Wade Belak's death continues a disturing trend

Wade Belak becomes the third NHLer with a history of fighting to pass away since May. Derek Boogaard, just 28, of the New York Rangers was found dead in his Minnesota apartment on May 13 with the cause of death later determined as an accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone toxicity. On August 15, Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien was found dead in his Alberta home at 27. Belak, a 15-year NHL veteran who announced his retirement in March, was found dead in his Toronto condo early Wednesday afternoon. He was just 35. Cause of death is still unknown.



Is it just a coincidence that 3 enforcers have died suddenly in just 3 months? Maybe. But both the NHL and NHLPA should be taking note. It has already been taking well documented the toll both physically and psychologically that fighting has on NHL players. No one aspires to be an NHL enforcer. No mother relishes watching their son batter an opponent or taking a beating. All enforcers were star players at one point in their hockey career. When you hit the wall in your development and you have the size, well you do what you have to do to stay in hockey.



Fighting takes a physical toll on enforcers. It's inevitable that you get hurt and the incidence of addiction to pain killers and other drugs is high. What you don't see are the emotional and psychological scars. Some fighters begin to avoid fights and before you know it their NHL career is over. Veteran enforcers become targets for younger guys who want to make a name for themselves.



I sometimes think that eliminating fighting from hockey would be a good thing because the marginal players could no longer be coerced into being an enforcer. If they don't have the talent to be an NHLer so be it.







Hard to believe both these guys are dead.

Wade Belak's death continues a disturing trend

Wade Belak becomes the third NHLer with a history of fighting to pass away since May. Derek Boogaard, just 28, of the New York Rangers was found dead in his Minnesota apartment on May 13 with the cause of death later determined as an accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone toxicity. On August 15, Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien was found dead in his Alberta home at 27. Belak, a 15-year NHL veteran who announced his retirement in March, was found dead in his Toronto condo early Wednesday afternoon. He was just 35. Cause of death is still unknown.



Is it just a coincidence that 3 enforcers have died suddenly in just 3 months? Maybe. But both the NHL and NHLPA should be taking note. It has already been taking well documented the toll both physically and psychologically that fighting has on NHL players. No one aspires to be an NHL enforcer. No mother relishes watching their son batter an opponent or taking a beating. All enforcers were star players at one point in their hockey career. When you hit the wall in your development and you have the size, well you do what you have to do to stay in hockey.



Fighting takes a physical toll on enforcers. It's inevitable that you get hurt and the incidence of addiction to pain killers and other drugs is high. What you don't see are the emotional and psychological scars. Some fighters begin to avoid fights and before you know it their NHL career is over. Veteran enforcers become targets for younger guys who want to make a name for themselves.



I sometimes think that eliminating fighting from hockey would be a good thing because the marginal players could no longer be coerced into being an enforcer. If they don't have the talent to be an NHLer so be it.







Hard to believe both these guys are dead.

Woman finds alien baby in garden

source

Woman finds alien baby in garden

source

Dogs in suits week

Dogs in suits week

Any Blue Jays fans still missing Jo-Jo Reyes?

I've heard a fair share of Blue Jays fans complaining when the Fays released Jo-Jo Reyes - his record wasn't so bad, he was just having some bad luck, he's a lefty afterall, surely they could have gotten something for him.



Reyes' record with the Jays was deceiving. Even when he won games he didn't look that good but seemed to have won games because of solid run support from the offense. There is a good reason why you go 28 starts without a win. There is a reason why only the pitching starved Orioles pick you up. You stink!



Reyes didn't disappoint me tonight as the Jays clobbered the Orioles 13-0. He went 2.2 innings giving up 8 hits, 7 runs and 2 homers. At times it looked like batting practice. He wanted to prove Blue Jays management that they were wrong to put him on waivers but only proved they made the right call.



Meanwhile young Henderson Alvarez, Reyes' replacement in the rotation pitched a gem - an 8-innings with no runs or walks and only 3 hits on just 97 pitches.

Any Blue Jays fans still missing Jo-Jo Reyes?

I've heard a fair share of Blue Jays fans complaining when the Fays released Jo-Jo Reyes - his record wasn't so bad, he was just having some bad luck, he's a lefty afterall, surely they could have gotten something for him.



Reyes' record with the Jays was deceiving. Even when he won games he didn't look that good but seemed to have won games because of solid run support from the offense. There is a good reason why you go 28 starts without a win. There is a reason why only the pitching starved Orioles pick you up. You stink!



Reyes didn't disappoint me tonight as the Jays clobbered the Orioles 13-0. He went 2.2 innings giving up 8 hits, 7 runs and 2 homers. At times it looked like batting practice. He wanted to prove Blue Jays management that they were wrong to put him on waivers but only proved they made the right call.



Meanwhile young Henderson Alvarez, Reyes' replacement in the rotation pitched a gem - an 8-innings with no runs or walks and only 3 hits on just 97 pitches.

Sign of the day

Sign of the day

Stanley Cup is dropped, ends up with boo boo

Stanley Cup is dropped, ends up with boo boo

Man arrested 99 times - do you think he can be rehabilitated?

A man who has been arrested 99 times and convicted 24 times is heading back to state prison after pleading guilty on Monday to obstructing police.



Alberto Luis Alvarez, 37, of Chicago, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Judge Gilbert J. Grossi. He was also charged with felony possession of heroin, but that charge was dropped.



According to one police source, Alvarez did such a good job trying to destroy evidence while police were attempting to arrest him on Aug. 10 that, in the end, they were only able to connect Alvarez directly to about 0.1 grams of heroin.



Police were called to the 7200 block of Ogden Avenue at 2:38 p.m. on Aug. 10 to investigate a suspicious man who was pushing a stroller and begging for money door to door.



When they arrived, police located Alvarez, who was pushing a stroller with a 3-year-old girl inside of it. He tried to flee police and began destroying evidence as he ran.



Police later learned that Alvarez, who police say has used 10 alias dates of birth, nine alias names and five alias Social Security numbers throughout his criminal career, had been arrested 98 times previously and had been convicted of a slew of offenses, ranging from robbery and burglary to invasion of privacy and numerous drug cases.



According to police, he was on Ogden Avenue because he had family members in nearby Lyons. He was trying to obtain money from sympathetic people by claiming he was injured and using the 3 year old for dramatic emphasis. After the arrest, the child was placed in the care of a family member.



Really this guy has to be one of the most incompetent criminals of our time. How else do you explain 99 arrests and 24 convictions? He might as well be wearing a sign informing the world, "I'm a crook!" He really should consider a career change, when he gets out of prison in 18 months.



source

Man arrested 99 times - do you think he can be rehabilitated?

A man who has been arrested 99 times and convicted 24 times is heading back to state prison after pleading guilty on Monday to obstructing police.



Alberto Luis Alvarez, 37, of Chicago, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Judge Gilbert J. Grossi. He was also charged with felony possession of heroin, but that charge was dropped.



According to one police source, Alvarez did such a good job trying to destroy evidence while police were attempting to arrest him on Aug. 10 that, in the end, they were only able to connect Alvarez directly to about 0.1 grams of heroin.



Police were called to the 7200 block of Ogden Avenue at 2:38 p.m. on Aug. 10 to investigate a suspicious man who was pushing a stroller and begging for money door to door.



When they arrived, police located Alvarez, who was pushing a stroller with a 3-year-old girl inside of it. He tried to flee police and began destroying evidence as he ran.



Police later learned that Alvarez, who police say has used 10 alias dates of birth, nine alias names and five alias Social Security numbers throughout his criminal career, had been arrested 98 times previously and had been convicted of a slew of offenses, ranging from robbery and burglary to invasion of privacy and numerous drug cases.



According to police, he was on Ogden Avenue because he had family members in nearby Lyons. He was trying to obtain money from sympathetic people by claiming he was injured and using the 3 year old for dramatic emphasis. After the arrest, the child was placed in the care of a family member.



Really this guy has to be one of the most incompetent criminals of our time. How else do you explain 99 arrests and 24 convictions? He might as well be wearing a sign informing the world, "I'm a crook!" He really should consider a career change, when he gets out of prison in 18 months.



source

Dogs in suits week

Dogs in suits week

Hump Day Hottie

Lourdes Leon

Hump Day Hottie

Lourdes Leon

Woman buys block of wood with Apple logo thinking it’s an iPad

In a new variation on the “brick in a box” scam, a South Carolina woman who thought she purchased an iPad from two men in a McDonald’s parking lot discovered yesterday that the purported tablet was actually “a piece of wood painted black with an Apple logo.”

According to a Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office report, Ashley McDowell, 22, told deputies that she was approached by two black males who claimed to have purchased iPads in bulk and were selling them for $300 apiece. After McDowell explained that she only had $180, the duo agreed to sell her the device at a cut rate.

But when McDowell drove home and opened the FedEx box containing the iPad, she instead discovered the wood with the Apple logo. The “screen”--which was framed with black tape--included replicas of iPad icons for Safari, mail, photos, and an iPod. It also had what cops described as a “Best Buy sales ticket.”

No question this woman is spectacularly stupid but then who buys an iPad in a McDonalds parking lot let alone food?

source

Woman buys block of wood with Apple logo thinking it’s an iPad

In a new variation on the “brick in a box” scam, a South Carolina woman who thought she purchased an iPad from two men in a McDonald’s parking lot discovered yesterday that the purported tablet was actually “a piece of wood painted black with an Apple logo.”

According to a Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office report, Ashley McDowell, 22, told deputies that she was approached by two black males who claimed to have purchased iPads in bulk and were selling them for $300 apiece. After McDowell explained that she only had $180, the duo agreed to sell her the device at a cut rate.

But when McDowell drove home and opened the FedEx box containing the iPad, she instead discovered the wood with the Apple logo. The “screen”--which was framed with black tape--included replicas of iPad icons for Safari, mail, photos, and an iPod. It also had what cops described as a “Best Buy sales ticket.”

No question this woman is spectacularly stupid but then who buys an iPad in a McDonalds parking lot let alone food?

source

10 years since 9/11

In 12 days it will be the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. I will continue to highlight those events of 2001.





February 12, 2002

Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee, Secretary of State Colin Powell states: "With respect to Iraq, it's long been, for several years now, a policy of the United States' government that regime change would be in the best interest of the region, the best interest of the Iraqi people. And we're looking at a variety of options that would bring that about."







May 20-24, 2002

The Bush administration issues an unprecedented series of terror warnings. Vice President Cheney warns it is "not a matter of if, but when" al Qaeda will next attack the U.S., a warning repeated by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that terrorists will "inevitably" obtain weapons of mass destruction, and FBI Director Mueller says more suicide bombings are "inevitable." Authorities also issue separate warnings that al Qaeda terrorists might target apartment buildings nationwide, banks, rail and transit systems, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge.











July 30, 2002

Richard Butler, a former U.N. weapons inspector from Australia, tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "I have seen no evidence of Iraq providing weapons of mass destruction to non-Iraqi terrorist groups."





August 20, 2002

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing various "intelligence reports," claims that the Iraqi government is "hosting, supporting or sponsoring" an al-Qaeda presence in Iraq. And in an interview with Fox News, he rejects calls for the administration to disclose its evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. "Think of the prelude to World War II. Think of all the countries that said, well, we don't have enough evidence," he says. "I mean, Mein Kampf had been written. Hitler had indicated what he intended to do. The people who argued for waiting for more evidence have to ask themselves how they are going to feel at that point where another event occurs."

10 years since 9/11

In 12 days it will be the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. I will continue to highlight those events of 2001.





February 12, 2002

Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee, Secretary of State Colin Powell states: "With respect to Iraq, it's long been, for several years now, a policy of the United States' government that regime change would be in the best interest of the region, the best interest of the Iraqi people. And we're looking at a variety of options that would bring that about."







May 20-24, 2002

The Bush administration issues an unprecedented series of terror warnings. Vice President Cheney warns it is "not a matter of if, but when" al Qaeda will next attack the U.S., a warning repeated by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that terrorists will "inevitably" obtain weapons of mass destruction, and FBI Director Mueller says more suicide bombings are "inevitable." Authorities also issue separate warnings that al Qaeda terrorists might target apartment buildings nationwide, banks, rail and transit systems, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge.











July 30, 2002

Richard Butler, a former U.N. weapons inspector from Australia, tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "I have seen no evidence of Iraq providing weapons of mass destruction to non-Iraqi terrorist groups."





August 20, 2002

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing various "intelligence reports," claims that the Iraqi government is "hosting, supporting or sponsoring" an al-Qaeda presence in Iraq. And in an interview with Fox News, he rejects calls for the administration to disclose its evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. "Think of the prelude to World War II. Think of all the countries that said, well, we don't have enough evidence," he says. "I mean, Mein Kampf had been written. Hitler had indicated what he intended to do. The people who argued for waiting for more evidence have to ask themselves how they are going to feel at that point where another event occurs."

Dogs in suits week

Dogs in suits week

Inferior Russian product?

Inferior Russian product?

Fattest sprinter in the world?

American Samoa has never produced any winning sprinters.

But there was 17-year-old Sogelau Tuvalu competing in one of the 100 metre heats at the world track championships at Daegu, South Korea.

He looks like an offensive lineman lumbering down the field. The kid was twice the size of the other six competitors and was the only athlete not wearing spikes. He finished last with a time of 15.66 seconds - six seconds slower than winner

The time is the second slowest in the history of the championships. That honour goes to Kim Collins from Saint Kitts who ran in 21.73 seconds in Athens in 1997.

Fattest sprinter in the world?

American Samoa has never produced any winning sprinters.

But there was 17-year-old Sogelau Tuvalu competing in one of the 100 metre heats at the world track championships at Daegu, South Korea.

He looks like an offensive lineman lumbering down the field. The kid was twice the size of the other six competitors and was the only athlete not wearing spikes. He finished last with a time of 15.66 seconds - six seconds slower than winner

The time is the second slowest in the history of the championships. That honour goes to Kim Collins from Saint Kitts who ran in 21.73 seconds in Athens in 1997.

Elliot Gould is 73 today

in the 1970 film MASH









in the 1978 film Silent Partner









in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven

Elliot Gould is 73 today

in the 1970 film MASH









in the 1978 film Silent Partner









in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven

Drunk airplane passenger performs in-flight lap dance

Sleepy early morning passengers on a flight from Moscow's biggest airport to London may have thought they were dreaming Friday when a drunken Russian woman staged erotic dances on the plane.

But crew on the 7:00 am flight from Domodedovo airport to London decided to return to Moscow as the woman, 39, a native of the Russian region of Tatarstan, was deemed to be causing an inconvenience to passengers, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

"The woman was in a state of insobriety, inconveniencing the passengers, taking off their glasses and dancing erotic dances," a spokesman for transport police said, quoted by the news agency.

The crew then announced that after just 15 minutes of flight the plane was turning back.

On arrival, the woman was arrested and taken to a local hospital to be examined, the spokesman said. The name of the airline was not disclosed.

At least she didn't relieve herself on her fellow passengers like one JetBlue passenger did earlier this month, or threaten to stab an airline staff member like one British Airways passenger did. Or Gerard Depardieu pissing all over the carpet. I bet the airline only got complaints from passengers that didn't get a lap dance.

source

Drunk airplane passenger performs in-flight lap dance

Sleepy early morning passengers on a flight from Moscow's biggest airport to London may have thought they were dreaming Friday when a drunken Russian woman staged erotic dances on the plane.

But crew on the 7:00 am flight from Domodedovo airport to London decided to return to Moscow as the woman, 39, a native of the Russian region of Tatarstan, was deemed to be causing an inconvenience to passengers, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

"The woman was in a state of insobriety, inconveniencing the passengers, taking off their glasses and dancing erotic dances," a spokesman for transport police said, quoted by the news agency.

The crew then announced that after just 15 minutes of flight the plane was turning back.

On arrival, the woman was arrested and taken to a local hospital to be examined, the spokesman said. The name of the airline was not disclosed.

At least she didn't relieve herself on her fellow passengers like one JetBlue passenger did earlier this month, or threaten to stab an airline staff member like one British Airways passenger did. Or Gerard Depardieu pissing all over the carpet. I bet the airline only got complaints from passengers that didn't get a lap dance.

source

10 years since 9/11

In 13 days it will be the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. I will continue to highlight those events of 2001.





December 17, 2001

The Northern Alliance defeats Taliban forces in the battle of Tora Bora, eliminating the last major pocket of Taliban resistance and effectively ending the Afghan war.







December 22, 2001

British citizen Richard Reid is arrested for allegedly trying to blow up a Miami-bound jet using explosives hidden in his shoe. He later pleads guilty to all charges, and declares himself a follower of Osama bin Laden.







January 23, 2002

Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, in Karachi, Pakistan to investigate the case of alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid, is kidnapped while on his way to meet a source. A group calling itself the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty claims responsibility and demands the release of all Pakistani terror detainees and the release of a halted shipment of F-16 fighter jets to the Pakistani government. A videotape of Pearl's murder surfaces on February 23, and his body is discovered in a shallow grave on the outskirts of Karachi on May 16.







January 29, 2002

In his State of the Union address, President Bush describes an "axis of evil" between Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Osama bin Laden is not mentioned in the speech.

10 years since 9/11

In 13 days it will be the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. I will continue to highlight those events of 2001.





December 17, 2001

The Northern Alliance defeats Taliban forces in the battle of Tora Bora, eliminating the last major pocket of Taliban resistance and effectively ending the Afghan war.







December 22, 2001

British citizen Richard Reid is arrested for allegedly trying to blow up a Miami-bound jet using explosives hidden in his shoe. He later pleads guilty to all charges, and declares himself a follower of Osama bin Laden.







January 23, 2002

Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, in Karachi, Pakistan to investigate the case of alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid, is kidnapped while on his way to meet a source. A group calling itself the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty claims responsibility and demands the release of all Pakistani terror detainees and the release of a halted shipment of F-16 fighter jets to the Pakistani government. A videotape of Pearl's murder surfaces on February 23, and his body is discovered in a shallow grave on the outskirts of Karachi on May 16.







January 29, 2002

In his State of the Union address, President Bush describes an "axis of evil" between Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Osama bin Laden is not mentioned in the speech.

Creepy Serbian ad

Very weird Serbian ad campaign to get people to clean up after their dogs.

Creepy Serbian ad

Very weird Serbian ad campaign to get people to clean up after their dogs.

Sign of the day - Hurricane Irene edition

Sign of the day - Hurricane Irene edition

Bank robber refused service for jumping queue

He went to rob a bank and all he got was a scolding.

An unidentified man who attempted to rob Eastern Bank in South Boston Thursday left it empty-handed after being scolded by a teller and a customer waiting in line, Boston police said.

Police responded to 470 West Broadway at 6:08 p.m. for a call of an attempted robbery.

Officers were then told by a teller that the suspect went up to her and showed her a note that read, “Give me all your money.’’ But the teller refused, informing the suspect that the window was closed.

“Then he moved over to the next teller and they scolded him for getting in front,’’ said Officer Eddy Chrispin, a police spokesman.

Police said the suspect was described as between 18 and 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches, and about 160 pounds, with brown eyes and dark facial hair. He was wearing a black backpack with gold trim and a dark blue hoodie, Chrispin said.

The suspect was told by a teller and customer that he had to wait in line for his turn, and to take off his hoodie, police said. The suspect refused to remove his hoodie and left the bank.

He was last seen walking toward F Street, police said.

Police said no one was injured and no weapon was shown. The robbery attempt is under investigation and no arrests have been made, police said.

source

Bank robber refused service for jumping queue

He went to rob a bank and all he got was a scolding.

An unidentified man who attempted to rob Eastern Bank in South Boston Thursday left it empty-handed after being scolded by a teller and a customer waiting in line, Boston police said.

Police responded to 470 West Broadway at 6:08 p.m. for a call of an attempted robbery.

Officers were then told by a teller that the suspect went up to her and showed her a note that read, “Give me all your money.’’ But the teller refused, informing the suspect that the window was closed.

“Then he moved over to the next teller and they scolded him for getting in front,’’ said Officer Eddy Chrispin, a police spokesman.

Police said the suspect was described as between 18 and 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches, and about 160 pounds, with brown eyes and dark facial hair. He was wearing a black backpack with gold trim and a dark blue hoodie, Chrispin said.

The suspect was told by a teller and customer that he had to wait in line for his turn, and to take off his hoodie, police said. The suspect refused to remove his hoodie and left the bank.

He was last seen walking toward F Street, police said.

Police said no one was injured and no weapon was shown. The robbery attempt is under investigation and no arrests have been made, police said.

source

Dogs in suits week

Dogs in suits week