RonF

I also heard diabetes. Someone else said it was serious...whatever it is. Damn sad.

I hear you. I just meant "bottom line" in terms of his career - which is in serious trouble.

Reminds me of Rush Limburger. "I'm not a racist.....but." "I'm not a hypocrite...but." He's worried about the "bottom line". $$$$$ Mel Gibson Seeks Forgiveness From Jews By ALLISON HOPE WEINER Published: August 2, 2006 LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 — Faced with growing outrage over his anti-Semitic remarks when arrested last week, Mel Gibson offered a second apology, this time specifically imploring the forgiveness of Jews and asking for meetings with Jewish leaders who might help him find “the appropriate path for healing.” The statement, issued on Tuesday, followed an earlier apology that acknowledged “despicable” remarks, but never specifically mentioned their anti-Jewish tenor. “There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark,” Mr. Gibson said in Tuesday’s statement. He continued, in part: “I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a D.U.I. charge. I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena.” Mr. Gibson went on to say he wished “to take it one step further, and meet with Jewish leaders” for a “one-on-one discussion.” This latest apology was greeted with cautious optimism by some Jews who had harshly admonished Mr. Gibson only days before upon learning that he had berated Jews in an obscene tirade after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early on Friday morning. “This is finally an apology,” said Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League. “We’re glad that he owned up that what he said was not only offensive, but bigoted. When he’s finished with alcohol rehabilitation, we will be ready and willing to meet with him and to help him get rid of his other addiction, which is prejudice.” Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center here, also offered to meet with Mr. Gibson, but cautioned in a statement that, like substance abuse and alcoholism, anti-Semitism “cannot be cured in one day and certainly not through a press release.” On Monday the Walt Disney Company said it was dropping plans to develop a Holocaust-themed mini-series in collaboration with Mr. Gibson, who had been criticized by some who found anti-Semitic overtones in his hit movie “The Passion of the Christ.” A Disney spokeswoman did not connect the project’s termination to Mr. Gibson’s remarks. But Rabbi Hier and others had already suggested publicly that Mr. Gibson’s outburst should disqualify him from the project. Since his arrest, Mr. Gibson’s representatives have repeatedly said he was not yet prepared to discuss the events publicly. In a phone interview on Tuesday, however, Mr. Gibson’s longtime agent, Ed Limato of International Creative Management, described Mr. Gibson as “embarrassed and ashamed,” and said: “He obviously has a problem, and he’s doing everything he can to make amends. The other night was inexcusable.” At the same time, Mr. Limato strongly rebuked some competitors, who, he said, were openly assailing Mr. Gibson after having tried and failed to woo him from I.C.M. “For some people in my business to publicly try to destroy Mel Gibson because of this incident the other night I find very hypocritical,” he said, “since I know one or two, who even after ‘The Passion of the Christ’ have been calling Mr. Gibson and trying to entice him to their agency as a client weekly.” Mr. Limato declined to identify any agents. Ariel Emanuel, a partner in the Endeavor agency, has been among Mr. Gibson’s most pointed critics in Hollywood in the last few days, using the huffingtonpost.com Web site on Sunday to call on Hollywood to refuse to work with Mr. Gibson. “At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements,” Mr. Emanuel wrote. “Now we know the truth. And no amount of publicist-approved contrition can paper it over.” Mr. Emanuel declined through a spokesman to be interviewed about Mr. Gibson’s new statement. Mr. Limato said he could not yet tell how the incident would affect Mr. Gibson’s professional future. “These are difficult times, and it’s too early to tell what the repercussions will be,” he said. “I hope there won’t be any.” Richard Donner, who directed Mr. Gibson in the hugely profitable “Lethal Weapon” films, said he had never heard the actor speak an anti-Semitic word. “In all of us there are seeds that have been implanted by others,” Mr. Donner said. “He’s crying out for help.” Donna Dubrow, a veteran film producer who has been collaborating with Mr. Gibson to develop “Lady Gold,” a detective drama, said she believed his expressions of regret were genuine. “My experience with him in the past is when he says something, he does it,” she said.

Hey barkeep. Hic. Gimme another boll. Girls! You wanna hug from a drunk supastah? Get over here! Hey burkeep...hic. Gimme nother bottle! One more for the road! Hic. I'm outta here! Hic.

I dig Brackeen, too.

Precisely.

Chris, Keep in mind, it's not unusual for kids 15 and 16 to struggle with grades....anywhere - anytime. Their brains are a chemistry set...exploding. Those are tough years! And, it's not unusual for kids to tank in school after a move - temporarily. Once things become more familiar and more permanent, things tend to smooth out. It will help like hell and it's extemely important for you and Catrina to be on the same page - difficult as that may be. And don't rule out counseling if the wheels get wobbly. Hang in there.

Chris, I'm not a fan of tough love. We had a daughter who was caught in an abusive, teen-dating relationship when she was 15. It was hell. Had to play it like a chess match - at the advice of counselors. Long story short, it was a shitty, hard road but she pulled out of it. Counseling works. That's what I want to say about that. I think it saved her...and us. Here's my point. I don't think keeping the kids in New York is tough love. Families move - millions of them every year. My wife's father was a highway patrolman - they moved every 2 or 3 years. She attended 4 high schools. They got used to it. They survived. It doesn't seem like these kids have been there all that long. Everyone is different but if they're still bummed out, I suggest they will make the necessary adjustments before too long. BUT, if they think there's even half a shot at pressuring Mom to move back - they'll work it until it happens. Slam dunk. Just saying, "No. We're sorry, but we're not moving.", I repeat, is not tough love. Not in my book. It's just life. Good luck. Teen years can be a sonuvabitch.

Condolences to you and your family, Kevin.

With business practices like that, Norman may be responsible for his graying.

Turn that music down and clean your room young man!

Bloody cool! Me too. Drummers rule!

Stinks.

Same birthday as mine? Very cool dude! Have a good one.

Just a little reminder. I don't know anyone who doesn't have sympathy for the families of the deceased. It wasn't the fault of his wife or his children that he was perhaps the most ruthless, merciless, uncaring corporate criminal in the history of our country. He cut a swath of personal devastation that is probably incalculable. While tens of thousands were scrambling to put little pieces of their lives back together he traveled, sailed, golfed, partied and lounged in the lap of luxury.A motherf*cking pig. Workers lose jobs, health care and savings at Enron By Steve Paulsen 14 January 2002 Thousands of current and former Enron employees have lost their jobs, health care and life savings since the bankruptcy of the gas and trading giant last month, while records show that many of Enron’s top executives made in the tens and some in the hundreds of millions of dollars during the past year, while concealing the true financial state of the company. In the largest corporate bankruptcy in history, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection December 2, only a few weeks after admitting that it had overstated earnings by more than $586 million since 1997 and competitor Dynegy backed out of a deal to buy part of the company for $10 billion. The day after filing for bankruptcy, Enron fired 5,000 workers, one quarter of its 21,000 employees. The company expects to fire more workers as it sells or shuts down business units. The layoffs at Enron’s showcase 50-story headquarters in downtown Houston were especially brutal, where 4,500 of the 7,500 workers there were let go. Houston police were brought into the building, and just before lunchtime all nonessential employees were told to go home. On their way out, many were told that they did not have jobs anymore. Others were called at home with the message that they had been fired. Laid-off workers received a mere $4,500 severance payment, no matter how many years they had worked for the company. In the past, workers had received one week’s pay for each year of work and one week’s pay for each $10,000 a year in salary. Workers are not being told if they will receive any additional benefits or whether the company will enforce a contract provision that bars workers from collecting any severance pay if they sign up for unemployment benefits. Enron also canceled all health and medical insurance for the 5,000 laid-off workers. Many workers had to cancel surgery, including at least one worker who was scheduled to undergo cancer treatment. Another worker reported that she only found out her insurance was canceled when she went to pick up medication for her husband who was recovering from heart surgery. She said that the antibiotics and blood pressure medicine now cost her $250 compared to the $10 co-payment she had previously paid. Federal law requires that companies offer laid-off workers continued health-care coverage for 18 months. However, Enron has not provided workers with information on how to sign up for the continuing benefits. Even if or when the company makes continuing coverage available, most laid-off workers will be unable to afford the average premium of $7,000 a year. Millions in 401(k) savings lost Thousands of current, laid-off and retired workers lost most of their life savings when the company prevented workers from selling Enron stock held in 401(k) saving accounts just as the stock price plummeted. “I can tell you, without pulling punches, something stinks here,” said Charles Prestwood, a 63-year-old retired plant operations worker who lost 99 percent of his savings when Enron collapsed. “I lost everything I had,” Prestwood said. He testified along with several current and retired workers in front of a Senate hearing held last month. Millions of workers save money for retirement in company-sponsored 401(k) plans, which the company will match with a limited contribution, usually in the form of company stock. While the company gets a 100 percent tax write-off for their portion, they usually require workers to keep the money invested in company stock for a set number of years or until they reach a certain age. Enron did both. Enron would not permit workers under 50 years of age, or with less than five years service, to sell the portion of the 401(k) that had been the company’s contribution. In addition, like most companies, Enron encouraged workers to invest their own money in the company’s stock. Consequently, more than half of employees’ 401(k) savings, or about $1.2 billion, was invested in Enron stock. Those shares are now nearly worthless. Moreover, in the very critical period from the end of October through much of November Enron prevented all workers and retirees from selling any company shares held in their 401(k) accounts. “It seems strange to me that as soon as the really bad news came out on Enron, we found ourselves unable to move out of the stock,” said 47-year-old Robert Vigil, an electrical machinist and foreman for Enron. Vigil said the losses for eight of his co-workers totaled nearly $2.9 million. “You can imagine how this catastrophe has affected us,” he said. “Now multiply that feeling across thousands of other homes.” Enron claims that they notified participants in a letter dated October 4 that the lockdown would begin October 29 and last through November 20. However, Prestwood testified that his letter was dated October 8 and postmarked October 10. Janice Farmer, a retired Enron worker from Florida, said she did not receive any notice of the lockdown. She said she became concerned over the stock’s slide and called October 22 to sell her stock but was told she had been locked out. Ms. Farmer was not able to sell her stock until November 26 and she received only $20,416 out of her $700,000 retirement savings. She now faces surviving on a $63 monthly Social Security check. “I cannot help but feel that I and thousands of employees like me have been lied to and we have been cheated,” Farmer said. “Instead of being rewarded for my hard work and loyalty, I am left with a lawsuit against my employer and those responsible.” The stock lockdown began the day after Enron’s release of a $618 million third-quarter loss that sent the stock into a tailspin. On October 10 Enron stock was selling for $35 a share, on October 26 it had fallen to $15 and by November 20 it had fallen to $7. By the end of November Enron stock was selling for under 50 cents a share. Company officials said that the lockdown was necessary to maintain accurate records while the company switched to a new administrator of the plan. However, lawyers representing workers who lost their savings argue that a plan should not be touched, let alone shut down, during a period of financial trouble. While workers and retirees were losing their savings, top executives and directors of the company—those who knew and were responsible for the concealment of losses and the dubious financial practices—were making millions in the sale of their stock. Between January 1 and August 31, 2001, 20 top executives and directors sold 2,989,178 shares of Enron stock for a total of $116,977,511. At the top of the list was Lou L. Pai, chairman and CEO of Enron Xcelerator, who made $33,629,380. Next came Kenneth L. Lay, chairman and CEO, who made $16,103,181. Lay was followed by former president and CEO, Jeffrey K. Skilling, who made $15,554,700. Skilling abandoned Enron in August after holding the top job at the company for only six months. Over the past four-year period, Enron’s top executives and directors took in nearly $600 million through the sale of company stock. Under federal law, executives are only allowed to sell stocks during pre-announced specific times, typically inside windows between earnings reports. However, starting November 2000, many top executives began selling stock year-round on a regular basis according to a plan approved by securities regulators. For example, Kenneth Lay sold 4,000 shares per day from November 1, 2000 until February 2001; 3,000 per day from February to April and 3,500 per day from May until August 21, the last day records were still available. Skilling sold 10,000 shares a week. The ability to sell shares continually this way was part of the deregulation of the securities industry. In all, Lou Pai made $353.7 million from the sale of Enron stock while Lay sold $101.3 million worth of stock, or 24 percent of his stake in the company. In addition, just days before filing for bankruptcy, Enron paid $55 million in retention bonuses to about 500 top executives. One quarter of that money went to just 11 people. Those 11 received payments ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. This was in addition to $50 million in bonuses paid earlier to 75 other executives. Individual workers and retirees were not the only ones hurt by the Enron meltdown. While the executives made millions, retirement funds for millions of workers had also been invested heavily and lost millions in Enron stock.

Congrats Jim.

My wife and I are still pups....in our 30 somethings. This is monumental, Chuck and Ann. Way to goddamn go!

We're forgetting all about CNN's Daryn Kagen, Rush Limburger's girlfriend. She's gotta be a happy camper.

Isn't Limburger on probation - or something like that? I thought part of his plea agreement was to "stay clean" for a couple of years. That means arriving from the Dominican Republic with a pill prescription for ANYTHING in someone else's name is a big NO NO. Wonder how he's spinning this one today. F*cking idiot.

Frank Deford focused on Cuban in his weekly segment on NPR this morning. One might anticipate Deford ripping Mark Cuban a new one but quite the contrary. He didn't excuse the occassional crazy stuff but praised him for his genuine, fanlike enthusiasm, his love for the game and for the new face he has put on "ownership". In the world of sports, according to Deford, Cuban has "redefined the position."

To big burgers, great beer and family smiles!

Al, Fagen plays a melodica on Mary Shut the Garden Door. Howard Levy plays harmonica on What I Do. I hear you about the harp. Personally, I dig the melodica.

Blue Note isn't the only label rearranging furniture. Over the past year, Concord has signed Rita Coolidge, Debbie Boone and Michael Bolton.