Not Just A Hat Rack

T Boone Pickens: Opportunist or Visionary?

By now, you've probably heard about legendary oilman T. Boone Pickens' maverick plan to convert America to wind power and away from its dependence on oil.

PickensPlan.com is his snazzy website and social networking site. By all accounts, he is spending $58 million on an PR campaign to influence Washington via a grass roots movement. He's the owner of the most windmills and most likely to benefit from the creation of an infrastructure/grid to deliver wind energy across the country (at the cost of $60-$200 billion, I think) - but are his motives selfish or selfless? I can't tell. Anything that increases the dialogue in this country about energy waste, oil dependency and environmental preservation is good. Is the Pickens Plan the panacea? 

Thomas Friedman of the New York Times (and "The World is Flat") wrote this column which was printed in yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune

What do you think? Should we jump on the plan bandwagon?

On the Road...

It's always interesting to be on the road and be asked, "where are you from?"

Yesterday, I found myself in Orlando, a.k.a., the most miserable place on earth if you don't have kids and/or a Brian Kamler-esque Disney-file with you.  I was here for a conference of Marketing and Development professionals connected with public radio in the USA.  This was one of my final pieces of business for Snow Lion before diving 199% into USA Team Handball.

Even here, I found connections with people I knew from the soccer world, and friends of friends who knew people who knew people from Utah.  This conference actually took place at Snowbird a few years ago and many who attended came away with an entirely skewed view of Salt Lake City and our surrounding state.  "There's nothing to do there!" is an accurate statement, when you consider a majority of the participants in the conference at Snowbird didn't have a rental car and thus couldn't get off the resort property.  One who did found her way to Ruth's Diner of all places.

Anyways, I have been immersed for several weeks in USA Team Handball.  The basics still elude us - a functioning website and office space, for starters - but I hope to be closer to 100% functional by next week. I also anticipate launching a blog at teamusa.org on the Team Handball page, but rest assured the 'Hat Rack will not go unattended.

After a red-eye to Orlando 24 hours ago, and a 3:45am wakeup call to return back to Utah, I'm ready to go back "home."

All Stars, All Night Long

It's 1:18am in New York, 11:18pm here in Salt Lake City... and they're still playing baseball at Yankee Stadium.  I guess God is a Yankee fan and doesn't want to turn out the lights on baseball's most mythical stadium without one last memorable moment.  About four hours ago, I joked they would play 20 innings, run out of players and some pitcher would get seriously injured - and it would all be on inept baseball commissioner Bud Selig's conscience.  I never thought it would come this close.  Wow.

Will Dan Uggla, three errors so far, be the hero, a goat, or neither?  Whither these pitchers, both throwing on just a few days rest with no one left in the bullpen?  Will we see Uggla pitch before all is said and done?

What a night.

My Dad and Pope John Paul II

The St. Helena Star ran this article about two weeks ago about a career diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service.  I think the lengthy article is a great read about a diplomat's life.  Grandma and Grandpa 'Hat Rack immediately chimed in that the quotes weren't entirely accurate, but even so, I think there's nothing to be ashamed about.  Here's to 25 unforgettable years of service to the United States.  I know I'm proud.