Session Ends, Charlie's Next Challenge and Swinging

Good Morning,

I hope you enjoyed the nice weather yesterday, Jerianne says we'll see the same minus most of the wind we had yesterday so get outside as much as you can today. It was 60 when I came in this morning. I thought about putting my jacket on and realized immediately I didn't need it. It was one of those perfect morning's we will be craving in mid July and August when it gets hot.

To the News
Session Ends
The Legislature got out of Des Moines yesterday, a day earlier than expected. The Register has a good breakdown of all the winners and losers this morning in it's wrap up article. The focus will now turn to selling the lawmakers accomplishments to the voters. For Republicans the argument will be, send us back and we'll spend less and find more efficiency. For Dems it will be, send us back because we managed one of the toughest economic tests the State has seen in decades. We'll see who can make that argument more convincingly.

Teachers
The last day of the session always determines the rate of funding for schools and this year lawmakers found the two percent extra the Governor asked for. That means the District's budget is $11million short not $33 million short. SO they'll be able to avoid a lot of the cuts they thought they'd have to make

Plane Crash
Near Ankeny this morning the pilot of a single engine plane apparently didn't do the math right...We can joke about it cause everyone is OK, but the plane didn't make it to its intended destination (Des Moines). In fact it didn't make it to Ankeny. The plane landed in a farm field northeast of the airport. I have a friend who is a private pilot. The way he talks about calculating fuel consumption, he says he's always got an hour's reserve in the tanks. I have no idea why this flight seems to have cut it a lot closer than that. Thankfully everyone walked away from the accident and the only thing damaged is the plane.

Obama's Letter
The president talks often about the ten letters he reads every night at the end of his day. They're supposed to be from "regular" Americans. Washington Post had a nice article about those letters and how they make it to the President's desk every night.

Another Bombing
In Russia this morning they're dealing with two mo9re suicide bombings to go along with the subway bombings earlier in the week.

Breast Cancer and Screenings.
Here's another study adding to the debate over mammograms and early screening's value.

Wonderful weather

We got the boys out to the park day before yesterday. I meant to put the pictures on the blog yesterday. They're still in my phone as I write this blog. I promise to post tonight...check back with us.

Sorry, Lizzy, I will try to get back into the daily habit of blogging right after the show. Time seems to be getting away from me more than normal this week.

Have a good one

PWD

Coach, Closing and Cluster-lunch

Good Morning.
I'll get to the weekend in a minute...maybe even a review of the Obama visit last week (sorry I didn't have Internet access to post on Thursday).

-Coach
Another mid-major coach ready to get to the next level is coming in to Iowa City. We'll see if this one can connect with players and build a Big Ten program that can win.
Fans say they'll give him a chance...what other choice do they have? Are you going to boycott because the school brought in a guy who's been successful everywhere he's coached? You never know how good these coaches are going to be at the next level until you get em there.

-Closing
In Newton they're closing an Elementary School for budget reasons. This is a no win for the School Board, but I agree with the Mom who said, give taxpayers the recommendations from an independent source showing this decision is what's best for the financial and academic future of the students in the district.

Caucus 2012?
Mitt Romney is back in the state today. I wish we could get him in here to interview before the Noon show. Don't know his schedule and we haven't been contacted, but a friend says he say Gov Romney speak and that his pitch about knowing the economy sounds a lot better than it did in 2008. I would love to go see him at the Library today. Too bad I have a Noon newscast to do.

-Tourney
I've lost a lot of interest since UNI got bounced. Still, there were some pretty good games.

-Jobs
My wife is headed back to work next month and I am very happy for her. She's accepted a position with the Susan G Komen For the Cure Foundation. We had a chance to attend the organization's annual meeting Friday night. It's overwhelming, the dedication of so many volunteers who've built the Des Moines Komen affiliate into one of the best in the nation. We are both looking forward to spending time helping with it's continued success.

Cluster-Lunch
My sister Katie is in town for her Spring Break and we have had a great visit so far. Saturday, however we tried to go out to lunch and it didn't go so well. We tried Drake diner first...Too long a wait. So we decided to try another new(ish) local business. I'm all for supporting someone as they start out an entrepreneurial venture.
So we walked in, found a table (not wiped down and no one in sight to help), and decided what we wanted. Now there were only three groups in front of me but I must have been in line for twenty minutes. It looked like they were having some sort of computer trouble or something but no one ever gave an explanation.
I got a little hot under the collar when I realized the long delay was over a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. There's a reason they use the phrase "piece of cake". It's supposed to be EASY! The cake was even pre cut!
I waited as long as I could but after about twenty minutes, and with two groups still to order in front of me I stepped out of line and went to Gateway Market instead. I am intentionally not naming names here because I want this new business to be successful but walking away from your first visit feeling like you were invisible does not make me want to go back.
I admit to being a service snob in this area, but I also contend a simple acknowledgment of trouble can solve the problem. I will wait a long time for service if the place of business just keeps me in the loop.

With that I am out for the day. I hope you all enjoy the weather this week. It's going to be great.
PWD

Never Ending Healthcare, Sweet Sixteen and Thanks

Good Morning

Before I close the book on my trip to Vegas, I forgot to say thank you to the wonderful gate agent that helped me out. At a time when most people are not happy with the service they get from Airlines, I was lucky enough to run into someone who took the time to help me out.
I don't usually travel with a carry-on bag. Wanting to avoid baggage at Las Vegas' Airport, I decided to pack light and just carry my stuff on. On the way home, I completely forgot my bag was in the overhead compartment when I got off the plane in Denver. I didn't realize it until I'd already had lunch down the hall. I went up to the gate agent and explained I'd left my bag on the flight. She said she had a hunch, walked back down to the gate with me and sure enough, someone had put my bad in a locked drawer behind the ticket counter.
It's a small thing, but the agent surely could have told me to file some paperwork and United would get me my bag later. It was my fault for leaving it behind on the plane. So thank you to United for making the return trip a little less of a pain!
I run into people all the time who just assume their customer service is going to be bad while traveling. They anticipate a problem. Think about what that must look like to the person trying to help you. I think the key is approaching people and asking, not demanding their help. We will all run into a customer service agent who is having a bad day, or just doesn't get their job once in a while, but I think if we all put ourselves in other people's shoes a little more we might find people more willing to go the extra mile for us.

To the News
Neverending Healthcare
So the bill debated for more than a year now is law. It's a massive reorganization of the way healthcare is provided. I have to say I have reservations about many of the ideas in this new law. That said, it's law. I will look for the possibility that it can do some good. I will also be on the lookout for the ways critics have said it will hurt the system. I think I'm where a lot of people in the country are on this subject. I agree something needs to be done but I am not sure MORE government control is the way to go. The Insurance industry could have done something about higher prices by making small changes a long time ago. Instead it chose to believe this bill would never pass. I want to see how this goes.
I will be gong to Iowa City tomorrow to cover the President's visit. I am also interested to hear what he has to say. I think the Iowa visit certainly has some meaning for the President because this is where he laid out his plan as a candidate. I also think it's no coincidence that he's headed to Eastern Iowa. It's got two congressional districts that could go to a moderate Republican in the fall. I wonder how much that played into the President's decision to come here and defend the new law??

Sweet Sixteen
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but would there be a bigger Sports day in Iowa History than this Sunday. If UNI were to get past Michigan St, and Iowa State were to find a way to beat UConn, that might rank right up there. Don't put it past UNI. I think the Clones have a much tougher match-up.

I'll try to blog from the road tomorrow with observations behind the scenes of a Presidential visit. Check WHOTV.COM for updates through the day. I've been to one of these visits before and I know it's a lot of standing around so I should have time.
Have a good one.
PWD

Healthcare, Tiger, and Observations from Vegas

Good Morning.
I'll start this story the way I started every story this weekend...Did I tell you my wife is the best Wife ever?
If I look a little tired, it's because I've just returned from Vegas....
I actually got a lot more sleep than I usually do while I was in Las Vegas for the weekend. I just think that place is stimulus overload. You can't help but feel a little drained when you leave. More on that in a minute...

First...There are a few other things going on in the News.

Healthcare
It passed...sort of. Some deals cut at the last minute have to go back tot he Senate. We'll see how it plays out but the President wants to sign the bill in the early part of this week. I learned this morning some 32 States have started considering ways to limit or block the bill. Some are considering amendments to state Constitutions.

Tiger
I watched most of Tiger's interview The Golf Channel. Hard to tell when this guy is being genuine because we've seen so little of that. I think we'll start to hear whether Tiger has actually learned his lesson and changed his behavior through the grapevine. So many people didn't want to get on his bad side before the scandal. Now it's open season.

Observations from Vegas
-I like Economy Plus (extra leg room) I didn't know how much until I had to sit behind a guy with his seat reclined for three and a half hours on the way to Vegas. I don';t know about you, but when I'm on an airplane I try to take the people around me into account. This guy apparently didn't see the six rows of seats behind hm...either that or he's the most important person in the world and I haven't met him yet. Anyway, he had my knees in his back the entire way to Nevada...I can't say I was careful about not kicking his seat back when I shifted my weight.
-The line for a taxi in Sin City is NUTS! Thankfully they opened a new line right in front of the door we exited from baggage. I can't say the 1500 or so people behind us in line were that pleased.
-I still don't think you need a luxurious hotel room when you go to Vegas, but when there's something on the bathroom floor that's not tile...I draw the line.
-When walking in a crowd of people how is it that people can just stop? Do they think the mass of humanity behind them knows they're about to hit the brakes?
-Most uncomfortable Vegas Moment: Stopped at a light waiting to cross, a cop actually pulled over two pedestrians for jaywalking. I'm not kidding. What was worse, He started yelling at them. "So you didn't see the sign right here that counts down from 30? No, of course you didn't cause you are the most important person here today aren't you...the signs don't apply to you." I swear he was doing it for the crowd of about 100 waiting at the light. The thing is, I bet we all obeyed the signs the rest of the weekend.
-Runner Up: The guy who bragged for an hour at the poker table about how he'd been up for 27 hours straight playing cards...then fell asleep. No kidding...dead away asleep. The he woke up cranky...like it was our fault he's an idiot.
-Third place: While playing poker at The Hard Rock Casino the guy next to me started to lament that he wasn't very good in relationships. Unusual conversation for a poker table, but whatever... Unfortunately someone took the bait and asked him why... "Well it could be because I have some issues." What kind of issues? The guy asked as we all tried to wave him off with our eyes..."Well I've got some severe psychological issues." (chirpchirp...chirpchirp).
-We spent a lot of time at The MGM Grand. While playing cards Thursday someone asked, Is there a "cougar" convention in town?" There were A LOT of good looking, well dressed women at MGM. I found out Arbonne was the reason. I also found out what Arbonne is. They had a convention at the MGM this weekend. I think I offended one of the women when she explained the business and I said, "So it's like Mary Kay?".
(silence)
-Like a lot of people I was torn about the UNI win. It was a great game to watch, and who doesn't like it when a David like UNI slays a Goliath like KU. (you enjoy it even more when you are a MIZZOU fan). This is why we like to go to Vegas for the first weekend foo the tournament. there are always surprises, and because it's legal to put a few bucks on the games...people become fans of teams they've never seen play before...There were A LOT of UNI fans in the sportsbook.

I still really enjoy visiting Vegas, and will go back anytime I get the chance.
I'll need a nap this afternoon...time to recharge and get back to the gym.
Have a good day
PWD

TGIF

Good morning everyone. I am happy to report I finally feel like I got enough sleep. This week has been TOUGH. The time change is usually difficult but on this shift it is just plain brutal.

Sorry this is short and sweet... but I ran out of time this morning.

Congrats UNI. How cool is that? As our general manager Dale pointed out, UNI won the game with the same kind of shot that made them lose last year.

I'll be here this weekend filling in for Dan and Liz on Today in Iowa Saturday. Hope you have a great weekend. Even with the snow!

Brooke

Post St. Patrick's Day, Sandy and March Madness

Happy Day-after-St. Patrick's-Day! Hopefully you are all feeling well because it's going to be one of those days that makes you feel good again about living in Iowa. Jeriann says we'll reach mid-sixties by the afternoon and I cannot wait for that. Yesterday was exactly what I needed. It's amazing what a little nice weather can for your soul. Evan and I played outside for a couple of hours and I could see all of that cabin fever building up for the past 4 months disappear. I am thinking of cleaning off the grill, too. Hamburgers sound good, don't they? Unfortunately, the nice weather will tease us because we are getting rain and snow the very next day. This is cruel, I say!

Did you do anything for St. Patrick's Day? I tried making corned beef and cabbage earlier this week because it was on sale at the grocery store and I've never tried it. It pains me to say this because I usually love a nice fatty cut of meat, but I didn't like it. I think part of the problem is that I didn't make it the right way. I had a recipe that obviously wasn't a good one. You were supposed to bake it in an inch of water for 50 minutes. It turned out very rubbery. I think I need to slow cook it next time. The cabbage was very good, though. I tried out a scalloped recipe and it I would make it again. I guess anytime you add cheese and lots of butter to any vegetable, it's going to turn out tasty.

Ok... I know this does NOT fall under the category of news.. but I was so sad when I read a story on MSNBC about Sandra Bullock's husband having an affair (allegedly) with at tattoo model. Don't know why I care... but it just bothered me.

Did you see the story we aired last night at ten? Clinics around the country are reporting they are booked with men getting vasectomies this week so they can time their recovery right around the NCAA Tournament. Apparently you have to lay up for a couple of days after the procedure and so men are choosing to do this while they watch basketball. I guess this gives new meaning to March Madness. Hmm... and Patrick said he was taking time off to watch the games with a buddy this week.

Have a great day everyone. See you tomorrow!

Brooke

Overnight Flooding, St Patrick's Day and Vegas Baby

A quick blog today...

Overnight Flooding
I came in this morning to find out Producer Chris listening intently to the police scanners. It seems West Des Moines Public Works crews had just been dispatched to Valley Junction where water was coming up from under the streets. Turns out it was a leaking storm sewer and isn't all that unusual when the water is this high on the Raccoon River. Just another sign there's too much water and no place for it to go. We're watching Saylorville and the Des Moines River levels over the next few days. With levels as high as they are, the levees on the river are going to be under an unusual amount of stress.

St Patrick's Day
We all picked out green out this morning and looked like an ad for a shamrock shake. Should be a fun time down at the parade this afternoon. Sally's planning on taking the boys with some friends. Keith Murphy will be your Grand Marshal. Don't party too hard tonight. it's a school night after all, and please please please be careful. Designated drivers are the right way to go.

Picks
We did out NCAA picks at opur house last night including two sheets for the boys. JT picked all favorites. A New York Times Article this week said something crazy like 89 percent of the time the higher seed wins. We'll see. Will had a slightly less scientific system. Sally rolled a regular six sided dice, odd numbers and the favorite moved on...even numbers and the underdog moves on. This resulted in a pick of Northern Iowa over Kansas on his sheet. Good luck with that one buddy.
Sally used free association to make her picks. I yelled out the schools and she just said the first thing that came to mind. She also had a few upsets.
My sheet is a middle of the road pick. I had some upsets but mainly stuck to the favorites. The one upset everyone had on their sheet: Missouri over Clemson.

Vegas Baby
By this time tomorrow I'll be winging my way to Las Vegas.
Sally is a great wife for a lot of reasons...this one is usually tops on my list. She doesn't just let me go away for the weekend with friends, she encourages it. I am grateful to her for taking the boys for the weekend and to my Mother-in-law who is coming back again to help out!
I can't imagine this is going to be a weekend full of carousing though. The friend I'm traveling with is also on a Morning News program so we keep the same hours. There may be more than one night where we are back at the hotel unusually early for most Vegas vacationers. I am certainly going to get some sun, some sleep, and hopefully win a few bucks.
What long term bet do you think I should lay down? Cubs to win the world Series? Bears to make the playoffs? Tiger to win the Masters? I'll take suggestions.
Anyway I leave you in the capable hands of Brooke and Jeriann over the long weekend and will be back Monday!
PWD

Slow Leak, Tiger's Back and Packing

Good Afternoon,
A late blog courtesy of a meeting I needed to be a part of...

Flooding
Heard from the Director of Public works this morning. We found out the Birdland Levee was leaking yesterday...today he says there are no major breeches in the levee that are imminent. That said, they're concerned about the long term. We're not even close to seeing the bulk of the water coming down from Northern Iowa and the long term stress on the levees all along the river should be a concern...especially if we add to river levels with rain over the weeks to come.


Healthcare
Dems are getting desperate and it's starting to show...what are they thinking? That this is what Americans want?? There is no large scale hue and cry for THIS Healthcare reform. I understand the President's frustration and his sense of urgency at passage, but I think applying the screws to Republicans for a few months may be the better tactic here...let the Mid-term elections speak for themselves!

Here's a blog entry from US News and World Report with the opinion of one prominent Constitutional scholar.

Another one?
Honda is now recalling some four hundred thousand vehicles. Jeez, is there a safe care out there?

Tiger
Tiger Woods confirmed the rumors, he's coming back to competitive golf at The Masters. Perfect for Tiger. Unlike the PGA Tour, he will be under no obligation to talk to the Press. Don't get me wrong, I think Tiger should treat this Masters as he has every other...talking to The Media after each round. The advantage he has is that the Lords of Augusta won't let the Media get out of control. Even more important, if you haven't had a credential to the Masters in years past...you aren't getting one this year. fewer chances for some rouge reporter to try and make a name for himself by trying to embarrass Tiger.
Either way I'm still watching The Masters. Some people may be watching just to see Tiger, but I think the point is that golf is better with Tiger playing. Some day all of this will fade off to the background and we can get back to watching one of the greatest players ever to pick up a five iron.

Picking
I have made my first picks online for the NCAA tournament. I like Kentucky, but I can't see how KU blows this one. It's painful for me to admit that.

Packing
I will try not to be worthless tomorrow but no promises...I am leaving for Vegas Thursday morning.
PWD

Floods, Fires and Freedom!

Good Morning
Who else had a total sense of freedom over the weekend as the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up. We took the boys for a walk Sunday and I have to admit the fresh air was great. Megan says the temps should continue to stay warm through the week.

To the News
Fire
In Ankeny this morning a woman in her 80's appears to have died in a fire in a mobile home park. We heard about the fire just as we were going to send Megan out to Fleur Dr to cover flooding there...

Flooding
It looks like north central Iowa got the worst of it. Did you see those Ice jams on the Des Moines river? We're not out of the woods yet. All of that water and ice is headed downstream. Meanwhile up north near Fargo, the Red River is flooding. I wouldn't want to live along the Mississippi this spring.

Tournament Time
I admit to watching about three times as much college basketball this weekend as I have all year. Like a lot of college basketball fans, it just gets more interesting for the months and a half of post season tournaments. After reading Chris's excellent assessment of UNI's seeding, I've backed off of the feeling they got screwed. Still, a second round game against KU is not exactly the best draw for the panthers.
Missouri's loss to Nebraska in the Big 12 Tournament probably doomed them to the ten seed. Still I like our chances against Clemson.
I'll be watching all of this unfold from either a poker room or a sports book in Vegas this weekend. Any suggestions on who to pick to win it all?

Graves Indeed
Peter Graves still has a couple of the most quoted lines known to man (particularly the juvenile ones). The Movie Airplane has a million one liners that are often quoted. The cockpit scene with the little kid has some of my favorites.
"Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?"

Peter Graves died of natural causes over the weekend.

Visit
Mom and Dad had a nice time amid the chaos of five young grandsons this weekend. We went out to Granite City Brewery Friday night. I swear you can actually see FEAR in the eyes of the hostess when five kids and five adults come it. We're a bit of a Circus. That said, they always do a great job with getting the kids food first and keeping them entertained while we eat. It's why we go back.
Mom and Dad bought the boys some new clothes for their birthday. Thanks guys! We looked it over yesterday and there are some fun t-shirts, shorts and PJ's for the spring.

Have a great start to the week!
PWD

Rain, Return and Meltdown

Good Morning
I'll try to make it quick (yeah right)

-Ok...I know we've been talking about flooding for a couple days but there really is a LOT of water out there and there's more on the way. If I lived near the river I would do more than pack a "Go Bag" I would just GO.

-Brooke is back and I can't tell you how glad I was to see her. She had it bad last week when she was soloing the show Thursday and Friday...Mon Tues and Wed this week seemed particularly long.

-I wish I could find an excuse to get down and see Harrison Barnes play. My parents are coming this weekend and I suggested to my wife we might take them to Wells Fargo Arena for one of the games Friday. Based on her facial expression alone, I don't think the idea of dragging the kids to a basketball game they're not going to understand so Dad can see HB play is going to fly.

-I watched some of the Missouri/Nebraska game in the Big 12 tournament yesterday...what a meltdown for Missouri. Just for you Nebraska fans...I wore a red tie this morning. My grey shirt matched my mood...I think the Tigers just gave the NCAA committee a reason to leave them out of the big dance.

-So many of you know, we're selling our house. A realtor called yesterday at 10:30 and wanted to know if he could come over at Noon. Ummmmmm...No. But we worked it out thanks to his flexibility. I forget sometimes that most people trying to sell just leave their house in "walk-through" condition. We can't. So we spent the afternoon cleaning the house. that included a spin with my newly refurbished vacuum cleaner. I have a thing about clean floors and love to vacuum. Not sure why. Anyway, the vacuum cleaner was working so well it was picking up all of the tiny little crap left behind for the last few months when the thing didn't have the best suction power. It was a little gross, and very satisfying.

-A happy 65th Birthday to my Dad who's a regular reader of this blog! (It was yesterday but I didn't blog)

-No more water babies. We are done with our first class. We really enjoyed it and I would recommend Fitness World West's classes. You can take them whether you are a member of the club or not.

Hope you all have a good day!
PWD

Flooding, Funding and Fire

Good Morning
I forgot to say a quick hello to one of our bloggers. She stopped Sally and I at the Airport last week before we left.
I won't identify her cause she says she looks at the blog first thing when she gets to work. She never comments cause she doesn't want the boss-man coming down on her. Anyway, it was nice to hear someone reads this thing every day plus get a little feedback on what she likes to read. So...welcome to all those anonymous bloggers out there who read Morning Buzz every day but don't comment.

In the News
Fire
We had an overnight fire to talk about on the 15-hundred block of Des Moines St. The fire started a conversation in the newsroom about what you'd do if your house was on fire? What would you grab...do you know how you would react? Do you have a plan? I didn't think about it until we had kids. Sally grabs the cat in a pillowcase, I get the boys and we head for the door. I have to admit I've thought about their escape routes out of the house...windows low to the ground, that kind of thing.

Flooding
The City of Des Moines worked with the Corps of Engineers to drop the levels at Saylorville lake so we can try to avoid flooding later in the spring. Good idea. The rain we had this morning is just the start. Looks like we're in for another spring with a big threat of flooding.

Funding
Lots of talk now about the cuts in the Des Moines Schools budget. Well welcome to the party! The district held meetings for MONTHS on the cuts. There were a lot of opportunities for people to weigh in here...why didn't you speak up before now?

That said I got an interesting call from a friend. He has kids in the Des Moines schools and had a simple idea for the budget.
If every teacher would accept 25 bucks out of their check to pay for health benefits every week...nobody loses their job. Teachers usually react violently to this one, but it's time.

If you are a teacher making $28,000 per year, are you really going to walk away from your job over having to pay a shared cost for your insurance? Any other job you take is going to cost you more for insurance.
I did some math just based on the 2000 or so teachers active in the district and I would think that sharing some of the costs over the year could significantly reduce the burden to the taxpayer.
I would guess it could be less than that if you come up with a per person cost for every person insured under Des Moines Schools. We know that Healthcare costs represent a significant cost in the District, we know the public would like to see classes continue in music and art and P.E. I still don't have an answer on why shared cost of the insurance wouldn't work.

Tressel's Comments
Did you see Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel's comments about gay athletes in D-1 football? Tressel gave an interview to a gay/lesbian newspaper called The Outlook in Columbus. ESPN beleives it's the first time a D-1 coach has given an on the record interview about the subject. So what do you think about what Tressel said?
Hard to argue with what he said. He wants his players to come out of Ohio State knowing who they are. By implication, being gay is WHO THEY ARE. here's what I like even more. Tressel is a class act. He didn't try to throw himself into a controversial position. He supports his players. That's it. No matter who they are or what they believe...he supports them becoming the best people they can be.

"... every part of our team is important and every role has
value -- no job is too small and no person is irrelevant -- that’s a great
lesson that transcends into society. When I think of the diversity we’ve had on
our team the past few years, it goes way beyond just a racial, sexual or ethnic
mix. We've had players who had different religions, players who came from
different economic backgrounds, players who are parents, who are spouses, who
are caring for ailing parents, who are wheelchair bound, who are battling
cancer, and on and on. Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we
will help him do it in a supportive environment. Everybody is important, and
maturity is learning to find and appreciate those differences in
others."

Again, well put and hard to argue with. A more cynical friend of mine pointed out that OSU could be staring down the barrel of a lawsuit that we just haven't heard about and they're trying to do preemptive damage control. The other possibility is that one of his big name players is planning on coming out. What do you think?

Hope you have a good day!

PWD

Oscar's Opinion, Tying Your Shoes and A Weekend Away

Good Morning!
Sally and I returned from a weekend in Chicago to find our children in good health and good spirits. We are so lucky to have relatives who are willing to give us the gift of a weekend to reconnect with one another. More on the weekend later...
To the news:

Healthcare
If the President is looking to the voters to apply pressure to lawmakers on Healthcare...he may be barking up the wrong tree. He's in Philly today asking voters to call Congress and get an up or down vote. Good luck with that Sir.
On a related note I picked up Game Change while we were in Chicago and I am having a hard time putting it down. The account of the 2008 election is really interesting...especially the parts the confirm what I already suspected as the campaign was going on. I'm reading the authors' account of Hillary Clinton's distaste for the state of Iowa and the people in it.

Oscar Opinion
I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did a great job with the open of the Oscars. Look, no one is going to do a better job than Billy Crystal, these guys were a pretty good sub.
We saw Avatar over the weekend. The first half hour I leaned over to Sally and told her I thought the Movie should win best picture simply for it's technical advancements. I still think the movie was a revolution. I walked out (three presidential terms later) feeling preached to, and a little ripped off. The Movie was fine...it wasn't the worst I've ever seen but it sure was bad writing that got worse.
Corporations baaaaaddd...The US Military is surely a bunch of heartless killers who want to destroy the way of life of anyone who stands in their way...C'mon. Then there was the music. Anyone else see Glory? James Cameron apparently didn't cause much of the score was ripped off. The movie even ended with the same song Cameron used in Titanic (I know it wasn't exactly the same but it sure sounded the same walking out) I hope someone else shows Cameron's vision with the technology and pairs it with a good storyline.

Weekend Away/ Tying My Own Shoes
Sally and I got away to Chicago this weekend and it was great! Everyone says new parents can get lost in the day to day of taking care of their kids and forget to take care of the relationship that came first. I would say Sally and I never quite got there but it surprised me how much I'd missed just being with her. We have a great time just the two of us and I need to remember that time is important.
So we arrived in Chicago and took the train downtown. A quick walk over to our Michigan Ave hotel and we were ready for a NAP! Thankfully the hotel let us in a little early. After our nap we needed a little lunch. The Concierge recommended a great place called the Grand Lux Cafe. It looked a lot like a Cheesecake Factory but with better food. We had a lighter lunch but decided to linger a little over desert and beignets. They were freaking good! We ate the whole basket. mmmmmmmm.
Another nap was in order. I finished up another Nelson DeMille book (Plumb Island), and took a little snooze before dinner which ended up being popcorn and sour patch kids at the movies.
Friday we went to see the Diamond Exhibit at The Field Museum. It was great but not what we were expecting. It was a lot more about how the earth makes diamond and a lot less about gawking over beautiful jewelry. We also learned the difference between diamond and diamonds.
We strolled through Millennium Park (great addition downtown Chicago!) and we got some Garrett's Popcorn to snack on. I didn't know Garrett's had moved and almost had a panic attack when it wasn't right across the street from our hotel!
Saturday night's sleep was interrupted (unfortunately) by a waterfall appearing out of the light fixture in the ceiling of the bathroom. i called the front desk who said they'd "work on" sending a maintenance guy up. I asked what else they were going to do...he asked what I thought they should do? Hmmmm I don't know....seven hundred rooms in your hotel...about 25% of them empty...what could we do about someone who discovered Niagara Falls in his washroom?
MOVE US...IT"S TWO IN THE MORNING! He did...and we were asleep by three.
After a great breakfast at Egg Harbor we strolled up and down Michigan Avenue. We found two pair of dress shoes for me for less than a hundred bucks. We couldn't pass it up...I really needed some new shoes.
As an aside, who laces up shoes before they're sold? Who can actually tighten up the laces after they do? I need a structural engineering degree and a merit badge in knot tying to get my shoes on tight! But I digress...
We split an entree at Capitol Grill to end out the weekend and were both happy to be home. We missed those little boys!
One last thought...No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
We were sitting in the airport by our gate and watched as an older (but very mobile looking) couple walked up to the ticket counter and started yelling at the woman behind the desk about how they'd ordered a wheelchair 45 minutes ago and no one came to get them. She told the ticket lady they were going to miss their flight? "WHERE ARE OUR WHEELCHAIRS!" The lady screamed. Now the ticket gal was as accommodating as she could be. She called for another wheelchair and told the couple they could walk down the hall to a shuttle that would get them to their gate. "WALK?? WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE WHEELCHAIRS!" The lady was mad, and for the moment I could see why. We decided to ask the couple if they'd like to take our seats so they wouldn't have to stand while they waited. The lady looked at us and said..."WELL IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA USE EM!" We got up and moved across the room without another word from the lady or her husband. My point is this...if something isn't going right for you...and you're asking for more courtesy from an airline...then someone shows you some kindness. Say thank you! It was the right thing to do an I was happy we did it, but I was feeling less badly that the couple missed their flight.
Have a good day.
PWD

Babies and sore throats

Good morning everyone. It's been an exciting day here at WHO. Our morning show producer Lisa and her husband Jeff who is a photojournalist here had their first baby late last night. They named her Cassidy Ann and she is wide eyed and healthy. Congratulations to the extended Felton family. Seeing the pictures made me want to have another one... but then I snapped out of it when I remembered you only get 20 minutes of sleep a day for the first two months. In all seriousness... Congratulations Lisa and Jeff.

There's been a lot of sickness going around the newsroom again. I finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday after not feeling right for a few weeks. My throat has been swollen and I have felt sluggish (although that's normal on this shift... so I didn't really think anything of it). The doctor said, "you probably have strep throat... my last two clients had it. " Sure enough... the culture came back positive. And of course, I would get it the day Patrick is off. By the way, I just want to point out to all my colleagues... am no longer contagious after being on antibiotics for a day. Anyway, I may not be the only one with it. Megan Reuther came in complaining of the same symptoms. So... bare with me tomorrow!

Sorry this is so short.
Talk to you tomorrow!

Healthcare, Unemployment, and Flying Solo

Good Morning!
After a day off that was part extra rest/part scrambling to keep up...I'm back at it this morning. I'll explain in a moment.

First, The News:

Healthcare
So the President is going to come out today and say he's added some of the Republican suggestions to the Healthcare bill, that he wants the vote soon, and that he's willing to skirt Senate rules to get the bill passed. The gamble for Democrats is that the American voters will see action on Healthcare(even a bill that's not very popular) is better than doing nothing. They're also betting they can paint Republicans as obstructionist. That they'll say no to just about anything.
Republicans are betting that by saying no, voters already angry with Washington will support their stand and vote to replace Dems in the House and Senate.
Here's the thing. I don't get the sense that any of this as actually about Healthcare or Helping the American people. The jockeying here is for political positioning. No one is falling all over themselves to actually pass a good bill that makes sense.

Unemployment
So Sen Jim Bunning of KY backed down and allowed a motion to move forward for emergency funding of an extension of unemployment benefits. Bunning objected to the vote because he wanted to know how we are going to pay for it. Not a terrible idea...in fact it's was the Democrats (The President himself) who passed this new rule last November.
Here's what happened.
The Dems tried to pass this extension as "emergency" funding. The rules say the Senate can fund something on an Emergency basis without identifying how they'll pay for it. The hitch is, you have to have "unanimous consent" . So Sen Bunning objected, and the stalemate over the bill ensued.
Bunning's point is legitimate, and he offered an amendment to pay for the unemployment benefits. His idea was to cut off a tax break to paper companies. Apparently the Paper Lobby is string in congress. The amendment failed and the emergency funding passed.
Bunning may have had a point here but he lost the PR battle. His message probably would have hit home with a lot of Americans...especially the ones on a tight budget because someone in their house is out of a job. The problem is, he was out there on his own. No one in his own party wanted to support him. Bunning ended up looking like a cranky, mean spirited old guy who wanted to kick a bunch of people while they were down.
I see both sides of this...and maybe there was a better way to go about making this point, but Bunning has a point for sure.

JFK
Did you hear the tapes of the kid in the control tower at JFK? Some Air traffic controller let his kid up into the control tower on a day when he was out of school. What's worse, he let the kid get on the radio with airplanes, some 0f them were IN THE AIR!!!!
The worst part of this? This guy isn't going to get fired...he's in the Air Traffic Controllers Union. He'll get a slap on the wrist. The Union should come out right now and say they're revoking this guy's membership, that his actions don't reflect the standard the Union's other controllers set, and that they don't believe someone who uses this poor of judgement should be controlling air traffic in this country. It won't... of course, and that's the sad part.
The men and women who run air traffic in this country work under some of the most stressful conditions of any workplace. They are also understaffed. I would be irate with my co-worker if they pulled a stunt like this.

Flying Solo
Speaking of flying solo. Sally was out of town on business yesterday which I why I was absent. Just me and the boys for most of the day and I did OK. It's a lot to think about when you haven't done it all by yourself before. Thankfully I have a wife who set me up for success, and two great kids. Our only snag came when we were getting ready for bed. I had JT all changed and in his pajamas when he started to FREAK OUT. He was hungry and I was only a couple minutes from feeding him, but he threw a hissy fit as I was trying to change Will. The problem came when he decided he needed to crawl into my lap as he was screaming...he climbed OVER his brother's head, and tried to grab on to me...meanwhile, Will is now naked, his brother set a pick for him so he saw the opportunity to rollover and try to get away...I made a dive for him while holding up JT so he wouldn't fall and looked like one of those cartoon characters that catches five things with his hands, feet, and nose...
Everyone was fed, and bedded down for the evening on schedule...They went to sleep quickly...and I did the same.

I'll see you all next week.
PWD

Just a Quick Blog

Good Monday morning. It's going to be an odd week. I can tell already.
Sally is headed out of town so I am going to stay home with the boys tomorrow.
Wednesday it's back at it, then we're off together Thursday for our first couples only trip since the boys were born.
We're both looking forward to the break.

To the News

Olympics
Watched the entire men's Hockey final on the edge of my seat. I like hockey. I LOVED watching that game. I hope it leads to more people watching hockey on regular basis.
If you are still sceptical about hockey I have a suggestion. Go watch a game live. If you can, sit behind one of the goals and a few rows back off the ice. If you're seat is a little elevated you'll see the action coming at you and going away from you. It's much easier to see plays develop and watch how players fill space. Te first time I watched a game from the upper deck of The United Center behind the goalie, I enjoyed it a lot more and understood what I was watching on TV a lot better.
-Just a couple more Olympic thoughts: Kudos to the Canadians for BELTING out their national anthem every time it played. We could do a little more of that here in the US.
-Canadian fans showed how much they appreciate good hockey with their enthusiastic applause for the American team during the medal ceremony.
-Now I wish I stayed up for the closing ceremonies. They joked about the fourth leg of the cauldron not working, William Shatner did a bit and there were inflatable beavers! What more could you want?

Girls BB
Welcome to all of the out-of-towners who are making their way to Des Moines this week. I know some people complain about the extra traffic and the extra teenagers all over the place. I actually love it. I think the State tournaments are one of the best parts of living in Des Moines.

Crazies
One of our viewers rightly scolded me for trying to explain the plot of the new movie just shot in Iowa to Brooke this morning.
Our script was sort of non-descript about the "homicidal plague" that infects a fictional Iowa town in the movie named , "The Crazies".
I sensed Brooke's confusion reading the story and tried to explain what I thought I knew about the plot. There's some sort of a plane crash that leads to the town being infected. I thought it was airborne...it wasn't(as our viewer rightly pointed out). The chemical gets into the water.
I wanted to make sure I corrected myself and try to correct the viewer's perception that , "Patrick thinks he knows it all".
I've resolved to stick to the suggestion he gave in his email that I should , "shut his mouth and just read what is wrote."

With that, I hope you have a good morning.
PWD