Who says the dead space between Christmas and New Year’s is slow on news?

1 LONG-HAIRED, NO-GOOD HIPPIE CREEPS Members of Team Canada at the world junior hockey championship aren’t allowed beards or long hair. Hockey Canada’s senior director Scott Salmond told Postmedia News: “[O]ne thing we said to them is, ‘There’s a reason why you wear a suit to the game — because you’re going to work, and when most people in the real world go to work, they shave.’” In other news, I’m still trying to remember not to wear shirts with cuss words on them to work.

2 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK IS SAFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The Library of Congress has announced the 25 films that will be added to the National Film Registry this year.

3 CANADA IS LIVING IN THE FUTURE A Globe and Mail article suggests that Canadians are on their Internet game more than many, many other countries. For one, we’re apparently number one in YouTube views per capita. Do your part to help us keep our top spot by watching this video of a Russian baby driving a car.

4 QUACKERY Steve Francis, the three-time NBA all-star who refused to play for the Vancouver Grizzlies when they drafted him his rookie year, has left the Beijing Ducks after playing in only four games. For one of the four, Francis even left the stadium midway through the game.

5 ABOUT AS BAD AS A PERSONAL LAND DISPUTE CAN GO In Italy, a fight between two neighboring families was settled in a way reminiscent of so many Coen Brothers movies.

6 AND THE FUTURE IS HERE Saskatchewan kids prepare themselves for possible lives in politics. No word on potential Riders in their ranks. Side note: I like that the idea of granting citizenship to artificial intelligence is a “light” topic of discussion. With any luck, at least one of these kids will bring up Battlestar Galactica.

BONUS The Comics Curmudgeon pointed out this great Mary Worth panel, really showing why dying newspaper comics are worth following: