Larry Hagman: 1931 - 2012

Sadly Larry Hagman, who played the conniving and mischievous J.R. Ewing on the TV show Dallas, has passed away.

He was 81.

The role of J.R. transformed Mr. Hagman’s life. He rocketed from being a merely well-known TV actor on I Dream of Jeannie to the kind of international star.

Who can forget the summer of 1980, when the entire planet was asking “Who shot J.R.?” The ultimate TV cliffhanger aired on March 21, 1980, when an unseen assailant shot J.R. Ewing twice.

Woman tried to kill boyfriend with DD breasts

A woman is accused of trying to kill her boyfriend by suffocating him with her 38-inch double-D breasts. Franziska Hansen, 33, is reportedly charged with “attempted murder with a weapon” after her lawyer boyfriend claimed she tried to smother him while pretending it was a sex game. Nine-stone Franziska, from Germany, denies the allegations, saying it was a sex game and he knew what it was about.

But boyfriend Tim Schmidt claims she admitted trying to kill him on the phone, saying she smothered him because she “wanted to make your death as pleasurable as possible”. He told a court in Germany that the couple had been having sex in May this year when Ms Hansen suddenly grabbed his head and pushed it between her breasts with all her force.

He is quoted as saying: “I couldn't breathe any more, I must have turned blue. I couldn't tear myself free and I thought I was going to die.” Mr Schmidt, who weighs 13 stone, claims he managed to wriggle free and fled naked to a neighbour, who raised the alarm. He told the court that the couple’s four-year relationship had been strained after they moved to the town of Unna, where his career as a lawyer took off and she struggled to hold a job.

Mr Schmidt said his girlfriend tried to kill him after she discovered he was planning to leave her. He reportedly told the court: “It is clear she wanted to kill me. She even admitted it to me on the telephone. I asked her why she wanted to smother me to death with her breasts and she told me: ‘Treasure – I wanted your death to be as pleasurable as possible.’”

Okay you couldn't possibly suffocate a grown man on DD breasts. Sure a baby or small child but not a grown up.  You would need at least G breasts to smother an adult. So an attempt to kill me with DD breasts  is about the same as trying to stab me with a plastic knife.  You could earn a battery charge but not attempted murder. 

source

Video of the week

Nothing like crazed American shoppers on Black Friday losing all sense of civility as the shove people aside and rip merchandise out of peoples hands to save a few dollars.  For the top 1% they have Wall Street to plunder.  For the rest it's Walmart on Black Friday.

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Sign of the day

Bizarre week in the Middle East ends with no resolution as usual

I normally avoid writing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because its just so depressing.  The two sides have clearly fallen into a pattern of absurd acts of violence in between which are propaganda wars.  The conflicts evolve but are always pointless.  Neither side ever accomplishes anything despite the rhetoric.

No one really knows why Hamas returned to launching rockets into southern Israel over the past month.  It may have been at the urging of Iran, an opportunity to flex their muscles now that they had been rearmed or trying to take advantage of the fact that Israelis were preoccupied with an election campaign.  Maybe it was a combination of all three.

The hostilities essentially ended because Hamas was likely almost out of rockets and Israel had run out of strategic targets to bomb.  So call a truce and build up for the next fight.  Interesting that Hamas wanted to showcase the more advanced rockets provided by Iran.  However, they were totally neutralized by the new Israeli Iron Dome missile shield.  Don't be fooled by the fact that only one-third of Hamas rockets were intercepted.  The missile shield only intercepts rockets that will hit an actual target.  It doesn't bother with rockets coming down on empty land or the sea.  As a result very few buildings were hit and only 5 people were killed.  In addition, the Israeli precision bombing took out many of the longer range missiles on the ground before they could be fired.  The fact that Hamas had fallen back to bus bombing on the second last day of the fight indicated how frustrated they must have been over the inability to inflict much damage.

The Israeli government had no interest in a land invasion.  That would have involved months of fighting and carried over into the election in January.  So if Hamas considers this a victory so be it.  Meanwhile residents of southern Israel are angry that the Gaza wasn't invaded and Hamas taken out.  They are fed up with air raid sirens and scrambling to take cover from random rocket attacks.  Whether this becomes an election issue is still up in the air.

Hamas may feel empowered in that it survived the onslaught.  I feel sorry for the poor residents of Gaza who had to rebuild after the 2008 invasion and now find themselves in a similar position.  They are caught between two hostile parties.  Meanwhile over 250 were killed and thousands injured.  There is no dissent in the Gaza where suspected collaborators are executed in the streets.  Hamas may have won the lasts election but there is no democracy in the Gaza.  

I had to post one Black Friday Walmart riot

Look at the screaming, shoving, crying - it's incredible.  If only Americans were as passionate about voting.



A Massachusetts man left his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son in a car while he went shopping for Black Friday bargains, then went home with his new 51-inch flat screen television and left the toddler behind. Security staff spotted the boy in a K-Mart parking lot.

Flashback Fridays - The Animals

Two classic Grey Cup plays between Toronto and Calgary

In 1971 the Argos put together one of the strongest teams the CFL has ever seen and played Calgary for the Grey Cup. The Stamps were up 14-11 late in the game when Dick Thornton picks off a Calgary pass to put Toronto in scoring position. With a chance to win Leon McQuay runs and slips on the wet field fumbling the ball and Toronto's hopes of victory.



Twenty years later the two teams meet again when Raghib 'Rocket' Ismail returns a kick 87 yard for a TD en route to Toronto's 36-21 win.

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Rebecca Black singing Friday on Black Friday

Why the NHL and NHLPA can't reach an agreement

It's getting damn frustrating watching the owners and players play out the blame game instead of hammering out a new collective agreement and getting back to operating a sports league.  Throughout the lockout I have remained an optimists because the monetary gap between the parties has always been small.  That is precisely why this has been so frustrating.  My optimism is now gone and I too fear the season could be lost.

My take on this mess is quite simple.  Both parties are waiting for the other side to cave.  There has been no real negotiations in 4 months.  The owners led by Gary Bettman give ultimatums and threats to the players - this approach has been a total failure.  They beat up the union 8 years ago and seem confident that they can win again.

The players are just as determined not to lose this round which is why Donald Fehr has been arm-twisted into accepted the NHLPA Executive Director's position.  As well the players are reluctant to make concession because 8 years ago each time the NHLPA would make a concession there was never anything coming back from the owners.  Instead the NHL would ask for further concessions.

The parties totally distrust each other. The NHL has suggested that if not for Fehr there would have already been an agreement by now.  I guess that means someone else who have folded by now.  Fehr is an enigma and has totally frustrated the owners with is poker face.  Meanwhile the players blame Bettman for the lack of an agreement.

With so little progress being made and with the amount of animosity that is creeping in, the only way this will ever be settled is to introduce a third party into the process, such as a mediator to assist the two sides in reaching an agreement.

The media is throwing around the concept of decertifying the NHLPA as a bargaining unit. The purpose of decertifying would be to eliminate Bettman's negotiating partner. Without a functioning NHLPA, it’s the players’ hope that the lockout would be deemed illegal and instantly lifted. Some are suggesting that eliminating the union would also make the salary cap, linkage, escrow, salary arbitration, rookie cap, etc. disappear the collective agreement could no longer be enforced.

So what will come first, cancelling the season or decertifying the union?  Should be interesting.  

Hot TV anchor makes turkey calls

Calgary must be in the Grey Cup because a horse walked into the Royal York Hotel today

It's a Grey Cup tradition that Calgary Stampeders fans try to get a horse into their hotel headquarters. The tradition began in 1948 at the Royal York Hotel.  Today a group of Stampeders fans tried to bring a horse into the Royal York but were turned away.



Later the hotel rescinded their ban obviously when reminded how much was being spent by fans at their hotel this weekend.  So Marty the horse made a grand entrance in the afternoon and was even fed a carrot by the CFL Commissioner, Mark Cohon.



ARGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!

Sign of the week

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Here are your exploding turkeys for American Thanksgiving

Jack Taylor gets his 15 minutes

Jack Taylor, a Grinnell College sophomore guard, scored an NCAA-record 138 points during the Pioneers' 179-104 win Tuesday night against Faith Baptist Bible College in an Iowa-school Division III matchup.

Overnight he becomes a media sensation.  I heard him this morning being interviewed by Dan Patrick this morning.
 
He shot 52-of-108 from the field, 27-of-71 from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line to finish with the historic, head-shaking line of 138 points.  He didn't get a single assist in the game nor did he shoot 50% from the field.  Talk about a selfish game.  Who takes over 100 shots in a game?

In his interview he mentioned that Faith Baptist didn't bother to double team him.  So what does it say about the team he was facing?

By next week will anyone actually remember who Jack Taylor is?

Hey Rob Ford, how's that diet working out?

Thanks Mayor for doing your Chris Farley imitation and getting Toronto all this great exposure. Makes Alex Anthopolous look pretty insignificant.

Russian woman kept mummified husband for three years hoping for resurrection

 

A headless mummified body found in a ditch in central Russia was there because of a failed Biblical miracle, not murder, Yaroslavl Region investigators said on Monday. The man, a Pentecostal missionary, died of an illness, but his wife, a member of the same Christian denomination, preserved the corpse for three years, the local branch of the Investigative Committee said. The woman expected him to return to life.

The mummified body was found in the village of Semibratovo in July, stashed in a plastic bag. It was missing an arm and head, soon discovered in a nearby trash dump. The committee opened a case on murder charges, but eventually discovered the truth was quite different. The man, whose name was withheld, worked as a missionary for the Pentecostals, including in the Siberian republic of Buryatia. The family led an isolated life, with their five children brought up by the missionary’s wife, a certified preschool teacher.

The head of the family expired in 2009, but his wife could not bring herself to accept it. She preserved the body in the apartment and told the children he would come back to life. The children were made to attend to their late father every day, speaking to him and “feeding” him broth. They reported to their mother that he conversed with them, but she never entered his room, afraid that contacting him prematurely could spoil the resurrection. The family kept acquaintances at bay by telling them the man was too ill to speak to anyone. They used air fresheners to mask the odor of the rotting body.

The situation continued until last summer, when the family decided to relocate elsewhere in the region. Fearing that the body would be discovered, two of the missionary’s three daughters, aged 9 and 14, carried the corpse away to dump it. The arm and the head broke away in the process and had to be discarded separately. The case was closed without any charges against the woman, who did not need hospitalisation. But child protection services are looking into the incident. Pentecostal groups have more than 1,300 churches across Russia.

Police arrest man who told children Santa isn’t real

A 24-year-old Kingston, Ontario  man was arrested during Saturday's Santa Claus parade after police received a complaint about a man walking along the parade route telling children that Santa Claus doesn't exist.

Kingston Police said officers easily found the anti-Santa - he was described as "having his hair formed to look like horns that were protruding from his head."


The man, whose name was withheld, is been charged with causing a disturbance by being drunk and breach of probation.

He's also facing the Liquor Licence Act offence of public intoxication. He was held overnight.
 

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Hump day hottie

Ally Raisman

Blue Jays hire John Gibbons again, I guess Cito wasn't available

 

Look I totally understand why Alex Anthopolous hired John Gibbons.  AA just spent a huge chunk of the owner's cash on baseball players.  His neck is out there and he needs to find a manager who he can trust.  He knows John Gibbons from his first go through as manager.

Incidently, it's not just AA who likes Gibbons.  Everyone likes him.  They players, management, the fans,etc.  He's a nice guy which was so obvious in his introductory press conference.  He was also under-rated as a manager, his record was pretty good.

The media will focus on the Lilly and Hillenbrand incidents.  So what.  They aren't on the team.  I'm sure Gibbons has learnt some things from back then.

He may not be the best manager available but this is more about who AA trusts with his team.

Sign of the day

A championship in Toronto? No way!

Best of Craigslist

Naked on the 6 train: - m4m

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Date: 2011-05-10, 9:59PM EDT

---

You were naked on the six train screaming racial slurs. I was holding a cell phone and filming every moment of your beautiful insanity. For a moment I was sure you locked eyes with me (albeit crazy eyes). You asked me to "get off this fucking train" with you at Hunts Point Avenue, before removing the final shred of your clothing for me and unveiling your beautiful body. I did, but the cops carted you away before I had a chance to say anything. Now I'M crazy thinking about you. I love how body confident you are and I wish I'd said something sooner. Get in touch, I could pay your bail and we could talk equality politics and get naked on any train you want. Maybe you could even turn me on to your acid dealer.

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They put a utility pole in the middle of a Quebec highway

Officials say they are dealing with the puzzling appearance of a utility pole — smack in the middle of a provincial highway east of Montreal. A photo of the pole, which is in the middle of Highway 251 in the Eastern Townships, appeared in a local newspaper.

So how did it wind up on a highway, anyway?


According to various local media, it’s been there for two months.

The roadway had been moved to avoid a dangerous curb. Hydro Quebec, the provincial power utility, says it was only advised about the need to move its cables about three weeks ago.

source

Just in case: Here’s how to make your own Twinkies

Is it true that Paulina Gretzky's 15 minutes are up?

According to Quebecor Media, Paulina Gretzky's 15 minutes appear to be officially over. 

The modelling career the 24-year-old claimed she yearned for never happened.

Neither did the singing career.

No mainstream media has covered her, except as a running joke on the enfant terrible pictures she posts of herself, such as her spread eagle over two pals near a pool or, recently, giving a puppet in the shape of U.S. President Barack Obama the middle finger.

It was exactly a year ago this week -- on American Thanksgiving -- that the off-spring of Canada's greatest gentleman hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky, began making news. She had published some very suggestive photos of herself on her Twitter account and then got into a fight with dad about taking them down.

Paulina, who had 25,000 Twitter followers at the time, told them: "Having a nice sit down dinner with my dad about social media .. haha."  By December, she had 50,000 followers and began giving interviews about her "hopes" and "dreams" of being an actress, or a model, or a TV star, or someone important.


Although Gretzky's Twitter followers doubled, then doubled again to about 200,000 followers a few months ago, the numbers are now stagnant.

Paulina appears to have done nothing tangible to advance her career. She merely continues to post photos of herself in new revealing outfits. Her expression is always the same: She looks straight at the camera and does this odd puckering thing with her lips, which I suppose is meant as "come-hither" pout.


American Thanksgiving is this Thursday and Wayne and Janet Gretzky typically celebrate it with their five children at their home in Westlake Village, Calif.

Who knows what this year will bring.

Hopefully, more attention on the other Gretzky kids. Let's not forget, baseball player Trevor Gretzky was drafted by the Chicago Cubs this year and Ty is a serious student at Arizona State University and a great golfer.

source

Aren't we running out of time for Doomsday 2012?

Is the Apocolypse supposed to happen this year?  Because there are only 42 days left in 2012.

That means it's starting to look like the world is going to end right in the middle of the holiday season.  That would put a huge damper on the holidays.  I'm guessing retailers would be pissed - with the exception of those selling supplies to survivalists.

The big mystery to me is how is the world going to end.  There are many scenarios but I've selected a few:

• An unknown planet collides with Earth.
• Iran develops a nuclear bomb and decides to use it setting off a domino effect.
• Global chain of tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes and earthquakes.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.

Canadians buying more sex toys during NHL lockout

Retailers say the NHL lockout has led to a boost in sales of sex toys and lingerie among couples.

“We’d be gearing up for (NHL hockey) now but there’s nothing so I guess we need to find some better ways to spend our time!” said Vinay Morker, owner of the Hush Lingerie and More boutique, while at Edmonton’s Taboo Naughty But Nice Sex Show Saturday.

Morker said his south Edmonton location saw a 15% jump in sales in October, and although the absence of Oilers action has been killing the longtime fan, it could also be the reason more couples have been browsing his wares at the show.

“When Oilers fans, mostly guys, have to break their routine of seeing every game, they have more time,” Morker said. “And there’s nothing better than spending it with your spouse or girlfriend.”
Morker said Hush’s main clientele is couples looking to “expand their horizons” and he’s seen a 15% jump in the sales of their sex toys, lingerie, games and sexual guides, like The Kama Sutra, since October.

Hal Roseberg, owner of Tease Adult Boutique in Edmonton, said he saw a similar leap in business this year, which he usually attributes to an influx of cold weather.

“I suppose that’s one of the other reasons it’s as busy as it is, there’s no hockey,” Roseberg said.
Roseberg said it’s Tease’s second year at the show, and he believes it’s a great way for couples to spend the weekend.

source

You don't see this every day - cop and clown brawling

Anderson Cooper nearly knocked over by bomb blast during on-air report from Gaza

Current Blue Jay starting lineup

So great news the mega trade with the Marlins has been approved which means Reyes finally made it back from Dubia to undergo a medical.  So here is the current Blue Jay lineup.  I guarantee you this will change before Opening Day.  Alex Anthopolous is on a role so I'm expecting more changes.  Though this lineup suits me just fine.

1.  Jose Reyes - ss
2. Melky Cabrera - lf
3. Jose Bautista - rf
4. Edwin Encarnacion - dh
5. Colby Rasmus - cf
6. Brett Lawrie - 3b
7. Adam Lind - 1b
8. J.P. Arencebia - c
9. Maicer Izturis - 2b

That would be one of the best starting lineups in baseball.  Lots of speed and plenty of power in the middle of the order.  The starting rotation is also good although maybe not great,

Josh Johnson
Ricky Romero
Mark Buehrle
Brandon Morrow
J.A. Happ

Can't wait for the season to start.

Teen with sleeping disorder slept 64 days in a row

A teenager is dealing with a sleep disorder called Kleine-Levin or Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.

Nicole Delien, 17, slept 64 days in her longest sleeping episode.  Her mom, Vicki, says Nicole will sleep 18 or 19 hours a day, and when she does wake up to eat, she says Nicole is in a sleepwalking state which she doesn’t remember.


Vicki Delien says it was very frustrating just getting a diagnosis.  They went to various hospitals until a doctor at Allegheny General Hospital finally realized what was going on.

Nicole says she’s missed out on Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and even the first family trip to Disney World.  Medication helps spread the sleeping episodes further apart. The last one was in March, but Nicole says she’s scared of when it will happen again.

source

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Just don't say it

Bikini Sunday

Ashley Greene

ARGOOOOOOOOOOOS!

To be honest I did not expect Toronto to win today in Montreal.  Let's face it that's the way it works for Toronto team,  get your hopes up only to disappoint you in the end.  Just maybe Toronto teams might start to turn things around.

That being said it was an exciting game this afternoon, sort of what you expect from CFL playoff games.  The game wasn't really decided until the final seconds.

The Argos will play in their first Grey Cup at home since 1982 and they haven't won the CFL's championship game at home since 1952.

It caught me so much by surprised I realized this evening I hadn't even made plans to watch the Grey Cup game next week so there's going to be a party at my house!

Yup, people have already begun hoarding Twinkies

Hostess Brands, which makes Twinkies and Wonder Bread, is going to U.S. Bankruptcy Court this morning to ask permission to end business. Hostess is seeking a shutdown of the money-losing business after members of the Bakers Union started striking this week... If it gains court approval, Hostess would start liquidating during the last week in November, the sources said.  The company has had money trouble for years and when it couldn't come to term with its union, it decided to begin closing up shop.

Well products like Twinkies and Wonder Bread are iconic products in America.  So it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are now Twinkies for sale on eBay—someone just bought "5 Boxes of 10 Individually Packaged Sponge Cakes" for $74.17 (a 10-pack is usually around $3.29). There is a run on the Hostess products and likely retailers will be out soon.  Some of the buying is by desperate fans but much is by opportunists looking to make a buck. 

Don't you love capitalism.

There is hope though. Pabst Brewing Co.'s owner might make a bid for Hostess' brands. The firm has purchased other brands in financial peril before, like Chef Boyardee and Bumble Bee Tuna. There is no question that the brand is a valuable asset.

Iron Dome defense system knocking out Gaza rocket over Tel Aviv

When the air raid sirens go off you can see people on the beaches of Tel Aviv scatter for cover while others don't look too perturbed as they stop on the promenade to watch Israeli Iron Dome missiles intercept a rocket fired from Gaza. 

Iron Dome’s radars, linked with other Israeli surveillance systems, spot rocket launches from Gaza.
The detection sets off sirens in the town targeted so people can shelter while Iron Dome fires a guided interceptor missile. In the case of Tel Aviv this alert should provide 90 seconds before the rocket closes in for impact.

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