Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Breaking Bad, Super Bowl, VMAs Get Most Twitter Buzz in 2013

Breaking Bad - S5




Breaking Bad topped Nielsen’s first-ever ranking of TV programs generating the most buzz on Twitter, with the final season of the hit show averaging more than 520,000 tweets per episode. The Walking Dead was the second most tweeted-about show, averaging 490,000 tweets an episode.

Gay magazine names pope as person of the year

Pope Francis has had positive reactions for his informal approach [Reuters]

A gay rights magazine has named Pope Francis its person of the year, an honour that has coincided with his 77th birthday. The Advocate,  the oldest gay rights magazine in the US ,  has conferred the title on the pontiff for his encouraging words on gays and lesbians, describing his papacy as a stark change from that of his predecessor Benedict.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Average home price rises almost 10% to $391,085

The average price of a Canadian home has increased by almost 10 per cent in the past 12 months.
The average price of a Canadian home has increased by almost 10 per cent in the past 12 months. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)
New data released Monday from the organization that represents home sellers shows Canada's housing market continues to hit new highs, with the average price increasing by almost 10 per cent in the last 12 months to $391,085. The Canadian Real Estate Association said the strong gain was in part because this time a year ago, sales were down in some of the largest housing markets. 

South Africa unveils statue in honour of Mandela


A nine-metre statue in honour of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled on a day of rest dedicated to reconciliation, 24 hours after the solemn burial of the icon credited with ending racial segregation in South Africa. The nine-metre, bronze colossus was officially unwrapped on Monday by President Jacob Zuma on the lawns of the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria where Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in 1994.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Snow in Cairo, Egypt for the first time in over 100 years




Cairo has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a "historic" storm in the Middle East brought a rare treat to Egypt's capital Friday: a blanket of powdery, white snow. see more pics

Due to Cairo's low rate of precipitation and typically above-freezing winter temperatures, snow is an exceptionally unusual weather phenomenon for the North African city. So unusual, in fact, that the Los Angeles Times, citing local news reports, writes that the last recorded snowfall in Cairo was more than 100 years ago.

Ali Abdelazim, an official at the city's meteorological centre, confirmed to the Agence France-Presse this is the "first time in very many years" that snow has fallen in the Cairo area.

Excited Egytians took to social media Friday to share photographs of the unusual meteorological event

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Canada sells London diplomatic mansion for $530M

Prime Minister Stephen Harper walks through Grosvenor Square Garden with wife Laureen after attending Margaret Thatcher's funeral in London in April. The John A. Macdonald building, which was recently sold, can be seen at left.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper walks through Grosvenor Square Garden with wife Laureen after attending Margaret Thatcher's funeral in London in April. The John A. Macdonald building, which was recently sold, can be seen at left. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Canada has sold the John A. Macdonald building, the mansion in London that is home to some of the country's diplomatic activities in the U.K. 
Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Gordon Campbell confirmed the sale Thursday of One Grosvenor Square, which went to an Indian developer, Lodha Group, for $530 million.

Canadian dollar falls to 2-year low under 94 cents

The loonie is trading at its lowest intraday level since late 2011.
The loonie is trading at its lowest intraday level since late 2011. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
The Canadian dollar lost more ground on Monday, falling to its lowest intraday level in more than two years.
In the afternoon, the loonie was changing hands down 0.18 of a cent at 93.98 cents US, just shy of
its close of 93.93 cents US on June 30, 2010. Earlier in the day, it traded as low as 93.86 before recovering some ground.
That's the lowest the loonie has traded since October 2011. It is the first time the loonie has closed below 94 cents in more than three years.
'There is a high correlation between the price of oil and the Canadian dollar'- CIBC portfolio manager Jennifer Dowty
After repeatedly trading above parity in recent years, consensus has turned for the loonie, with some watchers saying Canada's dollar could fall a lot more. Goldman Sachs predicted last week the loonie will trade in the high 80-cent level next year.
"The momentum for the Canadian dollar is moving one way for the last three months: lower," Forex Live currency analyst Adam Button told CBC News in an interview.

30 Steps Moving Obamacare Forward



Obamacare borne out of good intentions but not enough plans were to organize the health insurance as a universal function under the control of the government and shift control from the insurance ‘king-kongs’ while seeking to protect the underprivileged, disadvantaged and the unemployed. The more fortunate, including GOP members lurking to score cheap political points have been screaming hell and fire to cancel the plan. If I may ask, replace it with what? There are many loopholes in current system, better all sheath their political swords, and work together, (or just pretend) and save the American people in what appears less are having the American dream. I hope the fixers including Obama, Jeffery Zients, and all health parastatal work past-time in avoiding a looming and irrecoverable catastrophe yet in the health sector.  If you take a closer look at it, the Obamacare, once fully implemented, is a better health care option for United States citizens. Below are thirty steps in solving the problem and Moving Forward as a nation