stanley cup

The Stanley Cup Playoffs: wonderfully unpredictable

National Hockey League

What did we learn from the seven series-opening games that commenced the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs? In truth, nothing new.What did we learn from the seven series-opening games that commenced the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs? In truth, nothing new.

Rather, we were reminded again and again of one thing that is an article of faith among hockey fans and can’t be pounded enough into the heads of the ice ignorami: that the NHL’s playoffs are the best in professional sports. And of a related truism that even those of us who live and die with the sport — and make our livings from it — misremember every early April only to be reminded as soon as the first playoffs puck is dropped: in the short term (on any given night and in any particular series) nothing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs is predictable.

(For those of you in San Jose shaking your heads in disgust while muttering, “the Sharks floundering come playoff time is completely predictable,” let us refer you to the New York Islanders of 1976 through 1979 or the Detroit Red Wings of 1993 through 1996. Sometimes, you do have to lose in excruciating fashion in order to learn how to win.)

Alex Ovechkin scores 50 goals for fourth time in five years and leads the League in shots on goal for the fifth time in his five NHL seasons? Of course, he doesn’t hit the net — or goaltender Jaroslav Halak — once in the Caps’ Game 1 OT loss to Montreal.

The Penguins, coming off two straight trips to the Final, draw an Ottawa team that went 18-21-2 on the road and required a mid-season, on-ice dodge ball game on a rink in Manhattan’s Central Park to find itself? Naturally, the Sens win in overtime in a whited-out Mellon Arena.

Brian Boucher hasn’t won a playoff game — and has appeared in only four — since the Clinton administration? Of course, he outplays the winningest goaltender of all-time, Martin Brodeur, in Philly’s Game 1 snatching at New Jersey.

Phoenix, undoubtedly just happy to be here after six years of wandering through the desert playoffs-less, draws the closest thing the NHL has had to a dynasty over the last decade? What else but a poised and relentless Coyotes performance that grabs their Game 1 against Detroit at a jacked-up Jobing.com Arena?

And the Avalanche, icing a team full of youngsters who might still be eligible to play in the Colorado state high school tournament and a goalie who seems to be wearing down, go into the surly Shark Tank to face the battle-hardened and Cup-or-bust likes of Thornton, Marleau, Heatley, Boyle, Blake, et al? Naturally, the Avs pull one out on a last-minute goal with goaltender Craig Anderson performing superbly.

Seven series openers. Seven one-goal games — including two that go into overtime. Seventh and eighth seeds unbeaten — which of you scoring at home know it means that the first and second seeds are winless. Utter mayhem.

nick clegg

When you meet someone for the first time or walk into a house you are thinking of buying or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions,” said Malcolm Gladwell of the reasons behind his bestselling Blink . It is a truism that would-be heads of government, in a society schooled in today’s quick-fire soundbites and Twitterese, would be well advised to bear in mind, especially if, like Britain’s political party leaders, they were considering participating for the first time in a televised debates. In this general election appearance will be scrutinised as never before.

Starting this week, and for the next two weekends, we will examine the sartorial style of the leaders of Britain’s three main political parties: how their clothes reflect their politics; what unspoken strategic purpose this style might serve; and its effectiveness as a means of communication.
First up is the Liberal Democrats’ Nick Clegg, who has prompted a number of faintly sartorial metaphors from political commentators. “How would he dress his political party in an age of political cross-dressing?” mused a writer on The Observer. The Sunday Times deemed him “probably funky enough to use male grooming products”, describing the 43-year-old as both “baby-faced” and having “the face of a choirboy”.

The Lib Dem leader, a friend of Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes and the writers Louis and Marcel Theroux, acted in plays at university, and clearly has access to experts in the field of personal brand creation and management – and how to spin the same. In response, for example, to charges that he was “conspicuously smooth”, Mr Clegg told The Economist, “I am 43, roughly 6ft, and I cannot help that” – which did not exactly answer the question, but deftly turned it to imply that age and stature are impossible to change, while also emphasising his height and new-generation credentials.

Wardrobe is a different matter. Here, an interesting evolution has taken place. Since becoming leader of the Lib Dems in 2007, Mr Clegg has fallen somewhere between the suit-and-tie-as-armour that is the favoured uniform of Gordon Brown, and the Savile Row/roll-up-the-sleeves and put on some work boots style of David Cameron. Indeed, Mr Clegg’s dress, which tends to be traditional, unremarkable and off-the peg (white or blue shirts; dark suits, no pinstripes, from classic, middle-of-the-road British brand Jaeger, or classic-with-twist British brand Paul Smith), reflects quite closely his central, pivotal position. This is also implied by the party’s slogan, which bridges Labour’s “A future fair for all” and the Tories’ “The year of change” to produce “Change that works for you. Building a fairer Britain.”

Like many men, Clegg also relies on his tie for supportive nuance. Thus, while he declared that it was time to break up the “red and blue teams that have run the country for 65 years”, a large number of the ties he wears are, in fact, red and blue. So there’s some shared territory, anyway. Or there was until recently, when Clegg bought a bunch of gold ties – from, according to his press office, the impeccably high-street source of Marks and Spencer – perhaps to go with his gold tour bus, perhaps to demonstrate his third-party independence and certainly to provide more colourful photo ops on the road.

While lilac and other purple shades have become popular with tie-buying politicos attempting to establish their likeability, gold is a rare sight in the electoral arena, and should make Clegg stand out – crucial when two-thirds of voters say they don’t know who you are – as well as suggesting, subliminally, a sunny outlook in otherwise gloomy times.

It could also backfire. His opponents could have a field day with the idea of the Lib Dems promoting themselves as the gold standard at this particular point in economic time, especially since, like his rivals, Clegg keeps pointing out his familiarity with the humbler, household budget issues occupying the general electorate (on the other hand, the fact that he shops at M&S might help to deflect such charges).

Notably, however, Clegg has not yet created a marketable image of himself looking determinedly “off-duty” – he hasn’t been shot on his bicycle in polo shirt, like David Cameron; or on vacation in chinos like Brown – rather, his dress-down mode tends to reflect a casual Fridays approach (button-down shirt, no tie) that acts as a sartorial outreach to City types.

It’s also intelligent, as his rather youthful appearance might make him appear too callow. And it is relatively media-savvy, as attempts to “act” like a sort of person you are not, whether weekend sportsman or a pub-crawler, tend to fall flat when the person concerned is a ladder-ascending politician.

Or perhaps he has just learned from experience. In April last year someone took a picture of Clegg in a dark suit with a lei around his neck and a bindi on his forehead at a temple in north London. It’s up on his official Facebook page, but, as proof of an ability to understand a multicultural Britain, it is not entirely convincing.

Reba Mcentire Dancing With The Stars Results 2010

Reba Nell McEntire born March 28, 1955 is an American country music artist. She began her career in the music industry singing with her siblings on local radio shows and rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma City, which caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall. He brought her to Nashville, Tennessee, where she eventually signed a contract with Mercury Records in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983.

It seems Erin Andrews cannot catch a break. Just weeks after her stalker was sentenced to over 2 years in prison, the ESPN reporter is now having to deal with another nut. TMZ broke the story on Friday that Erin had been the recipient of several death threats.

It also came out this week that Olympic Ice Skater Evan Lysacek is injured with two broken toes. Evan however vows to not let the injury get in the way of his quickstep dance tonight. “As for my toes, I’m not worried. I will tape them up and hit the floor with the same 100 percent effort I give in training.

Reba McEntire will be performing on Tuesday’s result show. Pamela Anderson, who was in the bottom two last week, is said to be getting a bit of help this week. The former Baywatch babe has been getting some help from Spanish born entertainer Charo according to UsWeekly. We will get to see the results of that combo tonight.

Reba McEntire performed two numbers from her Gold album, “Keep On Loving You,”. First was “Consider Me Gone”. Accompanying her on the dance floor were George Strait will extend his tour with Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack into the fall although no list of cities or dates has been announced. Reba McEntire will be performing on Tuesday’s result show. Pamela Anderson, who was in the bottom two last week, is said to be getting a bit of help this Special guest star Reba McEntire .

Shiloh Pepin Mermaid Girl Mermaid Syndrome Funeral Services

Shiloh Pepin Mermaid Girl: Mermaid Syndrome. A rare congenital deformity called Sirenomelia has struck the little girl Shiloh Pepin. Also called mermaid syndrome, a person with Sirenomelia has both legs attached together depicting like a mermaid’s tail. The Little Mermaid Girl, Shiloh Pepin was born in Kennebunkport, Maine in August, 1999.

PORTLAND, Maine Oct. 24 – Shiloh Pepin, a girl who was born with fused legs, a rare condition often called “mermaid syndrome,” and gained a wide following on the Internet and national television, has died. She was 10. KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Shiloh Pepin, the spunky 10-year-old dubbed the “mermaid girl” and beloved by people the world over, will be buried Wednesday wearing the dress she picked out for her school picture.

Shiloh Pepin a little with with a very rare congenital deformity called Sirenomelia which is found in about 1100000 live births. Labels mermaid girl mermaid girl shiloh pepin mermaid girl tlc mermaid syndrome sirenomelia.

She’ll be laid to rest next to the stillborn sister she never knew. But what her mother, Leslie, wants people to remember most about her daughter is not that she died, but rather, how she lived. But if Shiloh was busily living the life of a regular fifth-grader, she was also something special. The Pepins shared their daughter’s story with the world, both in newspapers and, later, through documentaries on The Learning Channel and even an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in September.

KENNEBUNKPORT Maine Shiloh Pepin the spunky 10yearold dubbed the mermaid girl and beloved by people the world over will be buried Wednesday wearing the dress she picked out for her school picture. A rare congenital deformity called Sirenomelia has struck the little girl Shiloh Pepin. She aired her familys dirty laundry on the show.

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