Menzies

Always like the guy - he was a straight shooter. =============================================== NPR Exec Resigns Over Juan Williams Firing [sTATEMENT]Jan 6, 2011 – 4:08 PM Steven Hoffer A senior executive responsible for Juan Williams' departure from NPR has resigned, according to a statement from the company. Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss, who started working at NPR in 1982, stepped down today following an independent review of the Williams' firing that expressed concern over the way NPR handled the political commentator's dismissal. Williams was fired as a part-time contributor in October after telling Bill O'Reilly that he gets "worried" and "nervous" when he sees people "identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims" boarding an airplane. NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller has also forfeited her 2010 bonus over her part in Williams' departure. Here is the statement regarding NPR's firing of Juan Williams: Washington, DC January 6, 2011 - The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it has completed its review into the facts and circumstances leading to the termination of NPR's contract with senior news analyst Juan Williams. The review also included an examination of how other NPR analysts and correspondents have been treated under the NPR Ethics Code with respect to on-air comments. The independent members of NPR's Board (the "Board") worked with outside legal counsel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP ("Weil"), to gather information related to the contract termination. In light of the review and feedback provided to them, the Board has adopted recommendations and remedial measures designed to address issues that surfaced with the review. The recommendations and remedial measures range from new internal procedures concerning personnel and on air-talent decisions to taking appropriate disciplinary action with respect to certain management employees involved in the termination. Some of these changes have already been made and others are in process. Specifically, the Board adopted recommendations that NPR: -- Establish a committee comprised of NPR personnel, respected journalists, and others from outside NPR to review and update NPR's current Ethics Code (the "Code"). -- Develop policies and procedures to ensure consistent application of and training on the Code to all employees and contractors. -- Review and update policies/training with respect to the role of NPR journalists appearing on other media outlets to ensure that they understand the applicability of the Ethics Code to their work and to facilitate equitable and consistent application of the Code. -- Review and define the roles of NPR journalists (including news analysts) to address a changing news environment in which such individuals have a myriad of outlets and new platforms for their talent, balancing the opportunities presented by such outlets and platforms with the potential for conflicts of interest that may compromise NPR's mission. -- Ensure that its practices encourage a broad range of viewpoints to assist its decision-making, support its mission, and reflect the diversity of its national audiences. The Human Resources Committee of the Board is working in conjunction with key members of NPR management on this issue. -- Williams' contract was terminated in accordance with its terms. The contract gave both parties the right to terminate on 30 days' notice for any reason. The facts gathered during the review revealed that the termination was not the result of special interest group or donor pressure. However, because of concerns regarding the speed and handling of the termination process, the Board additionally recommended that certain actions be taken with regard to management involved in Williams' contract termination. -- The Board has expressed confidence in Vivian Schiller's leadership going forward. She accepted responsibility as CEO and cooperated fully with the review process. The Board, however, expressed concern over her role in the termination process and has voted that she will not receive a 2010 bonus. NPR also announced that Ellen Weiss, Senior Vice-President for News, has resigned. "We have taken this situation very seriously and the Board believes these recommendations and remedial steps address the concerns raised in connection with the termination of Williams' contract," said Dave Edwards, Chair. "The Board regrets this incident's impact on NPR and will work with NPR's CEO, Vivian Schiller, to ensure that these actions will be expeditiously completed, examined, and monitored on an ongoing basis." In conducting the review, Weil gathered thousands of documents from various sources and interviewed many current and former NPR employees and contractors. Weil requested Williams' participation in the review through both his agent and a former NPR colleague. Unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful and Williams was not interviewed. The Ad Hoc Committee and the non-management members of the Board met on multiple occasions and deliberated on the information provided to them. Weil reported to an Ad Hoc Committee of the NPR Board consisting of Dave Edwards (Chair of the Board), Howard Stevenson (Immediate Past Chair), and Carol Cartwright (Vice-Chair).

Oh very droll!

It keeps jumping from forum area to forum area!!

Managed to get out for a few hours. Temps were in the mid-70s, with a 10kt breeze. High slightly cloudy sky. Boat started and ran well. It has been a while since we took her out and gave her a good wash and she was pretty dirty. Missus and I have decided that we will pay to have the first good scrub of the season before we take over! Cruised south from Palm Cove Marina, running at 2800 on plane at 12kts, down to Harbor Island and Palm Valley. Then turned around and came back at 1400, 7 kts hull down while we ate a picnic of chicken salad, salmon dip, chips and apple pieces. Heading southbound ICW Brown Wake! Some Harbor Island houses. ICW Estate I guess if you're going to build a dock, you need to go big or go home! Old Grady. Small boat, big people! Cat heading south. Blue Hulled "Sapphire" Wading in the mud flats. Looking for food! Heading back into the marina.

Moved to Boating Photos forum.

Have a pic-nic packed. We will leave late morning for a cob-web-clearing cruise up the ICW. Probably stay out 3 or 4 hours before coming back in. Starting off the year as we mean to go on - $4 gas be damned!! M

Happy New Year all. We usually do the bash at the country club. But tonight it is a movie (True Grit) and then dinner as we have a 16 year old who just got her license on Tuesday, a 21 year old, and a 23 year old, out and about - so mommy and daddy have decided to stay sober and available. Damn, it sucks growing up and being responsble! Enjoy y'all! Menz.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Have a blessed Christ Mass everyone. And for those who are not of the Christian faith - I hope that peace and the love of your families are with you.

Which means we are on the downhill slope to boating season!!

So do you usually ask for boat stuff for Christmas? I want to replace all of the flybridge chairs. It's hard to see on-line how they will look and if they will fit the existing hardware so I have asked for a single helm chair this year. If that works I'll get the other two myself. I would also like a handheld VHF. Who else?

Awwww, I'll miss the stalking! Right, off to start a Christmas thread!

Well, feck that - as the Irish say!

The Jags need to win next Sunday against the Colts assuming both teams win out the rest of the season. If the Colts win then they are even at the top of the division. They are even on the first tie-breaker - head to head with one each. They are even on the second tie-breaker, versus the division. The third tie-breaker is versus common opponents (not the rest of the AFC surprisingly enough). And there the Colts are ahead. So the Jags need to win next week! Should be a cracking game since the Colts know if they lose they are out of the playoffs because they are well behind on the wild card. Bring it on!! .

Good thing she wasn't the French teacher!

I sense that they are out to destroy this website if they can. Pity. Wiley doesn't seem to be paying attention or even care.

Now THAT's advice I could have used a few days ago!

Talk about protectionism! They give Rickie Fowler the Rookie of The Year over Rory McIlroy - are you kidding me?

Yep, they seem to be getting hot at the right time. with the Colts loss they are sitting atop the AFC South. They should have beaten the Giants last week. Ran all over them in the first half, then changed their game plan in the second and lost. This week they stuck with the run and simply pounded the Titans. Raiders, Colts, Skins and Texans left on the schedule. I've seen nothing from those teams to tell me the Jags can't run the table the rest of the way.

Walked into the school gym this evening to watch my daughter's high school basketball game. There was a young lady collecting the entrance money. I tried to be sociable and asked her "So are you doing this for service hours?" "No sir, I'm being paid. I'm a teacher." To make matters worse, when I related my fou pas to the missus she told me that she is the school swim team coach - and my daughter swam for the team August through October! Ouch!

November had a lot of visitors ya say! Pity I can't get banned every month!

Part if me wants to say "give it up luv", the other part says "good on ya." I do hope she is doing it because she wants to be out and around people, and not because she has to. ========================== Customer Shoves 100-Year-Old Wis. Walmart Greeter. AP MILWAUKEE (Nov. 29) -- A 100-year-old greeter at a Milwaukee Walmart was shoved by a customer after the centenarian tried to stop the woman to determine if she'd paid for items that were in the lower part of her shopping cart, police said Monday. Greeter Lois Speelman fell down and went to a hospital after she was shoved on Sunday. "I'm bruised a little, but I'm able to go back to work Thursday," Speelman told The Associated Press from her home on Monday. Speelman declined to answer further questions, saying she didn't want to lose her job and the investigation wasn't over. A Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman didn't have more details but said that Speelman's health was the company's primary concern. "Most importantly, our associate is doing OK and we're grateful for that. The actions of this individual are appalling and we appreciate the work of police in this case," spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said. Sponsored LinksMilwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said the case has been referred to prosecutors for a potential aggravated battery charge. Speelman became a local celebrity briefly when she was profiled by several news outlets after she celebrated her 100th birthday at the store in August. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Speelman has been twice widowed and started greeting at the store when she was 90. She retired at 95, but came back at 97 after her only living son died and continues to work an average of 34 hours a week.

You have left behind a bunch of laughs - And that's a great legacy!

... enjoy the gobbler!

Pretty unbelievable! Though frankly it should never have gotten to that point.