Topic: Hockey

Author Mark Steyn has been involved in a long-running legal battle with climatologist Michael Mann over comments regarding the "hockey stick" climate graph. The case, which has spanned over a decade in the DC court system, centers on allegations of libel and the scientific validity of Mann's research.

Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of Canada, used a hockey analogy to describe Canada's trade negotiations with the Trump administration. Carney argued that while Canada "dropped the gloves" early on, the current phase of the "game" requires strategic passing and cooperation. Canada currently maintains one of the lowest average tariff rates with the U.S. at approximately 5.5%.

The program opens with a shout-out to the University of Wisconsin River Falls women's ice hockey team for their back-to-back national championships. A debate ensues regarding the athletic merits of field hockey versus ice hockey and the physical fitness of soccer players. The term "WAGs," referring to the wives and girlfriends of high-profile athletes, is introduced as a cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom.

The hosts discuss NHL player Christian Dvorak of the Montreal Canadiens and his performance in the playoffs against the Washington Capitals. This leads to an anecdote about Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who briefly served on the board of Adam Curry's former company, PodShow. The hosts joke about the lack of connection between the hockey player and John C. Dvorak.

The hosts discuss the long-running legal battle between author Mark Steyn and climate scientist Michael Mann. Steyn has spent over a decade in DC courts after calling Mann's "hockey stick" climate graph a fraud. They also joke about suing other podcasters for using the "Value for Value" model.

The episode concludes with a list of upcoming global meetups in cities like Charlotte, Seoul, and Portland. The "Good News" segment features a story about a man who saved a four-year-old boy from a flying hockey puck at a Cleveland Monsters game. The show signs off with a classic "End of Show Mix" featuring historical clips and community-produced music.

Author Mark Steyn is currently involved in a long-running defamation lawsuit brought by climate scientist Michael Mann. The suit stems from comments Steyn made 12 years ago regarding Mann's "hockey stick" data and the internal investigation at Penn State. The trial is seen as a significant case regarding the ability to criticize scientific data and the limits of free speech in the climate debate.

Twelve-year-old Addison Kyprios, who suffers from a rare sun disorder called EPP, was granted a special experience with the San Jose Sharks hockey team. The nonprofit Shadow Jumpers and the Sharks Foundation renovated her basement into a bedroom and arranged for her to skate with the team. The story highlights the community effort to bring joy to a young fan facing a critical illness.

Critics examine the "hockey stick" graph created by Michael Mann, alleging that he cherry-picked tree ring data to create a dramatic temperature spike at the end of the record. The graph became an iconic tool for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to argue that human industry caused unprecedented warming starting in the 1880s. Skeptics claim the data was manufactured to justify political goals rather than reflect accurate historical temperature variations.

A geologist argues that climate has always changed, citing the Medieval Warm Period (1000 AD) as a time of prosperity that was later "erased" by Michael Mann's hockey stick graph. The speaker claims he was denied an NPR interview because he refused to attribute warming to human activity. He asserts that the current "irrational hysteria" in the media ignores 100 previous studies confirming that historical warming was global and natural.

Manitoba health officials reported four cases of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant, though all individuals have already recovered. Despite the low numbers, Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam released a controversial modeling chart showing a "rocket projectile" spike in cases if public health measures are lifted. Critics described the yellow trend line on the chart as hyperbolic and physically impossible given testing capacities.

Ron Convery is knighted as "Sir Roland Ref of the Frozen Sheet," referencing his two decades as an ice hockey referee. His donation note includes a "boob" donation and a mention that "Epstein didn't kill himself," while requesting Perdomo cigars at the roundtable.

Canadian hockey commentator Don Cherry was fired from "Hockey Night in Canada" following remarks about immigrants not wearing remembrance poppies. While Cherry argued he was encouraging cultural integration and respect for veterans, the media and his network, Sportsnet, labeled the comments as racist and divisive. The discussion highlights how the media narrative shifted from a complaint about poppies to accusations that Cherry hates minority veterans.

A long-standing libel lawsuit filed by climatologist Michael Mann against Dr. Tim Ball was dismissed with prejudice by a Canadian judge. Mann, the creator of the famous "hockey stick" temperature graph, was ordered to pay Ball's legal costs after failing to produce underlying data for the court. The hosts discuss the implications of this ruling for the global warming debate and the transparency of climate science.

Climate scientist Michael Mann lost a legal case in British Columbia after refusing to produce the underlying R2 regression analysis data for his famous hockey stick graph. The court dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice and ordered Mann to pay defendant legal costs.

A 2006 congressional testimony from a geophysicist challenges the "hockey stick" temperature graph, arguing that the Medieval Warm Period was a real, global phenomenon that modern climate scientists have tried to erase. The witness describes being pressured by NPR to attribute warming to human activity and warns of an "irrational hysteria" in the media regarding natural climate cycles.

Climate scientist Michael Mann spoke at Green Mountain College, defending his "hockey stick" climate curve and criticizing political assaults on environmental science. Mann drew controversy by adapting Martin Niemöller's famous Holocaust-era "First they came" quote to describe the targeting of immigrants, scientists, and environmentalists in the current political climate.

The hosts critique the shifting "consensus" numbers on climate change, noting that media figures like Chris Cuomo now cite 99% agreement. They reiterate their skepticism based on the failure of computer models, the "Climategate" emails, and the political nature of cap-and-trade systems.

Observations from the Rio Olympics highlighted a perceived decline in fencing etiquette, with athletes engaging in excessive "fist-pumping" and celebration. A former Dutch youth fencing champion noted that such behavior was traditionally frowned upon in the "gentleman's sport." Additionally, women's field hockey was praised as an underrated spectator sport, specifically noting the final match between Great Britain and the Netherlands.

The hosts acknowledge a donation from a producer in Fuquay Varina and discuss a request for a birthday wish for a young listener named James. James's roller hockey team, the CSU Fullerton Titans, has qualified for the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships in Cedar Rapids. Various other small donations and "karma" requests are processed.