Ouch

Let's not mince words, right now, it sucks to be Marian Hossa.

I know how he feels. To lose the big game I mean.

Scratch That Shooter Itch

If you need some shooter fun for your 360, and can't wait for ODST, then consider dropping a few dollars on Prey. The game, which came out in 2006, is your standard first-person shooter. Sort of. You play a Cherokee who has been kidnapped by aliens and taken to their orbiting space ship. This is a gruesome place where humans are gutted and drained and used for food. Everything has an ewwy, squishy look to it and even some of the weapons are disgusting. And some of the walls vomit. But don't be disuaded, this is a good shooter that adds some new touches (portals, no dying, gravity reversals) that will be refreshing to the jaded fans of the genre. Which is just about everyone.

One of the big pluses is that you should be able to pick it up for under $20. I found mine at the Superstore last year for $15. Now that I am finally getting around to playing it, I've found out that there is a heck of a lot of gameplay for the money. But, don't expect to enjoy the multiplayer. It's there, but nobody is playing. Except me. Like 5-year olds playing soccer, 360 owners move en masse from game to game, leaving old multiplayer servers quiet and lonely.

For a more in depth review, check out Garnett Lee's Prey review from 1UP.com.

Joe Pride!

At work, we have been getting a lot of mail from federal conservative MP, Joe Preston. Joe represents Elgin-Middlesex-London. Of course, this is not the riding where we are located. Check the maps Joe. Missed it by a country mile. Or ten.

Joe is always asking questions in his mailers; "Is Stephen Harper a great PM?", or, "Is Stephen Harper the greatest PM?". It's like he is a living Colbert parody come to life.

Joe's newest mailer is all about Joe's "Proud to be Canadian Campaign". See, Joe is convinced that EML is "the greatest part of the greatest country to live, work, and do business". And he is sure you agree.

But he needs you to prove it.

Joe has provided a cut-out Canadian flag in his mailer, and he wants you to put it in your window to prove that you love Canada. Another good way to prove you are a good Canadian patriot is to compete with other federal ridings in Canada. Whichever riding has the most flags in the most windows will win the title of "Most Patriotic Riding in Canada", which, I assume, will be awarded by Don Cherry.

But, to compete, you have to keep score. How do you keep score? Scorecards!


Nice choices Joe. Either you are a proud Canadian, willing to stand by the paper flag year-round, or some kind of hippy that votes NDP. And good job on the spelling there big fellah. So, thanks for the loyalty test Joe, but no thanks. Maybe you should commit to more than saving cheese and work on the spelling and mailing list.

"Show your pride" my ass. Like I need this jingoistic crap to feel pride in myself or my country.

Fun With Letters: Part Eleventy Seven

Obama's a Dirty Effing Hippie!:

"President Obama has officially put forth his hand and an olive branch to the leaders of the Middle East, we are left with only one relevant question. How long will we have to wait for a freedom believing, rights activating, inclusion promoting, and progressive leader from the area to respond in kind? Unfortunately, the answer to that question would be a question mark! As currently, in that area, no such leader exists."

POSTED BY: Al Gretzky, London
POSTED ON: June 9, 2009

Ouch! A snap and zing from Al Gretzky. Yeah, that would be this Al Gretzky, who seems to have gone from failed politicians to old man shouting from his porch.

So, here we have Al's latest emission, in which he derides Pres. Obama for reaching out to others, and for attempting to smooth some ruffled feathers. "Fuck that" says Al. Because nobody in the Middle East wants to get along, nobody. It's classic "tree falling in the forest" logic. Fuck hope. Fuck niceness. Don't open the door until they come crawling.

That sounds familiar...Nah, must have been a tv show.

New Extrene Sport Climbing Craze -- Mountaineering with Dogs -- Dogaineering

(Dogaineers in action)

A lot has been made of new sports like pole walking and many health professionals espous the benefits of dog-walking for improving cardio-vascular disease problems. Note that the poles in pole walking add to stability... even on flat ground... and the dog walking promotes health. That's what makes the new sport craze, dog mountaineering, so cool. The dog destabilizes you on both the ascent and descent raising the risk of injury and death which is not health promoting.

How does the new craze work? Simple, get a dog and go climb a mountain with the dog on a leash. For beginners, choose a well trained, confident dog on a choke collar. They are easy to control and really add little challenge to the hike. For the more advanced and adventurous dogaineer use a body harness rather than a choke collar so that the dog can pull harder. Choose a young, poorly trained skittish animal prone to jump at the first sense of fear. This adds a certain random element to the hike since you aren't sure when the dog will peel you off the mountain.

Rating systems for dogaineering are tricky combination of the technical problems of the climb and the nature of the dog. For example, a hike with some 5.4 climbing might be easy with a small breed dog that you can tuck under one arm but taking a 100 pound retriever or german shepherd requiring a two arm overhead press of the dog at the crux can make a 5.4 feel like a 5.10. But what a workout.

Dogaineering is not for everyone and prior to heading out to the Canadian Rockies to try it, it is recommended that you start with outings to a local hill like the London "Ski Club" to see if you can handle a dog on an incline. Once out west, you will need to seek out a dogaineering guide of which there are only a few of at this time. The good news is that outdoor enthusiast promoting stores like Novacks in London are considering expanding their pole-walking program to include dog-walking on flat terrain as an introduction to dogaineering.

Learn to Walk! With Sticks!

Novacks teaches walking:

"Learn the benefits of and easy skill to Nordic Walking or Urban Poling. Nordic Walking gives you all of the health benefits of regular walking plus increases your upper body conditioning. Our certified Nordic Walking trainers will take you out for an hour and teach you this skill and invite you to join us every week thereafter for a group walk. Our sessions begin on Sat. June 13 at 10:15 am. We supply your Nordic Walking poles for no charge on your first walk, and there is never a charge for the instruction or the comraderie of our weekly walks. Enjoy the "nordic walking experience" with Novacks."

Classes for an easy skill? Certified trainers? Who in the hell is certifying walking trainers? Here, look at these pictures and you will learn all you need to know about the exciting new sport of Nordic Poling!

Make sure you get the grip right, or you may veer off left or right without warning.

Look at that upper body activity

Thank god those trainers are certified, 'cause this looks dangerous.



And don't forget, walking with sticks is fun in a group too!

Fer crissakes people, just do some push ups and chin ups. You don't have to look like a bored, middle-aged asshole who thinks they are wandering the verdant valleys of Switzerland.

This is Switzerland. You might actually want a stout stick to get up some of those hills.


You are going to be walking in Springbank Park. A park so flat, weirdos in fursuits can easily cover it. You don't need a freaking pole.

Especially not a $100 pole. Sack up and take on a real sport, like scree-sliding. Those guys are hard core.