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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: altair19 who wrote (182066)	12/7/2009 4:13:33 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361973

A19: Tiger's agents at IMG have to consider all the angles to maximize his value...bet they are bummed out though -- Tiger has been a total gold mine for IMG as they take a % of all that he makes off his long term deals...Tiger's value is dropping and one wonders how they will handle all these new revelations...fyi... Tiger Woods scandal: Damage control needs tune-up examiner.com December 4 -- Who’s running the show over at Tiger Woods Central? Tiger Woods may be holed up in his Isleworth mansion, but photos show his Chevron World Challenge proceeds without him After years of keeping the lid on Woods’ many indiscretions and creating and fortifying a squeaky clean image for the world’s best golfer, Tiger’s reps at International Management Group (IMG) have lost any semblance of control over the Tiger Woods “brand.” First, Woods said nothing about the National Enquirer allegations of an affair, which made sense at the time since most observers seemed content to let that whiff of stink go away. Then came the car accident and reports of Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, smashing his car with a golf club. What followed quickly were allegations of infidelity from almost every woman on the planet, complete with stonewalled cops, 911 calls, voicemail tapes, and even IMG was not up to the image-burnishing task Tiger posted an initial, terse statement on his Web site saying he was not perfect and asking that he be allowed to keep “this” a private matter. Did Woods’ team really believe that would stop the bleeding? By that time, even the IMG pros must have had an inkling that simply ignoring the bad press about their formerly untouchable icon just wasn’t gonna work. Tiger comments on current events. What followed were more allegations from alleged mistresses, and more obfuscation from Woods, whose online mea culpa for undefined “transgressions” came out under the comical headline, “Tiger comments on current events.” Really? Say, Tiger, what do you think about the troop buildup in Afghanistan? Not those current events, apparently. No payoff. Now, it appears that Woods’ handlers somehow convinced Rachel Uchitel, who has denied a tryst with Woods, from apparently telling all. And, according to TMZ, they did so without paying her off. Should it turn out that Woods or anyone involved with him strong-armed Uchitel in any way -- and if they did, you can bet TMZ, the Woodward and Bernstein of seamy sexcapade tabloidism, will dig it up -- the Tiger Woods’ "brand" would take an even bigger hit than it already has. But how much deeper can Woods fall into the cesspool that is now his image? Just don't do it. If he’s guilty of nothing else, Tiger Woods is culpable of unbelievably bad taste in his extracurricular activities and extreme arrogance that he would never get caught -- an attitude no doubt bolstered by the folks he employs to protect him, and the fact that this seems to be the M.O. of rich, powerful men (see Clinton, Bill; Jordan, Michael; Bryant, Kobe, et al). As for his “People,” as Esquire Magazine termed Woods' team, they have done their client no favors in proving to be out of touch with the way the tabloid media work in today’s 24x7, Twittered world. Woods might consider taking a mulligan on the suits he employs to represent and advise him. Woods put himself in the hazard but his people keep giving him the wrong clubs to get out. Indeed, Woods would be far better served to take the advice of Jesper Parnevik, the Swedish golfer who's kicking himself for introducing Woods to his wife. "When you are the guy he is - the world's best athlete - you should think more before you do stuff," Parnevik counseled, "...and maybe not 'Just do it,' like Nike says. The tawdry tales of Tiger Woods’ trysts seem to involve just about everyone. Read about what the New England Patriots star QB has to say about it here: examiner.com

To: altair19 who wrote (182066)	12/7/2009 5:27:17 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361973

Hewlett-Packard to Boost Hiring of Sales Staff, Livermore Says By Katie Hoffmann and Connie Guglielmo Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to boost its sales force to keep winning customers and improve the way it pitches computers and related services to corporations, Executive Vice President Ann Livermore said. The company will hire from services firms and also targets chief information officers with sales skills, Livermore said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York today. The company has more than 24,000 salespeople. Livermore oversees a unit that accounts for 47 percent of Hewlett-Packard’s revenue and includes server computers, storage devices, software and services. The company, which competes against International Business Machines Corp., is engineering- focused and not as “polished” with its sales pitches as some rivals, Livermore said. “One of the biggest things we need to work on and improve is to be even better in the sales process,” Livermore said. “We don’t cover our top 2,000 customers very well.” Livermore, 51, aims to attract more customers by making Hewlett-Packard a one-stop shop for corporations’ information- technology needs. The company has made about 30 acquisitions in the past 3-1/2 years to expand its product and services range, Livermore said. “Networking products, storage products and services products are becoming more intertwined,” she said. “We just have a phenomenal opportunity. We’ve got the core elements of what we need to be a very strong supplier.” Largest Unit Livermore has headed Hewlett-Packard’s Technology Solutions Group since 2004. Under her leadership, TSG -- one of the three main product divisions along with the personal-computer and printing units -- has almost doubled its sales to $53.6 billion. That puts the unit ahead of the PC business, with sales of $35.3 billion. TSG’s growth was helped in part by last year’s purchase of Electronic Data Systems Corp., a deal that vaulted the company to No. 2 in services, behind IBM. EDS also helped the company capture demand for computer services as recession-wary customers held off buying hardware. This year’s contract wins included a $1 billion data-center deal with Aviva Plc, the U.K.’s second- biggest insurer. Last month, Hewlett-Packard agreed to buy 3Com Corp. for $2.7 billion, countering moves by Cisco Systems Inc. to become the main supplier of networking and computer gear for corporate data centers. The networking market needed a “big No. 2 player” so that customers have choice, Livermore said. “The networking market is very attractive,” Livermore said. “It’s growing more rapidly than other product components of the marketplace. And it has a large margin opportunity for it.” Hewlett-Packard, based in Palo Alto, California, fell 26 cents to $49.53 at 2:35 p.m. on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares had gained 37 percent this year before today. To contact the reporter on this story: Katie Hoffmann in New York at khoffmann4@bloomberg.net; Connie Guglielmo in San Francisco at cguglielmo1@bloomberg.net Last Updated: December 7, 2009 14:42 EST

To: altair19 who wrote (182066)	12/7/2009 5:34:06 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 361973

From Tiger to Octomom, it's all about the fame _______________________________________________________________ BY MITCH ALBOM DETROIT FREE PRESS COLUMNIST December 6, 2009 December is not even halfway over, but I already know the big story of the last 12 months: This year will be remembered as the year we sold our souls for fame. There was the Octomom, whose thirst for attention led her to auction her life -- and her 14 children -- to the cameras and the Web. There was the Balloon Boy family -- so obsessed with securing a reality TV series that they faked a disaster involving their own son. There were the State-Gate Crashers, who, with cameras following them right to the door, weaseled their way into a White House dinner. And we can't begin to list all the pseudo, wannabe and semi-celebrities who shamelessly threw themselves into the limelight, from the Gosselins to the endless stream of Michael Jackson mourners to the gyrating, guy-kissing Adam Lambert, who seems to grow in stature with each show that cancels him. Lambert, an "American Idol" runner-up, is one of Barbara Walters' most fascinating people of the year. Really? For what? Trying to catch a Tiger with a tale Doesn't matter. We've reached the point where the "what" is superfluous to the "wow." So people flock to learn more about the cocktail waitress who last week claimed to have had a long affair with Tiger Woods, and while Woods is chided for his alleged infidelity, no one seems to question why this woman chose to get involved with one of the most famous married people on the planet. Does it shock you to learn she's a minor figure on a reality TV show herself? Why isn't the lust for a headline as decried as the lust for flesh? It's as if fame for fame's sake is now an accepted motivation. And this is where the world gets dangerous. Because right now, there are still some people left who remember when modesty and shame kept you from certain behaviors. Still some people who recall when you wouldn't endanger children, risk security or soil your family name with unflattering attention. But those people are getting gray and old. And young people today see fame as not only everything, but the only thing. So YouTube is stuffed with a million videos of people hoping to become household names. And entities like TMZ and RadarOnline, instead of being criticized for invading privacy and peddling the results, grow in popularity with each salacious story. "American Idol" is now almost seen as wholesome, instead of a packaged, calculating money-making machine. And people we once respected for their accomplishments now seem hell-bent on landing a "Dancing With the Stars" appearance. Hamming it up for 15 seconds of fame Once, as an experiment, I walked around a sporting event with a camera crew. There was no purpose except to see how people reacted when you had a camera. I remember looking at the footage later and seeing people's expressions change, their smiles widen when the camera caught them. It was like being under the water when Narcissus caught his refection. I found it scary. And now I really find it scary. Because we're heading toward a time when nobody shakes a head or clucks a tongue at this stuff anymore, where today's kids are tomorrow's adults who will never have known a world without Perez Hilton or Jon and Kate, where you wouldn't do anything just for five minutes of attention. Just as this country was once a place where working people explained unenviable jobs with, "I have to feed my family," now the thinking is, "I have to feed my fame." And that can lead you to almost anything: faking your son being trapped in a balloon, giving birth to a flock of babies you can't take care of, or crashing the security at a presidential dinner. It's the Story of the Year. When the Gatecrashers were exposed as posers, Michaele Salahi told the Today Show, "Our lives have been destroyed, everything we've worked for. ... For me, 44 years, just destroyed." But she was talking into a TV camera. How's that for irony? _____________ Mitch Albom will sign copies of his latest bestseller, "Have a Little Faith," at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Borders in Farmington Hills, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Barnes & Noble in Allen Park, 7:30 p.m. and Thursday at Borders in Brighton. Contact MITCH ALBOM: 313-223-4581 or malbom@freepress.com.

To: altair19 who wrote (182066)	12/7/2009 6:26:22 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 361973

Herzog, Harvey Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame (Update1) By Michael Buteau Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey, a five-time World Series umpire, were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the shrine’s veterans committee. Herzog, 78, a six-time division winner and manager of the 1982 World Series champion Cardinals, and Harvey, 79, who umpired in the National League for 31 seasons and was named to six All-Star Game crews, were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. Hall officials made the announcement there. “Both Doug and Whitey demonstrated the quest for excellence that embodies each of our 291 Hall of Famers,” Hall of Fame Chairwoman Jane Forbes Clark said in a press release. “We are thrilled to have them in Cooperstown.” Among those failing to make the Hall were former union head Marvin Miller and Billy Martin, who managed the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Candidates needed to be named on at least 75 percent of the ballots to be inducted into the Cooperstown, New York, museum. Herzog, the 19th manager elected to the Hall, got 88 percent of the vote, while Harvey got 93 percent on the managers-umpires ballot. Royals, Cardinals Herzog, who missed election by one vote in 2007, led the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive American League West titles from 1976 through 1978 and the Cardinals to the 1985 and 1987 NL pennants in addition to the ‘82 World Series title. Miller, who reshaped baseball’s economics as the first full-time executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1983, received 58 percent of the votes on the executives-pioneers ballot, after earning 25 percent of the vote last year. He has asked the veterans committee to remove his name from the ballot. Under Miller’s leadership, players were able to become free agents and sell their services to the highest bidder. The system greatly reduced the power of baseball owners. During his 17-year tenure, players’ salaries rose to an average of $326,000 from $19,000. The sport also endured three player strikes and two lockouts, leading to canceled games on two occasions. Herzog and Harvey will be enshrined July 25, 2010, along with any electees from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting. Results of the writers’ vote will be announced on Jan. 6. To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at mbuteau@bloomberg.net Last Updated: December 7, 2009 12:53 EST

To: altair19 who wrote (182066)	12/7/2009 6:54:51 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 361973

Jesper Parnevik blasts Tiger Woods thesun.co.uk