For hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike, HBO's 24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic is a must-see.

It gives everyone the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the NHL and its players.

In the first episode, Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov philosophizes about the universe.

He says, "Solar system is so humangous big, right? ...If you see our solar system, it was so small, you can't even see our galaxy." He then concludes his thoughts by saying, "So don't worry, be happy."

The series takes fans right into the lockerroom, where you can see coaches pumping up their teams and players bonding. This includes the Flyers' victory dance, something all of the players get into.

It also takes you on the ice, since players are mic'd. You can hear the chirps, the words of appreciation among teammates and the cheers from the players themselves.

But the show also humanizes the players.

Another part shows Rangers captain Peter Callahan meeting his grandmother after a game. His grandmother quickly tells him that a penalty he received in the game wasn't his fault and that if she could, she'd go down to the ref and tell him herself.

So if you want a different look at hockey, be sure to check it out. Be warned though: there is a lot of cursing.

There was a tray of moustache cookies being passed around as city councillors took their seats at City Hall on Nov. 29. Along with the men, many women councillors were adorning moustaches and a big striped blue tie, marking the end of Movember.

“Movember Canada encourages men to grow a moustache for 30 days during the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer,” Mayor Rob Ford explained. “Participants are dedicated to the elimination of prostate cancer through research, education, support and survivorship.”

 According to Prostate Cancer Canada, 25,500 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 alone. As such, Movember participants strive to raise awareness about the disease.

“Together these fine ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sistas’ start conversations about men’s health and dedicate themselves to the appreciation of a fine moustachery,” Ford said.

“Therefore I, Mayor Rob Ford, on behalf of Toronto city council do hereby proclaim November 2011 as Movember in the city of Toronto.”

The city council Movember group, the Moliticans, raised $7,029.

Councillor Mike Layton, the son of late Jack Layton who suffered from prostrate cancer, raised $1,170, the most among his peers. According to his Movember profile, he participated in Movember for his mo-father and mo-grandfather.

Like Mike Layton, Councillor Paula Fletcher’s motivation was also to honour Jack Layton. Her Movember profile picture is a photo of her with a photoshopped NDP-orange moustache. Fletcher raised the most among women Moliticians with $320. However like other women at City Hall, she had problems adorning her stick-on ‘stache on the day of Ford’s proclamation, as it kept falling off.
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It was a typical Friday night as I wondered what I was doing up at 3 am on Twitter of all places. Suddenly, Ken Berger, NBA insider from CBS Sports, tweeted: “Tentative agreement reached, according to one of the negotiators” for the NBA lockout.

I was skeptical and quickly remembered when Ron Artest tweeted the same thing a few weeks ago as a joke. However, reporters from major news outlets such as the New York Times and the Miami Herald soon confirmed this. An hour later, the news was up on the official NBA website.

“All I feel right now is ‘Finally,’” Dwayne Wade told the Associated Press. “Finally”—a word that sums up how everyone with an interest in the NBA feels right now.

So after 149 days, the NBA will begin preparing itself for a 66-game season.

“We're optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25,” Commissioner David Stern said. Training camp will be starting as soon as Dec. 9.

National Post writer Bruce Arthur put it best: “Somewhere a lot of players just jumped on a treadmill and got to sweating the bacon out.”

It was a mere month ago when NDP leader Jack Layton announced he was taking a short break from politics so he could focus on recovering from cancer.

“I’m fighting cancer now, so I can fight for families in September,” he announced on July 25 to his 100,000+ followers on Twitter.

However Layton passed away at the age of 61 in his Toronto home, surrounded by loved ones.

He approached his battle with cancer using the same positive outlook he used in politics.

“I am as hopeful and optimistic about all of this as I was the day I began my political work, many years ago,” Layton said. “I am hopeful and optimistic about the personal battle that lies before me in the weeks to come.”

The NDP leader with the seemingly permanent smile under his bushy mustache strove to change the face of politics.

“If I have tried to bring anything to federal politics, it is the idea that hope and optimism should be at their heart,” he said.

In his final tweet, he thanked everyone for their well wishes.

“Thank you. I will fight this – and beat it.”

Nearly nine million people from Somalia, Kenya and Ethopia have been hit by the worst drought in 60 years, which is not only destroying crops and livestock, but also leading to a massive hike in food prices.

Although we’re geographically far from this problem, there is still a lot that we can do for our brothers and sisters from the comfort of our own homes.

The “30 Days of Change” project is an initiative started up to raise funds for this. Throughout the month of August, people are setting aside empty cans and collecting change. After 30 days, the cans will be collected and given to Islamic Relief Horn of Africa Appeal.

You can sign up here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVHaUlEaDBmUHJLTXZpLThRTmV5a0E6MQ.

A little from your end can go a long way for them. Even though Ramadan is half done, it’s not too late to start this.

If you prefer to donate directly, you can do so here: http://donations.islamic-relief.com/donate/t_signin.asp.

Remember that “charity does not in any way decrease wealth.” (Sahih Muslim)

When I was still in first year, a couple of my classes ended late. This meant that during Ramadan, I had to break my fast in class or on the bus. Once, however, I completely forgot to take any food or drinks with me, nor did I have any money. As I was waiting on the subway platform for my bus, it dawned on me that it was Maghrib time. Just a few seconds after that, a young man approached me and asked me if I was Muslim. I laughed at his question, given that I’m a hijabi and said that yes, I was. He then asked me if I was fasting and again I told him that I was. He told me that it was time to open the fast and he hadn’t seen me eat or drink anything. After I told him that I forgot to bring anything with me, he immediately offered me his iftar, which he had just purchased from the subway coffee store. He had chocolate milk and a croissant and generously told me to pick whichever one I wanted.


The young man, like myself, had been fasting for the entire day. For someone who was obviously hungry, he didn’t even think twice before offering me his iftar. To me, this is the true essence of Ramadan. Although most of us spend the day waiting for iftar so that we could devour pakoray, samosas, fruit chaat and just about everything else in sight, Ramadan is about giving up these indulgences. This is a time when we’re essentially supposed to train ourselves for the rest of the year. This means more than giving up food; it means perfecting our characters and bringing ourselves closer to Allah subhana wa ta’ala through our actions.

Even little acts of kindness like this can go a long way. Along with praying and fasting, may we all make the most of this Ramadan inshaAllah through our actions and act charitably towards one another.

Since Ramadan is right around the corner, here’s a review of some of my favourite Islamic websites:

http://beta.quran.com/en/1/1-7/#1/

This is an online Quran with several English translations and translations in many languages, By selecting the word-for-word option, hovering over any Arabic word with your mouse will produce a translation.

http://www.islamicfinder.org/

You can use Islamic Finder to check prayer times and download the Athan Software, which gives notifications whenever it’s time to pray.

http://www.kalamullah.com/

Kalamullah has a great database of online books, articles, videos and lectures featuring many topics.

http://www.quranexplorer.com/

This is another great online Quran, with both translation and recitations with different reciters.

Feel free to share your own favourites in the comment section so that we can all benefit from them inshaAllah.

When we first make new friends, we have no way of knowing how they will change our lives. At around this time last year, I had the pleasure of meeting someone who still influences me today. We did not see each other every day, nor did we talk often. Yet the brief time I spent with her made all the difference. Sadly, it has been half a year since her family and friends lost her to a hard-fought battle against cancer.

Kirran Shoaib was the type of person that you met and instantly fell in love with. Within seconds, she had you smiling. Just the first time I met her, she had introduced me to her entire family through the photos she proudly showed off on her phone.

She was so strong that despite how sick she got and how grim her future looked, she always stayed positive. She never gave up and continued fighting her sickness. Even up until those last moments, she talked about the things she would do when she got better. While her friends and family worried about what was to come, she took it upon herself to crack jokes and make everyone smile.

These brief encounters with her have been amongst the most meaningful in my life. The love she had for her family teaches us to never be unappreciative of our own. Her optimism while fighting cancer shows us that we should never give up, regardless of how big of an obstacle we might think we’re facing. And her selflessness up until the very end is exemplary of how we should all live.

Kirran means light and I cannot think of a name more fitting for someone who did just that – bring light into the lives of everyone around her.

Five months have passed, but her memory is as alive as ever. Please remember Kirran and her family in your duas.

According to a new Toronto Star investigation, road tolls and congestion charges will be required to support the upcoming $4 billion Sheppard subway line.

Although the mayor had initially promised that the new subway lines would not cost taxpayers, according to former TTC commission Gordon Chong, who was selected by Rob Ford to oversee the details in the plan, depending on the private sector isn’t a realistic option.

Even though the Star’s poll indicates there is opposition on the part of Toronto’s citizens against the idea of using tolls for the DVP or Gardiner, it also indicates that the opposition is less strong when taking into account that the money will be used towards public transit.

Gordon Chong has been commended by other politicians for speaking out about this issue.

It’s important for us to always try and better ourselves. As such, taking good advice from
others is crucial. At the same time, if you see that someone you know can use your advice,
it’s equally important to help them. However, there is a certain way in which the nasiha
(advice) should be given.

Sincere intention: As with every other action,  your intention before advising
someone should be sincere. If you’re doing it to make yourself look better than the other
person or to simply make the other person look bad, there’s really no point.

Give the nasiha privately: Failure to do so will embarrass the person you’re trying to help.
Furthermore, remember that if you hide the flaws of others, Allah subhana wa ta’ala will
safeguard yours.

Be kind: “Kindness is not to be found in anything but that it adds to its beauty, and it is not
withdrawn from anything but it makes it defective.” [Muslim] If your words are harsh, the
person is more likely to get offended than he or she is to heed the advice.

The most important thing to remember is that you should treat others the way you would want to be
treated—give advice in the same manner that you would want to hear it, and in such a way
that the person understands the point that you’re trying to make and that you mean well.