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Jennifer D. Wade Journal

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Blog posts March 2007

A First!

Today I did something that I have never done before.

I bought a TV.

I know.  Hard to believe.  As someone who has spent the better part of 20 years working in television, you would think that I'd have bought a TV at some point along the way.  But, no.  This is the first. Which isn't to say that I've been TV-less.  Because I haven't.  I just never actually had a TV that I bought myself.  With my own money.

Here follows an explanation of how I managed to avoid buying a TV for so long.

In 1984, as I set off to college, my parents bought a TV for me to take along.  It's an RCA and it has dials which can be used to change the channel.  (It still works, BTW, and has never needed to be repaired).  After college and after I moved out of the house, I took the RCA TV with me to my apartment.  Then, I took it with me to the next place that I lived.  Then, I took it with me to Harrisburg.  That was early 1998.  Sometime during the next five years, my sister gave me a TV that she didn't want anymore.  So, then I had two.  Also sometime during those five years, my parents gave me a TV that they didn't want anymore (probably because it didn't work very well).  So, then I had three - all free - and I brought them all with me when I moved back to NEPA in 2003.

Well, this week, I finally got rid of the one that didn't work very well.  It will be recycled in what I hope is an environmentally friendly way.  And, it's now been replaced by a 19" LCD TV that looks pretty much like this.  I like it!

 

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What We Call the News

Check out the latest entry from the folks at JibJab.  It's like "Dirty Laundry" but for the video age and without Don Henley.

WHAT WE CALL THE NEWS

While you're there, be sure to check out another clip called "Do I Creep You Out."

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And So It Begins

Time to start gearing up for elections.  The May Primary is about seven weeks away, so there will be lots and lots of races to coordinate.  I'm guessing anywhere from 150 to 200.

I'll start working on it full-time in a couple of weeks, but I had a chance to do some work yesterday.  I started with Luzerne County since the bulk of the information I need is on the county web site.  By my count, there are 35 contested races (that my station will cover) in the county this spring. 

The most interesting races would appear to be County Commissioners, several county row offices and the mayor's races in Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre.  I don't see Tom Leighton having much of a problem in W-B, and Lou Barletta should get through the primary with no problem.  In November, he'll likely face the former mayor Mike Marsicano.  I don't recall much about Marsicano's one term in office, but I skimmed an article which pointed out the city's money troubles during his term.  But, that's a story for November.  Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Something else to watch, the statewide races for Supreme and Superior Court.  In the primaries, there are two seats up for grabs on each court.  Then, in November, not only will those races be on the ballot again, but there will be several appeals court judges up for retention.  It will be interesting to see, especially for the PA Supreme Court Justice, if there is still lingering anger about the whole pay raise thing.  In '05, voters got rid of Nigro.  Will Thomas Saylor stay or go?  We'll find out in about eight months. 

 

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as part of a charity event sponsored by the station.  One game only.  The last time I bowled was at this same event one year ago.

How did I do?

Started with a turkey.  No open frames.  Finished with a 215.

I still got it. 

Stanton Lanes, Wilkes-Barre - The WNEP Strikers
Left to right:  Alyssa the Weather Intern, me, Bianca, Dan, Jim/James, Tom, Ben

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Well, That Sucks!

Bad movies abound on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 100 worst movies of all-time (BTW, for this list, "all-time" seems to mean since the year 2000).  HERE is the link.

I've seen six of these stinkers, including "Ultraviolet," which I just watched yesterday.  My thoughts on that are HERE.

How many have you seen?

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Do Over - Part II

Well, I made it to work Friday with no problem.  It had been snowing for a couple of hours by the time I left, but the roads were only wet.

Different story by the time I decided to head home about 12 hours later.  First, I had to shovel the snow around my car so that I could get out of the parking lot (I actually took a shovel to work with me.  After last time, I wanted to be more prepared).  Then, I took it slow, managed not to get hit by the trucks that barrelled past me, and arrived home in one piece.  My car is parked in a lot down the street so that, when I get to shoveling later today, I'll be able to do the whole driveway without having to shovel around anything. 

I'm not looking forward to it.  I shoveled out a spot for KT when I got home, and the snow seemed very heavy - lots of water in it, I guess.  Shoveling some 13" of it will take some doing.

Photo submitted to WNEP.com by Ginger Outlaw.  Shows what appears to be an alley near Coal Street in Lehighton.

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Do Over?

Here we go again.  No sooner did I put the snow shovel away, no sooner did I return the ice scrapers to the back of the car, no sooner did most of the snow from the last storm finally melt, then here we go again.  The forecast calls for about 10" in my 'hood between Friday and Saturday.

I talked to the folks at PEMA today.  They insist that they are ready this time; that it won't be a repeat of last time, which quickly became a source of embarrassment.  No, they say, this time, things will be different.  They're on top of it, ready to handle whatever.

We'll see. 

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Time Standard

Daylight Saving Time starts tomorrow.  Make no mistake about it.  And, by "make no mistake about it" I mean:  Don't make the mistake of calling it "Daylight Savings Time."  Because you would be wrong.

On Friday, the people who provide news stories to ABC affiliates all over the country were wrong.  Almost.  Until I set them right.  Maybe.  Here's what happened.

When I got to work Friday afternoon, I began looking for stories to put in my evening newscast.  One offering from our network news service was a package (a story voiced by a reporter) about the potential for Y2K-like problems to arise when the clocks are turned ahead sooner than originally scheduled.  The package had not been completed, but the preliminary script made consistently incorrect references to "daylight savings time."

After some encouragement from a co-worker, I dashed off a quick email to someone at the news service to let them know that the correct terminology is "Daylight Saving Time."  I included THIS link to back up my point.

Well, a short while later, I received a reply.  In short, this person I contacted said that their managing editor had researched the issue, and found that both "saving" and "savings" were incorrect [I'm pretty sure the person meant to say that both are "correct"].  Furthermore, this person wrote, that since about 90% of people say "savings," that's what they would go with.

However, a couple hours after that, the completed package was sent to stations and, wouldn't you know it, the reporter said "Daylight Saving Time," and the script came with a note saying that "saving" is the correct form, but that, you know, a lot of people do say "savings."

What happened?  I don't know.  Maybe my email prompted the managing editor to do more "research," during which he/she undoubtedly found THIS website (from the government), or THIS one (which provides access to the actual laws that established Daylight Saving Time).  Or, maybe someone from another station also wrote in and convinced them of the error of their ways.   Or, maybe they realized that a lot of the video they were using in the story actually contained the words "Daylight Saving Time."  Or, maybe they realized that just because "a lot of people" say something, that doesn't make it right.

Whatever.  Vindicated.  I win!  Now, go forth and spring ahead!

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Mistaken Identity

Does this woman look like me?  If you know me, you know that the answer is "No."  If you don't know me, trust me.  The answer is still "No."  I do not look anything like this woman.  And, contrary to popular belief, our names are NOT the same!

Let me backtrack to earlier this week.  I had to go somewhere and, when I got to this place, I had to give them my name.  When a person at this place heard my name, she said, "Oh!  You must have been named after Jennie Wade!"  I guess I rolled my eyes a little too loudly, because she quickly said something like, "I guess you must get tired of hearing that."  Noooooo.  How did you guess?

First of all, I get tired of hearing it because I'm tired of hearing it.  I used to work with a guy who, when he saw me, would say, "You're looking well today" - a reference to the fact that Jennie Wade died some 140+ years ago.  It was funny for, like, the first 10 times.

Secondly, I get tired of hearing it because I'm not named after her!  Do you know why I wasn't named after her?  Because her name isn't "Jennie" Wade!  A fact which, admittedly, I didn't know until five or 10 years ago, when I took the time to read a book and learn her story.

The woman everyone knows as "Jennie" Wade was actually named "Mary Virginia" Wade.  Her nickname was "Ginnie," and she is famous for being the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg, which, as we all know, turned the tide of the Civil War.  If I recall correctly, she was killed on the morning of the third day of the battle, July 3, 1863.  Ginnie was baking bread for the Union soldiers, when a bullet came through the door and killed her.  When the journalists of the day heard about this, they immediately doomed me to a lifetime of bad jokes by reporting her name as "Jennie" instead of "Ginnie."  I'm sure there's irony in here somewhere.

(BTW, not only was Jennie's name not Jennie, but the famous "Jennie Wade House" where she died, wasn't her house!  It belonged, I think, to her married sister's family.)

Thirdly, as far as I know, I am not related to Jennie's Wades.  Family lore is a little lacking on my father's side of the family, but I'm (fairly) sure that if she were even some sort of "fifth cousin twice removed" I would have heard about it.  I mean, you can't let famous dead relatives like that go unmentioned.

So, I guess my point is this:  Give it a rest already!  And, brush up on your history while you're at it.  Here are a few websites that might help.  JENNIE WADE HOUSE, ANOTHER JENNIE WADE HOUSE, CIVIL WAR WOMEN, GHOSTLY JENNIE WADE HOUSE (tour info)  So, start studying!

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