The Friedman Files

According to The El Paso Times,  soldiers travelling at El Paso International Airport say American Airlines Charged them as much as $300 for checking several extra bags.  The soldiers were reportedly headed for a base where military members prepare for deployment overseas.

Full Story:  http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_10044818?source=most_emailed

American Airlines told the paper it does allow soldiers to travel with two checked bags and a carry-on at no cost, and that the two bag allowance has typically covered most military members.  Many airlines have implemented additional bag fees for civilian travellers recently, as they try to fight rising oil prices.

A solider interviewed in the story claims other airlines have never questioned him when he’s travelled with extra bags. 

So where is the line here?  Should airlines be required to take all military baggage – no questions asked?  Or, should the military find another way to ship the bags if they exceed the airline’s allowance?  Either way, it seems like something needs to be worked out in advance.  Soldiers shouldn’t have to hand over their own money at the ticket counter – and then wait to see if they’ll be re-imbursed for carrying the equipment they need.

Before heading out of town for a few days last week, I worked on a story that really hit me and apparently struck a chord with some of our viewers as well.

We profiled 5 year old Galen Horacek, who got a liver transplant a few weeks ago.  It turns out his donor was 18 month old Catherine Stocco, who tragically drowned along with her three year old brother, Marcus, in the family’s pool in Coppell. 

Both families, donor and recipient, were incredibly thoughtful in what they said about each other and about organ donation.  The Horacek family described praying for the Stocco family while at the same time, they waited, hoping that doctors could save their own son who had been just hours from death.  Meanwhile, the Stocco family talked selflessly about the decision they made while facing a situation that’s hard to fathom.  I thought I’d share the complete statement from the Stocco family, since we only had time for a portion of it in our story:

“The loss of children is the most painful tragedy a family could have to endure. But once we knew that our angels couldn’t be saved, the decision to donate their organs was easy. We held in our hands the opportunity to save another family from the sadness we feel, a sadness we would spare anyone if we could. Choosing not to donate their organs would not have brought our babies back or made us feel better, but it would destroy another family. It makes no sense to compound the grief. As we mourn our children, we take comfort in knowing that their gift of donated organs will live on in the hopes and dreams of another family.

-Vanny and Matt Stocco

One viewer wrote to me this week saying,  “If more people were as generous as the family of Catherine Stocco, there wouldn’t be such a large shortage of human organs for transplant operations.”  Something for all of us to think about. 

The question above was one I got from some of my co-workers, as we reported the shortage of digital TV converter boxes at stores in North Texas.  You’ll need a converter by next year if you have an older analog TV.  Those analog signals disappear in Feb. 2009, when the government’s plan to convert to digital takes effect.

The answer to the question, who’s using rabbit ears: me and a lot of other people in Texas.  I have cable at my house, but I still have one old TV — in a room with no cable outlet.  The old school antenna is the only option there at the moment.

According to the latest numbers from the Feds, more people have requested government discount coupons for digital converter boxes in Texas than in any other state,  That’s because Texas actually has a higher percentage of people who still watch TV over-the-air instead of on satellite and cable. 

Apparently big retailers didn’t realize there were so many “rabbit-ear” people in Texas either.  Even retail giant Wal-Mart, known for its slick supply chain, admits its having trouble keeping converter boxes on the shelves. 

Our second hour of NBC5 Today will air an hour earlier than normal on Saturday – at 8am instead of 9am – because of NBC ’s coverage of Wimbledon.

Hope you’ll wake up a little early with us.  We’ve got an interesting story for parents of kids who play sports.  Doctors are now seeing some of the health problems that plague pro-baseball pitchers more often in kids.  We’ll have some advice for preventing those problems before they happen.  And Carol joins us in our cooking segment with great recipe for summer panini’s (and they’re heart healthy too). 

See you at 6 and 8am on Saturday!

Imagine Barack Obama or John McCain being forced to pull out of the election in November because their supporters were being beaten and killed by the other candidate’s supporters.

That’s the situation right now in Zimbabwe, where dictator Robert Mugabe is using intimidation and violence – again – in an effort to hold onto onto power. 

The story may seem hard to grasp because it’s happening so far away.  But, this blog written by a woman who lives there helps us understand why its so important for the rest of the world to pressure Mugabe to hold a free election: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7470761.stm

Imagine blogging in a place where you had to hide your name on your posts, for fear of being killed by those who fear the truth will strip them of their power.