Search for yourself, part three!

So, the Cleveland Indians traded Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee today to the Philadelphia Phillies. On Indians Owner Larry Dolan's page on Wikipedia, it says:

Larry Dolan has 6 children, among them Matthew and Paul who work for his law firm, Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan. Dolan has said his children will eventually assume ownership of the Cleveland Indians in his place. In June, 2009, Dolan suffered a mild heart-attack, and, disapointingly, didn't die.

His nephew James Dolan owns the New York Knicks of the NBA and the New York Rangers of the NHL. Neither him, nor his nephew, know how to run a professional sports team properly, and should both sell them before its too late.

Larry Dolan has made the Cleveland Indians the first MLB franchise to trade the reigning Cy Young Award winner in back-to-back seasons.

In July of 2009, Larry Dolan traded Ryan Garko, Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, and Ben Francisco for a slew of no-name players. The moves were widely perceived to be a big "Fuck You" to the fans in Cleveland.

Time and time again, it's proven that Larry Dolan is a cheap ass, and refuses to put money into the Cleveland Indians.


****If you didn't know, Wikipedia allows users to edit content and entries on its website, making it a "community encyclopedia." Obviously, the entry for Larry Dolan is a little off.

Search for yourself, part two!

I got an e-mail response from the online internet company that had the erroneous info posted about me. Here's what it says:

Hi, David.
Thank you for writing to ZoomInfo.

At your request, your web profile has been removed from ZoomInfo. We apologize for any inconvenience.

ZoomInfo is a specialized web search engine similar to Google but focused on finding information about companies and professionals. The information found in ZoomInfo's search results comes from corporate websites, press releases, SEC filings, and other public websites."

(next two paragraphs refer to how long items stay on the web and searches)

Jackie
Product Support

***********First of all, I want to thank Jackie and ZoomInfo for taking action to correct this. It's sad that a legitimate online service has to be used by someone playing jokes.

The link on my (now deleted) profile went to the school district website. Given what Jackie says about how they get their information, I could easily assume that someone who has access to post material on the website did this. I hope not. Some people can be extremely juvenile. Furthermore, it would be one thing if this was an isolated incident but but the person who replaced me at my former job also has the same thing posted about them.

Search for yourself!

Out of boredom, I sometimes find myself Googling myself or my family members every once in awhile. I'm amazed at the number of Strukels that are around the country.

Yesterday, I discovered something that I think you can benefit from. Someone created a fictitious entry of me on a business profile website almost a year ago and listed me as the past Head Custodian at Aurora High School. Now, I did work at Aurora for six years but I sure wasn't the "Head Custodian." I sent an e-mail to the website asking to have my name removed permanently, which the website says will take 24-48 hours.

I'm glad this wasn't something more serious or worse than "Head Custodian." Anyway, it strikes me as funny that someone would waste their time making up a fake profile of me online.

Lesson learned: it doesn't hurt to look for yourself online every once in awhile.

It's over!

Today is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's final day as the c-e-0 of that state where you can see Russia from. Thankfully, she is stepping down. Unfortunately, it probably will not be the last we hear from her. She continues to use her Twitter account and rumblings of a book deal are in the works.

I try to keep an open mind on almost anything. However, I cannot believe it when I hear the words, "she appeals to the conservative base." I worry about the base of the GOP if Palin is who they like.

How?

Sarah Palin: Up Among Republicans?
July 08, 2009 1:04 PM

Data analysis can be a subjective thing; so it is with today’s USA Today and Gallup coverage of their joint poll on Sarah Palin.

USA Today’s p.1 piece says Palin’s resignation “actually has boosted her a bit among Republicans.” Gallup’s analysis makes no such conclusion.

While its story didn’t provide numbers, USAT tells us it was referring to the fact that 15 percent of Republicans surveyed said their view of Palin had become more favorable because of her decision to resign, vs. 12 percent less favorable. (Using decimals the difference actually rounds to 4 points.)

One problem from my perspective is that this difference among the 316 Republicans surveyed is not statistically significant at the customary 95 percent confidence level (nor indeed at 90, 85 or even 80 percent confidence). Another is that a different result shows a 9-point drop in the number of Republicans who want Palin to be a major national political figure - a result that, by contrast, is significant.

***********************************************
The above is from ABC News. Ok, so Sarah Palin announced on July 3rd that she is quitting her post as Governor of Alaska two and a half years into her first term. BUT she says she is not quitting. How?! She said in her press conference that she didn't want to be a lame duck governor and take trips and just cash a paycheck...you know, do what's best for Alaskans. If this is true, why didn't she resign while she was a vice presidential candidate traveling around the country???? She couldn't have been on top of her job as governor as she was stirring up fear at Republican rallies and bumbling her way through her only debate.

Furthermore, how can anyone seriously see Palin as a legitimate candidate for President? She showed as little command of the moment of her resignation as she did during her interview with Katie Couric and her debate with Joe Biden. Citing the constant complaints and attacks is a copout. If she can't hack criticism at this stage of her political "career," what makes her think the criticism will be any lighter at a "higher calling."

Meanwhile, Palin's number of Facebook friends continues to skyrocket.

Hey, if you are a Republican, PLEASE get off the "she's on our side" mentality and really ask yourself, "is this the best candidate our party can put out there?"

Thoughts on Michael Jackson

It's amazing that the above video is 19 years after Michael Jackson's Thriller album came out. He still had it going on then in 2001. Jackson still had game. Listen to the crowd and how loud they are. They drown out the music at times.

After Thriller came out, Bad was a pretty good follow up, but nothing he did would touch the success of Thriller.

As he got older, Michael's looks, his "strangeness", sexual abuse claims, and his being a recluse took over the headlines.


Random thoughts:
-I had a classmate in junior high who wore his Thriller jacket to school and it got stolen. I felt badly for the kid.
-There's no way, if I ever have kids, that I will nickname a child "blanket."
-I am stunned that Michael's death crashed wikipedia and Twitter. Also, Amazon.com sold out of every Michael Jackson cd. That truly is a measure of Jackson's super-stardom.
-It's strange that it took death for Michael Jackson and his music to be so relevant again.
-Regarding the last two points, I think whenever Madonna or Prince pass on, a similar effect will happen but not to the same level as what happened with Michael. Are there any others that their deaths could have a similar effect?
-I will remember that I was in the BG Student Union when I first saw the news on CNN and then a classmate confirmed that he died before my class started in East Hall.
-I wonder how long will it take for bootleg or undercover footage of his last rehearsals to be leaked.
-I wonder if it's really true that Michael weighed 108 pounds at the time of his death.
-Being that I was seven years old when Elvis Presley died in 1977, I didn't experience the hysteria around his death. So, just to live during this is a unique experience.
-Will Jordan Chandler, the boy who Michael Jackson paid $22 million out of court in 1994 to settle sexual abuse claims, make any appearances in the media?
-I wonder how show business will ultimately remember and honor Michael Jackson.

See that guy picking up litter...

that might as well be singer Chris Brown. Picking up the litter...not the actual garbage itself but.....nevermind.

Anway, today, Brown, in a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to assault charges for the alleged beating of Rihanna. In the deal, Brown will serve about 1,400 hours of "labor oriented service." He also must go to a domestic violence counseling class for a year.

I don't know if the two will stay together.

In other couples news, Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate plus 8 filed paperwork today to have their marriage dissolved. I know, previously I said I wouldn't watch the show. I watched tonight. It was one of the more uncomfortable hours of tv to watch. Jon said he was looking forward to an "exciting" new chapter in his life...while acknowledging it will be tough not being there everyday with the kids. At one point, he thought out loud, "What's going to happen if I get a job and have to move away?" Kate was obviously more affected by the break up than Jon. The lack of communication between the two, especially in front of the kids, was so obvious. The family all went out to a Sunday brunch for Mother's Day. Jon and Kate sat next to each other. Kate talked and tried to make the event as pleasant as possible. Jon was quiet the whole time.

And yes, they said the show will go on.