Monday, June 27, 2011

Fw: Los Angeles Dodgers file for bankruptcy protection  | ajc.com

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From: "The Meck" <themeck@TheMeck.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:52:34 -0500
To: the Meck<TheMeck@TheMeck.com>
Subject: Los Angeles Dodgers file for bankruptcy protection  | aj c.com

 
http://www.ajc.com/sports/los-angeles-dodgers-file-989402.html

Gilley: felt 'conned' by McGregor -- Lance Griffin/DothanEagle

Posted by The Meck

Gilley felt 'conned' by McGregor -- Lance Griffin/Dothan Eagle
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 27, 2011 - 1:33p
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Why some dissatisfied users are shunning Facebook -- CNN

Posted by The Meck

Why some dissatisfied users are shunning facebook -- CNN / by Blake Snow

excerpt ..
(CNN) -- There's no denying the cultural impact of Facebook. It has united almost 700 million people, including most of you reading this, becoming the greatest social introduction platform the world has ever seen.

But there are also some recent signs of "Facebook fatigue." There is only so much you can do to socialize online, especially after you've exhausted your friend list. Some people also complain they're spending so much time on Facebook that they're short-changing the rest of their lives.

Evidence suggests a small but increasing number of users -- at least in North America, where Facebook use is especially saturated -- may be shunning the site. The site lost more than 7 million active users in the United States and Canada last month, according to data from the blog Inside Facebook, although Facebook disputes those figures.

Others are consciously reducing the time they spend on the site.

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Why some dissatisfied users are shunning facebook -- CNN / by Blake Snow
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 21, 2011 - 12:34p
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Dothan city school board approves contract for new superintendent - Dothan Eagle

Posted by The Meck

Dothan city school board approves contract for new superintendent - Dothan Eagle
excerpt ..
The Dothan City School Board approved a three-year employment contract on Monday for new city school superintendent Tim Wilder.

The contract sets base pay and other terms of Wilder’s employment, and includes performance incentives.
Under the contract, Wilder will be paid $141,000 for his first year as superintendent, $148,000 for his second year and $155,000 for his third year.

Wilder currently makes $100,000 per year as superintendent of the Gulf County Schools in Florida. Current Dothan City School Superintendent Sam Nichols said Monday that he currently makes about $147,000.

Wilder’s contract also sets up performance incentives for the new superintendent.

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Dothan city school board approves contract for new superintendent - Dothan Eagle
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 20, 2011 - 9:43p
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Bud Selig rejects Dodgers TV contract, nullifying McCourt divorce deal - LATimes

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Bud Selig rejects Dodgers TV contract, nullifying McCourt divorce deal - LATimes / Bill Shaikin

excerpt ..
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Monday rejected a proposed television contract between the Dodgers and Fox Sports, invalidating a divorce settlement between Frank and Jamie McCourt and all but challenging Frank McCourt to surrender the team or sue.

Selig rejected the contract on the first business day after the McCourts announced a settlement contingent upon approval of that contract.
Selig did not strip Frank McCourt of ownership of the Dodgers. But McCourt has said for months that approval of the Fox contract was critical for the Dodgers' financial health.

Photos: The Dodgers and the McCourts

In a statement released by Major League Baseball, Selig said he had provided McCourt "an expansive analysis of my reasons for rejecting this proposed transaction." Specifically, the statement mentioned that the Dodgers-Fox deal was "structured to facilitate the further diversion of Dodgers assets for the personal needs of Mr. McCourt."

One provision of a divorce settlement reached last week between McCourt and ex-wife Jamie would have diverted almost half the immediate payment on the television contract to them and their attorneys. The upfront payment was to be $385 million, with up to $173.5 million reserved for the McCourts and their attorneys.

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Bud Selig rejects Dodgers TV contract, nullifying McCourt divorce deal - LATimes / Bill Shaikin
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 20, 2011 - 5:30p
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ICANN to allow new generic 'dot-brand' domains -- CNNMoney

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The trusty old Internet addresses we know and love -- the .coms, .nets, .orgs -- are about to get some new competition.

Global Internet regulators met Monday in Singapore to finalize rules for a major expansion of "generic top-level domains," that will clear the way for new offerings like .law, .coke or .nyc. Sites with those endings are expected to start rolling out late next year.

"Today's decision will usher in a new Internet age," said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of ICANN's Board of Directors. "We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration."

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers -- the non-profit, global coordinator of the Internet's naming system -- has for years been kicking around the idea of suffixes for brand names, cities and general keywords. 

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ICANN to allow new generic 'dot-brand' domains -- CNNMoney
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 20, 2011 - 4:36p

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The Marlins hire McKeon. When does a team call Bobby Cox? -- Mark Bradley / AJC.com

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Edwin Rodriguez resigned as Florida’s manager Sunday. The job has been filled  by the cigar-smoking Jack McKeon, who’s 80. What I’m wondering: How long before some team with a vacancy makes a run at a cigar aficionado who’s a spry 70?

“Nobody’s going to hire me,” Bobby Cox said Monday, speaking via iPhone. “I’m too young. I’ve got to earn my spurs first.”

About McKeon, Cox said: “Jack’s full of life and energy. Every time he’s come back — in Cincinnati and with Florida — he’s won.”

Let the record reflect that Robert Joseph Cox did some winning himself — 15 division titles, 16 playoff appearances, five National League pennants, one World Series title. He retired last fall, but he remains one of the most respected figures the game has known. And so I wondered: Has any club issued a feeler as to Cox’s interest in managing again?

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The Marlins hire Jack McKeon. When does a team call Bobby Cox? -- Mark Bradley / AJC.com
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 20, 2011 - 4:10p
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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Hall of Famer Gary Carter rushed to ER for coughing - ESPN New York

Posted by The Meck

Hall of Famer Gary Carter rushed to ER for coughing - ESPN New York

excerpts ..
Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter was rushed to the emergency room on Thursday night after experiencing a "serious coughing attack" and having "shooting pains in his back," his daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, wrote on a private family website Friday.

Carter had blood drawn and underwent X-rays and a CT scan on his chest and back, which revealed that he had come down with a case of bronchitis. Carter left the hospital early Friday morning and returned home to rest.

According to Bloemers, there was speculation that Carter might have blood clotting or pneumonia. But those fears were eased when the results showed that he had something less substantial.
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"It has not been easy to see my dad go through tough times," Bloemers wrote. "He is one of the most independent, fun-loving people I have ever known. He has always taken care of the family! Throughout these four weeks, dad mentions how he doesn't want to be an inconvenience to anyone. Even if he is having a hard day, he 'checks in' with each family member to make sure everyone is doing okay. His heart is good... so loving and so caring. Did I mention how proud I am to be his daughter?? :)

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Hall of Famer Gary Carter rushed to ER for coughing - ESPN New York / by Mike Mazzeo
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 19, 2011 - 3:19p
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Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's right-hand man, dies at 69 -- Chicago Tribune / Greg Kot

Posted by The Meck

Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's right-hand man, dies at 69 -- Chicago Tribune / Greg Kot 

excerpts .. 
Clemons, 69, died Saturday in a Palm Beach, Fla., hospital after suffering a stroke several days ago. 
In a stark black-and-white fold-out image on the cover of Bruce Springsteen's 1975 breakthrough album, "Born to Run," the imposing saxophonist hunched over his instrument while a bearded, leather-jacketed Springsteen leaned on his shoulder. The image suggested a brotherly bond between the two and in this case it wasn't just record-industry hokum. Clemons was an integral part of Springsteen's E Street Band for four decades.
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In a statement issued Saturday, Springsteen said of his longtime friend and bandmate: "Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

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Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's right-hand man, dies at 69 -- Chicago Tribune / Greg Kot 
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 19, 2011 - 12:25a
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Obama, Boehner play much-anticipated golf match - Washington Times

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Obama, Boehner play much-anticipated golf match - Washington Times
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 19, 2011 - 12:09a
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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Mayors See End to Wars as Fix for Struggling Cities - NYTimes.com

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Local governments shed 28,000 jobs last month, the Department of Labor reported, and have lost 446,000 jobs since employment peaked in September 2008.

So when downturn-weary mayors from around the country gathered here on Friday for the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, they decided to make a statement: they introduced a resolution calling for the speedy end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and calling on Congress to use the $126 billion a year the wars cost for urgent domestic needs.

The resolution, which will be decided Monday, seems likely to pass. “There are so many better uses for the money,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore. Mayor R. T. Rybak of Minneapolis lamented that cities across the nation were being forced to make “deeply painful cuts to the most core services while the defense budget continued to escape scrutiny.” And Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles said that the idea “that we would build bridges in Baghdad and Kandahar and not Baltimore and Kansas City absolutely boggles the mind.”

Read more
Mayors See End to Wars as Fix for Struggling Cities - NYTimes
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 18, 2011 - 11:46p
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Friday, June 17, 2011

NFL looking into players' Country Crossing investment - Dothan Eagle / AP

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 NFL looking into players' Country Crossing investment - Dothan Eagle / AP
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 17, 2011 - 4:41p
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Chipper Shares Major League Dream With Dad -- Braves.com / Mark Bowman

 Posted by The Meck

 excerpts ..
"The guy knows what he's doing," Jones said. "In all honesty, my dad is a better baseball man than half the baseball men that I've known since I turned pro. But because he didn't play professionally and because he didn't have a backer -- somebody within Major League Baseball who would take him in as a coach or instructor -- he's just been my personal guy for the last 20 years."
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"It's what we worked for my entire life and most of his life," said Jones, who has been with the Braves since they took him with the first overall selection in the 1990 First-Year Player Draft.

As he raised his son about 40 miles north of Orlando in the rural Florida town of Pierson, Jones Sr. coached high school athletics and eventually spent time as a coach at neighboring Stetson University.
But his greatest and most successful coaching endeavors came courtesy of the countless hours he spent instructing his son how to play and act like a professional.

"I always took his word over everybody else's," Jones said. "In fact, I would let things other people would say go through one ear and out the other just for the simple fact that I knew it contradicted what my dad was saying.

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Chipper Shares Major League Dream With Dad -- Braves.com / Mark Bowman
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 17, 2011 - 12:23p
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Call Off the Global Drug War - NYTimes / By Jimmy Carter

Atlanta
IN an extraordinary new initiative announced earlier this month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has made some courageous and profoundly important recommendations in a report on how to bring more effective control over the illicit drug trade. The commission includes the former presidents or prime ministers of five countries, a former secretary general of the United Nations, human rights leaders, and business and government leaders, including Richard Branson, George P. Shultz and Paul A. Volcker.

The report describes the total failure of the present global antidrug effort, and in particular America’s “war on drugs,” which was declared 40 years ago today. It notes that the global consumption of opiates has increased 34.5 percent, cocaine 27 percent and cannabis 8.5 percent from 1998 to 2008. Its primary recommendations are to substitute treatment for imprisonment for people who use drugs but do no harm to others, and to concentrate more coordinated international effort on combating violent criminal organizations rather than nonviolent, low-level offenders.

These recommendations are compatible with United States drug policy from three decades ago. In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts. I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.”

Read more
Call Off the Global Drug War - NYTimes / By Jimmy Carter
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 17, 2011 - 12:11p
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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Investing with gaming operation could be trouble - CBSSports.com

Posted by The Meck

 excerpt ..
A bingo and entertainment operation near Dothan, Ala., has caused headaches for a number of NFL players who have invested money in the project. It’s been closed since February when the state decreed that slot-machine lookalikes in bingo halls were illegal, and the project’s developer pleaded guilty to 10 counts of corruption.

But there’s another problem for Terrell Owens, Santana Moss, Santonio Holmes, Gerard Warren and Adelius Thomas – all of whom invested in the $20 million project now known as Center Stage.

Read more
Investing with gaming operation could be trouble - CBSSports.com
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 16, 2011 - 10:04p
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Players may be disciplined for gaming investment -- Yahoo Sports / Jason Cole

Posted by The Meck
Thanks RickeyStokesNews.com for the heads up on this breaking story.

Players may be disciplined for gaming investment - Yahoo Sports / Jason Cole
 excerpt ..
DOTHAN, Ala. – Wide receiver Terrell Owens(notes) is one of at least 25 NFL players who could be forced to divest and face discipline from the league in connection with an Alabama bingo and entertainment operation that is hoping to re-open late this month or in July.

Under the NFL’s rules barring an employee’s association with any gaming operation, Owens and other current players such as fellow wide receivers Santana Moss(notes) and Santonio Holmes(notes), defensive tackle Gerard Warren(notes) and linebacker Adalius Thomas(notes), could be forced to cease involvement. Owens did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment. Other players could not be reached for comment through their agents.
According to multiple sources associated with the players or the operation, the athletes in question invested approximately $20 million total in a project now known as Center Stage, approximately 10 miles south of Dothan. Boxer Floyd Mayweather was also an early investor and has legally sought a return of his money. The project, which separately has a 20-year, $30 million bond that is being handled by the Lord Abbett investment company, was previously known as Country Crossing, but was shut down in February 2010 when electronic bingo halls in the state were closed for using illegal slot-machine lookalikes.
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Read more
Players may be disciplined for gaming investment - Yahoo Sports / Jason Cole
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 16, 2011 - 4:55p
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Bingo Trial Update at 4:13, Day 9 - RSN

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Bingo Trial Update at 4:13, Day 9 - RSN
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 16, 2011 - 4:24p
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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Day 8, 3:51 - Parkman finished his cross -- RSN

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Day 8, 3:51 - Parkman finished his cross -- RSN
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 15, 2011 - 5:26p

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Day 8 Bingo Trial, Parkman is Cross Examining -- RSN

Posted by The Meck

Famed Defense Attorney Jim Parkman is laying some fajita cheese on Beason.

Here's the link.
Day 8 Bingo Trial, Parkman is Cross Examining -- RSN
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 15, 2011 - 3:31p
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Final Update, Day 7 of the Bingo Trial. - RSN

Posted by The Meck

The talk is that Jim Parkman will be up tomorrow for cross-examination.
Help me Rhonda .. for those being questioned by Mr. Parkman.
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Final Update, Day 7 of the Bingo Trial. - RSN
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 14, 2011 - 7:03p
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Day 7 of the Bingo Trial - Part 1 (The morning session) -- RSN

Posted by The Meck

Day 7 of the Bingo Trial - Part 1 [The morning session] -- RSN
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 14, 2011 - 1:03p
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Troy's legendary baseball coach Chase Riddle dies at age 85 -- Dothan Eagle

Posted by The Meck

Coach Gene Dews introduced me to Coach Riddle several years ago.
He was a kind, gentle giant. A man who touched many lives on and off the field.
Coach Dews told me about the many players Chase Riddle scouted/signed for
the St. Louis Cardinals.
'Chase, at one time, had 12 players in the Major Leagues that he had scouted/signed', Coach Dews said.

My favorite story [per Gene Dews] was a LH Pitcher Chase had scouted and wanted to sign. The Cardinals didn't believe he was good enough. But Chase Riddle insisted they take another look .. so he and the LH pitcher from [Miami Dade Jr College] flew to St Louis and the pitcher worked out for the Cardinals.

The Cards finally said OK .. offer him 10 thousand to sign. On the plane going back, Chase offered the pitcher, Steve Carlton, 5 thousand and he signed. One of the best LH Starters in ML History. A Hall of Famer, Steve Carlton. Chase Riddle knew baseball and people .. obviously better than most.
Chase Riddle .. A Kind Gentle Giant. -- Meck

Troy's legendary baseball coach Chase Riddle dies at 85 -- Dothan Eagle
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The Meck Report / Blog - June 14, 2011 - 12:52p
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Sunday, June 12, 2011