- Color me unimpressed and unconvinced when it comes to Florida coach Urban Meyer’s apology Saturday to the reporter he berated earlier this week for daring to do his job by asking a legitimate question of one of Urb’s players and publishing the player’s response. Orlando Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler asked receiver Deonte Thompson a question about contrasting the experience of playing with outgoing UF quarterback Tim Tebow with that of having new quarterback John Brantely under center. Thompson’s response included a comment about Brantley beig a "real quarterback," something that did not sit well with his coach. Obviously, Thompson did not mean to slander Timothy Richard Tebow and simply meant that Brantley is more of a traditional pocket passer, but Meyer clearly recognized that the comment could be construed as a slight agaist his guy Tebow and wanted none of it. Rather than focus his anger entirely on the correct target - Thompson - Urb lashed out at Fowler after practice Wednesday, alling him a "bad guy" and threatening to ban the newspaper from covering his program for publishing Thompson’s quote. The story spread quickly and Urb found himself the target of a lot of unflattering criticism and calls for discipline after intimating that if it were his son whom Fowler had quoted, the two of them would be fighting. "If that was my son, we'd be going at it right now," Meyer said. Well, athletic department officials obviously pulled Meyer aside and suggested that he apologize to Fowler, which is what Urb did Saturday. He spent more than 20 minutes with Fowler following spring practice and although Fowler declined to divulge details of the discussion, he labeled it a "constructive" conversation and said he accepted Meyer's apology. Predictably, Urb did not speak with reporters, nor do I expect him to react kindly whenever someone does get around to asking him about the situation. The bottom line here is that whether Fowler accepted Meyer’s apology or not, this is the very sort of bullying and intimidation that college football coaches routinely employ in order to steer and dictate how their program is covered by the media and although Urb is likely going to escape this without any disciple from the university, he clearly deserves more than the stern talking to behind the scenes that he received. Rein yourself in, Urb, and realize that you are just a college football coach, not a military dictator in a Third World country……….
- What’s better than clubbing it up at a risque West Hollywood nightclub with some ho’s and bros? Attempting to expense the Republican National Committee for your night on the town, that’s what! Meet Erik Brown, president of the Orange County-based Dynamic Marketing, Inc., and a political consultant who has done work for the RNC. Brown and some of his friends spent a night hanging at Voyeur , a club in Hollywood, and ran up nearly $2,000 on their tab. It’s unclear why Brown felt that this was something he could or should expense the RNC for, but expense it he did. And sure enough, in February he was reimbursed for $1,946.25 worth of charges at the nightclub, according to the RNC's latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. No one is quite sure who Brown was with or why the RNC was willing to pay his bill, but the incident came to light and cast further aspersions on RNC chairman Michael Steele, who has been at the center of more than his share of controversies during his time at the helm of the RNC. After falling under heavy scrutiny for receiving the payback, Brown will return the money to the party, accoding to a committee spokesman. "The committee has received a commitment that the money will be returned," the spokesman explained. Super, but giving the money back doesn’t automatically fix the problem. You do realize that, right RNC? Just as I cannot rob a bank or liquor store and make it all good by just giving them the money back, your boy Erik Brown giving back money he never should have taken in the first place doesn’t resolve this matter. It’s not like I expect accountability and integrity from any political committee or organization, but you guys could at least do a better job of making things appear legitimate than you did here. Step your game up, Republicans…………
- I have some big dreams in life and some of them have already been realized. The Detroit Lions cashed in my dream of an 0-16 NFL season two years ago, so that’s checked off the list. I’d also like to see the cancellation of American Karaoke and someone find a way to combine peanut butter, whipped cream and the joy of popping bubble wrap into one delicious joy, but that seems far-fetched. However, the dream I have of seeing a flying boat sail around the world is apparently soon to be realized. Alain Thebault, skipper of "Hydroptere," is preparing to sail round the world in under 40 days in his ginormous "flying" boat that has smashed world records for speed on water. The “Hydroptere is a revolutionary boat that looks more like a plane and thanks to its lightning-fast design, Thebault believes he can make it all the way around the world in just under six weeks. "My dream is to cross the world in 40 days," Thebault said in a recent interview. "It is a project that is very close to my heart and that I believe in." If any boat can accomplish the feat, it would definitely be "Hydroptere." It is far and away the world's fastest sailing boat, thanks to its foils, i.e. underwater "wings" that lift the boat and allow it to "fly" several feet above the water. The physics behind foils are similar to those used in airplanes, preventing drag and thus increasing speed. Thebault is a noted inventor who first started working on the design for "Hydroptere" 25 years ago. He received the predictable criticism who felt his goals were unrealistic and dangerous, but today he has proven those critics wrong. He did so in 2008, when "Hydroptere" reached speeds of nearly 70 mph before a dramatic crash. He and his team rebuilt "Hydroptere" and late last year, it became the fastest sail boat in the world by traveling at over 50 knots over 500 meters and one nautical mile. He is also working on a larger version of the boat, "Hydroptere Maxi," and will use that boat for his attempt to sail around the world in 40 days. The boat’s dimensions - nearly 100 feet square - will theoretically give it more durability on the rough seas and provide room to accommodate a group of 10 sailors. However, Thebault doesn’t expect the craft to be ready to sail until 2013, so it’s going to be a long wait to see him undertake his admirable endeavor. Here’s hoping he gets the chance and finds success…………..
- Thanks for finally getting around to this, Food and Drug Administration. I know you all have a lot on your plates (no pun intended), but regulating cancer boxes, i.e. tanning beds, more closely should probably have been higher on your list than it has been. On Thursday, an FDA panel finally got around to recommending
tougher controls on tanning beds and suggesting that more restrictions, including a possible ban on the tanning bed use for those under the age of 18, be implemented. These are good ideas and while I would like nothing more than to see a total ban dropped on these ridiculous devices, I realize that stricter restrictions and a ban on tanning for those under the age of 18 might be the best we’re going to get. This panel heard testimony from numerous experts and learned the obvious, namely that tanning beds are particularly dangerous for young people. The findings suggest that concentrated ultraviolet radiation applied directly to the skin by tanning beds leads people to develop skin cancers at an earlier age, sooner than sunlight causes. Additionally, an alarming increase in the incidences of skin cancer in young people is being seen in the medical community and making matters worse, ads for tanning salons tends to be targeted towards the young. In addition to a potential ban for minors, the panel also advocated placing visible warning labels either on the machines or in the tanning salons to warn tanners of the dangers and also, modifications to the beds themselves to make them safer. For some odd reason, tanning beds are currently classified as low-risk devices. By switching their designation to Class II, as recommended by the panel, the FDA could then limit the levels of radiation the machines emit and force changes to the overall design of the beds. The recommendations of the panel aren’t binding, but the agency typically does heed their advice. Any new rules or regulations will take several months to decide upon and implement, but any move at all in the directions of making these hazards and bastions of vanity and superficiality harder to gain access to or safer to use would be the right move. In case you didn’t know, melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and according to the American Cancer Society, it accounted for 68,720 cases of skin cancer in 2009 and most (about 8,650) of the 11,590 deaths due to skin cancer each year. The World Health Organization has already placed ultraviolet tanning beds in its highest cancer risk category, right alongside arsenic and cigarettes. It’s about freaking time that the FDA followed suit…………
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