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The GOP has adopted the Ken Lay principles – that is obfuscation, false statements and feigned innocence. Republicans are obfuscating about the real reason for their opposition to extending unemployment benefits, the way Enron CEO Ken Lay concealed the truth about billions in losses his corporation racked up.
Lay assured Enron workers the corporation was strong – five weeks before it failed. When the nation's 7th largest corporation collapsed into bankruptcy in 2001, Lay walked away, by his own estimate, with $20 million. By contrast, Enron's 4,000 workers and creditors left with debts. The employees lost their jobs and pensions, and the creditors lost $65 billion.
Lay cooked the books. A jury, and a judge in a separate case, convicted him of it in 2006 – finding him guilty of fraud, conspiracy and false statements. He obscured Enron's massive losses with accounting hocus-pocus then lied about it so pervasively and persuasively that in February of 2001, ten months before the bankruptcy, Fortune magazine awarded Enron first place for innovation and second for management quality.
Republican acolytes of the Ken Lay way contend that the federal budget deficit prohibits spending $65 billion to extend emergency unemployment insurance for a year. But, at the same time, they insist the deficit doesn't constrain extending tax cuts to the richest 1 percent at a cost of $61 billion for the year 2011. It's masterful. And as corrupt as Ken Lay.
In the past 60 years, Congress has never terminated emergency unemployment benefits when joblessness was this severe. The highest point at which Congress ended the program previously was 7.2 percent, and that rate was declining. Now, unemployment is stuck at a rate significantly higher — 9.6 percent. There are 14.8 million unemployed workers, five jostling for every single job opening. They subsist on unemployment checks averaging less than $290 a week, which for too many is insufficient to forestall foreclosure because it's half of what an average family spends for necessities.
Despite that six-decade precedent, Republicans blocked extension of unemployment benefits on Tuesday, then on Wednesday announced they'd vote on no measure until they got renewal of the Bush tax cuts and a resolution continuing funding for the federal government. As a result, 800,000 jobless Americans lost those small, family-preserving checks. Republicans are holding them hostage, with a ransom demand of tax cuts for the nation's richest 1 percent. If the GOP doesn't get what it wants, 2 million will lose unemployment insurance by year's end.
Like Ken Lay, Republicans mouth right-sounding words. They claim they care about creating jobs and improving the economy. All the while, just the way Lay covertly defiled accounts, the GOP kicks the economy in the stomach.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ranked unemployment insurance as among the best economic boosters and job creators. CBO determined it generates as much as $1.90 in economic activity for every government dollar. Similarly, a study by the Economic Policy Institute showed that extending the benefits for a year would create as many as 488,000 jobs, which, ultimately, would reduce the cost of benefits because those workers would pay taxes rather than seek food stamps.
Republicans swear that the way to create jobs is to extend the Bush tax breaks for the nation's richest – people earning more than a quarter million dollars a year. The GOP slyly says those words over and over, hoping repetition will spin them into truth. Like Ken Lay's assertion that Enron was strong as it disintegrated, the GOP tax cut talking point defies truth.
The CBO concluded that extending tax cuts for the rich was among the least effective economic stimulators. It calculated that extending unemployment insurance would revive the economy up to 19 times as much as extending tax cuts for the nation's wealthiest 1 percent. In addition, those tax breaks didn't achieve promised job creation during the Bush administration. Since Harry Truman, no president but George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, both one-termers, generated fewer jobs than the 3 million George W. Bush did over his eight years. Even one-term "stagflation" President Jimmy Carter produced more than three times as many jobs as George W. Bush.
Again, aping Ken Lay, Republicans are engaging in accounting fraud. Professing deep concern over the budget deficit, Republicans say they'd extend unemployment insurance for a year if Democrats would cut federal spending by $65 billion to pay for it. They don't acknowledge any parallel requirement to cut federal spending by $61 billion to pay for extending tax cuts for the rich for a year.
Just like Enron furloughing 4,000 while Ken Lay and fellow executives stole away with millions, Republicans would take food from the mouths of the unemployed while bulking up the deficit to appease the rich who feast on Almas caviar and White Alba truffles.
That's corrupt accounting.
And it makes sense. It comes from the party of Ken Lay, who flew George H. W. and Barbara Bush on an Enron plane to George W's inauguration. You can betcha Republicans won't take responsibility for the personal and economic devastation caused by their decision to continue moving wealth from the middle class to the rich, just like Ken Lay denied responsibility for Enron's bankruptcy – right up to his death — which occurred at a Colorado resort as he awaited sentencing.


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HOUSTON - Michael Cuddyer is still recovering from being plunked in the right forearm a couple of days ago, which makes doing many things uncomfortable.
Luckily for the Colorado Rockies, swinging hardly hurts him at all.
Cuddyer had three hits, including an RBI single in the ninth inning that gave Colorado a 2-1 win against the Houston Astros in interleague play on Tuesday.
"It's sore. There's no question it's sore and swollen," Cuddyer said. "But fortunately the way I got hit the one thing that really doesn't bother me is swinging. Pretty much everything else, it doesn't feel great but swinging I don't really feel it all that much. I got really lucky in that sense."
Troy Tulowitzki doubled off Houston closer Jose Veras (0-4) to start the ninth and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cuddyer followed with his single, which sailed just out of reach of leaping third baseman Matt Dominguez.
"It doesn't surprise me with Cuddy," manager Walt Weiss said. "He's always looking to answer the bell. He's a great pro. Twenty-four hours ago I wasn't sure that he'd be playing this early, but he's going to find a way to get in the lineup."
Tulowitzki had an RBI single in the first. Chris Carter tied it in the fourth with an RBI grounder.
Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa scattered five hits with one run over seven innings. He had won his previous four starts and finished the month 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA.
Matt Belisle (2-2) threw a perfect eighth for the win. Closer Rafael Betancourt struck out two in the ninth for his 11th save.
Houston starter Jordan Lyles yielded six hits and one run in a season-long seven innings. Wesley Wright took over and struck out two in a scoreless eighth before he was replaced by Veras.
Manager Bo Porter was impressed with the work of his 22-year-old pitcher.
"Jordan Lyles - today is what you would call graduation," Porter said. "I think he's learned from his time last year. I think he's learned from early on this year, and he was able to make quality pitches to get himself out of some tough jams and got the big strikeout when he needed it."
The Rockies won late a day after Houston got a 3-2 victory in 12 innings.
"The bottom line is we found a way to win a game and that's huge," Weiss said. "You've got to find ways to win those tight games. We've been in a lot of tight games, we've been kicked in the stomach a few times because sometimes that's the reward you get for competing well and being in a lot of tight games. You're going to lose some of those games. It was nice to find a way to win today."
Dexter Fowler drew a walk to start the game and advanced to third on a single by Nolan Arenado. A one-out single by Tulowitzki put Colorado ahead.
Fowler walked again to begin the third. Arenado reached on a forceout and eventually reached third, but was caught at the plate when shortstop Ronny Cedeno made a nice catch on Tulowitzki's fly and threw home.
"That's a great play. Not only the catch but the wherewithal to get rid of the ball at the speed at which he got rid of the ball and the accuracy of the throw," Porter said. "So, if that's in the Olympics you're judging it a 10."
The Rockies had another chance to add onto their lead in the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs. But Colorado came up empty when Lyles struck out Yorvit Torrealba and DJ LeMahieu grounded into a double play to end the inning.
"I'm just trying to get outs, really," Lyles said. "Just trying to put up good outing and not let our bullpen throw too many innings. I'm just trying to do my job."
De La Rosa hit two batters in the fourth. Carlos Corporan later scored when Arenado fielded Carter's grounder to third base but threw it over Torrealba's head at the plate.
NOTES: De La Rosa, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, had about 20 relatives drive in from Mexico to watch him pitch. ... These teams head to Colorado to start a two-game series on Wednesday. Houston's Erik Bedard opposes Tyler Chatwood in the opener at Coors Field. ... Houston recalled RHP Brad Peacock from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday to take the spot of OF Robbie Grossman, who was optioned there on Monday. ... Houston OF Justin Maxwell, on the disabled list with a broken bone in his left hand, will go to extended spring training in Florida on Wednesday to take live at-bats before starting a rehabilitation assignment with Class A Quad Cities.

subset: commoncrawl


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Three Mozilla Board Members Resign over Choice of New CEO
Mozilla named a new chief executive this week to lead the non-profit Web organization as it tries to keep its Firefox browser relevant in the mobile age. The appointment has proved controversial in more ways than one.
Three Mozilla board members resigned over the choice of Brendan Eich, a Mozilla co-founder, as the new CEO. Gary Kovacs, a former Mozilla CEO who runs online security company AVG Technologies; John Lilly, another former Mozilla CEO now a partner at venture-capital firm Greylock Partners; and Ellen Siminoff, CEO of online education startup Shmoop, left the board last week.
The departures leave three people on the Mozilla board: co-founder Mitchell Baker; Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and Katharina Borchert, chief executive of German news site Spiegel Online.
The three board members who resigned sought a CEO from outside Mozilla with experience in the mobile industry who could help expand the organization's Firefox OS mobile-operating system and balance the skills of co-founders Eich and Baker, the people familiar with the situation said. They did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Mozilla spokesman Mike Manning confirmed the three remaining board members, but he declined to comment further on Friday. He did not immediately respond to a request to speak to Eich and Baker.
Firefox is the world's second-most-popular Web browser on personal computers, with 18% market share, according to Net Applications, a web-analytics consulting firm. That trails Microsoft's Internet Explorer, with 58% share, and just ahead of Google's Chrome, with 17% share.
On mobile devices, however, Firefox ranks 13th, with less than 0.1% share, according to Net Applications. Apple's Safari browser leads with 54% of the mobile-browser market, while Google's Android and Chrome browsers have a combined 36% share.
Unlike Apple, Microsoft and Google, Mozilla is a non-profit organization focused on improving the web and keeping it open for users. Eich will have to balance this goal with the need to generate at least enough revenue to pay for the organization's many projects.
The board departures are not the only source of early pressure on the new Mozilla CEO. Some employees of the organization are calling for Eich to step down because he donated $1,000 to the campaign in support of Proposition 8, a 2008 California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state.
"I do not support the Board's appointment of @BrendanEich as CEO," Kat Braybrooke, a curation and co-design lead at the organization, wrote on Twitter on Thursday:
Like many @Mozilla staff, I'm taking a stand. I do not support the Board's appointment of @BrendanEich as CEO. #Prop8 http://t.co/msKVNjuhgR
— Kat Braybrooke (@codekat) March 27, 2014
Eich said on his blog that he was sorry for "causing pain" and pledged to promote equality at Mozilla.
Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, weighed in too.
"We expect and encourage Mozillians to speak up when they disagree with management decisions, and carefully weigh all input to ensure our actions are advancing the project's mission," he said in a statement.


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New larger-seeded peanut varieties — such as GA-06G, FLA-07 and Tifguard — have changed how growers think about calcium requirements.
"A peanut is fairly unique," says Glen Harris, University of Georgia Extension soil scientist. "Being a legume, it fixes nitrogen, and it's also a good scavenger of P and K. So really, as far N, P and K fertilizers, there's not as much emphasis as with calcium. Calcium is needed in peanuts for yield, for avoiding pops, and for germination."
For the past couple of years, says Harris, Georgia researchers have looked at peanut calcium nutrition and germination.
"The buzz words nationwide in fertilization for all crops are the four R's — the right rate, the right time, the right place and the right source. With peanuts, we've concentrated mostly on the rate side, looking at rates mostly of gypsum. This past year, we started looking not only at sources but also at timing. We've talked about putting out lime at planting, gypsum at bloom-time, and exploring questions of how late is too late to put on gypsum, so we have different issues with timing," he says.
With peanuts, "place" can be critical because you have to have soluble calcium in the pegging zone or the top 3 or 4 inches, says Harris.
"It needs to dissolve in water and get right through the hull to the developing nut. That's why we're looking at surface-applying most of these materials," he says.
If you're producing a peanut for seed, University of Georgia recommends that a grower put on 1,000 pounds of gypsum, no matter the calcium level in the soil. "If you're using the lime method, we say use it at planting. And for everything else, we say you can take a pegging zone test. If you have at least 500 pounds of calcium, you don't need to put gypsum on those peanuts," says Harris.
Peanut yields definitely can be limited in low-calcium environments, he says. "We looked at Georgia Green as our smaller-seeded peanut and GA-06G as the larger seeded. In a very low-calcium environment, 271 pounds in the pegging zone, we see dramatic yield increases when we put on that gypsum."
Want good seed germination
Producers want good seed germination above 85, more like 95, says Harris. "Both Georgia Green and GA-06G respond to gypsum rates with better germination, and it's directly correlated to calcium in the seed. Regardless of the situation, GA-06G always has less calcium in the seed than the smaller seeded variety. To really get good germination, you need to be up around 400 to 500 parts-per-million calcium in the seed."
Researchers continue to look at different calcium sources, says Harris. "We do not recommend foliar calcium. We are looking at some things like calcium chloride through the pivot at about 30 pounds per acre, but that's still in the early stages. Lime at planting did not work as well in our study as gypsum."
In Alabama, Auburn University Extension peanut specialist Kris Balkcom reports on a study that was conducted in a low-calcium area, with 300 to 400 pounds of calcium per acre.
"We went in with three different treatments — a check plot, two different rates of gypsum and lime. We did this during the past three years. The only year we got a response in yield from that lower level by adding gypsum and lime was last year. The gypsum was a lot more soluble, and we got just enough rain that it made an effect on yield," he says.
As far as seed calcium content, Balkcom says he saw a response to the gypsum and the lime compared to the check plot. "It showed that no matter what you were using, it was still going to the seed. This is why you use gypsum on seed peanuts. It is more water soluble, and you can get it to the seed," he says.
If the soil pH is below 5.8, Auburn University recommendations will trigger a lime treatment, says Balkcom. "If pH was 5.9, and soil-test calcium level was 500, Auburn University wouldn't recommend putting on anything. But if you call and ask me, I'd tell you to put out some lime. It's not going to raise your pH too high, you're on the borderline anyway, and that would give you another couple hundred pounds of calcium out there," he says.
Balkcom says he's more comfortable if growers are on the higher side as far as calcium goes. "But if you're above 700 pounds of calcium in that top 2 inches, you don't need anything. We have more problems with people putting out too much calcium and getting that rate too high."
Always sample early, he says, and see if you can get by with lime because the prices of gypsum have skyrocketed in the past two years.


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6 Ways with Hummingbird Cake
Since the Hummingbird Cake recipe originally ran in 1978, it has become the most requested recipe in Southern Living history.
A signature Southern dessert, the Hummingbird Cake has been a favorite of our readers for almost 40 years. We gathered our best Hummingbird Cake recipes, all of which put a special spin on the sweet pineapple-banana-cream cheese combination.
Though it's hard to improve on the original—there are more than a few readers dedicated to Mrs. L.H. Wiggins' classic 1978 version—we have a selection of delectable Hummingbird Cake recipes that take the original to new heights, literally. You'll love whipping up our stunning, party-perfect Mile-High White Chocolate Hummingbird Cake, an indulgent layer cake recipe that incorporates white chocolate in eight luscious layers. Equally stackable and delicious, we have the family-favorite recipe for Hummingbird Pancakes, a sweet treat ideal for leisurely weekend mornings. Don't forget our lightened version and the simplified bundt cake style; try out any of these tasty Hummingbird Cake recipes and savor one this season.


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Challenging elk hunts offered for fall hunting season near Flagstaff
FLAGSTAFF – Hunters that are looking for a physically challenging hunt in an area with limited vehicular access should consider applying for tags for the "Peaks Hunt Area" in Game Management Unit 7 East, just north of Flagstaff.
For the second year in a row, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission has approved any-elk and antlerless elk tags in the Peaks Hunt Area in Unit 7 East to promote successful aspen regeneration. Approximately 90 percent of all aspen found on the Coconino National Forest are found in this limited hunt area. Recent wildfires have killed some of the adult aspen trees, but have also stimulated extensive sprouting of young aspen that elk prefer to eat especially during the fall. Wildlife biologists believe that by focusing elk management in this area now, chances will increase for robust aspen regeneration.
"We are offering these permits in coordination with the Coconino National Forest as another habitat management tool for aspen regeneration on the Peaks," says Carl Lutch, wildlife program manager for the Flagstaff regional office. "There are other factors impacting aspen trees, but reducing the number of elk that utilize aspen is one piece of the puzzle in helping aspen recover on the Coconino National Forest."
For more than a decade, wildlife biologists and land managers have been working to keep aspen stands healthy on the San Francisco Peaks. The U.S. Forest Service has invested more than $600,000 in recent years to promote aspen regeneration in the area through a variety of methods. Monitoring indicates that without intervention many of the aspen in the area could be lost. In addition to browsing by wildlife and livestock, some of the factors that affect aspen health include lack of fire, disease, drought, insects, late frosts, and crowding by other species of trees like conifers. While aspen are short-lived trees that are susceptible to many disturbances, their natural defense is to sprout vigorously from the roots when adult trees die.
If sprouts are killed several years in a row, the root system and the trees will eventually die.
Game and Fish and the Forest Service want hunters who put in for this area to know that the hunts are primarily wilderness hunts that are more physically challenging than other hunt areas. These hunts are tailor-made for hunters who want to get away from roads and hunt on foot or horseback. An added benefit to hunters is that the Peaks Hunts are offered at a time of year when elk are rutting and the aspen are in full fall splendor. The unit includes both the San Francisco Peaks and the very scenic Hart Prairie.
The Flagstaff Ranger District on the Coconino National Forest is anxious to help motivated hunters who choose this hunt unit. Limited areas of the unit are closed to horseback access to protect Flagstaff's water supply in the inner basin. Special regulations also apply in the Kachina Peaks wilderness, but with advance planning this unit provides outstanding opportunities to hunt elk in a remote setting. The Forest Service will have a special link on their website that will provide Peaks Unit hunters with updated information and tips on access into prime hunting locations.
"This hunt unit offers the type of setting you would normally expect somewhere like Colorado or Montana, so the tactics need to be a little different," says U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Mike Elson. "In addition to providing a unique experience in Arizona, this hunt is also a critical tool in helping us manage for healthy aspen and healthy elk habitat."
The 2013 Pronghorn and Elk hunt regulation booklet is available now. The deadline to apply for hunts is by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.12.
To view the hunting regulations and apply for fall hunts on line, go to www.azgfd.gov/draw.


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TAR20 or TAR23
The roadblock needs to be held at a really difficult country with cultural barriers such as china, Mongolia or Korea to make it more challenging.
TAR8 - okay?TAR10 - good (España)TAR12 - good (台湾)TAR13 - okay-good (Russia)TAR14 - great + very memorable (China) TAR15 - (night leg) great (Czech)TAR16 - okay-good (China)TAR17 - good-great (SoKor)TAR18 - good-great (Brazil)TAR19 - okay-good (Panama)TAR20 - good (Japan)TAR21 - good-great (France)TAR22 - great (N.Ireland?)TAR23 - great + amazing
Like!TAR 14 - Very exciting, lots of drama and the toilet problem cost Jen & Kisha 1 million bucks.TAR 16 - The task was ok, but the footrace between first two and bottom two was so DAMN exciting!TAR 18 - Wonderful location, great RB and time-consuming detour made it really intense.TAR 23 - OMG! The RB was ABSOLUTELY perfect! Create a lot of drama, frustrating and Marie's killing it! Also, the gameshow detour and speed bum was really funny.Meh...TAR 10 - The morocco part was horrible. But the Barcelona part is fun. Love the tomato detour!TAR 12 - This leg contain lots of drama and really exciting to watch. But the task was so lame and pretty easy. NateJen going home is heart-breaking too. TAR 13 - Amazing task ever in the whole race with tricky puzzle and crazy navigation detour. But since Toni & Dallas was so far behind. The intense dropped.TAR 15,17 - Same with TAR 13, the task was great but one team was so far behind.TAR 19 - Lame task. But the last five minutes saved it with the Taxi alliance BEST RESULT EVER !!Horrid TAR 11 - Lame task. Linear leg. Only Charla problem with that GPS make it worth watching. TAR 20 - The task seemed so rush and boring that even the pit stop drama couldn't save it.TAR 21 - Lame, so lame. The detour was and the RB was so pointless.TAR 22 - Very boring, the task was great especially the Titanic recipe. But F4 team was so horrible that I can't even cheer any of them to make for the Finale.
For the ones i've seen it: TAR12 (Taiwan) - Amazing! Great leg, tasks and drama.TAR14 (China) - Also a very good one. That water detour was awesome.TAR15 (Czech Republic) - Fine by me, but it would've been way better if the Globies haven't quitted that one.TAR16 (China) - Fine drama too. Tasks not so good.TAR17 (South Korea) - Good tasks but zero drama :/TAR18 (Brazil) - Unbalanced Detour which killed the leg.TAR19 (Panama) - Cool leg and nice drama all the way to an shocking end.TAR20 (Japan) - I don't like it...TAR21 (France) - Very good leg too. I'd say one of the best drama legs of all.TAR22 (Northern Ireland) - Not good.TAR24 (Wales) - I don't like the tasks too.TAR25 (Phillipines) - Loved it!TAR26 (Peru) - I'm fine with it but the NO bunching thing was a mood breaker.
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FREE SHIPPING-Excellent-Vintage-1950's-Tiffin-Franciscan-True Love-Stemmed-7 5/8" Tall-Water Goblet-Glass
This listing is for one, Wonderful, Vintage, 1950's, Tiffin, Franciscan, True Love, Stemmed, 7 5/8" TalL, Water Goblet, Glass. Item is in excellent vintage, pre-owned condition free of any chips, cracks, staining, flea bites, or repairs.
If for any reason you are unsatisfied with the purchase there are a few ways we can work out a resolution. If the item arrives damaged or broken from shipping we will put in an insurance claim. Every item leaving our store will be fully insured and appropriately packed. Another approach for returns is our no questions asked policy. You can quickly return the same item in the same condition as pictured in my listing. It must be postmarked no later than three days after tracking declares drop-off date. I will issue a full refund upon obtaining my original item in the same condition as pictured. You are responsible for the cost of return shipping and insurance, so know the risk before you buy. If more than three days pass we require an explanation in order to work out a decision, sincerely trying to satisfy both sides of the conflict. We can easily be reached by telephone between 10:30am and 4:00pm central standard time 7 days a week excluding major U.S. holidays, or email anytime. Please don't hesitate to contact us and ask questions.
Reviews (1)
Apr 16, 2019
These are lovely. Thank you very much.


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At the Dealbook conference, there's one idea that everyone seems to agree would be good for the economy: More-high skilled immigration.
Jamie Dimon favors it. Blankfein favors it. Eric Schmidt Favors It. Mike Moritz favors it. Marc Andreesen favors it.
Multiple times today we heard that a good policy move would be to "attach a green card to any high-tech PHD" or something like that.
Nobody can believe that we're turning away smart tech-oriented people, and making them go home, at a time when tech companies complain about not being able to fill jobs.
What's interesting about the high-skilled immigration idea (as an economic policy fix) is it's a rare area where CEOs' interests align with the preferred policies of liberal policy wonks. On their other proposals (lower taxes, changes to entitlements, and so forth) you don't get much agreement.
But one prominent liberal policy wonk — Paul Krugman — never talks about high-skilled immigration. And people have been curious why.
We ran into Krugman here at the conference, while he was waiting for his big Q&A and asked him why this is.
His answer — which we're paraphrasing — is it's just not that much of a big deal right now.
In the long-term he supposes more would be a good thing, but since unemployment, he says, is not structural (i.e., not related to a skills gap), then high-skilled immigration doesn't solve anything. And though theoretically he supports it, there's just too many pressing short-term issues to fight over to get excited about it.
As an aside, in regards to today's big Fed policy move, he thinks it's good, but mostly expected, and that that explains the muted market reaction.
SEE ALSO: The look on Jamie Dimon's face after he gets asked a preposterous question >


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Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
David Boyle and Michele Bertomen wanted to build their own house on a 20 by 40 foot lot they purchased in Brooklyn. Bertomen, an architect, drew up plans and the bid was over $300,000. Inspired by Bertomen's students at New York Institute of Technology, the couple built their house from five shipping containers, which cost a few thousand dollars a piece.


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Enough Social Interaction T-Shirt
Go Away
In this day and age, lots of stuff can be done without ever directly interacting with a human. That's our favorite kind of stuff. We scan our own groceries. Pump our own gas. Put a t-shirt in our cart at ThinkGeek, and have it delivered to our house....
Geeks: we're one big group of loners. Most of us are not much good at the whole social interaction thing. In fact, we've trained our whole lives to be Not Good at it. From playing house alone to petitioning to be the project manager, technical lead, designer, and tester all in one on your next project, you know that other people just make life more complicated. But don't worry. You're in good company here. You're amongst people who understand, cause we're like that, too. For most of us, if it starts with "social," it better end with "networking sites."
Pretty much whenever we're out in public, geeks take a circumstance penalty to our CHA-based skills (except Handle Animal), and if you want to land some sort of bonus to offset that, you'd have to down a lot of alcohol or wear a shirt that forewarns people of the situation in a humorous manner and automatically breaks the ice with no effort whatsoever on your part. Oh wait. That's what this is! How convenient is that?
This is a 100% cotton charcoal grey t-shirt with the declaration "You read my t-shirt. That's enough social interaction for one day." printed in white upon it.


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Security should be at the forefront of planning when it comes to business. While much of the Internet population is just going about their business, there are also thieves ready and waiting to steal every piece of data you have, because—in the wrong hands—it's worth just as much as cold, hard cash.
But don't worry; protecting your business from data and monetary burglary is something that your business can do with a few simple steps. Below is a list of five security measures that any business owner should consider:


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Monday, October 27, 2008
File Under: Easy Come...Easy Go.
41 comments:
Dude, your grocery bag has holes in it.
- October 28, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Very funny post! Loved it!
- October 28, 2008 at 12:41 AM
- Mamarazzi said...
it is hard to get a good gig that lasts.
FYI the word for your verification is:
interesting huh?!
- October 28, 2008 at 1:37 AM
- Deb said...
What a great idea, dressing up your pumpkin! Where can I buy that costume?
- October 28, 2008 at 4:41 AM
- Rick said...
There are a great number of cleaning products under that sink.
Hey Anna, you Writer, Comedian, Innocent Bystander you. (Not very sure about the the third label there) I did my best to play along with your Meme challenge. I even linked you up and everthin'.
I hope you're happy.
P.S. Word verification this time... "pribabsy." Mean anything to you?
- October 28, 2008 at 5:08 AM
Hah, I wasn't going to waste a granola bar on that crazy lady!
Thanks for stopping by again!
- October 28, 2008 at 7:06 AM
- Blissful Babe said...
Word Verification: lowhap
What's the lowhap, chap?
Sweet. I have a new word. OMGWTF THAT IS SO AWESOME LOLZOMG!!!111!
Ok. I think I have your bag's twin in my utility room. Either that, or the cats just had a freaking hay day with it.
- October 28, 2008 at 7:51 AM
- Dave Q. said...
That pumpkin looks like a Detroit Lions fan at a home game. :)
- October 28, 2008 at 8:22 AM
- La Belette Rouge said...
Hey, at least the Unknown Pumpkin can get another job. I heard the Unknown Comic is working at the Reseda Ralph's bagging groceries( okay, I don't really know that to be true as I just made it up).
- October 28, 2008 at 8:40 AM
- jennifersusan said...
poor pumpkin, all naked now. very sad. ;p
- October 28, 2008 at 8:56 AM
- Natalie said...
Everyone needs a day job.
We haven't even picked pumpkins yet...am I a bad Mom?
Will you think better of me if I mention that if I'd gotten'm too soon they'd be balls of cooked pumpkin pie filling because of the heat?
I'm not sure why I'm asking these deep philosophical questions on your comment pop up...or how to spell philosophical...
FYI: holit
not very funny...litho would've been good though.
- October 28, 2008 at 9:10 AM
- The Wife O Riley said...
One day your up the next your down just ask Leif Garrett. Now if we can only do that with some of the other "stars" whose 15 minutes are up. Right, Trisha and Ryan Sutter??
Word verification: diameeld
Which I think is what my wedding ring is actually made out of.
- October 28, 2008 at 9:30 AM
- Rick said...
Santa Monica is definitely not my hood.
- October 28, 2008 at 9:52 AM
- Swirl Girl said...
Season 7 of Celebrity Big Brother coming soon ....
- October 28, 2008 at 9:53 AM
- Lynda said...
OMG - you are a hoot!
- October 28, 2008 at 10:04 AM
- zenmom said...
I'm giving one of my pumpkins this year a Tom Selleck mustache, inspired by your recent homage to that great facial appendage. But hubby insists on carving up the orange orbs no sooner than Thursday. So they will be "fresh". Whatever. Jerk makes me wait 'till Dec. 25 to open presents, too. Spoilsport.
- October 28, 2008 at 10:46 AM
- The Hussy Housewife said...
It is a tuff world out there for a brown bag. Always getting threatened to be replaces with a green bag or younger, newer plastic one. Maybe you should try sending him to rehab...that should just start his career? Maybe he got hooked on huffing the solvents under the sink?
- October 28, 2008 at 11:04 AM
- AngiDe- Nana's Box said...
I think I know that guy...
"Nana's Box"
P.S. thanks for the add!
- October 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM
- MammaDucky said...
Man, now I have reusable tote bag guilt. I feel the brown paper bag's pain, man. Send him to me, I'll make him into one helluva Indian vest for the kids. There is life after Unknown Comic Pumpkin. Damn Hollywood and their typecasting.
- October 28, 2008 at 11:44 AM
- desirae! said...
hollywood is a very tough mistress.
- October 28, 2008 at 11:46 AM
- Becky :) said...
You are crackin me up!!!!!!!!! :-)
- October 28, 2008 at 12:00 PM
- nikkicrumpet said...
HAH...only you..comedy with a brown paper sack! And it's seasonal comedy to boot. You're my hero!
- October 28, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Reddirt Woman said...
I tried to spend my seven minutes watching youtube, but I couldn't get it pulled up... I probably put something in the address wrong. I'll try again.
Word verification describes me -
BTW- I like Santa Monica. I used to have relatives there, but it has been many years since I was last there.
- October 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
- MuseSwings said...
Yep - a star one day and just an old bag the next. Cute!
- October 28, 2008 at 1:04 PM
- Michelle said...
LOL! I haven't seen anything relating to the Unknown, in a long time.......very clever. :)
- October 28, 2008 at 1:18 PM
- Mer said...
You have inspired me. From now on we are NOT carving pumpkins at my house.
We are cutting paper bags.
I'm sure my kids will thank you! :D
word verification: hystated. Perhaps that's what it's called when you bui. (blog under the influence..)
You lucky girl you, I'm giving you a blog award. I think you're a riot! :D
- October 28, 2008 at 2:22 PM
- KiKi said...
Poor Unknown Bagged Pumpkin Comic...one lousy gong and [wait for it...]
...his world turned upside down.
Baddum-dum. [gongggg]
- October 28, 2008 at 3:37 PM
- Rhea said...
I keep my recycling under the sink too...but in a box. We go through a lot of recyclables. :o)
- October 28, 2008 at 5:04 PM
- October 28, 2008 at 5:05 PM
- Bill said...
Oh my gawd. That poor pumpkin. Now I'm so depressed. That's it? That's life for a pumpkin? I always thought they went to pumpkin pie!
- October 28, 2008 at 6:55 PM
- Ma'dame French said...
You crack me up;) The unknown comic was funny as he-- back in the day;) French
- October 28, 2008 at 7:12 PM
- horatio salt said...
hey, if you put the fridge picture first and the halloween picture second, you'd have the makings of a hit screenplay. the pitch: there's this bag, see, he starts out humble, a real nobody, gets no respect, but he's got big dreams, so he busts outta the cold and chases his dream from door to door. he meets up with this pumpkin and they hit the road. it's a buddy pic, i see will smith as the paper bag, seth rogen as the pumpkin, and thandie newton as the babe who answers the first door they knock on when they go trick or treating.
- October 28, 2008 at 8:12 PM
- Jori-O said...
Now your word verification is rolin. Which is what you nake me do. On the floor. As I am laughing out loud at your wittiness (is that even a word?)
- October 28, 2008 at 8:34 PM
- Melodie said...
At least he still has a job, right? You could have just given him the boot and stuffed him inside one of his brothers.
WV: nagonet - makes nagging your husband at work so much more efficient.
- October 28, 2008 at 8:39 PM
- Aubrey said...
Personally, I think it had another 15 in 'em. LOL
- October 28, 2008 at 10:46 PM
- Sparky ♥ ∞ said...
'They' say that Hollywood is a horrible She *itch. 'They' must be right! [ha ha] Love your blog! It's so creative and funny. I laughed so hard I wanted to slap my mama. [lol] ♥ ∞
- October 29, 2008 at 8:35 AM
- Belle (from Life of a...) said...
- October 29, 2008 at 9:37 AM
- Kelley with Amy's Angels said...
Well, it's about time you put that bag in it's place.
: )
- October 29, 2008 at 12:49 PM
- Fifi Flowers said...
WOW... isn't that the TRUTH!
- October 29, 2008 at 2:08 PM
- Jen said...
Poor pumpkin - it's a rough life! LOL!
- October 29, 2008 at 8:09 PM
- Lizzie said...
me again :) just wanted to tell you i went over and watched your stand up thingy on youtube. Hilarious! No i guess i need to go get a battle ship tattooed on my chest today :)hee hee
- November 2, 2008 at 3:16 AM


text:
The proposition General Motors has presented to the United Auto Workers and American taxpayers in its latest restructuring plan is simple: You must pay for your own execution.
GM, which already took $15.4 billion in bailout money, wants another $11.6 billion and is offering in return this deal: It will close 16 of its American manufacturing plants, terminate 21,000 of its factory workers and double the cars it builds in low-wage Mexico, China and South Korea and ships back to the U.S. to sell.
There it is: GM is demanding that Americans pay to send their own jobs overseas.


text:
As a respected jazz guitarist, Bruce Forman has more than a nodding acquaintance with the concept of freedom.
So the subjects of musical genres and travel strike a particular chord in the Sierra Madre resident.
Forman, 57, is the musical majordomo of a group called Cow Bop. As the name implies, Cow Bop comes from cowhand music and bebop. What isn't implied is that Cow Bop treks all over the pop music road map, using traditional western swing as its basic fuel.
Currently, Cow Bop is on its Route 66 Linear Festival, touring America's Mother Road and encouraging others to do the same, in person or via the Web.
"We started doing this about 10 years ago," Forman said. "We were challenged to take Route 66, or what's left of it, from start to finish, beginning in Chicago with $100, one car, five band members, a full tank of gas and no booked gigs.
"And we made it back to Southern California, and had a great time doing so, and even made money by playing bars and selling CDs … The difference this time is that we are working with Rifftime to put the music online, so fans can follow us down Route 66 online as well as in person. I believe this is the world's first linear festival."
Forman is intrigued by the notion of combining something new— the linear tour — with something ancient, like musicians loading themselves and their instruments in a car and heading out on the highway looking for work. And he sees the Route 66 motif as the perfect setting for the past meeting the present, or as he puts it, "the asphalt highway meeting the digital highway."
Several of the Cow Bop concerts on the current tour will be streamed on route66.rifftime.com. The band has shows planned all over the U.S. before hitting California with a show in Needles on Tuesday. It concludes with shows in Duarte on Thursday and Burbank on Saturday.
Touring Route 66 now has a special meaning to Forman.
"A generation of people have made the trip looking for a better life," Forman said. "That certainly resonates right now, given what's in the news. Route 66 has become a symbol of the country, both of the freedom the future may hold and the loss of the past."
Cow Bop is certainly a blend of the old and new, with echoes of Texas swing legend Bob Wills blending effortlessly with jazz legend Django Reinhardt. But Forman resists labels for his music.
"Labels are created by those people who sell music. You know, it's like that old record store where the music had to fit in a certain bin or it wasn't stocked. As an artist, I resist labels. I'd like to think of Cow Bop as a genre all to itself," said Forman, who teaches at the USC Thornton School of Music.
"Sure, there are elements of western swing, and Reinhardt. But you need to realize that Bob Wills in his career worked with many different musicians and many different arrangements, and that Django at the end of his life was working on liturgical music. I'm making music I love, my own sonic vision. It's like a musical stew. What you taste this week will taste differently next week."
Cow Bop, formed by Forman in 2003, has undergone some changes over the years but its core members have remained Forman and his vocalist wife, Pamela, aka Pinto Pammy. In addition to the Formans, the band's current lineup includes David Wise on horns, Alex Frank on bass and Jake Reed on drums.
"We've got some young musicians in the band right now," Forman said. "We've got a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 26-year-old, and that's made it exciting for an old guy like me to try to keep up with them. But there's no doubt that Pinto Pammy holds it all together. She's a big part of our success. It's something like the Louis Prima band, where you had all this craziness going on and Keely Smith was steady as a rock as the vocalist."
With the band's tour concluding in Southern California, Forman says it's a homecoming of sorts.
"Duarte is an outdoor venue and we always enjoy those. Plus it's free, so that gives all our Southern California fans a chance to see us," Forman said. "And the Viva Cantina in Burbank is like our home court, we play there a lot and it's the ideal place to hold an end-of-the-road party. No matter what, it's always good to get home."


text:
The busy home remodeling season is a great time for homeowners to focus on increasing curb appeal.
The percentage of homeowners who feel now is a good time to spend money on home improvement has doubled since 2009, according to a recent survey among Better Homes and Gardens readers.
Considering two of the top four features consumers have on their wish lists for their next home are low maintenance exteriors and a private backyard, high-performance products that come in a variety of colors, textures and designs are expected to be in high demand this year.
"Based on these survey results, we've found that many of our readers want to refresh what's already there," said Jill Waage, editorial director for home content, Better Homes and Gardens.
"Perhaps they're looking to dig out that hidden sophistication of a mid-century home, or they might have a classic and want to bring out the character a bit more. Beyond the facade, our readers also really love outdoor living spaces; they see their yard as an extension of the indoors."
From small touch ups to large renovations, projects such as replacing boring and beige with colorful vinyl siding and trim, updating entryways with bright front doors and shutters, and sprucing up outdoor living areas can make a big difference in the look of your home and neighborhood.
"Homeowners want it all in 2013; low maintenance products that perform and style that breaks the cookie-cutter mold," said Jerry Blais, vice president of marketing for Ply Gem Siding Group, a division of exterior building products manufacturer Ply Gem.
"Colorful vinyl siding options in different styles, combined with complementary trim, stone veneer and designer accents that set your home apart are in demand for home improvements."
Consider these upgrades to get magazine-ready looks for your home exterior.
Make a grand entrance
For experienced DIYers considering a weekend project, painting the front door or replacing shutters is a simple solution with dramatic results.
These small changes create a focal point for the house and provide a warm, inviting appearance with a modern feel. Brands such as Mastic Home Exteriors by Ply Gem offer shutters in dozens of pre-selected colors, or can be painted for a custom look.
Other subtle improvements like adding modern lighting fixtures, detailed railings, a new mailbox, stone columns or house numbers can also go a long way in enhancing a home's custom look.
Whole-home overhaul
For those ready to create a whole new style, installing new siding and trim can infuse life into a bland exterior. Vinyl siding, stone veneer and designer accents have evolved over the years, with vastly expanded color palettes, easy maintenance and a natural look.
By incorporating cellular PVC trim as an accent to vinyl siding and stone -- around windows, on dormers, eaves and gables -- even the most discerning homeowners can enjoy a sophisticated look that's also low maintenance.
To help with exterior color selection, look to free Ipad applications like Ply Gem's Mastic Color Advisor.
Design guides are also available for inspiration and recommendations on how to make the most of cellular PVC trim, with styles such as gingerbread, modern, rustic, colonial and much more.
The great outdoors
The perfect addition to any exterior design renovation is an outdoor living area to entertain friends, enjoy a summer barbecue or just relax with the newspaper. To extend your interior space to the outdoors, consider projects such as installing an outdoor fireplace or kitchen with durable stone veneer, or a low maintenance vinyl privacy or picket fence.
To find design inspiration and product ideas for these and other exterior projects, visit www.plygem.com. Whether you're looking for a small refresh or a completely enhanced look, many of this year's hottest home design trends are waiting outside.
The perfect addition to exterior renovations is an outdoor living area. Adding a low maintenance, vinyl fence is a great option to extend interior space to the outdoors.


text:
January 26, 2012
"One of the problems for historians of most arts is the 'transitional figure.'"
– Dennis Bingham, "Shot From the Sky: The Gypsy Moths and the End of Something," collected in A Little Solitaire: John Frankenheimer and American Film
"[H]e spent the rest of his life trying to figure out what had gone wrong."
– Bill Krohn, "Jonah," collected in A Little Solitaire: John Frankenheimer and American Film
Brian Kellow's new biography of Pauline Kael, one of my lifelong inspirations as a writer, has so many flaws that it would take a second book to enumerate them. Since Kael falls outside the purview of this blog – regrettably, "television" was something of a dirty word to her, a shorthand for commercial aspirations and diminished attention spans; although Kael may have had some enthusiasm for the made-for-television movies of the seventies, this is one of several points on which Kellow contradicts himself – I don't have to do any enumerating. But I will point out one comparatively minor flaw in Kellow's book that got under my skin: Kellow indulges in a few snotty asides against "academia," a phrase he uses so generically that it's hard to tell exactly who he's trying to insult, or why. Like Bill Maher or Keith Olbermann, Kellow comes off as so obnoxious that we want to argue back, even when we agree with him. (The royal "we" is used in honor of La Pauline, although it's one of her devices that makes me uneasy; I'm afraid to emulate it, although Kael often deploys it with great power.) I've staked out my own position as essentially anti-academic, but even I have to acknowledge that it's absurd to suggest that no one on a tenure track is doing valuable writing or research on art and culture. The question is whether those scholars who are creating good work represent the rule or the exception.
Which brings us to the first item in today's book report: a recent collection of scholarly essays that examine the work of the director John Frankenheimer. I picked up the book, which was compiled and edited by Murray Pomerance and R. Barton Palmer, in part because I discovered that its contributors cite my own work a few times (yes, it is possible to accidentally search your own name on Google Books; really, I swear that's how it happened), and also because I remain obsessed with every outpost of Frankenheimeriana. As far as I can recall, I've only returned to the subject of Frankenheimer's early television productions once since I wrote that Senses of Cinema essay, but I know I'll go back again someday. As Frankenheimer's work was in its time the most pyrotechnic, the most resistant to the technological limitations of early television, so it stands out today as the most durable, the most modern, the most cinematic, the most alive.
The title of Pomerance and Palmer's collection is a famous refrain from The Manchurian Candidate, and an odd choice, since (unless I dozed off for a minute) none of the writers in the book quote it. I would have liked to know why the editors felt that line had an overarching meaning within Frankenheimer's oeuvre – a meaning even more potent than the trope of paranoia, a word that's used in nearly every essay in the book. The title characterizes Frankenheimer as a maverick, a loner. But while the director may have thought of himself that way, one of the tragedies of the his career is that he was unable to function as a true independent. Not only did Frankenheimer's vision require budgets of some size, but in interviews he made it clear that he was invested in the idea of a commercial cinema, of box office victory and mainstream recognition.
Within that context, the book's key essay may be Jerry Mosher's well-researched account of the making of Frankenheimer's Impossible Object (1973), a film that self-consciously attempted a non-linear, ambiguous narrative in the style of Resnais or, in particular, Losey. Mosher carefully places the ideas behind Impossible Object (incidentally, the only theatrical Frankenheimer feature I have not seen), and its catastrophic post-production phase and consequent non-release, within the context of the personal and professional lives of the director and his collaborators (chiefly Nicholas Mosley, the original writer and later a memoirist who wrote insightfully about Frankenheimer). Impossible Object became a self-fulfilling prophecy (or Prophecy, as it turned out): Frankenheimer took the film's failure as an affirmation that art cinema was not a viable path for him, and probably as an excuse to embrace a belief system to which he was he already bound.
Other writers who delve in detail into the production histories of individual films include Matthew R. Bernstein, who describes some of the fascinating real-life figures and incidents upon which The Train was based, and James Morrison, whose essay on The Iceman Cometh is a model diagram of how a film's meaning emerges from its maker's technical choices. Charles Ramírez Berg's astute formal analysis of The Manchurian Candidate properly contextualizes the film's imagery as an outgrowth of Frankenheimer's live television technique. Berg includes a detailed consideration of "The Comedian" (a terrific Rod Serling-scripted Playhouse 90) as an exemplar of the director's televisual style. And I was pleased to see my two favorite underdogs in the Frankenheimer filmography, The Gypsy Moths and I Walk the Line, become the subjects of thoughtful consideration, in pieces by Dennis Bingham and Linda Ruth Williams, respectively.
A Little Solitaire also offers ample coverage of Frankenheimer's perhaps overstated "comeback" in cable television during the nineties. Most of these pieces are problematic, but Bill Krohn's ambitious "Jonah," fittingly the final chapter in the book, uses the late television productions and some of Frankenheimer's worst theatrical features (as well as "Forbidden Area," the premiere segment of Playhouse 90, which has only recently resurfaced in private collections), to stitch together the intriguing argument that, following the assassination of his friend Robert F. Kennedy, Frankenheimer became something of a covert, disillusioned radical/nihilist, who consistently charted "the decline and fall of American liberalism." I wasn't entirely persuaded (for one thing, "Jonah" offers without irony the phrase "a superb, understated performance by Ben Affleck"), but Krohn is the liveliest writer in this book, which counts for a lot.
"Coffee has yet another meaning. As Wolfgang Schivelbusch points out, while there is a connection between daze (the condition produced by the consumption of alcohol) and mystification, and more generally between the use of liquors and group feeling, the coffeehouse has throughout its history been dedicated to the support and preservation of the individual identity: 'In coffeehouses the I is central.'"
– Murray Pomerance, "Ashes, Ashes: Structuring Emptiness in All Fall Down," collected in A Little Solitaire: John Frankenheimer and American Film
About half of the essays in A Little Solitaire didn't sell me on their theses; or, to be less charitable, they read as pointless exercises in publish-or-perish log-rolling. That may be a better-than-average success rate for this type of collection. It's disappointing to see not even a single essay focused solely on Frankenheimer's early television work (although the book's invaluable appendix compiles a more complete Frankenheimer videography than I've seen before); but it's also unsurprising, given that one would have to be a collector, or else log considerable archival hours in Los Angeles or New York, in order to see a large amount of that material.
What I find less easy to excuse is the narrowness of the methodologies on display in this collection. Only a few of the authors (Bernstein; Pomerance, writing about All Fall Down; and Morrison, who dredged up cinematographer Ralph Woolsey's memories of filming The Iceman Cometh in an obscure AFI seminar) attempted any archival research, even though Frankenheimer's tempting and extensive papers are available at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And the only original oral history in evidence is in Pomerance's introductory essay, which includes a few superficial quotes from the actress Evans Evans (the director's widow), and Richard Dysart, who appeared in a single Frankenheimer film (Prophecy, perhaps his worst). I don't understand why these approaches, which would yield more concrete insights and discoveries than the kind of tautological interdisciplinary lint-picking that is evident even in some of the better essays in this book (does Birdman of Alcatraz really benefit from being "read" "through" Foucault?), are undertaken so infrequently. Are they just out of fashion in academia? Is picking up the phone or getting on a plane somehow behaviorally (or, in the second case, financially) beyond the pale for a college professor? Or would the weight of actual history be too much of a reality check on a writer who prefers instead to mash an artist's work into the mold of his or her own professional specialty, whether or not it fits?
"Didn't enjoy working with Tony Franciosa, who kept abusing the stunt men. He purposely wasn't pulling his punches in fight scenes, and he kept doing it despite my warnings to stop . . . so I had to pop him one."
– James Garner, The Garner Files
The succinct sketch of John Frankenheimer that James Garner offers in his long-awaited memoir, The Garner Files, is probably as valuable an observation as any offered in A Little Solitaire. Garner, who starred in Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, thought the director was something of a humorless control freak, who "didn't want anyone with an opinion" in the cast. But Garner admired Frankenheimer's encyclopedic attention to detail and his ability to command a production as huge and potentially dangerous as Grand Prix.
A number of my friends, of both the real and Facebook varieties, have been praising and quoting from The Garner Files. I assume that's because Garner is one of the few living stars from whom many of us would really want to hear at some length, and also (more importantly) because Garner does not shy away from, and indeed even seems to relish, naming and shaming anyone who ever pissed him off. It's a long and entertaining list, one that includes Charles Bronson ("a pain in the ass"), Glen A. Larson (a "thief"), and Lee Marvin (another "pain in the ass"), among others.
In The Garner Files, Garner comes across as a straight shooter, smarter and more introspective than the most of characters he played. He is, for instance, quite conscious of how the laid-back, "natural" quality that was his trademark was in fact carefully constructed. (Garner's theory is that his studied casualness emerged out of a process of getting past his stage fright.) The book ends with a section of testimonials from Garner's family and friends, which include major movie stars as well as racing pals and "below the line" crew members. That kind of victory roll would constitute an exhibition of appalling arrogance in almost anyone else's memoirs, but Garner has allowed his friends to tell stories on him. Some of them are flattering, but others hint at Garner's fallibility and his legendary temper. (The words of Rockford Files co-star Joe Santos, in their entirety: "Garner says he's easygoing, but he's lying. He's angry and desperate, just like I am. That's why Rockford has always worked so well, because Jim is coming from a very passionate, driven place.")
Garner is so resolutely forthright that his book is worth reading, but it's hardly one of the great or even very good autobiographies. Garner acknowledges his collaborator, Jon Winokur, with typical generosity, but that doesn't prevent the book from coming to a dead stop whenever Winokur takes over to fill in the basic facts about Garner's movies and television projects. The sections on the star's two major TV series, Maverick and The Rockford Files, feel especially ghost-written, and add little or nothing to the stories told in Ed Robertson's books on those shows. Garner comes to life a bit more when discussing his favorite films (The Great Escape, The Americanization of Emily, Grand Prix), but I sense that his real passions are for boring shit like golf, auto racing, making money, and (to use his oft-repeated term) "decking" people.
Garner presents himself as a defender of the little guy, and I don't doubt the truth of that. But he also seems to have enjoyed maneuvering himself into situations in which he could punch out people and – because the punchee was behaving badly in some way – still hold onto his image as a good guy. One such person, a golf course heckler, turned out to be a Rockford fan with alcohol and drug problems, who cried after Garner knocked him down. (Again, full credit to Garner for leaving those details in, even if they are presented with a not-my-fault shrug.)
Garner's particular ethics of violence may make him less of a bully than some of the bullies he criticizes (including Frankenheimer), but he strikes me as a bully nonetheless, a hothead who cultivated his temper and unloaded on people whenever he knew he could get away with it. Is a wealthy, powerful, and well-liked movie star ever likely to find himself in situations where he has to hit someone? Was socking Tony Franciosa really an act of standing up for defenseless stuntmen (note the oxymoronic aspect of that phrase) – many of whom probably later found themselves on sets where Franciosa had the power to fire them and Garner wasn't around to intercede – or was it just an ostentatious display of machismo? I still love the television James Garner, the pragmatic, risk-averse "reluctant hero" (Garner's own term) who made Maverick and Rockford so distinctive and down-to-earth and compulsively watchable. But after reading his book, I wonder whether I would like the real James Garner.
Stuff to Read
June 21, 2011
In the current issue of Film Comment, the distinguished film scholar David Bordwell offers a vital piece called "Never the Twain Shall Meet: Why Can't Cinephiles and Academics Just Get Along?" In it, Bordwell points out that cinema, to a far greater extent than more rarified art forms (literature, visual arts, music, architecture), has inspired popular and scholarly traditions of criticism that rarely overlap. In fact, the approaches of popular film critics (or "cinephiles," as Bordwell calls them) and university scholars are so far apart that their members are often actively hostile toward one another. Bordwell, a career academic at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and also a blogger widely respected among unaffiliated movie buffs, is an ideal figure of compromise to broach the subject, and he concludes that a "hands across the aisle" rapprochement between the two camps could be brokered via the internet.
Sorry, but I'm not ready to surrender my arms just yet.
Bordwell's topic might seem like a pointless exercise in inside baseball, and one not particularly germane to this blog (although I will connect it to the subject of television, if you'll bear with me). But most of the other film critics and enthusiasts of my personal acquaintance hold strong opinions on the subject, and it has certainly colored my own fifteen years as a semi-professional media historian.
Bordwell's article resonated with me because it brought back a lot of memories from my own undergraduate education, which was perpetrated during the late nineties in the University of Southern California's cinema-television program. At the time, the program was dominated by scholars huddled under the umbrella of "Grand Theory" – a collection of cultural-studies disciplines (semiotics, reception studies, psychoanalysis, feminism & queer theory) which connected only tangentially to art appreciation and aesthetics. In practice, this meant reading a lot of essays about movies in which no individual film was discussed or even named. Bordwell uses the phrase "smother living work under a blanket of Grand Theory," and that accurately describes the dispiriting attitude I encountered all too often. Instead of embodying a broad curiosity about film as a medium, these cultural scholars tended to cherry-pick texts and trends that supported whatever specialty they had staked out on the Grand Theory map. (Bordwell: "the habit of interpreting films as charade-like enactments of theoretical doctrines.")
The few USC faculty to whom I was able to relate – like Rick Jewell, a rigorous historian of Hollywood production methods – seemed to exist on the margins of this not-really-about-films film school in which I found myself mired. I took what I could from teachers like Jewell, but on the whole I emerged from USC with a sense of resentment towards a curriculum that often seemed to condescend to the material I went there to learn about. A big part of that problem was the basic indifference or even contempt toward the craft of writing that I encountered in the critical literature I read. The impenetrability of academic writing is an old joke, but it bears repeating that, as Chris Fujiwara puts it in a response to Bordwell's article, "there is probably no professional sphere in which the lack of desire to write and the lack of interest in writing are more endemic than academia." My own formal education therefore had the effect of alienating me from its auspices: although I've occasionally written pieces that drew in part on some cultural-theory notions gleaned from college (for instance, this post-feminist reading of The Donna Reed Show), I've made a conscious decision to place my work on the popular side of cinephilia (or telephilia, as the case may be) because I want to reach an audience who will read about East Side / West Side or The Patty Duke Show because they want to, not because they have to. (Fujiwara: "The system of 'publish or perish,' together with the reliable assurance that what gets published will remain unread (not infrequently, I imagine, even by those who get paid to edit and review it), guarantees an abundance of terrible academic writing.")
One quibble I have with Bordwell's piece is that, perhaps for reasons of space, he uses the term "research" a lot without ever defining it precisely. For Bordwell, research seems to represent the serious work of scholars; whenever non-academics produce valuable research, it's a happy accident. (Bordwell writes that Joseph McBride's heavily footnoted Spielberg biography "is academic in the best sense.") Of course, Bordwell's own work is prodigiously detailed and specific (see, for instance, his blog post about flashbacks-within-flashbacks), so I suspect he would be surprised and disappointed by how infrequently I encountered the same breadth of curiosity and rigor among the faculty and grad students in my USC program. Bordwell suggests that "academic research is less geared to evaluation" but I often found that academics were highly evaluative. It's just that they were quick to judge texts based on their usefulness to a particular scholarly discipline or approach rather than on their value as art.
I hit my breaking point with this form of myopia when Jeff Kisseloff published his pioneering work The Box: An Oral History of Television 1920-1961 during my USC years. Kisseloff's book gave me more insight into understanding how television was made than anything I've read before or since. And yet, when I recommended it to one of my television professors, not only did she have no interest in teaching the book, but she wouldn't even read it. It was inconceivable to her that oral history could teach her anything useful about television. I encountered that attitude – that the work of the scholar should be abstract and contemplative rather than nuts-and-bolts – all the time, and it's why I take exception to Bordwell's non-definition of "research."
My own definition of research, then, would be along the lines of investigative journalism: perusal of archival records, excavation of contemporary publications, viewings of obscure works, and yes, actually talking to people who created the objects of one's study. Bordwell's implication that the success of non-academic scholar like McBride in this area was somehow exceptional offended me slightly because, in my view, McBride is the rule, not the exception. Much of the best movie and television history (if not always the best criticism, which is Bordwell's primary focus) is the work of outsiders, not of academics. Of course, that's the opposite of how it ought to be.
I promised to apply some of these thoughts to television, and I think the best way to do that is to question another generalization of Bordwell's: that mainstream or cinephile critics are mainly auteurists. I guess there's a broad tradition, perhaps more among editors than writers, of following the DGA's possessory-credit lead and referring to most films as the work of their directors, without any investigation of who actually did what; but I also think that many good mainstream critics are equally likely to come at movies from a context of national cinemas, movie star personas, zeitgeist notions, or any of a dozen other frameworks.
Anyway, it occurs to me that the idea of an auteurist approach breaks down completely when you try to apply it to television.
That's because the episodic director is rarely the primary creative force in television (except for cases where a Michael Mann or a Martin Scorsese directs an HBO pilot), and understanding the process of who fills that power vacuum is work that few mainstream (and academic?) critics have attempted. The "showrunner," a relatively new term and a relatively modern conception, has become a sort of default auteurist figure among television critics, but it's often misunderstood and selectively applied. Most critics probably don't realize that a showrunner may or may not be the same thing as an executive producer or a head writer (for instance, Dick Wolf's Law & Order shows and Jerry Bruckheimer's C.S.I. franchises all have their own showrunners, and yet more strongly reflect the sensibilities of Wolf and Bruckheimer). And I don't understand why Mad Men and Deadwood are widely understood as the singular visions of their particular creators, and yet I've never read any auteurist criticism devoted to, say, John Wells or Ryan Murphy (even though ER and The West Wing, once it passed from Aaron Sorkin's to Wells's control, have a great deal in common, and Murphy's superficially very different Nip/Tuck and Glee are of a philosophical piece). There are also cases where actors, cinematographers, executives, and other less-than-obvious figures who set the tone in television – not to mention exceptional television directors who really are auteurs but whose work is so spread out that they haven't been recognized as such – but I've seen little work that tries to grasp any of that.
The popular/academic schism in film culture in film culture may be bad, but at least it's indicative that some approaches have been codified. In the television realm, I sense that the academics are still chasing their trends instead of doing serious research (can I tell you how many Buffy-loving hipsters I ran afoul of during my USC sojourn?) and most popular critics are just trying to keep up with the screeners that land on their desks, without looking hard enough at the bigger picture.
Speaking of academics: Lynn Reed is a graduate student at Skidmore College who has been exploring ideas related to her master's thesis in a good blog. Her starting point is Mad Men, which she follows into tangents as inevitable as feminism and as unlikely as Remington Steele. Reed has a fascinating piece up about a Mary Tyler Moore-like sitcom that Sex and the Single Girl author Helen Gurley Brown pitched to Warner Bros. and ABC – in 1962. Needless to say, this proposed show that envisioned a female protagonist with a sometime boyfriend she "had no plans to marry" was a bit ahead of its time. I'd love to read what, if anything, resides in the Warner Bros. Archives at USC to document the reaction of the studio's television executives (at that time a typically cigar-chomping, old-school bunch) to Brown's salvo of premature feminism.
Speaking of journalists: My pal Tom Lisanti has a fine three–part interview with sultry France Nuyen on his blog. He doesn't say why it was omitted, but evidently the Nuyen profile is a leftover from one of his worthwhile books about sixties ingenues. Nuyen was Eurasian and hard to cast, but I always thought she was a subtle, wistful actress, with a sexy, marbly voice. Nuyen is pretty frank but Lisanti didn't get the one quote I was looking for – a response to the strange, cryptic, misogynistic barbs about his brief marriage to Nuyen that Robert Culp delivered on his I Spy audio commentaries. Culp evidently had some unresolved issues on the subject, and didn't mind telling the world about them.
And blogger Mel Neuhaus has another amazing three–parter, this one with child actress turned sixties ingenue Sherry Jackson. Jackson is forthright about her entire career, but the really eye-popping revelations come in the first installment, during which she reveals the truly toxic environment on the set of the happy-family sitcom Make Room For Daddy. The whole series (including part two and part three) is a must-read. There is equal room in my philosophy, I'm proud to say, for both thoughtful criticism of shows like Mad Men and salacious gossip about Danny "Plate Man" Thomas's kinky sexual proclivities.


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The ball dropped in Times Square symbolizing the beginning of a new year. These are exciting times. An upset of business as usual occurred with the historic Nov. 2 elections. Some incumbents won back their seats, but there was a new wave of men and women who were elected for the first time.
Eighty-five new congressmen, mostly tea party conservatives, were sworn into the 112th Congress in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5. We witnessed our S.C. Sen. Mick Mulvaney drop that title and become U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, 5th District.
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Looks Like I Have a Wedding to Plan!
23 comments:
Fantastic post! Can't wait to follow you as you plan the wedding! With your good taste, it's sure to be a beauty! Congrats to Andrea and Paul!!!ReplyDelete
Congrats to your sister! Love the centerpieces. I can't wait to hear more about the wedding planning!ReplyDelete
I was engaged and married in 4 months back in 1999 and everything was just perfect. It can be done! Best of luck and congratulations to your sister.ReplyDelete
Congrats! I love the inspiration and can't wait to see how it turns out!!ReplyDelete
Why thank you everyone! I couldn't be more thrilled to have my talented sister basically plan the entire thing...she is clearly much better with this sort of thing than I am....the tom-boy-ish sister :)ReplyDelete
Love you Lains!
Oh my gosh, July is QUICK, but I know you guys are going to plan something beautiful.
Sounds like fun (albeit a bit stressful, right?!) I'm planning my own wedding and I have the help of my mother and friends but I'd sure be greatful to have a sister like you to do all that stuff and enjoy it! Congrats and have fun!ReplyDelete
I cannot believe you are pulling together a wedding in 3 months, I do not care HOW many people are attending...Which by the way, this intimate cozy affair sounds like a dream. Cannot WAIT to see the pictures, judging by the flowers it is going to be beautiful. Lucky sissy!ReplyDelete
You are a good sister!! And I love the blue jars and white flowers. The centerpieces will be stunning.ReplyDelete
The flowers will be lovely, fitting for a beautiful bride. It's so much fun to help plan your wedding Andrea.ReplyDelete
Love you girls,
absolutely stunning - flowers in mason jars (especially hydrangeas!) are a FAVORITE of mine! very much looking forward to what else you ladies come up with!ReplyDelete
We ordered our flowers from fiftyflowers.com and flowersandfreshness.com and did all the arranging ourselves. We used carnations because I loooove the papery look of their petals. They were amazing! And the service at those two sites is awesome!ReplyDelete
congrats to the bride and groom to be! Im sure you will do an amazing work!! 1000% sure!!ReplyDelete
Wow! What a wonderful and romantic idea! Go on with your bad self! Good luck!ReplyDelete
LOVE the white hydrangeas. LOVE the blue mason jars. Love that the Kaz sister with a passion for this type of thing is leading the charge and documenting the planning. I assume Andrea will be channeling her creative strengths and putting together the music.ReplyDelete
Good luck! Can't wait to see how everything comes together.
Wow, you're either insane, totally ambitious, or the most awesome sister in the world! I love the blue mason jars. I think the rope around the bottom of the jar would be awesome!ReplyDelete
Lila Ferraro
Queen Bedroom Sets
You may have a new career as a speedy wedding planner! I love the blue jars with the hydrangeas. Perfect!ReplyDelete
PS--You and your sister look lots alike, from the photo at least.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Blue Hydrangeas - so classy and elegant and provides just the right amount of colour! I have a post about hydrangeas on my blog - there are a few wedding decor ideas as well - check it out:ReplyDelete
How exciting! I wish I had your help. I love the look of the blue mason jars as centerpieces. The blue Hydrangeas are so gorgeous.ReplyDelete
Hydrangeas are my fav too! Congrats, I'm sure you will do an awesome job Alaina!ReplyDelete
Congrats to your sister. I am sure it will be an awesome wedding. Love the flowers!!ReplyDelete
Congrats to your sis! How exciting! excited to see what you do! I'm sure it will be amazing.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 27, 2010 at 7:30 AM
Congrats!! Wow, very nice center peices, which could also be used around the house..plus! :))ReplyDelete


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Create your own HAMPER
The pasta produced at Cavalliere Cocco is made with the oldest machine still in operation today (1910). Using the best grain, sping water, traditional bronze mould and a very slow (60 hours) low-temperature drying process, it is the "gourmets" favorite all over the world.
Pasta Cocco allows to retrieve the taste of pasta as it was a hundred years ago, it is the supplier of the finest restaurants such as Armani, but also the Vatican and the Presidential Palace in Italy.
The old "Mastri Pastai" maintained that four ingredients are needed to make good pasta: mountain wheat, spring water, clean air for pasta drying and the processing technique. The excellent organoleptic characteristics of the river Verde water, coming from natural springs, and the dry and ventilated climate, which assures the perfect pasta drying, are the two ingredients that nature has given to Fara San Martino; hence the special features of pasta produced here.
Extra virgin olive, cold-pressed, "Colombino" - 250ml
Fleur de sel - 90g


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This week's Bebo acquisition rumour comes in the shape of Viacom, the also-rans in the MySpace courtship battle. With Bebo in no rush to sell, we don't anticipate this latest industry gossip will become a reality anytime soon.
It is plainly obvious that Big Media Companies are now scrambling all of their M&A jets in search of social networking sites to buy. This was previously something that seemed a little bit like bandwagon jumping a few months ago, but now there is a real reason for it.
Viacom missed out on MySpace, which was ultimately bought by Internet Big Spender #1, aka Rupert Murdoch (who has splashed out about $1.5bn in the past year or so). And since then, Viacom has been looking for its own MySpace, and with good reason. Is Bebo going to be the one?
Viacom is of course a major US media organisation. It owns the MTV cable franchise, Comedy Central and Nickleodeon, so we know it knows about youth markets, an advantage in the social networking space.
Viacom has previously considered other social networking options, having lost out in the MySpace bidding war. Facebook, another large social networking website, was said to be the subject of an $800m bid by Viacom, but the Facebook founders wanted to hold out for $2bn, according to the gossip. $2bn! What kind of return would Viacom get for that sort of outlay? Madness. Or is it?
Perhaps there is more to this social networking lark than meets the eye, at least from a business / ROI perspective. Murdoch's gang spent $580m on MySpace, which many – including some of the E-consultancy team – thought was a significant gamble.
My personal concern about this sort of investment is less about Bubble 2.0 (it ain't a bubble folks…) and more about demographics.
When it comes to social networking, we're primarily talking about youthful users: these sites are driven by youth audiences, and youths are:
a) notoriously fickle, and…
b) highly disinterested in being marketed to.
So it could be argued that the prospects for medium/long-term success, in terms of maintaining an active user base and selling direct response advertising, do not merit a $580m – or $2bn – investment.
Yet this is exactly what MySpace is successfully doing. Users are continuing to sign-up en masse – there are almost 100m of them now. And as we're reporting in another article, MySpace has pulled off quite a coup by luring none other than Google, which has in turn trumped its rivals by securing an exclusive contextual ad deal with MySpace. To the tune of a guaranteed $900m. In cash. Wow.
Murdoch has pulled off a blinder. That $580m investment has, in the space of a year or so, been recouped in full – bandwidth and other operational costs aside – with plenty to spare.
Note that Google's Sergey Brin led the deal team, which says something about the stature of MySpace, and its importance as a strategic win for Google, especially in the light of that recent Yahoo/eBay tie-up (a similar deal).
So all of this is good news for Bebo. Michael Birch would do well to hold out a while longer, at this rate.
And when the time comes we could see the first $1bn+ acquisition in the social networking space. Unless of course those Facebook founders bank $2bn anytime soon…
Further reading:
Heather at Hitwise blogs about Bebo usurping MySpace in the UK


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VIDEO: Recap Saturday night's eight-game slate
Jimmy Butler returns | Beal injured | Mohammed: "I'm back" | Krause retires
No. 1: Jimmy Butler returns — After missing ten games with a knee injury — during which his Chicago Bulls posted a 3-7 record — Jimmy Butler returned to action last night against the Houston Rockets. Butler picked up where he left off, as the Bulls got a much-needed win. As ESPN's Nick Friedell writes, for a Bulls team clinging to postseason hopes, Butler's return should be crucial…
Jimmy Butler didn't miss a beat in the box score during Saturday's much-needed 108-100 win over the Houston Rockets. After missing a month because of a left knee strain, the All-Star swingman racked up 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists to help the Chicago Bulls snap a four-game losing streak. Butler did everything the Bulls needed him to do. He was solid defensively while guarding James Harden, and he gave the Bulls the scoring punch they've been lacking without him. But after the game ended, the proud 26-year-old knew there was something missing from his game that wouldn't appear within the gaudy numbers.
"I need to get in there and run some laps," Butler said. "I'm out of shape."
It didn't matter that Butler was winded. He gave the Bulls what he had when they needed a win to right their dwindling season. With Butler back and Nikola Mirotic reappearing after missing over a month because of complications related to an appendectomy, the Bulls finally appeared almost whole in a season in which their starting five of Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Butler had yet to play a game together all season. It's no wonder why Gasol called Butler's and Mirotic's presence the lineup "critical." Butler set an example early that the rest of his teammates followed.
"Jimmy makes a huge impact on both ends of the floor," Gasol said. "Especially on the defensive end. His physicality and his activity and energy make a big difference because it kind of picks everybody up as well and sets a tone for the rest of the guys."
Aside from Butler's return, the key for the Bulls is that they found a team in the Rockets that's even more dysfunctional than they are. Watching the Rockets make mistake after mistake was similar to watching the way the Bulls have played many times during the season. The teams combined for 43 turnovers, 25 of which came from the Bulls.
That's why any optimism coming from the Bulls' locker room has to be tempered by the fact that Chicago beat a team even more underwhelming than itself. The good news for Fred Hoiberg's beleaguered group: With 21 games left, Butler has the ability to serve as a stabilizer for a team that still talks about making a push into the playoffs. Butler's return gives the Bulls something they haven't had much of in weeks — hope.
"It's huge," Rose said of Butler's return. "Whenever he's got the ball, you got to stick both of us. It's hard to pay attention to both of us when we're on the court. And we get to catch the ball with a live dribble so that helps the team out a lot."
No. 2: Beal injured — Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has consistently been counted among the NBA's most promising young players. For Beal, though, injuries have seemed to consistently hinder him from taking that next step. After breaking his nose in January, Beal had been playing with a protective face mask. But last night, after finally being able to take off the mask, Beal suffered a pelvis injury. As Jorge Castillo writes in the Washington Post, for a Wizards team fighting for a playoff berth, a healthy Beal is necessary…
He helped the Wizards record 64 first-half points in the crucial matchup between teams vying for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Then the evening went askew.
The fourth-year sharpshooter exited with 6 minutes 17 seconds left in third quarter of the Wizards' gut-wrenching 100-99 loss, after falling hard on his right hip when he collided with Pacers big man Myles Turner at the basket. Beal remained on the floor in agony for a couple minutes and needed assistance walking off to the locker room.
Beal, 22, was diagnosed with a sprained pelvis and didn't return. He declined to speak to the media after the game and the team didn't have an update on his status. Beal has missed 21 games this season because a shoulder injury, a stress reaction in his right fibula and a concussion.
Washington's second-leading scorer, Beal is expected to travel with the team to Portland Monday for Washington's three-game road trip, but whether he will play Tuesday against the Trail Blazers is uncertain. Garrett Temple would return to the starting lineup if Beal is ruled out. Temple tallied 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes Saturday, shooting 24.6 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three-point range. He has also shot 58.3 percent from the free throw line in his 10 starts since the break.
Gary Neal missed his 12th straight game Saturday with a right leg injury that he described as neurological. But the team, he said, was still unsure exactly what is wrong.
The firepower Washington holds with Beal in the starting lineup was evident Saturday as the Wizards posted 37 points in the first quarter. Beal finished 12 points on 5 of 13 shooting in 24 minutes before departing.
"We had gotten off to such slow starts the last couple games, I think we were down 12 in the first quarter in Minnesota," Coach Randy Wittman said, referring to the Wizards' win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. "Just trying to get a better start and we did."
No. 3: Mohammed: "I'm back" — The Oklahoma City Thunder had an open roster spot, and to fill that open slot, they went after NBA veteran Nazr Mohammed, who they had to lure out of what he called "semi-retirement." In a first-person piece written by Mohammed, he explains why he returned, and what he thinks his role will be with the Thunder…
It's official. "I'm back." I've always wanted to say that…like I'm MJ or something LOL. I'm officially back in an NBA jersey, and I could not be more excited for this opportunity.
You may not have noticed that I have been in what I call semi-retirement. And by the way, I've been calling it semi-retirement for two reasons. The first is that a 37-year-old professional athlete doesn't really retire; we just transition to our next careers. The second reason being that in pro sports, most of us actually "get retired," either because the phone is no longer ringing for your services or you're no longer able to accept playing for just any team. As a young player, your only desire is to be in the NBA. As you get older, your desire is to play for certain organizations with certain circumstances, making it a little tougher to find the right fit. Mine was a combination of all of the above. Most of the teams that I had interest in didn't need my services, and I didn't have the desire to go just anywhere. And some teams just didn't want me.
With all that being said – DRUMROLL PLEASE – I am now a proud member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the very team I competed for a Championship with in 2012. I was days away from turning "semi-retirement" into full retirement when I received word from Sam Presti that they had interest in me returning to OKC as a player. That quickly changed the course of my plans and forced me to do some real soul-searching to see if this was something my family and I wanted.
I believe in staying prepared for the opportunities that I think I want, whether they come to fruition or not. You can do no greater disservice to yourself than to secretly want something, but then be unprepared if the opportunity presents itself. I stayed prepared, but when I didn't foresee any viable opportunities coming my way during "buyout season," I contemplated shutting down my court workouts and facing the reality that my life as a basketball player was over. I started seriously considering accepting and starting one of my post-career opportunities. I even agreed with Debbie Spander of Wasserman Media Group to represent me if I chose to pursue broadcasting as my next career. But my agent, Michael Higgins, suggested that I give it a few more days to evaluate the landscape.
Like I said, I had a short list of teams that I would undoubtedly come out of semi-retirement for. Of course OKC was on my short list, which consisted mostly of teams I played for in the past. When I spoke to the Thunder, their first question was, "How does your body feel?" Anybody who follows me on social media knows that I'm probably a little addicted to my workouts. I've kept up my same training regimen (court work three to five times a week, conditioning, and lifting weights) with my guys at Accelerate Basketball, so I knew I was prepared physically. They happen to train Steph Curry too, so you know my jumper is wet right now LOL! After being a part of two NBA lockouts, I'm the master of staying prepared even when I don't know when my season will start LOL. But the first thing I thought about was my family and whether or not they could handle me being away for the next few months when we were just getting acclimated to a new city and our new schedule (which had me as a big part of it for the first time in my kids' lives). I knew I needed to talk to them before making a final decision. Regardless, I was shocked, flattered and excited for an opportunity to go into a comfortable situation.
I brought the offer to my wife and kids to see how they felt. My oldest son (10) is an OKC fan, so he was excited. And I better add that he's a Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler fan too (he'd be mad if I didn't include that!). My oldest daughter (13) was almost giddy with excitement for me. I'm starting to think they don't love having me around, but I'll save that for another blog down the road LOL. I also have a younger daughter (6), and she was very happy, although I'm not sure she truly grasps time and how long I will be gone. My wife, who knows how much basketball has meant to me, was very supportive. We've experienced mid-year trades and things like this before, so we know how to handle it. The only difference now is that the kids are older, and their schedules are a little more hectic with school, sports, practices, tournaments, etc. Now with me not being able to help out with that, more is on my wife's plate. But we'll figure it out. Whenever we get a day off, I'll probably try to fly home, even if I just get to see the family for a few hours. We'll do a lot of FaceTiming. When their schedule permits, they'll be flying to OKC. We'll make it work.
No. 4: Krause retires — The Warriors have been trying to put together the greatest regular season in NBA history, topping the 72-10 record of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. That Bulls team was constructed by general manager Jerry Krause, who this week announced he was retiring from scouting at the age of 76. K.C. Johnson from the Chicago Tribune caught up with Krause and heard some great stories, particularly about Michael Jordan and those Bulls…
Nicknamed "The Sleuth," Krause's second stint leading the Bulls didn't start promisingly either despite inheriting Michael Jordan, whom Rod Thorn had drafted.
In Stan Albeck, he whiffed on his first coaching hire. And Jordan broke a bone in his left foot in the third game of the 1985-86 season, leading to the first of many spats between him and Krause when Jordan wanted to play sooner than he was ready. Krause, Jerry Reinsdorf and doctors ordered a more conservative approach.
"Do I regret that I had not a great relationship with him? You know what? We won a lot of (expletive) games," Krause said. "Right or wrong, when I took that job I thought the worst thing I could do is kiss that guy's (rear). We'd argue. But I remember about two years after I traded Charles (Oakley) for Bill (Cartwright). He and Charles were as tight as can be. He called over to me at practice and said, 'That trade you made was a pretty damn good trade.' I just looked at him and said, 'Thank you.'"
Krause replaced Albeck with Doug Collins, a surprising hire given Collins had no coaching experience. It worked, and, augmented by the dominant 1987 draft that netted Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, the Bulls kept knocking on the Pistons' door.
When they lost to Detroit in six games in the 1989 Eastern Conference finals, Krause and Reinsdorf stunningly replaced Collins with Phil Jackson. Krause had hired Jackson as an assistant coach — one of his two Hall of Fame coaching hires along with Tex Winter — out of relative obscurity from the Continental Basketball Association.
"Everyone thought I was nuts," Krause said. "I had a feeling about Phil. He has an amazing ability to relate to players."
Jackson's first season produced more heartbreak, a seven-game loss to the Pistons in the 1990 Eastern finals. Two days later, Krause said he walked into the Berto Center and almost the entire team was there, working with strength and conditioning coach Al Vermeil.
"I knew right then that we weren't going to lose to the Pistons again," Krause said.
SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: LeBron James passed Tim Duncan to move into 14th on the NBA's all-time scoring list … Eric Gordon broke his right ring finger for the second time since January … Manu Ginobili returned from injury and scored a season-high 22 points, as the Spurs went to 30-0 at home … The Phoenix Suns are reportedly targeting Chase Budinger … While it's not a full update on his status, Chris Bosh says he's feeling good … Chris Andersen says he'll always remember his time in Miami … During a concert in Oakland this weekend, Prince gave a shoutout to Steph Curry …