Gosh, a full week since I last put anything up here. In the meantime I have had reinforced why I like to deal with little tiny self-distributing publishing companies as opposed to the monsters. For one thing, the little guys always talk to you like you're people, perhaps because they're not on the phone 24-7. For another, since they're small publishing companies, they actually have a stake in dealing with your complaints, and tend to do so promptly. I remember once phoning a little company in Calgary that publishes a couple of cookbooks. We'd ordered 10 of each, and received 20 of one of the titles. This was not a big deal, and as a matter of fact I was merely phoning to let them know that we'd keep the 20 but wanted to order 10 of the other book. Anyway, the lady I got on the phone (who was probably the publisher, author, and cook) was mortified that she had made that mistake. I had to reassure her a number of times that we weren't angry about it, and that we were still quite happy to carry her books. You don't get that when you phone up Megabooks inc., to deal with a fucked up order. Anyway, the incident with the cookbooks was several years ago, but the company that I dealt with this week, that prompted this little spiel, was the very lovely Gaspereau Books, of Kentville, Nova Scotia. Kudos to them.

9/11 could have been prevented: report
Last Updated Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:11:54

WASHINGTON - The attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 could have been thwarted months or years in advance, according to a damning report by the U.S. Congress.

File under "No Shit, Sherlock." The only questions are a) whether there's enough evidence in this report to impeach the bastards, and if so b) whether the Democrats have the guts to go for it.

Well, I went 7 and 3 for the Champions' Cup First qualifying Round. Here's the second round, with my picks in bold as usual.

MTK Budapest (Hungary) v HJK Helsinki (Finland)

Pyunik (Armenia) v CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)

Kaunas (Lithuania) v Celtic (Scotland)

Leotar (Bosnia) v Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) v Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

Zilina (Slovakia) v Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

Bohemians (Ireland) v Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway)

Maribor (Slovenia) v Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

CSKA Moscow (Russia) v Vardar Skopje (Macedonia)

Rapid Bucharest (Romania) v Anderlecht (Belgium)

Partizan Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro) v Djurgarden (Sweden)

Wisla Krakow (Poland) v Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus)

FC Copenhagen (Denmark) v Skonto Riga (Latvia)

SK Tirana (Albania) v Graz AK (Austria)

There are some interesting ties here. The toughest one may just be Rapid-Anderlecht, as both those teams can play. FC Copenhagen, Partizan, Graz, and Shakhtar, although I've picked them all to go through, really need to watch themselves or they're going to get a nasty shock. Although I've got Maccabi Tel Aviv favoured, I really have no idea who's going to win their tie with Zilina. And I'm still looking at HJK Helsinki as having the best chance of any of the first-rounders of advancing all the way to the group stage. These ties begin July 30th.

Dropkick Murphys to tour with Sex Pistols & Reverend Horton Heat!
Monday, July 14, 2003

Following the extremely successful release of their latest album “Blackout,” the Dropkick Murphys are taking to the road with some pretty damn good company! Beginning on August 29th, the band will be out on the road with The Sex Pistols and The Reverend Horton Heat! The Dropkicks will continue on this bill until September 9th when they will finally take some well-deserved time off.

This has the potential to be an amazing show in many ways, almost all of them positive. However, it is unlikely that Bazz will be able to find out one way or the other, since the only Canadian show is Toronto. Maybe if Bazz promises not to refer to himself in the third person for an entire year, they'll suddenly schedule an Edmonton gig?!? Nah, probably not. And so, Bazz will continue periodically to indulge in this unbelievably annoying form of NBA-superstar-esque behaviour. And there will be much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

Tracy and Tobacco
7/17/2003

Paul Tracy won the Molson Indy Toronto for the second time on the weekend, and in his wire to wire victory you saw as dominating a performance as you’ll ever witness on any race track.

There is extra motivation in the entire Players camp as we push through the second half Champ Car World Series. Beginning in October, Federal regulations will force Players to drop out of Racing Sponsorship after forty two years of support with teams, events and the driver development program.

A couple of months ago I made a couple of comments about one of Todd Lewis's early racing columns for TSN (you can find said comments back in the archive somewhere). At the time, I was mortally unimpressed with Mr. Lewis, but still willing to cut him some slack. However, that slack is rapidly being used up, as he's once again gone and written a totally moronic column about CART racing. He starts off well enough, going on about Tracy's win at Toronto, and his comments, if obvious, at least reflect reality. Then, however...

This leads to the topic of the forced withdrawal of sponsorship by Players.

And now we're in deep deep waters. I haven't actually scribed any mighty words of wisdom in these pages about the demise of Players racing because I'm still of two minds about it myself. Mr. Lewis, however, bravely steps up to the plate, and actually does pretty well, although once again he's not saying anything new. And then, all of a sudden, it all goes to shit...

So why will you not be allowed to promote a particular brand of smokes, when that’s all you’ve been able to do for years, yet you can hand out condoms by the box load as a way of promoting your product?

What? What? Do you think it might be related to the fact that condoms save lives, while cigarettes tend to take them? Maybe just? Oi...

Cigarettes and sex are both sensitive subjects, especially for young people. Huffing and puffing through either can be hazardous to your health, not to mention life-altering. Yet there are not the same regulatory restrictions for condoms as there are cigarettes. Why not?

I realize that condoms can help prevent disease and illness, but to make use of the product you still have to indulge in the potentially hazardous act. Using a condom does not eliminate all risks involved, there will still be some that contract disease or begin a pregnancy. And there will always be a segment of the population that chooses to indulge, regardless of any amount of abstinence advertising.

And on that surreal note... Why the bizarre rant about condoms? I mean, the last few paragraphs of this column make NO sense at all. We go from a stupid, and god-I-hope rhetorical, question (asked twice) to some bizarre conflation of cigarettes and condoms, accompanied by a descent into grammar Hell (Yes, I know who's talking). Was Lewis drinking while he worked on this column? Anyway, strike two against TSN's racing columnist.

Another friendly win for Lions... Slightly tougher opposition this time, and 2-1 final. Cahill scored both Millwall goals.

Lame Moments in Sports #7

CBL suspending operations
WebPosted Fri Jul 18 00:38:36 2003

CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The fledgling Canadian Baseball League has struck out.

Citing financial hardship, the CBL confirmed Thursday it will suspend operations following the July 23 all-star game at Burns Stadium in Calgary.

This is just too bad. People don't realize how rich the history of baseball in this country is (here's a very good site on the subject, at least as it pertains to Western Canada), and it's distressing to see the new league fall apart so quickly. However, if only 50 people are showing up to watch games, there's not much one can do I suppose. The article does point out that the league is just suspending operations, not folding, so it may be back next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Millwall downs Gravesend; Premiership Trembles in Collective Boots

Yes, the new (pre-)season is underway, and Millwall are 1 for 1. The final was 3-1, with goals from Elliott and Cogan, neither of whom I've ever heard of, and Phillips.

Crisitunity Knocks!!!

So the head coach of the womens' soccer team form which I am the goalkeeper coach has been canned. Now, there is some tradition that when such a thing happens the assistant coach walks the plank as well, and I believe that the ex-head coach, also a good friend of mine, expects me do just that. However, I'm a bit reluctant to do that. For one thing, in a phone call yesterday, the team's keeper asked me to continue working with her. For another, the firing had absolutely nothing to do with the team's performance (although they're not having a banner year), but with the coach's attitude and language towards some of the players. So what, you say. Well, if I do say so myself, the problems that got the coach fired are not ones that I have ever had with a team, whether playing or coaching, and I don't feel good about losing my position because of such problems, even by proxy. And lastly, I'm having a good time and actually (again, if I may blow my own horn) doing a lot of good for the team's goalie. So I'm mulling over in my mind how to go about this... More bulletins as events warrant.

Lame Moments in Sports #6

Limbaugh will be voice of fan on ESPN NFL show
ESPN.com

National talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh will join ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown to provide the voice of the fan and to spark debate on the show, the network announced Monday.

Is there anything going on the sports world right now that is not lame? After the resounding success of Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football (Someday get me started on Dennis Miller, but not today), ESPN falls on its collective head and picks up Rush Limbaugh. What's next? Michael Savage (I hear he's unemployed right now!) on Sunday Night Baseball? Ann Coulter doing LPGA commentary? The mind boggles. Here's my prediction: ESPN gets a brief ratings hike for NFL Countdown at the beginning of the season. After about week three, people start to realize that Rush is a) boring and unpleasant and b) completely ignorant on matter football-related (his vaunted experience selling baseball(!) tickets notwithstanding). After that, FOX and CBS enjoy higher ratings for the rest of the season. We shall see.

Lame Moments in Sports #5

UEFA announces radical changes

Associated Press
7/10/2003

NYON, Switzerland (AP) - European soccer's governing body announced radical changes Thursday to the format for the UEFA Cup tournament, introducing a group stage into the competition.

It used to be so simple. If you were champions of your league, you went into the Champion's Cup, where you played home-and-away ties until there were only two teams left, who played one game against each other for the Cup. If you won the cup, you went into the Cup Winner's Cup, and the process was the same. And, if you did neither, but were still a pretty decent team, it was off to the UEFA Cup with you, and once again it was a simple knock-out competition to the final. And then UEFA decided to get complex. Anyway, I'd better not hear any more complaining from the European football associations about teams playing too many games...

So I'm typing this up (finally) on my new computer here at the bookstore! It's very nice - 17" flat-screen monitor with a lovely desktop image of a world map showing the time zones. I feel like I work at NORAD. Anyhoo, the new computer didn't really want to get set up; for a while it flat-out denied any knowledge of the main server, which was problematic. However, we are now friends. I did have to find a new home for my plastic cobra, which used to adorn the top of my monitor, but the new machine's tower has a raised lip along the top of it, and the snake now peers raffishly over the top of that. Oh, and the mouse on this computer seems to work, which is a novelty.

Naomi Klein is cool; here she's reviewing recent Chretien legislation that has annoyed the Bushites (gay marriage, de-criminalized marijuana etc.) and offering some words of warning about getting too excited about our new-found 'independence.'

Well, whaddya know...

Bush wrong on Iraqi nuclear weapons
Last Updated Wed, 09 Jul 2003 10:33:15

WASHINGTON - Washington has admitted that a claim President George Bush made in January about Iraq's weapons programs was wrong.

In his state of the union message, Bush tried to convince Americans and the rest of the world that Saddam Hussein's regime was a threat because he was developing a nuclear weapons program.

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa," Bush said in January.

That statement was based on correspondence between officials in Iraq and Niger that are now widely accepted as forgeries.

Yeah, but we've only known for four flippin' months that they were forgeries... I wonder at this stage what exactly made the Bushites come clean. I'd like to think that it was the growing public wave of disgust with this type of conduct, but given that that's non-existent, I'm thinking that the more likely explanation is simply that the lie had held on long enough, and allowed Bush&Co.'s goals to be realized.

An official with the CIA was sent to Niger to investigate whether Iraq tried to buy uranium from the country.

The official reported back that it was highly doubtful such a transaction ever took place.

The official said the office of U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney would have received that report.

The claim made it into the state of the union address anyway, and many in Washington are asking how that could have happened.

Anyone in Washington who's sincerely "asking how that could have happened" is out-of-touch to an unprecedented degree. Now, can someone down there please show a little bit of spine and impeach that asshole? Pleeeeeeeze? This whole situation is mightily redolent of this one...

Well, we'll try this again. There have a few little posting problems today, plus I'd hoped by now to be typing this on my new work computer (with 17" flat-screen monitor, as opposed to the 15" Eyescorcher1000 that I've got now!), but no such luck. Maybe tomorrow...

It's big, it's bad, it's full of teams you've never heard of, it's the UEFA Cup Qualifying Round!!!!! My picks are in bold as usual.


AIK Stockholm (Sweden) v Fylkir (Iceland)
Vllaznia Shkoder (Albania) v Dundee (Scotland)
Levadia Maardu (Estonia) v NK Varteks (Croatia)
Santa Coloma (Andorra) v Esbjerg (Denmark)
NK Zeljeznicar (Bosnia) v Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)
Banants (Armenia) v Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
OB Odense (Denmark) v Dynamo Minsk (Belarus)
Malmo (Sweden) v Portadown (Northern Ireland)
Dinamo Bucharest (Romania) v Metalurgs (Latvia)
Valletta (Malta) v Neuchatel Xamax (Switzerland)
Kaernten (Austria) v Grindavik (Iceland)
Viktoria Zizkov (Czech Republic) v Zhenis Astana (Kazakhstan)
Sarajevo (Bosnia) v Sartid Smederevo (Serbia and Montenegro)
APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus) v Derry City (Ireland)
Litex Lovech (Bulgaria) v Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova)
Neman Grodno (Belarus) v Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
Etzella Ettelbruck (Luxembourg) v Kamen Ingrad (Croatia)
Manchester City (England) v TNS Llansantffraid (Wales)
Molde (Norway) v KI Klaksvik (Faroe Islands)
Farum (Denmark) v TVMK Tallinn (Estonia)
Ventspils (Latvia) v Wisla Plock (Poland)
MyPa (Finland) v Young Boys (Switzerland)
Vaduz (Liechtenstein) v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)
Coleraine (Northern Ireland) v Uniao Leiria (Portugal)
Groclin Grodzisk (Poland) v Atlantas (Lithuania)
Dinamo Tirana (Albania) v Lokeren (Belgium)
Cwmbran Town (Wales) v Maccabi Haifa (Israel)
Celje (Slovenia) v Belasica (Macedonia)
Cementarnica 55 Skopje (Macedonia) v Dospel Katowice (Poland)
Puchov (Slovakia) v Sioni Bolnisi (Georgia)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro) v Nistru Otaci (Moldova)
Ekranas (Lithuania) v Debrecen (Hungary)
Birkirkara (Malta) v Ferencvaros (Hungary)
Haka Valkeakoski (Finland) v Hadjuk Split (Croatia)
Torpedo Moscow (Russia) v Domagnano (San Marino)
Atyrau (Kazakhstan) v Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
Olimpija (Slovenia) v Shelbourne (Ireland)
RC Lens (France) v Torpedo Kutaisi (Georgia)
Brondby (Denmark) v Shirak (Armenia)
Petrzalka (Slovakia) v Dudelange (Luxembourg)
Runavik (Faroe Islands) v Lyn (Norway)

Some notes: First of all, the tie of the round is obviously the all-Balkan hookup between Sarajevo and Sartid Smederevo. No chance of crowd trouble at that one, no siree. Secondly, the name of the Armenian League runners-up, Shirak, is the same as the command word for Raistlin's light spell in the Dragonlance novels (See, you're much smarter now!).

PQ Gets Tedious over Vancouver Olympics Win

QUEBEC CITY - There is mixed reaction in Quebec to news that Vancouver will host the 2010 Olympic games.

Quebec City was trying to host the same games, but lost to Vancouver for the right to represent Canada.

Although Premier Jean Charest is congratulating Vancouver, the leader of the opposition isn't so charitable.

Parti Québécois leader Bernard Landry is using the Vancouver result to argue Quebec should be sovereign.

Landry says Quebec City could still have been on the ballot if it was an independent country.

So what Landry is saying is that the Quebec bid, which couldn't beat Vancouver's bid during the Canadian competition, would have been able to do so on the international stage? Is he saying that Quebec (the province and the city) should have spent a lot more money than they did to lose to Vancouver? I'm confused here.

Quebec City Mayor Jean-Paul L'Allier says the Vancouver result puts an end to any ambitions Quebec City had of hosting the Olympics.

Oh boo-hoo. There are a limited number of places in the world which can host a Winter Olympics, and Quebec City's chance will come around again. What the Vancouver result does put an end to is any hope Jean-Paul L'Allier had of being "The Man Who Brought the Olympics to Quebec City."