"Nike does $14 billion in sales, and that is for every single thing it does from shoes to apparel," Rovell said. "Gatorade is a singular item, and it does $5 billion in sales. It's probably the second most-relevant brand in all of sports."

Cade and three colleagues developed Gatorade in 1965 to help the Florida Gators football team replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost through sweat while playing in the swamp-like heat of Gainesville, Fla. The first batch cost $43 in supplies, and "sort of tasted like toilet bowl cleaner," Dana Shires, one of Cade's collaborators, told the Associated Press.

Researchers added sugar and lemon juice for flavor, and they left the rest to the likes of Steve Spurrier, the Florida quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 while being fueled by Gatorade.

"The invention was great, but it needed the Florida Gators as a vehicle," Rovell said. "There had been other sports drinks available, but this was the perfect storm with Steve Spurrier and a good football team."

Cade and his collaborators were enmeshed in a legal dispute in the late 1960s and early '70s over rights to the Gatorade brand. The dispute was settled by awarding the university a 20 percent share of royalties, which to date total about $100 million. Gatorade today is marketed by Quaker Oats, a division of PepsiCo Inc.

A native of San Antonio and a Navy veteran, Cade graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He practiced in Missouri, New York and in Dallas before moving to Florida in 1961. His research specialties included kidney disease, hypertension, exercise physiology, autism and schizophrenia.

He continued to work for the university until retiring at age 76 in November 2004 and was inducted in April into the university's athletics hall of fame.

Rovell, who while on vacation in Aruba raised a bottle of Gatorade — the wild berry Fierce flavor — in Cade's honor, described him as "the ultimate eccentric guy. He loved playing the violin, and he collected Studebaker cars. He became a rich man, but he always lived in the same ranch-style house.

"When you would ask him what he was most proud of, he wouldn't say, as you and I might, that he saw his invention every time he walked into a 7-Eleven or attended a sports event. He would talk about how Gatorade helped cure diarrhea-related diseases in Third World countries. He would always have some strange twist to talk about regarding the invention of Gatorade."

Rovell said he never asked the inventor what he thought about the modern sports cliché of Gatorade showers delivered to winning coaches but said, "He probably would have said, 'What a waste!' "

Gatorade inventor Dr. Robert Cade dead at age 80

Fran Townsend, President Bush's domestic security advisor, announced today that she was resigning, the latest in a series of senior officials to leave the administration as the president juggles a still-full agenda.

Townsend, who began working for the government as an assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., rose over two decades and the administrations of four presidents to become a regular fixture in the Oval Office and on Sunday talk shows -- delivering confidential reports to the president and security warnings to the public as the homeland security threat evolved.

She gave no reason for her departure, other than to say she wanted to shift to the private sector. In a handwritten letter she delivered to Bush on Nov. 6, Townsend said she was leaving with "a heavy heart" but had "decided to take a respite from public service."

Domestic security advisor is latest Bush aide to resign

The Hillbilly Casino is the featured artist of the week on Podshow radio. You can listen to the entire episode if you copy/paste the below link. Brent, the host also gives some great historical info on the history of Rockabilly as well.

Keep Rockin'

Sounds and quality is great! :)

Podshow Radio- The Hillbilly Casino (Featured Artist)

Four Whites Creek High School students were suspended for chanting linked to gang rivalries.

The students reportedly chanted the letter "E," which is used as a form of disrespect among gang members.

Metro Schools officials said when the letter is chanted it often incites tension at area schools.

Ralph Thompson, MNPS assistant superintendent for student services, said the chant is a put down.

Metro police's gang unit isn't aware of the letter "E" being used by gangs, however a detective said they realize anything is possible.

"What typically happens is you can look for a fight to soon follow, not always on campus or premises, and sometimes it's delayed into the afternoon or the neighborhood," Thompson said.

School leaders said it's difficult to keep up with the ever-changing language of some gangs.

They said they rely on other students to keep them informed.

School official suspended the students for 10 days.

Apparently they were suspended for chanting the letter E. Apparently the local gangs have begun using the vowel as a slang "term" to insite violence...

I am not sure what is more ridiculous, the fact that they were suspended for chanting the letter E or that they are abusing the vowels. I had no clue you could abuse a letter... Is that a felony?

Students Suspended For Gang-Related Chanting....

The carrier this morning has provided details of a second incident involving Avestor's batteries, the ones that were said to be the cause of an October 2006 broadband equipment cabinet explosion in suburban Houston.

not just laptops anymore... and this time it could burn more than your crotch... *grin*

AT&T Confirms Second VRAD Fire, Concern is Sparked...

Last week, John Edwards fired a broadside against corporate America and, more significantly, "corporate Democrats," the likes of which hasn't been heard from a viable candidate with national appeal in decades.

Edwards is en fuego right now, and if he keeps up the heat, his candidacy will either be widely embraced by the emerging progressive movement or utterly annihilated by an entrenched establishment that fears few things more than a telegenic populist with enough money to mount a credible campaign.

"It's time to end the game," Edwards told a crowd in Hanover, New Hampshire. "It's time to tell the big corporations and the lobbyists who have been running things for too long that their time is over." He exhorted Washington law-makers to "look the lobbyists in the eye and just say no."

Real change starts with being hones

Edwards Goes After the 'Corporate Democrats' -- Is This a Turning Point for His Campaign?

Danny Fendley started more than just his lawn mower when he tugged at its pull cord - he started a fire that destroyed his home.

The mower exploded Tuesday in hot, parched conditions.

Fendley was trying to start the mower in the garage of his two-story brick home in this Atlanta suburb when the machine burst into flames. Before he could extinguish the fire, it had spread through the garage.

Then his wife tried to toss a can of gasoline out a window as the blaze spread, but she missed, spreading the fuel ``everywhere,'' Fendley said.

The flames engulfed the house in less than a minute. The couple escaped without serious injury.

Almost a Darwin Award... !

Exploding Lawn Mower Destroys Ga. Home

Few details are known at the moment, but according to parties on both sides of the transaction, Franklin's nonprofit Heritage Foundation and the owners of the Franklin Cinema are nearing an agreement that would save the 70-year-old historic theater. (See "Running Time," July 19.) Mark Bloom, the Nashville real-estate mogul whose Corner Partnership owns the property in downtown Franklin, says that a contract is on the table and ownership could transfer to the Heritage Foundation within 60 days.

Good to hear... I hope Rocky Horror Picture Show comes back to Franklin! :)

Franklin Cinema Saved?

On July 25, the ARRL filed an Informal Objection to Ambient Corporation's request for a renewal of their nationwide experimental authorization that allows them to operate broadband over power line (BPL) operations anywhere in the country they choose. Ambient has been operating its BPL equipment under experimental authorizations for more than five years, an unusual amount of time for an experimental authorization. An Informal Objection is the procedure dictated by the FCC's Part 5 rules protesting the renewal of an experimental authorization. Currently, Ambient currently operates a BPL system in Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, New York. Other installations have apparently been shut down by Ambient.

Ambient has been using experimental authorization WD2XEQ, issued in 2005, and its predecessor WB9XQT, issued on June 24, 2002. WB9XQT covered the BPL operation in Briarcliff Manor. It was replaced by WD2XEQ on July 28, 2003, a two-year authorization that was twice extended, most recently through August 1, 2007.

The ARRL states in its Objection that "since the issuance of the first experimental authorization, rules have been enacted for the regular Part 15 operation of BPL systems and there is nothing that has been filed by Ambient which could justify the continuation of experimental operation of this system rather than operation pursuant to the Commission's rules governing virtually all other BPL systems."

The ARRL filed complaints against Ambient and its BPL operation in Briarcliff Manor on October 12, 2004; December 17, 2004; January 7, 2005; March 17, 2005; January 6, 2006; March 29, 2006 and May 31, 2007. The Objection said that each complaint reported "ongoing, harmful interference caused by the unlawful operation of Ambient's BPL project at Briarcliff Manor in violation of the terms of the experimental authorization." These complaints, supported both by documentation by amateurs as well as tests made by ARRL staff, concluded that "this facility was, and now still is, causing harmful interference to Amateur Radio stations. As such, it is in violation of the terms of the experimental authorization."

ARRL Files Objection to Ambient's BPL Experimental Authorization Renewal Request

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

Seek Truth and Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
— Rec... [ Read More (0.3k in body) ]

Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics