B.C. Lions defeat Bombers to win 99th Grey Cup at home Grey Cup

The CFL's 99th Grey Cup football game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 27, 2011.

BC Lions running back Andrew Harris lifts Grey Cup after the Lions defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win the CFL's 99th Grey Cup football game in Vancouver, British Columbia, November 27, 2011. 

VANCOUVER — From down and out to the top of the Canadian Football League — that's the unlikely story of the 2011 B.C. Lions.

And playing in front of a giddy sold-out crowd of 54,313 Sunday on their home turf at BC Place Stadium, the Lions authored the final triumphant chapter, claiming their sixth Grey Cup championship with a 34-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Lions, you may remember, opened the season with five straight losses, and six in their first seven games. But coach and general manager Wally Buono, the winningest coach in Canadian Football League history, authored a magnificent comeback story as the Lions went on an eight-game win streak to fight their way back into the West Division race, and won their final two games to finish first in the West.

They capped that brilliant run on Sunday with a dominating defensive performance, knocking the stuffing out of Swaggerville to give Buono his fifth Grey Cup victory.

"We haven't had a chance to relax in probably five months," said Lions slotback Geroy Simon. "Now, we can finally relax because we know what we came from. It was so hard to get out of that hole that we dug. We didn't want to take anything for granted (Sunday). We were confident, but humble, and it's great to finally relax and let loose now."

They earned that opportunity with a combination of crushing defence — until the fourth quarter — and timely, if unspectactular offence, particularly in the second half when game MVP Travis Lulay authored a pair of touchdown drives after an indifferent first half, and also got a huge fourth-quarter play from his left tackle, Ben Archibald, who prevented a sure pick-six touchdown by batting the ball out of the hands of Bomber defensive end Odell Willis, who seemed to have made the easy interception.

Instead, the Lions held on to the ball and Lulay capped that drive with a short touchdown pass to Arland Bruce — the kind of opportunistic football the Lions played from August through to Sunday.

"It's still sinking in, but it's pretty sweet to come from where we were to get here," said Archibald, who also won a Grey Cup ring with the Calgary Stampeders in 2008. "Everybody wrote us off in July, and we deserved that. So it's just so sweet to come back from something like that. We dug ourselves out of hole, we won these big games down the stretch, and today, we were able to pull it out."

The Lions got a first-half touchdown from Andrew Harris, named the Canadian player of the game, on a 19-yard dash in the first quarter, but it was a first half dominated by defences, as each team had drives stall close in and settled for two short field goals apiece before Nickelback took the stage at halftime.

But it was the Bombers who did the scoring late in the first half and seemed to have momentum going in the third quarter before Lulay hit Kierre Johnson for a 66-yard touchdown pass, and then came the dramatic turn of events after Willis's near miss.

To put this on Willis's shoulders wouldn't be fair — the Bomber offence was silent until the fourth quarter when Buck Pierce threw last-gasp touchdown passes to Greg Carr and Terrence Edwards, but couldn't make an onside kick work to keep the comeback going.

"They got after us early, and that's the key to these big games, getting up early," said Pierce. "And they did that to us. Their defence played well like they have been this last stretch. And we didn't help our defence out early on by staying on the field."

It was the Lions' sixth Grey Cup, and the fifth in the glorious career of coach and GM Wally Buono, who faces a decision in the next few weeks on whether remain in the dual role he currently occupies.

"I think every Grey Cup is different, but obviously this one is filled with satisfaction, it's filled with pride, and I think the character of individuals speaks volumes for what can be accomplished," he said. "The character of this football team, the players and coaches and management group, it never waivered."

On the other side of the coin, the Bombers splendid veteran defensive tackle Doug Brown ends his career without a Grey Cup ring, and the emotion was obvious.

"It doesn't seem real," he murmured. "We faced a better football team. I don't know if we had expectations that they were the same team from when we played them earlier in the year. But they've certainly evolved. They beat us in every way. We got what we deserved."

Tire buying made easy

For years now Canadians have enjoyed the opportunity to buy tires and wheels on the Internet. Web-based companies offered the option of selecting what best suits your vehicle, but few could offer the level of service and ongoing maintenance we have come to expect from Canadian Tire. Well, the times are changing, right along with the tires.

Canadian Tire announced the launch of its new online tire store designed to make buying tires and wheels online easier than ever before. By visiting www.canadiantire.ca/tires customers will be able to browse over 8,000 products including top brands and Canadian Tire exclusive products.

"Customers have turned to Canadian Tire for their automotive needs and we are excited to extend our broad assortment of tires and wheels online," said Allan MacDonald, Senior Vice President, Automotive for Canadian Tire. "The launch of the online tire store not only provides Canadians with a new and innovative resource to help them buy the right tires for their vehicle, it also speaks to our commitment to raising the bar on the customer experience."

Customers can shop based on their vehicle, model year, tire size, tire type, and/or brand as well as build a custom selected tire and wheel package. The site also features enhanced product comparison capabilities, product information and a unique "help me choose" function which guides consumers through the purchase process to help them make the right decisions for their vehicles.

Optimized to create a user friendly experience, customers searching for additional information on the tire that is right for them will find a product support area that houses informational articles, how-to videos, buying guides and FAQ's. Shipping is also made easy as customers can have tires shipped at no additional charge to their local store (over 485 locations across Canada) where they can easily arrange to pick them up or have them installed.

All tires installed, mounted, and balanced at a Canadian Tire store are also backed by a national tire warranty program. It doesn't get much easier than this.

Honda Civic Canada's best-selling car, for now

The Honda Civic is still Canada's best-selling passenger car, but could soon lose that title to Hyundai's fast-charging Elantra, industry figures show.

Sales data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants show that the Civic was the most popular car in Canada last month and for the first nine months of the year.

But Civic sales slumped more than 20 per cent last month and are down almost 12 per cent year-to-date.

The Korean-made Elantra, on the other hand, is enjoying double-digit increases, with sales this year up almost 35 per cent.

It isn't just the Civic that has recorded slower sales. Sales of the two other traditionally big-selling Japanese models - the Mazda 3 and the Toyota Corolla - are all down significantly.

"The three Japanese models are all struggling," says auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers. "Some of this is due to supply issues related to the tsunami, but also with the increased competitiveness from the Koreans and Detroit-based brands."

DesRosiers says the Chevrolet Cruze has entered the top 10 list because General Motors has been "reasonably successful picking up entry level share with the Cruze."

Volkswagen's Jetta has also made an appearance in the top 10. "VW has positioned and priced the Jetta to be more of a mass appeal vehicle and are having considerable success with this strategy," DesRosiers writes.

In the light truck market, the best-selling vehicles continue to be Ford's F-Series pickups - well ahead of the No. 2 Dodge Ram. But DesRosiers notes that Ram sales are up more than 14 per cent this year, which he attributes to Chrysler being "very aggressive with incentives in this segment."

Total vehicle sales in Canada in the nine months ending Sept. 30 came to 1,224,149. That's up 1.5 per cent from the same period last year.

Most Dangerous Colours for Your Car

I've done a lot of driving in my day, and I thought mayhem found me most often in grey or silver cars. Turns out I was wrong. Even worse, we may not be safe in Ferraris.

Fashionistas know that some colours look better with certain skin tones. Red-haired ladies gala would never be caught dead at charity galas in plum-coloured dresses. They know that some combinations are a fashion accident waiting to happen.

Is the same true of automobiles? Can the colour of your car impact its safety?
Yes, say researchers at Australia's Monash University. The hue you choose for alters its likelihood of getting hit.

  [More Yahoo! Autos: New Fiat Pushes the "Sexy" Boundaries]  

And what's the most dangerous colour? I've done a lot of driving in my day, and I've believed that mayhem found me most often in grey or silver cars.

Turns out that's wrong. The most dangerous colour is the one that ranks lowest on the visibility index. Black.

Black, the Most Dangerous Car Colour

As the owner of a black Volvo V70 wagon (hold the jokes), I'm flagrantly unsurprised. I've several death's-door escapes over the years in that car. Although we refer to black as a colour, it's actually colour's absence. That's the reason black seats get so hot in the sun--instead of reflecting sunlight, they absorb it.

  [More Yahoo! Autos: Zoom! The Fastest Cars of 2011] 

The Monash study comprised police crash data from Victoria and Western Australia of vehicles built between 1982 and 2004--a whopping 850,000 accidents. The colours were broken down into 17 "danger" categories.

White, the Safest Car Colour

Herbie the Love Bug would be happy to that he belongs to an elite stratum, although not at elite as the Mercedes GLK you see here. The safest cars on the road today are white.

The correlation between vehicle colour and crash risk was highest during daylight hours, when coloured cars were in an average of 10 per cent more accidents than did white cars. As my now-deceased silver Pontiac 6000 LE taught me, driving a car the colour of the road is never the best idea in low light. Surprise meetings of equal forces are best left for the checkout line at a Boxing Day sale--not the middle of an intersection.

Red, a Dangerous Colour? Really?

One surprise was the "dangerous" rating for red. For many of us, it is the most visible colour in the spectrum. (Its near cousin orange, after all, is put on hunting vests.) But not all people see red the same way, especially in the morning and evening. When sunlight is weak, red loses its chromatic pop. You may stand out from the crowd during the day, zipping around town in a fire-engine-red 599 GTO, but once the sun sets, you're as visible as every other shmoe in a $400,000 Ferrari.

Car Colours, from Safest to Most Dangerous

white (safest)
pink
maroon
yellow
blue
cream
mauve
red
green
gold
brown
fawn
silver
orange
grey
black (most dangerous)

Pak Youth wants King Julien as their Prez

If young Pakistanis had their way they would make sure that the cartoon character King Julien from the film "Madagascar" is the hottest candidate for post of President when their country goes to polls next. King Julien is a strong contender for the top post because he will put his "100 per cent" into everything that he does as President; the only "NRO" he will pass will be the "National Rock  n  Roll Order"; and he will not try to flirt with Sarah Palin and tell her that she was better off "fighting grizzly bears in Alaska"  or so say young Pakistanis.

So far King Julien has over 6,000 fans in the virtual world and the number is likely to multiply as the presidential election scheduled for 2013 nears.

The creator of the King Julien group on Facebook has been listing reasons why the toon will make a good President.

King Julien also finds India's Anna Hazare inspiring.

King Julien put out a mock classified advertisement thatsaid: "Urgently required: An Anna Hazare. Flexible work hours. Should be willing to change the fate of a nation. If interested please contact Pakistan."

Climate Conference 2011: Canada Says Kyoto Protocol 'Biggest Blunder,' May Withdraw

Global climate talks got an inauspicious start in Durban, South Africa, on Monday with reports that Canada planned to withdraw fully from the Kyoto Protocol, a carbon-limiting multinational treaty first adopted in 1997 and scheduled to expire in 2012.

Canada had already signaled that it would take a hard stance at the Durban talks, where negotiators from around the world are hoping, among other things, to extend the Kyoto agreement with a new phase of emissions reduction commitments. But the suggestion that Canada also planned to abandon its commitments under the original Kyoto protocol, which the nation appears unlikely to meet in any case, was met with deep disappointment by advocates for climate action assembled at the conference.

"Canada has been very clear that it would not be taking on a second commitment period," said Tasneem Essop, the provincial minister of environment, planning and economic development in the South African province of Western Cape and the head of the delegation for the environmental group WWF. "But abandoning the first commitment period would mean that Canada will have absolutely no integrity in the international arena.

"I believe that there will be a backlash against Canada," Essop added in a phone call. "The NGOs are very angry about this news, and Canada will have to do a lot of hard work to regain credibility."

A report on Sunday by the Canadian broadcast network CTV suggested that the Canadian government, under the leadership of conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, had planned to make an announcement on the nation's withdrawal from Kyoto "a few days before Christmas." Speaking to reporters on Monday, Canadian representatives neither confirmed nor denied reports of its withdrawal plans, though the nation's environment minister, Peter Kent, asserted in no uncertain terms that "Kyoto is the past."

In a transcript of the press conference provided to The Huffington Post by a spokesman for the environment ministry, Kent also described Canada's participation in the Kyoto agreement as the folly of his government's predecessors. "Our government believes that the previous Liberal government signing on to Kyoto was one of the biggest blunders they made," Kent said, "particularly given they had no intention of fulfilling that commitment."

The Kyoto agreement -- which grew out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, 14 years ago -- bound more than three dozen industrialized countries to reduce emissions of certain greenhouse gases by a given percentage, averaging just over 5 percent, over 1990 levels. The protocol was to take effect only after at least 55 countries, representing 55 percent of global CO2 emissions, had ratified the document. Those conditions were fully met in 2004, and the treaty was entered into force in early 2005.

The emissions reductions were to be achieved between 2008 and 2012, the period during which countries would be required to report their progress. Developing nations were not required to make significant reductions, and the United States, accounting for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and by far the largest global per capita emitter, refused to participate.

Europe has made up the bulk of the emissions reductions, and collectively, industrialized countries are on track to achieve the Kyoto goal of reducing their emissions by at least 5.2 percent over 1990 levels. This is true even when including U.S. emissions, which have increased by more than 10 percent over 1990 levels, according to an analysis of global emissions inventories published in September by the Netherlands environmental ministry.

But much of the decrease in emissions is attributed to the collapse of East European and Russian economies in the post-Soviet era, as well as to the current global recession, which has helped to reduce industrial output and overall energy use in many countries. Establishing a second phase for the Kyoto protocol, which officially expires at the end of next year, is a primary goal for negotiators gathered in Durban over the next two weeks -- although significant stumbling blocks make that outcome uncertain.

The United States -- and increasingly, Canada -- are among rich nations that have argued that developing countries like China must formally agree to emissions reductions of their own before a truly global and binding climate treaty can be reached. Short of that, they argue, industrialized economies are unduly hobbled, while powerhouses of the developing world, which are expected to account for an increasing share of global emissions, are able to grow and pollute with abandon.

Developing nations counter that the U.S., Europe and other developed countries became rich through profligate use of inexpensive and CO2-intensive energy sources like oil, coal and natural gas, and that they are to blame for the current build-up of greenhouse gases now warming the planet. They also suggest that it is unfair to ask poor nations to avoid use of inexpensive fossil fuels at precisely the time when they are poised to repeat the economic growth enjoyed by the rich world over the last century.

A $100 billion Green Climate Fund, first posited at the failed climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, is designed to provide financial assistance to developing nations in their efforts to combat climate change, and establishing an architecture and funding for the trust is among the many goals of the Durban talks. But signs emerged even before negotiations got underway that progress on that front might also prove difficult.

Global greenhouse emissions, meanwhile, continue to rise, and even some participants in the first phase of Kyoto are expected to fall short of their goals under the agreement. This includes Canada, which had pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent compared to 1990 levels. Canada's most recent inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, submitted to the United Nations earlier this year, showed that while the country had been making year-over-year reductions since 2008, its emissions are still nearly 20 percent higher than they were in 1990.

Critics in large part blame increased development of the tar sands, a vast and contentious deposit of sand, clay and oil in northern Alberta. The Canadian government has expressed strong support for stepped-up exploitation of the tar sands, which they view as an economic boon. But opponents have argued that the carbon footprint associated with such an expansion would permanently cripple global efforts to get global warming under control.

"What's astonishing is watching Canada emerge as a rogue among developed countries," said Bill McKibben, the author and activist who has spearheaded a grassroots movement aimed at combatting a pipeline proposal designed to deliver some 700,000 barrels of oil each day from the tar sands to refineries and ports on the Texas Gulf Coast. "Of course, they have no choice but to ditch serious climate policy if they want to develop the tar sands in a big way -- and that pool of gunky oil is clearly the tail wagging the dog up there."

Kanimozhi gets bail from HC after six-month stay in Tihar jail

After six months in Tihar jail and five attempts, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and four others got bail in the 2G case from the Delhi High Court on Monday.
Justice VK Shali of the high court said in his 39-page order that Kanimozhi and the four were on a "better footing" and deserved the benefit on the ground of "parity" with the five telecom executives released last week by the Supreme Court.
The court also considered the fact that she was a woman — an argument ignored so far right from the trial court to the apex court. But 43-year-old Kanimozhi, who was arrested on May 20, will have to spend one more night at Tihar, as the release formalities could not be completed on Monday.
Earlier, during the investigation into the 2G scam case, the CBI alleged that Kanimozhi was the brain behind DMK-owned Kalaignar TV's move to take a R200-crore bribe from Shahid Balwa's DB Realty companies in exchange for allocation of licence to Balwa-owned Swan Telecom.

The main 2G scam accused and former telecom minister A Raja, however, is still in Tihar, as he has not applied for bail. He was arrested on February 2, 2011.
The four others who have got bail on Monday are Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar, filmmaker Karim Morani and Kusegaon Fruits and vegetables Pvt Ltd directors Rajiv Aggarwal and Asif Balwa.
The court, however, reserved its order on telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura's bail plea, as the CBI opposed the move. Bail pleas of public servants required stricter scrutiny, the agency said.
As the news of Kanimozhi being granted bail broke, Karunanidhi announced a big welcome-home party for her in Chennai. "She spoke to me soon after the court gave her bail and both of us shared the happiness," he told reporters in Chennai.
The court has asked those granted bail to surrender their passports, furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh each with two sureties of as much amount and remain present during the trial on a daily basis.
Justice Shali gave the CBI the liberty to approach the court in case any of the accused violated bail conditions. Justice Shali took the cue from the November 23 Supreme Court order granting bail to five telecom executives, saying, "Bail is rule and jail is an exception."

Gurdwara Gyan Godhri

Resolutions passed on rebuilding of gurdwara

Dehradun, November 28
A meeting of representatives of the Sikh community hailing from various gurdwaras, institutions and political parties was held here today to discuss the reconstruction of Gurdwara Gyan Godhri.

The meeting, which was headed by Sardar Sukhev Singh Namdhari, chairman of the Uttarakhand Minority Commission, and Sardar Gurdip Singh Sahota, member of the 15-point Programme Committee, passed four resolutions in this regard.

The members in the first resolution agreed on building the gurdwara at the Ranipur turn near the bank of the Ganga at Haridwar as suggested by the Uttarakhand Government in year 2002.

Since the land falls into the territory of the Irrigation Department of the Uttar Pardesh government, they will request the UP Government to transfer the land to the Gurdwara Samiti.

In their second resolution, they built a consensus on erecting a holy ‘Nishan Sahib’ at the controversial Scouts & Guides office at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar, as per the decision taken by the National Minority Commission.

In the third resolution, they agreed to give both tasks to Gurdwara Gyan Godhri Samiti which was constituted in 1993. The executive committee of the body would also be expanded for the purpose.

In their fourth resolution, the members condemned the intrusion of people from outside the state.

Those who participated at the meeting included chairman of the Gyan Godhri Smiti Harjit Singh Dua, Congress leader Harpal Singh and president of Gurdwara Race Course Harbhajan Singh Anand. 

Chandigarh Overseas fined Rs 50,000

Chandigarh, November 28
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I has slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Chandigarh Overseas Private Limited for delay in handing over of a commercial apartment in Fashion Technology Park to a Sector-10 resident.


The forum, comprising president PD Goel and, members Rajinder Singh Gill and Madanjit Kaur Sahota, observed: “It is established on record that as per the terms and conditions agreed between the parties, the opposite parties have failed to deliver the possession, as agreed upon. Moreover, Greenfield Sites Management Private Limited (opposite party No. 2) has offered the “buyback option” to the complainant, which was accepted by him vide letter on April 6. Therefore, the opposite parties cannot wriggle out of the agreed terms and conditions.” The district forum also directed the opposite party to pay Rs7.5 lakh to the complainant besides Rs 10,000 as costs of litigation.


The complainant, Manish Jakhar, averred that he had executed “developer buyer agreement” with the opposite party No. 1 pertaining to industrial zone to set up a techno-knowledge park for fashion technology — “Industrial Knowledge (Fashion Technology) Park — on a piece of land measuring 13.74375 acre situated at Sector 90, SAS Nagar.


He said as per the agreement, the he was assured a lease rental income of Rs 30,000 per annum subject to maximum of Rs 45,000 per annum per unit to be paid on monthly basis by way of accounts payee cheques.


He said the opposite parties failed to start the construction and ultimately offered to purchase the unit for Rs 7.50 lakh from him. The offer was applicable after 30 months from the date of start of construction.


Thus, the complainant exercised the “buyback option” on April 6. However, the opposite party did not pay the agreed amount under the option.


The opposite parties, in their joint reply, took the preliminary objection that as per term 22 of the developer buyer agreement on December 29, 2006 any disputes arising between two parties to the agreement were to be referred to the arbitrator, hence the complaint was not maintainable.


Further, the opposite party No. 2 had no role in delivering the possession of the unit to the complainant. It was pleaded that the total sale consideration of the unit was Rs 5 lakh.


They also denied that the buyer had paid a lump sum of Rs 4.75 lakh and in that case, Rs 25,000 would be exempted.


It was also pleaded that as per the letter on December 29, 2006, the complainant had to communicate the acceptance in writing within 30 months from the date of the letter but they never received any request from the complainant.

HC suspends Sukh Ram's sentence, grants him bail

NEW DELHI: In a relief for former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, the Delhi High Court today suspended the five-year sentence awarded to him in a graft case and granted him bail.

A bench of justice Suresh Kait suspended the sentence keeping in view his old age and various ailments.

"I suspend the sentence till disposal of case," the court said.

The court released him on bail considering that he is an 86-year-old heart patient and keeping in view the medical report submitted by the Tihar Jail authorities, which said he suffered from heart diseases and cervical spondylitis.

It directed Sukh Ram to furnish two sureties of Rs 10 lakh and asked him not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court.

The CBI had opposed his bail, saying he had been convicted twice earlier and was a habitual offender.

Sukh Ram, who had held the Telecom portfolio in P.V. Narasimha Rao's Cabinet, was convicted on November 17 in a cable contract case. He was handed out a five-year jail term by Special CBI judge R. P. Pandey on November 19 and was sent to jail.

He was convicted for misusing his official position during his tenure as Telecom Minister in award of a contract worth Rs 30 crore to Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), a private firm, to supply 3.5 lakh conductor km of PIJF cables to the telecom department after taking Rs 3 lakh as bribe.

Sukh Ram had earlier been convicted in two separate corruption cases in 2002 and 2009 but remained out of jail after suspension of his sentence.