I have no idea what this means, but apparently it’s a big deal.   

From today’s CKNW e-mail update, this is what I call news…

There was a wonderful article about my friend and mentor Susan in the Globe on Wednesday:

On the journey from producer to senior management, Ms. Englebert touched people profoundly and possessed a gift for spotting and nurturing new talent that changed the course of many lives. She was that rare thing: a manager respected and loved in equal measure.

Cypress opens on Thursday !!!!

The Downhill Area will be open on November 16, 2006 from 9 am to 4 pm, with the Easy Rider Quad Chair and the High Speed Eagle Express Quad Chair in operation. We will continue to open more terrain as the snow accumulates. Our Cross Country Area will also be open from 9 am to 4 pm.

I’ll be wearing my pass full-time starting now…

I have my reasons for no longer shopping at Canadian Tire, but their flyers continue to show up at my door.

If this product wasn’t so stupid, it would be funny. 

At our house we just call this a stick…

We’ve just posted the latest Raincoast Books podcast with author Katy Hutchinson.

Katy’s book is called Walking After Midnight: One Woman’s Journey through Murder, Justice and Forgiveness.

This is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve read in a long time, and getting to meet and talk with Katy has been a highlight of the season. 

You can get the podcast from the Raincoast Books RSS feed.   Or if you prefer, here’s the direct iTunes link.

For more information on Katy visit her web site.

My two kids have been going nuts creating Lego sets for themselves with the Lego Digital Designer.

It’s a great idea. They use the software to design their dream Lego creation, just be clicking and dragging pieces onto the stage. They can even rotate around like any good design software.

Then when they’re done, Lego calculates a price, boxes it, and sends it out complete with assembly instructions.

Totally user-generated made-to-order, and great use of the web.

Further to my post about CBC.CA, if you know anything about why the site’s broken, let me know.

All good stories accepted, no questions asked. Who Where When Why What and any other W’s you care to include.
Email whobrokecbc@bigsnit.com with your good story.
I’ll randomly select one person’s story and send them a copy of The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a fitting prize, yes?

Ok. Fess up. Who broke CBC.CA ? Huh ? Huh ?

NOTE: CBC.ca is experiencing technical difficulties, and we’re currently working to restore the site to normal. Until that happens, in an effort to offer a basic level of service, we are providing this scaled-back version of the site, featuring today’s top news stories. We’re sorry for any inconvenience, and we hope to have the site back to normal soon.

Actually, the ‘scaled back’ version of CBC.CA is delightfully easier to use than the real thing.

I say if this is broken, don’t fix it !

If you’re a fan, like me, of the original UK show The Office, and you loyally listened to the Ricky Gervais podcasts, you know who Stephen Merchant is. You’ll love this article in the Observer.

Obsessed with comedy from a young age, one person Merchant admired was John Cleese, also tall, and from nearby Weston-Super-Mare. It was because of Cleese that Merchant wanted to go to Cambridge and join Footlights. However, in retrospect, he feels ‘lucky’ that Footlights didn’t work out. ‘I would probably have tried to be something I wasn’t – arch, erudite, wordy, pretentious, in a way I’m not.’

Standing at the pot-luck-food-table at a house party last night, the guy next to me pointed to a tuna dish and said “better get it now before it all disappears”.

He was more right than he knew…

In an analysis of scientific data going back to the 1960s and historical records over a thousand years, the researchers found that marine biodiversity — the variety of ocean fish, shellfish, birds, plants and micro-organisms — has declined dramatically, with 29 percent of species already in collapse.

Extending this pattern into the future, the scientists calculated that by 2048 all species would be in collapse, which the researchers defined as having catches decline 90 percent from the maximum catch.

Full story here.