Sunday, July 15, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


Forget piddling around a mere few days for an iPhone.
Two sisters are in the midst of an 11-day vigil for this summer's
hottest, "must have" low-tech phenomenon, the latest

Harry Potter novel.

Chloe and Sydney Bostian started camping out
Tuesday in front of Gulliver's Books in Fairbanks, California
to be among the first Alaskans to find out their hero's fate in
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

The seventh and final installment in the series
by author J.K. Rowling will be released
at midnight, July 21.

"It's just so addicting. You think you have it all
figured out and then everything switches up on you,
" said Chloe, 18. "It's the big finale, and all the questions
are going to be answered."

The girls are living out of their parent's camper
parked in the bookstore's parking lot.
During the day their parents,
who are taking turns staying with them,
move it to the customer parking area,
but at night it comes right up to the store entrance
- the frontof the line.

To help pass time, they browse the bookstore
and friends bring them food so they don't
have to leave the line.

For those of you who are interested I just had
the pleasure of reading the

7th and final book in the Harry Potter series

*Deathly Hallows*

and I can
tell you it was intense.
I truly
enjoyed it from page one until the very end.
I know you are all wondering about the BIG question
does Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or Ron Weasley
Die in the final book???? Well the answer is ....

Drum Roll please.......

you
will have to wait and read it for yourself.
I would love to give it away and post some of
the
details that I have read about and learned
in the book, stuff that is on
everybody's mind
but I honestly don't want to ruin it for
the True
Potter fans out there who plan on reading it.

If you have any questions
or you just feel like
leaving a comment then please do so.


Thursday, July 12, 2007

D.W.I = Death. Please pray for Baby Zhang

Father Waits By Injured Son's Hospital Bed After Wife Killed On Sidewalk

A red hat. Batman shoes. Some small clothes. They don't sound like the ingredients for one of the worst tragedies in recent memory. But they're the tangible evidence of a terrible accident that happened on a busy street in Scarborough Wednesday night. It took place at McCowan near Eglington just after 8:15pm, when a woman and her three year-old son left a local playground after enjoying a night of kite flying. It was too be their last happy moments together.

As the pair walked along the sidewalk, the unthinkable unfolded. A car ran off the road and straight into the duo. When the automobile came to a rest, 36-year-old Yan Zhang lay dead and her baby was in critical condition.

The boy remains in dire shape with his grieving and disbelieving father praying by his bedside at the Hospital for Sick Children. The youngster suffered a serious brain injury and a fractured leg and skull. Doctors still don't know if he'll make it. But it's what cops contend caused the accident that's left them infuriated and outraged. They arrested a 56-year-old man at the scene, charging him with impaired driving. Dragan Gorgijevski will appear in a Toronto courtroom on Friday.

For veteran traffic officers, there are simply no words to express the anger they feel over the heartbreaking horror. "Would you like to face the father who is now at the hospital with this young child and tell them you are sorry for what's happened?" he demands, the rage evident in his voice. "How far will sorry go?"

A police detective held up the little boy's clothes, all that may be left of the normal life the baby knew for too short a time. "This is real evidence of a tragedy. A completely preventable tragedy," he laments. "This is a life that has changed forever, this young child, changed forever. Can't be changed back."

The evidence of the disaster has long been towed from the scene, but there's another reminder that's far more poignant. A makeshift memorial now sits at the site, with flowers and cards of condolences in an ever expanding pile. Many friends, neighbours and strangers who have all come by to express their sorrow, 24 hours after an accident that all agree never should have been.

As a parent of a 4 year old little girl my Heart and Prayers go out to the Zhang family and all other family's who have been in or are currently in a similar situation.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Beats Begging

Marc the Litter Guy needed money to pay the rent but he didn't want to panhandle.

So the 30-year-old got some garbage bags and put a sign on his back saying he was cleaning the city for donations.


He needed to make my own job, so He thought He'd go around and clean the streets. He wears a sign -- it tells what He's doing and asks for donations -- but He doesn't ask for money verbally, He leaves it up to people," He has been picking up about 80 bags of garbage a day for the past 11 months.

He was struggling to get work as a day labourer and was tired of lining up at 4:30 a.m every day looking for a job that wasn't there.

UP TO $10 AN HOUR

can make as much as $10 an hour.

He has some specific areas where he works, and it's not uncommon for businesses to donate garbage bags and give him a few bucks to clean up their areas.

He is talking to faculty at the University of Toronto about starting a pilot project, where panhandlers could meet at the university and then disperse with garbage bags to different locales.

He thinks this is a viable option for panhandlers and it is good for the city.

It is commonplace for many panhandlers to stake
out the same corner every day to beg for money.

"I think this guy has a great idea.

DOESN'T BOTHER PEOPLE

"Here you have a guy who doesn't bother people
and he gives back. I wouldn't mind giving my change
to him."

In response to complaints about panhandlers, the city
is looking into whether downtown beggars who are not
homeless need help in making use of social programs.

The executive committee has met with restaurant and
other business owners who are frustrated with panhandlers
on downtown streets.

The committee unanimously voted to launch a pilot project
-- from July 3 to Sept. 17 -- which will include meetings
between senior officials and businesses to find ways of
addressing the panhandling problem.

He picks up over 80 bags a day for donations.

Monday, July 9, 2007


Under- 20 level too much for Canada

Canada created more chances in one half then it had in two previous games.

Yet it could not take advantage of any of them and bowed out of the Under-20 World Cup without a win, a point or a goal.

Last night on a wet evening at Commonwealth Stadium, Canada lost 2-0 to Congo in their final group game of the tournament, and in the process, became the first host not to score a goal.

"It's disappointing for all the boys," Canadian captain David Edgar said. "We've worked so hard for the past two years and we're frustrated with the performance.

"We can't put our inability to score on anyone. Maybe it's a psychological thing for us when the ball is not going in the back of the net you think you're never going to score."

Needing to win by three goals to advance because of Gambia's 2-1 victory over Portugal earlier in the day, Canada launched an attack from the kickoff. The best opportunities in the first half fell to Tosaint Ricketts.

But the Alberta striker was unable to convert a header from eight yards out on a corner kick. He then failed to hit the target from a sharp angle and to top it off, was unable to get a foot on a dangerous cross through the box.

Ricketts wasn't the only player unable to convert. Andrea Lombardo, Will Johnson, Jaime Peters and Edgar all had opportunities.

Abandoning their defensive 4-5-1 formation, the Canadians pushed two strikers up front looking for goals. They were able to earn 10 corner kicks in the first half but did not produce anything.

At the other end, Congo converted on its one chance of the first half as Gracia Ikouma headed a ball to the foot of Ermejea Ngakosso who blasted it past Canadian goaltender Asmir Begovic.

Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault nearly scored before the end of the half, but his shot was stopped by Congolese goalkeeper Destin Onka.

Beaulieu-Bourgault had another chance before the end of the half.

In the second half, Canada again took the play to Congo. It again created chances, again failed to convert and again conceded a goal.

Ikouma scored after turning his defender at the edge of the box and blasting a shot along the wet grass past Begovic.

It's was Congo's third shot on net.

"I think if Canada would have capitalized on one of those chances early, things would have been a lot different,"

Canada was in the situation because of a 3-0 loss to Chile and a 1-0 loss to Austria in its first two games. If Canada had taken a more offensive approach they may have been in a different situation.

"I think they would have done a lot better if they had played this way against Austria, I can't say that they would have won, but they would have caused them a lot more trouble"

"They have a lot of attacking players and they could have played a lot more aggressive."

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Blame the system for our woes

Canada has shown time and again that its program is flawed

The more things change, the more they stay the same
That saying came to mind Thursday night after Canada
suffered it's second consecutive shutout defeat in the FIFA
Under-20 World Cup by dropping a 1 - 0 calamity to Austria,
the team of Mozart and Strauss waltzes, at Edmonton
Commonwealth Stadium.

Earlier in the week, the Canadian boys were spanked
by Chile 3 - 0 at BMO Field in Toronto.

You may recall that 21 years ago, Team Canada of
the senior variety made it to the World Cup final round
in Mexico.

Unfortunately, in the high altitude of Mexico City, Team
Canada failed to score a lousy, single goal in three matches.
That was in 1986. So, what happened in 2007 on Canadian
soil? You guessed it--in two matches, team Canada U-20
failed to register, yes, even a single, lousy goal.

Even without using Einstein's theory of relativity, it is quite
obvious that if team Canada senior and junior teams were
unable in 450 minutes to dribble, head, shoot or, in Diego
Maradona's fashion, shove the ball in the net with a hand
when the referee wasn't looking, that there must be
something drastically wrong with the Canadian system.

System is actually the word I was looking for. No matter
the team sport, every team must have a system. If a system
isn't evident in a team's play there must be any one of three
reasons.

1. The coach is coaching an unsuccessful system.
2. The coach is incapable of teaching a correct system.
3. The players are undisciplined or unwilling to implement the system.

I see no reason to dissect the 1986 fiasco in Mexico. But let's
take a look at the two games Team Canada U-20 played on
home soil.

In the game against Chile last Sunday the Canadian team gave
the impression of boys playing against men, even though the
Chileans physically didn't tower over the Canadians. But, boy,
were they superior technically and tactically, while the system-
less Canucks left BMO Field thoroughly out classed.

The situation wasn't as bad Thursday night in Edmonton.
The team played better and had a couple of glorious scoring
chances, particularly late in the game with the Austrians
leading 1 - 0. Team Canada could have at least tied the score
when Simeon Jackson found himself in front of the gaping net
and the Austrian goalie out of position, but Jackson seemed to
be aiming towards the corner flag instead.

It's also true that it was a hot night in Edmonton and some
players suffered from leg cramps. However, the Austrian
midfielders and defenders still found ways how to neutralize
the mostly disorganized Canadian attack, as well as create
offensive plays for their own forwards.

Team Canada was unable to do that, In fact, all it mustered
was one real shot at the Austrian net to go with the one they
managed against Chile. With one shot per game, there is no
team Canada could beat. Particularly not youth teams that
came to Canada to flex their muscles in a World Cup tournament.

Youth participation in Canadian soccer has been surprisingly
high for the past 25 years, or so , with several hundred thousands
of kids signed as registered players. The problem is that the young
people in Canada are not exposed to the skills and tactics that are
necessary to compete against elite nations of the world.

As they say in the old country, one seed leads to a tree with many
branches. The importance is to make certain which seed you use.

In other words, with proper organization and leadership that is
thoroughly familiar with the game, we could have imported experienced
international coaches to train our young talent, as well as groom
Canadian coaches to reach top coaching status. Looking into that
possibility, I found out that a well known Brazilian coach offered
his services to the Canadian Soccer Association, but was turned down.

I am a true patriotic Canadian and I support the National team
with pride but this crap has to stop I am tired of being a laughing
stock internationally. Teams that we should be beating with ease
are not only smoking us but also making us look stupid.

With this said I have made a decision that for the rest of the U-20
tournament I have decided to throw my support be hind my Fiance's
national team the United States of America. GO AMERICA and good
luck the rest of the way.


Sunday, July 1, 2007

HAPPY CANADA DAY


Happy Canada Day to all Canadians everywhere.

I would also like to send out a Special Happy Canada
Day in to our Canadian Men and Woman
serving over sea's and in Afghanistan.

"Always Remembered, Never Forgotten"

Please read the post listed below
"Removal of Support our Troops decals is a joke"
and leave a comment Thank you.