Hump day hottie

Sofia Vergara

Canada has 4 bronze medals - Yeah we're number 13

Bronze medals for Jennifer Abel and Emilie Heymans

in women's 10-metre synchronized springboard

Bronze medal for Christine Girard in women's 63-kg weightlifting

Bronze medal for Antoine Valois-Fortier in men's 81-kg judo

Bronze medals for Roseline Filion and Meaghan Benfeito in
women's 10-metre synchronized diving

Drew Peterson can't understand why is wives keep disappearing

The Drew Peterson murder trial began today — no, not for Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who mysteriously disappeared in 2007.

Peterson wasn't charged in Stacy's disappearance, and she has never been found. He is currently being tried for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

In his opening statement, Peterson's defense attorney Joel Brodsky repeated the claim that Savio died from an accidental fall. The 2004 death had been ruled an accident until Savio's body was exhumed during the Stacy Peterson investigation.

Regardless of the circumstances of her death, Brodsky painted a none-too-kind picture of the deceased.

Brodsky told the jury that Savio was on antidepressants and had been known to fly into jealous rages during the time that she and Peterson were divorcing in 2004. He described her as bossy and a liar, and said she would yell so loudly that other police officers where Peterson was a sergeant could her hear over the phone.

He then went on to say, "Kathy slipped and fell in a household accident, case closed." Presumably the character assassination was just provided in case anyone started to feel bad for her.

Brodsky's claim that Savio's death was an accident contradicts a 2007 forensic report that concluded her death was a murder. Peterson's defense team will offer forensic pathologists to testify that the death was, in fact, accidental.

Naturally, the prosecution is presenting a vastly different version of events, claiming that Peterson killed his wife to be with then-girlfriend Stacy Peterson, and arranged her body to make it look like an accident.

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The Jays' log jam in left field has disappeared

With Jose Bautista scheduled to come off the DL shortly it was looking pretty crowded in left field with Anthony Gose, Rajai Davis and Travis Snider on the major league team and Eric Thames in the minors.

Then within a couple of hours - poof Snider and Thames were gone.

I'm sorry to see Snider move on. I like many fans became enamoured with the young fielder when he first came up as a 20 year old. But he has bounced up and down between the majors and AAA ball for 4 years now. It has become apparent the Jays do not see him as an every day player. Let's hope that it happens for him in Pittsburgh. As for Eric Thames, he wasn't nearly as talented as Snider but worked his butt off.

I have not been impressed with Davis. A great base stealer but just an average bat without a high on base average. His fielding is mediocre, and Snider in the field was a definite upgrade. However, the idea of having Gose up with the Jays is appealing as long as he can hit major league pitching. He had a high strikeout rate in Los Vegas. As well, his baserunning will eventually make Davis obsolete.

The pitching help is certainly needed. Like many others I've predicted that the Jays would collapse with each body that went down beginning with Brandon Morrow on June 11. But the collapse never happened and if it has happened yet it won't be happening at all. This team is incredibly resilient.

So the pitching help, Brad Lincoln and Steve Delabar, will restock the bullpen and allow the Jays to return the minor league arms back to where they belong. I expect the Jays will be able to keep close to the pack chasing the wild card spots right through the rest of the summer.

What I learned about on TLC

This is why I'll be watching the Olympics week

Paraguayan javelinist Leryn Franco

I advise getting up at 3:30 am to watch the Dutch field hockey team

According to Yahoo!, the Dutch women's field hockey team has developed a "small, but devoted following." Likely has more to do with their short skirts and not their hockey skills. They play tomorrow against Japan at 3:30 am so either set you alarm clock or your DVR.

Brit tries to swim from France to New York, pulled out of ocean after 1/4 mile

After a pulsating and pounding opening ceremony on Friday night, and world record's being broken left, right and centre on the days that followed, it seems as if Olympic fever has gripped us all. There's no doubt about it, people's interest in sport has shot through the roof, and so have people's expectations.

For one man, it inspired him to try and swim to America from Biarritz, southern France, without any training or equipment. In short, he had gone out of his mind on the Olympics.

Despite his insistence that he was up to the challenge, he was rescued by coastguards just off the coast who convinced him that it probably wasn't a good idea to continue, in what will no doubt be one of many epic fails at the Olympics.

It's thought that the 34-year-old holidaymaker was visiting Biarritz with friends. He told them that he was planning to swim to New York, 3,594 miles away, to carry the Olympic spirit across the Atlantic.

They let him go because they thought he was joking and knew that he was a strong swimmer.

At 3.30pm, lifeguards watched as he swam past the buoys 300 yards out to sea, which mark the legal limit for swimmers. He then continued to swim until he was out of sight.

At this point, lifeguards called out a helicopter and a diver dropped into the sea and explained to the man that it was a good idea to turn back.

At the same time, lifeguards arrived in a rescue dinghy. The man then realised that he might have made a mistake, so lifeguards threw him a line and towed him back to the beach.

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45 years of Maple Leafs frustration: 1999-2000

At the Amateur Draft the Leafs pick Cereda 24th overall who never even plays a game in the NHL. The Leafs had their second consecutive 45-win season, and broke the 1992-93 franchise record for most points in a season. Mats Sundin averaged a point per game, scoring 32 goals and picking up 41 assists for 73 points in 73 games. Jonas Hoglund had a career year, finishing third on the team in points with 56 (29 goals, 27 assists). Curtis Joseph set a Leafs record for wins in a season by a goaltender with 36.

The Leafs put Steve Sullivan on waivers and on October 23, 1999 he was picked up by the Chicago Blackhawks. He would go on to score 208 goals and 544 points with Chicago and and Nashville over the next 10 season. In early 2000, Wendel Clark returned to the Leafs for the third time and had a two goal game on February 1 in a 5-3 Leafs win at Tampa Bay. In March, the Leafs made their biggest trade of the season when they sent Mike Johnson to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Darcy Tucker. That trade was more or less neutralized by an earlier trade with Tampa Bay when the Leafs flipped Fredrik Modin for Cory Cross. Also that season the Leafs picked up Dmitri Khristich from Boston after a contract squabble with Bruins GM Harry Sinden. He was a given a substantial contract but was a total bust scoring only 30 points in 53 games wit the Leafs.

The Leafs got off to a red-hot start to the season, winning 10 of their first 14 games with 4 shutouts. The team suffered a setback on March 11 at Ottawa when Marian Hossa was attempting to clear the puck out of the centre-ice zone. Hossa swung his stick in a golf-swing motion and caught Toronto defenseman Bryan Berard in his right eye. Berard had to leave the game due to the injury and Hossa was assessed with a double minor for high-sticking. It was the last NHL game Berard would play for nearly a year and a half. To make matters more complex, Sergei Berezin, a 37-goal scorer in 1998-99 missed 21 games. He finished with a solid 26 goals.

The Leafs finished 3rd in the Conference and 1st in the Northeast Division. The Leafs finished in first place for the first time since the 1962–63 NHL season. Sundin led all skaters in overtime goals scored, with 4.

The 50th National Hockey League All-Star Game was part of the 1999–2000 NHL season, and took place in Toronto's Air Canada Centre on February 6, 2000. The week also was a good sendoff for Wayne Gretzky, who had retired the previous season. His #99 was raised to the rafters, despite him never playing for the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, as a show of his number's league-wide retirement.



In the playoffs the Maple Leafs overwhelmed a young Senators team and won their first round series 4-2. However, the New Jersey Devils were a tougher match and took the Leafs 4-2. The neutral zone trap carried the Devils to the Stanley Cup and the message wasn't lost on Pat Quinn who determined the Leafs needed to get bigger and tougher.

This 11-year old sets new standard for singing a horrible rendition of the National Anthem.

This is why I'll be watching the Olympics week

Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice

Microsoft is the evil empire

Man loses hand to alligator, charged with unlawful feeding

An Everglades City airboat captain who lost his hand to an alligator last month was arrested Friday. Wallace Weatherholt, 63, is facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawful feeding of an alligator.

Weatherholt was leading an Indiana family on a tour of the Everglades on June 12 when he encountered a 9-foot alligator, which bit his hand off at the wrist.

The Associated Press reports that airboat passengers stated Weatherholt hung a fish over the side of the boat and had his hand at the water’s surface when the alligator attacked.

Feeding alligators is illegal. Those who feed an alligator face a second-degree misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500 and possible jail time.

David Weathers, a nuisance-alligator trapper and owner of several alligators, said the reason it’s illegal to feed alligators is because once the reptiles are fed by humans, they lose their fear. If the alligator in this incident had been fed in the past — either by Weatherholt or someone else — just the sight of the airboat could bring the alligator right up next to it, he said.

This made me laugh. The police have charged this guy because losing your hand isn't enough punishment. I bet he would be happy to pay 10 times the fine if he could get his hand back.

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Bikini Sunday - Olympic edition

Logan Tom

Clara Hughes has one more shot to make Canadian history

39-year old Clara Hughes is already the greatest Canadian Olympian ever and a tremendous athlete. She has collected six Olympic medals two earned on the bike - a bronze in the road race and another bronze in the time trial at the Atlanta Games in 1996 - the other four earned in speedskating in the Winter games.

She is done with speedskating and on Wednesday she will rap up her Olympic cycling career as well. But if she can finish on the podium on Wednesday she will exceed former speedskating teammate Cindy Klassen for the most Olympic medals won by a Canadian athlete.

A nice way to finish your career.

No matter how it ends I tip my hat to Clara.

This is why I'll be watching the Olympics week

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina

Sign of the day

What's your Google IQ?

Is that a Pomeranian in your pants...

Long Island police are asking the public to help identify a thief who stole a purebred puppy by stuffing it into his jeans. Two men entered the Zoorama Pet Store in Elmont on June 23, and one pretended to be interested in dogs, Nassau Police said.



While the clerk was distracted, one of the men tried to open the cash register. When that didn’t work, he grabbed a $1,000 10-week-old Pomeranian puppy and shoved it into his pants. Owner Harsha Perera, 54, said the store video “shows very clearly he’s taking the dog and putting it in his pants.

“The puppy is trying to get out, and he’s pushing it back in,” said Perera, whose son was the clerk. “Then he covered it with his shirt.” Perera said his son was distracted when one of the men asked to look at a dog. They went behind the counter three times and tried to open the register, but they couldn’t get it open,” he said. “They couldn’t get money, so they settled for a puppy.”



He said the puppy is fragile and needs special care. He is offering a $500 reward for the return of the 1 1/2-pound, light-cream-coloured female dog. One suspect was Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old and about 5-foot-6, and wore a Nike “Swoosh” T-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, police said. The other wore a white T-shirt and grey sweat pants.

For some reason the police did not believe this was Justin Bieber

A man claiming to be Justin Bieber was arrested on a public drunkenness complaint. Oklahoma City police responded to a disturbance call about a man breaking a neighbour's windows at about 3:40 a.m. on July 20.

Officers found a man bleeding from several cuts. He acted belligerently and called an officer a “white devil.”

When police asked the man who he was, he repeatedly told them his name was Justin Bieber.

The suspect was confirmed to be Kenneth Irvin Gunn, 48, and “not, in fact, Justin Bieber.” Police arrested Gunn on a complaint of giving false information.

This is why I'll be watching the Olympics week

German canoeist Nicole Reinhardt

Spectators had their cameras out for a reason

iHyped

Mugshot of the week

Police arrested a 19-year-old woman early this morning on charges she helped lure an ex-boyfriend to a local park, where he was badly beaten.

According to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox, officers received a call about the beating at approximately 10:24 p.m Thursday. The victim, a 19-year-old from Ridgewood who was bloodied and suffered head injuries in the attack, reported that two men had beaten him with a pipe and baseball bat outside the Lincoln School.

The teen told officers he had come to the school with an ex-girlfriend, Margaux Tocci, and that the two had been walking around the schoolyard talking. As they walked, the two men approached and began beating him, taking cash from his wallet and smashing his cell phone on the ground.

Beware of the disgruntled ex. Seriously look at the smile on her face. You know she totally got off watching the two goons beat the kid. Margaux your are a real piece of work.

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45 years of Maple Leafs frustration: 1998-99

Two moves occurred this season. The club moved from the Western to the Eastern Conference of the NHL as result of expansion into Nashville. The club moved from Maple Leaf Gardens to the new Air Canada Centre arena.

The 1998–99 season was one of the few incredible seasons that I can remember over the past 43 years. As Pat Quinn consolidated control of the team it began to come together. The Leafs were not picked to make the playoffs that season but instead the team saw tremendous improvements over the 1997–98 season and the team got plenty of help from its new members, who included Bryan Berard, Sylvain Cote, Alexander Karpovtsev (who led the league in +/- with +39 but wasn't eligible for the NHL Plus-Minus Award since he played in only 58 games), Yanic Perreault and Steve Thomas (who finished second on the team in points with 73). But the biggest reason for the turnaround was the signing of free agent goalie Curtis Joseph who was runner up for the Vezina Trophy that year.

Pat Quinn introduced a 'run and shoot' offense to the Leafs despite the fact that much of the league was moving towards the 'trap' defense. The move reaped immediate rewards as 6 Maple Leafs scored 20 or more goals. Toronto set a club record for most regular-season wins (45) and earned 97 points to finish second in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. They lead the league in most goals for (268), and were the only team to score 200 or more even-strength goals.

In the playoffs the Maple Leafs beat the Flyers led by Eric Lindros in the first round in 6 games. The next round the Leafs took on the Penguins led by Jaromir Jagr and again won in 6 games. However, in the Eastern Finals the Leafs ran up against Dominic Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres and lost in 5. It was the first time since 1993 that the Maple Leafs made it to the final four.

On February 13, 1999, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended a 67-year tradition when they played their last game at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Maple Leafs lost 6–2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Former Leaf Doug Gilmour scored a fluke goal in that game and notorious tough guy Bob Probert scored the final NHL goal in MLG history during the third period. During the emotional post-game ceremony, legendary Canadian singer Anne Murray performed The Maple Leaf Forever, clad in a Leafs jersey (video below). I was fortunate enough to score a ticket to the game it was quite a memorable event.

The first Maple Leafs home game took place on February 20, 1999, versus the Montreal Canadiens, won by the Leafs 3–2 on an overtime goal by Steve Thomas.

In memory of those that did not return from the Muncih Olympics

During the early hours of September 5, 1972, eight armed Palestinian terrorists sneaked into the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, stormed the sleeping quarters of the Israeli delegation, shot a wrestler and coach to death, and took another nine athletes and officials hostage. Twenty-one hours later, during a standoff on the tarmac of a nearby German military airport, one of the kidnappers blew up four of the Israeli hostages with a grenade, and the remaining five were executed by close-range machine gun fire.

This tragedy pales in comparison to the 6 million Jews that perished in the flames of the Holocaust just 27 years earlier. Yet it is still a tragedy.

Flashback Friday - Bee Gees

'What's keeping Brian Burke busy this summer' week

Brian has been organizing a bake sale to help fund the purchase of the Maple Leafs.

Is this guy Dr.Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four?

Now that the Blue Jays are stocked with AAA and AA players we need some additional entertainment at games

'What's keeping Brian Burke busy this summer' week

Filling in during the Pope's summer vacation.

Jimmy Kimmel gets celebrities to read mean tweets directed at them

This segment by Jimmy Kimmel really illustrates the dark side of social media. Anonymous people sitting in front of computers can be very cruel. I guess I am guilty of the same from time to time.

Man released from jail re-arrested for refusing to leave

A man released from jail on Saturday was re-arrested within hours after refusing to leave the sheriff’s office.

Rodney Dwayne Valentine, 37, was arrested for injury to personal property on May 22. He was released from the Rockingham County Jail on Saturday around 8 a.m.

Around 1 p.m., Valentine was still at the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and was demanding deputies transport him to a local motel. Deputies told the man to find other transportation or to hire a cab.

Valentine declined to find alternate transportation and began refusing to the leave the property. After being warned several times, deputies re-arrested Valentine for second degree trespassing and placed him back in jail under a $500 secured bond.

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Evolution of concert goers

This Phillies batgirl has a better glove than Rajai Davis

There is no question that Rajai Davis has electrifying speed that can make things happen. But with many former speedsters it comes with a downside. Davis doesn't get on base enough and is a mediocre fielder. Travis Snider has liabilities of his own but still represents an upgrade in left field.

Sally and Tom Price compare themselves to 9//11 survivors

So who are Sally and Tom Price? They are Penn State football fans who have compared watching the NCAA sanctioning Penn State equal to watching the planes crash into the twin towers. For that totally inappropriate comparison they should be ridiculed without any remorse. You think that college football isn't cult-like, well just look at these two fools.

Bob Dylan made history on this day in 1965 when he first played an electric guitar live

Bob Dylan " went electric" during his infamous performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. A hero to the folk music community, Dylan's switch to electric guitar was seen as the ultimate act of betrayal by many in the audience, who booed the performance.

On Saturday, July 24, 1965, Dylan performed three acoustic numbers, "All I Really Want to Do", "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", and "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" at a Newport workshop. Then on Sunday, July 25th he came out with an electric band and you can actually hear the sound of both booing and cheering a few bars into Dylan's first song, "Maggie's Farm", and continues throughout his second, "Like a Rolling Stone" (below). Dylan and his band then performed "Phantom Engineer".

Hump day hottie

Kaley Cuoco

'What's keeping Brian Burke busy this summer' week

Brian Burke scouting broomball leagues for a number one centre.

Out of every American tragedy comes law suits

Torrence Brown, Jr., who was in attendance at the Aurora midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, has filed a lawsuit against Century 16 Theater, alleging that they are partly to blame for the outcome of Friday's shooting which resulted in the death of 12 patrons. By the way, Terrence Brown was not injured during the shooting. Though it appears that he is claiming to be suffering from post traumatic stress.

Brown claims in his lawsuit that it was negligent of Century 16 not to guard or alarm their emergency doors. Shooting suspect James Holmes reportedly propped open the emergency doors before returning to his vehicle to fetch his weapons.

In addition to the movie theater, Brown has also named Holmes' doctors as defendants for alleged mismanagement of Holmes' as-yet-unconfirmed medical condition.

Brown is also suing Warner Bros., claiming that The Dark Knight Rises was so violent that it delayed the reaction of many moviegoers who thought the shooting was a promotional stunt.

So essentially Brown is suing anyone remotely associated with last week's shooting that also has deep pockets. Now this finishing piece to this spectacle is the "high-powered" Hollywood attorney Donald Karpel.

Nashvillie Predators are a loser either way

The Nashville Predators have matched the offer sheet for star defenseman Shea Weber, according to a press release from the team. In the most important hockey transaction in franchise history, Nashville Predators Chairman Tom Cigarran, President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile and CEO Jeff Cogen announced that the team has matched the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet between the Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Shea Weber, insuring that the Predators’ captain will remain with the franchise for the next 14 years.

This does not come as a shock since teams always match offer sheets. Anyway you slice it the Preds were screwed. Either they lose Weber and Suter in the same offseason and alienate a fan base they have worked so hard to grow, or they have to mortgage the farm to pay Weber and cripple the team going forward.

I've heard some reports that the payment in the first year is $27 million and some say $14 million. Either way it's a lot of money for the Preds who had gate receipts totalled $30 million last season. They are already losing $7.5m per year. But give them credit, they weren't going to let a deep-pocketed team screw them - except they are screwed just the same.

On a side note the Flyers are in a bit of a pickle. They were counting on Weber replacing Chris Pronger who appears to be done. They missed out on Ryan Suter and let Matt Carle walk. Kimmo Timonen is now 37 and now their number 1 guy on defense. By default his partner will be Braydon Coburn. Neither of these two guys would be on a top pair of a true contender. Then there is the Flyers goaltending...

Ticats' Chris Williams celebrates early

I'm sure everyone has seen this video. Last week Chris Williams on the Ticats runs back a field goal 117 yards, make that 116 yards. He got taken down on the 1 yard line. No he didn't run out of gas, he just started celebrating a little early. He would have been even more embarrassed had Hamilton lost possession trying to score from the one.

Man started fire on nuclear sub to leave work early

A New Hampshire man faces life in prison for allegedly setting a fire that caused more than $400 million in damage to a nuclear submarine—all because he apparently wanted to leave work early.

On Monday, the Navy brought two charges of arson against Casey James Fury, a civilian shipyard worker, for two blazes on the USS Miami attack submarine while it was in dry dock at Maine’s Portsmouth Naval Shipyard earlier this year. Fury, who is said to have confessed to investigators while taking a lie-detector test in June, has not yet entered a plea.

Navy investigators say that the 24-year-old painter and sandblaster told them that he started the May 23 fire in one of the sub’s bunk rooms when he had a panic attack and wanted to leave work early. He reported that at the time he was on medication for anxiety, depression, allergies, and insomnia.

Seven firefighters sustained minor injuries while fighting the blaze, which took more than 12 hours to extinguish. Three weeks later, Fury apparently set a smaller fire in the dry dock facility outside the Miami, after having a heated text exchange with an ex-girlfriend.

Fury faces a $250,000 fine, life imprisonment, and may be ordered to pay restitution, if convicted. Despite the extensive damage, the Navy plans to repair the $900 million vessel and reintroduce it to the fleet.

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45 years of Maple Leafs frustration: 1997-98

The 1997-98 season brought in the era of the five-headed management monster in MLG.

Ken Dryden was hired as president and was looking to totally revamp the entire organization. Well the first problem was his inability to lure someone to serve as his general manager. He tried wooing former Canadiens teammate Bob Gainey from Minnesota among others. So finally hired himself as GM. Then he named Mike Smith as associate GM, scout Anders Hedberg had the title of assistant GM, and Bill Watters was assistant to the President (did that make him an assistant to the GM too?). Let's not forget Pat Quinn as coach. Smith really wanted to be the GM and barely spoke to Dryden. Hedberg was totally frustrated by Dryden's slow and methodical decision-making. Not sure if Watters had anything to do. Meanwhile Quinn who had been both President and GM with Vancouver was just trying to coach.

Not surprising for the second season in a row the Maple Leafs would struggle all season finishing with a 30-43-9 record. The Leafs finished 20th out of 16 teams finishing last in the Central Division. The 1997-98 NHL season was the Toronto Maple Leafs last full season at Maple Leaf Gardens and last season in the Western Conference. It was also the final season for the controversial "FoxTrax"puck system (see below). Just a few days before the season's start, Mats Sundin became their 16th Captain and their first European Captain in their 80 year history.



Following the season Pat Quinn stepped in between the feuding Dryden and Smith and convinced ownership to appoint him as both coach and GM. Dryden remained team President.

In 1997, allegations began to emerge that some employees of the Gardens had sexually abused young boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Martin Kruze was the first victim to come forward—contacting the new owners of Maple Leaf Gardens in 1993, and going public in February 1997. His story of abuses beginning in 1975 prompted dozens of other victims to come forward. In October 1997, Gordon Stuckless pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 24 boys dating back to 1969 and was sentenced to a jail term of two years less a day. Three days later, Kruze committed suicide. An appeals court later increased Stuckless's sentence to five years. He was paroled in 2001. In 1999, former usher John Paul Roby was convicted of sexually molesting 26 boys and one girl. He was subsequently declared a dangerous offender and could have been kept in prison for the rest of his life. Roby died in Kingston Penitentiary from an apparent heart attack in 2001. In 2002, former Gardens security guard Dennis Morin was found guilty of sexual assault, indecent assault and gross indecency for incidents involving teenage boys. Allegations—unproven in court—were also made against other Gardens employees, including Ballard. Several civil suits were settled out of court for undisclosed amounts. In January 2006, the Ontario government filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., seeking repayment of the medical costs to the province of treating the sex abuse victims.

The average Canadian is now richer than the average American

Over the past five years, the average net worth of Canadian households has exceeded that of American households. So for the the first time in history, Canadians are wealthier than Americans — by more than $40,000, on average. In 2011, the average net worth of a Canadian household was $363,202, compared to $319,970 in the U.S., according to Environics Analytics WealthScapes data.

The figure takes into account the relative weakness of the U.S. economy right now, as well as the recent strength of the Canadian dollar, which is now almost on par with the U.S. dollar. These figures also ignore public-sector debt, which accounts for a higher proportion of GDP in the U.S than in Canada. And according to the latest jobs numbers, Canada’s unemployment rate fell to 7.2%, while the United States’ remained stagnant at 8.2%.

The major reasons for Canada’s economic superiority are rooted in the 2008 recession that rocked the United States’ economy and collapsed its housing market. American house prices plunged, and now Canadian real estate holds more value.

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'What's keeping Brian Burke busy this summer' week

Spending time bonding Mike Gillis hoping that that the Vancouver GM will give the Leafs Roberto Luongo for nothing.

Pakistani policeman kills his sister for wearing jeans

A Pakistani policeman in Lahore allegedly shot dead his sister for wearing jeans, officials said on Saturday. Constable Asad Ali was unhappy with his sister Najma Bibi, 22, for wearing what he considered were "men's clothes", especially jeans.

The siblings often quarrelled over the issue and Ali allegedly shot and killed his sister on Friday. A few days earlier, Ali had warned his sister that he would kill her if she did not stop wearing jeans and trousers.

Subsequently, Najma filed a complaint against her brother at the police station in the residential neighbourhood of Shahdara and sought protection. However, the police took no action against Ali.

According to the First Information Report filed after the crime, Ali followed Najma when she left the house on Friday and allegedly fired at her near Shahdara Morr, killing her instantly. Ali managed to escape and police are conducting raids to catch him, officials said.

Patrick Kane is so sorry he likes to party

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said he doesn't think he has a drinking problem, but he was "embarrassed" by a public display of partying during a Cinco De Mayo celebration in Madison, Wis.

"It was embarrassing," Kane said at the opening of the annual Hawks fan convention on Friday. "That's the first thing I can say. From the pictures that came out, to the disappointment from the Hawks organization, to my family, to myself personally. It's embarrassing."

Kane spoke publicly for the first time since general manager Stan Bowman said the team was "disappointed" in his actions that weekend.

"It's not who I want to be," Kane said. "I want to be a role model to kids and to everyone for that matter. It's something I want to put behind me and be the best person and player I can be ... It was the end of the season and I was looking for a good weekend with my friends and things got a little out of control."

Kane pled guilty to a noncriminal charge of disorderly conduct in 2009 after an altercation with a Buffalo cab driver. He also was photographed partying in a limousine during a road trip in Vancouver in 2010.

Kane was asked directly Friday if he has a drinking problem.

"I don't think so," Kane said. "I don't want to put myself in that position again, but no I don't think I do."

Some people aren't happy that a reporter has questioned Kane about a possible drinking problem. Some people aren't happy about the media reporting about Kane's public drinking. While others aren't happy about Kane getting drunk in public. Should this 23 year old be given some slack? Absolutely not. I've seen alcoholics at his age and he has so much to lose. I don't know if he has a drinking problem or not. There is one way to find out. Lets see him give up booze.

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Penn State penalties were right on target

In my mind this is the biggest sports story of the decade although it really nothing to do with sport.

For over a decade Penn State University and their football program has profited by protecting a pedophile who was exploiting young children. This is a very unique situation. These were not recruitment violations or exploiting Penn State students. The crimes were committed on outsiders and it appears with the knowledge of senior university officials that looked the other way.

This is an entirely unique and unprecedented situation for the NCAA. They clearly reacted appropriately. The punishment was not directed at students or athletes who are completely innocent but at the university administration.

So athletes will be allowed to keep their scholarships or transfer to other schools although that might be difficult to do just a month before school starts. Students will continue to go to school and get an education because that's the core business of universities, not sports. The $60 million fine which will be used to help other child abuse victims is also quite appropriate.

But where I'm a little confused is that the NCAA avoided suspending the Penn State football program though the cumulative sanctions will likely force Penn State to do just that on their own. It is easy to come down hard on Penn State because other than the cult student body and alumni, most people are in shock about what has gone on there. But will things change at other schools? Won't football programs and football coaches continue to have too much clout because they bring in big bucks? For sure. Which means more scandals will take place but hopefully we just go back to the run in the mill recruitment violations.

Jilted boyfriend built bunker in ex-girlfriend's home to spy on her

An obsessed lover in New Zealand built a hideout inside his ex-partner's house and used it to spy on her. The 25-year-old man - who has name suppression - spent many hours in the hidden cavity, under a flight of stairs, and stocked it with clothes, bedding, food, candles, torches - and an arsenal of weapons.

He also cut holes in the plasterboard of the hideout and created trapdoors, giving him access to the whole house. He was caught after he emerged from the hiding spot and lashed out with a spade when another man visited his former partner at the Lower Hutt home about 3am on April 1. Police arrested him later that day after he was found hiding under the home in Epuni.



He was taken to hospital with bite wounds after a police dog was sent to help flush him out. In Wellington District Court this week, Judge Peter Hobbs sentenced the man to three years and seven months' jail on 10 charges that included aggravated burglary, assault with a weapon, threatening to kill, assault on a woman, wilful trespass, being unlawfully in a building and wilful damage.

The judge said the man wasn't the first to become "unhinged and obsessed" after a breakup but the offending was premeditated and "completely inappropriate". He took into account the man's guilty plea, remorse and mental health issues when deciding his sentence. "It appears you are a man of some promise and this offending resulted largely from an emotional breakdown and an addiction to methamphetamine."

This guy takes the stalker award. He's not content to hanging outside her house and obsessively following her activities through Facebook. This guy is right in the house in the walls and crawlspaces. You wonder what creates crazies like the Colorado cinema killer - emotional breakdowns that no one picks up on.

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Sign of the day

'What's keeping Brian Burke busy this summer' week

Brian Burke scouting out Toronto parade routes for the Leafs 2013 Stanley Cup celebrations.

Penn State removes Joe Paterno statue - how the mighty fall

It was inevitable.

So shortly after 6:00 today Penn State blocked accies to the Joe Paterno statue in front of Beaver Stadium. The statue was removed and will be placed in storage. President Rodney Erickson announced the decision Sunday morning, saying it was a divisive symbol and an "obstacle to healing."

New York café sells only tap water at $2.50 a bottle

New York is filled with trendy single-item restaurants, but this new water-only café might take the biscuit, if only it sold any. Molecule in the East Village filters New York tap water through a custom device and then sells it for $2.50 per 16-ounce glass. The $25,000 machine makes “pharmaceutical-grade water” using a seven-stage process to produce “pure h20,” according to the café's website.

A spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said that New York tap water is already renowned for its quality. "Public health experts agree that New York City tap water is among the safest, highest quality in the world, a standard we confirm through more than 500,000 tests each year," he said. But Molecule founder Adam Ruhf dismissed that claim. "I don't want chemicals in my water. I don't even want chlorine in my water. Chlorine is like bleach. Do you want to drink bleach? No one wants to drink bleach. So that's my opinion on New York tap water,” Ruhf said.

In addition to being cleaner, Ruhf claimed his water tastes better. He said the taste difference is “subtle, but if you have a sensitive palate you can totally tell.” He called his water "fluffy" and said it finishes smoothly. Shots of vitamins, mixtures of herbs and roots and even pH infusions can be added to orders of the artisanal water. "It's about treating water a little more consciously, mindfully and respectfully," the 32-year-old owner added. "We are trying to change the way people think about water."

But some critics weren’t buying it. “Calling all suckers. We’re not sure what's more unsettling: the fact that an East Village business is selling tap water for $2.50 a bottle, or that countless idiots will probably buy it,” James King said. “Molecule bottled water is ‘pure’ nonsense,” Steve Cuozzo added. Ruhf stood firmly by his water. "Either you buy into it or you don’t," he said. "There is a good concentration of people who would understand what we are doing without much explanation from the beginning," Ruhf said.

Bikini Sunday

Ashley Tisdale