GZ Expat, Part II

Playoff Update

How are my picks going?

Ottawa vs Tampa Bay.  Take the Sens in 6  Sens win 4-1...

Carolina vs Montreal.  The Habs are tough...but the Canes are the best team nobody knows about.  Take the Canes in 5  A knotted at 2 a piece

Rangers v Devils.  Doesn't get any better than this.  Devils have the goalie...Rangers have Jagr and the other goalie.  Rangers in 7  OUCH...Devils sweep...unfortunately for the 'new' NHL, they look very good right now.

Buffalo vs Philadelphia.  Sabres are young and hungry...Flyers are old and slow...Sabres in 6  Sabres up 3-2

Detroit vs Edmonton.  Wings go to Target and buy brooms...SWEEP  OUCH again...Edmonton is surprising with a 3-2 series lead

Dallas vs Colorado.  Avs haven't got a chance with Theodore in nets...Stars in 5  D'Oh!  I really meant, Avs in 5

Calgary vs Anaheim.  The Ducks were very hot down the stretch...this is the best series in the West.  I'll take Calgary in 7  Calgary with a 3-2 lead.

Nashville vs San Jose.  Yikes...are these hockey towns?  You bet...Nashville in 7  San Jose up 3-1

So...what does this tell you?  Don't trust my picks...I'm a Canuck fan.

Follow all the action at The Hockey News...

Long weekend

In the midst of a long weekend...the good ol' commie May Day holiday.  We've been doing nothing but hanging out.  Usually, this is a time to travel, but not this year, with expat daughter's final exams looming. 

Saturday was spent at the video arcade and a little lunch for all of us.  Sunday...just lazing around the house...same for today.  Tuesday and Wednesday...who knows. 

As a result of this week long laziness...blogging is limited...as I enjoy the lag in total workload.

But...here are some links to keep you busy...

• Check out the Captain and Hot Air for a review of the WH Correspondence dinner.  Bush can easily take the piss out of himself...very funny stuff.  I particularly like John Hinderaker's comments on Power Line about looking back to a time when comedians were comedians.
• The most boring football team on the planet (Chelsea) won its second Premiership title in a row with a 3-0 drubbing of pretenders Man U.
• Here is a great round-up of opinion on the Canucks for the coming season...and here are my thoughts.
  • Totally agree with the Crawford decision...the team was getting stale and it showed in the second half.  As the manager, you are ultimately responsible for your teams performance.  It was time for a change.
  • The goaltender situation...I don't agree with the goaltender thoughts.  The Canucks are incredibly deep at goalie.  The person to trade in this situation would be Cloutier...he has history and he has value.  You could easily garner some decent talent in exchange...plus you could dump his salary.  Auld has proven himself a No. 1 guy...he is young and has a future...go with him.  Who the back-up is is who ever wants to sit.  ANYTHING would be better than how Crawford used goalies and treated them...
  • No one would want Bertuzzi...too much baggage and too much salary.  He is stuck in Vancouver.  The Canucks need to unload Morrison, and seek a bona-fide no. 1 center.  Naslund cannot get free on the side boards without that centerman.
  • Jovonoski is the reason the Canucks win.  You do whatever it takes to re-sign him and keep him...period.  The Canucks went downhill when he was injured and out of the lineup.  If they want to take away the 'C' from Naslund...this is the man that deserves it.
  • Finally...I still think that a radical change is needed...something no one else would do, because this is the NEW NHL...hire Trevor Linden as head coach.

Cancer Update...

Great news today...

...had MRI earlier, had call from oncologist who had received a verbal report.

The tumor has shrunk.

At this point I don't know by how much.  She did say when (the wife) met her the other day that she would call it a win if the growth had not got any bigger, so what ever the % of shrinkage is it's a plus for us.

More details to come...but this is just a great start to a long weekend for us.

What are they thinkin'?

I don't get it...

LUIZ Felipe Scolari is set to be appointed as the next England manager if he can agree terms with the Football Association. The appointment needs to be ratified by the FA board and although they could hold an emergency conference call, the matter is expected to be dealt with at the scheduled meeting next Thursday.

Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, returned from Lisbon yesterday and confirmed he had held talks with the man who guided Brazil to World Cup success in 2002 and Portugal to the final of Euro 2004.

The guy has the resume, no doubt about that.  But...the teams he had coached, speak...Portuguese!!!

"Scolari's English is terrible. It is basic, so the first and biggest problem would be communication."

There is so much coaching talent available in England right now...why go this way?  Why on earth would you pass up Martin O'Neill in this situation?  I'll tell you why...we don't want the Irish!!

RIP

Geezus...I don't ever, ever want to have to write a blog entry like this

My precious and beautiful wife, Allie, passed away during the night. I found her lifeless body on the floor of the bathroom at 3:30 a.m. The paramedics did everything they could, but she was already gone. We have no idea what happened. She was young (41). She was fit. She was so full of life that it's, frankly, very hard to believe she is gone.

I'm in shock and obviously grieving, but I wanted to let you know and write a few words about what she meant to me. It's my way.

All our prayers to Terry as he goes through this time...

ht: Instapundit

Tony Snow

Lots of people have their views on Tony Snow taking the job as Dubya's Press Secretary. I just can't help but think of history a little bit...

Ronald Reagan cut his teeth with public policy speaking for years working for GE. After his initial failed bid for president in 1976, he took up the craft of radio commentary. Writing and delivering short 1 minute spots on all matter of public policy in the late 70's. Reagan practiced and polished his craft, to the point in which he became a master at speaking in public and being able to quickly think on his feet. I always remember him walking up to podiums reaching into his left pocket, while his right arm waved, grabbing those 5X7 cards with his hand written speech notes on them.

Tony Snow has also spent a good portion of his career, perfecting a craft of speaking and being able to think on his toes. A radio call in show can present the host with a variety of problems...the most important of which is to speak to fill or cut time, without sounding as though you are being short. He will be among people in which were his equals. He knows the craft...he understands what makes many of them tick. It could be harder on the press corps than on him.

Could Snow be on the same career track as Reagan? Time will tell...

Expat Daughter has Gas

Well, at least she is wondering why everyone is whining about the price of fuel (I would be if I were at home and filling up my Coug each week). I can tell you why...she doesn't own a car...that's why?!

Well, with a major geek alert...here is a really cool chart that shows the actual price per gallon for the last 30 years. Glenn has more about the whole gas price crunch that gets people's blood boiling...

Freedoms in HK??

I am so glad to see that Hong Kong is serious about becoming a multi-plural, democratic society, that treasure the basic freedoms granted by the Creator, including freedom of the press...

HONG KONG The Hong Kong government said Wednesday that it would create an audit team to monitor Hong Kong's public broadcaster, which has come under increasing criticism for its critical reporting on government policies, especially the government's stance on broader democracy.

Joseph Wong, the Hong Kong secretary for commerce, industry and technology, said that a new audit report on the operations of the public broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong, found that it had management problems and did not comply with government rules and procedures. The report criticized what was described as the improper granting of overtime and a failure to comply with government procurement regulations.

... He said the establishment of the audit team was not an attempt to infringe on the freedom of the press.

The broadcaster's uneasy position of being funded by the government was criticized during the tenure of the previous Hong Kong chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa. Pro-Beijing politicians complained that a political satire television show was going overboard with its caricatures aimed at government officials. The broadcaster was also seen as succumbing to government pressure last year when it canceled its long-running horse racing show shortly after the Hong Kong chief executive, Donald Tsang, complained about it.

It is common practice for the Chinese to try and stop something by attacking something other than the 'real' cause for their ire. Going after these claims of mis-use of overtime is a cover for going after the press freedom the RTHK enjoys. They have done the same thing with much of the HK press (Standard, South China Morning Post), by pressuring reporters about covering stories. The government hasn't taken over the press...rather, they just pressure these reporters with blackmail, etc., not to report on certain stories. Hence, the quality of the SCMP has gone from a world-class newspaper prior to the hand-over, to little more than a gossip column which questions little and fluffs everything.

A Quick trip to the Grave...

Word of TVR's demise have been exagerrated...according to TVR!

TVR also wishes to clarify that although slow winter sales hit the automotive industry as a whole, its sales have not slumped generally; demand has remained fairly constant for a number of years. The company remains financially stable and highly optimistic about its future.

Hmmm...read the whole thing and you tell me...are they scrambling, or what?

A Lesson in Chinese Tourism

From the Mask of China...

I thought the overwhelming majority of Chinese tourists thrust themselves onto tour groups. That trend may be changing. As Chinese make more money, they demand more freedoms when it comes to traveling...

Read the whole thing...he makes a bunch of great points and I agree with nearly all of them. There is nothing more frightening than to see the big reg flag followed by 20 or so patrons with red hats boarding your plane, just after you have settled in for a 12 hr flight. Chinese tour groups are yet another reason to...fly Business class!