Sunday Morning Links Worth Reading

I am back home, but still a little tired from a busy weekend with family and friends. Here are some links this morning that should spark some interest.

NFL Great Found Dead (The Fan House)

Palin Cites A "Higher Calling" (MSNBC)

Prank Call Costs Hotel Thousands of Dollars (KY3)

Happy 4th of July!

I will be out of town and away from internet access for the next couple of days. So before I go, let me say thank you to all of the readers of the blog. We are so grateful to live in a nation that allows us to have the freedom to share our opinions and express ourselves. I hope you have a Blessed Independence Day and may God continue to bless America!!

Mocha Jo's Set To Open Soon In Monett

Once a vacant downtown building in the city of Monett, Bob and Debbie Berger set out to change the face of the rundown storefront. Soon, it will open under the name Mocha Jo's, a coffee shop. The opening of the shop will provide the downtown area a boost it so desperately needs. In recent years, stores have been closing their doors for good or moving out along the newly developed Highway 60.

But that is not all. Above the coffee cafe will be The Den, a youth center. Details are sketchier on exactly what it will entail. It will likely not open until later this summer. Mocha Jo's, however, is planning to open in July. We'll be sure to review it for you and provide more details once it has officially opened its doors to the public.

(Photo was taken by Murray Bishoff of The Monett Times)

Gary Nodler: Way More People Like Me Than Jack Goodman

State Senator Gary Nodler has been around the block before. Running for office is no new deal for him. Fundraising is also one of his strengths, as you can see in a full report from KY3's David Catanese on his blog. The thing that most sticks out to me in this entire interview, however, isn't the fundraising data. It is Mr. Nodler's attitude, which I find highly disturbing. Look at what he has to say when asked about his likability by Catanese:

"Asked about how he'll handle the perception that he has more enemies than Senate colleague Jack Goodman, Nolder responded, 'I've got a lot more people that like me than Jack does too. It goes both ways.' 'I'm not too polarizing . . . People want to elect legislators to Congress. If the objective is to find a neutral or unremarkable person, or someone who doesn't have as much substance, that's probably not me,' he said."

Wow, how humble! There is something about this response that I believe helps perpetuate the perception that Gary Nodler's biggest fan is himself. If he has more "fans" than State Senator Goodman, could he explain why his own local colleagues (like State Representatives Ed Emery, Marilyn Reustman, and Kevin Wilson) are not supporting him? Additionally, I find his assertion that he is a remarkable candidate (at the expense of calling others unremarkable) very shallow.

Oh, and wait a minute: if he has more enemies and friends than the other candidates, wouldn't that make him polarizing? Here is the definition of polarization, in case Mr. Nodler needs a refresher:

"Polarization is the process whereby a social or political group is divided into two opposing sub-groups with fewer and fewer members of the group remaining neutral or holding an intermediate position."

Did I mention how exciting the 7th Congressional District race is going to be?

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition On Way Back To Ozarks

You might recall when Ty Pennington and crew came to Camp Barnabas for an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Now the show is heading back to the Ozarks. According to KSPR, the show will be here in mid-July and they are needing volunteers. For complete details on the project, including video and how you can help, please click here.

Turner Report Takes Joplin Globe To Task

It is obvious that the media is on Michael Jackson overkill. Local media outlets have handled the coverage fairly well for the most part. The one exception appears to be The Joplin Globe and Randy Turner of the Turner Report takes the paper to task:

"And then there's the Joplin Globe. As I noted in an earlier post, the Globe devoted the entire top of page one to Michael Jackson's death. Joe Hadsall's budget cut story did not even make it to page one, a ppor decision by Globe editors It appears everything was in the packaging and not the content. The Globe had a nice, pretty looking, but ultimately boring package on whether the sales of firecrackers would be affected by the economy. Of course, it had some of the items that Globe editors love, useless man-on-the-street comments and a nice-looking photo. All Hadsall had was a cut of a $25 million forgivable loan to Eagle Picher that could mean actual jobs for the Joplin area."

I think Mr. Turner has a valid point. While I wouldn't "flunk" the Globe, I would give them a D-. You can read his full article here and decide for yourself.

7th Congressional District Elections

I realize it is early, but I took some time out this afternoon to find candidate websites for those who are running for the US 7th Congressional District. I didn't find very much even on the sites that are up and running. I do hope this improves in the near future. Until then, here are the sites for you to explore.

Jack Goodman

Darrell Moore

Jeff Wisdom

No websites for: Gary Nodler or Billy Long

Dylan Ratigan's New Show Debuts on MSNBC

Below is the opening of the new show. It wasn't too bad, but there are some kinks to be worked out.

Links Worth Reading: Ugh, It's Monday Edition

A little light reading on this last Monday in June 2009:

Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years in Prison (Fox News)

Missouri DWI Law Takes Effect July 1 (KSDK)

It's Now Legal To Catch A Raindrop In Colorado (New York Times)

Retired Teacher Dies In Crash (Neosho Daily News)

The State of the Ozarks Blogosphere

I have been pondering on this subject for a while now. I have been debating putting up this post because I don't know if I have enough authority to make this point. Let me just lay out it out right up front: I am concerned about the Ozarks blogosphere. Before you go calling me names like Al Gore or something, hear me out.

I began my initial blog The News2K back in August 2007 after being introduced to the blogosphere through several links. It was about this same time that Life of Jason began his second tour of duty and became a mainstay in the area. Simple Thoughts of a Complex Mind really had me thinking about things. The Turner Report was a daily stop for me. And finally, Chatter was chatting away. These four blogs, in my mind, were driving the area's blogosphere. I doubt I was the only one inspired by these writers. They made me believe that even my opinions were valuable. Thus, I decided to join forces with Donna (who has since gone invisible for multiple reasons that I will let her explain to you at some point) and away this blog has blossomed.

Fast forward to today... Life of Jason is gone, Chatter is averaging a post every three and a half weeks, and Simple Thoughts has only posted three times since early May. Only The Turner Report is still firing away.

Now, I realize that things change and that life is busy. I am not criticizing the lack of blog posts by some of these individuals. I do, however, feel some pangs of concern. Am I overreacting? I went down the list of blogs on Chatter's blogroll this afternoon. Numerous blogs listed haven't posted in months and a couple have even been deleted altogether. That isn't a good sign.

What are your thoughts about the future of the area blogosphere? Have some good local blogs I am not aware to cheer my spirits? I sure hope so! Sound off... I need some reassurance.