New World Edition Monopoly game

Does anyone else find the new World Edition Monopoly game board conspicuous? First of all, I had to look up "Gdynia". Sure, it's the cheapest property on the board, but why is it on there at all when cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro are absent? Riga is the second-most expensive property, the best-kept secret among jet-setters...I guess. I might understand if China had two cities on the board, but three??? I've saved the most bizarre aspect for last.

Canada, a country so small in population that it barely surpasses the city of Tokyo, is the only country represented on the board besides China with more than one city--and it has not two cities, but three! Lastly, the coveted "Boardwalk" location is now occupied by Montreal, one of the least important cities in Canada. I'm not sure if it's still shrinking in size, but people are running away from Montreal faster than the residents around the recent huge propane facility explosion in Toronto were.

Here's a look at the properties on the new board in descending order of value:

Q & A's from around the web

Say I'm a butcher by profession and I set up my shop to allow people to watch me butcher my animals if they wish.....Would I be able to dress up one of my pigs in a cop uniform and butcher it in front of a crowd of people without worrying about any legal problems?

Only with the consent of the pig.

CRACK!!!

That was the sound of a baseball leaving the park.

Which Major League Baseball team recently swept the Boston Red Sox, spanking them 15-4 in one game and then in the following series against the New York Yankees, took two of three, humiliating the Bronx Bombers 14-3 in the rubber match? The birds, of course. No, not the Orioles. The Toronto Blue Jays.

Now that post season play is virtually out of reach, they give us something to cheer about. We dare not even consider the playoffs. You just know that the second it becomes even imaginable, they will promptly let us down. This comes from intense conditioning over a long period of time. It is still fresh in this fan's mind that recently, Toronto was swept by the worst team in baseball--the Cleveland Mariners.

Still, a sound thrashing of Boston or the (hated) Yankees is always fun to watch.

The Toronto Zoo

The Toronto Zoo opened in 1974 and is open every day except Christmas day. Encompassing 287 hectares (710 acres), the Toronto Zoo is the third largest in the world. It is divided into six zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Eurasia and the Canadian Domain. Animals are displayed indoors in tropical pavilions and outdoors in naturalistic environments, with viewing at many levels. It also has a children Zoo, Waterside Theatre and a Splash Island. The zoo is home to over 16,000 animals (including invertebrates and fish) representing over 491 distinct species.

Between 1980 and 1984 several new exhibits were added to the Zoo, including an indoor habitat for African Elephants, Snow Leopards and the Indian Rhinoceros Pavilion, as well as the official opening of the Zoomobile.

In 1985, Qinn Qinn and Shayan - a pair of Giant Pandas, on loan for three months from China were displayed at the Zoo. The Zoo broke all previous attendance records, as thousands of visitors came to see these rare animals. Over the years, the Zoo has presented other rare or unusual animals, including: Golden Monkeys (1986), Koalas (1988 and again in 1996), and White Lions (1995).

On May 16 2008, Stingray Bay opened. This interactive exhibit allows the public to touch, feel, and feed LIVE stingrays.

(Click on images to enlarge.)






A visitor from north Toronto relaxes by the monkey exhibit.



Above, is a fatty...with a pretty lady on top of her.

The above has nothing to do with the zoo, but I came across it and decided to show off my fair Toronto. For perspective, the tall office tower on the right is 72 stories tall. When the moon passes close enough, people on the highest observation deck of the CN Tower are encouraged by staff to jump onto it.

Below is the newest and one of the most popular zoo exhibits. These mermaids do "tricks" for food.



Above is an old girlfriend during one of her more reflective moments. When they warned me she was a man-eater, I had no idea...

Damn, if that hippo doesn't look like a dachshund with a thyroid condition.



Here, a polar bear watches amusedly as humans perform for him.

War Drums

Damascus — Despite fierce opposition from the United States, Iran and Syria signed an agreement on Wednesday to place an Iranian missile defense base on Syrian territory.

The Israeli government has leveled sustained criticism against the Syrian plan, characterizing it as a hostile act near the Israeli border. But Syrian officials insist that the system will defend against threats from countries like The United States and would not target Israel.

“Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one,” said Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, who signed the agreement in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart, Prime Minister Naji al-Otari . “It is in our defense that we do this.”

Editor's note: I'm just curious--does the following news item give you a different sense at all?...

WARSAW — Despite fierce opposition from Moscow, the United States and Poland signed a long-stalled agreement on Wednesday to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory.

The Kremlin has leveled sustained criticism against the American plan, characterizing it as a hostile act near the Russian border. But American officials insist that the system will defend against threats from countries like Iran and would not target Russia.

“Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one,” said Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who signed the agreement in Warsaw with her Polish counterpart, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. “It is in our defense that we do this.”