The Bulldog

Canadian brother and sister “held for causing quake”

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Naked climbers and (inset) Lindsey Petersen and sister Danielle

Two Canadians, Lindsey Petersen and his sister Danielle,  are being held in Malaysia after a recent deadly earthquake as local officials blame a group of tourists for the natural disaster. A number of foreigners, the siblings included, apparently climbed Mount Kinabalu last week and some posed naked for a photo at its peak.  Petersen’s Facebook page says the Glentworth Saskatchewan man has been traveling for several months in southeast Asia. Prior to leaving on his travels, his LinkedIn profile shows he worked as a farm hand and earned a  Bachelor of Science in electronic systems engineering from the University of Regina. He has met up with his sister Danielle in a couple of countries during their travels. Authorities in Malaysia said the two may be charged this week.

Streaming Apple Music aimed at Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody

Apple has debuted its own streaming music service called simply Apple Music. It joins the ranks of Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody and others, fighting for music dominance and your dollars. With the same $9.99 a month price as Spotify, the big name on the block is going to try to take back all that business it lost when downloading went west. The service debuts in weeks in places yet to be named. TechCrunch

Why didn’t battery re-charge? Such are the woes of TTC

Monday’s collapse of the TTC communications system Monday has left people like Andy Byford frustrated and no doubt a bit ashamed. As explained by the TTC in a written statement both the primary communication system and the backup system went down. Vehicles and trains were isolated.  “The loss of radio communications between subway trains and the TTC’s transit control centre was the safety critical issue that caused the suspension of service, as trains cannot go through tunnels without being able to communicate with the control centre,” the TTC explained.. “At the same time, diagnosis and recovery, as well the ability to communicate with customers, was severely impeded by the loss of other communications systems, including e-mail, Internet and the TTC’s phone system.” This was related to a power outage Sunday night which caused the communication headquarters at the Hillcrest yards to go automatically to uninterrupted power service (UPS). Then, the critical malfunction.  “A failure within the UPS caused its battery system to drain, preventing power from getting to critical communications systems.” And in the end, an unknown reason for the failure of the battery to re-charge. They don’t know why. In the wake of all this 125,000 wet commuters and demands for the spending of more money. Such are the woes of the TTC. Toronto Sun 

Thorncliffe PS team excels at Running and Reading

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A team of 17 students from Thorncliffe Public School has place fifth among 24 teams competing in the finals of the Running and Reading Club competition at Guelph University. The Running and Reading Club is a 32-week after school program that effectively addresses the need for enhanced literacy and physical activity among economically challenged children in the communities it services. The club is for elementary school children up to Grade Six and includes Junior and Senior Coaches who give time to the program weekly for the 32-week period. The clubs operate directly within local inner city schools and is run for two hours per week from October to June. The program takes children on an adventure that improves their physical, mental, emotional and social health, fostering discipline, goal-setting and literacy. Each week, children build their strength and endurance through running and fitness activities, receive individualized assistance in both reading and writing, and are given a balanced, energy-filled snack. The program culminates in the Start2Finish 5 Km Running and Reading Challenge and an awards ceremony recognizing each child’s achievement at the end of the school year. This year 17 students from Thorncliffe Park Public School along with nine coaches, including PC Stather of 53 Division made it through the program and attended the Challenge hosted at Guelph University. All of the children completed the 5k run and placed 5th among the 14 schools that attended. They also placed fourth overall in the Reading and “Jeopardy” portion of the Challenge. With parts from 53 Division TPS.

G-7 agrees to an end to carbon fuels 85 years from now

One thing is certain, there will be none of the G-7 leaders around to celebrate or take blame when the target date of their new world of no carbon fuels arrives in 2100. It seems a daunting task when one ponders how the manufacture of the mechanisms of a green world (electric cars, turbines, solar panels) are to be made without the use of carbon fuels. Globe and Mail 

German cops using (Oh dear) kettling on G-7 demonstrators

The leaders of the G-7 are comfortable in a quaint Bavarian Alps castle-hotel today while demonstrators chanting “revolution” are bottled up by German police wherever the cops find them. CNN’s Karl Penhaul shows some of the unhappy campers surrounded (kettled?) by the cops. As usual, it is all about the demonstrators. The media doesn’t even make an attempt any more to say why the protesters are there. Perhaps it’s for a day or two in the country. Much nicer setting to keep people kettled however than Adelaide Street.

Uber fares through roof as usual in midst of TTC despair

Service is has now resumed after a 90-minute stoppage because it was not safe to operate. Commuters were left in the rain as the TTC was caught flatfooted.  Thousands of riders were stranded by the “major communication issue.” Chief general manager Andy Byford said the entire subway network lost radio communication at around 6:30 a.m. ET, and the backup system didn’t kick in. Shuttle buses didn’t run during the service suspension, because it wasn’t possible to replace the entire subway’s capacity with buses, Ross said. During the peak of the service outage, Toronto taxi companies sent cars to transit stations throughout the city, however many commuters told CBC News that they were still unable to find an empty car. Similarly, the ride-sharing service Uber was charging fares several times the average of a normal morning.  Globe and Mail   John Tory on Twitter

Mother and wife, 76, just too dangerous to visit her family

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It’s a bitter way to end a life. A 76-year-old woman is denied a chance to visit with her husband and son because authorities have concluded she is just too dangerous. That’s the verdict of Corrections Canada on Jean Ann James.  Now in the Fraser Valley Institution, she was convicted in 2011 of the gory torture slaying of her husband’s suspected lover, Gladys Wakabayashi. Wakabayashi was the daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire. Her bloody body was found with slashes on her legs and her throat sliced open. The convicted Ms. James says she desperately wants to be able to enjoy private family visits with her husband and adult son. Curiously, the two men are said to believe James is innocent of the crime, a fact that the authorities say they have noted. The evidence at trial included a recorded confession. The prison alleges that the woman has tried to poison one inmate and take out a contract on another.  The elderly convict denies all the allegations against her and has asked the Federal Court for a review of the refusal to allow her private time with her mate of 40 years. James will be 94 when she is eligible for parole.