25 August....Happy Monday....welcome to the last full week of this last full month of summer weather. Let's hope these nice conditions last for us through the months of September and October. Like me you are probably not ready to surrender to the coldness of late Autumn just yet !
Here's what I know so far today......
A close call for Barenaked Ladies singer and guitarist Ed Robertson. His float plane crash landed near Bancroft, both he and his wife walked away from the plane unharmed. Police say he's lucky to be alive as he attempted to take off from Baptiste lake where he's a well-liked cottager. The plane clipped a few trees as he attempted an emergency landing, and the plane was hung suspended in the trees with it's nose barely touching the ground.
Keep an eye out for a new album from Dido. She's announced she's coming back to the music scene after a five year absence. Her latest album will be released in November, it's been delayed a number of times due to the death of Dido's father in 2006. She's giving away a free download on her official website called "Look no further".
John McCain's campaign has slammed Madonna debut tour outing for comparing McCain in a video to Hitler and dictator Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. In another video sequence McCain's rival Barack Obama was aligned with the likes of John Lennon, Al Gore and Indian Mahatma Ghandi. McCain's people say Obama's supporters will consider any smear attack fair game.
Maple Leaf foods has taken the step of nationally recalling all it's food products processed at it's Toronto plant due to the deadly listeria outbreak. The 20 million dollar move by Maple Leaf accompanies a sincere TV apology announcement and assurances the company is doing all it can to remedy the problems that have caused death and illness in a number of people across Canada.Check your fridge for any Maple Leaf products that have the code 97-B, deemed best before August 20th. Throw those away.
Beijing Olympics are set to become the most watched U.S. television event in history. Through 16 days NBC had 211 million viewers watch the games, 2 million more than the Atlanta games in '96. Across all it's platforms, NBC dedicated 3,600 hours of coverage, earning it the gold medal for ratings in Nielsen research.
Avril Lavigne's concert in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia will go on as planned 29 August. The concert had been scrapped by the government as "too sexy" but her promoters have assured them the performance won't corrupt the minds of young people in the mainly-muslim country on it's independence day. The show will be monitored to make sure it meshes with Malaysian culture and values.
Sean Connery returns to his roots in Edinburgh Scotland today to launch his autobiography. He was a milkman there in his early life. His book is called "Being a Scot" and looks at wide ranging Scottish culture including Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Damage to Hamilton's water and sewage budget could be as high as 3.2 million dollars because of (believe it or not) lots of rain this summer. Less people watered their lawns so water fees are down, and sewage treatment costs in the old combined sewage part of the city have risen due to the excessive flow of rainwater. That's a preliminary estimate which is likely to rise, so get ready for it to impact your taxes.
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