The Veneer of Social Media

Happy April.

I've been pondering this topic for several weeks, while at the same time trying to wrest myself from the self-imposed prison that online activities can at times become. While pondering a milestone in my own life and the difficulties of a friend and fellow blogger, I was reminded a little more of what I wanted to write about.

Last month in the midst of all the Oscar hype, IFC put on the 2006 Best Picture, Paul Haggis' Crash. I like this film because of the ensemble cast, and the story that interweaves the lives of characters for whom little else appears to be in common, while dividing them along the man-made barriers of race and culture.

In each character's story there are moments of crisis and redemption; people connect and disconnect, or vice versa. In many cases, those man-made barriers, the external shield of ego or pride which we identify with or protect ourselves from others, is stripped away, revealing the true nature of that person underneath.

It's kind of like furniture; what is solid wood, and what is particle board covered with a thin, albeit attractive, veneer?

I grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh that was very reminiscent of classic, stereotypical small town America of the 50's and 60's, much like those immortalized in print by writers such as John Cheever and Richard Yates. See The Swimmer, or Revolutionary Road.

My fiancee Leslie also grew up there, but in a very different way. We're challenging convention by being together, and in many ways challenging each other. She's trying to teach me that the veneer doesn't matter, that what's underneath is what God looks at, and what two people need to depend on to make a relationship work.

The veneers of the past, be they the status symbols (house, car, job, clothes) or the carefully crafted way that one conducts themselves in public life, are being replaced today by the virtual representations of oneself in the great cloudy cacophony of the social media phenomenon. I know this largely from experience, having had a Facebook account for a while now, and staying active on it as part of my periodic overindulgence into all things Internet.

Social media sites such as MySpace appeal to younger people (or those who would like to be younger) largely trying to create a persona for themselves, or market themselves in the case of many musicians and bands. Twitter seems to speak to those with commonality in interests or ideologies; it's become the tool used most famously to mobilize citizen action, and is most notable to me as a tool for creating Smart Mobs, or stupid mobs in Philadelphia.

Facebook has become the bastion of connecting with friends new and old. In looking at my own page and those of my Facebook friends, many of whom I went to high school with, I put forward what I want others to see, and they do the same. There isn't a lot of unpleasantness or tragedy, unless it's brought forth to generate assistance, prayer, or to galvanize many to action.

Unlike interacting with someone face to face, one can carefully craft their online persona and still appear genuine within the confines of a two-dimensional, pixellated universe of their own creation. The Internet is unique and paradoxical because it can serve to connect us with others in a way that can be genuine or false, or even isolate us in our own virtual world. This can have consequences ranging from the subtle erosion of a sense of 'real' community, to the tragedy of literally trading a virtual existence for the real world, as evidenced by recent events in South Korea.

Even through social media connections, and the collective virtual compassion that they can convey to us in times of need, too often we are afraid to remove the veneer, show our pain, our strength, our weaknesses, and genuinely reach out for or to our fellow man.

Last month, Grand Junction blogger Ralph D'Andrea reached out as far as his comfort level would allow him, with the news of an "unspeakable tragedy", and initially left it at that. It was only later that he shared the news of his daughter's death with his readership.

This month the Grand Junction religious community is leveraging the connecting ability of the Internet in a tangible and practical way, to conduct its annual ShareFest. It's an opportunity to reach out past the virtual world to make a difference in the life of someone real. It's worth checking out.

Self-doubt and fear of change cause many of us to conceal our pain underneath the veneer of what society expects to see of us. We forget that we are best as a society and as humans when we balance the need to be self-reliant with the understanding that none of us are alone, and all of us are cared for.

One other thing I ran into recently was a page from a Max Lucado devotional, which was written around a scriptural admonition that feels appropriate to the topic at hand. Perhaps the message will be one that can help us all to remain strong in the face of difficulties, and hearty and solid beneath our veneers.

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Have a good Easter weekend.

Homage to the 'Birdman'

“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”

- St. Francis of Assisi

As the change of seasons continues to take shape in our area (we've already had our first human-caused wildland fire of the year), sometimes it's good to take a look around and get a closer look at those things that take a piece of our field of vision, but that we take for granted or just don't really notice.

Thanks to reporter Troy Sides of the Mesa State Criterion, we now know a little bit more about one of Grand Junction's most enigmatic personalities.

In a recent story and associated audio slideshow, Mr. Sides introduces us to the 'Birdman', AKA one Edward Gillman. A widowed California transplant with two grown daughters, Mr. Gillman stated he's been walking the same regular route between the college area and Downtown for the last 27 years, feeding the birds along his way.

Mr. Gillman said that he got his start when he took an injured sparrow home and it got better. Like with the famed Robert Stroud, an avian avocation was begun.

I see the Birdman at the Downtown Post Office in the late afternoons, before he walks east on White Avenue, flocks of pigeons and starlings following him. He lives in an apartment in town.

Seeing someone who is content with spending his days in this manner runs counter to the pulse of our society and culture, but I can sense that the Birdman has a good idea of what he wants to do, and is at peace with himself and his life.
He enjoys a freedom that few of us can comprehend.

Pax et Bonum.




Photo Credit: Troy Sides, Mesa State Criterion

Sensible School Safety

School District 51's desire to partner with the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center for emergency notification services, reported in yesterday's Sentinel, is a welcome development for those who desire collaborative partnerships across government boundaries.

During a time when the District is taking heat over some of its other ideas for cutting costs, this proposal makes sense, not only for sensible management of fiscal resources but also the effective management of official information and direction going out to parents, students, and others whenever an emergency situation occurs at a District 51 facility.

Coordinating access to the dispatch center's notification technology, when combined with processes that allow for proper authorization and authentication, as well as the training and orientation of personnel, will go a long way toward the dissemination of information in accordance with best practices. This means information that is concise, meaningful, and provides proper direction to those impacted by the emergency.

There are too many past examples of incomplete or conflicting information related to an emergency response coming from schools in this area and elsewhere. Centrally coordinating these notifications through our area's emergency communications professionals will help to assure that the dissemination of information trickles down from an established command structure, whether that information comes via text messages, phone calls, or the mass media.
Making the system accessible through local public safety will also likely assure that information is disseminated through a unified command, incorporating all community stakeholders that may be impacted by a school emergency.

District 51 Safety Coordinator Tim Leon, a former School Resource Officer with two Grand Valley police departments, was quoted as mentioning the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting incident as an impetus for the District's interest in a centralized means of generating emergency alerts.

That tragedy also galvanized America's university community in a way not seen previously, including Mesa State, which touts its own emergency notification system on its website. There was unfortunately no mention in the Sentinel story about the college's capabilities, and whether or not they have a similar partnership in place with public safety communications. Given that Mesa State's campus security services are provided by the GJPD, that's hopefully a good bet.

Best wishes to the parties involved for an uneventful transition to what will likely be a fine example of collaboration in action.

Spring 'Break' Travelogue

One week ago Friday I left the freezing rain and wind in Denver for the wind-driven snow of Omaha for a job interview. I was dutiful in arriving at DIA an hour and 45 minutes ahead of my departure time, only to be met by a mass of humanity comprised of two of the larger groups of travelers that still appear to be active even in this economy; spring break and collegiate athletes.

This wasn't the college-age spring breakers headed to Florida or Mexico; these were families with several groups of teens and tweens in tow, who seemed hell-bent on packing their entire wardrobes along with them. This made for an interesting combination with the men's and women's track and field teams from the Air Force Academy.

To make a long line short, myself and my luggage barely made it to the plane in time.

I spent a good portion of the day trying to familiarize myself with Omaha and its surroundings, should anything come of my interview, which seemed to go well. That evening I flew to Pittsburgh to spend some time with Leslie and check on my mother, who fell a couple of weeks ago and sustained a shoulder injury.

Leslie's daughter Michaela was looking well at the beginning of the week; she was talkative and somewhat more energetic than she had been in past visits. We enjoyed some springtime activities to go with the sunny, 60-plus degree weather, playing miniature golf and eating ice cream.

By mid-week, however, both the weather and her disposition had changed. Recurrent bouts of nausea and vomiting had us in the ER at Children's Hospital twice, primarily for IV fluids and anti-vomiting drugs to try to keep Michaela from becoming dehydrated. Near the end of the week, she started receiving these fluids and meds at home.

Michaela is due for a follow-up visit at Children's in Philadelphia, which will hopefully show that the MIBG radiation she had earlier this year is beating back the neuroblastoma that she has fought for over 4 years now. Your prayers and kind thoughts are welcome as always.

I was also at a local hospital with my mother, so that she could have an MRI scan of her injured shoulder. The concern here is identifying a need for surgical intervention, and if none is required how much rest and healing is needed before starting any rehabilitation. Either way, the goal is to preserve as much function of the joint as possible.

My Hometown.

Mom's convalescence was further complicated by some type of flu-like illness toward the end of last week. I made a couple of grocery runs for her, and when I left on Saturday she was starting to feel slightly better. I'm hoping that the trend continues for both her and Michaela, and as I make my way back again soon I'll hopefully be able to see some smiles again firsthand.

*****

I extended my visit by a couple of days, and the clamor of Spring Break reared its ugly head again when trying to plan a return trip. In this context I really can't say enough about Southwest Airlines. Their method of operations, efficiency, and level of customer service really stood out on this trip, and they deserve some props for the way that they conduct themselves in an industry that is largely perceived as an essential but nonetheless unpleasant experience.

At a minimum, you can change flights and use the same funds you initially paid without penalty. They charge no baggage fees in the majority of circumstances. If you book far enough ahead of time, their fares are hard to beat. One of their customer service reps spent a good 45 minutes on the phone with me trying to connect the dots from Pittsburgh to Denver without extensive layovers. She was patient, efficient, and knew her stuff.

Southwest's gate operations are as efficient as they can possibly make them. They turn an aircraft around and move people better than just about anyone. They do this with a pleasant disposition and even a sense of humor. An example is below, from a few trips ago:

(Upon touchdown) "And believe it or not, that was his first try..Ladies and gentlemen, we at Southwest Airlines would like to be the first to welcome you to Pittsburgh. Please remain seated, with your seat belts fastened, until Captain America brings us to a screeching halt at the gate."

People seem to get this about Southwest, because nearly every seat was full on every flight this time around. Nice job, folks.

Say what you want about the airline industry. Michael Moore made a few good points about that in his latest film. Yeah, I'm trying to find work in this business, and it's not easy. $10 and hour to dispatch planes in Memphis? How about I just flip burgers in GJ or Denver or Pittsburgh for 9?

And yes, it can be an unpleasant to be intruded upon by our security infrastructure and then stuffed into a 500 MPH sardine can. There are ways to deal with this (see Up In The Air - for more than just this reason), and it helps when simple human decency trumps the unpleasantness of the situation.

In fact, just about everyone I interacted with seemed to be quiet, pleasant, patient, and mindful of others, despite some of the circumstances they were encountering.

Well, not quite everyone...

Have a good week ahead.

Addendum, 3/29/10, 4:40 PM: Today's Denver Post featured a story on the Aircraft Dispatcher training program at Jeppesen that I attended last year. It's a great program, and appears to be available without costs for residents of several metro Denver counties. Reading this will give you an idea about the situation many older workers find themselves in.

Sign O' The Times 5

About a year and a half ago, I wrote about neighborhoods and the spirit of cooperation they can engender when people reach out to each other. One idea that I mentioned was community gardens, and it looks like another one is just about to come to fruition in Downtown Grand Junction.

This sign has been up for a couple of months now, on a vacant lot at the southeast corner of 5th Street and Chipeta Avenue. The land is owned by the Mesa County Public Library District, and the project is being managed by the CSU Cooperative Extension office on Orchard Mesa.

I recently spoke with Curtis Swift of the Extension office. He stated that as the library district can't legally charge users of their land for a garden, they have asked his office to coordinate these efforts. He estimated that a 20 ft by 20 ft section of the garden would cost around $50 per season, primarily to offset the cost of an irrigation system and water.

Mr. Swift expected to have to conduct a lottery for available spaces, so if you're interested in being listed for one, it would probably be a good ideal to contact him at 970-244-1834.

Congratulations to all involved in working together to bring a valuable use to this vacant land.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question...

Wal-Mart, Grand Junction (West), 3/16/10

One thing I've noticed with increasing frequency is grocers more openly identifying the origin of the products they sell. This seems to be much more evident with regard to fruits and vegetables. I know several people that will not buy foreign produce under any circumstances, even though I think it's pretty difficult if not impossible to find an American-grown banana.

All of the produce on sale at this particular market had its country of origin clearly identified next to the price, as illustrated above. This is most likely due to pressure from consumers, and it's a good thing.

Eat your fruits and vegetables.

Have a great day.

Moore on a Roll

While I'm sure that some in our country would actually like to see Michael Moore on a roll in the literal sense, he does seem to be at his best (or worst) when he's pissed off.

With a post today on his website, Mr. Moore is re-injecting himself into the argument by juxtaposing the current health care debate with the subject matter of his last two films, Capitalism: A Love Story and Sicko.

Let's just say that he is less than pleased with the way things are happening:

But don't insult me and 300 million Americans by calling this "health care reform." At least you've stopped calling it "universal health care." We will not have universal health care or anything close to it. I wish the president and the Democratic leadership would just stand up and say, "We're sorry, America. We didn't get the job done you sent us here to do. We're weak and scared and unable to communicate the simplest of messages to the American people. Therefore, our bill will guarantee that 12 million of you will still have NO health insurance. And that's because we have decided to leave the greedy, private insurance industry in charge of our system. Forgive us for this and for continuing to allow profit to be the determining factor as to whether a patient gets the help she or he needs."

Mr. Moore will actually be allowed to populate the mainstream media today to bring some more of his assertions forward. While I've been writing this, I've been listening to him on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR. Ms. Rehm prodded him about his personal experiences, family, and health; the more he talks, the more he sounds like someone not too far removed from mainstream middle class America to retain some credibility with many, regardless of ideological differences or the attempts by conservatives to label him otherwise.

While Mr. Moore has at times pushed the limits of civility (his Oscar acceptance speech back in 2003 made me cringe), he seems to have found his voice more of late. He is easier to listen to, but is still managing to get his point across.

Mr. Moore tells his stories in a very accessible way. Last night I rented Capitalism: A Love Story and put it on while my son and his friends were here. The movie had their attention for at least a good half hour or more.

In his post today, Mr. Moore also related his experience with monitoring police radio frequencies online. His reaction to it was equally interesting, but not unexpected.

Mr. Moore will be on MSNBC and CNN later today, and also stated that he will be "...wandering the halls of Congress with my shillelagh and shamrocks, doing my best impersonation of St. Patrick as I try to drive the snakes out of Capitol Hill. Wish me luck.."

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Starving Artist's Political Sale

Chris Matthews has recently begun to offer commentary at the end of his Hardball program on MSNBC. Mr. Matthews specializes in somewhat rapid, terse analysis of a particular issue; his interview style also reflects this. He admits in promo ads for his program to thrive on searching for and exploiting the weak points of an argument.

His commentary seems to also reflect this terse, no-nonsense style. In contrast to the somewhat longer-winded Keith Olbermann or the calmly precise and analytical Rachel Maddow, Matthews gets his point across without a moment to lose. He's probably every network traffic manager's dream. I thought that Mr. Matthews' comment from this evening's program was worth sharing:



While listening, I was imagining our system of government as a landscape painting. The broad background, the foundation that the work springs from, represents the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the rule of law. The smaller brush strokes are made by our representatives in congress, with the majority party largely having control of the palette. The President largely defines the subject, and We the People are the critical eye.

This may be an overly simplistic description of our system of representative government, but it also provides a good metaphor for what shouldn't be able to happen. No one should be able to deface the painting with a big can of red or blue paint, with a knife, or by denying the artist access to the tools of his or her craft.

If indeed elections do matter in this country, then due diligence is necessary to assure that issues, not dollars, drive those elections. The recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporate contributors free reign in campaign spending stands to further exacerbate the tendency to evaluate a candidate's viability by the size of his or her campaign war chest. You'd have thought they would have learned their lesson after watching John McCain's campaign odyssey in the last presidential race.

Given the increasingly hyperbolic and even nonsensical nature of our political discourse these days, citizens need to remember that all of the phone calls and letters mean nothing if our representatives ignore the will of the people. This is not an easy thing to define, regardless of how hard some try to attach poorly-fitting labels to one ideology or another.

It's up to us to become educated, empowered critics of what substitutes for the art of politics on our fraying national canvas.

Have a good week ahead.

Public Safety Radio Changes

Mesa County's public safety agencies are making significant changes in how they communicate via radio. These changes will have an effect on anyone who listens to a police scanner locally.

Field personnel have been in training for the last several weeks in the operation of their new radios, which are integrated into the State of Colorado Digital Trunked Radio System, or "DTR" for short. This system is also used by most of the neighboring counties, as well most state agencies, including the Colorado State Patrol and CDOT.

For those interested, I will go into further detail on this in another post later. In the meantime, changes have been effected that will immediately impact the average scanner listener in Grand Junction and Mesa County, many of whom do not own a scanner capable of receiving channels in the 800 Megahertz band, using what is called P25 Digital Trunked Radio.

This system allows for numerous groups of users to share a pool of frequencies from a number of transmitters located across the county and the state. A computer controls the channel allocation. The user's voice is digitized as part of the process. This has been shown in most cases to enhance reception, and helps to facilitate encryption of the user's voice.

For the local scanner enthusiast, unless you already own a trunking scanner or actively monitor an online scanner feed, you'll be shut out of the bulk of the activity.

As of this writing, the Grand Junction Police appear to have switched all of their operations to the DTR. Their main VHF radio channel has fallen silent. The Mesa County Sheriff is using both the old and new systems in a simulcast configuration. Fire and EMS operations remain unchanged, but a changeover of some type is likely in the near future.

Here's some direction for local monitoring enthusiasts in the short term:

Scanners: There are numerous models out there, and all of them carry a pretty hefty price tag. One radio that will still do the job locally (there are other issues related to monitoring on the Front Range) is the Radio Shack PRO-96/2096. It's been discontinued by the store chain, but is still available on places like Ebay. The scanner still enjoys extensive use in many areas.

There are other models with many more features and capabilities, such as the GRE PSR-500/600. These scanners allow for the monitoring of channels in the 700 Mhz band, along with the EDACS ESK trunked systems used extensively in Metro Denver. There is an excellent comparison chart that shows each unit's capabilities and price.

Also, if you end up purchasing one of these units, there is excellent programming software available from a company called Starrsoft. The software will also allow the remote monitoring and control of some of these scanners, including from some smartphones. Cool..

Online Monitoring: There is a very robust and knowledgeable hobbyist community in Mesa County and across Colorado. Combined with some very forward-thinking and entrepreneurial radio enthusiasts, an extensive network of online scanner feeds has been established through the comprehensive Radio Reference website. Feeds are available for most of Colorado's counties, with coverage within all 50 states.

Mesa County's online feed is available here. It is also available for monitoring from many models of wireless smartphones with Internet access. Using a service such as Moodio and this link, the audio stream is available via a standard music player. Additionally, the Emergency Radio app for the IPhone is very useful for keeping tabs on hundreds of scanner feeds around the country.
There are many encrypted channels on the new system, but most of the local traffic that interests legitimate users (law-abiding citizens, the media, etc.) is broadcast 'in the clear'.

The process by which public safety agencies utilize technology to accomplish significant goals, such as a transition to a new radio system, can be a daunting and exhaustive one. Having been involved in many of these processes over the years, I wish our local agencies the best for a smooth and uncomplicated move to this newer technology.

I'll have more to say later about the technologies and processes involved, and what they mean for the future of public safety communications, and the ability of citizens to follow the activities of their public servants.

Have a good weekend.

Fifty

I turned 50 years old yesterday. I spent most of the day with my son, who took me to dinner and bought me a nice cake. He's a great kid.

I spoke with Leslie at length yesterday; I do a lot of days. I miss her. It would have been nice to share my day with her as well. Her birthday is later this month, and I think I'll be able to make it to share it with her.

My 50th birthday seemed ironically familiar to my late wife's 50th birthday several years ago. That day at work was tinged with the pain of loss; a co-worker had been found dead. I left there emotionally exhausted, and picked up my family for dinner with several of Jan's friends.

Despite celebrating what has been a decent and fortunate life so far, my thoughts at times were away with her, even though she's been gone almost 3 years and I am moving forward with my life. My thoughts and prayers are also with fellow blogger Ralph D'Andrea and his family. Ralph's youngest daughter was found dead in her apartment last week. She was pregnant as well.

Ralph asked his readers and fellow bloggers for posts to keep things going, so I sent him one.
I think that I'll leave any further comment on that to those who knew and loved Carina.

Evan and I spent last evening watching the Oscars, which were somewhat enjoyable. I got the feeling that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were walking on comedic eggshells, afraid to say something really funny for fear of bruising some of the famously fragile egos in the audience. One thing that stuck out was a return to using the phrase "and the winner is...", instead of the more recent "and the Oscar goes to...". All except a radiantly defiant Kate Winslet used it in their presentations.

Aside from all that, I now know that I need to catch up on my movies. I wrested The Hurt Locker from the Redbox tonight.

Gene Kinsey dismissed the show as "Hollywood narcissism", and it's easy to find examples of that throughout what passes for entertainment. I tend to look for the diamonds in the rough, those who raise themselves even above the extraordinary to display grace and humility while basking in the limelight.

Considering all of the emotions I was feeling yesterday, I can think of no better way to conclude than with a portion of Sandra Bullock's acceptance speech last night. She thanked her mother for "reminding her daughters that there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color..no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love".

Good night.

March Miscellany

The arrival of moderating temperatures with the beginning of March was very welcome, but as appears to be the usual practice I've got a lot of miscellaneous things that caught my attention lately. This doesn't mean I'm completely scatterbrained; There are lots of big things awaiting approach clearance into the primary focus of my conscious mind, and it would seem that I've got to sweep these little cobwebs out like so much spring cleaning. Then (hopefully) the real work begins, after this weekend. More about that later.

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I was somewhat impressed with the editorial board of the Daily Sentinel for choosing to opine further on the recent acquittal of former Grand Junction police officer Courtney Crooks on harassment charges that led to his resignation from the department last year. The paper at that time sharply criticized the GJPD and the City Attorney's office for refusing to turn over documents related to the Crooks investigation. This accompanied extensive coverage and other related editorial comment.

I was honestly surprised by the almost conciliatory tone of the editorial; it felt like the paper was trying to apologize for the manner in which it covered the story. The following passage stood out the most for me:

We hold police officers to higher standards than most people because they must enforce the laws, as well as abide by them.

But like all others accused of crimes in the United States, they must be presumed innocent until proved guilty. Courtney Crooks was found not guilty by a jury of his peers, and that is the only judgment that should matter in this country.

If those managing the Sentinel truly believe in the above statement, particularly the second paragraph, then I am tempted to ask why a statement of similar form does not appear as part of the Sentinel's Police Blotter feature. In this feature, the paper prints the names of adult citizens that are arrested or cited for criminal offenses in our area, and are thus presumed innocent until they get their day in court.

It's true that Courtney Crooks received a good deal more media attention than the average person accused of the same offense. However, if "all others accused..must be presumed innocent until proven guilty" and "that is the only true judgment that should matter in this country", then perhaps each person whose name appears in the Blotter should have the disposition of the charges against them published in a similar manner, when that disposition occurs.

At the very least, some form of the Sentinel's own words above should appear in each future edition of the Blotter as a disclaimer.

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I don't watch Oprah that much, but I did take the time to look at her feature on film critic Roger Ebert that aired this past Tuesday. Outside of his web presence, Mr. Ebert has until recently been out of the public eye for quite some time. Along with the Oprah show and an excellent feature in this month's Esquire, we get to see the effects of Mr. Ebert's ordeal with cancer, and how he has met these challenges directly, and with a courage and honesty that is refreshing.
It's a shame to have to say that, though.

He has help. He has money. He has a devoted wife and partner. As I am painfully aware, not everyone has these advantages. Fortunately, Mr. Ebert sees these things as well, and they are reflected in some of his writing.

Ebert is a most excellent writer. His ordeal has made him more of one, in terms of volume and quality. He doesn't just write about movies, either. His blog is one of the best anywhere. Take some time to gain something from his insights. One of his most recent posts takes a good look at the true state of economic affairs, sparked by some questionable public safety practices.
Great stuff.

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It looks like the City of Grand Junction is doing a great deal of belt-tightening, if today's reporting in the Sentinel is any indication of present and future adjustments to services in the wake of dwindling sales tax revenues.

I'm generally satisfied with the services I receive for the taxes I pay. As someone with a public safety background, I tend to bristle from both a professional and taxpayer standpoint when resources are put toward something that is largely preventable, or can be addressed in a more efficient way that is blocked by political or other illogical considerations. Continued annexation under the Persigo Agreement, especially in the current budgetary climate, is but one example.

Another example is when firefighting resources are needed to quell the effects of a 'controlled burn' that ceased to meet the definition of one. You see, March also marks the beginning of the first burning season in our fair valley. This year, both the GJFD and Mesa County, among others, are attempting to send a message to those seeking to burn off dead vegetation to make way for spring planting and irrigation water.

The message is: Burn responsibly, safely, and only when necessary, and consider alternatives to what is becoming a more archaic and risky practice as the valley continues to grow and develop.

***********************************

Lots to do today and through next week, but there are already some good stories out there and in here that I've been pondering. Enjoy the spring trying to poke it's way through. Have a great day.

Photo Credit: Esquire Magazine - Ethan Hill

Freedom (nod) and Responsibility (wink)

Gary Harmon's column in this past Sunday's Daily Sentinel had me mulling a few things over in my head during the week. Mr. Harmon made some good points in his analysis of the deeper reasons behind an underage drinking party at the home of Mesa County's District Attorney nearly 3 weeks ago.

Mr. Harmon seems to want to find some fault with the collective shrugging of shoulders in the more well-heeled (and presumably more socially responsible) parts of our community over a bunch of underage kids looking for a place to party.

I feel a little of Pete Hautzinger's pain. One year ago this weekend, I was working the evening shift at the hospital when a phone call came in from another former place of employment, which happens to tell the cops where to go. It seems that a team from the Underage Drinking Task Force had reason to believe that there were several teenagers with alcohol inside my house, and were wondering if there was any way I could help in getting someone to talk to them, and would I consent to a search of the house afterward?

One phone call to my son, and he was outside and the cops were in. The exact number of Minor-In-Possession (MIP) tickets issued numbered around 15, with a disorderly house ticket lumped in for good measure.

I don't keep alcohol in my house; all of the booze was brought in by the miscreants involved, including the makings for Jello shots. To the task force's credit, it was an alcohol purchase by adults, who provided it to juveniles, who wound up at my house, that got the party, and the so-called grownups, busted. They did a good job.

My son lost his drivers license for a few months, pulled some community service, and the fines and court costs took a nice chunk out of his savings. I can't say for sure that he has completely learned his lesson, but he appears to be achieving some level of responsibility to his college studies and other things.

Unfortunately, Mr. Harmon failed to distinguish between two separate issues in his column; the true problem of minors accessing and consuming alcohol (and those adults who either actively or passively condone it), and the illegal consumption of alcohol by those who are adults by any other legal definition.

My son is 18 now; as an adult in the eyes of the law, he is responsible for his own actions. The government now sees fit to allow him to exercise the right to vote, consume tobacco products, obtain credit and sign contracts, serve on a jury, and fight and die for his country. He can't legally drink a beer with his old man, though.

These are but a couple of examples of the subtle hypocrisies that exist with our society's attitudes toward alcohol, and who may legally possess or consume it. This is familiar territory that I've explored in the past, and found no solid or reliable path through the morass of advocacy that creates a true ideological fork in the road.

Our children are, by and large, pretty smart. They see right through these hypocrisies, and many appear to relish the opportunity to make seemingly intelligent adults look like fools. Mr. Harmon asserts in his column that "some kids have more MIPs than they have Ds on their report cards, and they have lots of Ds".

I get the feeling that some of these kids wear their MIPs like a red badge of courage, with just as many stories about how they got away as when they got caught. I also get the feeling that a lot of these kids know they'll be taken care of, regardless of how they misbehave.

The resources to deal with this are, in many ways, already out there. The Mesa County Underage Drinking Task Force is an extraordinary source of information and advocacy for both aiding enforcement efforts, and changing hearts and minds about what is truly responsible living.

Mr. Harmon asserted that MIP is not a serious enough crime to warrant attention by parents and other adults who ascribe to what he called "a general, casual and pervasive social license for underage drinking". He went further to advocate for more severe penalties for MIP and associated offenses.

If the Legislature were equally serious about addressing the problem from a proactive standpoint, it would take into consideration the opinion of 135 college presidents (including Mesa State's Tim Foster) and seriously discuss eliminating the current hypocrisy concerning young adults and alcohol. This would allow both law enforcement and social service resources to focus their energies on the root of the problem, before it truly grows beyond our control.

Have a good weekend.

Travelogue of Hope

The bulk of the two weeks since my last post were spent away from Grand Junction, and while I tried to keep up with the goings-on here I was otherwise occupied most of the time.

The main purpose of the trip was to attend an evaluation session with caregivers for my brother-in-law Michael, who lives in a group home in Massachusetts. Mike shares a home, and attends a day rehabilitation program, with some people he has known for over 20 years. I took over the handling of Mike's affairs after Jan died, and part of this includes being out there at least once or twice a year to see how he's doing, and meet face-to-face and coordinate his needs with those overseeing his care. This includes staff from the state government.

I stopped in Pittsburgh on the way to spend some time with Leslie and the girls, with the intent of taking Leslie out for Valentine's Day. We wound up spending most of that day at Children's Hospital, where Leslie's daughter Michaela was eventually admitted for vomiting and back pain, some of which may or may not be consequences of her continuing fight against neuroblastoma.

I stayed with Leslie and Michaela in the hospital until Wednesday. There was a pull-out sleeping pad included as part of the small sofa apparently intended to accommodate two for such purposes. This only served to create my own back pain in places I had not experienced it before. So after the first night I slept sitting up, with one pillow filling the space between my back and the angle of the furniture, adopting what could best be described as an "airline-style" sleep position. It worked for those periods when nurses or aides weren't in to administer medications or otherwise do their jobs.

After flying to Boston and driving the 90 miles to Cape Cod, I attended the evaluation meeting the next morning, then stopped in at Mike's group home to meet some other staff and see how Mike's living arrangements were shaping up. I finished things up in time to get an evening flight back to Pittsburgh.

I brought Leslie and Michaela back home from the hospital the next day. We managed a very nice belated Valentine's dinner this past weekend, before yet another set of flights to arrive back in GJ just before midnight on Sunday.

I saw my mother a couple of times while I was there as well. I sent both her and Leslie a crank-up flashlight and radio, if only to help prepare for the next major snowstorm and/or power outage. Talk radio in Pittsburgh was still abuzz with the so-called shortcomings of the road crews, electric utilities, and anyone else not perceived to have done their best to deal with what was a significant weather event.

The snow still piled on the sides of many roads, and the ice accumulated on the sides of many houses, was an impressive sight. There are already concerns about flooding, should the Pittsburgh region experience temperatures and rain which would rapidly melt the over 40 inches of snow that fell there so far this month. I'm hopeful for a more controlled, steady runoff.

After returning I found myself trying to be hopeful for many other things as well. I'm hoping for an improving stability in my relationship with Leslie, and that the medical professionals caring for Michaela will be able to stem the tide of her cancer, and also reduce the new onset of back pain that has no etiology as of yet. Michaela returns to Philadelphia next week for follow-up to the radiation treatments she received in January.

I'm hoping that Mike will continue to improve in his ability to socialize appropriately with his housemates and others, and that his skills development will also improve with continued daily involvement in programs that are designed to do just that. Mike is hampered by an impaired short-term memory, one of the consequences of his head injury nearly two years ago. He does seem to recognize me and others that have known him a long time, but he likely does not remember my visit. I'm looking forward to monitoring his progress later in the year.

I'm hoping for change in several factors that seem to connect me to what feels like two parallel universes, both integral to my existence but disparate in the way my life is conducted while I am in them, or even thinking about them. Along with this is hope for acceptance of the choices I have made by those who still display some measure of discomfort about them.

Many of these hopes are decidedly uphill in their intent or desired outcome. Along with that hope is a need to commit myself in a greater sense to the fact that these things, like so many others, are really outside of my control, and all that I can do is learn to live in a way that honors God's plan for my life, as well as those who share my personal, working, and social existence.

Have a good week ahead.

On the Cusp of Comcast

Several stories in the national and regional media of late have brought attention to the changing operations of Comcast, the cable and media conglomerate currently providing cable TV service to over 23 million households nationwide.

Comcast enjoys a significant presence in the Denver metro area, providing high speed Internet services to homes and businesses, as well as digital telephone service, in much the same fashion as Bresnan Communications does in many areas of the Western Slope. A story one week ago in the Denver Post got my attention, and had me asking questions:

Comcast plans to stop providing more than 40 cable channels in analog format by year's end, including ESPN and MTV, a change that will allow the cable giant to add high-definition content but could force hundreds of thousands of Colorado customers to install new equipment.

Subscribers to Comcast's extended basic cable tier and above will need a digital set-top box to view the channels that are being switched to all-digital signals.

Customers who want to watch those channels on more than one television will have to install digital adapters on each additional set. Comcast will provide a set-top box and two adapters free of charge. Additional adapters will cost $1.99 per month.

I am a Bresnan subscriber. I have one TV with a digital set-top box and DVR; the rest of the TVs in the house are hooked directly to cable, and use their analog tuners to tune to the desired channel. I started noticing several channels disappear into static on these TVs last year; Hallmark Channel and Ion are a couple of examples. They are only available through the digital tuner that's part of the set-top box.

The move by Comcast in Denver removes many more cable networks, including some of the most popular ones, from the realm of analog transmission over a cable system. Aside from using a set-top box or digital adapter, the only way to watch these is through the digital tuner of an HDTV.

This is the wave of the future, and not entirely unexpected. Since analog over-the-air TV broadcasting went away last June, the cable industry has begun to address those analog transmissions of digital signals that are eating up bandwidth, and preventing the industry from putting more channels, choices, and potential revenue sources along that same bandwidth.

If you would like a compressed version of this, look at the last 25 years since wireless mobile telephones hit the market. At its infancy, these systems used the "brick" analog radios that used one channel per conversation, making for a comparatively inefficient use of spectrum. Now all conversations are digitized, and through digital signaling and routing schemes several conversations can simultaneously share the same radio channel.

Digital television does the same thing; multiple channels of content can be transmitted over the same digital signal. KKCO has used this capability to broadcast uninterrupted coverage of major news events, such as visits by President Obama. By moving most channels in a cable system to a digital format, the available space to put more content down the pipeline increases significantly.

I've known for some time that Bresnan enjoys a business relationship with Comcast on more than one front. Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales arm of the company, handles cable advertising for Bresnan, and for a while had an office here. It looks like they're handling everything from one office in Denver now. When you see those commercials for Comcast channels that you can't get here, or ads to help support an animal sanctuary in the Grand Junction "suburb" of Brighton, that's Spotlight at work.

In trying to confirm what I remembered about other Bresnan/Comcast collaborations, I contacted Shawn Beqaj, Bresnan VP for Public Affairs. Shawn takes the time to answer questions from an otherwise inconsequential amateur, and I greatly appreciate his time.
Mr. Beqaj had this to say to my question about their relationship with Comcast:

You are correct in that Bresnan has a relationship whereby we get much of our programming under an umbrella agreement with Comcast. As you can imagine those agreements preclude me from discussing specifics but I can say that they are predominantly for traditional cable networks and not local broadcasters. Bresnan has migrated some of our markets to an all digital format but there are no immediate plans to do so in GJ (emphasis mine).

He also added the following about the migration to all-digital technology:

The driving issue is efficiency whereby a customer can receive many more channels of higher quality over the same bandwidth in digital format than analog. Much like tube than transistor radios were displaced by digital sets, the migration to digitally tuned TV sets is progressing and the consumer electronics marketplace is progressing with television set technology that will allow users to have true two way functionality with a TV and no set (top) box.

Having had experience with Comcast in both the Pittsburgh area and New England, I am familiar with the cost of their services and the capabilities they offer. I like the additional channel choices, especially the local access channels, which while as much a responsibility of local government to provide for in franchise agreements are nonetheless well-supported by the cable provider in many cases. Comcast also has many detractors. If you Google "Comcast Sucks", you'll see what I mean.

Last week also marked congressional hearings into Comcast's purchase of NBC Universal, which has raised the hackles of consumer organizations and media watchdogs. Senator Al Franken leveraged his knowledge of the business through his previous employment with NBC into quite the watchable program.

The company is sensitive to both criticism over the merger and damage to their brand by the numerous customer service complaints that both originate from and are strengthened by consumer word-of-mouth. In what could be called taking a page from Blackwater's playbook, Comcast recently announced the creation of a new brand name for the bulk of its digital services.

Regardless of what side you may find yourself when it comes to the subject of media consolidation (I think it's a problem), if you are a media consumer anywhere in this country and elsewhere, Comcast will be in your living room in some capacity if the NBC deal goes through.

The revolution of digital transmission will inevitably continue to make its way through the various ways that all information is sent between two points, be it data, video, or audio. In the near future, I'll be outlining another significant change coming to the Grand Junction area, how it affects citizens, and how to prepare for it.

Have a good week ahead.

Civil Discourse and Natural Gas

I spend too much time on my computer. I am told this by those who love me from near and far away, including those who would seem to benefit from contact with me by e-mail, Facebook, and other virtual conveniences. Between writing, following the news, looking for work, and playing (most recently) Scrabble, I have to say that I agree with them.

One reason I spend so much time is what I write here. I try to get things right, to analyze and comment on different issues in a comprehensive, concise, and respectful manner. My emphasis is on engaging in civil discourse and being accurate about it. After three years-plus this is still a good outlet, and with the assistance of others has helped me see things and express myself a little bit better. I'm sure I don't get as many visits as other blogs, but I can deal with that.

In keeping with that, I'd like to follow up on my last post about gas drilling in areas other than western Colorado, and the seeming lack of coverage from the media in Grand Junction. Today's Daily Sentinel took a step toward recognizing the validity of issues surrounding gas drilling in other parts of the country, and effectively applying it to the discussion going on here.

The paper dutifully covered a Republicans-only 'candidate forum' for persons seeking to replace Steve King in the State House. The three men seeking the GOP nod appeared to let loose on the current regulatory climate as it pertains to drilling in Colorado. Quoting from Gary Harmon's story:

“We need to convert our economy to natural gas” and use it as a transportation fuel, (David) Cox said.

(Ray) Scott said changing the drilling rules wouldn’t go far enough.

“You don’t need to fix the regulations. You need to abolish them and start over,” Scott said.

Regulations of all varieties are strangling the state’s economy, (Bob) Hislop said.

“We need to deregulate Colorado,” Hislop said.

Fortunately for local readers, the Sentinel's editorial staff seemed to counter these assertions with one of today's editorials. They chose to reference recent news articles about drilling in the Barnett Shale region of north central Texas, which includes the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

It seems that air quality monitoring around wells in both residential and rural areas there has showed high concentrations of pollutants that apparently can be sourced to drilling activity. This includes reported high concentrations of benzene. Both state and municipal officials are discussing the development of new regulations, along with continuing to "work with" the energy industry to address the issues.

In a truly civil manner, the Sentinel basically said "B.S." to the above prospective legislators:

Colorado adopted stricter rules on air quality and gas development in 2006, even before it passed new drilling rules last year. That was sensible. Protecting the environment while encouraging development of natural gas is a difficult balancing act, but one that must be undertaken, as people in Texas are beginning to realize.

Thanks to the staff at the Sentinel for widening the perspective of recent reporting just enough to let some relevant information from other areas of the country shine a light on the true nature of gas drilling, and why a 'balancing act' is indeed critical.

Speaking of balance, for too long there's been a lack of it in political discourse at too many levels of government and media. Nowhere is this more evident than the Internet, where opinion publishing can be facilitated by sitting down at one's computer and typing. This isn't anything new.

However, some of the discourse in the blogosphere, while less than civil, can also create representations of events that bear little resemblance to what actually happened. Jon Stewart pointed this out in the usual hilarious fashion on The Daily Show last night.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Blogs Must Be Crazy
www.thedailyshow.com

This is just another shining example of how humor and entertainment give us the ability to look inward at ourselves without being so serious about it. For some reason, the lesson is often imparted better than it would be otherwise.

Thanks to the Sentinel and Jon Stewart, we are today able to better distinguish between what is civil discourse and what is..well, natural gas.

While I'm at it, congratulations to the Sentinel on their new website, especially the improved ability to leave comments.

Have a good weekend. Go Saints.

Media Myopia - A Tale of Two 'Alleys'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the creation of the “Eyes on Drilling” tipline for citizens to report non-emergency suspicious activity related to oil and natural gas development.

The agency is asking citizens to call 1-877-919-4EPA (toll free) if they observe what appears to be illegal disposal of wastes or other suspicious activity. Anyone may also send reports by email to eyesondrilling@epa.gov. Citizens may provide tips anonymously if they don’t want to identify themselves.

In the event of an emergency, such as a spill or release of hazardous material, including oil, to the environment, citizens are advised to call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.

- EPA Press Release, January 27, 2010 - Full text available here.

I finally got to read the Daily Sentinel's "Energy Alley" series that was published over several days at the end of this past year. It's a rather comprehensive and well-written overview of all of the possibilities surrounding energy development in western Colorado and eastern Utah.

In recent weeks, the focus of industry, activism, government, and media appear to be directed toward another 'Energy Alley' that has vast amounts of natural gas, and issues related to its extraction that are similar to our area of the country.

The Marcellus Shale Region, which encompasses southern New York, northeast, central, and western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and almost all of West Virginia, has been drawing a good deal more attention from energy companies, environmental groups, and state regulators in recent weeks.

Part of this attention has lots to do with the drilling technology required to extract natural gas from this shale; the controversial practices of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, both of which have generated considerable debate in both regions.

I don't know much about this, which is kind of embarrassing because I was born and grew up in the middle of this part of the country. I did do some research, and consulted local geologist and fellow blogger Ralph D'Andrea, who went to school in the middle of it and lent some very useful insights.

As it happens, Ralph also published most of those insights in one of his blog posts this past November, detailing the primary differences between the Marcellus Shale and gas deposits on the West Slope, such as the Piceance Basin featured in the Sentinel's series:

First and foremost, the Marcellus Shale gas fields are, in round numbers, 2,000 miles closer to natural gas consumers than Colorado's gas fields. That significantly affects the cost of transporting the gas to market. If you're a gas company, are you going to pay to pipe gas from Colorado to heat homes in New York and Pennsylvania, or are you going to pipe gas from New York and Pennsylvania?

Second, if you look at the maps on the site linked above, particularly the structure contour map drawn on the top of the Marcellus Shale, you'll see that much of the formation is less than 7,000 feet deep. That's shallower than most of of the gas produced locally.

Cheaper to drill, cheaper to transport, more profitable. It ain't rocket science.

Ralph additionally stated something that seems prophetic today: "But I guarantee you, when drilling picks up, it will pick up in the Marcellus Shale first."

That's what's been happening over at least the last month or so. Local, state, and federal governments have been noticing, including those quasi-governmental entities that serve as water utilities for many of the targeted areas. The media there have also been noticing; a Google News search for 'Marcellus Shale' usually kicks back 6 to 8 new stories a day.

One story that drew my attention was the press release excerpted at the top of this post.
A hotline set up by the EPA to report issues with drilling? It sounded like news to me.
However, If you were relying on your local news media, at least in western Colorado, to report this, you were out of luck.

One thing I did notice about the press release was that it originated from the EPA's Region 3 office in Philadelphia, whose area of responsibility includes the majority of the Marcellus Shale. Most of the media outlets that covered the establishment of the tip line were also located in this same region of the country.

I went so far as to contact the tip line staff, along with the EPA Region 8 office in Denver, to inquire if the tip line could be used to report drilling-related problems in any part of the country. Both offices assured me that this was the case; any information specific to Colorado, for example, would be relayed by the tip line to the appropriate people in Denver.

Not seeing any mention of this story in any local media outlet, I sent e-mails to just about every one of them over the course of last week. No reply, as well as no coverage, was the order of the day.

Granted, there are probably reasons that the local media would ignore something like this, given the tacit association of the tip line to another region of the country. Back in November, however, an attempt to use last year's downturn in drilling activity as a political football resulted in some local media attention toward the Marcellus Shale, in what appears to me to be a decidedly short-sighted and selective fashion.

As many people who know more than I do have said, the downturn in drilling is market-based, and not the fault of new rules and/or incumbent politicians. You don't have to look any further than the activity in the Marcellus Shale for evidence of this.

Republican candidate for Governor Scott McInnis, who praised Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell in November for, among other things, bypassing "an opportunity to levy a tax on natural gas drilled in his state", may want to revisit that assertion, given more recent news to the contrary. Some examples are:

• Reuters, Jan. 14, 2010 - "Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said on Thursday he will press for a wellhead tax on natural gas drilling in the state's Marcellus Shale formation to take effect July 1 this year".

• Governor Rendell: PA Taking Aggressive Action to Protect Public, Environment as Marcellus Shale Drilling Operations Expands - "Directs the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection to Hire 68 Additional Staff to Bolster Inspections, Environmental Compliance; New Regulations Planned to Improve Well Safety Standards".

• Associated Press, Jan. 29 - "Police in northern Pennsylvania say they discovered a natural gas well-drilling service truck that was more than 41 tons over the weight limit for the road it was on. Cpl. Roger Stipcak said it is the latest of numerous examples of state troopers finding overweight natural gas trucks inflicting damage on area roads."

Eastern states are generally much more intensive in their taxes and fees, layers of government oversight, and regulatory infrastructure. Pennsylvania and New York are no different, and are starting to take what appear to be common-sense measures to assure that drilling in the Marcellus Shale is done within the scope of safety for waterways and water supplies, treatment systems, and transportation infrastructure.

The gas is there, in abundant quantities, close to where it will be used, and generally easier and cheaper to extract; most of the land is privately owned. The energy companies will likely comply with any reasonable rules and regulations that allow them to get at the gas.

What can we in western Colorado learn, if anything, from these experiences? I think plenty.
We already know that new pipelines here will make it a lot easier to move natural gas to markets where it is in demand. We also know the potential environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing.

We rely to a large extent upon our local news media to objectively report on these issues to keep us informed of those events which could have consequences for both citizens and industry. Except for November's report, and perhaps a paragraph or two in the Sentinel's "Energy Alley' series, the local media has not seen fit to cover the unfolding issues back east that may set the stage for the future of gas drilling all over this country. That's disturbing.

An e-mail sent to Sentinel reporter Gary Harmon and Managing Editor Laurena Davis received no reply. To be fair, they're not the only ones who seem to be ignoring the issue.

I suppose that if there is consensus on the part of a media market that something is not newsworthy, then it isn't. I'm thankful for the freedom and ability to pursue this information from virtually any news source around the world, and to decide for myself what's important and who to believe.

Faced with increasing numbers of those who feel the same way, one would hope that local media outlets here and elsewhere will get the message. I'll try to keep my fingers crossed while I'm looking around on the web.

Have a good evening.