News for the unnewsed

By Morgan Haigler

Concordia bans Facebook


Concordia University recently restricted Facebook access on its campus computers, claiming the networking site is a potential threat to its overall systems performance. According to the school’s information technology department, hackers can use Facebook to access e-mail addresses and personal information. Students and professors may be able to view Facebook over a wireless connection on campus, but that doesn’t necessarily eliminate the security risks involved. The university suggested that spam and phishing attacks could arise if Facebook is frequently visited.





Bike sharing in Calgary rejected


Earlier this month, city council rejected Ald. Druh Farrell’s plans to create a bike-sharing program for Calgarians. The program is extremely popular for European bike renters who make cycling part of their daily routine. There weren’t enough votes to locally activate the bike-sharing proposal. Some aldermen want programs to include private sector involvement, making it difficult for city staff to explore more options.





Housing for blinded student


After foreign exchange student Jose Ribamar Ribeiro Neto was blinded in a downtown Calgary shooting, members of the Brazilian community have been generously searching for housing to accommodate the young man and his family. According to reports, the 24-year-old was walking with his girlfriend along Centre Street South when the shooting occured. The bullet, which pierced below Ribeiro’s eye, was the result of a brawl between a man and two other people in a nearby park. Roland Ashley Warawais is charged with two counts of attempted murder.





City called ecological disaster


After attending the Canadian Urban Conference in Sherwood Park, Canadian environmental activist David Suzuki determined Calgary is ecologically distressed. He said urban sprawl and a dependency on environmentally damaging vehicles are worsening the problem. Aldermen responded by saying Calgary has made significant improvements in reducing its urban sprawl and green house gas emissions over the past decade. Currently, the city is focusing on a 10-year transportation plan that will address the needs of transit projects and pedestrian infrastructure. Suzuki mentioned that, although Calgary lacks preparation to handle climate change, the light-transit system and city-owned Enmax are striving toward expanded wind power.


‘Deportation of deserter


A U.S. army deserter and his family were allowed to stay in Toronto on Monday, giving the court time to review the Citizenship and Immigration official’s decision to have them deported. Jeremy Hinzman, the first U.S. soldier to claim refugee status, faces prosecution for fleeing to Canada in 2004 instead of deploying with his army to Iraq.