Kiraly

I think that is exactly how the Conservatives view the situation as well. It is called compromise. The deal may still not go through. It may hit obstacles in one or both countries. But if it does, I think you have to look at the situation pragmatically. The question being, is this deal better than no deal. Is it better to settle for a less than ideal compromise now or let the situation fester for several more years. As L&OOC posted, I would like a little more information as well as hearing the views from affected industries.

Shock jock monitors CRTC Snippet:

In my opinion, it was a politcally motivated decision. The Conservatives do not support a national subsidized daycare program, but going into an election campaign and responding to the question of daycare by saying "they have no plan to address the issue as it is provincial jurisdiction" would have been a vote loser.

In 2001, the faster Buffalo team handily defeated Philadelphia. I'm hoping to see a similar result this year. I think if the officials continue to call the game in the playoffs as they have in the regular season, then quicker teams will fare better than slower/bigger squads. The bigger teams can still lay out the hits, but the real advantage is when they're allowed to clutch, grab, and interfere. Take that weapon away from their arsenal and guys like Afinogenov, Briere, and Connoly will have the ability to fly on the ice... ...something they had a hard time doing in the "old" NHL. I guess we'll find out soon enough. TSN will be broadcasting the Flyers/Sabres game tomorrow at 7:00 local time. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well since we don't have a non-political forum, I shall post this here. Kiraly's bold predictions for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs: Round One. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Round Two Detroit versus Colorado Another classic matchup. I find if very difficult to predict an upset over the President trophy winning Wings. Colorado should be quite beat after their first round battle the with Stars. Detroit in five. Calgary versus San Jose Kiprusoff versus Toskala/Nabokov. Kiprusoff may be better, but the Sharks have more firepower. San Jose in six. Ottawa versus Montreal Building upon the confidence after beating Tampa, Ottawa should have little problem with Montreal, especially if Hasek is back – although I doubt he will be the Hasek of old. Ottawa in five. New Jersey versus Buffalo My heart says Sabres, but I don’t think they are “there” yet. Experience over youth shall prevail in this series. New Jersey in seven. Round Three Detroit versus San Jose Conventional wisdom would suggest that Detroit should prevail. Call me unconventional as I’m going with Thornton, Cheechoo and Toskala to come out on top. San Jose in seven Ottawa versus New Jersey See above re conventional thinking. New Jersey in seven Stanley Cup Finals New Jersey versus San Jose. It’s a pick ‘em to be decided in overtime in game seven. Prediction: Langenbrunner scores in the second overtime frame: Devils win the Cup.

For those that are interested, Gord Miller interview with the Prime Minister will be on the TSN Stanley Cup Playoff Preview Show. Harper with Miller on TSN A chance to see a side of the Prime Minister you don't see everyday.

The Secret Behind China's Economy Pretty disturbing.

Meh!... ....newbies. I keed, I keed. Greg. you don't have any spare numbers in the low to mid 20's do you?

Speaking of Free Dominion, just took a trip over to the Babble Boards Apparently, some members are growing tired of recent events and are turning to Free Dominion for some civil discourse.

I wouldn’t categorize the comments on this thread as whining. Noone has suggested that they have the right to “spew” whatever and whenever they wanted. In my experience, there is no clear policy on what behaviours are acceptable and unacceptable. If you are inferring Free Dominion, I would respectfully disagree. Opinions contrary to small “c” conservatism expressed in a respectful manner are tolerated. Some members will disagree with that opinion and will most assuredly voice theirs, but you will be free to express them. You don’t have to be “a rabid right winger” to have your days numbered there. I can name just over half a dozen self described conservatives on that site. Most of these conservatives rarely put forward opinions that conflict with the general consensus of the community. In my experience, most refrain from engaging in ideological discussions that would put them at odds with the other members and focus on issues where the opinions have the support of other members.

Well since the Conservatives are apparently committed to sticking with Kyoto, they will need to find cash to pay for the emmission credits that we will be forced to buy under the agreements. Unproductive environmental programs seems like a good place to start.

Canada set to announce biofuel strategy

Kimmy... ...I saw some of your posts over at Rabble. Nicely done. I always enjoy reading your comments on any forum.

Found this visiting an American blog... ...I'm sure the Canadian media will report this story soon. Ipsos Reid Majority Approval For Harper Government Harper Conservative Government Approval (54%) Well Above Party’s Support in Recent Election (36%) 61% in Quebec, 57% in Saskatoba, 49% in Ontario, and 45% in B.C. approve.

Kiraly's Kingdom.... ....The Kingdom of Arany "In Vino Veritas" The Kingdom of Arany is a massive, devout nation, notable for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 4.424 billion have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often. The tiny government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Public Transport, and the Environment. Income tax is unheard of. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Uranium Mining industry, followed by Book Publishing and Automobile Manufacturing. Strict term limits have been applied to all elected offices, inheritance tax has recently been abolished, women earn less than half the salary of men if they can even find a job, and the Arany Enquirer offers weekly cash prizes for 'most blasphemous song, story, or cartoon'. Crime is a serious problem. Arany's national animal is the horse, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the corona. Arany is ranked 2nd in the region and 8,037th in the world for Largest Mining Sector.

Stephen Harper is a huge hockey fan who is writing a book on the sport. Now that he is Prime Minister, I wonder if he puts that on the backburner for now. I don't think he has any plans on going to Italy at this time. He seems to me to be pretty busy getting work done here.

And you should realize that many people do not want the government to heavily subsidize day care. As I have stated before, I wasn't too keen on the $1,200 child care payment when I first heard it proposed by the Conservatives. The problem was that the other parties were going to or had already proposed some form of subsidized child care. The Conservatives likely felt that not addressing this issue would put them at a disadvantage. $1,200 isn't very much but it is better than nothing and eveyoine will be able to take advantage of this program. The same cannot be said of the Liberal program. I'm hoping Harper will be uncompromising on this point kills all funding for the Liberal Childscare program.

Geoffrey... ...of the two dozen or so endorsements I saw, only the Toronto Star endorsed the Liberals. I believe the Montreal Gazette and La Presse endorsed the Conservatives as did the two main Vancouver dailies. The fact that a newspaper endorses a party does not determine whether or not a bias exists. Had the Globe endorsed the Liberals, their credibility or lack thereof, would not be dissimilar to that of the Toronto Red Star.

Personally, I feel the G & M leans left. I think you would be hard pressed to find many small "c" conservatives that would disagree with this opinion. Every time I read a Globe and Mail article online that relates to Harper and the Conservatives, the comments section is filled will negative opinions of Harper and the Conservatives. If their readership is predominantly anti-conservative, I doubt that a majority of their writers are pro-conservative.

The western race of course. Whether it was racist (which it isn't technically) or just disrespectful,... The word you are looking for is "bigoted".

The way I see it, I'm either celebrating by toasting to Prime Minister Harper or I'll be drowning my sorrows on Monday night.... ....odds are I'll have a headache on Tuesday.

Buzz Hargrove Link

Harper will be on Mansbridge's program on Thursday.

I doubt the bomb has anything to do with Martin or the Lieberals. I expected them to release something this week similar to the "Randy White Tape" of 2004. I think it will be something along those lines, but what exactly, I don't know. Could be anything. Non-politically advantageous comments from some of their candidates. Secret documents or correspondence or funding from non-politically advantageous organizations. Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough.