When I was a kid…

I used to hate the stories our parents would tell us that started with “When I was your age, …”  It was always a bit of truth sprinkled with lots of stretching that truth.  You know, “Hiked to school 4 miles, uphill both ways, in snow…”.  We all rolled our eyes and thought, “Oh no, here goes our elders again!”

Now I am an “elder”.  The world of today is much different (and, regrettably, more dangerous) than I remember.  One day, I’m going to have that conversation with Joshua, and my story of “When I was your age” is going to be different.  Here’s what it is going to sound like:

“When I was your age, Joshua, I could walk anywhere in daylight with an adult and not have to worry about being harmed.  Murdering kids was just something that some guys named Wayne Williams did in Atlanta (full disclosure:  he only was convicted of 2 of the 27 murders).  Schools were safe places, and I went to a public school.  We could’ve come and gone as we pleased, but we always stayed within the school confines.  Our parents didn’t need to pass security points to come and visit us.  Although drugs were in schools, even at the Middle School level, we didn’t need metal detectors in Elementary, Middle, or High School because so few people brought guns or knives.  Our weapons were our fists, but they were only used in situations of last resort (I think I only recalled seeing 2 fights in my four years of High School, and one of those was a cat fight).  We could pray before football games, and we even had our HS Graduation inside a church.

When I was your age, Joshua, we could play in the neighborhood without fear of being abused by neighbors.  We talked with our neighbors, and everyone knew who you were.  Our playtime was consisting of outside time.  We could swim in neighbor’s pools, ride our bikes, and just be kids.  Heck, I was able to learn to shoot bibi guns without fear of being hurt.

When I was your age, Joshua, we could walk up to an airport gate without a ticket.  We could watch Grandma’s plane come up to gate and hug her as soon as she walked up the gate ramp.

Finally, when I was your age, Joshua, there was little worry about being safe, because we always were responsible enough to be safe when necessary, but people cared enough to protect kids.  It’s a shame you will not be able to grow up in a world like that.”

And you wonder why I get emotional over the events of our day…

Revisiting my WiMAX vs. LTE post…

 

Two and a half years ago, I posted a blog piece entitled “The 4G Wireless Battle that Wasn't: WiMAX vs. LTE”. At the time LTE was only on two networks in two countries while WiMAX was across the globe, albeit in small networks. At the time, I made the argument that LTE had already won the battle before the first network in the U.S. had been created.

I bring this up because two major thresholds were crossed around mid-year, both marking a turning point in the WiMAX vs. LTE technology battle.  In the Second Quarter of 2012, total LTE subscriptions surpassed total WiMAX subscriptions for the first time ever.  Also in the Second Quarter, LTE provider, Verizon Wireless, surpassed WiMAX provider, Clearwire, to become the world’s largest 4G network by subscribers.  And, by the looks of things, LTE networks like Verizon Wireless are growing at a exponential rate while WiMAX networks are growing less quickly or contracting as providers, such as Clearwire, begin to switch to LTE.

So, with that in mind, I’d like to review portions of what I said back in May 2010 and see where I was right, and where I was wrong: 

“So why has WiMAX apparently lost? In short, the little providers oversold the hype and under produced in markets. By now, WiMAX was supposed to be nationwide in the U.S., covering every major city. So far, WiMAX has reached only a handful of cities, and Clear has even pulled out of Baltimore, the first city to deploy WiMAX. WiMAX was advertised to download at 70 Mbps a ranges up to 40 miles. Actually, you'll be lucky to get 4-8 Mbps at 2 mile ranges.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  Clear’s WiMAX technology never really lived up to it’s potential.  The RF WiMAX used in many countries severely limited the WiMAX range.  And the WiMAX networks largely throttled the speeds at which WiMAX could operate for many users. 

“Another reason WiMAX lost: the iPhone. The iPhone was a game-changing technology that helped people realize the dream of a mobile internet device in the palm of your hand. Why should people be forced to carry around bulky laptops, when you can get data and internet services on a small machine you can put in a pocket. Now, when you talk about 4G devices, it's always iPhone with ______.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  The iPhone was the game-changer in 4G technology.  The iPhone, and Droids changed the mobile broadband world forever.  The iPad and Tablets have exaceberated the changes ever further.  WiMAX phones initially gained traction on some Droid phones.  But the big supporters WiMAX Droid phones, Samsung and HTC, have since switched over to LTE, making WiMAX Smartphones an endangered breed.

“WiMAX's disappointing returns have forced its providers with a tough choice: stay with the standard or jump to LTE, where support is strong, even if the technology is not quite as good from an IP perspective as WiMAX. The bigger names in WiMAX have largely opted to go with the latter, realizing that if they want to stay in the game, it's better to join the big telcos. The smaller ones might still survive, but the LTE telcos could always buy them out if they got too big.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  Yota was the biggest WiMAX Provider in Europe, but even they realized that they had to jump ship to LTE, especially after Samsung decided to switch from WiMAX to LTE.  Although the Russian government would not allow the transition to be immediate, ultimately Yota was allowed to switch their WiMAX networks to LTE.  Clearwire is about to do the same thing in the U.S., beginning early next year.  With the two largest WiMAX providers jumping to LTE in two of the largest countries of the world, the future of WiMAX is bleak.  In addition, since most mobile devices have decided on LTE, the list of WiMAX mobile devices have shrank considerably, limiting what the small WiMAX telcos can use for devices.

“With Intel the likely big loser in all of this, who is the big winner? China. Yeah, that's right, China. For years, China has been trying to get the world to adopt a standard the Chinese could be heavily involved in. They failed with trying to change WiFi, and TD-SCDMA came around too late in the game. In LTE, China has backed a time division variant called TD-LTE, which use less spectrum than the European variant. Although the speeds will be less than European variants, the spectral efficiency makes the TD-LTE variant more attractive, particularly to current WiMAX operators looking to switch to LTE. Currently, China is demonstrating the LTE variant at the World's Expo in Shanghai, and China Mobile will launch its own LTE network soon (if it hasn't already). It will mark just the third nation to launch LTE (after Sweden and Norway). Chinese providers ZTE and Huawei have been involved with WiMAX infrastructure, and both are playing critical roles in LTE development. In fact, it is the estimation of this author that as LTE starts coming more on line, Huawei will be not just the #1 Provider of LTE equipment even out performing Sony Ericcson, Motorola, Nokia Siemens, and Alcatel-Lucent, but they will ultimately supplant Microsoft, Apple, and Google as the world's most recognized dominant technology company. It's not so bold of a prediction, considering Huawei is currently #2 to Sony Ericcson in LTE manufacturing.”

WRONG ARGUMENT.  Since that statement, 130+ additional LTE networks have been launched, and not one has been from mainland China.  However, Hong Kong has launched 5 LTE networks, and the TD-LTE technology that China Mobile was testing has been launched in 12 networks across 11 countries.  China' has yet to launch due to two reasons.  First, the Chinese government has been slow to allow 4G spectrum to be approved for use.  Second, China Mobile is intent on heavily testing the technology before launching it.  It is projected that at the time of potential launch at the end of 2013 China Mobile will have 200000 LTE towers ready to be activated.  They intend to launch on a major scale when they activate their network and for the network to work without major issues.  As for Huawei, the company’s alleged link to the Chinese government has hurt their chances to come into the U.S. and rumors of poorly functioning equipment is causing a backlash in other countries.  They are not #1… yet.

“In the end, although WiMAX had a head start, the major telco backing give LTE a huge advantage and ultimately the winning edge. In the U.S., LTE is being trialed by Cox Cable, but it will be first rolled out by MetroPCS, then Verizon, and AT&T. T-Mobile will stay with 3G standard HSPA+ for now, but will ultimately go to LTE in 2013. And Sprint? Since Clear's infrastructure is what Sprint uses for 4G, when Clear decides to go to TD-LTE (probably by 2012), Sprint will join LTE then.”

MOSTLY CORRECT ARGUMENT.  The launches did go MetroPCS, Verizon, and AT&T.  T-Mobile is preparing for a 2013 LTE launch.  Clearwire is going TD-LTE, but they will start in 2013.  Sprint chose a slightly different route, however.  They launched their own LTE network, separate from Clearwire, in June and intend to have their national network by 2014.  Other smaller U.S. providers have also launched LTE service.

So, the 4G wars are over.  LTE is the winner.  And I was mostly correct in my assessments.  We’ll see how much LTE grows in the coming years…

The end of great music…

The AMA should just be cancelled in memory of Dick Clark.  It no longer has any importance musically.  If fact, any music show not associated with the Grammys or Country Music should be cancelled.  AMAs?  Gone.  MTV Music Awards?  MTV hasn’t shown music videos in years!  VH1 Music Awards?  Please.

Why do I propose cancelling this many music awards shows?  It’s simple.  We have become a bubble gum music nation only trying to support the whims of girls ages 10-25.  Great music is rare in this country, forced to the small bars and satellite radio.  Meanwhile, stadium acts and major FM stations go to acts who can’t put together more than 20 words in a song or who whine about boys even though they might be the problem (I’m looking at you, Taylor Swift—maybe Kanye West was right when he said Beyonce was better).  The last time you saw truly great music in this country was 1997.  It’s a fact.  There was so much music for people to enjoy on the radio.  You had alternative, jazz, heavy metal, and other musical genres on the FM airwaves.  Now?  It’s news, sports talk, political talk, and music manufactured by big business types to take advantage of young girls who haven’t reached maturity.

The carnage on the airwaves over the last decade has been brutal.  Longtime rock stations have been disappearing around the country.  Q101 in Chicago, 96rock/Project 96.1 and Z-93/92.9 dave in Atlanta, WHFS in DC are just some of the stations that have bit the dust.  Meanwhile, the Twinkie stations in Atlanta now number 5.  Do we really need more Star 94 clones on 96.1?  And Ryan Seacrest of all people should know better.  I hope Power 96.1 dies a painful death on Atlanta’s airwaves, and that someday, a new version of 96rock is resurrected.

The talent of these bubble gum acts is also embarrassing.  Take Justin Beiber.  He’s just the latest creation of music executives who brought us David Cassady, Liam Gallagher, New Kids on the Block, Ricky Martin,  Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, 98 Degrees, and other similar acts.  Really Justin, you think you are going to be around in 10 years, looking like Vanilla Ice?  Hey Justin:  you’re a dime a dozen and easily replaceable.  Kurt Cobain had more musical talent in his pinky than the Biebs has in his whole body.  Justin is nowhere near the musical mastery that guys like Lennon, McCartney, Becker, Fagan, Michael Jackson, and other musicians had. 

Musical acts like Arcade Fire can’t gain a strong foothold in the US, but Rebecca Black posts a song called “It’s Friday” and everyone goes nuts over it (BTW, there’s a sequel called “It’s Thanksgiving” done by a 12-year old that makes “Friday” look like Bach).  Maybe William Hung had it right, when he showed how ridiculous music had become several years ago on “American Idol”.

I’m at a loss with this music.  So, until great music returns to the free radio waves, it’s time to turn off the radios.  At least we have iPods and iPhones to use to listen to past great music until the next musical renaissance take place…

Guilt and mourning the death of a childhood friend…

When I was trying to inform people about the SGHS Class of 1992 20th Reunion earlier this year, it seemed like many of my classmates were already invited.  I only informed a few people that graduated with me about the Reunion, and only one person that I can recall I invited was able to attend. 

There was one person I didn’t pass the information off to because I didn’t know how to classify him.  He attended South Gwinnett High School, but he left Snellville before Graduation.  His name was Justin Ellis, and many of you in South Gwinnett’s Class of 1992 knew him.  I sent him an E-Mail in January telling him I was going to be in the Greensboro, NC area in February, and that I would have liked to visit with him.  I was hoping to talk with him about the Reunion personally then.  The visit never happened, and things got too busy with my family afterwards to follow up.  He occasionally posted to Facebook during the year, but the last post I noticed was July 4th.  It wasn’t a big deal; Justin was an infrequent visitor to Facebook.  His account would go active, then deactivate frequently.  His birthday was at the end of August, and I wished him Happy Birthday.  I never got a response, and I didn’t think much of it.  As I said, Justin would go weeks without saying anything on Facebook.

On Columbus Day, I was checking my friends list.  Justin’s name popped up and I decided to check in on his page and see if he had posted anything recently.  I was not prepared for what I saw.  I found out to my shock via friends of his that Justin had died almost two weeks before the Class Reunion, and that the information provided points to an apparent death by suicide, the details of which are still unknown to me at this time.  My friend from Snellville Middle School and most of South Gwinnett High School was 37 when he died.  He left behind two kids from a previous marriage.

On one level, I guess the fact that I was ignorant of this news when I attended the Reunion was tragic, yet ironically had a silver lining.  Had I known about Justin’s death before the Reunion, I would have been in a much more somber mood.  And I feel on some level Justin wouldn’t have wanted me to mourn his passing at the Reunion.  But I still feel that had I known he was in trouble, I would have reached out to him more.  Yes, I know we say that in hindsight and it’s a crap line.  And yes, Justin and I weren’t as close as we once were—we did not go our separate ways from South under the best of terms.  But we sometimes wonder what we could have done differently to save someone from taking their life.  It’s human nature, and it sucks because survivors of a suicide can carry that guilt around the rest of their days.

To be fair, some of Justin’s demons were well-known to me.  He had issues with his Mom going back years.  He lost contact with his family.  He even lost his house and a long-term relationship because of a flood.  Yet, I did not know all the demons because Justin didn’t reveal all of them to me.  I cannot initially pinpoint anything that would have caused him to possibly take his own life.  I just pray for his kids.  I know one close friend who lost her father to suicide.  She’s never gotten over it, and she’s a pastor.  I fear Justin’s son and daughter will be scarred for life and will grow up wondering that, if their dad really loved them, how could he do such a thing.

Justin:  if you are haunting this earth somewhere, I hope you can hear what I’m about to say.  You were never forgotten, my friend, even when our friendship at South ended and you left without saying good-bye.  I was in a different place then, and I got rid of the weight that held me back.  I wish we could have seen each other before you left the physical world forever.  I also hope your kids forgive you for what happened as well and grow up to be wonderful adults, though your departure has made the survivors’ task much harder.  Finally, I hope you have found peace my friend.  Good-bye, Justin.

Time for politics and religion to stop being the only things we discuss in our lives…

There is old saying that at parties you can talk about anything except for two subjects:  politics and religion.  Yet, in this day and age, we can’t stop talking about both.  It’s getting to the point where friendships are breaking up over how people vote more than any other reason.  Don’t believe me?  How many friends have you lost over you saying something political that there was a sharp disagreement?  We’re getting to the point in politics where murder, slavery, civil war, and everything else is getting thrown into political ads-and we’re still 6 weeks away from the election.  And religion is another sore spot that seems to have merged with politics as issues such as Gay marriage, Gambling, and even Sunday liquor sales are taking center stage.  Not even Sports or Restaurants is immune from these issues.  Papa John’s and Chick-Fil-A are being boycotted for their political and religious views.  Team owners are being scrutinized for who they donate to.  It’s now to the point where they are dissecting social media habits as a way to paint you as a political type (I am not making this up!).  We even are doing studies that scientifically prove conservatives and liberals may be caused by genetics.

When you start injecting politics into everyday life, bad things will happen.  We’re at the point where we have almost descended into a Taiwanese assembly fight in this country.  This is not the United States I remember where people would help each other out no matter what their views were.  That nation may exist again one day, but it doesn’t now.

My nightmare scenario is starting to become a reality.  I predict something political will cause a major upheaval within the next decade.  The upheaval will make the 1960s look like a Sunday picnic.  People will die for their views on religion and politics.  You may think I am crazy for saying that, but it is the logical conclusion to what is happening now.

As this country becomes more polarized, I have stepped more into the apolitical realm.  I realize that after the upheaval, we will need people who can rebuild the trust in this country, if there is a country to be saved.  And I intend to support the apolitical path because we will need to find ways for people to come together.

The next several years will either prove me right or wrong.  I don’t mind being wrong.  But don’t tell me I’m stupid for thinking this.  History is more likely to prove me right than wrong, and considering we are not learning from past mistakes, we are on the verge of repeating those mistakes in the future.

How Martha Burke delayed women from becoming members at Augusta National…

By now, everyone has heard that Augusta National finally has allowed women to join as members of the private club.  Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore have officially accepted membership in the heretofore all-male club.  It was a move that was long overdue, and welcomed by many, although with a lot of snarky remarks from supposedly “non-bias” journalists.

And the person most responsible for the most recent delay in admitting women into the 80-year club is… Martha Burke.

HUH?

Yes, you did see that correctly.  Martha Burke, the person who tried to pressure Augusta National into admitting women members, the person who tried to use Hootie Johnson as a springboard to bigger national prominence, the person who tried to bully CEOs into boycotting advertising at The Masters—likely cost women from being members at Augusta National for several years with her actions.  And although she finally got what she wanted, all she had to do to get it done sooner was… nothing.

I think it’s pretty clear to anyone with a sense of intuition that Augusta National had been looking for some time to add women into their membership.  After all, women could play at Augusta, women could caddie at Augusta, they could do just about anything.  There wasn’t anything in the rules about not admitting women.  They just needed the right women (read:  powerful and rich) to admit.  I always thought Catherine Zeta-Jones would have made a no-brainer choice as the first woman admitted as a member, but at the end of the day, it was not to be. 

I genuinely believe Hootie might have accepted women as members as early as 2000.  Darla Moore would have been too obvious of a choice when Hootie was chairman, however, because it would have given the impression Hootie was just helping a friend rather than breaking a barrier (FTR, Hootie and Darla are close friends).  And Condi was busy serving in the Bush administration in those years, so the perception was that Hootie was trying to curry political favor from W.

In the meantime, Martha Burke had just been named the head of a new organization designed to unify women’s organizations, the National Council of Women’s Organizations.  She saw Augusta National as her break-out moment of glory.  She sensed Augusta National was struggling to find the right women to extend memberships to, and she thought she could pressure Augusta National on her terms.  In the Spring of 2002, she chose to make her stand and used the media to try and bully Hootie into a rushed decision.  Hootie would not back down from the onslaught of sports journalists who sensed they could be witnessing a Jackie Robinson like moment, and even went so far as to suggest Tiger should boycott The Masters.  When Tiger didn’t, it was up to Martha to protest at Augusta.  The protest on that Masters Saturday afternoon was a disaster for Burke.  She could muster only 10 rent-a-protesters and a guy who called himself “Heywood Jablowme”.  Hootie won round 1.

After the embarrassment, Martha tried to bully CEOs into not sponsoring the Masters.  But Hootie saw it coming and decided to televise the Masters commercial-free.  Given how much money Augusta National was pulling in and how he had a willing TV Broadcaster in CBS, he could do it.  Round 2 to Hootie.

Finally Hootie turned over the reins to former ACOG chief, Billy Payne.  Billy is known as a more progressive type, but he moved as deliberately as Hootie before him.  When word came out that IBM, a sponsor of the Masters, was hiring a new female CEO, chatter began that Augusta National would finally admit her as a member.  After all, the IBM CEO automatically had membership in the past.

But Billy already had his choices in mind.  Although he struggled through the 2012 press conferences and had to deal with Martha again, though a Martha that no longer had the clout she once had, Billy made it through another Masters.  Finally, he had the breathing room to make his choices.  And they were excellent ones, befitting Augusta National.  Don’t cry for the IBM CEO, however.  Now, Billy can extend the invite to membership for her next year in a quiet manner, without pressure.

Sure, Martha Burke took a self-congratulatory victory lap yesterday.  But she no longer is in charge of NCWO, and all she can do is claim a victory she nearly squashed.  The real winner here is Billy Payne, who proved he is the right chairman to get the job done at Augusta National.  And for that, I salute the man who managed to bring the Olympics to Atlanta for once again affirming my faith that he could bring female members to Augusta National.

Jobs and Revenue, Mr. Cordish, Job and Revenue…

I don’t like the fact that the Maryland Legislator is currently in Special Session to propose a Constitutional Amendment legalizing a 6th Casino in Maryland.  It’s clear the Prince George’s Delegation has made a backroom deal to sell their souls for a piece of the limited Gambling revenue Maryland has to offer.  The whole slots idea is not a terrible plan, but the way Maryland has approached this is a total botch job that will likely never be cleaned up.  I won’t rehash the details, just go read my previous blogs about Gambling and Horse Racing in Maryland.

But right now, I am taking a tiny bit of satisfaction in knowing that Frank Cordish is watching his business dreams of Maryland Live! being the dominant casino in Maryland getting flushed down the crapper.  The same tactics he used to take the Anne Arundel Casino from Laurel Racetrack (Jobs and Revenue) are now being used against him to get a Casino in National Harbor, which will take away all Business from DC south away from Maryland Live! (Yes Rosecroft is theoretically in the running, but the bidding game has been rigged in favor of National Harbor.) 

Table games or not, Maryland Live! need only look to Perryville to see what will happen to their gambling palace once National Harbor and Baltimore's Casinos come on-line.  When the Arundel Mills Casino came on-line, Perryville lost so much business, that they have petitioned the Maryland Gaming Commission to take back half of the slots.  And Perryville has had to lay off workers at the Hollywood Casino as well.  The same thing will happen at Arundel Mills.  When the Baltimore and National Harbor Casinos come on line, Maryland Live!’s business will come from Northern Anne Arundel, Howard, and Northern Prince George’s County—that’s it!  The voters will have their say in November, but I'll predict it goes 60-40 in favor of a Prince George's Casino at National Harbor.

I voted against the Constitutional Amendment in 2008, and against Question A in 2010.  I was on the losing side both times.  I should vote against the Constitutional Amendment again this year, but after what Cordish did, if Cordish opposes the Casino, I may vote for it.  As a Baltimore businessman, Frank, you should know never to get in bed with Maryland politicians.  You’re now a speed bump for Martin O’ Malley’s quest for the White House in 2016.  Time for you, Mr. Cordish, to bend over and squeal.

Wireless Communication’s Role in Our Nation’s Future…

Anyone who does not follow Wireless Network News like I do may not understand the importance of how wireless will affect our future.  But the wireless industry is critical to the re-invention of how we do things.  The Laptop Computer, the Blackberry, the iPhone, and the Androids have changed the way we conduct our lives.  And new devices in the coming years will only accentuate our ability to conduct business, pay, and address our health.  I’m not the only one who is predicting this.  Yes, many in the wireless industry understands this already.  But I can assure you that many government officials also understand the importance of wireless.  And, according to my work program manager, that knowledge of wireless’ importance in the future of our nation starts at the top with President Obama himself. 

At a recent campaign stop in Northern Virginia, the President himself made the same case I have been making throughout this year about how the building out of the upgraded National Network will fundamentally shift the way we do everything in this country.  In the speech he reiterated how important it was to continue to give tax break to those companies that invest in wireless infrastructure in this country.  It’s interesting to note that in a recent study, AT&T and Verizon were 1-2 in terms of which companies invested in US infrastructure.  Considering that both companies are in the middle of a massive next-generation wireless build-out (with Sprint now joining the build-out with their long awaited Network Vision plans), it’s impossible to imagine that AT&T and Verizon will not maintain that infrastructure standing this year.  So, we’ll see if the President lives up to his word on this.

After WWII, the US built the best wireline phone service in the world, thanks in large part to returning US veterans.  Now, the US has joined the wireless revolution, and intends to build to best wireless communications network in the world.  With the US leading the LTE charge worldwide, the new wireless network (combined with WiFi technology to offset use in homes) will transform our lives.  It may also provide a way for unemployment to get below 8 percent in time for the election, giving the President a chance to win a second term.

The FCC’s standings on wireless is mixed.  It would appear the FCC understands the wireless revolution is at hand, but the speed at which the Government will react will determine whether Government will help or hinder the wireless industry.  Recent ruling against AT&T would give the impression of some resistance, but without the full story, there is no way to know for sure.  There’s also no information about how Mitt Romney views the future of wireless.  I would suspect he would have to be foolish not to see the wireless revolution as a positive. 

The fact that the President and I are seeing the same path is encouraging, but I still have criticism for the Commander-in-Chief.  “Uh, Mr. President, about that Blackberry you use…”

Celebrating the Blue and Grey past…

Last weekend, the South Gwinnett Class of 1992 gathered at the 1818 Club in Duluth, GA for a 20-year Class Reunion.  So many of those who gathered have said much regarding the Party that happened and everyone I have heard from that was there had a great time.  Even though I did say my peace last Saturday night, I wanted to provide an extended take on the events of the evening.

(1) Some wonderful surprises on who could attend.  Even though I had a good idea of who was coming in advance, there were some last-minute surprises.  The Smith twins (Mark and Brian) were great to see.  Another former Band of Stars member showed up, and it was great to see Todd Peck again after not hearing from him in a long time (thank you Natalie Wilson Faulkner for tracking your friend down).  And Miles Daniel was another pleasant last-minute surprise attendee, even though he declined to wear a name tag.

(2) Great pictures all around.  Everyone took great pictures throughout the evening, capped off by the group pictures.  I took several pictures myself, and thankfully most of them turned out well.  My personal favorites were two pictures taken by Kim Julian’s date for the evening.  The picture of all Four Georgia Scholars from our Class, and the Picture of 4 of the 8 Focus members from Britt Elementary School were two pics I had wanted the moment I heard Kim, Laurie (Vickery) Benesh, Beth (Fitzpatrick) Smith, and John Brown were attending.  It made the whole evening worth it for me.

(3) A great job of organizing.  Laurie and Jennifer (Jackson) Cramer did a great job of making sure the night went smoothly.  Callie (Waters) Kaiser was able to find an available night at the 1818 Club.  Wendi (Jones) Pierce and John were able to organize hotel rooms for the out-of-town guests.  Finally, Beth and Stephanie (Rutledge) Virag organized the Memory Table and did such a great job of bringing back windows to our past.

(4)  Just great conversations all around.  Families and life after South dominated the conversation as many of us talked about kids, jobs, and even a few walks down Memory Lane were overheard.  Mostly, it was about reconnecting with old friends and sharing laughs, hugs, and smiles.  It brought the best out in all of us.

The only regret I have is that my wife, Liz, could not join me down in Duluth.  She would have loved meeting more of my friends that she hadn’t met before.  Maybe at the next Reunion, Liz will be able to come with me.

We missed those of you who could not attend.  You would have had a wonderful time, and hopefully all the accolades you have heard from other classmates will convince you to join us at the next Reunion whether it is 2017 for the 25th or 2022 for the 30th.  John is right:  You will have a great time.

(P.S.  Oh in case anyone is interested, I saved the name tag files from the Reunion in the hopes of jump-starting anyone’s efforts to put together the 25 or 30-year name tags.  If anyone would like to work on the name tags, I will do what I can to help you reduce the work load.)

While many of you focusing on trivial stuff such as Chick-Fil-A’s beliefs…

Tonight could mark the fifth night of the worst unrest in the LA Area since the LA Riots… and almost NO ONE is paying attention to it outside of folks in LA.

Here is the story, courtesy of the LA Times:

----

Simmering tensions in the wake of two deadly police shootings in Anaheim exploded into violence Tuesday night as protesters clashed with police outside City Hall even as officials voted to ask federal authorities to investigate the killings that have rocked the Orange County community.

Protesters hurled rocks, traffic cones and other objects at police clad in riot gear as officers chased people along sidewalks and streets throughout the evening and fired less-than-lethal projectiles into crowds after giving a dispersal order. Sirens wailed as officers formed skirmish lines and police from neighboring law enforcement agencies provided assistance.

Police said that at least five people were arrested on suspicion of assault and resisting arrest, and that a reporter from the Orange County Register was struck by a rock as angry crowds stood face to face with officers in tense standoffs. Fires were started in dumpsters, and at least one storefront had its windows broken as the skirmishes continued into the night.

The chaotic scene marked the fourth day of protests since officers shot two men to death over the weekend, outraging residents concerned about police conduct in Anaheim's heavily Latino core.

Joel Mathew Acevedo was shot and killed after he fired at an officer Sunday night. A day earlier, Manuel Angel Diaz was killed after running from police on Anaheim's east side. Five people have died in police shootings in the city this year.

On Tuesday, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait called for both state and federal investigations, in addition to an ongoing probe by the Orange County district attorney's office. The FBI announced Tuesday it would review Diaz's shooting to see whether it warranted a civil rights investigation.

At the City Council meeting, people surrounded the council chamber to speak out about the accusations of police brutality. Many were turned away from the packed chamber.

The council voted to ask the U.S. attorney's office to launch a probe.

"To the people in the city that are troubled about what happened," Tait said at the meeting, "I'd like to tell you that I am committed to keeping the lines of communication open and to keep the process completely transparent."

(story continues at www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0725-anaheim-shooting-20120725,0,170227,full.story)

----

So, memo to those of you who would normally be up in arms over this kind of thing… When you are finished telling people that "Anyone who eats Sh** Fil-A deserves to get the cancer that is sure to come from eating antibiotic filled tortured chickens 4Christ." (Roseanne Barr quote), feel free to weigh in on this controversy.

How will history remember “The Other” King?

By now, most of you have heard of the passing of Rodney King.  The man made famous for being beaten by LA Police after a traffic incident in 1991 was found at the bottom of a pool on Father’s Day morning.  He was 47.

The incident that Mr. King was most associated with led to a trial of LA Police Officers.  After four white police officers were acquitted of beating the African-American Rodney King in the first trial in 1992, Los Angeles exploded in the worst race riots since 1965.  A second civil rights trial ultimately found the officers guilty a year later, and the LA Police began a major overhaul that forever changed the way the Southern California Police Force operates. 

And yet, I noticed very few Facebook comments regarding the passing of Rodney King on Sunday.  I believe it’s because we just don’t know how to deal with it.  Mr. King wasn’t exactly a sympathetic figure as he had many run-ins with the law before and after that fateful night.  He battled alcohol and other drug addictions, and it’s possible that the alcohol demon in his life ultimately led to his early passing.  No major civil rights leaders appeared to really try to help Rodney.  What did they care?  He was just a means to an end.  Rodney himself didn’t feel like he was such an important figure, and he still grappled with how his life affected the bigger picture.

And yet, “the other” King may have had a more profound impact in today’s world than the other more famous King.  Some believe that the worst of the LA Gang Wars between the Crips and Bloods ended because of the Rodney King beating. It also had an indirect effect of, later that year, helping to elect what author Toni Morrison called “The First African-American President” in the form of Bill Clinton. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and other African-American politicians used the story of Rodney King to pressure all levels of society to end any forms of racism. The OJ Simpson murder trial in 1995 may have also been influenced by what happened four years earlier. And Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency in 2008 can trace some of its momentum to what happened on that March night in 1991.

It’s a stupid question to ask, but could the legacy of Rodney King be ultimately bigger than that of Dr. Martin Luther King?  Stupid question?  Not exactly.  At the end of Dr. King’s life, many critics called him Martin Loser King, because Dr. King was not affecting change enough.  Talk to the kids my age and slightly younger.  Ask them whose life had the greater impact.  They might be tempted to say Rodney King because Dr. King is a myth in their eyes compared to the apparent real-life struggles of Rodney King.  Some people compare his plight to Rosa Parks, except Rodney King’s brush with the law was not planned.  He is an accidental historical figure, caught between the political tug of war with Police Commissioner Darryl Gates and Mayor Tom Bradley in the LA of the early 1990s. 

Rodney King deserved a better ending than this.  “Can we all just get along?”  A nice sentiment he spoke of in 1992, but until more people on all sides take his words to heart, it is a dream we are still chasing.  Sadly, Rodney King will never see the day come where the answer to his question will be a definite yes.

A Letter to the Walker family at 50 years

June 16, 2012

Dear Mom & Dad, Janet & Sheri, and the rest of the Walker-related clan:

It is my hope that when you read this, most of us will be gathered together in Williamsburg to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of Mom’s and Dad’s Wedding.  It’s amazing to think that we are celebrating 50 years of marriage in this family in an age where society shuns such accomplishments in this life.  But with 3 kids, 6 grandkids (for now), and a lifetime of memories, Mom and Dad have earned this victory lap.

To Mom and Dad:  Congratulations on 50 years of marriage!  You should be proud to know how you have raised three kids who are independent, have loving spouses, are contributing members of society, and have outstanding kids of our own.  You don’t realize it, but the lessons you have taught us have stuck with us.  We are grateful for you taking us to church and raising us in Christian love and forgiveness.  From me, I want you to know that I as an adult, I have always strived to honor you in how I live my life with my own family.

To Janet:  It’s tough being so far apart in age.  Even though we both live in the Baltimore area, getting together has never been easy, and it’s even more difficult now with our families at different stages in life.  But I do love you, Frank, and the boys, even when Frank is being, well, Frank.  I’m grateful for the timely help you provided over the years here in Baltimore.

To Sheri:  I understand why you and your family are not here in Williamsburg this weekend with us.  Even if you had known in advance what was going on, it probably would have been unlikely to join us due to the distance.  I am happy you have gotten three kids through high school, and off to college and Grad School.  I’m glad you and Steve have remained faithful to the Lord.  I cherish all the times we spent together as a family over the years, and I hope that we can have one more chance to spent time together, if it is possible.   I hope you and Steve are looking forward to your Silver Wedding Anniversary next April.

To Liz:  I know I don’t always get it right with the concept of being a family.  We have much to learn as we grow in our marriage.  Joshua makes our lives interesting to say the least.  But rest assured, I take the words we spoke at our wedding seriously.  And I hope the years are kind to us.  Will we reach 50 years of marriage?  I hope so.  I love you, dear, and I love Joshua, too.

In closing,  I am happy to be a part of this family after all these years.  I wish everyone continued health and happiness as the years go forward.

Blessing to all the members of the family.

David

The last Snellville Graduation Party…

“It was 20 years ago today…”
June 9, 1992 marked the end of an era on multiple levels at South Gwinnett High School.  For one thing, it marked the departure of the Class of 1992, a Class that was one of the better graduating classes the school had ever known.  For another, it was the last group of students to attend who knew John Campbell as Principal.  But a third era ended on that night that was less heralded until long after the Class of ‘92 had departed.  It was the last South Gwinnett Senior Class to graduate in the city of Snellville.
Sure, the Class of 1991 has the official distinction of being the last class to graduate at South Gwinnett—you can thank Mother Nature for that.  And my sister Janet’s class has an even better distinction—they were the last SGHS class which covered the entire Snellville city limits in 1981.  But even though we graduated that night at First Baptist Church (just a 1/4 mile from the campus), we still graduated in the city limits.  As fate would have it, moving indoors proved to be the right call—though we didn’t know it until after the ceremony was over.
That weekend was a very special weekend in the Walker household.  My nephew, Andy Olson, was being baptized at our church on the Sunday before graduation.  Also, 1992 marked the first time students who had an “A” in a class at South could skip the final exam.  Since it was the first time, the rules were very loose (meaning it covered as many classes as you wanted it to), and I had the good fortune to be sitting with all A’s going into the final exams.  So, my last day of classes unofficially was Thursday, June 4th.  When my grandmother arrived that night from Cincinnati, I had the entire weekend to spend time with family and friends instead of having to worry about my exams.
Sunday afternoon was the Baccalaureate Service at First United Methodist Church.  Though it was not a required event, most of the class attended.  Holly Guy’s mother gave the opening address.  Mark Smith and Faithanne Coleman were the speakers representing our class on that day.  Mark was able to get through his address, though not without some emotions clearly flowing through his voice.  Faithanne couldn’t even complete her address before being overcome by the moment.  Luckily, Wendi Serafin stepped in to help complete the address.  After the ceremony, we all gathered for pictures that we knew we couldn’t take at graduation.
On Tuesday morning, during the Graduation Rehearsal, we learned we would not graduate at the Football Stadium as we had hoped.  It was rumored that Principal Krug was not happy with someone burning “’92” into the grass at South’s Football Stadium.  Still, there was a threat of rain that night (as there had been for a few days) and Mr. Krug was taking no chances.  Everyone was given 5 admission tickets for FBC Snellville.  5 tickets wasn’t going to cover my family, but lucky for me, I knew the Smith twins and Brian gave me an additional ticket for the ceremony. 
A number of Seniors gathered at Jeff Cwiek’s house for a pre-graduation party that afternoon.  (For the record, I did not partake of the Senior Punch.)  They were even pretending to give away fake Graduation tickets as a protest; however, as I understood, no one was admitted inside FBC with a fake ticket.  I left after about an hour there to go home and prepare for the ceremony.
My father, grandmother, and I arrived at FBC first before anyone else had arrived.  After a quick Q&A with Mr. Krug himself, we realized the best seats in the house were in the upper right balcony (the graduates would be going from left to right in the diploma ceremony), so my dad and grandmother took up position in the front row of the balcony to wait for the rest of the family, while I moved into the old chapel to join my classmates marching into the chapel.
Since the chapel could not accommodate the Band, a recording of “Pomp and Circumstance” was played as we walked in.  Because of my Honor Roll Academic Standing, I was among the first group of Students who marched in, and I got a Second row seat slightly off-center to the pulpit.  I don’t remember sitting there, but the pics confirm this.

First up, was the Pledge of Allegiance.  John Brown had the Honors, which caused some of us to worry.  John was the kind of person to speak his mind, and he wasn’t shy about saying something controversial, especially when it came to Patriotic things.  But John played it straight, and he later told me he understood the gravity of the moment and never considered any deviation from doing his job.

With the pledge out of the way, it was time for the addresses from members of the Senior class.  Class President Josh Gunn talked about… socks.  It was perfect Josh all the way.  Made you laugh, made you think, and it was very colorful.  After Josh came Kim Julian’s Salutatorian Address.  Kim understood the moment, and kept her speech to under 3 minutes.  It was a simple and perfect middle speech, even though I can barely remember it’s subject matter.  Finally, Class Valedictorian Brent Bailey got his moment in the Spotlight.  “Stand up, speak up, shut up.”  And he lived up to those words.

Then it was time to get the diplomas.  There are bad and good qualities about having a last name near the end of the alphabet.  The bad quality is the fact that you have to wait so long to get your diploma.  But the good aspect is the fact that once you get your diploma, you don’t wait very long for the rest of the names to be called before the whole exercise is over.  It also was a unique ceremony.  With many of my classmates sitting so close to the actual diploma exchange, it was impossible not to exchange high fives with old friends on the way towards the handshake with Principal Krug and getting the diploma.  It may have been one of the only graduations in South’s history where you could do that.  After the handshake, a thumbs-up to my family who were up in the balcony, and it was official:  I was now a high school graduate.  Of course, the ceremony was not without some of the people opening up an umbrella here and there and one beach ball flying around.  The faculty didn’t exactly like that, but that was the worst anyone did that night.


Finally, after the singing of the alma mater hymn, the ceremony was over.  Hugs, handshakes and hand slaps, and Jeff Cwiek carried me out of the church on his shoulders.  Outside, we discovered that a thunderstorm had come through during the ceremony as evidenced by the damp concrete and squishy ground, and we would later find out that Parkview’s graduation was ruined by the downpour.  But that did not put a damper on more celebrations with friends (I remember celebrating with another graduating Walker—Jason Walker), and then it was a 5-10 minute drive home for the after party.
Since that fateful night, 20 South Gwinnett graduations have come and gone.  As far as I can tell, all of them have taken place up in Duluth at either the Gwinnett Civic Center or the Arena at Gwinnett Center, meaning that it takes nearly 30 minutes just to get back into South’s home turf.  It is logistically unlikely (given the current situation in Snellville and the current size of South’s Graduating classes) that another class will ever get their diplomas in Snellville again.  It makes the events of that night even more significant and special.

Bloomberg vs. Liberty

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, wants to limit how much soda you can drink in the name of health.  He has proposed a ban on sugar sodas in cups over 16 oz.  The backlash against such a proposal has only toughened his stance.  He is attacking any one who thinks the proposal is folly, stating any attempts to block his plans would be vetoed by NY’s Governor or the Courts.

Bloomberg is a hypocrite just based on what he is proposing to ban.  The ban just covers sugary sodas.  A 20 oz. coffee loaded with cream and sugar.  No problem.  A 20 oz. bottle of beer.  No problem.  A 20 oz. Milkshake.  OK.  Even a 20 oz. Diet Soda or glass of juice.  Sure.  20 ounce sugar soda?  CRIMINAL!!  TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR FINE!!  Never mind that most of these other beverages could have more calories or sugar than a sugar soda.  Heck, while I was at Dunkin Donuts this morning, I noticed that a 12 oz. Tropicana OJ has more calories than nearly all 12 oz. sodas.  No, Bloomberg has identified the next great evil, and it’s a Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine.

By the way, what does a 16 oz. soda look like anyways?  At McDonalds, it is a small cup.  At Burger King, it is a Value-size drink cup.  I believe Wendy’s and Hardee’s doesn’t have anything as small as a 16 oz. cup unless it is a smaller kids cup.  To meet these demands, the restaurants may stop selling any cups larger than 16 oz, which may impose a price increase due to shrinking 16 oz. cup supplies.

Bloomberg thinks that by limiting soda intake, he can mandate health.  But health is a choice of the people.  You can limit soda, salt, and even ban smoking for health purposes, but if people get their calories from elsewhere, and don’t work out, all the laws banning “sin” won’t mean anything towards helping this so-called obesity crisis that everyone claims we have.  And you are pissing a lot of people off who sat on the sidelines while you were banning other sins in NYC.

Other politicians have decided that for now, education is a better approach to combat obesity.  Some progressive mayor have decided to tax sodas a little extra, but at least they aren’t mandating soda limits.  We hope their efforts work.  While I have limited my soda intake in recent weeks and changed my diet and exercise to try and remain healthy, I do like the occasional soda, and I would like to quench that thirst occasionally with a larger soda.  I don’t like being told by some politician I can’t enjoy a larger soda, especially now that I can get Coca-Cola Freestyle.

And Bloomberg… just because you attended Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and now have a new hospital facility named for a family member (because you poured in some money), that does not mean you’re an expert on health and can dictate to all of us how much soda we can drink.  If you think this will help you become President in 2016, you are out of your mind.  Stick to what you do best… making money.

Maryland’s Gambling Armageddon…

In 2008, Maryland voters, largely pushed by union support and the promise of improved education and more police and fire support, passed a constitutional amendment legalizing gambling at 5 specific slots.  Since then, Maryland has opened 2 casinos in 2010 and 2011 in Perryville and in Ocean City.  The hope was that slots would help Maryland with its budget deficits due to increased spending.  The returns on these casinos has been less than anticipated, largely because these casinos only have slots in an area of the country where table games are in states that are close by.  Perryville and Ocean City are also in locations that are not near the cities of Baltimore and DC, and you have to pay tolls to get to either place.  The true test will come when a casino opens in or near Baltimore, and that time is fast approaching.  On June 6, the Casino at Arundel Mills will open its doors, and the fate of Maryland Gambling, future Maryland budgets, and even a 2016 Presidential candidacy hang in the balance.  This is gamble that has so much risk, and I believe it will ultimately fail without modifications…

For over a decade prior to 2008, Maryland horse racing watched its own decline as horses and ultimately horse farms left Maryland to pursue racing in West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.  They pleaded with Maryland lawmakers to pass legislation legalizing slots in Maryland.  Until 2007, their pleas had met with failure as lawmakers showed no interest in saving the industry.  Finally, in 2007, a constitutional amendment was proposed to legalize slots.  It did not give the horse racing industry what it completely wanted, because in order to legalize slots, the Maryland legislature decided to also fund education, police and fire fighters.  Also, it mandated the gambling places be placed in five specific locations:  Perryville, Ocean City, Rocky Gap, Baltimore City, and off 295 in Anne Arundel County.  The amendment passed in 2008 along a 60-40 percent margin.

Perryville and Ocean City were ready to go immediately.  Everyone assumed the Anne Arundel location would be Laurel Horse Park.  But Laurel’s owners botched their chance at the bid, and opened the way for the Cordish group to propose building a slot palace at the family friendly Arundel Mills Mall area.  Immediately, home owners in the area protested, correctly realizing that a slot palace near their homes would destroy property values and make the once safe Arundel Mills an increasingly hazardous area.  The slots at Arundel Mills was put to a vote again by Anne Arundel County in 2010, and it passed by the same margins as it had in 2008 at the state level. 

Over the last 18 months, construction has proceeded at a feverish pace.  Roads have been ripped up and modified to handle the anticipated increase of traffic at an already crowded mall.  New restaurants have sprung up, a new parking garage has been added, and the hope is that the increase of traffic will only help an already busy mall.  With the Baltimore casino allocation still in limbo, this may be the dominant casino in Maryland for years to come.

But has the Cordish Group anticipated every possible scenario?  Have they considered that the prostitution and crime syndicate nearby along Route 1 and I-95 in Howard County is so close to Arundel Mills Mall that once they smell the money flowing they will move east into the Arundel Mills Area?  And like their counterparts in Perryville and Ocean City, the casino is slots only.  Will that be enough to get people to keep their money in Maryland?

Also, the legislature have set the bar high on these casino to produce a higher rate of return than other casinos, trying to game the system into giving players less odds of winning.  Will players willingly come to the casino knowing they have less of a chance of being a winner?  And, there has come to light recently that Maryland did not factor in the life cycle costs of slot machine, which could cost the taxpayers perhaps millions of dollars when these machines need to be replaced?  What happens at the end of the machine’s life cycles?

The slot machines by themselves seem destined produce a return less than desired in Maryland with higher cost than expected.  And the slots profits will only hurt a Maryland budget that’s already experiencing strain.  Just two weeks ago, Maryland legislatures raised taxes of singles making over $100,000 and families making over $150,000.  In this state, that’s the middle class.  More families are beginning to head for the exits to Virginia and Pennsylvania.  The slots will be needed to close the gap, and they will likely be a tax on the poor, trying to get rich quick.

A second special session will be called with the idea of expanding gambling to include table games could level the playing field with other states.  But is it too little, too late?  And how will the success or failure of slots impact Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s aspirations to run for President in 2016?  You’d have to be a fool to think the Democrat from Baltimore isn’t laying the groundwork for a run at the White House the way he has raised his profile in recent years.  Would the failure of slots at Arundel Mills hurt his chances to win the Nation’s highest office?

I believe slots are doomed to fail as is in Maryland.  Table gaming might help, but has everyone thought about all the potential negative impacts?  This is one gamble Maryland can’t afford to lose.  The one-armed bandit levers on this venture begin to turn June 6.

Should Florida A&M terminate their Band Program?

By now, anyone who is or was a band member is well-aware of what has been happening with the Florida A&M Marching Band.  In November of 2011, drum major Robert Champion Jr. (who was a clarinet player from DeKalb County, GA), was fatally beaten during an alleged hazing incident on a chartered bus trip to Orlando.  Thirteen members of the band have been charged in the death, though none for murder.  It is believed that Champion was targeted for severe hazing due to his stance against the practice.  It is also rumored that Champion may have been hazed more because he was believed to be gay, a rumor that even the parents of Champion dismiss.  The ramifications of this beating have reverberated across Florida, and metro Atlanta, where Champion was from.  Champion’s parents have accused FAMU of a cover-up, even going so far to say that alumni of the famed Marching 100 band have coached active members on what to say to police in the hopes of saving the band’s reputation.  In suburban Atlanta, DeKalb county school official have suspended marching band activities because many of the band directors in the county are alums of FAMU.  Other incidents of hazing at FAMU have come to light in the wake of Champion’s death, exposing a deep culture of acceptable hazing at the institution between students and at faculty members’ houses, though the music director, Julian White, denies witnessing any hazing taking place under his watch.

As of now, the future of the band remains in doubt.  Champion’s parents have demanded that the school suspend the band program until real changes have been made and faculty and students involved in hazing are forced out.  DeKalb county officials have not given a timeline on when marching activities can resume.  And a group of musically-inclined High School Seniors are wondering if they should attend FAMU without a guarantee that the band program will be in operation in 2012-2013 and beyond.

There are differing types of hazing that goes on.  Most of it is innocent:  Freshman carrying Seniors’ gear, Freshman having to learn chants, fight songs, etc.  Occasionally, it gets out of hand.  But I have never witnessed it go to a level of beatings during my time (and I would have been more likely to have been on the receiving end of such hazing).  This is beyond my tolerance, and apparently it’s been going on for as long as anyone can remember.  There is clearly a lack of institutional control at FAMU.  There’s only one way to handle this, and it is an extreme action:  Terminate the Band Program for at least 2 or 3 years and disassociate with any active/alumni that has been remotely involved with hazing for at least 10 years.

The termination of the Band Program is the easy part.  It at least tells students and future students that the era of extreme hazing is over.  Many current students will leave FAMU and transfer to other schools, but their will have a scarlet “H” over their reputation, which they will have to work to overcome.  When FAMU returns, there should also be a new band director and new music faculty with a new anti-hazing policy.  It will take years for Florida A&M’s Band to return to the glory it once had (at least 10 years, probably longer).  But when they return, it will be under the right way.

The disassociation of alumni/students who hazed will be the harder part.  Some alumni will be all too happy to cut ties with an institution that no longer tolerates things they once did.  But some alumni will want to rejoin the university’s support system either to hide their past sins or try and repent for their indiscretions.  And some alumni were never involved in the hazing and will feel blackballed for something they never did or condoned.  But disassociation from the past will help to begin the healing process that will take time and will tell new band members that they have nothing to fear from vengeful alumni of the past.

In the end, Florida A&M has one chance to get this right.  Succeed, and the Band will suffer in the short term, but eventually could regain its status in the long run.  Fail, and the band will eventually be starved to death by parents unwilling to put their kids lives at risk just for a tainted legacy.  It will be hard, but cleaning house is a good place to start.

When is a politician too “radioactive” to be elected again?

Recently, news came out that former Democratic U.S. Congresswomen from Georgia, Cynthia McKinney, has returned to the metro Atlanta suburban county of DeKalb.  It is believed that she has come back to attempt to reclaim her old congressional district from the current incumbent, Hank Johnson, who apparently has been making his share of gaffe over the last 6 years (“Capsized Guam” is an example).  But compared to McKinney, Johnson is a stately politician in many eyes.  At least Johnson never slapped a Capitol Hill Police Officer, or challenged an Israeli navy blockade as part of the free Gaza movement, or claimed President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks beforehand, or had a daddy that was just as crazy, if not crazier than you.  McKinney, a six-term congresswomen, quit the Democratic party in 2007 after being defeated in a primary for the second time in three tries in one of the rare blue districts in a deep red state, defecting to the Green Party to run as their candidate for President in 2008.  She now returns to Georgia to run as a Green Party candidate.

While public opinion right now is almost universally against her, counting her out of any race is unwise.  She has shown a resiliency to come back from defeat before.  No matter how outrageous her behavior has been, she still believes she can win an election.

Maybe she has a point.  Some of the most controversial political figures currently in the US have managed to get re-elected time and time again.  Marion Berry went to jail in a drug and hooker scandal and he hasn’t paid taxes in years, yet he has not lost an election for mayor or city council of DC since he was released from prison.  Charlie Rangel has been nothing short of a crook, skirting around the law for years, yet he keeps getting returned to Washington every 2 years.  Ted Kennedy survived in the US Senate 40 years after the Chappaquiddick incident literally until the day he died.  And some toxic political figures manage to resurrect themselves.  Richard Nixon was politically dead after losing the 1960 Presidential election and the 1962 California governor’s race.  But he came back to be elected President 6 years later.  And how many races did Mitt Romney lose before he finally won a major race in Massachusetts?

Then again, some political figure never get a chance at redemption.  Dan Quayle never ran for political office after he and George HW Bush were defeated in the 1992 Presidential/Vice Presidential race, even though he was still young.  He was too toxic in many people’s eyes.  So is Sarah Palin.  Let’s be honest, she is so polarizing that she will never run for office again.  And former senator Carol Mosley Braun was so controversial in her 6 years in office, she got badly whooped when she tried to run for Mayor of Chicago last year.  Safe to say Mosley Braun will never get a chance at winning a major office again.

So when is a politician too toxic to get a second chance (or in McKinney’s case, a third chance) to return to office?  Why do people continue to give extra chances to controversial figures instead of electing people who will do their job as the people’s representative instead of grandstanding in front of a camera?

One thing for sure:  Cynthia McKinney’s attempt to re-claim her seat will be anything but boring.  I just hope the people of the 4th Congressional District do the best possible thing—and send a message to Cynthia that she needs to give up her political ambitions for at least a while.

Thoughts on a dying anti-US leader and fear for his country’s future…

By now, it’s coming increasingly clear that a new leader will likely be in charge of Venezuela by this time next year.  Either a new President will be elected or Hugo Chavez will be dead from cancer and his subordinates will be battling for control of the South American country—a scenario that could lead to civil war.   Either way, Chavez will not be in direct control of the future of his country—and it scares him.  On Maundy Thursday services, Chavez pleaded with God not to take him yet, because he still believes he has work to do to make his revolution succeed.

Hugo Chavez’s actual condition is a closely guarded secret.  But what we do know is this:  Last June, Chavez went to Cuba to have a large malignant tumor removed from his pelvic area, although the Venezuelan leader did not let anyone know where the tumor was found.  Then in February, the Cuban doctors removed a lesion from Chavez and commenced radiation treatment.  Up to five rounds of the treatment are expected in an attempt to try and prevent a recurrence of the cancer. 

But it may be too late.  Rumors are rampant that the initial tumor have spread and possible incorrect treatment by Cuban doctors may have cost Chavez whatever slim chances of surviving the cancer.  There are even rumors the initial tumor was pancreatic cancer, which if true, is one of the toughest of all cancers to beat.  Chavez’s recent acknowledgements to God to spare his life are even a clue that Hugo may be running out of time.

This is quite a different side of Chavez who once called President GW Bush “the devil” and who has spent the last 13 years as President, but who has consolidated so much power to himself that he is more of a dictator.  Everything runs through Hugo in Venezuela, and his charisma has allowed him to be loved by his country’s poor, in spite of being despised by the middle class and elites.  Hugo has supported and embraced similar ideological leaders in Ecuador and Bolivia, while showing a deep friendship with the Castro brothers in Cuba.  He has developed relationships with China, Iran, and other rogue states.  He loves to bash the United States, poking a stick at the US whenever he gets a chance.  He effectively owns every major company in the country, and whatever he doesn’t own, he uses his power to try and take it.  Several once prosperous companies are now being run into the ground by Chavez allies, all in the name of allegedly helping the poor and spreading the revolution, but in reality, it is keeping those allies from turning on him.  In short, he is Venezuela.

But what happens when you remove a leader like Chavez from the equation?  To answer that, you don’t have to look very far into the past at a country once known as Yugoslavia.  Josef Broz (better known as Tito) was the undisputed leader of Yugoslavia from 1948 until his death in 1980.  He ruled with a iron fist, but his charisma managed to keep conflicting factions from wiping each other out by integration and intimidation.  But upon his death, no one was able to match his leadership abilities, and within 10 years, the country began to split apart, factions began committing genocide, and once beautiful countries were reduced to ruin that have taken years to rebuild.

Another developing examples are countries that have experienced changes in leadership due to the Arab Spring of last year.  Mubarak and Gadahfi ruled each country as supreme leaders, and although they ruled differently (Mubarak as an ally to the US and Gadhafi as an occasional antagonist), they were able to keep rival factions in check.  With Mubarak’s departure, it is clear that Egypt will not have the same relations with Israel that were enjoyed with Mubarak, and many Coptic Christians fear they will ultimately be forced to leave their homeland.  Libya appears to be stable now, but Gadhafi’s allies are not making things easy.  There is a fear al-Qaeda or the Muslim Brotherhood may have penetrated into the leadership of both countries, even though both countries are becoming more democratic.  Syria could be another example if Assad can not eliminate opposition forces scattered throughout his country.

When a leader who consolidates all the power and resources to himself or herself over a period of time, their departure means their subordinates or others will fight over control of that power.  Rarely does a successor have the iron will or charisma to keep the power to themselves, though the obvious counterexample is the former Soviet Union, where Josef Stalin was an even more larger than life figure than Lenin.  It is unlikely, based on what we know about the situation in Venezuela, that there is a successor who can even match, much less be bigger than Hugo Chavez.  That means trouble for Venezuela once Chavez has left the scene.  And it’s not just Venezuela.  What happens in Cuba, once old age finally claims the Castro brothers and their brothers in arms from the 1950s revolution?

Regardless of what you think of Chavez, the country is Venezuela is now tied to him.  His imprint will long affect that country, even after he is gone.  His untimely departure is not a scenario I look forward to, regardless of my opinion of Hugo.

Nationalize the mobile broadband industry???

I am going to put forward a brief argument recently made by a member of the 3GPP standards body that will be unpopular with my friends who work with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and anyone associated with the Cell Phone Industry. I’m not in favor of the idea myself, but I know that if I don’t state the case now, someday, someone will make the argument.

It seems appropriate in this time that we are debating the idea of government-run health-care, that perhaps we should look at the idea of nationalizing certain industries. There is one industry that may become a target for nationalization, particularly as more people use it. Is it time to nationalize the cell phone industry and bring wireless cellular communications under the control of one company that is run by the government?

Yes, I know the arguments against nationalizing the wireless industry are legion. And yes, someone will remind us that AT&T was once a monopoly in the wired phone industry that was broken up about 30 years ago. But in the future, someone will make the case FOR nationalization, so I thought I’d get the case for nationalization out there as a public service so that everyone will have the correct information to make a judgment when that day comes.

First, let’s make a couple of points…

(1) Wireless has become more important than electricity for many people around the globe. No, seriously, it has. 85% of the planet’s population has wireless connectivity compared with only 80% of the planet having electricity. And the 85% is increasing. At some point this year, the number of wireless connections around the globe will exceed the number of people in the world. Furthermore, at it’s present projections, the number of wireless connections on Earth will exceed 50 billion by 2025. Although people will still use wireless to communicate, wireless connections will become more and more based on machine to machine communications. Every appliance in your home will have some type of internet connectivity, passing data back to other machines, allowing smarter machine to mange things that have become tedious in our eyes. In short, the internet has become less an internet of documents and more an internet of things. The change in definition is significant.

(2) The mobile phone has become more than just a phone or internet device. In many parts of the world, it has become money itself, either as a credit card or as a tool to hold money. In addition, plans include making the mobile phone a way to monitor personal health stats, and a way to share locations and information between people. Some kids today have become so dependent on their smartphones from everything in their lives that they cannot function without it.

(3) Even though the world has finally adopted a global technology in the form of LTE, the fragmentation of the World’s RF bands has made a global 4G device almost impossible—unless you want to go back to the days of a phone the size of a brick. There are about 40 RFs that have been approved for LTE use and let’s just say they all don’t play nicely with each other. Look at the recent problems Apple has had with LTE on the new iPad outside of the US.

Based on this and other pieces of information, the smartphone has gradually become an essential part of people’s lives. It has become as much of a necessity as food, air, water, and shelter. I’ve personally seen homeless people have smartphones and they prefer having a smartphone to a stable place to sleep. In fact, during the recent Occupy protests, some people decided it was more important to buy a new smartphone than eat so they could get their message out to the masses.

But there is a problem. The cell networks that have supported cell phones are on the verge of being overwhelmed and possibly melting down. They cell phone industry is trying to compensate for an exponential increase in use of the networks by increasing network efficiency, buying new spectrum, and putting up more cell towers, but it’s clear that at present projections, widespread daily outages on the network will be seen starting next year. And it’s only expected to get worse. By 2016, Yankee Group projects that mobile data will exceed network capacity by a 2:1 margin. Plus, most networks don’t work well with each other in the US. If you are an AT&T customer and your network is having problems, you can’t go use Sprint’s network because AT&T and Sprint’s phones are not compatible with each other.

So, how would a nationalized network work in the US, if it was implemented? That’s a little unclear. The first way would be obvious. All the networks would be forced into one government-owned company. The US government would buy back all the spectrum, then merge it all together producing larger bandwidth that could increase capacity in urban areas where lack of spectrum is a problem. The US would also standardize under one technology (likely 3GPP), focusing the engineers on the problems of that technology, instead of being spread out to focus on 5 or 6 different technologies. Would it work? Well, Europe did a similar thing when the western portion of the continent created a single technology called GSM. By working on the issues before releasing the standard in 1991, they created a Europe-wide technology standardized at 2 RFs (later expanded to 4) that allowed cell-phone makers to easily create devices that could work across the globe. We don’t have that with LTE at present. In addition, putting up cell towers would be less of a hassle, because the government would eliminate one layer of obstacles that is now prevalent in working out how to put up towers.

A second way to implement a “nationalized” network is similar to a model now being implemented by the Russians for LTE. Last year, 5 companies entered into a landmark agreement where you effectively have network sharing. Scartel, the largest WiMAX provider in Russia, agreed to build the LTE network at specific RF bands, and 4 other companies would provide services on that network with the option to buy into the network. In the US, you might have AT&T and Verizon build the network. All the US providers could then buy into AT&T and Verizon’s network, but everyone would use the same network, with much more cell towers at their disposal. But it would still have national capabilities and all the networks would have to agree to work together.

One big benefit of nationalizing the cell phone industry is that it would focus cell phone providers to build more towards a specific set of requirements. That would in the long run reduce the cost of building a cell phone, a cost benefit that would be required to be passed on to the consumer in the long run.

The second benefit is that unifying the US along a specific set of requirements would make producing a “world phone” feasible again. As of right now, there are about 6 different LTE frequencies being proposed, and that doesn’t even count Lightsquared’s proposal which was just thrown out. If the US could unify around 1 or 2 frequencies, the rest of the world (China and India possible exceptions) would be focused on opening that common spectrum up to cell phone use, thus paving the way for a global standard to be built.

There are other benefits to be considered, and yes, there are potential risks. Again, though, this is just the thoughts of someone who has dealt with standards bodies, and he is expressing frustration at the fragmentation of LTE networks around the world. While I disagree with the idea, I sympathize with his concerns. While nationalizing the cell phone is a bad idea as far as I’m concerned, it is a way to try and build a global LTE standard—something that could become more imperative as LTE-Advanced starts being released next year.

The rise and fall of restaurant chains…

Restaurant chains are strange creatures to be sure. Some chains have succeeded to the point where they are universally recognized, like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, KFC, and more. Others are not as prevalent, but become cult favorites like In-n-Out. Others start out hot, but as time progresses, the novelty wears off, and many places either shrink in numbers or disappear all together as newer restaurants become the hot items. For every Chick-Fil-A rising, a Hardee’s is losing restaurants. Sometimes it’s location, other times it’s the food, and other times it’s the service.

Just recently, I found out that Mrs. Winner’s Chicken and Biscuits has all but closed up shop with just a handful of franchise stores scattered in North Carolina and 1 or 2 left in Georgia. The Website has been taken down without fanfare, and it took a Facebook link to figure out why. In the last Facebook page from the Mrs. Winner’s Company, they stated that all the corporate locations had closed in August of 2011 and that only franchises were left to carry on the name. This departure saddened me personally. My family had regularly visited the location in Lawrenceville when I was younger. Unfortunately, they got caught in an era of increasing competition. KFC is the king of Fried Chicken, but pressure from traditional Fried Chicken places like Popeye’s, Bojangles’ and Church’s, plus new chicken entities such as Chick-Fil-A and El Pollo Loco seemed to push the largely metro Atlanta chain to bankruptcy and ultimately to near extinction.

Mrs. Winner’s is just the latest restaurant I grew up with in Atlanta, Chicago, and Baltimore that developed a national or regional following once upon a time, only to shrink back and/or disappear completely for a number of reasons. How many longtime metro Atlanta residents remember that Sizzler used to be in Atlanta? I vaguely remember a Sizzler on Memorial Drive near Hambrick. However, Sizzler left Atlanta and I thought they were gone until a passing reference in the movie “White Men Can’t Jump” pointed me to the fact the Sizzler had retreated back to its origins in the West Coast.

How many people also remember Bonanza or Ponderosa in Atlanta? The chain of buffet restaurants used to be in metro Atlanta before disappearing in the 1980s. I found them again in the 1990s in Valparaiso, but I guess that I ate them out of town. Bonanzas and Ponderosas still exist, but they are few and far between these days.

Steak and Ale used to be the place to get a good steak—or at least an expensive one. For the longest time, they were the national steak chain. But competition from family steak houses like Outback, Longhorn, and Texas Roadhouse and fine dining steak houses like Mortons, Ruth’s Chris, and Flemings drove Steak and Ale to Chapter 7 liquidation.

Bennigan’s was founded in Atlanta in the 1970s and was a great place to get Burgers, Sandwiches like Monte Cristos, and the famous Death by Chocolate dessert. But several competitors also drove the corporate locations to extinction leaving a handful of franchise places scattered throughout the country.

Shoney’s was part of the Big Boy group, then struck out on its own to compete outside the Southeast, and appeared to be doing well. But the all-you-can-eat buffets could not be sustained nationally and, just like Sizzler and Bonanza/Ponderosa before it, Shoney’s started disappearing rapidly. All of the corporate restaurants closed leaving just franchise locations scattered across the southeast—about a quarter of the number of restaurants Shoney’s had at their peak. You can still find them around, but not at the levels they once were.

Damon’s was one of the first to have giant TVs for customers to enjoy sporting events, but it also had a back room where large dinner groups could be housed away from the rest of the restaurant. In fact, when Liz and I got married in 2006, we had our rehearsal dinner at Damon’s and it was a wonderful affair. At one point, Damon’s had 5 restaurants in the Baltimore area and they had 2 dozen restaurants in Michigan. But a failure in further innovate and competition from national chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and regional competition like the Green Turtle drove the chain into bankruptcy in 2009 and by the end of 2011, there were no more Damon’s in the Baltimore area, just two in Michigan, and none in Columbus Ohio, which was Damon’s Headquarters.

Pizza Inn, Fazoli’s, The Blackeyed Pea, Chi-chi’s, Western Steer Steakhouse, and Po Folks are other examples of chains that once were popular in Atlanta, but have since left the Atlanta area. Many still survive, but at far fewer numbers than they once did. Chi-Chi’s disappeared in the US, but still lives on overseas.

Del Taco used to be the primary Mexican fast food place in Atlanta. Taco Bell bought out most of the stores in the late 1980s in Atlanta, but now it appears Del Taco is starting to make a comeback in Atlanta starting with Snellville. So, even when restaurants appear to die off, they sometimes have a way of coming back from exile.

What restaurant chains (national or regional) do you recall once being prevalent in your towns but are no more? What do you remember best about these chains? What chains would you like to see return? And what currently dominant restaurant do you think will/should eventually disappear from your area? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Forgetting your roots…

Recently, when a powerful series of tornadoes rocked the Ohio Valley area causing multiple deaths and millions in damage, one of the hardest hit areas was the town of Henryville, IN, located north-northeast of Louisville.  The small town was featured in lots of news coverage, but I didn’t hear much about the town’s claim to fame:  it was the hometown of Colonel Harlan Sanders, the man who would go on to create the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand.  While Sanders didn’t actually build the first chain of KFC restaurants, he was their most famous spokesman until his death.

I have not heard much of KFC trying to help the town of Henryville out, and I should not have been surprised.  Still, it would help a company’s image if they occasionally remembered their roots.  Besides, the parent company of KFC, Yum! Brands is headquartered in Louisville.  How hard would it be to provide support to the town which is less than an hours’ drive away?

Forgetting ones’ roots is not a good idea for anyone, person or company.  When you stray away from your humble past, you lose your perspective.  Remembering the past provides you with perspective as you move forward.  And if something happens to your origins and you do nothing in response, what does it say to people about you remembering the lessons of today going forward?

I hope KFC is helping out the people of Henryville.  I might consider paying more visits to companies who remember their roots when those roots experience trouble.  It makes a company a good corporate citizen.

Rush’s Blunder…

By now, everyone has an opinion on the latest controversy regarding Rush Limbaugh.  When a Georgetown law student by the name of Sandra Fluke testified before Congress last week in favor of birth control being covered under health insurance plans, Limbaugh called Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute”.  The comments caused such a firestorm of controversy that Rush apologized last weekend for the “insulting” comments he made and did so again on Monday.  Fluke did not accept the apology, claiming that Rush was not sincere and his motives were largely to avoid losing sponsors, radio stations, and listeners.  As of the time of this blog, over 40 sponsors have decided to stop advertising on the show.  Two radio stations have stopped broadcasting his radio show, and two musician have demanded Rush stop playing their music on his radio show.

The reason that some advertisers have stopped sponsoring Rush’s show comes down to a basic reason:  some of the company CEOs have daughters of their own and don’t like the idea of anyone’s daughter being called a “slut”.  In short, the family values that Rush claims to embrace has been used against Mr. Limbaugh in this instance.  And they’re right.  Nobody likes their child to be denigrated in front of a national audience.  It’s one thing if they are famous:  denigration of celebrities comes with the territory of being famous.  But, from all accounts, Ms. Fluke was just making a point in front a Congressional committee as a private citizen.  Ironically, Rush’s denigration of Ms. Fluke might make her famous enough to be a future politician/celebrity that will almost certainly be progressive in her views.

Rush is without question the biggest radio personality in history by a wide margin.  It’s not even close.  The next biggest radio personality is Howard Stern, and Howard left standard radio airwaves 6 years ago for the uncensored world of pay satellite radio.  Yeah, Howard says worse things about women, but the difference is Howard goes mostly after celebrities or after those who want to appear on his radio show and take the abuse.  In short, you know what you are getting with Howard.  He’s not a nuclear family values guy.  Rush claims to be, however, so his comments on Ms. Fluke were viewed as worse than Howard’s usual shtick.

In the end Rush will survive because he owns his own network, and he can afford a smaller pay salary from sponsors if it means he can still speak his mind.  But this controversy is just another headache that Rush could have avoided if he had just avoided saying something stupid about a heretofore private citizen.  You may not agree with Ms. Fluke’s views, but calling her a slut is not a good way to try and win the people’s hearts and minds on the matter if you disagree with her.

Apple’s turn to the Corporate Dark Side…

For the longest time, Apple have been considered one of the corporate good guys in the eyes of progressive political types.  They were the little guy who put computers in elementary and middle schools for kids to learn about.  They were the anti-Microsoft company in the 90s when Microsoft was threatening to take over the computing world.  The Mac vs. PC commercials several years ago also gave the perception that Apple was the good guy.  Steve Jobs was seen as a progressive genius.  The iPod, iPhone, and iPad were and are artistic works of beauty.  Even Al Gore is on the board of directors, and his slips of releasing iPhone secrets were seen as charming.  The Occupy Wall Street folks will protest banks, wireless companies, and other evil businesses but they do not protest Apple.  As a matter of fact, they use their iPhones and iPads as tools to get their message out.

But is the era of Apple as a corporate good guy over?  Recent evidence suggests that the death of Steve Jobs has opened the door for critics to start attacking Apple.  On a number of levels, Apple is starting to feel the heat.  Some examples:

(1) Apple’s China Syndrome:  The iPhones and iPads are completely assembled for the most part at Apple’s Foxconn facilities in China.  Recent problems at these facilities, including suicides, deadly fires, overworked employees, underage workers, and poor working conditions have come to light.  Apple has been stung by these accusations and has tried to diffuse the situation by asking a Independent Labor Agency to come in and report on Foxconn’s conditions.  Initial positive reviews have given the impression that the Agency is trying to run interference for Apple.  In addition, Apple is locked in a dispute with a Chinese electronic provider called Proview over the naming rights to iPad.  A ruling in favor of Proview last year may allow Proview not just to block selling distribution of iPads in China but also block shipping of iPads out of China to the rest of the world.  Also, there have been riots and protests at Apple stores in China for various reasons including the Foxconn situation.

(2)  Apple is now king of the (technology) world:  Thanks to the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, Apple is now unofficially the king of computer technology.  Microsoft and Intel is struggling or non-existent in the Tablet and Cell Phone World.  Other companies can’t match Apple in Computers, Tablets, or MP3 players.  The only companies worldwide that could come close to matching Apple’s dominance would be Samsung or Sony at this point.  Apple was once the little guy; now they are about as big as ExxonMobil and are worth more money than many European countries.  How will they handle being the top dog?

(3)  Media now no longer afraid to criticize Apple… and Apple is losing the PR battle.  When Steve Jobs was in charge, Apple enjoyed a good relationship with the media.  When Jobs passed away, many people who were silent critics for fear of Jobs’ vindictiveness; after his death, they now feel empowered to openly go after Apple again.  And they are not alone:  The New York Times in their investigation of Foxconn is probably using Apple as the path to a Pulitzer… and new CEO Tim Cook is not happy about it.  He has openly rebuked the NYT about their reporting, and many Apple officials are starting to no longer comment on stories to the Gray Lady.  Also, consider the world of commercials as well.  Remember the Mac vs. PC commercials Apple once produced?  Well, the tables are now turning.  Consider Samsung’s recent commercial making fun of the iPhone while touting the Galaxy S II smartphone.

(4) Tim Cook should be on the Occupiers’ Target Radar.  For serving 5 months as CEO of Apple in 2011, Tim Cook earned $378 million dollars worth of financial benefits to be the top paying CEO… $376 million of that alone was in 1 million shares of restricted stock (now worth nearly $500 million).  Consider Steve Jobs when he died only had 5.5 million shares.  His base salary in 2012 is $1.4 million.  Consider when he was CEO, Steve Jobs once famously had a salary of $1 for a year.  Now, the Apple CEO gets really paid.

(5)  Apple is starting to fall behind the wireless technology curve.  To be fair, Apple has never really been a wireless tech leader with their iPhone or iPad.  The first iPhone was based on GSM, and after initial criticism, Apple’s apps overcame the technology deficiency.  But 4G LTE has become a popular buzzword in the smartphone world and even though the tech has one chief drawback—battery life—the smartphones and tablets are all claiming 4G LTE as the salvation of the smartphone with WiFi as an offloading capability.  If the iPad3 and iPhone5 don’t have LTE technology in their devices, Apple will pay a price in terms of sales.

(6)  Apple may no longer be intimidating Network Providers.  Even as late as last year, Apple was able to strong arm Network Providers into carrying their devices (see the Sprint deal where Sprint agreed to buy 30 million iPhones over 5 years).  But Network Providers are not getting as much profit for selling the iPhone as they want because they have to heavily subsidize it.  AT&T and Verizon may balk at selling iPhones in the future because of how much it hurts the bottom line.

Of course, Apple is still not done developing new things.  iTV could make its debut later this year, the iCar is on the drawing board, and who knows what else Apple has up their sleeve.  With $100 billion of cash on hand, Apple has the opportunity to do anything and they have 4 years of products in the pipeline to keep them going in the short run.  But that could be a problem in of itself.  If Apple tries to get involved in everything, it could invite additional Apple enemies down the road.  And if Apple stops innovating, that’s another problem.

In short, the days of Apple being the corporate “good guys” are over.  Just how far Apple turns to the Corporate dark side has yet to be seen.  Tim Cook’s turn as Apple CEO will do a lot to answer that question.  But don’t be surprised if politicians and OWS forces begin to increase their venom on Apple soon.  Maybe even Al Gore himself will start blasting the company that put him on their Board of Directors.