A POW for Over Three Years Now

Few if any Americans are aware that there is a POW in the Iraq War and he has been in enemy hands unquestionably having endured incalculable torture for over three years now. Lets hope that very soon Keith Maupin of Ohio is found and can return to his family and have a good life after the unimaginable horrible ordeal he is undergoing.

http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=7290

Rising Seattle Skyline to Block Safeco Views

Although I have yet to attend a game at Safeco Field in Downtown Seattle, others who have tell me the views from the upper decks of the Puget Sound area, the Olympic Mountains, and the existing downtown Seattle skyline, particularly at night, are spectacular. Now news comes from the Emerald City that those magnificent sights may not be around too much longer as progress marches on.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003684691_safecoview28m.html

A Lost Ballpark in San Diego & My Idea to Restore It

The great old historical ballparks that were part of the Pacific Coast League during its glory days from the 1930s until the Major Leagues had franchises relocated to California or expansion occurred are truly lost treasures and historical landmarks. This article about Lane Field in San Diego is about just one of those old ballparks of yore. I would like to see in a perfect world the ballpark restored for community activities and just play for kids. The field could be put on the roof of a five to ten story building and be a real landmark for San Diego. The views from a ballpark of the surrounding downtown and coastal areas would be breathtaking. The facility could be used for such things as concerts, parties, gatherings, meetings, and other activities for kids. I hope someone has the vision to make this an exciting reality.

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2007/04/30/opinion/01freeman043007.txt

Predatory Corporate Capitalism -- The Greatest Evil Facing Americans Citizens and Their Children

I can never say or be firm enough in my strong convictions about the absolute widespread destruction that Corporate America and their government hacks and muscle have done, are doing, and will do in the future to what America is supposed to be all about and what America is supposed to represent. The betrayal and treachery by the corporacy all in the name of greed, power, arrogance, and repressiveness is the epitome of evil and at the root of all problems facing the citizenry.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/30/865/

The Words None Dare Say: Nuclear War

This article on the Rockridge Institute website says it all.

http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/research/lakoff/the-words-none-dare-say-nuclear-war

Ghost Rider: An Awesome Fun Action-Filled Film

I went to the dollar movies Friday night the 27th with Brant and his son and we saw the film Ghost Rider, based on the comic series I read as a youth. It was excellent and I highly recommend it. I read that it will be out on DVD by mid-June and that also a sequel will be coming out in 2008 or 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Rider_%28film%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Rider_%28comics%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%28Ghost%29_Riders_in_the_Sky:_A_Cowboy_Legend

http://ingeb.org/songs/anoldcow.html

Recommended Blog to Regularly Read

With the ruthless income disparity reports and statistics being quite evident and corporate greed and corruption at all-time highs, this is a good site to visit in order to stay current on reports and facts about the consequences of this economic direction which effects many citizens, often cruelly and unjustly.

http://ehrenreich.blogs.com/barbaras_blog/

This is a Rare Politician Who Would Do This

You have to take your hat off and give credit to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski for having the courage to try this. Even I have never tried to make it on just $21 for a week for all the food one would purchase and consume. You are basically looking at bread, water, bouillion cube soup, macaroni and cheese, and ramen. You get no meat, no fruit except maybe a couple of bananas, no vegetables, and your nutrition is a joke and dangerous to your health with this kind of constraint in place.

This says alot about this program and how the most fragile and needy in our society are summarily dismissed. Most corporations and their executives and management could very easily double or triple this program's financial resources with no sacrifice or effort if they were good caring compassionate people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070425/ap_on_re_us/a_week_on_food_stamps

White Knight Ills Cause Frustrations, Hassles

After going many months without having to make any expenditures, the White Knight has been needing some attention and repairs, but the primary problem remains unsolved as of yet. When I place the key in the ignition, more often than not all I get is silence. During the last week I have replaced the solenoid, ICM/voltage regulator, and alternator. The battery was found to be underperforming so since it was still under warranty (having been purchased in mid July '06), I was able to get a completely new one at no cost. I also replaced the ignition switch where the ignition key lock cylinder is located but that did not solve the problem either. Battery cables are clean and look fine (they were also put in last July) so I am puzzled by this and where the problem is originating.

I am able to start the Ford by crossing the solenoid: putting a long screwdriver blade across the connection from the battery post on the side of the solenoid to the starter post on the front of the device. This results in activating the starter which usually starts the truck. This is of some danger as some sparks fly which is never a good idea when vaporous gasoline is possibly present, but I have to get to work and there is no transportation alternative when you live about 20 miles out of town. Hopefully I can continue to use this procedure for the next two weeks and then when I am paid again I can have the electrical system analyzed and tested by a professional mechanic at a garage. I was hoping to use that money for other purposes such as getting all my belongings out of CO but I probably will have to wait until later in May to do this.
More often than not, many things do not go as planned which tries even my legendary patience.

NHL Stanley Cup Conference Semifinals Outlook

I correctly picked seven of the eight quarterfinal series, only missing New Jersey's 4-2 series win over Tampa Bay which I thought would be an upset. The semifinals should be closely contested and hopefully we will get at least a couple of series go the full seven games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 Buffalo Sabres v #6 New York Rangers -- Buffalo worked a harder than expected to get by a determined and gritty New York Islanders squad in the quarters, so they know they will have their work cut out against the Rangers. New York played well down the stretch and has a lot of weapons, but the Sabre offense and powerplay should help carry the Presidents Cup Winners to a second consecutive conference finals appearance...
...BUFFALO 4-2

#2 New Jersey Devils v #5 Ottawa Senators -- This should be a close and low scoring series between two fine clubs. The Senators edge in offense should be enough to get them into the Eastern Conference Finals finally after several seasons of underperforming in the playoffs...
...OTTAWA 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

# 1 Detroit Red Wings v #5 San Jose Sharks -- Like Buffalo and Ottawa, this is will be the year that the Sharks get over the hump, but they face a monumental challenge in the Red Wings. Detroit seem to be the most complete team remaining but there seems to be a piece missing and that may be heart...
...SAN JOSE 4-3

#2 Anaheim Ducks v # 3 Vancouver Canucks -- The powerful Ducks have far too much firepower and an effective power play unit for the gritty Canucks to overcome in spite of better goaltending probably...
...ANAHEIM 4-2

If any of these series do end up as a sweep or near-sweep, I would guess it would be the Ducks and Canucks series or perhaps the Sabres and Rangers series.

Looking ahead at the calendar, it would look as if the Conference Championship series should begin on Friday 11 May or Saturday 12 May with the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting two weeks later in May.

A Few Recent News Articles and Observations

Now that I am working fulltime with an hour and a quarter roundtrip commute daily, I do not get to study all the news articles out there as deeply and take the time to contemplate as many of them as I would like. But such is the tyranny and oppressiveness of American corporacy, and where and how I am in my life at this time and for the near future. And to think I am still actively looking for a second fulltime job to better position myself economically sooner (all this might end up doing is probably endangering my health, perhaps even fatally).

But I do get some time to do some reading and reflecting, and here are a few articles recently and my observations briefly on them.


A. The Hypocracy and Contradiction of the Flim-Flam Man Limbaugh as to Don Imus

Imus, of course, was ousted from his high-profile media jobs due to some language that was too politically incorrect even for him. While the end result was overkill, his schtick was getting to be passe and he will land on his feet and probably in better shape financially longterm. The fact that the fatman and mouthpiece for the junta, Limbaugh, regularly plays on his radio program a song based on the lyrics and music of the Peter, Paul, and Mary folk music classic, "Puff the Magic Dragon" titled "Barack, the Magic Negro" and not be subjected to the same outcry and punishment is utterly appalling and disgraceful. Limbaugh is even more passe and boring than Imus and his day has passed and his daily blather and wind is of no consequence and relevancy anymore. Limbaugh is nothing but a has-been huckster who should be put out to pasture to play golf in Costa Rica and spend his late afternoons drowning his ego in numerous glasses of various booze and nodding off to sleep after emptying into his voluminous rotund belly his daily pailful of various pharmaceutical substances, both legal and illegal. The EIB does not stand for "Excellence in Broadcasting" but instead "Evidently Its Bu____it"!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/24/10141/1844

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B. A Call for Impeachment for Vice-President Richard Cheney

I expect the number of voices making this call to grow tremendously in the coming months and there very will may be a formidable legislative effort initiated in the US House, although it will not go anywhere unless there is something far more serious that develops during this year and more Republicans defect from supporting Bush to save their own hides and keep their seats when the election in '08 occurs.

http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0148.html

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C. Boris Yeltsin, 1931-2007

Undoubtedly, Yeltsin played an important role for a brief period in helping make sure the USSR would not make a comeback. Although he was a crude man and overall an ineffective leader, his place in history is one of significance and he helped ensure a period of relative peace after over a half-century of war and a wartime economy for the Russian people which really most knew only as well as the prior two to three generations of those people.

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D. Further Revelations Concerning the Friendly-Fire Death of Pat Tillman

Every week, more and more information comes out about this coverup by military officials. I would not be surprised if the trail of deceit and deception leads directly into the White House and Joint Chiefs. I would not put it past such "men" as Rove, Rumsfeld, or Cheney to have given the direct order to officers in the battlefield and in command to take this terribly wrong and immoral action. What a shame that such honorable and heroic man like Pat Tillman who took on a sacrifice and responsiblity NONE of his athletic peers in any professional sport have the courage and heart to do has had his name in the middle of all of this chicanary. Lets hope there are criminal consequences for those that initially ultimately gave the order for the coverup and lies.

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E. Nacchio gets what he deserved

Like so many other citizens here in the Rocky Mountain region, the Northwest, and the Northern High Plains, I was greatly pleased to learn of the conviction of former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio on numerous counts of various crimes. Hopefully he will spend most if not all of the rest of his life in a federal penitentary. His criminal behavior and ruthless cold greed has destroyed or damaged the lives of countless citizens. No punishment will ever be enough to atone for what he did to these folks, many of whom were elderly and suffered greatly beyond any reason. It is sad to think, however, that for every Nacchio and his ilk convicted and punished, there remains dozens, probably hundreds, of corporate officials, managers, and lackeys that have gotten away with and continue to get away with sins on a similar scale.

One day we will wake up and make the necessary adjustments and corrections that are so desparately needed to make our economy and society work for the best interests for many more of our citizens in respect to the runaway amok Market Capitalism and the corporacy which is setting the agenda for the nation and in so many wrong ways. The current model of American Capitalism is seriously broken and, if not corrected soon, will result in the destruction of the United States and the end of liberty and freedom for many citizens.

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Poignant, Powerful, Ominous Words

This letter from the late David Halberstam was written to his daughter Julia in 1982 and he reflects back on his early days in Vietnam and what in hindsight he then began to understand and realize about that war and war in general. So much of what he says rings so true about what our nation, we citizens, and particularly the men and women serving and sacrificing in a strange land so far away physically and in our conscience are going through now are much the same things as before almost 40 years ago.

Read the letter carefully and more than once. The impact of the words will stir your heart, probably emotionally move you, and give pause to think and reflect about the magnitude of what it means to be serving your country in a wartime theater. The consequences of reading these words may further reinforce the realization of the emptyness, the waste, the foolishness, and the futility of what this nation's failing and floundering leadership of Bush, Cheney, Rove, and many others have done to our nation, America, and another people and nation, Iraq. The end results for this war are likely to be far worse than what resulted from Vietnam, which for many was only yesterday: yet, for so many others, is already lost and forgotten in history apparently.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/24/707/

The Stench of Broadcast News on Cable Stations

The writer of this article captures my views about the news channels we have on cable and satellite. Fox News is utterly nauseating and full of Bush apologists with far too much focus on fluff and celebrity "news". MSNBC is in the same ballpark, and CNN has their moments also except when Lou Dobbs is airing. CNBC offers no critical analysis about the societal, community, and individual costs and sacrifices of the rampant runaway corporacy and market capitalism being forced upon us.

Overall, its better to get most news from the internet, with the newspaper providing state and local news. Use the three major networks for major breaking news (ABC is my preferrence) and avoid most "news" programs like what is broadcast on Fox News and the others.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_070422_cable_news__war_agai.htm

David Halberstam, 1934-2007

Very sad news came from the Bay Area this afternoon of the sudden death of the great historical author and Pulitzer Prize Winner David Halberstam due to an automobile accident in Menlo Park, south of San Francisco. David Halberstam authored numerous books on history as well as baseball, and I was fortunate to have read many of his works. Among his books I enjoyed and learned from include The Best and the Brightest; The Fifties; October 1964; Summer of '49; The Reckoning; and The Next Century. His contributions in his field are monumental and he will be sorely missed.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_HALBERSTAM?SITE=CODER&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-04-23-19-54-21

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-NY-Obit-Halberstam.html?hp

http://www.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/david_halberstam/index.html

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-3780588-6920609?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=David+Halberstam&Go.x=8&Go.y=14

High Speed Passenger Rail on the Horizon

It appears more likely as each day passes that a regional high speed rail corridor is going to be established along the Rocky Mountains corridor from Belen, New Mexico, through Colorado and up to Casper, Wyoming. Progress is being made on several fronts to get this exciting transportation alternative to become a reality, perhaps as early as 2015. The big challenges that remain beside securing matching funding from Congress is to relocate the industrial coal-carrying trains on to newer tracks farther east on the plains, particularly in Colorado.

New Mexico is quite far along with a passenger line already in operation in the Albuquerque corridor with an extension to Santa Fe to be operating in 2008 and the line extended on to Las Vegas and Raton by 2011. The promise of this high speed rail line would mean a trip from Cheyenne to Denver would take about an hour versus about an hour and a half via automobile. A trip from Denver to Albuquerque could be as short as three and a quarter hours. Cheyenne to Casper could be done via this high-speed train in a little over two hours instead of three and one-half by automobile.

Lets hope that this becomes a reality in the next decade and the rail lines are extended to Phoenix and Tucson to the south and Billings and Rapid City to the north by 2025.

http://www.rangerxpress.com/

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2007/04/22/opinion_2007/staff_editorials/ourview833.txt

A Wild Lonesome Guest on the Property

Normally the Pronghorn Antelope are in herds of at least 7-8 and sometimes up to 30 in number, but this fellow decided to go it alone for awhile it seems and took up residence on the property for a few hours. He basically snacked on the newly green prairie grass and then laid down and stared at the surrounding countryside. Darkness fell so I do not know if he is still out there or if he decided to get back to his "people". He was about 6o feet from the front door for the most part and he ignored the barking St Bernards and the twice-per-hour automobile that came by. There are literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of these critters on the prairie surrounding Cheyenne and they blend in quite well with the vegetation on the gently rolling plains. Maybe this fellow had spring fever and had to get out and away from the herd and see what was out there without being overseen by the boss.

Plans for New Taj Mahal for Minnesota Vikings Unveiled

The Minnesota Vikings became the latest pro team to announce plans for a spectacular magnificent building with all the bells and whistles. The stadium is to be built on the eastside of Downtown Minneapolis as part of a larger multi-use development with costs expected to be well in excess of $1 billion dollars. As one might expect, taxpayers in the Twin Cities and the Land of 10,000 Lakes will pickup the vast majority of the expense, probably around 80 % or more of it by the time everything is accounted for by the date of the building's projected opening in 2012.

While the design of the facility is quite beautiful and architecturally impressive, it probably is overkill. But it would mean the awarding of future Super Bowls, Final Fours, and other noteworthy conventions and events to the Twin Cities which would have a significant positive economic impact as there is no competition with a building and development of this size in that region and the cities of Detroit and St. Louis are the nearest areas with comparable facilities.

http://www.startribune.com/510/story/1131935.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2843492

MLB: Observations after the Completion of the First Two Weeks of the Season

With the completion of tonight's (Saturday 14 April) games the season is one-thirteenth complete. While it is still too early to draw any strong conclusions, some observations and outlooks about what are the trends can be offered.

-- Weather: this April has been been very cold so offenses have noticeably suffered. This will be reversed to a large extent as we get into May. By season's end, what has happened this month will be forgotten and largely unrecognizable in the statistics. There have been a large number of postponements due to weather (just ask the Indians and Mariners). Scheduling is a challenge for the sport always this early in the season as teams everywhere prefer to be at home at a minimum in exchange for better drawing games in the summer and in September if in any kind of meaningful race. But MLB needs to focus more on intradivisonal games in April as they would be easier to schedule for makeups in event of weather-related postponements. Scheduling once a season trips to places like Cleveland, Chicago, and Boston for teams like Seattle, Texas, and Tampa Bay for example is just plain foolish. This is another strong reason for the American League to expand to sixteen teams as soon as possible so that scheduling can be done better for the benefit of all clubs and particularly the players and the fans. Lets see those new AL clubs by 2010 or 2011 in Portland, Sacramento, Las Vegas, or San Antonio.

-- Results: predictably, Tampa Bay and Kansas City have already started to fall behind in the AL, and Washington and San Francisco are doing the same in the NL. Surprises are not that many so far with Atlanta, Arizona, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Baltimore having their heads above water still at this point. The one standout disappointment is Philadelphia.

-- Outlook: As what usually happens, the next two to three weeks will establish the first cut between the contenders and pretenders. Clubs like Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Washington, and San Francisco could be around ten games out by then. Teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Texas could be 5-7 games out. The Yankees, Mets, Tigers, and Angels should be around .650 or better. Lets hope I am totally incorrect about this outlook and some of these perennial losers give their fans some reason for a little hope and the big money Yankees are underachieving and scuffling.

-- Colorado Rockies: my favorite team has their difficiencies and strengths as does everybody.
On the positive side, the starting pitching has been very solid as has been the defense. On the minus side, the hitting has been largely sorry, the bullpen has been poor and shaky, and there has been no power to speak of so far. Lets hope the bats warm up quickly and the bullpen starts to develop a greater rhythm and consistency in the coming weeks, if not days.

The upcoming schedule for Colorado includes a seven game home stand starting Monday 16 April with a pair of games each against the Giants and Dodgers and a weekend three game set against the Padres; then its on the road for a quick three game trip to play the Mets at Shea followed by a three game weekend set back home against the Braves then back out on the road for three at San Francisco, three at Cincinnati, and three at St Louis before starting another homestand Thursday, 10 May. Lets hope these next 23 games starting Sunday the 15th of April has the Rockies win around 13 to 16 of them to position themselves as a contender for the coming months.

Recent News Articles and Observations

Here are some recent news articles and opinions and my observations briefly on them.


A. Brutal Honesty from the Man Who Really Should be the Next President

I strongly maintain that Senator John McCain remains the most ably qualified candidate for the Presidency in 2008 and stands head and shoulders above all the other candidates, announced or unannounced. He has a strong grasp on foreign and domestic policy and clearly knows and demonstrates what a leader is and can be, unlike virtually all the other presidential candidates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/us/politics/15mccain.html?ei=5065&en=8db1136256412d6d&ex=1177214400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

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B. Thompson Poised to Join Race for Presidency

Longtime dramatic actor and retired two-term Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson will join the race for the GOP nomination for the Presidency later this summer, and his entry into the field will result in the inevitable and eventual failure of the candidacies of Rudy Guilianni and Mitt Romney, among others.

http://townhall.com/Columnists/RobertDNovak/2007/04/14/rove_left_out

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C. Amok Capitalism in the 21st Century

This article points out the serious flaws and shortcomings that exist in our Capitalist economic system that have largely emerged in the last generation and the peril and risk that such activities and pursuits to every citizen. What ever happened to ethics in the business world? Oh, I forget -- thats something that is bad for business, the profits they lustily crave, and the fat wallets and perks that business management demands and expects.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.capitalism15apr15,0,3938278.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

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D. Globalization's Bitter Price for American Citizens

Anyone with any kind of intelligence and compassion could see this coming 20-25 years ago. Ross Perot was not blowing smoke when he was talking about the consequences of globalism on the American citizenry 11-18 years ago. American citizens are paying a harsh price, especially older Americans, rural Americans, and people who are quiet, soft-spoken, and reserved. Many people are not cut out psychologically to be salesmen, hucksters, and hustlers for corporations.
Creating and making something that people need is a far more desirable occupation.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070430/greider

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E. Another Strong Reason for Breaking Up the Telecommunications Oligopoly

I firmly believe that Telecommunications corporations, like utility corporations, be restricted to be strongly regulated and broken up. These entities must not be allowed to do business in more than about 6-7 states. They operate as a public service and must remain small enough to be attentive to the needs of the citizenry and to allow maximum freedoms and choices for citizens at the most minimal cost. Beasts like AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Time-Warner Cable, Qwest, and Verizon are at the top of my targeted hit list for corporations to be broken up and shrunken to more manageable and responsible business for the citizens to choose from among many others that could be created to provided choice and competition with more reasonable and sensible pricing.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/15/532/

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F. Another View about What is Happening in Iraq

I do not believe things are getting much better in Iraq, but I will remain patient for next several months and give the ongoing mission time to succeed and make progress. There simply is no other logical alternative at this time and in the near future.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=186275

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G. Looking Ahead to Unemployment Trends for the Upcoming Recession

When the recession this year kicks in this summer, one demographic that will suffer enormously will be the older worker, those over age 45. Along with Blacks, rural citizens, and women, this upcoming recession and economic downturn will be quite cruel to the older worker, which includes me and many others I have known and continue to know.

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/bp162

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H. The Psychology of Conservatives?

Can these kinds of people possess a serious personality flaw that can be identified. My thought would be no...

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Society/Conservatives_Deconstruct.html

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I. Frightening Terror from the Deep Attacking Mankind & Pets !

Horror of Horrors, a killer beast terrorizing the local population and their pets ! Get every cop from a one-hundred fifty mile radius on this case ! Mobilize the National Guard (oops, I forget, they are all in Iraq and Afghanistan dealing with a different kind of terror) ! I know, Get the Govern-nator, Arnold, since it is happening in his state and have him pulverize the threat !

http://www.mercurynews.com/weirdnews/ci_5670526?nclick_check=1

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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Outlook

The 2007 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs began today with the eventual Stanley Cup Champion being crowned somewhere around Memorial Day.

Here are some predictions on the conference quarterfinals matchups.

West:

#1 Detroit v #8 Calgary: As much as I would like to see the Red Wings go down, I do not think it will happen in the first round against a #8 seed for the second consecutive year...

..............Detroit 4-2

#2 Anaheim v #7 Minnesota: The Ducks have too much firepower and talent for the Wild to pull the upset, but all the games will be close...

.............Anaheim 4-2

#3 Vancouver v #6 Dallas: This should be a very entertaining series between two largely evenly matched squads, but the Canucks edge in the goal will be the difference...

.............Vancouver 4-3

#4 Nashville v #5 San Jose: This should be the best series in the first round in either conference with two excellent complete teams fighting it out in what will be a very close series with probably more than a few sudden death overtime games to occur...

.............San Jose 4-3

East:

#1 Buffalo v #8 New York Islanders: The Sabres should dominate the outmatched Islanders rather easily; a sweep is not out of the question.......

.............Buffalo 4-1

#2 New Jersey v #7 Tampa Bay: This should a close hardhitting low scoring series and I am calling for a Lightning upset because in this round there is always one that happens....

.............Tampa Bay 4-2

#3 Atlanta v #6 New York Rangers: With Colorado and Toronto out of the playoffs, I am holding the torch for my beloved Rangers, my childhood favorite team almost 40 years ago. So I am going to pick the Blueshirts to outlast the playoff debuting Thrashers who are led by Coach Bob Hartley, the former Stanley Cup winning coach for Colorado, whom I met at a Dairy Queen in May 2001....

.............New York Rangers 4-3

#4 Ottawa v #5 Pittsburgh: The playoffs most dangerous darkhorse team, the Senators, will have their hands full with the young and upcoming Penguins, but Pittsburgh is still a year away and the Sens pose the greatest challenge to the seemingly destined Sabres...

.............Ottawa 4-1

My picks for the finals continue to be Buffalo and San Jose, but Ottawa and Anaheim are my second choices and loom as conference finals opponents for the Sabres and Sharks. I am still calling for Buffalo to skate away with the Cup for a first time and somewhat avenge their stolen opportunity back in 1999 when Dallas beat them due to at least one powerfully missed call by the officials in the Finals that Spring.

Colorado Avalanche Run Ends

In the end it was just too much ground to make up and not enough time. A 14-1-2 streak that started on 27 February ended Saturday night, 7 April, for the Colorado Avalanche as they fell to the Nashville Predators, 4-2, ending their chances to be a part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an eleventh straight season. This will be the first time the organization will miss the playoffs since coming to Colorado in 1995.

This 17 game streak was nevertheless exciting and the team came from 14 points back to just three entering play Saturday night, but Calgary was up for the challenge and never let the Avalanche completely close the gap. The Flames clinched the eighth position in the Western Conference and will face Detroit in a best of seven first round series starting either Wednesday, 10 April, or Thursday 11 April.

I will post a final regular season article about the NHL as well as a playoff outlook post in the next few days. I am still picking Buffalo to win the Stanley Cup, but I am now undecided about who will come out of the West and make the Finals. There are eight worthy clubs with a chance and all of them have things to like about them which makes these playoffs the best in professional sports.

The Colorado Avalanche showed the fans a lot in these last six weeks so optimism will be rightfully high for next season for a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and competitive contention for the Northwest Division title and the number one seed in the Western Conference.

Third Warmest March in Cheyenne since 1915

After 2 1/2 months of challenging rigorous winter weather, it was nice to catch a break for most of the month of March except the first and final three days of the month. The average low temperature for the month was the highest recorded for a March at 29.3 degrees which is about
7.5 degrees above normal. Lets hope April gets turned around in that direction, as the first week so far has been quite cold and cloudy with periodic snow.


http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=cys&storyid=7001&source=0

Great Health Care Plan Information

Health Care Reform and Cost Containment is one of the most important domestic policy issues facing American Citizens for the 2008 national elections, along with trade policy, job exporting, corporate pay, funding for infrastructure, and energy policy. The link below gives details about the best health care plan out there, HR676. This single-payer plan, which would be phased in over a decade or so, removes the greatest reason and cause for the inefficiency, waste, inequality, and injustice currently experienced by citizens: the insurance corporations, which are responsible for the current haphazard dastardly systems we have in place today.

Lets hope citizens vote for candidates across the board that will make this federal legislation proposal a reality within the next 28 months, for all our health and financial sakes and futures.

http://www.citizensforhr676.org/

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CATV Keeps MLB Package for Extra Innings

Major League Baseball and the giant cable TV corporate oligopoly cartel agreed to keep the Extra Innings broadcast package of MLB games ongoing after doubt was raised about it continuing because of an earlier agreement with DirecTV by MLB.

This broadcast package is spectacular and wonderful for baseball fans. This week I am watching the week-long free preview of the DirecTV MLB broadcast package. Most days all but one or two games are included. On Thursday, 5 April , the only game not shown was the SD-SF game and today, 6 April, the only two games not included were Sea-Cle and Tor-TB.

One thing for sure is that this broadcast package will keep you home and not spending money. But you will become more of a couch potato. But to be able to watch this much baseball is totally heavenly !

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2826280

Recent News Articles and Observations

Here are some recent news articles and some observations by me on them.

A. The Quickly Disappearing Arctic Sea Icecap

One of the most amazing ramifications of global warming and climate change is well underway at the top of the world. While the melting of the icecap means less frequent and intense incursions of frigid Arctic airmasses into the northern US and Wyoming which pleases most people, the ecological consequences of this phenomena will be fatal to many species in the polar regions and the native peoples who rely on these animals for food. The Arctic Sea probably will mostly free of sea ice during most summers starting in 10-15 years and completely so before mid-century. Who would have thought that the Northwest Passage sought by so many explorers as we learned in history class would become a reality within our lifetime or shortly afterwards!

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/05/319/

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B. The New Fastest Growing city in the West

St. George, Utah, is experiencing rapid population growth with sizeable growth to continue well into the future. I wonder where they will find the water to support the population projected to be there in the not so distant future. And the ecological consequences of so many people being in an area where the surrounding landscape and territory is so unique, special, and particularly fragile is something that saddens many, including me.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5598056

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C. The powerful impact of climate change on the West

This winter that just ended was a poor one for snowfall across most of the interior West as it has been for well over a decade. With water increasingly becoming a dwindling resource throughout this region, one can see some of the extreme measures various municipalities and governments will go to in order to secure a sure supply of the lifeblood of the West. The next version of the Water Wars is underway.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0405/p01s02-wogi.html

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My Final PreSeason MLB Picks

Ah, Opening Day is but hours away, and the first pitch of the season is just minutes away in St Louis where the World Champion Cardinals open defense of their title against their biggest threats and last season LCS victim New York Mets. Here is a final look at my preseason predictions as Spring arrives for me.

NL West: 1) San Diego (2) Los Angeles (3) Colorado (4) Arizona (5) San Francisco

NL Cent: 1) Milwaukee (2) St Louis (3) Cincinnati (4) Chicago (5) Houston (6) Pittsburgh

NL East: 1) Philadelphia (2) New York (3) Atlanta (4) Florida (5) Washington

AL West: 1) Anaheim (2) Oakland (3) Seattle (4) Texas

AL Cent: 1) Detroit (2) Minnesota (3) Cleveland (4) Chicago (5) Kansas City

AL East: 1) New York (2) Boston (3) Toronto (4) Baltimore (5) Tampa Bay

Wildcards: NL: New York AL: Oakland

Pennants: NL: San Diego over New York 4 games to 3

AL: Detroit over Anaheim 4 games to 2

World Series: Detroit over San Diego 4 games to 3

Surprises: NL: Atlanta, Florida, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Arizona

AL: Toronto, Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle, Texas

Disappointments: NL: New York, St Louis, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco

AL: New York, Boston, Chicago

If any team that I picked to finish last or next to last (except ChiWS) makes the playoffs, I owe my brother a steak.