Hutch Report

Hutch Report Popular Posts Volume Two

2009-11-28T01:06:00.002-06:00

Hutch Report Archives 2009 (September) - Posts from 09/2009.
Hutch Report Archives 2009 (October) - Posts from 10/2009.
Hutch Report Archives 2009 (November) - Posts from 11/2009.
President Visits Fort Hood For Memorial - Barack Obama travels to Texas.
Hurricane Ida Floods Gulf Coast - It's the water that kills most in hurricanes.
Miles Austin Dallas Cowboys Hero - It's fun to watch Miles Austin play football.
America Loves Susan Boyle - BGT winner sings on "Dancing With The Stars".
Does Taylor Swift Have Staying Power - Swift wins "Entertainer of the Year".
Rick Perry v. Kay Bailey Hutchison For Texas Governor - Who will win?
Goldman Sachs Bonuses / Capitalism Or Greed - High Wall Street bonuses.
Will UAW Take Down Ford - Rumors spread that UAW will strike Ford.
Thanksgiving Yellow Book Ad / Cat Comes Out Of A Turkey - Funny commercial.
Video Of President Obama Bowing To Japanese Emperor - Sad day for America.

Old Money Battles New, Google v. Rupert Murdoch/Microsoft

2009-11-23T00:00:00.003-06:00

As most Americans are just fighting hard to hold onto their jobs and savings, the richest people in the world are already well on their way toward dividing up the available money on this Earth for themselves. On one side of this fight are old money pioneers like Microsoft and Rupert Murdoch (The Chairman of News Corp) - who are still holding on the the ideas of the past when it comes to making money in the news delivery business. On the other side of this building media war is search engine Goliath Google. Sometime within the next couple of years, either the old money that makes up Microsoft and News Corp. will prevail or Google will win with is open search engine delivery system.

News Corp Chairman of the Board Rupert Murdoch has made it crystal clear of his intention to bind together most newspapers in a new cooperative that will ban their content from Google. Rupert Murdoch and other old money newspaper publishers want to charge everyone that reads their material online a fee, in the same way they charge the dwindling few people that still subscribe to an old fashion print newspaper right now. Personally, I could care less what Microsoft and Rupert Murdoch plan to do with their old time newspapers either online on in their printed editions. Maybe Google should just say, “you go girl” and let all of those old money newspaper folks just go down the tubes together and take their arrogant attitudes with them.

Rupert Murdoch was interviewed on a television program I watched the other day and after he was finished outlining his new ideas to save the newspaper business – I was convinced that the funeral ship had already sailed with it's corpse of old time newspaper dominance in cities around the globe. The world has change completely around them, but newspaper publishers like Rupert Murdoch have not change with them. Instead, Murdoch and now likely Microsoft will attempt to put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to the manner in which newspapers earn their profit – but the big picture they are missing is that most young people could care less about their local newspaper and usually only read it to find out what time a movie they want to see begins.

Google, on the other hand, has worked tirelessly to open up the content of the Internet to the world at no cost as long as a few ads are allowed to run on those content pages. Millions of those ads are placed on blogger pages like this one and all those small dollars are helping fund millions of voices around the world that would never even be given a chance to write for a Rupert Murdoch publication or work for Microsoft. While there will be a war between Google and Rupert Murdoch/Microsoft – the war has already been won by Google – because with 70 plus percent of the worlds Internet traffic flowing through Google each day. Simple math should dictate to Rupert Murdoch and Microsoft that there are new rules when it comes to Internet success and all roads to that success lead through the Internet search engine called Google.

Latvian Man Throws Dog From A Bridge

2009-11-19T23:44:00.004-06:00

I just finished watching some of the most disturbing Internet video that I have ever seen in my life. In that video, a Latvian man throws a defenseless dog off a bridge - while he and his friends laugh as the dog howls out in pain on the road below. I know that the world is filled with people that have no compassion for animals or even other human beings for that matter, but when I watch something like this happen - it makes me so mad that I want to grab that idiot and throw him off a bridge, too.

Sometimes, I believe the compassionate majority of people in this world are far too forgiving of genetically defective people like the man that threw that dog off the bridge. Thanks to the help of people who saw that fool, via his own Internet video footage, throw that dog off a bridge - he has been tracked down and arrested. The charges against him involve animal cruelty, but sadly the maximum sentence he could receive is only one year in jail. Dog lovers can only hope that he becomes the cellmate of a person that is big as a giant and who also loves dogs.

I personally believe that people who abuse animals would just as quickly abuse other human beings. So to me, this guy is nothing more than a future murderer in training. The good news in this whole terrible story is that thousands people rallied together to make sure this Latvian man did not get away with his despicable crime. There is no excuse for anyone abusing an animal by throwing it off a bridge or in any other way. The time has come for all nations around the world to unite and say with one voice that we want stronger laws to punish people that don't have the common decency not to torture animals.

As I watched the video of this crazy man throwing that dog off a bridge today, my mind drifted to my own two dogs - which my wife and I consider more like our children than domesticated animals. The latest news reports say remarkably that this particular dog was taken to a veterinary hospital, patched up and now has an excellent chance of survival. If destiny has anything to do with this case, that little dog will outlive the man who threw it off a bridge. Knowing pet lovers the way I do, this guy should be keeping a low profile right now or someone is likely to grab him off the street and take him to that same bridge where he tossed that dog onto the road below.

News Media Scared Of Sarah Palin

2009-11-18T23:32:00.003-06:00

Members of the liberal news media are scared to death of Sarah Palin. Why, I don't know – but they are. This week, Sarah Palin's new book went on sale around the country and soon thereafter the mainstream liberal news media started making fun of her in the same way they did last year when she was selected as John McCain's VP running mate. Sure, when it comes to intellectual conversation – Sarah Palin is not the first person you thing of, but when it comes to likability – almost everyone, but liberals, thinks she is pretty neat.

Plain and simple, I believe most members of the liberal news media are scared of Sarah Palin – because she is a nice looking woman who believes in conservative values. To the morally bankrupt crowd that make up the current national news media in the United States – someone like Sarah Palin is a huge threat to their “anything goes” mantra that is pushed daily via political scandals and movies and television shows that are produced in Hollywood, that encourage both young and old alike to live for the pleasure of the moment without giving a second thought to the consequences that will occur.

For young people reading this blog post - I want to let you know that this mainstream liberal news media making fun of a conservative Republican is nothing new, in fact the first time I saw it practiced in my lifetime was when Ronald Reagan decided to run for President of the United States in the 1970's. Back then, mainstream news media liberals at all three broadcast network television outlets and at liberal newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post constantly attacked and laughed at Ronald Reagan for being a “light weight” politician. In the end, President Ronald Reagan put egg on all their faces as will Sarah Palin - if she decided to run for President someday.

Moderate and conservative Americans have never understood why news media liberals find it necessary to attack the intellect of conservative politicians, like Sarah Palin, just because they are pro-choice and believe in a smaller U.S. federal government. There is a certain “holier than thou” attitude among some extreme liberals and that uppity attitude is what has caused liberal politicians to always fail over the long run when they achieve real power in Washington. Simply put, most Americans don't want their moral values challenged by a bunch of immoral people that just happen to report the news on television with a prospective that feels completely wrong to most people.

Levi Johnston / Carrie Prejean Marriage?

2009-11-17T11:18:00.005-06:00

Sometimes when two young people get married it is referred to as "a match made in heaven". Over the past week as I have watched two of Americans youngest make complete fools out of themselves, I now believe that Levi Johnston and Carrie Prejean should get married. Of course, I am joking - but in today's celebrity obsessed word, a brief marriage between these two all American screw ups would be fun to watch. For weeks I have watched as Carrie Prejean put on her "good girl" act on for Fox News - while forgetting to tell them or the public that she had recorded several less than innocent sex tapes.

Then there is the male version of Carrie Prejean, Levi Johnston, who has now been taken under the wing of the ultra left wing in the U.S. as a tool to help bring down Sarah Palin as her book tour gets underway this week. I almost laughed until I cried the other day as some tabloid TV show interviewed Levi Johnston with a straight face about his desire to gain joint custody of his child with Bristol Palin - just as soon as he finishes his nude portrayal for Playgirl Magazine. That is when I decided it would be fun to watch Levi Johnston and Carrie Prejean as a married couple.

While a marriage between Carrie Prejean and Levi Johnston would not last long, the time period when they were wed - would be better than any reality TV show that has ever been shown on television. Neither Levi Johnston or Carrie Prejean are known for their deep intellect, so a marriage between these two would be filled with nothing but lies about bad moral behavior and the funny part would be that while both would assume that everyone would believe their lies - no one really would. It would be worth paying real money just to hear Carrie Prejean tell Levi Johnston that he was being inappropriate by asking her why she stayed out all night.

Maybe members of the tabloid news media that are fixated on Carrie Prejean and Levi Johnston will encourage these two to get married? Just like with politics, extremeist conservatives and liberals have taken their cause to the tabloid news media with Carrie Prejean being the poster child for conservatives and Levi Johnston being the ever available nemesis for the liberals against Sarah Palin. In the same way that marriage created great political entertainment when James Carville and Mary Matalin were web, similar crazy stuff could be expected out of a Johnston/Prejean marriage as well.

Orlando News Media Without Casey Anthony

2009-11-17T00:07:00.005-06:00

Over the past one year plus as the murder of little two year old Caylee Anthony, allegedly, at the hands of her own deranged mother - Casey has made national and international headlines, media outlets in the Orlando, Florida area have found themselves at the forefront of a long and drawn out case of murder. Before the world heard the name Caylee or Casey Anthony, Orlando news media outlets like the "Orlando Sentinel" and TV stations like WESH had seldom been heard from outside their local areas of news coverage.

However, the sensational upcoming murder trial of Casey Anthony sometime early next year - will, once again, push the writers at the "Orlando Sentinel" and local TV reporters from WESH TV back into the national spotlight as the Casey Anthony murder trial gets underway. While it will be nice for the Orlando news media to bask in the light of national and international attention as Casey Anthony murder trial moves forward, there will come a day sometime in 2010 that reporters in the Orlando area will move away from their daily coverage of the Casey Anthony story and return to more mundane local coverage of traffic accidents, random murders and yes the prospect of job additions and cuts at Disney World.

From a personal point of view - I can relate to what is happening right now in the Orlando, Florida news media. I live in Waco, Texas and everyone remembers what happened here back in the early 1990's. At that time, the local Waco, Texas news media was also used to fill in many of the gaps in the David Koresh story, which was front page news around the world for several weeks. In Orlando - the build up to the Casey Anthony murder trial is lasting much longer than the short standoff that brought Waco, Texas into the media spotlight over one decade ago. However, just like here in Waco - the Orlando news media will, at some time in the near future, go back to a life a normalcy.

After David Koresh went up in flames at the Branch Davidian compound back in the early 1990's - life in Waco, Texas went pretty much back to normal until President Bush decided to make his home in Crawford, Texas just a few miles to the west of our city. While the Bush presidency lasted for eight years - if you ask most people in the world what they think of when they hear the name Waco, Texas - you will get the answer David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. In that same way, even decades from now - when Orland, Florida is mentioned to people around the world - the first thing they will think of will be Casey Anthony and the murder of her two year old daughter Caylee.

Will 2009 Change Global Warming Minds?

2009-11-16T23:26:00.005-06:00

Everywhere I look this fall, there is cooler weather than in years past. All of this cold weather is falling on the heals of one of the mildest hurricane seasons in modern day history. So, the question is - will the winter of 2009 change the minds of people who believe that Global Warming is real? My guess is no, but for middle of the road thinkers like myself who are torn between the mainly political debate between extremist like Rush Limbaugh and Al Gore - all this cooler than normal weather does make some of us wonder, if the whole Global Warming threat was ever real in the first place.

I am a proud American that thinks about matters of science in my own way. That said, I have carefully listened to Global Warming proponents over the past decade or so and I have equally listened to the group of people that the mainstream media has labeled as Global Warming deniers. For me, a moderate to conservative thinking American - the whole Global Warming movement has always reminded me of some liberal conspiracy that was cooked up in a basement somewhere to change the American way of life from a capitalistic system to a more government controlled liberal nation. The actions of Al Gore and many of his crony's have further blurred the reality of Global Warming as he travels around the world preaching the "gloom and doom" of carbon emission on a private jet.

Then there are the ultra-conservative voices of people like Rush Limbaugh that make me just as mad as they claim it is more than OK to just keep polluting this Earth until the end of time. Unfortunately, the United States of America has morphed into too many extreme liberals and conservatives that believe their narrow view of the world is the only way to true righteousness. To this date, I have never heard a satisfactory answer to the most basic questions of whether man made Global Warming is real or not. That question is, if it is a proven fact that the Earth was once warmer than it is today and at that period of time there were no man made carbon emissions - then how are we to know that man is causing the current warming trend on Earth?

Like most other Americans, I am 100% in favor of all us cleaning up our act so we leave this Earth cleaner than when we entered it. However, there is a big difference between mankind desiring to clean up it's own act because it is the right thing to do and a bunch of liberal politicians and scientist claiming that we will all die if we don't do it faster. Right now it appears that 2009 will be the mildest hurricane season in decades in the United States and there is better than a 50/50 chance that the winter of 2009 will be one of the coldest we have witnessed in years. In the end, 2009 might go down in history as the year when thinking people say - "enough of this Global Warming propaganda" and started living and enjoying this world that God has given us - without the guilt that Global Warming proponents have tried to instill in us for decades.

Fool Me Once Shame On You, Fool Me Twice?

2009-11-16T12:06:00.003-06:00

Today, General Motors announced that they only lost $1.2 billion in the third quarter and then went on to say that soon they will start paying back the U.S. government the billions of dollars in bailout money that was loaned to them earlier. Now, I am just a simple man from Texas - but there seems to be some kind of problem with the calculators at General Motors. How, is it possible for a company to lose over one billion dollars in the third quarter and then announce that they will start paying back taxpayers their money at the rate of $1 billion dollars per quarter starting in December?

The only way that kind of math is even possible is in a government run operation. It appears that General Motors really has become what some have joke about for months, "Government Motors". Not only is General Motors moving full speed ahead toward producing fuel efficient cars that consumers will most likely not be interested in buying, but now the management at GM is starting to talk and act like Members of Congress when it comes to the management of money. As many people already know, in Washington D.C. it is common for Congress to claim that they have cut spending by just reducing the amount of increase in a government program.

That begs the questions of, is General Motors trying to fool American taxpayers once again? Most of us have heard the old saying "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". It seems like General Motors is trying to fool the American people once again about it's overall financial well being. Most Americans said in public opinion polls that they did not want to loan General Motors bailout money. However, in classic style - Washington politicians substituted their own superior wisdom for that of the American people. Now for all practical purposes, General Motors is just another department of the U.S. government - so why shouldn't they start talking like Washington D.C. politicians when it comes to the handling of money?

What I will remember as General Motors and the U.S. federal government continue to use fuzzy math to describe is that Ford Motor Company did not take any taxpayer money and rather than losing $1 billion in the third quarter they earn a profit of almost that same amount. The right way for a capitalist nation to operate is the way Ford Motor Company has been running it's business. General Motors is showing the exact wrong way a business should be run. Sadly, political leaders will now use the old logic of "we are too invested now in GM to allow it to fail" to continue to prop up a company that should have been allowed to go out of business. In the future, General Motors might consider changing its name to "Fuzzy Math Motors" as they continue to try and fool the American people.

Levi, Bristol & Sarah Soap Opera Week

2009-11-16T11:22:00.005-06:00

There will be no need to watch soap operas this week, because on almost every channel there will be a real life daytime drama playing out. This week, Sarah Palin's new book "Going Rouge" will be released to the public and not since the release of Hillary Clinton's book a few years ago has there been more hype and pre-release publicity for a politically oriented hardback. The story line of this real life soap opera begins with a governor of a small state who discovers that the GOP nominee for President of the United States wants her to become his VP running mate.

While that honor would be enough for some non dramatic types, this story does not end there - in fact it becomes even more strange as all types of family dysfunction work together to bring about the perfect storm of an American family that while close, face the most private moments in front of a TV camera. What soap opera would be real if it did not have the innocent young daughter of the VP candidate - falling for a "bad boy" and to make matters worse getting pregnant by him. The soap opera of Levi, Bristol and Sarah gets off to a good start as it is revealed that Sarah's teenage daughter Bristol became pregnant by who at the time she thought to be a fine young man, named Levi, from their small hometown in Alaska.

As the months passed and a losing presidential campaign sent Sarah back home to Alaska, the soap opera of Levi, Bristol and Sarah began to take on a new - but expected story line. Then, as everyone's life began to get back to normal, Bristol's "bad boy" boyfriend did not seem that exciting anymore - so the family decided that it would be best if he did not see his own child anymore. At first, that decision did not seem to bother Levi that much, but as time went by and the possibility of making a few extra bucks writing a book and posing nude for Playgirl were offered - then like magic, Levi decides that he wants to be a part of his child's life, at least for now.

Who knows what will happen next in this real life soap opera of Levi, Bristol and Sarah? If everything stays true to form, in a few years the story line of this daytime drama could take Sarah back into politics and who knows maybe someday Sarah will be the President of the United States? If that happens, most certainly young Bristol will fall in love again with "bad boy" Levi - which should lead to some interesting nights at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Just image this soap opera playing out in 2012 as the poor victim candidate Sarah is blackmailed by the father of her grandchild with new revelations that he not only posed nude for Playgirl, but he also has dozens of embarrassing and compromising tape recordings of Sarah's daughter that he is willing to release to the public? Buckle up for another exciting week of surprises on the soap opera "Levi, Bristol and Sarah".

Country Music Fans Should Forgive Kanye West

2009-11-16T00:00:00.002-06:00

There is no doubt that country music fans should now forgive Kanye West for his stupid "dog and pony" show on the MTV awards earlier this year. Was Kanye West a "bone head" for the way he treated Taylor Swift, yes? Did he also come across as the worst bully ever on American television, yes? Did he apologize to Taylor Swift and the American people for his childish behavior, yes? This past week during the 2009 edition of the CMA awards, Carrie Underwood and others poked a little bit of fun at Kanye West - which I thought was all in good taste and a fitting punishment for the crime of disgracing the young country music starlet, Taylor Swift on the MTV awards.

Now however, the time has come for country music singers and the fans that follow their every move to forgive Kanye West for his "bad boy" behavior on this years MTV awards. I thought that Carrie Underwood and others on the CMA awards last week took care of any revenge that was necessary against the bad behavior of Kanye West toward Taylor Swfit. Folks, we all make mistakes and while Kanye West does make huge ones from time to time - the American people in general and country music singers and fans in particular are known for forgiving some of the most outrageous behavior imaginable. There is no doubt in my mind that Kanye West understands well that he messed up "big time" during this years MTV awards and I would be shocked beyond belief if he makes that same mistake again.

Now is the time when we should rejoice country music in general after the CMA awards crowned Taylor Swift the youngest singer in that organizations history to win the coveted "Entertainer of the Year Award". Does anyone really believe that Taylor Swift would have won the 2009 CMA "Entertainer of the Year Award" if Kanye West had not publicly embarrassed her on national television just a few months before? The unfortunate truth of the entertainment business is that when fans believe one of their favorite singers has been disrespected, all of them tend to rally around that star or singer. That rallying around Taylor Swift phenomenon most certainly pushed her nomination for CMA "Entertainer of the Year" over the top in 2009. When Kanye West acted like a two year old spoiled brat on the MTV awards, I too wanted to see him punished - but the time has come for us all to forgive Kanye West for his terrible treatment of Taylor Swift.

All the events of life can be looked at either in a negative or a positive way. While millions of people will never like or appreciate Kanye West ever again - because of his rude treatment toward Taylor Swift on this years MTV awards, I on the other hand view the bad behavior of Kanye West as a big plus for Taylor Swift when the CMA handed out their awards last week. I firmly believe that Taylor Swift is the 2009 CMA "Entertainer of the Year" - because of and not despite the rude treatment of Kanye West on the MTV awards. In a way, Kanye West helped Taylor Swift's career much more than he hurt it with his outburst and at the end of the day - the really big winner in this whole mess is Taylor Swift and not Kanye West.

What If China Stopped Buying American Debt?

2009-11-15T22:14:00.003-06:00

The past couple of days, President Barack Obama has been visiting China. These U.S. and China meetings have taken on a new flavor in recent years as it has been learned that China holds more U.S. debt than any other nation in the world. That fact has got me wondering what would happen if China quit buying U.S. bonds and /or decided to sell all of the bond they hold all at one time? Back in the 1980's there was a movie that starred Kris Kristofferson and Jane Fonda called "Rollover" that gave Americans an idea of what would happen if one of our huge national lenders decided to quit rolling over their debt and instead decided to sell all of their U.S. government assets all at one time on the open market.

Since most of you have not seen the movie "Rollover" let me just say that in the end of that movie the United States was financially ruined. Back during the 1980's, most Americans were concerned about oil producing nations controlling most of Americas debt. However, in more recent times - communist China has taken the lead and buying up billions of dollars worth of U.S. government debt. So what would happen if China and other nations decided together to stop buying American debt? Well, let's just say that life in the United States of America would change for the worse overnight.

I believe it is a crying shame that the United States of America has allowed itself to go into so much debt around the world. This is a wonderful country, but for far too long members of both major political party's have used the tremendous borrowing power of the U.S. government to extend benefits for voters today, while at the same time creating a bankrupt future for our children and grandchildren. All Americans know that at some time in the future there will be a day of reckoning for our governments reckless spending habits. Sadly, all most current politicians care about is keeping voters happy while they are still in office and they care little about what their bad financial choices are doing to this nations long term future.

There is another negative side effect of communist nations like China holding so much U.S. debt and that revolves around how our leaders must act when China acts up and abuses it's people. Just image how hard it must be for President Obama to negotiate from a position of strength with China, when that nation could destroy the economy of the United States with a quick signature of their pen. We all know that there are people in the world with money who loan that money to others. There is no doubt that the people with the money are in a stronger position than those that regularly borrow and what that means to the citizens of the United States is that we are selling out our own future to a land that does not believe in freedom the same way that we do.

Citibank Disappears One Piece At A Time

2009-11-15T12:11:00.002-06:00

It was announced today that Citibank has agreed to sell it's 90% plus stake in Japanese telecommunications company Bellsystem for around 95 billion yen. This is just one more step in the slow, but consistent demise of one of the largest and most powerful companies in the world. For a long time I and many other Americans have been concerned about the existence of U.S. companies that were considered too big to fail. Then late last year, we all discovered what a drag too big to fail companies like Citibank were on the U.S. economy as a whole when a recession made it necessary for U.S. taxpayers to bailout some of these companies - because their collapse would send the entire country into a depression.

Since receiving U.S. taxpayer bailout funds last year, Citibank has been forced to sell off much of it's pride and joy assets to other companies. Hopefully, before Citibank as a business finally takes it's last breath - most of the taxpayer bailout funds that were loaned to it for survival will be paid back and then Citibank should be allowed to go out of business. It was never intended that Citibank would be bailed out by the U.S. federal government and then be allowed to grow to a size that would once again put it in the category of being too big to fail. Instead, the taxpayer bailout funds that we given to Citibank were only a stop gap measure that were put into place to keep the company afloat until market conditions would allow the sell of it's asset for more than fire sale prices.

Most Americans have known for a long time that allowing businesses to grow to the point where they are too big to fail violates all the basic rules of capitalism. Sadly, the loudest voices for capitalism are the same ones that want less government regulation of businesses - but it is that type of oversight from government that stops companies like Citibank from growing to the point where they are too big to fail. That is why I believe there are now two voices when it comes to the correct way to pursue capitalism in the United States. The first group are politically oriented capitalist that believe the government is only bad and another group that believes that capitalism will fail without a strong government around to slow down the bad actors who will use this wonderful system to just take for themselves.

In the future, Citibank will go the way of other "too big to fail" companies before them and finally go out of business. It has never been in the best interest of the United States or other countries to have businesses that are so huge that their very demise could bring down an entire nation. As I watch the current stock price of Citibank (C) trade in the three dollar range these days, it does bring back memories of a time when the stock of Citibank and General Motors were looked at in a completely different light. It will probably take a few more years before all the various parts that use to make up the whole of Citibank are sold off. I would like to report that U.S. leaders have learned their lesson when it comes to "too big to fail" businesses like Citibank, but my gut feeling is - they have not.

Kevin Skinner Christmas Special

2009-11-15T01:09:00.004-06:00

For the past several months, I have been the biggest fan of a guy by the name of Kevin Skinner. Kevin first entered the public arena back in the summer as the 2009 edition of America's Got Talent got underway. As the weeks went by and Kevin Skinner kept amazing millions of people who watched him perform on NBC television, I began to think that given the right management and singing lessons - Kevin Skinner could eventually be as popular as legendary country music stars like Garth Brooks and Keith Urban. I still feel that same way today.

This weekend as Thanksgiving and Christmas loom on the horizon, my thoughts have gone back some to pretty good Christmas CD's that have been recorded by country music singers over the years. Then, I started to think about some of the Christmas song that would be perfect for Kevin Skinner. At the top of my list of Christmas songs that would sound great if sung by Kevin Skinner are "Little Town of Bethlehem" and the "Little Drummer Boy". I know it is way too early for anyone in the music business in Nashville to be considering a Christmas CD from Kevin Skinner, but it's not too early for some of the major television networks in the United States to schedule Kevin Skinner to perform live on many of the Christmas TV specials that will air this holiday season.

Regular readers here already know about my concerns that Kevin Skinner might be unfairly used by Simon Cowell and other powers that be in the music business in order to put their own profit opportunities ahead of what is in the best interest of Kevin. I was personally disappointed to learn that Kevin Skinner had been reduced to being a supporting act for Jerry Springer in Las Vegas after he won AGT 2009. Earlier this year, I was so glad to learn that Jerry Springer would not be apart of the 2009 season of America's Got Talent, but then I found out in horror that once Kevin Skinner won this years competition on AGT - that he would be second billing to Jerry Springer in Las Vegas, a reality that no naturally talented singing star should be subjected to.

It would do my heart good to watch a Christmas special this year and hear Kevin Skinner sing some of the old time classic songs we all grew up with. Kevin Skinner's voice would resonate so positively on many of those classic Christmas songs and the ratings for any nationwide TV Christmas show that had Kevin Skinner singing on it would be great. Today, as has been the case for several weeks now - I am still concerned that the powerful forces of the music and entertainment business in Hollywood and Nashville will mess up a good thing when it comes to the future career of Kevin Skinner. As 2009 draws to a close and holiday specials start filling the airwaves in a couple of weeks - I hope to watch Kevin Skinner perform on more than one of them. I believe there has been too much down time for Kevin Skinner ever since he won this years AGT title. The America people what to watch Kevin Skinner sing again and there would be no better venue for that than on some of the upcoming Christmas specials, which will be broadcast on American television.

Tony Romo To Miles Austin In Green Bay

2009-11-15T00:29:00.004-06:00

Later today, the Dallas Cowboys play the Green Bay Packers. That game will be broadcast on the Fox television network at 3:15pm CST. In what has turned out to be a turnaround year for the Dallas Cowboys, the first few weeks of terrible NFL play by the Cowboys has changed for the better - because of the new chemistry between starting quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Miles Austin. Only one month ago, I really believed that the 2009 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys was going to go down in flames and then like magic - wide receiver Miles Austin got his chance to start for the Cowboys and that was just what the doctor ordered for starting quarterback Tony Romo to get off his butt and start throwing the football for touchdowns instead of interceptions.

I have written before about the lack of a spark in the Dallas Cowboys football team ever since Terrell Owens was traded away to the Buffalo Bills. I really never liked Terrell Owens when he played for the Dallas Cowboys, but there was a big benefit for the team in having him on the football field. That benefit was created when opposing teams always double teamed Terrell Owens, which created a wide open field for Tony Romo to find another receiver to throw the football to. When Terrell Owen was traded away by the Dallas Cowboys, there was a huge vacuum created by his departure. Now however, there is a new sheriff in town and that guys name is Miles Austin. There is no way anyone could have known the big positive impact that Miles Austin would have on the team before this season began - but everyone both friend and foe of the Dallas Cowboys knows it now.

The Tony Romo to Miles Austin combination gives the Dallas Cowboys a chance to win every single week in the NFL. That is something even few die-hard Cowboys fans believed to be possible back in August and September. When today's game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys gets underway, don't be surprised to see Miles Austin catch a bunch of Tony Romo passes for touchdowns. There is some kind of real positive energy at work on the Cowboys team this year that has ignited both Tony Romo and Miles Austin to play the best football of their lives. While last week Miles Austin only score one touchdown, I predict he will score two or more TD's this week against the Green Bay Packers.

In so many ways, that million dollar full teeth smile that Miles Austin shows as he is running down the sideline for touchdowns has a contagious effect on Dallas Cowboys fans as well. Every time I watch Tony Romo throw a pass to Miles Austin and those huge pearly whites start beaming from my television screen - I too find a large smile on my own face. Right now, Miles Austin is the most important player on the Dallas Cowboys football team. That importance is found in more than one way, but certainly at the top of anyone's list of the benefits of having Miles Austin on the Dallas Cowboys football team would include an attitude of team first and a dedication to winning games without the narcissistic need to always put himself before the best interest of the team.

End Of Days: Mayan Calendar Predicts 2012

2009-11-14T23:45:00.003-06:00

This weekend, millions of people around the world are first learning about an ancient Mayan calendar that predicts the world will come to an end in the year 2012. That “end of days” prediction is being made more powerful as a new movie directed by Roland Emmerich called “2012” opens in theaters everywhere this weekend. I have never really understood the need of some people to know the exact time the world will come to an end.

My long shot guess as to why some people have such an internal need to know everything before it happens revolves around the overriding desire inside the minds of some folks to control the world around them. In life, there are people that remain happy by making good choices and then just going with the flow and then there are other people who are the exact opposite and need to control every single aspect of their lives, no matter how small or uncontrollable those events might be.

This “End of Days” Mayan calender that predicts the world will come to an end in 2012, is nothing more than just the latest hoax that has been cooked up to drive people with control freak personalities nuts. Sadly, there are some really sick minded people in the world who will take Roland Emmerich movie “2012” and the Mayan calender literally. Those are the people who I am most concerned about – because their own instability could cause them to make rash decision of life and death based on what I believe to be a hoax.

For too many people, the line between common sense and Hollywood entertainment is razor thin, so when some old Mayan calender and a Hollywood director start talking about the end of the world all at the same time happening next year – then the weak minded among us will be effected in a negative way. In addition to the control freak personality types that will go nuts at these predictions – the real danger is that some new religious prophet will soon emerge and start leading all those same people toward bad choices that will end their lives prematurely – because of their tremendous fear of the unknown.

Evil Eye, Max Fury and Slingshot Party Gel Drinks Investigated By FDA

2009-11-14T22:54:00.005-06:00

For years, some young patrons of bars have been mixing high caffeine drinks like “Red Bull” with other types of hard liquor in order to get a special type of high. So many people have been experimenting with the mixing of alcohol and caffeine that some liquor bottlers have started marketing their own lines of alcoholic beverages with a generous amount of caffeine already included in those alcoholic drinks. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested safety information from these liquor distillers in an effort to find out - if the mixing of high levels of alcohol and caffeine are safe.

Evil Eye, Max Fury and Slingshot Party Gel drinks are included in this new FDA investigation of whether or not it is safe to include high levels of alcohol and caffeine into one drink. From my personal point of view, safety is one thing – but the mixing of an upper with a downer seems to make no sense to me. Maybe my ever increasing age has caused me to learn from experience that the mixing of caffeine and alcohol usually leads to a feeling of being a wide awake drunk - which is not a pleasant experience.

Until I saw the names of Evil Eye, Max Fury and Slingshot Party Gel during an Internet search tonight – I had never heard of these new types of alcoholic drinks that are mainly advertised to young drinkers. In the past, my wife and I have noticed young people at bars mixing “Red Bull” with other types of liquors – which at the time and even today seems like a crazy way to get a little extra buzz out of the alcohol. However, if the mixing of caffeine and alcohol is safe - then my opinion is that this kind of combination is just another young person fad that will fade as they age.

The biggest concern that I have with these new types of caffeinated alcoholic beverages is the potential cross marketing between young people that are of a legal age to drink and those that are not. Just like with cigarette advertising in the past, the marketing of new types of alcoholic beverages to young people that are 21 years or older is one thing, but there is no doubt that advertisements that are focused on that age group of Americans will also find an impressionable audience of high school and first year college students as well.

Video Of President Obama Bowing To Japanese Emperor

2009-11-14T18:23:00.003-06:00

When I woke up this morning to see a picture of President Barack Obama bowing down before the Emperor of Japan, I was completely shocked. I certainly thought that President Obama had learned his lesson when he bowed before a Member of the Saudi Royal family earlier this year – but apparently he did not. While President Obama's first bow before that Saudi leader was slight – today's latest bowing occurrence by President Obama before the Japanese Emperor was a full bow, which I have learned indicates one persons subservience to another.

The first time I saw President Obama bowing before the Japanese Emperor it was in a still photo that was published on the Drudge Report. That one photo of Obama bowing before the Japanese Emperor was bad enough, but I just found a video of that same meeting that shows not only President Obama bowing to the Japanese Emperor, but he also bows to the Emperors wife as well. I can only image what World War II veterans are thinking tonight after they watch the President of the United States show subservience to the same Royal family that lead to the deaths of so many of their close friends during World War II? If you want to watch the video of President Obama bowing down before the Japanese Emperor and his wife, just click the video box below.

Thanksgiving Yellow Book Ad / Cat Comes Out Of A Turkey

2009-11-14T11:41:00.009-06:00

Update: Just in time for Thanksgiving, a visitor here found it. Click Here to watch this amazing commercial and a special thanks to Katherine and Nathaniel for providing the URL.

A few days ago, I saw a Yellow Book TV ad for Thanksgiving where a very wet and angry looking cat came out of a turkey. For the past two days, I have searched for hours on Google and YouTube to find that advertisement – but so far my search has been in vain. For days, I have been telling my wife about this funny television commercial – but I cannot find it on the Internet and neither of us has seen the ad again on television.

So, I am turning to the folks that read my blog on a regular basis with the hope that one of you will be able to find that Yellow Book TV ad on the Internet - so I can show it to my wife and friends. My best recollection is that it was shown during a football game, so more than likely I saw that cat coming out of a Thanksgiving turkey Yellow Book TV ad during the NFL football game last Sunday night on NBC. Hopefully, one of you guys will find that commercial posted somewhere on the Internet and email me the location - so I can share it with my wife and the rest of the regular visitors on this blog.

I hope that Yellow Book has not decided to pull this ad simply because a few insecure cat lovers complained. While all of us are bombarded by thousands of television commercials on a regular basis, very few of them have the effect of making us take notice the first time we see them. This particular TV ad caught me attention the very first time it appeared and now sadly - I have not seen it again for several days.

If you are reading this blog post and have found a URL where this new Yellow Book TV ad with a cat coming out of a turkey can be seen, please email me the website address or post a comment with that information by using the link at the bottom of this page. If there are other people, like myself, who would also like to see this TV commercial again – please bookmark this page and as soon as someone notifies me where this TV commercial can viewed on the Internet – I will share that information with everyone else via a link on this page.

Will UAW Take Down Ford?

2009-11-14T00:33:00.003-06:00

Here in the southern part of the U.S. there is a great deal of love and respect for the Ford Motor Company (F). That respect was earned when Ford became the only U.S. automobile manufacturer that refused to take taxpayer money in the form of a bailout and they also recently reported a large profit without the benefit of declaring bankruptcy, as well. Now it appears that the UAW is trying to bring Ford Motor Company to it's knees at the very point in time when it is starting to grow again.

I know that with liberals in charge of the Congress and the White House, labor unions like the UAW are in a more powerful position than they have been in in decades. That said, it would be a terrible mistake for the UAW to call a strike against the Ford Motor Company at the very time it is recovering and starting to show the first signs of it's new life in more than a year. Are the leaders at the UAW really stupid enough to call a strike against Ford when Ford is their last and best hope at continued employment in the future?

Personally, I believe that UAW labor leaders are just talking and acting tough with the Ford Motor Company right now, because there has been little positive news coming their way in the past couple of years. Only a suicidal labor union would want to declare war on a company that is finally showing signs of life and while the UAW may be described in many negative ways – being ignorant and/or suicidal are not two words I would associate with that labor union. That is why I believe the current strike talk from the UAW that is directed at Ford is nothing more than a bluff.

The Ford Motor Company is the only U.S. automobile brand that is currently being praised not only in the media, but by millions of American consumers too. While GM and Chrysler are still trying to find themselves after billions of dollars worth of government bailouts and bankruptcy protection – the Ford Motor Company is already building new cars and trucks that Americans are eager to buy. I certainly hope that the UAW does not bankrupt the Ford Motor Company by calling a strike at the worst possible time, but if they do they will only further alienate the American people against the cause of organized labor.

Goldman Sachs Bonuses / Capitalism Or Greed?

2009-11-13T00:00:00.003-06:00

As the 2009 Christmas bonus season approaches on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs will once again lead the way by paying out billions of dollars worth of bonuses to it's employees. For years, people all over the world have marveled at the excessively high dollar amounts that are paid by Goldman Sachs to it's few employees. In 2009, Goldman Sachs is once again preparing to shatter previous Christmas bonus records, but this year all of those billions of dollars worth of bonuses are happening at the same time when most Americans are struggling just to make ends meet.

That begs the question, is Goldman Sachs setting itself up for even more government regulation - because of their bonus policy or is 2009 just another business as usual year on Wall Street when the people that have very little just want to blame the rich for all of their problems? I personally believe that Goldman Sachs is making a huge mistake in paying out even larger bonuses in 2009 than they did in 2008 or 2007. Sadly, many of the high paid money people on Wall Street either work at or have previously been employed by Goldman Sachs - so their judgment should most certainly be drawn into question, when it comes to huge bonuses as the recession of 2009 continues to lead to more and more job layoffs.

Not long ago, the current CEO of Goldman Sachs was interviewed and rather than trying to soft sell the high amount his company has set aside for Christmas bonuses in 2009, he instead defended them in what I believe was a wrong headed way. While I have always believed that if we do not learn from history we are destined to repeat it – the big money guys and gals on Wall Street and at companies like Goldman Sachs seem to be tone deaf when it comes to understanding what most people are going through financially. As Goldman Sachs prepares to pay out billions of dollars in bonuses in 2009, they are doing so in a political climate that could cause that Wall Street bank to face addition regulation and oversight by the U.S. government in the years to come.

In many ways, Goldman Sachs reminds me of a rich company that only has one purpose and that is to help other rich people stay that way. I doubt if the powers that be at Goldman Sachs even realize that their big Christmas bonuses, set to be paid at the end of 2009, could likely doom their future prosperity - because of it's perception of greed. The United States people and the government that represents us is constantly changing and what that means to me is that old business as usual practice by Goldman Sachs of paying billions of dollars worth of Christmas bonuses might soon be outlawed by a Congress that will be pressured by regular hard working Americans to do something - as Goldman Sachs continues to earn billions of dollars, while their own dreams of financial success fade away.

Rick Perry v. Kay Bailey Hutchison For Texas Governor

2009-11-12T12:13:00.004-06:00

Here in Texas, residents are already talking about the upcoming GOP election battle for governor featuring Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Gov. Rick Perry has severed as Texas governor ever since George W. Bush was elected President of the United States. Recently, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she would not seek reelection to her U.S. Senate seat and a short time later she revealed that she would challenge Gov. Rick Perry in next years GOP primary for governor.

Before the 1980's, Texas was a state that leaned heavily toward the Democratic Party. Then came the Ronald Reagan revolution and ever since then, the GOP has taken over more and more control of state government in Austin. Right now, it is just as difficult for a Democrat to win statewide office in Texas – as it would be for a Republican to do the same thing in California. Texas is GOP country and it is almost certain that the winner of the GOP primary for governor next year will go on and win the statewide election for Texas governor.

It's difficult to know for sure, if Rick Perry will survive his high profile challenge for the GOP nomination for governor by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Perry has served a long time as this state's Governor, so the voters could likely be looking for someone new to lead this state into the future. Governor Rick Perry has spent the last couple of months positioning himself to run an extremely conservative campaign next year by dropping “red meat” suggestions like state succession and then today proclaiming that the US is headed toward socialism.

At the present time, polling suggests that Rick Perry leads Kay Bailey Hutchison among Texas voters. However, there are still months to go before the 2010 Republican primary season begins. One fact is certain and that is both Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison will have millions of dollars available to run their primary campaigns for Texas governor. In the end, female GOP voters in Texas will likely make or break the campaign of Kay Bailey Hutchison. I believe Rick Perry has a big lead among Texas men when it comes to winning reelection, so next years GOP Texas primary for Governor should be an interesting contest to watch.

Does Taylor Swift Have Staying Power?

2009-11-12T01:25:00.005-06:00

Last night, country music star Taylor Swift won in a bunch of different categories at the CMA awards – but none was larger than the Entertainer of The Year Award. Ms. Swift was able to accomplish that amazing conquest at the young age of 19 years old. In the audience of the 2009 CMA awards were decades long singing talents that were pretty much shunned as the night went along. Is country music changing? Of course it is, but was this years change of direction a long term trend in the tastes of country music fans or was it just an anomaly that will be quickly fixed in 2010?

Right now, I believe that the 2009 CMA awards were nothing more than an anomaly and my best guess is that this years trend toward younger country music stars like Taylor Swift will not be repeated again next year. Country music is unlike any other music venue in the United States and let's just face facts that old habits do die hard in Nashville, Tennessee. Country music has always been about the working man/woman who travels a long and hard road of labor – before his or her dreams are finally realized. While Taylor Swift is no spring chicken when it comes to her career, she is at the same time not considered a decades long veteran either.

It is almost impossible for people who love country music not to like Taylor Swift. She sings well and looks great when she takes to the stage, but more importantly she has the lingo of country music humility down to a great science at a very young age. I personally expect Taylor Swift to leave the world of country music within the next twelve months and move her career to Hollywood, California. That move will be a mistake for Taylor, but I believe that is the direction she will travel in next year. The history of country music is filled with aspiring young singers who decide that their careers will grow faster in Hollywood than Nashville. However, the attraction and reality of Hollywood living is completely different than what a person finds by growing their career in Nashville.

Tonight, I am sending out a “big time” congratulations to Taylor Swift on her come from behind victory in winning the 2009 Entertainer of The Year award at the CMA's last night in Nashville, Tennessee. I personal hope is that Taylor Swift will keep not only her music in a pure country style, but I also hope that she does not fall victim of Hollywood vices that have brought down many a young country star before her. Taylor Swift is country and I hope she stays that way. With the recent demise of “Pop”, country music has been put in a good position to take it's place and that means that young singers like Taylor Swift could have a lifelong career in a music format that is growing and expanding each year.

America Loves Susan Boyle

2009-11-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

This week, international superstar Susan Boyle preformed live on America television once again and sang the song that made her a household name on Britain's Got Talent earlier this year entitled “I Had A Dream”. As was the case on American's Got Talent when she sang a couple of months ago, U.S. audiences went wild once again this week when she performed on Dancing With The Stars.

It is completely amazing that Susan Boyle's debut CD has yet to be released to worldwide audiences, but people are lining up by the hundreds of thousands to pre-order that album on Internet website Amazon.com and also via the U.S. shopping channel QVC. Recently, Simon Cowell said that Susan Boyle will be bigger than Michael Jackson – while I will not go that far, she most certainly will sell well over 10 million copies of her first album when it is released at the end of this month.

I was not at home this week when Susan Boyle sang on Dancing With The Stars, but I just finished watching her performance via YouTube. It is completely amazing to me the progress that Susan Boyle has made not only in improving her appearance, but also she has definitely been taking singing lessons – because her voice is better than ever. What a story this one middle aged lady from a rural area of the U.K. created for herself when she made that hard decision to try out for the 2009 edition of Britain's Got Talent.

The future should be bright for Susan Boyle as Platinum selling albums, live sold out concerts and soon a movie about her life will be produced. We American's love to talk about all that is possible in this great land, if a person has a good idea and is willing to do what it takes to work hard and take that idea to the marketplace. Susan Boyle proves that success is not only found just in America, but in other nations around the world too – because of a new phenomenon called reality TV and a great video web site called YouTube.

Miles Austin Dallas Cowboys Hero

2009-11-11T00:00:00.004-06:00

As the 2009 NFL football season got underway a couple of months ago, I started to have a bad feeling in my gut that this season for the Dallas Cowboys was going to be a repeat of last year. However, a few weeks ago - the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff gave Miles Austin a chance to play and the rest is history. Like most other Dallas Cowboys fans, I was happy to see Terrell Owens go - but his departure left a huge void in the Dallas Cowboys team at wide receiver. Now it is clear that the Dallas Cowboys have a winning wide receiver in Miles Austin and he has given Dallas Cowboys fans everywhere a new reason to watch their games this football season.

The most important aspect that Miles Austin brings to the Dallas Cowboys is the enthusiasm of a young man that is living on cloud 9, because he was selected to play in the National Football league. Almost over night I noticed that the usually mellow starting quarterback Tony Romo started to play better and I believe that change was the direct result of the on field play of Miles Austin. Most people need a spark to get those internal fires burning when it comes to any job. However, in the NFL it is more important than any other job for there to be a team leader that has the effect of getting all the other players up and going each weekend.

What Miles Austin brings to the 2009 Dallas Cowboys is a real chance that they could win against any team they play. Even if the first half of a football game goes badly for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo and head coach Wade Phillips know that if they can just set up the right series of circumstances - Miles Austin will break free and score a touchdown. Early on, that same possibility was reality with Terrell Owens - but last year was a definite dud for Owens and the Dallas Cowboys, so Jerry Jones made the right choice in releasing him from the team. That is why I am now calling Miles Austin my Dallas Cowboys hero.

In some ways, the catching and running style of Miles Austin reminds me of Michael Irvin. No Dallas Cowboys fan could ever forget the magic that Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin brought to the Dallas Cowboys back in the 1990's. Now there is a new generation of Dallas Cowboys and to me there is no more important player on the current team than Miles Austin. Mr. Austin has taken me from a down and out Cowboys fan just a few weeks ago, to a full fledged Dallas Cowboys enthusiast with his fantastic football play. While I love watching Miles Austin play for the Dallas Cowboys, that full set of teeth that he displays when he runs down the field for a touchdown is one of the most remarkable and exciting things I have seen in years.

Hurricane Ida Floods Gulf Coast

2009-11-10T00:04:00.003-06:00

When most people think about hurricanes, they usually think of high winds that cause immense damage with injuries and deaths that sometimes can reach into the hundreds. Right now, national weather service officials in the United States are tracking a former hurricane that has now be down graded to a tropical storm called Ida. In reality, more people are killed during hurricanes - because of the water than from any other cause. With hurricanes, like Ida, there is a tremendous storm surge that often times causes the death of residents through drowning. However, storm surge is just one potential danger of Hurricane Ida - because weather reports show a likelihood of tremendous rainfall that will create flash flooding on the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas.

It's inland flooding that often times leads to high death counts after a hurricane goes ashore in the Gulf of Mexico. While many news media members love to stand in 100 MPH winds and report when major hurricanes come ashore, usually the largest cause of death has just begun and many people will lose their lives due to flash flooding long after the macho news folks have left the area. Tonight, I looked at weather maps provided by the National Weather Service, which show that recently downgraded Hurricane Ida is going to drop a foot or more of rain on many sections of the U.S. Gulf Coast. What that means to me is that later this week, there will be areas of the southern United States that will likely see flash flooding and it is those flash floods that will cause the most injuries and deaths.

When it comes to the hurricane history books, 2009 has been one of the weakest years ever in the United States. It must be hard to be a weather forecaster, because almost all of them are wrong when they take their weather forecasts out for more than 24 hours. That said, when a major hurricane is looming off the U.S. Atlantic or Gulf Coast - almost everyone that lives by the ocean stays glued to their televisions and most of the time those TV sets are tuned to "The Weather Channel". I view weather forecasting in the same way I do the major cable television networks of Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. "The Weather Channel" is at it's best when a major hurricane is coming ashore and not when it comes to reporting extended forecasts that no one really believes in anyway.

The good news is that Ida is no longer a hurricane, but the bad news is that billions of tons of rain are going to fall on the southern United States in a very short period of time. All of that rainfall in a very short period of time is going to lead to countless deaths in the southern part of the United States as late as this coming weekend. The one thing that most people do not take the time to think about is the power of moving water. Few things in nature are as powerful as the run off of a massive rainfall pushing water back toward the oceans so the same cycle can be repeated over and over again. While it is true that former Hurricane Ida will not cause as much wind damage as was first predicted, the potential loss of live from this hurricane could be disastrous if Gulf Coast residents do not use a little bit of common sense.