08 March 2009
The Brier - A Curling Rant
14/03/2009 18:57
Don’t get me wrong
folks, there is a lot to like about this Brier,
not the least of which is some of the best
curling you will ever see. And I love the game.
Having ceded that though, there is lots that is wrong as well.
Take for example that brutally awful commercial for Capitol One credit cards. You know the one, where a guy is walking down a sheet of ice when he refers to other cards as being “hard” to use and instead of actually saying the word, he is muted and we hear Jennifer Jones hollering “hard” as she calls the sweeping (wink, wink) in a real game.
The guy then goes on to show how “easy” it is to use the card and again he never says the word, rather we cut back to Jennifer in the same game calling “easy” to the sweepers.
Gimme a break folks, but when in hell have you ever head a skip call “easy” to sweepers? Never, that’s when. I’d buy “whoa” or “right off” of even “no”, but easy? Never. That’s an invention of some air head in an ad agency who couldn’t come up with a real commercial.
One thing it has done though, is turn me off Capitol One for good. It’s not in my wallet and never will be. Which leads me to the question, “Why does Capitol One want only male customers? They never refer to a purse, just a wallet.
Then there is the new jargon in curling by the commentators. They go on and on about a “corner guard”. Just what the hell is a corner guard on a circular house? Last I checked there were no corners in a circle. I assume they are referring to the left or right guards in front of the house, but what do I know?
And finally, whatever
happened to curling etiquette? The rules of
curling as I learned then were that the third
on each rink agreed on the scoring and marked
the score board.
In today’s Brier games, they don’t even wait for the last rock to stop in the house before they start kicking them off to the end of the sheet. We were taught to always allow the final rock to come to a complete stop before we agreed on the score and moved them off. Is time now such a factor that they remove then before the TV audience can even see their final resting spot?
*End rant*
READER RESPONSE:
Don,
I read your Brier editorial with a great deal of interest.
While I agree with much of what you say, as long as I have ever curled (the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s) I have been familiar with the term “corner guard.”
By definition from a number of sources - “Corner Guard - A type of guard that is off to the side of the house. Usually, employed when a team has the hammer and needs to score multiple points.” A corner guard is typically a guard which is in front of the house and does not cover the four foot circles, but is more off to the side of the sheet and guards rocks that would be in the eight foot or twelve foot circles.
In fact, if memory serves me correctly, I believe St. Albert’s own “Friendly Giant,” the late Hec Gervais invented the corner guard as a method of generating multiple points when he had the hammer.
Cheers,
Jim Starko
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
I don't care when it was invented, or where. I still say there are no corners in a circle.
Couple Buys Couch, Gets Cat Too
14/03/2009 18:48
SPOKANE -- A local
couple planned to buy a couch at Value Village
in Spokane. What they didn't plan on was
getting a cat to go along with that
couch.Workers at Value Village say the couch was left at the thrift store along with a loveseat and like so many drop offs it was a private donation.
Vickie Mendenhall and her boyfriend Chris bought the couch for their home nearly two weeks ago but the day after they purchased it something didn't sound quite right.
What they heard was a cat meowing, but they couldn't figure out where the cat was.
"Every time we looked we wouldn't hear the meow, we'd stop looking and continue doing what we're doing, we'd hear the meow," Vickie said.
For several days the couple searched for the source of the meowing in vents, under their porch and even their basement. In a house filled with pets they realized the cat cries weren't coming from one of their own. Then late Tuesday night they made a breakthrough.
"Was sitting here and all of a sudden I got kicked and I looked down and there were no other animals around," Chris said.
So Chris and Vickie picked up and flipped their couch and that's when they found the source of the meowing.
"I grabbed the knife, cut the corner out, enough so that I could see what's going on and sure enough there were eyeballs staring at me," Chris said.
Yes, it was a cat trapped inside Chris and Vickie's couch for at least 10 days.
"She was dehydrated and hungry, we immediately gave her food and water. She scarfed that down," Vickie said.
The cat - now named 'VV' (Short for Value Village) - was already de-clawed and spayed.
The funny thing is that Vickie just happens to work at Spokanimal, where she took VV to be taken care of while they searched for the cat's owner.
VV isn't microchipped and the thrift store doesn't know who dropped off the couch - so she contacted media outlets in hopes of finding the owner.
A friend of Bob Killion saw a TV story about the couch cat and notified his friend. Killion knew right away it was his and showed up on Thursday to pick him up. Killion says he donated the couch on February 19, and his 9-year-old cat, Callie, disappeared at about the same time.
SINC SAYS:
It sure took them long enough to figure out the cat was in the couch.
In Recession Economy, Students Look To Funeral Careers
14/03/2009 18:38
If nothing is certain
but death and taxes, then funeral service may
be the closest thing
to a recession-proof
career in these uncertain
times.Nowhere is that more evident than mortuary science programs like the one at Nassau Community College, where interest and applications have mounted as the economy contracts.
At Nassau, which offers the only such public program in the metropolitan area, inquiries about mortuary science are up 15 percent in recent months, and enrollment for last fall's class was nearly double the year before.
At the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Education, a private program in Manhattan, enrollment has jumped to 270 students for the spring semester, compared with 200 a year ago. The school attributes the rise to the economic downturn and the addition of an online program.
"They're looking for something stable, a career that will last them," said Michael Mastellone, chairman of the Nassau program. "And there will always be work out there."
Dead story here.
SINC SAYS:
That’s one thing about the funeral business, people are just dying to use there services.
And He’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun
14/03/2009 18:27
Martin enjoys classic battles with Howard, might have to beat Ontario rival a third time
Round 1 went to Kevin Martin on Thursday night.
Round 2 to Martin, again, 24 hours later.
But here's the glorious thing about the Tim Hortons Brier: There still remains a possibility, and a good one at that, that his beaten opponent both nights, Ontario's Glenn How-ard, can still pick himself up off the canvas to take another shot at the reigning Brier and world champion.
Oh, sure, Howard, a 7-6 extra-end loser to Alberta in the Page playoff 1-2 game on Friday, will have to prevail in Saturday night's semifinal against the winner of the morning's Page playoff 3-4 clash between Newfoundland/Labrador's Brad Gushue and Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton.
But with all due respect to Gushue and Stoughton, you can rest assured that an entire country of curling fans is clamouring for a third and decisive round in Sunday night's championship final.
"It's so much fun playing against Glenn; we really try hard, but it's all fun," said Martin, moments after making a crowd-pleasing draw to bite the button looking at two Ontario counters to win. "And this game, I told the guys after we were done, we're not going to win every one like that, but enjoy them." Over two straight nights, the two dominant curling teams on the planet have given 12,000 fans 21 ends of simply superb curling; Friday night's playoff game, like the round-robin finale 24 hours earlier, straight true to the script with neither team breaking loose of its rival.
In the end, though, it was Alberta -- winners of a record 25 straight games in Brier competition -- who got it done when it truly counted.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
Stoughton beats Gushue in thrilling Page game at Brier.
BRIER UPDATE:
In an extremely sloppy game last night, Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton beat Glenn Howard of Ontario 8-6 to advance to tonight's championship final against Alberta's Kevin Martin. Stoughton advanced to the semi-final against Howard by scoring two points in the 10th end to defeat Newfoundland/Labrador's Brad Gushue 8-7 in the Page 3 vs. 4 playoff game yesterday morning. If you're a betting person, don't bet against Team Martin tonight.
Catch all of the championship final action live tonight at 6:00 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN-HD.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
After those two games, folks, I’d have loved nothing more than to see a third match-up between Alberta and Ontario. Unfortunately, it's not to be.
Glen Sather Posts U.S. $1 Million Bail For Pocklington
14/03/2009 18:26
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Glen Sather, the president and general manager of the New York Rangers, posted US$1 million bail for Peter Pocklington in a California courtroom Friday.
Thom Mrozek, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said Pocklington would be released from custody sometime Friday evening.
"He's getting out on bond," said Mrozek. "This guy posted it for him, named Glen Sather."
Mrozek said there are conditions attached.
"He'll be subject to home detention, which is sometimes called house arrest, and he'll be subject to electronic monitoring. They put some sort of device on you, some bracelet or something to make sure you don't leave, essentially."
Mrozek said he wasn't sure if Pocklington was ordered to surrender his passport but thought it was very likely.
The former owner of the Edmonton Oilers is scheduled for trial May 5 on two charges of bankruptcy fraud.
Sather was the head coach of the Oilers while Pocklington owned the team.
More from Canadian Press.
Sather posts $1 million bail for Pocklington.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Well, folks, I guess Sather owed him a favor. Not anymore. However, I respect what Sather did. I admire loyalty. As the old expression goes, "a friend is someone who knows you and still likes you."
Saints Knock Off Oil Barons, Book Ticket For Round 2
14/03/2009 18:25
Goaltenders from both sides stand on heads, but Fort McMurray unable to keep pace
In dramatic fashion, the Spruce Grove Saints won the AJHL north division semifinal in their home arena.
They beat the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 2-1 in a wild dominant performance that saw them do everything but score until a frantic finish when midget call-up David Glen scored the game-winner with only 2:04 left on the clock.
"It was unbelievable," said Glen. "The goal was his second of the playoffs after playing four of the last regular season games with the junior squad. I knew we had to keep pushing for that one, it was awesome to be the one to get (the goal)." Head coach Steve Hamilton was ecstatic with the young player's late contribution. "Of all the guys to get it," he said. "Thats a big goal for him." The Saints couldn't figure out how to beat Oil Barons goalie Steve Legatto for most of the first two periods, despite outshooting their opponents by a wide margin throughout. By the ten minute mark of the middle frame, the Spruce Grove team had already posted 30 shots. The Oil Barons had only managed 11 in the same time frame. "(Legatto) obviously didnt want to go down without a fight tonight; I thought he played the best game of the series," said Hamilton. "But we kept shooting, so it was a matter of time." The Saints finally got the first goal at 16:52 of the second on the 36th shot of the game, when defenceman and captain Connor Hardowa blasted a shot from the point through Legatto's five hole.
"Theres nothing better than scoring a goal, especially the first one," said Hardowa.
The crowd was standing room only, and every missed chance elicited a loud reaction from the 1,100 announced to be in attendance. The first period was a very tight battle for both teams, with each side seemingly unwilling to give up the first goal. Spruce Grove did have a large advantage in shots with 21 to the Oil Barons four. Legatto stood on his head, making several desperate stops to keep the game scoreless. "He played amazing all series for them," said Hardowa.
The Saints have a small break ahead with the early series win. They advance to the north final and face the winner of the series between the Grande Prairie Storm and the Sherwood Park Crusaders. The series was tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 Friday in Grande Prairie.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Congrats to the Saints (the former St. Albert Saints). They have a very strong team and could take the AJHL championship this year.
Martin Brodeur On Historic Journey
14/03/2009 18:25
Devils goalie can tie Roy as NHL's winningest goalie with victory against Habs
"The beauty of it," New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur says, "is how consistent you are. How much you're able to do game in and game out, year in and year out.
"The numbers, on average, will tell you how you do. But probably my best games are the ones I didn't win or didn't get a shutout. When you're doing your job, you're not thinking about saves and shutouts. You're battling to win a game."
Five hundred and fifty times in the regular season, Brodeur has won. With No. 551, to come perhaps as early as tonight at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens, he will equal Hall of Famer Patrick Roy's record as the NHL's winningest goaltender of all time.
A victory today and he can break Roy's record on Tuesday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With four more shutouts, Brodeur will have blanked the opposition more often than anyone who has gone before, No. 104 to eclipse the so-called untouchable record of the late, legendary Terry Sawchuk.
And likely next November, Brodeur will pass Roy to become the goalie with the most regular-season career minutes played, his 60,236th a tribute to his health, longevity and enthusiasm. Thirty-four more games and that record is dust.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
Devil’s Brodeur won’t stop at Roy’s NHL wins record.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
The late, legendary Terry Sawchuk is my second favorite goalie of all time, behind the legendary Johnny Bower. What a thrill is was for me as a kid to see them team up in 1967 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and win the Leafs their last Stanley Cup.
The Immortals
14/03/2009 18:24
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is one win away from equaling Patrick Roy’s record of 551 NHL career wins.
With Brodeur on the cusp of making history, CBCSports.ca wants to test your knowledge of the NHL's all-time goaltending greats.
To take the CBCSports.ca quiz, click here.
Forde: A Look Back At The Performances At CFL E-Camp
14/03/2009 18:24
With the 2009 CFL E-Camp in the books and a few days to digest all the information it provided, here are a few impressions of what went on last weekend.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Good: O-Linemen are typically known more for their appetites than their conditioning but, as a whole, this year's group appeared to be about as physically fit as a herd of 300 pound men can be.
The Bad: One-on-one pass rush drills always favor the defence but the matchup shouldn't be as one-sided as it was on Sunday.
Bull Market: This unit certainly didn't produce any Cinderella stories but one pleasant surprise was Christian Jacques (Sherbrooke). Invited to the camp as an injury replacement, he didn't look out of place, especially in terms of athleticism.
Bear Market: Steve Myddelton (St. Francis Xavier) had a particularly tough time during the one on one drills.
Questions Answered: Matt Morencie (Windsor) dominated the O-Line testing. More importantly he looked good in his first test at centre, after playing tackle throughout his university career.
The Jury Is Out: Consensus number one prospect Simeon Rottier (Alberta) had trouble with a couple of speed rushes during the one on ones, which underscored one of the few concerns scouts have with his game. Nonetheless, he'll still be a high pick in this draft. It just raises the question of whether he'll be projected as a tackle or guard.
Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover: On Sunday, the O- and D-Lines started their day with a 6:30 a.m. wake up call and were on the field shortly after 8:00 a.m.. That doesn't sound horrible until you consider that some players in the group had travelled to Toronto from the Pacific and Mountain Time zones, and that the workout was on the first day of Daylight Savings Time. In other words, players like Mike Morris (British Columbia), Dylan Steenbergen (Calgary), and Rottier were on the field with their bodies feeling like it was 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. It's tough to imagine that they were at their best under those circumstances.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
For the rest of CFL football analyst Duane Forde’s thoughts on the CFL evaluation camp, click here.
Gallant Steals Six in Sixth To Advance To World Jr. Final
14/03/2009 18:23
VANCOUVER - Brent Gallant of Charlottetown, P.E.I., stole six points in the sixth end to defeat Rasmus Stjerne of Denmark 11-5 in eight ends Saturday and book himself a spot in the gold medal game at the world junior curling championships.
Gallant held a slim 4-3 lead over Stjerne after five ends in the 1-versus-2 match of the Page playoff system. In the sixth, with the house full of Canadian stones, Stjerne tried to raise one of his own rocks into scoring position. His shot wrecked in front of the house and Canada took a commanding 10-3 lead.
Gallant, a first-year business student at the University of Prince Edward Island, scored a point he probably didn't want in the first end when he removed a Danish stone with his last rock but failed to roll out of the house himself. He threw a rock through the house in the second, allowing Denmark to score two and take a 2-1 lead.
Stjerne made a pressure shot in the fourth to go ahead 3-2. Facing two Canadian rocks, he drew his final stone to the button. A measurement was needed to award Denmark the point.
Gallant regained the lead when he scored two with a takeout in the fifth end.
More from Canadian Press.
Canada’s Lawes advances to World Jr. curling semifinal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Best of luck in the final, Brett, and the rest of Team Canada. Let’s bring home the World Junior gold!
Your Weekend Smile . . .
14/03/2009 04:14
"Sixty is the worst
age to be," said the 60-year-old man. "You
always feel like you have to pee and most of
the time you stand there and nothing comes
out."
"Ah, that's nothin'," said the 70-year-old. "When you're seventy, you don't have a bowel movement any more. You take laxatives, eat bran, sit on the toilet all day, and nothin' comes out!"
"Actually," said the 80-year -old, "Eighty is the worst age of all.
"Do you have trouble peeing, too?" asked the 60-year old.
"No, I pee every morning at 6:00. I pee like a racehorse on a flat rock; no problem at all."
"So, do you have a problem with your bowel movements?"
"No, I have one every morning at 6:30."
Exasperated, the 60-year-old said, "You pee every morning at 6:00 and crap every morning at 6: 30. So what's so bad about being 80?"
"I don't wake up until 7:00."
Saturday Morning Web-Surfing . . . .
14/03/2009 04:14
Don,
First one of these I've ever run across.
An on-line puzzle, that moves as you work it. Give it a try here.
Bixman
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
Very different and took me a while to catch on, but our readers will likely catch on much quicker.
Council Meeting Interupted By Funny Noises
14/03/2009 04:14
Matt's On A Different Plane ... And It's Surreal
14/03/2009 04:14
Sydneysider Matthew
Sheil has built what could easily be one of the
most elaborate big boy's toys in the world, and
his efforts have earned him a Guinness world
record.
Sheil is the top gun in the surreal world of flight simulator enthusiasts, where virtual pilots join virtual airlines, fly virtual routes and are assisted by virtual air traffic controllers.
For most, a joystick and Microsoft's Flight Simulator PC software is sufficient, but, over the past 10 years, Sheil has built what Guinness describes as the "world's most expensive home flight simulator".
A homebrew version of the $60 million simulators used to train pilots, Sheil's contraption is almost identical to the cockpit of a 747-400.
Thanks to 45 different software programs running on 14 different computers, the simulator allows Sheil to fly to and from 27,000 different airports around the world with breathtaking realism.
By day, Sheil runs a trucking parts company but at night he takes to the skies with other enthusiasts from around the globe. The simulator is stored at his warehouse in Chipping Norton.
It is able to mimic real-world weather conditions in any country with startling accuracy, and the hydraulics system means Sheil can feel every bump.
Fly away here.
SINC SAYS:
All I can say is there must be a ton of money in owning a trucking company that a guy can drop 300 big ones on a toy.
Elderly Bicyclist Catches Fire, Dies
14/03/2009 04:14
An elderly man who
was apparently smoking a cigarette while riding
his bicycle home died Thursday after his
clothes caught fire on a residential Bethpage
street, officials
said.Joseph Rusin, 87, of Bethpage, was seen by a passing motorist at noon engulfed in flames and rolling on the ground on the front lawn of a home on Burkhardt Avenue, police said.
The motorist, a FedEx driver, used a fire extinguisher from his truck to put out the flames, officials said.
Det. Sgt. Les Meister, of the Nassau police Arson/Bomb Squad, said the fire is not suspicious. No one saw the fire start, Meister said.
Rusin was probably smoking a cigarette, which ignited the nylon jacket he was wearing, said Vincent McManus of the Nassau County fire marshal's office. Another witness who did not see the start of the fire, but saw Rusin in flames, called 911, McManus said. "She's very shaken by the incident."
Rusin was taken by a Bethpage Fire Department ambulance to the Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m.
Rusin, who would have turned 88 later this month, was returning home with groceries from a Bethpage King Kullen supermarket, officials said.
SINC SAYS:
I’ve heard of spontanious human combustion, but this is ridiculous.
G-FORCE WILL MAKE MY BOOBS EXPLODE
14/03/2009 04:13
Sexy Chantelle
Houghton is afraid the ride may pop her
boobsBIG Brother babe Chantelle Houghton ducked out of a rollercoaster ride yesterday because she was scared her boobs would blow up!
The sexy star said she didn’t think her implants could take the G-Force on the new SAW horror thrill ride.
The 25-year-old said as she wasn’t wearing a sports bra, she and her F-cup boobs had breast sit it out.
“My boobs will give me a black eye with all those spins or act as someone’s airbag,”?she sighed.
And missing out on Britain’s newest thrill ride has made her think about a breast reduction.
“I’m an E/F cup at the moment,”?she said. “But I’m seriously considering going down to a C.
“I can’t run properly and don’t fit into tops I want to wear. The implants were an impulsive move I’m starting to regret, even if they do look sexy.”
SINC SAYS:
I just don’t get why women want gigantic boobs. I mean who cares?
Holy Mistaken Golf Balls, Batman!
14/03/2009 04:13
Henrik Stenson of Sweden plays a shot out of muddy terrain near a water hazard on the third hole Thursday at the WGC-CA Championship. Stenson, who hadn't packed rain gear, stripped down to his skivvies to avoid taking a penalty and playing the rest of the round in wet clothes. He salvaged a bogey on the hole and finished at 3-under 69.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
This is THE strangest thing I have ever seen in golf. You think golf, of all sports, would have some kind of rule against players stripping down to their underwear, wouldn’t you? It has a rule for everything else.
I wonder what would have happened if this was on the LPGA tour? Would they let Natalie Gulbis strip down to her undies to play a shot out of the mud? I bet not. Actually, I'd like to see that . . . but I digress. What do you suppose would have happened if Henrik had taken his ‘shorts’ off, too? . . . Two minutes for playing with the wrong . . . oh, never mind!
Martin Sets Brier Record With 24 Consecutive Wins
14/03/2009 04:13
Kevin Martin has admitted it. So has John Morris.
But while the skip and vice-skip respectively for the Alberta champion sat the Tim Hortons Brier say there was a point earlier in the 2008-09 curling season when motivation may have been an issue for the reigning Brier and world champions, lead Ben Hebert dismisses the very idea.
"People say we had such a bad slump," snorted Hebert, shortly before Alberta won a 7-5 thriller over Ontario's Glenn Howard Thursday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome to wrap up round-robin play at the Brier unbeaten for the second straight year, and set a Brier record for consecutive wins at 24.
"We really just had three bad games, which were at bad times, more than anything. We lost a couple of Slam semifinals where we were money during the week, walking on teams. When you're winning close games, you still feel the intensity, but to be completely honest, when you're blowing out teams, you lose that intensity sometimes. It's hard to keep your focus sometimes when you play 125, 150 games a year. It wears on you a bit.
"But we're focused now, as focused as we're going to be."
That certainly showed through against Ontario, as the teams traded haymakers for 10 ends in what many predict will be a preview of Sunday's championship final.
In the end, though, it was Martin who was able to land the knockout blow in the 10th end, stealing the winning point when Howard couldn't make a tough double takeout to remove two Alberta counters in the four-foot.
With the win, Alberta clinches first place, while Ontario drops to 9-2. The same teams will meet again tonight (6 p.m.) in the Page playoff 1-2 game, with a berth in Sunday's final on the line.
"That was fun," grinned Alberta second Marc Kennedy. "A tale of two teams playing really well. And I don't think we played as good as we could. But Kevin played great, he made some great shots and really carried us through that game. Good ice, good crowd, great shots.
"Hopefully the playoffs are like that."
"The goal at the start of the week is definitely to get to that 1-2 game," added Morris. "In the Page system, the advantage of the 1-2 game is significant over the 3-4. We've achieved that and now we just have to make sure we're sharp come the weekend. The round robin doesn't mean too much now."
Nor does the recent history between the Martin and Howard foursomes, who'd met a dozen times over the last three seasons before Thursday's clash, splitting them down the middle, although Howard was riding a three-game win streak since losing the Brier final to Martin a year ago in Winnipeg.
"I think over three years we're pretty close," said Alberta second Marc Kennedy. "Obviously, they're one of the best teams in the world, so we're going to have to play our best. One thing that's actually plagued us against them is that we haven't really come with our best game in a while, probably going back to the Brier round-robin game against them last year (a 7-4 Alberta win)."
As for the record, it was probably fitting for followers of the Alberta curling scene that Martin vanquished his greatest rival, Randy Ferbey, for top spot on the list; Ferbey won 23 straight between 2002 and 2004, while Martin's streak encompassed a 13-0 run last year in Winnipeg and this round robin.
"It's something when I'm older and grey and not curling anymore and looking back at the old trophy case, it'll mean something pretty significant then," said Morris. "But to be honest with you, the championship on Sunday is the big thing. That record is not as important to us as the championship would be. Twenty-six in a row? That would be nice."
Stoughton downs Menard to move on at Brier.
BRIER UPDATE:
Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba defeated Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard 6-3 in a tie-breaker yesterday, and now moves on to this morning's Page 3 vs. 4 playoff game against Brad Gushue of Newfoundland/Labrador. Catch all of the action of the 3 vs. 4 game at 10:00 a.m. local time this morning on TSN and TSN-HD.
The winner of the 3 vs. 4 playoff game moves on to tonight's semi-final against Ontario's Team Glenn Howard, who lost to Alberta's Kevin Martin 7-6 in last night's Page 1 vs. 2 playoff game. It was another tremendous curling game, folks, that went to an extra end, with Martin needing to draw the button with the last rock of the game. He was perfect.
By virtue of winning the 1 vs. 2 game, Martin now moves directly to tomorrow's championship final, where he will play the winner of tonight's semi-final. Catch all of the semi-final action tonight at 6:00 p.m. on TSN and TSN-HD. Tomorrow's final will also be broadcast live at 6:00 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN-HD.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It seems fitting, doesn’t it, that in setting the record, Martin broke the old record of 23 consecutive wins set by his arch-rival Randy Ferbey. Can they win 26 in-a-row? I wouldn’t bet against them.
Best Brier Ice Ever? Not So Fast!
14/03/2009 04:13
Curlers praise Saddledome's consistency, but perfect surface can be disadvantage for veteran ice readers
To a man, every player leaving the ice at the Pengrowth Saddledome during the Tim Hortons Brier has raved about the conditions.
Best ice ever. Perfect. The way curling is meant to be played.
Not so fast, says Warren Hansen, the Canadian Curling Association's director of event operations and a former Brier champion himself.
Maybe, just maybe, Hansen suggested, the ice is too good. Maybe it's too easy to read.
And maybe the advantage old-school skips like his own former shot-caller, Edmonton's legendary Hec Gervais, had by being able to read flaws in the ice and take advantage of them has been lost.
"Have we made the conditions too easy and too good for the players? It's becoming hard to miss," said Hansen. "Part of the challenge of the game 40 years ago was that the conditions were different at the start of every game, you couldn't practise, you couldn't throw a rock before a game. You were initially dealing with frosty conditions.
"Possibly you would have a situation if there was more skill required for reading ice that you'd see a narrower band of very good teams. Guys like Hec Gervais were excellent ice-readers, and that was part of his mystique that allowed him to beat a lot of teams because he had the knack of knowing what was going to happen on a particular portion of ice. Today, it's pretty predictable -- three and a half feet this way, three and a half feet that way."
Yes, well, that's an interesting theory, and there's no question that ice-reading is a different animal than it was when Hansen was slinging his corn brooms on Gervais's Edmonton lineup.
Then, a skip might call for a hit-and-roll to a certain area of the ice that simply wasn't accessible because rocks would follow a straight path and not deviate from it, or they would find a slope (yes, they were there way back when) and never stay on the right line.
Still, those were the days when there were far more missed shots than we are seeing in the '09 renewal of the Brier, and try to find a dozen fans who prefer missed shots to made ones.
"I think the advantage an old coot like me might have is slightly diminished," conceded 53-year-old New Brunswick skip Russ Howard. "But on the other hand, if you asked Tiger Woods if he wanted to make the greens trickier ... you're looking for your best representatives, so my theory has always been that you need the best conditions. The best team will win in the best conditions more often than on bad conditions. Bad conditions are a wonderful equalizer, and I think if the fans see Kevin Martin or Glenn Howard curl 96 per cent, that's pretty cool.
"And as a competitor, there's nothing worse than curling 50 per cent and winning or losing. I'd rather curl 90 and lose than 50 and win."
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Trust the old CCA battleax Warren Hansen to be the one to yearn for the good old days, and his former skip, St. Albert's own 'Friendly Giant,' the late Hec Gervais. Don’t go away mad, Warren, just go away.
NFL Star Principal-For-A-Day At Winnipeg School
14/03/2009 04:13
Manitoba's NFL football star, Israel Idonije, served as principal for a day at a Winnipeg elementary school Wednesday.
The Chicago Bear was the boss in the big chair at Sister MacNamara School on Sargent Avenue. He paid the school a visit to update students in his Izzy's Kids program, which includes an attendance incentive called First Downs.
The program, which targets Grade 6 students by offering prizes to students who maintain high attendance, was launched by Idonije in September.
It is the second year the school has taken part in First Downs, which is directly based on a program of the same name that Idonije founded at a Chicago school in 2007.
Classes receive monthly awards when average attendance is over 95 per cent, and students receive awards when they attend at least 98 per cent of the time.
"This group, they're extremely bright, you know," he told CBC, adding that he is proud of what they've accomplished since the fall.
"The sixth-graders that we do the program with this year, their attendance has gone up eight per cent. Some of them, who were in the 50 [per cent attendance] are now in the seventies, eighties — as a group they've done an excellent job."
Idonije says he was lucky as a youth to have role models who taught him the importance of education. Now he wants to give back.
"I had people in my life who pressed the importance of my education and that's why I've been able to be successful," he said. "It's been critical in me being where I am today. Some of these kids don't have that."
Idonije, 27, was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and emigrated to Brandon, Man., with his family. He played for the University of Manitoba Bisons and Europe's Berlin Thunder before joining the Chicago Bears in 2004.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
My second cousin played football with Israel on the University of Manitoba Bisons team – a team that eventually won the Vanier Cup in 2007. The big Canadian defensive lineman, Idonije, who currently plays for the NFL's Chicago Bears, is also a draft choice of the Edmonton Eskimos.
Vancouver 2010 Traffic Management An Olympian Task
14/03/2009 04:13
Route closures, quick transit in the works as Vancouver, Whistler gird for 2010 Games
Vancouver will face one of its most ambitious tests during the 2010 Olympic Games as it attempts to move Super Bowl-sized crowds around already congested city streets and into the mountains in the dead of winter over 17 days.
To deal with the crush, the Vancouver organizing committee partners revealed this week they plan to close nine major routes in and out of the downtown core, convert 32 city blocks into pedestrian-only corridors, develop 170 Olympic bus lanes and increase the fleet of buses and SkyTrain to get more people using transit.
Cited as probably the largest single event ever held in Vancouver, the Winter Olympics will host up to 135,000 spectators a day in the city, plus another 58,000 in Whistler and 60,000 per day at Vancouver celebration sites.
With 10,000 accredited media, 5,500 athletes and a 55,000-member workforce, the daily number of people roaming the downtown core for Olympic entertainment on any given night would be massive, said Ken Hardie, spokesman for the Vancouver area's public transportation service.
The Olympics is considered a major challenge for both Vancouver and Whistler, which are restricted in size -- bound by water and mountains.
Compared with Salt Lake City, which had five Olympic venues within a nine-kilometre radius of its downtown, Vancouver will have 10 venues within the same area.
Four of those are within one kilometre of the downtown.
In Whistler, people won't be allowed to drive into the village subdivisions without a permit, as parking will be restricted to residents.
A northbound checkpoint will also be established to discourage "unnecessary trips during peak periods."
The Olympic transportation plan is expected to kick into gear two weeks before the Games to ensure Vancouver area residents are prepared to take transit, walk or cycle around the city and into the mountains.
The City of Vancouver is also preparing for potential problems in case of heavy snowfall.
The city plans to borrow or buy snow-removal equipment to ensure the main roads will be clear in the wake of a heavy dump.
Olympic transport plan brings hope to some businesses, fears to others.
Olympic transportation plan draws widespread criticism.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
There’s always way, way more than meets the eye involved in hosting an event like the Olympic games, isn’t there folks?
Gallant Crushes Defending Champs For Top Spot
14/03/2009 04:13
Americans no match as skyrocketing Canadians lead way to playoffs
He came into the 2009 world junior curling championships with no previous experience, as well as carrying the weight of the Maple Leaf on his back.
But P.E.I.'s Brett Gallant has come through the round robin in style.
The 19-year-old skip of the Team Canada men defeated defending champion Chris Plys of the U.S. 9-3 Thursday to clinch first place with an 8-1 record. For finishing on top of the standings, the Canadian men gain an extra life in the four-team Page playoff system.
They also get a day's rest before facing Denmark in the game featuring the top two men's teams Saturday. The winner of that contest goes directly into Sunday's gold-medal game, while the loser drops into the semifinal.
Denmark, skipped by Rasmus Stjerne, clinched second spot in the men's standings with a come-from-behind 9-6 triumph over Norway on Thursday.
"It feels good," said Gallant after the win over Plys at the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre. "Now we've got two more to go."
Canada has won nine of the last 11 world junior men's crowns, so the Gallant rink was automatically considered one of the favourites despite their neophyte status -- all four members are competing in their first world juniors. By way of contrast, Stjerne is participating in his sixth world juniors and Plys in his fourth.
"It's true, we haven't been to worlds before," said Gallant, who is in his first year of business studies at the University of PEI. "But we've all picked up a lot of experience at the Canadian juniors (where Gallant has skipped five PEI entries)."
With two shots at making the gold-medal game Gallant's chances look good, yet he's taking nothing for granted.
"We've had a lot of close games in the round robin but managed to win," he cautioned. "Hopefully that will continue."
If there has been a potential weakness in the Canadian junior men's game, it might be their tendency to struggle early in contests.
"It's always a concern," admitted Peter Gallant, Brett's father and team coach. "Like today, the U.S. had us in trouble in the first two ends, but our guys have proven to be very resilient."
Meantime, in women's play, Team Canada went into the final round-robin draw with a playoff berth clinched and with a chance at first. However, Kaitlyn Lawes and her Winnipeg team lost 7-4 to Sweden and fell all the way to third overall. At 6-3, the Team Canada women finished tied with Russia, but get third after beating the Russians in the round robin.
In the women's playoffs Friday, first-place Switzerland takes on second-place Scotland with the winner advancing directly to Sunday's gold-medal game and the loser to the semifinal. Also Friday, Canada will face Russia in the 3 vs. 4 Page playoff game with the winner moving on to the semifinals.
"We were disappointed with the loss today," said Lawes, the bronze medallist last year.
"But at the end of the week we're where we want to be, in the playoffs."
Despite the loss, Lawes is one step ahead of where she was at the end of the round-robin last year in Sweden when she needed to win a tie-breaker against Denmark to get into the four-team playoffs.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
This is a great first-time showing for Brett Gallant. We wish him and the rest of Team Canada the best of luck the rest of the way. Good luck in today’s Page 1 vs. 2 playoff game.
Phelps: Marijuana Incident A Case Of ‘Bad Judgment’
14/03/2009 04:13
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps insists he's more worried about the pain he caused family, friends and fans than losing money in endorsements after he was photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
In excerpts from an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer that aired Friday morning, Phelps didn't directly answer the question of whether he was smoking marijuana.
"It was a bad mistake. I mean, we all know what, you know, what you and I are talking about," said Phelps. "It's a stupid mistake. You know, bad judgment."
USA Swimming suspended the Olympic great for three months after the photo was published in a British tabloid Feb. 1. He also lost his sponsorship from Kellogg.
"I've come to realize that people want to bring you up, but more people want to bring you down. And that's how our public is," he said. "That's definitely something to keep in mind and keep close to heart."
Phelps has previously apologized for his poor judgment.
He was questioned about promises he made to fans after a DUI arrest in 2004, which the swimmer vowed was a mistake he would not repeat.
"I'll be the first one to admit I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," the swimmer said. "Both, like I said, in the pool and out of the pool. I've never made the same mistake twice."
When asked if he considered his DUI arrest and the marijuana controversy the same thing, Phelps replied: "In my eyes, no. I think they're both immature and stupid mistakes. For me, I feel my duty is to try to help other people not make this mistake."
The photo was taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training after he won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics three months earlier.
"There was probably two or three people there I didn't know," he said. "It was a very small group. Six or seven people probably total in the whole house. Like, nothing major. You know, not like a giant college house party. It was nothing like that. It was just a small group, and we were just sitting around and celebrating."
Phelps said he trusted his friends and thought that the people he didn't know there could also be trusted.
"I'll say that there are a lot of people out there who want to take advantage of any situation they have. … Sometimes, you learn the hard way," he said.
Phelps said he became aware of the photo a day or two before it was published.
"It's not about money to me," he said of the fallout. "So, you know, the contract side of things, yeah, I was disappointed. But, you know, I think the biggest thing is who I hurt the most. Like, if I lost money, OK. It's not an issue with me."
Asked what his mother's reaction was, he said: "Didn't scream. Clearly showed she was upset. She wasn't reprimanding me."
Phelps also addressed the issue of young boys and girls who look up to him that may have been crushed by the photo.
"I want to say that if you do make a bad judgment or you do make a mistake, make sure you're responsible for it," he said. "Because that's how you're going to change and that's how you're going to learn."
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
There is no doubt that little lapse in judgment has cost Phelps more than he’ll ever want to know.
Had Enough Of Winter Yet Folks?
13/03/2009 05:51
I think the media has
too.
Everywhere I go these days the topic turns to the weather and more precisely to what people are calling “the return of winter”.
Monday was the coldest March 9th since 1951 and Tuesday was the coldest March 10th ever recorded in the history of this area.
And the second most often noted thing is, “what happened to global warming”?
There are those who will mumble about global warming being the cause of all the sever weather we are experiencing, but I for one am tired of that BS argument.
It’s the old “chicken little argument” run amok. Spread the fear and create an environment where business can make a quick buck off all those gullible enough to swallow their snake oil.
Did you happen to notice the current financial mess was started when gasoline took a big run and the inflated prices made speculators a bloody fortune?
The price gouging by oil companies produced not only record profits for 2008, it also contributed in a big way for economic doom.
I can hardly wait for the “scientists” hired by the UN to come out and start spouting their gloom and doom regarding global warming again this spring to further drag the economy into the dumper.
And the media will be right there lapping it all up. The more sensational they can make it, the better for them. At least that’s what they used to think.
My bet is that thinking is about to change as advertising dollars continue to dry up for TV, radio and print. Their constant forecast of more doom and gloom every day has their readers, viewers and listeners beginning to believe that garbage.
And the result of
that of course, is that they stop spending.
When they stop spending, business grinds to a
halt and the first expense they cut is
advertising.
Somehow it seems poetic justice that the nay sayers currently disguised as “the media” have dug their own grave.
So welcome to the winter of 2009 media moguls. I have a feeling it’s gonna feel like 40 below all summer long on your cash flow sheets.
A Safety Tip Regarding Dogs And Children
13/03/2009 05:51
Once-In-A-Lifetime Event Captured On Film
13/03/2009 05:51
Click on pictures to
see larger, detailed
versions.
The little duck
watches as the Eagle speeds straight at him
at about 40 mph.
The little duck
watches as the Eagle speeds straight at him
at about 40 mph.
With perfect
timing, the duck always dove and escaped with
a mighty splash! Then he'd pop to the surface
as soon as the Eagle flew past. This was
repeated over and over for several minutes. I
worried the poor duck would tire and that
would be the end of him.
A second Eagle
joins the attack! The duck kept diving "just
in time", so the Eagles began to dive into
the water after him!
After several
minutes the Eagles got frustrated and began
to attack each other. They soon began to dive
vertically, level out, and attack head-on in
a good old-fashioned game of high-speed
"Chicken". Sometimes they banked away from
each other at the last possible second. Other
times they'd climb vertically and tear into
each other while falling back toward the
water. (The duck catches his breath at the
right side of this
picture.)
A terrible
miscalculation! The luckiest shot of my life
catches this 100 mph head-on collision
between two Bald Eagles.
One Eagle stayed
aloft and flew away, but the other lies
motionless in a crumpled heap. The lucky duck
survived to live another day.
It's sad to watch
an Eagle drown. He wiggled, flapped and
struggled mostly underwater. He finally got
his head above water and with great
difficulty managed to get airborne. To my
astonishment, he flew straight toward me, and
it was the most wretched and unstable bird
flight I've ever seen!
The bedraggled
Eagle circled me once, then lit atop a nearby
fir tree. He had a six-foot wingspread and
looked mighty angry. I was concerned that I
might be his next target, but he was so
exhausted he just stared at me. Then I
wondered if he would topple to the ground. As
he tried to dry his feathers, it seemed to me
that this beleaguered Eagle symbolized
America in its current trials.
My half-hour wait
was rewarded with this marvelous sight. He
flew away, almost good as
new.
The little duck
watches as the Eagle speeds straight at him
at about 40 mph.
The little duck
watches as the Eagle speeds straight at him
at about 40 mph.
With perfect
timing, the duck always dove and escaped with
a mighty splash! Then he'd pop to the surface
as soon as the Eagle flew past. This was
repeated over and over for several minutes. I
worried the poor duck would tire and that
would be the end of him.
A second Eagle
joins the attack! The duck kept diving "just
in time", so the Eagles began to dive into
the water after him!
After several
minutes the Eagles got frustrated and began
to attack each other. They soon began to dive
vertically, level out, and attack head-on in
a good old-fashioned game of high-speed
"Chicken". Sometimes they banked away from
each other at the last possible second. Other
times they'd climb vertically and tear into
each other while falling back toward the
water. (The duck catches his breath at the
right side of this
picture.)
A terrible
miscalculation! The luckiest shot of my life
catches this 100 mph head-on collision
between two Bald Eagles.
One Eagle stayed
aloft and flew away, but the other lies
motionless in a crumpled heap. The lucky duck
survived to live another day.
It's sad to watch
an Eagle drown. He wiggled, flapped and
struggled mostly underwater. He finally got
his head above water and with great
difficulty managed to get airborne. To my
astonishment, he flew straight toward me, and
it was the most wretched and unstable bird
flight I've ever seen!
The bedraggled
Eagle circled me once, then lit atop a nearby
fir tree. He had a six-foot wingspread and
looked mighty angry. I was concerned that I
might be his next target, but he was so
exhausted he just stared at me. Then I
wondered if he would topple to the ground. As
he tried to dry his feathers, it seemed to me
that this beleaguered Eagle symbolized
America in its current trials.
My half-hour wait
was rewarded with this marvelous sight. He
flew away, almost good as
new.
Rancher Blames Aliens For Cattle Mutilations
13/03/2009 05:51
LAS ANIMAS - A
rancher in southern Colorado has an out of this
world theory for what killed one of his
cows."We have other life out there and I think that's what it is," Mike Duran said.
Duran says he's noticed strange lights flying overhead and he believes aliens may be to blame for mutilating one of his cows.
"Like a round circle in the air," Duran said. "I've watched them and then they just disappear."
His ranch is near the town of Weston, which is about 20 miles west of Trinidad.
Duran says his cow was found dead with her udders and reproductive organs missing. He says there were no tracks near the body.
The cow was last seen alive on Friday and found dead on Sunday.
He believes aliens abducted the cow, carved it up and dropped it back by the river.
Duran claims the same thing happened in the same field in 1995.
"It's just a shock that it's happened again," he said.
He's reported both incidents to the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office, but investigators have not been able to solve either case.
"It's one of those unsolved mysteries, I guess," he said.
SINC SAYS:
They’re out there, aren’t they? I knew it!
Monkey “Kills Cruel Owner”
13/03/2009 05:50
With coconut thrown
from treeA monkey who was forced to climb palm trees by his owner took revenge by killing him with a coconut.
The animal threw the missile from the top of a tree after becoming frustrated with his tiring labour, according to reports.
Leilit Janchoom, 48, had employed the monkey to pick coconuts which he could then sell for around 4p each.
The animal – named Brother Kwan – found the work tedious and strenuous but Mr Janchoom refused to let him rest, dishing out beatings if he refused to climb trees.
It is believed that the monkey eventually snapped, and targeted his owner from a high branch with one of the hard-skinned fruits.
Mr Janchoom, from the province of Nakorn Sri Thammarat in Thailand, died on the spot after being struck by the coconut, according to reports in a local newspaper.
The dead man's wife said that the monkey had "seemed lovable" when they bought him for £130.
News of the attacks comes after scientists disclosed this week that a chimpanzee at a Swedish zoo became so annoyed at being gawked at by tourists in a zoo that he started creating weapons to hurl at them.
Santino the chimp would calmly collect stones and fashion discs made out of concrete even when the zoo was closed, to throw at visitors when they returned.
Scientists believe his behaviour is the strongest proof yet that humans are not the only creatures which can make plans for the future.
SINC SAYS:
Hmmm, does “monkey see, monkey do” apply here? He had to learn the behaviour somewhere.
Curses, Foiled Again
13/03/2009 05:50
CCA can't fine Gushue because it hasn't defined 'bad words'
It was George Carlin who compiled the so-called Seven Dirty Words list of curses that couldn't be uttered on radio or TV.
Now, the Canadian Curling Association is in the process of putting together its own list of potty-mouth words that can't be uttered at its championship events.
The CCA tried to fine Newfoundland and Labrador skip Brad Gushue for being caught swearing by TSN during his team's 10th-end meltdown in a loss to Ontario's Glenn Howard on Sunday night at the Tim Hortons Brier Canadian men's curling championship.
But the $250 fine was rescinded when Gushue pointed out that the CCA has no clear list of words that aren't acceptable, and also threatened not to wear TSN microphones for any future games at the Brier.
"I said, 'God damn it, hit the guard,' after we missed the rock in the house and the guard three times in a row," Gushue said Wednesday. "I was just kind of venting some frustration and I chose those words because I didn't think a fine would be issued. It's not one of the ones I thought would be a bad word. If I knew I was going to get fined, I would have said something a lot more vulgar.
"I wasn't going to wear another microphone. If they're going to fine me for God damn, they might fine me for 'fart' or if I say 'dirtbag' or something else that really isn't what I would term a swear word."
In response to Gushue's suggestion, Danny Lamoureux, the CCA's director of championship services, said a firm list of fineable words will be compiled in consultation with Advertising Standards Canada, which plays a role in determining appropriate language for TV broadcasts.
"I agreed with (Gushue) that there was a grey area. Who's to determine, who decides what's a bad word and what's an OK word? We didn't have a list; we just go based on history. And letters (from fans)," said Lamoureux. "So we did some research with advertising standards in North America and other countries, and the word that was used (by Gushue) was deemed to be, in today's society, non-offensive or mildly offensive. So we agreed that there should be a list of words that are fineable.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
BRIER UPDATE:
Alberta's Kevin Martin smacked Nova Scotia's Mark Dacey 7-3 in nine ends yesterday afternoon. In just an absolutely tremendous curling game last night, Martin then defeated Ontario's Glenn Howard 7-5, to go through the round-robin portion of the competition undefeated at 11-0.
Howard and Martin will face off again in the Page 1 vs. 2 playoff game tonight at 6:00 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN-HD, with the winner advancing directly to Sunday's final.
In a tie-breaker today at 1:00 p.m. local time, Jean-Michel Menard of Quebec will face Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba. The winner will take on Newfoundland/Labrador's Brad Gushue in the Page 3 vs. 4 playoff game Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The loser of the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff game will play the winner of the Page 3 vs. 4 playoff game in Saturday's semi-final at 6:00 p.m. local time with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship final at 6:00 p.m. local time. Thoroughly confused now? Me too.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Sometimes T.V. is one helluva lot more trouble than it’s worth in sports – and I’m thinking particularly about golf and curling here. Like when the over-zealous golf fans think they see a minor infraction of the rules on T.V. and phone or email the PGA Tour in droves, hoping to nab the dastardly offender. Or, the over-zealous curling fan who thinks they heard profane language on the T.V. broadcast and immediately calls or emails TSN to complain.
My feeling is if you don’t want to hear those kinds of things, then keep the mics away from the players. Wait a minute - is “helluva” a ‘bad’ word? Is “helluva” even a word at all?
You Must Choose Carefully
13/03/2009 05:50
Alberta's care in rock selection a fine point that pays dividends
It's the little things, not the big-weight takeouts, that have put Kevin Martin's Alberta champs within striking distance of a second straight title at the Tim Hortons Brier.
What the fans are seeing this week -- the precision draws, the laser-accurate takeouts -- is the end result of the work.
What the fans don't see from the half-Edmonton, half-Calgary outfit, which sports a perfect 9-0 after defeating Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton 7-2 on Wednesday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome, is a pile of work put into the seemingly arcane -- but, in Martin's mind, thoroughly necessary -- art of matching rocks.
For instance, the night before the championship game at the Alberta men's championship last month in Wainwright, Martin, third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy, lead Ben Hebert and coach Jules Owchar spent an hour by themselves on the ice picking a set of rocks for the final, despite having already practised and played with those rocks during the preliminary rounds.
"It's something about him that I definitely held in high regard before I played with him," Morris said after Alberta won its third straight six-end laugher, crushing Northern Ontario's Mike Jakubo 8-2 on Tuesday afternoon. "But even more so now playing with him.
"It's those minor things that will make the difference for the elite teams. Our goal coming in is that we're going to do the little things that make the difference, like training, physical fitness and things like matching rocks. I think those small things have definitely added to our success."
Rock matching simply means finding four sets of two rocks that have similar characteristics so that a player doesn't have to adjust his delivery to compensate for rocks that act differently.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
There’s one helluva lot more to this game of curling than meets the eye, isn’t there folks? Is “helleva” a ‘bad’ word?
Anyway, there are not too many curlers who are better at matching rocks than St. Albert's very own Marc Kennedy, who plays second for Team Kevin Martin - this year's defending Brier and World Curling Champions.
Woods Has Victory In His Sights This Week
13/03/2009 05:50
Tiger Woods has set his sights on victory at this week's WGC-CA Championship despite making his first appearance in a strokeplay event since his astonishing playoff win at the U.S. Open nine months ago.
The world No. 1 shut down his 2008 season in mid-June to have reconstructive knee surgery before returning to the PGA Tour at last month's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
"I'm ready to win, yeah," Woods told reporters with a steely glint in his eye after playing a practice round with Canadian Mike Weir at the Doral Golf Resort on Wednesday.
"It was fun to get back out there, get a practice round under my belt and get ready for tomorrow."
Woods has a remarkable record at the WGC-CA Championship with six wins at six different venues in nine starts. On top of that, the 33-year-old has always loved playing at Doral, posting three victories among six top-10s in just six appearances.
UPDATE:
Tiger shot a first round 1-under par 71 on Doral's famed "Blue Monster" course on Thursday, to sit six shots back of the leaders at -7. Some might say he's too far back to have a legitimate shot at winning, but remember - it's Tiger Woods we're talking about.
Tiger and Weir both open with 71 at CA Championship.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Don’t bet against him, folks.
Soccer Brawl Leads To Suspensions
13/03/2009 05:50
Queen Elizabeth High School acts quickly to put cap on incident
The principal of Queen Elizabeth High School is working to soothe tensions after eight students were suspended following a fight that broke out during an intramural soccer match.
The Grade 11 and 12 students were suspended three to five days after a lunch-hour game in the school's gymnasium last Thursday ended in a brawl. One of the players received a gash on his forehead during the melee.
"We're not going to tolerate that kind of aggression," principal Don Blackwell said Wednesday.
"Suspension is our way of sending a message to all of the students -- both the individuals involved in the circumstances and those who made the right choice not to get involved -- that words can solve so much more."
The fight happened towards the end of the lunch hour as two highly competitive teams in the popular soccer league faced off in front of an audience of students and two staff supervisors.
It started when two players competing for the ball started pushing and shoving each other. But it escalated when two student spectators jumped out of the stands and joined the fight. At that point, several others rushed in.
While Blackwell said he believes the fight was an isolated incident, it has raised larger concerns for some adults connected to the Somali students involved.
A group of four Somali-Canadians, including the guardian of one of the boys at the centre of the fight and the executive director of the Alberta Somali Community Centre, spoke to Edmonton Public trustees Tuesday night about their worries regarding their children's safety at school and raised concerns the dispute may escalate.
Blackwell, who has met individually with several of the parents and teens involved, said he hopes to meet with all the students and their families to settle any outstanding differences and make sure the students' return is smooth and tension-free.
One of the women who spoke to trustees said she wants the school to change its intramural policy so that teachers, not students, pick their teams.
She believes the tensions during the game were exacerbated by the fact that one team identified itself as the Somali team, while many students on the other team were identified as Lebanese.
"This fight could have been prevented," the woman said.
"I think the school has to come up with something so the kids can have fun and healthy relationships and not fight," the woman said.
Queen Elizabeth, located on 132nd Avenue in north-central Edmonton, is a diverse school of about 1,200. Students come from 52 different countries and about a quarter of the student body are new Canadians who take English-as-a-Second-Language classes.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
While this type of behavior may be acceptable in Somalia or Lebanon, it’s not acceptable here in Canada and good on the administration at Queen E for nipping it in the bud.
Lawes Wraps Up Playoff Berth At World Juniors
13/03/2009 05:50
VANCOUVER - Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes clinched a playoff berth at the world junior curling championships with an 8-2 win over Switzerland's Martina Baumann on Wednesday.
Lawes took three points in the fifth end and stole a pair in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Lawes is in a four-way tie for first place at 6-2 with Switzerland, Russia and Scotland. With the next best team, the United States, at 4-4, the four leaders have already clinched playoff berths. All that remains it to sort out the placement of the top four.
"We're top two for sure," said Winnipeg's Lawes. "All that matters now is the placement".
"We've beaten the teams with the same record as us, so we would get first (place) if we win our last one."
Canada's final match is Thursday afternoon.
Russia's Margarita Fomina clinched a playoff berth with 9-3 thrashing of American skip Alexandra Carlson.
Scotland's Eve Muirhead, the defending champion was idle.
In the other Wednesday morning matchup, Sweden defeated Denmark 6-2. Sweden's Anna Hasselborg is now 3-5, tied with France's Marie Coulot, while Danish skip Mette de Neergaard is now 2-6.
Anna Kubeskova of the Czech Republic is 2-5 while Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa is at 1-6.
In men's action, Sweden's Oskar Eriksson edged Scotland's Graeme Black 6-5 on Wednesday to move a step closer to a playoff berth at the world junior curling championships.
The Swedes improved to 5-3, a game behind Denmark and the defending champion United States (both 5-2) and a step ahead of 4-4 Norway.
In other games, Switzerland's Roger Meier beat Russia's Andrey Drozdov 8-7 on a measurement while Germany's Konstantin Kaempf earned his first win, an 8-4 whipping of China's Jialiang Zang.
The Swiss are 3-4, China and Scotland are 3-5, Russia is 2-5 and Germany is 1-7.
Canada's Brett Gallant (7-1) was idle. Gallant's Charlottetown rink is the only team to have clinched a playoff spot.
The tournament is being held at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, host of the 2010 Olympic curling and Paralympic Wheelchair curling competitions.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Well, it’s still looking very good for both Canadian teams, Brett Gallant and Kaitlyn Lawes, at this year’s World Junior Curling Championships, folks.
Laraque Calls GM’s Recommendations ‘A Joke’
13/03/2009 05:50
Montreal Canadiens forward Georges Laraque is outraged by recommen-
dations made by general managers participating in the annual NHL GM meetings in Naples, Florida.
"All of their recommendations are a joke!" Laraque charged after reading the NHL's plans on TSN.ca.
League managers are recommending the existing instigator penalty be called more frequently in an effort to curb fighting. In addition, the GMs will push for stiff punishment for those involved in what the NHL calls "staged fights" - fights that usually erupt immediately following face-offs.
It's that proposed penalty - a 10-minute misconduct - which really angers Laraque.
"Stupidest thing ever!" Laraque told TSN. "I think it's a joke. They might as well take fighting out of the NHL...fighting won't be safer; it will be eliminated because an added 10 minute misconduct is too much."
The referee will determine whether a fight qualifies as "staged", and Laraque insists this rule adjustment will eliminate jobs: "This will take the one-dimensional player out of the NHL because that's who they will say starts a staged fight."
Laraque says NHL enforcers, who are often used to try and change the momentum of a game, will be forced out.
"Why even bother showing up for training camp?," Laraque questioned.
Laraque says he has been told by NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly that he will be involved in a discussion panel on fighting to promote a safer environment.
"Bottom line, I don't agree with what they are recommending," Laraque said. "No one in that meeting does it (fights) for a living. Why am I not there, or Boogaard, or a player who this is directly going to impact?".
Kelly responded to Laraque's cutting comments by stating that it's his belief the recommendations made this week in Florida will have to clear through the CBA process before becoming reality.
More from TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Bettman would welcome fighting discussion with Laraque.
McKenzie: Enforcement of instigator could reduce fighting.
NHL GMs looking to cut down on ‘staged’ fights.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Could it possibly be, in fact, that big Georges Laraque is the joke in all of this?
2010 Olympic Berths A Long And Winding Road
13/03/2009 05:50
CALGARY - Got more than a few minutes and some patience? It'll take a while to tell you how Canada's curling teams for the 2010 Olympics will be decided.
You still might by hazy on the process even after an explanation and good luck finding someone who can clarify it for you. The top skips in the land can't do it.
"I cannot explain it in seven sentences or less," said reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue. "I don't think the average person can understand it. It's far too complicated."
Canada is a safe bet for two Olympic curling medals in Vancouver next February. Since the sport made its Olympic debut in 1998, Canada is 6-for-6 in medals won.
In fairness, most people don't know how the country's biathletes and bobsledders qualify for the Olympics. But those sports aren't on television for nine days straight and watched by legions of avid followers.
When asked at the Tim Hortons Brier on Tuesday, Calgarian Mervin Nelson wasn't clear on how teams get to the trials Dec. 6 to 13 in Edmonton.
"Not for sure," he said. "I know who is in the running. It's tournaments and who wins the most money and that's about it."
One men's team and one women's team will represent Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Eight men's and eight women's teams will play off for that right at the Roar of the Rings in Edmonton.
That's the easy part. You could stop there to keep it simple.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
There you have it – it’s still as clear as mud. You know what? I think I’ll wait until the trials when the eight men’s and eight women’s teams competing for the Canadian Olympic curling berths are finally determined. To try to figure out who they are going to be beforehand is pure insanity.
The Real Story Behind Oil Prices?
12/03/2009 04:48
Don,
Please see attached the script that was recentely on a CBS program called 60 minutes ... Great read!
Regards,
Roger Lemieux
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
A good read indeed Roger, thanks for sending it along. I uploaded it to my web site and readers can view it by clicking here.
Dog For Sale . . .
12/03/2009 04:48
Blue Ducks Likely To Die Out In UK
12/03/2009 04:47
After male birds get
togetherAttempts to breed a rare species of duck to avoid extinction in the UK have backfired after the only two remaining males fell for each other.
Keepers at a bird sanctuary in West Sussex hoped that the last remaining female Blue Duck in the country - called Cherry - might mate with either of the drakes, Ben or Jerry.
But neither male duck appeared interested and are now inseparable at the Arundel Wetland Centre, leaving Cherry to her own devices.
Centre warden Paul Stevens said he was disappointed that efforts to produce new Blue Duck offspring had failed but said the two male birds made "a lovely couple".
"They stay together all the time, parading up and down their enclosure and whistling to each other as a male might do with a female he wants to mate with," he said.
"People who visit the centre think they're a fantastic couple, without really coming around to the idea that they are two males.
"They both have very big personalities and people come from all over the country to come and see them.
Cherry doesn't seem bothered by it, she's just happy to keep herself to herself."
Blue ducks originate from New Zealand but there were thought to be just three birds in the UK.
Keepers initially introduced Ben to Cherry, but neither seemed keen. They then brought Jerry down from a sanctuary in London.
Mr Stevens said: "Cherry showed some interest in him. She displayed typical mating behaviour - she approached him and called to him, she even looked like she was nesting.
"We thought it was great and it was all going to happen but nothing ever did."
Mr Stevens said the male ducks were then placed in the same enclosure: "To our surprise the two males really took to each other and it was obvious that they really liked each other.
"It would have been nice to get a last clutch of eggs from Cherry but Ben and Jerry do make a lovely couple."
SINC SAYS:
You might say these two are ducking their responsibility to the species.
Where Is The Concern For The Children?
12/03/2009 04:47
What is it going to
take to end the evil that is being inflicted
upon innocent
children?We are not speaking about failings of a Ministry who - through ignorance - may be 'out of touch' on dire issues plaguing children in Alberta's foster care system. Rather, of bureaucrats which has been educated on issues and are well-aware; yet refuses to be accountable so that positive change might occur!
Increasing numbers of persons are stepping forward with their personal stories. On a daily basis, within the Province!
Does the Public feel that any child deserves this? Is this considered acceptable care?
(Again, I must submit the message anonymously - as legislation dictates - entrusting it to the media until one day when I hope and pray this particular horrible and tragic story may be openly discussed in its entirety!)
No Name Please
SINC SAYS:
The wheels of govenment are slow to change, but I read that an inquiry has been lauched in the latest case. Take heart that this may be a long awaited start for advocates like yourself.
Plane Makes Emergency Landing At J.F.K.
12/03/2009 04:47
A commercial jetliner
suffered a loss of one of its two engines
shortly after taking off from La Guardia
Airport on Wednesday morning and was forced to
make an emergency landing at Kennedy
International Airport, officials said.
American Airlines Flight 309, an MD-80 bound for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, landed at Kennedy around 8:35 a.m. after losing a trail of metal parts, evidently from its No. 2 engine, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Some of the metal parts were reported to have fallen onto a rooftop of a commercial building in Queens.
There were 88 passengers and five crew members on board, said Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the airline. No one was injured.
The flight departed La Guardia shortly after 8 a.m. As it climbed to its flying altitude, the crew reported hearing a loud noise, then told air-traffic controllers that its second engine had failed. A special crew of emergency responders rushed to the runway, bracing for the possibility of a crash landing or fire, as the plane landed safely at Runway 22 Right, according to Jim Peters, an F.A.A. official. The plane then taxied to the ramp.
Most of the engine parts, including a four-foot section, landed on the roof of a plumbing company’s building on 123rd Street, in College Point, Mr. Peters said. He said federal officials and officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had gone to the location.
“The F.A.A. sent guys over there to inspect it,” Mr. Peters said. “The Port Authority police sent a unit over there and are in the process of picking up the pieces and photographing them, and they will be brought over to La Guardia for inspection.”
A man who answered the phone at Varsity Plumbing and Heating, at 31-99 123rd Street, said he was there when debris landed on the roof.
“As far as I know, just something fell off the plane and landed on the roof,” said the man, who provided only his first name, Steve. “I don’t know what it was or how it happened.” He said that the business was in the regular flight path and that people there often heard the roar of planes overhead.
Details here.
SINC SAYS:
Just what is it lately with planes losing engines in New York?
Diver Grappled With 12ft Tiger Shark To Save Friend
12/03/2009 04:47
Plunging a knife in
again and again, diver Craig Clasen grapples
with a 12ft tiger shark to protect a
friend.For two hours he wrestled with the giant, spearing it seven times, even drowning the beast before eventually finishing it off with a knife.
Mr Clasen was hunting yellow fin tuna with fellow fisherman Cameron Kirkconnell, photographer D.J Struntz and film maker Ryan McInnis in the Gulf of Mexico when the encounter took place.
The group were about to leave the deep waters south of the Mississippi River's mouth, when Mr McInnis found himself alone in the company of a tiger shark.
With no time to lose, Mr Clasen grabbed his speargun and swam to his stranded friend, who was being circled by the giant predator.
'I positioned myself between Ryan and the shark and I tried to watch it for a second, hoping it would pass us by,' explained 32-year-old Mr Clasen.
'I noticed that the shark was getting tighter and tighter and just kept trying to get a back angle on us and behaving in an aggressive manner.
'The shark made a roll and looked like it was going to charge us so I just went ahead and took the conservative route and put a shaft through its gills.
'Cameron and I have been around sharks for years and we all have a lot of experience with them but this encounter had a different feel to it.
'Down in my core I really felt the shark was there to feed. I didn't want it to come to that.'
Mr Clasen spent nearly two hours wrestling with the giant 12ft shark, spearing it seven times and even attempting to drown the beast before eventually finishing it off with a long blade knife.
Details here.
SINC SAYS:
You would not catch this chicken anywhere near the ocean closer than the beach. And even then, a loooong way back.
Howard Brothers Pick On Stoughton
12/03/2009 04:47
Martin racks up two more victories to keep pace for first
And on the fourth day, the curling gods sent Jeff Stoughton against the Howard brothers.
Bing, bang. Two black eyes.
In what turned out to be a cruel twist of scheduling on Tuesday in this 80th edition of the Tim Hortons Brier, the Winnipeg-based foursome lost to both brothers. It was the first and only time a team will have to play the two former Canadian men's curling champions on the same day, let alone in back-to-back draws.
Two-time Brier winner and 53-year-old New Brunswick skip Russ Howard threw the first punch at the Manitoba champions, a 5-4 decision on the afternoon shift, and then 2007 Brier champion Glenn Howard delivered one to the chin on the evening draw, guiding his Ontario hotshots to an 8-5 victory.
All that after little brother Glenn had taken care of big brother 7-2 on eight ends during the morning draw.
Glenn Howard needed the win over Stoughton to remain unbeaten through seven games and keep pace with defending champion Kevin Martin and his Alberta monsters from Edmonton and Calgary, who racked up two more convincing victories.
Needless to say, the gap continues to grow between the two 7-0 front-runners and the rest of the field. Brad Gushue of Newfoundland sits third at 5-2, then it's Stoughton and Russ Howard at 4-3. Two other teams, B.C.'s Sean Geall and Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard, have four losses.
Ontario gained control against Stoughton with a three-count on the fifth end to grab a 6-1 lead. He drew through an extremely slender port twice to make tap-backs of a buried Manitoba stone biting the button.
"That was definitely a big turning point," said Stoughton. "If my rock is eight inches higher or eight inches lower then he might have only gotten one. He still had to navigate a pretty nice port there... it seemed pretty easy because we did it three times, but it didn't look that easy."
Howard, nevertheless, had to draw against three with his last rock on the 10th end to seal the deal.
"A taste of the brothers. A tough day for Manitoba and a good day for Ontario and New Brunswick, I guess," said the winning skip, who lost the last five ends 4-2 and didn't feel like his team made a serious mistake.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
BRIER UPDATE:
Alberta’s Kevin Martin pounded Mike Jakubo of Northern Ontario 8-2 yesterday afternoon, before slamming Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton 8-2 in last night's draw to improve his Brier leading record to 9-0.
Martin plays Mark Dacey of Nova Scotia this afternoon, before finishing the round-robin part of the competition against Ontario's Glenn Howard tonight, in what should be just a ring-a-ding-dong-dandy of a contest. Catch all of the Brier action live at 8:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN-HD.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Personally, I don’t mind when anyone picks on Jeff Stoughton. It’s always nice to see his huge ego deflated a little bit.
Show Of Emotion Sparks Plenty Of Reaction
12/03/2009 04:47
Russ Howard breaks his curling broom with two-handed axe-swing after missed shot
All around him, his peers were nodding approvingly.
Russ Howard was about an hour removed from destroying the head of his broom after taking a two-handed axe-swing upon missing a fifth-end shot against little brother Glenn and giving up a steal of three.
He followed up by smacking the offending broom-head down the ice with the remaining handle, then throwing his gripper in disgust at the scoreboard.
Nothing wrong with that, said Glenn Howard.
"It's cool," said the Ontario skip, after his 7-2 win Tuesday morning in the Canadian men's curling championship at Pengrowth Saddledome.
"He wants to win that as bad as anybody, and he shows the intensity, and that's what I grew to love about the guy. He wants to win, and that's what you have to do." Yet the winningest skip in Brier history wanted nothing to do with talk of the broom-killing swing, despite doing it in front of a national television audience and nearly 10,000 fans.
"You guys shouldn't talk about that (bleep)," said the two-time Brier and world champion. "That's your problem. We're out here with the best athletes in the world and that's what you worry about.
"Nobody talks about Glenn curling 98 per cent. So why should I talk about it? That (Glenn) should be your story. I think you guys should be worrying about the betterment of the sport, and that doesn't help." How does it not help? If ever there was a sport in need of a jolt of passion and excitement, it's curling (and this is coming from someone who is a lifelong fan and participant).
If nothing else, Howard showed both and that's a credit to him, not something to be embarrassed about, and Howard seemed just that after the game.
"I agree with that (about showing passion being a good thing), but I don't think you drag it through the mud," said Howard. "It offends a lot of people." Yeah, maybe the few folks who undoubtedly fired off whining e-mails to the Canadian Curling Association on Tuesday.
But rest assured, far more fans were impressed with what Howard did than not, and so were his fellow competitors.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
That’s Russ Howard for you. His peers will say he’s a fierce competitor and curling needs more athletes like Russ who show their emotions. Personally, I’ve always thought Russ was a bit of a “showboat” and an attention seeker.
Pocklington Arrested On Bankruptcy Fraud Charges
12/03/2009 04:47
Peter Pocklington, former owner of the Edmonton Oilers, was arrested this morning at his Palm Springs-area home on charges of bankruptcy fraud for allegedly concealing assets during bankruptcy proceedings, according to a news release from the office of the United States Attorney, Central District of California.
Pocklington, 67, of Palm Desert, was arrested without incident at his residence by the FBI, the release said.
"A two-count indictment returned under seal last Wednesday by a federal grand jury and unsealed today accuses Pocklington of making false statements in bankruptcy, and making false oaths and accounts in bankruptcy," the release said.
FBI agents also executed search warrants at Pocklington’s residence in The Lakes, an exclusive development, and at two storage units that he controls.
Pocklington filed for personal bankruptcy in August 2008, citing debts of approximately $19.6 million US. In his bankruptcy petition he said his assets totalled essentially only $2,900, inclduing $300 worth of clothing and shoes.
The U.S. attorney's release said the petition "raised suspicions that he was not disclosing all of his assets to the Bankruptcy Court."
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Why doesn’t this surprise me one bit, folks? You just had to know that Pocklington still had a little "stash" somewhere, didn't you?
Pat Ryan Now ‘Express’es Himself Through Song
12/03/2009 04:47
They are simply known as The Ryans.
Pat Ryan, the famous and now retired curler, and his daughter Lynsay, the 24-year-old unforgettable in a nude pose in a curling calendar and an accomplished musician, songwriter and singer.
Now they are a duet, performing at assorted functions such as this week's Tim Hortons Brier Canadian men's curling championship.
"I figured it was a good time to pick up the guitar, wind up my curling career and take on something new," smiled the 53-year-old Ryan, a two-time Brier champion out of Alberta in the late 1980s and one-time Brier winner out of B.C. in 1994. "This is something to refocus upon."
The Ryan Express last played in a Brier in 2003, and it wasn't long after that the native Winnipegger, who calls Kelowna, B.C., home, started to take his singing and songwriting beyond impromptu performances at bonspiel parties.
"It started four years ago when I found myself writing songs," he said. "I thought I better start recording them, and I had some real good help with my daughter because she's been a musician all her life and it inspired me to do a little bit more with it.
"So here we are playing in public. She's done that a lot, but I've never really played in public that much. We're having some fun . . . it's pretty cool for a dad to be able to do something with his daughter."
Although Ryan officially packed up his slider and broom last year, he served as an alternate for Peter Corner's team in the recent Ontario men's playdowns.
"I haven't missed it too much," he said, "but I was kind of getting the itch to get out there at the Ontario playdowns.
"I don't miss all the little playdowns, the circuit, the tour, but I do miss playing in the big events like the Brier."
Lynsay did some curling, about 10 years of it with former Brier champion Rick Folk's daughter Andrea, but her calling was always music. And, it seems, to help groom her father for the stage as a professional.
"Oh, he needed a little work," she said. "He commutes to Toronto where I live, so we get together the odd weekend, practice, write some duets. Our first gig together was the Arnold Asham Stomp in Winnipeg last summer and we've done a few since."
Right now Pat Ryan has two albums on myspace.com, Old Dog-New Tricks and Little Bit of Trouble, the latter featuring this week's biggest hit, The Brier Song.
"You do the thing you love and that's music," he said.
"You also try and design songs that people like and if you do catch their interest with one, it can certainly make a big difference to all the other music you've written because people want to listen to it as well.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I’ve seen Pat Ryan perform and he’s an awesome entertainer. He does a really ‘mean’ Elvis impersonation.
School Fitness Programs Do Not Go Far Enough
12/03/2009 04:47
Author says focus should be on strength-training, eating habits
Fitness programs in schools help to get children moving, but experts say more is needed to curb rising obesity rates.
Instead of low intensity aerobic exercise, which dominates most school programs, Frederick Hahn, the author of the new book, Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, believes the emphasis should be on strength-training and eating the right foods.
"All kids need to let off steam," he told Reuters. "But almost all the so-called fitness programs for kids are wrong-headed."
Hahn, co-founder of the National Council for Exercise Standards, wants to equip school gyms with exercise machines and barbells. He said strength-or resistance-training combined with a low-carbohydrate diet is the most effective way to battle childhood flab.
"Strength-training is exercise 'concentrate.' You can use a lot less of it," said Hahn, an exercise trainer for 20 years.
According to his book just 30 minutes per week of resistance training will increase muscle mass and speed metabolism in children. Physical activity alone is not enough to prevent obesity in children, he added.
A recent review of 26 studies of school-based activity programs for six- to 18-year olds in North America, South America, Australia, and Europe, appears to support his thesis.
"It is a must that physical activity be a regular part of the (school) day," said Dr. Maureen Dobbins, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., who led the review team.
But Dobbins said her findings, published online by the Cochrane Library, showed school-based activities were not effective in getting kids to be more active outside of school.
"Other activities are needed," she said.
Even more troubling, the review showed that school-based programs had little impact on weight control.
Obesity among children aged six to 11 has more than doubled in 20 years, going from 6.5 per cent in 1980 to 17 per cent in 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 has more than tripled.
Dr. Wayne Westcott has helped to bring strength-training programs to some 30 public schools in the Boston area. Fitness research director for the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass., Westcott has also served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
"There is no change in body composition without strength-training," he said. "I think strength-training is the missing component in schools."
But for Diane Gallagher, the missing component is dance.
A New York City school teacher with a degree in dance, Gallagher takes her love of movement to public school children in Manhattan through a government-funded enrichment program.
"(New York City) public schools have gym only once a week," she said, "so that is where it is needed the most. The kids get some exercise while having fun."
Gallagher, whose own dancing career has encompassed the styles of modernist pioneer Isadora Duncan and burlesque queen Ann Corio, works with children from kindergarten through fifth grade.
"I use a variety of music from swing, Broadway musicals, even a little James Brown and Beach Boys," she said. "My goal is to introduce kids to the pleasure of dance," Gallagher said. "There are no wrong answers in dance."
And there are very few fat dancers.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
No wonder we have a “child and adolescent” world-wide obesity epidemic on our hands? What exercise do most kids get these days, except spending 8-12 hours a day on their computers and/or playing computer games? Or, playing with their iPods, cell phones, BlackBerry, voice mail, email, text messaging, Internet, Facebook, Twitter, or other such nonsense. Oh, man, don’t get me started!
Gallant’s Perfect Record Gone, Clinches Playoff Berth
12/03/2009 04:47
Lawes shrugs off pair of losses, returns to winning ways in junior women’s competition
The Canadian men's team had a so-so day, but still clinched a playoff berth at the 2009 world junior curling championships on Tuesday in Vancouver.
After earlier suffering his first defeat -- a 6-4 loss to Scotland -- Canadian skip Brett Gallant rebounded with a 8-6 victory over China's Jialiang Zang on the late draw.
Gallant's rink from Prince Edward Island improved to 7-1 with the victory and clinched the first men's berth in the playoffs.
"That was a bit better,'' Gallant said of his team's quick start against China. "(Slow starts) haven't really been a problem all year. Here we've been struggling a bit early in the week but we're coming around now.'' Earlier Tuesday, Graeme Black's Scottish foursome broke open a tight contest with a three-count in the seventh end and stole two more points in the eighth for a 6-2 lead.
Gallant scored a deuce of his own in the ninth, but Scottish lead Thomas Sloan made a perfect split in the 10th on the way to victory.
"We're still in the competition," said Black. "It was the first time we've put a team under pressure. You're always wanting to raise your game against the best, and we did that." "I didn't make any shots," said Gallant. "I should have slept in. My team played well in front of me, but..." Trailing Canada at 5-2 is Denmark's Rasmus Stjerne and Chris Plys of the U.S., with Sweden's Oskar Eriksson at 4-3, Norway's Kristian Rolvsjord at 4-4, China, Switzerland's Roger Meier and Scotland at 3-4, Russia's Andrey Drozdov at 2-5 and Germany's Konstantin Kaempf winless at 0-7.
In other Tuesday evening games, Scotland outscored Norway 8-6, the U.S. downed Russia 8-5 and Denmark stole three on the 11th end to stun Sweden 8-5.
Meanwhile, Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes shrugged off two straight losses to defeat Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa 13-4 on the women's side.
The Winnipeg foursome improved its record to 5-2, tied with Russia. Japan sank to 1-6.
Switzerland's Martina Baumann scored a late three-ender to defeat France's Marie Coulot 7-5. The Swiss were in first place with a 6-1 record. Defending champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland was second at 6-2.
Czech Republic's Anna Kubeskova beat Denmark's Mette de Neegaard 8-4, with both rinks sharing 2-5 records with Sweden's Anna Haselborg. The United States, skipped by Alexandra Carlson, is in the middle of the pack at 4-3.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Well, I see the junior double, double gold dream is still alive and well for Canada’s junior curling champions, Brett Gallant and Kaitlyn Lawes. And, it’s probably a blessing in disguise that Gallant lost a game. It’s far better to lose one now than in the final, for instance.
Woods Looks To Get On Track With Masters Looming
12/03/2009 04:47
DORAL, Fla. - Fans began showing up at Doral on Tuesday morning when it was dark. Several hundred surrounded the first tee when Tiger Woods finally arrived for another practice round at dawn.
And then he was gone.
Unlike his short-lived return to competition two weeks ago at the Accenture Match Play Championship, where he was eliminated in the second round, this disappearing act lasted only a few seconds as he walked through a thick strip of fog that stretched across the fairway.
Woods is assured of playing four rounds this week.
The CA Championship, which starts Thursday on the Blue Monster with a world-class field of 80 players, will be his first stroke-play tournament since he won the U.S. Open in June, a week before reconstructive surgery on his left knee.
There is no cut, which certainly helps.
''I've only played two tournaments in what - 10 months? Not a whole lot of golf,'' Woods said. ''So for me, I just need rounds under my belt, and this week will obviously be a very positive week for me - four rounds and no cuts, which is exactly what I need.''
It is a drastic change from where he was a year ago.
Woods had won seven consecutive tournaments over six months when he showed up at Doral last year with the golf world buzzing over the prospect of a perfect season. Geoff Ogilvy stopped all the hype by winning the CA Championship. Two weeks later, Trevor Immelman ended the discussion of a Grand Slam with a three-shot victory over Woods at the Masters.
And now?
Since leaving Doral last year, Woods has played 11 rounds of tournament golf.
Sergio Garcia has a chance to replace him at No. 1 in the world this week if he wins the CA Championship and Woods finishes 27th or worse. Woods has never been out of the top 10 at Doral, but no one really knows what to expect.
Two days in Arizona for the Match Play revealed more about the state of his knee than the state of his game.
''It was a big shot of confidence for me to get out there and play again and feel physically sound,'' he said. ''It couldn't have been more positive, except for obviously getting beat in the second round.
''But from a physical standpoint, it was better than I thought it would be.''
The Florida Swing traditionally begins the road to the Masters.
Woods is still backing the car out of the garage.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet against Woods this week.
The Mystery Of The Wedding Photo . . .
11/03/2009 06:05
My wife and I were
out walking in the Lacombe dog park February 28
and it was -18 and here were some young ladies
in a weddding party getting there pics taken.
I think I asked them if I could get a pic. This is my best shot of the afternoon. I really enjoyed this pic unfortunally I did not give them my e-mail to e-mail them this pic.
Regards,
Dave Beaudette
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
If anyone recognizes any of these young ladies and can help Dave get a copy of the picture to them, please let me know and I will forward it to Dave. Click on picture to see larger image.
Taxpayers Association Meeting Report And Outlook
11/03/2009 06:05
Hi Folks:
At our last meeting we talked about gathering your input in two areas:
1. SATpA Strategy Development. Your committee is meeting the weekend of March 13th to begin work on a draft strategy document. By March 13th please respond with your ideas on our major goals and tactics to achieve each. E. G. a goal may be "to build our membership to 100" a tactic may be "call all writers of letters about Council issues".
2. Gareth Jones, Councilor, is coming to our next meeting we will discuss questions that we would like responses to with him. Would you provide me with your question prior to March 20th as I'll be giving them to him Monday March 23 so he can research them before our meeting.
My e-mail is flannie@shaw.ca
Thanks a lot for your interest and participation.
Lynda Flannery
President
SINC SAYS:
Sounds to me like progress is being made each month Linda. Thanks for the update. I apologize for the lateness of the report folks. Linda sent it along in good time, but I forgot a few items and am playing catch up this week.
90# On Your Telephone Warning?
11/03/2009 06:05
So many readers have
sent me this dire warning that I think it is
time to put it to rest. Here is what I have
receive any number of times in the past week:
PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service Technician (could also be Telus) who was conducting a test on the telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9), zero(0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.
Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number.
I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE.
SINC SAYS:
Whenever you get one of these types of e-mails ALWAYS check it out by searching for it on snopes.com. While there is a portion of truth to the scam, it is not nearly a dire as the e-mails would have you believe.
This scam does have its origins in truth, but only if the caller dialed and got a switchboard operator. Anyone who has worked in a business environment of any kind will know that to dial an outside number from that business, you have to dial “9” first to get an outside line or dial tone. If you were to then dial “0”, #, you would get the long distance operator.
If a switchboard operator followed those instructions, he/she would in fact have just opened a long distance line to the scammer and the company would be liable for the long distance charges. A normal home phone line does not work this way and as far a snopes is concerned, there is very little chance the average person would suffer any harm or even receive such a call. Here is what snopes has to say about the item:
So, everyone take a deep breath and use your delete key to rid yourselves of this over used internet scare tactic. It ain’t gonna happen to you.
PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service Technician (could also be Telus) who was conducting a test on the telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9), zero(0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.
Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number.
I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE.
SINC SAYS:
Whenever you get one of these types of e-mails ALWAYS check it out by searching for it on snopes.com. While there is a portion of truth to the scam, it is not nearly a dire as the e-mails would have you believe.
This scam does have its origins in truth, but only if the caller dialed and got a switchboard operator. Anyone who has worked in a business environment of any kind will know that to dial an outside number from that business, you have to dial “9” first to get an outside line or dial tone. If you were to then dial “0”, #, you would get the long distance operator.
If a switchboard operator followed those instructions, he/she would in fact have just opened a long distance line to the scammer and the company would be liable for the long distance charges. A normal home phone line does not work this way and as far a snopes is concerned, there is very little chance the average person would suffer any harm or even receive such a call. Here is what snopes has to say about the item:
So, everyone take a deep breath and use your delete key to rid yourselves of this over used internet scare tactic. It ain’t gonna happen to you.
Woman's Dance Classes Confused With Lap Dances
11/03/2009 06:05
A woman is
experiencing a case of mistaking identity;
not of her personal identity, but of what her
business
offers.
When Helen Hart tried to jumpstart business at her house by putting up a sign for adult tap dancing classes, the 79-year-old grandma started fielding calls for adult lap dancing services.
"I get maybe three to 17 [calls] a week," Helen said. "I'm nearly 80, so age does mean something. Can you imagine a man coming to the door and I open the door and I go, 'Yeah?' He goes, 'Oh, never mind.'"
The average age for Helen's tap-dancing students is about 60 years old, a Bible is prominently displayed 10 feet from the entrances and inspirational messages can be seen throughout her house -- anyone who had the wrong idea would be quickly corrected when they reached the front door.
Some of her students don't think it would be such a bad thing if people thought they were coming by as part of a lap dance service. "At my age, it's a little flattering," laughed Jane Viar.
Helen says when men call, she just tells them to bring their daughters over so she can teach them to tap dance. That usually ends the conversation.
SINC SAYS:
Ya gotta love a lady with a sense of humour. See the video here.
When Helen Hart tried to jumpstart business at her house by putting up a sign for adult tap dancing classes, the 79-year-old grandma started fielding calls for adult lap dancing services.
"I get maybe three to 17 [calls] a week," Helen said. "I'm nearly 80, so age does mean something. Can you imagine a man coming to the door and I open the door and I go, 'Yeah?' He goes, 'Oh, never mind.'"
The average age for Helen's tap-dancing students is about 60 years old, a Bible is prominently displayed 10 feet from the entrances and inspirational messages can be seen throughout her house -- anyone who had the wrong idea would be quickly corrected when they reached the front door.
Some of her students don't think it would be such a bad thing if people thought they were coming by as part of a lap dance service. "At my age, it's a little flattering," laughed Jane Viar.
Helen says when men call, she just tells them to bring their daughters over so she can teach them to tap dance. That usually ends the conversation.
SINC SAYS:
Ya gotta love a lady with a sense of humour. See the video here.
High-Five Killjoys Hit Crossing Guard
11/03/2009 06:05
A COUNCIL has today
defended its decision to ban a Deer Park North
school crossing supervisor from high-fiving
students and
parents.Lollipop man Charlie Cremona has welcomed the children of Deer Park North Primary School in Melbourne’s west for the past 18 years.
After standing in the sun, rain and wind twice daily for all those years, he was stunned when told recently he must stop “high-fiving” students and parents on his Hovell St crossing.
But Brimbank city development general manager Peter Collina today said the ban was in response to a parent’s complaint about “a number of concerns, including that of physical contact with the children”.
“Council has investigated the complaint and observed the supervisor’s behaviour and found that a number of his actions all potentially distracted him from his responsibility to keep the crossing safe,” Mr Collina said.
Mr Cremona said the friendly interaction with the community was one of the bonuses of the job, in which he helps 130 children over the crossing each day.
The grandfather-to-be estimated 80 per cent of his group would slap a quick high five along the way.
School principal Joe Vella said Mr Cremona was a “terrific” supervisor with “a heart of gold”.
Mr Vella said the ban on high fives took away the human element of the job.
“For what (crossing supervisors) put up with they probably deserve more respect,’’ Mr Vella said.
A Facebook group, ”Support Charlie the lollipop legend and bring back the high five”, has been set up to push the council to repeal its ban.
But Mr Collina said while high-fiving “may appear innocent enough, it should be limited to times when children are not being assisted to cross the road”.
“Council realises that establishing a rapport with the parents and children is important and encourages all school crossing supervisors to do so,’’ Mr Collina said in a statement today.
“However, the safety of the children is the primary purpose of Mr Cremona’s duties and it is vitally important that he gives his full attention to his duties, especially while children are on the crossing. Any distraction from his attention to all of the children on the crossing - and the traffic at or approaching the crossing - will potentially place the children at risk.”
Mr Cremona said he felt self-conscious and embarrassed as children were instructed not to slap hands any more.
“One little girl, a little three-year-old with her mother started crying when I told her I couldn’t high-five any more - she didn’t understand,” Mr Cremona said.
Grade 6 student Jessica was visibly upset and confused by the ban when the Leader visited last week.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with it, everyone used to give him high fives, he’s been doing it for ages,” she said.
Local mothers and former students Nicole Sierzputowksi and Beth Neville said the ban was “pathetic” and “stupid”.
Ms Neville said Mr Cremona’s friendly style encouraged the children to “do the right thing” and use the crossing safely.
“I’ve never seen it run so smoothly,” Ms Sierzputowksi said.
The pair are petitioning to “Bring back Mr Cremona’s high fives” and have 400 signatures so far.
Mr Collina said the council had received public responses both in favour of and against its ban.
SINC SAYS:
Why is it that one must apparently be a mental midget to be on a council?
Feeding the Eagles!
11/03/2009 06:05
Comox, B.C., Vancouver Island , January
2009
A great collection
of shots of Eagles in the wild.
Brothers Exchange Same Birthday Card Since 1973
11/03/2009 06:05
COLORADO SPRINGS,
Colo. – Darryl and Dan Culberson didn't have to
wait for the latest recession to become
frugal.
The brothers have
been saving money every year with a friendly
game of one-upmanship when it comes to being
cheap, exchanging the same birthday card since
1973.
The tradition
started when, in lieu of a present,
62-year-old Darryl sent his older brother a
card of a masked bandit on a motorcycle with
the caption, "The Phantom Cheapo strikes
again!"
Darryl calls his 68-year-old brother "the cheapest person I've ever met."
Not to be outdone, Dan decided to send the card back when it was his brother's birthday.
So for 36 years, Darryl has sent the card in January to Dan in Boulder, and he sends it back to Darryl in Colorado Springs in March.
The card has yellowed over the years, and the greetings now run along the back cover, one concise greeting after another. The card is held together with tape.
With the brothers running out of room to write greetings, Dan jokes one of them will have to break down and buy a new card soon.
Once, Darryl thought he had lost the card, but found it amid papers in a desk.
"It was terrible. I was really upset about that," he told The Colorado Springs Gazette. "We always kid each other about what we're going to do when we run out of space. And we hope that it stays together enough until we die."
SINC SAYS:
Sometimes what starts as a joke becomes a family tradition. It’s happened before you know.
Darryl calls his 68-year-old brother "the cheapest person I've ever met."
Not to be outdone, Dan decided to send the card back when it was his brother's birthday.
So for 36 years, Darryl has sent the card in January to Dan in Boulder, and he sends it back to Darryl in Colorado Springs in March.
The card has yellowed over the years, and the greetings now run along the back cover, one concise greeting after another. The card is held together with tape.
With the brothers running out of room to write greetings, Dan jokes one of them will have to break down and buy a new card soon.
Once, Darryl thought he had lost the card, but found it amid papers in a desk.
"It was terrible. I was really upset about that," he told The Colorado Springs Gazette. "We always kid each other about what we're going to do when we run out of space. And we hope that it stays together enough until we die."
SINC SAYS:
Sometimes what starts as a joke becomes a family tradition. It’s happened before you know.
Kevin Martin Maintains Mystery In Off-Ice Life
11/03/2009 06:05
Through nearly 20 years on the national curling scene, here's what we know about Kevin Martin.
A talented curler, one of the best of all time.
Family man with a knockout wife (Shauna) and three kids (Karrick, 19, Kalycia, 16, and Mykaela, 7, with whom he spends most of his free time).
Businessman who built a successful curling and tennis supply store (Kevin Rocks-n-Racquets) in Edmonton and went into partnership with teammate Marc Kennedy on an M & M Meat Shops franchise.
And you know what? That's just about it.
Until Sunday afternoon, that is, when his lead, Ben Hebert, dropped this little nugget of information when asked about Martin's various theories about curling, and life in general.
"I've heard all his theories; it's a comedy show. I love 'em," said a grinning Hebert. "Nostradamus -- is that his name? He believes in that nonsense, big time."
Turns out, Hebert is on target. Martin first read of the prophecies of Nostradamus 20 years ago, and has come not only to put some faith in them, but also make decisions based in part on them.
"He's right a lot, in my opinion," said Martin of the controversial 16th-century figure, whose prophecies have been interpreted for centuries as foretelling various historic events. "I'm not a real book reader, but I watch any documentary on Nostradamus. It's very interesting to me.
"For somebody so long ago to be so close, and when it came to things like the stock market in 2000, and then he called for a rise for eight to nine years and then it would drop off again -- man, he's bang on."
Which is why Martin sold off his stock portfolio prior to the 2000 tech-sector collapse, started building it again a couple years later, then sold it off completely 18 months ago, escaping both market calamities.
Think about that for a moment: Martin is a guy who plans out his curling career in meticulous detail. He wants no possibility left un-accounted for. He makes demands of his teammates, both on and off the ice, like no other skip in the world. And it's paid off with three Brier titles, a world championship, an Olympic silver medal and more money than other curler has ever made on the cashspiel circuit.
And he's relying on a guy from the 16th century to make his financial decisions?
Well, let's give the man a little credit. If you think for a mo
More from the Edmonton Journal.
BRIER UPDATE:
Alberta's Kevin Martin thumped Sean Geall of B.C. 8-2 in six ends yesterday morning, before absolutely pummeling P.E.I.'s Rod MacDonald 11-4 in six ends in the afternoon, to improve his record to a Brier leading 7-0.
Martin plays Mike Jakubo of Northern Ontario in this afternoon's draw, before tangling with Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton, in what should be a tough game, tonight. Catch all of the Brier action at 8:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on TSN and TSN-HD.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Off the ice, I’ve always thought Kevin Martin was . . . well, a little “off.”
Saints Coaching Trio Dedicated To Landing Title
11/03/2009 06:05
Being good friends helps Hamilton, Marsh and McKee maintain composure when guiding top-ranked team
It will happen sometime later today when the Spruce Grove Saints' bus departs for their playoff game tonight against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Steve Hamilton, Ryan Marsh and Jason McKee will munch on bagels and cream cheese, and then wash them down with bottled water.
They will have a few chuckles. They will ask how everyone's family is doing.
And then out will come the papers, the laptops and the countless new theories on how the Saints will approach Game 3 of the Alberta Junior Hockey League North Division semifinal series.
"Whenever you spend a lot of time together, you have to get along," says McKee, now in his fourth year with Hamilton and Marsh.
"It also helps that we're good friends."
Good coaches, too. The Saints have been the No. 1-ranked Junior A hockey team in Canada for most of the year and only suffered seven regular season losses. They are currently tied 1-1 in their best-of-seven series with the Oil Barons.
"We have always expected the best from our players. The ranking makes no difference," says Hamilton.
"I'm most proud of the fact that we have become a consistently competitive team that has recruited some great young players. That environment creates success on the ice, which leads to increased opportunities for scholarships."
Hamilton played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders while McKee played in Lloydminster. Both men were awarded college scholarships to Michigan.
Marsh played for the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, before playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
Hamilton moved to Spruce Grove three seasons ago after winning coach of the year honours with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders. The son of former Edmonton Oilers captain Al Hamilton was told he could hire his own staff when he landed the Spruce Grove gig.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Good luck to Hamilton, McKee and Marsh and the Spruce Grove Saints (formerly the St. Albert Saints) as they hit the road to Fort McMurray to tangle with the Oil Barons, with the series knotted at 1-1. I think they have a really good chance of winning the AJHL title this year.
Glenn Howard Hits It On Nose To Remain Undefeated
11/03/2009 06:05
Phenomenal final shot scores three and moves Ontario to 5-0
Talk about getting off the canvas and throwing a knockout punch.
Glenn Howard came up with a once-in-a-lifetime shot with his last rock to make a wild double, count three and steal a 7-6 win over Saskatchewan's Joel Jordison to remain unbeaten through five games at the Tim Hortons Brier on Monday.
Trailing for most of the game and down two playing the last end with the hammer, things looked incredibly bleak for the Ontario team, but the 46-year-old skip from the Coldwater club made what he described as an "angle-raise, in-off double, stick it ... throw your arms in the air and run around like an idiot.
"I think I was happier than when we won it in '07."
The result allowed Howard, who defeated Rod MacDonald of Prince Edward Island 8-3 earlier in the day, to keep pace with defending champion Kevin Martin of Alberta in the 80th gathering of Canada's top curlers. Sitting third, after a two-win day, is two-time champion Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba at 4-1, while Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Russ Howard of New Brunswick are next in line at 3-2.
Jordison, who got his first win of the day in the morning and carried the momentum into the evening affair, appeared to have matters well under control as he led most of the way. To say he was stunned by the game-winning shot would be putting it lightly.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
As I said yesterday, even before the published media reports, it was a once in a lifetime shot. And though I saw and called the shot from my living room chair, even then I still didn’t know if it could be made. As I said, you can watch curling as long as you live and you will never see a better shot. It even had brother Russ Howard stunned and, for the first time in his life, I'm sure, speechless.
Jason Maas Excited About 2009 Eskimos
11/03/2009 06:05
Veteran quarterback re-signs with Edmonton for a year and an option
If veteran quarterback Jason Maas had his way, the Canadian Football League season would start tomorrow.
"I'm excited," said Maas, who re-signed with the Edmonton Eskimos for one year with an option for 2010.
"I'm excited about our team. I'm excited about what we did last year, although like everyone disappointed where we ended up. And I'm excited about the additions the team has brought in," he said in reference to linebacker Maurice Lloyd, defensive end Kai Ellis and running back Jesse Lumsden.
"I really like the way this team is unfolding. I think we're set up for a few years to make a run at it." One thing is certain. When Maas, 33, has been with the Eskimos, the team has been a contender. When Maas left for two seasons to play with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes, before returning to Edmonton last year, the Esks missed the playoffs.
"Every time I've been an Eskimo, I felt we could win a Grey Cup. It's no different this year. The opening goal of any Eskimo is to win the Grey Cup," he said.
Maas has no illusions about his role with the team: "Compete for a job, push our quarterbacks harder and, hopefully, be the experienced guy behind Ricky (Ray) that if something happens, to come in and get the job done." That's something Maas has also always done. In 2005, Maas came off the bench in both the Western semi-final and Western Final to get the wins that got the Eskimos to the Grey Cup they won in Vancouver.
In 2004, when Ray signed with the New York Jets of the NFL, Maas passed for 5,270 yards and 31 touchdowns to join Hall of Famer Warren Moon as the second Eskimos QB to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a single season.
"I'll do whatever is asked of me," said Maas, who will undoubtedly be the Eskimos' No. 2 quarterback with Stefan LeFors having been traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
"I've always been that guy to push people and lend a voice when needed. I've always had a good relationship with Ricky and I developed one with (offensive co-ordinator) Rick Worman last year, too." While the Esks should be stronger with Lumsden and Lloyd, the team has some holes to fill with receiver Jason Tucker retiring after breaking his neck and Kelly Campbell signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
"I'll play with the guys we have," said Maas. "I like our whole team.
"Fred Stamps was hurt last year. We've got Maurice Mann and I'm sure they will bring in a lot of guys to compete for jobs in training camp.
"Like I said, 'I'm excited.'"
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I am cautiously optimistic about the 2009 Edmonton Eskimos and the upcoming football season. The Eskimos are a better team today, having re-signed the veteran Jason Maas as their back-up quarterback.
St. Albert’s Tralnberg Helps Swiss Team Chase Olympic Dream
11/03/2009 06:05
The competitive curling fire went out in Ken Tralnberg's stomach three years ago. It's being rekindled, however, and that fire is again flickering, this time not as a competitor, but as a coach of two-time Olympic silver medallist Mirjam Ott and her Swiss rink.
The 52-year-old Tralnberg, who has his own Olympic silver medal as fifth man for the Kevin Martin rink at the 2002 Games, first met Ott a couple of years ago when the pair were hired by the World Curling Federation to conduct a clinic in northern Japan. They kept in touch and last year Ott brought her rink to Edmonton to work with Tralnberg prior to the Boston Pizza Cup bonspiel -- which they won -- and then the world championship in Vernon.
"Then he coached us at important bonspiels or championships and we kept on winning when we had him with the team," Ott said Monday after a two-hour practice session with Tralnberg at the Jasper Place Curling Club.
Asking him to work more with the team was a natural progression. This winter the Edmonton resident has gone overseas to coach the rink at significant events "to work on mechanics, get them in the right mental mindset.
"I've been over there three times," he said. "The Swiss qualifier for Europeans, they won. One (World Curling Tour) event, they won that. Then the Europeans, they won that."
The rink has only to finish in the top eight of the women's world championship in Korea later this month to all but confirm their berth in the 2010 Olympics. Ott said the Swiss curling federation may add a result requirement at the next year's Europeans as well.
Which means Tralnberg, barring some disaster next winter, will be going back to the Olympics and this time he'll play a much more prominent role.
"I played two ends, one end of each game," he said of the 2002 experience with Martin.
"That was an awesome experience and I'm ever grateful for them for choosing me. That being said, my role the next Olympics is going to be significantly different and I'm reveling in the idea of how it's going to unfold.
"We all have dreams, these girls have dreams, and I want to try to do the best I can help them reach it."
The Ott team is dreaming of gold in Vancouver and Tralnberg is anxiously looking forward to another opportunity to participate in the Winter Games, even if he's not competing as an athlete.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Good for the St. Albert native, Ken Tralnberg. He’s obviously done some good work with the Miriam Ott team.
RCGA, RBC Partner With Weir’s Charity Classic
11/03/2009 06:05
Event to be held prior to Canadian Open
Mike Weir has never won the RBC Canadian Open, but his name is now even more synonymous with the country's lone stop on the PGA Tour.
The Royal Bank of Canada and the Royal Canadian Golf Association announced Monday a partnership with the 2003 Masters champion from Bright's Grove, Ont., to make the Mike Weir Foundation a fixture of tournament week.
The inaugural Mike Weir Charity Classic will be held Monday, July 20, at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont. Weir's foundation, which marked its fifth anniversary March 1, is dedicated to advancing the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children across the country, and has raised more than $5 million.
"I'm truly grateful for the support RBC and the RCGA have shown to me in the selection of my foundation as the tournament's national charity partner," Weir said during a conference call from Toronto.
"This goes along way in helping improve the lives of children across Canada and helps the positive things we do in communities."
The event will feature marquee names from sports, music and entertainment, including two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and PGA Tour stars Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Fred Couples, Luke Donald, Mark Calcavecchia, 2008 Canadian Open winner Chez Reavie and Stephen Ames. Half of the 18 foursomes for the event have already been sold at $35,000 each. Teams will play nine holes with one of the tour pros and a second nine with a celebrity.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
Weir teams up with RBC to launch Charity Classic event.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
This event is going to be a great addition to Canadian Open week.
Gallant Moves To 6-0 At World Junior Curling Championships
11/03/2009 06:04
Canada's Brett Gallant ran his winning streak to six games Monday at the world junior curling championships in Vancouver.
The skip from Prince Edward Island gutted out a 7-5 win over Denmark's Rasmus Stjerne to keep his perfect record intact. The Canadians seemed to struggle early, and once again they made a series of clutch shots in the second half to pull out the win.
"That was a tight game," Gallant said in a news release.
"They outplayed us in the first half. They probably didn't play their best game today.
"I just think we're starting off poorly. But I guess it's better to come out hard in the second half than not come out at all."
Russia's Andrey Drozdov downed China's Jialiang Zang 7-6, Norway's Kristian Rolvsjord was an 8-3 winner over Germany's Konstantin Kaempf and Switzerland's Roger Meier hung on to beat Scotland's Graeme Black 6-4.
Gallant's 6-0 mark is two games clear of the field. Both Denmark and Norway are 4-2. Sweden and the United States, both idle on Monday, are 3-2 and Switzerland is 3-3. China is at 2-3, Russia is 2-4, Scotland 1-4 and Germany is last at 0-6.
On the women's side, Kaitlyn Lawes' foursome from Winnipeg fell to 4-2 Monday night after a 10-3 pounding at the hands of the United States' Alexandra Carlson.
Lawes' rink, which includes Breanne Meakin, Laryssa Grenkow and Jenna Loder, led 2-1 after three ends before Carlson reeled off three straight singles to lead 4-2 through six. Lawes got one of those back on the seventh to trail 4-3. On the eighth, however, Carlson blew the game wide open with a four-ender and followed that up with a steal of two on the ninth. At that point, the rinks shook hands.
In other late-draw games, Russia hammered France 11-3, Sweden edged the Czech Republic 7-5 and Switzerland outscored Scotland 8-5.
Russia and Switzerland led the standings following Monday night action, with 5-1 records, followed by Scotland at 5-2, Canada at 4-2, the U.S. at 4-3, France at 3-4, Denmark at 2-4 and Sweden at 2-5. The Czech Republic and Japan trailed at 1-5.
Gallant moves to 6-0 at world junior curling championships.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
All is still A-OK for Canada’s Brett Gallant and Kaitlyn Lawes at this year’s World Juniors. The ladies are also sitting in good shape at 4-2 right now.
Washing Machine Liberated Women Most?
10/03/2009 03:03
VATICAN CITY
(Reuters) – Feminists of the world sit down
before you read
this.
The Vatican
newspaper says that perhaps the washing
machine did more to liberate women in the 20th
century than the pill or the right to work.
The submission was made in a lengthy article titled "The Washing Machine and the Liberation of Women - Put in the Detergent, Close the Lid and Relax."
The article was printed at the weekend in l'Osservatore Romano, the semi-official Vatican newspaper, to mark international Women's Day on Sunday.
"What in the 20th century did more to liberate Western women?," asks the article, which was written by a woman.
"The debate is heated. Some say the pill, some say abortion rights and some the right to work outside the home. Some, however, dare to go further: the washing machine," it says.
It then goes on to talk about the history of washing machines, starting with a rudimentary model in 1767 in Germany and ending up with today's trendy launderettes where a woman can have a cappuccino with friends while the tumbler turns.
SINC SAYS:
I can think of quite a few women who participate in this web site often who are not gonna like this call by the Vatican. I’d call it a direct insult to women everywhere.
The submission was made in a lengthy article titled "The Washing Machine and the Liberation of Women - Put in the Detergent, Close the Lid and Relax."
The article was printed at the weekend in l'Osservatore Romano, the semi-official Vatican newspaper, to mark international Women's Day on Sunday.
"What in the 20th century did more to liberate Western women?," asks the article, which was written by a woman.
"The debate is heated. Some say the pill, some say abortion rights and some the right to work outside the home. Some, however, dare to go further: the washing machine," it says.
It then goes on to talk about the history of washing machines, starting with a rudimentary model in 1767 in Germany and ending up with today's trendy launderettes where a woman can have a cappuccino with friends while the tumbler turns.
SINC SAYS:
I can think of quite a few women who participate in this web site often who are not gonna like this call by the Vatican. I’d call it a direct insult to women everywhere.
Tonight At LB's Pub . . .
10/03/2009 03:03
March 10th
Mary Thomas and
Brian Petch - Mary Thomas -
Vocals
Ms. Thomas is enjoying a musical career that started in Edmonton 40 years ago. Classically trained in voice, piano, dance and acting, and a veteren of The MacEwan Vocal Performance Program, Ms. Thomas has performed her intense style of Rock n' Blues with world class players at some of the best venues in and around Edmonton, notably, headlining at The Blues in Whyte in 2003. She is currently working on her second CD and is happy to be able to perform regularly. The Edmonton Sun says, "Mary Thomas can belt it out in a way that would make Janis Joplin Proud"Jeremy Loome, The Edmonton Sun (Aug 23, 2004). I totally agree with this statement as Mary has wowed our fans in her appearances at our jams. She also hosted a 8 year run with an open stage which is a true tribute to her following of musicians.
Brian Petch- Guitar - Mr. Petch started playing guitar at a young age and has been influenced by such greats as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. Brian has performed with various bands in the U.S. and Canada such as, The Mary Thomas Band, Northern Comfort, the Heather Mackenzie Band, and The Ghettoblasters, just to name a few. The Edmonton Sun says "Virtuoso guitarist Brian Petch backs her up with some of the most dizzying fretwork you'll ever see live..." - Jeremy Loome, The Edmonton Sun (Aug 23, 2004) "I'd like to rename them the Bad Ass Motherfunkin' Blues Band" - Mike Ross, The Edmonton Sun (Jun 02, 2002)
Unbeleivable magic from this guys guitar neck. Very complimentary with what ever goes on the stage. I love jammin with this guy.
Ammar's Moosehead
Tuesday Open
Stage
9 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
L.B,s Pub - St. Albert, AB - 780-460-9100
Hosted by Mark Ammar and Noel (Big Cat) Mackenzie
Moosehead Beer Specials
Sponsored by Moosehead Beer
Children Of Older Fathers Do Less Well In IQ Tests
10/03/2009 03:03
HONG KONG (Reuters) -
Children of older fathers appear to perform
less well in intelligence tests during infancy
and childhood, a study by researchers in
Australia
shows.
In contrast, the study found that children with older mothers tended to gain higher scores in the same tests designed to measure the ability to think and reason, including concentration, learning, memory, speaking and reading skills.
Men and women are having children later particularly in developed countries. But while the effects of having children later for women are widely discussed, consequences of increased paternal age are not as well known.
Recent studies have drawn links between older fathers and specific health problems in their children, including birth deformities and cancer, as well as neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
In the study, the researchers analyzed data from intelligence tests taken by 33,437 children who were born between 1959 and 1965 in the United States.
The children were tested at 8 months, 4 years and 7 years and were assessed for their sensory discrimination, hand-eye coordination, reading, spelling and arithmetic ability.
They found that the older the father, the more likely the child would have lower scores on the various tests.
In contrast, the older the mother, the higher the scores of the child in the cognitive tests.
"Previous researchers have suggested that the children of older mothers may perform better because they experience a more nurturing home environment; if this is the case, this study suggests that children of older fathers do not necessarily experience the same benefit," the researchers wrote in a statement.
The researchers said the lower scores obtained by offspring of older men may have to do with mutation.
"Unlike a woman's eggs which are formed when she herself is in the womb, a man's sperm accumulates over his lifetime, which previous studies have suggested can mean increased incidence of mutations in the sperm at an older age," they wrote.
SINC SAYS:
So lemme see, the lesson here for young guys is to find an older gal?
The Saskatchewan Cow
10/03/2009 03:03
The only cow in a
small town in Alberta, stopped giving milk.
The people did some research and found they could buy a cow in Melfort, Saskatchewan, for $200. They bought the cow from Saskatchewan and the cow was wonderful. It produced lots of milk all of the time, and the people were pleased and very happy.
They decided to acquire a bull to mate with the cow and produce more cows like it. They would never have to worry about their milk supply again.
They bought a bull and put it in the pasture with their beloved cow. However, whenever the bull came close to the cow, the cow would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the bull and he could not succeed in his quest.
The people were very upset and decided to ask the local Veterinarian, who was very wise, what to do. They told the vet what was happening. "Whenever the bull approaches our cow, she moves away" they said. "If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. An approach from the side and she walks away to the other side."
The veterinarian thinks about this for a minute and asks, "Did you buy this cow in Saskatchewan?"
The people were dumbfounded, since they had never mentioned where they bought the cow. "You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did you know we got the cow in Saskatchewan?"
The veterinarian replied, with a distant look in his eye, "My wife is from Saskatchewan."
Surviving The Great Depression
10/03/2009 03:03
PARKERSBURG - Many
wonder how they will get by if the current
economic times get worse, but for those who
lived through the Great Depression,
self-sufficiency was the key during the hardest
of times.
"It was a different world then," said H.C. Stanley, owner of H.C. Stanley and Son at 610 Pike St. in south Parkersburg.
Stanley was a young boy when the stock market crashed in October 1929 and was a young man helping his country beat Hitler in Europe by the time historians say the Great Depression ended. He spent most of his childhood and teen years working in his father's store.
There was little money anywhere, let alone discretionary income. Even if there had been, there was little time to spend it, Stanley said.
"You didn't have spare time. We worked six days a week in the store, 12 to15 hours a day. We opened at six (a.m.) and closed at nine that evening. On Sunday, you went to church and had the only good meal you had that week," Stanley said.
The store would be just as likely to accept fresh eggs from customers in exchange for goods as money, he said.
"People were self-sufficient in those times. They had to be. There wasn't much money anywhere. People improvised. They raised their own food and traded for what they needed. People survived. But even before the depression, people weren't used to having much. If it gets that bad now, I don't know what people would do, they aren't used to that. It would be a completely different world for them," Stanley said.
Scary details here.
SINC SAYS:
People complain that times are tough, but after reading this story, we’ve got it pretty good.
Bedroom Intruder Was A Kangaroo
10/03/2009 03:03
WHEN a dark intruder
smashed through his bedroom window and
repeatedly bounced on his bed in an upmarket
suburb of Canberra, Beat Ettlin was initially
relieved to discover it was a
kangaroo."My initial thought when I was half awake was: it's a lunatic ninja coming through the window," the 42-year-old said today.
"It seems about as likely as a kangaroo breaking in."
But his relief was short-lived. Moments later, he heard his 10-year-old son Leighton Beman scream from bed: "There's a 'roo in my room!"
"I thought: This can be really dangerous for the whole family now," Ettlin said.
The extraordinary ordeal for the family of four began on Sunday at 2am in their house in the Canberra suburb of Garran.
Ettlin, a chef originally from the Swiss city of Stans, wrestled the thrashing and bleeding 40kg marsupial out the front door.
"I had just my Bonds undies on. I felt vulnerable," he said, referring to a popular Australian underwear brand.
The kangaroo, which Ettlin said was around his height, 5 foot 9 inches (176 centimeters), left a trail of blood through the house and claw gouges in the wooden frame of his bed.
Ettlin, who was left wearing just his shredded underpants and with scratch marks on his leg and buttocks, described himself as "lucky."
The kangaroo vanished into a nearby forest from where it likely came. The family reported the intrusion to police and to wildlife authorities.
The animal hopped a fence to reach the family's backyard. The family suspects it felt trapped and tried to escape the yard through the bedroom window which is about 1.5m (5 feet) above the ground. It was likely cut by the broken glass.
Kangaroos rarely harm humans, but when they do, it is usually because they feel cornered. They have been known to disembowel people with the claws of their powerful hind legs.
Although it had been a dangerous and harrowing experience, Ettlin's wife could see a funny side to the family's unusual predicament.
"I think he's a hero: a hero in Bonds undies," Verity Beman, 39, said of her husband.
SINC SAYS:
The guy wears “Bond” gonche? I guess you need every advantage with a name lik Beat.
Martin, Howard Remain Perfect
10/03/2009 03:03
Ontario, Alberta still class of field at 3-0, Manitoba's Stoughton stunned by P.E.I.'s MacDonald
And now there are two, the big two, undefeated after just two days of the Tim Hortons Brier.
True to form, defending champion Kevin Martin of Alberta and 2007 champion Glenn Howard of Ontario hung up two more victories Sunday at the Pengrowth Saddledome to move to the head of the 12-team class with 3-0 records.
No surprise there.
"I'm just really happy to be 3-0," said Howard.
"We talked about getting off to a good start. Personally it's always been important to me ... hey, 3-0, and you can't do much better than that. It feels good, we're getting sharper which is even better."
Howard and his world-class crew from the Coldwater club kept pace with Martin by breezing to a 9-2 win in eight ends over Mike Jakubo of Northern Ontario in the afternoon and then held off a determined Sean Geall of B.C. 7-4 in the evening draw that might have featured the shot of the tournament so far.
Up 3-1 after four ends and sitting shot rock behind heavy cover at the side of the button, Geall used his last rock to wick in off a sideboard stone, roll across to the button and sufficiently tap back Howard's stone to count two and tie the match.
"What a pistol," smiled Howard. "That's the shot of the week so far. He made a dandy. We weren't quite sure who was shot, he might have been but regardless ...we controlled the game and bang, bang, now it's tied.
"They're a good team but we played solid and we're getting a little better."
Now that's a scary thought. Howard and his staff of third Richard Hart, Brent Laing and Craig Savill are ranked No. 1 with a team shooting percentage of 90, one notch ahead of Martin. So, seriously, just how much better can they become?
"There's always, always room to improve," said the skipper.
"You didn't see 100 per cent across the board, so there's always room to improve. My guys just seem to rise to the occasion, we seem to get better when we have to and that's just the makings of a great team."
Menard bowed 7-5 to Martin in the morning draw and then roared back to punch Glenn's older brother, 14-time Brier competitor Russ Howard of New Brunswick, 10-3.
"It's obvious that Kevin and Glenn are a notch over the other teams so you have to be realistic about your chances," said the 33-year-old Quebec skip, whose team is one of four sharing third place with 2-1 records.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
BRIER UPDATE:
Kevin Martin, representing Alberta, dispatched Jamie Koe of Yukon/NWT 8-4 in nine ends in yesterday morning's draw, before beating Brad Gushue of Newfoundland/Labrador 5-4 on last rock last night to improve his record to 5-0.
However, the shot of a lifetime was reserved for Ontario's Glenn Howard, with last rock in his game against Joel Jordison of Saskatchewan. Howard made a nearly impossible double take-out with his last rock to score three points and defeat Jordison 7-6. The shot was made just like SWIVEL HIPS called it from his living room chair, and even then I wasn't sure the shot was possible. You can watch curling for your entire life and you will not see a better shot than that.
Martin plays B.C.'s Sean Geall in this morning's draw before taking on Rod MacDonald of P.E.I. this afternoon. Catch all of the action live at 8:30, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on TSN or TSN-HD.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Well, there have been no real surprises, so far, at this year’s Brier.
Brier Format Change Pondered
10/03/2009 03:02
Field could be expanded to include three territories, Team Canada
For 34 years, the Brier, the world's most famous curling event, has been contested by 12 teams, but that could change in the near future.
The Canadian Curling Association has struck a committee to explore revamping its national championships. The CCA is looking at expanding the field to give separate entry to the three Territories: Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, along with bringing back the defending champion as Team Canada. It already uses the Team Canada concept at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's championship.
The possible trade-off, though, is that the field could be split into two tiers, similar to an English soccer league, where the top finishers from the previous year are seeded into the top tier for the following year's Brier, while the lower group plays off for the right to join the top tier. As well, the bottom finishers from the top tier would be dropped a level the following year.
"The issue is the ability for every member association to have the right to access the championships," said CCA governor Laura Lochanski of Edmonton, who's chairing the committee.
"We put on the table two basic options, but we're not naive enough to think that there won't be a hybrid option voted on to go forward. This is just a starting point."
Lochanski refused to be specific on the options, but various sources have confirmed that the two-tier concept is the most likely option, although there are several obstacles before it would ever be put in place, not the least of which would be getting the 14 member associations on board with it.
While traditional heavyweights such as Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario would have no problem with it, minnows like Prince Edward Island and Northern Ontario would be reluctant, simply based on their teams' poor results over the years.
"Part of it is your own personal gain," acknowledged 14-time Brier participant Russ Howard of New Brunswick.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Puleez . . . each of the small Territories in our country think they should have their own teams? This is getting more and more to sound like Canada’s federal government speaking all the time. There is no call for each of the Territories to have their own team and there is no darned way this crap is going to happen. They're damned lucky to have one team, period.
The change that all curling fans would like to see is the elimination of Team Northern Ontario, to be replaced by the defending champions, under the moniker of “Team Canada.”
Calgarians Killed At Kicking Horse Ignored Warnings
10/03/2009 03:02
Two Calgary men killed in an avalanche at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden, B.C., on Saturday had knowingly entered an area permanently closed due to its high risk of snow slides.
The avalanche Saturday afternoon triggered a massive search to find the two men, ages 40 and 41, who were buried in the snow for about 30 minutes.
Yesterday, (Sunday) loved ones had the sad task of making the three-hour trip to Golden to identify the bodies.
In a statement, family of one of the victims said they have been left to mourn the loss of a “loving husband, son and father.” Both families have asked the RCMP not to release the names of the two victims.
Resort officials have offered their sympathies to the loved ones left behind following the deaths, but said the area remains under permanent closure specifically because of its danger.
“It’s clearly marked and identified as a closure because of the extreme avalanche risk,” resort president Steve Paccagnan said Sunday.
RCMP Sgt. Marko Shehovac said the two, who family described to him as “experienced skiers,” had made arrangements with acquaintances — a 36-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy — to ski Kicking Horse on Saturday.
They took the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ lift up and then the four traversed along the edge of the resort’s controlled recreation area, ducking under at least one rope, to get to the ridge of the permanently closed section in the top corner of Kicking Horse’s ski hill.
“They had to go past well over a dozen of these (red, stop-sign shaped avalanche danger markers) as they hiked the ridge,” Paccagnan said.
Then, two of the four pushed off into the area, triggering the avalanche that would sweep them down the slope. The others, who had decided it was too steep, watched it all unfold and then immediately went for help.
“They must be thinking of that a lot,” said Shehovac of the surviving pair’s decision not to follow.
A 911 call, along with reports to resort’s staff, kicked off the rescue operation.
More than 24 ski patrollers, two rescue dogs, RCMP officers and members of Golden’s Search and Rescue group gathered at the slide area to find the men, said Paccagnan.
The pair were found at the “toe” of the avalanche, where the tumbling slide of snow finally came to a rest. One was buried under 70 centimetres of snow, the other in 60 centimetres, said Shehovac. Neither were breathing by the time they were unearthed about half an hour after the slide.
“When they recovered them, they were unresponsive,” Shehovac said.
Both were wearing avalanche beacons they had rented at the ski hill.
All four had stopped at Selkirk Sports, where a store employee warned them of the dangers of skiing in the closed area after hearing them talk about it, said owner Patrick Decaigny.
“My staff always ask where they go,” he said. “We know the risk is considerable and we tell people that.”
Decaigny said they rented an avalanche bag — gear that helps skiers caught in a snow slide to help others or assist rescuers in finding them. He said the employee first tried to persuade them not to go into the area, then rented the bag as a safety measure.
“When the bag didn’t come back, we knew,” he said. “We put one and one together.”
The two were taken to hospital in Golden by helicopter where they were pronounced dead, Shehovac said.
Paccagnan said they are sad about the entire incident but the two men had made a conscious decision to ignore the warning signs.
With its steep terrain, cliffs and rock walls, the area is a high risk for avalanches and has been closed permanently.
“We spend a lot of time and energy in keeping the entire area safe,” he said. “When an event like this happens, it’s sad.”
Paccagnan said the resort outlines the areas in rope and signs to keep guests safe, but also staff who put their own lives at risk when undertaking rescues of those who have gone into closed areas and fallen into trouble.
“We’re very committed to it and we take it very seriously,” he said.
The other two skiers who witnessed the snow slide returned to the Cochrane area on Saturday.
More than a dozen people have died in B.C. avalanches this year.
Doomed skiers ignored warnings.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
What is it with skiers and ignoring warnings, anyhow?
Lawes Suffers Loss, Gallant Still Perfect At World Juniors
10/03/2009 03:02
VANCOUVER - Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes suffered her first loss at the world junior curling champion-
ships after falling 7-4 to underdog France in Draw 6 action Sunday.
Marie Coulot of France held off a listless Lawes, ending the hosts' four-game winning streak.
"(France) made shots and we didn't," declared Lawes, who actually outpaced Coulot in shooting percentage, 74 to 70. "(Coulot) was making everything. They made the key shots and we didn't capitalize on our opportunities early on.
"It's tough to go through these things undefeated, so we can only build on this."
In men's action, Canada's Brett Gallant improved to 5-0 with a 9-4 win over Russia's Andrey Drozdov.
Coulot qualified for the World Juniors through the European Junior Challenge competition held in January, and says her only goal is to stay in the championship bracket.
"I'm very surprised," said Coulot, who has only been curling for four years.
"I think we are all confident but Canada is a very good team."
Scotland's Eve Muirhead amassed six points over the final five ends to defeat Denmark's Mette de Neegaard 8-7.
Alexandra Carlson of the United States was down 5-3 at the break, but ended up scoring 10 points - eight of them on steals - to hammer Anna Kubeskova of the Czech Republic 13-5.
Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa earned her first victory with an emphatic 9-4 win over Sweden's Anna Hasselborg
Canada and Scotland were tied for first place at 4-1, with Russia and Switzerland, who were both idle, were a game back at 3-1. The United States was 3-2, Denmark and France were both 2-3, and three teams were tied at 1-4 - the Czech Republic, Japan and Sweden.
In other men's action, Chris Plys and the defending champions from the United States jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Konstantin Kaempf's German rink after just three ends en route to an 11-3 six-end victory.
Denmark's Rasmus Stjerne won a narrow match, 7-6 over Switzerland's Roger Meier. Stjerne almost squandered a 7-2 lead, as the Swiss stole one in the eighth, ninth and 10th ends to make it close.
Norway's Kristian Rolvsjord beat Sweden's Oskar Eriksson 10-7.
Second-place Denmark trailed Canada by one game at 4-1. Norway, Sweden and the United States were 3-2, with China at 2-2.
The tournament is being held at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, which will host the curling and wheelchair curling competitions at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Meh . . . still so far, pretty good at this year’s World Juniors, as far as Canada is concerned.
Lee Breaks Record At CFL Evaluation Camp
10/03/2009 03:02
The CFL's evaluation camp came to a close on Sunday with several record-setting performances, but it was Jamall Lee of Bishop's University who stole the show.
Lee ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, a time that was .02 faster than the 2004 record set by Jean-Fredrick Tremblay of Laval. Lee also set a verticle-jump record of 44 inches, which surpassed last year's 42-inch leap by Samuel Giguere.
The son of former CFL running back Orville Lee came into the weekend rated number two by the CFL Scouting Bureau.
"It's been a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice and it just feels great to do well in front of such a big crowd at such an important time," said Lee in a press release.
With his record-setting performances, Lee set himself apart from amongst the 50 Canadian prospects on hand to test their skills in front of CFL management and coaches. Player interviews were also part of the weekend.
"Each team has the ability to select 20 of the 50 players here to interview them personally," said Hamilton Tiger-Cats general manager Bob O'Billovich in a statement. "This allows us to get a pretty good feel about the players who are here. It's important because it gives us a good heads up that helps get the process started for the Draft."
The CFL's Canadian draft takes place on May 2, where Hamilton will have the first selection.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
If this kid can be even half the running back his father Orville was, then maybe the CFL is on to something here.
Gratton Has Fond Memories Of Calgary
10/03/2009 03:02
A dozen years ago, James Grattan wandered into the Saddledome and simply couldn't believe what he saw.
"I'd been watching the Brier all those years, and there were 5,000, 6,000 people, and then you walk into this place," marvelled Grattan -- then a 23-year-old rookie skip from New Brunswick, now the 34-year-old third for Russ Howard's 2009 provincial champs.
"That's what scared the bejeezus right out of me. But the only time I was a little bit antsy was when we played Eddie (Werenich) in the 3-4 Page game. We were the only sheet out there all of a sudden. You're kind of fooling yourself all week; you're assuming the fans are watching other games, and then all of a sudden, you're the only guy in the hack -- that was scary. I wasn't nervous about the game, that was the weird part. I was just kind of overwhelmed by what was going on around me." That game Grattan became a Brier legend, when he was caught by the in-house cameras dancing during a between-ends break to Cotton-Eye Joe, while his third, Charlie Sullivan, looked on in horror.
"He looked like he wanted to hide; he's not like that," said a laughing Grattan. "He's more of an introvert than I am. But we were just having a lot of fun. They played Cotton-Eye Joe and that was one of my faves at the time.
"It was great." New Brunswick was the surprise team of the 1997 Brier, posting an 8-3 record, then beating the legend Werenich in the Page 3-4 game before falling 6-5 to Manitoba's Vic Peters in the semifinal.
"I do (get chills), especially when you come back to this building," said Grattan after a Sunday morning win over Saskatchewan's Joel Jordison. "And that was the same sheet we beat Eddie on, too, and I thought about that a few times. And our coach, Darryell, was playing second for me that year.
"The more time goes by, you look back at it and it was really cool to turn a building where we brought 25 people with us, and we turned it into 17,000 fans for New Brunswick that year." Prior to this year's trip to Calgary, Grattan and his current team watched the tape of his win over Werenich to muster up a little Saddledome inspiration.
"I look back now and it was kind of like I was in a haze the whole time," said Grattan. "We came out here thinking we could win a few games, we had a good bunch of guys, and the way we played, we were defensive and we knew we would be in a lot of games. So if the breaks started going our way, we were going to play pretty well.
"But I just remember this sense that I wasn't nervous once. I was more nervous today than I was in any game in 1997. It was just crazy. I think we know what we can do now, and I'm more educated. Then, I was just happy to be there and everything was cool, and even if I lost, I was happy."
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I’m sure Gratton would settle for the same kind of success he had in the 1997 Brier. Then, he was “Jimmy The Kid” Gratton. Now he’s just plain, old James.
Levy And Thomas Weigh In On Owens Signing
10/03/2009 03:02
Marv Levy had just stepped off a plane in Chicago when a friend informed him Terrell Owens had signed with the Buffalo Bills.
The Hall of Fame coach's first reaction was wondering if the person picking him up at the airport required a breathalyzer.
"I was surprised, naturally, like everybody else," the former Bills coach and general manager said by phone Sunday. "I verified it a little bit later that it was true, and that my friend hadn't been drinking."
T.O. in Buffalo certainly takes some getting used to. The Bills aren't the NFL's sexiest destination, and they've traditionally operated on a low-profile, small-market scale, building mostly with draft picks and mid-range free agents. But the head-turning news of the receiver signing a one-year deal with the team Saturday is, in fact, for real.
"Wow," said Bills Hall-of-Fame running back Thurman Thomas. "I said it at the end of last year that the Bills have to make a big splash.
"This is a bigger splash than I thought the Bills