Synch or Swim

I just watched my first -- and probably my last -- synchronized diving event. My wife made me do it. I only stayed for the Romanian team. I think they were Romanian. Hard to tell when everyone is wearing Speedos. (Hey, we may be onto something here along the lines of a classless, Speedo-clad society.)

Anyway, I didn't want to watch in the first place for a very simple reason: You take something that's boring and stupid -- say, water ballet, for instance -- and you put two people together doing the same boring, stupid thing at the exact same time, and all of a sudden it's an Olympic event? What's up with that? Wasn't one person doing it boring enough?

I have a good mind to picket the Olympics until they add some new, challenging competitions like Poker Playing or Surfing.

Trump Plays The Snub Card

Surely you must have heard about it and are still gloating over "The Donald's" recent pie in the face:

Trump Hotels tells Donald Trump: 'You're fired!' - Aug. 10, 2004

What galls me -- though it doesn't surprise me -- is his response, that the casino business is just one of the many companies he owns.

Excuse me? Is that in the prospectus? "We may or may not decide to get off our fat-cat butts and try to turn a profit, depending on how insignificant this business is to Mr. Trump's empire."

Pretty insensitive (and self-serving) to respond to a credibility question by making it seem like Trump Hotels really didn't matter much to him in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure investors were counting on him to do his best to make it successful.

Atlantic City real estate should be a no-brainer for Trump. Several Indian tribes out my way are having no problems serving up gambling, entertainment and comfortable rooms, AND turning a tidy profit. All you need is the real estate and someone willing build and manage the place for you. (Can you say "Harrah's"?) Not that I'm accusing Mr. Trump of mismanagement. I'm only accusing him of arrogance.