With the first quarter of the season in the books, Scott Burnside (East) and Pierre LeBrun (West) evaluate each team’s performance:
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh Penguins
Grade: A
Trending: Up
Summary: The Penguins roared into the second quarter of the NHL season riding a nine-game winning streak and with captain Sidney Crosby playing as well as he ever has (he has put up points in 16 straight games as of Tuesday). Marc-Andre Fleury appears to have found his mojo and the Penguins look like a team to be reckoned with come April.
Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings
Grade: A-plus
Trending: Up
Summary: A second-round exit last season had some people wondering if the NHL’s model franchise was nearing a downturn after being one of the elite squads for 15 or so seasons. Um, scratch that thought. The Wings are back and apparently as great as ever, screaming out of the gates in the opening two months of the season with the best record in the Western Conference. Nicklas Lidstrom appears ageless at 40, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg both deserve Hart Trophy consideration, and Jimmy Howard just can’t lose a game. Life is grand in Hockeytown, USA.
Pearl Harbor Day
Sixty-eight years ago today... "a date which will live in infamy"... the nation was shocked out of its complacency and determination to stay out of the conflict engulfing the rest of the civilized world by the horrific Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Here's an excerpt from President Roosevelt's speech to congress on the following day:
The men who fought back at Pearl Harbor formed the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association about ten years after the war and they used to hold a reunion in Hawaii every five years... until 2006, when they held their last reunion there. I published this post to mark that occasion (note that the link to the news article is dead now):Pearl Harbor Day
It’s said — quite often and by many, many people — that 9/11/2001 “changed everything.” And it is indeed true for the current generations of Americans. But I’ll submit that 12/07/1941 “changed everything” to a degree it is impossible for us who were not alive and going about our business on that Sunday in December, 1941 to realize. Those of us whose parents were members of The Greatest Generation understand my point. A smaller subset, those of us whose parents fought in World War II, understand the point a little bit better, perhaps. We have the benefit of hearing the first-person narratives of that day in December 1941, and stories from the long, long days that followed…from the dark and despair of the war’s first year to the signing of the Japanese surrender on the decks of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay not quite four years later. And a lot in between.
The USS Arizona - Then and Now (U.S. Navy photographs)
They are leaving us. The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is holding their last meeting today.PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - With their number quickly dwindling, survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather Thursday one last time to honor those killed by the Japanese 65 years ago, and to mark a day that lives in infamy.This will be their last visit to this watery grave to share stories, exchange smiles, find peace and salute their fallen friends. This, they say, will be their final farewell."This will be one to remember," said Mal Middlesworth, president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. "It's going to be something that we'll cherish forever."The survivors have met here every five years for four decades, but they're now in their 80s or 90s and are not counting on a 70th reunion. They have made every effort to report for one final roll call.Their last meeting. I know All Things Must Pass, but it saddens me so. We owe them so much, and our thank-yous seem inadequate compared to the sacrifices they made.
But: We shall continue, we shall honor their sacrifices, we will remember, and we shall rededicate ourselves to the task that faces this generation…the one that began on 9/11/2001. The Greatest Generation expects it from us.The 2006 news article may not be available any longer, but the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is still alive and kicking. They are few now, but thank God some of those heroes are still around. It won't be too much longer until they're all gone and as I said above: "It saddens me so."
2 x Graycliff Crystal Edicion Limitada Presidente (7.2"x50)I'm thinkin' it's gonna be a Gurkha. Those puppies are good lookin' cee-gars.
2 x Rocky Patel Decade Toro (6.5"x52)
2 x Oliva Master Blends III Torpedo (6"x52)
2 x Gurkha Centurian Double X (6"x60)
2 x Man O' War Virtue Toro (6"x50)
A Diversity Roadmap: Air Force officials have launched a Diversity Strategic Roadmap designed to help the service "attract, recruit, develop, and retain a high quality, talented Total Force." Members of the Air Force diversity operations division wrote the document and officials in USAF's manpower and personnel directorate are charged with overseeing execution of the roadmap's priorities. "We hope to foster an environment in which every individual's contribution is valued and respected and we can capitalize on the uniqueness of each airman to enhance organizational effectiveness and readiness," said Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel. He added, "Diversity allows everyone . . . to reach his or her potential and provide their capabilities to the Air Force and to the joint team." The Air Force released the document on Nov. 17. (SAF/PA report by TSgt. Amaani Lyle) (Diversity Strategic Roadmap full text)
“Wild Horses” almost wrote itself. It was really a lot to do with, once again, fucking around with the tunings. I found these chords, especially doing it on a twelve-string to start with, which gave the song this character and sound. There’s a certain forlornness that can come out of a twelve-string. I started off, I think, on a regular six-string open E, and it sounded very nice, but sometimes you just get these ideas. What if I open tuned a twelve-string? All it meant was translate what Mississippi Fred McDowell was doing—twelve-string slide—into five-string mode, which meant a ten-string guitar. I now have a couple custom built for that. It was one of those magical moments when things come together. It’s like “Satisfaction.” You just dream it, and suddenly it’s all in your hands. Once you’ve got the vision in your mind of wild horses, I mean, what’s the next phrase you’re going to use? It’s got to be “couldn’t drag me away.”
That’s one of the great things about songwriting; it’s not an intellectual experience. One might have to apply the brain here and there, but basically it’s capturing moments. Jim Dickinson, bless him—he died August 15, 2009, while I was writing this book—will say later on what “Wild Horses” was “about.” I’m not sure. I never thought about songwriting as writing a diary, although sometimes in retrospect you realize that some of it is like that.
What is it that makes you want to write songs? In a way you want to stretch yourself into other people’s hearts. You want to plant yourself there, or at least get a resonance, where other people become a bigger instrument than the one you’re playing. It becomes almost an obsession to touch other people. To write a song that is remembered and taken to heart is a connection, a touching of bases. A thread that runs through all of us. A stab to the heart. Sometimes I think songwriting is about tightening the heartstrings as much as possible without bringing on a heart attack.That's from Life, of course. "Wild Horses" and I go back to the day "Sticky Fingers" was released, days that found me on Turkey's beautiful Black Sea coast and in the throes of a love affair with a (then) unobtainable woman. The song remained a favorite down through the years, mainly for the plaintive and oh-so-familiar emotions the song evokes. These days the lyrics take on an entirely different but no less applicable meaning. I'd be thinking of this:
I watched you suffer a dull aching painThat, of course, is a story much too long to go into. It's true what Keef sez, tho: the best tunes are all about tightening the heartstrings, a stab to the heart. What's funny-strange is how the meaning and/or relevance changes down thru the years yet remains as true as it ever was. Perhaps even more so.
Now you've decided to show me the same
But no sweet, vain exits or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind
The Ego Has Landed
Here's one of our favorite bits from the New York Times WikiLeaks story:Bargaining to empty the Guantánamo Bay prison: When American diplomats pressed other countries to resettle detainees, they became reluctant players in a State Department version of "Let's Make a Deal." Slovenia was told to take a prisoner if it wanted to meet with President Obama.And if the Slovenians didn't want to meet with President Obama, they'd have to take two prisoners!
Today's Times, meanwhile, reports that "the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (due out in 2013, and known as DSM-5) has eliminated five of the 10 personality disorders that are listed in the current edition":The first bullet point describes more than a few politicos and one or two people I actually know. But, Hey! Self-absorption is no longer a problem! The lunatics HAVE taken over the asylum.
Narcissistic personality disorder is the most well-known of the five. . . .The central requirement for N.P.D. is a special kind of self-absorption: a grandiose sense of self, a serious miscalculation of one's abilities and potential that is often accompanied by fantasies of greatness. . . .The second requirement for N.P.D.: since the narcissist is so convinced of his high station (most are men), he automatically expects that others will recognize his superior qualities and will tell him so. . . .Finally, the narcissist, who longs for the approval and admiration of others, is often clueless about how things look from someone else's perspective. Narcissists are very sensitive to being overlooked or slighted in the smallest fashion, but they often fail to recognize when they are doing it to others.Most of us would agree that this is an easily recognizable profile, and it is a puzzle why the manual's committee on personality disorders has decided to throw N.P.D. off the bus.Can the timing be coincidental? And don't they mean "under the bus"?
The Red Wing-lovers at Kuklas Korner get positively orgasmic when I write stuff like this, so consider it an early Christmas present: From a GM, “Detroit is the best team we’ve played this year. It’s not even close. Their puck control is incredible...You have to hope your goalie has a great night to give you a chance.” -Elliotte Friedman of CBCWe're only just past the season's quarter pole and it's waaay too early to begin thinking about parades. But still and even, we're off to one of our best starts ever. Keep it up, Boys... and stay healthy!Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, nicknamed “the perfect human” by Red Wings fans, hasn’t been far off that level. Lidstrom, 40, is winning raves for his play at both ends of the ice. -Helene Elliot, LA Times
“It seems like everything they do is right. Chipping pucks out of the zone, blind passes … they all end up on their tape. Sometimes it’s like ‘What else can you do?’ Over time they’ve proven that it’s not luck. They’re a very skilled team.” -Derek MacKenzie of the Columbus Blue Jackets talking about the Detroit Red Wings. (This after the BJs were swept in a home and home series with the Wings this weekend)
Mike Modano's unfortunate injury means more power-play time for Jiri Hudler. There's more than enough depth on this powerhouse to survive the injury. -Note to ESPN's 11/29 Power Rankings, where Detroit is Number One. Again.
As of today the Wings are atop the Western Conference with 32 points (#2 Dallas has 29 and the Wings have two games in hand over the Stars); and are #4 in the league (just 4 points behind league-leading Washington) with four and five games in hand over the top three teams.
At 13-2-2 Jimmy Howard isn't having the dreaded "sophomore slump." Witness:
His play is like this more often than not and is a big reason the Wings are off to a great start this year.
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate.
THE World Wide Web handed shoppers a few rounds of new ammo, like a way to compare prices and a big podium for ranting about transactions gone wrong. But it gave retailers some weapons, too, and for years consumers have howled that unscrupulous sellers have used the Internet the way bank robbers use ski masks.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, a partnership between the F.B.I. and the National White Collar Crime Center, announced two weeks ago that it had received its two millionth complaint since it began in 2000. Consumer losses are estimated at $1.7 billion.
The story of DecorMyEyes suggests that 15 years after the birth of online commerce, the Internet is still strewn with trap doors, and that when consumers take a tumble, they are pretty much on their own. Mr. Borker is skilled at tunneling under the few obstacles in his way, but he has hardly been hiding. With a few tweaks and added vigilance from an array of companies and public institutions that are supposed to monitor e-commerce thuggery, Mr. Borker’s approach to retail might be impossible to sustain.
The piece itself is pretty danged funny, but I think the accompanying graphic is just too cool. Someone put a lot of thought into that... including the fact that Wen Jiabo apparently isn't available to chat. Heh. Click for larger, of course.WASHINGTON—Having admittedly "reached the end of [his] rope," President Barack Obama sent a rambling 75,000-word e-mail to the entire nation Wednesday, revealing deep frustrations with America's political culture, his presidency, U.S. citizens, and himself.
The e-mail, which was titled "A couple things," addressed countless topics in a dense, stream-of-consciousness rant that often went on for hundreds of words without any punctuation or paragraph breaks. Throughout, the president expressed his aggravation on subjects as disparate as the war in Afghanistan, the sluggish economic recovery, his live-in mother-in-law, China's undervalued currency, Boston's Logan Airport, and tort reform.
According to its timestamp, the e-mail was sent at 4:26 a.m.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Gentle Reader. I’m going to be lazy today and re-run what I said last year (in part...there was more), mainly coz (a) it’s all true and (b) I’m fresh out of original i-deers. So…from Turkey-Day-2006:
Of all the things I’m thankful for on this day…family, friends, reasonable health… I thank God most of all for making me an American. Most all of the good things in my life begin and end with that one single fact.
You could do much worse today than read the editorial the WSJ has published every Thanksgiving since 1961. An excerpt:
We can remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world, for that enduring liberty is no less a blessing than the abundance of the earth.
And we might remind ourselves also, that if those men setting out from Delftshaven had been daunted by the troubles they saw around them, then we could not this autumn be thankful for a fair land.
The images come from Thanksgiving Corner, which has a great collection of Thanksgiving wallpaper. Normally I'd only post a single topical image, but I was so taken with the second image that I had to post it. Shades of Ben Franklin, and all that.As true today as it was back in 1961.
Hey, you know what’s fun? Here’s what I like to do. I like to look at Guralnick’s photos after the game and check out the crowd. First, if you’re the parents of this redheaded kid? Download these pictures in hi-res, frame ‘em and hang ‘em up. Well, first you might want to send ‘em to the Flame PR guy and see if Kipper will sign them for you. I’m sure he’d be more than willing. (ed: The pics are as big as I found them. This is just the set up for the photo below, tho.)And hey, dude, I don’t know you. I don’t know the stage this relationship’s in. But, if this is your first date? Move on. Seriously. Look at her. She’s not counting the banners up there buddy. She’s bored. If you’re married? I get it. I’ve seen that look, but that was before I, you know, upgraded. But if you’re still in the “wonder if this is the one” phase? Yeah, ummm. When the playoffs roll around, is this the woman who’s going to understand why you HAVE TO WATCH THE WINGS every other night for two months straight?I didn’t think so. Thank me later.
