Day: February 8, 2010

About these repeated requests that I join Facebook

OK folks, for the umteenth time I’ve received an email from Facebook inviting me to join.  The last one was funny as it listed several people that did not invite me though I surmise they must have searched for my name because one of those listed as a potential friend was none other than my main man from Oxford Tom Freeland.  (Tom will have to ratchet that old-south planter’s mentality driven ego down a few notches for that to ever happen.)

I’ve resisted  both Facebook and Linkdin because I did not want to make it easy for State Farm or others with less than honorable intentions to conduct ye ol’ neighborhood canvass on yours truly. I have nothing to hide in the conduct of my personal life but I try to avoid mixing blogging and my personal life beyond Mrs Sop’s continued blessing to spend time on this endeavor.

So I’ll open the question to my readers. Do I connect or not? Email replies also welcome.

sop

A few Superbowl odds and ends: I’m glad I didn’t die before I got old (talkin’ bout my generation…)

Jeff Duncan at the Times Picayune strongly suggested it this morning and the AP made it official, Superbowl 44 was the most watched TV show of all time, eclipsing the final episode of M*A*S*H shown in 1983.

The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.

“It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports,” said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl. The “M-A-S-H” record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl — last year’s game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.

Also a very good friend who lives in Coral Gables gave me a head up to check Dave Berry in today’s Miami Herald. Dave’s column is laugh out loud funny, here are a few snippets: Continue reading “A few Superbowl odds and ends: I’m glad I didn’t die before I got old (talkin’ bout my generation…)”

Sam if it is a fight you want bring it on. Disconnect remains on display at the National Underwriter.

Of all the other blogs that we’ve linked, National Underwriter Editor in Chief Sam Friedman’s blog certainly resides in our top 5 for mentions here at Slabbed.  We link Sam because of many of his insights are keen and because we respect his sincerity. I’m also certain Sam does not know what to make of this blogger, a hard hat CPA from the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a penchant for delivering hard-hitting comments.  They must hurt to the core as Sam can’t bring himself to publish some of my missives even though they were non profane and directly salient to his blog topics.

Last July I took Sam to the woodshed here on Slabbed despite the respect we accord him and his trade journal but it was equally clear from his comment on my post he simply doesn’t get it. Of course I didn’t have to email Sam that post as the National Underwriter is a frequent guest here at the Do Slabb Inn along with every major insurer and investment bank in this country as we’ve dutifully detailed the systemic corruption of Wall Street and follow the money to their pet politicians and regulators.

Sam is still at it as he has morphed from journalist to cheerleader. I don’t know if Sam views himself as that mythical insurance adjusting teevee superhero he pumps but I do know if he is spoiling for a PR fight he doesn’t have to look very hard to find an opponent that is not incentivized in the system.

We don’t have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on shills like Robert Hartwig or trade groups with oval office connections. And I can’t imagine  that the average editorial board at the local newspaper would see me or Nowdy on a walk in basis to hear us speak about an esoteric topic such as insurance finance. Such access is reserved for folks like Hartwig. But we have something none of the shills possess and it is called the truth. In today’s day and information age it is indeed a mighty sword. Continue reading “Sam if it is a fight you want bring it on. Disconnect remains on display at the National Underwriter.”

Our friend Amy Bach at United Policyholders in the news

Founded in 1991 in the aftermath of insurer bad faith following California wildfires, United Policyholders continues to fight for consumer rights to this day. One of my proudest moments moderating Slabbed was being contacted by United Policyholder executive director Amy Bach, who then listed us on their Katrina Claims Library as policyholder resource.  Amy was on ABC News last week and she gave an extensive interview on Homeowners Insurance that is a must see for every home owner in America. I’ve embedded it below the fold. Continue reading “Our friend Amy Bach at United Policyholders in the news”