Cameroon's Foe dies after semi-final
LYON, France, June 26 (Reuters) - Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died on Thursday after collapsing during his country's Confederations Cup semi-final against Colombia.
Nothing more to say about this really. Very sad.
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Lame Moments in Sports #4
Just go here and read the headline; that's all I have to say on the matter.
Just go here and read the headline; that's all I have to say on the matter.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Monday, June 23, 2003
The Report Chokes on Own Bile, Dies Unlamented Death
Edmonton - A conservative magazine that was a fixture in the province and across western Canada for three decades is shutting down.
The Report, after stints as Alberta Report and Western Report, has put out its final issue.
Ya know, I remember when Alberta Report actually had status in conservative circles. Everybody knew the name Byfield, and the magazine provided ammunition for the right-wing side in many a fierce barroom debate during my undergraduate years. More, than once, Alberta Report was deemed significant enough to be satirized by The Gateway, the U. of A.'s student rag.
But it didn't last. People moved on, the issues changed, but the content of Alberta Report didn't, and its readership shrank as a result. Dwindling readership was accompanied inevitably by dwindling standards at the magazine, and, after unsuccessful attempts to re-brand itself as a national conservative publication, all that was left was the mouthpiece for a handful of disgruntled cranks - sort of a journalistic equivalent of the old guy on the porch screaming at the kids to get off his lawn. And so it has now passed away, and law of averages indicates the general tone of debate in this province should actually increase dramatically.
Edmonton - A conservative magazine that was a fixture in the province and across western Canada for three decades is shutting down.
The Report, after stints as Alberta Report and Western Report, has put out its final issue.
Ya know, I remember when Alberta Report actually had status in conservative circles. Everybody knew the name Byfield, and the magazine provided ammunition for the right-wing side in many a fierce barroom debate during my undergraduate years. More, than once, Alberta Report was deemed significant enough to be satirized by The Gateway, the U. of A.'s student rag.
But it didn't last. People moved on, the issues changed, but the content of Alberta Report didn't, and its readership shrank as a result. Dwindling readership was accompanied inevitably by dwindling standards at the magazine, and, after unsuccessful attempts to re-brand itself as a national conservative publication, all that was left was the mouthpiece for a handful of disgruntled cranks - sort of a journalistic equivalent of the old guy on the porch screaming at the kids to get off his lawn. And so it has now passed away, and law of averages indicates the general tone of debate in this province should actually increase dramatically.
Friday, June 20, 2003
OK, here's the draw for the the first pre-semi-kinda-qualifying round for the 2003-4 Champions Cup. My picks are in bold.
1 Pyunik (Arm) v KR Reykjavik (Isl)
2 Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) v FC flora (Est)
3 HB Torshavn (Far) v Kaunas (Lit)
4 Bate Borisov (Blr) v Bohemians (Irl)
5 Vardar (Mkd) v Barry Town (Wal)
6 Grevenmacher (Lux) v Leotar (Bzh)
7 HJK Helsinki (Fin) v Glentoran (Nirl)
8 Sliema Wanderers (Mal) v Skonto Riga (Lat)
9 Omonia (Cyp) v Irtysh Pavlodar (Kaz)
10 Dinamo Tbilisi (Geo) v KF Tirana (Alb)
Out of this lot, the team with the best chance right now of making the group stage is HJK Helsinki. Assuming they win through over Glentoran, they'll face MTK Hungaria FC in the second round. The best tie of this first round is probably going to be #10, between Dinamo Tbilisi and KF Tirana. The draw for the UEFA Cup has also been made, but I won't post predictions or anything like that until the Danish League has submitted its entrants.
1 Pyunik (Arm) v KR Reykjavik (Isl)
2 Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) v FC flora (Est)
3 HB Torshavn (Far) v Kaunas (Lit)
4 Bate Borisov (Blr) v Bohemians (Irl)
5 Vardar (Mkd) v Barry Town (Wal)
6 Grevenmacher (Lux) v Leotar (Bzh)
7 HJK Helsinki (Fin) v Glentoran (Nirl)
8 Sliema Wanderers (Mal) v Skonto Riga (Lat)
9 Omonia (Cyp) v Irtysh Pavlodar (Kaz)
10 Dinamo Tbilisi (Geo) v KF Tirana (Alb)
Out of this lot, the team with the best chance right now of making the group stage is HJK Helsinki. Assuming they win through over Glentoran, they'll face MTK Hungaria FC in the second round. The best tie of this first round is probably going to be #10, between Dinamo Tbilisi and KF Tirana. The draw for the UEFA Cup has also been made, but I won't post predictions or anything like that until the Danish League has submitted its entrants.
Lame Moments in Sports #3
Manchester City will play Welsh side Total Network Solutions in the qualifying round for the UEFA Cup.
Ok, this is getting out of hand. There's actually a team out there called Total Network Solutions? What the Fuck? How the Hell are you supposed to support a team called Total Network Solutions? I mean... Total Network Solutions!?!?! "And, in the Champions Cup Draw, Aol.com United will play Sony in the qualifying round..." This is stupid.
Manchester City will play Welsh side Total Network Solutions in the qualifying round for the UEFA Cup.
Ok, this is getting out of hand. There's actually a team out there called Total Network Solutions? What the Fuck? How the Hell are you supposed to support a team called Total Network Solutions? I mean... Total Network Solutions!?!?! "And, in the Champions Cup Draw, Aol.com United will play Sony in the qualifying round..." This is stupid.
Well, tons to get through today (including, Ta-Da, another Lame Moment in Sports). Lets start with the Friday Five:
1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short? Straight and short.
2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime? Heh. I seem to have less of it now.
3. How do your normally wear your hair? Pretty much shaved.
4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like? It would turn into feathers, like the Andorians on Star Trek
5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened? Nope, I've been fairly lucky in... OH MY GOD, IT'S FALLING OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE!! NOOOO!! COME BACK, HAIR, COME BACK FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!. Ahem, no.
1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short? Straight and short.
2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime? Heh. I seem to have less of it now.
3. How do your normally wear your hair? Pretty much shaved.
4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like? It would turn into feathers, like the Andorians on Star Trek
5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened? Nope, I've been fairly lucky in... OH MY GOD, IT'S FALLING OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE!! NOOOO!! COME BACK, HAIR, COME BACK FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!. Ahem, no.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
TORONTO - Two U.S. military pilots who bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan won't be prosecuted.
Well, this comes as a big surprise to nobody. The fix was in on this case pretty much from the beginning - partially because of the frosty relationship between our two countries' leaders, and partially because the U.S. military has an appalling record when it comes to taking responsibility for misbehaviour by its members (remember that cable car in Italy?). That said, I'm going to hold off on going completely apeshit about this until I hear what disciplinary measures the U.S. military brass does chose to impose.
Well, this comes as a big surprise to nobody. The fix was in on this case pretty much from the beginning - partially because of the frosty relationship between our two countries' leaders, and partially because the U.S. military has an appalling record when it comes to taking responsibility for misbehaviour by its members (remember that cable car in Italy?). That said, I'm going to hold off on going completely apeshit about this until I hear what disciplinary measures the U.S. military brass does chose to impose.
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Well, one week 'til Harry Potter & the License to Print Money is released on the suspecting public. We've got the machine-gun emplacements in at the bookstore, and the earthworks are nearly fully dug.
I confess that my opinion of the Harry Potter phenomenon is not cast in stone, but rather swings radically back and forth. On the one hand, it's fun to see kids actually picking up a book that is all words (and lots of them!) and enjoying it, as it flies in the face of much of the modern criticism of youth ("Short attention spans!" "Hooked on video games!" "Too much TV!"). I've read the first couple of books in the series, and, while they're not going to chase J.R.R. Tolkein from his place in the pantheon, they're enjoyable enough. On the other hand, it's going to be $46.95 (Canadian) for a children's book, and the hype is starting to drown out any possible literary benefit; kids, I fear, are starting to read the books not out of any enjoyment of them in and of themselves, but because it's Harry Potter and Harry Potter is cool.
Now, the funny thing about this whole situation is that there's a fairly decent chance that Canada Post will be on strike by next weekend, thus thwarting the devious aims of Amazon.com et al. and forcing people to actually walk to actual bookstores to get their copies, or wait however long it takes the strike to get resolved. He-he.
I confess that my opinion of the Harry Potter phenomenon is not cast in stone, but rather swings radically back and forth. On the one hand, it's fun to see kids actually picking up a book that is all words (and lots of them!) and enjoying it, as it flies in the face of much of the modern criticism of youth ("Short attention spans!" "Hooked on video games!" "Too much TV!"). I've read the first couple of books in the series, and, while they're not going to chase J.R.R. Tolkein from his place in the pantheon, they're enjoyable enough. On the other hand, it's going to be $46.95 (Canadian) for a children's book, and the hype is starting to drown out any possible literary benefit; kids, I fear, are starting to read the books not out of any enjoyment of them in and of themselves, but because it's Harry Potter and Harry Potter is cool.
Now, the funny thing about this whole situation is that there's a fairly decent chance that Canada Post will be on strike by next weekend, thus thwarting the devious aims of Amazon.com et al. and forcing people to actually walk to actual bookstores to get their copies, or wait however long it takes the strike to get resolved. He-he.
Thursday, June 12, 2003
GAZA CITY - Doctors say five people were killed, including a three-year-old girl, in the latest Israeli missile strike against a Hamas target in Gaza City.
and
LONDON - The Islamic militant group Hamas says it's ordering its members to carry out more attacks on Israelis and urged foreigners to leave Israel and the Palestinian areas for their own safety.
Uh, George? Your "Roadmap from Peace" or whatever it's called is not going to earn you the Nobel prize if that peace is achieved simply by virtue of everybody in the Middle East being dead. Just thought you should know.
.
.
.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, has vowed that Israel will hunt Palestinian militants "to the bitter end."
He said even though he's committed to negotiating the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace, the Israeli army will still go after Palestinian militants.
In other news, Sharon announced the formal beginning of his vaunted "Fucking for Virginity" initiative.
.
.
.
Bush has urged all nations to cut off financial assistance to terrorists and "isolate those who hate so much that they are willing to kill."
Did Bush actually say that? I'd make the obvious comment, but it's just too damned easy.
and
LONDON - The Islamic militant group Hamas says it's ordering its members to carry out more attacks on Israelis and urged foreigners to leave Israel and the Palestinian areas for their own safety.
Uh, George? Your "Roadmap from Peace" or whatever it's called is not going to earn you the Nobel prize if that peace is achieved simply by virtue of everybody in the Middle East being dead. Just thought you should know.
.
.
.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, has vowed that Israel will hunt Palestinian militants "to the bitter end."
He said even though he's committed to negotiating the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace, the Israeli army will still go after Palestinian militants.
In other news, Sharon announced the formal beginning of his vaunted "Fucking for Virginity" initiative.
.
.
.
Bush has urged all nations to cut off financial assistance to terrorists and "isolate those who hate so much that they are willing to kill."
Did Bush actually say that? I'd make the obvious comment, but it's just too damned easy.
6/11/2003
NEW YORK (AP) - It took a record six pitchers to no-hit the New York Yankees, and that wasn't the only bizarre thing about the Houston Astros' big night in the Bronx.
Wow. A six-pitcher no-no against the Yankees, at Yankee Stadium (first time in half a century for that), by a National League team, that included a four-strikeout inning. Probably one of the odder baseball games ever played. Oh, and there's a note in this article to the effect that Derek Jeter has whiffed in 12 of his last 19 at-bats. Think that shoulder might not quite be 100% yet?
NEW YORK (AP) - It took a record six pitchers to no-hit the New York Yankees, and that wasn't the only bizarre thing about the Houston Astros' big night in the Bronx.
Wow. A six-pitcher no-no against the Yankees, at Yankee Stadium (first time in half a century for that), by a National League team, that included a four-strikeout inning. Probably one of the odder baseball games ever played. Oh, and there's a note in this article to the effect that Derek Jeter has whiffed in 12 of his last 19 at-bats. Think that shoulder might not quite be 100% yet?
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
They never had a chance. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks faced some mighty odds as they headed into the Meadowlands for game 7 in New Jersey.
This is a cute column. If you enjoying the crunching of numbers, it'll give you a laugh.
.
.
.
That being said, congratulations to the New Jersey Devils and especially Joe Niewendyk who becomes just the 6th player to win the Cup with 3 different teams.
Right then, who are these six vagabonds, and who did they play for?
We've already got:
Joe Niewendyk (Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils)
This is a cute column. If you enjoying the crunching of numbers, it'll give you a laugh.
.
.
.
That being said, congratulations to the New Jersey Devils and especially Joe Niewendyk who becomes just the 6th player to win the Cup with 3 different teams.
Right then, who are these six vagabonds, and who did they play for?
We've already got:
Joe Niewendyk (Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils)
Pressure grows over US killing of journalists
By Ian Urbina
On April 8, two journalists were killed in Baghdad. By this date, only weeks into the conflict, the death toll for journalists in Iraq was an alarming 10, more than double the total killed in the entirety of the first Gulf War in 1991. But what was especially worrisome about the deaths of Ukraine-born Reuters cameraman, Taras Protsyuk, and Spanish photographer Jose Couso, was that neither man was near the front lines.
Both were in their hotels. Alongside roughly 100 other journalists from virtually every major international news outlet in the country at the time, Protsyuk and Couso were recouping in an officially recognized safe zone - the Palestine Hotel. But an American tank on the opposite bank of the Tigris River, roughly three-quarters of a mile away, fired directly at the hotel anyway. The US military stated that the incident was a regrettable though unavoidable mistake. However, with the recent release of an investigation by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists there is new evidence that the incident was in fact entirely avoidable, and a Spanish judge is being asked to file formal extradition charges against the responsible three US military officers.
Good fucking luck. Taking reponsibility for its own actions and behaviour is not a feature of the American military these days. Basically, if your loved one gets 'accidently' killed by American troops, and you have the temerity to ask for any kind of justice whatsoever, expect to get the runaround in a big way while simultaneously being buried up to your neck in platitudes.
By Ian Urbina
On April 8, two journalists were killed in Baghdad. By this date, only weeks into the conflict, the death toll for journalists in Iraq was an alarming 10, more than double the total killed in the entirety of the first Gulf War in 1991. But what was especially worrisome about the deaths of Ukraine-born Reuters cameraman, Taras Protsyuk, and Spanish photographer Jose Couso, was that neither man was near the front lines.
Both were in their hotels. Alongside roughly 100 other journalists from virtually every major international news outlet in the country at the time, Protsyuk and Couso were recouping in an officially recognized safe zone - the Palestine Hotel. But an American tank on the opposite bank of the Tigris River, roughly three-quarters of a mile away, fired directly at the hotel anyway. The US military stated that the incident was a regrettable though unavoidable mistake. However, with the recent release of an investigation by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists there is new evidence that the incident was in fact entirely avoidable, and a Spanish judge is being asked to file formal extradition charges against the responsible three US military officers.
Good fucking luck. Taking reponsibility for its own actions and behaviour is not a feature of the American military these days. Basically, if your loved one gets 'accidently' killed by American troops, and you have the temerity to ask for any kind of justice whatsoever, expect to get the runaround in a big way while simultaneously being buried up to your neck in platitudes.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
I think I must have done something wrong on this quiz...
You are King Arthur Pendragon. You have the ability
to unite diverse groups of people. You are wise
and nonjudgemental, but can be somewhat naive
and blind to those who would do you harm. You
are a workaholic who tends to neglect your
personal life. You believe that everyone has
the right to their opinion, and should be
allowed to voice it.
Which heroic sword fighter are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are King Arthur Pendragon. You have the ability
to unite diverse groups of people. You are wise
and nonjudgemental, but can be somewhat naive
and blind to those who would do you harm. You
are a workaholic who tends to neglect your
personal life. You believe that everyone has
the right to their opinion, and should be
allowed to voice it.
Which heroic sword fighter are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Manchester United have confirmed they have accepted a bid from Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta for David Beckham - subject to a number of conditions.
Ah yes, "subject to a number of conditions." Now, I'm not saying that a Beckham transfer isn't going to happen, as a matter of fact I think it's quite likely at this point, but I'm not going to take it as a fait accompli until I see Becks standing in a Barcelona/Real Madrid/AC Milan/whoever shirt waving a club scarf.
Ah yes, "subject to a number of conditions." Now, I'm not saying that a Beckham transfer isn't going to happen, as a matter of fact I think it's quite likely at this point, but I'm not going to take it as a fait accompli until I see Becks standing in a Barcelona/Real Madrid/AC Milan/whoever shirt waving a club scarf.
Monday, June 09, 2003
About three-and-a-half years ago, we received a book called Colour Atlas of Ectomycorrhizae from Einhorn-Verlag, a German publishing company. Besides wondering vaguely what the hell ectomycorrhizae were when they were at home (the book was sealed, and thus little help in answering this question), there was very little to be done with it, as there was absolutely no record of our having ordered the thing. Eventually, two things were figured out. First of all, it was determined that the book had actually been ordered some 10 years previously, as a special order, and had long ago been given up on by the customer. Secondly, Ectomycorrhizae are fungal in nature. So, as it was patently absurd to try to send the thing back to Germany for a refund (besides, the publisher had kept the faith for a decade, which has to count for something), we decided to sling it into our Biology section and see if there were any takers. I don't recall if it sold or not, but it vanished from our shelves at some point. In any case, just the other day I opened up a distantly-familiar-looking envelope from Germany, and, lo-and-behold, we were the proud owners of yet another copy of Colour Atlas of Ectomycorrhizae!! Ye gods!! Deja vu all over again!! Once again, there is no record of anyone having ordered it, and this time, were pretty sure it's not an ancient special order. Did Einhorn-Verlag send a spy around to check our biology shelf for the previous copy? Does the book contain some secret transmitter, sending messages to the secret Einhorn-Verlag fortress of power whenever they detect a gap in their worldwide coverage of things fungoid? Is this [lowers voice, peers around conspiratorially] a plot by the ectomycorrhizae themselves, operating through their German front company, to spread their sinister manifesto around the globe? Oh well, whatever. Off to the Biology section with the book, and we'll see if we get another mysterious parcel in a few years...
Well, my mouse finally died, and was buried on the "crappy equipment" shelf in my office, along with at least one of its predecessors. It died spectacularly, basically doing random mouse things at a high rate of speed for about two minutes. I eventually had to ctrl-alt-del the computer off, and try it again. And speaking of computer things, I've finally got around to checking previews etc. for Half-Life 2, and it looks like it's going to be quite nice - it's set in a sort of post-apocalyptic eastern European city, for starters, and that's just plain cool. One of the best things about the original was the fact that it actually had a plot that went something beyond "waste the bad guys," and hopefully the sequel will follow suit. Demonstrations of the physics of the new game also seem to have "people in the know" drooling.
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