Mark_Ockerbloom's Blog

The recent tornado has me reflecting on my days in Oklahoma. I worked in Oklahoma City for six years and saw firsthand the incredible destruction these storms can cause. Though I covered sports at the time, I was asked to cover the aftermath of the deadly F-5 tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma in 1999 killing 48 people. I interviewed kids who worked at a Sonic drive-through restaurant who survived the twister by taking shelter in the freezer, crouching down amidst the onion rings and corn dogs! When they finally emerged everything around them was gone...including their cars...many of which had no insurance coverage. But hey, they were lucky to be alive.

Another vivid image is that of driving past the streets where homes once stood and were now all reduced to rubble. The slabs upon which they were built exposed. A basement may be the place to go in the event of a tornado, but the cruel reality is few are built in Oklahoma because of the red clay in the ground. Apparently the grounds not rigid enough. Another site... the trees... big trees pulled apart at their mid-sections just like they were in Epsom and Deerfield. Having lived through several tornadoes, including one that passed just three miles from my home, I can't tell you what a helpless feeling it is to sit and wonder if you're in the path of destruction. Seconds pass like minutes... minutes like hours.

Little did I know they'd travel back home with me.

Women priests? Why not? I believe their time has come and the Catholic church needs them... too bad they won't recognize them. On Sunday, three women were ordained priests, and one as a deacon, at the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street, even though the Vatican had already promised excommunication. The Archdiocese of Boston released a statement saying "Catholics who attempt to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the women who attempt to receive a sacred order, are by their own actions separating themselves from the church."

I'm a practicing Catholic and feel strongly that many of the Church's traditions and teachings should be practiced and upheld. But with vocations falling off in alarming numbers and therefore the word of God being preached by fewer and fewer priests, perhaps it's time to make some modifications and allow those who truly want to become priests, like these women as well as married men for that matter, to do just that! Churches are closing because of a lack of able bodies... these people are ready, willing and able and should not be turned away at the door. 

Count me in as one of the folks who loves the idea of putting a cap on the crappy cement fishbowl we call the aquarium. State Senator Jack Hart has a plan to relocate the aquarium to the Southie waterfront, and to me, it makes a lot of sense.

A new City Hall would take its place (another ugly building whose time has come) and then City Hall Plaza would be home to new development, hopefully something area residents and tourists can be excited about.

Let's face it, the aquarium is, in a word, underwhelming. Sure the fish, the sharks, the penguins are great, but the building itself is dark, dank and smells. On a list of things to do in Boston, it's near the bottom of the list when it should be near the top.

For a first class city like Boston, perched on the shores of the Atlantic and home to a rich fishing history, we deserve better.

As a member of our live chat at 5 pointed out, other cities have them and they are a work of art. Ours should be, too.

The Feds are cracking down on drunk fliers. A good idea, but I gotta believe it isn't that big a problem considering what they charge you for a beer these days. At six bucks a pop, getting loaded on a plane is cost prohibitive for many. Still, there are those who can afford it and abuse it. In fact, a U.S. attorney says in Colorado alone the number of trashed travelers who interfered with a flight crew doubled in the past year.

One group in the Mile High city wants the FAA to open pot lounges as an alternative way to calm passengers. Doubt that's gonna fly! A better idea? Set a drink limit. If not, then flight attendants will have to do a better job of monitoring how many drinks they serve a passenger. A tough call depending on the passenger's height and weight...perhaps a better solution would be to warn passengers of the 20-years in federal prison if you interfere with a flight. Just have it spelled out on the cocktail napkin. Cheers!

"Best day of my whole ******* life." That's how Sam from Australia describes this year's Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. I'm sorry but I just don't get it... hundreds of people risking life and limb in a desperate half-mile sprint to avoid a bulls horns? Sorry, not my idea of a good time.

If I want to get my heart racing I can think of plenty of less deadly things to do. Rollercoaster rides, Bungee jumping and parachuting quickly come to mind. Since 1910, 15 people have been killed in Pamplona including one unlucky American, Matthew Tassio, who was gored in 1995.

Yeah, I know it's a tradition and it's part of Spain's "culture"... but so, too, is "La Tomatina", the annual tomato-throwing festival held every August. Thousands of revelers participating in a two-hour food fight where all you have to worry about is getting the stains out? Now that's more my speed... how 'bout you?

"Made in the USA"...time was when those words meant a lot...celebrities like Bob Hope encouraged us to buy American and we did. The products were well-made and they were reasonably priced. But times changed, technology changed, jobs went overseas and foreign countries began to introduce cheaper, more effective products.

However, in the past year, Americans are slowly rediscovering a desire to once again buy American. Contributing factors include the tainted pet food scare in which dogs and cats died after eating foreign made food. On a much larger scale, the toy recall, in which toys made in China were yanked from store shelves after they were found to contain harmful levels of lead. To give you a sense of how many people are concerned about the toy scare, keep this in mind, in the last 12 months, a local web site launched to find US made toys now has 49 more just like it. And then there are the old reasons for buying American such as safety and patriotism during wartime and helping out the national economy which, as we all know, is struggling mightily forcing companies to close and people to lose their jobs. For all these reasons, it's a no-brainer for me...given a choice I buy American and always will. How about you?

A 49-year old woman dies on the floor of a psychiatric emergency room at Brooklyn hospital. Worse yet, surveillance video shows staffers ignoring her for an hour!


YouTube

It's a story that makes your stomach turn and your blood boil. The victim, Esmin Green, can be seen falling out of her chair at 5:30am on June 19, then lying down and thrashing around before going still. People nearby, including two security guards, do nothing to help!
In fact, an hour goes by before a fellow patient finally tracks someone down who will help. Now lawyers are suing Kings County Hospital alleging neglect and abuse of mental health patients at the medical facility.

The New York Daily News reports that staff at the hospital might have even faked medical charts belonging to the victim. Her medical chart claims the Jamaica native used the bathroom when she was actually writhing on the floor and the records also have Green sitting quietly in her chair when she was already dead!

Six staffers including the two security guards have been fired...but it would seem a far harsher penalty should be in order for those who turned away. They lost their jobs...this poor woman lost her life!

I am doing a story on this tonight. Check it out at 10 and let me know what you think.

A true legend of comedy passed away this weekend. George Carlin was my introduction to comedy with an "edge". My friends and I would listen to his album over and over again especially the part about the seven dirty words you could not say on television. Of course the door was usually closed so no parents could hear them being uttered...but no doubt they heard plenty of laughing from my friends and me. Carlin had that uncanny ability to take observations of everyday life and turn them into something truly funny by offering a perspective we'd never considered before.

However, I must tell you his act in recent years seemed almost mean spirited with numerous attacks on modern day America to the point where it was more annoying than funny. In fact, after watching his new special on HBO last month I came away with not only a lot of laughs, but also with a sense that the 71 year old was morphing into a whining, bitter, old man. Still, I hate to see anyone leave us so suddenly, especially someone who made people laugh so hard for so many years. To the counter-culture hero of comedy I say...rest in peace

If ever there was a time when a sales tax holiday was needed it's now... and now we learn we may not have one this year? People are seriously hurting financially and the sales tax holiday would be a welcomed and badly-needed financial break. Last August, the two-day holiday saved consumers $15.9 million in taxes! But House Speaker Sal DiMasi told the Cape Cod Times that it is unlikely the House will waive the 5% sales tax like it's done for the past four years, because the state simply can't afford it. Okay, then how about a compromise... say one tax-free day instead of two? Senate President Therese Murray is still on board with the two-day holiday and here's hoping her voice is heard. If not, get ready to head to New Hampshire where every day is a sales tax holiday.

What do you think?

I thoroughly enjoyed today's rolling rally for the Celtics. After all, it was chance to bask in the afterglow of yet another championship here in Boston. But I also feel like the rally needed more. Call me old school, but it needed a formal ceremony at the end with each player, or at least the Big 3, the head coach and owner addressing the masses and sharing their thoughts on what the title means to them, the city and the fans.

Today's rally rolled on without ever stopping. At least Papelbon's river dance made a few stops along the way. Remember when Larry Bird shouted "Moses does eat $%*!" How 'bout when Robert Kraft danced (or at least tried) or Troy Brown yelled "bingo...we got bingo!" Those were moments to cherish and celebrate and though there was plenty of celebration today, I feel in some ways the giant party was missing an exclamation point.

Should you need an ID to enter a public library? I say yes. Recently, a teacher was beaten and mugged right in front of his students inside the Boston Public Library. Police say a homeless man, known to them, attacked the Boston English teacher from behind with a book.  He hit him in the head. This was reportedly the 13th incident at the library! How many more will it take to make some changes? Sure, you could add more security, but that doesn't happen without some money from somewhere. Why not just have people sign up for a library card or ID allowing them entrance into the library and the privilege of taking out books? It won't cost anything but it will give police and library personnel a record of who's coming and going at all times and that would come in extremely handy should another attack take place. This could also help safeguard against sexual predators like the one who allegedly assaulted a six-year-old boy at the New Bedford public library.

In my opinion, if you're there to use the library properly, what's the big deal? But if you're not, you get caught!

If you think Newton's new high school at a cool $200 million is outrageously costly, keep this in mind, a $230 million high school is going up on the west coast. The Los Angeles High School for the Visual and Performing Arts will be home to 1,600 students when it opens next year. The five acre campus features, among many other things, a steel tower wrapped in ribbon and a 995 seat theatre. The problem? Aside from the pumped up price tag (it was originally budgeted for $120 million)...more than a quarter of the 700,000 other students in the district go to school in temporary classrooms due to overcrowding or in buildings that are in desperate need of repair.

How is it school officials can be so over the top for one school at the expense of so many others? Don't have an answer for that one, but the school committee argues a better school will attract better teachers...who in theory will better educate the student body. But one expert points out that districts in Seattle and Jacksonville, Fla., have shown significant improvement by recruiting and retaining better teachers and revising curriculum and not through construction drives. Sounds reasonable to me, how 'bout you?

High gas prices are forcing some companies and schools in the US to shift to four-day weeks, a welcome change for many students and workers. Instead of working five, eight-hour days, employees work four, ten-hour days. Many companies point to significant savings on fuel for not only the employee, but for the company as well. My concern is this, even though it's only two extra hours a day, I'd be curious to know how productive those hours are. A similar question surrounds certain school systems that are going to four-day weeks by adding an extra 65-minutes to the school day. Let's face it, some kids can't handle the normal time allotted and no doubt the additional time in class may take it's toll on the teachers, too.

In the end, it all falls squarely on the shoulders of the workers and students to make sure they see the four-day work week and three day weekend for what they really are -- a real opportunity to save on fuel and day care, and a chance to spend more quality time with friends and family -- but only after working harder, longer and more effectively the rest of the week. Can it work? Yes. Will it work? I have my doubts. How 'bout you?

How much you pay for a plane ticket may depend on how much you weigh. That's according to an airline industry analyst who says airline CEOs are actually considering charging passengers by their weight! So, if you're thinking about flying...you may also want to start thinking about dieting. Finally, a legitimate reason to not serve us meals on the flight! But let's be real folks...the cutbacks and craziness has to end somewhere?

Once again, the cost of fuel is fueling the discussion with airlines pointing to costs tripling since 2000. "After U.S. Airlines reported combined first-quarter losses of $1.7 billion and crude oil jumped to a record $133.17 a barrel on May 21, almost double from a year earlier, fares based on a passenger's weight may be a logical step", Robert Mann tells Bloomberg News. No, a logical step is to reconfigure the planes and pack less people in them...reducing the amount of weight while at the same time giving passengers more leg room. Wait a minute...I just suggested providing a benefit to the passenger...that'll never fly!

Add this one to the Strange Burials blog. Fredric Baur was recently interred in a Pringles can! Now before you say, that's crazy, Mark, keep in mind, Baur designed the tubular can. He was 89 when he died and his family said he was so proud of his invention that he asked that they put his ashes in one of the iconic containers and bury it when he passed. They kept their word and did just that last month in Ohio.

Baur was an organic chemist and food storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. Dr. Baur filed for a patent for the tubular Pringles container and for the method of packaging the curved, stacked chips in the container in 1966, and it was granted in 1970.

Now, I'm a huge fan of Pringles, in fact I had some today with my lunch (no kidding)...here's my question (s). Did they use the regular size can or the one that offers 25% more for free? And was it regular flavor Pringles (my favorite) or Ranch-Rageous, Sour Cream and Onion, Fiery Hot or CheezUms? Remember the blog I wrote about the guy who's already got his casket which doubles as a giant Pabst Blue Ribbon can? What a party these two could have in the afterlife huh?