Canadian charity says its aid truck in Gaza was bombed in ‘targeted’ attack

A Canadian humanitarian organization says its key water-aid truck was bombed in Gaza this week and is calling on the federal government to mount a full investigation into what it believes was a “targeted” incident. The International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF), a registered non-profit based in Toronto, told CBC News the incident is believed to … Read more

Beached orca in B.C. dies despite life-saving efforts

A female killer whale that beached on northern Vancouver Island died on Saturday despite efforts by the community to push the mammal back into the water. Video of the incident, which occurred near the village of Zeballos on the island’s northwest coast, shows dozens of people trying to save the stranded orca. The female orca was stranded on shore … Read more

Paprika the red panda meets her mate at the Greater Vancouver Zoo

A red panda named Paprika was introduced to her potential mate at the Greater Vancouver Zoo recently, as part of a conservation program for the endangered species.  After being in quarantine since she arrived from the Toronto Zoo in December, the six-year-old red panda finally met her match, Arun, on Saturday.  “I won’t say that they … Read more

Connecting the finders and the keepers

Among the lesser known mitzvot of bein adam l’chavero (humanitarian laws) is the law of returning lost property. Who hasn’t experienced the anguish of losing something valuable or essential personally. I do all the time. There are myriad of regulations that describe what to do when you find someone’s wallet or poodle, how to … Read more

E-readers were supposed to kill printed books. Instead, they’re booming

Cost of Living8:55The return of the bookstore When e-readers like the Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene, showing up next to menorahs and under Christmas trees in the early 2000s, they were predicted to bring about the death of the print book — and maybe the independent bookstore too. But publishing sales data and on the … Read more