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five things

RCMP officers train "Storm" a 3-1/2 year old German Shepherd police dog, at a screening facility near Whistler in 2010.

Dog bites

Parents of a 16-year-old in Surrey are wondering how their son's "stupid judgement" resulted in RCMP sending a police dog after him. The teen was bit in the face and arms, and suffered a broken nose, his mother says. Police are now investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the Pivot Legal Society is suing Vancouver over the use of police dogs, saying officers are using the animals too early and too aggressively, resulting in a large number of serious injuries.

Paper vs. plastic

Think paper is the greener choice? Think again. Studies have shown that less energy and water is used to produce a plastic bag, and even recycling it uses less energy than its paper incarnation. The solution for shoppers, of course, is simple: Bring your own, reusable bags. But for shopkeepers, a puzzling dilemma has emerged: Should they offer one or the other, or both?

Digital divide

When Steve Jobs went home, he kicked back and listened to... vinyl? So says Neil Young, who is on a mission to improve the sound of digital music. He thinks the Podfather would have joined him on this crusade were he alive today, though Young's music apparently didn't strike a chord with Jobs, whose iPod was void of the Canadian icon.

Growing up friendless

A new Canadian study shows that 53 per cent of disabled children have no friends. As André Picard points out, we talk a big game about breaking barriers, but clearly current efforts fall woefully short. A sense of belonging and meaningful relationships are just as important as building ramps and fancy programs.

Gay Jedi?

An American activist is attacking the new online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic for planning to include homosexual relationships. In what he probably thinks is very clever, the activist has twisted several iconic Star Wars phrases to shore up his argument, warning parents that gamers have "gone to the dark side" and "it's time to show companies who the Force is really with."



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