Jon Vickers has Passed Away

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Edward Brain

Jon Vickers, the legendary Canadian heldentenor, has passed away at the age of 88.  His family announced that he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for a number of years.

Mr. Vickers was born October 29th, 1926 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  He was the sixth of eight children.

Mr. Vickers sang in a number of leading opera houses, including the Royal Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and La Scala.  He also sang with at the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals. Continue reading →

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Omar Sharif is Dead at 83

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Edward Brain

It has been announced that Oscar nominated actor Omar Sharif has passed away.

Mr. Sharif became famous for starring in such movies as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.  Other movies included The Fall of the Roman Empire, Funny Girl, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (uncredited), Juggernaut, and Monsieur Ibrahim. Continue reading →

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MLB All-Star Teams Announced

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Edward Brain

Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced the players who will be the starters for the 2015 All-Star Game on July 14th in Cincinnati.

With the exception of the starting pitcher for both teams, each position player starting the game is voted in through popular voting.

The following players were voted to start the All-Star game: Continue reading →

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Happy Dominion Day!

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Edward Brain
The Maple Leaf

The Maple Leaf

Happy Dominion Day to everyone in Canada!  July 1st, 2015 marks the 148th birthday for the Dominion of Canada since Confederation on July 1st, 1867.

Confederation was created thanks to the hard work of many people, and helped to create the Canada we know today.

On July 1st, 1867, three British colonies: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (the combined colonies of Upper and Lower Canada.)

Other provinces and territories were added over the years: Manitoba (1870), Northwest Territories (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Yukon Territory (1898), Alberta (1905), Saskatchewan (1905), Newfoundland and Labrador (1949), and Nunavut (1999.)

So, Happy 148th Birthday, Canada!

English: Proclamation of Canadian Confederation

Proclamation of Canadian Confederation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Matt Boyd Makes an Impresses in Major League Debut

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Edward Brain

Today, Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Matt Boyd made a huge impression in his first ever major league appearance.  Despite losing the game 4-0 to the Texas Rangers and Yovani Gallardo (who pitched an impressive 8 1/3 innings), Boyd pitched with confidence.

Boyd would give up three solo homeruns to open the fourth, fifth, and seventh, he would get the next three batters out in the fourth and fifth, and the next two out in the seventh.  Boyd would also get seven strikeouts and no walks. Continue reading →

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Toronto Argonauts 2015 Season

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Edward Brain

The Toronto Argonauts open the 2015 regular season on June 27th vs. the Edmonton Eskimos in a game to be played in Fort McMurray, Alberta.  The game will count as a home game for the Argos.

In total, the Argos play 18 games, nine at home and nine on the road.  They play two games (one at home, one on the road) against the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Montreal Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  They play three games each against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa RedBlacks.

The schedule breaks down as follows: Continue reading →

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Dusty Rhodes has Passed Away

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Edward Brain

Legendary wrestler Virgil Runnels, known by his ring name of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, has passed away at the age of 69.  Mr. Runnels was born on October 12th, 1945 in Austin, Texas.

Mr. Runnels broke into the wrestling in 1968 in the American Wrestling Association (AWA).  While there he teamed with Dick Murdoch. Continue reading →

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Union-Pearson Express Enters Service

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Edward Brain
Union-Pearson Express

Union-Pearson Express

On June 6th, 2015, the Union-Pearson Express (UPX) started service between Toronto’s Union Station and the Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

The trains, consisting of two or three car consists, are Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), and depart from Union Station and the airport every 15 minutes, and take 25 minutes to go one way. Continue reading →

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2015 Stanley Cup Finals

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Edward Brain
The Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup Final is now set.  The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl winners, the Chicago Blackhawks will face off against the Prince of Wales Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is the first postseason meeting between the two teams.  This series marks the Lightning’s second ever appearance in the Finals.  They won the Cup in 2004 when they last made it to the Finals.  The Blackhawks are making their 13th appearance in the Finals, and have won the last two times they appeared in the Finals in 2010 and 2013.

The two teams split their regular season series at one win each.  Both teams played a seven game series in the Conference Finals to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Blackhawks beating the Anaheim Ducks, and the Lightning beating out the New York Rangers.

Look for the Blackhawks to win in six games, but all the games should be close.

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Captain John’s leaves Town

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Edward Brain

Today, May 28th, 2015, Toronto bid farewell to the Jadran, the late home of Captain John’s Seafood restaurant.

The ship left its berth at the foot of Yonge Street under tow, and brings to an end a long battle of what should happen to the ship.  The restaurant had closed a couple of years ago.  The Jadran arrived in Toronto back in 1975. Continue reading →

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