Crosby's Wikipedia entry hacked by bears

TBogg supplies this screen shot of Crosby's Wikipedia entry from Sunday afternoon.
It describes his winning goal and then someone added:

Then a pack of wild bears stormed onto the ice and ripped him apart.

but the editors have taken it out -- party poopers!

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Some memories of Vancouver 2010

Triumph.


Despair.


Cheering.


Protest.


Argyle.


Disaster.


Uppity.


Smart.


And I want one of those flying moose.

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OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IS GETTING TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL:

OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IS GETTING TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL:

How much longer are we as parents, grandparents and legal guardians of children going to let this garbage continue? Our school taxes are being used to morally and mentally corrupt our children and grand children, and it is getting worse by the day.

I don't give a hoot if you Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, etc., because in the end it is a question of how much do you love your children, what amount of sacrifice are you willing to make for your children. To say that you can't afford to send your children to private school, or that you have to work so you are unable to home-school your children, just doesn't cut it anymore. If the parents from each school district got together, you can certainly come up with many good alternatives to fight the evil and filth that has invaded our education system.

I am not just talking about our grade schools either. Our institutions of higher learning are real bastions of perversion and dens of iniquity. All of you parents who have children in college and are helping to pay the cost, or paying the entire cost, are paying to have your children brainwashed and indoctrinated by hardcore liberal leftists and out-and-out communists, many of whom are convicted felons, guilty of everything from assault, murder and terrorism.

Here is some of the total crap going on in our public schools:

A.) Ventura High School in Southern California; teachers had students fill out a survey on sex with questions such as "Are you sexually active" and "If not, why not?"

The survey was reported in the student Cougar Press in December. In addition to the sex survey results, the school newspaper included a page of photographs of students revealing what songs put them "in the mood," a sex crossword puzzle and other advocacy for being sexually active.

This disgusting crap only came to light because a student took a copy of the survey home, in violation of instructions she was given, and some parents found out.

Some of the questions included the following:

*What grade were you in when you lost your virginity?
*What is your overall number of partners you have engaged in sexual activity with?
*Were you sober the first time you engaged in sexual activity?"
*Have you or your partner ever had an abortion?"
*How often do you engage in sexual activity?"
*Are your parents aware of your sexual activity?

The Pacific Justice Institute stated that the survey was given to 1,000 students in every grade in high school, and it was administered with the knowledge and assistance of the high school during second class period and had no relationship to any subject the students were enrolled in at that time.

Kevin Snider, chief counsel of the Pacific Justice Institute, stated, "Because the sex survey was given without prior written notice and subsequent written consent by the parents or guardians, the school violated the law,"

B.) Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District, New York; A mother and father in New York were subjected by their school district's attorney to a faith "sincerity test," which ultimately ruled their beliefs were too questionable to qualify for a religious exemption to mandatory student immunization.

The parents filed the exemption with their son's school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God's leading for their family.

Rather than accept the standard exemption form, however, the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District demanded the couple meet with school attorney David Cohen. The Palmas have twice been compelled to sit down with Cohen to be interrogated about their faith and their convictions about vaccines. Their attempts to file religious exemptions were also ultimately denied.

C.) Lindenhurst Union Free School District, New York; School district faces a lawsuit for encouraging students to explore homosexuality while trying to prevent them from studying the Bible. The suit alleges the district allows and encourages homosexuality by providing special services to organizations including the Gay-Straight Alliance, Key Club, Chess Club, Fishing Club and Ski Club. It contends the district illegally has discriminated against students seeking a Bible Club, instead forcing them to apply for permission to use school facilities as an outside group.

D.) University of California; Officials at the highest levels of the University of California System are stomping on constitutional religious rights by banning Christian perspectives from educational materials high school students may use to prepare for college entrance, according to a case scheduled for trial later this year.

State lawmakers are considering legislation that also would ban many Christian perspectives from public schools as well. The plans would forbid anything that "reflects adversely" on the homosexual lifestyle, so any statement regarding the Bible's condemnation of that lifestyle choice as sinful would be an offense. Even "mom" and "dad" could be banned under the proposal.

E.) A School district in Pennsylvania, using the distribution of free lap top computers to all students in middle and high school, to violate the privacy rights of the students by spying on them in their own homes.

Each of the laptop computers came with a built in web-cam, and unknown to the students or their parents, the school district had set up a program whereby they could remotely turn on any students web-cam to see what they were doing at home and even take web-shots of what was on the student's computer screen.

The school district claimed that the program was set up solely so that they could "locate stolen laptops". No explanation was given for why they were spying on students randomly.

Then to make matters worse, we have Obama appointing Keven Jennings, an admitted homosexual pedophile to be the "Safe Schools Czar", and now Jennings is pushing to have his disgusting homosexual agenda implemented into our public schools by brainwashing our children, at younger and younger grade levels, into accepting homosexual behavior as normal.

Our public schools have become overrun by the homosexual agenda... Homosexual teachers and activists are conducting programs in public schools that include explicit and detailed instructions and discussions on various homosexual practices, including sodomy. Children in grades as early as kindergarten are being taught that cross-dressing is an acceptable practice that should be encouraged.

And as if that isn't enough, Planned Parenthood International is pushing to make it MANDATORY, world wide, for all fifth grade students to be taught about the "joys and pleasures" of sex.

Can any sane parent, with at least two working brain cells, tell me what any of this garbage has to do with the educating of our children, and why the hell are we allowing this crap to continue?

It is getting worse by the day, and we do nothing to stop it. We have the power in our hands. If parents would just join en-mass and stage a boycott, refusing to send their children to school and refusing to pay the school taxes, we can shut the system down, get rid of the NEA and start all over on the local level implementing local school boards with people who will listen to the parents and give the parents final say in the schools curriculum.

By sitting back and doing nothing, we are allowing the government to take over our families and alienate children from their parents and grandparents. The government today, much like all of the Western European socialist countries such as Sweden, Germany, France, and England, is NOT interested in educating our children as much as they are interested in creating "cookie cutter kids," making them all act and think alike.

The government's quest for conformity is producing some troubling side effects: the criminalization of actions – such as a parent's decision regarding the best form of education for his/her child, or what religious beliefs will be taught to the child – that ought to be the hallmarks of a free, democratic society. What our government and education system is completely at odds with the basic human rights which all Western democracies should reflect. Stand up and take back your rights as a parent.

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The golden moment

It will be the question that defines a generation:

where were you when Crosby scored?

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The Goal

What a finish to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics! Could anyone, including organizers and sponsors, ask for anything more than an overtime game in the gold medal game?

One of the toughest things to hear is "there has to be a winner and a loser", and I want to strike that comment from the record. The USA didn't lose the gold medal. They deserved the medal as much as Canada did through their play. It just plain sucks that an entertaining game like that has to end.

I'll say it here first: this is the best gold medal game ever seen since the NHL players began going to the Winter Olympics in 1998. This might be the biggest goal of this generation, moving alongside Paul Henderson's historic Summit Series goal and Mario Lemieux's 1987 Canada Cup goal in terms of overall history.

I'm not going to break down the game or comment on who did what and who was the best player or anything. I'll let other sites and blogs do that. The Canadians won, the Americans came so close, and we were treated to two weeks of amazing hockey. What I do want to do is highlight all of the achievements of the Canadian athletes here.

This site focuses mainly on hockey because that's what I truly have a burning passion for when it comes to sports. However, after watching the amazing performances by Canadian athletes, and a number of other country's athletes, over these past two weeks, you get a sense that sports brings the world together. Sure, there are rivalries between countries, but everyone celebrates in the realm of sports.

I want to use this space to highlight the achievements of the Canadian athletes over the last 17 days. There have been a number of amazing performances and achievements seen in these Olympic Games by Canadians, so I want to take some time to thank those who made these 2010 Winter Olympics memorable.

Without further adieu, let's take a look at the fourteen Canadian gold medalists.

Alexandre Bilodeau wins the first gold medal for Canada on Canadian soil in history. The 22 year-old dedicated his win to his older brother, Frederic, who suffers from cerebral palsy. This gold medal would be the first of many for Canada. Congratulations to the Bilodeaus, and to Alex for being the first Canadian to win gold in Canada!

The second gold medal came in women's snowboard cross. 31 year-old Maëlle Ricker of North Vancouver, BC raced to a first-place finish. She had previously competed in the 1998 Nagano Games and the 2006 Turin Games, but this was her best finish to date in the Olympics. Congratulations to Miss Maëlle Ricker!

The women continued the gold rush for Canada as 24 year-old Christine Nesbitt put the speedskating world behind her. In the women's 1000-meters race, Nesbitt raced out to a gold medal finish with a time of 1:16.56. The former hockey player turned to speedskating when she was 12 when she hung around the rink after practice in London, Ontario. The sport of speedskating appealed to the young Nesbitt, and she hasn't looked back. Congratulations, Christine, on your gold medal!

Canada continued down the golden path when the man with the turtle helmet broke through. Jon Montgomery, a 30 year-old auctioneer from Russell, Manitoba, sped down the Whistler track head first and into the hearts of Canadians. Montgomery earned himself even more Canadian love when he grabbed a pitcher of beer on the way to an interview with TSN's Jennifer Hedger, and drank a good portion of it on live TV. Congratulations, Jon, and enjoy the ride!

Three days later, an amazing performance brought Canada another gold medal. Tessa Virtue, 20, and Scott Moir, 22, put on a dazzling display of footwork, axels, and dance moves in winning the ice dancing event. It couldn't have happened to two nicer people who, according to both athletes, are best friends. The performance was fluid and precise, and they were rewarded for their hard work and obvious chemistry. In keeping this related to hockey, Scott Moir used to play hockey against American silver medalist Charlie White when they were kids! Congratulations to Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir on their 2010 Olympic gold medal!

The next gold medal was secured the following day. 26 year-old Ashleigh McIvor took to the air and used her speed in women's ski cross to earn her gold medal. The native Vancouverite started skiing in the ski cross in 2003, and is currently ranked second in the World Cup standings. Congratulations on your gold medal, Ashleigh!

February 24 saw Canada claim one of its best days at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Heather Moyse, 31, and Kaillie Humphries, 24, in their Canada 2 sled raced to a 3:32.28 time, edging out the Canada 1 sled driven by Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown for gold. Moyse, from Summerside, PEI, and Humphries, from Calgary, Alberta, claimed their first Olympic gold medal as a team! Congratulations to Heather Moyse and Kaillie Humphries on their gold medal, and to Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown on their silver medals! Canada has the top-two bobsleigh teams at the 2010 Olympiad!

The next day featured the first hockey gold medal. Team Canada, behind a Shannon Szabados shutout and two goals by Marie-Philip Poulin, defeated their rivals in Team USA by a 2-0 score. The win gave Canada its third-straight gold medal in women's hockey, and fourth medal since 1998. Congratulations to the Canadian women's hockey team on your gold medal victory!

February 26 saw the Canadian men's speedskaters take their spots on the podiums. Charles Hamelin, 25, raced to a 40.981-second victory in the men's 500-metre short track event over the other competitors, and claimed his first gold medal of the day! Congratulations on that gold medal, Charles, but we aren't done just yet with you!

Hamelin joined his teammates - brother François Hamelin, Olivier Jean, François-Louis Tremblay and Guillaume Bastille - in earning another gold medal. The Canadian men's speedskating team raced through the men's 5000-metre relay to a time of 6:44.224, just ahead of South Korea. Seen here on the left with the women's speedskating team, the Canadians made up for a few earlier losses in the Olympics with this gutsy performance. It won't be the last time we mention the Canadian speedskaters today, though. Congratulations, gentlemen, on your gold medal!

Speedskating brought another gold medal to Canadian soil on February 27. The men's team pursuit speedskating event saw Canadians Mathieu Giroux, Lucas Makowsky, and Denny Morrison earned a gold medal with a 3:41.37 sprint against the United States. The three men pushed themselves to the limit in winning the event, and they truly deserved the medal! Congratulations, gentlemen, on your gold medal win!

Canada added their 12th gold medal later in the day on February 27. Jasey-Jay Anderson, 34, raced Austrian Benjamin Karl in the final of the men's parallel giant slalom in snowboarding, and finished 0.35 seconds ahead of Karl to earn the gold medal. The Montreal-born athlete showed some serious speed and control in the foggy conditions, earning a gold medal. Congratulations to Jasey-Jay on his gold medal!

And February 27 remained golden for Canada when men's curling wrapped up. Called the "Michael Jordan of curling" by US curler John Shuster, Kevin Martin led Team Canada into the gold medal game without losing a game during the preliminary round. In the final against Norway, Martin built an impressive lead by aggressively curling, and downed the Norwegian men by running them out of rocks in the tenth end. With the 6-3 victory, Canada successfully defended its gold medal in curling! Congratulations to Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert and Adam Enright on their gold medal performance!

And finally, we get to the last day of February, and the biggest day for Canadian sports at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Canada's men's hockey team squared off against Team USA, the winner taking home a gold medal. Jonathan Toews and Corry Perry staked the Canadians to a 2-0 lead midway through the second period before Ryan Kesler got Team USA on the board. Late in the third period with goaltender Ryan Miller on the bench, Zach Parise tucked home a goal past Roberto Luongo with 24 seconds remaining, and overtime loomed. However, Jarome Iginla found Sidney Crosby alone at the bottom of the faceoff circle on the right side of the American net, and Crosby's shot found a hole past Miller for the goal. With the 3-2 overtime win, Team Canada claimed their second gold medal in the last three Olympics, and brought home Canada's 14th gold medal of these games!

I also want to congratulate the other twelve athletes and teams who brought home medals as well.

Silver medalists include Jennifer Heil (women's moguls); Mike Robertson (men's snowboard cross); Marianne St-Gelais (women's 500m short track speedskating); Kristina Groves (women's 1500m speedskating); Jessica Gregg, Kalyna Roberge, Marianne St-Gelais and Tania Vicent (women's 3000m relay speedskating); Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown (women's two-man bobsleigh); and Cheryl Bernard, Susan O'Connor, Carolyn Darbyshire, Cori Bartel, and Kristie Moore (women's curling).

Bronze medalists include Kristina Groves (women's 3000m speedskating); Clara Hughes (women's 5000m speedskating), Joannie Rochette (women's figure skating); François-Louis Tremblay (men's 500m short track speedskating); and Lyndon Rush, Lascelles Brown, Chris Le Bihan and David Bissett (men's four-man bobsleigh).

26 medalists came from Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, including the 14 gold medalists. Canada made history by breaking the old record of gold medals won by a host country when they surpassed the ten gold medals set by Norway in 1994 and the United States in 2002. Canada also led the Winter Olympics with the most gold medals, becoming the first host nation to do so since Norway in 1952. And with the men's hockey gold medal today, Canada sets the record for most gold medals by one nation in a Winter Olympics with 14, breaking the marks set by the former Soviet Union in 1976 and Norway in 2002 with 13.

We saw some amazing individual performances as well. Clara Hughes became the first person in history to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics as an individual after she captured a bronze medal in the 5000-metre speedskating event. She won two bronze medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta as a cyclist while winning a gold medal in 2006 in the 5000-metre speedskating race and a bronze medal in 2010. With her medal at this Olympiad, Clara Hughes ties teammate and friend Cindy Klassen as the most decorated Olympic athlete in Canadian history with six medals to her name. Congratulations on an amazing Olympic career, Clara, and enjoy your retirement from competitive cycling and skating!

We witnessed tragedy strike these games in a couple of ways. Before the Opening Ceremonies had occurred, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili had a horrific spill on the Whistler Sliding Center on his final training run. Kumaritashvili didn't survive the crash, and his teammates wore black armbands during the Opening Ceremonies in memory of their fallen teammate. All my best goes out to Kumaritashvili's family as they work to cope with the loss of a son, brother, friend, and athlete.

We also saw the mother of Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette suffer a fatal heart attack just days before her daughter was to skate. Rochette pledged to go on as a way to remember her mother, and you could see the tears welling up in her eyes before her first skate. The bronze medal she earned in Vancouver will undoubtedly be a tribute to Therese Rochette, and Hockey Blog In Canada passes on all its best to you and your family, Miss Rochette.

Without a doubt, outside of these two terrible tragedies, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were nearly perfect from a TV viewer's point of view. Granted, NBC had a few people up-in-arms over their consistent non-coverage of men's hockey when Team USA was doing so well, but they stated their reasons for this, and they were logical. CTV, TSN, and Sportsnet provided amazing coverage in Canada, and there wasn't really a lot to complain about in terms of personalities or coverage. Everyone was professional, and staff from all three networks seemingly cooperated and enjoyed the Olympic Games for the spectacle that they were.

It's truly a feeling of pride when I say that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics felt more like Canada's Olympics. From the support of fans across the nation to the various regions of the country that the athletes hail from, nearly every corner of this country was well-represented, and every Canadian should be proud of what the athletes, organizers, and volunteers accomplished over the last two weeks.

I know I am. And isn't that the goal of the Olympic Games?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Marijuana Does NOT Cause Psychosis

So, I've been pretty much inundated with nonsensical articles about marijuana causing psychosis. While many people have set the record straight on this issue in the past, it keeps coming back as some new article. Simply put, someone put together a half-assed study and somehow came to the conclusion that marijuana caused psychosis - schizophrenia, etc.

Well, let's set the record straight again...

No, marijuana does not cause psychosis. This is more prohibitionist, drug war lies to keep marijuana criminalized. They purposely confuse causation and correlation. In other words, does marijuana use cause psychosis or is it the case that people who are predisposed to psychosis seek drugs most likely as a way to cope with their psychosis?

Instead, the authors of articles, most likely inspired by prohibitionists, purposely leave out many facts. For instance, what other factors in their lives may have affected the subjects mentally?

For example, you may see a 65yo man with mental problems claim he's been using marijuana for 20 years. And, that's pretty much all the study took into consideration - marijuana use. Well, what if that 65yo man was a Vietnam War veteran? Wouldn't the hardships of war contribute to a psychosis? What about potential exposure to chemicals used by the military during the Vietnam War such as Agent Orange? How do you factor the possibility that 65yo man's other habits may have included alcohol and cocaine abuse?

These factors are NOT considered in these studies. That is why, many times, these studies are debunked and ignored (yet again).

Yet, prohibitionists pick them up and sensationalize them to make our friends and families seem like they are crazy animals instead of decent human beings. The prohibitionists are losing the war on marijuana and they know it. So, they trot out these old, tired arguments that have been debunked time and time again because for many people, this is new information. As I know, this is not new information nor is it a "new" study.

Even before these studies came about, during prohibition's early days, marijuana was painted as causing psychosis. Documentaries developed in the 30s portrayed marijuana users as everything from out of control young girls to crazed murderers. Law enforcement tried to blame many crimes of that time on marijuana use as is the case with Victor Licata. So, there is a long history dating back to the initial days of prohibition in which law enforcement tries to connect psychosis to marijuana.

The more you educate yourself and educate one another against the misinformation campaign by prohibitionists, we find more and more that marijuana is not the dangerous killer drug that it's made out to be.

Education is legalization.

Enforcement of marijuana prohibition costs American taxpayers approximately $12,000,000,000 (billion) per year (which goes directly into the pockets of prohibitionists). With politicians interested in cutting spending, wouldn't it be nice to cut $12,000,000,000 from the budget by legalizing marijuana? Imagine the tax revenues that can be received if marijuana were legalized in the form of new businesses and jobs that can increase tax revenues across the board.

Law enforcement could also do more to solve real crime instead of wasting their time and tax payer funds on petty marijuana arrests.

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TBC: Messier

When the debate about great leaders in sports comes about, Mark Messier's name is almost always given. His glare, as seen on the cover to the left, is legendary, and the stories of his leadership make him sound more like a Greek god than a mortal hockey player. However, for all that is known of his on-ice exploits, there is so much more to Mark Messier's legend. The intensively private man's life is covered in-depth by Jeff Z. Klein in Messier, published by Triumph Books. This biography opens up the world of hockey's greatest leader, and the only man to captain two different teams to a Stanley Cup Championship. I was blown away about all the stuff that hasn't been reported in terms of how generous with his time that Messier is when it comes to the various charities and groups with which he was involved over his career. Again, there's so much more to Messier in this book that is rarely ever covered by the media.

Jeff Z. Klein is a self-confessed, life-long Buffalo Sabres fan, but he has penned a number of excellent hockey works such as Mario Lemieux, The Death of Hockey, and The Coolest Guys on Ice. June 14, 1994 marked a major moment in his life when he was permitted to drink from the Stanley Cup after the New York Rangers had won the NHL Championship. Klein's work can be read on his New York Times blog, Slap Shot Blog, and in the New York Times newspaper.

Klein starts the story of Messier at the very beginning when Mark Douglas Messier was born in Edmonton, Alberta on January 18, 1961.

Klein explores the hockey family that the Messiers were: Mark's father, Doug Messier, was a journeyman defenceman. Doug Messier has been drafted by the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, but the senior Messier turned down an invitation to the team's training camp in order for him to pursue education and business pursuits. Mark grew up in Portland, Oregon after the Messier family settled there, with Doug having been bought by the Portland Buckeroos of the WHL. Doug would wear #11 for Portland, a number that would be associated with another Messier shortly.

The Messiers had a farm out near Beaverton, and they owned a log cabin up on Mount Hood. It was in the Oregon setting that Mark took up hockey, whether it be on ice, on a street, or simply shooting a ball or puck against a wall. Messier began his hockey career as a youngster in Portland, Oregon in the Portland Amateur Hockey Association. However, in 1968-69, Doug Messier retired from hockey, and the family moved back home to Edmonton.

Mark Messier's brother, Paul Messier, accepted a hockey scholarship to the University of Denver when Mark was fourteen. Like his father did, Paul was encouraged to continue his education first and foremost over hockey. Mark, however, was allowed to drop out of Grade 12 in order to pursue his hockey dream.

After playing extremely well in 1977-78 for the Tier II St. Albert Saints, it was apparent that his leadership skills had been developing. Doug Messier, coaching the Saints, would address the team before game, but he would be told that "#11 had already done it". Mark was becoming a valuable player to several teams at 16 years of age.

At the end of the '77-78 season, he joined the Portland Winter Hawks in the WHL Playoffs, but the team didn't fare so well. The taste of big-time hockey wasn't lost on Messier, though, and he tried out for the Canadian Olympic team in 1978 before getting his big break. With Wayne Gretzky on his way from Indianapolis to Edmonton, the WHA's Racers looked for someone to step into a scoring role, and invited 17 year-old, Tier II junior player Mark Messier in a tryout situation in a game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Mark's foray into the WHA at first was unproductive in terms of his stats, but he caught the attention of Edmonton head coach Glen Sather. With the Indianapolis Racers selling off most of their talent in 1978-79, the team struggled. It eventually folded, and the five games that Messier played in were all losses. However, shortly before Christmas, Mark Messier became a professional hockey player when he signed with the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA at the tender age of 17.

That seems like a lot of information, right? Klein goes over all of that information in the first chapter! This book is filled with a number of amazing tidbits of history, including how Mark Messier became an Edmonton Oiler through the WHA dispersal draft, his ventures into international hockey, how he and Gretzky became life-long best friends through their different personalities and styles of play, Mark's moves through professional hockey, and he went from being a slightly uncoordinated Tier II junior player to one of the most respected men in the game of hockey ever.

One of the more interesting chapters is where Klein describes Mark's efforts during the September 11, 2001 tragedy in New York City, and all that Messier did for various groups. It's in this chapter that we see how loved Mark is by the city of New York, and how much he loves New York City. This was, by far, my favorite chapter of the book, and it's certainly worth the wait.

While I found that Klein was almost apologetic in spots for Messier's behaviours, Klein really does an excellent job at peeling away the layers of Mark Messier as a person, finding the personal level that one can relate with in terms of Mark's career and life. While Messier may not win any literary awards, it is one of the better biographies I have read about an athlete who fiercely guards his privacy, and Klein does a superb job at making the larger-than-life athlete seem like a real person with faults and flaws. Because of this, Messier deserves Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval. For 336 pages of Mark Messier, there are some amazing facts about the man in this work.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Never Tax MEDICAL Marijuana

How do you go about telling a terminally ill person that they'll have to pay more for their medicine? Do you just pass the tax without so much as speaking with them? Do you ignore their hardships and pain? Have they ever even bothered to visit someone in true pain?

With that said, what kind of no-soul-having-black-hearted-son-of-a-bitch would seek to tax the medicine of someone suffering from AIDS, cancer, or a multitude of other terminal diseases?

In passing medical marijuana legislation, politicians admit the medical utility of marijuana while rejecting recreational use. They may not understand how marijuana helps but they only need to know that it does help. This is why they gave marijuana the respect of "medicine" as it deserves. If you respect medicine, especially the kind that truly helps the worst of the worst, then you shouldn't seek to worsen a terminally ill patient's overall condition by increasing the cost of their medicine even further.

In taxing marijuana, politicians show it disrespect as a medicine. If they don't respect marijuana as medicine then why pass the medical marijuana legislation?

What's happening here is that politicians are playing a game. Unfortunately, this little game they're playing is on the backs of dying people. I'd rather see marijuana re-criminalized than to see greedy politicians seeking to tax terminally ill patients' medicine.

It's just not right.

If politicians want to tax marijuana, then legalize it completely. You can't have it both ways. Unfortunately, that's coming from a person with a heart. It might not be a heart of gold but it isn't blackened and hardened to the world around me.

Unfortunately, this is coming from some very cowardly politicians who want to try to juggle the lives of the constituency between rabid law enforcement, a not-much-better criminal element, and budget deficits. This is totally NOT the right or honest way to go about it.

You do NOT close your budget gaps on the backs of the sick.
That is just filthy.

At least if you legalize marijuana you could affect a lot of positive change in the US. For starters, we could free up law enforcement funding to fight true crime - rape, murder, battery, robbery, and so on. Instead, police officers are busying themselves with petty marijuana arrests simply because it's easier and safer to do. At the same time, it makes them look like they're doing their jobs which they rarely do.

You can allow an entire industry (that already exists) to be legitimate. Businesses can open up, employees can be hired. You can also protect the citizens by regulating for quality control. And, you can collect taxes on it all - newly developed businesses, purchases, imports/exports, and so on.

I am not saying that legalization will save the economy. But, it can not hurt us more than the mess we're in now. And, you won't have to do it on the backs of sick and dying people.

Either, respect the medicine or legalize the "drug"!!

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And the medal in pearl clutching goes to...

What is with American reporters? Ever since the "wardrobe malfunction" they act like a bunch of blue-nosed church ladies, while the rest of the world just laughs at them.
First they flip out about the "scandal" of Scotty Lago and his medals party:

...photos surfaced in the media that showed the 22-year-old athlete hanging his bronze medal over his groin area . . .
Another photo reportedly shows a woman kissing the medal on a public street.

On a public street!!! OMG ! Here's what all the fuss was about:

Oh, the horror! How dare a 22-year-old athlete get it on with a girl!
The US media had spoken, so of course this medal-winning athlete had to creep home in disgrace.
But then the US reporters seemed to think that everybody else should be just as scandalized as they were by athlete behaviour.
They couldn't stop talking about Jon Montgomery carrying a mug of beer around Whistler

He even drank from it, on camera!
And then the IOC was supposedly scandalized by the Canadian women drinking beer and smoking cigars after their gold medal win:

But they weren't, actually. The only people screaming OMG! was the American media. As for the rest of us, Christie Blatchford said it best:

Nothing celebrates that spirit better, or more spits in the face of Big Brother, than a cigar enjoyed on the ice.

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Great line of the day

From John Cole summarizes recent American republicanism:

an accumulation and defense of wealth dishonorably gained and then wasted.

I hope that will never describe Canadian conservatism.

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Four-medal Friday

Two golds and bronze in short track, and silver in curling.
Plus the hockey team pulled together and pulled it off!
And you know, I had been wondering about whether the Canadian men were going to survive in short track, where the dominant skaters seem to have to be just a little bit dirty to win, enough to win without getting caught. It seemed like our Canadians were just too nice.
But the relay team played it very smart -- they secretly devised a new strategy yesterday, which they called Operation Cobra, to change their skating pattern at the end of the race:

Teammate Guillaume Bastille said the hand movement the team made, holding their right hands in the shape of a snake, was a signal that their plan, called Operation Cobra, worked.
Charles Hamelin said the team’s strategy gave them confidence going into the relay. “Our strategy was called ‘Operation Cobra’ which was where François-Louis (Tremblay) had one minute and ten seconds rest before he did the last two laps,” said Hamelin after the race. “And the last two laps were very good.”

They didn't lose as much time in handovers either, as the other teams were bound to do -- plus f**king with their minds, in a nice way.
And it worked -- they won!

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Deja Vu 2002

The majority of North American soil is shared by two countries. These two countries share the longest undefended border on the planet, and there are few differences between the people who make up these two countries. Of course, I'm talking about Canada and USA with this introduction, and these two teams will play for the 2010 Olympic gold medal in men's hockey. Both teams have performed much better than what we witnessed in the opening preliminary games, so the gold medal game should be an exiting finish to the men's hockey tournament in Vancouver.

I've been asked by several people who my pick is to win the games, and it's extremely tough to pick a winner when it comes to Team USA and Team Canada. Both teams have gone from individual NHL stars into a solid Olympic team in terms of the evolution throughout these Olympic games. The holes seen in each team have become smaller as the Olympics have progressed, making each team that much harder to play against.

Let's start with the team that I consider to be the underdogs going into the Gold Medal Final: Team Canada.

Team Canada has gone 4-1-1 in the 2010 Olympics, having lost to Team USA and defeating Switzerland in a shootout. They finished seeded sixth overall, and had to play an extra qualification game in order to reach the Quarter-Finals. They scored 32 goals-for in reaching the Gold Medal Final while allowing 14 goals-against.

Team Canada is led by Jarome Iginla with five goals and seven points. Jonathan Toews leads Canada in assists with seven, and also has seven assists. Dany Heatley also has seven points. Luongo is 3-0-0, and has won all three games in regulation time. His 1.75 GAA leads Team Canada, and he has a 91.95 save percentage with one shutout.

Statistically, Canada isn't at the top of any category. However, they discovered in the qualification game against Germany that roles needed to be filled. Players suchs as Jonathan Toews, Mike Richards, and Brendan Morrow stepped up and delivered magical performances against the Russians in the Quarter-Finals. The Slovaks provided some edge-of-the-seat moments in the Semi-Final, but Canada weathered the third period storm and advanced to the Gold Medal Final.

The favorites going into the Gold Medal Final have to be Team USA.

Team USA is 5-0-0 in the 2010 Winter Olympics. They finished first overall in the standings with 22 goals-for versus six goals-against. The Americans are, by far, the best defensive team in the tournament, and haven't allowed more than one goal in any game except against Canada in the preliminaries where they won by a 5-3 score.

Brian Rafalski leads Team USA with four goals and eight points, while Zach Parise, Ryan Malone, and Patrick Kane have added three goals each for the American squad. Ryan Miller is solidifying his mark as the best goalie on the planet right now as he enters the Gold Medal game with a ridiculous 1.04 GAA, a 96.16 save percentage, and one shutout.

The Americans can boast the best goaltender in the tournament in Ryan Miller, and the best defensive team because of Miller's efforts along with a total team defensive effort preached by head coach Ron Wilson. Ryan Whitney is the only player not to be on the plus-side of the ledger in the plus/minus category, and he sits with an even plus/minus. Team USA dispatched the Swiss by a 2-0 score in the Quarter-Final after earning a bye past the Qualification Round. They followed that effort up by blowing out the 2006 silver medalists in Finland in the Semi-Final by a 6-1 score.

Putting the numbers and figures aside, this game looks like it may end up being a war. Both teams have really stepped up their physical games, bringing an element that the European teams seemingly couldn't match. Canada absolutely abused the Russians down low in the Russian zone, and the Americans ran roughshod all over the Finns in their Semi-Final Game.

If anything, though, I'll have to give the physical edge to Team USA as they are a team of gritty, tough scoring threats that don't let up for any inch of ice. That wears teams down and causes players to make mistakes, and the Americans are extremely effective in playing this style of game.

In looking at both teams, Team Canada's worst game statistically was against the US. However, Team USA's worst game came against the Canadians. See how close this matchup truly is?

The one factor that no one can truly factor in is history. In 2002, the Americans had it in Salt Lake City as they were the only team to win a men's hockey gold medal on home soil, and they rode it all the way to the Gold Medal Game. However, they ran into a vastly-improved Canadian team in terms of Canada's evolution from the start of the tournament, and Canada came away with the gold medal after a very exciting game.

Combatting the history factor in Vancouver, though, will be the home ice advantage. You know that the Canadian fans at Canada Hockey Place will almost will their team to victory. Two nations will be behind their respective teams as a gold medal and four years of bragging rights will be at stake.

Sunday is a monsterous day for hockey. You know I'll be watching.

And, with the risk of being called a "homer", GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Sarah Goes Joe Wilson on the Obamacare Summit!

Today we posted a note highlighting the lies of the softy southpaws at the Obamacare summit yesterday. Madame was nice enough to use our nearly 1.5 million Facebook rogues to share the GOP's fact check on the Obamacare Summit. Madame shared the GOP's Joe Wilson points from the event on reconciliation, supposed lower premiums, the public's opinion on incrementalism, and abortion funding.

Madame's no stranger to fact checks. The AP (Associated Press or Anti-Palin, take your pick) used 11 staff members to fact check her book, but only used 3 to fact check the climategate e-mails. It's about time that Madame gets to share some fact checking.

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2.2 seconds, 2 rocks

It all comes down to a few seconds, a few inches.
A story in this morning's Star Phoenix, which I cannot find on line, put Canada's "losses" in this Olympics into perspective -- we would have had five more medals in five different events if we had an extra 2.2 seconds, total, to add into the Canadian scores.
And in curling, it all came down to just two rocks. Ours at the 10th end didn't quite make it, and theirs in the 11th end did.
So it goes.
And like Hayley says, get real.

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SUFFERING THROUGH A NOR' EASTER IN WINTER

SUFFERING THROUGH A NOR' EASTER IN WINTER

Not much to write about tonight, as I am completely snowed in. At the moment, my car is buried under 6 feet of snow, and I am waiting for my son to come and dig me out.

I let "Munchkin" out this morning to 'take care of business', and I am still looking for her. I set her down and she sank immediately.






Oh, I just found her. lol










Well, since I really can't blog about something of high importance, I shall leave you with the following:

THE POPE & PELOSI:

The Pope and Nancy Pelosi are on the same stage in front of a huge crowd.

The Pope leans towards Mrs. Pelosi and said, "Do you know that with one little wave of my hand I can make every person in this crowd go wild with joy? This joy will not be a momentary display, like that of your followers, but will go deep into their hearts and they'll forever speak of this day and rejoice!"

Pelosi replied, "I seriously doubt that. With one little wave of your hand? Show me!"

So the Pope backhanded the Biatch!


NOW, CHECK THIS ONE OUT, IT IS A HOOT:

To view video, please click off sound on the "AVE MARIA" music widget on the right side of the page.

Lil Liberals in Our Future




For those who would love to see an amazing twelve year-old artist, please check out my other blog: RANTINGS OF AN ANGRY ORTHODOX CATHOLIC PRIEST
You will be amazed.

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NGC Proof Like "PL" 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins

My recent post on 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin Prices highlighted the fact that huge premiums were being paid for proof like coins which had received NGC's "PL" designation. Many readers wanted to find more information about how to identify proof like coins and how they are differentiated from non-PL coins.

Bob and Rich Leece or Robert B. Leece Numismatist Inc. (http://rareusgold.com), who have probably handled more UHR Double Eagles than anyone, were willing to provide their expertise for an article published on Coin Update.

The following excerpt from the article is their description of the characteristics of Proof Like Ultra High Relief Double Eagles and how they can be distinguished from non Proof Like coins.

A PL coin has a definite Proof Like and Shinny Mirror Surface on ALL of the Obverse and Reverse of the coin. The only difference from the UHR PL coins and other Modern Proof coins is that the UHR PL coins do NOT exhibit the Cameo Contrast that is evident on standard Modern Proof Coins. In our opinion they fit the standards of Proof in all other aspects. Once you have seen a PL and a NON PL UHR side by side it the difference becomes more obvious. A NON Proof Like coin has a satin matte like surface not unlike a standard MS or burnished modern coin.

The problem lies in that there is a wide range of "in between" surfaces. They range from almost PL to very slight faint hints of PL. There are also coins that are PL on the Obverse but not on the reverse. The range can be drastic. From our experience a UHR is much more likely to have a PL Obverse and non-PL reverse. It seems to me that the definitive distinction of a PL coin is a coin that has FULL PL surfaces on Obverse and Reverse including and MOST importantly in between the rays on the reverse of the coin. That is the most likely part of the coin to lack the true PL surface.

The full article contains additional information and images of Proof Like UHR Double Eagles, including an estimate of the proportion of coins qualifying as proof like and how they could have been created.

Read the full article:
Proof Like 2009 Ultra High Relief Double eagles Fetch Big Premiums

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Sarah Says watch MSNBC?

After Madame spent hours and hours watching the Obamacare, she had to unwind by watching her favorite hockey girls. She and BOTUS tweeted this:

Drag away from Obamacare mtg today2cheer Red,White&Blue:USA Women's Hockey w/AK's own#23 Weiland play Canada for Gold.Huge contest.Go U-S-A!

The only thing is that the hockey game was broadcast on MSNBC. Madame tweeting that probably greatly increased their viewership! The girls fought hard, but they unfortunately lost to the Canadians.

Madame spoke about the health care summit on Hannity's show tonight, speaking about the fact that the Great Opologizer didn't talk about the price controls and reconciliation that were likely to happen with regards to this plan. She also discussed the conservative plans that Republicans have. My assessment? I posted a JPEG below depicting the most productive thing that the President did at the health care summit--he went digging for gold.

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Three Straight

If there was any team that Canadians should embrace as true champions, the Canadian women's national team is it. Three gold medals in the last three Winter Olympiads, and a whole host of other awards that should make Canadians proud.

You know is proud of the Canadian women? Me. I am.

It needs to be said, though, that the American women played a very good game as well. In fact, the Americans played well enough to win over the last 40 minutes of the gold medal game. Jessie Vetter was strong in net, they had good scoring chances, and their defence bent, but didn't break. If anyone earned a medal outside of Canada, the Americans deserve their medal as much as the Canadians deserve gold. The American women have nothing whatsoever to be ashamed of. Sure, they can be disappointed, but they played extremely well throughout the tournament.

And the Finns? They showed why they are making strides as a nation in women's hockey. It took an extra period of play, but the Finnish women knocked off their Swedish rivals by a 3-2 score in overtime this afternoon. Noora Raty proved that she is a world-class goaltender, and the Finnish women showed enough moxie to earn their second bronze medal since 1998. In 2002 and 2006, they ended in fourth-place, so this medal has to be sweet. It's probably even sweeter for Karoliina Rantamaki, who scored the overtime game-winner, as she and defenceman Emma Laksonen are the only members of the Finnish team to win two medals. Congratulations to Finland on their bronze medal performance!

And how about those Canadian gals? Jennifer Botterill, Jayna Hefford, Becky Kellar, and Hayley Wickenheiser have all won three Olympic gold medals to go along with their 1998 silver medal. Kim St-Pierre, Colleen Sostorics, Cherie Piper, and Caroline Ouellette have all won the last three Olympic gold medals.

And what about the youngsters? Meghan Agosta led all Canadian scorers with nine goals and 15 points in the five games Canada played, and captured her second Olympic gold medal. Marie-Philip Poulin scored both goals in the 2-0 gold medal victory, and had five goals and seven points in the tournament. Shannon Szabados recorded the shutout tonight, and helped Canada earn their third-straight gold medal with her 28-save performance.

Canada is a balanced team, and they certainly showed everyone why they shouldn't be underestimated in any game. They got goals from veterans and youngsters, their defence corps communicates well and plays very well in their own zone, and they have at least three goaltenders who could start on any international team. This deep, talented team deserved their gold medal after putting in two weeks of hard work, and months of dedication to their Olympic dreams.

Congratulations to the Canadian women's hockey team for their phenomenal efforts in Vancouver in winning the 2010 Olympic gold medal!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Thoughts on Medical Marijuana in NY

Yeah. You read the title. On Feb. 23rd, the NY State Senate Health Committee passed medical marijuana legislation. I'll admit, I don't fully understand all of these political procedures that NY State government must go through before a bill becomes a law. It seems a bit more complicated than the cartoon of the bill on the steps of Capitol Hill (ha, I'm a rapper now) in DC.

Wait.. it was Capitol Hill right?

Anyway, on the surface, I am happy that NY is finally coming to its sense on medical marijuana. Honestly, it should have happened at least at the same time as California who passed their medical marijuana legislation in 1996.

However, as I read the bill, I am quite upset with the language.

Read for yourself: S4041B: Provides for medical use of marihuana

Low Limits

It would seem NY politicians want to be super strict and allow for tiny amounts of marijuana for seriously ill patients. While they get the gist of medical marijuana, they need to fully understand that they are NOT patients or doctors. Even most doctors don't understand how to prescribe marijuana. The amounts allowed under this bill - 2.5oz - don't factor in the need of the patient or the tolerance of the individual.

Some patients are known to use up to an ounce of marijuana a day. I am not talking about the typical recreational user. As a recreational user myself, I don't think I could do more than a gram a day which amounts to an ounce per month. But, I am talking about seriously ill patients for which this bill is intended. On top of that, the "caregiver" is not allowed to care for more than 5 patients. (Sections 3362 and 3363)

It's like saying you're only allowed 10 regular strength Tylenol pills per month for serious migraines. Of course, you can buy a box of Tylenol, thousands of pills, and no one will think twice about it. Unfortunately, you can't have enough marijuana for terminal illness.

I don't need ID for Tylenol

The other thing that bugs me is the registration for ID cards. Basically, you're getting a driver's license for medical marijuana - name, address, picture, etc etc etc. It says that the Dept of Health will keep the information confidential, that is, until they have a reason to snitch on you which could be as simple as a DEA or FBI or even some local cop requests it.

If marijuana is to be considered medical, why do you need to alert a government agency that you're using it? It's medicine, right? I am sure we all, at some point in time, visited a pharmacy to fill a prescription for various medications from asthma pumps to antidepressants to oxycontin and percocet. Did any of us have to register with the government to use these medications? Did you have to stand in line at the DMV to get your picture taken?

I can understand the caregiver, much like a pharmacist, needing registration as a business. But, I don't see why patients need to be registered with the government to take medicine. It's an unnecessary invasion of privacy.

No Plant Limits?

The other problem that I have with it so far is that I don't see any specific information as it pertains to cultivation. For example, how many plants would someone - patient or caregiver - be allowed to grow?

Section 3364 defines "registered organization" as a pharmacy, a licensed facility, a non profit corporation, the department, a local health department, or a registered producer. However, the registered producer, which seems to be the grower/cultivator/manufacturer, can not provide directly to the patients. Such a designation completely separates the grower from the potential role as a caregiver.

Edit
After re-reading this section, it looks like I want plant limits. As far as I am concerned, the more the better. No plant limits is great. However, I am afraid that it will be addressed and severely limited by politicians. If they think that 2.5oz is good for a seriously ill person, I can't imagine what they would believe is acceptable in a grow operation.

At any rate, there is a lot missing from this bill and far too many limits. I have to question politicians that wrote this bill. I wonder if they had any input from the patients that use marijuana. Did they even bother to look into the other 14 medical marijuana states and their provisions. This bill is so very incomplete. If it passed, as is, it would cause more trouble than it's worth.

If Senator Tom Duane ever reads this or any senator that has to vote on this bill, I'd beg him and them to please talk to patients from other states. Do not ask police or the DEA for their input as they are not doctors nor are they patients. They aren't even growers/botanists. Speak with the people who need the medicine, not the people who benefit from its control. It would not be unreasonable to allow for more marijuana per patient and to allow patients to grow their own. It would be sensible to allow caregivers to also be "registered producers."

As a marijuana grower and user, myself, politicians have a lot to learn about the use of marijuana. If they are willing to admit to its medical utility, at some point, they will have to be willing to learn and comprehend why different strains exist outside of the cute names.

I think I need to make some phone calls.

Just as a reminder.. marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed. Medical marijuana is nice but it still leaves the door open to the black market and violence against citizens from gangs and police.

Legalize it.
(It's been 70+ years. It's obvious you can't stop it.)

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Olympic commercials

At his Fourth-Place Medal blog, Yahoo Sports blogger Trey Kerby says this is quite possibly the best Olympic commercial ever

Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that there is something great about this year's crop of Olympic commercials -- I've seen each of them a hundred times and I am not sick of them -- in fact, some of them I actually enjoy -- BC Tourism's "You gotta be here", and Coke's hockey crazy, and Air Canada and RBC's little man, and even Walmart's hockey mom and that hockey dad with a twist, where the kid is teaching Dad to skate.
Don't miss Maclean's "Morgan Freeman vs Donald Sutherland " mashup.
The only Olympics ads that are really starting to annoy me are Chevy's talking cars, mainly because what they're talking about is really BORING! But then again, what did I expect from a talking car anyway?

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Wonderful Wednesday

Canada owns women's bobsleigh podium
Canada takes silver in women's 3,000m relay
Canada thumps Russia to advance to semifinals
Hughes skates to bronze in 5,000m

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Farewell to a Friend and Porcine Cosmetics?

Today, I discovered the bittersweet news that Madame's spokesperson, Meg "the enforcer" Stapleton has resigned so that she will be able to spend more time with her family. Oh the memories working on Madame's book (See page 399-400 of Going Rogue). In honor of Meg's departure, I've posted my favorite clip of her. She was on the Communist News Network talking about Madame's resignation, and she uses a sports analogy. Poor liberals! They don't understand sports analogies. They probably are confused when I call them softy southpaws! "Why would she use a soccer term?", they think. Have fun with your family, Meg; you will be missed.



Late this afternoon, we posted a note on Facebook excoriating the Great Opologizer's health care "plan". It's the same as the Senate bill, but it's more expensive. Madame doesn't like red font ...I mean ink! She even compared to putting "perfume on a pig", meaning it stinks big time. She called out the President on the cost, constitutionality,artificial caps on insurance, and feigned bipartisan of the president. However, such ridiculous legislation doesn't pass the smell test, and the ballot box is going to stink for the Democrats in November!

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATS INVADE SOUTH FLORIDA

"A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired."



ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INVADE SOUTH FLORIDA

Florida, especially South Florida, seems to be having an influx of squirrels, many are thought to be illegal immigrants flocking in from the north.

In one small south Florida town I visited, I counted five houses of worship:

A Presbyterian Church,

A Baptist Church,

A Methodist Church,

A Catholic Church and

A Jewish Synagogue.

Each of the churches and the Synagogue were overrun by these pesky squirrels, many of which have become permanent squatters in the establishments.


It got so bad that one day, the Presbyterians called an emergency meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. But after much debate and prayer, the congregation decided that the squirrels were pre-destined to be in the church and they should not interfere with God's Divine Will.




Over at the Baptist Church, the brazen squirrels even took over the baptistery, using it as their private swimming pool. This state of affairs caused the minister to call a meeting of the Deacons who decided to put a cover on the baptistery and drown the squirrels in it.

Somehow, the squirrels managed to escape and the following week, there were three times as many holding a pool party.

The Methodists tried a different tactic. They didn't want to harm any of God's creatures, so the hired a professional who humanely trapped the little buggers and drove them 25 miles outside of town and set them free. Three days later, they were all back again, this time with their friends and relatives.

The Catholics were in a real frenzy, what with squirrels swinging from the chandeliers, swiping coins out of the collection basket, etc. Finally the parish priest met with the church council and their local bishop. After the meeting the bishop presented the problem, along with the parish's proposed solution to the Vatican officials who gave their blessing for the priest to go ahead with the plan which turned out to be a very effective solution. They baptized each squirrel and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter.

Not much was heard from the Rabbi over at the Jewish Synagogue, but I have it from a good authority that they took one of the squirrels, called in the Moyle and held a short service called a "Bris" - (Circumcision), and they haven't seen a squirrel on the property since.




For those of you who have never seen one, here is a rare photograph of a South Florida Squirrel.

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American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollar Commemorative

Tomorrow February 25, 2010 at 12:00 Noon ET, the United States Mint will begin sales of the 2010 American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollar. This is one of two commemorative coin programs scheduled for 2010, each including the issuance of a silver dollar.

The obverse of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollar features the legs and boots of three veterans. A banner across the top reads "They Stood Up for Us". Below the image, "In God We Trust", the date and mint mark, and "Liberty" appear.

The reverse of the coin features a wreath of oak branches with a ribbon wrapped around and a forget-me-not flower at the base. A central inscription reads "Take This Moment to Honor Our Disabled Defenders of Freedom". Additional inscriptions "United States of America", "E Pluribus Unum", and "One Dollar" appear surrounding the wreath.

The US Mint will offer proof and uncirculated versions of the coin, both struck at the West Point Mint. Introductory pricing in effect until March 29, 2010 will be $33.95 for uncirculated coins and $39.95 for proof coins. Regular pricing will be $35.95 and $43.95.

There will be an initial ordering limit of 100 units per option per household in effect for at least the first 30 days of release. The US Mint has not made any indication that a special set will be created for this commemorative coin program. Only the two individual ordering options have been mentioned with a maximum authorized mintage of 350,000 across both options.

The other commemorative program for this year will feature the 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar. This coin is currently scheduled for release on March 23, 2010.

New Coin Grader Capsule: Submitting Coins to PCGS and NGC

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Antler Banter: Volume 17

With the second week of the Olympics underway, and a lot of good hockey still to be played in Vancouver, we pause to check out what's been happening with the Manitoba Moose on Antler Banter. The Moose had a Toronto-Rochester-Toronto swing to end their eastern portion of the roadtrip before getting ready for a trip to Texas to end the roadtrip this week. We'll review those games, and talk a little about the Syracuse-Binghamton outdoor game from last Saturday. You can always find all of your Manitoba Moose news and information on the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Let's get cracking with the Hardcore Hockey!

Moose Blinded By Big City Lights

The Moose rolled into Toronto on Wednesday night after having dispatched the Rochester Americans the night before. Having split with the Marlies the weekend before, there was some urgency to pick up at least a point on the road against Toronto. Cory Schenider and Joey MacDonald took to the blue paint at either ends of the ice for this game.

The opening faceoff led to an odd-man rush for the Moose as Dan Sexton cruised into the Toronto zone after taking a pass from Travis Ramsey. On the two-on-one, Sexton fed a lovely pass across to Michael Grabner, and the Austrian-born sniper buried the puck behind MacDonald. Just 11 seconds in, the Moose were up 1-0 on Grabner's 12th goal of the season.

Manitoba increased their lead on the powerplay just before the midway point of the period. Nikita Kashirsky had taken a hooking call at 6:03, but Brett Festerling was sent to the Toronto sin bin 16 seconds later for roughing. Kashirsky spent the two minutes in the box, and emerged as Manitoba stormed up the ice. With their mere 16 seconds of powerplay time, the Moose capitalized when Marco Rosa ripped a shot from inside the faceoff circle past MacDonald. Rosa's 19th goal of the season at 8:14 was a powerplay marker, and gave Manitoba the 2-0 lead.

Brian Salcido took a tripping penalty 27 seconds after the goal, sending Toronto to the powerplay. After a fairly uneventful start to the powerplay, the Marlies began to move the puck well. A point shot by Brendan Mikkelson was tipped in front by Kyle Calder, and the puck found its way past Schneider. Calder's powerplay goal at 10:25 was his fifth of the season, and Toronto was on the board, trailing by a 2-1 score.

The rest of the period was played out without any goals, but the two teams were knotted at 14 shots apiece. While I wouldn't say the Moose were firmly in control, the first period looked like a good road effort. However, the second period proved me wrong.

As the period wore on, you could tell that Toronto was building some momentum by carrying the play. MacDonald played well in the Toronto net, stopping the Moose chances, but Toronto was getting more quality chances, and it showed when the Marlies capitalized.

A delayed penalty call allowed the Marlies to send on the extra attacker, but it didn't take long for them to score. Tim Brent converted a Greg Scott pass into a goal when he left the two Moose defencemen looking like pylons before sliding a puck under Schneider. I'm not sure what Nick Boynton and Nolan Baumgartner were thinking, but someone should have laid Brent out before he got to Schneider. In any case, the Marlies tied the game at 2-2 on Brent's fifth goal of the season with 3:01 remaining in the period.

Jonas Frogren took a selfish kneeing penalty at 18:13, and the Moose were headed back to the powerplay. However, another miscue between Boynton and Baumgartner allowed a shorthanded two-on-one for Phil Oreskovic and Ben Simon. Simon found Oreskovic wide-open at the backdoor, and he buried his first of the season while shorthanded at 18:37 of the second.

The period would close with the Marlies up 3-2 on Oreskovic's shorthanded tally, and the Marlies leading 25-20 on the shot clock. Honestly, Boynton and Baumgartner were truly killer B's out there as their mistakes cost Manitoba the lead in that period.

Tim Brent added his second goal of the evening by squeaking a wraparound past Schneider. Schneider just couldn't get to the post before Brent slid home the puck, and Brent's sixth of the season at 4:23 gave the hometown Marlies the 4-2 lead.

The Moose didn't quit, however. Sergei Shirokov found the back of the net when his shot got underneath MacDonald's glove at 12:23 of the third. Shirokov has been missing from the scoresheet lately, so it's nice to see the Russian rookie doing what he does best again. Shirokov's 17th of the season made it 4-3 for the Marlies.

Joey MacDonald didn't allow another puck past him, despite a furious flurry of shots in the late going, and the Marlies skated to the 4-3 victory. Toronto outshot the Moose by a 33-25 margin in the game - yet another sign that Manitoba really didn't deserve to win. With the loss, the Moose fall to 27-24-5-1 on the season.

A Rochester State Of Mind

Manitoba regrouped and headed to Rochester for a Friday night game with the Americans at Blue Cross Arena. Manitoba's 6-3 victory on Tuesday was still fresh in the minds of both teams, so there was some hope that Manitoba could continue their winning ways against the Amerks while the Amerks wanted some revenge. Cory Schneider got the call yet again for the Moose, while Rochester sent out Alexander Salak to the cage.

Rochester opened the scoring 8:01 into the game. Jeff Taffe gained a head of steam as he tore down the right wing on a two-on-one. His backhander went upstairs in a hurry over Schneider's glove to the top shelf. Taffe showed why he has 19 goals on the season with that effort, and Rochester had the 1-0 lead.

However, I would like to point out what appears to be one of the worst non-calls on the season. Referee Terry Koharski stood idly by while a Rochester forward laid out Brian Salcido at the Moose blueline, causing the two-on-one to develop. It had to be one of the most obvious interference calls to make, but no call was made on the play. The result was Taffe's goal as Travis Ramsey was the only defender back during the rush.

The Moose made up for the non-call 1:24 later. Pierre-Cedric Labrie caught a break as he came down the left wing. His centering pass intended for Tom Maxwell in front of the net was deflected by Stefan Meyer's stick. The deflection, though, went up and over Salak's right shoulder and landed behind the surprised goaltender inside the net. Labrie's unconventional third goal of the season tied the game at 1-1.

Late in the period, the Herd went ahead. Rochester's Victor Oreskovich was in the box for his high-sticking infraction, and the Moose powerplay took control. A shot on net from the slot by the streaking Nick Boynton was stopped by Salak. However, the rebound landed into the feet of Boynton and three Americans, and Salak couldn't cover it. The puck squirted loose to the left hash marks where sniper Dan Sexton was waiting. With Salak down and out, Sexton tickled the twine as he sent the puck high. Manitoba took a 2-1 lead into the break after Sexton scored the powerplay marker, his fifth goal of the season, with 1:11 left.

7:26 into the second period, the Moose added to their total. On a three-on-one, Guillaume Desbiens carried the puck down the right wing as Mike Keane hustled to catch the play. The trailer, defenceman Travis Ramsey, stayed put in the middle as Keane filled the left wing lane. A nice saucer pass from Desbiens to Keane settled on Keane's stick, and Salak slid across to play Keane's shot. Keane caught Ramsey in the slot and dropped the puck to him. Ramsey wasted no time in slapping the puck into the open part of the net, and Manitoba was up 3-1 on Ramsey's first goal of the season.

Rochester opened the third period by inching closer on the scoreboard. At the 56-second mark, the Moose were whistled for too many men. The Amerks' powerplay made them pay. Jason Garrison's point shot looked like it caught teammate Michael Duco up high, and ricocheted to the left side of the crease. Mike York was standing wide-open at that spot, and he fired the puck home over Schneider's pad from the sharp angle. York's powerplay goal was his sixth of the season, and the Americans trailed 3-2 just 2:06 into the third frame.

Both teams battled down the stretch, but Manitoba went up by two goals again. Marco Rosa caused a turnover in the Rochester zone, and fed a pass from the middle of the ice to Michael Grabner on the right side. The puck was slightly behind Grabner, but he corralled the puck and fired a high laser over Salak's shoulder to the far post. Grabner's 13th goal of the season gave the Moose a 4-2 lead with 4:14 to play.

The Americans closed the gap 1:22 later. Evgeny Dadonov started a give-and-go with Michal Repik the resulted in a shot on net for Dadonov. Chris Taylor was battling in front of Cory Schneider with Nolan Baumgartner, and Taylor got his stick on the puck to shovel the Dadonov rebound between Schneider's pads to the back of the net. Taylor's 12th goal of the season made it a 4-3 game for Manitoba.

The Americans could not get any closer as the Moose defencemen and Cory Schneider kept them off the scoresheet. With the win, Manitoba moves to 28-24-5-1 on the season.

Returning To The Scene Of The Crime

The Moose were back in Toronto for a Saturday afternoon game against the Marlies. The Moose had dropped the last two games to the Marlies, so they needed to get back on track against a team trailing them in the standings. The Marlies wanted to continue their recent success against the Moose, and sent James Reimer to the net to continue his winning ways against the Herd. The Moose went to Daren Machesney for this game after Cory Schneider had dropped his last two games against Toronto.

Just 4:50 in, Toronto grabbed a lead. Tim Brent's backhander was stopped by Machesney, but the rebound popped out front into the scrum. Greg Scott banged away at it, but the Moose goalie held his ground. Unfortunately, the puck bounced to Machesney's right where Viktor Stalberg was standing at the edge of the crease, and Stalberg buried the puck past a helpless Machesney. Stalberg's 12th goal of the season gave Toronto the 1-0 edge.

The play went back and forth for the majority of the period with both goalies matching each other save for save, but a Toronto powerplay proved fruitful for the home squad. Juraj Mikus teed up a point blast that hit Machesney, but the rebound found its way back into the crowd of people on the doorstep. Kyle Calder picked up the puck with Michael Grabner on his back, and slid the puck past the outstretched glove of Machesney into the open net. Calder's sixth goal of the season put Toronto up 2-0 at 17:46.

Aside from a round of fisticuffs between a few competitors later in the game, that was it, folks. James Reimer made 31 saves for his first AHL shutout, but not many were of the spectacular variety. Toronto hands the Moose another loss, this one by a 2-0 score, and sends Manitoba home with a 28-25-5-1 record on the season.

Taking It Outside

Saturday was a special day for the AHL as the Syracuse Crunch hosted the first outdoor game in AHL history. The Mirabito Outdoor Classic was played at the New York State Fairgrounds, setting the scene for a game between the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators.

If anyone asks, the first goal scored outdoors by an AHL player was scored by Syracuse forward Alexander Picard. The game also set an AHL attendance record as 21,508 fans turned out to see the Syracuse Crunch defeat the Binghamton Senators by a 2-1 score. In one of the cooler moments, skydiver Ray Maynard arrived on the ice from the air above to deliver the first puck used in outdoor game to New York Governor David Paterson and Senator Chuck Schumer. That puck was originally used on September 27, 1991 when the Los Angeles Kings hosted the New York Rangers in Las Vegas in the first professional outdoor game in modern history.

As stated above, Picard gave the Crunch the lead 6:47 in. Binghamton's Josh Hennessy tied the game up early in the second period. David Liffiton's goal late in the second period restored the one-goal lead for Syracuse, and ended up being the game-winner. It was all about goaltending in the third period as neither team could put the puck past the opposing goalie. Kevin Lalande recorded the victory for Syracuse while Binghamton's Mike Brodeur took the loss.

So why I am talking about this game? The Moose had their own outdoor game on Monday! Bob Hobson of Winnipeg won the Home Depot Backyard Rink contest for his awesome backyard rink, and his prize was a game of shinny against the Moose players!

Daren Machesney, Matt Pettinger, Evan Oberg, Michael Grabner, Nathan McIver and Guillaume Desbiens showed up for the fun, and the neighbourhood kids played the Moose! Mick E. Moose was there to stir up some fun as well. All in all, a very cool promotion run by Home Depot and the Manitoba Moose. Congratulations to Bob Hobson! Make sure you check out the Moose's Build A Rink page so you can get some tips on how to build your own rink, and maybe the Moose will be in your backyard next season!

Heading South

The Moose have a three-game affair to take care of in Texas this week. The Houston Aeros are up first on Thursday, and then its off to San Antonio for dates with the Rampage on Friday and Saturday.

The Aeros have a nearly identical record to Manitoba, so this should be a close game. Houston enters the game with a 28-24-6-1 record, and currently sit fifth in the tightly-contested West Division. Maxim Noreau leads the team with 43 points, and Jon DiSalvatore leads the team in goal-scoring with 18 goals. Both Barry Brust and Wade Dubielewicz don't have very impressive records, but their 2.43 and 2.51 GAAs, respectively, show that they are effective puck-stoppers. Manitoba will need to find its scoring touch to win this game.

San Antonio sit seventh in the West Division with a 24-24-3-6 record. This is another team that doesn't score a lot, so Manitoba will need to have its scoring production on hand. San Antonio is led by forwards Kevin Porter, Kyle Turris, and Sean Sullivan. All three men have 37 points this season. Chad Kolarik is the leading goal-scorer on the Rampage with 17 tallies to his name. Josh Tordjman is still a very capable goaltender, but Justin Pogge has come on strong since being assigned to the Rampage. I'd expect to see both men in the two-game set.

Looking at the three-games-in-three-nights set, I'd be happy if Manitoba returned with four of six points. Personally, all six point would really help as the Moose sit in fourth spot in the AHL's North Division, two points back of third-place Abbotsford with a game in hand. Here's hoping the Moose can go guns-a-blazing through Texas, and come home with six points in their pockets.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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