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Thursday, January 28, 2010
On Turning 50--A Palindrome
So much for Rumors, ATT beats out Verizon for IPAD/ IPHONE still with ATT too
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.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
On Turning 50
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!
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!
Monday, January 25, 2010
I'm predicting a fairly major snow event for Friday 1/29/10
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.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Apple to announce Verizon as Iphone carrier--RUMOR
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."
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."
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Derek Dooley is the Man
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
James Chanos made his hedge fund fortune predicting problems at companies and shorting their stock.
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Fulmer and Peyton Manning
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!
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
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:
That pretty much sums it up for me.
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.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Don't fear the 2010's ! Or ?
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:
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.
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.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Relationships and Moderate Capitalism !
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!
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!
Saturday, December 05, 2009
US and England in same World Cup Group! Yes!
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!
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Frank Batten, Founder of The Weather Channel RIP
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
"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
Monday, November 30, 2009
Houston Oldham named to A-10 All Rookie Team
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."
Friday, November 27, 2009
What a Great Holiday
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.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Brotherly Three Hour Cruise up and down I-40
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.
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
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.
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.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
MBA -Ensworth Football Playoffs
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!
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)
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
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
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.
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.
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