10 tips to protect finances during summer vacations

 

By Claudia Buck, McClatchy Newspapers

 

 

 

If you are going to use an ATM while travelling stick with those in bank branches instead of standalone kiosks.

Photograph by: File, Postmedia News

It’s that time of year. As the school year winds down, the summer travel season warms up.
Whether you’re heading out on a road trip or getting on a plane, here are 10 tips for smart travel this summer:

1. Alert your bank and credit card company that you’ll be traveling (especially if overseas). Bank fraud departments are more vigilant about unusual activity on customers’ cards. If they see an ATM purchase in Seville, Spain, for instance, they typically will call you to verify charges. If you miss the call, your credit card could be frozen while on vacation. Avoid the hassles by notifying your bank before leaving home.

2. Be aware of fees. When booking flights, note all extra charges, such as for checked bags, meals, even blankets. Sometimes the lowest fare you see online doesn’t include those extras, said Ed Perkins, contributing editor for SmarterTravel.com, whose "Airline Fees: The Ultimate Guide" offers comparison charts.
Same with hotel fees. Many hotels, such as those in Las Vegas and other resort areas, tack on housekeeping or resort fees that can add an extra $10 or $20 a day. The fees often aren’t specified online; if you’re calling the hotel directly, ask about those extras.

3. Trip insurance? It’s a good idea any time you’ve paid a large, nonrefundable deposit or there’s a hefty cancellation penalty. "You never know what’s going to happen. If you have an expensive cruise, vacation rental or tour package, it’s recommended," said Perkins. Don’t buy travel insurance from airlines or cruise companies, he said, because coverage can be limited. Look for "cancel-for-any-reason" policies.

4. Hold the mail. Have a neighbour or friend pick up your mail and newspapers daily, or have the post office temporarily stop delivery. Papers piling up advertise you’re gone and can be a gold mine for identity thieves. "There’s no greater magnet for burglars than a mailbox overflowing with mail," said Adam Levin, chairman of IdentityTheft911.com and Credit.com.

5. Don’t announce on Facebook. If you’re posting about your California beach vacation or Himalayan hiking trip, keep it vague. Never post the exact dates you’ll be gone: "That’s like issuing an open invitation to thieves," said Levin. Ideally, wait until you’re back to post those away-from-home vacation photos.

6. Weed out your wallet. Pickpockets thrive in tourist areas, so don’t carry your Social Security number and only take credit or debit cards you need. Make copies of all important documents (passport, driver’s license, credit cards, health insurance, airline tickets), in case your wallet is stolen. Keep copies either encrypted on a computer thumb drive or on paper that can be locked in the hotel safe. Also leave a copy at home with trusted friend or family member.

7. Carry the plastic. But use it wisely: Use credit cards for larger purchases (restaurants, hotels, train tickets). Use debit cards to get cash at local ATMs (the fee is far lower than what most credit card companies charge for cash withdrawals).
Check with your bank about its overseas exchange fees; they vary. Typically, credit card users will see a 3 percent surcharge on all transactions. Some cards offer no-fee cash withdrawals in certain countries. (Note: Traveller’s cheques have largely become passé due to high exchange fees when converting to cash.)

8. Be wary of ATMs. It can happen anywhere: Illicit credit card readers attached to ATMs can capture your PIN number and account information. To lessen the risk, Levin recommends sticking with ATMs at bank branches.

9. Check regularly for suspicious activity. If your bank offers it, sign up to receive texts or emails whenever transactions above a certain amount are made on your card. Or call your card’s 800 number to check on recent transactions. Be sure your phone and laptop are password-protected and have the most up-to-date security software possible. "Anything that’s a gateway to your financial life should be protected," said Levin.

10. Stay vigilant once you’re home. Identity thieves are patient, and "it can take them a long time to pounce," said Levin. Check your credit report for unusual activity.
Even if your vacation is staying home in the backyard, that’s good advice.

© Copyright (c) McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

 

 

 

 

 

Canucks rally to defeat Sharks Vancouver 3, San Jose 2

 

Vancouver Canucks celebrate a third-period goal by Henrik Sedin (2nd L) during Game 1 of their NHL Western Conference final hockey playoff game against the San Jose Sharks in Vancouver, British Columbia May 15, 2011.

Photograph by: Andy Clark, Reuters

VANCOUVER — Everybody had a plan. Some were kept quiet and others were quite obvious.
In the opening volley of the Western Conference final series, the margin of error was so minimal that mistakes were greatly magnified Sunday at Rogers Arena. And in the end, the Vancouver Canucks committed fewer gaffes and rallied for a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks that made you wonder if they had the better plan. They must have.
The Canucks had planned to tap the brain of former Sharks defenceman Christian Ehrhoff and it paid off in the winning goal. He smartly spotted Henrik Sedin cutting across the slot and the captain calmly slid a power-play backhander past sprawling goaltender Antti Niemi at 8:21 of the third period to snap a 2-2 deadlock.
There was more.
The Canucks also planned to get their mobile defence involved. And that reaped rewards when a streaking Kevin Bieksa took a cross-ice feed from Alex Burrows and buried a shot less than two minutes earlier to erase a 2-1 deficit that looked like it would stand for too long. Bieksa also got the puck up high over Niemi's shoulder which, of course, was another plan. So was getting more from Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
"It's tough to come back in this league," said Henrik. "We made a great push and showed a lot of courage in the third. Christian made a great play to me. I thought he was going to shoot the puck and it was a great saucer pass. An easy play."
There was nothing easy about this victory.
After Patrick Marleau tipped a Dan Boyle power-play point shot past Roberto Luongo in the second period to provide a 2-1 lead, at least the light bulb went on for the Canucks. After all, the Sharks were operating at a pitiful 13.7 per cent on their playoff power play, but were 6-0 in the post-season when they managed to score with the man advantage. So, the plan was simple. Attack. Attack. Attack.
In a wild scramble around Niemi late in the second period, Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Chris Higgins and Alex Edler were all involved. Raymond took a whack and forced Niemi to get a pad on his effort, Kesler did the same and Higgins was looking for the loose disc too before Edler sent a backhander that Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic blocked. Niemi then got a left pad on a Hansen shot. The Canucks didn't score, but momentum swung.
"We kept pushing them back and getting in on the forecheck and we were going to get the goal and they were going to crack," Burrows said of out shooting the Sharks 13-7 in the third period and 38-29 overall. "We had all the emotions and were pushing with that emotion."
It paid off. The Canucks scored twice in a span of 1:19 of the third period as Bieksa first put in the dagger before Henrik gave it a twist.
"We felt like we were wearing them down a bit and I just came late on the play and with his great vision, Burr found me," said Bieksa. "We have six guys who can jump up into the play and we feel we can do it by committee. It was the right time."
The Sharks had a plan for Luongo. Sharp-angle shots. Knock the stick out of his hands. And let him handle the puck. It started with Ben Eager, Dany Heatley and Joe Pavelski taking successive sharp-angle shots that Luongo has struggled with in the post-season. It continued with Scott Nichol purposely knocking the stick out of Luongo's hands behind the net to unnerve the goalie. And then it happened, the play that would have dominated the highlight reels if not for the spirited comeback.
A giveaway to Joe Thornton when Luongo attempted to play the puck behind his net to open scoring late in the first period looked like the Sharks knew exactly what they were doing and looked like Luongo didn't have a clue what he was up to. He could have left the puck for teammate Dan Hamhuis, but tried to play it to the defenceman. And as if he knew to sit back, Thornton jumped on the failed attempt and whipped a wrister through a sprawling Hamhuis and between the goalie's legs.
But the Canucks kept going to the net. They called a team meeting in Niemi's crease and it worked when Maxim Lapierre went boldly to the goalie's porch and pounded a neat Jannik Hansen feed from behind the net home early in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit. As the game wore on, the Sharks looked worn out and the failed second-period flurry by the Canucks simply set the stage for a stronger final period.
"We didn't have it in the third," admitted Sharks coach Todd McLellan. "We were tired and looked sluggish. There are times when we lose our legs, but our minds are still pretty sharp. And I didn't think that was the case tonight. It started between the ears and it worked through the body. We were like dogs chasing cars on the freeway. We weren't catching anybody and put pucks in very poor spots.
"They beat us at the type of game we wanted to play. We wanted to lay it in behind and sustain offensive time. They wore us down."
Vancouver Province
bkuzma@theprovince.com
Twitter.com/benkuzma

© Copyright (c) The Province

Four soldiers hurt in Afghanistan helicopter accident

 

Canadian troops stand beneath a Chinook Ch-47 helicopter in Afghanistan in a 2010 file photo. Four Canadian soldiers were injured when their helicopter crashed upon landing on a river bed in Afghanistan.

Photograph by: Sgt Daren Kraus, DND

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Four Canadian soldiers were injured when a helicopter "rolled" Monday during a "hard landing" on a river bed in Afghanistan.
The Canadian Ch-47 Chinook transport chopper accident occurred during night operations by the Quebec-based Royal 22nd Regiment in the Horn of Panjwaii. Insurgents were not blamed in the incident.
None of the injuries were considered serious or life-threatening at this time, said Maj. David Devenney, the Task Force Kandahar spokesman. Among several dozen passengers was a Canadian journalist who was uninjured.
The wounded were flown by medevac helicopter to the U.S. navy-run Role 3 Hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The crash was secured by Canadian and other coalition forces.
The Chinook turned on its side as it landed, Devenney said. An assessment was being conducted to decide whether the aircraft was salvageable, he said. Initial reports suggested that it had been heavily damaged.
Monday’s accident was the third involving a Canadian helicopter in Afghanistan. Another Chinook was hit insurgent gunfire and burned after being forced to make a hard landing on Aug. 5, 2010. Eight soldiers were wounded in the crash.
Thirteen months earlier a smaller Canadian CH-146 Griffon helicopter crashed on takeoff in neighbouring Zabul province. Three on board died and three others were injured.
Those who died were: Master Cpl. Pat Audet, 38, of Montreal, and Cpl. Martin Joannette, 25, of St-Calixte, Que., and a British officer.
Another Canadian, military photographer Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede, was killed in 2007 when the U.S. Chinook helicopter that he was flying in was apparently shot down in Helmand province. Six other coalition soldiers died in that crash.
Helicopters are one of the main ways to get around southern Afghanistan’s rugged terrain. When available they are often the preferred means of transport because the Taliban often mine the roads with homemade explosives.
Canada acquired a small fleet of Chinooks from the U.S. army after the Manley Panel on Afghanistan recommended to Parliament that helicopters were urgently needed to help troops off Kandahar’s dangerous roads.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Israel-Palestinian violence erupts on 3 borders

 

Palestinian protesters infiltrate the Israel-Syria border on May 15, 2011 near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Israel.

Photograph by: Jalaa Marey, JINI/Getty Images

JERUSALEM, May 15 (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot Palestinian protesters who surged towards its frontiers with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 13 people on the day Palestinians mourn the establishment of Israel in 1948.
In the deadliest such confrontation in years of anniversary clashes usually confined to the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire in three separate border locations to prevent crowds of demonstrators from crossing frontier lines.
The new challenge to Israel came from the borders of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza — all home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were driven out in 1948.
Combined with a public relations disaster last year over the killing of pro-Palestinian activists in a Gaza aid flotilla and a determined Palestinian diplomatic drive to win U.N. recognition of statehood in September this year, the bloody border protests raised the stakes further for Israel.
Israel’s leaders condemned the incidents as provocations inspired by Iran, to exploit Palestinian nationalist feeling fuelled by the popular revolts of the “Arab Spring”, and to draw attention from major internal unrest in Syria, Iran’s ally.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped the confrontations would not escalate.
“We hope the calm and quiet will quickly return. But let nobody be misled: we are determined to defend our borders and sovereignty,” Netanyahu said.
PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement holds sway in the Israeli occupied West Bank and is ready to negotiate peace with Israel, said in a televised address that those killed were martyrs to the Palestinian cause.
“Their precious blood will not be wasted. It was spilt for the sake of our nation’s freedom,” Abbas said.
HAMAS PRAISES CLASHES
But Islamist Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and which last month sealed a surprise reconciliation pact with its bitter rival Fatah, issued a warning that Palestinians would accept nothing less than return to all lands lost in 1948.
Spokesman Taher Al-Nono praised the “crowds we have seen in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon” as evidence of “imminent victory and return to the original homes as promised by God”.
In an apparent contradiction of suggestions that Hamas might ditch its rejection of Israel’s right to exist, he said there was no alternative to recovering all land lost in 1948.
Israeli security forces had been on alert for violence on Sunday, the day Palestinians mourn the “Nakba”, or catastrophe, of Israel’s founding in a 1948 war, when hundreds of thousands of their brethren fled or were forced to leave their homes.
A call had gone out on Facebook urging Palestinians to demonstrate on Israel’s borders.
Lebanon’s army said 10 Palestinians died as Israeli forces shot at rock-throwing protesters to prevent them from entering the Jewish State from Lebanese territory.
They said 112 people had been wounded in the shooting incident in the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras. “The protesters overcame the Lebanese army and marched towards the security fence and started throwing stones,” Reuters cameraman Ezzat Baltaji said, from Maroun al-Ras village.
Syrian media reports said Israeli gunfire killed two people after dozens of Palestinians infiltrated the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, along a front line that has been largely tranquil for decades.
Syria condemned Israel’s “criminal activities”.
“This appears to be a cynical and transparent act by the Syrian leadership to deliberately create a crisis on the border so as to distract attention from the very real problems that regime is facing at home,” said a senior Israeli government official, who declined to be named. “Syria is a police state. People don’t randomly approach the border without the approval of the regime.”
On Sunday, hundreds of protesters flooded the lush green valley that marks the border area, waving Palestinian flags. Israeli troops attempted to mend the breached fence, firing at what the army described as infiltrators.
“We are seeing here an Iranian provocation, on both the Syrian and the Lebanese frontiers, to try to exploit the Nakba day commemorations,” said the army’s chief spokesman, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai.
Syria is home to 470,000 Palestinian refugees and its leadership, now facing fierce internal unrest, had in previous years prevented protesters from reaching the frontier area.
To the southeast, on Jordan’s desert border with Israel, Jordanian police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists gathered at a border village.
Israeli forces did not fire over the Jordanian border.
On Israel’s tense border with Gaza, Israeli gunfire wounded 82 demonstrators nearing the fence, medics said. Israeli forces said they shot a man trying to plant a bomb near the border.
In Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, a truck driven by an Arab Israeli slammed into vehicles and pedestrians, killing one man and injuring 17 people.
Police were trying to determine whether that incident was an accident or an attack. Witnesses said the driver, who was arrested, deliberately ran amok with his truck in traffic.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian youths and Israeli forces clashed for hours at the main checkpoint dividing the Ramallah from Jerusalem, a constant flashpoint.
Palestinians threw rocks and soldiers fired rubber bullets and teargas to drive them away from the Qalandia checkpoint.
In Egypt, police fired teargas to force back several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had broken through a barricade in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, witnesses said.
ALERT
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the border challenge was foreseen, but not easy for Israel to handle.
“For months we have been discussing the possibility of the organisation of mass processions. I don’t think there is a magic solution for all situations,” he told Israeli television. “The Palestinians’ transition from terror carried out by suicide bombers to mass demonstrations, on purpose without weapons, is a transition that poses many challenges. And we will deal with them in the future,” Barak said.
The day’s bloodshed will complicate decisions to be made by U.S. President Barack Obama, who is due to deliver a major Middle East policy speech on Thursday.
U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel broke down last year and no new negotiations are in the offing, with the U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell announcing his resignation last week.

© Copyright (c) Reuters

Easy does it, Slugger: Prepare for your warm weather regimen

Spend a few hours every week getting back into shape

 

Before you "tsk, tsk" too loudly, you must admit that it's hard to squelch the excitement you feel when you dig out your tennis racket, softball glove, soccer cleats, running shoes, golf bag or bathing suit from summer storage.

Photograph by: Thinkstock, canada.com

Spring is a tough time of year for the overzealous. You know who I mean: the keeners who dive into warm-weather sports like they never left them, only to find out the hard way that winter's idleness has whittled away all but the memories of last summer's conditioning.
Before you "tsk, tsk" too loudly, you must admit that it's hard to squelch the excitement you feel when you dig out your tennis racket, softball glove, soccer cleats, running shoes, golf bag or bathing suit from summer storage.
Add some good weather, a little friendly competition, the company of a few good buddies and the inherent need to prove that one more year hasn't made a lick of difference in your athletic prowess, and it's no wonder so many Canadians make the most common fitness mistake of them all -- doing too much too soon.
You can mitigate some of the effects of seasonal overenthusiasm by spending a few hours every week getting back into summer shape.
Before you groan and ignore sage advice, try to remember how you felt last spring after you revved up on all four cylinders without a tune-up.
Do it right this year, and get in shape before you start your summer season. Now's the time to get it done. Here's how to do it:
Build an aerobic base
This is the first goal of any pre-season conditioning plan. Being able to sustain a minimum level of intensity for an extended period of time not only provides the endurance necessary to play a game of tennis, softball or golf, it also aids recovery -- which means you'll be able to get back out there sooner.
Increasing aerobic endurance isn't hard; all you have to do is exercise a bit longer every week.
The length of your aerobic workout depends on your preferred summer activity, but aim for 60 continuous minutes spent doing any form of aerobic exercise: cycling, swimming, walking, running (or any combination of all four).
Strengthen your core
Whether you're hitting a serve, kicking or throwing a ball, swinging a golf club or swimming up and down the pool, all athletic power transfers through the core muscles, which is why you need to get your midsection in shape.
And because a good core conditioning program focuses on building endurance before strength and power, most core exercises can be done at home with very little specialized equipment.
Start with a basic plank (get into the classic pushup position, balancing your body on your forearms and toes -head, hips, knees in alignment), and work up to holding it for 30 seconds. Do the same for the side plank (lie on your side and lift your hips off the floor, balancing on your forearm -placed perpendicular to your body -and feet). Then combine the two exercises, moving from the front plank to the side plank, back to the front and then to the other side.
Hold each position for 15 to 20 seconds, and keep your hips level and body in alignment as you move from side to side. Repeat your core workout four to five times a week.
Hone speed and agility
Speed and agility need constant tweaking to keep you fast and light on your feet.
A word of caution: speed and agility drills should be incorporated into your workout only after you have built a good aerobic base.
To increase speed, you need to increase turnover, so that's what you need to practise. Pick up the pace in the middle of your workout for 30 to 45 seconds, concentrating on building and sustaining a speed that is 80 to 90 per cent of your maximum effort.
Repeat this six to eight times during the middle of your workout, spacing each speed interval with a 60-to 90-second rest.
Agility exercises incorporate fast feet with fast changes in direction.
Do simple carioca drills (cross one foot over the other while moving laterally) to warm up and follow by sprinting five steps forward, five steps to the right, five steps to the left and five steps backward.
Add one or two speed and agility drills to the end of your workout a couple of times a week.
Add strength and power
Building upper-body strength is the key to hitting the ball out of the park, cranking a big drive and smacking a serve down the line.
Head to the hills to build lower body strength, choosing a hill that takes about 30 seconds to climb (on foot or on your bike). Power up the hill and cruise back down. Repeat four to six times.
For upper-body strength, pushups will do the job. But don't just stick with the run-of-themill variety. Try varying the tempo by taking four seconds to descend and two seconds to push back up to the starting position.
Keep head, shoulders, hips and knees in alignment through all phases of the exercise, making sure you don't lead with your hips as you push away from the floor.
Perform strength and power exercises two to three times a week.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Underwear in Brazil to come with health messages

 

Brazilian top model Gisele Bundchen presents underwear Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 12, 2011, during the launching of her own underwear brand, Gisele Bundchen Intimate.

Photograph by: Thiago Teixeira, AFP Photo

Underwear in Brazil will come with health messages about the importance of screening for breast, prostate and cervical cancer under a bill just finalized following 12 years of political debate.
The country's Congress has passed proposals that demand clothing manufacturers include such advice in the packaging of bras, underpants and knickers.
The bill also requires that adult women's underwear should come with advice about the importance of using condoms.
Legislators rejected the idea that the messages should be displayed on clothing labels, deciding that they were too small and that companies could include them on packaging instead.
The plans were first put forward in 1999 by former congressman Barbosa Neto but are only now finally due to go before President Dilma Rousseff for final approval.
Any manufacturers that flout the new rules may be punished with fines, bans on advertising or even suspension of sales.
Women who buy bras will find information advising them to examine their breasts regularly for any changes along with information about screening. Women's underwear will come with a warning about the importance of cervical cancer screening while a similar message about the need for prostate cancer screening in older males will be included with men's underwear.

© Copyright (c) The Daily Telegraph

B.C. premier wins close byelection

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier Christy Clark ended a decades-old government curse Wednesday and overcame her first minor bump in the road as leader of the BC Liberals by winning her predecessor's seat in the Vancouver-Point Grey byelection.
Clark, the favourite, overcame strong criticism from her rivals and last-minute signs that her shoo-in victory wasn't a guarantee to take ex-premier Gordon Campbell's seat over the New Democratic Party's David Eby.
Clark narrowly won with 6,438 votes over Eby's 5,975, according to Elections BC.
The mood in the Clark camp alternated between despair and joy as she and Eby traded the lead throughout the night.
Eby was ahead for most of the evening until the final screen flash showed the unofficial result: Clark by a hair.
Even though Eby was narrowly defeated, his NDP team felt like winners.
Eby said while Clark ignored him for much of the campaign, he knew it was a tight race when her team circulated attack-ad flyers calling him "way too extreme" late last week.
"She started saying I was tearing up the social fabric," Eby said with a grin.
An NDP official said Eby's near win bodes well for the NDP in an upcoming provincial election. The official said NDP strategists gained confidence after Clark refused to debate Eby, instead targeting him with attack ads.
"Those last-minute attacks made us think she was feeling uncomfortable with polling results. We thought it was kind of desperate because the premier doesn't attack people."
The last time the government won a byelection was in 1981 when Claude Richmond won for the then-governing Social Credit Party.
Despite a spirited campaign, Eby, the former executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, wasn't able to overcome the premier's star power and experience, although the results show it was close.
Eby, 34, campaigned on the issues such as transit, health care and education, but it was Clark's refusal to participate in any of the all-candidates debates that gave him his greatest ammunition and best chance at winning.
Clark, a former talk show host who won the Liberal leadership in February after a six-year hiatus from politics, said she was too busy to debate, while hosting her own telephone town hall meetings.
Meanwhile, she made several million-dollar announcements, held her own scripted face-to-face town hall meeting and participated in several staged photo ops including waiting on tables at a local diner.
This led to accusations from her opponents, chiefly Eby, of being arrogant, ignoring the issues and of taking voters for granted, while Clark claimed that her refusal to debate was a non-issue to the electorate.
In the end the riding, which has voted BC Liberal since 1996, chose to be represented by the premier rather than a novice politician.
The last NDP MLA to win the riding was Darlene Marzari, who beat Liberal Barry Burke in the 1991 general election by about 3,000 votes. Campbell won the next four elections, but the results were never a landslide.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Serving up a slice of record-breaking cake

On Tuesday morning, Dairy Queen set a new Guinness World Record by constructing the world's largest ice cream cake in Yonge and Dundas Square. DQ served up free slices for the masses, with suggested donations going to the Children's Miracle Network. The National Post's Jane Switzer went to the construction.

11: 06 Emcee and silver medalwinning Olympic curler Cheryl Bernard kicks things off. She explains the cake's anatomy: 22,000 lbs. of ice cream, sponge cake, icing and Oreo crumbs. The old record, set in Beijing in 2006, weighed in at 17,637 lbs.

11: 12 First slab of ice cream is mounted on the platform to wide-eyed stares from sugarcrazed children.

11: 13 The first of many 40 lb. trays filled with Oreo cookie crumbs comes out to a cheer. It's dumped on top of the cake and spread around.

11: 21 A peek inside the DQ prep tent reveals buckets of icing, Oreo crumbs and sponge cake to fill spaces between the ice cream slabs. How do the cake decorators resist grabbing a lick of icing or handful of Oreos? "You know it's going to melt and you only have a certain amount of time. It's all about speed," says cake decorator Sherry Shabban.

11: 31 The wind shifts and an overwhelming smell of Oreos comes my way. I didn't realize Oreos had a smell until confronted with nearly 300 lbs. of them.

11: 41 Partially completed, the cake weighs in at 17,300 lbs., breaking the old record. The crowd is growing.

11: 48 Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke arrives to support the cause. "That's Brian Burke!" A man tells his young son. The boy seems more interested in the cake.

12: 00 Food safety officials from Toronto Public Health arrive to approve the cake before it can be served. Public health manager Jim Chan will check different parts of the cake with a laser thermometer to make sure the cake is at the required -18C.

12: 14 Final touches going on the cake. The official weight is in: 22,333 lbs. I probably should get in line for a free slice. Will that compromise my journalistic integrity?

12: 20 The first people in line emerge victorious with generous slices of ice cream cake. Jealousy results.

12: 30 Mild chaos ensues as people crowd around the cake to get their piece. The organizers ask people to stop pushing and back away from the frozen behemoth.

12: 40 The cake is relatively unscathed by the sun, but a few casualties slip off the sides and melt on the pavement. Now would be a good time for the Olympic curler to bellow: "HURRY, HURRY HARD."

12: 51 I finally get my coveted piece of cake. I opt for extra Oreo crumble, served up at nearby stations.

1:05 No signs of stopping. The cake will be served until it runs out, or until its internal temperature makes it unsuitable for public consumption (any remains will be refrigerated and donated). Here's a suggestion: Next time, make the ice cream cake in an arena.

© Copyright (c) National Post

Study links lower education to faster ageing

People who leave education with fewer qualifications are prone to age more quickly, scientists said on Wednesday.
Researchers from Britain and the United States examined the length of sections of DNA known as telomeres from around 450 people taking part in a long-term health study and found that people who did less well at school had shorter telomeres, suggesting they may age faster.
Telomeres are sections of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage and the loss of cell functions associated with aging. Shorter telomeres are thought to be an indicator of faster aging.
"The key implication of this study backs up one of the main messages to have come out of long-term studies..that your experiences early in life can have important influences on your health," said Stephen Holgate, of Britain's Medical Research Council, which part-funded the research.
He said that as with all observational research, it was difficult to establish the root causes of these findings, but said the study provided evidence "that being educated to a higher level can benefit you more than in the job market alone."
The study participants were separated into four education groups: those who had no qualifications at all, those who left formal education after exams at around 16 years of age, those who left after exams at around 18 years, and those who earned a degree from a university or other higher education institution.
The research was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity on Wednesday.
The results showed that people with lower educational achievements had shorter telomeres, indicating that they may age faster, and the study also offered strong evidence that this is not affected by people's social and economic status later in life, as was previously thought, the researchers said.
"We already know from previous research that people with poor backgrounds are prone to age more quickly," said Andrew Steptoe, a professor of psychology at the British Heart Foundation which part-funded the study.
"Education is a marker of social class that people acquire early in life, and our research suggests that it is long term exposure to the conditions of lower status that promotes accelerated cellular aging."

© Copyright (c) Reuters

What to do before riding motorcycle

Motorcycle enthusiasts are hitting the roads as the longest and coldest winter in recent memory finds the door. Before turning a wheel on pavement, though, it's a good idea to consider the condition of your motorcycle - the ride - and yourself - the rider.
According to Brad Watson, senior instructor at Calgary Harley-Davidson Motorcycle School and all-around motorcycle enthusiast, "It's worth the time to tune up and check out."
When Watson says "tune up," he is referring to the motorcycle, and "check out" is all about the rider. Here are some of Watson's hints and tips to help a motorcyclist enjoy the first warm days on the open roads.
- Tune up the bike. If you had any problems before parking the machine last fall, now would be the time to rectify the situation, and make sure it's running properly.
"It's no fun to get out on your first ride only to be left at the side of the road -that doesn't make for a good first outing," Watson says.
- Inspect your tires. There's not a lot of tire contact patch between a motorcycle and the road, and ensuring proper inflation is critical.
"Under-inflated tires are the most common issue on a bike," Watson says. "You're not going to get as good traction, and that leads to a lack of control, and there's also the potential for serious tire failure."
Look at the tire side walls and tread for any signs of cracking. This is usually an age-related issue, and indicates that the rubber is hard. Regardless of how much tread is left, a cracked/hard tire does not offer much grip and should be swapped for fresh rubber.
- Perform a "walk-around." Watson suggests ensuring all controls, including clutch, brake and throttle move freely and snap back quickly when released.
- Inspect the battery. Make sure the posts are clean and the terminals are tight, and be sure the battery is fully charged. Watson says a dedicated trickle charger, such as one made by Battery Tender or Yuasa, does a good job of keeping a motorcycle battery in peak operating condition.
- Look in the fuel tank. If the gasoline was not treated with a conditioner or preservative in the fall when the motorcycle was put away, Watson says it's a good idea to "top it up with premium fuel, and go for a long ride to get the old stuff out of the system." Watson no longer advocates draining old gasoline, as there are too many hazards involved, including safe disposal.
- Horn works, try the lights. After getting the motorcycle started, perform an inspection to ensure all bulbs are functioning, including signals, brake and high and low beam. And do ensure the horn honks.
- Inspect your riding gear. With the motorcycle operational, Watson says it's also important to have a look at your protective clothing. Make sure your helmet is in good shape and hasn't been dropped or fallen during its time of storage. If a helmet has been dropped, it's usually a good idea to replace it simply because it's difficult to tell what kind of damage the shell has suffered.
"Also look at your leather jacket, and ensure all of the zippers and snaps are functioning OK," Watson adds. "And, speaking of gear, on the first rides of the season, be prepared for all kinds of weather and make sure you'll be warm enough."
- Check your skills, and your attitude. Obviously, during the winter, riding skills are going to become rusty. Watson suggests heading to a parking lot and refreshing skills, such as slow-speed U-turns, figure eights and swerving and braking techniques.
"Be safe and be aware of what's going on around you," Watson says. "Watch for road hazards, and look a good 12 seconds ahead. There are lots of potholes in the roads, and there's still plenty of gravel down. People shouldn't be pushing really hard, knowing that the corners and shoulders are still dirty.
"Car drivers need to be thinking about being on the road as well, and should be aware that motorcycles are out again."
Watson's final piece of advice is poignant. "Feel the sunshine on your face and enjoy the ride."
What's Next
- May 6: Today is International Female Ride Day -there are no organized activities -the intention, as the poster suggests, is to "Just Ride." Regardless of machine -street bike, dirt bike, moped or scooter -event instigator Vicki Gray says: "The focus here is to shine a spotlight on women who ride, and enhance awareness of female riders -I just want women to ride on that day." Visit www.motoress.com.
- May 13-14: Antique Car Auction at McMahon Stadium North Dome presented by Harold Heninger of Heninger Antique Auctions. Free parking and free admission to the public. Call Harold at 403-860-3244, or visit www.heningerantiqueauctions.ca for more info.
- June 14: Seventh Annual Valley Ridge Car Show in Van Gogh's Grill & Bar parking lot, 11245 Valley Ridge Drive N.W. (just off of the Trans Canada westbound). Starting at 7: 30 p.m., the event is billed as the most diverse car show in Calgary, with all types of cars welcome: exotic, hotrods, American muscle, imports, antique, vintage, classic, pickups, home-builts, customs, European. No entry fee, and cars from outside Valley Ridge are welcome. Cars "For Sale" also welcome. Enjoy Van Gogh's Car Show Pizza Special. For info call Jim Thornton at 403-287-9818.
Have an auto related item to share for the column or What's Next? Contact Greg Williams at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca. Visit his website at gregwilliams.ca.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Blind cruisers get to ‘smell the ocean and feel the wind’

This spring, Patty and Terry Horvath took 46 blind travellers on a Caribbean cruise.
The owners of Best Cruises & Tours in Grand Blanc, Mich., let participants pay $20 a week in installments for months or years to pay for the trip. They subsidized seven volunteers to accompany the group. They arranged special shore excursions on Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Martin. They kept the price as low as they could, pairing up the mostly solo travellers in double rooms.
Their biggest contribution? Serving a completely passed-over market - blind travellers on a budget.
"The blind community," says Patty Horvath, "wants to do the same things on vacation as anyone else."
Terry Horvath knows the challenges of blindness, because he has been visually impaired all his life. One eye doesn’t work, and until surgery last month, he was nearly legally blind in the other. He cannot drive, but he can do most other things with assistance. His idea for the trip came when he went to an American Council for the Blind conference and asked if anyone ever thought about going on a cruise.
"Instead of a response, there was this big silence," Horvath says. "Finally some guy says, ‘Yeah, in my dreams.’" Later, he found out that because 70 percent of blind and visually impaired people in the U.S. are not in the labour force, a cruise is beyond financial reach for most.
Making arrangements with tour operators, they got the best deal they could on a cruise and put the word out. Patty Horvath’s first customer was a woman from Philadelphia.
"She wanted a balcony cabin," she says. "I had to ask, ‘Why do you want to pay the extra for the balcony cabin?’ And she told me, ‘Because I want to sit outside and smell the ocean and feel the wind.’ "
The week-long cruise on Carnival Dream left from Port Canaveral in February. In Nassau, their tour bus driver brought live conch aboard so everyone could feel them. In St. Thomas, locals were so excited about the group that the port authority berthed their ship in the prime first spot to make it easier to disembark.
Most blind cruisers never get off the ship because shore excursions are geared to the seeing world. Although one traveller brought her service dog, others left their dogs at home because of the complexities of paperwork for animals on an international voyage. So the Horvaths made special plans for the group.
"At each stop, we did an island tour, shopping and the beach," Patty Horvath says. "We did all-day things."
On the ship, the passengers shopped and went to the shows. With braille bingo cards, "one of the gals in our group won the bingo jackpot," she says. "One day in the casino, they had a slot machine tournament. We had a whole row of blind people there on the slot machines."
The Horvaths also gave each traveller a T-shirt : "Seaing Our Dream."
Now, the Horvaths are planning a second cruise for visually impaired and blind people. It will be in April 2013 - giving customers a two-year lead time so they can pay in installments.
The last cruise cost about $700 to $1,100 U.S. plus airfare, but the next one might have to cost a little more to cover lodging for more volunteers.
The itinerary likely is the western Caribbean.
The cruise touched the Horvaths’ hearts.
Terry Horvath says a woman thanked him, but told him she’d been terrified to come on the cruise.
"She had never been on an airplane, she’d never seen the ocean, she’d never been on a ship," he says, his voice choking up. "She had never been further than two cities in her state."
For more about the cruise, call 800-533-7915. The Horvaths did not ask, but I’d like to see somebody contribute a few bucks to subsidize the volunteers or help someone who could not otherwise afford the cruise.

© Copyright (c) McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Bluefin tuna endangered, experts say 'Steep decline'; Listing is premature, Canada counters

Canada's top wildlife advisers say the Atlantic bluefin tuna - which has been known to fetch $1,000 per kilogram on sushi markets - is so overfished it should be listed as an endangered species.
But the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is in no hurry to stop the killing of the iconic fish.
"Our Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery is the best managed fishery of its kind in the world today," Frank Stanek, DFO's manager of media relations, said by email when asked if the call for the endangered listing would put an end to the fishery. About 500 tonnes of the bluefin tuna were caught in Canadian waters last year.
"It would be premature to discuss the listing of these species under the Species at Risk Act before formal consultations with Canadians, further analysis of existing scientific information, and possible social and economic impacts are considered," Stanek said.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) announced its bluefin tuna recommendation Monday when it released the grim status of several species that it says need protection under Species at Risk Act.
Alan Sinclair, who cochaired the COSEWIC's bluefin assessment, said overfishing was identified as "the main threat" to bluefin tuna.
"It only makes sense to reduce fishing or to stop fishing altogether in order to reduce and eliminate this threat," he said.
Personally, Sinclair added, "I think Canadians should stop fishing this magnificent fish. It has been exploited for several decades; now it's time to give it every opportunity to recover."
COSEWIC includes experts from provincial, territorial, federal wildlife agencies, as well as aboriginal and public representatives. It met in Charlottetown, P.E.I., last week and its recommendations now go to the federal environment minister for listing consideration under the act.
If the bluefin is listed as endangered, it would put an end to Canada's controversial bluefin tuna fishery.
The bluefin is one of the most highly sought-after fish in the world "with some market prices exceeding $1,000 per kilogram," the committee says.
"Unfortunately, its value has driven the species into a steep decline since the 1970s with recent abundance reaching an all-time low," said CO-SEWIC, noting abundance of spawning fish has declined by 68 per cent over the past 2.5 generations.
Bluefin tuna are fished along the east coast of North America as they migrate to the Maritimes from their spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico.
And spawning tuna were exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the gulf last year.
"While the effects of the spill on the species are currently unknown, it may represent an additional threat," COSEWIC said.
The committee also raised alarm over several other species - from the once-common barn swallow to the eulachon, a small fish that used to be a cultural mainstay of many First Nations people. But the committee did have some good news, saying the humpback whale has made a comeback.
"The population off the Pacific coast is increasing steadily, despite continuing threats including collisions with ships, entanglement with fishing gear and underwater noise," it said.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

May 21 is Judgment Day: Christian group

By Janet Davison, CBC News

Posted: May 11, 2011 5:17 AM ET

Last Updated: May 11, 2011 5:17 AM ET

 

   

banner displayed at the Eaton Centre in Toronto predicts that Judgment Day will occur on May 21, 2011. (Courtesy Brian Cameron/Flickr.com)

End of Supporting Story Content

Beginning of Story Content

If the signs are to be believed, the end of the world starts on Saturday.

About 20,000 billboards have popped up around the globe, including in major Canadian cities, proclaiming May 21 as Judgment Day. "Cry mightily unto GOD for HIS mercy," says one of the mounted signs from Family Radio, a California-based sectarian Christian group that sent one of its four travelling caravans of believers into Vancouver and Calgary in the past week.

Family Radio's website is blunt in its prediction of Judgment Day and the rolling earthquake that will mark the beginning of the end, taking true believers to heaven while others are left to be consumed in the total destruction of Earth by Oct. 21. "The Bible guarantees it!" the site proclaims, under a passage from the book of Ezekiel, which says "blow the trumpet … warn the people."

Comments from CBCNews.ca readers

Faith is a personal thing which is hard to quantify. The issue becomes when they prey on the weak and vulnerable who are willing to believe anything for acceptance. But most will see through this. My prediction for May 21st? A cold beer for the long weekend and higher gas prices. I bet my prediction is more accurate. — Hammerthumb
I would rather believe as do most Christians that no man knows the hour or day according to the Bible. Only God knows. The Bible warns against setting dates and encourages everyone to be prepared at all times. — maxwell55
Any god who would end the world during the best chance the Canucks have at the Stanley Cup is neither loving, nor benevolent, nor good. — Andrew of Richmond
Religion can be a very powerful psychological addiction that can cause serious consequences, including this possible case of group psychosis. How much illogical thinking, needless conflicts and human rights abuses have been caused by religion? Perhaps the week following May 21st should be set aside to seriously question religion. — Agnostic 101

Richard Ascough, a professor in the School of Religion at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., has been watching Family Radio's campaign, and fully expects life as we know it to continue on Sunday.

He has seen other apocalyptic predictions come and go, but Family Radio's differs in a notable way: it isn't accompanied by a bold, up-front request for money. And that's worrisome, in his mind.

"I think they really believe it's going to happen," Ascough said in an interview earlier this month.

What if Judgment Day doesn't come?

When groups such as this ask for a lot of money up front, it's possible to think they're "charlatans," Ascough said.

"When they're not doing that so blatantly, it worries me more, because I think they really do believe it and they can convince people who may end up in fact doing things like … quitting their jobs, selling their house, not necessarily to give the money to this group, but simply to divest themselves in light of Judgment Day."

And then that predicted Judgment Day doesn't come.

"We've seen that happen in groups before, and then people are just wiped out, not just emotionally because it didn't happen, but financially," said Ascough. "Some people, it's led to them taking their own lives when they realize what they have done."

Family Radio identifies itself on its website as a "non-profit, non-commercial, Christian radio network" set up in 1958 with one FM station in the San Francisco Bay area. From that station bought by Harold Camping and two others "with the sole intent of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ," it has grown to a network of 66 stations through the U.S. It also broadcasts its programming internationally.

Some published estimates have put its net worth at $120 million or more.

"To have that kind of revenue base, if that's correct, suggests there must be quite a few listeners," said Ascough.

The Family Radio website says president Harold Camping came up with the Judgment Day prediction based on 'evidence found in the Bible.' The Independent

He said it is "hard to get a read" on the sectarian Christian group.

"Their theology is fundamentalist and yet still generally within the bounds of Christianity, until one gets to this date-setting business."

'Evidence found in the Bible'

On its website, Family Radio says May 21 as Judgment Day is "derived solely from evidence found in the Bible."

"Mr. Camping saw God had placed, in scripture, many important signs and proofs. These proofs alert believers that May 21st of 2011 is the date Christ will return for His people and begin a period of the final destruction of the world." All will be over on Oct. 21, "when God will completely destroy this earth and its surviving inhabitants," the website says.

Doomsday predictions

End-of-the-world predictions — or suggestions of other calamities — have been made for centuries. Here's a look at some of them:
Dec. 21, 2012. The Mayan calendar is widely misinterpreted as ending on that date. Many have predicted that cataclysmic events will take place.
Jan. 1, 2000. Otherwise known as Y2K, it was a widespread prediction that computers wouldn't be able to handle the arrival of 01/01/2000. They did.
Aug. 18, 1999. Charles Criswell King, an American psychic, said the world would end that day. His other predictions ranged from Denver being struck by a ray from space to saying in March 1963 that something would happen to U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 that would mean he wouldn't run for re-election in 1964.
1914: Based on the Bible's book of Daniel, the Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) estimated the beginning of the war of Armageddon. It was one of several similar predictions.
Oct. 22, 1844. Followers of American Baptist preacher William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, considered it the Great Disappointment when the second coming of Jesus, which he had predicted, did not occur on that date.

This isn't the first time Camping has predicted the end of the world. He also targeted 1994 as a probable time, but on the website, Family Radio says, "important subsequent Biblical information was not yet known."

Ascough said he thinks Camping's way of reading scripture is "irresponsible."

"It's not the way these Biblical texts were meant to be read, even by their original writers."

And even if they were, scholars can find mistakes in the mathematics and historical assumptions put forward in the Judgment Day predictions, he said. "It's all very slippery."

Ascough hasn't seen such visible activities like billboards from Family Radio in Canada before. He credits technology with allowing the group to reach more broadly into Canada and worldwide.

"They're savvy enough to have figured out how to market themselves well."

Cultural fascination

Family Radio is hardly the first group to predict the end. Movies, literature and television have told tales of a coming apocalypse, in many forms.

"Once it gets mocked on The Simpsons, you know it's taken hold," said Ascough.

The most recent prediction is also being mocked in the comic strip Doonesbury and has inspired "Rapture parties" across the U.S. to celebrate what talk-show hosts expect will be the failure of the world to come to an end.

In Vietnam, the prophecy has led to unrest involving thousands of members of the Hmong ethnic minority, who gathered near the border with Laos earlier this month to await Saturday's event. The government, which has a long history of mistrust with ethnic hill tribe groups like the Hmong, arrested an unidentified number of "extremists" and dispersed a crowd of about 5,000.

Ascough sees both a cultural fascination with end-of-the-world scenarios and a fascination with the Bible behind the appeal that religious groups such as Family Radio can hold for followers.

"Quite a few people are attracted to fundamentalist groups of all stripes because many people don't like to live with ambiguity."

While Ascough predicts the world will survive any suggestions of the beginning of its demise on Saturday, he fully expects such ideas will be revived from time to time.

"Almost every generation has this kind of group, so I don't think they're going to go away."

5 Libyan diplomats expelled from Canada

 

 

A Libyan rebel mans a heavy machine gun at a checkpoint the outskirts of eastern rebel-held city of Ajdabiya on May 17, 2011.

Photograph by: Saeed Khan, AFP/Getty Images

The Canadian government has expelled five diplomats working at the Libyan Embassy in Ottawa, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday.
"The activities carried out in Canada by the five Libyan diplomats are considered inappropriate and inconsistent with normal diplomatic functions," said a release from the department.
The release does not offer any details of the "inappropriate and inconsistent" activity in question.
Lisa Monette, a spokeswoman with Foreign Affairs, said in an email that she could not comment on state-to-state communications.
"I am therefore not in a position to provide further information as to these activities," she said.
The statement goes on to say that Canada has not severed diplomatic relations with Libya, but operations at the Canadian Embassy in Tripoli have been suspended.
The Libyan Embassy in Ottawa remains open.
The government said the five diplomats and their families must now arrange to leave Canada immediately.
Arjun Chowdhury, a political-science professor at the University of British Columbia, called the wording of the statement vague but added that diplomats are generally sent home for espionage.
"Normally when diplomats are expelled, it's for spying," he said. "That's usually what happens under diplomatic procedure."
At the end of March, the CBC reported that some Libyan students in Canada who had spoken out against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's regime had received threatening phone calls that they believed came from diplomatic staff.
Last week, pro- and anti-Gadhafi demonstrators squared off in downtown Ottawa roughly two blocks from Parliament Hill.
The anti-Gadhafi side outnumbered the pro-Gadhafi, anti-NATO side of fewer than 20 people by about three to one.
Men, women and children chanted songs and carried Libyan rebel flags and posters calling Gadhafi a war criminal. The larger group drowned out the chants from the pro-Gadhafi side, which carried the green flags that have symbolized Libya in the Gadhafi era and two large pictures of the leader himself.
Police did their best to keep both sides apart, but one RCMP officer was hurt during a skirmish when the demonstration first got under way.
Canada is not the only country to have expelled Libyan diplomats since the beginning of Gadhafi's brutal crackdown on rebels.
Earlier this month, France sent 14 Libyan diplomats home, while Britain declared two diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country.
The French foreign ministry said it no longer recognized the staffers' diplomatic status, accusing them of "activities incompatible with the relevant UN resolutions . . . and contrary to the protection of Libyan civilians."
An unnamed French diplomat said the decision to expel them was taken some time ago, but "there was a process to follow."
"Many of these people were using their status as diplomats as a cover," the diplomat said.
The British government said only that the behaviour of the diplomats had become "unacceptable."
Canada, along with Britain and France, is part of a NATO-led mission to protect civilians and support rebel forces in their bid to oust Gadhafi.
With a file from Reuters

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Breastfeeding linked to better behaviour

LONDON — Babies who are breastfed for several months develop fewer behavioural problems in early childhood than those who are bottle-fed, researchers have said.
The British study which involved around 10,000 mothers and their babies found that breastfeeding for at least four months lowered the risk of behavioural problems in children aged five by one third.
Researchers say the findings, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, add to a wealth of existing evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding.
Children raised on bottled milk formula tended to show more signs of anxiety, hyperactivity or lying and stealing, researchers found.
"We?re not necessarily talking about tearaway, unmanageable five-year-old kids," said Maria Quigley from Oxford University, who led the research.
"It might be unusual anxiousness, restlessness, inability to socialise with other children or play fully in groups."
Scientists said the results could be explained either by the fatty acids in breast milk which aid brain development or the bonding between mother and child, which may affect learned behaviour.
Researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Essex, York and University College London analysed data from a survey of 10,037 infants born in the UK between 2000 and 2001, who took part in the the wider Millennium Cohort Study.
Mothers were asked to assess the behaviour of their children by the age of five, giving scores for different behaviours, such as clinginess and restlessness.
Raw figures showed that only six percent of breastfed children were given abnormal scores indicating behavioural problems, compared with 16 percent of formula-fed children.
However, mothers who breastfed tend to be older, better educated and from a higher socio-economic background than those who don't, the study said.
Researchers therefore adjusted the figures to take those factors into account, concluding that there was a 30 percent greater risk of behavioural problems among formula-fed children.
"Our results provide even more evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding," Quigley added.
"Mothers who want to breastfeed should be given all the support they need."
Janet Fyle, from the Royal College of Midwives, agreed that the study backed evidence that breastfeeding is best for babies but warned against victimising women who choose not to.
"We need to be careful to keep a balance when interpreting the results, so that we do not send a negative message to mothers that they have failed or make them feel guilty because they bottle-fed their babies," she said.

© Copyright (c) AFP