Birds Killed in Canada

Travis Henry's Kids

VBL4 3 Stooges

Al Davis' Oakland Raiders Trade Checklist

Here's Why Survey's Don't Work

MyTelus.com
August 23, 2009
Headline: "Liberals, Tories in dead heat: poll"
LINK HERE

NationalPost.com
August 24, 2009
Headline: "Harper’s Tories open big lead over Liberals, poll says"
LINK HERE

MyTelus gets their news from the Canadian Press.........who are very Liberal biased. So my guess is that they did their poll in the most "important" areas of Canada - Eastern Ontario, Western Ontario, Southern Ontario, Northern Ontario, and that province that only speaks French.

Joan Rivers

This year on NBC's 'The Celebrity Apprentice', Joan Rivers told Annie Duke that "poker players are trash, darling, trash" (see this link).

So where is Joan Rivers' next stand-up comedy appearance? Why it's at the River Cree Resort in Edmonton, Alberta of course! In case you didn't know, a major portion of the River Cree Resort is their casino.

Wait...so you are telling that a lady who referred to all poker players as "trash" gets her next gig at a casino? River Cree Resort...you fail.

Truck n' Trailer

The Truck:

2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
-TRD Sport & Towing Package
-6 speed manual transmission
-4.0L V6 engine
-33" BFG Mud-Terrain tires
-Revtek 3" lift Kit
-Truxedo roll-up bed cover
-Aries side-step bars
-Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller
-Towing capacity = 6,500 lbs

The Trailer:

2009 Jayco Jayflight 22FB
-Dry weight = 4,443 lbs
-GVWR = 6,000 lbs


It tows pretty nice...but I certainly would not go any heavier with the Tacoma. When that trailer is fully loaded up with all of the camping necessities (water, hot dogs, rum....rum...and rum), it can struggle to keep the speed up going up hills. But it does tow it and it actually does a pretty good job of it.

MLB All-Star Game Voting

Does anyone care to argue that the MLB All-Star game is a load of crap now that the fans vote in the teams?

Exhibit A:

Jimmy Rollins has the most votes among NL Shortstops with 936,377 votes. The next closest is Hanley Ramirez with 871,917. Third is J.J. Hardy with 662,474. Behind him are Jose Reyes and Miguel Tejada.

Shall we compare 2009 statistics?

Exhibit B:

Jimmy Rollins
.222 AVG / 3 HR / 18 RBI / 34 R / 10 SB
.261 OBP / .583 OPS

Hanley Ramirez
.332 AVG / 8 HR / 26 RBI / 36 R / 8 SB
.401 OBP / .939 OPS

J.J. Hardy
.228 AVG / 5 HR / 24 RBI / 27 R / 0 SB
.310 OBP / .668 OPS

How about Miggy?

.354 AVG / 6 HR / 33 RBI / 32 R / 2 SB
.378 OBP / .905 OPS

Miggy is 5th? I am tired of the All-Star game being a popularity contest. This obviously happens year after year, and at many other positions, but the SS results made me sick. Is Rollins an all-star caliber player? Most years he is. This year he is batting 6th and struggling. And how about Manny? Last time I looked he was the second leading vote getter for the OF. Sick.

I do like what the MLB did with 'making the all-star game count', but the voting system has to go. Especially when EACH fan gets 25 ballots. Just give each fan 1 ballot if you are going to keep this crap up - what's it matter if Rollins got 40,000 votes or 1,000,000 votes - it's all relative to the guy below him anyway.

Deputy Chris

I have been Deputized! I will be helping out with the Astros County blog this weekend as the other folks who run the site have prior commitments.

Stop on over and check out the site a few times this weekend.

Vincent Li Still a Danger to the Public

According to his treating physician, Vincent Li (the Greyhound Bus murderer) is still a danger to both the public and himself. Wow, I wonder how many highly paid "geniuses" it took to figure that out.

So, for now, Li will be kept indefinitely at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre - although he does get a review in June 2010, and each year after that until basically they decide he can be released - to go murder someone again. Isn't our "justice" system just great?

Back when Li first went on trial, a few months ago, I actually wrote a brief letter to the PM to mention that I thought our "justice" system was crap. I got a generic response from the PMO letting me know that my comments would be forwarded to the proper department. It turns out this proper department was "the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, The Honourable Rob Nicholson".

Here is the letter I received back from Mr. Nicholson. Please note it is your typical Government response. Full of BS and no real answers:

Dear Mr. McQuid:

The Office of the Prime Minister has forwarded to me a copy of your correspondence concerning the case of Mr. Vincent Li and the verdict of not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. I regret the delay in responding.

Please be assured that the need to protect the public from dangerous persons is given paramount importance in the legal regime that applies to persons who suffer from a mental disorder and are charged with a criminal offence. The twin goals of ensuring public safety and treating the mentally ill offender fairly and appropriately underpin the entire mental disorder regime set out in the Criminal Code. The law provides that dispositions, or orders, be made to govern those who are found by the courts to be unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. Review boards have been established in each province and territory to make or review dispositions concerning mentally disordered accused persons, in order to supervise them and oversee their treatment.

I note your concerns regarding the case of Mr. Li. While it would not be appropriate for me to comment on a particular decision made by the courts, I can indicate that an accused person who suffers from a mental disorder and poses a significant threat to the safety of the public can remain in a psychiatric hospital for an indeterminate period of time. The courts and the review boards must take into consideration both the need to protect the public from dangerous persons and the mental condition of the accused in determining the type of disposition that should be made with respect to that person.

I also note your general comments on sentencing. Although the Code sets out penalties attached to specific offences and states the sentencing principles, sentencing decisions are made by the judge who presides over the trial of an accused person. Our justice system is based on the important constitutional principle that judges must render their decisions independently, free from improper influence or interference.

According to principles set out in the Code, the fundamental purpose of sentencing is to contribute to the maintenance of a just, peaceful, and safe society. The legislation expressly requires judges to consider the sentencing objectives of accountability, deterrence, denunciation, rehabilitation of the offender, reparation to the victims and the community, and separation of the offender from society when necessary.

As well, judges are required to observe principles of proportionality between the sentence and the gravity of the offence, consider all mitigating and aggravating circumstances, and consider any victim-impact statements. For most offences, Parliament has prescribed only maximum sentences, thereby allowing sentencing judges to determine appropriate sentences that are proportionate to the relevant circumstances of each case.

I agree that more work needs to be done to ensure that sentences are proportional to the gravity of the offence and to the degree of responsibility of the offender. For this reason, the Government of Canada committed to strengthening sentencing provisions for the commission of serious crimes. This has resulted in the introduction and enactment of several key legislative initiatives, including the Tackling Violent Crime Act and former Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conditional sentence of imprisonment).

The Tackling Violent Crime Act amended the Code to provide tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes; new bail provisions that require those accused of serious gun crimes to show why they should not be kept in jail while awaiting trial; more effective sentencing and monitoring to prevent dangerous, high-risk offenders from offending again; and stronger penalties for impaired driving. The provisions relating to firearms came into force on May 1, 2008, while those regarding the sentencing and monitoring of dangerous and high-risk offenders came into force on July 2, 2008.

The Government also limited the use of conditional sentences for serious crimes with its legislation, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conditional sentence of imprisonment), which came into force on December 1, 2007. As a result, conditional sentences, or “house arrest” as they are often referred to, are no longer available for serious and violent offences including sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, threats to a third party or sexual assault causing bodily harm, and aggravated sexual assault, when prosecuted on indictment for which the maximum term of imprisonment is ten years or more.

I believe that the steps the Government has taken will bring greater certainty and clarity to the sentencing process and ensure that convicted criminals serve a sentence that reflects the severity of their crimes.

In addition, we are working with our provincial and territorial counterparts, who have direct responsibility for the administration of justice, to explore further reforms to the criminal justice system.

I appreciate having had your comments brought to my attention.

Yours truly,

The Honourable Rob Nicholson

Wow. Not much information in there. Basically, our country's justice system is shit and everyone - including the Government - knows it....but Mr. Nicholson mentions that sentences for gun crimes are going to be increased. That's great. Except Tim McLean was killed and decapitated with a hunting knife on a Greyhound bus, not a gun.

Regardless, there is a great article written by Tom Brodbeck of the Winnipeg Sun from June 3 that is a real eye opener...and basically sums up my feelings exactly. You can read the blog here, and I have posted the text in its entirety below.

WINNIPEG -- Now that psycho-killer Vince Li has had his day in court before a sympathetic Criminal Code review board, perhaps we could now convene a hearing for the family of Tim McLean to scope out what needs they have and how the state can help them, too.

Monday's hearing was all about Vince Li -- what he needs, how much better he's doing mentally, how he requested and received a Chinese Bible and what kind of facility he should be housed in.

The review board was very concerned about Mr. Li's feelings and how he may be react if Tim McLean's family read their victim impact statements in front of him in a courtroom Monday. It might hurt his feelings, they thought.

But psychiatrist Stanley Yaren, Li's shrink and advocate, told the board Monday he thought Li would be OK with it. That's super.

No one asked the family how they would feel if they were robbed of the opportunity to make their victim impact statements in front of Li.

After all, this was all about Mr. Li and making sure he's comfortable, not the family. The review board is concerned mostly with ensuring Li is in a good facility with a pleasant environment, where he can watch movies and play cards.

They're also concerned the 24/7 supervision of Li by two correctional officers may now be excessive. Better stop that. It might infringe on Mr. Li's dignity.

So now that we've done all this, shouldn't we turn our attention to the family? They're getting virtually no help or support from the justice system, even though -- through no fault of their own -- they are now in a crisis situation.

And compared with Li, who has round-the-clock support, free meals, medication and nice running shoes, the family is getting next to nothing.

Carol deDelley, Tim McLean's mother, used to drive a school bus before her son was killed.

She had to leave that job, at least for now, and is on long-term disability. She can't drive the school kids anymore because she doesn't have the confidence nor the level of concentration required to perform that very important job.

Her long-term disability pays only half of what she was earning. Anybody going to help out Ms. deDelley, whose life has been turned upside down by this nightmare?

There's lots of help for poor Mr. Li. But there's not much for the family, who are the real victims here.

Perhaps we should have a hearing to determine what kind of support Tim McLean's family should get, including financial support and crisis intervention.

The family was denied standing at Li's hearing. Maybe we could have one where the family gets standing and Li's lawyers don't so we could hear from them and get their input on the situation, including what should happen to Li.

Our justice system is so hopelessly focused on the offender, it excludes almost entirely the needs of the victims and their families.

It was repugnant watching Li's shrink and his lawyer fawning all over him Monday, making sure he was comfortable as family members sat there, shut out of the proceedings and forced to read censored versions of their victim impact statements.

It was obscene.

The least the justice system could do now is hold a hearing for the family to canvass their views and to identify their needs.

I'm not holding my breath.

For more, visit Brodbeck's blog Raise a Little Hell at winnipegsun.com. Reach Tom at 632-2742 or by e-mail at tom.brodbeck@sunmedia.ca

Tacoma Towing

For all of you 2nd Gen (2005+) Toyota Tacoma owners out there....there is a guy that has written a very comprehensive guide to towing with these trucks. Here are all of the chapters in the guide, so you have an idea of what it covers:

Post 1. About your author, Disclaimer and Table of Contents.
Post 2. Gen 1 Trucks, and their options and tow ratings.
Post 3. Gen 2 Trucks, and their options and tow ratings.
Post 4. Calculating the Actual weight of what you want to tow.
Post 5. The proper set up of your truck to tow safely.
Post 6. Brake Controllers, and their install.
Post 7. Weight Distribution Hitches and Sway Control.
Post 8. Extended towing mirrors.
Post 9. Adding hitch and wiring to a non tow package equipped truck.
Post 10. Adding a brake controller to your Gen 2 non-tow package equipped V6 truck.

It is a very, very informative guide - you can check out the entire thing right here.

While you are there, check out the Forum for a ton of other helpful Tacoma information.

How did I stumble upon this wealth of information? I'm actually going to be pushing my own truck to the test. Information on my truck:

2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4
TRD Sport & Towing Package
6 Speed Manual Transmission
RevTek Lift Kit (3" Front, 1.5" Rear)
33" BFG Mud Terrain Tires

The truck is rated for a maximum towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.

We have just purchased the following trailer:

2009 Jayco Jay Flight 22FB

The GVWR on this trailer is 6,000 lbs - which basically means that is the most the trailer can weigh to be within spec - including all propane, water tanks full, beer, etc....all of the important stuff.

To tow this properly, I will have an equalizer hitch and I am also installing a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller - very easy to install yourself on the Tacoma thanks to a built in harness and some easy connections.

We'll see how it goes! That little Tacoma is going to be working.

Long Names in Sports

I sure hope they don't charge Rangers fans by the letter for cresting to buy Salty's jersey.

Chris McQuid
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Three Wolf Moon

Props to Owen for pointing this beauty out today.

First...our item. Check out this link for the 'Three Wolf Moon' t-shirt on Amazon. Certainly a beautiful, majestic shirt (see picture below).



It turns out I wasn't the only one who appreciated the beauty of this shirt...

Check out some of the 533 (and counting) reviews!

And finally...as Owen pointed out...the best review of all - posted in it's entirety for your viewing pleasure.

Id been experimenting with a golden eagle / world trade centre combo for a while but wasnt quite getting the spark or magic I was looking for.

Then I saw this and immediately got very hard. I had to buy it!

The package arrived a few days later. A solitary beam of sunlight perfectly filling the space it occupied on the floor. Nervously I approached....getting slightly harder every step nearer. Cautiously I bent down and reached for it.....by this time I was EXTREMELY hard. WIthout a moment to lose I grabbed it, ran up the stairs and slammed the door behind me - this was it - the moment of truth. I swear by this stage I was so hard I was getting a headache!

I carefully opened one end of the package and reached inside. It was like sliding my hand into a whale's vagina...warm and velvety. Outside birdsong erupted, I could hear the distant toll of church bells and what sounded like angels singing - I slowly pulled the shirt out....

By this time its worth mentioning that I had come 10 times already. But nothing prepared me for the moment my eyes met with the staggering beauty of the wolves, united in their melancholy chorus, and the wonderous details of the full moon. I slowly put the garment on.

When I awoke, I was in a hospital bed. THere were many machines and drips attached to me and i was scared and confused. I was stopped from ripping the tubes from my withered body by a nurse who rushed in and calmed me down.

"Where am I....what happened.." I asked

"You are in intensive care.. You came solidly for 6 days, even whilst we put you in a coma. Only when we took your clothes off did it stop."

I began to cry for it was then when i knew the truth. As i looked out the window into the black night, a cloud shifted revealing a brilliant full moon and in the distance...a wol....no....THREE wolves began to sing their song of lament.

Almost immediately I felt a slight tightness in my shorts....

Astros

Milwaukee Brewers (25-15) @ Houston Astros (18-20) tonight at 6:05 MDT in the rubber match of the three game series. After this the Astros will open up the Lone Star series against the Texas Rangers for the weekend.

Tonight's pitching matchup:

RHP Roy Oswalt
1-2
50.0 IP -- 35 K -- 14 BB
4.50 ERA
1.30 WHIP

RHP Jeff Suppan
3-3
44.2 IP -- 23 K -- 19 BB
4.63 ERA
1.43 WHIP

In other news, Michael Bourn will FINALLY be leading off tonight, where he belongs. Of course he was supposed to leadoff last night, but Coop can't seem to figure out how to write up a lineup card properly.

For more Astros news and analysis, head on over to Astros County.

Donald Trump

The Celebrity Apprentice this year was a joke.

I could rant all day long, but basically Annie Duke SHOULD have won. The Trump hired Joan Rivers instead, for two reasons:

1. They are close personal friends.



2. Donald's Sister-In-Law, Blaine Trump, is the Vice Chair of God's Love We Deliver - Joan's charity.

This article is not about the Celebrity Apprentice, however, as it is too hot of subject for me - I don't have the time or energy to list all of the reasons why Donald Trump is truly no longer fit to run a business, if his ethics are true to what was shown during the Celebrity Apprentice.

No, this is instead about scientific research....and proving that:

As Net Worth increases, Wife Age decreases --> for The Donald in particular.

Exhibit A:

Wife #1, Ivana Trump
Married to The Donald from 1977-1992
Born February 20, 1949



Wife #2, Marla Maples
Married to The Donald from 1993-1999
Born October 27, 1963



Wife #3, Melania Trump
Married to The Donald from 2005-present
Born April 26, 1970



Yes, as Donald has gotten older (he is now 62), he has made more money. And in the process, his wives have gotten younger. He also stays married to them for shorter amounts of time.

I guess the long and the short of it is...I used to have some respect for Donald Trump. The guy is worth $3 billion plus, according to reports (although he disputes this by saying that he is actually worth $7 billion). But he has lost my respect now. He is a sellout and a bad role model. Donald, you're fired.

Fantasy Baseball

For all of you Fantasy Baseball players out there, I have a good, cheap pickup for you. I'm going to give you two different players. Pay particular attention to the ownership percentages (which shows what percentage of 10-team standard ESPN fantasy leagues each player is owned in). Both players are 1B and 3B eligible.

Player 1
36/129 for a .279 average
19 R
8 HR
33 RBI
1 SB
.874 OPS
97.4% owned (ESPN)

Player 2
36/127 for a .283 average
23 R
9 HR
26 RBI
0 SB
.921 OPS
28.7% owned (ESPN)

Player 1 is Jorge Cantu (Florida Marlins), Player 2 is Casey Blake (LA Dodgers). Based on the ownership percentages, Blake should still be out there in a PILE of leagues. And even if he is taken, he'd likely come cheap via trade. You could do worse for a guy who can cover both corner infield positions.

Best Fastball

Great article at NBC Sports today, which shows the highest fastball velocities for starting pitchers in the MLB this year.

Two key things to take from that sentence:

1. These are starting pitchers. Obviously relievers will have higher numbers, because they only come in for a short amount of time and can put everything into every throw.
2. These are from this year. As the article indicates, Tim Lincecum isn't even in the Top 20 this year because his velocity has been 92.2 mph - last year he was at 94.1 (good for second in the NL). Here's the list:

1. Justin Verlander - 95.3 mph
2. Ubaldo Jimenez - 95.0
2. Felipe Paulino - 95.0
4. Josh Johnson - 94.8
5. A.J. Burnett - 94.4
5. Edwin Jackson - 94.4
6. Josh Beckett - 94.1
7. Max Scherzer - 93.9
8. CC Sabathia - 93.8
9. Edinson Volquez - 93.6
10. Felix Hernandez - 93.5
11. Clayton Kershaw - 93.4
12. Zack Greinke - 93.3
12. Roy Oswalt - 93.3
12. Josh Outman - 93.3
12. Jordan Zimmermann - 93.3
16. Jeremy Guthrie - 93.1
17. Jorge De La Rosa - 92.9
18. Chris Carpenter - 92.8
18. Brad Penny - 92.8
20. Fausto Carmona - 92.6
20. Roy Halladay - 92.6

And the bottom 10?

Tim Wakefield - 71.7
Jamie Moyer - 80.5
Graham Taylor - 83.5
Livan Hernandez - 84.6
Doug Davis - 85.1
Josh Geer - 85.7
Sean Marshall - 85.7
Mark Buehrle - 85.8
Chris Young - 86.0
Jeff Suppan - 86.5

The old knuckleballer Wakefield still gets it done though! Look at his line against the Jays last night:

8.0 IP -- 1 ER -- 3 K -- 2 BB -- W

He now improves to 5-2 on the season (and his 5 wins lead the Red Sox pitching staff).

Gary Bettman, Hypocrite

Jim Balsillie (the co-CEO of Research In Motion, which makes the Blackberry) wants to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Southern Ontario - probably Hamilton. Gary Bettman, for some reason, has been against this all along. I guess it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, as Bettman really doesn't care about the Canadian market.

Anyway, on Bettman's talk show yesterday (on XM Radio), he had this to say about the entire situation (you can read the entire article here, but Bettman and his cronies actually run the Phoenix Coyotes website now too, so don't expect it to be anything less than biased):

"Our fans play an essential role in all the decisions that we make. You support our clubs and we have a commitment to you. We don't run out on our fans when issues arise with our clubs. We fix the problems. Our track record of fixing clubs is pretty strong."

Ummmm, ok. Now for the truth......here's a quick blurb about Bettman's track record from his Wikipedia page:

"...four franchises relocated during Bettman's tenure: The Minnesota North Stars to Dallas (1993), the Quebec Nordiques to Denver (1995), the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix (1996) and the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina (1997)."

It's funny that Bettman had no problem moving teams away from Winnipeg and Quebec in a flash, yet he wants to keep the bankrupt Coyotes in Phoenix at all costs. Perhaps if Balsillie were offering to move the team to Las Vegas or Kansas City the reaction would be different. Gary Bettman, you are a giant douchebag.

Frog Test

Ready to give your brain a workout today?

CLICK HERE to head on over to the Frog Test. The goal is simple - switch all of the frogs to the opposite side. It is TOUGH. I am proud to say, however, that after a few tries today I finally got it. Head on over and try it for yourself.......or if you want to cheat, the solution is below.

I broke it down step-by-step --> the X's are the green frogs and the O's are the brown frogs. The _ are the empty rock. It's hard to tell from just this what you actually do - but for example, in step three you see the X is now on the right hand side of the O, so it jumped the O in that step. It's easy to repeat once you do it a couple of times!

START

XXX_OOO
XXXO_OO
XX_OXOO
X_XOXOO
XOX_XOO
XOXOX_O
XOXOXO_
XOXO_OX
XO_OXOX
_OXOXOX
O_XOXOX
OOX_XOX
OOXOX_X
OOXO_XX
OO_OXXX
OOO_XXX

END

Shakdown

Whether you are an avid reader, or you haven't picked up a book since high school....PLEASE make sure you read this book.



Shakedown: How Our Government is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights by Ezra Levant

You can purchase the book on Amazon.ca right here. Also, be sure to read Ezra's blog for a pile of great information and insight.

Product Description (from Amazon.ca)

Part memoir, part investigative journalism, this is a shocking and controversial look at the corruption of Canada’s human rights commissions.

“On January 11, 2008, I was summoned to a 90-minute government interrogation. My crime? As the publisher of Western Standard magazine, I had reprinted the Danish cartoons of Mohammed to illustrate a news story. I was charged with the offence of “discrimination,” and made to appear before Alberta’s “human rights commission” for questioning. As crazy as it sounds, I became the only person in the world to face legal sanction for printing those cartoons.”

As a result of this highly publicized event, Ezra Levant began investigating other instances in which innocent people have had their freedoms compromised by bureaucrats presuming to protect Canadians’ human rights. He discovered some disturbing and even bizarre cases, such as the tribunal ruling that an employee at a McDonald’s restaurant in Vancouver did not have to wash her hands at work. And the human rights complaint filed by a Calgary hair stylist against the women at a salon school who called him a “loser.” In another case that seemed stranger than fiction, an emotionally unstable transvestite fought for — and won — the right to counsel female rape victims, despite the anguished pleas of those same traumatized victims. Human rights commissions now monitor political opinions, fine people for expressing politically incorrect viewpoints, censor websites, and even ban people, permanently, from saying certain things.

The book is a result of Levant’s ordeal and the research it inspired. It shows how our concept of human rights has morphed into something dangerous and drastically different from its original meaning. Shakedown is a convincing plea to Canadians to reclaim their basic liberties.

Cool Standings

There is a very cool website out there called Cool Standings. They track MLB Baseball, NFL Football and NBA Basketball standings throughout the year, and work out a percentage that any given team has of:

A. Making the Playoffs
B. Winning their Division
C. Winning the Wild Card

You can check out how they come up with these percentages here.

One section that I found the most interesting was the Biggest Comebacks section. Being an Astros fan, I remember in 2004 and 2005 the Astros were considered all but done.....only to make big second half comebacks which resulted in playoff appearances (and in 2005, their only World Series appearance). So where do these comebacks rank on the all-time comebacks list? Here's the Top 10:

Format: % as of date (% chance of making the playoffs as of date shown)

1. 1914 Boston Braves
<0.1% as of 7/4/1914

2. 2005 Houston Astros
0.2% as of 6/7/2005

3. 1964 St. Louis Cardinals
0.2% as of 7/24/1964

4. 1973 New York Mets
0.2% as of 8/5/1973

5. 1951 New York Giants
0.3% as of 8/12/1951

6. 2004 Houston Astros
0.6% as of 8/26/2004

7. 1978 New York Yankees
0.6% as of 7/18/1978

8. 1930 St. Louis Cardinals
0.7% as of 8/19/1930

9. 1934 St. Louis Cardinals
0.7% as of 9/6/1934

10. 1936 New York Giants
0.7% as of 7/14/1936

Also worth a read are the Top Collapses of all time.

So the moral of the story for us Astros fans? Never give up hope for our team. On that 2005 team (the year we went to the World Series), the Astros were 15-30 (15 games below .500) in late May. From then until the end of July, the Astros went 42-17. They ended up winning the NL Wild Card on the final day of the regular season.

And what are our 2009 post-season chances as of today (04/24/2009)?

7.3% to make the Playoffs
3.8% to win the Wild Card
3.5% to win the Division

Never say never!

Epic Fail

As if the pitiful 2-10 Washington Nationals needed more bad publicity. Click right here for the full story.

Wait....so you mean there is an "O" in Nationals?!"

Stupid Ump

Here's a picture of the play I talked about in my last post. The runner was ruled "tagged out".

Chris McQuid
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

*UPDATE* I sent this pic to James over at Astros County, and he has graciously decided to use it as his banner at the top of his blog. Head on over and check it out!

An Open Letter to Bud Selig

If any of you were watching the Astros / Reds game today, you will know exactly what I'm pissed off about. That phantom "tag out" call in the bottom of the 5th. As I was in a bit of a ranting mood today already, since I have more dog shit to clean up off our lawn (and we don't even own a fucking dog), I decided to e-mail Bud Selig (MLB Commissioner) to let him know my thoughts.

DATE:
April 19, 2009

TO:
fanfeedback@website.mlb.com

SUBJECT:
Astros vs Reds - 04/19

Bud Selig.....please review the tape of the bottom of the 5th inning in this game, where your second base umpire called Hunter Pence out on a tag - yet the attempted tag was about a good foot or more away from touching Pence.

I see crap like this in the MLB time and time again. In any other sport, the official would go under a review and be made aware of his mistake. Yet in the MLB, this will no doubt go unpunished. The call in question wasn't even close, and he blew it. These fat umpires are more concerned about collecting a paycheque than they are about maintaining the integrity of the game.

Between calls like this, and the poor decision to move some Astros home games to your very own "Wrigley North".......I have little to no respect for your "reign of terror" anymore.

Chris McQuid
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Michael Phelps, Kellogg's, & Joe Rogan

Everyone, i'm sure, has heard of Michael Phelps - the US swimmer who won an amazing 8 gold medals at the Olympic Games last summer.

After those games, Michael (obviously) became quite popular. Kellogg's even decided that they would put him on the front of their Corn Flakes cereal box. However, this all went to shit when Michael Phelps was photographed smoking pot.

Now, Kellogg's says they are going to stop having anything to do with Phelps.

Well, this did not sit well with Stand-up Comedian/former Fear Factor host/UFC Spokesperson Joe Rogan, who has a very entertaining blog of his own. In fact, he posted an open letter to Kellogg's on said blog........which is hilarious. In the name of hilarity, I have posted the entire thing below for you to read:

February 16, 2009

Dear, Kellogg’s.
I’m writing this letter to express my disappointment in your company in firing Michael Phelps as a spokesperson for your products because he was photographed while enjoying some marijuana.
I respectfully would like to communicate my opinion on this matter because I think it’s of great public interest.
First of all, although it is true that Mr. Phelps broke the law, I think any reasonably intelligent person would admit that it’s one of the most fucked up and corrupt laws that we have today in this country. Marijuana is relatively harmless and certainly far less dangerous than a host of other things that are not only legal but also readily available, like alcohol and prescription drugs. The only reason it remains illegal to this day is because it’s a plant and you can’t patent it and control it’s sale, and because if it were legal it would greatly affect the demand for a host of prescription drugs that rake in billions of dollars each year for pharmaceutical companies.
That’s it.
Marijuana has never killed anyone EVER in over 10,000 years of use. We’re not protecting people from themselves, we’re not saving the children - it’s just a horribly illogical law that is in place because of corruption and propaganda.
The fact that it’s against the law is just a disgusting reminder of how retarded our system is, not a reasonable reaction to a proven threat to society.

I have to say, this whole thing saddens me, because I personally would like to think that as Americans we’re better than this. These television news anchors will shake their heads at the thoughtless mistake Mr. Phelps had made by “smoking dope,” and then without even the tiniest sense of irony they will cut to a beer commercial.
This is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, right? We’re not supposed to be a nation of little bitches giving in to the whims of corrupt politicians and the pharmaceutical companies whose interests they’re representing.
It’s 2009, and in this day and age with the incredible access to information that we have available there’s no fucking way that we should be allowing human beings to tell other human beings that they can’t do something that they enjoy that hurts no one including themselves.
THAT is madness. THAT is ignorant, and THAT is completely fucking un-American.
I don’t want to hear any of that, “he’s setting a bad example with the children” nonsense either, because we all know if he had a gin and tonic in his hand instead of a bong this would never have been an issue, even though every single study ever done has shown that marijuana is FAR less dangerous than alcohol.
Marijuana laws are a horrible waste of resources and law enforcement, and especially in this day and age with our economy in such horrible shape I believe the last thing we need to be doing is wasting tax payers’ money on any of this victimless bullshit.

I find your reactions to Mr. Phelps situation both ignorant and short sighted.
I think what would have been a far better response from Kellogg’s would be to support Mr. Phelps, and perhaps point out that maybe we as a society should take a closer look at the evidence and possibly reconsider our position on this misunderstood plant that so many of our productive citizens find useful.
Now, I’m sure if you really were running Kellogg’s and you were still reading my bullshit all the way down to this, you must be thinking, “Why the hell would we stick our necks out like that for pot smokers?”

And of course the answer to that question would be, because we buy your shit, motherfucker.
Do you guys even know your consumer statistics? Well, let me fill you in on some of my own personal scientific research on the subject, because I have been closely studying my own purchases for over 20 years, and I can tell you that I’ve been high 100% of the time I’ve bought your shit.
I mean, do you guys ever think about what you sell?
Pop tarts? Are you kidding me? I would be willing to bet that 50% of the people buying pop tarts are stoned out of their fucking minds.
Just to be perfectly clear on my position, I would like you to know that I enjoy your products. I think many of them are quite tasty, but lets be honest; you guys sell sugar-drenched shit that’s horrible for your body - in fact, it’s actually way worse for your body than pot - and you market this shit specifically to children.
You assholes go as far as putting lovable cartoon characters on the boxes just so that kids will beg their parents for it.

Now, I don’t want you to misunderstand my point, because I in no way want anything bad to happen to your company. Like I said, I genuinely enjoy your products.
There’s nothing quite like being stoned out of your mind at 2am watching a Chuck Norris movie and eating a bowl of fruit loops. Your company and its products have been a part of some very pleasurable moments in guilty eating, and I’m glad you’re around.
All I’m saying is that it’s high time (no pun intended) that you motherfuckers respect the stoner dollar. There’s WAY more of us than you might think, and we tend to get upset about dumb shit like this. There are millions of us, and if we decide that we don’t like a company, they’re going to feel it.
I think if you looked into it carefully, you would be surprised at how many undercover potheads there are out there. Pot smokers don’t all fit into the obvious, negative stereotypes; we come in all shapes and forms - including by the way, the form of the greatest fucking swimmer who ever lived, EVER.
Think about THAT shit for a second..
So in closing, I would like to ask you nice folks to please smarten the fuck up.
I would request that you check the calendar and note that it’s 2000 and fucking 9, and next time you think about getting all uppity about pot you might want to do a quick google search on the facts.

It’s 4:40am here in LA, and I’m going to wrap up this blog and to celebrate its completion I’m going to enjoy one of my personal favorite Kellogg’s products: Eggo waffles.
I’m gonna pop 4 of them bitches into the toaster, and then I’m gonna stuff the bong with some fine, American grown “Train Wreck” and sacrifice the sacred plant to the fire gods in tribute to the unjustly persecuted 8 time Olympian hero. Then I’m gonna get some butter, and I’m gonna smear it on those Eggos, I’m gonna cover them with maple syrup, and I’m going to eat the ever loving fuck out of them.
Good day, sirs.

Yours truly,

Joe Rogan.

Nick Adenhart

An absolute tragedy. Just last night I was watching the Angels / A's game that Nick Adenhart started....and this morning I read that he was killed in a car accident after the game.

Link to the story is here. RIP Nick. My thoughts & prayers to his friends and family.

Obama & Immigration

What's the best way to boost your economy and get some of the many laid off people looking for work in your country back into the workforce? The people who built your country, worked in your country, and paid taxes in your country for years until the economic slowdown forced them out of work?

Well, the solution PROBABLY isn't to legalize illegal immigrants to your country, allowing them to steal the jobs of said people.

But that is exactly what Obama is trying to do now.

Back in November, I constantly wrote on my Facebook that Obama becoming President would be bad for the USA, and even worse for Canada. I believe maybe one person agreed with me. Has he really done ANYTHING since January to prove me wrong? Not that I can see.

Oilers v.s. Kings

Here is the approximate view that King Bond and I will be enjoying for the Edmonton Oilers v.s. Los Angeles Kings game at Rexall Place on Tuesday night (although we are Row 7, so we should be even lower than this). Thanks to Seat Data for the pic.

What's better than spending $150 a ticket on an Oilers game? Spending $150 a ticket on an Oilers game when the Oilers still have a chance to make the playoffs.......not looking so good this year. Ah well, Let's Go Oilers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Network Analysis

Anyone who has ever dealt with a network - especially a larger scale one - will appreciate this utility. It is called Angry IP Scanner, and it is a small program that allows you to scan your entire network to check out things such as which IP addresses are in use, and which ports are open.

It comes in handy if you are trying to assign an IP address or range of IP addresses, but don't know what is in use (previously, you would have to go to each computer and go to Start-->Run-->cmd-->ipconfig to figure out the IP address of each).

You can head right on over to Angry IP Scanner's Download Site to get your free copy today.

Ignatieff the Hypocrite

Liberals never change........I'm a bit late on this one, but check out this article from back on March 11, 2009.

Here is a direct quote from Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Librano (err...I mean Liberal) party. He is referring to the coalition between the Three Stooges back in December.

“I could be sitting here as your prime minister, but I turned it down because I didn’t think it was right for someone who believes in the national unity of my country to make a deal with people who want to split the country up.”

Wait, Ignatieff....what?! You signed your damned name at the bottom of the petition calling for a coalition, which was handed into the Governor-General (and was unsuccessful, lucky for Canada!). So Ignatieff is just the latest in a series of liars and flip-floppers to call himself the 'leader' of the Liberal party. What else is new. Ontario will still vote for him in the next election. Can we PLEASE seperate yet?

Omegle

If you have not yet heard of Omegle (I just did this morning), you must head over to check it out. It's a 1 on 1 chat with a complete random stranger - hilarious! I think James would enjoy this.

Don't like the conversation you are having? A couple button clicks, and you have someone else! It only identifies you as 'You' and the other person as 'Stranger'. Enjoy.

Jon Lajoie

So we're on the way home from the Oilers game last night, listening to some Raw Dog comedy on my Sirius radio....when there is an intro for a guy named Jon Lajoie. It turns out that they are going to play a song he has written which is called Everyday Normal Guy.

I was skeptical at first...but was shortly laughing my ass off. If you have a sense of humor at all, you have to check out some of this guy's work. I have included the music video to Everyday Normal Guy below. You can actually buy his entire CD on iTunes for $9.99 (17 tracks, some of which are short, but almost all of which are hilarious). Navigate over to his website where you can find the iTunes direct link.

Tommy John Surgery

I got reading a little about Tommy John Surgery today, and I was quite surprised at some of the NON-PITCHER Major Leaguer's that have actually had the surgery - Check out this list (according to Wikipedia):

-Rocco Baldelli (outfielder)
-José Canseco (outfielder; injured while pitching)
-Shin-Soo Choo (outfielder)
-Rusty Greer (outfielder)
-Luis Gonzalez (outfielder)
-Matt Holliday (outfielder)
-César Izturis (infielder)
-Kelly Johnson (infielder)
-Carlos Quentin (outfielder)
-Xavier Nady (outfielder)

And how about guys like Jose Rijo and Matt Riley who each had the surgery three times? Where in the hell were they getting all these ligaments from?

Also surprising was the list of NFL players who have had the surgery. This list is the complete list - very small. It just goes to show that the throwing motions of an MLB pitcher and an NFL quarterback are obviously quite a bit different:

-Jake Delhomme
-Craig Erickson
-Chris Hunter
-Sebastian Janikowski (did not affect his career, as he is a placekicker)
-Rob Johnson
-Terrell Owens
-Deion Sanders

T.O. and Janikowski....a wideout and a damn KICKER?! Are you kidding me? Those are both a bit of a surprise.

And just one final note that I found a bit surprising....check out this note about the 'Frequency' of the surgery:

Today, the surgery is becoming more common in children 10-18 years old due to increased season length, the rise of travel teams (and tournament play), and the more frequent use of breaking pitches by young pitchers.

Nothing like wrecking your elbow when you are 10 years old. I pitched quite a bit when I was young, but I luckily didn't need any reconstructive elbow surgery at that age.

Tommy John Surgery is a great example of how medicine has really advanced over the past few years. Tommy John was the first person to have Tommy John Surgery (obviously, the procedure was named after him). This was in 1974. At that time, they gave him a 1 in 100 chance of recovery. He did end up making a recovery and pitched again in the Major Leagues. The chances of recovery today? An estimated 85-90 percent (or 85-90 out of 100, of course). Three cheers for sports medicine.

Wire Armour

I wanted to quickly tell you about an exciting new project that I am helping out with.

Navigate to Wire Armour and check out all of the details.

Basically, Wire Armour is a guard to protect your trailer wiring from being damaged by rocks and debris. It bolts on to your existing 7-pin plug. Head on over and check it out by clicking the link above.

The Future of Video Gaming

Without getting into too much detail.......just check out this link.

This actually sounds like an awesome idea....but what about your ISP? I'm sure those 'Unlimited Usage' accounts would quickly find a limit if this became mainstream.

MLB 2009

It is that time of year again....Major League Baseball is going to kick off their 2009 regular season when the Atlanta Braves visit the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies on the night of April 5.

In the spirit of the season, I am going to give you my 2009 standings predictions. I will follow this up with playoff and World Series predictions, and possibly predictions for award winners, before the start of the season.

I won't predict records, as that is a bit of a crapshoot, but I have included each teams' record from last year for comparison.

AL East

1. NY Yankees (89-73)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (97-65)
3. Boston Red Sox (95-67)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (86-76)
5. Baltimore Orioles (68-93)

-->With the Yankees off-season acquisitions of Burnett, Texeira and Sabathia, I think this is their year to win back the AL East. The Rays and Red Sox will be close, in my opinion, but i'll give the edge to the Rays. A full year with Longoria and that dominant pitching staff can't hurt.

AL Central

1. Cleveland Indians (81-81)
2. Chicago White Sox (89-74)
3. Detroit Tigers (74-88)
4. Minnesota Twins (88-75)
5. Kansas City Royals (75-87)

-->The Indians are way too good of team to finish in 3rd again. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a jump right to the top of the division for them this year.

AL West

1. LA Angels (100-62)
2. Oakland A's (75-86)
3. Texas Rangers (79-83)
4. Seattle Mariners (61-101)

-->I don't think anyone is good enough to challenge the Angels here yet, but the A's could be a much better team. Any time you have Matt Holliday, it can't hurt - the guy is a game changer.

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (92-70)
2. NY Mets (89-73)
3. Florida Marlins (84-77)
4. Atlanta Braves (72-90)
5. Washington Nationals (59-102)

-->No big surprises here. I tossed around the idea of putting the Mets ahead of the Phillies, but I think the Phillies are just too good. They are a perfect example of an all-around solid team.

NL Central

1. Chicago Cubs (97-64)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (90-72)
3. Cincinatti Reds (74-88)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (86-76)
5. Houston Astros (86-75)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (67-95)

-->It pains me to put my beloved Astros so low here, but their starting pitching is just too full of question marks. The surprise here could be the Reds - they are an exciting young team with stars such as Votto, Bruce, Volquez, Cueto and (eventually) Homer Bailey.

NL West

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80)
2. LA Dodgers (84-78)
3. San Francisco Giants (72-90)
4. Colorado Rockies (74-88)
5. San Diego Padres (63-99)

-->The D-Backs should have won this division last year, and this year I think they will take it. They added Jon Garland to an already excellent rotation. The Dodgers scare me a bit with Manny though, the guy is still a beast. I dropped the Rockies down - no Matt Holliday and a weak starting pitching staff = little chance of success.

Baseball's Biggest Prize

Does anyone know what the World Series Trophy (pictured to the left) is actually called? I'm one of the biggest baseball fans you will meet, and I didn't even know....so of course, I looked into it today.

It is called the Commissioner's Trophy. Kind of a lame name, I know. Did you also know that, unlike the Stanley Cup, they actually build a new Commissioner's Trophy each year for the team that wins the World Series to keep? Apparently they do the same thing with the Lombardi Trophy for the Super Bowl Champions. Where's the history in that??

Tom Green and Ezra Levant

....two names that you won't normally hear in the same sentence. But you will tonight. I have a pile of respect for both of these people, for different reasons - and want to point you to some good information that is worth a read and a watch.

First, you likely heard about the ridiculous show Red Eye on Fox, and the distasteful, insulting comments that they made about the Canadian Military last week. You can read the story here. Tom Green, who of course is both Canadian and an 'Army Brat', had very harsh words for this situation on his blog, and rightfully so.

You can navigate to Tom's blog by clicking here. Head on down to the March 24 entry and you will see a video embedded in the article. Click on that and watch. Tom hits the nail right on the head.

Now I will move on to Ezra Levant. I do not even have enough space here to explain who Ezra is and what he does, but I want to point you towards the reason he has been in the news a lot lately. It is best summed up in Ezra's own words at this link.

Now head to YouTube and do a search for 'ezra levant human rights commission' (once you get 'ezra levant' in, the rest will come up as an autocomplete). Now watch some of those videos. That is Ezra kicking some ass.

You can read Ezra's blog by following this link. Ezra has written a book on this entire unfortunate situation called Shakedown: How Our Government is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights. Click on the title to head to Amazon.ca where you can purchase the book. I personally bought the book yesterday in Edmonton and just started reading it tonight - and it is well worth the read.

Short and sweet for tonight - but I recommend you check out the stuff I have posted above. My hats off to both Tom and Ezra.

Lawn Stryper

This is a follow up to my article about lawn striping the other day. As you recall, I included a link to PatternYourLawn.com, who are the makers of the Lawn Stryper (Lawn Striping System) - a striping attachment that you put on the back of your push lawn mower.

I sent an e-mail in to the website asking if they shipped to Canada. Within a little under an hour, I had a personal e-mail back from the VP of Operations at S&B Lawn Systems, Inc. (the makers of the Lawn Stryper) full of detailed information. We exchanged e-mails a few times with some questions and answers, and I was offered free shipping to Canada - so I placed my order today! I should have my Lawn Stryper in a couple of weeks and will let you know how it works as soon as the snow melts.

Special Olympics

Obama might be in some trouble over this one.....he appeared on Jay Leno last night and got to talking about his new hobby - bowling. Obama told Leno that he had bowled a 129 (which is obviously pretty terrible). Leno tried to make light of it, saying that it was a good score. Obama's reply?

"It was like the Special Olympics or something"

Ouch! I mean, that is a pretty funny statement from a comedian....but from the President of the United States of America?

Better yet......go to YouTube and do a search for 'obama teleprompter'. Now watch some of those videos. This is what Obama is REALLY like without a teleprompter or pre-written speech. And you thought George W. Bush was dumb?

Lawn Striping

Have you ever wondered how they mow all of the lines and patterns into the grass at Major League ballparks and golf courses? Well I did too, so I did some research.



The process is called Lawn Striping. Here's what HowStuffWorks has to say about it:

Groundskeepers at baseball parks have traditionally created checkerboard, diamond and argyle patterns in the field. These patterns have become more elaborate in recent years. Baseball fans might remember the star patterns created at Coors Field in Denver to commemorate the 1998 All-Star Game. These designs are not all that complicated and can be easily duplicated on your own lawn.

The designs are created through a process called lawn striping. To create lawn-striping designs of your own, you only need two pieces of equipment: a lawnmower and a roller. Many professional groundskeepers use old-fashioned reel mowers to cut a stadium's grass. Attached just behind the blades of the mower is a lawn roller that bends the grass down. Some lawnmower manufacturers are beginning to make riding mowers with full-width rollers mounted to the rear of the mower to make this task easier.

Whatever pattern you make is revealed by the light shining off of the bent grass. A checkerboard design is created by passing over the grass in side-by-side rows, first going north to south, then making east-to-west stripes in the grass that intersect the north-south stripes. In this way, you alternate the way the grass bends. When you look at your lawn, the stripes of grass leaning away from you will look lighter. This lighter green is caused by the sunlight reflecting off the entire blade of grass. In the darker green stripes, formed by the blades of grass leaning toward you, the sunlight is reflecting only off the tips of the blades.

Different grasses can be used to accentuate the striping effect, including rye grass, fescue and bluegrass. You won't see such a big contrast between the stripes' colors if you have a warm-season grass, such as Bermuda or zoysia. Watering the grass after mowing can make your pattern stand out even more.

Very interesting stuff. Another couple of great articles about the process:

SCAG Power Equipment - Lawn Striping
Grounds Maintenance - Establish Mowing Patterns

Here's an example of a Lawn Striper that you can buy off the net - the Lawn Stryper.

And last, but not least, a great article on how the Fenway Park grounds crew does their grass - including the amazing patterns you have seen in the past, such as the 'sock' (pictured above) - Blades of Glory.

Jeff Stoughton

First of all, congratulations to Team Alberta on a huge Brier win tonight. What an amazing team.

I just wanted to throw a quick note out about Jeff Stoughton - even though the final was a bit lopsided, this guy is still among the best curlers in the world and one of the most classy guys ever. Here's a great snippet from TSN.ca this evening:

Down six points after eight ends, Stoughton performed his trademark 360-degree delivery in the ninth to liven up a lopsided final and then shook hands to end it.

"Hats off to Kevin's team," the Manitoba skip said. "They played a great game and they'll do us proud at the worlds."

"We just didn't get the rocks in there. We missed a couple of draws early and they made some great ones but what can you say? They played a great game."

Stoughton left the Pengrowth Saddledome immediately after the game. A Canadian Curling Association spokesman then revealed that the Manitoba skip's father Jack had suffered a mild heart attack prior to the final. Jack was taken to hospital and was said to be well enough to watch the final on television.

I can't imagine how hard it would be to focus when your father has a heart attack right before the Brier Final. But Jeff went out there, tried his best and still entertained the crowd - waving to the camera even when the game was out of reach, and of course performing his trademark Spinorama delivery. And after a game like that, he still comes out and says that Team Martin will "do us proud at the worlds". That is one classy individual.

Team Stoughton is a great team and I hope they make it back next year to represent Manitoba. Congratulations to both Team Martin and Team Stoughton on a phenomenal week of curling.

Glenn Howard

I've never really liked Glenn Howard. When his team is winning, he gets cocky and arrogant (doing very quick handshakes, not even sweeping some rocks while the game is still on, making jokes about things outside of the game), and when he is losing he is quick to place blame everywhere but himself (like last year when he kept blaming Johnny Mo for phantom hand prints on the ice that apparently only Glenn's rocks were affected by).

Well, here is yet another example. Glenn lost to Jeff Stoughton and Team Manitoba yesterday to eliminate him from this years Brier in Calgary. Glenn had curled 88 percent for the week before putting up a stinker in the Semi-Final with a 68 percent. Here's what Glenn had to say after the game:

"That wasn't a very good game. I was disappointed the way that one ended up. It was tough and I let the boys down a bit there. I didn't play very well," said Howard.

"The ice was a little different tonight. I don't know how many times you see Jeff Stoughton and Glenn Howard miss that many draws."

Wow, you know if he would have just stopped after that first paragraph, he would have taken the high road - and he would have been right. But did you really think Glenn could make it through a loss without blaming the ice? Glenn, you curled like crap. Suck it up and take the high road for once. And what's with referring to himself in the third person?

Child Seat!

FINALLY! I have found a car seat that I like. We currently use an Eddie Bauer seat in my wife's Jeep, and the thing is a giant pain in the ass. It's next to impossible to install and adjust. It won't fit in my Tacoma. After 1 hour of trying to get it to install in said Jeep without it sliding around from side to side like it wasn't even buckled in, all I came away with were bruises on my hands and an increased stress level.

So I started to do some research on a seat that we could use for my own 2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab. I need a seat that I can be used as rear-facing for now, and front-facing after the little one is over 1 year old (and weighs at least 20 lbs). After doing a pile of research on Google, I finally found a child seat that not only had all 5 out of 5 customer reviews, but was also recommended by one consumer as they had used it in the back of their 2008 Tacoma.

This seat is the Britax Marathon convertible car seat. Pictured below is the exact seat that we ordered from bo bebe in Calgary. The sweet seat covering is called 'Cowmooflage'.



There was only one thing that kept me a bit skeptical about the seat - the price. It is expensive! By the time we got the seat shipped here with taxes in, it was over $300 CDN (what's that, about $7 USD these days?).

Well, we just received the seat yesterday. Preparing for a long battle, I took it out to the garage this morning and attempted to install it in my Tacoma. Remember, the Eddie Bauer seat took me over an hour of struggling to install before I GAVE UP - eventually we had a lady at SGI (a professional I suppose) install it. And it took her 45 minutes even. So I was preparing for the worst.

I installed the seat using the LUAS method (Lower Universal Anchorage System) - which is those little hooks tucked in between the seat back and the seat cushion. So how long did it take me to get this child seat properly installed? About 4 or 5 minutes. I kid you not. The seat was extremely easy to install. I didn't have to fight with it at all. And if you try to move it from side to side, it doesn't move an inch.

And the best part? I could actually move my passenger side front seat BACK, because this seat takes up so little room. It is absolutely perfect for any vehicle where back seat space is limited - such as my 2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab.

I also had a chance to use the seat today with baby intact, and it was great. It's extremely easy to adjust and to get baby secured. It is the only seat, as far as I know, that actually offers side impact protection as well - built right into the seat. The seat is extremely comfortable too. The covering is soft and plush. I have to say, I am very impressed.

The child seat is good right from 5 lbs to 65 lbs - so basically, it's the only seat you will ever need. It reclines for when baby is small and it spins around and quickly installs as forward facing as baby grows. My hats off to Britax for finally making a child seat that is both safe AND extremely easy to install and use. If you are shopping for your first child seat and are considering different brands, just remember that you get what you pay for. Although the Britax Marathon is more expensive than comparable seats, there really is no comparison once you start to use it.

Derek Anderson

It's no secret that I hate Derek Anderson....not as a person, but just as a quarterback. I think he's terrible, and we were far better off when we had Brady Quinn behind center last year. Which is why the following quote by new Browns GM George Kokinis in the Cleveland Plain Dealer recently scared the shit out of me:

The Browns intend to pay a $5 million roster bonus owed quarterback Derek Anderson on Friday, Kokinis indicated.

"I don't think we've changed from when we first talked about it," Kokinis said. "We're trying to get the best players on the team and he's one of them.

One of the best players on the team? Pardon the language, but are you fucking kidding me? The guy barely completed 50% of his passes last year (50.2%). He threw for almost as many INT's as TD's (8 to 9) and his QB rating was only 66.5. If he's one of our best players, we are doomed.

Liberal v.s. Conservative

Are you a Liberal or a Conservative? Here is a little test that will help you decide.

The answer can be found by posing the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a Glock cal 40, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?

Liberal Answer:

Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!

-Does the man look poor or oppressed?
-Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
-Could we run away?
-What does my wife think?
-What about the kids?
-Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
-What does the law say about this situation?
-Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?
-Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
-Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
-Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
-If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
-Should I call 9-1-1 ?
-Why is this street so deserted?
-We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.

This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

Conservative Answer:

BANG!

Anti-Aliasing in Paint

For anyone who has used good old MS Paint for doing any kind of graphic work, you know that it can actually do quite a bit for a small, simple program....but that is also has it's limitations. One such limitation is the lack of anti-aliasing - meaning that whenever you draw any kind of curved line, it looks like shit. It's blocky and you can see individual pixels. There are some long, complicated ways of doing this - such as individually adding pixels and doing some shading to make the line look smoother. However, I have a way that is very quick and still works quite well.

The trick is to draw your original work as large as you can (as large as you feel comfortable drawing). You will come up with something that looks quite pixelated, like this example:



When you are done your drawing, go to 'Image' and then 'Stretch/Skew' from your menu bar (or just hit CTRL-W). Here there is a Stretch area with two boxes (Horizontal and Vertical) and a Skew area with the same. In the Stretch area (which is the top), type in a number smaller than 100 in both boxes (use the same number in both boxes). For example, try 35 in each. This will make the entire picture smaller, and you should notice that the pixel effect is minimized. The lines will look much smoother and pretty much like they are anti-aliased - like this:



You can play around with different sizes until you find settings that you are comfortable with. Using this technique, you can make your artwork look much more professional using a free and very simple to use program.

Random Observations

A couple of random observations I wanted to post today.

First, in regards to the Brier.....the other night (I think it was maybe Sunday), Alberta and Kevin Martin were about to decide on a shot. Before they did, Kevin shouted down to his front end to ask how much of the one opponent rock they could see. The answers were priceless. Johnny Mo, Ben and Marc all told Kevin different fractions - there was a 2/3, a 3/4 and a 7/8. All are pretty close to the same anyway....but it was funny the three different answers. On that note, go Team Alberta! That Thursday night 6 pm matchup between Ontario and Alberta is shaping up to be a dandy!

On a completely unrelated note, you know what really grinds my gears? People saying 'how are you'. Why is this the new thing that everyone has to say? It seems like every single conversation now starts with "Hi, how are you?" or "Hi, how's it going?"......do we really care how the other person is doing? I know I generally don't. And if I really did, it wouldn't mean anything to ask anyway because people are constantly asking the same stupid question.

This is bad enough, but at least we usually get away with a quick "good, yourself?" or "good and you?". But some people feel they can't let you off the hook that easy. We get phone calls at work often where you can tell the guy on the other side of that phone is just ITCHING for you to ask him. He'll even set you up with a "Hello, how are you?".....and as soon as you respond with the classic "Good and you?", it's already too late. This type of person will now respond with something along the lines of "I've been better" or "Pretty terrible"...and you just KNOW what is coming next. A huge story of why that person's life sucks so bad today. If this is someone I know, MAYBE I care....and maybe I don't. But when it's someone I don't even know, do I really care? Not at all. I don't care if your dog died, your wife's mean to you and your car has a vibration at 110 km/h. Well, maybe the third item, because I can fix that. But the other two items, you are on your own.

Can we please, as humans, come up with a different way to greet people?

Dear Customer

I've been working in the automotive industry a long time now, and there is one letter I wish could write and send out to some of my customers.

Dear customer:

I did not build your car. I didn't paint it nor have anything to do with the paint process. I didn't assemble your power steering (or any other) system and am not exactly sure why they didn't "build them better". I have no effect on your fuel mileage. You driving like an asshole doing 160+ down the highway and not maintaining your vehicle probably has something to do with it. I don't have a crystal ball that tells me what is wrong with your vehicle. We also do not have a magic computer that can be plugged in to do the same thing. Contrary to what you believe, the engine problems you are having now have nothing to do with the wiper blades that we replaced 30,000 km ago. We are not legally able to diagnose a small vibration at 140 km/h. When you call and just say 'is my car done yet' without saying who you are, I may not know who you are - because believe it or not we work on more than 1 vehicle per day. Also contrary to what you may believe, we are not a non-profit organization. We are not a delivery/taxi service, although these may be things we provide as a perk. We are not a 1-800 number that you can phone for advice or step by step instructions on how to fix a vehicle yourself. We cannot diagnose things over the phone. We do not stock every part ever made for every Dodge. We do not actually ship the parts to our dealership....we just order them. We do book appointments and can't fit you in with zero notice and no appointment. When you hit a deer or a ditch or take a rock chip off your windshield, that is covered by insurance - not warranty. Warranty covers manufacturer defects. 99% of your questions are in the owners manual. When it's 35 below outside, your car may not start if it isn't plugged in. Also, when it's 35 below, you may have new squeaks and rattles - these will likely go away when it warms up. When there is a strong side wind on the highway, that is the cause of your car pulling - you likely do not need a wheel alignment. You know how you come in for service, and you get pissed off because it's taking too long if we fit someone else in for emergency repair? It's funny how your reaction is different the next day when you are the one needing the emergency repair and you want to be pumped in front of other appointments. We are not responsible for all of the other problems in your life that come spilling out when your car breaks down. Your driving habits likely caused whatever it is piled on your vehicle.

I'm sure there are 1,000 more things I could write, but I can't remember them all right now. The bottom line is that customers pay our wages - with no customers, we wouldn't have work. But it is funny how unreasonable people can get which is why I posted some of these observations from above.

Ryan's Rant (Volume 1, Episode 5)

I think I’m getting stupider by watching the news. No really, my head is caving in, I can feel a soft spot just behind my forehead. The news on television is liquefying my brain and Pfizer doesn’t make medication to stop it. I’m screwed.

Tell me I didn’t just see NHLPA boss Paul Kelly on the news telling the media that he wants to see a ban on all hits to the head. Tell me I didn’t see the head of the players association tell the league that he wants the league to tell the players not to hit above the shoulders anymore. I understand that the league is responsible for making and enforcing the rules of the game, but c’mon. Really? Is this the league’s responsibility? I mean these are grown men, all over the age of 18, being paid to play a game, and paid well. Can’t they be held responsible for their own actions to some extent? I guess not if the head of the players association needs to tell the media that the players need to stop hits to the head and he wants the league to do it. What does this say about the NHLPA? Are they, as an organization, so inept that they can’t even have a closed door meeting with their membership and tell them themselves not to hit each other in the head anymore? I know, I know, it sounds way too simple, but believe me, some of these players are, unfortunately, just smart enough to sign their name at the bottom of their contract and not much more.

Hey Kelly, want do something really worthwhile? Tell your goddamn idiot players to do their f-ing CHINSTRAPS up!! Yeah, chinstraps. Again, sounds waaay too simple. I’m sick and tired of watching those helmets flying off with every hit. Why doesn’t anyone acknowledge that Donald Brashears’ head injury was compounded by the fact his unstrapped lid flew off as soon as McSorley hit it with his stick? Honestly, there is nooooo way that McSorley’s stick did all that damage. I’m not saying what McSorley did was right, but c’mon! Do your helmets up you meatheads!! That infraction in every other league is either a 2 minute minor or a 10 minute misconduct, but the big bad NHL does shit about it. If I was playing in a league where respect for your fellow player was at an all time low, you can bet your ass I’d be wearing that piece of equipment properly. Please just do something so this stupid debate can at least be silenced for awhile, I’m getting tired of hearing about it.

Women’s curling update: Well, the Tampax, err, Scotties tournament is over for another year and I’m glad Jennifer Jones came back to win it because, let’s face it, she’s pretty hot, for a curling chick. She manged to beat out Marla Lemur, err, Mallet in the final for her second consecutive win. My only problem is, when is someone going to mention how gross it is to watch these skips chew their gum? First we had Colleen Cow, errr, Jones chewing her cud with her giant mouth open and now Marla Mallet has taken the ball and ran with it. Hey chickie-poos, you’re on national TV, close your damn mouths and chew your gum like a lady for once. Yuck!

This rant is mine. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without me, my rant is nothing. Without my rant, I am nothing.