JohnsBlog (articles, news, thoughts, advice)

LETS GO FLYERS!  The chant will be heard throughout Philadelphia and the surroundnig counties this week as our Philadelphia Flyers go to battle w/their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. 

The Penguins won the season series with a 4-2 record, however 2 of those wins came in overtime, and each team has tallied exactly 21 goals against eachother...talk about an even matchup.  Should be a heck of a series, possibly one of the best the playoffs has to offer.  If the Flyguys can slow down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they should have a good shot at victory.

Last season, the Penguins beat up on the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals to send a younger, Simon Gagne-missing Flyers team home just a few victories short of a Stanley Cup playoff.  This time around, the Pens are missing Marian Hossa, and other key players they had for last years playoff run, so hopefully we'll see the tables turn!

LETS GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!

It's been a while since my last update, folks, but it appears one thing has not changed even the slightest bit...we're living in a world stuck in a very tumultous time on a global level.

Pirates are taking hostages for ransoms in Somalia, Navy SEALS are sniping pirates, Pirates are vowing revenge.  Could get interesting.  We haven't had an official "act of terror" since 9/11, however I think this latest run in would count for something....taking an American ship captain hostage and putting him in imminent danger would classify as terror to me.  This could all play out like an absolute mess as there are still many, many people being held hostage, and the world finally seems to be fed up with paying ransoms and taking action against these miscreants.  Could a Somali invasion be next?  We're already angry at N.Korea, at War with Iraq and Afghanistan, upset with Iran, what would a little Somali invasion on the side do?  Why not!?!?  This is all said tongue in cheek of course, just in acknowledgement of the mess the whole world seems to be in.

In the financial sector we see the stock market on life support but showing signs of life nonetheless as the DOW struggles to stay above 8000.  I think a lot of the recent rise in the market has come on the heels of naive investors who believe "we're almost at the end of the tunnel" though they clearly see no light.  With the unemployment rate rising and our total output of fake money growing by the billions into the trillions it seems to me that the only possible outcome of all this is hyperinflation and the devaluation of the USD. 

While conspiracy theorists unite in belief that this is all part of the worldwide conspiracy for a new world order (and heck, with all thats gone on recently w/the bank, the fed, war, and everything else, it doesnt seem that far off!), most try to hold their head up and think everything will be OK.  Im not too sure.  When top economists and financial experts disagree on nearly everything, its frightening....the people that are supposed to KNOW what's going to happen, really dont.  But, we shall see!

In much brighter news, the Flyers have clinched the 5th seed in the NHL playoffs and will play our cross-state rivals the Penguins.  Hopefully we destroy them this time around, and meet the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals (my dream matchup...I'd be very, very torn).

On a final note, RIP Harry Kalis, the voice of the Phillies, who passed away today while in Washington DC for the Phils-Nates game.  Such a sad, sad day for Philadelphia sports fans, as a beloved icon is no longer with us.  Broadcasts for the Phillies will never sound the same, and never sound as good.