They're Baaaack!

Those of you who of a similar vintage as I ... aka silver dusted tops ... will recall child actress Heather O'Rourke's memorable utterance, "They're baaaack!" from the iconic horror film of 1982, POLTERGEIST. 

Well, the missus, the momma and I arrived back in Simcoe safe and sound following our 2522 km trip home from our adopted Floridian home, but the voyage was not without it's excitement thanks to hotel issues, howling mountain winds, meals on the road, and the sheer volume of hours being wary of those others sharing the roads with us.

All of that is not a Don't cry for us Argentina ploy, but I thought I'd share some of the things lingering in my short term memory following our wonderful night's rest in our own bed last night ... a TREAT, if I must say! 

Grumble #1

Being inherently cheap, I chose to use up our AirMiles on hotel rooms for the trip home, and partially because I didn't pay as close attention as I should have, but mostly due to some sneakiness on behalf of TriVaGo, I made a booking for the first night of travel using the wrong date. When I used the AirMiles app to be able to use our accumulated miles, the choice got hijacked by TriVaGo meaning that although they accepted the miles, modifications were banned, so we were stuck with that date. The resulting fracas meant that we had to modify our departure plans by a day, the consequences of which would be driving on a Sunday, and consequently on a Monday+Tuesday too, risking construction + congestion delays.

Day one's travels featured a very pleasant and sunny drive for 9.5 hours through the length of Florida, most of Georgia, and parts of South Carolina before arriving at our Hampton Inn in Orangeburg. For the past few years, my mom has chosen a route through Florida that included entering it via I 95 south to Jacksonville, then I 10 west to Lake City, before I 75 south to Naples. Many moons ago, she ventured a chance on I 301 because its path was diagonally southwest from Jacksonville to Ocala, but she found that it was stop 'n go through a variety of little towns. Since I was the pilot for day one's adventures, I persuaded her to give it another try, and much to our delight, the road upgrades and heightened speed limits meant that it was both pleasant and time-saving. Methinks it will become my own personal route-of-choice in the future.

Grumble #2

While the check-in at the Hampton Inn - Orangeburg was painless, I discovered that our rooms were no where near each other, and since ours was on the ground floor, I chose to swap for my mother's fourth floor room, reasoning that it would be much easier for her. Well, that stroke of kindness resulted in her inheriting a malfunctioning TV and a delay in turning in for the night as the Hampton staff bumbled their way through the repairs. Complaints of the inconvenience fell on deaf ears so CURSE YOU Hampton Inn!

Day two's 9-hour travels through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania were anticipated to be filled with picturesque mountain vistas if the weather cooperated, and despite the gloomy overcast of the 7:00 am Orangeburg start, we were thrilled by the blue sunny skies all the way to Washington, Pennsylvania. The only glitch of the day was the kick-up of winds in West Virginia, resulting in a little Rock 'n Roll through the mountains at the day's end, and some white-knuckle co-pilot experiences. We encountered some early morning traffic snarls around Columbia, SC, thanks to construction on the beginning of I 77 but our consternation was short-lived as the delays meant that we totally missed rush hour in Charlotte, NC. 

Thank Heaven for little miracles, as the saying goes.

Day three's escapades were tempered by the potential for rush hour bedlam around Pittsburgh so we opted to make an early get-away in hopes of avoiding it, and we quite pleased with ourselves as we breezed through Pittsburgh's rolling hills, the turnpike to Erie, the throughway to Buffalo, before the border crossing at Lewiston. 

Grumble #3 ... sort of

Being a cadre of rule-followers, we were astutely aware of the re-entry rules of Canada's Border Patrol, so we were well armed with our declaration dollar amounts and how many cheap(er) bottles of Yankee booze we could bring with us. Three adults = three bottles, right? The lure of taking a risk of additional hootch was enticing, but we caved and played it safe. Our arrival at the crossing was a cumulative 30 sec, our very pleasant guard apparently not giving any (bleep)s about the rules. He didn't even ask about how much we spent!

Drat, Drat and Double Drat!

We made the final leg of the trip from Lewiston, NY, to Barrie without a hitch, and upon arrival at my mom's condo, we were greeted with a cloudless sky illuminating the still frozen surface of Kempenfelt Bay in true Canadian spring time beauty. Even though the LOOOONG trip is self-imposed, the combination of 24 hours of sitting behind the wheel, the restaurant food (Can you say Cracker Barrel multiple times?), sleeping in hotel beds, and the strain-filled vigil for crazy drivers who blatantly ignore speed limits and other's welfare takes its toll on us, resulting in a weary early-to-bed as the day's end approached. 

Now, if some very kind individual could please do something about that dagnabbit white crap falling from the skies today! THAT was not supposed to happen! How can I bike in that?

Yes, I know that it's Canada 

... and March 

... and climate change .

.. and normal'ish.

I don't have to like it!

The 1%'ers

I've thought long and hard about writing this post. 

I want to share my thoughts on life in southwest Florida, but I'm cognizant of it coming across the wrong way. Please take these words as, "You may not know but ..." and not, "Hey, look at me!"

The vacation routine in SW Florida, at least for me, includes many a sightseeing tour atop my Argon18 as I explore all that Naples and surrounding area offer for those that are interested. Interested might not be the best way to describe it since much of this area is only affordable to a small percentage of North America's population with high-end condo developments, gated communities, sprawling villas, and small castles aplenty, enough to boggle the mind of a lowly ex-public servant such as myself. I  find myself truly unable to fathom their level of wealth.

The main roads down here are filled by drivers who must be very busy "chasing the dream" since cycling on some of them is akin to taking one's life in one's hands as Maseratis, Bentleys, Ferraris, Maclarens, Mercedes, and the occasional Rolls wizz past me, by my estimation blatantly ignoring the posted speed limits. Heck, I've spied an SUV Rolls Royce the other day shopping at a consignment store, no less. Go figure! Perhaps, if I were to drive a baby blue convertible Bentley like this one that is parked daily near the tennis courts (a 400k vehicle), I too might feel the need to chase the sound barrier, but the chances of that are more astronomical than winning one of those crazy Powerball lotteries they have down here. 

A little "research" reveals that some of these cars cost more than my condo back at the beach!

The real estate market down here must make agents back home in Wasaga salivate with their multi-million dollar listings and Uber high-end finishes. I've discovered that there are some areas on the main roads around here that a drive-by results in a rubber-necking, mouth agape, forehead crinkled in sheer wonder kind of look, but the truly ridiculous builds require a turn off the beaten path, often down private developments with guard houses. I feel a lot less "touristy" atop the bike than in the RAV. If you've never seen neighbourhoods like these in real life, I'd wager that my very average photography skills will not do these monstrosities justice, and while I fully admit that there are some areas of Ontario that boast their own architectural monstrosities, for this bike-riding guy these are bordering on utter ridiculousness ... and they're landscaped to the hilt ... and not blanketed in a few cm of snow.

I have had conversations with some that I trust who have personal experience with employment in the US of A, and they swear that those with decent jobs ... I know, define decent ... make and keep more money than comparable jobs in Canada. While astutely aware that the discussion surrounding the factors at play that contribute to this are deep, detailed, and contentious, I'm positive that it's on a completely other level down here. The people that I have gotten to know don't seem like tycoons or like they come from "old" money, but when you can plop down 2 or 3 million for a second residence? 

I struggle to comprehend! 

My parents worked very hard throughout their lives to earn a comfortable living, meaning I admit that my brothers and I were afforded a privileged lifestyle which included purchasing a beautiful place in North Naple's Pelican Bay early on in the development of the area. They felt strongly that they wished to make the necessary sacrifices to afford their place, but if you account for the fact they bought 30+ years ago, the cost of ownership in PB has septupled during that time, meaning it's only feasible to a small percentage these days. Part of that is due to the real estate lunacy over the past 5 years, but another significant reason is the dwindling supply of units on the market. The PB development is presently building their final project on the only land left available, the entrance units listing for 2 million in pre-construction, and when it's done, there'll be bidding wars for places that come available, at least in my estimation.

2 million AMERICAN folks ... that's 2.84 million Canadian ... BEFORE finishing in out!

Through the enormous generosity of my mom, Joyce and I have enjoyed "playing house" in southwest Florida with all it has to offer, but the sad reality is that we can only ever hope to be visitors because ownership is completely impossible. Still, the visit is pretty gosh darned spectacular, and we are eternally grateful that my mom is so willing to tolerate us for long stretches. We've met some really wonderful people during our time here, some that are becoming friends, and we'll forever cherish the memories of visit!

It all comes to an end next week when we point the cars northward and return to our own "slice of heaven" in Wasaga Beach ... where we love it, BTW! 

Aaaand the fun continues!

Building on the gratitude expressed in my pervious post, the fun continued this week with the arrival of our daughter Maddison and hubby Chris! They too were able to finagle their way out of winter's icy grip for a week in the southwest Florida sunshine, so Porter's Taxi was called upon again to retrieve travellers from Fort Myer's Airport. They flew in later in the day so we combined the outing with some browsing at the Miromar Premium Outlets and a fancy-schmansy Costco dinner. 

Oh, we lead quite the life!

For all the times that we've been able to take advantage of my mom's generosity, we have never embarked on a trip to Fort Myers to peruse the Miromar Premium Outlets, so it was high time we treated ourselves, says we. While the stores there cover a wide assortment of labels, some of which we have been in favour of in the past, the title of the complex really doesn't cut it, or at least from our opinion. We browsed a number of the stores and contemplated pulling the trigger on a few offerings, in the end it was a single black tank from Under Armour riding shot gun on the way to the airport.

Being the BIG spenders that we are, we debated a number of possibilities we could grab for the kids to nibble on considering they were flying in so late in the day, but in the end we cheaped out and headed for Costco since it was on route to the airport. We've treated ourselves in the past to the famous Costco hot dog + soda, and despite enjoying it profusely, we were intrigued enough by the $9.99 full size pizza deal to give it a try, reasoning that we would have some slices left for the kids to enjoy. Once there, as it always seems to happen at Costco, we up-sold ourselves by adding a cheesy chicken bake and hot dog + soda so that we would expand the choices for the kids. 

The pie that we purchased had it's own area code! 

I mean this was one seriously large pizza! 

And it was most delicious, we might add!

To make up for our lack of retail support at the Premium Outlets, we decided that we had time to continue expressing our frugality by strolling through Marshall's and Beall's, when lo and behold, some deals literally jumped off their hangers into our arms! Listen, when you find decent quality gear already discounted plus the till gives you a further savings, AND you really like it ... CHA CHING!

Picking up the kids at RSW, making full use of the cell phone lot ... a brilliant little add-on, I might add ... the final assessment on the food choices was two big thumbs up, and the initial few minutes of the drive was made in munching silence. Of course, when Joyce has her Maddi in near proximity, the silence is always short lived! HaHaHa!

One sad note to share for this week, this area was beset by an invasion of RED tide, resulting in a beach front cock full of fish carcasses.

According to Florida Health (CLICK), red tide is caused by a naturally occurring microscopic alga (a plant-like microorganism) called Karenia brevis that produces a toxin that can affect the central nervous systems of fish, birds, and mammals. At high concentrations (called blooms), the organism may discolour the water red, light or dark green, or brown, and can last days, weeks, or months, also changing daily due to wind conditions and water currents. Onshore winds normally bring it near the shore and offshore winds drive it out to sea. A red tide bloom needs biology (the organisms), chemistry (natural or man-made nutrients for growth), and physics (concentrating and transport mechanisms). No single factor causes it, but it can irritate the skin and breathing of some with symptoms include coughing, sneezing, and teary eyes.

For most people, symptoms are temporary when red tide toxins are in the air. Wearing a particle filter mask may lessen the effects, but the general train of thought is to check the marine forecast. While most people can swim in red tide, it can cause skin irritation and burning eyes, so those with skin that is easily irritated are recommended to avoid red tide water. The irritation can often be mitigated by thoroughly washing off with fresh water.

With the calendar turning over from February to March, my mother's annual day of recognition for the world's welcome to life landed on "Hump Day" ... don't read into that! ... and she chose some shopping followed by a dinner at a FAV called Cheddar's. The meal was a rousing success, the bellies filled beyond comfortable, and the shopping netted my mom a couple of sought after items ... BINGO! I'm pleased to report that she felt the day was a rousing success!

The their flight home looming, Maddi + Chris felt the familiar pangs of sadness when something thrilling draws to a close and the return to normalcy hangs in the air. Super Mom Joyce has dearly loved her opportunity to spend time with her both of her beloved young ones and partners, leaving her feeling the words of Dr Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

Life is indeed GOOD!

A Blessed Life!

Just a short one this time ...

I'd be remiss if I didn't "fall on my sword" in admission that I have thus far led a charmed life, for hundreds of reasons far too plentiful to list in this post, but that fall succinctly into a relatively small number of themes. If you know me at all, it will come as no surprise that one theme is Family, but others include Teaching, Coaching, and Athletics.

On the theme of family, my extended family is filled with people I view as a huge blessing, leaving me with a deep appreciation of my loved ones. Topping that lengthy list are my wife, kids, mom, and brothers, so spending time in the winter with 3 of the 4 in a personal version of Shangri La brings a huge sense of satisfaction. While both of our kids have discovered partners that are the Ying to their Yang, we haven't been able to spend as much time together as these parental units would prefer.

That changed when our son Keaton and his partner Jessica joined the festivities here in Naples for a week's vacation from their personal Rat Race, and we couldn't be more happy.

Keaton (aka KP) has proven to be the more independent of our two kids, and choosing to sink deep roots in Guelph, making get-togethers significantly more challenging. When he and Jess let us in on the surprise that they had booked flights to join us, we were obviously over the moon. Fulfilling our parental duties included providing taxi service from Southwest Regional Airport in Fort Myers, a 40 or so minute drive north.

Revisiting the idea of being blessed, my mom (and dad, RIP) purchased a three bedroom condo back in the early 90's that is perfectly suited to hosting the three branches of our clan in perfect comfort. Despite the deep level of connection KP has with Jess, we've only had a handful of opportunities to get to know her, so the week's immersion was absolutely delightful. She's a wonderful young lady, filled to the brim with positivism and confidence, and the sparkle in her eye reserved for KP is a huge "tell". 

The week flew by as we entertained ourselves with boatloads of Florida-style things like beach walks, kayaking the mangrove, flea markets, and (of course) lots and lots of treats. Thanks to Valentine's Day and KP's 27th Bday, we indulged early and often, and supplemented the "normal" days with restaurant fare from some of the area's trendy establishments. I'm sure it comes as no surprise, but things in FLA are a profoundly different than Wasaga, eyebrow lifting moments coming fast and furious. From the Mazeratti's/Bentley's/Ferarri's/Rolls Royce's, to the niche market stores (look up Seed to Table), to the ridiculous serving sizes of both sweets and drinks (note the slice of carrot cake in the photo), we explored to our heart's content.

Sadly, Saturday came quicker than anyone wished, we said our thank you's/goodbye's and shared a tight hug before they jetted their way back north. The intense feelings of gratitude for the blessings we've been gifted are humblingly cathartic. 

This morning's coffee on the lanai was filled with contemplations.

#lifeisgood

Ian's aftermath

Unless you were hiding out somewhere, devoid of all news and social media, or perhaps simply not at all interested, you may have missed that southwestern Florida was beset by the destructive power of Mother Nature in the form of Hurricane Ian. While it played out, my interest piqued since my mother owns a condo in Naples, a pretty amazing place to escape winter's frozen grip, and a place that Ian's full force pulled a Get Smart ... "Missed it by that much". When we arrived this winter, I was motivated to investigate the lingering effects from the aftermath. What I found was heart-breaking.

For those who were members of the aforementioned group, Hurricane Ian was a category 4 storm that slammed into the gulf shore of southwest Florida on September 28, 2022. The National Hurricane Center began tracking a tropical disturbance on September 19 located several hundred miles east of the Barbados, St Lucia, Martinque, and the other Windward Islands. Tropical Storm Ian formed late on September 23, but only slowly strengthened over the following few days as the storm turned northward toward Cuba. By September 26, the storm attained hurricane strength while located a little over 300 miles south of it. Ian strengthened rapidly prior to striking western Cuba early in the morning of September 27 as a category 3 hurricane with winds just over 200 kph (125 mph). Weakening only slightly as it crossed Cuba, it strengthened into a monstrous category 4 storm before making its second landfall just south of Punta Gorda, FL on September 28. (Source) A catastrophic storm surge struck the west coast of Florida south of Tampa, and coupled with over 51 cm (20 in) of rain, it caused major flooding across the peninsula all the way to the Atlantic coast. Ian spent many hours slowly crossing Florida and emerged off the east coast as a tropical storm with winds around 110 kph (65 mph) during the late morning hours of September 29. 

For the sake of those who need help, a storm surge is created by the circular, swirling winds of a hurricane that push the ocean's water inland, raising the water levels by metres, not cm's. In Ian's case, a forecasted storm surge of 1 m quickly demanded recalculation as the leading edge of the event hit the coast featuring sustained winds of 225 kph (140 mph), pushing a destructive 2.0–3.0 m (6–10 ft) storm surge inland, primarily south of where the eye of the hurricane made landfall. Damages in Naples alone were estimated at $989 million. Fort Myers in Lee County, just north of my mom's condo complex, experienced catastrophic impacts, particularly due to storm surge. (Source) Combined with high winds this resulted in damage to 52,514 buildings and homes, which included minor damage to 16,314 structures, major damage to 14,245 structures, and the destruction of 5,369 others. A preliminary estimate placed building damages at $6.8 billion. A large portion of the Sanibel Causeway (large bridge from Fort Myers to Sanibel Island) collapsed and washed away during the storm, cutting off all vehicle access to Sanibel. Vehicular access to the island was re-established on October 11 for emergency workers and public access was re-established October 21 for local residents.

I recently hopped on the two-wheeled stallion, pointed sort of north, and took a first hand look at the damage just south of Sanibel Island, first at Bonita Beach then at Estero Island. Listen folks, you can watch videos, you can scan photos, but until you have a real live look at something like this, you really don't grasp the full scope of the impact. I had ridden this same path a handful of times last winter, easily recognizing the portions of the sights that were severely damaged or completely wiped out. When you leave Bonita Beach on your way to Estero Island, you ride through Lover's Key State Park before crossing the Estero Blvd bridge onto the island. What was previously open state park land was now host to towering mounds of debris, obviously collected from the local area in a clean up effort.

To their credit, the folks in southwest Florida that rode out the storm are a tough lot! I've had the opportunity to talk to a few of them, some that rode  the hurricane out in my mother's complex, and they have colourful, anxiety-ridden memories of a fearful 7 or 8 hours as Ian passed overhead. One gentleman just down the way from mom dutifully attempted to paint a picture of the thousands of decisions that had to be made leading up to and surviving the storm. Looking at these two photos, you can see the extent of the surge, and if you consider that this complex is more than a mile from the beach, you can partially understand how far the water levels rose.

Since the initial estimates of storm surge were lower than they likely should have been, the decision to hunker down was logical, but as the water levels slowly climbed the side of familiar landmarks, the decision to leave was no longer possible, prayers and hopes the remaining thoughts in the deep darkness as Ian's ferocity cut all power for an extended stretch. Long time residents of the area feel strongly that Ian's anger was significantly more furious than many previous. 

We haven't made the trek up to Fort Myers yet. My intense curiousity is balanced by my profound empathy for loss and destruction. Like the rubberneckers on interstates and highways, the desire to see the carnage for myself is a powerful pull, but I find myself asking what I would feel if all that I held dear was wiped out by Nature's fury and the unaffected were busily capturing my pain with their smartphones. The restoration efforts are in full swing down in Naples, but the nightly news from Fort Myers revisits the carnage and the insurance frustrations in daily stories with a real life tilt. So many of the residents of the surrounding areas are of meagre means, all they owned in this world not built to endure hurricane force wind, rain, and surge, many readily confessing they could not afford insurance.

One of Life's most frustrating moments has to be paying ridiculous insurance premiums for years to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, only to have that same company drag its heels and throw up every roadblock possible when you come with open palms following something like Ian. Here we are 4 full months later and story after story is about this heartbreak or that frustration thanks to insurance red tape. 

Obviously, Florida is no stranger to hurricanes, but the recovery efforts from major ones like Ian understandably take time, massive amounts of money, and incredible patience. You can already see what's been done since October, the smells and sounds of construction ever-present each day, but your heart goes out to those who for which ever reason cannot afford to deal with their issues. 

Sooner or later, it will all get fixed.

Sanctuary for the Senses

One of the most wondrous sights one is presented with in SW Florida are the Banyan Trees, IMHO. If you've never seen one in person, the photos do not really do them justice, their multiple trunks forming a lattice-work of complexity that is completely foreign to northern dwellers. Ever since I first encountered them, they have captivated my curiousity with their rainforest appearance standing proudly in a temperate setting, tying into my childhood fondness for the sights of Disney's Jungle Book, my favourite book/film so many years ago. That curiousity, plus their abundance in this area, spurred a little research that I found both surprising and illuminating, so I thought I would share. Chief among those tidbits of knowledge uncovered, I discovered these trees have their own tagline ... Sanctuary for the Senses! How cool is that?

A Banyan, also spelled "Banian", is a type of fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious (happens by chance, not design) prop roots that allow the tree to spread outwards in order to create a more stable base, giving it that unique "jungle" look. These roots distinguish Banyans from other trees since they begin life as an epiphyte (a plant that grows on another plant) when its seed germinates in a crack or crevice of a host tree or edifice. When they germinate and grow roots down toward the ground, they consequently may envelop part of the host tree or edifice. This is colloquially known as a "strangler" habit, which Banyans share with a number of other tropical Ficus species. (Source)

The term Banyan often specifically denotes Ficus benghalensis, or "Indian Banyan", their national tree, but the name has also been used for all figs that share a common life cycle. One of the largest of all, the Great Banyan found in Kolkata, India, features a canopy that covers a mind-boggling 4.67 acres (1.89 ha) with the ability to shelter an estimated 20,000 people! To put it into perspective for us non-farmers, that's about the same as 4.5 football fields (the American size) or 68 tennis courts! Although it appears to be a series of trees thanks to the hundreds of prop roots, it is actually all connected and is considered a single entity. A 330-metre-long (1,080 ft) road was built around its circumference, but the tree has continued to spread beyond that boundary. In 1989, it was recognized as the largest tree specimen in the world, in terms of area covered, in the Guinness Book of World Records. (Source)

That's one seriously large tree!

The shortleaf fig (Ficus Citrifolia) is native to South Florida, the Caribbean islands, Central America, and South America south to Paraguay. The Florida strangler fig (Ficus Aurea) is also native to South Florida and the Caribbean islands, and distinguished from the above by its coarser leaf veins. Banyans are ecological MVP's since they produce vast crops of figs that sustain many species of birds, fruit bats, primates and other creatures, which in turn disperse the seeds of hundreds of other plant species. (Source) For thousands of years, people have used banyans as sources of medicines with its bark and leaves possessing analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The bark in particular is considered useful in burning sensations, ulcers, and painful skin diseases, but can even be used for toothaches! Today in Nepal, people use banyan leaves, bark and roots to treat more than twenty disorders. (Source)

One interesting factoid; The Portuguese name for Ficus Citrofolia, os barbados, gave Barbados its name.

The first Europeans to encounter banyan trees were Alexander the Great and his army, who after reaching India in 326 BCE, took notes back to Greece much to the delight of Theophrastus, the founder of modern botany. Banyans are reputed to have influenced 17th-century English poet John Milton who intonated in his novel Paradise Lost that Adam and Eve made the first clothes from banyan leaves. 

Regardless of the circumstances of their presence, I'm going to proclaim these curious giants my favourite things to witness in southwest Florida, other than the company of course.

It's just plain sad!

My mom is a news aficionado, and as such, she has CNN on a lot. This past week, the bulk of the air time was dedicated to the Tyre Nichols beating and subsequent murder, with the quantity of announcements about the release of the police body cam footage bordering on the ridiculous. Officials were obviously wary of the potential riotous reaction the Memphis community might have with the video's release, and the three of us shared plenty of conjecture about what the video would reveal. I will say that the media-infused lead-up to the actual release of the video was ludicrous, almost like they were trying to incite a strong reaction.

The release of the hour long shocking footage happened Friday night. The Memphis Police chief reportedly waited for the prime moment to release it, in an effort to mitigate consequences of a negative reaction.

To say that we were impacted by the images flashing before us would be a gross understatement, as we stared incredulously at the TV screen as the scenario played out, our brains blazing with questions of why ... how ... what ... who. 

Why in the Lord's name did this play out the way it did?
How in the world could a group of police officers act in this manner?
What was going through Tyre's mind? The officer's mind? The EMT's minds?
Who was ultimately responsible for this?

Probably the number one discussion item was why would the Memphis Police choose to release the obviously edited footage? What did they hope this would accomplish? Did the general public need to witness this egregious transgression of police brutality? The disgusting, horrific misuse of power on full display would surely result in reaction from the community. If we were Tyre's parents, how would we be affected by the whole sordid affair available to billions following the footage's upload to the Internet? Surely they pleaded that it not be released ... once it hits the Internet, it'll be there forever, haunting them like a Poltergeist. I can never put myself in their shoes, but I am completely in the camp that it would change me forever.

It is my understanding that this particular group of officers were a part of some "elite" group called Scorpion, the name standing for "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighbourhoods", a 50-person unit with the mission of bringing down crime levels in particular areas. How ironic is it that that this very unit demonstrated the complete antithesis of their mandate? As the days following the video's release play out, it will be of keen interest that the actual reason Tyre Nichols was initially pulled over for comes to light. IMHO, he attempts to cooperate with the officers in the beginning, remaining calm, asking for clarification, but at some point he runs from his captors in what I can only imagine is honest fear for his safety. The beating that he receives for this is mindbogglingly disturbing.

In the most remote sense, I can understand that this squad of officers has been significantly impacted by the individuals they deal with on a daily basis, the only reason I can fathom for the magnitude of their vindictiveness, boorish attitudes, and repulsive language. I cannot for the life of me understand the mindset of the EMT's that arrive on the scene, standing idle as Tyre is in obvious distress, waiting what appeared to be 15 minutes before physically offering aid, a full 20 minutes before he was loaded into an ambulance bound for a hospital. While the authorities have charged 5 officers ... so far at least ... with 2nd degree murder after summarily firing them for their direct involvement, I personally feel that the EMT's behaviour is worthy of legal repercussions too. I believe they have been fired, but IMHO that's not enough.

I was very interested in one of the CNN experts whose voice-over during the muted footage from the streetlight pole clearly outlined one massive issue that requires attention ... the lack of supervisory official for this supposedly "crack" squad. Obviously, additional charges need to be filed all the way up the chain in an effort to ensure the root of the situation is pulled. I'm not at all sure that the Memphis Police's decision to permanently disband the Scorpion unit will be the sole solution.

In the end, none of this can give Tyre Nicholls is life back.

It's a sad day for the human race, folks. 

Sad that the whole affair occurred. 

Sad that a young man paid the ultimate price. 

Sad they felt compelled to broadcast this calamity.

It's just plain sad.