KUOW's steve scher wins big

Crazed NPR morning host Steve "Mad-dog" Scher, the Michael Savage of public radio, has won the 2006 civic award for Governmental News Reporting of the Year from the Municipal League of King County.

The colorful host of KUOW's Weekday, (9-m-f, 9-11a) is known for his glamorous posse, loud shirts and bullying tactics. Often nude on-air, his sensational, hard hitting interviews of fish biologists, Canadians, meteorologists, and dining editors have given him the reputation as the toughest interview in town.

"He does his homework," says Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, "but that doesn't give him the right to be such a big ol' meanie."

"He made me cry," says Hsiao Ching Chou, Seattle PI Food Editor. "He just kept digging, digging, digging until I finally gave up my recipe for organic apricot ketchup. He was a pitbull."

The annual award is given to the "individual, publisher, or station that has provided the most outstanding news reporting on governmental issues or public affairs," and includes 3 days and 3 nights in Las Vegas, and a shopping spree at the Ballard QFC.

Comments

[sara]

I hate Dori.

[sparky]

ohhhh apricot ketchup...can we have that recipe?

[HCC]

Auntie Chou's Apricot Ketchup
3 teaspoons minced garlic cloves, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped apricots (about 3/4 pound)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon garlic and onion, and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add the reserved 1/2 teaspoon minced chile, chopped apricots, preserves, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook mixture over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until apricots are very tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place apricot mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Serve with chicken, pork or dip your sweet potatoes fries!

[sparky]

Ohhhh THANKS!!! Bless your heart!!

[KS]

I'll have to listen to him - if he's like Michael Savage, although I doubt if there is much political similarity.
Savage dentigrates the Republicans as much as anyone and at the same time points out the inconsistencies (to put it nicely) of liberalism.

Savage is big into meatball recipes, science and has a soft spot for animals - and cannot be characterized as a kool aid drinker - entertaining in spurts - although goes off of the deep end periodically. Will try to catch Scher next week.

[Steve]

Allen Prell is still an idiot.

[Mike Barer]

I would find it hard to take seriously a guy who is nude on the radio.

[joanie]

While I don't listen everyday, I am an occasional listener and I've heard him be rude - persistent and dogged, but not rude. Maybe in the ears of the beholder. :)

[joanie]

Meant that to say "I've never heard him be rude . . . "

[Fremont]

"I would find it hard to take seriously a guy who is nude on the radio." Better than bare on the blog, Mike...

[Fremont]

"I would find it hard to take seriously a guy who is nude on the radio." Better than bare on the blog, Mike...

[Fremont]

Jeez, Fremont, it wasn't so clever you had to post it twice...

[joanie]

Fremont, you've got "ditto disease!" Isn't there a med out there for that? (just kidding-xoxo)

[joanie]

BTW, Fremont, did you notice Mariah has two eyeasses just born yesterday and today? They are soooooo cute!

[joanie]

BTW, Sparky, did you see Stephen Harper on Canadian News last week (my cable channel 99)? He sounded an awful lot like Bush on the environment - is cutting programs and sounds like he's pulling away from Kyoto. . . what did you think of that?

I wondered what Canadians were thinking watching him on TV talking like Bush . . .

[sparky]

Joanie they are not happy about it...and especially since he likes Bush a lot.

[Fremont]

OMG, Joans....is that what those little balls are?!? Aw-w-w-w-w!

[joanie]

Well, if those little balls are make of feathers and have beaks- yeah!

Expect one more tomorrow! Sorry for the slurpiness. I just love them!!!!!!!!

[Liz]

Regarding Harper. Remember, he just won the election (a minority government) so some Canadians are happy with what he has done.

I think you need to check your news sources before you make judgements like that. The public network is quite left leaning, and if that is where you are getting your news, you may not be receiving balanced information.

Also, the country is quite split on its support of the Harper government, with it being well supported in the Prairies and Quebec, Ontario, not so much.

He has made some early mistakes, however, I think, after years of Liberal corruption, he does deserve a chance.

[joanie]

Sorry the liberals were so corrupt! They really blew it . . .

Does Harper's support, then, seem to come from more rural areas just as the conservative support seems rural and suburban in the US?

[KS]

Good comment, Liz. I like Canada and hope that the new Government works out there, but based on some of his comments that have been broadcasted, Harper probably has some 'splaining to do.

[chris]

Harper only has Quebec because of massive federal monies promised to them. He is desperate, Coalition governments don't last long up there.

[Liz]

Harper does have his hands full, and he will have to tread very lightly. He has made some serious mistakes early on, like recruiting an elected Liberal to join his party, and cutting off media access and silencing his party members.

However, the recruiting the Liberal was no less serious than Belinda Stronach crossing the floor.

Much of what he is dealing with (Afghanistan, for example) was inherited from the Liberal party. I believe his response is positive. He will ensure better funding for the armed forces and I believe he will also address some serious issues in the justice system.

Joanie, yes, much rural support for Harper, although I think the business community favours him as well. Some of the opposition to his party comes from those who fear for the social justice system.

[sparky]

..and for the health care system...

[Liz]

I would say the health care system needs some serious work.

Sure there's no charge, but it doesn't do much good when the wait for a hip or knee replacement is over a year.

[joanie]

Would you rather have our system, Liz?

[Liz]

Hard to say, Joanie. From what I understand, and please correct me if I am wrong, as long as my family was properly insured (and we have the wherewithall to do so) we would have access to medical care.

My frustration with the Canadian system lies with its lack of free choice, even if one CAN afford it, there is no cue jumping, and, the cues are long. In 2004 16 percent of Canadians over the age of 18 were unable to find a family physician. Many Canadian docs go south to you folks because of the Government control here in medicine. Rates and fees are set by the Government.

We cannot access a specialist without referral from our family doc, a process which compounds the wait time. Family docs around here are booking annual physicals months in advance. When my child had to see a specialist at our childrens' hospital our wait was 18 months (the say that in life threatening conditions this time is shortened, but I believe that in this province, for a woman to have surgery following identification of a malignant lump, the wait can be 6 weeks. Even if she can afford it, there is no way to jump the cue, other than going over the border. Wait times for public MRIS are 6 months, but the Government here does allow private clinics to operate in this field. I paid $800.00 to a private company and had my MRI in 4 days. (Heath care in Canada is a provincial responsibility so these regulations vary from province to province, other than with regard to general private access)

One school of thought, and I tend to agree with this one, is to allow docs to practice in both the private and public system. That way, people who wish to "jump the cue" could feed their monies into our system,rather than the system down there.

[joanie]

Two quick thoughts: if the US were to go to nationalized health care and followed the same model as Canada, there would be no place for your docs to go and they would probably stay put in Canada . . . maybe.

Second, if docs were allowed to do both public/private, I'm thinking there should be a model where each doc has to do some public - a percentage or something like that.

There must be a way in which all people can be served by health care. In our system, they get it but at the emergency room which ups the cost for all of us. And we don't have the greatest numbers in infant mortality or health care stats aren't so great either - compared to other modern countries.

Of course, if we went back to regulated insurance (pre-Reagan) and required that companies be non-profit, some of our problems would be lessened.

Right now, we have a broken system. And I had a doctor tell me once that the US has too many doctors . . . another story/discussion I suppose.

[Fremont]

Broken it is, Joans!
WA State has a premier system for health care for the very poor, but is sadly lacking in providing care for those between very poor and very rich. Maybe, reform at the state level will be necessary before a single-payer program (my dream) can be implemented. Our Democratic leaders allegedly have a platform for healthcare for all ready for 2008, right?

[Fremont]

Joans, I'm not looking at the correct Mariah site...will you give it to me again? Thanks!

[joanie]

"mariah and eggs"

Right now you can see two eggs and three eyeasses nestled together. She's not there.

[joanie]

BTW, if link doesn't work, google Kodak Birdcam and it will come up.

[The Big Guy]

I can't STAND Dori Mon-SOON!!!

[Fremont]

Thanks, Joans....I had it right...the babies just weren't there!