Please sign the petition below to remove the statue of Jefferson Davis currently in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda, and replace it with a tribute to Muhammad Ali, “the Louisville Lip” and “the Greatest of All Time.”
I just heard from the Ali family: It is the Champ’s belief that Islam prohibits three-dimensional representations of living Muslims. Accordingly, I have adjusted the petition to call for a two-dimensional representation of Ali (a portrait, picture or mural) in lieu of a statue.
UPDATE (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)
In this interview with WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold, Governor Steve Beshear endorses the idea of honoring Muhammad Ali in the State Capitol (although he disagrees with removing Davis). Arnold explores the idea further on his weekly show, “The Powers that Be.”
Click here to check out WDRB-TV’s Lawrence Smith’s coverage of the story.
And here’s my op-ed in Ali’s hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal.
UPDATE (Saturday, June 4, 2016)
In the wake of the 2015 Charlestown tragedy, in which a Confederate flag-waving murderer united the nation against racism, all of the most powerful Kentucky policymakers — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Governor Matt Bevin, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo — called for the removal of the Davis statue from the Rotunda. Today, as we commemorate last night’s passing of Muhammad Ali, there is no better moment to replace the symbol of Kentucky’s worst era with a tribute to The Greatest of All Time.
UPDATE (Wednesday, June 8, 2016):
Great piece by Lawrence Smith of WDRB-TV in Louisville on the petition drive to replace Jefferson Davis’ statue in the Capitol Rotunda with a tribute to Muhammad Ali.
UPDATE (Thursday, June 9, 2016):
Excellent piece on the petition drive by Jack Brammer that was featured on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Highlight of the article:
Miller said he has received a few “angry comments” on his call to honor Ali.
“One of them encouraged me to kill myself,” he said. “You can quote me that I have decided not to take their advice.”
UPDATE (Friday, June 10, 2016)
The petition drives continues to show the Big Mo(hammed): check out these stories from WKYU-FM public radio in Bowling Green and WKYT-TV, Channel 27 in Lexington:
UPDATE (Saturday, June 11, 2016):
Still not convinced? Check out this excerpt from today’s New York Times:
By Nancy Slotnick, on Tue Oct 1, 2013 at 8:30 AM ET
The new buzz word in the world of tech entrepreneurs is cherry-picking. It’s used as a verb, as in “You can cherry-pick your customers based on targeted demographics.” These MBA types like to have shared lingo because it makes them sound smart. I like to learn it so that I can pretend to fit in. I never really do fit in, but it got me thinking about cherry-picking and where that expression came from.
I believe that life is a bowl of cherries. Lately I have been affirming that belief on a daily basis with the intention of creatively visualizing a brave new 2013 for me. So far it’s working. But often when I get all excited about a goal or a new year’s resolution it goes through the following cycle: Hope, Action, Reinforcement, Bold Action, Rejection, Defeat. Repeat.
I’m trying to break that cycle with my “no fear” new year’s resolution. I suspect that cherry-picking may be part of the problem. If life is a bowl of cherries, and that is the symbol of beauty in the world, then it must hold true that
Cherry-picking = Nitpicking.
Aha, there’s the rub. I picture some lesser version of myself going to Whole Foods and literally picking out cherries one by one to get the best. But they are all cherries at Whole Foods! Granted the cherries at this store could be dubbed Whole Paycheck but they’re going to be delicious and it can’t possibly be worth my time to pick them out one by one.
I tell myself- “Just buy the bag. Enjoy the cherries. Don’t be nitpicky.” It’s not even as unpredictable as Forrest Gump said about the chocolates. You doknow what you’re going to get- a cherry! If it’s no good then you spit it out along with the pit and you move on. (Do those of you out there who are dating see where I am going with this?) You still have a bowl of cherries.
Read the rest of… Nancy Slotnick: Bowl of Cherries
By Erica and Matt Chua, on Mon Sep 30, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
South America is full of beach towns, deciding which ones to visit is the hard part. As we traveled we took our cues from the locals as to where to visit. The same way New Yorkers have the Hamptons, South Americans have their established get aways where the main past time is relaxing. These towns are the perfect vacation spot for travelers as well. There are many hotels and restaurants to choose from as well as plenty of entertainment options. While there are hundreds of different places where the locals flock, I have highlighted three popular spots.
Cartagena, Colombia
The colonial town of Cartagena offers something for everyone with a beautiful old town, a booming downtown and a long stretch of sandy beach in between. The colorful architecture and the cobblestone streets of the old town are a photographers paradise. The street cafes and boutique shops offer plenty of distractions as you stroll. The wide variety of places to stay, eat and grab a drink could keep you busy for a long time and the ocean views are stunning. It’s easy to relax and take in this charming city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, the beach is inviting and the downtown offers modern amenities and swanky restaurants. We loved spending time in Cartagena after spending so much time in bustling Medellin, it was the perfect get-away from big city life.
Read the rest of… Matt and Erica Chua: Where South Americans Vacation
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Sep 30, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Asheville, NC is cool.
Hip.
And Southern (albeit reluctantly).
A serenely hippie dippie college town that could easily take the NCAA regional title in meditation, woodworking, haute cuisine, energy healing, Frisbie throwing, and self-awareness if any were collegiate sports.
My phone camera isn’t functioning. Maybe it has dropped into the Asheville mindset and decided I should just experience the city instead of taking pictures of it, man.
And I agree.
Suffice it to say that it feels like Haight-Ashbury went to rehab and then was sent to a half-way house on the other side of the US and over time these Haight-Ashbury refugees found a way to make a sober-ish life while still honoring their eccentric individuality and pacifist world view. And learned how to make a contented community among themselves.
The inhabitants are not burned out but turned on(and aptly named their town Ashville) where they seek out (not eek out) an all-natural gluten-free, and gloriously Granola-fied life. To the beat of street musicians playing jazzy sounding bluegrass music.
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Sep 30, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
WARNING: PLENTY OF SPOILERS AHEAD
Wow. The greatest television show in the history of the program is over. And it was a brilliant sendoff.
(I have only one qualm: Why did Walt tell Lydia that her flu-like symptoms were the result of ricin poisoning? Doesn’t that give her the opportunity to get medical help? I only see two explanations — it is too late for Lydia’s salvation, or this yet another example of Walt’s hubris/sloppiness thwarting his intentions.)
Nearly two dozen members of the RP Nation submitted entries in our first/last annual “Breaking Bad” series finale (“Felina”) prediction contest. Most of our entries were quite creative, but WAY WAY off. So many of you had Skyler, and even poor Holly, dying; others were convinced Walt would off his former Gray Matter partners. And no one forecast the cameo return of the most hilarious comedy pair since Lucy and Desi — Badger and Skinny Pete.
BUT we did find a winner — and it turns out he is a future recovering politician — Madison County (KY) Attorney Marc Robbins. Here’s Marc’s entry:
Walt rescues Jessie (bitch), blows away Todd and crew, and takes the ricin.
Much to Marc’s discredit, his summary was quite brief; we all knew from the flash forward several weeks that Walt took the ricin from his old home; and Walt doesn’t “blow away” Todd — Jesse strangles him (kudos to Stuart Cobb for guessing that detail!) And what’s with that Facebook profile pic, Marc?!!!?!?
But one of the central unanswered questions was how Walt would treat Jesse should they meet again — and with Walt returning to his somewhat sympathetic roots, Marc was on the money. So he wins my two lower Rupp Arena tickets for the UNC Asheville game in November. Mazel Tov, Marc Robbins!
The prize for the most humorous entry goes to recovering blogger, Bob Layton. Here was his entry:
Bob Layton · Top Commenter · University of Kentucky Alternatively, Walter goes straight to the compound, is in the process of busting Jesse out when the neo-Nazis arrive. During the ensuing brawl, Walter, Jesse, and the neo-Nazis all spill through the fourth wall, onto an adjoining soundset where Buddy Bizarre is rehearsing a glitzy musical number called the French Mistake. Walter and Jesse then find their R.V., and hand in hand, ride off into the sunset.
While the competition was far tougher in this category (honorable mention to Adam Gibson, Sandy Levy, and Mike Mabry), Bob gets kudos for his evocation of two of my favorite things: marriage equality and Jewish humor (Buddy Bizarre and the French Mistake are references from Mel Brooks’ extraordinary film, Blazing Saddles).
Guess I got what I deserved
Kept you waiting there too long my love.
All that time without a word
Didn’t know you’d think that I’d forget
Or I’d regret the special love I have for you –
My Baby Blue.
How many times has your boss said, no surprises? Bosses want everything to go down exactly as planned. Of course they never do. Maybe instead of trying to avoid surprises we should plan more of them. When is the last time you genuinely surprised someone? Did you delight a customer today with the element of surprise? Did you do something so totally unpredictable that people all around you took notice? Predictability is overrated and boring.
When the Saints tried an onside kick to begin the second half of the Super Bowl everyone on and off the field was taken by complete surprise. I thought at the time that the game was over right then and there. The key was the element of surprise. If you look at the statistics behind onside kicks it was a genius move by Sean Payton, the Saint’s head coach. Turns out that only 26% of onside kicks in the NFL work when they are expected late in the game. The success rate goes up to 60% if the ploy is unexpected. The Saints not only had the underdog, post Katrina thing, working for them the odds were in their favor. The onside kick was a brilliant use of surprise and the Colts never recovered from it.
Lady Gaga is all about the surprise. We expect her to surprise us with her look and art every single time. Lady Gaga delivers. Her appearance at the Grammy Awards was no exception. Whether you are a Lady Gaga fan or not you have to be impressed with her capacity to surprise, provoke, and entertain. Her outfit at the Grammy’s was unlike any I have ever seen and her duet with Elton John was equally memorable. Lady Gaga is determined to be remarkable and to consistently surprise. No easy task to be surprising when everyone is expecting you to be. It isn’t my favorite genre (if you can call her music a genre) but I have to hand it to Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta for being surprisingly entertaining.
My friend Tony Hsieh has built an incredible movement and company at Zappos. The company is built around the simple idea of surprising each and every customer with service beyond expectations. It seems so logical and yet most customer service is awful and disappointing. Not service from Zappos. Just ask my wife and daughters who have been delighted on many occasions ordering shoes from the company.
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Sep 27, 2013 at 5:00 PM ET
When it comes to a full-throated defense of Obamacare, there’s been no stronger advocate than my old boss, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear. Whether you agree with him or not (I am certainly proud of his passionate defense of the expansion of Medicaid in our poor state), you’ve got to admire the chutzpah of a Southern Governor defending the signature program of a President who has been crushed in his state twice.
In his op-ed in today’s New York Times, “My State Needs Obamacare. Now.” Beshear reminds me of Harry Truman, sticking it to the modern version of the do-nothing-but-complain Congress:
Frankly, we can’t implement the Affordable Care Act fast enough.
As for naysayers, I’m offended by their partisan gamesmanship, as they continue to pour time, money and energy into overturning or defunding the Affordable Care Act. It’s shameful that these critics haven’t invested that same level of energy into trying to improve the health of our citizens.
They insist that the Affordable Care Act will never work — when in fact a similar approach put into effect in Massachusetts by Mitt Romney, then the governor, is working.
So, to those more worried about political power than Kentucky’s families, I say, “Get over it.”
The Affordable Care Act was approved by Congress and sanctioned by the Supreme Court. It is the law of the land.
Get over it … and get out of the way so I can help my people. Here in Kentucky, we cannot afford to waste another day or another life.
Sure, this public admission and act of contrition is certainly admirable….but it is also too late to undo the harm done already—in fact, about 30 years too late.
Kudos for finally acknowled…ging this soul-stirring error of judgment.
But the fact that you can never completely undo the damage of this “executive decision” means the rest of us will have to continue living with the consequences.
And by the way, genuine acts of public contrition require a heartfelt apology and desire to make whole those harmed. It does not include trying to artfully dodge responsibility by blaming bad acts on others—like IBM.
I am starting to think it would have been better if you’d just said nothing at all about this topic instead of this embarrassing half-baked apology.
And obviously not reading Jonathan Miller’s book and taking to heart advice on crisis management
By Jason Atkinson, on Fri Sep 27, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
An annual pilgrimage begins this week. Thousands of Americans are excitedly unpacking boxes from Cabelas and Orvis and planning to leave the office early. Fox News skipped over for the Weather Channel. The stock market turned off, topo maps unfurled. Politics and the center-right’s distrust of the federal government put aside while a battery of American-made trucks and SUVs head out onto public lands for the start of hunting season.
In the West, the federal government is the single largest non-tax-paying landowner. This includes 53 percent of Oregon, 84 percent of Nevada, 45 percent of California, all owned and managed by the Feds — a landmass larger than much of the eastern seaboard. For decades, local counties with struggling schools, understaffed sheriffs departments and closing libraries have posed the question the federal government either prove they own the land or pay taxes. These sagebrush rebellions flare their heads every few years but rarely go anywhere, because circuit courts are packed by urban lawyers who have no idea what the modern West is really about. But the fact is simple, rural places adjust to federal land policy, whether on fire or not.
This time of year, those of us in rural America, and those who have romantic visions of joining us, lay down our politics in order to pick up our fly rods, our bows, shotguns and rifles. Elk hunters to pheasant hunters, waterfowlers to steelheaders, we all head out to Uncle Sam’s tree farm. While our Uncle is not going to gift this land to the states any time soon, those hunting and angling, family traditions that are a higher priority than Sunday church in the fall, are as important to conservation as any federal policy.
Public lands need to stay in public hands. And the folks who live and hunt on public lands are the long-term key to environmental protection. Caretakers in their own right, the hook-and-bullet community is active in protecting and managing herds, raising money to restore fish habitat, and changing the ethic from use-and-abuse to natural restoration. Just yesterday, in a school parking lot in southern Oregon, picking up my 5th-grader, Grandpa Skip Rheault told me: “We waited 37 years to draw that unit (a wildlife lottery system), and that was probably the best hunt the boys and I’ll ever have in our lives.” I didn’t have a chance to ask about his success before he stopped me, smiling broadly, adding, “We didn’t even take an elk. Saw a lot of cows and spikes, but we only wanted a 6-point or better. Just seeing those healthy elk was worth the wait.”
Read the rest of… Jason Atkinson: This Land was Made for You and Me
Lately I’ve been shopping for three different clients looking for each one’s own “It” leather jacket. Each guy already has a leather jacket that he wears, but the fit is off in all cases. The biggest mistake guys make with leather jackets is buying ones that are too roomy and too bulky. A leather jacket should fit snug to the body; you shouldn’t be able to fit anyone else under there with you. Armholes should be cut high, and sleeves should hit no lower than at the base of your wrist. Don’t be surprised if you have to go one size down from your usual to get the right fit.
Other ingredients for achieving leather jacket greatness:
1.// Think leather jacket, not leather blazer or leather trenchcoat. The former feels dated, and the latter might get you arrested.
2.// Choose the right color for your complexion: if your skin tone is cool, go with black; if warm, go with brown.
3.// Don’t be afraid to up the style quotient when deciding what to pair it with. After all, you are wearing your “It” leather jacket, so you might as well wear it with personality. Try it with a slim tie for a night out as seen above.
4.// Refrain from putting a jumble of things in your pockets. This not only adds bulk, but it will also stretch out that killer fit you worked so hard on.
5.// Just say “no” to patches, logos, racing stripes, hoodies and excess distressing.
Blog this!
