Europe is Clouded

This is a map of the airports closed because of issues caused by the volcano eruption in Iceland. It is not a matter of visibility but rather concern over the damage that the particles can cause to the planes.

Obama Does It Right

There's no doubt that I have been critical of President Obama since this blog's inception, but I think he got this one right. Obama extended hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners:

President Obama mandated Thursday that nearly all hospitals extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them, perhaps the most significant step so far in his efforts to expand the rights of gay Americans.

While I don't know how successful his repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the armed services has been, I think that this will be successful in bridging the gap for the civil rights of the gay and lesbian community or at least make it an issue that needs to be settled. I do, however, wonder if this will bring up a bigger issue over gay marriage. Critics of the decision are saying that it undermines the definition of marriage. Gays aren't allowed to marry though. Marriage shouldn't be an exclusive right. I'm not sure how the mandate was worded, but it could open up a can of worms in regards to who is designated as a visitor or what qualifies that right.

Regardless, I think it is a positive step because it will allow gays to have visitation rights. I still approach it with caution though because there is a much bigger issue lurking in the grassy knoll.

Obamillionaire

The President released his tax returns:

Today, the President released his 2009 federal income and gift tax returns. He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $ 5,505,409. The vast majority of the family’s 2009 income is the proceeds from the sale of the President’s books. The Obamas paid $1,792,414 in federal income tax. The President and First Lady also reported donating $329,100 to 40 different charities. The largest reported gifts to charity were $50,000 contributions to CARE and the United Negro College Fund. In addition, the President donated his $1.4 million Nobel Prize funds to 10 charities. The President and First Lady also released their Illinois income tax return and reported paying $163,303 in state income taxes.

The President is rolling in dough off of those book sales. He paid approximately 36% in Federal taxes as well as a paltry 3% of his income in State taxes. I wonder if Obama rolls around DC in his presidential cavalcade yelling out the window, "I'm rich bitch!"

Happy Tax Day all! Enjoy the fact that your president, who is taking money out of your pocket, makes a hell of a lot more money than you do!

Volcanic Ash: The Cloud Hanging Over Europe

A cloud of volcanic ash is creeping over Europe, canceling flights in the UK.

Sarah Palin: Dividing America, One Speech At A Time

Perhaps the worst politician in history

Another Natural Disaster: China

NHL Draft Lottery

I guess I'm shifting more towards stuff that interests me that I think everyone should think about rather than just important news events. I still think knowing what's going on in the world is important, but this is my blog and I haven't been able to put enough me into it, besides the way I present things.

I want to talk about the NHL Draft Lottery tonight.

The Oilers won the lottery, having the top pick in the draft, while my Boston Bruins are picking second. The Oilers will have to choose between Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall. Both of these two players are a cut above the rest and the debate all season in relation to the draft has been Tyler or Taylor. These two guys are so closely matched that it will be a tough decision. I am glad as a Bruins fan that we don't have the choice of who to take. Additionally, I think that the player that the Bruins get will be or become the better player because he will have that chip on his shoulder and will have something to prove. As of right now, my personal preference is Tyler Seguin because of his comparisons to Yzerman, but I also learned today that Hall wears #4 in honor of Bobby Orr. In actuality, it doesn't matter who the Bruins get. They just need to be a winner.

I have high hopes for these two picks though. I hope that they establish a strong competitive rivalry and the teams that they go to compete for championships. Some people will say we already have a great rivalry in Ovechkin and Crosby, but I would have to respond that there are several factors that take away from the rivalry. I think both players have weak reputations, Ovechkin with his dirty hits and Crosby with his fighting style. Additionally, Crosby plays with Evgeni Malkin, a player of equal caliber which muddies the rivalry a little bit. Some might say Malkin is the better player, which takes away from the rivalry of the NHL's two poster boys.

With Hall and Seguin, the NHL has two future great players coming in who are of equal caliber. They are going to go 1 and 2 in the draft, so there is a lot to build on. There are so many similarities between the two that it seems hard to see them not having a rivalry. We could be witnessing a Bird-Magic style rivalry in the making. This is what I hope for because both of those guys brought championships to their team. I would love to see the Bruins lifting up a Stanley Cup in the near future.

Red Berenson Character Study

I got this link from Michigan_Hockey on Twitter. It was a telling story about Red Berenson in the Michigan Daily:

“If you want to be a Michigan Man, you should know in the next week,” the coach said to the recruit, who looked and felt much more like a kid than he did when he walked into the office just minutes before. “It will just become clear.”

The article highlights Berenson's desire and commitment to college hockey. His desire for players to get an education because a career in professional hockey isn't guaranteed. His frustration with players who forgo this great opportunity or leave early and suffer. A very telling story about a very great man.

Bangkok Under Pressure

Once again, I was checking out Boston's Big Picture the other day, and I came upon this gallery about unrest in Thailand. The Red Shirts want new elections and have been protesting for over a month. When they stormed the parliament building last week, the government gave greater power to security forces to quell the protests. It has turned violent. However, the violence did stop for the Lunar new year.

Kyrgyz Quitter?

Coco is Back!

But on TBS?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian and talk show host Conan O'Brien will host a late night show on basic cable TV channel TBS with an expected November debut, TBS said on Monday.

It seems like an odd choice for the late night funny man, but it will be good to see him back on television. I wonder if he will have more freedom on a cable network that he didn't have on NBC.

Kyrgyzstan Revolt

The other day, I was checking out Boston Globe's Big Picture, and I came across this photo album. I was greatly moved by the photos, so I decided to do more research.

The outlook does not look good in Kyrgyzstan.

Phil Mickelson Wins The Masters

I try to limit my sports related posts, but the Masters is a pretty significant event. Additionally, Phil Mickelson is a great story. At least his wife is. She is undergoing treatment for Breast Cancer, so Mickelson's win left my room a little dusty. I'm really happy for him and his family. It was great to see her there with him to celebrate his triumph, hopefully she will have a similar triumph in her battle with cancer. Here is what the champion had to say:

"We've been through a lot this year. It means a lot to share some joy together," Mickelson said, his voice cracking as he struggled to keep control. "It's been such an incredible week, an emotional week. And to cap it off with a victory is something I can't put into words.

"It's something we'll share for the rest of our lives."

Congratulations Phil!

Greek Bank Lifeline

Update: Kraczynski Plane Crash

His body was returned to Warsaw

The investigation has begun to see what has caused the crash. Technical problems have been ruled out:

Speaking at a meeting with the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who is in charge of the investigation, Russia's chief investigator Alexander Bastrykin, said: "The recordings that we have confirm that there were no technical problems with the plane.

"The pilot was informed about complex weather conditions but nevertheless made a decision to land."

There is a question of why that particular kind of plane was still in use:

However, questions were being asked last night about why a roll-call of Poland's influential politicians and military chiefs were allowed to travel on the same Tu-154 aeroplane. Russian has withdrawn its Tu-154 fleet, the workhorse of Eastern Bloc civil aviation in the 1970s and 80s, from service because the planes are expensive on fuel and do not meet international noise restrictions. While there have been 66 crashes involving the planes in the last four decades, Poland has not retired the aeroplane because of cost. The presidential plane was fully overhauled in December.

And of course, why so many dignitaries were on the same flight:

Gregorz Holdanowicz, a Polish military aviation expert, said the only rule as that the president, the prime minister and the speaker could not travel on the same plane. He said that the cost of flying so many out to the event would have been a reason for carrying so many dignitaries on the same flight.

Regardless of the circumstances, this is not going to do anything to help national sentiment against Russia. A very tragic story.