NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals Outlook

The Conference Finals are now up in the 2007 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and the two series look as if they will be great.

EAST: #1 Buffalo v # 4 Ottawa -- These two bitter Northeast Division rivals will take up where they left off in the regular season. This promises to be an intense, physical, emotional series and neither club has an obvious weakness. Buffalo may have an edge offensively and they are getting healthier and deeper as each week elapses. Ottawa probably has the edge defensively and in goal. The Sabres' home ice advantage will be the final difference...
.............SABRES 4-3

WEST: #1 Detroit v # 2 Anaheim -- The best squads arguably in the West have made it to the conference finals, but Anaheim appears to have an edge everywhere over the veteran Red Wings. The Ducks firepower and goaltending will carry them to their second franchise appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals...
.............DUCKS 4-2

I correctly forecast three of these four conference finalists, only missing out with San Jose as the Sharks played extraordinarily poor in their series against Detroit. We have less than a month until we see the champions skating around the rink with the Stanley Cup high in the air.

Not So Good News From Minnesota

Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has a dismal and woeful record of performance and results in Minnesota, will veto a progressive health measure and it would seem unlikely the legislature has the votes to overturn it. This is a very disappointing turn of events for working class Minnesotans and their children. Pawlenty has bungled plenty of times before so his ongoing ineptitude and insensitivity is not surprising when it comes to improving the quality of life and standard of living for the neediest and most fragile of the citizenry.


http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/05/07/hhs/?rsssource=1

Great News from Maryland

This is huge progress for working people in Maryland, but I cannot see much more than maybe 6-8 states across the nation doing this anytime soon and none in the Rocky Mountain West and High Plains.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/us/09wage.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin