Please help the victims of the Haiti Earthquake

By now, you have probably heard and watched the news about the earthquake in Haiti. The latest has it that as much as one third of this Central American country's population is affected directly by the 7.0 quake. Thousands have died, many more are injured, and countless people have lost literally EVERYTHING they have.
Previously, I was thinking of writing today on the latest baseball story of former major leaguer Mark McGwire confessing that he had cheated, or about the controversy Vancouver Canuck Alex Burrows had raised against a referee, but watching the scenes from Haiti, seeing the faces of despair, and hearing the cries of hopelessness, almost everything stops, and almost nothing is relevant anymore.
I know this is a very difficult economic time. People are losing their jobs; everyone is probably a little concerned over his/her job security. But most of us can spare ten dollars, twenty dollars, or whatever amount, to help those who are in dire need. I urge you today to help.
The following non-profit groups are some of the reputable charitable organizations that are recognized by the Government of Canada (click here for the complete list). I'm attaching a link to their websites. If you can help, please help.
World Vision Canada
1 World Drive,
Mississauga, ON, L5T 2Y4
Tel: (905) 565-6100 / 1-800 268 5863
Fax: (905) 696-2162
E-mail: info@worldvision.ca
Website: www.worldvision.ca

Canadian Red Cross Society
International Services Department
170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario
Tel: 740-1900
Fax: 740-1911
Website: www.redcross.ca

UNICEF Canada
2200 Yonge St., 11th floor,
Toronto, ON, M4S 2C6
Tel: (416) 482-4444
Fax: (416) 482-8035
E-mail: secretary@unicef.ca
Website: www.unicef.ca

OXFAM-Canada
300-294 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E6
Tel: 237-5236
Fax: 237-0524
E-mail: enquire@oxfam.ca
Website www.oxfam.ca

Doctors Without Borders
402-720 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9
Tel: (416) 964-0619
Fax: (416) 963-8707
Toll free number: 1-800-982-7903
E-mail: msfcan@msf.ca
Website: www.msf.ca

I Love the Winter Classic!

Even though I am not born and raised in the snowy weather of the east, as a Canadian, you cannot help but appreciate the show the NHL has been putting on the last few years on New Year’s Day – the Winter Classic.

This year’s version of the outdoor regular season game was played at Fenway Park, the iconic home of MLB’s storied franchise, the Boston Red Sox. The home team, needless to say, was the Boston Bruins, and they squared off against their divisional rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

While the game was not the most spectacular, and the ice condition was not ideal, it was still a game where, once you started watching, became very difficult to leave behind. The overtime finish helped made the game even more memorable, but the scenes alone were good enough for me. If you don’t believe me, check out these pictures captured from the game:

For someone who has bashed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as much as I did, I must also give him credit for the Winter Classic. Even for someone who has not grown up playing in the backyard ice pond with my buddies on makeshift boards and rinks, the atmosphere and the fell of the game were still spectacular to me. I cannot even begin to imagine how the game must have felt for those who had more of the history than me with the sports.

Great job, commissioner! Now, let’s do the next right thing, and fold some of the teams that are playing out in markets where hockey is not cared about, and bring the NHL back to cities like Winnipeg and Quebec (for whatever reason, the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques were two of my favourite teams besides the Canucks growing up...).