Adam - glad to see you are still around. No, I’m not much of a hockey fan. Could have something to do with living in FL. Not so big down here. There are a few ice rinks around but not where I live. As for pro teams…Orlando’s team folded about 7 years ago. Short lived.
Not much of a basketball fan either. Football is my favorite (pro and pop-warner…my boys). Wrestling is next (high school & aau - that’d be my boys). Baseball follows.

Washington Capitals for me. They went from worst to first in their division during the season to earn a playoff berth. Their new coach has really got them believing in themselves and it shows on the ice. Of course it helps when you have the best player in hockey, Alex Ovechkin, on your side. This guy is amazing to watch, even if you’re not a fan of hockey, it’s fun to watch this guy play. They won their first game against the Flyers 5-4, scoring three goals in the third period.
That seemed to tire them out for Sunday’s game though, they lost 2-0. So now the series is tied at one apiece. Next game tonight in Phliadelphia……………Go Caps!!!
Funny that the capital of the United States is routing for a bunch of kids mainly from Canada and former Soviet states………..how times have changed.

OK, let’s get the bad news out of the way so we can enjoy the rest of the day in a joyous manner………Just heard this on the local news. Not only are gasoline prices predicted to average $3.60/gallon, with spikes to $4.00/gallon, this summer. Now they’re warning of higher prices and shortages of beer……..That’s right, beer. Seems that all this craze about ethenol and unprecedented droughts has created a shortage of the hops and grains used to make beer.
If those two news items aren’t bad enough……..The spring that supplies the Jack Daniels company for it’s water in the distillery of it’s whiskey is running dry. Jack Daniels is reporting it will have to curtail production this summer, which will mean an increase in prices for it’s products……..
Oh well, I guess we still have our drug ladened tap water to fall back on.

John - thanks for the doom and gloom. All terrible news (except that I don’t drink Jack Daniels - ha ha) On a lighter note….CO had so much snow this year I was told while we were there that they will have a killer white water rapids season. Anyone up for a trip down the river? Maybe John will start his own still and bring some along (for the hard drinkers). ha ha!

Sunshine…….I went white water rafting once……in West Virginia. Never again for me…… Floating past 50 ton boulders at 30mph while clinging to a rubber dingy is not what I call fun. Sitting on that 50 ton boulder watching terrified people float past me while chasing that sipping whiskey with an ice cold beer is.
Then again, if I have enough beer I’ll muster up enough courage to get back in that dingy for another go………..ah, life is just one viscious cirle after another, isn’t it?

Hocky lol aint my sport … FL Sunshine hows the Florida Panthers lol

Isn’t this when all the hockey fans and players grow beards; playoff time? I went to a Cyclones game once — too cold.
Well…. that’s all I know about the sport; aside from smashing each others faces into the wall and going for blood. lol

Avi–happy upcoming vacation to you. Are you going home?

white water rafting is fun, I am not much for most main stream sports, although I will play a pick up game of basketball from time to time…sports I love are…kayaking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, snowshoeing, snowboarding, running, spades (it is a sport in the military).

I have always had an aversion to team sports, I was never very coordinated as a child and I just didn’t fit, I sure tried, soccer, basketball, baseball, all the normal stuff but I was never good and so I was the last one picked, I gave up trying around the 7th or 8th grade, but still played occasionally. Of course high school treated me different, I grew into my legs, arms and nose and my coordination came into sync. I still had a bad taste in my mouth from being shunned as a child and a lot of the kids that had shunned me were on the sports teams. I had no interest in playing, I was happy rock climbing, running and snowboarding. But I continued to grow and develop, by the time I was a junior I was 6′4″ and a thin and fast 180lbs, the coaches were dying for me to try out for the basketball team, even some of the guys wanted me to try out, I just didn’t want to go through that again, I was happy in my own skin.

So I never played high school sports (officially), but it was always fun to walk by the gym after school and see the team in their practicing, the coaches would get me to come in and play a pick up game, in the hopes of getting me interested. I would play, and always make sure to dunk at least once during the game.

Here was a kid that as a junior was 6′4″, was fast (relatively), could dunk while wearing street shoes, and had no interest whatsoever in playing an organized sport…I was a headache.

Now I have kids of my own and my oldest son is like me, he is not very coordinated and would prefer reading to sports. I did coach half of his first season of soccer and I was there to make sure the 5 year olds had fun. My middle son is into everything sports and is going to be an athlete, he just loves it. My youngest son is too early to tell.

So I try and balance family activities we all like, scooter riding is something we all love to do, hiking is another thing, in a few years I will introduce them to snowboarding.

That kind of activity allows me very little time to follow any professional sports. I try and pick up the highlights for basketball, golf and football, but that is the extent.

and you all know how I feel about professional athlete salaries…

*****Since you are talking sports here and it’s April 15th, here is a good one:

——————Tax Cuts - As Explained By A Democrat
If you don’t understand the Democrats’ version of tax cuts (and you are not alone), maybe this will help explain it:

50,000 people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out. A refund was then due

The team was about to mail refunds when the Congressional Democrats stopped them and suggested that they send out refund amounts based on the Democrat National Committee’s interpretation of fairness.

After all, if the refunds were made based on the price each person paid for the tickets, most of the money would go to the ticket holders of the most expensive tickets. That would be unfair and unconscionable.

People in the $10 seats will get back $15, because they have less money to spend. Call it an “Earned Income Ticket Credit.” Persons “earn” it by demonstrating little ambition, few skills and poor work habits, thus keeping them at entry-level wages.

People in the $25 seats will get back $25, because that’s only fair.

People in the $50 seats will get back $1, because they already make a lot of money and don’t need a refund. After all, if they can afford a $50 ticket, then they must not be paying enough taxes.

People in the $75 luxury seats will have to pay another $50, because they have way too much to spend.

The people driving (or walking) by the stadium who couldn’t afford to watch the game will get $10 each, even though they didn’t pay anything in, because they need the most help (sometimes known as Affirmative Action!).

Now do you understand?

If not, contact Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy or Senator Hillary Clinton for assistance.

@Jen S

“Isn’t this when all the hockey fans and players grow beards; playoff time?”

Yes ma’am, that would be it. The Playoff Beard.

… hm, looks like John and I get to be the hockey-crazed fans for this crew.

@John

I’m looking forward to the possible Penguins-Caps matchup for the East. Wouldn’t mind seeing the Bruins make a run at it. The rest of the despised East I can only hope play seven-game series with lots of season ending injuries (just j/k, not really wishing harm to anyone).

@Adam Housley

best get your mojo working for those Sharks. Seems like they have a tough row to hoe against Calgary…

Derek……..that’s one of the many differences between an Army guy and a Marine……the Army guy will climb up the rock, taking hours of energy sapping strenght, bloodied fingers and toes, and strained muscles to reach his/her goal…….the Marine will take the path just one hundred yards to the left of the rock to reach the top……..preferably in an airconditioned Hummer. Of course the Air Force guys have the best idea of all………Bomb the crap out of the rock and reduce it to a pile of pebbles. Then call in the Navy Seabees and bulldoze the whole mess aside.

john….

lol..funny

Adam you said you will be in DC today. Are you going to meet the Pope?

Susan–Perhaps your guess from Adam’s vacation will become a reality; only the Pope came here and Adam didn’t have to go to Italy. Also note in this article, there will be a 21 gun salute for him! What a coincidence. LOL
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0415/breaking5.htm

Jen,

No i was going to go state side but the teacher strike crushed that plan. So our vacation was cut from like 3 weeks to 9 days. After those nine days we got alot of pre tests which count as a large percent of the national exams we take in the coming months or so . So i got to study for that ( Math, Envt Science, hebrew, and Eng ( easy). And on top of that i have the SAT a week and a half after vacation ends so i got to prepare for that too. In addition to the work i gotta do for Online High school.

Not going to be a one of my favorite vacations lol

After i finish all these tests and school in July ( crazy ) we were supposed to finish school in June … I’m off to the states !

I like hockey but I don’t follow it like I do other sports ie. baseball. But, if I were to follow a team it would probably be the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jen S………..Yup, I just unofficially confirmed that the Pope’s schedule tonight does include Adam in Eve……..

is there any betting going on in vegas as to what is going to happen with carter and his meeting with terrorists

what are the odds of him a difference, well I can see one way his visit might make a difference, if they do decide to capture him and chop off his head, it would serve as a reminder to those that have forgotten, that we are fighting animals, it would get rid of one more democrat, it would take any wind out of the sails of the defeatists.

I just can’t even stomach him, every where I turn, carter this and carter that. Maybe we could arrange for billy boy and jesse jackson to fly over there with him and then just forget to pick them back up.

Derek - lol as I was reading your post I was thinking to myself…I’m surprised Jesse Jackson isn’t trying to go over there and “save the world”.

John - sitting on the boulders watching the others float past…. lol

Derek,

I wonder how his secret service protection works allowing him to meet with a terrorist entity. Does this mean the SS which are govt employs are technically meeting with a terrorist as well. Since they are going to have to coordinate with the Hamas security?

Avi - you are so smart. hmmmm never thought of that. How about we let him go without the secret service.

@Avi

Forgive my jumping in on your comment directed to Derek, but that is a heck of a question. I had to check, but yes it seems J. Carter is still in the company of at least some portion of the allowed Secret Service protection. ‘Your’ taxpayer’s dollars at work…

((sheesh))

Here’s a read regarding Carter’s meeting with Hamas…….

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D902C69O0&show_article=1&catnum=2

John-
Always love your unofficial news information.
How about this one….Carter is wanting the VP bid from Obama…so he’s updating his resume.

Avi— WOW! You have a lot on your plate. Find some time to squeeze some fun in there.
also,
check my name for my trip to your state.

Carter making sure he doesnt get himself busted http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/974861.html video

Logan Act:

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

Be well and safe, All. I need to be out of here for a while.
((departs))

LDG,

do you have a link to where it says about his SS detail? and btw he has not been provided israel secret service while here which is very odd israel security detail are not cooperating with his SS detail. Also today he meet already with a Hamas person in the West Bank …… Israel shouldve not let him enter back into Israeli ” territory.”

Jen,

cool pics that ZEBRA got some weird color thing going on there =/? or did Disney paint him lol

Avi……in the article I posted above it states that Israel did and will not provide security because Carter’s visit is “private” and he’s not there in an official capacity.

John,

Israeli translation: ” your a jerk we dont like you, your on your own buddy!”

Avi………lol, and I have to agree with the Israeli translation…..
I’ve flown Israeli high government officials in the past and they’ve always brought their own security details with them. I’m not sure if they would qualify for US secret service protection, even if they were travelling here (in the States)on “official” business.

Sorry, I meant high ‘ranking’ government officials………..of course, they could have been high at the time……….but that’s their business.

John - well, maybe they didn’t inhale. lol

http://www.shabak.gov.il/english/Pages/default.aspx

this is the new english website of the israeli secret service ” Shein Beit” check out the videos

I have no idea how the SS detail is going to work, I think if I were assigned to guard him I would opt for the “pray to jesus” plan, and that is giving him a HALO jump over syria, a ruck sack with MRE’s and an escape plan of, “when this doesn’t work out how you thought it would, just drop to your knees and ask jesus for help, if he thinks you deserve help he will go ahead and give the red phone a jingle, I am sure he has the number…good luck, and happy landing”…..*push*

Then watch one of the worst presidents in history fall towards the earth, hopefully he would remember how to deploy the chute.

After that I would head to vegas to put my money on him getting his head chopped off.

Derek - maybe Carter doesn’t “cling to religion or his gun” and therefor will simply be on his own. lol

I bet if he knew where UBL was hed go meet him to in a cave followed by the SS. lol just imagine that picture ….

lol, there was another blog about that and the moderator wouldn’t let me comment, I was really fired up about some of the issues, the polygamy camp, the hair trigger racism, the bitter comment, the guns comments……blah.

Carter, would be better forgotten, unfortunately the dems seem to idolize any of their past presidents no matter how incompetent they proved. Take Billy C for example, in 2000 it was tough to get a democrat to even acknowledge they had voted for him, now the guy is a rock star, carter was a disaster and now they speak his name in hushed and reverent tones, like the guy actually matters.

The republicans that do all the work to undo the dem damage get railroaded, seems the economy is always an issue with the republican, and I have news for every person reading this, the economy goes in waves, always has and always will, the republicans spend lots of money wisely, building our defense and infrastructure, the dems spend less money unwisely, trying to hold back the tides of the economy.

Want free financial advice from me, the dot coms damaged our economy, now the sub-prime housing has done the same thing, the next big waste of money is going to be green or alternative fuels.

Don’t get me wrong, some dot-com’s were great, well thought out ideas, the majority weren’t but wall street saw the quick buck and ran with it. Same thing with the housing market, sub-prime lending has a place in the economy, but the big wheels again, saw the quick buck and ran with it, we are getting ready to reset the economy or as some call it, have a recession.

The next big hoax will be energy, there are some great things, some amazing technologies on the horizon, and a many of them will make millionaires , but it won’t be us commoners, don’t get caught up in the latest and greatest get rich quick scheme, let the big players make their fortunes and focus on saving your money in a high interest savings account and other more traditional ways.

I hate the dems blaming our economy on GW, their massive welfare handouts have caused more harm than any republican measures, and we are getting ready to elect one of the worst democrats to come around in recent memory…freaking borat.

Hold on to your wallet kids

whoa you guys are are loaded today! Loaded full of laughs! ha ha
Must be the from “sports” of cramming whiskey shots and firing your weapons, because of course, you are bitter people! I didnt know you all lived in small town America like me!!??
ha ha ha ha ha (just kidding!!!)

I’ve had fun lurking and tring to work at the same time, people around here have to wonder what i’m giggling about!

Avi…your translation is priceless!

and Adam thinks i digress! ha!

Derek…i typed out a comment earlier and wordpress ate it, essentially started the same way yours did at 2:16… just not as colorful or detailed. I was being a bit sarcastic, maybe wordpress knew that? *L*

oops.. was supposed to read … “must be from the…”

re: Carter…perfect example of why i said on the Common Sense party…along with term limits, we end the benefits for life thing. You get the benefits for as long as you served the American people, after that, you come back down the ladder and work like the rest of us!!

John: blaim ethanol for the increase in the price of beer, they are having the same problem in Germany. And if they can’t aford beer in Germany they’d re-cry the danube!

Well, this is interesting. I recieved this in my email today. Its a petition to outlaw the poaching/selling /buying and instate trafficing in Bear parts. Which are used in Chinese remedies inthe USA. Chinese gangs and other poachers routinely poach bears and harvest only the gallbladders. Or worse, they will capture them and insert a shunt to harvest gall bladder fluid. Feel free to sign the petition. The Rep that is sponsoring this is U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) recently introduced H.R. 5534, the Bear Protection Act of 2008, to protect North American bears. The Act specifically bans the import, export and interstate trade of all bear parts and products, while closing loopholes in existing state laws.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/918445507?z00m=14813163

@Avi

My regrets I missed seeing this earlier…

re: your “Comment by Avi April 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
“LDG,

“do you have a link to where it says about his SS detail?”

I did not, at the time. I actually had to call a friend and ask. However, here is a little about that more recently in Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL141982732

Note the first paragraph mentions there *is* a detail present, but that they had not met with the Shin Bet.

Hat tip to Synthesis ‘Blog for this link:

The Secret Service Cat in action!

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/04/14/funny-pictures-git-down-mistur-prezudint/

And now, back On-Topic!

@Adam Housley

Hey now, Sharks got a goal from Thornton (with darn-well-no-time-left) and actually tied the series against Calgary…

Got yourself a best-of-three playoff now, with home ice advantage…

..er wait…

…do the Sharks *gain anything* from home ice advantage?
((grin))

Follow-up to posts above, for Avi

Jeffery Imm, summarizing the Logan Act questions:

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/04/jimmy_carter_hamas.php

Thanks LDG,

NOT A GOOD Day here today

14:02 Israel freezes plans to renew Gaza fuel in wake of soldiers` deaths (Haaretz)
13:54 IDF names Corporal Matan Ovadati, 19, as fatality in Gaza clashes (Haaretz)
12:13 Two more Qassams fired at western Negev (Haaretz)
12:06 IDF reports third soldier killed in clashes with militants in Gaza (Haaretz)
11:52 2 IDF soldiers killed in clashes with Palestinian militants near Gaza border (Haaretz)
11:39 Hamas claims responsibility for Qassams fired from Gaza Thursday (Army Radio)
11:10 Hamas says its leaders heading to Cairo to meet Jimmy Carter (AP)
08:52 Israel to resume fuel supply to Gaza (Army Radio)
08:35 Eight Qassam rockets strike western Negev (Israel Radio)
08:34 Bread prices to rise by 4 percent on Wednesday (Haaretz)
08:12 Palestinian medics: IDF forces kill four Gaza gunmen (Reuters)
07:46 Heavy exchange of gun fire in W. Negev between IDF, Palestinians militants (Haaretz)

ouch, no. Not a good day at all. Stay safe, Avi!

LDG,

Check this out — the IDF kinda messed up…

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/975546.html

@Avi

“…kinda messed up…” — or ‘your’ team got suckered by a competent foe. But can we tell which?

In the article:
references to bad routing of the IDF team: — might be a mess up…
investigating about why re-enforcements not sent (in a timely manner): — ex post facto
hmm…
“The soldiers were killed after troops spotted two Hamas militants planting a bomb near the Israeli border. Troops pursued the militants, only to fall into an ambush by another Hamas force lying in wait, Israeli defense officials said.”

Ugh.
Me smellum smartguy on the Hamas team today.

Still, that is twice now in a week that elite Israeli infantry formations have gotten themselves ambushed *approaching* crowded areas of the Gaza. Not exactly comforting to apply that experience to the next fighting *inside* Gaza, when it comes.

LDG,

To your last point thats exactly why israel hasnt gone all in because even on the border fence its dangerous imagine what it would be like when you ” really” go in….. alot of blood and ya know….

Gaza is Israels mini iraq in the sense of ambushes , ” insurgents” and IED’S and snipers …… not to mention the politcal and govt issue …..

@Avi

re: “…alot of blood and ya know…”

it was the “ya know” part that always got me in trouble teaching MOUT, so oh yeah, no need to imagine a thing about what it *would* be like.

The one that still gives me the “yipes” is Policing (read: Occupation) in such an environment.

Follow-up:

If you have a good reference to-hand, look up the fighting in Jenin where the IDF actually had to go into a large scale rat’s nest.

LDG,

Jenin is in the west bank and israel can go in there freely so its not compareable …… Gaza is a big mess Jenin is nothing compared to Gaza…

UH-oh

18:16 Palestinian officials: Reuters cameraman killed in IAF strike in Gaza (AP)

@Avi

Not meaning to be rude, but… let’s leave it with Gaza is bigger, so certainly a larger problem. (says the guy who has walked in both places)

re: yours of the 18:16 from HaarWire <<–good find on your part!

It was a Palestinian Stringer. Here’s one version of the story (the AP’s):
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1387916

Here is the Reuter’s coverage, just in:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1687035320080416

not sure how much stock to put in it yet.

@Avi

Let’s just leave it at Gaza is bigger, so it would be worse (says the guy who has walked in both places).

re yours about The AP report on a Reuters cameraman killed…
here’s the Reuter’s version
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1687035320080416

It was a local stringer. Looks like a Palestinian-only claim so far. (Reuters and the AP both echo the Palestinian line faithfully in most reports)

((headsmack))

I just realized what I failed to convey in my comment about Jenin. The point was that to clear Jenin, yes a much more accessible target area, the IDF had to blow down about a quarter of the structures.

Were there to be equally hard fighting in Gaza, the destruction would be equally bad percentage-wise, so *much* worse in total.

Sorry I wasn’t clear before.

YAY! Back on thread topic:

*!*!*!*
The Penguins go through to the Second Round of the Playoffs, sweeping the Sens.

attaboy Pittsburgh!