TRADING SEX FOR SUPERBOWL GLORY!

Is football a pass-time or an addiction? What's more important to you.. 'doin' the nasty' or watching football??

Who Needs Medals Anyway?

We're already into Day 8 of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 'true north' has been anything but 'strong and free' so far.  Well, free of medals maybe!  As of today, a total of 52 countries have won at least one Olympic medal in China.  Heck, even Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Togo and Azerbaijan have made the medal count list.  Borat's home country of Kazakhstan have 2 silver and 2 bronze to brag about!

The world is watching and despite being one of the most beloved countries on the planet, Canada still has nothing to show for it. Is it really that big of a deal?  I mean, 4 years of training for the chance to compete in a few events isn't much is it?  Sometimes, the integrity of sportsmanship and fair play can be more impressive than winning a gold medal.  

But, what is a gold medal really worth?  Here's what I found..

According to the Olympic Charter, each gold medal must contain SIX grams of gold.  Right now, the current price of gold is about $26.50 US per gram.  That works out to about $160 US worth of gold.  

But, gold medals actually contain about 92.5% silver!  Right now, silver is worth around $15 US per ounce.  If you do the math, the value of the silver in a gold medal works out to about $60 US.

That makes a grand total value of $220 US for 4 years of rigorous physical training, mental anguish and sincere dedication.  But, the bragging rights are priceless!

GO CANADA.. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Runnin' Wild In Montreal.. A Night With Airbourne!

It was my 29th birthday this past Thursday. I've never really made much of a fuss on the anniversary of my arrival on this beautiful planet, but this time there was something new and exciting happening. After years of waiting for a new AC/DC album that would blow my ears out, along came their Australian reincarnates.. Airbourne!

 

Listening to their international debut Runnin' Wild is like the adrenaline rush you get from a kick in the junk with a mouthful of beer while free-falling at 50,000 feet! Songs like "Stand Up For Rock And Roll" and the title-track serve as the gospel according to Airbourne. Gettin' drunk, havin’ fun and rockin' out!

Finally! Cupcakes are "IN" for '08.. now we can all get fat again!

Can someone please explain to me where these declarations of "In & Out" are coming from? After every celebration of the new year, it seems a secret gathering of pop-culture gnomes, emerging from the lawns of Hollywood trend-setters, assemble to decide what should be 'cool' this year is that word 'out' now? and what should be tossed in the recycling bin. And, I say "recycling bin" (instead of trash), because it seems there haven't really been any 'new trends' in the past decade or so. Every time I turn my head, they decide to bring back something that was swept under the rug by a previous generation. We've seen the return of bell-bottom jeans, aviator sunglasses, knee-high socks, khaki and cargo pants over the years, to name a few. Why do we still call them 'designers' if they're not really designing anything? The lack of creativity in Hollywood isn't surprising though. Look at television for instance.. the past decade has been ruled by reality shows that write themselves. Lets put a bunch of people on an island and let them run around all day, then take credit for it. Idiots. Even sweater-vests à la Mr. Rogers are back for 2008. At least you'll finally mean it when you say, "Thanks for the sweater Grandma!"

Take 2 - Musician's Against Drunk Driving Fundraiser This Sunday!

Hey Friends!

Due to the massive snow storm on December 16th, no one besides the performers, volunteers and bar staff attended the fundraising event I helped organize last month. We had hoped to raise funds (and awareness) for a young lady and Montrealer named Maggie who's life was shattered by a drunk driver only weeks before moving to her new home in California with a new job as a writer for Surfer Magazine.

Some friends tried to convince me to cancel the show, but I was never a quitter, so we went ahead as scheduled. At around 9pm, we were just jamming for fun and were about to pack up our things, when in walked a band from Tennessee called 'Paramore'.. kind of an Avril Lavigne vibe, minus the sappy ballads. They had just come off the stage at Club Soda and were staying at the hotel across the street. There were no more than a dozen of them, including crew members, but they gave us a reason to keep playing for the rest of the night. A few of them even joined us to jam on stage and after hearing about Maggie's unfortunate story and the reason we had gathered to perform that night, they began walking up to the donation box, one by one. They signed the guest book and donated beyond anyone's expectations.

Musicians Against Drunk Driving - Maggie Fundraiser

Happy Holidays y'all..

Most of you probably don't know this yet, but your buddy Bilal has an alter-ego! A musical poet who takes over after midnight, wandering the endless road of acoustic folk music under the moniker Billy Brown. I've been a musician since my later high school years and take songwriting very seriously. I use it as a creative outlet to express some of the things that can't be translated through the airwaves or Facebook graffitti!

On that note.. I'll be playing a live acoustic show (mostly originals + a few covers) as Billy Brown this Sunday night at Ye Olde Orchard Pub downtown as part of a fundraiser for a young lady and friend who's life changed drastically 2 weeks ago when she was hit head-on by a drunk driver in Nova Scotia. Maggie recently found her dream job as a writer for Surfer Magazine in California.. moved to San Diego where she met her fiancé Doran and was set to be married. She had finally found her place and was just starting her new life when it all came crashing down on her way from the airport to visit her dad in the maritimes.

Mama.. I Want A Taser For Christmas!

If you can't ban them.. buy 'em. That's what our neighbours to the south are doing. Believe it or not, these ridiculous death-machines that resemble your cordless shaver can deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity through a human being's body through controlled bursts and they're LEGAL in most states. Lucky for us, its illegal for Canadian civilians to purchase or own one. However, like many other vices and illegal substances in the world, you can probably find them if you look hard enough. So, why would you want a taser anyway? One simple reason.. to give 'Officer Ego' a reason to pull his gun on you! I've never read the RCMP handbook on protocols or procedures, but I'm pretty sure that if you pulled out a taser on a cop who was about to tase you.. he or she would drop it, reach for the 9 and bust a cap in your general direction. Actually, the way things are going, you would probably be twitching on the ground like a slice of bacon frying on MAX before you even knew you were being arrested. Personally, I'd much rather be shot in the leg than be hit with the skin/clothing piercing tongs of a taser weapon.

A Nation Of Wimps.. Coming Soon To A Future Near You!

The struggle for human equality goes back hundreds and even thousands of years. We've seen modern civilization cross the thresholds of racism thanks to the help of certain key figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and even Abe Lincoln put the wheels in motion that eventually abolished slavery in the United States. From the feminist movements for equal rights between men and women to the anti-war protests of Vietnam, the majority of our planet's inhabitants have always been behind the idea of equality. Its truly a beautiful thing when you think about it. However, there is a limit to everything in life and I think this time they're going a little too far.

Day 1: Quest To Be The Best..

Ok, so I was told that a 'blog' is supposed to contain your thoughts and opinions on certain subjects or simply a place where you can get your thoughts out! Back to the idea of freedom of speech I guess. So, here's what I was thinking the other day.. and you can call me cocky, conceded or crazy for all I care! However, if you look at most of the successful people in this world, they were either discouraged or ridiculed throughout their climb to the top, but they never let it distract them and neither will yours truly. I knew at a very young age that I was destined to be great at something in this world and I truly believe that everyone is.. most of us just don't see it in us to pursue the dream! I wrote a song once called 'Last Child' about the prodigal son sent down to save the world from war, racism and corruption. That's what I had envisioned as my purpose in life at the time because I do believe its a possibility to stop all the madness! The problem is, even if you have the answer to the world's problems.. no one will listen to you unless you are important enough. At first, I tried to achieve success through music, which hasn't worked out for me yet, but right now its clear that I have a green light to make it happen in radio.. so why not?

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007

Say kids! We're getting a flashy new website soon, so I apologize for those who haven't seen my superhero face yet.. its coming! Haha! Yeah right, dream on Bilal! 

First off.. let's take the time to remember the victims of this tragic occasion 6 years ago. I feel the utmost pain and sympathy for the families who lost their loved ones that day. Whether they were victims of a terrorist cell operating off the radar or a government ploy to create havoc and put a certain idea in the minds of their people.. they are still victims and should not be forgotten!