Kokomo Tribune

This community blog is intended as an open exchange of ideas and opinions on topics of community interest in a climate of mutual respect. We do not control submitted statements. But we reserve the right to remove comments that violate the Online Rules of Conduct, which you will find at the bottom of each page. We also reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for violating these rules.

If you have questions or concerns, contact Jeff Kovaleski at jeff.kovaleski@kokomotribune.com or (765) 454-8590.

There is one key rule: If you want to post comments, you need to use your own name.

Mitch Daniels, our governor, had a pretty good speech last night.

No, as I suspected, he didn't thank the federal government for bailing us out of our financial mess with the stimulus, and he carerfully avoided the white elephant in the room, the $4 billion projected deficit in our unemployment compensation fund.

Doctors. The Update could write a book. Some are nice, and some treat their patients with respect, but some are more concerned with keeping the legion of pharmaceutical reps happy.

You take a 7th grader to the doctor for bronchitis. You know the kid has bronchitis because he hasn't stopped coughing for three weeks and he's not coughing anything up.

The doctor at the immediate care clinic listens to the lungs, and agrees. She prescribes antibiotics. So far so good. But then she's about to leave, and she hasn't given your child anything to calm his cough.

OK, I feel sorry for our local American Idol contestant, who seems like a nice young man, but he was completely upstaged by the biggest Internet phenom since Susan Boyle, General Larry "Pants on the Ground" Platt. The Update loves Larry Platt. Ken de la Bastide loves Larry Platt. The whole world is clamoring for "Pants on the Ground" to be immediately recorded and played, ad infinitum, on the radio.

Check it out!

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_9/memorable_auditions/larry_pl...

Warming up today, and the Update is feeling good after a bit of inspiration at the Mayor's Prayer & Action Breakfast yesterday. It was actually very well done, and we appreciated the recognition given to the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer for its "Mission Possible" outreach program. Kokomo needs a bit of a pep talk. Last week, we spoke with one elected official, who said they felt confident that despite losing around 13,000 jobs over the past decade, that Kokomo still isn't classed in the same category as Marion and Anderson.

Welcome back everyone from New Year's festivities, hope everyone was merry and safe.

The Update hasn't received much feedback on the Stories of the Decade, which I will regard as tacit approval that the stories chosen were in line with community opinion.

Sorry it's been a while since the Update has been, er, updated, but the holidays must come first. The Update wishes all of you a Happy New Year, and of course hopes that 2010 treats you better than 2009.

This holiday, the Update will make a startling confession. Its author was employed professionally as a chef in fine dining restaurants for four years after leaving Indiana University.

That said, the Update will now share a recipe for making the finest of Christmas turkeys. Anyone who hates dry turkey will love this simple, yet effective recipe.

The secret is simple: cooking the turkey breast-side down. This way, all of the fat from the back and the dark meat filters down through the breast meat, and the breast is basically simmering in juices as it cooks.

Sound good? Let's begin.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I have a recommendation, completely unsolicited. This is not a paid endorsement. Go see the movie "Avatar." Travel down to Fishers, to exit 10 off I-69, to the Hamilton Commons theater, to see it in IMAX 3-D. It is UN-believeable. Went with four seventh-grade boys as chaperone for a birthday party. The kids were high-fiving me for taking them. No kidding.

Stories of the Decade in Kokomo?

We've been kicking the idea around here at the Midday Update, and despite some of my colleagues at the Tribune claiming that the decade won't officially be over until the end of next year, I think it's high time to review the stories that made us all talk during the "Noughties" as our British friends have tagged them.