What A Time To Be Alive...

Really. It is a remarkable time to be alive. While I didn't see the space race... never watched JFK speak on a black & white TV or experience the fear and awe of the Cold War.. I appreciate those moments, and how they shaped people like my parents and family. Through conversations with my parents, I also understand that this time and place, right here and now, is a time that will be looked back on with if not similar feelings, then at least their own sense of wonder.. and terror.

While I have lived through some amazing moments.. The spectacle of Los Angeles.. the riots.. the OJ Simpson trial.. the first Gulf War.. and the Clinton Administration with its many triumphs and flaws.. I can't say that I remember them. They probably have shaped me in ways unseen and unknown.. but they're just distant memories for the most part. That's why I feel like focusing on the things that are more clearly established in my mind. Mostly in the last decade. 9/11.. The Bush Years.. The Dot Com boom... College and all its wonderful adventures.. and more recently two major events that have dominated some of the moments in my career. There have been many.. but freshest in my mind are the remarkable happenings of the last few years. The failure.. and success of the wars in the Middle East and Asia.. The collapse of the global economy.. and most recently.. the pandemic event that could shape up to be the worst in a generation. All amazing stories that I've had the opportunity, if only in a small way, to cover and report.

It truly is amazing. I remember the run up and beginning of the Iraq War. What a scary and terrible moment. At the time I remember myself as an ardent supporter of the anti-war sentiment.. how times will change you. I still don't agree with the premise of our invasion of Iraq, but through experiences with friends and through the study of others experience involving the conflict I've gained some perspective. Like many generations before, I've learned to respect the men and women in uniform, if not the mission they were called upon to complete. I no longer scoff at little yellow ribbons on cars and bridges the way I once did. The soldiers, sailors and marines who've risked their lives deserve better. I've met veterans.. And I've become great admirers of them. I've seen that I could have been them, and they could have been me. It's amazing to think of people my age, and younger doing the things I report on and read in the news. I couldn't do those things. There is a wealth of information out there to learn more about those men and women.. their challenges, trials.. and triumphs. And to gain perspective on the bigger picture that controls their lives. I'd highly recommend several books, including the work of Thomas Ricks of the New York Times. From his first work, "Fiasco" with its doubts and indictment of the American effort in Iraq.. to the more recent "The Gamble" I see reflected my own transformation, from a person with little doubt of my own convictions and anti-war feelings to a person who has come to terms with what's happened.. respects it.. and now wants to understand it. Very good reading and insightful commentary. There are several others I'd love to share, if you're at all interested please ask about them.

My father says of the global economic meltdown, "It's nothing like I've seen in my lifetime." He's right.. this recession is unlike anything in the past 50 years. He should know. He spent nearly a year laid off, without work and unable to find a new job. Trust me, he knows what he's talking about. He's been there and done that. He was forced out of his chosen career once before.. and took our family with him. We ended up back on our feet thanks to help from our wider family. So imagine his shock and frustration to have lost a profession.. and a home.. only to recover.. Find a new career, buy a new home, raise two young men, put them through college.. and then nearly lose it all again because of this crisis. My family weathered this storm. He's back at work, happier than ever I'd say and when I look back several years from now I'm sure I'll see this trial as a mighty success story. For me, it was a bizarre state of mind. Now, only two years out of college.. I was the one employed.. working in a career I had chosen and love.. while he was waiting.. hoping for a new opportunity. I can only imagine there are stories like this from coast to coast, still, it's amazing to think we lived out one of those storylines. I have the utmost respect for my parents, for their resilience, for their undaunting courage in the face of adversity, now.. and in the past. They're my heros, and I wouldn't be here without them.

A curious note on this part of the story too. We just received an email in the newsroom describing how many indicators point to an economic recovery. As I read the well written and thoughtful email I began to see the person's point. In the media, often we look for the doom and gloom.. bad news sells papers, or at least it did when papers were a going concern. But you know what I mean, bad news tends to drive the media cycle. So how odd, that now that good news is finally here, we struggle to find a way to frame it. An example, our package of graphics currently is titled "Economy in Crisis".. this was the main driver behind the viewer's email. His assertion was the crisis, while not over, could be on the rebound, and hopefully heading toward an end. He asked that we acknowledge that. I think, and hope that he's right. As such I'm working to frame the discussion, and the story differently now. Wishful thinking maybe, but hopefully one little step towards responsible journalism. Like I said, I hope he's right.

And now to that last major story, which seems to seep into the news on a daily basis. The Swine Flu. The Pandemic Flu. H1N1. Call it whatever you want to call it. I was initially skeptical like many people, however, the more you read, see and hear.. and watch the reaction of government I feel there is reason to pay attention. I don't say fear, because fear is an outsize instrument. A blunt tool to steal a phrase from a recent meeting. Fear is bad. Caution, however is not. Caution is the wise person's weapon in the world. Caution says learn all you can, prepare for the worst, and then when you've come through the fire, be glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. As example, I'd point to the most recent issue of Time which has a very good article on the preparations for the fall flu season. I'd also point you http://tinyurl.com/l4kj2b & here http://tinyurl.com/n9daqc. Two good articles that should prepare you with at least an idea of what's out there. Read them and draw your own conclusions. For now, I'll do what I feel is my ethical duty and continue to report on the Swine Flu.. in the hopes that by keeping it in the public's consciousness, they won't succumb to any outsize fears but rather will be prepared if the story does turn into breaking news on my newscast come October.