Good Morning! Pat will add more a little later... but for now here are some of the stories that got us talking this morning during commerical breaks.
To start off with, this might be TV insider information but today is the first day of the February ratings period. That means those blue Nielsen books go out to homes and people log which shows they watch. We hope they watch Today in Iowa. And in about 6 weeks or so we'll know an estimate of how many people watch us. So Happy Sweeps everyone!
Presidential Shake-up
Wow. Things are really exciting if you like to follow Presidential Politics. A lot happened in the past 24 hours. Guiliani and Edwards are out. And today John McCain will get the endorsement of California Governor Aahhhhnold Schwarzenegger.
According to the people who study politics for a living, this could really cement McCain's place as front-runner on the Republican side. On the Today Show this morning Matt Lauer said the race for the Republican nomination is basically down to a two person contest going into Super Tuesday. And on the Democrat side, it's still up in the air between Hillary and Barak.
It's Pat now,...I totally forgot to watch this last night in favor of some Drake basketball.
I have to dsay I am interested to watch the Democrats go one on one tonight. There's really no way to take a break or hide for either Obama or Clinton tonight.
Rebate Fight
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is once again showing us that he doesn't always walk the Republican line. Grassley is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and he's working with Democrats to pass a new version of the Stimulus Package that goes against the President's wishes. Grassley's version includes tax rebate checks for some people on Social Security and would double the income limits to include people who make up to 150,000 and couples who make 300,000. Today you can expect a fight over which version makes it out of Congress and to the President's desk.
As long as this doesn't derail the process I'm ok with The Senate flexing it's muscle a little. Grassley and Max Bacus(MT) aparently stopped a few efforts to attach ammendments on to this bill. That's the worry. By the time it gets to the President's Desk it will look like a Christmas tree. Hopefully Grassley can stop the same thing on the Senate floor.
Diamond Rebate
How great is this? Pat and I both got excited about this one because we both qualify. Here's the deal. If you bought a diamond ring between 1994 and 2006 you could get part of a nearly 300 million dollar class action settlement involving DeBeers. The lawsuit claimed DeBeers monopolized the market. Go to the "As seen on" page of the website to learn more about how to get your part of the settlement. The amount you get depends on how many people sign up but it looks like it will be significant.
The guy I purchased Sally's ring from is an old family friend in Chicago's Diamond district. I haven't seen him since we were married but I assume he's still there. His name is Eddie Ford and some way some how he and my Great Uncle Pat were friends.
My Grandmother bought all her jewelry from Eddie and when it came time to get a ring I knew he'd take care of me. Eddie also happens to be the guy who made the Bulls Championship rings during the two runs with Michael Jordan. His office looks a little scarry from the outside but all you have to do is spend a little time looking at some of the pictures on the wall to see this guy sells to some of the biggest names in Chicago. Youd never guess it. He's a really nice man and he took great care of Sally and I. I'm going to try to sign up to be part of the settlement...we'll see if it works.
BIG AUTO
Did you catch Brad's traffic this morning? He's giving out the phone number you call to report traffic problems. The person who answers is Len Michaels... the traffic producer for WHO Radio and for Brad's traffic reports on our show. The number is 244-2886 or BIG AUTO. Pretty easy to remember and now Brad has a new nickname. I'm sure there are a million jokes that could be made here but I'll stay out of it.
And we all should...though I love the monker.
Picky Eaters
Brooke will talk more about this on the Gen X Moms blog but I asked and we were talking about whether any of us were picky eaters as kids. I would say I was. Maybe not picky...just unadventerous. Being married to Sally has changed that. I'd never had salmon until I went to see her in Baltimore when she was in Grad School. I tried Shrimp for the first time with her at the Mucky Duck in Florida...
Just a measure of how far I've come...we did Pork Chops in a Vinagrette Cherry Sauce last night...and I even cooked it. I know...it's not like it's escargo or something but it's thinking outside my normal food comfort zone.
Editor's note...spellcheck is broken so you all get to see my creative typing...enjoy.
Have a great day everyone! See you tomorrow.
Brooke
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Florida to McCain, Two Drop out and Brad's Traffic Tip
Good Morning...
I've got about ten minutes to write this before the Noon News so I'm going to keep it short and sweet.
In the News:
Florida
John McCain wins Florida by a little bit larger margin than the polls indicated. The biggest loser of the night was, as predicted, Rudy Giuliani. The former NY Mayor is going to drop out of the race today and endorse McCain. The bigger surprise of the morning was hearing the John Edwards was going to drop out of the race. Edwards bet a lot of his campaign success on
his finish here and he just got steamrolled by two candidates that are bigger names. As we've said here before, give him his due for standing up and saying what he believed and being part of the process.
his finish here and he just got steamrolled by two candidates that are bigger names. As we've said here before, give him his due for standing up and saying what he believed and being part of the process. We'll carry Edwards speech withdrawing from the race live at Noon.
Fire
A fire last night in Grand Junction Iowa left a family without a home today. Just about every firefighter in Greene County had to be called in. Weather was the problem. You'll see in the video that there was a lot of ice and the wind sure didn't help. Being a firefighter isn't an easy job to begin with...these kind of condition make it a lot worse.
Workin at the Car Wash
Megan had a reminder about your car and the conditions this morning. Not so much the cold bu
t the stuff that gets thrown down on the road because of it. Sand and salt can really hurt your car...it's just hard to keep up in conditions like the ones we've seen. The melting, freezing and seemingly constant snow gets the car dirty almost as soon as you pull out of the driveway. I'm leasing a car so I'm trying to keep it as clean as possible. There a car wash up on Hickman I'm using. It's five bucks and they do a great job, plus there's a vacuum you can use to clean out the inside of your car.
t the stuff that gets thrown down on the road because of it. Sand and salt can really hurt your car...it's just hard to keep up in conditions like the ones we've seen. The melting, freezing and seemingly constant snow gets the car dirty almost as soon as you pull out of the driveway. I'm leasing a car so I'm trying to keep it as clean as possible. There a car wash up on Hickman I'm using. It's five bucks and they do a great job, plus there's a vacuum you can use to clean out the inside of your car.
One more thing. Brad was giving us some tips this morning about the car. Warm it up until you feel the warm air coming out of the vent...that kind of stuff. His tip we didn't bring you this morning? Brad says if you don't have a pen and paper but need to remember a number or something...get some nose grease on your fingers and write it on the window...then when you want to see it...steam up the window and it will appear. Gross...but effective. Tuesday, January 29, 2008
State of U Reax, Fed to Cut Rates Again, and Winter's Return to Iowa
Good Morning!
There's a lot to talk about on the Morning of the Florida Primary, The morning of an expected decrease in interest rates from the Fed and...Oh Yeah, The President gave his State of the Union Address last night.
We'll talk about that in the new 1st:
Not Done Yet
That seemed to be the President's underlying message last night. He still wants to be a relevant
t part of the conversation setting National priorities and, he's the President so that makes sense. The problem is that's not political reality in a year when no one...not even the candidates from his own party want to call for a "continuation of the Bush years".
t part of the conversation setting National priorities and, he's the President so that makes sense. The problem is that's not political reality in a year when no one...not even the candidates from his own party want to call for a "continuation of the Bush years". As we were sitting listening last night we noticed , what we thought was another underlying theme. The President seemed to be saying..."We did this, We did that...You voted for this or that." All of it seemed to be a subtle reminder to the American people that Congress helped or approved of nearly all of the decisions that shaped his presidency. In other words...don't hang this all on me.
Reaction in papers around the country was, as you'd expect, critical. Most of the papers said the speech was a rehash of old ideas, and wasn't as robust with new initiatives as past Bush State of the Union Speeches.
Sen Chuck Grassley came on our show and talked about another major component of the speech, cutting earmarks on federal spending bills. These are the pet projects lawmakers slip into bills without a vote or any kind of public debate. We spend billions on them. Grassley liked the President's move to cut off the gravy train...or the pork buffet...whatever.
The Handshake (or lack of one)
The other story that came out of the state of the Union last night was the apparent snub of Hillary Clinton by Sen Barak Obama. Clinton came over to shake Ted Kennedy's hand even after a day where one of her close political allies chose the other guy. It appeared to the reporters in the gallery that Sen Obama turned away from Clinton and went out of his way not to say hello. Did any of you read the articles on this one? What do you think? Mountain or Mole hill?Fed
Anyone else thinking of refinancing their home? We are. It might make a lot of sense. If rates d
o, in fact, go down. We might be able to get a little breathing room financially speaking. The other part of this possible rate cut is that it might mean more business for Iowa companies like Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.. Rates are really low right now. My friend who is a lender says the mortgage interest rates are nearly as low as they were 4 or 5 years ago when they reached record lows. 5% is pretty unbelievable.
BB
Floria Primary
I started reading a bunch of articles online this morning and I'm getting the sense that the Media is looking around and asking...Is it really going to be Romney?
The state of the economy and Romney's experience in the business world seem to be resonating with Florida voters. If he wins today(and he might) he could take that message into Super Tuesday and wrap up the nomination.And what happened to Rudy? He went off to Florida thinking places like Iowa and New Hampshire weren't important...I guess they really are. America's Mayor has a lot of experience and would seem to be a good candidate. He's certainly qualified.
But, am I the only one who feels like he's annoyed that he has to go out and ask for people's vote?
He's like the Nathan Jessup of Republican Politics. With apologies to Jack Nicholson...Giuliani ... has neither the time or the inclination to explain himself to voters who rises and sleep under the blanket of freedom he provides...he would rather we all just said thank you, and went on our way.Of course I'm exaggerating it, but that's just my sense of the guy...I could be totally wrong.
IngerDahl's
What do you think about expanding the store? I can understand both sides of the argument. Dahl's and some people who use the grocery store want a bigger and better store. But some of the resistance is coming from people who see this as an aesthetic intrusion on the area. The Ingersoll Avenue corridor is known for its charm and local-owned stores with unique curb appeal. It's the very opposite of what you would find out in West Des Moines near the Jordan Creek Towncenter. I used to live in the area and loved shopping in a store that was small and didn't take me 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other. However, other people who live in the area want what the suburbs have. Sounds like either way, Dahl's will get the green light from the city to go ahead with this expansion which will likely start this spring.
Winter's Back...
All of the sudden I looked up from writing this and it's raining or snowing or something! It's a rare day I wake up to the warmest temperatures of the day at 2am, but that's the deal today. Winter's coming back and they've even posted a blizzard warning for eastern Iowa. Not good. At least the last two months of slush and ice is off my driveway. I can start fresh with this new snow.
Alumni Update
I am also a little later than normal getting this out because I talked for about 40 minutes with an 
old WHO reporter. Some of you will remember the name Emily Schmidt. Emily is a friend, former co-worker and fellow Mizzou Alumnus. She is also one of the best reporters I will ever work with. I've been lucky to meet and work with people who love what they do. For those of you who are wondering, she and her family are doing well in Washington DC where she is now a reporter for WJLA.
old WHO reporter. Some of you will remember the name Emily Schmidt. Emily is a friend, former co-worker and fellow Mizzou Alumnus. She is also one of the best reporters I will ever work with. I've been lucky to meet and work with people who love what they do. For those of you who are wondering, she and her family are doing well in Washington DC where she is now a reporter for WJLA. I adore Emily as well and I miss watching her stories.
I hope this doesn't sounds like an Emily love fest, but I would agree that she is a talented reporter. Maybe someday she'll want to return to her roots. We can only be so lucky!
Anyway stay warm out there and have a great day!
PWD
Monday, January 28, 2008
State of the Union, Drake keeps climbing and Weekend Happenings
Good Morning...We all woke up this morning in a little bit of a mood. It's not that anyone's angry or annoyed..we're all just a little feisty. Good way to start the week. At least we've got the energy to get going again.
To The News:
The streak continues and that should mean an even higher ranking for Drake this week. What a great season! The best part about Drake is that everyone can get behind this team. There isn't the taboo of jumping ship on the Hawks or the Clones in the one or the other is doing well. Can't wait for the tournament.
The highlight of the night came when the Brave organization gave an award to John and Mary Pappajohn for their contributions to Iowa and to Greater Des Moines. The sculpture garden the Pappajohns are donating to the Western Gateway is going to be a significant addition and improvement to an area that seems to be gaining steam by the month. The Best part about the people who give so much in this community is how approachable and normal they are.
A close second to the great award was watching Barry Griswell and Suku Radia doing their impression of the Blues Brothers onstage. The two are like Sinatra and Dean Martin. It's funny to watch two of the most powerful Execs in town get up there and have a good time. They're definitely NOT stuffed shirts.
I swore I'd get pictures and the only one that turned out was this one of my Brother Matt and I. Someone at the Gala actually walked up to him and said hi like he was me...Sally and Matt's wife Amy don't think we look that much alike. I tend to agree.
Anyway have a good start to the week and enjoy the warmer weather today...it's not going to last.
To The News:
State of the Union
The President gives his final State of the Union address tonight. It's expected to last about 40 
minutes. NBC's Brooke Hart made an interesting point this morning where most of the President's State of the Union addresses have focused on the war, overshadowing relative economic success...Now relative success in Iraq is being overshadowed by the prospect of economic trouble.
minutes. NBC's Brooke Hart made an interesting point this morning where most of the President's State of the Union addresses have focused on the war, overshadowing relative economic success...Now relative success in Iraq is being overshadowed by the prospect of economic trouble.I would agree that the success in Iraq is overshadowed by other issues taking center stage. This is discouraging on a personal level because my brother-in-law has spent so much time over there and shares with me amazing stories of hope. No matter what your opinion on the war, the good things that are happening should be reported alongside the challenges and bad news coming out of Iraq. Here at WHO I think we do a pretty good job of covering the families who are effected by the war when their loved ones are deployed. We try to tell some of their good stories and share with viewers the impact Iowa soldiers have on the war. But I would still like to see MORE of those stories told by the people who are covering the war for networks.
BB
Economic News
The President's speechwriters might need to make last minute revisions to the speech tonight after some big economic indicators come out today. Most importantly we get a measure of consumer confidence today. That should measure how willing we all are to spend money these days.
Drake
The streak continues and that should mean an even higher ranking for Drake this week. What a great season! The best part about Drake is that everyone can get behind this team. There isn't the taboo of jumping ship on the Hawks or the Clones in the one or the other is doing well. Can't wait for the tournament.Weekend News
We had a busy weekend that started early Saturday Morning. I played in a poker Tournament for charity down at the Eagles Lodge on the south side. We had a good time and I lasted a while in the tournament before being knocked out. The proceeds all go to charity so it was a great way to spend the day. The tournament drew more than 130 people.
It's a good thing I didn't last all afternoon. I had a date Saturday night with my lovely wife at the Brave Gala.
The highlight of the night came when the Brave organization gave an award to John and Mary Pappajohn for their contributions to Iowa and to Greater Des Moines. The sculpture garden the Pappajohns are donating to the Western Gateway is going to be a significant addition and improvement to an area that seems to be gaining steam by the month. The Best part about the people who give so much in this community is how approachable and normal they are. A close second to the great award was watching Barry Griswell and Suku Radia doing their impression of the Blues Brothers onstage. The two are like Sinatra and Dean Martin. It's funny to watch two of the most powerful Execs in town get up there and have a good time. They're definitely NOT stuffed shirts.
I swore I'd get pictures and the only one that turned out was this one of my Brother Matt and I. Someone at the Gala actually walked up to him and said hi like he was me...Sally and Matt's wife Amy don't think we look that much alike. I tend to agree. I had family in town this weekend which was wonderful but also a little exhausting. Eric's dad came up from Wichita and his brother is here until Thursday. Eric's nephew came back from college for the weekend as well. It was so good seeing everyone and most of the time I was just sitting back and laughing at all of them. Not only are they all incredibly opinionated, but they also like to raise the volume when they start debating. At one point, things got so loud that Evan's lower lip started to quiver and he let out the saddest cry I have heard so far from him. It was a pretty classic moment. I think he's going to be a lover, not a fighter!
I don't know about you, but now that the snow has melted, I have sand everywhere in my garage. And somehow it made its way into my house. It's disgusting. The garage and our cars are filthy. I cannot wait for spring!
Sunday we spent a lot of the day in the kitchen. It's good to get a little food in the freezer...certainly it makes the week a lot easier. We made Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and Stuffed Peppers. Both are 
really good even after freezing and re-heating. This is about the time of year where we've got to switch up the menu a little bit. Winter food starts to get a little boring and we get into a rut. This should help. We've got enough food to feed an army. Those are the stuffed peppers on the right here....
really good even after freezing and re-heating. This is about the time of year where we've got to switch up the menu a little bit. Winter food starts to get a little boring and we get into a rut. This should help. We've got enough food to feed an army. Those are the stuffed peppers on the right here....Anyway have a good start to the week and enjoy the warmer weather today...it's not going to last.
PWD
Friday, January 25, 2008
Republican Nice, Hansen Impeachment, and Obama Top 10
Good Morning!
It's Friday which, you would think, might mean a sigh of relief from all of us as we walked in the door. Instead it seemed we all needed a kick in the pants this morning. Jeriann did her usual job of providing it. I, for one, and a little "off" today. It's been a long week for a lot of reasons and I'll be glad to get a break. I will however be wifeless tonight...Sally has school this weekend in Iowa City so she's overnight in Iowa City.
Some of us from the station and from The Big Scary Snowman (Channel 8) are playing in a charity Hold em' Poker Tournament to benefit a Camp for Juvenile Diabetes patients tomorrow. That should be fun.
I also get to dust off my tux this weekend for the big Bravo gala event. It's always a good party for a good cause. The cultural organizations in our community are one of the big reasons Central Iowa is a great place to live. I'll try to take a couple of pictures for the Blog Monday...
My weekend will not include a party dress so I will have to live vicariously through Pat. I am sure he'll have some fun stories for me Monday morning during commercial breaks. It will be a "guys weekend" at my house. Eric's brother and father are in town this weekend mainly to see Evan. I have quickly learned that I became non-existent after Evan was born. Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration but I am sure any of you who have children can relate to what I am saying. And I can't blame anyone for this. Evan is much more interesting. But going back to the men who are taking over my house... Eric and his brother decided they would remodel our downstairs bathroom. After 5 trips to Menards, a broken pipe valve and a tile floor that now includes cracks and chips, the bathroom is a disaster and I am praying it actually gets done without any major disasters.
BB
To The News:
Republican Debate
It was like listening to a sitcom with a laugh trac this morning as we played the highlights of the Republican Debate in Florida. No headlines, no major clashes...
On the Dems side South Carolina is up next tomorrow. It looks like Barak Obama will win the primary there. He had a bit on David Letterman last night...Top 10 Campaign Promises. It was pretty funny.
Hansen Impeachment
I was interested to read the response to our story about the effort to impeach Polk County District Judge Robert Hansen.
It seemed there was a balance of opinion. Most of the opinions were thoughtful and I respect people's views, especially those based in one's faith.
I have a question: Are we approaching this from a premise based on a misunderstanding? It was my understanding from High School civics class that a Judge's job is to interpret the constitutionality of a law. It doesn't matter what the Judge thinks of the law itself, the issue before Judge Hansen was the wording of the law and does it or does it not violate the Iowa Constitution? In this case, can the state deny an otherwise law abiding adult a license to enter into the contract of marriage with another person?
Also, if the Judge's ruling is that a law is unconstitutional, and in this case, that law prohibited the issuance of a marriage license; in the absence of any other law, don't we assume there should be no restriction?
I'm not advocating the ruling or arguing against it. I have my own view that I will keep to myself. I just think sometimes we throw out phrases like, "The judge overturned the law" on our newscast. While that may have been the side outcome, what the Judge actually did was rule on the Constitutionality of the law. It may be semantics but I think it's important to assign the right words to the actions of our news makers.
Finally, all of the people who asked to vote on this issue in their blog responses should be able to, and will if the process moves forward. That's how the system works. Lawmakers wrote a law, someone challenged it, A judge ruled on the law, Lawmakers and the public now have the opportunity to amened the Constitution and make the law viable. If it's the will of the people of the State that the Constitution be changed, I imagine it will happen, even if it takes a long time.
I know this is switching gears a little but it is something weighing heavy on me today. Sometimes people ask me if it is hard delivering the news when there are so many sad stories to report. It's the one question I get most often, behind "what's Jeriann like?" This morning as I was reading the news I thought about this common inquiry. I think I react the way many people do when they hear something disturbing on the news. Sometimes I shake my head in disbelief and other times stories truly make me weepy. This morning was one of those mornings. I had a hard time forgetting about them even after the show was over. I am talking specifically about the 7 month old who was found dead in her own home and the woman from Ankeny who tried to kill her 20 year old son then took her own life. Both of them break my heart and probably effect me in a different way now that I am a mother. I guess I have come to realize that it is hard to deliver some of the stories we air here at WHO. But it makes me thankful for all the positive things and wonderful people in my life. With that said, I hope you have a good weekend and can take time to appreciate all the wonderful things happening in your own life.
BB
I hope you all have a great weekend. As always we welcome your opinions and comments. Please keep them coming in.
I HAVE A NOON SHOW UPDATE FOR YOU TODAY: WE WELCOMED A GROUP OF LADIES WHO ARE NEW OR RELATIVELY NEW TO CENTRAL IOWA TO OUR STUDIOS THIS AFTERNOON. THEY TRY TO FIND ACTIVITIES THEY CAN DO OR BUSINESSES THEY CAN VISIT TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE COMMUNITY. WE WELCOME THEM TO IOWA AND HOPE THEY STICK AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.
It's Friday which, you would think, might mean a sigh of relief from all of us as we walked in the door. Instead it seemed we all needed a kick in the pants this morning. Jeriann did her usual job of providing it. I, for one, and a little "off" today. It's been a long week for a lot of reasons and I'll be glad to get a break. I will however be wifeless tonight...Sally has school this weekend in Iowa City so she's overnight in Iowa City.
Some of us from the station and from The Big Scary Snowman (Channel 8) are playing in a charity Hold em' Poker Tournament to benefit a Camp for Juvenile Diabetes patients tomorrow. That should be fun.
I also get to dust off my tux this weekend for the big Bravo gala event. It's always a good party for a good cause. The cultural organizations in our community are one of the big reasons Central Iowa is a great place to live. I'll try to take a couple of pictures for the Blog Monday...
My weekend will not include a party dress so I will have to live vicariously through Pat. I am sure he'll have some fun stories for me Monday morning during commercial breaks. It will be a "guys weekend" at my house. Eric's brother and father are in town this weekend mainly to see Evan. I have quickly learned that I became non-existent after Evan was born. Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration but I am sure any of you who have children can relate to what I am saying. And I can't blame anyone for this. Evan is much more interesting. But going back to the men who are taking over my house... Eric and his brother decided they would remodel our downstairs bathroom. After 5 trips to Menards, a broken pipe valve and a tile floor that now includes cracks and chips, the bathroom is a disaster and I am praying it actually gets done without any major disasters.
BB
To The News:
Republican Debate
It was like listening to a sitcom with a laugh trac this morning as we played the highlights of the Republican Debate in Florida. No headlines, no major clashes...
On the Dems side South Carolina is up next tomorrow. It looks like Barak Obama will win the primary there. He had a bit on David Letterman last night...Top 10 Campaign Promises. It was pretty funny.
Hansen Impeachment
I was interested to read the response to our story about the effort to impeach Polk County District Judge Robert Hansen.
It seemed there was a balance of opinion. Most of the opinions were thoughtful and I respect people's views, especially those based in one's faith.
I have a question: Are we approaching this from a premise based on a misunderstanding? It was my understanding from High School civics class that a Judge's job is to interpret the constitutionality of a law. It doesn't matter what the Judge thinks of the law itself, the issue before Judge Hansen was the wording of the law and does it or does it not violate the Iowa Constitution? In this case, can the state deny an otherwise law abiding adult a license to enter into the contract of marriage with another person?
Also, if the Judge's ruling is that a law is unconstitutional, and in this case, that law prohibited the issuance of a marriage license; in the absence of any other law, don't we assume there should be no restriction?
I'm not advocating the ruling or arguing against it. I have my own view that I will keep to myself. I just think sometimes we throw out phrases like, "The judge overturned the law" on our newscast. While that may have been the side outcome, what the Judge actually did was rule on the Constitutionality of the law. It may be semantics but I think it's important to assign the right words to the actions of our news makers.
Finally, all of the people who asked to vote on this issue in their blog responses should be able to, and will if the process moves forward. That's how the system works. Lawmakers wrote a law, someone challenged it, A judge ruled on the law, Lawmakers and the public now have the opportunity to amened the Constitution and make the law viable. If it's the will of the people of the State that the Constitution be changed, I imagine it will happen, even if it takes a long time.
I know this is switching gears a little but it is something weighing heavy on me today. Sometimes people ask me if it is hard delivering the news when there are so many sad stories to report. It's the one question I get most often, behind "what's Jeriann like?" This morning as I was reading the news I thought about this common inquiry. I think I react the way many people do when they hear something disturbing on the news. Sometimes I shake my head in disbelief and other times stories truly make me weepy. This morning was one of those mornings. I had a hard time forgetting about them even after the show was over. I am talking specifically about the 7 month old who was found dead in her own home and the woman from Ankeny who tried to kill her 20 year old son then took her own life. Both of them break my heart and probably effect me in a different way now that I am a mother. I guess I have come to realize that it is hard to deliver some of the stories we air here at WHO. But it makes me thankful for all the positive things and wonderful people in my life. With that said, I hope you have a good weekend and can take time to appreciate all the wonderful things happening in your own life.
BB
I hope you all have a great weekend. As always we welcome your opinions and comments. Please keep them coming in.
I HAVE A NOON SHOW UPDATE FOR YOU TODAY: WE WELCOMED A GROUP OF LADIES WHO ARE NEW OR RELATIVELY NEW TO CENTRAL IOWA TO OUR STUDIOS THIS AFTERNOON. THEY TRY TO FIND ACTIVITIES THEY CAN DO OR BUSINESSES THEY CAN VISIT TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE COMMUNITY. WE WELCOME THEM TO IOWA AND HOPE THEY STICK AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Dangerous Cold, Compromise in Washington? and Date Dru Peterson?
It's Brooke here. Pat will add more later when he gets back.
PD Now: Ok...If anyone complains about our constant focus on the temperatures this morning I may lose it. We deserve it some of the time, but this is crazy. My temperature gage on the dash of my car went from 19 degrees in the garage (cold anyway), to -6 in the seven minutes it took me to get to work!
Starbucks for a Buck
Did anyone else see the pictures...they're floating around the Internet and some people claim they're evidence of life on Mars. A rover from NASA took the shot. I see how some people might think it looks like a person or some form thereof...but really people. We've been looking at Mars for years and haven't seen a thing...now there's just one "thing" up there wandering around? Maybe it's Elvis.
PD Now: Ok...If anyone complains about our constant focus on the temperatures this morning I may lose it. We deserve it some of the time, but this is crazy. My temperature gage on the dash of my car went from 19 degrees in the garage (cold anyway), to -6 in the seven minutes it took me to get to work!
The only thing that makes this bearable is the fact that it's going to warm up by the weekend. There was a high in the 40's in Jeriann's forecast! So stay focused on the future. And in the meantime, bundle up!
Washington Compromise
These are two words you don't hear together very often. Republicans and Democrats in D.C. know they have to do something to try to prevent the economy from going into a recession so they are working on a plan that would mainly give some Americans a tax rebate check. The details about how much each family or person will get is still not clear but it would be up to 800 dollars a person and up to 1600 for a family. Income guidelines would decide who gets the money. You'll likely hear more details soon because lawmakers say they want to hammer out a plan and approve it in three weeks. Some of you could be getting that money by April or May.
These are two words you don't hear together very often. Republicans and Democrats in D.C. know they have to do something to try to prevent the economy from going into a recession so they are working on a plan that would mainly give some Americans a tax rebate check. The details about how much each family or person will get is still not clear but it would be up to 800 dollars a person and up to 1600 for a family. Income guidelines would decide who gets the money. You'll likely hear more details soon because lawmakers say they want to hammer out a plan and approve it in three weeks. Some of you could be getting that money by April or May. Pat and I were debating whether people will actually spend the money or use it to pay off debt. Patrick thinks people will pay their credit card bills using this money, but I tend to think people will see this as an opportunity to buy something they felt they shouldn't buy or couldn't afford before they got the money. If you haven't noticed by now, we live in a country where people LIKE to spend money. If the average person in America has credit card debt of 3,000, then I think it is a sign people will spend at least part of the tax rebate. And THAT is what the federal government wants people to do.
10:30 AM: It looks like Congress has a deal...or at least the House has a deal on the stimulus package. There's no details as of the writing of this update, but it sounds like the $300 we thought was coming back to most people will be about right. The for income that I heard about were anyone making less than $75,000 or couples making less than $150,000 would qualify.
Date Drew Peterson
This story made me throw up a little in my mouth. The guy totally gives me the creeps. Here's the scoop. In case you've forgotten, this is the Chicago area cop whose third wife is now missing. Peterson says he had nothing to do with her disappearance, but investigators aren't exactly sure. They think she could have been murdered. Either way, they guy hasn't done a very good job of portraying himself as a worried husband whose wife is no where to be found. He laughs with reporters and makes jokes about it on national television while maintaining his innocence. Anyway, his latest move includes a pitch to a Chicago radio station called "Win a Date with Drew" contest. Female callers would compete for a chance to go out on the town with Drew Peterson. According to the AP, his lawyer pitched the idea. For real??? The radio station declined.
Nuff said...
Starbucks for a Buck
The folks that brought you the four dollar cup of coffee are going the other way to try and compete with Dunkin Doughnuts and McDonald's. Seriously, I understand I'm addicted to Starbucks coffee... admitting you have a problem is the first step right? I think that's a great idea. I also think it's about time. Starbucks overextended it's brands and forgot what made it special. The whole idea was that you could really only get Starbucks in the coffee shop, and the specialty drinks were...well special. Now...if you can't find Starbucks coffee or food, you're not trying hard enough. I think the company devalued it's own brand and allowed the rest of the market to elbow in. Now there's really not all that much that's special about the brands...and I think we're seeing the company acknowledge that with this $1 cup of coffee.
Life on Mars
Did anyone else see the pictures...they're floating around the Internet and some people claim they're evidence of life on Mars. A rover from NASA took the shot. I see how some people might think it looks like a person or some form thereof...but really people. We've been looking at Mars for years and haven't seen a thing...now there's just one "thing" up there wandering around? Maybe it's Elvis.My brother-in-law from Alaska thinks the world is coming to an end. He came here thinking it would be a little warmer. No such luck. He said Alaska has been experiencing temperatures in the 30's and there is no snow on the ground where he lives near Fairbanks. Welcome to Iowa Robert!
Have a good day everyone.
Brooke
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Keep your fingers Crossed, Drake's Streak Alive and Jeriann's Temper
Good Morning.
I think I got Jeriann to agree to blog a little. I know a lot of you get bored seeing essentially the same stuff from me or from Brooke every day so she's agreed to share a few things going on with her right now.
To the News:
Economy
Look for this to be a story until things calm down. The foreign markets were up overnight so that's good. We'll see how Wall Street reacts. We were talking about this on the set. When I said I thought the drop was a good thing...everyone looked at me like I had two heads. It is though. If you're like all of us, with more than a few years until retirement, a downturn like this means your 401k is buying up stocks and investing when prices are lower. The markets will go back up...think of it as bargain shopping. The news isn't so good if you are nearing retirement. This is when you want the markets to soar. Either way, this is the reason investment people tell you to look at your investments over the long term not week to week or even year to year...
Drake
The Dogs pulled one out again at Creighton. They just keep finding ways to win...
This Saturday's game at The Knapp Center is apparently almost sold out. UNI vs Drake should be a good game. The predictions are already starting about where Drake will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. That's putting the cart before the horse for now, but it's hard not to think ahead like that for a team that's had so much success and of course, it's fun to think of the "what ifs".
Ledger
Sally and I saw the news while we were at the gym yesterday. Heath Ledger was found dead at his home in NYC. I'll let Brooke comment more on her reaction, but I always thought the guy was a good actor. Everything I read this morning was the had never bought into the Hollywood hype about himself or the profession of acting.
Principal
Congratulations if you work at Principal Financial group this morning. You are at the 21st best place to work in the country. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Fortune Magazine compiled the list. Principal moved way up from 81st to 21st. Anyone want to tell us why it's a great place to be?
Misinformation
A new study out by two groups finds President Bush and his top aides issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat posed by Iraq after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The study was conducted by two nonprofit journalism organizations and counts 935 false statements as part of what it says was "an orchestrated campaign" to sway public opinion and lead the nation to war.
I'm not going to debate this but I'd only point out one thing. If these studies were truly unbiased studies...wouldn't they just point to false statements made by the President or Senior Administration officials? The public can draw it's own conclusions on what that means. The fact that the study concludes the false statements were a deliberate attempt to draw the country into the war may or may not be true but it's not for journalists to conclude.... Right?
Jeriann
Jeriann contributed this to the blog today...I asked her to share it cause I think it's a story a lot of us can all relate to....
Have you ever had just one of those days?
I’m starting to feel the wedding stress and I decided to take it out on my wonderful future husband, Rob, yesterday. I still feel bad about how I acted. Patrick has been hearing about it all morning long… so he wanted me to blog about it.
First, a disclaimer… I haven’t been sleeping because of the change in schedule. Maybe that has something to do with it? But, I’m still blaming the new computer.
I purchased a new computer in March… to help make the wedding stuff easier. I just spent an additional $350 in December to get the thing really working. We had just ten invitations left to do when the thing locked up. Rob spent time on the phone trying to get the computer working…I spent hours on the phone trying to get it fixed. We finally gave in and took it to a computer professional on Monday. For another $250 they’ll fix it.
So on Tuesday I was finally going to finish our 10 invitations… the computer is dead. I’m done dealing with that. So I decide to focus on the 80 invitations I can get in the mail.
Those were still waiting for direction cards that I paid extra for… which should have been done over the weekend. I go to pick the direction cards up… they’re not all done... 15 short. Fine, I’ll just mail the ones I can. Rob and I had special postage made where you put your picture on the stamp. I go to mail them… the invitation weighs 1.1 ounce… the 80 invitations now need a 17 cent goat stamp added.
So, Rob comes home from work and I blame him for the computer still not working. Totally not his fault… but I’m still mad at him.
Anyway, this story should serve as a reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes we need to just take a step back and think about what is really important in life. Late last night I remembered it’s not computers or invitations… but the people we love. I’m very lucky to be marrying such an understanding guy who can handle this crazy woman.
Hope you had a good start to the day.
PWD
I think I got Jeriann to agree to blog a little. I know a lot of you get bored seeing essentially the same stuff from me or from Brooke every day so she's agreed to share a few things going on with her right now.
To the News:
Economy
Look for this to be a story until things calm down. The foreign markets were up overnight so that's good. We'll see how Wall Street reacts. We were talking about this on the set. When I said I thought the drop was a good thing...everyone looked at me like I had two heads. It is though. If you're like all of us, with more than a few years until retirement, a downturn like this means your 401k is buying up stocks and investing when prices are lower. The markets will go back up...think of it as bargain shopping. The news isn't so good if you are nearing retirement. This is when you want the markets to soar. Either way, this is the reason investment people tell you to look at your investments over the long term not week to week or even year to year...
Drake
The Dogs pulled one out again at Creighton. They just keep finding ways to win...
This Saturday's game at The Knapp Center is apparently almost sold out. UNI vs Drake should be a good game. The predictions are already starting about where Drake will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. That's putting the cart before the horse for now, but it's hard not to think ahead like that for a team that's had so much success and of course, it's fun to think of the "what ifs".
Ledger
Sally and I saw the news while we were at the gym yesterday. Heath Ledger was found dead at his home in NYC. I'll let Brooke comment more on her reaction, but I always thought the guy was a good actor. Everything I read this morning was the had never bought into the Hollywood hype about himself or the profession of acting.
Principal
Congratulations if you work at Principal Financial group this morning. You are at the 21st best place to work in the country. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Fortune Magazine compiled the list. Principal moved way up from 81st to 21st. Anyone want to tell us why it's a great place to be?
Misinformation
A new study out by two groups finds President Bush and his top aides issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat posed by Iraq after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The study was conducted by two nonprofit journalism organizations and counts 935 false statements as part of what it says was "an orchestrated campaign" to sway public opinion and lead the nation to war.
I'm not going to debate this but I'd only point out one thing. If these studies were truly unbiased studies...wouldn't they just point to false statements made by the President or Senior Administration officials? The public can draw it's own conclusions on what that means. The fact that the study concludes the false statements were a deliberate attempt to draw the country into the war may or may not be true but it's not for journalists to conclude.... Right?
Jeriann
Jeriann contributed this to the blog today...I asked her to share it cause I think it's a story a lot of us can all relate to....
Have you ever had just one of those days?
I’m starting to feel the wedding stress and I decided to take it out on my wonderful future husband, Rob, yesterday. I still feel bad about how I acted. Patrick has been hearing about it all morning long… so he wanted me to blog about it.
First, a disclaimer… I haven’t been sleeping because of the change in schedule. Maybe that has something to do with it? But, I’m still blaming the new computer.
I purchased a new computer in March… to help make the wedding stuff easier. I just spent an additional $350 in December to get the thing really working. We had just ten invitations left to do when the thing locked up. Rob spent time on the phone trying to get the computer working…I spent hours on the phone trying to get it fixed. We finally gave in and took it to a computer professional on Monday. For another $250 they’ll fix it.
So on Tuesday I was finally going to finish our 10 invitations… the computer is dead. I’m done dealing with that. So I decide to focus on the 80 invitations I can get in the mail.
Those were still waiting for direction cards that I paid extra for… which should have been done over the weekend. I go to pick the direction cards up… they’re not all done... 15 short. Fine, I’ll just mail the ones I can. Rob and I had special postage made where you put your picture on the stamp. I go to mail them… the invitation weighs 1.1 ounce… the 80 invitations now need a 17 cent goat stamp added.
So, Rob comes home from work and I blame him for the computer still not working. Totally not his fault… but I’m still mad at him.
Anyway, this story should serve as a reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes we need to just take a step back and think about what is really important in life. Late last night I remembered it’s not computers or invitations… but the people we love. I’m very lucky to be marrying such an understanding guy who can handle this crazy woman.
Hope you had a good start to the day.
PWD
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Slumping Stocks, South Carolina Debate, and UFO's
Good morning...
My opinion of my favorite story of the day comes from yesterday's blog. We were talking about UFO's and bam...Mark Tauschek delivers with his story about the family with mysterious holes in the ice on their pond. Was it something falling from space? Was it "solid waste" falling from an airplane...that happens... if you missed the story...play it from the home page at WHOTV.COM. Funny stuff.
It was much funnier to watch in the context of the conspiracy theory back and forth on the blog Monday. Alpha Zulu...Mike Papa Charlie...The Chair is against the wall....
I hope none of you had any accidents on the way to work. I noticed it was slick when I got on the freeway this morning....everyone was going a lot slower overnight but I thought it might get worse toward the morning rush. It didn't look that bad out there this morning...it was still really slick.
At 9:00 traffic was backed up from Polk Blvd all the way to the West Mixmaster. And not just a little backed up. It was at a dead stand still in some areas. It's been a while since I have seen traffic this bad. I guess the slick conditions sort of sneaked up on drivers. I didn't think it seemed bad when I left for work this morning, but when I got off Fleur, the ramp was slick. I think these are the areas were drivers had the most problems.
BB
To the News:
Economy
The big foreign markets took another nose dive last night and wall street was expected to have a rough open this morning. I'm getting to this a little late so...wait...Ok Breaking news...the Fed just cut interest rates three quarters of a percent...anyone who thinks this there aren't serious concerns about the economy is crazy. The Dow is STILL down 59 points just after the open. Usually news like that would send the markets up...this morning it may simply stop the bleeding.
Update on the Dow. It's down over 400 at opening. And, President is talking about creating an economic stimulus plan that's larger than first proposed. I am no expert on financial planning matters but Pat and I were just talking about how this could be a great time to buy stocks at a good price. And it looks like interest rates could go even lower than they are right now.
Casino
Step two for a Jasper county Casino comes today when the plan goes to the County Supervisors. I say step two because there are so many more to go before this would be a reality. Once again, I'd say, whatever you think of the casino idea, you have to give Newton and Jasper County credit. Maytag left and they didn't roll over and die. They took some big ideas and made them realities. I'm not going to make the same mistake I did when they started talking about a "speedway". I was sceptical it would work. I think I'd give this group a little more credit these days. I'm not sure there's anything they can't do if they really want to.
Dems Debate
I admit to seeing NONE of this last night so when I flipped on the radio at three and heard some of the sound bytes I really wanted to hear more! It was as aggressive as we've seen Sens Obama and Clinton. They went at each other last night while former Sen John Edwards got to play the "Can't we all just get along?" card. I've read a lot of the commentary on this debate and it sounds like the consensus was Sen Clinton does not look good on the attack, Sen Obama did better in the second half of the debate then the 1st and that Sen Edwards looked great, but is probably too far behind to make a difference at this point. Still a couple days to go before South Carolina.
Oscar Nominations
The list was announced this morning and it seems like there were a lot of movies and actors that I have never heard of before. Is it just me? Maybe it's just because I had a child this year and haven't gone to many movies in the first place. Michael Clayton is the only I have seen. It was good and George Clooney is one of my favorites. What does everyone else think?
Blood Donation
Just wanted to thank the People at the Blood Center of Iowa for another great experience giving blood. They made it fast and easy. Everyone was really friendly and I was in and out in less than an hour.
We'll keep watching the Dow and see if the markets can recover at all today.
Have a good one and stay warm.
PWD
My opinion of my favorite story of the day comes from yesterday's blog. We were talking about UFO's and bam...Mark Tauschek delivers with his story about the family with mysterious holes in the ice on their pond. Was it something falling from space? Was it "solid waste" falling from an airplane...that happens... if you missed the story...play it from the home page at WHOTV.COM. Funny stuff.
It was much funnier to watch in the context of the conspiracy theory back and forth on the blog Monday. Alpha Zulu...Mike Papa Charlie...The Chair is against the wall....
I hope none of you had any accidents on the way to work. I noticed it was slick when I got on the freeway this morning....everyone was going a lot slower overnight but I thought it might get worse toward the morning rush. It didn't look that bad out there this morning...it was still really slick.
At 9:00 traffic was backed up from Polk Blvd all the way to the West Mixmaster. And not just a little backed up. It was at a dead stand still in some areas. It's been a while since I have seen traffic this bad. I guess the slick conditions sort of sneaked up on drivers. I didn't think it seemed bad when I left for work this morning, but when I got off Fleur, the ramp was slick. I think these are the areas were drivers had the most problems.
BB
To the News:
Economy
The big foreign markets took another nose dive last night and wall street was expected to have a rough open this morning. I'm getting to this a little late so...wait...Ok Breaking news...the Fed just cut interest rates three quarters of a percent...anyone who thinks this there aren't serious concerns about the economy is crazy. The Dow is STILL down 59 points just after the open. Usually news like that would send the markets up...this morning it may simply stop the bleeding.
Update on the Dow. It's down over 400 at opening. And, President is talking about creating an economic stimulus plan that's larger than first proposed. I am no expert on financial planning matters but Pat and I were just talking about how this could be a great time to buy stocks at a good price. And it looks like interest rates could go even lower than they are right now.
Casino
Step two for a Jasper county Casino comes today when the plan goes to the County Supervisors. I say step two because there are so many more to go before this would be a reality. Once again, I'd say, whatever you think of the casino idea, you have to give Newton and Jasper County credit. Maytag left and they didn't roll over and die. They took some big ideas and made them realities. I'm not going to make the same mistake I did when they started talking about a "speedway". I was sceptical it would work. I think I'd give this group a little more credit these days. I'm not sure there's anything they can't do if they really want to.
Dems Debate
I admit to seeing NONE of this last night so when I flipped on the radio at three and heard some of the sound bytes I really wanted to hear more! It was as aggressive as we've seen Sens Obama and Clinton. They went at each other last night while former Sen John Edwards got to play the "Can't we all just get along?" card. I've read a lot of the commentary on this debate and it sounds like the consensus was Sen Clinton does not look good on the attack, Sen Obama did better in the second half of the debate then the 1st and that Sen Edwards looked great, but is probably too far behind to make a difference at this point. Still a couple days to go before South Carolina.
Oscar Nominations
The list was announced this morning and it seems like there were a lot of movies and actors that I have never heard of before. Is it just me? Maybe it's just because I had a child this year and haven't gone to many movies in the first place. Michael Clayton is the only I have seen. It was good and George Clooney is one of my favorites. What does everyone else think?
Blood Donation
Just wanted to thank the People at the Blood Center of Iowa for another great experience giving blood. They made it fast and easy. Everyone was really friendly and I was in and out in less than an hour.
We'll keep watching the Dow and see if the markets can recover at all today.
Have a good one and stay warm.
PWD
Monday, January 21, 2008
Newton Casino? MKL Day, and I Really Do Like Jeriann.
Good Morning! Lots to talk about this morning including a viewer email. It came in to Jeriann. It says in part:
I was wondering if why you were not on the AM show anymore? Is it cause of Patrick Dix? He seems like he thinks he's better than he thinks he's better than everyone else, and it didn't seem like he liked you much."
C'mon people really? Jeriann and I are friends!
We laughed over the idea that:
A. I didn't want her around...I love seeing her in the morning and she makes this job a lot easier and...
B. That I have any control over who WHOTV hires or schedules for a shift. Now that's a good joke!
Seriously, Jeriann and I describe our relationship as that of brother/sister. We'll mess with each other from time to time, but if anyone from outside the family messes with us...watch out.
If I've offended any of you because "I think I'm better than everyone" that's not my intention. I am who I am and I won't stop acting like myself.
I'm reading a great book right now that talks about Brian Williams and his job change over tot he Anchor desk. He talks about people writing nasty emails about him....people who are sure he's biased and arrogant and unprofessional. It just so happened he had been going through a rough time. His Dad had just been put in the hospital, his 1st daughter just went to college and he'd spent the weekend trying to clean out his in-laws flooded basement. He says he felt like writing back and telling people all of that, but he knew he couldn't. The point is we're just like all of you. We don't share a lot of the things that might be going on in the most personal areas of our lives...if we seem distant or not like ourselves some days, we might be just like anyone else you know. We might just be having a bad day.
To The News:
Newton Casino?
There are plans in the works to get this on the ballot of Jasper county voters. That's the first step to getting a Casino built next to the Iowa Speedway. Channel 13's Dave Price was the first to show you the plans last night. So Any Jasper Co bloggers out there? Are you going to vote for this? Any Prairie Meadows regulars that would fight the development of a new Casino just down the Road?
Martin Luther King Jr Holiday
No school for a lot of School Districts. It's a State and Federal Holiday, so don't expect the mail...some other businesses may be closed as a result of the holiday as well. I should say we got a call to say we'd offended a viewer by calling it the "MLK" holiday. I hope no one really thinks we were trying to be disrespectful. It's just a long name, and I think many of us who live in Des Moines are used to hearing Dr King's name used that way when we refer to the road named after him. We'll try to be more careful as we go through the day and I'll pass along the comment to the Newsroom.
If you'd like to go to a Martin Luther King Day Celebration there is the State program this morning at 10:45 at the State Historical Building. Grandview College hosts an event just after Noon.
Politics
Any reaction from the weekend's Primary/Caucus schedule? A Romney Clinton Win in Nevada and a McCain win in South Carolina. I think it's going to be a long time before we get a nominee in either party. Wouldn't it be fun to have a Summer Convention on both sides without a nominee? How much fun would that be to watch?
Blood Shortage
I may go give blood today on my break so if I seem a little light headed on the Noon News don't be surprised. The Blood Center of Iowa says it's at a shortage so if you get a chance...get out and donate this week. For the record I'm O- and I think there's something in my blood that makes it safe for infants. They call all the time to see if I can donate...I need to do it more often.
Drake
Still one of the best sports stories of the last few months. Drake got another quality win over Illinois State this weekend.
I hope you Drake Alumni are wearing your blue proudly this morning. Go Dogs!
Caffeine
Expecting Moms you'll want to read a new study about caffeine and pregnancy. You are twice as likely to have a miscarriage if you regularly consumer more than 200 milligrams of caffeine. That's two cups of coffee.
$&per Bowl...or The Big Game
So I went on a rant last night before going to bed. I just hate that the NFL has trademarked or copyrighted the name $&perbowl so everyone has to refer to their sales or events as "The Big Game" Van and Bonnie are doing it! Van is giving himself away for someone's Superbowl party and he can't say $&perbowl...he's got to say "The Big Game". If you ask me it's not American that we all can't refer to the game by it's name...and it's cheap for the NFL to try and moneygrub the rest of the country off a game that they make MILLIONS off of. I'm personally offended.
Brooke is taking her New Year's Holiday today. She'll be back tomorrow.
See you then..I'm going to go be nice to Jeriann for a while.
PWD
I was wondering if why you were not on the AM show anymore? Is it cause of Patrick Dix? He seems like he thinks he's better than he thinks he's better than everyone else, and it didn't seem like he liked you much."
C'mon people really? Jeriann and I are friends!
We laughed over the idea that:
A. I didn't want her around...I love seeing her in the morning and she makes this job a lot easier and...
B. That I have any control over who WHOTV hires or schedules for a shift. Now that's a good joke!
Seriously, Jeriann and I describe our relationship as that of brother/sister. We'll mess with each other from time to time, but if anyone from outside the family messes with us...watch out.
If I've offended any of you because "I think I'm better than everyone" that's not my intention. I am who I am and I won't stop acting like myself.
I'm reading a great book right now that talks about Brian Williams and his job change over tot he Anchor desk. He talks about people writing nasty emails about him....people who are sure he's biased and arrogant and unprofessional. It just so happened he had been going through a rough time. His Dad had just been put in the hospital, his 1st daughter just went to college and he'd spent the weekend trying to clean out his in-laws flooded basement. He says he felt like writing back and telling people all of that, but he knew he couldn't. The point is we're just like all of you. We don't share a lot of the things that might be going on in the most personal areas of our lives...if we seem distant or not like ourselves some days, we might be just like anyone else you know. We might just be having a bad day.
To The News:
Newton Casino?
There are plans in the works to get this on the ballot of Jasper county voters. That's the first step to getting a Casino built next to the Iowa Speedway. Channel 13's Dave Price was the first to show you the plans last night. So Any Jasper Co bloggers out there? Are you going to vote for this? Any Prairie Meadows regulars that would fight the development of a new Casino just down the Road?
Martin Luther King Jr Holiday
No school for a lot of School Districts. It's a State and Federal Holiday, so don't expect the mail...some other businesses may be closed as a result of the holiday as well. I should say we got a call to say we'd offended a viewer by calling it the "MLK" holiday. I hope no one really thinks we were trying to be disrespectful. It's just a long name, and I think many of us who live in Des Moines are used to hearing Dr King's name used that way when we refer to the road named after him. We'll try to be more careful as we go through the day and I'll pass along the comment to the Newsroom.
If you'd like to go to a Martin Luther King Day Celebration there is the State program this morning at 10:45 at the State Historical Building. Grandview College hosts an event just after Noon.
Politics
Any reaction from the weekend's Primary/Caucus schedule? A Romney Clinton Win in Nevada and a McCain win in South Carolina. I think it's going to be a long time before we get a nominee in either party. Wouldn't it be fun to have a Summer Convention on both sides without a nominee? How much fun would that be to watch?
Blood Shortage
I may go give blood today on my break so if I seem a little light headed on the Noon News don't be surprised. The Blood Center of Iowa says it's at a shortage so if you get a chance...get out and donate this week. For the record I'm O- and I think there's something in my blood that makes it safe for infants. They call all the time to see if I can donate...I need to do it more often.
Drake
Still one of the best sports stories of the last few months. Drake got another quality win over Illinois State this weekend.
I hope you Drake Alumni are wearing your blue proudly this morning. Go Dogs!
Caffeine
Expecting Moms you'll want to read a new study about caffeine and pregnancy. You are twice as likely to have a miscarriage if you regularly consumer more than 200 milligrams of caffeine. That's two cups of coffee.
$&per Bowl...or The Big Game
So I went on a rant last night before going to bed. I just hate that the NFL has trademarked or copyrighted the name $&perbowl so everyone has to refer to their sales or events as "The Big Game" Van and Bonnie are doing it! Van is giving himself away for someone's Superbowl party and he can't say $&perbowl...he's got to say "The Big Game". If you ask me it's not American that we all can't refer to the game by it's name...and it's cheap for the NFL to try and moneygrub the rest of the country off a game that they make MILLIONS off of. I'm personally offended.
Brooke is taking her New Year's Holiday today. She'll be back tomorrow.
See you then..I'm going to go be nice to Jeriann for a while.
PWD
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bush Steps in on the Economy, Hartzell Steps Down and No Seinfeld for You!
Good Morning.
It must be Friday, there's a lot to talk about before we take a couple of days off.
I feel like an idiot when I do stupid things. No matter when your routine starts, the list of things
you have to do before getting out the door can be hard to remember.
I left my coffee cup on the counter. I put it there specifically to take with me this morning. Once you get past forgetting something like that, you can't imagine HOW it happened. It does.
That's how the day started...it looks like it's going to get busy.
In the News:
The Economy
I
s it really bad or is the Media making it worse by scaring people? That's the question Brooke and I talked about before the show. Each of us wondered how much of the slowdown in spending is due to people hearing and reading about bad economic news. Each of us also wondered how much the State of Iowa is insulated from the National trends of lower spending and layoffs. It's hard to tell. I'd like to hear what you think though.
The reason all of this comes up is that The President is going to step in today and propose a one time, quick influx of cash into the economy. The idea is to give people a tax rebate and hope they run out and spend it.
Wells Fargo
More than 100 people are being layed-off at Wells Fargo. The news came yesterday but as is
typical with this company it told us they aren't lay-offs so much as "restructuring". I'm not sure someone who loses their job would agree.
The Company says people can transition to jobs open in the company (there are about 200 open) and that works but only if those jobs offer equal pay. If they cut the Anchor position out of Today in Iowa and offer me a job shoveling the walk at WHO instead, I hardly think I'd call that a transition.
Cleaning = Foreplay?
The Today Show's website had this headline on it and it caught my eye...that's the idea. The actual story is one that I think a lot of married people can relate to. It says a new study of women's brains shows that to get a woman relaxed enough to get "turned on", she needs to be free of distractions.
The example in the headline is that if the kitchen is clean, the kids have done their homework and all the chores are finished before you go to bed...a woman can relax.
The bigger point to me is understanding how your partner's brain works. Men needed to be more aware of helping out, and Women need to be more willing to ASK FOR HELP. I think Brooke would agree it's something a lot of married couples struggle with.
I hesitated to even make this a part of the blog...please don't prove my trust in your judgement is misplaced by posting inappropriate comments about this story.
Bobbi Fischer
The American (or former American) Chess Champ died this morning. He was 64.
It must be Friday, there's a lot to talk about before we take a couple of days off.
I feel like an idiot when I do stupid things. No matter when your routine starts, the list of things
you have to do before getting out the door can be hard to remember.
I left my coffee cup on the counter. I put it there specifically to take with me this morning. Once you get past forgetting something like that, you can't imagine HOW it happened. It does.
That's how the day started...it looks like it's going to get busy.
In the News:
The Economy
I
s it really bad or is the Media making it worse by scaring people? That's the question Brooke and I talked about before the show. Each of us wondered how much of the slowdown in spending is due to people hearing and reading about bad economic news. Each of us also wondered how much the State of Iowa is insulated from the National trends of lower spending and layoffs. It's hard to tell. I'd like to hear what you think though.
The reason all of this comes up is that The President is going to step in today and propose a one time, quick influx of cash into the economy. The idea is to give people a tax rebate and hope they run out and spend it.
NOON Update: The President did as expected so here's a question I forgot to ask...if you do, in fact, get this money back will you spend it? If so, how?
Hartzell
K
udos to our intrepid Photojournalist Roger Riley who caught this one on the CF Currier this morning. Rick Hartzell is resigning at UNI after eight years as Athletic Director. I think it would be hard to argue his tenure has been anything but a success....but then what the heck do I know. The School asked him to stay, but Hartzell says he just didn't feel like he was an appreciated member of the Schools Administration.
Hartzell
K
udos to our intrepid Photojournalist Roger Riley who caught this one on the CF Currier this morning. Rick Hartzell is resigning at UNI after eight years as Athletic Director. I think it would be hard to argue his tenure has been anything but a success....but then what the heck do I know. The School asked him to stay, but Hartzell says he just didn't feel like he was an appreciated member of the Schools Administration.Wells Fargo
More than 100 people are being layed-off at Wells Fargo. The news came yesterday but as is
typical with this company it told us they aren't lay-offs so much as "restructuring". I'm not sure someone who loses their job would agree.The Company says people can transition to jobs open in the company (there are about 200 open) and that works but only if those jobs offer equal pay. If they cut the Anchor position out of Today in Iowa and offer me a job shoveling the walk at WHO instead, I hardly think I'd call that a transition.
Cleaning = Foreplay?
The Today Show's website had this headline on it and it caught my eye...that's the idea. The actual story is one that I think a lot of married people can relate to. It says a new study of women's brains shows that to get a woman relaxed enough to get "turned on", she needs to be free of distractions.
The example in the headline is that if the kitchen is clean, the kids have done their homework and all the chores are finished before you go to bed...a woman can relax.
The bigger point to me is understanding how your partner's brain works. Men needed to be more aware of helping out, and Women need to be more willing to ASK FOR HELP. I think Brooke would agree it's something a lot of married couples struggle with.
I hesitated to even make this a part of the blog...please don't prove my trust in your judgement is misplaced by posting inappropriate comments about this story.
Bobbi FischerThe American (or former American) Chess Champ died this morning. He was 64.
Seinfeld
The owner of a Green Bay TV station, upon hearing the news that Giants QB Eli Manning loves Seinfeld, decided to pull all the re-runs from the schedule for the week.
That'll get em.
The owner of a Green Bay TV station, upon hearing the news that Giants QB Eli Manning loves Seinfeld, decided to pull all the re-runs from the schedule for the week.
That'll get em.
I'm sure Vegas is seeing a run on bets for the Packers now!
Eli Manning will be so distraught... he'll throw three interceptions and lose the game for the Giants....all because of Seinfeld....Neuman!
In a PR home run teed up by said TV Station Manager, Sony shipped Manning the Box Set of Seinfeld and a portable DVD player to watch them. And think...he doesn't even have to watch the commercials!
Eli Manning will be so distraught... he'll throw three interceptions and lose the game for the Giants....all because of Seinfeld....Neuman!
In a PR home run teed up by said TV Station Manager, Sony shipped Manning the Box Set of Seinfeld and a portable DVD player to watch them. And think...he doesn't even have to watch the commercials!
Sorry I don't have a lot to contribute today, but Patrick did a good job covering a broad range of topics. I will say however that on a program-related note, I miss the new episodes of my favorite sitcoms. I don't know if I can stomach some of the reality television that is filling in the gaps right now. I am begging you writers, please return to work!!!
And finally a nod to my Mother who emailed and told me I'd likely offended most of Iowa in a past Blog posting. I wasn't aware that I had, but if any of you caught my offense...you know what it was. I apologize if I unintentionally offended anyone. If you missed it...ignore all of this. Thanks Mom!
Have a great weekend
PWD+BB
PWD+BB
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Winter's Back
Good Morning.
It looked pretty from the inside this morning but at the writing of this blog shortly after Today in Iowa, it's a mess outside. You had to expect this given the timing we've been talking about for the last two or three days. I hope your morning wasn't that hectic due to the snow.
In The News
WX
The headlines this morning is the snow but a close second in that race this morning is the cold. It's going to get bitterly cold over the next few days.
I'm listening to the DOT divert traffic off the interstate near Altoona because of a bad accident. They're not going to get that cleared for a while so if you're headed east today...give yourself a lot more time.
As the morning progressed, we had a lot of traffic situations that caused major backups. Quite a few of our producers came in cursing under their breath because it took so long to drive to the station. At one point, traffic was backed up all the way from Bell at Fleur to MLK because people traveling south couldn't get up the hill at the intersection. Same thing at Grand and 31st. And, then there was one of those "only in Iowa" accidents near Newton on 1-80. A truck carrying a trailer full of hogs tipped over and some of the animals spilled out onto the road. It's been an interesting morning!
BB
Drake
What a finish to the Drake/Bradley game last night. This will be the sports story of the year if Drake can win the MVC. Good for them. I like this story even more because neither of the other big three are competing for headlines these days. I'm not trying to hack off the Cyclone (who beat my MU Tigers last night) or Hawk fans, but I think it's nice that Drake gets the spotlight by itself for now.
Static Electricity
To the person who wrote about my hair yesterday, you are so right. I needed a bottle of static guard. I usually record the show everyday at home and try to watch bits of it later in the day to and noticed a few hairs sticking out from the left side of my hair. It was so bad it made me first scream in horror and then laugh because I looked like I just rolled onto the set from bed. Why didn't anyone tell me? Thanks to everyone who stood up for me. I can always count on some of my fellow female bloggers to defend me. The bad thing about working in tv is that you cannot have a bad hair day!
BB
My brother-in-law from Alaska got into town late last night so I am excited to get home and see him. He doesn't make it back to Iowa often so it has been a while since I have seen him. I'm sure he feels right at home with the snow and cold temperatures. If I remember, I will try to post some pictures this week of his "house" in Alaska. He's an interesting man who has traded in the rat race for peace and tranquility near the beautiful landscape of Denali. An interesting guy who is truly living the simple life.
BB
I have to go to a meeting but I will add to this as is warranted trough the day. Stay warm.
It looked pretty from the inside this morning but at the writing of this blog shortly after Today in Iowa, it's a mess outside. You had to expect this given the timing we've been talking about for the last two or three days. I hope your morning wasn't that hectic due to the snow.
In The News
WX
The headlines this morning is the snow but a close second in that race this morning is the cold. It's going to get bitterly cold over the next few days.
I'm listening to the DOT divert traffic off the interstate near Altoona because of a bad accident. They're not going to get that cleared for a while so if you're headed east today...give yourself a lot more time.
As the morning progressed, we had a lot of traffic situations that caused major backups. Quite a few of our producers came in cursing under their breath because it took so long to drive to the station. At one point, traffic was backed up all the way from Bell at Fleur to MLK because people traveling south couldn't get up the hill at the intersection. Same thing at Grand and 31st. And, then there was one of those "only in Iowa" accidents near Newton on 1-80. A truck carrying a trailer full of hogs tipped over and some of the animals spilled out onto the road. It's been an interesting morning!
BB
Drake
What a finish to the Drake/Bradley game last night. This will be the sports story of the year if Drake can win the MVC. Good for them. I like this story even more because neither of the other big three are competing for headlines these days. I'm not trying to hack off the Cyclone (who beat my MU Tigers last night) or Hawk fans, but I think it's nice that Drake gets the spotlight by itself for now.
Static Electricity
To the person who wrote about my hair yesterday, you are so right. I needed a bottle of static guard. I usually record the show everyday at home and try to watch bits of it later in the day to and noticed a few hairs sticking out from the left side of my hair. It was so bad it made me first scream in horror and then laugh because I looked like I just rolled onto the set from bed. Why didn't anyone tell me? Thanks to everyone who stood up for me. I can always count on some of my fellow female bloggers to defend me. The bad thing about working in tv is that you cannot have a bad hair day!
BB
My brother-in-law from Alaska got into town late last night so I am excited to get home and see him. He doesn't make it back to Iowa often so it has been a while since I have seen him. I'm sure he feels right at home with the snow and cold temperatures. If I remember, I will try to post some pictures this week of his "house" in Alaska. He's an interesting man who has traded in the rat race for peace and tranquility near the beautiful landscape of Denali. An interesting guy who is truly living the simple life.
BB
I have to go to a meeting but I will add to this as is warranted trough the day. Stay warm.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Romney Wins, Katie Unplugged and Desk Distractions
Good Morning,
Heather's back! When we talked for the last few days about the return of our on-air crew, we failed to talked about another big return today. Our Producer Heather Lewis is back from maternity leave this morning and it was good to have her influence on the show again. We've had a stellar crew that filled in for her and they all worked their butts off to help during Heather's absence. Still, I think Heather brings a different perspective and a lot of morning experience to our show. Plus she's got a lot of funny one liners she's built up during her maternity leave. Glad to have you here Heather.
To The News:
Republican Jumble
If you were looking for an interesting race for each party's nomination...you've got it. A Mitt
Romney win in Michigan means three winners in the three big races for Republicans. The Democrats race is going to be just as interesting...fasten your seat belts.
I'll pause here to tell you something I've been thinking about for a few days.
We're getting emails every once in a while from people who are "warning" us about Sen Obama and Gov Romney. The "warnings" come in the form of letters about each man's religious beliefs. The smear campaign is amazing. These letters basically paint each as the James Bond villain with a cat on his lap, bent on the destruction of the United States. I'm often amazed at the lengths to which people will go to destroy someone who's different, or who holds different beliefs. I left with a question...why are we so scared of anything that's different?
Condition of the State
I remember thinking this about Gov Vilsack early in his career, but the Gov Culver's speaking skills reading off of prepared remarks just isn't his strength.
I've listened to him give ad lib remarks before and it's like he's a different person. I know that's not how you give a Condition of the State speech, but get the guy a teleprompter at least! The Comparison with Gov Vilsack is instructional on that point though. Vilsack delivered very good speeches by the end of his term as Governor.
Katie Unplugged
There's a video going around the Internet of Katie Couric in the breaks between her Election night coverage from New Hampshire. It's not juicy at all. It's boring. She's just as you'd expect. The critics say this is proof she's not a serious journalist...It looked to me like she was just trying to keep it light.
On that subject, I'm reading a book called "Reality Show" about the transition from the old "Big 3" anchors to the new teams on each network. It's a really interesting look at how each builds it's newscast and why each network chose to go the way it did.
I watched the Katie video as well because I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I agree with Pat, it's just her trying to lighten things up during commercial breaks. There were times when she is asking the correspondents and her producers to confirm that her information was correct. She also jokes about John McCain's wife's eyes which could be interpreted as a little mean spirited. However, I think Katie gets a lot of criticism that isn't always fair. I am excited to read the book about the three network anchors. Pat usually gives me an update on what he's read so I feel like I have already read the Cliff Notes.
Desk Distractions
Since they installed computers on the Anchor desk the wait between stories and commercial breaks is certainly more entertaining. It's easier for us to access information as it's coming in, and there is a lot of new information that comes out while we're on the air. It can also be a
distraction for sure. I'm sure Brooke and our producer Heather would tell you I can be hard to reach sometimes sitting there reading over something.
This morning's distraction was unusual. The Today Show web site has excerpts from the new "Unauthorized Biography of Tom Cruise" The particular section of the book they put online was all about Scientology. It was like not being able to turn away from a car wreck. Ask any of the people I work with. I'm usually not into the infotainment gossipy news scene and will argue for keeping it out of our newscast but I just couldn't stop reading this stuff.
Winter weather is on the way so we'll be up early with you tomorrow talking school closings and delays. Just make sure you stay safe and warm up the snow blower! We'll see you back here tomorrow.
Heather's back! When we talked for the last few days about the return of our on-air crew, we failed to talked about another big return today. Our Producer Heather Lewis is back from maternity leave this morning and it was good to have her influence on the show again. We've had a stellar crew that filled in for her and they all worked their butts off to help during Heather's absence. Still, I think Heather brings a different perspective and a lot of morning experience to our show. Plus she's got a lot of funny one liners she's built up during her maternity leave. Glad to have you here Heather.
To The News:
Republican Jumble
If you were looking for an interesting race for each party's nomination...you've got it. A Mitt
Romney win in Michigan means three winners in the three big races for Republicans. The Democrats race is going to be just as interesting...fasten your seat belts.I'll pause here to tell you something I've been thinking about for a few days.
We're getting emails every once in a while from people who are "warning" us about Sen Obama and Gov Romney. The "warnings" come in the form of letters about each man's religious beliefs. The smear campaign is amazing. These letters basically paint each as the James Bond villain with a cat on his lap, bent on the destruction of the United States. I'm often amazed at the lengths to which people will go to destroy someone who's different, or who holds different beliefs. I left with a question...why are we so scared of anything that's different?
Condition of the State
I remember thinking this about Gov Vilsack early in his career, but the Gov Culver's speaking skills reading off of prepared remarks just isn't his strength.
I've listened to him give ad lib remarks before and it's like he's a different person. I know that's not how you give a Condition of the State speech, but get the guy a teleprompter at least! The Comparison with Gov Vilsack is instructional on that point though. Vilsack delivered very good speeches by the end of his term as Governor.
Katie Unplugged
There's a video going around the Internet of Katie Couric in the breaks between her Election night coverage from New Hampshire. It's not juicy at all. It's boring. She's just as you'd expect. The critics say this is proof she's not a serious journalist...It looked to me like she was just trying to keep it light.
On that subject, I'm reading a book called "Reality Show" about the transition from the old "Big 3" anchors to the new teams on each network. It's a really interesting look at how each builds it's newscast and why each network chose to go the way it did.I watched the Katie video as well because I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I agree with Pat, it's just her trying to lighten things up during commercial breaks. There were times when she is asking the correspondents and her producers to confirm that her information was correct. She also jokes about John McCain's wife's eyes which could be interpreted as a little mean spirited. However, I think Katie gets a lot of criticism that isn't always fair. I am excited to read the book about the three network anchors. Pat usually gives me an update on what he's read so I feel like I have already read the Cliff Notes.
Desk Distractions
Since they installed computers on the Anchor desk the wait between stories and commercial breaks is certainly more entertaining. It's easier for us to access information as it's coming in, and there is a lot of new information that comes out while we're on the air. It can also be a
distraction for sure. I'm sure Brooke and our producer Heather would tell you I can be hard to reach sometimes sitting there reading over something.This morning's distraction was unusual. The Today Show web site has excerpts from the new "Unauthorized Biography of Tom Cruise" The particular section of the book they put online was all about Scientology. It was like not being able to turn away from a car wreck. Ask any of the people I work with. I'm usually not into the infotainment gossipy news scene and will argue for keeping it out of our newscast but I just couldn't stop reading this stuff.
Winter weather is on the way so we'll be up early with you tomorrow talking school closings and delays. Just make sure you stay safe and warm up the snow blower! We'll see you back here tomorrow.
PWD +BB
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Condition of the State, Which Wine is Really Better? and Working the Room
Good Morning!
That's what I always call it. It is, of course, the Condition of the State. The Governor will unveil his plan to raise the bottle and can deposit to ten cents per. Anyone on board with this one? We already have a pretty low rate of littering and a high rate of return on bottles and cans because of the five cent deposit. What do you think? Are you willing to pay more for your six pack of pop?
All's right with the world again. Brooke is back and feeling better. We had a great time this morning while the camera was on and when it was off.
Lots to talk about:
State of the State
That's what I always call it. It is, of course, the Condition of the State. The Governor will unveil his plan to raise the bottle and can deposit to ten cents per. Anyone on board with this one? We already have a pretty low rate of littering and a high rate of return on bottles and cans because of the five cent deposit. What do you think? Are you willing to pay more for your six pack of pop?If you're like Sally and I we keep our bottles and cans till we can't stand to look at them anymore. Tip for those of you who hate to stand in line at the grocery: Go over to Patterson Recycling south of the Capitol. The people over there are great! They take your bottles and cans...count em up and give you your cash, then they take care of it. Great option.
Other than the Recycling, the Gov is supposed to talk about roads and healthcare and partisan bickering. That last one is the one I'd like to hear. Though this session is not off to a great start where that's concerned. Usually the name calling at the Capitol waits until week two. Not so much this year.
Is there one thing you'd like to see Lawmakers accomplish this session?
On a side note to the business at the Capitol, I went to the Greater Des Moines Partnership Legislative reception at Prairie Meadows last night.
I feel like I never get out of the building anymore because I'm doing the Noon and Morning. It was good to see some of the people I've worked with in my time as a reporter. Most of the people I talked to expect a session where not much gets done except the budget. That'll be hard enough.
One of the Lawmakers I talked to told me he doesn't think that's a bad thing. The more time lawmakers have at the capitol, the more laws they'll pass, and in this guy's opinion, the point of our short legislative session is to keep Iowa's Capitol full of citizen lawmakers and not full time Politicians.
Presidential Politics
For those of you keeping score at home, Republicans vote tonight in Michigan.
Democrats debate in Nevada...maybe. A judge says he'll block the debate if Dennis Kucinich isn't included.
From Yahoo News:
The Kucinich campaign sued NBC over the network's decision to conduct a closed debate. And Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson ruled Monday that the congressman must be allowed to participate. Arguing that Nevada voters -- and, by extension, the Democratic nominating process in which they are playing a high-profile role -- would benefit by hearing from more than just NBC-favored contenders Clinton, Oba
ma and Edwards, Judge Thompson said, "I don't think that just deciding that just three is good enough for the state of Nevada is a legitimate basis (for dropping Kucinich)."
"Had it been established at the beginning that they'll only take the top three for the debates, I wouldn't have any problem enforcing it," the judge explained to NBC's lawyers. "I'm somewhat offended that a legitimate candidate was invited to a debate and then uninvited under circumstances that appear to be that they just decided to exclude him."
How offended? Judge Thompson told the network's lawyers that any move to exclude Kucinich would lead him to issue an injunction to stop the televised debate.
This threat to its ability to police the discourse was an affront that NBC would not let stand. "We disagree with the judge's decision and are filing an appeal," declared Jeremy Gaines, a vice president for MSNBC, who announced that the cable channel's parent network would demand an immediate hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.
ma and Edwards, Judge Thompson said, "I don't think that just deciding that just three is good enough for the state of Nevada is a legitimate basis (for dropping Kucinich).""Had it been established at the beginning that they'll only take the top three for the debates, I wouldn't have any problem enforcing it," the judge explained to NBC's lawyers. "I'm somewhat offended that a legitimate candidate was invited to a debate and then uninvited under circumstances that appear to be that they just decided to exclude him."
How offended? Judge Thompson told the network's lawyers that any move to exclude Kucinich would lead him to issue an injunction to stop the televised debate.This threat to its ability to police the discourse was an affront that NBC would not let stand. "We disagree with the judge's decision and are filing an appeal," declared Jeremy Gaines, a vice president for MSNBC, who announced that the cable channel's parent network would demand an immediate hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.
Now I'm not sure what right the Judge thinks he had to try and stop a group from assembling or exercising their right to free speech. I understand the argument from some people that the Congressman's exclusion from the debate is essentially NBC saying which candidates are important and which aren't. We've had a lot of this debate from the beginning of the campaign.
I would argue Kucinich and other candidates had a lot of time to make their case to Iowans. How many times was the Congressman here? How many events did you see him at? How did he finish in Iowa and New Hampshire? My point is this; at some point you have to call the Kucinich for President Campaign what it is...
Kucinich will enter every Presidential race until he's out of Congress and use the forum to advance his issues. He's got that right; but he can't stand there with a straight face and tell me he's running a legitimate, ALL OUT campaign for President. That's an insult to a guy like Chris Dodd or Joe Biden.
And by the way NBC can ask anyone it likes to the debate. You are welcome to criticize NBC for the decision it's making. Kucinich is welcome to hold his own event or pay for air time. I think they call it free speech.
Or you can make the argument like Rep Ron Paul seems to have and raise enough money to buy airtime yourself. In other words show you are putting forth the effort and have the support of enough Americans that you are a legitimate candidate to be President.
Kucinich hasn't demonstrated that yet and he's been in three races.
A final Question: If NBC doesn't exercise some discretion about who should be in the debate, who decides? Can I be in the debate? Someone, somewhere has to come up with a cut-off. It's not perfect, but it's as close as you're going to get.
NBC isn't choosing these candidates...results of votes taken are. The people are.
If you can come up with a legitimate argument that more air time would mean a come from behind victory for Dennis Kucinich...go ahead...make it here. I'll be happy to hear it.
Which Wine?
Does the price on the bottle influence your opinion of a bottle of wine? Researchers say yes. 
They blind tested some people telling them some wines were really pricey and it seemed to improve their opinion of the wine even if it wasn't really an expensive bottle. What do you wine drinkers think? Anyone would have to say the expectation of a good bottle goes up with the price. That also means I'm more likely to be harder on a bottle of wine I've paid more for.
They blind tested some people telling them some wines were really pricey and it seemed to improve their opinion of the wine even if it wasn't really an expensive bottle. What do you wine drinkers think? Anyone would have to say the expectation of a good bottle goes up with the price. That also means I'm more likely to be harder on a bottle of wine I've paid more for.I've said too much already. I'll only add that we're going to continue to blog until they tell me to stop...and when I say they, I mean my boss. I enjoy doing it. I can ignore (read: delete) the dumb comments and enjoy hearing your opinions. Keep em coming.
PWD
Monday, January 14, 2008
2008 Session, Wii-itis, and a Good Sunday
Good Morning...
We have a consensus around the Morning crew this morning. Jeriann made our week by coming back this morning. Thanks to those of you concerned she was lost or something but she was just filling in for Ed at night
Seriously? Cmon people! If you can't play a video game for forty minutes with pulling the upper dorsimus then you should be at the gym. The New England Journal of Medicine has actually identified the phenomenon of injuries sustained while playing with the Nintendo Wii system. It's better than kids sitting on the couch but lets be clear...it's no easier to do repetitive physical activity just because you're making a pretend video player do all the real work.
We have a consensus around the Morning crew this morning. Jeriann made our week by coming back this morning. Thanks to those of you concerned she was lost or something but she was just filling in for Ed at nightBrooke is now feeling under the weather, so we still all haven't been in the same room with one another for about a month. Hopefully everyone will be feeling well tomorrow.
Legislative Session
We agreed in the newsroom this morning that local politics is a little bit of a letdown when 
you've been the center of the political world for the last year, but there are a lot of important issues that are in front of Iowa lawmakers. The question, as always, is: will they take any of them up?
you've been the center of the political world for the last year, but there are a lot of important issues that are in front of Iowa lawmakers. The question, as always, is: will they take any of them up?The State's Road repair budget needs a lot of money and fast, There's talk of a one cent state-wide sales tax for schools to replace the local option sales tax we already pay, and we've heard from at least one democrat that they want to pass the beginnings of more universal health care for people in Iowa.
We'll get a clearer picture of what's actually going to happen at the Statehouse today.
The Gov's condition of the State is tomorrow.
Presidential Politics
The Presidential Candidates have a busy few weeks starting tomorrow when the Michigan Primary is contested among Republicans. Dems aren't contesting the state. Hillary Clinton is the only one on the ballot.
The hubbub on the Dems side is some comments made by Hillary Clinton Last week. Some people say the comments imply President Lindon Johnson did more for Civil Rights than Rem Martin Luther King Jr did. I'm not sure I agree with that. Did any of you hear what she said? What did you think?
Wii-itis
Seriously? Cmon people! If you can't play a video game for forty minutes with pulling the upper dorsimus then you should be at the gym. The New England Journal of Medicine has actually identified the phenomenon of injuries sustained while playing with the Nintendo Wii system. It's better than kids sitting on the couch but lets be clear...it's no easier to do repetitive physical activity just because you're making a pretend video player do all the real work. Quit Line/Lighten Up
A lot of Iowans are trying to quit smoking and I say good for them. The quit line has been flooded with as many calls this past week or so than they were the entire first half of last year. At the same time we start the Lighten up Iowa campaign today. The Entire Governor's office is going to try to lose weight. Hearty applause all around. I know the Gov has gone up and down with his weight. I wonder if he's joining his staff. It's certainly easier to go to the gym if someone is there to encourage you or at least go with you.
Great Sunday
After a terrible end to last week...(read: close inspection of my plumbing most of the night Wednesday into Thursday) I recovered for a quiet weekend. We went out Saturday and caught up with my brother and his family at the JC Mall. It's fun to walk around with the kids but I got a sense of the kind of policing the two of them have to do with their boys. They wore me out.
And you'll never guess who I ran into...Our friend Brad Hook was sittin there in the middle of the Mall waiting for his wife to finish some shopping. He looked like he's lost some weight since we last saw him. Great job Brad!
Sally needed to study Sunday and suggested I go play in the Sunday Poker Tournament at Prairie Meadows. It's a fun way to pass the afternoon. Go figure, I won the thing!
Anyway I stopped by the Mall before I went home and got Sally a little gift she'd been coveting at the Mall Saturday. If you can't have fun when stuff like that comes along...what's the point?
Time to go get the Noon News ready. Have a good start tot he week everyone!
PWDFriday, January 11, 2008
Another Casino, More Peace Talks and Paying to Potty
Good morning. I had another show without Pat today. As long as I have worked with the guy, I don't think he's ever called in sick. So when he didn't come in again today, I started to worry. I talked to him this morning and he didn't sound good but he's on the mend. We were supposed to be guests on Gary and Barb Rosberg's show on WHO Radio today, but I think they might have to settle for just me and Jeriann. Our former Today in Iowa producer now works for the Rosbergs and asked us last month to be a guest on their show to talk about balancing work and marriage. I am a huge fan of the Rosbergs and their books on preserving marriage. If you don't know much about them, they call themselves "America's Family Coaches." They have a radio show that's syndicated around the country and have written lots of books on marriage and relationships. Recently, they have focused a lot of their energy on helping servicemen and woman who return from deployments. There have been some recent studies done that show the divorce rate is exceptionally high for these people when they return home. And that only makes sense when you consider what these people have experienced and how long they have been away from their families. Ok... I am getting a little sidetracked. To the news.
Another Casino in Iowa
Dave Price learned about plans in Newton to build a casino by the Newton Speedway. Some city leaders say something needs to replace Maytag and this could be the answer. It's just an idea right now, but first 1,500 people in Newton have to sign a petition and then the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has to say yes to the proposal. On the flip side, there are people who contend that Iowa does not need another casino. Some groups say they suck money from people who don't have any in the first place. One thing is for sure, this is a story you will be hearing a LOT about in the next few months.
More Peace Talks
President Bush is still in the Middle East today. He's taking to Arab country leaders today. He didn't get the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to come to a formal agreement but says it's his priority before leaving office. He told the Today Show that he will be returning to the area again in May. He also said he thinks he has a better chance of achieving peace than President Clinton did because the circumstances are different today then they were 10 years ago.
Pay to Potty
In the news business, we call a story like this a "kicker" because it runs at the end of the newscast and it is usually something silly or funny. Today, our kicker was about bathrooms in New York City that self clean between uses. But you have to pay twenty-five cents to use them. If you've ever been to Europe, you've probably seen these before. The concept is nothing new but we've never had them in the United States. What do you think? I would pay a dollars for a clean bathroom. Wouldn't you? I guess it gives new meaning to Pay as you go...
(I know... I am not funny.)
Hope you have a great weekend. I am headed to Pella later today to see my aunts and mother. And I am already thinking about a trip to Jaarsma Bakery for a dutch letter. Best pastries ever!
Doei! (That's good-Bye in Dutch)
Brooke
Another Casino in Iowa
Dave Price learned about plans in Newton to build a casino by the Newton Speedway. Some city leaders say something needs to replace Maytag and this could be the answer. It's just an idea right now, but first 1,500 people in Newton have to sign a petition and then the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has to say yes to the proposal. On the flip side, there are people who contend that Iowa does not need another casino. Some groups say they suck money from people who don't have any in the first place. One thing is for sure, this is a story you will be hearing a LOT about in the next few months.
More Peace Talks
President Bush is still in the Middle East today. He's taking to Arab country leaders today. He didn't get the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to come to a formal agreement but says it's his priority before leaving office. He told the Today Show that he will be returning to the area again in May. He also said he thinks he has a better chance of achieving peace than President Clinton did because the circumstances are different today then they were 10 years ago.
Pay to Potty
In the news business, we call a story like this a "kicker" because it runs at the end of the newscast and it is usually something silly or funny. Today, our kicker was about bathrooms in New York City that self clean between uses. But you have to pay twenty-five cents to use them. If you've ever been to Europe, you've probably seen these before. The concept is nothing new but we've never had them in the United States. What do you think? I would pay a dollars for a clean bathroom. Wouldn't you? I guess it gives new meaning to Pay as you go...
(I know... I am not funny.)
Hope you have a great weekend. I am headed to Pella later today to see my aunts and mother. And I am already thinking about a trip to Jaarsma Bakery for a dutch letter. Best pastries ever!
Doei! (That's good-Bye in Dutch)
Brooke
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Peace, Pella and Getting out of Debt
Good morning everyone. I haven't intentionally been ignoring the blog, I've just been busy with a few other projects at work. I always think I'll get to it when I go home but something else always seems to distract me. His name is Evan. So, please forgive me.
In case you didn't watch this morning, Pat is off today. He's actually under the weather. Get better, Pat!
To the news...
Peace Meetings in the Middle East
President Bush is spending time in Israel and the West Bank to try to get leaders to sign a peace agreement. In fact, the President went as far as predicting that a Middle East peace treaty will be signed by the time he leaves office. That's a pretty bold statement but it sounds like the President wants to make this one of his main goals during his final year leading the country. He even traveled to an area in the West Bank where no US Head of State has gone before because of security issues.
Pella Windows Plant Closing
I was surprised when I saw this on the news late last night. The plant in Story City is closing next month. About 250 people will be laid off. A lot of businesses, especially those involved in the construction business, are dealing with hard times. However, Pella Corporation is one of those companies you think is immune from layoffs because it produces such a well-known and respected product used all around the country and beyond. This just another example of what happens when the housing market slumps in big cities.
Getting out of Debt
Megan Reuther had this story this morning. I know we've all heard the advice before. Still, most Americans spend more than they make and end up owing thousands of dollars in credit card debt. But Megan did have some good reminders about getting organized as the first step to getting out of debt. Coming up with a plan is the only way to control spending. Set specific goals about savings money. And, have a budget for your spending. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Have you ever seen that Saturday Night Live skit with Steve Martin and Amy Poehler about getting out of debt? Check it out, it's hilarious. And I guess it shows that you can listen to experts give advice all day long, but it really boils down to one thing: quit spending money!
http://optempo.com/2007/12/31/dont-buy-stuff-you-cannot-afford/
In case you didn't watch this morning, Pat is off today. He's actually under the weather. Get better, Pat!
To the news...
Peace Meetings in the Middle EastPresident Bush is spending time in Israel and the West Bank to try to get leaders to sign a peace agreement. In fact, the President went as far as predicting that a Middle East peace treaty will be signed by the time he leaves office. That's a pretty bold statement but it sounds like the President wants to make this one of his main goals during his final year leading the country. He even traveled to an area in the West Bank where no US Head of State has gone before because of security issues.
Pella Windows Plant Closing
I was surprised when I saw this on the news late last night. The plant in Story City is closing next month. About 250 people will be laid off. A lot of businesses, especially those involved in the construction business, are dealing with hard times. However, Pella Corporation is one of those companies you think is immune from layoffs because it produces such a well-known and respected product used all around the country and beyond. This just another example of what happens when the housing market slumps in big cities.
Getting out of Debt
Megan Reuther had this story this morning. I know we've all heard the advice before. Still, most Americans spend more than they make and end up owing thousands of dollars in credit card debt. But Megan did have some good reminders about getting organized as the first step to getting out of debt. Coming up with a plan is the only way to control spending. Set specific goals about savings money. And, have a budget for your spending. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Have you ever seen that Saturday Night Live skit with Steve Martin and Amy Poehler about getting out of debt? Check it out, it's hilarious. And I guess it shows that you can listen to experts give advice all day long, but it really boils down to one thing: quit spending money!
http://optempo.com/2007/12/31/dont-buy-stuff-you-cannot-afford/
I'm out of here. Have a great day.
Brooke
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