Daily Archives: February 9, 2010

Google Street view spreads across Canada

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Even Charlottetown PEI is included

Victoria Row, Charlottetown, PEI click on the picture and enter the civic address

Goggle Street View now includes most cities and towns in Canada including those Prince Edward Island, the smallest province.

Google Street View works by linking street level photographs with Google Maps. You type in an address and Google presents you with a map. Right click on the mouse and one of the options is “Street View.” The phenomenon is best experienced, not explained to try it.

Once you are in Street View, you can browse around like walking up or down the street, turning around, looking up or looking down.

Some people find it cool: some think it is intrusive. Google will see and tell all in real time Continue reading →

Nortel pays bonuses to execs and pittance to retirees and disabled

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Government not doing enough to protect employees on disability and retirement pensions

Nortel announced that it was paying pension disability benefits to its former employees until the end of 2010. Benefits extended for Nortel ex-employees. New $57-million funding deal will extend coverage to end of 2010, from earlier deadline of March 31 Globe and Mail

Companies who self-fund pensions are not sufficiently regulated by the government. The pensions are not insured and federal regulators don’t keep an eye on them to protect the pensions from collapse.

As we have seen with Nortel, a company can go bankrupt and leave seniors and the disabled without supports that they cannot replace on their own due to age or disability.

“Former employees of Nortel Networks Corp. will see their benefits coverage extended until the end of 2010 under a new $57-million funding deal unveiled Monday.” Continue reading →

Worldwide Recalls for Toyota Prius Hybrid

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The Prius is being recalled because of complaints about a faulty braking system.

Toyota Prius now brake problems

From Slate – Toyota executives told Japanese government officials today that the company would be moving forward with plans to recall about 400,000 Prius hybrids.

Nearly 200,000 of the hybrids will be recalled in Japan alone, with another 150,000 recalls affecting U.S. consumers; the remainder will be recalled in Europe and other markets.

We have a Prius and the brakes do chatter and fade, especially over bumps. There were 2 million of the Prius hybrid sold. Which years are being recalled? sp

Toyota “has said it redesigned the anti-lock braking system for Prius cars produced since last month,” AFP reported, but that won’t help customers who purchased cars before then; they have reported problems braking at slow speeds, over bumps and potholes and on slippery roads.
Continue reading →