Twin blasts kill 16 in Pakistan

Two suicide blasts killed at least 16 people in the Pakistani town of Rawalpindi on the outskirts of Islamabad. Approximately 15 people were killed when a suicide car bomber rammed a vehicle into a Defence Ministry bus carrying employees of the country's intelligence service, said reports.

The other attack occurred near the army's General Headquarters (GHQ) inRawalpindi. An unknown number of people were injured in the attacks.

The violence comes as Pakistan remains under a state of emergency, a move by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that has prompted stiff criticism of the military ruler, including from his key Western ally, the United States.

Musharraf declared the state of emergency on Nov. 3, justifying it by citing the escalating danger posed by Islamic extremists. But his critics have noted many of his moves have been against political opponents rather than militants.

In my opinion, I can't believe why everybody can't be happy. I can't understand why they are using suicide bombers in order to destroy the other side. Some may say it is a sacrifice in order to gain more benefits. But I do not agree with that point. I think that sacrificing someone's life and killing more life, is worse. So, in conclusion, I think that there shouldn't be any more of these.

Article from:http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/11/23/pakistan-blasts.html

4 found dead in Ottawa homicide

A man and three women were found dead (Wednesday) in Southeast Ottawa house which was found an obvious homicide. The Police officers found the bodies of a man and two women on Grandpark Circle, near Conroy Road right before 8 a.m. A fourth body belonging to a woman was found around 1:15 p.m.

Police added they are not ruling out a murder-suicide, and would not say if they are looking for any suspects. The owners of the home, Santbir Singh Brar, 44, and Amarjeet Brar, 46, are believed to be among the dead, as well as the couple's two daughters, who were both in their early 20s.

Police first visited the home around 2 a.m. after a call from a woman they described as a family member concerned about one of the house's occupants, police said. During the first visit, no one answered and police said they saw nothing suspicious, but when they returned to follow up later that morning, they saw something that prompted them to kick down the front door and enter the house.

Three police cruisers were parked in front of the detached brick house on a quiet residential street Wednesday afternoon as investigators and forensics experts entered and left. Neighbours told CBC reporters that a couple in their 40s or 50s and a younger female had lived in the house for about five years. They also said the family kept to themselves and few knew them, even though area residents described the street as a friendly place where neighbours speak to each other a lot, CBC Radio's Alistair Steele reported from the scene.

Land Registry Office documents show the house where the bodies were found was purchased in October 2002 by the Brars. A Santbir Brar is listed in the City of Ottawa directory as a garage supervisor with the fleet services branch. However, a city spokesman would not confirm whether he was the same man who owned the house, citing the police investigation.

In my opinion, this homicide is very cruel and killing 4 people is very hard. I hope that the police officers find the murderer and put him in a prison. I fell very sorry for this family and I think that this homicide is again, very cruel.

Article from: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/11/21/ot-bodies-071121.html

U.S. lemons found on Canadian car lots

Hundreds of vehicles labelled lemons in the United States are turning up at Canadian dealerships where some unsuspecting customers are being offered defective cars, CBC News has learned.

In one instance, a Kia minivan that originally sold for $28,100 US in Florida was sold at auction to a Winnipeg dealer for $13,100 US after it was declared a lemon. It ended up on a Winnipeg car lot where it was recently found on sale for $24,980 and with no warnings about its history.
Unlike the U.S., Canada has no lemon laws despite attempts to establish them in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario.

Eric Schrepel, who bought the 2006 Kia minivan brand new from a Florida dealership, said the battery died four times in less than 18 months and no mechanic could solve the problem.
"There was some sort of short that they just couldn't locate in the car. Kia makes a very good car. But I think this one is just literally — it was just a lemon," Schrepel told CBC News.
The manufacturer followed the letter of the law in Florida and bought back the van. It later resold it to the Winnipeg dealer.

A salesman at the Winnipeg car lot would only say the van had been designated a lemon in Florida after being asked several times. Even then he guaranteed the van would perform properly.

While the definition of lemon varies by state, it most often means that despite several trips to the dealer's service department, a vehicle continues to have a serious problem.
Once a vehicle is declared a lemon, the manufacturer has to buy it back. But there's nothing to stop the manufacturer from reselling it.

While all 50 states have lemon laws, only 19 require the title of a car declared a lemon to carry a warning. When a dealer sells a lemon out-of-state, the lemon designation is often not carried over.

A CBC News investigation found that between May 1, 2006, and Nov. 5, 2007, 852 American lemons were imported into Canada, with more than 110 of those crossing the border since the Canadian dollar reached parity.

In my opinion, the car dealerships are very cheap. They shouldn't sell the lemon cars at any costs. They should think about the customers who buys that car and later realizes that something is wrong. I also think that there should be a lemon car law in Canada so that it is not beneficial to the car dealerships and the US dealerships who sells lemon cars to Canada.

Article from:http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/11/13/lemons.html

Space shuttle Discovery lands in Florida

The space shuttle Discovery touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:02 p.m, Wednesday afternoon, concluding a 15-day mission to the International Space Station that saw the crew repair a ripped solar wing and complete four spacewalks.

The shuttle landed on Runway 33, making a right overhead turn as it approached the landing facility.Discovery's return to Earth was the first coast-to-coast re-entry by a space shuttle since the destruction of Columbia over Texas in 2003. The landing path started over British Columbia then cut diagonally east over the Great Plains and several southern U.S. states.

The crew had completed landing preparations earlier in the day, including changing into their orange launch-and-entry suits, testing flight control systems and thruster jets, stowing equipment and installing a special reclining seat for astronaut Clay Anderson, who is returning after five months aboard the International Space Station.The original landing plan called for a pre-dawn touchdown in Florida with a flight over Central America and the Caribbean.

However, crew fatigue after the long and busy mission, which began Oct. 23, led NASA to change plans.Astronauts undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and used Tuesday to ensure the shuttle was prepared for re-entry, using a laser-tipped boom to check the ship for any micrometeorite damage.

I am very proud of all the astronauts. They are spending months and years at space and risking their life in order to improve our lifestyle. Even though the space shuttle had a little of a delay, I understand the fact that all of the astronauts were very tired. Also, I congradulate all of them that they had a successful mission.

Article from: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/11/07/shuttle-landing.html

consumer group warns about gift cards

A powerful consumer organization is taking on retailers over the issue of unredeemed gift cards.
Amid the most popular gift-card giving season of the year, Consumer Reports has taken out full page ads in the New York Times today advising shoppers to think twice before choosing a gift card.

More than a quarter of all gift cards is lost, expires or is just never spent, the consumer advocacy group warns.

That adds up to an estimated 8billion dollars (US) out of consumers' pockets, the organization says. Gift cards have become an increasingly popular choice for holiday shoppers ever since retailers began replacing paper gift certificates with plastic cards that look like credit cards.
Sales of such cards are expected to reach 100billion dollars (US) by next holiday season, the consumer group said.

In Canada, shoppers bought 1.26billion dollars worth of gift cards last year, according to market research firm NPD Group Canada Inc. As many as 40 per cent were still outstanding by the end of March, the firm also said.

Despite their popularity, there have been problems with gift cards from the beginning. Many consumers complained they expired too soon, or monthly fees gradually reduced their value to nothing.

Many lawmakers, including Ontario's provincial government, eventually banned such fees and expiry dates.

In my opinion, I also think that before buying a gift card, you should think and think. I had an experience when I did not use my gift card ($30). I was not able to use my gift card because of the expiry date. I think that when making gift cards, there shouldn't be an expiry date on it. Even though business is earning a lot of money on selling gift cards, I think that they should take care of the consumers as well.