Mike Falcone sent in this photo looking up a frosty tree.

The Olympic torch held up in the afternoon sun in Shediac, N.B.

Photo submitted by Christine o66

By Amil Niazi

"Come on already, let's go!"

Do these words propel you toward the remote control as they echo throughout your household? Well, you can give the mute button a rest for now: Miss Road Rage, the shrewish star of Grey Power's auto insurance commercials, is being retired.

And apparently, her demise couldn't come too soon. On Nov. 26 we asked how you felt about the TV spot and you weren’t shy about saying goodbye!

A runner from Shediac, N.B., carries the Olympic torch, accompanied by friends.

(Submitted by Christine066)

Mike Falcone sent in this vivid photo of a ferris wheel that lights up like a Christmas tree.

Everyone seems to be getting into the Olympic spirit these days, even this tyke who took part in her first Olympic ceremony in Newfoundland this week.

(Submitted by CanningA)

Missnwt007 took this stunning photo of Sandy lake just outside Hay River, N.W.T.

Christine sent in this photo of performers clowning around at an Olympic torch ceremony in Shediac, N.B.

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By Amil Niazi, Your Best Stuff

How far do you think the government should go when it comes to monitoring online behaviour? That issue was raised earlier this week, when it was announced that legislation would be introduced requiring internet service providers (ISPs) to track sites for child pornography.

On Nov. 23 we wanted to know whether you were concerned rules like this could infringe on your privacy.

34 of you weighed in and your responses were nearly unanimous: This type of monitoring could set a dangerous precedent.

Ronasp took this beautiful picture of horses grazing in a frosty field in Wetaskiwin, Alta.

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Two torchbearers give the Olympic flame the ultimate salute in Ross Road, N.S.

(Submitted by sunshinejaye)

By Takara Small, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

With flu anxiety in full gear, it might seem like skipping out on seasonal festivities this year is the best thing to do. But the truth is that holiday parties can be safe and fun if you take the right steps to protect yourself, says Michael Finkelstein, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health.

"We're trying to get the message out that people should take precautions to stop the spread of the flu but go about their normal activities," he said. "People who go to parties aren't more or less likely to get H1N1."

Here are some tips on how to prevent you and your loved ones from getting sick this holiday season.

Mistletoe: There's no need to avoid that pesky mistletoe at events this year. Exchanging a kiss or two on the cheek isn't enough to get you sick and is actually safer than the usual handshake, says Debrett's, an etiquette publication. Just make sure not to stray from the occasional peck on the cheek as the night goes on, and you'll be fine.

Food: Party planners should avoid offering guests food in big communal bowls, not to avoid H1N1 but other food-borne illnesses, Finkelstein says. Shared food plates are "a problem for a whole bunch of other issues. Influenza doesn’t like that way of going from person to person, but people can still get sick from other food-borne illnesses."

Planners can reduce the risk of food poisoning and other illnesses by serving small, individual portions, ensuring cooked and raw food are placed in separate areas and cleaning shared utensils like ice tongs throughout the night.

Santa Claus: Parents across the country will soon start queuing up with their kids to see the big guy in red, but many are wondering whether St. Nick might pass on germs. Not likely, says Finkelstein. "The lineup for Santa is no different than waiting in line for the movies. Again, it's just going back to the basics and making sure your kids' hands are clean."

He suggests parents who line up to see Santa Claus or take their kids to other holiday events bring along hand sanitizer to keep hands clean and toys to give kids something to play with and a way to avoid touching other people and objects.

Coughs: Hand-to-hand contact and not covering your mouth and nose are the easiest ways to spread the virus, according to Health Canada, so proper hand washing is key to staying healthy. "Having people washing their hands periodically reduces the chances of everyone getting sick, but sometimes water isn't available, so in that case use hand sanitizer," Finkelstein advises.

Cough into your arm, not your hand, and wash your hands regularly throughout the day. Also, dispose of used tissues by immediately throwing them in the garbage.

Alcohol: A good offence is the best defence, so make sure to rehydrate throughout the night. Remember that water, not alcohol, will keep you healthy days after the Christmas party is over, so make sure to consume an equal amount of both.

We want to know whether you're concerned about getting sick.

What precautions are you taking to reduce your risk of getting sick?

By Lorianna De Giorgio, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

Naked chef

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was in Toronto on Sunday to promote his new book, Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals.

Before he spoke about the book at Roy Thomson Hall, Oliver stopped by the CBC to answer your questions in an exclusive Point of View.

A volunteer lights the Olympic torch for the next stage in the relay.

(Submitted by Sheppy)

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One player gets into the swing of things at the Antigonish Highland Games in Nova Scotia.

(Submitted by Great Scot)

Facebook was the catalyst for two big Canadian news stories this week, as the popular social networking site continues to ignite debate about privacy issues online.

Last week CBC News reported on a Quebec woman fighting to have her benefits reinstated after her employer's insurance company cut them because, she claims, of photos posted on Facebook.

Nathalie Blanchard, 29, has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Que., for the last 18 months after she was diagnosed with major depression.

She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard had posted on the site as evidence that she is no longer depressed.

The story sparked a great deal of reaction among CBCNews.ca readers, with more than 600 commenting on the story.

By Lorianna De Giorgio, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean ate it.

But would you?

On Nov. 18 we wanted to know whether you would eat seal meat if it were on the menu, given the fact that the delicacy is about to join beef tenderloin and baked salmon on the haute-cuisine menu for MPs and senators in the parliamentary restaurant.

With MPs saying Parliament is taking a cue from Jean, who ate seal meat while on a visit to Nunavut last May in a show of support for Inuit culture, 41 per cent of you who took our poll, as of 3 p.m. on Nov. 20, would eat the meat.

Thirty-seven per cent of the 529 who voted would pass it up, with 22 per cent saying they have already eaten it.

Kit McEvoy took this picture of a very frosty, foggy morning in Malden Centre, Ont.

Submitted by metalgirl4791

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Torchbearer in Cherry Brook, N.S., shows Olympic aspirations are ageless.

Submitted by cwhitewhitman

Inga Andersen of Makkovik, N.L., celebrated her 96th birthday Wednesday. She is the oldest person in the Labrador north coast community of about 400.

Submitted by Michelle Dyson

By Lorianna De Giorgio, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

Apparently, when it comes to your choice between vampires and werewolves, vampires win hands down.

At least that's the case with the results from our Nov. 17 poll on which mythical figure from the flick, New Moon, you prefer.

Of the 162 votes that came in as of noon, Nov. 18, 45 per cent preferred the bloodsucking creatures, while only 20 per cent voted for the hairier werewolves.

A toddler holds the torch in Long Pond, N.L.

Submitted by CanningA

View of Toronto's skyline at dusk from Ward's Island.

Submitted by dglenn

Google's search engine – the first Google tool – has dominated our internet searches and pervades our daily lingo.

Google Inc. hasn't lost any steam. More than 10 years after its incorporation, the Google Empire has expanded to offer email, a repertoire of millions of online books, an innovative map program including a new navigation tool and more.

How did anyone manage before Google?

Some of Google's most recent projects include:

Google Street View, which has been widely criticized as an invasion of privacy. The application expands on Google Maps by giving the option to view landscapes in three dimensions in select cities.

Google Dashboard: A one stop-shop for all your Google tools. The Dashboard will display any of your tools in one area for easy use instead of having to open each application separately.

Google Wave: The highly anticipated Google Wave will, according to Google, revolutionize how we communicate. It will incorporate ideas from email, instant messaging, blogs, wikis and bulletin boards into a single method of communicating.

Google Wave was announced in May and is currently open only to software developers and select users.

But Google seems to have forgotten some important tools. Here are some suggestions for Google's next projects:

Google Lingo: replaces slang on websites such as "that's sick," "lol" or "cool" with proper English language.

Google Blind Date: A tool that recommends excuses for quick escapes on bad blind dates, like "my dog ate my appetite."

Google Decider: determines the next course of action for anyone who happens to be stuck without a Magic Eight Ball.









Do you use Google in your daily life? What's next for Google?

An arbutus at Halfmoon Bay, B.C. This type of arbutus is restricted to a narrow coastal band in the Pacific Northwest and northern California, generally growing on exposed rocky terrain overlooking the ocean.

Submitted by steadystate

Olympic torchbearer smiles for the camera before running her leg of the cross-country trek.

Submitted by Greenspond

By Lorianna De Giorgio, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

According to you, our dear readers, the world isn’t going to end in 2012.

That’s the consensus when it came to last week’s Point of View surrounding the Hollywood flick 2012 and whether you subscribe to the end-of-world prophecy from the ancient Mayans.

While the Roland Emmerich-directed film predicts the world’s demise in three years, most of your comments show you don’t buy into the ill-fated forecast.

The majority of the 120 comments say the Mayans got it wrong.

A reader named Trooper believes that while the Earth’s makeup will suddenly change one day, the Halifax-based reader doesn’t think it will happen in December 2012.

“Eventually the reset button will be hit and the Earth will change drastically,” Trooper commented on Nov. 16.

“Odds are in favour of a meteor hitting us, but you never know. A couple of large solar flares could fry all of our satellites, putting us back to the 1950s.

“I won't be hiding on Dec. 21, 2012, I think we’re pretty safe.”

Photograph of a well-fed chickadee taken near a bird sanctuary in Morrisburg, Ont.

Submitted by Roger Daigle

Bob Cole carries the torch in Lanse aux Meadows, N.L.

Submitted by selmapike

There was an overwhelming response this week with submissions focusing on Remembrance Day. The beautiful images uploaded by readers throughout the week pay homage to the men and women who fought for the country.

Take a look at how readers across Canada celebrated Remembrance Day.

Master Seaman Paul Lane of Gander, N.L., places a poppy at xanderboy1's great uncle's headstone

Submitted by xanderboy1

This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a military commission will resume hearing the case against Toronto-born Omar Khadr.

News of Khadr's hearing came on the same day that the Canadian government pleaded its appeal in the Supreme Court on Khadr's latest case.

Ottawa asked the top court to overturn a Federal Appeal Court decision requiring Ottawa to try to repatriate Khadr, the only Western citizen still being held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Read more.

These results drew over 600 comments from our readers.

Check out your top five recommended comments.

Prince Charles on a rainy Vancouver day. Charles and his wife, Camilla, wrapped up their 11-day visit to Canada on Thursday. The royal couple arrived in the country Nov. 2 and made stops in St. John's, Toronto, Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa.

Submitted by: camerademartina

Sent in by by mukah23

The flame was lit at 5:30 pm in my hometown Sheshatshiu, Labrador on November 11, 2009.

In the spirit of Remembrance Day a second image has been added to the photo of the day to capture the atmosphere surrounding Wednesday's events.

People place poppies at the National War Memorial in Ottawa in remembrance of those who dedicated their lives to protect our country.

Submitted by: flems17

A serious fire destroyed several businesses near the intersection of Main Street and Broadway in Vancouver early Thursday.

Submitted by: Angela Hubbard

Two torch bearers pass the flame from one torch to another in Labrador City, NL. Submitted by Koldford

Grand Pa giving a history lesson to his two grand son's Samuel and Joseph. About Remembering the sacrifice of our great men, for the freedom of this great country, Canada. Very sobber moment indeed.

Submitted by: Luciec

The Olympic flame being transferred in Yellowknife. Submitted by Kyle With

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A beautiful photo of Tombstone Park sent in by user opensky.

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Yukon torch bearers smile wide and strike a pose before they start their Olympic relay.

Submitted by lisayukon

Two Olympic flame runners tap a salute in Vancouver on Friday as the flame travels across the country.

Submitted by jonrw2

A duck takes a quiet midafternoon swim at Ambleside Lagoon in Vancouver.

Submitted by Maurice C

A staff member has been fired after an Alberta Health Services probe into why some members of the Calgary Flames and their families received the H1N1 shot without lining up at public clinics.

"Disciplinary action has been taken, resulting in the dismissal today of the most senior staff member involved," said a statement released by the health board on Wednesday. "An investigation is continuing and may result in further disciplinary action."

Top officials said they did not know about the arrangements for the Flames organization until Monday.

These results drew over 700 comments from our readers.

Check out your top five recommended comments.

The Olympic torch arrives by canoe in Victoria's Inner Harbour, carried by the Songhees First Nation. Submitted by user Trish4.

The sun rises on intertwining sky trails made by a jet in Ottawa, Ontario.

Submitted by Julie Rick

The Olympic flame burns brightly in British Columbia after landing in Victoria for the torch relay. Submitted by user Tatius.

Are you on the Olympic Torch route? Are you a torchbearer? Share your stories, photos and videos.

Check out our Road to the Games website.

An 11-year-old female lion is being removed from the Magnetic Hill Zoo in New Brunswick after sexual tension between her and a young male turned to violence.

Bruce Dougan, general manager of the zoo in Moncton, N.B., said in his 39 years of working with lions he has never seen one lion hate another so intensely.

The lioness, Kito, had become depressed after the death in January of Marshall, the zoo's male lion and her longtime companion. Two cubs — Azizi, a male, and Amara, a female — were welcomed to the zoo in the spring to keep Kito company.

Dougan said the introduction of the cubs went well at first, but problems emerged as the older female went into heat.

"When she did that she became frustrated with Azizi, who didn't know what his role was in that situation," Dougan said. "He was a very young male, and that frustration turned to anger and then aggression."

Dougan said the best thing for all the animals is to return Kito to the zoo in Ontario where she was born. She will leave the Magnetic Hill Zoo later this month.

Full story

This story has sparked some interesting comments from you about the difficulties between Kito the lioness and the young male lion Azizi. Here are a few of your thoughts on this nasty relationship.

1) There's no way this case could make it to Divorce Court, because she'd just be lion (lyin') on the witness stand.

2) Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I guess that applies to lions as well. A zoo keeper should not find this surprising.

3) The zoo management should have known better than to introduce a male into the enclosure so soon after Marshall had died. All the big cats (cougars, lions, panthers) are high enough up the chain to know sorrrow at the passing of a long-time mate.

Cougars in BC have been known to mourn for months when family members die.

Kito will get over it. It probably is not necessary to move her, just keep the young male away from her and find another, older Tom and all should turn out just fine.

4) This is the problem with keeping lions in capitivity in such small numbers. Like a pack of wolves, a pride of lions has a social hierarchy that would have seen an older second-rank male take her old mate's place.

No wonder the young male was confused in such a fractured environment!

5) Why didn't they try counseling first?

6) I bet there were some Hyena lawyers on the scene pretty quick .