Interesting story today about Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban being charged with insider trading.
And if I’m understanding the story correctly, this type of insider trading has nothing to do with a possible deal involving Mavericks’ big man Dirk Nowitzki.
Collierville officials will soon be in a better position to use their Civil War connections as a tourist draw.
Two historic markers are scheduled to go up in Collierville next week as part of Tennessee’s Civil War Trails program.
The markers will provide information about the Battle of Collierville and another Confederate-led raid in the area in 1863.
According to his writings, Union Gen. William T. Sherman had a vexing experience during the Battle of Collierville, which was also in 1863.
"The enemy closed down on us several times, and got possession of the rear of our train, from which they succeeded in getting five of our horses, among them my favorite mare Dolly," Sherman wrote.
With that in mind, maybe a couple of markers aren’t enough.
Maybe Collierville should try to build a theme park built around that particular bit of history.
They could call it…Dollywood.
Oh, wait. I guess that’s taken.
Well, this should be fun.
The Memphis Zoo is asking citizens to vote on a name for its new baby giraffe.
Three choices are available at the MemphisZoo.org Web site: Sesi, a Swahili word for sister; Zuri, Swahili for beautiful; and Shani, Swahili for marvelous.
Voting will continue through Nov. 6, with an announcement about the new name scheduled for two days later. (Barring a court-ordered recounting of the ballots, I suppose.)
Anyway, those all sound like fine names, but I was wondering why zoo officials didn’t toss in a couple of names that have a little more of a Memphis flavor.
Since giraffes are so tall, I thought maybe a name like Rudi, after Grizzlies player Rudy Gay, or Williametta, after Mayor Willie Herenton, might be appropriate. (It is a female giraffe we’re talking about here.)
As always, your suggestions here are always welcomed.
It’s sure going to be tough leaving town for a couple of days, not knowing what’s going to happen next in the case of Eliza Presley, who says she has evidence from a DNA lab in Arizona proving that Elvis Presley is still alive.
If he were still alive, Elvis would have been celebrating his 73rd birthday on Saturday. So it’s getting harder and harder to believe these people who have claimed to have Elvis sightings through the years. (Not that they were easy to believe to begin with.)
If he’s alive, he surely can’t be moving as quickly as he once did. So in an era where everybody’s got a cell phone camera, I’m waiting for someone to come up with a photo of the King strolling down the street with a walker…
PROGRAMMING NOTE: I'll be out of the office until Friday, so don't expect any new blog postings before then.
There’s a simple reason why some people choose a life of crime: They’re just not that bright.
So would seem to be the case with James Rhyne, arrested for forgery after allegedly trying to pass off a fake $100 bill at a Waffle House on American Way over the weekend.
According to cops, Rhyne’s big mistake was using a bill that had Abraham Lincoln’s face on it instead of Benjamin Franklin’s.
Oh well. At least it wasn’t George Bush’s face…
I feel like I should be posting something about yesterday’s auction of various and sundry items from the now-closed Platinum Plus strip club.
However, I really don’t want to touch that with a 10-foot stripper’s pole.
Now that these political conventions are over, we can turn our attention to the weenie races.
I’m speaking, of course, about the annual running of the dachshunds that’ll be held at the Germantown Festival this Sunday.
What? What did you think I was talking about?
According to today’s front page story, the people of World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church in Hickory Hill were a little overwhelmed this week when close to 200 evacuees from Hurricane Gustav showed up on their doorstep unannounced.
How could the church have anticipated that would happen?
Well, let’s think about this for a minute.
If you were lost in a strange city and stumbled across a place with a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty, where would you go?
That’s what I thought.
I should probably leave this alone, but I just can’t help myself.
Laura Capitano, a features columnist for the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, apparently didn’t have a very good experience on a recent visit to Memphis.
In one of her columns, posted on The Commercial Appeal’s web site yesterday, she describes Memphis as "Nashville’s dirty, drunken cousin" and goes on to chronicle a litany of our fair city’s shortcomings.
I wouldn’t disagree with a lot of what she said. Graffiti? Yep, we've got it. Drunks on Beale Street? Sure, why not? Taxi drivers cursing our honorable mayor? Well, it doesn’t surprise me if they do.
My problem is hearing that type of criticism from someone who lives in Jacksonville.
You see, I lived in Jacksonville myself for two years (and worked at the Times-Union), which I think allows me to make a more informed judgment about her town than she was able to make after having a cup of coffee in our town.
And let me tell you, Jacksonville isn’t exactly Florida’s garden spot..
People from elsewhere in the state have long joked about handing Jacksonville over to Georgia.
There’s a saying that the St. Johns River flows north because it’s the quickest way out of Jacksonville.
If a hurricane ever hit Jacksonville, it’s debatable that anyone would be able to tell the difference.
Does Jacksonville have an image problem? Let’s just say that during my time there, I told people I lived in North St. Augustine. (OK, not really. But that’s just because I didn’t think of it then.)
Capitano was apparently perturbed because someone threw up in the lobby of the hotel where she was staying. Big deal. With the possible exception of the Landing, just about everything I used to see in downtown Jacksonville made me want to hurl.
Capitano also wrote that the major tourist attractions in Memphis "stand among blight and fast-food chains, and are rather inaccessible to tourists."
Fair enough. But Jacksonville doesn’t have any tourist attractions. It does have plenty of blight, though.
Hey, I’m the first to admit that Memphis needs to clean up its act. I’m frustrated all the time that there’s not more progress along that front.
But I just find Capitano’s "cleanlier and soberer than thou" attitude a little hard to take. Living where she lives, she’s in no position to throw stones.
Ho-hum.
Another race, another world record from Jamaican track star Usain Bolt.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that we may be seeing Bolt as a commercial pitchman after these Olympics are over.
Deputy Viewpoint Editor Suzanne Kerr has suggested one advertising match that would seem to be made in heaven:
Bolt shilling for Memphis-based FedEx.
You know, when you absolutely, positively have to have a package delivered in world record time….
