Archive for the ‘News’ Category
It’s a silly poll but the impact is real
It’s one of those polls that really shouldn’t matter
Most Conservatives are not committed (Poll CRA/Guardian chart NJN Network)
Paul MacNeill, Eastern Graphic
It’s one of those polls that really shouldn’t matter … unless it happens to be a poll that reflects very poorly on the perceived front-runner for the leadership of the Island Progressive Conservatives.
Then it becomes a poll that could have a significant impact.
There is little for Olive Crane to be satisfied with in results of the Corporate Research poll commissioned by The Guardian. It found 26 per cent of Islanders favour Jamie Ballem as leader of the PCs. Crane follows in second with a meager 20 per cent and the remaining three candidates trailing far behind. The poll featured a massive undecided factor of 34 per cent and a large margin of error of 5.6 per cent. Read the rest of this entry »
Will Tories bury the PNP investigation
Four candidates for Tory leadership waffle, only Crane calls for inquiry
Jamie Ballem, burying the PNP?
Tory leadership candidates Jamie Fox, Fred McCardle and Peter Llewellyn were recipients of free money from the PNP fund.
If nothing else this demonstrates how easy it was for the “politically connected” on PEI to get $45,000 to $200,000 from the PNP fund. Did you get any?
Candidate Jamie Ballem is sitting on the fence about the PNP. “Jamie Ballem said he didn’t participate, but called it a good program. ” PNP basically kept us out of a recession: we had people working here, the injection of capital was critical,” said Ballem. “Having said that, it was abused.” CBC “We have to move on,” he told the Guardian.
That is code for cover up.
Only Tory leadership candidate Olive Crane has called for a public inquiry into how the PNP program was run. Crane has been unrelenting on the subject over the past two years. She brings it up in the Legislature and in public. Read the rest of this entry »
Newspapers discover internet when 12 year old raped
Ottawa citizen actually posted the link to another newspaper in story about rape in Calgary
An ambulance attendant loads a patient at a playing field adjacent to Clarence Sansom Junior High, on 24th Avenue N.E. in the community of Pineridge. A girl as young as 12 was attacked, and possibly raped, in the northeast schoolyard just before the supper hour Monday as a group of youths looked on and took photos. Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Police+seize+cellphones+interview+drunk+teens+after+schoolyard+assault/3487713/story.html#ixzz0yritlkqi Photograph by: Courtesy, Global TV
It was a pretty ghastly story in the Ottawa Citizen. Some teenage boys in Calgary allegedly raped a 12 year old girl in the school yard while other children looked on and took photographs with their cellphones.
Police have detained one boy who appeared to be the perpetrator and seized cell phones from others. They may contain videos or pictures which could be evidence.
Alcohol was involved. A mother in a nearby home witnessed the whole incident unsure what was happening and then horrified when she realized the young girl was being sexually attacked.
The Ottawa Citizen was covering the story from the Calgary Herald. In an unprecedented move for a newspaper, the Citizen printed the link back to other paper.
Picture caption is exactly as shown in the Ottawa Citizen
Android on the rise in mobile web use
Blackberry and Apple iOS yield market share to Google Android devices
Apple's share of internet traffic is dropping, Android now 1/4 of use
This has nothing to do with how many smartphones or tablets are sold but everything to do with what people are using to get on the mobile internet.
Apple used to own this market with 68% of user traffic. They are down to 56%
Android devices are up from 9% to 25% from May 2009 and obviously on the rise.
Blackberry is down from 12% to 9%.
There are plenty of statistical reports on this market. They all show a trend upwards for Android.
There are more Android devices on the market these days and with Android you can see more sites than with Apple iOS.
For instance, our tracking of Hurricane / Tropical Storm Earl from StormPulse could not be seen on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The site uses Flash animation.
That is only one example of how Apple frustrates its customers every day. Source Quantcast, suggested by Engadget.
Damage from Tropical Storm Earl in Charlottetown PEI
Plenty of branches and a few downed trees, some people lost power
By 3:30 PM the first attack of Tropical Storm Earl was over. In the early part of the storm, a tree fell against power lines on Grafton Street near Prince. Work crews were cleaning it up by 4 PM. Related to Fallen tree on Grafton Street during Tropical Storm Earl
Branches and debris littered the streets but it could have been a lot worse. An hour later the wind turned to the W and came back with fury.
I could have narrated the video but it’s obvious what is going on and the wind sounds great.
Fallen tree on Grafton Street during Tropical Storm Earl
Tree fell across the power lines on Grafton Street in Charlottetown, cleaned up about 3 hours later
Tree down on Grafton Street after Earl (photo Beth P Johnston)
By Beth P Johnston from TwitPic
For aftermath of tree damage, see Damage from Tropical Storm Earl in Charlottetown PEI
Tropical Storm Earl it’s not over yet
Storm seemed to abate mid afternoon but at 4:30 the winds changed direction and came on strong again as Earl pounds PEI
Update – Nova Scotians felt the worst of Tropical Storm Earl. More than 200,000 homes were without power from fallen trees and branches on power lines. Halifax lost power and was littered with trees and debris.
At 6 PM Tropical Storm Earl was 20 miles west of the Magdalen Islands still packing 110 km/h winds. The track after the Magdalen Islands is Western Newfoundland.
Earl cut a swath through central Nova Scotia with power outages all along it’s path. No deaths were reported except a swimmer in Chocolate Lake in Halifax and its not clear if it was during the storm or not.
Powered by storm-tracking software from Stormpulse.com
StormPulse puts the eye of the storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 135 miles from Sydney. Winds at the center of the storm are still 112 km/h but outside that they range from 62 to 91 km/h. Read the rest of this entry »
Earl Noon AM update – Earl centered 50 miles from Halifax heading for PEI
Wind caused power outages in Halifax from Earl as the storm packs 112 km/h winds
Tropical Storm Earl is picking up velocity now moving 57 km/h with winds of 112 km/h. The eye of the storm has become more focused and will hit PEI in Kings County within 4 hours. Charlottetown is not in the direct path any long but will experience 91 km/h winds and heavy rain.
Here’s a time lapse video from Halifax posted at 10.40 just before Cameron lost his power.
Saturday 9 AM Look out Nova Scotia and PEI! It’s here
Rain is heavy across half of Nova Scotia but the sun is out in Charlottetown with winds picking up and the power going off and on since 8:20 AM
9 AM rain on radar from Environment Canada
Tropical storms and hurricanes are weird. The calm before the storm is true. Halifax is expected to get winds over 100 km/h and heavy rain. Even with Earl offshore, the rain is heavy in Nova Scotia in Yarmouth, the Valley and Lunenburg all the way to the edge of Halifax.
Halifax just got an updated forecast and warning “Halifax Metro and Halifax County West continued Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions. Watch for updated statements.”
The power has taken my computer down twice since 8:20 while trying to update this story. Could be a crazy day.
For weather radar updates, bookmark Environment Canada.
US Veterans getting better compensation for Agent Orange exposure
The Royal Canadian Legion has become concerned about the budget allocated for Agent Orange compensation.
Legion First Vice Pat Varga places a wreath at the Cassino War Cemetery assisted by youth representative Mélanie Morin. (photo Tom MacGregor)
Letter to the Editor, Daily Gleaner – It would seem that the allocated funds, which have not all been spent through the ex-gratia payments made by the federal government as compensation for exposure to the chemical, will lapse with no benefits for veterans.
The legion was at the forefront in advocating for this compensation and applauded the federal government for its initiative on this issue.
But it was concerned on two fronts – the period of eligibility was much too restrictive, and the criteria to allocate these payments was much broader than the test applied to compensate veterans through the disability benefit system where the cause must be proven rather than inferred.
Regardless of our concerns on these issues, we considered this a good first step. Read the rest of this entry »
Earl 6 AM update – veering to the North East expected to hit Lockport, Truro and Eastern PEI
Overnight Tropical Storm Earl changed direction slightly to the east and is now headed for the Western Shore of Nova Scotia at 48 km/h with wind speeds of 112 km/h
Maritimers woke up to a strange calm with cloudy skys. Winds of 91 km/h were starting in from Metaghan to Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Rain was heavy in Maine and starting in Western New Brunswick and the southern area near St. Stephen. Where was Tropical Storm Earl?
While picking up speed overnight to 48 km/h (30 mph) it had veered off its original course up the Bay of Fundy was now moving over the continental shelf. At 6 AM it was 219 miles (350 km) from Portland Maine and 156 miles (233 Km) from Yarmouth. It was moving on a path to pass directly over Truro, Nova Scotia at 3 PM and then eastern Prince Edward Island. However, no one including Environment Canada was sure. “We’re not exactly sure,” said Doug Mercer, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. CBC
Prince Edward Island will be hit from Central Queens to all of Kings County with the eye projected to pass over Montague. No one predicted that yesterday.
Perhaps the Acadians in Evangeline knew something when they kept to their schedule for L’Exposition agricole et Le Festival acadien de La Région Évangéline being held today in Abrams Village. They may be spared the worst of the storm
Earl midnight update – storm moving eastward landfall east of Yarmouth heading for PEI
Tropical Storm Earl now off Cape Cod, heading for Yarmouth about 11 AM with 104 km/h winds
Tropical Storm Earl expected landfall east of Yarmouth (image StormPulse)
Earl is picking up speed now moving forward at 25 miles per hour. Winds of 75 miles per hour are expect to reduce to 65 miles per hour (1o4 km/h) as the storm makes landfall east of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Landfall on PEI will happen around 3 PM with the eye of the storm over Victoria, PEI.
Cape Cod got off lightly with heavy winds and drenching rain but no major hurricane damage. There were reports of beach erosion and one home near Chatham may be lost to the sea.
Environment Canada had not updated the 9:09 PM update at midnight and still predicts Earl will land west of Yarmouth, NS. The morning will tell the tale. Read the rest of this entry »
Earl 9 PM Update – wind speeds down to 75 mph but moving faster NE
Tropical Storm Earl picked up speed to 23 mph, now 219 miles from Boston, changing course slightly to the NW landfall of storm eye in Nova Scotia at Church Point
PEI landfall seems to be tracking for the Mt. Carmel to Cape Egmont area about 3 PM on Saturday. Most of PEI is predicted to receive heavy rainfall and winds of 96 km/h.
Hurricane Earl, tracking projected landfall Nova Scotia and PEI
On Long Island, Earl whipped up surf with 55 mile an hour winds that caused rip tides and some beach erosion at Montauk the easternmost part of the United States. Residents consider they got off easy with little damage.
Earl is weakened but could do damage on Cape Cod where boats and vacation homes line the Atlantic coast. Earl will be 60 miles off the coast of Cape Cod when it goes by.
Atlantic Canada is holding its breath, hoping to avoid any real damage.
