Let's Talk About . . . Climate Change!

Image via WikipediaFor the past few years, we've been inundated with all sorts of predictions about what would happen if we didn't do anything about cutting the gases responsible for global warming.  Such as:  The polar ice caps will melt, meaning those cute polar bears from the Coke ads would become extinct.  New York and San Francisco will be underwater.  Alaska would become a tropical paradise.  Exotic insects and diseases will migrate north.  Summers will be hotter and storms will be stormier.  For further details, please rent the movie "The Day After Tomorrow".

There are also those who think climate change is just a bunch of liberal hooey, perpetuated by former Vice President Al Gore, who also claimed to have invented the Internet.  They seem to believe that the earth's climate is proceeding as it should, and that nothing should prevent them from business as usual.  That's why these people have blocked every meaningful attempt to control warming, because things can't be that bad, right?  Oh, and these people also happen to be some of the world's most powerful corporations, with politicians in their back pocket.

Here's a couple of weather-related headlines from the recent past:

• Los Angeles hit a record high of 113 degrees Monday.  It would have been higher, but the thermometer at the local National Weather Service office broke.
• Heavy rains caused massive flooding and damage across the Upper Midwest, just as fall arrived.  Rivers south of the Twin Cities are expected to crest into the weekend.
• Climatologists tell us that 2010 is well on its way to becoming one of the warmest years on the planet on record.  Just like it's been every year this century.

We've said this before, but it bears repeating.  If there's a viable alternative to oil and other fossil fuels out there, we'd love to hear about it.  Right now, there just isn't.  And all the alternative energy in the world--wind and solar power, ethanol and electric cars--won't make a dent in improving the climate if people don't find them practical for their own situations.

Obviously, those who do not believe in climate change don't see that it's not about what the weather is like outside their windows.  It's about what happens to the climate years down the road.  The decisions we make (or don't make) today will go a long way toward determining if we want future generations to live in a real life version of a bad disaster movie.

Local Radio Caught In a "Bad Romance"

Image via WikipediaIn an age of You Tube, mp3 players and cell phones, there's more than one way to get your music.  For those who prefer things the old-fashioned way, or if you're one of those who can't afford all those cool gadgets, there's still radio.

In the Twin Cities, the local FM music stations (mostly owned by the Three C's--Citadel, CBS and Clear Channel) have been coping with budget cuts caused by declining audiences and ad revenues.  They've replaced deejays with "voice trackers" from out of town, and audio jukeboxes interrupted only by long sets of commercials.

The results of such trimmings?  Read on:

K102 (102.1) is the current number one station in town, according to the latest radio ratings.  Apparently, Minnesotans like right-wing country music.

KQRS (92.5) has dropped to third place after so many years at the top, an indication that classic rock has finally had its day.  Tom Barnard still rules mornings, even if he does broadcast his show from home, isolated from his on-air cohorts.

KS95 (94.5) now bills itself as "Variety--90's, 2K and Today", having dropped the 80s from its playlist.  They might diss icons like Neil Diamond in its commercials, but they still specialize in made-for-the-minivan music.  Colbie Calliat and Rob Thomas, sure.  But what's "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga doing here?

KDWB (101.3), which has been in the Top 40 business for over 50 years (not that they like to admit it), has responded to the challenge of new competitor KHTC (96.3) by posting its best ratings ever.

Obviously, the definition of 'light rock' at WLTE (102.9) has changed over the years.  The Bee Gees, Lionel Richie and Phil Collins have given way to Boston, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.  Does that sound like 'light rock' to you?  Or are they transitioning to a new format, to be revealed after the holidays?

The rumors of Jack FM's (104.1) demise have so far been exaggerated, as their audio jukebox keeps rolling along.

The Love 105 stations (105.1, 105.3 and 105.7) win kudos for having the best mix of oldies around.  So why won't they admit that they're an oldies station?

The identity crisis at KQQL (107.9) continues.  Now the geniuses at Clear Channel have hung the "Classic Hits" tag on them, a format that has failed twice elsewhere.

So, does anyone still listen to music on the radio these days?

Preaching To The Choir

Image by Felix_Nine via FlickrChristine O'Donnell, Delaware's U.S. Seante candidate, recently went on Sean Hannity's TV show to announce that she would not be granting any more national media interviews until after the election.  She said she wanted to focus her campaign on the voters of her state (where she trails her Democratic opponent by double digits), and would only be taking questions from the local media.

O'Donnell made that clear by blowing off Sunday morning TV appearances on CBS and the Fox network, citing scheduling conflicts, leaving Bob Schieffer and Chris Wallace (in that order) scrambling for guests.

At first glance, what O'Donnell is saying makes sense.  It's the people of Delaware she needs to appeal to, after all, if she wants to get to Washington.  It could also be that she needed a break from the sudden fame  that came when she won the GOP primary in an upset over her moderate opponent.

(Well, wouldn't you want to do that if cable news kept showing old clips of you spouting off about witchcraft and abstaining from masturbation?  Or having to answer questions about how you allegedly spent your finances from a past campaign?)

O'Donnell says she got the idea from Sarah Palin, who now restricts her public comments to speaking engagements with friendly audiences, and as a Fox News commentator.  Palin should know, having been woefully unprepared for questions asked by Katie Couric and Charles Gibson when she was a vice-presidential candidate during the 2008 campaign.

This is part of a disturbing trend that seems to apply only to Tea Party-backed candidates.  To avoid pesky questions from the so-called 'liberal' media, they run to the shelter of partisan radio and/or Fox News, where bootlicking hosts seldom challenge their guests.  This ends up serving nobody but themselves.

In one notorious example, Sharron Angle--Nevada's Republican Senate candidate--was seen running from a Las Vegas TV reporter to her waiting car because he dared to ask a question.  That was before she started appearing on Fox News, plugging her website every chance she got.  Now Angle's neck and neck with incumbent Democrat Harry Reid, who also happens to be the Senate's majority leader.

As for O'Donnell, just because she is now speaking to the folks in Delaware, that doesn't mean she's going to have the time of day for a reporter from the Wilmington Bugle.  For instance, when was the last time Michele Bachmann, the incumbent congresswoman from Minnesota, took time off from the national spotlight to answer questions from the media in her district?

What Palin calls the "lamestream media" may not be as powerful as they used to be, but they can still be influential in getting a candidate's message out.  See, it's not only your base that's going to decide your fate in November.  It's also voters who have no time for partisan media, and who have only heard of you because of the other candidate's attack ads.  If you don't let them know who you are and what you stand for, then you don't deserve to be elected.  It's that simple.

The Recession's Over? Really?

Image via WikipediaA government panel has concluded that the recession we thought we were currently under is really over and done with.  According to them, the recession lasted from December 2007 to June 2009.

But happy days aren't here again.  Nearly ten percent of Americans are out of work.  Foreclosures are rampant.  Corporations are sitting on billions of dollars in profits, but won't spend a dime on creating new jobs.  Retailers are struggling because consumers can't spend what they don't have.

Technically, this was George W. Bush's recession, with the duration lasting through the final 14 months of his presidency.  He stood by as Wall Street melted down, auto companies and brokerage firms went bankrupt, and two wars were raging.  The President responded by bailing out the banks that had caused the meltdown in the first place.

President Barack Obama has been doing his best to clean up the mess bush left behind since taking office.  There have been stimulus packages, health care reform, and new laws regulating credit cards and financial institutions.  Detroit's automakers have recovered to the point where, after closing a few plants and dropping a few brands, no one needs to call them "Government Motors" any more.

The President, in an effort to prove that he "gets it" when it comes to the economy, has made it his number one priority.  He's winding down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He's appointed Elizabeth Warren to help set up a new consumer financial protection bureau (which will almost certainly disappear if a GOP president is elected).  And then there's a decision to be made on whether to keep the Bush tax cuts for the rich, which could determine whether the economy recovers or not.

But all this doesn't seem to be enough, as Obama's sagging poll numbers will attest.  To many Americans, the more things change, the more things remain the same.  Having faced a Congress full of balky Republicans and weak-willed Democrats, things might be getting worse for the president after the midterm elections.  And some of Obama's ardent supporters, who say they're not seeing the 'change' their man has promised, are left wondering why they voted for him to begin with.

Meanwhile, we're told that the economy will be slowly getting back up to speed if we just hang in there.  As long as unemployment remains high, homes sit idle and retailers twiddle their thumbs, there'll come a point when people can no longer afford to wait.  That could spell trouble for President Obama and the Democrats in this election, and possibly the next one.

Adventures In Politics

In Minnesota and elsewhere, the campaign season is in full swing with the three gubernatorial candidates duking it out and the Tea Partiers winning primaries.  A rundown:

• In the governor's race, it's all about what to do with a deficit that's strangling the life out of the state.  DFL candidate Mark Dayton found out that his "tax the rich" proposal was two million dollars short of putting a dent in the problem.  Republican Tom Emmer doled out his economic plan in dribs and drabs, but it doesn't say much beyond reducing the size of government with no new taxes.  And Independence Party candidate Tom Horner favors a sales tax on clothes and services, a plan that's sure to go over big with financially strapped families and retailers.
• Horner, whose poll numbers still lag far behind Dayton and Emmer, won what amounts to a major endorsement from former Governor Arne Carlson.  Given that Carlson represents an endangered species--he's a moderate Republican--does anyone in the modern-day party still listen to him?  Also, Horner got a glowing editorial write-up (NOT an endorsement) from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who urged its readers to at least consider the guy come November.  Does this mean Horner actually has a chance?
• The Sixth Congessional District race between Republican Michele Bachmann and Democrat Tarryl Clark has been marked so far by the ads that have been appearing on local TV in the Twin Cities.  Bachmann's ads feature an actor portraying "Jim the Election Guy", who tells us how "Taxin' Tarryl" as a state senator was responsible for helping make State Fair food and back-to-school items more costly.  Clark responded with "Regular Jims" who say they live in Bachmann's district and contend that she favors big business.  Currently, Bachmann's campaign is running GOP boilerplate ads tying Clark's record with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  That's not exactly thinking outside the box.  As for Clark, she's challenging Bachmann to cut her salary by five percent just like she did.  Clark may be smiling a lot in her ads, but it's a struggle to compete against Bachmann and "Jim the Election Guy".

Christine O'Donnell:  Paging Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Republicans continue to make headlines with Tea Partiers beating more mainstream candidates in the primaries.  The latest (and most prominent) is Christine O'Donnell, who won her contest against Rep. Mike Castle for a shot at the U.S. Senate seat in Delaware once held by Vice President Joe Biden.  She will face Democrat Chris Coons in November.

The GOP isn't exactly thrilled with O'Donnell because of her extreme-right positions and thin political resume, but they'll probably bite the bullet and support her anyway.  They should have known never to underestimate the power of a Sarah Palin endorsement.

Shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow ran a clip of O'Donnell appearing on an MTV program on sex in the 1990s.  In it O'Donnell, then a member of a Christian abstinence group, talked about steering clear of sex--either with another person or by yourself--until after marriage.  Watch the clip on http://msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#39183087.  (Viewer discretion is advised)

This may sound like a tacky multiple choice question to some of you, but here goes:  Did the good people of Delaware vote for O'Donnell because (A) they liked her positions on the issues, (B) they wanted to see a fresh face in the Senate, (C) if they're Democrats, they wanted an easier opponent for Coons, or (D) because she's attractive?

O'Donnell and the other TPers are making noise with fed-up voters that could end up with some of them heading to Washington.  The Democrats would be making a big mistake if they take these pitchfork-wielding, mad-as-hell outsiders as pushovers.

The Empire Builder Steps Down

Bill Kling, who founded Minnesota Public Radio and its parent company American Public Media Group, has announced he is leaving those organizations as CEO next summer to concentrate on helping to improve the fortunes of the rest of public radio.

It all began at a small FM station on a college campus just west of St. Cloud in 1967.  From there Kling began his broadcasting empire, which now covers all of Minnesota in three different formats (news, classical and The Current) and stations in such areas as northern Michigan, Miami and Los Angeles.

With APM, shows that began on MPR including Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" and Lynne Rossetto Kasper's "The Splendid Table" are now syndicated to other public radio stations nationwide. 

As for how MPR got their signals, that's another story.  In 1991, they purchased commercial station WLOL-FM and moved their classical outlet KSJN to 99.5 from 91.1, the latter signal becoming news station KNOW.  In 2005, MPR bought WCAL-FM from St. Olaf College in Northfield.  Despite protests from those who wanted MPR to keep the classical format, the station became The Current, with progressive rock programming.

Because MPR had set up so many stations and translators within the state's borders, other public stations in Minnesota were struggling for attention and dollars in the face of such dominance.

Then there's the question of whether MPR really deserves all the money they get from donors during on-air pledge drives.  For a supposedly non-profit organization, they sure made a nice chunk of change that's the envy of any corporation.  According to the 9/11/10 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, APM made $105 million in fiscal year 2008, putting it at number 34 among the newspaper's ranking of the top nonprofits in Minnesota.

Kling, according to the Star Tribune, took home more than $650,000 in fiscal year 2009.  Which is about as much as the average CEO in the state earns.

Bill Kling has had his fans and detractors, but there's no arguing with the results.  That's because, thanks to Kling, MPR is public radio to most Minnesotans.  Whatever he does now can't possibly compare to what he has done here, and whoever succeeds him will be faced with the task of maintaining what he's built on.

Giving Religion a Bad Name

It is the ninth anniversary of the day when planes were deliberately rammed into two of New York's tallest buildings, and part of the Pentagon.  Collectively, more than three thousand people died.  Most of them were Christians, Jews and Muslims.

In the years since, we have somehow gotten the idea that, just because a few radical Islamists killed a few thousand people and turned an entire country upside down, a whole religion is now considered evil and needs to be stopped.  It has infected politicians, talk show hosts, and anyone else with half a brain who usually votes Republican.

In the past month alone, there has been controversy over a proposed Islamic cultural center in New York, to be built blocks from where those tall buildings once stood.  And polls have come out showing that a good chunk of the American population believes their President is a Muslim, even though he really isn't.

Now we have the reverend of a small church in Florida named Terry Jones, who intended to protest the barbarism committed by radical Islam by committing copies of the Koran to a bonfire on September 11.  Because he is exercising his First Amendment rights, there was nothing anyone could do about it.  And no amount of pleading from generals, presidents and popes was going to stop the pastor from doing what he was about to do.

Well, Pastor Jones was going to do this until he apparently decided to back off on Thursday.  He claimed to have made an agreement to cancel his Koran roast, in exchange for a promise to move the Islamic center to somewhere other than near Ground Zero.  The imam who runs the center said that there's no such deal, and that he has never talked to the pastor.  Now we hear  the burning has been "suspended".

Truth is, we never would have heard of Pastor Terry Jones if General David Petraeus hadn't brought it up.  From his perch in Afghanistan, where the war there nears a second decade, the General sounded the alarm about dire consequences befalling American soldiers if Jones persisted in his idea of free speech.

If the Koran-burning ever takes place, every news organization will be there to witness it, giving Pastor Jones the attention he doesn't really deserve.  But how many of those networks would actually show the holy books going up in smoke, knowing full well that any footage could set off riots around the world (if it hasn't already)?  Even if no network airs the footage, there will always be somebody with a camera phone taking pictures and downloading them to the Internet.

Though religion is responsible for most of the hurt and suffering in the world, it is heartening to see members of all faiths take a stand against the hatred and violence that might take place if Pastor Jones and his flock carries out the desecration of a symbol of Islam, just because he thinks he can.  But actions speak louder than words, and a picture can say so much.

NFL 2010: The Calm Before The Storm

Image via WikipediaAt this time next year, stadiums might be empty, networks might be filling time with cricket and Canadian football, and sports bars might be losing customers.  That's when you know the National Football League and its players union are at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement, resulting in a lockout.

Until then, enjoy this season.  While the negotiations are (presumably) going on, we can entertain ourselves with what else has happened before the season kicks off Thursday night.

• The New Orleans Saints, the feel-good Super Bowl champions, want to keep the party going.
• Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been suspended for four games by the NFL for alleged sexual misconduct.  It was originally six games.
• The circus has come to staid Cincinnati with two of the biggest showboats in modern NFL history, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, now playing for the Bengals  Let the tweeting begin.
• The Washington Redskins have a new coach in Mike Shanahan, and a new starting quarterback in Donovan McNabb.  They also have Albert Haynesworth, but maybe not for long.  He's apparently become such a pain in the butt that the team is reportedly trying to trade him.
• Pete Carroll is the new coach of the Seattle Seahawks, fleeing USC just before the NCAA posse brought the hammer down on the football program, causing them to vacate a national championship and possibly Reggie Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy.
• The NFL wants to increase the regular season from 16 to 18 games.  The league may be seeing dollar signs and a mid-February Super Bowl, but the players see fatigue and an increased risk of injuries.  For the fans, it might mean fewer competitive games played in colder and snowier weather.

For the Minnesota Vikings, there are too many injuries, illnesses and question marks to make them the favorites to enter the playoffs as the NFC North champions.  Can Brett Favre make it through his (allegedly) final season without his 40-something body taking too much of a beating?  Will Percy Harvin's bouts with migraine headaches affect his performance?  Did coach Brad Childress make a mistake in choosing Tarvaris Jackson over Sage Rosenfels (who was traded to the New York Giants) as Favre's backup?  This team should be fortunate to earn a wild card berth.

Our division picks plus the wild card:

NFC East  Dallas Cowboys
NFC West  San Francisco 49ers
NFC North  Green Bay Packers
NFC South  New Orleans Saints
Wild Card  Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons

AFC East  New England Patriots
AFC West  San Diego Chargers
AFC North  Baltimore Ravens
AFC South  Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card  New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals

The Opening Day School Assembly

Image via Wikipedia"Welcome to the first day of classes at Springborn Senior High.  I'm your principal, Ms. Armstrong-Grovnor.  Before we send you  to your rooms for the start of the school year, I have a few announcements to make.

"First, the district made some decisions last spring that will enable us to save some money.  One of them was to close the other high school, so when you go to your classrooms, everyone will be sitting two to a desk.

"Second, your new textbooks haven't arrived yet.  The board decided to change the content a little bit.  For example, science textbooks now discusses how God created the earth in six days.  And history books will include a new interpretation of Christopher Columbus, which says that he did not actually discover America.  Instead, he and his ships fell off the face of the earth because it was flat.

"Third, we've discovered that most of you are overweight.  So we've replaced the soft drinks in the vending machines with bottled water and fruit juices.  We've also hired a new food service director who used to work at the local health food store, and she's in charge of the menu.  Tofu Surprise, anyone?

"Class, I see some of you are sleeping.  It couldn't be that we started at 7:15, is it?

"Moving right along . . . We have a new computer lab in the school next to the library.  We couldn't afford high-speed Internet, so be patient with the dial-up.  And we must thank the people at Roger's Bargain Bin for their generous donation of Atari and Commodore computers.

"We've had to let some fine instructors go this past year.  So the remaining staff will be taking turns teaching one class after another regardless of subject.

"We know that physical exercise is important.  But since the board eliminated gym classes and most of our athletic programs, except for the soccer teams, we encourage you to walk around the halls as much as you can between classes.

"These are challenging times we face here at Springborn High.  But with your help and cooperation, we can get through this school year just fine.  Well, that's all I have to say.  Everyone will quietly go to their rooms now."