Thursday, April 27th

1 - Rex Murphy has a piece on the CBC website about Canada's top soldier, General Rick Hillier. The piece is titled 'A General who is Allergic to B.S.', but it really should be titled, 'Why Stephen Harper's decision to muzzle his Cabinet Ministers is foolish.' Rex sticks to his topic at the beginning, noting Hillier's admirable track record when it comes to speaking his mind, but near the end, his article deteriorates into musing about what would happen should Stephen Harper try to silence the General like one of his MP's. Hillier ceases to be the topic and the prime minister's office takes his place. It's also too bad Rex bases his article on such sketchy facts: ex. "Now there's some speculation that the ever more media shy, control conscious communications managers of the prime minister's office want to add some dampers on the general's style and candor." I think the purpose of Mr. Murphy's commentary can be summed up with this sentence, "the idea that the only clear speaking can come from the prime minister is the purest piece of idle hubris." (Note: the word Prime Minister is not capitalized in the article, making it generic, not specific. Translation: This article isn't intended to be a cheap shot at Harper.) Sadly, what was supposed to be a commentary about making Canada's top General look good, deteriorated into an a commentary about making Canada's highest elected office look bad. Next time, don't mince words Rex, just tell us how you really feel.

2 - On a similar note, I wonder if Rex would be so gung ho to talk about General Hillier's blunt analysis if he was calling out Canadian media outlets for not publishing/showing the Danish Cartoons. I remember when Hillier called terrorists 'murderers and scum bags' sending the nation into an uproar. People wrote letters to the editor lambasting Hillier for the comments. Murphy asserts that Hillier's clarity is "a lone lamp in a long deep fog." He's right, but it's partly that way because that's how the Canadian people want it.

3 - More from Murphy:

"However much the focus groups and communication strategists teach public figures to lay on the goop and smother every hard truth with soft and evasive words, they break trust with the public and in some cases with reality itself."

Hello Liberal Party of Canada.

4 - I've never read 'The Da Vinci Code' before, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. Lyn Cockburn has a confounding article about reaction to the book in the Edmonton Sun. Apparently some churches, (mostly Catholic, but also many Protestant) are upset with how Christianity is portrayed and the, ahem, heresy, that author Dan Brown uses to form his plot lines. Cockburn says 'suck it up' because "It's fiction." I disagree. If someone attacks your credibility, regardless of how they do it, it's understandable that you might get mad. When someone suggests, fiction or not, that the Catholic Church has been deceiving humanity for two thousand years, it's understandable that they might get mad. Cockburn's suggestion that people who lose their faith because of this book didn't have much faith to begin with is ignorant of the struggles they might be going through. There are people out there who are looking for truth, but don't know where to get it. If they view this book as the truth, they shouldn't be abandoned. Someone needs to step up and say to those people, 'This is not accurate!' Furthermore, I would say there are right and wrong ways to question your faith. I can't say with certainty that this is the right way.

5 - Cockburn's ending really stuck in my craw. Some columnists are getting in the habit of quoting children to substantiate their point of view. I've seen it before in regards to gay marriage and various forms of politics. Stupid is not a word I would associate with most kids, but naive and innocent are. I don't think the 14 year old she quotes in her article is a walking fountain of wisdom. On the other hand, my 13-year-old brother thought there was some serious over-reaction to the Danish Cartoons. Then he went outside to play hockey. I guess that means every Muslim in the world who protested is a fool. No, not really.

6 - The NHL play-offs are in full swing, and so far I'm making a complete idiot of myself with my play-off predictions. Yes, I said there would be a sweep in the Dallas-Colorado series, but right now it looks like I picked the wrong team. That whole Detroit over Edmonton thing seems to be backfiring as well. If you're a predictions nut, you should take a look at Robert Vollman's Blog. He's a Database Application Specialist from Calgary who added up the predictions from various hockey pundits to see who should be considered the first round favorites. He notes that the only expert who didn't pick Dallas to beat Colorado was a monkey, so I don't feel so bad now. If you're still hungry for more play-off hockey analysis check out this site featuring hockey pundits Emerick, xCRASSx, Lucyille, Derek, and The Pillagers.

7 - For what it's worth, Prime Minister Stephen Harper thinks Ottawa and Calgary will make in to the Cup finals. Link.

8 - I wouldn't bet money on this, but I'd say that this has to be the greatest headline ever: Murray Tells Senators to Play Better. I can just picture what went on in the dressing room:

Jason Spezza: Coach, they're just smothering us out there. We can't get our power play going, we keep taking dumb penalties, and Volchenkov is playing like he's drunk. What can we do differently?

Bryan Murray: We have to play better, darnit.

Spezza: Seriously Bryan...

9 - John Kreiser of nhl.com must have a lot of time on his hands. He recently composed a column on obscure random facts from the previous NHL season. Some highlights:

(1) Philadelphia's Mike Richards scored the leagues only 5 on 3 shorthanded goal.
(2) The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins met more times in the shoot-out than any other pair in the league. The Islanders won all four.
(3) The Florida Panthers only scored 59 1st period goals all season.

Obviously, I've got a lot of time on my hands if I'm actually reading this stuff.

10 - The Financial Magazine 'MoneySense' recently released an issue where they ranked 108 of Canada's cities on the quality of life they provide. Of the 108, Saskatoon was ranked 51st, Regina 57th, Swift Current 34th, Yorkton 41st, North Battleford 81st, Moose Jaw 87th, and Prince Albert 92nd. Estevan was the highest ranked city in Saskatchewan in 27th place. Weyburn, Melfort and Melville were not ranked. Lloyminster was 3rd. The top city in Canada, according to MoneySense: Leamington, ONT. The worst: Port Alberni, B.C. Regina Leader-Post Columnist Ron Petrie notes that being in last isn't that bad because Port Alberni now gets first overall pick in the draft. In fact, he even suggests Saskatchewan would even be willing to trade Saskatoon to B.C. for their pick. Read about it here.

11 - Researchers have discovered that the tongue may be the quickest way to create human super-soldiers. A report from CTV says, "by routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish." This would make the United States the second country in the world to give animalistic characteristics to human beings, Canada being the first (after all, we designed the Wolverine, and Rick Nash). The processes are somewhat different (neuroscience vs. genetic enhancement) but the effect is somewhat the same, to create soldiers who can see, smell, and hear you coming a mile (1.61 kilometers) away.

12 - The Canadian Press reports: MP's, Soldiers, Families Lash Out

The Meat and Potatoes:

"Families, military officials, opposition parties and even some Tory MPs criticized a decision to ban journalists from covering a repatriation ceremony for fallen soldiers returning to Canadian soil. Many are also unhappy that flags on Parliament Hill will no longer be lowered to half-mast when a soldier is killed in the line of duty. Tina Beerenfenger, whose husband Corporal Robbie Beerenfenger was killed near Kabul in 2003, said she was shocked by the flag decision."

Letters to the CBC:

Speaking as a Canadian soldier currently serving in Afghanistan, I can only say that it is the opposition parties that are dishonoring my comrades by making a fuss over the loss of a four year old tradition that the Liberals instituted for political reasons in 2002. This act in itself dishonored the men who died in the Tarnak Farms incident. November 11 is the right and proper venue for this ceremony.

—Iain R Stewart
Captain ISAF HQ
Task Force Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan


I know that the general public feels that this is an insult to the soldiers who are serving but it is not. It is simply a return to protocols that have long been practiced in this country.

During my 20 year career in our Armed Forces we lost many members, I do not recall the Peace Tower flag being lowered to honor their sacrifice. However, all flags and standards were lowered and their parent bases as well as their command bases as was traditional.

—Martin Johnston CD | Calgary


I asked my military partner what he thought about the issue, and he replied that he thinks soldiers should be remembered with the flag at half-mast on November 11 only. As he is the one doing the peace-keeping and soldering I appreciate his sentiment and will respect it.

—B Hunter | Ottawa


I served in the Middle East from Dec 02-May 03 as part of the initial war on terror and find the PM's tribute an absolute disgrace.

Words are very empty when the actions are not to lower the flag on parliament hill after these four brave soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice to their country. It is an insult to them, their fellow soldiers, their friends and family. I even take it as a personal insult.

—Captain Gordon Soucy | Shearwater, N.S.


I am a serving Canadian Army officer and a veteran of Afghanistan. As such, I was taken aback at the tone of some of the comments posted on this issue thus far. Shame on those who are attempting to politicize this non-issue.

I hardly find it insulting that the entire nation doesn't grind to a halt when a soldier is killed on operations. There are perfectly good reasons for lowering the national flag to half mast and we have well-established traditions that dictate when this is done, just as we have well-established traditions to honor fallen soldiers.

Frankly, the half-masting was getting a bit much and it was difficult to tell why the flag was at half-mast at any given time. Keep the flag flying high - I'll remember ALL the fallen on Remembrance Day, as we all should.

—Shane Bridgeman | Edmonton

So, does 1 out of 5 justify the 'Soldiers Lashing Out' headline? You be the judge.

13 - Gail Clark scored 1 goal in the entire ECFHA season, but it was the game winner in the final game of the Dolan Cup Finals.

14 - This is probably the last post for a long time. I'm heading to New Brunswick this Sunday, and won't be back for 3 weeks. I might log in and post something short, but I probably won't be reading any newspapers, or watching hockey until I get back (May 21st). Until then, cheers!

M.O.F.

Play-off Predictions

Western Conference:

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (8)

Prediction: Red Wings in 6

Why the Oil will lose:

The Oilers are the sentimental favorite, and always put up a good fight in the play-offs, but don't have the mental toughness to beat the Wings. They'll make it close, but their highly emotional style of play works against them when they’re losing. The Oil are either really up, or really down, there is no in between. On the other side, the Red Wings racked up points in a division that featured three of the NHL's worst teams, so their 124 points should be taken with a grain of salt. But make no mistake, this team is no slouch. Manny Legace and Dwayne Rolosen are the wild cards in this series.

Dallas (2) vs. Colorado (7)

Prediction: Dallas in 4

Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix will be the leagues smartest man or the leagues biggest idiot by the end of this season. It all depends on how well Jose Theodore plays in the play-offs. Lacroix took a flyer on the former Hart Trophy winner in hopes he could find his old form. Early returns say no, but if Theodore gets hot, he has the potential to out duel Marty Turco handily. Dallas won 12 games in the shootout this season, which won't happen in the play-offs, but they only won 2 in overtime. That may be cause for concern. Unfortunately, I don't think Theodore will find himself before this series is over.

Calgary (3) vs. Anaheim (6)

Calgary in 7

Calgary has the top goalie in the Western Conference, and stifling team defense. However, someone besides Iggy needs to find a scoring touch, or Calgary will be golfing much earlier than anyone predicted. J. S. Giguere has been phenomenal as of late. If he and Selanne can get it going, Anaheim could be headed to the conference finals. Anaheim has the edge because they have more depth on offence, and a better blue line, but Kipper is going to steal this series for the Flames.

Nashville (4) vs. San Jose (5)

San Jose in 4

Nashville peaked way to early in the season, then lost their best player, goalie Tomas Vokoun, maybe for good. San Jose is peaking at the right time, and has the unstoppable Thornton - Cheechoo combination. Nashville has the talent to win, but as with Detriot, their record is somewhat watered down thanks to a week division. San Jose was red hot coming into the play-offs, but history shows that means absolutely nothing. Still...


Eastern Conference:

Ottawa Senators (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (8)

Prediction: Tampa in 7

Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza were the leagues top line combination when they were healthy. Ottawa boasts the leagues top group of defenseman in Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Brian Pothier, and Andrei Meszaros. Ottawa's goaltending is superior to Tampa Bay's. So what gives? Intangibles. This is still the same team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago (minus Cory Stillman who did nothing practically nothing during that run, except get pounded by Andrew Ference). If Burke or Graham get hot (a big if) Tampa's got it. The wild card in all this is Martin Havlat, who missed most of the season with an assortment of injuries and suspensions.

Carolina Hurricanes (2) vs. Montreal Canadiens (7)

Predictions: Montreal in 7

The Hurricanes pulled the same trick as Nashville and peaked to early in the year. You could almost say the same about Montreal. Huet has tailed off lately, but Chris Higgins and Garth Murray have really come on. Are those two going to be able to carry the team? Absolutely not! Montreal usually has trouble with bigger teams, but the Canes aren't a physical team, which plays right into Montreal's hands. Carolina has a lot of talent, but it's old talent. A long play-off series isn't going to help them.

New Jersey (3) vs. New York (6)

Prediction: New Jersey in 5

The Rangers accomplished their goal of making the play-offs. Now that they're there, they're going to call it a successful season and pack it in. New Jersey is smoking hot right now. I don't care how good Jagr is, Brodeur is better. New Jersey has no Scott Neidermayer, and no Stevens, but neither does New York, and they don't have Brodeur, either. Make no mistake, the Rangers are good, but they lack the mental toughness to get past the Devils.

Buffalo Sabers (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

Prediction: Buffalo in 6

Philly has the talent to win, but can they stay healthy? If Forsberg gets hurt, Buffalo wins in a cakewalk. Philly gets the goaltending edge, but the Sabers youth and speed are built for the play-offs. This series will be greatly affected by the quality of the officiating. If the refs call it tight, Buffalo wins, but if the game turns into a hook and hold clutch fest, well, Philly will walk all over the smaller Sabers.

Friday, April 14th

1 - Some random thoughts on the Ottawa Renegades fiasco:

a) They should have been named the Rough Riders in the first place.

b) According to reports the Renegades have already paid out more than $250 000 in bonus money, with more still on the way. One league executive was quoted as saying 'there's a reason the Renegades went bankrupt' (off the record of course). When players like punter Pat Flemming are getting $25 000 signing bonuses something is wrong.

c) Mike Toth from Sportsnet hits the nail on the head in his blog when he writes that Ottawa can't support a CFL team because it is infested with fair weather football fans.

d) I don't see the Renegades coming back again, ever, but if they do, I hope they rename themselves the Rough Riders.

2 - Some random thoughts on the Cory Homles trade:

a) There are lots of fans who are upset the Western Riders dealt Holmes instead of Kenton Keith, but I don't think they had a choice. Hamilton's not stupid. They wanted Holmes, and they didn't want Keith because he's injury prone, one dimensional, and a walking off-field distraction, and that's why one was traded over the other.

b) Having said that, this is still not a good deal for Hamilton. They already have a decent Canadian safety in Wayne Shaw, no need for Scott Gordon, and now have Holmes, Josh Ranek, and possibly Jesse Lumsden lining up at running back. That's a lot of clutter. If Hamilton was smart they would have gone after All-Star linebacker Reggie Hunt instead of Holmes, then again, Roy Shivers isn't stupid either.

c) People who are worried about Kerry Josephs 23 interceptions last year should relax. Joseph threw 23 picks while running for his life behind an anemic offensive line. There's a reason he rushed for over 1000 yards last season, it's because he didn't have time to set up in the pocket and throw the ball. Saskatchewan's good offensive line means Joseph's interception total should be cut in half this season.

3 - Good news out of Calgary this week: despite some peoples best efforts, the Red Mile will still be open for business during the Flames play-off run (however long that lasts). Although there will be a heavy police presence during Flames games, fans can still throw a decent size party in the streets and bars.

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier says, "Flames fans and residents in the area will take comfort in knowing that it is a very positive, well-thought-out management plan that ensures that there is a public celebration that can take place, but public safety is not going to be compromised."

Calgary's Chief of Police Dale Burn paraphrases, "Don't go down if you're looking to get drunk, or if you're looking for public nudity."

Read about it here.

Update: Flames fans almost go bankrupt due to jay-walking tickets police hand out after the Flames beat Colorado 2-0 on Thursday. This article in the Calgary Sun says police outnumber patrons along the Red Mile. Random Flames fan Spencer Freeman says, "What are they going to do if we win the Stanley Cup -- bring in the military?"

4 - Baseball season is underway, and this years favorite to win the World Series has to be the Chicago Cubs. After all, last year the White Sox broke their 88 year drought, and before that the Red Sox won it all, which means, logically, the Cubs should be next in a long line of drought busters. However, I said it once before, and I'll say it again, the Chicago Cubs will not win the World Series, by virtue of being the Chicago Cubs. Don't be fooled by their decent start, the Cubs, by their very definition, will choke. It's in their nature. Instead, look for the Cleveland Indians, who haven't won since 1948, to take home baseball's pride and joy. Right now, they're tied with the Red Sox for top spot in the American League.

5 - Through 9 games with the Yankees this season Johnny Damon has hit .324 with 1 HR and 7 RBI's.

6 - Warren Kinsella has an insightful article in the National Post about the role of God in politics, and, more specifically, whether or not it is right to say 'God Bless Canada' if you are the Prime Minister. Apparently, Stephan Harper has done this on several occasions, earning the scorn of several columnists across the country. Kinsella doesn't defend Harper, he merely points out that this shouldn't be such a big deal, for three reasons: (1) Harper is not using God to justify legislation. (2) Even Democrats pray. (3) Canada's national anthem invokes God, so why can't the Prime Minister?

Should people be offended by a Prime Minister asking 'The Almighty' for protection? No. Using God to dictate public policy or international affairs is one thing. Asking for his blessing, well, who wouldn't want that? This nation is at the point where some people find any mention of God distasteful, regardless of the context.

7 - There are certain people I know who desperately want to see the Atlanta Thrashers in the play-offs, and I agree, but only because I don't want to see Ilya Kovalchuk suiting up along side Alexander Ovechkin at the World Hockey Championships.

8 - Today's Sign of the Apocalypse: Elderly Woman Ticketed for Crossing Street too Slowly

9 - Scientist have just declared that the planet Xena, called the tenth planet, is now the 2nd shiniest object in the solar system, second only to Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. Researchers are puzzled by this, because apparently something this far away from the sun shouldn't reflect light this well. They think Xena has a high concentration of methane, which makes it shiny. Read more here.

Later,

M.O.F.

Sunday, April 2nd

1 - Once a year in Saskatchewan a great migration takes place, let's call it the 'Exodus'. The Exodus involves young people who have just graduated from high school who move to Calgary to (a) attend school, (b) work, or (c) buy Flames season tickets. Roughly half of Calgary is made of former Saskatchewan residents (how do you think Ralph Klein keeps getting re-elected?), so it makes sense that if half of Calgary is made up of prairie folk, then half of their football team should be made up of ex-Riders, hence the signings of receiver Elijah Thurmon and special teams wiz Walter Spencer. This is a great signing for the Stamps, but the Riders won't be hurt by this as much as everyone thinks. The Leader-Post's Rob Vanstone hit the nail on the head when he wrote:

"Denizens of the Rider Nation have wondered how their beloved CFL team will withstand the departure of Thurmon, who led Saskatchewan in catches (88), receiving yards (1,048) and touchdown grabs (seven) in 2005.

"The answer: Roughriders general manager and personnel guru Roy Shivers will replace Thurmon with ______________.

"Does that clarify matters?"

In the CFL, more so than any other pro-sports league, it's rare players come to camp surrounded by hype. Most often they just show up out of nowhere, like Thurmon did. Shivers has a proven track record of pulling solid prospects out of thin air. I just wish he was as good at finding QB's as he was at finding receivers.

2 - A few weeks ago I figured out that if I was Russian my last name would be Davydov. The -ov in Russian literally means 'Son of'. So Sergei Fedorov is literally translated 'Sergei Son of Fedor'. Since my father's name is David (Davyd in Russian), I become Jason Davydov, or literally 'Jason, Son of David'. If I was Swedish, my name would be Jason Davidsson, or literally 'Jason, David's Son'. The Finnish form of David is 'Taavi', so I become Jason Taavinen, also translated 'Jason, Son of David'. You can entertain yourself in this way all day if your father has a biblical name, especially since many surnames in European culture are patronymic. Unfortunately I'm not Russian, Swedish or Finnish, I'm Scottish. Although it's debatable, 'Kerr' generally means 'Marsh Dweller', so Jason Kerr is, literally translated, 'Jason from the Swamp', which would be kind of neat if I had been born in New Jersey.

3 - Scouting aside, here's another great thing about having Roy Shivers as a GM. Whenever other GM's say something to the media, the headline on the story the next day usually says something like 'Taman Optimistic about Year' or 'Buono Sick of QB Controversy'. It's like the press has to justify putting the GM's name in the headline. But check out this headline on the CFL website: "Shivers Speaks". Looks like he's been upgraded from GM, to demi-god.

4 - From the 'Why Don't You Kick Us While We're Down?' file comes this needless cheapshot from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province, after the Canucks snapped a ridiculously long losing streak with a win over the Edmonton Oilers:

"Incredibly, they managed to keep it out of the papers but we can now reveal the space aliens who kidnapped the Vancouver Canucks three weeks ago and turned them into the Pittsburgh Penguins returned them unharmed and intact."

5 - Speaking of Edmonton, the tables were turned on Saturday in their final regular season meeting with the Calgary Flames. You all remember what happened last time, with the broken stick? Anyway, this time the Oilers were burned when one of the refs called a delayed penalty against Edmonton, but somehow forgot to blow his whistle until the Oilers had scored. Fortunately, the other official figured out what was going on, and they called the goal back. Instead of a goal, which would have made it a 3-2 game, Calgary got a power play, which they scored on, making it 4-1. What goes around comes around. Some friends wanted me to skip the Battle of Alberta to watch King Kong. I declined, but I got to watch Chris Simon go at it with George Laraque, so I feel like I've seen the movie. Before that fight I thought Chris Simon was the only guy in the NHL capable of working Big George over. Next!

6 - Remember the plagiarism/computer program debate? Here's the opinion of someone who attends Mount St. Vincent University. I thought it was interesting.

7 - Around this time I would usually present the sign of the Apocalypse. Unfortuanetly this weeks sign is definetly not appropriate for public viewing, however, Sports Illustrated mentions it in one of their recent magazines, so if you are obsessed with finding out what it is, you can. It's the one about the Welsh Rugby fan, and that's all I'm going to say.

8 - Oh how the times have changed. A letter to the editor on the CBC website reads:

"It seems the Canadian media are taking a nod from their American counterparts, and quickly becoming lap dogs to Mr. Harper and his smooth and secretive inner club of PR-savvy advisors."

Remember back in the day when people would have laughed at you if you called the conservatives PR savvy? If I'm Stephan Harper I take this one as a compliment.

Man on Fire