Phillipe and Jorge know that the many friends, business partners, and acquaintances of Dan Doyle are appalled at the facts now emerging about the horrific financial scandal surrounding his Institute for International Sport.
Phillipe actually did some consulting for Doyle back in the day (no, not bookkeeping or accounting). And the story of how he landed it is interesting stuff.
P. had just arrived to do some work in Sri Lanka, the small island nation off the coast of India that was once part of the British Raj (favorite joke among his native colleagues: "Why did the sun never set on the British Empire? Because God didn't trust Queen Victoria in the dark."), and was taking a walkabout in the city of Colombo. Popping into a hotel bar next to Galle Face Green in search of relief from the tropical heat, he entered the lobby to see a huge banner draped across a wall shouting, "University of Rhode Island World Scholar-Athlete Games: Student Applications Available Here."
Needless to say, not what one was expecting. Quite impressed by the global reach of a small URI initiative, P. took some photos and upon return sent them to Doyle, with whom he shared some mutual friends. This led to some minimal p.r. work for the World Scholar-Athlete Games, a fairly amazing undertaking with international standing in the sports world.
That is why it is so disturbing, for P., to learn about the chicanery that appears to have been standard operating procedure behind the scenes. Dan Doyle fooled more and higher ranking people than Phillipe, as it turns out, and the price paid will be considerable — and not just in dollars and cents. Sad. Very sad. But where the calling succeeded, the conscience obviously failed.
BELOJO BUCKLES
As the Phoenix reports this week (see "This Just In"), the Urinal decided to skip this week's "Doonesbury," instead plugging in reruns of past strips. (Thought those looked familiar, didn't you? Déjà vu all over again.)
Why? Because this week's strips dare to satirize the debate over abortion and contraception — a debate which most sentient beings thought was over about 40 years ago.
BeloJo poobahs doubtless thought the topic was too touchy for what they obviously view as their idiot readers. P&J have also heard that the news staff was far from consulted, never mind officially informed, of the decision by the powers-that-be.
Big-time kudos and congrats to the Newport Daily News for not being cowed by the radical religious right, and running the original strips as produced by cartoonist Garry Trudeau.
It seems odd to have to play up the fact that a prominent daily simply went ahead and did the right thing for itself and its readers, but when you have Neanderthal nancies calling the shots for The Other Paper, we think anyone with guts deserves the glory.
Good on ya, Ms. M.
ONCE THEY WERE GIANTSR.I.P. Alex Webster, premier New York Giants running back in the pre-Patriots heyday when the Jints ruled New England.
As a lifetime fan of Giants archenemy, the Philadelphia Eagles (a bromance currently on hiatus while Michael Vick wears the jersey), P. will attest to the fact that Philly fans had more fear and respect for Webster than his golden boy backfield partner, Frank Gifford.
