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Meal time

State Rep. Mike Reynolds has the right idea with an attempt to keep lobbyists from buying legislators’ meals at the Capitol. Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, was moved to act after the Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted last week for a proposed rule that would let lobbyists provide lunch or dinner for groups of legislators at the Capitol. The rule also wouldn’t require lobbyists to identify which lawmakers got the meals. Legislators who like the idea argue that a meal here or there won’t sway their decisions on bills. That’s debatable. What isn’t debatable is that lawmakers, many of whom get per diem of $148 per day along with their generous salaries, don’t need free lunches. They can pay for their own, and should.

Puppet court

It’s “Sesame Street” meets the unseemly side of politics. With cameras barred from a high-profile corruption trial, a Cleveland, Ohio, television station has puppets acting out the steamy testimony about hookers, gambling and sexually transmitted diseases. In one scene, a furry hand stuffs cash down the shirt of a puppet prostitute. WOIO news director Dan Salamone brought up the idea of using the puppets to lampoon the trial and give a glimpse of what’s happening in the federal courtroom. Because cameras aren’t allowed, other stations have relied on artist sketches of the proceedings and videos of longtime Democratic power broker Jimmy Dimora walking into court. The puppets are in addition to the station’s regular coverage of Dimora’s trial. Although some people have criticized the station for blurring the lines between news and entertainment, Salamone defended the segments, saying it’s no different from when newscasts end with a lighter, humorous story. Oklahoma has its own share of trials that easily could be lampooned similarly.

Short-term forecast, from the National Weather Service in Norman

.REGIONAL WEATHER DISCUSSION…

THIS AFTERNOON WARM SOUTHERLY WINDS…GUSTING OVER 30 MPH…HAD
PUSHED TEMPERATURES INTO THE 60S FROM NORTH TEXAS UP THROUGH
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. A COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED IN WESTERN
OKLAHOMA…APPROACHING MANGUM TO WATONGA AND ENID. BEHIND THE
FRONT…WINDS HAD INCREASED TO BETWEEN 25 AND 30 MPH…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. WIND GUSTS WILL INCREASE FURTHER IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA TODAY AS
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT. GUSTS OVER 40 MPH WILL BECOME
COMMON…AND SOME GUSTS OVER 50 MPH MAY OCCUR BENEATH SOME VIRGA OR
VERY LIGHT SPRINKLES IN FAR NORTHERN OKLAHOMA.

THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE BEHIND THE FRONT WILL NOT BE DRAMATIC…BUT
TEMPERATURES WERE FALLING BACK INTO THE LOW 50S ACROSS NORTHWEST
OKLAHOMA. THE COLD FRONT AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL REACH
STILLWATER…OKLAHOMA CITY…AND WICHITA FALLS TOWARD 6 PM.

Dancing with the snows

AP Photo

When is the exercise of religion on public property not an invitation to an injunction? When Indian culture is involved. The latest example among many is a Utah tribe’s snow dance to benefit ski resorts in Colorado. Seems the Great Spirit has been a bit stingy with the white stuff this year. Colorado isn’t the only state where snow dances have been held this year. While ski resorts are private property, the rites have also been held at a state park near Lake Tahoe. These are religious exercises. Oklahoma’s car tags carry a depiction of the “Sacred Rain Arrow,” a religious image. In the past few years, groundbreakings for Oklahoma projects involving public funds have included Indian religious rites. While neither Judaism nor Christianity originated on this continent, they have a long history here and are part of the culture. Why is it OK for one culture to be overtly religious in the public square but not another?

Hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service, Norman

HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
1140 AM CST FRI JAN 27 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE…THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.

DISCUSSION…
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MAY YIELD A FEW SPRINKLES ACROSS NORTHERN
OKLAHOMA. OTHERWISE…THIS WEATHER SYSTEM…AND ITS ASSOCIATED COLD
FRONT…WILL ENCOUNTER DRY AND STABLE AIR.

PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST SATURDAY JAN 28.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…LESS THAN 5 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON…ESPECIALLY IN
WESTERN OKLAHOMA. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.

WINDY AND WARM CONDITIONS TODAY WILL INCREASE THE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
A WEATHER SYSTEM ARRIVING NEXT WEDNESDAY COULD BRING A CHANCE OF
THUNDER TO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. OTHERWISE…ORGANIZED RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
WINDY AND WARM CONDITIONS WILL INCREASE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL ON MONDAY
AND TUESDAY.

The Great Central U.S ShakeOut “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Feb. 7

The Great Central U.S ShakeOut Overview

 

Are You Ready to ShakeOut?

 

200 years ago, a series of major earthquakes struck the

Mississippi River Valley along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

Recent events remind us that damaging earthquakes can

happen at any time. With more than 40 million people living

and working in the region today, a major earthquake would

cause widespread damage and disruption.

What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards.

With earthquakes an inevitable part of our future, we must act quickly to ensure that disasters do

not become catastrophes.

The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut in February 2012 will involve more than 1 million people through

a broad-based outreach program, partnership with the media, and public advocacy by hundreds of

partners. This event is being organized by the Central United States Earthquake Consortium and

 

the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and

 

Tennessee. The ShakeOut will be centered around a simultaneous

Drop, Cover, and Hold On drillthat will be held at 10:15 AM CDT on February 7, 2012.

 

 

Drop, Cover, and Hold On is the easy?to-remember and recommended

 personal protective action to take in the event of an earthquake.

 

February 7th is also the 200th anniversary of the last of the 1811?

12 earthquakes that destroyed the town of New Madrid, Missouri and

 created Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee.

 

A key aspect of the ShakeOut is the integration of earthquake

 research and the lessons learned from social science research

about why people get prepared for disasters. The result is a “teachable moment” on par

 with having an actual earthquake (often followed by increased interest in getting ready for earthquakes).

The ShakeOut creates the sense of urgency that is needed for people,

 organizations, and communities to get prepared, to practice what to do to be

 

safe, and to learn what plans need to be improved.

The ShakeOut inspires communities to work

 

together towards disaster preparedness, and

sets aside specific time for them to take proactive

 

action to become better prepared.

 

The 2012 ShakeOut drill will follow on the success

 of the 2011 drill, where more than 3 million

 

people participated in the largest preparedness event

 in central U.S. history. Interested participants are encouraged

 to go to www.shakeout.org/centralus

and pledge their family, school,

business, or organization’s participation in the drill.

Registered participants will receive

 

information on how to plan their drill and

 how to create a dialogue with others

 about earthquake preparedness.

 

 

Tickets on sale at noon today for Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Oklahoma City show

Tickets go on sale at noon today to for the upcoming Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas, concert at Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall.

Krauss, a 26-time Grammy winner, and her acclaimed bluegrass band will play at 7:30 p.m. March 25 at the Civic Center.

Tickets are priced at $49.50 and $59.50.

In April 2011, Rounder Records released the eagerly anticipated Alison Krauss & Union Station album “Paper Airplane.” The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and Bluegrass Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Top 200 Album Chart. A collection of 11 exquisite songs, “Paper Airplane” is Krauss’ 14th album and the band’s follow-up to 2004’s triple Grammy-winning “Lonely Runs Both Ways” (Rounder). It is Krauss’ first release since her 2007 internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum collaboration with Robert Plant, “Raising Sand,” which won six Grammys including Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year.

Krauss and with Union Station band members Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (dobro and harmony vocals) are continuing their tour in 2012 after a successful run of critically-acclaimed performances in 2011.

Part of Krauss’ incontestable talent is how effortlessly she bridges the gap between roots music and country, rock and pop. A highly sought-after collaborator, Krauss has worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including James Taylor, Phish, Dolly Parton, Yo Yo Ma and Bonnie Raitt. Since signing with Rounder Records at the age of 14 in 1985 Krauss has sold in excess of 12 million albums and garnered 26 Grammy Awards, the most for any female and the third most of any recording artist in Grammy history.

For more information, go to http://okcciviccenter.com/shows.php.

-BAM

Business professor Jeremy Short speaking on graphic novels at TEDxOU

A-List: Red Chateau

Choc’s Project Hop to continue tonight

The next installment in Choc’s Project Hop will be tonight at McNellie’s OKC. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Tonight’s offering will be 1919 dry-hopped with Columbus hops. Columbus hops are described as earthy and spicy, with subtle flavors of citrus. Seems like a nice, subtle complement to 1919.

In other, unrelated beer news…

-Mustang Brewing has set a Winter Lager pint night at McNellie’s OKC for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. First 100 people to buy a pint of Winter Lager get a new Mustang pint glass.

-Oklahoma City scored some major cred in the latest issue of Draft Magazine. Check the link to see mentions of RePUBlic, TapWerks, McNellie’s, Redbud, COOP and Battered Boar.

-Also in Draft Mag, TapWerks made the list of the magazine’s 100 best beer bars for 2012.

-And yet another tidbit from Draft Mag: They recently reviewed COOP Native Amber and Choc Signature Smoked Porter.