Kelowna.com Forums » Recent Posts

Kelowna.com Forums » Recent Posts /forums/ Kelowna. Right Now! en-US Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:08:40 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q /forums/search.php marshallm on "Marshall Jones: The Kelowna.com adventure comes to an end" /forums/topic/marshall-jones-the-kelownacom-adventure-comes-to-an-end/page/3#post-10717 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:52:15 +0000 marshallm 10717@/forums/ Marshall, (from Marshall), Kelowna.com has been the only site I have ever visited for local news, and I actually spent time reading many of the articles (other than my own). Good to have had a brief working relationship with you guys. Good luck, nicoledc109 on "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" /forums/topic/victims-of-nb-fire-identified#post-10716 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:46:09 +0000 nicoledc109 10716@/forums/ Hi! I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks! __________________ <a href="http://moviesonlinefree.biz">Watch The Other Guys Online Free</a> Kelowna Womens Resource Centre on "Female murder victims to receive special tribute" /forums/topic/female-murder-victims-to-receive-special-tribute#post-10714 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:18:08 +0000 Kelowna Womens Resource Centre 10714@/forums/ Hi everyone, I just came across all of your posts regarding our memorial project. We are happy to share whatever information we have with you, but more importantly if you have any information to share with us, please contact us at <a href="mailto:coordinator@kwrc.net">coordinator@kwrc.net</a> or call 250-762-2355. The women listed above are only a few of the women we remember each year at our December 6th event. By remembering and honouring them, we can continue highlight the issue of violence against women and encourage greater action to end it. we also want to ensure that we honour and respect the loved ones they have left behind. coral06 on "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" /forums/topic/victims-of-nb-fire-identified#post-10710 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:41:02 +0000 coral06 10710@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: coral06</div>The surname is Lunn, not Lund, and it is Launa not Lana. Thanks CBC News on "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" /forums/topic/victims-of-nb-fire-identified#post-10709 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:41:00 +0000 CBC News 10709@/forums/ <blockquote><a href='http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/02/rush-beyond-the-lighted-stage/'><img src='http://www.kelowna.com/assets/theatres/photos/09371001.jpg' class='cfialignright' alt='Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage poster' width='100' height='150'/></a>A portrait of the legendary Canadian rock band Rush from their early days in Toronto, through each of their landmark albums, to the present day.... <a href='http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/02/rush-beyond-the-lighted-stage/'>More >></a></blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/02/rush-beyond-the-lighted-stage/">Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage</a> penpal on "Netflix arrival worries local video stores" /forums/topic/bclcs-new-online-casino-crashes#post-10708 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:08:08 +0000 penpal 10708@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: penpal</div>I see the site is still down and now it appears to have been hacked the first day it was up. Did the government really think the other gaming sites that “Gordo” identifed as being run by questionable operators would let this government just set up shop and take a few $100 million off the table without a fight?? This is just the start. I would avoid the site unless you want your cash stolen or credit card hacked. CBC News on "Netflix arrival worries local video stores" /forums/topic/bclcs-new-online-casino-crashes#post-10707 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:08:02 +0000 CBC News 10707@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/01cd9_tp-netflix.jpg" class="cbc" /> At least one Vancouver video rental store is worried the Canadian launch of Netflix, an online subscription service for movies and TV, could put them out of business. This fall, U.S. online video giant Netflix Inc. is launching a service that will allow Canadians to stream videos over the internet to their televisions and computers. The company has not confirmed how much the Canadian service will cost but U.S. customers currently pay $8.99 a month for unlimited access to TV shows and movies. Darren Gay, who has been operating Vancouver's Black Dog Video for 14 years, said the arrival of Netflix makes him nervous. “It's probably going to be one more nail in the coffin of video stores.” Gay said revenue peaked about three years ago, but increasing movie availability over the internet has been chipping away at business. “We've seen business tail off about five to 10 per cent a year,” he said. “I don't know if that's going to be the continuing trend, but that's cause for concern, that's for sure.” Still, Gay is hoping stores like his will continue to serve a certain type of clientele. “I kind of look at the way record stores have survived,” he said. “They've probably been hit harder than video stores because it's easier to download music, [but] there's still lots of record stores in town, so I'm hoping that can be us and we can stick it out — for a while longer, anyways.” David Purdy speaks for Rogers Communications Inc., which owns around 400 video stores across the country. “There's no plans to shut down all of our video stores, the plan is to evolve them.” He said Rogers is moving toward offering its own movie subscription service, which will offer TV shows and movies on all platforms, including cellphones. CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/07/20/netflix-arrival-worries-local-video-stores/">Netflix arrival worries local video stores</a> mel wilde on "Marshall Jones: The Kelowna.com adventure comes to an end" /forums/topic/marshall-jones-the-kelownacom-adventure-comes-to-an-end/page/3#post-10705 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:03:19 +0000 mel wilde 10705@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: mel wilde</div>I wish you all the best of good fortune in the years ahead. The pundits will, of course, disect every little nuance to define what they think are the reasons for Kelowna.com ending. I suggest that they be totally ignored. What I hope is that you always remember that Kelowna was better informed by your efforts. Thank you all and good luck in your future endevours. Mike on "B.C. deer vs. dog video goes viral on YouTube" /forums/topic/bc-deer-vs-dog-video-goes-viral-on-youtube#post-10698 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:34:04 +0000 Mike 10698@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Mike</div>Let’s see. The dog should not have wandering around the neighbourhood, but rather locked in his yard. However if the deer had attacked the guy with the video camera, I doubt the dog would have stood by and just watched. Two wrongs…. CBC News on "B.C. deer vs. dog video goes viral on YouTube" /forums/topic/bc-deer-vs-dog-video-goes-viral-on-youtube#post-10697 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:34:01 +0000 CBC News 10697@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/749b6_bc-100629-cranbrook-deer-dog.jpg" class="cbc" /> A YouTube video of a deer attacking a dog in a Cranbrook, B.C., residential neighbourhood has gone viral, getting more than 1.4 million hits since it was posted on June 6. The video begins with an innocent-looking encounter between a small domestic cat and a newborn fawn huddling by a car. The fawn's mother soon investigates, without initially persuading the cat to back off. But the adult deer soon turns its attention to a mid-sized dog nearby and that's when the two-minute edited video becomes suddenly violent. The deer repeatedly kicks the dog as it lies on the ground while its horrified owner shrieks, “Oh, no, no.” The doe then turns on the cat, which flees. Raph Subra witnessed the incident as his father shot the video. “It was really scary,” said Subra, 13. “I thought the dog was going to get really hurt. It got some bruises but didn't get that hurt physically, but got really traumatized.” Subra said his family is getting nasty emails from people who think someone should have done more to help the dog. “We've been getting a lot of hate mail,” he said. “But really we were in shock and we don't know what to do. [The deer] was really mad and could have injured one of us.” The dog belongs to a neighbour, said Subra, and has been examined by a veterinarian. It had no broken bones or other serious injuries, he said. Cranbrook is about 200 kilometres southwest of Calgary. CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/29/b-c-deer-vs-dog-video-goes-viral-on-youtube/">B.C. deer vs. dog video goes viral on YouTube</a> Jenny on "Family alerts engineer to track washout" /forums/topic/officers-suspended-in-surrey-6-investigation#post-10696 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:37:08 +0000 Jenny 10696@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Jenny</div>There’s a novel written about the Brassington affair. <a href="http://solsticepublishing.com/gangster-moll-p-27.html" rel="nofollow">http://solsticepublishing.com/gangster-moll-p-27.html</a> CBC News on "Family alerts engineer to track washout" /forums/topic/officers-suspended-in-surrey-6-investigation#post-10695 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:37:06 +0000 CBC News 10695@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/02c61_tp-cp-tracks-washedout.jpg" class="cbc" /> Quick thinking by a family in Medicine Hat, Alta., averted what could have been a disastrous train derailment on Saturday. Ray John and his family were out walking, monitoring the water levels in Ross Creek, when they noticed the bank had washed away under some railway tracks. The area has been hit by heavy flooding in recent days. The family also noticed a train headed in the direction of the washout. “So I says, 'We gotta warn them somehow,' said John, whose daughter called 911. “So I ran to a little point on the hill sort of overlooking — maybe 100 metres from where the actual hole was in the ground. Luckily I had a red T-shirt on, so I took it off and I was waving it and waving it and waving it, hoping they would see me.” The train stopped with about 100 metres to spare, John said. The CP train was on its way to repair another part of the tracks that had been damaged by flooding. “He was on a blind bend literally coming around,” John said. “And as he was pushing the trucks ahead of him he would never have seen it until it was too late. Once one truck had started going into the water, it would have pulled the rest in I'm sure. “There were probably six or eight men plus maybe the engineer on the train. But you know, hopefully we averted a bit of a disaster.” John returned later to find the entire bank had washed away and roughly 150 metres of track had fallen into the creek. <h3>Compensation likely</h3> After touring the area in a helicopter on the weekend, Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner said provincial relief will likely be made available to people affected by the flooding. “There are some criteria that have to be met and I don't have much doubt in my mind that those criteria will be met in this case,” he said. “As I said earlier, the devastation in the rural areas is unbelievable,” adding that his cabinet colleagues will be discussing how to assist farmers in the area who will probably lose their entire crops this year. <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/5e9cf_tp-cgy-south-sask.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/21/family-alerts-engineer-to-track-washout/">Family alerts engineer to track washout</a> gia on "Divorced B.C. father kept from seeing child" /forums/topic/g20-arrest-tally-hits-604#post-10694 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:11:03 +0000 gia 10694@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: gia</div>Alex Neve, The thugs had no place in downtown TO…why would we want to expose our children to that. Police Presence you are commended…thank you CBC News on "Divorced B.C. father kept from seeing child" /forums/topic/g20-arrest-tally-hits-604#post-10693 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:11:00 +0000 CBC News 10693@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/2ce14_bc-100621-access-denied1.jpg" class="cbc" /> A divorced B.C. father who hasn't seen his young daughter for several months blames the family court system and is joining others in a call for change. “Before all this happened, my daughter had a great relationship with me,” said Dieter Geesing. “I feel really helpless. This is not right.” Geesing said his ex-wife has been allowed to bar him from his daughter because a court order requiring her to co-operate is unenforceable. “I love my child. It's not fair to her. You are cheating her of her childhood,” he said tearfully. “This child has a right to interact with her father.” Geesing is a forestry specialist and his daughter is his only child. He and his wife separated in 2008, when the girl was eight years old. Since then, he said, his wife has tried to shut him out of his daughter's life completely. <h3>No contact for 15 months</h3> “When I phone, I get the message 'She doesn't want to talk to you,'” said Geesing. “On her 10th birthday, I left flowers on her doorstep — that's it.” Geesing has had no contact with his child since March 2009. A court order in June 2009 gave the parents joint guardianship, with the child's “primary residence” at her mother's home. The court also instructed the mother to pay for and attend counselling to help establish a “healthier” relationship between father and daughter. A letter from the counsellor to the judge shows Geesing's ex-wife has since failed to co-operate. “For me it's quite obvious here is somebody who doesn't want this child to have any contact,” said Geesing. Records show there have been no consequences for the child's mother. Geesing has been told he has no legal recourse but to go back to court to ask the judge for help, which could take several months. <h3>No comment from mother</h3> Because she is the custodial parent, CBC News is not identifying the mother by name, to help protect the child's identity. When contacted, Geesing's ex-wife refused comment. Her lawyer did not respond to messages. Geesing is one of several parents and family advocates calling on Ottawa to change the Divorce Act to give non-abusive divorcing parents automatic, equal roles in their children's lives. “Why am I supposed to be the lesser parent?” asked Geesing. “The default [in the courts] should be equal, shared parenting. That should be the default.” When Geesing's divorce case got to trial, the child's mother wrongly accused him of inappropriate behaviour toward his daughter. “It completely went out of control,” said Geesing. “Nothing shook me as much as this accusation.” <h3>Ice cream photos called 'inappropriate'</h3> Evidence of what Geesing's ex-wife deemed inappropriate included pictures he took of his daughter showing off her first permanent teeth and pictures of her eating an ice cream cone. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Burnyeat concluded, “Having reviewed the photographs that the Plaintiff believes were inappropriate, I cannot reach that conclusion.” The mother also said it was wrong for Geesing to playfully nibble on his daughter's ear while they were watching a DVD together. The judge didn't buy that either, concluding, “I am satisfied that the plaintiff overreacted to what might be viewed by many as an innocent sign of affection between a father and his daughter.” A detailed psychological analysis of the family found no evidence the child had been abused, but concluded instead that the mother had alienated her from her father. It also recommended that if the mother didn't change her behaviour, the child should live with her father. “[The mother] has been using control as a coping mechanism of …perverse anxiety,” wrote the psychologist. “There has clearly been a campaign of parental alienation.” “All of this court, this fighting, for nothing,” said Geesing. <h3>Access denial 'common'</h3> “I know fathers who have been to court 50 times — in front of a judge — only to be told that they will get access but they do not,” said Dr. Jerry Arthur-Wong, a psychologist at Vancouver's only men's resource centre. “It's like the court appearance had no impact on the other parent.” He said the extreme problems he sees are with the minority of protracted, acrimonious divorces, where the parents go all the way to trial to fight it out. A 2009 study by Edward Kruk at the University of B.C.'s school of social work took a detailed look at the parental roles of 82 Vancouver-area fathers, from all walks of life, post-divorce. Of the 82, 56 reported “lack of access” as their No. 1 problem. Thirty of the 82 fathers reported being completely disengaged from their children's lives. Arthur-Wong also wants the Divorce Act amended to make equal, shared parenting the norm, except in cases where one parent is deemed unfit. Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott is sponsoring a private member's bill that would make shared parenting the starting position in all cases that go to court. The bill passed first reading, but won't be debated in Ottawa for several months, if at all. <h3>Government undecided on bill</h3> A spokesperson for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said he wasn't available for comment and the government has not decided whether to support the initiative. “Our government is committed to promoting positive outcomes for the entire family during separation or divorce,” wrote Nicholson's press secretary, Pamela Stephens. “Since parents usually understand their children better than anyone else, our government strongly encourages parents co-operate to make parenting arrangements in their children's best interests.” Arthur-Wong said the government has delayed taking definitive action for far too long. “Denial of access is pretty common,” he said. “That is child abuse and that is not acceptable in this society.” He thinks provinces should set up registries of parents who ignore court-ordered access, similar to the maintenance enforcement agencies that penalize parents who default on child-support payments. “Those who say that it would be impossible to keep a registry of access denial, I say let's try it with the more extreme cases,” he said. Geesing doesn't expect to get another court date until the fall. “I don't even know what I will do the first time, if I ever see her,” said Geesing. “Should I shake her hand? Give her my business card or something like this? What do I do? I feel afraid to do anything.” Even if he doesn't see his daughter until she grows up, Geesing said he hopes by seeing him tell his story publicly, she will know one day that he tried to be a good father. “I think I owe it to her to let her know that this is wrong.” <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/ea39f_bc-100621-access-denied3.jpg" class="cbc" /><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/ef781_bc-100621-access-denied4.jpg" class="cbc" /><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/02a4f_bc-100621-access-denied2.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/22/divorced-b-c-father-kept-from-seeing-child/">Divorced B.C. father kept from seeing child</a> Newsreader on "Woman missing, car found" /forums/topic/woman-missing-car-found/page/2#post-10692 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:22:56 +0000 Newsreader 10692@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Newsreader</div>Looks like she was guilty of something after all. Dooley on "Kathy Michaels: I want my money back" /forums/topic/kathy-michaels-i-want-my-money-back/page/2#post-10691 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:40:01 +0000 Dooley 10691@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Dooley</div>I’m sorry to see the site closing… It has all the makings of a success, I’m very surprised (especially with the acquisition, etc). The information compiled here is extremely valuable so I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned into a hub site akin to Vernon.com and Kamloops.com Then again, maybe City Council will pay a premium for the domain name. Either way, sorry to see it go. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Political ANimal on "N.B. election promises more female candidates" /forums/topic/nb-election-promises-more-female-candidates#post-10689 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:18:36 +0000 Political ANimal 10689@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Political ANimal</div>Mary Shryer is an excellent minister; smart, “real”, compassionate, hard-working, and not one to grandstand or seek the spotlight. Victoria Clarke is another bright light; intelligent, down to earth, and trustworthy. The Liberals have some excellent female candidates! CBC News on "N.B. election promises more female candidates" /forums/topic/nb-election-promises-more-female-candidates#post-10688 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:18:34 +0000 CBC News 10688@/forums/ <blockquote>New Brunswick's two major political parties are on pace to have more women on the provincial election ballot in September. When the legislature adjourned this spring, only six of 55 MLAs were female and the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives were under pressure to add more women to their ranks. The nomination process is underway as New Brunswick's political parties gear up for the Sept. 27 election. The Tories have already nominated 11 female candidates, which is more than the seven from the 2006 campaign. Meanwhile, the governing Liberals have managed to have seven women nominated as candidates. Party officials say there will be at least three more which would equal the 10 nominated in the last election. Riverview Liberal candidate Lana Hansen said candidates should be judged on their merits but women do bring particular strengths to politics. “It is an asset because it does bring a whole gamut of experience and compassion and perhaps negotiation skills that are more predominantly developed sometimes in women,” Hansen said. Premier Shawn Graham has been criticized for lacking more women in his cabinet for most of his mandate. Graham named both Mary Schryer and Carmel Robichaud to cabinet in 2006, but Robichaud was dropped after only a relatively short stint around the executive council table. In the latest cabinet shuffle this spring, Graham added Nepisiguit MLA Cheryl Lavoie as the minister of state for seniors and housing. <h3>Political diversity</h3> Marie-Claude Blais is running for the second time as the Tory candidate in Moncton North, which his traditionally a Liberal seat. She narrowly lost in 2006 to high-profile Liberal incumbent Michael Murphy, who resigned as justice minister in January to spend more time with his family. Blais, who also served as the provincial Tory party's executive director, said it is important for provincial caucuses to have representation from a cross-section of groups. “You cannot have all of the same persons with all the same background. You can't have all lawyers, you can't have all business people, you need people from different backgrounds,” Blais said. The two main parties are not the only ones striving to put more female candidates on the September ballot. So far, three of the eight NDP candidates that have been nominated are women. While the Green Party has made the bold promise that in its first time fielding candidates in a New Brunswick provincial election that half its candidates will be women. <h3>Pressure on politicians</h3> The lack of women in politics was evident after the 2006 election when seven females were elected. Rose-May Poirier left the assembly earlier this year after Prime Minister Stephen Harper named her to the Senate. Six female MLAs represents about 11 per cent of the 55 seats in the legislature — whereas women make up 51 per cent of the province's population — and the assembly has never had more than 20 per cent of its seats held by women. A multi-party organization called Equal Voice opened a chapter in New Brunswick last year with the specific purpose of bringing more women into provincial politics. Provincial politicians have studied the issue of how to add more female colleagues in the past. The Commission on Legislative Democracy, which was set up by the former Tory government and reported in 2005, addressed the low number of female politicians in provincial politics. The main recommendation in its 2005 report was to switch to a mixed-member proportional system of electing MLAs. The report listed the percentages of female politicians in a number of countries, and those with some form of proportional representation all elected more women. Another of the proposed reforms was to offer political parties an extra $1 per vote if they had women make up 35 per cent of the party's candidate slate. However, none of the committee's proposals were put in place because Bernard Lord's Tories were defeated in the 2006 election. CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/16/n-b-election-promises-more-female-candidates/">N.B. election promises more female candidates</a> Erik Wood on "U.S. adults text-and-drive like teenagers" /forums/topic/us-adults-text-and-drive-like-teenagers#post-10687 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:18:25 +0000 Erik Wood 10687@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Erik Wood</div>I think parents need to lead by example on this issue of public safety. I decided to do something about teen (and adult) distracted driving after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me last fall by a texting driver. That incident changed me but I don’t hate texting. Texting is here regardless of how I feel. 72% of teens text every single day – some over 3000 times a month. The texting drivers I spoke with, including teens and truckers, all said that laws and Big Brother type software devices that “lock down” their phones would not deter them at all. So I built a tool called OTTER to compliment the efforts of legislation and public education. OTTER helps the individual manage their texting at home, in school, at the office, or, most importantly, on our highways. In response to the epidemic of teen texting and driving, we started our Break the Habit Campaign (<a href="http://BTHnow.org" rel="nofollow">http://BTHnow.org</a> ) to raise awareness of this problem thereby educating us all of the dangers. Did you know that 50% of teens interviewed admitted to texting while driving? If 50% admitted to it…how many are actually doing it? Best, Erik Wood, owner OTTER LLC <a href="http://www.OTTERapp.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.OTTERapp.com</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVn2vRYaSAU" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVn2vRYaSAU</a> CBC News on "U.S. adults text-and-drive like teenagers" /forums/topic/us-adults-text-and-drive-like-teenagers#post-10686 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:18:20 +0000 CBC News 10686@/forums/ <blockquote>Adults don't differ from teens when it comes to texting while driving — and many more of them talk on cellphones while driving, new research suggests. A poll of U.S. teens and adults founds 27 per cent of adults saying they had texted while behind the wheel, compared with 26 per cent of teenagers. And 61 per cent of adults in the survey admitted they had used a cellphone while driving, versus 43 per cent of teens. “While previous research has shown that one in four teen drivers text at the wheel, this data suggests that adults are now just as likely to engage in this risky behaviour,” said Mary Madden, senior research specialist at the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and co-author of the report. “Adults may be the ones sounding the alarm on the dangers of distracted driving, but they don't always set the best example themselves.” About 14 per cent of adult cellphone owners in the survey confessed they had been so preoccupied while talking or texting that they had bumped into a person or another object. The survey of 2,252 adults aged 18 and over took place between April 29 and May 30, 2010, and has a deemed margin of error of three percentage points. The survey of teens aged 16 to 17 was conducted between June 26 and Sept. 24, 2009, and, like the adult survey, was done by Princeton Survey Research. The survey found that 82 per cent of adults owned cellphones and 58 per cent had received or sent text messages. Conversely, 75 per cent of teens owned a cellphone and 66 per cent of them had texted. In Canada, most provinces have banned using handheld devices like cellphones and smartphones while driving. CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/18/u-s-adults-text-and-drive-like-teenagers/">U.S. adults text-and-drive like teenagers</a> Vik on "Kathy Michaels: I want my money back" /forums/topic/kathy-michaels-i-want-my-money-back/page/2#post-10685 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:44:17 +0000 Vik 10685@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Vik</div>This article rocks. I love how melodramatic it is…..Kristina has to get in there and be all positive! Geesh, can’t you see we are enjoying being melodramatic Kristina:) I LOVE kelowna.com, what the heck is happening! Castanet sucks at reporting with detail! Marshall Jones on "Warriors office flooded with third jersey ideas" /forums/topic/ubc-okanagan-creates-new-master-of-management-degree#post-10684 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:42:57 +0000 Marshall Jones 10684@/forums/ <blockquote>The winner of the contest will receive a third jersey at the Warriors season opener.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/03/27/warriors-office-flooded-with-third-jersey-ideas/">Warriors office flooded with third jersey ideas</a> Deng Atem Kuol on "Homeless 'flower man' remembered" /forums/topic/2009-10-uefa-champions-league-preview-final#post-10683 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:46:42 +0000 Deng Atem Kuol 10683@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Deng Atem Kuol</div>Inter 2-1 Bayern CBC News on "Homeless 'flower man' remembered" /forums/topic/2009-10-uefa-champions-league-preview-final#post-10682 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:46:39 +0000 CBC News 10682@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/981fe_bc-100312-thomas-sawyer.jpg" class="cbc" /> Family, friends and strangers said goodbye Wednesday to one of downtown Vancouver's more colourful characters. Thomas Sawyer was best known as a kindly and unobtrusive homeless man who sold flowers. Sawyer, 55, died of massive internal injuries March 7 after he was found in an alley near Richards Street. Police assume he met with foul play. Dozens of photos on display at a gathering in Sawyer's memory Wednesday showed Sawyer as a smiling groom, as a restaurant owner in Mexico and as the youngest of seven children who grew up in Toronto. His brother Doug Sawyer said Tom got married in Mexico and had a son. But Doug said his brother showed up at his door one day following a deeply traumatic event, which he would discuss with no one. Sawyer soon moved to the streets of downtown Vancouver, where he met people like flower-stand owner George Garrison. Garrison said Sawyer would help open and close his small business on Granville Street. “I don't think I've got over [his death],” Garrison said. “So many people miss him.” Garrison said he knew Sawyer for almost 10 years. “He just had this charm. He could talk to people. He had stories for everyone.” Sawyer became known as “the flower man of Yaletown,” often giving away blossoms to passersby. As part of the investigation into Sawyer's death, Vancouver police have released surveillance video from the night he died, showing two men walking toward and then away from the place where Sawyer's body was found. Police admitted Wednesday that the investigation was proceeding slowly. <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/981fe_bc-100319-yaletown-death.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/03/31/homeless-flower-man-remembered/">Homeless 'flower man' remembered</a> CBC News on "The full story of the torture and murder of Jody Elliott" /forums/topic/tax-agency-widens-offshore-investigation#post-10681 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:42:50 +0000 CBC News 10681@/forums/ <blockquote>Now that all accused are in jail, the courts have lifted the lid on facts kept secret to preserve rights to fair trial. Here, for the first time, is the full story of what happened on Nov. 2, 2005 when a police officer pulled over a station wagon on a rural road and found a human head in the cargo area. Plus: </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/03/22/the-full-story-of-the-torture-and-murder-of-jody-elliott/">The full story of the torture and murder of Jody Elliott</a> Jose on "Calgary boy to return after 2 years in U.S." /forums/topic/calgary-boy-to-return-after-2-years-in-us#post-10680 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:42:25 +0000 Jose 10680@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Jose</div>Only in America we are so fucking stupid Robert Barnello on "Obama tours oil-covered shores in Louisiana" /forums/topic/obama-tours-oil-covered-shores-in-louisiana#post-10679 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:44 +0000 Robert Barnello 10679@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Robert Barnello</div>We have bulk tankers of perlite with clean up teams ready to roll, and absorb the oil to help protect the environment! The oil can be cleaned up and diposed of safely without further harm to the environment. we have used this system before to protect the shore lines! We have submitted this information to BP weeks ago with supporting documentation with no response! Please contact me so I can show you how we can help. I will fax or e-mail you information & documentation about our oil absorbing product, and how we have used it effectively in the past. Someone must acted to try to contain this disaster. CBC News on "Obama tours oil-covered shores in Louisiana" /forums/topic/obama-tours-oil-covered-shores-in-louisiana#post-10678 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:42 +0000 CBC News 10678@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/6372a_tp-obama-tar-cp-8762386.jpg" class="cbc" /> U.S. President Barack Obama toured Louisiana on Friday to get a first-hand look at the impact of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The president arrived by plane in New Orleans in the mid-morning before boarding a helicopter with U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing cleanup operations in the Gulf. They flew to Port Fourchon, in southeastern Louisiana, where thick oil threatens the sands of Fourchon Beach. A shirt-sleeved Obama walked to the water's edge, stooping as Allen explained what he was seeing. It is Obama's second visit to the region since the disaster began. The beach, sealed off with crime-scene-style yellow tape, is one of the few sandy stretches on Louisiana's coast, which is mostly marshland. Obama called reporters travelling with him to the water's edge to point out some small tar balls. “These are the tarballs that they're talking about,” he said. “You can actually send out teams to pick up as they wash on shore.” Obama received a formal briefing by Allen in nearby Grand Isle, La., and later told reporters that he made it clear that the admiral should get whatever resources required to deal with the crisis. Obama also vowed continued support for affected area residents. “You will not be abandoned. You will not be left behind,” he said. “The cameras at some point may leave. The media may get tired of the story, but we will not. We are on your side and we will see this through. We're going to keep at this every day until the leak is stopped, until this coastline is clean and your communities are made whole again. That's my promise to you.” <h3>BP admits failure</h3> The head of BP acknowledged earlier Friday that his company failed in its efforts to protect the shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico, calling the impacts of the massive oil spill an environmental “catastrophe.” “It is clear that we're dealing with a very significant environmental crisis and catastrophe,” CEO Tony Hayward told CNN's American Morning on Friday. “A cup of oil on the shore is failure,” he said, referring to the thick, gooey oil washing up in the marshlands and shores of Louisiana. “In that regard, we have failed to defend the shoreline to the degree and extent that we believed we could.” BP's latest attempt to stop the oil flow is “proceeding broadly according to plan,” Hayward said, adding it could be 48 hours before the company knows conclusively if it is working. After an 18-hour delay Thursday to assess its efforts and bring in more materials, BP resumed pumping heavy drilling mud into the blown-out well 1,500 metres underwater in a procedure known as a “top kill.” It also conducted a “junk shot” by injecting small, dense rubber balls and rubber scraps into a series of valves at the top of the wellhead, called the blowout preventer, to clog it up and keep mud from escaping. An underwater video of the pipe shows some of the light brown mud gushing out of the same holes the much darker oil used to gush from. The mud is non-toxic, water-based and “does no environmental harm at all,” Hayward said. The top kill is the latest in a string of attempts to stop the oil that has been spewing since the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. If the procedure works, BP will inject cement into the well to seal it permanently. If it doesn't, the company has a number of backup plans. Either way, crews will continue to drill two relief wells, considered the only surefire way to stop the leak. <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/6678d_tp-mud-oil-cp-8759824.jpg" class="cbc" /><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/49893_oil-hand-cp-rtr2eeld.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/05/28/obama-tours-oil-covered-shores-in-louisiana/">Obama tours oil-covered shores in Louisiana</a> Last Days Guy on "Cirque founder sued for defamation" /forums/topic/cirque-founder-sued-for-defamation#post-10677 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:35 +0000 Last Days Guy 10677@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Last Days Guy</div>Ian Halperin should be the one sued because he’s the trouble maker and he should be the one suffering not Guy because he know’s lies about everything and will do anything in his power to make sure nobody can stop him. CBC News on "Cirque founder sued for defamation" /forums/topic/cirque-founder-sued-for-defamation#post-10676 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:33 +0000 CBC News 10676@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/083ee_arts-laliberte-reuters-584.jpg" class="cbc" /> The author of an unauthorized biography about the founder of the Cirque du Soleil has launched a $500,000 defamation lawsuit against the Montreal-based billionaire. Ian Halperin is suing over remarks Guy Laliberté made about him following the publication of an excerpt of the his book Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil. In an interview with The Canadian Press in July of 2009, Laliberté described the book as “a piece of crap” and full of lies. In subsequent interviews, he described Halperin and his lawyers as “crooks.” According to court documents, Halperin's lawyers have sent several letters to Laliberté demanding that he stop attacking the book. Laliberté has replied with letters from his own lawyers, asking Halperin to stop repeating the book's “lies and defamation” in media interviews about it. In court documents filed at the courthouse on May 26, Halperin claims Laliberté's criticism has had a “devastating effect” on his reputation as a journalist. The document cites an appearance last month on the Radio-Canada television show Tout le Monde en Parle, where Halperin claims he was “ridiculed throughout the entire interview.” The Cirque has threatened to sue Halperin for punitive damages on behalf of Laliberté and the company, but has yet to file a claim. In his article and his book, already a bestseller in Quebec, Halperin describes sex, illegal drugs and wild parties associated with the early days of Cirque du Soleil and its founder. His book paints a flattering portrait of Laliberté's business acumen and the dynamic personality that helped him build the Montreal-based circus troupe, but also detailed descriptions of 1980s-era parties. Halperin, also a Montrealer, is known for his unauthorized biographies of the rich and famous, including Michael Jackson and Céline Dion. <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/a8882_books09-halperin-cp-392.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/01/cirque-founder-sued-for-defamation/">Cirque founder sued for defamation</a> laura on "Celine Dion exhausted by IVF" /forums/topic/celine-dion-exhausted-by-ivf#post-10675 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:26 +0000 laura 10675@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: laura</div>congrats celine. I will pray for you and your everyday. Laura BangEntertainment on "Celine Dion exhausted by IVF" /forums/topic/celine-dion-exhausted-by-ivf#post-10674 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:24 +0000 BangEntertainment 10674@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/2d2cf_1275381641.jpg" class="entertainment" />Celine Dion admits getting pregnant with twins was “physically and emotionally exhausting”. The 'Think Twice' singer – who already has a nine-year-old son Rene-Charles with husband Rene Angelil – underwent six gruelling courses of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to conceive and says it's one of the toughest things she's ever had to do. She said: “I feel like I've been pregnant more than a year. I never gave up. But I can tell you that it was physically and mentally exhausting.” Celine, 42, says she will follow her doctor's advice to make to ensure the healthy arrival of her babies, who are due in November. She told newspaper Le Journal de Montreal: “I do almost nothing. If you tell me I have to stay in bed, I will stay in bed until November, when the babies are born. To bring them into the world, there's nothing more important than that.” After an agonizing wait to have more children, Celine admits she was living on her nerves every time they visited medical experts. She said: “My doctor had to constantly reassure me…Each week I had sonograms. I heard their heart beats.” “It's stressful but I'm relaxing. I look at my little belly.” The 42-year-old songstress has had an emotional few months as she tried to have more children with her 68-year-old spouse. Last August the couple announced they were expecting a child following a successful round of IVF, but in November her spokesperson confirmed the pregnancy had failed. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/06/01/celine-dion-exhausted-by-ivf/">Celine Dion exhausted by IVF</a> Mark on "B.C. beekeepers stung by end of ban" /forums/topic/bc-beekeepers-stung-by-end-of-ban#post-10673 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:00 +0000 Mark 10673@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Mark</div>This issue is full of mis-information! Let’s start looking at the issue from a logical ‎perspective instead of as an emotional reaction to change. Not all Vancouver Island ‎beekeepers are opposed to the lifting of the ban – some would like the ability to import ‎under proper inspection protocols, just like those protocols utilized to import bees from ‎Australia, New Zealand and Chile under the current ban.‎ There are only 586 registered beekeepers on Vancouver Island. Many of who only have ‎one or two hives.‎ This issue has been at the forefront for some time and just because a vocal minority did ‎not get their way they are up in arms. Many beekeepers on Vancouver Island have been ‎consulted over this issue.‎ These beekeepers are assuming that all the equipment being brought in is used, they have ‎not asked anyone that is importing ‘Domestic Canadian Honey Bees’ if they are putting ‎them in new equipment. Speak with a beekeeper that is importing before making this ‎outlandish statement.‎ More than 90% of the honeybees on Vancouver Island died this past winter – and farmers ‎need bees now for pollinating food crops. Is the quarantine working, probably not as ‎people have smuggled honey bees onto Vancouver Island in the past 22 years, the ‎quarantine is simply not enforceable plus it has no scientific basis upon which it is ‎supported.‎ The issue regarding allowed importation of bees for foreign suppliers, such as New ‎Zealand and Chile. Where do you think the bulk of North American honey bee disease ‎originated, it was imported from foreign countries. Where are the DNA tests to prove ‎that the bees imported over the last 22 years from foreign countries are not the culprit of ‎the recent collapse on Vancouver Island. What is a non-threatening bee disease? This ‎would imply that we know everything about these bees and their environment, including ‎that no one in that country ever illegally imported bees from elsewhere. Also this past ‎spring a shipment of bees arrived from Chile – of the 830 packages of bees 820 were ‎dead on arrival, another replacement shipment was sent and over half of the shipment ‎arrived dead. The shipment from Australia was cancelled due to volcanic ash problems.‎ Vancouver Island already has a mite problem, including chemical resistant strains of the ‎mites because Vancouver Island beekeepers have, just like the rest of North America over ‎using chemicals. What ever happened to an Integrated Pest Management approach to ‎pests? The island needs to be more vigilant and rely less on chemicals when treating bee ‎diseases and pest, which we already have. It appears that the general public is being lead ‎down the garden path is they think Vancouver Island is honey bee paradise, because it is ‎not.‎ CBC News on "B.C. beekeepers stung by end of ban" /forums/topic/bc-beekeepers-stung-by-end-of-ban#post-10672 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:40:58 +0000 CBC News 10672@/forums/ <blockquote><img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/b43ff_bc-100513-beehive-racks.jpg" class="cbc" /> The beekeeping community on Vancouver Island is abuzz with the B.C. government's lifting of a longstanding quarantine intended to protect the local bee population. The quarantine was imposed in 1988 to block the spread of infection from other bees on the Canadian mainland. The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture lifted the ban on Canadian bees April 30, but many of the island's 1,200 beekeepers want it reinstated. “We've had the carpet pulled out from under us and we've got our stingers flexed over this,” said Brian Scullion of the Capital Region Beekeepers Association. The association is concerned about the possible presence of infectious agents on the racks on which bees are transported. “Used equipment carries the pests, the pathogens and the diseases along with it,” Scullion said. In the 22 years since the bee quarantine was imposed, Vancouver Island beekeepers were allowed to import bees only from foreign suppliers, such as New Zealand and Chile. <h3>Government seeks genetic diversity</h3> Those countries tend to have climates and non-threatening bee diseases similar to Vancouver Island. The government says lifting the ban and allowing bees from domestic sources will help the delicate island bees develop more genetic diversity and stronger immune systems. Some beekeepers say the risks outweigh the benefits. “If one beekeeper gets [a disease], those bees fly over and mingle with those bees, the next guy gets it,” said beekeeper Grant Stringer. In March, some areas of Vancouver Island lost as many as 90 per cent of their bees to an invasion of mites that were brought in on illegally imported hive racks. The insects are essential for pollinating orchards and many vegetable crops. “Local bees, bred on Vancouver Island for our climate, for our beekeepers, that's what we want to rely on,” Scullion said. “We don't want to rely on imported bees at all.” <img src="http://www.kelowna.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/b43ff_bc-100513-island-bees.jpg" class="cbc" /> CBC News </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kelowna.com/2010/05/14/b-c-beekeepers-stung-by-end-of-ban/">B.C. beekeepers stung by end of ban</a> Steven Baird on "2 children stabbed in Winnipeg apartment" /forums/topic/2-children-stabbed-in-winnipeg-apartment#post-10671 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:40:51 +0000 Steven Baird 10671@/forums/ <div class="wpbb_anonymous_userinfo">Posted by unregistered user: Steven Baird</div>Street Smart Kidz is shocked and dismayed by this absolutely incomprehensible event. If there is anything we can do to help this family, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will respond immediately. Our prayers go out to the innocent children, and family members. Steven Baird Managing Director Street Smart Kidz Canada