Canadian leadership.

Congratulations to Canada for being the first country to officially cut funding and diplomatic relations with Hamas. When was the last time the Canadian government did something right internationally, let alone be the first to do it? It is no secret that our international standing has suffered significantly in the past 10-12 years, so let's hope Stephen Harper continues to make moves like this and not be too afraid of the main stream media backlash.

Speaking of mainstream media, I am getting tired of their whining about lack of regard shown by Harper and company. I really don't think it will continue much longer. Harper is smart enough to realize he has a lot of rookie ministers and they need to get up to speed in a hurry. Having them face the media unprepared and saying something foolish is far worse then temporarily upsetting the media. They also have to have some cabinet meetings under their belt to get everybody on the same page. My guess is that once the budget is tabled they will become far more accessible.

I'm not sure why so many people are up in arms over Michael Ignatieff most likely running for the Liberal leadership. I realize his past views on Iraq and torture run contrary to most of party member's beliefs, but can it not even be discussed, does it make him unelectable? I don't think so. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and believe him when he says he is against Canada's participation in the war and the use of torture because he has a new point of view as an elected official. But he has been very open to debate about his past positions which is a strong point in his favor. The level of debate in this country has become absurd (i.e. who is going to provide the best day care? When will we ban trans fats?) and Ignatieff is more than willing to debate topics nobody else would touch with a ten foot pole such as immigration, the role of the military, and first nations policy. That is a great thing for Canada and should be a great thing for the Liberal party. Ignatieff is a bright man who will help raise the level of debate in parliament.

Count me among those who think it is time for Ralph Klein to step aside as Tory leader in Alberta. He was a hell of a Premier during his time but that time has past. He rescued the party in the early 90's and has helped turn the province into a thriving place to live and work with huge annual surpluses (yes, I realize striking oil every time Aunt Betty plants a flower helps) but the party is completely adrift of late. Instead of giving each person in the province cash back they should be given permanent tax breaks. Instead of huge spending increases on Ralph's pet projects, surpluses should be wisely invested for future needs. Anybody who grew up out west can tell you oil rushes don't last forever and investing money wisely now will enable Alberta to run short term deficits in the future if need be. Ralph, you've done a great job, but it's been over 10 years. Step aside gracefully or things might get ugly.

Cook Book Review: A Man, A Can, A Plan.

Readers of Men's Health magazine may be familiar with the title of this book. In each issue they highlight a simple recipe to make using canned foods in their Malegrams section. Well this book is a much bigger selection of those recipes and the charming Ms. Skeelo got it for me for Christmas. I have now tried about a dozen of the recipes and can say conclusively this book is awesome! It is not just meant for single guys, though it seems to be marketed that way. It is meant for anybody who works their ass off all day and just wants a good quick meal when they get home (most of the recipes I have made take less than 20 minutes including prep time. One's that have taken longer only take longer because they require time in the oven).

Some of the highlights (shorter cooking time) I would recommend are the Black-Jack Quesadillas, Fried Bean Tomatoes, Cowboy Stew, and Three Alarm Sloppy Joe's. For a bit longer cooking time I would suggest the Cowboy Stew and Bombay Chicken 'N Rice. When the guys are over you need to go with the Border Patrol Casserole, Game-Day Stew, or Beans-on-Fritos Pie (this one is also highly recommended if you are hung-over).

The book is organized by main ingredient such as chicken, ham, fish, beans, etc. There is a veggie section but if you have read this far you probably won't be buying the book for the veggie section. There is also a beer section with four recipes.
Each recipe gives health information such as number of calories, grams of fat, and grams of protein per serving. Some also include small fact or health tidbits (Did you know Tuna can help prevent old age blindness?).

Another great thing about the book is that most canned goods have a pretty long shelf life so you can load up at the grocery store every couple of weeks and always have something available when you get home.

I highly recommend this book for all guys, married or single. And watch shortly for my review of A Man, A Plan, A Grill now that BBQ season has arrived.

5/5

He should be in jail regardless.

Whether record mogul Phil Spector is found guilty of murder or not, he should be jailed for this hair. YIKES!

More sports shorts.

Ever since Tiger Woods won The Masters in 1997, Augusta national has been trying to "Tigerproof" the course. Well making it longer ain't the way to do it. By lengthening the course so that par 3's are now 250 yards, you eliminate a lot of the shorter, more accurate players, such as Fred Funk and Mike Weir, and give an enormous advantage to big hitters like Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, and yes, Tiger. In other words Augusta has furthered the advantage Tiger has over the field. Make the fairways narrower, the course shorter, and you make it tougher for Tiger whose driving these days is among the worst on tour.

David Schoenfield tackles the myth that a salary cap is required to ensure "competitive balance" in sports. As he points out, ask the fans of the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Los Angeles Clippers how competitive a cap has made their teams.

Former University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins has been named as the new head coach at Kansas State. This guy ran a dirtier program than Jerry Tarkanian did at UNLV. That might be harder to do at K St. though. I think it will be harder to recruit future criminals and dropouts to the campus in Manhattan Kansas.

Major League Baseball is going to look into the steroids issue. While it is ostensibly supposed to be looking into the problem as a whole, as I've said before it should if such a probe is to be conducted, does anyone really think this is not just going to turn into a Barry Bonds witch hunt? Yes, he's a jerk, yes, he took 'roids, no, he shouldn't be the only one investigated.

Sports Shorts

Strange but true. Carmelo Anthony and Gene Simmons are going into business together. They will co own an IRL team. I need to know how these guys met and how this discussion started.

I have watched almost every minute of March madness since 1988 and I can honestly say that George Mason getting to the Final Four is the biggest cinderella story in the history of the tournament. For a team to receive one of the final at large bids and then run through programs like Michigan St., North Carolina, and Connecticut is absolutely unbelievable. Given who they have already beaten, and they are playing with no pressure on them, how can you bet against them?

Congratulations to Canadian Stephen Ames on winning the Players Championship this weekend. This tournament has the strongest field of any event all year and to win by six strokes as he did is remarkable.

Rest In Peace Happy. We Love You.

I usually don't post on this site about my personal life but today I am going to make an exception. This will be my only post until Monday.

Yesterday was a very sad day in our household. Unfortunately my lovely wife and I had to have our beloved dog put down. His name was Happy. We were fortunate enough to be able to adopt our wonderful dog from the Ottawa Humane Society at the age of 10. He was given to me as an anniversary present by my wife (then my girlfreind) for our third year together. I have always said he is the best present I have ever received or ever will receive. His previous owner had passed away, but the good folks at the OHS realized that Happy was in such great shape and was so good natured that somebody would adopt him. After five years with him I am proud and privileged to say we were those people. When we adopted him we really only expected to have him for about three years, so we are thrilled to be able to say that he was with us for five years. We like to think he was named for the happiness he brought to everyone who met him.

In our completely unbiased opinion he was the greatest dog in the world. Though we often joked that if we were his original owners he would not have been so well behaved. All of our friends realize what a big part of our everyday life he was. He was extremely good natured and kind and playful with everyone. I can honestly say that in the entire time we had him he never once growled at anybody in anger (the same can't be said about other dogs who tried to steal his beloved ball however). In our old neighbourhood of Centretown he was a minor celebrity. Because we took him for three long walks a day, four or five in nice weather, he got to know all the locals who would always stop to pet him. Many people we didn't even know would stop us and ask if he was Happy because they had heard about our great dog from their friends. We often joked that he was "The Mayor of Centretown". He made a lot of dog friends in Centretown including Bandit and his best pal Lou.

A few of our friends dog sat Happy and decided after looking after him that they wanted their own dog hoping their dog would be as happy and good natured as Happy. In that sense his legacy will live on. He was already neutered when we got him so we don't know if he ever had any puppies of his own. Though we like to think he was quite the ladykiller back in the day. Happy was known to take full adavantage of his sitters though. One carried him up the three flights of stairs in her walk up apartment because he gave her his puppy dog eyes. Another was awaken one morning by him and our two cats very early. She showered, walked him, and fed all three only to realize that it was just 5:30am. She then went back to bed, slept in and was late for work. He was also liked by many of our friends and family members who didn't even like dogs, which says a lot about him.

Happy will be dearly missed by our two cats Ophelia and Otis. Ophelia was pretty skeptical about the dog at first then warmed up to him very quickly their first winter together. She realized that his furry belly was a great heat source and was also very comfy. From then on she would regularly take naps with him and sleep with her head pressed up against his belly like a pillow. Otis may miss him most of all, he absolutely idolized Happy. He was amazed by his great ball playing abilities, and was extremely jealous of Happy's ability to go outside multiple times a day and soak up mother nature. Otis and Happy slept together in Happy's bed at the foot of our bed nearly every night. They also used to talk to each other all the time. I'd love to now what they said but it will have to remain between them. Our house will be a much quieter place now.

We were fortunate enough to be able to take Happy many places with us including holidays in New Hampshire, where everybody petted him, gave him ice cream, and asked what kind of dog he was (he was a mutt, but mostly terrier). Weekends in Lake Placid at a B&B that allowed dogs where he made friends with the owner's dog Linus. And Mont Tremblant where he got to run in the Daible river. And of course many Christmas' with our families in Toronto. One Christmas, couscous was made but dropped on the floor which delighted Happy as he ate what became known as "the festive couscous".

In our current neighbourhood Happy also made great doggy friends such as Martini, CJ, Jack and Abbey. Even when he slowed down the last few months he wagged his tail with excitement each time he saw them.

Our memories of Happy are endless but some of our favorites are playing ball with him in Rockcliffe Park, walks with him along the Rideau Canal and River, his love of frisbees, playing ball in my wife's parents backyard in Oakville non-stop for hours one afternoon (we are still wondering where that energy came from), the "let's get this over with" look on his face each time we attempted to give him a bath, his cute little ears perking up every time he heard something interesting, taking him to dog day at the Ottawa Lynx baseball games, and of course our literally thousands of walks together, especially our bedtime walks which were officially known as "boy bonding time".

Happy, you brought us nothing but joy and happiness for five years. You were the greatest dog we could have ever had. You were not just a dog, you were the dog. You were my best buddy. We love you very much and you will always be in our hearts.



A special Thank You to all our friends at the Glebe Pet Hospital who helped take such great care of Happy.

Tuesday morning musings.

Ashley MacIsaac wants to run for the leadership of the Liberal party. This may not add any credibility to the race but it will certainly add entertainment.

Fulford has an interesting article about the significance of Seinfeld. Turns out it was about more than nothing.

Ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro has cleared PM Stephen Harper of any wrongdoing in David Emerson's floor crossing. My question is why was it even investigated? Well actually, my problem isn't that this was looked into, as it is unethical to offer a minister appointment for someone to cross the floor. My problem is that Martin did the same thing with Belinda and it was not investigated.

Remember when Celtics-Lakers games were the biggest deal in sports?

I think the World Baseball Classic should be considered a success. The idea was to expand the game globally, not in North America, and having Japan beat Cuba in the final most certainly did that. The fact that the US will be looking to win it next time should help it a lot in '09. But they really should move it to November instead of spring training.

Why?

Dribs and drabs.

Terrell Owens has signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Considering the Cowboys have only won one playoff game since 1996 it may not be that bad a move. Terrell is always well behaved his first year. It will be interesting to see what happens the year after. If he can't play for Bill Parcells, he can't play for anybody. If Parcells could tolerate Lawrence Taylor showing up to meetings coked up he can tolerate anything.

The Liberals have announced they will pick a new leader in early December of this year. On behalf of small c conservatives everywhere in Canada I have a request for Liberals. Please elect Bob Rae as your next leader. I'm begging you. Pretty please. With sugar on top. This man ran Ontario into the ground in the early 90's and committed any number of unpardonable sins. The Liberals used Mike Harris to scare people away from the Tories. Just imagine what the Tories can do with Bob Rae.

This is disappointing.

I don't know whether to find Donald Trump becoming a a father again at 59 funny or disturbing. If she's only in it for the money she has certainly earned it.

Asymmetrical breasts tend to develop breast cancer more often than other breasts. No word yet on banana tities or cookie nipples.

Another ridiculous celebrity rant.

I'll be the first to admit I can't stand Bono. But the reason I don't like him is because of his arrogant persona and his belief in his moral superiority. I will be the first to admit, however, that he has made himself a real authority on third world debt relief and the AIDS virus in Africa. When he speaks on these two issues he is very coherent and extremely knowledgeable, regardless of whether or not you agree with his politics. The celebrities that aggravate me are the ones who make ridiculous comments but have absolutely no clue what they are talking about. The other night on Bill Maher, Richard Belzer claimed that he was more qualified to talk about Iraq than "uneducated soldiers" who were just "19 and 20 year old kids who couldn't get a job," because he reads 20 papers a day. I would like to see him go to Colorado Springs and tell undergrads at Air Force that they are dumb and educated. Or go to a campus pub in Annapolis and West Point and say the same thing. Many people who decide to join the military, including a few loyal readers of this site, are well educated and they feel a sense of duty to their country. This is not something to be ridiculed. If Belzer wants to take on Bush, Cheney, etc. that's fair game because they are elected public figures. But to call out the soldiers as dumb and ignorant because they chose to serve their country for a living is ignorant and reprehensible.

The new NHL is terrible.

I'm about to say something that could get a good Canadian boy like me shot if read by the wrong people. NHL hockey is almost completely unwatchable. It's horrible. Don't get me the wrong, the rule changes have made the game more wide open, scoring is up, and the game is a bit more entertaining than it was pre-lockout (though the number of power plays each game is still out of control), but the teams are not great anymore. When the lockout inevitably started I was actually hoping that it would last two years so six teams would fold and they could move to a 24 team league.
Cities such as Miami, Atlanta, Greensboro, Nashville, Anaheim, and yes, even Pittsburgh now, have no business having NHL teams. Contracting is the only viable option to put a truly strong game on the ice now that a salary cap has been implemented. The problem with the cap is that teams become completely watered down and teams can't load up the way they used to. I have been to a few Ottawa Senators games this year and many consider them to be the best team in the league. While the Senators are very good, to call them great is laughable. When Tyler Arnason is heralded as a huge pickup and becomes a key player on your second line, you can not claim greatness. Compare the new NHL teams to recent ones on Colorado and Detroit teams that featured Forsberg, Sakic, and Fedorov, Yzerman. No contest, those were great teams. And even those teams would have got killed by the Penguins of the early 90's and Oilers and Flames of the 80's.
The salary cap creates parity you say? Well your parity is my mediocrity. Anybody who watched the NFL playoffs this year can tell you what a joke pro football has become. And to claim that the NFL is the strongest league in the world, which it undoubtedly is, because of a salary cap is dead wrong. The NFL is strong because of gambling. Office pools and point spreads are the main reason most people watch. And the fact that there is nothing else on Sunday afternoons.
So there I said it, the NHL sucks. I'm desperately hoping for contraction very soon.

Four in a row for the Ravens.

Congratulations to the Carleton Ravens who yesterday won their fourth straight Canadian men's university basketball championship. The team has come a hell of a long way since I graduated from CU in '98 and it's great to see them represent the school in this great manner. For my American friends, winning the national basketball tournament in Canada is not exactly the same as winning March Madness, and the Ravens couldn't beat a good Division II school, but it's still a great accomplishment in it's own right.

March Madness picks.

Earlier this week I gave a few tips on picking winners for your NCAA basketball pool. For what it's worth I have picked Texas, Gonzaga, Connecticut, and Ohio St. as my Final Four with Connencticut beating Texas in the championship game.

Tuesday dribs and drabs.

The Chef is moving out of South Park. Isaac Hayes has decided he can no longer voice the animated character.

The host of one of my all time favorite game shows, Press Your Luck, has died in a plane crash. Peter Tomarken was 63. No whammy jokes please.

I'm really hoping Julia Louis-Dreyfus can break the Seinfeld curse with her new show. The women has a lot of talent and seems the most likely of the fab four to have another hit.

What kind of person takes a job at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch? They know damn well what goes on there.

More cool space stuff.

What the hell is Edgerrin James thinking signing with the Arizona Cardinals? I can understand him wanting to leave the Colts, but he could have got the same money somewhere else. Oh well, at least the weather will be good and he'll have clear sinuses.

Wise words from our Prime Minister.

I applaud PM Stephen Harper's visit to Afghanistan to meet face to face with our troops stationed their. As The Hammer pointed out yesterday, we are a G8 country and a member of NATO. With that comes the responsibility to show leadership internationally, which is something Canada has rarely done in the last few years. Harper correctly stated that "you can't be a leader from the bleachers." It is time for Canada to reassert itself on the international stage.
How quickly we seem to have forgotten what a proud military history Canada has. We are the country of Vimy Ridge, Dieppe, and Normandy. We were fighting in both World Wars before the Americans were. The upcoming Tulip festival in Ottawa is a reminder of the Canadian liberation of the Dutch in WWII (the Dutch gave Canada 1000's of tulips as a thank you and the Tulip festival was born). Our military accomplishments and history are something to be celebrated, not something to be made to feel guilty about. We have helped smaller, less able countries stand up to some of the world's worst dictators and regimes. We are doing the same thing now in Afghanistan and our troops deserve our support for doing so.

One of college basketball's best calls it quits.

Temple University basketball coach John Chaney announced his retirement yesterday. Chaney is 74 years old and will coach the Owls through this year's NIT and that will be it. Chaney was one of the few true characters left in the college game, and although some incidents of the last few years (touched on in the article I have linked) may tarnish his image a bit, I would prefer to talk about all the great things he did. Chaney is a name who is probably only recognized by hard core college hoops fans and that's a bit of a shame because nobody stood up for players the way this guy did. While other high profile coaches argued about how to generate more revenue from advertisers for their team Chaney was always more interested in how to turn his players into men they could be proud of. He held mandatory practices at 6am every morning so his players could develop the work ethic required to compete in the working world. Often those practices were not even practices, just Chaney talking to his players about his own upbringing in the racially segregated south, and the responsibilities of family, getting an education, and taking responsibility for your own life. He often recruited troubled players other programs were not interested in. His graduation rates were not among the best in the country, but 90% of those who graduated under him would never had a shot at a university degree without him. And those who didn't graduate were still more likely to lead a good life after leaving Chaney then before he go to them. He was a true original who genuinely cared about his players and always put their interests first. The NCAA should offer to employ him in some small capacity just to keep him active in the game.

Some thoughts on Barry Bonds.

As a person Barry Bonds is one of the most unlikable people I can think of in public life. Usually you have to take media accounts with a grain of salt, but this guy is universally loathed by media, teammates, damn near everyone who knows him. But he is the best baseball player of his generation. I have read the recent excerpts from Game of Shadows, the book written by two San Francisco chronicle columnists, that appears in this week's Sports Illustrated, and it paints a pretty clear picture of Bonds' steroid use (please keep in mind it is a book). I have very little doubt that Bonds used steroids and used a lot of varieties of them, but he still had to put bat to ball to hit all those home runs. I am in no way condoning what he did, I am just saying that others, notably Jason Giambi and Rafael Palmeiro (not to mention those who didn't get caught or admit such as Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa), took 'roids and didn't hit the way Bonds does.
This leads me to the a couple of points about what a lot of people want to do about Bonds' chase of Hank Aaron's career home run record of 755, and whether there should be an investigation into his conduct. First on the home run record. Is there an asterisk beside Babe Ruth's 714 home runs because he never had to face a black pitcher the way Aaron did? Is their an asterisk beside Aaron's record because he didn't have to play in suffocating flannel uniforms or the stifling heat of day games the way Ruth did, or face specialized relief pitching the way Bonds does? No there are not. So I don't think there should be an asterisk beside Bonds' career numbers. You have to realize that the game has changed through the ages and it is nearly impossible to compare eras and you need to let records be broken and re-broken. Ultimately Bonds' did not break any baseball rules by taking performance enhancing drugs, which is baseball's problem not his.
On the second point, if there is going to be an investigation into Bonds' steroid use it can not be a witch hunt conducted to get just him. It would have to be conducted into steroids throughout the whole sport from Bonds' on down through guys hitting .150 in the rookie leagues. And it needs to be done by Major League Baseball. Having Congress or a publicity seeking twit like John McCain lead it would be ridiculous because they should really have more important things to worry about. Yes, this is a sad time for baseball, but it will recover because it always does, and I think the average fan doesn't give a rat's arse that Bonds' took 'roids as long as they can watch him keep hitting the ball into the bay.

Time for March Madness.

It's my favorite time of year in sports. The NHL is headed into the playoff stretch drive, baseball is revving up for an April start and the best sporting event of the year starts this Thursday. I am talking of course, about March Madness. For those of you who don't watch it, you should give it an honest shot this weekend. The first four days of this tournament are the most exciting because that's when all the major upsets occur and the teams you've never heard of become household names. Even people I know who are not basketball fans get into it. The reason it is so much fun is because these teams are playing for school pride and 99.9% of the players know they are never going to get a sniff from the NBA. Their fans go nuts, and neutral fans also start cheering for the underdog in tight games. I would suggest filling out a bracket and entering into an office pool. You will then have a rooting interest in each game because you have picked a winner. In that regard, here are some of my tips on picking your bracket which have been highly developed in the last 18 years without actually once winning a pool.

1. Most upsets occur in the first round. Don't pick against a number 1 seed though. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 no. 1's are 84-0 vs 16's. And only a handful of 2's have lost to 15's. Betting against a 3 is usually a decent bet for an upset because this has happened a number of times. South Alabama (14) is the best shot for an upset of a 3 this year because Florida (3) has underachieved all year and never plays all that well when expectations are high.

2. There is always a "Cinderella team" in the Sweet 16 (3rd round). That means a team ranked 10 or lower that nobody has ever heard of. A team like Iona (13) for instance.

3. Guards rule college hoops. Forwards rule the NBA. The teams with the best guard play always go deep in this tournament.

4. After the after the second round there is less chance of a big upset. The Cinderella team usually gets killed, and the big boys take over. But don't figure on all four no. 1's making it to the Final Four. It hasn't happened since the field expanded in 1985. And don't be surprised if 1 of them doesn't make it past the first weekend (a potential second round match up for my beloved Dukies against George Washington scares the hell out of me).

5. Don't make fun of anyone's betting techniques. The girl in your office who has never watched a game and picks her winners based on which uniform color she likes better will probably beat you. The girl who chooses by team nickname ("Xavier will beat Gonzaga because a Musketeer would just shoot a Bulldog") will beat you too.

6. Just pick your winners sit back and enjoy the best event in sports. And don't put to much money on it. But if you insist on putting a wad of cash down on who will eventually win it all, my money would be on one of the following: Connecticut, Ohio State, Duke, Gonzaga, or Texas.

Not much hope for my beloved Leafs.

I was talking to a friend of mine last night who is a fan of the hated Montreal Canadiens and he asked my why the Leafs didn't make any big moves at the trade deadline (and no, reacquiring Luke Richardson is not a big move). My answer was that there wasn't a hell of a lot they could do. Their biggest asset is Ed Belfour and he is a 40 year old goalie who hasn't had a great year. They can't really trade Bryan McCabe because they have to resign him this off season to make it look like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the corporation that runs the Leafs and Raptors, gives a damn about putting a winning team on the ice. I say that because MLSE is first and foremost a business, majority owned by the Ontario teacher's pension fund. The teachers pension fund is the richest pension fund in the world, and it didn't get that way by accident. It is extremely well managed and continually makes excellent business decisions. Which bring me to the Leafs current situation. In the last few years the Leafs were just good enough to have an outside shot at winning the Stanley Cup. The also generated enough revenues that they could trade whatever young talent they had (and since they have drafted so poorly in the last 15 years there wasn't even much of that) for older veterans that could be counted on in the playoffs. Many of those veterans than departed and when the salary cap was implemented it left the team with an old roster without enough young talent to be a really good team. Here's the rub though, while the cap hurt the team, it was the best possible thing for MLSE. Leaf hockey in Toronto is a religion the same way Red Sox baseball is in Boston and Packer football is in Green Bay. The Leafs could go 0-84 and still sell out every game and not lose any viewers for TV telecasts. Their season ticket renewal rate is 99.9%. Therefore, the cap essentially makes MLSE an extra $30 million a year off of the Leafs. Since Leaf revenues are essentially maxed out as it is, there is very little incentive for MLSE to put together a Cup contender. As a result, MLSE sees the NBA's Raptors as the better potential for increasing their revenues. MLSE currently puts about 65-70% of their operating resources into the Raptors, Exhibit A being the signing of Bryan Colangelo as their new GM and paying him a reported $3million a year. So as much as it kills fans like me, expect Leaf GM John Ferguson Jr. to keep talking about making moves to improve the team, tinkering with the roster by making small adjustments and signing name players well past their prime, but never really making the team a true contender.

The astronomy nerd in me just loves this.

NASA has announced a spacecraft orbiting Saturn has sent back pictures of geysers on one of it's moons, Enceladus, spewing water 100 kilometers into the atmosphere. I am absolutely fascinated with this and am just as curious as the scientists to figure out what kind of energy source is creating these geysers on a surface that has an average temperature of -210C. I have always loved astronomy and would have taken courses in it if not for my dislike of doing math for a living. Therefore I really can't give any kind of in depth analysis of just what the implications of this discovery are so click on the link, and visit this site in the future because I will surely stay on top of this.

"Butcher of the Balkans" found dead.

Slobadan Milosevic has been found dead in his prison cell. This is another guy who should have been shot the minute he was taken into custody. I'm not going to go into the laundry list of atrocities this guy committed in the Balkans, but I will say there are a lot of very happy people in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

A clash of civilzations.

I've been thinking for a while of how to wade into the radical Islam vs. the world debate but have had a hard time trying to articulate my thoughts. Or I was just waiting for someone else to some up my thoughts better than I ever could, which is what I have reprinted below from memri.org. These are edited excerpts from an interview on Al-Jazeera TV between Arab-American psychologist Wafa Sultan and Egyptian Islamist cleric Ibrahim Al-Khouli.
I also want to make clear that I don't think that all Muslims are radicals, nor do I think that all Islams are radical Islam, but they are the ones causing all the PR problems for the others.

Wafa Sultan: "The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete."

Host: "I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?"

Wafa Sultan: "Yes, that is what I mean."

Host: "Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind..."

Wafa Sultan: "The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: 'I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger.' When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to start this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

"My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma; another time he calls them the 'People of the Book'; and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians 'those who incur Allah's wrath.' Who told you that they are 'People of the Book?' They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them 'those who incur Allah's wrath,' or 'those who have gone astray,' and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?"

"I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it."

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: "Are you a heretic?"

Wafa Sultan: "You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural..."

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: "If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran..."

Wafa Sultan: "These are personal matters that do not concern you."

"Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs."

"The Jews have come from the tragedy [of the Holocaust], and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror; with their work, not with their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. Fifteen million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them."

Pimpin' and Doctoring more similar than I thought.

A Canadian MD who relocated to New Zealand has closed down his medical practice and is opening up a brothel in it's place. Dr. Neil Benson figures that they are very similar because both deal with confidentiality issues, are service industries, and meet the needs of people. I find this a fascinating career change, though I think he could increase his revenues and combine the two careers by leaving one room in the establishment available for the treatment of STD's. I wish Dr. Benson and his family well in their pursuit of a more fulfilling life.

I'm not a gadget guy but...

LG Phillips has produced the first 100 inch LCD screen TV. I'm not into huge gadgets and tech but this has got to be the stuff that dreams are made of. Imagine watching a big action flick or a great car chase scene like the one in The Bourne Identity on this thing. Or the Super Bowl. Or anything for that matter. I can only imagine what the price tag will be when it hits stores.

This will fall on deaf ears.

Doctors are warning women not to go on benders on spring break. Good luck spreading that message. The fears are the health risks of binge drinking, random sexual partners, and blackouts. What the hell is the point of spring break if it is not binge drinking, random sexual partners, and blacking out?

Time to hit the gym Cindy.

Cindy Sheehan was arrested again. I'd link to the story but she's not worth the effort. Cindy, you should spend a little less time sitting in and a bit more time exercising if this picture is any indication. By the way, does being a professional malcontent pay well? If so I may have to sign up.

RIP Kirby Puckett, 1960-2006

I was always a big Kirby Puckett fan. The Minnesota Twin Hall of Famer was a joy to watch roam the outfield and hitting home runs. How many highlight reels did he make climbing over the wall in the Metrodome to take away a home run? A lot more than I can count. He also hit huge regular season and World Series home runs and was the heart and soul of two Twin World Series winners. With that wrecking ball body of his he was inspiration to short guys everywhere. But the thing I will remember most about Kirby was that he did everything with a smile on his face. I don't think anybody ever had more fun playing baseball than he did.

My Oscar Picks.

Tonight's the big night and unfortunately I didn't get to see many of the movies or performances nominated for this year's awards. In fact, the only best picture nominee I saw was Brokeback Mountain. Having said that, though I have a pretty good idea of the way Oscar voters vote and things they look for. So it's going to be a big night for Brokeback Mountain.

Best Supporting Actress:

Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Amy Adams, Junebug
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

Winner: Rachel Weisz
Look out for: Amy Adams

Best Supporting Actor:

George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man

Winner: George Clooney
Look out for: Paul Giamatti

Best Actor:

Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk The Line
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terence Howard, Hustle & Flow
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Winner: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Look out for: Terence Howard

Best Actress:

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Reese Witherspoon, Walk The Line
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country

Winner; Reese Witherspoon
Look out for: Felicity Huffman

Best Director:

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller, Capote
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis, Crash
Steven Spielberg, Munich

Winner: Ang Lee
Look out for: Paul Haggis

Best Picture:

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Good Night, and Good Luck,
Crash
Munich

Winner: Brokeback Mountain
Look out for: Crash

A great move by Jim Prentice.

New Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has announced the new government will be overhauling aboriginal education in Canada (I would link the article but you have to pay for it and I don't). The plan will make aboriginal leaders accountable for funding they receive and educational standards equivalent to all other provincial school acts will be used as benchmarks. This is a welcome step and one that will go a long way to helping aboriginal youth develop the skills, knowledge, and most importantly confidence, to compete in Canadian society. Our past treatment of our aboriginals has obviously been a true black mark on Canada. But aboriginal leaders treatment of their own people has not been much better and have created or furthered a lot of misfortune on reserves. Making native leaders, Phil Fontana in particular, accountable to federal government for how money they are given (aboriginal portfolios account for the biggest percentage of government funding) is spent only makes sense. I hope this approach will carry over into other areas of policy.

Zach Braff set to direct again.

This made my Friday morning. Zach Braff has finished filming this season's episodes of Scrubs and is set to direct his second feature film. It's always difficult to deliver on your second attempt after rave reviews for your first film, in Braff's case Garden State, so inevitably some people will be disappointed with the film. I, however, will be hoping it is as poignant and refuses to follow the three act screenwriting convention that his first film did.

And while we're on Braff, you really should be watching Scrubs. NBC has shuffled it around a lot so it has had trouble gaining a consistent audience, but the audience it has is loyal and understands what a creative and funny show it is (Tuesday 9pm on NBC). It, along with The Office and My Name is Earl, are the only three sitcoms on TV worth watching these days.

Bin Laden "Dead or Alive". How about found alive then killed immediately.

George W Bush has again reiterated his belief that Osama Bin Laden will be found dead or alive. I think ultimately he will be found but that he's really not that big a priority right now. When he is eventually caught however, he should be shot immediately. Otherwise he will make a mockery of justice the way Saddam Hussein has. As George Jonas has said a number of times, the only thing worse than no trial is a show trial and that's exactly what this is. I think part of the reason for the current turmoil in Iraq is that there are some Iraqis who honestly believe this guy will be back in power soon. He should have been shot on sight when found in that cubby hole or dropped into the middle of an angry mob in downtown Baghdad. That would have been justice. And for the apologists out there, No that doesn't make me "as bad as him". Hussein was a dictatorial, genocidal, mass murdering tyrant. I, and others who feel the same way, are not.

A sigh of relief for Raptor fans.

The Raptors announcement of Bryan Colangelo as their new GM should be greeted with a lot of optimism by Toronto Raptor fans. This team has been such a farce for so long that it's hard to say he brings instant credibility, but he does bring increased credibility. Colangelo has turned Phoenix into the most exciting team in the league, and with cap space and centerpiece Chris Bosh, there is a lot of potential for him to turn things around in Toronto. The chances of resigning Bosh improved greatly yesterday and other free agents will give Toronto a serious look this winter. But please don't start thinking Steve Nash is headed north because he's not. But there are other great players who now might. And you couldn't say that until yesterday.