everything in its power to make sure everyone who wants the vaccination receives it, but his party faced criticism even from its own members. Tory backbencher Pearl Calahasen wondered what would happen in her northern constituency of Lesser Slave Lake. "What are we doing for rural Albertans?" she charged. Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert preached patience, though he admitted it will take more time to vaccinate those in isolated communities.
In Ontario, health officials urged those in high-risk groups, like front line health care workers, to get their H1N1 shots as soon as possible to prevent the pandemic from spreading. In Montreal, a delay in the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine meant 155,000 doses were only shipped out on Monday. Vaccination is set to begin on Wednesday. And in the Yukon, waits of more than one hour were the norm and one health official said while the territory was prepared for H1N1, it didn't expect so large a turnout on the first day the vaccine was available. "We have had an overwhelming response so people have been showing up in droves so we do have a bit of a wait," health and social services spokeswoman Pat Living told a local radio station. "We were prepared but perhaps not as prepared as we could have been." In Winnipeg, more than 3,300 patients were immunized at 12 mass clinics and thousands of nurses, doctors and medical specialists took a shot in the arm in New Brunswick to protect themselves from the pandemic virus. Nicole Moore, nurse manager at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, said while staff weren't ordered to get the shot, most decided to roll up their sleeves to protect themselves and their patients. "Because they have that extra exposure to the patients who are coming in with these illnesses, it's important to get that coverage and protection," she said. "It is not mandatory, and when it all boils down to it, it is your own personal choice." Canada has ordered more than 50 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine, which is being doled out on a priority basis for now but will be available for all who want it in the coming weeks. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Cellphone ban now in effect for Ontario drivers Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 26 2009  08:36  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 26th, 2009 Starting today, drivers in Ontario must use a hands-free device for their cell phones as a new law kicks in preventing motorists from talking or texting on their mobile while behind the wheel. The law, which came into effect Monday, restricts drivers from using devices that take their eyes off the road for a long period of time.
That means motorists are no longer allowed to send text messages or emails while driving. The new rules also stipulate that drivers avoid entertainment gadgets such as portable DVD players and laptops. However, iPods and GPS units are still permitted as long as they are mounted to a dashboard or "another accessible place in the vehicle," Ontario's Ministry of Transportation states on its website. Other exceptions to the rules are: - Drivers can use cell phones to dial 911 if they have an emergency. - Phones can be used behind the wheel if the driver safely pulls off the road or is parked. - Hands-free devices, such as headsets and phones plugged into the vehicle's sound system, can also be used. - Emergency workers like paramedics will be able to use hand-held phones for the next three years for work purposes. Enforcement Drivers who violate the new law won't be given a ticket just yet, according to the Ontario Provincial Police. For the next few months, drivers who are caught on their cell phones will be given a stern warning by police. On February 1, authorities will start ticketing drivers with fines of up to $500. In addition to fines, police may lay charges of careless driving or dangerous driving, depending on the circumstances. Demerit points will also be deducted. Other jurisdictions with similar bans include Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, California and New York, according to the Ontario government. "This new legislation will enhance traffic safety by creating a specific offence for driving behaviour which is known to distract drivers from driving safely," the OPP said in a news release Sunday. "Distracted drivers are a safety risk to themselves and others. The OPP is committed to ensuring the safety of all motorists in Ontario." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from ctvtoronto.ca
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Interest rates to remain at historic lows: Carney Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 25 2009  12:42  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 25th, 2009 Interest rates will likely stay at their current historic lows through June 2010 in an effort to meet the Bank of Canada's inflation target of two per cent, says governor Mark Carney. Speaking to CTV's Question Period Sunday, Carney confirmed speculation that interest rates would remain at 0.25 per cent, the lowest rate Canada has ever seen, well into next year. When asked if Canadians should lock in to five-year mortgage terms on the news, Carney demurred.	Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney appears on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009.
"It's not my job to give investment advice to Canadians," Carney said. "But on the general point anybody, anytime they borrow for a longer period of time, wants to think about, 'Can I sustain that borrowing over the course of that time? What happens when interest rates ultimately normalize?'" Carney reiterated earlier Bank predictions that the Canadian economy will continue to grow, by three per cent next year and by 3.3 per cent in 2011. "That's more modest than usual recovery, so it's not going to feel like a gangbusters recovery," Carney said. "But it is a recovery and that's important." According to Carney, government stimulus will continue to foster growth in the short-term. But investments from the business community will kick in by 2011 and beyond, when public money dries up. "True growth comes from the private sector," he said. "And the private sector is starting, even after what has been a very difficult recession -- a short, but very deep recession -- is starting from a position of strength. Corporate balance sheets are in outstanding shape, the best they've been in 25 years in this country." Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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U.S. Army buys balloon-like aircraft tested near border Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 24 2009  09:17  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 24th, 2009 The U.S. Army has purchased the balloon-like aircraft that was tested near the Ontario-Michigan border this past summer, which ignited a debate over the privacy rights of border residents. Sierra Nevada Corp. confirmed the military bought the helium-inflated Aerostat aircraft that flew over the St. Clair River, across the border from Sarnia, Ont., for part of the summer.	The Aerostat is seen in this image courtesy Sierra Nevada Corporation.
A company representative confirmed in a telephone interview with CTV.ca that the balloon was sold after the Army watched a demonstration by Sierra Nevada Corp. employees in Yuma, Ariz. "They went out there, they demonstrated and (the Army) said: 'We'll take it,'" said Bradley M. Lott, a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general who ran the testing of the Aerostat in Port Huron, Mich. The purchase price for the unit was "a little over $1 million," Lott said. It is Lott's understanding that the Army intends to deploy the Sarnia-tested aircraft "overseas to the Afghanistan theatre of operations," where it will be used for communications purposes. The Aerostat was tested across the river from Sarnia, while Sierra Nevada Corp. worked out its kinks and tested different kinds of high-tech payloads, including a powerful camera that was reportedly capable of reading the name of a ship from many kilometers away. The balloon backlash The uproar over the Aerostat and its controversial camera raged in Sarnia well before the Heene family -- the Colorado family that recently tricked the media and the public into believing a boy was trapped in a runaway balloon -- ever made the news. When the Aerostat began floating above the St. Clair River this past summer, Sarnia residents raised concerns that the aircraft was spying on their homes and that its presence violated their right to privacy. They wrote letters to local newspapers, complained to politicians and about 100 people gathered to point their bare behinds at the Aerostat in a cheekily-titled Aug. 15 protest known as "Moon the Balloon." But Sierra Nevada Corp. long insisted that the Aerostat was not spying on anybody while it was being tested. "I could never understand the fuss with the craft itself," Lott said, when discussing the recent sale of the well-known Aerostat unit. The aircraft was eventually damaged in a storm in early August and had to be brought down and sent for repairs. It was then taken for a demonstration in Yuma, where the Army saw it and decided to buy it. The future
Looking forward, the Army deal could provide jobs for the hard-hit city of Port Huron. Lott said that if the Army buys more units -- the possibility exists that a dozen or more could eventually be purchased -- there would be training-related jobs for the Sierra Nevada Corp. in Port Huron. An Aerostat takes four crew members to operate, each of whom require about six weeks of training to operate the aircraft, Lott said. That training would take place at the Port Huron facility. With the 24-hour timetable of military operations, any Aerostat sold to the Army would likely have a crew compliment of up to 20 people, Lott said. The Aerostat is made out of state, however, and there will be no manufacturing jobs that will be created in Michigan as a result of the deal. Sarnia residents will likely not forget about the Aerostat, even if the one that flew across the river doesn't take to the sky again. Adam Bush, who helped organize the "Moon the Balloon" protest, says he doesn't think that Lott "appreciates the type of threat this technology poses in this region." "Billions of dollars of petrol-chemical product and equipment that could be under surveillance. Thousands of people's private lives could be invaded. Countless businesses," he told CTV.ca through Facebook. "Fact is, if the right person has the wrong day, this technology could be devastating on many levels." Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says that if the Aerostat returns to the St. Clair River in future, he will look to the Heene family for inspiration in drawing attention to the issue. "If they put it up again, I may send a counter balloon up with a six year old Canadian kid in it. That should bring publicity to the issue again," Bradley joked in an e-mail earlier this week. Written by CTV.ca News Staff and by Geoff Nixon
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Pie-splattered comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83 Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 23 2009  07:49  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 23rd, 2009 DETROIT — Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, died Thursday. He was 83. Sales died at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York, said his former manager and longtime friend, Dave Usher. Sales had many health problems and entered the hospice last week, Usher said. At the peak of his fame in the 1950s and '60s, Sales was one of the best-known faces in the nation, Usher said.	Soupy Sales rehearses for his Broadway debut in 'Come Live With Me,' in New York in 1966. (AP Photo)
"If President Eisenhower would have walked down the street, no one would have recognized him as much as Soupy," said Usher. At the same time, Sales retained an openness to fans that turned every restaurant meal into an endless autograph-signing session, Usher said. "He was just good to people," said Usher, a former jazz music producer who managed Sales in the 1950s and now owns Detroit-based Marine Pollution Control. Sales began his TV career in Cincinnati and Cleveland, then moved to Detroit, where he drew a large audience on WXYZ-TV. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961. The comic's pie-throwing schtick became his trademark, and celebrities lined up to take one on the chin alongside Sales. During the early 1960s, stars such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Shirley MacLaine received their just desserts side-by-side with the comedian on his television show. "I'll probably be remembered for the pies, and that's all right," Sales said in a 1985 interview. Sales was born Milton Supman on Jan. 8, 1926, in Franklinton, N.C., where his was the only Jewish family in town. His parents, owners of a dry-goods store, sold sheets to the Ku Klux Klan. The family later moved to Huntington, W.Va. His greatest success came in New York with "The Soupy Sales Show" -- an ostensible children's show that had little to do with Captain Kangaroo and other kiddie fare. Sales' manic, improvisational style also attracted an older audience that responded to his envelope-pushing antics. Sales, who was typically clad in a black sweater and oversized bow-tie, was once suspended for a week after telling his legion of tiny listeners to empty their mothers' purse and mail him all the pieces of green paper bearing pictures of the presidents. The cast of "Saturday Night Live" later paid homage by asking their audience to send in their joints. His influence was also obvious in the Pee-Wee Herman character created by Paul Reubens. Sales returned from the Navy after World War II and became a $20-a-week reporter at a West Virginia radio station. He jumped to a DJ gig, changed his name to Soupy Heinz and headed for Ohio.
His first pie to the face came in 1951, when the newly christened Soupy Sales was hosting a children's show in Cleveland. In Detroit, Sales' show garnered a national reputation as he honed his act -- a barrage of sketches, gags and bad puns that played in the Motor City for seven years. After moving to Los Angeles, he eventually became a fill-in host on "The Tonight Show." He moved to New York in 1964 and debuted "The Soupy Sales Show," with co-star puppets White Fang (the meanest dog in the United States) and Black Tooth (the nicest dog in the United States). By the time his Big Apple run ended two years later, Sales had appeared on 5,370 live television programs -- the most in the medium's history, he boasted. He had a pair of albums that hit the Billboard Top 10 in 1965; "Do the Mouse" sold 250,000 copies in New York alone. Sales remained a familiar television face, first as a regular from 1968-75 on the game show "What's My Line?" and later appearing on everything from "The Mike Douglas Show" to "The Love Boat." He played himself in the 1998 movie "Holy Man," which starred Eddie Murphy. He joined WNBC-AM as a disc jockey in 1985, a stint best remembered because Sales filled the hours between shock jocks Don Imus and Howard Stern. Sales is survived by his wife, Trudy, and two sons, Hunt and Tony, a pair of musicians who backed David Bowie in the band Tin Machine. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Health Canada approves H1N1 swine flu vaccine Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 21 2009  20:55  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 22nd, 2009 Health Canada has approved the H1N1 vaccine, meaning the first Canadians to take part in the country's largest-ever immunization campaign could get their shots as early as the end of the week. "I am happy to say that today, Health Canada has authorized the H1N1 flu virus vaccine," Health Minister Leona Aqlukkaq announced to reporters Wednesday. "This means the adjuvanted vaccine has been judged safe and effective for use in Canada by the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, as well as by Health Canada regulators," she said.
"I encourage all Canadians to get vaccinated, since there is simply no better way of fighting the H1N1 virus." Two million doses of the vaccine have already been shipped to the provinces and territories, who will administer vaccination programs through flu clinics offered by local health units. GlaxoSmithKline hopes to ship around 3 million doses a week to the provinces. Aglukkaq reiterated that all Canadians can access the vaccine, since the federal government has ordered 50.4 million doses. Another 1.8 million doses of the vaccine without an adjuvant, a compound that boosts immune system response, are also on the way. But the timing of when that will be available remains unclear; the unadjuvanted vaccine is being manufactured, packaged and shipped separately. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, encouraged all Canadians to get the vaccine, if not to protect themselves, then to protect those around them. "Frankly, I don't want to be the cause of someone's serious illness of death," he said noting that recent data suggest that those under 25 are at highest risk of serious illness from this new virus. He added that any side effect risks from the vaccine are remote. "Serious adverse events following immunization are rare. For the seasonal flu shot, the rate of reported serious events is about one in every million people immunized. The benefits of immunization - the prevention of serious illness and death - far outweigh any theoretical risks," he said. Conflicted views on vaccine Despite the recommendation of Canada's top doctor to get the vaccine, the majority of Canadians say they won't get the shot according to a recent poll. The Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll in early October said only a third of Canadians said they would get the vaccine. In the same poll, two thirds of Canadians said they were not concerned or very little concerned about the H1N1 virus.
Aqlukkaq admitted on CTV News Channel's Power Play that promoting the vaccine and the surrounding health issues has been difficult. "The biggest challenge has been to communicate based on the science," she said. The health minister recommended Canada's talk to their family physician if they have questions about whether to get the vaccine, or visiting the government's website. However, even some doctors are conflicted on how to promote the vaccine, due to the relative lack of data. "I think many physicians in a position to promote the vaccine are having hesitation because they feel they don't have enough safety data to stand on the table to say everybody must do this right now," Dr. Neil Rau told CTV News. But Aqlukkaq said she is planning to get the shot and every Canadian should do so as well. "Every Canadian should know that Health Canada . . . has stated time and time again that no step will be skipped to ensure the vaccine for Canadians will be safe and effective," she added. Safety, effectiveness data from European studies Canadian clinical trials of the vaccine are still underway, and the results won't be available until next year. So federal health authorities have relied on data from clinical trials done on the same vaccine in Europe. Those trials have found the vaccine safe and effective; the vaccine produces antibodies in over 90 per cent of adults aged 18 to 64.
The adjuvant used in Canada's swine flu vaccine, AS03, has also been tested in about 45,000 people around the world using a "mock" H5N1 vaccine. No significant safety concerns were detected, Health Canada reports. Canada has never approved a flu vaccine containing an adjuvant before. The Canadian clinical trials are expected to add to the safety and effectiveness data, by focusing on the vaccine's effects in select population groups, such as First Nations, people who are HIV-positive, children and pregnant women. Because some reactions from vaccines are so rare they arise in only one in a million cases, the final picture of the vaccine's safety won't be clear until after the immunization program is underway, Health Canada has acknowledged. Dr. Butler-Jones said adults will need one dose of swine flu vaccine, but children under the age of 10 will need two, just as they do with seasonal flu shots. The vaccine is not intended for infants younger than six months. And while pregnant women are encouraged to receive the vaccine without the adjuvant, if the unadjuvanted vaccine is delayed, they should get the regular swine flu shot to protect themselves and their babies, since pregnant women are at much higher risk of complications from the flu. About 4,700 people worldwide have died of H1N1 to date, including 83 deaths in Canada. Another 300 or so Canadians have required care in intensive care in hospital. The Public Health Agency of Canada says everyone aged six months and older should get the vaccine, but those who will benefit most, and those who care for them, include: People under 65 with chronic health conditions. (These include: heart disease, diabetes, asthma lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease and severe obesity.) Pregnant women. Children aged six months to less than five years. People in remote and isolated communities. Health care workers involved in the delivery of essential health care services. Household contacts and care providers of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized. Anyone over the age of 10 should receive one dose of adjuvanted vaccine. Children between six months and 10 years of age should receive the adjuvanted vaccine in two half-doses, administered at least 21 days apart. The vaccine is not recommended for children under the age of six months. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Swine flu found in Ontario turkey breeding farm Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 20 2009  22:07  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 21st, 2009 Ontario has confirmed a swine flu infection at a turkey breeding farm but health officials say it doesn't pose a threat to human health, and the birds were never meant to enter the food supply system. Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says the outbreak affected a breeder's flock of turkeys, but wouldn't say where the outbreak occurred. She says the main concern is that the H1N1 infection would spread through the flock. No birds or eggs from the unidentified facility have entered the food chain since the turkeys were raised for breeder stock. There are no plans for a cull of the facility's turkey population as the birds are expected to recover. "Although rare, this finding is not unexpected. This essentially human virus has been identified previously in swine and poultry," said Ontario's chief veterinarian, Dr. Deb Stark, at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.	Chief Veterinarian of Ontario Dr. Deb Stark (right) listens as Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Arlene King speaks at a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS) Even if a turkey has been infected with the H1N1 virus; when properly cooked, it is perfectly safe to eat.
"Our working hypothesis is that this situation likely involved human-to-bird transmission." The turkey farmer has voluntarily quarantined the infected birds. There will not be a cull. "Our best understanding at this time is that birds get influenza, they get better, they get over it," said Matthews. "So we don't anticipate a cull." Even if the Turkeys entered the food chain, thoroughly cooking the meat would destroy any influenza virus. Local public health units are contacting those who may have had contact with the flock, Ontario chief medical officer of health Dr. Arlene King confirmed at the news conference. King reiterated that all farm workers who develop the flu or a flu-like illness should avoid any contact with livestock. They should also get immunized against swine flu and seasonal flu once those shots become available. "We have to do all we can to stop the transmission of viruses between people and animals. The risk is the potential changes to the virus against which people could have reduced or no immunity," King said. The new H1N1 virus, which emerged in March 2009 and was declared a pandemic in June, contains the DNA components of pig flu viruses as well as bird and human flu viruses. "Influenza viruses such as this circulate amongst birds, livestock and humans," said Stark. "This report is a good reminder to farmers to be even more conscientious than usual when it comes to protecting their flocks and ultimately, the people who come in contact with them." The turkey farm infection appears to be the first in Canada and represents the second animal-species infection in the country. Last April, swine flu appeared in pigs on an Alberta farm and has since been found in other swine herds in the country. Chile has confirmed cases of swine flu in turkeys as well. At the time, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said the incidents of turkey infection didn't pose an immediate threat to humans. It said turkey meat could still be sold commercially following proper inspections. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Full results show AIDS vaccine of modest help Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 20 2009  08:05  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 20th, 2009 Fresh results from the world's first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine confirm that it is only marginally effective and suggest that its protection against HIV infection may wane over time. Yet the findings are exciting to scientists, who think that blood samples from the trial may show how to make a vaccine that does a better job. The results also hint that the vaccine may work better in the general population than in those at higher risk of infection, such as gay men and intravenous drug users. It was the first time an AIDS vaccine was tested mostly in heterosexuals at average risk, and doctors have long known that how a person is exposed to HIV affects the odds of becoming infected. "This study becomes a landmark. You can put it on a map and begin to figure out where you go from here," said Col. Jerome Kim, the U.S. Army doctor who co-led the trial.	In this photo released Sept. 24, 2009, a lab technician working with the HIV Vaccine Trial Phrase Project in Thailand, holds up a vial to check information and the manufactured date printed on the AIDS vaccine vials, at the Armed Forces Institute of Medical Science, in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 19, 2005. (AP / Thai Public Health Ministry)
Last month, researchers announced that a two-vaccine combination cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 per cent in a trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand. Full results, published online Tuesday by the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a scientific conference in Paris, include two additional analyses that merely suggest the vaccine is beneficial, rather than providing definitive proof. That's mostly because so few participants became infected -- only 125 people, 10 times less than in previous HIV vaccine trials, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the study's main sponsor. Critics had leaked one of the analyses last week, saying it showed the original results may have been a fluke. A California-based AIDS advocacy group criticized study leaders for not giving a fuller picture when they held their news conference last month. "The bottom line is that those results are real," even though they are not good enough to justify using this vaccine now, said Dr. Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of governments, AIDS scientists, the World Health Organization and funders such as the Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation. "We, for the first time, have evidence of protection, and the nitty gritty (arguments) to me don't matter a damn," Bernstein said. Other scientists who, like Bernstein, had no role in the trial, agreed. "It's a consistent story. There seems to be some effect. And I think it is an important study. It redirects the field to look at a different kind of vaccine and different kinds of immune responses" than what have been the focus in the past, said Dr. Lawrence Corey of the University of Washington. He heads the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, an international group of scientists who test vaccines. The Thailand Ministry of Public Health conducted this trial, which used vaccines made from strains of HIV common in Thailand. They are ALVAC, made by Sanofi Pasteur, and AIDSVAX, originally developed by VaxGen Inc. and now held by the non-profit Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases. The vaccines are not made from whole virus and cannot cause HIV infection.
The combo was tested in HIV-negative Thai men and women ages 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. Half received four doses of ALVAC and two of AIDSVAX over six months; the rest received dummy shots. All were given condoms and counselling, and were followed for three years after vaccination ended. New infections occurred in 51 of the 8,197 given vaccine and in 74 of the 8,198 who received dummy shots. That worked out to a 31 per cent lower risk of infection for the vaccine group. In a smaller analysis of just the 12,452 participants who received all six shots exactly on schedule, there were 86 infections -- 36 in the vaccine group and 50 in those given dummy shots. Though not a statistically significant trend, the vaccine appeared nearly twice as effective among those at low or moderate risk of becoming infected, versus people who share needles, have contact with prostitutes or engage in other risky behaviours. "Perhaps the requirements for protection against transmission in low-risk heterosexual persons are considerably different or less stringent," Dr. Raphael Dolin of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston wrote in an editorial published by the medical journal. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Police expected to lay charges in 'Balloon Boy' hoax Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 19 2009  07:45  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 19th, 2009 Police in Colorado are confirming what a growing number of people suspected -- that the so-called "Balloon Boy" story that gripped headlines last week was a hoax intended to land the family a reality show. Investigators in Fort Collins now say they want to interview an associate of Richard Heene -- the father of the boy -- after emails surfaced that show the two discussed a balloon hoax as part of a PR campaign for a show. On Thursday, six-year-old Falcon Heene's parents called 911, claiming the boy was in the UFO-shaped balloon when it drifted away from the family's backyard.	Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden speaks at a news conference in Fort Collins, Colo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP / Will Powers)
When the balloon landed after an 80-kilometre flight, Falcon was nowhere to be found. He was discovered five hours later at home, hiding in the rafters of the family's garage. The Associated Press reported on Monday that Denver man Robert Thomas, claimed Heene told him he was planning a stunt to promote a new reality show. Thomas, who sold his story to the website Gawker.com, offered email exchanges between them and said the show would feature Heene as a mad scientist carrying out various experiments. The story was published with the headline "Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax." Thomas, 25, said the plan they discussed did not involve any children, however. CNN's Nicole Collins, speaking from outside the family's home on Monday, told CTV's Canada AM that police have made no arrests yet but charges are expected to be filed on Monday or Tuesday. The parents, Heene and his wife Mayumi, are expected to face misdemeanor charges for filing a false police report, but could also face felony charges for conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant. "We understand all three of the children knew about (the hoax). They are six, eight and 10 years old." Collins said. "They are not going to be facing any charges. They are quite young and it's clear to authorities the parents were the ones orchestrating this whole ordeal and the children will not face any charges or punishment." However, she said child protection agencies are involved in the investigation, and it's possible the parents' custody rights could be in jeopardy. "It isn't uncommon for parental rights to be terminated when a crime is committed and parents are in on it," Collins said. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said authorities are also looking into a media outlet in their investigation. "We do understand, looking at some of the documents already, that at least one of the media outlets has agreed to pay them some money with regards to this particular incident," Alderden said. He would not name the outlet, but said he was not talking about a news organization and said it was a show that blurs "the line between entertainment and news." Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Climate change dispute a 'fake debate,' expert says Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 18 2009  10:22  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 18th, 2009 Confused by all the mixed messages about climate change? There's a good reason for that, says a public relations expert, who argues in a new book that the so-called global warming debate is a tug-of-war between clever PR tactics and sound science. In 2006, Al Gore's Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" catapulted the issue of human-caused climate change out of scientific journals and into the living rooms of average folks. At the same time, then-president George W. Bush and his staff were touting research that not only questioned whether climate change was a man-made event, but whether it was happening at all.	James Hoggan, a veteran Vancouver public relations executive, appears on CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009.
But James Hoggan, a veteran Vancouver public relations executive, says many of the naysayers are groups with legitimate-sounding names that are actually funded by industries that would suffer economically by climate change legislation or other efforts to curb global warming. "What I would call them is Astroturf groups," Hoggan told Canada AM earlier this week. "Basically fake grassroots groups of unqualified scientists saying that climate science is questionable." Hoggan has written a new book on the issue, entitled "Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming." According to Hoggan, companies that want to dispute environmental science findings -- such as an energy companies seeking to refute climate change data -- hire public relations firms to lobby governments, and the public, to ensure that legislation and public opinion remain favourable to industry. One way of doing this is to establish a lobby group that appears to be backed by sound science when in fact it is funded by industry money. An example of this, Hoggan says, is the Advancement of Sound Science Center, formerly the Advancement of Sound Science Coalition. It was founded in the early 1990s by a public relations firm and funded by tobacco company Philip Morris. The TASSC's job was to discredit research that proved a link between exposure to tobacco smoke and health problems such as cancer and lung disease. According to Hoggan, such groups hire scientists who aren't devoted to the issue at hand -- "white coats for hire," as he calls them -- and charge them with sowing the seeds of doubt about the legitimate scientists' findings. "The thing that these groups have in common is that they don't have qualified climate scientists doing climate science and they have a tendency to hide their source of funding," Hoggan says. "So my view is, and what we try to argue in this book, is that we should strip these groups of their right to hide their funding, and so people would know who these groups actually represent." Hoggan says it's obvious the industry groups have successfully spread their message because media reports legitimize their claims, and because climate change legislation is stalled in both the U.S. and Canada. "This is serious. If you look at climate mitigation policy in Canada, we don't have one. Essentially Canadian policy would result in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions," Hoggan said. "So these groups have been highly effective at creating public doubt and taking the pressure off politicians to actually really do something about climate change." Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Jackson's ex-wife seeks $500k in lawsuit vs. woman Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 17 2009  09:22  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 17th, 2009 LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe claims a Florida woman should be found liable for nearly $500,000 in damages for statements she made in a television interview. Rowe sued Rebecca White in July for her comments to the show "Extra" claiming Rowe didn't want custody of her two children with Jackson, and was only interested in getting money from his family. Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, reached an agreement with the singer's mother on custody in August.	This April 28, 1996 photo shows pop singer Michael Jackson's then-wife Debbie Rowe in Pasedena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
She has some visitation rights and no money is said to have changed hands for the arrangement. The $490,000 figure was included in a statement of damages filed in Los Angeles last week. White has not responded to the lawsuit and Rowe is seeking a default judgment against her. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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'Boy in Balloon' family never shied from spotlight Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 15 2009  22:35  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 16th, 2009 FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Richard Heene and his family have never been afraid of the spotlight as they made a name for themselves chasing down storms, starring in a reality TV show and experimenting with a series of unusual inventions including hovercraft, a weather-gathering flying saucer and a rocket launcher. They found themselves at the center of yet another strange saga Thursday when 6-year-old Falcon Heene vanished around the time that a homemade helium balloon floated away from their home, setting off a national panic as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. As it turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage the whole time. The disappearance and sudden discovery of the boy have raised questions about whether it was all an elaborate attention-getting stunt orchestrated by the Heenes or simply a bizarre case of a child who ran away and hid after getting spooked by a scolding from his father. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said authorities do not believe at this point if it was a hoax but he would meet with investigators Friday to decide whether to look into the matter further. Asked during an impromptu news conference outside his house whether the incident was a stunt, Richard Heene said: "That's horrible. After the crap we just went through. No. No, no, no." It was five hours from the time the oldest boy reported that Falcon, the youngest, had climbed into a saucer-shaped balloon that had drifted off, setting off a search that included military helicopters and a plan to either lower a person to the craft of place weights on the balloon to bring it down. Officials rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.	Falcon Heene was reportedly the boy stuck in a hot air balloon and is the six-year old son of Richard and Mayumi Heene. The family were featured on the ABC reality television show 'Wife Swap.'
Heene said the family was tinkering with the balloon Thursday and that he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft. It was designed to hover about 50 to 100 feet from the ground but it broke loose from its tether. Falcon's brother said he had seen him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched. But the boy had gone to the garage rafters at some point and was never in the balloon during its two-hour, 50-mile journey through two counties. "I was in the attic and he scared me because he yelled at me," Falcon said. "That's why I went in the attic." The Heenes aren't the types to shy from attention, with boys featured in a rap music video on YouTube and the whole family appearing on the ABC show "Wife Swap." The show promoted the Heene family as storm chasers who also "devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm." During a live interview with CNN, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name. "You did?" the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene, said. "Why didn't you come out?" Richard Heene said. Falcon answered, "You had said that we did this for a show." Later, Richard Heene bristled when the family was asked to clarify and said he didn't know what his son meant. He didn't ask his son what he meant by "a show." "I'm kind of appalled after all the feelings that I went through, up and down, that you guys are trying to suggest something else," Richard Heene said. After the CNN interview, Richard Heene told KUSA-TV in Denver that he thought his son was referring to earlier in the day when he showed reporters his hiding spot. He didn't return a message from The Associated Press. Neighbor Bob Licko, 65, Licko said that while the balloon floated over Colorado Thursday, Mayumi Heene seemed distraught. Richard Heene said he called the Federal Aviation Administration first before calling 911. The saucer-like craft tipped precariously at times before gliding to the ground in a field.
With the child nowhere in sight, investigators searched the balloon's path. Several people reported seeing something fall from the craft while it was in the air, and yellow crime-scene tape was placed around the home. Then, came news that Falcon had been hiding in a box in rafters in the garage. A short time after sheriff's officials and reporters left the house Thursday evening, the three boys had wrapped themselves in the yellow police tape that had surrounded the house. "They were just very adventurous kids," said Josh Dengler, 32, another neighbor. "I don't think it was a hoax. I don't think they were hiding him, I think he was just a genuinely scared 6-year-old hiding." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Opposition calls out Tories for partisan cheques Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 14 2009  22:35  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 15th, 2009 The federal opposition hammered the Conservatives over a series of taxpayer-funded cheques presented to the public as if they came from the Tories, including at least one project that was actually approved by the previous government. The issue was first raised when a picture surfaced of Nova Scotia MP Gerry Keddy presenting an oversized Government of Canada stimulus cheque that was stamped with the Conservative party logo. Such a display breaches government rules under the Federal Identity Program. Keddy's office said it was an oversight, but another photo involving the parliamentary secretary with another Tory-stamped cheque was identified.	Conservative MP Colin Mayes makes a funding announcement using Conservative party logos as seen in this photo provided by the Liberal Party of Canada.
In Charlottetown, the current government looks to be taking credit for the city's latest federal building with a sign touting their economic action plan. Trouble is, the building has been open for three years and was announced by the Liberal federal government six years ago. P.E.I. Liberal MP Wayne Easter lashed out saying: "Somebody is driving by and they must look and say, 'My goodness, Stephen (Harper) must have put that building up and created those jobs." "I mean, it's outright misinformation." Dimitri Soudas, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, defended the use of the individual politicians' names on Wednesday, saying members of Parliament deserve credit for local projects supported by the federal government. "These are cheques that obviously convey to Canadians that work is being done by the Conservative government implementing the economic action plan," Soudas said on CTV News Channel's Power Play. However, he called the use of the Conservative logo on government announcements "inappropriate." Dozens of cheque presentations can be viewed on the websites of individual Conservative MPs, including several cabinet minister, all with the MP's name and signature written in bold letters, while the Government of Canada logo remains nearly invisible. Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer has referred the use of the cheques to the Ethics Commission. "There are three things we want to government to do. One, stop it immediately, two, apologize and three, who in the cabinet authorized this blatant use of political partisanship," Stoffer told Power Play. Easter says the stimulus money comes from the public purse and not the budgets of individual MPs. As he put it, the public treasury is not designed to fund "the Conservative propaganda machine." The Liberal Party of Canada press office issued a release Wednesday alleging that the Conservatives are "treating your money like it's their own." Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Suspects in 2002 B.C. murder arrested in China Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 13 2009  18:44  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 14th, 2009 A long-time suspect in the October 2002 murder of Chinese student Wei Amanda Zhao in British Columbia has been arrested in China, after local officials acted on information provided by RCMP. Chinese authorities quietly arrested Ang Li, Zhao's boyfriend at the time of her death, and his cousin, Zhang Han, this summer. The victim's mother, 63-year-old Yang Baoying, said she felt "pretty calm" after hearing the news. "Why? Because even if (the killer) is chopped into muddy flesh, it won't ease my hatred," she said during an interview with CTV British Columbia and The Globe and Mail. "Two gold mountains can't bring back my child. My child ... was the ultimate goal of my life. So after I heard this news, I didn't feel shocked or excited or ... I felt it was a natural result." Li had been the primary suspect in Zhao's murder, but he fled to China after the young woman's body was found in a duffel bag in a wooded area near Mission, B.C., about 80 kilometres east of Vancouver.	Ang Li, the boyfriend of Amanda Zhang at the time of her death, is seen in this undated image taken from video. Amanda Zhao is seen in this undated file image.
Eleven days earlier, Li had reported Zhao missing, telling police she had taken a trip to a store and hadn't returned. RCMP investigators alleged that Zhang helped Li dispose of Zhao's body. All three were Chinese nationals sharing an apartment as they attended school in B.C. The RCMP charged Li, now 26, with second-degree murder, but jurisdictional disputes between Canadian and Chinese authorities have blocked his return to Canada. Zhang, also 26, had originally confessed to helping Li, but that confession was thrown out on allegations it was not lawfully obtained. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday that he had heard of the arrests and said Chinese authorities were working closely with RCMP and Canadian officials on the case. "We're glad to see, and I hope it brings some comfort to the family, the fact that a suspect is now in custody," Harper said when asked about the case during a news conference in Vancouver. "Obviously there are multiple steps to ultimately have a trial and determine guilt or innocence. But we are committed to working fully with our Chinese counterparts to resolve this issue and get a conviction of those who are responsible." It is not yet clear if Li and Zhang will face charges in China or be extradited to Canada. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Suzuki wins 'alternative Nobel prize' for eco work Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 13 2009  06:56  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 13th, 2009
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - — Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki has won an honorary "Alternative Nobel" for his work to raise awareness about climate change. Two activists from Congo and New Zealand and a doctor from Australia won the top awards presented by the Right Livelihood Foundation for their work to protect rain forests, improve women's health and rid the world of nuclear weapons. The awards were announced Tuesday in Stockholm. Congolese activist Rene Ngongo, Alyn Ware of New Zealand and Australian-born Catherine Hamlin, who has been based in Ethiopia for five decades, each will receive US$74,000, the foundation said. The honorary part of the award -- without prize money -- went to Suzuki. Suzuki, 73, is best known in Canada for his television and radio series and books about nature and the environment. He's also been harshly critical of governments for their lack of action on climate change. He is also the co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation which, among other things, works to protect the enviroment and nature. Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull founded the awards in 1980 to recognize work he felt was being ignored by the Nobel Prizes. The foundation said Ngongo, 48, was honoured "for his courage in confronting the forces that are destroying Congo's rain forests and building political support for their conservation and sustainable use." Ngongo founded the OCEAN environmental group in 1994, exposing the impact of deforestation and monitoring the plunder of minerals by warring factions during Congo's 1996-2002 civil wars. He also has been working for Greenpeace in Congo. Ngongo said from Kinshasa that the award came at a "great time," as negotiators prepare to meet in Copenhagen in December to try to draft a global climate pact. The Right Livelihood Award "is a clear message that the campaign we started in is starting to be heard around the world," Ngongo said. "It's important to save our forests." Ware, a peace activist from New Zealand, was recognized "for his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons."
The citation said the 47-year-old Ware has campaigned against nuclear weapons at the U.N. and through a network of lawmakers worldwide that he established in 2002 to lobby for nuclear disarmament. Nuclear nonproliferation was also a key theme when the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday to President Barack Obama, citing in part his vision of a world free of atomic weapons. Asked to compare the awards, Ole von Uexkull, the Right Livelihood Foundation's executive director and nephew of the prize founder, noted that Ware had actively campaigned against nuclear weapons for 25 years, while Obama had yet to translate words into action. "We have a window of opportunity with Obama opening up to the possibility of nuclear disarmament," von Uexkull said. "He will have the opportunity to take concrete steps now and I hope that he will do it." Hamlin, 85, moved to Ethiopia from Australia in 1959 to work as an obstetrician and gynecologist. Hamlin and her late husband founded a hospital where women can seek free treatment for obstetric fistulas, which are holes that develop between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum that can develop during long and difficult births. They are common in Africa and other developing countries where prenatal care is limited. Women with fistula experience incontinence and often give birth to a stillborn baby. Untreated, fistula can also lead to chronic medical problems, including ulcerations, kidney disease and nerve damage in the legs. "The 2009 Right Livelihood Award recipients demonstrate concretely what has to be done in order to tackle climate change, rid the world of nuclear weapons and provide crucial medical treatment to the poor and marginalized," the foundation said. The awards will be presented in a ceremony at the Swedish Parliament on Dec. 4, six days before the Nobel Prizes are handed out. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press & The Associated Press
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Butler-Jones defends swine flu vaccine decisions Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 12 2009  13:48  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 12th, 2009 Canada's chief public health officer is defending Ottawa's decision not to halt production on seasonal flu vaccine to accelerate production of the vaccine against swine flu. Dr. David Butler-Jones says the decision to finish off seasonal flu vaccine production before beginning to produce swine flu vaccine was made months ago and was based on the information officials had at the time. "The WHO asked all manufacturers to finish off their seasonal vaccine first. That's because in Canada, 4,000 people die on average every year from seasonal flu," he explained to CTV's Question Period on Sunday.	Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, speaks with CTV's Question Period from Winnipeg, on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2009.
He noted that at the time of the decision, his team of experts looked at the flu's activity in the southern hemisphere, and what they saw was both seasonal flu strains and the swine flu strain circulating widely and causing deaths. So, he said, they decided not to put the brakes on seasonal flu vaccine production to ensure that those Canadians vulnerable to seasonal flu -- generally, those over the age of 65 and well as those with compromised immune systems -- would be protected. "The problem is if you switch over -- and we're talking about a week or two, we're not talking about months of difference -- if you switch over to H1N1, stop the seasonal flu, you can't go back," Butler-Jones said. "So that was the decision at the time, and if we could do things -- I mean if the pandemic was started somewhere else, if we'd known about it years in advance or months in advance -- or we'd known what we knew today back then, then I think we would be further ahead than we are now. But you could never have known that," he said. He noted that in the U.S., emerging evidence suggests that 10 per cent of the flu strains circulating are seasonal flu strains, so those vulnerable to seasonal flu are still at risk. "It's not an either/or equation. It's not like you can protect against one and nothing else will happen," he said. While there have been swine flu clusters in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and elsewhere, Canada is not seeing the large outbreaks being seen in the southern United States, he noted. And although it will still be a few weeks before the swine flu vaccine is available, when it does arrive, Canada will be uniquely positioned to offer it to every citizen who wants it, he said. "We know we can start the immunization program by the beginning of November. We will then rapidly be able to immunize everybody in this country," he said. "By the time Christmas comes around, our hope is, and our expectation is that every Canadian who wishes to be immunized will be," he said, adding that every Canadian should get the vaccine -- if not to protect themselves, then to protect those around them at risk. Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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Doomsayers point to Mayan calendar's end in 2012 Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 11 2009  15:48  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 11th, 2009 MEXICO CITY — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly "running out" on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it's not the end of the world. Or is it? Definitely not, the Mayan elder insists. "I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff." It can only get worse for him. Next month Hollywood's "2012" opens in cinemas, featuring earthquakes, meteor showers and a tsunami dumping an aircraft carrier on the White House.	Dr. Cristian Negureanu's search; Eris is new name for Nibiru.  Photo; Planet Eris with satellite Dysomnia.
At Cornell University, Ann Martin, who runs the "Curious? Ask an Astronomer" website, says people are scared. "It's too bad that we're getting emails from fourth-graders who are saying that they're too young to die," Martin said. "We had a mother of two young children who was afraid she wouldn't live to see them grow up." Chile Pixtun, a Guatemalan, says the doomsday theories spring from Western, not Mayan ideas. A significant time period for the Mayas does end on the date, and enthusiasts have found a series of astronomical alignments they say coincide in 2012, including one that happens roughly only once every 25,800 years. But most archeologists, astronomers and Maya say the only thing likely to hit Earth is a meteor shower of New Age philosophy, pop astronomy, Internet doomsday rumours and TV specials such as one on the History Channel which mixes "predictions" from Nostradamus and the Mayas and asks: "Is 2012 the year the cosmic clock finally winds down to zero days, zero hope?" It may sound all too much like other doomsday scenarios of recent decades -- the 1987 Harmonic Convergence, the Jupiter Effect or "Planet X." But this one has some grains of archeological basis. One of them is Monument Six. Found at an obscure ruin in southern Mexico during highway construction in the 1960s, the stone tablet almost didn't survive; the site was largely paved over and parts of the tablet were looted. It's unique in that the remaining parts contain the equivalent of the date 2012. The inscription describes something that is supposed to occur in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation. However -- shades of Indiana Jones -- erosion and a crack in the stone make the end of the passage almost illegible. Archeologist Guillermo Bernal of Mexico's National Autonomous University interprets the last eroded glyphs as maybe saying, "He will descend from the sky." Spooky, perhaps, but Bernal notes there are other inscriptions at Mayan sites for dates far beyond 2012 -- including one that roughly translates into the year 4772. And anyway, Mayas in the drought-stricken Yucatan peninsula have bigger worries than 2012.
"If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea," said Jose Huchim, a Yucatan Mayan archeologist. "That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain." The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy. Its Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012. "It's a special anniversary of creation," said David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Maya never said the world is going to end, they never said anything bad would happen necessarily, they're just recording this future anniversary on Monument Six." Bernal suggests that apocalypse is "a very Western, Christian" concept projected onto the Maya, perhaps because Western myths are "exhausted." If it were all mythology, perhaps it could be written off. But some say the Maya knew another secret: the Earth's axis wobbles, slightly changing the alignment of the stars every year. Once every 25,800 years, the sun lines up with the centre of our Milky Way galaxy on a winter solstice, the sun's lowest point in the horizon. That will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, when the sun appears to rise in the same spot where the bright centre of galaxy sets. Another spooky coincidence? "The question I would ask these guys is, so what?" says Phil Plait, an astronomer who runs the "Bad Astronomy" blog. He says the alignment doesn't fall precisely in 2012, and distant stars exert no force that could harm Earth. "They're really super-duper trying to find anything astronomical they can to fit that date of 2012," Plait said. But author John Major Jenkins says his two-decade study of Mayan ruins indicate the Maya were aware of the alignment and attached great importance to it. "If we want to honour and respect how the Maya think about this, then we would say that the Maya viewed 2012, as all cycle endings, as a time of transformation and renewal," said Jenkins. As the Internet gained popularity in the 1990s, so did word of the "fateful" date, and some began worrying about 2012 disasters the Mayas never dreamed of. Author Lawrence Joseph says a peak in explosive storms on the surface of the sun could knock out North America's power grid for years, triggering food shortages, water scarcity -- a collapse of civilization. Solar peaks occur about every 11 years, but Joseph says there's evidence the 2012 peak could be "a lulu." While pressing governments to install protection for power grids, Joseph counsels readers not to "use 2012 as an excuse to not live in a healthy, responsible fashion. I mean, don't let the credit cards go up." Another History Channel program titled "Decoding the Past: Doomsday 2012: End of Days" says a galactic alignment or magnetic disturbances could somehow trigger a "pole shift."
"The entire mantle of the earth would shift in a matter of days, perhaps hours, changing the position of the north and south poles, causing worldwide disaster," a narrator proclaims. "Earthquakes would rock every continent, massive tsunamis would inundate coastal cities. It would be the ultimate planetary catastrophe." The idea apparently originates with a 19th century Frenchman, Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, a priest-turned-archeologist who got it from his study of ancient Mayan and Aztec texts. Scientists say that, at best, the poles might change location by one degree over a million years, with no sign that it would start in 2012. While long discredited, Brasseur de Bourbourg proves one thing: Westerners have been trying for more than a century to pin doomsday scenarios on the Maya. And while fascinated by ancient lore, advocates seldom examine more recent experiences with apocalypse predictions. "No one who's writing in now seems to remember that the last time we thought the world was going to end, it didn't," says Martin, the astronomy webmaster. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of memory that things were fine the last time around." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Laliberte to begin journey back to Earth tonight Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 10 2009  14:35  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 10th, 2009 Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberte will begin his return to Earth tonight from the International Space Station, after a nearly two-week trip that was capped off by a star-studded, international concert to highlight the world's shortage of clean water. The Cirque du soleil founder will return home aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station just after 9 p.m. EDT. Joining him will be Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and NASA astronaut Mike Barratt. The trio is scheduled to land in Kazakhastan at 12:31 a.m. EDT Sunday. While Padalka and Barratt had been on six-month missions to the ISS, Laliberte paid $35 million for his 12-day trip, which included nine days at the orbiting laboratory.	Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte introduces the Moving Stars and Earth for Water show from the International Space Station as seen on a screen at the Montreal performance, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009. (Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The former street juggler and fire-eater used his unique vacation to raise awareness for his One Drop Foundation, which aims to highlight the increasing shortage of clean water. The 14-city, five-continent show included former U.S. vice president Al Gore, U2, Joss Stone, Shakira and environmentalist David Suzuki, among other performers and activists. At one point, Laliberte and Bono had a video chat during U2's concert in Tampa. "You are the first clown in space and we think it's a great idea for you to give us your perspective on our little planet while you're not on our little planet and instead looking down on it," Bono said. "How do we look from there, how does our little planet look, Guy?" Laliberte replied that "planet Earth looks so great but also so fragile." Estimated costs for the event range from $6 million to $10 million. While Laliberte was the first space tourist from Canada, he was the seventh non-astronaut to blast off in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was required to undergo five months of training for the trip at a facility called Star City, just outside Moscow. He blasted off on Sept. 30 and arrived at the ISS on Oct. 2. He was greeted by Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk, who is on his own six-month mission to the space laboratory. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Unemployment rate falls for first time since recession Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 9 2009  07:49  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 9th, 2009 In what might be the clearest indication yet that Canada's labour market is recovering sooner than expected, Statistics Canada reports that the country's jobless rate fell for the first time in nearly a year last month, to 8.4 per cent. Employment increased for the second consecutive month, up 30,600 in September, driven by large full-time gains. Statistics Canada said 91,600 full-time jobs were added in September -- the largest since May 2006. That more than offset the 61,000 loss in part-time employment. The increase in full-time work was mainly among youths and women aged 25 and over and in Ontario.
The September jobs pick-up was five times larger than the economist consensus forecast of 5,000. That, along with a slight decrease in the number of workers looking for jobs, helped drop the national unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. "Since the peak in October 2008, employment has fallen 2.1 per cent (357,000), with the bulk of the decline occurring between October and March 2009," the agency noted. "Since then, the trend in employment has levelled, with the number of employed almost the same in September as it was in March." Construction, manufacturing and educational services saw employment increases in September. Employment in manufacturing has had the sharpest rate of decline since the start of the labour market downturn in the fall of 2008, down 10.6 per cent. On the other hand, there were declines in transportation and warehousing. Workers in education services also saw improvement with 18,000 jobs added to the sector last month, when students returned to schools, colleges and universities following the summer break. British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were the only provinces with notable employment gains in September. In Ontario, employment rose slightly as large full-time gains were dampened by losses in part time. Nova Scotia, Quebec and Manitoba saw outright job losses. The figures suggest that many are now seeing clearer skies ahead. Economists consider employment a lagging indicator because employers usually will wait until they see clear signs that a recovery is underway and will be sustained before beginning to re-hire. By contrast, the U.S. is still reporting massive monthly job losses even though most believe the economy there has turned the corner and begun to grow. Here's what happened provincially (previous month in brackets): Newfoundland 15.3 (15.6) Prince Edward Island 11.8 (13.7) Nova Scotia 9.5 (9.5) New Brunswick 8.1 (9.3) Quebec 8.8 (9.1) Ontario 9.2 (9.4) Manitoba 5.3 (5.7) Saskatchewan 4.6 (5.0) Alberta 7.1 (7.4) British Columbia 7.4 (7.8) Written by CTV.ca News Staff
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NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn Web Posted | Last Updated Wed. Oct. 7 2009  15:03  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 8th, 2009 PASADENA, Calif. — The Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered the biggest but never-before-seen ring around the planet Saturn, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced late Tuesday. The thin array of ice and dust particles lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system and its orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet's main ring plane, the laboratory said. JPL spokeswoman Whitney Clavin said the ring is very diffuse and doesn't reflect much visible light but the infrared Spitzer telescope was able to detect it.	This artist's rendering released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the biggest but never-before-seen ring around Saturn, spotted by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. For a larger view; please see below...!
Although the ring dust is very cold -- minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit -- it shines with thermal radiation. No one had looked at its location with an infrared instrument until now, Clavin said. The bulk of the ring material starts about 3.7 million miles from the planet and extends outward about another 7.4 million miles. The newly found ring is so huge it would take 1 billion Earths to fill it, JPL said. Before the discovery Saturn was known to have seven main rings named A through E and several faint unnamed rings. A paper on the discovery was to be published online Wednesday by the journal Nature. "This is one supersized ring," said one of the authors, Anne Verbiscer, an astronomer at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Her co-authors are Douglas Hamilton of the University of Maryland, College Park, and Michael Skrutskie, also of the University of Virginia. Saturn's moon Phoebe orbits within the ring and is believed to be the source of the material. The ring also may answer the riddle of another moon, Iapetus, which has a bright side and a very dark side. The ring circles in the same direction as Phoebe, while Iapetus, the other rings and most of Saturn's other moons go the opposite way. Scientists think material from the outer ring moves inward and slams into Iapetus. "Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Saturn's outer moon Phoebe and the dark material on Iapetus," said Hamilton. "This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship." The Spitzer mission, launched in 2003, is managed by JPL in Pasadena. Spitzer is 66 million miles from Earth in orbit around the sun. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Church heard pornography allegations in 1980s Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 06  2009  22:00  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October7th, 2009 A Catholic priest says 20 years ago he warned an archbishop about allegations Raymond Lahey had shown pornography to a young man in the 1980s. Father Kevin Molloy says he was told of the allegations by Shane Earle, then 16, in Portugal Cove, N.L. in 1989. "I never had any further details except the boys saw pornographic material in Father Lahey's house," Molloy told CTV News in Florida, where he now lives. "That's the only thing I had to go on."	Former Roman Catholic bishop Raymond Lahey arrives at a police station in Ottawa, Thursday, Oct.1, 2009. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Molloy said he soon brought up the allegations with then-Archbishop Alphonsus Penney, and assumed the Church would deal with the matter. He never heard about it again. "So what else was I supposed to do?" he said. Molloy was reminded of the allegations last week, when Lahey -- then a bishop in Nova Scotia -- was charged with possessing and importing child pornography. Police seized Lahey's computer during a random check at the Ottawa International Airport on Sept. 15, as he returned to Canada from another country. Lahey is due to appear in court on Nov. 4, and is now living somewhere in Ottawa. None of the charges against him have been proven in court. It was initially thought Lahey would stay in a New Brunswick monastery, but his bail conditions changed Tuesday. Archbishop Martin Currie confirmed Tuesday that officials with the Roman Catholic Church were aware of Earle's allegations against Lahey in 1989. "To possess pornography was not a crime then as it is now," he said. "It's still not the behaviour I would expect from a priest to have pornography in his home when young people are around." Earle, who was a victim of sexual abuse at Newfoundland's Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1980s, said that hearing about the charges last week awakened old traumatic memories. "What we're dealing with today gives every indication that nothing happened, nobody followed up," he told the Globe and Mail. "I don't know if it was that nobody believed me at the time, but here we are 20-odd years later dealing with the same issues." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with a report by CTV's Graham Richardson in Ottawa
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Canadian-born physicist named as Nobel prize winner Web Posted | Last Updated Tue. Oct. 06  2009  08:11  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 6th, 2009 A Nova Scotia-born physicist who invented the Charge-coupled device 40 years ago has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics along with two American scientists. Willard S. Boyle, along with Charles K. Kao and George E. Smith, won the US $1.4 million prize on Tuesday.
The Chinese-born Kao was honoured for his groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication, while former Bell Labs colleagues Boyle and Smith were honoured for inventing the imaging semiconductor circuit -- also known as the CCD sensor - that is today used in cameras, camcorders, telescopes and other devices. Talking to CTV's Canada AM after his win was announced on Tuesday, the 85-year-old Boyle said his phone was ringing off the hook at Halifax home. "The phone is ringing steadily, we've had calls from all over the world," he said during a telephone interview, noting that only one of his four children had been able to get their calls through. Boyle was born in Amherst, N.S., in 1924. Home-schooled until he was in high school, he eventually went on to earn a doctorate from McGill University. Boyle said that much of his eventual academic success stemmed from the education he received at home. "I think a lot of the credit for the fact that I was able to go into McGill eventually and go into honours maths and physics, and pass the various courses, was due to my mother," he said during a telephone interview from Halifax on Tuesday morning. In 1953, he joined Bell Labs, where he worked for much of the next three decades. Between 1962 and 1964, he was director of Space Science and Exploratory Studies at the Bell labs subsidiary of Bellcomm, where he provided support to the Apollo space program and helped selected lunar landing sites. Boyle returned to Bell Labs in 1964, where he and his co-Nobel winner Smith would later invent an imaging semiconductor circuit -- better known as the Charge-coupled device, or CCD. "We invented a device which processes light," Boyle said, explaining the concept behind CCD. "In the way that the transistor processes sound, our CCD chip processes light -- it detects it, stores it, transmits it and enables a person to use it." But back in 1969, Boyle didn't know how significant the CCD would be. "I think we had hopes that perhaps it was going to be useful as a sensor in cameras, but we just thought of it as a generic device that might have some applications," Boyle said. "But it didn't take very long, actually, before the various universities with their astronomy departments started using it in telescopes. And that was really the big breakthrough, I think." The invention is used in many different areas, including in the medical field where surgeons now use the CCD in exploratory surgery, Boyle said. Boyle retired 30 years ago and moved back home to Nova Scotia, where he served on the research council of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research and the Science Council of the Province of Nova Scotia. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
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'Hillbilly heroin' a growing problem in B.C. Web Posted | Last Updated Mon. Oct. 05  2009  07:22  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 5th, 2009 VANCOUVER, B.C. — Small communities in British Columbia largely untouched by the scourge of hard drugs are discovering a similar danger that some consider even tougher to tackle because it's handed out with a doctor's blessing. So-called "hillbilly heroin" is a prescription pain killer that's been badly abused in parts of Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Quebec, partly because it's easier for addicts to get than the real stuff and has therefore become popular in rural areas.
Now, B.C. physicians and a new study from the University of British Columbia say the addictive drug, formally called oxycodone, has hit the westernmost province. "Certainly we're aware of it," said Dr. David Smith, who works in mental health and addictions at B.C. Interior Health, adding he's seen "a very significant upswing" in the rates of prescription medicine abuse, particularly opiates. The Canadian Rx Atlas had previously shown B.C. residents used less of the medicine than other provinces, but the new study - which examines 2006 data - indicates that has changed. Twenty of 30 communities in the Interior Health Authority were above the provincial average. Lillooet, about a four hour drive from Vancouver, charted the highest use at 47 per cent. Oxycodone, usually sold in a form called OxyContin, is legitimately distributed to treat acute and chronic pain, particularly for cancer. It's nature as an opiate, which works on the reward centres of the brain, means it's highly addictive because people will develop tolerance and need increasing quantities to get the same effects. Stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms. Individuals addicted to the drug often shop doctor to doctor, feigning symptoms and double-filling prescriptions where it can be done, Smith said. When taken as as prescribed, Oxycontin has a mechanism that releases the drug over a 12-hour period. But chewing the tablet, crushing it and then snorting or mixing it with water and injecting provides a more immediate high. "They feel a very rapid and incredibly powerful rush or high ... and very quickly following that, they say that they feel kind of a sense of peace and sense of warmth and comfort all over," Smith said of the description he's heard from people who abuse the drug. Overdosing can stop a person's breathing and kill them, and addicts also face increased risk of HIV transmission and hepatitis if using needles. B.C. physicians can and should play a leading role in alleviating the issue, said Dr. Shaohua Lu, an addictions psychiatrist who chaired a position paper for the B.C. Medical Association that looks for solutions to prescription abuse. "In a B.C. office, sometimes it might not be easy to make the balance of assessment between a medically necessary prescription and potential diversion," he said. "(But) physicians can be a part of the solution when given the tools." Among the chief difficulties faced by those aiming to recover is the lack of treatment in small communities, Lu said. "B.C. is blessed with our geography, but we are also cursed by that geography in the sense that addiction care is much better when the individual is offered it within the home community," he said.
"It's not good for somebody who is in Vanderhoof having to drive all the way to Prince George. How are you going to spend two hours a day driving back and forth? It's totally unrealistic." While the serious problem requires more provincial resources to tackle, legislators must be careful in their approach because outright banning the drug would only open the flood-gate to another vice, Lu said. "We have to be vigilant not on a specific drug itself, but the pattern of misuse," he said. Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd, whose city falls in a region where the study found 15 per cent higher-than-average use of prescription opiods, hasn't heard of the problem in her community. But she would support local pharmacies and physicians taking a closer look at patterns to see if remedies are needed, she said. "Dialogue has to take place and we do have a very strong medical society that will take on challenges," she said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Final arguments at Taser inquiry begin Monday Web Posted | Last Updated Sun. Oct. 04  2009  14:10  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 4th, 2009 VANCOUVER, B.C. — The story of Robert Dziekanski's final hours, spent in Vancouver's airport after a long flight from Poland and unable to speak to anyone around him, has many characters.
There are, of course, the four Mounties who were called to the international terminal early one morning in October 2007 after Dziekanski started throwing furniture. Seconds later, one of them fired his Taser. And minutes after that, the Polish man was dead. But the list of players includes many others - airport staff, customs officers, firefighters, paramedics and the Taser itself - and all of them will be under scrutiny as lawyers present their final arguments this week at a public inquiry. The lawyer representing Dziekanski's mother will start his final submissions on Monday, and while Walter Kosteckyj will have plenty to say about the RCMP, he says there's lots of blame to go around. "The overview of what I'm going to talk about are all the opportunities that were lost to deal with Mr. Dziekanski right from the get-go," Kosteckyj said in an interview. "The RCMP were the last ones to show up, and they certainly bear a lot of responsibility, but . . . it's just systematic failure." Dziekanski is the central figure of this story, a Polish construction worker who didn't speak English moving to Canada to start a new life with his mother, Zofia Cisowski. Cisowski is another, coming to the airport to pick up her son and waiting for hours. She was eventually told he wasn't there, and she drove home to Kamloops, B.C. The four RCMP officers have also become main characters - and critics would say the antagonists - after stunning Dziekanski several times with a Taser within seconds of arriving at the scene. The officers said Dziekanski was threatening them with a stapler; others have accused them during the inquiry of lying to cover up their actions. Their lawyers will argue this week that they were simply doing their jobs, albeit with deadly consequences. They were not charged. "The officers acted in accordance with their training," said Ravi Hira, who represents the officer who fired the Taser. "It's a tragic outcome, but the evidence is clear in that regard." However, a large supporting cast fills the space before and after the officers' arrival.
Customs officers failed to notice Dziekanski as he sat for hours in a secure customs hall, and never called a translator when he finally emerged. It was a customs officer, as well, who advised Dziekanski's mother to leave. That was after airport staff told Cisowski they couldn't tell her anything about her son because of privacy laws. Once the Taser was used, airport supervisors broke protocol by not calling the facility's own firefighters or bringing an automatic defibrillator to the scene after Dziekanski was stunned. Firefighters raised doubts about whether the officers or anyone else monitored Dziekanski's condition after he collapsed on the floor. And others raised questions about the firefighters' performance. Then there is the Taser, the controversial stun gun that has been the subject of fierce debate since Dziekanski's fatal confrontation with police, and the conflicting medical evidence about whether it played a role in the man's death. There were many witnesses, members of the public who found themselves at the airport that morning, including one who shot a video of the confrontation that has been played countless times around the world. Over the next week, lawyers for all of the parties involved will each have a chance to tell their version of that story to commissioner Thomas Braidwood. After that, Braidwood will decide where the truth lies and make recommendations to prevent future tragedies. "It's been a long case," said Art Vertlieb, a lawyer for the inquiry. "To be sure to know what the key issues are is always a challenge, to avoid getting lost in the woods." It's been almost two years to the day since Dziekanski's death - the second anniversary is next week - but the story is not over yet. Braidwood's final report is likely months away, and there are still other proceedings related to the inquiry. Three of the officers are asking the B.C. Court of Appeal to bar the commissioner from alleging misconduct against them. The B.C. Supreme Court rejected their case earlier this year. And Taser International is challenging the report from the first phase of Braidwood's inquiry, held last year and broadly examining Taser use in B.C. In his report, Braidwood concluded Tasers can kill. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Canadian Press
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Afghan policeman opens fire, killing 2 Americans Web Posted | Last Updated Sat. Oct. 03  2009  02:31  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 3rd, 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan policeman on patrol with U.S. soldiers opened fire on the Americans, killing two of them before fleeing, officials said Saturday, raising questions about discipline in the ranks of the Afghan forces and possible infiltration by insurgents. Training and operating jointly with Afghan police and soldiers is key to the U.S. strategy of dealing with the spreading Taliban-led insurgency and, ultimately, allowing international forces to leave Afghanistan. But Afghan forces have periodically turned their guns on international soldiers.
The U.S. military said two American troops were killed by "an individual wearing an ANP (Afghan National Police) uniform" in Wardak province on Friday. Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor, said the policeman fired on the Americans while they were patrolling together Friday night, killing two and injuring two. Halim Fidai, governor of Wardak, said two people who recommended the alleged assailant for his job were in custody for questioning. Fidai also said a joint team of American and Afghan officials was investigating the attack, interviewing both the American soldiers and the Afghans who had been on the patrol to learn what happened and how the gunman escaped. "However tragic, this event will not hamper the close partnership and combined security efforts" of Afghan police and international forces, said Zemarai Bashary, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said as part of the U.S. statement on the deaths. A third U.S. service member died Friday of wounds from a bomb attack in Wardak, the province neighbouring Kabul, the day before. Over a period of less than a month last year, Afghan policemen twice attacked American soldiers in the east. In October 2008, a policeman hurled a grenade and opened fire on a U.S. foot patrol, killing one soldier. In September 2008, an officer opened fire at a Paktia police station, killing a soldier and wounding three before he was fatally shot. Most recently, in Kabul, an American service member and an Afghan police officer argued because the American was drinking water in front of police during the Ramadan fast, prompting the police officer to shoot the American. Other American troops responded and seriously wounded the Afghan. In violence Saturday, a remote-controlled bomb on a motorbike exploded in a busy market in northern Kunduz province, killing three Afghans in a region that has recently seen a spike in attacks. Elsewhere in the north, a Finnish convoy hit a roadside bomb in Balkh province, destroying one of the vehicles and injuring four soldiers, Afghan and Finnish officials said. In western Afghanistan, a Taliban attack on a NATO supply convoy killed a civilian contractor escorting the trucks, said Raouf Ahmadi, a regional police spokesman. U.S. and NATO deaths dropped in September over the previous two months -- possibly due to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan or because no major offensives were launched. But since President Barack Obama's decision to send 21,000 more troops to curb the growing Taliban-led insurgency, international and civilian tolls have risen steadily. U.S. forces mounted major operations in July and August in southern Afghanistan to try to dislodge the Taliban from longtime strongholds and improve security ahead of the Aug. 20 presidential election, the outcome of which remains in doubt because of allegations of massive fraud by supporters of President Hamid Karzai. One of those operations, in Helmand province, has proven to be a relative bright spot, as American and British forces hold territory in a region long plagued by Taliban violence. Lt. Aiden Katz, a Marine platoon commander in Helmand, said his forces came under Taliban fire on Friday while on foot patrol in the countryside. After a 30-minute firefight with Taliban militants hiding in trees and behind walled-off fields, the Americans called in air support and the gunmen disappeared after Marine Harrier jets strafed the area. Locals complain that the Taliban "are using their homes, using them to fight Afghan forces," said Katz, 23, of New York City. "We're maintaining pressure on Taliban areas." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Cirque du Soleil founder arrives at space station Web Posted | Last Updated Fri. Oct. 02  2009  08:03  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 2nd, 2009 The first Canadian to pay his way into space has docked at the International Space Station. Guy Laliberte, the Quebec-born billionaire and founder of Cirque du Soleil, arrived at the space station on Friday, two days after he blasted off from Kazakhstan. The 50-year-old Laliberte travelled with American astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maxim Surayev inside a Soyuz TMA-16 space capsule.	Canadian billionaire Quebec-born philanthropist Guy Laliberte gestures prior to the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. (AP / NASA, Bill Ingalls)
In Russia, Laliberte's five children and his partner, Claudia Barilla, applauded his journey as they watched the capsule dock at the space station. "I'm very excited," Barilla said, holding the couple's two-year-old daughter, while they watched from Russian Mission Control, located outside of Moscow. Steve MacLean, the president of the Canadian Space Agency, said the docking was uneventful and smoothly executed. "For the Russians, it's an uneventful docking and it's very exciting to see it all work well," he told CTV News Channel during a phone interview from Montreal on Friday morning. Laliberte will return to Earth on Oct. 11 along with two other space station crew members who are waiting to return home. The seventh-ever space tourist intends to use his trip to space to draw attention to the issue of access to clean water on Earth. But his message came at a cost, as Laliberte reportedly paid US$35 million to take a trip to space. MacLean said that Laliberte is officially classified as a "space flight participant," but the CSA president considers the Quebec billionaire to be a "private space explorer." Williams, who has travelled to space on two previous occasions, and first-time traveler Surayev will remain at the space station for the next few months. Back on Earth, Surayev's wife, Anna, said she and the couple's two daughters were "really proud" of the cosmonaut's first trip to space. "Glad his dream came true, because it took him 12 years to achieve it." Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press
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Second earthquake strikes Indonesia Web Posted | Last Updated Thu. Oct. 01  2009  06:09  ET Giant Dwarf Posted: October 1st, 2009 PADANG, Indonesia — A second powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia on Thursday as rescuers struggled to reach survivors of the previous day's quake, which killed more than 500 people and left thousands trapped under collapsed buildings. The death toll from Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra island was expected to rise as rescuers dig through the rubble, sometimes by hand, in heavily populated cities. The latest, 6.8-magnitude quake damaged hundreds of additional buildings, and communications remained cut in some areas.	A boy stands near a building flattened by AN earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP / Dita Alangkara)
"Let's not underestimate (the disaster). Let's be prepared for the worst. We will do everything we can to help the victims," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta before flying to Padang. A total of 529 people were confirmed dead and 440 were seriously injured, the Social Affairs Ministry's crisis center said. It said 376 deaths occurred in Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 and capital of West Sumatra province. The rest were in four surrounding districts. Thousands were believed trapped, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center. A foot could be seen sticking from one pile of rubble. The president ordered the military to deploy all its crisis centers in Jakarta, West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces and said the military will provide earth-moving equipment to clear the rubble. Padang became the immediate focus of rescue efforts. At least 500 buildings in the city collapsed or were badly damaged in Wednesday evening's quake, which also set off fires, said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono. Terrified residents who spent a restless night, many sleeping outdoors, were jolted by the new quake Thursday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit about 240 kilometres south of Padang. It damaged 1,100 buildings, including mosques and homes, in Jambi, according to Mayor Hasfiah, who uses only one name like many Indonesians. He said there were no deaths but dozens of people were injured. In Padang, collapsed or seriously damaged buildings included hospitals, mosques, a mall and a school. TVOne network footage showed heavy equipment breaking through layers of cement in search of more than 30 students it said were missing from the school, where they were taking after-school classes. Parents of missing students stayed up all night, waiting for signs of life. "My daughter's face keeps appearing in my eyes ... my mind. I cannot sleep, I'm waiting here to see her again," a woman who identified herself only as Imelda told TVOne, tears rolling down her face. She said her 12-year-old daughter Yolanda was in the school for science lessons. "She is a good daughter and very smart. I really love her. Please, God help her," she said.
At least 80 people were missing at the five-storey Ambacang hotel in downtown Padang, said Indra, a paramedic who uses only one name. Rescuers, working in heavy rain, found two survivors and nine bodies in the rubble. Thousands fled Wednesday's quake in panic, fearing a tsunami. The shaking was so intense that people crouched or sat on the street. Children screamed as thousands of frantic residents fled in cars and motorbikes, honking horns. The quake caused buildings to sway hundreds kilometres away in Malaysia and Singapore. The quake severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, and the extent of damage in surrounding areas was still unclear. Indonesia, a poor, sprawling nation, sits on a major geological fault zone and is frequently hit by earthquakes. The latest quakes were along the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen nations. Geologists said the Indonesia quakes were not related to another deadly quake Tuesday that hit islands in the South Pacific. Padang's mayor appealed for assistance on Indonesian radio station el-Shinta. "We are overwhelmed with victims and ... lack of clean water, electricity and telecommunications," Mayor Fauzi Bahar said. "We really need help. We call on people to come to Padang to evacuate bodies and help the injured." Finance minister Sri Mulyani said the government has allocated $25 million for a two-month emergency response. She said the earthquake will seriously affect Indonesia's economic growth, because West Sumatra is a main producer of crude palm oil. "This region has been damaged seriously, including its infrastructure," Mulyani said. Written by CTV.ca News Staff with files from The Associated Press