catchmyblog

The Summer of 2010 !

2010-08-18T08:02:00.001-05:00

The summer of 2010 was pretty spectacular. We started the summer with a "100 years of living" extravaganza/party in May celebrating our respective 50th birthdays. The party was highlighted by our daughter Rachel singing a couple of songs with the band which was comprised of 2 current members of the Long Players. The bartenders were our son, Houston, and his college age friends. It was a very memorable evening complete with great food and great people.

Shortly thereafter, we set out on a week long sailing "barefoot" cruise in the Caribbean on a 46 foot yacht captained by our good friend Kemper Harr. Our two families met up in Atlanta and flew down to St. Thomas, then picked up our boat in Tortola. What a spectacular week--waking up on board, raising the sails, and cruising to different spots---where unusually personable restaurants and bars awaited us around the islands. The water and weather were perfect for early June.

After settling back into Nashville for a few days, we were off again to Baton Rouge to support Houston's final club soccer tournament with KFC (Knoxville Futbol Club) in the Regionals. This trip was a bookend on a fabulous club soccer career for our son. He played ten years, and was the recipient of many awards, honors, and accolades. Not many kids make it to the U-19 level, where competition is fierce. In fact, only 12 boys from the entire state of Tn made it this far. Club soccer paved the way for Houston to received a full scholarship to play soccer at the collegiate level Division One--at the University of Richmond.

So it was with some emotion that we exited this tourney after 3 games, thus ending the club soccer years. Our "Shaggin Wagon" Ford Van rolled into Nashville with over 110K miles. Rarely used for anything other than family soccer (and SGI) trips, we wonder what will become of that old van. Tons of memories.

As July 4th approached, we packed up again and made our annual pilgrimage to our cabin on Center Hill Lake for the fabled Smithville Jamboree weekend with our good friends Alice and Sammy Taylor and family. We had all of our toys, the 21 ft. Sea Ray, the Sea Doo, and all the extras for our dock just below our place. We are fortunate to have one of the few docks on the lake whereby we can assemble, and distribute according to age, interest, and what not. Plenty of activities abounded, as other friends would come and go on their boats as well. The Jamboree was highlighted by plenty of gospel singing in back of the Courthouse away from the stage. I missed the 5k this year, but others ran it on Saturday morning. The Hurricane Marina folks put on a great fireworks show to cap off the 4th.

Not too long thereafter, our final official trip of the summer commenced towards St. George Island, where we co-own a house with our good friends, Chip and Mary Loch Smith. This was to be an Oldham/ Smith reunion, as our two families had not traveled together for at least 2 years. The trip got off to a rough start, as we had to put down our beloved dog of 10 years, Emma, the great Golden, on the morning of our departure. Things just weren't totally right for several days after that, but because of the great understanding and empathy of the Smiths', they made our trip fabulous as usual to this special area of Florida. The wildlife and nature that exists in this cozy spot off the coast of Apalachicola is simply amazing. We were visited daily by an Osprey about 5 pm looking for dinner and flying peacefully up and down the coast. Tons of dolphin each day. And plenty of freshly caught grouper and snapper. We took our bikes this year and did a 30 mile ride from one end of the island to the other. Good stuff. And we had 7 kids/ young adults on this trip, so there was always something happening around Angel Wing. We ended our trip to SGI with our annual "Beach Olympics", highlighted by beach volleyball, beach soccer, and beach football, all played back to back with frequent trips to the oil free Gulf.

Other fabulous tidbits from the summer included watching almost every World Cup game with Houston and an assortment of his friends and cheering on the USA, who ultimately folded in an incredible line up snafu against Ghana. "Monday Funday" became a staple around our house with Houston's college age friends showing up to play beer pong on Monday nights. We had to call of this epic night of fun eventually as high school kids would wander in, eager to find a parent friendly alcohol is okay zone. Sorry guys. Rachel and her friends had many sun filled days around the pool and listening to loud music, thanks to the newly installed outdoor rock speakers around our oh so cool patio and deck. Houston is becoming quite a chef and cooked dinner frequently for us and his friends.

Finally, the summer of 2010 faded and as we made plans for school, we picked up and rescued two puppies to join our family and to try to replace the hole left by Emma's quick demise. So we welcome "Indie" and "Leo" in mid August. The emptiness of the house with kids back in school will hopefully be offset by these two little hell raising puppies. What a great summer. Thanks be to God.

I could not have said it better myself--commentary by Dan Le Batard

2010-06-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

Did you see that? Did you call your friends? Did you hug strangers? Did you share?This is why we love games. This is why we invest and care and cry and scream and get angry -- for the one breathtaking moment that Landon Donovan gave us Wednesday, when a little balding guy summoned the strength to lift our big country and give the United States a 1-0 victory against Algeria to advance in the World Cup.
There is nothing better in sports than patriotism. But hope is pretty close. And winning, too. And they all merged with that soccer ball in front of an empty net in the 91st minute over in South Africa. The feeling Donovan's foot then produced, in a blink, was so enormous that you could feel the ripples of reverberation from a world away.
Over here, bars and offices erupted with joyous noise, and grown men wept. Most of life is not lived in this arena, of course. Most of life is bills and responsibilities and bosses and oil spills, and we need vacations from all that. But games, in moments like this one, allow us to exist and emote on a different and higher plane, living vicariously through that team's bond, which can grow so large that it allows us to wrap even something as big as our entire country in something as small as a single flag.
It is why America spends so much money and invests so much more emotion on sports -- to escape, to vacation from life in this magical paradise. How often does anything outside of sports make you scream at a television or dance around your couch or jump up and down? Think about that for a second. You scream if you win the lottery or dance when your children are born. But you do it all the time in sports, from quarter to quarter, game to game, season to season, with something that isn't even really yours. Donovan won the lottery Wednesday, not us. Donovan's teammates are his joyous family, not us. But that's the beauty of sports in moments like this: It can make all things feel so much larger, turning ``us'' into ``U.S.''
It doesn't last, of course. Heck, real life flooded in, too, immediately on Wednesday, the news of Lawrence Taylor's underage-rape indictment breaking with urgency into ESPN's joy coverage before the fans had even left the stadium. Locally, the talk was the unfair firing of Marlins Manager Fredi Gonzalez. But chasing this kind of moment -- hoping, praying, believing it will come -- is what keeps us coming back to the arena even though there is always this kind of garbage strewn around it.
The lows, believe it or not, can be pretty good, too, and make the highs all the better. That's why Pat Riley always returns to coaching -- because Game 7, even when you lose it, makes you feel more alive than you ever can behind a desk. For 91 minutes Wednesday, you could feel the low that was coming -- jokes and mockery and anger about how dreadful soccer is for never producing a goal. This tournament was about to be a disaster for American soccer (not just this team but this movement), and its endless quest to lure the ADD sports fan who wants more florescent scoring. We were going to be eliminated from this tournament with a third consecutive tie -- and a 0-0 one at that. That's right. Playing three games without getting a single win or loss. So lame.
But then, just like that, in the one breathtaking moment we all visit this arena to chase, anger and frustration and disgust evaporated into an uncommon and sudden and shared joy. That doesn't happen very often in real life, not outside the arena, not like that. After so much boredom and 0-0, against the odds and the refs and the other countries, keeper Tim Howard threw the ball from his own box, and the panicked and desperate American team blurred down the field, and the game was broken open like a heart loving for the first time. From one second to the other, we went from being eliminated from the world's largest tournament to being one of only 16 countries promised more life just like this.
And here's the coolest thing of all:
This isn't the finish line.
It is merely the starting point.
Now is when this thing starts getting good.
Because we already have all the coolest things in sports -- patriotism and hope and winning.
And now we have the underdog, too.

USA Wins in Stunning Fashion in Stoppage Time!

2010-06-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

As a huge fan of the 2010 World Cup with a particular love for the boys in the Red, White, and Blue, today's game will be forever indelibly marked in my mind as the most tense, gut wrenching, dramatic, and ultimately fabulous match I have ever watched in my life. Our guys played a great game in every phase, and had another good goal called back around the 20 minute mark. We passed well, defended well, and had great energy on the ball. We could just not find the back of the net. And so the minutes kept ticking by....One great play after another would end with a great shot, a great save, or a goal kick. We could not convert on our corners or free kicks. The frustration kept mounting. We dominated the contest. Algeria was a formidable foe though, and their hearts were in at as well to play spoiler. They really didn't play to win, as much as they played to not lose. There were several yellow cards, and the game became increasingly physical. Dempsey had to sit out for a few with a bleeding cut on his lip from an errant elbow. The 70th minute ticked by, then the 75th, already the 80th minute and our World Cup dreams were starting to dim. Because England was beating Slovenia, our hopes to go through would be dashed if our game ended in a tie. We master minded drive after drive, still no score. 85th minute, 87th minute and I could not sit down any longer. My stomach was in a knot, I paced the floor. Stoppage time. 4 extra minutes. In the 91st minute, Tim Howard stopped a nice header from Algeria and literally threw the ball across the half line to a sprinting Landon Donovan, who passed to Jose Altidore. Jose dished it back off and in comes a sprinting Donovan who nails the ball in the back of the net! GOOOOAAAALLL! No offsides, no errant call! USA WINS. WOW

Drilling for Oil must go on--

2010-06-02T07:48:00.001-05:00

Regular readers of this blog know that I have been a proponent of offshore drilling for oil and natural gas for many reasons while we collectively (both private industry and government) continue to invest in alternative sources of energy. The main reason is that our country runs on oil. Period. No, make that an exclamation mark. We continue to fund rogue governments and to create political instability by enriching nations that do not like the USA--when buying their oil. Anything we can do to stop or reduce our dependence on imported oil should be a high priority of this administration, future administrations, and every state where there are proven oil reserves.

Environmentally speaking, this stance is very unpopular right now given the absolute unfolding disaster on the Gulf Coast, which is near and dear to all of our hearts here in the SouthEastern USA. How incredible that the Horizon well blew out on April 20th, 2010, Earth Day. How amazing that that just 3 weeks previous to the Horizon disaster, President Obama actually increased permissable oil drilling off our shores. Is that not just absolutely incredible ? Does the USA just not have any luck when it comes to becoming energy independent? How long will the Gulf Coast disaster impede drilling? Will the oil slick ruin tourism, the seafood industry, and destroy estuaries? All of us sincerely hope not for many reasons on many different levels.

I call to your attention an article written and posted by the Governor of Alaska, home of the 1989 Valdez accident. His state wants to do more drilling and to do more for our energy independence. This article is very important in that it shows how resilient we are in this country and how this too shall pass in the Gulf. Not to take away from the fact that this is a major environmental disaster in the making and I am very disturbed for the people on the Gulf Coast, and for me, a homeowner on the Gulf Coast. But we knew the risks. We knew there could be a disaster. Now we have to deal with it. But drilling for oil must continue. Please read this article posted in the Wall Street Journal:

The Gulf Spill and Alaska

We see signs that the Obama administration wants to use the disaster to shut down oil production even in the safest areas.

By SEAN PARNELL

Juneau, Alaska

In Alaska we empathize with residents of the Gulf states who are watching with trepidation as the potentially catastrophic oil spill continues unchecked. This tragedy reminds us of the fallout, both financial and environmental, that we still feel here from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. State and federal studies still find lingering subsurface oil, for example, and the herring fishery has yet to fully rebound. But just as Alaskans did not abandon our belief in responsible petroleum exploration and development after that disaster, Americans cannot afford to take their eyes off the ball now.

As I noted in these pages last year, responsible offshore oil and gas production, particularly off Alaska's coast, has to be a critical component of our long-term energy security strategy—and so too does responsible onshore domestic production. Yet there are troubling signs that the Obama administration is attempting to stifle—particularly in my state—the critical onshore component of America's ability to produce its own energy.

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) holds up to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil. While this area was set aside by Congress in 1980 for later consideration of whether to permit oil and gas production there, a federal agency is now undertaking a "review" of the management plan of the refuge—a review that seems aimed at laying the groundwork for a wilderness designation that would bar production.

But it is not only ANWR that the Obama administration seems intent on locking up. Federal agencies are also now blocking oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska.

Although familiar with ANWR, most Americans are less likely to know about NPR-A and how vital it is to our energy security. Given recent developments, it's time to elevate the position this area holds in our national discourse.

NPR-A, a 23 million acre stretch of Alaska's North Slope, was set aside by President Warren Harding in 1923 for the specific purpose of supplying our country and military with oil and gas. Since 1976 it has been administered by the Department of the Interior, and since 1980 it has been theoretically open for development. The most recent estimates indicate that it holds 12 billion barrels of oil and 73 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

In addition to containing enormous hydrocarbons, NPR-A is very close to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which means that there would be relatively little additional infrastructure needed to bring this new oil to our domestic market.

But even here, progress has been stalled.

For more than five years, the state of Alaska has worked closely with major energy companies, local communities and Alaska Native corporations and tribes on a balanced development plan. To back this project, these entities have formed a rare coalition and made significant compromises, often at the behest of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to clear regulatory hurdles for development on a site in NPR-A known as CD-5.

But this February the Corps reversed course and denied the issuance of a critical permit for CD-5. Specifically, the Corps denied ConocoPhillips's request to build a bridge over a river to accommodate a pipeline and vehicles that can access the company's existing production facilities at the nearby Alpine field. The Corps decreed that the bridge shouldn't be built and that the pipeline should proceed under water, a course of action that would significantly undermine the economics of the project while posing a greater risk to the environment.

Alaska stands ready to help move the nation closer to energy independence, and it's a shame that the federal government is standing in the way. The Corps's own regulations emphasize that state and local governments have primary responsibility for land-use decisions and that their views should be given due consideration. But not only has the Corps rejected a critical permit, it did so without consideration of our concerns—on the overly technical grounds that the state's comments were not made under my signature and that my oral comments to Corps officials were not in writing.

After years of cooperatively trying to move this critical NPR-A project forward, such a backhanded dismissal of a state's position is troubling enough. But what we really fear is that this is part of a much broader agenda at play (directed by the antidevelopment Environmental Protection Agency) to shut down increased domestic oil and gas production even in places like the NPR-A. As Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski stated in a recent address to our legislature, "For heaven's sakes, if we can't drill in the National Petroleum Reserve—an area specifically designated by Congress for oil and gas production—where can we drill?"

The state of Alaska is seeking to join an administrative appeal of this misguided federal decision. If we are not satisfied with the outcome of this proceeding, we will pursue other means, including suing the federal government to ensure that it abides by its own regulations and does not make arbitrary and capricious decisions at the expense of state sovereignty and wise energy policy.

America, particularly in Alaska, has vast reserves of onshore and offshore oil and gas. The crisis in the Gulf should not be used to implement a misguided strategy that shuts down the opportunities to develop these resources and that further endangers our nation's long-term energy security.

Mr. Parnell, a Republican, is governor of Alaska.

For Flood Relief, Help a friend or friend of a friend

2010-05-06T08:09:00.001-05:00

For those of us who live in southwest Nashville, close to the Harpeth River, it shouldn't be difficult to find a friend or a friend of a friend in need of help or assistance. We have many friends who suffered water damage particularly in Bellevue, but also up and down Hillsboro Rd towards Franklin. Even our church, Harpeth Presbyterian, suffered water damage through out the building and into the sanctuary. I've heard about the telethons, the radio-thons, and the foundations being started for flood relief, and I support those who wish to give to those organizations. But for me, this natural disaster hit very close to home and so finding someone who needs financial help or a helping hand has not been difficult. However, at the same time, I wonder where and how the telethon funds are distributed. From ground zero, people need new walls, flooring, carpet, and furniture. There is no flood insurance for many victims of this disaster.

A friend of mine in the insurance business said that in 2009 there were $250,000 total claims for flooding in the greater Nashville area. Early estimates by Mayor Dean predict at least $1.5 billion in damages from the Great Flood of 2010. My friend's company is very prominent locally, and admittedly, he and his staff are having a hard time getting up to speed on processing claims, and the nuances of what is covered and what is not covered. Most policies cover the dwelling but not the contents. So structural repairs are covered, but nothing else like appliances, furniture, and anything else considered "content". One of the telethons is benefitting the Salvation Army. A fine organization, but how can they help homeowners in Franklin or Bellevue? And as a Board member of Second Harvest Food Bank, I love SHFB! But the problem is not food oriented here in these areas, it's home oriented. Personally, I donate generously to Second Harvest year in and year out, but as for these telethons, I believe that giving of your time, and your resources to help a friend recover or to help a homeowner in need of buying new items for his or her home after flooding is the best way to help.

How Bad is the Gulf Oil Spill? This may surprise you

2010-05-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry about my recent slant towards re-printing or rather, re-posting of articles without blogging much about them. Sort of defeats the purpose of blogging, no? If someone has the resources to investigate and to write an article that is this comprehensive, however, I applaud them and really can't add much to the conversation I'm having with myself (and you). So anyway, credit this article to the New York Times and Leslie Kaufman in New Orleans.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is bad — no one would dispute it. But just how bad?

Some experts have been quick to predict apocalypse, painting grim pictures of 1,000 miles of irreplaceable wetlands and beaches at risk, fisheries damaged for seasons, fragile species wiped out and a region and an industry economically crippled for years.

President Obama has called the spill “a potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” And some scientists have suggested that the oil might hitch a ride on the loop current in the gulf, bringing havoc to the Atlantic Coast.

Yet the Deepwater Horizon blowout is not unprecedented, nor is it yet among the worst oil accidents in history. And its ultimate impact will depend on a long list of interlinked variables, including the weather, ocean currents, the properties of the oil involved and the success or failure of the frantic efforts to stanch the flow and remediate its effects.

As one expert put it, this is the first inning of a nine-inning game. No one knows the final score.

The ruptured well, currently pouring an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the gulf, could flow for years and still not begin to approach the 36 billion gallons of oil spilled by retreating Iraqi forces when they left Kuwait in 1991. It is not yet close to the magnitude of the Ixtoc I blowout in the Bay of Campeche in Mexico in 1979, which spilled an estimated 140 million gallons of crude before the gusher could be stopped.

And it will have to get much worse before it approaches the impact of the Exxon Valdez accident of 1989, which contaminated 1,300 miles of largely untouched shoreline and killed tens of thousands of seabirds, otters and seals along with 250 eagles and 22 killer whales.

No one, not even the oil industry’s most fervent apologists, is making light of this accident. The contaminated area of the gulf continues to spread, and oil has been found in some of the fragile marshes at the tip of Louisiana. The beaches and coral reefs of the Florida Keys could be hit if the slick is captured by the gulf’s clockwise loop current.

But on Monday, the wind was pushing the slick in the opposite direction, away from the current. The worst effects of the spill have yet to be felt. And if efforts to contain the oil are even partly successful and the weather cooperates, the worst could be avoided.

“Right now what people are fearing has not materialized,” said Edward B. Overton, professor emeritus of environmental science at Louisiana State University and an expert on oil spills. “People have the idea of an Exxon Valdez, with a gunky, smelly black tide looming over the horizon waiting to wash ashore. I do not anticipate this will happen down here unless things get a lot worse.”

Dr. Overton said he was hopeful that efforts by BP to place containment structures over the leaking parts of the well will succeed, although he said it was a difficult task that could actually make things worse by damaging undersea pipes.

Other experts said that while the potential for catastrophe remained, there were reasons to remain guardedly optimistic.

“The sky is not falling,” said Quenton R. Dokken, a marine biologist and the executive director of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, a conservation group in Corpus Christi, Tex. “We’ve certainly stepped in a hole and we’re going to have to work ourselves out of it, but it isn’t the end of the Gulf of Mexico.”

Engineers said the type of oil pouring out is lighter than the heavy crude spilled by the Exxon Valdez, evaporates more quickly and is easier to burn. It also appears to respond to the use of dispersants, which break up globs of oil and help them sink. The oil is still capable of significant damage, particularly when it is churned up with water and forms a sort of mousse that floats and can travel long distances.

Jacqueline Savitz, a senior scientist at Oceana, a nonprofit environmental group, said that much of the damage was already taking place far offshore and out of sight of surveillance aircraft and research vessels.

“Some people are saying, It hasn’t gotten to shore yet so it’s all good,” she said. “But a lot of animals live in the ocean, and a spill like this becomes bad for marine life as soon as it hits the water. You have endangered sea turtles, the larvae of bluefin tuna, shrimp and crabs and oysters, grouper. A lot of these are already being affected and have been for 10 days. We’re waiting to see how bad it is at the shore, but we may never fully understand the full impacts on ocean life.”

The economic impact is as uncertain as the environmental damage. With several million gallons of medium crude in the water already, some experts are predicting wide economic harm. Experts at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies in Corpus Christi, for example, estimated that as much as $1.6 billion of annual economic activity and services — including effects on tourism, fishing and even less tangible services like the storm protection provided by wetlands — could be at risk.

“And that’s really only the tip of the iceberg,” said David Yoskowitz, who holds the endowed chair for socioeconomics at the institute. “It’s still early in the game, and there’s a lot of potential downstream impacts, a lot of multiplier impacts.”

But much of this damage could be avoided if the various tactics employed by BP and government technicians pay off in the coming days. The winds are dying down and the seas are calming, allowing for renewed skimming operations and possible new controlled burns of oil on the surface. BP technicians are trying to inject dispersants deep below the surface, which could reduce the impact on aquatic life. Winds and currents could move the globs of emulsified oil away from coastal shellfish breeding grounds.

The gulf is not a pristine environment and has survived both chronic and acute pollution problems before. Thousands of gallons of oil flow into the gulf from natural undersea well seeps every day, engineers say, and the scores of refineries and chemical plants that line the shore from Mexico to Mississippi pour untold volumes of pollutants into the water.

After the Ixtoc spill 31 years ago, the second-largest oil release in history, the gulf rebounded. Within three years, there was little visible trace of the spill off the Mexican coast, which was compounded by a tanker accident in the gulf a few months later that released 2.6 million additional gallons, experts said.

“The gulf is tremendously resilient,” said Dr. Dokken, the marine biologist. “But we’ve always got to ask ourselves how long can we keep heaping these insults on the gulf and having it bounce back. As a scientist, I have to say I just don’t know.”

Gulf Oil Spill

2010-04-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

For those few of you who read this blog, just recently I posted about how oil exploration should be expanded and enlarged through out the Gulf Coast region. The premise was that our way of life is in jeopardy as the world's supply of oil recedes and is in decline. We need to continue to explore just to maintain our way of life in our 21st century culture. At the same time, I advocate for alternative energy research and development, while decrying activists who demonstrate on beaches, while forming "hands across the sand" in opposition to off shore oil exploration.

Score one for the activists. The Transocean (RIG) contracted by BP that caught fire and is leaking 5000 barrels of oil into the Gulf is a natural disaster of immense proportions. The State of Louisiana just declared a "disaster zone" on the coast line. The slick is expected to hit land tomorrow or Saturday and to impact beaches, seafood breeding grounds, and the coastline in general.

What awful timing just as President Obama announced 3 weeks ago his plans to expand offshore drilling for oil. However, I still strongly advocate offshore drilling---these are the last known reserves of oil out there, and we need to find oil in this hemisphere---and stop relying on the Middle East and other politically unstable areas of the world.

While I am sensitive to wildlife and the ocean ecosystem, it will take a lot more than this to dissuade me from advocating offshore oil drilling. Granted, we took a chink in the armor this last week, and I am watching the updates and reports carefully. All week, the news of the oil spill was not top of the list in any on line or printed pub. Look for that to change over the next few days.

Reprint of Article by Rich Karlgaard from Forbes Magazine

2010-04-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is a great overview of the US economic situation, and I have read articles from each one of the people he mentions below. It's a great way to classify the various theories that are out there, and attribute them to their respective authors.

Most of what is said about the U.S. economy these days could be true or false, depending on your angle. That's because America is too big and too diverse to be described usefully by blanket statements. Inside a landmass that is 3.7 million square miles and has 50 state jurisdictions and thousands of cities are 307 million people, who produce $14 trillion in annual GDP and privately hold $54 trillion in net assets (stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.).

Let's begin with a question that ought to be simple but is not: Is the U.S. economy in recovery? The facts say yes, but there are a lot of angry doubters out there.

You can't argue the facts: By traditional yardsticks the American economy began its recovery in the spring/summer of 2009. The third quarter of 2009 was up 2.2%, and the fourth quarter boomed at 6%. This pattern is likely to repeat. The first quarter of 2010 will clock 3.5%, and the second quarter, clear of winter weather, could bounce up nearly 6%.

Still, many doubt the numbers, and not all are angry posters. John Tamny, the editor of RealClearMarkets.com, a Forbes.com columnist and a monetarist in the fashion of Milton Friedman, thinks GDP is a flawed number. It's expressed in an unreliable measure--the U.S. dollar. Expressed in gold, GDP has been contracting for eight years. Richard Koo, chief economist for Nomura Research Institute, says the U.S. is in a balance sheet recession, marked by deflation and deleveraging that will crimp investing and spending for a decade or more. Look at Japan to see what could await the U.S., says Koo. Longtime Forbes columnist A. Gary Shilling holds a similar view, as does Nouriel Roubini, an economics professor at New York University.

These are coolheaded analysts, not angry blog critics.

But wait, it gets worse. Harvard financial historian and author Niall Ferguson says debt-laden America is past its glory but will try to mask its decline by inflating away its debt problems. Marc Faber, a former Forbes columnist and international money manager, who, like Ferguson, studies the decline and fall of civilizations, agrees. Paul Farrell, the gloom-and-doomster at Marketwatch.com, is the biggest bear of them all. He says the U.S., as we know it, will "collapse." Chaos will reign, perhaps followed by civil war. Farrell openly calls for a Second American Revolution against the redcoats who rule Wall Street.

The other day I tried an exercise in which I defined a seven-band spectrum of bears to bulls. The categories are:

--Apocalyptically bearish. Believes in the crash-chaos-anarchy scenario described by Paul Farrell. Book author Harry Dent and bloggers too numerous to mention fit here.

--Strongly bearish. Believes that a long, Japan-like stagnation is inevitable for the U.S. This category includes Shilling, Roubini, Ferguson and Koo, as well as Charles Munger, famous investing partner of Warren Buffett.

--Moderately bearish. Believes that the bull rally since March 2009 is on thin ice but that the U.S., despite its problems, still has a good future. Here you might place Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo's Jeremy Grantham, Fusion IQ's Barry Ritholtz, Seabreeze Partners' Douglas Kass and Millennium Wave Advisors' John Mauldin.

--Neutral. Thinks the market is fairly valued and awaits further data. Two well-known market timers, InvesTech's James Stack and Hulbert Financial Digest's Mark Hulbert, would fit here.

--Moderately bullish. Believes the market is fairly valued and will rise another 10% to 20% on momentum before it gets stuck in a several-year trading range, barring pro-growth changes in taxes and regulation. I would put myself here.

--Strongly bullish. Believes the November elections will create enough balance--or gridlock--to get America's narrative away from Washington politicos and back to entrepreneurs and investors, where it belongs. This is where you'll find Fisher Investments' Ken Fisher, First Trust Advisors' Brian Wesbury and CNBC's Larry Kudlow.

--Extremely bullish. Believes that we have only begun to touch the technological miracles that will enrich our minds, bodies and pocketbooks. Nobody I know fits this category.

Two things jumped out as I did this exercise.

First, in the late 1990s several pundits and forecasters would have fit into the last category--extremely bullish. At the same time hardly any forecasters were apocalyptically bearish. But in 2010 the opposite is true--far more gloom-and-doomsters than optimists. It's a sign of the times, certainly. However, maybe what this is telling us is that the biggest economic and market surprises of this decade could be on the upside. I saw a black swan in Australia last month, and it looked confident.

Second, beware of any blanket forecast about the U.S. economy and markets. It's bound to be right and wrong--and, therefore, useless. The $14 trillion American economy is, in fact, a galaxy of smaller economies. Michigan has nearly twice the unemployment of Texas, which has almost twice the unemployment of Nebraska. California has strength in Silicon Valley and Hollywood and weakness most everywhere else. Now is a great time to invest in the American economy. Just be sure you pick the right American economy.

Bill Haslam for Governor

2010-04-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

Bill Haslam is a self made man. He has successfully represented the people of Knoxville as their mayor. People up there love him. He knows the difference between needed government and too much government.

He is a part of one of the most successful families in Tennessee. As a part of the Pilot Oil executive staff, Bill has contributed on a daily basis towards the success of the company before entering politics. He has earned the right to use his legally earned resources towards his political ambitions.

The fact that his father has cemented strong relationships across the state in advance of his son's political career is an asset worth leveraging. It makes no difference that the tried and true conservative and even moderately conservative wing of the party has more ties to Bill's father than to the candidate himself.

Bill Haslam is the real deal. He'll work hard for the State. It's time for Ted Welch and Bill's father, Jim, to fade into the pasture and let the new generation lead.

Let's allow the people (and not the old guard) to elect the next Governor. Bill has my vote and support.

Soon the curtain will be pulled.

Zach Wamp for Governor

2010-04-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

Zach Wamp is a self made man. He has been a leader for his congressional district in SE TN and knows the difference between needed government and bloated government.

I'm tired of someone with zillions of dollars coming into office based upon business success and with the the resulting funds to buy the most advertising to influence the most voters.

Zach is the real deal. He will work hard for the state. It's time for Ted Welch, Jim Haslam, and all of the Republican political insiders to fade out to pasture.

Let's let the people (and not the political cronies) elect the next Governor. Zach has my vote and my support.

Twitter

2010-03-27T12:52:00.001-05:00

I've started tweeting at http://www.twitter.com/Mark1Oldham ---not sure what that will do to my longer posts as well as the frequency thereof here at catchmyblog, but will prolly reduce for a while. You are encouraged to follow me!

Print is NOT dead! Southcom is a great example locally

2010-03-02T09:51:00.000-06:00

Great article in the WSJ yesterday about how print is just another medium, and that rumors of it's death are entirely premature. You can click here to read it, although it may be in the paid content area.

Now, admittedly, I don't subscribe to as many magazines as I used to, particularly ones such as (Time, Newsweek, etc). Those types of magazines are probably heading to the sea of extinction. So broadly, the internet is having major influence on how we, as consumers, stay informed, but not so much that the printed word is going to die completely. Back in the 1930's they claimed that radio would be the demise of newspapers (and to some extent that is occurring 80 years later, but the working model for the local City Paper www.nashvillecitypaper.com is brilliant). Then, critics said that television would replace radio in the 1950's, and lo and behold, both TV and radio compete to this day. So now in the 21st century, the internet is supposed to be displacing print completely. In the final analysis, it's just a fourth medium that has developed before our eyes. Fine, tightly niched print publications are going to thrive long after we are gone. Which is why I am so excited about companies locally like SouthCom. Chris Ferrell and Townes Duncan have put together several very focused print publications all operating under one roof with one sales and management team. They are well positioned to reap the rewards of a company with shared resources that produces various print and internet publications without the large overhead of disparate and spread out organizations. Although the WSJ article mainly alludes to national print magazines, the same can be said for unique companies like SouthCom.

Letter to the Editor--Apalachicola Times

2010-02-23T13:31:00.000-06:00

Click here to read the original article

Here is my letter to the editor:

As a homeowner on SGI, I subscribe to the Apalachicola Times, and read with interest about the recent protest surrounding offshore drilling for oil by a local group of environmentalists.

Are these people out of their minds? Do they wish for our county and country to be continually at our knees to foreign Middle East countries for the lifeblood of our economic engine--Tourism--which is supplied by the abundance of oil ??

How many of these people who protested would be happy to see this area rely on things other than tourism--such as locally produced seafood products? I have been reading how this much beloved local industry is having its own difficulty right now unrelated to our collective concerns for the continuous supply of oil.

What kind of depression would Franklin County be in if we could NOT buy oil from overseas NOR produce oil domestically from drilling? If there were no tourists visiting the area, and if we had a challenged seafood industry, there would basically be no jobs in Franklin County...... What would these protesters protest at that time ? My guess it that they would blame the government for their problems. Ahh, Liberals...You can never make them happy.

My other guess is that most of the people who "joined hands across the sand" are idealists, who generally wish the best for this area, but just don't get it. Not only should we be drilling for oil NOW, but we should also be exploring Alaska (where all the polar bears live) and we should also be doing all that we can to sustain the development and exploration of oil and natural gas--not for the betterment of society--but for the sheer existence of the world in which we live.

Believe it or not, I love the environment as much as anyone. I love the outdoor pleasures that surround me on beautiful St. George Island, and I support the RiverKeepers. . But I am willing to risk that the benefits of technological developments for oil production can and will supercede the possibility of an accident that might temporarily jeopardize the wildlife and world that we all love on SGI. It's a risk worth taking. And at the same time we should be developing alternative fuels. Our energy needs must be attacked, not protested!!

George Will--A sensible path to GOP and US solvency

2010-02-08T16:45:00.001-06:00

This is a great article by George Will, originally posted on Fluentnews.com. It needs no further explanation than an open mind and a willing spirit to compare these ideas to the current ones being offered up by Washington, both by the President, and by the majority party in Congress.

In 2013, when President Mitch Daniels, former Indiana governor, is counting his blessings, at the top of his list will be the name of his vice president: Paul Ryan. The former congressman from Wisconsin will have come to office with ideas for steering the federal government to solvency.

Not that Daniels has ever been bereft of ideas. Under him, Indiana property taxes have been cut 30 percent, and for the first time Standard & Poor's has raised the state's credit rating to AAA. But in January 2010, Ryan released an updated version of his "Roadmap for America's Future," a cure for the most completely predictable major problem that has ever afflicted America.

Some calamities -- the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, Sept. 11 -- have come like summer lightning, as bolts from the blue. The looming crisis of America's Ponzi entitlement structure is different. Driven by the demographics of an aging population, its causes, timing and scope are known.

Funding entitlements -- especially medical care and pensions for the elderly -- requires reinvigorating the economy. Ryan's map connects three destinations: economic vitality, diminished public debt, and health and retirement security.

To make the economy -- on which all else hinges -- hum, Ryan proposes tax reform. Masochists would be permitted to continue paying income taxes under the current system. Others could use a radically simplified code, filing a form that fits on a postcard. It would have just two rates: 10 percent on incomes up to $100,000 for joint filers and $50,000 for single filers; 25 percent on higher incomes. There would be no deductions, credits or exclusions, other than the health-care tax credit (see below).

Today's tax system was shaped by sadists who were trying to be nice: Every wrinkle in the code was put there to benefit this or that interest. Since the 1986 tax simplification, the code has been recomplicated more than 14,000 times -- more than once a day.

At the 2004 Republican convention, thunderous applause greeted George W. Bush's statement that the code is "a complicated mess" and a "drag on our economy" and his promise to "reform and simplify" it. But his next paragraphs proposed more complications to incentivize this and that behavior for the greater good.

Ryan would eliminate taxes on interest, capital gains, dividends and death. The corporate income tax, the world's second-highest, would be replaced by an 8.5 percent business consumption tax. Because this would be about half the average tax burden that other nations place on corporations, U.S. companies would instantly become more competitive -- and more able and eager to hire.

Medicare and Social Security would be preserved for those currently receiving benefits or becoming eligible in the next 10 years (those 55 and older today). Both programs would be made permanently solvent.

Universal access to affordable health care would be guaranteed by refundable tax credits ($2,300 for individuals, $5,700 for families) for purchasing portable coverage in any state. As persons younger than 55 became Medicare-eligible, they would receive payments averaging $11,000 a year, indexed to inflation and pegged to income, with low-income people receiving more support.

Ryan's plan would fund medical savings accounts from which low-income people would pay minor out-of-pocket expenses. All Americans, regardless of income, would be allowed to establish MSAs -- tax-preferred accounts for paying such expenses.

Ryan's plan would allow workers younger than 55 the choice of investing more than one-third of their current Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts similar to the Thrift Savings Plan long available to, and immensely popular with, federal employees. This investment would be inheritable property, guaranteeing that individuals will never lose the ability to dispose of every dollar they put into these accounts.

Ryan would raise the retirement age. If, when Congress created Social Security in 1935, it had indexed the retirement age (then 65) to life expectancy, today the age would be in the mid-70s. The system was never intended to do what it is doing -- subsidizing retirements that extend from one-third to one-half of retirees' adult lives.

Compare Ryan's lucid map to the Democrats' impenetrable labyrinth of health-care legislation. Republicans are frequently criticized as "the party of no." But because most new ideas are injurious, rejection is an important function in politics. It is, however, insufficient. Fortunately, Ryan, assisted by Republican Reps. Devin Nunes of California and Jeb Hensarling of Texas, has become a think tank, refuting the idea that Republicans lack ideas.

On Turning 50-Celebrating with Friends

2010-01-31T19:20:00.002-06:00

So we celebrated in Nashville last night and here's what my good friend Chip Smith had to say about our little party of 12 people:

Just got up a bit ago from my SECOND nap of the day. We had a BLAST! What a memorable night shared with a great cast of characters and friends! We are so glad that we could be there to celebrate MO's big 5-0! Any time you want to rent a country music star's bus, crack open some Dom, taste some great bourbons, hit the disco, and go for a little late night karaoke in Printer's Alley count us in.Thanks so much for letting us be a part of such a momentous occasion!

With the assistance of Tom Sturdeyvant of Sedan on Demand, we had a progressive dinner party, and well, er um, after party too. We started at Whiskey Kitchen for appetizers and a bourbon tasting, followed by salad and dinner at Allium Cafe in East Nashville. We were chauffeured around in Alan Jackson's old black tour bus that Sedan on Demand now owns and rents (Sedan on Demand is a highly recommended vendor) . Our dinner was accompanied with some great wines, the most interesting being a 2002 magnum of Divine, courtesy of Sylvia Roberts, who owns this label in Napa. After dinner, we journeyed back over the Cumberland and wound up at a trio of late night spots. The first stop was Hollywood Disco where we were all moving and grooving as best we can these days (pure unadulterated 70's fun), followed by live music at Loser's (basically next door). Loser's was a great atmosphere with an entertaining house band playing mostly country rock hits from the 80's and 90's. We worked our way up front by the band because there was no stage, which added to the honky tonk feeling of this roudy collegiate atmosphere bar. Our final stop was Lonnie's Karaoke bar in Printer's Alley. I'd never been to a karaoke bar, and found it quite entertaining. Lonnie's has a stage right behind the bar so those poor souls who want to embarrass themselves get up in the middle of the place and belt out to their heart's content. My business partner, Shawn Thomas sang an old Journey song. He sang pretty well, but not as well as a rendition of My Girl that had the whole place singing, from another patron, to the best of my recollection. With the clock fast closing in on 2:00 AM, we headed back towards the burbs in our swanky tour bus. We had originally planned on late night dessert and cappuccino but alas, we were all ready to head to our respective homesteads.

All in all, it was a truly unforgettable evening with the fabulous company of Chip and Mary Loch Smith, Shawn Thomas and Carla Stokes, Jeff and Mary Ellen Morris, Mike and Claire Robbins, Peter and Kim Oldham, and lastly Louis and Cynthia Kirkpatrick who thought the snow was going to cancel the event, so they ended up being no shows, the little weenies. It was definitely their loss.

And in case you're wondering, we will have a much larger celebration in May, entitled "125 reasons to celebrate" --100 years of combined living for Sharon and myself plus 25 years of marriage. If you are reading this, you will most certainly be on "The List" , since my blog is not that widely read, because I don't promote it , but that's another topic altogether.

And I'd just like to say publicly on my blog about how much I value the support and love from my wife, Sharon , for over 25 years of marriage. Thanks for all you do! We had a blast on my 50th!

On Turning 50--A Palindrome

2010-01-28T14:26:00.002-06:00

from Jim Merenda, an affiliate publisher with Uniguest
You must watch this link
A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.
This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant.   Make sure you read as well as listen forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old.   The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

So much for Rumors, ATT beats out Verizon for IPAD/ IPHONE still with ATT too

2010-01-28T09:03:00.000-06:00

AT&T Inc. won the right to carry Apple Inc.'s high-profile iPad in the U.S., a coup for the company but on terms that further erode the wireless industry's carrier-centered model.

Here is the full article from the Wall Street Journal, which may or may not be behind the paid wall. More and more content on WSJ is free, so it's hard to tell. As a paying subscriber to WSJ, it's great to have access to the whole site, but it's a crock that they charge an additional fee for a mobile app. So if one wants access to the full site and to the mobile app , there are 2 fees. Kinda strange.

Anyway, here is the link to the article about the continued lovey dovey relationship between ATT and APPLE. It's probably because ATT continues to give Jobs the upper hand, which the article points out.

On Turning 50

2010-01-26T21:36:00.000-06:00

Half a century old. Half a century young. The cup is half empty. The cup is half full. These are some of the thoughts that are going through my head as the calendar slips towards February 1st, where my 50th birthday awaits me. Numbers don't lie. But I sure wish I could prevaricate and say that I'm younger. I feel a lot younger, and yearn to be younger as we all do, but when it's all said and done, I'm comfortable with 50. It's a milestone for sure. I really wasn't sure if I was ever going to live this long, which, by contemporary standards, is not that old. But it's good to be here and to still be kicking! It's fairly typical to reflect when one reaches a milestone such as 50. I have no regrets. Absolutely zero! It's been a wonderful first 50, and am now hoping to make it another 50. Wonderful wife, family, career. So much for which to be thankful and so much for which I take for granted, it's ridiculous. I got a great head start from wonderful parents, and great brothers to boot. As they say, life is a journey and not a destination, but my overall favorite quote about the journey of life is the following:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ??? WOO HOO what a ride!???

Carpe diem!

I'm predicting a fairly major snow event for Friday 1/29/10

2010-01-25T17:43:00.001-06:00

And this just in from the National Weather Service:

EDNESDAY WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS DURING THE AFTERNOON AS A
COLD FRONT SWINGS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST.

THE BIG WEATHER NEWS STILL LOOKS LIKE A POTENTIAL WINTER STORM FOR THURSDAY
NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT, AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ALONG
THE GULF COASTAL AREA. LOOKS LIKE SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND ICE
ACCUMULATIONS OVER MUCH, IF NOT ALL, OF THE MID STATE AS COLD AIR GETS
PULLED IN FROM THE NORTH. STILL TOO EARLY TO PUT AN ESTIMATE ON
SNOW ACCUMULATION TOTALS. HOWEVER, 4+ INCHES IS NOT OUT OF THE
QUESTION ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTH. FREEZING RAIN WILL PROBABLY
BECOME A DANGEROUS PROPOSITION AS WELL, WITH SIGNIFICANT ICE
ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED ACROSS SOME SOUTHERN AREAS.

Apple to announce Verizon as Iphone carrier--RUMOR

2010-01-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

As a previously long time Verizon customer (1992-2006), I switched the day the Iphone came out and went with ATT, since that's the only thing a Mac lover could do....It's hard for me to fathom why Verizon passed on the Iphone deal, and it's a fact that the executive who detested Steve Jobs at Verizon recently took "early retirement". If the below rumor from Mac Daily News is true, then I will switch back to Verizon just as swiftly. Not sure whether to short ATT stock or to buy call options on VZ. Probably neither. It's just a rumor...

A tablet still might not be the only new hardware we see from Apple next week -- the rumor mill is still churning out news that the "one more thing" next week will be a brand new version of the iPhone, set up on the Verizon network," Mike Schramm reports for TUAW.

"It comes not from an anonymous source, but Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek," Schramm reports. "If you ask me, this is one too many rumors not to be true -- eventually, we'll see an iPhone on the Verizon network. But I'm hesitant to agree it'll be announced as early as next week."

Derek Dooley is the Man

2010-01-19T15:21:00.001-06:00

With a son named Peyton, and with five years coaching under Nick Saban, what could be wrong with the coaching skills and thought processes of Derek Dooley??!

I believe for the record that we have found the man to lead the VOLS for the next 5 years, until Peyton Manning is ready to coach, that is, perhaps that might be 3 years, perhaps 10 years. Average of 5 years. Whatever. Peyton Manning will be our next coach. But yet, I wonder why Peyton would want to work that hard after having amassed a huge fortune playing professional football for the Colts. But, I digress.

Derek Dooley, despite his Georgia upbringing, is absolutely perfect for the challenge of leading the Vols. After having consumed the Kool Aid of Lane Kiffin, I have hereby vomited it out, and live for the day that Kiffin is laughed out of Southern California, or fired, whichever comes first.

As for Derek Dooley, I am hereby already a huge fan and ready to rumble next fall.

This expert sees a bubble in China; Crash coming

2010-01-19T15:08:00.000-06:00

Most people talk and read about how great the overall economy is in China, and how they are kicking everyone's butt in terms of economic growth, output, and every other economic indicator. Could it be that China is similar to Japan in the 1980's--and that China is near or at it's peak given the history of other nations in attempting to industrialize to the max? The road cannot be straight up all the way, there has to be some downhill from time to time. Read this from the New York Times as written by David Barboza.

HANGHAI — James S. Chanos built one of the largest fortunes on Wall Street by foreseeing the collapse of Enron and other highflying companies whose stories were too good to be true.

Enlarge This Image

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

James Chanos made his hedge fund fortune predicting problems at companies and shorting their stock.

To Slow Growth, China Raises an Interest Rate (January 8, 2010)

Enlarge This Image

Now Mr. Chanos is betting against China, and is promoting his view that the China miracle has blinded investors to the risks in that economy.

Now Mr. Chanos, a wealthy hedge fund investor, is working to bust the myth of the biggest conglomerate of all: China Inc.
As most of the world bets on China to help lift the global economy out ofrecession, Mr. Chanos is warning that China’s hyperstimulated economy is headed for a crash, rather than the sustained boom that most economists predict. Its surging real estate sector, buoyed by a flood of speculative capital, looks like “Dubai times 1,000 — or worse,” he frets. He even suspects that Beijing is cooking its books, faking, among other things, its eye-popping growth rates of more than 8 percent.
“Bubbles are best identified by credit excesses, not valuation excesses,” he said in a recent appearance on CNBC. “And there’s no bigger credit excess than in China.” He is planning a speech later this month at the University of Oxford to drive home his point.
As America’s pre-eminent short-seller — he bets big money that companies’ strategies will fail — Mr. Chanos’s narrative runs counter to the prevailing wisdom on China. Most economists and governments expect Chinese growth momentum to continue this year, buoyed by what remains of a $586 billion government stimulus program that began last year, meant to lift exports and consumption among Chinese consumers.
Still, betting against China will not be easy. Because foreigners are restricted from investing in stocks listed inside China, Mr. Chanos has said he is searching for other ways to make his bets, including focusing on construction- and infrastructure-related companies that sell cement,coal, steel and iron ore.
Mr. Chanos, 51, whose hedge fund, Kynikos Associates, based in New York, has $6 billion under management, is hardly the only skeptic on China. But he is certainly the most prominent and vocal.
For all his record of prescience — in addition to predicting Enron’s demise, he also spotted the looming problems of Tyco International, the Boston Market restaurant chain and, more recently, home builders and some of the world’s biggest banks — his detractors say that he knows little or nothing about China or its economy and that his bearish calls should be ignored.

Time will tell if Mr. Chanos is correct or incorrect.

Fulmer and Peyton Manning

2010-01-13T12:42:00.001-06:00

Let's face it, Peyton Manning is 35 years old and has about 2-3 years left max in his pro career. I don't look for Peyton to pull a Brett Favre and play until he is a senior citizen.

Let's face it, what happened with Lane Kiffin is not what Tennessee football is about. Those left coast Cali whale huggin' turds just don't think the way we do here in Tennessee.

We are all about tradition. Sure we are mad when we lose, but we don't want to play in this circus going on out there in the ranks of the elite college coaches.

So here is my idea. Make Phil Fulmer head coach again for a maximum of 36 months. Get Peyton Manning to agree to become head coach at the end of his pro career. Who knows, he has a bum knee now, and may win the Super Bowl this year. He may want to go out on top.

Either way, have Fat Phil hold down the fort for a while. Let's not poach another coach the way USC did to us.

When Peyton is ready to "come home" to coach, kick Phil upstairs and find a nice place for Mike Hamilton elsewhere, likely in fund raising or similar.

Tennessee fans would go NUTS!

Blogging about Lane Kiffin

2010-01-13T12:35:00.001-06:00

How can a coach (or anyone for that matter) sign a long term contract, and then break it go to elsewhere with little recourse, and yet, if that same coach were to get fired, he would be paid his salary in full for the years not coached? Is that not a double standard?

It turns out that Lane Kiffin has to pay $800,000 over 36 months as a penalty. But if you ask me, he should have to pay his remaining years in salary per the contract he signed less than 14 months ago. To be exact, that would 4 years of time left on his contact (x) $2 million per year, plus the break up fee, for a total of $8,800,000. That would certainly cause dweebs like Kiffin to think twice about bolting. And it's fair b/c the UT administration would do the same thing if they fired Kiffin.

And I've not even touched on the integrity question. College Football is out of control. It has become a big business with few ethical concerns amongst the coaching elite. And when ethics are brought up by the NCAA, it covers such important topics as whether or not a booster took someone out to dinner. Give me a break. The real ethical concerns to me are the actions of people like Lane Kiffin.

To put it another way, here's what ESPN's Bob Wojciechowski says:

If there were a stock car race between all the frauds, egomaniacs and two-faced weasels I've ever covered, Lane Kiffin would have the pole position all to himself.

Kiffin is a spin doctor without a medical degree. He thinks truth comes in different shades of gray. He demands loyalty, but gives none himself.

Kiffin is a used car salesman with a whistle. Wait, that's not fair to used car salesmen. He ditched Tennessee for USC after just 13 games. The remaining five years on his contract, the players he left behind, the nine high school recruits who planned to enroll early, they all meant nothing to Kiffin.

That pretty much sums it up for me.

Don't fear the 2010's ! Or ?

2010-01-03T17:42:00.003-06:00

There is a very interesting article by Nick Gillespie in the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition about whether or not to fear this coming decade of the 2010's. Here's the opening paragraph---Few decades have been as resolutely and relentlessly dismal as this past one, which is thankfully all over but the shouting (a note to calendaric purists who insist that the decade really runs from 2001 to 2010: You're part of the problem). Contested elections, international terrorism, more bubbles blown (and burst!) than on a Lawrence Welk special. Did we really survive the Y2K bug, avian flu and the unstoppable proliferation of saggy pants for this?

The article goes on to point out some of the frivolous arguments that have erupted in past decades like the following and muses about what irrelevant dramas might come up in this new decade:

What will be the great hysterical fears of the coming decade? By definition, such worries need to be simultaneously undocumentable and just plausible enough to convince politicians, celebrities, civic do-gooders, captains of industry and media types that our very society hangs in the balance...

For a classic example, think back to the 1980s, when Tipper Gore, the wife of then-Sen. Al Gore, helped form the Parents Music Resource Center and addressed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the pressing topic of sexual, violent and occult imagery in pop music. As Mrs. Gore wrote in her best-selling (and now hard-to-find) 1987 book "Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society," "By using satanic symbols on the concert stage, and album covers, such as those used by Ozzy Osbourne...certain heavy metal bands lure teenagers into what one expert has called 'the cult of the eighties.' Many kids experiment with the deadly satanic game, and get hooked."

It is probably only thanks to the intervention of the Gores that we managed as a country to wrestle free both of Beelzebub's and Ronnie James Dio's bony grasp. What a classic example of the media running amok with the thoughts and rantings of the Gores.

Will "Inconvenient Truth" from Al Gore suffer the same fate as we look back in coming decades? Most likely. The global warming debate will surely be looked back upon as a farce, much like the impending "Mini Ice Age'" debate from the late 70's.

Here are some thoughts from various readers in the opinion section of the WSJ (and from me) about concerns for the upcoming decade---

Keynesian economics
Corporate controlled media bias with disinformation and half truths and obvious agenda cheerleading
People that still believe that one political party can save us
Continued take over of our goverment by a financial oligarchy and multinational corporations
Saving investors and businesses that made horrible financial decisions at taxpayers expense
The fed
The money printing press
Destroying savers to help debtors
Continued and escalating wars
Our goverment selling our childrens future away with insane debt levels
The casino stock market
Goldman sachs
JP morgan
GE
Politicians passing massive legislation without reading it themselves
Healthcare
Cap and trade
People that saved and worked hard never being able to retire
Inflation
Ben bernake
Larry summers
Rahm
Christine romer
Robert rubin
Far right wingers
Far left wingers
Horrible public schools
Growing prison population
Ever expanding goverment
Small business loss of faith in future opportunities
Killing the spirit of the entrepreneur
Good people that want to work but cant find jobs
To big to fails
Smart people that are avoiding the obvious destruction of our country but are pretending that all will be well when they themselves have studied history and know better.

Relationships and Moderate Capitalism !

2010-01-02T14:37:00.002-06:00

Welcome to 2010 everybody! 10 years ago on New Year's Eve, my wife filled our bath tub with water and we all awakened wondering if our computers were going to work and if the world would function properly as we moved into the year 2000. Our children were mere young kids, life seemed simpler, and the world a little less complex. I was into trading stocks, focusing on making money, and running a business. I was pretty certain that making a lot of money was my primary goal in life, behind being a good husband and father, which fortunately, comes fairly naturally to me. Building solid relationships was a loose concept that was distant to my mind. I sort of did that without thinking, and I wish I had focused more on building solid relationships sooner in life.

Looking back and looking forward at the same time, I'm certain that making a lot of money should be way down the list of priorities for most everyone in this world including me. Making money is actually very unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The problem is that greed starts to take over. Am I taking a swipe at Capitalism??...hardly. It's still the best economic system in which to operate, but dang those people who take advantage of it for the purpose of serving themselves and no one else at the expense of building relationships. Madoff comes to mind. They are in "the game" for themselves only.

Could "Moderate Capitalism" be entered into the lexicon of available business terms? And could the definition of a successful Moderate Capitalist include one who builds solid relationships in his or her quest to conquer the world in a financial sense? It just makes sense that those who build a solid base of relationships would then not take advantage of those people from a capitalist perspective. A Moderate Capitalist would not or could not have a net worth over $25 million. (that would exclude Madoff) A Moderate Capitalist would have to be personally involved with 3 non profits, would have to demonstrate giving back to children in some way, shape, or form, and of course, could not have a criminal record. What are some of the other requirements for a successful moderate capitalist? Comment below..

My goal this year is to try to focus on building more solid relationships in my quest to be a "Moderate Capitalist" Money is great, but too much money is over rated. So many people get greedy and are never happy when they have enough. They just want more. I know it's a fine line... I'd rather have a solid mix of great relationships, and a successful business all rolled into one happy and productive life.

Make it a great year!

US and England in same World Cup Group! Yes!

2009-12-05T16:55:00.000-06:00

What an exciting World Cup Draw yesterday on ESPN 2 for the 2010 World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa!

Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare yourself now and mark your calendars for Saturday, June 12, 2010 for the match of the ages---USA versus England at 1:30 pm CST in the World Cup!

England. The birthplace of soccer. The center of the soccer world. Across the pond. The home of the best soccer conference in all the land, The English Premier Soccer League (EPL). Of course they have the right and the cockiness to be confident and over confident about a wipeout victory.

America. The home of football. The other kind of football. The Yanks. After an impressive run in the CONCACAF this past year, the US Team is poised for a great World Cup. Of course we will be underdogs against the Brits. We have an excellent team and we very well may pull off the upset of the century. What a match up, what a game ! I cannot wait for this special special once in a lifetime event.

Who would of thought that England and USA would have been picked (out of the hat no less) to be in the same group!

Okay, let's be real for a moment. After the loss of Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu, we may not be deep enough to go extremely far. Landon Donovon however is probably finally ready for prime time on the international stage! And if we lose to England, we are going to have to win, and not tie, against Slovenia and Algeria, the other 2 countries in our group!

It's setting up to be a first class 2010 World Cup!

Frank Batten, Founder of The Weather Channel RIP

2009-12-02T12:57:00.000-06:00

Somehow I missed the news last September on the passing of the great Frank Batten. He was Chairman of Landmark Communications and was responsible for the creation of one of the greatest cable channels of all times, The Weather Channel. He was ahead of his time in relation to technology, having grown up in the newspaper industry and originally wishing to launch an all news cable channel, but Ted Turner beat him to the punch. He was a great businessman obviously, and here are two quotes worth mentioning;

"I think that most accomplishments in organizations are officially the result of teamwork rather than a brilliant performance by one person," Batten said in a 2005 Associated Press oral history interview.

"Accomplishing teamwork is another matter," he added. "That's not easy, I think. And again it gets down to creating an environment in which people work successfully in teams, and are recognized for it."

Here's what Mr. Batten said about The Weather Channel recently before he died:

" I felt strongly that the new channel must include local forecasts--about one minute in 10. Technicians working for me made that happen. Still the Weather Channel flirted with bankruptcy until we hit on the idea to supplement traditional advertising with subscriber fees from cable companies. That made the difference". Said Howard Stevenson, a Harvard business professor where Batten earned his MBA, " Frank was a newsman at heart, he wasn't in the Weather Channel for the breathless "oh we just avoided the storm of the century coverage". He always said that people turned to the Weather Channel for the quality of the forecasting. And that's what he gave them".

Laugh all you want about me respecting this guy more than any other big time cable business person. Frank Batten created his own niche market and executed his idea beautifully well. What was really cool is that Landmark kept The Weather Channel independent for all those years, only recently selling it to NBC Universal right before his death.

Here is a link to his fascinating life in his obituary:

http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/FrankBatten/Subpage.aspx?mod=2

Houston Oldham named to A-10 All Rookie Team

2009-11-30T14:53:00.001-06:00

Shameless self promotion, or shall we say, promotion of my son, Houston.

Here is the link to the article
http://www.richmondspiders.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/112709aad.html

Here is quote from the coach:
"Houston was a wonderful surprise for us this season," Peay said. "Physically, technically, and mentally Houston was able to step in right away without any difficulty. As a starting center back he showed a knack of scoring goals at clutch moments in games. We believe he is going to make a big impact in our conference over the next several of years."

What a Great Holiday

2009-11-27T19:41:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving. Totally relaxing. No muss, No fuss. Just family, friends, a little food, wine, and what have you. Top that off with a good run @ The Bolt on Thanksgiving morning, a good outdoor soak in the hot tub, followed by a mid morning nap. What other holiday (or regular day for that matter) can ONE enjoy such a menu of slovenly activities? Notice on occasion I'll use the more grammatically correct "one" instead of the pronoun-centric "you" when talking or writing about the first tense, just depends on the mood. I've given up trying to completely self edit my posts which led me to stop posting and blogging a couple of years ago. Back then, I started writing for you, the reader, and not for me, the writer. So if you see something, ahem, if one seems something grammatically incorrect, too bad, so sad, me don't care anymore. Just want to express some thoughts before I go to sleep and forget what they were. Anyway, just wanted to say how thankful I am for a really great family, and for a great Thanksgiving holiday. I'm especially thankful for the life of my father, who passed away on February 26th of this year. He was incredibly kind, and very influential on my life. Giving thanks for your family is pretty much a cliche on Thanksgiving day if it's your turn to give thanks for something during family prayer time. But in my case it's so true. I have a great wife who coordinated dinner for 16 family members last evening and still had time for me. She's the real deal! It's great to have our college aged son Houston home and our daughter Rachel who is 14 going on 21 hanging around the household but wanting to be taken hither and yonder to meet up with her friends. Add to that my great brothers who were here last night, and our Mom, and I'm just telling you, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of all.

A Brotherly Three Hour Cruise up and down I-40

2009-11-22T14:11:00.003-06:00

So my brothers Peter, Danny, and I set off to attend the Tennessee/ Vandy game in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. We left around 2 pm for the 6 pm kick off. Normally, I can make it to Knoxville in under 3 hours, even on game day. That would give us plenty of time to park, and hit a tailgate party, possibly quaff a brew, and get to our seats in plenty of time. We intended to drive back that night and be home by midnight.

Everything was on target as we headed out of Nashville . We sped through Lebanon, Carthage, Cookeville, all was okay.

Then, we hit a wreck on this side of Crossville, that slowed us down for 15-20 minutes. Nothing too bad. We were just slowed to a crawl for a while. Then we sped right back up (to my normal 80 mph).

No more than 8-10 miles later, we come across another more complete stoppage of traffic. The friendly truckers (the best source of information if you just roll down your window and ask for it) told us that there was a really bad wreck that had completely stopped the west bound traffic. The east bound traffic was being subjected to rubber necking and was stopped for a helicopter landing for Life Flight according to our traveling compatriot. Thoughts for the injured aside, we were starting to get a little worried that we might miss kick off.

After about 20 minutes of stop and go traffic, we slowed to a crawl. We were starting to have some major second thoughts about the game. Why get to the game late, and more than likely leave early, and sit in traffic again on the way back?

Mind you, I had done this three times already this year, Up and Back on the same day, with no issues, major or minor. I guess my number had come up for having traffic issues. That's what usually happens when flying. You have a few great flights with no delays, and then , bam, you get hit with an outright cancellation or a major delay. Nothing good lasts forever.

After another few minutes, we came up on one of those paved cross roads between the East and West bound interstate lanes..HMM...It looked tempting to turn around....We could get back by kick off, or stop off at a restaurant and watch from the Lounge, and then head home. But we were 2/3 of the way to Knoxville.....what to do?

Then I looked up and traffic was stopped completely. I took a vote in the car. My brother Danny casted the deciding vote---"Turn around, and let's head back" , he said.

And so we did! We made it back to Mt Juliet for kick off, stopped in a local Do Drop In, and then proceeded to my house. Sharon had a big fire waiting, plenty of food, and the game was barely in the 2nd quarter!

In my 40 plus years, that is the only time I have ever turned around heading to a UT Game because of traffic! I hope whoever had the wreck was okay by the way.

FDA Attempts to Ban Raw Oysters During Summer months

2009-11-22T13:47:00.002-06:00

For the past 7 years, we've been vacationing on St. George Island, Florida, which is close to Apalachicola, Florida, and for the past 3 years, we've owned a home on St. George Island, with our good friends, The Chip and Mary Loch Smith family. I subscribe to the Apalachicola Times, the weekly newspaper to try to keep up with local news and events. It's interesting to observe, contrast, and compare what makes news down there and what makes news up here in Nashville. We have become big fans of eating raw oysters, and subsequently, have become aware of how large and how potent the seafood industry is to the local economies in North Florida.

One news item that didn't even make a blurb up here was the recent attempt by the FDA to completely shut down the harvesting and selling of oysters during the summer months. Apparently, there are about 30 people per year that lose their life to eating a raw oyster and ingesting a bacteria by the name of Vibrio Vulnicifus. This bacteria is found between April and October in warm waters off the Gulf of Mexico. Never mind that most of these deaths occur by people who shouldn't be eating raw shell fish anyway, to wit, people with weak immune systems, or with weak kidneys or livers.

The FDA actually announced the ban about 3 weeks ago, to take affect starting with the harvesting season commencing in April of 2011. There was a HUGE outcry from the local seafood industries all up and down the coast, all the way to New Orleans and beyond. The only option according to the FDA at that time was for post harvesting irridation controls. Such processing, done through pasteurization and irridation techniques, destroys the bacteria, but can as much as double the cost to consumers, and alters the taste and texture of freshly shucked shellfish. I've tasted an irridated oyster right next to a raw oyster, and the tastes are comparing cardboard to a good piece of bread. Butter makes no difference with cardboard, hence no matter how one dresses the oyster that has been irridated, the quality is horrible.

So anyway, after an outrcy by a unified chorus of Gulf Coast lawmakers and oyster industry executives in the past few weeks, the FDA has officially put the plan "on ice" (with horseradish and hot sauce too), and will hopefully back off altogether.

Here's a quote from the US Senator from Florida, Sen Bill Nelson--"While it's a victory that the FDA has stepped back from implementing this new policy, we still have to be careful because they have yet to altogether rule out a ban on raw oysters up and down the Gulf Coast". So stay tuned, the Government knows what's best for us consumers, don't you see.

MBA -Ensworth Football Playoffs

2009-11-12T19:54:00.002-06:00

So, our daughter Rachel attends Ensworth, and is a 9th grader. As such, we have become big Ensworth football fans this year behind the bruising running of Orleans Darkwa, who I might add, was not recruited. Ensworth is undefeated, and has home field advantage during the playoffs. The team seems to be healthy heading into the 2nd game this year against MBA. Ensworth pummeled MBA during the regular season, so no doubt the Big Red will be out for revenge.

Who woulda thought that Ricky Bowers could build a powerhouse team in less than 7 years, beat MBA and Brentwood Academy during the regular season match ups, and challenge for the conference title so quickly? Simply amazing stuff.

But our family has a long history with MBA, the 100+ year old institution that is deeply entrenched with folks from west Nashville, particularly with the Belle Meade/ Green Hills Crowd, etc. etc. 3 of my 4 brothers graduated from MBA, not to mention 1 nephew, and my own son as well. My Dad was a life long Board member practically. He loved the school. God rest his soul...

Suffice to say that when Ricky Bowers agreed to take on the Ensworth challenge (after having been hired away from MBA), no one thought he could assemble such a competitive varsity football team in such as short amount of time. According to George Plaster, Ricky Bowers could be a college basketball coach almost anywhere. He is that talented of a guy. Very capable in the head coaching position. That was basketball...not football.

I'm sure many families across town have the same conflicts tomorrow night in terms of figuring out for whom to root.

Personally, I like both schools, Ensworth is just a different environment altogether. Much different than the strictly traditional educational environment at MBA. Both schools have their place in secondary school education. Since my daughter is a current student there....

Tomorrow night, I think I'll be sitting over on the Black and Orange side. Go Tigers!

Jim Cooper Responds (of course this is not a personal letter, it's from a staffer who wrote the note and then Cooper okayed a stack of stuff)

2009-11-12T10:30:00.003-06:00

Dear Mr. Oldham:

My vote is not an endorsement of all the provisions of the bill because I find much of the bill to be deeply flawed. Passing legislation is a little like writing a term paper in school. The first draft is usually not very good. The second draft is better - H.R. 3962 is the second draft. The bill that the Senate will vote on will be the third draft, which I expect to show major improvement. The final draft will be written afterward, if we get to that point, when the House and the Senate will vote on the same bill.

I will continue to work hard to make sure that the final legislation helps all of our families get quality, affordable health care.

Sincerely,

Jim Cooper
Member of Congress

Why did Cooper vote for Pelosi Health Care Bill?-From Jim Marrerro

2009-11-12T09:58:00.003-06:00

The following is excerpted from Ken Marrero's blog---A post about which I happen to agree. I have heard Jim Cooper speak for years about the exploding federal deficit. And yet, he voted for the enormously expensive and completely cumbersome health care bill that was voted on last Saturday night, in the cover of darkness, as introduced by Sneaker Pelosi. I have posted before about the need for healthcare reform in some form or fashion, but not as was ratified last Saturday night in a 220-215 vote. I am absolutely certain that this bill has no chance of progressing beyond debate in the Senate. It is too costly and would add way too much to the federal deficit. Which begs the question for Jim Cooper--WHY?

The Tennessean today reported that Tennessee 5th District Democrat Jim Cooper testified at a Senate hearing and said "... that the country’s huge debt is a “fiscal cancer.”"

The Tennessean goes on to report that Rep. Cooper has authored a bill to address the issue and "... create a bi-partisan commission that would look at entitlement programs that are driving deficit spending and make recommendations that Congress could approve or disapprove but not amend."
This from a Congressman who voted, less than 72 hours before to expand the country's debt and usher in a deficit spending entitlement program the likes of which were contemplated only in the dreams of die-hard Democrats.
The full text of Cooper's remarks are even more astonishing. Again, despite having voted for the health care bill on Saturday in the US House, on Tuesday Cooper told the US Senate, "I believe that the greatest threat to our nation’s economic security is our long-term fiscal imbalance." He is referring to 2008's $56 trillion in unfunded liabilities currently facing our Economy which are likely to grow to $60 trillion in 2009. Those are Cooper's numbers.
Identifying the source of these problems, Cooper says of the cancer he is warning against, "The President and Congress have acknowledged that the bulk of our budget problem is in health care. That’s why both the House and Senate reform proposals make an effort to reduce the deficit now and in the future." He follows that up by stating, in testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, "I am not satisfied that the House bill passed this weekend meets these goals."
He concludes, "So, how can we fix it? The best course is more direct spending cuts, but we all know how likely those are. The second-best solution is a top-level commission to force congressional action."
Only in Washington, DC does this pass for wisdom and responsible governance. Were I to put the Congressman's words into the language of normal Americans it would go like this:
"Senators, our country is in a huge amount of trouble because we have spent money we do not have for years. This behavior is like a cancer that is killing us and it's getting worse. I should know. Just 3 days ago I added over $2 trillion dollars to the $55 to $60 trillion dollars of unfunded mandates in the area of health care alone that threaten to cripple our Economy. The President and Congress all understand that it is precisely that sort of health care spending that has put us in this mess and so we're going to fix it. Yessirree ... we're going to reduce that pesky deficit spending. We all know the best and most effective way to do that would be to reduce deficit spending. So, we're not going to push for that because it might be hard on our chances to get re-elected. What we should, therefore, do as a fall back position is to have another Congressional panel to make non-binding recommendations to Congress telling them they should cut spending while not actually insisting that they do. That way everyone acknowledges the problem, we are all seen as doing something about it and nothing really has to change. And by the time the country implodes, we'll all be out of office. Any questions? Thank you for the opportunity to testify today."
Please - don't believe me when I tell you it is really that bad. Go read the Congressman's words for yourself.

My son had a Drug Test plus Hollywood's top pot heads

2009-11-03T18:06:00.005-06:00

Our son, Houston, is an NCAA Division 1 Athlete at the University of Richmond. He is on a full tuition scholarship for soccer.

He was warned or shall we say, informed, that he would be subjected to random drug testing throughout the year during his orientation session last summer. Today, he was told by the trainer that his number had come up, and that he had to pee in a cup at the student health center within the hour.

So, he did. The first ruling was that his urine was too diluted and he needed to do it again. So he did. It came up negative. Whew. That was good news. I was pretty sure he was not doing any drugs, but a parent never knows for sure.

Random drug testing is in our employee manual at my company, Uniguest, as an option that management has --at its disposal. We have never utilized drug testing or forced anyone into a drug test. Apparently, we are in the minority as drug testing is widely utilized at schools and companies all over the country as I've come to find out.

Just last night I was watching a special on CNBC about the agricultural proliferation of marijuana production in the US and how the Denver Post had just hired a "Medical Marijuana" columnist to review the various styles of legal marijuana.

So on the one hand we have the resurgence of legal marijuana and on the other hand, we have the clamp down on drug use via wide spread testing. No conclusion here, just stating some facts.

Here is a good way to end this post

Hollywood's Top Pot heads: From Foxnews.com

VY comes through, more changes coming, Fulmer, I mean, Fisher is gone

2009-11-01T20:53:00.006-06:00

Seems to me that the insertion of Vince Young as quarterback today spells the end for Jeff Fisher. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the Titans were headed in the wrong direction, and there was a sense that something had to happen, regardless if the Patriots had won by a much lesser margin than 59-0 two weeks ago. The degree of defeat was not the point. We were lifeless and had no real leadership. Yes, I know we had other key injuries, and yes, it was snowing and slippery up in Foxborough.

However, just like the Tennessee Vols needed fresh leadership at head coach, I think the Titans need it as well. 15 years as head coach in the same organization brings a sense of complacency and a sense of community. I don't know about you, but I don't like my head coaches to get real comfy in a community or feel as if the head coach's job is their's to keep. It's really there's to lose, and Fisher has lost it. Just like what happened in Knoxville, the same thing is happening here in Nashville with Coach Fisher. He's a heck of guy, and has had a great run, but it's time for him to move on.

It's difficult for me to believe that 86 year old Bud Adams had to make the call on VY. Here we have a multi million $$ signee who arguably is a pretty good quarterback, is youthful, energetic, and has not had much playing time in over a year. We also had a TItans team with an 0-6 record, and a 36 year old over the hill quarterback who has seen better days, even if they were less than a year ago. This is professional football. Why did the owner have to step in and make the call to put in Vince Young? Makes no sense to me.

Fisher can count his days down in Nashville. He will be replaced by Bud Adams before the NFL draft in 2010.

From Bear to Bull --Noetic Science

2009-09-23T08:43:00.007-05:00

In a recent WSJ article entitled Bull to Bear (article taken down for some reason so I can't point to it), the topic centered around whether or not we are out of the recession and into some sort of recovery. One of the tag lines of the article was "the deeper the slump, the zippier the recovery".

But most fascinating to me was the following quote by an English economist by the name of Arthur C Pigou, that gets right to the point of the article:

" The error of optimism dies in the crisis, but in so dying, it gives birth to an error of pessimism. The new error is born, not an infant, but a giant".

How many times have we heard in this past year that the end of the free world as we know it was at hand? How many times have our leaders in Washington cautioned that our financial system was on the brink of disaster. How scared have you been in the past year? I for one, have never experienced the depths of pessimism (which is uncharacteristic for me in general) that I suffered this past year not just about our country, but my business, my outlook, everything." And so the new error is born, not an infant, but a giant".

Fast forward to Dan Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol". The book introduces a relatively new field of study called Noetic Science which in a nutshell is the study of the affect of human consciousness on the physical world. And get this, Noetic Science also studies the affect of "collective consciousness" . From Cassandra Vieten of the Huffington Post--Noetic experiences are real, they influence our health, our behaviors, and our lives, and they provide important clues about who and what we are and what we may be capable of. So real life noetic scientists are dedicated to their rigorous exploration, and to the potential that it holds for human consciousness.

Okay, I know that sounds heavy. The dots I'm trying to connect in this post are this: Could it be that we, as a collective group of Americans got "so negg'd out" over this recession/depression that collectively, we made things worse? Could we have been so overwhelmed by the negative media and the negatives all 'round us, that we (noetic scientifically speaking of course) affected business and our attitudes in this country? It's very interesting to realize that perhaps we have (as a group of Americans) more impact on our country than we realize. Think about 9/11. Remember how together we were? Remember how we reacted so positively about our country/our President/ and our future after the attack? Our collective consciousness pulled us out of the 9/11 debacle because our country came together. All I'm asking is if the same thing happened on the negative side this past year--??

Wrapping this all up and coming to a close, I don't think in all of my years, I have witnessed such a collective amount of pessimism this past year, born a giant this pessimism, and now, with the enlightenment via Dan Brown of a real term called Noetic Sciences, I will never underestimate the power of positive (and negative) thinking, particularly in the form of collective human consciousness.

On a future post, perhaps I will explore Prayer and a collective effort herewith. I personally believe that "Noetic Science" whatever that really is--validates the existence of God and His powers.

Back in the HighLife again

2009-09-18T17:23:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm blogging again. Looks like it's been over 2.5 years. Dang. How did that happen? Not sure. Now I have to get used to all of the fancy blogging software that has apparently been greatly enhanced since my last encounter with Blogspot. Looks like Google has fully integrated Blogspot with tons of new features. Anyway, stay tuned for news and commentary on politics, SEC sports, life in the business world, and more.

Rumsfeld ruminates on time at Pentagon - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

2006-11-09T19:59:00.000-06:00

Rumsfeld ruminates on time at Pentagon

Rummy was good for America. He just stayed on a bit too long. A principled man, we always knew where he stood, and he had colorful comments along the way much to the chagrin of the Washington MSM (main stream media). I have called for his resignation in this blog, not because I did not respect the man, but because his time was up. We need new leadership post invasion in Iraq and we needed it months ago. Still, Rummy is a good man.

"Rumsfeld choked up a bit at his first public appearance since his surprise resignation announcement.

Asked how he has found the motivation to press on in this tough environment, Rumsfeld answered with his tried and true 'My goodness.' He took a long pause as the audience laughed softly, then answered that he felt 'so fortunate to have been able to participate and serve at important times in our country's history, and to do it with people like that,' gesturing to the soldiers in the room. Visibly emotional, he looked off to the side as he composed himself."

Carbon Leaf at 3rd and Lindsley Nov 12th

2006-11-02T16:41:00.000-06:00

3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill

This is for the FM 100 Sunday Night Live series. Should be an excellent show. Highly recommended. If you can't make it live, tune in to Lightning 100.

Blogging Season returns

2006-11-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

I'm going to suggest that my long absence on the blogging trail is because it's just not a high priority to blog when the weather is great, and when it's better to be outside than inside during the evenings. Which is when I like to blog. So, now that it's almost completely dark by around 5 pm or so, and it's not likely that I'll go out and work on my golf game or run a few miles in the afterlight, I find myself looking for something to do besides watching TV, reading a book, or pouring (as in drinking) another glass of wine. So, I think I might blog some. And so, late fall and winter is now officially claimed as blogging season!

Why Health Insurance is not working

2006-11-01T21:15:00.000-06:00

UnitedHealth to Pay Departing CEO $5.1M

The CEO of United Healthcare, my health insurance provider, recently was forced out for backdating of stock options primarily.

But the real story is lost in the headlines. This guy, Bill McGuire, has stock options worth over $1 BILLION.

This for a guy that runs a health insurance company. Plus, he will get $5.1 million PER YEAR for life.

Where is the outrage? Where is the outrage? This is completely berserk. I'm sure he was a good CEO, and is probably even a decent guy..

But, my insurance premiums continue to go up by double digits every year, my doctor tells me every year that he makes less and less money due to the insurance company cut backs, there are tons of people who live without health insurance, and let's not even get into the riders and the people that get turned down for insurance-because they are too risky, and would cost the insurance company too much money!

And this guy walks away with over $1 billion in options plus $5.1 million per year for life?

There is something drastically and dramatically wrong with our health care system when 3rd party insurance companies are making out like bandits, small business owners like me are being taken to the cleaners, doctors have an inverted income curve, and patients are grateful for any coverage at all

There is one small consolation. We have the best health care available in the world for those who can afford it. More and more I'm thinking the government needs to step in and be the catalyst for change.

"McGuire has stock options that were worth $1.78 billion as of the end of 2005. Their current value is not known. Investors have sold off UnitedHealth shares since questions about options backdating arose in March. Then, on Sunday, UnitedHealth said McGuire would re-price his options to the highest point in the year they were granted to remove any possibility that he got a favorable price."

- After being forced to step down over the company's compensation practices, UnitedHealth chief executive William McGuire will retire on $5.1 million a year, according to the calculations of a watchdog group.

Blog Light

2006-09-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

Sharon (my wife) and I will be in Breckenridge, Colorado the next few days. Our goal is to climb (or rather hike) a 14-er. There are twenty nine 14,000 ft mountains or higher in Colorado. Many people out there have as a life goal to climb all 29 of them. They are rated from 1 to 3 with 1 being the easiest with no technical climbing skills needed. We thought we'd start with a one (my momma didn't raise no fool) , either Quandry Peak, Long's Peak, or Grey's Peak, or weather permitting, all 3 of them. The forecast is for snow showers and temps in the 30's out there, so who knows, we may not get to hike at all due to the unusual winter conditions this early in the year.

How Democrats Can Win Again

2006-09-14T19:10:00.000-05:00

Rich Karlgard is one of my favorite columists in Forbes Magazine. Lately his blog has been hitting on all cylinders. This is another example below.

Lately, my posts have been highlighted by other people's thoughts. Sorry about that. I've been in a slump lately.

So, until I get "it" back, please enjoy my brethren who are better at it than I.

"'Democrats cannot connect with the middle class until they understand that they are richer, more optimistic and more firmly in control of their lives than they think. Democrats need to know that the typical middle-class family is likely to be married with children; many of the pressures they face come from trying to get ahead, not simply staying in place.

'With that in mind, we suggest a very simple message aimed at the middle class and a related set of policies. Our positive message is that Democrats will build a new era of middle-class opportunity--a message that is optimistic, forward-looking, implicitly critical of the old regime and aimed squarely at the group of voters who once formed the bedrock of the Democratic Party. This kind of message also reinforces the successful progressive tradition of optimists like Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton.'"

BMW to Roll Out First Hydrogen-Burning Car Next Year

2006-09-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

FOXNews.com - BMW to Roll Out First Hydrogen-Burning Car Next Year -

Now this is very cool. Notice that the cars will be so expensive that they will only be leased to select buyers. Also, they will have an auto-converter to a gasoline engine, much like the standard electric-hyrbid, until the hydrogen infrastructure is built. Which begs the question--which infrastructure will be built first--Ethanol (E 285) or Hydrogen or both?

"A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price. Leasing rates would be similar to those for a top-end BMW 760LI with a full-service package.

The BMW 7 Series Hydrogen 7 Saloon is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited electronically to 230 km/h.

BMW has said it intends to build a few hundred such cars at first. They will be able to switch between burning standard petrol and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up."

Is Steve Jobs Ill?

2006-09-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

Digital Rules By Rich Karlgaard

"Reprinted" in it's entirety from Digital Rules

"The question must be asked.

Apple's cofounder, chairman and CEO was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August 2004. The survival stats for pancreatic cancer are grim. But Jobs suffered from a rarer and less fatal form of the disease, called islet cell pancreatic cancer. Here is the prognosis:

'Islet cell cancers overall have a more favorable prognosis than cancers of the exocrine pancreas, and the median survival from diagnosis is three and a half years. This is mainly due to their slow-growing nature. Insulinomas have a five-year survival rate of 80%, and gastrinomas have 65%. When malignant, islet cell cancers do not generally respond well to chemotherapy, and the treatment is mainly palliative. Most patients with metastasis do not survive five years. Islet cell cancer tends to spread to the surrounding lymph nodes, stomach, small intestine and liver.'

Not great. But better than the standard form of pancreatic cancer, which has a 98% mortality rate over five years.

Is it appropriate to raise the question of Steve Jobs' health?

Reasonable people could go back and forth on that. Any ill person deserves some measure of privacy. Jobs, though, heads a publicly traded company. Some $60 billion of investor capital rides on its fortunes. Some 15,000 employees and their families depend on Apple's prospects.

Last month, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, Jobs looked gaunt and gave an an atypical (for him) low-energy speech. Here is the review. Note Jobs' photo at the 2005 Apple WWDC versus that of the 2006 Apple WWDC meeting. The weight loss is alarming.

More evidence that the Apple CEO might be ailing comes from last week's news that Google CEO Eric Schmidt had joined Apple's board. Why? Veteran tech pundit John Dvorak thinks Schmidt might try to engineer an Apple-Sun merger and install Sun co-founder and Google's first investor Andy Bechtolsheim as CEO of the combined company.

Or Schmidt himself might take over Apple.

Why even contemplate the replacement of Steve Jobs if not for external (e.g. illness) reasons? Jobs, after all, is as linked to his company and its fortunes as any CEO can be. Steve Jobs is Apple Computer. He birthed it, raised it and in spectacular fashion brought it back to glory.

Apple without Steve Jobs is unthinkable ... unless. ... And we really, really hope the answer to our headline question is NO.

El Nino forms in Pacific Ocean

2006-09-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - El Nino forms in Pacific Ocean 6 From Reuter's

El Nino, an extreme warming of equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean that wreaks havoc with world weather conditions, has formed and will last into 2007, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.

El Nino has already helped make the Atlantic hurricane season milder than expected, said a NOAA forecaster.

"The weak El Nino is helping to explain why the hurricane season is less than we expected. El Ninos tend to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic," said Gerry Bell, a hurricane forecaster for NOAA.

The NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said the El Nino probably will spur warmer-than-average temperatures this winter over western and central Canada and the western and northern United States.

It said El Nino also will cause wetter-than-average conditions in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Florida, and spark dry conditions in the Ohio valley, the Pacific Northwest and most U.S. islands in the tropical Pacific.

An El Nino also usually leads to milder winter weather in the U.S. Northeast, the top heating oil market in the world.

Bell said scientists will have a better idea in the fall how long this El Nino will last. "There's no way to say at this time how strong it is going to be. It's too early," he said.

The last severe El Nino struck in 1997-1998. The weather phenomenon caused searing drought in Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines while causing rampant flooding in Ecuador and Chile, the world's top producer of copper.

Rooney Suggests Fault for Terrorism Lies with American Behavior | NewsBusters.org

2006-09-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

Rooney Suggests Fault for Terrorism Lies with American Behavior | From Newsbusters.org

Here is Rooney's Quote from 60 minutes last night:

“We went into Iraq March 20th, 2003. They won't be closing the banks on March 20th every year to celebrate that. The Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in 1979 might have wiped out our civilization. Most of our disasters have had some natural origin -- floods, too much water. [Over photo of floods] How often have you seen this picture? Hurricanes and tornadoes, too much wind, too much rain. Droughts may be worse, but not so dramatic as hurricanes because they don't happen on just one day.

“The disaster on September 11th wasn't like any of those. It was manmade. Death by design. Some people who hated Americans set out to kill a lot of us and they succeeded. Americans are puzzled over why so many people in the world hate us. We seem so nice to ourselves. They do hate us though. We know that and we're trying to protect ourselves with more weapons. We have to do it I guess, but might be better if we figured out how to behave as a nation in a way that wouldn't make so many people in the world want to kill us.”

This is where I part ranks with the anti-Iraq and anti-war liberals, who tend to think that we are the problem, not the enemy as being the problem. The United States of America makes mistakes, no doubt about it. We have in the past and we will in the future. Currently, I'm not all fired up about what is going on in Iraq, and do believe and have posted that we need a change in direction or a change in leadership at the Defense Dept. We need to either DOUBLE the number of troops over there, or we need to systematially begin to withdrawal next year, and allow the Iraqi's to govern themselves and to police themselves.

But, back to Rooney. America is hated across the world because we are a successful nation, a successful democracy, and we act on behalf of the United Nations for the most part. Every country wishes they had the resources that we have. We give more philanthropic aid than any other country in the world to every region of the world, and we are extremely generous in all facets of the word.
Is this something for which we should be attacked?

Yes, we make diplomatic mistakes, and we could do more in the world to help, particulary as it related to Rwanda in the 1990's and other areas of Africa during the genocidal wars.

I reject everything that Rooney implies in his remarks however. We are who we are. Love us or Hate us. But do not come in here and bomb our people and bomb our buildings and create fear and frustation just because we are America.

Furthermore, in the name of Allah, we need to endorse religious and racial profiling and scrutinize each and every person coming to America even futher than we do now.

‘Crocodile Hunter’ gets private funeral

2006-09-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

‘Crocodile Hunter’ gets private funeral : From MSNBC.com

A sad farewell to a man who entertained me and my kids for many years on many different occasions, usually during those unplanned evenings when flipping channels at home---when the channel flipping would stop on Animal Plannet, and then, we would all become mesmerized by him.

Steve Irwin had an uncanny ability to connect with the viewer and to explain his interest albeit his love, his passion --for reptiles of the most sinister nature.

I've always wanted to be an expert at something or to actually love my job so much that it showed the way it always showed on Steve Irwin's face when he talked about a croc or a snake. This guy knew what it meant to be alive---and how to live life to the fullest----he was a unique individual with many special talents, such as holding venemous snakes, and sticking his head in an alligator's mouth for fun. He took Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom to a new level. The host of that show was not nearly as animated as Steve Irwin, and his name currently escapes me. Irwin eclipsed Mutual of Omaha in many ways---particularly with his infectious smile, consuming personality, high energy levels, and his Aussie accent. His lovely American wife added to the intrigue. We will all miss him, American's and Australian's alike.

" A private funeral service was held for Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin on Saturday and he will be buried at his family’s zoo in the northern state of Queensland, local media reported.

Irwin’s father, Bob Irwin, had declined a government offer for a state funeral for his son."

The Problem(s) With Junior

2006-09-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

From The Nashville Scene - The Problem(s) With Junior (as in Harold Ford, JR)

It's surprising that this article comes out of the leftist, liberalist, always a good read tho', Nashville Scene.

Plus Liz Garrigan can get "out there" literally in left field, and she is not in the league of a Bruce Dobie, or even a Matt Pulle, in terms of her writing skills.

However, to her credit, in the article linked above, Liz points out correctly that Harold Ford Jr. has never held a real job, has never filled out an application for a job for that matter, and has just a huge void of real life experiences. How can so many "normal" people be fired up about this guy? I think it should be a pre-requisite for U S. Senate candidates to have held a job, hell, even a lawyer's job.

Which is why I'm for Bob Corker. Not only has he held a job, but he has run his own business, and he has done those things that teaches someone in his leadership position a great deal about "real life" and working with "real people" and the situations that come up that are unscripted in life. Such experiences are critical when trying to work on the problems of this country in the U.S. Senate.

That's the problem right there. JR's life has been scripted. I could never vote for the guy, no matter how articulate, no matter how "good looking", no matter what his pedigree.

Now, if he were to go out there and spend 10 years in the private world making a living, he might be a hell of a candidate one day.

Newsman to Tony Snow: 'Don't Point Your Finger At Me!'

2006-09-07T08:02:00.000-05:00

Newsman to Tony Snow: 'Don't Point Your Finger At Me!'

A rather interesting exchange yesterday between Tony Snow and NBC chief White House correspondent David Gregory. I have never liked David Gregory--he seems to continue the media bias and generally has a negative approach to his reporting. If you are keeping count, this is the second broo ha ha between a White House spokesperson and David Gregory.
This is from Editor and Publisher below:

A not especially eventful press briefing at the White House today turned rancorous with NBC's David Gregory telling Press Secretary Tony Snow, "Don't point your finger at me," and Snow accusing the newsman of being "rude" and delivering Democratic talking points.

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Snow, continuing the administration's media focus on the war on terror, accused "some in the Democratic Party" of saying "we shouldn't fight the war" and "we shouldn't apprehend al-Qaeda" or even "question al-Qaeda."

Snow got into a tussle with Gregory after the NBC journalist told him, in a lengthy remark, that the public may wonder why the president's statement and report today on the war on terror did not admit more failings on the administration's part. Snow observed that he had nicely summarized "the Democratic point of view," and Gregory took exception to this.

This exchange followed.
*

Q Actually, Tony, I don't think that's fair, if you look at the facts. If you look at the facts.

MR. SNOW: Well, I do, because -- no, because, for instance --

Q No, no, no. No, I don't think you should be able to just wipe that, kind of dismiss the question --

MR. SNOW: Well, let me --

Q It's not a Democratic argument, Tony.

MR. SNOW: Let me answer the question, David.

Q But hold on, let's not let you get away with saying that's a Democratic argument.

MR. SNOW: Okay, let me -- let's not let you get away with being rude. Let me just answer the question, and you can come back at me.

Q Excuse me. Don't point your finger at me. I'm not being rude.

MR. SNOW: Yes, you are.

Q Don't try to dismiss me as making a Democratic argument, Tony, when I'm speaking fact.

MR. SNOW: Well, okay -- well, no --

Q You can do that to the Democrats; don't do it to me.

MR. SNOW: No, I'm doing it to you because the second part was factually tendentious, okay? Now, when you were talking about the fact that it failed to adapt, that's just flat wrong. And you will be -- there has been -- there have been repeated attempts to try to adapt to military realities, to diplomatic realities, to development of new weapons and tools on the part of al Qaeda, including the very creative use of the Internet. So the idea that somehow we're staying the course is just wrong. It is absolutely wrong.

The Crowd Was Electric

2006-09-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

Commentary by John Pennington from Knox News From the GOVOLS extra

"*The crowd at Neyland Stadium was electric. And it clearly got to Cal's quarterbacks and their offensive teammates.

*I spoke to former Vol Mike Stowell after the game and I said to him, 'you know what game this reminded me of?' He immediately answered, 'Florida 1990.' Yep, that was it. Just as the Vols swamped the Gators 45-3 on that night, nothing went right for Cal on Saturday night. The UT D had an answer for every offensive weapon. They had a big play every time a first down was needed. This was 'one of those nights' for Cal and the Vols. If UT hadn't lifted Ainge and decided to take their foot off the gas, I believe the score could have reached 45-3 levels. Unbelievable season opening performance... and atmosphere."

(john pennington)..my comments below

And so it was. I attended the game in an 11 hour whirl wind round trip from Nashville with 2 of my brothers. The game gave us enough energy and enthusiasm to drive back. Hell we could have driven to the West Coast.

You've read the news. You know the Vols Won. But the crowd and the energy levels is something that is difficult for the sportswriters to write about. The atmosphere was totally unbelievable and completely positively berserk. No one expected this kind of victory. The 3rd quarter was simply mind numbingly ecstaticly incredbily fun. We were up 35-0. We were hugging our seatmates, we were high fiving strangers, we were jumping up and down, the feeling was so good. This was college football at it's finest moment. Pure unadulterated emotionally charged sensations for a team and a program that had almost been written off.
I will always remember this game for the raw emotions that came exploding from the fans in the stadium who were so totally happy.

Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt Joins Apple’s Board of Directors

2006-08-30T15:37:00.000-05:00

Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt Joins Apple’s Board of Directors

I hope this can be looked upon as a shot over the bow to Microsoft. For a company that spends over $5 billion a year in research and development, Microsoft seems only to be able to come out with products that copy google and apple. I hope this appointment rekindles the old wars between apple and gates and co, oops, ballamer and co.

If Google and Apple can start working together on some serious stuff, and this Board appointment is a long way off from doing any of that, but, if they develop some strong relationships down the road, this could be very interesting indeed.

I'm tired of hearing and reading about the rumors concerning Apple turning their hardware into PC clones with the new Intel chips and working towards powering up the Microsoft OS only on future Macs. Gosh, that would be awful.

I like reading and thinking about this kind of stuff where Jobs still might have a chip on his shoulder for Microsoft, and so, he is aligning himself and the company with people like Schmidt and Google for further anti-MS wars down the road. Let the rumors begin! Luke Skywalker (Apple) will ultimately prevail over Darthvader (Microsoft) !

Rumsfeld: Terrorist Groups 'Actively Manipulating' U.S. Media

2006-08-29T03:32:00.000-05:00

FOXNews.com - Rumsfeld: Terrorist Groups 'Actively Manipulating' the US

In past posts, I have been critical of Rumsfeld, particularly in regards to sending too little troops in the beginning of the Iraq War, and then not having a plan once they got to Baghdad. Additionally, he grossly underestimated the costs associated with the war, once openly marketing the idea that the war would pay for itself through increased oil production from Iraq, and that the people of Baghdad would openly welcome and embrace the U. S. soldiers upon arrival. None of these things have happened, and here we are $500 billion, yes billion later. However, as much as Rumsfeld is a polarizing figure, he is correct in these statement below. The American media is being manipulated day and night by the thugs over there. I became really convinced after Reuter's ran doctored photos of the lebanese dead children supposedly after a bombing raid from Israel. It never happened (haifa). Total manipulation, particularly in the "Drive By" media.

"'The enemy lies constantly — almost totally without consequence,' he told the veterans group, which was presenting him with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award. 'They portray our cause as a war on Islam when in fact the overwhelming majority of victims of their terrorism have been thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims — men, women and children — they have killed.'

In his prepared remarks at Reno he also said, 'While some argue for tossing in the towel, the enemy is waiting and hoping for us to do just that.'

Rumsfeld often complains about what he calls the terrorists' success in persuading Westerners that the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are part of a crusade against Islam. In his remarks at Fallon he did not offer any new examples of media manipulation; he put unusual emphasis, however, on the negative impact it is having on Americans in an era of 24-hour news.

'The enemy is so much better at communicating,' he added. 'I wish we were better at countering that because the constant drumbeat of things they say — all of which are not true — is harmful. It's cumulative. And it does weaken people's will and lessen their determination, and raise questions in their minds as to whether the cost of the war is worth it."

Hitchens Gives the Finger to Maher's Audience for 'Frivolous' Jeering of Bush | NewsBusters.org

2006-08-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hitchens Gives the Finger to Maher's Audience for 'Frivolous' Jeering of Bush | NewsBusters.org

I just happened to be channel surfing last night and came upon Bill Maher's first show of the year. Chris Hitchens put it right back in Mr. Smart Arse's face and it was beautiful. A sight to behold. I may not agree with President Bush some of the time, but I certainly cannot stand the acerbic, whiney host of this show. Chris Hitchens has been given a lot of grief for his drunken outbursts in the past, but he was totally right on during the Maher show last night, much to my amusesment. It definitely caught Maher off gaurd. This paritcular episode will be repeated a great deal the next few weeks, so try to catch it. Click the link below or read the text below:

"Writer/author Christopher Hitchens on Friday night gave the finger to the Los Angeles studio audience of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. As he laid out the case for how it's Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who wants World War Three, not George W. Bush, Hitchens cited how Ahmadinejad “says the Messiah is about to come back.”

Maher quipped: "So does George Bush, by the way.” That caused a loud eruption of audience applause and cheering, which led Maher to clarify: “That's not facetious.” The crowd continued to applaud as Hitchens remarked, about those in attendance who had earlier cheered and laughed as Maher called Bush an “idiot” repeatedly: "That's not facetious. Your audience, which will clap at apparently anything, is frivolous.” Loud oohs and groans emanated from the audience, prompting Hitchens to give them the finger as he castigated them, “Fuck you, fuck you,” while the groans continued. (Transcript follows)

Video clip (41 seconds, includes vulgarity): Real (1.2 MB) or Windows Media (1.4 MB), plus MP3 audio (250 KB)

Joining Hitchens (Wikipedia profile, a list of his articles) on the panel, Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival, and former Democratic Senator Max Cleland.

Transcript of the relevant portion of the discussion about Iran on the August 25 season premiere of the weekly HBO show aired live Friday nights at 11pm EDT/10pm CDT:

Christopher Hitchens: “Who wants a Third Word War? The Iranian President says that one member state of the United Nations should be wiped physically from the map with all its people. He says the United States is a Satanic power. Members of his government, named members of his government have been caught sponsoring deaths squads. He's lied, he's lied to the European Union about his nuclear program-”

Bill Maher: “But you know that a lot-”

Hitchens: “He says the Messiah is about to come back. Who's looking for a war here?”

Maher: “So does George Bush, by the way [audience applause]. That's not facetious [audience applause continues].”

Hitchens: “That's not facetious. Your audience, which will clap at apparently anything, is frivolous. [oohs and groans from audience, Hitchens gives them the finger] Fuck you, fuck you. [groans continue]”

Maher: “I was just saying what the President of Iran and the President of America have in common is that they both are a little too comfortable with the idea of the world coming to an end.”

Hitchens: “Cheer yourself up like that. The President has said, quite a great contrast before the podium of the Senate, I think applauded by most present, in his State of the Union address, that we support the democratic movement of the Iranian people to be free of theocracy -- not that we will impose ourselves on them, but that if they fight for it we're on their side. That seems to be the right position to take, jeer all you like.”

UPDATE: This edition of Maher's hour-long show will re-air (schedule page for the program) Sunday at 7pm EDT on HBO 2 East/7pm PDT on HBO 2 West; at 1:05am EDT Sunday night/Monday morning on HBO East/1:05am PDT on HBO West; and at 8pm EDT Monday night on HBO East/8pm PDT on HBO West.

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs

2006-08-27T07:53:00.000-05:00

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs

This is parody and satire at it's best. No one knows the author of this blog, but obviously, it's someone with Apple and Silicon Valley connections. Scott McNealy and Larry Ellison are the targets of the latest posts as well.

I got the link from Rich Karlgard of Digital Rules.

Rex Hammock's Weblog From New Orleans

2006-08-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

rexblog.com: Rex Hammock's Weblog

This is one of the most compelling, rational, and totally
level headed introspective overviews of post Katrina New Orleans that I have ever read. My hat is off to Rex Hammock. This post could easily be picked up by any national "op-ed" page. Kudos to Rex and his son for this most special post.

"Lamenting and celebrating in New Orleans: I'm in New Orleans with my son today. On Sunday, we spent several hours with a life-long resident of New Orleans visiting the areas of this city that were devastated by the floods of Katrina one year ago. Nothing will capture what we saw. No words. No pictures. No video. No documentaries. Nothing can communicate what has happened to New Orleans. I'll post a few photos and some video and write a few paragraphs, but, frankly, there's little I can do to add to the comprehension of what Katrina did one year ago -- and what has taken place since.

Like I wrote in March after my son and I spent a couple of days doing volunteer construction work on the Mississippi gulf coast, the scale of the devastation is incomprehensible. The statistics of relief efforts and volunteer support are enormous -- perhaps unprecedented -- but when viewed in the context of the devastation and need, all that has been done seems like a spit in the ocean compared to all that remaining to be done.

In New Orleans, lamenting and celebrating have always been paired. Even in the Where magazine sitting in my Hotel Room, New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis, who is leading a part of the recovery efforts, has this quote about why the ironic word 'celebration' is being used to describe many of the one-year anniversary events taking place over the comng days: "In New Orleans, lamenting is a form of celebrating. With our funerals we lament, and then celebrate. Many times when you get stripped down, you get a chance to see just who you really are. And in the most painful times, that's when it's time to celebrate and rise up even stronger.

I'm in New Orleans as a guest of a magazine publisher, Romney Richard, who I did not know this time last year. But, for several months throughout the fall and winter, my colleagues and I at Hammock Publishing pitched in to help Romney and her small staff publish their magazine, Louisiana Cookin'. Romney and her staff lived close to one another, but after the flood, they found themselves in five states. Their homes were flooded and their lives turned upside down. I couldn't begin to imagine what they were going through, but I knew that the folks who work with me at Hammock Publishing could help them coordinate putting out a magazine -- it's what we do. When I talked with Romney the first time, it was a couple of weeks after Katrina and she and her husband were living in an RV at a relative's home in Baton Rouge. She was in shock and dealing with so many issues, her magazine seemed the least of her problems. But I could only think of was another small publisher (like us) with a few employees who needed a little back-up -- frankly, they were all eager to do their jobs: writing, designing, holding together a means for their advertisers -- the great restaurants in this region of great restaurants -- to continue reaching readers who love the various cuisines of Louisiana. We enjoyed helping them out on some technical, administrative and marketing ideas.

Tonight (Monday), my son and I -- along with Hammock Publishing's John Lavey and his wife -- are Romney's guests at an annual benefit dinner Louisiana Cookin' sponsors to honor five up-and-coming regional chefs and to benefit a wonderful restaurant and training program for future New Orleans chefs, Cafe Reconcile. It is a celebration of the chefs who have returned to New Orleans, as well. For the local, chef-owned restaurants have been the first to display their commitment to rebuilding their businesses and their lives and the life of this community.

Yesterday, Romney drove us around New Orleans -- through all of those communities and neighborhoods we've heard about this past year. There is no way one can drive around this city without being angry. Or stunned. Or inspired. Or confused. In the end, it's overwhelming to drive the breadth of the area flooded and to see the extreme nature of the destruction.

A lot of the debris has been cleared -- the one thing FEMA gets praised for -- so in some ways, the scene is moving away from one appearing like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb and more like one from the aftermath of neutron bomb, where all the buildings are left standing (or leaning) and the people are gone. And while I have gotten the impression from TV coverage that the devastation was mainly concentrated in inner-city low-lying areas, a three-hour drive around town convinced me that "poverty" and "low-lying" may be synonymous but in New Orleans, "middle-class" and "low-lying" are also synonymous and "upper-class" and "low-lying" are also synonymous. Katrina was a an equal-opportunity disaster that wiped out massive neighborhoods of all races and economic stratas.

Lamenting and celebrating are part of the same in New Orleans. I was in a restaurant last night with my son, one of my favorite restaurants in this city of world-class restaurants. The restaurant is one of those favored by characters out of Faulkner wearing seersucker suits and discussing how many cigars in a box one should expect to draw well (that actual conversation was taking place at the table next to me). It was a Sunday night at six p.m. but the restaurant was filled with different groups of celebrants. I say celebrants, because they were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and reunions of one sort or another.

I overhead enough of the conversations around me, however, to realize that a lot of lamenting was going on, as well, as people were discussing their living in temporary quarters, or they had traveled back to New Orleans from some place they had been for months. But for this evening, they were smiling in this one-hundred-year-old restaurant with waiters they recognized and food that is familiar.

I am but a visitor to New Orleans. It is a foreign land to me, so I do not know enough to comprehend whether the pervasive celebratory nature of the place -- the charm and aura of the place -- has always been based on denial or innocence: Denial that one day it would all be under water; or the innocence that comes from believing some power, divine or governmental, would keep the water out.

It's hard to be here for more than a few minutes and not feel like some individual or divinity needs to be blamed. The locals I’ve talked with most universally blame the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Government. I'm happy to join in with the chorus of those who blame the ineptitude of leaders at all levels of government, from George Bush down. Or the mayor or dogcatcher, for that matter. However, at the end of the day, when all guilty parties are blamed, all punishment has been parceled out, what will be left? Innocence? The belief that a city built below sea level will not flood again? Denial? Acceptance? In the end, everything related to Katrina will be up for debate by historians centuries from now.

I can't begin to comprehend what I see now.

I do know this: I will look for any opportunity to travel to New Orleans and to do business or to have fun here and in the gulf-coast area. I love the people, the culture, the food, the spirit. I want to support the economy. I want to do my very little part by sticking one little finger in the dike.

But this is a place where lamenting will continue for a long, long time.

I bought a Hybrid Car

2006-08-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

Those few of you who check this blog from time to time know that I post fairly often about the energy crisis and my long held belief belief that high oil prices are here to stay (nothing too far fetched now that August 2006 is here), and that our country is in a transition when it comes to efficient transportation of people, goods, and services.

There are hundreds of start up ventures raising millions of dollars in "grain-fed" states that are convinced that corn, grain, and grass are the next big thing when it comes to powering our need for motorized vehicles. Personally, I believe they are correct, but I don't have any idea which entity will succeed. President Bush is content on letting the private markets figure it out, but it sure would be nice if the federal government dumped billions of dollars into alternative energy development instead of billions of dollars into regime changes. But that is another topic altogether since the headline for this post is "I bought a Hybrid".

So, I bought a Hybrid. Why? Because, it is going to take 10-25 years for whatever the capitalists (whom I applaud) are working on now--to get their products to market. The best technology now is to buy a Hybrid car from the foreigners, not the domestic auto makers. The domestic hybrids are a joke. They are first generation hybrid cars, they are slow, and they are based upon 20 year old technology.

My new 2007 Lexus GS 450 H is a 4th generation hybrid and combines the efficiency of a 4 cylinder engine with the power of an 8 cylinder engine. It is awesomely cool. Completely the coolest car I have ever had in my life. Plus, it's on the cutting edge. Usually, I wait for cutting edge stuff to wean itself into being more mainstream, but this time, I couldn't wait. Not meaning to sound overly pompous, but this car gets 30 MPGs, and can go from 0-60 in about 5 seconds. Plus, it surpasses the California standards for minimal air pollution, and as the brochure says, my car gives more to the driver, and takes less from the world.

And forget about plugging in the electric motors into receptacles to "recharge". It recharges itself through recycling the energy created from braking, along with a 3rd electric motor that continually recycles energy from the hybrid motors and the gas engine. This car completely blows me away.

Okay, a little bit of negative stuff just to keep this post "balanced". Because of the 6 hybrid batteries (oh yeah, they have a 100K mile warranty top to bottom), they have to go somwhere. They go behind the back seat, which, accordingly, takes away from the trunk space fairly dramatically. I can barely get a set of golf clubs in my trunk. We won't be taking this car on any family vacations. Plus there is no "ski" pass through from the back seat, which is where I would normally stash my umbrella or related paraphalia so as not to junk up the back seat.

Minor inconveniences for such a fast, fuel efficient and cool car. Forgot to mention this--under 20 miles per hour, the engine never comes on--the car is powered by the hybrids and the electric motors--it's like driving a very cushy golf cart in traffic and down the road----you can't even hear the gasoline engine when it effortlessly turns on and off to support the hybrids and the electric motor, depending on the situation....all in an effort to be as efficient as possible and to use as LITTLE gasoline as possible.

I heartily recommend any hybrid car from Lexus OR Toyota. No wonder this company will soon be the biggest and best car manufacturer in the world. I'm all for American companies, but our Detroit guys have had their fingers in their ears way too long in the name of short term profits, pension plans, and union bull hockey.

Ten reasons we're past the tipping point on economic disaster - MarketWatch

2006-08-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

Ten reasons we're past the tipping point on economic disaster - Paul Farrell on Marketwatch.com

I like this columnist a great deal (Paul Farrell), but he quotes a guy named Gary Shilling, who is a long term columnist for Forbes Magazine, a pub of which I've been a subscriber for over 20 years. Shilling is always a negative twerp, always cautioning, always signaling the latest pothole or the latest "threat" that he sees. On the other hand, Paul Farrell is usually pretty pragmatic, and has the ability of cutting through the crap and giving his opinion without a great deal of complexity. In any event, if Farrell is quoting Shilling, as he does in the referenced article (and I'll quote the 10 reasons below) Farrell must likewise be concerned about a major slowdown in the economy.

I particularly agree with number 10 below, in which, the Federal deficit is grossly understated. I don't know what has happened to Bush and Co, and why he is spending, spending, spending, but I can tell you this--the 2006 Congress is LIGHT YEARS away from the 1994 Congress that was elected on the concepts of spending control and balanced budgets. The Republicans have sold out to the politics of being re-elected and that is so sad.

"My filing cabinets are bulging with all kinds of early-warning signals screaming that we've passed the tipping point. A few are deafening: One by the CEO of Countrywide Mortgage. Another by the CEO of Toll Bros. Then hedge fund losses drove us to pull together a total of 10 warnings that signal the popping of the bubble and the start of a recession and a bear market.

1. Mortgage lender: 'Never seen a soft landing'
When a CEO like Countrywide's Angelo Mozilo speaks, his message is far more important than all the happy talk coming out of Washington and Wall Street: "I've never seen a soft-landing in 53 years, so we have a ways to go before this levels out. I have to prepare the company for the worst that can happen." Investors better prepare too.

2. Housing warns of sustained downturn
Robert Toll, CEO of luxury home builder Toll Brothers reports dramatically declining sales and revenue. Toll says the slowdown "will last for at least six months more, it may last for two years more. We don't know." Reminds us of the 2000-2002 recession.

3. Hedge fund losers the past two months
Hedge funds have been in the news a lot since topping the $1 trillion mark in assets. This unregulated industry is a loose cannon. They've become the new dot-coms now that most retail markets are so volatile and flat, forcing portfolio managers and investors to look for alternatives to the $9 trillion mutual fund market. As a result, hedge funds are chasing anything that hints of higher returns.
For example, the main data tracker, the Hennessey Group, just announced that hedge funds have underperformed the S&P 500 for the second straight month. Other warnings have all been reported in the news lately, screaming risk, risk, risk! Flashing like neon signs on the Vegas Strip:

* Congress is giving hedge funds more access to pension fund money.
* In spite of underfunding due to past errors, corporate and state pension funds are now betting more on riskier hedge-fund deals to increase returns.
* The success of Yale and Harvard has inspired small-college endowment funds to start betting on similar risky hedging games.
* The lure of huge, fast profits for hedge-fund managers has young inexperienced college grads jumping into the business and getting backers.
* Retail mutual funds are asking shareholders for permission to engage in more aggressive hedging strategies, like short-selling and derivative trading.
* Like hedge funds, private-equity funds are now signaling a top; too much new capital is forcing them to chases fewer, riskier deals.
* After a record year, IPOs, a hedge fund competitor for new capital, are also topping as many deals are falling below issue prices.

And get this, hedge funds have been making big bets on Hollywood movies, using sophisticated programs to pick winners. This sounds like a sequel to the 1998 LTCM disaster; call it "Déjà vu Dot-coms!
"
4. Rentals squeezing ARM borrowers
The cost of renting in Los Angeles is up 88% the past decade according to Realfacts. Santa Monica is up 279%. Potential buyers can't buy so they rent. And owners can't sell to recoup the high costs they paid in the recent bubble, so they're renting out. But they can't make enough to make their mortgage payments.
USA Today estimates that nationwide median mortgage payments are $1,687 while rents are only $868. So now all the cheap money that sucked buyers into ARMs is putting the big squeeze on everybody, owners, renters and lenders, further driving inflation.

5. Inflation hits pickup truck sales
As new construction falls and gas prices skyrocket, pickup truck sales have been falling dramatically. So now, as Americans buy fuel-efficient Asian imports, the Big Three is paying a heavy price for relying too much on profits from gas-guzzlers. No wonder Toyota is now bigger than Ford, may soon pass GM.

6. Corrosive domestic oil policies
Free market? Or surreal? Since 2000 America's energy policies have been made in secret. Last year oil executives didn't have to testify in Congress under oath. This year as gasoline prices skyrocket, so do oil company profits and their executives compensation. So when we recently saw the Alaskan oil fields shut down because pipelines are physically corroded, the symbolism was obvious; America's energy policy is as corroded and corrupt as the oil companies poorly maintained pipes and their executives thinking.

7. Markets 'unfazed' by terror threats
The day after the recent bomb threat against 10 commercial aircraft traveling from Britain to the U.S., headlines read: "Markets unfazed!" Read that "oblivious." Yes, we all know that historically markets are resilient after major crises. But this lack of response reminds me of the happy talk during the 2000-2002 period when delusional bulls grabbed any excuse to deny America's long and painful freefall into a bear recession.

8. Main Street investor sentiment dropping
The gap between the top and bottom of America's economic classes is rapidly widening. Our "ownership society," a small group of investors that control over two-thirds of the stock market may be "unfazed." But the truth is, the incomes of America's middle class have been level, while inflation has been eating away at the incomes of minimum-wage workers. Most Americans aren't party to the drama played at the Wall Street casino, while insiders, corporate CEOs and Congress have all enjoyed substantial increases in personal income the past decade.

9. War costs accelerating
In spite of all the hype about controlling the insurgency, violence is increasing. Iraq can't stand up, so we can't stand down. We're trapped in a no-win, no-exit conflict, policing a civil war. And unfortunately America's domestic partisan politics is creating inflexible strategies that are draining huge resources: The Iraq and Afghan wars are now estimated to top $1.27 trillion amid mounting Middle East tensions and rising domestic terror threats, while a depleted military is unprepared for another major war.
10. Federal deficits grossly understated

Our government spending is totally out of control, no fiscal restraint, no legislative oversight and Enron-style accounting that disguises how bad things are. USA Today says federal deficits reported as $318 billion would actually be $760 billion if standard corporate accounting rules were used. And if we were honest and accounted for Social Security and Medicare costs, the deficit would be $3.5 trillion, 10 times what we're led to believe. Lay and Skilling were rank amateurs.

Bottom line: All these signals tell us the tipping point was crossed, the bubble has popped and we are heading into another bear market and recession.

Optmism Vanishes In K-Town

2006-08-16T15:01:00.000-05:00

John Pennington on the Vols From GoVols.com

John Pennington finally posts his reviews from the scrimmage last Saturday night in Knoxville. You've probably read some of this already, so this post is kind of late, but it's still worth reading.

Here are the highlights after Pennington watched the entire scrimmage on tape:

"1. Inconsistent play from the quarterback (one minute, Erik Ainge would throw a perfect dart... the next he would float a spinning duck).

2. Shaky decision-making from the quarterback (tell me if you've seen this one before, Ainge is pressured deep in his own end of the field and throws up a duck that SHOULD have been easily picked off at the 10 yard line).

3. Failure to take care of the football (on back-to-back runs David Yancey and Arian Foster negated good runs with fumbles... also, the quarterbacks behind Ainge bobbled at least 5 snaps).

4. Not knowing what to do (the Vols had practiced for a week, they had put in the 'new' offense, their quarterback now understood the offense, so when they step to the line to run the very first play of the scrimmage they... call time-out. And then they call another one just a couple of plays later).

These aren't the 'defense being ahead of the offense' problems that are to be expected at this time of the year. These are the same problems that plagued last year's offense. They're the bad decisions and 'failure to protect the ball' issues that turned possible victories over Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama into defeats.

Hey, 8-3 would have looked better than 5-6 wouldn't it?

All of this isn't to say that the Vols are a wreck. They have plenty of time to fix things. But, going into the CAl game, things could get pretty tense".

Healing Iraq ( an Iraqi blog)

2006-08-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

Healing Iraq

This is from a decent Iraqi Blogger, Zeyad. The name of his blog is Healing Iraq. As most affluent Iraqi's have done, Zeyad has fled to Amman to wait out the war and the constant infighting or insurgent fighting in Baghdad. He offers his comments on the state of blogging in general, and if you are a regular reader of this blog, as am I, you get the feeling that he in enjoying his stay in Amman, although he cannot get a permanent Visa yet. He talks about the intolerable conditions in Baghdad in previous posts.

"Dave Sifry, CEO and founder of Technorati (the ultimate weblog tracking portal), offers another timely report on the present state of the blogosphere. Key findings: Technorati tracked its 50th millionth blog two weeks ago; the blogosphere is steadily doubling in size every 6 m"onths or so; and the blogosphere is more than 100 times larger than it was 3 years ago.

Blogs never fail to fascinate me.

I was telling the Iraqi bloggers in Amman yesterday that a majority of Internet users (an estimated billion people) would soon have blogs, just as it’s given now that they all own personal email accounts.

We also discussed where the Iraqi blogosphere stands in the midst of these developments. Iraq Blog Count lately counted its 212th Iraqi blog, which can be somewhat impressive, given that there were only 4 Iraqi blogs before October 2003, just before the launch of the second wave of Iraqi bloggers, which added exponentially to the growth of the Iraqi blogosphere.

But still, looking at Sifry’s data, one cannot help but wonder: is that all we can offer to the blogosphere? 212 Iraqi blogs?

More on this later.

Mills Corp. To Divest Its Foreign Mall Stakes

2006-08-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

Mills Corp. To Divest Its Foreign Mall Stakes

Again, from the Washington Post. Upon further reflection, the articles on Mills probably ranks low on the TNSN's radar as well as that of the Nashville Post, only because Mills HQ is not in this area. If this were about a hotel on the brink that Gaylord operated out of state, I'm sure both would be all over such a developing story, as it would impact the parent company which is locally based. Wow, there was probably an easier way to say that. Opry Mills is just a part of huge number of malls operated and partially owned by Mills Corp, which is based in the DC area, hence, covered aggressively by the Washington Post. There I go again.

For some reason,this story is still very interesting to me. I never dreamed that a
retail developer in these boom times of the 21st century as big as Mills Corp might go under.

Chevy Chase-based mall developer Mills Corp. yesterday announced plans to sell its stakes in three foreign malls to a Canadian firm, as the struggling company tries to stay afloat.

The deal is expected to net $500 million for Mills and would go toward paying off about $2 billion in debt. After a series of inquiries about its accounting practices, the company is under a year-end deadline to find a buyer or face a possible loan default.
.

"The deal is expected to net $500 million for Mills and would go toward paying off about $2 billion in debt. After a series of inquiries about its accounting practices, the company is under a year-end deadline to find a buyer or face a possible loan default.

The three malls, which were sold to Montreal developer Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc., are Vaughan Mills in Ontario; St. Enoch Centre in Glasgow, Scotland; and Madrid Xanadu. Ivanhoe Cambridge already has a 50 percent interest in Vaughan Mills and St. Enoch Centre.

Mills has been plagued by financial troubles in the past year: a series of layoffs, ballooning construction costs at its massive Xanadu project at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, and a more than 50 percent reduction in the profits recorded from 2003 to 2005.

(Opry) Mills Corp. In Jeopardy Due to Debt, Accounting

2006-08-14T11:58:00.000-05:00

Mills Corp. In Jeopardy Due to Debt, Accounting

Despite an earlier post this Spring about the Mills Corp being out of financial trouble, financial auditors are now saying that the grim reaper is making another appearance.

Lost in the details of the huge round of financing that Mills received last Spring was a requirement that the company find a buyer by 12/31/06, or pay a huge fee to continue the financing (which it cannot afford and of which, no buyer has been found).

What does this mean for Opry Mills here in Nashville? Probably business as usual as the financial geeks figure out a way to restructure the company or to find multiple owners piece meal for all the parts in all the malls across the country.

Since Gaylord exercised their option to buy a larger interest in Opry Mills earlier this year, they may be interested in taking over the whole enchilada.

It's nice to have a partner with more money than you---one caveat of business that is true in both small and large operations--!!!!

My main question is this--why isn't the Tennessean covering this evolving story, or, at least, the Nashville Post, supposedly Nashville's source for business information??

Apple receives delisting letter from Nasdaq - MarketWatch

2006-08-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

Apple receives delisting letter from Nasdaq

Fat chance of anything happening here in terms of a delisting, but Apple has not cleared up the back dating of options for it's executives, some thing that most public companies took care of in past years when the rules were changed.

I guess they were too busy cranking out IPODS and revolutionizing the digital music world to realize that they definitely dropped the ball on the new accounting regulations.

If the stock gets hit tomorrow based upon these headlines, it may be a good time to buy AAPL.

Even though MAC heads continue not to like the INTEL chips because the software makers for MAC have not caught up yet, I think AAPL has a very bright future, and the best is yet to come for this company.

Pennington on the Vols-Optimism Rising

2006-08-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

Go Vols Xtra Pennington's Big Orange Business Vol Fever... Catch It

These comments are from my favorite UT blogger, John Pennington, who hosts a TV show in Knoxville about everything VOLS, but is pretty level headed about the boys wearing orange, and does not usually buy into a whole lot of hooey, although he did predict the Vols would go 10-2 last year, and what, the Vols ended up 5-6! This was written before the scrimmage on Saturday where Ainge threw 2 interceptions!

I can tell you that the dog days of Summer are here and with them has come the low rumble that... maybe, just maybe... the Vols will be better than most folks think.

A month ago, everyone in the media (and some folks close to the program) didn't see blue skies on UT's horizon. The outlook was 8-4, 9-3 at best. Some even said 7-5.

But as the stories emerge from Fall practice, it seems that a lot of people are saying the right things. Ainge now understands the offense, which he didn't last year. Special teams are getting more attention and looking better. There's not a rotation of injured backs who didn't play this Spring... there's a FLEET of high-quality game-breakers.

And all that talk is starting to sink in. Fans, 90% of them anyway, always want to believe the positive. Take a look over the last few weeks at how many people have said, 'we'll kick Cal's butt' (my word, not theirs). Those same folks probably typed the same thing before last Fall's games with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Vandy, etc, etc.

That's the nature of fandom.

What I find interesting is that jaded members of the media and press... people who are paid to be unbiased, to have a keen eye, to have seen all of this stuff before... are now starting to buy into" the excitement. Just a little.

After my TV show on Sunday, some of the guys I spoke with said, "I'm hearing the right things." Some are wondering if they should have gone with 8-4 instead of 7-5, with 9-3 instead of 8-4, or with 10-2 instead of 9-3.

"Remember," I said to one of them, "Phillip Fulmer is at his best when you least expect it. It's when expectations are high that he can't reach them. Right now, they're low." I was gigging the guy a little... but he had a look in his eye that said, "you're right!"

I said 9-3 back in January. After the Spring, watching the offensive line, I dropped it to 8-4. I'm going to sit on that prediction for now.

Last year, when I predicted 10-2 (due to the Vols' tough schedule), the "they're going to the Rose Bowl" crowd almost led me to change my pick to 11-1. But I held to my guns, and was right (well, "righter" than the folks who said Rose Bowl).

So I'll stick with 8-4. But there's a rising tide of optimism in Knoxville, without question. I reserve the right to switch to 9-3 before the Cal game.

Smith: McNair brings confidence to Ravens

2006-08-11T07:47:00.000-05:00

One thing the Ravens are forgetting about is this--McNair will get injured. I predict he will not last through September before missing an entire game for some reason. He will play well amongst the lower tier teams. When Pittsburg or Indianapolis comes to town, all bets are off.

In the mean time, Michael Smith from ESPN writes the following:

"Twas the night before training camp, and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was playing for his players a highlight reel from last season. You know, get them amped up for the camp grind. He showed them the things you'd expect: big hits, picks, recoveries, returns for touchdowns. Then, toward the end of the presentation, Steve McNair appears on the screen, speaking at his press conference following the offseason trade from Tennessee to Baltimore. From that point on it was the Air McNair show, complete with completions from McNair to (teammate then and now) Derrick Mason.

If you're familiar with the Ravens' offensive history, particularly the franchise's quarterback lineage, then Ryan's point in including the McNair clips was fairly obvious.

'I wanted those guys to realize the type of quarterback that we have now,' Ryan explains. 'There are no excuses why this football team can't win and win big. There's no more, 'We don't have this.' Sometimes guys would get caught up in other teams having this and that QB. Well, now we've got one".

Bring it on.

Latest on U.K. Airline Plot

2006-08-11T07:41:00.000-05:00

This report is from the Power Line Blog

"The names of the plotters have been released; all are described as British Muslims. The London Times confirms that the plan was uncovered after two Britons were taken into custody in Pakistan last week. (Don't worry, though; I'm sure the Pakistani authorities just asked them if they would pretty-please reveal whatever they knew about terrorist schemes.) The Times reports:

Reports from Pakistani intelligence, suggesting the direct involvement of senior Kashmiri militants linked to al-Qaeda, convinced British intelligence that the plot had to be taken seriously. Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch was brought in to the operation last December.

It is unclear from the reports so far how much the authorities knew, or whether any of these individuals had been identified, prior to the last few days. It is being reported that the terrorists were planning their attack for August 16 (not August 22 as some have speculated), so it is fair to assume that they were identified in the nick of time.

The Sun has details of the terrorists' plans:

It was believed the gang intended to use a liquid, peroxide-based explosive which could be mixed mid-flight to bring down the aircraft in three waves of three.

The deadly fluid components would have been hidden inside drink bottles and even baby milk.

The method would have foiled airport security."

Reuters Photo Fraud

2006-08-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

Reuters Photo Fraud:

The below is a quote from ZombieTime.com (a blog that I read occasionally):

"The recent discovery that the Reuters news agency released a digitally manipulated photograph as an authentic image of the bombing in Beirut has drawn attention to the important topic of bias in the media. But lost in the frenzy over one particular image is an even more devastating fact: that over the last week Reuters has been caught red-handed in an astonishing variety of journalistic frauds in the photo coverage of the war in Lebanon.

This page (linked above) serves as an overview of the various types of hoaxes, lies and other deceptions perpetrated by Reuters in recent days, since the details of the scandal are getting overwhelmed by a torrent of shallow mainstream media coverage that can easily confuse or mislead the viewer. Almost all of the investigative work has been done by cutting-edge blogs, but the proliferation of exposés might overwhelm the casual Web-surfer, who might be getting the various related scandals mixed up. "

Basically, the murder of innocent children by Israel so heavily covered by the media in July in Qana, Lebanon could very well have been manipulated by Hez. and carried across the world by Reuters.

Just use the word "Muslim" and not "Community Activists"

2006-08-10T09:35:00.000-05:00

Power Line: " the eagle-eyed William Katz writes:

We are at war with extremist Muslims, plain and simple. We need to forget about political correctness and go after these bastards--from PowerlineBlog below

" I happened to be up in the middle of the night - common for a writer - and caught the first bulletins on the UK terror plot. We're now about six hours into the coverage, and the MSM is going through major self-abuse to avoid the 'M' word. But here it is, finally, in one of the most tortured quotes I've seen about terrorism. This is from the London Times website: Meanwhile police chiefs and John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, have spoken to community leaders to keep them in touch with the investigation.

Mindful of the outrage amongst the Muslim community when Met anti-terror officers raided a house in Forest Gate last month, Mr Stephenson was careful to stress that Muslims were not being targeted by the police.

'This is not about communities: it is about criminals, murderers, people who want to commit mass murder. This is about people who might masquerade in the community, hiding behind certain faiths, but who want to commit acts that no right-minder person would want to applaud,' he said.

Meanwhile, back at the BBC – just blasted by the Israeli government
for its blatantly biased war coverage – they haven't quite gotten
to 'M.' This is as far as they go on their website:

According to BBC sources the 'principal characters' suspected of being involved ". No mention of the "M" word, Muslims, but that is exactly who is in custody.

Dennis Miller on the Middle East

2006-08-09T15:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my brother, Dortch, for passing these quotes to me

Comments from Comedian Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller on the Middle East

For those who don't know, Dennis Miller is
a comedian who has a show called Dennis Miller
Live on HBO.

He is not Jewish.

He recently said the following about the Mideast
situation:

"A brief overview of the situation is always
valuable, so as a service to all Americans who
still don't get it, I now offer you the story
of the Middle East in just a few paragraphs,which
is all you really need.

Here we go:

The Palestinians want their own country.

There's just one thing about that...........
There are no Palestinians.

It's a made up word. Israel was called Palestine
for two thousand years.

Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian" sounds ancient
but is really a modern invention

Before the Israelis won the land in the 1967 war,
Gaza was owned by Egypt, the West Bank was owned by Jordan,
and there were no "Palestinians."

As soon as the Jews took over and started growing
oranges as big as basketballs, what do you know,
say hello to the............"Palestinians,"
weeping for their deep bond with their lost.....
"land" and "nation."

So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the
word "Pal estinian" anymore to describe these
delightful folks, who dance for joy at our deaths,
until someone points out they're being taped.

Instead, let's call them what they are:
"Other Arabs Who Can't Accomplish Anything In Life
And Would Rather Wrap Themselves In The Seductive
Melodrama Of Eternal Struggle And Death."

I know that's a bit unwieldy to expect to see on CNN.
How about this, ! then: "Adjacent Jew-Haters."
Okay, so the Adjacent Jew-Haters want their own country.
Oops, just one more thing. No, they don't.

They could've had their own country any time in
the last thirty years, especially two years ago at..
Camp David but if you have your own country, you have to
have traffic lights and garbage trucks and Chambers
of Commerce, and, worse, you actually have to figure
out some way to make a living.

That's no fun. No, they want what all the other
Jew-Haters in the region want: Israel. They also want
a big pile of dead Jews, of course -- that's where
the real fun is -- but mostly they want..... Israel.

Why? For one thing, trying to destroy Israel - or
"The Zionist Entity" as their textbooks call it --
for the last fifty years has allowed the rulers of
Arab countries to divert the attention of their
own people away from the fact that they're the
blue-ribbon most illiterate,poorest, and tribally
backward on God's Earth,and if you've ever been
around God's Earth . . . you know that's really
saying something.

It makes me roll my eyes every time one of our
pundits waxes poetic about the great history and
culture of the Muslim Midleast.

Unless I'm missing something, the Arabs haven't
given anything to the world since Algebra, and,
by the way, thanks a hell of a lot for that one.

Chew this around & spit it out: 500 million Arabs;
5 million Jews.

Think of all the Arab countries as a football field,
and Israel as a pack of matches sitting in the middle of it.
And now these same folks swear that, if Israel gives them
half of that pack of matches, everyone will be pals..

Really? Wow, what neat news. Hey, but what about
the string of wars to obliterate the tiny country
and the constant din of rabid blood oaths to drive
every Jew into the sea?

Oh, that? We were just kidding.

My friend Kevin Rooney made a gorgeous point the
other day:

Just reverse the Numbers. Imagine 500 million Jews
and 5 million Arabs. I was stunned at the simple
brilliance of it.

Can anyone picture the Jews strapping belts of
razor blades and dynamite to themselves?.......
Of course not.

Or marshaling every fiber and force at their
disposal for generations to drive a tiny Arab State
into the sea? Nonsense.

Or dancing for joy at the murder of innocents?....
Impossible.

Or spreading and believing horrible lies about
the Arabs baking their bread with the blood of
children? ......Disgusting.

No, as you know, left to themselves in a world
of peace,the worst Jews would ever do to people
is debate them to death.

However, in any big-picture strategy, there's
always a danger of losing moral weight. We've
already lost some. I didn't know some of that..........!

ON VACATION

2006-06-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hey, Blog Fans. Sorry to say that other things are happening, and that blogging is taking a major back seat. In the meantime, please visit
Rex Hammock's ultimately famous RexBlog for your best look at great info and postings for business, personal, and general info.

I shall return soon!!

Cheers and thanks for your patronage!!!

Heads are Gonna Roll--Regions Financial, AmSouth to Combine

2006-05-26T04:45:00.000-05:00

Regions Financial, AmSouth to Combine
from Yahoo Finance

"Regions and AmSouth have 230 branches within a mile of each other, Jordan said."

This is very huge news for us here in Nashville. I have banked with Amsouth and Amsouth's predecessor, First American Bank, for 25 plus years. My dad was an original founding board member of First American. We go way, way back with this bank.

Honestly, this merger is kind of strange because the "banking footprints" do not compliment one another. In fact, they overlap quite significantly.

Just down the road here in Belle Meade, there is a Regions branch just 100 yards from an Amsouth Branch. Commercial Real Estate people are probably salivating at the possibilities. There would be no sense in keeping both branches open. I think AmSouth has signed on to build a brand new branch in the new Tony Girantanna building where the old Belle Meade theatre used to be.

What about all of the commercial banking people around here (not to mention Birmingham, Knoxville, Memphis, etc) that call on the same businesses as former competitors, that is, Regions banking folks versus AmSouth banking folks. No reason to keep two full contingencies of bankers serving the exact same market. Well, maybe an extra one or two, but not double.

Yes, people are probably shaking in their boots at both banks wondering who is going to stay and who is going to go. Such is the life of corporate business and corporate take overs.

But this one is a little strange--the only way they can make this work is by cutting ALOT of overhead, namely people and branches.

We'll be watching with interest. But, as for me, Pinnacle bank sure looks like a good play here. Small business people hate this continuous upheaval of bankers, mergers, and new faces.

Thousands of Iowa's Corn Farmers See the Future in Fuel

2006-05-21T04:48:00.000-05:00

Thousands of Iowa's Corn Farmers See the Future in Fuel

"Iowa, the top corn-producing state, is the nation's ethanol leader, generating 25 percent of U.S. ethanol in towns such as Coon Rapids and Steamboat Rock. In addition to 22 ethanol refineries in operation, the state has seven under construction and at least 20 are being planned.

The boom here has largely been a grass-roots phenomenon, fueled by clusters of growers, bankers and small-town professionals. Aspiring biofuel plant owners have been barnstorming the state, delivering investment pitches in firehouses, schools and community centers.

Six thousand farmers have bought in.

'There's quite a bit of exuberance for the ethanol plants. They're paying real good dividends,' said Rockwell City farmer Keith Sexton, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and an investor in four biofuel refineries. 'It's coming on board almost faster than a person can keep up, unless that's your day job."

A New Twist for the Moonshiner: Ethanol - Energy

2006-05-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

FOXNews.com - A New Twist for the Moonshiner: Ethanol - Energy

This is a great way to promote the fact that Ethanol is the fuel of the future.

I remember when people used to scoff at gas stations that used to "cut" their gas with ethanol. In fact, it was those cut rate gas stations of the past like Pilot and Scott that used to frequently "cut" their gas with ethanol to keep their pump prices low. And what did most consumers do? Go to other "pure" gas stations. How stupid. I was one of those that used to avoid ethanol/gas mixtures.

Now, I am a complete and total advocate of E85/ethanol plus gas mixtures. Anything to reduce our dependence on oil, rather foreign or domestic. Scroll down to read where E-85 is available in Nashville NOW. Don't buy a new car without ethanol capabilities--read this article linked above too!

"An upstart Tennessee business is marketing stills that can be set up as private distilleries making ethanol — 190 proof grain alcohol — out of fermented starchy crops such as corn, apples or sugar cane. The company claims the still's output can reduce fuel costs by nearly a third from the pump price of gasoline."

Men's National Team--Soccer

2006-05-14T17:53:00.000-05:00

ussoccer.com - Men's National Team

If you haven't already heard, the World Cup is this summer in Germany. The World Cup is to soccer fans what the Super Bowl is to football fans. The only difference being is that it's held every 4 years, and there is truly a World Champion unlike the incredibly arrogant claim of the Super Bowl winner being a world champion. How can the Super Bowl winner be a world champion when it's a game only between U. S. football teams??

The World Cup is truly an international spectacle that promises to be great sports televion this June. Budweiser is spending more on advertising with the World Cup than they did with this past Super Bowl. This sport might actually finally be catching on in America. It's truly great soccer at the international level!

In any event, YOU, yes, YOU have the opportunity to see our team, called the U. S. National Team play against Morrocco here in Nashville, TN, this May 23rd at 6 pm at the Coliseum. Pretty cool. It's called the "Send Off Series" and it's a "friendly" match to help prepare our team for the grueling World Cup. Our first World Cup match is on June 11th. More later.

Tickets are reasonably priced (unlike most professional sports). There are good seats for $25 and $35.

Hope to see you there. Click the link above for ticket info if you don't want to call TicketHassle at 255-9600.

Best advice for Pacman is to grow up

2006-05-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

Best advice for Pacman is to grow up By David Climer in the Tennessean

Thanks to Rex Hammock of RexBlog fame for pointing to this article in his own blog, and for making the point that the best writing in the Tennessean happens to reside in the Sports section.

I could not agree more. The Sports section of the Tennessean is also well rounded, very well delegated with different beat writers to handle multiple sports, and although I may not agree with the aggressively negative nature of David Climer or the mindless chatter of Joe Biddle, the Sports section generally rocks. Plenty of coverage on professional, collegiate, and high school sports for the market place. Not too much Nascar, but just enough. And don't forget about fishin' and huntin'. The Sports sections is just a good read.

Editorially speaking, all we have is David Climer and occasionally Joe Biddle. Climer does hit a home run with this column on PacMan. This guy (PacMan) is just not ready for Prime Time.

Poll Gives Bush His Worst Marks Yet - New York Times

2006-05-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

Poll Gives Bush His Worst Marks Yet - New York Times

Okay, you all have read and heard about these polls now for the past few weeks. Seems like when the polls are bad about Bush, someone does another one, and so the latest poll numbers seem to be on a self perpetuating cycle. The media just loves it when the numbers are this bad for Bush. So, they do another poll....This one just happens to have been conducted by the New York Times, one of the libs favorite print media pubs.

I have posted many times about my unease and unrest over the IRAQ war, particularly as it relates to the obvious inability for the IRAQI's to get their shit together in the most basic sense. Too many factions. Too many tribes. Too much 15th century thinking. How in the world are we going to change that? We toppled Sadam. Great job! But, building a democracy in IRAQ? Doubtful. So maybe I see why so many people blame Bush for this over zealous goal of his.

And, okay, so Bush is on the wrong side of the immigration issue. We need to seal up our borders and only let in legal immigrants. I have no problem with Mexicans coming to our country, and neither do most Americans. They just need to have the proper visas. Why is that so hard and why is there so much debate? Just come in legally, seal up the borders, and everything will be fine. No one is talking about cutting off trade or prohibiting legal immigration.
Okay, so I can see why so many people blame Bush for being led down this path, actually, being pushed, pulled, and drug down this legal immigration path.

And then there are the gasoline prices..Bush said in the State of the Union address that we were addicted to oil. He's right. Now, lead us out of this mess. Propose to retrofit every gas station in America with Ethanol pumps. The U. S. government should pick up the tab. Spend mega billions on ethanol production, not the paltry $150 million on various alternative energy initiatives. E85 is the answer, I am convinced. It will take 5 years if we start now on an aggressive campaign to roll out ethanol. Each year we wait, our dependence on foreign oil continues. Think of the international political ramifications if we could produce enough ethanol to reduce and possibly eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. My bet is that the Middle East would cool off, and not be the political hot potatoe that it is. Easy for me to see.

Bush is just not leading us right now. He is in a quagmire. He just does not seem to be the same leader as he once was.

But, here's the rest of the story. The economy is rocking and rolling. Unemployment is at or below 5% nationally. That is awesome. Tax cuts got extended. Inflation is tame. I cannot remember a more robust time--economically speaking. It is almost economic nirvanna out there.

But, Bush gets no credit for this. He is getting pummelled for Iraq, immigagration, and not necessarily gas prices---but just not LEADING us, the country, out of the gasoline addiction.

I hope this does not make me a Democrat to say these things!

"Americans have a bleaker view of the country's direction than at any time in more than two decades, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Sharp disapproval of President Bush's handling of gasoline prices has combined with intensified unhappiness about Iraq to create a grim political environment for the White House and Congressional Republicans.

Mr. Bush's approval ratings for his management of foreign policy, Iraq and the economy have fallen to the lowest levels of his presidency. He drew poor marks on the issues that have been at the top of the national agenda in recent months, in particular immigration and gasoline prices."

E85 (ETHANOL) Available in Nashville

2006-05-08T21:51:00.000-05:00

National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) and E85

HEY ATTENTION--

YOU CAN BUY E-85 HERE IN NASHVILLE at the FOLLOWING LOCATION: (note to the people raising their eyebrows--E-85 is the commercial name for ethanol fuel. It is made from agricultural products such as corn and other products. It does not come from the middle east or from way under the ground, any ground, no matter what the geography, for that matter. It does not cause pollution. IT IS THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE. THE FUTURE IS NOW.

Citgo
500 N Main
Nashville, TN 37206
615-244-3828

So, here is what you need to do to have ZERO dependence on foreign oil, help the environment, and be ahead of the curve:

1. You will be surprised how many cars run on Ethanol RIGHT NOW! Click this link to see what I'm talking about

2. Buy one of these cars in the above link, or, if you have one, go to the station above and start buying 100% ethanol

3. Go to the ethanol station for your energy needs as often as you can, preferably every tank if possible

4. You will be a hero.

5. I am not a hero yet, but I'm working on it.

#1 Nashville, Tenn.

2006-05-08T21:36:00.000-05:00

#1 Nashville, Tenn

"What we loved: Hillsboro Village, for the acoustic guitars at Cotten Music, kitchenware at Davis Cookware and the triple chocolate mousse at Provence Breads & Café."

You've probably heard by now about how Nashville, our great city, was picked as the Number One place to live by the editors of Kiplinger Magazine. Pretty heady stuff for our fair city, no? But, does the quote above hit a chord with you? Kitchenware and Chocolate Mousse?? Does that sound like Nashville to you??? Here's what I would have written-

What we loved: Hillsboro Village for the coffee at Bongo Java with the Jones Pet Store vintage signage, the ultra cool Belcourt Theatre plus the hip and original local restaurants. All just a few stone's throw away from the classicly modern statue of Musica on the Round about separating Downtown from Music Row.

(Opry) Mills pulls through-- gets $2.23B in financing

2006-05-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

Mills gets $2.23B in financing - Pittsburgh Business Times

Excellent news! This should see the company through the recent rough patch. Here is an overview from the article;

Mega-mall developer Mills Corp., which is considering putting itself up for sale, says it has received a commitment from Goldman Sachs for up to $2.23 billion in financing.

The loan, subject to a number of contingencies, would be used to repay debt and to finance continuing operations.

Arlington, Va.-based Mills, which owns more than 40 retail properties and operates the Pittsburgh Mills, hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase earlier this year to explore the sale of the company or other options.

AHA! I Knew it!! Lesbians' brains respond like straight men

2006-05-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

Lesbians' brains respond like straight men

Sorry for the unexplained absence. Thought I'd catch your eyes with this latest research from some university in Canada.

Ever wonder why straight guys sort of find it interesting when 2 women "get together" ...Seems as if our brains are on the same wavelength so to speak.

Ever wonder why hetero women get along with gay men so well? Same theory.

Heterosexual women and gay men found the male pheromones pleasant, while straight men and lesbians liked the female pheromone more than the male one. Men and lesbians also found the male hormone more irritating than the female one, while straight women were more likely to be irritated by the female hormone than the male one.

From CNN HEALTH

Viruses catch up to the Mac

2006-05-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

Viruses catch up to the Mac This is from CNN.com

"Ferris said he warned Apple of the vulnerabilities in January and February and that the company has yet to patch the holes, prompting him to compare the Cupertino-based computer maker to Microsoft three years ago, when the world's largest software company was criticized for being slow to respond to weaknesses in its products.

'They didn't know how to deal with security, and I think Apple is in the same situation now,' said Ferris, himself a Mac user."

Is Jeff Fisher the next Titan to go?

2006-04-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

With the latest word that Steve McNair is going to be traded or released, one has to wonder what is going on over at the Titan's---on the administration side.

Clearly, Coach Fisher and Norm Chow preferred Matt Lienart over Vince Young. Almost every post draft interview indicated that the decision was split. Here are a couple of quotes:

Reese acknowledged the decision wasn't unanimous in the draft room, but he said everyone was in agreement that Young has a chance to be special.

"I know Coach Chow and Coach Fisher did everything they could to get me, but obviously there were some differences in that organization,'' Leinart told reporters in Arizona. "They went with who they thought was best.''

And, now, the word is that Fisher said that the McNair trade or release is "unlikely". Remember when McNair was asked to leave the training camp when Fisher was out of town visiting potential draft prospects?

All of this reeks of something going amuck. Fisher will never come out and say anything, but all indications are that he has a short leash---I'd say this year to at least have a winning season or to show some definite improvements.

My thoughts are that Fisher backed McNair way too long and was his outspoken supporter despite the obvious. Bud Adams and Floyd Rees are running this team and Fisher will be the next to go if the Titan's don't turn the ship around this upcoming season.

Pre-Draft First Round Pick for the Titans

2006-04-28T18:23:00.000-05:00

I cannot remember an NFL draft causing so much interest for even the most casual fan of the Tennessee Titans.

My gut tells me Vince Young is the pick. His style is more like the Titans, even with his unusual side arm motion. He's big, physical and is a playmaker who lives on the edge, just the way McNair did in his prime.

Having said that, I can see the Titans picking Lienart as well, just because of the Norm Chow connection. But Norm may not be around forever.

We'll know this time tomorrow. Surely Reggie Bush won't be around for the 3rd pick.

Bleet, plus, Tennessean RSS Feed UPDATE

2006-04-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'm coining a new term, BLEET, to describe the Blog Elite, formerly known as the blogleet. This is a term that describes, as you might imagine, the biggest and bestest bloggers.

Rex Hammock of Rexblog fame is certainly a charter member of the BLEET, a place that maybe one day in the far distant future I might ascend. Rex took the time to inform me that only one particular RSS Feed from the Tennessean is bad, and of course, it's the one I was using. So, I stand corrected and extend my apologies to the TNSN.. Here is what Rex says below:

The tennessean RSS feeds work for me -- I subscribe to the news
headlines and the sports one. however, the "headlines" thing suc**.
I'll post something tomorrow.

rex

here's the URL to the "top news" feed that works for me:

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=RSS05&mime=xml

Thanks Rex and thanks for the plug the other day for my half marathon run for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. We have raised over $5000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the cure for Parkinson's.

Welcome to Carbon Leaf's Official Website

2006-04-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Carbon Leaf's Official Website

This is a most amazing band. Sharon (my better half) and I went to see them at the Exit/In the other night. We had not been there in 20 years. Someone called Sharon "maam" as we wondered through the crowd. We laughed. We were so entertained. This band mixes so many different forms of music from rock to bluegrass to fusion. Highly recommended.

Tennessean RSS Feed is Terrible

2006-04-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

SEC names new football officials coordinator - Nashville, Tennessee - Thursday, 04/20/06 - Tennessean.com

It's now Thursday, April 27th (or almost). The most recent posting on the Tennessean's RSS feed is from Thurdsay, April 20th. 7 days ago. That is pitiful. I have noticed for some time that of all the major media, the Tennessean has the worst and most inconsistent RSS feed of any media I follow. I don't follow that many feeds, maybe 50. Compare that to the BlogLeet (blog elite) people who probably follow 200 or more daily feeds--they have the same problem. The Tennessean continues to be challenged with updating their RSS feeds. What is even more annoying is that they don't summarize what is in the corresponding post. If you have an RSS reader, you know what I mean, if you don't, you should get one. Thanks to Rex Hammock for briefly telling me one day that I needed one, and then backing that up on his blog a few times. He has helped many bloggers. Maybe he can use his media contacts to get to the TNSN RSS person to get them off their duffs.

Bush Blizzard?

2006-04-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

Tony Snow named White House Press Secretary From USA Today Blogs

Tony Snow joins John Snow (Treasury Secretary) in the Bush White House. But, according to multiple sources, John Snow is probably on his way out.

I can "dig" it. That's pretty bad. Sorry.

Parkinson's fight is motivation for one runner

2006-04-24T15:04:00.000-05:00

Parkinson's fight is motivation for one runner - Tennessean.com

This runner happens to be me!

Bonds hints Aaron's record might be out of reach

2006-04-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

Bonds hints Aaron's record might be out of reach

From ESPN..

All I can say is --LET'S HOPE SO! And I hope Bud Selig steps in and puts an asterik by his name when he breaks Babe Ruth's record.

There is going to be a major media frenzy as Bonds approaches the Babe's record in just a few short days/weeks. Bonds is at 709 now, and 715 will probably fall before Memorial Day if not sooner.

Let's face it, Bonds cheated. There were no such drugs around when the Babe hit all of his 714 home runs. Ditto Roger Maris when he hit 61 or 62 (can't remember which) in one season back in the 60's.

Like everyone else, I was mesmerized when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire battled it out that year to overcome Maris and to set a single season record.

Looking back, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize both of those guys were human freaks--all juiced up and bulked up like Popeye on spinach. Would that it were a simple organic substance like a vegetable that those guys took.

Why is the baseball management being so coy over Bonds, McGuire and Sosa? Why does it take a congressional investigation and free lance writers to dig up the dirt?

Is it just me, or what? When Babe Ruth's record goes down, it will be a crying shame for Major League Baseball, and for the honor and tradition the sport once held for all Americans.

Let's hope Barry Bonds means it below when he says below that his body won't allow him to break Aaron's record of 755. And in the mean time, where is Bud Selig on all of this?

"As long as I'm healthy, I want to give it a try,' Bonds has said.

Now, the man who stands only five homers from Babe Ruth's career 714 and 46 from Aaron's record 755 believes his body will not allow him to catch the home run king.

'Heck no,' Bonds told MLB.com when asked if he still had a chance to catch Aaron.

"

The Importance of Ophelia Ford's Ouster

2006-04-23T08:02:00.000-05:00

Inside Baseball

This is a new column by Matthew White from the Tennessee Political Blog called Inside Baseball (for reasons unknown to me). In any event, it's the first thing I've read from a credible source of the real implications of the Senate vote last week to void the election of Ophelia Ford.

Basically, the state legislature has to stand up to the Federal Courts, and for this reason alone, the precedence has been set now that our state elected leaders have a true separation of powers as opposed to the court system intervening when there is a dispute amongst the political factions.

Very interesting reading, and I have quoted below for your convenience so you really don't have link to the article by White. However, if you do, he also handicaps the 23rd Senate District race (Jim Bryson's seat). Oh yes, I agree with White also on the fact that Ophelia Ford has gained so much publicity over her challenge, that she is a shoe-in if she would just shut up and get back to Memphis and plan for the next election.

"The State Senate finally voided Ophelia Ford's election to that body in a convincing bipartisan vote. This is an important moment in Tennessee political history and not for the reasons you might think, namely the Ford family finally getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

A federal judge blocked a similar vote in January despite the Senate's explicit constitutional authority to overturn the election. It is important for the Tennessee Legislature to stand up to federal courts that have been governing the state by fiat. It has happened with prisons, education, healthcare, children's services and election law, among others. There are few agencies of state government that aren't under some form of federal court order. If federal courts want to stand in the way of the legislature's legitimate constitutional functions, then let them enforce the order.

More important than that is the dilution of votes that are attendant to voter fraud. People who go to the trouble to cast an informed ballot deserve to have their full vote counted. When an illegal vote is cast, by a living person or otherwise, every other vote is cheapened. If we are to have 'one man/woman, one vote' as we should, only living, breathing residents of the district should have their votes counted.

Ophelia Ford has not seen the last of the State Senate. If she's smart, she'll drop this charade and win her election - honestly - in November and continue on in the family business.

A Tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab

2006-04-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

David Weiss: A Tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab

Thanks to Rex Hammock, of Rexblog fame, Nashville's best and most prolific blogger, for this reference and post.

The link is a tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab from David Weiss. It's a most interesting and reassuring web tour. Reassuring because one can see the reverence that our oft-times nemesis, the windows geeks, have for our beloved Mac. Or at least this section of the company--(albeit miniscule section of Microsoft land).

A nice tour down memory lane plus a whole bunch of Mac Mini's --and the feeling that there are some really solid solid Mac folks up there in Washington State.

Ahhh...just think back to the days when there was no such thing as an IPOD, and it was us against the world......those times were nice weren't they--in a way? Now that Apple (the company) is hot, you kind of relish the complete underdog role we used to enjoy. I'm not really sure I really like having Apple on top of the digital music world to tell you the truth.

Anyway, this link sort of softens my opinion of the Seattle guys a great deal--these folks in the MBU as they call it--the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft.

Thanks Rex (and thanks Julia, whoever you are).

Favre: McNair 'doesn't deserve' treatment he's getting

2006-04-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

Favre: McNair 'doesn't deserve' treatment he's getting

It's pretty much a universal thought and one that I agree with as well---that whoever made this decision to bar McNair from the Titans complex, (and we all know who it was)---made a terrible PR goof. We were warned that Bud Adams could be an SOB, and certainly look no further than the Houston TX media to find countless examples of such during his tenure as the Oilers' owner.

If you look back as to the timing of this event, it was obvious that the decision came from the top. Fisher and Reese were on the West Coast during the USC "Pro Day" taking a look at Reggie Bush and Co. Or, should I say Matt Lienart and Co. Anyway, the lowly trainer was the one that delivered the news to McNair to take a hike. What class.

At least I think Reese and Fisher have a little more than that. Maybe not much more, but you could tell that they were uncomfortable with the decision overall upon their return. Now the fall out continues with this quote and article (ESPN.com gets the credit)

"All of the things he has done for that team,' the Packers QB said Thursday. 'He really has been the face of that team for the last 10 or 11 years, the one bright spot really. To be treated that way I think is really unfair. He doesn't deserve it ... It is not right.'

Which reminds me, did you see the City Paper article (I'm starting to like this hard hitting little print paper much more lately) yesterday? Sorry, I'm too lazy right now to link to it, but the essence of the article was that both Lienart and Vince Young got the impression that if either were selected by the Titans, that they would be playing this fall. Makes me think that the Titans are going to go with Billy Volek as starter, then work in whichever one we get by mid October or so. My money is on the bet that McNair has seen his last days as a Titan. I know it's a business, but it could have been handled so much more wisely. Favre has been given so much latitude up in Packers' country. They have handled his situation so much more sagaciously (wow, great word, no?)

The Return of Lance Armstrong

2006-04-20T08:46:00.000-05:00

Armstrong plans to run N.Y. Marathon in November

Lance Armstrong told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.

This guy is a beast!

From Espn.com

Thelma Harper

2006-04-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

...has become what she probably never meant to be---the consummate politician that puts ego before common sense. No politico that I've ever watched intends for this to happen--but they get caught up in the "system" and the "process". She is probably right now trying to decide how best to defend herself and how to justify the nay vote on the Jack Daniel's Musuem in downtown Nashville . It's probably time for her to take a hard look in the mirror. Just read these quotes below from the City Paper:

Harper said she was upset that she wasn’t asked to be the first sponsor of the bill before it was introduced. Instead, Brown-Forman asked Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), whose district contains the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, to sponsor the bill.

“When you deal with people who have no respect for where you are, you know, it makes it difficult,” Harper said. “But the main thing is [Brown-Forman has] no respect for our position.

“You can have a museum and all of those other things, and I can sponsor it, but we don’t need someone from Shelbyville sponsoring the bill that’s here,” she added. “It’s proper protocol … when they come into my business district, I should be allowed to represent my businesses. That’s what I’ve done all along.”

Have you ever read a more ridiculous "inside" quote of how legislation gets done and how these people perceive themselves? Thelma Harper thinks downtown Nashville is "her" business district--the whole thing, the whole area that is---and that---(chest protruding, chest beating) nothing gets done without her front and center approval. You know, at one time in my life, I thought about politics. Then I realized one day how absolutely low life these people are and how super big their egos are. Oh yes, they can talk real well, and they can smile and they can wear big hats, but when it comes right down to it--it's ego plain and simple. And if they are elected, particularly into the city council and into the state rep positions, they become so absorbed in their titles and the process, that they lose site of the big picture.

Still think I'm being too hard on Thelma? Okay, then read this:

Tracy said lobbyists from Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, of which Brown-Forman is a client, asked Harper to co-sponsor the bill with Tracy. But Harper said she did not want to play “second fiddle.”

Pretty much proves how big her ego has become.

Thelma puts off a great Easter Egg Hunt every year, but that's about it. She has ridden the wave of popularity to the point of being too big for her own britches as the old cliche goes.

Just think how she could have co-sponsored this bill and how she could have been out front and positive about bringing new alternatives to downtown Nashville tourism and how she could have enamored the pro business and pro tourism people. These people would have possibly thought about sending her donations and thought about her upward movement into higher political positions. But no, her ego got hurt, and she voted against the bill because she was not the sponsor---Who cares how good the museum would have been for the city and our tourists. It's all about Thelma.

The Jack Daniel's Museum in downtown Nashville would be a great addition to our city and would add a great deal of diversity to our tourism offerings. How this can be defeated (as currently proposed) by a dentally challenged state senator who must have a hat closet bigger than my garage is just a sad commentary on her power.

Buried Deep in the Wall Street Jounal on Monday..

2006-04-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

....I would link to the site but it's paid and I'm not even a member either.

But there was this article on Monday, April 17th in the print edition which I'm just getting around to posting about, that was entitled "Rumseld's Tight Grip on U. S. Military Appears to be Weakening". It was a front page piece that chronicles the fact that the military brass is definitely up to their necks with the leadership style of Rummy.

In any event, the article continued off the front page and onto page A-10. About 2 paragraphs down, this morsel of information appears, and I'm quoting:

Despite the administration's oft-stated pledge to democratize the Middle East, the military's U. S. Central Command, which oversees troops in the region, has a somewhat different emphasis. It's top priority is to help existing governments in the region beef up their security to provide a "protective shield" against Al Quaeda, officers say. In most cases, that means increasing intelligence-sharing with non-democratic regimes, providing more counter terrorism training and participating in exercises with their militaries. The hope is that once the regimes become more secure, power will slowy devolve to their people.

Also in the Pacific, senior military officers are pushing for more exchanges with the Chinese military, despite contrary urges from Mr. Rumsfeld. Such exchanges were reduced in teh early days of the administration, as Mr. Rumsfeld came into office--as he was determined to pare military to military engagement and to get tough with China.

So, there you have it folks. We have the top military generals working behind the administration's back, and if you believe Tim Russert, we have in effect, a military coup taking shape amongst the leadership. Perhaps he is being overly dramatic. But, I'm telling you the policies of Rummy and I guess ultimately George Bush 43 are not working in the military's eye in terms of "nation building". We cannot build a democratic government in Iraq any more than we can will away Fidel Castro from Cuba. Let the people live the way they want to live, and let the people have a freaking dictator if they want to. But, we can work with most governments, and we can show them ways that they can be secure and ways they can thwart Al Quaeda. We can topple governments if we want to, but we better make damn sure that we know what to do after we topple governments. Saber rattling is good to an extent, but overthowing governments and trying to instill a U. S. type democracy in under 2-3 years or even 10 years is ludicrous.

And the military brass agrees.

Dear Mr. President

2006-04-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Dear President Bush:

I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family,and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.

I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way we do here.

So, would you mind telling President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.

3. All government forms need to be printed in English.

4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.

5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.

6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.

7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.

9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from President Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.

13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.

I know this is an easy request because we already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that President Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.

Thank you so much for your kind help.

(NOTE---this was taken from a general e mail I received ---author unknown, but for clarification purposes, I did not write this, but agree with the satire premise)

The Latest on the (Opry) Mills Corp.

2006-04-13T11:32:00.000-05:00

Chron.com | Mills Corp. Gets Default Waivers

From the Houston Chronicle (for some reason).

Looks like the Mills Corp. is working through it's issues, but it seems more and more likely that a sale of the company will be the most probable outcome. The Fidelity Corp. dumped 11 million shares on the market this week, and has completely exited this company from it's mutual funds portfolios.

"Real estate investment trust Mills Corp. said Wednesday its banks agreed to waive defaults through the end of this year, and the company has refinanced the mortgage on one of its outlet malls.

Mills said it is also working to get additional default waivers under construction loans for outlet malls in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Georgia.

The announcement comes as Mills explores a possible sale of the company and faces an investigation into its accounting practices. Mills is also restating several years of earnings."

Retired US Iraq general (plus this blogger) demands Rumsfeld resign

2006-04-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

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.