tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29603111699809785032024-03-16T03:08:29.579-04:00The Daily BlankI have more opinions than opportunities to express them, so I write this blog.d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.comBlogger353125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-20622466984740404132011-12-11T14:00:00.002-05:002011-12-11T14:10:29.224-05:00My brother Scott meets Jack Nicholson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMGJBFN2H3-vioniyLuBI6ELCYuLVaxzUccVCYZJg6dcHM7R6a4iEQ4WJec5Rc-lMq8Z2CKL3Z9dV6UhjySyX_hgp-x4H9FSweSLhHCexgXiDgg_GeEacbfCn9rzkYgAoo3IFlGjtRQg/s1600/the-shining-here-comes-johnny.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMGJBFN2H3-vioniyLuBI6ELCYuLVaxzUccVCYZJg6dcHM7R6a4iEQ4WJec5Rc-lMq8Z2CKL3Z9dV6UhjySyX_hgp-x4H9FSweSLhHCexgXiDgg_GeEacbfCn9rzkYgAoo3IFlGjtRQg/s320/the-shining-here-comes-johnny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684949780582265954" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:";" ><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>My younger brother Scott died suddenly and unexpectedly this past July. I had three brothers until Scott died and although we all lived long distances from one-another, and we all rarely got together at one time, I thought of us as a unit. </span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >In my mind “one of four brothers” was one of my defining characteristics, along with “handsome, charming and brave.” (I just threw that in because I know Scott would have liked that joke.)</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I only saw him a few times a year but it’s still hard to believe I won’t see him again. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Scott was a very interesting and idiosyncratic person. I almost certainly would have written something about him by now, but he was one of the most intensely private people I’ve ever known. He left very explicit instructions regarding the manner in which his passing was to be noted and they can best be described as “minimally.” I don’t think he would have appreciated an essay from me.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >However, about six or eight months before he died he sent me a written version of the story of his encounter fifteen years earlier, with Jack Nicholson.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Among Scott’s idiosyncrasies was that he was openly and admittedly star-struck. He’d met dozens – possibly hundreds – of famous people in his life, but none had the back-story or the legs of his Nicholson adventure.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >We’re all familiar with the idea of getting our “fifteen minutes of fame” but most of us don’t really get anything like fame. Well, Scott got his. I’m still asked to tell the story several times a year, and rarely does a year go by that I don’t see a reference in the national to the event that led to Scott meeting Nicholson.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >And as private as he was, Scott would happily recount the events to anyone who asked. Some of you may have heard the story from me (and even him) but here it is in its full glory, in Scott’s own words. It’s a little long but worth it I believe.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" align="center"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >*<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>*<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>*</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Los Angeles, February 8, 1994. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >At about noon on February 8, 1994 I was driving to a Disney office in Studio City for an appointment with a committee to present an incentive program for ride sharing and car pooling. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >About two blocks west of Bob Hope’s house I was stopped at a traffic light. A black Mercedes Benz SL pulled up beside me in the right turn lane. I looked at the car and thought it looked like the Bat Mobile since the windows were tinted black, the chrome was blacked out. I thought it looked very cool.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >When the light turned green tried to pull in front of me, instead of turning right. I didn’t let it in front of me. On the other side of the intersection were parked cars, so the driver had to wait until he could get in behind me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >On the other side of the intersection he started tailgating me, and zigzagging back and forth behind my car. I got the impression that he was pissed and wanted to get around me. Oncoming cars prevented him from passing my car. A little further along I had the option of going right, which would allow the driver to pass. However, if he followed me I would have been in front of Bob Hope’s estate which was a walled property for blocks. If the driver had a gun or did something crazy I thought, no one would be around to help.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >At the next traffic light which was red in my direction I stopped behind several cars. A passenger got out of the SL (I was not aware anyone but the driver was in the car due to the blackened windows.) The passenger positioned himself at ten o’clock in front of my car with his arms folded.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Although it was long before the show “The Soprano’s”, he could have been type cast for the show.) I was later told he owned a restaurant in Hells Kitchen in NYC.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I could hear the driver yelling as he approached my driver’s side window: ”You Motherfucker, I’ll show you who will cut who off”. (This is a major problem because <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">I DID</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">NOT</b> cut him off; I just didn’t allow him to cut me off.) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The next thing I heard was a “thud, thud” on the roof of my car. (He hit the roof leaving two dents in the steel with something in his hand.) I looked at the man, and thought he would then try to hit my driver’s side window. “No” was the next thought “not at that angle”. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Then I recognized him as the actor Jack Nicholson.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thought, “He’s crazy; someone’s going to recognize him.” There were so many cars around us. Right after that thought he took what turned out to be a golf club and hit my windshield with full force at my eye level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My windshield shattered inside my car and all over me. (I did have sunglasses on at the time which protected me from getting glass in my eyes.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After he smashed the windshield he calmly walked back to his car, put the golf club into the trunk of his car and drove off.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I followed his car, and reached into my briefcase to get a pen & paper to write down his license plate number. I double and triple checked the plate number.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >At the next block I turned right and pulled over to get out and get the glass out of my hair, seat, and cuffs of my suit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When I stopped, two separate cars pulled up to me. Both drivers said that they had seen what had happened if I needed a witness. One gave me his business card, (I believe he was a stock broker). The other driver had written his name and number on a piece of paper.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I asked them if they recognized the guy. Both said yes, and one volunteered, “That was Jack Nicholson! I work on movie sets. He’s an asshole.” I said “thank you” to both and they drove off.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I continued on to Disney, with my head and neck extended to the right so I could see to drive since the driver’s side of my windshield was shattered.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >My appointment at Disney was a monthly board meeting. I was to arrive around 12:30, and let the receptionist know that I was there to meet with the committee. They would finish whatever topic they were discussing and I would be brought in once they were ready. In other words I might have to wait a few minutes. (Since it had taken nearly 6 months to get the appointment I was Ok with the arrangement.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >While I waited, I asked the receptionist if I could use the phone in the lobby to make a call. (This was before I carried a cell phone on me everywhere I went. I thought it quaint that there would be a phone in the lobby -- very Hollywood.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I called John Pike the person whose house I had just left before heading out for my appointment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>John’s family is a very old old California family on both his mother’s and father’s side. He knew lots of people, including the Hope’s, where they lived.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I said “John, you are not going to believe what just happened to me”. “Call me the Minute you get out of the meeting”, he told me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >A few minutes later I was escorted into a board meeting to make my presentation on an incentive program to inspire Disney employees to get them to “ride share and car pool.” They had a big budget.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Still shaken I made an effort to overcome my mental state by telling the group, “If I seem a little nervous or if you see glass falling out of my hair, it’s NOT that I’ve never given this presentation, it’s just that I was attacked in my car on the way over to the meeting.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >That was just enough for me to settle myself and was ready to move forward. HOWEVER, it shocked everyone enough that they had questions about what had happened. I didn’t want to get side tracked with the whole story, so I simple said I recognized the guy and that I would deal with it later.<br />Someone asked, “Was it a friend of yours?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“No, it was a celebrity.” I immediately realized that that was a mistake. And of course they would NOT let me proceed until I told them who it was, which got lots of reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I made the presentation, which went well. However, they insisted that I see the nurse on staff before I left. Another rather quaint notion I thought of having a full time nurse on staff.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >When I got ready to leave I called my friend John. He had made several calls to many well know high profile attorneys. He told me to go to the local police station and fill out a police report.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >When I got in line an officer, who never looked up at me barked out, “Wadda you want”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“Well someone smashed my windshield with a tire iron,” I told him. (Since I could see only part of what he was holding, that’s what I thought it was at first.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“HOW TALL WAS HE?” the officer barked.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“I’m not sure, but I know who it was”.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“HOW TALL?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“I don’t know, maybe 5-10.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“HOW OLD,” was the next demand. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“I don’t know but I know who it was.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“HOW OLD?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“I guess 60?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“WHAT WAS HE WEARING?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Then I got a little confused as how to answer, “Sort of a golfing outfit with knickers, and triangle colored knee socks, and tassel’s, BIG tassel’s on his shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I’ve got his licensee plate number, “AND I KNOW WHO IT WAS”.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“OK, WHO WAS IT?” all the while his head still buried in his computer screen.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I said, “Jack Nicholson.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >For the first time he looked up and asked in the friendliest most surprised voice,”the actor?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“Here’s his plate number”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He walked to another computer with the plate number and walked back a bit shocked, (Now my new best friend) and said that “it” was in fact registered to a John Nicholson at an address on Wilshire Blvd.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He said that it was a surprise since most famous actors register their cars in a manager’s name or company.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Later I found out that Nicholson had a close relationship with the Los Angeles police department. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After leaving the police station I went back to my friend John’s penthouse which was buzzing. He had talked to several attorneys. Some of whom where working on some famous news cases of the time such as the first Michael Jackson case of playing with young boys. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I spoke to one of them on the phone. (I don’t remember his name.) He suggested that I get a lawyer, although he couldn’t take my case because he was busy working on the Jackson case.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Somehow I ended up talking to Charles Ruben, a west L.A. attorney. He sounded good on the phone and I made an appointment to meet with him the following day.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >My head spinning from all the events I was not as sharp as I needed to be when we met.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He was great at spinning what he could do for me. Later I suspected that was his best quality. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >He gave me the impression that he had handled a similar type case against another celebrity and had gotten the client $500,000. Later I found out, he had worked in the office of the case and had nothing really to do with “it”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Makes me wonder if the person even got the half million he claimed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >A few days later I got a call at my office from a Detective from the station where I had filed the police report.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hopefully he never took up acting because as casual as he tried to sound it wasn’t working. He claimed he had some free time and was just going thru some of the stacks and stacks of reports and came to mine. He just happened on to it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >He asked what had happened, if it was in fact the actor that smashed my windshield. Told him the story and that it was him. The Detective asked if I could come to the station that afternoon with my car so he could take pictures. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >That afternoon I met with him (wish I could remember his name). Once I was there he asked if I had been in contact with Mr. Nicholson. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >When I told him NO, he said that his “people” had contacted him and wondered how they could get in touch with me. (Hmmmm, really…..was that before or after you called me this morning I wondered.) When I told him I had an attorney he asked me what the case was worth. I repeated what Mr. Ruben had implied to me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The detective wanted to take pictures of the car, then with me standing by the car. While he’s taking the pictures, he was being charming and funny. THEN, after making a joke about something--he took a picture of me standing by the car LAUGHING. I think that was intentional.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That picture ended up on the show HARD COPY.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wonder what they paid him for that picture?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Speaking of pictures, my attorney wanted me to take pictures of my car the day of the incident.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Someone I knew at the time took about seven or eight pictures so that I could have them should this go to trail. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Those pictures were also sold to HARD COPY, by my SO called “friend.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Very quickly my attorney got an offer from Nicholson’s attorney Charlie English. (I liked Charlie.) The amount was for $<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">X, NOT $500,000</b> that the Biography Channel claims I got every time they run a Bio on Nicholson. (I have sent them an email, asking that they correct the misinformation.) The $50,000 was before the Mr. Rubin took his percentage, so I got <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">$x- </b>on or about March 2, 1994. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The City Attorney got involved with the case and wanted to press charges against Nicholson. (As of now I don’t remember the timing.) I don’t remember his name but we spoke several times over the phone. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I believe but can not swear to it, but the fact that I was going to or had resolved the matter thru attorneys did not matter to the City Attorney. He was bringing misdemeanor charges against the actor and I would have to come to court.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >At some point feeling overwhelmed with the attention from the press calling me from as far away as New Zealand I resisted the whole agreement and wanted it to stop. It felt as though I was being railroaded into a quick settlement; more by my own attorney than anyone else. Had I know better I would have fired him and hired someone else to represent me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >My attorney and I met in Charlie English’s office with the city attorney, to discuss my settlement and how my signed agreement would affect me legally in court. English said if I wanted to tear up the agreement all I had to do was return the payment. I hadn’t spent a cent of the money, but for some dumb reason I didn’t ask if Rubin would therefore have to return his percentage. So I did nothing. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >What was also discussed was the fact that I wanted to move from Los Angeles and that I was selling everything before moving. The real concern I had was selling my car. If the paparazzi found out the car was for sale they would be all over me again. English asked, “What if we get Nicholson to buy your car from you?” Perfect. Once the agreement was made, I would drive the car until I was ready to move. When it was time, I contacted another attorney’s office, brought the title, the keys and the car. I received a cashier’s check. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I believe it was at that meeting that the subject of Nicholson’s regret and his desire to apologize to me came up. At first I didn’t want to hear from him, talk to him, nothing. But something just changed and decided it wasn’t worth being upset over.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The day came that I was to go to English’s office at noon, I came into his main office. My attorney was with me. From a back door out walked Nicholson dressed in a dark suit.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >He apologized saying that he doesn’t normally do things like that to regular citizens. That the night before he had been up late filming a very emotional scene where he just found out his daughter had been killed by a drunk driver. (The movie was “The Crossing Guard;” his wife was played by Anjelica Huston.) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Ironically when I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles I lived at Tony Richardson house for about 8 months. He was an Oscar winning director and producer and once the husband of Vanessa Redgrave & father of Natasha Richardson. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The irony is that Tony would have people over for tennis and lunch almost every Saturday and Sunday. Before I moved in, Nicholson & Huston met at one of Tony’s lunches. They then consummated their relationship in the bedroom where I slept.) I was also told that that he had found out that morning that a friend he had known for many years in the film industry had died. (An offer to see the obituary was something I declined.) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Before Jack vanished thru the back door, I asked if it was true that his high school prom date’s last name was also Blank. He seemed stunned by the question, but then said,”Yes, and she was a very nice girl.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >My oldest brother Dennis worked at the time for Fortune magazine. He told me that he got several calls from executives of major corporations asking if it was true that his brother was the one attached by Jack. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The day of or after the apology Dennis asked how it went. “Did he seem sincere?” I told him I thought he was, but if he wasn’t then I had just gotten a private performance by Jack Nicholson. Priceless!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Court day I was to meet Charlie English in the basement of the court building while we waited for Charles Rubin to arrive from another court case. Mr. English and I had a pleasant conversation about nothing in particular that I recall while we waited. Mr. Rubin arrives, am told we will be going to another floor. He also said there may be press there, but that they were not allowed into the court room.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The three of us go up the elevator all dressed in suits.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Charlie English had represented several celebrities so he was well known to the press.) When the elevator door opens, you can see about a dozen reporters sitting all together on the floor. When they see Charlie, they all jump up.<br />I’m thinking great, just what I DON’T want.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The two attorneys are together talking while they are walking in front of me. The reporters start staring at me with that look of, “Is he the guy?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Instinctively I acted as if I was lost and looking for where I was heading. Not associated with the two in front of me. I even remember looking at the reporters as if they seemed very odd to me. It threw them off long enough for me to get past Charlie English being interviewed and into the court room.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Inside was filled with people in orange jumpsuits waiting for their day in court. Across the room a camera was being attached to a tripod. I sat in the first row just left of the aisle. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Someone came up to me and started clicking away with a camera about 6 or 7 inches from the right side of my head. I could hear it clicking away over and over and over again. I didn’t move a muscle. I assumed that he was hoping I would give him some expression and make his picture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So much for no reporters allowed in the court room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Finally my attorney had me sit at the table beyond the reach of the photographer. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >At some point the city attorney came up to me and introduced him self. He told me he was changing the charge from a misdemeanor to attempted murder. That threw me, but I was told it was because Nicholson had hit the roof above my head and the windshield aiming towards my face. Not being a lawyer, I thought it was an odd time to make that change. No surprise English objected, the judge disapproved, and the city attorney got to look like a hero by “trying” to go after the famous actor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The settlement came up during the court appearance, which is when we all went in to the judge’s chambers. No one wanted me to mention the amount in court.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The judge asked if I was satisfied. My answer I guess didn’t satisfy him because kept he asking more questions. I told him what was really bothering was the fact that people thought I was getting so much money I could retire. It must have been how I said it, because everyone laughed, even the court reporter. Anyway, the judge asked, “How much?” I looked at my attorney he gave the nod to answer and I did.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After leaving the court room my attorney walked with me on to the elevator. A reporter stuck a microphone on a boom into the elevator preventing the doors from closing. He kept shouting out questions. “No comment. “No comment.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Then gently I pushed the microphone back and said we need to go. I thought, “Couldn’t my attorney have done that for me?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I should have mentioned sooner, that my friends all know me by my middle name Scott. But my legal name is Robert Scott Blank. On the police report or any news report I was named as Robert Blank. I told my family what had happened in case they saw something in the news, I told the people at Disney, John Pike and Jeff Angel (the person that took and sold the pictures of my car).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Otherwise my friends didn’t know, and if they saw or heard something in the news about Robert Blank they didn’t make the connection. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >That changed the night of the winter Olympics when skater Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were to skate before an audience of over 120,000,000 viewers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Earlier in the day I got a call from Harvey Levin who was a reporter with the local CBS news channel at the time. He said he was doing a story about the incident and wanted the “human element.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I told him he was going to have to do the story without me, (as I told all other reporters) that I wasn’t doing any interviews. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >He told me he was very close and read off an address. I sort of laughed I thought just to myself. He picked up on it and asked, “What’s so funny?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I told him, “You are very close to my mailbox.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >He just called back to the office, got the receptionist and asked her for the address. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >About an hour later the receptionist “buzzed me” and told me someone was in the front office looking for me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I got to her desk and there was Levin and a cameraman. The camera light was off, but it was pointed towards me. I asked them to leave that they were disrupting the office. To get them out of the office I agreed to say “no comment” in the hallway of the building on camera.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Once outside my “no comment” was unusable the way I (hmmm) messed it up. (How could a salesman mess up a line like, “No comment.”?)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >That night before the two skaters went on the ice there was a fifteen minute news break on the local channel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the time was devoted to “the case of the dueling Mercedes” as Levin put it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“Behind me here”…..he went on telling a story of what occurred. (Not sure if he had the facts correct.) Then he showed my car which was in the parking garage of my office that day. Then he showed me walking in the hallway of the office building where I worked.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >THEN, my phone went CRAZY. I got calls from people I hadn’t heard from in years. Call waiting just added to the number of calls.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After that night I would be having coffee, or dinner, or even in my car at a traffic light and people would recognize me. Whispering and pointing became common. I hated that more than anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It still amazes me that having my face on TV for such a short period of time that anyone would recognize me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I was already over the floods, the fires, the earthquakes and the riots of Los Angeles. My new fifteen minutes of fame was what it took to get me to leave California.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >When I moved from Los Angeles to Florida it was the weekend O.J. didn’t kill his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I had just waited another week I would have been old news.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >It was my belief that was going to be the end of the story, but it hasn’t.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >Any time Nicholson would be in the news for his bad behavior the entertainment news shows would bring up the story and show the pictures.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >One Saturday morning I was outside a café having coffee reading the paper in Tampa.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was still new in town so I didn’t know very many people. That morning several people walked out the door, looked at me and said, “Hi!” with a very surprised looks on their faces. I thought it was odd, especially since it happened several times. About an hour later, someone I did know yelled across a parking lot, “Hey Blank! I just saw you on “Current Affair” last night.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >That was more amusing than anything else. I have to admit that telling the story to a few people at dinner was always a nice conversation starter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The irritating and infuriating things came later.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >One thing I created myself to some degree. I got sober in October of 1992 thru Alcoholics Anonymous, over a year before this incident. Part of AA is “the 12 steps;” step 9 is “making direct amends.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After I moved to Florida a sponsor I was working with asked me what my part was in this incident.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I said that if I wasn’t so self-righteous I could have just let Nicholson get in front of me even though he was making an illegal move. (Can you hear the self righteous?) My sponsor said, “Write him a letter and make an amends for your part.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >So I wrote the letter, read it to my sponsor. All was good, so I mailed the letter. (I had Jack’s address from the paperwork selling my car.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >In the January 2004, Fiftieth Anniversary issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Playboy</i>, Nicholson was interviewed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >First he said he felt justified. Then he said, “And after all, he was trying to run me over”. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >REALLY, are you fucking kidding me? Run you over? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >“I never knew what ticked the guy off, but I can tell you this: Within the past year I got a letter of apology form him. And I accept his apology.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >After reading that I felt I had been attacked again.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >IT WAS NOT AN APOLOGY, it was an AMENDS. If anyone is not clear of the difference, look up the two words in the dictionary.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I did call my former attorney Charles Ruben regarding the interview. Mentioning Nicholson’s violation of our signed agreement, Ruben said that since I sent him the letter it was OK for Nicholson to discuss it. Again, he made no legal sense. In a fax I sent to Ruben I quoted section 4.1 of the agreement:”…and Blank & Nicholson shall engage in no further discussion unless compelled to do so in a judicial proceeding”. So much for contracts and agreements.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >The Biography channel’s piece on Nicholson as I mentioned before, states that I had received $500,000. Which as I said before was exaggerated, and Nicholson as far as I know has never tried to correct any misinformation. Of course why would he? It makes him look like he’s the taken advantage of famous actor. Poor guy, don’t you feel sorry for him?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Courier New"font-family:";" >I could go on, but I won’t. I just wanted to write my side of the story. Maybe one day it will be read and reported on.</span></p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-52102283745856043412011-07-07T13:13:00.002-04:002011-07-07T14:39:55.288-04:00Liberals tell me how…?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAsa96XQ8LFcOeIHLdzuSojgvBC2jyhXj5Pid5hmMPW1epQa_C-UlZlQ0R6ADr3Q-W2St7RXvNljEIFy-qjinPYowF5LLbxIC8MP4evMkbQOCr_8T8JPfh3mYxAmhk1cJZIFCyProJIY/s1600/geoff_colvin_2010c.03.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAsa96XQ8LFcOeIHLdzuSojgvBC2jyhXj5Pid5hmMPW1epQa_C-UlZlQ0R6ADr3Q-W2St7RXvNljEIFy-qjinPYowF5LLbxIC8MP4evMkbQOCr_8T8JPfh3mYxAmhk1cJZIFCyProJIY/s320/geoff_colvin_2010c.03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626659970142035618" border="0" /></a>I ask all my liberal friends: please tell me how Geoff Colvin is wrong in his <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/17/news/economy/medicare_fix_national_debt.fortune/index.htm">recent Fortune column</a>? <p class="MsoNormal">Just because the Republican Party has devolved into a pack of Druids in bad suits doesn’t mean they can’t have a good idea now and then. And in fairness, Rep. Paul Ryan seems less Druid-like than most of them. Nor is he playing Chicken Little when he warns us that the budgetary sky is falling on top of us at this very minute, and the principal cause is Medicare. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It cost over half a trillion dollars last year and it is rising fast. “Well, the wars cost even more than that!” you reply? “So what!” says I. End them too; the hole we need to fill is big enough for both plus agriculture subsidies and one or two other big programs. (I nominate HUD, but that’s another post.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Besides, money isn’t the only problem with the current system; it may not even be the biggest problem. Conservatives are right when they say little good comes from the government making health care decisions. That doesn’t mean they have no role to play, but when grandma is 92 and could use a new knee, or even worse, a couple of months in intensive care before finally kicking off, it is grandma and the family that should decide if the expense is really worth it – not the fact that, “Oh, what the hell, Medicare will cover it.” And grandma and the family should have some skin in the game.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Having some skin in the game would surely cut down on waste, fraud and unnecessary procedures. It might even put an end to ads for the Scooter Store (see 6/4/10 post), which is justification enough for me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Colvin is correct in saying that “the people aren’t dummies,” at least most of the time but especially when it comes to spending their money. If you are worried that some people won’t do well at making health care decisions you would be right, but you could always join the ranks of the many that will step up and provide intelligent counseling to consumers who want it. In any event, it will cause less pain and suffering than the collapse of the entire system. Just remember, the U.S. has greater debt per capita than Greece; this isn’t a small problem we are facing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, how is Colvin wrong?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-19339288303261812772011-06-22T21:13:00.003-04:002011-06-22T21:18:09.800-04:00A question for Senator McCain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz9x4nd6ZObvSLNWw2_Y6mSPI_n_m1PCwDk51fjz4AneuaVqFU31K2cJhpF3eRDrSlLlAyBzgIvrqfvT7NmNEWH7ZKSA8HuBSrmlyhgvES8ICez89bMH3udGWB3atGF8KYnVgz_rBA40/s1600/mccain.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz9x4nd6ZObvSLNWw2_Y6mSPI_n_m1PCwDk51fjz4AneuaVqFU31K2cJhpF3eRDrSlLlAyBzgIvrqfvT7NmNEWH7ZKSA8HuBSrmlyhgvES8ICez89bMH3udGWB3atGF8KYnVgz_rBA40/s320/mccain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621218239498165234" border="0" /></a>If the United States removes its troops from foreign countries but continues to be an active diplomatic voice and the largest source of both government and non-government aid, plus a major cultural and media influence around the world, how is it possible to call that isolationism?d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-28355461776112102492011-03-21T19:05:00.000-04:002011-03-21T19:06:10.111-04:00The media conspiracy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> 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<w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I have a number of relatives who are Glenn Beck and Fox News fans. They regularly send me emails in which the underlying theme is that the “Lame Street” or “drive-by” media is the enabler of a liberal conspiracy to ruin America. One such email today, in combination with a sore back that kept me from going to the Y, prompted me to try to explain why this is a canard. I hate to waste nearly 600 words so I thought I’d post my response.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>“I spent 30 years working for Time Warner, one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world. It doesn’t make me the ultimate authority, but I think I have some insights worth considering if you believe the New York Times leads a conspiracy to drag the country into European socialism. I can’t prove you wrong but maybe you’ll at least consider how inherently illogical such a construct is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll begin by admitting that by-and-large, media people – writers, editors, producers, etc., are more liberal in their political views than the average American. But 50% of all people are more liberal than the average American, so that in itself doesn’t mean all that much. Look to the person on your left and then on your right. One of those people is probably more liberal – or more conservative than you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But these folks are not defined solely by their political views. They are in the main regular working folks. For every Brian Williams pulling down $10 mil a year there are hundreds of people tolling in good but not great jobs, struggling hard to find a way to find profits in an industry whose customers expect everything for free these days. It’s these people who write the words that Brian Williams speaks each night on the news.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">They have mortgages to pay, children to educate, car payments and all the other pressures of modern life just as you do, and just as those with more conservatives views have. They are not exempt from tax hikes, diminished public services, union excesses or financial disasters. They are no less oppressed by political correctness or the excesses that are a part of many well-meaning government/social engineering programs. There is no special category for them; they toil daily in an industry with steadily shrinking employment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The business they are in is the business of building an audience. There are only two ways to bring revenue into a media company. Either the consumer pays to see/hear it, or advertisers pay them a sliding fee based on the number of people consuming what they produce.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Regardless of any one person’s political point-of-view, that person puts his job in jeopardy if he gives his political views a higher priority than building a larger audience. He risks failure if he aims his story at only those who will agree with his pov; he leaves money on the table if he alienates those he knows do not share his opinions. Despites these facts, it still happens sometimes, but if it happens too often his competitors will notice and will swoop in like the Barbarian hoards and take what has been left up for grabs. It is a blood-thirsty business – the media.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, when you think of Time and Newsweek, think Coke and Pepsi. NBC and CBS? GM and Ford. The New York Times and Washington Post? They are IBM and Apple. It’s impossible to prove a negative, but these companies do not get together and agree to push a set of ideas and ignore another set of ideas. Did we not have electric vehicles for decades because GM and Ford met secretly to agree not to make them? There are naive people who believe this is the case, but logic and facts suggest the reason was that the public did not want them enough to buy them – until they did, and now everyone is making them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is no different with the media. The media produces what it believes will sell to an audience that has highly diverse political views. The rewards accrue to those who do that job the best. There are no rewards for political dogma disconnected from the moods of the broadly defined public.”</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-83912401090682841892011-03-04T12:24:00.004-05:002011-03-04T12:31:38.328-05:00Going underground<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFjFZlRsCufqaCMUE-SY74qFnu6q9DHGGDq6J6jPAB5f1h4IH2WAOcxrWXdTewH-FA62USETVJtWmOebhJ53kICX81BywdRKfYNXXLWjC0-zhYNzY9wbG6R5JzgWJm3CwcyXAkA60p_M/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFjFZlRsCufqaCMUE-SY74qFnu6q9DHGGDq6J6jPAB5f1h4IH2WAOcxrWXdTewH-FA62USETVJtWmOebhJ53kICX81BywdRKfYNXXLWjC0-zhYNzY9wbG6R5JzgWJm3CwcyXAkA60p_M/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580278364502749634" border="0" /></a>This is going to be my last post for a while. I’m leaving Florida in 52 days and am starting to feel a little overwhelmed by my to-do list. Keep in mind that after 16 months in retirement I find it very difficult to commit more than a few hours per day to any task not directly related to nurturing my own comfort or amusement, but that’s how it is and there isn’t much I can do about it. <p class="MsoNormal">There is a lot to do, however, in preparation for my move to Ohio where I plan to begin a second career as an unpaid social provocateur. I’m not ready to talk about those plans yet, but they require complex planning and preparation. In addition, I continue to work on writing a book about something. Exactly what the something is keeps shifting on me. I’m certainly no threat to Stephen King in the category of “prolific authors.” After almost a year of pecking away I’ve written about 25,000 words, which is probably about 80 or so pages; I’ve a long way to go.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I really enjoy writing the <span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Blank</span>. Of course has never been close to a daily, but I liked the name the moment McRik proposed it over a martini at Alfredo’s one cold winter evening after work (or was it over a shot and beer at Jimmy’s Corner?). And I enjoy reading your comments and getting a little conversation going even more. The last thing I want is for writing the blog to become a chore or an obligation rather than the fun it’s been the last three + years. I hope to be back this summer once the move is complete.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">So while I'm going underground, I'll still be moving. And remember, <span style="font-style: italic;">the longest road out is the shortest road home.</span></p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-43762157806479550232011-02-24T18:50:00.003-05:002011-02-24T18:56:27.101-05:00The U.N. strikes againI just heard that the U.N. may consider removing Libya from their Human Rights Council, possibly as early as next week. You can always count on the U.N. to take swift and effective action when the lives of people are at stake. The bad news is that Yemen is in line to take Libya's place.d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-40310412921208228112011-02-21T18:00:00.002-05:002011-02-21T18:02:49.569-05:00On the road to visit Bam-Bam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuVw3IN3RorvZxD-IN_L7NWX_4_2LNTnAf4S8Aiqz7vcTw76uTJLch1CCvvVc9JkbPr6mHeFctE9zbYGtVg-nbH6zzynJDtG4ghLkUzjwUlA8hAcSfNfkj0Ol_wq6CZ8PSrHDZu0stdU/s1600/BAM.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuVw3IN3RorvZxD-IN_L7NWX_4_2LNTnAf4S8Aiqz7vcTw76uTJLch1CCvvVc9JkbPr6mHeFctE9zbYGtVg-nbH6zzynJDtG4ghLkUzjwUlA8hAcSfNfkj0Ol_wq6CZ8PSrHDZu0stdU/s320/BAM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576281847010962818" border="0" /></a>A Florida road trip is just not a proper road trip. A proper road trip should take place as much as possible on state or county routes or other two-lane highways. Florida is the ultimate Interstate Highway state. They are everywhere and often it is all but impossible to get from A to B without spending at least part of the trip on I-something. <p class="MsoNormal">Going anywhere in south Florida for me demands a run through Orlando that is a one-hour, bumper-to-bumper, 70-mile-per-hour NASCAR simulation on a good day; on a bad day it is a 90 minute slog behind an endless string of minivans and SUVs, filled with kids, driven by Midwesterners and Canadians, each one searching for Disney World, Universal Studios or Bibleland (official name: <a href="http://www.holylandexperience.com/">Holy Land Experience</a>). However, they all intuitively know the one unbreakable Florida traffic law: slower moving traffic keeps to the left.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you do find a back road worth driving you will find the parts of Florida Tosh.0 describes as “flat, hot and dumb,” not that you can see anything because you will now be behind either an RV, an SUV pulling a boat or jet-ski, a landscaping crew in a king cab pulling a trailer loaded with eight lawnmowers, a full sized pesticide van, an F-150 4x4 jacked up at least 24 inches, or a Ram Heavy-duty with four tires on the rear axle. If you pass it, another will be right there in front of you. If you are the first car stopped at a light, three of them will turn from the cross street into your intended path as you wait helplessly for the green. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thank God for the blues. I had a couple of <a href="http://roadhousepodcast.com/">Roadhouse </a>episodes on the iPod and heard some good new (to me) stuff including Doug MacLeod and Chainsaw Dupont.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I went down to Ft. Myers to see my former Fortune colleague Bruce McNaughton, now 77 and retired; that’s him above. He may be the most memorable character I’ve ever known and no one I know was ever better able to force a major corporation to shape itself around his idea of how to do his job. I learned a lot from him over the years and I wanted to ask him a few questions for a writing project I’m working on. That’s going to take some time to complete, but you might enjoy a short anecdote that sheds a good deal of light on the essence of the man.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was 1980 and I had just joined the ad sales staff at Fortune. I was 31 which was then pretty young for the job. One quiet afternoon Bruce’s 300-pound, bald countenance suddenly filled my office doorway. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“What are you doing right now kid?” he bellowed, which was his soft voice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Nothing special. Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Come with me. I want to show you how to treat a customer.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I grabbed my suit coat and followed him down the hall, down the elevator and through the lobby of the Time-Life Building. We crossed 6<sup>th</sup> Avenue past Radio City. Bruce, often referred to as BAM (an acronym for his full name: Bruce Angus McNaughton) carried a gift-wrapped box which I was sure held a bottle of Glenfiddich single malt Whisky.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Where are we going?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“BBDO” he shouted over his shoulder as I struggled to keep up. At Fifth Avenue he turned north in front of Sak’s. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I thought we were going to BBDO” I asked. ”Why are we going uptown?” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I need to pick up the rest of the parade.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At 54<sup>th</sup> Street there was a busker dressed in full Scottish garb – kilt, sporran, tam – the works -- playing the bagpipes, a tip box at his feet. <span style=""> </span>Bruce handed him a twenty and commanded him to follow us as we turned towards Madison and continued our journey to BBDO. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We entered their building and in those pre-9/11 days there were no ID checks or other formalities. We got in an elevator and Bruce punched 18. At 16 the last people in the car who were not part of our little parade got out. As soon as the doors closed Bruce shouted, “Hit it!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I simply lack the words to describe what it feels like to be in an enclosed elevator car inches from a bagpiper in full throttle. I’ll just say it’s nothing I recommend unless you’re the sort of person who sits in the first row of the Daytona 500 without ear protection and enjoys it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The doors opened on the executive floor of BBDO and the world stood still. The receptionist rose half way up and froze in her place. We marched out of the car and past her without a pause; Bruce in the lead followed by the piper and then me. I felt like the guy the Second City cast had pulled out of the audience to be a part of some unfathomable improvisation. I nodded sheepishly to the receptionist who looked right through me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We entered the office space and time stopped. The pipe’s volume ended all phone calls and conversations instantly. It was as if someone had pushed the ignition button on an F-16 inside the building. Heads popped up from cubes. Closed office doors opened and open doors filled with gob-smacked faces.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We turned down one corridor and then another until we reached a corner office where the object of our visit stood slack-jawed in awe of the approaching chaos. I’ve long since forgotten who he was; he could not have been too important or Bruce would have worn his full Scottish kit as well. This fellow was important, but ranked only a bottle of Glenfiddich and a serenade. When I visited Bruce last week he confirmed that he made this sort of musical presentation a number of times and he did not recall this particular event.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But I can guarantee you that the recipient never forgot it, or the man who brought the magic to his door. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-10142475523507087802011-02-14T20:04:00.004-05:002011-02-14T20:10:52.176-05:00Mini road trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd_30NT3R5yro-SomNwvSnfgxN3ILaA3eM5qduraK8wvtUXouCyXl-FMlXWlQAfh0ZETMoiJdPZ9Z1TTrXFrlB1eyfP6118-Czcb0hvDAGY5r9PIpGAeudFty4NxPF_p0Ky4KM4xH798/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd_30NT3R5yro-SomNwvSnfgxN3ILaA3eM5qduraK8wvtUXouCyXl-FMlXWlQAfh0ZETMoiJdPZ9Z1TTrXFrlB1eyfP6118-Czcb0hvDAGY5r9PIpGAeudFty4NxPF_p0Ky4KM4xH798/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573716850353927794" border="0" /></a>I'm heading down to the Gulf Coast tomorrow for a few day to visit relatives and to interview Bruce Angus McNaughton for my book project. Those of you who know Bam-Bam should feel free to suggest questions for the interview, although I'll be lucky to get a question in edge-wise.<br /><br />FYI, it is forecast to be 78 - 80 and sunny in Ft. Myers and Naples this week.<br /><br />Also, I'm still laughing over a line from Gail Collins last week where she compared the Republican budget cuts proposal to a someone who is 50 lbs over weight deciding to cut down on their intake of kale.d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-61971428502716018372011-02-13T11:06:00.003-05:002011-02-13T11:12:48.167-05:00The Doonesbury version<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC2TCfnZTmkpWooJNtHzJzdNQLqLCbOELHiabHyKajWL-sl60suN5iqMq47o9bc7O-BUhQJTS_YovF6AAR853iDR8VQ2meRwGObZVBc-CGq5F_RqXacERLe1dEaUJtLNho-DCprf6634/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC2TCfnZTmkpWooJNtHzJzdNQLqLCbOELHiabHyKajWL-sl60suN5iqMq47o9bc7O-BUhQJTS_YovF6AAR853iDR8VQ2meRwGObZVBc-CGq5F_RqXacERLe1dEaUJtLNho-DCprf6634/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573207727367247842" border="0" /></a><br />Doonesbury offers its version of the February 8th <span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Blank</span> post in its February 13th strip. I think you'll find it <a href="http://www.doonesbury.com/">here</a>, but it maybe only today; strating tomorrow you'll probably have to look in the Doonesbury archives.d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-33746357788214183142011-02-10T12:17:00.003-05:002011-02-10T12:26:11.858-05:00Blues, pelicans and Super Bowl ads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs9ziL4lWXuaDRpmsmoaS7DWQ6LTBktGgZK3a45sbymTe2BSW2XFm8UKvt0NQ83_s84csonjpgBpV7LESWbVFcnuwLh8pOaEcBRwhyphenhyphenxKnDsO7rtVCP7iHtHOBO124H5_XmavWCWWVUDY/s1600/brown_pelican_fd_121205_019.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs9ziL4lWXuaDRpmsmoaS7DWQ6LTBktGgZK3a45sbymTe2BSW2XFm8UKvt0NQ83_s84csonjpgBpV7LESWbVFcnuwLh8pOaEcBRwhyphenhyphenxKnDsO7rtVCP7iHtHOBO124H5_XmavWCWWVUDY/s320/brown_pelican_fd_121205_019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572113330181119442" border="0" /></a>I was driving to the beach yesterday and about to reach my favorite spot when a song came on the radio that stopped me in my tracks. It had a jungle beat and a powerful, yet sweet, female vocal lamenting that she was “drowning in her own tears.” I was completely captivated. I parked but left the radio on until she’d finished telling her story. The DJ identified her as <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/18/1920038/robin-rogers-short-and-happy-love.html">Robin Rogers – a name I knew.</a> <p class="MsoNormal">Last fall both my regular blues podcasts (<span style="font-style: italic;">Roadhouse </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Murphy’s Saloon</span> -- see links to right) told how the recently discovered Rogers had just been diagnosed with liver cancer, that her husband and musical partner Tony Rogers had quit playing to take care of her full time and that she had no medical insurance. I sent a check – not enough to get into heaven – but I wanted to be a part of the blues community that was being asked to help out. She died in December just after learning that her last release, “Back in the Fire” had been nominated for a Blues Music Award.<span style=""> </span>The whole album is great but you can try “Ocean of Tears,” the song that snagged me, for only 99 cents. Robin had a hard life, found success late, and then died at 55, but she left something beautiful behind. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then I watched the pelicans feed for an hour or so. They found a mother-load of fish about 50 yards off shore which attracted more than 100 of the big birds, which look to me like a Disney version of a pterodactyl. The squadron of birds circled a school yard of fish covering about a half an acre, at an altitude of maybe 30 feet. It looked like flying a merry-go-round with every bird tethered to a central axes; but one-by-one the birds paused for a portion of a second, tucked their articulated wings into their bodies, pointed their prehistoric heads and beaks towards the water and dove straight down into the teaming buffet. Bird after bird – 5 or 6 in a matter of 2 or 3 seconds; then a pause for a few seconds and then 3-4 more. Tschoooo. Tschoooo. Tschooo. Then back up into the elevated raceway to spot another fish. There are worse ways to waste an afternoon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So the Super Bowl was OK -- a pretty good game. The commercials were, as always in my view, overrated. I did like the VW/Darth Vader ad, which was a top pick for lots of people. The Chevy-Camaro-turns-into-a-robot ad was great and the Chevy Cruze/Facebook app ad was very sweet. I loathed the #3 best recall ad for Doritos – “Man licks cheese crumbs.” Haven’t we seen this ad like 5000 times with some other embarrassingly dweeby white dude doing something disgusting and demeaning that shows how much he worships the product? Enough. It had a <a href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/chevys-wild-ride-most-watched-ad-of-all-time-while-little-darth-vader-is-super-bowl-favorite/">great recall score</a> but so what? I love the Windell Middlebrooks ads for Miller Beer, but no matter how many times I watch him take the Highlife away from some low-life, it won’t be enough to get me to drink one of their 12 once urine samples in a beer bottle. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been very curious to know how the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Cairo knew the logistics of their protests in advance and how those plans were made. The media has mostly credited Facebook and Twitter, which is like given credit to the telephone for the planning of D-Day, but there is an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper">excellent article</a> in the Times today that provides a deeper look into the planning.</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-29209286104327858012011-02-08T21:40:00.002-05:002011-02-08T21:42:45.956-05:00Patriot Act and the NRA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxyDiwXMsWXFzWNEOwC1NNJxN9moJTSm-dzLMbN9wwEWf9Xx5MF3iVaxDFJjQGc6f6PigkduJ05iW4DDzsmt7oaMa_bbvqpRaH4ZKdggimsn3i4NLJctrR8H8ZhfdIUnCdB_FH0mn0qc/s1600/bush_patriot_act.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxyDiwXMsWXFzWNEOwC1NNJxN9moJTSm-dzLMbN9wwEWf9Xx5MF3iVaxDFJjQGc6f6PigkduJ05iW4DDzsmt7oaMa_bbvqpRaH4ZKdggimsn3i4NLJctrR8H8ZhfdIUnCdB_FH0mn0qc/s320/bush_patriot_act.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571514537370753154" border="0" /></a>The Patriot Act was passed with the overwhelming support of both parties in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. The act allows the government new and unprecedented permission to snoop into private financial records, authorizes warrantless searches in some cases and expanded wiretapping of telephone call and interception of Internet communications without warrants. It also permits unlimited detention of immigrants. Whether you agree with the law or not, you’d have to agree that these are quite significant infringements of Constitutional rights established in the Bill of Rights, which have protected Americans for more than 200 years. <p class="MsoNormal">These unprecedented infringements were enacted by Congress a result of 3000 tragic deaths perpetrated on a single perfect fall morning in 2001.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last year 30,000 Americans were killed by guns. Ten times as many as were killed on 9-11. Another 60,000 were wounded; many disabled or scared either physically or emotionally for life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And yet there isn’t a single Congressperson that I’m aware of with the nerve to propose that people don’t need to be able to own 33 bullet magazines – let alone to suggest that any interpretation of the Second Amendment is possible other than the one that says unlimited procession of any kind gun is every American’s absolute right. It seems for some, the Constitution is a convenience at times and a nuisance at others.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Is the NRA any better than Hosni Mubarak? Is their tyranny any less lethal? Do they corrupt the political process any less? Do we lack the courage of the Egyptian people?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-88456295947670141432011-02-04T17:45:00.005-05:002011-02-04T17:59:33.438-05:00The People’s Republic of Football<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgEFhwFPUwrOr6FZK6bY9CSXyKjZz_2GBxYrBGeXvgKNamETK7vIVE1OTrzRsdHaMI4QyubPFYl8aKgOa3Rg0axMaE6ljwymzbe-FznJC6JQVNYC5GVC_kqqEHQssx1EBEkuyVLL7Jik/s1600/Mao3.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgEFhwFPUwrOr6FZK6bY9CSXyKjZz_2GBxYrBGeXvgKNamETK7vIVE1OTrzRsdHaMI4QyubPFYl8aKgOa3Rg0axMaE6ljwymzbe-FznJC6JQVNYC5GVC_kqqEHQssx1EBEkuyVLL7Jik/s320/Mao3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569969489307023410" border="0" 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</style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">This Sunday the whole country will come to a standstill while two great athletic powers face off in a game of unparalleled importance; yes, I’m talking about the Ohio State v. Minnesota basketball game, as the 23-0 Buckeyes take on the 18<sup>th</sup> ranked Golden Gophers for Big Ten supremacy. Oh yeah, there is a football game later on Sunday. I’m going with the Stillers, primarily because they just seem to know how to win the big one. I expect a close game and a decent amount of scoring. Let’s say 27-24.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Speaking of football, Chilly Joe sent me a link to one of Bill Maher’s rants that was good for a laugh. His premise is that the NFL is the most competitive and popular professional sport because the owners have embraced socialism as their business model from day one. You may not like Maher – I often wish I could reach out and smack him one myself – but read the piece and see if he isn’t right. You can find it <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-football-sociali_b_815673.html">here</a>.</span><span style=""><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">You remember Chatty Cathy? Well the latest talking toy has just hit the shops. It is a talking Muslim doll complete with burka. Nobody knows what she says because no one has the balls to pull the cord. I’m not going to credit the person who sent that one to me as they lack 24/7 personal protection. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">You know what is really annoying and ubiquitous watching the network coverage from Egypt and the winter storms bombarding the U.S.? It’s the way TV anchors thank every field correspondent at the end of their reports, like they were volunteers working in leper colonies. Is it that they feel guilty sitting in a warm studio getting paid millions for reading the news, or just another example of how in America everyone expects a trophy in recognition of each bowel movement? Every time I go to McDonalds I expect the counterperson to turn and thank the grill cook for preparing my Big Mac.</span></p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-64158434556847458692011-02-01T20:00:00.001-05:002011-02-01T20:02:29.108-05:00The d’blank Doctrine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUYl_CaMXU0x27iJaBI4sZInQAEmsjklwl5Szvbr9N7GCtjEUgsgrAWBi64csZBUhVhAqKYcmtCWqwWhK9am3LRmO5KbLlayLQf8ecefw-f40W5rHdOml9dQnRuIGtEVnDW-jGPMFuHU/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUYl_CaMXU0x27iJaBI4sZInQAEmsjklwl5Szvbr9N7GCtjEUgsgrAWBi64csZBUhVhAqKYcmtCWqwWhK9am3LRmO5KbLlayLQf8ecefw-f40W5rHdOml9dQnRuIGtEVnDW-jGPMFuHU/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568891237963867906" border="0" /></a>The events in Egypt have been both riveting and frustrating. The speed with which a motivated group of people have been able to move to the brink of remaking an entire society has been stunning and inspiring. However it’s been painful to hear the street voice of Cairo tie the dictator Mubarak to the United States. We are supposed to be the beacon of liberty that lights the world. <p class="MsoNormal">Egypt was an opportunity to be a role model for 80 million people in the most powerful Middle Eastern Islamic country, but it is not to be the case. “Made in USA” stamped on the tear gas canisters trumps anything President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton can possibly do or say at this point. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Had I been President we would be operating under <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The d’blank Doctrine, </span>which says that the United States will never align itself with a despotic government and will always take the side of the forces working for freedom and democracy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Is that Pollyannaish? I don’t think so. What has our support for anti-democratic regimes ever done for us? We’re still at odds with Iran more than 30 years after the Shah’s brutal dictatorship collapsed. I just returned from Chile where the U.S. is not hated, but people have not forgotten our role in the overthrow of Allende. Kuwait dragged us into one war. Saudi Arabia breeds terrorists. Cuba nearly precipitated a nuclear war out of frustration with Yankee-supported dictators. Has our support for the wrong guy in any of these countries made us safer?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The benefits far outweigh the risks. Democracy and freedom are the central promises of the American brand. America is aspirational. We need to be on the right side in situations like Egypt’s. That knowledge alone gives confidence and motivation. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is a clear global trend towards democracy. More than 85 authoritarian governments have fallen in the past few decades. The United States should stand with the people seeking freedom in foreign lands, not just because it is right, but because they will stand with us once they achieve the freedom the crave. </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-72267692507593139732011-01-28T14:11:00.002-05:002011-01-28T14:17:05.444-05:00Technology blues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLd8Y6hhKBM-K_-7wmGuxA_f3YQUICglTJSp5z8p8PBG1161-5w5u8smInGW3nPTvwL7Kptb0hbaqg4hollCau4Fck2s4HgW4fObKmSxV5SwkyoPwlrZJvyHVhMUsOcxN2SfKCGYrxBs/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLd8Y6hhKBM-K_-7wmGuxA_f3YQUICglTJSp5z8p8PBG1161-5w5u8smInGW3nPTvwL7Kptb0hbaqg4hollCau4Fck2s4HgW4fObKmSxV5SwkyoPwlrZJvyHVhMUsOcxN2SfKCGYrxBs/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567316737062250338" border="0" /></a>I try to upgrade my computer and related technology occasionally; never sooner than until I’m at least two operating systems behind but never longer than the time period between Democratic administrations. <p class="MsoNormal">I just updated last week – got a new Dell notebook with a beautiful 17” HD display, a Bluetooth mouse and plenty of memory. I have much less enthusiasm for everything else about this upgrade. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Much of my frustration is with Microsoft, which insists on changing everything about the user’s experience on every bit of their software as often as possible. My beef is mainly with Windows and Word. The easier it was to find and use some feature in the previous versions, the more likely they are to have changed or moved it in the new version. There is a huge learning curve every time you update which is a real disincentive to do so. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I knew this was coming so I paid and extra $100 for the Dell “Premiere” support package, but no documentation of that came with the computer; it took over an hour to figure out how to access it. Whenever I called (and I tried from three different phones) I got a crystal clear greeting and phone menu, then some whirls, clicks and whistles as the call was switched to and answered in Bangalore. At this point the quality of the connection degraded by about 60% and became very poor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When I finally got a person on the line it got worse. Let me digress first and say that I barely speak one language well, and I have great admiration for anyone who masters more than one. But mastering a language and speaking clearly aren’t the same things, and between the bad connection and the Indian accents I wasn’t getting anywhere transferring my iTunes library from one PC to the other. I guess it was a blessing in disguise because I eventually gave up and figured it out myself, so now I have a few more tech chops than I had before. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I swore I was going to finally get a handle on backing up data with this machine, so I bought Dell’s online back-up service, but again they sent no documentation. After another hour or so I got that working and up pops a little box telling me it will take 12 hours to back everything up and the PC and internet have to be on the whole time. OK, but unfortunately after about 10 hours the internet farted, interrupting the back-up and forcing me to start over. Second time worked like a charm until 11 hours and 30 minutes when another box informed me I had too much data for the plan I bought and that I should “click here to upgrade and start over.” I declined. I’m going back to random backing up by hand; if I lose something because I didn't back it up, it must not have been that important. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I looked for a way to get refunds for the two services I’m not using, but Dell makes it very hard to find that information. I lobbed a couple emails into two different places that looked like they might be the right spots; one elicited an auto reply telling me to take a deep breath as we “look forward to serving you as soon as possible. As of now we are experiencing unexpected high email volume due to festive season, this may delay the response to your request for assistance.” The other one got no reply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m keeping this machine and software until another Bush takes office, but next time I’m not buying during "festive season."</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-89527968184831885722011-01-25T13:13:00.003-05:002011-01-25T13:29:36.058-05:00My State of the Union Dilemma<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I got a totally unnecessary text from Buzzard this morning reminding me that the speech and the Ohio State-Purdue basketball game both start at 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight. While I responded that “this is why God invented the DVR” I’m not sure yet which one will get the delayed viewing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the one hand Buzz went to Purdue and I Ohio State, which presents a unique trash-texting opportunity. The Buckeyes are 20-0 and ranked #1, but Purdue is also highly ranked and 17-3. A game like this would normally have my full focus for the evening. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">But the Obama University-Southwest GOP State game is looking pretty interesting too. OU is definitely on a mini-winning streak at the moment, with the latest polls putting him at a <a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/01/24/rel2a.pdf">55% approval rating</a> – his highest in months. Expect more easy-listening rhetoric. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">And then we have the post-speech SWGOPS rebuttal in which Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) will call Obama a socialist and promise to balance the budget without mentioning that he will also eliminate Social Security, Medicare, Pell Grants, the Post Office and the FDA along the way. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We also have the unusual seating arrangements to look forward to, wherein the two teams have decided to have their respective pep squads sitting intermingled like some kind of bi-partisan daisy chain; although I gather Mitch McConnell has decided to scowl his way through the President’s speech apart from any opposing team fans and will instead sit next to and hold hands with Supreme Court Justice Thomas whose wife is out of town stalking Anita Hill. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think it’s unlikely this new interparty sociability will lead to any sustained political cooperation but I am hoping it cuts down on the standing ovations which are more numerous every year. At Ohio State games we do the standing “O-H-I-O!” cheer but only during time outs; Congress leaps to its feet in response to every innocuous of comment <span style="font-style: italic;">creating</span> time outs which will be especially annoying tonight when each standing O delays the start of the game another 90 seconds. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Washington is second only to Hollywood in gratuitous self-congratulations; they need Ricky Gervais to MC the SOTU speech or at least a Big Ten ref to call a few “delay of game” technicals. <span style=""> </span></p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-87189651982217642322011-01-22T18:57:00.003-05:002011-01-22T19:03:41.855-05:00Playoff picks and potpourri<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQbv4XAOQHT30C-TMnjgM3dVt2h8cvBur0Ti4Td1XxH6KqQhPWwlSk58WHOCSxuKW9VjpEv3d8n1biuGO1m4hhxLHEo29Zgyz3r8xVqQcERH3IlwT__BN-Q_u6IwQr9HnXUvUVE-sIsE/s1600/19butkus.1.190.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQbv4XAOQHT30C-TMnjgM3dVt2h8cvBur0Ti4Td1XxH6KqQhPWwlSk58WHOCSxuKW9VjpEv3d8n1biuGO1m4hhxLHEo29Zgyz3r8xVqQcERH3IlwT__BN-Q_u6IwQr9HnXUvUVE-sIsE/s320/19butkus.1.190.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565164439022859410" border="0" /></a>Wow. Is it Saturday night already? I lose track sometimes. Well, it’s time to get tomorrow’s picks on the record. I’m feeling a lot of pressure sitting here 4-0 after last week. <p class="MsoNormal">I just love the idea of the Packers and Bears facing off to get into the Super Bowl on a torn up field in sub-freezing temperatures on a Sunday afternoon in late January; especially since I’ll be watching it from my couch in Florida. I’m going with the Bears at home in a very close and low-scoring game.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is no way the Jets can beat the Stillers twice in Pittsburgh in the same year. There’s no way Troy Palamaulou allows that to happen. And yet, I’m going with the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS all the way this year. However I do hope Braylon knocks himself out on a failed, post-game back flip.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;" align="center">*<span style=""> </span>*<span style=""> </span>*</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m very curious to know the story behind Keith Olbermann’s sudden and mysterious departure from MSNBC. I’ve never liked him even a little, but I hope there isn’t some unseemly scandal behind it. He was the only talking head the liberals had on TV with any real following. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""> </span>*<span style=""> </span>*<span style=""> </span>*</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ben Stiller has more Twitter followers than Sarah Palin.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;" align="center">*<span style=""> </span>*<span style=""> </span>*</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was kind of a lost week for me so you may well have read both David Brooks and Paul Krugman in the Times last Friday the 21<sup>st</sup>. Each addressed the apparently uncrossable divide separating the political left and right in the country today. Krugman’s “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/opinion/14krugman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">A Tale of Two Moralities</a>” explained the gap from a structural standpoint while Brooks’ “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/opinion/14brooks.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Tree of Failure</a>” looked at from the perspective of the current social atmosphere. Both are interesting in their own right but together they are fascinating.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-64369149200523840392011-01-16T19:50:00.004-05:002011-01-16T19:57:45.111-05:00d'Blank goes 4-0!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWs8dcxqtrQ1W8o-YTQDgjopL9IpYdllH3quPti7xup8qir2RFEAh0DtOYPLW1CLzWLrxCMmlzBzi43Ad2pz9AGu8RYrqu2Kr9cAjP8t7kMKvf0nDmOVVQqUVHA2DKW1rx8rwAih3Q3aw/s1600/here%2527s+to+you.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWs8dcxqtrQ1W8o-YTQDgjopL9IpYdllH3quPti7xup8qir2RFEAh0DtOYPLW1CLzWLrxCMmlzBzi43Ad2pz9AGu8RYrqu2Kr9cAjP8t7kMKvf0nDmOVVQqUVHA2DKW1rx8rwAih3Q3aw/s320/here%2527s+to+you.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562951252925813122" border="0" /></a>I hope you all went to Vegas on my picks this weekend. I'm selling next week's selections for $20. (Oh yeah, Fenway was also 4-0 but I picked first.)d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-91543338658062736052011-01-14T11:52:00.005-05:002011-01-14T12:06:14.794-05:00NFL playoff picks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jywqQYwaG3MTUZxfd2-fDjZnseS09rXxIZtzETMteh3ojSi_0dQkXQspPUZUXQnqwUBj2th0Zjyu7tRsx2HzkiP2RwW2UO8WMt7jyGn2BjzdUtKJfXesIsKFaZONQrgA21re8zGMbpE/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jywqQYwaG3MTUZxfd2-fDjZnseS09rXxIZtzETMteh3ojSi_0dQkXQspPUZUXQnqwUBj2th0Zjyu7tRsx2HzkiP2RwW2UO8WMt7jyGn2BjzdUtKJfXesIsKFaZONQrgA21re8zGMbpE/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562086872541545266" border="0" /></a>Time again for the annual <span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Blank </span>NFL playoff picks. I strongly urge you to liquidate all your assets, fly to Vegas, and put it all on my picks this year. Don’t let the following facts deter you in the slightest.<br /><br /><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I have watched exactly two NFL games from start to finish this year. The first was the Browns-Jets game which I had to watch with no sound in some dumpy sports bar in Florida.<br /></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The second was the Browns-Dolphins game live in Miami. You will note that neither the Browns nor the Dolphins will be competing in the playoffs this year.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">During several years of participation in my office fantasy football league I was routinely beaten by at least half of the women and both gay guys.</li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal">So, that said, I predict the following with complete confidence:</p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Ravens @ Steelers. I won’t be watching this one. For me it’s like watching the Taliban v. the Nazis knowing not only that one team will win but that it is also unlikely that a Tsunami will hit the stadium during the game wiping out both teams and their revolting fans. Ray Lewis is the devil. Stillers by 3.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Packers @ Falcons. Don’t hate either team. Used to be mildly anti-Packers due to their having too much success, but I’m over that now and like their small town roots and old school unis. Packers by 3.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Seahawks @ Bears. I saw much of their improbable win over NO, but can’t believe the ‘Hawks are for real. We’re looking at a high of 22° in Shacaga Sunday. I say the dome-boys fold. Bears by 10.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Jets @ Pats. Hate Bellychuck. Hate Braylon. Brady played for Michigan. Santonio and Mangold were both Buckeyes. My upset special: Jets by 1.</li></ul>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-85252544322241185032011-01-12T11:54:00.003-05:002011-01-12T12:05:04.914-05:00A recipe for domestic tranquility<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8pUAxHIhgTjRb5GtWMJ9OnO-2smjzKJMEYCWw-WrZ-m7qS8AF0eXSo7Nn4yvlug9YBCQcEEbsj0pXR6V7d6Qr-EiWu8lAMKB2ZQOOjM1xnxmkHhek7DcWlhKQPlhnZuF8el5z1fMjpY/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8pUAxHIhgTjRb5GtWMJ9OnO-2smjzKJMEYCWw-WrZ-m7qS8AF0eXSo7Nn4yvlug9YBCQcEEbsj0pXR6V7d6Qr-EiWu8lAMKB2ZQOOjM1xnxmkHhek7DcWlhKQPlhnZuF8el5z1fMjpY/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561344290965615906" border="0" /></a>Are you tired of the same old cold leftovers served up by the prevailing political ruling class? Here is a fun and easy way to combine the things that are already in the fridge to make a tasty new dish for national consumption. This stuff is just going stale anyway; we might as well use it up. <p class="MsoNormal">Take the following steps:</p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Fill our prisons with as many drug users and low-level dealers as possible, diverting as many legal resources as possible from pursuing, prosecuting and imprisoning the most dangerous criminals.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Refuse to fill as many judgeships as possible in order to checkmate your political foes and keep them from rewarding their own political sympathizers.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Empty the mental institutions and make it as hard as possible to hold someone for mental evaluation in the name of patients' rights. (This step has the added advantage of freeing-up funds to build more prisons to hold all the dangerous marijuana growers.)</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Make it as easy as possible for anyone to own a gun. Refuse to put any reasonable restrictions on gun ownership and make the few conditions you do have ineffective. Let anyone who wants one have a Glock and 33 load clips. Hell, let’s give ‘em bazookas.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The above step will create a healthy firearms industry; export as much as possible of the excess production to Mexico, helping to destabilize our closest neighbor. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Add a massive portion of common theft by the most privileged, best educated members of society and do not punish them in any way for their destruction of trillions of dollars of Americans’ savings. In fact, reward them with a $700 billion tax cut.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Add a pinch of liberal demogodery and a pound and a half of Fox News.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Now put it all in a hot oven set to 10% unemployment (with another 10-15% underemployed). </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Borrow as much money as you possibly can to make as much of this soup as you can. Give no thought what-so-ever to whether you'll ever be able to repay the money.<br /></li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal">This should produce a really tasty treat that all members of your family will enjoy for years to come.</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-86587437146981637382011-01-10T19:09:00.003-05:002011-01-10T19:13:15.886-05:00A few thoughts on Tucson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRU9q43wR57udc6YG3-rR9iANTroOG40uYqE-Rod3plU9A-5r6UEEHtjx06vTIdrZzbyinzlyNhBrxLbAFCwbPH0v_Bs3qY-67A4VU3uB0syN7whvm3xp5HxX1ibLWvJE9GsEzylwuuh0/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRU9q43wR57udc6YG3-rR9iANTroOG40uYqE-Rod3plU9A-5r6UEEHtjx06vTIdrZzbyinzlyNhBrxLbAFCwbPH0v_Bs3qY-67A4VU3uB0syN7whvm3xp5HxX1ibLWvJE9GsEzylwuuh0/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560714489362138322" border="0" /></a>After learning more about the gun laws in Arizona, or the lack there of, I don’t think I will even visit the state and I would advise those I care about to steer clear as well. <p class="MsoNormal">I was expecting a non-apology apology from Sarah Palin for the crosshair imagery she used in her ads “targeting” Rep. Gifford’s district, but even that was too much to expect. Her response was that she never intended the image to represent a gun sight, and that it was just the normal thing you would see on a map. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a map with anything resembling crosshairs on it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Several members of Congress are now talking about introducing legislation that would forbid carrying guns near members of Congress. So in addition to having health care that none of the rest of us has, Congress would then have protection from guns none unavailable to the rest of us. Of course the NRA will never allow such legislation to pass so it’s a moot point. </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-51806924336965056342011-01-07T12:19:00.003-05:002011-01-07T12:27:43.239-05:00Just because the Republicans hate it…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIDUzILPzpuvfif07kaHLgnmPg6BliMltB2hWJh1du_i_XC5aqPdNhvO3DUcAvN7oV7TPB00t6jQihObP2Vmd0PeSvMtzeFpnJeNTYYV3k4E9VZdNRMiGVRQ_QxSZ5T1laOR4PQi_cys/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIDUzILPzpuvfif07kaHLgnmPg6BliMltB2hWJh1du_i_XC5aqPdNhvO3DUcAvN7oV7TPB00t6jQihObP2Vmd0PeSvMtzeFpnJeNTYYV3k4E9VZdNRMiGVRQ_QxSZ5T1laOR4PQi_cys/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559495142397548786" border="0" /></a>One of the best parts about being in Chile for 16 days was the complete absence of American political news. I didn’t read a newspaper once and the only TV I watched was a five-hour CSI marathon with my kids over a couple of bottles of wine on a slow night in Cachagua. It was like being in an isolation chamber. It was heavenly. We pay too much attention to the clowns in Washington; it only encourages them. <p class="MsoNormal">Reality returned quickly once we landed in Florida to hear that the Republicans were about to take over the House and their first order of business was going to be to repeal the latest health care legislation. I was initially worried but then they decided to read the U.S. Constitution out loud on the House floor first. This hipped me to the fact that a simple House majority wasn’t enough to repeal an already enacted law. Man, thank goodness that the rest of us are now in on the secrets that lie within the Constitution; it wasn’t good having only the Tea-baggers as the only Americans who understand the fundamentals of our democracy. Thankfully we all know now. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">So then repealing health care legislation in the House sounded like a pretty unproductive exercise until I read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/opinion/07brooks.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper">David Brooks' piece</a> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Times </span>this morning, and now I’m not so sure. While I pretty much hate the Republican party even more than the Democratic party, one has to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking they are wrong 100% of the time. <span style=""> </span>Just because the Republicans hate something doesn’t make it a good thing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had a great deal of ambivalence from the beginning. Any bill that starts with major concessions to Big Pharma and the insurance industry can’t be all good. Then throw in the Nebraska compromise and a few other bribes paid to various Senators to get them to vote “yea,” roll the whole thing up in a bill the size of Twain’s autobiography, pass it in the middle of the night before anyone has really read it, and just how good can it be?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Well, lots of people say “better than no bill” but what if it ends up costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars instead of saving similar amounts as promised? I say that is worse than nothing. Not only can’t we afford it, but it will poison the well for all future “progressive“ legislation of any kind because it will forever stand as a shining example of the Democrats’ unwillingness to consider the practicality and functionality of any legislation at the expense of liberal dogma. I highly recommend the Brooks piece if you haven't already read.</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-1689874433965257692011-01-04T13:14:00.004-05:002011-01-07T12:28:10.180-05:00Chillin’ in Chile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxub3Q8PlU_v5CscntESduuV0nQ7Zeo8uTAg339maY4FlLVoXiH8RB9JJM2uQRws_Pri8oYJWAjPh0apManXa7acwnqEUinfQumsTzmcGwDUJCxs1ieExpYzqTyMuvJfbzKo0MBjG8wjk/s1600/santiago.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxub3Q8PlU_v5CscntESduuV0nQ7Zeo8uTAg339maY4FlLVoXiH8RB9JJM2uQRws_Pri8oYJWAjPh0apManXa7acwnqEUinfQumsTzmcGwDUJCxs1ieExpYzqTyMuvJfbzKo0MBjG8wjk/s400/santiago.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558395944750472514" border="0" /></a>Happy New Year everyone. I’ve just spent two-and-a-half weeks in Chile with my family and if I had the descriptive powers of a travel writer I’d make this a long love letter to that country. I don’t have those skills but I’d like to give you a few reasons to put Chile on your list of places to visit someday. <p class="MsoNormal">To give you a little perspective, the population is about 17 million, a little smaller than Florida’s, and it is a little bigger than Texas in size; a good deal of the land mass takes the form of the Andes Mountains that run the length of the country along the eastern border and the Pacific Ocean borders on the west. On average <a href="http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/samerica/cl.htm">Chile</a> is only 110 miles wide. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The population of the capital city of Santiago is nearly 7 million but it feels much smaller and less dense than New York which has 8 million people. In fact Atlanta feels bigger to me. I mean this in a good way. The city has an open airy feel to it. There are historic areas with 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> Century European influences, but Chile grew tremendously in the late 20<sup>th</sup> Century and much of it has a very modern appearance with very hip architecture and lots of small, attractive parks and wide streets. Traffic is bad, but no worse than most big cities, and they have a modern, clean and efficient subway system that we used quite a bit. The bus system is also said to be good but I didn’t try them. Taxis are plentiful and cheap.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Santiago has lots of modern hotels and interesting restaurants and both are comparable to the cost of visiting a large American city. They are said to have an honest and professional police force, although I had no experience in that area either. The population is almost entirely European, native people, or a racial mix of the two; we saw almost no people of obvious Asian or African descent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Santiago sits right at the base of the Andes. It was the beginning of their summer when we arrived and, like many basin cities, Santiago is occasionally plagued with smog issues. But we had a nice clear week there. Every day was sunny, about 75-80 degrees with zero humidity. Absolutely lovely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our son Joe is spending his junior year at the University of Chile and has been there since last July, so we had a fluent Spanish-speaking guide. A few words of Spanish go a long way there and it is pretty easy to find English speakers if you need one. That said it was great having someone with local knowledge to show us around.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our daughter Charlotte joined us a few days into the trip and after a couple more days in Santiago we made our way to the coast, stopping along the way at one of several notable wine-producing areas within the country. It’s only an hour-and-a-half car ride from Santiago to the Pacific, but we took a looping route that took us through Vi<span style="">ña del Mar on our way to the village of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/cachagua.chile">Cachagua</a>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Our old friend from New York, Jon May, who has lived in Chile for more than 20 years, told us that </span>Vi<span style="">ña was the Jersey Shore and Cachagua the Hamptons of Chile; the analogy was pretty good. </span>Vi<span style="">ña was a large beach town with tons of hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and a casino. It was also very crowded and hectic. Absolutely worth a visit, but at least three of the four of us were glad to have picked the more sedate Cachagua with its miles of uncrowded beaches broken up by stretches of rocky coast.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">The beaches were fantastic but better suited to the sea lions and penguins that populate the area. While the air temp was near 80 the water was below 60 and the only people in it were surfers in wet suits. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">These beaches were for lying or walking upon. They alternated with very old stone paths through the rocky stretches so that it was possible to walk for miles though a string of similar small villages along the coast. The stone paths were typically at the bottom of tall cliffs upon which sat large, old homes belonging to the Chilean elite. We saw a couple of helicopters sitting on their beachside pads. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">The sandy beach areas were also dominated by beautiful homes, more often of the Chilean modern style, which I like very much. The analogy to the Hamptons is good to a point, but I don’t think I saw a home over 10,000 square feet. While that is certainly a very big home, there were no <i style="">mini-Hyatt-Hotel-personal-dwellings</i> on these beaches, and I estimate that more than 90% of the homes were less than 3000 square feet. My point is that the area scored pretty low on the <i style="">mine-is-bigger-than-yours</i> scale. This extended to automobiles; we saw far more Subarus than Mercedes.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We had a really nice, spacious, modern apartment walking distance to the beach, but facing west over the countryside. Rooster crowed at dawn. No alarm needed. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Dogs are everywhere in Chile. The authorities pick them up, vaccinate and spay and then release them. Everyone feeds them. In Santiago they stand patiently at street corners and cross with the pedestrians when the light turns in their favor. My son told me one walked him home one night after he’d had a few beers, warding away a couple of other strays he didn’t like the looks of. When Joe got to his place the dog walked him to his door and then left.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">In Cachagua they’d lead us done the stone paths or accompany us to the market. Between walks they laid in the dirt streets in a sunny patch; cars and pedestrians worked around them. They didn’t beg and they mostly appeared to be well fed and clean. They were charming.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We ate very well. Chile is not noted for its restaurants, but there are some good ones and the local fruits and vegetables are excellent. Avocados (called <i style="">paltas</i> there) are served with everything and were delicious. My new favorite food may be something called “pastel de choclo” which is a kind of chicken and onion soup served in a heavy croc over which is layered something like corn pudding. It is baked until the top has a golden crust. Fantastic. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">The local chorizos are very good, although they like to serve them “Italian style” with avocado, tomatoes and mayo, so-called because it resembles the red, green and white of the Italian flag. We had a nice kitchen and a grill in Cachagua, and Joe likes to cook. I preferred the chorizos with his homemade salsa served on a particular type of Chilean bread called marraquitas. I’d go to the paneria every morning for a supply hot from the oven; after ten it was gone replaced by another type we liked less.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">On a one day visit to Valparaiso we stumbled across an empanada shop that served nothing but five kinds of empanadas, three kinds of soda, and tea, the traditional accompanying beverage with Chile’s version of the hamburger. They were fresh from the oven and delicious, and we had the satisfaction of being the only non-Chileans in the joint, which is always a fun feeling – like we were in the know.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We had several spectacular seafood meals near Cachagua. One at Punta del Mar in Maitencillo, and two at Chiringuito in Zapallar. The food was similar at both; traditional Chilean treatments of basic shellfish and fish taken from the ocean that morning. It was fresh, simple and tasty beyond my limited vocabulary’s ability to do the food justice. They were both very nice places but Chiringuito was truly special. It sits on the beach in Zapallar, which is a small horseshoe shaped cove – partially sand and partially rocky. We sat in carved wooden chairs outside under a perfect blue sky while pelicans dove for their own lunch as we ate ours. Multi-colored fishing boats bobbed in the gentle waves. I’ve never eaten in a more perfect setting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">As anyone who has been in a wine shop in the past few decades knows, Chile makes some very fine wines and we sampled many of them. They were terrific and cheap. Finally, on the food front, if you go to Santiago, be sure to eat at my friend Jon May’s place, the Tortilla Factory, one of Chile’s few Mexican restaurants. It’s better than any Mexican restaurant I’ve eaten in in New York and they serve the world’s best smoothies. It’s in Las Condes, one of the nicest parts of the city.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">I didn’t think this post would be so long, but I wanted to do justice to a lovely country we enjoyed so much. I haven’t even mentioned how friendly the people were, and after all, that’s what really makes any place special. I’ve left out too much. For anyone who is interested you can see photos from the trip on my Facebook page.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Was it perfect? Well, the only downside of a visit to Chile that I can think of is that it is a long way there and relatively expensive to get to. It was ten hours of flying from Orlando plus a three-hour layover in the Panama City airport, not something I can recommend as a good time unless you enjoy unlimited “duty-free” shopping at prices about 20% higher than those at your local mall.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">But that was a small price to pay for a wonderful travel experience, and there is so much more to see. We didn’t even get up into the real Andes, or to the southern end of Chile which has some of the most spectacular land in the world, often called “the Yosemite of Chile.” Northern Chile has one of the largest deserts on earth. Maybe next time.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Adios.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-60945047897256070582010-12-13T12:35:00.003-05:002010-12-13T19:41:58.527-05:00Vamos a Chile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMAfjM13z6ahknH748riHyxpRhKNpcL28yrRKLLRurC42phCvEEeYXn9A6Yy8OixlajeIx8Rov52vSzcmtKIxrcmVcgYyKtPwNtXo2q7WQAN3YPNaO1p37xmXgsoVopqWKbF3RcqCgm4/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMAfjM13z6ahknH748riHyxpRhKNpcL28yrRKLLRurC42phCvEEeYXn9A6Yy8OixlajeIx8Rov52vSzcmtKIxrcmVcgYyKtPwNtXo2q7WQAN3YPNaO1p37xmXgsoVopqWKbF3RcqCgm4/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550222297558974562" border="0" /></a>Merry Christmas everyone. This will be my last post for a while as we are leaving tomorrow for the final road trip of 2010; 2-1/2 weeks in Chile including a week in Santiago with the rest of the time at the Pacific Ocean village of Cachagua. As I’m sure this highly sophisticated crowd knows it is summer down there now. My son is attending the University of Chile this year and my daughter is flying down too, so we will have a family Christmas at the beach. <p class="MsoNormal">Here is a list of my 2010 road trips in chronological order: Yonkers, New York to Arlington, Virginia. Arlington to Charlotte and Wilmington, NC and on to DeLand, Florida, my winter base. DeLand to Tampa. DeLand to Memphis and Clarksdale, Mississippi. DeLand to Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC. DeLand to Yonkers for a month with a visit in Winston-Salem, NC along the way. Yonkers to Boston for daughter’s graduation. Numerous trips to NYC. Yonkers to Westhampton, MA, my summer base. Day trips to Pittsfield, MA (Melville’s home), Hartford (Twain’s home) and Boston. Westhampton to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Westhampton to Erie, PA, Warren, Ohio and Detroit. Westhampton to Erie, Warren, Greenville, PA and Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. Back to DeLand via Arlington. DeLand to San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Sonoma and Napa Valleys. DeLand to Miami. And now to Chile. That was fun but I plan to dial it back a little in ’11.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Happy New Year!</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-43619060188844747122010-12-09T19:46:00.002-05:002010-12-09T20:07:41.934-05:00What if?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx7pQG5GDVU8PUQkt-Dd4IDvEggb7WFG5hGhIZcxlBNb7acwzxamTzJwz3-Uu7gLSTxqkGzg4ulk5sHnG5tSBZ8JWgHnuwv_Yu8fCfDRp_VdFWHOWyKrT-q_KR2lNoQ2EiAsvpV7vOqQ/s1600/27_obama_lg.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx7pQG5GDVU8PUQkt-Dd4IDvEggb7WFG5hGhIZcxlBNb7acwzxamTzJwz3-Uu7gLSTxqkGzg4ulk5sHnG5tSBZ8JWgHnuwv_Yu8fCfDRp_VdFWHOWyKrT-q_KR2lNoQ2EiAsvpV7vOqQ/s320/27_obama_lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548849141393497026" 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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">What if in 2012 people look back at nearly four years of the Obama administration and think: </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Well, he didn’t get everything I’d hoped for but he got health care for 30 million people, he got unemployment benefits extended for the jobless, a substantial tax cut for middle class Americans and financial reform. He gave up huge tax cuts for wealthy people and the health care and financial reform bills weren’t perfect, but I blame the Republicans for that. And I blame the Republicans for road-blocking an agreement with Russia on nuclear arms and a bunch of other things too.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What if all the TARP money is repaid with interest and GM is profitable and adding to their workforce? What if unemployment drops to under 7% and seems likely to continue a steady if slow recovery? </p> <p class="MsoNormal">What if he and his team regain their communications mojo and tell their story with simplicity and passion?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What if people stop thinking Obama is afraid to fight for what is right, and begin to see him as the one sane person in national politics; the one person willing to step away from the partisan bickering that has accomplished nothing? What if people start accepting that politics is the art of the possible?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t know if I even think this way and there are a lot of “ifs” in the above. I’m just wondering.</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960311169980978503.post-52987273860904051952010-12-07T17:21:00.005-05:002010-12-08T16:19:52.822-05:00Daddy O, Cuban coffee and da Browns<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05_hvQXcveDXO-LR89lqdpk9HKfcn0koL6G59cFDot1V3gb5cHQpxJEa0XHxi-w0NZimLTmi-82Nr8xvfjWtqf78ZdXjMgDyU9Nb8OZ2N3-S1ZIYtrzKXpVTvVvyBVdA50LO3AJIH_uk/s1600/Elam.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05_hvQXcveDXO-LR89lqdpk9HKfcn0koL6G59cFDot1V3gb5cHQpxJEa0XHxi-w0NZimLTmi-82Nr8xvfjWtqf78ZdXjMgDyU9Nb8OZ2N3-S1ZIYtrzKXpVTvVvyBVdA50LO3AJIH_uk/s320/Elam.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548072058195871602" border="0" /></a>I just returned from my penultimate road trip of 2010. Mrs. d’blank and I went down to Miami to watch the Browns play the Dolphins. I suspect that the Mrs. only came out of pity at my inability to find a friend or family member to attend with me. Despite the way they call themselves “life-long fans” none could find a way to spend a couple days in Miami (where it was 78 and sunny), and a few hours sitting on the fifty yard line courtesy of <span style="font-style: italic;">she-who-will-not-be-named</span>, (so that she isn’t bombarded by other freeloaders) who works-for-the-Dolphin’s-owner. Anyway, my spouse attended her first (and probably last) NFL game out of pity, or maybe she was worried one of those South Beach hotties would get a hold of me if I went alone. (You may laugh here.) <p class="MsoNormal">We went straight to Calle Ocho when we got to town and walked around on a beautiful day, watching the old men play dominoes, window shopping the latest Little Havana fashions, and strolling through the Bay of Pigs Park where there were definite signs of recent Santeria activities. We finished up with a strong Cuban coffee and a roll at a small bakery – both delicious and a dollar for both. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We checked into the Daddy O Hotel near Surfside early Saturday evening and went looking for a Cuban restaurant. Found a great one, Sazon, at 73<sup>rd</sup> and Collins; an old place that looked like the third generation might be running it. I’d say it was last redecorated sometime between 1956-76; hard to tell.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">They served a good drink (hard to find in Florida) and flavorful traditional Cuban meals at a reasonable price. Your parents probably ate there when they visited Miami, but we liked it so much we went back for breakfast the next morning. The crowd had changed from Saturday night’s couples to whole families at push-together tables. Why do <span style="font-style: italic;">huevos revueltos</span> taste so much better than scrambled eggs?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One last cup of Cuban coffee to go and we walked a block to the ocean and took a pre-game walk along Miami Beach in glorious sunshine and a soft ocean breeze.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We entered the stadium and went straight to the lower level where our field passes allowed us on the sidelines up close and personal with the players. That was after getting our photo taken with four Miami cheerleaders and a dufus dressed like a Dolphin. The cheerleaders were very pretty young ladies in very skimpy outfits; they also processed a pneumatic quality that made constant eye contact imperative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the sidelines we met a bunch of kids in Team Elam tee shirts, at the game courtesy of Browns d-back Abam Elam (above), a Kent State grad and native of South Florida. I know this is a cliché, but we always hear about the Shaun Rogers of the world. The Browns’ 350-lb defensive tackle was nearby trying to get his pants buckled with the assistance of an equipment man. Last April he was arrested trying to board a flight in Cleveland with a loaded gun in his carry-on. I never heard of Elam before, but there were at least 50 kids at the game Sunday getting the VIP treatment thanks to his generosity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then it was up to the Club level, 50-yard line seats bathed in the South Florida sun. When I was a kid I’d be watching late season Miami games on TV. The wind would be blowing snow or sleet that rattled the windows while the people on TV were wearing shades and shorts. It seemed impossibly exotic and I always wondered what it would be like. Now I know. It’s very good.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Neither the Browns or Dolphins are playoff bound and the game reflected that fact. I thought the Browns defense played well but the Dolphins offense may just have been inept. The same may be said of the Dolphins defense and the Browns offense. There was very little offense in the game. Miami was clearly ready for Peyton Hillis, the Browns new <span style="font-style: italic;">great white hope</span> at running back; the holes were not there and he only managed 57 yards rushing. The Browns punter was their MVP in my view.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We did see a 60 yard Miami field goal to end the first half -- unusual if not exactly thrilling, but in general both teams seems to being playing not to lose. Miami finally did when the Browns got their third interception of the day deep in Miami territory with less than a minute to play. They kicked a field goal as time expired and won 13-10. It was not the best NFL game I've ever seen but it was an outstanding day and an excellent road trip. The blues discovery of the trip was <span style="font-style: italic;">The Reverend Raymond and the Chain Smoking Alter Boys</span>. Check ‘em out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll post some photos on Facebook.</p>d'blankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359974014461662057noreply@blogger.com6