Buresh

"Buresh Blog": The John Bachman I Know - July 1st

July 1, 2016 — Well... I've been quiet long enough.  One of my co-workers, news anchor John Bachman, was caught on camera earlier this week making an ill-timed gesture when the camera was supposed to be somewhere else.  With the help of social media & perhaps some ulterior motives, the clip has gone national & global.  Our own T-U newspaper found it newsworthy which is questionable in my opinion.  Folks in glass houses have come out of the woodwork on this one.

Too many people have an opinion about John with very little knowledge about who the man is.  So this is my version of the John Bachman I know:

-- John takes his job very seriously.  Journalism is quite literally hereditary in the Bachman family.

-- In this case, John got "caught" off camera while at work - no one else has ever cracked up while on the job, right? (!)

-- John is first & foremost a family man -- one of the finest I've ever known.  John is a rock for his family & dedicated to his wife, children & dog -- all are numero uno in his life.  Arguably it's one of his best qualities & something that virtually all men should strive for.

-- John & I haven’t really spoken about faith, but I sense a strong spiritual side to John.

-- He has a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve.  John is nothing if not passionate.

-- Few people know about some surgery I had last fall.  One of the people that checked on me regularly + came to visit was John.

-- I'm convinced John would give the shirt off his back to help most anyone.

-- John's a jokester.  He likes to laugh.  John  is just as quick to laugh at himself as he is to laugh at someone else.

-- He has an intensity that could wear out a lesser man.  John knows what he believes & owns it – a very strong sense of values.

-- John is Type A+: always on the go…. is thinking ahead, moving ahead & walks even faster than I do(!).

-- John lives a "clean" life which makes the gesture even more ironic though I understand that -- for some -- it's still not acceptable.

-- But what's key about John Bachman: he does all the right things & has all the right values when no one's looking or no one's paying attention.  And that's when it matters most.

And so I'm proud to call John Bachman, Jr. a trusted & dear friend.  There are no perfect worlds & everyone makes missteps.  John has been humbled & forced to swallow his pride in a very public arena that’s a product of his every day job.  I look for John to rebound & to come out of this with his head held high & to go on to maintain & earn the respect he deserves.  That's something he's never lost with me.

And so now it's time to move on to the real news.

..... & we turn our calendars to July.  The averages at JIA:

Low / High..... 1st: 72 / 91, 31st: 73 / 92

Rainfall: 6.55"

SR/SS:  1st..... 6:29am / 8:33pm, 31st..... 6:45am / 8:21pm - lose 28 min. of daylight.

Earth Gauge (NEEF):

Beach Ready? - Tips for Trash-free Oceans 

June 27, 2016

By:

Rhea Thompson

Beaches beat the mountains in their annual summertime battle as the nation’s more popular vacation destination, with 72% of Americans expressing a favorable opinion of going to the beach for summer vacation compared to 66% who prefer the mountains.

However, beach pollution could jeopardize many Americans’ vacation plans—there were more than 12,000 closings and swimming advisories at the nation’s oceans, bays, Great Lakes, and some freshwater beaches in 2012 (see EPA’s Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification system (BEACON) for notifications on current beach closures). Though usually uncommon or confined to local areas, beach pollution is a problem in every coastal state, and is hazardous to the environment and human health. It also impacts local economies reliant on tourism, and results in cities, towns, and taxpayers shouldering significant costs to stop pollution. Though beach pollution is a persistent problem, the solution to clean beaches starts with you. Here’s why:

  • Bathers are a localized source of contamination, especially with diaper-age children when care isn't taken to make sure their waste doesn't enter the water. The same threat to water quality occurs when pet waste is deposited on or near the beach. To help avoid contaminating the water when swimming with a little one, consult this guide from CDC, and always make sure to pick up after Fido when he's outside—even in your own yard!
  • Furthermore, it is estimated that at least 25% of sunscreen applied is washed off during swimming and bathing. Scientist are learning many sunscreen compounds used as filters of UV radiation transform in seawater, forming by-products that can be toxic to marine ecosystems like coral reefs. Check out National Park Service's recommendations on how you can reduce the influx of sunscreen by-products in water.
  • Much of the waste we generate, particularly plastic items, ends up on our shores and in oceans, where it kills wildlife, poses navigational hazards, and impacts local economies and potentially human health. The most effective way to stop plastic pollution in our oceans is to make sure it never reaches the ocean in the first place—consider reducing, reusing, and recycling and incorporating practices like carrying reusable bags into your daily routine to reduce waste.
  • Recreational boats at sea sometimes intentionally or accidentally dump trash directly into the ocean—keep your trash aboard until you come to a proper waste receptacle to dispose of it. Prevent oil and fuel spills with proper boat maintenance. Click here for additional boating maintenance tips.

In addition to these tips, you can make an impact even when you’re not at the beach, since 80% of marine pollution comes from the land.

  • Rain water or snowmelt rushes across impervious surfaces (such as paved streets, driveways, and rooftops) as stormwater runoff. Instead of soaking the ground as it would prior to development, stormwater picks up trash, chemicals, and other pollutants like gasoline, antifreeze, fertilizers, and pet waste. Polluted stormwater then flows directly into storm drains, rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean – see these 10 tips for preventing pollution from stormwater runoff

Sources:

The U.S. spring & early summer flood season has been dramatic & - in some cases -- fatal.  Keep yourself safe -- click ** here **.