truesee's Blog

http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/?watchId=ef712e76-ca3a-4429-b1d5-77800acfe5e4

Originally Published:Monday, November 8th 2010, 3:52 PM
Updated: Monday, November 8th 2010, 4:05 PM

Jerry Jones kept saying Wade Phillips would not be fired during the season, but even Jones could not take it anymore.

He fired Phillips on Monday, a day after the Cowboys disgraced themselves in a 45-7 loss to the Packers. Dallas is now 1-7 and it won't get any easier this Sunday when they play the red-hot Giants in the New Meadowlands Stadium. Two weeks ago, the Giants KOd Cowboys QB Tony Romo for the season with a broken clavicle in a 41-35 loss.

Phillips will be replaced on an interim basis by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who in 2008 turned down the Ravens and Falcons head coaching jobs to remain in Dallas. Garrett was always considered the natural successor to Phillips, but not under these circumstances.

Garrett, who once was the backup quarterback to Troy Aikman in Dallas, also was Kerry Collins' backup on the Giants team that went to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season.

The Cowboys start is their worst since Jones' first year owning the club in 1989 when Dallas finished 1-15. But Jones and Jimmy Johnson had inherited the worst team in the league from Tom Landry. This year, the Cowboys were a popular preseason pick to make it to the Super Bowl, which will be played in Jones' year-old $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on Feb. 6. But the Cowboys opened the season with losses to the Redskins and Bears and never recovered.

Last year, the Cowboys finished strong in the regular season and then defeated the Eagles in the wild-card round, their first playoff victory since 1996. But they lost 34-3 in the divisional round to the Vikings.

Phillips, 63, took over for Bill Parcells in 2007 and finishes with a 34-22 record in the regular season and a 1-2 playoff record. Phillips' contract runs through the 2011 season. This is the first time Jones has fired a coach in the middle of the season.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2010/11/08/2010-11-08_wade_phillips_fired_as_head_coach_of_dallas_cowboys_jason_garrett_named_interim_.html#ixzz14jOtppJs

10:48 AM, November 8, 2010

This kid has something to fist-pump about.

High-school sophomore Ricky Smith has been collecting up to $15,000 an event in cover charges for hosting drug- and alcohol-free teen dance parties throughout the city.

Called "Lost Generation," the series of parent-friendly parties attracts up to 500 teens from elite Manhattan public and private schools to lofts and clubs for a night of nonstop, juvenile booty-shaking.

"My goal was to monopolize the teen party business in New York City," said Smith, who organized five megaparties this year.

Each party -- advertised on Facebook and by individual promoters he recruited in dozens of schools -- is staffed with professional bouncers who have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to booze, dope or fisticuffs. 

"It's like walking into a club -- usually a lot of house music and popular music you'd hear on the radio," he said. "Lots of dancing and, yes, fist-pumping."

Music is provided by aspiring teen deejays.

Some older teens scoff at the whole concept, but for Smith, a sophomore at the Professional Performing Arts School, it just means better business to focus on 14- to 15-year-olds.

They like it, he said, because older teens aren't around to intimidate them and parents, especially girls' parents, feel it's a safer environment.

Still, his budding business, which is overseen by Smith's father, Donald, has had hiccups.

His planned Oct. 30 party in a Garment District loft was canceled at the last minute when he couldn't come up with the necessary $3,000 deposit and had trouble getting the proper permits.

Smith used his Facebook page to blame the adult who brokers space for events.

What happened next was a lesson for the 40-year-

old broker, who was barraged by hateful and threatening e-mails.

He finally had to threaten to call the cops before the lower Manhattan teen told his followers to back off.

"I have a lot of admiration for him, and he has a lot of promise," the broker said. "Ricky is a smart kid but, nevertheless, a kid still."

Ricky said he doesn't see a career in the club or party promotion business.

"I want to work in math or science, my strong subjects," he said.

LINK TO PHOTO : http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/biz_kid_ny_party_smarty_DqlMEl96qtlbwbDZhSP5zI#ixzz14jKi1zgL

Obama blames economy for losses, says he gets 'discouraged' but is resilient

President Obama blamed a sluggish economy for heavy Democratic electoral losses on Sunday's “60 Minutes.”

“I think first and foremost, [the election] was a referendum on the economy. And the party in power was held responsible for an economy that is still underperforming and where a lot of folks are still hurting,” said the president.

Asked whether he accepted Republicans’ claim that the election sends a clear message that Americans’ want smaller government, Obama said, “I think that first and foremost, they want jobs and economic growth in this country.”

Giving his first in-depth interview since a disastrous election day for Democrats, a downbeat Obama focused on his role in the electoral defeats.

The president accepted he should be held accountable for the state of the economy. “So, what you had was the economy continuing to get worse in the first several months of my administration, before any of our economic policies had a chance to be put into place," he said. "Appropriately, I’m held accountable for that.”

He also admitted to being discouraged by the lack of economic growth, saying, “I do get discouraged, I mean, there are times where I thought the economy would have gotten better by now.”

Obama said his administration’s economic policies had avoided another Great Depression, but slow economic growth could remain a long-term problem: “What is a danger is that we stay stuck in a new normal where unemployment rates stay high… And, as a consequence, we keep on seeing growth that is just too slow to bring back the eight million jobs that were lost.”

Nevertheless, he remained optimistic about the future: “I am constantly reminded that we have been through worse times than these, and we've always come out on top. And I'm positive that the same thing is going to happen this time.”

Two years after sweeping to victory on the promise of bringing “change” to Washington, Obama acknowledged that he has not always succeeded in promoting bipartisan dialogue.

“Part of my promise to the American people when I was elected was to maintain the kind of tone that says we can disagree without being disagreeable. And I think over the course of two years, there have been times where I’ve slipped on that commitment.”

He reinforced his stated desire to work with Republicans in the next Congress, hoping to find compromises on the extension of the Bush tax cuts and infrastructure projects. “What I’m going to do is I’m going to reach out to Republicans and I’m going to say, ‘There -- what can we work on together?’”

Yet the president said he had been disappointed by a lack of Republican support in the past, particularly in reference to the healthcare bill: “We thought that if we shaped a bill that wasn’t that different from bills that had previously been introduced by Republicans -- including a Republican governor in Massachusetts who’s now running for president. That we would be able to find some common ground there. And we just couldn’t.”

He said the healthcare bill had been “costly politically” because it distracted from the administration’s economic policies.

Despite the heavy setbacks on Tuesday, the president said he had resilience to make it through.

“You know, I'll get knocked down a couple of times," he said. "But whatever I'm going through, it's nothing like what families around the country are going through.”

Calif. fugitive tracked down in Cut Bank after Facebook posts

SANJAY TALWANI

Independent Record 

Thursday, November 4, 2010 12:18 am 

Arianna Huffington

November 3, 2010 02:01 AM 

In 2009 the White House Underestimated the Economic Devastation, in 2010 Democrats Paid the Price

For all the hours of pre-election predictions and post-vote analysis, the 2010 midterms came down to a very simple truth: If unemployment were near double digits come November, Democrats would take a beating.

It is, and they have.

Exit polls found that nearly nine in ten voters believe the economy is in bad shape. The same percentage said they feel pessimistic about America's economic future. That's practically everyone!

And while a large majority of voters still believe that George Bush is to blame for getting us into this mess, they are clearly holding Obama accountable for not fixing it.

The Pottery Barn rule -- "you break it, you own it" -- was given a twist tonight. Turns out, sometimes even if you weren't the one who broke it, you own it. So it is with our broken economy. Bush broke it, but Obama, underestimating just how broken it is, owns it.

Indeed, the president laid claim to it back in July 2009 when, during a speech in Michigan, he strayed from his prepared text and said: "I love these folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well, this is Obama's economy.' That's fine. Give it to me!"

Many compared it to Bush's defiant "Bring 'em on!" And like that brash taunt, Obama's has doubled back to kick him in the butt.

He now owns an economy that 9 out of 10 people are unhappy with. Is it any wonder that they took their ire out on the Democrats?

With the "real unemployment" figures around 17 percent, it means almost no one in the country isn't being adversely affected by the economy -- or knows someone who is. And they were not going to be mollified by health care reform that doesn't kick in until 2014 and financial reform that isn't slowing down foreclosures or making borrowing money easier for small businesses.

As a result, voters no longer trust Democrats to fix things. Hard to believe, but Collier County in Florida, the county with the biggest unemployment jump in the country from March 2009 to March 2010, voted Republican.

Democrats still have the White House and still have the Senate, but they better do something about the economic devastation if they want to win back Collier County -- and the trust of the American people.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/tips/2010-11-07-rebate-offers_N.htm

Jackson woman arrested for front-yard pot plant

Laurie Welch - Times-News writer

Magicvalley

Friday, November 5, 2010 1:05 am 

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/110510-memphis-principal-charged-with-felony-vandalism

FDLE: Holly Hill woman tried to sell grandson for $30K

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested 45-year-old Patty Bigbee on Friday on charges that she tried to sell her 12-week-old grandson.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested 45-year-old Patty Bigbee, of Holly Hill, on Friday after they said she tried to sell her 12-week old grandson. (Volusia County Branch Jail / November 5, 2010)

Jeff Weiner

Orlando Sentinel 9:47 p.m. EDT

Nov. 5, 2010

Four cures for Obama's woes

Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor

November 6, 2010

10:35 a.m. EDT

• Martin views first half of President Obama's term like the first half of a basketball game
• To win in the second half, Martin says Obama team must make 4 key changes
• Those include improving communication and going on the offensive, Martin says

Editor's note: Roland S. Martin is a syndicated columnist and author of "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House." He is a commentator for TV One Cable network and host of a Sunday morning news show.

(CNN) -- The election results on Tuesday are a bitter pill for the president and his supporters to swallow. To be essentially routed by the Republican Party from top to bottom goes beyond humbling. It is a wholesale rejection of the Democratic Party, and by extension, many of the policies championed by President Obama.

So what world do we face now?

In many ways, I view the first half of President Obama's term like the first half of a basketball game, the president's favorite sport. Some things good, some bad, at times leading, but now, clearly losing at the half. And like any smart team leader, his job now is to go into the locker room and make some pivotal halftime adjustments.

Here are the four adjustments I think the president must make to regain his footing, get back in the game and lead his team to victory.

One. Team communication is a must. When a team is defending against the pick and roll, each player must communicate to know what the other is doing. That's basketball. Poor communication also hurts in politics.

By your own admission, Mr. President, you and your team have done a poor job communicating what you are doing, why you are doing it and what it will mean for the American people. You said on Jon Stewart's show that the American people don't know a lot of the things you have done. Well, that's not their problem, that's your problem. YOU have to make it clear and cut through.

Frankly, your communications team has been weak. They have missed or flubbed opportunities to make your case. Sir, you giving a great speech is one thing, but your communications team speaking persuasively to the American people on a daily basis is another, and that has to improve.

That leads me to the second issue, Mr. President. You have GOT to pass the ball. We often hear from your aides that no one is better at communicating the issues than you. That may very well be true. But just like in basketball, you CANNOT play all five positions.

In order for a team to win, that means every player must play their role and do their job. The business community has complained your administration is anti-business. So where is Gary Locke, the Commerce secretary?

Employment is issue No. 1, so where is Labor Secretary Hilda Solis? There's a foreclosure epidemic, so where is Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan? We've said before that Attorney General Eric Holder has had a straightjacket placed on him. Discussions about energy policy? I never see Energy Secretary Stephen Chu.

It seems the only Cabinet members who have free reign to speak are Arne Duncan at Education, Hillary Clinton at State, Bob Gates at Defense and to some degree, Kathleen Sebelius at Health and Human Services. Mr. President, those may be your starters, but you need to play the bench, too. Let them engage, take some fire, deliver some blows and show folks that they are in this battle with you. There simply is no way one player can take on the opposing team all by himself.

Three. Go on the offensive. A running team knows when to push the ball up-court, hoping to put their opponent on their heels and run them out of the gym. There has been a passive attitude emanating from your administration.

Sir, when the other team continues to drive the lane and score on you, sometimes you have to deliver a few hard fouls to get their attention and send a signal. You must do the same.

Your opposition is emboldened by ripping you to shreds. Only rarely has your team engaged in the kind of fighting that can get your opponents' attention quickly. This isn't time to keep taking hits and act like they wont stick.

Mr. President, those body blows have stuck. Your White House is holding back the Democratic National Committee. It's time to let it go. Let them foul hard, be aggressive. If you don't, your opponents will do whatever they want with you, and you'll be on the losing side in two years.

Four. You've got to be the true team leader, like Michael Jordan. Magic Johnson. Oscar Robertson. Bill Russell. Hakeem Olajuwon. Kobe Bryant. When times got tough, their teammates looked to them for inspiration, energy and guidance. Right now, your teammates, the broad coalition of millions who put you into office, are confused by the conflicting messages sent out by your administration.

In many ways, this movement has been abandoned. Young folks, African-Americans, Hispanics and so many others are waiting to be engaged, to be put to work and to work with you to achieve victory. But if you're standoffish, don't talk to them regularly, don't inspire them, your agenda will never resonate with them, and you'll have a team in disarray, not knowing what to do. You want to be a transformational figure like Ronald Reagan, but that means leading your movement and keeping the members involved.

For all sports fans, and President Obama knows this, no game is won in the first or second quarter. Yes, you can fall behind and look seemingly out of it. But until the clock reads zero, zero, zero, there is always time to rebound. Mr. President, I'm often asked whether you will win a second term. Frankly, we don't know. But what I do know is that right now, you are behind and in desperate need of a second-half comeback to have any shot in 2012.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

Donovan McNabb looking at a one-and-done season with Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins

Sancya/AP; McIsaac/GettyMike Shanahan (r.) benches Donovan McNabb last week in Detroit with the Redskins trailing the Lions by six with 1:50 remaining.

Donovan McNabb was benched at halftime by Eagles coach Andy Reid during a 2008 game in Baltimore. Any time that happens to an established quarterback, especially one who has taken his team to a Super Bowl, it is unexpected and humiliating.

McNabb was the starter again the following week and responded by leading the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game for the fifth time in his career.

But what happened to him last Sunday, in just his eighth game for the Redskins, was not only embarrassing, but could lead to a one-and-done season for McNabb in Washington.

McNabb is having a mediocre year, but did not deserve to be disrespected by Mike Shanahan last week in Detroit. Shanahan not only benched McNabb with the Redskins down by just six with 1:50 remaining, but he benched him for Rex Grossman.

Rex Grossman?

Grossman, one of the most maligned quarterbacks of the last 10 years, had not taken a snap this season and threw nine passes for the Texans last year. On his first play, he fumbled and the Lions took it back for a touchdown.

Shanahan tried to first explain the benching by saying Grossman was more familiar with running the two-minute offense.

Grossman's offensive coordinator in Houston was Shanahan's son, Kyle, who is now the Redskins' offensive coordinator. Grossman
did not run the two-minute offense in a game in Houston.

Then on Monday, Shanahan said McNabb did not have the "cardiovascular endurance," to run the two-minute offense. He had been bothered by a hamstring injury and didn't take a full turn in practice the previous week. But these excuses are pretty lame, even if McNabb's conditioning at the end of the Super Bowl nearly six years ago was questioned after Philly's hurry-up offense had no sense of urgency.

Plenty of big-name quarterbacks have been benched at some point in their careers: Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Phil Simms, Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Boomer Esiason, Drew Bledsoe, Danny White and Kerry Collins, to name just a few.

But benched with 1:50 left down six, and for a QB who has stood around for 58 minutes? Hard to recall that ever happening. Obviously, there are larger issues here. Shanahan supposedly has not been happy with McNabb, who has seven TDs and eight INTs. The Redskins have already lost on the road to the Rams and Lions and are not taking advantage of a weak year in the NFC.

McNabb is in the final year of his contract. When Shanahan traded a 2010 second-round pick and either a third- or fourth-round pick in 2011 to Philly on April 4 for McNabb, he not only didn't extend his contract, but made a serious effort to get into position to draft Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, who went first overall to St. Louis.

Clearly, McNabb is on a one-year trial. Shanahan is taking McNabb for a test drive.

But Shanahan undermined McNabb's ability to lead this team. How can McNabb trust him? Will it happen again? Unless McNabb plays lights-out the second half of the season, I find it hard to believe he will be back in Washington next year.

Possible landing spots: If Brad Childress, who was McNabb's offensive coordinator in Philly, doesn't get fired by the Vikings, he could sign him to replace Brett Favre in 2011; McNabb has a home in the Phoenix area and the Cardinals are wasting their time with Derek Anderson and Max Hall; there was even speculation last week about the Bears trading disappointing Jay Cutler after the season to Shanahan, who coached Cutler his first three seasons in Denver, and then the Bears signing McNabb, who is from Chicago.

The Redskins are off Sunday. It's McNabb vs. the Eagles again next week. He will start. The issue is will he finish?

THE GREATEST

 
NFL Films' top five players of all-time in its top 100 series: Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana and Walter Payton. My top five: Brown, Taylor, Montana, Rice, Payton. But you could put those five in any order and not go wrong.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/11/05/2010-11-05_dubyas_deepest_thoughts_former_prez_happy_to_be_out_of_dc_memoirs_say.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/11/05/exp.am.intv.blog.cnn?hpt=Sbin