The Czarina and I took a drive across the state on Saturday for a little adventure. The idea was to visit the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach but the Czarina wanted to find the home of conservative mouthpiece Rush Limbaugh. He's got a massive compound in Palm Beach that sits astride the Atlantic Ocean.
The expedition was a little disappointing. The Limbaugh compound is surrounded by lush vegetation. It was damn near impossible to see much of anything. As we drove by the amazingly opulent beachfront homes it was pretty clear that folks like us are largely unwanted on this exclusive enclave. They make parking a real crap shoot if you want to access the beach and enjoy a dip in the ocean, which the Czarina and I did.
But that's off the topic. The Czarina was more than a little disappointed that she didn't get to see more and spent much of the night scouring the Internet looking at pictures of what we couldn't see from the street.
Rush must feel pretty proud of himself. He's helped create the anti-tax, anti-government frenzy that calls itself the Tea Party. And now the country sits on the brink of a needless economic calamity because of his spawn.
We live in a world where government needs to be smaller and entitlement programs need to be reeled in but we also live in a world where the rich, like those with their Palm Beach hideaways, need to pay more in taxes.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Boehner Boned
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It doesn't matter where you stand on the debt ceiling ruckus going on in Washington, D.C. What's amazing is that John Boehner, Speaker of the House, can't get his own party in line for a vote. Besides witnessing a economic meltdown, we are surely watching the end of Boehner's short reign as Speaker.
I almost feel sorry for the Ohio Republican. I think he would have gone for historic proposal to cut spending and raise taxes as part of the debt ceiling deal discussed more than three weeks ago with President Obama. But Boehner couldn't control the Tea Party segment of the Republican Party. I also suspect the intentions of Majority Leader Eric Cantor. It strikes me that Boehner's right hand man in the House covets the Speaker's job more than anything. If John Boehner is Speaker by the fall I would be shocked.
As for the debt limit fight, there's plenty of blame to go around. Republicans want to blame President Obama for the economic mess while conveniently forgetting how George Bush's policies landed us in this mess in the first place. Two wars unpaid for, a drug plan unpaid for, and a nice tax cut for wealthy Americans.
The President contributed to this mess. The stimulus spending plan he produced in the first few months of his presidency was nothing but pork. Instead of spending money on infrastructure projects that would have created thousands of jobs he was steamrolled by his own party and much of the money went for pet projects pushed by Democratic members of Congress.
The healthcare reform bill missed the mark as well. The country needs to get its healthcare house in order. But once again President Obama's approach missed the mark. Competition is the key along with tort reform.
One final thought as the clock ticks down to August 2nd. The Tea Party is on a path to help destroy what's left of the the Republican Party. Their unending push for a balance budget amendment is a red herring. Think about it. Even if the House and Senate would vote for the amendment it will take a minimum of two years just to get the amendment through all of the state legislatures in the United States. That means it would be 2013 or 2014 at the earlier that it becomes the law of the land and more likely 2015 or 2016.
The Tea Party can stand by its principals, wreck John Boehner's political career, and destroy the life savings of the Americans who can least afford the economic fallout a debt default will help bring about. In doing so they will breathe new life into the unions and sway more independents back to the left. The Tea Party doesn't care, they just want to get that black man out of the White House and they see this as the best way to do it.
As for the debt limit fight, there's plenty of blame to go around. Republicans want to blame President Obama for the economic mess while conveniently forgetting how George Bush's policies landed us in this mess in the first place. Two wars unpaid for, a drug plan unpaid for, and a nice tax cut for wealthy Americans.
The President contributed to this mess. The stimulus spending plan he produced in the first few months of his presidency was nothing but pork. Instead of spending money on infrastructure projects that would have created thousands of jobs he was steamrolled by his own party and much of the money went for pet projects pushed by Democratic members of Congress.
The healthcare reform bill missed the mark as well. The country needs to get its healthcare house in order. But once again President Obama's approach missed the mark. Competition is the key along with tort reform.
One final thought as the clock ticks down to August 2nd. The Tea Party is on a path to help destroy what's left of the the Republican Party. Their unending push for a balance budget amendment is a red herring. Think about it. Even if the House and Senate would vote for the amendment it will take a minimum of two years just to get the amendment through all of the state legislatures in the United States. That means it would be 2013 or 2014 at the earlier that it becomes the law of the land and more likely 2015 or 2016.
The Tea Party can stand by its principals, wreck John Boehner's political career, and destroy the life savings of the Americans who can least afford the economic fallout a debt default will help bring about. In doing so they will breathe new life into the unions and sway more independents back to the left. The Tea Party doesn't care, they just want to get that black man out of the White House and they see this as the best way to do it.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Humility in the Humidity
The Great Heat Index Massacre of 2011 brought with it a surprising amount of relief this past week. The afternoon rains have returned making the evening runs a lot more tolerable. The 100 plus degree heat index has fallen to somewhere between 80 and 90. While it's tolerable, the running really isn't a lot easier.
Training is a grind and will continue to be so for the next six weeks or so. The hardest part is that the thought of doing a run of more than 90 minutes is impossible to imagine. Strolling down memory lane through the old training logs I know I've survived summer long runs in Southwest Florida. It's a matter at this point of risk/reward.
I can tolerate 40 to 50 minutes of hot weather running, sometimes even an hour. But I don't see much to be gained by hammering out more miles and feeling absolutely miserable. Most evenings when I return from a training run I'm drenched in sweat. Only my shorts are relatively dry and as soon as I stop they get soaked as well.
It's even tougher for the Czarina. Her shorts are usually soaked within the first 15 minutes of any summer run. Her Northern European blood just doesn't like the heat and humidity.
We've been discussing the realities of hot weather training. I'm trying to convince her that she doesn't need to do the same amount of mileage I attempt on any given day. All too often now she's having to stop and walk in the middle of one of her runs. The Czarina is so tough-minded that she doesn't want to concede anything. But her seven months of layoff because of plantar fasciitis is showing itself.
The biggest problem is we're both getting older. I think our age is really beginning to show itself in our ability to tolerate the heat. What once was a breeze at 50 isn't nearly so easy at 55.
Training is a grind and will continue to be so for the next six weeks or so. The hardest part is that the thought of doing a run of more than 90 minutes is impossible to imagine. Strolling down memory lane through the old training logs I know I've survived summer long runs in Southwest Florida. It's a matter at this point of risk/reward.
I can tolerate 40 to 50 minutes of hot weather running, sometimes even an hour. But I don't see much to be gained by hammering out more miles and feeling absolutely miserable. Most evenings when I return from a training run I'm drenched in sweat. Only my shorts are relatively dry and as soon as I stop they get soaked as well.
It's even tougher for the Czarina. Her shorts are usually soaked within the first 15 minutes of any summer run. Her Northern European blood just doesn't like the heat and humidity.
We've been discussing the realities of hot weather training. I'm trying to convince her that she doesn't need to do the same amount of mileage I attempt on any given day. All too often now she's having to stop and walk in the middle of one of her runs. The Czarina is so tough-minded that she doesn't want to concede anything. But her seven months of layoff because of plantar fasciitis is showing itself.
The biggest problem is we're both getting older. I think our age is really beginning to show itself in our ability to tolerate the heat. What once was a breeze at 50 isn't nearly so easy at 55.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Heat Index 134
All the news about the big heat wave makes me laugh. I've survived many summers living in Arizona and Southwest Florida. I know what hot is, at least I thought I did until today.
The Czarina got home as usual just before 6 p.m. and I noticed that some clouds had rolled in making a longer than unusual run appear inviting. We headed out the door about 6:15 and I was ready to go 6 miles. The Czarina wasn't so sure.
A massive cloud hid the sun for the first mile or so and I noticed at about a mile and a half it had rained in that section. The trail immediately went into sauna mode as the sun started peaking out, steaming the left over moisture off of the asphalt. The wet part of the trail gave way to dry pavement at 2.5 miles and I thought it's not so bad. I turned around at 3 miles still feeling full of run and noticed the Czarina was nowhere in sight.
I was clipping along pretty good until just before 4 miles and the breeze out of the south felt more like a blast furnace. Usually any breeze on a run around here in the summer brings welcome relief but not this time. Shortly after 4 miles I began thinking how nice it would be to walk home, but then I realized the Czarina didn't have a house key and if she was facing a bathroom emergency upon her arrival home all hell would break loose.
I soldiered on wondering if it was possible that my brains could be melting inside my head. I checked my split at 5 miles and saw that I had actually managed to run a 9:15 mile. As I looked ahead I spied a solitary figure in the distance walking. I realized that the Czarina had succumbed to the heat and was walking it in. She was a half mile in front of me but I figured I would catch her before I reached home.
Now I was motivated to keep moving forward and I kept putting one foot in front of another. Two blocks from home I caught the Czarina who was strolling down the sidewalk. Once I hit the 6 mile mark I turned around and walked home with her. She told me the heat forced her to stop her run at 3 miles. I couldn't blame her. It was brutal.
I hit the front door and headed for the computer, curious to see what the temperature was at 7:15 p.m. It was 95.9 degrees, in small print just below it read Heat Index 134. I couldn't believe my eyes. But then I looked at the dew point, which stood at an unbelievable 87 degrees. No wonder I wanted to walk home after 4 miles.
The Czarina got home as usual just before 6 p.m. and I noticed that some clouds had rolled in making a longer than unusual run appear inviting. We headed out the door about 6:15 and I was ready to go 6 miles. The Czarina wasn't so sure.
A massive cloud hid the sun for the first mile or so and I noticed at about a mile and a half it had rained in that section. The trail immediately went into sauna mode as the sun started peaking out, steaming the left over moisture off of the asphalt. The wet part of the trail gave way to dry pavement at 2.5 miles and I thought it's not so bad. I turned around at 3 miles still feeling full of run and noticed the Czarina was nowhere in sight.
I was clipping along pretty good until just before 4 miles and the breeze out of the south felt more like a blast furnace. Usually any breeze on a run around here in the summer brings welcome relief but not this time. Shortly after 4 miles I began thinking how nice it would be to walk home, but then I realized the Czarina didn't have a house key and if she was facing a bathroom emergency upon her arrival home all hell would break loose.
I soldiered on wondering if it was possible that my brains could be melting inside my head. I checked my split at 5 miles and saw that I had actually managed to run a 9:15 mile. As I looked ahead I spied a solitary figure in the distance walking. I realized that the Czarina had succumbed to the heat and was walking it in. She was a half mile in front of me but I figured I would catch her before I reached home.
Now I was motivated to keep moving forward and I kept putting one foot in front of another. Two blocks from home I caught the Czarina who was strolling down the sidewalk. Once I hit the 6 mile mark I turned around and walked home with her. She told me the heat forced her to stop her run at 3 miles. I couldn't blame her. It was brutal.
I hit the front door and headed for the computer, curious to see what the temperature was at 7:15 p.m. It was 95.9 degrees, in small print just below it read Heat Index 134. I couldn't believe my eyes. But then I looked at the dew point, which stood at an unbelievable 87 degrees. No wonder I wanted to walk home after 4 miles.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The World According to Rupert
My years working for a FOX owned and operated television station were probably the best I'd ever experienced. The benefits were good, there was no agenda from corporate telling us how to cover the news, working for FOX wasn't bad at all. In the end despite all the hoopla over the actions of Murdoch's British tabloid "News of the World," I think Murdoch has already paid whatever price he's going to pay.
As much as some folks would like to see this spill over to FOX News and hurt that brand I rather doubt it. FOX News doesn't engage in anything remotely looking like investigative journalism. It presents a decidedly right-leaning approach to its news coverage. The only program that's watchable is Shepard Smith's one hour newscast. Otherwise the vast majority of FOX's talking heads drink the kool-aid concocted by Roger Ailes.
Still again, Murdoch looked like a befuddled old man. He refused to take responsibility for the actions of his lieutenants. Personally, I doubt that he knew the hacking was going on. His son James on the other hand, I think the jury's still out on his culpability. In the end, as long as nothing else scandalous or underhanded comes out, the Murdoch empire will survive
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Hyatt Tragedy
30 years ago I covered the biggest local story of my career in television news. At about 7 p.m. on Friday July 17, 1981 two skywalks spanning the lobby of the Crown Center Hyatt Hotel collapsed. One pancaked on top of the other slamming onto the crowded lobby floor. The loss of life was astounding. 114 people died and more than 200 more suffered all sorts of injuries, some devastating.
The day was like any other day for me at WDAF TV where I worked as the 10 p.m. producer. I had one reporter working that night, Bob Thill along with two photographers, Mike Maier and J.W. Edwards. I can't even begin to remember what story we had assigned Bob to cover but we had decided to skip one in particular. They were holding a "tea dance" in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel. It was one of many such dances which attracted large crowds but in my mind didn't seem to be very newsworthy.
Whatever was going on that night I know I must have been behind on my work because instead of going out and picking up food I had asked Mike Maier to pick me up a hamburger just before 7 p.m. A few minutes later reporter Zan Anderson called into the newsroom and I answered. Zan told me that a fire captain had just called him with a tip that there had been an accident at the Hyatt. At that exact instance the scanners in the newsroom exploded. The volume of emergency calls was mind blowing and I knew immediately that something very bad was going on at the Hyatt.
I immediately called Maier and told him to forget the food and head to the Hyatt. Now I faced my biggest challenge, I had J.W. and I had Bob but I didn't have a live shot engineer on duty to run the microwave truck. At the time under union rules the truck had to be operated by a union member. I spent a frantic 15 minutes trying to get an engineer to agree to take the truck out. J.W. knew how to set the truck up and we ended up getting the late great technical director Harry Thomas, to agree to accompany J.W. down to the Hyatt to set up a shot.
If my memory serves me correctly we got on shortly before 8 p.m. The night is a complete blur. I remember an angry Bob Thill coming back to the newsroom with tape, knowing he had been duped by Del Walters, who wanted to front coverage from the scene. I remember Mike Maier coming back with the last video shot inside the hotel, water running onto the lobby floor, sheets covering bodies, and desperate first responders doing what they could to save those trapped. I remember Mike Lewis and Jenny Hoffman coming in and helping coordinate the long night of coverage as more and more of our reporters and photographers came in to help out.
We knew early on that KMBC had gotten the scoop of the night. Mike Mahoney, a relative newcomer as a reporter to the market, was covering the tea dance with photographer Dave Forestate. They barely missed the actual collapse because they were changing tapes. But the stunning aftermath they captured spoke volumes. That night made Mahoney a reporting legend. He has since backed it up with 30 years of top flight reporting with a special knack for politics. The other thing I love about Mike is that he is a probably the biggest Bob Dylan fan that I know and that's saying a lot.
The entire night was like a slow motion nightmare. Every 15 minutes it seemed the death toll went up. First a dozen, then 30 plus, and then more than 50. I think by the time we went on the air with the 10 p.m. news the death toll was closing in on triple digits. Much of what went on is a blur. I know I was in the newsroom until 3 a.m. as we continued doing cut-in's covering the rescue effort. It was a monumental undertaking complete with cranes needed to lift the steel and concrete off the many victims.
I was back at work at about 10 a.m. to work on a one hour special report that aired that Saturday at 6 p.m. Our hour of coverage was top flight. I wish I had a copy of that special. It was one of my best producing efforts. We later won an award for our coverage that I produced the night the results of the federal investigation into the tragedy came out. We were live in Washington, D.C., our coverage fronted by one of my all time favorite anchors Phil Witt and the incredible Danice Kern.
Two things have bothered about the tragedy. One was the secretive nature that surrounded the handling of the debris and the public relations efforts by Crown Center. I'm sure it was a nightmare for those involved but they didn't do much to endear themselves to the media.
The other thing that bothers me is that we didn't go wall to wall with our coverage once the tragedy happened. Remarkably, I don't think any of the stations did until 10 p.m. Everyone was doing a lot of cut-in's but I don't remember seeing anyone going wall to wall. I may be wrong, it was such a crazy night. I can only imagine if something like this happened now we would have gone non-stop for at least 24 hours.
But 1981 was a different time and place. How different? I remember getting a call from CNN begging me to allow them to set up shop somewhere in the station. No one knew anything about the upstart news network and wanted nothing to do with them. I knew about them because I had been offered a job with CNN when it was starting up.
Anyway, our coverage of the Hyatt tragedy was an important step for WDAF. The tragedy came at the beginning of our ascendancy to the top spot in the Kansas City news ratings. I think our coverage that night and the days and weeks to follow of that horrific event showed that we were a serious player in the local news arena.
The day was like any other day for me at WDAF TV where I worked as the 10 p.m. producer. I had one reporter working that night, Bob Thill along with two photographers, Mike Maier and J.W. Edwards. I can't even begin to remember what story we had assigned Bob to cover but we had decided to skip one in particular. They were holding a "tea dance" in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel. It was one of many such dances which attracted large crowds but in my mind didn't seem to be very newsworthy.
Whatever was going on that night I know I must have been behind on my work because instead of going out and picking up food I had asked Mike Maier to pick me up a hamburger just before 7 p.m. A few minutes later reporter Zan Anderson called into the newsroom and I answered. Zan told me that a fire captain had just called him with a tip that there had been an accident at the Hyatt. At that exact instance the scanners in the newsroom exploded. The volume of emergency calls was mind blowing and I knew immediately that something very bad was going on at the Hyatt.
I immediately called Maier and told him to forget the food and head to the Hyatt. Now I faced my biggest challenge, I had J.W. and I had Bob but I didn't have a live shot engineer on duty to run the microwave truck. At the time under union rules the truck had to be operated by a union member. I spent a frantic 15 minutes trying to get an engineer to agree to take the truck out. J.W. knew how to set the truck up and we ended up getting the late great technical director Harry Thomas, to agree to accompany J.W. down to the Hyatt to set up a shot.
If my memory serves me correctly we got on shortly before 8 p.m. The night is a complete blur. I remember an angry Bob Thill coming back to the newsroom with tape, knowing he had been duped by Del Walters, who wanted to front coverage from the scene. I remember Mike Maier coming back with the last video shot inside the hotel, water running onto the lobby floor, sheets covering bodies, and desperate first responders doing what they could to save those trapped. I remember Mike Lewis and Jenny Hoffman coming in and helping coordinate the long night of coverage as more and more of our reporters and photographers came in to help out.
The entire night was like a slow motion nightmare. Every 15 minutes it seemed the death toll went up. First a dozen, then 30 plus, and then more than 50. I think by the time we went on the air with the 10 p.m. news the death toll was closing in on triple digits. Much of what went on is a blur. I know I was in the newsroom until 3 a.m. as we continued doing cut-in's covering the rescue effort. It was a monumental undertaking complete with cranes needed to lift the steel and concrete off the many victims.
I was back at work at about 10 a.m. to work on a one hour special report that aired that Saturday at 6 p.m. Our hour of coverage was top flight. I wish I had a copy of that special. It was one of my best producing efforts. We later won an award for our coverage that I produced the night the results of the federal investigation into the tragedy came out. We were live in Washington, D.C., our coverage fronted by one of my all time favorite anchors Phil Witt and the incredible Danice Kern.
Two things have bothered about the tragedy. One was the secretive nature that surrounded the handling of the debris and the public relations efforts by Crown Center. I'm sure it was a nightmare for those involved but they didn't do much to endear themselves to the media.
The other thing that bothers me is that we didn't go wall to wall with our coverage once the tragedy happened. Remarkably, I don't think any of the stations did until 10 p.m. Everyone was doing a lot of cut-in's but I don't remember seeing anyone going wall to wall. I may be wrong, it was such a crazy night. I can only imagine if something like this happened now we would have gone non-stop for at least 24 hours.
But 1981 was a different time and place. How different? I remember getting a call from CNN begging me to allow them to set up shop somewhere in the station. No one knew anything about the upstart news network and wanted nothing to do with them. I knew about them because I had been offered a job with CNN when it was starting up.
Anyway, our coverage of the Hyatt tragedy was an important step for WDAF. The tragedy came at the beginning of our ascendancy to the top spot in the Kansas City news ratings. I think our coverage that night and the days and weeks to follow of that horrific event showed that we were a serious player in the local news arena.
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Politics of Hate
Some time ago I wrote about the Tea Party and my fear that they hate President Barack Obama more for his race, than his politics. Now it seems these right wing goofballs are willing to play a high stakes game of economic chicken and risk the nation's economy. Politics is the art of compromise. But Eric Cantor and his ilk, Michelle Bachmann, et al; turned up their nose at a historic plan to cut the deficit because it included taxes.
What's happened to the Grand Old Party of Reagan and Dole? It's being held hostage by the Tea Party. They don't want President Obama to score any political points by attacking the deficit problem. They fear it will only serve to help re-elect him in 2012. They'd rather go down with the ship than let the captain survive. A debt crisis won't hurt the very rich which finances the Tea Party, but it will destroy what's left of America's crumbling middle class.
It's a shame neither the President nor the Congress took the Bowles-Simpson Plan seriously. The tax code needs to be reformed, social spending needs to be reeled in, and we need to get out of Afghanistan now.
What's happened to the Grand Old Party of Reagan and Dole? It's being held hostage by the Tea Party. They don't want President Obama to score any political points by attacking the deficit problem. They fear it will only serve to help re-elect him in 2012. They'd rather go down with the ship than let the captain survive. A debt crisis won't hurt the very rich which finances the Tea Party, but it will destroy what's left of America's crumbling middle class.
It's a shame neither the President nor the Congress took the Bowles-Simpson Plan seriously. The tax code needs to be reformed, social spending needs to be reeled in, and we need to get out of Afghanistan now.
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