Saturday, July 24, 2010

A man dressed as the Star Wars antagonist Darth Vader robbed a bank in Setauket, New York. The robber was dressed in a character themed mask and blue cape. Armed with a hand gun, the robber stole an undetermined amount of cash from the Chase bank branch.

The robber entered the bank saying that he was robbing it. Customers initially thought it was a joke and began laughing. Detective William Lamb of the Suffolk County Police Department said that one customer attempted to tackle the robber and was attacked. He can be seen in the background of surveillance photographs. The robber then approached a teller and demanded cash while brandishing a weapon.

This robbery is the latest in a string of odd bank robberies in the New York metropolitan area. Yesterday the New York Police Department arrested a man who robbed banks while carrying flowers and potted plants. Police are also looking for an apparent cross-dressing robber who held up a bank in Long Island.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

London, Ontario is the latest in a string of Canadian cities to have acted on increasing public demand to ban bottled water. On Monday, the decision to eliminate bottled water sales in city-run facilities was passed by London’s city council with a vote of 15-3 in favour. The move was driven by a desire to reduce waste and shipping, have a lower impact on the environment and promote tap water as a cheap and safe alternative.

London’s new restrictions will be implemented over the next several months in buildings that are already equipped with water fountains. Bottled water will still be permitted at many city-run events, such as upcoming summer festivals. Privately-owned retailers will not be affected by the ban.

Other cities, such as Vancouver, Ottawa and Kitchener, that are already engaged in debate on the issue, may now be watching London carefully for how the ban plays out. Other areas have already begun to phone London with questions on the details of its new regulations. Toronto has begun taking a look at bottled water packaging as part of its waste diversion strategy, and its public school board is looking into the possibility of a total restriction on bottled water sales.

In recent years, an awareness of the energy that is required to manufacture, transport and recycle the product has spread nation-wide. Proponents of the ban point to the fact that it can produce as much as 150 times the volume of greenhouse gas when producing bottled water as compared to supplying the same volume of tap water. They also point out that the water that goes into bottled water products is not inspected as frequently as tap water in Canadian cities.

Some have taken this cause to heart more than others, such as British Environment Minister Phil Woolas, who called the use of bottled water “morally unacceptable.” Restaurant critic Giles Coren of The Times of London criticizes those who use the product as “the new smokers.”

Canada’s beverage industry has come down with criticism on the increasing opposition to bottled water. Spokesman Scott Tabachnick for Coca-Cola Co., which produces Dasani brand bottled water, commented on the convenience of the product: “It’s hard to bring your kitchen sink with you.”

Vancouver City Councillor Tim Stevenson thinks that bottled water’s time has come and gone: “Bottled water companies have had a fabulous ride on an unnecessary fad.” Vancouver officials are still determining how bottled water restrictions, which have been voted for by the City Council, can be phased in.

Next month, the city is planning to initiate a marketing campaign encouraging Vancouver residents to choose tap water and to remember to carry reusable drinking containers whenever possible.

Renowned environmental activist Dr. David Suzuki has praised London’s decision, saying that it represents a turning point for people’s perceptions on the issue: “I’m really delighted that London has done this because it really makes us focus on some fundamental issues.” He hopes that someday people will “look at anyone who hauls out a bottle of water and say, ‘What the hell’s wrong with you?'”

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The mascots of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia were just announced. Based on mythological characters, they are Miga, Quatchi and Sumi.

Miga, a sea bear who lives in the ocean with her family pod near Tofino, and Quatchi, a young sasquatch, represent the Olympics, while Sumi represents the Paralympics that follow afterward.

A sea bear is a First Nations creature, part killer whale, part Kermode spirit bear. While illustrated as being taller than the other characters, the mascot costume of Quatchi is the same height as the other two characters.

The third mascot, Sumi, an animal-guardian spirit, is a Thunderbird that wears the hat of an orca. Sumi will be the mascot of the Paralympics.

In 2004, the Times Colonist suggested a marmot might be a good mascot, except for their winter hibernation. The organizers still chose one, named Mukmuk, as their “virtual only” counterpart.

After the Olympic logo design was leaked the day before the 2005 announcement, organizers were extremely tight lipped until today’s news conference at a Surrey school. They apparently didn’t do any development on the characters on internet-enabled computers, to ensure the images or information wouldn’t slip out.

The characters were designed by the Vancouver and Los Angeles-based Meomi Design. Their characters have been used as part of iGoogle, a customizable homepage option from Google, as well as Electronic Arts, Girls Inc., Time Out Magazine, Cyworld, Nick Jr., Bang-on Clothing, and CBC4Kids.

The Vancouver organizers have a CDN$46-million merchandising program; previous Olympics have made as much as $100 million from mascot-related products.

René Fasel, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission commented that “The IOC welcomes these imaginative new additions to the Olympic Family as they take their place on the world stage today – a symbol of the Games and of Canada. We know that when Olympians, Paralympians and visitors from around the globe arrive in British Columbia at Games time, they will fall under the spell of these captivating characters.”

The characters first appearance will be at a Bay store in the Lower Mainland; HBC is a major sponsor of the Games. They will then make their way to schools, take a break through the Christmas season, and fly to Ottawa for the Winterlude festival.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

On Wednesday, the Hungarian parliament passed the “Stop Soros” bill, making it illegal to help undocumented immigrants.

The bill was passed by a vote of 160–18. Per the bill, anyone found guilty of helping undocumented immigrants can potentially face a jail term of up to twelve months. The bill was criticised by human rights-focused organisation Amnesty International, as well as the United Nations (UN), Council of Europe, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and European Union. The bill bars non-government organisations from aiding refugees.

The bill is named after Hungarian-born democracy advocate George Soros. Having escaped the Holocaust and emigrated in 1947, Soros later founded the Open Society Foundations (OSF) which funds various NGOs. Current conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who won the election in April, spoke about immigration and national security in his political campaign. Orbán accused Soros of bringing migrants to Europe. Orbán asserted this blockade was to preserve the country’s “Christian culture”. In May, Soros announced OSF was moving from Hungary to German capital Berlin, asserting “increasingly repressive” condition in Hungary.

Amnesty internationals’s European Director Gauri van Gulik said in a statement, “It is a bitter irony that as the world marks World Refugee Day, the Hungarian Parliament voted […] to introduce a law that targets organizations and individuals who support asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants”. According to the UN, the law could come under effect as early as July.

A constitutional amendment was also made, prohibiting “alien population” from living in the country. Hungary’s Interior Minister, Sándor Pintér, said, “The Hungarian people rightfully expects the government to use all means necessary to combat illegal immigration and the activities that aid it”. He also added, “The Stop Soros package of bills serves that goal, making the organisation of illegal immigration a criminal offence. We want to use the bills to stop Hungary from becoming a country of immigrants”.

On Tuesday, 25% taxation of NGOs helping immigrants was proposed by the finance ministry. The ministry, in a statement, said, “The defense against illegal immigration imposes a heavy burden on Hungary’s budget, so it indirectly affects the Hungarian people […] therefore, the government passes that as a manner of burden sharing, the organisations aiding migration should bear additional taxes.”

UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)’s European Bureau director Pascale Moreau said, “Seeking asylum is a fundamental human right, it is not a crime”.

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