JDBPC Christmas Party

Thanks to Jim and Margie for the JDBPC Christmas party, Friday, December 15, 2006 at the Friendship Village Health Care Center.

The guests at the party included clients, family, friends and employees. The group was fun and in good Christmas spirit.

Margie and Jim mean so much to me. They have been my friends through the good times and every difficulty and obstacle. I love them both very much.

SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS

Yul is the Sole Survivor of SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS, but it was a tough fight between Ozzie and him. I believe the reason Yul won was he found the hidden Immunity Idol early in the game and used it to win him the million dollars. Although he won the game fair and square, Ozzie played a winning game too. He displayed more abilities of actual survival than Yul. Yul played a strategic game which is a product of screen play for television.

The series was boring for the most part, but the last few episodes and the competition of the leading characters, Yul and Ozzie, made it one of the best Survivor series.

Response to "A message gone bad"

In your article, “A message gone bad,” you call yourselves multimedia experts. To the pretentious multimedia experts at The Arizona Republic: If I believed for a moment that you know what the “sender” really grasps, I would not be writing this opinion. The issue with Officer Schofield and the litter-bugs goes beyond that one dimension. Yes, the society in the continental United States may agree with you, but the society in Hawaii and other parts of the world would laugh at the incident. To them, this story would be much-to-do-about-nothing.

In Hawaii, the melting-pod of many races, one race (senders) jests with another race (recipients) about its idiosyncrasies. The “sender” in this story had no harmful intentions, and I am sure that he is very apologetic. (Hasn’t The Arizona Republic been apologetic over the years?) Some of the recipients’ race was incensed. The “recipients” need to lighten up. As Rodney King once asked, “Why can’t we all just get along?” It takes both sides to get along. The race of the “recipients” has been more vocal about the idiosyncrasies of the “sender”. But that’s not important. We take it in stride—so should the recipients.

Officer Schofield, making a point on his show, was and is entertaining. I have watched him for several years and enjoy his programs, which are beneficial to the Tempe police force.

The Medicine Tree

The Medicine Tree is a non-profit organization serving to advance the standard and quality of medical care for those infected with HIV and Chronic Hepatitis through the art and science of naturopathic medical treatment, education, and research.

The organization is committed to providing clients with compassionate care, comprehensive natural therapeutics and empowering education, at no charge and without discrimination.

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Santa Letters

Thank you Margie Beaton

Margie and Jim Beaton have been my friends since early 1960s. I was the best man in their wedding on February 2, 1963. We have been best friends since then.

This weekend Jim traveled to Nashville for a weekend CPE seminar. Margie and I attended the ASU Sun Devils homecoming game vs. Stanford Cardinal. ASU lost its previous three games to California, Oregon and USC but beat Stanford today 38-3. The 80-degree weather made this day beautiful.

I enjoyed the visit with Margie. We rode the bus to and from the stadium. We talked about many things, including Jim's work, the Sweet Adelines, her trip to Colorado and Las Vegas for the Sweet Adelines International Competition and my trip to Canada. I enjoy talking with Margie. She is sweet and practical.

A note of thanks to Luis Gonzalez

Gonzo is a hero and philanthropolist. Read what the chairman and CEO of Northern Trust Bank wrote.

A note of thanks to Luis Gonzalez

Oct. 21, 2006 12:00 AM

Seven hundred homeless children became his friend on a December afternoon in 2001. As he always does, he looked softly at each of them, right in their eyes, and his heart opened up. If only for that one moment, every one of these kids felt as if they were the most special person on Earth.

He helped raise more than $1 million for Arizona Quest for Kids, a mentoring and scholarship program for underprivileged children. Dinners, luncheons, auctions; beach ball promotions with a local pool company; proceeds donated from his radio show. He never said no to any idea that helped this organization become one of the premier high school dropout-prevention programs in the state.

The last three years he has donated his suite at the ballpark to more than 100 local charities, most of which have an impact on children with challenges: Phoenix Children's Hospital, Child Crisis Center, Arizona Blind and Deaf Children, Save the Family, Whispering Hope Ranch, Epilepsy Foundation, to name just a few.

Baseballs, bats, gloves, catcher's equipment. Over 4,000 used items were collected and distributed to inner-city Little League programs in Phoenix. He was the inspiration behind the effort.

He trained for two months to run 13 miles in the 2005 PF Chang Half Marathon. More than 250 runners and walkers became part of "Team Gonzo" to raise money for more than 30 local organizations.

Hurricane Katrina devastated several Gulf Coast communities. Thousands found refuge in Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. He made a beeline to an electronics store and personally delivered an assortment of gifts to hundreds of kids.

I have had the pleasure knowing Luis Gonzalez and his family almost from the day they moved to Arizona. The aforementioned were just some of the situations in which we were involved, and just the tip of the iceberg.

Tens of thousands here in Arizona have had their lives brightened by one of the most genuine, extraordinary human beings to grace Arizona soil. He's a once-in-a lifetime guy.

Rather than mourn his departure in Arizona on and off the field we should celebrate having been beneficiaries of his good works for eight years. Thanks, Gonzo.

David Highmark, Paradise Valley


The writer is chairman and CEO of Northern Trust Bank; he founded Arizona Quest for Kids in 1999 and serves as chairman.

Hey, that was a good team out there!

This gentleman says it best about the game with the Cardinals and Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 15. Go Cardinals!

Oct. 21, 2006 12:00 AM

What's the matter with you people?

Sure, it was a heartbreaking defeat, but losing by that close of a score to a 5-0 team is one heck of a lot better than "we" have been doing in recent years. (I say "we" because I am by no means a sports fan. But I did watch the first and last quarters of the game just because of all of the hoopla. Other than that, ESPN is on only for billiards.)

What was proven was that we have a darn good team, and that it could hold its own against a top-rated team.

Don't knock them down this early. Just think of what they will do to teams not as strong as whoever those guys were that they played Monday night. - Vick Carsten,
Sun City

The Scottsdale Chorus

My friend, Margie Beaton, gave me an album, "Anything Can Happen," by the Scottsdale Chorus, the 2006 International Champions of Sweet Adelines. The album includes their winning package at the International Competition. The chorus competed against 34 choruses from all over the world.

I have been a fan of the Scottsdale Chorus for years. Margie, who sings in the chorus, and Jim have been friends of mine for over 40 years.

Thom Brennaman Leaving Diamondbacks

This is a sad day for me. First Joe Garagiola and now Thom Brennaman are leaving the Diamondback's broadcasting team. Joe Garagiola is a Hall of Famer and Thom Brennaman broadcasts nationally on Fox. Both make the broadcast of the floundering Diamondbacks interesting. Watching the games on TV won't be the same without Thom and Joe.

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Oregon Rips ASU

Oregon used a balanced attack and a relentless defense to crush ASU 48-13 Saturday. The hot weather along with the bad play of the Sun Devils vacated the stadium early. I really can't think of anything positive to say about ASU's play save the 100 yard runback on kickoff by Terry Richardson. I thought Koetter was strong on offense, but the offense did not score one touchdown while the defense allowed seven.

Goodbye Gonzo

While Gonzo may not be the best player the Arizona Diamondbacks ever had, he ranks in the top three and is my favorite. His personality and care for the community has endeared him to me and to “CRPlake Hall of Fame.” On the last day of the season, October 1, 2006, the Diamondbacks honored Gonzo, Counsell, Rick Dozer, past president, Joe Garagiola, past general manager and Jerry Conlangelo by presenting them with a replica of the 2001 World Series trophy. Hopefully, this event will heal the differences between the old and new regime.

Thanks to Diamondback Broadcasters

Kudos to Thom Brennaman, Mark Grace, Joe Garagiola, Greg Schulte, Matt Williams and the rest of the Diamondbacks broadcasting staff. Your broadcasting made this so-so season entertaining. Your candid and humorous remarks about the game and players made me return to my TV set to watch my floundering favorite team. As the perennial saying goes, “I can’t wait ‘til next year.”

University of Phoenix Stadium

It's a $154.5 million name. The University of Phoenix will pay the Arizona Cardinals $7.7 million per year for the next 10 years to have their name tacked to the Cardinals Stadium. The fans don't seem to like the name. I don't either, but I don't care for any of the names like Chase Field, AT&T Ballpark and all of the names that advertise businesses.

I believe the Bidwills are trying to make money. They say that they will use the funds to pay for better players. We have heard this story before. We'll see.

Chuck Sankey Home For Reunion

Dr. Charles (Chuck) Sankey flew back to Phoenix and Tempe for a high school reunion at Central High School. It was a pleasure to see him. Chuck and I ate breakfast at the U.S. Egg in Tempe. His son, David, joined us later.

Chuck and I served together on the Alameda Park Condominium Association board before he moved to Kansas. We reminisced about old times, and I updated him on current events at Alameda Park.

Chuck taught classes at ASU, the country's largest University.

Happy 89th Birthday Mommaw

Saturday was Mommaw's 89th birthday. Her birthday party was staged at Bill Johnson's Restaurant on Van Buren in Phoenix. At the party were Daniel, Janelle, Kailie, Rachel, Brian, Bob Jones, Bob Plake and Mommaw.

California vs. Arizona State

The Sun Devils were about as prepared to take the field Saturday as Koetter was prepared to name a quarterback at the beginning of the season. California's football team showed ASU there is more to a football team than offense. The California team was well-prepared. Their offense, defense and special teams showed Koetter how to play the game.

Kirk's Ranch

This weekend, my friend Kirk and I hiked his ranch looking for arrowheads, pottery chards and wildlife. Kirk found three arrowheads, but we were uable to find the pottery chards he had previously spotted. We saw plenty of wildlife, including a garter snake, hawks, ravens, elk, antelopes, one mountain lion, coyotes, jack rabbits, gophers and white cranes.

We took I-17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff, then I-40 to Williams and AZ-64 to the dirt road turnoff to the Four Hills Ranch subdivision at Howard Mesa. The turnoff is about 34 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Soon after leaving AZ-64, we pulled up to a stop sign to allow the Grand Canyon Railway train to pass. The train may be boarded in Williams, AZ. Alex and I rode the train on one occasion.

Kirk temporarily parked a small trailer on his ranch. He anticipates building a house on his property near where the trailer is parked. As you look west from the trailer, his property extends across the canyon to the west side where he has about one acre. More residents have their homes on the west side of the canyon, but Kirks says that it is too much like a city. He wants to move away from the city life.

Because of the monsoon season providing so much rain this summer, the canyon is plush green. The canyon is a tributary of the Colorado River that carves its way through the Grand Canyon.

The first business on Kirk's agenda was to visit Art's ranch house. Art is hired by one of the rancher's to watch the property by mending fences and protecting the cattle.

Home of Plake Tax Service

Visit Plake Tax Service. Refer your friends. Email me for questions.

The Knudsen Brothers

One of my favorite singing groups are The Knudsen Brothers. Their harmony blends like a chorus with a band, but it is all done vocally. They have a new Website called Six Real Brothers, which is six tenths of the siblings. There are ten boys in the one family.

Listen to SIX of SIX's best songs on the newpop-out SIX Jukebox! Click here to listen now!

Mike Boogie Wins Big Brother All-stars

Mike Boogie, a member of the Chill town alliance, won Big Brothers All-stars. Not only did he win the $500,000, but he also cleaned-up by winning a car, a trip to Aruba and a plasma TV. He won the laser game, naming all Big Brother winners in order. The better player, Janelle, was bumped in this game, but she won America's Vote, a $25,000 prize. She won nine games overall, which was a Big Brother record. The runner-up, Erica, reached the finals by riding the coattails of many front runners.

While Big Brother is fun to watch, I often tell myself and others around me that I will never watch the show again. I don't believe that the best player ever wins. The winners, like dictators, use deceit and dishonesty to get to the top. The better game player was Janelle. I am thankful she won the $25,000.

Gonzo, The Oldest Baseball Player to Hit 50 Doubles

Last night, my favorite Diamondback player, Luis Gonzales, hit his 50th double to set a mark for the oldest player to hit 50 doubles. Gonzo was 39 years, 9 days. Other older players to hit 50 or more doubles are: In 1926, Tris Speaker of Cleveland, 38 years, 176 days; in 1978, Pete Rose of Cincinnati, 37 years, 171 days; again in 1926, Baby Doll Jacobson of St. Louis (NL) and Boston (AL), 36 years, 44 days; and in 1910, Nap Lajoie of Cleveland, 36 years, 40 days.

Gonzo has carried the Diamondbacks offense for many years. The greatest hit of his life vaulted Gonzo into the limelight when he drove in the winning run in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 2001 World Series.

Great Rendition of The Star Spangled Banner

Tonight a group, called Valor, sang the National Anthem at the Diamondback's game. I love harmony and gospel music. These men are great gospel singers. Listen to their rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. Click the URL, http://www.valormusic.net/anthem.html.

Arizona Cardinals Open New Stadium With Win

Yesterday, the Arizona Cardinals began the regular season with a 34-27 win over the San Francisco Forty Niners in their new stadium. It looked as though they were going to score big. In the first quarter, they scored 21 point having scored only 27 points in all first quarters last year. But the forty niners made a game of it having a chance to win on the last two plays of the game.

I hope that I will be able to see a game in the new stadium, but the seats are sold out for the year.

This past weekend was good to the Valley of the Sun teams. Other than the Cardinals, the Diamondbacks won three consecutive games from the St. Louis Cardinals and the ASU Sun Devils routed Nevada 52-21.

9/11--Where Was I?

On September 11, 2001, I was waiting to leave the hospital after a three-day stay for a medicine reaction. Breakfast was about to be served when a nurse walked into my room, turned on the television and said an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. We watched the news for awhile when we saw an airplane hit the second tower. We didn't see the airplane hit the Pentagon, but the news covered the story. The nurse had to work so she left me alone watching the news. I was anxious to leave the hospital but the news passed the time quickly until I was able to leave about 11:00 a.m.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the attack. Last evening, I watched 9/11 on CBS. It is a documentary with two brothers, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, filming the tragedy. The two were filming a documentary about a young firefighter in his probationary period when they became wrapped up in the 9/11 story. Previously, they had met actor/filmaker/screenwriter James Hanlon, who had become a New York City firefighter and was instrumental in arranging the filming of the documentary.

Many of the shots were close-up of the disaster but was edited and did not show the horror of people jumping from the towers. It did show a priest who was documented as the official first victim of 9/11. His victim number was 00001.

Bob Jones and I visited Ground Zero in May 2004. Although it was almost three years after the tragedy, the people visiting the temporary memorial were solemn. The only noise was the street traffic. No one was talking. I suppose they were all like me with visions of this horrific event in their minds.