Monday, June 30, 2008

Bugsy Makes A Deal

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because at 1:00pm I was picking up the newest member of our pack - another Greyhound we named Connor - and last night I was at my parents' home celebrating my mom's birthday. Here's a picture I took a few hours ago of our boys all being lazy lumps:

Clockwise from the top - Logan, Baylee (he's a Golden Retriever - the Greyhound rescue we work with has dubbed him an honorary Greyhound because he's now got 3 Greyhound brothers), Connor (the new guy - isn't his coat beautiful?!), and Link

My parents live in an area where their cable provider has Pittsburgh news channels. We were watching KDKA news at 11pm when I found out that Ryan Malone had signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I couldn't believe it when I heard the reported terms of Bugsy's deal (from The Sporting News):
Ryan Malone has signed a $31.5 million, seven-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 28-year-old will reportedly earn between $7 million and $8 million in each of the first two years of the contract.

The Lightning traded a third-round pick in the 2009 draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins for exclusive negotiating rights with Malone and forward Gary Roberts on Saturday. According to reports late Sunday, Roberts had signed a one-year contract with the Lightning that could be worth as much as $2 million.


Last week the Lightning hired Greg Malone, Ryan's father, as their head pro scout.
WHAT?! The deal Gary Roberts scored was in line with what I figured he'd be getting, but Ryan Malone's deal is insane. I'm not hating on Malone now that he's no longer a Penguin, but the only explanation for this deal is that Tampa Bay must have more money than they know what to do with. Think about this - the Lightning are paying him almost as much as the Penguins are paying the league's best player for the next two years. MISTAKE.

No wonder Ray Shero didn't really try to stop Bugsy from leaving - Shero would much rather spend that money on a player who is actually worth $7 million next season. I have to admit that I'm quite shocked that Tampa Bay is willing to pay Malone so much money. Only time will tell if it turns out to be a sound investment on Oren Koules's part. For some perspective, check out Illegal Curve's analysis of the deal here.

I'd love to hear what you all think of Bugsy's deal. Do you disagree with me? Is Bugsy worth the big bucks? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

六月廿八:冰冻三尺,非一日之寒

Quote:"贵州省委书记、省人大主任石宗源6月30日赶到当地瓮安县现场指挥处置工作...从这起事件来看,从一起单纯的民事案件酿成一起严重的打、砸、抢、烧群体性事件,其中必有深层次的因素。一些社会矛盾长期积累,多种纠纷相互交织,一些没有得到应有的重视,一些没有得到及时有效的解决,矿群纠纷、移民纠纷、拆迁纠纷突出,干群关系紧张,治安环境不够好"

I expect a "(L) Guizhou" movement over MSN soon, which may start from a post in Tianya. Because of this screenshot from the local TV (i.e. after the provincial officials intervened - source)



For English please see wiki (with original French Lyric and its English translation, and the Russian lyric where the Chinese version in based on)
.. and ESWN.



起来,饥寒交迫的奴隶,起来,全世界受苦的人!满腔的热血已经沸腾,要为真理而斗争! 旧世界打个落花流水,奴隶们起来起来!不要说我们一无所有,我们要做天下的主人!

从来就没有什么救世主,也不靠神仙皇帝。要创造人类的幸福,全靠我们自己!我们要 夺回劳动果实,让思想冲破牢笼。快把那炉火烧的通红,趁热打铁才能成功!

是谁创造了人类世界?是我们劳动群众。一切归劳动者所有,哪能容的寄生虫!最可恨 那些毒蛇猛兽,吃尽了我们的血肉。一旦把他们消灭干净,鲜红的太阳照遍全球!

这是最后的斗争,团结起来到明天,英特纳雄耐尔就一定要实现。这是最后的斗争,团结起 来到明天,英特纳雄耐尔就一定要实现。

中文歌词:瞿秋白

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Rights To Two Pens

From NHL.com:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired the rights to left wings Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009, owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced.



“We said earlier this week we would be aggressive in our pursuit of free agents in order to win and compete,” Koules said. “This trade today doesn’t guarantee anything, but we believe it gives us a leg up in our attempt to sign these two impact players.”
OOOOHHHH BOY, Tampa Bay is going to be gooood this coming season. The Penguins picked up a conditional draft pick in 2009 for the trade. If the Lightning is able to sign Bugsy, the Pens' draft pick will be Tampa Bay's pick in the third round. If the Lightning cannot sign him, the Pens' will get Dallas's fourth round pick.

Yikes! I'm not looking forward to having either of these guys on the opposite bench. But it's just part of the business, and now I will take this opportunity to wish the best of luck to both Robs and Bugsy. Thanks for everything. You'll be missed.

Thanks to grriamafrog for leaving the link in the last post's comments section.

(LATE EDIT: In the event the NHL.com link isn't working, here's a link to this story on TSN.ca.)

Enjoying nature and photography once again

Thank God for strengthening me day by day as I wait upon Him.

Yesterday, a kind friend and sister-in-Christ, Grace, took me for a walk at Hort Park. It is a beautiful park with flowers and plant. We had a good time of fellowship together.

I am thankful to God that I can enjoy nature and photography once again!

Whenever I go through clinical depression, I seemed to lose all ability to enjoy anything. Due to chemical imbalance in my brain, I was not able to think or feel aright.

Thank God for restoring me. Now that I am better, I am so thankful to be able to enjoy nature once again.

I love nature. The beautiful flowers and plants remind me of the wonderful creation of God. God creates these beautiful flowers and plants for us to enjoy. I am thankful that I can enjoy photography once again. It helps me to capture some of the loveliness of God's creations.

God also creates us so that we can enjoy Him and His creations. I am reminded that He will take care of me and all of His beloved people no matter what we may have to go through in this world.

Thank God that He is with us through all the changing scenes in life, and He never leaves us nor forsake us. He give us grace and strength to live for Him each day. We are weak but He is strong. We can look forward to the day when we are with Him forever, no more to be burden by a weak and frail body or mind.

Recovering from depression always give me a sense of a new life in Christ. It's like being born-again or being raised from the dead.

Thank God for His presence and His Words which encourage and strengthen me daily. I pray that God may enable me to live for Him each day as He strengthens me.

Thanks for stopping by, dear friends! Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

Your friendship, prayers, encouragements and concerns have been used by God to be a great encouragement to me!

The thought of God and you encourages my heart daily. May God bless each of you in His special ways.

Hope you have a blessed weekends! Take care.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalm 73:25-26










































































Friday, June 27, 2008

No Good News - Yet

The Pens' salary cap for the 2008-09 season will be $56.7 million. Evidently, Brooks Orpik wants a bigger cut of it (from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):
The Penguins found out yesterday that they'll be able to spend $56.7 million on players during the coming season. They also learned that they still haven't offered defenseman Brooks Orpik enough of that money to convince him to stay. ..."We did receive an offer, which we turned down," Gross said. "But we're still talking."


This doesn't necessarily mean that Orpik's not going to sign with the Pens. It's likely just the beginning of an offer/counteroffer process for Orpik to see how much money he can squeeze out of Ray Shero and for Shero to see how much of a discount Orpik is willing to take. Still, with all the uncertainty surrounding this team with 12 guys set to become UFAs on Tuesday, it sure would be nice if Orpik signed a contract over this weekend.


Evgeni Malkin, on the other hand, still plans on offering the Penguins a discount, despite the recent decisions made by Marian Hossa and Gary Roberts (also from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):
...management's personnel plans took a hit when right winger Marian Hossa informed the team he plans to explore free agency July 1, likely shrinking the chances he will re-sign from nominal to pretty much nil.

That almost certainly will bring about a major adjustment to the Penguins' offseason plans, but what it did not change was Malkin's willingness to take a reduced salary -- probably something in the neighborhood of $8.5 million -- for the sake of the franchise.


"Evgeni understands that some players will not stay for many reasons," said J.P. Barry, his agent. "He simply hopes that his approach helps the team either re-sign existing players or bring in new players so they can be one of the best teams in the league.

"We have provided Ray our proposal and I will continue to speak with him this week as he works at putting together the best team possible, given salary-cap constraints."
I've come to the conclusion that even if none of the 12 UFAs re-sign with the Pens this summer (a highly unlikely scenario - I'm sure we'll get to keep at least one, haha!), if we can get a contract extension signed, sealed, and delivered to Geno, this off-season can still be called a success.


The Pens will be okay. Shero has proved time and time again that he knows what's up. He'll be able to fill gaps left by Hossa and (probably) Malone. Just look at what he's done in the past. Last season, Shero brought veteran Robs in to show the very young, inexperienced Penguins what discipline, commitment, and grit really are and how to achieve longevity in the NHL. This season, it was clear Sidney needed a winger capable of capitalizing on his unmatched play-making ability, so Shero orchestrated the coup that scored Hoss at the trade deadline. I have no doubt that Shero will be able to come through for the team again.


[*Sigh*] So let's review what we know so far:
  • Gary Roberts & Kris Beech = basically gone.
  • Ryan Malone & Marian Hossa = one foot out the door.
  • Brooks Orpik = undecided.
  • Jarkko Ruutu = talks are set to begin before July 1.
  • All the rest of the UFAs = ???
  • Evgeni Malkin = more wanted than Osama bin Laden.
Sidney Crosby = A PENGUIN UNTIL 2013.


I guess it's not all bad, eh? ;)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A Hockey Grab Bag

I've got a plethora of stuff from several Friends of The Show, but first I wanted to let you know that the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has some status updates for us: Brooks Orpik is hoping to work out a longterm deal with the Pens. :)


But that article has some unpleasant news, too:
The Canucks also plan to chase left wing Ryan Malone, who said last week he will exercise his unrestricted option.

Vancouver likely cannot offer Hossa $8 million annually over five years - the deal he is believed to be seeking - but would bid high for Malone, possibly more than $5 million annually on a long-term contract.

What I don't understand is, if it's supposedly not about the money, why is a $40 million, 5 year deal better than a $50 million, 7 year deal? Well, here's a possible explanation for that:
...Hossa told Pittsburgh reporters two days after the Stanley Cup final that he would "take less to play on a good team."

"I only read where Marian said that," Ray Shero said. "He never said that to me."
Hossa - WTF?!

Looks like Shero's going to have to go wing shopping for Sidney...

My former co-conspirator from Taking One For The Team, good Friend Loser Chris, has started a new project called The Flower Shop. It's a blog dedicated entirely to our young netminder. Chris recently posted an in depth analysis that compares Marc-Andre Fleury's performance to date to what the top goalies in the NHL had accomplished by age 23. It's a must-read!

Frank D. over at Pensburgh.com is having a contest to win a prize:
Jack Falla's most recent work, Saved, is a fictional story of John-Pierre Savard, a veteran goaltender for the Boston Bruins. Through his years of hockey, JP Savard has experienced love, loss, grievance and rebirth. It's the story of two grown men pursuing their boyhood dreams of hoisting Lord Stanley high above their heads. As the two continue to tally up the seasons, put wear and tear on their bodies and fight through the late stages of their career, the dream starts to become a reality that pits the two "brothers" in a friendly yet competitive civil war.

Jack Falla was kind enough to donate not only his time, but also a signed copy of his book as a gift to the readers of Pensburgh, SBNation and hockey blogs in general.
Head on over to Pensburgh.com to enter.

The guys over at The 2 Man Advantage have a new video clip. I won't ruin it for you. All I'll say is that there's a few NY Islanders players, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and Jenga in the first 30 seconds.

Lexie101 happened upon Kris Letang at the airport:
Okay now i have to say that i am pretty lucky! I was picking someone up from the airport and we were just walking around and i saw letang! I had him sign my shirt (penguins shirt)! The ONE time I do not have my camera with me I see a penguin!AHHHH! He was having trouble with finding his bags so while his little helper was looking for his bags we said he could come talk to us and he did! And he told me right to my face that geno is not going anywhere! He is going to a golf thingy [the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational] on wed. with Sidney and Max but we did not stay long enough to see those two which is depressing :(
Here's the autograph she got:


I know we settled the Geno v Gino thing, but Laurel K. sent in this picture of a new T-shirt from Reebok and I wanted to share it with you:

Yet one more piece of evidence in favor of the E.

Brandon started an online petition aimed at trying to persuade Marian Hossa to resign with Pittsburgh. Click here to sign it.

Christine sent in an article she found that details why the Pens were glad they didn't win the Cup...

Michelle D. designed this wallpaper for us:

Click to enlarge.

Just a reminder - keep sending in your pictures for our TSCS Summer Project. I've gotten quite a few, and all I have to say is you guys are so creative! Keep 'em coming!!! (Special note to our international Friends: You guys need to catch up! So far the majority of the photos I've received contain the red, white, and blue...)

Thank you, thank you, thank you
to all the Friends who contributed to today's post!!! :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Mr. Roberts' Neighborhood Isn't Pittsburgh Anymore

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
What Would Gary Roberts Do?

Move on, apparently.

Rick Curran, who represents Roberts -- a veritable folk hero in his season-plus with the Penguins -- said yesterday that Roberts will continue playing, but not in Pittsburgh.

"He very much enjoyed his time there," Curran said. "But he understands that Ray [Shero, the Penguins' general manager] has a number of items on his agenda that would take priority."


Curran added that Roberts, 42, "most definitely" intends to continue his career and will decide where after reaching unrestricted free agency next Tuesday.
UGH!!! Pens fans with ThePensblog.com WWGRD wristbands = STUNNED. It was a good run, though, and I think what Robs taught our young Pens (specifically the Saint) in the time he spent here was invaluable beyond measure. He is legendary for his diet and workout regimens, and his passion for the game at age 42 showed the youngsters what commitment really means.

Thanks for everything, Gary. You will be missed.
(Photo courtesy of Friend of The Show Lexie101.)

Thanks to Friends of The Show Lexie101 for the picture and Stephanie S. for sending in the link.

Oren Koules Is Awesome

Long time no post, eh? ;) On Sunday I spent the day watching movies with my husband, and yesterday it felt like I didn't even get a minute to breathe because we're working hard to meet deadlines this week to get ready for shutdown next week. (I'm really sorry about that - I wouldn't have skipped posting on Sunday if I'd known how crazy Monday was going to be.) Anyhoo, I've been thinking about what the Tampa Bay Lightning did on Saturday at the draft and thought it was cool enough to mention here on The Show.

In the seventh round, the Lightning selected 18 year old defenseman from the University of Denver named David Carle, who was attending the college on a hockey scholarship and is the younger brother of Matt Carle of the San Jose Sharks. Big whoop, right? Wrong. It turns out that during the pre-draft physical examinations, doctors found out that Carle has a potentially fatal heart condition (from College Hockey News):
Denver recruit David Carle has retired from competitive hockey after doctors discovered a heart abnormality. The condition, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — or thickening of the heart — can cause sudden cardiac death if there is too much exertion.

[...]

Carle got an EKG at the NHL's scouting combine, which is where an abnormality was first detected. He went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for more tests.


Carle said a nurse was the first to inform him that the news wasn't good. "...I just lost it and had a good cry. ...The doctor came in, and I was pretty shell-shocked at first. After a few hours passed, you can step back and evaluate it, and move forward.

"I'm really quite fortunate they were able to find it. I've still got a long life ahead of me. I have a lot to look forward to and a lot of opportunities ahead of me."
Because of the severity of the disease, he withdrew his name for consideration once the diagnosis was confirmed. But that's when this happened (from The Denver Post):
On Saturday, however, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Carle in the seventh round (203rd overall).

Incoming Lightning owner Oren Koules pushed for the team to select Carle.


"The kid worked his whole life to be drafted in the NHL, and I didn't see a reason he shouldn't be," Koules said on the club's website.
It's only symbolic, since even slight physical exertion could lead to sudden cardiac death. But what a gesture! This kid's entire life changed through no fault of his own, and Koules used the draft to pay tribute to Carle's lifetime of commitment to the game of hockey. Carle still plans to attend the University of Denver, and Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky told Carle that, despite the fact that he now cannot play on the team, his scholarship would be honored.

It's a bittersweet ending to a career that never had a chance to get started.

Thank God I am better!

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks for your prayers, concerns and encouragements.

Thank God for strengthening me.

Just a short note to let you know that I am feeling better. Thank God!

I will pace myself slowly and post more later on.

Take care!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

World GDP per Labor capita

I have blogged about the comparison of economic potential of India and China before. One of the key issues I have raised is the underutilization of labor in India.

But I didn't have data to do real comparison 3 years ago. I made some very rough estimates that the relative labor utilization ('relative' because age profile was not counted, i.e., the factors of child labor and retirement age was ignored) that the relative labor utilization between China and India is 85:65=1.31.

Recently I came across the new CIA World Factbook (the major error in PPP was corrected after Zoellick went to World Bank, though many data still needs to be read with a grain of salt, e.g. the military spending ranking where China's number was manipulated to be above that of US, by (1) converting the hard currency paid for Russian import into PPP, hence inconsistency in numerator and denominator (2) used per capita so that US does not rank at the top, etc.) and I found it had a handy compilation of Labor force statistics.

The labor utilization rate (base on this CIA Factbook) for China is 60.4%, vs 45% for India. The relative ratio is 1.342. My estimate was actually VERY close !!!

Then, I did a very simple calculation to the CIA data: I calculated GDP/labor capita. (i.e. instead of the whole population, I divided GDP by the total workforce number) This ignored the fact that the non-working population may also contribute to the economy (eg by freeing up the time for the working person in the family, etc). But the results are still very interesting, despite its various faults (on top of the problem with PPP).



I have made a correction on CIA data for Niger (CIA's 70k labor is obviously wrong for the 13M strong Niger( the non-wage earning labor are also labors and they produce GDP). It basically ignored everyone who works in subsistence farming). There are other errors in CIA data that I did not bother to fix (all for small countries, e.g. Kiribati; and the mistake for Malta from IMF)

A few interesting facts

  • The gap between China and India narrows significantly if measured by GDP/labor (8775 vs 6002). With GDP/cap it is 5300 vs 2700.
  • China and Pakistan (which has even lower labor rate due to unemployment and the Islam restriction on women labor) comparison is even more striking. Pakistan's GDP/labor ranks just above that of China, at 8869. i.e. If Pakistan free up its women labor, and provided that they can find a job at similar pay as others today, Pakistan's GDP/cap will be the same as that of China (and higher than India's)! Mongolia is another surprise, just above Pakistan!
  • I speculated about Islam factor, which is demonstrated by the low labor rate for countries such as Indonesia (46.3%), Bengladesh (45.2%), Egypt (27%), Turkey (32.7%) and Pakistan (29.3%). But it would be wrong to simplify matters as such. Because one cannot then explain the fact that Pakistan/Eqwgypt have much lower rate than other Islamic countries. And Kazakhstan's 53.6% cannot be explained at all. (OTOH the gulf states rich in oil have higher labor rate merely because of the foreign labors)
  • DPRK (North Korea) has the highest labor rate. I know it is probably because its full employment due to socialism (and short life span so that there is no retiree?) but I am a bit skeptical of the numbers. Anyway, the productivity is very low because as many as 100k people would be practicing Mass Game for a few month in the years before this year (apparently they stopped the function this year! when I wanted to visit). Liechtenstein's high labor rate is probably a result of foreign workers (in its financial industry) as well. Same for Monaco.
  • Japan has higher (PPP_measured) GDP/cap than Taiwan only because more Japanese worked! This is another major surprise.
  • The gap between HK and Singapore has widened, with Singapore leading by almost 20% in GDP/cap. However, in terms of per labor they are next to each other again.
  • Bostwana, the star of Africa, ranked number 6 in the world, just behind financial/tax havens Luxembourg/Bermuda, and oil states Qatar/Brunei -- But I am not sure if the CIA labor rate of 15.7% is right. However, even if not, Bostwana's GDP performance is still very impressive.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

PROOF!!!

This came to me a few minutes ago courtesy of Friend of The Show Sooska:
I took a screen shot from the HERE a few minutes ago and photoshopped it only to draw a line and circle and add the text. The rest of the image is unchanged. Go to the site and see for yourselves. On Geno's page the menu is in the lower left. The file of the screen shot is attached. Please note it says GENO- not Gino. Nike says it is Geno, therefore God Gary says it is Geno.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

I think we can safely put this controversy to rest and concentrate on the rumors of his trade. Pensgirl told me last night she had been alerted to a rumor that our boy Geno had already signed with a team from Tokyo for all-you-can-eat-sushi. This rumor has credence since we all know for a fact, as he stated it openly on Inside Penguins Hockey, that his favorite place to eat in Pittsburgh is Umi in Shadyside.
That's very difficult to argue against! Looks like it's CASE CLOSED for good on the Geno v Gino issue! :) And speaking of Geno's alleged possible relocation, it turns out that Ray Shero was actually listening to some of the offers being sent his way, though he ultimately didn't accept any of them. Check out this article that details what Geno's agent has to say about the coveted star's future:
Sidney Crosby cracked the door open last July.

Evgeni Malkin wants to rip it from its hinges next month to allow teammates - specifically impending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa - a clear path toward long-term futures with the Penguins.


Malkin's agent, JP Barry, said Friday his client would follow the precedent set by Crosby last summer and sign a long-term extension at less than his presumed market value to provide the Penguins salary cap space necessary to remain a Stanley Cup contender.
I believe the words you're looking for are "BOO" and "YAH." But, as they say, you've got to take the good with the bad: Unfortunately, talks with Marian Hossa have broken down. He has decided to decline the Pens' offer for a longterm deal in favor of trying his luck in free agency. (>_<) Evidently, "[Ray] Shero said he is 'not optimistic and not pessimistic' about keeping Hossa." Okaaaaaay...

Sid will definitely still need a winger if Hossa leaves, but I'm so glad Geno wants to stay!!! This photo of Geno comes courtesy of good Friend of The Show Teka of Talk Hockey To Me. She took the photo in Philadelphia when the Pens met the Flyers on 11-10-07.

Oh, and in HOLY SCHMIDT news, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Pittsburgh native Penguin killer R.J. Umberger to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Here are the details of that trade:
The Flyers received the Blue Jackets first round pick (19th overall) and third round pick (67th overall). The Blue Jackets also received the Flyers' fourth round pick (119th overall) in the deal.

Umberger, a graduate of Plum High School, was a restricted free agent that the Flyers were having difficulty re-signing because of the salary cap. The Blue Jackets will now have exclusive negotiating rights with Umberger until July 1, when other teams can make a contract offer that the Blue Jackets would have to match or risk losing him.

Umberger and the Saint play in Philadelphia on 01-13-07.

Umberger ...was a restricted free agent that the Flyers were having difficulty re-signing because of the salary cap.
Hmmm, do you think that had anything to do with the fact that the Flyers had no money to spare after shelling out $10 million to Danny Briere?

Finally, in draft news, the Pens picked up right wing Nathan Moon, and goaltenders Alexander Pechurski and Patrick Killeen in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds, respectively. Don't forget to keep working on our TSCS Summer Project! I've already gotten some really good ones. :)

Big thanks go out to Friends Sooska (for sending in the PROOF! screenshot) and Teka (for the shot of Geno).

The funny shape of the East China Sea "co-development" zone



Source: FYJS , Yomiuri

The funny shape of the co-development zone in East China Sea recently nogotiated between China and Japan has puzzled many. I have speculated some reason in the choice of location (e.g. as far from Diaoyu / Senkaku as possible, largely on the disputed zone but includes a bit of the area west of Japan claim line to show goodwill, etc.) But the shape is still mysterious.

One theory (according Yomiuri - in its report also said explicitly now that Longjing Asunaro is not within the area) is that this area is chosen so that it satisfies two conditions
1) as far north as possible (as I speculated)
2) but avoid any potential dispute with Korea (!!!)

One may ask, what does Korea have anything to do with this. The map above shows (in white outline) the area stipulated by the February 1974 agreement between (South) Korea and Japan, as their codevelopment zone. Coordiantes of the polygon corners are:


  • Point 1 32°57.0'N 127°41.1'E
  • Point 2 32°53.4'N 127°36.3'E
  • Point 3 32°46.2'N 127°27.8'E
  • Point 4 32°33.6'N 127°13.1'E
  • Point 5 32°10.5'N 126°51.5'E
  • Point 6 30°46.2'N 125°55.5'E
  • Point 7 30°33.3'N 126°00.8'E
  • Point 8 30°18.2'N 126°05.5'E
  • Point 9 28°36.0'N 127°38.0'E
  • Point 10 29°19.0'N 128°00.0'E
  • Point 11 29°43.0'N 128°38.0'E
  • Point 12 30°19.0'N 129°09.0'E
  • Point 13 30°54.0'N 129°04.0'E
  • Point 14 31°13.0'N 128°50.0'E
  • Point 15 31°47.0'N 128°50.0'E
  • Point 16 31°47.0'N 128°14.0'E
  • Point 17 32°12.0'N 127°50.0'E
  • Point 18 32°27.0'N 127°56.0'E
  • Point 19 32°27.0'N 128°18.0'E
  • Point 20 32°57.0'N 128°18.0'E
  • Point 1 32°57.0'N 127°41.1'E

The problem is, in 1974, China was still a closed country, far behind the bamboo curtain. This area overlaps with the Chinese claimed line (based on the Ocean trough, and 200 nautical miles -- shown in the map above). To make real progress and not complicate the problem it thus makes sense to defer any discussion that may involve another new interest party (which is also highly nationalistic).

  • update: according to Mark Valencia's study, China had protested loudly in 1974.
  • "On February 4, 1974, China protested loudly:

  • The Chinese Government holds that, according to the principle
    that the continental shelf is the natural extension of the continent,
    it stands to reason that the question of how to divide the continental
    shelf in the East China Sea should be decided by China and the
    other countries concerned through consultations. But now the
    Japanese Government and the South Korean authorities have
    marked off a so-called . . . “joint development zone” . . . behind
    China’s back. This is an infringement on China’s sovereignty
    "




p.s. It is a bit puzzling for me to understand why Japan had agreed to such a zone, as the south portion of the polygon extends far south of Cheju Island (or even Huang yan reef, which is the weaker version of 'okinotori' for Korea). It actually extended south of Kyushu and as far south as the latitude of Okinawa.


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传中日顾虑韩国因素 放弃开发龙井油田



【星岛网讯】中日双方日前正式就共同开发东海油气田问题达成共识,有消息称,由于顾虑韩国的关系,双方未把龙井(日本取名翌桧)油田列为共同开发的对象。只就龙井油田南侧海域的达成共识。  



日本《读卖新闻》报道,中日双方在东海油田开发谈判中,把龙井油田排除在共同开发的对象之外,双方也将不单独开发,事实上是暂时放弃对这个油田的开发。 

报道指,中日两国由于分别顾虑到龙井靠近中国和韩国的中线海域以及接近日韩大陆架共同开发区,若进行开发有可能和韩国发生冲突而避开对这个海上油田的开发。  

日本政府18日发表和中国达成的协议,只对龙井油田的南侧海域进行共同开发。日本在当天并未明示理由,只表示和中国的谈判结果是如此。  

日本和中国的谈判中曾要求在跨越日本主张的日中东海中线一带的龙井(翌桧)、春晓(日本名白桦)、断桥(楠)和天外天(木坚)四个油田共同开发,结果只就共同开发龙井南侧海域以及日方出资参加中国已着手开发的春晓达成协议。  

日本主张以日中两国海岸等距离的中线为两国的东海分界线,中国则坚持大陆架所及的琉球海沟是双方的分界线,成为谈判的最大争议点。这次以将争议点搁置方式达成共同开发的协议,中国并重申未承认日本主张的中线。---

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日中、東シナ海ガス田「翌檜」の開発断念…韓国に配慮し

Note Yumiuri had a strange (and wrong) label of Sino-Korea median line。 (1) a China-Korea line would run North-South wise instead of East-West wise, (2) there is no median line agreed at between China and Korea. what is relevant is the 200 nautical line as indicated in the first map of this post.

 日中の東シナ海ガス田協議で、翌檜(あすなろ)(中国名・龍井)を共同開発の対象としないことで合意していたことが20日、分かった。
 日中ともに単独開発も行わず、翌檜は事実上放棄される。翌檜は〈1〉中国と韓国の境界の基準となる「中間線」〈2〉日韓大陸棚共同開発区域――に近接しており、開発すれば韓国と摩擦を生じかねないと判断、韓国に配慮した。
 日中交渉筋によると、両政府は翌檜の共同開発を一時検討。しかし、ガスを含む地層が、中韓の「中間線」をまたぎ日韓大陸棚共同開発区域に広がっている可能性があることがわかった。開発すれば、韓国が「資源を吸い取られる」と主張する懸念があった。一連の協議には韓国は加わっておらず、日中両政府は、翌檜の開発断念で一致した
 政府が18日に正式発表した東シナ海ガス田開発に関する日中合意では、翌檜は共同開発の対象から外され、翌檜南側の海域が共同開発の対象となった。理由について、政府は「交渉の結果としか言えない」と説明していた。
 東シナ海で日本が中国に共同開発を求めた4ガス田のうち、白樺(中国名・春暁)は日本が出資する形の共同開発で合意した。
(2008年6月20日14時43分 読売新聞)

Related:
Another Yomiuri East China Sea Map for Martin J. Frid… Wait, It Gets Better

Reading list June 2008

BURMA AND THE GRAY LADY
冰点下的对峙:1962年六万新疆人叛逃苏联内幕
中印边境自卫反击作战史1997年版(download)
North Korea photo through a PRC tourist's eyes
Old Chinese Maps by European missionaries
France: the biggest colonial empire of 21st century
Seeking Geopolitical Advantage from Myanmar’s Crisis
Mongolia's China Syndrome

Defining victory
Interpreting the Pending Deal on the East China Sea Gas Fields
台湾网友 东海油气田的特殊性与战略价值(图文)!
关键时刻只有日本站在我们一边
抗议奥运火炬的是何种西方人
Interpreting the Pending Deal on the East China Sea Gas Fields

柏杨之后无柏杨
闯义乌

Karma comedians
China: Multinationals Hear It Online
地震提供了一个前所未有的契机...
There are other regimes than colonialism -- Wang Lixiong on Tibet
Rescue using the skill for picking mushroom
WHEN THE BEST IN THE WEST GET IT WRONG
Poor French poeple, victim of boycott

再來説火炬
Huangfu Ping essay (translated)
皇甫平:不畏浮云遮望眼

The abstract China maps
The Chinese people and the Chinese government
没有历史的南方
Jean-Luc Mélenchon interview

Interesting Chinese poster pairs
Don't Feed China's Nationalism

Friday, June 20, 2008

Geno's Not Going To Russia

Poor Geno. Everyone in the media seems ready to put him on the next train and ship him out of Pittsburgh. This morning, I was greeted by emails with links to this article from Sportsnet.ca:
Russia's Continental Hockey League is hoping to make Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin the world's highest-paid hockey player to the tune of $15 million per season according to a Toronto newspaper.

That's a lot of freaking cash!!!

According to the Toronto Star, several teams in Russia's revamped hockey league are prepared to offer Malkin a multi-year deal worth $12.5 million a season. The offer would be equivalent to at least a $15 million per year in the NHL, where players have to pay state (or provincial) and federal taxes.
$15 million a year?!! I don't think any one of us would have blamed him if he'd chosen to go after that kind of cash. But there's one problem: The IIHL has just released a statement saying, in short, that the offer was NOT made to Geno and this story is just B.S. (from the Pens' website):
Although the International Ice Hockey Federation does not usually issue statements following unsubstantiated media reports, the IIHF finds it principally important to address the newspaper story (Toronto Star, June 20) that reports about the Russian league allegedly preparing an offer to Pittsburgh Penguin player Evgeni Malkin, who is under contract with the NHL-club.

Geno scores in Russia. Imagine actually seeing this in person. AMAZING!

...we are confident that the report is not substantiated.
There you have it. No matter what anyone in the media says, I continue to believe that Geno won't be going anywhere. If - I said IF, people! - a trade was in Geno's future, I can't possibly imagine a good enough reason why Ray Shero would do it this summer. I find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that Shero would give up one of the best players in the world while he still costs under $1 million per year.

Where you goin'? Nowhere!

I'm not trying to poke any bears here, but I would think if Shero was looking for a way to save some room in the salary cap by unloading a center, he might want to look at trading Jordan Staal. (See? This is why I'm glad I'm not Mr. Shero!) Don't get me wrong - I like Staal well enough and he's a freaking beast on the penalty kill, but if money is going to be an issue, I'd MUCH rather part with the Gronk than Geno. Staal is good - good enough to demand millions. But Geno is elite. Without Geno and Ty Conklin, the Pens wouldn't have had a snowball's chance at even getting into the playoffs. And up until the Stanley Cup Finals, Geno along with the dynamic duo of Sid and Marian Hossa were the team's offensive one-two punch. If I was Shero, I'd be doing everything in my power to keep both Hossa and Malkin right now. And my bet is that he's doing just that.

I took this at the 04-02-08 Pens v Flyers game.

Now to lighten the mood a bit, our main man finds himself in TWO top 10 lists today! :) He came in at number 6 in the Wall Street Journal's Top 10 Athletes of 2008. (Noticeably absent - one hockey-hating golfer named Tiger.) The Saint earned the top spot in AskMen.com's Top 10: Athletes Under 21. Another great thing about the AskMen list: three spots are occupied by NHL'ers! :)

He tops our list!

Thanks go out to Friends of The Show Aisha V. and Vanny V. for the Sportsnet link, Daily Su for the Pens' website link, and to commenter Alyssa for the WSJ link.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Did Shero Offer Geno to the Kings?

Have you heard this one yet? From The Ottawa Sun:
The Penguins are trying to make a blockbuster move before tomorrow night's NHL draft at Scotiabank Place.

League sources say Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero offered all-star centre Evgeni Malkin to the Kings for the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and a player, possibly centre Mike Cammalleri.


While many NHL executives refused to believe the Penguins would trade the 21-year-old Malkin because he has one year left on his entry-level contract at a bargain $984,000 (all terms US), the indications are that Shero wants to sign winger Marian Hossa before he becomes an unrestricted free agent -- a deal that could cost Pittsburgh upward of $8 million a year.

If the Penguins retained Hossa, signing Malkin next year could be dicey because of salary cap considerations.
[devil's advocate] As unpleasant as this move would be, it would also have its benefits. Releasing Geno now for a top draft pick would give the Pens an opportunity to get another highly skilled and low cost player to save some room in the salary cap. That would free up a significant amount of cash over the next few years that could be used in salaries for guys like Hossa and Marc-Andre Fleury.


The extra cash would also increase the possibilities of retaining Ryan Malone, Brooks Orpik, Jarrko Ruutu, Georges Laraque, and Mark Eaton. (It should be mentioned that, because he seems to be injury prone, we might be able to keep Eaton - who is one helluva defenseman when he's healthy - for a discounted price anyways.) Don't forget that Jordan Staal's entry level contract is up soon, too, and my guess is that he'll be asking his bosses for a substantial raise.

The benefits of keeping Geno are more than obvious, but I can see some benefits to letting him go, too. And I don't see how the Pens have much of a chance at another Stanley Cup run in the immediate future without key players like Bugsy and Orpik. And it's not as if Geno is our franchise player. Add to that the fact that we'd be getting the #2 draft pick this year, and it seems like the deal would actually make some sense. [/devil's advocate]


The part that has me puzzled, though, is that all this comes only days after Geno released a statement he'd be willing to give Shero a rather significant hometown discount (recall that he said he didn't need to exceed or even meet Sid's $8.7 million, 5 year deal). This is why I just find this particular rumor very difficult to believe. I'm not the only one wondering about that - Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski is confused by the timing of this one, as well:
Perhaps Shero is infatuated with flipping his Russian star for the next Scott Niedermayer or the next Pavel Bure, and saving major coin in the process. Maybe he knows something we don't about Malkin.


But on the surface -- and with the very important [author of the article Bruce] Garrioch grain of salt -- hearing Evgeni Malkin being shopped weeks after declaring he'd give the Penguins a Crosby discount is absolutely stunning if true.
I don't think "stunning" is quite a strong enough word. Just remember - this is still purely rumor and speculation. But even so, I'm curious as to what you all think: If you were forced to make a choice, who would you rather see come back in a Pens sweater next season, Geno or Bugsy & Orpik? Why? (I know - it's like Sophie's Choice for Pens fans.)


Thanks to longtime Friends of The Show Mike @ Japan and Allison Y. for the links! :)