29 February 2008

Of Course He Is



Almost a 2-to-1 margin. Habs fans know their stuff, especially when it comes to goaltenders.

25 February 2008

Price is Right...on the Wall

This came in the mail today. Me like.

20 February 2008

Wow

That was the greatest hockey game I've ever seen. In 99 years of existence, the Habs had never come back from a 5-0 deficit...until last night. I was shaking with excitement for most of the third period and all of the OT/shootout. Simply incredible that they came back and took the victory. I can only imagine what the feeling is like in Montreal today, a city that loves its hockey team--with all due respct--on a level unparalleled by any other. They have simply got to be over the moon. This team is for real.

I think I'd better start saving for a second trip during the playoffs.

17 February 2008

Nice Moments

Today while standing on Spring Garden Rd. a large number of vehicles were driving along honking their horns in celebration. The first couple didn't have any markings or anything really defining about them, so I turned to Anna Lou and asked, "Did somebody win something?" Then I saw the first Kosovo flags. Yes, indeed, somebody "won" something today. That the people of Kosovo have declared their independence from Serbia today is an amazing fact. When you think back to the horrors of the late 1990s, resulting in the humanitarian intervention led by NATO (which the Russians attempted to prevent by vetoing a Security Council resolution at the UN--real proud moment in the organization's history) to protect them from further ethnic cleansing by the vile and thuggish Milosevic regime, it is truly a happy day for Kosovars today. It almost brought a tear to my eye to see Kosovars in Canada and their supporters being able to celebrate this moment, and I was happy to give a big thumbs up to the people as they drove past.
The NATO intervention into Kosovo was a marked shift in how we look at international relations. It was one of the first incursions into a state that was committing atrocities against its own people, and certainly the most successful, with the missions into Somalia and Rwanda being disastrous for the West. Since Kosovo, the concept of the Responsibility to Protect has been developed and fleshed out to the point that it is nearly accepted in international law. We have Michael Ignatieff, who has spent considerable time in Kosovo, to thank in part for advancing the idea. Tony Blair championed the concept among world leaders, demonstrating that liberals can and should stand up for liberal principles and apply them on a universal scale. In his lengthy career, which is marked by a strong interventionist set of credentials, Kosovo is perhaps his greatest accomplishment. Meanwhile, Ignatieff's work on the International Comisssion on Intervention and State Sovereignty is widely accepted and serves to put all states on notice that if they commit heinous acts against their own populations they will face consequences and be held accountable. What happened today demonstrates the long-term positive impact of what can happen when governments work in concert to protect civilian populations from tyrannical regimes.

In news far less important, Carey Price got his first NHL shutout last night. The young phenom was just that last night against the Flyers, making 34 saves and staving off a lengthy 5-on-3 disadvantage. Too bad the jerk Briere shot the puck into the crowd to deprive Price of his momento; he really enjoys earning those boos from the Montreal faithful. I had been bidding on an autographed photo taken the night of Price's first NHL win against Pittsburgh (plain white helmet and everything), and that I won it was a neat little thing. It'll make a fine addition to my collection.

And this morning we booked a bunch of stuff for our trip to Montreal!

06 February 2008

Show Your Cards

Wow.

Hold onto your hats, because it's going to be a wild ride.

Harper has long said that Afghanistan is an issue over which he would be fully prepared to wage an election. It looks like that will be put to the test in the very near future. The future of the mission depends almost entirely upon what Stephane Dion's Liberal Party intends to do; the Bloc and the NDP have flat-out said that they'll vote against any extension. Will we see a repeat of the fiscal update? Will we see a major schism? Will the Liberals support their stated principles of humanitarian intervention? Stay tuned.

One Point Out!

What a game last night. The top line of Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Kovalev is a real treat to watch. I've been a fan of this team my whole life and I've never seen them with guys that can move the puck like these three do on a nightly basis. The speed and precision with which they make their passes is stunning; Chris Higgins noted that Kovalev even leaves guys on the Habs' bench with jaws dropping the way he can keep the puck on a rope. I am as excited watching this team as I ever have been, and I would have to say that this is the best they've been since winning the Cup in '93. They're primed for a solid playoff run...will this be the year that they go for #25? And if so, how am I going to find the money to be there to see it?

05 February 2008

My Response?




Absolutely none of the above.