Charlie "exploded like a balloon full of meat".

Monday evening marked the first episode of Two and a Half Men without Charlie Sheen. The opening scene is Alan giving the eulogy at Charlie's funeral.  Yes, Charlie's drinking and smoking days are finally over, and the woman at his funeral listed the different STI's they contracted after being with him.  Don't worry Charlie, your mother was there to.... Make a mid-ceremony announcement of your house listing.... Open house is Saturday.  How did he die you might ask?  He was with his new wife Rose, when he slipped and fell in front of an oncoming train... Probably no connection that she caught him in the shower with another woman the night before.... So anyways, Charlie's ashes are in a vase.. Which Alan spills all over the place when Ashton Kutcher playing Walden, pears through the back porch door and scares the bejesus out of him.  Kutcher plays a heartbroken Internet billionaire and played it quite well I think.  He seems comfortable in the role and reminds of his old character Kelso from 'that 70's show', which I really dig.  As a fan of the show before Charlie went completely off of his rocker, I like the fit of Kutcher in the cast.  It'll be interesting to see the new character dynamics and interaction with Kutcher, but overall, I don't see the show missing a beat.  I predict the shows popularity will rise even higher with the likable Kutcher as a lead in the cast.

On the other channel was Charlie Sheens Comedy Central Roast.  A bunch of B-list celebrities, and William Shatner, making fun of each other in the most grotesque way.  It was funny.  But gross humor takes a lot less talent and it showed.  At the end of the day, Charlie took it like a champ, and good for him.  Might be the last time we see him on TV... God willing.

Welcome to Winnipeg, where the taxes are high and the keys to the city don't matter!

Seems like Sam Katz is handing out keys to the city like the points on 'whose line it anyway?'. Another key to the city was given to canadian NBA all star Steve Nash for his sports service and his charity work. But here is my concern: what has he done for Winnipeg, specifically? This comes just after a key was given to Jerry Seinfeld for just showing up to our fine city and telling a few jokes, and only a few months after Gene Simmons got the key as well. Is Winnipeg a key whore? What's up with the city giving a key to the city to every celebrity that makes an appearance? The concerning thing to me is that if the city continues giving out keys to the city to every celebrity who makes an appearance in Winnipeg, but hasn't done anything tangible for this city, the key to city will become much like the point on 'whose line is it anyway?', where the points don't matter, and soon, neither will the keys to the city. It is my opinion that the key to the city should be reserved for true Winnipeg heroes, people who do work for the community and are leaders in the city. There are many people more worthy of receiving a key to the city than Gene Simmons. Would you disagree? I think were whoring Winnipeg out to the world, maybe looking for some world recognition or publicity, but in my eyes it backfires and looks cheap; like we're just handing them away like candy in a grade 4 classroom. Sure, I love Steve Nash and the charity work that he does, not to mention his sports pedigree, but this comes just after them like of Jerry Seinfeld and Gene Simmons and leaves me thinking: really? What do you think? Are these people worthy of a key to the city. If not, who is?

Cobourg cadet receives award for service about self

The original link: http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3243481

By BRENDYN BIALEK

COBOURG -A senior army cadet from Cobourg received a coin of excellence from the Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer (CFCWO), Robert Cléroux, during a visit to The Rocky Mountain National Army Cadet Summer Training Centre (RMNACSTC) with Admiral J.J. Bennett on July 19.

Katherine Barron, 16, Cadet Sergeant at the 88 Cobourg Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps (RCACC), is the only staff cadet at RMNACSTC with two official roles in the camp, both in operations and public affairs support.

Barron provided public affairs support for Bennett's visit to the centre, about 75 km northwest of Calgary, by interviewing her and taking photos throughout the day, as she rock climbed with the cadets and watched them kayak in the Kananaskis River.

It was Barron's first taste of journalism, and she excelled at it, as witnessed by the fact that she was on a short list, perhaps even the first on the list, of cadets to be awarded a coin of excellence for 'service before self ' from one of the highest ranking officers in the Canadian Forces Reserves.

"It was awesome," she said. "I was really surprised, and the coin was pretty shocking.

"I couldn't think of any other cadet with this coin, so it felt really unique."
A unique moment came when she also trekked up Mt. Everest this past year.

Besides the shock and honour of receiving the prestigious coin, Barron enjoyed the experience of being in the field and covering the admiral's visit to Rocky Mountain.

"I definitely learned more about journalism -- how to report what's going on, making sure to capture the action," Barron said.

"I liked it a lot. It was really fun. It felt like a challenge, trying to get the information people want to hear, get the pictures that are good -- stuff like that."

As one of the top army cadets in the country, Barron was selected to be a staff member at the national summer training centre in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Barron will return to Cobourg in mid-August and bring her shiny new coin to show off to all of her friends and fellow cadets at the 88 Cobourg RCACC.

For pictures of cadets at the summer training centre and their amazing summer adventures, please visit www.rockymountaincadets. smugmug.com.

Welcome to the Voice of Reason

Hello CreComm mafia.  Pleasure to meet you.  My name is Brendyn, the writer for sovereign vision.  This is a new blogging venture for myself.  I had a blog last year called "The Bee's Knee's", but I felt it was time for a change.  I want Sovereign Vision: Winnipeg to represent the topics I will be covering.  What will I be covering on this blog you ask? Well, EVERYTHING!! Anything that is interesting that I want to write about and I think other people, and especially my fellow Crecomm's, would enjoy reading about.  This includes: Politics, sports, current issues, philosophy, local events, and controversial topics as well as articles I complete in class or i've done freelancing. So join me as Sovereign Vision: Winnipeg tries to keep the sanity in a world that has spun off its axis.  Comment often and let the debate/discussion begin!