It’s a sad story; but, a baby monkey was stolen from the Cherry Brook Zoo on Tuesday night.

The monkey, a marmoset from South Africa, was less then a year old and part of an international breeding program.

The zoo is asking for the monkey back and does not plan to press charges, “We will not give a name, just please, please bring this animal back”.

A Facebook group has also been started to show support for the baby monkey.

One comment on the group is quite troubling, “We were told they baby would not survive long away from it’s parents and is on a strict diet and feeding schedule.”

Anyone with information should contact the zoo immediately at 634-1440!

It’s hard to believe; but, the Saint John Sea Dogs are heading into the QMJHL semi-finals in only their third year as a franchise!

They have been playing solid hockey and it’s been great to watch.

While tickets for games 3 and 4 against the Rouyn-Noranda Hukies go on sale tomorrow, I thought I would share a video montage for our team heading into the semis:

Playoff Round One Intro Video

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Ladies and Gentlemen

Hockey Night In Saint John

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I did a CBC radio interview on Information Morning the day after the Aliant Business Pitch Competition.

It was really early in the morning actually, I got up at 5:30am so that I would be awake enough for the interview at 6am!

Now, thanks to Megan MacAlpine at CBC, I have copy of the interview which you can now listen to below:

Again, another reason I haven’t been blogging is due to the Aliant Business Pitch Competition that took place last night. I had been revising my business pitch at home and practicing it with co-workers during the day. All of this work paid off after successfully pitching my idea to judges inside of two limousines while driving around uptown Saint John!

The Telegraph-Journal has a story in todays newspaper (in the Business) section, you can read the full story here:

Thursday evening’s event was a new twist on what has become something of an institution in Saint John.

Aliant’s business plan competition, held for the past three years in an elevator, emerged this time around in the back seat of a stretch-limo. The evening was charged with the tension of a Donald Trump-style boardroom drama, without the in-fighting.

The stakes in this case were a little more modest, with sponsors investing a total of $1,000, which may be divided among several competitors.

Beyond the gimmick of Thursday evening was an underlying effort to support the development of small business in the city.

And that effort stretches province-wide, as economic development agencies and universities continue a long-standing campaign to identify New Brunswick’s up-and-comers, provide them with mentorship and find them capital.

…

There was an expectation Thursday evening that this ongoing effort to provide exposure to small business in the province will reap some rewards.

“It’s that whole concept of picking yourself up by the bootstraps and, as we go along, there’s going to be more stories of successes here,” said Oland, a judge and the executive chairman of Moosehead Breweries Limited. “And that success breeds success.

I had competed during last years event, the Aliant Elevator Pitch Competition, and finished outside the top three; however, I took what I had leaned last year to improve my pitch this time around.

It was a very well run and organized event, where I was able to make contact with several key people who can really help move this idea forward with their experience and contacts. I look forward to using this success to open more doors in getting this idea from the idea stage to a working product!

Let me first say - I love the idea of having another holiday. Now let me explain why I think Jack Layton should not be suggesting that Family Day be a national holiday.

The NDP leader forgets that there is already a day that is not recognized as a holiday across the country. This is an important day that should be - it’s called Remembrance Day. It’s a the day remember the sacrifices made by those in the military who have fought in past and present conflicts.

I do understand what Family Day represents. It’s a great idea; but, it is the wrong one to fight for right now. Jack Layton should be fighting for Remembrance Day to be recognized across the country - both federally and provincially.

I was in Toronto for Remembrance Day in 2007 and it was sad to see how few people were in attendance. That is a national shame and it should be corrected before creating new holidays.

The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick will choose it’s new leader on October 18th, 2008.

The main convention will take place at the Aitken Centre at UNB in Fredericton with several satellite voting stations around the province.

So far there are no confirmed candidates; however, there are many great potential candidates

Robert MacLeod, the party president, says “I am optimistic that we will have some great candidates and am looking forward to a great race, a great convention and of course, I am also looking forward to the next leader who will help bring the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick back to government.”

I am very excited for the party to select a new leader that can take on this incompetent Liberal government. I am so fed up with Shawn Graham and his gimmicky marketing campaigns. People wanted change; but, we need to be living within our means - we can’t raise taxes every time a government want to bail out a badly run company.

I think the next leader needs to focus on the core items that will move this province ahead the most. The main items I will be looking for in the campaign include: promoting and encouraging small business, boosting our eduction systems, and dramatically increasing immigration (all cultures and languages).

Keep watching here for more news!

Yesterday on CBC, I read one of the most ridiculous stories ever.

A man was out of his ATV (all terrain vehicle) when he hit a rock. The vehicle flipped and pinned him to the ground. He was stuck there for four days and three nights - nearly 96 hours!

You really do have to read the story for yourself, but the long and short is that:

• He had to fight off coyotes (who were fighting each other over who would eat him) with a whistle.
• He covered himself in beaver carcass (which he had been out collecting) to keep warm.
• With no water around him, he was forced to eat dirt to get moisture.
• By the second night, he was so hungry he tried eating the rotting beaver (which made him sick - obviously).
• Finally, a hiker randomly found him and was able to call for help.

How insane is that? Make me not want to go collecting beaver carcases on an ATV.

Most of the happiest cities in Canada are on the East Coast, not surprisingly, Saint John is at the top of the list.

According to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canadians are most likely to be satisfied with the quality of life in places like Saint John, Moncton, N.B., and Charlottetown, all of which placed in the top five of a survey of 18 Canadian cities.

In fact, knowing your neighbours — and trusting those around you — is a key reason why a city like Saint John tops the list, said John Helliwell, a University of British Columbia economist who led the research project. He said his ongoing work, which has not yet been published, suggests a correlation between lower levels of life satisfaction in some of the country’s most affluent cities — Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary among them — and the lower levels of trust among neighbours in those cities. “They’re more inclined to feel harried. They’re more inclined to feel pressured,” Helliwell told CBC News. “They have a little less time to build these positive relationships.”

All the same, Helliwell said the findings suggest that cities with a static population and deep roots are happier places. “It’s really the extent to which people feel connected to each other, committed to each other and open,” he said.

So what do you think? I’m not surprised one bit, just look at the cost of living alone. You may not make as much as you would in Alberta, but your money goes a long way when it comes to essentials such as housing. You can’t beat the pace of life either. I can bike to work in a little over half an hour, or drive within twenty. Try explaining that to someone from Toronto!

PS - Thanks for the link Steph.

You knew this was bound to happen eventually. You know those rules about liquids on airplanes? Toss it out or drink it?

Well, this guy decides to chug his two pints of vodka instead of paying a fee to bring them on the plane as checked baggage.

As you might expect, this story didn’t end well, he ends up unable to stand or function. The guy potentially has alcohol poisoning and is sent to the hospital. I wonder if he ever thought about becoming too drunk to even get on the plane, assuming he was able to stand, in his grand scheme?

Makes you reconsider drinking that bottle instead of paying the fee, eh?

Ever wonder about the inspection results when eating at your favorite restaurant? Probably not; but, now that the results are easily available online - you might want to!

Simply visit the Department of Health’s website here to see the results.

Interesting places (the one’s in red) were:

• China Coast Restaurant - 1405 Mountain Road, Moncton - No soap at employee hand wash, etc…
• Mary’s Restaurant - 369 King George Highway, Miramichi - No hot water in employee washroom…
• Newcastle Car Wash & Mainway - 160 Jane Street, Miramichi - 7 Day expired food still for sale, hand sink did not have soap…
• Woolastook Park - 5171 Route 102, Upper Kingsclear

What I did like was the fact that no place in Saint John scored less then Green. I hope the restaurants will work hard to go above and beyond the bare minimum to provide good food that is also safe to eat! I also think the restaurants should be posting the last inspection report (including color coding) at the front door for everyone to see. It’s the best way to ensure the place is kept up to snuff.

UPDATE - It seems that this site is updated nearly daily.  The problem is that old reports are replaced with new ones, so those places scoring a red the other day could be green today without any of us knowing what happened.  I plan to email them asking to have a history available so we know which places have scored a yellow or red in the past and why!