This just in....

Bet Canseco is laughing his ass off?

I like the "faces a maximum sentance of 3o years in prison" YEAH RIGHT...maybe if he was non white and poor.

A federal grand jury has indicted Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The 19-page indictment charges Clemens with three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. According to the United States attorney’s office, Clemens faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but under the current sentencing guidelines, a conviction would likely bring 15-21 months.

Clemens’s allegedly false testimony came in a public hearing in which Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee, testifying under oath, directly contradicted each other about whether Clemens had used the banned substances.

“Americans have a right to expect that witnesses who testify under oath before Congress will tell the truth,” United States Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said in a statement announcing the indictment. “Our government cannot function if witnesses are not held accountable for false statements made before Congress. Today the message is clear: if a witness makes a choice to ignore his or her obligation to testify honestly, there will be consequences.”

The authorities will not seek to arrest Clemens. According to a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office, Clemens will be asked to appear at arraignment through a judicial summons. The spokesman said that a date had not been set for the arraignment although it could be set later today. The congressional hearing at the heart of the indictment came just two months after McNamee first tied Clemens to the use of the substances in George J. Mitchell’s report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. After Mitchell released the report, Clemens claimed McNamee made up the allegations.

Federal authorities persuaded McNamee to cooperate with them in exchange for not charging him with steroid distribution. Clemens becomes the second baseball star from the past decade to be indicted for making false statements about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In 2007, federal authorities in San Francisco indicted Barry Bonds, the career home run leader, on charges he perjured himself before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative. Bonds, who has retired, is scheduled to go on trial next March.

Like Bonds, Clemens had an illustrious baseball career and both have jeopardized their chances of being elected to the Hall of Fame. They are scheduled to appear together on the 2013 ballot.

Clemens last pitched in the major leagues in 2007. He sat out the first part of that season, returned to the Yankees with a dramatic announcement from George Steinbrenner’s box at Yankee Stadium and then, because of nagging leg injuries, pitched inconsistently once he was back in uniform.

His final appearance, in a first-round playoff series that October which the Yankees lost to Cleveland, ended abruptly in the third inning of Game 3, when he exited with a sore hamstring. He was 45 years old and he never pitched in the major leagues again.

Two months later, the Mitchell report was released, linking nearly 100 former and current players to the use of performance-enhancers. Among those named were Clemens and Andy Pettitte, Clemens’s good friend and his teammate on both the Yankees and Houston Astros.

Pettitte quickly reacted to the report with a statement that admitted he had used human growth hormone. Clemens, however, was defiant and adamantly denied that McNamee had ever injected him with steroids or H.G.H., as the Mitchell report stated.

He repeated his denials on a “60 Minutes” broadcast and in a press conference in which he and his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, played a tape of a telephone conversation between McNamee and Clemens.

Ultimately, he took his denials to Congress, where he and McNamee disputed each other in a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that broke down along partisan lines, the Republicans generally siding with Clemens and the Democrats with McNamee.

Nevertheless, the Democratic chairman of the committee, Henry Waxman of California, and the ranking Republican, Tom Davis of Virginia, then jointly signed a letter to the Justice Department, asking that Clemens be investigated for perjury because of his statements he made to the panel denying any use of performance-enhancers.

That letter set in motion the grand jury investigation. Among those who testified before the grand jury were McNamee; Pettitte; former major leaguer David Segui, who was named in the Mitchell report and has admitted the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and Jose Canseco, a friend and former teammate of Clemens and an admitted drug user.

Canseco wrote a best-selling book in which he linked several high-profile players, including Mark McGwire, to the use of performance-enhancers, but he has been one of the few people to come to Clemens’s defense, stating on one more than occasion that he has no knowledge of Clemens’ using banned substances.

One intriguing piece of evidence in the Clemens case were the used syringes that McNamee said he stored in his basement after using them to inject Clemens with drugs.

Those syringes, and related drug paraphernalia, were handed over by McNamee to federal authorities, who tested them for the presence of both performance-enhancers and Clemens’s DNA.

The New York Times reported last year that the tests revealed the presence of steroids. The Washington Post reported that authorities detected the presence of Clemens’ DNA. The test results were presumably presented to the grand jury.

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From the: Are you KIDDING me file?!

As a debate about government transparency brews, David Peterson says he had nothing to do with Ontario’s about-face on mixed martial arts

Adam Radwanski
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010 11:17PM EDT

In Ontario political circles, most everyone has heard the rumour that David Peterson played a role in persuading Dalton McGuinty to open the door to mixed martial arts.

It’s not been hard to get that impression. Several news reports have explicitly said the former premier “lobbied” on behalf of Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his own law firm’s website actively highlighted one of those reports late last year.

Now, Mr. Peterson is vigorously denying that he did any such thing, telling The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that “I don’t lobby the Premier on anything.” Government officials back up his claim to have had no influence. It was Consumer Services Minister Sophia Aggelonitis, they insist, who helped persuade Mr. McGuinty to allow MMA. Mr. Peterson’s law firm is acknowledged to have been engaged last year, when the prospect first surfaced and was rejected, but not more recently in changing the Premier’s mind.

But it may be too late for Mr. Peterson to avoid getting caught up in a growing dispute over just what it means to be a lobbyist – and whether the government’s decision-making process is really as transparent as we’ve been led to believe.

Among registered lobbyists, there’s been considerable grousing about what they claim is a disturbing trend, in which some of the most influential government-relations help comes from people who trade on relationships without going through the motions of disclosing it. Even if that doesn’t include Mr. Peterson, they say it includes other senior Liberals, who have some of the best access and influence.

Since the late 1990s, provincial lobbyists have been expected to disclose who they’re lobbying, and on whose behalf, so that the information can be listed in a public registry. But it seems to be left to the discretion of lobbyists whether they want to bother registering, with inadequate penalties or public pressure to dissuade them from failing to do so.

“The media and opposition focus is on those who register,” one veteran lobbyist said this week. “It’s actually not the problem. Those who don’t are way worse.”

As evidence of the murkiness, critics point to a letter sent earlier this month by the Ontario Hospital Association to hospital executives. In it, the OHA cautions that Conservative and NDP researchers are sniffing around lobbying contracts, and advises hospitals to retain “professional public affairs counsel” who are not required to register.
The letter does draw a distinction between lobbyists and consultants, spelling out the activities formally considered “lobbying.” But given that many consultants seem to straddle the line, the OHA’s advice can be interpreted as encouraging an end-around.
Of course, there’s a strong degree of self-interest in the complaints by registered lobbyists. They’re annoyed to be going through all the paperwork if others aren’t bothering. And more importantly, they’re worried about losing business to people who could to some extent make them redundant.
But they also have a point. A lobbyists’ registry that only achieves transparency from those who want to be transparent seems rather beside the point.
Ultimately, it may be up to public officials to demand that lobbyists are registered before dealing with them – and the opposition to call them on it if they’re not. Of course, it’s exactly because those relationships are unreliable that the registry was set up in the first place. But, if these stories are true, it doesn’t appear to have entirely served its purpose.

Steven Slater, what have you done? What have you done?!

U.S. airspace has now become a Constitutional rights free zone after an airline attendant “confiscated” a crying baby on a flight into New Mexico.

Coincidentally, respondents to a new survey have indicated that they would rather fly RAF airplanes on suicidal bombing missions than any American commercial airline.


P.S.

TMZ is claiming that Slater's offers include a job hosting a show in which disgruntled employees quit their jobs with style. See what happens when Donald Trump calls you "wacko" and "dispicable"? Your career takes off like a jet plane. Let's see, now, if Slater turns up on "Celebrity Apprentice"...

Toronto FC stuns Mexican side in Champions League opener

Toronto FC gives highly-touted Mexican side Cruz Azul a lesson in winning CONCACAF Champions League opener 2-1 at BMO Field.

This was supposed to be a rare measuring stick for Toronto FC, and indeed it was just that. But instead of a master class from Mexican side Cruz Azul, it was the home side delivering a rap across the knuckles and the shins of the visitors.

The surprise wasn’t as much the 2-1 scoreline in TFC’s favour, as it was the domination the hosts showed as underdogs against the visitors over the first 45 minutes, pressing up high aggressively and opening up a deserved two-goal margin that earned them a lusty standing ovation from the BMO Field house of 16,862.

R.I.P. Samantha

Samantha the gorilla dies at Toronto Zoo - Toronto Star August 18

To the world, Samantha was just another gorilla.
To another gorilla, she was the world.
Sure, Charles had other female gorillas to cavort with. But it was Samantha, his 37-year-old steady, he favoured. The oldest female Western Lowland gorilla with a “perpetual pout” died at the Toronto Zoo Monday morning.

On Tuesday, Charles sat in his enclosure expressionless. He munched his food and occasionally stood outside the door where Samantha had been recovering from a July stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body. Charles had kept her company there for the last month.

But she never bounced back to dominate the group the way she did in her heyday.
On Monday, she was euthanized after a second stroke had caused her to lose control of her limbs and experience seizures.

That afternoon, the gorilla troop visited her body to say goodbye.
“They thought she was still asleep. They touched her, and tried to rouse her and they realized she passed away,” said Dr. Chris Dutton, a veterinarian at the Toronto Zoo. “I was told a calm came over the group and they quietly left her alone.”
Charles looked uncomfortable. He picked at the door and avoided looking at her body, said gorilla keeper Ali Vella-Irving.

Like Charles, Samantha was born in Gabon, West Africa, and arrived at the Toronto Zoo in 1974. She was known for the red hair on her head, walking upright on two feet, and carrying sticks. She was a “gorilla’s gorilla,” and didn’t bother with people unless food was involved, said Vella-Irving. She was just entering the geriatric phase of her life when her strokes began.
Dutton called Samantha’s death a “blow” and said it will affect keepers, staff and the public who watched her grow up. Vella-Irving wiped away tears between interviews.
“This is a very sad day for Toronto,” Dutton said.

Samantha is survived by seven gorillas, including Charles, the dominant male silverback of the group, who fathered her five children. Two of the children, Shalia and Sadiki, remain at the zoo. Shalia has inherited her mother’s stubborn attitude and rare form of walking on two feet, Vella-Irving said.
Samantha is the fourth animal to die this year at the zoo. Two tigers and an orangutan also died.
“They live long and fruitful lives, and now some of these founder animals of our zoo collection are passing away,” Dutton said. “We’re very lucky they get to such a wonderful age — a number of them are reaching that age at the same time.”

The Op Ed piece on the provinces flip flop on MMA

On Saturday morning Consumer Services Minister Sophia Aggelonitis announced that the provincial government plans to make professional mixed martial arts events legal in Ontario.

Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the news, let’s take a minute to see it for what it is — an interesting development and nothing more.

I’m not trying to downplay the sport’s rapidly growing popularity. A few times a year I’m even one of those dropping 50 bucks on a UFC pay-per-view telecast.

It just seems to me that folks on both sides of the MMA debate (along with everyone in the middle trying to understand it) could use a dose of reality.

The reality is Saturday’s decision is noteworthy but not earth-shattering and probably won’t change the sports landscape here. And despite rumours the UFC has already booked the Rogers Centre for March 26, 2011, UFC Canadian director Tom Wright said it’s not that certain.
“That (date) is news to me, and frankly I would know,” Wright said. “No date has been chosen and no venue has been chosen. We’ve got a lot of work to do before we put on a show in Toronto.”

Sure, the ability to sell out the Rogers Centre will be a money-maker for both the UFC and the provincial government. And Saturday’s announcement must feel historic to those in the grassroots MMA community.

But in the bigger picture it isn’t that significant. It simply is what it is: namely, a chance for the province to tax everything from ticket sales to hotel rooms while scooping 2 per cent of live gate revenues.

It will be a windfall for local businesses, with estimates of the economic impact from a UFC event ranging from $6 million to $23 million.

For Ontario MMA fans, it’s a chance to see the sport’s biggest stars without having to leave the province.

Hardly a turning point in pro sports history. And that’s fine. Saturday’s announcement doesn’t have to foreshadow something more important, like an explosion in the sport’s grassroots popularity or even a jump in MMA programming on TV. Those things are happening already.

Over the past five years, MMA gyms have sprouted across the GTA, and between Rogers Sportsnet, the Score and the Fight Network, MMA programming is available daily.
All this developed before the government moved to legalize MMA — evidence that the sport’s popularity is already entrenched and growing and that this latest announcement won’t affect the trend either way. Nor will it prompt a flood of MMA shows.

Another hard reality is that fight cards are costly, complex events in this province.

While most jurisdictions require fighters pass a medical exam within 90 days of a fight, Ontario requires one within 30 days. As a result, if a fighter has to pull out of a bout, the stringent standards make replacing him difficult, leading to cancelled fights and cards. In addition to paying the fighters, Ontario requires a security deposit equal to the entire evening’s purses. A larger outfit like the UFC can handle that cost, but fledgling promoters will struggle with it.

If you’re trying to pinpoint why Ontario hosted only seven pro boxing shows last year, just follow the dollars.

So when the province amends the Combative Sports Act — a process that could last into 2011 — the new rules will mostly benefit the UFC.

Once or twice a year the UFC will fill the Rogers Centre or the Air Canada Centre, giving fans something to celebrate and detractors something to lament.

Then the UFC crew will pack up and head to its next event while a few intrepid local promoters will try to fill the gaps with smaller shows.

Some will succeed, more will likely fail.

But, whether you love the sport or hate it, if it’s not the UFC, you probably won’t even notice.

McGuinty has `open mind' toward MMA in Ontario

That's what he said in December. A quick 8 Months later and it's moving forward.

Here's the thing. If you are "against it" don't watch it. Don't go to the events.

After petitions and pleading, wanting and waiting, mixed martial arts fans in Ontario have had their wish granted. The Ontario government will allow MMA events to take place in the province.

The provincial government announced Saturday it will sanction events under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, as used in promotions across North America since 2000.
Most notably, the decision allows Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sport's premiere organization, to hold an event in Ontario.

"Toronto and the province of Ontario are almost the epicentre of MMA," Marc Ratner, the UFC vice-president of regulatory affairs and one of the company's behind-the-scene officials, said in an interview Saturday.

"The enthusiasm and excitement and everything that we measure -- PPV buys, the amount of bars showing it -- it's very important that Ontario's on board. Now it is."
Set records in Montreal

Ontario, Massachusetts and New York were the last three major North American markets being targeted immediately by UFC. The company makes its debut in Boston on Aug. 28. Sanctioning in New York remains caught in the state's political turmoil.

UFC has held Canadian events in Quebec and British Columbia, setting attendance records twice at the Bell Centre in Montreal. At GM Place in Vancouver this year the company set a record for its fastest sell-out.

UFC's first event in Ontario won't be held until 2011. No date or venue for the provincial debut has been set, said UFC Canada president Tom Wright, although he did concede the Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome, or Air Canada Centre are "clearly" the two logical choices in Toronto.

Wright is former commissioner of the CFL. Safety comes first
The Ontario government said a major MMA event could bring up to $6 million into the local economy for hotel rooms, restaurants and more. It stressed the province's "priority is the safety of competitors."

Professional mixed martial art events are not sanctioned in Sask-atchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Nunavut. New Brunswick bans MMA outside of the city of Moncton.

The news in Ontario is a stark contrast to British Columbia, where last week the B.C. Medical Association announced it wants to see MMA banned in the province.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Ontario+supports+mixed+martial+arts/3403772/story.html#ixzz0wlr0YBPW

Shaq VS

I love Shaq. And we all know, I'm not big on non-contributing members of society (ie professional athletes) dont't get me wrong, I appreciate their skills and I like most sports . What I don't enjoy is that they think everything they say or do is of importance to the world, or that I should give a rats ass about their opinon.

I've watched the show twice. while I don't expect him to knock the beejesus out of sugar shane mosely, still. A bit too contrived, and already tired of the SHAQ-iams

although I do like "SHAQ-Tical"...

All I can hope for is Shaq falls ontop of JB...

Here's the poop on the show below:



Globe and Mail
It’s not enough that four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal has conquered basketball. He wants to prove himself a modern renaissance man – or at least, that he can out-cook Rachael Ray and out-manoeuvre NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. – on the new series Shaq Vs., executive-produced by Canadian basketball star Steve Nash.
O’Neal has bravely challenged tween idol Justin Bieber; luckily for Bieber, it’s not an athletic competition. O’Neal, 38, wants to beat him at his own game, going head-to-head with the 16-year-old in a singing showdown. Well, in teenybopper Bieber’s case, it will be more head-to-waist with the 7-foot-1 Shaq. O’Neal poses the challenge with great risk of rocking the Twittersphere and receiving threats from the Canadian heartthrob’s evangelical fans. Shaq may be bigger, but Bieber has better hair.

someone PLEASE knock this BEEatch Out

The website The Smoking Gun says Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, one of the stars of MTV’s Jersey Shore, can’t trademark her name to use on books because of a cartoon cat.
Quoting records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the website said Polizzi was refused because of a “likelihood of confusion” with a cat character featured in a children’s book called Adventures of Snooky.
The book, by John Monaghan, features a cat that gets knocked overboard on a family fishing trip.
Smoking Gun quotes a description by Brian J. Publishing, which reads: “Join Snooky as he makes many new friends searching for his family under the sea. Find out what happens when Snooky’s new friends run into danger. Can he help save them? Will Snooky ever find his lost family?”
As far as we can tell, this Snooky’s adventures do not include drinking to excess, getting into fist fights or hooking up.
But all is not lost for Jersey Shore Snooki.
The website says an application to trademark her name for “entertainment in the nature of personal appearances by a television personality” is still on track.

Alberta RCMP seize enough pot to roll 2M joints

Two Million Joints say the Alberta RCMP...I've been to Alberta....more like Two hundred thousand they way the spin them up. LMAO

Ahhhh yes. High Praire...where else -

Date: Tuesday Aug. 10, 2010 7:33 AM ET

HIGH PRAIRIE, Alta. — RCMP in High Prairie, Alta., say they have busted a marijuana grow operation that would have yielded enough pot to roll more than two million joints.
Police say they found the bumper crop of 6,500 pot plants in a dozen greenhouses set up in the bush near the remote community northwest of Edmonton.
RCMP estimate the plants would have yielded enough pot for 2,169,000 joints by the fall harvest season.
Six men have been charged with producing and trafficking marijuana.
The accused include Tri Anh Phan, Guang Ping Chen, Chia Haung Fei, Hung Duy Hoang, Cuong Viet Nguyen and Tuan Anh Tran.
The six are being held in custody and are to appear in High Prairie provincial court on Aug. 16.

Omar Khadr finally gets day in court

After EIGHT YEARS in prison.....

The US Military in it's wisdom, will prosecute their first case against CHILD SOLIDERS.

Next thing you know they will executing mentally handicapped Americans....oh wait they already do that in

TEXAS

Omar Khadr will finally have his day in court this week after eight years in custody, three different judges and more than a dozen different defence lawyers.
But it’s still not clear whether Khadr will even show up, having threatened to boycott the trial he calls a “sham.”
His lawyer, Lt.-Col. Jon Jackson, told media in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Sunday he didn’t know whether Khadr was planning to attend this week’s trial or even if he will defend himself.
“He has that right,” Jackson said.
But whether or not Jackson defends Khadr, he said he’s disappointed with his government on a number of fronts.
“It’s very clear that the government of the United States and the government of Canada have decided not to intervene in this case,” he said. “So you’ll see the first case against a child soldier in modern history.
“What the government has been selling for the past eight years, nobody should buy, especially the panel members in this case.
“(This case) boils down to who we are … as a people when we decide to charge a child, a person who was 15 years old, a person who was in Afghanistan only because he was made to go there with no other choices.”
Jackson and Khadr’s former Canadian lawyers met with Khadr Sunday, but wouldn’t discuss their meeting.
He did say, though, Khadr is “nervous,” calling the trial which is expected to begin Wednesday “the beginning of the end” of Khadr’s case.
On Monday before his trial starts, the military commission judge, Col. Pat Parrish, will decide whether to admit Khadr’s two confessions as evidence in the long-awaited and historic war crimes trial.

Twine and Dine

Well, now that someone was diligent enough to tie her up with the butcher’s twine I guess we just need a roasting spit and determine which of the three holes to put the pole through.

Pump it up

Hmmm, although they do make his booty pop, I’m not sure if I would have gone with the black and white heels. I think I would have gone with something with a little more flare. Maybe like a red open toed with a hint of silver sparkle in it. But what do I know.

Sylvester The Cat

Are you just making sure everyone knows they taw a puddy tat? Because I’d bet all the citizens wish Bugs Bunny and friends would have made that left at Albuquerque instead of sticking around.

From the "Quelle suprise" files....Deal averts Blackberry ban in Saudi Arabia

Or the "I told you so" files....see my post TUESDAY AUG 3rd about this lame pissing contest.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA—Saudi Arabia and the Canadian makers of the BlackBerry have reached a preliminary deal on granting access to users’ data that will avert a ban on the phone’s messenger service in the kingdom, Saudi officials said Saturday.
The agreement would likely involve placing a BlackBerry server inside the kingdom to allow the government to monitor messages and allay official fears the service could be used for criminal purposes, the telecom regulatory officials said.
Bandar al-Mohammed, an official at the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission, told The Associated Press that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. (TSX:RIM) has expressed its “intention ... to place a server inside Saudi Arabia.”
That will guarantee the kingdom’s ability to see communications and data exchanged on BlackBerry handsets, he said. Al-Mohammed said talks were ongoing and declined to provide more details pending an announcement, which he said was expected soon.
The deal could have wide-ranging implications for several other countries, including India and the United Arab Emirates, which have expressed similar concerns over how RIM handles data.
Saudi security officials fear the service could be used by militant groups to avoid detection. The kingdom has been waging a crackdown for years against Al Qaeda-linked extremists. The country also enforces heavy policing of the Internet, blocking sites both for political content and for obscenities.
“Whatever Saudi Arabia does will be followed by other countries in the region,” said John Sfakianakis, a BlackBerry user who is chief economist at the Riyadh-based Banque Saudi Fransi-Credit Agricole Group.
“RIM is quite smart. They’re seeing this is a very lucrative market. They don’t want to take themselves out of this market,” he added.
A second Saudi regulatory official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the details of the deal, said tests were now underway to determine how to install a BlackBerry server inside the country.
RIM representatives did not immediately return messages seeking confirmation.
The Canadian company issued a statement last Tuesday denying it has given some governments access to BlackBerry data.

Search and Rescue

I passed out from the amount of obvious jokes that instantly rushed to my brain. Therefore, I will just let you make up your own. Have at it!

No Pants Dance

At what point does a person just say “F*ck it, I don’t need to put on shoes or pants”?

hot diggity

On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you think his level of giving a f*** is?

What I’m feeling right now is straight jealousy for that dude.

and from the WHO GIVES A RATS ASS file:...

Other cyclists say Lance Armstrong was doping
Published On Thu Aug 5 2010

Federal prosecutors have intensified their criminal investigation of the cyclist Lance Armstrong since the Tour de France ended last month.
They questioned many of his former associates – including cyclists who have supported and further detailed claims that Armstrong and his former U.S. Postal Service team participated in systematic doping, according to a cyclist who has been interviewed and two others privy to the inquiry.
In May, Armstrong’s former teammate Floyd Landis shocked the cycling world by publicly accusing Armstrong and other team members of using performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions to gain an unfair advantage. Landis said that Armstrong – the biggest name in the sport – had encouraged the doping and that the team had sold its bikes to help finance an expensive doping program.
Armstrong has denied any wrongdoing and has said that Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for doping and recently completed a two-year ban from the sport, had no credibility

Wyclef Jean to seek Haitian presidency: Report

WTF not? Compared to the Facist bone-headed, corrupt political past...I hope there's still some aid money that hasnt been stolen from the church or political power there for a difference to be made.

Oh, and PS...Thanks Roman Catholic Church for really messing things up there as well. Good work.


WASHINGTON- Haitian-American music star Wyclef Jean will announce his bid for president of earthquake-ravaged Haiti this week, Time magazine reported on Tuesday.
Haiti, which was hit Jan. 12 by a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake, is scheduled to vote on Nov. 28 to elect a new leader to replace President Rene Preval, whose term ends in February.

“If I can’t take five years out to serve my country as President, then everything I’ve been singing about, like equal rights, doesn’t mean anything,” Jean said in an interview with Time.

There has been widespread speculation that Jean would seek the office. Last week in Haiti he said he was taking the necessary legal steps toward running for president, including having his fingerprints taken by the judicial police. However, he said on Thursday in Port-au-Prince that he had not made a definite decision.
Many analysts predict Jean—who at 37 is very popular among Haitians, particularly the young—would easily win the presidential election.

A three-time Grammy award-winner, Jean was a founding member of the hip-hop trio The Fugees and won wider fame for his collaboration with Colombian pop star Shakira. He released a song two years ago called “If I Was President”.

Jean established the Yele Haiti Foundation in 2005 to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Haiti. He said after the Jan. 12 earthquake which killed up to 300,000 people that Haiti’s future rested on education, job creation and investment.
“If not for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another 10 years before doing this,” Jean told Time. “The quake drove home to me that Haiti can’t wait another 10 years for us to bring it into the 21st century.”

Reported assassination attempt against Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN, IRAN—A conservative Web site said a handmade grenade exploded Wednesday near President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s convoy in an apparent assassination attempt, but Tehran state TV denied the report.

The Web site, khabaronline.ir, said the grenade detonated near Ahmadinejad’s convoy as he was on his way to address a crowd in the western Iranian town of Hamedan but did not harm him.
The president later gave his speech as planned, and it was broadcast live on state television. He made no mention of the attack in his remarks.

Hey! that reminds me.....What ever happendto that terrorist the USA has been chasing with 100s of thousands of military troops....Bin, bin...Yeah that's it, OSAMA BIN LADEN. Jesus, are the army rangers busy? CIA?

From the: "Oh Puhleeeese"! file

U.A.E.'s BlackBerry blocking to include visitors

Let's go RIM..Give them a factory, give them a break on price, reduce tariffs, give them a call centre, Whatev...this negotiating drama is so stooopid to be "top business" news. You think people will give up their bb's?

The telecom regulator in the United Arab Emirates said Monday its looming ban on BlackBerry email, messaging and web browsing services will extend to foreign visitors, too, raising the stakes in its dispute with the maker of the popular business tools.The U.A.E. said it will block key features on BlackBerry smartphones, citing national security concerns because the devices operate beyond the government's ability to monitor their use. (Kamran Jebreili/Associated Press)
The U.A.E. contends some BlackBerry features operate outside the country's laws, "causing judicial, social and national security concerns."
At the heart of their concerns is the way the BlackBerry handles data, which is encrypted and routed through RIM's servers overseas, where it cannot be monitored for illegal activity.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/08/02/blackberry-uae.html#ixzz0vXhQDSIm

1 dead after ignoring B.C. evacuation order

Wildfires burn throughout province

OK. Sad I know...a couple things....
Ignoring an evacuation order during the BC Wildfires AND
the first para, says dude was cutting down trees for FIREWOOD! What?! cutting firewood ?

The Jade wildfire near Lillooet has been burning since July 21 and has scorched an estimated 1,500 hectares. (B.C. Wildfire Management Branch)One person was killed and another seriously injured after ignoring an evacuation order due to a wildfire in B.C.'s Cariboo region.
RCMP said a 52-year-old Quesnel man died when he was struck by a tree while he was cutting trees for firewood.

Police said the couple left their property on Sunday after learning of the evacuation order, but instead of immediately leaving the evacuation zone, they decided to stop on Crown land adjacent to their property to cut firewood.
"This incident is clearly tragic. While it was not specifically linked to the fire situation, it required first responders to enter an evacuation area to deal with the matter," the RCMP said in a release.
"When persons are served an evacuation order, or become aware of their being in an evacuation area, they should leave immediately by the most direct, but safe, route possible," police said.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/08/02/bc-wildfires-evacuation-fatality.html?ref=rss#ixzz0vXSrC8u9

“I’ll bask in your glories again later. In the meantime, may you find a brisk blend of elegance and mischief

I'm going to do what my horoscope says:

Libra Sep 23 Oct 22

During the Tang Dynasty, a golden age of Chinese culture, educated people didn’t use clichéd salutations to begin and end their encounters with each other. No “Hi, how you doing?” or “See you later. Take care.” Instead, they improvised creatively, composing poetic riffs appropriate for the occasion. “Your face is especially bright today. Are you expecting to see a lucky cloud?” or “I’ll bask in your glories again later. In the meantime, may you find a brisk blend of elegance and mischief.” I’d love to see you do something like that, Libra. It’s prime time to boost your alliances to a higher octave. Give more to your collaborators, and ask for more, too.

Another from the "No Shit Sherlock File"

Lab analysis reveals burgers shouldn't be an everyday treat July 15, 2010


No one ever claimed a fully loaded banquet burger is health food.
But compared to the biggest, gooiest hamburgers in the city, the double banquet burger at Original Motorcycle Gourmet Burgers is practically dietetic. And this is for a burger that still contains half the sodium an average male needs in a day, along with 75 per cent of the calories and 90 per cent of the fat.
“It is basically a heart attack on a plate, and these are the best numbers? Scary,” said registered dietitian Nicole Shuckett.

The Toronto Star rounded up five artery-clogging, kidney-stressing hamburgers from independent restaurants for laboratory analysis. Most exceeded the daily recommended allowance of fat and salt. And that’s before adding fries.


Many of the burgers were too big to fit into takeout containers, or mouths. In Taiwan, diners are apparently damaging their jaws because of humongous hamburgers. A dentist told The China Post problems can arise when tucking into burgers higher than eight centimetres.

Some even boast about unhealthiness, like The Burger Bar. Its $18 OMGTMJKM (Oh My Goodness, This Might Just Kill Me) Burger is an eight-ounce beef patty topped with chili, a fried egg, three cheeses (blue, brie and chevre), bacon and an onion ring. It comes, cheekily, on a whole-wheat bun.

3 Time Loser

It is a sad comment on the state of the contest for mayor of Toronto that the little world of City Hall politics went into a frenzy of excitement over a report that three-time loser John Tory might enter the ring.

Moscow Smog like smoking 40 cigarettes every few minutes

The worst smog to hit Moscow in almost a decade has sent pollution 10 times above safe levels and Russia's chief lung doctor on Wednesday said residents were inhaling the equivalent of 40 cigarettes every few hours.

The city of more than 10 million has been sweltering under a record breaking heatwave exacerbated by peat fires in areas surrounding the capital. With street temperatures hitting almost daily all-time highs, the peat fire's smoke and its cinder smell have crept into sultry offices, homes and restaurants.
"The concentration of carbon monoxide and suspended particles in Moscow surged up to 10 times above the limit last night," Alexei Popikov, chief specialist at Mosekomonitoring, a city government agency overseeing air pollution, told Reuters.
Alexander Chuchalin, Russia's chief pulmonologist, told a news conference of the dangers of those kind of levels. "(The current level of) carbon monoxide damages an average of 20 percent of red blood cells in a human body which equals to the effect of two packs of cigarettes smoked within three or four hours."

He advised residents to wear masks, take antioxidants such as vitamin E, try to stay indoors as much as possible and use nebulizers to clear their lungs.
On Monday temperatures reached 37.4 C, the highest figure since records began 130 years ago. On Wednesday temperatures were 37.3 C.
Alexei Yablokov, an internationally renowned biologist who heads Russia's Green Party, said on Tuesday that air pollution caused by the smog could kill hundreds more people than usual in the Moscow region.
Moscow region chief Boris Gromov asked Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to allocate 25 billion roubles (US $827 million) to fight the fires around Moscow.
The smog may begin to clear on Thursday evening, when an atmospheric front moving over from the west is expected to bring rain showers to the Moscow region, Dmitry Kiktev, deputy director of the Roshydromet meteorological service told Reuters.
He said the heatwave would retreat over the weekend, with extreme temperatures falling by four or five degrees Celsius.
- Alexei Anishchuk, Reuters

Captain Insano

Be honest with me….how many times have they rejected you from membership to the Justice League?

Just a Hunch....

but my guess is a girl that has two bows on her leg probably isn’t that hard to get open and it’s probably a present you really don’t want….like I said, just a hunch. If you want to find out for yourself I won’t stop you, just know I enjoy saying “I told you so.”

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

Speculation mounts over John Tory mayoral bid

If Tory can get through an election campaign without doing something to make himself look like a bumbling idiot, I'd almost vote for him just to reward him for such an unprecedented accomplishment.

Other than that, I'd only vote for him if it was the only way to keep Rob Ford from winning. While I disagree with Tory on a number of fronts, Rob Ford would be a disastrous choice for mayor.

let's go JOE

What can be said about Rob Ford and Furious George...can't they cancel each other out?

Rob Ford has changed his mind and is refusing to do a one-on-one debate with George Smitherman – for now.
Doug Ford, the candidate's brother and campaign manager, said on the radio Tuesday that the candidate won't take part in a two-man debate before Sept. 10, the last day candidates can register to join the race.
“We’ll do it, but we’re going to do it on our time, not George Smitherman’s time,” Doug Ford said, calling the idea a “Hail Mary pass” for Mr. Smitherman.

Mr. Smitherman proposed the face-off last week while speaking on the air on Newstalk 1010.
Mr. Ford accepted the challenge in theory, though he said he was uncomfortable with excluding the other major candidates, Joe Pantalone, Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson. “I’ll show up anywhere,” Mr. Ford said after a speech Friday. “I’ll go in his [Mr. Smitherman’s] backyard, but you have to understand my position. As a mayor, I want to encompass everybody.”

Toronto's mayoral contenders have already taken part in three televised debates and dozens of community forums. Mr. Smitherman later accused his opponent of chickening out.
"It's getting closer to the election and it's disappointing that he has to send out his big brother," Mr. Smitherman said.

I was gone for a minute.......

Now I'm back! With SOOOO much to say, but first. Let's get on
to my imaginary BF....

Can I get an "AMEN"!!!!

John Tory won't make a second run for mayor, source says
Apparent decision to stay out of race would dramatically alter dynamic of campaign

While he is thought to have made the decision for personal reasons, Tory has faced setbacks in recent weeks.

Jeff Bangs, who managed Tory's 2004 campaign for the Conservative leadership, decided to run former Liberal provincial minister George Smitherman's campaign for mayor.

As well, Rocco Rossi, who managed Tory's failed bid for the mayor's chair in 2003, announced his own candidacy.

Sponsership Options for Tiger....

From the "No Shit, Sherlock" file

Harper confirms June G20 summit in Toronto - The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed today that Toronto will host the G20 summit on June 26 and 27, 2010. He made the announcement in South Korea, which will host a second G20 summit in Seoul, in November.

The initial plan was to hold the Group of Eight summit in Huntsville, Ont., and the second, larger G20 meeting somewhere nearby. But last month, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said the area is just too small to host the G20 summit, despite tens of millions in expenditures to bring the area up to world standards.

Good times coming to my city!

Memory Lane...check out this cool couple from 1967

More People of Walmart

I love going to www.peopleofwalmart.com. I'll admit it. Hilarious. Here's a few of the more recent gems


Check this dude .
He drinks more than you, parties harder,
Straight up B.A.M.F.











The caption on this pic, was:

"Thanks for not even trying"

The Dutch Make An Excellent Cheese.....

I love him...The Newsroom series (circa '96) was so clever, sassy, ironic, sarcastic, and clearly a mockery of the CBC. I see its on DVD

Hilarious.

Owwwwwwww Root Canal Hell

See that tool? A piece of it broke off and is imbedded in the bottom of my root.

Last nights 4:15 - 6:30 Dental appointment

OUCH

Marilyn Monroe, Blazing.....