Vladimir Putin and the Mystery Plane

Vladimir Putin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In case you haven't noticed, the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine is now part of Russia.

The reason you may not have noticed is all the attention being paid to a plane that flew to parts unknown, which was more than two weeks ago.

Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, and was supposed to have landed in Beijing with 239 passengers--mostly Chinese--aboard.  It never got there.

What happened to the plane has been the subject of endless speculation, one that conspiracy theorists will likely be debating for years to come.  Why was the plane's power turned off in mid-flight?  Was there a mechanical failure?  Was this supposed to be a hijacking or a terrorist plot?  Were the pilots or the crew involved?  And just where the heck did it end up?

Some officials are now saying that, after days of suspect information, that there was some debris off the coast of western Australia that may have been plane wreckage.  Or maybe not.  It was enough for the Malaysian government to declare that all the passengers on board are dead.  Unless Australia has its own version of the Bermuda Triangle.

So while TV networks (we're looking at you, CNN) have been using aviation panels and toy airplanes--seriously--to make sense of Flight 370, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have taken advantage of the distraction by making the biggest European land grab since the end of the Cold War.

Ukraine is a mess right now, with pro-Western demonstrators driving out its President Viktor Yanukovych. who wanted to take the country into a Russian rather than a European direction.  Then Russian troops began appearing in Crimea, invading airports and the parliament.  Then came the elections in which a majority voted to join Russia, a vote the West considered illegal.  Then Putin made it official when he announced the annexation.

The United States and its European allies retaliated (sort of) with economic sanctions and kicking Russia out of the G-8 summit, which has been named the G-7 Summit and moved from Sochi to Brussels.  Russia responded by barring American politicians such as Senators John McCain and Harry Reid, and House Speaker John Boehner from visiting the country.

Some experts believe that none of this will deter Putin from getting what he wants, such as being 'invited' to take over the eastern half of Ukraine.  There are still too many economic and political necessities between the U.S., Western Europe and Russia to sacrifice.  Just like Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, Crimea is not worth risking a nuclear confrontation.

While ships from several nations scour the southern Indian Ocean for any sign of a plane and a flight recorder that may or may not ever be found, Russia is awakening from its post-Soviet dormancy to reassert its influence on the world with lasting consequences.  Outside of the families of the victims, this real-life episode of "Lost" will end soon enough, and we'll all be wondering what really happened while we were looking away.

The WCCO Dawn Patrol Revisited

English: The current, primarly used logo for CBS affiliate WCCO-TV4, Minneapolis MN, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some of you may remember the post we did last summer about changes WCCO (CBS 4) made to its early morning news broadcast, which at the time was in third place behind KARE (NBC 11) and KSTP (ABC 5).  News anchors Mike Binkley and Angela Davis were traded in for Jason DeRusha and Jamie Yuccas.

Now it's March, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported in its St. Patrick's Day edition that "WCCO This Morning" has shot to the top of the local breakfast-time ratings with an 18 percent increase in viewers.  That has carried over into "CBS This Morning" which, with a 19 percent jump, has gone ahead of ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Today" locally while remaining in third nationally.

To what do we attribute this reversal of fortune?  Promotion, baby.  And lots of it.  It's impossible to turn on WCCO and not see DeRusha's or Yuccas' mugs on nearly every commercial break, talking about each other's quirks and why they think they're so good on the air together, as if they're a married couple.  Just like Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santaniello, the evening news anchors who really are a married couple.

DeRusha never misses a chance to promote himself on TV or through social media, whether it's taking selfies at a Miley Cyrus concert or stuffing his face while reviewing a trendy local restaurant.  He's one of those guys you either like or can't stand.

Yuccas has been making a name of her own recently, filing reports on winter weather in the Midwest for the "CBS Evening News".  Since CBS owns WCCO, it wouldn't take a big leap to figure out that Yuccas might be going national soon.

Perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise that WCCO is doing so well in the morning.  KSTP is forever in transition, and KARE is hurt by the backlash caused by "Today"'s self-induced implosion.  Also, WCCO benefits from being WCCO.  They have the best of everything--the highest-rated newscasts, the best-known syndicated shows, and the top rated broadcast network in CBS.

Oh, and on the 35th anniversary of the Great Twin Cities Network Switch--in which KSTP, KMSP and KARE (then known as WTCN) shuffled between ABC, NBC and being an independent--only WCCO stayed put.

Moreover, between 4:30 and 7 a.m., TV is doing what radio used to do for people getting ready for work or school, which is to provide information and entertainment.  Personality helps, too, as wacky news anchors are replacing wacky morning DJs.

Notice we haven't said a word about journalism until just now.  WCCO used to be known for that, earning truckloads of awards for reporting excellence that now seem to go to Boyd Huppert of KARE.  Now it seems 'CCO will settle for a City Pages' "Best of the Twin Cities" citation, and call it a day.

If you're the kind of person who likes a newscast where the anchors yuk it up and insert themselves into the story while reporting the latest on Ukraine and the missing Malaysian airplane, then WCCO's your station.   If not, you'll have to go elsewhere.  According to the latest ratings, a lot of you have chosen the first option.  Habits die hard around here.

In Minnesota, What Were Once Vices Might Soon Be Habits

Electronic Cigarette Model (Photo credit: planetc1)

The Minnesota Legislature is mercifully brief this year, having started its session in late February and is mandated to close by mid-May.  With an election year looming and the state's improving economy creating a budget surplus, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate have been figuring out ways to spend it, which includes the possibility of a tax cut or rebate.

But there are always the headline-grabbers that usually dominate every Legislative session, and this year is no exception.  It was a Vikings stadium one year, gay marriage the next.

This year, there are three issues reflecting Minnesota's changing attitudes on drugs, smoking and alcohol:  medical marijuana, e-cigarettes and liquor sales on Sunday.  It's also possible that things haven't changed all that much, depending on whether the Legislature votes up or down on these issues.  The rundown:

Medical Marijuana

In 20 states, it is now possible for a doctor to prescribe marijuana for treating such diseases as cancer and glaucoma.  In others, you can now smoke weed out in the open while the state rakes in millions in tax revenues.  Never mind that marijuana still has a shady reputation, iffy health claims and a federal law that bans it.  But that hasn't stopped people from growing and bringing it into the country, and the U.S. government fighting a losing battle against it.


So the questions are these:  Do you deny life-saving treatment like medical marijuana to patients who think they have no other option?  What's to stop those who fake their diseases for the purpose of getting high?  Do you really want to see drug violence overtake Minnesota?  Is medical marijuana  worth it?

As of this writing (March 11), it looks like medical marijuana has gone up in smoke for this session.  A bill to legalize it has been pulled by its sponsor after law enforcement refused to back it.  And Governor Mark Dayton has said he would not sign such a bill without law enforcement's seal of approval, which wasn't likely in any case.  So, plane tickets to Denver, anyone?

Electronic Cigarettes

To those who can't (or won't) give up cigarette smoking--and new research claims to show that it's responsible for a lot more diseases than it used to be--electronic cigarettes have become a popular alternative.  Not a lot is known about it, except that instead of puffing out tobacco smoke, you're using a battery-operated device to 'vapor' chemically-enhanced flavors to go along with your nicotine.
Well, it still looks like smoking to most people, and that's why several states and municipalities have restricted the use of e-cigs to the same places traditional smokes have been banished to--outdoors and out of sight.  The dangers of secondhand smoke also seem to extend to those who are perfume-averse.

So at least until more is known about e-cigarettes (which the Food and Drug Administration has yet to weigh in on), the Legislature should put them on a par with tobacco--restrict its use and tax it to the heavens.  Anything to pay for that football stadium.

Sunday Liquor Sales

Minnesota is one of the last states in America where you can't buy booze seven days a week.  It's been that way since at least Prohibition and the temperance movement (you can look it up) in the early 20th century.  It's also become a problem as people flock across the border on Sundays to get their six pack, putting a dent in state tax revenues.  Well, maybe not to the liquor store owners who'd rather give their employees Sundays off than risk going out of business by staying open all week for competitive reasons, especially if their store is not city-owned or part of a national chain.


If buying liquor on Sunday is a matter of convenience, then what about the other six days of the week?  Not that we care whether liquor stores are open on Sundays or not.  But if you really need to buy booze on that day, then you need more help than we can give you here.

Once these three issues have been decided one way or another, then the Legislature can get back to the business of what they're really good at--running for re-election.  Remember, November is only nine months away.

Ukraine: Divide and Conquer

Ukraine Demo (Photo credit: blu-news.org)

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear plant in what is now Ukraine suffered a devastating meltdown that killed 31 people, sickened thousands more and ruined all life in the area for years to come.  It was, and still is, the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Right now the Ukrainian government hopes to avoid a similar fate, only no nukes are involved.

Joined together as an independent nation following the Soviet Union's demise, the country is now at odds with itself between people in the East who believe they should follow Mother Russia, and those in the West who prefer European ideals.  One casualty so far has been President Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown in a popular uprising for his pro-Russian views and replaced by an interim pro-Western government, pending new elections.

Taking advantage of this political instability is Russian President Vladimir Putin, just returned from charming the world at the Sochi Winter Olympics.  He has sent troops into the Crimean peninsula, an area that's been no stranger to occupation, which has not been part of Russia since 1954.  The explanation is that many Ukrainians of Russian descent live there, and that the area is important to Russian security because it has the industrial areas and access to the Black Sea that the west lacks.  It might not stop there, because it is reported that Putin has designs on occupying eastern Ukraine.

It's easy to think that, if the Ukrainians really wanted to split, then let them.  Adolf Hitler had much the same idea back in the 1930s.  Believing that Germans stuck in areas created by boundaries set up after World War I should come back into the fold, he invaded Austria and the Sudeten land in what was then Czechoslovakia.  The European powers let Hitler get away with it just to keep the peace.  But only for so long before Poland was invaded, and World War II began.

There are diplomatic efforts going on to help defuse this crisis, but in truth there is little the United States and its allies can do besides imposing economic sanctions or boycotting summits.  All that would do is to send the price of Ukraine's greatest assets--oil and wheat--skyrocketing, and no one wants that.  Nor do they want a military confrontation.  Putin doesn't seem to want one either, but he's holding the cards right now.

If Ukraine's new government can somehow keep its citizens from splitting apart and send the Russians home, then it has a good chance at survival.  If not, a civil war might erupt and Putin might be tempted to take over the whole country while the West watches helplessly.  This might not be the start of a new Cold War, but the forecast is for cooler temperatures.

An Oscar With Everything On It

Best Actress Academy Awards (Photo credit: cliff1066™)

After sitting through three hours of the 86th Academy Awards, you'd be forgiven for thinking that (A) it was a pretty dull show, enlivened only by host Ellen DeGeneres hobnobbing with the stars and even ordering pizza for them, or (B) "Gravity" is having a big night, based on all the craft awards they've won.  But then the final half hour came, and everyone who was predicted to take home the golden statue, did.  Unless your name was Jennifer Lawrence.  The only upset among the major nominees came when Lupita Nyong'o, not Lawrence, won for best supporting actress for her work in "12 Years a Slave".

Otherwise, it went like this:  Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor in "Dallas Buyers Club", Cate Blanchett for Best Actress in "Blue Jasmine", Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor in "DBC", and Alfonso Cuaron for Best Director in "Gravity".  "American Hustle" got nada.

"Twelve Years a Slave", this century's version of "Roots", won best picture.  This, too, was fairly predictable given the fact that the movie's subject was slavery in the 19th century, and that the reason the film won can be summed up in two words:  white guilt.  It also continues Oscar's longstanding tradition of awarding films with a message, even if few care to hear what that message is amid the blockbusters and sequels.

"Twelve Years a Slave", or even "Dallas Buyers Club", may not be the type of films that goes down well with sausage and pepperoni.  But everything else on the Oscar telecast may have made viewers wish they had ordered pizza too.  It would have made the time pass much quicker.