Fire at CTV Ottawa

Some quick links and pics about today's fire at CTV Ottawa:

• CTV Ottawa: Emergency plan in motion after fire guts CTV Ottawa newsroom
  
• Ottawa Citizen: Fire destroys CTV Ottawa newsroom, decades of history
  
• Ottawa Citizen: Gallery: Early-morning fire ravages CTV Ottawa building
• Ottawa Sun: CTV Ottawa newsroom destroyed by fire
• Globe and Mail (video & article): Crews battle blaze at CTV Ottawa
  
• a peek inside the fishbowl: Sad day for CTV Ottawa
• Also check out Stefan Keyes' Twitter feed. He's a reporter at the station and was one of the first on the scene after the fire broke out.
  

CTV Ottawa's web site has a lot of video as well but I can't find any way to directly link to the vids.

Related: Ottawa Television Guide

Snowboarding at the skateboard park

Loved reading this post & seeing the pictures on David Scrimshaw's blog about snowboarding at a local skateboard park. Looks like fun, hope the city doesn't move in and try to stop them!

Related: Ottawa Ski Guide

Rant of the Day: Reevely translate City Hall Bureaucratese

Ottawa Citizen blogger David Reevely translates a very wordy memo/letter by Deputy city manager Nancy Schepers re: the new bus garage.

Funny "no BBQ" sign at U of O

Funny sign, posted to Flickr by Xiaohuli:



More funny Ottawa sings:

• Constance Bay's racy sign
• No juggling allowed
  

Related: Ottawa Photography Guide

Haiti Earthquake: How you can help

Sylvia McConnell sent this note along today:

I thought it might help to have a local site for the Haiti Earthquake Information. Can you please link to it. http://webviewdesigns.com/haiti_earthquake_relief/haiti_relief.html
Many Thanks

We're happy to link to it. On the same page - there's a specific section outlining relief efforts in Ottawa, including memorial services and resources for people with family and friends in Haiti.

CTV Ottawa has another page listing various aid agencies that are accepting donations.

More about that 14-year-old's pirate radio station

Did you read the story in the Ottawa Citizen today about the 14-year-old who's running an unlicensed radio station? Milkman Unlimited digs up some more info about the station, Jayhead Saddé (the kid who runs it), and his dad. Here's a bit of info:

Saadé was even bold enough to set up request lines including numbers in the UK, USA, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. He's also broadcasting on-line (he's had several websites as he's changed frequencies numerous times) billing his Ottawa based operation as "USA's #1 Music Station." He and his friends could even be heard taking calls and playing requests at various times.

Interesting to note a website (Webmaster Jayhaed Saade) for the Saadé International Centre; a building purported to be located at 2710 Walkley Rd. in Ottawa's south/east end. No such building exists, although there is a sign on that lot announcing that the building is coming soon... Meanwhile, the building's website ... lists one of it's tenants as "106.5 Mix Fm." No Ottawa station exists on that frequency, but it is one of several spots on the dial "MIX FM" has tried to use.

Saadé received a visit from Industry Canada earlier this week, complete with a cease and desist order, which appears to have been ignored. At 2:31pm December 2nd, the station signed back on, and as of 4:23pm December 3rd, was still broadcasting at 91.9 FM.

His father, a former candidate for mayor in 2000, tells the Ottawa Citizen that he believes regulators should be encouraging his son's operation instead of trying to shut it down.

For a head shaking read, Jayhaed Saadé continues a defiant blog battle (posting as MIX FM) with posters on DigitalHome.ca's discussion group.

Read more from Milkman Unlimited...

More: Apparantly this is Jayhead's web site and Twitter account.

Related: Ottawa Radio Guide

Max Keeping announces retirement

The press release from CTV Ottawa today says: " After 51 years in journalism, veteran newsman Max Keeping is stepping down as Vice-President of News and Anchor of CTV Ottawa’s flagship newscast. Keeping’s last day is set for March 31, 2010 at which time he will become CTV Ottawa’s Community Ambassador. Graham Richardson will replace Keeping at the anchor desk along side Keeping’s long-time co-anchor Carol Anne Meehan."

Some quick links:

• Video: Max announces his retirement
• Video: Media talks to Max after his announcement
  
• CTV photo gallery: Max through the years
• Ottawa Citizen: Gallery: Max Keeping
  
• Viewer comments on Max's announcement (scroll to the bottom of the story)
  
• David Reevely: End of an era at CJOH
• What people are saying on Twitter
  
• Max Keeping Foundation
  
• Wikipedia: Max Keeping
  

Related: Ottawa Television Guide

Rant of the Day: Ottawa's green bin program

Andrea has a good rant on composting, over on her Peek Inside The Fishbowl blog. She's claimed the title of "compost queen of Westboro", and takes on some of the negative comments so far about Ottawa's new green bin program. Here's a sample:

There are a lot of people out there who are complaining about this TEENY STEP FORWARD THAT WE HAVE FINALLY TAKEN. Some, for example, are worried about having a smelly bin in their garage. The trick is, really, to throw a layer of dry leaves over the exposed food or wrap them up in damp newspaper. The other trick is, well, to hose it out every once in awhile, just like you would your garbage can.

Then she goes on to point out some of the benefits of composting -- like, you know, diverting garbage from existing landfills. Read more...

(Just wondering -- with all the of the negative press the City's received re: green bins -- how come nobody at the City is making the point that diverting garbage from the landfills will save us money in the long term? And make our city a healthier place to live?)

Related: Ottawa Services & Utilities Guide

Justin Wonnacott's photos of public art in Ottawa

Check out Justin Wonnacott's "images of public art from the nation's capital". A great collection of photos of art that you may or may not have noticed around the city.

I've always wondered about that deer in front of the Manulife building. And I've never noticed this sphere - kind of a wannabe Chicago bean. I never knew the bear at the end of Sparks Street was actually titled "Territorial Prerogative".

(via The Big Beat)

Related: Ottawa Art Guide

Google maps mash-up of cut-your-own Christmas trees

Anton sends along this note:

'I just completed google maps mashup of all Ottawa - area Christmas Tree farms, where one can cut own christmas tree." Here's the link.

You should also check out our previous post: Ask OttawaStart: Christmas tree farms in Ottawa

Related: Ottawa Nature Guide