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The first vice presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin (AK) and Sen. Joe Biden (DE) occurs Thursday evening from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ever wonder what happened to all those VP's in and out of office? Good Question.
For example:
Franklin Roosevelt had three Vice Presidents serve during his four terms. John Nance Garner, Henry Wallace and Harry Truman.
Fourteen vice presidents became presidents.
All Vice Presidents of the 20th Century who ran for their parties Presidential nomination secured that nomination, with the exception of Dan Quayle.
Spiro Agnew was the only 20th Century Vice President to resign from office.
For more VP facts, go to www.vicepresidents.org
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Jody Berry is a no-nonsense gal. When I asked her why she likes being a motorcycle mechanic, she just looked at me like I had three heads. "Duh", she said, "If I have to explain, then you wouldn't understand."
Berry builds bikes. And she loves her job.
Working in the Custom Vehicle Operations department Berry gets her hands dirty wrenching on motorcycles in the only Harley Davidson plant that creates bikes from beginning to rumbling end. The union machinist drives her Harley to work most days and is the mother of one child. Berry is also a motorcycle riding instructor.
A look at her massive tool box shows her love of horsepower, speed, America, family and motorcycles.
But Berry says the best part of her job is free tools. If she needs anything, a call to the tool vendor gets her what she wants. And as part of her retirement plan, Harley lets her take the tools home for good when she punches out for the last time. Nice perk. Jody has worked at Harley for more than 20 years and could retire today, but told me she's having too much fun to "stop living".
I met Jody while taking a tour of the Kansas City Harley Davidson Open House. I was drawn to the factory, because for a guy who likes watching "Build It Bigger" on the Discovery Channel or Science Channel’s "How It's Made", I could not resist seeing something being built up close and personal.
It was worth the visit. I had no idea robots welded the frames, the fenders, the gas tanks. There's even a robot that boxes the bikes up for shipping. Three types of two-wheelers are made in the Kansas City plant. A model from every line on every shift is tested each day. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, test riders hop on a Harley each day for quality control. More than 1,000 work at the KC plant.
It was really interesting to walk among the workers in this working factory. You can take a tour. They're free. Click here to find out tour dates and more information.
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Wall Street fell 778 points Monday following news Congress would not pass the $700 billion bailout. How was Wall Street like the Wild, Wild West Monday?
The Good: Oil fell below $100 a barrel and settled at $96.36 due to low demand. This is the lowest price for oil in seven years. Oil analysts predict lower gas prices, a t least in the short term.
The Bad: Monday's 780-point decline was the largest one-day point drop ever for the index. Essentially $1.4 trillion evaporated. Just 162 stocks rose on the NYSE and 3,073 dropped. However, percentage-wise it was not the worst day on Wall Street. That was Black Monday, October 19, 1987 when markets around the globe crashed.
The Ugly: It was predicted that for every $10,000 dollars in your 401(K), you lost roughly $700 on Monday. Depending on your portfolio you may of lost hundreds, or millions of dollars on Monday.
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Text of Lawmakers’ Agreement on Principles
Congressional Republicans and Democrats came to an agreement on principles for the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program that they will take into final negotiations with the White House. It includes sections on taxpayer protections, oversight and transparency, homeownership preservation and funding authority.
Agreement on Principles
1. Taxpayer Protection
a. Requires Treasury Secretary to set standards to prevent excessive or inappropriate executive compensation for participating companies
b. To minimize risk to the American taxpayer, requires that any transaction include equity sharing
c. Requires most profits to be used to reduce the national debt
2. Oversight and Transparency
a. Treasury Secretary is prohibited from acting in an arbitrary or capricious manner or in any way that is inconsistent with existing law
b. Establishes strong oversight board with cease and desist authority
c. Requires program transparency and public accountability through regular, detailed reports to Congress disclosing exercise of the Treasury Secretary’s authority
d. Establishes an independent Inspector General to monitor the use of the Treasury Secretary’s authority
e. Requires GAO audits to ensure proper use of funds, appropriate internal controls, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse
3. Homeownership Preservation
a. Maximize and coordinate efforts to modify mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure
b. Requires loan modifications for mortgages owned or controlled by the Federal Government
c. Directs a percentage of future profits to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America’s housing needs
4. Funding Authority
a. Treasury Secretary’s request for $700 billion is authorized, with $250 billion available immediately and an additional $100 billion released upon his or her certification that funds are needed
b. final $350 billion is subject to a Congressional joint resolution of disapproval.
* The above was provided by the Wall Street Journal.
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With so many stories about the bad economy, what part of the market is booming? Good question.
Financial news is attracting new viewers. According to TV Week, CNBC, the financial news arm of NBC, is seeing audiences swell as they cover business news in real time.
CNBC posted the highest ratings spike among cable networks, up 70% from earlier in the week. News of the bailout broke Tuesday, and on that day CNBC’s Squawk Box averaged 365,000 viewers. On Wednesday it rose to 696,000.
CNBC President Mark Hoffmann says that the website mushroomed to 15 million hits per day!
Bad news brings viewers.
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The US government is now holding hearings on the proposed $700 billion buyout of various financial institutions.
How much is $700 bill? A lot, and a little.
A lot if you consider:
-The US has a population of about 300 million people, so the bailout is roughly $2,300 per man, woman and child. That's roughly what the average American pays each year in gas and oil ($2,227), and less than each citizens tax burden ($2,432).
-Equal to the net worth of 12 Bill Gateses.
-The movie Titanic brought in $1.8 billion, so around 381 would make up the bailout.
-It's nine times the amount spent on education in 2007.
-You could buy 2,000 Mc Donald’s Big Macs for every American.
-More than twice the annual budget given to all charitable organizations in any given year.
A little, if you look at the bailout this way:
-The assembled net worth of the Forbes 400 is $1.57 trillion, or more than twice the cost of the bailout. Essentially, the super-rich could buy up the debt and have money left over.
-Should the treasury receive the authority from Congress to borrow the $700 billion; the national debt will only rise by six percent. Currently, the US debt is $9.6 trillion.
-The bailout is only one third of the total amount of money received by the federal government from social security, income taxes and corporate taxes in 2007.
The facts above were provided by the US government, Forbes magazine and Slate.com.
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Monday night, Kansas City's Sprint Center played host to an NHL pre-season game between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings. Attendance was more than 14,000.
Since the Sprint Center was built with hockey in mind, a few viewers have asked me what happened to the old Kansas City NHL team, the Scouts. Good Question.
The Kansas City Scouts was a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1974–76. In 1976 the franchise relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies relocated to New Jersey in 1982 where they are now known as the New Jersey Devils. The Colorado Rockies then became a current NHL in 1995 after the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver.
The first choice for a nickname was Mohawks, however, the Chicago Blackhawks objected to the nickname. The second choice, the Scouts, was then chosen, after that famous statue in the city known as "the Scout." The Scouts played at Kemper Arena.
Wilf Paiement was the last active player in the NHL to have played for the Scouts. He retired in 1998, ending his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Wonder where that stinging opening sketch about Senator John McCain came from? The Sketch, called "I Approve This Message", was thought up by former SNL cast member and current Minnesota democratic Senate candidate Al Franken.
Franken was reportedly recording his own ads when he came up with the idea and called SNL writer Seth Meyers. Meyers then crafted the sketch that ended up on-air, Saturday, September 20, 2008. It's not uncommon for former SNL members to contribute to current shows.
Looking for equal time , Franken's rival, Senator Norm Coleman said, "Angry Al complaining about someone else's campaign ads is about as funny as Saturday Night Live is going to get this year."
Passing along jokes has some in Minnesota upset after Franken vowed to stay far away from the lime light and focus on state issues. According to the LA Times, Franken's involvement in the network show may provide further fodder for Minnesota Republicans to question Franken's commitment to serving their state rather than himself and show business career.
You can find the complete article at politico.com.
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This morning on NBC Action News Today, I discussed a "Cooking Camp' for Kids.
Here's the Associated Press story, plus information on local cooking classes:
Drop the s'more and take that hot dog off the stick - one of the hottest trends in summer camp has kids whipping up haute cuisine.
From rec-department lunchbox cooking classes to $2,650-a-week chef training for teens, camps nationwide are offering cooking alongside - sometimes in place of - canoeing and other more traditional camp activities.
“All of a sudden, everyone's interested in cooking,” said Melissa Owens, a former restaurant owner who started the Deliciously Nutritious camp this summer in suburban Maryland. Her first session filled up with 11 kids, ages 6 to 11, without even being listed in the county's initial camp guide.
Leading the kids through the final touches of apple-carrot-flaxseed muffins, Owens asks the kids what recipes they want to learn before camp is over, and there's not a grilled cheese in the bunch. These kids can julienne and whip their own cream, and they've got plans to make chocolate mousse and crepes.
“I want to be a chef,” declares 10-year-old Asya Proctor, whose grandmother signed her up for the camp because Asya calls Food Network star Rachael Ray her “hero.”
“Cooking's, like, challenging. But fun,” Proctor said.
The camps are part of an overall trend of children becoming serious consumers of foodie culture. The microwave generation is giving way to children raised on the Food Network and celebrity chefs.
“Kids are really interested in food,” says Hilleary Kehrli, spokeswoman for kitchen good retailer Williams-Sonoma, which started a line of cooking tools for children last year.
“They're seeing it on TV, and it continues the tradition of kids learning to cook from their parents and grandparents,” says Kehrli, whose company also offers cooking classes for kids. “We've really seen a big push for it.”
The kids' interest has caught even some professional chefs off guard.
“I don't know if it's the Food Network or what, but there are kids that show up already knowing how to make a hollandaise sauce, and 10 years ago, they wouldn't even know what that was,” said Kelly Dietrich, founder of Kids Culinary Cooking Camp in Highgate, Vt., where parents spend up to $2,650 a week to send their kids to learn advanced techniques.
The sleepover camp started five years ago for boys and girls ages 10 to 16, and it's so popular the camp started this summer offering higher-end skills such as growing shiitake mushrooms and raising seafood. “We've seen a huge growth in interest” and campers coming from as far away as South Africa and Japan, Dietrich said.
The trend has been noticed by traditional summer camps where culinary skills once were limited to roasting weiners or marshmallows over a fire.
“Many of our camps are adding cooking as an elective,” said Peg Smith, CEO of the Indiana-based American Camp Association, which includes 2,600 camps. “Kids are definitely concerned about nutrition. Cooking is a great opportunity to have fun with your friends. And you get to eat what you make. It's not like the art project that just sits there on the shelf.”
And parents, worried about poor nutrition and childhood obesity, are thrilled to cultivate their kids' interest, camp instructors say. Some are infrequent cooks themselves and fear their kids are missing out on the kind of learning that once was had at Mom's side.
“Parents kept saying, ‘Oh, do you offer anything for kids?”' said Diane Bukatman, a personal chef from the Baltimore suburb of Reisterstown who started Kids Cook camps in her kitchen. “We sort of did it as a lark to try it seven years ago, and it filled up instantly without us even advertising it.”
Bukatman has expanded her day camp to eight summer sessions, with most weeks having 14 kids instead of the 12 she aimed for. She now offers specialty weeks in pastry and ethnic cooking and special lessons during the school year.
“They never learned this stuff at home. I taught them how to dice onions the other day and they went home and taught their parents. I mean, it's horrifying!” Bukatman said with a laugh.
Just a couple days into the Deliciously Nutritious camp, 9-year-old A.J. Jones went home and started a family tradition: eating supper with his parents. He even made the pasta salad.
“It's normally, like, my dad's in the family room, my mom's standing up, and I'm at the counter,” Jones said. “Some nights, my mom will sit at the counter with me, but now, starting a couple nights ago, we're having family dinners.”
Another camper, 11-year-old Daina Sivilli, taught her mom how to peel a potato. “She was totally doing it wrong,” Sivilli said.
Parents not cooking at home has led to kids needing lessons in kitchen safety and food preparation, said Shelly Cheng, who started a cooking camp in her kitchen in Lakeland, Tenn., five years ago.
“Nowadays, parents are just so busy. You have two-income families and parents aren't cooking at home,” said Cheng, taking a break after leading campers through Salisbury steak with mushroom sauce and chocolate-banana panini dessert sandwiches.
Camp chefs say the classes are worthwhile even if the kids never go on to become gourmet cooks.
“Our goal is to change the way kids think about food, so that when they grow up, they're healthier,” said Owens, who like other chef instructors, requires her charges to at least taste every dish. “You only get one body, and you have to take care of it.”
The Culinary Center of Kansas City offers cooking classes. To find out more go to kcculinary.com.
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Kansas City is hosting the National Convention of POW’s to be held at the Sheraton Sports Complex. Friday, September 19 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
How many remain missing and how many POW’s are living in the US?
Good Question.
According to the White House, more than 50,000 POW’s are currently living in the US, and 1,752 Americans are still listed as missing.
Although the numbers will never be known, it’s estimated there were around 600 POW camps housing more than 300,000 prisoners.
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Will once be enough? Probably not.
Tina Fey's impersonation of Gov. Sarah Palin during SNL's season debut was viewed by the largest audience since 2001. So, will the former Saturday Night Live cast member return to reprise her role as Palin throughout the 2008 season? Good Question.
According to SNL spokesman Marc Liepis, the official answer is "maybe". However, the 5 1/2 minute segment paired with cast member Amy Poeler as Hillary Clinton has become a global smash, and a ratings success. So, the chance that Fey will return is almost assured.
To watch the SNL clip, go to nbc.com
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Play "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen at the GOP convention? Not so fast. Okay, how about "Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp? Nope. Well, what music can republicans play at campaign stops? Good question. Answer: Everything, but face the possibilty of a lawsuit.
Let me explain.
According to Politico.com, Springsteen, Mellencamp and other artists have asked the GOP to stop playing their songs on the campaign trail. In the case of Mellencamp, who was so offended when McCain's camp played "Our Country" he had his agent call the GOP. Bob Merlis, Mellencamp's agent says, “John said to me, ‘Don’t they know whose songs these are? Please tell them who I am: a left-wing Democrat,’”.
Mellencamp and Springsteen sent threatening letters asking republicans to stop playing their tunes.
The follwing is part of the politico.com article: What do all the cease-and-desist letters and testy calls amount to legally, though? Not much, if the songwriters licensed the public performance rights to their music to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers or Broadcast Music Inc. And the vast majority of artists, including Heart, have done that. Buying an ASCAP or BMI license allows a venue (or a campaign, if it purchases a traveling blanket license) to play any of about 8 million songs during their events. Though it might be a nice courtesy, the licensees are not obligated to call the artist to discuss.
According to Politico.com, the McCain-Palin campaign in 2007 it purchased both ASCAP and BMI licenses that cover the use of tunes for all public events. Campaign spokesman Ben Porritt said, “Our campaign respects copyrights and obtains licenses whenever the law requires, and any suggestion otherwise is flat wrong.”
Though an ASCAP or BMI license is usually all it takes out on the campaign trail, if artists are really mad and feel the use of their music appeared to be an endorsement by them, the artist can sue under various states’ laws about right of publicity, charging false advertising. Another option would be to sue under the Lanham Act, in relation to trademark law.
Many musical artists have openly endorsed democrats, so there is no problem there. However, I did see Charlie Daniels at the GOP convention. So, I guess they can play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". Of course, who would want to play that on the campaign trail?
For more on the Politico.com article click here.
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The Chiefs home opener is upon us. A new season brings new hope and the dreaded Oakland Raiders.
The Chiefs meet AFC West rival the Oakland Raiders for their first home game of the 2008 NFL season. How many times have these two teams met? Good Question.
According to the Chiefs, the Oakland squad will play the Kansas City squad for the 99th time Sunday, September 14th. The rivalry started in 1960.
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We all remember where we were at the time of the 9/11 attacks.
I was in a newsroom in Detroit, watching the coverage. When the second plane hit the South tower, my news director told me, "Get to New York City NOW!" Ten hours later I was at Ground Zero.
From that moment throughout my six weeks in Manhattan I worked every possible angle of the story for every newscast my station aired. I ran on adrenaline for those weeks, barely sleeping; barely eating. I didn't change my clothes for days. I slept on the floor of the satellite truck, waking to do another live hit. It was the most somber and stressful time in my life. I grinded my teeth and cried in the shower.
So many things were a blur: I can't recall every story I reported. I can't tell you where I shopped to finally replace the only clothes I arrived in. The faces I interviewed are lost. I can't remember one meal.
So many things I will never forget: The scope of the destruction at Ground Zero will never be appreciated unless you were there. The signs of the missing plastered on every brick wall, every tree and garbage truck. Trying to keep my emotions in check as a child handed me a picture of his father as I went live outside the armory where loved ones of the missing gathered. The smell of the rubble. The candles at Union Park.
I visited Ground Zero several times during my assignment, and each September 11th I am reminded of the tragedy. Over time I have grown to appreciate the need to remember an event that for the first few years I tried to forget.
We must never forget 9/11 and the victims that died that day.
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