And now for the rest of the story

All three South Florida major daily newspapers are cutting staff. By the looks of this article, the Miami Herald is cutting the news too.

TITUSVILLE -- (AP) -- Rough water capsized a boat in the Indian River and the people on board used the game ''rock, paper, scissors'' to decide who would swim back for help.

The three boaters say their vessel started taking on water Sunday afternoon. When they stopped the boat to work on the problem, some large waves tipped the boat over. The passengers were able to climb on top of the capsized vessel.

The boaters waited about seven hours to be rescued. All three people onboard were not seriously injured.

So when did the boaters play the game? To get the complete picture, I went to WFTV Channel 9 from Orlando's website.

"We played 'rock paper scissors' to see who would have to swim back," said boater James Elmore.

Neither article makes mention of a boater actually swimming back.

I know times are tough in the news business, but you would hope newspapers could correctly report a simple story of a boat capsizing without screwing it up. Is that really asking for too much?

Will Golfweek's Rex Hoggard please pick up the red courtesy phone

Another clueless idiot writing about golf. In an article about Michelle Wie playing in next week's Reno-Tahoe Open, Hoggard exclaims-

If Reno officials wanted to be real creative, they could have offered the spot to Annika Sorenstam who made history a few years back at Colonial. She has a resume that would justify the offer, the respect of the other players in the field and even a vacation home close to Montreux.

Instead, with apologies to Wie, they went with the bearded lady.

Comparing Wie to a circus freak is really beneath most of Wie's detractors. The real freaks are Hoggard and his employer Golfweek. If either had three brain cells working, they'd know Annika Sorenstam is only playing in a major championship the same time as the Reno tournament. The Women's British Open. She is unavailable to play in Nevada.

If Hoggard answers the page, I'll recommend he see a good proctologist. That in order to get his head out of his ass.

Dude, where's your home?

That would be a good question for Democratic Florida Congressman Robert Wexler. It was a segment on the O'Reilly factor last night.



Bob Norman at the Daily Pulp describes the scene where A Fox reporter speaks to Wexler in the driveway of his Maryland home.

A Fox News producer named Griff Jenkins caught up with Wexler in the front yard of his home in Potomac. When Jenkins walked up on his driveway, Wexler -- looking 100 percent the goofy suburban dad in a green hat, green t-shirt, and shorts -- didn't even wait for a question.

"No, I'm not doing this," Wexler said. "If you want to call my office, that's fine, I gotta drive my daughter to work."

Jenkins, like any good reporter, kept charging, asking Wexler by the congressman's silver Volvo SUV if his residency was in Delray.

"That's correct, that's my residence," he said.

Jenkins noted that it belonged to Wexler's in-laws.

"Is that true? You live with your mother-in-law?" Jenkins asked with a straight face.

That's when the fire-breathing liberal got what football coach Bill Curry likes to call the "brook trout stare." His eyes went blank and you could practically hear his brain leaking out of his head.

"Uh, the, mm ..."

The stammering only lasted a second or two, but it seemed like an hour in at the DMV.

"My in-laws own that house, that's correct," he finally said.

"So you live with your mother-in-law?"

"My in-laws own that house, yes, that's my official residence."

To summarize, Wexler's Republican opponent in November is accusing Wexler of not living in the Florida Congressional district he is elected to represent. His residence is actually the home of his in-laws, who live in a senior community which doesn't allow children. Wexler has three children, at least two of whom I have read attend a school in Maryland.

Bob at the Daily Pulp, hardly a conservative, sums up the Wexler situation very nicely.

You might think this seems a small matter and you might not like the vigor that O'Reilly goes after Wexler (fresh liberal meat, you know). But it's about more than partisan politics or even the fact that Wexler hasn't lived in his district for ten years and lists a sham residence in official papers. Put bluntly, this is a sleazy and unethical move by Wexler. For one, he gets a housing deduction from Congress to help him maintain two residences. Unless, he's paying Mrs. Cohen rent when he sleeps on the pull-out, he's just pocketing that little federal benefit.

Another thing is that he might be using the sham Delray house for tax purposes -- as in, to not pay them. Florida doesn't have a state income tax, Maryland does. That means his little deceit might be bringing him more than a little coin. It's not proven, but his cars are, weirdly, registered in Florida and it deserves to be looked into.

Basically, this could be tantamount to fraud and it could actually have some legs, though I seriously doubt we'll see any criminal charges and I'm quite certain his loyal voters will quickly forgive him. He's good ol' Bobby Wexler, after all.

I doubt this story will cause more than a slight stir politically for Wexler. The Florida 19th is strongly Democratic, and Wexler has never had any serious opposition with the exception of the 1996 Democratic primary.(Which basically determined who would win the seat, after former Congressman Harry Johnston's retirement.)

As for the fraud, there may be a case there. Though unless a federal prosecutor gets involved, nothing will happen. Barry Krischer is the State Attorney in Palm Beach County, and he has done almost nothing when it comes to local corruption. Two former County Commissioners and two former West Palm Beach Councilmen pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the last two years, but in each case the charges were brought by a federal prosecutor.

As for the local media hammering Wexler, it isn't likely to happen either. As Bob pointed out also, the Palm Beach Post is notoriously cozy with the local congress people. They knowing about Mark Foley's true sexual orientation for years, but never reporting it among other matters.

I've repeatedly stated how I don't like Wexler. For the first 17 years I was a voter, I supported two moderate Democratic Congressmen who held the seat Wexler now holds. Wexler's far left politics has always turned me off, and has resulted in me giving him three of my Knucklehead award. I think he is a hypocrite and a showman. That all said, Wexler is likely to be re-elected to Congress for many years to come unless he gets the bug to run for statewide office. He's had several chances already, so Wexler is here to stay. Unfortunately.

A big tip of the hat to Bob Norman at The Daily Pulp, who I quoted heavily for this post. Good work Bob.

That irresponsible news media

Each of the three major daily newspapers in Southeast Florida are jettisoning employees. The Palm Beach Post, which I subscribe to, is in the process of cutting 300 jobs.

The Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald have reported what is taking place at their respective papers. On the other hand the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has been quiet. Joe Strupp at Editor & Publisher writes about this news blackout.

Just days after The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel admitted it was cutting 20% of news staff but not reporting it, The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, another Tribune paper, revealed it was reducing staff under a similar plan.

Sun-Sentinel Editor Earl Maucker told E&P Monday that his paper also plans to cut 20% of its news staff -- now at 290 -- by the end of July. He said the cuts are coming through a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures.

The E&P is the first mainstream publication to report this. Blogger Bob Norman who writes for the Broward-Palm Beach New Times has been talking about the goings on in Ft. Lauderdale for at least a month. Then if I remember correctly, Bob's wife works for the Sun-Sentinel. That would provide him with a good source, but I make a bet Bob has others also.

Disclosure- Bob is the only non-golf blogger in South Florida I've met in person.

So why hasn't the Sun-Sentinel reported on what is happening at their newspaper. The newspaper's Editor Earl Maucker, gives an interesting answer.

Of concern to several staffers, however, has been the Sun-Sentinel's lack of reporting on the cutbacks, with no stories appearing in the newspaper or on its Web site about the cuts. In most cases, newspapers have reported on their own cutbacks prior to the final reductions.

Maucker said he chose not to report on the changes until they are completed: "It serves nobody's interest to put it out ahead of time. As I've found, it gets butchered in the media, [there is] misinformation."

Misinformation being spewed by proud members of the MSM? Say it ain't so Earl? Who are we talking about, the leftist Palm Beach Post or the Miami Herald? The Post and Sun-Sentinel compete actively for readers in South Palm Beach County, but I don't see too many Post staffers rubbing their hands with glee at the carnage in Fort Lauderdale, when worse happenings are taking place at their own paper.

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times is a weekly publication, and in a area with millions of people, has limited reach or influence when it comes to shaping people's views. They however do some good reporting on issues often neglected by South Florida's big 3. Other than them, who is Maucker talking about? Television? maybe. Bloggers? I thought the MSM didn't consider bloggers as members of the media.

Bob Norman writing at his blog, The Daily Pulp says the following about Maucker's misinformation claim-

Since the Pulp is just about the only medium that actually reports on the Sun-Sentinel, I'm going to overlook the mischaracterization (though we do love us some bloody meat). I'm not going to ignore the bad logic, though. Maucker's got it exactly backwards. The reason that newspapers -- or any company -- reports what's happening internally is to head off any misinformation. Obviously, the facts are more likely to get mangled if the newspaper is secretive about it than if it lays it on the table for all to see.

I agree with Bob, if you want to control misinformation, prevent rumors. Rumors are a 100% certainty if a company tries to keep something quiet. I worked for one employer that was having serious financial problems. Employees weren't told anything, but the rumor pipeline was always active. As a result, morale plummeted, as everyone feared for their jobs.

Really it matters little who Maucker is referring to. The lack of trust a Newspaper Editor has for other members of the media.... I wonder if Maucker trusts his own reporters. Remember paranoids even have enemies.

Bob also writes-

"I find it astounding that the Sun-Sentinel has not reported on any of this. How will it handle the next local company that lays off people and doesn't want to speak with a reporter?"

Now we know the answer. The Sentinel will say, "We've found that the media tends to butcher such news and spread misinformation, so we understand completely."

LOL, but not very likely. Only if Broward County's largest member of the media lays off people is it not news. We have some great practitioners of journalistic ethics in Fort Lauderdale, don't you think?

Goodbye Jason Taylor

The Dolphins traded their star DE for two draft picks, including a 2nd rounder next year. From the Sun-Sentinel-

Jason Taylor is leaving the only NFL team he has known, his wish to be traded to a contender granted Sunday.

The Washington Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round selection in 2010 to acquire the six-time Pro Bowler, who had spent 11 seasons anchoring the Dolphins' defense.

"We're fortunate there was a guy that caliber on the market when somebody got hurt," Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said. "Normally, in most years, there's not a guy of that caliber on the market."

The Redskins' need for a pass-rushing end became evident Sunday when they lost defensive end Phillip Daniels to a torn left ACL and Alex Buzbee to a ruptured Achilles' tendon in the team's first-day practice.

Tired of the Dolphins' constant rebuilding, Taylor pushed management to trade him to a contender this offseason. Pre-dating the draft, the Dolphins talked with a handful of teams. But none of the offers brought suitable value for a player who contributed 55 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Until now.

*****

Taylor, who will turn 34 on Sept. 1, is due $8 million this season, which includes a $500,000 roster bonus, and $8.5 million next season. The Redskins have the cap space to absorb the lofty contract, which has Taylor ranked among the NFL's highest-paid defensive linemen. The majority of his salary comes off the Dolphins' books, putting the team well under the salary cap.

The front page of the Palm Beach Post's sports section has a list of Taylor's accomplishments that include 11 year veteran, 6 Pro Bowls, 172 games etc, all under a caption that reads "What the Dolphins lose"

What lose? None of those accomplishments disappear because Taylor is now with a different NFL team. What Miami does lose is whatever productivity Taylor has for the rest of his career.

Which may not be a heck of a lot. He's 34 year old Defensive lineman. Most players are out of football at this age, and those who are still in it are almost all in their decline stage of the career. Taylor didn't have a bad 2007 considering the train wreck the Dolphins season was. However trading him for a 2nd round is a good deal in my book. A 2nd rounder could be a star or a very productive long-term player. It's a bit of a gamble, but Miami is a few years at least away from even contending for a playoff spot. Taylor wasn't Miami's future, but rather its past. I think Miami made the right move.

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is David Mercer of Associated Press. He gets the award for the following.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Ji Young Oh has won the LPGA State Farm Classic, making a birdie on the first playoff hole to beat Yani Tseng.

Oh made a par on the first playoff hole. When a journalist makes a mistake like this, you have to wonder if they are even at the event. Was Mercer writing his report from some sports bar in Springfield Illinois or the press area at the State Farm Classic?

Why doesn't AP hire me to cover ladies pro golf? At least I can get simple facts straight, instead of outright stupidity like this or picking a player to win a tournament they aren't playing in. Plus I can use some imagination when covering the sport, how often is ladies professional golf been compared to a Marx brothers routine? I've written straight news accounts too of play. Maybe I don't have a journalism degree, but like I said earlier, I can get simple facts straight.

AP did get around to fixing the embarrassing mistake, but I took a screen capture for posterity's sake. David Mercer of Associated Press is today's Knucklehead of the Day.

Grace Chen and family

A week ago today a 4-year-old girl named Grace Chen died in a fire at a Tallahassee Florida daycare. The girl's family isn't just heartbroken now, but a crisis. Lili Chen, Grace's Mom, is seven months pregnant with a baby boy and had to be hospitalized in the aftermath of her daughter's death. The mother at risk for pre-term labor.

I've lost a child and know how devastating the experience is. Please pray for Grace and her family. A statement released by the Chinese Christian Church the family atttends is below. God bless the Chens in their time of need.

On Friday, July 11th, a fire at the Stepping Stones Day Care Center in Tallahassee took the life of a sweet four-year-old girl, Grace Chen. Grace's family is tremendously devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter. Their hearts are broken.

Grace's mom, Lili Chen is 7 months pregnant with her second child. Grace used to tell everyone she would be a loving big sister, but now her wish will never come true.

The family is still in shock and trying to focus on saving Grace's unborn little brother. Lili is currently hospitalized due to the huge amount of grief and stress she is dealing with and is facing pre-term labor risks.

While the family is trying to go through this difficult time, they are willing to share the tremendous love and support they have received from friends, neighbors, and communities.

In lieu of flowers, friends of the family are asking that donations be made to the Tallahassee Chinese Christian Church in memory of Grace Chen. Contributions will go towards Grace's funeral service expenses and to have a tree planted to honor her memory.

Per the family's wishes, any remaining funds will be split equally and donated to Pediatric Programs at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the United Nations Children's Fund in China (UNICEF CHINA).

Please send your donations to the following address and note "Grace Chen Memorial" on the check.

Tallahassee Chinese Christian Church

Grace Chen Memorial

8801 Centerville Rd

Tallahassee, FL 32309

Sacked

The latest episode of the Nanny state run amok

The sack race and three-legged race have been banned from a school sports day because the children might fall over and hurt themselves.

Parents and campaigners described the move as "completely over the top". Teachers at John F. Kennedy Primary School in Washington dropped the events after discussions with Beamish Open Air Museum, where the Edwardian-themed sports day is being held today.

About 375 children are dressing up in period costume for the event. Running, hopping and throwing table-tennis balls into buckets will be allowed.

Laura Midgley, founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, said: "It's health and safety rules gone mad. I think it's completely over the top. The worst thing that could possibly happen is the children fall over."

No we can't have that. Has the 'tug of war' been eliminated also? Children must not strain their ligaments in unsafe activity.

I suggest all children only be let out of the house every day after having to put on rubber suits and body armor. We must reduce the threat of any injury, no matter how small.(Turns of sarcasm at conclusion of this post....)

Hat tip- Joanne Jacobs

A million miles here, a million miles there

We are all doomed.....maybe in 2036.

Since Apophis was discovered in 2004, asteroid-watchers have known that it has a slim chance of hitting Earth in 2036. At 270 metres wide, it is too small to rival the object that wiped out the dinosaurs, but it could cause devastating tsunamis were it to hit the ocean. Worrying as this is, we have been able to take comfort in the computed probability of impact, which is just 1 in 45,000.

Now it seems the true risk is unclear, thanks to minute effects that the calculations didn't take into account. "You really can't estimate the ...

Unfortunately the rest of the New Scientist article is available only if one wants to pay to be a subscriber. Michael Reilly writes-

Then scientists crunched some numbers, and the odds of a terrestrial bullseye dropped to 1 in 45,000, where they stand today. Sort of. It turns out that there are a few things we still don't know about the orbit of Apophis, which could change its projected course by millions of miles, according to an article yesterday in New Scientist. Are we going to get slammed by the 270-meter long hunk of rock? We probably won't know for sure until we get a closer look at its close-ish Earth flyby in 2013.

We already know that Apophis is due for a close pass by Earth in 2029, and if things go just right (or wrong), April 13, 2036 could be a very bad day for us.

While I'll be 75 in 2036(If I live past this or next year, it may be a miracle. Today I get very bad news on the cancer battle front that I'm fighting. My tumors are back, bigger and more numerous. This after months of chemo and radiation.), and have no living children, I do hope mankind avoids the calamnity of a asteroid strike.

Hat tip- Alex Knapp at OTB who writes- "There's no need to panic just yet, but this frustrating lack of information does provide more evidence that we really do need to steer some more funding and work into the asteroid detection/deflection area."

Broken broken record

The 47-year-old PGA Tour veteran won for the third time this year. Beating two players in a playoff. Perry now stands #2 on the 2008 money list, only behind Tiger Woods.

Much has been made about Perry deciding to first skip US Open, and now the British Open. I'm of the opinion that the golf media really needs a life. Seldom has so much been written about so little. Since when has a ordinary player's tournament scheduling been newsworthy? Tiger Woods is one thing, but I've been around long enough to have watched Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and others and don't recall their decisions to play or not play a tournament dissected.

In Perry's defense, I'll point out the following

*- Lee Trevino chose to skip the Masters three times in spite of him being eligible to play. It may be 4, but in 1977 Trevino had back problems. That may account for him missing the tournament.

*- 1967 PGA Champion Don January refused to play the 1970 US Open at Hazeltine because of his dislike for the course.

*- Twelve time tournament winner and 1984 Vardon Trophy winner Calvin Peete never played the British Open.

*- Here's the best comparasion to Perry. In 1969 Dave Hill, who won 13 times on tour, skipped that year's British Open. Hill won 3 times in 1969, finished 2nd on the money list that year, was competing for a Ryder Cup spot(like Perry, and Hill made it as Kenny is likely to do), and took home the Vardon Trophy that year.

In fact Hill only played once at the British Open. If I look some more, I'm sure to find players of like ability to Perry who skipped the British Open.

This non-story has gotten to the point where non-golf writers are taking shots at Perry. Take for instance Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN who writes-

"I was going to have to miss Milwaukee [the U.S. Bank Championship], which is a tournament I've won," Perry told a small gathering of reporters earlier in the week at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. "I've had eight top-10 finishes there."

Is that right? Eight top-10 finishes in Milwaukee. Wow. Well, then I can certainly understand why you'd stiff the world's oldest major, and a Birkdale course where Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller won championships. And I'm just spitballing here, but maybe you've had those eight top-10s because, you know, the world's best players ARE AT THE BRITISH OPEN!

Let me fire a cannonball back at the careless and unoriginal Mr. Wojciechowski. How many times have the Milwaukee and British Opens been played the same week since Kenny Perry turned pro, not counting this year?

Once, in 2007. A simple check of golfobserver.com would have shown this. So 7 of Perry's 8 top 10s at Milwaukee didn't come alongside the British Open.

If you're going to play the same broken record Gene Wojciechowski, get your facts straight. Otherwise you look like a fool. Better yet, don't write about golf at all.

Changes late in life

I think some of the reporting below is just nuts.

A man with high levels of the female hormone oestrogen is naturally turning into a woman, but doctors say the process is irreversible.

Terry Wright, 60, started losing his hair and beard ten years ago.

Since then, the father of five has developed smooth skin, hot flushes and breasts.

Mr Wright, a pub singer from Birmingham, gets harassed by local children who call him the "She-Man".

*****

Mr Wright, who has to wear a wig, has a slim build and is 5ft 4in height, making him appear even more feminine.

Blood tests have revealed that Mr Wright has abnormally high levels of the female hormone oestrogen. But doctors who have examined him say they have never seen such a case - and do not know what to do to reverse the process.

Some testicular cancers can produce high levels of oestrogen and drugs that used to treat prostate cancer can have similar effects. However, doctors say this in not true in this case.

An MRI scan has ruled out the oestrogen surge being caused by a tumour and a psychiatrist has judged him mentally sound.

His GP wrongly suspected he was trying to change gender and offered him a sex swap which he refused.

"I am a man, not a woman. And I do not want to be a woman. I just want to get my life back to normal," he said.

Professor Richard Ross, a hormones specialist and the head of Endocrinology at The University of Sheffield said: "This case seems very unusual."

Mr Wright added: "Doctors call me an 'interesting case' and 'unique' but I just want to go back to being a proper man."

While Mr. Wright's blood chemistry has changed, causing some physical changes, most people would still define him as a man because of what is between his legs. I would in Mr. Wright's case. Female hormones can't cause a man's equipment to disappear, but it would probably cause it to atrophy.

A couple of other observations on this article-

Mr Wright had to undergo a psychological test. At first glance a man taking on female characteristics would appear an abnormal event, so I understand the disbelief doctors and medical professionals would have when seeing Mr. Wright.

I don't blame Mr. Wright for wanting to be a proper man again. To have one's gender changed unwillingly, has to be unsettling. I vaguely recall stories of children raised as girls after a circumcision was botched. The results for the girls probably wasn't very pretty as they grew up.(Gender identity issues)

Update- A blogger in Australia is also discussing this news. Zoe has considerable experience with Idiopathic Partial Sex Reversal aka IPSR.

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Tampa Tribune sports writer Mick Elliott. He was covering the US Women's Open last weekend. In an article on the last round of play, Elliott writes-

Her(Inbee Park) best finish before Sunday's victory came earlier this season when she tied for second in Portland after a final-round 64

The Portland tournament Mick is referring to was last year, not this year. Once again a golf writer falls flat on his face getting a simple fact straight.

That's the secondary reason for Elliott getting the Knucklehead award. The main cause is this sentence.

Sweden's Helen Alfredsson finished second, four shots behind Park's winning 9-under 283, while Lewis was joined by South Koreans In-Kyung Kim and Angela Park in third place at 4 under.

Since when is Angela Park South Korean? Oh she's of Korean heritage, but born in Brazil and never lived her life in South Korea. More importantly, she became a US citizen this month.

Actually, she has taken an oath, too. The reigning LPGA Rookie of the Year became a United States citizen earlier this month, attending a massive naturalization ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Along with about 5,000 other teeming, beaming immigrants.

Unlike the vast majority of international athletes competing in this country, Park went through weeks of preparation for the tests required of new citizens, exams most of us homegrown sons and daughters of Uncle Sam would butcher beyond comprehension.

Angela has taken the time to become an American citizen. She therefore earns the right to be called an American, not South Korean a country she has only visited on vacation or when golf career requires it. Park has been living in the US since age 9, she's 19 now. I may also add this to further cement Angela's status as an American.

When the family relocated, the Parks made it a point to become fast immersed in the culture and traditions, which in her case, included golf. Angela, the youngest of four kids, has three brothers -- all of them have already passed the difficult U.S. naturalization exam.

More impressive, two of her brothers are in the armed services -- one in the Marines, another in the Navy.

"My dad is so proud of that," Angela said. "It was such a long journey for him, to Brazil, to the U.S., so for us to become citizens, he took great pride in that."

Mr. Park has a lot to be proud of between his sons serving in their adopted country's military plus Angela being last year's LPGA Rookie of the Year.

I wrote Mick Elliot yesterday, this was his reply.

Angela Park’s parents both are South Korean. She was born while they were living in Basil. I think it would be an insult to her not to acknowledge her natural heritage.

By Mick Elliott's rules, I'm Polish because I got Polish blood in my family(Paternal Great Great Grandfather) and been there on vacation. Don't you just love the way Mick Elliott spells Brazil?

Angela Park has earned the right to be called an American, and Mick Elliott of the Tampa Tribune has earned the right to be called today's Knucklehead of the Day.