Great news for Missouri

 Did you see where one of Missouri's pristine rivers in the South of the state got a big honor this week?

Ozarks’ White River is nation’s second National Blueway

From the article:
 
The White River, with its 60-county watershed cutting through Missouri and Arkansas, has been named America’s second National Blueway.

This is actually quite a big honor, considering it's only the 2nd in the nation to get this distinction and that it "was nominated for this designation by 26 groups, including The Nature Conservancy, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Ducks Unlimited and the Arkansas Canoe Club.

My point in bringing this to anyone's attention is first, just to say it's quite an honor but second, in hopes that more people from the area would take advantage of this treasure and go and camp, canoe and hike the area. I'm convinced that the Ozarks are vastly overlooked by us. The hills, forest and rivers there are breathtaking.

I'd be nearly willing to bet that if a random group of Missourians or Kansans or Illinoisans nearby were polled, far too many of us would confess we didn't even know there's a national forest on our doorstep.

And that's a darn shame.

Go, enjoy, people.

Link:  Mark Twain National Forest

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/10/4003905/ozarks-white-river-designated.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/10/4003905/ozarks-white-river-designated.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/10/4003905/ozarks-white-river-designated.html#storylink=cpy

Texas isn't the only one with wildfires, either

Besides the big news today and this weekend of Texas' wildfires, it seems California is fighting their own new fires, too. "TEHACHAPI, Calif. (AP) — At least three wildfires burned across tinder-dry Southern California on Monday, including one that had destroyed a dozen homes, threatened hundreds more and injured two firefighters, officials said. By far the largest of the blazes was the so-called Canyon Fire, burning near Tehachapi in Kern County. It was sparked Sunday when a single-engine Cessna plane crashed in the remote area. The blaze had chewed its way through 8,600 acres — about 13 square miles — of summer-scorched terrain and destroyed 12 residences, said Ron Oatman, a spokesman with the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection. Additionally, the fire claimed 15 outbuildings and three recreational vehicles. Two firefighters were injured, though the extent of their injuries was not known. About 600 firefighters, backed by a DC-10 jumbo jet tanker and more than a dozen other aircraft, were battling the fire and about 10 percent of the blaze was contained. Oatman said about 650 homes across several rugged communities were told to prepare to evacuate. By Monday night, residents at about 170 homes had been asked to leave. The national statistics this year for weather and weather-related events is just going to be "off the charts", so to speak, when this year closes out. Links: http://news.yahoo.com/parched-conditions-fuel-southern-calif-wildfires-034035535.html;_ylt=AuDqLRHRrzM8DnY22uqgbZe1qHQA;_ylu=X3oDMTFxZjl0N21zBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVGV4dARwb3MDNQRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZUxpc3Q-;_ylg=X3oDMTJwZnFkdWM5BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMjhlYzhjNjYtNTQyYi0zYzc3LTk4ZmItZTU1MGQzOWJlZTY3BHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3; http://news.yahoo.com/officials-12-homes-burned-southern-calif-fire-025544886.html;_ylt=Arm4HQyQpPkYLIO2_N2VOse1qHQA;_ylu=X3oDMTFxa3RwMG0xBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVGV4dARwb3MDNgRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZUxpc3Q-;_ylg=X3oDMTJwZnFkdWM5BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMjhlYzhjNjYtNTQyYi0zYzc3LTk4ZmItZTU1MGQzOWJlZTY3BHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3; http://news.yahoo.com/calif-crews-tackle-blazes-tinder-dry-terrain-070631445.html;_ylt=Aj2ORhkmxK44F8dpBhd4cqW1qHQA;_ylu=X3oDMTFxYmFrZzNuBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVGV4dARwb3MDNwRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZUxpc3Q-;_ylg=X3oDMTJwZnFkdWM5BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMjhlYzhjNjYtNTQyYi0zYzc3LTk4ZmItZTU1MGQzOWJlZTY3BHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Random thoughts on a wonderful, long, beautiful holiday weekend

--The Star reports that "A 17-year-old girl remained hospitalized this morning after she was shot on Thanksgiving night in central Kansas City." I can't write very long here, today, because I'm going to join the East side clergy who are going to be protesting this and the other shootings and killings of their fellow-citizens in the city. Yeah, right;

--The Kansas City Star reported this morning that drivers who already have suspended licenses are being picked up outside court in downtown Kansas City by the police. A couple things come to mind--first, good for the cops. This is a great idea. It should have been done years before now. And two, it was reported on, I think, KCTV5 a few days ago, on the evening news. What this means is that now the Star is following the local, crappy TV news coverage, which is notoriously lame. That's how bad it's gotten at the Star. Used to be, the Star scooped virtually all news organizations in town. No more, no surprise, sadly. So it goes;

--It isn't my goal to repeatedly complain about our local newspaper but one of the big stories on the front page this morning was that the Country Club Plaza Thanksgiving evening holiday lighting ceremony "is a balm in hard times." Really? If I'm unemployed--or underemployed--how is that going to give me comfort? And this is news how? And still, to this day, the Star hasn't done one more researching story on the ousting of the City Manager--they still haven't tried to ask the questions for us of just why he was let go. Oh, well. Que sera, sera;

--People are still, amazingly, writing in to the Star today, supporting now-ex-City Manager Wayne Cauthen. Nearly unbelieveable, but for being uninformed;

--Much more surprisingly, there was yet another letter to the editor in the paper, declaring that we, the people of Kansas City, should "Just give the man a chance to be the mayor and see what good things he can do for Kansas City." And she was serious. Of course, she lived in Leawood, Kansas but what the hell, right?;

--The Star editorial staff let Mike Hendricks write yet another op/ed column about how we should ride our bicycles to work. Yeah. Right. That's gonna happen. I really don't like or want to be cynical or sarcastic but that just patently isn't going to happen. Not here in America. Not with Americans. A few of us but darned few;

--If I could, I would never hear the term "Black Friday" ever again. Same with reports the last few days, continuing all weekend, I'm sure, about the shopping season. This morning, even NPR went WAY overboard with this. One of their reports said "people are looking to save money." Really? There's a surprise, huh?

--Then there's the Reno County (Hutchinson, Kansas) defense attorney who brings and presents a "dud" hand grenade in his closing remarks for his client's case to prove a point. Oh, yeah. There's a rocket scientist;

--Who would think it would ever, anymore, be possible to crash a State dinner at the White House, no matter who the President? It's for sure someone's job--or some people's jobs--will be sacrificed. Makes me want to crash a Ward Parkway or Mission Hills party one of these days. (Not actually, but suddenly seems much more possible);

--did you see where we (the US through the US Forest Service) just bought 1200 acres of "scenic meadow land...in the Sierra Nevada neard Truckee, CA" for $3 million? Sounds cool. I'd love to go see it. I don't know how we're going to take care of it, since we don't take care of our National Parks already but what the hell. At least, hopefully, the logging companies won't get it. Hopefully;

--did you know you could die if you get stuck upside down in a cave for 24 hours? Who knew? (And I'm not being flip about the young man's death);

--Fortunately for everyone--and Wal-Mart in particular--apparently no one was killed this year, trying to get that terrific holiday bargain in the early-morning hours. (And now that I think of it, how would you like to be remembered as "the person who was trampled to death on Thanksgiving morning, trying to get that perfect holiday bargain"?);

--It's great, I think, to sit at a Panera's restaurant, writing a local blog, while listening to your favorite music, while all about you is near-chaos. (Right now, Andrea Bocelli singing "Ave Maria").

Okay, everyone, go out there and have a terrific holiday weekend!

Links:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1596294.html
http://www.kansascity.com/934/gallery/1596068.html
http://www.kansascity.com/934/gallery/1578438.html
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1595583.html
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/6681
http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/1595391.html
http://blogs.kansascity.com/unfettered_letters/2009/11/cauthens-dismissal.html