MONTREALThe attack Wednesday on Parliament Hill cast a tragic pall over the country but also overshadowed what appears to be a much clearer case of homegrown radical terrorism that played out just 48 hours earlier south of Montreal.

The actions of the Ottawa gunman, longtime drug addict and petty criminal Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, have garnered the lions share of worldwide jihadi celebration this week for having breached the heart of Canadian democracy and killing Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

But it was the progression of Martin Ahmad Couture-Rouleau from struggling entrepreneur to aspiring Islamic State fighter over the last 18 months that followed the more classical path of radicalization.

After his power washing business foundered, 25-year-old Couture-Rouleau filled the void with a new-found religion that appears to have been nurtured and ultimately perverted by Internet propaganda about Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, according to his Facebook and Twitter accounts, which he registered under the names Ahmed Rouleau and Abu Ibrahim AlCanadi.

That fact fuels one of the tougher battles that Canadian Muslim leaders are facing in their bid to defend their religion against violent stereotypes and prejudice that risk growing in the wake of a deadly week.

At the end of the day, individuals that are bad are bad, said Samer Mazjoub, president of the Canadian Muslim Forum in Montreal. Why cant Muslims have insane individuals? When these actions are done by others, they say he is insane . . . Why, as a Muslim Canadian, do we always say right away it was a terrorist act?

Couture-Rouleaus friends in his hometown of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., say he discovered Islam after a dark period in his life, but they have denied that he was mentally ill. They described him this week to the Star and other media as having the converts religious fervour, but an undeniable persuasion.

Radio-Canada has reported that a half-dozen of Couture-Rouleaus friends were also convinced to convert to Islam and that he also offered to pay their airfare to travel with him to Afghanistan in recent months, which they declined.

A young man in Pakistan who said he was friends with Couture-Rouleau told the Star Friday that the Quebecer had attempted to travel to Pakistan last February but was prevented from boarding the airplane. Later he became determined to travel to Iraq. Why?

To fight for ISIS, the Pakistani man, who requested anonymity, said in a Facebook exchange. Its simple.

Continued here:
How Martin Couture-Rouleau became an aspiring Islamic State fighter

Every year 3.1 million children do not reach the age of five across the globe. It is a massive human tragedy that can be solved with a very simple intervention.

And that intervention is Soap! Who would have thought that soap can actually prevent deaths? Illnesses and deaths among new born children are caused by germs due to the fact that proper sanitation methods are not followed. Mothers washing their hands properly prevents the risk of infections amongst new borns. Only when you wash your hands with soap can you properly destroy the germs.

Marking Global Handwashing Day, the Ministry of Health and the Unilever Sri Lanka launched a ground breaking Neonatal health program, a behavior change program to encourage hand washing in the estate sector of the country. This behavioral change program is designed to reduce neonatal morbidity within vulnerable communities by encouraging mothers to adopt the habit of washing hands as a simple, effective, and affordable practice to prevent the risk of infections amongst newborns.

Solution

First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, ceremoniously launched the program in the Eladuwa Estate in Dogangoda, Mathugama. This program aims to reach millions of Sri Lankan mothers, carrying the message of hand washing within the estate sector, to reduce the risk of newborns contracting preventable infections such as pneumonia and diarrhoea.

"Every year 3.1 million children do not reach the age of five across the globe. It is a massive human tragedy which can be solved with a very simple intervention. And that simple intervention is essentially keeping infections away with the simple act of washing hands with soap, two to three times a day at critical contact points.

That is the message that we at Unilever are committed to spreading. It is a very simple message, but it is a bold goal of reaching 1 billion people across the globe with this message of hand washing.

At Unilever Sri Lanka we have taken upon ourselves the mission of reaching eight million people by 2015.

With the partnership of the ministry, we announce the launch of the Neo natal program, whereby we would enable and work together with the government to enable children to reach the age of five across the globe and in Sri Lanka. This makes it a very historic day for us," said Siddharth Bannerjee, Country Marketing Director Unilever

MDGs

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Wash to live!

Among the sectors containing the best defensive stocks, are utilities, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods.

The utility sector has enjoyed a fantastic economic backdrop. These companies borrow heavily against their assets so the record low borrowing costs while steady inflation increases bills has led to record profits. Water utilities Severn Trent and United Utilities, both have steady income and dividends.

Shares in the water sector are driven on a five-year regulatory cycle. The water sector regulator Ofwat is currently in negotiations to agree the prices from April 2015 to 2020. There is still disagreement between the two parties and this creates risk for shareholders. The regulator could make the industry much less profitable by forcing it to cut prices. The final decision will come on December 12, so, if you are thinking about investing in UK water utilities, it could be a good idea to wait until after that.

SSE, National Grid and British Gas owner Centrica make up the power sector options. Shares here have been hit by political wrangling over the household energy bills, but they remain steady dividend payers for now.

The tobacco companies may be facing slowing sales in developed economies but this is being offset by price rises that the addicted customer base keep paying. The income and dividends are stable for the time being.

The pharmaceutical sector is undergoing something of a renaissance, with new drug discoveries and takeover activity all boosting the shares.

The consumer goods giants Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser have been hit by slowing sales in emerging markets. However, the shares of both companies have easily outperformed the wider FTSE 100 as people will still buy toothpaste, washing powder and washing up liquid even through a recession.

Long term investors would do well to make sure they have a balanced portfolio including some defensive options.

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FTSE defensive shares for a market downturn

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Springdale, AR (PRWEB) October 16, 2014

Renew Crew of Northwest Arkansas is offering a special, limited-time deck cleaning special, just in time for fall. Renew Crew serves Springdale, Arkansas and the surrounding area as the leading gutter, siding, patio, and deck cleaning and staining business.

Renew Crews 3-step deck-cleaning process will make any dingy-looking wood deck look new againand now, for a limited time, customers can save $50 on this one-of-a-kind professional deck cleaning opportunity.

Pressure washing (also called power washing) is extremely effective at eliminating surface dirt swiftly. In fact, for a deep, long-lasting clean surface, power washing is often the best choice. However, if done incorrectly, power washing can easily gouge a deck by rapidly blasting it with high-pressure water and harsh chemicals, leaving permanent damage to the decks surface. The experts at Renew Crew use a gentler, specialized process to clean and protect, leaving your deck spotless.

Renew Crews cleaning experts begin the process with a presoak, using a gentle but effective chemical foam to remove even the most stubborn dirt and grey wood fibers out from all the decks cracks and crevices. The next step involves Renew Crews signature pressure washing service, which eliminates grit, grim, mold, mildew, fungus, and any other unwanted substances from the surface of the deck. Then Renew Crew takes one final step to help preserve the decks surface, they apply a protective finish, which repels dirt and mold in order to keep the deck cleaner for longer.

The importance of protecting your outdoor surfaces before winter cannot be understated. Unprotected wood and concrete can allow water into cracks in the surface. As this water freezes, it expands, making the crack larger and damaging your surface even more.

The Just in Time for Fall Special wont last long, so any interested parties should take advantage of the $50 discount on Renew Crews highly effective deck cleaning process as soon as possible.

Renew Crew of Northwest Arkansas

Formerly known as Wood Re New, the company successfully grew their business and customer base leading to an introduction of expanded services with a new name - Renew Crew of Northwest Arkansas. Renew Crew of Northwest Arkansas has a specially formulated three step process to clean outside surfaces safely while keeping landscaping in tact. Step One is the application of a foam cleaner to soak and loosen dirt and grime. Step Two sprays away the grime using techniques that are gentler than traditional pressure washing. Step Three is the application of a protective sealant to keep outdoor spaces beautiful longer. The process is suitable for wood decks, wood fences, concrete patios, driveways, vinyl siding, stucco, log homes and many others. Serving Serving all of NW Arkansas including Prairie Grove, Farmington, Fayetteville, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista. Free estimates available.

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Renew Crew of Northwest Arkansas Announces Limited "Just in Time for Fall" Deck Cleaning Specials

A former NJ Transit supervisor was sentenced on Tuesday to a year of probation, including six months home confinement, in connection with accepting an $8,000 bribe and power-washing services in exchange for helping a vendor get work with the agency.

Donna Schiereck, 56, of Jackson, will have to wear an electronic monitor during the six months of home confinement, according to federal prosecutors.

In May, she pleaded guilty to agreeing to accept an $8,000 bribe in return for her assistance maintaining snow removal work for a Lakewood vendor. She also sought and received free power washing services from the company, prosecutors said.

Another NJ Transit supervisor, William Talerico, 55, of Beachwood, pleaded guilty recently to extortion charge for accepting thousands of dollars in cash from five NJ Transit vendors, including a landscaper from Bergen County who was not named in the court documents. In return for receiving more than $70,000, he helped those vendors secure work with the agency.

Talericos sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6.

E-mail: sudol@northjersey.com

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Former NJ Transit supervisor sentenced for accepting bribe

Enmax should have power restored to all of west downtown by midday Thursday "if all goes according to plan," power company CEO Gianna Manes said on Monday.

The utility has pulled out 3.5 kilometres of cable damaged in an underground vault fire Saturday night, and has begun to replace it, the CEO told reporters at an Emergency Operations Centre briefing.

Earlier, the city-owned utility had estimated it could take until the weekend to restore power to several high-density blocks of the downtown. Manes said the clearer timeline has come after 20 Enmax workers have worked continuously in confined underground spaces.

The city's roads should all be back and running during Tuesday morning rush hour, Mayor Naheed Nenshi told the briefing. There will be some lane reductions in the area where the fire occurred.

Seventy per cent of residents in the blackout zone have self evacuated, fire chief Ken Uzeloc said. City crews are doing checks on the many seniors who have chosen to stay in their buildings.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Mobile users, view live updates in our ScribbleLive blog:http://bit.ly/oct12fire

For much of the morning and early afternoon Sunday, residents of the area's condo towers and apartment buildings could be seen hauling belongings out of their homes in suitcases, grocery bags, and trolley carts. Others sat on the curbside, waiting for suburban friends or family members to pick them up.

Many of these residents had spent the night in their powerless apartments, fully expecting life would be back to normal when they woke up. It was only Sunday morning, as news began to trickle in, that they realized it might be a good idea to find another place to stay.

Taara Smith sat outside her Calgary Place apartment building, waiting for the friend who has offered to take her in for a few days.

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LIVE: Power could be restored Thursday to thousands in downtown Calgary after underground fire

CALGARYA fire in an underground electrical vault has left customers in a large section of Calgarys downtown core without power, and officials say it could be days before the electricity can be restored.

The city says the fire, which happened in a manhole Saturday night, completely destroyed the electrical infrastructure inside.

More than 100 buildings, including apartments and office towers, are affected.

It is expected that the majority of customers power will be restored in about four days. However there will be some areas that will not be restored for a week, a statement Sunday on the citys website said.

Calgarys mayor, Naheed Nenshi, is urging people to make arrangements to temporarily move to another location.

Police have set up a security perimeter around part of the affected area, but say people will be allowed in and out.

Matt, a cook at Lord Nelsons Bar and Grill which is just outside the affected zone, said his 16th-floor apartment has no power.

I feel like, what the heck? I feel upset. This is Canada, its not in Africa. Why is it four to seven days before the hydro can be back?

He said emergency workers and roadblocks were everywhere when he left work Saturday night, and that it looked like an action movie. When he finally reached his building, he had to wait half an hour before security guards would let residents enter.

He took the stairs because there was no power to run the elevators. There was still no power when he got up Sunday morning, and the water for his shower was starting to get cold.

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Calgary power outage caused by fire could take days to restore

A "freak" underground fire downtown has sparked power outages for thousands of residents, snarled traffic, injured an ATCO employee, and even cut water pressure for some in a large swath of downtown.

An estimated 5,000 Enmax customers and 2,100 area businesses will be without power for as long as a week.

"For those of you who are planning on cooking Thanksgiving dinner today in that area, well you'll have to make other plans, I'm sorry to say," Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Sunday morning.

Gianna Manes, president and CEO of Enmax, said crews have to rebuild the affected electrical system and it's expected power will be back on sometime between the evening of Oct. 15 and Oct. 18.

"The electrical equipment that has been impacted by this fire has had significant damage," she said.

For much of the morning and early afternoon, residents of the area's condo towers and apartment buildings could be seen hauling belongings out of their homes in suitcases, grocery bags, and trolley carts. Others sat on the curbside, waiting for suburban friends or family members to pick them up.

Many of these residents had spent the night in their powerless apartments, fully expecting life would be back to normal when they woke up. It was only Sunday morning, as news began to trickle in, that they realized it might be a good idea to find another place to stay.

Taara Smith sat outside her Calgary Place apartment building, waiting for the friend who has offered to take her in for a few days.

"We all really thought it was going to be a two or three-hour thing," Smith said. "It was only this morning when Mayor Nenshi said 4 to 7 days then everyone freaked out."

Mobile users, view live updates in our ScribbleLive blog:http://bit.ly/oct12fire

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Underground fire in west downtown Calgary forces thousands to leave home for up to a week