T-Bone Impressed Us At His Tae Kwon Do Competition

Mulder

A week ago, T-Bone took part in two categories of competition at the Ottawa Tae E. Lee Tae Kwon Do Cup held at Algonquin College.

In his patterns he was both crisp and fluid, and barely missed out on a medal.  His shyness, (the reason we got him into Tae Kwon Do), still showed through his body language, but was leaps and bounds better than it was last year where he finished dead last in his belt/age group.

It was a similar result but a completely different story in the sparring.  He came out incredibly strong out attacking his opponent who put up some feeble blocks.  But in a non contact sparring competition, they did count as countermoves which left T-Bone on the short end of the scoring stick.

The better half was right in assessing his skill when she said “He would have kicked the other guy’s ass in a street fight!”  Knowing T-Bone, he wouldn’t get into a street fight, but if he ever had to defend himself, I have to whole-heartedly agree.

The shyness in him is fading as he enters his teen years and if he keeps up the hard work, I know I am going to have a tough time saying no when he asks me for the car keys in a few years!!

For those out there who have a shy, quiet child, with self-confidence issues, I highly urge  you to take advantage of the Conservative tax break on sports registrations and get your kid into Tae Kwon Do.  Not only will it give them self defence they may one day need, but it will bring out the best qualities in your child.  It has done wonders with T-Bone and he has a couple of very proud parents.

OS Bookshelf: The Da Vinci Code (psst … it sucked)

Mulder

The Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown

By now, half the freaking world knows about this book/movie.Da Vinci Code I just hope half the world feels about it the way I, and Opus Dei, do. It truly sucked. I found myself painfully forcing my way through it each time I sat down to lay some cable. Dan Brown really didn’t do anyone any justice with this one.

It follows the daughter of the curator of the Louvre and an American historian through a pretty unimaginative set of riddles to find the secret of the Holy Grail (which isn’t a chalice but the true writings that would blow Christianity out of the water if revealed).

I feel the best quality the book had was that the chapters were brief enough to make it worthwhile reading on the john, and long enough to provide enough paper to wipe with.

Trudeau Gets A Mountain, But Where Is Diefenbaker's??

Mulder

After reading Syncrodox Sez’s article about the naming of a mountain after the Rt. Honourable Pierre Elliot Trudeau, I took it up on myself to do a bit of research on the naming of mountains in Canada after our illustrious leaders.

I did find some interesting facts out though.

1) Wilfred Laurier has 3 (count ’em) mountains named after him.

2) John Diefenbaker has no mountain named after him.

3) Chretien tried having the tallest mountain in Canada named after Trudeau shortly after his death in 2000. The locals around Mount Logan protested hard, and were thankfully, successful in blocking the naming.

4) The average height above sea level of Tory Prime Minister peaks is 3066.25 metres, and the average height above sea level of Grit Prime Minister peaks is 2736.4 metres (when counting all of Laurier’s peaks) and 3004.8 (when counting only Laurier’s tallest peak)

5) The average prominence of Tory Prime Minister peaks is 396.25 metres, and the average prominence of Grit Prime Minister peaks is 825.7 metres (when counting all of Laurier’s peaks) and 812.2 metres (when counting only Laurier’s tallest peak)

A grid showing these features can be seen below (click to enlarge)

I guess the purpose of all this was to point out that I am not upset that Trudeau now has a mountain. But I am now thinking that Diefenbaker deserves a mountain of his own. Why has he been overlooked? Whether or not he was a popular PM, or whether or not he was a long standing PM should also not matter. The man lead our nation and deserves his place in Canadian geographical history with the rest.

Diefenbaker has been Officially Screwed!!

Mugabe Marionnette Stuffs Anglican Pulpits With Puppets

Mulder

In addition to the atrocities that have left hundreds of thousands homeless and dying of starvation, Robert Mugabe is now stacking the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe with his henchmen.

I’ve written about Mugabe here and here but the situation is getting worse and worse.

The controversy revolves around Nolbert Kunonga, the Bishop of Harare, who last year became the first Anglican priest in Africa in more than 100 years to face prosecution by his peers. The charges included preaching racial hatred.

Since his appointment in 2001 Kunonga has consistently used his pulpit at St Mary’s Cathedral to praise Mugabe and decry critics of the regime. As a reward he was given a farm and a seven-bedroomed house overlooking a lake.

Now the 56-year-old bishop has started ordaining government ministers and party officials with no theological training, including Joseph Msika, the vice-president.

Any priest who dares to speak out finds himself transferred to a remote parish and intimidated.

This could make Zimbabwe the next Rwanda.

H/T to Jack’s Newswatch 

Don Cherry's A Trip … An Acid Trip That Is!!

Mulder

I have to admit, that when Don Cherry wears big collars, I kind of like it. He usually has a snazzy tie and for the most part, he would have on a pretty decent looking jacket. But ever since Rose died, he must have lost his fashion sense. Tonight, I think he must have had his eyes dilated when he picked out his jacket. Either that, or I had an acid flashback while watching Coach’s Corner.

Don Cherry

If it wasn’t a flashback, then he needs to quit going to this guy’s tailor.

Elton John

Comments??

CNN-SI Puts The Pressure On Team USA

Mulder

What’s wrong with this picture?

CNN-SI World Cup 2006 Poll

As much as I wish Team USA the best, I think CNN-Sports Illustrated is exhibiting quite a big ego here.  The have all that grey space under the vote button, yet they chose to not put up any options containing the offering of no wins, with or without draws in combination.

Ghana and Italy also won their preliminary draws leading up to the cup, and the Czechs were second only to a strong Dutch team but had more points than the American team.  The road will be tough on our Yankee friends to the south.

But with no Team Canada in the Cup, my heart will be following and cheering for the Americans, Brasilia, and the Netherlands.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining …

Mulder

… and this silver lining deserves a good reading.  Salim Mansur has just made my list of pundits for his refreshing and frank view of the current state of affairs in the world.

I highly urge everyone to read his article from today’s Sun newspaper.

A snippet…

But whose fault is this? Let us, Muslims, be brutally honest.

We have inherited a culture of denial, of too often refusing to acknowledge our own responsibility for the widespread malaise that has left most of the Arab-Muslim countries in economic, political and social disrepair.

Statistics and intergovernmental reports over the past several decades have documented a gap, perhaps now unbridgeable, between Muslim countries and the advanced industrial democracies in the West.

In a recent “failed states index” published in the journal Foreign Policy (May/June 2006), Pakistan, for instance, is ranked among the top 10 failed states in the world — ahead of Afghanistan. Pakistan is a Muslim country, a nuclear military power, but it can barely feed, clothe, educate and shelter its population.

H/T to Canadian Sentinel

Chretien Delusional That Sponsorship Scandal Is Over. Show Me The Money!!

Mulder

This does not shock me but after Chuck Guité was found guilty on all five charges relating to the Sponsorship Scandal this week, dat der guy from Shawinigan came up for air.

“He was found guilty, it ends there,” Chretien told reporters Friday in his hometown of Shawinigan.

“I’ve always said, if there were some who stole money, let them go to prison. That’s what’s happening. I said it four years ago when I asked the police to intervene. That’s exactly how the system should work.”

H/T to Dr. Roy on this one

Umm, excusé-moi M. Chretien. But I watch enough cop shows to know that is NOT how it works. You see Chuck Guité has the right to an appeal. And when his lawyers tell him that his chances of overturning the appeal are slim to none, he starts to deal for a lesser sentence. And what does he deal with? Knowledge. What knowledge you may ask? We’ll just have to wait and see what time, and Chuck Guité, reveal.

We want proof about where the money all went. And as you know…A Proof Is A Proof

Liberal MP Keith Martin Makes A Good Proposal … A Year Too Late

Mulder

Riddle me this? When I a Liberal a hypocrite? Pretty much always, especially when it comes to standing up to international tyrants.

Liberal MP Keith Martin is asking the Conservative government to indict Robert Mugabe under the Crimes Against Humanity Act.

“Mugabe’s actions have left millions on the brink of starvation and a similar number have been forced to flee his dictatorial regime to surrounding countries. Time is of the essence and the international community must act with haste,” Mr. Martin said.

We must act in haste?? Time is of the essence??

How’s THIS for haste Mr. Martin? Your party was in power when these atrocities were occuring yet you did nothing when you had the reins. How do I know this? Because I blogged about it last August.

The very same China that we give money to gives money to Robert Mugabe, the ruthless dictator. The same Robert Mugabe who ordered massive raids leaving 1000’s of homes, farms and business decimated, and over 300,000 people homeless. With nights in Zimbabwe reaching down to freezing temperatures, the death toll steadily rises. All under the name “Operation Murambatsvina” which means “get rid of trash” in Shona.

Mugabe, the same man who handed over the farms to the retired armed forces who had helped him take control over 20 years ago. Mugabe, who has now turned on them, taking the land. Mugabe, whose governments lack of planning left so many of those retirees without seed for a new crop. Mugabe, who now, along with the ZANU-PF party, sees these retirees as more of a burden to their fiscal plan, than an asset.

It’s good to see someone we give money to, turn and give money to a nation that is clearly in need of new leadership and new international relationships. Canada gives to China, who gives to Robert Mugabe. Let me repeat that for those of you sleeping. CANADA GIVES MONEY TO CHINA, WHO IN TURN GIVES MONEY TO ROBERT MUGABE AND THE RUTHLESS ZANU-PF PARTY IN ZIMBABWE. Ok, Just checking, relax. I didn’t mean to yell.

Why were you not demanding your own party stand up to this tyrannical leader back then, Mr. Martin? Were you not aware that the Liberals were giving $50 Million dollars a year to the Chinese, who in turn were helping fund the actions of Robert Mugabe? More Liberal hypocrisy.

We all know the Conservatives cut the $50 Million dollar transfers to China. A good start. And should Mugabe be indicted? Yes, I agree he should. But your call for action now and demanding haste is self serving. You would not DARE call out your own government’s inaction a month or two before the writ was dropped last fall. And now you call for action trying to look like a compassionate Liberal.