By Sylvia Gurinsky
Here's the opening sentence on the Web site of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's new political action committee:
"Dedicated to building America's future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation."
Uh, with a name like SarahPAC, exactly which candidate is it supporting? Not the same one as HillPAC, which was set up to support Hillary Clinton when she ran for office.
Wouldn't "I Love Me" have been simpler for these people?
*******************************************************************************
The Republican Party is getting 2009 off to a bad start, with No votes in Congress on the economic stimulus plan President Barack Obama is pushing. They seem to be doing it just to be contrary, following the lead of Rush Limbaugh, who was perfectly described in the title of the first book by Minnesota Senator-Presumed Al Franken.
Second memo of the week to the G.O.P.: Remember, one of the reasons you lost Congress and the White House is that you weren't showing respect for the will and needs of the people. Republican leaders are debating how to win back voters. Think of the lady in the hat last Tuesday, Aretha Franklin, and show some R-E-S-P-E-C-T to voters.
************************************************************************************
Count me as one of the people looking forward to reading "The Yankee Years" by Tom Verducci and former New York Yankee manager Joe Torre. Hysterics and gossip aside, the biggest word is that it's a well-written book.
I've always had the idea that Alex Rodriguez is basically Reggie Jackson without the World Series rings, and Derek Jeter is Thurman Munson without the family and the grumpy demeanor. I also believe that the Yankees, during the past few years, have repeated their early 1980s history, when a good team was thrown away with the signing of the glitziest free agents. Looks like Torre's pretty much confirming conventional wisdom.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Jan. 28: Bidding Updike Adieu
By Sylvia Gurinsky
For all his achievements in the world of fiction, some of the greatest writing by John Updike, who died yesterday at age 76, was non-fiction.
Here's a link to one of the best: His 1960 New Yorker piece about Ted Williams' last game, including one of the greatest sentences ever written in the English language: "Gods do not answer letters."
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml
Adieu and merci, Mr. Updike.
For all his achievements in the world of fiction, some of the greatest writing by John Updike, who died yesterday at age 76, was non-fiction.
Here's a link to one of the best: His 1960 New Yorker piece about Ted Williams' last game, including one of the greatest sentences ever written in the English language: "Gods do not answer letters."
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml
Adieu and merci, Mr. Updike.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Jan. 27: G.O.P. Sings Same Ol' Song
By Sylvia Gurinsky
A couple of weeks ago, President Barack Obama said that he'd be willing to listen to any good ideas for an economic stimulus package.
Can't the Republican congressional leadership come up with something more creative than "tax cuts"?
That's the same song they always sing. For six years, they sang it in tandem with President George W. Bush, and we know how well that worked out. It's one of the reasons the economy is in this mess. Tax cuts for the wealthy without much else certainly don't do very much to improve either corporate ethics or results.
A suggestion to the G.O.P.: Try studying economic theory. Trickle-down tax cuts are just as voodoo now as they were in 1980.
A couple of weeks ago, President Barack Obama said that he'd be willing to listen to any good ideas for an economic stimulus package.
Can't the Republican congressional leadership come up with something more creative than "tax cuts"?
That's the same song they always sing. For six years, they sang it in tandem with President George W. Bush, and we know how well that worked out. It's one of the reasons the economy is in this mess. Tax cuts for the wealthy without much else certainly don't do very much to improve either corporate ethics or results.
A suggestion to the G.O.P.: Try studying economic theory. Trickle-down tax cuts are just as voodoo now as they were in 1980.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Jan. 26: Figure Skating Is Paying For 20 Years Of Leaders' Sins
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Unless some miracles happen at this year's World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles in March, the big buzz for next year's Winter Olympics could be why there are so few skaters for Americans to buzz about, and so few foreign skaters to truly embrace. (I challenge anyone who isn't a serious fan of the sport to name one of the current successful Japanese female skaters.)
Remember the glory days of the sport during the 1970's, 80's and very early 90's? It was true that the Cold War produced great rivalries between American and Soviet skaters in particular, but there were also great international personalities. The sport was at its creative peak.
With individual exceptions, the sport has been seeing a slow decline in quality over the last 20 years, and a fast one in popularity over the last five. Here are the reasons why:
*Taking out the sport's identity: Let's start with the International Skating Union's decision in 1989 to eliminate the tracing of figures - those things that give the sport its name - in senior competition because they weren't television-worthy. The primary results have been a decline in skaters who have control in their programs and an increase in injuries because of more emphasis on jumps.
*The decision by the International Olympic Committee to eliminate the line between professional and amateur skaters: Forget about the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, which had the novelty of recent Olympic stars (Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Torvill and Dean) returning to middling success. Once that ship had sailed, it seemed like skaters started striving more for financial gold than Olympic gold, lowering the quality of skaters seen in national competitions every year and causing popular skaters to forego the difficult stuff and try to parachute in for the big competitions. This has also hurt the quality of professional figure skating, which reached its peak in popularity in the late 1980s and early 90s.
Right now, Michelle Kwan should be having a successful professional career. Right now, Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen should be battling to see who can reach the top of the Olympic podium in 2010.
*The attack on Nancy Kerrigan: Remember all the attention? It was extremely unhealthy for the sport, because it generated a flood of made-for-television events, tours, etc. that the sport couldn't financially sustain. It also generated rubberneckers who were not true skating fans and would not support the sport in the long-term.
*The 2002 Olympics judging scandal: The biggest blow, not only because it happened but because judging wasn't reformed the way it should have been.
There was nothing wrong with judging skaters on a 6.0 scale. What needed to be changed was the national affiliation of judges, which was improper and led to the horse-trading that produced the 2002 scandal. The lack of transparency in judging also needed to be addressed. Instead, there is now a complicated system that television viewers don't understand.
Here are ways to fix the sport:
*Raise the age limits: The minimum should be 16 for women, 18 for men for senior competitors. Until a skater has developed physically, he or she should not compete at the senior level. Period. Enough of this nonsense of "Oh, she has to re-learn her jumps because her body's changing."
*No parachutes for pros: Unless you're injured, retire or turn professional (or have a military obligation), you compete in your country's nationals. No three years of "Dancing With the Stars" and then trying to qualify for the Olympics.
*Know your audience: Go after those most likely to be loyal supporters of the sport. Market to them. And when you televise the sport, put your best rivalries (For the U.S., that's currently the men.) in prime time.
*Affordable ice shows: Create something the whole family can enjoy.
*Bring back 6.0s, artistic value and (finally) integrity in judging: Change the judging system again, so that it values quality and transparency. No national judges.
Unless some miracles happen at this year's World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles in March, the big buzz for next year's Winter Olympics could be why there are so few skaters for Americans to buzz about, and so few foreign skaters to truly embrace. (I challenge anyone who isn't a serious fan of the sport to name one of the current successful Japanese female skaters.)
Remember the glory days of the sport during the 1970's, 80's and very early 90's? It was true that the Cold War produced great rivalries between American and Soviet skaters in particular, but there were also great international personalities. The sport was at its creative peak.
With individual exceptions, the sport has been seeing a slow decline in quality over the last 20 years, and a fast one in popularity over the last five. Here are the reasons why:
*Taking out the sport's identity: Let's start with the International Skating Union's decision in 1989 to eliminate the tracing of figures - those things that give the sport its name - in senior competition because they weren't television-worthy. The primary results have been a decline in skaters who have control in their programs and an increase in injuries because of more emphasis on jumps.
*The decision by the International Olympic Committee to eliminate the line between professional and amateur skaters: Forget about the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, which had the novelty of recent Olympic stars (Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Torvill and Dean) returning to middling success. Once that ship had sailed, it seemed like skaters started striving more for financial gold than Olympic gold, lowering the quality of skaters seen in national competitions every year and causing popular skaters to forego the difficult stuff and try to parachute in for the big competitions. This has also hurt the quality of professional figure skating, which reached its peak in popularity in the late 1980s and early 90s.
Right now, Michelle Kwan should be having a successful professional career. Right now, Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen should be battling to see who can reach the top of the Olympic podium in 2010.
*The attack on Nancy Kerrigan: Remember all the attention? It was extremely unhealthy for the sport, because it generated a flood of made-for-television events, tours, etc. that the sport couldn't financially sustain. It also generated rubberneckers who were not true skating fans and would not support the sport in the long-term.
*The 2002 Olympics judging scandal: The biggest blow, not only because it happened but because judging wasn't reformed the way it should have been.
There was nothing wrong with judging skaters on a 6.0 scale. What needed to be changed was the national affiliation of judges, which was improper and led to the horse-trading that produced the 2002 scandal. The lack of transparency in judging also needed to be addressed. Instead, there is now a complicated system that television viewers don't understand.
Here are ways to fix the sport:
*Raise the age limits: The minimum should be 16 for women, 18 for men for senior competitors. Until a skater has developed physically, he or she should not compete at the senior level. Period. Enough of this nonsense of "Oh, she has to re-learn her jumps because her body's changing."
*No parachutes for pros: Unless you're injured, retire or turn professional (or have a military obligation), you compete in your country's nationals. No three years of "Dancing With the Stars" and then trying to qualify for the Olympics.
*Know your audience: Go after those most likely to be loyal supporters of the sport. Market to them. And when you televise the sport, put your best rivalries (For the U.S., that's currently the men.) in prime time.
*Affordable ice shows: Create something the whole family can enjoy.
*Bring back 6.0s, artistic value and (finally) integrity in judging: Change the judging system again, so that it values quality and transparency. No national judges.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jan. 22: Sniglets About....Well, a Whole Lot Of Things
By Sylvia Gurinsky
A lot to talk about today:
*President Barack Obama is bringing in the first team to deal with Afghanistan (Richard Holbrooke) and the Middle East (George Mitchell). The question is how quickly they can undo eight years of incompetence, dishonesty and threats.
*I can't say I'm surprised that Caroline Kennedy withdrew from consideration for the U.S. Senate seat from New York vacated by Hillary Clinton. I'm only surprised it took this long. The entry of Kennedy, an extremely private person, into this dog-and-pony show only made sense on the basis of her wish to serve after the election of Obama, whom she strongly supported.
She can find a way to provide that service in some fashion, and likely will. Hopefully, that will let the vision of her discomfort in the public eye fade.
*The fact that Nielsen calculated that 38 million viewers watched the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday - 3 million fewer than Ronald Reagan's first swearing-in in 1981 - shows that Nielsen needs to change the way it does its calculations.
People went to public places - such as the Arsht Center and Gusman Concert Hall in Downtown Miami - to watch the inauguration. They also went online. In fact, it's possible more people watched the inauguration online than on television. Back in 1981, TV was the only game in town. That's no longer true.
*The Florida Legislature will not consider a measure this year for a referendum in Broward County to make the election for sheriff nonpartisan. It's just as well. There shouldn't be an elected sheriff, period. Broward is the only county in Florida that still has elections for the post.
These aren't frontier days. Law enforcement needs to be professional to the very top.
*A correction: The WTVJ-Channel 6 reporter whose name I've been chasing the last two weeks is Gary Widom. He's a pretty good reporter, but still bungled the Arab-American reaction in the Israel rally story almost two weeks ago.
*Finally, some applause for Alonzo Mourning, who is retiring after a stellar 16-year career that included Olympic gold, an NBA championship and a life-saving kidney transplant.
Mourning's most important work is helping the underprivileged, which he does with his wife, Tracy. On Tuesday, they went with a group of children from Miami's Overtown neighborhood to the inauguration. He isn't retiring from that. Thank goodness - and thanks, Zo.
A lot to talk about today:
*President Barack Obama is bringing in the first team to deal with Afghanistan (Richard Holbrooke) and the Middle East (George Mitchell). The question is how quickly they can undo eight years of incompetence, dishonesty and threats.
*I can't say I'm surprised that Caroline Kennedy withdrew from consideration for the U.S. Senate seat from New York vacated by Hillary Clinton. I'm only surprised it took this long. The entry of Kennedy, an extremely private person, into this dog-and-pony show only made sense on the basis of her wish to serve after the election of Obama, whom she strongly supported.
She can find a way to provide that service in some fashion, and likely will. Hopefully, that will let the vision of her discomfort in the public eye fade.
*The fact that Nielsen calculated that 38 million viewers watched the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday - 3 million fewer than Ronald Reagan's first swearing-in in 1981 - shows that Nielsen needs to change the way it does its calculations.
People went to public places - such as the Arsht Center and Gusman Concert Hall in Downtown Miami - to watch the inauguration. They also went online. In fact, it's possible more people watched the inauguration online than on television. Back in 1981, TV was the only game in town. That's no longer true.
*The Florida Legislature will not consider a measure this year for a referendum in Broward County to make the election for sheriff nonpartisan. It's just as well. There shouldn't be an elected sheriff, period. Broward is the only county in Florida that still has elections for the post.
These aren't frontier days. Law enforcement needs to be professional to the very top.
*A correction: The WTVJ-Channel 6 reporter whose name I've been chasing the last two weeks is Gary Widom. He's a pretty good reporter, but still bungled the Arab-American reaction in the Israel rally story almost two weeks ago.
*Finally, some applause for Alonzo Mourning, who is retiring after a stellar 16-year career that included Olympic gold, an NBA championship and a life-saving kidney transplant.
Mourning's most important work is helping the underprivileged, which he does with his wife, Tracy. On Tuesday, they went with a group of children from Miami's Overtown neighborhood to the inauguration. He isn't retiring from that. Thank goodness - and thanks, Zo.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jan. 21: Incomplete Inauguration Coverage
By Sylvia Gurinsky
It felt like a few people were missing from much of the South Florida media coverage of the presidential inauguration - like this region's congressional delegation and civic leaders who went to the ceremony.
The coverage of South Florida inauguration events was very good. Television and newspaper coverage of what happened in Washington was mixed to bad.
There was no excuse for any major media outlet not to have its first team in Washington for this huge story. That includes budget cutting.
Plenty of people have said that traditional media are slowly committing suicide. That's due to more than the current bad economy. That's due to years of bean counters slowly compromising good journalism for the next quarter's earnings. Because of that, both the good journalism and the good earnings are gone.
“Instead of putting more water in the soup, we put in more tomatoes," said one-time New York Times executive A.M. Rosenthal of the paper's choices during a previous economic rough patch.
Newspapers, television stations, radio stations and Web sites all need more tomatoes. For this story, however, too many just put water in the soup.
It felt like a few people were missing from much of the South Florida media coverage of the presidential inauguration - like this region's congressional delegation and civic leaders who went to the ceremony.
The coverage of South Florida inauguration events was very good. Television and newspaper coverage of what happened in Washington was mixed to bad.
There was no excuse for any major media outlet not to have its first team in Washington for this huge story. That includes budget cutting.
Plenty of people have said that traditional media are slowly committing suicide. That's due to more than the current bad economy. That's due to years of bean counters slowly compromising good journalism for the next quarter's earnings. Because of that, both the good journalism and the good earnings are gone.
“Instead of putting more water in the soup, we put in more tomatoes," said one-time New York Times executive A.M. Rosenthal of the paper's choices during a previous economic rough patch.
Newspapers, television stations, radio stations and Web sites all need more tomatoes. For this story, however, too many just put water in the soup.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jan. 20: Two Miles, Three Men
By Sylvia Gurinsky
It's just a two-mile distance from one concrete structure to the other.
But in those two miles, three men - Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama - are now permanently linked.
Yesterday, the memories were of 1963, of King at the memorial created in memory of the slain President Lincoln.
Today, Jan. 20, 2009, Obama made new memories two miles away, at the U.S. Capitol, as he was sworn in as this country's 44th president.
Yesterday, the vision was of King at the Lincoln Memorial, saying, "We've come to our nation's capital to cash a check."
Today, when Obama raised his hand at the U.S. Capitol, it was paid in full.
Two short miles. But what a distance this country has traveled.
It's just a two-mile distance from one concrete structure to the other.
But in those two miles, three men - Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama - are now permanently linked.
Yesterday, the memories were of 1963, of King at the memorial created in memory of the slain President Lincoln.
Today, Jan. 20, 2009, Obama made new memories two miles away, at the U.S. Capitol, as he was sworn in as this country's 44th president.
Yesterday, the vision was of King at the Lincoln Memorial, saying, "We've come to our nation's capital to cash a check."
Today, when Obama raised his hand at the U.S. Capitol, it was paid in full.
Two short miles. But what a distance this country has traveled.
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