Blog Posts by Jordan Chittley

A number of studies have linked soft drinks, including diet ones, to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, increased cancer risk and obesity. Last month a woman even died after drinking eight litres of Coke every day.

All of these negative reports may be contributing to about a 30 per cent drop in the sales of soft drinks in Canada, but producers are taking steps to prevent this from cutting into profits.

Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other rivals jointly took out an ad in the New York Times last week to promote their calorie-cutting efforts. And Canadian divisions are following suit with packaging that clearly shows the calorie count in a can or bottle.

This comes a day after the British Medical Journal published a study showing that adding a high tax on unhealthy food and drinks may slow rising obesity rates. United Nations' special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter also called for a tax on soft drinks in Ottawa on Wednesday.

But the soda industry in Canada is saying they are

The transgendered beauty queen from Vancouver takes to the pageant stage in Toronto

Jenna Talackova did not win the crown, making it to the penultimate Miss Universe Canada pageant round before losing on Saturday. But Talackova made history as she walked the stage in her evening gown and swimsuit.

She became the first transgender female to compete for the title after pageant owner Donald Trump announced Talackova would be able to compete despite the rules. She then became one of four contestants named Miss Congeniality.

The 24-year-old graced the stage in a tight-fitting white backless gown and then a tiny bikini. Standing 6'1, she easily towered over the other 61 competitors, according to a CTV article.

Photos: Talackova walks stage in different outfits and bikini

While her competing is seen as a success for the transgender community, not everyone is happy with her being there.

"I think it's good there's attention brought to it but I think it might be outweighing and overshadowing the

Canadian offices, university adding slidesCorus Entertainment and Grip Limited both have one and UBC will be getting two in their new student union building

Students at the University of British Columbia may be sliding between floors of their new student union building in a couple years, but employees at two Toronto companies are already enjoying the thrill.

Corus installed a three-storey slide inside their new headquarters on Queen's Quay and advertising agency Grip Limited also gives their employees an alternative to the elevator or stairs.

"When I first heard about it, I immediately thought of recess in elementary school," said Jamie Galloro about the Corus slide to Maclean's On Campus. She watches cartoons for a living, witch is called quality control and says she takes the slide most days. "The novelty has not worn off."

Chief technology officer Scott Dyer oversaw the design of the headquarters and said the building has improved employee satisfaction. He told Maclean's he has a lot of people now asking if they are

The Toronto band entertained passengers while stuck on the tarmac at Pearson International

When planes are delayed on the tarmac people usually groan and grab a book, but a group of people had an entirely different idea when they were stuck on a plane at Pearson.

The members of the Lemon Bucket Orkestra grabbed their instruments and started playing in the aisles. And the passengers seemed to really dig it as they started smiling and clapping along.

"Our plane got delayed 20 minutes so we got out the instruments," reads the YouTube page.

The band, which describes itself as "Toronto's only Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band" on a Facebook page, delighted passengers with a four-song set while delayed at the Toronto airport on a flight to Europe.

They were heading to Romania for their Balkan Station 2012 Tour and will be playing the International Romani Art Festival.

We're not sure how the instruments, especially the trombone and saxophone, had made it into the cabin, but wouldn't

Bill Wisth is picketing Chuck's Place for not letting him eat as much fish as he could

A U.S. man is protesting a restaurant because the so-called all-you-can-eat special didn't allow him to truly eat all that he could.

Bill Wisth went to Chuck's Place in Thiensville, Wisconsin for their all-you-can-eat fish fry Friday night special, but the restaurant wouldn't serve him more than 12 pieces of fish.

"It's false advertising," he said to TODAY's TMJ4 in Milwaukee. "We asked for more fish and they refused to give us any more fish."

According to a NewsCore article, the restaurant managers dispute Wisth's claims and say they gave him eight more pieces, but then asked him to leave. They also argue they were running low on fish for other customers and described Wisth as a problem customer who has an outstanding tab with the restaurant.

Upset by the move, Wisth, who weighs about 160kg (350 pounds), called the police to complain and then a couple days later showed up at the restaurant with a

The company had 3.5 pounds of weapons-grade uranium in Rochester for more than 30 years

Just across Lake Ontario in Rochester, N.Y., Kodak had kept a small nuclear reactor and weapons-grade uranium for more than 30 years in a basement research facility.

The Democrat and Chronicle, a newspaper in Rochester, reports the company had 3.5 pounds of enriched uranium, but it carried no risk of explosion and never leaked.

"It's such an odd situation because private companies just don't have this material," said Miles Pomper, a senior research associate at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington, to the Democrat and Chronicle.

The paper learned of the device when an employee just happened to mention it to a reporter.

"It was a known entity, but it was not well-publicized," said Albert Filo, a former Kodak research scientist who worked with the device, to the paper.

Kodak originally got the device, which they closed down six years ago, to see if subatomic particles could be used to

We have many ideas for activities the Prince could try if he is looking to be more like a Torontonian

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will be in Toronto for a couple of days near the end of May as part of their Canadian tour. While here, the prince will get a chance to do something many Torontonians dread doing every morning.

He's going to get on the TTC.

While in Toronto, the royals will see Victoria Day fireworks at Asbridges Bay (from a boat), visit the Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes' Village, go to the Distillery District and he'll visit the Yonge Street Mission.

After the reception at the Distillery District, he and his wife will separate as the Prince visits the Yonge Street Mission to meet with CEOs and youth who have been involved with the drug and sex trades. Charles will then ride the rocket to the UforChange centre on Parliament Street to see youth development workshops.

If you are wondering what route he'll take, there isn't actually a route that goes

Marc Joseph Cadieux was dressed like a cop when he couldn't steal the ATM because it was bolted to the ground

A B.C. man was arrested and now faces charges after allegedly attempting to commit a crime while wearing a police uniform in broad daylight.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Chilliwack RCMP say two men, one dressed like a cop, entered a convenience store at a Shell station and tried to remove an ATM. However, they realized they couldn't move it because it was bolted to the floor. With no way of taking the machine, they exited the store and told the clerk they would return.

Real police were notified of the men and their vehicle, which officers later stopped. Both men were arrested, although only one of them was sought in connection with the ATM incident.

While no money went missing, police are investigating how the suspect got a hold of the police uniform. However, they couldn't speak to the authenticity of the uniform.

While trying to commit a crime in the middle of the day in a