Desi In Toronto

Here are 11 runners who cheated during a marathon. A typical case would be :

4. Skip Miles 13-23: Anthony Gaskell (London, 2010)

At the 2010 London Marathon, 69-year-old Anthony Gaskell smashed records when he crossed the finish line at 3:05:00. It was the fastest time on record for his 65+ age group. But upon closer analysis of his recorded statistics, it was discovered that Gaskell supposedly ran the second half of the race (13.1 miles) in less than an hour – an impossible feat for even a world champion. It turned out he forewent running the there-and-back portion of the course entirely, skipping miles 13 – 23. Gaskell would later claim he hurt himself and was simply trying to get to the finish to receive medical attention. Nonetheless, his honorary plaque and title were revoked.

Each of the 11 cases presented above, the cheat was caught with consummate easy.  So why bother to cheat?

I know it’s easy to ask that question but I think the answers are always fairly complicated.I mean, running a marathon is a very big deal. Of those 11 cases, how many had run a marathon before and just wanted to finish and miscalculated and finished with fantastic times? I am not talking about the ones who either gave their chip away to another runner or just did not run at all. I am talking about the ones who were dedicated enough to make an attempt.

I have to confess that one I had a strong urge to cheat during my running as well. I did not do it, but almost did.

The run was the 30K Midsummer Night’s Run. The run was fairly grueling because the humidity was at around 85%. I was woefully unprepared for the run and went just because I had signed up for it. A crucial mistake I made was to switch from water to Gatorade  for my run. I never have Gatorade. Ever. And my stomach rebelled. At the 26K mark, I had to go to the bathroom and I was in for almost 10 minutes. When I came out, I realised that the bathroom was at a juncture of a loop. I could have easily walked into the bathroom at the 26K mark and come out of the bathroom at the 28K mark. And that’s what I started to do and then the little voice in my head said”what the fuck are you doing?”. I did not bother trying to answer and I turned around to complete the loop from the 26K back to the 28K mark. And then at the end of the run, I puked my guts out!

Looking back my reasoning was not to aim for the best time in the run. I was already doing awful. My reasons to cheat was to finish the run as soon as possible. But thankfully the Jiminy Cricket inside me was able to convince me that it was moronic to try and cheat. I mean, what for! So that I can tell the world I finished the run 10 minutes earlier than I actually did?

Here we go! I always look forward to these kinds of posts.

10) Hey Rosetta (Seeds)

One of the most intelligent bands from Canada. Their songs are a remarkable blend of grunge, strings and melodies. Songs are a little too long but each one carries a build up that’s hard not to rock out on.

9) Feist (Metals)

Saw her live with Broken Social Scene and what a fantastic performer! Totally rocked the crowd with her songs from The Reminder. And that’s what I was worried about. Feist would be remembered by that one album. But she proved me wrong. Metals is an excellent follow up album! There are no outstanding singles like 1234 but the whole sound is amazingly lush and quite pleasing to the ears.

8) Fucked Up (David Comes To Life)

This album is a concept album and runs for 1 and a half hours! Needless to say that you need quite a few listens before the blazing guitars and the screaming start to make some sense. However, once you get over that “hump”, the wait is totally worth it. Amazing album!

7) Yuck (Yuck)

I hear influences of Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth in this album. What drew me to this album was the emotion in the songs. And the hooks in all the songs were quite hard to miss. A band worth watching in the future.

6) The Black Keys (El Camino)

Finally an album from the Keys which does not have a single slow song!! Even the slow starting Black Submarines blasts out midway. Excellent work. I am going to see them at the Air Canada Center in March next year!!

5) TV On The Radio (Nine Types Of Light)

Another excellent album from TOTR. These guys never seem to cease to amaze me. Although this album is not as powerful as their previous work, but it’s good enough for year’s top 10!

4) The Chemical Brothers (Hanna)

This is probably the first I have put in a soundtrack on top 10. Well, it helps that the soundtrack was by one group only. I remember watching the movie and being completely mesmerised by the music in the background. It just fit in so well with the scenes. It’s mostly instrumental which means that without watching the movie, the music is meaningless.

3) Beirut (The Rip Tide)

Solid album from Beirut. Songs are seamlessly sewn together with the melodies packed on more melodies. Wonderful album and one of the few albums that my wife and daughter liked on first listen! Rarely happens.

2) Bry Webb (Provider)

After disbanding (?) the hard rocking The Constantine, Bryan Webb came out with this folk rock album inspired partly by the birth of his child. The album is a complete anti-thesis of what we have come to expect from Bryan which is why this album works so well. It’s got one of the best ‘growing old’ song I have ever heard (Ex Punks). He also provided back vocals on Feist’s album. Looks like everything he touches will turn to gold!

1) Yellow Ostrich (The Mistress)

Why I find this the outstanding album of the year is because it is so strange! I mean, how can album be haunting and catchy? Low key and bombastic. That’s how I would describe it.

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New Canadians will be required to remove veils before swearing the oath of citizenship, Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship and immigration announced on Monday.

Mr. Kenney said he had heard concern from citizenship judges that some Muslim women wearing face-covering garments may not actually be reciting the oath when taking part in the ceremony.

“They told me last month that it’s a fairly common problem. Every week, in every region of the country, we’re dealing with situations where applicants arrive with a veil on,” Mr. Kenney said. “Frankly, I found it bizarre that the rules allowed people to take the oath with a veil on.”

In recent years, the face-covering garments worn by some Muslim women have come under increasing scrutiny, as governments and courts have wrangled over when women should be allowed to cover their faces.

Mr. Kenney, who made the announcement in Montreal, dismissed questions of religious freedom.

“When Muslim women do the Haj (pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia) they’re required not to wear a veil. They’re required to show their face,” he said. “The idea this is a religious requirement I do not accept.”

Additionally, Canadian law takes precedence over religious edict, Mr. Kenney said. He also announced measures to boost language testing for new immigrants.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

So far the headline and the articles I have read are “no veils allowed during the OATH CEREMONY”. Why? After the identities have been verified, the due process of citizenship is done, why is it truly necessary for a “no veil” policy?

I have been to a citizenship ceremony. It’s a CEREMONY. Nothing really happens there except your name is called and you are handed your
citizenship certificate and you may get your photograph taken with the judge. There are usually 300 people at the ceremony. Do we need ceremony monitors to ensure all the 300 people are reciting the oath? If saying the oath is so important, may I suggest that we recite the oath individually in front of the judge? That would make far more sense. But the armchair patriots want to throw up a tantrum over the fact that some from the crowd of 300 or so are not reciting the oath hence they are not Canadians! Absolute crock!

It’s this kind of stupid jingoism by the Tories that makes me cringe.