NHL Players Continue to Score Off Ice

Kellie Pickler of American Idol fame (I don't know her) is dating Nashville Predators hockey player Jordin Tootoo. She's a little goofy and is quoted in US magazine saying “I am this country bumpkin and he’s an Eskimo. I’m going to build an igloo!”



Well not as unfair as Sean Avery dating Elisha Cuthbert.

Nothing like a Beauty Pageant Controversy

Who cares about the Middle East, nuclear arms proliferation and global warming. We have another beauty pageant controversy. First there was Tara Conners, Miss America, then Katie Rees, Miss Nevada, and Amy Polumbo, Miss New Jersey, oh yes Ingrid Marie Rivera, Miss Peurto Rico , and of course Alizee Poulicek, Miss Belgium.

Now its Miss France who happened to have taken a few semi-racy photos. Miss France 2008 will keep her crown, despite these terrible photos that appeared recently in a gossip magazine, but will not compete in the Miss World or Miss Universe pageants. Valerie Begue, 22, will not be stripped of the title she won Dec. 8, but will not be allowed to take part in upcoming international competitions, Miss France organizers said Friday.

Never pull down in your pants in public

Even if a nude woman asks to see it. She could be a cop.

Man Blows a Record .69

Meet Willard Ashley III. Just when we thought Cloyd Dull's blood alcohol record was safe, the 32-year-old Indiana man blew an amazing .69 Saturday, according to this LaPorte County Sheriff's report. Ashley, pictured at right following a prior arrest, was taken to a nearby hospital and will be charged with public intoxication upon his release. In Indiana, a blood alcohol measurement of .08 is considered legally intoxicated.

Not sure how he is still alive let alone conscious. What's he doing for New Years?

From The Smoking Gun

How Bugs are Spread

source

Drunk Woman with Stolen Car Asks Cop for Directions

Police arrested a Massachusetts woman they said stole a taxi and crashed into an SUV. Rhoda Ngarambe, 23, stole the cab in Chelsea. Apparently, she didn't know where she was going because she stopped and asked a police officer for directions. Then Ngarambe took off on Route 16. According to police, she ran through stop signs, traffic lights and swerved through traffic.
Police caught up with her after she crashed into an SUV in Revere.

Alcohol was found in the vehicle and she was drunk, said authorities. Ngarambe was due in court on Thursday, but did not show. The state has issued a non-bailable warrant for her arrest.

I don't know about you but if I had stolen a car, I doubt I would have the nerve to stop and ask a policeman for direction with alcohol on my breath. I'm thinking the cop will get ragged at his station for quite a while.

If You're Chelsea, Genetics Sucks

Ontario Driving Instructors are Bad Drivers

The Ontario government has quickly responded to the Auditor General report that found teens who complete government approved Driver Education programs get in more accidents.

The government is cracking down on instructors with poor driving records and tightening controls on schools teaching new drivers. It seems that the percentage of bad drivers among instructors is higher than all Ontario drivers. The government has also begun auditing driving schools and removed certification from 22 schools.

My Reflections on the Bhutto Assassination

The execution-style assassination speaks to a pretty clear plot, and the suspects are fairly likely: the military.

Finally, Bush has pushed an "ally" to the brink. Pakistanis are not particularly endeared to Pervez Musharraf, who was seen as caving into Bush's imperial hubris. The return of Bhutto, supported by the United States, put Musharraf in a bind and left him not a lot of wriggle room. It was clear the US wanted him defanged.

To be clear, he was never a staunch ally of US policy, just US money. The link between Pakistan's covert intelligence service, the ISI, and the terrorists who attacked the United States are pretty clear, and I would argue that Musharraf had at least condoned that funding.

While the West has been hunting terrorists in southern Afghanistan, Musharraf has been cutting asylum deals with tribes in northern Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan, that precluded searches in those regions for Al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Indeed, it almost seems he has stood four-square against our interests. While we've been working hard to prop up the Karzai government in Afghanistan, he's been engaged in cross-border bickering over the tribal regions. He has power, and he intends to keep it, and it's looking more and more by any means necessary.

Earlier today, a rally for another more moderate former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, was disrupted by bombs that killed 4 people. And now this. And all this comes on the heels of a deliberate and planned program to disrupt large political rallies, such as the one on October 18, when 136 people died and nearly 400 were injured, as Bhutto's triumphant return was marred by a suicide bomber. This is a dangerous man with a nuclear bomb who's nation has a history of supporting terrorists that have attacked America.

Celebrity DUI of the Week

Mischa Barton was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI, possession of narcotics and driving on a suspended license.

This is like deja vu. Do these people not read the news? The Hollywood police must still outside the clubs pulling these celebrities over.

My Favourite Quotes for 2007

"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"That's some nappy-headed hos there." -- Don Imus

"I don't recall." -- Alberto Gonzales

"There's only three things he (Rudy Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11." -- Joseph Biden

"(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom." -- Larry Craig

Fans Say Keep Baseball Cheats Out of the Hall

My poll on whether to allow baseball players who used drugs into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was an overwhelming - NO. 84% of respondents thought they should be kept out. I've noticed that some reporters who get to vote agree. That means that some players will be at riskin the coming years. Hard to say what will happen to the big stars. Mark McGwire hasn't got in yet so you wonder what will happen when Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are eligible.

I still think that fans are fickle. While baseball is going through one of its worst scandals, attendance is at record levels. Performance enhancing drugs has been good for the game. More records are being broken which fills the seats. The fans become indignant when they find out how the records are being broken but they keep coming out.

You see some athletes who recover from injuries so quickly but no one questions how it is possible. Wouldn't you think they might be primary candidates for drug testing? But coaches, managers, league officials and fans are just happy to see marquee players return early. Why rock the boat?

Violence Takes the Life of Another Reformer

On days like today I appreciate my good fortune to be living in a wonderful tolerant country like Canada. Because today extremists in Pakistan took the life of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack. Her death throws the campaign for the critical Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos and stoked fears of mass protests and violence across the nuclear-armed nation.

Here is Canada political battles are only fought through the ballot box and not in the streets. Minority views are tolerated and at times pandered to. Very few can claim they are disenfranchised. We're not perfect but like all other Canadians I feel protected from physical violence, loss of property, and from expressing my views.

All I can say is that Bhutto was a very brave woman. She knew that she might end up dead but she continued to push ahead. We all need to reflect on the pain that the Pakistani people must be going through and what lies ahead for them.

Killers Don't Take Christmas Off

It was the night before Christmas Eve and there wasn't much goodwill towards 29-year-old Karim Rashid Ata-Ayi. He was gunned down at a playground on Blevins Place in the River and Shuter area. Four or five people were seen running from the scene, and at least as many were taken into custody for questioning. But all were released the next day. There haven't been any arrests yet and the motive for the killing isn't known. Murder number 82 for 2007.

Police are called to the Beacon Hill Towers complex at 2737 Kipling Ave. near Steeles after a report of a domestic dispute. They find a grim and bloody scene, with two young people dead. A third person suffering stab wounds is also discovered near the scene. The latest murders come on Boxing Day, just 24 hours after Christmas and only six days away from the start of a New Year. Victims 83 and 84. Nana Yaw, the 27-year-old common-law spouse of one of the victims, is charged with two counts of second degree murder, one count of attempt murder and one count of forcible confinement.

Toronto saw a record 89 homicides in 1991 during the peak of the crack-cocaine use.

Presidential Election Fatigue

I just don't know how Americans tolerate the endless presidential campaigns. There are 11 months still to go and it feels like the campaigns has been in gear for at least a year (in some case they have been). It's been suggested to me that its already too late to jump into the race which seems to be absurd.

And there is nothing to talk about for months on end. You can only talk so much about the issues and few candidates like to discuss them in much details. And there really isn't too much difference in position between candidates other than a couple of key wedge issues like abortion. For example, the consensus among candidates appears to be to get out of Iraq as soon as possible but no one really knows how to do it.

So what are they talking about all for months on end? Mostly about the other candidates. Lately all you hear is how the other guys (or gal) is unsuitable. They trash each other constantly until they go over the line and have to apologize. No wonder so many Americans have stopped voting. I like the Canadian system where campaigns last 6 weeks. That's more than enough for me.

Is it just me but does every candidate looked flawed or is it that just a by-product of the endless campaign? Even the "fresh new faces" are beginning to look stale. After 18 months there is nothing new to say.

Oh, and as a liberal Canadian weenie (as I'm described by some Americans) I'm hoping Al Gore jumps into the race in 2008.

Madison Square Gardens Settles 2nd Sex Suit

Madison Square Garden is off thin ice after agreeing to settle a sexual-harassment lawsuit by a former captain of the Ranger City Skaters cheerleaders. Courtney Prince, 29, dropped her suit depicting MSG as a hotbed of sexual discrimination in exchange for a confidential sum, ending a three-year legal battle.

Prince claims she was subjected to constant come-ons, including an incident in a Greenwich Village bar where a Ranger executive allegedly tried to force himself on her and pressured her to join a 3some with a newspaper reporter. She also accused Garden officials of quizzing her about the sex lives of other on-ice cheerleaders and ordering her to arrange meetings with the skaters in bars.

It was resolved with no admission of wrongdoing on the part of either party. The deal came just two weeks after fired Knick executive Anucha Browne Sanders completed an $11.5 million settlement in her case against coach Isiah Thomas and Garden Chairman James Dolan.

As I had posted earlier MSG officials have claimed she was fired because she was obssessed with sex which was upseting her co-workers. Garden attorney Melissa Rodriguez said Prince's behavior "is not surprising as she suffered from bipolar disorder, a classic symptom of which is hypersexuality".

Jet Fuel Coffee Shop

My favourite cafe in downtown Toronto is Jet Fuel Coffee Shop. It's located at 519 Parliament Street and frequented by Cabbagetown residents, local celebrities, the Toronto bike courier crowd and anyone who hates the corporate coffee chains. There are so few independents around these days.

If you can’t order your coffee in two words or less, Jet Fuel isn’t the place for you. There are no mochachinos or frappuchinos, no gingerbread lattes, and no smoothies. Jet Fuel has no menu posted and most people order lattes. They are incredibly good and reasonable compared to the chains. If you get there early enough then you can also purchase muffins to go with the coffee but they are nothing special and sell out early. This place just sells coffee.

Jet Fuel has an interesting history. It opened at its current location in 1992. However, Jet Fuel started life in the late eighties as a sandwich truck, servicing the film industry. It was the film crews that named Johnny-Jet Fuel-Englar. Englar’s first coffee bar location was a 200 square-foot coffee bar within a bike store.

There remains a strong connection between coffee and cycling. Engler and his friends starting a cycling team back then. Over the next six years, the Jet Fuel cycling team would develop, and become pro. It still exists today and racing gear is available in the coffee shop.

Revenge of the Animal Kingdom

A visitor at the San Francisco Zoo was killed and two people were injured by a tiger that escaped from its cage on Christmas Day.

A pack of pit bulls surrounded a woman and mauled her to death in Barstow, California.

Vietnam's Health Ministry has confirmed that bird flu virus killed a four-year-old child in the country's north, the first human case in nearly five months.

Maybe we are screwing around too much with species?

Announcer Appears to Enjoy Hockey Fights

I'm not a lover of hockey fights. I believe they should be banned from the sport but the hockey establishment thinks otherwise. I only post this fight because the announcer is such an ass that you can only laugh.

Canada's Spengler Cup team has strong Maple Leaf contingent

The Canada's Spengler Cup team is traditionally made up of Canadian players in Europe with a sprinkling of NHL propects. There is normally few names that are well known in Canada although some former NHLers join the team.
This year Toronto Maple Leaf fans will recognize a few names including Curtis Joseph and Doug Gilmour. Joseph is a recent addition after the goalies original picked to play came down with injuries. Gilmour is not playing but is an Assistant Coach.

Other former Leafs are Travis Green, Yannick Tremblay, and Ric Jackman.

The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
Posted by Coach Willie at

War on Hanukkah

Why isn't anyone reporting on the War on Hanukkah (or Hannukah or Chanukkah - I never really was sure how to spell it). Recently, I went to see my town's Hannukah Bush and was outraged that they were calling it a "Holiday Tree." It's not a "Holiday Tree" it's a "Hanukah Bush" (or Chanukah Bush - not sure which) Unfortunately, the forces of political correctness and inclusion are bending over backwards not to offend Gentiles. This country was founded on the values of the Torah and its sequel. Then I was shocked to see pictures of President Bush lighting a Menorah on December 6! Hanukkah doesn't begin until December 25. Didn't anyone in the White House know this? Why didn't he light it on the proper day? What is he doing on December 25 that is so important he couldn't take time to light the Menorah on the proper day? Is he taking the day off on December 25 or something? I think we are owed an explanation.

Reprinted from a couple of years ago by Jon Swift.

Time to Return Some of Those Gifts

Patriot's Perfect Season

The Giants are the last thing between the Patriots and a perfect season. Here in Canada we will have no problem catching the Patriot-Giant game because it will likely be carried by TSN which is the Canadian version of ESPN. But in the US, things appear to be dicey for many fans.

This is one of the NFL Network's games, which millions can't watch because of the ongoing fight between the NFL and cable. From what I've read, the cable operators have rejected a request to submit their differences to an arbitrator. Now, Senator Kerry has written a letter to the NFL asking the league to move the game to NBC. Problem is, the NFL is still hoping the cable carriers will give in. Basically, the big business version of a game of chicken.

UPDATE: The NFL has just announced that the NFL Network feed will be simulcast on NBC and CBS. It's a major concession by league officials.

Bad Ad Placement

Pointed out on the Torontoist this morning an extremely unfortunate ad placement on the Star's online article about an eight-year-old girl who drowned after being trapped inside her mother's car when it slid into a river: a Flash ad for Expedia asking if the reader is "feeling trapped this winter?" Whoops.

One Hit Wonder

Norman Greenbaum (1969)

Christmas Spirit Does in Wallet Thief

Police in Lewiston, Idaho were trying to find a man who had taken a woman's wallet after she left it behind in a convenience store. All they had to go on was surveillance footage of the man. I guess Lewiston must be a small town because this story ran on the front page of the newspaper.

Right above that story (and the picture from the surveillance video) was a picture of a man painting Christmas decorations on a storefront. The caption identified him as Michael Millhouse.

And the picture looked a lot like the one of the guy who stole the wallet a little further down the front page. The newspaper worker who noticed it called the police, who went to visit Michael Millhouse, who confessed to stealing the wallet.

Mystery solved.

Too Much Rum in the Eggnog

The most expensive Starbucks drink

Billy wanted to maximize the value of his coupon for one free drink at Starbucks. But which tongue-twisting truffle-invoking concoction to request? Billy decided on a Venti Soy Hazelnut Vanilla Cinnamon White Mocha with extra White Mocha and caramel—plus 13 espresso shots. How did the $13.76 potion taste?

After she rang up the amount, I then presented her the coupon (which I didn't reveal beforehand). She laughed, completed the entire drink, and I left.

At first taste, it tasted just like a shot. The 13 shots in it were just too strong. However, when I got home, I mixed it more with a spoon and it became drinkable (even enjoyable to my girlfriend). It was very sweet and I'm still shaking a bit. I didn't attempt to drink the entire thing since I'd like to sleep tonight....

Source

Funeral Home Busted for Remains Fraud

The former owner of a funeral home in Princeton, British Columbia, has been charged with fraud for handing out random urns of ashes to his customers. The funeral home had been shut down in 2005 for operating without a license, but since it's rather difficult to spot the "wrong" ashes by sight, the problem wasn't discovered until another funeral home began to sort through the leftover inventory and found over 50 urns that had been labeled unclaimed.

The families discovered the problem when contacted by another funeral home that had received 56 urns of cremated human remains from the Princeton-Similkameen Funeral Services after it shut down in 2005 for operating without a license.

The urns were labeled as being unclaimed by the families who had paid for cremations and thought they already had the ashes. Police spent 19 months investigating the case and determining which remains went to which family.

Rogers Clemens Sets the Record Straight

...and with a straight face too!

Merry Christmas for my Christian friends and acquaintances

...it's sometimes better to be naughty than nice.

Woman Stays At Wal-Mart For Three Days

A Wal-Mart shopper overstayed her welcome at the 24-hour store in Lilburn, Georgia. Police escorted the shopper home after she stayed there for three days eating and sleeping inside the store. Gee, I can't stand being in one of their stores for even 3 minutes. Story here.

It's a slow news day...

...when the front page news includes...

Tony Blair goes Catholic.

Satan and the Sign of the Beast

AOL Fanhouse notes that Miroslav Satan (pronounced saw-tan) of the NY Islanders scored the 10th goal of the regular season which was also the 666th point of his NHL career. And 666, as anyone who has watched The Omen, The Exorcist or The Ninth Gate, or is simply up on their Bible study can tell you, that's the famed "Mark of the Beast" that represents the Anti-Christ.

Maybe he should be playing for the New Jersey Devils.

Blonde Ambition is One Huge Bomb

At first I thought this report was fake because how could a movie do so poorly. /FILM reports that Jessica Simpson’s new movie Blonde Ambition was released on 8 screens this weekend in Jessica’s home state of Texas. Blonde Ambition averaged $48 per screen on Friday for a total box office of $384. Based on an $8 ticket price, that means that 6 people paid to see the movie at each of those theatres, and only 48 people went to see the movie!

It's coming out on DVD on January 22, 2008. You would think that more than 48 people would at least accidently buy tickets to the movie. This is a career going no where. Jessica, you better hang on to Tony Romo real tight.

Below is the trailer to the movie.

UPDATE: Jessica Simpson may also have set a record at the box office. Her latest film, Blonde Ambition took in just $1,190 over the weekend. That's an average of less than $50 per theater per day, meaning about six people showed up to see it in each location each day. On his TV Guide Online blog, film critic Ken Fox asked, "Doesn't someone like Jessica Simpson have more than 48 friends? What about that big Texas family of hers? ... Just how bad is this thing anyway?" Source