Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Off topic post because nothing interesting is happening in Ottawa

The terms of reference are out for the Airbust inquiry. Apart from that, it's looking like a slow news week (where's Pat Martin to do something dumb when you need blog content?), so let's head off topic and toss up some first round playoff predictions. Feel free to play along or, even better, send me a link of something going on that's post-worthy.

Montreal over Boston
Pittsburgh over Ottawa
Washington over Philly
New York over New Jersey

Detroit over Nashville
San Jose over Calgary
Colorado over Minnesota
Anaheim over Dallas

posted by calgarygrit at 8:51 a.m.

23 Comments:

  • San Jose over Calgary?

    Blasphemous.

    By Blogger Corey Hogan, at 9:35 a.m.  

  • Somewhat annoyingly, I agree with all of the picks. Seriously. Sent in my hockey pool form last night.

    So that means Detroit hits Anaheim and San Jose hits Colorado?

    And Montreal hits New York and Pittsburgh hits Washington?

    In those hypothetical match-ups, I pick Detroit and San Jose, and Montreal and Pittsburgh. With a final of San Jose vs. Pittsburgh, San Jose winning.

    And omfg, I would love to see Crosby/Malkin up against Ovechkin.

    By Blogger matt, at 10:59 a.m.  

  • tough being a Liberal these days eh ?

    Your party is about to bend over, really bend over this time on the immigration bill and you are onto hockey ?

    Enjoy the playoffs, the hockey games should be good as well.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:01 a.m.  

  • fred - we'll see what happens on immigration...either way, I'll toss a post up on it when a decision is reached.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 11:17 a.m.  

  • stick to politics, you don't know anything about hockey! /sarcasm

    my picks

    Montreal over Boston
    Pittsburgh over Ottawa
    Philly over Washington
    New Jersey over New York

    I think the Philly / DC matchup is going to be classic as both teams are heading into the playoffs hot. This one should go the distance. Would love to see the Habs go to the Stanley Cup Finals, but I have a feeling its going to be Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.


    Detroit over Nashville
    San Jose over Calgary
    Colorado over Minnesota
    Anaheim over Dallas

    Don't disagree with you on these picks. I have feeling its going to be Detroit or Anaheim in the west.

    If Detroit goes to the Stanley Cup finals, I think they win it all.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:21 a.m.  

  • Hmmm?

    Why no protest over China’s repression in Tibet? It’s alright to promote human rights in Afghanistan.

    Why no whimper over the oppression of the Tibetans? Is China not a authoritarian state?

    By Blogger JimTan, at 12:30 p.m.  

  • jimtan, you mean taliban human rights record?

    how bout that GREEN mortgage plan?

    2010 olympics security hand-wringing?

    Miller's hand gun ban?

    Bob Fife knuckledraggers comment?

    Recession? O-bama-mania? oops US news

    By Blogger Unknown, at 12:57 p.m.  

  • I think there is more to this terms of reference than you're giving it.

    Stephen Harper is trying to avoid making the Gomery mistake, by having a public inquiry without the... you know... public.

    Comparison's with national security interests that are being taken into account in the Iaccabucci commission are laughable. I'm sure Brian Mulroney figures that the information is equally sensitive. No one else does.

    By Blogger Gauntlet, at 1:02 p.m.  

  • hey matt, Detroit would play Colorado.. hypothetically.

    By Blogger Robert_S, at 1:09 p.m.  

  • A "private" public inquiry makes no sense to me. Harper better keep this thing public!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:41 p.m.  

  • "Why no protest over China’s repression in Tibet? It’s alright to promote human rights in Afghanistan.

    Why no whimper over the oppression of the Tibetans? Is China not a authoritarian state?"

    I think CG worries that if he were to voice anything less than unflinching love for the Chinese government, he would be kicked out of the Liberal party.

    (Would love, jimtan, to hear Barak talk on this subject instead of here him make up stuff about President Uribe.)

    By Blogger Tarkwell Robotico, at 1:48 p.m.  

  • So your first-round upset predictions are #5 (97pts) beating #4 (99pts) in the East, and #6 (95pts) beating #3 (98pts) in the West? You expect 95-point Philly (#6) to lose to 94-point Washington (#3)? All your other picks show a +5 point or better regular season spread - not exactly predicting anarchy in the race, are you?

    Did you predict the NCAA Final Four would be the four #1-ranked teams out of the starting field?

    I've gotta like my Sens in 6; Mtl in 5, Caps in 7, and Rangers in 4. I'll take Detroit, San Jose, Minnesota, and Anaheim in 4, 6, 6, and 5.

    And I hope for better results than I got in the NCAA tourney.

    With not much happening on the Hill, has anyone watched for bookings by any newly-minted Toronto MPs at a Toronto airport hotel? (Just teasing!)

    By Blogger Paul, at 4:56 p.m.  

  • "I think CG worries that if he were to voice anything less than unflinching love for the Chinese government, he would be kicked out of the Liberal party."

    Yet, I don't hear the conservatives speak up for freedom.

    Yes, harper is making noises about it. But, his position is similar to the neo-conservatives. They think that China is the enemy because of their emerging strength. The authoritarian nature of the Chinese government is a secondary consideration.

    Therefore, harper is opposing China for the wrong reason. And, his protest at the 2010 Games does not address the fundamental issues.

    1) Is Tibet an internal matter for China? That’s the Chinese government’s spin?
    2) Are residents within China protected by universal human rights? The NGO position.
    3) Can the Chinese government be attacked without harming the Chinese people? That’s the intention of the direct action protestors.
    4) Does the dependence on cheap Chinese goods compromise western principles? The neo-cons and anti-free traders.
    5) Will the creation of a Chinese province in Tibet increase the chance of war? The Indians worry.
    6) Will an independent Tibet provide support for Quebec separatists? The Canadian government’s dilemma.

    All these issues are relevant to our role in Afghanistan. Should we impose western values on the reconstruction of Afghanistan? Can we let Kabul find a political settlement on their own with the Pashtun tribes? How will the insurgency affect Pakistan and vice-versa?

    How do we fight the insurgents without harming the civilians? Do we stop opium production by subsidizing the farmers?

    Dion and harper made a 2011 compromise on the Afghan mission without addressing the key issues.

    Innocent people will keep dying. Afghanistan will remain a quagmire. There will be no peace in Tibet.

    By Blogger JimTan, at 5:27 p.m.  

  • Montreal in 5
    Pittsburgh in 5
    Philadelphia (yech!) in 7
    New Jersey in 6

    Detroit in 6
    Calgary in 7
    Minnesota in 6
    Anaheim in 5

    By Blogger burlivespipe, at 6:44 p.m.  

  • Post worthy issue:

    General election in Zimbabwe

    there is life beyond Newfoundland - there is, really!

    By Blogger Wild English Rose, at 10:52 p.m.  

  • Caution for investors..

    Warning about anything in *Putin-Land*.

    From time to time I warned about a Canadian Hotel complex taken over..[ read stolen ] through Russian red tape.

    . . About servers that continue to hack, spam and bilk North American commercial and personal bank card accounts out of Billion$.

    Russian authority promises to curb the robbery, yet do nothing, and now this . .

    * * 04/07/08 12:42 PM EST World
    "Corruption, intimidation, robbery, violent assault, forgery, large-scale fraud. No, not the subject of the latest John Grisham novel, but sensational allegations, made public Apr. 4 by Hermitage Capital Management.until recently the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia.

    In a detailed and damning report, titled Criminal Justice.Russian-Style, Hermitage alleges the fund's Russian subsidiaries have fallen victim to an elaborate con designed to defraud the fund of hundreds of millions of dollars.

    The most sensational part of Hermitage's allegations is that the attempted larceny was carried out with the direct connivance of officials in the Russian police. Hermitage alleges the police seized documents and equipment that were instrumental to the attempted fraud, which involved bogus court cases based on forged documents, the aim of which was to sue Hermitage subsidiaries for hundreds of millions of dollars.

    *The most shocking thing is not that there are corporate raiders in Russia who attempt to steal your shares,* says Jamison Firestone, managing partner of Firestone Duncan, Hermitage's law firm.

    *The shocking thing is that the police worked hand-in-hand with them, and actually performed the theft of the documents so that the corporate raiders could then do their work.* **

    http://www.ndir.com/
    ======================== StingyInvestor.ca

    And remember, sure you can get cartons of smokes from Russia for $20 each, but you will get stung by both the Putin Mob and our own customs. Beware!= TG

    By Blogger TonyGuitar, at 1:08 a.m.  

  • China is coming around though. . .

    China has betrayed one its closest allies by providing the United Nations with intelligence on Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear technology, diplomats have revealed.

    Concern over Tehran's secretive research programme has increased in recent weeks after officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, discovered that Iran had obtained information on how to manufacture nuclear-armed weapons.

    Beijing is believed to have decided to assist the inspectors after documents seized from Iranian officials included blueprints for "shaping" uranium metal into warheads, the testing of high explosives used to detonate radioactive material and the procurement of dual-use technology.

    Much of the new material was presented to the governors of the Vienna-based IAEA in February. That meeting is said to have triggered China's change of heart.

    Diplomats described Beijing's decision to provide material related to Iran to the IAEA as a potentially significant breakthrough.

    H/T Irwin Daisy - SmallDeadAnimals

    I just wish China would act in a more senior diplomatic way toward Tibet.

    More can be gained through fatherly diplomacy than by Shrill reaction. = TG

    By Blogger TonyGuitar, at 1:21 a.m.  

  • just out of loyalty, spite, and against common sense...


    OTTAWA OVER PITTSBURGH

    By Blogger m5slib, at 8:03 a.m.  

  • Robert: thanks, I get that split confused year after year. I still pick Detroit and San Jose to beat Colorado and Anaheim. My issue is whether that spoils my hoped-for Pittsburgh/Washington battle.

    By Blogger matt, at 9:21 a.m.  

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

    By Blogger JimTan, at 1:29 a.m.  

  • “(Would love, jimtan, to hear Barak talk on this subject instead of here him make up stuff about President Uribe.)”

    What stuff? As far as I know, Uribe has admonished Obama for opposing a proposed free trade agreement.

    The official website of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe released this statement today:
    (This article was translated into English)

    President Uribe Refers to Statements by Democratic Candidate Barak Obama on the Colombian Free Trade Agreement

    Florencia, Caqueta, April 02 (SP). In an interview on Wednesday at American newspaper Wall Street Journal, President Alvaro Uribe referred to the recent statements by Democratic candidate for the presidency of the USA Barak Obama, Barak Obama, on the FTA between Colombia and the United States, who is in the United States Congress. These were his words:

    "I regret that Senator Obama (Barak), aspiring to be President of the United States, ignore the efforts of Colombia. I think that his political calculation, he is making a statement that does not correspond to the reality of Colombia.

    I would ask, on behalf of all Colombians, who are aware of the efforts being made in Colombia, the progress that Colombia has made, in spite of everything that is needed; who becomes aware properly before making these pronouncements that do harm."

    Obama’s reply as a Democrat:

    Sen. Barack Obama pushed back against criticism from Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who said Obama opposes the free-trade deal between Washington and Bogota because of election politics.
    “I think the president is absolutely wrong on this,” Obama told reporters on his plane Friday morning. “You’ve got a government that is under a cloud of potentially having supported violence against unions, against labor, against opposition.” The Illinois senator has promised to rebuild America’s reputation abroad.

    By Blogger JimTan, at 1:31 a.m.  

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