Tuesday, May 31, 2011

More than 500 cities see more homes become rentals - USA TODAY

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
                          Pop. 2010   %Rent2010   %Rent2000           % Pt Diff
AL  Birmingham  212,237      50.7%           46.3%4.4
AL  Decatur55,683      36.9%            36.2%  0.7
ALDothan65,496     39.9%           37.1% 2.8
ALHoover81,619           32.6%          34.0% 1.5
ALHuntsville180,105     42.0%          38.4% 3.6
ALMobile195,111     43.6%          40.7% 2.9
ALMontgomery   205,764     41.1%          38.1%3.0
ALTuscaloosa90,468     57.7%          52.3%                5.4 
       
 --
Almost 4 million homes have been lost to foreclosures in the past five years, turning many former owner-occupied homes into rentals.
The shift to rental housing is potentially long-lasting and portends changes for neighborhood stability and how people build wealth, economists say.
"The changes are big but glacial," says Mark Zandi, economist at Moody's Analytics.

Read more
More than 500 cities see more homes become rentals - USA TODAY
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 31, 2011 - 12:59p
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Thrashers, Atlanta were never given a chance - AJC.com/Jeff Schultz

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Atlanta has lost an NHL expansion team to a Canadian outpost for the second time. The Thrashers are going to Winnipeg just like the Flames went to Calgary in 1980.

This isn’t about the fans or the market or certainly Gary Bettman’s fictional “covenant” with fans, which I believe he left in the same sock drawer with his conscience. It’s about greed and abandonment, plain and simple. It’s about a disingenuous ownership group, which had long lost any semblance of credibility, serving up fans swill and gruel and then wondering why the turnstiles sleep at night.

They’ll tell you they care. They don’t. They’re walking away with a fat check. While you mourn the loss of a franchise, they’re waving goodbye with one middle finger.

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Thrashers, Atlanta were never given a chance - AJC.com/Jeff Schultz
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 31, 2011 - 12:23p
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Monday, May 30, 2011

Saudi prince calls for lower oil prices - CNN

Posted by The Meck

 excerpt ..

(CNN) -- Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said Sunday that he wants oil prices to drop so that the United States and Europe don't accelerate efforts to wean themselves off his country's supply.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on "CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS," the grandson of the founding king of modern Saudi Arabia said the oil price should be somewhere between $70 and $80 a barrel, rather than the current level of over $100 a barrel.

"We don't want the West to go and find alternatives, because, clearly, the higher the price of oil goes, the more they have incentives to go and find alternatives," said Talal, who is listed by Forbes as the 26th richest man in the world.

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Saudi prince calls for lower oil prices - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 30, 2011 - 1:04p
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Docs think Gary Carter has glioblastoma -- ESPN New York

Posted by The Meck

excerpts ..
NEW YORK -- The family of Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter received an update from Duke University doctors on Carter's cancer diagnosis Saturday night. Doctors informed Carter's family that they were "99 percent sure" that he has a Grade 4 glioblastoma, which affects the brain and central nervous system. It is inoperable.

Doctors told the Carter family that Carter's tumors are "like a snake of tumors that are connected across the back of the brain," according to Bloemers' post on the family website.

Read more
Docs think Gary Carter has glioblastoma -- ESPN New York 
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 30, 2011 -12:52p
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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Kimmy Carter Writes A Very Moving Journal About Her Dad, Gary Carter. [Sat. May 28, 2011]

Posted by The Meck

Gary Carter's youngest daughter, Kimmy, really touches your heart in her Journal.
I cried when I read her words. Gary Carter is a wonderful man.
My heart breaks for them. Bless Gary Carter and his family. I love you Kid.

Thanks for the Many Wonderful Memories and Always Including me.
And Blessing my life. You're The Best Kid.
Meck
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Kimmy Carter Writes A Very Moving Journal About Her Dad, Gary Carter. [Sat. May 28, 2011 - 10:15p]
Saturday, May 28, 2011 10:15 PM, EDT
Saturday
Hello everyone,
I am writing this journal entry from Florida. I had been at Duke with mom and dad since Sunday evening and came home tonight to see my husband and daughter.  However, while I am here, I will continue to journal daily. Christy will leave for home tomorrow and D.J. will return to L.A. on Monday. I will return to Duke Monday evening to be with mom and dad again until they can come home.

Yesterday and today I have shed a lot of tears. I am not angry...just sad. I have cried for so many reasons, but mainly because I just love my dad so very much. The family had some hard news to swallow yesterday but we are again forever grateful that we don't feel alone...the messages, cards, voice mails, etc. we have received have been wonderful. Dad hears and reads every single one when he is not too tired. He is humbled by all the love and support. We told dad this morning, "What goes around, comes around." I believe that dad showed love to so many and it's now being reciprocated. He didn't just play baseball, he was and still is, a great role model and a walking testimony for Jesus Christ. Thank you for loving my dad and my mom. We are touched beyond words. 

After a long day yesterday, dad was released from the hospital at 4:30pm. Dr. Allan Friedman gave us "orders" to have a nice dinner as a family, and we were able to do that, in spite of the sadness of the day. Our goal is to keep spending quality time together and try to laugh and make special, happy memories. 

When we returned to the room, we noticed that we couldn't find dad's gold chain with a cross. He has had it for thirty five years, so it's become a special thing to him. We searched through every bag and  made phone calls to the hospital. After a while, we realized that the necklace was probably was gone. We felt bad since dad gave us the responsibility of holding his necklace. 

For those of you who know me and my dad, we like things in order, live off of "to-do lists" and pride ourselves on organization. We hate losing anything, so, I was not going to let this go! I knew dad was upset and I didn't want this to weigh on him with all the other thoughts on his mind. So, D.J. stayed with dad to watch a little something on tv in one hotel room while I searched though every bag again with mom and Christy in the other room.
Christy said, "Mom, have we prayed about this?" I said, "Well, I have but let's do it again." I yelled, "Dear God - please help us find this!" Come on, please!" In frustration, I shook one of the bags (which we had gone through at least ten times) and all of a sudden, dad's necklace fell on the floor!

We all know that material things don't matter and it wasn't about the necklace. In hindsight, the necklace was the outlet for us to get out all of the emotions we were feeling toward the cancer we had just learned about...it may seem trivial, but it was healthy and needed. So, it turns out that it was good that we temporarily lost the necklace. 

Last night I didn't go to bed until about 2am. I was praying and crying just thinking about my dad and the road ahead.  He is a man of God who is loving, caring and genuine. He has ALWAYS taken care of the family and we love to be together. Now, it is time for all of us to return the favor and take care of dad...I know I am ready. I have my game face on and I am ready to battle. My dad has the perfect nickname "The Kid." He loves life and loves people. He is enthusiastic and passionate. I am SO proud to be his daughter.

It has been awesome to coach along side dad for the past two years. I just finished my 5th year as a head college softball coach and dad finished his 2nd year as the head coach at the same college. It has been special. One of the many things that has connected me and my dad has been the great games of both baseball and softball. We love the games. We love to play and we love to coach. I have been reading so many articles lately and some of the quotes have been from guys that have played for dad. Many have said that he is the best coach they have ever played for...I agree...he has taught me so much both on and off the field.

Plain and simple, Dad loves to win. He is a competitor and he wants to win every game. My prayer is that dad will WIN this new battle. It isn't going to be a fun game like baseball, but it is a fight, and dad hates to lose.

 Dad also teaches a lot about being a great teammate. I never was a teammate of his on the baseball clay but I know I would have loved to have played on the same team with him (although we would have battled for the catcher position!). Now, it is possible to be Gary Carter's teammate. The Carter family is a team and we are going to do whatever it takes to WIN, and we are prepared to accept God's definition of WIN, whatever is in His perfect plan.God never gives us more than we can handle. We hang on to God's truth and God is and will continue to be our forever daily strength. 

Today, I got word that Dad's best friend from California flew in to see dad. I am not sure for how long but he left this morning and arrived early evening to the hotel. I am so glad he is there to make dad laugh. Another special surprise was one of Dad's current baseball players from the university. He happened to be in town so he and his mom stopped in for a very short time to say hello. 

Around 5 o'clock this evening, Dr. Henry Friedman met my dad, mom, sister and brother and talked for about an hour.  Dr. Freidman wants us to call him "Henry" at all times. He is a kind man who genuinely cares. My family asked every question possible and this is what Henry told them. He said that he is about 99% sure that dad has a Grade 4 Glioblastoma. We will find the ABSOLUTE/DEFINITE prognosis on Tuesday so we are hanging tight for possibly other news. 

Dad's tumor is not operable since it is like a snake of tumors that are connected across the back of the brain. The biggest tumor is on the left side of the brain. Henry is extremely positive and is saying we are going for it, attacking it and doing all we can to shrink these tumors. He explained that we are not fighting to prolong Dad's life, instead, we are fighting to cure him completely. He is encouraged that dad will be able to fight well because he is so young, strong and healthy. 
 
This will not be an easy road at all, nor is this a simple battle but WE WILL FIGHT. Dad has the best care and has great teammates/doctors. My mom is his #1 teammate overall. I will let you know of any other updates. In the meantime, just keep praying please. Pray not only for my dad but for our entire family. 

You all are amazing...simply amazing. Let's all be great teammates for dad and do whatever it takes to WIN. Battle like dad played....with enthusiasm, passion and a positive mind. We can do this!
Dad, we LOVE you!!!

May the Lord bless you as you walk in this valley with the Carter family. May you feel God's presence. May you come to know HIM. All glory and honor and praise is for my Savior. Praise be to Jesus.

John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 --

Kimmy Carter Writes A Very Moving Journal About Her Dad, Gary Carter. [Sat. May 28, 2011 - 10:15p]

The Meck Report / Blog - May 29, 2011 - 3:16a
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Mets great Carter's tumors likely inoperable - NYPost

Posted by The Meck
My heart is broken for Gary Carter and his family.
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Mets great Carter's tumors likely inoperable - NYPost/Dan Martin
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Kimmy Carter Writes A Very Moving Journal About Her Dad. [Saturday update]
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 29, 2011 -2:52a
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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Shale Boom in Texas Could Increase U.S. Oil Output - NYTimes.com

Posted by The Meck

Chipper's ranch, The Double Dime, is in the Carizzo Springs area. Looks like Chipper may have hit The Mother Load. George Strait's land/ranch is nearby. Maybe there will be a new song .. Does Carizzo Springs Ever Cross Your Mind .. ? - Meck
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excerpt ..
CATARINA, Tex. — Until last year, the 17-mile stretch of road between this forsaken South Texas village and the county seat of Carrizo Springs was a patchwork of derelict gasoline stations and rusting warehouses.

Now the region is in the hottest new oil play in the country, with giant oil terminals and sprawling RV parks replacing fields of mesquite. More than a dozen companies plan to drill up to 3,000 wells around here in the next 12 months.

The Texas field, known as the Eagle Ford, is just one of about 20 new onshore oil fields that advocates say could collectively increase the nation’s oil output by 25 percent within a decade — without the dangers of drilling in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the delicate coastal areas off Alaska.

Read more
Shale Boom in Texas Could Increase U.S. Oil Output - NYTimes.com
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 28, 2011 - 1:25p
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Friday, May 27, 2011

Doctors tell New York Mets great Gary Carter that brain tumors are likely malignant - NYDaily News

Posted by The Meck

Please pray for Gary [The Kid] Carter .. and his family.
He's a wonderful man. The Kid always included me in his life.
Many wonderful memories with Gary. Today's news is so sad I can't even cry.

We need a Miracle from Heaven for The Kid. This one would be better than the Miracle Mets comeback in the 1986 World Series - It could happen. I agree with  Mike Lupica - The Kid is one tough out. - Meck
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excerpt ..
Stricken Mets great Gary Carter has received ominous news from doctors at Duke University, who say that they are "90% certain" that tumors on his brain are malignant, according to a Carter family website.
Carter, 57, was first diagnosed with four small brain tumors May 21 after experiencing headaches and forgetfulness in recent weeks.

"It was very hard for all of us to hear, as we have been hoping and praying that the tumors would be benign," one of Carter's daughters wrote on the website. "Lots of tears have been shed in the hospital room today, and we are all a bit scared of the unknown."

Carter won't know the official diagnosis until early or the middle of next week.

Read more
Doctors tell New York Mets great Gary Carter that brain tumors are likely malignant - NYDaily News
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 27, 2011 - 5:29p
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Dinner theater serves up comedy murder mysteries - News Herald

Posted by The Meck

Congrats to Sandy for opening her dinner theater tonite in PC Beach.
I have no doubt it will be a great success. She's worked very hard getting it ready.
She has 2 very talented assistants .. Mayor Mike and Schmitty working with her
this weekend for The Grand Opening at Sherlock's Mystery Dinner Theater. - Meck

Tickets/Info  DinnerAtSherlocks.com  or call 850-867-7725
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excerpts ..
PANAMA CITY BEACH — It’s no mystery why Sandy Schmitz wanted to open her own dinner theater.
“We travel a lot because of (husband Mike Schmitz’s) work, and everywhere we go I ask to go to a murder mystery dinner theater,” she said. “Every time we’re in a theater, I keep saying I want to own one of these at the beach.”

Friday the curtain opens on Sherlock’s Mystery Dinner Theater, owned and operated by Schmitz, the wife of Dothan, Ala., Mayor Mike Schmitz. She grew up in Panama City and graduated from Rutherford High School, and she often commutes to the beaches.
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They bought the old Mako’s restaurant building beside Capt. Anderson’s off Grand Lagoon and renovated it to seat up to 300 banquet-style in front of a stage. The company is licensed as a banquet facility and will do receptions, dances and other activities — but the focus is on comedy murder mysteries.

Read more
Dinner theater serves up comedy murder mysteries - News Herald
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Sherlock's Mystery Dinner Theater:
  • What: Murder mystery and banquet meal
  • Where: 5550 N. Lagoon Drive, Panama City Beach
  • When: Opening Friday, May 27; shows at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
  • Details: DinnerAtSherlocks.com  or call 850-867-7725 
 --
The Meck Report / Blog - May 27, 2011 - 3:37p
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Lupica: Einhorn, ace of funds, bets on the Mets [$200 Million] - NYDaily News

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
"I'm very comfortable with the financial arrangements that are here," Einhorn said. "I'm not really interested in owning a TV station. My excitement has to do with the baseball team."

He sounded like what he is, exactly: A Mets fan with a ton of dough who wants to get in the game this way, doesn't come in hot, looking to sign free agents and make trades. For now, anyway. When George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees, remember, he told everybody we were barely going to notice he was in town.

For now David Einhorn - who actually does do God's work, contributing mightily to the Michael J. Fox Foundation - sees a chance to get in on a New York baseball team, that kind of chance not coming along very often, and grabs it.

Read more:
Lupica: Einhorn, ace of funds, bets on the Mets [$200Million] - NYDaily News
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 27, 2011 - 11:05a
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Are Braves affected by transition from Cox to Gonzalez? - Jeff Schultz / AJC.com

Posted by The Meck

Are Braves affected by transition from Cox to Gonzalez? - Jeff Schultz / AJC.com
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 27, 2011 - 10:55a
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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Ex-Facebooker Dave Morin: You can't be friends with everyone - CNN

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
(CNN) -- It's proven by research, Dave Morin says. You can't really, truly be friends with more than 50 people at once; and your brain can't manage a social network that's larger than 150 people, according to Robin Dunbar at Oxford.

Now think about the thousands of online relationships people tend to manage across sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. ("Who is that person writing on my wall?") The average Facebook user has 130 friends.

This digi-friend overload is why Morin, a former Facebook employee, created an app-based social network called Path, which limits its users to 50 friends or fewer. The goal is to promote intimate and memorable sharing, he said.
"Path is really focused on close friends and family, and developing deeper and more intimate relationships between the 50 closest people in your life," Morin said in an interview at a recent tech conference in Austin, Texas.

Path's setup is familiar. It is basically a photo-sharing app. Look at your Path news feed on your phone and you'll see photos from locations where family and friends have been recently, and short blips of text about what they were doing.

Read more:
Ex-Facebooker Dave Morin: You can't be friends with everyone - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 26, 2011 - 11:06a
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Center Stage job fair set for Friday -- Dothan Eagle

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
As many as 200 jobs could be up for grabs Friday at Center Stage Alabama, the recently named project located at what has been known as Country Crossing on Highway 231 South.

Read more
Center Stage job fair set for Friday -- Lance Griffin / Dothan Eagle
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 26, 2011 - 3:44a
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Marriage loses ground -- USATODAY.com

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Marriage is losing ground to a grinding economic slowdown that has prompted more couples to live together without tying the knot.

The share of couples who are not married has risen in many places but is highest in areas that offer many people grim prospects for a better financial future: old industrial cities and the Mississippi Delta.

Unmarried couples made up 12% of U.S. couples in 2010, a 25% increase in 10 years, according to Census data out today.
Two-thirds of the cities with the largest shares of unmarried couples were in the Northeast and Midwest, up from about half a decade earlier.

Read more
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 26, 2011 - 3:32a
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Wow, Dirk; now do it to Evil Empire in NBA Finals - Jennifer Floyd Engel / Star-Telegram

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
And now Dirk, we just need you to do what Boston and Chicago and MVP Derrick Rose have mostly failed at accomplishing. Destroy the Evil Empire, the basketball devil, The Architects of The Decision, the Miami Heat.
"Beat the Heat" echoed at The AAC in the giddy aftermath of the win.

Yes, bring on Miami. And then beat Miami.
I realize The Mavericks just barely and practically moments ago accomplished basketball magic and The Heat has not officially disposed of Chicago. They will, karma and fate dictate it so.
 -
It is not only OK to sports-hate Miami. Everybody else does, well, except for LeBron's mom and his agent and ESPN and Heat players who are contractually obligated to pretend like they like this dude. It is your duty as a fan of all that is good and holy in sports to hate them. Laker, Celtic, Spur fan let us all unite in the very admirable goal of hoping Bron-Bron never is rewarded for his hubris and megalomania and general jerkery with a ring.

Read more:
Wow, Dirk; now do it to Evil Empire in NBA Finals - Jennifer Floyd Engel / Star-Telegram
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 26, 2011 - 3:14a
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Ex-Facebooker Dave Morin: You can't be friends with everyone - CNN

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
(CNN) -- It's proven by research, Dave Morin says. You can't really, truly be friends with more than 50 people at once; and your brain can't manage a social network that's larger than 150 people, according to Robin Dunbar at Oxford.

Now think about the thousands of online relationships people tend to manage across sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. ("Who is that person writing on my wall?") The average Facebook user has 130 friends.

This digi-friend overload is why Morin, a former Facebook employee, created an app-based social network called Path, which limits its users to 50 friends or fewer. The goal is to promote intimate and memorable sharing, he said.
"Path is really focused on close friends and family, and developing deeper and more intimate relationships between the 50 closest people in your life," Morin said in an interview at a recent tech conference in Austin, Texas.

Path's setup is familiar. It is basically a photo-sharing app. Look at your Path news feed on your phone and you'll see photos from locations where family and friends have been recently, and short blips of text about what they were doing.

Read more:
Ex-Facebooker Dave Morin: You can't be friends with everyone - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 26, 2011 - 2:57a
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Strauss-Kahn's pals bid to pay off woman's kin - NYPost

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Friends of alleged hotel sex fiend Dominique Strauss-Kahn secretly contacted the accusing maid's impoverished family, offering them money to make the case go away since they can't reach her in protective custody, The Post has learned.

The woman, who says she was sexually assaulted by the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund, has an extended family in the former French colony of Guinea in West Africa, well out of reach of the Manhattan DA's Office.
"They already talked with her family," a French businesswoman with close ties to Strauss-Kahn and his family told The Post. "For sure, it's going to end up on a quiet note."

Prosecutors in Manhattan have done their best to keep the cleaning woman out of the reach of Strauss-Kahn's supporters, but the source was already predicting success for the Parisian pol's pals.

"He'll get out of it and will fly back to France. He won't spend time in jail. The woman will get a lot of money," said the source, adding that a seven-figure sum has been bandied about.

Read more:
Strauss-Kahn's pals bid to pay off woman's kin - NYPost
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 25, 2011 - 12:59a
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Woods' agent out at IMG as contract renewal fails - AJC.com

Posted by The Meck

Woods' agent out at IMG as contract renewal fails - AJC.com
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 25, 2011 - 12:51a
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Carville: Obama is looking like a 2008 Republican - CNN

Posted by The Meck:

excerpt ..
(CNN) -- As I sat watching the hysterical and apocalyptic reaction to President Barack Obama's speech addressing the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, in which he endorsed a position that was previously advocated by George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, opposition leader Tzipi Livni and even Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, it got me thinking about the other vicious attacks on the president's previous policies.

Let's start with the president's decision to continue George W. Bush's TARP -- the successful program that averted a financial collapse and bailed out the automotive industry.

I've always wondered why Bush didn't try to lay some claim to the successful outcome of that situation instead of expecting to be credited with the downfall of Osama bin Laden, which he actually had very little to do with.

Read more:
James Carville: Obama is looking like a 2008 Republican - CNN
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 25, 2011 - 12:44a
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Monday, May 23, 2011

Former Mets teammates support Carter as brain exam looms - NYPost

Posted by The Meck

excerpt ..
Ron Darling, a Mets pitcher from 1983-91 and now an SNY color commentator, said that strong nuclear family will help Carter through his ordeal.

"It's so sad. I've got my regular family and I've got my baseball family, and Gary's one of the biggest people in that baseball family," Darling said. "He has great faith, great family, so he's got an entire roster of people that are going to help him through this. That's more than a lot of people have, so I'm sure [it helps]. He's not called The Kid for nothing, and we want him around for a long time.

"To hear that news, there are two things that cross my mind. One, how I hope the news is good once he gets out of Duke Medical Center. But then secondly, he said he didn't want to make the last out in the sixth game of the '86 World Series. That says a lot about what kind of person he is, and how he's going to fight this."

Read more:
Former Mets teammates support Carter as brain exam looms - NYPost
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 23, 2011 - 11:28a
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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Gary Carter, member of 1986 Mets, now diagnosed with brain tumors, has always been a tough out -- Mike Lupica / NY Daily News

Posted by The Meck

Gary Carter, member of 1986 Mets, now diagnosed with brain tumors, has always been a tough out -- Mike Lupica / NY Daily News

excerpt ..
It turns out Carter has been complaining of headaches lately, that is what we were told Saturday. He has been having some problems with memory. Now doctors have found these four tumors. You hope that the doctors at Duke can take care of Carter, who is 57. He always talked a lot about his faith and now you hope his faith and his doctors can carry him through.

"I wasn't here a long time," he said to me one time about New York. "But I think I left my mark."
He was here five years. Reggie Jackson only spent five years with the Yankees, and Reggie made those years count, didn't he? The people who still don't think of him as a Real Yankee still don't get it. Carter was not the most famous of the '86 Mets. But he knocked in 105 runs that year, after knocking in 100 the year before. He hit 24 home runs in 1986 and came to the plate 573 times. Carter showed up. He left his mark.

The Mets won 108 regular season games. They won that 16-inning game against the Astros to win the pennant, and transfixed the city that long baseball day. But then they lost the first two World Series games at home and were about to lose in six games to the Red Sox.

Two outs.
Nobody on.
Gary Carter at the plate.
Tough out.

Still.

Klapisch: Gary ‘The Kid’ Carter wasn’t supposed to get sick - NJ Record

Posted by The Meck

Gary 'The Kid' Carter wasn't supposed to get sick -  Bob Klapisch / NJ Record

excerpts ..
It was his cheerful nature – an optimism that was out of place amid his teammates’ savage in-fighting. Carter was the Mets’ co-captain, yet he never was part of the team’s inner circle. He was too nice for that, which is why news that he’d been diagnosed with four brain tumors was so devastating. Good guys like Carter deserve better.
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“Gary figured it out way before we did how to treat people,” Backman said. “We used to make fun of him, the way he’d sign every damn autograph. We had to hold the bus for him sometimes, because he didn’t know how to say no. He didn’t want to say no. But you know what? He was right. He really loved the game.”

Of course, no one ever questioned Carter’s credentials on the field, where he hit .262 with 324 home runs and 1225 RBI in a 19-year career. Along with Hernandez, The Kid was one of the integral components of a resurgence in Flushing that began in earnest in 1985. And talk about timing: in his first game as a Met, Carter hit a 10th-inning home run off Neil Allen to give the Mets an opening day victory over the Cardinals.

Carter’s postgame smile was that of a prophet’s: He sensed the coming of the golden era, which the Mets never have duplicated. Carter taught New York that nothing was beyond the imagination – a lesson that, sadly, is being relearned today.
Who knew Carter would be the first ’80s Met to get sick? This is impossible.

Read more
Gary 'The Kid' Carter wasn't supposed to get sick -  Bob Klapisch / NJ Record
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 22, 2011 - 3:38a
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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Gary Carter has multiple brain tumors -- ESPN

Posted by The Meck


Please Pray For 'The Kid' To Be Healed
by The Doctors and/or A Miracle From Heaven -- Meck
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excerpt ..
NEW YORK -- Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter said doctors discovered four "very small" brain tumors after he had an MRI on Friday in Florida.
The 57-year-old Carter said he expects to learn more about his diagnosis when he is examined again Thursday at Duke Medical Center.

"My wife, Sandy, and our children and family thank you for your thoughts and prayers," Carter said in a release issued Saturday by the New York Mets and baseball's Hall of Fame. "We ask that you please respect our privacy as we learn more about my medical condition."

The statement did not say whether the tumors are malignant or benign.

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Gary Carter has multiple brain tumors -- ESPN New York
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The Meck Report / Blog - May 21, 2011 - 8:02p
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