At Least Several Sprint Center "Investors" Want Information

We happen to think that since we- the taxpayers of Kansas City- Missouri- are investors carrying most of the load of this new Downtown playpen- a.k.a. Sprint Center- we should get FULL disclosure on all matters Sprint Center.

I think it's more than fair that if we investors can't get full disclosure on all matters Sprint Arena- including the names of the dear tenants of the expensive executive suites (so we can each thank them for THEIR investment you see?)- I think we should ask to have our considerable investment in this third downtown-area arena returned to us.

No full disclosure on all matters Sprint Center- none of our investor money for Sprint Center.

That's fair and simple enough for the non-disclosing simpletons behind the curtain... and oh- it's nothing personal- just "a business decision."

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30th Anniversary Of Kansas City's Deadliest Flash Flood

Known locally also as "The Plaza Flood"- the rains began on the evening of September 12 and continued into the early morning hours of September 13- 1977.

Up to 15-inches fell in parts of the area- sending record flood crests down Brush Creek- Rock Creeks in Mission-Kansas and Independence-MO as well as several smaller tributaries of the Big Blue River.

Intersection of Ward Parkway & J.C. Nichols (Photo courtesy of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - click on photos for full size)

Twenty-five people died that night across the K.C. Metro and damage was estimated at around $100-million 1977-dollars.

The tennis courts on The Plaza the morning after. Always wondered if the Monte Carlo on top of the Pinto in the lower right hand side of this photo was the same one floating in the top photo.

(Also see "KC Weather History" in the right column of this blog).

Brush Creek as it flows through the Country Club Plaza today. Note the red line on the footbridge- this was the water level here during the 1977 flood.

(CORRECTION: Dates and damage figure. Added image file)

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No More Iraq War Coverage On This Blog

Since Americans seem to be fine with the estimated one-half to one trillion of their tax dollars- as well as sons and daughters being squandered in a war that never should have been- I have made the decision to cease any and all coverage of Bush's Folly on this blog.

I will leave the further coverage of Iraq to the corporate news media - who by all standards and measures enabled Bush to get America into such a quagmire.

America apparently didn't learn a thing from Vietnam- and I'm tired trying to wake people up.

Continue to blindly support "your" president- no matter how illogical he acts...

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O.J. Simpson In Trouble With Police Again

This time it's Las Vegas.

Simpson is accused of breaking into a sports memorabilia room of the Palace Station casino - Simpson claimed some of that sports memorabilia is his.

I shouldn't have to tell you O.J.'s past big run-in with the law in the early 1990's.

Simpson needs to heed Clint Eastwood's sage advice: "A man has to know his limitations." This time- wonder if Simpson has a hissy-fit- then they must acquit....

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Hurricane Humberto Was Historic

This is from "senior hurricane specialist James Franklin of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami- FL:

"To put this development in perspective - no tropical cyclone in the historical record has ever reached this intensity at a faster rate near landfall. It would be nice to know, someday, why this happened."

Humberto went from a small area of scattered showers and thunderstorms to a full-blown Cat-1 hurricane with winds of 85 m.p.h. in less than 24 hours. So far- there is one death attributed to Humberto.

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Price Of Oil At Record High- Food Prices Soaring

Oil closes just over $80 a barrel. The stock market goes up 130 points. Nothing makes any sense.

Like I told people when gas prices shot above $3 a gallon after Hurricane Katrina- look for $2.50-$2.75 per gallon to be the new "plateau." I get absolutely NO satisfaction in being right. We'll be paying $3-4 a gallon probably within a year.

Now a gallon of milk is even more expensive- around $4 a gallon. Wheat-based products are rising in response to more farmers producing corn- that in turn being used for this non-miracle panacea additive Ethanol in fuel. Already the Italians threaten to strike buying their national staple: pasta.

Not to worry though- Americans won't strike against anything. Do f-ing sheep even know HOW to strike??? I guess people learned too well from Kent State in 1970- if they protest- gun the bastards down.

And support your local war.

There is a serious cognitive disconnect to reality going on in this nation- and it's not improving....

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"There'll Be Peace When You Are Gone"

A snippet from the band Kansas' ditty- "Carry On Wayward Son" - dedicated to a blogger I didn't know of or even read until today.

That blogger- Greg Beck- passed away last weekend.

I'm just a comparative newbie with this present incantation of a public presence called "a blog." While I love to write- most of that tends to be "song poems" - more than 400 of those emotionally wrung-out pieces since 1974.

Just as revealing is what the various bloogers write about themselves- their own observations on life- which many times strikes all too close to my own head.

In a sense- we're all "Wayward Sons" or daughters.

Personally- I'm pondering the tragedy of Greg Beck's passing and the possible greater tragedy of not only not knowing his blog existed- but not meeting and getting to know Greg. Seems like we two 'city kids' had quite a lot in common.

Rest in peace - Greg Beck....

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Tired Of Iraq So Why Bother

I'm coming to the point of Iraq burnout.

That's all the "newschannels" seemed to want to talk about overnight in reruns of earlier programs while I was seeking live coverage of America's first hurricane of the year.

I don't own any stocks in war industries nor is anyone that I know serving in The Fiasco.

According to the latest polls- anywhere from 33 to 36-percent of Americans STILL think Dubya is doing an acceptable job.

With clearly a THIRD of these Americans polled so obviously hosed and delusional- why should I care about this Fiasco or- for that matter- anything this Administration has done or is going to do?

If Americans want to throw their hard-earned tax dollars- sons- daughters- uncles & fathers into this Lie- or Vietnam 2007- who the HELL am I to try and make them see any truth?

Are YOU fine with all that?

Maybe I should just stick to Central States news and weather coverage and just butt out of ANY Iraq stories here.

What say you or does anyone have opinions anymore?

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National "Newschannels" Blow Coverage Of First Hurricane To Hit U.S. This Year

It can all be boiled down to one question: Where are the pictures "newschannels?"

Hurricane Humberto made landfall SSW of Beaumont/Port Arthur- Texas around 2am Central Daylight Time. More than 2-1/2 hours ago.

I haven't seen one live picture of Humberto's landfall on CNN- pMSNBC or FAUX. Lots of radar pix and advisories from their mets that anyone can get on the Net.

But no reporters or live pix from SE Texas whatsoever.

Kinda unbelievable seeing this was the first hurricane to make U.S. landfall this season.

Come to your own conclusions....

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Latest Satellite And Radar Pix of Hurricane Humberto

Click on images for full size.

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HURRICANE WARNING: SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS- SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

Humberto is now a low-end Category-1 hurricane- located just off the Texas Gulf coast east of Galveston.



Boy- did this storm catch everybody- including the experts- off-guard!

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Latest Satellite Pix Of Tropical Storm Humberto

Latest Radar Picture Of TS Humberto

Here is the 248nm range of Houston's NWS WSR-88D - clearly showing the location and rotation of rapidly-developed Tropical Storm Humberto south of Galveston.
(Click to enlarge)

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TROPICAL STORM HUMBERTO THREATENS TEXAS - LOUISIANA

A tropical depression has rapidly developed into Tropical Storm Humberto- off the upper Texas Gulf coast.
This storm is centered about 70 miles SSW of Galveston-TX and was moving North at 6 m.p.h..

Sustained winds are 45 m.p.h. with higher gusts- and "some strengthening is expected before landfall" near Galveston later tonight- says the National Hurricane Center.

Here are the latest NHC forecasts- and visible satellite pix of Humberto. Click on all images on this site to enlarge them.

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NOW PLAYING: "Poem For The People"

Sometimes- the ONLY refuge is The Music...


POEM FOR THE PEOPLE
(Robert Lamm)


If the people only knew
If they could visualize
Just open their eyes
Even stop to think about
If they could open their minds
They could get beyond
The world's a funny place you know
Most of what goes on
Is rarely funny
Rarely funny- at all

Could the people understand
They only whisper in screams
And colorless dreams
Could they finally comprehend
If they could suddenly see
And suddenly feel

The worlds a funny place you know
Most of what goes on
Is rarely funny
Rarely funny- at all.

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How People Like Senator "Kit" Bond Loses Me

I'm not a member of MoveOn.org- but I receive their mailings thanks to one of my nieces. I got this yesterday from MoveOn:

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday, General David Petraeus misled the country.

He used faulty statistics and cherry-picked intelligence to argue that American troops should stay in Iraq for the foreseeable future. The general said we're making major progress1—and we have to stay the course. Sadly, independent assessments show that things in Iraq have gone from bad to worse (see below for more on how Petraeus stretched the truth).

Some of you have emailed to say it reminds you of the day four and a half years ago when President Bush sent General Colin Powell to the U.N. to make a trumped-up case for war.

Powell's WMDs helped justify the invasion of Iraq, and Petraeus' version of "progress"—if it goes unchallenged—will justify keeping troops there for years. Can you take a few minutes to write a letter-to-the editor reminding folks that the "surge" didn't work—and that the responsible thing to do is bring our troops home?

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=84&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=2

Petraeus based much of his assessment on the claim that violence in Iraq is dropping.2 That just isn't true:

Petraeus is using "funny math." According to the Washington Post, Petraeus and the Pentagon are using a bizarre formula for measuring violence in the country. For example, deaths by car bombs don't count.3 And assassinations count only if you're shot in the back of the head—not in the front.4

Iraqis believe the surge has failed. According to a massive new ABC/BBC poll, every single Iraqi polled in Baghdad, the primary target of the "surge," said it had made security worse. Iraqis themselves overwhelmingly think the situation in Iraq is deteriorating, in terms of security, political cooperation, the economy, and other measures. Overall, 70% think the escalation worsened rather than improved security conditions. 5
The independent GAO report found that violence is up. A comprehensive Government Accountability Office report ordered by Congress found that "average number of daily attacks against civilians have remained unchanged from February to July 2007."6 In August, things got worse, with civilian casualties rising according to the Associated Press7 and the Los Angeles Times.8
For our troops, it's the bloodiest summer yet. More U.S. troops died every month this year compared to the same month last year.9

Petraeus claimed that he compiled his report without conferring with the White House. But the Washington Post recently reported that Petraeus or his staff joined daily conference calls with the White House and former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie this summer to "map out ways of selling the surge." The Post reported that Gillespie's White House political unit was "hard-wired" to Petraeus' military unit.10

We would all like to see life improving in Iraq. But it's not—it's getting worse. And if US forces stay in Iraq both Americans and Iraqis will pay a terrible price.

Today is the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in American history. The wounds of 9/11 are still fresh for many of us. After 9/11, President Bush used fear, lies and trumped-up intelligence to stampede us into Iraq. Now, America is bogged down in an unwinnable civil war, and Al Qaeda has regained enough strength to once again menace the United States.11

It would be a tragic irony if, six years later, the administration used skewed intelligence to head off the growing momentum for an exit strategy from Iraq.

Please write a letter reminding America and Congress not to fall, ever again, for White House lies—we need a timeline to bring our troops home.

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=84&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=3

Thanks for all that you do,

–Nita, Karin, Laura, Eli, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

P.S. Yesterday, MoveOn members sponsored an ad in the New York Times debunking Petraeus' claims. Click here to see the ad—and the evidence to back it up:
http://pol.moveon.org/petraeus.html?id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=4

The ad stirred a controversy on Capitol Hill—it accuses Petraeus of "cooking the books." And it charges that Petraeus is betraying the American peoples' trust by spinning the facts to support the White House. Some Democrats were uncomfortable with such strong language, and Republicans attacked MoveOn.

We're sure if we'd run an ad debunking Colin Powell's testimony in 2003, they would have done the same thing—but sometimes it's important to set the facts straight.

SOURCES
1. Washington Post, "Petraeus Backs Initial Pullout," 9/11/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2958&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=5 2. Ibid.
3. New York Times, "Time to Take a Stand," 9/7/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2941&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=6
4. Washington Post, "Experts Doubt Drop in Violence in Iraq," 9/6/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2938&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=7
5. ABC News, "Iraqis' Own Surge Assessment," 9/10/07
http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=3571504
6. Washington Post, "Experts Doubt Drop in Violence in Iraq," 9/6/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2938&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=8
7. Associated Press, "1,809 Iraqi civilians killed in August," 9/1/07
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20543737/
8. Los Angeles Times, "Iraqi civilian deaths climb again," 9/1/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2956&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=9
9. http://www.iCasualties.org
10. Washington Post, "Among Top Officials, 'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent, Infighting," 9/9/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2957&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=10
11. Washington Post, "Scarier than Bin Laden," 9/9/07
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2959&id=11221-6853641-VBYEDB&t=11


Notice- 11 attributing references backing up what the author wrote.

Now- without ANY attribution to FACTS- THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH reports Missouri U.S. Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond joined 30 other Senators- no doubt all Dubya butt-boys- denouncing the well-attributed piece by MoveOn.

I had to stifle insane laughter when I read what these obviously blind politicos wrote about this Fiasco in Iraq I call "Bush's Folly: "the future of America’s involvement there is of paramount importance to our country and, while we believe fervently in the right of free speech, we also believe that it is possible and proper to conduct this debate without besmirching our brave men and women in uniform."

Say WHAAAAAT????

Did these politicos even READ the MoveOn piece? Show ME where the writers "besmirch" ANY men and women in uniform. We're the ultimate supporters of Americans in uniform- WE DON'T WANT THEM HURT OR KILLED BY STUPID-ASSED POLITICIANS' IDIOTIC WHIMS!!!

It's all propaganda folks - PATRIOT Act III will no doubt do away with this messy thing called TRUTH and FREE SPEECH.

More frightening is that too many Americans- NEWS MEDIA INCLUDED- buy the company line without first checking the facts. They won't even care when that happens....

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Missouri Turns Student Loan Money Over To Corporate Construction Companies

On the surface- one has to ask WTF?

Why the State of Missouri- under Matt Blunt's eager approval- would take the cash OUT of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority- the agency that doles out student loans for higher education- and put that money into new construction at state universities?

Today- $230-million disappeared- with court approval mind you- from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority to that construction fund- according to THE KANSAS CITY STAR.

Has ANYONE asked the simple question with today's soaring higher education tuitions: Without student loans readily available- who will be able to AFFORD to sit in those fancy new buildings?

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Another Insane Act By Mentally-Unstable Americans

So this is 2007?

Six West Virginia white folks held a young black woman against her will for 6 days- sexually- as well as in every way abusing her and repeatedly stabbing the woman.

Maybe West Virginia authorities will see fit to incarcerate those guilty in a condemned building about to be imploded...

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"Built Ford Shoddy" - Why Smart Americans Don't Buy American Vehicles

A 2003 Ford Windstar van with less than 45000 miles on it should NOT have 2 tie-rod ends- a wheel-bearing assembly and it's ABS system go bad.

Yet- that's what happened to my Dad's van- under "extended bumper to bumper warranty" and he STILL has to pay the dealership- Ray Smith Ford- to fix it.

Smith's had the van a total of 4 days in 2 visits- and they STILL can't get it right.

Small wonder Dad is looking at new vans now- none of which are American made.


CLARIFICATION: Dad had to pay the dealership for "a front-end alignment" after the shoddy parts were replaced. Seems to me Ford would have picked up that added cost that was incurred because of their defects- but American corporations don't get rich "doing the right thing."

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Case In Point Why Sports Fans Can Be Big Morons

A Texas Longhorns fan made the mistake of walking into a bar in Oklahoma City- Henry Hudson's Pub on June 17- wearing a Longhorns shirt.

The Longhorns fan- 32-year-old Brian Christopher Thomas- was soon set-upon by one of the bar's patrons and a Sooner fan- 53-year-old Allen Michael Beckett- who nearly castrated Thomas. Beckett is also reportedly a "church deacon."

Brother- methinks you have to have to have senses in the first place before you can take leave of them....

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Tuesday - September 11- 2007 - NEWS inDIGESTion

* NEW YORK-NY - Heads were bowed and prayers said for 2974 of the 2993 people that died 6 years ago today. Absolute Christians may have said a prayer as well for the other 19- the ones who carried off the hijacking of 4 passenger jets.
To me? The real on-going injustice is that every passenger on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania didn't receive a posthumous Medal of Honor. They willingly gave their lives as TRUE patriots (not some freedom-pulling "Acts") and most likely saved the U.S. Capitol from destruction....

* WASHINGTON D.C. - As memorial services were held across the Potomac at the Pentagon- an American ambassador and 4-star general continued to tesity at congressional hearings on the Iraq War - a.k.a. 'Bush's Folly.' Even members of the GOP are "asking hard questions" but if you think we'll be sending any troops home soon I have some guaranteed dry land in Arizona to sell you.
These and other so-called 'experts' say the Iraq mistake "needs more time"- as well as the not-mentioned American taxpayer money and American bodies to do their bidding.

* WASHINGTON-D.C. - An organization comprised of real estate agents- The National Association of Realtors- says that home sales will decline this year. Fortunately- this group does not forecast weather as this is like saying there's a chance of rain during a monsoon.

* CHICAGO-IL - You know them- all the drug commercials that spend 30 seconds of every minute they spout telling us how beneficial their drugs are FOR you- telling you what their miracle (money) drugs might do TO you.
According to this AP article- the most-shaky Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the "number of deaths and serious injuries from prescription and over-the-counter drugs climbed from 34,966 to 89,842" during the years 1998 to 2005.

* WASHINGTON D.C. - This is BREAKING NEWS- President Dubya has announced a "conditional" withdrawal of 30000 troops from Iraq by next summer. What he DIDN'T say is whether those troops would return intact or in body bags....

* KANSAS CITY-MO - The news gets REALLY depressing so I want to share a joke with you good people - - Britney Spears. There- that heartfelt guffaw sure felt good now- didn't it?
Hey- you there- Kanye West! What? Ms. "Bush Is The Greatest" Spears WASN'T funny? You present-day "entertainers" take yourself WAAYYYYYYYYY too seriously- never mind....

* SUGAR CREEK-MO - Police have confirmed earlier today that the remains they found in a wooded area of eastern Sugar Creek were indeed those of missing Lindsey and Sam Porter.

I have submitted their father and lone suspect Dan Porter's photo to the Webster dictionary people for posting next to the word "despicable." I'm positive too that there is a long list of more-naughty words Dan Porter's picture could be used to illustrate....

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Update On Dead/Wounded In Bush's Folly On The 6th Anniversary of 9-11-01

From the WAR DEAD IN IRAQ link on this site...


Monday: 13 GIs, 77 Iraqis Killed; 132 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 12:20 a.m. EDT, Sept. 11, 2007

At least 77 Iraqis were killed and 132 Iraqis were wounded during the latest violence. Thirteen GIs were killed and at least 16 injured in separate incidents, including a pair of vehicular accidents. Also, the holy city of Karbala reopened to visitors three weeks after clashes spoiled a religious observance there.

Seven American soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in a non-combat vehicular accident today; two detainees were also killed and a third was injured. East of Baghdad, another soldier was killed and two more were injured in a separate accident. Yesterday, a Task Force Lightning soldier was killed in a rocket attack in At Ta’mim province. Three U.S. soldiers were slightly injured during a clash in Balad. The DOD also announced the death of a GI in Balad during a small arms attack on Satuday. A Marine was killed in a non-hostile incident on Friday in Anbar. Also, a GI died in Seattle on Friday of wounds received in Baquba in May, and another soldier died in San Antonio of wounds received in July in Baghdad.

A suicide truck bomb killed at least 10 people and wounded 78 others near Mosul, in the village of Tal Marag. The figures would have been higher except some villagers had become suspicious of the truck and fled the area prior to the explosion.

A roadside bomb in Yusufiyah killed 2 and wounded 13 others.

In Baghdad, 10 dumped bodies were recovered. A car bomb near a hospital in al-Otaifiyah killed two people and wounded six others.

Al-Sadr officials reported that U.S. forces were conducting an air strike in Sadr City. The Mahdi Army was ordered not to retaliate but to avoid detention instead. Hospital officials reported one dead and five wounded in the al-Orfali district. Other sources place the dead at three.

Thirteen Iraqi soldiers were wounded when their Iskandariya checkpoint was shelled.

Three dumped bodies were discovered in Mahmudiya.

A suicide bomber attacked a Saqlawiyah police checkpoint, killing four and wounding two others, mostly policemen.

Two bodies were fished out of the Tigris River at Suwayra.

At a village on the outskirts of Baghdad, U.S. forces and residents fought against militants; six suspected al-Qaeda were killed and 30 more were detained.

In Mosul, gunmen destroyed a dome belonging to a Sunni mosque. Three policemen were killed during clashes in an eastern neighborhood. Shelling in al-Farouq wounded six civilians.

Gunmen in Basra killed a financial director and set fire to his corpse.

Combined Iraqi-U.S. forces killed twelve al-Qaeda suspects and detained three in Samarra, a hostage was also freed. U.S. forces attacked a home in the city, where they killed two women and injured four others, including a child.

In Uwainat, U.S. forces killed two bystanders during a gunfight and a mechanic in a separate incident. U.S. and Iraqi forces captured a suspected al-Qaeda and Islamic Army leader in Baghdad.

Twelve gunmen were killed and three detained in Balad. Three U.S. soldiers were slightly wounded.

One civilian was killed and four were wounded during a roadside bombing in Kirkuk.

Eight civilians were kidnapped from a fake checkpoint near Muqdadiyah.


Compiled by Margaret Griffis.

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Coolest MetroRegion Temperatures In 4 Months

At 4am- St. Joseph-MO reports 47-degrees and Lawrence-KS has 48-degrees with fog and 1/2-mile visibility. K.C.I. read 50-degrees with lower 50's southward.

These are the coolest temperatures in the Kansas City MetroRegion since early May's cold snap.

Not out of the norm at all- the autumnal equinox is September 23- a week from this Sunday....

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Fire Burns Up A Near-Northeast Side Apartment Building In KC-MO

Crews are just wrapping up a fire that went to two alarms with outside agency mutual-aid in the 1800 block of Brownell- near Independence Avenue and Woodland.

Didn't hear of anyone inside either when fire crews arrived or during the firefight in the 2-story building that began just before 1 am. No serious injuries reported.

The KC-KS Fire department sent equipment to fill empty KC-MO stations and an air truck to the fire.

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Crystaline September Sundown In Vancouver- British Columbia- Canada

From one of the Captain's favorite ports and Web cam: http://www.katcam.ca/

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Overweight Trucks Are Killing America's Roads

Did you know that one 40-ton truck does as much damage to a road as 9600 cars? And did you know that weight restrictions placed on over-the-road trucks are only randomly checked at best?

April Castro of the Associated Press wrote one HECK of an eye-opening article regarding the steady deterioration of America's highways.

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Grandview Police Officer Injured In Wreck

It's breaking news - a Grandview police officer has been reported to be involved in a crash with another vehicle on Main Street and White- just east of U.S. 71.

A preliminary report stated the officer has "a hand" injury- yet no word on injuries in the other vehicle- early indications are that those injuries may be serious.

There are also reports that an extrication is needed for one of the injured in the crash- but no word if it's for the officer and it's not known if that Grandview cop was enroute to another call when the crash occurred.

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K.C. NEWS MEDIA: Leave Tina Porter Alone

You HAVE to know that the mother of missing Lindsey and Sam Porter is going through a LOT of pain right now,

Tina Porter without a doubt has been devastated by the news that those remains found in Sugar Creek yesterday might well be her missing daughter and son.

All a thinking and feeling Human Being has to do is to insert themselves in Ms. Porter's shoes.

NEWS MEDIA: Leave Tina Porter the Hell alone! If you-all are camping out near or in front of her house- GO HOME!

When she's ready to speak to reporters- I'm SURE there will be a press conference announced by her family and friends.

Please- allow people who grieve their space and don't ask STUPID questions like "How do you feel?"

How in the HELL do you THINK they feel?

________________

Monday- September 10- 2007 - NEWS inDIGESTion

* WASHINGTON-D.C. - It didn't take as long as we've already been in Iraq to defeat the Axis Powers in World War-II. Do NOT be confused however- THAT was a noble cause/war started by a clear enemy the President didn't have to lie to the American people about.
Today- American diplomat for Iraq- Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the head of military operations in Iraq- General David Petraeus meet with the equally-ineffective Congress in hearings on Bush's Folly.
Unconfirmed is a report that if the Ambassador and the General see their shadows in D.C. today- we'll have 6 more years of war....

* WASHINGTON D.C. - Incredulously- disgraced by a sex-sting Senator Larry Craig of Idaho will try to recant his guilty plea after being caught trying to solicit sex from an undercover police sergeant at the Minneapolis airport in June.
Craig's excuse for recanting his guilty-as-Hell plea? He claims he was "hounded by the press" to resign.
I guess saving himself- his family and the good people of Idaho further embarrassment wasn't good reason enough for him to STFU and take it like a - man?

* ODESSA-TX - Three police officers responded to a domestic disturbance in this West Texas town Saturday night and all three cops were shot and two were killed by the armed male half of that disturbance.
The shooter was taken into custody after a standoff later that night and is being incarcerated.

* JENA-LA - Reverand Al Sharpton cannot mind his own business and is going to Jena where a gang of black kids set upon a lone white kid- beat him up- and then the members of the gang were arrested and charged. Rev. Sharpton- eerily quiet when a black entertainer recently was booted off a stage using the "N" word- one would logically assume is making sure the beat-up kid gets justice (NOT).

SHEBOYGAN-WI - A female employee of a factory in this northern Wisconsin town was shot and killed by a gunman early Monday. It isn't known yet if the shooter left the Rockline factory or was still inside the building..

* NEAH BAY-WA - The elders of the Native American Makah tribe have denounced the harpooning and machine-gunning of a California gray whale- while the guilty tribesmen expressed "pride" over their act.

* INDEPENDENCE-MO - Police should have DNA results today of bones they found Sunday morning in a shallow grave in neighboring Sugar Creek- thought to be the remains of Lindsey and Sam Porter.
The Porter children were taken by their father for a scheduled weekend visit in early June of 2004 and were never seen again. Their father and the lone suspect in their disappearance- Daniel Porter- is doing a 38-year stretch in prison on a related charge

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: REMAINS OF MISSING CHILDREN BELIEVED FOUND

On June 5- 2004- Dan Porter picked up his children- 7-year-old Sam and 8-year-old Lindsey for his weekend visitation with them.

Sam and Lindsey were never seen or heard from again- and their "father" refused to tell authorities where they might be.

Dan Porter went to jail- charged with "parental kidnapping" and sentenced to 38 years in prison.

Now Porter faces a double murder charge.

The remains of what police say "with 99-percent certainty" of Sam and Lindsey Porter were found early Sunday off Cement City Road in Sugar Creek-MO- according to this KANSAS CITY STAR article.

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TV Networks Continue To Lose Viewers

They say the 1950's and early 1960's were the golden age of television- when the 3 major TV networks- National Broadcasting Company (NBC)- Columbia Broadcast System (CBS) and the American Broadcast Company (ABC) ruled the roost in numbers of viewers.

This AP article tells how- in the Summer of 2007- the 3 major TV networks- ABC- CBS and NBC lost an additional "9-percent" of what viewers they still have.

Like most American "baby-boomers"- I grew up on broadcast commercial television. By the 1990's- I was taping what few programs I still cared to watch- for the frequent placement of commercials had pretty much burned me out on watching "live" programs.

By 2007- I don't record anything- barely watch television at all- completely turned off by the too-frequent- blatant and overbearing commercialism.

After watching Bill Moyers last week on how network executives pushed their own agenda on "news" talk shows to ram Bush's Folly down our throats- any respect I had for the TV networks as far as delivering "balanced" news is pretty much totally gone.

There's a plethora of information and entertainment options out there. One can now seek the truth without the spin.

The biggest option is the computer or what I call the "library of the screen"- the Internet. I have music videos- interviews- news archives at my fingertips and with more than 20000 MP3's on the hard drives- there's no need to watch what they want you to watch when they want you to watch it and make their mindset YOURS.

I've made a game with myself to learn something new every day and- in spite of TV-Lite- know more today than yesterday (but never quite as much as tomorrow - sorry Spiral Staircase g).

I'm curious how much- if any TV- you- the reader watch and what kinds of programs.

It is no big deal to me certainly- but it very much remains a "big deal" with TV's 'Big-3' networks dealing with their hemorrhaging of viewers.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, September 09, 2008

** TWO SERIOUSLY HURT IN OVERLAND PARK-KS CRASH **

It was reported as a 2-vehicle crash- one was "a GMC S.U.V.- at 119th Street and U.S. 69/Overland Parkway at 1:16am Sunday morning.

Fire and MEDACT-EMS units initially reported 2 heavily-damaged vehicles in "a high-impact" collision- with "an extended extrication" underway on the 2 drivers. EMS termed both's medical conditions as critical.

Both patients get extricated from their mangled vehicles within 10 minutes of those initial reports- and the condition of what appeared to be 2 female drivers did not sound critical- but marginally serious as they went their separate ways to trauma centers.

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<><><> OVERNIGHT WEATHER <><> <>

Another pleasant late summer morning throughout the Kansas City MetroRegion.

Skies were mostly clear with temperatures in the 60 to 70-degree range. Winds were light from the north to northeast.

We'll get a taste of Fall this coming week- as overnight lows may fall as low as the 40's in parts of the MetroRegion and hopefully- some more rain.

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.
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Latest Tropical Storm Gabrielle Satellite And NHC Forecast

The latest water vapor satellite image and NWS-National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast for Ms. Tropical Storm Gabrielle- wading off the Carolinas.

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OPEN MESSAGE TO OSAMA BIN LADEN: YOU'RE A MORON

So- you say Binny that Americans had better "convert" to your brand of religion (Satanism) or we all die.

Cover the childrens eyes folks- for I'm telling this idiot to kiss- my- ass.

There are 1.7 million religions- plus a few thousand I could dream up- that I MIGHT convert to before I'd give your brand of Satanism ANY consideration.

Boy Binny- for a wealthy man considered intelligent by some- you sure utter some complete nonsense....

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