Archive for March 19th, 2010

Thunder annihilate woeful Raptors

Written by on Friday, March 19th, 2010 in Latest News.

Toronto's Chris Bosh, right, tries to get by Oklahoma City's Nick Collison during Friday's game at the Air Canada Centre.Toronto’s Chris Bosh, right, tries to get by Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison during Friday’s game at the Air Canada Centre. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

The Toronto Raptors’ drive for the playoffs stalled once again, as the Oklahoma City Thunder came into town and blasted the home team 115-89 on Friday night.

Turnovers and second-chance points killed Toronto from the opening tip, a storyline that has become all too familiar for Raptor fans.

The Raptors turned the ball over early and often, coughing up the ball four times in the first five minutes, and recording 20 turnovers in the game. Oklahoma City took advantage of the Toronto miscues and their soft play on the glass.

The Thunder slashed through the paint untouched for most of the night, and when they did miss a shot, they outworked the Toronto defenders for the rebound, grabbing 19 offensive boards. Oklahoma City had 27 second-chance points, compared with four for the Raptors.

The game was out of reach early on, with the Thunder outscoring the Raptors 39-25 after the first quarter, building an insurmountable 71-44 lead at halftime.

Oklahoma’s Kevin Durant led the way with 31 points. Chris Bosh had 22 points for Toronto.

The Raptors have lost six of their last seven games, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

Toronto entered the day with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot.

B.C. avalanche kills snowmobiler

Written by on Friday, March 19th, 2010 in Latest News.

An area west of the central B.C. town of Revelstoke, above, was the scene of another fatal avalanche Friday. An area west of the central B.C. town of Revelstoke, above, was the scene of another fatal avalanche Friday. (Alan Silvester)

One snowmobiler has died and two others were injured in an avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C., the second fatal slide involving snowmobilers in the area in seven days.

“At this time, RCMP confirm one person is deceased and two injured,” .

“Rescuers are currently attempting to determine the size and number of the original group,” said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.

The B.C. Coroners Service has also been advised and commenced its investigation, Moskaluk said

The avalanche — in the Eagle Pass area 15 kilometres west of Revelstoke — was of considerable size, police said.

Another major slide on March 13 — also in the Revelstoke area — killed two Alberta snowmobilers and injured 31 others as a group of 200 spectators watched an unofficial snowmobile event called the Huge Iron Shootout.

King Ralph reigns on new game show

Written by on Friday, March 19th, 2010 in Latest News.

Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein is featured in a new game show that airs on the Crossroads Television System network this weekend.Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein is featured in a new game show that airs on the Crossroads Television System network this weekend. (John Ulan/Canadian Press)

Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein will be handing out his signature “Ralph Bucks” on a new game show that airs this weekend — except this time, people won’t really be able to cash them in.

Klein will appear on a show called On the Clock on the Crossroads Television System network, which is available across Alberta and Ontario on cable and nationwide via satellite.

The format is simple: three Alberta “experts” — a Calgary city councillor, a columnist and a radio host — are questioned questions on public policy, both serious and lighthearted, such as “How would you rewrite the national anthem?” or “List the benefits of global warming.”

Klein, who is shown perched on a golden throne, evaluates the candid responses and awards Ralph Bucks to the contestants whose answers he found the best. The Ralph Bucks have no monetary value, but the person who has the most of them at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Ralph Bucks is what people dubbed the $400 rebate cheques Klein handed out to Albertans when he was premier and the province’s coffers were bursting with revenue from the oil industry.

“It’s a game show/talk show hybrid,” says Josh Groberman, the show’s producer and co-host.

“Ralph is hilarious. This is the best Ralph has ever been. He is raw, unedited, and you can tell when you watch the show that he had a lot of fun making this program.”

More than 2 years in the making

Klein, who was a television reporter before he entered politics, has never been one to shy away from the cameras. Nor has he been one to mince words.

As premier, his fumbling frankness often got him into distress, but it also endeared him to a large cross-section of the Alberta populace.

Groberman said he approached Klein about doing some sort of television show after he retired as premier in 2006. It took 2 ½ years to develop the format that will air Saturday night (10 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. MT).

CTS was launched in 1998 in Burlington, Ont., and markets itself as a network offering family-friendly programs with messages of hope.

Its lineup includes re-runs of Small House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, as well as religious programs such as 100 Huntley Street.

CTS has committed to two episodes of On the Clock. The second one will air at the same time next Saturday. The network will then evaluate the response before committing to any more episodes.



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