Outdoor ed. class was a great class. For once knowledge about different activities was invaluable; it was also the class where mountain biking was taught as well as First Aid and CPR. We snowshoed and cross country skied. But most of all we learned to work as a group. All 25 of us became responsible for one and other and became closer as a groups because of it.
I was always a bit of an outsider in high school. Although I had lived in the area since I was little, I had gone to an out of area school and entered high school with little social footing. My shyness made me have a very small social group and my seriousness led me to prefer the quiet solitude of being alone. But outdoor ed. forced me to talk more, to share more.
The last "big" activity we did was a backpacking trip. We practiced hiking with our bags, learned how to hang them from trees, and set up groups for sleeping and food. Throughout the three day trip, we kept journals. The journals were little $1 notebooks from the dollar store that are small enough that it took up no space in our bags. The daily journalling was nice, keeping the memories from that cold, wet, and fun trip alive, but it was the the lesson after that may have been the best lesson in high school.
_________________________________________________________________________________
We were in the library going over the trip, talking about memories and whatnot when our teacher, Mr. Froemel, instructed us put our name on the board, sit at our own table and fill out every name in our book on one page. He did the same with his notebook. We then went from table to table, filling out what we learned about each classmate, what qualities we admired and why we enjoyed being in class with them. 26 pages in those notebooks became dedicated to what made you great, fantastic, and wonderful.
The words on those pages can never change and never be misconstructed because they were not said face to face, they were not said in a way that body language could be read and someone could be embarrassed having to speak in front of the class. It was personal and sincere; the connection that was formed by that group in our last semester of high school was there, the memories were sustaining.
I will never see many of those kids again. I have moved on into university where I study history (major), Engligh (minor), and education (special program). I quietly go about my business their, working within my comfortable solitude. There is comfort there, but there is the lack of connection too. Lack of people building you up, allowing you to learn how to take a compliment.
Maybe the greatest lesson I learned in grade 12 was that we can all say nice things to each other, but the struggle is being away from our comfort zones to compliment people. The longer lasting, greater impact can come from having people write down what makes you great, so when are feeling down or overly stressed by that one assignment you can read about what is great about you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
By some small miracle I made it through school in one piece. I was bullied badly in elementary school; emotionally scarred in high school, but yet I made it through in one piece thanks in large part to my family. I struggled through the burden of making friends, desperately trying to balance my love of being an individual with the expectations of being "normal". I still haven't mastered that one yet, but I stopped caring. I learned that people truly did enjoy being around me because of who I was.
It took until the end of grade 12. It took a 7 foot tall teacher who loved everything, including the freezing cold. It took a group of kids who went to school together since kindergarten. It took three days in the woods. It took a lot, but I learned that when you take away the fear of being laughed at or judged, people can be genuinely nice to you if they know you, it just takes a lot more bravery to say it to someone face to face than it does to write it on paper…and that can't be read when you need to read it the most.
Friday 25 April 2014
Thursday 24 April 2014
Perception, Confirmation Bias, and the Montreal Canadiens
How something is perceived can come from confirmation bias. When Ron MacLean said that Tampa Bay would not like having a local referee calling game four in Montreal because of a young referee, Francois Charron, from Gatineau (by the Quebec/Ontario border) made the difficult, but correct call on a goaltender interference call that cost Tampa Bay a goal in game three. Charron made the correct call. Many thought that he made the incorrect call because they are not familiar with the proper application of goaltender interference, but that is another problem. The bigger issue is confirmation bias and how it colours everything we see and hear.
If you go into something thinking that *blank* is against you, it will be obvious to you that *blank* is against you. This is simply not true. The world is not out to get you. To imply that referees are not making calls because of where a game is being played is wrong. There are deeper issues when a team is not getting calls; either the officiating is terrible for both teams or a team does not have the puck.
CBC made note in their broadcast that the Habs had something like 8 more minutes on the power play throughout the series. You know why that was? Because they had the puck about 55% of the time, making it easier for the Habs to be fouled. There is no bias in that; the better team usually gets more power play time as they have the puck more, plain and simple.
Do referees make mistakes? Yes. Is it based on being from the area and should the NHL guard against that? No. Instead the NHL should make sure that their referees know the rulebook like the back of their hand and discipline and retrain them when they do not call it correctly.
Did Charron or Francois St-Laurent make any calls that were not in the rulebook to screw over the Lightning? No. Did the Lightning lose a game because a French referee made the difficult, but correct call in Montreal? Maybe. Did having two French referees calling games at the Bell Centre on two separate nights adversely affect the series? No. Did many people not think that the Montreal Canadiens were capable of playing like they did and therefore look for other factors in their success? Possibly.
As professionals referees are expected to call the game by the rulebook and not be affected by their childhood allegiances. Just because a referee grew up in a certain area does not mean that they were fans of their local team because that is not how one becomes a fan. Professionals will kick their childhood heroes out of games if they do something illegal. Just because someone is from a certain area or speaks a certain language does not mean that they are a fan of that team or that they will not make difficult calls, it means that they are from that area or cheered for that team growing up.
To imply that referees should not call games because of that is allowing yourself to look for biases in their calls before they even make the call. If that was what Ron MacLean was implying when he said that the NHL should have not assigned a ref from the region for games 3 and 4 than he is wrong. If Tampa felt as though they were not getting calls because one of the referees was from the area, than they are coming into the game with a perception of the referee and if a bad call had happened in game four, than that perception would have fulfilled and the perceived bias would have been confirmed.
The Montreal Canadiens as a team played well enough to earn the sweep. The Tampa Bay Lightning did not play well enough to win. The referees did not change that. The referees did not affect the outcome of the series. For once the NHL can say that the players on the ice did and that in itself is a good thing. Instead of looking for anything that can be perceived as a bias and finding then finding anything to confirm this bias is cherry-picking.
The NHL does not pull for Toronto because their video is based out of there. The New York Rangers are not treated differently because head offices are in New York. The NHL tries to run a fair outfit, and they manage to do that most of the time.
TL;DR there is this thing called confirmation bias and when you perceive that there is a bias you will find it, even if there is nothing to see.
If you go into something thinking that *blank* is against you, it will be obvious to you that *blank* is against you. This is simply not true. The world is not out to get you. To imply that referees are not making calls because of where a game is being played is wrong. There are deeper issues when a team is not getting calls; either the officiating is terrible for both teams or a team does not have the puck.
CBC made note in their broadcast that the Habs had something like 8 more minutes on the power play throughout the series. You know why that was? Because they had the puck about 55% of the time, making it easier for the Habs to be fouled. There is no bias in that; the better team usually gets more power play time as they have the puck more, plain and simple.
Do referees make mistakes? Yes. Is it based on being from the area and should the NHL guard against that? No. Instead the NHL should make sure that their referees know the rulebook like the back of their hand and discipline and retrain them when they do not call it correctly.
Did Charron or Francois St-Laurent make any calls that were not in the rulebook to screw over the Lightning? No. Did the Lightning lose a game because a French referee made the difficult, but correct call in Montreal? Maybe. Did having two French referees calling games at the Bell Centre on two separate nights adversely affect the series? No. Did many people not think that the Montreal Canadiens were capable of playing like they did and therefore look for other factors in their success? Possibly.
As professionals referees are expected to call the game by the rulebook and not be affected by their childhood allegiances. Just because a referee grew up in a certain area does not mean that they were fans of their local team because that is not how one becomes a fan. Professionals will kick their childhood heroes out of games if they do something illegal. Just because someone is from a certain area or speaks a certain language does not mean that they are a fan of that team or that they will not make difficult calls, it means that they are from that area or cheered for that team growing up.
To imply that referees should not call games because of that is allowing yourself to look for biases in their calls before they even make the call. If that was what Ron MacLean was implying when he said that the NHL should have not assigned a ref from the region for games 3 and 4 than he is wrong. If Tampa felt as though they were not getting calls because one of the referees was from the area, than they are coming into the game with a perception of the referee and if a bad call had happened in game four, than that perception would have fulfilled and the perceived bias would have been confirmed.
The Montreal Canadiens as a team played well enough to earn the sweep. The Tampa Bay Lightning did not play well enough to win. The referees did not change that. The referees did not affect the outcome of the series. For once the NHL can say that the players on the ice did and that in itself is a good thing. Instead of looking for anything that can be perceived as a bias and finding then finding anything to confirm this bias is cherry-picking.
The NHL does not pull for Toronto because their video is based out of there. The New York Rangers are not treated differently because head offices are in New York. The NHL tries to run a fair outfit, and they manage to do that most of the time.
TL;DR there is this thing called confirmation bias and when you perceive that there is a bias you will find it, even if there is nothing to see.
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Chicago Asset Management 2011-2014
Out From Chicago:
Dave Bolland
Daniel Carcillo
Ray Emery
Michael Frolik
Jimmy Hayes
Jamal Mayers*^
Brandon Pirri
Viktor Stalberg
Andrew Burnette*^
Sami Lepisto*
Steve Montador*^
Brendan Morrison*^
Sean O'Donnell*^
Rostislav Olesz*
Dylan Olsen
John Scott
Mike Kostka
Red=Trade
Blue=Let go
Purple=Waived
*indicates not in the NHL anymore
^indicates retired (Morrison isn't playing but has not filed his papers yet)
Brought In:
David Rundbland--> Second round pick
Peter Regin/Pierre-Marc Bouchard--> Fourth round pick
Kris Versteeg--> Olsen/Hayes
Michal Handzus--> Fourth round pick
Johnny Oduya-->Second and third
Brendan Morrison--> Mike Connelly
Most of the additions to the Blackhawks roster have come from their drafting. Brandon Saad, Marcus Krueger, et al are all Blackhawks draft picks that play for their team. Smart trades brought them Frolik who they later moved because of the salary cap. They smartly let Stalberg walk and he has been a healthy scratch in Nashville. Versteeg for Olsen and Hayes is the only trade where the players are in the NHL. Pirri could not establish himself in Chicago, asked for a trade and was moved to Florida. Pirri has found a home and Chicago can start bringing Teuvo Teravainen along.
Asset Management Around the League: Detroit 2011-2014
I thought that if I was going to write about the Jets asset management, I should compare the Jets to other teams around the league. I decided on the media darling Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. Here is Detroit in the same timespan as the Jets 2011-2014.
Players Lost:
Damien Brunner
Fabian Brunnstrom*
Carlo Colaiacovo
Mike Commodore*
Ty Conklin (retired)
Chris Conner*
Valtteri Filpula
Patrick Eaves
Kent Huskins
Tomas Holmstrom (retired)
Jiri Hudler
Doug Janik*
Nicklas Lidstrom (retired)
Joey MacDonald*
Jan Mursak*
Ian White*
Brad Stuart
Red=flipped for an asset
Blue=lost for nothing
*indicates no longer in the NHL
Some of the players Detroit has lost are bad at hockey, but Brunner, Filppula, and Hudler would still be valuable to them, especially since they have 11 players who are 30 or older.
Players Brought In:
Kyle Quincy--> First round pick
David Legwand--> Calle Jankork, Patrick Eaves, third round pick
Daniel Alfredsson
Damien Brunner*
Mikael Samuelsson
Jordin Tootoo
Stephen Weiss
Kent Huskins*
*indicates not with team anymore
Free agency means Ken Holland can find old players and let young players go like Brunner.
Detroit In:
Kyle Quincy
David Legwand
Daniel Alfredsson
Mikael Samuelsson
Jordin Tootoo
Stephen Weiss
Danny DeKeyser
Detroit Out:
Damien Brunner
Fabian Brunnstrom
Carlo Colaiacovo
Mike Commodore
Chris Conner
Valtteri Filpula
Patrick Eaves
Kent Huskins
Jiri Hudler
Doug Janik
Joey MacDonald
Jan Mursak
Ian White
Brad Stuart
Purple=NHL still
Blue=out of NHL
Detroit has lost all these players and only has David Legwand to show for it. Brunner, Filppula, and Hudler are all younger versions of players like Todd Bertuzzi, Dan Cleary, and Mikael Samuelsson.
Players Lost:
Damien Brunner
Fabian Brunnstrom*
Carlo Colaiacovo
Mike Commodore*
Ty Conklin (retired)
Chris Conner*
Valtteri Filpula
Patrick Eaves
Kent Huskins
Tomas Holmstrom (retired)
Jiri Hudler
Doug Janik*
Nicklas Lidstrom (retired)
Joey MacDonald*
Jan Mursak*
Ian White*
Brad Stuart
Red=flipped for an asset
Blue=lost for nothing
*indicates no longer in the NHL
Some of the players Detroit has lost are bad at hockey, but Brunner, Filppula, and Hudler would still be valuable to them, especially since they have 11 players who are 30 or older.
Players Brought In:
Kyle Quincy--> First round pick
David Legwand--> Calle Jankork, Patrick Eaves, third round pick
Daniel Alfredsson
Damien Brunner*
Mikael Samuelsson
Jordin Tootoo
Stephen Weiss
Kent Huskins*
*indicates not with team anymore
Free agency means Ken Holland can find old players and let young players go like Brunner.
Detroit In:
Kyle Quincy
David Legwand
Daniel Alfredsson
Mikael Samuelsson
Jordin Tootoo
Stephen Weiss
Danny DeKeyser
Detroit Out:
Damien Brunner
Fabian Brunnstrom
Carlo Colaiacovo
Mike Commodore
Chris Conner
Valtteri Filpula
Patrick Eaves
Kent Huskins
Jiri Hudler
Doug Janik
Joey MacDonald
Jan Mursak
Ian White
Brad Stuart
Purple=NHL still
Blue=out of NHL
Detroit has lost all these players and only has David Legwand to show for it. Brunner, Filppula, and Hudler are all younger versions of players like Todd Bertuzzi, Dan Cleary, and Mikael Samuelsson.
Jets Player Moves: In Summary
NHLers Brought In: NHLers Let Go:
Devin Setoguchi Nik Antropov
Michael Frolik Alex Burmistrov
Al Montoya Eric Fehr
Eric Tangradi Ron Hainsey
Grant Clitsome Johnny Oduya
Olli Jokinen Alexei Ponikarovsky
Mike Santorelli
To summarize, the Winnipeg Jets let go seven NHLers, all except two for nothing, bringing in six NHLers, all but two at a cost. In the process the Jets let go of some fine possession players and brought in some not so fine players. I have not included the likes of Matt Halischuk in this list as he is not NHL quality. That is some fine asset management by Kevin Chevaldayoff. This also does not include the addition of rookies Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba.
Devin Setoguchi Nik Antropov
Michael Frolik Alex Burmistrov
Al Montoya Eric Fehr
Eric Tangradi Ron Hainsey
Grant Clitsome Johnny Oduya
Olli Jokinen Alexei Ponikarovsky
Mike Santorelli
To summarize, the Winnipeg Jets let go seven NHLers, all except two for nothing, bringing in six NHLers, all but two at a cost. In the process the Jets let go of some fine possession players and brought in some not so fine players. I have not included the likes of Matt Halischuk in this list as he is not NHL quality. That is some fine asset management by Kevin Chevaldayoff. This also does not include the addition of rookies Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba.
Jets Player Movement 2011-2014: Players Brought In
Cost of bringing in said players on the right.
Eric Fehr--> Danick Paquette + fourth round pick
Kenndal McArdle-->Angelo Esposito
Keaton Ellerby- Waivers
Mark Flood- FA signing
Aaron Gagnon- FA signing
Tanner Glass- FA signing
Matt Halischuk- FA signing
Olli Jokinen- FA signing
Randy Jones- FA signing
Grant Clitsome- Waivers
Antti Miettinen- Waivers
Derek Meech- FA signing
Alexei Ponikarovsky- FA signing
Anthony Peluso- Waivers
Al Montoya- FA signing
Adam Pardy
Eric Tangradi--> Seventh round pick
Mike Santorelli- Waivers
Michael Frolik--> Third and fifth round pick
Devin Setoguchi--> Second round pick
James Wright- Waivers
Red=Trade
Purple=Free agent siging
Blue=Waiver pick up
The Jets have made some good trades as Tangradi is a good possession player, and some bad trades (Devin Setoguchi anyone). The trades have been more bad to pointless than good. Their FA signings leave a lot to be desired with only Montoya and Ponikarovsky being decent NHLers. Their waiver pickups have been numerous and middling, especially with the re-signing of both Wright and Clitsome, who are a dime a dozen players. Also this is three years worth of movement.
All roster information curtesy of www.hockey-reference.com
All trade information curtesy of www.nhltradetracker.com
Eric Fehr--> Danick Paquette + fourth round pick
Kenndal McArdle-->Angelo Esposito
Keaton Ellerby- Waivers
Mark Flood- FA signing
Aaron Gagnon- FA signing
Tanner Glass- FA signing
Matt Halischuk- FA signing
Olli Jokinen- FA signing
Randy Jones- FA signing
Grant Clitsome- Waivers
Antti Miettinen- Waivers
Derek Meech- FA signing
Alexei Ponikarovsky- FA signing
Anthony Peluso- Waivers
Al Montoya- FA signing
Adam Pardy
Eric Tangradi--> Seventh round pick
Mike Santorelli- Waivers
Michael Frolik--> Third and fifth round pick
Devin Setoguchi--> Second round pick
James Wright- Waivers
Red=Trade
Purple=Free agent siging
Blue=Waiver pick up
The Jets have made some good trades as Tangradi is a good possession player, and some bad trades (Devin Setoguchi anyone). The trades have been more bad to pointless than good. Their FA signings leave a lot to be desired with only Montoya and Ponikarovsky being decent NHLers. Their waiver pickups have been numerous and middling, especially with the re-signing of both Wright and Clitsome, who are a dime a dozen players. Also this is three years worth of movement.
All roster information curtesy of www.hockey-reference.com
All trade information curtesy of www.nhltradetracker.com
Jets Player Movement 2011-2014: Players Moved Out
Return for player listed beside, current league or team in brackets.
Nik Antropov-Nothing (KHL)
Alex Burmistrov-Nothing (KHL, could return)
Eric Fehr-Nothing (Washington Capitals)
Brett Festerling-Nothing (DEL)
Mark Flood-Nothing (AHL)
Aaron Gagnon-Nothing (SM-Liiga)
Tanner Glass-Nothing (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Ron Hainsey-Nothing (Carolina Hurricanes)
Randy Jones-Nothing (AHL)
Arturs Kulda-Nothing (KHL, could return)
Spencer Machacek-Tomas Kulabik (AHL)
Chris Mason-Nothing (Italy-A)
Ben Maxwell-Nothing (SM-Liiga)
Brett MacLean-Nothing (Retired due to heart condition, had been waived)
Kenndal McArdle-Nothing (Sweden-1)
Derek Meech-Nothing (AHL)
Antti Miettinen-Nothing (Swiss-A)
Johnny Oduya-Second and third round picks (Chicago Blackhawks)
Tim Stapleton-Nothing (KHL)
Alexei Ponikarovsky-Seventh and fourth round picks (KHL)
Mike Santorelli-Nothing (Vancouver Canucks)
Red players were still NHL quality possession wise as late as last year. Kulda is listed in purple because no one really knows what he could be, just that he could be a player for the Jets. The Jets have only received returns on TWO pending free agents in three years, none from this season. Something, something asset management.
All roster information from www.hockey-reference.com
Trade information from www.nhltradetracker.com
Nik Antropov-Nothing (KHL)
Alex Burmistrov-Nothing (KHL, could return)
Eric Fehr-Nothing (Washington Capitals)
Brett Festerling-Nothing (DEL)
Mark Flood-Nothing (AHL)
Aaron Gagnon-Nothing (SM-Liiga)
Tanner Glass-Nothing (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Ron Hainsey-Nothing (Carolina Hurricanes)
Randy Jones-Nothing (AHL)
Arturs Kulda-Nothing (KHL, could return)
Spencer Machacek-Tomas Kulabik (AHL)
Chris Mason-Nothing (Italy-A)
Ben Maxwell-Nothing (SM-Liiga)
Brett MacLean-Nothing (Retired due to heart condition, had been waived)
Kenndal McArdle-Nothing (Sweden-1)
Derek Meech-Nothing (AHL)
Antti Miettinen-Nothing (Swiss-A)
Johnny Oduya-Second and third round picks (Chicago Blackhawks)
Tim Stapleton-Nothing (KHL)
Alexei Ponikarovsky-Seventh and fourth round picks (KHL)
Mike Santorelli-Nothing (Vancouver Canucks)
Red players were still NHL quality possession wise as late as last year. Kulda is listed in purple because no one really knows what he could be, just that he could be a player for the Jets. The Jets have only received returns on TWO pending free agents in three years, none from this season. Something, something asset management.
All roster information from www.hockey-reference.com
Trade information from www.nhltradetracker.com
Tuesday 8 April 2014
On Kane and Clarity
This morning, after a lot of thought and reflection, I published a piece on the divisive nature of Evander Kane and proposed an explanation as to why he is this way. You can read it here. The responses were varied but mostly positive. I will reiterate what I say in the initial piece. Part of the discomfort with Kane is a social construction of a black person. He is into things like hip hop and boxing. But there are somethings I want to clear up that pertain to what I said about Winnipeg.
First of all, Winnipeg is my hometown and the only place I have ever lived. If it wasn't for better job opportunities being rural, then it may be the only place I ever live. But Winnipeg is not perfect. Though I hope not many people face racism, it happens though and it has to be acknowledged. There is a perception around Kane, media driven mainly, that he is a loose cannon. Kane is perceived as a "bad boy" when allegations against him have been proven untrue.
This is not to say that Kane is not without blemish. He is not perfect. He sometimes puts his own frustrations above the team and fights without any discernible inciting incident. Kane is immature, but he has not done anything to deserve the type of attention he gets.
That is not to say Winnipeg is not without fault. Winnipeg is a city witch can sarcastically be called "one great city". I love it here, but there are many faults that I touched on where the context got lost. Winnipeg is a blue collar town. I talked about the Human Rights Museum; every time Winnipeg tries to do something progressive or new, there is a major pushback because of money. Even when LRT was looked into, the city backed out because of money. The Human Rights Museum has a hall dedicated to FNMI Rights issues as well as halls that will have ever evolving exhibits.
But it isn't just about the money, it is about the complaining about how flashy the building is. The building is meant to be a landmark, a place that draws people to it. It is flashy and it was funded by public funds. It is a national museum and that is pretty huge.
I am a history student and I try to look at things with an eye on the past while living in the present. Canada has a less then stellar history with blacks (I recommend checking out Black History Canada) and hockey has a less then stellar record as well. I am not saying at all of Winnipeg is racist. I am saying that there are some people here who are and others who are bothered by his antics partially because of his race. If you disagree or would like to further the discussion, civil discourse is alway best.
First of all, Winnipeg is my hometown and the only place I have ever lived. If it wasn't for better job opportunities being rural, then it may be the only place I ever live. But Winnipeg is not perfect. Though I hope not many people face racism, it happens though and it has to be acknowledged. There is a perception around Kane, media driven mainly, that he is a loose cannon. Kane is perceived as a "bad boy" when allegations against him have been proven untrue.
This is not to say that Kane is not without blemish. He is not perfect. He sometimes puts his own frustrations above the team and fights without any discernible inciting incident. Kane is immature, but he has not done anything to deserve the type of attention he gets.
That is not to say Winnipeg is not without fault. Winnipeg is a city witch can sarcastically be called "one great city". I love it here, but there are many faults that I touched on where the context got lost. Winnipeg is a blue collar town. I talked about the Human Rights Museum; every time Winnipeg tries to do something progressive or new, there is a major pushback because of money. Even when LRT was looked into, the city backed out because of money. The Human Rights Museum has a hall dedicated to FNMI Rights issues as well as halls that will have ever evolving exhibits.
But it isn't just about the money, it is about the complaining about how flashy the building is. The building is meant to be a landmark, a place that draws people to it. It is flashy and it was funded by public funds. It is a national museum and that is pretty huge.
I am a history student and I try to look at things with an eye on the past while living in the present. Canada has a less then stellar history with blacks (I recommend checking out Black History Canada) and hockey has a less then stellar record as well. I am not saying at all of Winnipeg is racist. I am saying that there are some people here who are and others who are bothered by his antics partially because of his race. If you disagree or would like to further the discussion, civil discourse is alway best.
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