Posts Tagged ‘Louisville’

« Older Entries

Days Away: Are You Happy?!

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

Unless you just landed from another planet, you know we’re only days away from November 6th — Election Day 2012.

I realize that some of you don’t really care. You think this whole process has gone on too long, you don’t care who wins or loses because it won’t make any difference in how Washington operates, you’re sick and tired of campaign attack ads, and your list goes on.

I’m not in that camp. I think it’s been a fascinating election season — an opportunity to learn more about how Congress works, an education in such arcane realities as the “fiscal cliff” and how Medicare works—I realize this paints me as a complete wonk and a lost cause for anything sane and settled, but I’ll be sorry to see election day come and go.

There are a few days left. We at KET, Kentucky Tonight, and One to One will do our best to keep you entertained and informed right up to the last minute.

On One to One this Sunday, KET political analyst, Louisville lawyer, Courier-Journal columnist, and author, John David Dyche will be on the set to talk politics. Next week’s guest, writer, professor, and commentator,  Al Cross will weigh in on the election.
On Kentucky Tonight, Monday, I’ll have candidates from the 6th Congressional District at the table for the final candidate forum of the season.

Next week, I’ll tell you what we have in store for our pre-election show on Nov. 5th and plans for KET/PBS election coverage on Nov. 6th.

When John David stepped away from the table after we had taped our program this week, I asked him to share with you three things viewers and fellow wonks could look for between now and Election Day. Here’s what he said.

One to One airs Sunday at 1/noon CT and Tuesday at 7:30/6:30 pm CT on KET2.

Share | By Bill Goodman at 2:34 pm | Permalink | 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Korir Part 2: Mind Over Distance

Friday, April 27th, 2012

When Wesley Korir won the Boston Marathon earlier this month, it undoubtedly changed his life in ways he had never imagined.

I wrote about Korir, a Louisville resident, who attended both Murray State University and the University of Louisville, in a Bill’s Eye blog post earlier this week.

Korir, a native of Kenya, has made a practice of donating much of his prize winnings to a foundation he and his wife have created to assist kids in his hometown. They are supporting 40 students today, and next year he wants to increase that number to 80.

The day Korir won the Boston Marathon, the Boston Globe ran a piece on their opinion page titled “Minds Built to Go the Distance.” Farah Stockman had taught English in Kenya for several years. She was curious about why Kenyans ran so well, so fast. Stockman began to look into the science of running in Kenya. Some studies reported it was their native diet; others insisted it was a genetic gift of lean bodies and wiry legs. But, according to her report, those theories fail to account for perhaps the most important factors: the marathoner’s brain, and his or her concept of distance itself.

Isn’t that an amazing finding? Because the Kenya kids walked and ran everywhere—miles and miles to school and back home, to the market for food, to church—as children, their brains were trained for endurance and stamina.

Starting young makes a difference. Just ask Wesley Korir.

Stockman closes her piece in the newspaper with this: “In marathons, as in life, the ability to go the distance is so often in our minds.”

Share | By Bill Goodman at 2:46 pm | Permalink | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Congratulations, Wesley Korir

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Sometimes you have to look long and hard to find a positive story featuring a Kentuckian who does well on the national stage. We know there are heroes among us; however, the national media and entertainment industry seem to try hard to go out of their way to spotlight what’s wrong with our state and its inhabitants. For example, Anderson Cooper of CNN fame featured Kentuckians who believe in aliens on a recent show.

We see a lot of headlines about rankings—education, obesity, poverty—that don’t always paint us in the best light. Most of the time, the rankings are without fault.

So, with all of that headwind, it was nice to read and learn about Wesley Korir.

Earlier in the month, Korir, who lives in Louisville, won the famous Boston Marathon. At a time when some across the U.S. don’t think we can walk around the block without getting out of breath, a person from Louisville finished first in what is arguably the most celebrated road race in the world.

Korir, a native of Kenya, credited his University of Louisville biology degree for helping him win in Boston—he knew to stay well hydrated in the hot, 80-degree temperatures runners faced during the race. The 29-year-old also credited a steady pace, singing religious hymns, and faith in God for getting him across the finish line.

He and his wife, a Canadian runner, have founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation in his hometown of Kitale. Korir’s $150,000 prize money will go toward building a hospital in honor of a brother who was killed by a black mamba snake at the age of 10.

There’s more to Korir’s story. I’ll have a second post on him and a new theory about the success of Kenyan runners soon.

In the meantime, join me in congratulating Wesley Korir, 2012 Boston marathon winner.

Share | By Bill Goodman at 1:02 pm | Permalink | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

« Older Entries
600 Cooper Drive, Lexington, KY 40502 • (859) 258-7000 • (800) 432-0951