KCPT Week in Review--- 3 White People and a Token Black

Once more, one more time this week, KCPT, "Kansas City Public Television" and their "Week in Review" program has 3 white people and Eric Wesson, a token Black man, on their program. That's it. Three white people and a Black man.

Thank goodness, again, Eric Wesson shows up. Thank you, sir, for being there, time and again. To KCPT, "Kansas City Public Television", there are no Hispanic people in the community. Thank goodness they got 2 white women to appear on the program so they have at least SOME more minorities on the show. So hoping one day they fix this. Hey, we can hope.

Kansas City COViD Roundup

 Here you go, Kansas City! A COVID roundup. First up, Torey Southwick advises us!

With KC beds sparse, rural hospitals in Kansas, Missouri face new COVID ‘tidal wave’

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum temporarily closes after staff test positive for COVID-19

A lost generation? Educators and students worry online classes leave too many behind

KC metro sees dip in new coronavirus cases as testing slows over Thanksgiving holiday

Meanwhile, this, nationally.

16 States Log Record-High Average COVID-19 Cases Since Thanksgiving

Insane.

Here's a statewide assessment.

Examining COVID-19 Cases In Hard-Hit Wisconsin, Missouri 

The region.

‘We’re drowning’: COVID cases flood hospitals in America’s heartland

And then, hope.

Covid: First Americans 'could get vaccine in December

Be careful out there, folks. Stay safe. Mask up, for sure.

KCPT Needs to Rename "Week in Review"

 

They need to just call it "Three White People and a Black Man."

Kansas City Week in Review

Kansas City Needs a Philanthropist Savior Just Now

I've been thinking of this for the last week since I heard this report.

Pandemic prompts Nelson-Atkins Museum layoffs

From the article.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art plans to lay off 36 employees because of fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The museum announced the layoffs in a Wednesday news release. It also said it planned to cut its budget by 25% to about $26 million, KCUR reports.

“Today’s decision comes after analyzing, trying to fundraise,” CEO and Director Julián Zugazagoitia told KCUR, “and also seeing that this pandemic is going to be lasting for many, many months to come.”

So that, last week, led to this, now.

Kansas City Curator Who Built The Nelson-Atkins' World-Class Photography Collection Resigns In Protest

In 2005, Keith Davis brought the Hallmark Photographic Collection to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and founded the museum's photography department. Now, he's leaving after another curator lost her job.

Last month, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced it was cutting its budget by 25 percent and laying off 36 staffers to cope with financial challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It does cut across all (of) the museum," said CEO and director Julián Zugazagoitia at the time, and suggested that "recalibrating and restructuring" was ahead.

National arts writer Tyler Green reported on Wednesday that the departures include two of three curators in the museum's photography department. These curators oversaw the internationally recognized Hallmark Photographic Collection with works from 1839 to the present.

According to Green, an author, critic and host of The Modern Art Notes Podcast, senior curator Keith Davis resigned in protest of the termination of curator Jane L. Aspinwall.

So this is where it made me think that we need one of our local, very wealthy philanthropist families, or someone, anyone, to come up with--who knows how much? a million?--or whatever and make yet another donation to the Nelson-Atkins so they can stay afloat. Not only stay afloat but keep it's national standing and it's fantastic exhibits all going.

Blochs? Kempers?  Halls? Someone? Anyone?  Maybe get together and make a donation together? Please?

Because we'll beg.

Honestly we will.

A Question for, a Plea to Dos Mundos

 To the Dos Mundos Newspaper

You advertise on Kansas City PBS. 

Can you not arrange, somehow, to help Nick Haines get someone from the Hispanic/Latinx community each week for his program "Week in Review"? You are frequently, repeatedly not represented on the program. Can't someone in the community help him/them get someone reliably on the show? 

Please? 

For your own sake, the sake of that Hispanic/Latinx community and for the sake of the entire community?

Weekly, weekly, there are 3 white people and a token Black man or woman on the show and that's it.

Give the poor man some help.   Help him help you.  Heck, help him help all of us. Let's hear from the ENTIRE community.

Thank you, in advance.

Links:

Kansas City PBS

Kansas City Week in Review

Two Bits of Bad News on this Pandemic Locally Today

First this.

Kansas labeled a coronavirus ‘red zone’ as cases spike, White House document says

Then this.

Kansas City metro area records highest single-day increase in COVID-19 deaths

Meanwhile, this President touted deregulation of environmental laws today on the White House lawn.

Trump hosting White House event 

to highlight deregulation

Stay safe out there, folks.

Wear those masks.

Additional link. Also today.

FL adds 156 COVID-19 deaths, another record 

Very Sobering Headline and Article Today on America and this Pandemic--and KCMO is here, too

I thought this important to share from The Hill today.

COVID-19 surge pushes US toward deadly cliff

The coronavirus is spreading at ever-faster rates in a broad array of states, putting the U.S. on the precipice of an explosion of illness that threatens to overwhelm the nation's health care system.

The painful economic lockdowns imposed in March gave the country time to flatten the epidemiological curve and contain the virus. But that window of opportunity, which came at great economic cost, is quickly slamming shut. Health experts say all signs point to a deadly summer and fall unless government leaders implement a much more robust national strategy.

The breadth of the spread is staggering. Forty-three states have seen the number of cases confirmed on an average day increase in the last two weeks. The number of patients in hospitals has risen over the same period in 29 states. More than 80 percent of intensive care beds are occupied in Alabama, Arizona and Georgia.

The same models that predicted surges in Phoenix, Houston and Miami now show a new and broader round of cities as the likely next epicenters. The number of confirmed cases is likely to rise substantially in places like Atlanta, Kansas City, Mo., Tulsa, Okla., and Greenville, S.C.

The virus also appears to be traveling north along the I-95 corridor. Cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore, which struggled through earlier peaks of viral transmission, are now seeing early signs of a second wave. Transmissions even appear to be rising in New York City.

On the other side of the country, outbreaks in California have grown to unprecedented proportions. The Golden State is now averaging more than 7,900 new cases a day, substantially more than its seven-day average just two weeks ago.

Public health experts warn that the U.S. has only a fleeting window in which to wrestle the virus back under some form of control. Without a stronger national response, including restrictions on large gatherings and requirements that people wear masks in public, the risk of a second peak could bring new lockdowns and more economic harm, derail the beginning of the new school year and even overwhelm local health systems.

"Our projections show that without immediate actions to significantly reduce travel and social distancing nationwide, this virus will not only threaten our ability to reopen schools in the coming weeks, but our capacity to care for the sickest individuals," said David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia whose models forecast higher case counts.

More than 3.1 million Americans have tested positive for the virus, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that as many as 25 million people in the U.S. may have contracted it. More than 133,000 people have died, almost twice as many victims as in Brazil, the second-hardest hit country.

Cities that successfully avoided early explosions of cases are now in the crosshairs after the loosening of restrictions in some states and regions that helped avoid what studies have suggested would have been tens of millions of infections.

"I would be lying if I didn't say I was concerned," Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Quinton Lucas said in an interview. "We have looked at the trends out of Texas, Arizona and Florida. Those states kind of reflect the political choices that were made statewide in Missouri, and that does give us concern."

The Kansas City metropolitan area has confirmed more than 10,000 coronavirus cases. The PolicyLab model shows Jackson County, Mo., is likely to experience more than 200 new cases every day by the beginning of August.

Rubin warned that smaller cities are likely to experience significant outbreaks in the coming weeks, potentially straining health systems that are not as prepared to handle a high volume of patients in need of intensive care. College towns like South Bend, Ind., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., are beginning to see case counts rise even with most students gone.

"We're starting to see a mild uptick," said James Mueller, South Bend's mayor. "We're in a much better position now than we were for the first increase or the first peak."

At other levels of government, some who have sought to downplay the severity of the American outbreak have pointed to an increasing number of tests being conducted across the country, which they say will naturally lead to identification of those who have only minor symptoms or asymptomatic cases. But the number of cases is rising faster than would be accounted for by the increase in testing; the share of tests coming back positive is rising in 38 states.

More than a quarter of tests conducted in Arizona are coming back positive, according to state data. More than 15 percent of tests are coming back positive in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.

Governors in 23 states have ordered residents to wear masks in public, though President Trump has refused to order a nationwide mask mandate. Trump has instead focused on reopening the economy, insisting that schools operate as normal in the months before he faces voters in November.

__________________________________

We have GOT to pull together, people, America, Americans. All of us.

Link:

Florida records more than 15,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day, the highest single-day increase in any state

Surgeon general says U.S. can reverse coronavirus surge in a few weeks 'if everyone does their part'

Leaving World Health Organization marks major foreign policy blunder

All the More Reasons, Today, Why Kansas City Needed a Classical Station

Big, breaking announcements today from the arts community, showing all the more, why, exactly, Kansas City really needed a 24 hour radio station.

‘Heartbreaking decision’: 2020 performances canceled by 4 big Kansas City arts groups

In summary:

"...the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Harriman-Jewell Series announced Tuesday that they have canceled all performances at the Kauffman Center for the next six months, until January 2021.

Painful. That hurts.

It is going to be one dark, very quiet Fall and Winter, campers.

So again, all the more reason our getting back a 24 hour classical music station, 91.9 FM, is and was so important.  And wonderful.

Classical Music Is Back On The Radio In Kansas City For The First Time In Eight Years

Thank you, KCUR and William Jewell College! Thank you so very much!

This Should Be a--Huge?--Boon and Boom for Starlight Theater

Someone asked out on Facebonkers today what people would like to see from local dance companies what with this pandemic.

It got me thinking.

First, I thought, open air performances of all kinds should be done, weather-permitting, of course And these should take place here from Spring through Summer and into Fall. They become all the more important and helpful. Anywhere and everywhere with a stage outdoors, of whatever size. Perfect.  With social distancing, of course.

And where, in Kansas City, is the biggest outdoor stage?

Why, Starlight Theater, of course!

Unfortunately, when I went to their web page today, there was this message:

Ensuring the health and safety of our patrons and staff is our number one priority. While we are still able to serve you via phone and website, we have suspended walk-up ticket sales until further notice in support of the guidance from Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City of Kansas City. Patrons will be notified if any Starlight events are postponed or cancelled and we will update our website and ticketholders as information becomes available. Thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support as we learn and adjust to the ever-changing circumstances regarding COVID-19.

And sure, it's understandable and it's one more business and they have to react to the pandemic and the Mayor's stay at home order but now that it's being relaxed, it seems that, again, with social distancing, this could and would be a fantastic place for us to all--carefully--congregate and enjoy ourselves this year, in spite of COVID-19.

I'd like to take it one step further, too.

I'd hope they'd actually have literally one performance a night out there. 

In the best case, with all the different arts organizations and performances there are in the area, the different ones could rotate in their performances.  Dance, music, theater--think Unicorn and the other live theater there is in town.

Sure, it would take a great deal of planning and organization and the logistics could/would be tough, very tough, to pull off, I recognize that.  But if they could, can and do??

And if not one performance a night, then as many performances per week as they could pull off.

And if they could pull it off?

Man, would we all enjoy ourselves and make the most of a very difficult, even tough time and situation.

Another upside?

Quite possibly a ton of profit for Starlight while also hopefully saving some other organizations and artists and performers, too.

I know, I know, this is hoping for a lot.   I mean A LOT. I recognize that.

And maybe it's dreaming an impossible dream.

But tough times make for tough people.  And solutions. And great answers.

It could, really, pull us all together, too. All across the city, area and even region.

Here's hoping.

Coronavirus Satire?? Great Stuff?? Out of Kansas City??

This guy is pretty hilarious.   You wouldn't think there could be great pandemi satire, would you? But here it is.


Hoping he keeps this stuff up after this is all over.

Stay safe. Be well. Stay at home!

May Is What Month??

Why yes!  Yes it is!!

National Barbecue Month

Y'all know what to do!

Git out there and enjoy!!

Star Gives Us Ways We Can Help Locally

Okay, so we're all in an international pandemic no one would have ever imagined, we're in a stay at home order and we have time on our hands.

With that, are there ways we can help, help one another, locally, and hopefully use all this time we have on our hands?

The answer is yes, of course, and our own Kansas City Star gave us ways to do just that in Sunday's paper.

Your money, your blood, your time: 

How to help Kansas City during COVID-19 crisis

Herewith:

Perhaps you’re looking for ways to make a difference during this COVID-19 crisis that has affected us all. The possibilities are endless.

You can simply donate to worthwhile causes. That would be one way to get the most good out of the government’s stimulus checks set to arrive in the coming weeks.

Your funds can assist charities that are on the front lines of the ongoing pandemic battle (disaster-relief organizations, hospitals and other health-related groups) as well as those that help people struggling to survive. Food pantries and other charities such as the Salvation Army are requesting donations of food, clothing and other basic-need items.

But don’t forget the many organizations that have been devastated by the virtual shutdown of the economy and are struggling to stay afloat until a return to normalcy. Think the arts, restaurants and entertainers.

Your time is also valuable. Many organizations are looking for volunteers during this time of need.

But perhaps the most basic way to make a difference is simply to be a good neighbor or citizen.

The Star has compiled a list of ideas and resources, which we’ll add to as more become available. Please give us your ideas by emailing calendar@kcstar.com.

HELP THE HUNGRY

Harvesters, harvesters.org/givetime

Don Bosco Senior Center, donbosco.org

Food Equality Initiative, foodequalityinitiative.org

MCC Food Pantry locations, mcckc.edu/counseling/food-pantries

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Therese Church, sttheresenorth.org/svdpfoodpantry

Thelma’s Kitchen at Reconciliation Services, thelmaskitchen.org

Meals on Wheels, mealsonwheelsamerica.org (search by ZIP code)

Feeding America, feedingamerica.org

No Kid Hungry, nokidhungry.org

Operation BBQ Relief, operationbbqrelief.org

GIVE BLOOD

Community Blood Center has canceled blood drives but has expanded hours at its seven donor centers around the area (no walk-ins). Donors can schedule appointments at 877-468-6844 or savealifenow.org.

The American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City is taking appointments at 800­-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org.

HELP THE HOMELESS

Agencies need funding, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and food. Veterans Community Project, at 8900 Troost Ave., is accepting donations, which will be distributed to agencies throughout the community. veteranscommunityproject.org

City Union Mission, cityunionmission.org

Community LINC, communitylinc.org

Cross-Lines Community Outreach, cross-lines.org

Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, gkcceh.org/community-closures-and-openings

Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus, hopefaithministries.org

Restart, restartinc.org

ASSIST RESTAURANT WORKERS

Curbside KC (order food for pickup), curbsidekc.com

BaristaKC Virtual Tip Jar, linktr.ee/baristakc

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, restaurantworkerscf.org

James Beard Food & Beverage Industry Relief Fund, jamesbeard.org/blog/relief-fund

Rally for Restaurants, rallyforrestaurants.com

Unite Here, unitehere.org/covid-19

HELP THE HELPERS

I Got You KC (donations and sponsorships for restaurants to provide meals for health-care workers and first responders), igotyoukc.com

SUPPORT ARTISTS AND ARTISANS

KC Spaces Fund, kcspacesfund.com

KCYA teaching artists, kcya.org/?page=artist-emergency-fund

Strawberry Swing makers’ products, thestrawberryswing.org

CERF+ visual artists, cerfplus.org/donate

Americans for the Arts Action Fund, artsactionfund.org

Support for local filmmakers, kcfilmoffice.com

MAKE/DONATE FACE MASKS

Some health-care providers, such as the University of Kansas Health System, say they can’t use homemade masks. But other groups, including Heart to Heart International and Johnson County’s emergency management team, welcome the donations.

Martin City Brewing Company tutorial, facebook.com/watch/?v=2606071786387858

The Whole Person, thewholeperson.org

Sandlot, sandlotgoods.com

JoAnn Craft Stores resources, joann.com/make-to-give-response

Johnson County is accepting donated cloth masks, jocogov.org

Million Mask Challenge, facebook.com/groups/millionmaskchallengekc

Rightfully Sewn, rightfullysewn.org

Buy one and one is donated to someone in our community, sewkc.com

GENERAL RESPONSE

Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, growyourgiving.org/covid

Heart to Heart International, hearttoheart.org

Volunteer Johnson County, joco.samaritan.com

Salvation Army, centralusa.salvationarmy.org/mokan

American Red Cross, redcross.org/volunteer

Center for Disaster Philanthropy COVID-19 Response Fund, disasterphilanthropy.org

United Nations Foundation, unfoundation.org

World Health Organization COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, covid19responsefund.org

Doctors Without Borders, doctorswithoutborders.org

Partners in Health, pih.org/article/pihs-emergency-coronavirus-response

National Council on Aging, ncoa.org

Facebook will double your donation to the CDC Foundation’s coronavirus response support, facebook.com/cdcfoundation and give.cdcfoundation.org

OTHER RESOURCES

Direct Relief humanitarian aid organization, directrelief.org

Elder Helpers, elderhelpers.org

Find your local mutual-aid network, mutualaidhub.org

Charity rating sites, Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) and CharityWatch (charitywatch.org)

Catchafire online volunteer opportunities, catchafire.org

DO SOMETHING NICE

The following list was compiled from suggested activities by Doing Good Together (doinggoodtogether.org), a Minneapolis group that provides tools to help raise compassionate, engaged children, as well as The Washington Post and other online sources:

• Arrange for meals to be delivered to those working on the front lines, such as police, EMTs and hospital workers (first make sure they are allowed to accept food).
• Send a note of thanks to front line health-care workers.
• Call or text neighbors (especially older ones) to make sure they’re doing OK.
• Leave packaged, sealed treats or beverages by your front door as a way to thank delivery people.
• Start a neighborhood hunt (bear, tiger or whatever) in which residents put teddy bears (or whatever) in their windows for families on walks to watch for.
• Write encouraging messages in chalk on your sidewalk.
• Set up FaceTime and Skype sessions with relatives or acquaintances in assisted living facilities.
• Advocate on social media for individuals and organizations that need help.
• Support local businesses by buying gift cards.

So there you are.  A great, long and I think pretty comprehensive list of all the things we can maybe do to help one another during this very trying, difficult, even surprising time. 

Again, we have time on our hands.  Let's see if we can help one another out there. 

Go get 'em, Kansas City!

And kudos and thank you, Kansas City Star!

Y'all be well, be safe and STAY AT HOME!!

From Local Medical Staff on the Pandemic

The following post is copied and shared from an OBGyn on staff at the North Kansas City Hospital.

“I usually don't do long posts but during this time, I can't stay silent....

This is not just like the flu. When did you last see doctors posting to beg people to stay home or hospitals asking the public for handouts of medical equipment or the CDC having to tell healthcare works if as a last resort use a bandana! The Flu is still something to be taken seriously and kills people each year. (And more should get vaccinated). However, the Flu does not get transmitted as easily or have nearly the fatality rate of COVID19, which could kill millions. Imagine the Flu in hulk mode. It's scary and it can get scarier. You may think "I'm healthy and I'll survive this", but your loved ones may not and what if they would have survived if you just stayed home? Please stay at home and if you go outside, only go outside with those you are already living with, not your neighbors or friends because that's taking 3 steps backwards. And please consider donating blood; that's a trip worthy of leaving the house that can save others.

Doctors in other countries are having to choose between who to save and who to let die. People are dying not just because of the infection but because of lack of resources. It is a physician's nightmare to have to say "I'm sorry but I can't help because you are too old or already have too many illnesses. So we're going to just have to do comfort care so the healthier can live." You don't want that happening to your loved ones.

This isn't going to be over in 2 weeks and will take even longer with even more deaths if social isolation is not taken seriously.”

Be well, be safe out there, campers.

Great Way to Approach This Pandemic Right Here In Kansas City

I'd love to see more of this, in our city, all across the metropolitan area. Heck, I'd like to join in.

This is from reporter, journalist Steve Kraske's Facebook page this week:

Here's how neighbors on Belinder Court in Westwood got together Wednesday afternoon to socialize a bit while maintaining safe distancing. Courtney Falk drew "Xs" on the street 6 feet from each other to mark safe spots for talking. Love my 'hood. We're doing a segment on "Up to Date" Friday on how Kansas City-area residents are staying engaged with their neighbors. Drop me a note below, or call in at 816-235-2888 beginning at about 9:15 a.m. tomorrow. Yes, I get great show topics from my neighbors! Oh, Kady took the pic.

Be safe out there, y'all.

Incredible Kansas City History: On this day, February 25, 1870

Kansas City has some incredible history and in lots of ways. Today's date points out one more.

The nation's first African-American Congressman, Senator was from--you guessed it--right here in the Kansas City area.

 

Hiram Rhoades Revels was destined for greatness. Born in the 1820s (historical accounts vary on the exact year) he fought at the Battle of Vicksburg and served as a chaplain for the Union Army. And, reportedly at the request of Fredrick Douglas, helped recruit and organize black soldiers during the Civil War. In Missouri, and two other states, Revels was an educator, and in 1865, founded and led St. Paul A.M.E. Church in nearby Independence, MO. Years later, he also became the first African American U.S. Senator in Mississippi, filling the seat vacated by Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

So the first African-American member of Congress, Senator, was from right here in our own area.

Incredible.

And so few of us know it.

14 African Americans Who Left their Mark on Kansas City 

Additional links:

Hiram Rhodes Revels - Wikipedia

1 More Civil War Statue for Forgotten Hero

Hiram Revels is first African American US Senator

Hiram R. Revels, first African-American in U.S. Congress

How qre KCPT's "Week In Review" and "Ruckus" Not Racist?

What do you call a news program in a major city of America that only has white people on it, discussing what are supposed to be local issues?

Not one African-American. Not one Hispanic or Latina/Latino. Nothing.

Only white people.

What is that but racist?

On both programs' panels, not one "person of color." "Ruckus" did, this week, have the head of our local Jazz Museum, Rashida Phillips on at the beginning of the program but no minority, save a woman, on the panel.

Only white people can give answers to what our problems are and what the solutions might be?

And how, exactly, can people like Dave Helling and Steve Kraske and Mike Mahoney support and continue to support this and these programs?

Why does the local Hispanic media like Dos Mundos support this group?

KCPT's Lily-White, Bleached-White "Ruckus" and "Week in Review" Save Kansas City Again!

Yessiree. Here we go again. One more week of KCPT and Mike Shanin saving the city, saving us all with four lily, bleached-white Caucasians on the panel of the weekly "news" program "Ruckus."

Not one African-American.

Not one HIspanic or Latino/Latina.

Nada.

Zip.

They show African-Americans and Hispanics in their promotional commercials and requests for funding and get this, they advertise that they're supported by the Hispanic community's Dos Mundos newspaper but actually have a minority person from the area on the program??

FUGGEDABOUDIT.

They did have 2 whole wimmin on the program so at least it wasn't completely all white males. There was at least ONE minority. I guess we have to be thankful for that.

Given that it's PBS and a publicly-funded program, you wouldn't think this would even be an issue. It is really stunning. Not only is it this way but it's been this way since KCPT began.

You'd think this was 1920's or 1940's or even 1960's America.

But it surely isn't.

In Mr. Shanin's and his program's defense, I will say that they TALKED about inviting a black female singer to be on the program. In the future.

Not done there, our PBS station KCPT also ran FOUR VERY WHITE PEOPLE, again, on "Week in Review."

Not one "person of color."

Honestly. It's stunning.

What chutzpah. What an insult.

It insults our intelligence as well as the audience, the entire city.

Come on, KCPT.

You should be FAR better than this.

Links:

Ruckus - KCPT

Kansas City Week in Review - KCPT

To All the Blogger/Hater/Non-Believers Out There On Our CHIEFS!!!

SUPER BOWL LIV CHAMPIONS, BABY!!!

Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl 2020 in come-from-behind 

Youngest MVP player in a Super Bowl!!

Patrick Mahomes!!

And Coach Andy Reid wins his 222nd victory on 2/2/2020!!

GO CHIEFS!!!

Kansas City Gets a Brief But Good Mention In the Times Today

Yes, Kansas City gets a very brief mention and good nod in today's New York Times. So what if it comes at the very end of the article?

         The Big Myth Behind the 'Real New Yorker' 

When a Brooklyn politician tells transplants to “go back to Ohio,” what exactly does that mean?

It's an article about a public figure who lamented the gentrification of the Big Apple and all the people from "flyover country" intruding and inhabiting the city, thus driving up prices and sucking the personality of the city, out of it. How it ends:

Five years ago a school district near Kansas City, Mo., gained wide attention when a transgender student was crowned homecoming queen. Three years after that, two elementary schools in the district installed gender-neutral bathrooms.

If you are welcome where you are, maybe you don’t have to leave

So kudos to you, Kansas City. Kudos to us. We're opening our minds out there.

Clueless Mike Shanin, KCPT and "Ruckus"

They've done it again.

Mike Shanin, his weekly news program "Ruckus" and our PBS station KCPT all did it again.

On this evening's weekly program, on tonight's panel, they had 2 white men, a very white--even blonde haired--woman and one black man.

One person "of color."

And even the woman was clearly a Right Winger, very likely Republican since she called out for Mike Pompeo, praising him and saying he should run for President in the future.

Again, I say and ask again, how incredible would it be if KCPT and Mike Shanin and this show--and "Week in Review" for that matter, their other weekly news program--consistently, reliably, week after week, would have, at worst, one white man, one white woman, an African-American of any sex and a Hispanic or Latina, again, of either sex?

How great would that be?

And it wouldn't be difficult, either.

They would finally, at long last, reliably and dependably have a far better cross section of everyone in the metropolitan area instead of so thoroughly covering white people and their viewpoints and issues.

We can dream.

Can't we?

Until they do, isn't this just media approved racism? And segregation?

For now, they cover, again, the white viewpoint solidly and dependably.

That and the old, white viewpoint.

KCPT and any PBS station owes us far more.