Win free groceries for a year from Bashas’
March 31st, 2009
Bashas’ is giving shoppers the chance to win free groceries for a year.
Archive
Archive for March, 2009
Free wine tastings — First Thursday of the month @ The Cove
March 31st, 2009
The Cove Trattoria, an Italian family-owned restaurant in Scottsdale has just launched complimentary wine tastings once a month.
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confessions of an ambulance chaser–”lyin’ for zion–oprah in warrenland”–and the unexpected consequences of compounding
March 30th, 2009
Thank God for St. Oprah! Thank God the patron saint of all that is good and righteous tonight set the world straight on the practice of polygamy. Those nice FLDS folks don’t force young girls into plural marriages! Willie Jessop said so! The women at the ranch said so!
And St. Oprah gave them her blessing!….more to come
confessions of an ambulance chaser–Oprah–groveling for “access”–sucking up for “exclusive”
March 29th, 2009
It was stunning to watch the great Oprah Winfrey and her celebrity correspondent Lisa Ling grovel at the feet of FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop on television a couple of weeks ago.
You would think after all my years in the biz, it wouldn’t surprise me what T.V. types will do or say just so they can make some hyperbolic claim about “exclusive access” and “exclusive interviews.”
Judging by Winfrey and Ling’s fawning and sycophantic demeanors, you would have thought Willie Jessop was some sort of Nelson Mandela as he was talking about the “persecution” of his people.
Give me a freakin’ break!
I have always thought that to report on this story accurately, you have to know it’s history and based on their recent broadcast, it’s pretty clear Ms. Winfrey, Ms. Ling and their army of young producers don’t have a clue.
Even worse, on the very powerful platform of Winfrey’s show, they allowed FLDS apologists, people who have elevated the practices of lying and deceiving to the level of sacred art forms, to present a staged and fanciful image of FLDS life that flies in the face of well-documented history and fact.
In so doing, Winfrey and company have now also helped significantly in what has become a very well-orchestrated media and court room campaign on the part of Warren Jeffs’ big-dollar lawyers to roll back all of the hard fought victories that have been achieved over the last decade in behalf of the women and children of polygamy.
Honestly I didn’t know whether to laugh or to throw a shoe at the t.v., when Ms. Ling stood among a handful of FLDS men doing what Ling of course strenuously hyped on t.v. as an “exclusive” interview, talking about underage marriages and letting those men go unchallenged as they talked as if the practice of underage marriage was just some sort of malicious and untrue gossip aimed at their culture–some groundless and scurrilous insinuation.
Ms. Ling if you knew anything about the FLDS faithful, you’d know that they fled to that isolated gulog down in Texas where you were granted your “exclusive access” because, after fifty years of neglect and indifference, the states of Arizona and Utah finally stepped up and began busting those very same polygamous men and throwing them in jail because of forced underage marriages.
Their prophet and still undisputed leader, Warren Jeffs, is behind bars because of forced underage marriages.
Not gossip–not innuendo–adjudicated, documented fact!
And what did the big bad Texas Rangers find on the Yearning for Zion compound when they raided it last year? Photos of the notorious 52-year-old Mr. Jeffs, a guy who already has well over 100 wives, snuggling and kissing a 12-year-old girl who he had just made his newest plural bride.
And for you, Ms. Ling, to allow those lying bastards to stand there and pull their “Oh-schucks-we-don’t-really-do-that-kind-of-stuff” routine is beyond irresponsible.
For well over a decade, a handful of very courageous people have been in the trenches fighting a difficult and dangerous human rights revolution in behalf of the women and children of this repressive, abusive polygamous sect. Your simple-minded coverage and your zeal for “exclusives” and ratings have set that back. Mike Watkiss
confessions of an ambulance chaser–amused and disgusted
March 28th, 2009
I have a lot of respect for Oprah Winfrey. She’s used her power to do a lot of good in the world.
But when it comes to her recent coverage of polygamy and the FLDS community, she and her celebrity correspondent Lisa Ling have been used like a couple of garden tools.
Free lunch in Chandler on Monday from Famous Dave’s
March 27th, 2009
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Five Famous Dave’s Catering Trucks will be blasting through different parts of Chandler on Monday, March 30, with free lunch for the hard-working folks in the area. If you see a Famous Dave’s Catering truck and flag them down, you’ll get a free bbq sandwich, coupon, and a bottle of their award-winning Rich n’ Sassy BBQ sauce.
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confessions of an ambulance chaser–Return of the Night Stalker
March 27th, 2009
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Once upon a time as I sat in a tiny jail cell with convicted serial killer Richard Ramirez, the man known as the Night Stalker looked me dead in the eye and said: “We’re all evil.”
This face off with Ramirez took place in the early ’90’s. Since then Richard has been a resident on California’s death row.
But now it seem, Richard is back.
Recently I got a message from some young woman working for lawyers representing Ramirez. The Night Stalker is apparently down to his finally appeal….more to come
confessions of an ambulance chaser–Thanks John
March 27th, 2009
One of the first blogs I ever wrote was entitled “….so you want to make good t.v?”
It was about a man who I greatly admire. His name is John Schultz.
As all of us middle-age journos struggle to survive and redefine ourselves in the crazy world of the “New Media,” I look for inspiration in the stories of guys like John Schultz, a guy who helped create television news in the first place.
John Schultz was a young film editor at CBS in the early days of network news and it was there that John had the opportunity to work with the legendary Edward R. Murrow…..more to come
confessions of an ambulance chaser–Timothy McVeigh and a snowy night in Denver
March 27th, 2009
I was in Denver covering the trial of Oklahoma City bomber and mass killer Timothy McVeigh when I got the phone call from my mom.
Rarely an alarmist, she told me very matter-of-factly that I probably ought to get on a plane home to Salt Lake City as quickly as I could.
My dad was dying.
confessions of an ambulance chaser–the pendulum has swung
March 27th, 2009
Oprah Winfrey is in bed with polygamous men–cowardly politicians in Mohave County Arizona have voted to close the Colorado City Justice Center–and Warren Jeffs’ scum-bag lawyers are scratching and clawing to roll back every advancement made during the last decade to protect the women and children of polygamy.
And why should I be surprised? It’s a twisted world!
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$1 Gourmet Slider Burgers at Roka Akor
March 27th, 2009
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Scottsdale’s Roka Akor is offering slider burgers for $1.00 during happy hour (every day, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.-close) through next week.
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Free events for Valley Bike Month!
March 27th, 2009
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April is “Valley Bike Month” in greater Phoenix with nearly a dozen free events celebrating bicycles as a safe, low-cost, low-emission way to get around. A variety of community rides, bicycle fairs, and safety demonstrations will occur throughout April in all areas of the Valley to encourage residents to ride their bikes, challenge their skills, enjoy the outdoors, and teach children to ride safely.
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Scottsdale Jean Company’s Semi-Annual Sidewalk Sale
March 26th, 2009
Arizona’s largest independent fashion retailers will have every denim line and fashion item you can imagine on sale for up to 80 percent off. Some items will even be marked down to just $5!
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Styles for Less — Opening Day Discounts
March 26th, 2009
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Styles for Less, a very trendy yet very affordable fashion retail chain, will be opening at Fulton Ranch Towne Center on Chandler. The grand opening is Saturday, March 28 beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The first 50 shoppers in line will enjoy $25 off purchases totaling more than $50, and receive a free Styles For Less eco-friendly shopping bag. A 20% discount will be given on total purchases of more than $100.
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Organize your family with free online service
March 25th, 2009
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Cozi is a free web service that helps families manage crazy schedules, track shopping and to do lists, organize household chores, stay in communication and share memories—all in one place.
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