Just hanging out with friends: The president and the first lady don 3-D glasses to watch the Super Bowl at a Super Bowl party in the family theatre of the White House
Feel free to suggest captions of your own, Gentle Reader.
Update, 2150 hrs: Meanwhile... over at the Republican National Committee (RNC) HQ...
So... here I sit, in a mildly sweaty state, wondering if I'll successfully delay the onset of the air conditioning season until May.
This what we look like now... before the heat of the day is upon us:
And this is the forecast:
I'm not sure I'll make it.
On another, happier note... Happy Hour, which will be held regardless of the temperature, will be a pleasant thing indeed. Just off The Brown Truck of Happiness:
Decisions, decisions. Those nice folks at Cigar.com threw in an unexpected sampler of Drew Estate goodies to compliment the Dirt Torpedoes. I love those guys. I'm reasonably sure they love ME, as well. We have a mutually beneficial relationship.
A friend sent this along last evening, and I HAVE to share...
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher whose hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our president.
The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Obama is a 'Post Turtle''.
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was.
The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'.
The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, and he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put him up there to begin with'.
Yup. That's about as accurate a description as I've yet to hear or see. I'm thinking this one will spread like wildfire. Or already has... seeing as how it's about Candidate Obama. New to me, tho.
There’s light at the end of my Adventures In Modern Dentistry tunnel in the form of a date: September 21.That’s the day I get my new prosthetic molars installed.Yays!
I had a follow-up with Dr. Thompson yesterday and he says things are looking good.We need to give everything six months to heal, “everything” being the recent (last month) installation of screws in my jaw that hold the prostheses in place.I now get to begin thinking just where I’m gonna go to enjoy my first steak in over a year and a half.It’ll be ABQ, Amarillo, or Lubbock… I’ve eaten in excellent steak houses in all three cities.Neither P-Ville nor The Big(ger) CityTM have first-class steak houses and The Golden Corral… or even Cattle Baron… just ain’t gonna cut it, yanno?
OTOH… I could buy a slab of beef and grill it myself.But let’s be honest here.NO one grills a steak in his or her backyard to the same standard as that found in a first-class steak house.I do good work, true, and so do some of my friends.But I’d give the best backyard steak I’ve ever had a B+… no higher.And this occasion calls for an A… nothing less.
―:☺:―
Speaking of The Big(ger) CityTM… we were over that way yesterday to run the periodic errands, like giving baby a bath, picking up the week’s supply of El Pinto, and such.And new de-flappers for the awning, too.The Velcro strap on one of my old de-flappers came apart in my hands as I was cinching it down yesterday, and de-flappers ONLY work in pairs… one just doesn’t cut it.I bought a pair of High Plains of New Mexico Class de-flappers (which look like they’d be suitable for tornadoes and such), meaning they have approximately four times the clamping surface area of the old units.They may not work any better than the old ones, but they sure as Hell look impressive.
I also have a new scar on The Green Hornet.I was attacked by a passel of tumbleweeds on the way over to Clovis… including about three really big suckers… all of which came at me like a Greek phalanx.There wasn’t any sort of evasive maneuver to be had, at least not for a vehicle confined to two dimensions.So I just held on as I plowed through them, one of which had the nerve to jump about a foot into the air as I made contact.The resulting collision was with my hood and windshield (as opposed to the bumper area which got yet another two or more), leaving a noticeable scratch on my hood.I’m just glad the damned thing didn’t land inside the car (the top was down, of course)… coz those things HURT.
Ah… we do have SUCH exciting news, don’t we?
―:☺:―
Predictions are in for the Wings-Ducks series, which begins tomorrow evening in Detroit.ESPN’s Scott Burnside sez Wings in six, MLive.com's own Ansar Khan sez Wings in seven, The Hockey Newssez Wings in six, Eric Duhatschek (Toronto Globe and Mail) sez Wings in six… and so on.Curiously, neither the LA Times nor the OC Register make predictions… and that might be telling.Or not.As for me? I went on the record day before yesterday as saying Wings in six. But these are the playoffs... and anything can happen. See: New Jersey.
One common thread: everyone agrees this will be a fun series.I’m thinking they’re right.
Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal, left, celebrates his goal as New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur and Mike Mottau, right, react during the third period of an NHL first-round hockey playoff game Tuesday, April 28, 2009, in Newark, N.J. The goal turned out to be the game winner as the Hurricanes beat the Devils 4-3 to advance to the next round. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Tonight was a great night for hockey, as noted below.We had two Game Sevens and while one ended predictably (but NOT as I predicted… it was a very near-run thing), the other was a real shocker.The Carolina Hurricanes came back with not one but TWO goals late in the third period to beat the New Jersey Devils… at home.Eric Staal got the game winner with a mere 31.7 seconds left on the clock.This was the second time in this series that Carolina came through with last minute heroics…literally.
So…Boston gets the ‘Canes and Washington gets the Pens in the second round.I’m thinking the Pens will have an easy job of it in the second round, Boston much less so.Carolina could be the Cinderella team of these 2009 playoffs.But you could put all I know of the Eastern Conference in my left eye and it wouldn’t even water.And the playoffs are nothing if not unpredictable.
It will be interesting.
―:☺:―
Ah… it’s NOT just me (all the way at the bottom of the post).A tweet from Greg Wyshynski earlier this evening:
wyshynski: The Devils game is so exciting on NHL.com with all the buffering.
NHL.com is really blowing a good thing by not providing adequate bandwidth for these netcasts… while overcharging for the dubious “privilege” of watching games that end up giving you a headache from eye strain.That’s too bad, coz the league was sitting on a potential gold mine.Hockey fans are among the most dedicated fans in all of sports… and we’ll go to great lengths to follow our team. But I’m betting most won’t pay inflated prices for what is ultimately a piss-poor experience.Not twice, anyway.
So... we have two Game Sevens in the East tonite, and which game do you suppose Versus chose to televise? Rangers-Caps. Now I could be wrong here... simply because one never knows about playoff hockey... but I'm thinking the Caps will roll over New York. The Devils and the Hurricanes, OTOH, have been reasonably close throughout their series, and this game looks to be no different.
Bad call, Versus. You're REALLY disappointing me this year. To say the very least.
We're under way... back to the teevee.
Update, end of the first period: OK... I was wrong. Rangers come out like a house afire and outshoot the Caps 8-2 in the first period. The Rangers have more jump, more hustle, more fire... even though the game is tied 1-1 on a Washington short-handed goal (Semin). This looks like a good game. I stand corrected.
Update, Game Over: Caps win, 2-1. Sergei Federov is the hero with a late third period goal and the Caps become one of the very few teams (21, ever) to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win. A great game.
But first, a little political-cartoon commentary from Michael RodriguezRamirez (sheesh!! I wasn't fully-caffeinated when I posted this morning, and there's a lesson in there.), via Investor's Business Daily:
Much has written about the politicalization... read as: witch hunt... of the so-called enhanced interrogation process and various and sundry other "failings" of the Bush administration. It's pretty ugly, and you're well aware of the fact if you've been following the story at all. If you haven't been following the story a good place to begin is with former DCI Porter Goss' op-ed in the WaPo.
Now... on to things that really matter.
―:☺:―
So.It’s the Ducks in round two.We’ve seen this movie before and the outcome wasn’t good in 2007, when the Ducks eliminated the Wings in the Western Conference Final.Both teams have done some minor re-tooling since then, but both teams continue to play the same style of hockey.Here’s George Malik, writing at M-Live:
The Ducks are bigger and stronger, and play the game the Blue Jackets strove to master--a combination of stifling, trap-based defence, reliance upon a very big goaltender to mop up any trouble spots, and a top-heavy offensive game piqued by an all-around physical edge which can drive teams to distraction and break their desire to go to the "hard areas" on the ice...
But the series boils down to which team can execute its own game better, which team can clear its own crease while making the opposing goaltender's life very difficult, and, in the Red Wings' case...Whether Detroit can play with a Tomas Holmstrom-like sense of discipline and poise, battling through the Ducks' baited traps of slashes, hacks, whacks, and post-whistle scrums to force the Ducks to take penalties out of frustration instead.
Discipline, poise, resolve, and a willingness to smile when a big player wearing an orange-and-black jersey pushes and shoves thanks to whistle-to-whistle-contained intensity. The Wings will either take the Ducks' bait, or they'll out-grind, out-compete, and out-will their opponent by playing (again) the style of hockey which drives Don Cherry nuts, mostly because it works. The Wings can't win an endless stream of intimidation battles, but they can win a determined and composed war.
Well… that’s the “kinder, gentler” politically-correct version of how the Wings should... and probably will... play this series.That said, here’s what Wings fans remember MOST about the 2007 Wings-Ducks series (from M-Live, via Abel to Yzerman):
Pronger is a cheap-shot artist and he got his just desserts with a one-game suspension after that hit to Holmstrom’s head.But I think Chris Pronger will become more than intimate with one Mr. Darren Helm in this year’s series.From the previously-mentioned blog Abel to Yzerman:
Chrissy Pronger? Let me introduce you to Darren Helm. The fastest bastard on the ice and he’s going to hit you like a frigging miniature sledgehammer. Again and again Sasquatch. He’s not going to knock you out but he’s going to whittle you down one little brain cell at a time.
There’s more at the link, and it’s indicative of what Wings fans think of the Ducks.
There will be ugliness in this upcoming series.It will be hard-played and there will be lots of animosity between the two teams… and their fans.But that makes for great hockey, and this series will be a corker.Count on it.
The weekend was good, although it was but a shadow compared to some folks I know (and you should know ‘em, too… great narrative AND pics of backwater Florida, literally).We ended on a sour note (as evidenced below), but let us not dwell on the negative, especially now that we seem to be on the mend.
Lots of great hockey this past weekend, but I’ll save the amateur sporting news until (near) the end, out of deference to the great majority of you Gentle Readers who don’t give two hoots in Hell about grown men batting a frozen rubber biscuit up and down a sheet of ice for two hours, while taking the occasional break to beat the snot out of one another. Instead… let’s begin with the weekend’s excitement of another sort.
So… there I was (all USAF war stories begin this way, yanno), headed for the shower just after noon yesterday.The day was quite warm, the sun was out and beating down as only the New Mexico sun can, and the wind was right on the ragged edge of allowing me to put my awning down… which is to say blowing steady around 20 mph, with occasional gusts going into the Awning Red Zone. But we had the awning down, thus tempting fate in order to delay the onset of the air conditioning season.For the savings in it.
I’m standing in the shower lathering up my head when I feel the RV rock rather violently… accompanied by a noticeable and significant downdraft from the bathroom overhead vent.“No big deal,” thinks I, and I continue with the task at hand… and rather leisurely, at that.I get out of the shower, finish up the usual and customary ablutions, throw on a bare minimum of clothes, open up the bathroom door and look out my open entry door to see my awning flapping violently in the breeze… doing a dance even the late James Brown couldn’t possibly duplicate, while oscillating a good ten to 12 inches in the vertical plane. Rapidly.And at a speed sufficient to detach the whole damned thing and send it into the next county.My de-flappers had come undone, the wind had loosened up the awning struts, and we were mere minutes… if not seconds… from the whole she-bang coming undone.And now it’s time for an illustration.
Well. Pictures are worth a thousand words, as it’s said… so video must be priceless.Suffice to say all ended well.We secured the awning and proceeded to prepare for Happy Hour… which was in progress as I shot the lil vid above.We dodged a bullet there… or more like several hundreds of dollars worth of ammunition.Awnings are pricey suckers, they are.
―:☺:―
The requisite yet oh-so-brief hockey update… We now have two series going to Game Seven in the East, while in the West we have one series that looks like it might go to seven games, and one I hope goes seven games.I think the Capitals will win their series with the Rangers, after what has to be the slowest start for a supposedly hot team in recent memory.The Devils-Hurricanes series, on the other hand, is anyone’s guess.I watched the ‘Canes beat the Hell out of Marty Brodeur’s team in Raleigh last evening (in between moans and groans) and I honestly can’t conclude which of these two teams deserves the win.Both are good, bordering on great.Whoever draws the winner of this series in the next round has their work cut out for them.
And the West… wow.San Jose survived Saturday night, winning in OT, to bring the series to a manageable 3-2 deficit (from the Sharks’ POV).Game Six is in Anaheim tonight and I think the Ducks will prevail.San Jose has been too uneven, seems to lack motivation (go figure…), and just doesn’t seem up to the task.The Ducks, OTOH, have everything the Sharks lack, except for San Jose’s high-powered offense… which doesn’t deliver (or hasn’t up until period one of Saturday’s game… and the OT goal, of course).The Ducks also have Hiller in goal, a guy who’s been simply remarkable and is the main reason the Ducks were up 3-1 going into Saturday’s game.The man is a veritable wall in goal!
The Blackhawks can close out Calgary this evening, in Calgary.Here we have a possible elimination game and those idjits at Versus will televise the first period and then cut to the San Jose-Anaheim game, and will probably do so well before that game begins.I don’t know who’s in charge of scheduling at Versus, but I have a damned good idea where he’ll be spending the afterlife.And there ain’t no ice water there, either.
So… there’s quite a bit of speculation in Dee-troit as to which team would be the better match up in the second round… Vancouver, or Anaheim?There’s a great good round-up of such talk at M-Live, if you’re into the sort of thing.I said I would keep this update short, so I’ll just excerpt what I think is the money quote from all this speculation:
I know that comment may leave you saying, "Well, what does somebody wittier, like The Chief, have to say?"
So I give you this: in hockey, you don't worry about whose ass you have to kick--you just worry about getting the details of kicking it as thoroughly as possible down pat before kicking repeatedly. Trash-talking is fun, but if you want to make sure that only you have Stanley Cup parties in June, July, and August, you worry about yourself and doing your damndest to break your opponents' bodies, wills, and spirits when that puck drops.
That's what playoff hockey is about--breaking people, and doing it well.
Yup.Ducks or Canucks… makes no difference.Bring it ON!
―:☺:―
Today’s Pic:A rather nice piece of engineering, although one that’s very minor in the great grand scheme of things.There’s not a trace of fluid left in this bottle… none.And there shouldn’t be, for what the Plaid-People charge for this stuff.Yeah, I’m easily amused.Easily impressed, too. But you knew that, Gentle Reader.
So... here it is, a couple o' few minutes past noon and I've just poured my first cup. We had a rather rough night what with being up more often than not, and most definitely against our will, too.
The good news is we're feeling much better, having gotten about two and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep after 0930. The bad news is the day's well and truly shot in the ass... including a blown dental appointment I rescheduled for later this week. But I did reschedule well before I was due at the Good Doctor's office; there's some small saving grace in that.
Back in a few, once I collect my thoughts (heh) and the caffeine takes hold.
(with apologies to Bono for the post title, of course)
The Politico has an interesting article on one of my favorite conservatives... Newt Gingrich... titled “Gingrich, provocateur, returns.”A few excerpts:
In the three months that Obama has been president, Gingrich has blasted the Democrat on a number of different fronts, from the economy and domestic policy to defense and foreign policy.
Obama’s budget? It “deliberately” reduces charitable deductions in the tax code to wage a “war against churches and charities.” His stimulus plan? An attempt to create a “European socialist model.” At one point during the omnibus spending bill debate, Gingrich said of the Obama administration: “I wonder how dumb they think we are that we wouldn’t notice 8,000 earmarks.”
He doesn’t mince words in his bracing critiques. After North Korea recently tested a missile, Gingrich accused Obama of engaging in “fantasy foreign policy” that could create “enormous trouble” for the United States. As for former Vice President Dick Cheney, Gingrich said he’s “clearly right” that the United States “is running greater risks of getting attacked than we were under President Bush.”
No one, not even the press, is immune from his barbs. The media’s obsession with the president’s new first dog, he said recently, is “fairly stupid.”
[…]
“If anybody doubts that he is the de facto leader of the Republican Party right now, they’re crazy,” said Matt Towery, CEO of the polling firm InsiderAdvantage and a former Gingrich aide. “Newt Gingrich is filling a void that nobody else is stepping up to fill right now.”
[…]
While Gingrich declined to comment for this story, a month into Obama’s presidency, he lifted the curtain on his opposition to the new president in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“We now have more than enough evidence of what this administration thinks of the American people,” Gingrich said before launching into a blistering critique of Obama. “Now, a month ago, I would not have said what I’m about to say, but I’ve watched carefully the first month of the left-wing machine.”
Norquist explained that Gingrich is an obvious choice for who should serve as the GOP’s voice because “he’s got 20 IQ points on some of the alternatives.”
Read the whole thing, as it's said. The article is fairly brief and is a wonderful lead-in to what I really want to talk about today.
I had the opportunity to watch the Speaker in action this past Friday when he gave extensive testimony on pending energy legislation before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.What was most interesting about Speaker Gingrich’s testimony was the fact he followed Algore and former senator John Warner (R-Va), so one had the opportunity to contrast The Goreacle’s bombastic, overly dramatic, “end of the world as we know it” rhetoric with Mr. Gingrich’s cool, fact based, and unruffled testimony… even in the face of an obviously hostile Democrat-controlled committee.There was an exception: former chairman John Dingell (D-Mich) greeted Speaker Gingrich warmly, saying "Nice to see you again, Newt," sounding like he actually meant it. (Newt responded in kind.) But that was the sole exception. The high point of Mr. Gingrich’s appearance was the spirited exchange between resident idiot and committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif) and the Speaker.Mr. Gingrich coolly and systematically dismantled arguments advanced by an obviously agitated Congressman Waxman.It was a thing of beauty to behold.
But we digress.The Speaker’s opening statement before the E&C committee is available on-line, in its entirety.Here are a few excerpts:
But as a former environmental studies professor who lectured on the second Earth Day, and as someone who was named Legislative Conservationist of the Year in 1998 by the Georgia Wildlife Federation, it should be no surprise that I care deeply about and am committed to the protection of our environment.
In this commitment, I echo the conviction of two great American leaders. The first is President Theodore Roosevelt, who said that "the nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets, which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value." The other was then-Governor Ronald Reagan who, upon the occasion of the first Earth Day, affirmed the "absolute necessity of waging all-out war against the debauching of the environment."
It was in this spirit that I read the bill that is being discussed before this committee and it is in this spirit that I report to you today my conclusion that this is the wrong bill.
This bill is wrong for our national security.
This bill is wrong for our economy.
This bill is wrong for government of, by, and for the people.
The framework in which I have analyzed this bill can be captured in a very simple phrase: 2+2=4, which was a prominent rallying cry in the late 1980s when the Solidarity free trade union movement was campaigning in Poland's first free elections.
The core idea behind 2+2=4 is that citizens must tell the truth even when governments lie. 2+2=4 forces you back to reality.
As matter of reality, the United States faces three enormous threats: threats to our national security, a threat of further economic decline, and a threat of government for the government (and not government for the people), which leads to corruption, political favoritism, and the fundamental breakdown of the rule of law. On all three of these bases of reality, this is the wrong bill.
[…]
When you consider President Obama's budget, this proposed legislation has a price tag for the American people of at least $646 billion. We know from news reports that senior Obama administration officials have indicated that $646 billion is a conservative amount and that the overall figure may be as much as three times that amount or $1.9 trillion in new taxes.
This is currently a 648 page bill, or, put another way, $1-3 billion per page. This is quite a costly bill, even for the standards of this Congress. It would be two and a half times the size of the giant stimulus package passed earlier this year. And it would be a tax burden not a spending stimulus so it would deeply burden the American people and the economy.
While our economy is in deep recession and Americans are losing jobs by the thousands each month, this bill would worsen both. Make no mistake about it: This bill amounts to a $1-2 trillion energy tax levied on a struggling economy, which is destructive and wrong. With this glorified $1-2 trillion new energy tax, expect utility bill increases up to $3,128 per year per household. Filling up your gas tank will cost anywhere from 60 percent to 144 percent more, your electricity bill will increase by 77 to 129 percent, and the cost of home heating oil and natural gas could nearly double.
If enacted, this energy tax will increase the electricity bill of every American, increase the cost to drive a car, and increase the cost of doing business. This will punish every retired American, every rural American, and every person who drives to work, uses heating oil, or has electricity in their home. This will kill jobs and lead American jobs and investment being shipped to China and India, two countries that have made it quite clear that they will not levy such an enormous tax on their own economies.
Once again… Speaker Gingrich’s complete statement is here, and it’s VERY good reading.C-SPAN has video of the Speaker’s testimony, if video is more your style.And… in the spirit of bipartisanship (heh)… you could also watch The Goreacle’s testimony, if you’re into self-abuse on a grand scale. And yes, that would be ME, as well.I watched the whole Goreacle testimony in real-time and I’m still suffering from the experience.The things I do to keep an open mind amaze even me sometimes.Be advised: both videos are rather long.But they are MOST enlightening.
It should come as no surprise, Gentle Reader, that I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Gingrich's positions... while I think Algore is a prat, and a dangerous prat, too. Gore wields a lot of influence, God only knows why. Maybe it's that Nobel thing. Or perhaps it's his Oscar, which I think would carry more weight with mainstream Obama voters. An inconvenient truth, if ever there was one.
Finally... Mr. Gingrich's website... American Solutions... is also worth a visit if you have some time to kill. Good Stuff be there.
BPenni: Watching the Pens-Flyers. Curiously, I find myself rooting for the Flyers (no dog in this fight). Flyers up, 2-0. Can U say Game 7? :-) (3 minutes ago from TwitterGadget)
Two late goals in the first... 51 seconds apart... and the Flyers are up 2-0. As it's said: there's still a lot of hockey left to be played. Yet, still. The Pens have just GOT to be thinking about that ol' "previous year's Stanley Cup Finalist goes out in the first round" curse that's been the norm for the past seven years.
Except for the Wings, of course.I'm thinking I'd like to see the Flyers come out of this series as the winners. Go figure.
Update, 1545 hrs: Well, there was a lot of hockey left to be played... Pens win 5-3. Five unanswered goals, with Crosby scoring an empty-netter at the end. Sorry, Jimmy. I was rootin' for ya.
So... I was surfing around last evening and came upon a 14-part series of video clips entitled "The Vice Guide to North Korea" and I was absolutely fascinated. One sees very little about the north side of the DMZ, so when you come across a fairly lengthy documentary (conveniently split into 14 parts for easy viewing... for those of us with mild cases of ADD), you watch it. Each clip is embeddable, too. Here's episode 12, "The Schoolchildren's Palace," to whet your appetite, Gentle Reader.
This series probably isn't everyone's cuppa. But I found it fascinating, as noted above.
(Photo from Greg Wyshynski's Puck Daddy blog... where's there's more on this subject)
Last night's game in Columbus ended on a sour note for Blue Jackets fans. The game was tied 5-5, there were 94 seconds left in the third period and it looked for all the world like there would be overtime to decide if Detroit would advance to the semi-finals or Columbus would live to play another day. And then Columbus was whistled for too many men on the ice. Detroit scored on the subsequent power play... with 46.6 second left... and the game was over for all intents and purposes. The Columbus fans went berserk, showering the ice with bottles and other debris. Here's Michael Arace, writing in the Columbus Dispatch:
Once I got out of the Jackets' room, I headed straight for the area near the officials' dressing room. I hoped to find Kevin Collins, and ask him about the call. Collins is a supervisor of officials and he was working this series. Prior to his management gig, Collins worked 28 years as an NHL linesman. He worked 11 Stanley Cup Finals. He might have been the best linesman in the game before he hung up his skates in 2005.
I had run into Collins after Game 3, and chatted with him then. He is from the same neck of the woods. We are not pals; in fact, we've only spoken with another a few times over a dozen years. Regardless, he's the expert. He could provide a definitive description of the linesman's point of view.
Collins said he would have made the same call himself. He said it is automatic. He said, "How could I live with myself if I didn't make the call? It's the right call." He said, hypothetically, that if the player in Modin's position doesn't touch the puck, then there is no whistle.
Of course, Collins is going to stick up for his crew. You can take what he says with a grain of salt if you wish. I'm just saying that Collins is a man of vast experience and unquestioned integrity, and he looked me in the eye and said, with no hesitation, that he would have blown down the play had he been wearing the stripes on this night. No hesitation. It's automatic, not unlike when a defenseman flips the puck into the crowd for a delay of game (my words, not Collins').
Automatic. Meaning you don't let that call slide. I can see where the Blue Jackets' fans would be disappointed; it's a helluva way to lose a game and a series. But seriously, now... even if the game had gone to OT, and even if Columbus had won it, does anyone think the Blue Jackets had a snowball's chance in that Hot Spot to do anything other than lose the series? Really?
OK Columbus... here's your mantra: "Next Year!" Your team learned a lot in this series and I'm thinking you'll be just that much better next year. It's the way of the world.
BPenni: Bizarre disconnect: Listening to the Wings game on the radio, watching the Pens-Flyers on the (muted) teevee. Wings up, 3-1 in the 1st. Less than half of the first period gone and the Wings are in command.
I said I was listening to Keith Richards during Happy Hour, followed up with Sticky Fingers. So... thinking about Sticky Fingers and so on... I got to digging around in YouTube and found this:
"Moonlight Mile" is my ALL-TIME favorite Rolling Stones song, and this song and I go back well over 35 years. The song has had profound meaning to me over the years, even though the meaning has changed radically since I first heard it back in the day when I was in Beautiful-Sinop-by the Sea. In those days I was consumed by the thought of being reunited with The First Mrs. Pennington and our sons; these days the song has a completely different and oh-so-poignant meaning. The "Moonlight Mile" is infinite in its reach these days... and fundamentally out of reach, by definition. Interpret that as you might, Gentle Reader.
Still and even... no matter what sort of interpretation you bring to the song... it remains a classic and arguably the best thing Mick and The Boys ever committed to tape. YMMV, of course.
Just in from Happy Hour... and there was a slight deviation from our normal practice, which is to say I listened to a soundtrack provided from our personal music collection, as opposed to the normal (for these days, lately) soundtrack as provided via Pandora.
Which got me to thinking... Why is it I'll defer to someone else's choice in music, as opposed to my own? I don't ever walk into a bar and say..."whatever you think is right" when it comes to ordering beer, nor do I let someone else choose the cigar I'll enjoy during Happy Hour, yet I always seem to defer to the music provided by Pandora or Bill... of late.
Is it simply convenience? Am I just too lazy to dive into and select appropriate music from my personal collection... which is extensive... albeit not as extensive as that owned by Pandora or Bill? All that said, it was good to listen to Keith Richards... followed up with Sticky Fingers... on a slightly gray day here on the High Plains of New Mexico. And it got me to thinking... how is it with YOU, Gentle Reader, do you tend to defer to others when it comes to your listening habits, which is to say the radio or another source? Or do you listen to your personal music more often than not? Enquiring MindsTM wanna know...
In the mean time... part of today's soundtrack. Here's Keith doing "Eileen Hate It When You Leave..."
This ad ran while I was watching the Calgary-Chicago game last evening (more about which later, as this is one of those pre-scheduled posts)... one of my all-time faves.
One of the BEST things about hot weather is stepping out of the shower and letting your body air-dry... no towel required or wanted!
Of course, drying doesn't take long when your relative humidity stands at a paltry 11% (see below). Today is the sort of day I'd sit around the house nekkid if I still lived a conventional sort of existence, which is to say in a house of my own, on a piece of land of my own. That sort of behavior... i.e., sitting around nekkid... just ain't possible when one lives in close-quarters such as those found in Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park.
I know, Gentle Reader: TMI. Sorry 'bout that. At least I didn't post pictures.
It's warm... to say the least. But I'm OK with that. The windows are wide open as is the door, and there are gentle breezes fragrant with High Plains aromas of Spring (no, Jenny... NOT "the smell of money!") wafting through my living space. But, that said... today just might be the first air-conditioned day here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. Here's why:
My heat tolerance ends at 90 degrees or so. Once we hit 90 I button up the house and turn the AC on. But, we shall see. Sometimes I surprise myself.
―:☺:―
Your hockey update... The Wings simply dominated Columbus last night, it was never close. From NHL.com:
Detroit Red Wings v Columbus Blue Jackets - Game Three COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 21: Chris Osgood #30 of the Detroit Red Wings blocks a Columbus Blue Jackets' shot during Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena April 21, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS - A record crowd of 19,219 witnessed the first Stanley Cup Playoffs game ever at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday with the hope their hometown Blue Jackets would keep the benchmarks going with the franchise's first postseason victory.
But defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings shut down the anticipation with another night of stifling defense. You get the distinct impression Detroit is putting on a clinic of sorts for its Central Division rival: How to Advance in the Playoffs 101.
For the third straight time in this series, the Red Wings struck first to break the ice in the opening period and then shut the door the remainder of the game en route to a 4-1 victory in Game 3 of this best-of-seven Western Conference Quarterfinal. Chris Osgood continued his mastery in goal with 31 saves. Detroit looks to close out the Blue Jackets on Thursday at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m. ET).
Chris Osgood was the game's second star last evening; he was the first star in games one and two in Detroit. I'm kinda-sorta surprised Detroit has been as dominant in this series as they have. I expected Columbus to put up much more of a fight. But there's this about that (Ryan Kennedy, writing at The Hockey News):
If you’re a Detroit Red Wings fan, the first two games of the team’s series against Columbus have been bliss. If you’re just a neutral observer, the first two games have been depressing.
Why? Because Detroit is too good.
Now I’m not ragging on the Wings; I just hope the Blue Jackets can harness what will surely be the awesome energy of Nationwide Arena when the teams square off again Tuesday night. As far as the Jackets should be concerned, one goal in two games does not a series make.
Detroit has been dominant, pretty much to the point that it’s hard to get a read on what the team will be able to do against stiffer competition. Is goalie Chris Osgood rounding into playoff form or is he just untested, having faced a mere 46 shots through two games?
Can the Red Wings survive a physical series against a team such as, say, Anaheim or Calgary? Hard to say, considering it’s the Detroit boys who are putting Columbus rears on the ice more often than not so far.
Not only are the Wings getting physical play from everyone, but some of the big, statement bodychecks are coming from players such as superstar Pavel Datsyuk, who also happens to do a lot of other things pretty well.
The power play is still demonically effective and Tomas Holmstrom is still a better door than a window as far as Columbus goalie Steve Mason is concerned, so things are clicking on all cylinders for the Motor City Boys right now.
Yup... all that is true, to say the very least. Especially the bits about blissful Detroit fans. We have been quite happy, yanno?
In this same vein... I was happy to watch the Sharks win in Anaheim last night. That game was arguably MUCH more entertaining than the Wings-Jackets game... it was most certainly much closer, with the outcome in doubt all the way to the final horn. I want to see the Sharks and Ducks go seven games while beating the dogcrap out of each other. This is another one of those highly-physical and highly entertaining series. If the Ducks win we'll get 'em in the second round; if the Sharks win we'll get Vancouver. Either/or... it makes no difference to me, actually. But I'd sorta prefer the Ducks. We owe them for 2007, and revenge would be SWEET.
The Canucks closed out the Blues last night, as expected, but it took Vancouver nearly a complete period of overtime to get the job done. I feel a little bit sorry for St. Louis... they had a magical end-of-season run simply to make it to the playoffs and then lose four straight to end their season. That's gotta hurt, and hurt mightily. The series was closer than it appears, though... with three of the four games decided by a single goal and the last going deep, deep in OT, as noted. Too bad Versus didn't see fit to cover this series better than they did.
Speaking of Versus...
Anyone else had enough of Versus' coverage of the NHL postseason?
How is it that they pull away from a 3-3 game in Carolina to open a game in Anaheim that wasn't going to start for another 30 minutes? How about skipping the exciting finish in Raleigh for yet another viewing of an Esurance commercial we all know by heart?
In case you missed it, which I'm sure many of you did, the Hurricanes took Game 4 by scoring against the Devils with .02 seconds left.
What was Versus showing? Who cares. It sure wasn't hockey. Heck, they weren't even showing a tied game in St. Louis.
The NHL kowtows to Versus so much it isn't even funny.
It sure as hell isn't deserved.
The managers at the Quarterdeck in Sunrise seem to have as much knowledge about the NHL than those Comcast folks who run Versus.
At least the guys at Quarterdeck change the channel every once in a while, and yeah, they show a game other than one involving the Penguins.
Shame on the NHL for letting this happen night after night after night. Your fans deserve better (and that statement goes to the NHL; Versus has no fans. Nor good spots on the dial save for the gifts handed out from their parent cable network - which sucks Comcastically.)
Where was the Detroit-Columbus game? The entire Carolina-New Jersey series?
Oh yes, I forgot the Comcast-owned Flyers had to be shown on the Comcast-owned 'national' network.
Good thing there wasn't a bull rodeo coming up after the Pens/Flyers game or no one would have seen Carolina's awesome goal just before time expired.
The NHL needs to get off this crummy network pronto.
That said, Versus has Anaheim-San Jose coming up next. Unless the third period gets preempted by a fishing show.
Let's hope the bass aren't biting tonight.
Heh. That would be George Richards, writing in the Miami Herald's On Frozen Pond blog. And he has more to say about Versus, here. I can't say as how I disagree with Mr. Richards. Tomorrow night's Wings game ain't on the Versus schedule, either.
I won't be watching the Wings tomorrow night on my 'puter, for that matter. While I think spending 20 Yankee Dollars on last night's game wasn't a total waste of money... it was pretty damned close. NHL.com supposedly gives you a 1.2 MBps streaming feed but it ain't enough. The video had that herky-jerky, miliseconds-worth-of-delay effect that left me with a headache after the game was over. One's eyes try to compensate for the delay and the end-result is eye strain of the headache inducing sort. My head still hurts this morning from the experience. I have a 4 MBps connection, so I'm quite sure the issue wasn't on MY end of the wire.
Finally... the Pens look to have a stranglehold on the Flyers, what with winning last evening in the City of Brotherly Love. The series moves back to Pittsburgh Thursday night and I look for the Pens to close it out then. Sorry, Flyers fans... but that's the way it looks.
Should I? It's ONLY 20 Yankee Dollars, but it somehow offends my frugal sensibilities. Decisions, decisions... I think I'll uncap a 1554, cut a cigar, and go sit out under the awning and contemplate the possibilities.
Update, 1615 hrs: Egged on in comments, I was, so I've popped for the price of admission. There WILL be hockey in Portales this evening... Red Wings hockey, that is. They better not let me down... after all, it IS 20 dollars of my hard-earned (heh) money we're talking about here.
Ramirez is spot-on, as usual. You have to squint real hard to get the gist of what he's saying, though, as the available sizing of the graphic isn't conducive for easy reading. For us Ol Farts, anyhoo. (Via Townhall.com)
―:☺:―
It appears my experiment in V-Blogging went down well with the commentariat, and that was VERY gratifying for YrHmblScrb. It's one thing to post your written thoughts to a discerning world; it's quite another to put your time-ravaged face and stumbling verbal skills out there for all the world to see (and laugh at). All y'all were MOST kind with your comments. I'm thinking there will be more of these V-logging thingies in future... as an irregular, occasional thing.
―:☺:―
Your hockey update... It seems I was just a little premature in writing off the Capitals. They simply kicked the Rangers' collective asses last night, beating the Blueshirts 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. This series looks like it could go at least six, if not seven, games before it's all over. Ovechkin has yet to score, however... but he DID get two assists last night.
The B's, however, continue the beat-down on Les Habitants. THAT series is over, for all intents and purposes. So much for Montreal's 100-saison celebration. You can bet your boots there will be post-season bloodletting in Montreal. A poor-performing hockey team is one thing that isn't tolerated there. That and Anglais...
The nightcap between the Flames and the Blackhawks was THE game yesterday, though. There's a LOT of bad blood between these two teams and the end of the game was marred by significant violence... or enhanced, depending on your point of view. The game was VERY chippy, what with 116 penalty minutes (including five 10-minute misconducts!) handed out to the two teams... with 12 penalties coming in the final minute of the third period. "Chippy," indeed! But... we have a series here. Calgary is most definitely back in this one, albeit down 2-1. This one might go seven games, and it wouldn't break my heart if it does. It's entirely possible Detroit will get the winner of this series... assuming the Sharks prevail over the Ducks, which is NOT a safe assumption. But I want to see Calgary and Chicago beat the hell out of each other before they get to Detroit. It's only right.
―:☺:―
Broadening Our Horizons yet again... but MUCH more successfully this time. I bought a sixer of New Belgium's Mighty Arrow Pale Ale last week while out at the Class VI store and it's already gone. Buck and I had three while he was visiting... him one and me two... and I killed the remainder of the sixer during yesterday's Happy Hour. This is a very crisp and quite hoppy ale that goes down clean and easy! And its 6% ABV content makes it eminently drinkable on a warm Spring day.
Too bad it's a "seasonal" offering... I could get quite used to this beer!
Heh. No one has been in touch with ME... yet. But ya never know, do ya? Them there former military right-wing nutjobs are a BIG problem...
Much has been written over the course of this last week about the language used in the Department of Homeland Security's report titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence and Recruitment." And here it is:
The American Legion, among others, were upset about the language contained in the report, and Legion president David K. Rehbein sent a rather strongly-worded letter to Janet Napolitano which said, in part:
The best that I can say about your recent report is that it is incomplete. The report states, without any statistical evidence, "The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation's uniform during wartime. To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical "disgruntled military veteran" is as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam.
Your report states that "Rightwing extremists were concerned during the 1990s with the perception that illegal immigrants were taking away American jobs through their willingness to work at significantly lower wages." Secretary Napolitano, this is more than a perception to those who have lost their job. Would you categorize union members as "Right Wing extremists"?
In spite of this incomplete, and, I fear, politically-biased report, The American Legion and the Department of Homeland Security share many common and crucial interests, such as the Citizen Corps and disaster preparedness. Since you are a graduate of New Mexico Girls State, I trust that you are very familiar with The American Legion. I would be happy to meet with you at a time of mutual convenience to discuss issues such as border security and the war on terrorism. I think it is important for all of us to remember that Americans are not the enemy. The terrorists are.
Napolitano later delivered an apology, of sorts. All this being, of course, old news. But... I figured if I was gonna post the cartoon... I may as well provide the requisite background information.
DETROIT - APRIL 16: Chris Osgood #30 of the Detroit Red Wings dives to make a save as teammate Jonathan Ericsson #52 ties up Fredrik Modin #33 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
DETROIT - APRIL 16: Manny Malhotra #27 of the Columbus Blue Jackets battles for the puck with both Marian Hossa #81 and Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
(Images from NHL.com)
So… Last night… pizza was eaten, beer was drank, and the evening was topped off with Macallan’s and cigars.It don’t get no better than that, Gentle Reader.Oh…wait.Yes, it does get better.The Wings won their opener handily, beating Columbus 4-1.Chris Osgood took a giant step towards silencing his critics and other assorted doubters with a sterling performance in goal, stopping 20 of 21 shots (13 of which came in the first period) and being named as the game’s first star.The recap is here.
The middle game was excellent as well. Chicago trailed Calgary for most of the night yet Martin Havlat managed to tie the game with a little over five minutes left in regulation and win it 12 seconds into overtime.Havlat was the obvious choice for first star in front of a deliriously happy home crowd.The Hawks are back.
SN1 left before the Chicago game went into overtime.He had driven straight through from Riverside, CA to Portales yesterday and was a little bit whipped last night, having grabbed only about four hours sleep after arriving in P-Ville just before sunrise.And he has a long drive back to South Carolina ahead of him today and tomorrow.He needed his beauty rest.
I apparently needed MY beauty rest as well.I didn’t make it all the way through the nightcap game… falling asleep at the second intermission of the Sharks-Ducks game.I don’t have a dog in this fight (or any other sort of animal… fish or fowl) and I have good reason to dislike both teams, based upon their rather rude handling of the Wings in playoff series past.Still and even, my heart is with the underdogs in this one, so I was gratified to learn the Ducks triumphed last evening by a score of 2-0… in San Jose.There’s a lot of hockey left in this series, to be sure.But I think the games are off to a great start.
And… another double-header tonight… Philly and Pittsburgh tilt again and Vancouver hosts the Blues for the nightcap.I love this time of year!
No. 4. Like upsets? Look to where the Zamboni machines roam. Seven times, a No. 8 seed has dumped a No. 1 seed in the NHL first round. That is virtually unheard of in the NBA.
[...]
No. 7. Speaking of Columbus, the Blue Jackets are making their first playoff appearance in history, against defending champion Detroit.
It is a moment so big in Columbus, the public might even be momentarily distracted from the tailback battle at Ohio State's spring practice.
No. 8. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are meeting in the first round. Perhaps you've noticed that there is fighting in hockey once in a great while. Be advised, these two teams get along about as well as North and South Korea.
No. 9. The Boston Bruins have not survived the first round of the playoffs in 10 years. Three times, they have been evicted by the Montreal Canadiens. Guess who they're meeting again in the first round? Imagine the Red Sox and the Yankees ... with sticks.
[...]
No. 13. Whatever time you spend with hockey, try to keep an eye on the Detroit Red Wings.
One, because they're trying to repeat, and that is harder to do than finding a short bathroom line between periods. No champion has done it in a decade, and the past four Stanley Cup finals have involved eight different teams.
Two, with the playoffs underway, the octopuses will be flying out of the stands in Joe Louis Arena.
Close games, upsets, animosity, twins and sea creatures plopping into the ice. How can you resist?
Indeed... How CAN you resist? About an hour and a half (or so) until the puck drops at The Joe... Yowza!!
The sweetness: SN1, granddaughter Felicty, and great-granddaughter Mya are in P-Ville today. The most happy coincidental effect is the playoffs begin for the Wings this evening and hockey is always better when enjoyed with those you love (insert smiley-face thingie here). There will be beer, cigars, and Macallan's in abundance later on today at El Casa Móvil De Pennington.
I normally don't "do" awards. Well, not gracefully, anyway. I'll invoke the "consider the source" exception in this case, to wit:
Here are the rules associated with this award:
The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all!
Those are the kind of rules I could possibly live with, excluding the first four sentences. Oops! There are only four sentences! Well, I like the spirit of the thing, anyway. At least, I like the mental picture of all of you running like hell through a barnyard crammed full of zombie chickens in order to get to my stuff. I think I'd like the mental picture even more if some of you were naked. Let me see.
(short pause to visualize you naked)
Yes, it was pretty good - except when Buck, Stu, and Chris Mauger entered the picture. Just for that, they're the first three who'll get this award when I'm handing it out at the end. That means there are still two of you who should be very afraid, despite how good you look naked, unless you send me actual photos of you naked, but that hasn't gotten me too many naked photos in the past, so why should I expect anything different now?
That would be Jim speaking, in his highly entertaining and peerless manner (I would have said "inimitable," but this would be the second consecutive post where I refer to two different blog-buds as "inimitable," which would be below par*, damaged, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, exceptionable, half-baked*, ill-favored, improper, inadmissible, insupportable, lousy*, not up to snuff, or otherwise unacceptable. Ain't the thesaurus grand?). I told Jim in comments at his place that I would simply play this straight... due to the fact I was up all night and slept until (nearly) the crack o'noon and am thus somewhat writing-challenged at this hour. That's all true, ya know.
I'll deviate from the rules by not naming five additional recipients (you may all thank me now...don't wait for later). THIS chicken shall not cross the road. But you, Gentle Reader, should hie your fine self off to Jim's and read. He's about the funniest person in my sidebar, if not on this whole danged collection of inter-tubes. I mean that.
Cool, eh? (Well... it would be cool if the animation worked. You'll have to chase the link to see "the real deal.")
As noted above, there are multiple sets at the link, ALL of which are worth viewing, and most especially if you're "of a certain age." Looking at these pics makes me wish I'd saved all those cheesy self-photos I took in those little booths back in the day. Sitting in one of those booths with your Main Squeeze was de rigueur on an outing back in my high-school days... I had hundreds of these things, once upon a time. Ah... "Lost Youth," and all that.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. We saddled up fairly early… for me, anyway… and headed out to the Big(ger) City™ to run a few errands.We got the oil changed in the car, dropped an item off at the UPS Store, and did a little light shopping for to restock the larder with comestibles not available in the charming village of P-Ville… such as four jars of El Pinto, a couple of bags of butter lettuce (why is it P-Villans only eat romaine or iceberg lettuce, apparently?), a pound of brie (same thing with cheese… if it ain’t cheddar, Swiss, or Monterey Jack, it AIN’T… in P-Ville), a Folly Pack from New Belgium (12 bottles of Fat Tire, 1554, Trippel, and Mothership Wit… which might just as well be called “The Buck Pack,” since this is what we drink here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington) and a luscious carrot cake. Among other things… all of which were bought at Albertson’s… which also served to delay the inevitable commissary and Class VI Store run by a couple of days.
I thought my tab was just a bit… umm… pricey when I checked out at Albertson’s and gave my receipt a quick glance to make sure I wasn’t charged double or triple for any one item.And… shock.Since when did the price of brie jump up to 15-frickin’-Yankee-Dollars a pound?Granted, this was the imported French variety, there being none of the usual Made In USA product I usually purchase. But, still!So… I went googling to see what the actual tariff is on brie and was shocked to discover this:
No one's likely to starve as a result, but the pending 300 percent duty on Roquefort, which could be imposed as soon as April 23, would drive its price into the unheard-of range of $60 a pound.
Dang.I almost always buy domestic cheeses, as indicated above.But I find these tariffs (see the linked article) abominable.Here’s the direct impact on me, aka The Consumer, of trade-wars.So, EU… you won’t drop the tariff on US beef?Good luck selling your Roquefort.(I still don’t know what the actual duty imposed on brie is, but I’m pretty sure it’s substantial, given the price of the French stuff is at least three times that of the domestic.)
And about the UPS Store.More sticker-shock.The last time I shipped anything via UPS was back in 1999, when I boxed up the album collection and shipped it off to Maine for safekeeping in SN2’s basement.That was a rather pricey endeavor, but we’re talking four large boxes filled with approximately 500 vinyl LPs… going from Ra-cha-cha, NY to Maine… via UPS Ground.
Yesterday I sent my 28-135mm lens back to Canon for service (we have focus issues with this lens)… in California… for the princely sum of 23 Yankee Dollars and change.Granted, I sent it Two Day Air… but still.Again.Perhaps I need to get out more, but I found these two examples of sticker-shock to be rather surprising.
―:☺:―
I am NOT a Happy Camper when it comes to teevee… I’m looking at YOU, Versus… coverage of the play-offs.Versus will cover Game One of the Detroit-Columbus series and then nothing more until Game Five, which happens on April 25th.That’s just not right… as the Wings are The Defending Champions!!
―:☺:―
Today’s Pic:A Breakfast Tableau.A good healthy chunk of that carrot cake was sliced off and consumed right after I took the photo.One of the bennies of being an adult: “Cake for Breakfast.”
Well, now.The regular season is over (ending on a sour note for Wings fans) and the long playoff run begins day after tomorrow.The NHL announced the playoff schedule sometime last evening… and I have “concerns.”The Beloved Wings begin play on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) and so does Boston in its series against Montreal… on the exact same day at the exact same time.Versus hasn’t posted their TeeVee schedule as of this writing but I’m slightly worried, as there are similar scheduling conflicts throughout the first round.But… it will be what it will be.In the meantime, Detroit’s quarter-final series will be most interesting:
Posted by George James Malik April 13, 200900:26AM
As MLive.com's own Ansar Khan reports, the St. Louis Blues 1-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche earned the Blues the sixth seed in the Western Conference, locking the Detroit Red Wings into a 2-versus-7 match-up against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Those pesky Anaheim Ducks get the San Jose Sharks for their trouble, while the Blues play the Vancouver Canucks, and our dear friends, the Chicago Blackhawks, host the Calgary Flames.
The Red Wings' series will start on Thursday, April 16th, and you can read the entire schedule here (all teams).
This one's going to be interesting for some very simple reasons.
First and foremost, the Blue Jackets won the season series.
The Red Wings mostly played Columbus over the second half of the season, kicking off the season series against a team that had Pascal Leclaire in the net. On November 28th, the Wings defeated the Blue Jackets 5-3; on January 7th, the Wings shut out Steve Mason and Columbus 4-0; Rick Nash scored a hat trick in Columbus's 3-2 win on January 27th--which marked the one-game suspension doled out to Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk--and Columbus got another 3-2 win on February 14th before the infamous 8-2 drubbing on March 7th.
Detroit finished their regular-season play against Columbus with a 4-0 win and Chris Osgood shutout on the Ides of March (March 15th), but Columbus sees Detroit as eminently beatable.
It’s that last sentence above that raises fear in Detroit… the fear of that ol’ playoff song:“Hot Goalie Meets Powerhouse Offense.”We’ve seen that movie before… when the Wings made first-round exits in 2001, 2003, and 2006.Which, of course, isn’t saying we’ll see a re-run.A first-round exit is MUCH more likely to happen in San Jose, who will play the streaking Anaheim Ducks… even though ESPN calls it for the Sharks in seven.(ESPN picks Dee-troit in five, by the way)
Wings aside... I’m thinking the most interesting first-round series will be that San Jose/Anaheim match-up, which should be a doozy.And the second most interesting?That would be Philly/Pittsburgh, about which ESPN sez Penguins in six.Forgive me for concentrating on the Western Conference, Gentle Reader, but it’s what I know.I might have watched perhaps six Eastern Conference games all year, given the fact I live in a hockey wasteland.But there will be ALL the hockey I want for the next six or seven weeks.
I can’t wait!
Update, later that same morning... According to NHL.com I have no reason to worry about teevee coverage this Thursday:
Four more begin Thursday, starting with the Wings, who host Columbus at 7 p.m. ET on VERSUS and TSN. Montreal at Boston also starts at 7 p.m. ET on CBC and RDS. Calgary and Chicago open at the United Center (8:30 p.m. ET on TSN2 and VERSUS) and San Jose hosts Anaheim at 10:30 p.m. ET on VERSUS, CBC and RDS.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...
Image: Sistine Chapel. Hendrick van den Broeck (1519-1597) — Scenes from the Life of Christ: The Resurrection of Christ (H). (Yes... it's the same thing I posted last year. Some things cannot be improved upon.)
So... we're just in from Happy Hour, which began badly but concluded on a happy note. Why the bad beginning? Well... we weren't in the mood to do a beer run all the way out to the base, so we decided to "broaden our horizons" by picking up a sixer of Santa Fe Hefeweizen while we were doing our shopping out at Wally-World, given as how we were "in the mood" for a hefeweizen. And so we picked up a sixer of these:
And we were NOT pleased, Gentle Reader. We drank but one of the above before we dived into what remains of the beer stock and pulled out a couple of Mothership Wits, which went down oh-so-much-better than the aforementioned "hefeweizens," which more resembles run-of-the-mill Budweiser than a hefewieizen. Truth be told... the Santa Fe Brewing Company ought be ashamed... and greatly so... for daring to append the name "hefewiezen" to this brew. This beer will remain in the fridge for a whole HELLUVA long time before it's finished. It might be suitable for foisting off on unsuspecting visitors (and non-discriminating beer drinkers) to El Casa Móvil De Pennington, but that would be about it.
The day was saved (as noted above) by pulling out two Mothership Wits. I sense there will be a beer run out to the Cannon AFB Class VI store in my most immediate future.All that said.... Happy Hour was indeed a success. We began with a soundtrack provided by Pandora... to wit, "Hot Tuna," followed up with "Motown." About which... one of the better tunes we enjoyed this afternoon:
That just HAS to be one of the songs Arthur Conley was talking about when he asked the musical question "Do you like Sweet Soul Music?" Oh, yes... indeed. Yes, we DO.
Blog-Bud Lou writes about the wild fires in southwest Oklahoma last evening... and one of her commenters drove me to the newspapers covering Oklahoma City and its environs. I lived in Choctaw, a suburb of OKC, for about a year and a half while I was stationed at Tinker AFB in my final USAF assignment. Choctaw and Midwest City were the locations of some of the worst fires to hit the area in quite some time, and those fires appeared to be quite close to the Old Pennington Homestead at 1277 South Indian Meridian Road, pictured below.
The top picture is a bird's eye view (heh) of the general neighborhood where I lived; the bottom pic is the house I owned... which sat on a little over two acres. I worried about tornadoes when I lived on Indian Meridian Road and never thought much about wildfire. I hope my used-to-be neighbors are OK...
―:☺:―
Your political commentary for the day comes from one of my favorite pundits...Charles Krauthammer, writing at Townhall.com. The lede grafs:
WASHINGTON -- In his major foreign policy address in Prague committing the United States to a world without nuclear weapons, President Obama took note of North Korea's missile launch just hours earlier and then grandiloquently proclaimed:
"Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something. The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Now is the time for a strong international response."
A more fatuous presidential call to arms is hard to conceive. What "strong international response" did Obama muster to North Korea's brazen defiance of a Chapter 7 --"binding," as it were -- U.N. resolution prohibiting such a launch?
The obligatory emergency Security Council session produced nothing. No sanctions. No resolution. Not even a statement. China and Russia professed to find no violation whatsoever. They would not even permit a U.N. statement that dared express "concern," let alone condemnation.
Having thus bravely rallied the international community and summoned the U.N. -- a fiction and a farce, respectively -- what was Obama's further response? The very next day, his defense secretary announced drastic cuts in missile defense, including halting further deployment of Alaska-based interceptors designed precisely to shoot down North Korean ICBMs. Such is the "realism" Obama promised to restore to U.S. foreign policy.
Read the whole thing... coz the paragraphs above were just a shot across The One's bow. It gets a LOT better.
With the regular hockey season wrapping up, guys can look forward to having at least one butt cheek glued to a couch or barstool for the two-month televised marathon that is the NHL playoffs, beginning next Wednesday.
According to the TV commercial stereotype of guys watching sports, women are seen either in tight tank tops and serving beer, or as uninterested wives nagging their husbands about undone chores. But times have changed. Women represent a significant demographic among sports fans, so it's almost as likely that they'll be the ones worried about getting to the bar in time to see the first puck drop.
(Sigh) They do things just a lil bit differently in The Great White Up and arguably better, as well. Women hockey fans DO exist in these United States, don't get me wrong. My daughter-in-law's sister Yolanda is one such, but she's a Dallas Stars fan... much to her discredit. But Hey! It's hockey...
Perhaps I should move back up to Dee-troit and put my money where my mouth is, no? (I already did that Northern California thing, in case you're wondering. I'd never entertain doing it again, FWIW.)
(Images are screen-shots from the downloadable brochure. Click for larger, of course.)
That would be the 2010 Camaro, which comes in several flavors… ranging from mild to wild.But even the “mild” version comes with a standard 3.6 liter (217 cu. in.) V6 that puts out an astounding 304 hp while getting an estimated 18 miles per gallon (city) and 29 mpg on the highway.Just to put that in perspective… The Second Mrs. Pennington’s 1992 Corvette (which later became mine) put out 300 hp and got all of about 18 mpg on the highway… if you kept your foot out of it... which was pretty danged hard to do, given that 300 hp is a LOT of fun!
The base Camaro begins at $22,995.00… and a moderately tarted-up V6 LT2 model has an MSRP of $27,330.00.That sounds pretty danged reasonable to me, and it also makes me wonder if GM has changed its long-standing policy about not allowing the GM employee discount on new models.I suspect they just might have done so, given the current sales environment.(Full disclosure: The family and I are eligible for that discount by virtue of me being an EDS retiree.SN1 just used the discount last month to buy a new Tahoe.)
But… back to the car.If the base V6 ain’t enough for you and you happen to be a serious horsepower freak… there’s always the 426 hp 2SS model that begins at $34,180.00.Or, as the brochure sez:
If you seek the ultimate, why not own the ultimate — the SS. Call it the extreme Camaro, with performance credentials that compare to many supercars. Its standard 6.2L V8 lays down an incredible 426 hp and a massive 420 lb.-ft. of torque when mated to the standard short-throw six-speed manual — all without a federal gas-guzzler tax.
That last bit I highlighted is pretty danged impressive, in its own right.But 304 horsepower seems like enough for YrHmblScrb.Insurance being a consideration, and all that…
Motor Trend likes the new Camaro, too. The Camaro SS was the winner in a shoot-out between the Camaro, the Mustang GT, and the new Dodge Challenger. Watch...
In re: the post title. It only seems that way, Gentle Reader. Soon it will be "All Hockey, All the Time." But... that said... This is kinda interesting.From the Tuesday edition of the Air Force Association’s Daily Report:
Raptor Cutoff: Production of the F-22 fighter will end at 187 aircraft if Defense Secretary Robert Gates has his way. Gates announced the decision in a round-up of Fiscal 2010 budget moves at a Pentagon press conference Monday. The F-22 buy "completes" the program at the 183 level set for it in 2005, plus four more added by Congress, Gates said, adding that "there is no military requirement for more." He later said that the Air Force told him that no more were needed, which is surprising because the service has been strongly promoting its need for more F-22s and unofficially quoting 60 as the number. Even Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen has said USAF needs 60 more F-22s. Although he did not elaborate on his decision yesterday, Gates has previously criticized the F-22 as being an overly powerful machine that has been unnecessary in Iraq or Afghanistan. Gates has also asserted that the US is "dominant" in airpower. Speaking broadly about the budget—but apparently reflecting on the F-22's superiority to similar foreign fighters now presumed to be on the drawing board—Gates said "our conventional modernization goals should be tied to the actual and prospective capabilities of known future adversaries, not by what might be technologically possible for a potential adversary given unlimited time and resources." In another veiled reference to the F-22, Gates said, "Every dollar spent to over-insure against a remote or diminishing risk—or, in effect, to 'run up the score' in a capability where the United States is already dominant—is a dollar not available" for care of troops or to "win the wars we are in." The Air Force did not provide a response when asked if its official military advice to Gates was that more F-22s are unnecessary. (Gates remarks as prepared for delivery; briefing Q&A) (From Monday's Daily Report: The Air Force Cut List)
And on the same subject… here’s a blurb from today’s Daily Report:
Where's the Beef?: We've asked the Air Force for an unambiguous confirmation that its senior leadership recommended no further F-22s are needed, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday. Gates told a Pentagon press conference that "the military advice that I got was that there is no military requirement" beyond 187 F-22s, and when asked about the Air Force's position, he replied, "that was their advice as well." The Air Force's response to our query wasn't exactly on point. A USAF spokesman said, "The Air Force supports the holistic, strategic approach to next year's budget adopted by the Administration and the Secretary of Defense, and we will continue to provide our best military advice to DOD and Congress as they propose and approve a Fiscal 2010 budget. As a service, we understand the need to balance current and future requirements and to exercise fiscal discipline. We're ready to move forward with the guidance Secretary Gates has provided to make the most of the resources we're given and to work as a member of the joint team in accomplishing our nation's military objectives." We'll keep working on them for a direct answer.
God Save Us.Even the frickin’ military has gone PC these days.Even though it IS part of the culture to salute smartly and execute the order… even if you disagree with said order… there isn’t anything in the culture that prevents you from giving a direct answer to a direct question.Or there didn’t used to be, anyway.
―:☺:―
Speaking of Our Man Gates… he did an extensive interview on The News Hour last evening, and here he is holding forth on the F-22:
ROBERT GATES: I think what we're trying to do is not reduce emphasis on conventional warfare, but be more selective about the weapons systems that we fund to fight that kind of a fight. I'm not cutting the F-22; I'm not recommending the F-22; I'm simply recommending that the program set in 2005 was to build 183 of these aircrafts. I'm simply saying, let's finish that program and then let's focus on buying large numbers of the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35, which has 10- to 15-year newer technology, has some capabilities that the F-22 doesn't have.
The F-22 is a great airplane, all you have to do is ask the pilots who fly it, but - and it will remain in the inventory, but there is no military requirement for more than 183 of them, 187 with those that are in the supplemental. So we're doing that, we're building additional ships, we're doing more in the way of theater and tactical ballistic-missile defense. We're converting more ships to have ballistic-missile defense that would help against China. So I think there's kind of a misunderstanding of exactly what it is we're trying to do here. We're trying to be more selective about systems that actually work and that can be delivered in a reasonable period of time than some of these exotic systems.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But by ending production in - down the road, of the F-22 Raptor, I'm already reading that shutting it down is going to mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. Was that something that weighed on you as you made that decision?
ROBERT GATES: Well, we can't be oblivious to the impact that these decisions have on people, but the information that's available to us shows that the direct employment of the F-22 will go from about 32,000 in - I'm sorry, from about 24,000 this year to about 11,000 in 2011. But Joint Strike Fighter will go from 38,000 people working this year to 82,000 people that work on that plane in direct support in 2011. So there are puts and takes. I think we've done a good job of taking care of the industrial base in the shipyards and the workers there in the decisions on the shipbuilding.
So we're not oblivious to the employment aspects, but to be perfectly honest, there isn't a single defense program anywhere, procurement program, that doesn't have an impact in somebody's hometown and somebody's state. And so if you're going to bring any discipline to the Defense Department budget, if you're going to try and make any selectivity, have any selectivity in terms of what you fund and don't fund, it will have an impact somewhere.
That’s just a little disingenuous… the bit about finishing the program as it was approved in 2005.The Air Force originally requested approximately 700 F-22s, back when the program was in its infancy… with the full realization that it would never be able to get that many. The F-22 is generally viewed as the follow-on replacement for the F-15, which has been in service since 1975. The Air Force operates 522 Eagles. Here’s a little blurb from Global Security.org on the subject of numbers:
A Joint Estimate Team was chartered in June 1996 to review the F-22 program cost and schedule. JET concluded that the F-22 engineering and manufacturing development program would require additional time and funding to reduce risk before the F-22 enters production. JET estimated that the development cost would increase by about $1.45 billion. Also, JET concluded that F-22 production cost could grow by about $13 billion (from $48 billion to $61 billion) unless offset by various cost avoidance actions. As a result of the JET review the program was restructured, requiring an additional $2.2 billion be added to the EMD budget and 12 months be added to the schedule to ensure the achievement of a producible, affordable design prior to entering production. The program restructure allowed sourcing within F-22 program funds by deleting the three pre-production aircraft and slowing the production ramp. Potential for cost growth in production was contained within current budget estimate through cost reduction initiatives formalized in a government/industry memorandum of agreement. The Defense Acquisition Board principals reviewed the restructured program strategy and on February 11, 1997 the Defense Acquisition Executive issued an Acquisition Defense Memorandum approving the strategy.
The Quadrennial Defense Review Report, which was released in mid-May 1997, reduced the F-22 overall production quantity from 438 to 339, slowed the Low Rate Initial Production ramp from 70 to 58, and reduced the maximum production rate from 48 to 36 aircraft per year.
The Air Force has maintained for years that 381 Raptors is the minimum number required to achieve the air superiority mission and has only grudgingly accepted lesser numbers. Here’s an excerpt of testimony by one Christopher Bolkcom (Specialist In National Defense, Congressional Research Service), before the Senate Armed Services Committee in July of 2006:
The number of F-22's to be purchased has fluctuated considerably over time. Originally conceived of as a 750-aircraft program, DoD’s first Selected Acquisition Report that included the F-22 (December 31, 1991), reported a 648-aircraft procurement plan. Over time, the number of F-22s that could be purchased under budget limits was reduced to 442, 440, 342, 341, 278, 279, 181, and 185 (including aircraft built with RDT&E funds). The Air Force called its attempts to purchase as many F-22's as possible under budget limits a “buy-tobudget” plan. Some criticized this approach as being inconsistent with DoD’s more traditional requirements-driven weapon system acquisition strategy.
Since 2002, Air Force leaders have consistently stated that they require 381 F-22s. Further, Air Force officials point out that this requirement has been validated by DoD.
The Air Force’s stated rational for the 381 figure has not been consistent. At times Air Force officials have argued that this figure is required to field one 24-aircraft F-22 squadron in each of the Service’s 10 Aerospace Expeditionary Forces (AEFs). Other times, the Air Force has argued that 381 was the minimum number required to address emerging “nearpeer” competitors. At still other times, Air Force leaders argued for the F-22, based on their perception of the Raptor’s potential contribution to the “global war on terrorism.” Specific F-22 missions Air Force leaders described include conducting cruise missile defense over the United States, and flying close air support (CAS) missions for small, dispersed U.S. ground forces fighting terrorists or insurgents.
It is also important to note that although DoD may support the 381-aircraft goal for the F-22 in theory, DoD has cut the F-22 program by $10.5 billion. This reduction has made the 381 requirement difficult to achieve.
The Air Force is part of the problem, obviously.It’s ludicrous to justify the F-22 as a close air support platform… and the Air Force sacrificed a good deal of its credibility by attempting to do so.But that is neither here nor there.We began with Secretary Gates’ comment about the F-22 program, “as established in 2005.”The truth is just a little bit different, no?
A letter from the president of the Air Force Association:
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
AFA members, Congressional staffers, civic leaders, and DOCA members, yesterday, Secretary Gates briefed the press corps on his budget proposal for 2010. [You can find his statement at: http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1341]
In sum … for the Air Force, the following was recommended:
Continued production of ISR systems
Increased production of the F-35
Continue the process to select tanker replacement
Purchase of more SOF lift, mobility, and refueling aircraft
However, the following programs were terminated/delayed:
F-22 production – terminated
Follow-on Bomber – terminated ("until we have a better understanding of the need, requirement, and the technology")
C-17 production – terminated
Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter –X – terminated
Transformational Satellite (TSAT) – terminated – and instead purchase of two more AEHF satellites
Missile Defense – radically cut
No increase of ground-based interceptors
Airborne Laser (ABL) terminated
Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) – terminated
Missile Defense Agency budget reduced by $1.4B/year
One cut – which has but one line in the release – retires 250 aircraft. This means:
We will have a defacto Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) – since 250 aircraft is the equivalent of 3.5 wings (and over 5 CVBGs) of fighter aircraft
F-15s, F-16s, and A-10s will all leave the force … with no replacements …
Let me make a few observations about this budget.
This budget guarantees that the oldest Air Force in the history of our nation will get even older.
B-52s (built in the 1950s) will have to be kept on duty for a minimum of another 15-20 years …
At a time when the nation is spending literally trillions of dollars, we seem to not have enough money to fund an adequate defense
We are using tomorrow's dollars to solve today's problems.
The acquisition decisions recommended will lock in the range of national security options for decades into the future.
The decisions are not just programic nuance – but will impact core Air Force functions, to include Air Force ability to deter, to conduct an air campaign, and to rescue our downed Airmen.
The launch of an intercontinental missile by North Korea this weekend (and a similar launch by Iran 5 weeks ago) argues for a robust missile defense, not a reduced one – to include the ABL. The technology of ABL has the potential to revolutionize warfare in the future.
It is difficult to determine the strategy which this budget supports. This is especially important since a Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is mandated by law … and will be conducted in the upcoming several months. It seems the budget (and hence the strategy) precedes the QDR.
This budget increases risk … in my view … beyond so-called "moderate."
AFA believes there are major impacts and consequences … for the full-up joint team. These budget recommendations may cost us lives and will reduce our strategic options in a very dangerous world.
For your consideration.
Mike
Michael M. Dunn President/CEO
Mr. Dunn is a retired USAF Lieutenant General. His bio is here.
Remember this? Wherein I said... "Let's think about other things, such as going to the DMV (or some other to-be-announced Fed agency) to file a warranty claim on your GM car. Yeah. THAT will be fun, dontcha think?" The folks at Reason were on the same page... and made a video to that effect.
Big doings this past weekend, most of which occurred Saturday night and very early Sunday morning.First of all, the Norks defied the entire world (except perhaps for Iran and a few other rogue regimes) and launched their prototype ICBM (which failed, according to the NYT), just hours before President Obama invited the world to join hands with him and sing a few choruses of Kumbaya.The president, speaking in Prague yesterday (transcript here):
So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. (Applause.) I'm not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to insist, "Yes, we can." (Applause.)
Now, let me describe to you the trajectory we need to be on. First, the United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies -- including the CzechRepublic. But we will begin the work of reducing our arsenal.
To reduce our warheads and stockpiles, we will negotiate a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Russians this year. (Applause.) President Medvedev and I began this process in London, and will seek a new agreement by the end of this year that is legally binding and sufficiently bold. And this will set the stage for further cuts, and we will seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor.
To achieve a global ban on nuclear testing, my administration will immediately and aggressively pursue U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (Applause.) After more than five decades of talks, it is time for the testing of nuclear weapons to finally be banned.
And to cut off the building blocks needed for a bomb, the United States will seek a new treaty that verifiably ends the production of fissile materials intended for use in state nuclear weapons. If we are serious about stopping the spread of these weapons, then we should put an end to the dedicated production of weapons-grade materials that create them. That's the first step.
Sweet Mother of God.While this may not be unilateral disarmament it’s most definitely its first cousin.The president says he’s “not naïve,” but I beg to differ.And I’m not alone, either.Here’s former Speaker Newt Gingrich, speaking on Fox News Sunday:
Just in case you didn’t watch the video all the way to the end… here’s what I think is the most important bit… Newt on Obama’s “no nukes” speech (complete FNStranscript here):
WALLACE: Mr. Gingrich, what do you make of the president's speech today in which he called for new limits and, in fact, the elimination, eventually, as a goal, of all nuclear weapons at the same time, as I discussed with David Axelrod, that he wants a cut in missile defense?
GINGRICH: There's a fascinating analysis of Jimmy Carter's Notre Dame speech when he spoke at the commencement in 1977. And that was the moment in which Carter's fantasy view of the world became clear, and the beginning, I think, of the end of his -- of his administration. The president's in a world where Hamas is firing missiles every day into Israel, Iran is building nuclear weapons, and the North Koreans today during -- basically during his speech fired a missile, and he has some wonderful fantasy idea that we're going to have a great meeting next year.
With who? I mean, who's coming to this meeting? The Pakistanis? The Indians? The Chinese? The Russians? And what are they going to promise? And why would you believe them?
I just think that it's very dangerous to have a fantasy foreign policy, and it can get you in enormous trouble, just like giving -- you know, we don't have a war on terror anymore. We don't have terrorist attacks anymore. So now homeland security has manmade disasters.
I'm somehow not comforted with the thought that 9/11 was a manmade disaster but not a terrorist attack, and I'm not comforted with words instead of serious systematic policies.
It’s worse than it looks, actually.The president’s announced policy very likely means our current nuclear arsenal, which is in serious need of upgrading due to reliability issues, will NOT be upgraded.From Saturday’s WSJ (“To Russia With Love; Degrading the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”):
What Mr. Obama wants to kill specifically is the Reliable Replacement Warhead, which the Bush Administration supported over Congressional opposition, and which Mr. Obama now opposes despite the support of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the military. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told us this week that "we do need a new warhead." When we asked about Mr. Obama's views on the warhead, the Admiral said, "You would have to ask him."
The RRW is not, in fact, a new weapon; it has been in development for several years and is based on the W89 design tested in the 1980s. It is said to be a remarkably safe and long-lasting warhead, a significant consideration given the gradual physical deterioration of the current U.S. arsenal, particularly the mainstay W76.
The irony is that Mr. Obama's opposition is making substantial reductions in the total U.S. arsenal that much riskier. In the absence of actual testing, which hasn't happened in the U.S. since 1992, the only real hedge against potentially defective weapons is a larger arsenal. Naturally, arms-control theologians are instead urging the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and ban the production of weapons grade uranium and plutonium.
The thinking here is that somehow the American example will get Russia, as well as North Korea, Pakistan and perhaps Iran, to reject nuclear weapons. In fact, a U.S. nuclear arsenal that is diminished in both quantity and quality would be an incentive for these countries to increase their nuclear inventories, since the door would suddenly be opened to reach strategic parity with the last superpower. Mr. Medvedev, for one, recently announced Russia would pursue "large-scale rearmament" of its army and navy, including nuclear arsenals.
France also plans to deploy new sea-based nuclear missiles next year, even as it reduces the overall size of its arsenal. The French understand that a credible nuclear deterrent requires modern and reliable weapons. The Obama Administration should understand that the best security for both the U.S. and the allies that rely on our nuclear umbrella lies in an unchallengeable arsenal, and not an invitation to the world's Mahmoud Ahmadinejads to compete on equal terms.
While Mr. Obama may not be naïve, he apparently believes in fairy tales... or their foreign policy/defense policy equivalents. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if he were only a private citizen and not the president of the United States.We live in a dangerous world… a world where power is respected and weakness is exploited.The policy Mr. Obama announced in Prague will be interpreted as a sign of American weakness in the world’s dark corners, at the very best.I hesitate to speculate what the worst case scenario might entail, but I’m sure it’s NOT something Americans would welcome.And while it’s true the president went to some (small) length to assure the world the US is not unilaterally disarming, he’s coming perilously close to doing just that.I’m afraid the Prague speech was just the first step in what will be an irreversible slide down a slippery slope.
I dunno about you, Gentle Reader, but I feel a whole helluva lot less safe today than I did before I went to bed Saturday night.The other shoe will drop sometime today when Secretary Gates announces the administration’s proposed cuts in major defense programs. I can hardly wait.
Yep… elections have consequences.I only hope the change doesn’t kill us.
Granddaughter Felicity gave birth to great-granddaughter Mya at approximately 2330 hrs (PDT) last evening. Mom and daughter are doing fine as is Grandpa Buck, aka SN1. I haven't spoken with Grandma Erma yet... one assumes she's sleeping after a long night. Pics will be posted upon receipt.
We will now do The Happy Dance!
Update, 04/05/2009: I replaced the generic "Mom and Baby" pic with one of Felicity and Mya, taken shortly after delivery. Mom and beautiful baby girl are scheduled to be released from the hospital today. I'm assured of more pics to follow.
Johan Franzen, in a highlight-reel goal if EVER there was one... check out the slo-mo at the end to get a feel for the sheer athleticism involved:
All for naught, though, as the Wings go down... for the third freakin' game in a row... 5-4 to St. Louis. SN1 and I have been patiently waiting for win Number 50, which hasn't happened yet. Five games left in the regular season, but it looks like the dream of another President's Trophy has gone by the boards. It looks highly doubtful that the Wings will take the conference, what with San Jose on a roll and steadily increasing their lead in the West.
So... I'm right in the middle of reading Blog-Bud Jim's interview about his musical roots (Jim's a bass player)... and out of nowhere some long-dead synapses of mine fire off, principally concerning bass players I've known and loved in the past. One such example:
That would be Stanley Clarke, collaborating with George Duke. There is a wild segue from Wild Dog into Louie, Louie on the (first) Clarke-Duke Project album... which is just phenomenal. Too bad it ain't here...
There is a stand-alone version, though... and here it is:
Cool, eh? (Well, except for the lousy editing that chops off the end of the song. Ya can't have everything, I guess.)
... by the FedEx Guy, of all people. He needed to see my drivers license... insisted on it, actually... before he'd put this fine birthday present in my hot lil hands:
Well, now. Is that impressive, or what? And here I sit, unable to imbibe until such time as my corporeal suffering is over. But I'm thinking the celebration will be sweet when it comes, what with those Tabak Especials hanging out in the humidor and the perfect accompaniment now sitting in the liquor cabinet.
The present was sent to me by my Great Good Friends John and Diane. I've known these fine people for over 20 years now, and John and I have torched many a fine cigar and tipped more than a few tumblers of single-malt together over the course of that time. Here's John, followed by a pic of Diane (in the white sweater) and I (plus a friend whose name I cannot recall, for the life of me):
The occasion was a New Years Eve party at my house in Rochester (Perinton, actually) NY... 1999. Former Happy Days, indeed.
A Cuban Crafter Cigar Factory worker checks on the cigars Monday, March 23, 2009. People are stocking up on cigars before the April 1 tax increase. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
MIAMI – Inside the rolling room of El Credito Cigar Company, the air is earthy and fragrant, a mix of coffee and nuts tinged with caramel and leather.
Amid those sweet smells, though, workers are worried about a new federal tobacco tax that threatens Florida's $2 billion cigar industry. Starting Wednesday, the tax will increase from 5 cents to about 40 cents on large cigars, a little less on smaller stogies. Cigar makers say the increase will torch jobs and profits — what's left of them in the recession.
Like dozens of cigar companies dotting Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, El Credito uses traditional rollers — or, in Spanish, "torcedors" — to hand make La Gloria Cubana, the company's most famous and expensive cigar. The workers sit at wooden tables and fold tanned tobacco leaves, cut them with a crescent-shaped knife and then roll the wads into fat Churchills, Coronas and Torpedoes.
"Many of our rollers are worried," said Hector Ventura, operations manager for El Credito. "They think that if we have less sales, they will lose their jobs. We know for sure the tax increase will reduce our sales. It's not good for our business, not good at all."
I DO feel bad for the cigar industry, and most especially for the guys that make hand-rolled cigars. As noted above, they stand to lose the most from this tax increase. I’m not too worried about the taxes on my cigars going up… mainly because cigars are a recreational item for me and I smoke less than one a day if you average it all out.I can absorb the increase without much pain, speaking strictly from an economic-impact point of view, and I don't plan to change my consumption habits. The amount of the tax increase pisses me off considerably, though. It's not enough for the government to double or even triple the tax on cigars... nooo, they have raise it by a factor of eight. That's just a bit excessive, innit?
I have some strong opinions about the equality aspect of taxing the living Hell out of smokers, too.The tax on tobacco is a regressive tax with a disproportionate impact on the poorer among us.THAT irritates me to no end. What was that The One said?I think it was something like this…
"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."
[…]
Government and private research has found that smoking rates are higher among people of low income.
A Gallup survey of 75,000 people last year fleshed out that conclusion. It found that 34 percent of respondents earning $6,000 to $12,000 were smokers, and the smoking rate consistently declined among people of higher income. Only 13 percent of people earning $90,000 or more were smokers.
I’m pretty danged glad I don’t smoke cigarettes any longer, however.Consider this:
God help you if you smoke cigarettes and live in New York City.I saw an item on the news yesterday that a single pack of smokes now costs $11.10 in The Big Apple.I’m old enough to remember a time when I paid about a quarter… 25 cents… for a pack of ciggies.Granted… that was when I was overseas back in the ‘60s and bought my smokes in the commissary on base, free from all taxes.Yet, still… it’s taxation like this that leads to black markets.Just hide and watch.
―:☺:―
Forgive me a self-indulgent moment, Gentle Reader, coz this blog is also my journal (sorta). I'm still down and out where the "gastric distress” thing I talked about this past Monday is concerned. There has been no real improvement in the situation and I'm still tethered to the RV for all intents and purposes. I called the clinic out at the base yesterday and had a phone consultation with a nurse-practitioner, who informed me there's a bug going around and that said bug typically lasts five or six days. Color me surprised, as I thought this sort of thing usually lasts a day or two at the most. So... I've been given some dietary restrictions and other sorts of counseling... the bottom line being to wait it out and things WILL get better.
Lord, I sure hope so... coz this thing is turning into a right-royal PITA. Literally.
In a friendly game between Sweden and Switzerland, Swedish forward Linus Omark, scored one of the best shootout goals you'll ever see. In case you are wondering, the Edmonton Oilers drafted him in the 4th round of the 2007 NHL entry draft. He currently plays for Lulea HF, in the Swedish Elite League. Omark looks to be the latest in a long line of Swedish superstars.
That's the most unique shoot-out goal I've ever seen...
When you walk into a dark field in the middle of the night...
and look up into a black sky and wonder how many stars there are in the universe, let's be honest: in all likelihood you don't have the faintest clue, and even if you're one of the few who do, you lack any real capacity to comprehend the figure save for the same vague sense of stunned wonder that our earliest human ancestors felt when they looked up from the African savannah at the same starry sky.
Our species' journey toward tonight's epochal announcement had much less to do with that awestruck moment than it did with the moment those same ancestors woke up hungry the next morning and started studying animal tracks in the savannah mud, thereby inadvertently developing concepts like time and causality which, by abstracting both location and temporal context into a unique reconning tool within the brain, sparked the set of responses that, ages later, we now call reason.
Rene Descartes, noted philosopher
From there, mankind's journey toward artificial intelligence took place over so many centuries and in the hands of so many thinkers that it is possible here only to pause to mark a few of the moments when one of our genius forebears expanded the edge of our species' technological envelope: Aristotle's system of reasoning based on means, not ends; al-Khowarazmi's algorithms; Descartes, Locke and Hume's monumental insights into the nature of knowledge; Church and Turing's theory of a machine capable of computing all functions which are computable; the Allied code-breakers who, struggling to crack the fiendish Enigma machine amid the horrific irrationality of World War II, inadvertently facilitated the birth of the modern computer.
The decades that followed saw an acceleration of innovation not seen since the Industrial Revolution. Computing pioneers from the game theorist von Neumann to the economist Morgenstern engaged in a tumultuous Hegelian rondolet in which probability theory mated with utility theory to spawn decision theory. Operations research and Markov decision processes tackled actions taking place in a sequence. Neuroscience shed light on the parallels and differences between electronic and human brains. Cognitive psychology delivered sound specifications for knowledge-based agents. The now-legendary summer workshop at Dartmouth in 1956 birthed automata, the first neural networks and the invention of a program capable of thinking non-numerically.
But close though we may have come to a theory of the brain, the body - computer hardware - wasn't capable of handling the extraordinary processing demands that any reasonably "intelligent" brain would place on its circuitry until Moore's Law really kicked in a few years back and the modern ultra-dense machinery of atomic scale-sized gates and their light-based interconnections finally reached the scale of brain neurons - and then surpassed it, when, in early 2007, a tight-knit, vaguely feared quantum computing group here at Google extended computers with quantum bits of Einstein-Bose condensate, polynomially speeding up our machines' data-processing ability.
From the Tech Specs... and you know there's more.
Update: Been to CADIE's blog yet? Didja follow any of the links? I just had to include this screen-shot from CADIE's favorite places in Google Maps (I'm in ur mapz), which, strangely enough, also includes Redmond, WA. As ever, click for larger...
Just hanging out with friends: The president and the first lady don 3-D glasses to watch the Super Bowl at a Super Bowl party in the family theatre of the White House
