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 Erica and Matt Chua, on Tue Jan 15, 2013 at 9:15 AM ET
“India is cheap,” has been stated so many times that it must be true. Have you ever seen evidence though? Before visiting I heard anecdotes that it is cheap, things such as “a hotel costs $1/night” and, “I spent less than $5 per day.” Even though millions visit India annually, I never found any evidence of how cheap it was until I actually visited myself. Continuing on with our careful book keeping, while in India we tracked our daily spending, item-by-item, to understand how much India costs. After four months in India I can definitively say, India isn’t necessarily cheap.
Here are the numbers, broken into cost per day of countries we’ve visited. The bold numbers are the lowest amount for each major travel category. In a couple cases I excluded outliers that I know aren’t apples-to-apples comparisons. For example, the “Accommodations” and “Food” costs of Nepal are skewed because many trekking hotels provide accommodation for free if you purchase your meals there, therefore the actual costs of each category is a blend of the two. Sri Lanka’s “Sightseeing” costs are similarly skewed, therefore excluded from being called the lowest cost. As you can see, while India is the second cheapest country we’ve visited overall, in no individual category is it cheapest.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
The reality behind the numbers further dispel the myth that India is cheap. The quality of budget travel experiences in India is shockingly low. When paying similar prices to other countries, budget travelers in India receive substantially less quality, comfort and safety for the money. India is correctly referred to as cheap because it is not a good value. Here are some examples of how little money in India gets you even less.
The bathroom of the most expensive place we stayed in India, $20/night in Kolkata. After fighting a brilliant battle the cockroaches won. We ceded the bathroom to them and used the shared bath.
Read the rest of… Erica and Matt Chua: Is Indian Travel Really Cheap?
By Nancy Slotnick, on Tue Jan 15, 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 do know 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: A Bowl of Cherries
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Jan 14, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
Here are the newspaper frontpages of the Divisional playoff round teams. [album]
Brendon Ayanbadejo was not very happy with the way the Patriots run their offense and let all of his Twitter followers know how he felt. He has since issued an apology. [ESPN]
Congrats to Tom Brady on breaking Joe Montana’s record for playoff wins with 17, coming after his Patriot’s beat the Texans. [Boston Globe]
The Atlanta-Seattle game was easily one of the best games all year. If you missed it you have to check out the highlights. [Yahoo Sports]
It’s rough to bring this back up in the midst of a very fun playoffs, but the autopsy on Chiefs LB Jovan Belcher stemming from the murder-suicide showed that he was drunk at the time of the shooting – more than twice the legal limit. [Yahoo Sports]
Rob Gronkowski re-fractured his forearm during Sunday’s game and is done for the rest of the playoffs. [NFL.com]
“How Peyton’s and Matty Ice’s legacies were in other people’s hands, and the rest of the notable news from divisional weekend” [Grantland]
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jan 14, 2013 at 7:00 AM ET
RIGHT NOW, until 2:30 PM, nearly 2000 Democrats, Republican & Independents have joined in New York for No Labels’ Meeting to Make America Work.
Join co-founder Jonathan Miller, as well as national dignitaries such as Senator Joe Manchin, Governor Jon Huntsmann, Mayor Cory Booker, and Senator Kelly Ayotte by following the LIVE FEED BELOW.
And be sure to sign up for their mission to promote problem-solving, not hyper-partisanship at nolabels.org.
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Jan 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Facebook needs to decide what they really want to know about us.
Ya know?
I mean, when I joined Facebook a few years ago, the empty status box always stared at me with the question, “What’s on your mind?” It was a respectful question that showed interest in my intellect and lured me in initially. Someone (rather “something”) wanted to know what little ole me was thinking. At that moment. And so I’d try to answer best I could. About what I was thinking at that moment. Even if I hadn’t been thinking of anything at all, I’d still come up with something because my intelligence was being respected and inquired about. And I didn’t want to let Facebook down. It was a wholesome and respectful relationship.
That lasted for awhile.
And then Facebook took an intimate, touchy-feely turn. The status box suddenly started asking, “What are you feeling?”
That’s a little too personal for me, to tell you the truth. It felt like being asked, “What color underwear are you wearing?” What happened to all that respect for my mind? It sounds contrived too…. like the kind of line you’d hear if the characters played by Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers took over Facebook. The red head in that movie should never have trusted Vince Vaughn’s character. And we shouldn’t trust the new “warm and fuzzy” Facebook solicitousness. I just don’t believe Facebook really genuinely wants to know about my feelings. And that there must be some self-serving motive behind it. And they may even make a funny movie about this question one day starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson….and the laughs could be at our expense. No, thanks, Facebook. My feelings are strictly between me and my mood ring.
But now I see we have a Facebook inquiry 3.0. I guess we weren’t the only ones who were “on to them” about the faux feelings “status” line. So Facebook is now trying to put all that behind them and go “Hip.” That’s right, “hip!” As in the new status box inquiry, “What’s happening, John?” Like they know me and are my new bro. It comes off over the top and feels like something akin to “Yo! Whassup John?!!” It’s just too informal and inartfully hip. We all know what Mark Zuckerberg is like. He’s brilliant and tireless and one of the great tech visionaries and innovators of our time. But hip? Nah. As Seth Meyer and Amy Poehler would say without having to even think about this one, “Really, Facebook?”
And I just checked to see if they had changed the question in the status box since I started writing this post 10 minutes ago. And they have. The newest iteration is the annoyingly invasive school marmish question, “What are you doing, John?” Geez! “What are you doing, John?” I immediately felt like looking down and trying to find my Number 2 pencil. I can’t decide if the sentence is coming to me through the visage of SNL’s Church Lady or the machine, HAL, from 2001 A Space Odyssey. Either way, I don’t like the accusatory way the question is posed. It’s as if by staring into the Facebook status box I am presumed to not be taking life serious enough. Why else would I need to be stared down with the paternalistic question, “What are you doing, John?” That feels bleak…and disrespectful. A far cry from “What are you thinking?” I even feels a little like “Gotcha journalism.” There’s just no winning. How can you answer that query in a way that you feel good about yourself?
“What am I doing now? Oh, staring at the Facebook status bar and trying to respond to…..trying to respond to an important social issue or event…I mean, trying to say something that is really, really important about something important that is happening now or just happened recently.
I mean….I know not everything I post on Facebook has a socially redeeming value and I’m glad you are asking this tough question in a pointed way to force people like me to be less shallow on Facebook. And maybe a little ashamed if they aren’t doing something socially useful in their status updates.
Which is what I’m trying to do right now. And can’t. So, you know what? I just won’t write anything at all then! You want to know what I’m doing? Not writing in my status box on Facebook.
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Jan 11, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Sign up for the fitness challenge right here:
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]
It’s a numbers game, right? Of course, it is.
When I started I knew 15 pounds was a lot of pounds to drop from the same body. That’s why I had “or at least 10” as a back up. A sort of high goal and low goal.
What I didn’t anticipate is how hard it would be to lose 10 pounds.
This whole weight loss and improving your health thing actually takes work. And change.
And change isn’t easy. Especially if it means doing something different, which is kind of what change means, I think. Or not doing something the way you’ve always done it –and frankly enjoy doing it (like eating what you want because it tastes good and not exercising because it hurts). That’s just plain hard! And gives one pause. And makes change seems like a really bad idea. You know? Which means you won’t change.
And, of course, change is especially tough if on this journey to change all alone.
You’ve heard the saying “There’s power in numbers”
I have to. But am not sure why I mention it here.
Oh! No, that wasn’t it. It will come to me….
Oh, I remember now. Yes, if you are …fat or overweight and lazy, like me, you may decide you want to change.
Well, good luck with that. If you are trying to do it alone.
There’s no accountability. No sense of commitment. No plan. No mentor. No process. No reliable resource offering guidance.
Just a fat, lazy guy who wishes he weren’t as fat and lazy as he feels at this moment. And no matter how intensely you feel that, it’s not enough in itself to lead to any sort of measurable change.
So what can help?
You have two choices.
1) You can be a miserable overweight and unhealthy person who hates yourself and will fail again trying to diet and get in shape.
If you are satisfied with this option, stop here. There’s no need to even go to the other option. I’m going to sleep on it myself (I joke) But if you aren’t satisfied with #1, try #2.
2) Sign on with The Recovering Politician and Jonathan Miller and me to try to make some real, incremental and lasting changes. Not for fun. It won’t be fun. Not for torture, even though it will feel like torture at first. Unless you are in to torture, which is none of my business. But rather because the pain of staying the way you are is greater than the pain of changing. That’s when I get motivated. And you can too. And not have to do it alone.
Seriously.
Jonathan and I joke a lot and try to have fun with our little weight loss undertaking, but if we had to identify a single silent health problem in America today, few would argue it’s obesity and lack of exercise. And as guilty of both as I am. I’m trying to make some small changes…that could create some pretty big results for me in the long run.
I hope you join me in trying too.
And, yes, there is power in numbers to go back to that topic…but there’s much more the RP can offer to help you get serious….and then get fit. Or at least fitter. Hey, I will not be part of any health improvement process that allows striving for perfection to undermine small measurable progress. Real change is the most probably with realistic assessments and objectives combined with a liveable plan that has worked for others.
Click for details. We have all that here. Read about it.
And then sign up: either at the top of this post, or right below here:
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live and work in a city with so many fantastic style resources. But then I go into a store like Peter Elliot Blue, and in short order I’m reminded of how fortunate I am. The flagship Peter Elliot store opened on the upper east side in 1977 — the first independent retailer to carry the line of another young style pioneer you may have heard of, Ralph Lauren. The store has a superb selection (suits/shirts/ties to outerwear to casual clothes and accessories) and is always gorgeously appointed, as you can see above and below. I love how the each pile of pants at left is cleverly wrapped in a belt.
If you haven’t yet seen my Behind the Scenes video, part of it was shot at Peter Elliot Blue. Here I am, browsing before the shoot. The clients in the video couldn’t get enough of the store either — they each walked out with purchases!
If you haven’t been over to Peter Elliot Blue yet, I encourage you to check it out. It’s a true NYC style experience. The store is located at 997 Lexington Ave, at 72nd St.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
Eleven of the problem solvers will join 1,300 citizens and No Labels Honorary Co-Chairs Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin at No Labels Meeting in New York City
WHAT: No Labels, a national grassroots movement of hundreds of thousands of Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between will unveil 25 problem solvers who have committed to regular meetings to build trust across the aisle. Eleven problem solvers (listed below) will be in attendance at the meeting. No Labels, dedicated to a new politics and attitude of problem solving, is hosting its Meeting to Make America Work! on Monday, Jan. 14, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) will be unveiled as the organization’s honorary co-chairs. Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Sen. Angus King will also be speaking at the event, along with many other notable business and political leaders. WHERE: Marriott Marquis, 5th Floor — Times Square, 1535 Broadway, New York WHEN: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., January 14
Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin will lead a National Citizens Conversation on “The New Politics of Problem Solving” at 10:30 a.m., followed by a 12 p.m. Press Conference with Gov. Huntsman, Sen. Manchin, and Congressional “Problem Solvers.”
Broadway Superstar Deborah Cox, a multi-platinum selling and multi-talented entertainer, will be performing the No Labels Anthem at 12:30 p.m., eastern time. Press availability to follow.
For a detailed schedule of speakers and timing for the Meeting to Make America Work! on January 14, please visit: http://hq.nolabels.org/page/-/Press%20releases/MMAW%20PRESS%20Agenda.pdf
WHO: No Labels National Leaders:
Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Friends of No Labels:
Newark Mayor Cory Booker
Sen. Angus King (I-ME)
Deborah Cox, Broadway Superstar and Grammy Nominee
Congressional Problem Solvers:
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA)
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY)
Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI)
Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
No Labels Co-Founders:
John Avlon — Contributor, CNN
Lisa Borders — Former President of Atlanta City Council
Bill Galston — Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Kiki McLean — Senior Partner, Porter Novelli
Mark McKinnon — Global Vice Chairman, Hill and Knowlton Strategies
Jonathan Miller — Former Kentucky State Treasurer
David M. Walker — Former U.S. Comptroller General
Ron Shaich — Founder and CEO, Panera Bread
WHAT: No Labels is a grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans and everyone in between dedicated to promoting the politics of problem solving.
PRESS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING MUST REGISTER FOR PRESS CREDENTIALS.
Please contact Maggie Simpson at simpsonmas@comcast.net or 301-657-2298 to register for credentials to cover this event.
Press interested in scheduling interviews with a No Labels co-founder or Congressional speaker should also contact Maggie Simpson to arrange interviews in advance.
Blog this!
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
You just never know when you’ll need these.
RIGHT NOW, until 2:30 PM, nearly 2000 Democrats, Republican & Independents have joined in New York for No Labels’ Meeting to Make America Work.
It’s a numbers game, right? Of course, it is.
Oh, I remember now. Yes, if you are …fat or overweight and lazy, like me, you may decide you want to change.
Eleven of the problem solvers will join 1,300 citizens and No Labels Honorary Co-Chairs Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin at No Labels Meeting in New York City 
