Canada can’t handle the The Beaver

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Okay, so Canada finally got the joke. The country’s second-oldest magazine, The Beaver (yes, it is SFW), is changing its name. Apparently, according to Reuters, the name has an “unintended sexual connotation.” It’s more than just the jokes, though. Internet filters have blocked access to the history journal because the vast majority of people associate The Beaver with … well, you know.

The Beaver first came to Canada in 1920, published by the Hudson’s Bay Company, which was a fur trader at the time (now it’s a department store chain). Since then, The Beaver has found broader appeal by stretching to include other issues. To reflect this new focus — and get people to stop snickering — the publication’s name will be Canada’s History. This will commence with the April issue of the magazine.

The name change could also come with an increase in circulation. According to Mark Reid, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, “Market research showed us that younger Canadians and women were very very unlikely to ever buy a magazine called The Beaver no matter what it’s about.”

Duh, Mark. Of course they won’t buy a magazine called The Beaver. They’d read it online.

[Photo by stevehdc via Flickr]%Gallery-73517%

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Need a room for the Olympics? No need to worry

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you’re planning to make a run up to British Columbia for the Olympics next month, you still have a shot at getting a great room. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler tells me that there is still some space available from February 11 to February 28, including coveted space slope side rooms. There’s only a minimum stay of three nights, and you won’t have to conform to an arrival or departure pattern — come and go from Whistler as you please. Rooms start at C$899 a night and require prepayment within three days of booking. It’s all non-refundable, but c’mon, this is the Olympics! You can’t do it on the cheap.

If you really want to “do it big,” mix it in with private jet travel, and you’ll have an unbeatable experience. This is a rare opportunity, so you really don’t want to look back on any part of it and wonder if it could have been better, right?

Want more Olympics coverage?

[Photo by Tim in Sydney via Flickr]

Halle Berry gets police escort at airport security line

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Who knew that Halle Berry was big in Canada? Well, maybe it was her boyfriend, a Canadian model, who was able to inspire the local police to provide special treatment.

At a Montreal airport last week, Berry, her boyfriend (Gabriel Aubry) and their kid were led to the front of the security line … while other passengers were stuck there for more than an hour. Marieve Paradis, a Quebec journalist, saw the cop make way for Berry and her family, and detailed it on her blog Friday.

According to Police Inspector Jimmy Cacchione, the star-struck officer acted alone, and his actions weren’t supported by the department. He won’t be punished, Cacchione said, but the police unit working the airport will be putting tighter rules in place for the future.

[Photo by dan paluska via Flickr]

Air Canada ordered to offer a no-nuts option for allergic flyers

by Katie Hammel on

The Canadian Transportation Authority has ruled that Air Canada needs to create a “nut-free” zone on all of its flights, to accommodate those passengers who are severely allergic to nuts. The order came after two passengers complained that the airline had failed to properly accommodate their allergies, which the CTA ruled should be treated as a disability.

According to Toronto’s National Post, the airline has “30 days to come up with a plan to create a ‘buffer zone'” to separate those who have nut allergies from the rest of the passengers, who may receive a snack with nuts in it.

I feel for people who have severe nut allergies, really I do. The constant worry that something you eat may contain nuts, the fear that someone may eat a nut near you and cause you to have a bad reaction, the pain of not being able to enjoy all the delicious nuts out there in the world. I mean, have you ever had a macadamia nut? Those things are pure heaven.

Should passengers be denied the right to eat something delicious because there is a chance that another person on the plane might be allergic to it? It’s tempting to say no, but really, when you think about it, is offering a peanut-based snack so important that it is worth risking someone’s life? Some allergies really are that severe and there are plenty of other snack options out there that don’t involve nuts. I actually have to side with one of the complaining passengers on this one – it just makes more sense to get ride of nut-based snacks altogether.

[via USA Today]

Argument over elbow room results in flight diversion and 30 day prison sentence

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve all been there – you get to your seat, and someone else has already taken ownership of the armrest, which includes part of your space. In most cases, a quick smile and “hi” is enough to create a mutual understanding on sharing the one and a half inches of precious space.

Sadly, not everyone shares that concept – like 31 year old Khodar Ahmad. This Toronto man was on his way to Frankfurt when he got into a fight with his seatmate. His attitude was apparently aggressive enough to warrant a flight diversion to Montreal, where he was kicked off the plane.

This is where the story takes a really interesting twist – Ahmad was lucky, because even though he caused a flight diversion, the cops were not waiting for him in Montreal. So, instead of being arrested and forced to pay a fine for the flight diversion, he was simply left on his own. At that point, this idiot should have counted himself very, very lucky.

Instead, he waltzed over to the Air Canada ticket desk, and demanded that the airline put him on another flight, or even a bus back to Toronto. His scene caught the attention of the local airport police, who arrested him. He’s now in a Montreal detention center where he’ll spend the next 30 days. It is pretty impressive to do something so monumentally stupid once – but twice in one evening takes a very special kind of stupid.