Tuesday, April 22, 2008
This happened right where I live.. POOP
Police say 16 people have been arrested after riotous celebrations swept through downtown Montreal late Monday night, leaving a trail of burned police cars and vandalized shops.
Thousands rushed to the streets for initially peaceful celebrations following the Montreal Canadiens' seventh-game win over the Boston Bruins, which advances Montreal to the next round of the NHL playoffs.
The jubilation degenerated into mayhem around midnight, however, as some hockey fans turned violent.
"It started pretty well," police spokesman Const. Laurent Gingras told CBC News Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, at a certain point some people gathered on Ste. Catherine Street. A couple fights broke out and police cars were also attacked at that point."
A few hundred people, some intoxicated, marched down the downtown avenue, throwing rocks and bottles at police and torching vehicles, the CBC's Steve Rukavina reported from Montreal.
16 police cars damaged
Despite increased police presence deployed to the streets before Monday night's game, rioters burnt or smashed 16 police cars as well as other vehicles, according to a preliminary police investigation.
Damage to police cars is estimated at $500,000.
Ten businesses were either vandalized or broken into, although Gingras said the damage was limited.
"One minute we were all hanging out and celebrating and then all hell broke out," said Jean-François Hotte, who watched as a Foot Locker store was ransacked by looters. A liquor store was also hit.
"It didn't take five minutes before everyone was up on Ste. Catherine Street. It went really fast."
City police, backed up by riot squad officers, used pepper spray and batons to quell the crowd, which dispersed around 2 a.m. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Gingras said it was not immediately clear if the rioters were just rowdy fans or others who "used the occasion to do their mischief."
At least 16 people were detained and charged, including three minors, police said. Possible charges include break-and-enter, mischief against a police vehicle, assault against a police officer and numerous municipal bylaw violations.
More charges are expected to be laid as police continue their probe, Chief Yvan Delorme told a news conference Tuesday.
"The investigation will show us … that yes indeed there will be arrests in the future," he said.
Suspects already in custody will appear in court Tuesday afternoon to face formal charges.
A similar riot after a Stanley Cup victory in 1993 caused major damage.
Gingras said that while the investigation is continuing, large numbers of police will be present before, during and after upcoming hockey matches at the Canadiens' home arena, the Bell Centre.
Source: CBC
Thousands rushed to the streets for initially peaceful celebrations following the Montreal Canadiens' seventh-game win over the Boston Bruins, which advances Montreal to the next round of the NHL playoffs.
The jubilation degenerated into mayhem around midnight, however, as some hockey fans turned violent.
"It started pretty well," police spokesman Const. Laurent Gingras told CBC News Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, at a certain point some people gathered on Ste. Catherine Street. A couple fights broke out and police cars were also attacked at that point."
A few hundred people, some intoxicated, marched down the downtown avenue, throwing rocks and bottles at police and torching vehicles, the CBC's Steve Rukavina reported from Montreal.
16 police cars damaged
Despite increased police presence deployed to the streets before Monday night's game, rioters burnt or smashed 16 police cars as well as other vehicles, according to a preliminary police investigation.
Damage to police cars is estimated at $500,000.
Ten businesses were either vandalized or broken into, although Gingras said the damage was limited.
"One minute we were all hanging out and celebrating and then all hell broke out," said Jean-François Hotte, who watched as a Foot Locker store was ransacked by looters. A liquor store was also hit.
"It didn't take five minutes before everyone was up on Ste. Catherine Street. It went really fast."
City police, backed up by riot squad officers, used pepper spray and batons to quell the crowd, which dispersed around 2 a.m. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Gingras said it was not immediately clear if the rioters were just rowdy fans or others who "used the occasion to do their mischief."
At least 16 people were detained and charged, including three minors, police said. Possible charges include break-and-enter, mischief against a police vehicle, assault against a police officer and numerous municipal bylaw violations.
More charges are expected to be laid as police continue their probe, Chief Yvan Delorme told a news conference Tuesday.
"The investigation will show us … that yes indeed there will be arrests in the future," he said.
Suspects already in custody will appear in court Tuesday afternoon to face formal charges.
A similar riot after a Stanley Cup victory in 1993 caused major damage.
Gingras said that while the investigation is continuing, large numbers of police will be present before, during and after upcoming hockey matches at the Canadiens' home arena, the Bell Centre.
Source: CBC
Monday, April 14, 2008
Source: Daily Mail
An entire village turns against supermarkets and grows its own food.
One villager said they are not boycotting supermarkets but are weaning people off them.
In a bid to become less dependent on supermarkets, the residents of Martin are working together to become as self-sufficient as possible.
They work on a rota system and raise their own chickens and pigs and grow potatoes, garlic, onions, chillis and green vegetables on eight acres of rented land.
Of the 164 families who live in Martin, 101 have signed up as members of Future Farms for an annual £2 fee, although the produce can be sold to anyone who wants to buy it.
The "community allotment" sells 45 types of vegetables and 100 chickens a week, and is run by a committee which includes a radiologist, a computer programmer and a former probation officer.
Nick Snelgar, 58, who came up with idea in 2003, said the project was gradually "weaning" villagers off of supermarkets.
He said: "I like to think of it as a large allotment in which there are lots of Barbaras and Toms working away.
"There are also Margos as well, but everyone can get involved.
"The nearest supermarket is six miles away. Of course people still have to go there for things like loo roll and deodorant and fruit you can't grow in Britain.
"So we aren't boycotting supermarkets entirely but we are gradually weaning people off them and as a result are reducing our carbon footprint by not using carrier bags and packaging."
Mr Snelgar, a horticulturalist, said the VAT-registered co-operative had grown so much that last year it had a turnover of £27,000 - most of which was ploughed back into the scheme.
He said: "We began with vegetables and we found that all the skills we needed were here in the village.
"After the vegetables we introduced chickens and then pigs and we learned inch by inch.
"We have other producers whose goods we sell and they include a sheep farmer and someone who has honey.
"It has been a fantastically interesting experience and we now have four plots of land covering eight acres.
"There are 164 families in the village and they include about 300 adults and 100 children, so there are about 400 creatures to feed.'
Every Saturday the community comes together with their produce which is sold at the village hall.
Mr Snelgar added: "The most popular thing we sell is carrots.
"People love the smell of fresh carrots, and we pull them out of the ground the day before we sell them.
"We don't yet do dairy, but we hope to include that in the future and we also intend to grow raspberries and strawberries.
"We set the prices by working out how much the food costs to produce. We then add 20 per cent.
"Our pork sausages, for example, are sometimes cheaper than sausages you buy in the supermarkets. We break even and all money gets ploughed back in.
"When we started some people thought it would fail and we'd never last, but as the years have gone by more and more people have become involved.
"It is also a talking point in the village and it's great to see people walking to the village hall on a Saturday morning talking to each other. It has created a sense of belonging."
Just a reminder to what we're eating at the supermarket and what we're tempted to buy.
One villager said they are not boycotting supermarkets but are weaning people off them.
In a bid to become less dependent on supermarkets, the residents of Martin are working together to become as self-sufficient as possible.
They work on a rota system and raise their own chickens and pigs and grow potatoes, garlic, onions, chillis and green vegetables on eight acres of rented land.
Of the 164 families who live in Martin, 101 have signed up as members of Future Farms for an annual £2 fee, although the produce can be sold to anyone who wants to buy it.
The "community allotment" sells 45 types of vegetables and 100 chickens a week, and is run by a committee which includes a radiologist, a computer programmer and a former probation officer.
Nick Snelgar, 58, who came up with idea in 2003, said the project was gradually "weaning" villagers off of supermarkets.
He said: "I like to think of it as a large allotment in which there are lots of Barbaras and Toms working away.
"There are also Margos as well, but everyone can get involved.
"The nearest supermarket is six miles away. Of course people still have to go there for things like loo roll and deodorant and fruit you can't grow in Britain.
"So we aren't boycotting supermarkets entirely but we are gradually weaning people off them and as a result are reducing our carbon footprint by not using carrier bags and packaging."
Mr Snelgar, a horticulturalist, said the VAT-registered co-operative had grown so much that last year it had a turnover of £27,000 - most of which was ploughed back into the scheme.
He said: "We began with vegetables and we found that all the skills we needed were here in the village.
"After the vegetables we introduced chickens and then pigs and we learned inch by inch.
"We have other producers whose goods we sell and they include a sheep farmer and someone who has honey.
"It has been a fantastically interesting experience and we now have four plots of land covering eight acres.
"There are 164 families in the village and they include about 300 adults and 100 children, so there are about 400 creatures to feed.'
Every Saturday the community comes together with their produce which is sold at the village hall.
Mr Snelgar added: "The most popular thing we sell is carrots.
"People love the smell of fresh carrots, and we pull them out of the ground the day before we sell them.
"We don't yet do dairy, but we hope to include that in the future and we also intend to grow raspberries and strawberries.
"We set the prices by working out how much the food costs to produce. We then add 20 per cent.
"Our pork sausages, for example, are sometimes cheaper than sausages you buy in the supermarkets. We break even and all money gets ploughed back in.
"When we started some people thought it would fail and we'd never last, but as the years have gone by more and more people have become involved.
"It is also a talking point in the village and it's great to see people walking to the village hall on a Saturday morning talking to each other. It has created a sense of belonging."
Just a reminder to what we're eating at the supermarket and what we're tempted to buy.
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