In today's Globe and Mail, David Shoalts talked in part about Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo, who had concussion problems last year  and had suffered some dizziness episodes at the start of training camp:

Colaiacovo said hs first priority is to make sure his brain is healthy. "Without your brain or your head, who knows where you would be?" he said the other day. Um, I don't know, Carlo, divorce court maybe?

I suspect Shoalts was referring to this.

The LCBO store on Spadina north of Dundas has a sign saying it's accepting applications for the Christmas season.

Agghhh!!

The days keep counting down until the worst nightmare of the government of Kazakhstan hits movie screens: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Nov. 3).

But while the government fumes, ordinary citizens don't seem to be as inflamed by how comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's character makes them look.

And I wonder why Borat isn't from Turkmenistan.

Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist, apparently has a side career as an actor.

At least he's listed as one in the Internet Movie Database.

Here's an interesting bit of trivia that I previously had not known:

 Has his look-alike puppet in the French show _"Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988)_ .

Unfortunately, poor Osama has been typecast as playing himself.

It was suggested to me tonight that perhaps he should stretch his wings, try a light, romantic comedy.

May I suggest Whitney Houston as a co-star?

Poor Conrad Black is sounding chewed up and spat out these days. Here is what the embattled newspaper overlord said in a TVO interview with Steve Paikin on Monday night (from the CTV.ca story):

The beleaguered former media baron also said that while he still holds the United States in high regard in many ways, his appreciation has been tempered due to his legal ordeal.

"It's a very tough country,'' he said. "People work hard and its whole culture is nice guys come last and there is no substitute for winning.''

He's trying to get his Canadian citizenship back. Guess the old nanny state isn't so bad after all. :)

"Which way are you going?"  the 20- to 21-year-old woman of indeterminate blood-alcohol level asked the streetcar operator as she boarded at Borden and College.

"That way," the driver said as he pointed west, the same direction the streetcar -- which weighs in excess of 27,000 kilograms, and travels on rails -- was pointed.

The young woman nodded, comprehension spreading over her face like a wave on a beach.

"That was a stupid question," she said a few seconds later as she walked to the back of the streetcar. Her friends, giggling, were only too happy to concur.

However, that was trumped at Bathurst Street.

The streetcar was stopped, and three guys were staring at one of the back passenger doors, trying to will it open.

"You have to step down," the operator called out.

The three looked at each other. They stepped down. The door opened. One of them muttered, "thanks."

And a special welcome to Toronto to all our late-night visitors from Oshawa! :)

I'm walking on the south side of Bloor Street near Honest Ed's, making my way to the Bathurst subway station -- not unusual for me on a Saturday afternoon.

However, as I did so, some guy who looked a little like Moby was walking backward at the same time.

He definitely had the jittery energy and crazy eyes thing going on.

As I passed him, he muttered: "I could be on your back and slashing you right now" -- although I'm not sure if it was directed at me or just to the air.

I started looking for a cop. None was around.

Based on peoples' expressions as they passed him, I suspect this wacko said a few creepy things to others as well. To me, it's an interesting question about when do you contact the authorities if someone is acting really, really weird, but hasn't yet done anything to harm anyone.

Maybe this guy will go his whole life without hurting anyone. Or maybe I'll hear a newscast or click on a story some day that says someone died in front of Honest Ed's with a maniac on their back slashing them.

You just don't know.

Esks look for first road win of season

The CFL season is almost two-thirds over, and the mighty Esks have yet to put a road win on the board.

When did we become the Roughriders?

Update

The Esks went on to lose 27-22 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They are now 4-8, in last place in the West and poised to break their streak of 36 straight years in the playoffs.

Two young women crossed College St. on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon.

One described a film to the other.

"So what you're saying is it's half-pornography and half-violence?" quipped her friend.

With that hint, what's the film's name?

In a small diner in Stewart, B.C., some locals were holding forth on how repelled they were by cities.

"I always park with my vehicle facing out (of town) so I can get away faster," cackled one old fellow, prompting commiseratory chuckles from his buds.

"Well, the problem with Vancouver is you got a stop sign every 500 hundred feet. Here, you haven't got but three in the whole town!" offered another.

Freedom!! :)

During breakfast at a restaurant in Smithers, B.C. recently, a waitress asked two men if they wanted more coffee.

"Oui," one of them replied.

The waitress kept walking.

"No, no," the other one hurriedly said. "We're from Quebec. 'Oui' is French for 'yes'."

Embarrassed chuckles all around as the waitress refilled their coffees. "I can tell you we don't hear a lot of French around here," she said, with a bit of a defensive grin frozen on her face.

I would have thought every Canadian would understand 'oui,' which isn't exactly like asking people to memorize passages of Moliere, but perhaps not.

A few thoughts about spending time in the city where I was born and raised -- and a few comparisons with T.O., my home for the past six years.