The Super Bowl: Imagine

And/or poverty.

Jobs and infrastructure both possible for America

If only the Republican Congress would let it happen.

How many more bridges collapse in America until we get a jobs/projects bill from Congress?

First a bridge collapses in Minneapolis, Minnesota last year--a major city of the nation--and now one in Seattle.

How long, how long until our Congress gives us a jobs bill so we can take care of the infrastructure of our nation and, at the same time, create jobs the nation also needs so badly?

How long?

How long until we stop paying attention to trumped-up, imagined "scandals" and start taking care of the business, the true business, of the nation?

How long until we stop being partisan for our political party and start doing what's right for the entire country?

This is America? We have bridges collapsing now? And this is acceptable?

We need more thought and thinkers like this, instead:

Links:

A bridge falling into the water and a vision for the future gone missing

Radioman's Kansas City: Every Single Senate Republican Voted ...

Another Bridge Falls — Fixing Infrastructure Fixes Jobs And Deficits

Collapse: Does Washington Bridge Expose the Crumbling of a Nation

St. Louis ranked 9th highest in "America's Most Literate Cities"

Read it and weep, Kansas City, if everything, including this, is a competition. St. Louis beat us out in the "most literate city" ranking, this past year:

America's Most (and Least) Literate Cities - 24/7 Wall St

For the third year in a row, Washington, D.C., was rated the most literate city in the United States, with Seattle and Minneapolis close behind. That is according to a study conducted by Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) of the literacy of the nation’s largest cities.

The study ranked the cities based on six dimensions of literacy, including size of library systems, presence of bookstores, educational attainment, digital readership, circulation of newspapers and other publications. The most literate cities in the country were often, but not always, in tech-heavy regions with highly educated populations. Based on the university’s report, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the most and least literate cities in the country.


What they found about our state neighbor:

9. St. Louis, Mo.

> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 56.21 (10th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 28.2% (34th lowest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 2.92 (13th most)
> Median income: $32,570 (7th lowest)

St. Louis ranked third in terms of library resources, which takes into account the number of libraries and the number of books carried by them. The city also ranked second for publishing, with a high circulation of magazines and journals. The one area where St. Louis scored relatively poorly was in educational attainment, ranking 45th out of the 76 cities. Nearly 84% of adults aged 25 and over had a high-school diploma as of 2011, while just over 28% had at least a bachelor’s degree — both below the national rate.

Now, that said, we didn't do too badly as Kansas City did come in 13th, overall, as "most literate and we did beat out Lincoln, Nebraska this time, too.

I think we should take the ranking of Minneapolis as a challenge to improve where we are on this list, personally.

I also noted one thing from of the list of "least literate" cities and that is that both states of Texas and California seemed to have the most cities on that list, of all the states. I thought that interesting. Texas didn't surprise me, frankly, but California did.

Read more:  http://homes.yahoo.com/news/america-s-most-and-least-literate-cities-224612878.html

Full report here: http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=15608

KC: No. 15 out of 50

Yes, it's been covered by The Pitch Magazine and likely elsewhere online, too, across town but I still think it's good to cover this story and point out a few things differently.

Kansas City was ranked a bit of a surprising number 15 out of a total of 50 cities, nationwide, out of Businessweek Magazines'--with an assist from Bloomberg Rankings, it says-- "50 Best Cities to Live." (See links at bottom).

So good for us but first things, first--where does this come from and what may it mean for us?

First, from where this ranking comes:

The magazines say the cities are "... evaluated 100 of the country’s largest cities based on leisure attributes (the number of restaurants, bars, libraries, museums, professional sports teams, and park acres by population); educational attributes (public school performance, the number of colleges, and graduate degree holders), economic factors (2011 income and June and July 2012 unemployment), crime, and air quality. Major professional league and minor league teams, as well as U.S.-based teams belonging to international leagues in that city were included. The greatest weighting was placed on leisure amenities, followed by educational metrics and economic metrics, and then crime and air quality."

So, all told, that should mean especially good things for us, being based on these items. It's good company--all those cities--good competition and great overall reasons to grant these rankings.

(It has to be noted that it sucks, here, on this list, to be Dallas or Los Angeles or Phoenix, too. Wow).

Next, let's take a pause here and see what the article has to say about us:

Rank: 15
Population: 458,064

Were it not for its high crime rate, Missouri’s largest city might rank even higher. Residents working in the city’s downtown area are watched over by the iconic Kansas City Power & Light Building, while shoppers can get lost in local shopping centers such as Country Club Plaza and the Legends at Village West. For a unique blend of technology, arts, and history, residents can always stop by the city’s old transportation hub, Union Station.

Bars: 113
Restaurants: 921
Museums: 28
Libraries: 19
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 36
Colleges: 15
Percent with graduate degree: 7.3
Median household income: $59,980
Percent unemployed: 6.9

I think it's interesting that the ranking is specifically for Kansas City, Missouri, yet they mention the Legends at Village West. That's a cute oversight on their part.

So, finally, then, what does this mean for us?

I think it means a couple things, really, at least.

First, it means we're getting good, national attention and coverage and that's always good.

Second, I think it's clear that, without the arts, Kansas City would be nowhere near this list. The arts and our three national sports teams--baseball, football and now soccer. What's ironic is that that last one, the new, "fereign" one, soccer, is the one that wins more than the other two.

Third, I think we need to, once again, stop a moment here and thank all kinds of people but maybe especially the Kauffman family since, without Ewing, Marion and Julia, we would have neither the Royals Major League Baseball team nor the incredible, in so many ways, new Performing Arts Center. Those are two big factors on this ranking, I think.

Where we have to sit up and take note--what we have to work on, this ranking shows--is that we clearly need, as we all surely know, that we have to get the crime rate down and the shootings and killings to stop.

Now if we just knew how, right?

Here's another note, too and it's in our favor: St. Louis is ranked 47th and really took a beating in all this. They have the big, major league teams but, in the magazine's own words, "St. Louis rated the worst on this list...in crime."

Ouch.

So, not only does this give us some bragging rights and some things for the Chamber of Commerce to crow about and promote and advertise, but it also gives us something to work on and for. Maybe if we get that crime rate down and the shootings and killings to decrease or, better yet, stop, we'll climb up this list even higher.

Here's hoping.

Congratulations, Kansas City. You got some good to great press here. Now let's get out there and get even better.


Links: http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2012/10/05/kc-is-americas-15th-best-city-says-businessweek

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/2012-09-26/americas-50-best-cities.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-26/san-francisco-is-americas-best-city-in-2012

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/2012-09-26/americas-50-best-cities.html#slide37

American wildfires, 2012

Statistics on wildfires in America just now:

--Right this moment, there are 62--count 'em, 62--"uncontained, large fires" burning across America.

--Those 62 fires are raging in 10 states, with most of them in the West.

--In July this year alone, 2,014,395 acres burned. The average over 10 years is 1,585,656 acres burned.

--Wildfires this year burned states from Arizona and New Mexico clear up to Idaho and Washington, inclusive.

--"By mid-July, there were 32 large wildfires active across the nation, entirely across the western states — two in both Washington and Nevada; three in California and Montana; four in Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona; and five in Utah and Wyoming."

--"On July 31st, there were 29 large wildfires active nationwide. Two fires were active in Florida..."

--"In total, 20 fires were active across the western states of California, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming."

I ask you, do you ever remember a Summer--or even a whole year--when so much of our nation was consumed by wildfires?

Because I sure don't.

And as if that isn't enough, it's even a problem for our Northern neighbor, Canada:

Rare wildfires threaten Canadian polar bear habitat

(Reuters) - Wildfires sparked by lightning near Canada's Hudson Bay are threatening the habitat of polar bears, encroaching on the old tree roots and frozen soil where females make their dens, a conservation expert on the big, white bears said on Thursday.

Polar bears are more typically threatened by the melting of sea ice, which they use as platforms for hunting seals, their main prey. But those who live near Hudson Bay spend their summers resting up on shore when the bay thaws, living in dens dug in the frozen soil among the roots of stunted spruce trees.

Come to your own conclusions.

Links: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/

http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-polarbears-wildfires-idUSBRE87F1FF20120816

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-usa-wildfires-west-idUSBRE87F19Y20120817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

Suddenly Seattle sounds like Kansas City

Breaking news today:

3 killed, 2 wounded in Seattle shooting; gunman still at large

Except there, in Seattle, this is big and unusual news.

Sad.

Sad for us and now them, too.

Kansas City, Detroit, St. Louis, we all take it in stride and think it's just another day.

Let's hope this kind of ignorance and insanity doesn't catch on there, too.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/2-killed-3-wounded-seattle-shooting-gunman-still-212556859.html

Want to "buy American"?

Sure, we say we'd rather buy American-made products so here's your chance--on clothing, anyway. GQ magazine just came out with a list of several sources for American made clothes. They are: 1. Pendleton Woolen Mills Pendleton, OR. Est. 1909. Best known for its vibrant blankets, but no slouches in the way of plaid shirts, either. 2. Filson Seattle, WA. Est. 1897. These outdoorsy goods are a staple of urban woodsmen nationwide. 3. Red Wing Red Wing, MN. Est. 1905. Iconic producers of resurgent, Rust Belt-ready work boots. 4. Alden Middleborough, MA. Est. 1884. Stalwart of respectable brogues and loafers; rare company with legit claim to having never gone out of style. 5. Quoddy Lewiston, ME. Est. 1909. Its handmade moccasins are so popular that they're often on back order. 6. L.L.Bean Brunswick, ME. Est. 1912. The iconic mail-order outfitter's duck boots are ubiquitous, and with good reason. 7. Billykirk Lancaster Co., PA. Est. 1999. Amish-made leather shoulder bags, wallets, and key fobs. 8. Gitman Bros. Pilot Mountain, NC. Est. 1978. Some of the most solid (and, uh, patterned) ties around, made in a county known for its quarries. 9. Hamilton Houston, TX. Est. 1883. The dress shirts are from the Lone Star State, but they're classy enough for offices on the coasts. 10. Tony Lama El Paso, TX; Est. 1911. Because you don't want cowboy boots that were stitched anywhere but the Wild West. 11. Levi's Los Angeles, CA This one we knew, right? Est. 1873 If you're an authenticity junkie, you're after Levi's Cali-born, archive-based Made & Crafted line. Link to original post: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/866/trendy-made-in-america-brands/

KC No. 25 (of 26) of cities with most same-sex couples

News out today tells of the Williams Institute's ranking of the cities in America with the most same-sex couples and, as said above, Kansas City ranks 25th out of 26. St. Louis is number 11 and Minneapolis is number 4. Just sayin', as the saying goes. You can probably guess who's in the number one spot. Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/26/same-sex-couples-williams-institute-national-data_n_938166.html#s340532&title=Minneapolis_MN

Forbes' "Most Miserable Sports Cities": You knew Kansas City had to be on this one (updated)

Oh, yeah, you know Kansas City has to be on the list of Forbes Magazines "Most Miserable Sports Cities".


I'm just surprised--and pleased--we're not in the top 5.  (Or is that "bottom 5"?)


The Stats:


No. 7 Kansas City

Teams: Chiefs, Royals, Kings, Scouts
Championship round record: 3-2
Semifinal round record: 5-6
Total Seasons/championships: 118/3
Last title: 1985

Admit it; just reading the words "Kansas City" induces glazed eyes and the sudden need for a nap. The NBA and NHL both skipped town, and the city's sports postseason history is mostly defined by George Brett's Royals falling just short against the Yankees. Kansas City built the Sprint Center, but no one has come.


At what point, I wonder, does David Glass care?


More to the point, at what point does David Glass REALLY push to win in the MLB and actually SPEND MONEY?

Someone needs to tell him about ROI.  Specifically, they need to tell him that the more you win, the more people show up for games and the  more tickets he sells and food gets bought and parking spaces paid for.


I liked the fan's sign from the "Number 8 worst" city, Cleveland, that said "We are sick of hoping for 'next year'."


Interestingly, here are those "top 5" Most Miserable Sports Cities in the US this year, as judged by Forbes Magazine:


The “top” five:

1. Seattle 
2. Atlanta 
3. Phoenix 
4. Buffalo 
5. San Diego 

So bad as it is sports-wise here in Kansas City, it could always be worse.

Let's hope we don't get there.

We know you can but would you help us with this, Mr. Glass?

Link to original post:  http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-forbes_most_miserable_sports_cities_022811

http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/28/seattle-atlanta-phoenix-business-sports-miserable-sports-cities_slide_8.html

Update:  More good news on the Royals today from The Pitch, too:   

Kansas City Royals are not dead last in USA Today's baseball Power Rankings

Link here:  http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2011/03/kansas_city_royals_usa_today.php

Kansas City in top 10 for jobs

One reason, at least, to be glad you're here and not in Los Angeles or most anywhere in Florida, palm trees or no:

Monster.com: Kansas City ranks among hottest U.S. job markets

Kansas City Business Journal
Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 8:15am CST.

Job-matching website Monster.com ranks Kansas City among the 10 hottest markets for job seekers in 2011.

Kansas City was No. 10 on the Monster.com list, which was led by a top three of Washington, San Francisco and Boston. The rankings are based on the relative abundance of job openings for each city’s local work force, or available jobs per job seeker, the company said in a release.

It may not feel like it, but we're "kicking butt and taking names", employment-wise, at least compared to much of the rest of the country.

Have a great weekend, y'all.
Link to original post:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/21/monstercom-kansas-city-ranks-among.html
Other, associated links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/27/abaxis-will-set-up-testing-lab-for.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/05/exergonix-picks-lees-summit-for-90m.html

Quote of the day--on the iPad

"Well, the iPad is clearly going to affect notebook computers. And I think the iPad proves it's not a question of if, it's a question of when. There's a lot of development and progress that will occur over the next few years, but we're already seeing tremendous interest in iPad from education and, much to my surprise, from business.

We haven't pushed it real hard in business and it's being grabbed out of our hands. I talk to people every day in all kinds of businesses that are using iPads... The more time that passes, the more I am convinced that we've got a tiger by the tail here and this is a new model of computing -- you know we've already got tens of millions of people trained on with the iPhone -- and that lends itself to lots of different aspects of life, personal, educational, and business. I see it as very general purpose and very big... One could argue about the timing endlessly, but I don't think you can argue it's going to happen."    --Steve Jobs