Clicks of the Day: May 25, 26, 27 2012 Weekend Edition!

Welcome to the three-day roundup …

Weekend Edition (May 25, 26, 27) of Clicks of the Day!

Clicks of the Day is a daily round up of news posted Sunday through Thursday with quantity and quality of content differing depending on how busy Linda’s day is.

    Edmonton/Alberta/Canada

  • Murder charge laid in exploding package that killed young Innisfail mother
  • “A 55-year-old Innisfail man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of an Innisfail woman killed by an exploding package last year. Victoria Shachtay, 23, was killed on Nov. 25, 2011, when a parcel delivered to her home exploded. RCMP say on Friday and into the weekend, investigators executed a search warrant at the accused’s home in Innisfail. They announced Sunday that Brian Malley, 55, of Innisfail, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.”

    Such a sad story. Glad an arrest was made.

  • Province considers vehicle seizures to curb highway speeding
  • “Drivers caught speeding on Alberta highways could soon have their vehicles seized. The province is considering giving police the authority to immediately seize vehicles of those caught driving at extreme speeds. It’s a measure that the province hopes will reduce highway deaths and injuries.”

    Lots of people reacting to this one.

  • Search for missing Edmonton man in Wabamun Lake becomes recovery mission
  • “The search for a missing Edmonton man in Wabamun Lake became a recovery mission Sunday.”

    Within the same week as the missing Coal Lake boaters (who are still missing), very sad.

  • Lisa Raitt says back-to-work legislation could be tabled Monday
  • “Labour Minister Lisa Raitt laid the groundwork Sunday to table back-to-work legislation Monday, saying the railway workers and the Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. had until the end of the weekend to find a way to “do their own deal.” The strike of 4,800 railway workers began last Wednesday and immediately halted freight deliveries of grain, coal, cars and other products.”

    Ah, government intervention…

  • Que. tornado ‘rare’: Environment Canada
  • “The season’s first tornado was not only destructive for the Montreal area, but was also extremely rare, according to environment Canada. Rene Leroux of Environment Canada said Friday’s tornado was the fourth in three years to hit the region and the second in less than two years to hit the same town. ‘The probabilities that a tornado hits the same area twice are very rare,’ he said. ‘It’s a fraction of 1% chance.'”

    Crazy.

  • Focus of Quebec protests swells beyond tuition hikes
  • “The almost nightly protests in Montreal have transcended the student movement’s opposition to tuition fee hikes and are now more about the future of the province and basic rights, a panel of political experts says. While the movement isn’t exactly surging in public opinion polls, it’s starting to attract international attention through its use of social media – particularly to spread its rejection of Bill 78, a new Quebec law designed to crack down on street protests.”

    Hm.

  • I don’t! How a bizarre legal case involving a mysterious billionaire could force 1.2 million Canadians to be married, against their will
  • “Quebec has become one of the least marrying places in the world, thanks to the institution known as “de facto spouses,” But now, thanks to a bizarre legal case entangling a Quebec billionaire and his de facto spouse , the freedom to un-marry is under threat. More than 1 million Quebecois in this kind of relationship may soon be automatically married by the state, against their will. De facto spouses are defined by Quebec’s law as two people who have been living together for a year or more without being married and who check the “couple” box on their income tax statement form. Quebec’s lawmakers have deliberately chosen not to give de facto couples the same rights and responsibilities that married couples have under the Law of Quebec, to preserve the freedom of choice. Upon the termination of a relationship, “no matter how long cohabitation has lasted, de facto spouses have no legal support obligation to each other, even if one spouse is in need and the other has a high income.” Quebec is the only province in Canada where spousal support payments are not recognized by law for de facto spouses.”

    There was no one sentence that really summed up this story so please read the whole thing. Very interesting!

    World

  • UN mission chief warns of civil war after 116 massacred in Syria
  • “A total of 116 people were killed in a massacre in the Syrian town of Houla, the head of the UN mission in Syria, Major General Robert Mood, told the UN Security Council Sunday, diplomats said. Another 300 people were injured in the incident, Mood told the Security Council. Syrian authorities have denied responsibility for the killings, which have sparked international outrage and prompted the Council meeting.”

    This is so awful…

    Health

  • Male pill: gene discovery may lead to contraceptive
  • “It may be possible to develop a new male contraceptive pill after researchers in Edinburgh identified a gene critical for the production of healthy sperm. Experiments in mice found that the gene, Katnal1, was vital for the final stages of making sperm. The authors of a study in PLos Genetics said a drug which interrupts Katnal1 could be a reversible contraceptive.”

    Interesting!

  • Cheeseburger blues: High-fat foods may be making us depressed
  • “Fatty “comfort” foods might actually make people depressed, new Canadian research suggests. Universite de Montreal researchers are reporting that high-fat diets increase anxiety and depressive-like behaviours in mice — a finding that a leading Canadian obesity expert said runs counter to almost everything we have been told about fat-dense foods.”

    I’m always feeling depressed after I eat fast food. (So I’ve stopped for the most part).

  • Anti-obesity proposal fails again at McDonald’s
  • “McDonald’s Corp investors soundly rejected a shareholder proposal that would have required the world’s biggest fast-food chain to assess its impact on childhood obesity… The shareholder proposal, which also failed last year, returned amid growing concern over the social and financial costs of obesity in the United States and around the world – not only in terms of healthcare-related expenses but also lower worker productivity and diminished quality of life.”

    Hm..

  • Raise prices of caffeinated alcohol drinks, report urges
  • “A new report warns that mixing alcohol with caffeine-rich energy beverages is a trend that is continuing to rise in Canada, despite repeated warnings that the combination is unsafe. The report urges governments to act, saying prices on pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverages should be raised to reflect the fact that they are a higher-risk product. It also suggests governments should discourage or even ban sales of regular energy drinks or pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverages in high-risk settings like bars and clubs.”

    A logical recommendation.

    Technology/Social Media/Internet

  • Facebook may launch smartphone by next year
  • “Facebook may be gearing up to launch its first-ever smartphone by next year, a new report suggests. According to The New York Times, engineers have been sought by recruiters to work on building hardware for a Facebook smartphone. This would be the social network’s third attempt to develop a smartphone, the report said, citing sources close to the matter.”

    Would you get one?

  • UK cookie law goes into effect
  • “The UK cookie law has come into force on May 26. Many online retailers believe that this legislation will impact their businesses in a negative way. The law requires all websites to obtain permission from users before they can use cookies which is a data file that takes login details, email addresses and previous activity on the site, and stores that file.”

    Interesting!

  • Street light of the future would provide wi-fi, cell coverage and more
  • “Think of it as a smart street light equipped with an LED light bulb and capable of providing Wi-Fi, improving cellphone service and charging electric cars. It would even feature a touchscreen where people could pay for parking or stop and get directions. V-Pole stands for “Vancouver pole,” as it’s currently being considered by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.”

    Cool invention.

    Business/Work/Economy/Media

  • BlackBerry maker RIM set to lay off 2,000 — report
  • “Troubled BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is planning a major global restructuring that will include at least 2,000 layoffs worldwide, according to a report. Canada’s Globe and Mail cites “several people close to the company” in reporting the news about the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, which, the Globe and Mail says, has about 16,500 employees globally. The paper said the layoffs “will sweep across departments, ranging from senior positions in RIM’s legal division to human resources, finance, sales, and marketing” and that the pink slips will go out June 1, a day before RIM’s first quarter ends — if not earlier.”

    Awful. :(

    Environment/Space/Animals/Science

  • Climate change will more than triple annual US heat death toll
  • “In an average summer in the United States, there are 1,332 heat-related deaths. But climate change will make that number rise to 4,608 by the end of the century, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. In total, the US can expect 150,000 deaths due to excessive heat by 2100, the report projects.

    Yikes…

  • Up to 45,000 wild horses face slaughter by the U.S. government
  • “Thousands of America’s iconic wild horses may be headed to slaughter at the hands of the U.S. government; some herds may face extinction. Oil, mining and cattle interests are driving down the wild horse population and the space left for them to roam.”

    This is extremely upsetting.

  • Warning over deep-ocean stowaways
  • “Care must be taken not to spread deep-sea creatures around the world during exploration of the remote ocean floor. Scientists using the famous Alvin sub say the vehicle picked up limpets from a depth of almost 3,000m and inadvertently transferred them alive to another location more than 600km away. Spreading organisms artificially beyond their range in this way could have damaging effects on marine ecosystems, they warn, either by introducing competitors or even disease. The team urges other deep-sea explorers to exercise extreme caution, and to assume hardy stowaways could be hanging on to their vehicles.”

    There we humans go ruining ecosystems and creatures’ lives again.

  • L.A. makes history with ban on plastic bags at stores
  • “Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping. The City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.”

    Banning plastic bags, it’s so hip right now.

    Weird News, Other News & Fluff

  • Tech executive’s Lego bar-code scam was extensive, police allege
  • “More details are emerging in the case of a Silicon Valley software executive accused of using fake bar codes to buy massive amounts of Lego sets. Police allege Thomas Langenbach, a 47-year-old vice president of global software giant SAP, brought his own bar code stickers to Target stores in Mountain View, used them to cover up the real bar codes and purchased hundreds of boxes of the plastic building blocks at vastly discounted prices, the San Jose Mercury News reported.”

    Lol. Interesting scam.

  • Miami police shoot naked man chewing on victim’s face
  • “A Miami police officer fatally shot a naked man chewing the face of another man Saturday afternoon on a downtown causeway off-ramp, officials said. The Miami Herald reported that the naked man chewed off half the face of his victim, who is struggling for his life.”

    What on earth…. Zombie for sure. Florida’s pretty far away so we’ve got some time to prepare for their attack up here… Speaking of zombie (or other kinds of) apocalypses…

  • Apocalypse-proof condos already sold out
  • “For years, developer Larry Hall, a former software engineer, has been working on a 1960s-era Atlas F missile silo in north-central Kansas, turning it into luxury lockdown residences in preparation for inevitable end-times (see cleanup photos here). He says all units in the complex sold out this month, and there’s even a waiting list.”

    Of course people are investing in such a thing.

  • 11th Grade honor student, Diane Tran, jailed for missing school
  • “Diane Tran, 17, honor student who works two jobs to support her siblings after her parents divorced, was sentenced to jail for truancy. Judge Lanny Moriarty ordered Tran, the sole breadwinner of her family, to pay $100 fine and spend 24 hrs in jail.”

    Wow.

  • Bungling news reporter caught faking sandstorm after missing event
  • “A Romanian news reporter was left red faced after he was caught faking a sand storm live on TV after turning up too late to capture the real thing.”

    Lol.

  • Woman marries herself, vows lifelong affair with beautiful self
  • “A 36-year-old single mother who was tired of waiting for the right man to come along, has married herself in a commitment ceremony, exchanging rings with her inner groom.”

    Well that’s one way to do weddings.

  • [Video]: Cat vs. Mirror
  • Lol so funny. I love cats.

  • [Video]: Maru turns 4
  • “The internet’s favorite cat, Maru, turned 4 years old a few days ago, and to celebrate a new video has been released of his 2011 highlights, like lying around, sitting in a box, and more lying around.”

    Soooo cute!! I wish Thor and Loki were Internet famous.

  • [Video]: Elders react to Nyan Cat
  • Way longer a video than it had to be (I stopped watching after 2 minutes, lol) but still funny.


Thor (and/or Loki) Photo of the Day:

Loki decided the most comfiest position for a nap would be on top of Thor, lol.


Have your say on some of these Clicks of the Day’s! Leave a comment! Or tweet me!

Linda

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

If you're Edmonton area, subscribe to my newsletter for hyperlocal recommendations on what to do, eat, and things to know this week!
If you're Edmonton area, subscribe to my FREE newsletter for hyperlocal recommendations on what to do, eat, things to know this week, and more!