The Ballad of Carl Edwards

I'm not what you would consider a BIG Nascar fan. I enjoy watching it from time to time and I was a Dale Earnhardt fan many years ago because I loved how he raced but I certainly don't plan my schedule around race season.

One of my favourite movies of all-time was about Nascar and that would be Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

At the end of that movie, Ricky Bobby and his nemesis Jean Girard crash on the final lap at Talladega. They get out of their cars and sprint by foot to the finish line to declare the winner.

That movie came out in 2006 and just three years later at the same track in real life, Carl Edwards was able to crawl out of his wrecked car after a spectacular crash on the last lap in today's race and did his best Ricky Bobby impression.

McCain Is Losing His Memory

I've seen what happens to people as they get older and start to lose their memories and other faculties. Sadly it isn't pretty and for U.S. Senator John McCain it appears as though his age is starting to catch up to him.

The poor man was quoted on Friday as saying "Well, some of the 9/11 hijackers did come through Canada, as you know." No John...I'm afraid I don't know that. In fact, the 9/11 commission doesn't think so either. The 9/11 Commission reported in July 2004, all of the 9/11 terrorists arrived in the U.S. from outside North America. They flew to major U.S. airports. They entered the U.S. with documents issued to them by the U.S. government. No 9/11 terrorists came from Canada.

So where does McCain come up with this hogwash. Oh wait, now I see. With his own mind slipping he just repeated what Janet Napolitano, the U.S. homeland security secretary said a few days prior. Unfortunately for Mr. McCain he must have missed Ms. Napolitano's correction when she said she was well aware there had been no Canadian 9/11 connection. She then added that the Canada-U.S. border had, in the past, posed a security risk to Americans.

Well sure there's always a risk that someone could sneak into the United States from Canada but you could hardly blame Canada for that. After all, don't you have to go through American Customs before entering the U.S.? If anything, they'd have themselves to blame for that as well.

I can forgive John McCain for his senile ramblings but I think Ms. Napolitano might just be proof that even a moron can get a high ranking government job. You see, she went on to dig her hole deeper at the recent border conference when she suggested Canada was more lax in its immigration policies than the U.S., alleging Canadian authorities allow people into the country that would not pass muster south of the border.

Hello!!! Does she have any idea how many illegals she has living in the United States?

Is she even aware of the fact the U.S.-Mexican boundary has a drug war raging and countless illegal immigrants flooding into America every year? As the secretary of homeland security that might be something you'd expect her to have extensive knowledge about. If she thinks the U.S. and Canadian border is the same as the U.S. and Mexico border then they may want to get her to briefing and study session ASAP.

Why do American politicians have such a hard time accepting responsibility for their own problems? They never seem to be able to see their own faults because they're so damn busy waving their flag in the faces of the rest of the world.

Don't get me wrong...I love the U.S. and am proud to have it as a friend and one of our best allies on all fronts. The majority of Americans, much like a vast number of Canadians, are smart, hardworking people just trying to survive and pay our bills. They know the truth but just like when your next door neighbour sweeps his leaves into your yard it can strain relations at times.

This myth about the 9/11 hijackers entering the United States from Canada will be around forever. Enough people are misinformed and brain dead politicians don't read their own memos and this will continue to linger on likely forever.

Good Answer Miss California

If you don't mind, I'd just like to chime in with my two cents on this Miss California versus Perez Hilton gay marriage issue.

First, perhaps you should watch the short video before reading any further.



Before I go any further I have to ask these questions...who is Perez Hilton and what qualifies him to be a judge on the Miss U.S.A. competition?

OK...I know the answer to one of those questions and I'm being sarcastic. I understand Hilton is a well known entertainment blogger in the U.S. who is openly gay. I still don't know why he was a judge though. Surely they could have found some washed up celebrity with nothing to do that night. How about Isaac from The Love Boat?

Now for the record, I'm not an overly religious person and when it comes to individuals who are gay or lesbian I couldn't care less what they do in the privacy of their own homes. It's not a lifestyle choice I'd make but I don't think I have a right to deny them of their choices, the same as they shouldn't be able to affect my decisions either.

About the only thing that bothers me about their lifestyle is the Gay Pride Parade. I don't get to have a Heterosexual Pride Parade so why should they be so special?

But I didn't want this to be a debate over Gay versus Straight. For me, after viewing this video I was proud of Miss California for speaking her mind and answering the question honestly. I don't know what made me smile more....hearing her answer, or seeing the look of defeat on Hilton's face when he didn't hear the answer he expected.

Here's a guy who saw an opportunity to further his own agenda. He didn't care about who wins or loses. He looked at this as a chance to help the battle cry of homosexuals who want the right to be married and it didn't go as planned.

Here in Canada...the last time I checked...it was legal for men to marry men and women to marry women. I don't know if they have all of the same benefits and legally binding paperwork but they can stand up scream, "We're here, we're queer and we're married."

Poor Perez was ready to stand and shout hallelujah if he'd heard the "politically correct" answer he expected. Instead, the lovely Miss California became his instant arch-nemesis by not following his script and singing the praises of equality of all people.

Should gay marriage be allowed? It's not up to me to decide, but everyone is entitled to their opinion even when it might not be one you agree with. So I applaud Miss California for speaking her mind and sticking to her beliefs. She proved that having character is much more important than having a crown.

Full Flaps For Landing

I don't know why but I've been lacking a lot of motivation lately to do almost anything. I feel like a big fat lazy slug and it has even transferred over to my creative side.

I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon and be back to my usual self but I'm having a tough time coming up with ideas for my blog topics.

About the only creative thing I've done lately is grab my camera and head out to take some nature photos and enjoy my photography hobby.

You can always visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/bundy68/ to see my latest photos. I hope to get out more with the nicer weather arriving finally.

Here's one shot I took of a Mute Swan landing on the water during a recent outing to Presqu'ile Provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario. You can click on the photo to see it bigger.

Susan Boyle - Looks Can Deceive

Have you heard of Susan Boyle?

Well if you haven't, you probably will before too awful long.

I've never been a big fan of these karaoke contest television shows like American and Canadian Idol or America's Got Talent but every now and then, rather than making a star out of William Hung, someone with true talent comes along. And the person might not look like you'd expect.

I invite you watch and enjoy this video from an audition on a British Talent show. Hopefully the link will last because it seems sites are having to remove it.

Sean Avery Is Gutless

How many chances do you give to Sean Avery before you finally say enough is enough?

He's a gutless little worm who is an embarrassment to the NHL and and the great game of hockey in general.

Anyone who likes his antics on and off the ice isn't a hockey fan. You're no different than the grey-matter challenged inbreeds who watch Nascar only for the car wrecks.

Time and time again Avery proves just how important he thinks he is while embarrassing his team-mates and alienating himself. He can't have many friends in the NHL.

It has become quite obvious that he couldn't spell sportsmanship let alone understand its meaning.

Many people argue that he is effective in what he does. Sure he pisses guys off but I've been watching the highlights lately and he'll only fight when he's up against a player he thinks he can beat. He runs away like a scared child when someone bigger takes offense to his actions.

When he stood in front of and was facing future Hall of Fame inductee Martin Brodeur waving his stick in the air trying to block his view while his team was on a 5-on-3 power play, he proved how little respect he has for the game and it's traditions.

Then he pushes and shoves Darcy Tucker during the warm-up prior to playing the Maple Leafs last season which nearly leads to a pre-game brawl. Of course he knew his team-mates would be there to bail him out when the rough stuff started.

Next he makes crude comments about Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert and is suspended by the league and ultimately dropped by the Dallas Stars. Did he learn his lesson? Some thought he had but as Don Cherry says, "a leopard never changes his spots".

Now we flash ahead to just the other night as Avery and the New York Rangers were in Boston to play the Bruins. I'm a Montreal fan so of course I hate the Bruins as a team but I can't condone the dummies latest actions during that game. You can view it below.

It's time for teams to stop signing this guy. When he is no longer making money playing the sport he supposedly loves, maybe he'll finally realize how wrong he really was. Until that time, shame on the Rangers and any other team who has him on their roster.