Help Sumter Regional Hospital - All It Takes Is A Click

Earlier this year, Sumter Regional Hospital in southwest Georgia was destroyed by a tornado. The hospital served a largely poor rural population, and was the sole source of healthcare for many. They are currently operating from a temporary structure until the new hospital is completed in 2010. The shortfall between insurance and other payments and the funds necessary to complete the hospital is $13 million.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines are very expensive, yet critical for diagnosing many complex conditions. Due to their cost, many smaller hospitals cannot afford one. Siemens, a large international corporation that has significant market share in medical equipment, is currently holding a "Win An MRI" contest. Hospitals of fewer than 180 beds create a video explaining why they should win a free MRI. Anyone can then go to the website, view the videos, and vote for the one they think most deserving.

Some of the videos are quite imaginative and amusing (think "Magnetic Redneck Imaging"), and all of them certainly need an MRI, but none of them have had to face what Sumter Regional has this year.

Please visit the website (click here), view the video for Sumter Regional Hospital by selecting it from the drop-down box, and cast your vote for them. You can vote once per day from the same computer through the end of December. The first time you vote, you have to watch the video all the way through (it's only a couple of minutes) - on subsequent visits, you can cast your vote as soon as the video starts. Watching the video is actually pretty amazing as it includes live images that were captured by the hospital's security cameras during the tornado.

So as they say in Chicago, "vote early and vote often" for Sumter Regional Hospital and help this critical service provider get back on its feet, and provide the care that is so desparately needed in their community.

We Own XM Radio!

I work for RSM McGladrey - or, as I tell people - the biggest company nobody has ever heard of. We are actually the 5th largest professional services firm behind the "big 4".

It helped our brand recognition by sponsoring Zach Johnson in last year's PGA. When he won, I got about a dozen messages essentially saying, "Hey, now I've heard of your company" as our name was emblazoned across Zach's shirt.

Last week, nine-year old Sam told me that he asked all of his classmates and teachers, and none of them have ever heard of RSM McGladrey. Obviously, we need to target more of our marketing towards 4th graders.

We do have a big advertising campaign going on now, including a deal with the NY Yankees for next year's broadcasts, and we also sponsor the Traffic/Weather channels on XM Radio. Now Sam does not fully grasp the concept of advertising and sponsorship, so when we were in the car on Sunday and heard "This XM Radio traffic and weather update is sponsored by RSM McGladrey," Sam exclaimed, "Dad! RSM McGladrey bought XM Radio?!?!?"

Ithamar Enriquez

I'm in Chicago on business which means that I went to Second City last night (I'm a HUGE SC fan, which also explains why I am a HUGE SNL fan . . .).

The cast was the same as the last time I was here almost a year ago, and while they are all excellent, there is one who stood out both last year and last night. His name is Ithamar Enriquez and I believe he is one of the most talented comedic actor/writers and improv artists that I have ever seen. I want it documented here first so that it will show up in Google searches for posterity that I predict big things for Ithamar.

I also want to meet him to know how to pronounce his first name.

My Daughter, The Boxer

We don't have video games in our house (a rule) so when the kids go to a friend's house that does have them, it becomes a key area of interest and activity.

Molly's friend Hannah has a Nintendo Wii. Apparently, there is a boxing game with which Molly has become enamored and, it turns out, she's pretty good at it. She loves bragging that she's an excellent boxer.

I have started calling her Mohammed Mah-lee.