Uttarakhand Govt. order on new districts

Dehradun, December 9

A government order has been released for the creation of new districts of Kotdwar, Raniketh, Didihaat and Yamunotri.

The nod for the same had already been given by the Uttarakhand Government at Cabinet meeting last month.

The announcement of the creation of the districts was made on August 15 this year by former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Principal Secretary and Revenue Commissioner PC Sharma said the government had not taken any decision for declaring the district headquarters for the new districts and the appointment of SSP and DMs and carving of the boundaries would also take place after the Assembly elections.

Sources claim the government decided to play it safe and issued a government order instead of a notification, as it would have been difficult to amend the notification in the future.

Muslim clerics flay Veena Malik

Haridwar, December 9
Pakistani actress Veena Malik, who shot into the limelight in India by being part of a television reality show, has come under fire from Muslim clerics and several organisations in Haridwar too.

Veena, whose controversial shoot for a leading glamour magazine, is in news these days. Various Muslim and Hindu organisations have accused her of hurting the sentiments of people. Activists of the Teerth Maryada Samiti today protested against Veena’s semi-nude photographs and her being casted as the “bride” for a coming reality serial where she will select her husband. Muslim cleric Maulan Aarif said every women should behave properly and make it sure that she didn’t cross the limits as prescribed in their religion. “It would have been better had Veena Malik essayed good roles and helped in bringing artistes from both the countries much closer but she wants just publicity,be it any way,” said Furkan Ali, a Muslim leader from Jwalapur. 

Awareness on Right to Service Act

Mohali, December 9
“Punjab is the first state, where the Right to Service Act has been notified and it enables the common man to get the notified services within a time bound manner,” said Iqbal Singh Sidhu, Commissioner, Punjab Right to Service Commission.

While addressing a seminar to create awareness about the Act among villagers at Majri (Kharar), the Commissioner said it allowed the villagers to hold the officials accountable. HS Dhillon, another Commissioner with the Commission, said it was the right of the residents to get any of the 67 notified services. Such camps are being held across the state to create awareness about the Act. The officials have been asked to put up hoarding, detailing provisions about the Act, at panchayat ghar and other public places in villages.

“If any official does not perform his or her duty, a fine ranging between Rs 250 and Rs 5,000 can be levied on him,” said the Commissioners. The ADC (D), Iqbal Singh Brar, and SP (Hq) Mandir Singh were also present. 

Pinjore bypass to open this month

Work on small patches on the 10-km stretch in full swing

An overview of the Pinjore-Parwanoo bypass. 

Panchkula, December 9
Those commuting on the Panchkula-Shimla National Highway No 22 will heave a sigh of relief, as the National Highway Authority of India will be throwing the Pinjore-Parwanoo bypass open to public this month.

“If everything goes well, we are hopeful of throwing the road open to public even before December 31, the deadline set for its completion,” said Anil Dahiya, project director, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

He said 98 per cent of the road laying work had already been completed, while the remaining 2 per cent was in its final stages.

On Thursday, an approach slab was laid on the end of bypass in Himachal Pradesh near Timber Trail, while the work on the remaining small patches on the 10km long bypass was in full swing, he added.

“The road on the Pinjore side is ready and the connectivity to the other end near Timber Trail will also be given in next one week,” he added. Even the district police is relying on the opening of the bypass to get rid of the routine traffic jams in Pinjore and Kalka.

The Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police said two traffic inspectors, along with police personnel at the Pinjore and Kalka police stations, are at work to regulate traffic.

“The road gets narrower near Gandhi Chowk, Kalka, and the traffic moves at a snail’s pace. Unless the bypass is not operative, the problem will not be solved.

Still the local police in association with NHAI has deployed five cranes to tow away vehicles parked wrongly. In addition, a total of 33,123 challans under various Sections of the Motor Vehicle Act were issued to traffic rules violators, while 3,683 challans were exclusively issued to those who had parked their vehicles wrongly,” added the DCP.

Anil Kumar takes over as Home Secy of Chandigarh

Chandigarh, December 9
Anil Kumar, a Haryana cadre IAS officer, took over the charge of UT Home Secretary (HS) here today. He conceded that the city had a lot of scope for improvement and he would take stock of the existing ground conditions, besides the required changes.

A formal order regarding the allotment of departments to the new Home Secretary are still awaited. He said since the police department was under him, his priority would be working out a mechanism to reduce the response time of the police control room (PCR) vehicles.

Following the appointment of Satya Gopal as the acting Home Secretary, a number of important offices of the Home Secretary, including health and tourism, had been passed to other officers. A majority of these are expected to be restored.

The tenure of the preceding Home Secretary, Ram Niwas, had witnessed several controversies, including the teachers’ recruitment scam, examination for CTU conductors, selection of firemen and selection of nurses and doctors. The scams included the selection of teachers in 2009; selection of firemen in 2010; selection of nurses and doctors and recruitment to CITCO; selection of conductors in CTU in 2011; fire recruitment scam in 2010; and PEC admission scam in 2010 (all during the tenure of Ram Niwas) and the UT police recruitment scam in 2007.

The new Home Secretary has a lot of work ahead of him. He will have to put in a special effort to restore public faith in the coveted office. At least five back-to-back scams in a couple of years in the city not only brought bad repute to the UT Administration, but also shook the trust of the common man in the Administration.

HC upholds state govt’s decision on stamp duty

Chandigarh, December 8
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld State of Punjab’s decision to charge different stamp duties from land developers and the government. The ruling came on a petition filed by land developer HP Singh against the State of Punjab and others respondents. The petitioner was seeking a direction to the State, along with the Punjab Urban Development and Planning Authority, to charge stamp duty from it for “registration of an instrument of sale” on a par with the stamp duty charged from the government, PSUs or local bodies. A notification to this effect was also challenged.

The Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina asserted: “A private developer like the petitioner develops land for sale in the market for promoting his business and this is subject to regulatory laws whereas the state government, PSUs and local bodies develop and sell land for social purpose to meet the dire need for housing at a cost affordable to a distinct class that is not so affluent.”

The Bench added: “The notification in our view does not practice any discrimination between the two distinct groups”.

‘Educate people on Right to Service Act’

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 9
The implementation of Right to Service Act-2011, ensuring time-bound delivery of 67 citizen centric services to the public as a matter of right, is though as a great achievement of the government, but effective results can be achieved only if the common man is educated about this Act, said SM Sharma, acting Chief Commissioner, Punjab Service Commission, while addressing a workshop organised to educate the civil and police officers, municipal councillors, sarpanches, panches and other elected representatives at Bachat Bhawan here today.

“The respective Deputy Commissioners should make efforts to organise meetings with the sub-divisional and block-level officers for the implementation of the Act,” Sharma said. He directed the executive officers and BDPOs to organise camps in towns and villages to educate people by involving elected representatives and NGOs.

He said that the main aim of enacting the law was not only to curb the menace of corruption, but also to restore the dignity of the people and repose their faith in transparency of the administration and make administration accountable to the people.

Commissioner Dr Dalbir Singh said that if any official did not provide service within stipulated time, he could be fined from Rs 250 to Rs 5000. Addressing the seminar, Deputy Commissioner Yashveer Mahajan said that the Right to Service Act had been implemented in the district and the officials had been directed to redress the grievances of the people as well as to get their work done within stipulated period, otherwise they would be held responsible for delay and suitable action under Civil Services Act would be initiated. 

Sexually harassed by senior 9 yrs ago, woman SI gets Rs50K compensation!

New Delhi, December 9
Nine years after a woman sub-inspector with the Mumbai Police Anti Narcotics Cell complained of sexual harassment by her senior, the Maharashtra Government has paid her Rs 50,000 as compensation!

The case wound up this week with the National Human Rights Commission getting a letter from the Maharashtra Chief Secretary that Neelam Bhagat, still with the state police, had been paid Rs 50,000 on NHRC directions.

But the commission, which hailed the case as a “marker” on the eve of World Human Rights Day, didn’t close the chapter. It has marked the case to the Mumbai Chief Metropolitan Magistrate “to treat it as a complaint against Jawahar Singh, the then DCP, Narcotics Branch, Mumbai Police, and presently IG, Prison, Aurangabad.”

Rarely does the commission become a complainant in human rights violations but this case is unique. Records reveal that Neelam Bhagat reported sexual harassment to her seniors on March 2, 2002, and sought an FIR of cognizable offence under Section 354, IPC, against the accused IPS.

“The Commissioner didn’t record the FIR to protect the IPS officer,” the NHRC notes. A probe was ordered and though the ACP probing the matter concluded that circumstances of March 2, 2002 indicated that the DCP uttered something to Neelam Bhagat which offended and disturbed her, but no action was taken against the accused.

“What more was required to take action against the DCP considering harassment took place in his chamber where just the two were present. The victim narrated the events to her husband and a constable and both corroborated,” the commission order says, slamming the state for simply “killing time, shunting the case between departments to protect the accused”.

The complaint was made to the NHRC on April 1, 2002 by the Women Police Employees Association of Mumbai. The then Commissioner member Sujatha Manohar took cognizance on April 18, 2002, after which the case file went missing, resurfacing only in 2008.

“I received the file only on August 5, 2008 and issued summons to the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra. They kept buying time. I issued conditional summons twice,” Justice BC Patel, member, NHRC, told the TNS.

In between, the state told the NHRC that the victim didn’t want to pursue such an old case and didn’t want compensation. But the commission took strong objection to state’s delaying tactics and noted, “It appears the police department has gone to the extent of obtaining a request from the victim wherein she has stated that the matter is very old and she is no more interested. What else can an unprotected victim say? But no such statement has been placed on record and we insist the compensation be paid.”

It was after several reminders and finally summons to the Joint Secretary, Home, Maharashtra, to be personally present in the NHRC that the token amount of Rs 50,000 was finally paid this week.

The Case

n March 2, 2002: Accused Jawahar Singh, the then DCP, called Neelam Bhagat to his chamber to review work

n He made objectionable remarks like “Aap aaye bahaar aayi”, said she looked beautiful and asked her to lift her dupatta. She threatened to report the matter, to which he replied that no one could harm him

n She sought to register an FIR, but no case was lodged. She then moved the National Human Rights Commission

89 die in Kolkata hospital blaze

n Fire tears through 7-storey private hospital n Most of the dead suffocated in the intensive care ward n Firefighers take an hour to arrive, witnesses say n Police arrest 6 hospital directors for negligence

Kolkata, December 9
A devastating fire tore through a seven-storey private hospital in south Kolkata before dawn on Friday, killing at least 89 persons, mostly patients who were asleep when the blaze started.

The pre-dawn fire broke out at 3.30 am, catching many in their sleep. While most nurses, doctors and other staffers were able to get away, many critically ill patients suffocated to death in their hospital beds.

The tragedy unfolded over many hours. Some were suffocated, some were too infirm to escape the toxic fumes. The lucky few were brought down the side of the four-storey glass facade building using ropes and ladders, even as thousands watched in horror.

The fire broke out in the basement and quickly spread through the building by air-conditioning shafts. At the time of the fire, there were 160 patients, including around 40-50 in the ICU. The hospital has two other blocks in the complex.

The fire brigade, many alleged, came over two hours late. Firemen blamed it on narrow roads leading to the hospital. Relatives of patients said it was initially ill-equipped — without masks and with only rickety manual lifts — to deal with the horrific disaster.

Rescue workers bring down a patient from AMRI Hospital on Friday; grieving relatives of a victim.

“Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation due to toxic fumes,” Fire Services and Disaster Management Minister Javed Khan told reporters. Among the dead are three hospital employees and a Bangladesh national. Over 50 injured, some of them in a critical condition, have been admitted to different hospitals in the city.

As smoke billowed out, firemen using ladders with platforms smashed windowpanes to rescue patients trapped inside the ICU, ICCU, Intensive Therapy Unit and other critical care units.

The firemen evacuated patients with pulleys from the upper floors as they were not in a condition to be taken down by ladders put up by the fire brigade.

The minister alleged that there were no proper fire-fighting arrangements at the hospital. The hospital basement was also built illegally and was being used as a godown. The fire brigade has lodged an FIR against the hospital authorities in this connection.

Utter chaos prevailed outside the hospital with anxious relatives of patients gathering outside it to enquire about the welfare of their near and dear ones. They alleged that the hospital authorities had no clue about the condition of their patients. Immediately after the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the site, cancelled the licence of the hospital. She also ordered a high-level inquiry and said the persons responsible for the incident would not be spared.

By evening, the police had arrested six persons, including SK Todi, the owner of the hospital.

“Six persons, including SK Todi, have been arrested,” confirmed Banerjee. The six have been charged with negligence, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and attempt to culpable homicide, a senior police official said. The hospital had been warned in September about the basement and it gave an undertaking to comply with it, but did not do so, Banerjee said. The CM said that the hospital has been closed and would be sealed by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation after completion of rescue operations. The Prime Minister has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the victims’ kin while the state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each and offered employment, if needed. AMRI Hospital announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for the next of kin of those who died, while those injured would be treated free of cost at the hospital.

President Pratibha Patil, PM Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan, among others, have condoled the tragic deaths.

The hospital, initially named as Niramaya and running under the state health department, was handed over to Todi by former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu in 1984 at a through-away price, despite objection raised by the Finance Department. The AMRI group runs three other hospitals in the city and also some other businesses, including real estate.

Co-founded by the Emami & Shrachi Groups along with the West Bengal government in 1996, the hospital was once rated as amongst India's best.

(With inputs from agencies) 

How it happened

n According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 3 am on Friday, when most of the patients in the 190-bed hospital were fast asleep and could not escape.

n The fire started in the basement and quickly spread through the building by air-conditioning shafts.

n In the basement, a huge stock of highly-inflammable items like, kerosene, LPG, plastic sheets, synthetic gloves and other surgery equipment turned the fire into a devastating blaze.

The fatal delay

n Angry local residents accused the hospital authorities of reacting too slowly. The hospital staff did not inform the fire brigade in time, causing a delay in the arrival of the fire brigade by at least two hours, they alleged.

n When the locals rushed to the hospital gate to inform about the fire, they were driven away by the security guards.

n The doctors, nurses and the hospital staff escaped immediately after fire began sweeping the floors one after the other.

n “We could see helpless patients inside trying to catch our attention, asking for help by pressing their hands and faces against windows,” said Sanjeet Kayal, who lives adjacent to AMRI hospital.

Crash course in dealing with collisions

Fender benders are a common sight on city streets - in Edmonton, there were more than 28,000 collisions last year, with most occurring during the winter months. Not only are they frustrating for the drivers involved, but also for other motorists who get stuck in the resulting traffic jam. And since a lot of drivers don't really know what to do in the event of a crash, police resources can end up getting tied up unnecessarily. Here's what you should know in order to keep minor collisions from becoming major headaches: 

When do you have to call police? 

• If someone has been seriously injured. 
• If you suspect the driver is impaired. 
   - In these cases, call 9-1-1 so that EMS can be dispatched to the scene and police can be notified. 
   - Also, keep your vehicles where they are so that the collision scene can be investigated. 
• If a driver does not have proper documentation including his or her driver's license, registration or proof of insurance. 
• If one or more of the vehicles aren't drivable call the police complaint line at 423-4567. 
• If the combined damage to vehicles is more than $2,000. If that's the case, you must go to a police station and file a Collision Report Form. If you don't, you could face a $287.00 fine. 

What to do if you have been involved in a collision? 

• If your vehicles are drivable, move them to a location where they are not obstructing traffic. 
• Exchange information like insurance, registration, names and drivers licence numbers, as well as names and phone numbers of all witnesses.
• To protect yourself, take photos of vehicles, licence plates and damages in case the other driver changes his or her story later on. 
• If someone refuses to provide their information, document the licence plate number, vehicle description and driver description before they leave the scene. 
• Report collisions to your insurance company as soon as possible. 

Police remind drivers that prevention is the best way to avoid the headaches that accompany collisions, especially since following too closely is the most common cause of fender benders. 

"Use caution and a little bit of patience and we will get through the cold season here without too many problems," says Sgt. Ray Akbar with the EPS. 

See below for a handy vehicle collision guide you can print out and fill out if you ever get into a crash:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/75066853/Report-a-Collision

Free shipping day comes to Canada on Monday

A Canadian entrepreneur who convinced hundreds of American e-tailers to join his annual Free Shipping Day campaign doing the same north of the border.

Regina native Luke Knowles launched the concept behind Freeshippingday.com, which is now in its fourth year and has about 1,800 big and small online stores signed up to participate. Apple, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, JCPenney, Gap, Kmart, Macy's, Nordstrom, Radio Shack and Sears are among the e-tailers that have agreed to offer free shipping for purchases made Dec. 16.

The date is different each year but is timed to be about a week from Christmas, giving consumers a chance to do some last-minute online shopping without heading to the chaotic malls, says Knowles.

This is the first year that Knowles has set up a separate site for Canadians, although it falls a little earlier since our online orders can take longer to deliver.

So far, more than 50 Canadian online stores are promising free shipping on Dec. 12, which Knowles calls a good start. He'd been trying for years to drum up support for the idea in Canada.

"We started four years ago with 250 merchants in the U.S. and now we're going to be well over 2,000 this year, so you've got to start somewhere," he says.

"We're really pleased there's over 50 merchants participating right now (in Canada) and more are signing up every day. So if we can get to 75 or 100 that'll be a success for us."

Knowles, who also set up a similar site in the United Kingdom, says the Canadian e-commerce industry is a bit of a laggard, although e-tailers are catching on.

"Canada is a little bit behind the United States as far as online shopping goes and especially as far as free shipping goes - in the U.S. free shipping has almost been like you've got to offer it, because everyone's offering it," he says.

"In Canada, it's getting there and getting there quickly. I think last year and the year before Canada was even further behind the U.S. but this year I'm starting to see they're catching up quickly, and part of that is probably the influence of American companies."

Among those participating in Freeshoppingday.ca are Adidas, Aldo, Apple, Banana Republic, Best Buy, Dell, Dyson, Indigo, Gap, Garage, Old Navy, Roots, The Source, Sport Chek, Staples, Toys R Us and Under Armour.

B.C. wants to lure skilled immigrants

Dec 8, 2011 / 9:47 am

The B.C. government is setting up a task force aimed at boosting the number of skilled immigrants and investors coming to the province.

Premier Christy Clark says skilled immigrants will be needed to help fill more than one million job openings expected in B.C. over the next decade.

She says the task force headed by Richmond Liberal MLA John Yap will review the effectiveness of all of B.C.'s current immigration programs and make recommendations on how to improve them.

Yap says skilled people all over the world want to come to B.C. and the aim of the task force is to make it easier for them to emigrate.

The nine-member task force will begin its work immediately and submit a final report by the end of next March.

Other members of the panel include former federal cabinet minister Stockwell Day, Asia Pacific Foundation CEO Yuen Pau Woo, immigration lawyer Narindarpal Singh Kang, and assistant UBC Dean Grace Wong.

Class action lawsuit targets penalties under B.C.'s tough new drunk-driving law

VICTORIA — A class-action lawsuit challenging impaired driving penalties given out under B.C.'s tough new drunk driving law was filed in Vancouver Thursday.

The lawsuit says that, between Sept. 20 and Nov. 19, police officers throughout the province were negligent in their use of the roadside breathalyzer device that determines a driver's blood-alcohol level.

Legislation came into effect Sept. 20 that penalizes drivers whose blood-alcohol concentration is between .05 and .08. The reading is determined via a roadside breathalyzer that indicates "warn" if a person's blood-alcohol level is between those numbers.

The lawsuit alleges that up to Nov. 19, police used improperly programmed breathalyzers to determine the reading. That resulted in drivers being penalized when their blood-alcohol levels were below .05, said Michael Thomas, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit.

On Nov. 19, Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham, as chairman of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee, recalled 2,200 roadside breathalyzers after RCMP lab tests found a margin of error in the devices. The RCMP found the units could indicate a reading over .05 when the driver was actually under it.

The units were recalibrated so that a "warn" reading is obtained if the driver blows .06, recognizing the potential machine error.

"The way the legislation is drafted, the public has to rely upon proper enforcement. Our allegation is that that wasn't done in this time period," Thomas said.

Police either improperly programmed the devices or failed to detect that they weren't programmed accurately, the lawsuit alleges. An estimated 170 people a week faced licence suspensions during the period, with penalties ranging from $600 to $4,060.

The minimum penalty is an immediate loss of licence for three days, a $200 penalty and a $250 licence reinstatement fee, and the likely loss of vehicle for the three days, plus towing and storage fees. That is for someone with one "warn" reading within five years. Penalties escalate for those with more.

In a class-action suit, one person sues on behalf of all the people who have similarly suffered. The lawsuit has to go to B.C. Supreme Court to be classified as a class-action suit before proceeding. That will likely happen within three months, Thomas said.

He will ask for repayment of costs incurred by people who were improperly penalized.

This week, Solicitor General Rich Coleman said the province is considering allowing drivers to appeal roadside penalties for impaired driving offences.

That would make no difference to the lawsuit, Thomas said.

Teen hockey player charged with assault

A 17-year-old minor league hockey player has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly spearing an opponent during a game in Clareview in January.

16-year-old Austin Hoekstra was allegedly jabbed by the butt end of a stick, causing a rupture in his bowels and bruising his pancreas.

After enduring over three hours of surgery, father Tom Hoekstra stated that Austin had to miss nearly a month of school.

On Jan. 12, Austin's Midget AA Raylin MFG team was taking on the Re/Max Leduc Oil Kings Midget AA team at the Clareview Arena.

Although the teams had previously played against each other, Austin states that a Leduc player he noticed before bumped and asked him to fight.

"The kid's half a foot shorter than me, so I said: 'Yeah right.'" Austin recalls.

After the whistle blew, the players were making their way back to the bench when Austin says the other player skated up to him and speared him in the stomach, jabbing him between his hockey pants and chest pads.

Austin's father Tom says when Austin was helped onto the bench he immediately started vomiting.

The assault was reported to police on Jan.15, and police are still investigating what interaction took place between the two teenagers.

After additional investigations by Hockey Alberta the other teen has also been suspended from the league indefinitely.

With files from The Edmonton Journal

 A 17-year-old minor league hockey player has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly spearing an opponent during a game in Clareview in January.

16-year-old Austin Hoekstra was allegedly jabbed by the butt end of a stick, causing a rupture in his bowels and bruising his pancreas.

After enduring over three hours of surgery, father Tom Hoekstra stated that Austin had to miss nearly a month of school.

On Jan. 12, Austin's Midget AA Raylin MFG team was taking on the Re/Max Leduc Oil Kings Midget AA team at the Clareview Arena.

Although the teams had previously played against each other, Austin states that a Leduc player he noticed before bumped and asked him to fight.

"The kid's half a foot shorter than me, so I said: 'Yeah right.'" Austin recalls.

After the whistle blew, the players were making their way back to the bench when Austin says the other player skated up to him and speared him in the stomach, jabbing him between his hockey pants and chest pads.

Austin's father Tom says when Austin was helped onto the bench he immediately started vomiting.

The assault was reported to police on Jan.15, and police are still investigating what interaction took place between the two teenagers.

After additional investigations by Hockey Alberta the other teen has also been suspended from the league indefinitely.

With files from The Edmonton Journal

Free shipping day comes to Canada on Monday

A Canadian entrepreneur who convinced hundreds of American e-tailers to join his annual Free Shipping Day campaign doing the same north of the border.

Regina native Luke Knowles launched the concept behind Freeshippingday.com, which is now in its fourth year and has about 1,800 big and small online stores signed up to participate. Apple, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, JCPenney, Gap, Kmart, Macy's, Nordstrom, Radio Shack and Sears are among the e-tailers that have agreed to offer free shipping for purchases made Dec. 16.

The date is different each year but is timed to be about a week from Christmas, giving consumers a chance to do some last-minute online shopping without heading to the chaotic malls, says Knowles.

This is the first year that Knowles has set up a separate site for Canadians, although it falls a little earlier since our online orders can take longer to deliver.

So far, more than 50 Canadian online stores are promising free shipping on Dec. 12, which Knowles calls a good start. He'd been trying for years to drum up support for the idea in Canada.

"We started four years ago with 250 merchants in the U.S. and now we're going to be well over 2,000 this year, so you've got to start somewhere," he says.

"We're really pleased there's over 50 merchants participating right now (in Canada) and more are signing up every day. So if we can get to 75 or 100 that'll be a success for us."

Knowles, who also set up a similar site in the United Kingdom, says the Canadian e-commerce industry is a bit of a laggard, although e-tailers are catching on.

"Canada is a little bit behind the United States as far as online shopping goes and especially as far as free shipping goes - in the U.S. free shipping has almost been like you've got to offer it, because everyone's offering it," he says.

"In Canada, it's getting there and getting there quickly. I think last year and the year before Canada was even further behind the U.S. but this year I'm starting to see they're catching up quickly, and part of that is probably the influence of American companies."

Among those participating in Freeshoppingday.ca are Adidas, Aldo, Apple, Banana Republic, Best Buy, Dell, Dyson, Indigo, Gap, Garage, Old Navy, Roots, The Source, Sport Chek, Staples, Toys R Us and Under Armour.

Alberta's new drunk-driving legislation could make social drinkers think twice

EDMONTON - You’ve had a rough work day.


You skipped lunch and filled up on bitter coffee and Christmas chocolates.

You’re dying to have a brewsky or quick glass of wine with colleagues at the pub, then head home to help with the kids.

But you wonder: could you safely drive home now that police can impound your car and suspend your licence for three days if you blow over .05 but under the .08 limit? It isn’t a criminal offence, but the consequences can be nasty.

Go right ahead, says the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. One standard drink — and standard is the sticking point — won’t put you beyond the .05 mark (meaning you have 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood).

That doesn’t mean a margarita with a double shot. Not a beer schooner, not a pint, not even a generous glass of wine that has 15-per-cent alcohol instead of 12 or 13 per cent.

That’s one standard drink. Period.

“Almost everyone, except an 80-pounder who weighs nothing, could drive home immediately,” says Andrew Murie, CEO of MADD Canada. “You’ll be fine.”

But that one standard drink — one 12-ounce bottle of beer at five-per-cent alcohol, one five-ounce glass of wine at 12-per-cent alcohol, or a 1.5-ounce shot of hard liquor (at 40-per-cent-alcohol) in your coke or ginger — is where the generalities generally end.

For one thing, “standard” is no longer always standard. Many people tipple pints, or roughly 568 millilitres of beer, compared to the 341-millilitre bottle. And Erick Rosende, director of the Ultimate Bartending School in Edmonton, points out that pubs such as the Black Dog on Whyte Avenue or Earls restaurants use English-size pint glasses, which hold 18 ounces rather than the usual 16 ounces.

Many wines these days are poured in six- or nine-ounce servings, and wine makers are making Chardonnays or Shirazs with alcohol content higher than the average 12 to 13 per cent, with some sitting at 15 or 16 per cent.

“Wine is the dangerous drink,” Murie says.

Pouring wine can also be tricky. Even Rosende, an expert bartender with 20 years experience and 10 years instructing, slightly overpours a tiny five-ounce carafe while demonstrating.

“See how subjective it is?” he points out with a Chilean red at the Empire Ballroom in West Edmonton Mall.

Finally, establishments measuring highballs can splash extra vodka or rum into a drink when the vibe is jiving, the tips are generous or the steak houses are crammed with eager customers wanting quick service, Rosende says.

Both he and Murie say take note of your environment when you’re consuming. And get educated.

“What’s one drink?” Rosende says. “It will create an awareness for social drinkers. They are going to think twice about that second glass of wine.”

And restaurants and bars will have to think outside the box to stay in business, offering desserts or cappuccinos, Rosende says. He believes neighbourhood pubs within easy walking distance may thrive.

That, he supports. The new .05 rules? He supports those, too, although he’s a zero-tolerance kind of guy who has rarely tippled since his son was born eight months ago. Rosende isn’t fond of all the grey within Alberta’s new legislation, which leaves too much guesswork to individuals. When he drinks, he rides a cab.

Many other factors come into play in determining safe, risky or dangerous blood-alcohol levels.

Women typically get tipsy and drunk faster than men. Not only are they smaller and weigh less — and therefore have less blood to dilute the alcohol — their bodies have more fatty tissue. Fat contains more water while muscle contains more blood, and water absorbs alcohol more quickly than muscle. So a woman at 150 pounds will typically have a higher blood-alcohol level than a muscular man at the same weight, even if they drink the same amount of alcohol.

“If you’re a 225-pound guy, you could have two or three (drinks) and they still won’t have a problem,” Murie said. “Females are much more at risk than males. … You’ve got to pay attention. A woman can’t match the man drink to drink.”

Drinking on a full stomach during a relaxing two- to three-hour dinner will help slow the absorption of alcohol into the blood, keeping the blood-alcohol level lower longer.

“She could have two drinks, I could have three drinks and we’re well below that .05 threshold with a meal,” Murie says. “You know, that’s what I would call — what most people would call — typical social drinking, and those are not the individuals this .05 law are targeting. That’s the myth that a lot of people have thrown out in this debate: you can’t even have a glass of wine with dinner. Wrong. It’s not true.”

Fast drinkers?

“If you go in and pound a couple back really quickly, you’ve elevated that blood-alcohol level really quickly as well,” Murie offers as warning.

Young drinkers? Watch yourselves. With your lack of driving experience, you already have higher crash rates when sober. While adults with blood-alcohol levels of .05 see their crash rates go up 10 to 14 times the usual, quadruple that yet again if you’re between 18 and 25, Murie said.

“They’re inexperienced drinkers,” who often drink simply to get drunk, he said. “It’s all done in a hurry-up level.”

Experienced drinkers or those who’ve been behind the wheel for years may feel safer than younger people, since their bodies have learned and remember the repetitive actions associated with driving. But that doesn’t mean their blood-alcohol levels are any lower or their actions less criminal, Murie said. While they may be good at the usual driving from Point A to Point B, they die or kill others when they are forced to swerve, slam on their brakes or make sudden reactive decisions.

It’s those people, Murie says, who are most positively affected by the new .05 consequences. They can adjust their drinking, not to legal limits but to lower levels, and if they do the crash rates will go down, Murie says. They may have four to five drinks instead of seven to eight, then drive.

“When you lower blood-alcohol levels (with legislation) — this is worldwide — it has the biggest impact on lowering crash rates for those people who are double the legal limit and above,” he said. And those who drive at blood-alcohol levels of .16 or more make up 60 per cent of dead drunk drivers.

“When people say MADD’s out there, a tempest organization out to get all the drinkers, show me an example where that’s true,” Murie says.

Sweating, vomiting or urinating won’t help you sober up faster. The liver metabolizes about 95 per cent of the alcohol, so the body can only excrete about five per cent by breathing, sweating, defecating or urinating.

Once you stop drinking, the body gets rid of the alcohol at a rate of about 0.015 per cent every hour.

“The only thing that gets alcohol out of your system is time and it’s very slow,” Murie said. He encourages people to use but not rely on blood-alcohol charts and their level of consumption.

“We don’t see the customer as a number,” Rosende says. “Our job is still to provide service and look for symptoms of intoxication.”

Edmonton man indicted in U.S. in deaths of five soldiers

An Edmonton man was indicted on Friday in New York on charges that he aided in the murder of five American soldiers in a suicide-bomb attack in Iraq in April 2009.

Sayfildin Tahir-Sharif, a Canadian citizen, is accused of providing support to a terrorist organization and conspiring to kill the soldiers.

American authorities are seeking to have him extradited to face the charges in the U.S.

The indictment also charges him with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and providing material support to that terrorist conspiracy to kill Americans abroad.

"In January 2011, the defendant was arrested and detained in Canada after he was charged by a federal complaint in the Eastern District of New York. The United States is seeking the defendant's extradition from Canada in relation to the federal complaint in the Eastern District of New York," the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

"He remains in custody, and the defendant's extradition hearing in Canada is currently scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2012."

Earlier this year, his defence lawyer, Bob Aloneissi, requested documents, including sealed affidavits and wiretap evidence, as well as information about the search of Tahir-Sharif's Edmonton apartment on Jan. 19.

In March, the federal Department of Justice consented to the release of those documents.

If convicted, Tahir-Sharif faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Tahir-Sharif is charged with the murders of Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods, 24, of Lebanon Junction, Kentucky.; Sgt. First Class Bryan E. Hall, 32, of Elk Grove, California.; Sgt. Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of St. Louis, Missouri; Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Davenport, Iowa; and Army Pte. First Class Bryce E. Gaultier, 22, from Cyprus, California.