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Wednesday Link-Off: Countdown to the Cup

anais-pouliot-victoriassecret14-45The Stanley Cup Final starts today which is a pretty big deal in Canada. I suppose that it’s an even bigger deal because this might be the CBC’s last one. Stupid Stephen Harper and his crusade against public broadcasting. He’s already kept funding low enough that they’re among the lowest funded national public broadcasters in the world. Now, he may have killed it.

Sorry, got a bit off-track there. We’re here to do the links after all. Let’s start with Anais Pouliot.

Rob Ford might still be in rehab but that doesn’t mean that he plans on becoming a permanent resident. He’s gearing up for a Canada Day return to campaigning. (Toronto Sun)

Have you ever wanted a look inside the biggest (legal) grow-op in Canada? A company has invigorated little Smiths Falls, Ontario, by converting an old Hershey’s factory into a medical marijuana grow-op. (MacLean’s)

We might perceive America as the top military powerhouse in the world but one retired Colonel says that the actual fighting state of the US Army isn’t what they’d have you believe it is. (Politico)

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Sunday Link-Off: Wonderful Easter Time

christina-hendricks-rhapsody14-01It’s Easter Sunday but that doesn’t mean that we’re taking the day off. Granted, because the rest of the internet has been on holiday since Thursday, the links are a bit thin but I’ve still found the best posts from around the interweb over the last half-week.

Since there’s another new episode of Mad Men today, I thought that I’d start this post with Christina Hendricks. Not only does United Airlines have poor customer service but their magazine did an unforgivable crime of photoshopping Christina almost beyond recognition.

The pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are getting very worrying. They’re forcing Jewish residents to register with them. This won’t end well. (USA Today)

Canadians who know nothing about it think that the Fair Elections Act lives up to its name. Maybe it’s best that most of the electorate doesn’t vote when they’re so ill informed. (The Globe and Mail)

Liam Neeson still wants horsedrawn carriages in Central Park. I wouldn’t argue with him. He will find you and he will kill you. (New York Times)

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The Best of Don Cherry’s Wardrobe

Love him or hate him, the biggest name in the Canadian hockey media is none other than Donald S. Cherry. Grapes has been a mainstay on Hockey Night in Canada for over 30 years, both in the broadcast booth and in his famous Coach’s Corner segment.

Since Grapes just celebrated 80th birthday on Wednesday (in Russia, no less), I thought it was only fitting to pay tribute to him for his most infamous of features – his wardrobe.

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Sunday Link-Off: Sports Night

cris-urena-victoriassecret14-08Good news! Barrett-Jackson is back this week which means we’ll have another Best of Barrett-Jackson post for you soon. We’ll also have a game review at the end of the week along with the other usual features.

Speaking of usual features, today is Sunday so it’s time for the links. Let’s start with Cris Urena.

A biography of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes isn’t looking too good for Roger. I guess that’s what happens when you’re on the receiving end of fair and balanced reporting. (New York Times)

With the Washington Post’s Ezra Klien looking to strike out on his own, is journalism less about the news and more about the person reporting it now? (The Guardian)

Dan Le Batard was the one who gave his baseball hall of fame vote over to the users of Deadspin. He did it for the right reasons. (Deadspin)

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Sunday Link-Off: ‘Twas the Weekend Before Christmas

jocelyn-chew-adoreme13-06We’ve almost reached Christmas. It’s the final weekend before Christmas and I’m having to scramble in a last-minute Christmas present because of a shipping snafu. The perils of online shopping. Apparently the thing I bought sold out weeks before I bought it but the site didn’t bother to tell me even though it said sold out when I went back last week to find a contact email. Bunch of amateurs. That’s why people try only to deal with the major retailers. At least they have their shit in order.

Anyway, it’s time to do the links. Let’s start with Canadian model Jocelyn Chew in her Christmas finest.

The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country’s prostitution laws as unconstitutional. People would have you believe this will lead to the downfall of society but ending the prohibition of alcohol didn’t lead to the streets being filled with drunks and alcohol 24/7. (Global News)

Maybe Obamacare isn’t a bad thing. The vast majority of hospital administrators think Obamacare will make health care better. (Washington Post)

I don’t know if you heard but that guy from Duck Dynasty was suspended for likening homosexuality to bestiality, among other things. Of course, this isn’t a perversion of the First Amendment. It’s not like he was imprisoned for what he said. It’s just business working as the free market that is championed by the political right works. (The New Republic)

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Wednesday Link-Off: More than Just Toronto

rachelle-goulding-macys13-03Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends… Well, it does when I run through all the links but I don’t think the WLO series is going anywhere. Anyway, it’s time for the middle of the week links. Since there are a lot of Canadian links in this post, let’s start it off with Canadian model Rachelle Goulding.

Everyone talks about Rob Ford but there’s a lot more wrong in Canadian government than just the Mayor of Toronto. (The Blot)

Speaking of Rob Ford, Vivid wants Rob Ford to star in one of their videos in order to compete with other Rob Ford parody videos. On both counts, please no! (TMZ)

The Pope and I have something in common. We don’t believe that trickle-down economics actually works. (Washington Post)

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Join The 2013-14 Lowdown Blog Fantasy Hockey Pool

It’s time once again for the annual Lowdown Blog Fantasy Hockey Pool. As per usual, we’ve created our fantasy hockey league over on the TSN/ESPN fantasy website. It’s a public pool so anyone can join. If we run out of space in the pool, we’ll create extra pools to get readers a pool for the year. And we’ll be doing the head-to-head writer challenge again this year where we laugh at how bad I am at fantasy hockey where PIM is a stat.

It’s a head-to-head league with the winner of each match-up based on winning the most of the nine categories (G, A, +/-, PIM, SOG, STP [Special Teams Points], Wins, GAA, SV%) in play kinda like the old Yahoo pools we all used to play. Each team has 20 roster spots with nine forwards, four defensemen and two goalies starting each night.

The autopick draft takes place at 5:00 AM on Monday, September 30, so sign up now and set your picks.

Click here to go to the LowdownBlog.com Fantasy Hockey Pool.

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Sunday Link-Off: Foreign Relations

emily-ratajkowski-nastygirl13-14It’s the end of the week which means that it’s time for the links. I’m starting to worry that I’m spreading myself a little thin since I’m struggling for ideas for posts. I’ll figure something out. I usually do.

For now, it’s time for the links. Since Blurred Lines has been declared the song of the summer, here’s Emily Ratajkowski who starred in that music video.

The GOP is so hell-bent on killing the Affordable Care Act that they’re threatening to shut down government to get rid of it. I think they’ve lost all touch with reality. (New York Magazine)

Old white men on news TV tend to be the worst. This includes Lawrence O’Donnell who you’d think wouldn’t be bad because he’s on MSNBC but he can be idiotic like the rest of the old white men on TV. (New Republic)

Sir Stephen Fry wrote a powerful letter to the IOC explaining why they shouldn’t just let Russia persecute homosexuals. (Gawker)

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Wednesday Link-Off: An Inside Look

amber-anderson-simonabarbieri13-01It’s the middle of the week which means that it’s time for the links. I think this set of links is pretty solid given the changes in where we’re getting links from. Yes, I’m still going on about having to switch from Google Reader. Damn you, Google! Damn you to hell!

Since Scotsman Andy Murray (AKA Cuz) won Wimbledon, let’s start with Scottish model Amber Anderson.

A look inside the eerily quiet hospital in Lac Megantic following the train explosion. (Toronto Star)

The former military analyst who released the infamous Pentagon Papers says that Edward Snowden made the right call in fleeing America before blowing the whistle. (Washington Post)

Pakistan had a hold of Osama bin Laden ten years ago in a traffic stop. That was just one of a series of incompetent moves that let bin Laden get away. (Daily Telegraph)

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Story Beyond The Story

maria-sharapova-esquiremexico13-05It’s the middle of the week which means that it’s time for some links. Are you ready for life without Google Reader? Because starting next Wednesday, the linkdump might be in some trouble while I figure out how to do RSS without Google Reader. In the meantime, normal programming continues. Since Wimbledon is this week, let’s kick off this post with Maria Sharapova.

Ezra Klien and Evan Soltas have an interesting theory about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. He doesn’t exist and is actually an NSA creation to distract the press from digging into PRISM. (Wonkblog)

David Gregory thinks Glenn Greenwald should be charged with aiding and abetting Snowden because DG has no respect for journalism. (Freedom of the Press Foundation)

Yesterday, the US Supreme Court axed a key part of the Voter Rights Act. That’s going to allow some serious skewing of electoral districts and may disinfranchise minorities. (The Guardian)

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