Brock University hosted the Brock Cup as part of an OUA swim meet held on Saturday; with universities Laurentian, Queens, McMaster, Trent, Wilfrid Laurier, and York in attendance.

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Look at Laura-Kate’s beautiful work!

'Here comes the circus' by Laura-Kate Chapman

 

What does she say? “I am a freelance illustrator and my work is a world of hand drawn quirky creatures and beautiful detailed patterns. As well as creating pictures and prints,  I print my images onto mugs, badges , gift cards and coming soon-T-shirts. All images are hand drawn using water colours, pencil crayons, felt tips and pencils, a computer is only used as a means to print my images. I believe very strongly in hand created art work”

'Punk Lion' by Laura-Kate Chapman

And you’ll be pleased to read they’ll be releasing a single at Christmas! Could be amusing, most likely it’ll be awful, but then that could also be amusing…

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/969729/CHI-creates-hamster-jazz-band-Drench-ad/

All that the scarecrow in Tim Preston and Maggie Kneen’s picture book wants is for the animals to like him.  If only he weren’t so, well, scary.

This simple story follows the progression of the seasons with stunning illustrations of foxes, badgers, ducks, mice, and even a snail.  The wheat grows, the animals scurry away from the passing of the combine, and the leaves fall from the trees.  Eventually, a heavy snow falls, transforming the ugly scarecrow into a jolly snowman.  At last, the animals come near to be with him! And when the snow melts away, they remain his friends.

The messages in this book are many: the importance of patience, the changes brought by the passage of time, the kinship of all animals.

Ages 3-8.

by Joseph Edwards/CHN Writer

The old adage says, if you love it, let it go — if it returns it’s yours forever. The college hockey world must have some serious emotions for Brett Bennett.

The junior goalie, in his first year at Wisconsin, is making a solid, if not yet loud comeback after splashing his way onto the scene at Boston University three years ago. As a highly-touted recruit out of the USNTDP, Bennett posted 16 wins to go with a 2.63 goals against and a less-than-sparkling .888 save percentage after seizing the starting job during his sophomore year for the Terriers. While a successful goalie isn’t anything out of the norm on Comm. Ave, the next chapter in Bennett’s story took a detour.

Following the 2007-08 season, BU issued a statement, saying the team and Bennett were going separate ways; a college hockey divorce, so to speak. BU simply needed better goaltending if it were to compete for a national title — which it did — but this also intensified whispers in the community about an attitude problem and clashes beween Bennett and the coaching staff. Whether or not the rumors were true, Bennett refuses to get into specifics about what led to ties being cut.

“Boston is a great place,” he said. “I enjoyed my time there; I played for a great coach in a great school, great city. It was an unfortunate situation.”

To continue reading Bennett’s Return: Back From College Hockey Purgatory, click here.

The 5th quarter celebration after the first 4 quarters of the UW UM football game at Camp Randall.

But some of the results can be a little random. Does this badger remind you of Jesus?? Bizarre but it made me smile. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/19/google-suggest-guessing-thoughts

Conservative MP for Southend West David Amess brought up the problem of destructive wild animals in Parliament yesterday.

During a speech that touched on economic policy, energy and climate change, representation and governance, Mr Amess mentioned a particular incident to highlight his objections to Quasi-Autonamous Non-Governmental Organisations, or quangos.

Mr Amess said: “I will never forget what happened when I tried to help my constituents about the problem of badgers.

“Some people might not think it a big issue, but in the course of a two-year battle to get something done about badgers, the Minister responsible, who now happens to be in charge of climate change, lost power, and the power for overall governance of badgers went to a quango.”

The University of Wisconsin Marching Band tuba section takes to the field during the forth quarter of a home football game.

Sorry this is so late! But, this past Saturday, I had some friends come down for the Badgers vs. Michigan game. It was a grand old time, as always. To start our day (the game was at 11 am which meant we had to start tailgating at 9), we witnesses a “fire call” to remove some balloons hanging from a light post. Mind you, the balloons were blue and yellow, so of course, the fire department HAD to be called to remove them. If they were red and white, I’m sure they would have remained. HILARIOUS. Here is the sequence:

Yay! Those balloons are never to be seen again

Next we followed the bar string up Regent Street, and followed it back down after the game. We won the game so that was fabulous. GO BADGERS!

Best friend and best margarita EVER

Around 3 we all came home for a nap that lasted a couple hours. After that, we went out to dinner at Frida’s where I drank the most delicious margarita of my life (Guava). I also had a Chicken Fajita burrito along with chips and guac. Everyone got the same thing, except the boyfriend who got the fish tacos, which were also great. Soon after dinner, we were all spent so we called it a night and watched a movie. WHEW. Another badger Saturday. If you’ve never been to a Badger game, it is truly madness (in a good way) and worth checking out if you are ever in the area!

Our mighty feast!

Chicken Fajita Burrito GOODNESS

What tailgaiting festivites do you guys participate in? Does everyone start drinking at 9am for games or is that just us crazy Wisco peeps?

I cannot wait to see Fantastic Mr. Fox. I’m an unabashed Wes Anderson fan, partially because of all the wee tiny details he packs into the art direction of his films. Like the corduroy suit Mr. Fox is wearing in the image above is a replica of Anderson’s own signature look.

Speaking of corduroy, The Corduroy Appreciation Club met for their bi annual meeting last Wednesday, or 11/11 the date which most closely resembles corduroy. Also, when I was a kid, I thought the chorus of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” said, “You don’t need to be corduroy, just get yourself free.”

But I am also in love with the badger painting in the background of this still. I think badgers are going to be the next big thing.

Images Copyright © Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Nothing ever goes according to plan in college football. However, this year if things stay the way the are (a big if) – the plan seeks to expose the BCS for the sham that is. And hopefully, we can next year we can move to some type of a playoff system.

Take a look at the current BCS standings:

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Iowa
5. Cincinnati
6. TCU
7. Boise State
8. Oregon
9. LSU
10. Georgia Tech
11. Penn State
12. USC
13. Pittsburgh
14. Utah

The all important aspect of the BCS selection is the difference between automatic and at-large selections. Thus far, the BCS bowls have chosen BCS schools for their at-large teams over options from other conferences. In other years, this may seem reasonable, but this year it will seem like a major travesty when a potentially undefeated TCU or Boise State is excluded from a BCS bowl – while multiple teams from the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-10 are chosen with worse records.

There are five BCS bowls: the National Champion Game, The Rose Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, The Orange Bowl, and The Fiesta Bowl. The six BCS conference champs automatically qualify. Given where things stand now, Florida/Alabama, Iowa, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Texas, and Cincinnati would all receive automatic bids. Either Boise State or TCU can get an automatic birth if they are in the top 12 or in the top 16 and ranked above a BCS conference champion. Right now both TCU and Boise State are eligible to get an automatic birth, but only one can receive it – TCU has the inside lead, but Boise State could move ahead. That means based on the above standings that the available at-large teams would be:

1. Florida/Alabama loser
2. Boise State/TCU loser (they don’t play, but only one can get an automatic birth)
3. Penn State/Ohio State winner
4. USC
5. Pittsburgh
6. Houston (if it can move up high enough)

LSU is excluded from this list for the time being because the SEC is limited to only two teams in the BCS. I think that it goes without saying that the Sugar Bowl will take the loser of the Florida/Alabama SEC title game (provided it happens). That means that only two of the teams mentioned above are going to get an at-large selection. It seems highly unlikely to me that both USC and the Penn State/Ohio State winner will be excluded from a BCS bowl, simply because their fans travel well. If that’s the case, there’s no place left for Boise State. And that would completely suck because would beat one of the teams playing in Pasadena (albeit for the Rose Bowl) and have gone undefeated and still gotten excluded from the BCS.

Is it possible that the individual bowl selection committees might pick Boise State over Penn State/Ohio State or USC? Sure. But it’s unlikely because you’re attempting to increase people and revenue to your event. USC/Ohio State/Penn State have large and rapid fan bases. It’s even more unlikely because if the Fiesta loses Texas to the national championship game, given the current standings, there isn’t another Big 12 team in the top for them to select – so they’ll be stuck with making two at large selections. I could be wrong about that, though.

But I think my point is clear: if things stay as they are, then the BCS will be exposed as a system that’s designed to reward the BCS’s schools’ pocketbooks at the expense of true competition.

Think about college basketball for a second. Let’s say in a given season, Memphis went undefeated but wasn’t awarded a number 1 or number 2 seed. Most of us would think that would be outrageous – they may not deserve a number one overall – or even a 1 seed – but they should at least get a 2 seed.

This season in college football seems poised to make that example a reality. An undefeated team, ranked in the top ten in the country won’t get to play in one of the five best bowls and ten other teams will. This will be so far removed from being fair, it won’t even be funny. And for Boise State’s sake, I hope things don’t go according to plan.

They call us a nation of animal lovers, yet attacks on creatures in their natural habitats have more than doubled in a year

Crimes against wildlife, including badger baiting with dogs, hare coursing, poisoning of protected birds and even trapping them to sell as caged pets have soared to unprecedented heights. New figures from the police show that the number of wildlife crimes more than doubled in the last year, from 2,177 to 5,854.

Incidents are now being recorded at a rate of 120 a week. They cover not only the slaughtering of badgers and rare birds of prey, but also egg thefts, bird trapping, deer poaching and habitat destruction. Rural areas are where most incidents occur, with Northumbria a conspicuous target for wildlife criminals. More than 500 incidents have been recorded there, with Grampian (244), Humberside (195), and North Wales (188) also wildlife crime hotspots.

What make the statistics even more remarkable is that they do not include crimes against domestic and farm animals. In 2008, the RSPCA investigated 140,000 cases of animal cruelty in England and Wales, a steep rise from the 2003 figure of 105,000. The charity has seen dog fighting rise tenfold since 2004, with nearly 300 incidents last year. Airgun attacks on animals and rustling of sheep and cattle also appear to be on the rise.

One of the sharpest rises has been in what police call “badger persecution”, a term that includes badgers being dug out of their setts, pitted against terrier dogs in fights, and being shot by farmers, landowners or their agents. Between February and July this year, the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) recorded 241 incidents of badger persecution – a total that in just six months almost exceeded the 280 reported incidents in 2008.

Criminals are travelling hundreds of miles to baiting “events”, according to Ian Hutchison, a species protection officer for Scottish Badgers. “Badger baiting is taking place throughout the country. It used to be an urban myth that badger baiters would travel all over the countryside. Well, it’s not an urban myth any more – they are travelling far and wide to commit offences,” he said.

People are betting on the outcomes of fights, he added, and live badgers can fetch a high price. “We have been told that in the Liverpool area, a live badger is worth £1,000 so that it can be fought with a dog.”

Mike Butcher, chief inspector of the RSPCA special operations unit, said: “Digging badgers out is very common, and there is a rise in the calls about badgers that we are getting.”

Police now plan a major crackdown, Operation Meles, against the resurgence in badger persecution that they say is being driven, in part, by the perceived threat to livestock from bovine tuberculosis. Another police project, Operation Galileo, against hare coursing, was launched by police in Lincolnshire last month. Between September 2008 and March 2009 there were more than 900 reports of hare coursing to the local force.

The rural crimewave is threatening the very survival of some species. Crimes against bats have increased by 10 per cent a year since 2007, and the loss of one roost can be a severe blow to populations that are already vulnerable, according to the Bat Conservation Trust. Last year, the RSPB received 1,206 reports of shooting, poisoning, trapping and disturbance of birds and their eggs – the second highest they have ever recorded.

The theft of wild flowers is also taking its toll on Britain’s biodiversity. In May this year, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust had to issue a warning to visitors to its nature reserve near Sapperton after a spate of bluebell thefts.

Detective Inspector Brian Stuart, head of the NWCU, said: “There is an increase in wildlife crime in general. We are seeking to use wider policing powers, such as the Proceeds of Crime Act, to target criminals where it hurts them most – in their pocket.”

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB’s conservation director, said: “There is far too much wildlife crime going on in the countryside. The scale of it is unacceptable in the modern age.”

He added: “The hen harrier is pretty close to being extinct in England, in large part down to wildlife crime.”

But conservationists, including the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts, are calling for a radical shake-up of wildlife policing, and claim that an inconsistent response to crime by police means criminals are able to break the law with little fear of being caught. The NWCU has seen its staff slashed from 14 to nine since it was set up three years ago, and there were just 51 convictions in 2008-09 – accounting for just 3 per cent of the cases dealt with.

Huw Irranca-Davies, a Defra minister, said that a government review into the way wildlife crime is being tackled is currently under way and will report in spring 2010.

A breakdown of the latest figures from the NWCU shows that Northumbria is Britain’s wildlife crime capital, with 525 incidents, including the highest number of shootings of wildlife, according to the statistics from the latest tactical assessment for the period between February and July 2009. Humberside came top for poaching – with 119 incidents – and the Grampian region had the highest number of reports of wildlife being trapped or snared, as well as being a centre, along with Tayside and Lancashire, for crimes against birds of prey.

North Wales had the most cases of badger persecution and habitat destruction. In terms of bats being killed or their roosts destroyed, Gwent had the highest number of incidents. Hare coursing was greatest in Lincolnshire, and fox-hunting incidents were most commonly reported in Devon and Cornwall. The greatest concentration of birds’ nests being destroyed was in Northern Ireland.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/wildlife-crime-britains-killing-fields-1812915.html

One of my favorite time-killing hobbies is browsing UrbanDictionary.com. Specifically, browsing the “definitions” that people have come up with for their respective States (my home State of California has got some great ones.)

So let’s start this off by seeing what the fine people of Wisconsin have to say about themselves, as well as what out-of-staters (presumably Big 10 rival states) have to say:

Pros:

“A state in the Midwest where people definitely know how to have fun. However the only way to do it is either to drink excessively (like 99% of the pop. does) or to spend all night shooting off fireworks at houses. If you ever go to Madison (capitol city) being sober is not an option. it has arguably one of the best party schools in the country. despite the lack of sobriety in Wisconsin, the driving skill far surpasses that of Illinois’s. the un-ending rivalry between Wisconsin and Illinois is by far the most hate-driven in the U.S. However the two are terribly similar if you substitute cheese for corn and forests for fields. Also, even though they seem to hate each other, when a Wisconsinite and Illinoisan actually meet they are most likely to become great friends…weird.

Overall Wisconsin is a great place to live if you can take the disgustingly frigid winters and sometimes brutally hot summers.”

“The best by far out of all 50 states. We some of the friendliest folk you will ever find. Although some of our people speak with a kind of Canadian accent buts thats more to the north. By far the best city is Milwaukee, home to the Milwaukee Brewers. Theres lots to do in Wisconsin such as Summerfest, deer hunting, going to the Dells (Home to Americas largest waterpark), hanging by Lake Michigan, and many others. We also have the most famous football team in the leauge the Green Bay Packers (who by the way won the first and second Super Bowls so all you other states can suck it.) Wisconsins state animal is the Badger which is a very beautiful animal. And even the Super Bowl trophy is named after our famous coach Vince Lombardi. The weather is always nice except it can drastically change on the spot. Overall Wisconsin is the best place to live. The Packers are known to have a very huge rivalry with the Chicago Bears (who suck) and the Minnesota Vikings (also suck.)”

“The only place in the country where the youth can drink legally…
Under parental supervision.”

Cons:

“tenth circle of hell”

“where people from minnesota flee to when everyone in minnesota hates them”

“1) A state where watching grass grow could be considered an actual sport.
2) Most glorified dairy products on the planet.
3) The state that you DON’T want to live in.
4) A place where people think that just because the Pack won the first Super Bowl that they have the greatest team every season. (COUGH 4-12 COUGH)
5) A state that has an endless amount of dumbass Indian-named cities that has a 2-year learning curve to be able to pronounce the names correctly.
6) Has some of the highest taxes in the country for no particular reason at all.
7) Rednecks who hate gays are everywhere, but somehow it’s a blue state every election.”

“Minnesota Light. Aka Minnesota Junior.”

Neutral:

“A state very similar to Michigan and (unfortuantly) Illinios. Wisconsin is, for some reason, famous for it’s cheese. I wouldn’t have a fucking clue because the only cheese I eat is the stuff on my burgers. The southern part of the state is mostly suburbs and cities. The largest city of Milwaukee, is actually quite boring. They make Miller beer, Harley motorcycles, and light switches. Milwaukee has a shitty pro-basketball team, the Bucks, an up-and-coming baseball team, the Brewers, and decent college Basketball teams, UWM and Marqutte.

The central part of the state is mainly farm land. Evinrude and Mercury outboard motors are made in central WI.

The north is pure back-coutry. Vilas and Oneida countys are the biggest examples of such. In the winter snowmobiling possibilies are endless, much like the U.P. of Michigan.

All in all, Wisconsion kicks ass. especially the north.”

Alright. Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you what I think:

I am from California. Specifically, the legendary (infamous, regrettable, overrated, awesome) Orange County. I was born and bred in Anaheim, San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach and Fullerton. This makes me both an “inlander” (see: anything beyond Irvine) and “cool” (according to people that live on the coast: other people that live on the coast are cool, and no one else is.) That being said, I’ve always felt very highly of my hometown and State. In fact, up until 2004, I was under the impression that no other states in the nation had “hot chicks.” I was mistaken.

My first visit to Wisconsin was during the Summer of 2008. I was in Madison, the State’s Capitol and home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (aka “Wisconsin”), who proudly support their Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. Everything written in that quote I posted at the very top of this blog is true. I’ve partied at many “legendary” party schools. From LSU and Georgia Southern, to UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO and San Diego State. But Wisconsin wins. By far. Without question. I love Madison. It is a glorious city (and home of The Onion – The World’s Finest News Source.)

This summer (2009), I visited Milwaukee, the State’s largest city (by population.) Milwaukee sucks. It is a shithole. It reminded me of Long Beach, CA. But instead of bordering the Pacific Ocean, it borders Lake Michigan. I imagine Milwaukee is a lot like Detroit, Baltimore, Buffalo, and other moribund U.S. cities who’s best days are far behind them. Everything in Milwaukee is one of three colors: Rust, grey or beige. It is cloudy and cold. Also, when the sun decides to come out briefly, it becomes humid and disgusting. Milwaukee does have a couple things going for itself though: Miller Park (home of the Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball) and the Miller Brewing Company (from which Miller Park derives its name.) Beyond that, everything sucks.

Oh yeah, there’s a bar in Milwaukee called the “Safe House” and it kicks fucking ass. It is the coolest bar I have ever been to in my life (and I’ve been to bars from San Francisco, to Tijuana, to Savannah and back to Hollywood and LA.)

Anyway, I need to wrap this up soon (and I feel like it’s going nowhere fast.) Wisconsin is a cool state. I thought the mid-west was going to suck. It doesn’t. Only Milwaukee sucks. Everyone there looks homeless and depressed, and they frequently brag about their alcoholism (coping mechanism?) and the Packers. They have cheese curds (when deep-fried and combined with beer will destroy your fucking stomach.) None of the bars serve Coors or Budweiser. Just Miller. In fact, most bars have a picture of MLB commissioner (and notable Milwaukee resident) Bud Selig, proclaiming “This is the ONLY Bud we serve!” Clever. Also, the women are not hot, and everyone there is either white trash or a ghetto-ass black person (generally homeless.) There is also a river which flows through town which is pleasant.

Madison, however, redeems everything that Milwaukee ruins about Wisconsin. It is situated between two beautiful lakes, and is accentuated by the State’s Capitol dome. They have a very diverse beer selection (as well as food, as I saw restaurants featuring every type of food from Ethiopian to Uruguayan.) It is a college town, and all the chicks are pretty bangable (despite the large amount of cheese and beer they consume.) Everyone there is a cool liberal (not a far-left wacko.) They are simply progressive and intelligent college people with good ideas. They love to party and know how to fucking do it. The guys are cool, and the only ones who tried to fight me were from Chicago (douchebags.)

I give Wisconsin a thumbs-up.

If you’re going to visit the Mid-West, I would avoid Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. Just go to Madison. It kicks ass.

Michael Winning

i like the word “neopastoral” that the Boss uses. I’ll do it some more.

If you go about, as a metropolitan Green-Nazi, hectoring country people on stuff which bugs them and their animals, and which they may not kill, they’ll do it behind your back. Badgers for example spread more TB to cattle now, than humans did to each other 100 years ago. So the best thing to do to a badger is to flatten it with a large spade, put it in a binliner, and let it go to the dustmen with the corn flake packets. Or if you’re here, just find a large bonfire or build your own. If all else fails, just run the buggers over with your tractor.

Flamethrowers are good against colonies of bats. Then you can restore your building which they were squatting in.

Look, we people want to farm and grow stuff. we don’t like being ordered to protect those beasts which get in our and your way.

(I hope thats got less typos in it, I’ve been told to be more careful!)