Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner on Print vs. Web

In a recent Advertising Age interview, Rolling Stone poobah Jann Wenner (shown in photo) discussed the virtues of print publications versus the downside of web-based publishing. (I found a link to the article in today's LA Times.) He makes some interesting points that merit consideration. I'm not in full agreement with his outlook: for example, he underestimates the public's lust for new gadgetry. He does, however, have his finger on the pulse of the print world's zeitgeist, notably when he cites "jittery" magazine publishers for whom the Internet is one long horror movie.

Ironically, blogs such as mine are excellent venues to contemplate and argue points raised in places such as Wenner's magazines. One can't do that in print. However, I've never, ever seen anyone at my local YMCA use a dedicated reader such as a Kindle while they're exercising. Magazines still rule the roost in the sweat boxes where the gym-fit set do some of their most profound thinking.

Decoration Day

In our time, Memorial Day has two purposes: to acknowledge the sacrifice of men and women in the armed forces and to serve as the unofficial launch of the summer season. Previous eras in American history took a more solemn view of the day's significance. The day was a holiday by decree, rather than a "natural" holiday such as New Year's Day. It began in the post-Civil War era, and was called Decoration Day. While the day's name gradually shifted over the following decades to Memorial Day, it retained its hold on May 30th as the celebratory date.

In 1971, federal legislation called the "Uniform Holidays Bill" shifted Memorial Day to fit into the demands of a three-day holiday weekend. Some, including veterans groups, feel this date change has diminished the holiday's resonance with a population that coincidentally has largely done its best to avoid military service.

Many still retain a strong feeling for Memorial Day. Flagman, an image taken by my wife, the photographer Amy Becker, that suggests the depth of this sentiment. The man in the photograph found the flags left on the street after a parade. He took them home, washed the flags, and displayed them.

If you enjoy post-war blues, Sonny Boy Williamson's Decoration Day is a way to go, although the harmonica player's conflicts were more domestic than nationalistic.

Inner Harbor's One-Year Anniversary, and the Blog's "Street Value"

One year ago today, I posted my first entry in Inner Harbor. In the past few days, I've reflected about the blog, some of its entries, and comments I've received both publicly and through private communication. I'm deeply appreciative and grateful to all who have read the blog, reacted to it in some fashion, and/or wanted to be followers. As a writer, it is deeply satisfying to know that the entries have stimulated a reader's thinking, entertained in some way, suggested new perspectives, and/or offered topics with which one was unfamiliar.

I have enjoyed contributing to Inner Harbor nearly every day since May 29, 2010. The writing itself has delivered personal rewards well beyond anything I had anticipated. The second year will provide its share of challenges. I'm looking forward to them. I also want to improve and expand my writing repertoire, and to deepen my knowledge of certain subjects. These aspirations means I'll have a full plate.

I don't know the blog's "monetized" worth. Google includes a tab in the blog dashboard that references this financial Holy Grail. I think that gives far too much respectability to the commercial process. For me, a blog has "street value," in which the Internet is the "street," and the "value" is analogous to the cops' fanciful estimates of the retail price of contraband. Right now, the blog's principal value is what readers find in it and my own personal satisfaction in the conception and writing of it. That's fine with me for the time being.

And now, for a holiday weekend bonus, here are a few quotes for your consideration:

1. "When I see that a little chambermaid is capable of taking on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, I tell myself I do not have the right to remain silent." -- a municipal employee of a Parisian suburb explaining why she came forward to accuse a junior minister of sexual harassment. The bureaucrat in question, meanwhile, is countersuing his accusers for slander. (BBC)

2. "I expect to hold it for a very, very long time. I'm not looking for an exit for a long time." -- New York Mets' minority owner and hedge fund manager David Einhorn on his $200 million dollar investment in the baseball team. (Newsday)

3. "We don't have a motive right now." -- North Miami police lieutenant on last night's drive-by shooting of a local poet and cafe owner. (Miami Herald)

4. "I saw evil that day in the eyes of the people who wanted to rip me to shreds." -- Wisconsin state assemblyman Kevin Petersen, reflecting on his March 10, 2011 encounter outside the Wisconsin state capitol building with demonstrators after he and Republican colleagues voted to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for municipal employees. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel blog entry noted, "Petersen's account differs, however, with reports from Capitol police and other law enforcement who said the protestors were generally well-behaved and there were only a handful of arrests in the three weeks of protests over the bill." (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Bedbug Defense Gadget

Bedbugs, which have been around longer than humankind, have received escalated attention in the past year or so. The cause of the sudden fuss was their infestation of Manhattan south of 96th Street. Until then, bedbugs were as remote to Manhattan's prosperous set as foreclosures and unemployment were. They were "other people's problems" until the unwanted creatures crossed the moat formed by the Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers. Once their rampant appearances made Manhattan a problematic venue to visit and to shop, bedbugs suddenly became a "national issue." Smart minds were tasked to eliminate the pesky creatures before they ruined in New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sleep.

One mechanical solution has recently reached the commercial marketplace. It's a vacuum that apparently doesn't bother with dirt or dust, but focuses on the dastardly bedbug. The gadget uses UV light to eliminate the bugs. The New York Times ran a brief story earlier this year on the $400 gadget. Think of it as a "must have" gadget in the city that has everything.

Blackbeard's Anchor Raised

When one thinks of pirates, it's easy to associate them with 17th and 18th Century marauders of North American waters. One buccaneer whose name connotes the essence of romantic piracy is Blackbeard. His flagship sank off the North Carolina coast more than three centuries ago. It was discovered in 1996 and artifacts from the ship will be on display in a nearby museum starting this summer.

One item that will be on view will be the 3,000-pound anchor from Blackbeard's vessel. The LA Times has the AP story on the raising of the anchor, the ship's background, and the museum display. Pirate stories are always fun to read in warm weather, and they put some Yo Ho Ho! in one's holiday weekend. Spiced rum does, too.

Directory of Unwanted Calls

I started reading Don DeLillo's Great Jones Street, a novel originally published in 1973. I admire DeLillo's writing style, which reflects his ear for how people speak American English. He also puts into a thoughtful framework some ways in which his characters immerse themselves in their own illusions and those of others. When I read a DeLillo work, I pay better attention to some of the curiosities that animate our everyday world.

This alertness to language led me to note a phrase I discovered during an online search for some business information. Someone created a website whose subtitle involved forming a "directory of unwanted calls." The phrase immediately fascinated me, even if the site's execution was disappointing. This concept seemed straight from a world DeLillo might have invented. It has a balance of fascination, loathing, and fear that DeLillo explores in his novels. The directory's bureaucratic tone and link to familiar experience gives it an edgy feeling.

I'm not advocating starting a similar type of directory. I do suggest that reading DeLillo is good for one's perspective.

Lawsuit Against Huffington Post Founders OKd to Continue

A New York judge ruled today that a lawsuit initiated by two Democratic Party consultants against Huffington Post founders Kenneth Lerer and Arianna Huffington (photo) could continue.

The lawsuit allegations, which have overtones of the bitchiness of The Social Network, are briefly summarized in an AP story picked up by the San Jose Mercury News' SiliconValley.com.

For Ms. Huffington, the controversy over her business ethics and apparent willingness to use others' material without compensating them continues. She has notably been quite low profile since AOL paid more than $300 million for the left-wing content aggregator.

There's an object lesson for liberals and libertarians alike. Both tend to forget that it's not just Wall Street pirates or arrogant right-wingers who ruthlessly, relentlessly pursue gain. Greed and power lust are powerful behavioral drives, even for those who prefer Rachel Maddow to Rush Limbaugh, and Ayn Rand to either.

A Chinatown Restaurant and My Personal Lower Manhattan

My close friend Bob and I went to our favorite Chinatown restaurant this evening.

It reopened after a brush with the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We laughed when we saw the ominous bureaucratic "Closed" signs on the joint some months ago. The restaurant, which I will only identify by its Bowery location, always had the knack of being on the frontiers of cleanliness. The cramped bathroom was graffiti-filled and offered a hint of human stink in what passed for air. The kitchen -- and I have walked through many restaurant kitchens as a food writer -- resembled an exaggerated image of a busy, sweaty facility not fully dedicated to sanitary practices. The glass tables were hurriedly wiped off with some sort of wet cloth.

Of course, Bob and I thrive there. We appreciated its funk. We could deal with the cramped tables. We got used to working the harried, grumpy waiters. Most importantly, we enjoyed the food, which were things we couldn't get at home and that would horrify just about anyone else we knew.

Nearly all the food we ordered -- and we get just about the same thing each time we dine there -- is amazingly unhealthy and we love it. Bob has a weakness for salt baked scallops. My taste runs toward shrimp in the shells getting the salt baked treatment, but I easily wolfed down the scallops. We both enjoyed the roast duck. The restaurant has a number of broken-necked creatures hanging on hooks in the window facing a side street. Half of one duck, with crispy skin and just enough fat to add flavor, is sacrificed for our benefit. We find our way to a somewhat spicy noodle dish. Our one concession to "healthy" dining is a dish of some green vegetable the home team appears to be eating that evening. It tastes good and we typically order it. We wash down this entire feast with Chinese beer.

The check arrives with some orange slices, and two hand towel packets. No fortune cookies, thankfully.

I look forward to these dinners for many reasons. One irresistible draw for me is that it gives me an excuse to connect with my personal history in New York. To reach Chinatown, I typically stroll from the ferry slips on the Hudson River across town. As a result, I often walk past the Municipal Building, where my grandfather worked. On the way to Chinatown is the city office where death certificates are issued. I went there many evenings as a high school student; my best friend, whose father was a mortician, needed the documents to conduct the family business. If I go a little out of my way, I can walk past my father's former office on Broadway and Wall Street. My dentist had his practice just a block uptown from where my dad worked. My first summer job, with a financial PR firm, was in the building next door. At the foot of Broadway is the Staten Island Ferry terminal where I said good-night for the first time to the woman to whom I'm now happily married.

Chinatown itself became my culinary home after college, and I've always felt comfortable with most Chinese food since that time. (I admit I avoid some of the more exotic, non-Western dishes.) I taught in Chinatown, and coincidentally took -- and passed -- my Series 7 exam in the same school building where I had conducted my classes.

A lot of good personal history there. Good food, too. All of that, and the opportunity to connect with a close, long-standing friend, makes the trip something I always enjoy.

Gawker Gaffe Over Schwarzenegger Love Child

There was a lot of fuss last week over the revelation that former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered an illegitimate child with a member of his domestic staff. In the repellent media race to identify the love child's mother, Gawker named and included photographs of a woman and a child who, as it turned out, were not involved in the affair.

The LA Times' entertainment blog reported the Gawker incident, including quotes from the shameless gossip blog's writer and editor. What's striking is the indifference the two Gawker employees had to relentlessly invade someone's privacy, parade their name into the public awareness, and provide a half-hearted apology when their noxious error became obvious.

Good journalism is a tough job; gossip journalism is just a dirty one. However, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit I read juicy stories about stupid celebrities, venal politicians, or hypocritical prelates, or arrogant attorneys. Sometimes, a little schadenfraude feels so good.

Reflections on a Small Town's Diaspora

My friend and former colleague Norma Elliott writes an occasional post for the newspaper in Gilman, Illinois, the small rural town where she grew up. Each post consists of a Q&A-style interview with someone who lived in Gilman and often has family or friends still living in the area. They were acquainted, in one way or another, with about everyone in town. Most attended school there and reflect on their teachers in very positive ways.

In their reminiscences, the former Gilmanites frequently cite the residents' shared "values" as something quite positive for which they're grateful. One also gets the sense those "values" do not commonly exist outside the rural Illinois world in which Gilman is situated. It's also difficult to clearly define what those "values" are, although they appear to be strongly connected to some notion of personal integrity.

I enjoy reading Norma's posts. She talks with everyday people who, it turns out, are living rather adventurous lives. Many have moved to large metropolitan areas, as their careers were their meal ticket out of Gilman. A number of subjects have lived, or are currently living, outside the United States. Some have enjoyed challenging, successful careers in business or in the armed services.

I called this one-way mobility from Gilman part of the "Illinois diaspora." When I said it, I was kidding, but upon further consideration, the notion isn't so far-fetched. When I was a young boy, I lived in Fulton, a small city of about 15,000 in central New York State. Many sentiments expressed by former Gilman residents could be easily shared by those who were raised and educated in Fulton. Also, Gilman and Fulton shared a departure of its ambitious, brightest, or most restless to just about anyplace besides their hometowns.

That urge to go elsewhere is ingrained for small town inhabitants. When one lives in a Gilman or Fulton, one is quite aware of the distances to more cosmopolitan experiences. There is a hierarchical order to life beyond the small town environment. One can step up in experience with manageable, conceivably spontaneous drives from a small town to a larger city, or take a planned trip to a major metropolis such as Chicago or New York. One can also avoid either choice and remain entirely satisfied in the small town. I have family members who embody each of those perspectives; many small-town natives have similar stories to share.

When I was a pre-teen, my family moved from Fulton to New York City. I returned for a visit to central New York about a year into my Gotham life. It didn't take me long to realize that I had crossed some sort of psychological Rubicon: there was no turning back. Fulton became part of my personal history, rich with the sort of experience the Gilman residents would have understood. However, my life would blossom elsewhere, with "values" that evolved in some different directions that what I imagine would have occurred had I stayed in a small town.

The photograph shows downtown Gilman.

More UK Women Travel to Denmark for Sperm

You can't make this stuff up. The BBC reported that an increasing number of UK women are traveling to Denmark to get inseminated.

Why has the country of Hamlet and Horatio become the British destination of choice for sperm? Two reasons, according to the brief BBC story. First, Danish men are legally permitted to anonymously donate jizz. Second, British men have to identify themselves if they provide sperm for procreative purposes.

Left unsaid was a possible third reason: perhaps British women just feel something for Danish guys. Call it the "Hamlet Effect."

Hedge Fund Boss Spies On Her Own Management Team

Hedge funds can be tough, unforgiving environments in which to work. Those who enter the field understand that one may experience difficult conditions, while the financial rewards offer some palliative effect. However, few hedgies anticipate experiencing a covert spying operation, designed to find dirt, from their ultimate employer.

That latter situation is exactly what key employees at Ikos, a European hedge fund, recently encountered. The owner, a very wealthy Greek businesswoman, conducted "'large scale'" surveillance operations against her minions. The information came to light in a UK court case and was reported in today's Financial Times.

It's hard to feel sympathetic toward hedge fund employees. The notoriously secretive industry essentially runs a laissez-faire form of capitalism and feels little, if any, sense of social leadership. Yes, some hedge fund managers would ruin a sovereign nation, a massive multinational firm, or a housing market whose solvency is critical to global economic stability. At some point, deep-pocketed investment firms can't continue to insist the world's financial crisis is someone else's problem.

The image shows a new Minox digitial spy camera. Many years ago, I knew a medical practitioner who went on vacation with a spy camera. He said he used it because the spy cam was light and maneuverable. He didn't say where he purchased the microfilm for it.

Amazon Tribe Lacks Abstract Notion of Time

Today's North American edition of the BBC published a fascinating article about an Amazon tribe that lacks the concept of time. The piece summarized scientific findings first printed in the academic journal Language and Cognition.

Before you dust off your Tarzan books, keep in mind the Amandowa tribe can clearly define or articulate events snared in time. However, they don't have the linguistic structures "that relate time and space," according to the BBC. The Amandowans, though, pick up the more complex ways of relating to time rather quickly once they're exposed to it.

One novelty in the story is the Amandowans themselves. They only met their first humans from beyond the borders of their area in the 1990s. How the scientists found the Amandowans was not discussed in the article.

The illustration shows Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher who developed the idea of "natural Man" whom, in some ways, the Amandowans resemble.

Naked Music NYC

When I think of the love of my life, I often associate music with her. The songs are sentimental love tunes, a taste we happen to share. Some time ago, I "discovered" (more like "fell over") Naked Music, a deep house/downtempo label whose recordings under the umbrella "Naked Music NYC" are among my favorites.

I'm hardly an expert in either downtempo or house. From what I understand, the creative brains of Naked Music were producers Jay Denes (right photo) and Dave Boonshoft. I enjoy a number of artists with whom he's worked, such as Gaelle, Lisa Shaw, and Aquanote. You can explore Naked Music at your leisure. Sometimes my friend Phil Dorsey plays Naked Music tunes on theBoCX.com, the "radio" station featured on this blog site.

Enjoy your special day, my love.

Harmon Killebrew RIP

Former home run king Harmon Killebrew, who passed away today, came from a baseball era that seems light years away from today's millionaire jocks, dull video replay, and luxury boxes no one can afford. Killebrew played on some good Minnesota Twins teams that included a great player (Tony Oliva) and a very, very good player (Rod Carew). The Twins had the mixed fortune of having a stingy owner. The players, including Killebrew, were dreadfully underpaid. However, the owner's frugality led him to sign talented Latin ballplayers. It's hard to imagine now, but having Spanish speaking athletes was something certain franchises avoided. The Twins and the Pittsburgh Pirates broke that mold, but for financial reasons and not to advance a social cause.

Killebrew and Minnesota's fans took to one another immediately. He was, as circa 1980s Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek noted, "Paul Bunyan in a uniform." Killebrew was a legit home run hitter in the grand style. He not only hit home runs, he hit majestic shots. His generation included some extraordinary home run hitters, including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Frank Robinson. Killebrew's attendance in All-Star games put him on the same field as Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, and Al Kaline. That's pretty lofty company and Killer was worthy of it.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune obit offers a useful glimpse into Killebrew's life. One interesting anecdote, and one I did not know until today, was how Reggie Jackson loaned Killebrew money when Killer was on the heels of bankruptcy. A lot of people, both inside baseball and just plain folks, thought the world of a man universally cited as decent and giving. He'll be missed.

Damn Yankees

This is the season of the New York Yankees' discontent. The team, which began to look past its prime in last year's playoff struggles, distinctly looks old this season. A number of its marquee players are either washed up or in decline. The good, younger players can't quite carry the full load that comes with being on a Yankee team.

The biggest issue for the Yankees is the team's pitching. Mariano Rivera, the relief closer who is arguably the team's most important player, has barely worked up a sweat this year. The Yanks are relying on two very old, retread starters to give them innings. Ironically, they might be the team's most consistent arms. That's not a good sign, as baseball's season is a long one.

While the Yankees will snap out of their current, dreadful slump (as did their principal AL East competitors), los Yanquis may not have enough gas in their tanks to win more than 90 games. That means the team of Ruth, DiMaggio, and Mantle will be third in the AL East race. That means New York will be out of the playoff money, something of a fate worse than death in demanding Gotham.

The photograph shows the Mickey Mantle monument in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park.

Frederic Chaubin's Photographs of 1980s Soviet Architecture

A blog item in today's online edition of the LA Times discussed a book of French photographer Frederic Chaubin's images of 1980s architecture in former Soviet Union republics. One has to see them to believe them. If architecture intends to interpret and manage social imperatives, these structures leaves one puzzled. It's tempting to simply assign "visions of the future" to these edifices and call it a day. I don't think that's the case, as these buildings and monuments were clearly intended for immediate use and contemplation.

It is definitely worth one's time to view the available images from online links. A very good one is avaiable from the ZKM/Museum fur Neue Kunst, a Karlsruhe, Germany institution that had a 2011 exhibit of Chaubin's work. The link includes an engaging, four-minute video of Chaubin discussing his work. Another interesting interview with Chaubin is provided by the now-defunct, Japan-based website PingMag.

While Chaubin's book is a new release, his project is not exactly fresh. The images have taken something of a world tour for at least the past four years. In 2007, The New York Times reviewed a Gotham gallery's show of these photographs. Chaubin's personal website is unfortunately currently under construction.

The Chaubin image in this blog shows The Central Research and Design Institute for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics in St. Petersburg, Russia.

PS. Apologies to those who are literate in French and/or German. I've left out the diacritical marks in certain words, as I'm not confident the Google software can successfully handle them. Anyone who can offer a solution is welcome to post it here.

PBR Moves to LA

Believe it or not, Pabst Blue Ribbon is moving its headquarters from Illinois to La-La Land. To someone who went to college in PBR's original home state, Wisconsin, the beer company's shift to California seems like a bar room gag. Pabst was a cheap beer, a brew one purchased for parties when the opportunities for drinking were expected to be ample. There was never any cachet associated with PBR.

Times have changed. According to the LA Times story about the corporate move, Pabst has made its mark among self-defined "hipsters." This would appear to go hand-in-hand with another "hipster" trend: an interest in "dives." They're not legit dives, but bars that have a staged, calculated look. Ugh. I don't know if Pabst is served in these trendy "dives," or what it costs to enjoy a cold PBR at one. But I'll have a hard time hoisting a Pabst and thinking of Sunset Boulevard.

Koch Donation to Florida State University Comes With Controversial Strings

Earlier this year, the conservative Koch brothers made headlines during the imbroglio over Wisconsin public union employees. The Kansas siblings have returned to the news. The new venue is Florida, where the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation offered Florida State University (FSU) a lucrative donation. In exchange for the money, FSU would establish an economics department initiative "for the study of 'political economy and free enterprise,'" according to a story in today's Miami Herald that originally appeared in the St. Petersburg Times.

Of course, the Koch handout came with strings. Most significantly, the foundation could cease funding the program if "faculty hired with its money were not complying with (Koch's) goals." Academic freedom, which universities have solemnly sworn to uphold, would be at risk in this arrangement.

While it's hard to sympathize with a money-first university, it's nearly impossible to feel simpatico with right-wing funders such as Mr. Koch (see photo). Brother K's idea of free enterprise is to keep things as free as possible for him, and let others provide the sweat equity. In that sense, his willingness to corrupt has found a match in morally (and often financially) bankrupt academia.

Chester Himes Revisited

I’m reading a Chester Himes novel now. I’ve admired his lean, thoughtful writing style since I first read Cotton Comes to Harlem many years ago. His observations of the human condition, tempered by incarceration and his strong mind, ring as true today as they did a half-century ago. When I’m tired, his books wake me up. I find his novels display a zeal for life in all its dimensions. They also effectively communicate the earthy street and tenement life of New York, especially Harlem of the 1960s.

I know little of his life in France, and am quite curious about it.

If anyone wants to comment on Himes’ work, they’re welcome to do that here.

A Night in Orlando

I’m in the midst of my second trip to Orlando in the past six months. My trips here involve attending trade shows; the hotels where I stay are either inside a theme park or close to one. My issue is that I never know where to go at night. Sometimes, business schmoozing means my evening journey goes no further than the hotel bar. That makes a night in Orlando a simple, vanilla proposition. However, there are times when business conversations work out better in more imaginatively selected venues. Where are they in Orlando? Let’s say it’s a challenge for me to find them, as I have no expertise whatsoever regarding Orlando’s nightlife outside the hothouse world of the theme parks.

I realize I’m kvetching about something I basically enjoy. Nonetheless, I just don’t have a feeling, any touch, for Orlando after sunset. Maybe this trip will be different: we’ll see.

George Clooney at 50

The LA Times entertainment blogger site noted that George Clooney recently threw himself a 50^th birthday party at an area restaurant. The invited guests were supposedly sworn to secrecy for the run-up to the event and during the celebration itself. Of course, the idea of discretion in Hollywood is elusive to manage. The word did indeed get out, not that anyone east of the San Fernando Valley and west of the Hudson River greatly cared.

The birthday party, however, does provide an opportunity to consider Clooney’s career. He has managed to successfully navigate the small screen (ER) and the big screen, something of a rare event in the entertainment business. I have not watched his TV work; I have seen some of his motion pictures. His best role was the cynical, world-weary legal fixer Michael Clayton. His performances in the flawed, but interesting Syriana, the cautionary tale Good Night and Good Luck, and the curious O, Brother, Where Art Thou? deserved more credit than he received. His skillful touch in Up in the Air showed a willingness for self-effacement that one wishes Clooney would exhibit off-camera.

Clooney also has earned praise for his work illuminating the Western world to the ghastly Darfur conflict and the repellent neo-colonial mineral grab pursued by the world’s principal economic powers.

Yet, Clooney remains something of a pariah among his peers. Why? The words “difficult,” “arrogant,” “abrasive” are too frequently associated with him. Even in a business filled with equally “difficult” and “demanding” individuals,” Clooney stands out near the head of his class. That’s not a competition that’s desirable to win. The reputation has cost Clooney any realistic chance at winning major awards from his peers or from unforgiving movie critics.

In the end, non-insiders don’t care about any of Clooney’s personality flaws. We do care about his next projects, and can only hope he’s made better choices than The American.

Wisconsin GOP Rushes Legislative Agenda Before Recall Elections

The Badger State's Republican party, with a standing governor and legislative majorities in both houses of the state legislature, is running scared. Clearly concerned about the state's potent recall movement, the GOP has hastily put its "urgent" bills into the legislative process, in some cases offering minimal time for public comment.

The AP story, courtesy of Yahoo, provides details.

The image shows Wisconsin state senator Alberta Darling. The GOP legislator represents a suburban Milwaukee district and is widely considered vulnerable to recall.

World Record Cigar

Havana cigars, the gold standard for tobacco, are about to again find their place in the Guinness Book of World Records. A Cuban man, who already holds the Guinness record for cigar length, is rolling a stogie that will shatter his own mark. The plan is to have the new record setting cigar to reach 268 feet in length. How long is that? Imagine Shaquille O'Neal. Now imagine more than thirty of Mr. O'Neal, one on top of the other. You'll need a cherry picker to light the cigar. I imagine it would be a long, satisfying smoke.

The brief story appeared in the Mercury News.

DC Gets Younger Still

A very interesting story in the Washington Post noted that the District's population is currently skewing to the younger adult ages. In fact, "people in their 20s and early 30s make up almost a third of the District's population," according to the article. Given Washington's focus on political power, which generally is found among middle-aged adults, the District's swelling, young demographic is a fascinating phenomenon. It has certainly come a long way from the days when foreign diplomats were given incentive pay to agree to be stationed there.

Other youthful cities in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave include university oases, such as Ann Arbor, hybrid cities such as Austin, and cool coastal zones such as Boston. Curiously, empty nesters enjoy living in the very same metro areas as the twenty somethings. They just don't go to the same bars.

The photograph shows DC's popular Dupont Circle.

Dunkin' Donuts' Pricetag for One Billion Cups of Coffee

Dunkin' Brands, which owns Dunkin' Donuts, is preparing to raise $400 million in a public offering later this year, according to a story in today's Financial Times.

The salient fact in the article was DD's claim that it sells one billon cups of coffee per year. That comes to $2.50 per cup. Who said there wasn't any money in selling a characteristically dark liquid that tastes better with a milk product and a sweetener?

The 400 Club

How much wealth does the top one percent of Americans possess? It's a tough question to accurately answer, given the realities of complex holdings and offshore accounts. However, the legitimate financial world provides a clue into this ambiguous, labyrinthine world.

According to a post in Zero Hedge, in tax year 2007, 400 Americans paid 10% of the nation's total capital gains tax. That translates to $91 billion in pre-TARP dollars. That's over $227 million in cap gains tax per person, if one crudely divides 400 into the government's take.

One wonders what the take-home pay was for each of the Fortunate 400. And then one ponders which of the fo' hundred were Bernie Madoff's special friends.

The photograph shows a bank building in the Cayman Islands.

David Einhorn: The Market Doesn't Make Sense

David Einhorn, who called Lehman Brothers' multi-billion dollar bluff in 2008, has released his quarterly newsletter. His work is usually interesting and provocative; this newsletter is no exception. The link to his comments is via the financial blog Zero Hedge.

One troubling market sign, as Einhorn points out, is its illogical interpretation of bad news as a reason to buy more and more, at higher and higher prices. This produces a sense of good news in the midst of plenty of reasons to question the seeming optimism.

Many market directions in the past year or so have confounded many wise Wall Street heads. Very few market moves makes sense, unless one works for a high frequency trader. It's a puzzling time, even for the so-called "smart money."

The photograph shows Einhorn at a poker event. He is an excellent player, and has reached at high at 18th place in a World Series of Poker contest.

HBO Coming to an Apple, Google Device Near You

HBO, which has resisted putting its programming outside the pay-TV circuit, has decided to join the media surge into Apple and Google-driven devices. The story made its quiet way into today's LA Times.

This is a big deal for the cable-only programmers, such as HBO, Showtime, and others. In essence, HBO has offered a white flag to the new, increasingly dominant media device providers. One impact of the decision will be HBO's sales team can now approach prospective and existing advertisers and tell them about the new audience they can now reach via devices such as the phone and tablets. That audience will happen to be defined by, from an advertising perspective, a very desirable demographic profile.