Why don't people who live where there is such awful winter weather, cutting electricity for weeks, trees falling on electrical lines, cars, houses, etc., no way to get out of the house, no way to get to school, no way to cook, no way to get to work, etc. Why don't they just move? They know it will happen again.

Earth to Robert Gates: most of the Shiite factions now making up the Iraqi government we support were supported, trained, and sheltered by Iran during Saddam's regime. Is it any surprise that we find evidence that Iran is still supporting them?

Thanks for writing anonymous! Sure, a well-designed home can cost a lot but think of what you’d save on nursing home expenses even if it was just for the first year or two of initial care. Although you no longer have parents, you yourself may need ADA-compliant features someday due to age or an injury. All the added bedroom capacity and added household privacy would mean that you and another friend or two could get together to share expenses. Our Children are also finding it more and more difficult to move off on their own these days. If they have to stay on with us longer or if they have to return home later in life due to a divorce or the loss of jobs (perhaps even with a family in tow), then such features will have obvious advantages.

Sharing our home with friends and family can be a fun and rewarding experience when the design of the home helps to maintain the privacy we all seek. Homes almost certainly have to be designed from scratch to accommodate all such adaptations but it’s certainly possible if we focus on true functionality and not just aesthetics. Mudroom entryways, garage closets to eliminate clutter, and even specific game, exercise, and craft rooms, are all features that a home occupied by more than one couple might want also. In a day and age of gridlock traffic, I’m even hopeful that such enhanced home designs will allow several professional couples to incorporate enough office/reception/waiting room capacity and shop space into their home so that they can work right from home without the need to travel at all. Surely at least one person would be able to stay home and take care of the chores while even eliminating the need for daycare services. Thanks again!

More Random Notes

I read on MSNBC that Sec. of Defense Gates indicates that Iran is "meddling in Iraq".....
Just what is it that the U.S. is doing in Iraq?
Surely we're not meddling, must be something else.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Tuesday night's newscast, with your, Martin Savidge's, and Ann Curry's excellent New Orleans coverage which performed a vital service by informing viewers who may have forgotten that New Orleans has a long way to go before she's out of the woods, was the sublime.

However, last night's newscast, which treated with the sort of depth usually reserved for the passing of important public officials Anna Nicole Smith's eligibility for a Darwin Award, was the ridiculous. It should have been merely headlined--and then towards the end of the newscast. Reason being, Anna Nicole Smith was not famous for anything of substance, but for being what one of my high school teachers would call a "mattress." But that's not the worst thing about it--the worst is that now, I'm sure, Nightly viewers are going to be subjected to sensational coverage of the autopsy, and the wrangling, which had begun well before her death, over the paternity of her 5-month-old daughter.

I hope Nightly will keep the Anna Nicole Smith coverage to a minimum and return to reporting on things that really should have the spotlight shone on them--such as the situation in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Region.

Chris Eldridge's housing ideas make a lot of sense for families in this day and age, in which there not only are children but also with whom elderly grandparents could also end up living. However, I wonder how much the amenities he mentions (supposing they became standard in new homes) would add to the cost of the typical home. Currently I live in a smaller, older home which doesn't have these features, but because I'm single and childless, and my parents are deceased, I don't need them. So how would this affect affordable housing for singles?

Wow can you believe all that snow!!! The story hits home with me, not only because I (generally) like snow, but I attended college in Oswego itself, studying meteorology. Of course, among those studies were the fascinating, massive lake effect storms..but never did I experience what they are dealing with now. Two to three feet, as we have here in Buffalo, seems to be merely a "dusting" in comparison!

As I read more and more about the Pelosi plane story I found a disturbing item of interest: the Air Force has special paint jobs for planes carrying Cabinet Secretary, high government officials besides Pelosi. White with blue trim and United States of America painted in large letters like Air Force One.

If you are trying to secure government officials from terrorist attacks is this the best paint job to put on a plane? Several planes in the air, which one has a member of government on board?

What does Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader from Nevada, use to travel around the country?

Brian,

Thanks for clearing up the Nancy Pelosi/airplane controversy. I'm sure you would have done the same thing had the Speaker been Newt Gingrich. Wouldn't you Brian?

Brian,
Just an observation about the segment on "muscle cars". Thirty-nine years ago when my husband I got married our first major purchase was a 1968 Camaro Z28 (SS). We have owned many Camaro's over the years.
Last year one day my husband said that he sure would love to find a 1968 Camaro. Having been through car fever many times over these thirty-nine years I told him to start looking for one. A few weeks later we were the proud owners of 1968 Camaro SS. For my husband it is a dream come true. Somehow, with the introduction of Chevrolet's new concept Camaro, I think I might as well start preparing for that car fever again. Thanks for airing this report. It was great.

From my understanding of the Pelosi aircraft story the sergeant of arms wanted her to have a plane that could fly her to her home town without refueling for security reasons. There was no mention of a 757 from Pelosi or the sergeant of arms. The Air Force has several planes that can fly across the country without refueling. It was the Republicans who said she wants a 757 to joyride around the country.

Are the Republicans interested in security for the leadership of Congress or not? Is the nation so secure that security matters are now a political football? Are terrorists targeting Republicans only?

Well, I wish the seller of the Jack Ruby Window good luck selling this on eBay..

I'll bet the seller wasn't aware of the recently implemented eBay policy which hides a bidders ID on items over $200.00, thus encouraging, and actually condoning by that action, the illegal bidding activity known as shilling. A shill bidder, is a person working on behalf of a seller, who illegally bids up the price of an auction item to the benefit of the seller. With hidden ID's it is virtually impossible to detect shill bidding.

Many eBay buyers and sellers are boycotting the site Feb 1 through Feb 14, 2007, in hopes of forcing eBay to reverse the policy, which most feel will cause irreversible damage to the integrity of the eBay site.

Brian, there was an article in the LA Times two days ago about how Israel's leaders were putting on a full-court press lobbying for war against Iran to prevent it from getting nuclear weapons. Why has NBC not covered this story?

With the Bush administration rattling sabers at Iran (and putting another carrier group in the Persian Gulf) and the neocons, Israel lobby, and Israel itself working behind the scenes to promote a new war, the American public needs to be warned.

Iran, much like Saddam's Iraq, has no way of delivering WMDs across the ocean and therefore poses a threat to Israel but not to the US. We shouldn't be using our military and spending billions fighting wars for the benefit of other countries.

Brian,
I bet your father is just adorable and only in his love for his son would he consider being on tv.

My hours have become too crazy to guarantee that I will be home in time for the broadcast. Guess it's time to set the vcr -- yes I'm an old-fashioned girl, still have a vcr and not TIVO.

Regards

Brian tell Tim Russert the truth always wins in the end. Now he might want to think about those ties smile. I thought it was good for the jurors to hear from Libby on what he thought of Russert then Russert speaks the truth. Fitzgerald did a great job showing how the White House has undermined the American people and the media. Judy Miller is a poor representative for Journalism. Now the public knows Tim Russert of Meet the Press is an honest professional Journalist.

I guess the White House will say there still isn't any Global Warming yet the people and those around the world know better. But of course Bush would never lie or would he?

It's sad about Anna Nicole Smith. One can only hope this isn't anything but natural death. As her lawsuit might prove to make this something else.

“…raising our children while caring for aging parents.” With nursing home expenses the way they are this will be more common. Our homes, however, are not up to the task. They are designed for an idea storybook life where everything is peachy. In order for a home to cope with the additional workload of such an extended family, many adaptations are needed. All bedrooms need to be an equal size and provided with their own wardrobe rooms. Hallways need to be wider and a small wheelchair elevator is needed. The main living area needs to be divided into separate rooms so that activities in one area do not disturb all others. ADA-compliant bathrooms need to be segregated into separate shower rooms and half baths to avoid conflicting times. The walls and floors need to be filled with sound-proof insulation and thicker ‘exterior-quality’ doors are needed inside the home. And… since all the bedrooms would be ‘used up’ in such a scenario, we also need specifically designed visitors’ bunk bed rooms which will help us offer our homes to storm evacuees. By forgoing formal living and dining areas that aren’t even used any more, we can just about afford a more functional and effective home that is there for our families when we need it.