10 August 2008
Kiwi 'Piddler On The Roof' Turns Himself In
16/08/2008 04:56
A MAN caught on
security camera urinating from a ledge into a
parking meter in New Zealand has reportedly
handed himself in to
police.The image of the man, who New Zealand police and media nicknamed "Piddler on the Roof", launched a manhunt for the "phantom piddler" who was relieved himself from the second floor of a parking building above a pay-and-display parking meter in a Napier city car park.
An 18-year-old Napier man walked into a police station last night and admitted he was the offender, wireservice NZPA reported.
He will appear in Napier District Court on August 20 charged with intentional damage.
"He pees up in the air in a big arc, so it goes in the coin slot and out the hole where people collect their tickets," police said.
The man is believed to have conducted his wee bit of vandalism on the machine four or five times last year.
Mike Webster of the Napier City Council told NZPA the suspect had a good aim and was "obviously a male without prostate issues''.
SINC SAYS:
Good thing the guy was only piddling. It could have been much worse.
New Porn Channel To Offer 50% Canadian Content
16/08/2008 04:55
Another Alberta
Advantage?Canadians who may have become tired of being passed over as porn stars will have a new, home-grown outlet to showcase their erotic talents.
Federal regulators have granted Alberta-based Real Productions approval to launch a new digital pornography channel, which promises to serve up at least 50 per cent domestic content.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the Category 2 pay-television service on Wednesday, allowing Northern Peaks to become "Canada's first adult video channel offering significant Canadian adult content."
"I think as Canadians there is a bit of a tiredness in seeing all American stuff," Shaun Donnelly, president of Real Productions, said during an interview on Friday.
"There is always that thrill for something that is local and you get the sense that these are people you can meet at the supermarket."
Dirty details here.
SINC SAYS:
If the people who participate in these kinds of movies are shopping in my supermarket, I sure hope they washed their hands. And all their other parts for that matter.
Kids Really Do Say The Darndest Things . . .
16/08/2008 04:30
A 1st grade school
teacher had twenty-six students in her class.
She presented each child in her classroom the
1st half of a well-known proverb and asked
them to come up with the remainder of the
proverb. It's hard to believe these were
actually done by first graders. Their insight
may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind
that these are first-graders, 6-year-olds,
because the last one is a
classic!
1. Don't change horses . . . until they stop running.
2. Strike while the . . . bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before . . . Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of . . . termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but . . . How?
6. Don't bite the hand that . . . looks dirty.
7. No news is . . . impossible
8. A miss is as good as a . . . Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new . . . Math
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll . . . stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust . . . Me.
12. The pen is mightier than the . . . pigs.
13. An idle mind is . . . the best way to relax .
14. Where there's smoke there's . . . pollution.
15. Happy the bride who . . . gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is . . . not much.
17. Two's company, three's . . . the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what . . . you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and . . . You have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as . . . Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not . . . spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed . . . get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you . . . See in the picture on the box
24. When the blind lead the blind . . . get out of the way.
25. A bird in the hand . . . is going to poop on you.
And the WINNER and last one!
26. Better late than . . . Pregnant
1. Don't change horses . . . until they stop running.
2. Strike while the . . . bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before . . . Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of . . . termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but . . . How?
6. Don't bite the hand that . . . looks dirty.
7. No news is . . . impossible
8. A miss is as good as a . . . Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new . . . Math
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll . . . stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust . . . Me.
12. The pen is mightier than the . . . pigs.
13. An idle mind is . . . the best way to relax .
14. Where there's smoke there's . . . pollution.
15. Happy the bride who . . . gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is . . . not much.
17. Two's company, three's . . . the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what . . . you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and . . . You have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as . . . Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not . . . spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed . . . get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you . . . See in the picture on the box
24. When the blind lead the blind . . . get out of the way.
25. A bird in the hand . . . is going to poop on you.
And the WINNER and last one!
26. Better late than . . . Pregnant
German Phone Sex Addict Busted For €7,000 Hotel Bill
16/08/2008 04:27
Police in the German
state of Lower Saxony said on Wednesday they
had arrested a man who racked up more than
€7,000 in phone sex bills while staying at a
hotel in
Göttingen.The 22-year-old man has a history of staying in hotels and calling sex phone lines day and night, but being unable to pay the bills, a police spokesman said.
A hotel worker called the police after the man, who had taken amphetamines and cannabis, admitted he could not pay the €7,197 phone bill, nor the costs of his six-night stay.
He offered to pay the bill in instalments, but then officers realized he was already wanted for similar offences in Dortmund and Hannover in January and March this year.
The chatty man was arrested, but after coming to an agreement with state prosecutors he was later released.
SINC SAYS:
I just don’t get it, sorry. I mean how the hell does one have sex with a phone anyways?
21,000 Canadians Will Die From Pollution In 2008
16/08/2008 04:22
Up to 21,000
Canadians will die this year due to air
pollution, with 3,000 of those deaths due to
short-term exposure to
smog.The heart-stopping figures are some of the key findings in the first large-scale report on the impact of air pollution across Canada.
It finds that by 2031, almost 90,000 Canadians will have died from the acute short-term effects of pollution and more than 700,000 will be dead from long term exposure.
The economic impact of those deaths will cost Canada $8 billion in 2008 and over $250 billion by 2031.
The study "No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution" was completed by the Canadian Medical Association and released on Wednesday.
"Much has been made about the poor air quality in China and the effect it is having on our athletes," CMA President Dr. Brian Day told a news teleconference on Wednesday.
"But we have a serious home-grown pollution problem right here and Canadians, ranging from the very young to the very old, are paying the price."
Sad situation here.
SINC SAYS:
And you thought global warming was a problem?
Give Flying Families A Break
16/08/2008 04:17
BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - Please excuse me. Really, I couldn't be sorrier.
That knocking on the back of your seat? The chewing gum smeared on your tray table? The whining and screeching and crying - the incessant, high-decibel weeping? All my fault.
I am the airline passenger you dread most of all, more even than the religious fanatic or flatulent fat guy. I am the passenger accompanying small children.
I'll also take the blame for the soggy Sun Chip that landed on your cashmere sweater during beverage service and the little sourpuss two rows up that's been staring at you since takeoff.
I feel your pain. I agree wholeheartedly that children and air travel don't mix - they bring out the worst in both. With kids on board, leisurely, meditative trips become chaotic, emotional ordeals.
Likewise, sweet and docile children become spastic hellions upon boarding a commercial airliner. And it's only getting worse.
Noisy details here.
SINC SAYS:
When I flew often on business, my worst fear was to get a seat beside Mom and the kids. I resorted to business class at a much higher cost to get away. No bull.
Persistent Lavatory Flusher Faces Eviction
16/08/2008 04:13
A woman who wakes her
neighbour by repeatedly flushing the lavatory
at night is facing eviction from her
home.Mwynwen Jones, 57, has lived in her council house in Tremadog, Gwynedd, for more than 20 years but angered another resident by banging her bathroom door and pulling the chain at all hours of the night.
The High Court in London heard that Mrs Jones was guilty of nothing more than making run-of-the-mill "household noises".
But Judge John Behrens rejected her legal attempt to overturn Gwynedd County Council's moves to evict her.
"Whilst flushing a toilet may not be a nuisance, plainly it may be so if it is done repeatedly and at anti-social hours," he said.
Caroline Harris, her barrister, had earlier told the court Mrs Jones was in the habit of flushing the toilet twice after use.
However, the sound insulation in her home was so poor that a neighbour could even hear the sound of her ironing clothes, said Miss Harris.
The sound of ironing here.
SINC SAYS:
Ah yes, the sound of ironing clothes has kept me awake on many an occasion.
Canada's Slow Start At Olympics Sign Of Years Of Funding Neglect
16/08/2008 04:12
BEIJING - Canadian team officials are preaching patience but for many back home it's hard to understand how tiny Togo, with just four athletes, won bronze while Canada's army of 331 was shut out the first seven days of the Olympic Games.
In truth, there were only three solid medal possibilities for Canada the first week.
All were at the pool: Alexandre Despatie and Arturo Miranda in synchronized diving, the men's freestyle relay team and Brent Hayden in the 100-metre freestyle. The divers and the relay team were both fifth and Hayden didn't make the final. Other athletes were longshots.
What was missing for Canada this time was the out-of-the blue winner such as Lori Ann Muenzer racing to gold in track cycling four years ago or Simon Whitfield winning the triathlon on the second day of the Games in 2000.
Upcoming, Canada has medal potential in diving, kayaking, mountain biking, taekwondo, trampoline and triathlon. Medals should come. But the bigger picture is bleaker.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Never mind funding, Canada's entire Olympic program is a joke.
Active Summer For Oilers Breeds Optimism
16/08/2008 04:11
The Edmonton Oilers made bold aggressive moves this summer, signifying a change in direction under the ownership of Darryl Katz.
Former general manager, and now the team's President of Hockey Operations, Kevin Lowe engineered three significant trades to shake up the Oilers lineup.
First, he dealt underachieving centre Jarret Stoll and bruising defencemanMatt Greene to the Los Angeles Kings in order to acquire offensive defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky.
Next, he shipped Raffi Torres to Columbus in exchange for one-time top prospect - and Edmonton native - Gilbert Brule, who is still just 21.
Third, Lowe moved enigmatic blueliner Joni Pitkanen to Carolina to get power forward Erik Cole.
Add in a few minor tweaks, like bringing in Jason Strudwick to make up for some of the size and toughness lost when Greene was moved, and a couple of runs at big-name attractions like Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa and the Oilers were very active in the player acquisition game this summer.
They may not be finished moving the pieces, but the Oilers have a quality returning crop up front, including Cole, Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff,Sam Gagner, Dustin Penner as well as Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson, who will both be battling for top six forward minutes after finishing well in 2007-2008.
More from TSN.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
As a new/old season ticket holder again this season, I can hardly wait for it to start.
Bills Open Toronto Series With Win Over Steelers
16/08/2008 04:10
TORONTO - As debuts go, the Bills Toronto Series opened to mixed reviews Thursday night
Rookie Leodis McKelvin's kickoff return TD provided the fireworks and led the Buffalo Bills to an exciting 24-21 exhibition win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it came before an announced Rogers Centre crowd of 48,434 - more than 5,000 short of capacity for football.
And both Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Buffalo receiverLee Evans expressed concerns afterwards, although that didn't stop them from praising the fans.
Roethlisberger wasn't impressed with the stadium's artificial playing surface.
"The turf leaves a lot to be desired," the Steelers star said. "But to be up here with the fans has been awesome.
"The fans have been awesome."
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Only 55,000 fans taking in the game must have been disappointing to the Buffalo Bills' braintrust.
Ochoa Leads Before Play Suspended At Canadian Open
16/08/2008 04:09
OTTAWA - Lorena Ochoa got a second sizzling round in before bad weather finally reached the CN Canadian Open.
The world No. 1 from Mexico shot a four-under 68 on Friday to move to 10-under at the US$2.25 million tournament. Both her rounds were played in sunny, nearly windless weather at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Then hailstones and rain pelted the course, forcing play to be suspended with Ochoa's main rival Annika Sorenstam on the 11th hole, even par for the day, 5-under for the tournament and unable to make up ground. A total of 75 players didn't complete their rounds.
The second round is to resume at 8:00 a.m. ET, with the third round, cut to the top 70 and ties, starting at approximately noon. A mostly sunny 26 C day is forecast for Saturday.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It would be really nice to see a duel between Ochoa and Sorenstam on the weekend in Annika's swan-song CN Canadian Women's Open.
Favre Set For Jets Debut Against Redskins
16/08/2008 04:09
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Brett Favre's next big test before taking the field for his Jets debut will be finding his way to the correct locker room.
"I know where the visitors' is," New York's new quarterback said. "I think from there, I can kind of backtrack."
Then, Favre stopped himself and asked how many locker rooms there are at Giants Stadium. He was reminded that the defending Super Bowl champions also play there.
"I better follow someone," Favre said with a big grin.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It's still very hard for me to fathom that Brett Favre is a New York Jet.
Through the Generations . . .
15/08/2008 07:04
- The Silent
generation, people born before 1946.
- The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1959.
- Generation X, people born between 1960 and 1979.
- Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995.
Why do we call the last one generation Y? I did not know, but a caricaturist explains it eloquently below. Learned something new!
- The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1959.
- Generation X, people born between 1960 and 1979.
- Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995.
Why do we call the last one generation Y? I did not know, but a caricaturist explains it eloquently below. Learned something new!
Wife Auctions Evidence Of Husband's Affair On Internet
15/08/2008 07:00
SYDNEY (AFP) - An
Australian woman has taken revenge on her
cheating husband by auctioning his mistress's
"huge" panties and his "size small" condom
packet on
eBay.The seller, named only as Anna from Queensland state, says next in line for auction will probably be her husband's Harley Davidson motorcycle "at a start price of 99 cents and, of course, with no reserve!"
A photograph shows the lacy black underpants, described as "size humongous" and the "size small" condom wrapper, which the woman found in her bed after her husband's alleged affair with a woman named Kylie.
Anna says of the panties: "They are so huge I thought they may make someone a nice shawl or, even better, something for Halloween perhaps."
She describes how she returned home early from work after her "soon to be ex-husband" of 22 years mistakenly sent her a romantic text message meant for the other woman, to find him discouraging her from entering their bedroom.
In the room she found the empty condom wrapper under his pillow and "The Tart's panties at the foot of the bed".
The listing was initially taken down by eBay because of its policy of refusing to sell secondhand underwear, spokeswoman Inessa Jackson told Brisbane's Courier Mail.
"We let her know about the policy and instead she's now selling a photograph of the offending knickers," Jackson said.
"eBay does connect colourful buyers with colourful sellers and I wouldn't be surprised if someone did buy these items, though I couldn't speculate on who would buy them or why.
"This is obviously very therapeutic for this woman and it must be a great channel for her views on cheating and the sanctity of marriage."
The photograph, which had a starting price of just 69 US cents, down from the original 99 cents asked for the actual items, had received 47 bids by Thursday, with the top offer standing at 127.50 US dollars with four days to go.
The listing, along with the wife's story, has been added to eBay Australia's Best of eBay site at http://bestof.ebay.com.au.
SINC SAYS:
Ah yes, revenge, sweet revenge.
Eat Rats For Snacks, Says Indian Official
15/08/2008 06:55
An Indian welfare
official has advised poor people to farm rats
for snacks as a way to beat rising food
prices.Vijay Prakash, the welfare minister in Bihar state in eastern India, said he wanted to set up rat farms and sell the meat to upmarket hotels, street stalls and restaurants.
The project will start with stalls in rural fairs followed by "rat meat centres" in urban areas.
The 2.3 million members of the Musahar caste, one of the poorest in India, have traditionally eaten rats that they hunted in paddy fields.
Now Mr Prakash says rich people should also sample the meat, which he said was full of protein and tasted better than chicken.
"Some socially deprived people in Bihar have always consumed rat meat," he said. "If they can eat rats, why can't the rest of the people?"
He said the plan would tackle food prices on two fronts: by reducing the amount of grain consumed by rodents and producing a cheap form of meat.
But he also said developing rat farms would help the social development of Musahars.
"The government has decided to engage the Musahars in commercialisation of rat meat for their overall development," he said. "It will help empower them and change their poor living conditions if the venture is properly designed and clicks."
He said the poor image of rats could change.
"I discovered during a fact-finding mission about rat meat that it is a popular food item," he told The Times of India. "It is called 'patal-bageri' and its demand is high,"
SINC SAYS:
This story kind of makes one glad to be a resident of rat free Alberta, doesn’t it?
Tattoo Lead To Arrest In Fatal Beating
15/08/2008 06:38
BILLINGS (AP) -
Federal task force officers in Billings
arrested a man wanted for a fatal beating in
Wyoming after they noticed the suspect’s last
name tattooed on the side of his
head.Dan Orr, supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, said Wednesday that officers arrested Sterling F. Wolfname, 26, at the Montana Rescue Mission on Tuesday evening.
Wolfname was wanted in Riverton, Wyo., for his alleged role in the July 30 beating of 32-year-old Ernest P. Jenkins at a party. Jenkins died the next day at a Casper hospital.
Officers were at the mission working on another case when they happened to walk past Wolfname and recognized him from information they had from Wyoming, Orr said.
“He was just there getting a meal,” he said. “He lied about who he was.”
But the officers noticed a tattoo on the side of his head that said “Wolfname.”
Wolfname was wanted on a warrant from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office on charges of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and battery and felonious restraint.
Riverton Police Detective Julie Etter said Wednesday that two other suspects, Basil Blackburn and Vincent Yellowbear Jr., are in custody and have been charged in the case.
Wolfname is being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on $1 million bail. He is expected to be sent back to Wyoming.
SINC SAYS:
Aha! There is a use for those ugly tatoos people thing are cool, but are just butt ugly.
Stents Offer Little Benefit For Heart Disease: Study
15/08/2008 06:25
Stents that prop open
a heart disease patient's blocked arteries
don't offer significantly greater benefits
compared to drug therapy alone, new research
suggests, which could reduce the frequency with
which doctors use this invasive, yet common,
treatment.American researchers have found that heart disease patients who had stents implanted and took medication experienced less chest pain in the first two years after they began treatment.
However, that benefit dissipated by the third year after starting treatment.
"What we found, somewhat to our surprise, is that both groups of people, whether they were treated with stenting or medical therapy, that over one to two months they all had substantial improvement in quality of life," lead study author, Dr. William Weintraub, told CTV News.
"We also found there was some advantage in being treated with stenting but not over time."
"The conclusion is that people are going to get better, and there is some advantage to stenting but it is not that large. The majority of people can be treated with medical therapy alone."
Heart breaking details here.
SINC SAYS:
As one who lives with two stents implanted in my heart, I can find no fault in the eight years they have been in there.
Busted For Holy Smoke
15/08/2008 06:19
BRACEBRIDGE -- A man
who claims he is an ordained minister was
busted with almost half a kilo of pot yesterday
during a traffic stop on Hwy. 11 near
Bracebridge."Rev." Michel Nathier, 53, of the Church of the Universe, admitted he was smoking a joint when the OPP officer pulled him over but said he was committing a holy act.
"It's a sacrament," Nathier said in an interview after he was released from custody with a Sept. 2 court date.
Nathier said he has about 300 followers in the Sturgeon Falls area, near North Bay, who believe that marijuana is the blessed plant mentioned in the Bible as the "tree of life."
The church, which he said has chapters throughout Canada and the U.S., has two rules: Don't hurt yourself and don't hurt others -- and its followers routinely toke "the sacrament." It does not make one stoned, "just enlightened," he insists.
"Ok, but it's still illegal," said a good-natured OPP Insp. Ed Medved.
Nathier was initially stopped because he was swerving between lanes, Medved said.
When the officer stopped the car, a waft of the sacred herb came floating out, police said. The officer seized almost a half kilo of pot with a street value of between $1,500 and $3,000.
Nathier, who is already facing charges of possession of marijuana, has been arrested for possession 10 times in 10 years and has spent three years in jail. He'll fight the latest charge.
SINC SAYS:
Sounds to me like the religious angle ain’t gonna work for this dude this time.
TSN2 Launches August 29
15/08/2008 06:18
More hockey, more football, more golf, more auto racing, more basketball, more tennis, more soccer. And more TSN!
TSN announced today the launch of its new 24-hour sports digital network, TSN2, which hits Canadian TV airwaves on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with a jam-packed lineup featuring 800+ hours of live and exclusive major league sports action. Today's announcement further illustrates TSN's leadership and commitment to delivering marquee sports properties and better serving sports fans from coast to coast.
TSN2 will be operating pursuant to an authorization in the TSN broadcast licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
“In today's day and age of immediacy, fans want and crave live coverage of sports. TSN2 will deliver more premium live sports programming while complementing TSN's already powerful live sports lineup. The days of tape delayed sports coverage on television are over,” said Phil King, President, TSN. “Sports fans have identified a strong need and desire for this complementary service. TSN2 provides additional value to our progressive and passionate sports audience as it allows us to air two live events simultaneously, giving sports fans more choice and diversity.”
For more information about TSN2, click here.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I can hardly wait. This is going to be just great for we sports aficionados!
Now, I just have to find out if my service provider, Bell TV, is going to be offering the new channel. They should, as Bell owns a big part of CTVglobemedia, which, in turn, owns a big part of TSN.
Harper Weighs In On Canada’s Medal Drought
15/08/2008 06:18
CUPIDS, N.L. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he remains optimistic about Canada's medal prospects at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Harper, taking questions after a funding announcement in Newfoundland, said the Games are far from over.
''We're coming up on the back half of the Games,'' he said. ''So we'll remain optimistic and of course we'll cheer for everybody who wears the Maple Leaf.''
Canada has been shut out of the medals at the Games though Day 6, but there are 10 days of competition remaining and some of Canada's best athletes have yet to compete.
Still the likes of Togo, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have already made it to the medal podium.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
As George W. Bush would probably say - yeah, right, Steve.
Ex-CFLer Charged In Winnipeg Murder Case
15/08/2008 06:17
WINNIPEG - Colin Scrivener, a former member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, has been charged with attempted murder in an incident in Winnipeg 10 days ago.
Scrivener, 38, is one of three Winnipeg men facing several charges, including attempted murder, after a police investigation into an assault Aug. 3 when a man was thrown out of a third-floor suite.
Police say three men forced their way into a Winnipeg suite, physically assaulted and stabbed a 29-year-old man and threw him out the window. The victim was badly injured and went to hospital in critical condition, but has since been upgraded to stable condition.
Russell Warren Disbrowe, 43, of Winnipeg, and Mervin Frankie Flett, 36, of Winnipeg, also face a number of charges.
Scrivener, a defensive tackle, was a member of the Roughriders from 1998 to 2002. He played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1995 to 1997.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
You wonder what happens to some of these ex-professional athletes when their playing careers are over.
Ochoa Birdies 18 To Take Lead At CN Canadian Open
15/08/2008 06:16
OTTAWA - It took a near-perfect round of six-under 66 for defending champion Lorena Ochoa to go one better than her rival Annika Sorenstam on Thursday at the US$2.25 million CN Canadian Open.
Ochoa was in the rough only once off the tee at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club enroute to a bogey-free round and a one-stroke lead over Sorenstam, who used eight birdies and three bogeys to sit alone in second place at 67.
"I probably hit 18 greens and I don't remember chipping, so that was good, too,'" said Ochoa, who won the event last year at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton. "It was a great day."
"It always feels good when you have no bogeys on your scorecard."
The world's top players took advantage of sunny, nearly windless weather and soft greens from a week of rain to put up better than expected scores on the traditional tree-lined course, whose narrow fairways and deep rough would normally deter low scoring.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It could be quite a weekend with Ochoa and Sorenstam currently first and second, respectively, at the CN Women’s Canadian Open after the first round.
Catch all of the action of the third round at 7:00 p.m. local time tomorrow (Saturday) on the Golf Channel.
Oil To Retire Andy’s No. 9 This Fall
15/08/2008 06:16
EDMONTON - Glenn Anderson is set to join the Edmonton Oilers elite.
The NHL team will retire Anderson's No. 9 before a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on Jan. 18, 2009. Anderson's number will go into the rafters at Rexall Place, joining Al Hamilton, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey and Mark Messier.
Anderson is set to go into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November.
"Putting Glenn's number up with the other honored players at Rexall Place is absolutely deserving and it's the right thing for our organization to do," said Kevin Lowe, Edmonton's president of hockey operations. "Glenn could bring fans out of their seats with his unbelievable goals and they always seemed to be such timely goals, especially in the playoffs."
Anderson put up 498 goals and 1,099 points in 1,129 career regular season games.
He won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers and added a sixth with the New York Rangers in 1994. Anderson also represented Canada at the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups.
Banner night for Anderson.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Who will ever forget Andy’s kamikaze style, crashing the net with arms and legs flailing in every direction? I hope the January 18 game is included as part of my shared season ticket package so I can be at Rexall that evening to see Andy’s banner raised to the rafters.
St. Albert 49ers In Action At Clarke Park
14/08/2008 03:06
Hi Don
Here are a few shots of the local Bantam team, St. Albert 49ers playing the Edmonton Black Raiders at Clarke Park last night. Unfortunately the local boys lost the game. But it was entertaining none the less.
Mark Fraser
SINC SAYS:
Thanks for the shots of the game Mark, but win or lose, it's just a game. It's the playing that counts.
Here are a few shots of the local Bantam team, St. Albert 49ers playing the Edmonton Black Raiders at Clarke Park last night. Unfortunately the local boys lost the game. But it was entertaining none the less.
Mark Fraser
SINC SAYS:
Thanks for the shots of the game Mark, but win or lose, it's just a game. It's the playing that counts.
Power Line And Birds . . .
14/08/2008 03:01
This speaks for itself.
Photo by Dave Conlin.
Elke Blodgett
SINC SAYS:
It sure does Elke.
Police Confiscate Stolen Snacks
14/08/2008 02:52
$50,000 worth of
Nabisco goodies found in Macomb, metro area
grocery
storesIt was a classic police operation - cops, guns, a warrant, stolen goods. Michigan state troopers raided Oak Ridge Market in Fraser on Tuesday - along with several other grocery stores in the metropolitan Detroit area - and came away with a major haul of contraband - stolen cookies. Totaling the day's action, police confiscated more than 13,000 boxes of Nabisco Nilla Wafers and Ritz Bits.Police say the owners of Oak Ridge Markets unwittingly purchased - and then sold - stolen food.
A state police spokesman said Oak Ridge is among several stores in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties to sell cookies and crackers that had been stolen from the Kraft Foods/Nabisco company.
Oak Ridge has been in business for more than 30 years - 24 in Fraser. Owners Ron Kohler and Raleigh Wilburn say the pallets of food confiscated by state police Friday were bought and paid for through a broker.
Take a bite of this story here.
SINC SAYS:
Where, oh where is the cookie monster when you really need him?
14/08/2008 02:51
How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn't grow in it?
Why does Jello have a smell when you add the powder in the water, but when it "gels" the smell is gone?
Why are dogs noses always wet?
If a bee is allergic to pollen would it get the hives?
Why do people say "heads up" when you should duck?
Why is it OK for dudes to slap other dudes' asses in football, but not in any other situation?
Porn Inspector Suspect Arrested In Colorado
14/08/2008 02:46
From CBC News
These undated images made from a surveillance video provided by the Longmont Colorado Police Department show a man claiming to be a police detective trying to get an adult novelty shop to give him free X-rated videos, saying he wanted to see if the performers were legally old enough according to police reports. Police are
looking for him. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/HO/Longmont Police Department
LONGMONT, Colo. - A man accused of posing as a "porn inspector" in Colorado will now get the chance to inspect the inner workings of the justice system.
Authorities say a man suspected of posing as a police detective and telling an adult novelty shop to give him free X-rated videos so he could check for underage performers has been arrested.
Drew Libby, 33, was arrested on suspicion of impersonating an officer, possession of an illegal weapon and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Investigators believe Libby made three unsuccessful attempts to get free videos from the store, showing a badge and leaving a business card from the Longmont police "age verification unit." There is no such unit.
Libby was identified by a police officer and tipsters after photos were distributed from a surveillance camera in the store.
Boulder County Jail does not know if he has an attorney.
SINC SAYS:
Boy, that’s an awful lot of risk to put yourself in to save a few bucks on the movie rental.
World's Tallest Woman Dies At 53
14/08/2008 02:43
Indiana native used
7-foot-7 height to teach kids it's OK to be
different
Phil Meyers / AP File
Sandy Allen poses with Will Denk, at the library in Shelbyville, Ind., in this Sept. 2, 1995 file photo. The 7-foot-7 Allen, who died early Wednesday, admitted she sometimes felt like she was part of a 'freak show' while appearing at the Guinness Museum of World Records in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
INDIANAPOLIS - A woman who grew to be 7 feet, 7 inches tall and was recognized as the world's tallest female died early Wednesday, a friend said. She was 53.
Sandy Allen, who used her height to inspire schoolchildren to accept those who are different, died at a nursing home in her hometown of Shelbyville, Ind., family friend Rita Rose said.
The cause of death was not yet known. Allen had been hospitalized in recent months as she suffered from a recurring blood infection, along with diabetes, breathing troubles and kidney failure, Rose said.
Tale tale here.
SINC SAYS:
It’s great to read she used her abnormality for good, but sad she went so very young.
Terminal Blues: What It's Like To Live In An Airport
14/08/2008 02:38
This week it was
revealed that a German woman has spent a decade
living in Palma's main terminal. But what would
it be like to live in an airport? Is it a
des-res with multiple bathrooms and ample
parking? Or hell on earth? Tom Mitchelson spent
three days (and nights) at Gatwick – and
wonders how she does
it.I'm huddled on a hard plastic bench. Harsh fluorescent lights beat down on me. Armed police patrol nearby. I haven't slept for three days and I'm so bored I'm having hallucinations. This is not life on the street. This is life in a big, centrally-heated, windowless cube. I am living in the South Terminal of London's Gatwick Airport.
I'm following in the footsteps of a homeless and unemployed 48-year-old German woman known simply as "Bettina". She's been living in Mallorca's Palma airport for 10 years, pushing around three suitcases, a blanket, a pile of books and her white cat Mumu. Bettina told a local newspaper she'd arrived in Mallorca over a decade ago looking for a new start after a relationship ended and she lost her office job. After a short spell waiting tables, Bettina's work dried up and she found herself with no job, no home and no money. Her only choice, she says, was to live in the airport.
Luckily for Bettina, Spanish authorities tend to turn a blind eye to people living in the terminal, as long as they don't bother passengers. Other airport dwellers aren't so lucky. Briton Anthony Delaney made headlines in February when he defied an ASBO banning him from living in Gatwick airport – his home for three years.
Very interesting details here.
SINC SAYS:
I’ve had to spend up to 10 hours in an airport and that was enough for me. Live in one? No thanks.
Lost Humpback Seen Lunching on German Coast
14/08/2008 02:34
A 40-foot-long
humpback whale took a detour on his way to
summer feeding grounds in the Arctic and ended
up near one of Germany's favorite beach
destinations, the idyllic island of Rügen. The
whale's jaunt is turning into an extended
vacation.This summer it's not just tourists and fishermen enjoying the warm water of the Baltic Sea. For two weeks, a humpback whale has been cavorting near Rügen, an island off the northern German coast better known for its nude beaches and natural beauty.
Humpbacks -- famous for their long, complex undersea songs -- are slowly recovering from centuries of whaling, and on Tuesday the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that the species had recovered enough to be taken off the IUCN's "Red List."“Humpbacks and southern right whales are making a comeback in much of their range mainly because they have been protected from commercial hunting,” says Randall Reeves, Chair of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, who led the IUCN Red List assessment. “This is a great conservation success and clearly shows what needs to be done to ensure these ocean giants survive.”
For the Rügen whale, things could get worse before they get better. While he's in no danger from whalers, cetacean expert Harald Benke, director of the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, says the animal likely followed a school of fish into the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. But whale food is not nearly as plentiful in the North Sea as it is in the Arctic, where whales usually spend their summers.
Still, bird-watchers Martin Grimm and Christoph Bock -- one of the men who first spotted the whale -- say he seems to be finding plenty of food. On Rügen's coast for another bird-spotting trip last week, Bock spotted the humpback again -- this time with food literally falling out of its mouth. "You could see lots of little fish, about the size of sandals, jumping out of the whale's maw as it came out of the water," Grimm told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "That's why we're sure the whale is successfully and regularly feeding itself."
The unusual visitor has drawn eager crowds, which has whale experts and local tourism officials worried: Too many boats on the whale's trail could stress the animal and make it harder for it to eventually find its way back to the Atlantic. Local sea captains have been asked not to organize special whale-spotting voyages and above all to avoid using sonar to look for the 40-foot-long humpback.
SINC SAYS:
It seems to me that man has an afinity to whales, perhaps more so than any other animal. Why is that?
China’s Global Facades Come Crashing Down
14/08/2008 02:33
Fake singing, fans and digital trickery add up to series of lies
BEIJING - The skies may be clearing up over Beijing, but the face China tried to paint on the 2008 Olympic Games is breaking out in blemishes.
Main Street of Happyville turns out to be a collection of expensively built facades, with nothing behind them. Or worse, something awful behind them: a series of very large lies -- and the worst of it is that the Chinese hosts don't even appear to realize how bad they may end up looking to the rest of the world.
The opening ceremony we all gushed over was not what it seemed. Those blazing footprints of fireworks that "walked" in the sky from Tiananmen Square to the Bird's Nest stadium? Pre-recorded and digitally inserted into the telecast.
The "sold-out" Olympic events, every ticket gone? An illusion, exposed only when reporters began to notice the squads of identically dressed and thunderstick-equipped cheer squads filling whole sections of seats. Even if some of those were seats designated for Olympic family members -- dignitaries and IOC members who leave seats unused at the lesser sessions is a chronic problem at all Games -- using fake fans to fill them is, at best, a comical notion and at worst an attempt to create a false picture of attendance.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
This is the ultimate reason not to care about these Olympic Games, folks – they’re a total sham on the part of the Chinese government.
Westwood Provides Insight To What’s Wrong In Bomberville
14/08/2008 02:33
Berry has lost team
Respect in dressing room has been eroded
There comes a point in time when the truth must be spoken and 1-6 is that time.
Why is a team that fought its way to the championship game in 2007 struggling so mightily in 2008? The vast majority of the veterans from that team are still in the locker-room.
The offence seemed poised to have a huge unstoppable year. The defence looked to be on the verge of being damn near impenetrable.
Fingers are pointing in all directions, players, and assistant coaches. In all directions but one -- the head coach.
Some will claim sour grapes to what I write. I ask this: Please read what I have to say, decide if it is the truth, and then come to your own conclusions.
More from the Winnipeg Sun.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Personally, I’ve never been a Doug Berry fan. However, if what Troy Westwood says about him is true, no wonder the Bombers are 1-6 this season and sinking fast.
CFL Official Demoted To Amateur Ranks
14/08/2008 02:32
The Canadian Football League has taken action against the official who claimed he saw Calgary Stampeders linebacker JoJuan Armour push down umpire Bill Hagans during an Aug. 2 game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, according to The Globe and Mail.
The paper reports that line official Henry Chiu was left off referee Jake Ireland's officiating crew list for Thursday night's game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Tuesday. Chiu was part of Ireland's crew during the first half of the season.
Chiu's claim resulted in Armour being ejected from the game. Armour told TSN that he accidentally ran into Hagans and knocked him to the ground after he was pushed from behind by a Roughriders player.
"It's the second play of the game," Armour told TSN after his ejection. "You have to be realistic. I have nothing against this guy. It's nonsense."
The Stamps were penalized 25 yards on the play and five plays later, Riders kicker Luca Congi kicked a 12-yard field goal to give the Saskatchewan an early 3-1 lead, who went on to win the game 22-21.
More from TSN.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I just gained one heck of a lot of respect for Tom Higgins.
Hull, Leetch, Richter, Cammi Granato To U.S. Hall
14/08/2008 02:31
EVELETH, Minn. - Brett Hull and longtime New York Rangers Brian Leetch and Mike Richter are members of the 2008 class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
The four-member group announced Tuesday also includes Cammi Granato, the all-time scoring leader for the U.S. women's hockey team with 343 points in 205 games.
Hull, one of the leading goal scorers in NHL history with 741, recorded 1,391 points in a 20-year career that included Stanley Cup titles in Dallas and Detroit.
Leetch was an 11-time all-star in 18 NHL seasons, all but one with the Rangers. He won two Norris Trophies as the league's best defenceman and was a Stanley Cup playoff MVP.
Richter was a three-time all-star in a 14-year career as goalie with the Rangers.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Congratulations to all four new members of the U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame.
Favre’s Arm Fatigued But Not Sore
14/08/2008 02:31
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Brett Favre said his rocket right arm felt ''fatigued'' - but not sore - during a break from his fifth day of practice with the New York Jets.
''My arm's kind of dragging a little bit today,'' the quarterback said Wednesday after the Jets' morning session. ''It's not really sore, but just fatigued. To be honest with you, I'm surprised that, I don't want to say I feel good, that I've been able to make it through every practice so far.''
Favre was acquired from the Green Bay Packers last week, and has been practising with the Jets since Saturday. He's set to start Saturday's pre-season game against the Washington Redskins.
''I didn't throw the ball that well this morning, underthrew some throws,'' Favre said. ''No pain, but I'm 38 years old. It's going to be fatigued a little bit.''
Jets coach Eric Mangini hadn't yet spoke to Favre when he met with reporters before the afternoon workout.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
The way Brett Favre can rifle that football, I find it impossible to believe his arm could ever get sore.
Burger King Worker Fired For Bathing In Sink
13/08/2008 06:06
From CBC News
XENIA, Ohio - Burger King Corp. said Tuesday it had parted ways with an employee who was recorded taking a soapy bath in a utility sink in one of its restaurants in a video that ended up on his MySpace page.
The nearly four-minute video, which was posted online Thursday, shows the man taking the bath to celebrate his birthday. In the video, shot by another worker, the employee refers to himself only as "Mr. Unstable" and appears to be naked.
Timothy Tackett, 25, told WDTN-TV in Dayton that he is the sink-bather and that he made the video for his MySpace page. The video had been removed by Tuesday night.
Tackett said he regretted taking the bath because it led to the firing of the employee who did the recording, as well as the restaurant's shift manager.
Burger King spokeswoman Denise Wilson said earlier Tuesday that two employees involved in the incident were fired and a third quit. She declined to identify the employees or say whether the man who took the bath quit or was fired. Tackett said he was fired.
A message left by The Associated Press for a Timothy Tackett in Centerburg was not immediately returned.
Greene County Health Commissioner Mark McDonnell said he dispatched an inspector to the restaurant, but workers had already sterilized the sink, which is used to clean large pieces of equipment.
SINC SAYS:
That’s a whopper of a story all right, but I think I’ve had my last Whopper.
Are you a Martha or a Maxine?
13/08/2008 06:03
*MARTHA'S
WAY*
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
*MAXINE'S
WAY*
Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.
Traditional Names Are 'Dying Out'
13/08/2008 06:00
Jack and Grace were
the most popular names last
yearSome traditional names such as Edna and Norman are in danger of dying out in England and Wales, research suggests.
Gurgle.com studied the most popular names of 1907 with those that have made the grade over the past five years.
In 1907, 1,048 babies were named Gertrude but none were in 2005. Baby Normans declined from 1,991 to two.
Many babies are named after celebrities or given made-up names now, rather than being given relatives' ones, as often happened in the past, Gurgle.com said.
The two Normans named in 2005 were in Shropshire and Tyne and Wear.
GIRLS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR
Gertrude
Edna
Ethel
Irene
Ada
Norah
Olive
Richard, which was the most popular name 200 years ago, has also declined.
A total of 4,671 babies were named Richard in 1807, but the number fell to 2,289 in 1907 and 538 in 2005.
However, the researchers for the social networking site did find that names such as Thomas, Jack and William have remained in vogue for 200 years.
The survey also suggests a royal connection has kept names such as Elizabeth, Philip and Charles consistently popular over the past 100 years.
It also found that some names which have lost popularity have been replaced by something similar, with Olivia replacing Olive as a popular name.
BOYS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR
Norman
Walter
Percy
Harold
Ernest
Herbert
Clifford
Similarly, Lily has become a modern-day Lilian and Alfred has become Alfie.
Sarah Stone, editor of Gurgle.com, said: "Not so long ago it seems we all knew a Great Uncle Harold or Aunty Irene, but sadly it seems these names could soon be lost forever.
"It is clear that modern parents are increasingly being influenced by fashions and celebrity. However we also need to remember that there are now more choices available."
The Office for National Statistics says the most popular baby names last year were Jack, Thomas and Oliver for boys and Grace, Ruby and Olivia for girls.
SINC SAYS:
Pardon me? After reading this story I have to say that most of those names sound very “traditiional” to me.
Dealing With The Burdens Of Life
13/08/2008 06:00
* Accept that some
days you're the pigeon, and some days you're
the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons.. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
For Sale: Apartment Complete With Live-In Stepfather
13/08/2008 05:53
From CBC News
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - For sale: Apartment in sought-after area of Stockholm - complete with live-in stepfather.
A lawyer in Sweden says a woman inherited a share of a Stockholm apartment after her mother died and wants to sell the unit.
But lawyer Eric Von Platen says her 52-year-old stepfather is refusing to move out, so the apartment goes to the highest bidder furnished - with the stepdad.
The apartment in Sodermalm will go up for auction on Aug. 26. But a lawyer involved is warning that it may not be a clean sale.
Mats Ljungquist says evicting the resident stepdad could end up being "very messy."
SINC SAYS:
What’s the big deal? Call the cops and turf the bum out.
Last Old Timer's Game In 'House That Ruth Built'
13/08/2008 05:27
It's hard to believe that this was the last Old Timers’s Day in The House That Ruth Built.
It was a tremendous weekend for me being a part of the Old Timers’s Game last Saturday. What an honour to be in the dugout with so many Hall of Famers, legends and all-stars! Just think, I am sitting there looking at Reggie Jackson,Yogi Berra, the newest Hall of Fame inductee Goose Gossage, Don Larsen (the only man to pitch a perfect game in the history of the World Series) and so many more.
The stadium was packed with fans of all ages who came to cheer their heroes on. It was an hour and a half of pure love of the game and the only word I can use to describe the scene is "AWESOME". As we were introduced, all 72 of us - the most Yankees ever assembled together - lined up from home plate down both foul lines.
As the great Yogi Berra was announced, the fans went crazy because they knew they were seeing him for the last time in pinstripes on that field. It was a moment in time I will never forget.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
For more from CBC baseball analyst and former Toronto Blue Jays star Jesse Barfield, click here.
Sweden Allows ‘Budweiser’ And ‘Metallica’ As Children’s Names
13/08/2008 05:26
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns "Budweiser" or "Metallica" if they so wish.
For decades, Swedish tax authorities had banned parents from naming their children after fast-food chains, rock bands or their favourite brand of beer.
But tax authority spokesman Lars Tegenfeldt says the guidelines have been relaxed. He says "there is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald's today. In the 1970s, maybe it was."
Still, authorities are drawing the line at giving children swear words for names. And forget about naming your child God, Allah or Devil.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Kind of gives new meaning to the phrase, “This Bud’s for you, doesn’t it?”
Michelle Wie Shrugs Off Detractors
13/08/2008 05:25
OTTAWA - Michelle Wie has endured plenty of criticism for her play this season, some of it from her fellow golfers in the LPGA Tour ranks.
On Tuesday, as the 18-year-old sensation prepared to tee it up this week at the CN Canadian Women's Open, she shot back at the growing number of those who've offered their unsolicited career "advice."
"Everyone has their own opinion of what I should do, but I think that it's my life," Wie said after a practice round for the US $2.25-million event at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, the only Canadian stop on this year's LPGA Tour.
"I know there might be wrong decisions that I make and there might be right decisions that I make, but they're decisions that I make for myself. And I think the only decision I can make is to be 100 per cent supportive of myself and not doubt myself at all."
The Honolulu native is playing in Ottawa this week on a sponsor's exemption, the last of the six she's allowed on the tour this season after failing to secure full-time status previously.
More from Canadian Press.
Wie needs strong showing at Canadian Open to avoid Q-School.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
No matter what Wie is or is not doing, as she says, it’s her life.
Phelps’ Swimsuit Has Canadian Connection
13/08/2008 05:24
MONTREAL - U.S. Olympic champion Michael Phelps is getting a helping hand from Canada, at least in the design of the slippery Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit that many top swimmers are using at the Beijing Games.
Among the companies Speedo turned to in developing the full-body suit is ANSYS Inc., an American-based company whose office in Waterloo, Ont., helped come up with the engineering software used by the swimsuit giant to develop its full-body suit.
The swimsuit is a bit like a "girdle," said Michael Raw, vice-president of product development for the fluids business unit of ANSYS in Waterloo in southwestern Ontario.
The synthetic suit, whose seams are welded together, was introduced in February and since then close to 60 world records have been set by athletes wearing it.
"It's so elastic and tight that apparently it requires a bit of contortionism to get into it," Raw said Monday.
"It kind of squeezes you in the right way to reduce the amount of jiggling of your flesh that might increase drag," he said. "It's simply that the material is slippier through the water."
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Competitive swimming is all about speed and reducing resistance as you glide through the water, right? I wonder in the future if swimsuits will even be mandatory? Just wondering.
Azinger Has Best Eight For Underdog American Team
13/08/2008 05:24
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Paul Azinger revamped the Ryder Cup qualifying system to get the best players, and he had no complaints with the eight Americans who earned a spot on the team.
But not even four captain's picks to follow will change the way he sees this competition against Europe.
"We are going to take on an underdog role in this Ryder Cup for the first time in a long time - even on paper - when you look at the strength of the European squad," Azinger said Monday morning after the PGA Championship. "We are going to have everything to gain here."
That's mainly because the Americans have done nothing but lose.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Let’s see if Paul Azinger’s insistence on rule changes in picking this year’s American team will change their fortune in the upcoming Ryder Cup matches.
Gnome at last: Finds Kidnapped Ornament On Doorstep
12/08/2008 06:28
. . . with photos of
him in 12 countries around the
world On holiday: Murphy the leprechaun poses for a picture in front of Sydney Opera House in Australia
If only he could talk there would surely be extraordinary tales to tell.
He's been swimming with turtles off the Great Barrier Reef, scaled a glacier in New Zealand and toured the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.
Unfortunately the gnome formerly known as Murphy is giving nothing away - save for a singularly enigmatic smile.
The adventures of Murphy, now Barrington (of which more later), began back in September after the best part of a decade spent in 'quiet reflection' in a simple flower bed in the 'Shire'.
Owners Eve and Derrick Stuart-Kelso were stunned to discover the 10-inch high stone leprechaun they had inherited when they bought their Gloucester home, had disappeared.
The couple, both retired, assumed the gnome had fallen foul of students from a nearby college and would never be seen again.
See more pictures here.
SINC SAYS:
These things are always a mystery, but a lot of fun in the process.
Pub Turns Rabbits Into Pints
12/08/2008 06:22
Hang on - there's
something fishy about this beer . . .
Drinkers are queuing up at their village pub to swap home-grown fruit and veg – and even rabbits and fish – for pints.
The barter scheme means the pub now boasts the most home-grown menu in the country.
Cloe Wasey, manager of The Pigs in Edgefield, near Holt, Norfolk, said customers had been offering apples and marrows, mackerel and pheasants.
'If someone thinks it should be on our menu – and can produce it – we will do a deal,' she said.
'We will consider anything edible – someone even brought in a deer which our chefs butchered for venison dishes.'
SINC SAYS:
Excuse me please, I gotta go talk to my publican.
12/08/2008 06:21
Do all-boys schools have girls bathrooms? Conversely, do all-girls schools have boys bathrooms?
Are children who act in rated 'R' movies allowed to see them?
How come cats butts go up when you pet them?
What would happen to the sea's water level if every boat in the World was taken out of the water at the same time?
How come you never see a billboard being put up by the highway?
Do the English people eat English muffins, or are they just called muffins?
Police Have Ploy To Catch Bike Thieves
12/08/2008 06:12
Attention, bike
thieves.In a new program on the UW-Madison campus, university police are planting Global Positioning System satellite units on bikes to catch thieves in action.
This summer, police have arrested 16 people through the program.
Here's how it works: Officers conceal a small GPS unit on a bike, strategically planted somewhere on campus. If someone moves the bike, police can use the system to track it and radio to an officer to make an arrest.
Budget Bicycle is providing the bicycles for the program, which are switched frequently so as not to arouse suspicions among professional bike thieves, police said.
Details here.
SINC SAYS:
Sneaky. Very sneaky indeed, but is sure does the job.
Lightning Strikes Man Cutting Lawn With Sickle
12/08/2008 06:10
CHAUTAUQUA -- A Town
of Chautauqua man was struck by lightning while
cutting his lawn Saturday evening, police
said.Shortly before 8 p.m., Amos N. Byler of Walker Road was struck on the back of the head and neck as he cut his lawn with a sickle, police reported.
Byler, 41, was transported to Westfield Hospital by Hartfield EMS for treatment and was later taken to St. Vincent's Hospital in Erie, Pa., where he was reported in stable condition today.
SINC SAYS:
I hate to be repetitive, but why the hell would anyone cut their lawn with a sickle?
Are you a Martha or a Maxine?
12/08/2008 06:09
*MARTHA'S
WAY*
*MAXINE'S
WAY*
Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.
Flying Piece Of Art Causes Museum Chaos In Switzerland
12/08/2008 06:01
A giant inflatable
dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew
away from an exhibition in the garden of a
Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and
breaking a greenhouse window before it landed
again, the museum said
Monday.The art work, titled "Complex S(expletive..)", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.
Crappy details here.
SINC SAYS:
I only have one question. Why is this even considered to be art?
China Turfs Edmontonian Protesters
12/08/2008 06:01
Four Edmonton activists expelled for opposing Tibet occupation
Four Edmonton activists were deported from China yesterday after contributing to a protest effort at the Beijing Olympics.
Edmonton computer technician Steve Andersen joined Padma-Dolma Fielitz, a German-Tibetan, and three other members of Students for a Free Tibet on Tiananmen Square over the weekend.
They unfurled a banner and flag, which were immediately wrested from their hands by security guards who roughed them up, Andersen said from a Los Angeles-bound plane delayed because of bad weather.
"They treated us fairly well. One person was kicked and the others were hit. We got treated better than the people who live in Tibet." A second group, also with Students for a Free Tibet, said they were detained Sunday -- even though they had not yet done any protesting.
Among them was anti-oilsands campaigner with Greenpeace Canada Mike Hudema, 31, as well as Edmonton protester Paul Baker, 29, and Denise Ogonoski, 26, a two-time candidate for the Alberta NDP.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It’s really unfortunate these games have degenerated into a platform for every self-interest group with a cause.
Rain Helps Clear The Air In Beijing
12/08/2008 06:00
BEIJING - The downpour that washed out Olympic events in tennis, archery and rowing on Sunday also cleared up much of Beijing's dirty air.
On Monday, the city's air pollution levels dropped by more than half, registering a level of 38 - falling within the World Health Organization's guidelines for healthy air. It was the first significant drop in the air pollution index since the beginning of August.
Heavy rains that drenched the city on Sunday continued into Monday with sporadic showers, replacing the recent hot and muggy patch of weather with cooler temperatures averaging 25 C, though humidity remained relatively high.
Beijing's notorious pollution has been a concern for Olympic organizers and U.S. athletes from the start. Chinese officials have taken drastic measures to curb the sources of pollutants, shutting down scores of factories, stopping constructions and removing two million vehicles from the road for a two-month period.
The effect has been far less than what China had hoped for. Since the measures began on July 20, Beijing has only seen a handful of days where the level of particulate matter - tiny dust particles that are the worst pollutant - was within the range of what the WHO considers healthy.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It really is a sad indictment when you have to shut down factories, stop construction, remove vehicles from the road and depend on a torrential downpour just in order to make your air breathable, isn’t it?
Golden Bear Picks U.S. To Win Ryder Cup
12/08/2008 05:59
SELLERSBURG, Ind. - Jack Nicklaus isn't worried about Tiger Woods' absence hurting Team USA's chances of winning the Ryder Cup next month at Valhalla in Louisville.
Speaking on Monday before a charity tournament hosted by Fuzzy Zoeller in southern Indiana, Nicklaus said he still thinks the U.S. can take back the Cup though he concedes the Americans are no longer heavy favorites now that Woods is out with a knee injury.
Nicklaus also praised the revamped layout at Valhalla, a course he designed. He lengthened some holes and shortened others, hoping to put more emphasis on putting.
The 18-time major winner said his only advice to Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger is to relax and let the players go out and play.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
If I were on Team U.S., I would feel a lot better if a young Jack Nicklaus was a member of the United States team.
Brett Favre Impresses Jets Receivers
12/08/2008 05:59
Brett Favre's impact is already being felt at New York Jets training camp in Hempstead, N.Y.
"Whatever route you have, you better run it hard because the ball could be coming," Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Monday. "If you're not looking, you may get hit in the head."
That hasn't happened yet, but Favre's new teammates are doing all they can to get used to the high-speed throws from their rifle-armed quarterback.
"Not many people realize how quick his release is," Jets tight end Bubba Franks said. "It is starting to show, the guy can still play football."
Cotchery is doing extra hand-strengthening exercises.
Tight ends Chris Baker and Dustin Keller are spending time after practice catching close-range passes from the high-powered ball machine, learning that they always need to be ready.
"As soon as you come out of your break, the ball is right here," said Keller, a rookie. "You just have to have your hands up real quick."
The Jets haven't had a starting quarterback who could throw the ball like Favre perhaps since Vinny Testaverde in his prime in the late 1990s.
Chad Pennington was always praised for having terrific leadership skills, but he was knocked for his weak arm and inability to spread the ball down the field consistently.
"When you have a guy who can pressure the defence in many ways, every route is available on the field," Cotchery said.
More from CBC Sports
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It’s still very hard for me to comprehend Brett Favre is a New York Jet.
Dawn Coe-Jones To Retire From LPGA Tour
12/08/2008 05:58
Canadian golfer Dawn Coe-Jones has announced that this LPGA Tour season will be her last.
Coe-Jones, a native of Campbell River, B.C., won three LPGA Tour events in her 25 year career, earning over $3.3 million in prize money.
"I'm filled with both happy and sad emotions," Coe-Jones said in a press release. "I have had the pleasure of doing what I love for over 20 years. It has been an honour to represent Canada. It is a dream career and I'll miss it very much but I'm looking forward to new adventures with my family. I love being a hockey mom."
Coe-Jones and her husband, Jimmy, have one son - James Richard.
Before turning pro, Coe-Jones was an amateur star, scoring back-to-back wins in the B.C. Junior in 1978 and 1979 and the B.C. Amateur in 1982 and 1983. She capped her 1983 season with the Canadian Amateur title. She was also an NCAA All-American at Lamar University.
Coe-Jones qualified for the LPGA Tour in 1984. Her victories included the 1992 Women's Kemper Open, the 1994 Healthsouth Palm Beach Classic and the 1995 Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions.
Coe-Jones was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
"Dawn Coe-Jones has been instrumental in establishing Canadian women on the LPGA Tour," said Elliott Kerr, President of Landmark Sport Group and her long-time agent. "Dawn has been an inspiration to many young Canadian golfers. She will always be remembered as a great Canadian sport hero."
Coe-Jones will be participating in this week's CN Canadian Women's Open in Ottawa.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Arguably Canada’s most recognized and best female professional golfer, it will be sad to see Coe-Jones hang them up.
Edmonton Folk Fest - Final Performance . . .
11/08/2008 07:20
Here are more of Mark
Fraser's shots of the final night of the Folk
Fest in Edmonton. Unfortunately, I have a very
slow connection this morning here in Battleford
SK., So I will try to upload more later today
or tomorrow when I catch a faster connection. -
SINC
Upside Down Fish A Pub Legend
11/08/2008 07:17
Fishy tale: Aussie
swims upside down with pal
EddieMeet the pub goldfish which has spent the past four years swimming upside down.
Aussie floats with its belly pointing up and its eyes staring down because of a problem with its swim bladder.
Regulars at the Globe Inn, in Lympstone, near Exeter, joke that the fish must be drunk. Pub landlord Liam Matthews, 53, bought the goldfish from a pet shop in 2004 but it began swimming upside down six months later.
He said: 'She seems happy enough - as far as you can tell with a fish.'
SINC SAYS:
Well, what else would you expect from the land “Down Under”.
Hundreds Trapped At Top Of Empire State Building
11/08/2008 07:14
NEW YORK -- Panic
replaced awe among hundreds of tourists who
were visiting the top of the Empire State
Building, where they went up to enjoy the view
but instead yearned to get back
down.“They just kept squeezing people in and it was getting crowded, and I had a panic attack because I am not used to it,” Amy Mounts said.
Witnesses said a power outage caused the elevators to stop working. A man visiting from Germany was one of 14 people who were stuck in an elevator as it was approaching the 80th floor.
“It was very hot,” Michael Ziegeis of Germany said. “People were very nervous.”
Most people were stuck between an hour and an hour and 45 minutes, but there was still a long line of people waiting to go up once the elevators were fixed. Others said they would not even think about returning.
“It was really stuffy,” Marcia Vanslambrouck of Michigan said. “People were panicking, babies crying; we’re glad to be down here.”
SINC SAYS:
I am not very good at being trapped in elevators. This happened to me twice, thankfully both times for less than a half hour.
Orphan Deer Adopted By Pack Of Fox Hounds
11/08/2008 07:11
The heaving mass of
fox hounds would intimidate even the biggest
stag.But tiny orphan deer Bam Bam isn't scared.
Like his namesake Bambi the 10-week-old is a friendly creature and trots along with huntsman Adrian Thompson, 42, and his pack of 60 hounds.
The pack immediately accepted the lost fallow deer when they found him shivering by the Thompsons' front gate just an hour after he had been born.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the attention of such a large pack of dogs, from the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray hunt, the confused little fawn thought he'd found his family.
A surprised Mr Thompson said: 'Now Bam Bam thinks he's a Fox Hound because they all treat him like one of their own.
Lots more pictures here.
SINC SAYS:
The behaviour of animals never ceases to amaze me.
Canadian Poon Has Chicken Pox
11/08/2008 07:08
Canadian swimmer
Victoria Poon has been quarantined with chicken
pox, according to CBC Sports swimming analyst
Mark
Tewksbury.Poon, from LaSalle, Que., was taken to a local hospital in Beijing and didn't compete Sunday in the women's 4x100 metre freestyle relay team that finished eighth.
Poon, 23, who won the Canadian Trials in Montreal, was also expected to compete in the women's 50 freestyle on Friday, but her current condition may prevent her from participating.
SINC SAYS:
All I have to say about this is, the guy who wrote the headline likely never thought about double meanings.
Police Missing "Beer Goggles''
11/08/2008 07:04
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -
Police in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove
are asking for the public's help in returning a
$150 pair of special goggles that are used to
simulate the effects of intoxication.
Officers say the goggles disappeared this week from a table at a National Night Out event at a local park.
Officer Hector De La Paz says police believe the goggles were taken by accident.
Sometimes called "beer goggles," the special glasses are used by police to demonstrate to high school students and parents how alcohol impairs a driver's vision and judgment. They look like safety glasses.
SINC SAYS:
Reminds me of the story about the guy at the bar who would down a shot of whiskey and look in his shirt pocket. When asked what he was doing by the bartender, he replied, “After each shot, I look at a picture of my wife. When she starts to look good, I know it’s time to go home.”
Bush Mixes Sports And Politics In Beijing
11/08/2008 07:00
BEIJING -- In an Olympic medley of sports and politics, President Bush on Sunday called for more religious freedom in China, sought an end to an escalating conflict between Russia and Georgia and cheered U.S. athletes as they dribbled and swam for the gold.
He also praised Chinese leaders for their swift response to a stabbing attack that killed the father of a 2004 U.S. Olympian. Authorities tightened already-stringent security throughout the Chinese capital, and President Hu Jintao told Bush of China's "profound sympathy" for the victim's family.
"Your government has been very attentive, very sympathetic, and I appreciate that a lot," Bush said.
Todd Bachman, the father of Olympic volleyball player Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman, was killed Saturday and his wife Barbara was gravely injured as they toured Beijing's 13th-century Drum Tower. The Bachmans of Lakeville, Minn., are in-laws of U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon.
More from CTV News.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse over in Beijing, George W. Bush arrives on the scene.
Arrest Warrants Issued For Two Teen Soccer Players
11/08/2008 07:00
A youth court judge in Edmonton issued arrest warrants Wednesday for two teenaged boys accused of attacking a soccer dad at a game in early June.
Two 16-year-olds and two-17-year-olds were charged with aggravated assault after Dean Smith, the father of an opposing team member, was allegedly attacked at an Edmonton Minor Soccer League game in the city's Mill Woods on June 5.
The group was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, but only two of the teens showed up.
The judge issued warrants for the other two, and ordered the pair who did show up to be back for an Aug. 27 appearance.
A fifth teen, 18-year-old Manpreet Grewal, faces a charge of aggravated assault in adult court in connection with the incident.
The four younger teens cannot be named because of their ages.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
These kids sure aren’t doing themselves any favors, are they?
Padraig Harrington Wins Second Major Of Year
11/08/2008 06:59
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Padraig Harrington rallied from three shots behind Sunday to win the PGA Championship, closing with a 4-under 66 at Oakland Hills to become only the fourth player to win the British Open and PGA in the same year.
If the winner was familiar, so was the finish.
Harrington shot a 32 on the back nine, just as he did at Royal Birkdale last month, and he came up with three big putts down the stretch. He made a 12-foot par on the 16th to catch Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis, took the lead with a 10-foot birdie on the par-3 17th, then closed out the Spaniard with an 15-foot par for a two-shot victory.
"I think I was willing them into the hole at that stage," Harrington said. "You have to get focused and give it a go."
The Irishman ended Europe's 78-year drought in the PGA Championship, and he joined Tiger Woods, Nick Price and Walter Hagen as the only players to win the final two majors in the same year. Woods did it twice, in 2000 and 2006.
Harrington talked about going to another level after winning the British Open, and he wound up in a class to himself a month later. He is the first European to win consecutive majors, and now has won three of the last six.
"That's Tiger-like, right there," Curtis said.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I didn’t think Padraig Harrington was that good a golfer, but any golfer who can win two majors in a year in this day and age has to be doing something right.
Smog Threatens Games
11/08/2008 06:59
Beijing needs some luck with weather to stay on schedule, UN official says
BEIJING - The smog hanging over Beijing is becoming so bad that the International Olympic Committee may have to consider postponing or shifting events.
Achim Steiner, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said Saturday that Beijing is "struggling at the moment to keep within the range of the weather conditions that they have committed for the quality for the athletes." While air quality hasn't fallen to the level where events have to be rescheduled, Steiner said Beijing needs the luck of some wind and rain over the next few days to clear the inversion of bad air that is stuck over the city.
"A little bit of wind, a little bit of rain, can change the numbers significantly," he said. "And I hope that bit of luck will also be part of the next few days." No rain is forecast until Monday. Today, Beijing residents awoke to a light rain. Visibility was not a problem, although the levels of humidity and smog continue to plague officials.
"At the moment, the International Olympic Committee, the Beijing organizing committee, and the whole Olympic movement are clearly watching the numbers," said Steiner.
More from the Ottawa Citizen.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
With all due respect to the IOC, I’m beginning to think Beijing was a very poor choice to host these Olympic Games.
Politicians Even Want Hands Free Cell Phone Use Banned
10/08/2008 05:45
Have you seen this Don?
If I remember correctly, I remember you being as ticked about this as I was. Anyway, not sure if your readers would be interested, but perhaps you could post this ad from the province on your blog. Seems the conservatives have an interest in banning cell phone use while driving.... And possibly even hands-free!
I also sent you a copy of my email to the committee seeking input.
Neil Korotash
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
Your comparison of hands fee use in that letter says it all Neil. The sheer lunacy and waste of time on such a bill is glaringly obvious to all but the politicians.
Here is a copy of the ad, left (Click to see larger image) and Neil's letter to the committee:
To the members of the Standing Committee on the Economy,
I am writing to express my complete opposition to any time of legislation that bans cell-phone use while driving. In a recent column for the Saint City News, Chair Ken Allred states “any type of distracted driving can currently be regulated under a provision for careless driving” and I believe that is exactly how this issue should be dealt with. Obviously cell phone use can be dangerous when driving, but there are also many people perfectly capable of driving safely while using a cell phone and I submit it is only those who pose a hazard that should be fined. To fine or punish someone for using a cell phone when they have not violated any road rules, and are driving perfectly safely is in my opinion completely asinine.
Allred also states in the article that fining someone for careless driving “usually takes more than one single distraction to constitute an enforceable charge” and I recognize that the subjective nature of “careless driving” could make it difficult to enforce, but this is the issue that should be addressed. Make it easier for police officers to issue a ticket for careless driving instead of imposing new legislations.
Lastly, it is my understanding that even if cell phone legislation is introduced, there is some debate around whether or not to include hands-free systems! Are you kidding me? If the province hopes to ban hand-free cell phone use while driving, you might as well ban all conversations in vehicles as well. No more talking to passengers, or telling the kids to be quiet. No more asking “are we there yet” on those long road trips... Hands free systems can be dialed and answered simply by talking and so how is that any different from a conversation with someone sitting in the passenger seat.
In the overall picture when compared with some of the environmental, education, and health care issues this province is facing, cell phone usage & legislation is a small issue and I would encourage you to keep it that way. Don’t enact Bill 204; rather deal with the issue thorough the legislation already in place for dangerous drivers.
Sincerely,
Neil Korotash
St. Albert
Cardiff Park's Bull-A-Rama With Al Popil
10/08/2008 05:45
Hi Don,
Snaps from Saturday's Bull-A-Rama at Cardiff Park.
Bullfighter Chris Rowland gets a little horn to help him move along:
St. Albert's Len Lefabvre got caught up in his rigging with "Rum In It" and bullfighter Tyson Wagner comes to his aid:
An unidentified bull rider gets air from a bull:
This year's Bull-A-Rama was the best ever.
Al Popil
SINC SAYS:
Great shots as usual Al. Many thanks for sharing them with our readers.
Snaps from Saturday's Bull-A-Rama at Cardiff Park.
Bullfighter Chris Rowland gets a little horn to help him move along:
St. Albert's Len Lefabvre got caught up in his rigging with "Rum In It" and bullfighter Tyson Wagner comes to his aid:
An unidentified bull rider gets air from a bull:
This year's Bull-A-Rama was the best ever.
Al Popil
SINC SAYS:
Great shots as usual Al. Many thanks for sharing them with our readers.
Remember That Spider From A Few Days Back?
10/08/2008 05:30
You know that spider
that St. Albert’s Place reader Alsion Glass
shot a photo of a couple of days ago?
She has managed to boil the identity down to one of three choices and has settled on the Shamrock spider.
Here is a link to the page where she discovered the possibilities:
Do any readers see anything we have missed in our conclusions?
And here is another
look at that spider to refresh your
memory:
Don,
Looking at the pictures and the following link, my guess would also be the Shamrock Spider.
Cheers,
Jim
SINC
SAYS:
Looks like we made
the right choice.
Rock'n August Friday Night With Al Popil
10/08/2008 05:24
Hi Don,
A youngster looks over a supercharged 427 during last night's Rock'n August Show and Street Dance.
Al Popil
SINC SAYS:
That's one heck of a paint scheme on that car Al!
Saturday Night At The Folk Fest . . .
10/08/2008 05:19
Hi Don,
Saturday's pictures from the Folk Fest.
Mark Fraser
SINC SAYS:
You must have great seats to get such candid shots Mark. Either that or a great telephoto lens. Thanks for sending them along.
Saturday's pictures from the Folk Fest.
Mark Fraser
SINC SAYS:
You must have great seats to get such candid shots Mark. Either that or a great telephoto lens. Thanks for sending them along.
Paul Newman Has Finished Chemotherapy
10/08/2008 05:17
Told his family he
wants to die at home.
The Oscar-winning actor was pictured being pushed from a New York cancer hospital in a wheelchair.
Yesterday, it was reported in America that Newman, 83, had only weeks to live and had returned home to his wife, Joanne Woodward.
"Paul didn't want to die in the hospital," a source said. "Joanne and his daughters are beside themselves with grief."
The source, described as a close family friend, said that the star had spent the past few weeks getting his affairs in order.
It was claimed that some of Newman's actions had caused tension among of his children.
"He gave a prized car - a Ferrari with his racing number, 82, on it - to a long-time pal," the friend said.
"The sudden move angered his children. It's especially hard for them to come to grips with what's going on.
"The word they've been given is that he has only a few weeks to live."
Newman married Woodward in 1958 and the couple have three daughters.
It was reported last month that he had been readying their oldest child, Nell, to take over his Newman's Own salad dressings company, the profits of which are given to a charitable foundation.
He also has two daughters from his first marriage to Jackie Witte.
Newman has so far declined to comment on his condition, apart from saying he is "doing nicely".
Rumours about his health surfaced in January. Three months ago, he withdrew from directing a production of Of Mice and Men in his home town of Westport, Connecticut.
SINC SAYS:
I know the end is inevitable for us all, but it is sad to see such a talent so close to that end. He has done so much for his fellow man over and above his acting talents.
'Hated' Group Crosses Border To Picket Funeral
10/08/2008 05:16
An alert that Public
Safety Minister Stockwell Day reportedly sent
to Canadian borders guards to bar a
controversial U.S. church group from entering
Canada didn't block some members from getting
in, the group's lawyer claimed
Friday.Shirley Phelps-Roper, the daughter of the founding member of the Westboro Baptist Church, told CTV.ca a group of seven members was turned away when they tried to cross the U.S. border into Canada Thursday night. But she said other members managed to get through at another border crossing, although she would not say how many.
Phelps-Roper and her church have outraged Canadians by planning to protest Tim McLean's funeral. Members of the ultra-conservative Christian church claim McLean, who was decapitated by a fellow-passenger on a Greyhound bus last month, deserved his fate. Although no member of the group ever met McLean, they claim he lived an immoral and godless life, just like all other Canadians.
Kooky story here.
SINC SAYS:
These kooks should be arrested and deported the minute they pull out their protest signs.
Family’s Cat Makes Trek Home To Have Kittens
10/08/2008 05:11
It’s said that cats
have nine lives — but do they also have a sixth
sense of
direction?Jeffersonville resident David James is beginning to think so. A little more than a week after giving a pregnant cat away to a man living on a Sellersburg farm, he found her in his backyard having just birthed three kittens.
The farm is more than 10 miles away from James’ home.
The cat’s name is Biscuit, and she, along with several other cats, were given away to live on the farm after James said he and his wife, Wanda, could no longer keep them.
The apartment complex where they live has a limit on the amount of cats residents can keep, and James said they had already reached the maximum.
Full story here.
SINC SAYS:
Some animals are destined to remain with their owners, like it or not.
20 Years Ago – Gretzky Deal Shocked Hockey World
10/08/2008 05:10
As the world's greatest hockey player, Wayne Gretzky already knew all there was to know about composure.
He had it as a six-year old playing on a team of ten-year olds in his hometown of Brantford, Ontario. He had it when he played under the spotlight with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Edmonton Oilers. And he had it when he led the young and promising Oilers into the National Hockey League.
But, 20 years ago yesterday, The Great One - for one moment in his career - just couldn't hold it together. The 27-year-old, who had spent almost his whole life fending off jealous hockey parents, tough opponents and harsh critics, broke down after reading off just a few words at Edmonton's Molson House.
"For the benefit of Wayne Gretzky, my new wife and our expected child in the new year, I thought it was beneficial to all involved if they let me play with the Kings," he said to the shock of everyone in the room. "It's disappointing having to leave Edmonton, but there comes a time when."
With that, Gretzky wept behind the mess of microphones, coming face-to-face with the reality that he was no longer an Edmonton Oiler. "I promised Mess I wouldn't do this," he said sheepishly as he wiped his eyes. Just three months after leading them to their fourth Stanley Cup in five seasons, the only NHL team Wayne Gretzky ever played for, the team he loved, had traded him away.
On August 9, 1988, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington did the unthinkable when he traded Gretzky, along with defenceman Marty McSorley and forward Mike Krushelnyski to the Los Angeles Kings for centre Jimmy Carson, winger Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million in cash. It was a move that stunned the sports world and numbed hockey fans across Canada.
More from TSN.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I will never forget that day in 1988, or where I was, as long as I live.
Relative Of U.S. Olympic Volleyball Coach Murdered In Beijing
10/08/2008 05:10
BEIJING - A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said.
The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second storey of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower just eight kilometres from the main Olympics site.
The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.
The stabbing came only hours after what by many accounts was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history and it has already dampened some of the enthusiasm.
More from Canadian Press.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It’s incidents like this that I had sincerely hoped wouldn’t mar these Olympics.
"Sarge" Passes Away
10/08/2008 05:09
Orville Moody, 74; golfer won the 1969 U.S. Open
Senior PGA Tour was where Orville Moody hit his stride.
Golfer Orville Moody, whose only PGA Tour victory was in an upset at the 1969 U.S. Open, died Friday in Sulphur Springs, Texas, of complications from multiple myeloma. He was 74.
Moody, who earned the nickname "Sarge" because of his service in the U.S. Army, won the Open at Champions Golf Club in Cypress Creek, Texas, a Houston suburb, when he came from three shots behind Miller Barber on the last day.
Although Moody never won another PGA Tour event of the 250 he entered, he became more successful after turning 50 when he switched to a long-handled putter and won 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour, now called the Champions Tour.
"We are all going to miss Sarge, who was a patriot first and a professional golfer second," said Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner.
"He embodied a bit of golf's everyman that we could all identify with."
More from the Los Angeles Times.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
“Sarge” is one of only four golfers to win the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open Golf Championships. The other three are Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. That’s some pretty good company. RIP, “Sarge.”
Azinger – A Different Type Of Ryder Cup Captain
10/08/2008 05:09
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sports Network) - Paul Azinger was always going to be a different Ryder Cup captain than most.
In his Ryder Cup career, which only spanned four Ryder Cups, Azinger got into legendary confrontations with the famed "Spanish Armada" of Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, and refused to back down to the man leading the other side against him in a month, Nick Faldo.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Azinger is imposing his will as the leader of the American Ryder Cup team.
When he took the job, Azinger got the PGA of America to totally revamp the selection process for the U.S. team. The Europeans always have a one-year qualifying window, thus, got the hottest players.
More from TSN.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Good for Paul Azinger. It’s about time somebody changed some of the “stodgy” old traditions of golf that make absolutely no sense at all.