4 Days Away

Well, here we are a mere 4 days away from the election.
I've written a million posts in my head, about how divided we've gotten, about how candidates should have just kept their mouths shut, about how it appears that presidential politics influenced decision making in current foreign policy...and so on.  But as you can plainly see, none of my thoughts made it onto the blog.
No I haven't opined on the horribleness of our MLB and NFL franchises, or what sports life has been like in Kansas City.  I haven't burbled happily about the winning ways of our MLS franchise.
I haven't offered an opinion on the two mile train route, or the downtown hotel, or the east patrol station mess.   I was trying to figure out why I had  not blogged about any of these things and I have come to a couple of conclusions.
One, is that sometimes I have little time anymore.  I realize that I write horribly, incredibly slowly. It isn't that i    am even trying to be perfect, it's is more like  a slow thinking process.  Thoughts that seemed so brilliant need fleshing out and structure to be ready for the written form.  Every so often lightening will strike, but it's pretty rare. Most times, writing is pretty labor intense.
I realized another thing just the other day. Some commentator was talking about polls and whether or not they were accurate; I think it was Limbaugh but what he said next could apply to any voter.  The so-called undecideds may not be so undecided; they may be waiting until they can cast that secret ballot before declaring their choices.  It could be that 10-15% of eventual voters for either party are not talking to pollsters, candidates' offices or even their friends about their choices.  They are not posting political matter on Facebook, nor are they responding to political posts on the social media site from their friends or pages.  Speaking strictly for myself, I am tired of the fight.  I am tired of the endless challenges to positions, the spin that makes the truth elusive, the personal attacks that question my worth at its very core.  People question my loyalty to my gender, my intelligence, even my right to live and have an opinion.  I am so sick of that.
The last is this;  Both polls of politics, left and right, are convinced that their plans will work.  I am not convinced and I suspect I am not alone.  I am not convinced that using money to generate a bunch of government projects will help our economy.  However, nor am I convinced that tax breaks will create an environment that will spur on job creation.  I think that the polarization has closed minds such that an honest evaluation of ideas is not possible.  Now it is all perceived as attack when an idea is given a bad grade.

So, hey, that is a few thoughts and if I have time, I might write a few more posts over the next few days as election day draws near.  Then I will vote, and watch the results come in along with everyone else.
As for the Chiefs, they just really really stink.  Really. Stink.

State of the Blog Report

It has probably been over a month since I posted here and longer on some of my other blogs. The third anniversary of this blog passed without me taking note of it. I gave some thought to shutting down this blog and my others too.
Part of the lack of posts was a lack of time discipline with regard to a decreased amount of time to blog. Another part of the lack of posts was being discouraged about the state of our city, our world, the election and the rest of the mess.
Well my free time situation has changed-- an unfortunate thing since it involved a change in my employment status. Further, while still discouraged, I am beginning to think that my moderate voice does have a place in this mess. The left and right talk to themselves becoming a giant echo chamber that becomes louder and louder and more and more distorted to those of us standing outside. When they talk outside their group, it is to yell at the other, degrading the opposing view, working up spin and volume rather then logical arguments and debate.
So where does that leave the South Kansas City Observer? I can't see my self posting quite as frequently as I did. But I don't think I'm ready to shut it down just yet.  Especially during a presidential election year.  I mean, really, no blogging during this fall campaign?  (Even if it is to say that neither candidate rocks my world in any sort of way...)
So you all are stuck with me.

Really, I Like This Place!

After reading the comments to the last post, I want to say something and that something is that this blogger does not hate all things Kansas City!  I love the fact that there are some world class amenities here, and some things that our city does very well.  I like our sports teams, our Plaza, our boulevards.  I like what comes here because of what we have here.
As one of the comments alluded to, it is a balancing act between insuring that essentials are taken care of and investing in things that look forward.  Anything that looks forward is by its nature risky, since we can't tell the future.  As anyone who has run a small business, or been close to a small business, knows you must look forward, as well as maintaining the quality of the work you do now.  If you don't, you run the risk of falling behind.
I do think that if we underestimate the risk we are at right now, we could end up in a bad spot.  Maybe not East St. Louis bad, or Detroit bad, but still in a place we don't wish to be as a city.
I have long felt that a prolonged diet of bad news, as provided by the "if it bleeds, it leads" media, is bad for one's personal outlook.  The news programming feeds fear.  I have long maintained that the decay of the Bannister Mall area was accelerated by the news coverage given to each and every incident.  This was compounded by the mall's poor PR efforts.  The enclosed mall might have eventually died anyway, as many have in the metro, but from the more natural causes of changes in consumers' habits.  The death would have been slower; thus easier to prepare for and less damaging to the self esteem and unity of the community.  When the movie theater opened at Red Bridge not long ago, I remarked to a friend that I hoped that folks from Johnson County would come over to enjoy the art films and smaller venue offered by the cinema.  My friend didn't think JoCo people would come over.  This startled me, and when  I said something, my friend said they were scared to come over.
Part of our quandary is trying to figure out our identity.  There was a period in the 1970s and early 1980s--paradoxically when eastern cities were really struggling--where it looked like Kansas City would become more then just a pleasant medium large city.  Along the way, sometime in the late 1980s or 1990s, something changed.  I am not sure what is was, but something changed in this city, and in the economic conditions surrounding it.  Kansas City stopped looking so go-go.  I think those go-go times are past--and that is not a slam on the city.  We are what we are.  We are not New York, Chicago, or LA.  Some of the things we've done may have been too big for our britches.  We need to learn from that, and settle on our identity, and glory in that.
What is happening on the East Side of town does impact all the city.  People don't take in the fact that that is just a small part of the city, and lump the whole town in to the East Side.  It requires our attention.  Furthermore, the trust issue with City Hall needs to be resolved.  City Hall needs to prove that it really is good with the money.  The grifters need to be stuffed, sent away empty handed.
So no, I don't have a grim view of the city's future. I have a cautious view of the city's future.  I have an investment of time and treasure here.  I have investments in the people here.  I want to see success, not failure.  I just think we need to be careful, and not reckless in the risks we take.
(A little choppy, but written in reaction to other stuff. )

Caring About Kansas City

I am trying to write this from my heart, and I am struggling to get started.  I want to talk about caring about a city, caring enough to fight for its future, caring enough to wonder why others don't care, watching divisions ruin neighborhoods with fear and distrust, watching leadership that is too busy sticking its nose in the trough to call people to account for their behavior, watching money wasted...
When we left New York City in 1974, the place was falling apart--at least that was the perception.  The grimy graffiti stained streets gave the impression of a city out of control, riddled with crime.  The news media and popular culture helped it along with their reporting and portrayals of the city.  If you are old enough, you remember them:  "Death Wish"  "The Warriors"  "Fort Apache: The Bronx" among others.  In 1975, President Gerald Ford vetoed the bill that would have bailed out the city as it teetered on insolvency.  (According to this article, Mr. Ford never did tell the city to "drop dead" as the New York Daily News reported.)
New York survived.  The feds did help out with loan guarantees, not unlike the bailing out of Chrysler, the city eventually paid it all back.  Gradually New York cleaned up its act and was once again a great city.  Not perfect by any means, but taking care of its needs and making priorities.  When 9/11/2001 happened, it did not happen to a city that would crumple under the pressure of the tragedy .
I have lived in the Kansas City metro since 1989:  The first years in Grandview, and then a home owner in South Kansas City.  It's not New York--only downtown reminds me of the city of my birth.  New Yorkers would be amazed at the openness of the city, the fact of yards and houses.  Kansas City would do well to remember that it is not a big city like New York or Chicago.  The Kansas City experience is not the big city experience.  Kansas City has its own unique vibe.  And it is still a place where people can succeed, can meet goals, can find a satisfying life.
However, each day that headlines blare out about violent crime, each time someone is affected by property crime, each time that the infrastructure fails, each time public safety is cut instead of projects, each time City Hall shows selfishness and a lack of common sense in its planning is one more time where people start asking questions about how viable the city is, and how it will thrive, how it will turn things around and whether it can.
There is much that is good about our great city.  However, we are suffering for a lack of people willing to take responsibility for their actions and hold communities to account.  We are suffering for all the divisions--Black/White, leadership/people, rich/poor, etc. etc.  It will not be easy to turn around, it will hurt and it will probably cost someone their political career.
I found it interesting that one of the conclusions of the article I linked above is that the way things worked out, it was for the best.  Many thought that if the president had given in then, New York might never have recovered.  But that big headline cost President Ford his reelection bid.  We need that kind of strength now in our town.
Just a few thoughts from someone who still gives a damn, who likes living here, and wants to live in a great city.

Why the Dry Spell?

I think I have figured out why I have been a bit dry on the blog as of late.

I can't debate any more.

It is not just because of the mean spirited nature of discourse these days, although that is part of it. It is not that I don't enjoy a good back and forth on issues and interesting topics. It is not that I have no training in forensics and sometimes feel undermanned in debate.

There are several reasons why debate action does not excite me. First, I often hold nuanced positions that are not easily rendered into a slogan or three points and a poem. For example, on gay marriage: I struggle with the idea of making the marriage of two people of the same sex the equivalent of a marriage between two people of opposite sex. Yet, I also know that the judging of others' worthiness is not in my job description--my job as a person of faith is to show the love of God to everyone. I can annoy both sides with my position, and they can annoy me by trying to push me further towards their positions. Being pushed is no fun!

Secondly, I dislike the division and polarization that has happened. For example, it is automatically assumed that because I profess Christian faith I cannot possibly be for women, or in favor of equal rights for women. I am automatically lumped in with people I really disagree with. To put it the other way, being Atheist becomes a requirement for being pro woman. The third factor is that I am not quite prepared to think that in our difficult times that any of the sides actually know what will actually work to solve our problems. Both left and right are convinced that they have the ideas that will help our country solve its problems and start growing again--I am not so convinced that either group has the formula that will help us start healing and growing our nation.

This does not mean that I have any shortage of opinion, but it does mean that I may not always have the stomach for rancorous and pointed debate. I am more interested in solving problems and making our city/state/nation/world the best place it can be.

The Light Has Come

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-14 NIV

A blessed Christmas to all from the South Kansas City Observer

An Era Passed

As has been previously noted here, Kansas City, Missouri emergency first responders are moving their radio communications to a new digital 700 MHz radio system. The police moved their communications in early November to the new system. Just yesterday, fire, both EMS and suppression, moved over to the new system. I hear tell that there have been a few glitches, as not only did they move to new radio hardware, they also changed software and dispatch method0logies.

That aside, there are just a few stragglers on my scanner, the way it is set up. Animal Control. The Veteran's Administration Hospital. Some of the airport. Until I can pony up the funds, or the price of 700 MHz scanners comes down some, my fun of scanner listening is over.

I am going to miss it.

A Loss

The Observer household has lost a member: Our wonderful LadyCat passed away a week ago today. She was 16 years old. She came to me as a stray, a momma cat who had had a litter of kittens. Everyone loved the adorable little kittens and they were all given homes by various residents and neighbors of the apartment complex in Grandview that I lived in at the time. No one wanted to adopt the mostly grown adolescent mom cat. So she came to live with me and the other cats I had at the time.

She turned out to be sweet, kind and flexible. Never one to put up much of a fuss, she accepted a move and another cat being brought into the household. More kitty personality started showing up after the move as our quarters were bigger. She shined despite health problems, presenting herself for medicine when needed without needing to be chased. She was the last of the first group of cats I owned, comforting as cat losses to age and illness came and accepting of newcomers.

My only regret is that her final acute illness came when I was away. I could not hold her, stroke her fur or talk in her ears as she slipped away.

You become one who cares for animals knowing that almost all animals do not have as long a life span as humans. You know that the day will come when your animal's life will come to an end and you will have to say good bye. Yet you accept this as part of the deal, because of all the richness you receive by having animals in your life.

Peace, my LadyCat, peace.

Traveling

The Observer is traveling presently.

Sounds like I missed the first snow of the season. How'd we do?

Vermont called; they would like their weather back.

On "Live Blogging"

There are basically two ways to write a blog post. One is to consider your topic and what you want to say for whatever period of time in your head and then just sit down and write the post. The extreme of this method is treating the blog like a journal and literally write off the top of your head. The other is to write the erstwhile post first, before posting it using the blog format. So you might write your essay using Word or some other program, then cut and paste it into Blogger or Wordpress or whatever.

Usually, I live blog. I think about what I want to say in my head, then try to translate those ideas into words, trying to be clear, considering length etc. Sometimes a post is an expansion of a Facebook post or a comment on someone else's blog but still it is not a "second draft" of an essay. I suppose my writing would be better if I wrote drafts but it takes some of the passion out of the writing, some of the immediacy out of it. Live blogging is not always easy; posts sometimes take a l-o-n-g time to compose. Sometimes ideas just will not cooperate. The essay goes in circles. The writing just stinks. Something important ends up being unsaid.

Sometimes I do write drafts. Even with the Blogger iPhone app, it is easier to write on the note function of the phone. When this happens, it is a draft and it gets revised a bit before transfer to Blogger. Very rarely I feel that a post requires extra care; hot topic, need to fact check, like that--in that situation i might write a draft. Hazards of live blogging? Perhaps a post that isn't perfect. For example, while I was pretty happy with Saturday's post on crime, I didn't take time to get into the role of education, I didn't talk about the issue of keeping hope alive, and I wasn't completely happy with the phrase "the rest of the city needs to be protected". On the other hand I like the post for its impact as you read it.

There's a saying: the perfect is the enemy of the good. If I fret over how far from perfect my blog posts sometimes are, nothing would ever be published. That rather misses the point of writing doesn't it. It also is more stressful and much less fun.

Gone Pink

Every year the macho National Football League breaks out the pink to encourage everyone to be aware of breast cancer. In honor of that all the blogs in the South Kansas City Observer Syndicate also put on some pink flourishes. It's a small thing but if it encourages one person to consider cancer prevention measures, it is well worth the small amount of time.

In addition, I would tell every one to take some of the simple measures that can detect all kinds of cancer, not just breast cancer. Prostate exams, skin exams, and colonoscopies are just a few of the simple tests that will help catch cancer before it can take hold. Ask your doctor what an appropriate screening schedule is for you, as each person has unique genetic and environmental risks and strengths.

I think the pink looks great with the teal--check out how the Jacksonville Jaguars look these next weeks...

Small Anniversary Coming Up

One year ago September 23, 2010, a small slightly fluffy kitten joined The Observer's household. She was found by a friend of mine--more accurately she found him--when she approached him in a rainy McD's parking lot. She was the size of his hand at the time, slightly rumpled and damp from the rain. She let him collect her, and he presented her to me, knowing I liked cats. I really didn't have plans to acquire a new cat, but I took her, well, because it was 11 at night, and the radar was showing more storms coming.

Photo taken September 24, 2010; the day after the SmallFry, stranded in a McDonald's parking lot, was rescued from thunderstorms. Yes, those are GirlCat death rays in the background.

I called around to see if there was someone who could help me get her to a good home. Everyone had wait lists/no resources yada yada and so there was no help. I didn't name her for several weeks because I was hoping not to get attached, plus, well, I was not coming up with much for names at the time. After about 3 weeks, I figured I better give her a better name than SmallFry and so she got a proper name.

She is a cute cat. She's never gotten very big--she is easily the smallest of my cats. She guards her food with fierce sounding growls, leading me to believe that she lived in a household with many cats, or with dogs. In fact, that growl is something of a trademark. She growls when displeased, rather than meowing. It is funny to hear this mean sounding noise coming from this smidgen of a cat.

I didn't plan on having another cat, but I am glad I was able to get this little one off the street. She is one smart observant little cookie, playful and athletic. A lot of fun and a blessing--a happy one year anniversary.

SmallFry today, pictured outside on the stoop during some supervised outside time.

Story Telling Time: Lost and Found

Yesterday, I decided to take a short walk. A spontaneous decision, no plan, just a quick walk around the block, about a fourth of a mile. Off I went...but first talked to the guys painting the house two doors down about spray painters...

Then...walked down my street, turned the corner, walked down that street, turned another corner, started walking down that street. Looking around, checking out the scenery. Something caught my eye lying in the curb area at the foot of a driveway. I went over to look. Keys--someone's keys. Two car keys, branded Pontiac, a carabiner, a purple tag. I considered what to do with them for a few moments. I ended up laying them down again, thinking I would come back. Started down the street again, stopped to read the signs on a vacant house (the dreaded foreclosure triad...) and continued. Greeted an enthusiastic Husky dog, petted and admired him, then continued down the street. As I looked ahead, I could see a young couple walking around a car, occasionally poking at the windows. Could it be? The car was a...Pontiac! Are you kidding me?!

I stopped: "Are you missing some keys for a Pontiac? I found some up the street..." She looks up, startled. "I went for a walk a couple days ago--they've been missing since. I drove around and looked yesterday, didn't see anything. Did they have purple on them?" "Yes, a purple tag. I laid them back down cause I wasn't sure what I was going to do. They are right there in front of the house with the signs on it." We walked back to the house in question. I bent down and scooped up the wayward keys, held them up. "Are they...?" "Oh yes! Wow!" We walked back to the Pontiac and she opened it up. I continued on, amazed at the timing. Not just that I spontaneously decided to take a walk...What if...no painters two doors down...no foreclosed house to get nosy about...no dog to stop and visit with...?

Today, I found someone's cell phone in the bathroom at the library. Unfortunately I had to turn it in at the desk...

Pontiac photo for illustration...not the exact car in question.

A Few Thoughts Early Monday Morning

What a news week we just had--an amazing new chapter written in the story of FUBAR that is the Kansas City Mo school district, a much hyped storm that rained more than anything, a surprise eastern earthquake and more.

I have to say that the thing that has dismayed me more than anything is the apparent incompetence of our government. Individually, the people at City Hall or in Washington, DC might be smart and able but when they get together it seems they can't find their way out of a paper bag.

Just a few thoughts early on a Monday morning.

A Computer Problem

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have a computer problem with my laptop which is making posting unpleasant if it requires the typing of more than a few words.

My keyboard is messed up. Multiple keys are not working. To name them, it's the h, g, ', backspace and escape keys. And occasionally a shift key doesn't actually shift.

I have a portable keyboard, and there is the onscreen keyboard but both have drawbacks and are just not as pleasant or easy to use as the regular keyboard.

I have no idea if it is a hardware problem or a software problem. If there are geeks reading this, any ideas would be accepted.

(Getting a new computer is not among the options.)

Second Bloggy Anniversary!!!

Another interesting year...

Well it is another year passing--two years ago today this little modest blog was started just for fun and games. A few on line musings about life, the news and whatever else attracted my attention. If along the way a few people read it, well that was cool too.

The MAST merger took it in a direction that was not anticipated, but that was OK. It continues to be a topic of great interest to me and is certainly not done yet!

The blog began to get noticed here and there in the larger world. Now that is OK, but not a goal. We are not here to break news (although we might due to just being there when something newsworthy happens) but just to offer nice fresh opinion. I am, to borrow from John Mellencamp, "still hayseed enough to go, 'Hey wow, they just mentioned me here or there.'" Sticking to my roots means I don't care if I go a little while without being linked some place or another. It is about me in many ways--what interests me or makes me go "Wow!" or "That ain't right." or "How cool is this?"

So on to year three, more twists and turns to come. To everyone along for the ride, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to come along.

Oh, and thanks to all who friended the page on Facebook. I think 25 is the threshold for the short url, but I am not sure!

This Blogger Is Irked

If you visit my Facebook page you will see that I am not in a very good mood. I'll admit that I am choosing to be annoyed at the news, and I will also note here that I am annoyed with myself. On the eve of the second anniversary of the first post of this blog, I am thinking about what directions this blog has taken and what direction it should take. We will talk more about that tomorrow, on the anniversary proper, but suffice it to say here that while news will always be a major focus, it is not the only focus, that we are also about having fun, and noticing neat stuff, and photos and funny stuff around Kansas City and the world.

I am an information hound, a person who is always looking around, trying to see this difficult, interesting, funny, sorry, amazing, God-created and sin-stained, crazy world for what it is--all those things and more. Sometimes I am amazed. Sometimes I am angered. Sometimes I am moved to tears. Sometimes I am stunned into silence, other times I am moved to rant.

We will never be hard core politics around here. We will not be completely consistent all the time. The only thing that will be consistent is the slightly right leaning/slightly libertarian/Christian/cares about people and the world point of view that will usually be demonstrated.

And oh yeah, we love scenery, old cars, dogs and cats and talking about the weather.

And "like" the Facebook page--that way I can have a nifty short url for it--yes, ending with a shameless plug!

Adventures in Telecom Land...

I am trying to figure out which new phone to get. My contract is up and I am ready for a new one.

There are no deals anymore is the first thing I discovered. No "free" or heavily rebated phones, especially Smart Phones. Just about everything will require about $100. Ick.

I like my Blackberry pretty well, but BB is not offering much new through my carrier, Verizon. That leaves Android type phones and iPhone.

If anyone has a word of wisdom, feel free to comment. I am very curious about iPhone's method of photo storage since the cell phone camera is often an important part of my blogging and iPhone uses cloud storage rather than a disk.

I have to say that iPhone looks fabulous and the 5 mega pix camera looks awesome.

Feels Like Monday...

So how is everyone doing today? Still a little tired from the weekend's activities? Already sick of heavy humidity?

What does everyone think of the Casey Anthony verdict? I didn't follow the trial closely but I really could think of lots of reasonable doubt, based on the bits I did see and read. Perhaps the prosecution over reached? If I was that prosecutor, I would be considering my next career, because reelection is not going to happen.

Why did this trial get a lot of media attention? It is not as if murder is not something that frequently happens in the United States, nay, in the state of Florida and unfortunately, it is not uncommon that small children meet death due to some sort of accident or trauma. Witness the crash Monday morning or the recent drownings of kids in the KC area. It was just the right combination, it seemed of an attractive but unpleasant defendant, a cute victim, all just the right age and racial composition. Does the trial get this much attention if everything is the same, but defendant and victim are Black? If the defendant is physically unattractive? My guess is no. The general public, and by extension, the media, can be incredibly shallow at times.

The final number of shootings in KC seems to be 10, with no reported fatalities as yet. It wasn't quite as hot as the initial forecast--in fact the weather was down right pleasant at times. (Not today, as it is filthy humid out there right now.) A few fire works related injuries and fires, but nothing too harsh. The man in North KC who blew his hand off was another one of these nut jobs that was messing around trying to make a bigger bang. If you stick with the consumer fireworks, you can still have a lot of fun and with a few sensible precautions, be pretty safe.

The Royals have completely shown their true colors and truly are bad this year. They just don't have the talent, and talent wins ball games. Oh, some good bits are there--defense is way better than last year, the middle relief pitching has been good, and the hitting has been better. However (related to "but"--- you know, there just had to be a "but" if they are on a pace to lose 90+ games again.), the starting pitching is by and large horrible, the hitting is inconsistent, and mistakes are being made. Still, I think the team is more fun to follow than in previous years, and there is room, however small, for a pinch of optimism.

That's it from this front porch tonight--we had too much fun blowing stuff up last night and we're a little tired. And the cat is a little jumpy--my youngest, it's her first Forth of July, and she was a little wound up last night at the end of the festivities. Startled easily would be an understatement.

Happy Independence Day!

We certainly are not perfect, and there are a lot of problems right now, but I still think this country has a lot of good things going on. We need to look to our history to encourage us; I don't think we're done yet. We need to encourage people to elevate their ways of thinking and living, to get past what they don't have to what they could have, to see the possibilities before them. We need to remove barriers that prevent people from fulfilling their potential, whether that is excessive government regulation, corporate dishonesty and greed or social barriers like racism--they need to come down for our society to refresh and renew itself.

In short, this isn't a bad place to be born in and live, and I am thankful.

Happy Independence Day everyone--have fun, be safe and give thanks.