KJZZ Here and Now Weblog

Here and Now: Mountain Climber, Adventurer, Author Ed Viesturs

His may not be a household name, and his claim to fame is probably not something you or I would ever attempt to do. But by all accounts, Ed Viesturs is someone who sets some pretty loft goals and has done a pretty darn good job achieving them. He has climbed more than a dozen of the tallest mountains in the world, all without the assistance of something almost every other needs to reach the top: oxygen from a canister. You see, the air is so thin, that climbers can rarely exert the energy possible to reach the top of Everest, K2, or other peaks without the help of a small canister of oxygen.

And the fact that he's scaled mountain after mountain and is still alive to talk about it is a feat unto itself. I'd hate to fathom the number of climbers Viesturs has encountered along the way that weren't so lucky.

Viesturs is in town as part of the National Geographic speaker series at the Mesa Arts Center. And he's kind enough to stop KJZZ share some of his experiences with us.

If you have a question him, start writing below. If it doesn't appear right away, don't worry, it will go up soon. We just have to moderate the website to keep spammers from posting their lovely wares....

Here and Now - GOP Gubernatorial Candidate, Gallup Poll, Diana Gabaldon

Here and Now - Indian Gaming, Phoenix Coyotes

It is one of the most overused clichés in broadcasting. "Build it and they will come." Technically, it's build it and 'he' will come, but how many people really watched the movie Field of Dreams and then built a ballpark in a corn field?

Well, the cliché applies to Glendale. The city helped pay to build what is now Jobing.com Arena on what used to be cotton fields. And 'they' came. 'They' being the Phoenix Coyotes NHL hockey team, which has done as well in the desert as a chunk of ice removed from Canada and left to evaporate in the desert. Don't get me wrong, I like the Coyotes, and I love going to fights when a hockey game happens to break out.

But the Coyotes were a huge money pit -- draining the finances of its past two owners. When the NHL stepped in to sell the team, owner Jerry Moyes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which amounts to a liquidation sale. The guy that helped bring us the BlackBerry wireless device offered $212 million for the desert dwellers with plans to move the team back to a climate and locale where hockey games are much better attended and thus, financially break even, or god forbid, make money. Turns out, if you build it, they will come, then go.

Valley hockey fans aren't the only ones getting screwed. The city of Glendale invested $180 million dollars in the concrete and metal structure. The city is in court to make sure whoever buys the Coyotes, will keep playing games at Jobing.com Arena.

The city would prefer another big money venture just go away. The Tohono O'odham Nation quietly purchased county land in Glendale years ago and now wants to build a full-scale resort and casino there. Glendale leaders have told the tribe they don't want a 24 hour casino with more than 1000 slot machines and dozens of poker tables. The tribe points to the huge economic impact the casino would have, but Glendale counters that the majority of that impact comes at Glendale's expense, not benefit. Now, it's not a matter of if you built it, they will come. We all know people will come and spend millions. The question is, WILL they be allowed to build it? We're hear from both parties.

But more importantly, we'll take an overall look at casino gaming in Arizona and the impact its having on and off the reservation. Plus, we'll hear from proponents of one of the oldest forms of gambling in Arizona--race tracks who are still itching for some of the billions of dollars Indian casinos rake in.

Have a comment, question, or cliché. The blog is all yours. (and if you don't see your posting right away it's because we have to monitor entries to prevent those darn spammers from filling up our pages with those %@#&^ ads and weblinks.)

Here and Now - Jerry Colangelo / Don Johanson

It doesn't get any bigger than this. Jerry Colangelo built the Phoenix Suns. He helped assemble a major league baseball team that won the World Series in its 4th year--the fastest franchise ever to achieve that. And after U.S.A basketball's humiliating performance at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece, Colangelo took over the organization and the 'Redeem Team' sweep its games to win the gold medal in Beijing. That's just sports.

Then there's Phoenix. This Chicago transplant helped build downtown, and give Phoenix an identity. He also help numerous kids, schools, and charitable causes along the way.

Don Johanson also has a Chicago connection. He studied anthropology at the University of Chicago after becoming bored with chemistry in college. Johanson has become the most recognized paleoanthropologist for his discovery of Lucy, the name of the remains belonging to a female hominid. What made Lucy special was that she was the oldest human ancestor discovered that had made the transition from walking on all fours similar to apes to walking on two feet.

Johanson has the intellect, charm, and communication skills needed to take the quest for the origins of humans from the field, to the classroom, and to your living room.

Johanson has a new book: Lucy's legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. It examines the other significant discoveries since Lucy and discusses where science is leading us in our search for our beginnings.

Please post your comment or question for either guest. If you don't see it on the web right away--we monitor entries -- to avoid spammers. So, give it time!

Here and Now: Todd McFarlane

Todd McFarlane drew acclaim as an illustrator for Marvel and DC Comics. But he did something unheard of when he set out on his own in 1992 to create his own comic book series and company. McFarlane created Spawn, which lead to a feature movie and animated series. McFarlane also turned his attention to action figures, making replicas of rock and roll bands and now has contracts with all four major leagues sports making detailed real-life figures.

McFarlane drew attention in 1998, when he bought key home run baseballs hit by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. Little did many people know that McFarlane was an aspiring baseball player who had his dreams dashed due to an injury he suffered playing college baseball.

Have a comment or question for McFarland? Submit it below!

The Business of Sports

Join Steve Goldstein this Wednesday from 11 until noon on KJZZ'S Here and Now as he and a panel of guests discuss the business of sports in the Valley. From a host of college football Bowl games and next year's Super Bowl, to the saturation of the local pro-sports market, you can join the discussion during the program or post a comment or question now at the link below.