newsonaut
Turning inner space into outer space
Thursday, June 2, 2011
When the family was together
In case you missed it, a video was posted on YouTube a couple of years ago when Valor Howell was still missing. It tugs at the heartstrings with plenty of pictures of the boy, his sisters and his father. The photos depict the ordinary stuff that families do and take for granted when they’re together. It’s the same stuff that’s missed the most when families are broken apart.
Go to: Missing Valor Howell
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Sunday, May 22, 2011
If only every weekend had three days
In the midst of this May long weekend, ponder this: wouldn’t it be nice if every weekend could be a long weekend? At one time that was the dream. In return for increased productivity, we would receive more leisure time. Instead, we just keep working and use the money to buy a bunch of junk we don’t need. A Globe and Mail article on the subject makes for great leisure time reading — assuming you have any.
Go to: The three-day weekend: a dream deferred
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Friday, May 13, 2011
Mathers maps out city's rusty cars
Mathers’ Blog has a post showing a Google Map of Kamloops with locations of rusty cars. Click on a car and you see an entry in the The Rusty Car Blog. Not into rusty cars? Check it out anyway — it’s a lot more clever than you might think.
I was glad to have this blog pointed out to me because I haven’t been able to find much in the way of blogs based in Kamloops.
A Google search brings up a blog written by the editor of Kamloops This Week, Chris Foulds. His most recent entries are from May 9, April 16 and Jan. 25. It would be great to see more — especially from a journalist with insight on what’s happening in our city.
Arjun Singh’s blog has had plenty of updates lately. He comments on the issues of the day, such as the parkade-in-the-park and formation of the Kamloops Voters Society. Nice to see.
Of course the editor and sports editor at The Daily News have blogs that I’ve linked to in the sidebar. And one of our staffers, Catherine Litt, is on tumblr with Ink Stains — an ongoing look at the state of the news industry.
Are there any others I should know about? Click on +Contact.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
You think our potholes are bad?
The worst pothole is always the one you slam into while driving — and we’ve got our share of some nasty ones in Kamloops. But as bad as they may be, they pale in comparison to others around the world.
Check out this one from Mail Online in Britain. Measuring 10 feet by eight feet, it was created by a burst water main.
Also in England, The Guardian is encouraging readers to keep them up-to-date on the worst potholes in Leeds. Here’s an example of the longest.
They’ve actually got an interactive Google map that keeps track of reported potholes. If I can figure out how to do it, I might set up something similar for Kamloops.
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011
In a fog
If you spent the day skiing or hiking, you likely missed the fog that blanketed the city on Sunday. Reports from Harper Mountain and even Kenna Cartwright Park were of a bright, sunny day. The planes attempting to land in Kamloops that day must have been flying in clear skies, only to be stymied by the fog below. But modern planes are high-tech wonders, aren’t they? Shouldn’t that be able to land and take off despite the fog? An article at the BBC website explains everything.
Go to: Why fog causes airport chaos
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Friday, January 21, 2011
Another animal to watch out for
We’ve already handed out advice on how to survive a moose attack. Now it looks like we’ll have to turn our attention to pit bulls. Let’s hope there aren’t any other fierce animals waiting to prey on Kamloops citizens. The best article I could find was from Wired magazine, a big favourite of geeks who like their science with a bit of attitude. Unfortunately, the article only deals with an attack on a person. Of course, it would be a different scenario if you have dog of your own with you — as was the case in the incident near Pioneer Park. Even so, the article is practical and easy to follow.
Go to: How to survive a pit bull attack
Update: Here’s another dog attack story from Terrace. These animals will be put down.
Go to: Four-year-old attacked by bull mastiffs in Terrace
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Saturday, January 15, 2011
Meanderthals at home and abroad
We all know it’s against the law to talk or text on a cellphone while you’re driving, right? But it still happens, and with bizarre circumstances. Two of our reporters witnessed a driver turn onto Seymour Street while yacking on a phone. The problem is that he was going the wrong way on a one-way street. Instead of pulling over, he swerved his way through oncoming traffic before heading back toward Victoria Street. Amazing. Meanwhile, there’s a video on YouTube showing another good example of a meanderthal.
Go to: Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
John Bandura's fate
Now that John Bandura has been found not criminally responsible for his attack on Bishop David Monroe, what will be his fate? Contrary to what some uninformed cynics say, he will not simply be set free to wreak havoc on the community. I predict he will eventually be released under stringent conditions — but only if authorities feel that his family is up to it. A similar tragedy took place in Quebec a few years ago when a man attacked a nun who was trying to help him at a halfway house. After much agonizing, he was released under what have been termed the strictest of conditions.
Go to: Nun killer Martin Rondeau released
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Sunday, January 2, 2011
All about the freemen
Former mayoral candidate Brian Alexander is giving the court a hard time with his speeding charge, claiming the justice system has no jurisdiction over him because he is a Freeman on the Land. At first glance the idea seems kooky, but this movement claims thousands of members in Canada, and Alexander could use its tactics to tie the court up in knots over this charge. The National Post published an excellent article about the freemen back in October.
Go to: Who are Canada’s ‘freemen’?
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Saturday, December 18, 2010
Not a disease after all?
The Daily News ran an editorial on Friday that touches on the subject of addiction. Coincidentally, the Globe and Mail ran a lengthy piece that argues against the prevailing modern idea that addiction is a disease. At the end is a list of suggested reading.
Go to: Addiction fatigue syndrome
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