Retired US Iraq general demands Rumsfeld resign
This article is from Reuter's (above)
I totally agree with the comments below and with the article referenced. We need a fresh start in the Pentagon, and we cannot wait until the next Presidential cycle in 2008. Rumsfeld needs to go. He has failed since the "end of the war" declaration.
He succeeded in toppling Sadam, but after that, he has been a complete failure, as have any and all policies coming out of the Pentagon with respect to rebuilding IRAQ.
We need new leadership, fresh ideas, and a strategy that wins the support of all of the factions in IRAQ, as well as the American people. What is going on now is a farce, because we take 2 steps forward and then 3 steps back. Read this article and these quotes about which, I totally and completely agree.
"He defined success in the war as 'setting the Iraqi people up for self-reliance with their form of representative government that takes into account tribal, ethnic and religious differences that have always defined Iraqi society.'
'Iraqis, frankly, in my experience, do not understand democracy. Nor do they understand their responsibilities for a free society,' Batiste said.
This (above) is the essence of the problem. These people in IRAQ have been exposed to tribal thinking and tribal conflicts for centuries. For a democracy to work, there has to be a common bond, a common ground from which to rise up and to succeed in building a new life together, from which goods and services are produced, then sold, and from which a general respect for one another is acheived.
This is not inherent in the make up of IRAQ society in general. It takes many many years to achieve this, not 2 or 3, but 25-50 or 100 years.
We have to start all over. Rumsfeld did his duty, but it is time for him to go.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Electric Cars coming back
Autopia
(actually, I never knew there were "in" )
Electric Cars on Comeback Trail
Now Playing: Electric Light Orchestra
Topic: Electric Vehicles
A Canadian startup will begin selling electric vehicles in the North America this summer. The FeelGoodCars ZENN is an urban vehicle with a 25 mph maximum speed and range of 30 miles.
The base model of the ZENN will cost under $10K, and is expected to be available in dealerships in many states, according to FeelGoodCars CEO Ian Clifford.
bes.
If Rod Stewart can have a successful comeback, why not EVs? As gas prices continue their inevitable upward churn, plugging in a vehicle with cheap electricity becomes more and more attractive.
(actually, I never knew there were "in" )
Electric Cars on Comeback Trail
Now Playing: Electric Light Orchestra
Topic: Electric Vehicles
A Canadian startup will begin selling electric vehicles in the North America this summer. The FeelGoodCars ZENN is an urban vehicle with a 25 mph maximum speed and range of 30 miles.
The base model of the ZENN will cost under $10K, and is expected to be available in dealerships in many states, according to FeelGoodCars CEO Ian Clifford.
bes.
If Rod Stewart can have a successful comeback, why not EVs? As gas prices continue their inevitable upward churn, plugging in a vehicle with cheap electricity becomes more and more attractive.
Paul Griffin--One of the greatest guys who hates publicity
An iNiche Market FROM TN BUSINESS
"Paul Griffin might have a reason or two to be quiet about his business. Fourteen years ago, the inventor and electrical engineer founded a company in Nashville that made adapters for Apple Macintosh computers, making them work with PC monitors. Since then, the mom-and-pop business, which at some point employed only a handful of people at its Elm Hill Pike warehouse, grew to one of the world’s largest makers of peripheral products for all things Mac.
So why is Paul Griffin shying away from publicity? First off, his business is closely held and sales appear to be going through the roof (to the tune of some $80 million last year, according to people familiar with the company). If the numbers are good, who needs publicity?
Take iPod. Since the portable players were introduced in 2001, Apple Computer has sold 42.2 million of them, barely keeping up with surging demand. Last year alone, iPods accounted for one-third of Apple’s sales. If digital players are hot, their accessories proved to be at least equally attractive to gadget lovers. But Apple makes few accessories on its own, and leaves much of the job to third-party manufacturers and vendors. That’s where Griffin comes in. Some of Griffin’s most popular products, such as AirBase, iTrip and radio Shark, retail in the range of $39.99 and $69.99.
And competition is fierce. In 2004, Griffin sued its former vice president of marketing Andrew Green after he took a job at DLO in a similar role. Green had worked for Griffin between 2002 and 2004, and participated in the design of iTrip, one of Griffin’s most successful products. DLO’s parent Netalog later sued Griffin for patent infringement.
But legal maneuvering is not the only reason Griffin might be disinclined to talk. Independent makers of Apple’s peripheral paraphernalia seem ripe for consolidation, and Paul Griffin and his brain trust at Griffin may just want to fly under the radar, at least for the time being. One Apple analyst, Shaw Wu of California-based American Technology Research, says it’s about time somebody got bought.
With its slick products and robust growth, Griffin Technology certainly presents a tempting target.
(NOTE FROM MO---Paul Griffin still wears jeans to the office, drives an average car, and lives in an average neighborhood. In short, he has not lost his identity in the face of what is- quite staggering success. Paul may be a bit over protective about his success, but he is easily in my book the most succesful business person in Nashville--and could quite literally be a Nashville business celebrity if he so chose to do so. He is a genius and a great guy at the same time. Now, we just need to get him to get interested in philanthropic or big time marketing activities---Perhaps the Griffin Entertainment Center (we could still call it the GEC), or maybe Paul will be solicited now for charitable donations for worthy causes he finds interesting. Whatever happens, it's great to have a new super successful business person in Nashville.
"Paul Griffin might have a reason or two to be quiet about his business. Fourteen years ago, the inventor and electrical engineer founded a company in Nashville that made adapters for Apple Macintosh computers, making them work with PC monitors. Since then, the mom-and-pop business, which at some point employed only a handful of people at its Elm Hill Pike warehouse, grew to one of the world’s largest makers of peripheral products for all things Mac.
So why is Paul Griffin shying away from publicity? First off, his business is closely held and sales appear to be going through the roof (to the tune of some $80 million last year, according to people familiar with the company). If the numbers are good, who needs publicity?
Take iPod. Since the portable players were introduced in 2001, Apple Computer has sold 42.2 million of them, barely keeping up with surging demand. Last year alone, iPods accounted for one-third of Apple’s sales. If digital players are hot, their accessories proved to be at least equally attractive to gadget lovers. But Apple makes few accessories on its own, and leaves much of the job to third-party manufacturers and vendors. That’s where Griffin comes in. Some of Griffin’s most popular products, such as AirBase, iTrip and radio Shark, retail in the range of $39.99 and $69.99.
And competition is fierce. In 2004, Griffin sued its former vice president of marketing Andrew Green after he took a job at DLO in a similar role. Green had worked for Griffin between 2002 and 2004, and participated in the design of iTrip, one of Griffin’s most successful products. DLO’s parent Netalog later sued Griffin for patent infringement.
But legal maneuvering is not the only reason Griffin might be disinclined to talk. Independent makers of Apple’s peripheral paraphernalia seem ripe for consolidation, and Paul Griffin and his brain trust at Griffin may just want to fly under the radar, at least for the time being. One Apple analyst, Shaw Wu of California-based American Technology Research, says it’s about time somebody got bought.
With its slick products and robust growth, Griffin Technology certainly presents a tempting target.
(NOTE FROM MO---Paul Griffin still wears jeans to the office, drives an average car, and lives in an average neighborhood. In short, he has not lost his identity in the face of what is- quite staggering success. Paul may be a bit over protective about his success, but he is easily in my book the most succesful business person in Nashville--and could quite literally be a Nashville business celebrity if he so chose to do so. He is a genius and a great guy at the same time. Now, we just need to get him to get interested in philanthropic or big time marketing activities---Perhaps the Griffin Entertainment Center (we could still call it the GEC), or maybe Paul will be solicited now for charitable donations for worthy causes he finds interesting. Whatever happens, it's great to have a new super successful business person in Nashville.
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