These are truly strange times that we live in, but here I go quoting a Fox News expert, Mike Norman, on the role hedge funds are playing in oil prices.
Yet at the same time Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman trots out the supply and demand argument that Norman flatly claims is false.
Who to believe?
Arena parking seems to come up darn near every time the word “downtown” is mentioned in anything. That’s the case in a comment attached to Bill Wilson’s post from yesterday.
I read comments all the time where people say there won’t be enough parking, that people will have to walk too far, that we need a parking garage, that people will stay away from Intrust Bank Arena. And I say “Huh?”
Not enough parking? There is plenty of parking within six blocks or so for just about everything that will be held at the arena.
People will have to walk too far? If you’ve ever been to an arena or stadium event in another city, walking is the norm. Even at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, I imagine you walk farther from the far reaches of the parking lot than you ever will have to here. I know there are some people who can’t walk that far — and there is a big difference in my mind between can’t and don’t want to — but I trust there will be enough close spots for them.
We need a parking garage? This is the worst argument of all. The last thing we need is a parking garage. First of all, leaving one after an event is worse than trying to get through the security line at the airport. Second, it defeats one of the primary purposes of having an arena downtown, which is to get people into the restaurants and shops.
People will stay away? My guess is those people wouldn’t have gone in the first place. Just a guess.
Let me know how you feel.
Phil Boyer has long been president of the 414,000 member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Boyer plans to retire at the end of 2008. AOPA is a pilot organization working as an an advocate for general aviation. It provides a variety of services for pilots through its Web site and publishes aviation-related magazines.
Public affairs veteran Craig Fuller has been named Boyer’s successor. Fuller is currently executive vice president of global public affairs at APCO Worldwide in Washington. He served as assistant to the president for cabinet affairs during the Reagan years and was chief of staff for vice president George H.W. Bush at his request. He also worked with public affairs organizations in Washington and with Philip Morris Cos. in New York. before becoming president and chief executive of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
It’s been only days since the General Accountability Office said the Air Force made mistakes in awarding Northrop Grumman-EADS a multi-million contract for aerial refuelers in a competition with Boeing. Mobile, Ala., would gain about 1,500 jobs because of the deal to Northrop Grumman.
Now, a billboard along Interstate 65 in Mobile reflects the community’s strong feelings about the development, according to the Seattle Times.
The owner of four Foosackly’s Chicken Fingers restaurants in Mobile has put up a billboard reading: We would like to offer Boeing a finger. The owner has printed T-shirts and bumper stickers with the slogan. So far, it’s not turned in to extra business for the restaurant, however.