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5 things you absolutely must know today

Every morning, we scour the Internet and vet what we believe are the five things you absolutely need to know for the day. Join this mailing list to receive 5 things you absolutely must know today every morning, Monday to Friday.

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Tony and Cheri Blair send out ‘fabulously awkward’ Christmas card

“Fabulously awkward,” read one reaction to Tony and Cherie Blair’s recently releases Christmas card. “Menacingly odd,” reads another. “The strange thing about Tony Blair’s Christmas Card is how the teeth seem to follow you round the room,” said one person on Twitter. According to the BBC, the Blair’s have a storied past when it comes to Christmas cards, from rebuke for including their children to criticism for how uncomfortable the whole family looked. I like “fabulously awkward.” [Source: BBC]

Ontario family kept dead father/husband locked in room hoping for resurrection

Kaling Wald and her six children kept their dead husband/father locked in his bedroom for six months, hoping God would resurrect him. God didn’t. Peter Wald died of complications related to untreated diabetes. The Wald’s chose to heal him with prayer instead of traditional medicine. Police, when evicting them for defaulting on their mortgage, reported that the Wald’s had covered the vents and the door to block the smell. Peter died in March and was discovered in September of this year. Kaling pleaded guilty to failing to notify authorities of the death. The Children’s Aid Society called in to investigate but found no concerns. [Source: Death and Taxes]

Hockey legend Jean Béliveau dies at 83

Hockey legend, Montreal Canadiens legend, Jean Béliveau passed away Tuesday night. He was 83. Béliveau won 10 Stanley Cups, was known as a gentleman, and in 1994 was offered to become Canada’s Governor General, a station he turned down due to health and family problems. “Jean Beliveau was a great leader, a gentleman and arguably the greatest ambassador our game has ever known,” Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. And he was a statesman, recalls former teammate Gilles Tremblay. “Meeting him is not like meeting other stars from the old days,” he said. “When people see Bobby Hull, they say: ‘Hi Bobby.’ When they meet Big Jean, it’s always: ‘Hi, Mr.Béliveau.’ He commands respect. Béliveau played hockey from 1950 – 1971. [Source: CBC]

Newest sexual assault allegation against Bill Cosby comes from a then 15-year-old

Now 55-year-old Judy Huth is suing Bill Cosby for allegedly sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15. The lawsuit claims sexual battery and the infliction of emotional distress. About 21 women in total have come forward against Cosby in the last few weeks. Cosby met Huth and her then 16-year-old friend at a filming. He invited them to a tennis club where they drank and played pool. The court documents claim Cosby stipulated the girl he was playing drink every time he won a game. He then invited them to Hugh Hefner’s where he led Huth to a bedroom and molested her, allegedly. Cosby, like Jian Ghomeshi, has been quiet amid the firestorm of accusations. Strategically so, it seems. But strategy in the face of allegations of this nature seems suspicious. In fact, anything but admission of guilt – or, at least, addressing the allegations – and a plea for help seems suspicious. ‘Alleged’ is a powerful word, and it’s the one both Ghomeshi and Cosby are clinging to. [Source: Guardian]

North Korean leader demands to be the only Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un has ordered to be the only so named. Anyone who shares his name has to change it, according to South Korean media. The edict is stale, from 2011, but has only now been made public. No newborn can be given the name, and the birth certificates of those already holding it should be changed. Such orders were common in ancient Chinese dynasties and the neighbouring Confucians, reports the BBC. [Source: BBC]

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Follow Toban Dyck at @tobandyck.

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