The NHL trade deadline:
25 trades, 40 players, and the busiest six hours to ever end the NHL trade deadline. Yesterday, between 9am and 3pm- the official deadline- saw more deals than any previous final trading day. A few of the notable transactions from March 9th, 2006:
Some of the wisest moves were made by the Washington Capitals, who continued to take steps to create a foundation of youth and build the team around rookie-phenom Alexander Ovechkin by ridding of two veterans in exchange for two 2006 draft picks. The Caps sent Brendan Witt (D) to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a first-round pick and forward Kris Beech- who was Washington’s first pick in the 1999 draft, going 7th overall. The Caps then sent former San Jose Shark, Jeff Friesen, back to the West Coast as an Anaheim Mighty Duck for a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. They also claimed Rico Fata off waivers from the Atlanta Thrashers. Fata’s speed could potentially be an asset if placed with Ovechkin, who is equally as quick and can give and receive the puck better than any other player on D.C.’s roster.
Boston sent their team’s fifth leading scoring, Sergei Samsanov (37 pts in 55 gms) to the Edmonton Oilers for Marty Reasoner and Yan Stastny and a second-round pick in 2006. The Bruins have struggled all season (12th in the East and three games under .500) and the best thing about this trade is the draft pick, because nothing alludes to the possibility that Reasoner or Stastny will be Bruins next year, especially their stats.
Philadelphia’s GM, Bob Clarke, sent two second-round picks in the 2006 draft and forward Josh Gratton to the Phoenix Coyotes in return for defenseman Denis Gauthier. Earlier in the day, Clarke began his wheeling by shipping an ’06 third-round choice to San Jose for winger Niko Dimotrakos. Philly’s moves were made in typical Clarke fashion- swapping youth and potential for veterans and, hopefully, immediate results which haven’t always been as expedient as the team would like (just look at the number of Rings the Flyer’s have under Clarke’s guidance).
Although yesterday’s final day of trading was action packed, there were few big names moved around. The biggest being Mark Recchi, who was traded to the NHL point leading Carolina Hurricanes. This will give Recchi another solid playoff run and give the Hurricane’s a seasoned veteran’s experience and production in the locker room and on the ice. In net, The Colorado Avelanche and Montreal Canadians swapped goaltenders- Jose Theodore to the Avs and David Aebischer to the Habs. In the whole, there was a lot of micro-managing that occurred, bringing in players who can help in teams’ building processes or fit a particular need some teams were looking to fill. It should be exciting to see how the remainder of the NHL season goes, especially the fights for the final playoff spots in both conferences which are each separated by only three points. In the East, the Montreal Canadians (69 pts) currently hold the eighth playoff spot over Atlanta (66) and in the West, it’s Edmonton’s 73 points barely leading Anahiem with 70 points. The final weeks of the regular season should have a frantic pace as each team tries to maintain its position or climb the standings to make the playoff cut.
The Dubai Ports ordeal:
Dubai Ports World would have only been in charge of daily port operations. THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD WOULD HAVE REMAINED RESPONSIBLE FOR PORT SECURITY. Yes, that’s right, all this hype- this FEAR generated hype- has no place in the discourse of the issue of whether a foreign, state-owned company should run the six east coast ports it was scheduled to acquire. Foreign entities own ports ops up and down both coasts of the U.S. So, why all of a sudden is there a huge outcry? It’s because the company is from the Middle East. Yet, our politicians will mask their concern by claiming that only America should control its ports and that a state-owned business should not have such access to another country's ports (a legitimate argument if it was made in a broader context that included places like China, a country that is deeply vested in the ports on the West coast). Where was the concern about port security before the Dubai debacle? It was of no concern because it is was in the hands of a non-Arab entity. Let's see how well the U.S.'s PR refutes claims of Arab bashing, becuase that's all it is.
The rejection of the Dubai port deal, without question, is discrimination. Since 9/11, this government, and especially the media, has successfully instilled the wrong kind of fear in people about Muslims. Now, we’re alienating an ally that would have worked within the confines of U.S. law, hardly changed the ports’ daily grind, and enhanced our image as a country that has a problem with Islamic fanatics not the entire Muslim community.
Congress sinking the ports deal, states banning abortion- even in cases of incest and molestation, the gay marriage debate continually existing as an underlying issue with in the public debate arena, the government and religious institutions championing anti-stem cell research campaigns- all this makes it hard to consider the United States as a progressive, tolerant, and intelligent country. It makes us look more regressive and discriminatory; something some of us wished could’ve been left back in the 1950s where it belongs.
Quiksilver Pro 2006- The Gold Coast
The 2006 professional surfing season is under way down under. On Australia's Gold Coast, all 45 pro surfers (plus a few wildcards and alternates, save for injury or poor performance) on the World Championship Tour (WCT) are attempting to unseat Kelly Slater from the WCT Throne. Slater, who won his record 7th title in 2005, is waiting to see how he finishes the Aussie hosted event to determine if he'll go for championship number eight. But he's got solid competition from every direction on this year's tour. Andy and Bruce Irons, Mick Fanning, the Hobgoods, Joel Parkinson, Taj Burrow, Phil McDonald, Fred Patacchia, and the rest of the awe-inspring pros have eleven more events in the 2006 six season after the Quik Pro ends on March 12th. Up next, the Rip Curl pro in Victoria in the Southeast of Australia.
www.fanatasysurfer.com - check it out...it's a great way to pass the time when you're landlocked at the office.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Thursday, March 9, 2006
"How About Putting a Man In an Apartment?"
I found this little blurb about homelessness accidentally. I wasn't exactly proactively searching for a first-person, real life account of homelessness from a victim of homelessness; it sort of just happened. Still, accident or not, this guy's short bio will- and should- knock you on your ass. The weird thing is that, aside from a few misspellings and a grammatical error or two, Michael Brown (dude's name) is really not a bad writer- a testament to the fact that homelessness and financial peril aren't limited strictly to the uneducated. His experiences lend his words greater pertinence and authenticity. Brown voices- I'm sure inadvertantly- a view similar to that of my favorite comedian, David Cross, when he burns the government for its homeless problem. I'm paraphrasing here, but I'm going to put Cross's joke into quotes because I'd recall it verbatim if I had't forgotten it already, "Yeah, we're putting a man on the moon...great, how about putting a man in an apartment?!" I mean, seriously, that simple sentiment may sound banal to most folks who spend their evenings sleeping in thermastat-controlled rooms, under dry, warm IKEA sheets, but it can frustrate a lot of those who find themselves residing underneath the same underpasses where middle-America lets their dogs shit.More power to Michael Brown and I hope I can be in a position to help this cat one day.
(Funny thing about the guy's name- Mike Brown- for all we know, since he's ostensibly out of a job, it could be former FEMA director Brown. Unfortunately, this Mike Brown is probably a good guy who's looking to work hard and take responsibility for himself- a sort of deviation from the inept, one-time FEMA director who, while thousands of hurricane victims were in the process of becoming homeless, jobless, penniless, and/or dead, was preoccupied with how his less-than fashionable ass appeared on FoxNEWS.)
(Funny thing about the guy's name- Mike Brown- for all we know, since he's ostensibly out of a job, it could be former FEMA director Brown. Unfortunately, this Mike Brown is probably a good guy who's looking to work hard and take responsibility for himself- a sort of deviation from the inept, one-time FEMA director who, while thousands of hurricane victims were in the process of becoming homeless, jobless, penniless, and/or dead, was preoccupied with how his less-than fashionable ass appeared on FoxNEWS.)
Stripping down Strip Clubs
by: Colin Farrell (no...not that one)
Okay, so strip clubs. i'm really torn on the subject. i mean, i've never in my life claimed to hate boobs. they're fantastic, nothing else needs to be said. but i'm really of two minds when it comes to actually visiting these fine establishments. they're fun, they're funny, you get to drink beer and look at naked broads. fine. as i've explained many times, it's more humorous than it is exciting. that having been said, the beer is almost always overpriced (unless you're talking about al's diamond cabaret, byob) the broads are rarely consistently hot, and are generally overbearing - working you over for a lapdance ten times in an hour.
Speaking of which... i've never once in my life had a lapdance. don't want one. since the first time i experienced blueballs, i've been trying to avoid ever suffering from the condition again. so, why pay some woman $60 to provide something i steer clear of? that's like running 10 miles to go shopping with your girlfriend: a terrible waste of resources, to experience something unbearable. however, sometimes it's a very good time. buy your buddy a lapdance from an ugly stripper. make fun of the creepy old bastards openly ogling the dancers, in an effort to make yourself feel better about actually being there. throw dollar bills when given the target, etc. all good stuff. and sometimes, the strippers surprisingly make good conversation with you (after they realize you are not going to buy a dance, and are not trying to bang them). rare, but entertaining when it happens. here's the worst part. and it's terrible. let's say you're sitting at the bar, and they have dancers performing on the bar top as well as the stage. well, they go around and do a little dance right in front of you. you have to be polite and look and smile, and occasionally give out a dollar (in addition to that $8 bud you're drinking). generally, the girl dancing looks at you when she gets in front of you, a mutual smile is exchanged rather than any words, and she stares off into the distance while dropping her ass to her heels right in front of you - the whole time considering what she needs to pick up at the grocery store after work. SOMETIMES, she's dancing, you look at the situation in front of you and casually look up, to find that the dancer is accidentally looking back down at you and you make eye contact. THE WORST! (i've killed bitches for looking me in the eye)
In that brief second where you're sharing a confused grin, you both realize how terrible it is that you're in your respective positions. it puts a damper on the evening and you have to drink a lot more to not feel bad about yourself. of course, feeling bad about yourself is a big part of the reason you go to strip clubs in the first place. or maybe that's just the catholic in me talking. either way, you can understand why i don't go that often. well, that and the time i got VD from sitting on a bar stool. differenty story though.
Okay, so strip clubs. i'm really torn on the subject. i mean, i've never in my life claimed to hate boobs. they're fantastic, nothing else needs to be said. but i'm really of two minds when it comes to actually visiting these fine establishments. they're fun, they're funny, you get to drink beer and look at naked broads. fine. as i've explained many times, it's more humorous than it is exciting. that having been said, the beer is almost always overpriced (unless you're talking about al's diamond cabaret, byob) the broads are rarely consistently hot, and are generally overbearing - working you over for a lapdance ten times in an hour.
Speaking of which... i've never once in my life had a lapdance. don't want one. since the first time i experienced blueballs, i've been trying to avoid ever suffering from the condition again. so, why pay some woman $60 to provide something i steer clear of? that's like running 10 miles to go shopping with your girlfriend: a terrible waste of resources, to experience something unbearable. however, sometimes it's a very good time. buy your buddy a lapdance from an ugly stripper. make fun of the creepy old bastards openly ogling the dancers, in an effort to make yourself feel better about actually being there. throw dollar bills when given the target, etc. all good stuff. and sometimes, the strippers surprisingly make good conversation with you (after they realize you are not going to buy a dance, and are not trying to bang them). rare, but entertaining when it happens. here's the worst part. and it's terrible. let's say you're sitting at the bar, and they have dancers performing on the bar top as well as the stage. well, they go around and do a little dance right in front of you. you have to be polite and look and smile, and occasionally give out a dollar (in addition to that $8 bud you're drinking). generally, the girl dancing looks at you when she gets in front of you, a mutual smile is exchanged rather than any words, and she stares off into the distance while dropping her ass to her heels right in front of you - the whole time considering what she needs to pick up at the grocery store after work. SOMETIMES, she's dancing, you look at the situation in front of you and casually look up, to find that the dancer is accidentally looking back down at you and you make eye contact. THE WORST! (i've killed bitches for looking me in the eye)
In that brief second where you're sharing a confused grin, you both realize how terrible it is that you're in your respective positions. it puts a damper on the evening and you have to drink a lot more to not feel bad about yourself. of course, feeling bad about yourself is a big part of the reason you go to strip clubs in the first place. or maybe that's just the catholic in me talking. either way, you can understand why i don't go that often. well, that and the time i got VD from sitting on a bar stool. differenty story though.
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