Cheryl and I participated in the Houston Rodeo 5k fun run over the weekend. Felt pretty good about my time and had fun. Great event and crazy fun to run down the parade route with all those people watching.
Flake-Gate
The 2014 Winter Olympics are in full swing and already we’ve seen fantastic finishes, thrilling upsets and stories of perseverance and determination. Unfortunately, most of the social media world’s attention was focused on “Flake-gate”; the unfortunate malfunction which occurred during the opening ceremonies.
Some of the posts are goofy, others are mean spirited. There were even “reports” which claimed that the man responsible for the 2014 Winter Olympic ring failing to open at the Sochi Opening Ceremony had been found dead (and you know they can’t put anything on the internet that isn’t true).
Before we go off and laugh too hard, I would urge Houstonians to remember another notorious malfunction that took place, and ended up dominating a different sporting event. I speak of course about the infamous wardrobe malfunction that took place at Reliant Stadium during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. We all remember the event, but who remembers the game?
Many NFL fans and sports writers widely considered Super Bowl XXXVIII one of the better, if not the best Super Bowl. Sports Illustrated football guru and writer Peter King hailed it as the “Greatest Super Bowl of all time.” The game went back and forth in thrilling fashion and was finally decided on New England kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds left, yet it was Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance that people talked about afterwards.
So what will we remember from the 2014 Winter Olympics? The amazing stories of accomplishments, or a technical mishap? I think I’ll remember how, once again, a world can come together with different countries and cultures, compete with great sportsmanship and respect, and remind us that it is possible, if only for a few weeks, to believe that we more alike than we are different.
Net Neutrality Dealt Blow (Again)
Your Internet experience could be very different after the most recent ruling on the issue of net neutrality. As CultureMap Houston reported back in 2010, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against the Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to keep the flow of information on an equal access basis. The Federal Communications Commission had attempted to impose penalties based on Net neutrality principles and not regulations.
After that ruling the Federal Communications Commission went back and drew up regulations to address this issue, but those have also been shot down by the same court. They determined that companies that provide broadband services are not required to offer equal access to Internet content.
The ruling was based on a 2005 US Supreme Court decision that broadband services are not to be classified as telecommunications services and its infrastructure is not considered a public right of way.
So what does this mean to the average person? For one, this opens the door for broadband companies like Verizon, AT&T and others to charge access fees to Internet content providers like Google, Netflix and even CultureMap. They could also offer priority access through their networks, ensuring companies that provide streaming services don’t buffer when network congestion is like traffic on the west loop during rush hour.
All this will create additional expenses to those companies which will no doubt be passed along to you, the consumer. And it also opens the door to broadband providers blocking sites that refuse to pay the fees. Without regulation, you could wind up not being able to access sites because they don’t have an agreement with your Internet provider. (Much like the on-going fight over carriage fees between CSN Houston and cable providers.)
So do we rely on the government to create new laws to address Net Neutrality, or do we let the free market play out and let the chips fall where they may?
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler said in a statement that the commission “will consider all available options, including those for appeal, to ensure that these networks on which the Internet depends continue to provide a free and open platform for innovation and expression.” But, much like Don Quixote, the chairman may be tilting at windmills.
Is It Hot In Here?
This year’s Super Bowl to be held in New Jersey could be the coldest on record. (Super Bowl VI which was played at Tulane Stadium was 39 degrees at kick-off). Swedish retailer H&M is hoping to heat things up with a 30 second commercial that not only features super hunk and former soccer player David Beckham without a shirt, but will also allow some viewers to purchase items from the David Beckham Bodywear collection directly from the TV.
Say hello to “t-commerce”, a new technology that takes advantage of smart TV’s. Delivery Agent, a company that creates and develops apps has come up with one that will allow you to make purchases through a Shop TV shopping platform. Currently, only viewers watching the ads on a Samsung Smart TV will be able to take advantage, but expect the technology to extend to other Smart TV models soon.
In case you’re worried about your buddy interrupting the game to buy some boxers; don’t be. A small part of the screen will present a pop-up menu while the ad runs on the larger part of the screen which will, offer product information, the ability to send that info to another device as well as the option to buy the product directly. And, if the game gets boring, the ad will still be interactive and available for purchase to consumers who rewind back to it using their DVRs.
To make sure everyone knows to take their bathroom breaks during the game and not when the commercials are on, Beckham will make his first appearance at the new Times Square H&M location (where the in-store music is louder than a Seattle Seahawks home game) to get you pumped up for what is sure to be another epic night of advertising and football.
Taking Risks
It used to be that the United States of America was the land of big ideas. “We choose to go the moon” challenged us as a nation to leave the bounds of earth and set foot on the lunar surface. Today, America has embraced the slogan “just say no” (tip of the hat to the Republican favorite, Ronald Reagan). We don’t want big government, debt or high taxes.
One of our biggest leaps of faith occurred when the U.S. purchased more than 800,000 square miles from the nation of France. The treaty, commonly known as the Louisiana Purchase, more than doubled the size of the US. Many have claimed this was President Jefferson’s great accomplishment (although many Native Americans may disagree).
It may be hard to imagine today, but not everyone was in love with the treaty when it was being ratified. It was argued by some that Jefferson was a hypocrite owing that he was supposedly a strict constructionist in his views on the Constitution, yet looked the other way in conducting the largest real estate deal.
Others worried “foreigners” who came along with the purchase, were unacquainted with democracy and could become citizens, or that the purchase would be a job killer for the people of the northeast. (Makes the old saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same” even more apropos doesn’t it.)
The House called for a vote to deny the request for the purchase, but it failed by two votes, 59–57. The U.S. ended up using $3 million in gold as a down payment, issued bonds for the balance and the rest as they say, is history.
210 years later, it would be difficult to imagine an America that stopped at the Mississippi river. There would have been no California gold rush, Manifest Destiny and no Alamo to remember; which brings us to today.
Just imagine for a moment a country like Mexico or Canada was up for purchase. How would todays Washington handle such an enormous decision? Would there be screaming matches on cable news outlets about government over-reach? Blogs expressing fear of tax increases and rising debt? Tweets about the concerns on what to do with all the people already living there? Looking back, the Louisiana Purchase seems like a no-brainer, but putting on the glasses of today makes one pause and wonder if America has the mettle to take such a gamble again.
Anthony Walton once said “America’s greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is our belief in second chances, our belief that we can always start over that things can be made better.” Think about how we love to tear down a celebrity or athlete only to cheer them again when they make a comeback (Morton Downy Jr. or Ray Lewis anyone?). Maybe it is a character fault, but taking chances is what made us who we are in the first place.
At the risk of stealing from Dr. Martin Luther King; “where do we go from here?” Do we continue to say no to big ideas and not look ahead? Granted, looking at some of our elected officials, that could be the best choice when all is said and done.
War On Christmas Escalates
It is on like Donkey Kong.
The war on Christmas is literally in full swing. A Salvation Army Bell Ringer in Arizona was allegedly punched in the arm by someone because they said “Happy Holidays” and not Merry Christmas.
Now I have to believe that even an atheist would know what Jesus would have done, but one wonders how we got to this point. Should one take offense when someone offers a happy holiday? Is this just another case of political correctness gone wild?
Reading various online posts, one begins to believe that offering someone a Merry Christmas has now become against the law. Now it’s true that public school districts walk a fine line during the season between all the celebrations, but think about it, do you really want your child to learn about the miracle of Christmas there?
Which brings us back to the war on Christmas. Is it really that horrible to have someone wish you a happy holiday? Are you so offended that you retaliate by demonstrating physical force, or screaming “don’t you believe in Jesus” at the person? During Brian Setzer’s Christmas Rocks Extravaganza recent show at the Arena Theatre, a host greeted the crowd with Happy Holidays which caused one fan to yell Merry Christmas in retaliation.
There is a bit of disconnect here for me. Many of the people who are screaming the loudest about the war on Christmas are the same people who think its ok to cut benefits such as food stamps to poor people. Now I realize that debate is not a simple one, but if Jesus is truly the reason for the season, he might want to consider a different ally in this fight.
They May Be Gone, But Their Music Lives On
Oliver Wendell Holmes once mused, “Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”
2013 saw time run out for many brilliant musicians. From rock, to jazz, to hip-hop, the world of music has lost a little more of its sound. Fortunately for us, the music they did leave us lives on.
Here are a few of the artists we lost in 2013.
Lou Reed
March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013 / Age 71
Lou Reed was a guitarist/vocalist and member of the Velvet Underground, an influential band that did not enjoy much commercial success, but inspired a generation of musicians. Known for his “deadpan” singing, Reed went on to a solo career and released Transformer in 1972. The hit single “Walk on the Wild Side” was a semi-tribute to Andy Warhol and the entourage that followed him. When first introduced to Reed’s music, Bowie had said, “I had never heard anything quite like it. It was a revelation to me.”
JJ Cale
December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013 / Age 74
One of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, J.J. Cale, was an American singer-songwriter and musician who drew on a genre of influences and thus influenced a genre of artists. Songs written by Cale that were covered by other musicians include “After Midnight” by Eric Clapton, Phish and Jerry Garcia, “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton, “Clyde” by Waylon Jennings and Dr. Hook, and “Call Me the Breeze” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer and Bobby Bare. In 2008 he was a Grammy Award winner, jointly with Clapton.
George Jones
September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013 / Age 81
The unrivaled George Jones was best known for his baritone ballads who notched five #1 hits in five separate decades. The legend known as “Possum” recorded more than 150 albums and countless hearts. Born in Texas, he was often overlooked as a songwriter; writing such hits as “The Window Up Above” and “Seasons Of My Heart.”
Van Cliburn
July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013 / Age 78
Perhaps, the most renowned American classical pianist ever, Cliburn was thrust into fame after winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the impressive age of 23. When it was time to announce a winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give first prize to an American. “Is he the best?” Khrushchev asked. “Then give him the prize!” His accomplishment was so impressive, he received a New York ticker tape parade when he returned, the first time a classical musician was ever honored. Cliburn has performed for every president since Harry Truman and opened the door to other pianists with the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly
August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013 / Age 34
One-half of the 90’s hip-hop group, Rapper Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly literally jumped into the music scene when he and his bandmate Chris ‘Daddy Mack’ Smith” were discovered at a local mall. Kriss Kross is best known for their single, ‘Jump’ which flew on the charts in 1992, was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and certified double platinum as a single. Kris During performances, Kris Kross wore their clothes backward which became their signature look.
Patti Page
November 8, 1927- January 1, 2013 / Age 85
Page achieved a list of accomplishments second to none. She had more than 100 million record sales and had 24 records in the top 10, including four that reached No. 1. Page made ‘Tennessee Waltz’ one of the best-selling recordings ever. She was also the first singer to have television programs on all three major networks, including ‘The Patti Page Show’ on ABC.
Richie Havens
January 21, 1984 – April 22, 2013 / Age 72
Born in Brooklyn, Richie Havens was Woodstock’s first performer. Havens was told to keep playing for almost 3 hours because many of the artists scheduled to perform after him were delayed in getting there due to the gridlock traffic. Known for his unique strumming style, Havens requested his ashes be scattered from a plane over the site of the Woodstock festival.
Bobby Smith
April 10, 1936 – March 16, 2013 / Age 76
As the original lead singer of the soul music group The Spinners, Bobby Smith helped the group earn almost a dozen gold records and several Grammy award nominations. The Spinners dominated the radio airwaves in the 1970s with songs like ‘I’ll Be Around,’ ‘Could It Be I’m Falling In Love’ and ‘Games People Play.’ They scored their only #1 hit in 1972 with ‘Then Came You’ which featured Smith and Dionne Warwick.
Slim Whitman
January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013 / Age 90
The undisputed king of the country yodel, Slim Whitman’s career began in the late 1940s. His tenor falsetto and dark mustache and sideburns were to become a signature look. While well-known in Europe, it was the TV albums that made Whitman a household name in America. Whitman also spent time touring with a young artist named Elvis Presley in the 1950s. His 1955 single “Rose Marie” was on the UK Singles Chart for 36 years, holding the Guinness World Record for the longest time at number one until 1991.
Donald Byrd
December 9, 1922 – February 4, 2013 / Age 80
A noted jazz trumpeter, composer and educator Donald Byrd was a top hard-bop trumpeter of the 1950s. After playing in a military band during a term in the United States Air Force, Byrd obtained a bachelor’s degree in music from Wayne State University and a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. Byrd recorded scores of albums and worked with artists including Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.
Ray Price
January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2013 / Age 87
In 1953, Price formed the Cherokee Cowboys. Its members read like a who’s who among country music legends featuring Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and Johnny Paycheck. Price had three No. 1 country music hits during the 1970s: “I Won’t Mention It Again”, “She’s Got To Be A Saint”, and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.” Price was the first artist to have a success with the song “Release Me” in 1954, which later became a signature song of Engelbert Humperdinck.
Are You Ready To Pay For Some Football?
Hold onto your beer can sports fans because there is trouble brewing on the sports television landscape that does not involve Jim Crane and Comcast Sports Houston.
There is a new player on the television scene called Aereo. Aereo is a new way for consumers to drop cable-TV subscriptions. Anyone with a television can buy an “antenna” from Aereo and get free access to broadcast channels via the Internet. Cable programming such as HBO and ESPN are not available so for now, Aereo (which is available in Houston) is simply a convenient way to record and watch local television.
So why should the mighty NFL be worried? All their games are broadcast over the air in their respective markets. Theoretically, Aereo could put up antennas in NFL markets and sell a package which would provide subscribers to buy online access to NFL games broadcast anywhere. This would allow Aereo to offer a similar version of DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket without paying the NFL anything.
The timing could not be worse for the NFL. The NFL Sunday Ticket agreement with DirecTV is set to expire at the end of next year. DirecTV pays a reported $700 million per season for having exclusive rights to all the games. It does not take a Warren Buffet to figure out the value of those rights would drop faster than Enron stock.
But wait, there’s more. Aereo could also undercut the NFL’s plan to dole out the way people watch the games. Currently the league has an agreement with Verizon to show games on smartphones, but for whatever reason, restricts it being shown on tablets. Aereo could let people watch games on whatever device they want.
The NFL and MLB are not taking this lightly. In a recent friend-of-the-court brief, they claim Aereo “has no purpose other than to avoid compensating the copyright owners whose programming Aereo exploits.”
Broadcasters are also fighting back, but are down in the scoreboard early on. Federal judges in Boston and New York have ruled that Aero could operate during the legal fight, giving it time to spread to new cities. Look to see this case make its way to the Supreme Court sooner than later.
It has long been thought that all major sports programming would cease to be offered on over-the-air television outlets and move to a paid, or pay-per-view model. Aereo could just be the final nail in the proverbial coffin to make that happen.
Sweetest Comeback in the History of Ever
A Box Of Yummy Goodness
Good news America. The devilishly delicious snack food called “The Twinkie” is making its triumphant return to gas stations and finer food stores everywhere. But there’s even more good news.
The Twinkie (which was purchased by two private equity firms, after Hostess went bankrupt) is better than ever. How can this be you ask? Because the chiefs (or some guys in white lab coats) have figured out a way to extend the Twinkie shelf life!
This raises two very important questions. One, who buys a Twinkie to eat later? And two, what exactly did they do to make the scrumptious concoction go from a 26-day shelf life to lasting a whopping 45-days? Now to be fair, the longer shelf-life isn’t exactly new. Hostess introduced the new and improved Twinkies last year, but those were made about a week before Hostess ceased operations.
Nobody will disclose the change in the recipe that allows it to extend the shelf life saying that information is propriety (do you think Snowden or the NSA can tell us?), but I for one am hoping it’s done artificially so as not to effect its yummy goodness.
Either way, it’s a huge victory for America who was recently replaced as the most obese nation in the western hemisphere by Mexico. A huge Twinkie billboard has been erected in Times Square and there is an official website with a countdown clock ticking down to the moment when, we can all savor the self-proclaimed “Sweetest Comeback in the History of Ever.”
You Can Go Back Home Again
Thomas Wolfe once wrote “You Can’t Go Back Home Again”, but I am happy to report this is not always the case. Recently, I took a trip back to my hometown of Orchard Park, New York and found that, while many things have indeed changed, one very important part of my childhood had not.
I speak of the astonishing paradise called Chestnut Ridge Park.
Chestnut Ridge Park is one of the largest county parks in the U.S. featuring 1,213 acres of forest, picnic areas, sledding hills and a magical eternal flame. The park offers year round activities and remains one of the few remaining links to a time when things seemed to make a little more sense.
The first thing you may notice is there is no cost to enter the park. There is no charge to risk life and limb hurling at break neck speed down huge hill on a toboggan run, or any of the other many activities one can take part in. There is a nominal fee to use one of the 36 shelters for family reunions or small picnics (some shelters can accommodate 150 people!), but they come with grills, picnic tables, nearby bathrooms and plenty of space to spread out.
You won’t find annoying sponsorship signs or a fast-food restaurant at the park, but you will find something for everyone. Picture a place where you can play softball, disc golf, tennis, run, walk, grill, bicycle and nap in the summer, and then sled, ski, snowmobile, and cross-country ski the many trails during the winter.
Worried about those infamous Buffalo winters? You can always spend your time in the grand “Casino”, a timber and stone structure built in 1938 that features two enormous fireplaces and picnic tables for plenty of room to savor hot chocolate while watching rosy faced children of all ages resting from a day sledding down the big hill.
And what a hill it is. On a clear day, you have breath taking views of the city of Buffalo, Lake Erie and Canada. During the summer months, one can sit on a swinging bench and watch the sunset, but the real fun happens during the winter months. The hill is broken into different sections. There is a 12 and under hill (to protect young children from people like myself who tend to have trouble steering). There is also a big kids area, and toboggan chutes that resemble the At-At Walkers from Star Wars. You climb some rickety stairs and then fly down the hill at roller coaster speeds.
Being at Chestnut Ridge Park feels like being in a Twilight Zone episode where time stands still. Picture yourself sitting next to a roaring fire with no television monitors showing CNN or Fox News. No annoying elevator muzak blaring in your ear and no one rushing you to leave. Where else can find such isolation from electronic noise? Yes, you can still check your cell phone for emails, but why would you want to?
And, there is more; much more. Just down the road in a little used part of the park often referred to as the Shale Creek Preserve, is the entrance to trail that leads you to a rare natural eternal flame nestled behind a spectacular waterfall. You would think such a phenomenon would be closely protected by rangers, or park officials, but you would be wrong. One only encounters other families walking up the creek bed to see this astonishing sight. What you won’t see are discarded candy wrappers or empty coke cans. No you only see the footprints of those who came before (maybe there is some hope for the human race after all).
So much is made of marvelous new wonders/technologies and how our lives are better for them, but I find it comforting to know that there is still a place that refuses to change.