Topics

 

[a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080815.wpenguins0815/BNStory/Front/home"]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080815.wpenguins0815/BNStory/Front/home[/a]

Nils Olav already has medals for good conduct and long service. He made honorary colonel-in-chief of the elite Norwegian King's Guard in 2005. And on Friday he was knighted.   Not bad for a one-metre-tall penguin – actually, three of them.[/p]  A resident of Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, the original Nils Olav was made an honorary member of the King's Guard in 1972 after being picked out as the guard's mascot by Lieutenant Nils Egelien. The guards adopted him because they often toured the zoo during their visits to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual military music festival, zoo spokeswoman Maxine Finlay said.[/p]  The king penguin was named after Lt. Egelien and Norway's then-King Olav V. When that penguin died – Ms. Finlay said no one at the zoo knew exactly when – he was replaced by a second penguin, which inherited his name and rank.[/p]


   

No longer is it Alberta and B.C.

[a href="http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/06082008/3/finance-business-man-sask-lead-canada-growth.html"]http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/06082008/3/finance-business-man-sask-lead-canada-growth.html[/a]

Saskatchewan's growth- 4.6%
Manitoba's growth- 3.6%
Alberta's growth- 2.6%
B.C's growth 2.2%
Quebec's growth 1.2%
Ontario's growth 0.8%
Nova Scotia - 2%
PEI- 2%
NB-2%
Newfoundland- 0.2% (9.0% growth last year)

-------------------------------

I swear, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the economic boom would reach Manitoba. lol

 

Through the 20th Century


1912, Cambie Bridge, False Creek



1938



1947



1953- From UBC in the air. Look at all the trees east of downtown



1956- West End and Downtown


1958- Looking down Georgia Street.



1964 West End


1970


1976- Georgia Street


1981- False Creek










 

Reminds me of Atlanta '96, they shipped out all the homeless people for the games to outlining areas.


 B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell vowed Tuesday that the world will see a different Downtown Eastside when it arrives for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  "I believe we will see significant improvements," Mr. Campbell said of the notorious urban blight in the centre of the city, riddled with drug addicts, the homeless, the mentally ill, grim rooming houses and boarded-up storefronts.[/p]  "I think we are already seeing some improvements. I think we will see more. ... [And] I think people who come from outside Vancouver will see communities striving to be even better."[/p]
[/p]Sounds like his plan is the same as Atlanta's.
[/p][a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080812.wolymvanc0812/BNStory/National/home"]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080812.wolymvanc0812/BNStory/National/home[/a]

 

Looks like a beautiful day to go walking in the park!
 

 [a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=399a8e4c-51eb-4ba9-8acc-77f8bf1402f5"]http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=399a8e4c-51eb-4ba9-8acc-77f8bf1402f5[/a]

 When U.S. President George W. Bush visited Canada in 2004, members of his delegation were provided with a "protocol guide" to help them understand the language and customs of the foreigners.Among the advice: how to decipher what Canadians mean when they put "eh?" at the end of a sentence.[/p]"Eh," the guide helpfully explained, is pronounced "ay."[/p]
"Used mostly in rural areas," it states, the word roughly translates as "You know?" or "Isn't it?"[/p]The guide, prepared by the U.S. Office of the Chief of Protocol, also notes that "Canadians, for the most part, place importance on education, skill, modesty and politeness."[/p]In a section on "social customs and courtesies," designed to prevent members of the delegation from accidentally giving offence, the report advises that:[/p]. "On being introduced the customary greetings are: firm handshake, customary "Hello," or "Bonjour" in Quebec.[/p]. "During conversation remove sunglasses."[/p]. "While indoors remove hats."[/p]The document states that "most Canadian gestures are the same as those used in the United States" but adds there are some exceptions, including:[/p]. "To call someone to you, use the entire hand rather than the index finger."[/p]. "In Quebec, the thumbs down sign is considered offensive."[/p]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/p]God, he's such a hoser.  tabernac!
[/p]
[/p]  

[a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7541633.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7541633.stm[/a]

*yawns*
 

Just checked the tally, the die vote is ahead by 400 votes.

 

[a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25954096/"]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25954096/[/a]

That white stuff melting in front of the lander was the dead give away. So if there's life its like Total Recall! lol

mmmm Mutants. lol


 

no particular order
Sauble Beach, Ontario (Lake Huron)
Devonshire Beach Alberta (Lesser Slave Lake Provincial park)
Qualicum Beach, BC
Grand Beach,Manitoba (Grand Beach Provincial Park)
Melmerby Shore, Nova Scotia (Northumberland Shore)
Brackley Beach, PEI (Prince Edward Island National Park)

[a href="http://ca.travel.yahoo.com/guides/Other/404/canadas-best-beaches"]http://ca.travel.yahoo.com/guides/Other/404/canadas-best-beaches[/a]


cool. I've been to 1! yeah!



 

 The B.C. Ferry Commission has given BC Ferries the green light to implement another major fuel surcharge on Aug. 1.[/p]Fares on the three major routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island will rise by 10.3 per cent and fees on 18 minor routes will go up 17.6 per cent, while the fare on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route servicing the Sunshine Coast will jump 9.2 per cent.  Only the company's northern routes have been spared from higher fares.[/p]The next fuel surcharge was scheduled for October, but in June, BC Ferries said that rising fuel prices prompted the corporation to ask for a larger rate increase sooner.  At that time, BC Ferries president David Hahn said that it would be better to implement the price increase in the busy summer season, rather than the fall, so that visitors would help residents pay down the corporation's rising fuel bill.[/p]Spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said it's unfortunate that the high fuel prices have to be passed on to customers, but the company has seen its fuel costs rise from $45 million five years ago to $140 million this fiscal year.The B.C. Ferry Commission, an independent government body, sets fare prices and surcharges for BC Ferries, which is a private corporation owned by the B.C. government and funded by a government contract.
-------------------------------
[a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080723/canada/vancouver_bc_ferries_fare_increase_august"]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080723/canada/vancouver_bc_ferries_fare_increase_august[/a]
Freaking Hilarious. "it's unfortunate that the high fuel prices have to be passed on to customers". Ms. BC Ferries forgets to inform the BC Ferry user that over 80% of BC Ferries costs are paid for by the customer, which is pretty lopsided.
[/p]  

 FYI to people who don't know about him:
Serbian National
war criminal
"The UN says Mr Karadzic's forces killed at least 7,500 Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica in July 1995 as part of a campaign to "terrorise and demoralise the Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat population"."

[a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7518543.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7518543.stm[/a]
   

next on the list to get: Ratko Mladic

[span style="text-decoration: underline;"][a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKN1447675120080714"]http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKN1447675120080714[/a]

[/span]Good to know, that we Americans live in 'freedom'. [span style="text-decoration: underline;"]
[/span]Shouldn't be too long before Canada's reaches 100,000 or so, and for what? Nothing. [span style="text-decoration: underline;"]


[/span]

   

 Bummer, what's going to happen to the wildlife conservation centre I wonder? (St. Louis)



Interesting times ahead. Shamu to the Waaaazz up guys are in limbo.  lol


I know around 10 people who work in some capacity from management to floor workers who will be affected by this "merger".

[a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7504643.stm"]   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7504643.stm[/a]

 Unbelievable.

[a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080712/koddities/oddity_gas_naming_rights"]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080712/koddities/oddity_gas_naming_rights[/a]

Someday, when a boy named Dixon and Willoughby Partin asks how he got his 24-letter name, he'll learn it came with a hundred bucks worth of gasoline.   David Partin of Orlando offered the right to name his unborn son to a local radio station that offered $100 worth of free gas to the listener with the most interesting item to trade. [/p]
   

 This better pass, for the good of the country and North America.

[a href="http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/"]http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/[/a]

This has the potential to be the equivalent of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956.
If it doesn't pass, there's no hope for modernization of our transportation system.

This is awesome. Finally I can do a Stl-Chicago-Vancouver flight on Southwest although I wish Southwest was in Denver (Although Frontier looks to be in trouble, so who knows). The Van-Denver-Stl flights are such a breeze do to Denver being in the geographical centre of Van-Stl. 2hrs, 2hrs. Anyway this is good for Canadians wanting cheap flights. Southwest is the strongest airline down here and they don't have silly must pay for this rules that the legacy carriers have now.
-----------------------------------------------
WestJet Airlines Ltd. has reached an agreement with U.S.-based Southwest Airlines that will allow the two low-cost carriers to sell seats on each others' flights, significantly expanding North American market access for both carriers and offering "seamless service" to customers.  WestJet shares took flight on the news, and were up almost 11 per cent, to $14.08, in early afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange Tuesday.[/p]  "It's a great marriage," WestJet chief executive officer Sean Durfy said in an interview.[/p]  The corporate cultures and business models are similar, Mr. Durfy said. And Southwest's reach is enormous.[/p]"They have 3,400 flights a day to locations in the U.S. ...they're massive."  The memorandum of understanding between the two airlines, announced Tuesday, was "the first step that will see both airlines, by late 2009, have the ability to commence codeshare flights across both networks," Calgary-based WestJet said in a news release.[/p]  Mr. Durfy said the agreement, which must still be finalized by the two airlines and approved by regulators, stands as "a defining moment" for WestJet, which was founded in 1996 as a regional airline in Western Canada.[/p]  "When you examine our network in Canada and Southwest's network in the United States, and the potential to significantly improve both organizations' market access, this is indeed a great day," Mr. Durfy said.[/p]   For Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the U.S., the agreement with WestJet marks its first international codeshare agreement.[/p]  Gary Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines, said he is "confident we have found a perfect fit with WestJet, and we are excited to work toward opening our expansive U.S. network to include Canadian destinations."[/p]  The airlines said they will introduce a distribution plan in 2008, with the codeshare agreement – which would allow each airline to sell seats on the other's flights – to be in place by late 2009, subject to regulatory approval.[/p][a href="http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080708.wwestjet0708/BNStory/Business/home"]http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080708.wwestjet0708/BNStory/Business/home[/a]

[Scientists say they have found more evidence that men as well as women have biological clocks and that they start to tick in their mid-30s.]

[a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7492323.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7492323.stm[/a]

[p class="first"] Scientists say they have found more evidence that men as well as women have biological clocks and that they start to tick in their mid-30s. [/p] A French study of over 12,200 couples having fertility treatment suggests the chance of a successful pregnancy falls when the man is aged over 35. [/p] It adds that the chance is significantly lower if he is over 40. [/p] Previous studies have shown that both natural and assisted conception is more difficult if the man is over 40. [!-- E SF --] [/p]The researchers told a European reproductive health conference that it was likely the problems were caused by DNA damage in sperm.
[/p]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/p]Interesting. Still I don't expect to see males going around dating women saying "my biological clock is ticking". hehe
[/p]
 

The Sun did an article about Vancouver eye sores since the city is tearing down the pier at Jericho.

The readers replied they wanted Gone!:
'How about the downtown toilet bowl, the once Eaton's, now Sears building?'
- totally agree with this one

-'I say we demolish the Shangri-La complex. It appears like a gargantuan middle digit sticking out of the centre the city.'

 Terry Fox arch at BC Place
BC Place itself
the Dal Grauer substation if BC Hydro can't pony up the cash to restore it
Identi-Kit glass towers on the north shore of False Creek
the painted bears and orcas (and this year, eagles) that infest downtown
The entire city of Surrey (minus SFU)
the dollar stores on Fraser Street
any building that has a name ending in "Pointe"
whatever's left of the Plaza of Nations, including the casino
those two car sculptures outside the art gallery
every empty building between Cambie and Gore on Hastings
lowrise pants and shirtless men downtown
Vancouver specials
overgrown front yards and chain-link fences
that empty parking lot and cesspool under the Georgia viaduct
the weeds choking Beaver Lake in Stanley Park
gigantic white yachts with satellite domes and helicopter pads
flip-flops

[a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ab740acf-a9bb-41ad-ac9f-ed0253e96229"]http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ab740acf-a9bb-41ad-ac9f-ed0253e96229[/a]

 

[a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-supersonics-seattletrial&prov=ap&type=lgns"]http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-supersonics-seattletrial&prov=ap&type=lgns[/a]


They've moved to Oklahoma City. Outside of Portland (which has its own arena problems and they've always threatened to leave).

Pacific Northwest has gone from 3 NBA teams at the turn of the century to now 1. lol sad.


 

     This is legit. Holy cow what a character:

This guy apparently left a bunch of messages on this woman's machine he met in Toronto. The woman accidentally gave out her business card.

Message 1:

[blockquote]Hey Olga, it's Dimitri. [/p] Sorry I had to leave such a rushed message with you when we met the other day. I just wanted to quickly give you my phone number, and needed to get the heck out of the area. In any event, I thought I had better leave you a more detailed message and explain why I approached you. I am single. I have no trouble meeting women; I mean, women approach me six or seven times a day. But I'm extremely particular about what I like. You're an extremely elegant woman. I couldn't take my eyes off you, and your friends were very jealous, even if they say they weren't they were envious of the fact that I approached you, and I was very taken by you. Elegant women are very rare. I'm Greek and I'm extremely particular about what I like. So I'm giving you an opportunity here. I don't know if you picked up the message on the weekend but I'm working on a movie script so I'll be doing that all weekend...[/p] This looks like land line, and if it is, you may not get the message till Monday. But when you do, call me and we'll get together for coffee or drinks, and let the romance begin. You looked very taken aback by my approach, and I hope that wasn't timidness, I hope it was just shock at being approached so directly. Because I don't really date timid women, because I'm a very direct, very passionate, very assertive man, and I want a woman who is very independent and strong. So... we'll talk about that, but I just wanted to formally introduce myself. I leave the ball in your court. You call me as soon as you have the courage to. Okay, Olga? Talk to you soon, bye.[/p]
[/p]Message 2:
[/p][blockquote]Hi there, Olga it's Dimitri calling again, the guy from the street.
 I left you a message several days ago you said you were interested. now here's the way I work. I don't like leaving second messages but I like you, you're a very elegant woman, you're very attractive, but, you know, I don't play that game. I know your friends tell you not to return calls, you're playing games like you see in stupid TV shows. So here's how it's gonna work it is now 4:30 on Wednesday. Now I'll assume, I'll assume that you've already left work, because, you know, some people leave work early, so I'll grant you that. But if I don't receive a phone call back from you by 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon I'm no longer interested and I'm going to erase your number. I don't play games like that. I'm completely single, I'm very intelligent, I'm great in bed, I make great money. Believe it or not, I'm a complete catch. I've only been single four months; I had a long distance relationship for about a year, it's very tough to maintain it like that; there's nothing wrong with me. As a matter of fact I'm one of the [em]few[/em] men in the city that has nothing wrong with him. So I'm giving you the three o'clock deadline. If I don't hear from you by then, you lose my number — I'm erasing your number right now, so you won't be hearing back from me.[/p] So that's it: three o'clock tomorrow, or you can just completely forget it. [/p] Now I understand if you've got other issues, maybe you're not playing games, I don't know... maybe you were abused in childhood?...Maybe your mother has cancer, and you're going to chemo...maybe you're just a person who's extremely frightened or has an anxiety disorder, maybe you're on some medication for that...I don't know, there could be another issue that I'm not aware of. But [em]nobody[/em] says "Call me," hands a person a business card and then doesn't return calls. It's extremely passive aggressive. You should actually look that up, passive-aggressive personality disorder. You let me know, if you've got issues, psychological issues, if you're on [em]any[/em] sort of medication for anxiety or depression, I'm not interested. But if you're psychologically normal, and you haven't called me because there's been some horrible thing that's happened in your life that's prevented you from returning my calls, that's fine. But otherwise? Don't call me. Okay, bye.[/p]
[/p]Wow. Hysterical. hil-ari-ous [/p]He had me at Elegant
[/p][a href="http://www.dlisted.com/node/26825"]http://www.dlisted.com/node/26825[/a]

Of course there's the audio version of the actual guy:
Dmitri the Stud

[a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06pinaKl8o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06pinaKl8o[/a]
 [/blockquote][/blockquote]


       

[Lexie Green III, 48, Office Manager]

[a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_americans_on_court0s_gun_ruling/html/4.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_americans_on_court0s_gun_ruling/html/4.stm[/a]

[span class="captionHead"]Self-defence[/span]Lexie Green III, 48, Office Manager[/p]  "The criminals already have the guns, so law-abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves.  [/p]"As long as it's just black people killing black people with guns, the politicians won't try to find a solution.  [/p]"When white people start getting shot - that's when we'll see some action."[/p]---
[/p]Amen to that.
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]
 

['We just thought it was getting to be an eyesore.']

[a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/06/25/heritage-house.html"]http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/06/25/heritage-house.html[/a]

The catch though, they want you to move it.
A craftsman bungalow on Water Street in Summerside could be saved now that the owner has put it up for sale for $1.[/p] [blockquote class="pullq"]'We just thought it was getting to be an eyesore.'[em]— Ron MacDonald[/em][/blockquote] The John Lecky House was built in the 1920s, and with little renovation done since then retains much of its original character. It's owned by the people who run the car dealership D. Alex MacDonald.[/p]"It's just getting to be an eyesore, and it needs a lot of renovation. We've actually had no plans for the land; we just thought it was getting to be an eyesore for the city," D. Alex MacDonald manager Ron MacDonald told CBC News Tuesday. MacDonald said if someone is willing to move the house, they are welcome to it.[/p][/p]

UBC researchers believe new helmet could prevent spine injuries

A typical bike helmet can absorb a head-first impact, but when the cyclist’s head stops, the body keeps moving, and that can fracture the spine. Researchers claim the prototype helmet unveiled Tuesday can dissipate up to 56 per cent of the impact.

According to a UBC news release, a head-first impact in sports can load the neck with as much force as the weight of more than five people.  The UBC helmet has two shells: the outer shell takes the impact, and the inner shell rotates to dissipate the direct impact to the cervical spine. The cervical spine is the weakest part of the back, and the UBC team is hopeful protecting it will prevent most neck compressions and fractures.[/p]  Peter Clipton, a Mechanical Engineer on the research team at the UBC Injury Biomechanics Laboratory, said the technology could help prevent injury in a number of sports.[/p]  "Everything from equestrian to football, to hockey, to mountain biking, snowboarding, motorcycling, and so on, are areas where we think potentially this helmet can help," said Clipton.[/p][a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080624/canada/canada_bc_neck_protecting_helmet"]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080624/canada/canada_bc_neck_protecting_helmet[/a]

----

Wow, this is awesome. If this works, which I hope it does, this literally could change the world as we know it. Think about it. wow I'm speechless. This is awesome.

[/p]
 

  An Italian architect said he is poised to start construction on a new skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion," an 80-storey tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape. [/p]The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the city's futuristic skyline.    A few penthouse villas would spin on command using a voice-activated computer. The motion of the rest of the building would be choreographed in patterns that could be altered over time. [/p]Speaking at a news conference in New York on Tuesday, the building's designer, David Fisher, declared that his tower will revolutionize the way skyscrapers are made - a claim that might strike some as excessively bold.    Fisher acknowledges that he is not well known, has never built a skyscraper before and hasn't practised architecture regularly in decades. [/p]But he insisted his lack of experience wouldn't stop him from completing the project, which has attracted top design talent, including Leslie Robertson, the structural engineer for the World Trade Center and the Shanghai World Financial Centre.    "I did not design skyscrapers, but I feel ready to do so," Fisher said.
[/p]
[/p][img]http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/080624/capress/i12143576401101053040.jpg?x=258&y=345&sig=XpvUJ0coYK0b_b.6uOakUg--"][/p][a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080624/koddities/dubai_spinning_tower"]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080624/koddities/dubai_spinning_tower[/a]

20. Blueberries

19. Maple Syrup

18. Cilantro

17. Onions

16. Cooked Carrots

15. Raisins

14. Peas

13. Oysters

12. Pea Soup

11. Sour Cream

10. Gelatin

9. Tuna

8. Brussels Sprouts

7. Beets

6. Okra

5. Eggs

4. Mushrooms

3. Mayo

2. Lima Beans

1. Liver

  wtf.

*denounces citzenship*

  [A href="http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight/most-hated-foods?icid=100214839x1204718594x1200202969"]http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight/most-hated-foods?icid=100214839x1204718594x1200202969[/A]      

 .............

71

Just when he was about to be honoured the Mark Twain prize for humour.



[a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25322638/"]   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25322638/[/a]

 Congrats to all the Aussies. Job well done, it's hard work to pass us up.



[a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4171160.ece"]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4171160.ece[/a]


 But in one field Australians are, unexpectedly, leading the way as the heavyweight champions of the world — with arguably a greater proportion of obese citizens than even the notoriously supersized Americans. [/p] A study released yesterday shows that Australia's obesity epidemic has been considerably underestimated, with almost 60 per cent of the adult population overweight. [/p] Described as the most thorough study of the problem in Australia for a decade, it also shows that 26 per cent of adults, or four million people, are obese. Researchers say that the once mid-ranking nation, in terms of obesity, now weighs in at the top
   

[A disgusting spree of brutal killings continues to haunt Dortmund. Over 40 pet rabbits have been killed, with many bled dry and decapitated. So far, police are clueless.]

 

A disgusting spree of brutal killings continues to haunt Dortmund. Over 40 pet rabbits have been killed, with many bled dry and decapitated. So far, police are clueless.

Fussel was just three years old when he met his horrifying fate. The pet rabbit was jerked out of his cage in the western German Ruhr Valley along with his sister Marianne. Both were decapitated and bled dry. Their lifeless bodies were left behind for their distraught owners to discover the next morning. That was last Christmas. Since then, such cases have become almost a weekly occurrence in the city of Dortmund and its surroundings. Police have recorded 22 cases, almost all involving rabbits and most of them following the same, brutal pattern. Over 40 animals have died in the crime spree. [/p] The most recent bunny murder was committed in the city late on Sunday night: One rabbit disappeared completely, while a second was left behind -- without its head.[/p] Police in the area are at a loss. "We have a number of officers working on the case," Oliver Peiler, spokesman for the Dortmund police department, told SPIEGEL ONLINE Tuesday. "We really have no idea who could be doing this. We are investigating intensively, but so far we are in the dark."[/p] According to police just outside the Dortmund city limits in the municipality of Witten, the serial killings began late last summer. At first it was just a few isolated cases, but this spring, the pace of the murders has picked up. Just in the last month, there have been at least four additional slayings. Given the similarity of the crimes, police assume they are being committed either by a single perpetrator or a small, well-organized group.[/p] Indeed, the killings have become such a problem that the Witten police has even set up a special task force to investigate. Since April, five officers have been working on the case full time. To date, they have interviewed over 300 people in the search for clues and possible witnesses. So far, they have found nothing. [/p]
[/p][a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,558859,00.html"]http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,558859,00.html[/a]
[/p]--------------------------------[/p]
[/p]Poor Bunnies.
[/p]
   

[The High Court in South Africa has ruled that Chinese South Africans are to be reclassified as black people.]

[p class="first"] The High Court in South Africa has ruled that Chinese South Africans are to be reclassified as black people. [/p] It made the order so that ethnic Chinese can benefit from government policies aimed at ending white domination in the private sector. [/p] The Chinese Association of South Africa took the government to court, saying its members had been discriminated against. [/p] An estimated 200,000 ethnic Chinese live in South Africa. [!-- E SF --] [/p]The laws give people classed as blacks, Indians and coloureds (mixed-race) employment and other economic benefits over other racial groups.  The Black Economic Employment concept was initiated by the governing ANC to help previously disadvantaged individuals - to start their own businesses or become part of existing companies - thus redressing the country's historic inequalities. [/p] Whites still on top [/p]A study released last month revealed that white South Africans still earn around 450% more than their black counterparts, 14 years after the end of apartheid.[!-- E BO --] [/p]
[/p][/p]A Black African Chinese person
[/p][a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7461099.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7461099.stm[/a]
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]