A reader's thoughts about Ottawa radio

Reader Lawrence Bishop sent along these thoughts about the state of morning radio in Ottawa. What do you think?In regards to Ottawa Radio CBC is #1 CFRA is #2 both are talk radio stations!What that tells me as a former broadcaster, is Ottawa music stations need a real face lift, the only station that has a half decent morning show is located on CHEZ 106, this show has somewhat of a radio format

Winter jackets and car seats don't mix

An update on our post last week about car seats and winter jackets:Yes, it is true -- wearing a winter jacket while in a car seat could be unsafe. CBC Ottawa picked up on the story: Bulky winter clothing may create car seat safety hazardLike most parents, this safety issue caught us by surprise. It was the first we'd heard of any "official" guidelines about the potential hazards of winter

Rant of the Day: Christmas e-cards

Keelan from Capital PR rants about bad corporate e-Christmas cards:For me, nothing says “I refuse to put any effort or expense whatsoever into this” quite like an e-Christmas / e-Holiday card does... a lot of them have been very similar: a winter scene with the ‘cutting-edge animation’ of falling snow and some generic, unoriginal greeting. Christmas / Holiday cards is a contact with your

Snowy weather records

How does yesterday's snow fall stack up to blizzards from years gone by? We sent the question to the Ottawa Public Library's "Ask A Librarian" service. Here's their reply:1 - According to Environment Canada's "National Climate Data and Information Archive", the record for most snowfall in a day was set March 2, 1947, with an accumulation of 40.6 cm. In comparison, Sunday's snowfall (

Really, really, really, really bad snow storm on the way

Environment Canada issued a Winter Storm Warning today for a massive snow storm that's about to hit our city. Somebody at the weather office must have had a thesaurus handy ... the warning is below, and we've emphasized some of the great descriptions they've used to describe the storm:Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans7:03 PM EST Saturday 15 December 2007Winter storm warning forOttawa North -

Possible use for Frank Clair Stadium?

Check this out: Stadium Snow Tubing.Related: Ottawa Toboggan Guide

Rant of the Day: City council raises bus fares

Several local bloggers are complaining today about city council's decision to hike bus fares by 7.5% in each of the next three years. Blake Batson writes:
I’m mad, disappointed and discouraged at 16 Councillors who feel that solving budget problems should be done on the backs of those who can least afford it. Ottawa council has just voted to raise transit fares almost 3 times the rate of

Toboggan hills officially open

Two press releases caught our eye last week:First, from the City of Ottawa: City’s approved sledding hills openSecond, from the National Capital Commission: NCC’S TOBOGGAN HILLS IN THE GREENBELT ARE NOW OPENJust curious - why does the City of Ottawa call them "sledding hills", while the NCC calls them "toboggan hills"? We prefer "toboggan" - sounds more Canadian!Related: Ottawa Toboggan Guide

Car seat problems: No jacket required

Here's a something a little bit different today - we wanted to tell you about some trouble we've been having with the car seat that our 2-year-old uses. Or should we say, "used to use", until cold weather and snow arrived.Some background: The seat is a Safety 1st Intera Convertible Car Seat, purchased in July 2006. The seat is supposed to fit kids up to 18kg and 102cm. Our daughter is nowhere

All about the Somerset House mural

Nice work by Robin Kelsey - he's posted a photo essay on the mural on Somerset House, the doomed building at Bank and Somerset that could be demolished soon. Check it out here...Related: Ottawa History Guide

Rant of the Day: Scrimshaw on colouring in the lines

Okay, not really a rant - but a fun post from David Scrimshaw, following a visit to the Adult High School to get a flu shot. Read it here...Related: Ottawa Health Guide

Rant of the Day: Alvin and the Chipmunks on Rideau Street

David Reevely writes about a song he heard over the outdoor speakers on Rideau Street:And then, after some sort of Kenny-G-ish jazzy version of a standard I can't remember because I was trying to block it out, comes a fresh horror. Not just any Christmas song, this one. No, no. Christmas, Don't be Late. By Alvin and the Chipmunks. Read on for the full rant...Related: Ottawa Christmas Gift Guide