‘Miracle on the Hudson’ – next stop, the Potomac

I love dramatic good-news stories, and they can never happen often enough.

But sometimes they are also miraculous in their timing.

I’m sure I’m one of many bloggers who are looking at what is about to happen, and just happened, and trying to make some grand connection, as in, “Here’s what I’d say Tuesday just after noon if I were … him.”

So let me give it a shot… at the risk of focusing far too much attention on this connection and beating an analogy to … well, you know:

We are here today in what some might call a miraculous turn of events.

And others would say we worked hard to make it here, so it’s only logical.

Can logic and miracles co-exist? Of course they can.

They sure did aboard U.S. Airways Flight 1549 last Thursday afternoon.

A group of people who had nothing in common but where they were and a desire to fly where they were going were aboard that plane, thinking it was just another day.

At the helm, a pilot of much experience and training, well-respected, on a cold but clear day, going through the checklists, which no doubt don’t have on them “check for big flocks of Canada geese in the area.”

Flying, to some, is an act of faith, as is living. To others, it’s just a thing to get you somewhere.

But this day, this plane and those birds intersected in a path no supercomputer or aviation expert could have predicted with any certainty.

Those birds hit those engines, both of them, and blew them out – both of them – a flight attendant said it was as quiet as a library.

This at 3,000 feet over the Bronx.

The pilot with all that experience had a good clue exactly what happened, and his options were limited. The air control tower made suggestions – ones he rejected, knowing the great danger they would pose to folks on the ground, not to mention the people he was tasked with flying safely to their destination.

And so, he took the least unthinkable path – to the water – with so little time, he couldn’t throw the handy ‘ditch switch’ and seal the bottom of the plane.

No time – less than 4 minutes from bird hit to … well, we all know the story.

In a busy place where cameras follow seemingly every bird or Hudson River tugboat, a plane became a boat – and 155 souls on board, many if not most praying what they feared might be their last prayer, lived to tell the tale.

By all accounts, there was little if any panic aboard Flight 1549. Ferries and boats came to their rescue, and thankfully didn’t have far to go. The river, normally busy with boats, had been clear when the plane came down. There was a jolt, but no worse than some rough landings many of us have experienced.

The plane, full of fuel, didn’t burst into flames. It didn’t sink. It’s crew kept a well-intentioned passenger from opening a third, back door that would have let the water rush in.

A lot of things went right that day – and to separate the divine from the proper procedures, training and what one must make sure to add, the best in many everyday Americans would be missing the point entirely.

We are divine in our everday lives, if we just stop to think. It shouldn’t take a plane falling from the sky in miraculous fashion to remind us that God wants us to fly again.

Now, let’s see how much of what we learned last week fits what we’re here for today.

Let’s imagine, just for a moment, that we all are passengers on that jet plane – a plane that no doubt has seen it’s ups and downs, but is surely still airworthy – and unbenknownst to anyone snoozing through the familiar emergency lecture at the start, pointing to the exit doors, yadda yadda yadda – they’re about to learn it’s seaworthy too – in a pinch. That those seats as floatation cushions really do come in handy once in a while.

But many of us, probably most of us live our lives for granted – until we don’t.

Sort of like the millions of Americans, many of whom no doubt took their jobs, their homes, their everyday debt-saddled existence for granted – until they couldn’t.

So, when our airship of state gets into hot water, the people who live to criticize, analyze and place blame knock the pilot, the crew – everyone but ourselves. That’s no way to safely land an airplane, or get a country called U.S. of A. through some in-flight turbulence.

The doomsayers say we’re gonna crash, we’re gonna die. Others pray. And the folks up front try to stay calm, cool and collected as they choose between several not-so-great options.

They don’t need a perfect option, just one with the best odds of survival.

When they pulled that plane out of the Hudson over the weekend, they bottom was all torn and shredded – shredded metal on a plane full of fuel. Imagine what one spark would have done.

Miracles do happen. We can never be reminded enough.

But sometimes, just sometimes, God helps us make our own miracles – through training, wise choices, prayer and working together – as a bunch of people on a plane, who didn’t know each other from Adam or Eve.

But those who don’t believe the hand of God was helping put that series of blessed coincidences in line, like a line of lights on a runway, are fooling themselves.

Folks, we face some really tough challenges in the coming days, weeks, months and years. My critics deride me as the self-annointed ‘messiah’ who thinks he has all the answers and can talk any problem to solution.

But you, my fellow Americans, are smarter than the critics. You’re not looking for holy redemption from the White House – just someone who puts your interests ahead of the special ones, who does the very best he can – who is willing to change course and bear the wrath of those who claim that’s a wishy-washy flip-flop – who puts all his training and skills and, yes, oratory to the best use possible. And who levels with the American people, even if it means answering a reporter’s nasty question with nothing but the truth.

My friends, I don’t know if our bumpy flight the past couple of years has killed our engines, but I know we can soar again, to new heights, if we just believe in each other, and that with God’s will, we can overcome our troubles. It’s about having faith that the pilot will do what he can, but knowing it’s not all in his hands, or in God’s, but in each one of ours, as well.

A man who was elected to this job four times is one worth quoting, about fear being the enemy. Because fear begets fear, but hope begets hope. There are no magic solutions to our problems, be they education, health care, the housing or financial crisis. There is only hard work, listening to good people making strong proposals, and taking the best of those ideas and testing them out.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your new captain speaking. It’s an honor to serve you and to know that, with the help of our fine crew – and all of you – we’re going to make it through these storm clouds and, with God as our co-pilot, fly higher than ever before. 

So get those cameras ready – we have some mighty fine sights to see, up ahead, through the clouds.

Welcome aboard. Oh, and one more thing – sorry, but no more free in-flight lunches. We never could afford them. We were just fooling ourselves.

The party’s not over – not by a longshot. We just can’t make excuses and duck out before the check comes any more.

Sparkling snow and Christmas cheer

A musing on Christmas Day of how things really aren’t all that bad – and a prayer it’ll stay that way.

I really don’t mind shoveling – it’s some of the best exercise I get! And I’m getting a lot of it lately – we have to be at, oh, 1-2 feet of snow in past 2-3 weeks, which you just knew was gonna happen after a too-warm Christmas parade.

Despite the challenges at work and my wife’s challenges in finding work, I and Deb have lots to be thankful for this year. For her, the move from W. Virginia to Bend by her older sister Diane was the biggest present of all. And I’ve got to admit, she can make chocolate goodies almost as good as Deb’s. (Hmm, navigating a safe way to put things;-)

Anyway, I think anyone who has a good job after the travails of the last half of 2008 has to be mighty thankful – and I am. I’m also thankful for my online friends, and those who come to KTVZ.COM without intentions of stirring up trouble but engaging in civil, often lively conversation. I try not to dwell too much on those who only make accusations and stir up trouble. I resolve in ’09 to spend even less time trying to defend myself/our station to those who clearly are just picking fights. If their comments are out of line, they are gone. If not, I’ll try harder to bite my tongue and let everyone else have their say, as a good moderator does. (I’ll never ignore a question that isn’t a putdown in disguise, though;-)

Oh, the title. Yes, when I was shoveling the driveway, in today’s blue-sky sunshine, the snow was just so … sparkling. Desperate me, I took it as a sign that just maybe, things will get better in 2009, and that the doomsayers will be as wrong as they were when they kept predicting doom earlier and it didn’t happen. We have mighty challenges, but – you can call be naive – if we just put our minds to it, I think we can head off Depression 2.0. I pray so.

Meanwhile, I might not be able to convince the powers that be that we should give over 2-3 minutes of airtime to just showing the gorgeous beauty of a snow-flocked High Desert when the clouds part on a blue-sky day, but … don’t let it pass you by. While you’re shoveling, rushing about or driving with fingers clenched on the steering wheel, watching for the yahoos going too fast who could slam into you … be sure to look up and around some times. The world is gorgeous when it’s snow-covered like this – don’t miss out!

And Merry Christmas to all of you. Here’s to a great ’09!

I love a parade (but my feet hurt)

Wow, what a warm Bend Christmas Parade! At nearly 60 degrees when we turned the corner from Newport to Wall Street, so likely a record.

As I told folks along the way – when I wasn’t waving or wielding a video camera to record Christmas greetings from the crowd – we’ve had colder 4th of July Pet Parades than we were today.

And we have. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It was nice to still feel my feet and toes when it was over. But I still need new comfy hiking shoes, the old ones had me limping home.

Here’s the whole NewsChannel 21 gang before the parade began, on a “sparkling day” that even Bob Shaw would find hard to top;

Hail Hail, the gang's all here! In our spiffy new NewsChannel 21 attire
Hail Hail, the gang's all here! In our spiffy new NewsChannel 21 attire

So I hope you all had a swell Saturday too, full of lots of ups and few if any downs. I started the day writing about a truly nasty crash on the Bend Parkway that killed two young people. No doubt it was an awful, dark Saturday for those two families, no matter how warm and bright the day.

So it’s yet another time to count your blessings.

Remembering Bob Buxton

Go ahead, say ‘who’? I’ll understand. He was a co-worker, and a friend, and … well, read on. I thought I owed it to the guy, having waxed poetic about Bill Friedman, a far better known local individual who died almost the same day, at almost the same age.

REMEMBERING BOB BUXTON:
By Barney Lerten
Nov. 16, 2008

Two men, Bend residents of similar age, passed away recently – within a day of each other, actually. I knew them both, in totally separate circumstances. Many knew Bill Friedman, and I was honored to speak Saturday at his public memorial service, a simple gathering in a scenic park by the river.

Far fewer knew Bob Buxton – and even many who knew him didn’t know much about him. I am not yet of the age where I read the obituaries/death notices daily – may I never grow that “old” in my sphere of interests – so it was in a touching, honest piece by Janet Stevens in Friday’s Bulletin that I learned of Bob’s passing, at age 71, a year shy of Friedman.

The brief death notice in the paper, when I looked it up, simply noted his passing and said “no services will be held.”

No surprise. Bob wouldn’t want the fuss.

Now that I think about it, Buxton and Friedman did look a bit alike – gray hair, big glasses (like mine), a gray beard by the point in life I knew them.

But while Bill was comfortable in the public arena, and had married twice (at least?), Bob was a single man throughout his life, who had his pleasures and joys (dune buggying at the coast, taking long trips in his rig, and as a philatelist – that’s stamp collection) but was definitely what many would call, by and large, a loner, even amid the often cacophonous din of The Bulletin’s newsroom.

Don’t get me wrong – Bob could be very friendly, and caring, and work hard at keeping up a friendly conversation. But nobody would call him a party animal. Many might use the term curmudgeon, or even a grump. But he was who he was, and he was great at editing the wire and building pages at The Bulletin. He was a stickler for getting it right, as am I. So in that sense, we’re kindred spirits.

I first got to know Bob as a gruff voice on the telephone during my years with United Press International’s Portland bureau, when he (or his boss, Bob Chandler) would call about a typo or error in the wire report, or to ask where the hell the daily midday stock list was (something we had to call someone to get and manually punch in back then, probably the last thing holding up putting the then-afternoon paper to bed and presses to roll).

I always tried to do as they asked as fast (and typically frenetic) as I could, never knowing that it would help lead me to my next job when, as the last UPI reporter in Portland and next-to-last in the state, a boss in LA I barely knew called me up in late 1990 to tell me I was “the best person (they’ve) ever had to lay off.”

Ouch.

Months later, unemployment about to expire, I called Bob at The Bulletin to see if there were any openings. (My wife’s folks lived in Bend, so that would be a plus). He said there was, put me on the phone with then-City Editor Jeff Nielson. Long story short: I came over for an interview, two women turned down the job for various reasons, and I was in (first beat: Redmond, Sisters, religion and agriculture if I’m not mistaken….)

Much like Janet’s piece in the paper, I must note that while we worked in the same building, and were friendly with each other, Bob and I didn’t become close friends. Not really of the same generation, but he could harrumph with the best of them, and joined in the sometimes tacky, frequently crude humor you find in just about any newsroom. (Later, after his retirement, we fellow Bulletin refugees would chuckle over an error or two in the paper, as if to say, that wouldn’t happen if we were there.)

In recent years, Bob had turned to me a few times for advice and assistance in the foreign (to him) world of personal computers. He wanted one primarily to go on eBay and bid on stamp collections. Unfortunately, I have just enough tech knowledge to be dangerous, and am a lousy teacher – too easily frustrated, especially when I couldn’t make things work.

Bob was fighting several health problems in recent years, but still managed to find things to chuckle about and enjoy – a good NASCAR race on TV, his cat Fred (a friendly gray fellow that I think was a Russian blue).

I tried not to feel sorry for Bob being alone – he had some friends, some mutual, some not. But I felt more than a bit guilty for not visiting or at least calling him up more often.

We did chat online – he learned to use instant messaging, and his screen name fit his dune buggy affection, as ‘DoonDood1.’ (Mine is ‘computingfool’ – will skip the story behind that this time, too much about me already.)

So anyway, Bob, glad you’re out of pain now. You’ll be missed by those who knew and appreciated your dry humor, your smile and your friendship. May your celestial travels put you behind the wheel of a really nice rig, hitting the heavenly coast, a great diner, a NASCAR track or wherever your heart takes you.

Remembering Bill Friedman

Bill Friedman’s wife, Shoshana, asked me to post this at the CaringBridge Website set up in his honor. Alas, the piece is too long for there, because they have a 5,000-character limit. So instead, I’m posting it here and linking to it. Hope that’s OK.

REMEMBERING BILL FRIEDMAN

By Barney Lerten

November 15, 2008

 

As a reporter, I’ve often said, jokingly, that the worst thing I could do to some people is to quote them accurately.

 

I recall a certain former city manager who once told me a joke, as we talked on the phone. I was laughing – but I was typing. A few days later, Larry – I mean, that unnamed city manager – called me up. The words were in print, and he was not laughing. But he learned anew the power of those three little words – off the record – and what can happen when they’re not used.

 

But when it comes to Bill, the best thing I can do, to salute and reflect on his simple, quiet, but powerful role in Bend government over the past decade or so, is to quote him accurately – something I always try to do, but do better now, covering the council via TV and typing, then I ever did scribbling in the front row at City Hall. Then, now and forever, my handwriting is atrocious.

 

So that should be my first salute to Bill – his voice and timbre was unique, his cadence – starting with a slight stammer – like Jimmy Stewart in his prime, though no one would ever confuse the two. He spoke slowly enough that I could capture his words in my scribbles, and not so slowly that it felt like a day in fourth grade as others read their essays at a maddeningly glacial pace.

 

No, it was as if he wanted you to ride along with his thought process, almost hear the mental gears turning – and make clear that he wasn’t letting his mouth get ahead of his brain, as some politicians – we’re talking other places, not here – often do.

 

His attire was unique as well, for years – hence all the white shirts and jeans surrounding us – and as someone blessedly free of the neck-noose tie in recent years, we were a kindred spirit in that regard.

 

I tell people I have little if any memory, only archives – and the fates have conspired to destroy, lose or burn many of those, which accounts for the nearly fire-hazard stacks of fading newsprint in my home office. So that is where I turned, when asked – and how could I refuse the honor? – to find some ‘quotable quotes’ from Bill, for this occasion.

 

One of the first and funniest I found came from a March 2003 Bend Bugle, when the city was wrestling, as always, with what to charge developers and how to account for all that rapid growth.

 

At one point in the frustrating dialogue, Bill made a simple, three-word funding suggestion: “Magic pixie dust.”

 

“So far,” he said, “It’s a total disaster. The builders have to pay more … and 60 percent has to come from somewhere else. Everybody’s even – we’re all going to lose.”

 

Seven months later, a similar remark: “This is a lose-lose-lose proposition. We can’t get there from here, even with increased taxes.”

 

But perhaps, that same month six years ago, came a truly symbolic time, close to here – dedication of the Bill Healy Bridge – when Bill, a long-time supporter of the controversial project, said he’d thought about borrowing Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg – ‘Four score and seven years ago” – since it seemed to have taken that long to happen.”

 

So the councilor who had donned a Dr. Seuss ‘Cat in the Hat” hat and read a made-up fairy tale, ‘The Lonely Little Log Deck,” during a debate, offered thanks to both those who said yes and no to the bridge, for making it a better span – as he put it, “for taking the time to care.”

 

Skip ahead four years, to May of last year, and when he called a 50 percent hike in some building fees “outrageous and unconscionable,” and the state-driven budget process “unfortunate,” he still managed to put a positive spin on things, as I wrote then, “sounding hopeful that everyone would come to consensus on where to go.”

 

“I’m not uncomfortable,” he said. “This is the way democracy works. I think we’re going to have a good result and move forward.”

 

Last September, as the Juniper Ridge debate roiled, Bill tried to sound a note of reason, as he urged his colleagues not to back the idea of a public vote on the project.

 

As he put it, “We can abdicate our responsibility in some very unfortunate ways.” But he also said, “We need to listen to the community, build ways to discuss” the issue.

 

He was not a man bound to tradition, as in his continued efforts to increase safety and sanity in Bend, by banning fireworks.

 

“I agree it’s an American tradition,” he said. “The question is, should every tradition from the past be carried into the future?”

 

That takes us to last spring, when councilors took a chance – brave or foolish, take your pick – and did not cut Bend Area Transit’s budget, several months before this fall’s fateful third vote on a service that many surveys have shown residents want – they just don’t want to pay more for.

 

“It’s an interesting gamble, but it is a gamble,” Bill said.

 

And as the appreciative audience of mostly senior transit riders filed out of the council chambers to a waiting Dial-A-Ride bus, many thanking councilors for their decision, and the council waited to move on to the next agenda item, Bill told Michael Funke, the stalwart labor organizer, “The ball’s in your court.”

 

Funke replied, “The ball’s in all of our courts.”

 

It’s only fitting that was one of the last times I quoted Bill. Because when it comes to loving, caring about and investing our time, energy – and yes our hard-earned money – in keeping Bend livable and successful, indeed, Bill would tell us all, were he here today, “The ball’s in your court.”

 

And if we approach each issue, large or small, with the grace, wisdom, and yes humor that Bill Friedman displayed in ways large and small, we should all in the end, win or lose, be able to quote Bill accurately, and tell everybody we know: “This is the way democracy works.”

Sorry so long (Best of luck Barack, farewell Bill)

Wow, time flies when you’re not blogging – sorry about that;-) Elections were … well, let’s just say we learned lessons about how early to prepare for new stuff. But it did go pretty well;-)

So now, a watershed moment in American history. Let’s all hope and pray for better days ahead, and that bipartisan is still possible. We shall see.

And tonight came word of a sad passing of what folks used to call a “city father” of Bend – Councilor and former mayor Bill Friedman has passed away at age 72. I liked Bill – I don’t know if I ever saw him lose his temper, but he was a strong voice for good planning to deal with Bend’s rapid growth over the past decade. It’s easy to look back and make judgments, but I have no doubt every vote he cast was done with Bend’s best interests at heart.

He loved to be witty, and to sit back, let others weigh in and then slowly, calmly, crystallize his thoughts. I wrote on the Website tonight about a memorable moment, when he donned a Dr. Seuss ‘Cat in the Hat’ hat to read a fable of ‘The Lonely Little Log Deck,” as he argued for the controversial Southern River Crossing (now Bill Healy Memorial Bridge). A fun moment, from someone who often tried to break a testy council moment with a gentle moment of levity.

He shall be missed, by many.

Personally, I’m going to try for more blog entries. If I can’t do this at least weekly, something’s wrong. Adding WordPress to the laptop’s taskbar should help remind me.

Actually had less news for a change this weekend (yay) allowing time for things like reading, not just skimming The Bulletin (had to drop The Oregonian, who can afford $75 a month!) and last night actually watched a movie with darlin Deb (that “Journey to the Center of the Earth” remake, a fun trip;-)

Hidden treats and tricky touchy topics

First of all, I just wrote a piece that I hope to share on-air – er, on-Web video – about the parts of KTVZ.COM that just don’t get the attention they deserve, because they’re not locally produced.

Of course, folks go to the Website for local news, but have you ever just happened to click on the part marked Lifestyle, off to the right in the Navigation links? Just the Halloween page alone has recipes, safety tips, videos on how to make great kids’ costumes without sewing – the works! And there’s tons of content on every topic imaginable, from technology and money to health, family life etc. Give it a try once in a while!

Okay, then there’s the heavier topic I may/may not do a video piece on, depending on whether I want steam coming out of my ears for all to see.

We have quite the questioning group in our article-comment community – some are the typical armchair quarterbacks you might expect, but some try to put the thumbscrews to ME over why we didnt report this or that, or didn’t know this or that that the cops aren’t telling us, etc.

It gets pretty maddening. So let me make some points.

Other than victims’ names – if they aren’t hurt, we usually leave that out – I use just about EVERYTHING police tell us in news releases, in our online stories. And quite often, more, because there are inevitable ‘holes’ in releases that I try to fill, some more obvious than others (“Captain, when it says ‘vehicle’ – are we talking a car, motorcycle, SUV? And when it says ‘residence,’ do you mean apartment, duplex, mobile home?”

Stuff like that.

But quite often, police don’t include some information in a release because they don’t want to hinder their investigation by revealing too much. Most, I presume, of our online comment-posters realize that, but some get all incensed and claim we or they (or both of us!) are “covering up.” It makes me as mad as the ones who say we “slant” stories in order to make them more exciting. BS. But they have a right to their opinion.

I enjoy some decent head-scratching questions about what “REALLY happened” in this or that notorious crime. But I get heartburn when I see folks claiming to know “the real facts” and throwing them out there AS facts. How do we know Mr. or Ms. Anonymous isn’t just trying to muddy the water and mess up what police and the courts are trying to do?

It’s not as easy a cut-or-dried issue as others where it’s clear where the line is and what goes over it and needs to be deleted (remember, I can’t EDIT postings, only let them be or toss them out – the system doesn’t allow me to edit them, which is good, because then I’D assume liability. No thanks.)

There have been a few folks who’ve called for my head on a platter, claiming the postings – which I admit do get pretty wild, and insensitive at times – tarnishes the station’s reputation. Those daggers thrown at me don’t bother me too much, because I work for an organization that has totally supported our efforts to build dialogue on the news we report. They see the pluses that no doubt have the inevitable minuses, too.

No, what makes me nervous is the threat some of our anonymous postings pose to people’s reputations or ongoing criminal cases. In other words, I fear a lawyer at the door, with a tort claim or subpoena. After all, one doesn’t have to WIN a lawsuit to create an unholy nightmare for the recipient.

So that’s why I often plead, even beg, folks to THINK before they type, and think AGAIN before they hit the ‘submit comment’ button. If they value our exercise in community dialogue, and don’t want to see it vanish, they need to think of the impact of their words, intentional or otherwise. I’ve had to laugh at some postings that rip apart the claims of a crime victim or someone involved in a case, then add at the end, “My prayers to the family” or somesuch. With such comments posted like that, they’re going to NEED those prayers.

I think ulterior motives are boundless in such troubling postings. I have no doubt that I’ve failed at times to be completely equal in deciding when to delete a post for violating Terms of Service – depending on how big the avalanche of disturbing posts, how scared I am at the particular moment, etc. I’m human, and don’t always react to the same things the same way.

But I try. And I tell some folks, “You think those are bad? You didn’t see the ones I DELETED.”

Ugh. Anyway, enough venting for one night. Y’all have a great week!

More of me, less of me

I must apologize for not posting here more often, nor for doing the 2x-weekly video pieces I’d done with frightening regularity for so long.

I’ve been busy. Oy. But with good things, new things!

Please Check out the Election Links page on KTVZ.COM’s Decision 2008 site, when you have a sec. I’ll be adding more links before the ballots are mailed next Friday (and no doubt even more as the election approaches). A great way to find out what’s being said online about measures and candidates, well after the Voters’ Pamphlet is printed and the ads are done.

Also check out Prep Sports Nation, linked off our home page and High School Hits page. It’s sort of a Facebook/social network deal, for local prep sports athletes and fans. You can post videos and photos, connect with friends online, etc.

The other big chore of late has been arguing with/debating/defending our coverage of the 16-year-old now charged with murder in the samurai sword slaying of his mother’s boyfriend. Three stories, close to 250 comments, and it’s enlightening and frightening to see how many people claim to have knowledge and are laying it all out there, hang the consequences in terms of a fair trial etc.  Fascinating, in its own way.

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time yakking at Newsvine, where the debate over vraious conspiracy theories, fueled by the economic crisis, is only topped by the shrill debate over the presidential race. At least THAT will be over soon;-)

So I’ll try to get back to some regularity, at least in online posting. Oh, by the way, if you feel tempted to pass along that e-mail which made the rounds in recent weeks on the ‘We Deserve it’ Dividend, please read this first. Ah, Snopes, worth every penny we don’t pay for it. Always a good place to check before passing on what sounds good, but you’re not quite sure.

Us credit addicts – and Netiquette 101

A couple quick pointers – I wrote a vent piece at Newsvine about the Fickle Finger of Blame now pointed at us Americans for spending money we didn’t have, which until a few short weeks ago was saluted as The American Way. Please read it, and join in the discussion!

And in researching my next on-air Leave it to Barney piece, I found a fascinating piece of Internet history – a document last updated in the “ancient” year 1995 about basic Netiquette. Many of the rules still apply. Interesting!

Election season is coming

That’s meant as a joke, as it already seems to have gone along for, oh, 42 years.

A certain weekly paper here scoffed at our lack of local election coverage, including on the Web. Seeing as how the ballots don’t go out for 3-4 weeks, I feel the criticism was a bit…premature.

What we plan for Decision 2008 at KTVZ.COM is as much live streaming video as MSNBC offers up, tons of CNN and NBC video, and a page chock full of links to candidate and measure Websites, election info from counties and parties, etc., as well as a robust calendar of election-related events (forums and the like) and a billboard with lots of unedited announcements from candidates and campaigns of every stripe).

Oh, and a constantly updated stream of political headlines from AP, blogs from Politico.com – lots of fun stuff, some on the site already, much more to come.

I’d promise to post EVERY news release, but you should see how many we’re getting from the Smith and Merkley campaigns alone. I’d never get any news written!

But we’ll definitely ramp up in coming weeks, giving you a place to turn and seek out information galore. And of course, our local election features will include article comments, and those ought to get really interesting. And they’ll also be a big test of my now-stronger efforts to keep the tone civil and to bounce offensive comments that violate the Terms of Service.

Election Night, we’ll scroll the results through the night and take advantage of frequent news breaks in NBC’s presidential election coverage to tell you who’s up, who’s down and what’s what.

It oughta be a blast!;-)