Impeachara®: Treatment for TIAD (Trump Induced Anxiety Disorder)

Talk to your doctor, to see if Impeachara® might be right for you

Via FB Friend Ordell Mindrum:

Do you find yourself feeling depressed, hopeless, having trouble sleeping,, struggling with frequent panic attacks, irritability, constant arguments with family, friends, or even with friends of friends on Facebook, yelling at your phone or computer screen and the constant urge to pull out your hair? If any of these sound familiar you may be suffering from TIAD, Trump Induced Anxiety Disorder, Impeachara® may help:



Talk to your doctor, to see if Impachara ® might be right for you. Also, do it fairly soon, before you lose your health insurance.

Breaking: Obama Admits to Wiretapping Trump!

Shocking, Ainnit?

Via FB Pal, Edward Flint. This below video reveals a ton of effort and patience. "Hats off" to whatever computer geek(s) spent endless hours compiling this video masterpiece!



Shocking, Ainnit?

Don't let the cat get yer tongues, ever-gentle WCF readers...

Video: Hitler Finds Out How Incompetent Trump Is

This video is pretty funny, Peeps... so danged funny that I forgot to laugh...



As yer blogmeister's FB friend Steve Conlin sez: "My German is a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure this is spot on ..."

Why Germany Never Wins the Iditarot

No German wiener dogs were harmed during the filming of this great pic, so far as we know

Time for a little humorous cultural, non-political change of pace, LOL!

Trust us folks! We'll be getting back to our usual hyper-critical complaints about crooked GOP politicians in a "New York Minute."

Added Bonus: No wiener dogs were harmed during the filming of this great pic, so far as we know.

Helpful Graphic: How Different Snowfall Amounts Affect Different Regions in the USA

We thus humbly thank Ms. Morales for our ever-continuing merriment and mirth

As we contemplate this morning's frenzied Standard-Examiner weather warning (which never materialized, by the way), we'll segue into this fantastic photo graphic, which we harvested from one of our ever-clever Facebook Friends, the inimitable Christina Morales:



We thus humbly thank Ms. Morales for our ever-continuing merriment and mirth, LOL!

Breaking: The World Keeps Making Fun of Donald Trump

Donald Trump hates his satirical portrayal on Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the world is making the same jokes.

Check out some great international Trump video parody, folks:

Absolutely priceless, no?

Don't laugh your asses off too hard, people, whilst America falls under the spell of the Trump "Iron Hand."

Beaking: Sarah Palin To Give Trump Daily Unintelligence Briefings

And NO! we are not making this up:

• Sarah Palin To Give Trump Daily Unintelligence Briefings

Fake news? Maybe So; Then again,maybe Not.

We're filing this under the the heading of Humor and Parody, for the time being, Peeps.

Watch out however for further updates on this topic.

Even Democrats Agree: This Texas Republican Has the Best TV Ad of the Election Season

Please Re-elect Gerald. PLEASE!

Via your blogmeister's Facebook Pal Edward Flint, who quite rightly sez: "Must watch! Regardless of you politics, watch this ad".

Here's the full story:

• Even Democrats agree: This Texas Republican has the best TV ad of the election season

And we've carved out the ad for those amongst us with short attention spans, of course:

Give the TV spot a look below and feel better -- finally -- about our democracy.



Best campaign ad ever. Yes?

Science Saturday: Stephen Hawking -- Monty Python "Galaxy Song"

Stephen Hawking nails it, wethinks...Howbout you?

Via iflscience.com:

Hey! You can now listen to Stephen Hawking’s electronic pipes belt out a rendition of Monty Python’s ‘Galaxy Song.’

The tune was written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, and appeared in the movie “The Meaning of Life.” The comedy troupe performed live shows featuring the song last year in London, according to Rolling Stone. They would then cut to Professor Brian Cox railing against the inaccuracies of the ‘Galaxy Song,’ whereby Stephen Hawking would knock him down, saying: “I think you're being pedantic.”

He then serenades us his with computerized vocals:
"Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at 900 miles an hour
That's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned
A sun that is the source of all our power”

Here's Professor Hawking's new YouTube video folks, without any further ado:


And here's the (obviously inferior) original Monty Python Version from the 1983 movie, in the event you've been living off-planet these past 35 years or so, and haven't yet viewed it (just for the sake of comparison):

• Galaxy Song - Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Stephen Hawking nails it, raises the level of performance, (and hams it up a wee bit) wethinks.

So what say you?

Standard-Examiner: Ogden City Cites Children's Box Fort As Junk Violation - Updated

The quirkiest local story since 2012, when "Goat Man" was spotted roaming the hillsides above North Ogden

In the interest of provoking a wee bit of  ever-friendly Weber County Forum discussion, we'll shine the spotlight on a Sunday Standard-Examiner story which is developing a whole robust online life of it's own.

Here's the lead, folks:

OGDEN — Jeremy Trentelman wasn’t thinking about violating any municipal codes when he helped his 3-year-old build a major box fort in their front yard last weekend, but apparently someone else did.
When Trentelman got home from work Wednesday he had a notification on his door that he was in violation of Ogden City’s code 12-4-2: Waste Materials or Junk; prohibited on premises. The prohibition covers junk or salvage material, litter and/or any abandoned or inoperable vehicle. In the notification Trentelman was told he had 15 days to get the boxes off his lawn or he could be charged $125 with the first violation (after the 15 days) with fees and legal actions proceeding from there.Code enforcement officer Gordon Sant issued the notification. “I’m going to send him a letter, but I haven’t been able to get myself calmed down enough about it to do it,” Trentelman said.

Read Rachel Trotter's full SE writeup, peeps:

• Ogden City cites children's box fort as junk violation

Since the original SE story appeared, Utah media have jumped on it (with both feet):

• City calls family's front yard castle 'junk', tells them to remove it KUTV News
• Ogden tells dad to take down his kids’ cardboard castle because it’s ‘junk’
• - SLTrib
• Cardboard box fort in Ogden neighborhood in violation of city code, officials say - Fox 13

And just like so many other stories emphasising abject Utah "silliness," the story's drawn it's fair share of national attention too:

• City Code Enforcement Cites Utah Family’s Cardboard Fort As “Junk”, Orders Removal - Ben Swan
• Dad In Hot Water for Building Cool Fort for Kids - Yahoo News
• City Forcing Family To Destroy ‘Completely Awesome’ Cardboard Fort -Countercurrent News
• ‘Completely Awesome’ Cardboard Fort Is the Hit of the Neighborhood. But City Code Enforcement Isn’t in the Mood to Play - The Blaze

Here's the specific language of the above-cited ordinance:

12-4-2: WASTE MATERIALS OR JUNK; PROHIBITED ON PREMISES:
A. Prohibition: It is unlawful for any owner, occupant, agent or lessee of real property within the city, to allow, cause or permit the following material or objects to be in or upon any yard, garden, lawn, or outdoor premises of such property:
1. Junk or salvage material;
2. Litter;
3. Any abandoned vehicle or inoperable vehicle.

Our take? What we're dealing with here is cleverly and lovingly  crafted "folk-art," at the very least; and this above-pictured "kids' play fort" thus does not reasonably fit any of the conditions prohibited by this particular Ogden City ordinance. These distinctions are merely academic, of course, inasmuch as Mr. Trentelman indicates he'll be compliantly removing this clever edifice "within fourteen days."

So what do you think, folks?  Tempest in a teapot; or yet another obnoxious example of perfunctory regulatory overreach by a cold-hearted Ogden City government?

One thing's for sure:  This has to be the quirkiest local story since 2012, when "Goat Man" was spotted roaming the hillsides above North Ogden, yes?

Update 4/8/15 8:30 a.m.:  Strong editorial from the Standard-Examiner keeps this story rollin':

• Our View: Keep the fort standing

Jeremy Trentelman chimes in with his own 2¢:

• The box fort in Ogden

Update 4/8/15 8:35 a.m.: There's more grist for the discusion mill with this morning's hot-off-the-press SE story:

Mayor Mike Caldwell: “I remember building forts with my friends as a kid. It’s healthy for a child’s imagination to get away from their electronic devices for a while and use their imagination to create something. I’m glad to see that kids still want to play with the cardboard box.” 

Greg Scothern, Building Manager for Ogden City: “I don’t think our code enforcement officer would have issued the warning if the box fort was complete. At the time he visited the property it looked like a bunch of boxes.”

Read up:

• Following cardboard box fort attention, Ogden city responds

High time to formally rescind the City's heavy-handed demand letter, wethinks...

Presidents Day 2015 Special

Happy Presidents Day, folks!

President Obama: Man of the People!

Standard Examiner Letter: Keep North Ogden Amateurs Out of Ogden

Charlie Trentelman explains "how we roll in Ogden, a family-friendly town that can control itself."

Amusing development on the local news front, with the Standard-Examiner reporting earlier this week that "[North Ogden]Residents spent several hours Wednesday night expressing their dismay to city leaders over the proposed Monroe Boulevard extension, even though it may not happen for 20 years. A few were positive about the future road, but many were unhappy calling it a “road to nowhere” and expressing concerns of linking Ogden and North Ogden bringing more crime into the city," among other lame complaints:

• North Ogden residents protest Monroe extension

Just like clockwork, former Standard-Examiner columnist Charlie Trentelman provides this most-excellent letter-to-the editor retort, expressing what has to be the overwhelmingly contrarian view of the vast majority  O-Town residents in re the "Monroe Boulevard expansion" issue. "Clearly, the residents of North Ogden are on the edge. They lack moral controls and are unable to resist temptation. The slightest nudge can set them off," Mr. Trentleman wryly observes:

• Keep North Ogden amateurs out of Ogden

Here's a Weber County Forum Tip O' The Hat to Mr. Trentelman, for emerging from retirement, and explaining to the "morality challenged amateurs" of North Ogden exactly "how we roll in Ogden, a family-friendly town that can control itself."

Don't let the cat get your tongues...

Salt Lake Tribune: Ogden Mayor Pledges to Stick to Two Wheels for Daily Commute - Updated

Mayor Mike say's he's "far more afraid of automobiles and people distracted driving than anything the weather  will throw" his way

Interesting local story from the Salt Lake Tribune. Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell (affectionately known around these parts as "Mayor ten-speed") loves bicycling, as everybody knows. This year however he's truly putting his money where his mouth is, bicycle-wise. Here's the lede:

Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell says he’s going to ride his bike to work every day this year come rain, snow, shine or anything the Wasatch Front weather can throw at him.
Caldwell made the commitment in an effort to encourage others to commute on bikes and embrace an active lifestyle. It is also a way to celebrate the nearly $100,000 grant the city received to implement active transportation corridors.
The mayor said by riding his bike to work he is letting his actions speak louder than his words.

Mayor Mike, Riding His Bike!

Read up, folks... perfect story for a wintry Ogden slow news day like today, wethinks:

• Ogden mayor pledges to stick to two wheels for daily commute 

"I think with some good, careful planning and some other things I should be able to make it work in just about any weather condition that confronts us," Calwell told SLTrib reporter Topher Webb. "I’m far more afraid of automobiles and people distracted driving than anything the weather will throw at me."

We'll see... won't we?

Update 1/10/13 4:45 p.m.: Well, looky here who picked up on our morning story... The Standard's Mitch Shaw, of all people:

• Ogden mayor sticks to plan, bikes to work come sun, snow or slush

Better late than never, we suppose.

Check out the extremely cool SE video!



P.S: Mayor Mike readily "admits" he's "crazy," as if we needed his additional testimonial evidence of that obvious fact. [wink].

Standard-Examiner: Judge: NSA Bulk Collection of Phone Records Unconstitutional - Updated

Richard Nixon is rolling over in his grave a wants a do-over

By Dr. Pump and Dump

Richard Nixon was removed from the U.S. presidential office for authorizing a few clowns to break into an office and yet the NSA rapes your privacy on a daily basis:

• Judge: NSA bulk collection of phone records unconstitutional

Richard Nixon is rolling over in his grave and wants a do-over.

Update 12/19/13 8:28 a.m.: Excellent analysis of  U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon's decision by Fox TeeVee  Judge Andrew P. Napolitano:

• 'Almost Orwellian' -- why Judge Leon is right about massive NSA spying program

"Even though [author of our Constitution, James] Madison would be aghast, surely the Obama administration will appeal this, and just as surely, appellate judges or Supreme Court justices will have the final say. But for now, we have the great satisfaction of knowing that an independent judiciary has saved our liberties from the tyranny of the majority. And this is a cause for great joy," Napolitano says, breathing an almost audible sigh of relief.

2013 Ogden City Municipal Elections Special Voter Guide PARODY - Updated

Providing a voice to Ogden City government fat cats

Mark Who?

Hi there everybody!  I’m one of those people you’ve probably NEVER heard of.  Now, I’m NOT one of the little people who work hard, pay taxes, and basically struggle under the bloated weight of overweening, overpaid bureaucracy.

No, I AM one of those bloated, overweening, over-paid bureaucrats!  In fact, you might say I’m at the very top of the big, steaming pile!

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Not Mark Johnson or N. Mark Johnson for short.  I’m Ogden City’s Chief Administrative Officer or CAO. 

I’m not the mayor, the fire chief, the police chief, the city council, or any of those small fry.  I’m all those peoples’ BOSS!  Elections may come and go, but whoever wins, all the other birds sit underneath ME in the pigeon coop!  In fact, I just CANNED the airport manager in favor of MY long-time, triple-dipping CRONY!  That’s my idea of smooth operation: YES-MEN!  Now it’s YOUR TURN to keep smooth operation in Ogden.  If you vote for MY people, I won’t have to SPUR anybody into obedient compliance with my edicts!  The people I suggest below are ALREADY TRAINED to do what I want! 

Kick In, You Suckers!  HAHAHAHA!

But first, if you have any friends in surrounding cities, you know that Ogden City water bills have been jacked up so high, they SOAR above the rest!  Maybe you’ve wondered why?  Well, it turns out that for every $1 of water money that comes in, 17¢ comes straight to the general fund, i.e. to ME!  You know how hard it is to raise TAXES around here?  Well, who needs all that STRESS!  I just get the elected nitwits to raise the WATER BILLS and I get 17% of that extra money, and NOBODY complains!

A few years ago, we put in a new water tank at the top of 36th Street that is FIVE TIMES as big as the STATE ENGINEERING standards said we needed.  Why so big? Because I got, and continue to get, 17% of all that WASTEFUL SPENDING!

And take my LATEST SCHEME!  We got the city to BORROW $20 million we didn’t even NEED in the water fund!  Then, we put the money RIGHT BACK into the BANK, along with the $30 million that was ALREADY THERE!  Next, we raised water bills to pay the INTEREST!  Right off, I get 17% of those higher water bills!  Then, we paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees to the bankers and consultants who came up with this SCAM! 

And that’s not even the BEST PART!  Once the new city council gets seated, we’ll wait a little while, and go “HEY!  Guess WHAT!  We just DISCOVERED $50 million in the BANK that we must have SAVED due to our incredible EFFICIENCY!!  So how about we use that money for some NEW PUBLIC BUILDING we NEED!  It’ll be like getting the new public building for FREE!  You can tell all your VOTERS how GOOD of a job you are doing!” 

HAHAHAHAHA!!!  The city council will be bleeding you people dry and kissing both sides of my butt for making them look so good!  It’s easy as PIE I tell ya!  Easy as PIE!  HAHAHAHAHA!

Ok, I had to stop and take a pill.  My doctor told me not to get so hyperventilated at work.  Ok, take a breath, N. Mark.  Take a breath.  That’s better.  Well, here are my recommendations.

At Large Seat B

VOTE FOR! Bart Blair

Bart Blair

Bart Blair came to office four years ago from the oil industry.  Actually, he was a GAS STATION CLERK … at his DAD’S gas station!  You can still buy your beer and cigarettes from him most weekdays at Blair’s Chevron here in town.  It was this level of skill and experience that landed him the position he currently holds of Ogden City Council CHAIRMAN!

HAHAHAHA!  Yeah, RIGHT!  Actually, I got him that job MYSELF!  You see, Bart came to office a young, naïve little boy, and I turned him into the rapidly-aging, reflexive BUTT KISS that he is today!  This guy NEVER votes against the bureaucrats.  He’s been raising your water bills the whole time he’s been in office!!  Vote this guy back in!!!!

VOTE AGAINST! Courtney White

Courtney White

This candidate, Courtney White, is the most blatant case of FALSE ADVERTISING I’ve ever SEEN!  The guy’s name is WHITE, but he’s OBVIOUSLY a MEXICAN!

Taking a page from the former mayor’s playbook, do you really think more Mexican markets, gangs and graffiti is what this city needs!  Come on! Get serious!

But if that’s not bad enough, this guy is a free enterprise NUT! He DOESN’T LIKE the millions of dollars this city hands out to our FAVORED CRONIES each year!  Courtney believes in imaginary, non-existent things, like unicorns, elves, and the free market in Ogden!  He’s against all our corporate welfare and payoffs, and wants to CLEAN it all UP!  One of my golfing cronies said he doesn’t have a problem with having a Mexican CLEAN something UP, but NOT like THIS!!  Hey, this election, do ME a favor and make sure COURTNEY WHITE’S political career is ALL WASHED UP!

Wards 1 & 3

VOTE FOR!  Neil Garner and Doug Stephens

Garner & Stephens

These two fine men, Neil Garner and Doug Stephens, have been painstakingly trained to do what I want, and they ALWAYS do what I SAY!! 

These are your INCUMBENTS!  They’ve been raising your water bills reliably.  And you people on secondary water – they voted in a scheme to JACK your rates EVEN HIGHER than EVERYONE ELSE! 

Yeah!!! Both of these guys came into office as intellectual lightweights.  And now, if you’ve ever met them, you know that after years in office they are so addled they can hardly chew gum.  But they have enough function left to nod “yes” when the vote comes.  YES!!  YES!!!  Reward these men for jacking up your water bills and making me a happy man!!  Re-elect them!!! 

VOTE AGAINST!  Pamela Stevens and Turner Bitton

Stevens & Bitton

These people, Pamela Stevens and Turner Bitton, are new.  They are down to earth.  They listen.  They want to serve the public good.

For Pete’s sake DON’T vote for people who are THAT IRRESPONSIBLE!   I know what the city needs, not YOU!  Please, please, please DON’T vote for these people!

At Large Seat A

PICK ONE YOURSELF!  Marsha White or Stephen Thompson

White & Thompson

I haven’t had time for my city bureaucratic gnomes to find out about these people, Marsha White or Stephen Thompson, so I can’t say who will be the most dutifully servile to the needs of the CITY, and by that I mean servile to the needs of ME!!!!

But I do know that Marsha White has gotten a truckload of money from the REALTOR association, some of our most reliable CRONIES!  So judge THAT for yourself!

In conclusion, remember that I make at least 3 times the median income of the rest of you SUCKERS not counting all my PERKS!  So I’m smarter than you, and I KNOW what YOU NEED!  Remember, vote YES for ever-increasing rates and fees!  Vote YES for Ogden City, by voting for MY candidates on NOVEMBER 5th!

Update 10/25/13 8:00 a.m.: I cracked the whip at my gnomes and they FINALLY did a little research on those two nobodys running for At Large Seat A (soon to be vacated by that dimwit Susie who sounded kinda scary when she campaigned but has ended up being putty in my hands). What the gnomes discovered is this...

Marcia White used to be on the board of a liberal terrorist organization called Equality Utah that wants EQUAL RIGHTS for all the LGBT folks. Now personally I don't care one way or the other about the queers but I get queasy when I think of council members who might have their own agenda -- any agenda!

Anyhow, I can probably live with White's agenda but NOT with Stephen Thompson's agenda which is WORKER'S RIGHTS!!! He's a former FIREFIGHTER, for cryin' out loud! That means he'll want more pay and decent working conditions for ALL the firefighters, and undoubtedly the cops too, and maybe even the garbage collectors and ditch diggers and office clerks. And MORE dough for all those dumb city slaves means LESS dough for me and my loyal bureaucrats! Not to mention the developers and construction contractors and real estate speculators who are always SO VERY NICE to me whenever they come up to my office and we close the door and share our mutual appreciation.

SO, kids: DON'T vote for Stephen Thompson! Hold your nose if necessary and just vote for Marcia White, whose last name stands for keeping the money where it belongs, in the hands of us WHITE COLLAR bureaucrats!

Standard-Examiner: Snowbasin Resort Development Plan Moves Ahead in Morgan County

Will Godfrey's heretofore un-sated Gondola passion be finally quenched?

Gondola???

Interesting story in this morning's Standard-Examiner, reporting that "the Morgan County Council will vote Oct. 1 on a proposed Snowbasin resort plan that a local planner says will eventually double the number of dwelling units in the county":

• Snowbasin resort development plan moves ahead in Morgan County

Remember, folks, Morgan County economic development is now former Ogden Mayor Matthew "Gondola Boy" Godfrey's private sector consulting turf.

So what about it, O Gentle Ones?  Gaze into your ever-infallible crystal balls. Will the proposed public financing and construction of a multi-millon dollar gondola be the next hot issue dividing Morgan County lumpencitizens?

Will Godfrey's heretofore un-sated Gondola passion be finally quenched?

Standard-Examiner: Will Massive Data Center Make Utah Spy Central?

Write it down so you don't forget it, folks...  "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear"

Click to enlarge image

Amidst all the hullabaloo surrounding last week's National Security Agency (NSA) "leak" matter, wherein "off-the-reservation" 29-year-old NSA "analyst" Edward J. Snowden "spilled the beans" concerning our federal government's ongoing action of indiscriminately vacuuming-up, collecting and "warehousing" the massive electronic data of each and every U.S. citizen, friend or foe, it stands to reason that a discussion of our own locally-situated Utah Data Center would find its way to the news media front burner, and with this morning's Standard-Examiner story, our home-town newspaper provides just that.  It's a chewy AP story, well worthy of a good read, wethinks:

• Will massive data center make Utah spy central?

All-in-all, a well-researched and highly informative story, wethinks.

Gotta admit that as a University of Utah grad, your blogmeister was fascinated by this interesting story angle (among others) too:

At the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, educators are creating a certificate program that they hope will produce students ready to work at big data centers such as the Bluffdale facility. The NSA helped reviewed the curriculum, offering suggestions, and plans to offer internships to students, said Valerio Pascucci, director of the Center for Extreme Data, Management, Analysis and Visualization.

Imagine that. An academic certificate in spyin' on your neighbors.

There is one important fact element this story did leave out, however.  Although AP reporter Brady Combs does mention "...a spoof website that even includes a phony code name for the facility: "Bumblehive," a play on Utah's nickname of the "Beehive State," our usually fastidious Standard-Examiner editors committed what we believe to be dang near a "cardinal sin" for anyone who publishes stories on the net....  Yep, gentle readers, the S-E editors omitted the spoof website link. 

No hay problema, O Gentle Ones.  We managed to find it this morning after extensive Googling:

• Domestic Surveillance Directorate

Pretty hilarious knock-off of the original NSA site, don'tcha think?

And remember, folks...  "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." Mebbe you should write that down so you don't forget it.

Weber County Forum "Puff-Piece" Update: The Most Porn-Loving Religious Cities In The Country

Hey Gentle WCF Readers! You already  know how we LOVE Ogden City "Puff-Pieces." Oh yes, regular WCF readers, we surely do.

Kevin "Hot-tub" Garn*

Thusly, here's your blogmeister's  latest "pick" on that subject, submitted by another sharp-eyed WCF reader, of course.  And so we therefore put this "up front," for our gentle readers' un-ending amusement:

• The Most Porn-Loving Religious Cities In The Country

This one hits it pretty much outta the ballpark, don'tcha thinks?

Figures in Utah politics, dunnit?
_____________________
* Former Utah House Majority Leader Kevin "Hot-tub" Garn

Weber County Forum Sunday Funnies - "Cheers and Jeers"

One would-be Standard-Examiner page editor throws in his own 2¢

By Bob Becker

Since the Standard-Examiner is the source for most of what this thread discusses, maybe this is a good opportunity for a list of recent "Cheers and Jeers" for the SE.

Cheer: The SE's fact checking Superintendent Smith's claim that his school district is the only one left in Utah with paid professional librarians in its schools. The SE updated story establishes clearly that Superintendent Smith didn't know what the hell he was talking about. [The only other possibility is that he was being duplicitous. Not encouraging when an Ogden public official's best defense against a charge of duplicity is that he was being incompetent instead.] Good work, SE.

Jeer: running a shorter story on the firings first, which included Smith's claim, unchecked, and not providing readers with any hint that the short story was [in Dan S.'s term] a "placeholder" for a longer story being prepared. I know in the now Twitterpated world of news, it's important to get something up fast. But give readers some indication that what you have up is merely a teaser, that more is coming. Readers had no way to know that the shorter story leaving Smith's statement un-checked wasn't going to be the end of the reporting.

Jeer: Today's [Sunday's] front page of the SE is.... well, let's be delicate and say "thin" of substantive content for the front page of an urban daily on what it's editors tell me is its most-read daily edition. The lead story, with the biggest headline, taking up half the page, is about a decline in beauty pageant entrants in Utah of late. Much more than half the space devoted to this story is taken up by two pictures of last year's Miss Utah pageant winner. More pic than text. This is Utah local news, but not front page news. Second [of three] front page stories is about DNA testing of the beavers rescued from the latest Chevron pipeline spill. OK, it's an interesting local story. But front page? And front page when the Life section of the paper today devotes 3/4 of its front page, plus another entire page, to another story about those same beavers ["Beavers on the Rebound"]. That story runs nine pictures, which take up considerably more space than the text of the story. Can't help wondering then what the Beaver DNA story was doing on the front page at all, and can't help wondering if the SE is now running more and more pix in order to cut down on the actual text of stories and news? Is this the first hint of publisher changes with the new guy on board? More pictures, less text [and so fewer stories' or shorter ones, to make room for more pictures?], Last year's beauty queen filling nearly all the space above the fold on the front page, Sunday edition? Let us hope not.

Cheer: Becky Cairns "Beaver on the Rebound" story. It's a good features story. Well written and interesting. Not sure nine pictures served much purpose, but the story was a plus.

Jeer: Caption on one of the two pix on the front page running with the Pageant story: It reads as follows: "Kara Arnold of Bountiful, squats so she can be draped with the sash proclaiming her winner of the Miss Utah 2012 pageant." "Squats"? Ah, no. Beauty pageant winners do not "squat" on stage. Dips or bends, perhaps, if some description of her movement is thought absolutely necessary [actually, none was necessary for the picture]. But definitely not "squats." An inelegant choice. Reminds me of the story about a reporter describing Joan Crawford as "sweating" under the klieg lights. Someone, I forget who, corrected him: "Men sweat. Women perspire. Miss Crawford glows."

Cheer: WAPO wire service story on Cedar Mesa. Off beat, not expected, interesting read.

Cheer: J. Lampro's front page story on alcoholism. The only one of the three front page stories that belonged there this morning.

Cuts Ground Blue Angels, Hill Air Force Base Squadron, Other Navy, Air Force Aircraft

"You get what you're willing to pay for," as the old saying goes

Troubling news this morning from both the Standard-Examiner and Salt Lake Tribune, whose below-linked stories both painfully demonstrate that civil aviation buffs at Ogden-Hinkley Field aren't the only Utah airport devotees whose interests are threatened by impending, meat cleaver-style 2013 federal sequestration budget cuts.  "The U.S. Air Force plans to ground about a third of its active-duty force of combat planes — including a squadron based at Hill Air Force Base — and the U.S. Navy cancelled the rest of the popular Blue Angels’ aerobatic team’s season because of automatic federal budget cuts," according to the Tribune's AP wire story.

• Hill F-16 squadron grounded in budget cuts
• Cuts ground Blue Angels, Hill Air Force Base squadron, other Navy, Air Force aircraft

Bad news for our nation's air combat capability, and even worse news for the wildly popular Hill AFB-situated Utah Air Show, for sure.

"For affected units, the Air Force says it will shift its focus to ground training," according to yesterday's Trib story.

"You get what you're willing to pay for," as the old saying goes.