NHL Referee Facing Possible Demotion For Questionable Calls

VANCOUVER-- The National Hockey is considering investigating the allegations of Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows against referee Stephane Auger for the questionable officiating calls made by the ref during the third period of the hockey game on January 11, 2010 against the Nashville Predators.

After this recent incident involving Burrows and the allegation that Auger made two "phantom" penalty calls against the feisty Vancouver player, the referree is at risk of disciplinary action from the NHL and the NHLOA (National Hockey League Officials Association). It is quite possible that as a result of his actions, Auger could lose one of his stripes.

The Holidays Are Approaching Faster Than My Paycheques

It can be said that there aren't enough paydays in the year to allow for us to pay for the things we need, buy the things we want, and save for the things that we will probably never be able to afford. But while we scrape and pinch and save as much as we can, clicking the buttons on our online banking accounts in order to cover our rent, and keep our house in heating for another month, we are never truly prepared for the onset of the holidays, and the associated costs of Christmas.

Now while most of us can budget for the Christmas season, where it's within our means to afford ourselves the luxury of a Christmas turkey, a couple of litres of eggnog, and presents under the Christmas tree, there are those unfortunate souls who get wrapped up in their monthly expenses that they are truly unprepared for the financial costs that December brings every year. We max out our credit cards buying that someone special for someone special, we tend to get caught up in the festivities, whether it's shopping, socializing, or just getting our homes ready for Santa Claus. Those of us who mire ourselves in debt find ourselves reaching out to costly services from payday loan companies, or putting ourselves into overdraft at our bank.

Winning at online slots isn't the same as playing cribbage with your grandmother

I have always been a fan of the local casinos, and have been since I was a little kid learning how to win hard candies from my grandmother playing cribbage, whist, and gin rummy. While none of the casinos I visit now play for candy, the thrill of winning is still there, and playing the card tables always reminds me of those childhood games.

Well, I'm grown up now, and the casino games are for grown-ups. And because of my own family commitments, I don't always have the time to slip out to the casino for a few hands of poker or blackjack, and playing against my own kids while satisfying in a parental way, doesn't quite give me the same thrill. But fortunately I have the Internet, and after the kids have gone to bed, I can always sneak (I don't really need to sneak) downstairs and log-in to an Internet casino where I can play online casino games at my leisure.

While there isn't the same ambiance and atmosphere available in my computer room that there is in the plush-carpet settings of the local casino, I'm still able to enjoy the same competitive gaming playing online blackjack, Texas Holdem poker, or online slots. It's easy, convenient, and I can play for as long or as little as I like.

Are Celebrity Rehabilitation Stories Worth Wining About?

I've never really understood the complex world of Hollywood, or the business behind celebrities. I always thought that the actors and actresses earned their popularity based on how well they acted in the movies, and not based on how many magazine covers on which their faces appeared. I guess I was naive for believing that movies stars were the stars of movies.

There was always a peculiarity in the way that some waning star always seemed to appear in a timely alcohol rehab article, and their admission of substance abuse just before the release of a major motion picture. I always believed that the merit of the movie trailers was supposed to generate the hype and the excitement surrounding a new film, and not the actor's weakness for absinthe and vicodin.