Fort Hood on the eve of Veterans Day

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

Killeen, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

I just watched the Fort Hood Memorial, and you can’t help but get emotional. It’s a tragedy not only for the needlessly slain victims, but for the wives, husbands, daughters, sons, parents, and friends of the fallen. Watching the long line of family members wearing white ribbons makes you realize not only how much the military sacrifices but also how much their families sacrifice.

The price of war has plagued soldiers and their families the last decade. On the eve of Veterans Day, remember to not only show gratitude to those currently serving in the military, but also to remember those who have paid the ultimate price. The AP estimates at least 4,353 soldiers have died in Iraq since March 2003 and at least 836 have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

Now, President Obama is considering sending another 40 thousand troops to Afghanistan as soldiers serve tour after tour of duty just so I can write a blog post in a comfortable chair on a Tuesday afternoon.

The President put it best in his Fort Hood speech:

Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call — the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.

As a journalist I’ve spoken to many individuals who haven’t had the luxury of freedom. Just think of the people in Iran whose lives are threatened for protesting an unfair election or the religious groups in China that are persecuted for their beliefs…

I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with the men and women serving in uniform at recruitment centers and at a reveille ceremony on Armed Forces Day this summer, which you can watch below. My whole point is to get to know these people. Thank them, and appreciate all they do. Happy Veterans Day.

Under Construction

I haven’t blogged in years! I’ve been working for the city of Torrance as a reporter, but now I’m taking web design classes. I have a lot of ideas brewing for this site, and lots of content in the works, so hang tight. More to come soon!

-Jonathan

News about me for once

So I’ve been MIA lately, and want to let my readers know I’ll be back at the blogging the rest of this week. I was working a PA job for a week and was finishing up my freelance story on how CA’s Prop 8 is affecting gay couples.

Also had to reshoot a profile video for the VJ movement. They are about to launch in a couple of weeks so I will link to the site as soon as they do. In the meantime, check out my new profile video. Make sure you cick on HQ to watch it in HD and compare it with the other one. Much better huh?

Watch: Tamayo VJM Profile

2.5 Earthquake hits LA, is the ‘big one’ coming?

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

Image courtesy City of Long Beach

The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting that a magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck downtown Los Angeles at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday.

The quake was one mile northwest of downtown LA and was a depth of about 6 miles. Read my previous post on how some scientist believe the “Big One” may be sparked from minor earthquakes like Tuesday’s below.

3/24/2009

There’s been a slew of minor earthquakes the last couple of months and this morning there was a whopping 24 quakes recorded near the Salton Sea with a magnitude of 4.8, including one that could have caused moderate damage. 

The scary part isn’t that there were 24 earthquakes within a 15 minute period, but that it comes at a time when scientists are watching to see if small faults are transferring energy to the more dangerous San Andreas Fault,  inevitably causing the Big One.

Read the rest of this entry

Twenty-four earthquakes hit the Southland. Signs of the Big One?

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

There’s been a slew of minor earthquakes the last couple of months and this morning there was a whopping 24 quakes recorded near the Salton Sea with a magnitude of 4.8, including one that could have caused moderate damage. 

The scary part isn’t that there were 24 earthquakes within a 15 minute period, but that it comes at a time when scientists are watching to see if small faults are transferring energy to the more dangerous San Andreas Fault,  inevitably causing the Big One.

The quakes occurred early this morning around 5 am. The epicenter was 3 miles south of Bombay Beach and 90 miles east-northeast of San Diego, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Geologist Graham Kent of UCSD told the LA Times that scientists are particularly interested in this area because an earthquake that starts in Bombay Beach in Imperial County and ripples northwest along the San Andreas fault could be the Big One that devastates Los Angeles.

Montana & Tokyo plane crashes

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

The FAA is saying that at least 16 people have been killed in a single-engine airplane crash near Butte, Montana Sunday.

A photograph of the crash site broadcast on CNN showed a fireball blazing in a grove of trees near a cemetery close to the crash site.

The Pilatus PC-12 left Orville, California, at 11 a.m. The pilot filed a flight plan that showed Bozeman, Montana as the final destination, but rerouted to Butte instead, FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said. The plane crashed 500 feet short of the runway at Bert Mooney Airport.

According to The Montana Standard newspaper, a fireman said the plane may have been carrying several children on their way to a ski vacation.

Kenny Gulick, 14, who lives near the airport, told the Montana Standard newspaper that the plane was clearly in trouble.

“All of a sudden the pilot lost control and went into a nosedive,” Gulick told the newspaper. “He couldn’t pull out in time and crashed into the trees of the cemetery.”

Message to my readers

Greeting Readers!

 I will be out of town from February 27 to March 7. Unfortunately, I do not have 24/7 connection to the Internet, so will update Missing Call Letters as best as I can.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter at jbtamayo.  I’ll be tweeting from my  blackberry so you can get your daily news fix from me there.

Stay classy!!

Jonathan

Oscar ads rake in $72M

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

$72 million in 26 mintues. That’s what ABC pulled in for 26 minutes of ad sales during the Oscars Feb. 22. It’s the most ad revenue since 2004, according to TNS Media Intelligence. 

“This year’s tumultuous economic climate was both a boon and a bane to ABC’s Academy Awards telecast. While several major advertisers dropped out of this year’s event, it allowed new brands to participate,” said Dean DeBiase, CEO of TNS Media.

“Despite a challenging business climate and an overall downward trend in audience ratings, marketers understand the unique power of TV advertising for marquee events such as the Academy Awards,” he continued.

Both GM and L’Oreal, two major sponsors, had to pull out this year, leaving Hyundai as the top sponsor.

Winter Wonderland

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

If  you haven’t noticed, a cold front is pushing eastward this morning. The atmosphere will continue to remain moist and unstable tonight, creating heavy showers across the mountains.

Showers will decrease overnight but some will linger into early tomorrow morning. on northern slopes and in the San Gabriel Mountains

And of course, with rain, comes snow! Snow levels will range from 2000 to 2500 feet. Gusty winds will cause blowing snow and will occasionally reduce visibilities to near zero, so be careful while driving. Driving conditions will be treacherous and snow may travel on portions of the 5 freeway near the Grapevine and the 14 freeway over the Soledad Pass and into the Antelope Valley

Further south, total snow accumulations are expected to average 3 to 7 inches in the Los Angeles mountains. Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have the highest snow totals above 4000 feet.

Here’s the rainfall totals as of 10 am Monday morning in the LA metropolitan area:

Quick Weather Forecast

By Jonathan Tamayo

Missing Call Letters

The endless summer is over.  Rain is on the way.  Here’s a quick look at today and tomorrow’s forecast in the Los Angeles area.

Today (12:40 PM) increasing clouds with rain likely in the afternoon (I can hear raindrops now).  Highs will be in the 60′s, southeast winds 10 to 15 mph, and a 70 percent chance of rain.  

Tonight…the rain will turn into showers with lows int he lower 50′s, Southeast winds around 10 mph

Friday showers are likely, highs will be int he upper 50′s and mid 60′s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the southwest in the afternoon.  70 percent chance of rain.