TED Talk: How Movies Teach About Manhood

In this compelling TED talk, Colin Stokes would like to see more movies that send positive messages to young boys, compared to how mainstream Hollywood films currently do. He suggests that filmmakers imbed more ideas communicating that "cooperation is heroic", and "respecting women is as manly as defeating the villain" by juxtaposing the films Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz.

During his talk, Stokes lays out the criteria of the Bechdel Test -- named after cartoonist Alison Bachdel -- to assess the validity of the female charcters in a film. The three very simple questions which make up the Bechdel test may intially evoke a chuckle from the audience, but then prove to be quite poignant. Seemingly, many of the female characters in recent movies are rarely the protagonists in their stories, have nothing significant to say, and have no friends.

Perhaps my only issue with this talk is when Stokes -- who is the director of communications for the non-profit Citizen Schools, a non-profit that reimagines the school day for middle school students in low-income communities in eight American states -- states his belief  that Disney princess movies leave positive impressions on young girls.

George Carlin: "F*ck Lance Armstrong"

Despite being dead for four years, this clip from his 2008 comedy video It's Bad for Ya! shows that George Carlin remains more relevant than any working comedian out there. Pure genius.

A Classy Act of Sportsmanship

Today I read a great story about the true meaning of good sportsmanship. It was during during a cross country race last December in Burlada, Navarre in Spain, as Basque runner Iván Fernández Anaya was  in second place during a race behind leader Abel Mutai from Kenya.

About ten meters away from the finish line, apparently thinking that he had already finished the race, the Kenyan slowed down. Instead of taking advantage of the situation and running pass the African to claim victory, Fernández Anaya stopped behind Mutai and used hand gestures to communicate that the finish line was ahead of them and allowed Mutai to win the race.

According to a Vancouver Sun report, Fernández Anaya told the Spanish daily newspaper El País that he didn't deserve to win the race. "I did what I had to do. (Mutai) was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I  wasn't going to pass him."

In a current sports environment of questionable ethics (read: Lance Armstrong), the story has made Fernández Anaya a fine (and rare) example of sportsmanship. How is it that the story did not break internationally until a month after it happened, but a non-sports story like the Manti Te'o fake girlfriend saga dominates sports media coverage?

Happy birthday, Dolly!

My friend and CBC Radio3 host Lana Gay pays tribute to Dolly Parton -- who celebrates her 67th birthday on January 19 -- by compiling the ten lessons she has learned from Ms. Parton.

Some of the life lessons include: Work hard, approach life with a sense of humour, keep your private life private, and read.

See Lana's complete list at her CBC Music blog entry here.

 Happy birthday, Dolly!

The Rick Mercer Report: Heritage Moment - Hockey

This "Heritage Moment" from the CBC's Rick Mercer Report is exactly how I feel about the return of the NHL this coming weekend.

Vote for the new Monopoly token

Monopoly will soon be getting rid of its classic tokens and replacing it with a new one. And it will be up to the public to determine which one it will be.

Toy robot token

Beginning Tuesday, January 15, Hasbro is holding a Facebook contest to eliminate one of the eight current tokens from the iconic board game – a battleship, iron, Scottish terrier (dog), boot, racecar, thimble, top hat and wheelbarrow – and introduce a new one. Potential new tokens include a cat, diamond ring, guitar, toy robot and helicopter.

As of January 11^th, it appears the dog and the racecar are safe from elimination, and the top hat and wheelbarrow are most in jeopardy. Voting runs until February 5.

Most tokens were introduced with the first Parker Brothers version of the game in 1935, and three of the original tokens – a lantern, purse, cannon and a rocking horse – where replaced in the 1950s with the dog, wheelbarrow, and a man on a horse.

According to an Associated Press report, a special limited edition “Golden Ticket” version of Monopoly will be available in Target stores beginning Feb. 15 with golden versions of both the old and new tokens. It will be the final edition of the game to include the classic tokens.

While growing up in the suburbs during the late 1970s and early 80s, my family played a lot of Monopoly. And aside from arguing about the validity of the schemes to render each other bankrupt or the questionable property deals, most of the heated debates would come at the beginning of the game, when trying to determine which player would chose their token first. For some reason, in our house, the man on a horse was the prime token, as was the racecar and the Scottish terrier (interestingly enough, for reasons I could not find, the man on a horse token was taken out of circulation sometime in the 1980s or 90s). Conversely, it was considered a letdown in our family to play the thimble or the boot. So for that reason alone, the boot or thimble would get my vote for elimination. As far as voting for one of the new ones, I would say the toy robot. It has a timeless retro feel to it.

The version of Monopoly with the new token is scheduled to be released sometime in 2013.

Brian Burke fired because of personality conflict?

The firing of Brian Burke as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs appears to because he was not corporate enough for the team’s new ownership.

During the January 9 press conference announcing Leafs’ Assistant GM Dave Nonis as Burke’s replacement, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) president and chief operating officer Tom Anselmi cited the fact that the Leafs have not made the playoffs in each of the four seasons that Burke has been the GM was a big part of the decision. 

However, when pressed by reporters on the reasons of the firing, Anselmi seemed rather cavalier in his explanation of the reasons why the MLSE Board decided to dismiss Burke. “At the end of the day,” said Anselmi, “we were looking for a different voice and leadership approach.” On the NHL on TSN, host James Duthie suggested that Burke’s outspokenness and flamboyant style may not have been a good fit with MLSE’s new corporate ownership group led by Bell and Rogers. Conversely, this has been suggested why Bryan Colangelo, the GM of the NBA's Toronto Raptors, is still employed by MLSE despite having a less successful track record than Burke in their tenures in Toronto. In my opinion, this is a reason why corporate entities should not own sports teams. Plain and simple. But as NHL on TSN analyst Michael Johnson aptly stated: if the company doesn't like him, it's their prerogative to fire him."

The Burke firing brings up a couple of questions:

1. Why wait to make this announcement on the day that the NHL Board of Governors are going to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was agreed upon between the NHL owners and NHL Players Association on Sunday, January 6 which ended a 113-day NHL lockout.

2. Why has Burke agreed to continue with MLSE as the title of Senior Advisor to Anselmi and the Board? NHL on TSN insider Darren Dreger suggests there is more to this story. Stay tuned.

Fans may not return to watch NHL

After 113 frustrating and contentious days of the NHL Players Association being locked out by the NHL owners, a tentative deal for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has been made. At approximately 5:00 am on Sunday, January 6, a very tired and weary NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and an equally exhausted NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr addressed the media together to make the announcement after a 16-hour negotiation session in New York City. While the CBA still needs to be ratified by the Players Association and the NHL Board of Governors, it is believed that a 48-game regular season schedule will begin January 19.

As expected the news has come with mixed reactions from hockey fans, particularly in Canada. I took to Facebook to gauge the feedback from hockey fans. Gino D’s post speaks for the diehard fans (me included) that will not only watch, but also relish in the return of NHL hockey: “I guess a shortened season is better than no season.”

However, many believe that the NHL will need to work very hard to gain back fans who believe they were alienated by the owners and the players, as it became a battle between “billionaires and millionaires.” John M believes a new CBA notwithstanding, the league has still left the fans out to dry. “A short NHL season means nothing and the players and owners could care less about the fans that love the game and will pay almost anything to watch a game.”

Kevin C likens his ill feelings towards the NHL after this work stoppage to those towards Major League Baseball after that league’s players went on strike for 232 days and eliminated the 1994-95 season. Kevin writes: “If you ‘lost interest in baseball because of the 1994 strike’ now is the time to put your money where your mouth is. The NHL is going to have to work hard for my love and attention.” Dwayne S echoes those sentiments and thinks he’ll need to wait until next season starts to enjoy the sport again: “I hear that hockey is back,” Dwayne writes in a post. “I'm going to spend the next 7 months pretending it isn't…call me when there's an 82 game schedule again.”

Others are calling for some form of boycott – if only temporary – of NHL games and merchandise. Natalie L posts: “Yeah the lock out is over but doesn't mean fans can't protest! Empty arenas for the first couple games, I think?” Sheldon C is happy that the lockout is over, however feels that a fans should stay away from the rinks for the first ten games of the abbreviated schedule: “Dear NHL”, Sheldon writes on a Facebook page dedicated to protest the lockout, “I have missed you, and I am glad you are back, but I must take this time to remind you who pays your salary, and who lines the owners pockets!!!! Us! 10 game boycotte (sic).....I can do that.”

But while fans like Kevin, Dwayne, Natalie, and Sheldon may eventually return to the sport, apathy has taken over some fans who have lost interest and may never return. Ian M writes: “I doubt I'll ever again give a fuck…” and Shawn B offers a simple two-word post: “Who Cares.” William M is more direct in his feelings: "Goodbye NHL forever!"

Only time will tell how the league will fare after its third work stoppage since 1994-95, when that season was also reduced to a 48-game season. It seemed the NHL was gaining tremendous momentum – on the ice, in the boardroom, and public opinion – after a lockout cancelled the entire 2004-05 season. That momentum has certainly been all but lost. And, if you believe what you read on Facebook, so have many of the NHL's fans.