text:
Some Favorite Quotations
"... what souls are these that run through this black haze?"
And he to me: "These are the nearly soulless
whose lives concluded neither blame nor praise.
They are mixed here with that despicable corps
of angels who were neither for God nor Satan,
but only for themselves. The High Creator
scourged them from Heaven for its perfect beauty,
and Hell will not receive them since the wicked
might feel some glory over them."
— Dante, Inferno III,29-48, John Ciardi, trans., Mentor Books, 1952, 1982.
"Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm — but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves."" — T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)
The sword and crook are one, and only evil
can follow from them when they are together;
for neither fears the other, being one.
— Dante, Purgatorio XVI,110-112, John Ciardi, trans., Mentor Books, 1952, 1982.
You mortals do not walk a single way
in your philosophies, but let the thought
of being acclaimed as wise lead you astray.
Yet Heaven bears even this with less offense
than It must feel when It sees Holy Writ
neglected, or perverted of all sense.
You do not count what blood and agony
planted it in the world, nor Heaven's pleasure
in those who search it in humility.
Each man, to show off, strains at some absurd
invented truth; and it is these the preachers
make sermons of; and the Gospel is not heard.
— Dante, Paradiso XXIX,85-96, John Ciardi, trans., Mentor Books, 1952, 1982.
Oh grace abounding that had made me fit
to fix my eyes on the Eternal Light
until my vision was consumed in It!
I saw within Its depth how It conceives
all things in a single volume bound by Love,
of which the universe is the scattered leaves...
— Dante, Paradiso XXXIII,85-90, John Ciardi, trans., Mentor Books, 1952, 1982.
Oh shame to men! Devil with Devil damn'd
Firm concord holds, men only disagree
Of creatures rational, though under hope
Of Heavenly Grace: and God proclaiming peace,
Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife
Among themselves, and levy cruel wars,
Wasting the earth, each other to destroy:
As if (which might induce us to accord)
Man had not hellish foes enow besides,
That day and night for his destruction wait.
— John Milton, Paradise Lost, II, 496-505, 1667
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is far worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. — John Stewart Mill
Faith & Reason
Without reason we would not know how to apply the insights of faith to the concrete issues of living. The worship of reason is arrogance and betrays a lack of intelligence. The rejection of reason is cowardice and betrays a lack of faith. — Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 20, 1955
The Greeks learned in order to comprehend. The Hebrews learned in order to revere. The modern man learns in order to use. — Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 34, 1955
Religious thinking is in perpetual danger of giving primacy to concepts and dogmas and to forfeit the immediacy of insights, to forget that the known is but a reminder of God, that the dogma is a token of His will, the expression of the inexpressible at its minimum. Concepts, words must not become screens; they must be regarded as windows. — Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 116, 1955
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. — Epictetus
If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out. — Rabindranath Tagore
Faith & Humor
God is a comic, playing to an audience that's afraid to laugh." — Voltaire
Thanks to Rev. Janet Sunderland, August 2001 Newsletter, Church of Antioch, Kansas City
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me." - John Howard, past Olympian, ultracyclist, and Ironman Triathlon world champ
Inanimate Things
Inanimate objects are dead in relation to man; they are alive in relation to God. — Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 97, 1955
Certainly God is more than "a name for that which concerns man ultimately." Only saints are ultimately concerned with God. What concerns most of us ultimately is our ego. The Biblical consciousness begins not with man's, but with God's concern. The supreme fact in the eyes of the prophets is the presence of God's concern for man and the absence of man's concern for God. — Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, 127, 1955
The Body of Christ
If we despise our brother, our worship is unreal, and forfeits every divine promise. When we come before God with our hearts full of contempt, and unreconciled with our neighbors, we are, both individually and collectively, worshipping an idol.... Not just our own anger, but the fact that someone has been hurt, damaged, or disgraced by us, who "has a cause against us," erects a barrier between us and God. Let us therefore as a Church examine ourselves, and see whether we have not often enough wronged our fellow men. Let us see whether we have tried to win popularity by falling in with the world's hatred, its contempt and its contumely. For if we do that, we are murderers. Let the fellowship of Christ so examine itself today, and ask whether, at the hour of prayer and worship, any accusing voices intervene and make its prayer vain. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship , 144-145, 1937.
It is our duty as human beings to proceed as though the limits of our capabilities do not exist. — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Thanks to Kay Goodnow
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. — Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
Studying without a Teacher
Too often we put saddlebags on Jesus and let the donkey run loose in the pasture. — Rumi, The Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks, trans., 256.
Thanks to Christopher Hoover.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, design a building, write a sonnet, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, solve equations, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. — Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long.
The way you train the high-flying administrators, the mandarins, can be summed up in one sentence. It is to train people to be at ease with their consciences when they take decisions about things they do not understand. — Alan Dickinson (quoted in Rhodes, Deadly Feasts)
Many companies are attracted by a fantasy version of empowerment and simultaneously repelled by the reality. How lovely to have energetic, dedicated workers who always seize the initiative (but only when 'appropriate'), who enjoy taking risks (but never risky ones), who volunteer their ideas (but only brilliant ones), who solve problems on their own (but make no mistakes), who aren't afraid to speak their minds (but never ruffle any feathers), who always give their very best to the company (but ask no unpleasant questions about what the company is giving them back). How nice it would be, in short, to empower workers without actually giving them any power. — Peter Kizilos
It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd. — Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Volume II, Chapter 4, Section 6, "What Sort of Despotism Democratic Nations Have to Fear"
It's unwise to pay to much, but it's worse to pay to little. When you pay too much you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it si well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. — John Ruskin 1819-1900
Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm, but the harm does not interest them, or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves. - T. S. Eliot
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote! - Benjamin Franklin
The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words. — Philip K. Dick (1928- 1982)
It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is. — William Jefferson Clinton
When ideas fail, words come in very handy. — Goethe
In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. — George Orwell
Thanks to Jay Nelson, Church of Antioch, Albuquerque, who uses it as a an e-mail signature.
As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand. — Josh Billings
I went out of that gallery and into another and still larger one, which at the first glance reminded me of a military chapel hung with tattered flags. The brown and charred rags that hung from the sides of it, I presently recognized as the decaying vestiges of books. They had long since dropped to pieces, and every semblance of print had left them. But here and there were warped boards and cracked metallic clasps that told the tale well enough. Had I been a literary man I might, perhaps, have moralized upon the futility of all ambition. But as it was, the thing that struck me with keenest force was the enormous waste of labour to which this somber wilderness of rotting paper testified. At the time, I will confess that I thought chiefly of the Philosophical Transactions and my own seventeen papers upon physical optics. - H.G. Wells, in The Time Machine as quoted at the end of Al Garcia's publication list.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away". - Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ozymandias"
It is astounding to realize that perhaps half of all human knowledge has been discovered or created in the past century. But then again, so has half the bullshit. — Mrs. Scooper, circa 1988
There is a kind of stupidity with which even the Gods struggle in vain. — Schiller
The demand for equality has two sources: one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest of human emotions. The noble source is the desire for fair play. But the other source is the hatred of superiority. At the present moment it would be very unrealistic to overlook the importance of the latter.
There is in all men a tendency (only corrigible by good training from without and persistent moral effort from within) to resist the existence of what is stronger, subtler, or better than themselves. In uncorrected and brutal small men this hardens into an implacable and disinterested hatred for every kind of excellence…
Equality (outside mathematics) is a purely social conception. It applies to man as a political and economic animal. It has no place in the world of the mind. Beauty is not democratic; she reveals herself more to the few than to the many, more to the persistent and disciplined seekers than to the careles. Virtue is not democratic; she is achieved by those who persue her more hotly than most men. Truth is not democratic; she demands special talents and special industry in those to whom she gives her favors.
Political democracy is doomed if it tries to extend its demand for equality into these higher spheres. Ethical, intellectual, or aesthetic democracy is death. A truly democratic education - one which will preserve democracy - must be, in its own field, ruthlessly aristocratic, shamelessly "high-brow." — C. S. Lewis, "Democratic Education" (1944)
Labels: apologetics, business, Christianity, government, interfaith, notices
Review: Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world throught him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved the darkeness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. — John 3:16-21, KJV
The meaning in the message
Before we jump into a critique of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," a decent respect for people who are other than Christian requires that we set the ground for the discussion by saying a few words about the film's premise.
From the New Testament writers, through St. Augustine to the present, Christian apologists (explainers) have used the narrative of Genesis 3 to establish the necessity for God to "beget" a Son who can bear God's Wrath against us for the Sin which we have inherited as a result of Adam and Eve (the first humans) having eaten a piece of fruit from the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" that God had forbidden them. To the first Christian community, almost all of whom were Jews familiar with Genesis, this made sense. But judging from the declining membership in mainline churches, it doesn't make sense to many people today.
Rather than scoff at the doctrine — and scoff one can, starting with St. Augustine's argument that we inherit Adam's Sin through our fathers' semen — let's try to extract its meaning by letting go of Genesis and focussing on the Crucifixion itself. And though we will only extract mere words, we ask that they may point to the Living Truth whose silence answered Pilate when he asked, with haughty cynicism, "What is Truth?"
Let's start with the barest outline of the Christian narrative: God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it, chose to become born as an ordinary person, like you and me, named Y'shua (whom we call Jesus) about 2000 years ago, as we reckon time, in Judea (a remnant of the ancient kindgom of Israel, which in Jesus' time had been annexed and occupied by the Roman Empire). At the same time, God remained God, separate from Jesus, so that Jesus could only connect with God through prayer, just like you and me. Ordinary people, like you and me (many of the Judeans and their religious-political leaders), had Jesus killed because his practices and his preaching threatened their existence in three ways:
Jesus' laxity of ritual observance undermined the purity of Judeans' system of beliefs and worship practices (the root of both modern Judaism and Christianity). Many writings in their Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament Scriptures) led them to believe that purity of Religion was necessary to retain God's favor, which they believed necessary to sustain them as a people, especially under the brutal heel of Roman occupation.
Jesus' thinly veiled sedition against the Roman occupation of Judea (His "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's: render unto God that which is God's," would seem to indicate that he thought Judeans owed their primary allegiance to something greater than Caesar) threatened to ignite a new round of violent persecution by the Romans. The Judeans had been exiled from their land once before — into Babylon — and they were afraid the Romans would exile them again. Indeed, the Romans coined the term Palestina (after the Philistines) in order to divorce the Judeans from their land by changing its name.
And finally, the Judean leaders were concerned that Jesus would turn the subjugated (and angry) populace against them for desecrating their Faith by collaborating with the Romans. Certainly he seemed to demand a kind of "inner purity" that he accused them of not practicing.
So, they did the prudent (and self-serving) thing. They handed this charismatic, but dangerous kook over to the Roman authorities, who routinely killed barbarians (non-Romans) by crucifixion, a method so horrific, that no one depicted Christ on the Cross until about A.D. 400, a century after the practice had been abolished and had passed from living memory.
As for the Romans — they thought it only proper to kill any overly religious Judean who might be taken to impugn the Divine Mandate of Caesar to rule Judea or any other part of the whole world. As for the Judean leaders and many of the Judeans themselves — their moral compromise was in vain: within forty years, the Romans massacred the Judeans and dispersed the survivors into the wider world. (Which set the stage for Jewish and Christian sensibility to shape the mores of Western Civilization to this day.)
But then, on the third day after his execution, people began seeing Jesus alive, and having conversations with him in which they walked with him, touched him, and ate food with him. Finally, after many days he appeared to be taken upward into heaven.
These events transformed the followers of Jesus. They had been humiliated, disillusioned, and terrorized by the brutal and comtemptuous execution of their leader. But after the Resurrection, they embraced death — both his and their own — and defiantly proclaimed his teachings, his death by crucifixion, and his resurrection against all authorities, despite all ridicule, and despite all hazards. And they changed the world.
But first they had to explain the meaning of the events they had witnessed. Which means they had to interpret these events using words and images that would be understood by their audiences, both Judean and Greco-Roman.
Now all explanation is simile and metaphor. One can only explain the unfamiliar by likening it to something the novice already knows and understands. All human language is a series of symbols, which stand for things, or point to things, but are not the things themselves. One is not going to capture the infinite God in a finite string of words, even if that string is as long as the whole Bible. Nevertheless, they had to explain, and, between forty and ninety years after the events themselves, their explanations (which had become oral traditions of several tiny and persecuted minorities) were written down as the four Gospels familiar to us now. But even before the Gospels were written, the gifted, educated, and driven Apostle Paul, wrote letters that explained Christ in terms familiar to both the occupied and their oppressors.
Though it seems inoffensive to us now, the reaction of anyone who had seen a crucifixion to the Paul's declaration, "I knew only Christ, and him crucified," would be shock. They would think him to be an idiot. Yet many would listen for a while, in horrified fascination.
Jesus is indeed our Messiah, he would tell the Judeans, because he conquered the greatest enemies of all, Death and Evil. He came into this world precisely to submit himself to the worst they could do, and then to triumph over them, on our behalf. And now that he has triumphed, he will come back for every single one of us who will follow him and lead us to Eternal Life with God — not some dim semi-existence like the Judean Sheol, or the Greco-Roman Hades, but Eternal Bliss with the Father, the Son, and the angels.
The Judeans would understand Jesus in terms of the sacrifice of Abraham, and the lamb sacrificed at Passover, as being the sacrifice to end all sacrifice. For the point of all sacrifice is to give up something of value in order to make things right with God. Now God himself has provided the highest value, his Son, just as God provided a ram so that Abraham would not have to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God's Son, Jesus, is the stand-in for us all, for the debt we owe God, because, on our own, we are not right with God. The Judeans would understand this through the narrative of Genesis, in which Death and hardship entered the world, because the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed the only commandment God had given them.
To the Romans, Jesus would be understandable as a tragic hero, who, like Hector in Homer's Iliad, carried out his honorable duty, though the path of honorable duty was doomed to a tragic and painful end. He would also be understandable as a truth-teller, who, like Socrates, chose to die rather than to appease respectable society by abandoning the truth. The Romans would understand that we are not right with God by observing the evil and corruption rampant in society. They were also familiar with Death and hardship entering the world through an act of disobedience — Pandora opening Epimetheus' box, against his order.
To either audience, the occupied or the oppressors, Paul and the Apostles would preach that the crucifixion of Jesus had been necessary, not for human purposes, but for God's purpose of redeeming humankind from Sin (actually hamartia which refers to a tragic flaw or a tragic mis-direction, in Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written) and the consequence of Sin — Death.
We, on the other hand, now know that hardship and Death were in the world from the beginning of Life, long before there were humans. Further, we know that evolution is the response of Life to hardship and Death, and that humans are one of the expressions of that response. In other words, God used hardship and Death to make humans. In response to hardship and Death, we often disregard others and look out only for ourselves. But, since we are evolved to be a social species, we know that it is wrong for us to do so. We know that we must do good for ourselves and our society, and that sometimes, we must sacrifice our personal desires and interests for some higher good. We know that this is what God's Justice has written on our hearts, yet we disobey, and we lie to ourselves about it. And we attack those who threaten to expose our lies — like Socrates, the Prophets, and Jesus. (Or anyone who challenges our way of seeing the world and ourselves.)
We don't want to be confronted with our lies. Which means we can't accept our true selves, and we don't believe anyone else can, either, unless we pay the price, unless we earn acceptablity by self-sacrifice to a higher cause. Yet we need to accept our true selves, in order to be able to tolerate God, in whose presence we confront the truth about everything. The price is beyond our ability to pay, for in the presence of God, we have nothing to offer but tainted goods — the selves that even we cannot accept. So God pays the price for us. God came into the world as one of us, to endure abandonment by God, and to be killed by us.
That is the price of admission for people like us into God's Presence — Paradise. It is a shock, a horror, and a scandal. And since we don't want to be confronted by the inference that we are that bad, we deny it, and attack (at least verbally) those who proclaim it.
Ecce Gibson
"The Passion of the Christ" opens with the camera moving at night between tree trunks toward the sweating, trembling figure of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. "Oh my God, this is really Catholic," I think as I brace myself for a two-hour ordeal. James Cazviel portrays spiritual distress so intense that it manifests itself in physical agony even before Judas and the Sanhedrin's private guards arrive. (Protestants discreetly emphasize the spiritual agony of the Passion, while Catholics emphasize the physical suffering. Points to the Catholics — we Protestants are often too prissy about embodiment. On the other hand, most lay Catholics I know have never really thought much about theology.)
We go on to see Jesus beaten and spat upon by the Sanhedrin's guards, and then beaten, whipped, flayed, kicked, and crowned with thorns by Pilate's Roman soldiers. We see him forced to carry his own cross, which he embraces. We in the audience are relieved that his torture is nearly over, but the worst is yet to come. Gibson forces us to look as each nail is driven into Christ's sacred hands and feet. Mother Mary watches, her hands clenched into the gravel on which she kneels. I look down at my own hands, clenching the arms of my seat.
Other commentators have deplored this graphic depiction of violence as excessive and offensive, unaware of what views they have been spared. We do not see Jesus naked, even though the Romans commonly humiliated their victims by exhibiting them without clothing. We do not see Jesus raped, even though Roman soldiers had license to further humiliate their captives by sexual abuse. (Perhaps Jesus was spared such treatment, as he was spared the breaking of his bones, but the Gospels and Catholic tradition are silent on this point.) Nor do we watch for six or eight hours as Jesus hangs from the cross, the motion of each involuntary gasp for breath causing such agony that he prays it to be his last.
Other commentators take issue with some of Gibson's portrayals, as do I. Pilate, for one, comes off far too sympathetically. Roman writings by his contemporaries describe Pilate as being so wantonly cruel that he was eventually recalled (fired) from his position as Prefect (Roman Governor) of Judea, because his brutal repression of the Judeans was itself causing too much resentment. I can't imagine that Pilate would have given a damn about yet one more charismatic, faith-healing preacher. Even Jesus' admission, "My Kingdom is not of this world," would have offended him. The only kings were those to whom Caesar and the Senate granted that title.
By the same token, Caiaphas (the chief Priest) comes off too unsympathetically, and the story suffers his loss as a potential figure for instruction. I have given my own more sympathetic interpretation above. In Gibson's rendition, however, Caiaphas has about as much regard for human life as the Taliban, and even threatens Pilate with stirring up a rebellion if Pilate does not crucify Jesus.
Caiaphas and his followers may have been the official priests of the Temple, but they had been installed and maintained by Rome as useful collaborators, and everyone knew it. Those with legimate claim to be priests — descendants of Aaron and members of the tribe of Levi — had been suppressed, and their line of descent had been obsured. In other words, Caiaphas and the Judean religious-legal body called the Sanhedrin were in no position to start a rebellion.
They were not even in a position to execute a man (although stoning the occasional adulteress seemed to be okay). The Roman occupation reserved that power for itself. That is to say, Jesus was executed on Pilate's order.
By contrast, I almost weep for Peter's anguish at realizing how he had betrayed Jesus by denying that he knew him. I feel the same even for Judas, who in his mortal regret for having betrayed Jesus, commits suicide before he could see the Resurrection, and seek the Forgiveness that the Risen Christ would surely have granted him. Perhaps these shadings of emotion are merely my projections, derived from my prior meditations on the Crucifixion. Or perhaps they are reactions to the shadings of portrayal in the cinematic art of Gibson and his cast.
May we legitimately ask of Gibson that he slant the portrayals ever so slightly toward more modern sensibilities? After all, the Gospels themselves are slanted toward the sensibilities of a Greco-Roman audience (they were written in Greek, not Hebrew or Aramaic) living in the latter part of the first century, A.D. The Gospel writers whitewash Pilate and tar Caiaphas, because you don't win converts and avoid persecution by implicating your audience's favorite governing structures in a crime against the God-Man for whom you seek to win their conversion. But you must implicate some group — religion back then was even more of a team sport than it is now — so why not some group who wasn't able to defend itself, like the Judeans? And besides, the Judeans were there, many of them must have called for, or at least assented to, the Crucifixion, and just as most of them had successfully resisted contamimation of their religion by the Romans, most of them also resisted contamination of their traditional religion by the Jesus movement, which must have engendered some animosity on the part of the early Christians, both Roman and Judean.
[OK. I could call them "Jews," but the Judeans were divided into about five religio-political factions, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Zealots, and the Jesus movement. Of these, the Pharisees evolved through the crucibles of the occupation and the Diaspora, and their creative reaction to them — the Talmud — into modern Judaism. The Jesus movement was absorbed by Greco-Roman culture and became Christianity, which means that Christianity is, culturally speaking, an extremely Hellenized branch of Judaism. The other factions did not survive the Roman occupation. Besides, the Romans didn't call them Jews, either. They called them Judeans, which is translated into modern languages as "Jews."]
So, the Gospels are anti-Judean, or at least anti-the-Judean-factions-that-were-not-the-Jesus-movement. Thus written, they have lent themselves to later interpreters who were anti-Semitic, which contributed to anti-Semitism becoming one of the Sins of the Christian Church. Can we therefore ask that Gibson re-slant the story, so that the Judeans appear more sympathetic, and the Romans less so?
Within limits, Gibson already does it. It is clear in the film that many Judeans are in the Jesus movement. Several members of the Sanhedrin itself challenge the legitimacy of Caiaphas' midnight "trial" of Jesus, before they are ejected. But the limits are narrow.
The limits are set by mostly by the Gospel texts as we have received them, collected, selected, and preserved for us by the Roman Catholic Church. And with the exception of a few touches, Gibson stays within them. Jesus and his Mother Mary, for example have few speaking parts in the Passion narratives, and therefore, few speaking parts in the film. Rather than fully developed characters, they are cinematic icons. Jesus, is the innocent Lamb of God, who bears the Sins of the World. Mary is the Mother is the embodiment of comfort and strength, even as she herself bears the unbearable torment of witnessing her Son's slow and brutal execution. Other than Christ, she alone seems to understand what is happening and to accept its necessity.
The other limits on Gibson's film are set by the extra-biblical traditions of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Passion. One of those extra-biblical traditions, perhaps one may serve to illuminate Gibson's motivation.
As Jesus collapses yet again while bearing his Cross toward Golgotha, a woman steps forward to wipe his bloody face with a cloth. In Catholic tradition, she is only named for what she posesses, Veronica, the True Image (of Christ). Again, I feel tears welling in my eyes. If only the tradition were true, and if only the Veronica had not been lost. I care not so much to look on an image of Christ, whether true or not, but something in me yearns to touch, even to kiss, something that had touched my Lord in kindness. I surprise myself that I am capable of such piety.
Piety is obviously Gibson's motivation for making this film. It is a thank-you card from Mel to his Redeemer, and to the Church that instructed him in the Faith. Mel gave it everything he had, and stayed as close as the film-maker's art would allow to the text and traditions as given. His piety permits no slanting or softening to meet the demands of modern sensibility. Nor is it needed. Rather, modern sensibility has for too long been trying to forget its roots in the ancient faith. It is modern sensibility that could stand to be less smug.
So, bottom line. Is "The Passion of the Christ" anti-Semitic? As writer-producer-director, he had complete creative control over this film. I was told that the hand he chose to show driving the nail into Christ's hand is his own. (And until you can come to an understanding that, spiritually speaking, the Blood of Christ is on your hands, too, you have yet to make a truly Christian confession.)
The Passion of the Christ (both the narratives in the Gospels, and Mel Gibson's film) is a shock, a horror, and a scandal, but it is also the beginning of the Good News. The completion is the moment of Resurrection, with which the film ends.
If you are Christian, I recommend that you see "The Passion of the Christ" for the opportunity to expose yourself to the emotional impact of what it is you say you believe. If you are other than Christian, this is an opportunity to find out what makes the Christians with whom you share this world tick. There is very little "background" in the movie, so you might want to read one or more of the Gospels first. But don't bring the kids. It's rated R for a reason.
Editor's Note: After 2006, it appears that if you get Mel Gibson drunk, let him drive, and then try to arrest him, he gets anti-Semitic Tourette's Syndrome. The film may not be overtly anti-Semitic, but we're not so sure about Mel.
Labels: anti-Semitism, Christianity, crucifixion, good and evil, historical Jesus, original sin, resurrection, review, theodicy


Lori did my newborn photo session and I can't praise her enough! She was so accommodating with my daughter. She came to my house for an in-home session, and really made it a painless experience. She knew how to soothe my newborn and positioned her effortlessly for the cutest natural poses. I'm in love with the photos and I hope to return to Swirls Studio 7 Photography for family photos later this year.
Another phenomenal experience with Lori @ Swirls Studio Photography.
She is a baby whisperer with a wonderful heart and a gentle spirit that puts everyone at ease. Been working with her for numerous years including two pregnancies, two births, and a marriage. Very happy and strongly recommended!
Lori is great with my twins getting them smiling and hugging, great work much appreciated perfection.
Lori takes amazing photos. Open to any ideas and very sweet. She is awesome 5 stars isn't enough. Thank you again see you soon.
Lori is amazing! Her photos come out beautifully! She took our maternity pictures with our two dogs in a busy park, and the pictures came out amazing. She then took our newborn pictures, when our daughter was 1month old. So a little more challenging, but the pictures came out beautiful. We will definitely be using Lori for any other pictures we are going to get done.
Beautiful Cake Smash Session ! Excellent Photographs ! Great Customer Service!
Lori is absolutely amazing! She takes amazing pictures and is so sweet and kind. Can't wait to work with her again in the future!
Lori did such a wonderful job on our engagement photos. Shes open to any ideas you have and makes you feel very comfortable while taking pictures. I highly recommend her!
I am so grateful for Lori, she took beautiful pictures of my family!!! Because of her my daughter has such a wonderful pictures!!!
Great work! Lori and Sue did my wedding, came out beautiful. I really recommend....great job!
Absolutely in love with all photos that my family has taken with Lori. They're always turning out beautiful.
Amazing experience! Lori was very accommodating and I love her work!
Great pics. . We enjoyed taking all the pictures with Lori and Sue.
Wonderful photos she did of my family! I highly recommend her.
From a client that knows what "Capturing the Precious Moments" represents. Catching a blink of an eye moment, to return to again and again. Thank you Lori Thomas for your professionalism, patience with the little ones and such great creativity!


It's not the only open-cut gold mine in the region, but it is the biggest. You can view it from a lookout perched on top of the spoil heap that looms over historic Boulder. You can watch the haul trucks crawling up the sides, looking like ants rather than the giant machines that they are. You can spot entrances to tiny, dark tunnels where the open cut has dug across an old underground working. The pit is deep indeed, but some of the old shafts go even deeper.
Workers on the floor of the pit wear harnesses, dangling from specialised cranes like puppets on cables, in case a hidden void opens beneath them. In what is now thin air over the middle of the pit, little towns once stood: family homes, village shops, schools, churches. Day and night, in 12-hour shifts, the work goes on. Explosives are drilled into rock walls and the pit floor. I feel the vibrations of the blasting at home, kilometres away, around four o'clock most afternoons. A little ore goes to have its gold extracted. A lot of unwanted rock is added to the vast blanket of spoil spread thickly over what was once bushland. It's now a moonscape: dusty, stark, barren.
I am torn between admiration for the engineering marvel of modern mining and horror at the devastation it leaves. So much skill and science, so many jobs and livelihoods! And so much waste, destruction, bleakness. Perhaps God looks at you and me and has a similar reaction. So much astonishing capacity, such imagination and creativity! And yet so often deflected, deliberately or in ignorance, into destruction and damage. There is no going back to a pristine landscape after a massive mining operation, and there is no going back to human innocence after grievous sin. Forgiveness changes the future, but not the past. Forgiven people may dig over the past, scavenging what good we can from the wreckage. Forgiven people will plant gardens on the debris, coaxing towards beauty and fruitfulness some of what we ruined in greed or haste. But rehabilitation has its limits, in spiritual life as in mining. So forgiven people also pray for God to give what all our work cannot win for us. We pray for a new heaven and a new earth, where the scars of sin are no longer seen, and the sweetness of grace fills everything.


text:
Diana West is the author of "The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization," and blogs at dianawest.net.
@diana_west_
Recent articles by Diana West
Diana West October 9, 2014 at 8:24pm
National crisis: A border that has no barrier
How globalism imperils Americans' lives
Diana West September 25, 2014 at 7:14pm
Whitewashing history: Communism and Islam
More insane arming of 'moderates'
More 'counterinsurgency' madness
Diana West September 4, 2014 at 7:26pm
Countering 'extremism' will never defeat jihad
Diana West August 21, 2014 at 7:22pm
Eric Holder: Leading the rush to judgment
Diana West August 7, 2014 at 6:56pm
Afghanistan: Murder capital for U.S. warriors
Diana West July 31, 2014 at 7:29pm
America's progeny will ask: Why didn't they impeach him?
Israel and U.S.: Whose survival instinct is stronger?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Zakat Fund Distribution to Poor People 2021
Zakat is an Islamic finance phrase that termed as to an individual's obligation to donate a set percentage of their money to charitable charities each year.
Zakat is an Islamic finance phrase that termed as to an individual's obligation to donate a set percentage of their money to charitable charities each year. For Muslims, zakat is an obligatory ritual that is also seen as a form of prayer. A person who must pay zakat can either designate its recipients and then distribute it to them personally, or select an agent to distribute it. It is also feasible to give the zakat to the local Muslim authority. Our team raises a fund on the purpose zakat at 2021 and successfully help the persons in need.


WHY SATRIUN GROUP FOR YOUR SAP EPM PROJECT?
We are recognised by SAP for the quality of our delivery, exceeded clients' expectations and 100% referenceable projects. The recognition is based on numerous international projects, delivering success and sustainable solutions for SAP's clients.
Our corporate and management consulting background allows us to challenge the corporate centre and discuss unifying data models, improvement of reporting processes to achieve faster and more accurate close, assessment of KPIs, their use, understanding and accuracy for the company, transformation of performance measurement models, etc.
Executives at Satriun Group have a hands-on attitude and actively participate in projects, taking responsibility for the delivery quality, driving the design of the CPM applications, accompanying the teams on a daily basis and acting as a contact point and sparring partner for the customer project teams.
Satriun Group applies a rigorous and proven engagement methodology already applied to many successful projects. This 8-steps waterfall methodology is particularly accurate for Corporate Performance Management solutions implementation projects.
Every one of our clients is an active reference and an ambassador of Satriun Group. We take great pride in having delivered continuous success and building long-term relationships with all our clients. The quality of the delivery has generated much repeat business for Satriun Group and the assurance of a robust, yet flexible and evolutive SAP EPM platform for our clients.
Many of our consultants have their roots with Big4 companies, large consultancies or Group Finance departments at international corporations. During their careers, such consultants have completed their practical skills with academic achievements and can exchange with expert level professionals at the Office of Finance of our clients.
We have delivered all our projects as independent consultants, fully responsible for the outcome and fully independent on all aspects of SAP EPM implementations, including functional and technical configurations. Our references can testify to our perfect knowledge of the SAP EPM technology.
Satriun Group provides industry-specific expertise for Banks and Insurance companies, especially covering regulatory reporting needs such as FinRep, CoRep, Solvency II, IFRS 4 and IFRS 17. Satriun Group consultants possess expert knowledge of SAP rapid-deployment solution for financial close and disclosure management.
CONTACT US TO DISCUSS YOUR SAP EPM PROJECT TODAY!


Came across an interesting article the other day; Should We Eliminate Our Vacation Policy? by Henry Blodget of Business Insider. Will the movement of companies ditching their vacation policies and tracking gain momentum?
It all started at movie rental giant, Netflix. In a publicly released HR presentation it shared the impetus behind the move: "An employee pointed out 'We don't track hours worked per day or per week, so why are we tracking days of vacation per year?'"
The sentiment wasn't lost on management: "We should focus on what people get done, not how many hours or days worked. Just as we don't have a 9-5 day policy, we don't need a vacation policy."
If a company decides to stop tracking vacation days and throw vacation policies out the window, what happens to paid-time off? Do employees still receive an allotment of paid time off per year, or does the company give unlimited PTO?
Netflix decided to go with unlimited--the policy says employees are entrusted to take as much time as they need, as long as they communicate internally with the team and cover their responsibilities, which leads to my next question.
Is Netflix run by a bunch of hippies? The honor system has its merits--I am sure the sense of trust boosts morale--but, at least to my understanding, it's human nature to push boundaries. Doubtless there are employees milking the vacation policy. Has Netflix compromised productivity for the "coolest place to work" moniker?
If employees are taking advantage of the "no policy" vacation policy, would companies need to institute more policies to police this behavior? Seems silly but I bet doing-away with the one policy created a whole other set of problems that now need new policies.
So, what other policies can probably be done away-with? It seems the bigger the company the lengthier the rule book gets--for legal reasons as much as an excuse to keep someone on payroll--is all that policing really necessary?
Can small and medium sized businesses afford to be as trusting as Netflix?


text:
About the Global Energy Center
The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center promotes energy security by working alongside government, industry, civil society, and public stakeholders to devise pragmatic solutions to the geopolitical, sustainability, and economic challenges of the changing global energy landscape.
In its fourth year, the Global Energy Center has become a go-to policy organization for governments, industry, and civil society to understand and navigate the energy transition, with the ultimate goal of helping shape a world with secure and sustainable energy.
The Global Energy Center's work provides pragmatic solutions to the challenges presented by the rapidly changing energy landscape, working to enhance energy security for countries and individuals around the world.
Navigating the challenges of the changing global energy landscape
The global energy landscape has not been this uncertain in decades. Policy- and technology-driven change has created the prospect of "peak oil demand"—the moment when global demand for oil reaches its zenith and begins to recede—but no one can say for certain when or if this will occur. Shale oil in the United States continues to be resilient, responding quickly to price increases and dampening the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)'s efforts to buoy "lower for longer" global oil prices. Gas surpassed coal as the primary fuel for power generation in the United States for the first time in 2016, but coal is expected to take back the crown in 2017, only to be surpassed by gas again in 2018. Further, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has recently revised its global renewables forecast upward for the next five years, projecting 43 percent growth by 2022, the fastest growing of all power sources. All told, the energy mix in five years or twenty-five years is uncertain, but what is clear is that the mix is experiencing profound structural changes.
The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic community's central role in meeting global challenges. The Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders. Through the papers we write, the ideas we generate, and the communities we build, the Council shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more secure and prosperous world.
The Global Energy Center works with its government, corporate, and civil society partners to help them navigate the changing global energy landscape. Utilizing its own and external experts and in close collaboration the Atlantic Council's regional centers and functional programs, the Center convenes high-level gatherings in Washington, DC and beyond—including our annual Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi and Istanbul Summit—to provide a forum for a public debate on regional and global energy issues; produces timely and relevant analysis; and engages directly with policymakers, business leaders, and academic experts to inform and shape the energy policy debate in capitals around the world.
The core pillars of the Center's work are:
Geopolitics and Energy Security
The Global Energy Center works to pinpoint key trends at the intersection of energy and geopolitics that could disrupt regional stability and global energy markets. Leveraging the Council's analytical and convening power, the center engages with key stakeholders to consider the geopolitical implications of the energy needs of states—in terms of supply, demand, and transit—and of the geographic, economic, and social factors that impact those needs.
Understanding and Managing the Energy Transition
The global energy mix is changing, and navigating the rapidly evolving markets and shifting geopolitics is more challenging than ever. Using the latest research to identify market trends and model future scenarios to understand potential disruption, the Global Energy Center builds strategies for policy makers and business leaders amidst the changing global energy landscape.
New Models for Climate Action
In 2018, the Global Energy Center launched a new initiative that looks beyond beltway partisanship to find common ground and alter the conversation about climate change. By emphasizing green technology as a tool for US military, economic, and diplomatic leadership, the Global Energy Center hopes to identify lessons and best practices to support global climate change commitments and efforts to expand access to sustainable energy in developing countries.
Energy Markets and Governance
Energy producers and consumers alike are managing an uncertain future for oil prices, new possibilities for market integration, and the continued rise of renewables. Meanwhile, policy intervention impacts the energy landscape, from the use of energy sanctions as a foreign policy tool, to incentivizing new—or old—energy sources. The Global Energy Center seeks to interpret this dynamism and build new frameworks for the business and policy communities to manage energy uncertainty.
The Global Energy Center's work is supported by a team with an extensive range of experience and expertise on a variety of critical energy issues.
Richard L. Morningstar
Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia
Global Energy Center
Randolph Bell
Jennifer T. Gordon
Energy & Environment Nuclear Energy
David Livingston
Deputy Director, Climate and Advanced Energy
Bina Hussein
Reed Blakemore
Olga Khakova
Associate Director, European Energy Security
Gray Johnson
Bryan J. Tamburro
Business Strategies Consultant
Becca Hunziker, Assistant Director
Emily Burlinghaus, Program Assistant
Zachary Strauss, Program Assistant
David Yellen, Project Assistant
Global Energy Center newsletter
Sign up for the Global Energy Center newsletter to stay up to date on the program's work.


text:
Posted in TRUE BLUE	| Tagged #WeAreAllCanucks, True Blue, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply
The 2019 NHL Draft has come and gone, and boy was it memorable! Can you believe it's already come and gone?! I'm still re-living the magic of it all.
I'm not sure what I expected from the NHL Draft, but to say it was a whirlwind is putting it lightly. This is the first year I've had to privilege of attending the draft in person as the Canucks were hosts to the event. Prior to this year, I've only ever watched it unfold on TV or following along on social media, and I've got to say that seeing it all happen LIVE was something incredible to witness.
I remember the moment the NHL announced that the Canucks would be the host for the 2019 NHL Draft, and immediately I knew I had to attend. In fact, I texted my friend, Brieann and my sister and told them in uncertain terms that WE were going. Not that we should think about it, but that we HAD to go. It was non-negotiable. Their reactions were to say that absolutely we WILL go! And so this post will be purely seen from the fan perspective behind the scenes of the magic that was the NHL Draft.
Attending the draft, was a plan in the back of my mind for the entirety of the 2018-19 NHL season as we waited to hear the details of the draft and the availability of tickets. It felt like an eternity before any ticket information was available and once released, we made sure to secure our seats.
When I told people I wanted to go the Draft (& then that I was going), they told me it would be all kinds of boring. The Draft has always fascinated me and to have the opportunity to see it up close was something I had to do.
Hello Rogers Arena, the NHL Draft looks good on you.
DAY 1: Round ONE.
Walking into the arena and seeing the tables and stage set up. you could feel the electricity of what was about to happen. There was a buzz in the air. We found our seats and I was ready to take all the notes as we waited to witness history.
Shall we start with the part when John Shorthouse came out and announced that: "Hello folks, we have a trade to announce…" which brought immediate intrigue from the crowd for a brief moment before we all realized he was of course kidding. And then he gave us one of the worst kept secrets: ALEX BURROWS will be inducted into the Ring of Honour during the Canucks upcoming season. I cannot think of a more deserving candidate, especially in a season that will feature the Canucks retiring the Sedins' jerseys.
And then came Gary Bettman and the overwhelming boos. It's no secret that many fans, and a legion of Vancouver fans have a great dislike of Gary Bettman and they let it be known very LOUDLY, to the point of which we couldn't hear a word he said during his introduction or when he walked away telling us that he'd be right back. Legit, because we couldn't hear what he said due to the thunderous boos, we weren't sure if he was even coming back to the mic or not. And then, it happened, he returned as did the boos, UNTIL we all realized that with him came the Sedins. Full credit to Bettman for taking all the boos in stride, and going with it. In fact, until I saw this video from the Canucks, it was impossible to know any part of what Bettman had actually said because of how loud it was from the booing and then the cheering for the Sedins:
SEDIN WEEK IS HAPPENING. Consider me officially booked for FEBRUARY! All the feels will be happening when #22 & #33 go up to the rafters. The Sedins may have hung up their skates, but they've left a permanent mark on the franchise and the fan base.
Onto the pomp and circumstance that is the opening round of the NHL Draft. Some will probably tell you that this was a very boring first round as there was very little drama with only one trade that merely involved a swap of picks. BUT, more about that later, let's get straight to the beginning from walking into the arena and seeing the official Draft floor set to be the stage for many prospects have their dream become a reality.
It's quite something to see each team go up as a group, call out the name of the player they're drafting and to see the immediate of reaction of joy and relief come over that player and their family as everything they've worked for has become a reality. To no one's surprise, it was Jack Hughes drafted first overall, followed by Kaapo Kaako.
And then came the Canucks with their selection. Not going to lie, I was anxious not about who they were going to select but because ALL day leading up to the draft they had been rumoured to be trading their pick both up/down. Instead of a Canucks trade, we watched the first 9 selections be made and then Stan Smyl announced the 10th overall pick: Vasily Podzolkin. There was a mix of uncertainty and excitement that met the selection, mostly because most people hadn't had him on their list. I didn't think he'd still be there at 10th but when you hear many commentators saying that the Canucks got a steal with this pick, you know it's one to be excited about.
A few other highlights from the first round included: Martin Brodeur announcing New Jersey's pick and Shea Weber announcing Montreal's pick. Then there was the absolute surprise and perfect reaction from Moritz Seider when Detroit announced him as their pick. Oh and can we mention how Wayne Gretzky was on hand with the Oilers when they announced their pick but that fact went unannounced. Each time Bettman spoke, he was met with loud "boos" with the exception of when he made the ONE trade announcement of the evening between Arizona and Philadelphia: "Oh, now you like me." (Credit to Bettman for handling the heavy dislike with humour).
It's always fun at events like these to connect with fellow Canucks fans and meet a few new ones:
DAY 2: ALL THE THINGS.
If people were unhappy with a quiet trade front on Day 1, they weren't disappointed on a very active Day 2 with many trades including 3 pretty significant ones!
Changes from Day 1 is that instead of Gary Bettman making the announcements, it was Bill Daly(*Deputy Commissioner).
My sister Abi joined us for Day 2:
For those of us in the building and in our seats early before the draft began again, we were witness to all the madness that was buzzing on the draft floor with most GMs in constant rotation from table to table. Not going to lie, I felt a little on edge with nerves watching the action between all the tables on the draft floor. In fact before rounds 2-7 began, we got to our seats early and looked to the left of our seats to see Mike Babcock on what looked to be a pretty intense phone call. Moments later, we saw Bob McKenzie and his fellow reporters break on twitter that the Leafs had traded Marleau.
Around the same time that the Marleau trade broke, so did the news about PK Subban being moved. A lot of us at the draft were very surprised as he had seemed like a great fit in Nashville.
And of course, then there was the home town team trade: JT Miller from Tampa Bay. I know the Canucks took a lot of heat for this trade due to giving up a first round pick in the deal BUT I'm actually pretty stoked to see Miller join the team and give stability to either a line with Boeser/Petey or play on Bo's wing. Time will tell how this deal works out, but I'm optimistic about seeing it play out.
All three trades while not officially announced until the Draft was once more underway, had broken on social media and spread very quickly. Aside from these three player trades, the rest of the trades were picks being swapped, but I lost track of how many trades made as I got caught up in the moment of the draft.
In fact, I didn't even realize there were cameras scanning the crowd as I was so focused on the event itself and making sure that I didn't miss anything important as I took ALL the notes: yes, I got caught taking all the notes. You know you love hockey when…
The Canucks went on to make 8(yes, EIGHT) selections on DAY 2: Nils Hoglander(#40), Ethan Keppen(#122), Carson Focht(#133), Artus Silovs(#156), Karel Plasek(#175), Jack Malone(#180), Aide Mcdonough(#195) and Arvid Costmas(#215).
A notable moment on Day 2 was one that happened in the 6th round. Nashville ran out the clock and used their FULL timeout before making their selection. It drew the ire of the crowd but hey, they got their player!
AND not to be forgotten, we got to meet Quinn Hughes!
Hughes was a class act. The line up was INSANE and yet he took a moment with EVERY single fan in that line.
Some may say it was a boring first day and a maybe a trade they wish the Canucks hadn't paid the price on, BUT for me it was a weekend I'll always remember. It was a weekend where I got to witness history, spend time with great company, make new friends, get caught taking hockey too seriously and had the time of my life!
Thank-you to Brieann and Abi for coming along with me and enduring all my note-taking. Thank-you, Canucks for hosting, I'll never forget the magic that was the Draft weekend!
Posted in Hockey, Long Reads, NHL, NHL Draft, Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged 2019 NHL Draft, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply
Posted on June 26, 2019 by sarahlaug
We all knew this day was coming sooner than later, but that doesn't mean I was prepared for the official announcement from Roberto Luongo that he is officially retiring from the NHL.
And just as he always has, he gave us heart when he said good-bye to the game:
https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/luongos-open-letter-to-the-fans/c-308071408
There are NO words that I can put together that will possibly ever come close to enough to express my thanks, but here we go:
LUUUUUUUUUUU,
What can I say that properly expresses the thanks that we owe to you in Vancouver. You gave your all to this city every single time you stepped onto the ice and between the pipes. During your tenure here, you ALWAYS gave the team a chance to win, every single time.
I'll never forget the day the Canucks traded for you. You could feel a buzz among Canucks fans, igniting a hope for the future. You brought with you, a confidence and quiet determination and that was noticed by all your teammates. It was palpable. And with that first season in Vancouver, wow did you make the league take notice.
For me, the love of the game came on slowly and then suddenly all at once. That first year you were a Canuck, was the year there was NO looking back. In fact, when my parents realized how seriously I loved this game, they surprised me with YOUR jersey for my birthday. It'll always be my favourite because it was the first jersey I ever owned and truly connected me to this game.
Over 8 seasons, it was truly something spectacular to see you in your groove. And to hear the "LUUUUUUs" every game at home, was sensational, and you made many a LU-mongous saves for us to cheer for over the years.
From setting personal bests, to winning OLYMPIC GOLD ON HOME ICE to that breath taking 2011 to becoming the WINNING-est goalie in Canucks history. No one can ever take that away from you.
I'm sorry for how it seemed at times that this city blamed you for the ending in 2011 and seemed to turn on you at times. It wasn't always fair, and you deserved so much better before your time in Vancouver ended. Maybe it didn't end the way you envisioned, but just know that you have left an indelible mark on Vancouver and the NHL.
I'm forever grateful that we had one last time to see you play in Vancouver this past season and one more time Rogers Arena filled with thunderous rounds of "LUUUUUUUUU".
I hope that as you move forward with whatever comes next, that you know that you were appreciated and looked up to. I hope you realize how big an impact you had and will continue to have on the game of hockey.
Your career may have officially ended in Florida, but to THIS fan and many more in BC, you'll forever be a Vancouver Canuck.
#ThanksLU for everything all the best in whatever comes next!
Posted in Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply
Can you believe it? Here we stand at the end of the 2018-2019 NHL season? Did anyone's bracket survive all the playoff upsets? Congratulations to the St.Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins on one heck of a Stanley Cup Final and to St.Louis for winning their first ever championship. There's nothing quite like seeing a team win their first championship, its pure magic. Enjoy every single moment St.Louis, you earned it!
If you had said with the way that Tampa Bay had dominated the regular season that they would be swept in the first round, not many would have believed that to be possible. The playoffs are their own beast to tackle, and as we've seen this year, can contain many surprises and incredible stories of endurance. From Columbus pulling off one of the biggest upsets to Carolina making it to the Conference Finals to Chara playing despite having a broken jaw to the St.Louis Blues for completing their incredible season with the storybook ending, it was a post season to remember.
Now begins my least favourite part of the year: the off-season. How do you get your hockey fix in the off-season? Do you watch the DaBeauty League featuring many current NHL players, AHL players, college/pro players? Or keep an eye on the Australian Ice Hockey League that takes place over the summer? Or do you prefer the take a full hockey break until the puck drops on the new season?
Hard to believe as quick as it came, the season has now ended. Sometimes it feels like the post-season never ends and then suddenly the end has arrived, and yet it all begins again with many young players arriving to to upcoming NHL Draft June 21st-22nd hoping to hear their names called as they take the next step in their hockey careers.
If you're at the draft, I'll see you there! Stay tuned here and on twitter(@nucksaid) for many draft updates and a behind scenes look at the draft!
Posted in Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged 2018-19 NHL season, 2019 NHL Draft, hockey, NHL	| Leave a reply
Posted on April 30, 2019 by sarahlaug
Welcome to the latest edition of the official Nucksaid: Canucks Round Table! As you know, if you've followed my blog for awhile, one of my absolute favourite things is to connect with fellow hockey fans and to share our stories together. This new series will be bringing Canucks fans together from near and far to discuss all things Canucks as the season progresses. There's a lot to be said about the team, personally, I love to also hear other fans perspectives, it helps me to see the team and the game in new ways.Hopefully you enjoy the ride with all of us! Shall we begin? Without further ado, I present to you the 3rd edition of the Canucks Round Table feature on Nucksaid.
1)What was your favourite Canucks highlight from the 2018-19 campaign?
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): My favourite Canucks highlight was Elias Pettersson. My favourite game of his was the Colorado one that went to overtime. My favourite play in that game was the bounce pass off of the boards. I enjoyed watching Pettersson create offense this year and I wonder what it will look like as he continues to adjust to the pro game. #GLCPC
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): That no look pass from Petey to Boeser is probably my favourite highlight of the season, but the first pass out of the zone on his first shift by Quinn Hughes is also up there. Definitely not as magical on its own but right then and there, I knew that I was looking at the best Dman to ever where a Canucks jersey(eventually –I know he needs more time).
Jeff A.(@TheGamerJeff91): Petey's 5-point game vs. the Avs. You and I both couldn't believe we witnessed something so great.
Jon(@EaglesNucksFan): For me, it was Pettersson taking the reigns and proving a lot of negative fans/media wrong.
(@Grampahockey1): I would have to say that the penalty shot Pettersson scored on comes to mind 1st, but there were others when fans wanted Quinn Hughes to be on the 1st power play unit and made the 2nd one look like the 1st unit.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): Two favourite highlights. First, Boeser's goal vs. Colorado off the end boards from Petey. Second, Boeser going out of his way to fist bump the kid singing the national anthem on Canucks Autism night.
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): I am torn between Pettersson's first NHL goal, hat trick and the Colorado game where he had 5 points.
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Elias Pettersson's first goal on his first shot during his first regular season game at home. Ushered in a new era for the Canucks.
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): Honestly, the rise of the "core four". I wasn't expecting to see instant chemistry right away from Petey & Boeser! They blew me away with their hockey IQ and their ability to make plays out of nothing. Also, seeing Horvat take on more of a leadership role has me more excited for what the future holds for him, and lastly the beginning of an amazing career for Hughes! I was shocked by how good this kid is, and we only a taste!
Me(@nucksaid): It's a mix of a few moments for me. From witnessing Elias Pettersson's first goal or his 5-point game vs. Colorado and his shootout goal against New Jersey. The creativity already in his arsenal as a rookie, has been sensational to witness.
2)Now that the dust has settled from the draft lottery, who would you like to see the Canucks draft at 10th?
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): I've heard a bunch of names: Boldy, Caufield, Soderstrom, etc. But I have no clue. Given what they have done in the past, my hope and anticipation is high for who they'll pick. I also wonder if they might trade up a few picks to get a better pick. I could have never imagined the trade that created the Horvat pick. I wonder what this draft will hold.
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): I am torn. I want someone who can jump in right away but the RIGHT answer(IMHO) is to draft the player with the highest upside. I like Boldy is Byram is gone(and he should be), but I also like Newhook and Soderstrom. Ultimately, it depends on what moves we think we can make this year and next and where we can address needs outside of the draft. The bigger question that is tethered to the draft pick(IMHO) is what contracts can we move this off season, so we have more room for a top 6 forward or top 2 D?
Jeff A. (@TheGamerJeff91): I'm not sure, I don't know the prospects that well. I've heard a Swedish defenseman is a good choice. Hmm…*thinks of Edler, Ohlund, Hedman, Karlsson, Ekman-Larsson.*
Jon(@EaglesNucksFan): A lot of names out there. If we go defense, Soderstrom could take over on the right side for years to come. Forward, I would see a winger like Zegras, Boldy or Krebs.
(@Grampahockey1): I would like to see a right-handed defense-man which we really need, so Soderstrom would be my choice.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): If he somehow slips, I would like to see Kirby Dach, otherwise Boldy or Krebs. I think Dach is the skilled right handed centre that the Canucks need.
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): Either Caufield or Boldy.
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Cole Caufield. Scoring and skill packaged in a smaller stature, but plays bigger than his size. Plays hard and an impact player. Played on a line with Jack Hughes so that should have helped his development playing with elite talent.
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): I honestly, don't care! Having a top 10 pick in the draft is something pretty special and I can't wait to see who he is!
Me(@nucksaid): There will be some great players available, ideally I'd love to see the team draft either Boldy, Caufield or Soderstrom. Depending on the position that the team prioritizes on drafting needs, any of the three would be a great addition to the team. Regardless of who the team drafts, I'm excited to see that player grow over time.
3)With being unable to root for the Canucks in the playoffs, who are you rooting for/hoping to see win the Cup?(Or did your bracket bust with Tampa/Calgary being ousted?)
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): I made a bracket and linked it to a Canucks group. I am not doing well. My Stanley Cup prediction is hanging by a thread because the Nashville Predators struggled. Columbus on the other hand has progressed. Once the first round ends, I'll have to pick new teams for the rest as my picks are losing so far.
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): I love how Colorado plays. But I only cheer for (1)Canucks and then (2)hockey in general. LOL.
Jeff A. (@TheGamerJeff91): My bracket totally busted. That's the fun of it though, I'm going with the Sharks or Hurricanes.
Jon(@EaglesNucksFans): A lot of underdogs this year, which is pretty cool to see. At this point, anyone but the Leafs. Blues have been knocking at the door for years and after the season just had, would be great to see them win it all.
(@Grampahockey1): Well, I don't really cheer for anymore, it's more that I want a certain team to lose, so whoever wins is good unless its Toronto, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington or Vegas. So things are good now.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): I've always loved Carolina and many of their players so I was rooting for them from the start. I actually predicted TB to lose in the second round and Calgary to get knocked out by Colorado. I got 5 of 8 in the first round of my original bracket(Colorado, St.Louis, Boston, Isles and Carolina…although I admit I only picked Carolina because I was rooting for them…I didn't think they would actually win).
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): I would like Columbus or Carolina to win the Cup. My bracket was busted when Tampa was eliminated, I had them winning it all!
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Columbus Blue Jackets. Would love for Torts to win another cup and especially with his brief yet colourful history with the Canucks.
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): Well, my bracket got busted(thanks for nothing: Tampa and Calgary!), but I have to take Carolina in the East and Colorado in the West.
Me(@nucksaid): In general, I don't make a bracket, but I do make a few predictions every year for each round with my family. I did predict a few upsets, but Tampa was the one I got wrong…I knew Columbus would be a challenge but expected it be 6 games with Tampa prevailing; full credit to Columbus on that series. As for the playoffs, it's been said by some that the season is waste with all of the upsets in the first round BUT personally, I think it's been great to see. Sure, it would've been great to see Tampa follow up their historic season with a great run, but you can't say that seeing underdog teams like Columbus and Carolina go on runs isn't exciting. Unpredictable maybe, but it's entertaining as all get out. As for who I'd like to see win it all, if I can't root for my Canucks, I can't help but root for Carolina; what they've done this year to truly make the sentiment "hockey is for everyone" actually true, has been remarkable.
4)With there being 6 Canucks now officially announced as taking part in the World Championship, will you be watching the tournament?
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): Unless I find a feed somewhere, I don't think I'll see much. I'm interested in how the Canucks players do and I'll look to see the scores but that's about it.
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): Absolutely. With or without Canucks.
Jeff A. (@TheGamerJeff91): I do want to but with the time differences, I really can't.
Jon (@EaglesNucksFan): I'll try!
(@Grampahockey1): Absolutely.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): I've always watched the World Championships regardless of if Canucks are represented because I love international hockey…but I will always root for Canada first(go Stecher!), then Sweden(go Petey & Marky). As much as I like Hughes and Demko, I can't cheer for team USA.
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): Definitely! Any chance I can get to see more EP40 and Quinn Hughes.
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Sweden highlights for sure!
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): Because of the time difference, I don't think I will be watching any, but I will be keeping my eye on the tournament and seeing how all of our Canucks do.
Me(@nucksaid): More chances to see a few Canucks still playing hockey and to watch mroe hockey in general? It's not even a question, I'll be watching as often as I'm able and taking in any Canucks highlights.
5)With many young players taking steps forward this season, who are you most excited to see take another step further in the upcoming season?
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): The obvious choices are the progression of Boeser, Pettersson and to see how Hughes is going to do. I am also looking forward to see the progression of Kole Lind. I remember him being a possible first round pick who fell to the second round. I think he'll have a really good year in Utica, then make the team the year after. Kole Lind's continued development will help to ease the worry about development.
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): Boeser and Petey are the obvious choices, but I am curious to see if Hutton or Stecher have another gear in them or if Jake comes back as a legit number 2 winger.
Jeff A. (@TheGamerJeff91): It will be interesting to see Petey's second season in Vancouver. I'm excited to see what Brock does though with a healthy off season, that should be interesting.
Jon(EaglesNucksFan): Hughes. We got a glimpse of what he can bring to the table at the end of the season. Another summer/training camp for Quinn will be very beneficial.
(@Grampahockey1): Has to be Jett Woo.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): I'm most interested to see if Brock can build upon this season and a full healthy summer, and to see if Petey can avoid the sophomore slump.
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): I am excited to see Pettersson take another step and Hughes. I am looking forward to seeing Hughes for a full season.
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Jake Virtanen. I believe he is trending in the right direction and if he stays healthy playing close to 75-games, could hit the 20-goal mark next season; an all around contributor to the success of the team.
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): I want to see how Petey follows up his amazing rookie performance! It's crazy to think that he's not even in his prime yet, and I think we're going to see something very special next season.
Me(@nucksaid): After getting to see a glimpse of what Quinn Hughes can do in the final 5 games of the season, I can't wait to see what he can bring to a full season. Also excited to see a follow up from Pettersson's rookie season and if he channels his inner Bure all the way into his second year. And who else can't wait to see what Brock can bring with a full healthy off-season come October? (Also can you imagine even more OT hockey featuring Petey, Boeser and Hughes?!)
6)What is one thing you'd like to see the league improve upon?
Eric Bailey(@EBailey16): Officiating. While I'd like the league to call the rules, I'd also like it be more consistent. I don't know to fix that but that's what I'd like.
Michael Coleman(@1MichaelColeman): Point system. Go to the 3 point system. 3– win, 2– OT win, 1– tie (and yes ties are okay), 0– loss of any kind.
Jeff A. (@TheGamerJeff91): There are many things. Major changes to the waivers system is one. Though, I have to go with better and more consistent officiating. It's a league wide issue and hurting the integrity of some of the games.
Jon (EaglesNucksFan): Player safety. Way too inconsistent and we need to protect the athletes.
(@Grampahockey1): Consistency in penalty calling, especially goal-tender interference, but I hold little hope with the league having the will to fix it.
Dave Noordam(@DaveNoordam): I would like to see a change in the draft and playoff format, and link the 2 together. My ideal situation(when there are 32 teams) would have teams 1-5 in each conference get in(regardless of divisional standing). Then there would be 4 play in games: 6 vs. 13, 7 vs. 12, 8 vs. 9, and 10 vs. 11. The highest 2 seeded winners would get the 6th and 7th seed, and the 2 lower seeded winners would play one more game with the winner getting the 8th seed.
As for the draft, teams 14-16 in each conference(teams who don't get to play the 'play in games') will get to pick 1-6, to be chosen randomly with each getting an EQUAL shot at number 1. The 4 losing teams in each conference from the first set of play in games will get to pick 7-14, again, randomly chosen with EQUAL odds. After the first round of the playoffs, the 8 losing teams will be randomly selected(again for equal odds) for the picks 17-24…so if the President's Trophy winner is ousted, they could pick as high as 17. After the second round of the playoffs, the 4 losing teams get to pick 25-28, again randomly selected. After the third round, the 2 losers would get to pick 29th and 30th(once again randomly selected). The last two picks will be the Stanley Cup winner at 32 and the runner up at 31.
I really feel this is the only way to avoid teams tanking or certain "fans" clamouring for the team to tank. The only negative thing is it would effectively kill the trade deadline(dealing for picks only) and force teams to make mostly hockey trades(which is good but there will be far fewer trades).
Matthew Zator(@SwaggyCanuck): I would like them to improve upon the officiating and the overtime format. I would really like the shootout to be eliminated and have them play 3-on-3 until a goal is scored.
Marc Josef(@marc_josef): Consistency in officiating. Also, if the Canucks are a lottery team again…the transparency in the draft position lottery, similar to the NBA.
Brieann Knorr(@BrieannKnorr): Without question, goalie interference and consistent reffing.
Me(@nucksaid): Consistency in officiating and from the NHL Player Safety department. Infractions and their punishment shouldn't be redefined based on the player or from game to game; it should be consistent regardless of who the player is or the team they play for, league wide.
That's it for this edition of the Canucks Round Table! If you'd like to take part next time or down the road as we work our way through the off season, OR if you have a question that you'd like included in the NEXT round table; find me on twitter(@nucksaid) or send me an e-mail(nucksaid@gmail.com). Special THANK-YOU to each and every person that took the time to be a part of this Round Table! [And if you're not already following this group on twitter, please find their twitter handles above!]
As always, until next time nuck said.
Posted in Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged Canucks Round Table, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply
Vancouver Canucks: Calder Consideration
It was speculated all season long but now it's officially official: Elias Pettersson has been nominated for the Calder Trophy. He's up against Jordan Binnington(St.Louis) and Rasmus Dahlin(Buffalo), two players who have also made quite a mark in their own rookie seasons for their respective teams.
This post however is all about Pettersson. Not to take away from either of the other candidates, but what Pettersson did for the Canucks was remarkable. From the moment he was drafted in 2017, his doubters and critics were convinced he was the wrong choice. Last season, he racked up all the records playing in Sweden and turning heads but still leaving many wondering if he could translate that success in the NHL. He changed the mindset of his early critics from the media to the fans and that of his teammates as he eased into the first year of his NHL career with the poise of a veteran.
From his very first game, he hushed any doubts that anyone had about him being able to play in the league. Every game when he was on the ice, whether he scored a goal or not, his vision of the game was something to behold. Every shift, he had fans on the edge of their seats, and every goal/assist scored, he brought them to their feet.
Can we talk about his FIRST NHL goal and the reaction he had to hearing the crowd's thunderous ovation?
Or how about that magic he dished to Boeser against the Avs when he channeled his inner Sedinery? I have to tell you, being in the arena for this game and witnessing Pettersson's 5-point night was all kinds of incredible.
Or his penalty shot goal vs. Nashville?
Or his first career hat trick that included the OT game winning goal?!
Or the fact that as a rookie, he had THIS move in his shootout arsenal?!
Insane, yes? Pettersson plays with a quiet confidence and energy that he passes along to his teammates. His confidence was contagious among his teammates and re-ignited a hope for the team's future among the fans.
Those are only a few of a myriad of Pettersson highlights this past season. What an incredible opening to his career, giving Canucks and hockey fans a glimpse of what's to come. This is only the beginning, the kid is something special. When it comes down to the award, I hope that it's Pettersson's name being called in June but it's a tough competitive trio this year yet again. Whether he wins the Calder or not, he made Canucks fans beyond proud with his inaugural season.
Posted in Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged Calder, Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply
Vancouver Canucks: Through The Looking Glass
Posted on April 7, 2019 by sarahlaug
There are a lot of things you can say about the Vancouver Canucks and the fact that their season has once again ended before the post-season. And trust me, I've heard that and many other takes on this season, largely leaning towards the negative. And I'm sure there will be many more that debate the season that was, just remember that those debates do not tell the whole story. So yes, in summary while there are no playoffs, there were still some great moments and glimpses of what is to come in the near future.
This season was one that most wrote off before the puck had even dropped. Many said that without the Sedins, the season would be a lost cause. Yes, the season has come to an end but it was not a write off or a lost cause. This season was all about growth and development of the young core. This season was a massive step forward, one that saw the youth lead the way and ignite passion back into Canucks nation.
For myself, rather than focus on the draft lottery that is out of my control I'm going to look back on some standout and personal favourite moments from this season. Let's start at the beginning, the first goal of the year scored by none other than rookie sensation, Elias Pettersson:
His first goal, on his first shot in his first game. It was thunderous in the arena when he scored that goal. The crowd loved it and his reaction to hearing his name being chanted by the crowd was priceless. To say, he set a high standard and lit hope anew in Canucks fans is putting it lightly.
October was also memorable because it marked bringing my Grandpa to his first ever Canucks game. He got to pick the opponent and chose the game versus the Boston Bruins.
What a game that was! The Canucks won with an overtime goal from Bo Horvat. It's a game and a goal that my grandpa STILL talks about 6 months later and is already planning coming up for another one! It's a game that I'll always remember and carry with me.
November 2. How can we forget about that epic back and forth game between two young teams? A night that saw Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser combine for NINE points in a 7-6 OT win. Down 5-6 in the final minutes, Pettersson did what he does best, dug deep, got what seemed like an impossible goal, bringing that crowd to their feet…not to mention that BANK pass goal set up for Boeser that screamed SEDINERY:
And what about that penalty shot goal versus Nashville?!
Sensational right? Crazy to think that prior to the season many wondered if he could have success at the NHL level. Any doubters have since been silenced by his finesse on the ice.
Hat tricks are always a treat to see AND Canucks fans were treated to not one BUT two from two of their most promising players in Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson. Boeser scored his second hat trick versus St.Louis when him and Pettersson combined for EIGHT points. Pettersson's first career hat trick capped off an overtime victory versus Ottawa. Their chemistry on and off of the ice this season has been a treat to see develop.
Games against Toronto on home ice are always entertaining and bring out a crowd that is usually 50% Canucks fans and 50% Leafs fans. This year did not disappoint, it was a very split crowd. For 40 minutes the Leafs were in control, until the Canucks found a way to tie it due to a stellar performance from Markstrom and setting up an exciting overtime game winning goal from Alex Edler.
Speaking of Edler, I know he takes a lot of heat from fans but nothing can take away from him becoming the ALL-TIME leading scorer on the blue line in Canucks history and surpassing fellow Swede, Mattias Ohlund in the franchise record book. He's given a lot to this team over years and that should be noted and appreciated.(Heart and soul player).
Another heart and soul player that gave his all was Chris Higgins. He scored some memorable goals during his time here and it was a pleasure to get the chance to meet him and talk about his time as a player.
One of my favourite parts of the season is always getting to see the Canucks play on/around my birthday. Every year, we pick the game that is either on my birthday or closest to it, and my family gets geared up and attends the game. This year was no exception. As per tradition, we got tickets, and another birthday was spent in the rink.
Win or lose, I always enjoy the game. This year was no exception with a great pace, an electrifying OT session followed by a shootout that featured THIS ridiculous #DekeyPete goal:
It may not have been the winner BUT THAT GOAL IS ALL KINDS WIZARDRY. How many players will try that Forsberg move their first year in the league?! As if that goal wasn't enough to make the game memorable, THIS happened:
(You know your favourite team gets you when their birthday surprise for you includes a signed puck from your favourite player!).
We have to talk about the continued progression of Bo Horvat who has evolved from his draft year into a true leader on and off this season. This season he picked up the mantle left behind by the Sedins and carried it proudly and set a new career high in points(61). Every interview, every game, in the community, he was the epitome of a class act and embraced the role as captain even without the official title. (It's pretty unanimous among Canucks nation that he will be named the next Captain of the team).
Elias Pettersson brings the arena to his feet every single time he makes a dazzling play but he's not the only rookie turning the heads and hearts of Canucks fans. Highly tauted Quinn Hughes made his debut over the final games and gave the fans a glimpse of his ease skating, playing with/without the puck, and quieted any question of whether he was ready to jump to the NHL level. The best part since he debuted, was seeing him with Pettersson and Boeser in overtime dominating in breathtaking fashion…I could definitely get used to seeing those three play together for years to come!
This post wouldn't be complete if we didn't talk about Markstrom taking his game to a new level this season, particularly since December. It was remarkable to see him embrace his position and tune out the critics. He kept the Canucks in many games, like one of his final games of the year versus Dallas in which he made 46 saves INCLUDING 8 in the shoot out. His progression has given the Canucks room to not rush Thatcher Demko as he continues to grow in his game. By the end of the season, Demko seemed to have settled in and looks to take another step forward next season.
How fitting is it that Elias Pettersson scored the Canucks opening and closing goals of the season? Full circle for the Calder leading rookie.
Sure the season was far from perfect but it was a massive step forward that saw competitive games down the stretch and gave a glimpse of a very promising future for the team's new emerging core. The future looks bright, are you ready for what comes next?
Stay tuned for upcoming ROUND TABLE discussions, draft updates and coverage throughout the offseason! See you all at the Draft in June!
Posted in Vancouver Canucks	| Tagged 2018-19 regular season, hockey, NHL, Vancouver Canucks	| Leave a reply


With a single complete mandible and 56 mandibular symphyseal fragments of various sizes, the Late Cretaceous Hungarian azhdarchid material has been considered one of the most extensive monospecific pterosaur assemblages in the world. Representing a broad size range, these elements have been thought to demonstrate a developmental series of Bakonydraco galaczi. As such, they were ideal to test whether absolute size and/or morphology reliably indicate relative ontogenetic stages in this pterosaur. Forty-five specimens were selected for multivariate morphometrics and classified into four size classes. After acquiring the morphometric data set, we thin-sectioned eight symphyses representing all size groups and classified them into relative ontogenetic stages based on qualitative microstructural inspection prior to quantitative histological analyses. Microstructural characters suggestive of developmental state were then quantified for intra- and interindividual uni- and multivariate analyses to test the correspondence among the results of qualitative and quantitative analyses. In contrast to our expectations, histological features identified the smallest specimen as an adult and not an early juvenile. The substantial size difference between this specimen and other adults, along with its distinct microanatomical and histological features, implies the presence of at least two pterosaur taxa in this symphysis assemblage. This hypothesis is further supported by multivariate morphometrics, which separate the smallest symphyses from all other specimens that form one continuous group. Although the latter group also shows considerable size variability in corresponding ontogenetic stages, this suggests developmental plasticity rather than the presence of even more taxa, and indicates that symphysis size and morphology are poor indicators of skeletal maturity in these animals. Hence, bone histology is an important independent test of the assessment of ontogenetic stage using size and morphology.