3/30/2009

Chrysler and Fiat

I think the notion that a Chrysler/Fiat merger is absurd. It's like a drowning man reaching for a concrete block.

As for GM. They should make two cars - the Chevrolet and the Cadillac, and that's it. I never thought I'd say this but Ford looks like the smartest company of them all right now.  Ford should take the Jeeps and let the rest of Chrysler to rot.

3/25/2009

Arthur Howell

These are pictures my father, Arthur Howell. A truly great man. You are missed and I will remember you always.

Dad in his chair (that's my older brother's gut in the way)

Dad with a model boat

My dad, my brother Brian and my sister, Dee Dee

Dad laughs

3/24/2009

Helio Castroneves- The Whole Story

This ESPN article is the most comprehensive and easy to understand account of the tax evasion case two-time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves finds himself in today.
On the afternoon of Nov. 4, 1999, the four-document deal was signed. Helio and Kati Castroneves focused purely on the bottom line ($1 million over three years plus a percentage of prize money won on the track, with a $5 million deferred bonus payment) and chose not to go point-by-point through the deal, merely turning to the last page and signing.
Had they read through the agreement, and perhaps had Miller's office not been in such a hurry to have the deal done, they would have seen that Helio was listed as the owner of Seven Promotions. The defense claims that it was all merely a clerical error, a misunderstanding. The U.S. says that it is evidence of the truth -- that Helio Castroneves owned and managed Seven, and thus is responsible for what the government believes was the company's role as a tax shelter.
Thanks to Ryan McGee and ESPN.

3/18/2009

Support Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis writes a weblog called BuzzMachine.

It's smart, packed with information, and sometimes witty. Please go read Jarvis on the ongoing Howard Stern/free speech issue

Here's a copy of an email I just sent to Jarvis:

Mr. Jarvis:

I have been reading your blog off-and-on for a couple of years now and found you through Matt Welch. Thanks very much for your coverage of the Howard Stern/free speech issue. I live in Orlando, Florida, where Clear Channel has pulled Stern from the air. 

The Internet, and specifically BuzzMachine, provides my only information source on this important issue. The day Stern was taken off the air, a handful of protesters appeared outside the local Clear Channel studios (WTKS-FM). Local TV news gave the protest about 30 seconds worth of coverage. Other than that all Central Florida media outlets have been silent. Of course, all the other show hosts on WTKS have been quiet. I would like to have heard what the station manager told them after Stern was taken off the air!

Why has the mainstream media been so quiet on this issue? There are a number of media-centric reasons. Newspapers see radio as a competitor. They secretly wish radio to be hobbled. From the TV news perspective, if there are no pictures, there is no news. You can't send a TV camera out and take pictures of Howard Stern being off the air.  It's a good thing a picture is worth a thousand words, because TV reporters don't know a thousand words.

Other radio personalities, and radio station managers, are going to keep quiet too, because they're afraid they will be next. Those are just some of the reasons why I think the mainstream media has ignored this issue. Anyway, thanks for posting The Daily Stern. I be checking in every day.

Chris Howell


3/17/2009

I Saw This Coming

Read this story from The Detroit News about this traffic-light-changing gadget.

For as little as $300 you can drive up to a red light and change it to green. Pretty cool and it seems to be all legal … at least so far. It’s the same thing used by fire trucks and ambulances to change the lights so they can get on to an emergency.

I knew it was only a matter of time before this type of thing made it to everyday drivers. By the time a thing like this is noticed and written up in the newspaper there are probably thousands of them out there already in use. Of course, the potential for chaos is high.

Thanks to Hit and Run.

3/05/2009

Another Fine Idea

So I've been thinking this horse program over. I envision this: Program Name = Basic Horse. This will be a series of 5-10 minute how-tos on basic horse care. Like how to get your horse's coat shiny or how to detangle your horse's mane.

I'm going to steal some program ideas from the major horse magazines. I'm ready to script one out. I wonder if I can get Charlotte to present these?