| Lebanon in mourning after fresh violence
Lebanon is in official mourning after a night of anti-government street demonstrations in southern Beirut left seven people dead and many Lebanese wondering if the country was slipping into civil war. Schools and universities closed and troops patrolled the streets of Beirut to prevent fresh outbreaks of rioting. "This is an hour of sadness. Our country is passing through the most dangerous times," said Fouad Siniora, the Prime Minister. Lebanese newspapers said that the riot evoked grim images of the 1975-90 civil war. "Black Sunday", the pro-government Al-Mustaqbal daily labelled it. A headline in the independent French-language L'Orient-Le Jour said: "The demons of discord are attempting to reignite the fires of civil war" .
The Real Rip-Off Report (87)
He's exactly what you'd expect of a self-titled consumer advocate, with one key difference. Thanks to the Internet, people actually have to pay attention to him. Before the rise of the Web, the powerful could write off gadflies such as Ed Magedson. But the Internet provides a bully pulpit that Magedson has harnessed with startling success and woe to the business owner who tries to ignore him. The Rip-Off Report has become a boon to the disgruntled, who've posted complaints taking on everything from poor business practices to deadbeat dads, ofen without a shred of proof. For Ed Magedson, it's been an even bigger gift. It's made him powerful, and it's made him money although certainly not a dot-com millionaire. Magedson won't remove posts. He's not interested in evidence that would offer vindication.
Geoff Oldfather: It's time to get ready for annual invasion
I'm putting together my annual preparedness guide. And I need your help. As you read this, be thinking of your own "preparedness tips" and e-mail or mail them to me and I'll include them. I'm adding new features — a tracking chart, tips on safe driving, what to stock up on and areas to avoid. I'm not talking about hurricanes. What we need to start preparing for is much more insidious and here before we know it. I'm talking about ... the snowbirds. Since it's one of the most dangerous aspects this time of year, let's tackle the driving issue first. Our already-congested roadways will soon be filled with slow-moving Cadillacs and Buicks, their drivers struggling to stay on the phone books or throw pillows they use to see over the steering wheel on the way to the nearest early bird special.
One of the capital’s most ignored problems is also the ...
Back in my native UK, the House Rat is now one of the rarest mammals, found only on a few offshore islands. It seems to have retreated due to competition from the larger Brown Rat, a robust rodent, similar in general form but with smaller ears and a thicker and proportionately shorter tail. The Brown Rat is also found in Egypt, but rather than ousting the House Rat from its urban niche, here the Brown Rat seems to be limited to wetter areas along irrigation canals, drainage ditches and the like. One wonders why the House Rat should be so successful here and yet on the verge of extinction in Britain. Other factors are clearly at play. The climate in the UK is much wetter than in Egypt, so perhaps the Brown Rat, seemingly more at home in damper habitats, has a behavioral advantage over the House Rat there.
Canadian literary editor, anthologist Robert Weaver dies
CanLit champion Robert Weaver, who has been described as "the best friend Canadian writers ever had," has died at the age of 87. The influential literary editor, anthologist and broadcaster died Saturday in Toronto after a brief illness. Born in Niagara Falls, Weaver served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Armed Forces during the Second World War. He graduated from the University of Toronto and worked briefly in a bank before joining CBC Radio in 1948. Nurtured Munro, Richler early on Weaver solicited and championed the work of Canadian writers and poets by featuring them on the new shows he created, including CBC Stage, CBC Playhouse, Canadian Short Stories and Anthology. He is credited with nurturing and giving early breaks to new or then unknown young writers such as Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, Timothy Findley, Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen.
Auto Industry 1991-2000
It is quite possible that even if the auto industry does not recover its former strength, within a few years it will be equal in strength to the primary sectors of the economy.
HISTORY: 1991-2000
The Russian automotive industry is unique. It produces cheap, obsolete, low-quality products whose export potential is close to zero. Nevertheless, events in the history of its privatization and subsequent redistribution have always made the front pages of newspapers. All because the Soviet-era dream of a private car is still a dream for the majority of our country's residents.
1991
In February, the shareholders of AO KamAZ held their first meeting. Nikolai Bekh, head of the foundry division, was elected president. KamAZ was turned into a corporation in June 1990 by a decision of the government of the USSR: 38% of the shares became the property of the union, 13% became the property of Tatarstan, and the remaining stocks were put up for sale.
Wild Card/Vacation Day 11 of 12
Only two more shopping days until I return to the final days of the City Council campaigns. Then, we'll have fun taking apart the campaigns. Any dirt yet? Any mudslinging. You know, the good stuff. Or is everyone behaving? My wife is now looking over my shoulder -- literally -- so I have to pretend that I'm just checking ball scores. See ya in two days. Here's Wild Card ... .
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