Hoping All Kansans Watch This Video

There is a young man, one Davis Hammet, who moved to, of all places, Kansas, from Florida. He's a bit of an activist and by "a bit", I mean a full-on, nearly fire breathing activist, at that.

He started a group on Facebook called "Loud Light." He's doing fantastic work, following the Kansas State legislators and what, exactly they do and what they work on.

He's pretty incredible. I've written about him out here before.

And the thing is, all he's doing is educating Kansans.

He's not doing threatening protests or, God forbid, threatening anyone, nothing like that. He's simply trying to make his now fellow Kansans aware of what's going on in Topeka at the Capitol.

He makes videos detailing the week by week work at the Capitol then puts it on YouTube and again, Facebook. I've personally followed him to learn what's going on there and then, this week, he released a really excellent piece on the overall Kansas State budget, what's been going on with it at least through the Brownback years and what's taking place now. It's excellent. You'll find it here.



I've said before, Missouri and each and every state, really, needs someone doing this very work. Heck, I live in Missouri and I'm following this guy. It's very simple, complete, excellent, informative work about what state legislators are doing in their state capitol. The local evening news isn't this informative, helpful or downright important. He puts local news reporters to shame, honestly and literally. (Hear that, Fox4? WDAF? KCTV5? KCPT? KCUR? Kansas City Star?).

It is, as I wrote in the title, my hope that all or at least nearly all adult, voting age Kansans watch this video. They all need to know what has taken place, what's happening now and where that puts them and their state's budget.

Link:

Loud Light

A Challenge to the Churches and Media to Stop Being "Politically Correct"

So now this President, Trump came out and said we should have a nationwide ban on German luxury automobiles.

What is this guy smoking?

Can you even imagine this?

Banning the entire nation of their BMWs, Mercedes Benz and Audi automobiles, at least?

What would his big, wealthy donors drive?

Lincoln Continentals?

Please. Who are we kidding?

But here's where the "political correctness" comes in.

Why aren't we seeing and hearing reporters, especially from local TV stations, going out to the local German luxury auto dealers and asking them what they think of this idea?

Why don't we see and get that?

I'll tell you why.

We don't see that because the local TV stations and newspapers and media outlets don't want to alienate any advertisers or readers.

Dime to a doughnut says those owners and even, likely, the managers of those luxury car dealers are high paid Republicans or at least Right Wingers. The last thing they want to do is get on the airwaves, TV, radio or get quoted in the newspaper with their picture, saying it's the outrageously stupid idea it is. God forbid they tell the truth and push away some Trump follower who was just about to plop down $58,000 or more on a brand new, shiny, 4 wheel automobile from Stuttgart.

And it's the same way with the churches.

When was the last time you heard a huge outcry from any church or from any pulpit when some government representative or government agency comes out and announces cuts in programs for the poor?

The answer, of course, is either never or long, long ago.

Once again, those ministers and priests up there giving sermons don't want to run the risk of alienating some Right Winger or Republican in the pew. God forbid they not make their weekly contribution to the plate he's about to pass around, pun heavily intended.

Political party wants to give yet more tax cuts to the already-wealthy and corporations, thus driving up the national debt, drastically, while they push for cuts to even Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid?

Sure! No problem! You won't hear a word from any "man of God."

Who's that Jesus guy?

Wha'd he say? What was he about?

So local news outlets? KMBC? KCTV5? WDAF?

What say you?

Do you have any guts?

Will you stop reporting on the latest kitty cat videos on Youtube on our evening news and instead, go out to Aristocrat Motors on I-35 or some such and ask the owner there what he thinks of this President and his brilliant idea?

Please?

We dare you.

Kansas City's Own Harris Faulkner Makes Strange Media List

Kansas City's former newswoman, Harris Faulkner made a rather big, if dubious list this year.

The 34 Sexiest People in Television News 2015

What they wrote of her:

It is impossible to put together a list like this and not have unanimous support that Fox News’ Harris Faulkner deserves to be on it. Faulkner is an anchor for Outnumbered on weekdays; aside from her looks and sharp intellect she delivers for Fox, Faulkner made headlines of a different sort this year, filing a lawsuit against toy manufacturer Hasbro for creating a toy named after her. No, seriously. Faulker is undoubtedly stunning, and rightfully finds herself on our list of the Sexiest People in TV News for 2015.

Of course, it's terrific she's successful. What's disappointing is that she's with that deeply racist, Right Wing, in-the-pocket-of-Republicans channel.

Remember when news was news and there was no expectation of being "sexiest"?

I miss those days.

You kids get off my lawn.

Link:  Harris Faulkner - Wikipedia

News flash to local TV news outlets: YouTube crap isn't news

I mean, come on. Last evening, as an example, KCTV-5 had the nerve to put this ridiculous video from YouTube on their evening news as something we needed to see. Forget that the city has budget problems. Forget that people are being killed in town--still--in far too high numbers. Forget that we have water mains breaking all over town. Anything REALLY important? FUGGEDABOUDIT. Watch this stupid, vapid, pointless video from that fun, wacky site YouTube--it's brand new, right?--instead! At some point, wouldn't you think they'd be embarrassed? Well, it hasn't happened yet. Watch for yet more of this nonsense. And at Hallowe'en? Watch for Larry Moore to do yet another ridiculous 3 minute coverage of local ghosts or hauntings or some such. Holy cow. Why do they think we should watch what they put up as local "news", anyway? I ask again, wouldn't you think they'd be embarrassed? (As proof of their total, utter lack of shame, they even put it up on their online website. Dont believe me? Check it out here: http://www.kctv5.com/story/16917818/donkey-becomes-internet-singing-sensation). Note to local TV "news" stations: 1) YouTube isn't really news--at all--and 2) It patently isn't your job to entertain us. Yikes. I can't believe we have to say this.

Does this not seem just like the evening news?

Warning: crude language Other than the cursing, is this not just exactly like the evening--or morning or mid-day--news?

On Don Harman: Too important not to see

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." --Plato, Greek author & philosopher, Athens (427 BC - 347 BC). Again, to make a donation, Don’s family has set up a fund in lieu of flowers. If you’d like to donate: The Don Harman Memorial Fund Benefiting local Kansas City Charities, c/o Tightwad Bank, 1160 SE Highway 7, Tightwad, Missouri 64735.

The Don Harman Memorial Fund

Don’s family has set up a fund in lieu of flowers. If you’d like to donate: The Don Harman Memorial Fund Benefiting local Kansas City Charities, c/o Tightwad Bank, 1160 SE Highway 7, Tightwad, Missouri 64735. ""I never ran into anyone around town who didn't smile when they heard his name..." --Mike Thompson, Chief Meteorologist at Fox 4 TV Station. Links: http://fox4kc.com/2011/11/30/fox-4-statement-on-the-passing-of-don-harman/; http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/wdaf-fox-4-news-meteorologist-don-harman-passes-away#ixzz1fEnkgbls

The "seriousness" of local news anchors

Have you noticed? The new thing now, locally, if not nationally, is for the news anchor at the local TV stations to stand there, reading you the news with an iPad in their hands. They don't look down at them and they don't use them to control the set or what we're watching, they just hold them as they read. I think it must be their way of adding gravitas or a level of "seriousness", as mentioned above, or some such. Any ideas why they have them out there?

Don Harman, WDAF weatherman, dead at 41 (update)

Sympaties and best wishes go out to the family and friends. Links: http://fox4kc.com/2011/11/30/fox-4-statement-on-the-passing-of-don-harman/;http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/30/3294132/fox-4s-don-harman-dead-at-41.html; http://fox4kc.com/2011/11/30/fox-4-statement-on-the-passing-of-don-harman/

Tearing down the Bloch house was a good idea?

So there it sits, at 63rd Street and Ward Parkway, what was a house and home is now an empty lot.

Who, exactly--what person or group of persons at what bank--thought this would be a good idea, to tear down a rather historic house on Kansas City's most visible avenue?

Some information on what was the house and home:

The mansion was built in 1925 and was purchased by the Bloch family in 1957. The house had over 40 interior and exterior design areas. It sat on 4 residential lots with a pool, gazebo, cabana and tennis court. The pool is believed to be the first in-ground pool in Kansas City. 

The house had 5 bedrooms and 4 and 1/2 baths.

It's a big, vacant lot now.  The home that was there was torn down 2 years ago and discarded, as we do here in the US far too quickly.

What a waste.

And now, as many people predicted, for nothing.

That this was apparently done by "Solutions" Bank only adds irony.

Link:  Historic Ward Parkway Bloch Mansion Torn Down

On climate change: It's not whether we're hot or cold

One more time, it's important to point out, it's not whether you or I are cold or hot here on any given day.  It's the arctic ice caps and glaciers.  It's this stuff:

Washing Away The Arctic Coastline

Two-thirds of the Arctic coastline is made of permafrost — an environment that is very sensitive to warming temperatures. A new report says erosion is causing these coastline regions to recede by an average of 1.5 feet per year.

Unlike rock shoreline, permafrost loses its structure when it warms above freezing. "Surface air temperatures have reached record levels over the past decade," the report from an international consortium found. Combine this with weakened permafrost and there's a recipe for erosion.

Heightened temperatures have also melted sea ice; with this gone, wind can whip up stronger waves that are able to erode the softened Arctic coastline.

Researchers studied more than 62,000 miles of Arctic coast and analyzed climate data. Northwestern Canada and Northeastern Russia showed the largest changes: Coastlines there have receded by as much as 25 feet per year. Researchers say these changes will have a major impact on arctic ecosystems.

There's a map of the affected areas here.

It's these kinds of things, ladies and gentlemen.  It's not whether we had a particularly cold, snowy and/or icy winter.  That and the fact that, for another example, last year was the warmest on this planet ever.  It's that kind of hard data.

So heads up, folks.  Things are changing.  The way we exist on this planet isn't sustainable.

And Mike Thompson, meteorologist over at Fox 4 Weather?  You might check this out.

Links:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/04/19/135510923/washing-away-the-arctic-coastline?print=1
http://www.fox4kc.com/weather/wdaf-mikethompson-478241,0,5992423.story

Local weather forecasters and Dick Cheney

They should both just shut up.

Yesterday, on the front page of the Star, there was an article asking local meteorologists about global warming/climate change and whether or not they thought this winter proved or disproved anything.

Really.

That's liking asking the guy who just fixed your brakes about the international automobile market.

It makes no sense.

Sure, he has an opinion but it likely isn't an informed one.

How about let's ask the scientists who are studying the planet and not the guy who's watching a cold front coming in from Canada?

The fact is, snow or no snow in Dallas, the glaciers--around the world, mind you--are melting.

The ice caps are melting.

The oceans are rising, due to that melt-off.

Islands are shrinking and disappearing.

And we just had our warmest year ever, on record, and a whole lot more, but sure, let's focus on a few isolated snow storms.

The fact is, there is also a strong likelihood that, with the warming oceans, there is more moisture in the air and that this is what's causing the snow storms.

Insanity.

And then there was Dick Cheney on the television news shows yesterday morning, shooting off his mouth, too, on what this current Presidential administration in Washington is doing wrong.

Whatever happened to Vice Presidents who got out of the White House and did the respectable and respectful thing of shutting up and going on with their lives?

I don't ever remember a more troublesome or mouthy ex-Vice President than this one.

So yeah, guys, do us all a favor and shut yer pie holes, k?