For starters, a big "sorry" for not posting recently. The wife and I are buying a house at the end of month, so between that, graduations, and overall busy-ness; I haven't been posting.
As for my first round predictions: 5-3 in the first round isn't horrible, but it isn't very good either. The Pens, Thrashers and Flames all disappointed me, but to be fair, I did have all three series going 6 or 7 games.
As far as the second round, on my honor, I went 3-1 with the only series I didn't correctly pick being the Red Wings-Sharks. Anaheim-San Jose would've been nice for California hockey fans and would probably goose interest on the West Coast, but the TV people are probably relieved to have the Wings in the Conference Final.
Buffalo vs. Ottawa - The Sabres haven't exactly impressed up to this point, but they're built to beat a team like the Sens thanks to their superior speed and goal-scoring depth. That being said, this will be an awesome series that should go the distance. Sabres 4-3
Detroit vs. Anaheim - Both are experienced, but the Ducks are hungrier. The holy defensive trinity of Pronger-Niedermeyer-Giguere should be enough to stop the veteran-laden (some would say "old") Red Wings. Ducks 4-2
The Stanley Cup Final
Buffalo vs. Anaheim - The analytical side says Anaheim, but Buffalo has felt like a team of destiny all year. In a classic - Sabres 4-3
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
What we should learn from the VA Tech massacre
I'd much rather be blogging about taxes right now...but something slightly more important came up.
I don't know anyone who attends or attended Virginia Tech. The closest I can come is that my sister knows someone who attends their graduate school (she's ok, btw.)
I do know that as soon as the enormity of the situation was reported, the gun control advocates and "world opinion" would immediately criticize our "gun culture." This disgusts me for two reasons:
1. Many of the victims had not even been moved from the scene, much less identified yet. Consequently many families were not notified, when the politicizing of this extremely tragic event began. This shows sickening insensitivity to all those victimized by this madman.
2. Focusing on the weapon overshadows the evil perpetrated by this obscene individual. It creates a feeling that the guns themselves committed the acts and that Cho, who wasn't identified until a full day after the attacks, was being somehow led by them.
I have read several bloggers and media types condemn the politicizing of the tragedy, which shows progress and that knee jerk reactions that followed similar incidents in recent years in Australia and Scotland will not rule the day.
However, now that Cho's package has been made partially public by NBC News, and we can see how evil and despicable this man was, I would like to illustrate how Cho could've perpetrated these crimes without the use of handguns.
A. Knife or some other type of blade - Cho would not realistically accomplished much by using a knife, even a machete. He could've been tackled or brought down by several male students. The injuries caused would be brutal and there would be deaths, but I would guess they would number no more than 12, with many more severely injured. If he was disarmed, suicide would not have been an option for him.
B. Car - Cho could've taken his car, assuming that he has access to one, and simply attempted to run down as many students as possible, in a manner similar to the incident at the University of North Carolina. (Whatever happened with that, Mainstream Media?) Granted the death toll probably would not have been so great (let's say he hits between classes and kills 15 people, injuring another 12 or so) and it would've been harder to commit suicide when the cops closed in, but he could've rammed the vehicle into a building or committed "suicide-by-cop."
B. Poison - I thank my wife for this suggestion, as she worked in her campus cafeteria. If Cho wanted to kill indiscriminately, he could've gotten a work study job at the cafe, smuggled in Rat Poison or who knows what (I'm not up on my poisons, sorry.), and sickened or killed a lot of people. VA Tech has approximately 9,000 people on campus. He contaminates one item of one meal with the right poison and the death toll might just exceed 32.
C. Bomb - Let's say that instead of going to the dorm to murder his first victim, Cho decides to, at least, attempt to blow up the entire dorm. This would require a greater degree of planning and sophistication on his part (and rudimentary Internet search engine knowledge), but if he succeeds the death toll would easily be in the hundreds if he would've struck at the same time of day. (As an aside, Spain and the UK haven't banned common household products used in bomb-production yet, have they?)
So what's the point of this brief analysis? 32 innocent people are still dead and others have received devastating injuries. Well, as I suspected from the beginning, if Cho had not had access to handguns, I believe the general consensus in coming days will be that he would've used other means to try to murder as many people as possible.
Cho was evil and the mainstream media, politicians (unfortunately of both stripes) and liberals in general do not want to acknowledge that evil exists in the here and now. Even the university that has been victimized did not take aggressive steps to deal with him before he struck. Whether it takes the form of lone gunmen or Islamofascists, evil must be acknowledged and confronted. If this important lesson is learned and applied, we will be a much safer society for it.
I don't know anyone who attends or attended Virginia Tech. The closest I can come is that my sister knows someone who attends their graduate school (she's ok, btw.)
I do know that as soon as the enormity of the situation was reported, the gun control advocates and "world opinion" would immediately criticize our "gun culture." This disgusts me for two reasons:
1. Many of the victims had not even been moved from the scene, much less identified yet. Consequently many families were not notified, when the politicizing of this extremely tragic event began. This shows sickening insensitivity to all those victimized by this madman.
2. Focusing on the weapon overshadows the evil perpetrated by this obscene individual. It creates a feeling that the guns themselves committed the acts and that Cho, who wasn't identified until a full day after the attacks, was being somehow led by them.
I have read several bloggers and media types condemn the politicizing of the tragedy, which shows progress and that knee jerk reactions that followed similar incidents in recent years in Australia and Scotland will not rule the day.
However, now that Cho's package has been made partially public by NBC News, and we can see how evil and despicable this man was, I would like to illustrate how Cho could've perpetrated these crimes without the use of handguns.
A. Knife or some other type of blade - Cho would not realistically accomplished much by using a knife, even a machete. He could've been tackled or brought down by several male students. The injuries caused would be brutal and there would be deaths, but I would guess they would number no more than 12, with many more severely injured. If he was disarmed, suicide would not have been an option for him.
B. Car - Cho could've taken his car, assuming that he has access to one, and simply attempted to run down as many students as possible, in a manner similar to the incident at the University of North Carolina. (Whatever happened with that, Mainstream Media?) Granted the death toll probably would not have been so great (let's say he hits between classes and kills 15 people, injuring another 12 or so) and it would've been harder to commit suicide when the cops closed in, but he could've rammed the vehicle into a building or committed "suicide-by-cop."
B. Poison - I thank my wife for this suggestion, as she worked in her campus cafeteria. If Cho wanted to kill indiscriminately, he could've gotten a work study job at the cafe, smuggled in Rat Poison or who knows what (I'm not up on my poisons, sorry.), and sickened or killed a lot of people. VA Tech has approximately 9,000 people on campus. He contaminates one item of one meal with the right poison and the death toll might just exceed 32.
C. Bomb - Let's say that instead of going to the dorm to murder his first victim, Cho decides to, at least, attempt to blow up the entire dorm. This would require a greater degree of planning and sophistication on his part (and rudimentary Internet search engine knowledge), but if he succeeds the death toll would easily be in the hundreds if he would've struck at the same time of day. (As an aside, Spain and the UK haven't banned common household products used in bomb-production yet, have they?)
So what's the point of this brief analysis? 32 innocent people are still dead and others have received devastating injuries. Well, as I suspected from the beginning, if Cho had not had access to handguns, I believe the general consensus in coming days will be that he would've used other means to try to murder as many people as possible.
Cho was evil and the mainstream media, politicians (unfortunately of both stripes) and liberals in general do not want to acknowledge that evil exists in the here and now. Even the university that has been victimized did not take aggressive steps to deal with him before he struck. Whether it takes the form of lone gunmen or Islamofascists, evil must be acknowledged and confronted. If this important lesson is learned and applied, we will be a much safer society for it.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - Predictions
With the greatest post-season in sports ready to get underway, and my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins a part of it for the first time in six years, I want to provide my predictions on not just the first round like the professional hockey writers, but the playoffs in their entirety. I do this for two reasons:
1. I have no fear. And very little shame.
2. It's fun.
I'll go round-by-round, starting with the West. Team with home-ice listed first. I'll save the Pens-Sens prediction for the end of the first round.
Round One - Western Conference
Detroit vs. Calgary - A tough series because the Wings have tended to choke in the first round. Calgary has chemistry issues, but if Kiprusoff gets hot the beat-up Wings could be upset.
Flames 4-3
Anaheim vs. Minnesota - The Wild's Niklas Backstrom has been a surprise in goal, but he lacks playoff experience, which the Ducks have in abundance. Pronger and Niedermeyer should be able to limit Marian Gaborik. Still expect a close, tight-checking series. Ducks 4-3
Vancouver vs. Dallas - Roberto Luongo's first playoff series couldn't be set up any better. The Stars have very little in the way of offense. Couple this with Marty Turco's routine playoff inconsistency and this becomes the easiest pick in the West. Canucks 4-2
Nashville vs. San Jose - I was set to pick the Preds in 7 until I found out about Steve Sullivan's injury. Even with this hanging over the team, Vokoun in net should allow the Preds to keep it close, but the Sharks just simply have more firepower. Sharks 4-3
Round One - Eastern Conference
Buffalo vs. New York Islanders - With DiPietro, the Isles were going to have trouble winning three games. Without him, I doubt they'll win two. Sabres 4-1
New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay - Tampa's goaltending is not the best, and it's going up against the best goaltender of all time. As long as the Devils can score three goals a game, they should win.
Devils 4-2
Atlanta vs. New York Rangers - The Rangers have been the chic pick by most writers, but Kari Lehtonen is the equal of Lundquist and I like their collection of forwards and d-men better. Jagr and Shanahan's experience will keep this tight. Thrashers 4-3
Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh - Pens-Sens should be one of the best series. Fleury is clearly a superior netminder to Ray Emery and that will, eventually, make all the difference. Penguins 4-3
Round Two - Western Conference
Anaheim vs. Calgary - Both of these teams will be coming off difficult, draining first round matchups. In the end though, Anaheim is clearly the superior team, due more to the presence of Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermeyer on the blue line than anything else. The Kipper will keep this close though. Ducks 4-3
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Luongo got a soft warmup against Dallas, but it won't carry over against the Sharks. Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau have too much firepower and I don't see the Sedin twins and a disappointing Markus Naslund being able to match. Sharks 4-2
Round Two - Eastern Conference
Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh - This is a great matchup for the league and the TV networks. Unfortunately, the Penguins will be coming off a grueling seven-game victory over the tough Senators, while the Sabres will beat the weakest team in the field handily. This will give the Sabres an edge that they will not relinquish. Sabres 4-2
New Jersey vs. Atlanta -This is NOT a great matchup for the league and the TV networks, who would have preferred a Devils-Rangers tilt. Regardless, the balanced Thrashers will be able to keep up with the Devils, but Brodeur will be the difference as he stymies Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk. Devils 4-2
Western Conference Championship
Anaheim vs. San Jose - An exciting, tough series to watch and follow. I look for the Ducks to be somewhat worn out due to their tough earlier-round series. That makes the difference in series as Thornton, Marleau and Cheechoo have enough to overcome Pronger and Niedermeyer.
Sharks 4-3
Eastern Conference Championship
Buffalo vs. New Jersey - Brodeur probably will be touted for the Conn Smythe at the start of this series, but in the end, the Sabres momentum and depth will win out.
Sabres - 4-2
Stanley Cup Championship
Buffalo vs. San Jose - Look for a hard-fought series by two teams looking for their first Cup. Expect some high-scoring exciting games throughout this series, which will be won by the Buffalo Sabres four games to three.
After Round One, I'll post my record - likely to be poor - and my predictions on the subsequent round right up to the Cup Final. To all my fellow hockey fans and especially the Pittsburgh Penguins fans: Enjoy!
1. I have no fear. And very little shame.
2. It's fun.
I'll go round-by-round, starting with the West. Team with home-ice listed first. I'll save the Pens-Sens prediction for the end of the first round.
Round One - Western Conference
Detroit vs. Calgary - A tough series because the Wings have tended to choke in the first round. Calgary has chemistry issues, but if Kiprusoff gets hot the beat-up Wings could be upset.
Flames 4-3
Anaheim vs. Minnesota - The Wild's Niklas Backstrom has been a surprise in goal, but he lacks playoff experience, which the Ducks have in abundance. Pronger and Niedermeyer should be able to limit Marian Gaborik. Still expect a close, tight-checking series. Ducks 4-3
Vancouver vs. Dallas - Roberto Luongo's first playoff series couldn't be set up any better. The Stars have very little in the way of offense. Couple this with Marty Turco's routine playoff inconsistency and this becomes the easiest pick in the West. Canucks 4-2
Nashville vs. San Jose - I was set to pick the Preds in 7 until I found out about Steve Sullivan's injury. Even with this hanging over the team, Vokoun in net should allow the Preds to keep it close, but the Sharks just simply have more firepower. Sharks 4-3
Round One - Eastern Conference
Buffalo vs. New York Islanders - With DiPietro, the Isles were going to have trouble winning three games. Without him, I doubt they'll win two. Sabres 4-1
New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay - Tampa's goaltending is not the best, and it's going up against the best goaltender of all time. As long as the Devils can score three goals a game, they should win.
Devils 4-2
Atlanta vs. New York Rangers - The Rangers have been the chic pick by most writers, but Kari Lehtonen is the equal of Lundquist and I like their collection of forwards and d-men better. Jagr and Shanahan's experience will keep this tight. Thrashers 4-3
Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh - Pens-Sens should be one of the best series. Fleury is clearly a superior netminder to Ray Emery and that will, eventually, make all the difference. Penguins 4-3
Round Two - Western Conference
Anaheim vs. Calgary - Both of these teams will be coming off difficult, draining first round matchups. In the end though, Anaheim is clearly the superior team, due more to the presence of Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermeyer on the blue line than anything else. The Kipper will keep this close though. Ducks 4-3
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Luongo got a soft warmup against Dallas, but it won't carry over against the Sharks. Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau have too much firepower and I don't see the Sedin twins and a disappointing Markus Naslund being able to match. Sharks 4-2
Round Two - Eastern Conference
Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh - This is a great matchup for the league and the TV networks. Unfortunately, the Penguins will be coming off a grueling seven-game victory over the tough Senators, while the Sabres will beat the weakest team in the field handily. This will give the Sabres an edge that they will not relinquish. Sabres 4-2
New Jersey vs. Atlanta -This is NOT a great matchup for the league and the TV networks, who would have preferred a Devils-Rangers tilt. Regardless, the balanced Thrashers will be able to keep up with the Devils, but Brodeur will be the difference as he stymies Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk. Devils 4-2
Western Conference Championship
Anaheim vs. San Jose - An exciting, tough series to watch and follow. I look for the Ducks to be somewhat worn out due to their tough earlier-round series. That makes the difference in series as Thornton, Marleau and Cheechoo have enough to overcome Pronger and Niedermeyer.
Sharks 4-3
Eastern Conference Championship
Buffalo vs. New Jersey - Brodeur probably will be touted for the Conn Smythe at the start of this series, but in the end, the Sabres momentum and depth will win out.
Sabres - 4-2
Stanley Cup Championship
Buffalo vs. San Jose - Look for a hard-fought series by two teams looking for their first Cup. Expect some high-scoring exciting games throughout this series, which will be won by the Buffalo Sabres four games to three.
After Round One, I'll post my record - likely to be poor - and my predictions on the subsequent round right up to the Cup Final. To all my fellow hockey fans and especially the Pittsburgh Penguins fans: Enjoy!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The Great Global Warming Swindle
I just finished watching the BBC production "The Great Global Warming Swindle." This is such an important documentary in that it attacks the "Global Warming consensus" from a scientific, political, economic and even a humanitarian point of view. The fact that it was aired on the BBC is a significant step in showing that much of what the environmental establishment has to say is not only untrue, but also could be debilitating to many other causes (Third World economic development) that many of these folks claim to support.
The videos on the left link to the complete documentary, which runs 1 hour and 15 minutes. This link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6IPHmJWmDk&mode=related&search=
will take you to a YouTube page that breaks it into 8 parts.
The videos on the left link to the complete documentary, which runs 1 hour and 15 minutes. This link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6IPHmJWmDk&mode=related&search=
will take you to a YouTube page that breaks it into 8 parts.
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