For the past few weeks, I’ve been going out on the pond for two hours of pickup hockey on Sunday afternoons. This is the first winter I’ve kept it up for more than two weekends in total. Now, while I’m having a lot of fun out there, and getting better each time –as perhaps would be attested to by the increasing number of times I am managing stick-puck contact and the decreasing number of times I am forced to perform a butt-ice contact– I am certain I wouldn’t be a welcomed addition to any team playing in the World Pond Hockey Championship, which is held every winter in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Canada. This year, the championship attracted 120 teams from every Canadian province, as well as 23 U.S. states, and such countries as England, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and -get this- Egypt! Naturally, I was curious… I know Egypt is quite good in field hockey, but pond hockey? I mean, there are quite a few more fields –as few as they are– than there are frozen ponds.

Turns out the contact person for the team “from” Cairo is a Mr Schofield, Bill. Hardly an Egyptian name, I’d say… So, unless, the name was lost in translation from something like ostaaz Bilal Shafiee, the Egyptian connection is still a mystery to me.

CBCtelevision has been running promos for the upcoming sitcom: Little Mosque on the Prairie, which premieres Tuesday Jan 9th at 2030 EST on CBC. The clips suggest that it could be funny. I am definitely going to tune in, but I’m hoping it’ll only be a half-hour affair, cause the time slot at 2100 is currently reserved by House.

update (Jan 11th): I watched the premiere last night, and it is quite funny — sitcom funny.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has elected Dr Ingrid Mattson (a woman) as its (first woman) president. This is news, of course, because she’s a woman. She is also Canadian born, and a revert. But let’s go back to the woman part. After all, the message I see emphasized here is that there is no glass ceiling in Islam, or at least in ISNA. Now, obviously, I have no way of knowing the electoral’s electorate’s intentions. So let me assume the best, and hope that this is not just for show. After all (from what I could tell watching her interviews on faith and values after 9-11, and The News Hour after the Denmark cartoons) she’s obviously an intelligent woman, with a great attitude and reasonable ideas. (She’s also a UWaterloo alumni, with a BA in philosophy.)

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier to the cbc:

“Opening a Tim Hortons to serve our troops in Afghanistan strengthens an already superb relationship between two great Canadian institutions. I would like to thank Tim Hortons for their endless support of the Canadian Forces over the years.”

Awesome! Now, they wouldn’t mind staying a bit longer…