Such language from KD!
We understand that Kevin Durant is a 24-year-old kid, and that so many young people today don’t think twice about peppering their conversations with foul language. Certainly it’s commonplace in the NBA, where Durant makes his living.
Still, it was disappointing to see his display after breaking away and dunking the ball during Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta.
After the basket, Durant faced the Hawks fans, bowed up and yelled, “This is my (bleeping) house!” Of course it was easily captured by TV cameras.
Durant has been the first-class face of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise from day one. One emotional outburst, in a sport where emotions can run high, doesn’t change that. But here’s hoping such displays are rare in the future.
Boulevard back-and-forth
Debate has been vigorous regarding the design of a future downtown boulevard, and much more will be said before a decision is made.
The boulevard will follow the path of the old Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway. Should traffic move quickly along the new boulevard, to better help motorists get into and out of the city? Or should it move more slowly, and thus be more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists? How much will the end product foster retail and residential growth?
All these issues and more are being bandied about. The fact that about 400 people turned out this week to voice their concerns to designers — who tweaked an earlier proposal after earlier public feedback — is a sign of just how important the boulevard is to residents.
More public meetings are planned in the months ahead. Some are sure to be disappointed no matter the final design, but they won’t be able to say they weren’t included in the process.
The life of pies
Hostess is attracting suitors for its signature brands, plants and other assets. When news of Hostess’ pending demise broke last month, thousands of Americans mourned the loss of the Twinkie and other Hostess products. But brands, like factories, can be bought and sold.
The Twinkie may live on with a different baking company. Will it taste the same? Remains to be seen. Other famous brands that are likely to survive under new ownership include the Ding Dong, Donettes, Sno Balls, Ho-Hos, Chocodiles and Zingers.
We’re worried, though, that another Hostess staple may be too generic to find life after bankruptcy. It’s those miniature fruit pies that (at least in the minds of mothers who pack school lunch boxes) are healthier than other Hostess offerings. Will someone please pluck the fruit pie from the Hostess tree and plant it in another orchard?
Examples of diversity in Oklahoma
We recently suggested that those arguing Oklahoma’s economy is harmed because we’re not known nationally for “diversity” mistake cause and effect. When jobs are plentiful, you attract a wide range of people to your state, not the other way around.
We also noted that diversity is interwoven throughout Oklahoma’s population and history.
The fact that two black judges — Tom Colbert and David B. Lewis — are poised to lead the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, respectively, supports our contention. In addition, state Rep. T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, is about to become the first black speaker of the House.
These men have achieved distinction based on individual merit, not arbitrary racial promotion. Oklahoma is a place where anyone from any background, regardless of race or income, can rise to prominence. We should all celebrate that fact.
Oklahoma City comes up big again
Oklahoma City has done it again. People in this generous city wasted no time rallying to save the annual Red Andrews Christmas Dinner, which just a week ago seemed headed for oblivion when it was announced it wouldn’t be held this year due to health issues involving leading organizers.
Early this week, one of Red Andrews’ nephews, Larry Cassil, said he would take on the challenge of hosting the dinner, a fixture since 1940s and which last year fed about 6,000 less-fortunate Oklahomans. By Wednesday, it was announced a foundation had been formed to make sure the dinner continues.
“Collectively we have implemented a plan to ensure the dinner’s success in perpetuity,” said attorney Robert Goldman, whose family has long been involved with the event. He said response to the original announcement had been “overwhelming.”
Goldman is chairman of the foundation’s board. Other board members are Cassil and attorney John Yoeckel, a member of the Oklahoma City Planning Commission.
“Many citizens in this city found the news of the discontinuation of the Red Andrews dinner unacceptable,” said Teresa Rose, director of community relations for Chesapeake Energy Corp. “Calls were made, and we discovered that a lot of people felt the same way.”
So the needy in our community still have a place to go on Christmas Day for a hot meal and a gift. Kudos.
Womb with a view
Syndicated columnist Rich Lowry wrote this week of the Obama campaign’s condescension toward women. He cited the views of early feminists that women are “just as capable of rational deliberation as men.”
He didn’t mention how out of sync Obama’s views on reproduction are with those of some pioneers of women’s rights.
More than 100 years after her death, Susan B. Anthony remains the subject of scholarly debate about her views on abortion. Anti-abortion groups believe Anthony actively opposed the practice; abortion-rights groups claims she had no strong feelings on the subject.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton once wrote of the “murder of children, either before or after birth.” Victoria Woodhall, the first female candidate for president (1872), said, “Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth.”
The point of this is that women — including some modern feminists — don’t have a unified view supporting abortion at any stage of a pregnancy or government-mandated contraception. Obama’s one-womb-fits-all philosophy is patronizing and an insult to many American women.
Thanks for the help …
New York City’s effort to outlaw soft drinks larger than 16 ounces is leading soda companies to display the calorie listings for drinks in some vending machines. Here’s a hint: The diet pops have the least calories.
To avoid government limits treating consumers like children, producers feel compelled to implement information campaigns that treat consumers like morons. Regulators seem to think Americans don’t know that 20-ounce sodas are sugary.
They even have studies to bolster their case. The New England Journal of Medicine published three studies last month linking sugar-sweetened beverages to weight gain. Stop the presses!
In spite of the PR moves and countermoves, anti-soda initiatives are unlikely to do much to improve health outcomes. Beverage makers note caloric intake from sugar-sweetened drinks declined more than 20 percent between 2001 and 2010, yet obesity rates continued to rise.
Belly flop of a rule
This year the federal Justice Department declared the Americans With Disabilities Act applied to pools used by the public. This led to an outcry from many hotel operators who faced the sudden cost of installing elevators, lifts or ramps to accommodate the disabled and the threat of associated lawsuits.
It turns out that rule’s impact wasn’t limited to the hotel industry. Tulsa Public Schools may close many of its pools due in part to the new regulations. The district could have to install lifts at 23 pools at a cost of $7,500 apiece. That $172,500 total cost is equivalent to several teachers’ annual salaries and effectively cuts school funds.
As with many federal regulations, this proposal will do little to increase access for the disabled, and much to reduce access for countless other Americans.
Solving this problem must begin in the home
Oklahomans are fat, and getting fatter.
That in a nutshell summarizes a report issued this week by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Researchers concluded that 31 percent of Oklahomans are obese. They estimated the total could climb to 66 percent by 2030.
News of our current obesity rate, however, is a dog-bites-man story. In any number of studies through the years, Oklahoma has been rated as one of the most obese states in the country. The obesity rate of our residents has climbed steadily in the past two decades or so.
That climb has translated into soaring numbers of children with Type 2 diabetes, which carries many health risks. That form of diabetes used to be found primarily in adults as they grew sedentary and out of shape. The problem is that too many of our youngsters now fit that description.
This report will surely spur calls in some circles for the state to “do something” to address this problem. But government mandates, such as New York City’s ban on large soft drinks, aren’t the answer. Instead the solutions must begin in the home, with parents insisting their kids turn off the video games and go outside, or urging them to eat healthier foods.
Two-way street
The city councils of Tulsa and Oklahoma City held a historic joint session on Sept. 6, two months before Tulsa County voters will decide the fate of a $748.8 million captital improvements plan. At the meeting, the Tulsans sought advice from their Oklahoma City counterparts on how to replicate what three MAPS inititiatives have done to enhance the quality of life here.
Tulsa is catching up with the capital city in public investments and, unlike MAPS, major capital improvements plans in the Tulsa area are handled countywide rather than citywide.
Also of note is that Tulsa County has a model jail while Oklahoma County faces a federal takeover of jail operations unless expensive improvements are made. A countywide initiative is needed to address the jail here. Oklahoma County is nearly alone among counties in this state without a sales tax.
Perhaps leaders here could use some advice from Tulsans on how to pass a countywide sales tax measure for the jail.
