Articles written by B. B. James - Page 48

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About me - B. B. James

I'm a male college graduate in my 40's, and I work full-time. I'm married and have two young children. Hobbies and interests are reading, writing, running, travel. My reading (and, thus, my postings on Helium) includes current events, US history, sports,

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Sports & Recreation > Sports & Recreation (Other) Women finally get equal prize money at Wimbledon: 4 of 4
In 2007, the powers-that-be at Wimbledon announced that they will finally offer women and men equal prize money for the championship series. This issue has been a cause celebre for women's sports advocates for at least a decade, and it's great to see the hidebound, but high-profile, tournament join the rest of the tennis wor... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Authors Biography: J.D. Salinger: 4 of 4
What American kid didn't read J.D. Salinger's great work, "Catcher in the Rye," while in high school? And what kid didn't find the struggle of Holden Caulfield to resonate with his or her own efforts to define a personality in our adolescent years. It certainly made me feel better about the struggles that I was going through... More..
Business > Business News & Issues How Starbucks achieved its amazing success: 4 of 4
I'm stunned that one of the Starbucks critics on this topic group uses McDonald's as an example of a better restaurant company. On what grounds (no pun intended - coffee grounds)? Hmmm. McDonald's has been a significant contributor to obesity, poor health, corporate farming practices, bottom-of-the-barrel wages, suburban spr... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Food & Agriculture The effects of chemicals used on coffee crops: 4 of 4
If Starbucks addicts were only more aware of the damage that rampaging demand for high-quality coffee has done to coffee-growing regions across the world, they would feel guilty about more than the calories in their lattes. The use of chemicals to coax more production out of low-quality soils and short growing seasons is doi... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball If I ran the Washington Nationals: 3 of 3
In 2008, the Washington Nationals had the most losses in major league baseball: 102. In 2009, they dropped to the bottom of the standings early in the season and were well on their way to the league's worst record and another 100-plus losses. Clearly, something is wrong with baseball in the nation's capitol. A radical revisi... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball MLB: Predicting which American League pitchers will win 20 or more games in 2007: 3 of 3
American League pitchers face a tall hurdle to reach 20 wins in a particular year. This is reflected in the fact that no pitcher won 20 games in 2006, and only one pitcher (Bartolo Colon) won 20 or more games in 2005. The trendline on the number of wins is definitely downward over the past several decades. The reasons are we... More..
Business > Nonprofits Is MySpace an effective tool for nonprofits?: 3 of 3
As the producer of a non-proft music festival, I can say from my experience that MySpace is a nice addition to our outreach efforts, but it falls far short of the hype about what it can do to promote music, musicians, and music venues. It's a complement to more traditional marketing and outreach, rather than a revolutionary ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Literature (Other) Magazine reviews: Rolling Stone: 3 of 3
Sadly, Rolling Stone has fallen from its perch as the pre-eminent rock 'n' roll music, culture, and counter-culture magazine in the country. Music has moved forward, and Rolling Stone is struggling to find its relevance in a world in which bloggers, video bloggers, and downloaders are the drivers of musical taste and informa... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Churches & Organizations What is the legacy of Jerry Fallwell: 3 of 3
Jerry Fallwell was one of the most influential Christians in politics in the last quarter of the 20th century, and his influence remained strong up until his death in May 2007. This is not necessarily a good thing, because America was founded on the principle that religion would not interfere with state matters. But Fallwell... More..
Business > Business News & Issues The lessons of Vonage and patent infringement: 3 of 3
Vonage, one of the leading providers of VOIP services, is fighting for its very existence, after losing a lawsuit in which one of the major phone companies alleged that Vonage violated its patents in developing the Voice over Internet Protocol service. Vonage came within about an inch of going bankrupt, until a judge decided... More..