Kiraly

Well the Av's made it close.... ...NOT. The second round so far has been more typical of how well I usually predict playoff outcomes.

Is that not a contradictory statement? How can something that is ineffectual cause anyone trouble? Not really. You could argue that the Liberal controlled Senate did very little when the Liberals were in power. Now that the Conservatives are in power, they may try to "cause a lot of trouble" for the current government. I would not characterize this as being "useful".

...besides SES Research of course.

New Decima Poll Sample size is 1,000 - same as the Strategic Council poll

What the hell.... ...the Ducks blow out Colorado and the Canes humiliate the Devils... ...SIX to NOTHING. Carolina wins this series, my office pool is lost.

My girlfriend waited over a year to have her knee operated on. My father is currently waiting to have an operation. I wonder if Harper has the will to really address this issue in the future - like introducing real reform in the next election campaign which may not be universally appealing. The status quo is unacceptable and I don't think any of the measures the Conservatives plan to introduce in their current mandate will have any significant effect on our system.

Is this the word of the day. I could be wrong, but I don't recall your use of the word "pander" in describing any of the preceding governments programs for special interest groups. I am curious to know who are the special interest groups being pandered to in this budget?

Not in the link I provided. The sample is only a 1,000 so a regional breakdown would likely not be very useful.

I know its only one poll (Strategic Council), but I'm still a little surprised by the numbers. In my opinion, the first three months of the Conservative government has been good and productive. Yet, their support has decreased? The Liberals are leaderless. What happens when the Liberals select a leader? If, as many people like to claim, most Canadians consider themselves to be at the centre of the political spectrum, then Conservative support should be on the rise - not on the decline. Like I said, it is only one poll. I'll wait and see what other polling firms come up with.

New CTV Post Budget Poll New CTV polls suggest Conservative support has fallen 4 points to 35. Liberals and NDP both up two percentage points. Conservatives: 35% Liberals: 31% NDP: 16% Green: 9%

Memo to Emerson: Look into video conferencing.

Anyone with experience in our system wont find many surprises here. Short Film on our Health Care System About 25 minutes in length.

What has been shown so far to indicate that Harper has given up on Ontario? The Conservatives have only been in power for about three months. A little early for such conclusions in my opinion.

The Vancouver Sun article actually said that? That's too funny.

If that were the case, you would see a backlash from here. What Harper is doing with a Quebec role at UNESCO is not even remotely close to what the Mulroney Conservatives had done to the west. In my opinion, this is just another extremely lame attempt at creating controversy where there is none. As a former-reformer, I can tell you that this is a complete non-issue.

Anyone catch the Swords and the Sens tonight.... ...What a game!!! Sabres win 7 to 6 in OT!!!

Funny hearing McGuinty complain considering he openly supports the federal Liberals going as far as campaigning with his brother during the last election campaign. That said, I would have advised Stephen Harper not endorse Tory as the next premier.

The Economist's take on the Budget Snippet:

5 of 8. Sadly, I usually don't predict this accurately. Detroit versus Edmonton Seems like every year Edmonton finds themselves in this situation – facing off against the best club in the west. I think Edmonton will do better than expected, but goaltending ultimately will hurt them. Detroit in six. Well I was right about Edmonton doing better than expected. Dallas versus Colorado The Stars and Av’s are always a great matchup, I don’t think that will change this year. Colorado didn’t have their best year by any stretch of the imagination, but I find it difficult to write them off easily. If Theodore can find his game, I think Colorado can upset here. Colorado in seven. Colorado did upset, but more easily than I would have thought. Calgary versus Anaheim Goaltending is so important in the playoffs and Kiprusoff is one of the best. Coupled with perhaps the best defensive core in the league, Calgary will prevail over Anaheim. Calgary in five. Surprised how impotent Calgary's offense was in the series. Nashville versus San Jose With the loss of Vokoun for the playoffs, I predict this to be the most lopsided first round encounter. The dynamic duo should lead the first round in scoring putting quite a few biscuits past Mason. Toskala will frustrate Kariya and friends. San Jose sweeps. Not the most lopsided, but the Sharks finished them off with relative ease. Ottawa versus Tampa Bay Unfortunately for Tampa Khabibulin isn’t in net, Grahame is. I think Ottawa has too much firepower for the Lightning to handle. If Hasek was playing at 100%, I would put money on Ottawa to go all the way. But even with Emery in net, Ottawa should take this easily. Ottawa in five. No surprise here. Carolina versus Montreal Huet wil be starting the series. The young goaltender recorded 7 shutouts playing in less than half of the games. Huet also has the league’s best save percentage. Although he is young and unproven, I still feel the Habs have the edge in goal. Carolina’s finish was less than stellar. Some suggest that they had the division locked up and coasted the last month of the season. Can they turn it back on? I say they don’t. Montreal in six. The Habs up 2 to 0 heading back to Montreal should have won this. To my amazement, Cam Ward came in and turned the series around. I found the Carolina recovery more surprising than the Edmonton upset of the Red Wings. New Jersey versus New York I like the young Ranger goaltender, but the edge has to be given to the much more experienced Brodeur. Although the Rangers have a great first line, can the rest of the team contribute. The Devils, a more balanced squad will give New York fits. New Jersey in five. No surprise here. Buffalo versus Philadelphia I like the Sabres tandem of Biron and Miller much better then Phlllie’s Esche and Nyittimaki. I don’t believe Forsberg is 100%, which will seriously jeopardize their chances in this series. I think Buffalo’s speed trumps Philadelphia’s brawn. Buffalo in five. Buffalo skated circles around Clarke's slower, bigger players. Will the owner fire his son-in-law? Since none of my predicted matchups for the second round will be taking place, here are my revised predictions. Colorado and Anaheim Avs in five. San Jose and Edmonton Sharks in six Ottawa and Buffalo Sens in seven - although I will be rooting for Buffalo New Jersey and Carolina Devils in five I'll stay by Cup prediction that Langenbrunner still scores in overtime to eliminate the Sharks.

I think you would lose your money. We should all over react? Why? Hears crickets chirping.

Just looked up your nation. It has been inactive for almost two weeks. I think nations that are inactive for over a month are deleted.

BC Lumber Trade Council Gives Conditional Support

This about says it all for me. B.C. supports amended softwood proposal, says premier Snippet: The Government and the Opposition can spin their views til the earth stops rotating. The viewpoint I'm more interested in hearing is if the provinces and industry are on board.

Can you be more specific? The Americans got everything they asked for and we only got "some" (read: most) of the duties back? In what way? I'm waiting to hear from the provinces, specificially Campbell and the BC Liberals.

Double Post