http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=fc0_1309760391 Items in channel '-Tipping Point-' Sun, 19 May 2013 04:22:29 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=fc0_1309760391 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:10:49 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=079_1350356899 -Tipping_Point- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/15/bc-amanda-todd-tormentor-anonymous.html 'Anonymous' names man it claims bullied B.C. teen who took her own life The tragic story of B.C. teen suicide victim Amanda Todd has taken another bizarre twist as the internet hacking and activist group Anonymous has named a man the group says was the girl's primary tormentor. Todd, 15, of Port Coquitlam, died last Wednesday, a month after posting a haunting video on YouTube that cited the sexualized attack that set her down a path of anxiety, depression and drug and alcohol abuse. During her nine-minute video, the teen explains in hand-written notes that she was in Grade 7 when she was lured by an unidentified male to expose her breasts via webcam. She says that a year later she received a message from a man on Facebook threatening that if she didn't give him a show, he would send the webcam picture to her friends and family. She says police later told her the man followed through with his threat. Anonymous published the name and address of a Vancouver-area man that the group claims was bullying and preying on Todd via the internet. The activist group, which often uses a caricature Guy Fawkes mask as its logo, claims the 32-year-old man has also made postings to child pornography sites. The man himself has now been threatened online by others vowing to carry out vigilante justice, a development that worries Vancouver defence lawyer Eric Gottardi. "The system isn't supposed to convict someone before charges are laid. It's not supposed to be judge, jury and executioner, all in the public forum," Gottardi said. "We have a justice system. It's supposed to work, it does work." Family pleads for helpTodd's family has pleaded with people to report anyone desecrating online tribute pages to Amanda and also to come forward with information about those who bullied her online: Her aunt, Leanna Todd, of Halifax, told CBC News that the public response to Todd's death and the discussion about bullying has provided the family with much comfort. "I've really been overwhelmed by it. I knew there would be an outcry. I didn't know it would be an international outcry and I don't think her parents expected it either." Two dozen RCMP investigators have been assigned to look into the bullying, which could bring charges of criminal harassment. Todd's video was posted weeks before she took her own life. (CBC)A spokesman told CBC News Monday that police are aware of the social media speculation about Todd's alleged tormentor, but would not comment further. A national child exploitation group, cybertip.ca, says it received a tip almost a year ago about Todd. A concerned citizen contacted the organization last November to report that images of Todd were being circulated online, said spokeswoman Signy Arnason. "We did receive one report, and that was passed along to law enforcement as well as child welfare," Arnason said Monday. "It was not a report from her, but it was a report from a concerned citizen." Seedy underworldThe kind of sexual exploitation described by Todd is part of a seedy cyber-underworld that targets young girls and it is not bullying, but a vicious crime that should be pursued even after her death, say child advocates. "Threats are a very common tactic utilized by individuals in their attempts to extort more information off of the kids," said Arnason, whose group will release a report on online luring later this week. About one per cent of the 67,000 reports they've received since 2005 involve luring - a number that is significant when cases can spiral out of control as they did for Todd. "Being sexually curious is not an abnormal thing as an adolescent. It's quite developmentally normal. The problem is that when you combine it with the online world then the effects can be devastating." "You get a lot of youth - and Amanda's not unusual - where they do feel like their life is over, and it's just so incredibly tragic what occurred for her," Arnason said. With files from The Canadian Press and CBC's Chris Brown http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=079_1350356899 -Tipping_Point- Amanda Todd's alleged tormentor named by hacker group Amanda Todd, Suicide, bullying, Anonymous Sun, 16 Sep 2012 04:48:42 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=260_1347785102 -Tipping_Point- They say it's not about the money. But for some reason I highly doubt that. When the moment of truth arrived, the NHL and NHL Players' Association were nowhere near the bargaining table. The sides remained so far apart in negotiations that no last-ditch attempt was even made before the league entered its fourth work stoppage in 20 years. Instead, the collective bargaining agreement quietly expired at midnight on Saturday and the NHL locked out its players. "We spoke again today, and in light of the fact that neither party has indicated an intention to move off of its last proposal, we have decided that there is no point in convening a formal bargaining session," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Canadian Press in an email. "We will keep in close contact in the coming days and if anything changes, I am sure we will be in touch." The lockout was a long time coming. As far back as November, the NHL informed the union it would be unwilling to continue operating past the expiration of the current CBA. But there were no formal talks held in the final three days under the expiring agreement. Steve Fehr, the NHLPA's special counsel, claimed the union requested a meeting before the "owners' self-imposed deadline" on Saturday but was rebuffed. The parties last sat down together on Wednesday afternoon, with each tabling a proposal, and commissioner Gary Bettman indicated he expects the next move to come from the union." Don Fehr, myself and several players on the negotiating committee were in and prepared to meet," he said in a statement. "The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting. There have been and continue to be private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides." Jobs in jeopardyThe impact of the work stoppage will be felt immediately. The first pre-season games are expected to be cancelled next week and the possibility of having the regular season start as scheduled on Oct. 11 will become less and less likely with each passing day. During the lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, both the league and individual teams decided to lay off employees. On Saturday afternoon, Daly said the NHL has no plans to cut staff "at this point in time." A number of players are expected to seek alternative opportunities in Europe, with the Russian-based KHL offering the most financial appeal. Switzerland, Sweden and Finland will also likely be popular destinations. Players aren't scheduled to receive the first of 13 NHL paycheques this season until Oct. 15 - something they'll miss if the lockout extends past that date. There are no immediate plans for them to receive a stipend from the union. Even the main negotiators will stop being paid. Bettman and Daly both committed to giving up their salary during the lockout, while Donald Fehr stopped collecting a paycheque at the start of July as a sign of solidarity with his membership. With the sides struggling to agree on how to divide up US$3.28 billion in annual revenues, both lamented the damage that is bound to be inflicted by engaging in another work stoppage. "Hockey is poised, I think, to really move over the next three or four years to a fundamentally different place than it's been before," said Fehr. "The question is whether the dispute we're currently having is going to screw that up. If so, that's bad and that's unfortunate - we ought to be doing what we can to avoid it." Added Bettman: "Even a brief lockout will cost more in lost revenue and wages than making a deal we think we need to make." Money: the problemFor the last several weeks, all of the secondary issues have been pushed aside so that talks could focus solely on the league's core economic system. The NHL believes too much money is being paid out in salaries and has proposed a system to address it. They're calling for the players' share in revenue to be set at 49 per cent next season - down from 57 per cent in the expiring deal - and proposed that it drops to 47 per cent by the end of the six-year deal. Both sides in the dispute have questioned whether the other actually wanted to avoid a lockout.The union tabled an offer where the salary cap would be set to fixed increases of two per cent, four per cent and six per cent over the next three years. The system would then revert to a percentage-based system for the final two years. "We all kind of feel that's what they are looking for," Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said of the league after a meeting of more than 275 players in New York this week. "If you look at the key principles of everything, we're showing we're willing to move, to sacrifice things. "If you look at proposal, it's not really the same type of feeling." The last round of negotiations saw the sides cancel an entire season before the NHLPA eventually relented and accepted a salary cap. However, it didn't end up working out so badly for players as the average salary rose to $2.45 million over the course of the CBA. "It actually turned out to be more fair than perhaps it should have been," said Bettman. And so the NHL begins writing another chapter in its history of labour strife. An 11-day strike in April 1992 caused 30 games to be postponed, while a 103-day lockout in 1994-95 forced the cancellation of 468 games and delayed the season's start until Jan. 20. The 2004 lockout began Sept. 16 and wasn't settled until July 13 - making the NHL the first North American sports league to ever cancel an entire season over a labour dispute. The three lockouts have all come with Bettman at the helm. During a board of governors meeting on Thursday, owners voted unanimously in support of the work stoppage. "This is very hard and I feel terrible about it," Bettman said afterwards. But the players felt owners should have been willing to do more, especially after all the trouble they went through during the last round of negotiations. "I think we want more of a partnership and it seems like they just want to take money back," said Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza. "We did that last time. We gave them a percentage of our salaries and it solved absolutely nothing." http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/09/15/sp-nhl-labour-talks-deadline-sides-meet-bettman-fehr.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=260_1347785102 -Tipping_Point- Deadline expires, NHL triggers lockout nhl, lockout, 2012, nhlpa Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:02:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7db_1342378593 -Tipping_Point- I guess he would rather see her suffer so she can pay more taxes for his free limousine rides? The federal government will appeal last month's ruling by the British Columbia Supreme Court that partially struck down Canada's ban on assisted suicide, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says. The ruling declared that the Criminal Code section targeting anyone who "aids or abets a person to commit suicide" should not apply to physicians in cases where terminally ill patients request to die. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said Friday the government believes laws prohibiting medical professionals or anyone else from counselling or assisting suicide are constitutionally valid. (Canadian Press)Judge Lynn Smith halted her decision for a year to give Parliament a chance to rewrite the law, which she deemed unconstitutional because it unfairly deprives people with degenerative illnesses of their liberty, and because it discriminates against those with a physical disability who might need assistance to exercise their right to take their own life. But she also granted an immediate exemption for Gloria Taylor, one of the women who brought the suit, and her doctor. Nicholson said Friday the government will seek a suspension of all aspects of the ruling, including the exemption for Taylor, while it goes to the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The government believes Section 241(b) of the Criminal Code is constitutional, he said. "The laws surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide exist to protect all Canadians, including those who are most vulnerable, such as people who are sick or elderly or people with disabilities," Nicholson said in a statement. "The Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged the state interest in protecting human life and upheld the constitutionality of the existing legislation in Rodriguez (1993)." "In April 2010, a large majority of parliamentarians voted not to change these laws, which is an expression of democratic will on this topic. It is an emotional and divisive issue for many Canadians," the statement said. Civil liberties lawyer disappointedA lawyer for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said the organization is disappointed - though not surprised - by the federal government's appeal of Smith's ruling. "Given the strength of the decision and just how carefully it was considered and how detailed it was, it is perplexing," Carmen Cheung said. "As many people know, and as the court recognized, this case is a very urgent one for Ms. Taylor, who is very sick, and she is seeking a right to a peaceful and dignified death. It's her life and her decision how she wishes to die, and it's an interference really in her very, very personal decision." Taylor has Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS, an ailment that is likely to sap away her control over her body until she can't even breathe on her own, while leaving her mind and sensation intact. She hailed the lower court's ruling because it gives her control over when and how she dies. Taylor and the other plaintiffs in the case argued that the ban on assisted suicide violates Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it discriminates against people with degenerative conditions who don't have the physical means to take their own lives. They also argued the ban violates their Section 7 right to life because, if they do want to end their suffering, they would have to do so earlier than they might otherwise want, before they lose the capacity to act. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/07/13/pol-cp-federal-appeal-assisted-suicide.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7db_1342378593 -Tipping_Point- Assisted-suicide ruling to be appealed by Ottawa (Stephen Harper) assisted-suicide, nanny-state, Stephen Harper, modern fascism Sat, 07 Jul 2012 18:44:50 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=852_1341700944 -Tipping_Point- http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/07/07/libya-election.html Jubilant Libyans chose a new parliament Saturday in their first nationwide vote in decades, but violence and protests in the restive east underscored the challenges ahead as the oil-rich North African nation struggles to restore stability after the ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Polls closed Saturday night and It will be a week before results are known. One person was killed and two wounded in a gunbattle between security forces and anti-election protesters in the eastern city of Ajdabiya, according to the head of the election commission. Nouri al-Abari said the polling center targeted by the protesters was later reopened and voting commenced normally. The vote capped a chaotic transition that has exposed major fault lines ranging from the east-west divide to efforts by Islamists to assert power. Lines formed outside polling centers more than an hour before they opened in the capital Tripoli, with policemen and soldiers standing guard and searching voters and election workers before they entered. The historic vote was tempered by boycott calls, the burning of ballots and attacks on polling centres in Libya's restive east. It was the latest unrest in a chaotic transition thathas exposed major fault lines in the oil-rich North African nation - the east-west divide and efforts by Islamists to assert power. Officials say 101 of more than 1,500 polling stations were unable to open. "I have a strange but beautiful feeling today," dentist Adam Thabet said as he waited his turn to cast a ballot. "We are free at last after years of fear. We knew this day would come, but we were afraid it would take a lot longer." The election for a 200-seat parliament, which will be tasked with forming a new government, is a key milestone after a bitter civil war that ended Gadhafi's four-decade rule. But the desert nation of 6 million people has experienced a rocky transition since Gadhafi was killed by rebel forces in his home city of Sirte in late October. Armed militias operate independently, refusing to be brought under the umbrella of a national army, and deepening regional and tribal divisions erupt into violence with alarming frequency. Growing resentment in the east - which was the cradle of last year's uprising - over perceived domination by Tripoli in the west has threatened to tear the country apart. Helicopter shot downOn Saturday, protesters torched ballot boxes in 14 out of 19 polling centres in the eastern town of Ajdabiya, said Ibrahim Fayed, a former rebel commander in the area. On the eve of the vote, gunmen shot down a helicopter carrying polling materials near the eastern city of Benghazi, birthplace of last year's revolution, killing one election worker on board, according to Saleh Darhoub, a spokesman for the ruling National Transitional Council. The crew survived after a crash landing. The violence continued Saturday, with protesters, some armed, attacking polling centres in the early hours in the eastern cities of Ajdabiya, Brega and Ras Lanouf, ransacking them and setting ballot papers ablaze. Nouri al-Abar, the head of the election commission, told reporters in Tripoli that 94 per cent of polling centres nationwide were open but acknowledged that "security conditions" prevented ballots from reaching some areas and ballots were destroyed in other cases. He did not provide further details. There are four major contenders in the Libyan race, ranging from the Muslim Brotherhood-linked party and another Islamist coalition on one end of the spectrum to a secular-minded party led by a Western-educated former rebel prime minister on the other. The laws allocate the east less than a third of the parliamentary seats, with the rest going to the western region that includes Tripoli and the sparsely settled south. Flush with money, the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Construction party has led one of the best organized and most visible election campaigns, and is hoping to become a political force in post-Gadhafi Libya like the Islamists of Egypt and Tunisia. Three other parties also are expected to perform well: Formerprime minister Mahmoud Jibril's secular Alliance of National Forces, former jihadist and rebel commander Abdel-Hakim Belhaj's Al-Watan and the National Front party, one of Libya's oldest political groups, known for organizing several failed assassination attempts against Gadhafi. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=852_1341700944 -Tipping_Point- Libyans Finish Historic Vote Libya, vote, 2012, historic, CBC News, Post-Gadhafi Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:22:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=782_1339697722 -Tipping_Point- Watch the vote live right here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/06/13/pol-c38-budget-vote-live-blog.html (For those who live in the U.S, this is what democracy actually looks like. Slow and painful) be happy you are a republic. Weary MPs continued to rise over and over again in the House of Commons Thursday, working slowly and methodically through an exhaustive list of amendments to the Harper government's budget implementation legislation. After a series of delays, voting began at about 1 a.m. ET. Twelve hours later, just after midday on Thursday, the process was roughly half over, with the Conservative majority winning every vote. A proposal from Opposition House Leader Nathan Cullen to break for question period in the afternoon was rejected by Conservatives. MPs are voting on 871 amendments that have been bundled into about 159 groups to speed the voting. Voting is expected to continue through Thursday evening and could end very early on Friday morning if the current pace of about six votes per hour continues. Throughout Thursday morning, the Commons voted down amendments that would have removed the parts of the bill changing environmental regulations, one of the most contentious aspects of the omnibus legislation. The NDP caucus - particularly its back rows - appeared to be making a point of rising slowly to vote, one by exhausted one. Opposition House Leader Nathan Cullen told reporters their slow pace was deliberate for the environmental clauses in particular, criticizing Conservative backbenchers for not having the courage of their convictions to break ranks. "You steel your resolve a bit to know that people appreciate when the country is being bullied, when our Parliament is being bullied, there's someone who's going to push back, and that's essentially what's been happening the last several hours," Cullen said. "If we had simply allowed the government to pass this bill without any inconvenience at all, the lesson they would have taken away, and Canadians would have taken away, is that Parliament is less important than it really is," the NDP house leader added. The Conservative caucus has been open about its strategy of dividing into small teams according to their seat placement, with "columns" of MPs exiting the chamber to eat, shower, nap or take short walks while a critical mass of government MPs remain to ensure each amendment fails. Manitoba Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge had a visit from his family Thursday morning in the lobby adjacent to the Commons, where breakfast was served. This photo he circulated on Twitter shows them posing with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was also on a break. (Twitter)Cullen suggested Government Whip Gordon O'Connor, a retired general, was keeping his troops on a short leash. He thinks Tories sometimes don't vote when a quick head count suggests they've got sufficient numbers to win easily, speeding up the count. When there's a "shift change" of these break-taking MPs, confusion has occasionally ensued over who's present to vote. MPs have to be in their seats when the "question is put" (the amendment is read from the Speaker's chair), and latecomers' votes are not supposed to be counted. Liberal MP Marc Garneau told reporters Thursday morning that even though the opposition had lost all the votes so far, it was accomplishing its goal - even if the votes so far occurred while most Canadians slept. "I'm getting the sense that Canadians realize that the government has abused its power. It did not need to do this. It is making profound changes in many areas to this country, and, yes, it has a majority, but it didn't need to bundle them all into one law and just sort of ram it through," Garneau said in the foyer of the House of Commons. Asked whether the overnight session was like being trapped in a space capsule, the former astronaut replied it was actually an "open and breezy" social environment inside the House chamber. Cullen also revealed some lighter moments, including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's gift of a sash and tiara to NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies, "which was nice," he said. "But then you step away from those moments and you realize what you just voted on and what the government just rammed through," Cullen said. "Those moments sober you up real quick." A brief controversy erupted when Prime Minister Stephen Harper re-entered the Commons after a break just before 8:30 a.m. ET and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May suggested he didn't arrive in time to have his vote counted. Harper insisted he had, supported by an intervention from Government Whip Gordon O'Connor, who is seated immediately behind Harper. The Speaker took him at his word, in accordance with Commons rules. Coffee, closed eyes and vote-candyObservers overnight noticed MPs napping, or at least "resting their eyes" in their seats as others rose to vote. MPs are allowed only water in the Commons, but some MPs rose to complain about one who brought in coffee, which is against the rules. Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae and Quebec Liberal MP Justin Trudeau confessed on Twitter that they'd snuck in candy. Early Thursday afternoon reports from MPs on Twitter suggest that seven NDP MPs have not missed a single vote. Three Liberal MPs are also said not to have slept. In another brief burst of excitement, one amendment was defeated on a voice vote mid-Thursday morning, sparing MPs that particular round of rising in their places. Opposition MPs farther back in the chamber claimed not to have heard when it was their turn to yell in favour of a recorded standing vote, in a ritual repeated before every vote. If the opposition does win one, it may be only a minor inconvenience for the government, which could circle back and reinstate the original clause or clauses in future legislation. Any victory would have symbolic value and surely energize the battle-weary opposition. But the exact consequences would depend on which vote the government lost, and whether the government chooses to see that defeat as a matter of confidence . The final Commons vote on the budget bill as a whole is expected after its final stage of debate, early next week. Cullen described its future passage through the Conservative-dominated Senate as similar to a "hot knife through butter." Toll on Commons clerksThe extended voting is taking its toll on Commons staff, who must be present through to the end, working overtime through rotating shifts. One clerk was heard briefly on an inadvertently open microphone early Thursday morning saying she was going home because she needed to sleep. While this voting marathon is testing current MPs, it is not unprecedented. In 1999, the House of Commons endured a record 43 hours of voting on 471 Reform Party amendments to the then-Liberal government's legislation to implement the Nisga'a treaty. Follow the votes in our live blog below with Kady O'Malley and other members of the CBC Politics team. Read what MPs are tweeting from the Commons here . Mobile users, follow the live blog here . Some highlights so farThe expected start time for the marathon voting session was delayed nearly eight hours Wednesday, after the Liberals forced a series of votes on other parliamentary matters. Sorting out the 871 motions into 159 groupings and reading them into the record along with a series of theatrical but otherwise meaningless voice votes chewed up four hours Wednesday night before the recorded votes even commenced. The first vote, at 12:59 a.m., took just over seven minutes to complete, with each MP rising and sitting again at their seat. The Conservatives prevailed 150-133. Thursday morning, a quick burst of song broke through the steady hum of background chatter as MPs serenaded New Democrat MP Hong Mai with "Happy Birthday." The Quebec MP turns 39 Thursday - at least in the real world off Parliament Hill. Inside the Commons, the calendar continues to read June 13 as Wednesday won't officially end for MPs until the last vote is counted and the House adjourned. At the current pace, voting is expected to wrap up in the wee hours of Friday morning. By the time that happens, clerks in the House of Commons will have recited almost 50,000 names in a repetitive roll call. with files from The Canadian Press (pretty much all of it, actually...) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=782_1339697722 -Tipping_Point- It's parliamentary whack-A-mole! Bill C-38 Amendment Vote Marathon. Bill C-38, Omnibus budget bill, environment, conservation, vote marathon, Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulclair, Elizabeth May, Bob Rae, Single Party State Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:40:20 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dbb_1339364230 -Tipping_Point- The mainstream media telling us something we've already known, again... 8 glasses of water a day 'an urban myth'Water and a well-balanced diet 'do far more than water alone,' Australian researcher says CBC News Posted: Jun 10, 2012 12:51 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 10, 2012 12:48 AM ET Read 129comments129 What drove us to drink 2 litres of water a day?Dietary intake levels for water(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.) The common advice to drink eight glasses of water a day doesn't hold water, say nutrition and kidney specialists who want to dispel the myth. "What drove us to drink two litres of water a day?" asks an editorial in this week's issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. Chef Rodney Bowers, left, pours a glass of water as Russell Smith, organizer of a campaign to encourage the drinking of tap water instead of bottled water at restaurants, looks on. Other beverages also help us meet the body's fluid needs, say nutrition specialists. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)The recommendation was driven by vested interests rather than health, suggests author Speros Tsindos of the department of dietetics and human nutrition at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia. "Humans need to maintain fluid balance and need to drink water when required, but should also consider fluid in unprocessed fruits and vegetables and juices. There is further evidence that water and a well-balanced diet does far more than water alone," Tsindos wrote. "Water is important for health; however, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water per day appears an overestimation of requirements." Even a baked potato is 75 per cent water, said nutrition Prof. Susan Barr of the University of British Columbia, who sat on a Canadian-U.S. committee that looked at fluid intake. "There's nothing magical about water from a glass of water as opposed to water from a food or any other beverage," Barr said. Drinking caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee do not lead to dehydration, said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a nephrologist at the University of Pennsylvania who reviewed research claims on drinking eight glasses of water and studied how the kidneys handle it. Let thirst guide you"Drinking the coffee will count towards your total water intake for the day," Goldfarb said. Goldfarb said despite the common idea that it's important to "drink eight glasses of eight ounces of water" a day, "There's no evidence that benefits health in any real way and it really represents an urban myth." There's no evidence you need to drink more water than what thirst dictates, Goldfarb added. Studies on desert nomads showed people can consume minimal amounts of water in harsh environments. The military has also looked at how much water soldiers need to take with them when patrolling in hot climates without harming their performance. "If one is just playing a game of tennis in an indoor facility, for example, or having a short run on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, the need to maintain hydration during that is just non-existent," Goldfarb advised. People have died of dehydration and from drinking too much water too quickly. A good guide to tell if the body's finely tuned fluid balance is to check the colour of your urine. If it's very dark, you're on the dry side; if it's very light or translucent, then you need to drink a bit less water, said Dr. David Price, head of family medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. With files from CBC's Kelly Crowe http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dbb_1339364230 -Tipping_Point- 8 glasses of water a day 'an urban myth' water, 8 glasses a day, CBC, no kidding Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:15:17 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c4e_1338829915 -Tipping_Point- Luka Rocco Magnotta, suspected of killing a Chinese university student in Montreal and mailing the dismembered body parts to Canadian political parties, has been arrested at an internet caf'e in Berlin. Magnotta is wanted by Montreal authorities on first-degree murder and other charges, including threatening Canadian politicians. He is suspected of killing Jun Lin - a 33-year-old Chinese university student with whom he had a relationship - filming the attack and mailing the victim's dismembered body parts to federal political parties. Magnotta has a sprawling internet presence. (Montreal Police)Berlin police spokesman Chief-Supt. Stefan Redlich told CBC News that authorities arrested Magnotta at 2 p.m. Berlin time (8 a.m. ET) at Helin Caf'e on Karl Marx Street. "As far as I know he was arrested alone, and there was no struggle," Redlich said. The caf'e's owner said he witnessed the arrest, but wouldn't comment further. Magnotta is being held at the Berlin prison and is expected to be brought before a judge on Tuesday. Magnotta, dubbed the "Butcher of Montreal" by European media, was spotted in Paris on the weekend , at a local caf'e and in a hotel. Victim went missing May 24Parts of Lin's remains were discovered last week after they were sent to the federal Liberal and Conservative parties in Ottawa. His torso was found stuffed in a suitcase and dumped in a trash pile behind the suspect's apartment, in a working-class neighbourhood off Montreal's D'earie Expressway. Luka Rocco Magnotta was arrested at this Berlin cafe. (Google Street View)Other remains were retrieved from the garbage, and from the tiny bachelor apartment. Montreal police believe Lin was killed sometime in the evening of May 24 or early May 25. A video that apparently captured some of the act was posted to an online gore site on May 25, and circulated across the internet for several days. Montreal police said Magnotta left the city on an international flight on Saturday, May 26. According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Magnotta arrived in France at Paris's Roissy airport the same day. The city was rife with rumours about Magnotta sightings, placing him in the city's hip 17th district, at bars, hotels, and in a suburb. Interpol issued a notice about Magnotta to 190 countries on Thursday. Montreal police are calling it one of the largest manhunts in their history. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/06/04/montreal-magnotta-search.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c4e_1338829915 -Tipping_Point- Luka Magnotta Arrested in Germany Luka Magnotta, murder, foot-in-mail disease, Interpol Thu, 31 May 2012 13:15:06 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a1c_1338484259 -Tipping_Point- I wanted to post this since the poll on the main site does not have commenting. Would like to hear what people think. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a1c_1338484259 -Tipping_Point- Romney vs Obama Poll. Romney, Obama, 2012 presidential election Wed, 30 May 2012 04:11:42 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8cb_1338365265 -Tipping_Point- Police find 2nd body part after foot mailed to Tory HQ. Reports of severed hand found after human foot delivered to Conservative HQ CBC News Posted: May 29, 2012 2:49 PM ET Last Updated: May 30, 2012 3:02 AM ET Ottawa police say they have found a second body part in a package as they investigate the delivery of a human foot to the Conservative Party of Canada's headquarters in downtown Ottawa. Police would not say what the body part was, nor where it was found, though they did say it was not found at the Conservative Party offices on 130 Albert St. where the foot was sent. Media reports said the second package, containing a human hand, was not addressed to the Tory headquarters. Police said the major crime unit continues to investigate. Police were called to the building at 11:20 a.m. ET after a suspicious package was delivered there. Police called for the hazardous materials unit after they noticed what appeared to be blood on the package. The Hazmat Unit and Emergency Operations Section inspected the package and determined that there was possibly a human foot in the box. A coroner later confirmed it was a human foot. Package delivered through Canada PostMajor Crimes Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt said the suspicious package was delivered through Canada Post and conceded it's possible it was sent as a "gruesome message." The foot was decomposing and there was a stench when a CPC employee opened it, said Pirt. He would not say whether the foot belonged to a male or female. Police found the second package in the course of the investigation, but would not reveal any more details. Police are working with Canada Post to determine the origins of the packages and said they may also be in touch with morgues and funeral homes to see if they are missing any body parts. A hazardous materials team was called to the Conservative Party headquarters in Ottawa after what looked like blood was found on a package. (Rene Hardy/CBC)Ottawa police are also checking to see if their case is connected with an RCMP investigation in Montreal after police there found a human torso in a pile of garbage in the C^ote-des-Neiges borough. News shocks MPsSgt. Steve Hodgson said Conservative Party staff members were shaken up by the incident. Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey said Ottawa police are investigating and all questions should be referred to them. Several members of Parliament said they were caught off guard by the news. "It's shocking for somebody to do that," said Labour Minister Lisa Raitt. "I'd hate to be the one opening that." http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/05/29/ottawa-suspicious-package-cpc-hq.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8cb_1338365265 -Tipping_Point- Human foot delivered to Conservative Party of Canada headquarters. (With Updates) foot, conservative party of canada hq, canada post, WTF! Thu, 24 May 2012 13:19:42 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ac3_1337879058 -Tipping_Point- Have been smoking pot for four years. Have never had a hint of psychosis. This documentary also briefly breaks down why we get high after smoking cannabis. Some people hold the ignorant belief that because we have cannabinoid receptors in our brains our brains must be designed for the purpose of smoking weed...Not true. It may be that one part of our brain that allows us to get high, but it is only a part of our normal neurological system. But it sure is fun to feed it with the herb, eh? Video reproduced for comment and review. Sorry for the abysmal quality, but that's the best I could download. Watch better quality here: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2010/downsideofhigh/ Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic. That's the startling conclusion of some of the world's top schizophrenia experts, whose research is featured in the new documentary The Downside of High. The scientists' groundbreaking work on the connection between marijuana and mental illness also reveals that, for all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations - the hallmarks of schizophrenia. Ben was first introduced to marijuana while at a high school in BC. His increasingly psychotic behaviour led to a year-long hospitalization.The Downside of High, directed and written by Bruce Mohun, tells the stories of three young people from British Columbia who believe - along with their doctors - that their mental illness was triggered by marijuana use. All three spent months in hospital psychiatric wards, and still wage a battle with their illness. Today's super-potent pot may be a big part of the problem. Modern growing techniques have dramatically increased the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - ramping up the threat to the developing teenage brain. But there's an intriguing twist to the story: in the process of cultivating more potent strains of pot, growers have also been breeding out a little-known ingredient called cannabidiol that seems to buffer the effects of THC. So today's high-octane pot actually contains a double-whammy - more psychosis-producing THC, and less of the protective CBD or cannabidiol. Tyler was 14 years old when he first started experiencing psychotic episodes.For many people, smoking marijuana is not a big deal - it is, after all, the most widely-used illegal drug in the world. The Downside of Highprovides a scientific perspective on some of the little-known and little discussed risks of marijuana, particularly for teenagers. The Downside of High is directed and written by Bruce Mohun, story-produced by Maureen Palmer, and produced by Sue Ridout for Dreamfilm Productions of Vancouver. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ac3_1337879058 -Tipping_Point- The Downside of High cannabis, weed, pot, psychosis, schizophrenia, THC, cannabinoids Thu, 24 May 2012 12:09:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94d_1337875616 -Tipping_Point- http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2012/05/23/canadian-pacific-strike.html The Canadian Pacific Railway strike means more than 2,000 non-striking unionized CP employees will be laid off, a spokesman for the company said Wednesday, as the federal labour minister said she may force an end to the work stoppage. "Unfortunately, with this unnecessary strike by the Teamsters, more than 2,000 other unionized CP employees will not be required and are being laid off," CP's Ed Greenberg said. "We expect this to grow by another 1,400 employees as their work, related to the operations of the railroad, is no longer required. This is in addition to the 4,800 Teamster-represented employees currently on strike." The strike by engineers and other workers began Wednesday morning. The layoffs are a temporary measure, with CP saying the affected workers are not required when the trains aren't running. Greenberg said the strike means tens of thousands of carloads a day of grain, coal, automobiles and other products won't be moving along nearly 24,000 kilometres of track in Canada and the U.S. Back-to-work legislationEarlier Wednesday, Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said she was giving notice of legislation to force the union back to work. Raitt urged both sides to keep negotiating but said she's being prudent by putting the legislation on the order paper in the House of Commons. The announcement came 10 hours after the workers went on strike. "We want to make sure that they're doing the best that they can, but they understand as well that if they cannot conclude their deal, we will have the ability to intervene," Raitt told reporters in Ottawa. "We want to make sure that the effect on the economy is being brought to people's attention and that we're keeping it in mind as it proceeds." Raitt says the parties are still at the table but said late Wednesday afternoon that they seem to be far apart on the issue of pensions. She says the government estimates a strike could cost $540 million a week. Raitt's statement 'consistent' with union attitudeThe Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said in a statement later Wednesday that Raitt didn't threaten them with back-to-work legislation, and promised to stay at the negotiating table as long as it takes. "Minister Raitt's comment is consistent with our attitude since the beginning of the negotiations," said Doug Finnson, TCRC vice-president. "The minister wants the parties to continue talking and that's exactly what we're doing." The statement said Raitt "seemed inclined to give the parties time to find common ground." "CP's management needs to understand that hiding behind the federal government is not going to resolve things," Finnson said. Canadian Pacific's statement Wednesday evening said it respected Raitt's announcement and that it is willing to enter binding arbitration. On Power & Politics with Evan Solomon , Raitt said there are three options for management and the union: They negotiate a deal, which she said seems to be becoming more unlikely. They voluntarily go to arbitration, with an arbitrator of their choosing. Both sides accept an offer Raitt says she made last week to stop the strike and agree to 120 days further mediation with an expert provided by Labour Canada. Canadian Pacific accepted that offer but the Teamsters did not. "It's still there for them to take, and they should look at it," she said. If they don't do any of those things, "They are leaving their destiny in the hands of Parliament," Raitt said. The House of Commons isn't sitting this week, with MPs working in their ridings, so the legislation isn't likely to start moving through Parliament until Monday. Asked whether Canadian Pacific asked for the legislation, Raitt said no. Last year, the government brought in back-to-work legislation for both Air Canada and Canada Post disputes - in the case of Canada Post, it ended a lockout. In June 2011, the NDP forced the House to sit continuously for three days as the party fought the Canada Post legislation. 'The Conservatives are taking only one side'NDP labour critic Alexandre Boulerice said he's concerned the threat of back-to-work legislation will skew the balance at the negotiating table in favour of Canadian Pacific. "Once again the Conservatives are taking only one side and by threatening the union and the workers with back-to-work legislation, it removes a lot of pressure from the employer," said the Montreal MP. "It constitutes another attack against the rights of the workers to associate and to freely negotiate." The workers went on strike early Wednesday morning after last-minute negotiations failed. Freight service was then suspended across the country. P.O.V.Should CP workers be forced back to work? Take our survey . Officials with the railway and the union met with Raitt on Tuesday morning, where they agreed that commuter trains in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto will keep running in the event of a strike. That means 65,000 Canadians were able to get to work as usual Wednesday morning, Raitt said. Two intercity Via Rail routes in Ontario that use CP infrastructure will be affected by the strike. Via Rail said on Wednesday that passengers travelling between Ottawa and Toronto will have to take buses between Ottawa and Brockville, with train service still available on the journey between Brockville and Toronto. The Toronto to Sarnia route is also affected, with four trains cancelled - numbers 85, 86, 88 and 89 - and buses provided as an alternative. Trains from White River to Sudbury have also been cancelled numbers -185 and 186 - with buses providing alternate transportation. The TCRC represents 4,800 engineers, conductors and rail traffic controllers in Canada. The union and CP have been negotiating since October in an attempt to renew the collective agreements that expired Jan. 1, 2012. Finnson says the major points of contention for the union are pensions, some work rules and fatigue management. Management shakeup at CPThe strike comes at a time of major changes at Canada's second-biggest railway. A bruising months-long proxy fight with the railway's biggest shareholder culminated last week in Fred Green's exit as CEO. New York hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management argued the railway was lagging under Green's leadership and that a change was necessary. Green and five other board members stepped down hours before the company's annual general meeting last Thursday after shareholders voted overwhelmingly for director nominees on Pershing's slate. The Teamsters' Finnson said the union has not yet met with Green's interim replacement, Stephen Tobias. He said the management shakeup has not affected the bargaining process. With files from CBC's Laura Payton and The Canadian Press http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94d_1337875616 -Tipping_Point- Canadian Pacific Railway Strike - Back to work legislation Canadian Pacific Railway, Lisa Raitt, Stephen Harper, Conservatives Tue, 22 May 2012 18:34:55 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2bf_1337725833 -Tipping_Point- Nut slam remix. Could not give two flying horse fucks that it's a repost. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2bf_1337725833 -Tipping_Point- Half the Man I used to Be grand slam, nut crunch, the two ball wire, double zinger