Nick Saban: Making Friends and Influencing People (Again)

You don't generally have to look very far to find people who don't like Alabama coach Nick Saban. Of course, when you're a congenital liar* and an unapologetic cheater** you tend to make enemies faster than the average Joe, so that's no surprise.

But Slick Nick may have just gotten under the skin of the one person on Earth who you figured was impervious to him. Mark Richt.

The, uh, news, comes courtesy of the Shreveport Times, which did a story Friday on the relationships among the various SEC coaches attending the Conferences annual meetings down in Destin. It was probably intended to be one of those fluffy pieces reporters look for during these meetings, with snarky quips from Spurrier, indeciphirable growling from Orgeron, yada, yada, yada.

However, reporter Glen Guilbeau got more than that. I'll let him take over the story at this point (pulling from the Shreveport Times article):

Georgia coach Mark Richt looked forward to the meetings in his first year in 2001.

"I was curious as to what it was going to be like in there," he said. "I was almost shocked at how cordial everybody is and how they seemed to get along real good. I think what I found is you've got a bunch of guys who have a respect for the job that the other has."Just then, Florida coach Urban Meyer walked by, and Richt said, "Hey Urban, how are you?"

Back on subject, Richt said, "Everyone knows just how difficult of a job it really is."But then Saban walked by, gave a friendly hello and told Richt he had recently been in an Athens, Ga., nightclub to watch his son Nicholas Saban's band play and said he noticed a lot of Georgia's football players at the club.

Richt was obviously taken aback by the comments. Was Saban kidding? Does Saban, who spends a lot of off time in north Georgia on Lake Burton, realize that Richt just lost Parade All-American, redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron? Hebron just transferred after being suspended for two semesters following a pair of recent alcohol-related arrests.

Richt had no comment, but witnesses said he did not appear cordial and seemed angry.

Now, if I were an Oklahoma fan, I have to admit I would find this little anecdote pretty funny. But knowing both a)the trouble we've had recently with alcohol-related conduct issues, and b)Coach Richt's personal faith, I have to say that if true, this was incredibly poor form. Now, Mark Richt is not the type of guy who angers easily in public. But if I was doing an interview and Saban walked up and tossed a proverbial hand grenade like that, I would remember it. I'm willing to bet that Mark Richt won't forget it, either.

Oh, no doubt Coach Richt's heard worse, but Saban's Spurrier-esque delivery confirms that there is indeed a new jacka## in town. And I think the recent revelation about his improper contact with three Miami-area recruits points to the fact that some in the media, and probably in coaching circles, have their eyes on Saban. Maybe I'm wrong, but something tells me this guy is going to do or say some things that Alabama fans are going to end up regretting.

*This is really just a joke on my part. Totally harmless fun. Kind of like telling a Coach who's trying to instill discipline in his players that you just saw some of them in a bar. That's so funny in a 9th grade, "shaving cream in the hand"sort of way.

**I'm not joking at all about this. Saban's going to get Alabama in hot water with the NCAA (again) within the next four years, assuming he stays around that long. Bank it.

People (magazine)

People is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human interest stories, published by Time Inc. As of 2006, it has a circulation of 3.75 million and revenue expected to top $1.5 billion.^[1] It was named "Magazine of the Year" by Advertising Age in October 2005, for excellence in editorial, circulation and advertising.^[2] People ranked #6 on Advertising Age's annual "A-list" and #3 on Adweek's "Brand Blazers" list in October 2006.

The magazine runs a roughly 50/50^[3] mix of celebrity and human interest stories, a ratio it has maintained, according to its editors, since 2001. People's editors claim to refrain from printing pure celebrity gossip, enough so to lead celebrity publicists to propose exclusives to the magazine, evidence of what one staffer calls it a "publicist-friendly strategy."^[1]

People has a website, http://www.people.com, which focuses exclusively on celebrity news.^[2][4] In February 2007, the website drew 39.6 million page views "within a day" of the Golden Globes. However "the mother ship of Oscar coverage" broke a site record with 51.7 million page views on the day after the Oscars, beating the previous record set just a month before from the Golden Globes.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Competition for celebrity photos 2 Sexiest Man Alive 3 Other awards 4 References

[edit] History

People was cofounded by Dick Durrell^[5] as a spin-off of the "People" page in Time magazine. Its first managing editor, Richard Stolley, characterized the magazine as "getting back to the people who are causing the news and who are caught up in it, or deserve to be in it. Our focus is on people, not issues."^[6]

It debuted in 1974, with a March 4 issue featuring actress Mia Farrow, then starring in the movie The Great Gatsby, on the cover. That issue also featured stories on Gloria Vanderbilt, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and the wives of U.S. Vietnam veterans who are Missing In Action.^[1]

Selena on the cover of People magazine.

In 1996 Time, Inc. launched a Spanish-language magazine entitled People EN ESPAÑOL. The company has said that the new publication emerged after a 1995 issue of the original magazine was distributed with two distinct covers, one featuring the slain Tejano singer Selena and the other featuring the hit television series Friends; the Selena cover sold out while the other did not.^[7] Though the original idea was that Spanish-language translations of articles from the English magazine would comprise half the content of the newer publication, People EN ESPAÑOL over time came to have entirely original content.

In 1997 the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shutter publication of Teen People effective immediately. The last issue to be released was for September 2006. There were numerous reasons cited for the publication shutdown, including a downfall in ad pages, competition from both other teen-oriented magazines and the internet along with a decrease in circulation numbers.^[8] Teenpeople.com was merged into People.com in April 2007. People.com will "carry teen-focused stories that are branded as TeenPeople.com" Mark Golin the editor of People.com explains the decision to merge the brands, "We've got traffic on TeenPeople, People is a larger site, why not combine and have the teen traffic going to one place?" ^[9]

In Australia, the localised version of People is titled Who because of a pre-existing lad's magPeople. published under the title

[edit] Competition for celebrity photos

In a July 2006 Variety article, Janice Min, Us Weekly editor-in-chief, blamed People for the increase in cost to publishers of celebrity photos:

"They are among the biggest spenders of celebrity photos in the industry....One of the first things they ever did, that led to the jacking up of photo prices, was to pay $75,000 to buy pictures of Jennifer Lopez reading Us magazine, so Us Weekly couldn't buy them.

"That was the watershed moment that kicked off high photo prices in my mind. I had never seen anything like it. But they saw a competitor come along, and responded. It was a business move, and probably a smart one."^[1]

People reportedly paid $4.1 million for newborn photos of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, the child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.^[1] The photos set a single-day traffic record for their website, attracting 26.5 million page views.^[1]

Recently, "Dancing with the Stars" host Samantha Harris decided to share the news of her pregnancy with People, even before she announced it on her own show. Harris said she "ideally wanted a prestigious magazine to be the one to break it," Harris tells FBLA. "People breaks a lot of baby news and seems to be a reliable source. Plus, I've never had a chance to be in People, and it was nice that they wanted to break it." ^[10]

[edit] Sexiest Man Alive

Intended as an annual feature, the Sexiest Man Alive designation by the magazine is billed as a benchmark of male beauty. It is determined in a similar procedure to Time's Person of the Year.

For the first decade or so, the feature appeared at uneven intervals. Originally awarded in the wintertime, it shifted around the calendar, resulting in gaps as short as seven months and as long as a year and a half (with no selection at all during 1994). Since 1997, the dates have settled between mid-November and early December.

Dates of magazine issues, winners, ages of winners at the time of selection, and pertinent comments are listed below.

• 1985-02-04 - Mel Gibson, 29; first winner
• 1986-01-27 - Mark Harmon, 34
• 1987-03-30 - Harry Hamlin, 35
• 1988-09-12 - John F. Kennedy Jr., 27; longest gap between selections (eighteen months); only winner now deceased; youngest winner
• 1989-12-18 - Sean Connery, 59; oldest winner
• 1990-07-23 - Tom Cruise, 28; second-youngest winner
• 1991-08-26 - Patrick Swayze, 39
• 1992-03-16 - Nick Nolte, 51; shortest gap between selections (seven months)
• 1993-10-18 - Richard Gere, 44, and Cindy Crawford, 27; People took a one-year hiatus from Sexiest Man and instead awarded Sexiest Couple
• 1995-01-30 - Brad Pitt, 31; first of two awards
• 1996-07-29 - Denzel Washington, 41; first and only African American winner
• 1997-11-17 - George Clooney, 36
• 1998-11-16 - Harrison Ford, 56
• 1999-11-15 - Richard Gere, 50; first two-time winner (previous win was shared)
• 2000-11-13 - Brad Pitt, 36; first solo two-time winner
• 2001-11-26 - Pierce Brosnan, 48
• 2002-12-02 - Ben Affleck, 30
• 2003-12-01 - Johnny Depp, 40
• 2004 - Jude Law, 31
• 2005-11-18 - Matthew McConaughey, 36
• 2006-11-17 - George Clooney, 45; second solo two-time winner

[edit] Other awards

• 100 Most Beautiful People (formerly 50 Most Beautiful People until 2006) - This award is given to 50 most beautiful celebrities. The first cover person was Jodie Foster.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} People who need people, a July 2006 article from Variety magazine
2. ^ ^{a b} Martha Nelson Named Editor, The People Group, a January 2006 Time Warner press release
3. ^ The ratio, according to Variety, is 53% to 47%
4. ^ [1] People is perhaps best known for its yearly special issues naming "The Most Beautiful People", "The Best and Worst Dressed", and "The Sexiest Man Alive". The magazine maintains editorial bureaus in New York City, Los Angeles and London.
5. ^ Founder of People Magazine from a University of Minnesota website
6. ^ People's Premiere, a March 1974 story from Time magazine
7. ^ http://www.tufts.edu/communications/stories/022904PeopleEspanol.htm Grad Named Head of ‘People en Español’
8. ^ http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6217.aspMedialifemagazine.com
9. ^ [2]
10. ^ [3]

Ousted Pakistan judge evokes ‘people power’

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan (AFP) - Pakistan’s top judge, suspended by President Pervez Musharraf, has told thousands of supporters that the country’s people back the struggle for the independence of the judiciary.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry led a procession from Islamabad to the northwestern city of Abbottabad on Saturday, greeted by roadside protesters chanting “Go Musharraf, go.” The weight of the crowds periodically halted the motorcade.

(Article continues after photo caption.)

A crowd of people cool off in a canal in Lahore, Pakistan, where the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), Sunday, June 3, 2007. Many cities in Pakistan are facing heatwave conditions with temperatures reaching 44 degree Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit) in some place. (AP Photo/K M Chaudhry)
****************

He told the crowd of around 25,000 lawyers and opposition activists in the conservative hill resort that the legal community was not alone.

“The people of Pakistan are with you. In the eyes of the law all citizens are equals,” he said to his supporters after the 100-kilometre (60-mile) journey.

“It is the basic responsibility of the courts to protect the fundamental rights of the people, especially the higher judiciary,” he said.

“The courts have rejected human rights violations in the past.”

Musharraf suspended Chaudhry on allegations of misconduct on March 9, sparking violent protests in the southern city of Karachi that left more than 40 people dead.

Musharraf is facing the greatest crisis of his eight-year rule. The protest on Saturday was the latest in a series.

Critics say Musharraf acted to ensure a pliant judiciary if, as expected, he tries to remain as army chief past the end of 2007, when the constitution says he must quit.

Pakistan’s fractious opposition movement has united around Chaudhry’s cause in a campaign calling for a return to full democracy and an end to military rule.

Witnesses said some 5,000 opposition workers and lawyers greeted Chaudhry at the ancient town of Taxila on his route to Abbottabad.

Another 15,000 welcomed the judge at the town of Haripur, they said, adding the boisterous crowds waved flags and chanted slogans condemning Musharraf and the military’s involvement in politics.

“We are fighting for the independence of the judiciary and we have the support of the people of Pakistan,” Chaudhry’s lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, told the crowd in Haripur.

The motorcade took 11 hours to reach its destination. It is usually a two-hour journey from Islamabad.

People also stood on the rooftops around the venue where Chaudhry was to address lawyers in Abbottabad, witnesses said. As the procession entered the venue the crowd burst into sustained applause, raising anti-Musharraf slogans.

The procession came a day after Pakistan’s top army commanders reaffirmed their full support for Musharraf in the face of what they called attempts by a minority to “derail the nation from the path of progress.”

Chaudhry’s previous rallies were televised live by private domestic television channels, but none broadcast the motorcade after warnings from the government.

One private television station, the Karachi-based Aaj TV, said it had been told not to cover the procession.

“We have received a notice from the Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority that we cannot show live coverage from any place other than what is specified in our licence,” said Talat Hussain, the station’s news director.

But Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani denied the government had barred live coverage.

“I am not aware of any restrictions on media,” Durrani told AFP.

The government was incensed when lawyers attending a pro-Chaudhry rally at the Supreme Court in Islamabad a week ago shouted slogans condemning Musharraf and the army’s role in politics.

A Dog's Life

Sunday, June 3, 2007

People Are Animals, Too.

“One is dearest to God who has no enemies among the living beings, who is nonviolent to all creatures.”
Bhagavad Gita, (Hindu Scriptures, oldest human sacred text c. 2500 - 3000 BC)

The dog across the street has had puppies. She’s too skinny, so Joan brings food to her now. I wish the ASPCA would come and take the dog away. But, as long as she has a ratty little doghouse, it’s okay for the people to keep her chained up and underfed for her entire life. I try not to get serious, but sometimes I just don’t understand why some people are so cruel to animals. After all, people are animals, too.

On a lighter note, the hot water heater is leaking all over the basement! And, why does that earn an exclamation point? Because, Joan can’t give me the bath she thinks I need and knows I don’t want. He-he. Well, she could give me a bath, but she won’t. Even on a hot day, a cold-water bath is too shocking for a dog. Joan bought a tankless water heater, which is still sitting in her car. I was very happy that the plumber didn’t call her back to fix a date for installation. I’m a dog. I should smell like a dog. The hot water heater should stay in the car!

It’s been a very humid week, and it looks as though summer has pushed the beautiful spring days into a future dream. That means days lying spread-eagled in front of the air-conditioner, lapping up lots of water, splashing in the doggie pool, and hiding from the fire-cracker people who perk up their lives with big bangs and pops and flashes of color. I guess they wouldn’t be so happy to make loud noises if they were in, say, Iraq or Afganistan. (Sorry, I got serious again.)