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Looking foward to a sausage kolache when West, Texas, rebuilds

The nice, quaint little town of West, Texas, literally blew up last night leaving between 5 and 15 people dead, according to police. Homes and businesses near a downtown fertilizer plant which exploded were flattened with many burned from intense fire. TV reports indicate authorities continue to sift through debris in hopes of finding those missing. Nearly 200 people were injured.

I visited West a number of time when I lived near Waco. It is a distinct village of a couple thousand., many of whom are of the Czech heritage. Czech and German settlers began to call the area home that lay about 16 miles north of Waco after the Civil War. The town today, or at least prior to the explosion, features a number of Czech restaurants and specialty shops which sell Czech merchandise. The Czech Stop, a convenience store facing Interstate 35, is a favorite stop for those driving between Dallas and Austin. The store’s many kolaches are well-known — probably through word of mouth — if the constantly packed parking lot is any indicator Fortunately, Czech Stop is open all day as it has been for almost three decades. And they are doing major business.

Each year during the Labor Day weekend the town celebrates its Czech heritage with a weekend-long celebration, Westfest. Among its highlights are concerts and dances in a huge tent with most of the sounds of the Czech, German and Polish variety. The music and beer drinking doesn’t seem to date itself because you will see young and old alike doing Polka like crazy. One of the favorites each year is the Grammy-winning Brave Combo. The Denton, Texas, combo characterizes its music as “Nuclear Polka,” which is a lively cross genre, mostly adding rock and country to the old tunes.

I’ve gone to Westfest both on assignment and on my own. It is always a high-wire act of the kind one finds with German, Czech and similar ethnic festivals. I can say that Westfest is quite tame compared with Wurstfest, the German sausage festival held in late October-early November in New Braunfels, down I-35 between Austin and San Antonio. However, being Labor Day weekend when Westfest takes place, one can guarantee the weather will be hotter than hell and the beer will be cold. Once folks get tipsy and starts polka dancing, it’s all good in West, Texas.

I don’t know many people in West. I do know a few though, and they’re good ol’ Czech-Tex folks. I hope they are safe. Likewise for some of my former colleagues from several different news agencies that are on the scene. I look forward to West rebuilding and stopping in someday in the future for a sausage kolache and perhaps a polka or two.

For the most up-to-date and thorough coverage of the West explosion, follow these links:

Waco Tribune-Herald, www.wacotrib.com

The Dallas Morning News, www.dallasnews.com

WFAA-TV, www.wfaa.com

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, www.star-telegram.com

 

 

 

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Excuse me, are you a reporter or just someone with an iPhone?

If you write using the media of the day — the Internet, etc. — you have no shortage of possible topics. I am talking about the two three explosions in Boston including two near the Boston Marathon finish line. Two are dead and 28 are hurt, so far. You know the drill. The first reports are always wrong.

Yes, it is horrible. Yes, yes, our thoughts are with the people there and their families. All of those are on the check list. I’m sorry. That probably sounds exceedingly cynical. That is the way it goes these days.

The media, both during such incidents and in retrospect, talk about the use of the instant means to transmit the news. Unfortunately, what we see so often isn’t necessarily news being shot out into the Internetsophere. (Yes, that is real word that I just made up!)

Checking Twitter, some possible eyewitnesses are commenting on what’s happening. On Facebook, my big city TV reporter friend is reaching out to his friends to find connections in Boston or those who are in Boston.

All that is great, seriously. I would have given my left hand — I’m right-handed — had the technology now available been handy when I worked in a newsroom. Oh, you had the people who sent nasty-grams, just not much of real help in reporting a story back then.

“There was a third explosion,” Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis just said. “There was an explosion that occurred at the JFK Library.”

Wow, that plus all the unexploded bombs supposedly found.

I am watching a news conference on CNN. They still do these “things” good.

My point is that all the technology wave has brought is great. I would just say: “Be careful.” Don’t buy into the simplicity that every person with an iPhone is a reporter. That isn’t the case. One only has to watch or read work by some of the actual working reporters already out there. Some of those people aren’t even reporters.

It’s just something I thought should be mentioned.

We now return to our breaking news coverage.

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The joys of news

The TV networks were able to pull off both the shootout at the Big Bear Corral and the State of the Union. It appears the police got their man, the one who once stood in their own ranks. It will be interesting, to me at least, what comes out in the investigation surrounding the death of Christopher Dorner. That is provided it was Dorner whose remains are inside that burned out cabin. It likewise will be interesting what becomes of the initiatives introduced in the SOTU address.

As for me, I’m exhuasted. I didn’t sleep enough because I watched too much news coverage. What a bitch! Now I am nodding offfffffffffff. Sorry. I’fpppppppppddddddddd. Think I better eat then get some sleep.

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More carnage as ex-cop cop-killer is surrounded

The alleged cop-killer psycho Christopher Dorner is apparently surrounded in a Big Bear, Calif., cabin. Several officers have unknown injuries after the former Los Angeles police officer and naval officer reportedly stole a car leading to “a chase, a gunfight and a standoff,” according to NBCNews.com.

It is on TV live. Anderson Cooper is narrating the scene on CNN. The Rev. Al is on his regular MSNBC show, talking like he knows what he’s talking about. And Fox News, they are denigrating President Obama with the looming SOTU, State of the Union address tonight, live. If he isn’t bumped by the standoff hoopla, that is.

Ugh. I like you Rev. Al, but I can’t listen to you on a regular basis much less on a dramatic TV story.

Back to Anderson and his many speculative guests. Right now the live shot is of police checking cars at road blocks. It would be unfortunate if Dorner suddenly jumped out of a car. I am watching it and all, and I know quite a few TV reporters so I understand getting the visuals. But I sure hope they have some delay mechanisms.

I also know this is no time for levity, but a crisis like this, if you’ve got some black humor you use it.

Anderson Coooper: “If Dorner is held up in the cabin and he has an anti-tank weapon and he likes to play Scrabble but isn’t very adept at it then do you think that perhaps President Obama would use some of the CIA’s drone’s to blow him to Kingdom come so this standoff will end by the time of the State of the Union address?”

Guest: “Huh?”

Wolf Blitzer: “Well we certainly wouldn’t want anyone to be blown to smithereens but nevertheless it is something we certainly have to consider, that and the fact that Anderson is in danger of running out air when he fails to breathe during his fractured sentences.”

(Wolf passes out.)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: “Well, it appears that Wolf has an acute case of syncope. That is fainting for those of you unfamiliar with the medical terms I can so freely toss out there and help fill up a good 45 seconds of otherwise dead here.”

(Wolf wakes up, shakes his head.)

Wolf Blitzer: “Right you are Sanjay …

And we just hear another police officer has died, according to The Los Angeles Times.

And on it goes.

More insanity.

What gets me is the fans this extremely troubled man has collected including those on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. It isn’t anything new, sympathy for the devil, to borrow a phrase from the Rolling Stones. Look at people who adored Bonnie and Clyde, the cop killers of the Depression. And Hitler. He didn’t get to where he was without many, thousands and hundred thousands of supporters.

 

 

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Pope Benny set to become just plain “Joe”

Here I was, all set to write about the Pope Benedict XVI, SVU, who has decided it’s time to hang up his white zucchetto and his red shoes. It is a big deal and not just for those of the Roman Catholic faith. The Holy See is, after all, the Head of State known as Vatican City-State. Who cares if you have a Swiss Army knife. The Pope has his own Swiss Army. These are very devoted and very handy men to have around, because they probably have a Swiss Army Knife somewhere on them underneath their orange, blue, red and yellow dress uniform. Were the uniforms designed in a later age would one swear the tailor had been watching “The Wizard of Oz” perhaps synthesized to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” Maybe the Papal Guard have an Official Swiss Army Knife in an Official Swiss Army Knife holster ready at a moment’s notice to open a can of beans and a bottle of wine for His Popeness. Does the Pope eat beans? And if he does, will his flatulence register a reading on the Richter Scale? “Ach, mein Gott!”

But something of more importance than the fact that Benedict XVI will voluntarily leave the Popedom. Yes, I know that is not the correct word. It seems more normal for an 85-year-old man to retire than to be carried off to wherever it is they dispose of the Papal remnants, dying with his red shoes on, as it were.

Who shall take his place is of prime emphasis because you won’t have the Rev. Joseph Ratzinger to kick around.

Why the Vatican might even see it’s first Canadian pope. That’s right. A lot of speculation in these earliest, the first in fact, days of a looming Pope-be-Gone. A Québécois as a matter of fact, Cardinal Marc Ouelett, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Quebec. In past interviews Ouellet has played down his rising star of Popehood, making statements to the effect that being The Holy See is too much work, as he saunters down the sidewalk gently humming “Alouette.” The Wickedpedia, just another made-up name to make it in print in today’s bloguration calls “Alouette” “a popular French Canadian song” about dressing up a dark-eyed Junco in papal vestments and stalking former St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols who has gone to the Angels. That’s right the Angels of Anaheim who ride their noisy Harleys onto the field striking terror in the hearts of lesser men such as Fox Sports announcer Joe Buck.

It would indeedee be a real surprise to see a norteamericano Pope. In fact, “not a chance in hell,” said a local priest, who decided to get a running start on Fat Tuesday revelry. Tim Dolan, who is Archbishop of the Center of the Universe, which is otherwise known as New York City (“New York City? Get a rope”) would be a favorite except to the betting community. Online bookie Paddy Power currently has Dolan at 25-1. But, hey, it’s only the first day of what will be Pope-a-Mania, or Pope-a-Sopa or Pope Soap on a Rope. Let’s get it all out now of our systems so we will be fast with an affirmative.

Is the Pope a Canadian?

No, not yet.