Gentleman Agitator

THE ATMOSPHERIC GREMLINS STRIKE AGAIN: Clear Air Turbulence Strikes Air Canada A319

    As reported by the Toronto Globe and Mail,on January 11, 2008, an Air Canada, Airbus A319 from Victoria, British Columbia to Toronto, Ontario had to make an unscheduled stop in Calgary, Alberta, the previous day, due to a few moments where it encountered a pocket of undetectable turbulence in flight. Ten people were taken to the hospital, but none with life threatening injuries. Here is a Canadian video report. This incident is what is known as "Clear Air Turbulence".
    NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base in California has been one of the leading research institutions looking into these phenomena along with NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. They describe it this way:
“Atmospheric turbulence is the leading cause of in-flight injuries experienced by the flying public, and can result in death in extreme situations.
    Turbulence is often associated with visible storm systems. In these situations, the turbulent conditions can be observed by radar and the aircraft can avoid the dangerous region. Not so with clear-air turbulence, a condition occurring at cruise altitudes that has few if any visible warning signs for even the most conscientious pilots.
    Clear air turbulence is often found on the outskirts of thunderstorms, up to 50 miles away from the actual storm activity. It also occurs near the boundaries of high altitude air currents called jet streams and in the vicinity of mountain ranges and surface weather fronts. There are currently no effective systems to warn flight crews that they are approaching clear air turbulence. One of the only ways that commercial or other aircraft can avoid encounters is to heed recent pilot reports of turbulence and if possible, avoid the hazardous region of the atmosphere.
    Additional work in the turbulence research program is under way to improve understanding of the clear air turbulence phenomena and thereby improve the quality of turbulence forecasting.”
    For almost ten years, NASA has been working to devise a system by which aircraft can detect these atmospheric gremlins before they send passengers tumbling around the cabin like the recent Air Canada incident. Working with various test beds that have included a 1960’s era Lockheed Electra prop-jet, a DC-8 jetliner and a Boeing 757 jetliner, NASA researchers and others from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado have looked at a couple of different methods involving hardware, software and laser pulses to detect the rough air pockets. (Animation of how the laser system works)
    Size of the hardware and cost of the system are still factors that might hinder airlines from adopting it. It would not be the first time the airlines passed on a NASA developed device that could increase air safety. NASA Dryden helped to devise a system that could fly a plane by engine thrust only in the mid-1990s using an MD-11 aircraft as a test bed. This would allow a plane that loses use of the wings, rudder or flaps, such as the famous United Flight 232 in 1989, the ability to land safely. While not great in size the airlines claimed the cost of installation was too great for their large fleets and the likelihood of another such incident was minimal. What is the cost of safety though? Air travel is incredibly safe, but why not make it safer?
    Until the airlines decide whether to buy into being able to avoid the turbulence gremlins, I suggest you keep your seat belt fasten. Bashing your head into the light and air vent panel above you could lead to serious injury. Look for hand holds below the overhead bins to hang onto, if you have to walk about the cabin. If you are walking about the cabin, more than likely, you are on the way to the lavatory. There is usually one handle in the lavatory near the door. However, in there, a big bump could cause a nasty case of blue butt, even if you hang on. If you have ever looked into one of those toilet bowls, you will know what I mean.

For more information on NASA’s research in the area of Clear Air Turbulence, go to:

NASA (ACLAIM) PROJECT RESEARCH

TIMELY WARNINGS OF TURBULENCE AHEAD

A Status Report on Turbulence Warning Technology

A POX ON POLLS IN POLITICS: Notes on the New Hampshire Primary

    I hate polls in politics. I always have. This presidential campaign season in the United States, we had a whole year of them jammed down the throats of Americans leading up to this month’s Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary. Week after week and month after month, the popular, corporate media kept telling us who was ahead in the “horse race” when nay a voter had seen a voting booth. The media loves creating the game and controlling the game or thinking they controlling the game.  Well, as we all know, the media was gamed the night of the New Hampshire primary. 
    To see the shock on their faces as Senator Hillary Clinton’s totals kept ringing up when she was supposed to be under a landslide practically was hilarious to me. There must have been a lot of nervous breakdowns and yelling amongst the pollsters and in the executive offices of the networks the next morning, not to mention the Clinton and Obama campaigns. I loved seeing the talking heads being taken down a peg. Seeing them gag on their precious polls was really funny.
    I do not know how the polling went haywire and I do not care. Maybe many people lied when asked whom they voted for. I do not condone lying, but I have the right not to reveal my private vote to anyone! So, if exit pollers got lied to, that is there problem. To quote ESPN anchor Chris Berman about NFL point spreads and prognostications, “That’s why they play the game.” Well, that is why we vote!
    Other observations about the New Hampshire Primary night:
The MSNBC talking heads trashing John McCain’s victory speech were so condescending it was ridiculous. I am not a Republican, but those clowns were hitting low. I thought the speech was not all that bad and was laying out an appeal for a general election. No, McCain is no Shakespearian actor or the orator that Barack Obama is, but belittling him on the air like that was tacky. Later it is ok for Obama to use a teleprompter, but because McCain had note cards, he is an idiot. Typical media smarmy babble. Joe Scarborough embarrasses himself as usual, eating one of his own Republicans. He should take a good look at his tapes sometime. He is not the sharpest TV personality in the pencil box. I felt for the great Katrina Van Den Heuvel of The Nation magazine who had to be on stage with that lot. And by the way, as I commented in another post, the new MSNBC studios still look like a reject from a 1975 set design for the TV show Space: 1999.
    The good news on the Democratic side is that the race is not over. The bad news is that the race is not over. One thing the Democrats have done a number of times over the years is to pick the worst possible candidate and as quickly as possible. John Kerry was there worst possible candidate in 2004. This time they seemed determined to all run to the cliff and jump off with Hillary Clinton when the primaries were eight months away. At least Barack Obama has slowed this. He really inspires me with his words. He is clearly the best they have at this point. Senator Joe Biden was their best overall, but he was not even given a chance.  What a great step forward it would be to have an African-American president though. This could be part of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream come true. I hope we can make it happen. So, if Obama had taken the granite state and continued in a tidal wave that ended Senator Clinton’s bid, I would not be crying.  That is not to say Senator Clinton would not be making history as the first woman president. My opinion of Hillary Clinton is that she is the wrong woman, the wrong candidate period, for this country. I would love to have a woman president. I feel that women often make better leaders than men. I just want no more Clintons or Bushes anywhere near the White House. We are not a monarchy! No royal houses in this country!
   The Clintons are about the past good or bad. There was definitely the latter, no matter how much gauze filtered light someone wants to put on it. In any case, this country needs to move forward. I do not want four to eight more years of the divisiveness and decline of the 90's both politically and socially in this country.
  I found it very ironic to learn that both Dartmouth and the University of New Hampshire were still on winter break at the time of the primary. Considering these were Obama’s greatest centers of strength, I wonder how many students were not around to vote. And lastly, and most ironic, the woman who made Hillary Clinton go all misty eyed, for whatever reason, voted for Barack Obama.

SICK OR TREAT: Penn State Students Win Stinky Sandwich Award

    On December 6, 2007 it was reported that on Halloween of this year, some students from Penn State University attended an off-campus party dressed as victims of the horrific murders at Virginia Tech University earlier this year. Their costumes came complete with fake blood, bullet holes and brains spilling out of the cranium. The images were leaked from a supposed private Facebook page to the media and the Internet. Out of deference for the feelings of the families and friends of the victims, I will not post these images. They are out there on the web to be seen. For this, I give these students my latest Stinky Sandwich Award.

    Few words can adequately describe my feelings of revulsion when hearing of this story. The ringleader of the perpetrators of this sick act, a Mr. Nathan Jones, has no remorse and vows to never apologize.  It was not even the first time his fellow Halloween partygoers had done something like this. Other partygoers from last year dressed up as the Amish girls gunned down in their one room Pennsylvania schoolhouse in West Nickel Mines. Mr. Jones and his pals just wanted to top that.
    An editorial in the Penn State student newspaper decried that some Ohio State “bartenders” did the Virginia Tech costume thing, but they were not brought out into the media and criticized. So why pick on Penn State? It also mentions the students at a party that were dressed as gay Klu Klux Klan members with blackface at Penn State and it never made much news traction beyond their paper. Mr. Jones came as a gay Hitler. (For more on Mr. Nathan Jones read, “Our Interview With Nathan Jones, The Virginia Tech Shooting "Victim" at psuOTR.com.) He just keeps digging himself a larger hole with every whining word.) The PSU student paper’s attitude comes off like many moral copouts of the 21st century. It is the well, “Ok, I did it, but so and so did it first. How come I a get in trouble if they don’t? And if they didn’t how bad can it be?” This is an outgrowth of the rise of moral relativism in the 1990s with President Bill Clinton as the poster child. Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that morality is relative, that different moral truths hold for different people. Moral relativism is just a copout by which anyone can justify any behavior.
    Speaking of copouts and excuses in this matter let us look to Penn State University. After the Halloween partiers made headlines, the administration at the university got its PR damage control team to quickly state, "We are appalled that these individuals would display this level of insensitivity, indifference, and lack of common decency and sense by dressing up in this manner."
    Their head PR man, the vice president for university relations, Bill Mahon said, “People all over Penn State - students, faculty, alumni - are appalled at what they've done."  Yet, the university refuses to take any action disciplinary action against the students since they were expressing their freedom of speech. Ah yes, once again people using the first amendment and what is interpreted as “speech” though it is only a visual representation of speech. Speech is what comes out of the mouth; all other things are a gray area to me. And the school’s administration dare not suspend or expel the students for fear that little Suzy or Johnny get their parents lawyers to sue them on first amendment grounds. No, we do not want to give Penn State any more bad publicity do we? The only woman in the images was called into PSU’s judicial affairs office. Hmm, some places that would translate into meaning that they were called into the university lawyer’s office and read the riot act about how the student and the university could be sued over this and what the ____ did they think they were doing?
    I wonder if they discussed with her the Penn State Off-Campus Misconduct Policy. It states: Student conduct committed off the campus which affects a Substantial University Interest is conduct which:
    * Constitutes a violation of local, state or federal law.  Included are repeat violations of any local, state or federal law committed in the municipality where the University is located.  (NO, WE CANNOT SAY THAT.)
    * Indicates that the student may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of him/herself or others. (CONSIDERING DEATH THREATS AGAINST THE SICKOS HAVE COME IN FROM OTHER SICKOS; THERE MIGHT BE A CASE THERE.)
    * Significantly impinges upon the rights, property or achievements of self or others or significantly breaches the peace and/or causes social disorder. (OH YES, THERE IS CASE HERE FOR ACTION. THEIR ACTIONS CLEARLY HAVE IMPINGED THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THEMSELVES, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, BESMEARCHED ACHIEVEMENTS OF THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS BY PROMOTION OF AN INACCURATE VIEW OF ALL PENN STATE STUDENTS. THEY ALSO CAUSED SOCIAL DISORDER IF NOT ON THE PENN STATE CAMPUS, ON THE CAMPUS OF VIRGINIA TECH BY TWISTING THE KNIFE IN THE EMOTIONAL WOUNDS OF THEIR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND PARENTS.)
    * Is detrimental to the educational interests of the University. (NOTHING THERE)
    Penn State administration instead of taking action against the students, prefers to call this a "teaching moment" about the “callousness it portrays”.  Ok, then the teaching should be in what their original statement called “common decency.” Yes, common decency, or perhaps even more sharply said, a common sense of right and wrong, sympathy for the weak, the injured and the mourning among us, and acting towards others the way you would want them to act towards you.
    So, in a teaching moment, I am reminded of a quote from *Vaclav Havel from the Czech playwright, poet, and political dissident, who, after the fall of communism, was president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).
    He wrote in his book, Summer Meditations, “...I must emphasize and explain repeatedly the moral dimensions of all social life, and point out that morality is, in fact, hidden in everything..."
    Yes, it is even hidden in the Halloween costume you put on, between a fun, “trick or treat,” or a cruel “sick or treat.” It is something for Nathan Jones, his friends and all of us to remember. 

    * Vaclav Havel will be the subject of the next “Pillars of My Principles” section here at Gentleman Agitator.

Holiday Inn's New Branding is a Holiday Sin

"It was the worst mistake they ever made," – Kemmons Wilson, founder of Holiday Inn on his successors elimination of the “Great Sign” as the company logo.

    I love Holiday Inn. I admit it. I always have. From the first time, my parents pulled off an American interstate and I gazed upon the legendary “Great Sign,” I was hooked. It was a neon light blaze of the huge green sign with the yellow curved arrow and topped the star bursting in colors. Emblazoned in the middle “Holiday Inn” with the great flowing, cursive, backwards script. Sadly, the great sign went away in the early 80’s, but the last vestige of it, the classic word mark has continued though a few logos of the company until the present day.
    Therefore, last month, I was shocked when I received an email from my girlfriend asking me what I thought of the new Holiday Inn logo. New Holiday Inn logo?!
I searched the web for an image. What I saw was a bland, oversimplistic spin on the classic font that had made up the majority of the old logo. This gentleman is definitely agitated at Holiday Inn’s parent company IHG (InterContinental Hotel Group).
    Holiday Inn, you know them, the world's innkeeper. In its fifty-five years of existence Holiday Inn has always stood for lodging that is quality, consistency and a fair price. It has always stood for a “home away from home” feeling, a place for the whole family and a respite for the business traveler. This still stands true today. I am not one to constantly flitter in my purchasing choices. If I am happy with a product, I will stay with it. I am loyal to it as long as does not stray from being what I expect it to be. As a Priority Club Gold member with InterContinental Hotel Group, I show my loyalty every time I stay at a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express.  However, for the first time ever, I find my loyalty challenged. The Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express experience for me begins with that familiar font. It is not the whole “Great Sign,” but seeing the words in that special font and the graphic star that harkens back to the “Great Sign’s” star, give me reassurance that I know what the experience will be behind them.
    Therefore, as an American who grew up on the original Holiday Inn look, the new look is a huge disappointment. I have been a loyal Holiday Inn customer, but now feel really put off by the graphic rebranding.
    It was only three years ago in 2004 that IHG, in a spirit of revival for Holiday Inn unveiled a new, modern version of the “Great Sign.” An article in Hotel & Motel Management by Jeff Higley quoted IHG’s Mark Snyder, senior v.p. of brand management for Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, North America, “…we want to reconnect with the legacy and be proud of what we are." Along with the new sign, IHG launched new prototype for a Holiday Inn building design. The first one opened in January 2004, at the  Gwinnet Center in Duluth, Ga.. Along with the new “Great Sign,” there are new interior design elements like iconic artwork and a tribute to founder Kemmon’s Wilson with Kem’s Café, a modernized restaurant. I thought, “Great!” a new great sign and an updating of amenities for us the customers was a step in the right direction.  Outside of some advertising both internally and externally, I guess the classic update was thrown out the window!
    So, how does IHG explain this new branding?  A Times of London Online article by Dominic Walsh reported, “…Opinions are likely to be divided over the merits of the garish new green logo compared with the retro 1950s script that will forever be associated with Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first Holiday Inn in Memphis in 1952.
But Andy Cosslett, IHG’s chief executive, claimed that in depth market research conducted among Holiday Inn customers had also found strong acceptance for what he called a "a refreshed and contemporary brand image".
“Our research is clear, people like it. You don’t want to alienate loyal users so the trick is to find a way of keeping the familiarity while making it fresh and relevant.”
He added: “Signage is very important. We’ve worked out that over 100 million people see our sign every day. It’s a very important part of the marketing of the brand…”
    Yes, that’s right Mr. Cosslett, they do see that important word mark every day. It is iconic. People know what is behind that sign. Now, I cannot tell what is behind your new sign. “H”? Hilton? You want Holiday Inn to be a Hilton wannabe? I had to stay at Hilton recently because of business and it was ok. It was quite nice. If I had had a choice though, I would have been at a Holiday as is usual when I am footing the bill and not my employer as it was in this case. So let us see; is the new logo a convience store? A gas station? I guess it would look good next to a BP station with its odd, new logo. They threw away classic brand equity as well. The new Holiday Inn mark is not fresh at all. Mr. Cosslett say your research is clear, your in-depth research. I am a Priority Club Gold member! You never asked me what I thought of it! You do realize that the “H” mark font does not match the font in the new word mark don’t you? The Times article reported, “One analyst said: “The new logo is pretty awful. I expected Kemmons Wilson will be turning in his grave.” Here's a look at other views of the new branding of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. Then the views of some branding experts.

    The blog Underconsideration (Brand New) welcomed the change, but referred to the new logo as, “Designed by Interbrand, the new logo is more energetic, festive, modern, swooshy, happy, vibrant, friendly, grabable, and many more adjectives that are triggered by the over designed icon — it simply has too much styling to it, or, for a more appropriate allegory, too many chocolates on the pillow. In its dimensionality, the H is paper thin yet has an inner shadow, it's somehow bulging outward as derived from the shadow yet the H is not reciprocally bulged, and the green field has a slight bevel that, if the H were peeling off from it, it should have as well. It's somewhat encouraging that some of the traits from the original H — extended crossbar to the left and right, inward curve of the right stem, and an overall angling — were intended to carry over into the new mark. The accompanying word mark, while beautifully drawn and well crafted, feels like it belongs on an amusement park ride, more than a global hotel chain; and as a way to bring it altogether, the word mark also features, again, that indispensable dark green bevel.” A good comment on that blog entry by reader Jonathan Hoefler read, “And another one bites the dust. Nostalgic Me is sad to see such a marvelous piece of Americana tossed out in favor of something bland and perishable, and Commercial Me is dumbstruck that what was literally the signature of the institution has been done away with, without reason. I wonder when history will start to regard ours as an age of typographic genocide…” Another reader wrote what was probably behind the decision rather than market research, “The problem comes with upper management wanting to put their 'mark' on a brand during their tenure. I firmly believe that selfishness by individuals and management groups are driving many of the identity changes in the American marketplace these days. Dumping years of brand equity is not great business - overhaul the SERVICE or PRODUCT and allow the brand to be associated with that.”
    Those were some graphic design professional’s reviews. At least one consultant in the hospitality industry, David McMillan of David McMillan Consulting, Global Hospitality Consultant for Hotel & Resort Owners, Developers and Operators had this to say in his blog entry on November 1, 2007, “REPOSITIONING ANALYSIS PARALYSIS....NOW NEW & IMPROVED!
HOW MANY TIMES CAN ONE REINVENT A HOTEL BRAND?
Are we never satisfied with a great product? Do we always have to find a 'new and improved' version? Can we not build in 'perpetual improvement' into the brand, in the first place…I believe that the management of a brand is a very personal thing, not open to diverse interpretations nor financial difficulties. It is a strong statement of a position. A powerful statement of style......not something that gradually deteriorates and then needs to be re-named. That is a cop-out. A total departure from the basic principles of the brand which were established in good faith.”
    Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inn once said that the worst decision that was made after he no longer ran the company was the loss of the “Great Sign” as the company’s logo. "It was the worst mistake they ever made.”
    Well, Mr. Wilson, God rest your soul, they’ve done it again. I make a personal appeal to IHG to give us back the Holiday Inn word mark . Do what you will otherwise, but let us, the loyal Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express customers continue to have confidence in the brand and pride in its legacy. You know, I miss the big green key fobs. I miss the white towels with the green stripe and Holiday Inn in white or just the words in green. I even miss the paper ribbon across the toilet telling me that it has been sanitized for my protection. That does not mean I am against progress. As part of the new makeover under the logo, IHG promises a number of new initiatives I applaud and look forward to. The website etravelblackboardasia.com reported these Holiday Inn updates:
Refreshed Guest Room – Guests will be able to enjoy a new bedding experience with fresh, white duvets and pillows that come in two comfort levels: soft and firm. Bathrooms will feature a showerhead that offers superior pressure while conserving water as well as enhanced amenities, to deliver an invigorating and up-to-date bath experience.
Warm Welcome – A new signature arrival, including new lighting, landscaping and design features will create an energized and a sense of welcome that is universally recognizable and unique to the brand. Guests can expect a more interactive and efficient check-in process, while customized music and scent selections will also engage them in a complete sensory experience.


New Service Promise – Since a differentiated lodging experience cannot be delivered through imagery and product alone, Holiday Inn is committed to providing the best-in-class service. As part of the relaunch, the brand will initiate a new service culture – “Stay Real.” The service culture will enhance staff behavior and skills to best serve guests, treating them as real people and consistently delivering the real, genuine service for which Holiday Inn is known.”
    That is great. I look forward to these changes. They sound like fun and a good upgrade to my lodging experience.  In addition, I fully realize that changes have to be made to keep Holiday Inn competitive with many other chains nipping at its heels. That does not change my feeling towards the new logo though. I hope IHG will PLEASE reconsider this decision. I will say one positive thing. Holiday Inn will at least keep green and yellow in their signage.
    Another favorite company of mine, Delta Air Lines, kept their colors, but made an equally disastrous logo change in 2000 when the classic logo, know as the widget, was changed to what I called the wimpy widget . Outcry from employees got the widget restored in 2004.
    I realize there is risk in keeping the mark as there is in changing it. An article in the Toronto Globe Investor online by Lori McLeod states, “It's a big gamble and a logistical nightmare of sorts, but Stevan Porter, president of the Americas region for IHG, said it has to be done - "or someone will do it to you… Mr. Porter is convinced it's the right decision, although chucking out 52 years of history has given him some sleepless nights. "That is a massive bet to make.”  While he has lost that bet with this Holiday Inn loyalist, maybe he will win it with whatever demographic IHG’s brain trust are aiming for. I hope they do, because the worst thing that could happen is for Kemmons Wilson’s dream to die. A death not only of a great business, but an American historical and cultural icon. Holiday Inn is the WORLD’s Innkeeper!

P.S.: Do you feel like I do? Do you want to see an American icon preserved? Let IHG and Kemmons Wilson’s family know how you feel. Are there Holiday Inns and Expresses you regularly stay at? Let the franchisee management know how you feel next time you visit. 

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Put the “Keep Delta, My Delta” Buttons Away

There is a new threat to Delta Air Lines, "Pardus Capital Management, LLC. I am sure if you are an airline industry watcher like I am, a Delta Air Lines supporter like I am or that you are an air traveler, that you have heard that pot stirring coming from a letter from Pardus to Delta executives. Pardus declaring how “imperative” it is that Delta merge with another carrier and that United would be the “most attractive and practical combination.” Uh, that would be the most attractive and practical? That shows how much Pardus know about the airline industry. Perhaps they just mean attractive and practical for them.
    It was only last year that Delta was fighting off a marriage proposal of an unwanted suitor in US Airways. That rumpled suit with wilting flowers showed up at the door trying to create a low cost Frankenairline of a carrier that would have kept the name Delta. I wrote two articles on that subject last year, DELTAFLOT: BLUEPRINT FOR A FRANKENAIRLINE: Part 1 and Part 2.
    Now, we have an outside matchmaker trying to scare Delta to merge with United. Who exactly is Pardus to tell Delta and United what to do? Pardus has a puny 2.6 and 4.8 percent of stake in each company. Who is Pardus anyway?
    Pardus is a hedge fund group. A hedge fund is defined by a CNN online article on understanding financial terms as: A private investment fund that uses high risk techniques such as short selling and derivatives to achieve a higher return. Maligned in some quarters because of the perception that some hedge funds have so much leverage their activities can be detrimental to the global financial system.
    In doing a little research about Pardus, read of them being or having been connected to the Lear Corporation. Lear is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive interior systems and components. More importantly, I saw that the majority stakeholder in the Lear Corporation is none other than a name that strikes revulsion and fear in the hearts of many former and present airline employees. It is none other than that notorious destroyer of airlines in the 1980s, Carl Icahn. If Pardus and Icahn have any connections, look out Delta and United. I have no evidence of this, I just found it interesting that they were both hedge fund movers with investments in a sector with Lear and another auto parts company Visteon. 
    Icahn is also mentioned in a February 2006 article at Business Week.com. entitled: “Attack Of The Hungry Hedge Funds.” I used to think that hedge funds were helping to prop up ailing American companies, but now… The article reads, “To hike stock prices, they're banding together to force changes on companies. Activist hedge funds had a banner day on Feb. 7. Before the stock market opened, General Motors Corp. (GM ) finally succumbed to months of pressure from billionaire Kirk Kerkorian and his Tracinda Corp. investment fund by slashing its dividend, cutting executive pay, and naming a Kerkorian adviser to the board. In the afternoon, an adviser to billionaire hedge fund manager Carl Icahn issued a 343-page paper detailing how to break up Time Warner Inc. (TWX ) and release about $40 billion in shareholder value.  Boosting share prices rather than taking over underperforming companies is the name of the game, and any strategy to achieve that seems fair play…
…In fact, the new strategies mean that such corporate battles are now year-round affairs. At any moment, an activist fund can take a position in a target company and quickly start agitating for change. The first move is often a salty open letter to management. When Icahn, who manages various Icahn Partners funds, wrote to Time Warner shareholders on Oct. 11, he let fly. "Unless this legacy of poor decision-making is fully recognized and the board is held accountable, the dismal record of mistakes and inaction will continue to the detriment of shareholders," he wrote. It was the official opening salvo in the war for the future of the company…” Gee, where have I heard of this scenario in the last couple of days?
    So, it is back to the 1980s eh? Cue Gordon Gecko, “Greed is good.” Some speculation is that moves like this are in fear of a Democrat in the White House and a new administration not as amenable to big mergers. So, get while the gettin’ is good, is that it?  You just scare investors, management, employees and travelers of airlines into consolidation and pick up a quick buck.  Oh, that cry of consolidation. One symptom of a lot of the run away capitalism we have in this world is by those that unless companies merge in an industry that it will all collapse. That and the absurd notion that some have that consolidation of the airline industry would bring more competition. No, it would only bring monopolies. That is not a free market economy.
    For now we will just have to believe the statements of Delta and United reported in the New York Times:    
    “We appreciate receiving Pardus’s views on the best course for Delta’s future,” Mr. Anderson (Delta’s CEO Richard H. Anderson) said in the statement. “We have been consistent in our public statements that Delta believes that the right consolidation transaction could generate significant value for our shareholders and employees.”
    United’s spokeswoman, Jean Medina, said: "We do not respond to wholly inaccurate statements made by people who claim to have knowledge when they clearly do not."
    Just in case, as a loyal customer of Delta and supporter of the company and its employees I will keep my “Keep Delta, My Delta” button at the ready. I will be ready to brandish it again and agitate for a free and independent Delta Air Lines.    

Gentleman Agitator Meets Darryl Parks' Big One Blog

    Recently, I wrote about Cincinnati, Ohio’s proposed streetcar line and the reaction to that from program director, Darryl Parks of Cincinnati radio station, WLW-AM. That is 700 on your AM dial in just about 32 states when the 50 thousand watts out of the transmitter hits the atmosphere just right. Also, they stream online and can be heard via XM radio.
    Mr. Parks came across my essay on his reaction to the proposed streetcar line. So, first, thanks Darryl for giving me a read and reporting on your own WLW blog, even if you do not agree with what I said.
   I must clarify one thing about his response. He seems to indicate that the Stinky Sandwich Award I gave out earlier this year was for WLW’s audience as well as the station. That is not the case. It was meant for the station, NOT its audience. Actually, not even the whole staff, but for himself and his non-sports talk show hosts. To read that Stinky in full go here.
    Mr. Parks ended his blog post by asking me, “By the way, Mr. Agitator appears to live in Bloomington, Indiana.  Does he have his tax dollars at risk?  Just a question from a "Stinky Sandwich" award winner.”   Well, no I do not. I do live in Bloomington, Indiana, not Cincinnati. If I did though, I would be willing to put my tax dollars at risk for the betterment of Cincinnati.  I like Cincinnati a lot and want it to succeed. I want mass transportation to thrive in this country because I believe it can help ease some of the heavy reliance on the automobile, spur revitalization of our cities, help the environment and so on. But wait Darryl, lest you think I am for every streetcar that comes down the rails, let me mention one plan right here in Bloomington. It is the bogus downtown trolley (streetcar).
    While Bloomington, Indiana does not have a metro area the size of Cincinnati, we are a growing community and we have transportation issues. As a citizen, who wants to make Bloomington a better place to live,  I work on transortation issues as a member of a city committee on transportation and a citizen’s action organization, Bloomington Transportation Options for People. Our mayor Mark Kruzan and some others in city government have floated the idea of a streetcar that will ride the streets of downtown shuttling passengers from near by parking, hotels, the convention center and the Indiana University campus, so that they may have better access downtown amenities. The problem is the trolley is an ordinary bus with the shell of an old-fashioned trolley. It is bogus! It is just a cutesy, touristy, gambit to make downtown more appealing. At least, I guess what the intention is. This “trolley” will cost an initial $ 600,000 to just purchase two for use. Operating costs have not been estimated yet. The city has offered $ 300,000 for the purchase of one.  This trolley will most likely stop before beginning its first route. I certainly do not want my tax dollars spent for something that really will do little to aid the transportation needs of the city. The money would be better spent to support the very good Bloomington Transit bus system. Another hybrid bus to add to the fleet would be good.  I look forward to seeing other proposals develop here in Indiana such as the commuter rail corridor that would run from Muncie to Indianapolis to Bloomington.
    So you see, not every idea is a good one where transit is concerned. Back over in the Queen City, that streetcar line does have the potential to help a continued improvement of downtown and Over the Rhine. It could be the first in a system of streetcar (light rail) lines that could extend from CVG to Newport all the way out to areas like Mason and Loveland. Have you ever seen the grand old station in Glendale, just waiting for a train to come by to pick up passengers?
    Why do I care?  Well, you know, the Cincinnati Reds have fans from all over the country, why should not the whole city? Just count me as one of them. I will be back again soon for my birthday and am looking forward to it. Cincinnatians should be proud of their city. It is one of the best-kept secrets in America.
    Finally, let me be fair to WLW, although I may not agree with a lot of the non-sports hosts have to say, I do listen from time to time, from Jim Scott to Willie and so on. I believe in hearing different points of view. The first two shows on Saturday morning I listen to the most because they are most likely to be talking about Cincinnati happenings. That is the Gary Jeff Walker show and yes, the Darryl Parks show, which is better when sensible Don is on.(Though I cannot listen tomorrow morning, as I am working.) When I turn off WLW it is when I get tired of hearing negative, negative, negative about Cincinnati. I turn off when I have heard the latest conservative talking points for the umpteenth time and callers of an opposing viewpoint belittled. I turn off when the humor sinks to sophomoric or prejudice limits. What would I like Mr. Parks do?  How about an opposing view point as a host of a show? I was a listener of 1360, the “Revolution of Talk Radio” now gone. How about putting on the Ed Schultz show? Wait. I do not think he likes you a whole lot. Bring back WLW fill in, Paul Hackett, as a full-timer. How about an African-American host full-time?  What WLW does best is its news department. They are some of the best newsreaders and reporters I have ever heard on radio. Mr. Parks do not mess with your station’s greatest asset.
    Lastly, do not worry Mr. Parks, I will be fair with my Stinkys. Someone like Hillary Clinton for example. When she pushes me far enough, and I am sure she will, I will give her a moldy taste treat also.  As you say, there is plenty of stink to go around.

MSNBC: Is it Moonbase NBC or the Peacock Cosmetics counter at Macy’s?

    I tuned into MSNBC this morning for the first time since the move from New Jersey back to Rockefeller Center. I was disappointed that they moved. I thought that it was actually a good thing that a major news operation was located outside the big city, albeit a stone’s throw away. All I can say for the new studios are, “here we go again”.  Here we go again, MSNBC is trying to re-invent itself for the umpteenth time.
    Actually, I can see that bringing the news operations under one roof makes operational sense, if not strategic sense in marketing. Perhaps they have not gone far enough. Is it not time to re-brand and re-launch MSNBC all together?
    Outside of free computers for use of the employees, I have never been able to figure out what marketing leverage the MS in MSNBC has ever helped them. What has Microsoft done for them? As a viewer, I certainly see nothing.  So, how about dropping the MS, NBC? A number of years ago, I thought there was a rumor of merging CNBC and MSNBC together. That made a lot of sense to me, but CNBC has actually been a success in their niche of business television. I thought that originally CNBC was going to be what MSNBC became. The “C” in CNBC must stand for cable, much like in CNN. By being successful with CNBC, NBC rather screwed up in reverse. So, MSNBC continues to make cosmetic changes to their broadcast presentation in a struggle to get near CNN and Fox News in the ratings. I think the term “cosmetic changes” is perfect for the new sets. They look like they come right out of Macy’s cosmetic department, all the glass and chrome and pretty lighting. I can hear an anchor saying, “Try new and improved “Doc Bloc” with extra violence. You’ll love it!”
    Actually, the first impression I got was that the production designer was obviously a fan of the 1970’s science fiction series, Space: 1999. I know I was and those sets look like Moonbase Alpha! Brian Williams doing the NBC Nightly News in Commander Koenig’s uniform complete with zippered sleeve and flared trousers would be the perfect touch. With all the mirrored disco surfaces, I wondered how long until a member of the production staff would be seen in the shot. It did not take long before a pair of legs reflected back off Contessa Brewer’s news desk. Ooops! This is a television studio, not Studio 54. Think people!
    Speaking of Contessa Brewer... Her act on MSNBC this morning was a little out of control. She was not just editorializing stories, but pontificating and coming off like a bad actress. She raged against airlines for making profits while meanwhile losing luggage and causing delays.
    “And what kind of service are you getting for those profits?” she sarcastically asked the viewer looking at the camera. Here was another instance of a member of the media, a “journalist’ not knowing a thing about the subject and making some statement without any facts or analysis. Her wrath was aimed specifically at Delta Air Lines. Apparently, her sister, a member of the military, recently returned home after being on duty. Delta had lost her luggage. The luggage had her sister’s medical records in it and now they cannot be found. Now, I do not think that I would put my medical records in my luggage while flying.  Anyone knows that one of the risks of air travel is the risk that your luggage might get lost in transit. I am a self-professed fan of Delta, but know that Delta is not perfect, none of the airlines are. What irritated me was how un-professional Contessa Brewer seemed, rolling her eyes and sounding sarcastic. She came across as judge, jury and executioner of the airline industry. Like a lot of news people she just has to interject with an opinion rather than just state the story. Hands up, how many of you are tired of news people giving un-informed opinions about stories related to what is scrolling down the teleprompter.
    Finally. One production element did cross over from New Jersey to Manhattan, the floating camera. A lot of traditional screen aesthetics went out the window in the 1990s.  It became trendy to have quick cuts between cameras, even if they were jump cuts. Having the camera constantly moving was sooooo hip… and so horrible looking. MSNBC continues to hang onto a version of this with the slow floating camera wide shot that will SUDDENLY cut to a locked off shot of a host or guest. Time to give it up. It is not hip anymore and it is still jarring and annoying to the viewer.
    MSNBC the latest makeover edition; how long will this one last?

From the ‘I Told You So.” Department: Turkey to Invade Iraq?

    As usual, American media is shocked at something in what they report. Namely, that Turkey is massing on the border of Iraq with 60,000 troops and making noises to invade. It is amazing how many media types act shocked at something that does not seem as any great surprise to me. Do not any of you guys in the media do any research? Have you ever picked up a history book?
    This situation with Turkey is another malignant outgrowth of this insane war in Iraq. I knew this could happen from the beginning. I heard, watched and read about Iraq’s history and peoples as the conflict began. It does not take a Mensa to see that the ethnic Kurds in Iraq might see this dysfunctional time as a time to declare independence. The Kurds claim areas of Turkey and Iran as their own, with Iran and Turkey claiming Kurdish parts of Iraq. And while rebel PKK Kurdish, army does not represent all Kurds, who can believe that if Turkey invades Iraq all the Kurds will fight them. And what of America’s position?
    Do we defend the Kurds as Iraqis? If we attack the Turks, we attack a NATO ally. The Turks could claim that the Kurds attacked them. Well, the NATO treaty I believe states that an attack against one is an attack against all. So, then we fight all the Kurds for Turkey’s sake? That is quite a conundrum.
    Tonight, I hear the United States Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, is offering intelligence information to the Turks to take on the PKK. There is a description on the news this evening of the PKK having Marxist influences. Oh. That will be the logic, the old stopping the Commies excuse, at least as long as the whole area the Kurds control in Iraq does not ignite. Our Secretary of Defense impresses upon the Iraqi government that they must do more to control the situation themselves in the Kurdish areas. They cannot even control Baghdad without our help!  What an incredible mess! If Turkey takes over northern Iraq, how long before her other neighbors start picking at the rest of the carcass? Iran invades from the east, Syria from the west, Turkey from the north, and Americans trapped in the middle, with their heads on a swivel, not know which way to shoot. And the LaBrea tar pit that is Iraq gets worse and worse.

D’Oh! WLW’s Darryl Parks Quotes Homer, But Talks Like Mr. Burns.

    This year, the city of Cincinnati, Ohio has proposed restoring one of its great traditions, a streetcar line. To have a streetcar line these days is more than just restoring tradition and memories in America’s cities, it is a vital part of integrating mass transit into our nation’s transportation needs. 
    Mass Transit has its detractors of course. A lot of them are like Cincinnati radio station program director, Darryl Parks and his station WLW. Mr. Parks is officially, Director of AM Operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati. He is also Regional News Talk Brand Manager for Clear Channel (overseeing 700 WLW, 55 WKRC, 1360 WCKY and 1530 WSAI) and Saturday morning talk show host.
    Gentleman Agitator gave WLW its Stinky Sandwich Award earlier this year for its approach to ‘entertainment”. I was tempted to do it again with this column, but if I gave a Stinky every time WLW said or did something rude, insulting or disrespectful to the public it claims to serve, I would be handing them out weekly I imagine.
    Last Saturday, Mr. Parks decided to take a stick to the streetcar proposal. Like a good, un-thinking conservative as opposed to a thinking conservative, he was quick to beat this perceived “liberal” plot in its crib. Anything that is a proposal for the public good, especially in the city limits of Cincinnati proper, is a “liberal” plot. That certainly is the impression you get from WLW.
    At the top of the show, Mr. Parks played a clip from the popular television show, “The Simpsons”.  The episode was partially a parody of the musical, “The Music Man” It is called “Marge vs. the Monorail”. What was being sold to fictional Springfield in the episode was a monorail line. It was being sold to them by a swindler who built a substandard monorail and then high tailed it out of town with the money he made off the folks in Springfield. The clip played had various characters questioning a monorail in their beloved Springfield in a song.  Mr. Parks obviously thought that this was a good comparison to a streetcar line in Cincinnati.    
    First. NOTE: To the lawyers at the FOX network and Matt Groeing’s lawyers. Did WLW pay for the rights to play that sound clip from “The Simpsons” on the air?
    Second. While “The Simpsons” is funny, Darryl Parks usually is not.  In fact, what I get from Darryl Parks is downright hatred for the city of Cincinnati.  His humor about the subject descended into prejudice if not borderline to racism when he referred to people in the “Over the Rhine” district as T-Rexes and Raptors. He laughed that riders of a streetcar that went into “Over the Rhine” would be veal for the T-Rexs and the Raptors.  They were going to be traveling into Jurassic Park. So, Mr. Parks, who exactly are the T-Rexs and Raptors that you speak of in “Over the Rhine” eh?
    This is the old crying routine about crime in “Over the Rhine”. Yes, there is crime. Yes, more needs to be done to improve the area. There are good people in Cincinnati devoted to making “Over the Rhine” a better and safer place to visit and live in and they are not in the “evil”, “liberal” government. You won’t hear that from WLW though.
    Mr. Parks read an online letter to the editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer who supported the streetcar idea. This person was quoted as Brent Comstock of Anderson Township. Mr. Parks wanted to challenge Mr. Comstock as to why if he supported streetcars, he did not ride the Metro bus. Well, how does he know if Mr. Comstock does not ride the Metro bus system? Who is he to assume he does not? Here, in Bloomington, Indiana, I ride the Bloomington Transit bus system as often as I can.  He seems to even mock Mr. Comstock for caring about Cincinnati when he lives in Anderson Township. Kudos to Mr. Comstock for realizing Cincinnati, and all of metropolitan Cincinnati, is one entity made up of many parts, parts that need to work together to improve and succeed.
    Mr. Parks went on to criticize Cincinnati city councilman, Chris Bortz for his suggestion that Duke Energy, formerly Cinergy, and the major power supplier for the area might donate twenty million dollars to the project for the power grid the line would run on. Here is how the Cincinnati Enquirer reported it on October 18, 2007, by line, Margaret A. McGurk:
    “Duke Energy probably will not write a multi-million dollar check for Cincinnati’s proposed streetcar line between downtown and Over-the-Rhine. The city hopes private corporations will share about a third of the system’s $102 million cost. Cincinnati City council member Chris Bortz speculated Wednesday that Duke could pay for a power grid for the streetcars, which will run on electricity.
    Not so, said Duke spokesman Steve Brash on Thursday. “We could not be a sole funder of the power infrastructure for the project,” he said. 

With expensive capital projects of its own in the works over the next fire years, he said, the company cannot spare $20 million for the streetcar system. 
“We are certainly willing to continue discussions, but we have made no commitment at this point,” Brash said.
    Mr. Parks blew this report up to implying that Bortz and the “do nothing” city council as he put it, was going to somehow force Duke Energy to give them this money. He said that the Enquirer’s editorial board was bought and paid for on the subject. He even threw out the oldest, cheapest red meat line for his conservative listeners.  He implied that this idea sounded like “Communism.” Gasp! Not Communism Darryl! Please, Mr. Parks say it ain’t so! Commies are in the Queen City’s city council? Tell us Senator McCarthy, uh, I mean Mr. Parks, which ones are “fellow travelers”?  Are your ratings that bad at the “Big One”? First, a fake fight between on air hosts, and then red baiting? I guess it is pretty good for making money for WLW and its masters at Clear Channel, but pretty pathetic broadcasting. I think even the father of WLW, the hardly liberal, Powel Crosley Jr. would be embarrassed by his creation today.
    Then Mr. Parks pulled out another old chestnut.  He asked corporations to call into the station to make donations to the streetcar proposal. He even gave out a special number, (513) 749-3700. He crowed that he was going to keep that line open. Then he let some oh so dramatic dead air silence make his point when the phone line did not ring immediately. “Anyone? Anyone?” he asked with silent pauses.  Yes, yes, very witty, very witty. A real Oscar Wilde you are Darryl Parks.
    In “Marge vs. the Monorail” on The Simpsons, Marge Simpson wants to fix the city’s main street before putting in a monorail.  Considering the monorail turns out to be a swindle, Marge is proved right. Marge has the best intentions to improve Springfield. What are Darryl Parks' intentions towards his own city? Would he even agree with Marge to fix streets, or would he find reason to criticize that as well?  If it meant the least little tax increase or a bond measure, I think he would squawk and squawk no. That is the philosophical bent of people like Darryl Parks. Any idea that might be helpful for the common good such as better transportation or better schools or making the city safer must somehow be a government scam. Rather than improve the Cincinnati metropolitan area, it seems he would rather criticize and deride.  Swindles come in many forms. What is Darryl Parks trying to swindle out of Cincinnati for the money making gain of his station? Could it be, its future?

Defording Sports: Baryshnikov Leaps! He Scores!

    As an avid listener to National Public Radio (NPR), I often hear Frank Deford, the senior contributing writer at Sports Illustrated pontificate on the sporting world. His commentaries run each Wednesday on NPR. Usually, I am in the shower and as we all know, some of our best thinking goes on in the shower. Sometimes I agree with Mr. Deford and sometimes I have not a clue where he is coming from.
    That was the case yesterday with his commentary, “Sports, the Rodney Dangerfield of Academia?” He was reflecting on the comments of Princeton University, Athletic Director Gary Walters comments on sports and the arts. Deford says, "Is it time," he (Walters) asks, "for the educational-athletic experience on our playing fields be accorded the same ... academic respect as the arts?"
    Deford responds, “Well, apart from simply being so sweaty, I think that sport has suffered in comparison with the arts — or should I say: the other arts — because it is founded on trying to win. Artists are not supposed to be competitive. They are expected to be above that. We always hear "art for art's sake." Nobody ever says "sport for sport's sake."
    Well, it may not be as sweaty, but if you have had to play Beethoven’s or Shostakovich’s Fifth symphonies in concert, you might have worked up a bit of a sweat. I think Mr. Deford’s assertion that artists are not supposed to be competitive is not quite accurate. I guess he has never heard of the Tchaikovsky piano competition, a high school band competition or the local art show. Competition can come out in the arts. Some artists do just believe in “art for art’s sake”. Then again one of the eternal questions is, “What is art?” Since the answer is always indefinite, it really leaves the belief in art for art’s sake rather moot. 
    As for "sport for sport’s sake", that has been said also. Many sports leagues for children stress, the joy of playing the game and making sure everyone gets to play, over the final score. I think you can also say that sport for sport’s sake is in how the game is played as well. It used to be commonplace that good sportsmanship (fair play, no cheating, respect for coaches, officials and opponents etc.) was held up as an axiom of athletic competition.  It is harder and harder to find that. Mr. Deford, in case you did not know it, there are no members of the San Francisco Symphony that we know of, on the “juice” to play their instrument better, as opposed to a certain home run king with the San Francisco Giants baseball club.
    Later in his commentary, Mr. Deford makes a one to one comparison with Michael Jordan and Mikhail Baryshnikov. “…Is not what we saw Michael Jordan do every bit as artistic as what we saw Mikhail Baryshnikov do?” Well, yes in a way. Perhaps we could say one was “athletic” and the other was “artistic”. No one can deny that to see the human body move in beautiful and extraordinary ways is inspiring.  To say that we must somehow equate the athletic with the artistic is not being fair to either in my opinion. I have only ever felt there was one sport where human movement in athletic competition merged with artistry and that is figure skating. The sport is judged on both the athletic and the artistic. No offense to the skating guys, but I find women’s figure skating to be the paragon of grace, style, beauty and action in human form.  Therefore, Frank, I will give you that with women’s figure skating.
    The Princeton athletic director, Walters, is quoted by Deford, “Athletic competition nourishes our collective souls and contributes to the holistic education of the total person in the same manner as the arts." It is true that athletic competition can be very good for young people in contributing to their overall development. Development, appreciation and understanding of one’s body fit can happen in sports. Social growth can also happen by learning discipline and the ability to work with others. Studying the details of a sport can also develop the mind; it’s strategies and techniques. The problem is, these days, from children on up, these ideals are constantly at risk of being undermined by an ethic that one must win and win at almost any cost. The Oakland Raiders motto of “Just Win Baby” seems to have consciously or unconsciously seeped into our culture.
    Recently, I read a post from a Cincinnati Bengals’ fan board, frustrated with their recent losing streak, who wanted all the talented players that had been accused or convicted of crimes in recent years back with the team because, “I want to win!” What a sad commentary on our society that is.
    Frank Deford wonders, “Why can a young musician major in music, a young actor major in drama, but a young football player can't major in football? That not only strikes me as unfair, but it encourages the hypocrisy that contributes to the situation where those hidebound defenders of the artistic faith can take delight in looking down their noses at sport.”
    Well, let us say you can major in a sport. How is that curriculum going to be built? Sure, the on the field activities can be a student’s lab section. What about the rest of the time? How about a course in the History of Football?  How are we going to grade them? Does a linebacker get bonus points for every sack in a game? Yes, I suppose you could do that. You could build a football major, or soccer, tennis, field hockey and the like. You would be cheating the student though Mr. Deford, at least the ones who never make it to or have a professional level in their sport.
    You are forgetting about their lives after the average age of thirty-five for professionals and right after college for others. What are they to do with their baseball major, if they cannot make a career of it? I know we could sarcastically joke about English majors in the same way, but they can at least teach to use their major. The sport major could teach by coaching, but coaching positions in sports are fewer than English teachers. Overall, the wisest college athlete, even if he or she becomes a professional, knows that someday the body will say enough, and that having a career after sports will be almost a necessity. That is why you need to get a degree in something other than a sport.
    Mr. Deford makes a generalization that people who are artists look down at sports. Yes, I am sure there are snobs out there who act like the old sitcom character Frasier Crane, when it comes to sports. I am sure also that there are some who look down at the arts and hail sports as the most important endeavor on the planet.
    Then there were those rare persons who transverse both like former Cincinnati Bengal of the 1970’s, Mike Reid who played football and was an accomplished pianist. He has even gone on to write a one-act opera called, “Different Fields” about a professional football team. It kind of busts your generalization does it not Frank? As someone who literally grew up around a professional football team and likes the arts, I guess I should look down at myself also. 
    No, it is just a matter of having perspective and appreciation for both sports and the arts. At their best, each contributes to the betterment of people and society around the world. Where they on occasion crossover we can appreciate that, but let us just keep them as separate undertakings each with their own value.       

I hope to have more "Defording Sports" columns in the future here at Gentleman Agitator. I respect Frank Deford’s work and his thought provoking commentaries. That is why I enjoy sparring with his ideas.