Sleepless in Midland

Anchorwoman sinks

I was in a very small demographic the other night as I watched Anchorwoman.  That was the "reality" show featuring a chesty blond who hires on to be a news presenter at a tv station in Tyler, Texas.  The show drew such a tiny audience that it was canceled after only one airing.

There were some good moments though, but It's questionable how real reality shows like this one really are.  You just know that there are people behind the camera counseling the various participants on ways to get more tv face time.  And a good cat fight would surely give the ratings a kick in the pants.

So Lauren shows up for her first day on the job at the tv station, and the other women didn't take too kindly to the possibility of losing their fans to a bombshell beauty.  But that was never said.  The arguments were that she would hurt the integrity and credibility of this tv news show.  Viewers of Anchorwoman were left chuckling at that as we all know that a tv news show in a small community like Tyler -- where an important news story doesn't come along very often -- would need a rather large dose of entertainment to keep the viewers from clicking to another program.  And a likable news presenter is probably the most important asset a station could have.

So they do a news report about potholes.  The really great feature of the show was the peek behind the curtain.  We got to see the staff gather around the desk and toss out ideas about what the viewers would get to see that evening.  But if potholes came out on top then you know there weren't a lot of good ideas.  And we got to see Lauren go out and put together a story about potholes.  Aren't you sorry you missed it?

The story they were trying to sell on Anchorwoman was the interaction among the various players.  And in that aspect, other than the cat fight between Lauren and the woman who had to make room for her, there wasn't much there.

So the Anchorwoman was put out of its misery.  Too bad.  A real show about putting together a tv news program could be very interesting.  And something missing in our local market is reporting about the competitors.  Local tv stations seem to be afraid to say anything about the other local stations.  What, there's no dirt to dish out?  Jeff, are you out there?

But there's hope.  Check out this zinger at Fireant in which Eric lobs a rock in the direction of a collaboration between CBS7 and Mywesttexas.com.  Criticism from the outside probably just makes them circle the wagons, particularly when they are just trying out new ideas.  But we all like a good cat fight.

Lunar Eclipse

It was a total eclipse in places, but it was weird looking moon for early risers in West Texas.  The photo shows what you might have seen this morning.

Here's the Space.com page about it.  And here's someone's simulation of what it might have looked like if we were a little closer:  Youtube video.

Fire Department Open House

The Midland Fire Department had its annual open house Saturday, and the people in attendance got to watch the firefighters demonstrate their skills.

They rapelled down a rope, they ripped apart a car,  and they had a haz-mat hose down.

The airport fire engine can put out a tremendous amount of water in a very short amount of time.  They emptied the tank with a spray on the lawn, and the kids had a cool time.

West Texas Biathlon

Last Saturday (8/18/2007) the Pecos Rifle Club put on it's annual Run ’n Gun ’n the Sun biathlon somewhere outside of Pecos, Texas.  It was a six mile course with four stations where the shooters were supposed to stop and shoot some targets in a combination rifle match and endurance test.

Participants were expected to be self contained, i.e., they had to carry anything they thought they might need along the route which at a minimum would include a rifle, ammunition and water.  Sensible shoes might be a good idea, too.

Texas Falcon provided this first hand report:

We had a great day on Saturday. Arrived in Pecos at 5 am to meet the 30 other competitors for the 6th annual Run -n -Gun in the Sun Match. The object is to run or walk fast over a six mile course thru the scrub covered desert 70 mile NW of Pecos and stop at 4 stations and shoot the match for that station. Your four scores and your run time determine your ranking. It was over 95 degs with no wind. Two years ago I come in last place, this year I was 8th over all. I also received an award for being the oldest competitor and a gift certificate. My wife traveled with me to take pictures. The first picture is me starting off about 10 am. Note the dry clothes and the smile. The second picture is me at station #2 shooting at 300 yard disks while the scorekeeper records the hits and the time. The last picture is me crossing the finish line. Note the only dry spot on my shirt is around my elbow.

My wife & I increased our training in June and we started walking the Midland HS football stadium steps two to three times per week. When my grandson, was visiting us, I increased my shooting. Both paid off big time.

Three men over 65 were in the top 10.  THE WINNER WAS 67 YEARS OLD!

Geezers with guns?  Heh heh, thanks Texas Falcon.  And congratulations!

See another account and more photos at  AR15.com/forums.

Lion Pride vs. Water Buffalo Herd

Here's a fascinating short video of a wild animal confrontation at an African watering hole.  Click.

Can't they all just get along?

Via Volokh.com.

Bummed out on lock bumping

They say that if a burglar really wants to break into your house he'll find a way.  That shouldn't stop us from throwing roadblocks in the way, and we all want to think that our stuff is little bit more secure if we've locked the doors.

In the old days burglars would take a crowbar, wedge it between the door and the jam and pry enough so that the bolt slips out of the jam.  But any burglar who has an internet connection or who has spent a little time in a correctional facility will know how to make a bump key.

A bump key is a key made from a blank with some uniform file cuts in it.  The burglar simply sticks it into the lock and gives it a good rap with a screw driver handle, and the key opens the lock.  You can see it demonstrated at this youtube video, and here's another one with an animation showing what's going on inside the lock.

What's depressing about this is that few lock manufacturers will even acknowledge the problem.  Use lock manufacturers' search engines to see what the word "bump" pulls up, and at Schlage and Kwikset there's nothing.  They are either oblivious of the problem, or they want to avoid the issue.  Which do you think it is?

Of note here is the disclaimer found on the instruction sheet of a Schlage lock which says in all caps:

IN NO EVENT SHALL SCHLAGE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE SALE OR USE OF THE PRODUCT.

Therefore, if someone bumped open a lock and cleaned out a house then if the homeowner could prove that the lock was bumped he/she might be able to get back the price of the lock.

Contrast that with Medeco which appears to be the only lock manufacturer that has addressed the problem.  And they say their locks can't be bumped.  Watch their video here.  Of course that's just an invitation for people to  try, and there's a disagreement now between Medeco and some lock hackers who claim to have bumped open one those locks.

And here's another catch:  Medeco locks cost three times the cost of a Schlage or Kwikset.  And they are not that readily available.  According to their website dealer locator there is only one Medeco dealer within 25 miles of me.  And that dealer told me this morning that it would take three or four weeks to get one.

But you know what?  Even with all of this high tech lock picking, the old crowbar is still probably a quicker and more reliable illegal entry system.

Imus getting sued by Rutgers basketball player

It had to happen.  ABC News tells us that Kia Vaughn, one of the Rutger's basketball players Don Imus allegedly slandered, is suing the I-man.  (Via Daily gut.)

It was the bigotry of low expectations that people committed when they assumed that those women were so permanently damaged by an insult that their personal and professional lives could never recover.

But Ms. Vaughn is missing the target.  The women on the basketball team were reportedly ignorant of the whole affair until later.   The original broadcast reached a very small audience -- it was the tree falling in the woods with no one around to see it fall.  Another example of that was the caricature of Don Imus shown as a graphic one afternoon on MSNBC which no one but the MSNBC staff and I saw.  See Mischievous MSNBC staffers not finished with Imus.

It was Mr. Imus' detractors who made his remarks famous.  Republication is the same as the original publication, and  MSNBC, which replayed the segment over and over, would seem to be the softer target.  They've already shown a tendency to cave on racially sensitive issues, and if Ms. Vaughn were to so much as look mean in their direction she could probably get her own tv show.

But if this thing ever goes to trial it will be interesting to hear experts tell us just exactly what those phrases, "nappy headed" and "ho," mean this day and age.  Most of us would be hard pressed to come up with contemporary and accurate definitions.  And here's the tough part, how exactly was Ms. Vaughn damaged by all of this?  Her lawyer is telling us that she was accused of being unchaste so that they can allege libel per se and avoid having to prove actual damages, thus transporting us into a bygone era.  Call a woman "unchaste" and the court will go Victorian on your ass.

Here's the original sin on youtube in which it sounds as if Imus was almost trying to compliment the team by telling viewers how tough they were.  Poor old confused Don Imus.  He came of age before the women's movement, and he's probably been beaten over the head so many times with the issue of women being equal  to men that he was punch drunk with belief.  He forgot how delicate women can be.

Sunday Amusement - VW bug gets shredded

Click the youtube link to watch a 1974 VW Bug get fed into a shredder.

It's sort of a short story:  Hippie parks his VW in the company president's spot.  Company pres gets mad. Fork lift operator puts the VW into a mobile shredder, and there she rips.

History has not been kind to the flower children.

Via YouTube Top Videos of Month.

Odessa tax watchdog looking out for Midlanders

Jason Moore of CitizenWatchDogs.com  appeared before the Midland City Council the other day to address taxes.  From what the newspaper says some of our council members got a little bit defensive about it.  See City councilman debates role of government with 'citizen watchdog' during tax hearing.

He is promising video of the event at Watchdog vs. Taxhog.  Thanks Jason, we'll be watching for that.

Tales from the water's edge – more Midland flood stories

[Updated 8-16-07:  Scroll down for more stories.]

The recent flood has brought back memories of previous floods, not just the one in 1968, but there was one in the 1980's.  Long time Midlander Betty emails stories of both floods.  And for an added bonus, there's a link below to old newspaper photos of the flood of '68.  But first here's Betty:

I'm a long-time Midlander and was living at my current house in the flood of 1968. The water was three feet deep in my rent house on the alley and was level with the floor of my house. We never rented the alley house again because the stove, water heater, refrigerator and most of the furniture were ruined. There was a tale at work about a co-worker tying his Volkswagon to a tree with a rope because it started floating down the street in the flood. People who lived north of Wadley couldn't get to their houses and my husband had to wait quite a long time to make his way back to our house from that direction. Water was cascading like a waterfall down the stairs to the basement of the building where I worked and they turned the electricity off in the building because the electrical equipment was in the basement. I stayed in the building in the dark till about three in the afternoon instead of wading water around knee-high to try to get to my car. By then the water was about gone from the streets of downtown Midland and it was easy to drive home where I saw the pond covering "A" street and my back yard.

The flood of the 1980's occurred in 1986. It was not the result of one  rain, but because we had 32 inches of rain that year.  Ponds were created where we had never had them.  Houses and business owners' property on Florida street where it turns into the Garden City Hwy turned into ponds, and it was weeks or months before the water went down.  My neighbor's house south of Wadley Barron kept flooding so she cut out the back of her garage and turned it into a carport so she could escape through the alley when Wadley Barron flooded.

The site shown below shows Midland's rainfall over the years.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/maf/HTML/ANNPCPN.htm

I know that the area south of Wadley Barron is in the flood plain because my neighbor was required to have flood insurance by her mortgage holder. I don't know about the area on the Garden City Hwy. The draw a couple of miles south of Midland (I think it is Monahans Draw) also kept running with water and there were several articles in the Midland paper in 1986 concerning who was responsible for the flooding it was causing. (People thought Odessa should control the water.)

Hey, thanks Betty.  That's a cute story about the Volkswagon -- makes perfect sense to try to anchor a car that's supposed to float.

Related:  Splish Splash, a flash flood flashback,  and The Flood of '68.

And a two page photo spread from the May 10, 1968, Midland Reporter-Telegram can be seen at Flood of '68 photos.  Bear in mind that these are photos of microfilm of an old newspaper.  So the quality isn't that great. But from a historical perspective, it's fascinating stuff.

Updated 8-16-07:
More tales from the water's edge.  Joe Hathaway sends more "more Midland flood stories."

My daughter attended West Elementary deaf education classes in 1968, and I spent all afternoon the day of the Big Flood driving her classmates home.  For some reason, my '66 Dodge Coronet Convertible was very dependable in high water, with its distributor and spark plugs seemingly located high enough that we traveled easily where others drowned out.

My last child delivery was to Melody Acres, and I found myself driving on a road with which I was not as familiar, North Midland Drive.  I had been out to Dodson's Party Shop a few times (Poor man; he had built his store miles outside of Midland, all by itself southwest of the intersection of County Road 60 and Midland Drive!), but I had only gone there in fair weather.  I did not realize that (at that time) a very wide, "shallow" draw crossed Midland Drive.

My plucky little Dodge soldiered on, however, until the headlights were shining under the surface of the unexpected river I was fording.  When the motor finally gave up, I attempted to get out, while the kids screamed in terror, only to realize that the car was very close to being swept away, and that I would not be able to leave the car without drowning.  As soon as I had struggled back into the car (with my feet in the bathtub where the pedals were hidden), a welding truck pushed me through the rapids and up the "hill" towards the Acres.  We sat there for some time, trying to start the poor ragtop, but the Salisbury girl finally walked home.  I do not remember who gave us a ride back to our home on Cimmaron (to the very edge of town, at the partially paved street one house west of us, Mark Lane), but it was several days before my car could be towed to a shop for a total transmission overhaul.

Memories of that week include seeing two competitors' oil service trucks side by side, attempting to suck the pond out of the basement of Midland Memorial Hospital, where all their supplies were stored, and those same trucks, joined by a third competitor, later parked for a week in front of Bowie School on "A" Street, pumping nonstop, slowly reducing the lake which later became Wadley-Barron Duck Pond.  That lake was up to the eaves of houses on the south side of the park, claiming many treasures, including a newly written, hand-inscribed full symphony which had been sitting on a piano in the home of the composer.

My wife, Ann, remembers that a rowboat and a couple who had escaped a floating Volkswagen wound up in her yard at Osage and North "A" Street.  Luckily, "A" was paved past her house, because it was not paved all the way to Wadley (which was not paved, either).  She also remembers that cars parked on the M System (think "County Annex") parking lot were washed into Scharbauer Draw.

The Paul Harvey News radio show the next day featured Paul mentioning that he had recently visited Midland, and that from his window in the Scharbauer Hotel, he had thought to himself, "What a flat, featureless plain the City of Midland sits on!"  He then commented that the morning wire services were reporting eight feet of water standing on Midland, and he wondered how so much water could be standing on such a flat place!

Joe Hathaway

Great story!  Thanks, Joe.

July 4th fireworks display

(Hopefully, this topic isn't too untimely.  See feeble excuse at the end.)

On the evening of July 4th this year a friend took me to a spot on high ground outside of town with a spectacular view of the city of Midland.  It's a nice scene on an ordinary night, but on the 4th of July the fireworks going off all around the city added something extra to the landscape.

There were hundreds of tiny rockets streaking into the air exploding in amazing fireballs.  There was an official firework display downtown -- see someone's video here -- but there were plenty of extracurricular firework displays throughout the city.  The previous rains had the vegetation flourishing, so there wasn't a lot of ground fuel for fires.  And while any fireworks in the city could propose a fire hazard, on that night it seemed relatively safe, at least from my perspective a few miles out.

Watching something like that leaves one wondering just how much money went up in firework smoke that night.  The newspaper advertising supplement had fireworks for sale ranging from $1.00, for the children I presume, to $129.99 for those who really wanted to impress the neighbors.  And on that particular July 4th there must have been thousands of dollars worth of rockets lighting up the sky.  It's no wonder that the fireworks sellers squealed like stuck pigs when officials initiated burn bans during the drought years when all of that dry kindling covered the land.

Here's what might make an eye catching youtube video for the next July 4th.  It would take a video camera and some patience.  I don't have a video camera so I may not be the one doing it.  Here's the idea:  Drive out of town to the high spot, set up the camera aimed at the city and shoot.  Record for about three hours, then compress it so that the whole thing will run in about three minutes at high speed.  What the viewers would see would be a very nice city night scape but with hundreds, maybe thousands, of daffodils sprouting and blooming into fireballs all across the city.

Well, it looks good in my imagination, anyway.

Was this topic too untimely?  I've got about a hundred half written blog posts lying around.  The statute of limitations has run of some of them, and some are hopelessly out of date.  The topic was important at the time, but it got the back burner treatment.  And occasionally one gets stuck like a song you just can't get out of your mind.  This was one of those.

Splish Splash, a flash flood flashback

(Say that three times fast and you're on your way to becoming a master enunciater.)

Newsroom Stew knows about rain.  He writes about the flood of '68 in Ed Magruder knows about rain with an interview with the mayor from that time to put the recent flood in perspective.

To see what the local newspaper said back then about that flood see The Flood of '68, infra.  (Apologies to the copyright holder.)  Scroll down for some comments from people who saw it first hand.

And to see the various flood plains in the city visit the City of Midland interactive map.

Water, lots and lots of water

It was a mighty rain that fell last week.  Mean Street has a nice photo of a park and adjacent street under water.

Construct an appropriate road sign at Atom smasher.

The Wild Won

It was exhausting to watch Man Vs. Wild as Bear Grylls was dropped into wild country with nothing but a knife, a fire starter, a canteen of water, and a camera crew.  And over the next few days he would make his way to civilization, surviving on whatever he found or caught to eat along the way.  The film crew was choppered out at night so they could sleep in a motel.

Now it turns out that when the cameras were turned off, he camped out at the motel, too.  See Hollywood Reporter.

Here's what he says about it in his blog:

Re: the recent press accusations of motels and stagings in the show that have been doing the rounds, all I can say is they don't always tell the full story, but that’s life and part of being in the public eye I guess.

The upshot is we’re determined to make all new shows more inclusive of the crew and their role. Discovery and Channel 4 will also include a disclaimer at the start of the show so there's no confusion.

It's still a good show. It's all of those MacGyver type survival techniques that make it so entertaining.  And if they just come clean about who does what it will be even better. Where else could you see someone catch his own sushi and eat it right there on the spot?

We'll leave the light on for you, Bear.

Updated 12/6/07:  He's at it again.  See Bear Grylls up to his old tricks.

Driver's Ed - speeder's edition

Question from the unauthorized driver's education exam:

You're driving down the street, and you see a police officer hiding among the trees with a radar gun.  What do your do?

A.  Fasten your seat belt.
B.  Slam on the brakes.
C.  Start rehearsing a whopper about why you're driving so fast.
D.  All of the above.

But he made the trains run on time

Former city manager Rick Menchaca's lucrative severance agreement provided that he gets his payoff today (8/1/2007).  And this morning's MRT contains a Colin Guy front page article titled Cuevas: Menchaca's legacy will benefit Midland in the long run in which former City Councilman Jose Cuevas was said to still support Mr. Menchaca in spite of all that has happened.

Now I'm no keeper of the inside facts, and I was not in the smoke free back room when the arm twisting took place.  But here's some gossip plus a little speculation about how Mr. Menchaca got the job.  The city manager some years ago was Mike McGregor.  And Mr. McGregor developed some temporary health problem.  In the interest of keeping the city running smoothly, he mentioned to someone that it might be a good idea to start thinking of a replacement if that should become necessary.  So he gently opened the door to the idea, and the next thing he knew he was on a fast track out the exit.  Mr. Cuevas was a very strong advocate for Mr. Menchaca's promotion to city manager and may have had as much or more influence than anyone else on the eventual City Council vote in which Mr. Menchaca beat out Glen Hackler, the other contender.

Mr. Menchaca negotiated a sweet employment deal with the city, and the current residents are now having to pay the price.  But it's good to know where Mr. Cuevas stands on the issue.

So let's clarify some of the issues.

First, there is nothing to suggest that anything Mr. Menchaca did to improve the city or to save the city money was different from what any other city manager of a comparable size city making a comparable salary would have done.  He probably attended continuing education courses at the city's expense where he should have learned of ways to do that.  And his severance agreement even required the city to reimburse him for his attendance at Texas Municipal League meetings.  Surely the people attending those things are willing to share information that will benefit municipalities.  If not, then it was city money wasted.

Secondly, in spite of all the good Mr. Menchaca did for the city during his tenure, the real problem was that he had the department heads intimidated into thinking he would retaliate against them if they spoke out against him.  The quote that floats around is that he told them he would "chop [or cut] them off at the knees" if they went above his head to the City Council.

The police department command staff certainly feared retaliation.  (See The Letter.)

Maybe there's anecdotal evidence out there, but we do know that there's a complaint pending now which, if true, suggests that he may have actually taken steps to retaliate against a police officer's mother-in-law who complained to the City Council against Mr. Menchaca.  (See Colin Guy's 7/31/07 article.)  Not to worry, though.  Mr. Menchaca's severance agreement contains a provision whereby the city will provide his legal defense if he gets sued as long as the jury can be convinced he was doing his job for the city, acted in good faith, and didn't break the law.

Mr. Menchaca probably did some good things for the city, we'll take Mr. Cuevas' word for it.  But each of us has to decide for him/herself whether the good outweighs the bad.

But let's close on this interesting tidbit from Mr. Guy's article:

According to estimates from Menchaca he provided to the Reporter-Telegram in May, the initiative is saving the city about $240,000 per year.

By that calculation the city can recoup his severance payoff in two short years.

And finally, here's a hat tip to Colin Guy for keeping us all updated on this thing.  And here's hoping he can now move on to other topics and that today is the last day we'll have to see anything about Mr. Menchaca in the local paper.