I’m definitely a product of the Great Northwest; growing up in the small town of Tumwater Washington, yeah, the place with the special water! Early on I was destined to become a radio broadcaster. Morning, noon and even under my pillow at night the sounds of the day would come blaring out of a tiny transistor radio not much bigger than an Ipod!
One of the highlights of my summers would be to visit Portland and spend time with my cousins who lived here. One evening in about 1964 on one of those memorable trips to the Rose City my aunt and uncle took the family out for a chicken dinner (Spec Chicken). While I waited for my uncle to retrieve dinner-to-go, I talked my aunt into switching the radio to the “kids” channel. Soon the rockin' sounds of “ninety wonderful KISN radio” filled the confines of the '59 Mercury. From that moment on I vowed to become a radio DJ!
I’ve been fortunate enough to have graced the airwaves of several of Portland's top radio stations over the years; beginning my Portland radio career at the legendary 62KGW in 1977. After twelve wonderful years at the Super 62, my dream of becoming a KISN Good Guy came true when I joined the staff of the now defunct KISN-FM.
My wife Marla and I are avid baseball fans, we escape to Arizona every spring for spring training games, and of course a little sunshine! I’m also K103's resident “car guy” and I love to show off my 1955 Chevrolet that my son and I built from the ground up.
I’m also proud to be a member of the Easter Seals Oregon Board of Directors and supporter the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Alzheimer's Association.
John showed his '55 CHEVY at this years Rod & Custom Show at the Expo Center Click here for pics
Whether you're into veggie burgers or all-beef patties, the time for backyard BBQs and cookouts is upon us. Here are five iPhone/iPod Touch apps with everything from delicious recipes, to timers to help you make sure everything is cooked through, to BBQ locators for when you can't be bothered to make it yourself.
• Need a simple, useful cookout timer? With GrillStar BBQ Timer & Guide ($0.99) you just select items from a menu and it places them onto a graphic grill surface, becoming a visual guide to tell you when to turn or remove all of the items.
• For your grill recipe needs, look no further than iCooking American Cookouts ($0.99). It has 56 recipes to take you from appetizer to dessert and ensure you have a successful cookout.
• If you're going all-out, try Weber's On the Grill ($4.99). It contains 280 recipes, plus 40 recipes for rubs, marinades and sauces. Each recipe can be added to a grocery list and there are tips for cooking methods once you've got the fire going.
• If you're in the mood for some BBQ but don't want to make it yourself, check out the Texas Monthly BBQ Finder (free). Based on your location, it recommends the nearest BBQ joints, no matter how small or out of the way they might be. Funnily, it also recommends top Texas locations after your local results, no matter how far away you might currently be from the Lone Star State.
• Cooking on a campfire rather than a grill? Try one of Camp Recipes! ($1.99) hundreds of recipes specially designed for outdoor cooking, sorted by prep time, category and whether you'll be able to take it on the trail. Very useful for any time you have a limited prep and cooking area, whether you're at the lake for the day or on a weekend camping trip.
John Williams On This Day In History!
Friday 07-01-2011 8:27am PT
This is day 182 of 2011. There are 183 days remaining.
TODAY IN...
1910: Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker opened a machine shop in downtown Baltimore, making milk bottle cap machines. Six years later they hit it big with the first portable electric drill.
1916: Coca-Cola adopted its distinctive contoured bottle to set itself apart from competitors.
1922: The self-lighting cigarette was patented. The tip had a built-in match which could be struck on any rough surface.
1941: NBC broadcast the first FCC-sanctioned TV commercial, an ad for Bulova watches shown during a Dodges-Phillies game. Bulova paid $9 for the ad.
1963: ZIP Codes were introduced in the United States.
1979: Sony introduced the Walkman. It sold for $200.
1980: O Canada officially became the national anthem of Canada.
1984: The PG-13 rating was introduced by the MPAA.
2004: Legendary actor Marlon Brando died of lung failure at age 80.
2005: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court.
2007: Smoking in England was banned in all public indoor spaces. With the ban already in force in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, this meant it was now illegal to smoke in indoor public places anywhere in the UK.
2007: In India, Raju Gaji was jailed on charges of burglary and theft, but escaped from prison. Police set off alarms and began to search for him, but for 24 hours were unable to track him down. Then one of the guards heard the sound of loud snoring coming from the prison roof. It was Gaji, who had only made it as far as the top of the prison building before falling asleep.
CELEBRATING...
Actress Olivia de Havilland is 95
Actor Jamie Farr (Cp. Max Klinger on M*A*S*H) is 77
Actor David Prowse (best known for playing the physical form of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy) is 76
Businessman Wally Amos (Famous Amos cookies) is 75
Emmy and Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp is 70
Rock Hall of Famer Debbie Harry (Blonde) is 66
Singer Fred Schneider (B-52s) is 60
Actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd is 59
Actor Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Spin City) is 55
Singer Evelyn "Champagne" King is 51
Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis is 50
Actor Andre Braugher (House, Homicide: Life on the Street, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) is 49
Model/actress Pamela Anderson is 44
Actress Melissa Peterman (Barbara Jean in the television comedy series Reba) is 41
Singer Missy Elliott is 40
Actress Liv Tyler (Armageddon and The Incredible Hulk) is 34
MOST ANNOYING VOICEMAILS
Thursday 06-30-2011 6:02am PT
(Netscape) Voice mail is such a handy feature of cellular phones but not all messages are welcome. Here is a list of the 10 most annoying voice mails received.
The Marathon Message-- The extremely long voicemail that never ends.
The Death March-- Leaving a phone number at the end of a long voicemail. If you missed it, you now have to listen through the entire message just to get the phone number.
The Screaming Eagle-- The voicemail left in a noisy bar or as a fire truck is passing by.
The Drunken Dispatch-- The classic drunk-dial voicemail.
Voicemail Interrupted-- As the person is leaving the voicemail, they stop in the middle to have a conversation with someone else or answer another call before they return to finish the message.
The Misguided Message-- A person or telemarketer leaves a message for you that was actually intended for someone else.
Voicemail Incognito-- The anonymous voicemail, where the caller assumes you can identify their voice.
The Dehydrated Dispatch-- Any voicemail left by someone with a bad hangover.
One Way Wonder-- When the person thinks they are speaking to you when they are actually talking to your voicemail.
The Pocket Dialer -- The person that accidentally calls you because the phone is in their pocket or purse and isn't key-locked, leading to an endless soundtrack of them walking down the street, driving, or having a conversation with someone else.
Get Off The Couch!
Monday 05-23-2011 5:12pm PT
Americans sit an average of 56 hours a week, and a recent study in Women's Health magazine reveals the "sitting disease is literally killing us." Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic says technology is to blame, noting that "electronic living has all but sapped ever flicker of activity from our daily lives." And it seems women are less likely to move around than men, who often play sports and have more active jobs. But the Mayo Clinic says there's a "NEAT" no workout solution - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. This means doing simple chores like folding laundry, tapping your toes or just standing up burns more calories than sitting. For instance, standing burs 115 calories per hour compared to 83 for sitting, shopping at the mall eats 147 against 96 fro buying online, and playing Wii games uses 178 calories an hour versus 32 calories playing computer solitaire.
But what if the challenge of simply “getting there” was huge, even monumental – so much so that it was far easier to just throw in the towel, stay home and never experience Oregon’s many outdoor sights and sounds at all?
John Williams would like the change that perspective!
Williams is a familiar voice to many – he plays the soft rock sounds on Portland’s K103fm radio dial.
You’ve likely heard Williams if you’ve spent much time in the Rose City.
After all, he has been on the rock radio scene since 1977.
But interestingly, when the radio studio goes quiet, there’s another sound that Williams would rather hear: the sounds of the wild!
John Williams likes to be where the flocks are; it’s a passion that he’s owned since he was a kid.
“I was always full steam ahead,” noted the radio broadcaster on a recent trip to William Finley Wildlife Refuge near Corvallis, Oregon. “A normal childhood and I tried everything and even some things I shouldn’t have,” he said with a hearty chuckle.
John had polio as a child – he didn’t walk until he was four – but his family and their northwest adventures always made Williams feel right at home – whether in leg braces or in a chair – the polio never slowed him down.
“I wanted to be able to compete so I started playing wheelchair sports like wheelchair basketball when I was 14. I played that until I was 50 – but two shoulder surgeries told me it was time to get off the basketball floor.”
But outdoor adventures like fishing, hunting and boating came easy to someone eager to explore a love for the northwest outdoors.
Recently, Williams figured he could do more to help others who may be too fearful to head outdoors.
“I wanted to actually show people how accessible a destination is! There are plenty of web sites, plenty of books that talk about it, but no one has actually shown people how accessible a place really is when you get to it.”
So far, he has compiled 26 3-minute segments that center on places and activities for folks who roll on wheels rather than walk on two legs.
William's travels and specialty reports have taken him from the Oregon coast to the Cascade Mountains and include a visit to famous Timberline Lodge where he found out how accessible the old lodge is for folks in wheelchairs.
“Even I didn’t realize how accessible a place it is,” said Williams. “They’ve done some exceptional retro-work up there: parking lots are very accessible and you can go in on the bottom floor thru wide automatic doors. They’ve retrofitted with elevators, but they’ve not changed the integrity of the original building and I think that is very important.”
He’s visited many prized local sites and critiques them too, offering a visual story of the good, the bad and the not so friendly wheelchair access.
For example, Williams takes viewers to the popular Portland destination at Washington Park Rose Garden:
“You actually see me huffing and puffing up a hill and if you see that on video, see what I’m going through, then you will have a good idea of what to expect and help you decide whether you want to go there yourself.”
Williams gave high marks to the recent retrofit of the famous Oregon State Park Vista House – for many it is considered the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge:
“They have installed an elevator to take you from the bottom floor to the top floor but you don’t see the machinery at all when you enter - it comes out of the floor! It was truly engineered properly and hasn’t destroyed the integrity of the original building. I think they did a terrific job!”
Williams added that there are other notable travel destinations across Oregon that are wheelchair friendly too.
Or the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument where you will find a raised wooden boardwalk that allows folks a close up view to 60 million years of geologic history.
Finally, check out the Wildwood Recreation Site’s Cascade Streamwatch Trail. The paved path takes you along the Salmon River for more than a mile and even puts you nose to nose with baby salmon in a tributary stream near Mt Hood.
Back at Finley Wildlife Refuge, John and I enjoyed the Homer Campbell Memorial Trail: a 1700’ elevated boardwalk that courses through an oak and wetlands area and eventually ends at a view blind.
Here, you can duck in out of bad weather and the blind overlooks a pond that is favored by waterfowl and eagles.
“They’ve done a real good job out here with a cement apron in the parking area that makes the wheelchair rolling easier and connects to the boardwalk that takes you clear out to the marshland. It’s very impressive. You’ll have no problem in a wheelchair – it’s good stuff!”
Williams adds that Oregon - and especially Portland - lead the nation in accessibility…that’s something more people in chairs should embrace:
“I really want to show folks what a beautiful part of the country we live in so they will get out of the living room and head out for travel across Oregon.”
It’s spring in Oregon and we’re out enjoying the outdoors! For details on creating an Oregon Adventurecation and for special travel deals, check out “Adventurecation.”
Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).
Jim Carrey is Mr. Popper, a driven businessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things in life -- until he inherits six penguins. Popper's penguins turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland -- and the rest of his life upside-down.
Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Alicia Silverstone, Rita Wilson, Blair Underwood
George is a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally, a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Unclaimed Oregon Lottery ticket worth $250,000 by KGW.com Staff kgw.com Posted on February 14, 2011 at 2:31 PM Updated today at 2:31 PM Oregon Lottery officials are looking for a winner who has not yet claimed a $250,000 prize. The winning Mega Millions ticket in the Jan. 14 matched all five white balls, but not the MegaBall. The winning numbers were 2-15-17-33-35. The winning MegaBall number was 8. Lottery official said the winning ticket was sold in Portland, but the retailer would not be known until the prize is claimed. The winner has until 5 p.m., on Monday, January 16, 2012, to claim their prize. www.oregonlottery.org
© 2012
