A well-publicized rally in support of captive BBC reporter Alan Johnston was held in Toronto today.

Yesterday, a group, Jaish al Islam (Army of Islam) issued a demand: They will release Johnston in exchange for the release of Muslim prisoners in UK jails -- plus readings from the Koran.

 

On the weekend, a Homer, Alaska couple got to see a young grizzly kill a moose -- in their driveway (here's the full Homer Tribune story). Being the early 21st century, they videotaped the drama and posted it to YouTube.

Some personal bear encounters:

   more »

From the BBC:

A fall in Chinese shares is a real possibility amid "risks of market euphoria", according to a report from Goldman Sachs.

It warns that optimism and speculative trading have pushed share prices ahead of market fundamentals.

If speculative activity continues among retail investors, it says that the market could develop into a bubble.

By all several accounts, there does seem to be an "atmosphere of irrational exuberance" in place in China. Shares can't soar forever, and given the simmering social unrest in China even with 10 per cent yearly GDP growth, I wonder what will happen if there's a market meltdown and a lot of this instant wealth disappears.

From the BBC:

The Chinese authorities have announced that the country is likely to be hit by more adverse weather this year than at any time in the past decade.

The reason, they say, is because of global climate change.

Climate change that, for the most part, the Chinese government really does nothing to fight.

One of them there trends pieces. The basic story line is relatively young people (young enough, I suspect, to have never been personally touched by a full-blown nasty recession) of modest means spending big on gourmet food and drink instead of RRSPs and mortgages.

   more »