A whopping $700 billion dollars have been approved to bail out Wall Street. President Bush was pretty quick to approve it - though the House and Senate weren't far behind. Now they are all standing in line - the lenders, the Big Three automakers, the airlines - waiting for their hand-outs.
All of this brings up a serious question for me. If my private business fails, will the federal government bail me out? Can I simply do haphazard things with my money and still go to the government for a hand-out? Can I just dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into CEO salaries and then not pay the price for my decisions? Better yet, do I really have to be responsible for my business plan? Or make rational business decisions?
We all know the answer to that - and it's a good, fair answer.
It wasn't enough points.
Yes, Mack, we do need style points. Why? It's name is Oklahoma, and they are breathing down our necks in the BCS.
Bob Stoops understands the BCS. You see, when he has a chance to roll up the score and get a few extra computer and voter style points, a bit more 'wow factor', he takes it. He wrings the living daylights out of any and all opportunities like that. And this season, he's done so - ever since the loss to Texas.
So while Oklahoma is scoring big wins and putting up the big point totals, Mack Brown is playing nice against Baylor and Kansas. Did they win both games? Sure. They beat Baylor 45 - 21, but they didn't pass the ball against them for the last 8:52 of the fourth quarter. They beat Kansas 35 - 7, but squandered a number of scoring opportunities along the way and essentially fell asleeep in the fourth quarter (at least on offense - though kudos to the defense for the goal line stand).
While college football was playing itself out for yet another weekend, I was crewing an endurance run in rural Alabama - the Talladega National Forest, to be exact. More on that later ...
But from what I've read, I didn't miss much.
Technological advances in cellular coverage gave me the ability to check in on the games. Yes, I know, crazy as it sounds, I was checking in on games with a big national impact.
Guess what? A lot of non-surprises took place while I was gone.
The airline industry has been heard to proclaim of great financial losses in the recent past. Fuel prices are up as are operating costs. The airline industry is seeking assistance from the federal government. Times are tough, we are reminded.
Oh, woe is the airline industry.
You know why they can't earn a profit? I think it's pretty simple - because they provide crappy service. Period. Let's face it - the average traveller is hit with hidden costs in their fares. They are faced with flights that are canceled for no apparent reason - at the whim of the airline. They experience long waits and delayed flights. They experience absolutely abysmal customer service, even if they do need to re-book a flight due to a problem of their own making.
This was brought to my attention yet again today. My task: to fly from Austin to Huntsville, Alabama, a total of 920 miles. Should I keep the airline nameless? Hell no - American.
Each of us has a vivid recollection of some event in history, a moment in time that perhaps reflected an experience for our generation. These events are not something that you think "I wonder if we'll remember this in 40 years" - they are moments that we experience that we know deep within are important - as they happen. They don't happen frequently, but when they do, you really know it. It's almost a gutteral, surreal experience.
My generation has experienced the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on take-off (January 28, 1986) and the attack on the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001). We've seen the Berlin Wall crumble (1989) and Nelson Mandela's release from prison (February 11, 1990). If you're in Austin, you remember the University of Texas beating USC 41-38 in the Rose Bowl (January 4, 2006). We've certainly seen our share of phenomenal events on the world stage.
But if I look back in time to my parents' generation, I see the names of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. Their generation remembers Dealey Plaza like it was yesterday, remembers watching Apollo 11 land on the moon, revels in the stirring oratory and social inspiration of "I Have A Dream". These were times of social upheaval, of challenging the world order.
I may be completely wrong - and I've certainly been wrong before - but I truly believe that tonight we're on the verge of something truly important to our generation and those after ours. The American populace spoke up today. They voted for Barack Obama - in a landslide. They decided that it was time to step forward for equality, for peace, for the vision of the country from the times of our founding fathers.
I present to you a simple thought on the eve of our national election:
Get out and vote.
We've all spent months and months deliberating over the pros and cons of all of the candidates. I am sure that many of us have been involved in heated debateswith friends, co-workers, and family members. This has been a time of great passion. In my eyes, it means that the people of this country really do care about where it is and where it is heading - and have been very passionate about it in the process.
But let us not forget that the only way this thing called "democracy" ever works (or has a chance to do so) is if everyone gets out to vote. It's a right ... and it's a responsibility. It is one of the great freedoms we are able to experience in this great country.
On November 4, it's not so important that you are red ... or blue ... or green ... black ... or white ... but it is absolutely critical that you vote. Now more than perhaps any other time in the lives of many of us, it is imperative to exercise your rights and responsibilities as an American citizen.
By voting, we've accomplished what is perhaps the greatest part of a successful democracy. And if we don't, we are, in many ways, abdicating our rights. As I am always reminded, freedom isn't free - but on this day, the pen is truly mightier than the sword.
Vote on November 4 - and then we'll figure out what to do with it all later.
See you on the other side!
It was a typically wacky game against Texas Tech.
In all of my years in Texas, I can't remember a game against Tech in Lubbock that wasn't bizarre in one way or another. Either it's a wild gunslinger's offensive display, or a weird penalty, or some strange faked-punt-for-a-touchdown. No matter what, it seems like the way it always when we play in Lubbock. Maybe it's the locale? Maybe it's the presence of Tech coach Mike Leach?
This year was no different.
Just when I thought that we'd seen the worst of our season - it got even uglier. At halftime, I was still waiting for the defense to show up. They must have been on the same bus as the running game, which also forgot that 7:00 pm was the start time.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
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