It's all Gone to Hare?

Otto has crashed out, so it's been pretty quiet around here this afternoon. Think I'll go outside and workout for a bit. Not sure what the plan is for this evening as originally there had been talk of seeing Jason tonight and his new band The Black Rabbits.

The Black Rabbits' songs are all about... well... rabbits.

"We were jumping along / We were hopping along / We were getting it on / Out of the fields and onto the lawn." -Highway Bunny

Grandma's B-Day

It's Grandma's 96th B-Day today and Uncle Rob and I are headed over to her house later this afternoon. It's really cooled off, but I'm thinking of skipping for a while and then going for a quick swim. I believe the water's around 66'. If I do skipping for 30 minutes, apparently I can deposit 6 points!

>Update<
Yeah, that skipping thing didn't happen. Gotta go!

Carlton United Beer Ad

This Big Ad for Carlton Draft is Extremely Funny. You have to download it though.

Bush: Ain't So Good With Numbers?

Donald Rumsfeld is giving Bush his daily briefing, and concludes by saying, "Yesterday, three Brazilian soldiers were killed in a terrible
accident."

"OH, NO!" exclaimed Bush. "That's terrible!"

His staff are stunned by this display of emotion, and continue watching nervously as Bush sits, head in hands. Finally, Bush looks up and asks,
"How many is a brazillion?

Bushisms: "It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." - Rueters. May 5, 2000.

Consider his Policy Numbers (a little stale dated now).

Then there are the current Presidential job approval polling numbers

Another savoury Waffle House Experience

Uncle Rob and I had another profitable visit to the Waffle House and some interesting people watching. An order of grits will never be the same again. I had two waffles and two eggs, he had the All-Star MVP special. Here are some amazing facts about Waffle House. Hopefully I'll also soon have a picture of my new Waffle House mug!

Canadian Phrases

Lesson learned today: "boning the dog" (aka "fucking the dog") is a uniquely Canadian expression and can surely shake up unprepared American relatives. For the uninitiated, it means to be idling away the day without accomplishing or trying to accomplish any specific task.

Other Canadianisms from a quick internet search.

US evolution court battle opens

Eleven parents in the US have gone to court to protect the teaching of evolution at their local schools.

The Dover Area School Board in the state of Pennsylvania requires science teachers to tell pupils that evolution is merely one, unproven theory. Teachers have to state that Intelligent Design - whose adherents believe life on earth was created by an intelligent being - is a possible alternative.

President Bush has come out on the side of religious activists who are campaigning for public schools to retreat from Darwinism and teach something called "intelligent design" or ID.

In a nutshell, the ID activists maintain that many forms of life are too complex to have been the result of any random - indeed mindless - natural selection. A highly intelligent supernatural force must have designed, say, the human eye or the neurology of the brain.

Yet, as Charles Darwin demonstrated in his book Origin of Species in 1859, we weren't designed by any hidden hand in a single brilliant moment, but have all evolved from lower orders - ape to man - over hundreds of millions of years.

Bush hasn't completely abandoned Darwinism. He said that ID should be taught alongside evolution "because part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought".

That may sound harmless enough - free speech and all that - but coming from a president already known for his disdain for scientific research, notably on global warming and stem cells, it has further dismayed the scientific community and many others.

Neal Updates his Blog

It's true, Neal has updated his blog and website and briefly talks about his new job and home in California.

In Kansas. Will the Reds win?

Haven't reported to the blog in a few days, so it's definitely time for a post. I'm in Kansas (having left TO by car on Thursday) visiting relatives and celebrating my Grandmother's 96th birthday. The drive down with the folks was pretty uneventful and the iTrip worked very well once we figured out where the antenna was.

Grandma seems in fairly good form and I've spent several days with my Cousin Diane, her husband Jason and their very active son Otto. Starting tomorrow I have some work to get done and so will be setting up a home network so that I have VPN access.

Have been reviewing the Liverpool reports from yesterday's match and have to say that I'm getting a little frustrated with the boys. Yet another draw? What's with that? I hope to catch Wednesday's Champions match against Chelsea via the Internet.

Rafa to Stay.

Rafael Benitez has again moved to quash speculation that he could soon quit Anfield and take over as Real Madrid manager - just days after being named the best football coach in Europe.

The Liverpool boss was in Italy earlier this week to collect the award at a prestigious ceremony in Udinese as football paid tribute to his remarkable achievement of leading the Reds to Champions League glory last season.

Fortune joins INXS, Ben wins $1

Karina and I have been watching Rockstar: INXS this summer and last night Canadian J. D. Fortune was named to the band. This won me one dollar as J.D. was my pick a few weeks ago.

This show has had such high quality performances that it makes the various Idol products look irrelevant.

Next year it's back - but who will be the Band? Nirvana? Doesn't need to be a band without a member I'd imagine... how about Red Hot Chili Peppers? It will be a hard act to follow INXS as they have such a rich songbook and global appeal.

Isn't Dave Navarro such a nice guy?

The Basra Storyline Continues

This episode is far from finished so my title isn't too surprising. I'm of the opinion that this action could be the turning point in the nature of Western participation - it's very much a "wait and see" situation.

Information is still confusing (in my 10 second survey). The British Army has said it had to rescue two soldiers from a house in Basra where they were taken by militants after the police ignored an order from the interior ministry to release them.

Iraq's national security adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaie has said Iraqi security forces had been penetrated by insurgents but he did not know to what extent.

Interior Minister Baqir Solagh Jabr told BBC News the men never left police custody or the prison building in Basra and were not handed to militants.

He said the British army acted on "rumour" when it stormed the prison looking for them. CNN today is reporting the Iraqi concern regarding the incident. Hoping for more information about the British deployment in Iraq, I was disappointed to find that the timeline of British Troops in Iraq on the BBC site is essentially a casualty list. The BBC also reports that the exit strategy is "still elusive".

Britain assaults Iraqi Prison

A pretty strong image graced the front of my paper this morning - a British soldier was jumping from his armoured vehicle... and he was on fire. Despite Defence Secretary John Reid's comments that "we remain committed to helping the Iraqi government for as long as they judge that a coalition presence is necessary", I find it difficult to believe that the British mission in Iraq has not been comprised by the recent attack on a Iraqi prison in Basra.

Haydar al-Abadi, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, said the British rescue had been "a very unfortunate development"

"My understanding is that, first, it happened very quickly. Second, there is lack of discipline in the whole area regarding this matter...

"It is a very unfortunate development that the British forces should try to release their soldiers the way it happened, it's very unfortunate."

The Iraqi prime minister's office has released a statement insisting there was no crisis in relations with the British.

Pearl Jam at the ACC

Karina, Chi and I caught the Pearl Jam show at the ACC last night. Great show! Although I'll admit that my Pearl Jam knowledge is limited to their many hits and some of Eddie Vedder's side projects, there was no shortage of entertainment. Bono hit the stage for a cover of Neil Young's "Rocking in the Free World" - Vedder is excellent on Young's material.

Fawlty Towers Anniversary

On most people's top ten lists for great comedies, the sit-com Fawlty Towers is today 30 years old.

John Cleese terminated Fawlty Towers because he believed that he and his co-writer Connie Booth had extracted the best from the idea and further episodes would have resulted in ever-diminishing returns. A lesson that hasn't been learned by all too many shows! The episode The Germans is still my favourite.

He's Done it!

Hooray for GWB! A great new record for the President as he has now taken the most holidays of any President in US History! Don't let a nation-shaping disaster and a foreign quagmire get you down!

One that Got Away?

Liverpool and ManU drew this morning. No goals. This is becoming a somewhat too familiar refrain since Liverpool started the regular season. And why wasn't Gracia subbed instead of Crouch? I thought Crouch was having a great game. Sinama-Pongolle looked great too. Well Rafa know best.

The Liverpool Supporters Toronto Branch AGM was afterwards - I'm on the exec again this year in my role as webmaster.

G Bruce Stratton Architects Website

Work on the Stratton Architects website project seems to have stalled momentarily as I wait on Flash files and approved content from the client.

Bush on Sky News

I love it when the media's push for content doesn't allow for a reasoned filter. It can produce amusing results:

Drinking lots of Water.

Today marks the start of my Weightwatchers membership as I attended my first meeting. Current identifed issues with my diet? Too little water, portions are too large, don't have enough healthy snack options. My ten-week target is a pretty scary number - around the average weight of a ten-month old baby.

Next Surfing Stop? Bay of Plenty NZ

Matthew has arrived in New Zealand and all - apart from visa issues - appears in good order if not terrific. Of course he hasn't emailed me, but I'm not going to take it personally (yet). I'm starting to look into the surfing scene near his place. Airfare to NZ in December? Around $2000.

Champions League Group Stage Format

Since its inception in 1992/93, the Champions League has continued to evolve, maintaining a mixture of round-robin group matches as well as its traditional knock-out format. The current format was introduced in 2003/04. After three qualifying rounds, 32 teams contest the group stage, divided into eight groups of four. The group winners and runners-up advance to the knock-out stage, the eight third-placed teams move into the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth-placed teams are eliminated.

A draw determines who each of the 16 clubs will play in the first knock-out stage, with ties decided over two matches on a home and away basis. The club that scores the greater aggregate of goals advances, or in the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more away goals.

The European Champion Clubs' Cup was a purely knockout competition until the format was changed in 1992/93 with the inception of the Champions League. That year the competition began with three knockout rounds with the winners advancing to a group stage involving two sets of four clubs playing home and away.

Real Betis 1-2 Liverpool

Liverpool defeated Real Betis in the first leg of the Champions League Group phase in what became a nail-biter of a match. LFC struck two early goals as Florent Sinama Pongolle lobbed a clever finish after 87 seconds and Luis Garcia finished a crisp move with a left-foot flourish in the 14th minute. But Liverpool had to survive severe late pressure, making it very unpleasant to listen to the match through the last 20 minutes.

But a major innovation today - I figured out that my ever useful Monster Cable could also be plugged into my PC, which means an end to embarrassing wire entanglements.

If you can't say anything nice?

Motomedia - Get Off the Road!

OK, so Motomedia is supposedly environmentally friendly - they use biodiesel - but these irritating ad trucks are still a public nuisance. Get this pointless traffic off our roads! Get them to cease and desist with their illegal parking! (Roy Thomson Hall - 7:50pm, Sept 12th - I saw you there!) We must stop the advertising surface creep!

US emergencies chief steps down

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, tendered his resignation, after President George W Bush's latest visit to New Orleans. This is no surprise, although Brown's fall came quickly. On September 2, five days after the storm hit, Bush told the 50-year-old lawyer, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." :p

Polls in Time and Newsweek magazines suggested most Americans were unhappy with the speed with which government reacted to the 29 August disaster. The Newsweek poll gave Mr Bush his lowest approval rating as president - just 38%.

Lynne and Andrew's Wedding - a photoset on Flickr

More Andrew and Lynne Wedding Photos courtesy of Mike W (who is taking flying lessons!).

Koizumi Re-elected.

A landslide election victory for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has prompted a wave of enthusiasm among investors Monday, with the Nikkei jumping more than 1 percent in early trade. Koizumi won an overwhelming victory in yesterday's general election, giving the 63-year-old LDP leader a clear mandate for economic, social and political reform. Mr Koizumi said the voice of the people had been heard and promised to push on with post office reform (privatization), which he had put at the heart of his campaign. He even brought in 'assassins' to contest the seats of non-cooperative members of his own party! Now that is reform!

Remembering September 11th

It changed the world. How? We're still finding out.

Israel completes Gaza withdrawal

A significant day in the Middle East as Israel completes the Gaza withdrawal.

Israeli troops have pulled out of the Gaza Strip 38 years after capturing the narrow coastal area. 'An era has ended,' the Israeli commander in Gaza said. Reported by the BBC: "As the Israeli troops left, thousands of jubilant Palestinians poured into empty Jewish settlements, setting fire to abandoned synagogues. "

A new start for Israel and its neighbours? I guess we'll wait and see.

Heart As Big As Liverpool?

Well he's gone and done it - there is now an Andrew Cashin Blog. The purpose of the site? As he says "Enjoy this little peak into things that interest me - or make me giggle." >say what??< Giggle?

FEMA director Brown recalled to Washington

Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen will replace Michael Brown, the embattled FEMA director, as the on-site head of hurricane relief operations in the Gulf Coast, a senior administration official told CNN. Although recalled to oversee things from Washington, Brown's term as head of FEMA might be shortlived as there are serious questions about his qualifications (especially now that Congress has approved $52B to his agency for Katrina relief). Time has recently reported of significant inaccuracies with his online FEMA Bio.

Photos from California Trip

I didn't make any big note of it in my Blog, but last week I was in California (after the Phoenix tradeshow) on vacation. In addition to working on a tan/burn and eating mexican food for the week, also I took some surfing lessons near the pier in Huntington Beach. It's hard but very enjoyable work! Clicking on the image below will take you to my Huntington Beach photo gallery.

Rugby Rules

As my brother prepares for a five month contract in New Zealand, he has been asking me to explain the rules of rugby. Not an easy task for the living room, but fortunately we have the BBC and their great website.

When attempting to explain the rules of rugby and the flow of play- here's a good place to start: the field positions! The standard Rugby Union team has 15 players on the pitch and they are positioned as follows:

[Raptors] got no chance: GM

Toronto Raptors fans (or are they fools?) may be shocked to learn that GM Rob Babcock does not see his team improving this season.

In a frank and rather stunning assessment, the Raptors general manager told the Toronto Sun yesterday he does not expect his club to improve on its 33-49 record from last season, given the influx of young players on the roster.

If that turns out to be the case, it's likely the club will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and Raptors fans will no doubt be howling for Babcock's head on a platter.

It's one thing when a sports dynasty struggles, but when a team has just continued to be less-than-average?

Ford recalling 3.8 million vehicles

With Katrina first and foremost on the nation's mind, I'm sure no one will notice, but in one of the largest recalls in automaker history, Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling 3.8 million pickup trucks and SUVs for a cruise control switch that has caused engine fires, even with the vehicle parked and the engine off.

The recall includes 1994-2002 model-years of F-150 pickup truck, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Broncos.

Ford had already recalled more than 1 million year 2000 vehicles in two separate recalls to replace the cruise control switch.

Tory staffers axed in backroom shakeup

The limp-dicked Federal Torys are restaffing behind the scenes as they struggle to put some life into their Party's fortunes. But is this Rose still a Rose?

Party leader Stephen Harper would not discuss the shakeup, saying he never talks publicly about staffing issues. Conservative insiders said the bloodletting was simply a rationalization that had to occur after the employees of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance were merged into one office when the parties joined forces about two years ago. And Deputy Leader Peter MacKay, former leader of the PCs, said it was simply part of a planned organizational restructuring and 'these changes are nothing to be alarmed about.'

But others from his wing of the party said it was a deliberate move to entrench the dominance of the former Alliance. Those who have been fired 'are either people who are dissenting about what Harper is doing or they are former Progressive Conservatives,' said Carol Jamieson, a party organizer in Toronto. 'It looks to me right now that within four weeks, the entire structure will be Canadian Alliance.'"

Don't give us none of your aggravation

Went to the Elton John show last night. And what a show! Nearly three hours of hard-driving music (well hard driving for EJ) which included a partial set list of Pinball Wizard, Bennie And The Jets, Daniel, Take Me To The Pilot, Rocket Man, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Tiny Dancer, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding and Are You Ready For Love. Very enjoyable!

Before the first of two encores he closed with Saturday Night's Alright:
"I'm a juvenile product of the working class/Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass"

Friends, Family and Big Things Backyard

Returned from my trips south and I been quite negligent updating my site. But oh, the big things I've seen!

Photos from Lynne and Andrew's Wedding

A collection of Photos from Lynne and Andrew's Wedding. I regret that my battery was dying so I didn't get to take that many snaps.