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Aside from news items (which we publish), notices in this section are free, if of regional interest to our readers. Send yours to anne@evalu8.org

Avalanche; Ice Storm, Blizzard (13) Corrupted Food-chain, Compromised water-supply, Famine, BSE (47) Earthquake, volcano / volcanic eruption, Rockslide (27) Emergency Measures, Kits, Strategy, Victim Assistance (40) Fire, Wildfires, Fire alerts, evacuation notices, explosion (37)

Flood, Tsunami, Waterspout, Mud-slide (44) Heat Wave (3) Hurricane, Typhoon, Monsoon, Tornado, Storms (35) Man-made, Human-error, Lust for Power, Hatred (176)

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'One from our family is plenty' *
If you have no one specific to mourn this Nov. 11, spare a moment of remembrance for Private Jay Batiste Moyer. [More]

'Ukraine's Holocaust' slowly acknowledged *
Olga Skoba's memories of the great famine in her village are dominated by a single image. [More]

* The Salvation Army responds to the explosions in Central London *
The Salvation Army is part of the official major incident response in London. [More]

10,000 flee B.C. fire, 15 Kelowna homes destroyed *
Officials confirmed on Friday afternoon that 15 homes were lost after forest fires jumped a guard near a residential area in southern Kelowna, B.C. Thursday night. [More]

15,000 believed to have died in French heat wave *
An estimated 15,000 people died in France's scorching heat wave this August, the country's largest undertaker said Tuesday, surpassing the official government estimate of 11,435. [More]

3000 Lower Mainland Hydro users without power *
Now you'll have to deal with the tedious drudgery of resetting all those blinking "twelves" on microwaves, television accessories and alarm clocks! [More]

9/11 transcripts released *
After a plane struck the first of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001, callers from the top floors of the neighbouring tower were told by Port Authority police to remain where they were. [More]

9/11: America remembers terror *
The name of every person to die at the World Trade Center two years ago was read aloud at the site Thursday morning, a ceremony that took several hours. It was one of a flurry of commemorations of the thousands who were killed in the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. [More]

A Catch-22 behind the fire line *
To protect their communities against forest blazes, reports MARK STEVENSON, woodland residents may have to give up what attracted them there in the first place [More]

A pilot's daring repeat rescue *
Battling elements, Calgary aviator makes second mercy mission to the South Pole. [More]

A ray of hope for a nation riddled by AIDS *
Lower drug prices, enlightened policies and an innovative doctor work wonders [More]

A word makes a world of difference *
Warrant Officer Paul Cook has served in the Canadian military for 20 years, and in that time, he has worked in Bosnia, Croatia and other hot zones. He was once crushed between two trucks and nearly killed. On another assignment, two of his colleagues died in action. [More]

ABC lands first interview with hoax patsy, Jessica Lynch *
ABC News' Diane Sawyer was chosen Monday for the first television news interview with alleged prisoner of war Jessica Lynch. [More]

Activists sue U.S. over orcas' status *
Killer whales on Canada's endangered list but lack same protections south of border [More]

Alberta consumers buy up cheap beef *
Alberta feedlot owners set up shop in two provinces Friday and sold hamburger for just over $2 a kilogram in an effort to get the beef industry moving despite the mad cow scare. [More]

Areas of Washington still in dark *
43,000 households remain without power a week after Isabel stormed through. [More]

Arising from the ashes *
As townsfolk battle the inferno, neighbours offer aid and comfort. But why hasn't the rest of Canada pitched in? demands broadcaster LORNA DUECK [More]

B.C safe-injection site wins police immunity *
North America's first sanctioned injection site for illegal drug-users could be up and running by September, after Health Canada yesterday granted the proposed venue an unprecedented exemption from police action. [More]

B.C. communities begin flood recovery *
With water levels beginning to drop in southern British Columbia on Wednesday, emergency services and work crews focused their efforts on cleaning up after the flash floods that forced at least 800 people to flee their homes. [More]

B.C. father goes on trial in fire deaths of 6 children *
Quatsino residents still struggling to cope with a blaze that tore apart a family -- and their hearts [More]

B.C. fire victims return to find charred homes *
Joan Thompson climbed up out of the basement and into the charred skeleton of the home she had moved into just three weeks ago. [More]

B.C. fires top Canadian list of weather-related disasters *
From salmon suffocating in warm British Columbia streams to a Newfoundland town entombed in ice, this year's bizarre weather leaves little doubt that climate change has the country in its grip, Environment Canada says. [More]

B.C. outbreak not SARS, UN health body confirms *
The has concluded that a respiratory disease that swept through a Vancouver-area nursing home this summer is not SARS. [More]

B.C. vineyards feeling heat of forest fires *
of British Columbia's best-known vineyards, including the Cedar Creek and St. Hubertus wineries, are threatened by huge forest fires that continue to rage across key grape-growing areas in the southeastern region of the province. [More]

B.C. won't privatize Coquihalla Highway *
Making his most significant policy reversal since taking office, Premier Gordon Campbell announced yesterday that British Columbia would not proceed with plans to privatize the Coquihalla Highway. [More]

Battling the fires and asking questions *
British Columbia has burned before, and the thickly forested province will burn again, because nothing can stop the forces of nature. Not in recent memory, however, has the region burned so dramatically or with such devastating effect. [More]

Belgian pipeline blast kills 10 *
Firemen investigating leak in natural-gas pipe among confirmed dead; 200 other people injured. [More]

Bellingham ad hoc hurricane relief *
In Bellingham, an 18-wheeler is being filled on James Street, in the mall formerly occupied by the Red Apple. [More]

Benefit raises money for B.C fire victims *
Some of Canada's most notable names in music played a benefit concert Saturday to raise money for victims of British Columbia's summer of flame and pay tribute to the firefighters who fought the blazes. [More]

Bitter root, sweet harvest *
Next week, the Governor-General officially acknowledges the Acadian expulsion of 1755. We Canadians have learned much from this tragedy, says political scientist DONALD SAVOIE. [More]

Bones of contention *
For decades the remains of B.C.'s Haida ancestors have been locked away in metal drawers as specimens in museums around the world. Now, the Haida are fighting to bring them home, ALEXANDRA GILL writes [More]

But enough about you, Vancouver *
Let's talk about Toronto. And let's be honest. Vancouver is the better city, at the moment. You really think the way Toronto handled SARS looks good on us? [More]

Canada mourns with U.S., PM tells Bush *
Chrétien phones President on anniversary of 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington [More]

Canada to change beef slaughtering practices *
Canada's beef industry must change its slaughtering practices by removing material from cattle that may transmit mad cow disease, federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief said Friday. [More]

Canada-U.S. gap in health grows *
Costs three times more south of border [More]

City's tireless Kelowna fire chief Gerry Zimmermann hailed as 'Rudy Giuliani' *
He has become the face of the Kelowna fire, the city's very own Rudolph Giuliani. He goes on TV every day and reassures residents that everything is going to be okay. He swears. He cries in public, yet still comes off as a leader in control. He jokes about the need for beer. Everyone in Kelowna loves Gerry Zimmermann, the city's 54-year-old fire chief. [More]

Citytv Vancouver announces 2nd annual CineCity short film competition *
Citytv Vancouver today announced the 2nd annual call for submissions in its highly-successful CineCity: Vancouver's Stories initiative. [More]

Computer gremlins, confusion preceded big blackout *
During the hour before the Aug. 14 power blackout, engineers in the control centre of an Ohio utility struggled to figure out why transmission lines were failing and complained that a computer failure was making it difficult to determine what was going on, transcripts of telephone communications released Wednesday show. [More]

Cracking the code of Sir Francis Drake *
It was a whim that led former B.C. cabinet minister Samuel Bawlf to wonder if Drake might have sailed the coast of British Columbia before Captain Cook. As MARK HUME reports, it became a fascination [More]

Craigslist is plainly effective *
Online job board and ad-free community site growing through word of mouth... [More]

Cranbrook fire threat grows *
More B.C. residents in the path of the Lamb Creek fire were forced to flee as the fire blazed out of control about 16 kilometres from Cranbrook Thursday. [More]

Designing a memorial of light *
Eight finalists have been chosen from 5,201 submissions in a design competition for a commemorative element at Ground Zero. SIMON HOUPT surveys the contenders. [More]

Drug makers should join fight against AIDS *
As Stephen Lewis, the United Nations special AIDS envoy, eloquently reminded the world again this week, the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is a horrific scourge that urgently requires a massive inflow of affordable anti-viral drugs and billions of dollars worth of other assistance from rich countries. [More]

EarthLink sues B.C., Alabama spammers *
EarthLink, the third-largest U.S. Internet service provider, filed a federal lawsuit yesterday against 100 e-mail spammers -- mostly based in Vancouver and Alabama -- who allegedly sent millions of unwanted commercial messages. [More]

Earthquake shakes southern California *
A powerful earthquake rocked the remote central coast of California on Monday, knocking out power in the area and sending tremors across a wide swath of the state. Initial reports indicated minor damage and some workers injured at a winery. [More]

Eighty more people sue over N.S. steel mill *
Another 80 people are joining a lawsuit against Nova Scotia and a Crown corporation over alleged personal injuries and property damage resulting from Canada's worst toxic-waste site [More]

Exhausted and infuriated *
Toronto's Lola Magazine and Vancouver's Blinding Light Cinema were two of Canada's richest cultural voices. Their demise says a lot about cultural burnout [More]

Experts awed by record downpour *
Freak B.C. rainfall a 'one in 100- or a one in 200-year event,' meteorologist says [More]

Exxon oil spill still ravaging Alaska sound *
15 years after disaster, wildlife continues to be poisoned by subsurface residue. [More]

Fate of historic bridges depends on fickle winds *
The fate of about a dozen historic railway bridges near Kelowna, B.C., hangs in the balance Friday as firefighters in the region enjoy an unexpected spell of low winds. [More]

Fire claims another historic B.C. bridge *
Worry over high winds continued to wear Saturday on firefighters battling the stubborn Okanagan Mountain Park blaze. The inferno, meanwhile, had overnight devoured another historic landmark and continued to keep thousands of people from their homes and many more on evacuation alert [More]

Fire evacuees fetch prized possessions *
Dozens of fire evacuees who were temporarily allowed to go back home Saturday fetched their prized possessions — golf clubs, photographs and even a bottle of champagne. [More]

Fire in B.C.: 'It's heartbreaking to watch it' *
Massive storm of heat, flame lays waste to B.C. Interior [More]

Floods surge in storm-lashed France *
Chirac heads for south to check out rescue efforts; at least five dead. [More]

Flu season strikes early in West *
Flu season has hit Canada early, clogging emergency rooms in Edmonton and prompting calls from health officials across the country for people to get immunized as soon as possible. [More]

Flurry of hurricanes forecast for East Coast *
Atlantic Canadians might be battening down the hatches more often this fall because nearly twice the usual number of hurricanes are expected to rip along the coast, driven by higher ocean temperatures. [More]

Following flooding, B.C. hit with more heavy rain *
Heavy rains fell on southern British Columbia on Monday adding to the floodwaters that forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes over the weekend. Regional Vancouver weather is available from Environment Canada (click here). [More]

For undistinguished reporting *
Reporter Walter Duranty turned a blind eye to one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century. For that, his 1932 Pulitzer Prize should be revoked, says Ukrainian-Canadian LUBOMYR LUCIUK. [More]

Forecast gives hope for Kelowna *
Good weather conditions Tuesday provided the first real ray of hope — both for firefighters battling the Kelowna-area fire and for the thousands of citizens waiting to return to their homes after fleeing last week. [More]

Fringe drifts more toward mainstream *
After completing successful runs in Montreal and Ottawa, the cross-country rolling carnival of theatre known as the Fringe Festival opens in Toronto today for its 15th presentation of short new works ranging from diamonds in the rough to very rough indeed. [More]

Gas prices and designer gridlock in B.C. *
Welcome to British Columbia, home of the highest gas prices in Canada. [More]

Ground Zero of the human heart *
The agony of their loss is more muted now, but three widows of 9/11 victims find the pain still ambushes them [More]

Halifax cleans up after biggest storm in decades *
Haligonians are cleaning up Monday after the city was hammered by Hurricane Juan overnight. [More]

Health of B.C. firefighters a growing concern *
The Kelowna fire is no longer advancing into this Okanagan city, but it's still burning out of control and taking its toll on the health of firefighters. [More]

Health officials baffled as West Nile cases cluster in Saskatchewan *
By any known method of predicting West Nile virus infections, Saskatchewan should not be the epicentre of the disease this year, health officials say. [More]

Hector Fraser Dougall: Tales of derring-do *
In a senseless war that lasted four years and took millions of lives, it was rare for individuals to stand out amid the carnage. But some managed. [More]

Hundreds mark 10-year anniversary of Clayoquot Sound protest *
Hundreds of people who were arrested at a massive logging protest on Vancouver Island in 1993 returned to the area for a reunion of sorts on Saturday. [More]

Hurricane Isabel blamed in 17 deaths *
Isabel raced from Virginia to the Canadian border Friday, delivering far less rain than expected but leaving millions without power, smashing homes and causing tidal surges that trapped even some city dwellers in their homes. [More]

Hurricane Isabel roars ashore *
Conditions deteriorated quickly on the eastern coast of North Carolina as Hurricane Isabel sharply picked up its pace before striking land with full force. [More]

Hurricane Isabel roars ashore (2) *
Hurricane Isabel plowed into North Carolina's Outer Banks with 160 kilometre winds and pushed its way Thursday up the Eastern Seaboard, weakening to a tropical storm by evening but not before swamping roads and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million people. [More]

Images of Katrina aftermath alive on Web *
Hundreds of Katrina-themed videos are hosted by YouTube and other video sites, ranging from montages of storm-damaged streets days after the hurricane to more recently created works that show that life is still far from normal. [More]

Insurers unfazed by B.C. fire disaster *
Firms say they can handle the claims [More]

Isabel losing strength en route to Canada *
By midday tomorrow, when hurricane Isabel hits Canada, she'll be pooped. [More]

It went to hell and back *
Ninety years on, it still has the power to move. [More]

Italian power outage more sweeping than North America's biggest blackout *
A massive blackout struck almost all of Italy early Sunday, leaving millions of people without power, stranding planes and trains, and leading to traffic accidents as drivers sped through darkened streets. [More]

Jessica Lynch has $1-million story *
Jessica Lynch has struck a $1-million (U.S.) deal for a book that will tell the story of her capture and rescue in Iraq. But questions remain over how much she remembers.
Read original Jessica Lynch hoax exposé story from May, 2003: BBC exposé says rescue of U.S. Army private faked [More]

JFK and the culture of dread *
The trauma of Kennedy's assassination still echoes through our books, movies and dreams, JAMES ADAMS writes. [More]

Juan begins assault on Halifax *
Hundreds of residents were evacuated in low-lying areas in the Halifax region as hurricane Juan hit the province Sunday, bringing 130 kilometre an hour winds and torrential rains. [More]

Kelowna fire finally contained *
Nearly a month after destroying 234 homes here, fire information officials declared the Okanagan Mountain fire 100 per cent contained on Saturday. [More]

Kelowna firefighter on the job hours after losing home *
City firefighter John Kelly was back on the job four hours after losing the home he had built for his family to the ferocious wildfire that has invaded this Okanagan city. [More]

Kelowna firefighters brace for winds *
Calm, cool weather has given Kelowna firefighters a break over the past few days, but the real test will come Tuesday or Wednesday — when winds are expected to pick up. [More]

Kelowna on edge for another night *
Officials say Saturday's critical period for the fires that are raging out of control is nearing an end, but it's too early to say that there will not be more evacuations before Sunday. [More]

Latest death at B.C. facility adds to puzzle around virus *
Medical experts say symptoms of illness not severe enough to be defined as SARS [More]

Lest we forget: In Flanders Fields *
Let us remember Canadian John's McCrae's poem on this special day. . . [More]

Liberia is chained to its past *
Former U.S. slaves seized land from indigenous peoples, and even set up their own slave trade, says ROGER MORRIS [More]

London death toll climbs *
The number of people killed in a devastating string of co-ordinated terrorist attacks in London will be more than 50 as emergency workers continue efforts to retrieve bodies from the city's underground, police said Friday. [More]

Looney could reach 82 cents *
The Canadian dollar soared above 73 cents (US) Friday -- jumping almost a full cent to a six-year high -- and surprised economists say it won't stop there. [More]

Lynn Coady: Olympic boosterism has a hollow ring *
Boy, the Asper papers weren't making it easy for anyone to maintain a healthy skepticism about the 2010 Olympics this week. Every block you walked down in Vancouver was graced with a cheerful lineup of newspaper boxes -- The Sun, The Province, and the B.C. edition of The National Post -- all depicting different versions of essentially the same scenario: ecstatic B.C.-ers, orgasmic with pride over their province's successful bid. [More]

Mad cow hunt moves south *
Investigators revealed Wednesday the search for the birth farm of the original mad cow has now expanded into the United States. [More]

Mad-cow hits Alberta *
A case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as BSE or mad-cow disease, has been found in Alberta, federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief said Tuesday. [More]

Man admits he started massive wildfire *
After accidentally starting a massive wildfire with a cigarette, Mike Barre says he rushed from door to door, frantically trying to help with the start of an evacuation that eventually forced thousands from their homes. [More]

Man dead in collapse of Toronto theatre *
The collapse of a Toronto theatre on Monday has left at least one person dead and 14 others injured. [More]

Margaret Wente: Buy Canadian, eat a steak *
Every year, from February to April, Wayne Goodfellow practically lives in the barns. That's calving season, and he has to check the barns every two hours around the clock. "Once we had eight or nine calves in a 12-hour shift," he told me. He claims he functions well without sleep. [More]

Martin urges quick federal aid for B.C. fire victims *
Paul Martin left for a tour of the moonscape expanse left behind following British Columbia's devastating summer of fire Wednesday, urging Ottawa to get relief money to the province as soon as possible. [More]

Massive fire at Toronto propane depot forces thousands to flee *
A massive explosion tore through a propane depot in north Toronto early Sunday, closing major highways and subway lines, and forcing thousands to flee their homes. [More]

Michael Gordon: He's no poser, dude *
City planner Michael Gordon had a personal reason for wanting Vancouver's skateboarding rules relaxed this month -- he rides 22 blocks to work each day. But there's a lot more to it than that, he tells JANE ARMSTRONG [More]

Moon could turn red Thursday night *
Note: On the West Coast, if you are high up when the moon rises, you will have a better chance of seeing it on the horizon; it will not only be red, it will also be HUGE! [More]

More West Nile cases detected *
Signs the West Nile virus is on the rise in Canada were evident in several provinces on Friday. [More]

More winds in store for Kelowna *
Thousands of Kelowna, B.C., residents who were forced from their homes overnight when the Okanagan Mountain Park fire flared closer to their neighbourhoods most likely will not be returning Thursday, officials say. [More]

New York releases 9-11 tapes *
The City of New York has released hours of radio transmissions and thousands of pages of oral histories from firefighters, paramedics and police who responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. [More]

Niedermayer brings Stanley Cup to tired firefighters *
NHL defenceman Scott Niedermayer brought the Stanley Cup to his home town Saturday as a morale booster for the hundreds of fatigued firefighters who have been battling a nearby wildfire. [More]

Nine dead after Russian submarine sinks *
A mothballed Russian submarine being towed to a scrapyard sank in a gale in the Barents Sea on Saturday, killing nine of the 10 crew, Russia's defence minister said. [More]

North Vancouver residents remain on evacuation standby *
Raining in Vancouver. This is NEWS??? However, North Van residents are already on evacuation standby. [More]

Not so easy, is it? Re-enactment of Wright brothers flight fizzles *
One-hundred years after the Wright brothers' first flight, an attempt to re-create the moment failed Wednesday when a replica craft couldn't get off the ground and sputtered into the mud. [More]

Notice: The Vancouver Personal Chef Network *
Chefs wanted for EAT!Vancouver show. [More]

Okanagan fire grows at 'phenomenal' rate *
A fire burning near Kelowna grew at a "phenomenal" rate in the past 24 hours, increasing in size to 9,000 hectares from 2,000 hectares, officials said Wednesday. [More]

Okanagan fires: 'Get out! Get out now!' *
The Okanagan Valley resembles a war zone with charred forests, licking flames and tired firefighters, writes MARK HUME [More]

Out of the blue, a gift of life *
Sheryl Wymenga looks perfectly sane and healthy, for a woman who has just flown halfway across the continent to give away a chunk of her innards to somebody she met on the Internet. [More]

Owl groups place hopes on Ottawa *
B.C. environmentalists to test new law designed to save endangered species [More]

Pay up or you can kiss your child goodbye *
With no more looting, Iraq's brazen bandits have a new cash crop: schoolchildren. ORLY HALPERN reports on the kidnapping craze that has Baghdad's well-to-do up in arms. [More]

Pilots battling fires in B.C. change tactics in bomb runs *
Pilots dousing the B.C. Interior have been scrambling to come up with new battle tactics as trees explode in clouds of black smoke in front of them and flames defy water-bombing runs, lashing hundreds of metres into the air. [More]

Private power versus the public good *
The recent power-grid failure, which caused billions of dollars of losses and lots of anguish on both sides of the border, had multiple causes. [More]

Rats gorge on birds *
Scientists plan mass poisoning [More]

Regime's fall allows buyers to snap up brand-name bargains *
Freedom is killing Haidar Lazem's back. Every morning for the past three months he has been carrying brand-new Hitachi refrigerators, 21-inch Samsung flat-screen televisions and Nokia satellite equipment out of his store onto the wide sidewalks of Baghdad's Karadeh Kharej Street [More]

Remember. . . *
New York, NY, September 11, 2001 [More]

Remembrance: He was the world to someone *
The young pilot who smiles out of an old photograph, dead long years, has slowly slipped into anonymity, says JONATHAN VANCE. That's regrettable. [More]

Revised design for WTC site unveiled *
A new design for the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site slopes gracefully into a spire rising 1,776 feet (541 metres), echoing the Statue of Liberty, images released Friday show. [More]

Risky salmon *
Re: Farm-raised Salmon Called Cancer Danger (on-line edition, July 30). [More]

Robert Bringhurst: Water works, a Story of Floods *
They awe and terrify us, and as ROBERT BRINGHURST writes, floods are also myth incarnate. [More]

Rocket fuel in produce from U.S. spurs tests *
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it plans to start testing winter lettuce and other fruits and vegetables imported from California to check whether they are contaminated with dangerous levels of a rocket-fuel component. [More]

Rolling up the rim rules change in light of virus *
The SARS outbreak has put a crimp in doughnut giant Tim Hortons "Roll-up-the-rim-to-win" contest. Customers, at least those in Ontario, are no longer allowed to hand a winning rim to a store employee. [More]

Roof of Vancouver's BC Place collapses *
From a distance, "it just looks like a regular flat building," says editor John T.D. Keyes. [More]

Saddam Hussein -- The game's not over *
The capture of the deck's biggest card makes it seem as if Washington has won another round in the Iraqi conflict. But Saddam may have another ace up his sleeve: the power to embarrass the West, says PAUL KNOX. [More]

Saddam Hussein captured by U.S. forces *
The intensive manhunt for Saddam Hussein came to an abrupt end Saturday, when American forces captured the ousted dictator after finding him hid away in a dirt hole under a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit. [More]

Same-sex marriages to be allowed in BC *
Society's notion of marriage has changed and governments need to recognize that, the BC Court of Appeal declared yesterday as it strongly endorsed the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. [More]

SARS fears deals blow to T.O. tourism *
The latest outbreak of SARS cases in Toronto has dealt another crushing blow to the tourism industry just as it was beginning to see signs of recovery from the SARS scare earlier in the spring. [More]

SARS ruled out in nursing home deaths *
SARS has been ruled out as the cause of an illness at a Vancouver-area nursing home. [More]

SARS-like illness dwindles in B.C. *
The outbreak of a SARS-like illness at a British Columbia health care facility is dwindling, but the mystery surrounding what the illness was continues. [More]

Sea-to-Sky rockslide will take days to clear *
Hardly surprising, yesterday's massive rockslide near Porteau Cove on the Sea-to-Sky highway that connects Whistler to Vancouver's North Shore will take lots of time, money, manpower, blasting and heavy equipment to clear. However, a Barbecue Championship scheduled for Saturday at Whistler is going on, as planned! [More]

Seek Far East trade links, not South American *
Canada is facing some tough choices about the level of its trade dependence on the United States as security and foreign policy issues begin to raise doubts about our long-term freedom to ship goods relatively unhindered across the U.S. border. [More]

Segway: Uneasy rider *
What's a Henway? About three pounds. What's a Segway? GWENDOLYN RICHARDS explains, when she tries out a Segway -- and finds her sense of balance the hard way [More]

Self-hating Seattle strikes at espresso elite *
The starting point of taxation is blame. When a government needs to raise revenue, it targets those who can be easily portrayed as guilty -- of making too much money, or guzzling too much gas, or smoking cigarettes or drinking booze. [More]

Sinking of Russian sub spurs memories of Kursk *
When news broke that the Russian nuclear submarine K-159 had sunk in the Barents Sea, the ghosts of those who died trapped aboard the Kursk three years ago leapt back into public consciousness. [More]

Six new probable cases of West Nile suspected *
new probable cases of West Nile virus have surfaced in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of people infected in the province to nine, health officials announced last night. [More]

SOCIAL STUDIES -- June 13, 2003 -- Father's Day et alia *
The "mother" of Father's Day was Mrs. John Bruce Dodd of Spokane, WA. [More]

Stampede leaves 37 dead in Beijing *
At least 37 people were killed and 15 others injured Thursday when a crowd stampeded during a holiday gathering outside the Chinese capital on the final day of the country's Lunar New Year celebrations, the government said. [More]

Stanley Park Fall-out is not just the trees *
The Vancouver Park Board's Manager of Communications -- our old friend, Joyce Courtney -- gives evalu8.org a candid, insider view of some of the stresses associated with the devastation wrought in Stanley Park by recent storms. [More]

Stones benefit gathers steam -- but slowly *
Organizers who are trying to bring the Rolling Stones to Toronto to help remove the stain of SARS from the city's image say they need to raise $2-million in private sponsorship over the weekend for the concert to go ahead. [More]

Study rejects smoking-ban cost concerns *
Bylaw affecting Ottawa's bars, restaurants has not curtailed sales, researchers say [More]

Sub loss sums up Russia's military mess *
Standing on the deck of the grey missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov as it cut through the greyer waters of the Barents Sea, Sergei Ivanov made it clear that he was furious about Russia's latest submarine tragedy [More]

The blood doesn't wash off *
Any U.S. or Canadian official who sends a person to another country to be tortured is guilty of a major criminal offence and liable for damages, says American jurist MORTON SKLAR. [More]

The day they found Jessica *
Twenty years ago, three teenage boys discovered an infant in a gym bag. [More]

The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake (review): 'The boldness of this low man' *
Author Samuel Bawlf demonstrates that Francis Drake, best remembered as an Elizabethan privateer, explored the northern Pacific coast of North America in 1579 -- two centuries before James Cook and George Vancouver, who are usually regarded as the first to accomplish that task. [More]

The stuff of heroism *
A return to old Good Samaritan values seems to have overtaken the cowardly onlooker stance -- at least recently, in Western Canada. [More]

Thousands flee B.C. fire *
The B.C. government declared a state of emergency Friday in the Thompson-Nicola regional district, where about 3,000 people were forced from their homes by a fast-moving forest fire. [More]

Three BC farms quarantined over mad-cow *
Three farms in British Columbia have been added to a widening cattle quarantine by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as part of an effort to contain the spread of mad-cow disease in Canada. [More]

Tiny sextuplets born in Vancouver face obstacles to survival *
Six babies were born in a Vancouver hospital Sunday, between 25 and 26 weeks of gestation. One baby was born naturally and the others by caesarean section. [More]

Transcripts of frantic WTC calls made public *
Transcripts of harrowing emergency phone calls made by people stranded in the burning World Trade Center towers depict the horror and chaos of the morning and brought a flood of harsh memories back for the families of victims only two weeks before the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks. [More]

Travel Bargains -- Kids fly free to Toronto *
Vancouver-based HMY Airways is launching daily Vancouver-Toronto service on June 16 and is offering a Kids Fly For Free promotion to mark the occasion. [More]

Troubled ghosts of our sisters *
A year ago, as we in Iqaluit prepared to commemorate the Montreal Massacre, one of our own was added to the list of victims of violence against women, says ALLISON BREWER. [More]

United States' threat level rises to orange *
The U.S. government on Sunday raised its national threat level to orange, the second-highest, saying attacks were possible during the holiday season and that threat indicators are "perhaps greater now than at any point" since Sept. 11, 2001. [More]

Update: Visa requirement cancelled for Malaysia *
Travel warning for Canadians... [More]

Vancouver Animal Shelter (formerly the Vancouver City Pound) *
This City of Vancouver facility has changed its name to better reflect its philosophy and approach -- it is Canada's first no-kill shelter. [More]

Vancouver company inks lucrative deal *
A local production company has inked a deal that will see five feature films shot in British Columbia with high-profile stars like Samuel L. Jackson. [More]

Vancouver nursing-home ailment not SARS *
A mysterious respiratory ailment that has broken out at a Vancouver-area nursing home is not caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, public-health officials said yesterday. [More]

Vancouver transit line's funding in place *
The funding is in place for a rapid transit line from Vancouver to the airport and suburban Richmond, with companies being asked to submit proposals to build the $1.7-billion project. [More]

Vancouver's i.t. Productions Targeted by Thieves *
Yikes! Talk about corporate sabotage: Theft took place just one week before the radio station was set to launch. [More]

Vancouver's Raif Mair fired *
Rafe Mair, the best-known radio broadcaster in British Columbia and perhaps all of Canada, has been fired by host station CKNW, amid controversy over off-air blue language by Mr. Mair. [More]

Watch OUT for Kim's Jewellers & Watchmakers -- it's a rip-off *
Perhaps this has happened to you: You take your item to a trusted service outlet -- a drycleaners, a repair shop, a car service place for an oil change -- and when you pick up your item, it is not working as expected. Or worse, it was working before, and now, something is definitely wrong with it! It's a BOMB!
[More]

Water tragedy's victims suffer still *
Ron Fisk can't understand what's making the maple trees in his front yard so sickly. First the leaves dried out and curled in on themselves, then the branches shrivelled and the bark fell off, and yet he knows their withering illness had nothing to do with the cold, clear water still dripping from the hose at the side of his little bungalow in downtown Walkerton. [More]

Weather little help to B.C. fire situation *
Fire-threatened communities in southern British Columbia got a slight reprieve Monday but the province's stretched firefighting resources weren't getting a break from the weather. [More]

West Nile cases *
A breakdown of human West Nile cases for 2003 as of yesterday, drawn from reports issued by provincial Ministries of Health in Canada and by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (figures include probable and confirmed cases) [More]

West Nile virus continues its western sweep *
Manitoba finds first case, Saskatchewan lists more as disease extends its reach [More]

West Nile virus fight to employ larvicide *
Facing the impending West Nile virus threat, at least half a dozen Ontario municipalities plan to use chemical agents to kill mosquito larvae, some of them before Victoria Day. [More]

West Nile Virus: No spray of hope *
Massive insecticide spraying of adult mosquitoes won't stop West Nile virus, says pesticide expert BARRIE WEBSTER. Let's get them when they're young [More]

Western culture vultures spy eastern meat *
I want to start out by saying that this column was intended to be a celebration of western Canadian -- particularly West Coast -- magazines. It was geared, therefore, toward assiduous avoidance of all things Toronto. [More]

WHO nears anti-tobacco treaty *
The World Health Organization gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a landmark anti-tobacco treaty. [More]

WHO sends virologist to study B.C. virus *
The World Health Organization has sent top virologist Dr. Katrin Leitmeyer to Canada to join other experts in their examination of a mysterious SARS-like virus that swept through a British Columbia Lower Mainland nursing home. [More]

Why two women went to war *
Jessica Lynch and Rachel Corrie could have passed for sisters. Two all-American blondes, two destinies forever changed in a Middle East war zone. Private Jessica Lynch, the soldier, was born in Palestine, W.Va. Rachel Corrie, the activist, died in Israeli-occupied Palestine. [More]

Winds fan B.C. fires *
Several British Columbia forest fires flared up overnight because of strong winds after several days of relative calm. [More]

Worker hurt by letter bomb in London *
A letter bomb exploded Monday at a London company that controls the city's traffic congestion fee. [More]

Secondary Sites:
*Vancouver lands Games *
Vancouver will play host to the world in the winter of 2010. [More]

170,000 Lower Mainland homes literally powerless against the forces of nature *
Thousands upon thousands of residents across a wide swath of BC's south coast -- including Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland -- were still without power this morning after a brutal windstorm battered the area over the holiday weekend, felling trees across highways, disrupting road, ferry and air traffic, and cutting telephone lines. [More]

2010 bid: Calgary made it personal *
Meeting delegates essential ingredient to successful bid [More]

A eulogy for the cranky Alberta Report *
Sixty-hour work weeks were common, the publisher was crusty and budgets tiny, SHAWN McCARTHY recalls, but young journalists were given a chance to shine [More]

A guide to the facts of a deadly disease *
In Canada, 10,000 cows have been tested for BSE in the decade since the last case. All were cleared. [More]

A road show with a difference *
Independent poets, cartoonists and artists are mixing punk rock's do-it-yourself philosophy with avant-garde sensibilities in cross-country tours resembling variety shows, HAL NIEDZVIECKI writes [More]

AGO cuts staff, blames tourism *
Museum attributes 25 per cent drop in admission to SARS, Iraq war and Sept. 11 [More]

AIDS doctor agrees to quit practice after sex allegations *
A well-known doctor in the gay community who helped found one of the first AIDS support organizations in Canada has avoided a disciplinary hearing by agreeing never to practise medicine again. [More]

Air Canada reaches deal with pilots' union *
Agreements with Air Canada's unions, including the last-minute deal with pilots, will allow the struggling airline to reduce its costs by $1.1-billion, Air Canada president and chief executive Robert Milton announced Sunday. [More]

Airline service with a scowl *
Passengers on a late-night Air Transat route from Mexico to Toronto were relieved, at first, when their flight made a successful emergency landing in small-town Texas after an alarmingly loud noise and a sudden lurch by the plane, according to a new report from air travel complaints commissioner Liette Lacroix Kenniff. [More]

Already with the Whining and Sour-Grapes: 'Toronto's hopes dashed' *
The Vancouver win put a fatal spike into the prospects of Toronto's bidding for the 2012 Summer Games. [More]

Animation festival gets funding reprieve *
The Ottawa International Animation Festival has gotten a reprieve from its possible demise after Telefilm Canada decided to reinstate its annual funding for at least for one more year. [More]

Antismoking groups blast McLellan *
Health Minister is undermining tobacco control, coalition complains [More]

At least 9 dead in Oregon boating accident *
All eight survivors among the 19 people thrown into the ocean when a wave capsized their small charter fishing boat were wearing the vessel's bright orange life vests, authorities said Sunday [More]

B.C. clinic defends fees for surgeries *
Controversy heats up over breach of rules as private centre says system must change [More]

B.C. court hears chilling account of the day six siblings were slain *
Jay Handel killed his six young children less than 24 hours after a bitter fight with his wife over accusations of adultery, a B.C. Supreme Court jury heard yesterday as the veil was lifted for the first time on what happened on a cold, rainy morning last year in the isolated community of Quatsino. [More]

B.C. ferry union goes ahead with illegal strike *
A full-scale strike has begun on the B.C. ferry fleet. [More]

B.C. fish wars heat up again *
A pair of B.C. court rulings that outlawed federally mandated fish-sales programs for some B.C. native bands has reignited a deeply divisive battle over how the province's salmon stocks should be shared. [More]

B.C. joins Ontario in embracing same-sex marriage *
The British Columbia Court of Appeal yesterday lifted the last restriction on same-sex couples legally marrying in the province, and within an hour, Tom Graff and Antony Porcino tied the knot outside the Law Courts in downtown Vancouver. [More]

B.C. pledges $2.8-million to fight chronic diseases *
The B.C. government is giving doctors extra help in caring for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and asthma. [More]

Bank of Canada reviews car-insurance rates *
The Bank of Canada has launched an unprecedented review of auto-insurance premiums amid concern that soaring rates have become the biggest factor behind Canada's inflation figures. [More]

Best Buy sees benefit in dual banners *
Wes Skitch, an executive at Future Shop, was nervous when Best Buy, the U.S. electronics giant, announced 2½ years ago that it was coming to Canada. [More]

Bid was nail-biter, PM says *
Although Vancouver had been considered the front-runner to win the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said it was still a nail-biter to the end. [More]

Birth of six babies reported in Vancouver *
A woman has given birth to sextuplets at a Vancouver hospital. [More]

Blackout: People short of breath hard hit *
Seventy-six-year-old Jean Lund of Kitchener, Ont., coughed and wheezed in the sweltering heat Thursday evening in her small powerless apartment. [More]

Bonjour, ethno-sovereigntists *
The new Quebeckers aren't pure laine -- but they identify with their province, not Canada, says journalist RIMA ELKOURI [More]

Bring on the men in tights *
Some people think there are better uses for taxpayers' money than the Olympics. What, for instance, they ask, could be more pointless than the skeleton, an inexplicable sport that features men in tights hurling themselves headfirst down a chute of ice? These people are sourpusses... [More]

BSE in ALTA: Meat is safe, experts say *
The risk is too tiny to worry about, researchers declare [More]

BSE: Huge costs and mistakes led to crisis of confidence *
Tough steps, including mass slaughter, are now having an effect in battling BSE [More]

By the look of things, this land isn't my land *
Last month, I received with my daily newspaper the premiere issue of the Canadian Tourism Commission's Canadian travel magazine, PureCanada -- 160 pages of bright, glossy features, photographs and maps designed to encourage Canadians to be tourists within our own borders. [More]

Calgary passes Olympic torch *
In a festival tent, in the shadow of the ski jumps and bobsleigh runs built for the 1988 Winter Games, 500 people celebrated another Olympic high — Vancouver-Whistler's winning bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics. [More]

Call of the city lures vets to pet practice *
Bulwark of disease control in livestock may be threatened as graduates shun rural areas [More]

Can the canapés, we want local films *
Forget Cannes. Forget Toronto. Let us now praise not-so-famous film festivals. Let's celebrate the smaller, regional festivals that crop up because audiences subjected to a steady diet of blockbusters want to see movies that reflect their own experience. Those low-budget festivals happen in small cities because emerging filmmakers are desperate for an audience. [More]

Canada joins global pact against use of tobacco *
Amid cheers and clapping, representatives of more than 190 countries approved the world's first public health treaty yesterday in Geneva. It is aimed at controlling and diminishing tobacco use. [More]

Canada, U.S. float air quality projects *
On the first smog-alert day of 2003 for southern Ontario, federal Environment Minister David Anderson announced several pilot projects aimed at improving air quality. [More]

Canada-U.S. relations beginning to heal: Cellucci *
Strained relations between Canada and the United States are beginning to heal, U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said Saturday, at an event reaffirming cross-border friendships. [More]

Canadian content overhaul urged *
The federal government's formula for defining Canadian content in the film and television industries should be overhauled, says a report, which aims to make the broader system more efficient and able to stimulate greater domestic production. [More]

Canadian officials play down allegations re 2010 insider *
Vancouver officials have dismissed suggestions their 2010 Winter Olympics bid could be hurt by allegations that a senior IOC member has improper business ties to the Canadian city. [More]

Canadians still feeling neighbourly to U.S. *
Despite recent struggles Canada has had with the United States over the war in Iraq, mad cow and softwood lumber, a poll commissioned by the CBC indicates Canadians still think Americans make pretty good neighbours. [More]

Canucks Hockey: Inspired play puts hurt on St. Louis *
The Vancouver Canucks' mindset was evident from the opening shift Saturday night: either check with the ferocity of a wounded animal or go away quietly. [More]

Chase helps Canada, COC head says *
Canadian sport will come out a winner, whether or not Vancouver is declared the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics by the International Olympic Committee today, said Chris Rudge, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee. [More]

China deal ethical, IOC members say *
Canada's use of a world Expo vote that secured China's backing for Vancouver's 2010 Olympic bid did not break Olympic rules and is not likely to result in any reprimands, Canadian members of the International Olympic Committee say. [More]

Citizens asked to help control mosquitoes *
Officials want property owners to remove water to fight West Nile [More]

Climate change could wipe out warm-water crabs *
Even a small change in climate could wipe out some species of warm-water crab, a scientist is warning. Ironically, their cold-water-loving peers may actually be more capable of weathering such a change. [More]

Cold, fungus killed fish, not pollution or disease *
Scientists have ruled out pollution and disease as the cause of the massive fish kill on the lower Saint John River last month. [More]

Collateral damage of a drug war *
When it comes to the "war on drugs," Canada's stance is not unlike its position on the war in Iraq: We're not the United States. Our government supports needle exchange, has recommended the legalization of marijuana, and is allowing the first trial use of prescription heroin in North America. [More]

Countdown to the Olympic decision *
Seven years ago, a capable but little-known North Vancouver recreation commissioner named Gary Young had a vision... [More]

Crossing the border to fill a prescription *
Canada's cost controls on prescription drugs are either a beacon of fairness or a dangerous scheme to shirk the expense of drug research, if you believe the rhetoric in last month's U.S. House of Representatives debate on how to regulate pharmaceutical imports. [More]

CRTC takes aim at telcos *
The federal telecom regulator lashed out at the country's biggest phone companies yesterday... [More]

D-Wave Systems gets a quantum leap of faith *
A Vancouver startup has won Silicon Valley backing in its quest to develop the next wave in computing, PETER KENNEDY writes [More]

Dallaire's Rwandan tale slated for film *
Halifax-based Salter Street Films has secured the rights to retired lieutenant-general Roméo Dallaire's upcoming book on his experience in Rwanda. [More]

Doctor loses licence after promising cancer cure *
MD who charged $30,000 in advance can continue to practise pending appeal [More]

Doctors Without Borders helps AIDS patients *
As South Africa prepares a plan to treat the epidemic, people are already being assisted with free drugs from the group. [More]

Don't look back *
If you're a conservative or fundamentalist Christian, June must have been one tough month. You probably feel like free lunch for the lions. [More]

Double cohort fret-a-thon not yet over *
Students at Ryerson University will be taking their lectures in a transformed cinema. At McMaster, they will be sitting in portables while at Waterloo they will be shoehorned into science labs. [More]

Dying to make a better life *
The U.S. Border Patrol's battle to stem the tide of illegal migrants from Mexico is legendary. Much less well known, CHRISTOPHER REED reports, is just how many people wind up dead. This year's body count is a record, and critics say Canada shares the blame [More]

Early tests point to West Nile in N.B. *
Preliminary tests on a man in his 60s indicate New Brunswick could have its first confirmed case of West Nile virus, the province's chief medical health officer said Monday. [More]

eBay responds to Hurricane Katrina *
It's great that eBay did this. But just to show it isn't ALL about the money, we also include a note received from the mother of an eBayer -- with the personal touch. [More]

Employee at UCC faces porn charges *
Police have laid child pornography charges against a 28-year-old teaching assistant at Upper Canada College, one of the country's elite private schools. [More]

Father looks to inquest for better 911 systems *
The father of a man who died after collapsing during a hockey game says a public inquest this week could help prevent future deaths by exposing possible weaknesses in New Brunswick's 911 response system. [More]

Finding comfort zone is essential *
There is no harder tournament to prepare for than the British Open. If you think it's easy to pack a bag full of turtlenecks, rain gear and long underwear when it's desert weather in Utah, think again. [More]

Fire at the Monte Carlo, Las Vegas *
Christopher Johnson reports live from the Las Vegas strip. . . [More]

Fontaine new leader of AFN *
Veteran Indian politician Phil Fontaine won a second chance to lead the Assembly of First Nations Wednesday when he scored a second ballot victory over rival Roberta Jamieson. [More]

Frozen arsenic a miner miracle *
Deep underground, nearly 100 metres under the Canadian Shield, a slick, greyish-brown sludge seeps through a concrete bulkhead blocking off a chamber in an old gold mine. With a yellow shaft of light from his miner's lamp, Bill Mitchell points out the tiny stalactites hanging from the rock overhead and the oozy pools gathering underfoot [More]

Getting back to Nature bites *
Down the road from our place in the country, the neighbours have thrown in the towel. I'll be sorry to see them go. They bought the house two falls ago because they liked the clean air and the splendid views. Nobody told them about the wind, which howls down from the northwest and peels the paint right off a place. [More]

Glen Hillson: Early AIDS patient succumbs, age 51 *
Glen Hillson's long, courageous fight is over. One of the first patients diagnosed with the then-mysterious and terrifying AIDS virus in the early 1980s, Mr. Hillson stared death in the face for more than 20 years, until it seemed he would never succumb. [More]

Golfing for the planet *
For those who crave a way to slow global warming, but would like to enjoy themselves in the process, U.S. scientists have two words of advice: Play golf. [More]

Greg Gatenby's departure -- Please don't have a nice day *
'Brilliant Canadian, not as nice as some," was the essence of the reaction to the departure of Greg Gatenby, the founder and director of Canada's best literary festival. [More]

Gretzky misses Olympic practice *
An important rehearsal of Vancouver's 2010 Olympic bid presentation took place yesterday without star attraction Wayne Gretzky as the clock ticked down for tomorrow's vote by the International Olympic Committee. [More]

Halifax shudders as Hurricane Juan crashes ashore *
Coastal waters churn in advance of hurricane. [More]

Healing Powers: All about Adam *
ALEXANDRA GILL meets a 16-year-old kid from BC who offers distant-healing treatments through his website -- and counts rocker Ronnie Hawkins among his patients. [More]

Hook, 'LINE' and Sinker for Cambie businesses *
Sue Heyes, local merchant: "It's obvious that we were misled. We were always told it was to be a bored-tunnel and clearly that's not true. . . When I call it 'The Perfect Storm for retail,' I'm not exaggerating." [More]

Hurricane Isabel gallops north *
Still-fearsome storm lashes the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and heads for Canada [More]

Ideas whose time are here *
Nobody knows yet what any of the great minds of this week's IdeaCity will talk about, but that's the genius of this event, RAY CONLOGUE writes [More]

Invasion of the Great Lakes *
This week, a Commons committee warned of an ecological 'meltdown' because so many non-native species are converging on the mighty habitat. MARK STEVENSON travels the waterway to examine the damage they have caused [More]

Investigators narrow mad-cow search *
Alberta's baffling case of mad-cow disease may never be solved, officials said yesterday as they tried to pinpoint the cow's DNA profile to determine whether the infection spread. [More]

Is this man fit to teach? *
Chris Kempling belongs to the large minority of Canadians who don't support gay marriage. As a conservative Christian, he doesn't think much of gay life in general. "Homosexuality is not something to be applauded," he wrote in a letter published in his local newspaper a few years ago. [More]

Isolation period extended in BC *
New Westminster hospital closes a floor, puts suspected cases off-limits for 12 days [More]

It's a Hard Wind that's Gonna Blow *
With apologies to Bob Dylan: Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and parts of the Pacific Northwest endure big winds. The verdict in many places? Stay indoors! [More]

Journey into the B.C. Interior *
All eyes may be on Vancouver and Whistler this week, but on a road trip through B.C.'s less-travelled Kootenay and Slocan Valleys, LASZLO BUHASZ finds diverse landscapes and summer attractions deserving of attention in their own right [More]

Klein gets pie for breakfast *
The menu called for pancakes. But Alberta Premier Klein got pie for breakfast at Calgary Stampede event. [More]

Lance Armstrong's story of survival inspirational *
It was a very different Lance Armstrong who strode into the suit-filled room of 1,300 people on Thursday. [More]

Life without spring's dalliances *
A neighbour of mine passed by the other day as I was shovelling the smog away from our front walk. We live not very far from Queen's Park and the clouds of toxic fumes that are produced by the army of leaf-blowers and gas-powered lawn mowers, and the idling tour buses by which our provincial government advertises its environmental and energy policies to anyone reckless enough to be out-of-doors during a smog alert, tend to settle in pretty heavily during the summer months. Fortunately, when the air gets really thick -- as it did the other day -- I can shove the condensed poison that falls from the sky into a dozen or so plastic garbage bags and ship everything off to Michigan. You'd think that several million years of evolution might have produced a more sophisticated waste-disposal program, but this is Toronto. We're a patient bunch. (Go Leafs, go.) Things take time. [More]

Lives Lived: Yves Laforest -- He waved Fleur-de-lis on Everest *
Famed Quebec mountain climber was lost on a B.C. river last summer. [More]

Local rock critic, Greg Potter, recovers from paralysis *
Local award-winning freelance writer Greg Potter, known for his best-selling books and his acerbic reviews of film and music, is recovering at North Vancouver's Lions Gate Hospital after emergency surgery that may have saved his life. [More]

Mad-cow fears spread to Saskatchewan *
The search for the origin of the Alberta cow that became Canada's first case of mad cow disease in a decade spread to neighbouring Saskatchewan on Wednesday. [More]

Mad-cow quarantine grows *
northern Alberta cow infected with mad cow disease was stumbling and unable to stand before it was shipped off for slaughter, says the farmer who owned the animal. [More]

Marketers jumping on Games bandwagon *
It seems that jumping on the marketing bandwagon will be a demonstration sport for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. [More]

Mastermind reveals Sept. 11 plot started in 1996 *
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, has told American interrogators that he first discussed the plot with Osama bin Laden in 1996 and that the original plan called for hijacking five commercial jets on each U.S. coast before it was modified several times, according to interrogation reports reviewed by The Associated Press. [More]

Microsoft launches TV software platform *
Microsoft Corp. on Monday plans to unveil new software to help cable television companies develop digital TV programming and services. [More]

Midnight deadline for Air Canada *
Air Canada has until midnight Saturday to strike a deal with its pilots that could keep the embattled airline aloft, and even its chief executive officer says "our existence as a corporation sits in the balance." [More]

Mostly Alt-Rock 101 *
Although the first pop stars to make the transition from concert halls to athletic arenas were true giants, the acts most commonly associated with the term "arena rock" were clearly of a lesser order. [More]

Move to decriminalize pot draws criticism *
Saying that "most Canadians" believe that marijuana laws are outdated, the government on Tuesday unveiled legislation that will reduce penalties for possessing small amounts of the drug. Below certain quantities, possession will no longer be treated as a criminal offence. [More]

Mystery of uncast IOC votes unsolved *
A day after Vancouver's narrow victory in the selection of the 2010 Olympic host city, the mystery of the uncast votes remained unsolved [More]

No Joy for B.C. NDP *
The interim NDP Leader in British Columbia, Joy MacPhail, announced Tuesday she will not seek the leadership of the provincial party at a leadership convention this fall. [More]

Not just another episode of Murder She Wrote *
Telefilm Canada turns down funding for Nick Orchard's screen adaptation of award-winning murder mystery [More]

Old aviation mystery may have been solved *
The clouds may have lifted on a 40-year-old aviation mystery after three bodies were found in the wreckage of a bush plane in the remote tundra of the central Arctic. [More]

Orca successfully reunited with kin *
Scientists confirm orphaned killer whale accepted by its aunts and grandmother [More]

Ottawa's $90-million monologue *
Hello, Ottawa, this is the West calling. We've just heard about yet another enormous dollop of cultural-infrastructure dollars dropping on the National Capital Region... [More]

Police expect more arrests in UCC porn case *
Police say the arrest of an Upper Canada College teaching assistant is the first of many they expect to make, thanks to information they received after a major investigation by authorities in California. [More]

Protect against summer's parade of pests *
Mosquitoes, ticks, black flies and spiders -- summer's parade of pests have made their debut. With fears of West Nile virus and other diseases, cottagers can do several things to protect themselves against insect intruders. [More]

Quebec Language Laws: Attack of the tongue troopers *
Bill McCleary's battle with Quebec's language police began in 1998. An inspector paid a visit to his Petro-Canada station in Shawville and didn't like what she saw. [More]

Race politics and Emma's fate *
The day they took baby Emma into custody, they found her sucking on a piece of crack. She was a year old. Emma had a lousy start in life. Her mother, an 18-year-old from the Squamish Nation in British Columbia, was an alcohol and drug addict. [More]

Ralph Nader: Why I'm a fan of C-24 *
The Canadian government's proposed political fundraising law, Bill C-24, has the potential to be a precedent-setting law for Canada and a model for other countries, including the United States. But the opportunity will be lost if self-interested politicians and backroom operatives succeed in derailing the legislation. [More]

Roll over Beethoven: The VSO is adding video *
Screens will show close-ups of conductor and soloists, ALEXANDRA GILL writes [More]

SARS nightmare persists for health-care workers *
While Torontonians settle in to enjoy a post-SARS summer, health-care workers are still reeling from the fallout from severe acute respiratory syndrome. Tecla Lin, 58, died on Saturday after caring for fellow nurses sickened in the initial outbreak. She herself had been critically ill since March and had transmitted SARS to her husband. He died in late April. [More]

SARS: Peeling away the mysteries of a virus *
Findings suggest SARS may have jumped from rare animal species such as civet cat [More]

School board in bible-belt BC bans books showing gay families *
A suburban school board is looking for alternatives to bring the topic of homosexuality into the classroom after voting again to keep three books depicting same-sex parents off the curriculum. [More]

Shipping-lane change to protect whales *
Canada's birthday this year will bring an unusual gift to one of the world's most critically endangered whales: a long-sought change in international shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy that scientists hope will help keep the massive marine mammals from playing on a marine superhighway. [More]

Signs of West Nile in Alberta show virus extending its range *
Five provinces confirm disease in birds; no human cases known so far this year [More]

Silvio Berlusconi: The singing strongman *
Love him or hate him, Italians admit that Silvio Berlusconi is never boring, least of all when he starts writing music for a torch singer. But this week's carnage among the Carabinieri serving in Iraq has the billionaire Prime Minister under the gun, ALAN FREEMAN reports from Rome. [More]

Snapping hounds *
A Winnipeg exhibition of 145 photographs of dogs is full of canine wit and human folly [More]

Spam, telemarketing prompt backlash *
A wave of proposed anti-spam laws and the runaway success of a new U.S. system to block telemarketing pitches are the latest signs of a growing backlash against the communications explosion of the past decade. [More]

Star Canadian sports surgeon leaving for U.S. in frustration *
A renowned Toronto surgeon who has fixed shoulders for the likes of Blue Jays slugger Carlos Delgado and Maple Leafs winger Gary Roberts is leaving for the United States, saying he is frustrated at the underfunded health system. [More]

System failed toddler, jury says *
Paramedics short on training for children, coroner's jury concludes in boy's death [More]

Telcos must open Net service *
Big phone firms have to offer high-speed Internet access to competitiors' customers [More]

The eagles have landed *
The raptors have staged a comeback in the southern Great Lakes area from the DDT days, when they were almost wiped out. But they aren't living as long as they should. MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT explores the reasons why [More]

The mural that rocked Canada *
Considered too anti-American, it hung for only eight days before being taken down. Now Greg Curnoe's magnificent 'Dorval mural' flies again, SARAH MILROY writes [More]

The wages of SARS for stars *
Eleven acts and an agent to reap big bucks at next week's concert, JAMES ADAMS says, but no money planned for SARS relief [More]

Thousands gather for JFK anniversary *
Thousands of mourners, conspiracy theorists and the just plain curious gathered Saturday along the downtown street where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 40 years earlier, with many of them recalling where they had been at the very moment they heard the news. [More]

Times gets new editor *
Maybe now The New York Times can get back to reporting the news instead of making it. The Times yesterday named Bill Keller to be its new executive editor, writing a calming epilogue for the drama that convulsed the newspaper this spring after a young reporter's plagiarism and fabrications led to a coup d'état that pushed Howell Raines out of the top job. [More]

Toll in French summer heat passes 14,000 *
The death toll in France from August's blistering heat wave was nearly 15,000, according to a government report released Thursday that exceeded previous estimates by 3,000. [More]

Tracking threatened cultures *
Half of humanity's cultural legacy could soon disappear, Wade Davis and Chris Rainier say. So they're doing something about it [More]

Try finding a greeting card for this occasion *
It says here (and I'm not making this up), that this is National Masturbation Month -- the observance of which is not entirely clear to me. [More]

U.S. official gets Wal-Mart to suspend N.Y. toy gun sales *
After bringing Wall Street's titans to heel last year, New York State's ambitious Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer has won round one against the world's biggest retailer in a showdown over toy guns... [More]

UCC appoints new principal for 2004 *
Upper Canada College, one of the country's elite private schools but one that has recently faced a series of sex scandals, yesterday appointed a new principal. [More]

Urban cowboys *
With a new prime minister on the horizon and now a hot, new mayor in Toronto, the buzz is getting serious: Cities really are becoming a force unto themselves. But as GRAEME SMITH and JANE ARMSTRONG point out, this time Westerners were the first ones out of the gate. [More]

US vows to support global anti-smoking treaty *
The United States said it would support a global anti-smoking treaty fully at this week's world health meeting, startling observers by dropping its objections to the pact, which included concern about banning advertising. [More]

Vancouver bid gets some U.S. support *
Vancouver's Olympic bid organizers are getting some support from some nearby U.S. states. [More]

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority: 41 Vancouver eateries censured by inspectors *
Health violations found in Vancouver restaurants include cockroaches, rodents [More]

Vancouver crossfire claims daughter of actress *
The daughter of an award-winning Canadian actress and director was one of the victims in a weekend shooting in Vancouver's Gastown district. [More]

Vancouver injection clinic opens for addicts *
With the kind of hype normally reserved for a Hollywood movie premiere, Vancouver has opened North America's first legal shooting gallery for drug addicts. [More]

Vancouver Radio: Everybody wang chung tonight *
Once derided, '80s music is now the 'new oldies,' a hit format on dials across the country [More]

Vancouver rally to support Todd Bertuzzi *
Friday, July 9, 2004, Vancouver, BC, in front of the Provincial Courthouse of BC at 222 Main Street. [More]

Vegging Out *
No longer the sole orbit of middle-aged ex-hippies, fanatical animal-rights activists, anemic health nuts and flaky movie stars, vegetarianism today is embraced by a wide assortment of people. And they are being converted younger than ever... [More]

VSM on cutting edge of safer brain surgery *
MEG machines offer top accuracy in treating tumours, damaged areas. [More]

West Coast beats West Coast in Oz tourney *
Vancouver's Team Fisher Price from the Canadian West coast beat Sublime from the West coast of Australia. [More]

West Nile screening of blood begins *
In a bid to allay public fears about West Nile virus, Canadian Blood Services announced yesterday that it has begun to screen some of its blood products for the disease. [More]

What would we talk about? Oldham says of the Stones *
Why has the musical maverick who discovered the Rolling Stones succumbed to the siren song of Vancouver? ALEXANDRA GILL tells all [More]

White House told not to shred papers *
FBI investigates e-mails, phone logs in leaking of name of CIA operative. [More]

WHO approves anti-tobacco accord *
The World Health Organization adopted a sweeping anti-tobacco treaty Wednesday in an unprecedented global push to regulate a product it says kills half of its regular users. [More]

WHO travel advisory widens to all of Taiwan *
The World Health Organization extended its travel advisory to all of Taiwan yesterday as the island reported 35 new SARS cases and officials warned that the outbreak has yet to peak. [More]

Wildfires force 10,000 to flee homes in B.C. *
Wildfires that have forced more than 10,000 southern B.C. residents from their homes have grown despite efforts from hard-pressed firefighters, officials said Sunday. [More]

Will Martin scratch Axworthy's itch to return to politics? *
Lloyd Axworthy, life's been good since he left the Chrétien government in the fall of 2000. He lives on Vancouver Island, he heads up a foreign-policy institute, he sits on boards of foundations, he travels to international conferences, he has time to relax. [More]

Will the roving Magnetic North become a fixture? *
Does Canada need a national theatre festival? For the organizers of Magnetic North, the new festival that opened in Ottawa last week, the answer is obviously a yes, and a showcase of current Canadian theatre as well as a host of panels and talks has been duly mounted. For the rest of us, the answer will have to wait not merely until the festival closes next weekend but until next year and the year after that as the annual event, which will move from city to city across the country, does or doesn't establish itself as a cultural necessity. [More]