Just a quick post for my Dad

This is the incredible video from the 2010 Oshkosh fly-in. My Dad's favorite airplane, the DC-3, is in here.

House painting on tap - blogging to slow

My wife uttered the words that every husband just loves to hear: "I think it's time to paint the living room."

I tried to convince her that we had just done that (7 years ago) and maybe we could just wash the walls instead.

Didn't work, so I'll be working on household chores the next few days. We all need a vacation from me anyway.

By the way, the Flint Journal home delivered version has been particularly good lately. Sunday had an excellent story from a former colleague, now with the Grand Rapids Press, that took a look at school consolidation. They didn't include my county, but it was a great look at an issue that really needs to be addressed.

The local coverage of the arrest of the serial stabber has also been excellent. I'm hoping they will give one of the reporters a chance to fly to Leesburg and/or Atlanta to do remote follow ups from those locations.

Not sure where the paper is being putting together, but even the general look of the paper has improved from what was happening immediately after it went to three days a week.

My out-of-town trips to cover stories were some of the best learning experiences of my career. You can learn more about your reporting ability by being dropped into a faraway city and fending for yourself than anything you can do locally.

One of these days, when I'm not painting, I'll recount some of those trips to Pennsylvania, Arizona, Ohio (three times) and some others that are escaping me right now. They were fun, but challenging assignments that pressed my skills to the limit.

Stabbings, murders unconnected for more than a month

Many of us who used to cover crime in Flint are trying to wrap our heads around a series of crimes, five of them murders, that went unconnected for many, many weeks. With the arrest of an Israeli citizen in Atlanta for this series of crimes, it is time to ask some hard questions.

This series of crimes, and there were many more than just the homicides, began in May, but it wasn't until a couple weeks ago that two and two added to four.

There was a time that the Flint Journal sent reporters to the police station every day, two and three times a day, to check on crimes. Not sure if that is still going on, but trust me that a series of five men being murdered, all by the same method, in a short period of time would have created a media firestorm much earlier than this one.

I am far from the newsroom, I don't know if those two and three times a day visits are still being made to the detective bureau at the police station. The reporters who are there are good, competent folks, but again, I don't know how much time they have to dedicate to a beat, or even if there are still beats.

Back in the day, the day police reporter would make an early visit to the detective bureau (7 a.m.) and check on overnight activities and go through police reports for serious activities or accidents over night.

The night cop reporter would stop back at the police department about 5 p.m. and repeat the process for the dayside. Several times during the day and evening calls would be made to the police department to check on current investigations and to see what is going on.

And the police scanner was on in the newsroom and in our cars all the time monitoring police and fire radio traffic. Often to the irritation of the non-police reporters and editors in the newsroom.

There were nights when something would happen as I was leaving at 11 p.m. and I would stay many hours into the night. A few times I would still be there at 5 a.m. when editors began showing up for work the next day.

Editors demanded that crimes be covered like a blanket. That began to erode even during my last years at the Journal, but there was still a commitment to aggressively cover crimes.

I have no idea if crime coverage is still heavily emphasized. I do know there are far fewer reporters to do the job of gathering news than when I was there. Whether this helped lead to a lack of oversight and the missed signals of these crimes is only speculation.

But I do know this, if we had noticed even two men killed in a short time by the same method, someone would have been asking questions. By the time it got to three, four and five men, we would have been running daily and Sunday stories on the "trend." We loved trend stories back in the day.

There is no question I spent many, many hours hanging around the police station, developing relationships with all the detectives and I had the time and freedom to follow stories. That, I am sure, is different today.

Many times, reporters would notice crime trends from one community to the other and we became the conduit that put together similar crimes from those communities.

A running list of traffic accident victims and homicide victims was kept religiously in a computer file at the paper. Those lists were critical to tracking and discovering disturbing crime trends in the area. Those of us who covered crime used to hate the year end wrap up stories we were required to do on each and every murder that occurred.

The old beat method allowed reporters the time and space to develop sources. To be clear, I don't know what happened in this case, but the days of the local television and newspaper media leading the way in coverage is apparently gone.

With the newspaper only printing three days a week, maybe that has had an effect on the daily coverage of the police department. I just don't know. Much of the early online coverage of the arrest was simply links to other news outlets. That would not have been allowed in the "old days."

The reporters now working on the story are doing a good job, I have no argument with that.

Also, the Flint Police Department has taken a heavy hit due to budget considerations. I don't know the status of the homicide bureau and what effect that had on the failure to connect the dots for so long. But it is a question that needs to be asked.

Sorry, just lots of questions and few answers today. It just appears that the watchdogs, public and private, were asleep.

What he said (on immigration)

For those who disagree with me about immigration enforcement. This sums up my feelings pretty well.

The "Summer of Recovery" fizzles, both parties get the blame

My Libertarian and third party desires are well known here, but I love it when my instincts prove somewhat correct. The Wall Street Journal and NBC News did a poll that show that people are mad at Democrats - and Republicans - for the miserable efforts to fix the economy.

Let's be honest, the government rarely fixes anything. It does some things well, we have the finest military in the world even though politicians have frequently misused it. But when a bunch of politicians who have never worked a real job a day in their lives try to fix the economy the results are predictable.

Two-party partisan bickering and posturing is ruining this country and those of us longing for a real change, a departure from the two-party system, continue to hope others will come along. And as long as the Tea Party is somehow aligned with Republicans, I don't want them either.

The country needs a true independent party, one that reflects the attitudes of the vast middle voters and not the fringe left and right who dominate all the conversation.

Otherwise we'll continue to have congressional representives who write tax laws and then ignore them in his own life and others who talk about fixing the deficit while approving bridges to nowhere in bills that have nothing to do with bridges.

The President can keep saying it's the "Summer of Recovery" and that "things are getting better, really" and all we can point to is that the jobs he is saving are government jobs. Wishing the economy well will not make it so.

So while the private sector shrinks, the government gets bigger.

The original idea was that government would work for us. What we have in turn is that those in the private sector are now working for government to keep it going. Just live in New York for a few days and see what the excessive taxes are doing there.

Our children will someday get this deficit bill and I don't think they will thank us for it.

Illegal immigrant kills nun, had been released pending deportation

The Washington Post is reporting that a man arrested for drunk driving and killing a nun in Virginia had been arrested previously for drunken driving, discovered to be an illegal immigrant and was released pending a deportation hearing.

And this one is on President Bush's administration, but it makes my point that Arizona is not the only place that currently checks folks for immigration status on folks arrested for other crimes. The fact the federal government's enforcement releases these folks back into the population is what is at issue.

If you are interested, follow the links at the bottom of the story that show that in this one county 13 percent of those arrested on crimes are also illegal immigrants. Please keep telling me how this is not a problem.

There's also an interesting note about the federal government's endorsement of this local enforcement in Virginia, which is in contrast to its current stated and legal battles with Arizona.

From the WP story: "Prince William is one of a few dozen communities in the country that participate in a federal program that deputizes local police officers to act as immigration agents and check the immigration status of people they arrest."

Maybe illegal immigration is more of a problem if the issue is in the D.C. backyard and not somewhere way out west. Check out pages 15-16-17 of the pdf of these local police statistics.

If the feds are going to sue anyone, it should be the cities who declare amnesty for illegal immigrants, that is truly an issue the federal government should sue over.

As to deportation hearings, how long should that take.

Judge: "Are you here illegally."

Suspect: "Yes"

Judge: "You're gone."

The Detroit Lions one big highlight film

The Detroit Lions don't have many highlights of their own (they are featured in many other teams' highlights, however) but this was the one game that gave fans hope for the future.

AnnArbor.com: A year later, another perspective

Online readers are up, but Advance is silent on whether the venture is profitable according to this new article about AnnArbor.com.

What is still not arguable is that the print product of AnnArbor.com is the biggest revenue generator. Be sure to follow the links in the story to the Chicago Tribue column and others.

Does anyone know if the 35 newsroom employees include unpaid bloggers and interns?

Suspicions confirmed: Internet handy, as long as it is free

A loyal reader, Jan, sent along a link that has a lot of good information about how people feel about the Internet and newspapers.

People love the Internet, but they are not willing to pay for much. That does not bode well for those who believe that a sustainable and lucrative model for online news gathering is anywhere on the horizon.

Maybe years down the road, but people want their information and they want it for free. I have a Twitter account, a Facebook account and use the Internet daily. But when someone asks me for dough, I say no. I hate tip jars, as well.

Also notice if you want the full report you'll have to pay for it. I'm not.

Gene Weingarten: On digitial media and Lady Gaga

In case you missed this Gene Weingarten column in the Washington Post (thanks, Dad) it is a funny and very apt discussion of the state of journalism and news today.

Once again I put myself out there as a self-confessed journalism dinosaur, but even those who have reigned over the current journalism state of affairs should get a good laugh out of this. They probably won't because they will actually think this all makes sense.

From A to Zowie: A reporter's reflections

Reporter Richard has a blog of his own. Here are a couple of his recent columns.

On writing opinion columns about issues you cover.

A day in his life, which includes getting to bed early so he can be rested for his second job at the gas station.

One really has to have passion to be willing to work two jobs so you can do one that is important, but not paid that way.

More sloppy newspaper checking

This time from afar. Thanks to a reader for sending along this link to Regret the Error.

Old colleagues, new business

Some former colleagues have launched a new business, Ohno Design, and I'm pretty excited for them. The innovative website and the crisp, clear writing there shows why they should never have been dropped from the Flint Journal to begin with.

If annarbor.com had 10 percent of the creativity of what I have already seen on this website, well someone besides me would probably be talking about annarbor.com.

Congratulations Ohno Design, give 'em heck.

I know a lot of folks from different disciplines who check in here. You could do worse, a lot worse, than checking out Ohno Design if you are in the market for that kind of thing.

AnnArbor.com: A year later a review by someone else

Having lost all interest in annarbor.com (I still visit there every six weeks or so to see if it's still there) I received a message from Ruth, a blogger who has done a look back at the site after one year. She looks at the good and the bad, and it's in three parts.

Part I

Part II

Part III

As for me, the site, which promised to be this revolutionary "new" way to deliver online news was just warmed over MLive.com without all creativity. That was a joke. For me the site from its inception was boring, and has remained so. But they do have a well furnished lobby. But if it is providing a high paid living for some working journalists then I'm all for it. For sure it is probably providing a high paid living for a few non-working, non-journalists who run the place.

Flint Journal: Punked

A sometime poster here, Kevin McKague, has admitted that he is the real author of a letter from "Nona T. Reilly," which if you say it fast (or slow) comes out "No Not Really."

Don't know how long the letter will be up at the site, but Kevin's blog has a screen shot of the letter to prove it was there.

I saw it tonight. Used to be that the editors would call and actually talk to a letter writer to confirm the authenticity.

It's happened before and likely will happen again. Kevin, a pretty prolific letter writer, may have published his last letter to the editor in The Flint Journal, but you have to admit, it was a wild one.

Land of Goshen, we're in Indiana

First post and photos are up at Grandma's Recess.

Blogging to slow

I know, blogging has already been slow. Not much going on in journalism land and we're off for a short vacation within our retirement to Indiana and then Up North. The house sitter will be here shortly and we are out of here.

For the next couple weeks you can follow (if you care) our adventures on my other blog grandmasrecess.blogspot.com. We'll check in from there.

By the way, a friend took us to Port Huron for a ride on the Huron Lady II last Sunday. It was really enjoyable. A nice trip up and down the St. Clair River and a little excursion on Lake Huron. Cost was only $15 for a two-hour trip and it was well worth it.

Of course, any time I spend on the water is always worth it.

Also spent a little time enjoying watching the shipping lane from Vantage Point.

Sometimes you find little jewels right near home.

BP and fisherman at odds

The oil spill in the Gulf has exposed another major issue in this country. The underground economy is alive and well. As taxes increase, many folks are simply avoiding the problem by working in cash.

Now a bunch of fisherman in the gulf are having a problem getting paid because BP wants to base payments on tax forms and they simply don't have them, or have seriously underreported their income.

This could get ugly as fisherman demand payments for income they can't prove, but likely earned. I feel sympathy for the fisherman, but can also see BP's point that they simply won't pay out based on verbal statements. Heck, I could say I was a fisherman who lost money.

There are reports that some fisherman are making $3,000 a day skimming oil, which eclipses what they would make if they were fishing.

So, what to do? If you come clean that you have under reported your income will that sic the IRS on the fisherman.

Don't really know where I come down on this because I feel no sympathy for BP, but if you have been working for years under the table you have reaped an incredible benefit for not paying your taxes.

I'd be interested in what you think.

What is illegal?

I guess what the President and the Department of Justice are saying in the lawsuit against Arizona is that it is illegal to enforce laws against illegal aliens. The lawsuit is not based on the law being prejudicial, which is what they have been talking about, but rather challenging the law based on the fact that the State is not allowed to enforce federal law.

Wonder who is allowed to enforce federal law? Second question, why aren't they doing it? Now that would be a good lawsuit.

Carnival Cruise Fail. November cruise is high and dry

A family reunion cruise on the Carnival Pride in November is apparently off. Not the end of the world, not even close, but the response of the Carnival Cruise Line company is a little upsetting.

My wife and I love cruising, we have made four previous Carnival cruises, one to the Western Caribbean, one to the Eastern Caribbean, one to Alaska and one to Hawaii. They have all been great fun.

Over the years I have recommended Carnival to many folks and still could depending on how this all turns out. We booked this thing early to take advantage of great rates and a week that allowed six members of our family to all cruise at the same time.

Last night our travel agent and Carnival sent us an e-mail telling us that the ship was being sent to dry dock in early November and that our cruise was cancelled. It even rated a story in USA Today. As part of that, the cruise line was going to give us a $50 on board credit (that about covers my wife and stepdaughter's one day Mojito bill) and would find us another cruise, but could no longer guarantee our cruise price or cabin location.

Further, they would not make up the difference in the travel costs to a new port. So the trip is off. No huge deal for Joan and me, we're retired and can reschedule another time. But for the other four members of our party it's not so easy. They still work and vacations are not so easy to schedule.

My suspicion is that the dry dock dates were swapped with the originally planned January schedule because our cruise was under booked and January is a much more lucrative time to fill a cruise to the Bahamas. All that is understandable. What is not understandable is the lack of concern by Carnival as to making and taking care of other arrangements.

For members of our party who have already booked airline tickets, Carnival is offering up to $200 in an on board credit to repay any airline cancellation charges. How about paying those folks back in cash? That is, after all, what they paid.

If you ever sail on Carnival they keep emphasizing that they "want to exceed your expectations." In this case, not even close. As I said, this is not the end of the world and there are many people with much more important problems and issues than this, but it always amazes me when I see how tone deaf some corporations are when they disrupt people's plans.

A Civil War story worth hearing

This is a year old, but NPR ran a good story last July recalling the 75th - and final - reunion of soldiers of the North and South at the Gettysburg Battlefield. The Civil War is a particular interest of mine and World War II is close behind.

It is interesting to hear the recorded voices of men who actually fought at Gettysburg meeting for the final time in 1938.

If you are not interested in the Civil War you probably won't want to listen.

RIP Bob Probert, the original Red Wing #24

I love hockey and I especially love the Detroit Red Wings. Back in the "old" days when hockey let guys fight a little more Bob Probert was the main enforcer for the team. He would always take on the bad guy from the other team and never backed down from a fight. Well, don't take my word for it, here is a little YouTube.com montage. There are plenty more at the site if this isn't enough. Sad news to hear of his death at the relative young age of 45. He lived hard and played hard.

After 50 years, time to stop and play

When I accepted an early retirement from the Flint Journal in December 2007 I knew in my heart I was not done working. My internal clock still yearned to work and produce. So I started a little business and contracted out some writing and communication services, which resulted in one main client, a local school district.

When I did my taxes last year, I realized I was working 25 minutes of every hour to pay Uncle Sam and decided that the fire to work had gone out. If you are curious about the tax math: 25 percent federal income taxes, 15 percent (the employee's 7.5 percent Social Security contribution and the employer's 7.5 percent Social Security contribution) and Michigan's 4.1 percent income tax.

In other words, it no longer made sense to continue getting up early, put on a tie and make my way to work. I loved the school work, but it was no longer worth it.

Also, a person wiser than me once said that "you'll know when it's time to retire." At some point this winter, while Joan and I were away on vacation, a clock went off in my head telling me it was time to stop. Not wanting to quit in the middle of a school year I decided that when the school year ended, so would my employment.

That was yesterday. June 30. For the first time in 50 years there is no paid work now or in the future. It feels great this morning.

As mentioned previously, my life has been blessed. Not once have I had to apply for unemployment. In the 1960s I was laid off from a sandblasting job in San Carlos, California on a Friday (my paycheck bounced by the way) and hit the bricks on Monday and found a similar unadvertised job with a competitor about three miles away. My pay at the time was $2.35 an hour. The work was hard.

In August of 1970, the Foster City Public Safety Department hired me and between then and July 1977 I worked for two Bay Area police departments. Most of that work was in communications and dispatching, but I was also a sworn officer and rode shifts alone and with other officers at the Atherton Police Department. It was great fun. During that time I also served as a paid on call firefighter at Foster City.

But I yearned to write and in the mid-1970s I went back to college to study journalism and eventually gave up the police work and moved to Michigan to attend Michigan State University to study journalism. I picked up a job as a bouncer at the Coral Gables bar on Grand River Avenue to make a little extra money. At that time we were living on the GI bill and money we had taken from my police retirement account.

Somehow I ended up as editor-in-chief of The State News, which at that time was the nation's largest daily college newspaper, leading a staff of 56 editorial employees. That experience left me with many lifelong friends and the knowledge that this was what I was born to do.

In the late 1970s, after leaving MSU, I was editor of a local weekly newspaper and a change in ownership forced me to quit when the new publisher demanded editorial changes that ethically I was not willing to make. For six weeks I hauled 80-pound bags of soft water salt to Lansing apartment complexes to make 35 cents a bag for each one I dumped. That kept me going through Christmas 1979 and then I took a job in January 1980 doing internal communications for a large Styrofoam cup manufacturer in Mason, Michigan.

A good friend who was working as a reporter at the Oakland Press in Pontiac let me know of a police reporter job opening in December 1983 and I started there the first week of January 1984.

My 23-year daily newspaper career was more fun than could be possibly described. Every day was a gift, most stories were a wonderful adventure and except for the occasional incompetent editor, it was a great ride. The bad editors are a source of constant amusement, even now.

There were days, like the one where my assignment was to fly on a World War II B-24, Liberator bomber, that I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. I was paid overtime to attend the clinching World Series game at Tiger Stadium in 1984. Life was good.

So I thank God for leading me to such a rewarding career.

My very first job I landed at 12. I did yard work at $1 an hour for my church and pastor in La Crescenta. Each Saturday, I rode my bike two miles to the church and rectory (which were next door to each other) and trimmed bushes, raked pine needles and mowed lawns.

Later when $8 a week was not enough to pay for my school lunches and Los Angeles Dodger baseball games (my brother and I had to buy our own school lunches if we didn't want bologna sandwiches every day and also pay for our own amusement) I located another yard work job at "The Brass Tree," a woman's clothing store on Foothill Boulevard within walk/bicycle riding distance of the church.

Between the yard work jobs, some babysitting work and other odd jobs I was making about $100 a month, which was plenty in the 1950s-60s. I could take my girlfriend out for a night on the town (dinner an a movie) for about $15. When I was old enough to drive I was expected to pay for my gas and insurance when I used the family car.

When I left Los Angeles after high school and moved in with my father and stepmother, I worked as a 'fly boy' for Pacific Lithograph, a printer in San Francisco. I loved commuting to work in the city and all that went with that.

When my first try at college failed I joined the Navy and spent some time growing up in the service. That included two tours of duty in Vietnam.

I have worked as a gas jockey, back in the days gas stations had "service." I was pretty much willing to do anything to make money, as long as it was legal. During my years on the police department I often worked special details and also worked an outside third job as a temp using my typing skills as a teletype operator at a Silicone Valley company to make extra money.

My police department pay when I started was about $500 a month and we were paid monthly. Without the extra work we would always fall short by the end of the month. Sometimes even with the extra work we still fell short of money.

I've probably had 40 different jobs in my life, each came with its own lessons and rewards. Each taught me something I could use for my next job. To me there is no dishonor in honest work. I respect folks who work hard and get their hands dirty.

My children and stepchildren have never been afraid to work either. I'm proud of them for that.

Retirement, at least to me, doesn't mean being idle. I have plenty of volunteer jobs that I am already involved in and, there's a big travel trailer in my driveway that wants to take me to the far reaches of America.

And I'll have the blog to keep me writing.

Connor Doran, a young man with a talent

A former colleague and his wife, Tim and Amy Doran, have raised a remarkable young man that some of us knew as an infant. Following is a YouTube.com that a friend posted on Facebook.



A great post for a Sunday.

Life after Booth: Bay City Times environmental reporter leaves, starts website

Jeff "Mr. Great Lakes" Kart, the former environmental reporter for the Bay City Times has started his own website.

As readers here know, I'm not what you'd call an environmentalist. I believe in recycling, conservation and protecting the environment. While I don't subscribe to popular man made global warming theories, I'm always willing to listen and consider real evidence.

So stop over and see a former Booth colleague who is now out on his own. We wish you good luck and good fortune Jeff.

He has some great suggestions on how to find out if your beach destination is safe. We do disagree on Larry King, who I believe may be the worst interviewer in the history of television.

When Generals attack

Apparently General Stanley A. McChrystal, President Obama's main man in Afghanistan went off the reservation in a big way in, of all places, Rolling Stone magazine. By now, you've heard all the soundbites and controversy, or can easily find it, but as much as I disagree with much of what President Obama has done and continues to do, he doesn't have much wiggle room here.

The only choice President Obama has is to fire the general. Anything else would be weak and would hurt not just his Presidency but future ones. Generals, especially ones in charge of a war, must serve only one master, the President.

If General McChrystal was unhappy with the progress of the war or the support, or lack of support he was getting, he had the option to resign and then make those complaints as a civilian. To do it while still under the authority of the President was simply wrong.

So like another famous General (MacArthur in Korea), McChrystal is on his way to explain himself to his boss. This can't go well. In fact, if the President's advisers had any savvy they've fire him now before he has a chance to resign.

McChrystal had to know the impact these comments would have, especially since he was talking to Rolling Stone (good for them, by the way in achieving a huge scoop).

The problem for Obama, of course, is once McChrystal is a civilian he will be free to unload on the President, his staff, the war strategy and anything else without any brakes on his opinions.

Like President Truman, President Obama has no choice but to try and weather the storm of firing a general. The alternative is too destructive to the good order of the service.

I feel badly for the morale of the troops serving in an already difficult conflict with all this fighting on Mt. Olympus.

A smile at the expense of Congress

*The Haircut**

**One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.**

**After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot
accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The florist
was pleased and left the shop.**

**When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank
you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.**

**Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill,
the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing
community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.**

**The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you'
card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.**

**Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his
bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing
community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the
shop.**

**The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen
Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.**

**And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the
citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.**


**BOTH POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON!** *

Well, that was fun

No one will ever feel sympathy for BP, certainly not me, but you had to love yesterday's hearings which resembled a Roman Coliseum event with the head of BP being thrown to the lions.

This was not about getting answers, it was about getting votes. From the idiot Republican apologizing, to the angry posturing of everyone else it was pure theater. These public floggings are great television and who can turn away from watching a bad accident on the freeway, but what did we learn after all the questions yesterday.

Bupkis. Zero, zip, nada, diddly squat.

When you threaten a company and their head with criminal sanctions, what do you expect? The guy is never going to come clean (pun intended) with a federal criminal investigation hanging over his head. Better to do the investigation and charge them and find out the answers in court. But there's no sound bites and votes if you do that.

So no thinking person, which leaves out Congress, would expect that someone would show up and actually tell the truth or give a frank assessment of what they know. But the cameras were on and the lions were loose. Like I said, it was fun, just not very enlightening.

Gulf Oil Disaster, revisited

Six weeks ago I wrote a post that drew some criticism from supporters of President Obama because I criticized the federal government for a slow response (again) to a disaster in the Gulf.

Bush and his administration were slow to react to the disaster in Katrina and again, in my humble opinion, the Obama administration and red tape have snarled efforts to contain and clean up the spill in the Gulf.

I agree with those who say you can't blame President Obama for the spill, anymore than you could blame W for a hurricane. But the response to both is what is in question.

Apparently we have declined foreign help to clean up the mess and it took six weeks for the Army Corps of Engineers (think levees) to approve a small part of the Louisiana governor's plan to dredge a protective barrier to protect the coast.

Last night the President gave a speech that left me scratching my head. The plan to clean up the gulf is apparently rooted in the effort to pass an energy bill. What?

Tough talk is one thing, constructive action and leadership is another. Please Mr. President, get on the phone and tell the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard to get the lead out.

For those who argued with me that the President had no role in this disaster (what can he do?, they said) let me remind you that the President himself said he was in charge. If he is in charge, then we have the right to criticize.

Maureen Dowd, no conservative apologist has turned suddenly very critical. This from Salon .com.

Going it alone for news: Not as easy as it seems

Reflections of a Newsosaur has some reflections on journalists trying to go it alone. You may have to scroll up from the comments to read the article. Couldn't get a direct link to the article.

Another "not-so-green" house for Al Gore

Now that Al and Tipper are breaking up (and I do feel badly about that) you'd think he'd use that as an opportunity to green up his living quarters. According to USA Today, not so much. Those profits from "Inconvenient Truth" are helping finance a pretty "Convenient Lifestyle."

Some 'new' media ideas

My friend and former colleague Mary Ann, who knows as much about online news stuff as anyone I know, is participating in a weekend conference in Detroit called "Journalism That Matters." Not my cup of tea, but at least some folks are trying to figure out a new journalism model, which puts them far, far ahead of the 'old' thinkers in the business. Mary Ann has posted her thoughts and a link to pictures of the event at her blog, Inside Out.

A word about comments

OK, time to revisit the comment rules. After bragging a couple days ago that I had not rejected a comment for over a year I was forced to do just that today. Feel free to call me an "idiot" or any name you like, but I will not post any comment that refers to a third party in a derogatory way.

So to the anonymous poster who called a former colleague an "idiot," look in a mirror, I think you'll find an idiot there. So my unbroken string of no rejections is now over, but I'll take a good debate here anytime, but keep it civil.

FDR's prayer on the invasion of D-Day

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's prayer on the night of the D-Day Invasion. (Guess FDR didn't get the memo on separation of church and state - thank goodness).

“My Fellow Americans:

“Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

“And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

“Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

“They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
“They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

“For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.&

“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

“And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

“Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

“Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

“And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

“And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

“With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

“Thy will be done, Almighty God.

“Amen.”

A small man, but a big life

This made me think about all the ridiculous complaining I do. It also reminded me of a story I once found at a school board meeting in North Branch about Jessica Parks, a young woman born with no arms who did more with her life than 90 percent of the people I knew. The night I was there she was honored for her school spirit. Because I was swamped with work I handed off her story to a feature writer - Carol - who did a magnificent piece on the girl after spending many hours with her and her mother. Eventually it ended up as a segment on ABC's 20/20 as a result of Carol's initial story. I could not find the video, but there is plenty of video of Jessica on YouTube.com. Because of the ridiculous MLive.com archiving system I couldn't find the 2002 feature, but this link will take you to some video.

A reporter and a goat, another great Saturday story

Sometime back I wrote about former reporter Ken Palmer (I don't think he'll mind me mentioning his full name here) and his famous Saturday shift with assignments to a goat milking exhibition, followed closely by a clogging exhibition.

Today, I found this goat story that some reporter had to file, Ken would be happy to know that others have not been spared.

Some thoughts for Memorial Day

It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the
VETERAN who
salutes the Flag,

It is
the
VETERAN
who serves
under the Flag,

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Please fly your flag today in honor of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

I'm living in the Land of Tomorrow

When I was about 9 years old my parents took me to Disneyland in Anaheim on the second or third weekend that it was open. It was a drive of a little more than an hour from my home and my head nearly exploded when we arrived in the expansive parking lot and I could see the beautiful park approaching. (Photo is a view of Disneyland from the air on opening day)

Everything about the park seem unreal, but very exciting. At the time I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world to actually be at this magical place.

One of the things I remember was the "Land of Tomorrow" exhibit, which I believe was sponsored by General Electric. Moving displays showed the dreams and future inventions that GE believed were on the near and far horizon.

The one I was especially intrigued with was the display that showed two people talking on the phone and yet being able to see each other on television screens at the same time. That seemed so fanciful as to be impossible at the time.

At that time a long distance phone call was a big deal. They cost a lot and we had an egg timer by the phone so that no one would talk too long and run up a big bill. We planned and anticipated making a long distance phone call to the point that everyone would gather near the phone so we could pass the phone quickly from person to person to save time. It rarely happened more than a couple times a month. Handwritten letters were the communications staple of that day.

Last night, I downloaded Skype (I've had the computer for two years and didn't realize I could do this) and within minutes was talking to our daughter in Boston looking at her wonderful face on my computer screen as she watched me pick my nose on her end. I even got to meet her new cat, although I mostly saw its butt.

My son Tim apparently has the same connection and I tried to reach him unsuccessfully.

It's kind of cool to have lived long enough to be in "The Land of Tomorrow."

"To all who come to this happy place: -Welcome- Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past ... and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
—Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955 4:43pm

A James Carville rant on the oil spill

There is nothing funnier, well maybe a few things, than a James Carville rant.

Some good newspaper news

The editor of the Buffalo News has some good news for newspaper fans in her column.

A song I like: Freeborn America

This is a pretty good song by Jimmy Joe Lee, a friend of a friend in California.



Just something I liked.

Reporter's license: A Michigan State Senator's idea

I'm sure it's frustrating to deal with the new media. So many new faces, so much on-the-job training, but one Republican state senator has taken it one step too far. The proposal by State Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton) is the latest in a long line of politicians who wanted to harness the media.

The idea of a media license sounds like something out of a Soviet Union playbook, but here it is. This probably won't go far, or at least I hope not, but government should stay out of regulating the media. Period.

It makes me nervous that elected officials even feel comfortable talking about it.

Newspaper reporter fired for co-authoring magazine story

The Inside Out blog has a story on a newspaper reporter for the Oregonian being fired for writing a magazine piece without permission from the newspaper.

Most newspaper reporters know they need to clear any outside journalism efforts with their editors before working for another publication.

In the days after Jack Kevorkian assisted with his first suicide, I was contacted by the editor of Newsday and with permission from my editor submitted three or four stories, including one that ran on the front page of Newsday, about my interviews with Jack Kevorkian.

All the stories were merely rewrites of what I had already done for the Journal. It was pretty easy money. About three days in Newsday sent their own reporter to the area and my little gig was up.

I ended up making about $3,500 from the work, which helped by my first real home computer - an Acer, I believe, which in those days had about 1 gig of memory and cost more than $3,000.

How about this beauty of a 'misstatement'

I love it when politicians take a bald faced lie and turn it into a "misstatement." That in itself is a misstatement. When you deliberately tell something over and over that is not true, that is a 'lie.' Just because you surround yourself with combat veterans and call it a misstatement, doesn't change it from the lie that it was.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Time to shuffle the deck in Washington, D.C.

If we can't have a viable third party, I'll certainly settle for voter anger that takes it out on all incumbents. Watching Arlen Specter concede last night was very gratifying. Good riddance to politicians who have as their overriding principle getting re-elected.

Hopefully the anger, fueled by unbridled spending and mounting deficits in the middle of a continuing economic distress will continue into the fall and voters will take a blanket "throw the bums out" attitude at the polls. Washington is completely broken. The President doesn't get it, the leadership of both parties doesn't get it, but hopefully they'll all get it in November.

In four major races, Mass., N.J. Virginia and now Pennsylvania the President has backed the loser. That's a message whether he wants to hear it, or not.

Time to take our government back. Time for both sides to drop the gloves and pick up the shovels. Time for the President to head back to his office and get to work and stop being in a total campaign mode. People want jobs, not speeches. As he himself said in the last election. "Words, just words..." As an aside remember this little bit of plagarism during the last campaign.

Those of us on the sunset side of our lives are concerned about the country we are leaving our children and grandchildren. We do not want them saddled with a huge debt to pay when we're gone. Time to rein in the spending and time to listen to the voters.

Getting rid of all the incumbents, shuffling the deck and starting over would not be a bad start.

A little non-partisan soothing music for Saturday

Since I scheduled this for posting on Friday, learned that Tammy Reaves, a former Flint Journal colleague, died after a long battle with cancer. Tammy was one of the truly nice and classy people at the newspaper and her loss, along with other former employees who have died too young, have me thinking about how precious life and friends really are.



Posting will end for the weekend.

Mayor Daley: Be careful what you wish for

Although Chicago's Mayor Daley is denying the revengeful reasons for it, his decision to post all investigative reporter requests online could seriously backfire on him.

While he believes he is messing over reporters who have been dogging his every move, he may find out that he will just be opening Pandora's Box by tipping off more reporters to the tips.

Chances are this will result in more scrutiny and not less, which would be a good thing in the political cesspool that is Chicago.

I'm just happy there are still investigative reporters.

Arizona law, misguided, but completely understandable

I have stayed out of the Arizona immigration law argument so far because while I understand the frustration of Arizonans to the lack of federal enforcement, I think the law they enacted is actually unnecessary.

Many of you know that I spent 7 years in the 1970s working for two California police agencies. What the Arizona law proposes is already done every day by officers in California. The only thing California law lacks that the Arizona law has is that Arizona has taken the federal law (almost word for word) and said the state can enforce violations of immigration law.

During my time in law enforcement in California I, and all of my fellow officers, routinely questioned people, mostly non-English speaking Hispanics without proper identification, about their legal status. In most cases they were illegal aliens.

When we called federal immigration officials to report the violations and have them take action we would be told: "Get a good address and we'll follow up." Yeah, right. Never happened and immigration enforcement by the federal government has beeen, and still is even in the wake of 9/11, a serious joke. Some times we were called to 'arrest' illegals because their employers wanted an easy way to get rid of them. We sympathized with the illegals to an extent and despised the employers, but still there was no enforcement either on the illegal or the company that hired them.

Last Monday, my USS Cogswell Association voted to hold our next reunion in Tucson, Arizona. The idea of boycotting a State because of a law someone doesn't agree with is perfectly legal, but then people should be free to start boycotts for other issues in other States. Gay Marriage comes to mind, legalized marijuana would be another, name your poison and groups everywhere could find reasons to boycott just about anywhere. We all make decisions to boycott or not to boycott businesses or events (I boycott Barry Manilow every chance I get), but when making a decision to lead a more public boycott people should at least be informed.

Below is a copy of current California law as it affects police officers and illegal immigrants, please note that it includes the same, or nearly the same "profiling" language that the Arizona law does and no one has yet suggested boycotting California:

California Penal Code Section 834b

(a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully
cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.
(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:
(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and
place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status.
(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.
(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity.
(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly
prohibited.

The L.A. County Council, which voted to boycott Arizona, might want to note that they are in violation of the last section of that law.

And here is a dated legal argument on the California law. Here is a pertinent excerpt from that discussion:

"4. California AG Opinion 01-213 (11/16/2001): While California’s Penal Code Section 843b’s mandate that local officers inquire into immigration status has been enjoined, officers can still voluntarily make the inquiry. A local law enforcement officer during detention of Spanish speaking person for otherwise valid purposes may question the person as to immigration status, but may not question status solely because the individual speaks a non-English language. Local officers may continue investigation into a person’s immigration status prior to arraignment on state charges. In footnote 4, the Opinion indicates “Civil violations of immigration law are not cognizable” under a formula in Pen. Code s. 836, sub. (a), (a)(1), which allows California peace officers to arrest either in obedience to a warrant or without a warrant where the officer has probable cause to believe that a public offense has been committed in the officer’s presence."

Destroyer reunion over, back home

No time to outline all the fun and good times at my USS Cogswell reunion tonight, but I'm home and basking in the glow and fun of reconnecting with friends and shipmates I haven't seen for 43 years.

Some of those guys have really gotten old. Glad that didn't happen to me. I'll have some photos to put up as well.

Like cars? Check out Fast Eddie's Cruisin' blog

A long time friend, and one of the best newspaper photographers I ever worked with, has extended his car review reach to a new blog. Ed is a devoted and accomplished gear head and knows more about cars than any person I know. Fast Eddie's Cruisin blog should be a fun read.

I've put a permanent link over to the right and I'm sure Ed would love so readers and commenters.

Ed doesn't just write about cars, he has built a couple of the nicest rods I've ever seen.

Lessons from a former El Al security official

As part of another volunteer activity of mine I recently was privileged to hear a terrorism security consultant discuss some issues related to Homeland Security. The speaker, a former member of an Israeli airport security force, discussed the differences between Israeli airport security and the rest of the world.

It was a stark, but realistic and common sense appraisal of what most travelers already know.

El Al and Ben Gurion Airport have been remarkably successful in staying safe, considering the considerable enemies faced. So it was surprising to me that the speaker started out with criticism of the TSA and the ongoing efforts in this country and most of the rest of the world as it relates to airport and airline security.

Did you know, that there are no restrictions on El Al Airlines as far as liquid carryons? I didn't.

Israel doesn't worry about what is being carried on board airliners, its concerns are with who is being carried on airliners. Every passenger coming through Ben Gurion or boarding an Israeli flight is talked to by security officials and interviewed. Several rings of security, which start in the Ben Gurion parking lot and don't end until folks get on the plane, don't slow down security, they actually help speed it up.

"When was the last time you were talked to by airport security personnel in a meaningful way?," the speaker asked.

Israeli security officials are intensely trained on what to ask and what to look for in passengers who pose a risk. Every layer of Israeli security is empowered to act on any suspicions it has about a would-be traveler. Passengers in Israel or flying on Israeli flights must pass through a number of rings of security. In other airport security systems, there are only "security patches."

In some cases, people who raise suspicions are allowed to fly, but only after a complete body search and then they fly with an escort or marshall watching their every move on board the airliner. They will likely face additional scrutiny when the arrive in Israel.

Shoe bomber Richard Reid was one of those who raised suspicions and eventually flew into Ben Gurion escorted on the flight by a flight marshall. In later interviews he said he never flew on El Al again because, "too many people asking questions." He also picked another airliner to attack when he finally made his attack.

"Current airport security is focused too much on the means, and not enough on the terrorist. Don't look for bombs, look for bombers." Makes sense to me.

Certainly Israel uses technology and physical screening, but that's only a small part of their security approach.

The interviewing and suspicion is not based on ethnicity either. Israel doesn't profile based solely on your looks or physical factors, but on what your answers to their questions are. And a trained knowledge of body language. They are constantly tested on their proficiency in unannounced drills, he said.

In many cases this scrutiny costs less than the current technology heavy methods we use now, the agent said.

As soon as terrorists found out we were screening for liquids, they sent a terrorist on board the aircraft wearing liquids as underwear, the speaker pointed out. A series of speakers at the conference pointed out that while some might find comfort in the failure of recent terrorist attack attempts, most speakers point out that only the incompetence of the terrorist, and not effective law enforcement or intelligence saved us from a disaster.

"Most security efforts are aimed at the last attack and not the next one," the speaker said.

And random screening, such as pulling out a passenger every so often to reduce the liability for "profiling" is useless, the man said. Our worries about liability and negatively affecting our ability to make flights safe.

Israel avoids the liability by making everyone subject to the interviews and scrutiny until they have satisfied the system that they do not pose a threat.

Food for thought next time some TSA officer confiscates your 5-ounce bottle of expensive perfume you accidentally left in your travel kit.

Where have all the watchdogs gone?

Just by way of comparison I found this list of the editors and staff at the Flint Journal in 2006. Nearly all, with a few exceptions, were full time employees.

Here is the list today. Please note that many of those names are covering multiple beats and many are part time employees.

I give the new staff credit for doing all that they do with as small a staff as they have. You could probably find similar reductions at newspapers all across the country. It does not bode well for the future watchdog role that so few are watching so many.

A Saturday laugh

Found this on Facebook and found it too good not to share. This is the motto, or name of a donut shop apparently owned by some police officers. Their online store has a funny line of clothing.

Happy Mother's Day! It's not just for moms

Mother's Day is always a mixed blessing for me. My mother died just four days after Mother's Day in 1987. She left us way too early. When she died my mother was 59 and had battled breast and other cancer for 14 years.

I was just 39 years old, my brother was 36, and my sister was only 26 when she died. I still miss her tremendously. It was more than a year before I quit having the urge to call her on the phone, only to remember she was gone.

In the intervening years, I have tried to continue to honor the other major female influences in my life on Mother's Day. My wife, of course, but also my Aunt Judi, my mother's younger sister, who in many ways was always a second mother to me. My stepmother, Janet, who at a relatively young age took on two boys who were already half grown. I was also blessed with great mothers-in-law during my life.

Years before, my grandmother Ethel (from my father's side), was a tremendous influence on my life. We often stayed overnight in her beautiful hillside home in the Hollywood Hills. Grandma Smith was the gentlest, kindest person I remember in my life. Excellent behind a sewing machine, she devoted many years to making hospital gowns and clothes for children at The Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. She left us in 1969. But her example of kindness and service was one I could never forget. She was a tremendous cook and hostess and the times I spent in her care were some of the fondest of my life.

My cousin Cynthia (another great mother) and I were recalling how we used to slide on our stocking feet down her long tiled hallway at the Dundee Avenue home. Sometimes we would run around the house in circles, often flying off the stairs into the spacious living room without ever a rebuke from Grandma. She was so patient. Might have had something to do with raising three boys. She taught me a love of words through crossword puzzles and Scrabble and she sent me many times to look up words in a large (and I do mean large) dictionary that sat on a wooden pedestal in her living room.

My grandmother Ardath (from my mother's side) was more aloof, but no less loving.

Aunt Judi, Janet, the grandmothers and the mothers-in-law all contributed in large ways to the man I am now. So you can partially blame them. Not really, the faults I have, and they are legion, are the result of my own failings.

One day, long after my mother died, I was standing in a grocery store line in Davison, Michigan and a man in front of me had two pretty full grocery carts. As he checked in the items from one cart and paying for them and then repeating the process with the second he complained to the clerk, "It is really hard shopping for both my family and my mother."

His comment, an innocent and understandable gripe, caught me up short. I piped up. "You know, sir, there is only one thing worse than having to shop for your mother?" He looked at me with a funny look and I continued. "That would be when you don't have her to shop for anymore." He shook his head affirmatively and went on about his check out.

Today, Joan and her sister will attend the Mother's Day tea at the Buffalo-area nursing home where their mother is now living. I cannot go because each resident can only have two guests because of space limitations, but I know Joan's mother will appreciate the visit.

Yesterday, Joan received an extremely thoughtful gift from her daughter, my stepdaughter, and a note that made her cry, in a good way. It wasn't the gift that made her cry, but the wonderful sentiments in the note.

Parents know that none of what we do is for recognition. What we do, even when we fail, is done out of love for our children with no expectation for some reward. But, the acknowledgment and appreciation of what we have done by our children may be the greatest rewards we receive on earth.

Tomorrow, if you are blessed to still have your mother with you reach out and let her know just how much she has meant to you. If she is gone, remember those women in your life who have helped nurture and love you.

Grand Rapids trip over, blogging should resume, a little

Been away at a conference in Grand Rapids for a few days. I really love this city. Joan came with me so we went to the "Lord of the Dance" performance Tuesday night and the Ford Museum last night.

Both pretty cool.

I'll get caught up on blogging before we head over to Buffalo for my Navy reunion next week.

The world is running out of rocks, time to conserve

Oh, how I love satire, and no one does it better than The Onion. Thanks to Nathan for the link.

Lies, lies and more lies, Navy reunion approaches

For the first time in 43 years, I will be reunited with some buddies from my Navy days next week. My first ship, the USS Cogswell, which was affectionately called a "tin can" by those of us who served on her, has been out of U.S. service since 1970.

The reunion, which is in my second favorite city, Buffalo, New York starts Sunday. Joan and I are both going. Many of them have been meeting for years, but I have only recently had the time and availability to join them. The Cogswell was transferred to the Turkish Navy in 1970 and has since been turned into razor blades.

Buffalo is the host city for the USS The Sullivans, DD 537, which is a sister ship to the Cogswell. We'll get a chance to tour her as a group. That will be fun re-living memories. The Sullivans was named for five brothers who drowned during World War II while serving on the same ship. Following that tragedy, the Navy didn't allow sole surviving brothers to serve together.

When I was an 19-year-old sailor I didn't appreciate the old "Cogs" history. Built in the crucible of World War II she was on duty for many of the crucial battles of the South Pacific and was arguably the first ship into Tokyo Bay following the surrender of Japan. Arguably, because a number of destroyers claim to be the first ship leading the convoy into Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony. But the Cogswell was there.

She served during Korea and then again in Vietnam and I served on one of her Vietnam cruises. The reunion will include crew members from her entire history, including a "Plank holder," which is the designation for a crew member who served on the very first crew. I'm very excited to talk to him.

My tour of duty about the Cogswell started in 1966 and ended in 1967, a total of about nine months. I reported aboard just days before she left for a "West Pac" (Western Pacific - Vietnam) cruise. My previous experience at sea had been a trip to Catalina Island, 26 miles off the California coast.

Fresh out of boot camp, my uniforms were pressed and polished and I was eager for the adventure. The adventure started with three straight days of puking. Basically I had my head over the side from San Diego to halfway to Hawaii.

My first night I was awakened at 11:30 p.m. to stand my four-hour bridge watch at midnight. Sick beyond belief my request to be excused was met with an angry "no" and a helpful gift of a bucket to carry with me on watch.

Mercifully, they put me on starboard lookout so the cool wind would blow in my face and keep me awake when my head wasn't in the bucket. I was supposed to be looking for ships and obstacles in front of the ship, but I don't think I would have seen the Queen Mary if she was 50-feet off the bow.

Three days in, and about three boxes of saltine crackers consumed to keep something in my stomach and sop up the green slime that seemed to burn all the way up and out, I started to feel like I didn't want to die. It was the last time I would ever suffer from any kind of motion sickness. That includes a typhoon we hit just outside of Japan.

The bridge of the ship is about 30-feet off the water and the top of those waves were higher than the bridge. We rolled side-to-side to the point we were concerned we might roll completely over. (It has happened)

You ate with one hand holding your tray. If someone spilled something, it would slide back and forth across the deck as the ship rolled. Ocean water seeped through the hatch on the fantail and our sleeping compartment had an inch of salt water on the floor sloshing back and forth.

For fear of being swept overboard you made your way through the ship through the inside passageways. I loved every minute of it.

More than 100 men lived in a space not much bigger than a very large living room. Bunks were hung on a pole with three racks on a side. It was close quarters and the head (bathroom) was just as small. (Photo below shows the racks from USS The Sullivans)

My favorite times were at night, after the work was done, sitting on the fantail looking at a sky almost solid with stars. Later in my Navy career, both on the Cogswell and the USS Hoel, DDG-13, I was a quartermaster, which unlike the Army, is a navigation rate. Those stars were used to navigate. Today, I'm sure satellite navigation is the preferred method of establishing where you are.

The methods we had then were not so precise, although a good star fix using a sextant would put you within a mile of where you are. A sexton is an ancient seafaring instrument that was incredibly accurate. The star charts have been used for hundreds of years. The math and track of those stars was known by sailors in the middle ages.

Ship life was often routine, custodial chores and later when I moved to the bridge, keeping navigational charts filed and up-to-date. During underway refueling, I was the ship's helmsman, as well as during battle conditions and going in and out of port.

Speaking of ports (both ships), there was San Diego, Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, Subic Bay (Phillipines), San Francisco, Vallejo (California), Midway Island and Kaohsiung (Taiwan).

Visiting exotic places was pretty heady stuff for a young man who had only been to one other foreign country, Mexico, and then only the City of Tijuana.

During her entire history, about 3,500 crew members served aboard the Cogswell. Only 300 at one time, so about the equivalent of eleven crews. I'm proud to be among one of them.

More later.

Once again, federal government slow to act in the gulf

When George Bush tripped and fell all over himself in the wake of Hurricane Katrina he was pilloried in the press and public opinion. The federal government was slow to act.

Now, many days after an oil leak, President Obama finally made a trip to region and made a lame statement that they had been on this since "day one."

Not exactly, even his Homeland Security head admitted they had been slow to act. Many experts said a quicker response would have made the spill containable before it moved all over the gulf. The New York Times covers both sides of the issue.

One would think after all the bad experiences that the government would be quicker to respond. Not so much.

Once again, those folks who were all over President Bush for his slow response are defending President Obama for being asleep at the switch. And vice versa. It would be so refreshing if the two extremes in this country would be honest and even-handed, just one time.

Journalism robots: Here right now?

This is an interesting story (with plenty of links) on the subject of automated journalism. Now we had a couple editors at the Flint Journal who tried to make all of us into their mind-numbed robots, but we resisted, but apparently there is actually a move on to make it so.

New circulation numbers in, the arrow goes down

Thanks to an FFE commenter, I went over to the ABC (the company that tracks newspaper circulation) and verified the information that was posted on a previous comment.

The numbers are not good. The last time I posted about the Flint Journal circulation the numbers I collected were. In case you don't follow the link it was numbers for September 2008 and Flint had a daily circulation of 73,013 and a Sunday number of 88,897.

Now the numbers are:

Sunday 74,375 (-14,000+)

Thursday 60,075 - Friday - 59,222 (-13,000)

That's a huge loss in less than two years. From what I hear they believe the bleeding has stopped, or at least slowed, but I still run into people everyday who are dropping the paper for a couple of reasons. "There's nothing in it" "I like the paper everyday"

My wife and I still get the paper and I don't subscribe to the "There's nothing in it," but some days it's pretty thin.

Here are the rest of the numbers as supplied by the commenter (Those circulation drop numbers are likely from 2009, not 2008):

Bay City:
Thu. - 21,607 (-2,896, -11.8%)
Fri. - 21,925 (-2,858, -11.5%)
Sun. - 31,968 (-2,382, -6.9%)

Flint:
Thu. - 60,075 (-5,896, -8.9%)
Fri. - 59,222 (-6,879, -10.4%)
Sun. - 74,375 (-5,817, -7.2%)

Saginaw:
Thu. - 27,581 (-2,998, -9.8%)
Fri. - 27,866 (-2,752, -8.9%)
Sun. - 39,156 (-2,205, -5.3%)

The new journalism lemonade stand: Stories for $5

This was an interesting article about the use of freelancers for journalism.

Why Henry Waxman called off hearings on the "Write downs"

Not familiar with this website and story (found it on another site I read) but it is an interesting take on why uber-liberal Henry Waxman quietly ended the probe on the corporate write-downs related to the recently passed Health Care bill.

Remember the promise that we could all keep our current private health care and that it would save money.

Could be not so much.

Do as we write, not as we do

One of my favorite topics is media hypocrisy. I've pointed out a couple examples in the past.

Arizona was the center of controversy back in the 1990s when it wouldn't designate Martin Luther King Holiday as a day off for its State employees. There were charges of boycotts and other protests at the time (some things never change).

The Flint Journal editorial page editor wrote a scathing editorial on how unjust it was that Arizona would not honor the Civil Rights leader by declaring his birthday a holiday.

I read the editorial with interest, because the Flint Journal at the time also did not give employees the MLK holiday. Still doesn't I believe. So I confronted the editor and said how could we write such an editorial knowing that our own company didn't honor the leader.

The answer was lame.

On Sunday, April 25 the Journal ran a story tracking the unremarkable results of tax credits and incentives given to companies in the city.

They forgot one company: The Flint Journal. The newspaper got a pretty nice deal from the city when it built its new printing plant 7-8 years ago. There were, as I recall, the promise of many new jobs at the plant and company in exchange for the deal.

Might have been a nice sidebar to Sunday's story on the other companies who didn't live up to expectations.

One of the best public service announcements ever

This is a very effective public service announcement. It has been around awhile, but if you haven't seen it, enjoy.

New York Times: Circulation continues slide

Some interesting news from the New York Times.

Feeling badly for the Flint Police Department

Flint's NBC affiliate, Channel 25, has this story on a homicide that occurred in the city while only one police officer was on patrol at the time.

I looked for a similar story on MLive.com but didn't find it, but only gave the site a cursory glance, so it could be there and I missed it.

In the "old" days there would be at least two and maybe three reporters covering news on Saturday, but I don't know what the current newsroom staffing is for a Saturday. I'm sure there is some, but I just don't know.

It is tough to imagine that there are less patrol officers in Flint at certain times than in some of the surrounding less violent suburbs. A sad situation indeed.

What a difference 40 years makes

I had forgotten (until I saw this on a friend's Facebook) that Winston was the original sponsor of the Flintstones. Image any company making this commercial today.

The future of cars?

Someone I know from my past is working on this project. I've been a skeptic about electric cars, at least in the short term, but this is pretty exciting.

Time for "nice" sports news at Newsday

This article is interesting because of what it says about new newspaper owners and management and their desire to be "nice."

There's also a link in the story about the poor response to the online subscription effort at the paper. The bottom line - only 35 subscriptions to Newsday's online website during a three-month effort.

I love the Discovery Channel

Something fun for Saturday.

AJR: Detroit Free Press, Detroit News a year after the experiment

This is a look, even if not a very forthcoming one, on the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News a year after they cut publication days and started a new online product.

The Beatles called it a long time ago

In honor of Tax Day, here's the Beatle's Taxman:

Back from vacation, blogging to restart

After a two-week hiatus, FFE's is back.

Stopped over at AnnArbor.com for the first time in months and found that they are still wrestling over the moderation policies. There seems to be continuing hand wringing over the comment moderation policies at the site.

Anyway, here is some new information from AA.com.

SPARTANS! What is your profession?

In honor of the Michigan State University Spartans playing in the Final Four here is a relevant video for all Spartan fans:



Hoping for a win tonight. The season has already been overachieved.

The latest from Grandma's Recess

If you are interested, here's the latest posting from Grandma's Recess.

Over on Inside Out some reflections on some new newspaper products

Inside Out talks about the Flint Journal's new edition.

And another post about the new Saginaw, Bay City and Midland product.

Ran into a newspaper route driver recently who complained to me that the little bit of money he makes from the newsstand sales for the Tuesday edition is not enough to really make the trip to Clio or Flint worthwhile to pick up the papers and deliver them to the outlets.

Not sure if this is true or not, but the driver said they no longer receive mileage for the drive in to pick up the papers. He told me he's making about 1/3 of what he used to at the company.

It's a hard way to make a living anyway, so I feel for the drivers.

Moving on, in more ways than one

Curious how life sometimes gets in the way of our big plans. Last year we took our first trip with our new trailer early in April. We had big plans for more trips last year and early this year.

Then came April 30, 2009. That was the day Joan's mother had a severe stroke. As the main caretaker for Joan's father, her hospitalization required an immediate change of plans. Joan took a three week leave of absence and went to Buffalo to care for her father and keep tabs on her mother.

Since that time there have been a number of trips to Buffalo, including a sad one in late June and early July when Joan and I began our vigil with Red Uleskey and hospice at the family home. On July 7, 2009, Red died.

In the intervening months there have been a number of trips back and forth to Buffalo. Now, with Joan's mother safely and mostly happily living in a fine Catholic nursing home in Buffalo we are free once again to hit the open road.

So, the housesitter is in, and tomorrow morning we will hit the road for Florida, dragging our not-so-little home behind us for a two week adventure. Our daughter will join us there for a little fun and games.

We're visiting my aunt and uncle, a cousin and a friend of mine from high school. So we pray for smooth roads and low winds. You can follow us at Grandma's Recess blog, as some of you did last year.