Ken Lewis is no longer chairman and CEO of Bank of America. He’s just CEO. The board stripped him of the chairman title because, well, the company’s gone to hell on his watch. What I would most like to ask him is, which does he regret more, buying Merrill Lynch, or losing his title?
People seem to [...]
Archive for April, 2009
The Ministry Of Silly Titles
Posted in Media, News, Noticed, People, tagged Bank of America, Channel 61, Hartford Courant, Kenneth Lewis, NBC 30 on April 30, 2009 | 6 Comments »
A Better Deal
Posted in Noticed, Sports, tagged New York Yankees, ticket prices, Yankee Stadium on April 29, 2009 | 10 Comments »
Where is everybody?
A month into the season, it has finally dawned on the New York Yankees that $2,500 is a bit much to ask for a “premium” seat to a baseball game. So they’ve slashed the price in half. $1,250. Such a deal. I’m sure that’ll put a bunch of premium tushes in the seats.
But [...]
The Hardest Working Man In Show Biz, Part Deux
Posted in Health, People, TV Stuff, tagged Jay Leno on April 28, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Jay Leno is the closest thing we have to a human public utility. We always expect him to be there when we flip the switch, we always expect a consistent product, and we always take him for granted. Until last week.
The man who never calls in sick called in sick. And we all took notice. [...]
Two Schools Of Thought
Posted in Media, News, Sports, tagged M.I.T., spring weekend, UConn on April 27, 2009 | 5 Comments »
This is why students at M.I.T. are different than you and me. (Unless, of course, you went to M.I.T.)
It’s not so much that M.I.T.’s alpine skiing and pistol teams have been dropped. It’s how the cuts were oh-so-subtly protested.
“These programs contribute to our ever-precious admissions yield, which in turn contributes to our esteemed public perception and [...]
Automotive Evolution
Posted in Diatribes, Living in the Past, News, tagged Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, General Motors, GTO, Oldsmobile, Pontiac on April 26, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Bonneville. Catalina. Chieftain. Firebird. Gran Prix. GTO. LeMans. Safari. Star Chief. Tempest. Trans Am.
All Pontiacs. All gone. G.M. is about to make the Pontiac nameplate go away.
Growing up, my very middle-class neighborhood was full of Chevys and Fords. We were a Chevy Bel Air wagon family. If you had a Pontiac, you were doing well. [...]
Getting Kinkly With The Courant
Posted in Diatribes, Media, Noticed on April 25, 2009 | 16 Comments »
Hello!!!!! Is anyone home?
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!! (updated Monday, 4/27)
Monday’s page one story (Sheff vs. O’Neill) is written by Jodie Mozdzer (jmozdzer@courant.com). The page two story (UConn spring weekend) is written by Jodie Mozder (jmozder@courant.com).
I don’t know the Jodies, but I suspect there’s only one. I know, nitpicky. But this is another sign that attention to [...]
My Glass Is Half Full
Posted in Health, It's all about me, News, tagged water, microorganisms on April 24, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Of microorganisms called copepods and rotifers. So I suppose I’ve been rotified, because I’ve been drinking the water at the West Hartford home of The Peacock. This is my choice, because I get thirsty and the MDC says there is no health risk.
Yeah, the little fellas look gross, but these are blown up pictures. They don’t [...]
Do Not Do This Again. Ever.
Posted in Diatribes, Noticed, Sports, tagged Boston Red Sox, Earth Day, Jason Varitek, Larry Lucchino on April 23, 2009 | 8 Comments »
The Red Sox “celebrated” Earth Day by wearing their St. Patrick’s Day uniforms. They put a recycling patch on one sleeve, and a shamrock on the other. (At first, I thought they were saluting the Celtics.)
I’m all for Earth Day, but the Sox took baseball’s best looking home uni (along with the Yankees and Dodgers), and [...]
Brave, Courageous And Bold
Posted in Digital World, Living in the Past, Media, Noticed, People, TV Stuff, tagged Clint Eastwood, Frankie Laine, Hugh O'Brian, James Garner, Maverick, Rawhide, television, Wyatt Earp on April 22, 2009 | 5 Comments »
I see that “Wyatt Earp,” the ’50s TV western, has been released on DVD. Nothing against Hugh O’Brian, but I don’t need to see the show again. But the theme song? Yeah. I definitely want to hear that again.
The Wyatt Earp theme was an anthem to a man. It sounds as if The Ken Darby [...]
Time Stood Still
Posted in Media, Noticed, TV Stuff, tagged Broadcast News, Holly Hunter, William Hurt, Albert Brooks on April 21, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Or so it seemed when I watched “Broadcast News” for the first time since its 1987 release.
The William Hurt/HollyHunter/Albert Brooks film holds up terrifyingly well.
From IMDb’s memorable quotes:
Bill Rorich: This is a brutal layoff. And all because they couldn’t program Wednesday nights.
Paul Moore: You can make it less brutal by knocking a million or so [...]
