Musings of this paper's editor - sunnica's Blog - The Northwest Voice

Chad Vegas & Bob Hampton!

The Bakersfield Californian threw its hat in the political ring Sunday and endorsed (surprisingly!) Chad Vegas and Bob Hampton, the encumbants, for KHSD Board of Trustees! I don't know about anyone else, but I about fell out of my chair this morning as I was reading the paper!

Any comments?

Read the article here.

Non-partisan chit-chat

Did anyone watch the debate tonight? Care to weigh-in? It's on right now, and I have to say... I like them both.

The only thing I've laughed at so far is when Joe Biden referred to himself in the 3rd person. I was just sitting down to write this, and I heard him say from the other room, "No one in the United Staes Senate has been as much a friend to Isreal as Joe Biden."

LOL I never thought in a million years that I'd hear a candidate speak about himself in 3rd person.

I love the political process. No matter on which side of the fence you sit, you have to at least appreciate that we live in a country where we are allowed to vote on our leaders.

So... what did you think of the debate? Does it matter what a vice presidential candidate says? Does anyone think that we should kick out the two presidential candidates and vote on the VPs instead? :)

Volkslaluf training: MAN DOWN!

Rob and I joined a Sunday bowling league, which is a great source of amusement to our three children. They hadn't stopped laughing over our new Saturday ritual of enjoying our coffee and reading the newspaper in the spa before we pulled this new shenanigan.

"You're turning into grandparents!" they said.

Was it true? I had to mull it over, which itself is an act that mainly older people do. They mull. I didn't have my answer yet, but I would soon.

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Volkslauf training, Days 9 through ... who knows. The last time I went to official mud run training with my group on Truxtun extension, I thought I did very well. Some issues, though, began to arise, lingering issues that had originated on Day 1.

Day 1, ah yes.. fresh with possibilty. I hadn't exercised with any regularity since January, but that didn't stop me from the superstar, cross country, decathlete-type pace I maintained on Day 1. As you'll recall from previous entries, I paid dearly for my over-achieving enthusiasm. I injured my hip.

Besides injuring my hip, it became increasingly more difficult to make my 6:00 practices because Jaisyn is on Centennial's volleyball team. Her games were on 2 of the 4 training nights.

So, I couldn't go to official training, but that didn't stop me! I began running my neighborhood and hitting my gym in the mornings, increasing my pace and my miles, intent on keeping up with my Truxtun counterparts.

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On our second night of bowling (we're in a 24-week league that, ahem, culminates in Las Vegas), my already terrible bowling form took a turn for the even worse when I strained a muscle in my back. Who DOES that, you might be asking. Evidently, it's people who have a cross-arm bowling throw style that lends itself well to left-side gutterballs.

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I am not making excuses, I am still hoping to run the Volkslauf. I heal pretty quickly. I've been throwing a lighter bowling ball and trying to stay upright more when I throw. Maybe I could get a hip replacement and be in the mud in 10 days. The fact that I mention hip replacement, and that Rob keeps insinuating that if I continue to run on asphalt I will need my knee replaced, I'm beginning to wonder if the kids aren't right.

One day you challenge your kid to foot race, and the next thing you know, you've joined a bowling league and are chatting about hip replacements. What's next? Prescriptions and canasta? Is this how it begins? This... getting old thing?

Look out! Next thing is that I'll be getting tickets to old Motown groups and looking forward to seeing them at the Fox Theater. ;) If THAT ever happens, book me a room at Rosewood.

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium

The house that Ruth built.

Whether or not you are a New York Yankees fan, you have to pay just a little homage to this great ball club and the greatest collection of players that has ever passed through the game of baseball. From 1923 (think about that!) to today, players like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, and, of course, the Jeters and A-Rods and Giambi players, too.

Baseball... from WWI to the present.

The Cold War to 9/11.

Can't get enough of it. So long, Yankee Stadium and all the history that went along with it.

I'm a Red Sox fan, but above all... I am a fan of baseball.

For Sale: Anything Palin?

I was just listening to the news, and in a special report (more like an entertainment report), I learned that Sarah Palin merchandise is being manufactured (and selling!) at unbelievable rates! I think the news is curious--in that by all reports, this country is supposed to be experiencing tough times (or so we keep hearing), and yet buttons, mugs, shirts, undies (yes! undies!), signs, stickers, sweatshirts, and even a Sarah Palin $1 bill (for $10) are flying off shelves.

Matter of fact, have you tried to eat out at a sit-down restaurant lately? No matter the side of town you try (Outback, PF Chang's, BJ's, or Tahoe Joe's), there's always a long wait. Very curious spending habits for a country falling on such hard times. IMO.

I don't know... seems like a curious study in human nature Here's the article I found about the Palin mania:

Bev Flaherty, of St. Paul, holds up buttons for sale at her son’s store in the Xcel Energy Center. (Photo: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

ST. PAUL — “Palin Power” may represent conservative principles and women’s ascension, but it could just as well mean purchasing power. After Gov. Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech last night, merchandise with her name or likeness is super hot.

The auction site eBay offers Palin pins, pouches and paperweights, magnets and mugs, caricatures and clocks, window decals and license plates, T-shirts and iron-ons. Rosie the Riveter revisits, and pink bumper stickers scream, “It’s a Girl!”

A 1982 Wasilla High School yearbook is going for $150. An autographed pass to a Republican National Convention event starts at $49.99.

Real estate in cyberspace costs a little more. A handful of Palin-related domain names are being sold on eBay, with starting prices that range from $500 (for PalinRSS.com) to $7,000 (for SarahPalin.me).

Opportunistic sellers are ascribing Palin endorsements to ordinary items. A yellow Sprint back pack is being billed as a “Sarah Palin VP back pack” (”look good while traveling”), and a legend knife appears under the capitalized headline “SARAH PALIN COUNTRY!!”

The demand for Palin merchandise underscores the velocity of her ascent. Marketers are scrambling to catch up to the woman whom Mr. McCain introduced one week ago.

Amazon.com is “temporarily out of stock” of the only Palin biography, “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down.” Only 7,000 copies were printed this spring, and the publisher is now rushing a paperback edition.

Still, the Alaska governor has pulled off a remarkable coup, snagging a higher Amazon sales rank than the Democratic memoir writer she scorned last night. The Palin biography now sits at No. 13, while Senator Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” is No. 26.

Governor Palin costume masks are not available just now, but they will be in a few weeks, said Jim Berg, co-owner of Twin Cities Magic & Costume Co. in downtown St. Paul.

“It’ll be a popular choice for Halloween,” Mr. Berg said.

He predicted some costumes will incorporate baby dolls and pillow pregnancies, while others will lean on hunting props, “everything from a weapon to dragging a bear over your shoulder.”

Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/for-sale-anything-palin/

September 11th

By the time some of you read this, it will be past September 11, and we will all move on again and go about the lives we are meant to lead -- good lives, happy for the most part and blessed beyond measure. But each year, even though I don't know anyone personally who suffered from the attack, I seem to mourn our shared loss on that dreadful day all over again.

I know everyone has a story about what they were doing when they found out, but mine is different because I feel like I took part in a haunting moment that had nothing, and yet everything, to do with Sept. 11.

I was listening to the Bob & Tom syndicated radio show that morning, and I will never forget it, as I am sure they won't, either. It was a "slow news day," or so the DJs said, as they rattled off one insignificant newsy story after another. Finally, one Dj made a statement that has probably haunted him every year since. He said, "What we need is a big news story -- another O.J. Simpson!"

It wasn't 10 minutes later that we began receiving word of the horror taking place in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.

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All three of my children were in school, and all three were late that day as we all sat watching -- I in utter horror, and they in confusion and wondering why mama was crying. Thinking back to that moment as we stared at the TV screen in unabashed horror, those mental images now burned into our personalities in what is known in the science community as "flashbulb memories." In just the same way many of us hold a mental picture of the space shuttle Challenger exploding, so do we remember the smoke and the frenzy of 9/11 like the flash of a picture in our minds.

I wish I could forget, but in some ways, I don't think we are supposed to.

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My daughter, the high school junior, came home from Centennial today and mentioned that her history book already had Sept. 11th in it. What?? Already? I couldn't believe it. Wasn't it just -- wait. Wow... it still feels fresh, but it was 7 years ago. She had been in the 4th grade when it happened.

Turns out that Michael Phelps is on the cover of that book, too.

I am getting old.

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Thank you police, firefighters, EMTs, and everyone who went INTO harm's way when most people were running out. We, indeed, will never forget.

Volkslauf training: Let the excuses begin!

Seriously, this Volkslauf training is a lot harder than I imagined. Wait, it isn't what you think. It isn't all THAT difficult once I tie my shoes, get in the car (more on that later), pin on my "next of kin notification" bib, and hit the pavement.

It's the getting there part that I am finding is my true enemy.

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Last week out of sheer curiosity, I set my odometer in the driveway and drove to our Truxtun meetup location. It was 7 miles. Calculate that it's a 14-mile roundtrip I'm making in order to put myself through dirt, ants, spurs, sand up to my knees, and 100 degree heat. That's 14 miles/13 miles per gallon in my environmentally unfriendly SUV, so not only did I pay a sizeable fee that only God and my personal drill sergeant know, but I'm also paying an additional $4.00 a day in gas to get there. I think that might be considered masochistic or lunacy at best.

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Days 5-7 went well, except for the Sunday I showed up over an hour early by mistake, so my new friend Linda asked me to join her in the "Body Combat" class, where young and virile Mike, the instructor, proceeded to punch, jab, cross, and lunge me to the point of noodle limbs. I had to leave immediately afterwards and couldn't move from bed the next morning. Linda, you're a dear.

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Today would have been Day (I lost track), but all day I kept forgetting (forgetfulness seems to be a recurring theme in this blog) to get gas in my car, so when I finally left my tract, I discovered that the fuel indicator line was edging jussssst past the "E." I was running too late to stop, so I felt energized by my new reason to skip training! I knew I had more than 7 miles to go, because there are no gas stations on Truxtun (have you ever noticed that?). I'd have to drive to Total Woman, workout in the 120 degree heat, then drive at least 3 miles back to a gas station. Can you feel how I was able to justify not going?

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I didn't go to my official training, but I am proud to say that I DID workout at my gym (less than a mile from my house---shout out to Fitness 19!) and learned that all of this Volkslauf training HAS made a difference! I was able to run farther and lift heavier weights than before, and I actually did my situps (prior to Volkslauf training, the last situp I did was a timed situp in junior high).

Afterwards, I dragged my weak limbs to the gas station then stopped by Heidi's Deli to pick up dinner.

No mayo, please. I'm training for the Volkslauf.

The Dean and Rachel Show is gone!

Hey all ... I just found out some news, courtesy of Bakersfield.com blogs:

The Dean and Rachel Show is no longer. The morning duo on 101.5 KGFM gave their final broadcast Friday morning. Dean Novak said he was fired right after the broadcast, while Rachel Legan apparently was told to hang on until further notice.

All this after another morning show host, Brent Michaels, was fired from KSMJ 97.7 FM The Breeze a few weeks ago so the station could focus on a positive, brighter tone. Today they debuted Bob & Sheri, a nationally syndicated duo with a parenting bent to their talk. I can't imagine Michaels was exactly local radio's Grim Reaper.

KGFM’s general manager, Roger Fessler, would not comment on the D&R drop or the station's direction. He said the station will announce its plans later this week or early next week.

source: http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/sbranco/33224

As some of you know, Dean & Rachel were columnists when The Northwest Voice was first published, and their column was well-received by our readers. We wish them both good luck and hope they occasionally stop by this site.

What is the GU patch on NFL pro football uniforms?

Here's the answer! I looked it up for you:

All the players sported a new patch on their jerseys. The new uniform item this season is to honor NFL Players' Association leader Gene Upshaw, who died August 20, of pancreatic cancer.

The patch will have the initials GU and the number 63, which Gene wore while playing for the Oakland Raiders. Gene Upshaw died at the age of 63. The Oakland Raiders will also honor Upshaw in their opening game Monday night with a video tribute, and a replica of the uniform patch will be painted on the field in Oakland.

At Giants Stadium, the Upshaw family participated in the coin toss to kick off the season. The New York Giants returned as Super Bowl champs and won the game that night defeating the Washington Redskins (NY 17 - Wash 6).

Gene Upshaw was the only player in Pro Football history to play in three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades. He is the older brother of Marvin Upshaw, who was a defensive lineman with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Gene Upshaw played his entire 15-year career with the Oakland Raiders. After retiring in 1983, Upshaw became the executive director of the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) and held that post until his death. Upshaw was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 for his achievements on the field and as a union leader.

Upshaw's position as offensive guard (G) earned him a reputation for fiercely protecting the quarterback and leading the running backs on sweeps. He was affectionately nicknamed Uptown Gene.

Gene's good reputation for protecting the players in his capacity as union leader was not always without controversy. Upshaw dealt with one strike in 1987, and later negotiated free agency and salary cap provisions. It was also reported that Gene made dismissive comments regarding retired players complaining about their benefits.

Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1014574/nfl_players_wear_gu_63_patch_to_honor.html

Jury duty: Some people should not serve

The judge tells us during "voir dire" (the questioning of perspective jurors) that if we don't think we can judge a fellow human being, then we should be honest and say so. Nothing wrong with it, just let the judge know. But no one on my Kern County Superior Court panel of 12 jurors raised a hand during this questioning, so I had no reason to believe that there was a mole among us.

It did, however, become scandalously obvious when during deliberations, this person refused to see ANY evidence as acceptable and would see no theory as reasonable. From what this juror said, it is my opinion that had the defendants surprised us all by standing in the courtroom and admitting to the crimes, this juror would still harbor doubt.

This juror made it clear from the start of deliberations that nothing would change this juror's decision, which clearly indicated that this juror was already biased from the beginning --- in other words, choosing willingly to leave common sense at home. The reason I know this is because this juror said the following: "I know (the defendants) are guilty, but I just don't think the prosecutor proved his case."

What??

The prosecutor in this case could only have presented more evidence if the weapon in question could form a mouth and speak. The judge, habitually as pleasant as a bird with a worm, was noticeably shocked when the jury could not reach a verdict. From the look on his face, I got the impression he was almost too stunned to speak, wondering how we couldn't reach a verdict based on the preponderance of evidence against the defendants.

However, it takes all 12 jurors to convict, and that's a nice safeguard and a benefit of living in this free country. It is curious to note, though, that in this case, when the votes on one of the counts were split, only the jurors with birthdates in the late 1980s could not vote to convict. And it wasn't as if we were deciding on a crime as complicated or as horrifying as in the O.J. Simpson trial. By comparison, these defendants were angels.

To me, the inability to distinguish reasonable doubt from possible doubt signals a problem of greater import than can be explained by a mere generation gap.

There will always be possible doubt -- but, is it reasonable?

It is possible that the young jurors were not equipped to handle the pressure involved in making such a big decision, so they handled it the only way they were comfortable: NOT GUILTY! They created far-fetched scenarios that "could have happened" instead of paid attention to the witness testimony and the evidence found at the scene. The defense attorneys knew their clients were guilty but they wanted to win (of course, it's their job), and they knew exactly what to say to these particular jurors to place doubt where it didn't belong. In truth, they talked circles around these jurors, who didn't have enough life experience to ward off the manipulative attack. In other words, they never suspected they were being worked... and probably still don't realize it.

I suspect that a few years will pass, or maybe it won't take that long, and those few jurors will grow a little, learn a little, and perhaps even read the names of the defendants in the newspaper one day and discover that our jury probably made a mistake in letting them get by with a mistrial.

Or, maybe I'm wrong ... maybe these outstanding defendants will stop leading lives of crime and become law abiding citizens.

Don't hold your breath.