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Suspect arrested in Los Angeles arson rampage case

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:37:09 GMT

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

California

Sources [edit]

Adrian Morrow. "Los Angeles arson suspect may have Canadian connection" — Globe and Mail, January 3, 2012
Richard Winton, Ari Bloomekatz, Joe Mozingo (Los Angeles Times). "L.A. arson suspect Harry Burkhart arrested" — San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2012
Richard Winton, Ari Bloomekatz and Joe Mozingo. "Federal officials' tip leads to arson suspect" — Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2012
Richard Winton. "Reserve deputy who arrested arson suspect 'a true hero'" — Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2012
LAFD Media and Public Relations, Eric Scott. "Noon Update Regarding LA Arson Fires" — LAFD, January 2, 2012
Dennis Romero. "Harry Burkhart, L.A. Arson Fires Suspect From Germany, Says 'I Hate America'" — LA Weekly, January 2, 2012
Andrew Blankstein, Ari Bloomekatz, Soo Oh, Ruben Vives, Ben Welsh. "Southland arsons" — Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2012

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Beleaguered British Columbia Premier resigns

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:10:06 GMT

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Canada

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File photo of Campbell, Premier of British Columbia.
Image: Mary McNeil.

British Columbia's Premier Gordon Campbell unexpectedly announced his resignation today, calling for a party leadership convention as soon as possible. He will remain until the Liberal Party caucus members select a new leader.

The Liberal Party premier gave his resignation during an unscheduled, hastily arranged press conference in Vancouver just one day ahead of a caucus meeting characterised as an emergency meeting at the city's airport. A full party convention, planned for later this month, is to be held in Penticton.

The Liberal government has been under increasing pressure since its 2009 re-election. A particularly contentious point is the introduction of a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) only weeks after their election victory with a campaign commitment never to implement HST.

Other scandals have dogged the party over the past year; allegations of corruption in the sale of BC Rail – itself another broken campaign promise. This was further aggravated by recent guilty pleas and convictions of David Basi and Robert Virk, and the announcement the government would pay the six million CAD (3.7 million GBP, 4.2 million EUR) defense bills of the disgraced government aides as part of their plea-agreement to lesser charges.

It was admitted post-trial the total bill for the case was CA$ 18 million (£11 million, €12.7 million), excluding the undisclosed Canadian police investigation costs.

As yet, no other Liberal party members have announced plans to stand for the Premiership.

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Sources [edit]

Vancouver Sun. "BREAKING: Premier to step down, says it's time for a new person to lead B.C." — Vancouver Sun, November 3, 2010
Agence France-Presse. "BREAKING: British Columbia premier suddenly quits" — Agence France-Presse, November 3, 2010
"B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell steps down" — CBC.ca, November 3, 2010
Johnathan Fowlie, Lori Culbert. "Premier Gordon Campbell resigns" — Vancouver Sun, November 3, 2010
"BC Rail trial cost more than $18M" — CBC.ca, October 22, 2010

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NuCaptcha introduces a video captcha service, ads included

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:22:36 GMT

Science and technology

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More information on Science and technology:

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

A static CAPTCHA

A British Columbia company NuCaptcha launched a video-based animated CAPTCHA service to test whether users are humans or robots. As the company says, it is easier to recognise for humans and more difficult to decipher. Many companies supply the users of the service with video and text of advertising content, since the image is what the users have to view to proceed with the service they're using.

According to NuCaptcha, the moving image doesn't need to be as clear as static images. With a random video background and big-sized moving text, the blurred text turned out to be easier to be recognized by the brain. The researchers say same text isn't that easily recongised when it's static. Therefore, the image is more complicated to process or abuse, while still being easily readable, NuCaptcha says.

The image, as most modern videos, has a significantly bigger size than previously used static images. If often opens in a popup window. The bigger size improves accessibility. As news reporters say, the CAPTCHAs are now easy to use even for older people with vision impairments.

The website administrators have to get a database of videos and text material for use with the new technology. In reaction to this demand, a number of companies supply the webmasters with advertising videos for use as the text background.

The Captchas need full attention of the user to solve. The ads are also not blocked incidentally by security tools like NoScript. The service is seen as a niche for successful advertising, and is favored by advertisement providers along with the webmasters.

Electronic Arts, Activision and Disney are among the current list of companies which give out the videos and text for NuCaptcha.

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Sources [edit]

"Coming soon: Captcha adverts you just can't ignore" — Oneindia.in, October 31, 2010
Press Release: "Industry's Most Secure CAPTCHA Platform Ensures Publishers can Drive New Revenues in a Safe Environment" — PR Newswire, October 25, 2010
Lucian Parfeni. "NuCaptcha Introduces Video Captcha Ads" — Softpedia, October 25, 2010

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Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers face potential charges in Dziekanski tasering death

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:46:32 GMT

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Crime and law

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After reviewing the Braidwood Inquiry report into the death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport on October 14, 2007, Special Prosecutor Richard C.C. Peck, Q.C. announced he will revisit the British Columbia Attorney General's decision not to charge the four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers involved.

Mr. Peck cited "factual material that was not available to the Branch at the time [of the initial ... decision]" as the motivation for reviewing the evidence heard at and recommendations of the Braidwood Inquiry into the tasering of Mr. Dziekanski with a view to pressing and prosecuting criminal charges against four RCMP officials involved in the incident.

According to a media release from the British Columbia Ministry of the Attorney General Criminal Justice Branch, Mr. Peck "will examine any other conduct of the four officers in relation to this matter, and in particular their statements to investigators and their testimony at the Braidwood Inquiry [to determine] whether their conduct was at any time contrary to any provisions of the Criminal Code or applicable provincial legislation."

The Polish Embassy in Ottawa welcomed the publication of the Braidwood Inquiry report in a statement on their web site that commended "the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for leading this public inquiry that showed new evidence and discovered serious errors in the conduct of four RCMP officers that had dealt with Mr. Robert Dziekański at Vancouver International Airport.

"We strongly believe that the findings of the Braidwood Commission should have a follow-up. We therefore expect that the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch will reassess its decision from 12 December 2008 and reopen the criminal investigation or [a] Special Prosecutor will be appointed by the Attorney General."

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Sources [edit]

Criminal Justice Branch HQ. "Special Prosecutor Concludes his Review of the Braidwood Report" — British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General, June 29, 2010
H.E. Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, Ambassador. "Statement of the Embassy of Poland on the final report of the Braidwood Inquiry" — Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ottawa, June 29, 2010

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Braidwood Inquiry finds Dziekanski tasering in British Columbia unjustified

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:53:45 GMT

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Crime and law

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Five deployments of the taser and the physical struggle with the four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers contributed substantially to the death of Robert Dziekanski is the chief finding of the inquiry led by retired British Columbia Appeal Court Justice Thomas R. Braidwood.

Speaking at a June 18 media conference following the release of the report on the second phase of the inquiry into the events at Vancouver International Airport on October 14, 2007 Mr. Braidwood concluded "that the constable was not justified in deploying the weapon, and that neither that constable nor the corporal honestly perceived that Mr. Dziekanski was intending to attack any of the officers. I also concluded that the two other constables, during their testimony before me, offered patently unbelievable after-the-fact rationalizations of their police notes and their statements to the [RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team] investigators.”

RCMP Commissioner William J.S. Elliott responded to Mr.Braidwood's report in a press release saying "The RCMP acknowledges that its handling of this incident failed at many levels and we agree that events that took place at the Vancouver International Airport on October 14, 2007, should have unfolded differently. It is clear that our policies and training in place at the time were deficient. We acknowledge that the actions of our members who dealt with Mr. Dziekanski also fell short, including the fact that our officers did not take enough time to try to de-escalate the situation and did not provide an appropriate level of care to Mr. Dziekanski."

	This tragic case is, at its heart, the story of shameful conduct by a few officers. It ought not to reflect unfairly on the many thousands of RCMP and other police officers who have, through years of public service, protected our communities and earned a well-deserved reputation in doing so.
—The Honourable Thomas Braidwood, QC

The mandate of the Braidwood commissions of inquiry, launched by the government of British Columbia (BC) in February 2008, included reporting on and making recommendations about the appropriate use of conducted energy weapons. Sworn evidence was received from 91 witnesses over 61 days. The second phase was "to provide the Dziekanski family and the public with a complete record of the circumstances of Mr. Robert Dziekanski’s death and to make recommendations the Commissioner considers necessary and appropriate" as per the commission's web site.

The government of BC has already moved to "severely [restrict] the use of Tasers by all police, sheriff’s and corrections officers, and developing standardized police training for Taser use, crisis intervention, and responding to emotionally disturbed people" according to a June 18, 2010 press release. The province also plans to create "a new civilian-led unit to investigate all independent municipal police- and RCMP-related deaths and serious incidents" within the next 12 months.

Mr. Braidwood criticised the Canada Border Services Agency whose changes in response to the incident were "minor and few" but had high praise for Vancouver International Airport's "exceptional steps in the aftermath of Mr. Dziekanski’s death to identify inadequacies in its policies, practices, and procedures, and to remedy them."

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Chris Freimond. "USE OF TASER ON ROBERT DZIEKANSKI NOT JUSTIFIED, SAYS COMMISSIONER THOMAS BRAIDWOOD" — Braidwood Commissions of Inquiry, June 18, 2010
RCMP Newsroom. "Commissioner’s Statement to Media on the Release of the Braidwood Commission’s Second Report" — Royal Canadian Mounted Police, June 8, 2010
Public Affairs Bureau. "B.C. ACTS ON BRAIDWOOD REPORT INTO DZIEKANSKI DEATH" — British Columbia Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, June 18 2010

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Avalanche in Canadian Rocky Mountains kills two

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:14:16 GMT

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Canada

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Two people in the Canadian Rocky Mountains were killed yesterday in an avalanche that struck an informal meeting of 200 snowmobilers. 30 others were hurt, and nineteen people were treated and released at a hospital.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke, British Columbia on Saturday at 15.30 local time; officials believe several more people may be trapped beneath the rubble.

"The Canadian Avalanche Centre [CAC] based in Revelstoke has had a warning for the last three weeks expressing extreme caution in the backcountry," commented Revelstoke mayor David Raven, who noted that the gathering had not been authorised. "A fresh snowfall overnight exacerbated that warning. I know people have been cautioned again and again," he said to CTV Newsnet. The CAC reports that there were ten avalanches in the vicinity since Friday.

Local police conducted a room-to-room search of a nearby hotel to establish whether anybody with the group was missing. Meanwhile, rescue teams dispatched helicopters to the mountain to see if it was safe to launch a more thorough ground search.

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Sources [edit]

"Deadly avalanche hits Canada snowmobile mountain rally" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2010
"At least 2 snowmobilers dead in Canadian avalanche" — Associated Press, March 14, 2010

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Suspect in model Jasmine Fiore's murder found dead

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:20:06 GMT

Monday, August 24, 2009

Location of Hope

Crime and law

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Fugitive Ryan Jenkins was found dead in a motel room in Hope, Canada, about 150 kilometers from Vancouver. Police are still trying to determine how long he was at the Thunderbird Motel before he hanged himself.

The RCMP are now looking for an unidentified woman who helped Jenkins check himself into the motel last Thursday. She is described as an attractive blonde in her early 20's and driving a tinted Chrysler PT Cruiser with Alberta plates.

Ryan Jenkins was wanted for the brutal murdering of his ex-wife, swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore. Her badly mutilated body was discovered in a dumpster southeast of Los Angeles on August 15th. Her teeth and fingers were removed, making identification difficult. She was identified through serial numbers on her breast implants.

Jenkins's boat was found on Wednesday, south of Vancouver, not far from the US-Canada border. Police believe he drove from California to Blaine, Washington and then took a boat to Point Roberts, Washington where he crossed the border on foot into Tsawwassen, Canada. The RCMP confirmed early Sunday that Jenkins was somewhere in Canada and he should turn himself in. He was considered armed and dangerous.

Ryan Jenkins is from Calgary and moved to Los Angeles after appearing in a reality television show on the VH1 network, "Megan Wants a Millionaire".

There were a couple of false sightings during the manhunt. One man was stopped on a flight from Toronto to Vancouver for using an alias. Another man was taken off a Vancouver transit bus because he looked similar and was interested in the news story.

U.S. Marshals were offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

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Sources [edit]

Paul Vercammen. "Suspect in model's murder found dead in Canada" — CNN, August 24, 2009
"Jenkins's mystery woman identified by police" — CBC News, August 24, 2009
"Fugitive Jenkins found hanged in B.C. motel" — CBC News, August 23, 2009

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Two pilots dead in Richmond plane crash

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:51:06 GMT

Saturday, July 11, 2009

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A plane, carrying blood donations, crashed in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada on Thursday night. The plane, a twin engine PA-31 Piper Navajo departed from Victoria, when it nosedived into a parking lot during its final approach to Vancouver International Airport shortly after 10:00 p.m. PDT (UTC-7).

Witnesses report the plane flying unusually low prior to it crashing and bursting into flames by Bridgeport Road, behind a large Ikea store.

"The plane engine sounded real low, it came almost straight down," according to The Vancouver Sun who asked witness Darren Van Leeuwen. "The flames shot up 100 feet or more."

Both of the pilots on-board were killed, it not yet known if there were any other passengers. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Peter German stated that it was very lucky that nobody on the ground was killed.

The cause of the crash is under federal investigation.

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Sources [edit]

Larry Pynn and Kim Bolan. "Fatal plane crash prompts Richmond firm to temporarily suspend flights" — The Vancouver Sun, July 10, 2009
Ian Bailey. "Wake Turbulence Probed in B.C. plane crash" — The Globe and Mail, July 10, 2009
Kim Bolan, Scott Neufield and Liam Ford. "Plane was on fire before it hit the ground" — The Vancouver Sun, July 10, 2009

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University study finds U.S. defense contract information in 'electronic waste' in Africa

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:36:16 GMT

Friday, June 26, 2009

United States

Sources [edit]

"B.C. students buy sensitive U.S. defence data for $40 in Africa 'Donated' computers become toxic e-waste, documentary shows" — CBC News, June 23, 2009
"FRONTLINE/World Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground" — Public Broadcasting Service, June 23, 2009 (Video)
Richard J. Dalton Jr.. "UBC students uncover U.S. military secrets as part of research for PBS program" — The Vancouver Sun, June 22, 2009

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"Mrs. Hockey" Colleen Howe is laid to rest

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:52:36 GMT

Friday, March 13, 2009

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Hundreds of mourners paid their last respects in honour of Colleen Howe yesterday at St. Hugo of the Hills Church in Michigan, United States.

According to a statement released by the Detroit Red Wings, Howe, who was a business entrepreneur and sports agent with the nickname "Mrs. Hockey", died on Friday of Pick's disease, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She was 76 years old.

Howe, who was born in Sandusky, Michigan in 1933, was most famous for establishing Power Play International and Power Play Publications to manage the hockey career of her husband Gordie Howe and her sons, Marty and Mark. She established the first Junior A hockey team to the United States and Michigan's first indoor ice hockey rink.

Howe is survived by husband Gordie Howe, sons Marty, Mark, Dr. Murray A., daughter Cathy Purnell née Howe, nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch and Red Wings coach Mike Babcock attended the funeral along with vice president Steve Yzerman, Red Wings players Kris Draper Brian Rafalskim, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg. Amid the Red Wings contingent was also captain Nicklas Lidstrom.

Retired hockey players also paid their respects, in attendance were Bill Gadsby, Johnny Wilson, Frank Mahovlich, Alex Delvecchio, and Brian Watson.

Howe's motto was "Why not?" said her son, during the services.

Gordie Howe at Gordie Howe Night at the Pacific Coliseum in March 2008.
Image: Sean Hagen.

Howe was diagnosed in 2002 with Pick's disease, an incurable neurological disease that causes dementia. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland held a moment of silence before the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game last Saturday. When a picture of Howe and Gordie lit up the scoreboard, fans responded with a standing ovation at the Friday, March 6 Vancouver Giants’ game against the Calgary Hitmen in the Pacific Coliseum.

Howe was one of the founders of the Detroit Junior Red Wings, the first Junior A hockey team in the United States. Howe served as general manager for three years with the Detroit Junior Red Wings. As an assertive and business savvy sports agent she formed Power Play International to manage Gordie, Marty and Mark's business interests. Howe trademarked Gordie Howe's name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey", and her own nickname, "Mrs. Hockey", as registered trademarks.

Howe was instrumental in the construction of the Gordie Howe Hockeyland arena, Michigan as well as the first Michigan indoor ice hockey rink. She was named Sportswoman of the Year in Detroit in 1972 followed by Michigan Sportswoman of the Year in 1973.

The Colleen J. Howe Arena, Sandusky, Michigan, was named in her honour. The Colleen & Gordie Howe Middle School, Abbotsford, British Columbia, British Columbia and the Howe Arena in Traverse City, Mich. are also named in their honour.

Howe established the 1993 Gordie Howe tribute tour in 65 cities and the Howe Foundation which supports charities. She was also the proud recipient of The Hartford Chamber of Commerce award for outstanding community achievement in 1979.

Howe and Gordie jointly received the Wayne Gretsky Award from the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Howe wrote the book My Three Hockey Players published in 1975 which became her first venture into writing. Howe, Gordie and Charles Wikins collaborated on the book After the Applause published 1989, followed by When the Final Buzzer Sounds in 2000. A 20th Century Hockey Chronicle written by Howe and Gordie was published in 1994, And ...Howe!: An Authorized Autobiography was written together by Howe, Gordie and Tom Delisle and released in 1995. The final joint venture between Howe and Gordie was You Read to Me & I'll Read to You: 20th-Century Stories to Share which came out in print in 2001. Charities were supported by proceeds from the sales of her books.

	Both Gordie and I stem from humble, rural origins. We have been fortunate to see the positive effects hockey has had on our lives, our family’s lives and the lives of millions of others.
—Colleen Howe. Letter to the Colleen J. Howe Arena Sanilac County Hockey Association

Howe was born as Colleen Joffa, to a farming family in Sandusky, Michigan and married Gordie Howe on April 15, 1953. Together they had four children, Mark, Marty, Murray and Cathy. Together they had four children, Marty, Mark, Dr. Murray A. and Cathy Purnell née Howe. Her son, Murray diverged from the family's footsteps, becoming a doctor, and helped treat Howe during her ordeal with Pick's disease. Howe is survived by nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Howe's most remarkable negotiation as sports agent occurred in 1973, when she brought Gordie out of retirement and arranged for Mark, Marty and Gordie to all play together on the Houston Aeros. The three had also played together for the Hartford Whalers. Gordon "Gordie" Howe, Mr. Hockey, OC is a retired professional ice hockey player from Saskatchewan, Canada who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association.

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Sources [edit]

"Colleen Howe's funeral scheduled for 11 AM today" — Detroit Free Press, March 11, 2009
AP. "Services held for 'Mrs. Hockey,' Colleen Howe" — International Herald Tribune, March 11, 2009
"Colleen Howe, ’Mrs. Hockey,’ remembered as wife, mother and friend" — Associated Press, March 11, 2009
AP. "Mrs. Hockey a ‘valued woman'" — The Globe and Mail, March 11, 2009 ·
"Mourners set to honor 'Mrs. Hockey' Colleen Howe" — The Associated Press, March 11, 2009
Neil Stevens. "Colleen Howe, wife of hockey great Gordie Howe, dies at age 76" — The Canadian Press, March 7, 2009
"TheStar.com World Colleen Howe, 76: Mrs. Hockey a business all-star" — The Toronto Star, March 7, 2009
The StarPhoenix. "Colleen Howe called a hockey pioneer - Founded junior team, managed Gordie's career" — Canwest News Service, March 7, 2009
Santiago Esparza. "Howe mass scheduled for Wednesday" — The Detroit News, March 7, 2009
"Colleen Howe, wife of hockey legend Gordie Howe, has died, according to a statement released by the Detroit Red Wings." — MSN, March 6, 2009
"Colleen Howe passes away at 76" — National Hockey League, March 6, 2009
"'Mrs. Hockey' Colleen Howe dies" — CBC News, March 6, 2009
George Sipple. "Fans mourn loss of "Mrs. Hockey," Colleen Howe" — Detroit Free Press, March 6, 2009
Ian Walker. "HOCKEY: Gordie and Colleen Howe honoured at Giants game" — The Vancouver Sun, March 6, 2009

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Hydrogen fuel cell cars promoted in various states, but U.S. federal funding cut

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:58:31 GMT

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

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American Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is cutting US$100 million dollars from hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research and diverting the remaining $69 million to hydrogen fuel cell research for household current.

Honda FCX Clarity
Image: Hydrogen99.

Hydrogen vehicle re-fueling

Former president George W. Bush advocated the zero-emission vehicles and launched $1.2 billion for hydrogen fuel cell research over a number of years.

President Barack Obama is proposing a "corporate average fuel economy," or CAFÉ, placing standards for gas mileage at 39 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks at 30 mpg.

"The probability of deploying hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles in the next 10 to 20 years is low." said Tom Welch of the U.S. Department of Energy. "We asked ourselves, 'Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?' The answer, we felt, was 'no,'" said Chu.

In response, the U.S. Fuel Cell Council and the National Hydrogen Association said, “The cuts proposed in the DOE hydrogen and fuel-cell program threaten to disrupt commercialization of a family of technologies that are showing exceptional promise and beginning to gain market traction. Fuel-cell vehicles are not a science experiment. These are real vehicles with real marketability and real benefits. Hundreds of fuel-cell vehicles have collectively logged millions of miles.”

“I just got the Clarity, which is a wonderful hydrogen vehicle,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He lent his car to The Hydrogen Road Tour.

On Tuesday, The Hydrogen Road Tour began in Chula Vista, California. Twelve hydrogen fuel cell cars by seven auto makers will arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia June 3 for the Hydrogen + Fuel Cells 2009 conference, a global hydrogen and fuel cell event. "The point really is to raise awareness about fuel celled vehicles and hydrogen, their benefits both to energy efficiency and the environment as well as to consumers because we really believe these vehicles are going to be a market winner," said Catherine Dunwoody, the Executive Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

The Hydrogen Fuel Cells 2009 conference began June 1. "Our global environmental challenges, such as climate change, do not stop at the border," " said John Tak, conference Chair, "I am pleased that scientists, engineers, government representatives and businesspeople from more than 35 countries are coming to Vancouver, an active hub for hydrogen and fuel cell development, to help create solutions to these challenges."

The Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium was held in North Canton, Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday. "The hydrogen and fuel cell industries are at a stage where they have the momentum and energy to accomplish some truly revolutionary things in terms of how they apply their technologies," said William Whittenberger, president of Catacel Corp. These fuel cells produce electricity and exhaust carbon dioxide and water.

A hydrogen powered municipal street cleaning vehicle is currently being tested for the next year and half in Basel, Switzerland. "Our aim is to take fuel cell technology from the laboratory onto the street," said Empa's Internal Combustion Engines Laboratory Project Leader Christian Bach.

Dan Lutz, the fleet manager for the Beloit, Wisconsin public works department, experimented with retro-fitting his personal truck. The department now has a large pickup truck, a garbage truck, a recycling truck, a police squad car and a small pickup truck using hydrogen technology increasing gas mileage from 14 to 22 and 31 mpg. "We know the basic technology works, but the issue is, is it practical," said City Manager Larry Arft, "Can it be used realistically?"

The drawback is that the technology may rely on platinum, a rare metal, or palladium. Infrastructure would need to be changed to supply hydrogen fueling stations. Critics are also concerned about hydrogen fuel storage and the costs of retro-fitting existing vehicles.

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Sources [edit]

Paula Schleis. "Fuel cell industry powering up Growing revenue, building expansions are signs of success in area. Symposium in North Canton" — Beacon Journal, June 1, 2009
Steven Cole Smith. "Funding is fizzling for hydrogen cars" — Tribune Newspapers, May 31, 2009
John Funk. "Fuel cell conference under way at Kent State Stark campus in North Canton" — Cleveland Ohio Business News, May 27, 2009
Alexandra Zavis. "Schwarzenegger promotes hydrogen fuel in L.A." — Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2009
Ed Joyce. "Hydrogen Road Trip Starts In Chula Vista" — KPBS News., May 26, 2009
"Hydrogen + Fuel Cells 2009 highlights commercial progress of clean energy technology" — Canadian Business online, May 25, 2009
"Hydrogen Powered Municipal Vehicle Being Tested In Everyday Use" — Science Daily, May 25, 2009
Jim Motavelli. "Hydrogen hopes: Can they restore funding for fuel cells?" — Mother Nature Network, May 22, 2009
Steve Parker. "Vehicle Hydrogen Fuel Cells Killed" — Huffington Post, May 20, 2009
Martin LaMonica. "DOE to slash fuel cell vehicle research" — CNET Green Tech, May 8, 2009
Kayla Bunge. "Hydrogen boosts Beloit" — Janesville Gazette Extra, April 6, 2009

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Indo-Canadian teens kidnapped, found dead in car

Mon, 04 May 2009 16:37:03 GMT

Monday, May 4, 2009

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Eighteen-year-old Joseph Randay and Dilsher Singh Gill, seventeen, were kidnapped Thursday evening and found dead Friday morning on Lower Sumas Mountain Road near Abbotsford, British Columbia.

"All we know is that they were kidnapped at gunpoint and now they have found their bodies. The police said they are both dead...police have no leads," said Amarjit Randay, father of the one of the slain teenagers.

"We're going through all our steps to try and get to the bottom of it," Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit said, "I can tell you it is certainly perplexing how two young men — just weeks away from graduation — ended up in this fate. It's a very tragic case.

Location of Abbotsford, Fraser Valley District, BC

Police believe the teens were kidnapped at gun point from the Bateman Park in Abbotsford following an altercation.

The Vancouver Sun reported that Randay had communicated via Facebook networking with Mike Ahuja. Sunny Ahuja is associated with the Bacon brothers, alleged gang members. In March, there had been a drive-by shooting associated with the Ahuja home.

The two teens were grade twelve students who attended W. J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford, B.C.

"We're adding more police officers to investigate, arrest and get violent criminals off the street, and we're dedicating more prosecutors to put criminals behind bars," said Premier Gordon Campbell. Over the next ten years, BC will deploy 168 more officers and ten prosecutors to combat gun crime, gangs and related violence. In April of 2009, over 150 arrests were conducted of alleged Hells Angels members and associates.

Abbotsford, population 123,864, is reported as being the "theft capital of Canada." Its close proximity to the Canada – United States border facilitates the trading of marijuana with cocaine according to the Central Chronicle. Gang shootings have cost the lives of 110 Canadian youth of Indian origin over the past fourteen years, many of whom have been involved in drug gangs.

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Sources [edit]

"Police confirm murdered pair in Abbotsford were teenagers" — The Vancouver Sun, May 3, 2009
"Two Indian-origin teenagers kidnapped, killed in Canada" — Central Chronicle, May 3, 2009
"Police identify teens found dead in Abbotsford" — CBC News, May 2, 2009
"2 men found dead inside vehicle in Abbotsford" — CBC News, May 1, 2009
The Standard; Sun Media. "156 arrested in Hells Angels sweep CRIME: More than 1,200 officers take part in operation" — AMI agency, April 16, 2009
"B.C. to hire 168 more police to combat gangs, gun crime" — CBC News, Feb 13, 2009

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Polar bears deliver environmental petition to Premier of British Columbia

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:35:47 GMT

Sunday, April 26, 2009

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On Thursday in Canada, the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee delivered petitions with over 10,000 signatorys to the Premier of British Columbia's office. The petitions ask that the government cancel the Gateway Program's highway expansions components and invest more in transit instead.

A polar bear
Image: Ansgar Walk.

The Gateway Program is a transportation infrastructure project that includes over 260 km of new highway lanes.

Over a dozen activists rallied outside the office in downtown Vancouver including two dressed as polar bears. The premier's office initially declined to accept the invitations. After the activists attempted to enter the nearby convention centre where the premier was speaking, staff working with the Premier agreed to accept the petitions.

"Translink is currently exhausting its capital reserves just to keep existing service going," said Karen Wristen, Executive Director of SPEC. "At this rate, they will be broke in two years. We simply can't afford both freeway expansion and transit development: we have to solve the transit crisis first."

"It will be virtually impossible to reach BC's commitments to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) if Gateway is allowed to proceed. Gateway is not just an irresponsible plan, it's immoral," said Ben West, the Wilderness Committee's Healthy Communities Campaigner.

Gordon Campbell
Image: Mary McNeil.

The government calculates that greenhouse gas emissions will increase by over 170,000 tonnes per year from the Gateway program.

Premier Gordon Campbell has not yet responded directly to the petition. In recent interviews he has defended the Gateway Program.

"I understand that some people will disagree with it," Premier Campbell said of Gateway on April 6 to The Georgia Straight. "But it's many, many things that are happening at once to make the region more livable, to reduce our impact and our greenhouse-gas impact, and to invest in public transit. And I think that when you take all those things together—as we move to California tailpipe emissions and those other initiatives—I think you will see actually a reduction in greenhouse gases."

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

This article is based on 10,000 people (and two polar bears) Petition Premier by B5baxter which has a copyright policy compatible with our CC-BY 2.5. Specifically "All text is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License unless otherwise specified."

Matt Kieltyka. "Can't bear thought of highway" — 24 Hours (newspaper), April 24, 2009
badfreeway. "Polar Bears deliver 10,000 Anti-Gateway Petitions to Premier's office" — YouTube, April 24, 2009 (Video)
WestCoast Treehugger. "Delivery of the Better Transit Not Freeways petition to government" — NowPublic, April 23, 2009
Press Release: "Polar Bears deliver 10,000 Anti-Gateway Petitions to Premier’s office" — Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, April 23, 2009
Matthew Burrows. "Premier Gordon Campbell defends Gateway Program" — The Georgia Straight, April 9, 2009
Press Release: "Environmental Assessment" — British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, September 2007 PDF (2.97 MB)

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BC election writ drops; referendum campaigns underway

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:54:48 GMT

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

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The provincial election was called today in British Columbia. Alongside with the election, the citizens of the province will also be debating if they should change their electoral system from Single Member Plurality to Single Transferable Vote (STV). The vote for both the election and the referendum is to be held on May 12th.

Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
Image: tobyvs.

According to the Angus Reid Strategies online poll, the issues before the candidates this year are the economy, crime and public safety, and health care.

Gordon Campbell is the current Premier of British Columbia, and leader of the Liberal Party. Three new tax measures have been proposed, increasing apprenticeship training tax credits, reducing small business income tax, and raising the revenue definition for small business. "Keep B.C. Strong" is the Liberal slogan.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Carole James is focusing her election platform on supporting a green economy, eliminating the carbon tax, offering families tax relief, freezing post-secondary tuition, raising the minimum wage, and providing a small business tax holiday. The NDP slogan is "Take back your B.C."

The Green Party, led by Jane Sterk, is focused on environmental issues, crime and police, and a 'green economy'. The Green Party is in support of the carbon tax and will be campaigning in favour of the new STV voting system that is being proposed again. The Green Party slogan is "A better plan for B.C."

Carole James, Leader of the New Democratic Party
(Image missing from commons: image; log)

Wilf Hanni is at the helm of the Conservative Party which opposes the Recognition and Reconciliation Act, privatization of BC Hydro Bill 42 'gag law', and the carbon tax. They propose to reduce senior civil employee pay scale, as well as personal and corporate income tax.

Other parties running candidates are the Democratic Reform under Graeme Roger, the Marijuana Party under Marc Emery, the Work Less Party under Conrad Schmidt, the Refederation Party under Mike Summers, the Sex Party under John Ince, and the Communist Party under George Gidora.

For 60 days before the election, each party may campaign with an allowable CA$1.1 million, in the final 28 days, $4.4 million may be spent. $70,000 is allowed by candidates before the writ is dropped, and another $70,000 in the midst of campaigning.

The referendum will allow BC voters to choose between two voting systems. The Single Member Plurality system is the current system in all Canadian provinces, and is also used to elect Members of Parliament in Ottawa. The other system is BC-STV, which would replace 85 single-member ridings with 20 larger ridings in which between two and seven Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) would be elected. The total number of MLAs will not change. Voters would rank the candidates in order of preference, as many or as few as they wish. When the results are tallied, votes are transferred to the next preference on the ballot when the first preference has been elected or eliminated. The system is designed to ensure that every vote helps to elect someone, every vote counts as fully as possible, and every voter is represented by a candidate they voted for, as nearly as mathematically possible.

Previous elections held under the current Single Member Plurality (also known as First Past The Post) system led to odd results in certain elections, such as the 2001 election where the winning party obtained 77 of the 79 seats of the legislature with just 58% of the vote, and the 1996 election, in which the party with the most votes failed to win the election. The recommendation to switch to STV was made by the British Columbia Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, a group formed in 2004 of randomly selected citizens. They spent a year learning about voting systems around the world and consulting with BC citizens.

It's the fourth referendum in the country and the second in the province within the last 4 years. The previous referendum held in 2005 also voted on these same electoral systems and came within 2.3% of the 60% threshold. In order for the referendum to be binding, BC-STV will again need 60% of the popular vote and 50% of votes in 51 of the 85 ridings in BC. If the change is approved, it will be the first province in the country to adopt reform of the electoral system in recent history.

Fair Voting BC, recognized as the official proponent group, argues that STV will lead to fairer election results, effective local representation and greater voter choice. They argue that BC-STV will give voters the power to hold politicians and political parties accountable, by giving every voter a vote that actually makes a difference. If the STV system is approved, then it will be put into use for the first time for the 2013 provincial election.

The recognized opponent group is the No STV Campaign Society. Their arguments are that STV will give larger ridings, voters would be unsure of whom their MLA would be, there would be unequal geographic representation, that the counting method is too complicated, the electoral system results are unverified in practical usage, the system results in a higher probability of minority governments and the subsequent coalition of parties. They also argue that other countries who use systems similar to STV have had problems with their election results.

$500,000 in public funding has been given to both the proponents and the opponents of the referendum.

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Sister links [edit]

British Columbia general election, 2009

British Columbia electoral reform referendum, 2009

Sources [edit]

R. Freeman. "Election writ drops today" — Chilliwack Progress, April 14, 2009
Bill Tieleman. "Straight Goods - BC Liberals lead - Voter turnout will decide the BC election." — Straight Goods, April 10, 2009
"NDP would freeze tuition fees, drop carbon tax" — The Canadian Press, April 9, 2009
Bill Tieleman. "Campbell's Challenge from the Right: The BC Conservative Party" — TheTyee.ca, April 7, 2009
Sacha Peter. "First BC Liberal promises of the campaign 2009 April" — BC2009.com, April 7, 2009
"Battle of election slogans heats up in B.C." — CBC.ca, April 6, 2009
Mike Laanela. "B.C.'s referendum on proportional representation Is it time for a new electoral system?" — CBC.ca, April 6, 2009
Mike Laanela. "Gordon Campbell: leader of the BC Liberal Party" — CBC.ca, April 6, 2009
"British-Columbians for BC-STV: May 12, 2009" — Fair Voting BC, April 1, 2009
"STV - Know before you vote" — No STV Campaign Society, April 1, 2009
Dirk Meissner. "B.C. legislative session ends, unofficial election campaign begins" — The Canadian Press, March 31, 2009
Adrian Nieoczym. "BC Conservative Party rolls out platform, candidates" — TheTyee.ca, March 26, 2009
"B.C. Green party wants pot decriminalized, Tasers prohibited" — The Canadian Press, March 19, 2009
Ministry of Attorney General. "Referendum information office now open for BC voters" — Government of British Columbia, February 2, 2009

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Western Canadian justice officials to press for criminal code changes

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:07:00 GMT

Sunday, March 22, 2009

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Western Canadian Justice ministers met Saturday to press for changes to the criminal code in regards to organised crime and crime violence.

Said Alberta's Justice Minister, Alison Redford, "We need to cooperate, we need to have a western Canadian approach to ensure that we're sharing information, that police are cooperating, that prosecutors are cooperating so that we can respond to what's happening in our communities as soon as it happens".

One proposal was a western Canadian database to identify known gang members from one province to authorities in another province. The database could also have the potential to inform authorities at correctional facilities if an inmate was being visited by a gang member. The Saskatchewan government plans to hire analysts to study gang member networking.

The ministers also discussed the existing legislation that was in place regulating how police obtain authority to place wiretaps on phone lines. "We want the police to have the right to wiretap people immediately and get authorization from judges immediately after the commission of the crime," said British Columbia Attorney General Wally Oppal.

Another priority was to change the Criminal Code law with regard to bail laws. Redford says that, "Once the person has demonstrated one time that they're not prepared to respect a court order, the second time they go in for breaching those conditions, there shouldn't be an assumption that they're going to respect the court order the second time and there should be a reverse onus and the presumption should be that they will be held without bail."

The idea of a separate gang facility to hold accused gang members was abandoned. "We'd be looking at targeting the hardened adult gang members, the leaders of the gangs who have been in and out of prison for a number of years and who can use a remand centre to go recruit. They could in fact use that as a business networking opportunity per se, which is something we don't want to encourage." said Darryl Hickie, Saskatchewan's minister of corrections, public safety and policing.

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Sources [edit]

"Western Canadian ministers push for changes to Criminal Code to help fight gangs" — The Canadian Press, March 21, 2009
"Western Canadian justice officials tackle gang violence" — CTV Media, March 21, 2009
"Gang super-jail proposal worth a look, Alberta minister says" — CBC News, March 20, 2009
"Tackling gangs tops agenda at meeting of western justice and safety officials" — The Canadian Press, March 20, 2009

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