Dave Dahl sits in the living room playing guitar and singing songs about justice and the lack of it. He was in the slammer off and on for 15 years for dealing meth and assorted other felonies. Now he is working and relishing his second chance. Four years ago, Dave Dahl returned to the family bakery in Portland, Oregon and is the face and story … Continue reading Cons Cashing In
They were sitting in the living room playing guitars and singing songs about justice and the lack of it. They had taught themselves to play in prison and they were good. Dave was in the slammer off and on for 15 years for dealing meth and assorted other felonies. Ladd served 20 years for being an accessory to murder. They met in prison and stayed … Continue reading What I Learned from Ex-Cons
I don’t like flying in the middle seat on airplanes. I feel cramped. But on a recent United Airlines flight from Chicago to Portland, Oregon I sat between two men and had the most fascinating trip. Joe sat on the aisle. He is a 70 year old college professor and psychiatrist. He and his wife were returning home after visiting family in New York. He was reading … Continue reading Flying in the Middle
Canadian Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, are not giving United Airlines a break after they broke his beloved Taylor Guitar. The sequel to United Breaks Guitars is out now. His first video received over 5,000,000 hits on YouTube and earned him appearances on the morning shows. The production of this video is a bit more sophisticated and it even has credits and … Continue reading United Breaks Guitars: The Sequel
Dan Rather, former anchor of CBS News and now of HDNet’s Dan Rather Reports, with an interesting point of view on what’s ailing journalism today and how to fix it. Interested in your thoughts on this and whether you think democracy is at risk. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080703183.html Continue reading Dan Rather on Journalism
During the Clinton Administration there was a move to green up the national parks. One of the mandates was to source food locally. Today one of the most successful examples of this is Yosemite National Park. All the concessions are run by Delaware North and it has chosen not to go with commodities but rather to buy the produce, meats, eggs and dairy from local … Continue reading Yosemite: From Farm to Table
As of this morning at 9 a.m. MT, Canadian Dave Carroll’s video “United Breaks Guitars” has had over 1.3 million hits on YouTube and the singer/songwriter says “it’s been a whirlwind.” He has received a deluge of emails, a flood of Facebook friends, requests for gigs and interviews, and even a call from Oprah’s people to be a guest on the show. “Every musician wants to get … Continue reading United Breaks Guitars Encore
For anyone who has ever had a nightmare flight on United Airlines and was unsatisfied with their customer service, you will enjoy this video. United did not care about Canadian Dave Carroll after they broke his Taylor guitar when his band, Sons of Maxwell, was going to a gig in Nebraska. So he wrote a song. A scathing song. A very scathing song. Thanks to YouTube, United … Continue reading United Breaks Guitars
Time will tell but this sure seems like a refreshing shift at Focus on the Family. Jim Daly, who has risen from a hellish past, replaces Dr. James Dobson at the helm of the conservative Christian organization based in Colorado Springs and vows to be a different kind of leader. Instead of being dogmatic “it’s more about having a conversation with people.” He admires Barack Obama, wants to focus … Continue reading New Focus on the Family
My friend, sportscaster Len Berman, got the news this past week that he was being let go from WNBC. Len is one of the most talented personalities I know. He’s been a fixture in New York sports for decades. He is witty and well respected. I actually stop what I’m doing when his “Spanning the World” segment comes on during the Today Show. Len is another casualty in broadcasting’s … Continue reading Do The Right Thing
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