Please read this post to get the background on The Project

See The Project for Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10

Here’s what we ready today with the running total: (R = repeat)

Nothing! Not one book. We were gone from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. But we did watch Breaking the Curse, a documentary on the work of Rising Star Outreach with leprosy affected children and adults in Tamil Nadu, India. Parker (5) was really interested in it.

so i came across this video when researching some motivational material and i thought it was an interesting concept…and it really makes sense – give selflessly and you never know what you’ll get back.  cami, the founder of www.29gifts.com, started the concept of giving 29 gifts in 29 days.  check out her inspirational story through that link

Finally a wedding show that is uplifting and inspirational.  ”Wedding Day” is about engaged couples who don’t have the funds to have the wedding day they desire but because of their unselfish service to others have earned the opportunity to have the wedding of their dreams!

See ”Wedding Day” , Thursday nights on TNT.  Don’t miss this show, it’s a keeper!

Want to see more on the video’s featured couple ?  Look Below.

Can’t go negative every day. Sometimes, even my mood isn’t dark enough to support another acerbic screed (even though I know you love them!). My horoscope at Yahoo puts it this way: “Your good vibes just keep going, making your world a peaceful and pleasant one.” Can’t fight the feeling.

Yes We Do!

This is spray painted onto a garage door on Mulberry Street, one block north of the Civil Rights Museum. I usually pass it when I’m out on the bike. So, even though tagging somebody else’s property is wrong, the sentiment is a good one. Cats actually give me a rash (I’m allergic), but who doesn’t love a kitty? Cute little balls of fluff with those little kitten eyes just looking at you… Awww.

And yes, by the way, Jackie Smith continues her vigil across from the museum. I’ve biked past at 7 in the morning and seen her… It was 7 Sunday night and she was there, talking to people about her reasons for continuing her protest. Endurance, your name is Jacqueline.

"Good News" Daryn

Anyway, I saw something on Facebook that made sure I’d be in a good mood all day. Daryn Kagan, formerly an anchor at CNN wrote “Really? Folks don’t like heat? I love it. Summer feels like one big hug.” Okay, at least one of her friends commented “a giant suffocating hug,” but it is certainly a nice sentiment.

Didn’t work with Daryn very often at CNN, but she’s making the most of her post-television time. Go to her website for inspiring and heartwarming good news stories. If you listen to Oprah Radio on XM or Sirius, her stories wrap around the news headlines.

Interestingly, while most of the anchors I worked around at CNN had outsize personalities (maybe it helps if you’re on TV), Daryn always seemed quiet and unassuming, but good at her job. I’m not sure why she’s not on TV right now.

Changing Times, changing places

Several friends of mine, two couples actually, are giving up downtown. Living here anyway. They still come out to that thing I do Monday evenings at that bar near where I live that I’m not going to be specific about because it gets on some people’s nerves that I reference it so much, so I’m trying not to mention it by name.

Kate with the spray paint!

Anyway, one couple has already moved to East Memphis, where they’re doing a lot of work around the new home to whip it into shape. Ryan’s birthday was Sunday and it looks like his lovely wife Kate wanted to make sure everyone knew. Hopefully, he was able to take a break from working around the house to celebrate a little. It looks each of his several hundred Facebook friends sent him birthday wishes.

The other couple hopes to close on their new East Memphis home very soon. They’re good people, and I don’t say that just because we share ties to Central Ohio and the Ohio State University… but that certainly doesn’t hurt.

In fact, Mike and Sarah have seen their last name, “Cordonnier,” become a verb at that thing I do Monday’s at that place downtown that I’m trying not to mention because it cheeses some people off when I talk about it because they think its always about them, but it’s really not, so get over yourself. When another team employs the successful strategy of convincing you that they’ve answered a question one way when they actually answered it another way, you’ve been “cordonniered!” It comes with the exclamation point and there’s a hand and arm gesture that goes with the statement. It’s one of those things you’ve really got to see in person.

Oops!

Even though it seems that I’m seeing more “For Sale” signs and hearing about people leaving the area, I still saw lots of people downtown for the monthly art trolley tour on Friday and saw more the next morning at the Memphis Farmers’ Market at Central Station. It almost makes me okay with the fact that places like the Horizon are going to sit empty for a while. I was going to be a little annoyed with myself because I think I dropped my insurance card when I got my phone out to snap this shot of the unfinished condo on the river. But it’s the extra card for my old coverage, which ends Tuesday. And anyway, I was feeling that big ol’ hug from the evening heat, so c’est la vie!

Daryn Kagan of CNN fame is seeking personal stories for her popular website at www.darynkagan.com.

Go to the area that is called “Tell Me Your Story” and share your experience of self-publishing your book. Or, share the experience that lead to writing the book in the first place. You will be able to write a brief description of your story. If you have photos of book signing events, any book videos or audio clips of interviews you have done, be sure to check the appropriate boxes on the right-hand side. This a great cathartic exercise and gets your book “out there.”

Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com

The world around us is filled with inspiration if we but open ourselves to seeing it.  Daryn Kagan proves that for us every day with her web newscast of daily “showing the world what’s possible” through such stories.  I am a huge fan of her work and love passing along samples of that daily inspiration to help lift both your world as well as my own.

Today she shares the story of a wheelchair bound man, Matt Sanford, who makes his life mission to help physically challenged patients like himself to live life to its fullest through teaching them Yoga.  In this video clip you will see how someone who certainly has the excuse to give up has gone so far beyond in sharing his gifts with others, not allowing his limitation (nor theirs) to define life for them.

Enjoy this clip and then bookmark http://DarynKagan.com so you too can come back and get that daily dose of “what’s possible” in your own life, today, and everyday.

Matt Sanford is using his gifts and his diability to teach others

PS: I’m still waiting for my shipment of that book, One Month to Live, now expected to arrive this Thursday, so stay tuned for sharing in that reading in the posts to come.  I hope you will join me in that “adventure” of living life to its fullest.

I interrupt my search for Bridget Regan videos to give you this one particular video from the always lovely Daryn Kagan.

Today, we learned that we’ve been in a recession since last year. It comes as no surprise. We’ve all felt it. No one has been immune. And whether you’ve lost your job or know someone who has (true in both cases for me over the last few years), you know what it feels like. Daryn shares her thoughts on when she lost her job at CNN and how she got the inspiration to start her website.

Now, you may not want to start up a website, but you may have an idea to start your own venture and you may need that kick to do it. Daryn has some ideas on how you might start.

I’m always happy to embed Daryn’s videos here (I just do this on my own, she doesn’t have to ask) and I also encourage you to visit her site.

I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blog later tonight.

I’ll do some links as I watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

Bruce Allen of the Boston Sports Media Watch conducts an interview with Albert Breer of the Sporting News, formerly a reporter in both Boston and Dallas and Bruce asks him about which team gets covered more, the Red Sox or the Cowboys.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks back at one of his sports business predictions for this year.

The Sports Media Watch has the final weekend ratings.

The great Maury Brown in the Biz of Baseball blog says Time Magazine is citing MLB’s Instant Replay system as one of top inventions of the year.

And in Maury’s Biz of Football site, he looks into the NFL’s plans to air next Thursday night’s Oakland-San Diego game in 3D.

Newsday’s Neil Best tells ESPN to allow Stuart Scott to conduct the postgame Monday Night Football interviews by himself and not have Steve Young or Emmit Smith chime in.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press opines that the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit is a tradition not just for football fans, but the NFL TV partners.

In a related note, Carlos Monarrez of the Free Press says the Lions made the deadline for a sellout and the Thanksgiving Day game against Tennessee will be shown locally.

The Canadian Press reports that NBC still has some unsold spots for Super Bowl XLIII.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the NFL quietly expanded the coverage area for NFL Network games.

Larry Barrett of Multichannel writes that the Big Ten Network has made some personnel changes.

The Washington Post’s Leonard Shapiro feels ESPN’s deal with the Bowl Championship Series might end up hurting college football in the long run.

Ira Teinowitz of TV Week writes that the National Association of Broadcasters is speaking out to Congress about the ESPN/BCS deal.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable reports that the NAB is vowing to keep sports on broadcast TV.

Paul J. Gough of the Hollywood Reporter says CBS will televise the finals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament starting in 2010. That is definitely a good move.

Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News says the A-10 Tournament will move to a Sunday final to accommodate CBS and may also move out of Atlantic City after this season.

John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader writes that with the University of Kentucky sports teams in action all over the country, the school’s broadcasting teams are going to be stretched to the limit.

The Canadian Press talks with CBS Golf analyst David Feherty about his recent trip to visit US troops in Iraq.

Meri-Jo Borzillieri of Examiner.com writes that Universal Sports will air and webcast the entire World Cup skiing and sliding seasons.

Ron Judd of the Seattle Times has the upcoming Universal Sports broadcast schedule for skiing.

David King of the San Antonio Express-News says you can find live online sports if you know where to look.

David Martin of the Kansas City Pitch says middle-aged sports commentators are losing their platforms. This includes a Fang’s Bites fav, Jeffrey Flanagan, formerly of the Kansas City Star.

Busted Coverage discovers partying pictures of FSN Pittsburgh’s Meg Bulger, sister of St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger.

The wife of Boston Celtics TV analyst Tommy Heinsohn passed away on Monday. Helen Heinsohn was not only beloved by Tommy, but by many Celtics fans.

From the lovely Daryn Kagan comes this story about a group of seniors who decided to get up and walk after they were inspired by a woman training for the Boston Marathon.

Doing paperwork is not fun and I have to get out of the office before 3 p.m. as Foxboro will get crowded with tailgaters for tonight’s Jets-Patriots game.

I’ll give you some links today.

Le Anne Schreiber, ESPN’s Ombudsman has a new article out this month and she focuses on Lou Holtz’s Hitler comments during a live show in October.

Newsday’s Neil Best has comments from NBC’s Tiki Barber about his friend, Titans QB Kerry Collins. And Neil has Tiki not surprised about his former team’s success. Neil speculates that November 30’s Broncos-Jets game could get flexed into primetime. And Neil tells us that Barclays is still committed to the new home for the Nets. Neil has comments from ESPN’s Bob Knight. And Neil asks for your memories of the infamous 1968 “Heidi” Game that got cut off by NBC. Monday is the 40th anniversary. Holy cow.

USA Today’s Bob Kimball says ESPN Radio’s Mike Greenberg will watch his Jets tonight at on-air partner’s Mike Golic’s house.

Peter Schrager from the pretentious men’s magazine, Esquire, says there’s one person who’s not mad that you can’t get the NFL Network.

Jon Friedman of Marketwatch.com says it’s not fair the NFL has shrunk the Patriots home market for tonight’s game.

Mark LaFlamme of the Lewiston (ME) Sun-Journal writes that Maine fans are scrambling to find ways to watch tonight’s Jets-Patriots game.

The Dallas Morning News’ Barry Horn talks about Inside the NFL’s Warren Sapp calling Keyshawn Johnson a “bitch”. And Barry feels Sunday’s NFL schedule is an embarrassment of riches for the Metroplex.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer talks with ESPN’s Ron Jaworski about members of the Browns quitting against Denver.

David Goetzl of Mediapost says ESPN’s ratings for Monday Night Football and college football went up when out of home numbers were factored in.

Brian Gainor, guest blogging for CNBC’s Darren Rovell, says 3D TV will be the next step for sports on TV. And Brian who’s doing a great job subbing for Darren, writes that the St. Louis Blues are giving their fans a chance to get a Blizzard.

Bill Virgin of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says legendary news/talk station KIRO-AM is about to switch to all-sports.

Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times says an announcement is expected today about the switch.

Jim Williams of the DC/Baltimore Examiner says those hoping for the demise of Baltimore sports radio host Anita Marks had better think again.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times writes that a BCS-to-ESPN move might make it easier for a college football playoff down the line. And Tim says the MLB Network learned from the mistakes of the NFL Network and will have the widest launch of a new cable/satellite channel in history.

Tim’s colleague at the Times, Patrick Stevens says a reality show on Maryland men’s basketball finally has a name.

Mike Lucas of the Capital (WI) Times tells us that Big Ten Network host Dave Revsine was influenced by his father’s communication skills.

Steve Warden of the Fort Wayne (IN) Gazette says the small college NAIA has signed a TV deal with CBS College Sports to broadcast and stream the men’s and women’s basketball championship games.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin talks about ESPN’s massive 23 hour college basketball marathon on Tuesday.

Dan Angell of the Columbian Missourian reports that the University of Missouri has received $3.9 million from TV for broadcasting the school’s football games this season.

Steve Lepore at Puck the Media says Tuesday’s Pittsburgh-Detroit contest was the highest rated NHL regular season game ever for Versus.

John Schuster in the Tucson Weekly says Friday night for local sportscasters and sports writers is very busy as high school football games get major coverage.

Lisa Coffey in The Ledger (FL) writes that Olympic gold medal winning swimmer and NBC analyst Rowdy Gaines returned home to Winter Haven this week.

I want to congratulate Daryn Kagan on the 2nd anniversary of her website.

That’s going to do it. I’ve got to get ready to get out of here before traffic takes over Route 1.

!!!

What an amazing night.  Spider spoke about his life and his rise from gang activity and jail cells to becoming a three time Golden Glove Champion, an award winning author and most importantly, a radio broadcaster, a dream he had hopes of achieving since he was 11 years old but never thought he could accomplish.  His message of “It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what counts is where you’re going” is truly inspirational.

Spider’s first book “Out Of the Darkness” is currently in pre-production talks to be an upcoming motion picture with Cuba Gooding Jr. and his new book ”KO Low Self-Esteem” is set to be released in early 2009.

Check out Spider Jones Believe To Achieve website.  This is his foundation that helps to carry his “Stay In School” message along with providing support and social activities that increase teens self-confidence and self worth.

The next event featuring Barbara Ashcroft on Nov. 19th is gearing up to be just as great.  There are some fabulous door prizes lined up, including one of Barbara’s custom made “Joy is the Feeling of Grinning on the Inside” candle holders, shown in the slide show.  Visit Barb’s website called Journey To Joy. (What a great name!) There are many articles she has written that you can download for free. 

And while you’re web hopping don’t miss Tsufits (pronouced suefeet) Step Into the Spotlight  website.  You can get her best selling book there.  This book is a must read for everybody.  It’s funny and insightful and she dishes the dirt (with delight!) on great insider stories about advertising campaigns that turned out disastrous.  – She’s an amazing story teller.  Even if you’re not an entrepreneur or a budding star you need the tips in this book just so you don’t undersell yourself to your next employer or this weekends date.

“Destiny,” said William Jennings Bryan, “is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved.”

Life is a funny thing. You never know when it is going to take a wrong turn that winds up being just right. As this story from DarynKagan.com illustrates, that change might land right on top of you.

View Lavender Enlightens at DarynKagan.com.

Be watching for the part of this story where the grabbing her destiny. Remember, it’s never too late to grab your destiny.

Stay inspired!
Ray

I put this story in the Friday megalinks, but I felt it could really stand alone.

From the lovely Daryn Kagan, this is about D.J. Gregory, who’s been walking at every PGA Tour event this season. But it’s more than just a person who’s following some of the best golfers in the world. It’s a story of inspiration for D.J. has cerebral palsy and it takes more steps for him to walk the golf course.

As Daryn mentioned, D.J. has been chronicling his footsteps at his blog at PGATour.com. And I thank Daryn for bringing this story to light.

I used to cringe at the thought of blogging and I rarely read blogs based on the erroneous idea that bloggers are looking for an audience to relay their personal narrative, rather than sharing valuable information.   I am a consultant by training and I don’t have the time or desire to read dull anecdotes or irrelevant rants.  I want to learn, grow and be entertained.  That said, the aim of this my own blog is to relay information, observations, and thoughts.   My focus is clearly on sustainability, but not all my posts will be about green.  For example, this one, which I hope you find valuable nonetheless.

Yesterday I attended an all day extravaganza celebrating women entrepreneurs.  In blogging about this, I want to share the key take-aways I learned from each of the inspirational and accomplished speakers as well as share some of my overall thoughts coming out of the event.  I attended the the San Francisco live event with Green Zebra, who donated books for the gift bags.  Ladies who Launch is a “multiplatform lifestyle company” that defines itself as “THE source for women who want to live their dreams and love their lives.”

I had two overall impressions coming out of the event:

1. Women can do incredible things BUT most companies on my radar are founded and run by men: The goal of the event was to empower women to take control and run their own businesses and lives, but I couldn’t help but notice that men really dominate major companies. The women in attendance tended to be small business owners and entrepreneurs, and even the successful speakers were running smaller companies. Ebay and VMware are the few examples of large women-run companies that come quickly to mind.  I think part of this also has to do with lifestyle.  According to LWL, women are launching their own businesses twice as often as men, mainly for greater freedom and control to shape their own lives.  I don’t imagine there’s too much of that in the CEO role of a Fortune 500 company. 
2. Ladies who Launch doesn’t strike me as particularly green: My two cents about the environmental impact of this event is that the hosts were not thinking about the environment. Lunch was organic, which was nice, but in this setting it came off as more of a choice of healthy food. Especially since each and every lunch was individually packaged in supposedly compostable packaging and outright plastic cutlery. My top issue was the lack of recycle and compost bins for our plastic bottles and compostable lunch packaging. Compostable ware does no good in the landfill as far as I know (correct me if I’m wrong here as I’d love to be wrong on this one). My second concern was the many water bottles available. And thirdly was the preponderance of free stuff.  The first 350 to arrive received a gift bag loaded with a few decent gifts – which included the Green Zebra guide, the canvas gift bag itself, and a free pair of tiger print panties – as well as a bunch of paper offers and plastic gadgets I would not have chosen to own and may end up in the landfill including $75 off your first botox treatment.  Sweet!
   

The bulk of the event was interviews with successful women entrepreneurs.  The very first featured speaker cancelled and was replaced by a man, who was possibly making more money than any of the following presenters.  Here is what I learned from each:

Zach Nelson, CEO and President of NetSuite, 2nd fastest growing company in Silicon Valley

Its easier to run a billion dollar company than a small business for two reasons:

1. In a large company a mistake teaches you something and can even get you promoted, in a small company the same mistake can cause the company to fold.
2. Larger enterprises have many more staff, so leaders are less bogged down with doing everything that needs to be done.

Ann Crady, SVP Consumer Experience, Babycenter and previously founder of Maya’s Mom, which got bought by Babycenter 18 months after its inception

1. Don’t keep your idea to yourself – talk about it and get feedback from trusted friends.  An idea is nothing until it has been vetted and executed upon.
   
2. f you can, put your own money into your company.  This will speak volumes to investors and prove that you believe in your idea and are willing to invest it in yourself.
3. When trying to get funding, you need a presentation that proves the following points: Your product addresses a large market, Customers need it, The product is unique, and You are in the best position to make it successful.

Daryn Kagan, founder darynkagan.com and former CNN news anchor; Daryn was fired after 12 years on CNN working her dream job and was a reluctant entrepreneur but has never been happier now that she started her own media company focusing on the inspirational news stories she most enjoyed covering

1. Starting your own company means you get to pick yourself.
2. Build a profitable media company by creating good content and then using tools on your website like Google ads, Amazon Associates, Cafepress.com and Voxant.

Arcadia Maximo, founder Maximo Construction, “the only solely woman owned and operated General Contractor in San Francisco”

1. Maintain 100% ownership of your company so you call all the shots.
2. Grow slowly and thoughtfully; rapid growth can spiral out of control.

Kathy Preston, best-selling author

1. Don’t stop trying.
2. Listen to yourself.
   

This really inspired me so I thought I’d share. The story comes from www.darynkagan.com.

The story is about Cami Walker – a young woman who had everything going for her until she was suddenly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She managed to convert her own struggle into something good in the world.

Watch the video it will really make your day. Click the image to watch it.

If you’d like to take part in Cami’s project, go to 29 Gifts dot org.

Stay inspired!

Ray

After a few glitches involving my computer, I think I’m ready to bring you some links this morning.

Starting off with Neil Best of Newsday, he writes a column about father and son broadcasters, Joe Castiglione, voice of the Red Sox, and his son, Duke Castiglione who works for Fox 5 in New York. And tell Neil that you totally enjoyed this column. In his blog, Neil has reader e-mails denouncing the Personal Seat License plan in the new Giants/Jets stadium.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says the Giants and Jets are shaking down fans with the Personal Seat Licences for the new stadium.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman has Fox Sports’ Terry Bradshaw backing down from his retirement talk from earlier this year.

Looking lovely as always, Daryn Kagan has the inspirational story of a blind mountain climber who uses adversity as a metaphor to succeed in life.

Albert Breer and Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News team up on a fascincating story on former Cowboys wide receiver and CBS NFL analsyt Frank Clarke who disappeared from the spotlight to become a nanny.

In his Olympics notebook, David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says ratings for the Diving and Gymnastics trials did well locally (scroll down).

Mulichannel News reports on two long-time ESPN employees moving up the corporate ladder.

Dick Scanlon of the Lakeland (FL) Ledger writes that the NFL is facing reality with the NFL Network.

Josh Kendall of the Macon (GA) Telegraph says the Southeastern Conference is in a position of strength as it approaches a new round of TV negotiations.

Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun talks about the second season of a University of Maryland football reality series that is believed to be the first of its kind.

Michael Learmonth of the Silicon Valley Insider site has several ways you can watch the Euro 2008 final today in case you’re not in front of a TV.

Dave Weekley of the Charlestown (WV) Gazette-Mail writes that Hulu.com offers plenty of sports gems.

Bob Buttitta of the Ventura County Star writes that the Johnny Miller apology over comments he made at the U.S. Open over Rocco Mediate shows that the nation has become oversensitive.

John Pye of the Associated Press writes that the Tennis Channel’s Justin Gimelstob has apologized for disparaging comments made about Anna Kournikova.

Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse blog watched George Carlin on the very first Saturday Night Live program and noted the first joke he made was about sports.

Mike Tankersley of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser writes about FSN’s new series on Baseball’s Golden Age.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) goes behind-the-scenes of a FSN Detroit telecast of the Tigers.

Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times says Chicago is getting attention from ESPN usually reserved for Boston or New York.

Mike DiMauro of the Bleacher Report wishes TSN would get its act in gear and syndicate its CFL games to the United States.

Dave Donofrio of the Concord (NH) Monitor says the NASCAR TV package allows the sport to market itself overseas.

Ted Cox of the Chicago Daily Herald says give credit to ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike for beating WSCR’s Mike North in the ratings fair and square.

The AfterEllen site wonders if Maria Sharapova and 10,000 B.C. star Camilla Belle are more than BFF.

That’s going to do it. I’ll have the Week Ahead posted sometime this evening.

Time to give you some links on this Saturday. Linkage doesn’t rest for the weekend.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News writes that golf’s ratings will suffer without Tiger Woods, but they won’t fall off the earth.

But Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette feels viewers won’t be drawn to their TV sets without Tiger playing in the British Open, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup this year.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that KMOV-TV is downsizing its sports department.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News continues the golf bashing bandwagon.

Jerry Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News tells readers what a potential ESPN-NFL Network joint venture could mean for Dallas Cowboys fans.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in his blog about the ESPN-NFL Network talks. And Hoffarth goes into the Johnny Miller apology regarding statements made about Rocco Mediate during NBC’s U.S. Open coverage.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that ESPN took a gamble on having its announcers for Euro 2008 in Bristol, CT instead of flying them to Austria and Switzerland.

The Sports Media Watch has its usual weekend ratings predictions.

Ben Grossman of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN2 wants to build a regular late night programming lineup. John Eggerton of B&C writes that Comcast feels no matter what, the NFL Network belongs on a sports tier.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Pat Summerall is recovering from emergency surgery this week. Apparently this is more serious than originally reported last night.

Candus Thomson of the Baltimore says the “X” factor could help the Olympics in popularity and ratings.

Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian explains in his excellent Playbooks & Profits blog what the Big Ten Network-Comcast deal could mean for the Portland Trail Blazers.

And the always lovely Daryn Kagan profiles former New York Giants defensive lineman George Martin who’s finishing his walk across America to raise money for the 9/11 first responders.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back on Sunday.

On this Wednesday, Southern New England is much cooler and less humid than the last few days so I’m not sweating as much.

Going over the linkage for you, let’s start with Michael Hiestand of USA Today. He writes that Jim McKay did not regret leaving TV.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times has highlights from yesterday’s funeral service for McKay.

Mike Klingaman of the Baltimore Sun says those who attended the funeral was a who’s who from the broadcasting industry.

Dave Carey of the Baltimore Examiner says the memories of Jim McKay will live on.

Ben Nuckols from the Associated Press writes that Jim McKay was remembered as a family man and a great broadcaster.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wonders if a Jim McKay would be successful in today’s broadcasting world.

Tim Cronin of the Southtown (IL) Star says McKay will be missed.

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post writes that Jim Nantz is proof that nice guys can finish first.

Daryn Kagan, formerly of CNN, profiles Jim Nantz on her website.

The Sox & Dawgs blog has a clip of the extremely silly Sox Appeal reality show that neither Don Orsillo or Jerry Remy seemed to understand. I just don’t understand Sox Appeal period.

A few things from last night’s NBA Finals Game 3 on ABC. First, Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun notes that ESPN aired an expletive live from Kobe Bryant’s postgame press conference.

One of the silliest things ABC showed last night was the robot “Wall-E” as it tried to tie in the new Disney movie with the NBA Finals. Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a separated at birth feature.

And courtesy of Newsday’s Neil Best, the Big Lead has NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy mixing up his Hollywood celebrities during last night’s game.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette writes in his blog that he’s back at work after being sick over the weekend.

Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune tells us that Bill Walton will be back behind the mic for the NBA Finals after a bad back left him motionless since February.

Steve Serby of the New York Post talks with CBS’ Phil Simms who feels Michael Strahan would be a natural for TV.

Jon Friedman of Marketwatch.com is worried that Rick Reilly may lose his charm working for ESPN.

John Scheibe from the Los Angeles Times talks about the U.S. Open TV coverage.

David Teel of the Newport News (VA) Daily Press says Curtis Strange will be back in the broadcast booth for both ESPN and NBC during the U.S. Open.

William Houston from the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that NBC will focus on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson this week.

Steve McClellan of Adweek states that the US Golf Association is launching a new ad campaign aimed at softening the game’s image.

Molly Willow of the Columbus Dispatch reviews tonight’s HBO documentary on the 1960 U.S. Open.

Gina Keating of Reuters says ESPN President George Bodenheimer is enthusiastic on the network’s ad growth over the next few years.

Mike Donaghue of the Burlington (VT) Free Press reports that former Vermont basketball coach Tom Brennan is ending his morning drive radio show. Brennan will remain with ESPN as a studio analyst.

Jay Jenkins of the Charlottesville (VA) Daily Progress writes that the University of Virginia is still looking for a radio play-by-play voice for its football program.

Alex Woodson of the Hollywood Reporter says FSN is going to pick up the Rock Paper Scissors Championship marking the third media outlet to carry the program in as many years. James Hibberd of the Reporter reports that the NBA and NHL Finals are doing well for their respective networks.

That’s it for now.

Daryn Kagan is a former CNN anchor, author, and founder of DarynKagan.com. From the Web site:

“Daryn Kagan is the creator and host of DarynKagan.com, an inspirational online community that features a daily Web cast of stories that, “Show the World What is Possible.” DarynKagan.com has become a daily destination for thousands of Internet users who seek news stories that inspire.  Launched in November 2006, the Atlanta Journal Constitution described DarynKagan.com as “a lively gathering spot,” while the Boston Globe noted DarynKagan.com is “bucking the media tide,” with its “emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit.” 

You can read more about Daryn here.

 Daryn is a former CNN anchor. She worked there for twelve years before she was told that her contract wouldn’t get renewed. At first she was sad, but inside she knew she was done. She talked about how we all do daily news casts in our heads. You collect stories in your head and she realized that inspiration comes in pieces.

While it was upsetting, she knew that something was coming. She looked at the possibility of launching a site about positive news (awesome). She was inspired by another reporter who focused on war zones. And she thought “why not positive stuff?”

Incidentally, she featured Allison Clarke as one of her first features on her site. She does love bucket stories… all great love stories. She does daily videos, email blasts, and focuses on uplifting stories. Daryn reinvented herself from what the world knew her as. She talks about what happens when the thing that you do and how you define yourself goes away? She says it’s an opportunity to reinvent yourself as something bigger and better.

Daryn doesn’t miss the news world. She loves that she did it, but she loves what she’s doing even more. The most surprising thing for Daryn has been finding out that you can’t do everything yourself. That’s what she wanted to do in the beginning, but her younger sister convinced her otherwise.

Daryn actually pitched her positive site idea to Yahoo! And they passed. So she did it herself. Her sister encouraged her to start her own site, rebrand herself and grow from there. Daryn had no desire to own her own business. Daryn says she has thing about getting picked. By doing her own thing, she was able to “pick herself.”

You can tell she loves her life and she loves what she does. Again, the excitement in the air is infectious. Daryn goes on to discuss that when you give your all and when you stay positive, what you need shows up in front of you.

Daryn’s first big step was to register her own domain. She picked her name. When she went to purchase it, the name was taken. She had been cyber squatted. She was told to prepare lots of money. She sent the current owner a nice email. He called her the next day and they chatted. He told her she could have it without any issues and it all went smoothly.

Daryn’s book, What’s Possible, is all about people who overcome amazing obstacles and do amazing things. She features two Launching Ladies in her book. She has done a lot in 18 months: a new site, her new book, and two documentaries.

Daryn has a great business strategy. She doesn’t have a Web site – she has a media company. She owns her own stories on the site, corporate speaking engagements, and advertisements all work to her revenue model. She talks about how individuals are getting the power that newspapers and traditional media has.

Awesome lady. Awesome site. Check it out.

On my recent trip to the summit in Thailand I spoke to David Katz, Director of Social Responsibility at VIACOM. He spoke about the desire to report more good news as so much news can be negative. An interesting conversation ensued between him and Chris Cramer, ex president of CNN.

It made me really think about the positives that can rise their heads when so much seems negative. I previously wrote about a blog I susbcribe to which reports nothing but good news. I even write a blog to encourage positive conversations about Africa and Africans in the Diaspora.

Recently while listening to a podcast from Curt Rosengren, I came across a site from Daryn Kagan a former CNN anchor. Here blog is quite inspirational as she has sought many people for some great stories in a book she has written called, What’s Possible.

In a world of so much negativity, it’s nice to find a kindred spirit whose career path is their to inspire. To provide a touchstone for career excellence for others. Daryn I salute you!