Fraud and Corruption

WASHINGTON (AP) —" As much as $60 billion in U.S. tax dollars has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade due to lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and corruption, according to an independent panel."



I refrain from political discourse in this forum. However, this kind of news makes me puke. We clearly all knew this was going on...but when it is confirmed and quantified it underscores the outrage we should all feel.

Adirondacks Fun

This Summer we had a tremendous week of weather in the Adirondacks. There was wakeboarding and fine dining, cocktails,hiking,canoing and swimming and jumping off rocks.We had a wonderful time with our friends and with the kids. As soon as I download some more shots I will post some additional photos.
Right now I am trying to finish off this week and next week my wife and I travel to the Ritz Carlton in Cancun,Mexico to celebrate our 2oth wedding anniversary.

College

This morning my Wife packed up the Suburban and headed South to drop my eldest daughter at College for the start of her Freshman year. I could not go for the trip due to work obligations. I am experiencing a swirl of emotions about this development that range from sad to proud and everything in between. This departure of my first child is no unique milestone and I have 2 more coming up in a few years.
Damn, it seems like only a few years ago she was climbing the steps of the school bus for 1st grade. The impact is hightened because she was away most of the Summer working as a Counselor and water skii instructor at a Y.M.C.A. camp on the Estern Shore of the Chesapeake.
On a lighter note, my 14 year old Son had sage and succinct advice for his Sister as she got in the car to leave: "Don't be dumb..."
That statement covers just about anything and it made me laugh hysterically.

Dove Season Approaches

Attention Sportsmen and Sportswomen,Dove season opens next Thursday. That means it is time for our Club's pig roast lunch and our Season opening afternoon in the field. That also means you better have your fieled piece oiled up and clean and plenty of shells on hand. The dogs must be ready and the shooting stool dug out of the garage. This year our sunflower field is a bit scraggly due to the lack of rain at the Farm. Neverthless, we hope for the rapid beat of wings and diving doves and a full bag for all. After the shoot we report to the Clubhouse yard and a big galvinized tub of ice cold beers, a bushel of steamed crabs freshly harvested from a couple of miles down the road in the Delaware Bay, and some grilled dove breasts. We call it the "Wing and Claw Feast" and truly there is very little to equal such a culinary experience. My son will be in the Field with me again this year and I am as excited for him as he is himself. He has his lightweight camo shorts and shirt ready and is begging me to take him to Dick's Sporting Goods to purchase his own .20 Guage shells. "Mark!"....bang bang!..."fetch 'em up boy."

Back to the Grind

I am back at my desk...messages,e-mails,faxes,pleadings...they suck.
On balance,here is the view from our picnic spot on Middle Saranac Lake last Wednesday afternoon.

Off Line

Off to the Adirondacks tonite. The above images represent items to be consumed in tandem on the dock.
No posts for the duration.

Monmouth Park Race 10

My good friend Peter has a horse running at Monmouth tomorrow. I met Peter in the late 80's when I was boozing and hanging around the Beach and Bars of Bay Head, New Jersey. Peter was a Wall st. guy who made it pretty big then got out.He had a house on the Scow Ditch for a few Summers then a permanent residence on the Bargnegat Bay. We hit the races at Monmouth many times and caught the Haskell whenever I was around.His wedding at the Bay Head Yacht Club is still the stuff of legends.Peter is an affable Gent and knows his horse racing!
Now he is married and he and his wife have a breeding farm in NJ where they are making a go of a Racing Stable. He keeps me up to date when his horses are running. One of his Mares...Punchin' Chudy, is racing tomorrow at Monmouth in the 10th Race. Elvis Trujillo is riding and I have a good feeling about this race. It is a $50,000 Allowance at 1 mile 70 yards and I'll wager this distance and this jockey are a good combination for this horse. So...if you happen to be at the Track somewhere...check the simulcast....but even better, if you are at Monmouth put some money on her nose.

ADK Bound

I just need to finish out this week here in the Quaker City....running on the legal hampster wheel...arguing,writing,billing,fighting...and then it is off to the Adirondacks for 10 days of hiking,boating,dining,fishing,canoeing,cocktail cruising and hanging with our best friends in the World....actually at this point it is Family. This year is 30 since I started hanging out with Glenn at Lehigh...and here we are with our own kids and families....but we still hit "the Waterhole" in Saranac Lake after they all go to bed...and swill beers and shoot pool and play the Jukebox...like it is the Summer of '84.

Blues for the Blue

As reported in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Legendary Blue Horizon" is slated to be sold and converted to a hotel. To say this is a tragedy in the boxing world is an understatement. For 50 years the Blue Horizon has been showcasing great boxing matches. Indeed, Ring Magazine called the Blue the best place in the world to watch a boxing match.
Sure, it was a dump in later years due to the neglect of current owners.The HVAC was non-existent, you needed a surgical mask to go to the head for a leak, the concession stand was pathetic and the parking was a joke. But once the bell rang and the fisticuffs commenced, the atmosphere was magical. I have been going to fights at the Blue since the early 90's. My fighter has been in the ring and scored 2 victories there. My son met Eddie Chambers there one night and got his picture taken with the Heavyweight contender as reported here. I even saw a fighter die there on November 20 2009 when Francisco Rodriguez suffered life-ending head injury after an epic bout against Teon Kennedy. My son was with me that night as well....and he will never forget that night.
Now, some politically connected developers have wrangled a $6 million dollar State grant to gut the joint and make a hotel. I am saddened....so is fellow Blogger Brohamma who e-mailed me yesterday expressing his feelings about the loss of the Blue. The whole boxing community will mourn this loss. Berhard Hopkins fought here, so did Arturo Gatti. Countless up and coming Club fighters bled and sweated and strived for greatness in that ring.
I am personally angered because several months ago I was representing a group of Russiana investors who made a significant offer to by the facility and re-hab it and make it live up to it's potential. These Russians were involved in boxing and had several top flight fighters in their stable and wanted to renovate the Blue and showcase fights once again.
The place has been shuttered for months because the present owners got into tax problems and Liquor Control Board problems...they were selling beer without a license and one night in May 2009 the LCB raided the joint and confiscated all the beer....you can imagine how the crowd reacted to that scenario.The mismanagement of the facility is shocking in this writer's opinion. When a historic venue like this is gone....Philadlephia loses something that will never be replaced.

Fishing Manual for Young Sportsmen

This is a book written by my hunting buddy Gavin. He has been mentioned and pictured here before.You may also recall Max was shown with two massive Stripers several weeks ago. As you can see from the below description, his son Max helped author this book and together they hope to get kids off the couch and away from X-Box and computer games and out to the surf to catch fish. The book can be found at LULU and you can find a link below.

"A portion of the sale proceeds will be donated by the authors to the “Save Our Seas Foundation.” Max was able to overcome a reading disability in order to help write this book. This would not have been possible without his wonderful teachers at the “Academy in Manayunk” who applied the Wilson method and other special reading techniques to make this possible."

https://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/master-catcher-of-long-beach-island/16433210

Friday Night's Fight

Here is reporter John DiSanto's account of Butler's 6 round win on Friday published in Philly Boxing History site:


In the six-round semi-windup, Southwest Philly's Ardrick Butler posted one of his best career wins with a full route unanimous decision over William Wilson of Oxford, NC.

In round two, Butler lived up to his "Hitman" nickname, flooring Wilson and looking like a killer. But Wilson rebounded nicely in round three. The pair exchanged shots throughout the round and made it a great three minutes for fans. Butler won the round, but Wilson appeared to be back in it. However, by round four, Butler was back in control. He hurt Wilson with his sweeping punches.

In the sixth and final round, Wilson went for broke, knowing that he had yet to win a round. Butler looked tired and seemed to merely go through the motions until the final bell. Wilson's effort won him the round, but the overall decision was long lost. All three judges gave it to Butler by scores of 59-54 and 58-55 twice. I had it 59-54 for Butler, who improved to 7-4 with 3 KOs. With the loss, Wilson evened out at 8-8 with 4 KOs.