Arkansas should make a run at James Franklin

I think that Derek Dooley has the biggest rebuilding of the coaches mentioned below. I heard Vince Dooley speak at the Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting in October of 2010 and he said that his son inherited a program that had been set back by defections. In fact, I read recently that the great recruiting class that Lane Kiffin  brought in had flopped because of various reasons and only one player out of those 23 have even started over 10 ten games. Vince Dooley wondered if the Vol fans would be patient enough for Derek to get the job done. I don’t think they will.

James Franklin has been a great hire for Vandy. I know there are coaches who could motivate players to overacheive, but they may not be able to take very talented players and get the most out of them. I wish Arkansas would make a run at Franklin. I have been very impressed with him so far. He is great with the press and the x’s and o’s and will keep the current Arkansas system.

Below is the latest story from Arkansas Sports 360:

4/16/2012 at 10:30am

Vanderbilt's James Franklin is one of the five most recent coaching hires in the SEC. He guided the Commodores to six wins and a bowl appearance in his first season.
Image by Mark Wagner

Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is one of the five most recent coaching hires in the SEC. He guided the Commodores to six wins and a bowl appearance in his first season.

Arkansas appeared to have one of the more stable coaching situations in the SEC entering April. Now, thanks to Bobby Petrino’s wild ride, the Razorbacks find themselves with a rare spring coaching opening.

Athletic Director Jeff Long is evaluating the situation, trying to decide if he should hire now or go the interim route for 2012, then make a hire (I’ve got thoughts on that I’ll share later in the week). Long raised the bar at Arkansas when hiring Petrino (we’re talking about the bar for pure football, not for good citizenry, btw).

Long has money to spend. Petrino was making $3.56 million. The Razorbacks are coming off a two-year stretch in which they finished in the Top 10 twice and went 21-5.

Seems like there is much more to offer than when Long hired Petrino.

So where is the bar when it comes to filling SEC coaching positions?

While it’s hard to make a true comparison between the UA’s situation and those of other SEC schools – for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the timing of the Razorbacks’ opening — let’s look at what other ADs have done when filling the past five openings.

Below are the six most recent hires in the SEC, the jobs they inherited and money they’re making:

Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Entering: First Season
Previous Stop: Arkansas State (10-2, one season)
Replaced: Houston Nutt (24-26, 10-22)
Previous Salary: $255,000
Current Salary: $1.3 million
Season Before He Arrived: Ole Miss finished 2-10, 0-8
Since He Arrived: Hired In December

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Entering: First Season
Previous Stop: Houston (35-17, 24-8)
Replaced: Mike Sherman (25-25, 15-8 Big 12)
Previous Salary:  $1 million
Current Salary:  $2 million
Season Before He Arrived: A&M was 6-6, 4-5 Big 12
Since He Arrived:  Hired In December

Will Muschamp, Florida
Entering: Second Season
Previous Stop: Texas Defensive Coordinator
Replaced: Urban Meyer (65-15, 36-12 SEC)
Previous Salary:  $900,000
Current Salary:  $2.7 million
Season Before He Arrived: Florida was 8-5, 4-4
Since He Arrived: Gators were 7-6, 3-5; Gator Bowl victory for 2011

James Franklin, Vanderbilt
Entering: Second Season
Previous Stop: Maryland Offensive Coordinator
Replaced: Robbie Caldwell (2-10, 1-7 SEC)
Previous Salary:  $486,500
Current Salary:  “Approximately $3 million”
Before He Arrived: Vanderbilt was 2-10, 1-7
Since He Arrived: 6-7, 2-6; Liberty Bowl appearance for 2011

Derek Dooley, Tennessee
Entering: Third Season
Previous Stop: Louisiana Tech (17-20, 12-12)
Replaced: Lane Kiffin (7-6, 4-4 SEC)
Previous Salary:  $400,000
Current Salary:  $1.8 million
Before He Arrived: Tennessee was 7-6, 4-4
Since He Arrived: 11-14, 12-12 overall; 5-7, 1-7 SEC in 2011

Joker Phillips, Kentucky
Entering: Third Season
Previous Stop: Kentucky OC, Coach in Waiting
Replaced: Rich Brooks (39-46, 16-39 SEC)
Previous Salary: $323,460
Current Salary:  $1.7 million
Before He Arrived: Kentucky was 7-6, 3-4
Since He Arrived: 11-14, 4-12 overall; 5-7, 2-6 2011

*Salary figures are compiled from a variety of sources, including the USA Today salary database.

April 17, 2012 – 12:05 pm Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

An open letter to President Obama (Part 58) “Our national debt threatens our security”

Liam Fox Issues a Warning to America

Uploaded by on Feb 28, 2012

Britain’s Liam Fox has a warning for America: Fix the debt problem now or suffer the consequences of less power on the world stage. The former U.K. secretary of state for defense visited Heritage to explain why the America’s debt is a national security issue.

____________________

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

The Heritage Foundation points out how much the national debt has the potential of ultimately harming our ability to defend ourselves.

Britain’s Liam Fox has a warning for America: Fix the debt problem now or suffer the consequences of less power on the world stage. The former U.K. secretary of state for defense visited Heritage to explain why America’s debt is a national security issue.

>> Watch the full 45-minute speech, “Warning to a Superpower”

Fox faced cuts to the armed forces in the United Kingdom during his tenure. He said the amount of interest Britain pays on its debt is larger today than its budget for defense. Fox explained that both Britain and America should be concerned about the impact our national debt has on our security.

“The real issue is the indebtedness of Western nations,” he stressed, “Here in the United States, there is a certain irony in the fact that in order to maintain debt interest payment by the national government, America is having to cut its security budget so that some of that money on the debt interest ends up in Moscow and Beijing.” He underscored to the need for serious reforms to tackle what he described as our “absolutely unsustainable” level of national debt. Western economies, he warned “are up to their necks in debt and if they don’t do something about it, [they] will drown in that debt.”

___________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your committment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

April 17, 2012 – 11:41 am Categories: President Obama, spending out of control | Post a comment

Interview with Paul Ryan

Rep. Paul Ryan’s Budget Problem – CBN.com

A biblical justification for getting our spending in order.

Ryan Messmore

April 16, 2012 at 1:00 pm

How should one’s faith shape his or her engagement in the policy arena?

Political Correspondent David Brody recently asked that question of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R–WI) concerning the Republican budget plan. In a taped interview for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Ryan, a Roman Catholic, identified care for the poor as a fundamental tenet in the social teachings of his Church.

For Ryan, that teaching means: “Don’t keep people poor, don’t make people dependent on government so that they stay stuck at their station in life. Help people get out of poverty.”

Ryan believes his federal budget plan helps accomplish that goal. In a letter last year to then-Archbishop (now Cardinal) Timothy Dolan of New York, Ryan stated that his proposed budget better targets assistance to those in need, repairs the social safety net, and fulfills the mission of health and retirement security for all Americans. Furthermore, if the U.S. government continues to drive up the deficit through reckless spending, Ryan wrote that “the weakest will be hit three times over: by rising costs, by drastic cuts to programs they rely on, and by the collapse of individual support for charities that help the hungry, the homeless, the sick, refugees and others in need.”

In the CBN interview that aired last week, Ryan highlighted an additional principle of Catholic social teaching that informs his engagement in public policy: the principle of subsidiarity.

Subsidiarity holds that decisions are best made at the most local level available. As Ryan noted, when applied to political authority, this means federalism. Subsidiarity also holds that larger, more powerful institutions should refrain from undermining the freedom and integrity of smaller, less powerful ones. This is the aspect of the principle that Ryan picked up on most pointedly:

[Subsidiarity means] not having big government crowd out civic society, but…having     enough space in our communities so that we can interact with each other, and take care of    people who are down and out in our communities.

This principle arises out of a larger vision of social flourishing, one in which the common good is advanced “through our civic organizations, through our churches, through our charities, through all of our different groups where we interact with people as a community.”

Ryan has been attacked by those who hold a different view of government’s relationship to social well-being. His critics, including President Obama, seem to prefer that Washington, D.C., play a more direct and comprehensive role in pursuing the common good, even at the expense of civil society organizations that are often better equipped to serve people in need.

Some have tried to make the budget debate a conflict between those who do or do not care about the poor. But at its heart, this debate is about two contrasting visions of government’s proper role—in relation to prosperity, the common good, and to other institutions in society.

Ryan has reminded Americans in general—and people of faith in particular—of a principle that deserves more attention in budget discussions. The morality of a budget cannot be evaluated solely in terms of government welfare spending; it must also consider effects to the long-term well-being of the poor, the financial viability of the nation, and the freedom of other social institutions.

These criteria inform The Heritage Foundation’s own proposal for addressing the debt crises, called Saving the American Dream.

A federal budget that continues to promote the same unsatisfactory programs and accumulate unsustainable debt—while crowding out smaller institutions of society—is neither moral nor helpful to the poor.

Subsidiary and federalism are important principles that can help drive America’s budget debate in a better direction.

April 17, 2012 – 7:03 am Categories: Current Events, spending out of control, Taxes | Post a comment

Dan Mitchell on the Buffett rule

Dan Mitchell Debating the Buffett Rule on CNBC

Published on Apr 10, 2012 by

No description available.

Mike Brownfield

April 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm

President Obama says his “Buffett Rule” — which imposes higher taxes on wealthy Americans and job creators — will help “stabilize our debt and deficits for the next decade.” But if you compare how much money his policy raises with how much he’d like to spend, you get a much different picture.

The Buffett Rule would impose a minimum 30 percent tax on businesses and families earning $1 million. That would bring in $47 billion in revenue in ten years. Next to the President’s budget, which adds $6.7 trillion to the national debt, you can see that Obama’s answer to America’s budget woes isn’t much of an answer at all. Do the math, and you’ll find that the Buffett Rule would cover just 0.7% of all of Obama’s debt and .1% of Obama’s spending.

As you can see, that’s a small drop in a very large bucket.

April 17, 2012 – 6:47 am Categories: Cato Institute, President Obama, Taxes | Post a comment

Congress needs to avoid big tax increase at the end of 2012

Congress better step up to the plate and avoid the huge tax increase coming at the end of 2012.

Curtis Dubay

April 16, 2012 at 5:33 pm

In a bit of scheduling serendipity, Tax Freedom Day—the day when Americans finally earn enough income to pay off the bill for all federal, state, and local taxes for the year—falls on April 17 this year. That also happens to be Tax Filing Day 2012.

Absent tax changes made by Congress, Tax Freedom Day moves earlier or later in the calendar from year to year based on the economy. If the economy is stronger, then more Americans are working and wages are rising. Larger incomes mean they pay more taxes and Tax Freedom day falls later in the year. The reverse happens when the economy is weak, as it is today.

Tax Freedom Day next year promises to be much later than April 17, but unfortunately not because of a strong economy, which even the Obama Administration is not predicting. No, Tax Freedom Day will be much later if Congress and President Obama fail to act promptly and prevent Taxmageddon from striking America’s families and small businesses.

Taxmageddon is a $494 billion tax hike. Not only would it push Tax Freedom Day much deeper into 2013, it would also make next year’s Tax Day considerably more painful than it was this year: American households would face an average tax increase of $3,800.

A big portion of the Taxmageddon increase would occur because tax cuts enacted more than a decade ago lowered all tax rates and put in place a new 10 percent bracket. They also doubled the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, reduced the marriage penalty, and reduced the tax disincentives toward saving. These tax cuts are all slated to expire at the end of 2012. In total, because of the expiration of just these three tax policies, 70 percent of Taxmageddon would fall directly on low-income and middle-income families. That’s about $346 billion less for families to spend and a whole lot more for government to spend.

That’s not all. If Congress fails to act, then a lot more Americans are going to pay the alternative minimum tax, or AMT. This tax was only supposed to be paid by “the rich.” But, as so often happens, a tax targeted at the rich expanded over time so that it now threatens millions of middle-income families.

If Congress fails to act, workers won’t have to wait very long to feel the effects. Every payday, they would see a jump in their payroll tax as it takes a bigger bite out of every paycheck. And that only reflects the direct hit they’ll face. The health care surtax on investment income and salaries over $250,000—which begins in 2013 along with five other tax hikes—would slow job creation, because it would take away resources from businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs.

Other Taxmageddon tax hikes, such as the expiration of the “tax extenders,” the rise of the death tax, and end of 100 percent expensing for business investment, would also slow the economy. These would make it harder for those out of work to find a job or for those looking for a new opportunity to land a better job. It would also slam the stock market, making it harder to rebuild depleted retirement savings.

Congress and President Obama need to show voters they actually can get important things done, even in an election year. Stopping a nearly $500 billion economy-crushing tax hike shouldn’t be controversial. So what’s the hold up?

April 17, 2012 – 6:40 am Categories: Current Events, Taxes | Post a comment

Sweden cutting taxes and experiencing economic growth

 

One of my favorite groups growing up was ABBA. Here are some of my favorite songs:

_______________

It is sad that we are heading to where Sweden used to be and they are heading to where we used to be. Here is a great article from the Heritage Foundation:

Anthony B. Kim

April 16, 2012 at 5:30 pm

Sweden is known for, among other things, Swedish meatballs, the pop group ABBA, and IKEA.

Well, here is another thing that Sweden should be recognized for: tax cuts. Yes, you heard right: tax cuts.

Sweden used to tax corporations at a 60 percent rate. Now that has come down to 26.3 percent. As noted in a recent article by the U.K.-based Spectator magazine, Sweden’s finance minister, Anders Borg, who was named the most effective finance minister in Europe by the Financial Times, got something awfully right.

Since becoming Sweden’s finance minister, [Borg’s] mission has been to pare back government. His “stimulus” was a permanent tax cut. To critics, this was fiscal lunacy—the so-called “punk tax cutting” agenda. Borg, on the other hand, thought lunacy meant repeating the economics of the 1970s and expecting a different result.… Three years on, it’s pretty clear who was right. “Look at Spain, Portugal or the UK, whose governments were arguing for large temporary stimulus,” he says. “Well, we can see that very little of the stimulus went to the economy. But they are stuck with the debt.” Tax-cutting Sweden, by contrast, had the fastest growth in Europe last year, when it also celebrated the abolition of its deficit.… He continued to cut taxes and cut welfare-spending to pay for it; he even cut property taxes for the rich to lure entrepreneurs back to Sweden. The last bit was the most unpopular, but for Borg, economic recovery starts with entrepreneurs.

The tax cuts, combined with Sweden’s highly efficient regulatory system, have raised the Swedish economy to 21st place in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom. By sharp contrast, the regulation-loving “Yes, We Can” U.S. Administration has driven down our economic freedom ranking over the past three years and is steering our economy into “Taxmageddon.”

Maybe it is time for President Obama to sit down with Sweden’s finance minister for a lesson on how to achieve economic recovery.

April 17, 2012 – 6:30 am Categories: Current Events, Taxes | Post a comment

Bobby Petrino and the issue of Integrity

A good article I came upon below:

A Question of Integrity

Posted by in Adultery, BLOG, Family, Featured, How To Be a Man, Leadership, News Media, Sports | Monday, April 16th, 2012 A Question of Integrity

If you are a college football fan, you are pretty aware of the Bobby Petrino scandal at the University of Arkansas. For those of you who aren’t, here’s the short version.

Petrino, the married with four kids head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, had a motorcycle accident. When he spoke to his employer about the accident he left out some key details. Little details like the fact that he wasn’t alone. He was with a 25 year old, engaged, female member of his staff. A female he later admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” with. I love the term “inappropriate relationship,” it sounds so much nicer than “adulterous affair that will hurt my wife and kids,” doesn’t it?

Arkansas fired him as their head coach. End of story, right?

Why did they hire him in the first place? See, Petrino has a track record of not being a man of his word. On multiple occasions he has told whatever college he was working for that he wanted to be their coach of the future, all the while aggressively pursuing other job offers. In 2007 he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and left in the middle of a dismal 3-10 season. One day, after pledging his commitment to owner Arthur Blank, he left a laminated note to his players on the door to the locker room and was gone to coach at Arkansas.

Petrino’s problem is not that he leaves schools or messes around on his wife. Those are symptoms. The cause is that Petrino has no integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as, “adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, honesty.”

I’m not here to pile on Bobby Petrino – the media is doing a good job of that. And if the rumors are true that he “Favre’d himself,” it’s going to get a lot uglier!

My question is, who is to blame in this whole scandal? Obviously, Petrino did wrong, so he is to blame in one sense. But what about the University of Arkansas? They hired Petrino knowing his track record, knowing that he was employed by another team when they spoke to him. They understood that Petrino didn’t have much integrity, but they also knew that he was a winner (except for the Falcons). He could win football games, and that is all that was important. How’s that working out for you now, Arkansas? Now your football program is in ruins because Petrino has been fired. Your top recruits may now bow out of their scholarships because a new coach is going to come in, maybe with a different system that won’t work quite as well for them.

It always amazes me when a man and woman will cheat on their spouses with each other, then get married. How can they ever trust that spouse? They know the person is a cheater. That’s how they got together! It’s not difficult to see why so many of those marriages don’t work.

One of the things God has called Christians to be is people of integrity. Jesus put it this way:

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.” – Matthew 5:33-37

What about you? Is your life one of integrity? Can your wife, your husband, your boss, your kids trust you when they aren’t watching your every move? If we were to compare your walk and your talk, would they line up? If not, why should we trust you? If you’re not a person of your word, can you really expect trust from us? And if we refuse to trust you, can you really be upset with us?

I have prayed for Petrino, the woman in question, and their families. This is a tragedy all the way around. I have also taken this as a chance to check my own integrity. I recommend you do the same.

Shaking my head… Jerry

Photo credit: ESPN.com

Bobby Petrino and Jessica Dorrell

Bobby Petrino and Jessica Dorrell

pic.twitter.com/KBjNWGw8

Related posts:

Bobby Petrino and the issue of Integrity April 17, 2012 – 6:11 am

 

Bobby Petrino’s phone records come out April 12, 2012 – 6:50 am

Jessica Dorrell and Bobby Petrino on ESPN together in 2011 April 12, 2012 – 6:38 am

 

How about a coach swap? :Charlie Strong to Arkansas and Bobby Petrino to Louisville April 11, 2012 – 7:37 am

 

Bobby Petrino statement April 11, 2012 – 6:51 am

 

Bobby Petrino fired, but now seeking forgiveness April 11, 2012 – 6:20 am

 

Video and transcript of Jeff Long’s press conference announcing firing of Bobby Petrino April 11, 2012 – 5:53 am

 

Bobby Petrino’s arrogance led to his downfall April 10, 2012 – 3:46 pm

 

 

Petrino 911 Call – Jessica Dorrell And Bobby Petrino Refuse Help April 9, 2012 – 7:03 am

 

Earlier concerns about Petrino’s character are coming back up again April 9, 2012 – 6:24 am

 

Bobby Petrino has achieved the American Dream, but still is looking for something more April 8, 2012 – 1:46 pm

Rex Nelson speculates that Petrino may be fired because “…trust has been so broken…” April 8, 2012 – 12:06 pm

Lying about Jessica Dorrell may get Bobby Petrino in a lot of trouble April 7, 2012 – 1:38 pm

Can Bobby Petrino, Tom Brady and Coldplay all find the satisfaction they are seeking? April 6, 2012 – 2:15 pm 

Bobby Petrino to survive this wreck? April 6, 2012 – 11:08 am

Pictures of Bobby Petrino April 6, 2012 – 9:11 am

Who is Jessica Dorrell? (with pictures) April 6, 2012 – 9:06 am

Major coverage of Bobby Petrino mistake April 6, 2012 – 6:51 am

What will be Jeff Long’s decision on Bobby Petrino? April 6, 2012 – 5:36 am

Bobby Petrino admits to an affair April 6, 2012 – 4:41 am

What impact will breaking trust with Bobby Petrino’s family have? April 6, 2012 – 4:24 am

Two choices now for Bobby Petrino: Follow the path of purity or impurity

If Bobby thinks he is bruised now, then he needs to read about the guy in Proverbs 7:10-27 and what happened to him. I really am hoping that Bobby Petrino can put his marriage back together. He has a clear choice between two paths. In the sermon at Fellowship Bible Church at July 24, 2011, […]

Jessica Dorrell was taking a long ride with Bobby Petrino April 5, 2012 – 4:52 pm

Bobby Petrino hurt in wreck (picture included) April 2, 2012 – 9:31 am

Adrian Rogers’ sermon on Clinton in 98 applies to Newt in 2012

It pays to remember history. Today I am going to go through some of it and give an outline and quotes from the great Southern Baptist leader Adrian Rogers (1931-2005). Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times started this morning off with some comedy: From pro golfer John Daly’s Twitter account following last night’s Republican debate, […]

Dr. Adrian Rogers – Steadfast Loyalty To Your Wife

Uploaded by on Jan 18, 2009

A Powerful comparison to Christ loving the church and the husband never walking out on the wife.

 

April 17, 2012 – 6:11 am Categories: Current Events | Comments (1)

Milos Raonic “Tennis Tuesday”

Uploaded by on Mar 15, 2011

In season three, episode 10, ATP World Tour Uncovered catches up with Canadian young gun Milos Raonic.

________________________

From Wikipedia:

Milos Raonic (play /ˈmiːloʊʃ ˈraʊnɪtʃ/ mee-lohsh row-nich;[3][4] Montenegrin: Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić [mǐloʃ rǎonitɕ]; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.[1][5]

Born in what is now Podgorica, Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of 3.[5] Raonic is Canada’s highest ATP ranked male singles player since computer rankings began in 1973. He qualified for his first grand slam event at the 2010 U.S. Open. In 2011 he rose from World No. 152 to No. 37 in a month, after he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and won his first ATP title at the 2011 SAP Open. Raonic, who prefers to play on hard courts, plays an all-court game but is most notable for his serve, which is powerful and accurate. Since late autumn of 2010 he has been coached by former Spanish pro player Galo Blanco in Barcelona.

Raonic serving at the 2011 Australian Open

[edit] 2011

Raonic started 2011 playing qualifying matches for the 2011 Aircel Chennai Open where he lost in the qualifying round against Édouard Roger-Vasselin. Next, he successfully qualified for the 2011 Australian Open. He won his first round match against German Björn Phau in three sets, his first victory in a main draw Grand Slam match.[13] In the second round he defeated No. 22 seed Michaël Llodra of France, again in three sets, becoming the first Canadian man in 10 years to reach the third round of a singles Grand Slam.[14] He then knocked out the Russian World No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny in four sets to reach the fourth round, the first qualifier to make the 4th round of a Grand Slam since 1999.[15] Playing his next match at the Hisense Arena, he fell to World No. 7 David Ferrer after he lost the last three sets, despite winning the first.[16]

Despite the loss, Raonic received rave reviews for his performance at the Australian Open, such as when John McEnroe referred to Raonic as “the real deal” on Twitter,[17] or the BBC‘s reference to Raonic as part of “a new generation”.[18] Martina Navratilova referred to Raonic as “a new star” saying that “the sky is the limit” for the young tennis player,[19] and the Sydney Morning Herald referred to Raonic as a “future superstar”.[20]

Two weeks later, Raonic began play at the SAP Open tournament. After upsetting No. 4 seed Xavier Malisse in the first round in two sets, he then beat James Blake, again in two sets.[21] After beating Ričardas Berankis in the quarterfinal match 6–4, 7–6, he reached ATP tournament semifinals for the first time in his career. Raonic advanced to his first final of an ATP tournament when the No. 2 seed Gaël Monfils defaulted in the semifinals citing a wrist injury.[22] In the final, Milos beat 1st seeded Fernando Verdasco 7–6, 7–6, winning his first ATP title, and became the first Canadian player to win an ATP singles tournament since Greg Rusedski in 1995 (before Rusedski started representing Great Britain).[23]

Raonic received a wild card into the main singles draw of the following week’s 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Interestingly, he opened against Fernando Verdasco, the player he had just faced two days earlier, and prevailed again, this time in three sets. Milos next defeated Radek Štěpánek also in three sets, serving a career-high 38 aces in the process.[24] After defeating qualifier Robert Kendrick in the quarter-finals, again losing the second set before prevailing, Raonic continued his unbeaten run, defeating No. 4 seed Mardy Fish in the semis, once again despite dropping the second set. He lost a closely contested final, however, to No. 1 seed and two-time Memphis champion Andy Roddick 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, with Roddick making a diving forehand to win break point, on his fifth championship point for the match.[25] Raonic’s performance in this tournament elevated him to yet another career high ranking of World No. 37, making him the highest-ranked Canadian male singles player in ATP Rankings history.[26]

Raonic won both his singles Davis Cup rubbers against Mexico on clay as well as the doubles tie together with Vasek Pospisil to advance Canada to the second round.[27]

He was given a wild card berth for the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament main draw,[28] where he lost to Ryan Harrison in the third round after wins over Marsel İlhan and Mardy Fish in the first two rounds.

Raonic started the clay court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament by winning over Michaël Llodra and Ernests Gulbis before falling to 4th seed and eventual finalist David Ferrer in the third round.[29] After the tournament, Raonic rose to a new career-high ranking of 28, his first time in the top 30. It is also his 7th week in the top 50. He reached third round at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and advanced to the semifinals at the 2011 Estoril Open (5th seeded there, he disposed of Igor Andreev in the first round, of João Sousa in the second round, and upset Gilles Simon in the quarterfinal before retiring due to a back injury against Fernando Verdasco 4–6 0–0).

On grass courts, Raonic’s reached quarterfinals at the 2011 Gerry Weber Open by taking out both Pablo Andujar and Tobias Kamke in straight sets before losing to Philipp Petzschner in three. In doubles with partner Robin Hasse, he reached his first ATP World Tour doubles final. The pair lost to Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (the nicknamed “Indo-Pak Express“) 9–11 in the deciding tie-break. At Wimbledon 31st seeded Milos advanced to the second round after disposing of Marc Gicquel. However in his second round match Raonic had to retire after winning 3 games in the first set due to injury.

Tennis Canada announced that Raonic underwent hip surgery. Raonic returned to action following the US Open, where he was defeated by Israel’s Amir Weintraub in Canada’s Davis Cup matchup. He reached the semifinals at 2011 If Stockholm Open (lost to Gaël Monfils).

[edit] 2012

On January 8 he won his second ATP title at the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open in Chennai, India, defeating Janko Tipsarević in the final 6–7, 7–6, 7–6. Raonic did not drop serve during the tournament, becoming the first player to do so since Roger Federer at the 2008 Gerry Weber Open. Later in January, Raonic advanced to the third round of the 2012 Australian Open, disposing of Filippo Volandri of Italy and Philipp Petzschner of Germany. He was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 1 set to 3 (6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 3-6) in 3 hours 6 minutes after going to deuce (5) for the match point. On February 19 in San Jose, California, Raonic won his third ATP title and second SAP Open in a row, defeating Dennis Istomin 7-6, 6-2.[30]

[edit] Equipment

Raonic endorses the Wilson BLX Blade 98 and he uses LUXILON M2 Pro 1.25 16L Strings. He also endorses Lacoste clothing. [31]

[edit] Grand Slam performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player’s participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2012 Australian Open.

Tournament 2010 2011 2012 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slams  
Australian Open A 4R 3R 0 / 2 5–2 71.43
French Open A 1R   0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Wimbledon A 2R   0 / 1 1–1 50.00
US Open 1R A   0 / 1 0–1 0.00
Win–Loss 0–1 4–3 2–1 0 / 5 6–5 54.55
Milos Raonic

Milos Raonic at the 2011 Australian Open
Country  Canada[1]
Residence Thornhill, Ontario, Canada; Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Born December 27, 1990 (1990-12-27) (age 21)
Titograd, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Turned pro 2008
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money US$1,023,892
Singles
Career record 41–27 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 3
Highest ranking No. 25 (May 2, 2011)
Current ranking No. 35 (February 20, 2012)[2]
Grand Slam results
Australian Open 4R (2011)
French Open 1R (2011)
Wimbledon 2R (2011)
US Open 1R (2010)
Doubles
Career record 6–7 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 232 (June 13, 2011)
Last updated on: February 20, 2012.
April 17, 2012 – 5:56 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Unemployment benefits do not stimulate economy

President Obama is wrong again.

Unemployment Insurance System Fosters Unemployment

Posted by Tad DeHaven

The Wall Street Journal reports on rising state and federal unemployment taxes at a time when unemployment remains high. Keynesian economists keep telling us that unemployment benefits have a stimulative “multiplier effect” on the economy. Unfortunately, that sticky little problem of the government having to suck resources out of the economy to pay for this alleged stimulus keeps getting in the way:

The higher tax tab could discourage hiring. ‘It’s just one more cost to add,’ said Douglas Devnew, vice president for finance and administration at Trumpf Inc., a Farmington, Conn., manufacturer. ‘Companies like ours are going to think that much harder if we need more folks.’

Yes, that’s only an anecdote. But I find anecdotes to be considerably more indicative of reality than, say, the fancy economic models favored by the White House that continue to erroneously predict growth and reduced unemployment if the government spends more of the private sector’s money.

If anecdotes aren’t your thing, check out this excellent Cato essay on the unemployment insurance system. Critics of a government administered unemployment insurance system are often accused of being callous toward the plight of those seeking work. But the essay’s examination of the history of unemployment insurance, and the ill-effects and failures of the government-run system indicate that it’s the supporters of the government-run system who should be on the defensive.

April 16, 2012 – 11:35 pm Categories: Cato Institute | Post a comment

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An open letter to President Obama and a form letter response!!!!(Part 58)

KIreland.jpg 

Science Matters #2: Former supermodel Kathy Ireland tells Mike Huckabee about how she became pro-life after reading what the science books have to say.

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

I wanted to talk to you today about your views on abortion. Everyone remembers Kathy Ireland from her Sports Illustrated days and actually she has became a very successful business person.  However, I wanted to talk about her pro-life views.

_____________

Back on April 27, 2009 Fox News ran a story by Hollie McKay(“Supermodel Kathy Ireland Lashes Out Against Pro Choice,”) on  Ireland.

It’s no secret that the majority of Hollywood stars are strong advocates for a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to terminate a pregnancy, however former “Sports Illustrated” supermodel-turned-entrepreneur-turned-author Kathy Ireland has gone against the grain of the glitterati and spoken out against abortion.

“My entire life I was pro-choice — who was I to tell another woman what she could or couldn’t do with her body? But when I was 18, I became a Christian and I dove into the medical books, I dove into science,” Ireland told Tarts while promoting her insightful new book “Real Solutions for Busy Mom: Your Guide to Success and Sanity.”

“What I read was astounding and I learned that at the moment of conception a new life comes into being. The complete genetic blueprint is there, the DNA is determined, the blood type is determined, the sex is determined, the unique set of fingerprints that nobody has had or ever will have is already there.”

However Ireland admitted that she did everything she could to avoid becoming a believer in pro-life.

“I called Planned Parenthood and begged them to give me their best argument and all they could come up with that it is really just a clump of cells and if you get it early enough it doesn’t even look like a baby. Well, we’re all clumps of cells and the unborn does not look like a baby the same way the baby does not look like a teenager, a teenager does not look like a senior citizen. That unborn baby looks exactly the way human beings are supposed to look at that stage of development. It doesn’t suddenly become a human being at a certain point in time,” Ireland argued. “I’ve also asked leading scientists across our country to please show me some shred of evidence that the unborn is not a human being. I didn’t want to be pro-life, but this is not a woman’s rights issue but a human rights issue.”

My good friend Dr. Kevin R. Henke is a scientist and also an atheistic evolutionist. I had a lot of discussions with Kevin over religious views. I remember going over John 7:17 with him one day. It says:

John 7:17 (Amplified Bible)

17If any man desires to do His will (God’s pleasure), he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself and of My own accord and on My own authority.

I challenged Kevin to read a chapter a day of the Book of John and pray to God and ask God, “Dear God, if you are there then reveal yourself to me, and I pledge to serve you the rest of my life.”

Kevin did that and he even wrote down the thoughts that came to his mind and sent it to me and these thoughts filled a notebook.

Kevin did not become a Christian, but I am still praying for him. I do respect Kevin because he is an honest man. Interestingly enough he  told me that he was pro-life because the unborn baby has all the genetic code at  the time of conception that they will have for the rest of their life. Below are some other comments by other scientists:

Dr. Hymie Gordon (Mayo Clinic): “By all criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception.”

Dr. Micheline Matthews-Roth (Harvard University Medical School): “It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception.”

Dr. Alfred Bongioanni (University of Pennsylvania): “I have learned from my earliest medical education that human life begins at the time of conception.”

Dr. Jerome LeJeune, “the Father of Modern Genetics” (University of Descartes, Paris): “To accept the fact that after fertilization has taken place a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion . . . it is plain experimental evidence.”

__

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your committment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

_______________

I actually mailed this to President Obama about a week ago and got this email back:

The White House, Washington
 

 

April 16, 2012

Dear Everette:

Thank you for taking the time to share your views on abortion.  This is a heart-wrenching issue, and I appreciate your input and thoughts.

 

I am committed to making my Administration the most open and transparent in history, and part of delivering on that promise is hearing from people like you.  I take seriously your opinions and respect your point of view on this issue.  Please know that your concerns will be on my mind in the days ahead.

 

Thank you, again, for writing.  I encourage you to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov to learn more about my Administration or to contact me in the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Barack Obama
April 16, 2012 – 4:15 pm Categories: President Obama, Prolife | Post a comment