Santa Claus came to town today across the province, but he’s didn't come alone. For the first time in history, Mrs. Claus made an appearance at Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade. Twenty-six floats were featured in Canada’s oldest parade, just in its 107th year...no biggie.
To show just how hip Santa was, the new “Santa Cam” photographed the crowd so participants can download images of themselves off the parade's website after the event. An iPhone app will also allow fans to stalk Santa during the parade. To show solidarity with Rudolph, red noses will be distributed throughout the city.
And if that wasn't enough, Toronto's Santa was also tweeting!
A research team at Oslo University Hospital has found that consuming kiwis may lower blood pressure. The group conducted a small study of men and women with mild hypertension and asked them to eat either 3 kiwis a day or one apple (hey, kiwis are smaller!) a day for two months. When their daily blood pressure readings were taken, the researchers found those eating kiwis had 3.6 systolic points lower blood pressure than the apple-eating control group.
The team thinks the result may be similar to the effect of eating dark leafy greens which, like kiwis, contain the carotenoid and antioxidant lutein.
Ah, the classic story of Christmas: Jesus, Joseph, and a platinum blonde former Playmate. Brampton-born Russell Peters has proven he’s not only a talented comedian, but a great casting agent. Peterson has selected fellow Canadian Pamela Anderson to play the role of the Virgin Mary in an upcoming television show called “A Russell Peters Christmas Special.”
The 44-year old former Baywatch star and Playmate of the Month has been cast alongside such legends as Michael Bublé and Jon Lovitz to star in a mock manger scene.
Russell Peters will also play Joseph in the show, which will air in early December.
A new study at Concordia Univerity suggests that on average, coming to work when you’re sickis vastly more expensive for your employer than staying home. By slowing down recovery, spreading illness to others, and just generally hampering productivity, “presenteeism” with the common cold reportedly costs employers $16.7 billion annually.
In contrast, staying home, relaxing, and getting better costs employers a mere $8 billion. The study also identified the most likely culprits for coming into work sick: people who are engaged in teamwork, deal with customers, or are insecure about their jobs.
Of the people surveyed, a whopping 83 per cent said they would go to work or school if they had flu-like symptoms.
KIEV - Welcoming the local authorities’ move to the dark side, Darth Vader has asked for a land plot in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to park his space ship.
An Odessite dressed as the Star Wars villain visited the mayor’s office this week to claim a free land plot citing Ukrainian legislation which grants every citizen the right to own 1,000 square metres of land. His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media. The mayor’s office has since said the move was a mistake but has not yet cancelled it, according to local news website Dumskaya.net.
“I am Darth Vader, the right hand of Emperor Palpatine,” the man introduced himself to amused policemen, as seen in a video posted on YouTube and accompanied by the Imperial March music.
“...Knowing that many (local legislature) deputies and the mayor have switched to the dark side... I have come for a land plot... for my space cruiser.
Officials accepted the man’s application after he showed his passport and removed the black helmet equipped with a voice-distorting device.
“The application has been registered and will be considered,” a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office told Reuters.
“We are not on the dark side, we are light-side people,” she added.
Media wasn't allowed inside last night's Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, North Carolina, but a local news station spotted the actress's ride pull up to the convention centre. Sorry, that's all I got so far. No word yet whether or not her date, Sgt. Scott Moore, like, huh huh, did stuff with her.
What is it with kids these days? In my day, teenagers were all getting pregnant and it was a big crisis, very "punk rock." Nowadays kids are barely having babies at all. Have you kids completely given up?
The birth rate among American teens fell to its lowest recorded level last year...There were 34.3 births per 1,000 people 15 to 19 years old in 2010, a 9% drop from 37.9 births the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The rate has fallen in 17 of the past 19 years.
Hey I'm no scientist but maybe the problem here is teenagers are having less sex? You know??? Don't have to be a genius for this one, kids! Have to say you should have seen this one coming a mile away! Hey, what will America's moral and religious leaders complain about now? Hey, the good news is that the nation's fertility rate has now dropped below replacement level—more room for me to visit the country, right? Kidding folks, but seriously kids out there, "wrap it up," if you know what I mean. Use a condom, that is—unless you're with me! Kidding, girls. Unless you're over 18! Hey, I have some wine coolers and an old Barry White CD, want to "come over and watch movies?" Kidding, you're not girls, you're women, and this is a serious issue folks. For teenage boys! It's a crisis! Kidding, it's a positive development. Unless you're an MTV reality show producer! Aye-yi-yi, those teen moms are great on TV—take one for the team, ladies! Kidding, that's not a good reason to have a child. It's about love. Of sex! Kidding.
But seriously, just tell me your email address and add me on Facebook.
Peanut butter! Speed weapon! Magic particles! Vacuum light! Extreme weather! Spray skin! Female voles! Squid mystery! And the lightest thing ever invented! It's your Sunday Science Watch, where we watch science—to the extreme!
Peanut butter: what does it have to do with science? Well, it has to be something, certainly, because it's right here in my notes for this column, which I made this morning, so I'm certain that it relates to a science story somehow, if you'll just allow me to, ah, peruse my source materials for a moment, I'm sure it will turn it up... ah, yes, well I'm fairly certain it must have been this, although it's difficult to say anything for sure, when it comes to science such as this.
Imagine: a weapon that can travel five times the speed of sound. Just imagine. And while you imagine, BAM, goodbye. (End point here.)
For years I've been hesitant to those who do drugs and thought about saying "I bet some particles really can travel faster than light. Einstein was a coward." Well, now some researchers have gone and shown it, for the second time. You can send my Nobel Prize to "c/o Blaine, the bodega at the corner of Bay and North Ave." Blaine will take it from there.
And speaking of light, Swedish physicists have demonstrated the dynamical Casimir effect, by pulling light out of empty space. Yeah, I can turn on the light switch too guys, give me a break, brother!
Do you like "extreme weather" like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and volcanic eruptions? Oh... I... I thought you were going to say "yes." I had this story about how extreme weather is becoming more common thanks to global warming, and everything. Had it all ready to go, and I was going to bring it out and surprise you with it, and say "Surprise!" just to see the smile light up your face, and then I had this cake and everything. Well. Just forget it. No, no... it's fine.
"Spray-on skin:" an abomination against God and man alike? Depends.
Looks like one plucky class of biology students has unraveled that big Mexican squid mystery. "Kylie—what's that in the water?" asked one biology class member to the other, as they stood on the boat. "Looks like the solution to that squid mystery—the solution we've been searching for!" exclaimed Kylie. "High five!" said the first student. Then they slapped hands together.
Scientists have invented the lightest material in the world: the intellectual heft of the North Bay Nugget editorial page.
180 passenger were told they had to leave the plane, or else fork over 23,400 euros (~$32,000) for fuel and various airport taxes. Those who did not have cash-on-hand were escorted to nearby ATMs; others had to borrow the money from fellow passengers.
“They said there was a deficit of nearly 20,000 pounds and they gave us receipts,” said passenger Ranbir Dehal of Wolverhampton. “They lined up the buses and said we would be removed from the plane if we didn’t pay up.”
The plane finally left Vienna after a six hour delay. As many a three other flights along the same route may have encountered similar “financial difficulties.”
They refused to leave until the company agreed to increase their $50 compensation. 21 passengers remained onboard for over five hours, demanding to be reimbursed for a hotel room that went unused.
Eventually, following a tense standoff with police, the airline bumped the restitution up to $150.
Speaking with local media, a passenger said the protest wasn’t so much about the money as it was about the airline’s attitude.
Santa Claus came to town today across the province, but he’s didn't come alone. For the first time in history, Mrs. Claus made an appearance at Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade. Twenty-six floats were featured in Canada’s oldest parade, just in its 107th year...no biggie.
