A 24-year-old man is sentenced to 4 years in jail for using a high-voltage stun gun on his 18-month-old son. I figure they should make daddy more tough in jail!
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Life Lessons From The Simpsons
I was reading a blog that had an interesting article that shows you What The Simpsons Can Teach You About Life.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
10 Worst Disasters of the Last 101 Years
Popular Mechanics recently posted an article on the 10 Worst Disasters of the Last 101 Years
and while it was interesting read there are two issues I have. The 10 worst disasters all took place in America? Talk about a self-centered view of the world! Also, it just goes to show that there has been extreme weather throughout the last century - was it global warming then?
and while it was interesting read there are two issues I have. The 10 worst disasters all took place in America? Talk about a self-centered view of the world! Also, it just goes to show that there has been extreme weather throughout the last century - was it global warming then?
1906: San Francisco Earthquake Fire
1910: The Big Burn
1993: Storm of the Century
1980: Mount St. Helens Eruption
2005: Hurricane Katrina
1964: The Great Alaskan Earthquake
1910: The Big Burn
1925: Tri-State Tornado
1918: Spanish Flu Pandemic
1938: The New England Hurricane
NHL to vote on adding more games
NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly surprised some earlier this season when he suggested the players would be in favor of adding a couple of games to the NHL regular season, to make it 84 instead of 82.
Sources say the NHL board of governors will get its chance to vote on that concept this weekend in Atlanta at the NHL All-Star Game.
The governors have previously been lukewarm or even opposed to bumping up the schedule to 84 games, but that proposal was often in the context of going to the Detroit Red Wing-sponsored schedule matrix, where there would be a home-and-home (30 games) series with all teams in the opposite conference.
It's difficult to know for sure whether the governors were more opposed to the heavy out-of-conference schedule matrix than the 84 games itself, but the sense is this time around there's a decent, if not good, chance for 84 games to get approved by the league.
Kelly initiated the 84-game talk for a variety of reasons.
NHL teams are currently permitted to play as many as nine pre-season games during the 20-day training camp period, although on average they play seven. Under Kelly's proposal, pre-season games would be capped at five, so in effect, the two extra regular-season games would simply replace pre-season matches.
Training camp would also be shortened by three to five days, in the 15 to 17-day range instead of the current 20. Those days would be tacked onto the NHL regular season to allow for the extra couple of games.
And Kelly says the players are also in favor of playing more out-of-conference games, that players in the East like the idea of playing more often against the West, and vice versa. The extra two games would be against out-of-conference opponents.
If there's an area where this proposal could get a little dicey with the governors, this could be it.
It took great time and effort for the NHL to come up with a schedule matrix that the majority of teams would buy.
They finally did that this season, at the last board meeting in November in Pebble Beach. Here is what they decided on: six games against each of four divisional opponents (24); four games against each of 10 conference opponents (40) and one game versus each of 15 out-of-conference opponents (15) with three wild-card games against select out-of-conference opponents (3), for a total of 82.
Canadian teams, for example, bought into this matrix because they know the three-wild card games would allow the eastern teams (Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal) to play the western teams (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) one more time apiece.
While nothing is carved in stone at this point, a new 20-game out-of-conference block would likely be broken down as follows for each NHL team: a home-and-home series with one out-of-conference division (10), a home series with one out-of-conference division (5) and an away series with one out-of-conference division (5). The divisions would rotate on annual basis so over a three-year cycle it would be a balanced number of games against each out of conference opponent.
Whether that type of configuration might temper the revenue-induced enthusiasm for 84 games remains to be seen.
In order for 84 games to become a reality, a two-thirds majority vote (20 or more out of 30) is required.
If the 84-game format gets approval this weekend, it still remains to be seen whether it could be introduced in time for next season.
The NHL has already requested its clubs to provide available dates for next season and that was done on the 82-game basis. It's not necessarily impossible to implement 84 games for next season but it's not automatic either.
But first things first and the first order of business is to vote.
The truth is, in an ideal world, the NHL should be looking at reducing the number of games played, not increasing them. But that's simply not going to happen.
Whether it's next season or the one after that, one would think that whatever concerns exist over an 84-game schedule, the attraction of creating revenue with one more home gate per team will ultimately win the day
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=228129&hubname=nhl
Sources say the NHL board of governors will get its chance to vote on that concept this weekend in Atlanta at the NHL All-Star Game.
The governors have previously been lukewarm or even opposed to bumping up the schedule to 84 games, but that proposal was often in the context of going to the Detroit Red Wing-sponsored schedule matrix, where there would be a home-and-home (30 games) series with all teams in the opposite conference.
It's difficult to know for sure whether the governors were more opposed to the heavy out-of-conference schedule matrix than the 84 games itself, but the sense is this time around there's a decent, if not good, chance for 84 games to get approved by the league.
Kelly initiated the 84-game talk for a variety of reasons.
NHL teams are currently permitted to play as many as nine pre-season games during the 20-day training camp period, although on average they play seven. Under Kelly's proposal, pre-season games would be capped at five, so in effect, the two extra regular-season games would simply replace pre-season matches.
Training camp would also be shortened by three to five days, in the 15 to 17-day range instead of the current 20. Those days would be tacked onto the NHL regular season to allow for the extra couple of games.
And Kelly says the players are also in favor of playing more out-of-conference games, that players in the East like the idea of playing more often against the West, and vice versa. The extra two games would be against out-of-conference opponents.
If there's an area where this proposal could get a little dicey with the governors, this could be it.
It took great time and effort for the NHL to come up with a schedule matrix that the majority of teams would buy.
They finally did that this season, at the last board meeting in November in Pebble Beach. Here is what they decided on: six games against each of four divisional opponents (24); four games against each of 10 conference opponents (40) and one game versus each of 15 out-of-conference opponents (15) with three wild-card games against select out-of-conference opponents (3), for a total of 82.
Canadian teams, for example, bought into this matrix because they know the three-wild card games would allow the eastern teams (Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal) to play the western teams (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) one more time apiece.
While nothing is carved in stone at this point, a new 20-game out-of-conference block would likely be broken down as follows for each NHL team: a home-and-home series with one out-of-conference division (10), a home series with one out-of-conference division (5) and an away series with one out-of-conference division (5). The divisions would rotate on annual basis so over a three-year cycle it would be a balanced number of games against each out of conference opponent.
Whether that type of configuration might temper the revenue-induced enthusiasm for 84 games remains to be seen.
In order for 84 games to become a reality, a two-thirds majority vote (20 or more out of 30) is required.
If the 84-game format gets approval this weekend, it still remains to be seen whether it could be introduced in time for next season.
The NHL has already requested its clubs to provide available dates for next season and that was done on the 82-game basis. It's not necessarily impossible to implement 84 games for next season but it's not automatic either.
But first things first and the first order of business is to vote.
The truth is, in an ideal world, the NHL should be looking at reducing the number of games played, not increasing them. But that's simply not going to happen.
Whether it's next season or the one after that, one would think that whatever concerns exist over an 84-game schedule, the attraction of creating revenue with one more home gate per team will ultimately win the day
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=228129&hubname=nhl
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Weekly Preview: Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche helped stop the bleeding by squeezing out a 5-4 victory against Carolina on Saturday. They turned around and had to play the lowly Florida Panthers on Sunday and it had to go to a shoot out before they could pull that one out of the fire.
This week only have two upcoming games - Tampa Bay and Chicago. Now is the time for them to turn it around. Both Tampa Bay and Chicago are in last place in their division. There is no reason or excuse why Colorado should not win both of these games. They will once again fooled people into think they are a contender at that point. And I think it is fair to say that if they do not turn this winning streak to 4 in a row then they'll be done!
This week only have two upcoming games - Tampa Bay and Chicago. Now is the time for them to turn it around. Both Tampa Bay and Chicago are in last place in their division. There is no reason or excuse why Colorado should not win both of these games. They will once again fooled people into think they are a contender at that point. And I think it is fair to say that if they do not turn this winning streak to 4 in a row then they'll be done!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Colorado Avalanche 2008 Preview
Well, we're a couple of weeks into the 2008 preview and it looks like 2008 will not be a Happy Year for the Colorado Avalanche or their fans for that matter. They have played the scum of the league, Phoenix, Washington, NY Islanders and the only decent team they played the Detroit Red Wings. Of these games they have come crawling away with two points (of which they had to pull out in overtime against the Islanders).
Why has all this happened to the Av's? Well Grandpa Senior and Junior (aka Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth) are nursing injuries. Could there be a silver lining in the cloud? Well given the combined age of 95 for these two players then it may be a good thing if they can get some rest and be ready for the playoffs. We all know that considering these guys will soon be able to apply for Candian Pension Plan benefits so they cannot go through the grinds of a full season.
Why has all this happened to the Av's? Well Grandpa Senior and Junior (aka Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth) are nursing injuries. Could there be a silver lining in the cloud? Well given the combined age of 95 for these two players then it may be a good thing if they can get some rest and be ready for the playoffs. We all know that considering these guys will soon be able to apply for Candian Pension Plan benefits so they cannot go through the grinds of a full season.
If Jose Theodore can think about being a Montreal Canadien again and play well, then they might be able to slip into the 7th or 8th spot in the Western Conference - but that doesn't look realistic!
PS3 Dropping 20GB and 60GB Models In Japan
Just days after what could be the end of the format war for the next
generation of DVD's, the PS3 decides to drop the 20GB and 60GB models
in Japan. The real news is that this leaves just the 40GB version
available which does not have backwards capability.
generation of DVD's, the PS3 decides to drop the 20GB and 60GB models
in Japan. The real news is that this leaves just the 40GB version
available which does not have backwards capability.
Once the 20GB and 60GB's are sold out there will be no more backwards
compatible machines in Japan. I guess it is only a matter of time
before they do that in North America. That could mean the fully
backwards compatible machines would be more valuable!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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