Good Morning America (ABC) - 2006-12-04 - 1 of 2

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:03] [music] This morning, hurricane force

[0:05] winds blow fire across Southern

[0:07] California, incinerating houses, and we

[0:10] show you what it's like live on the fire

[0:12] lines.

[0:13] Candidate Clinton, Senator Hillary

[0:15] Clinton making the calls, holding the

[0:17] meeting. Is their presidential race

[0:19] about to begin? And did you think about

[0:22] calling in sick today? [music] One-third

[0:24] of us admit we fake it. Could your boss

[0:27] fire you if he found out? We'll show you

[0:29] how to be sick day savvy.

[0:35] [music]

[0:36] And good morning, America. I'm Diane

[0:38] Sawyer. Not sick, [laughter] not home.

[0:41] Who wants to waste their sick days when

[0:43] they're sick? What a waste. You don't do

[0:45] that. No one does that.

[0:46] >> Talking like a woman of the people here.

[0:48] >> I'm Robin Roberts. It is Monday,

[0:49] December 4th, 2006. We hope you had a

[0:52] fantastic weekend. And what a week this

[0:54] is going to be for the Supreme Court.

[0:56] They're tackling a very tough situation

[0:57] here. The high court talking about race

[1:00] and school assignments this morning. Two

[1:03] cases that could affect hundreds of

[1:05] school districts all across the country.

[1:07] And this is the question. Should the

[1:08] color of a child's skin matter in

[1:10] deciding which school he or she attends?

[1:12] It's a real lightning rod issue right

[1:14] now.

[1:14] >> And of course, the Michael Richards

[1:16] incident got a lot of us talking around

[1:19] the country and right here at Good

[1:20] Morning America. In fact, right here at

[1:22] this news desk about race. Robin and I

[1:24] thought maybe this was the time to

[1:26] tackle some of the toughest questions we

[1:28] could think of. Put them on the table.

[1:30] [music] For instance, what's the one

[1:31] thing that I have done that Robin has

[1:33] said, "Please don't ever do that again."

[1:34] [music] Just one thing. And that's

[1:36] pretty good if it's just one thing, but

[1:37] we'll let you know about that a little

[1:39] bit later. And um the big squeeze. We're

[1:41] having a glass of orange juice with you

[1:42] this morning. Did you precious orange

[1:44] juice?

[1:45] >> I know. This is very, very precious. The

[1:47] orange has fallen on tough times. Take a

[1:50] look at this video.

[1:52] Well, that's orange juice. Okay, but

[1:54] that's not quite the video I was hoping

[1:55] for. Uh, limes. Those are not you. You

[1:58] think those are limes? No, those are

[1:59] oranges. Those are oranges, not limes.

[2:01] Mother nature is to blame. We'll tell

[2:03] you about the big changes on your

[2:05] breakfast table.

[2:06] >> And also, we want everybody to join the

[2:07] newest exercise trend. It's called

[2:09] laughing yoga. The experts swear you put

[2:12] a little laughter into your exercise and

[2:14] it's going to change your life, save

[2:16] your life. We're going to try it.

[2:18] >> Sounds good to me. But first, let's get

[2:19] straight to those wildfires tearing

[2:21] across Southern California. Nearly

[2:23] 10,000 acres have burned already. And

[2:26] right now, firefighters are battling the

[2:28] blaze. ABC's Miguel Marquez is on the

[2:30] fire line in More Park, California.

[2:32] Miguel,

[2:34] Robin, that fire has just raced through

[2:36] those 10,000 acres. Five homes are

[2:38] destroyed. Thousands more are in danger

[2:41] of being destroyed. And this wind, it

[2:43] just keeps coming.

[2:47] Intense wind fueled the fire that put

[2:49] thousands of people and their homes in

[2:51] danger.

[2:52] >> I still couldn't get in my house to get

[2:53] anything else out. It was just run for

[2:55] your life. We've lost all our personal

[2:57] belongings, all our paperwork.

[2:59] >> Firefighters struggled with thick smoke

[3:01] fed by tinder dry brush and eucalyptus

[3:03] trees in the hilly suburb of Moore Park,

[3:05] northeast of Los Angeles.

[3:07] >> Conditions extreme. The wind, as you can

[3:09] see, it's blowing. It's giving

[3:11] firefighters a fit right now. So,

[3:13] they're really digging in. This is what

[3:15] firefighters are really fighting right

[3:17] now. The wind. It's blowing that smoke

[3:19] and the fire almost horizontally across

[3:21] the landscape. It started out as one

[3:23] fire overnight, but then a second fire

[3:25] started early Sunday morning. Residents

[3:27] scrambled to either escape or break out

[3:30] their garden hoses and try to put out

[3:32] hot spots threatening their homes. It's

[3:34] >> just really long, tiring.

[3:38] >> Hundreds of fire crews raced in to try

[3:40] and stop the flames. Cold choppers

[3:44] finally got a break in wind conditions

[3:45] and were cleared to fly. Golf course

[3:47] lakes became water stations as thousands

[3:49] of gallons of water were dropped in and

[3:52] around brand new suburban neighborhoods.

[3:55] Forecasters say they expect these wind

[3:57] conditions, hot, dry, and erratic Santa

[3:59] Ana winds to continue for at least the

[4:01] next 24 hours till 6:00 p.m. tomorrow

[4:04] night. And that'll be no help at all to

[4:06] firefighters. Robin

[4:09] >> Miguel, thank you. And we just heard the

[4:11] Sana winds blowing at hurricane force

[4:13] out there Sam that is not helping at

[4:16] all.

[4:16] >> Robin and we use that hurricane force as

[4:18] a comparison of the actual speed of the

[4:20] winds. Certainly anything above 74 miles

[4:22] per hour category cateorized as a

[4:24] hurricane force wind. And we know this

[4:26] is a Santa Ana pattern. Let's show you

[4:28] what these winds were like during the

[4:29] day yesterday. Some of these areas

[4:31] anywhere from San Bernardino all the way

[4:32] to LA 106 mileph wind gust. That report

[4:36] in San Bernardino at an elementary

[4:38] school. Laguna Peak at 86 mph. WY ridge

[4:40] at 75, the Malibu Hills at about 57 mph.

[4:44] This pattern is and these winds always

[4:45] depend on the strength of the system

[4:47] that's moving those winds through the

[4:48] mountains and down the mountains. So

[4:49] here's this big area of high pressure.

[4:51] This is a strong one. When it goes

[4:52] through the mountains and over the

[4:54] mountains and drawn down those hills

[4:55] into San Bernardino into Burbank, those

[4:57] winds speed up, warm up, and dry out. So

[5:00] basically, you're just kind of

[5:01] blowtorrching all that from those

[5:03] pictures that you saw with the trees

[5:04] laying sideways and the fire going that

[5:06] way. Here's the good news about this

[5:07] particular pattern is that the winds

[5:09] will relax as we get through the day.

[5:10] The steady winds are 20 to 40 miles per

[5:12] hour today. The gust should not be much

[5:14] higher than about 40 or 50 miles per

[5:15] hour. Sounds high, but it's much better

[5:18] than 70 to 106 miles per hour. Robin,

[5:20] >> I'm sure they'll take it. All right,

[5:21] Sam. Thank you. Now, Chris Cuomo with

[5:23] more of the morning's major headlines.

[5:25] Good morning, Chris.

[5:25] >> Morning.

[5:26] >> Good morning, Rob and Diana. And good

[5:27] morning, everyone. We begin with

[5:28] breaking news out of Iraq. A Marine

[5:30] helicopter carrying 16 servicemen was

[5:33] forced to make a crash landing on a lake

[5:35] in the Alanbar province. One Marine was

[5:37] killed. Three troops are missing. The

[5:39] other 12 on board were rescued.

[5:41] Meanwhile, this week could mark a

[5:43] crucial turning point for American

[5:44] troops in Iraq as the Iraq study group

[5:46] releases its recommendations. President

[5:48] Bush is set to announce some big

[5:50] changes. ABC's Jonathan Carl is at the

[5:52] Pentagon. Good morning, Jonathan. What's

[5:54] the latest? Morning, Chris. Well, the

[5:55] latest is that the White House says the

[5:57] president is planning to make

[5:58] significant changes in his Iraq

[6:01] strategy.

[6:03] Today, President Bush will meet with a

[6:05] prominent Iraqi political leader who has

[6:07] close ties to Iran as the search

[6:10] continues for a way to change course in

[6:12] Iraq. None other than Donald Rumsfeld

[6:15] has called for a major adjustment in

[6:17] Iraq strategy, saying the current one is

[6:19] not working well enough or fast enough.

[6:22] Rumsfeld wrote that in a classified memo

[6:24] sent to the White House the day before

[6:26] the Republicans took a beating in the

[6:28] midterm elections and just two days

[6:30] before he was fired. As harsh as

[6:32] Rumsfeld's assessment is, National

[6:34] Security Adviser Steven Hadley says that

[6:36] is exactly how the president sees it.

[6:39] >> Things are not proceeding well enough or

[6:41] fast enough in Iraq. We have to make

[6:43] some changes. We need a new way forward

[6:46] in Iraq. Rumsfeld offered a laundry list

[6:48] of ideas, most of them for scaling back

[6:50] the US mission in Iraq. "Go minimalist,"

[6:53] Rumsfeld wrote, suggesting modest

[6:55] withdrawals of US forces so Iraqis know

[6:58] they have to step up and take

[7:00] responsibility for their country. What

[7:02] is striking about Rumsfeld's memo is how

[7:05] similar his ideas are to the proposals

[7:07] the Iraq study group is expected to

[7:09] release on Wednesday. Both that group

[7:12] and Rumsfeld also agree that sending

[7:14] more US troops is not a good option. The

[7:18] one person who we have not heard from on

[7:20] all this is incoming Defense Secretary

[7:22] Robert Gates, but he'll be asked to

[7:24] weigh in tomorrow, Chris, when he faces

[7:26] the Senate Armed Services Committee for

[7:28] his confirmation hearing.

[7:29] >> Thank you, Jonathan. In the Midwest,

[7:31] hundreds of thousands of people are

[7:33] still waiting for the power to come back

[7:34] on after getting punished by bad weather

[7:36] last week. The storm has now been blamed

[7:38] for 19 deaths and many people are still

[7:41] at risk with frigid temperatures

[7:42] expected in many areas again today. In

[7:45] medical news, a devastating blow to the

[7:47] nation's biggest drug maker and to

[7:49] millions of heart patients who hoped for

[7:51] a new drug. Clinical trials on Fizer's

[7:53] promising new heart medication were

[7:55] abruptly cancelled because of serious

[7:57] problems. Joining us from Boston is ABC

[8:00] medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson. Good

[8:01] morning, doctor. What did they find in

[8:03] this study? What happened is that the

[8:05] safety monitoring board found that

[8:07] people taking this new drug to raise

[8:09] good cholesterol or HDL had more deaths

[8:11] than the people who were not taking the

[8:13] drug. There were 15,000 people. The half

[8:15] who were taking the drug had 82 deaths.

[8:17] The half who were not taking the drug

[8:19] had 51 deaths. So they found this out.

[8:22] They announced it over the weekend. They

[8:24] stopped the trial because of this

[8:26] potential danger. And it was a big

[8:28] shock. I talked to some of the original

[8:30] researchers several years ago. They were

[8:31] very excited about this drug. and its

[8:33] potential to cut down on heart attack

[8:35] deaths. Obviously, that didn't turn out

[8:37] to be the case.

[8:38] >> Doctor, does it mean anything about

[8:40] other drugs that raise good cholesterol?

[8:43] >> No. Uh, not necessarily. There are some

[8:46] other drugs in the pipeline to do the

[8:47] same thing. Maybe they act differently.

[8:49] Maybe they won't be dangerous. We won't

[8:50] know till we study them whether this is

[8:52] a class effect or there was something

[8:54] unique about this particular drug.

[8:56] >> And Tim, on that point, any broader

[8:58] implications about the effects of

[9:00] statins in general? So many people are

[9:01] taking them now, millions.

[9:04] >> Well, statins are a very different kind

[9:05] of drug. They are designed to lower the

[9:07] bad cholesterol, the LDL. We've used

[9:10] them for 20 years. They appear to be

[9:12] very safe in most people, very

[9:13] effective. So, there should be no

[9:15] connection between the drugs that raise

[9:17] HDL and the ones we now use to lower

[9:19] LDL.

[9:20] >> Tim, thank you. Dr. Tim Johnson, thanks

[9:22] for joining us.

[9:23] >> My pleasure. And finally, New Orleans is

[9:25] getting back into the holiday spirit

[9:26] this year, 15 months after Hurricane

[9:28] Katrina. Merchants at the famous French

[9:30] market lit up the 20th anniversary

[9:32] holiday tree. There it is. Beautiful.

[9:34] Over the weekend and marching bands and

[9:36] magicians put on a festive show for

[9:38] shoppers. And as we all know, they need

[9:39] it down there. That's the news at 7:09.

[9:42] Beautiful.

[9:42] >> It is all right, Chris. Thanks very

[9:44] much. And baby, it's cold outside

[9:46] >> and getting colder in a lot of places.

[9:48] It's the East Coast today that gets into

[9:49] some colder air. We've got one storm

[9:51] system that's going to affect just a

[9:53] bare coastline of the Northeast. Let's

[9:55] deal with that. We've talked about the

[9:56] West this morning. Let's head east. Here

[9:58] it As you're looking at the latest

[9:59] radar, it's an area of low pressure

[10:00] that's off the coast of southern New

[10:02] Jersey. Now, this is going to spread

[10:03] some rain. Long Island, you're also

[10:05] getting a little freezing mix through

[10:06] Connecticut, Rhode Island on into

[10:08] Massachusetts, Boston, you're going to

[10:09] pick up some slippery spots on western

[10:11] roads as well from this. It's a gusty

[10:13] wind. Now, let me show you the other

[10:14] byproduct of this, and that is also the

[10:16] lake effect snow that gets pulled around

[10:17] from systems that are pushing east and

[10:19] the strong pulling this low. Remember,

[10:21] it's counterclockwise around the low.

[10:22] So, it grabs that cold air out of

[10:24] Canada. Pulls it across the lakes and

[10:25] you get some colder temperatures and

[10:27] also some lake effect snow in Buffalo.

[10:29] Grand Rapids, you can count on that as

[10:30] well. A little snow in Portland.

[10:32] Providence, you'll get some slippery

[10:33] spots on the roads all the way out to

[10:34] Long Island. We've had some reports of a

[10:36] freezing mix on Long Island Road

[10:38] Services, so be careful as you're headed

[10:39] out that way. Through most of the

[10:40] country, it's dry today. Most of the

[10:42] country is dry. There's just a brand new

[10:44] little system that's kind of up in the

[10:45] Northwest as well. And cooler

[10:47] temperatures being forced into

[10:48] everywhere except deep south Florida.

[10:50] That's the weather around the nation.

[10:50] Here's what you can expect this morning.

[10:53] >> Good morning, everyone. A weak

[10:54] disturbance that's now moving through

[10:56] the Portland, Vancouver area will

[10:57] probably produce a few showers today and

[10:59] that's going to be about it. You [music]

[11:01] can actually see that behind this front.

[11:03] We've got some clearing for later in the

[11:04] day. So, here is a look at your

[11:06] forecast. [music]

[11:07] By noon, we should be at 40° with just a

[11:09] couple of scattered showers. 43° will be

[11:12] the high temperature today in the

[11:13] Portland, Vancouver area. Here's a look

[11:15] at the 5-day forecast. 10-day trend. The

[11:17] east winds die down this afternoon, but

[11:19] reappear Tuesday [music] night into

[11:21] Wednesday when we have drier weather.

[11:26] >> And we'll talk about the cold

[11:27] temperatures from Minneapolis to Chicago

[11:29] in the next half hour. Diane.

[11:31] >> Okay, Sam, we're going to turn now to

[11:32] the big news at the Supreme Court this

[11:34] morning. And this is the question. Are

[11:36] the schools in this country

[11:38] resegregating? And will it be tolerated?

[11:41] 400 school districts are in the

[11:43] spotlight. So, are we talking busing

[11:45] again? ABC's new legal correspondent, a

[11:48] lawyer herself, Jan Crawford Greenberg,

[11:50] joins us from the US Supreme Court. Jan,

[11:52] good morning.

[11:53] >> Good morning. Plenty of people have been

[11:55] camping out here overnight to get a

[11:57] prize seat in the courtroom for these

[11:59] arguments. The justices will hear two

[12:01] cases, one from Louisville and another

[12:03] from Seattle, where officials are trying

[12:05] to maintain school integration.

[12:10] Kathleen Bros's 14-year-old daughter was

[12:13] turned away from her neighborhood school

[12:15] in Seattle after the district

[12:17] effectively issued a stark decree. No

[12:20] more white students allowed. Rose has

[12:22] one word for that, discrimination.

[12:25] >> There's enough angst in their lives as

[12:27] teenagers and uh to be told that that

[12:31] they have the wrong skin color after

[12:33] they have been told in school that

[12:35] discrimination is wrong. Well, kind of

[12:39] sends a mixed uh message to those

[12:40] students.

[12:41] >> In school districts across the country,

[12:43] integration programs can mean long bus

[12:46] rides when neighborhood schools have

[12:47] reached their self-imposed racial

[12:49] limits. Rose and other opponents want

[12:52] the Supreme Court to say enough. Schools

[12:54] should not consider race when enrolling

[12:56] students. They embrace an argument made

[12:58] a half century ago in the landmark case

[13:01] Brown versus Board of Education, which

[13:03] outlawed separate school systems for

[13:05] whites and blacks. Brown versus Board of

[13:08] Education was about the right of

[13:10] individuals not to be discriminated

[13:13] against because of their skin color. And

[13:16] that is exactly what's at stake in this

[13:19] case.

[13:20] >> Civil rights groups resent opponents

[13:22] using the historic case to now challenge

[13:24] voluntary efforts to integrate schools.

[13:27] They say a ruling against the districts

[13:29] would undermine the promise of

[13:30] integration. They now claim they are uh

[13:35] the inheritors of Martin Luther King's

[13:37] dream of a country in which his poor

[13:39] little children wouldn't be judged

[13:40] judged by the color that's given

[13:42] >> but by the content of that character. I

[13:44] HAVE A DREAM TODAY.

[13:46] >> He would be uh very much appalled by the

[13:49] way his words are being used.

[13:54] This is the first major race case for

[13:56] the new Roberts court and demonstrators

[13:59] arrived by the bus loads earlier this

[14:01] morning to make their voices heard while

[14:03] the justices listen to arguments inside.

[14:06] Diane.

[14:07] >> All right, Jan, you mentioned Roberts.

[14:09] This this raises the question, new

[14:10] justices on the court. Does it give any

[14:12] clue about which way they might judge?

[14:15] Well, the court ruled three years ago

[14:17] that affirmative action could be used in

[14:19] college admissions, but this is a new

[14:21] court. Uh, that case was closely divided

[14:24] five to four with Justice Sander Day

[14:26] Okconor casting the deciding vote. She

[14:28] has been replaced by Samuel Alito. He's

[14:31] more conservative and his vote could

[14:33] take the court in a very different

[14:35] direction in this case.

[14:37] >> All right. Our thanks to you, Jim. And

[14:39] as we said, it could be a really seinal

[14:41] case in this country. Robin. All right,

[14:44] Diane. Going to move on now to the 2008

[14:46] presidential race. It's heating up and

[14:47] all eyes are on Hillary Clinton. She's

[14:50] meeting with some of her party's top

[14:51] leaders behind closed doors. And on

[14:53] Sunday, she had a two-hour brunch that

[14:55] became the talk of the town. Trust me,

[14:57] raising the question, is Hillary about

[14:59] to announce that she's in the race? GMA

[15:01] weekend anchor Kate Snow is here. So,

[15:04] >> well, it's the latest sign that maybe,

[15:07] just maybe, we might have a woman trying

[15:09] to run for president of this country. By

[15:11] the end of the week, I'm told Hillary

[15:12] Clinton plans to call on all of the top

[15:14] Democratic names here in New York. Not

[15:17] to tell them that she's running, but to

[15:18] get their advice and support if she goes

[15:21] for it.

[15:23] Senator Clinton has kept things pretty

[15:25] lowkey since Thanksgiving. No big public

[15:28] events, but she's been plenty busy

[15:30] behind closed doors. On Sunday, a 2-hour

[15:33] brunch at the Manhattan apartment of New

[15:35] York's newly elected Governor, Elliot

[15:37] Spitzer. Last Wednesday, it was

[15:38] breakfast with powerful Congressman

[15:40] Charlie Wrangler. And this week, she'll

[15:42] meet with New York's senior Senator

[15:44] Chuck Schumer.

[15:45] >> I think she'd make a a very good

[15:47] president, but let's wait and see.

[15:50] Everyone's sort of jumping the gun here.

[15:51] >> Hillary Clinton is someone who will

[15:53] really take her time with this decision.

[15:55] Really be very methodical along the way

[15:57] as she takes every step on that path.

[15:59] So, I don't think it's a given yet,

[16:00] although all signs are pointing towards

[16:02] her running.

[16:04] A senior Clinton adviser tells ABC News

[16:06] the non-stop meetings are all part of a

[16:09] thoughtful, deliberative process. He

[16:11] insists she hasn't made up her mind yet,

[16:13] but several New York Democrats who met

[16:15] with the senator told the New York Times

[16:17] anonymously she's strongly inclined to

[16:19] run. And political watchers say she

[16:21] better make up her mind soon. I've

[16:23] already committed to the the food

[16:25] network to announce.

[16:26] >> Oh,

[16:27] >> Senator Barack Obama is getting a lot of

[16:29] attention on Jay Leno Friday night,

[16:32] speaking at a mega church earlier in the

[16:34] day he's headed to New Hampshire next.

[16:36] On Sunday, Indiana Senator Evan B told

[16:38] ABC's George Stephanopoulos he's setting

[16:40] up an exploratory committee. And Iowa

[16:43] Governor Tom Vilsac already has home

[16:45] court advantage in his early primary

[16:47] state.

[16:49] And by the way, Senator Clinton hasn't

[16:51] even been to Iowa or New Hampshire yet.

[16:53] The consensus among spart smart

[16:55] political thinkers is that she can take

[16:57] a little time now through the holidays.

[16:59] But Robin, she better start getting

[17:01] organized soon. And just one other

[17:02] thing, she's being very methodical about

[17:04] this. I'm told that a very high level

[17:07] Democrat was brought in to make the case

[17:09] against running

[17:11] >> to her so that, you know, like devil's

[17:12] advocate so that she could then make up

[17:14] her mind.

[17:15] >> All right. Thanks a lot, Kate. I don't

[17:17] think I'd want to be that person who

[17:18] came in

[17:19] >> to make the negative case. Right.

[17:20] >> I wouldn't volunteer for that job. Okay.

[17:22] I have something so precious this

[17:25] morning. No, you can't have it. You

[17:26] can't have it.

[17:27] >> Please. Please.

[17:27] >> Yes. Right. Do you know, have you been

[17:29] following this? The average price of a

[17:31] gallon of OJ is rising like a balloon

[17:33] out there. In the past year, it's jumped

[17:35] from $449 to $59. And mother nature is

[17:40] to blame. ABC's Jeffrey Kaufman is live

[17:42] in Titusville, Florida, and he's telling

[17:44] us what happens out there.

[17:47] That's right, Diane. This is like a

[17:48] jewelry shop here. You know, bad news in

[17:50] the orange grove does translate into bad

[17:52] news in America's breakfast tables. Take

[17:54] a look here. This is a healthy orange

[17:56] tree. But over here, you'll see

[17:58] something that's quite typical in groves

[17:59] across Florida. A tree with almost no

[18:02] oranges on it. The reason hurricanes,

[18:04] and of course, we didn't have any this

[18:06] year, but you'll remember we had a lot

[18:07] last year and the year before. And now

[18:10] consumers are going to be paying.

[18:13] 80% of the orange juice America drinks

[18:16] comes from Florida. So when the Florida

[18:18] crop suffers, the pain makes it all the

[18:20] way to America's breakfast tables. And

[18:22] right now, the price for a gallon of OJ

[18:25] is up 14% from last year.

[18:29] Jack Wilson and Jim Reeves have almost

[18:31] 60 years of combined experience growing

[18:33] oranges. They have seen tough times, but

[18:36] these last years have been really tough.

[18:38] They're not producing fruit the way they

[18:40] should, and it's going to take a while

[18:42] for them to come back.

[18:44] >> It started souring in 2004 when

[18:47] hurricanes Charlie, Francis, and Gene

[18:49] made direct hits on Florida's orange

[18:51] belt, destroying acres of groves and

[18:53] blowing ripened oranges off the trees.

[18:55] And then last year, there was Hurricane

[18:57] Wilma, delivering a late season wallet.

[19:00] the trees that went under shock.

[19:03] Not only did it tear some of the limbs

[19:06] off, but it also upset the roots. And so

[19:09] the 2006 crop is expected to be the

[19:12] smallest in 17 years, compounded by

[19:15] problems with crop disease. Back in the

[19:17] 1980s, the industry was crippled by a

[19:19] series of frosts. But an even bigger

[19:21] threat looms now. Not the weather,

[19:24] development. As we growers sell to

[19:27] homebuilders,

[19:28] >> the large numbers of people moving to

[19:30] Florida have increased the competition

[19:33] for land between development for housing

[19:36] and land for citrus.

[19:38] >> It is something Jim Reeves knows all too

[19:41] well.

[19:41] >> The farmers have have kind of given up.

[19:45] They can get more for the land in 10

[19:48] years than they could produce fruit in

[19:50] 10 years.

[19:52] Now, for farmers with oranges, it is

[19:54] good news because prices are higher.

[19:56] But, you know, the long-term threat is

[19:57] that they're going to have to import

[19:59] more juice from Brazil, and that could

[20:00] mean higher prices and fewer jobs here.

[20:03] Diane Robin.

[20:05] >> All right, Jeffrey. Thank you.

[20:06] >> Keep an eye on that orange juice over

[20:07] there. Very precious that you have.

[20:09] Coming up, a young family mysteriously

[20:11] vanishes during a postth Thanksgiving

[20:13] road trip. We're going to piece together

[20:14] this really mysterious case. And also,

[20:16] do you ever call in sick when you're

[20:18] not? Come on. Do you? Well, can you be

[20:21] fired for [music] it? We'll tell you

[20:23] more.

[20:26] >> For generations,

[20:28] one magical story,

[20:30] >> you know what happens to pigs around

[20:32] here,

[20:32] >> has captivated families [music]

[20:34] everywhere.

[20:35] >> My name is Charlotte. I am going to save

[20:38] you.

[20:38] >> On December 15th, experience the gifts

[20:41] of love, loyalty, laughter, and hope.

[20:44] >> Wow. as one of the classic tales of all

[20:46] time becomes the motion picture events

[20:49] of our time.

[20:50] >> WELL DONE.

[20:51] >> Charlotte's Web, rated [music] G.

[20:53] >> Thank you, Charlotte.

[20:54] >> Starts December 15th.

[20:56] >> Hey, honey.

[21:02] Are you making a toy angel?

[21:04] >> Yeah.

[21:06] >> Bratz, Hot Wheels, [music] and Legos.

[21:07] Buy one, get the second half off. Kmart,

[21:09] where Christmas comes together.

[21:11] >> Heartburn. Painful. Tantac. Okay.

[21:14] >> Zantac quickly relieves heartburn.

[21:15] >> Better

[21:16] >> completely.

[21:16] >> Zantax's fast.

[21:18] >> Heartburn.

[21:18] >> Yeah.

[21:19] >> Prescription slow.

[21:20] >> The leading prescription can take a day

[21:21] or more to fully work.

[21:23] >> Zantax.

[21:23] >> Better. Zantax fast for heartburn.

[21:25] Zantax fast.

[21:26] >> I just don't find you attractive

[21:28] anymore.

[21:29] >> Not in front of the neighbors.

[21:32] [music]

[21:35] >> You really let yourself go.

[21:36] >> Fall back in love with your house. Get a

[21:38] home equity loan now at lendingtree.com.

[21:42] [music]

[21:43] If you could make a wish, what would it

[21:45] be?

[21:45] >> I wish there was a way to prevent

[21:47] cancer,

[21:48] >> Alzheimer's, obesity.

[21:50] >> At Merc, our goal is a future free from

[21:52] sickness. [music] We've already

[21:54] discovered vaccines as well as medicines

[21:55] to help fight diseases like high blood

[21:57] pressure, [music] high cholesterol, and

[21:59] tuberculosis. Now, we're working to

[22:01] treat or prevent cancer, Alzheimer's,

[22:03] and obesity. So, maybe one [music] day,

[22:05] >> I wish there was a cure for diabetes.

[22:07] >> We won't have to wish. Merc, where

[22:10] patients come first.

[22:12] Come in from the cold. It's time to

[22:14] savor coffee make creamer holiday

[22:16] flavors. Peppermint mocha [music] and

[22:17] gingerbread too. Rich pumpkin spice or

[22:20] eggnog to warm you. Hurry and get them

[22:22] before it's too late so you can enjoy

[22:24] them with your [music] perfect mate.

[22:31] >> Good morning. [music]

[22:32] This is K2 News. The spirit of the

[22:34] Northwest.

[22:36] >> Good morning. [music] It's 7:22. I'm

[22:38] Colleen Nelson. Here's Wes making news

[22:40] this morning. The search is intensifying

[22:42] in southern Oregon for a missing family

[22:44] last seen in Portland. Investigators

[22:46] have learned the Kim family's credit

[22:48] card was used nine days ago at a Roseber

[22:50] Denny's. Investigators will verify the

[22:52] signature this week. The family was

[22:55] heading back home to San Francisco after

[22:57] a vacation in Seattle. They plan to

[22:59] spend the night in Gold Beach before

[23:00] continuing south. Investigators believe

[23:02] the family could have gotten lost on a

[23:04] mountain road in the area. So that is

[23:06] where they're concentrating their

[23:07] search. And so it's everyone's belief

[23:10] that they utilize one of the secondary

[23:13] routes to try to get to Gold Beach. They

[23:15] were running late to get to the lodge.

[23:17] They made arrangements to have a key

[23:18] left out for them. But some of these

[23:20] areas that someone may have recommended

[23:22] that they use during the winter months

[23:24] are not good routes. They might be good

[23:26] routes during the summer months and very

[23:28] scenic, but during the winter months,

[23:29] they present some real driving

[23:31] challenges.

[23:32] >> The Kim family rented several

[23:33] helicopters this past weekend to help

[23:36] search. A middle-aged man was hit by a

[23:38] van and killed last night in Vancouver.

[23:40] Deputies say the man was crossing in an

[23:42] area with no crosswalks and was wearing

[23:44] dark clothing. The van's driver tried to

[23:46] stop. Authorities say she will not be

[23:48] charged. The victim was not carrying any

[23:51] ID, but deputies think they may know who

[23:53] he is. Now, let's check on the commute.

[23:55] Here's Travis Demer with Beat the

[23:57] Traffic.

[24:11] 500 to Delta Park as we see outside

[24:13] there. We can see heavy [music] traffic

[24:14] on your way I5 southbound. Elsewhere

[24:17] looking pretty routine throughout your

[24:18] morning commute. Colleen, back to you.

[24:20] >> All right, thanks so much Travis. And

[24:21] that is our news for now. Rhonda will be

[24:23] back in just a moment with a look AT

[24:24] YOUR WEATHER.

[24:31] THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[24:35] >> I THINK THEY'RE EXCITED.

[24:40] >> Remember when wishes came true?

[24:43] >> They still can.

[24:45] >> Introducing [music] the BMW holiday wish

[24:48] event. The best time of year to buy the

[24:49] new 328i sedan. Lease a [music] BMW 328i

[24:53] for 365 a month and will make a

[24:55] contribution to the Makea-Wish

[24:56] Foundation.

[24:57] >> This is K2, [music] the spirit of the

[24:59] Northwest. If you're in one of these

[25:01] locations, you may be able to receive a

[25:02] clearer signal by tuning to one of these

[25:04] UHF [music] channels.

[25:09] >> This is more than a perfect smile.

[25:14] [music] This is the first thing people

[25:16] see.

[25:18] [music] This breaks the ice.

[25:23] >> [music]

[25:24] >> This says it all without saying a word.

[25:28] [music]

[25:29] This lights up a room.

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[25:43] This is the work of an orthodontist.

[25:47] Orthodontists receive an additional 2 to

[25:50] three years of specialized education

[25:51] [music]

[25:52] beyond dental school to learn the proper

[25:54] way to align and straighten teeth. To

[25:57] receive more information, visit

[25:59] braces.org [music]

[26:00] or call 1800 straight. See more than a

[26:04] smile. See an orthodontist.

[26:08] Well, a weak storm system over the

[26:09] Pacific Northwest produces showers to

[26:11] our north. Nothing for us so far here in

[26:14] our viewing area. So, let's take a look

[26:15] at what's happening right now at the

[26:16] Init Resort Hotel camera looking off to

[26:20] the north. You can see cloudy skies and

[26:22] no rain in the bucket for Portland or

[26:24] for the coast at this hour. Here's a

[26:26] look at the satellite radar. This very

[26:27] weak storm system has produced some

[26:29] showers north of Kelso Long View, but

[26:32] you can see now there's a dry slot

[26:33] that'll be moving over the coast later

[26:35] this morning. Some sun breaks are

[26:37] possible and we may see a couple of

[26:39] showers behind the front. So, I am still

[26:41] calling for that around noon. 40°. Look

[26:44] for temperatures right around 42 43

[26:46] degrees for highs today uh by 5:00 p.m.

[26:49] and a few more showers could be left

[26:51] over in the forecast, but generally a

[26:53] pretty dry day for us. Here's a look at

[26:55] the 5-day forecast. 10-day trend. We

[26:57] head back to dry weather again for

[26:59] Tuesday and into Wednesday. The east

[27:01] winds blowing near the gorge right now

[27:02] die down later today, but then they

[27:04] redevelop for Tuesday into Wednesday.

[27:07] And the wind chills once again will be

[27:09] down in the teens and 20 20s for you

[27:11] folks living on the uh east side. And

[27:14] then we [music] also have some rain in

[27:15] the forecast for Thursday and Friday.

[27:17] We'll be back in about 25 minutes with

[27:19] another weather, [music] traffic, and

[27:20] news update. Have a great morning.

[27:30] >> [music]

[27:36] >> This sunset is brought to you by

[27:37] Windermir Cronin and Kaplan Realy Group

[27:40] with professional agents to serve you in

[27:42] greater Portland and at the Oregon coast

[27:45] in Gearhart in Canon Beach. To find out

[27:48] more, go to the yellow box at katu.com

[27:51] and type in new home Portland.

[27:55] >> Looks like you guys are really bundling

[27:57] up this year. Yeah, we like the bundle.

[28:00] So, what do you think about the Comcast

[28:02] bundle?

[28:02] >> Oh, it's great. We get our cable,

[28:04] internet, and phone for one great price.

[28:06] >> I have one company and one bill. Great

[28:09] local customer service.

[28:10] >> They answer the phone whenever I call.

[28:12] >> They really follow through. We only pay

[28:13] $99 a month for the whole year.

[28:16] >> Sounds like a pretty tight bondo.

[28:18] >> Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

[28:25] I don't worry about the holidays cuz my

[28:27] Jenny Craig consultant is like a

[28:29] guardian angel. Yeah,

[28:30] >> I'm an angel.

[28:31] >> Mhm. Giving me confidence.

[28:33] >> Cuz you look awesome.

[28:34] >> Thank you. Helping me make good choices.

[28:37] >> Oh, thank you.

[28:38] >> Two is good. [music]

[28:38] >> Yeah. No wonder I've lost 75 lbs. He

[28:41] watches every move I make.

[28:43] >> P.S. That guy's really into you.

[28:45] >> Well, not every move.

[28:48] >> Join for only $6 per week, plus the cost

[28:50] of food. Call 1800 Jenny 20 now.

[28:53] >> Have you called Jenny yet?

[28:55] >> Are you having any fun?

[28:58] What you getting out of living?

[29:02] What good is what you've got if you're

[29:05] not [music] having any fun?

[29:08] Are you having any laughs? [music]

[29:12] Are you getting any loving?

[29:15] If other people do, so can you. Have a

[29:19] little fun.

[29:20] >> Serve up sweet memories. Ingredients for

[29:23] life. Safeway.

[29:26] >> ktu.com.

[29:27] Now with new features and new options,

[29:29] [music] more video and more content.

[29:32] From traffic conditions to video

[29:33] forecast, top stories to breaking news.

[29:36] Katu.com has it all and in real time.

[29:39] Get personalized storm alert forecast

[29:41] for your neighborhood. Watch K2 newscast

[29:44] live with streaming video. Sign up for

[29:46] K2 news alerts and get the news you want

[29:48] to [music] see. And if you missed the

[29:49] big story, see it on katu.com whenever

[29:52] you want it. Click on katu.com.

[29:55] Get your news a half hour earlier today

[29:57] on K2 News [music] at 4:30.

[30:05] >> So, is this exercise or something to

[30:08] laugh about? There's a new exercise

[30:11] that's um sweeping the ranks of the

[30:14] physically fit. an extra say all you

[30:16] need is a is a welloiled funny bone.

[30:19] That's pretty much all you need. That it

[30:21] can actually be it can be lifesaving.

[30:23] They claim to just do it with your

[30:25] exercise. [laughter]

[30:26] >> I like that. That works.

[30:29] Get a little into the newscast. Little

[30:30] shoulder roll.

[30:31] >> We think it's pretty funny when we just

[30:33] show up and look at each other in the

[30:34] morning. Good morning, America.

[30:36] >> That's [laughter] true.

[30:37] >> It does. So, what's your favorite

[30:38] exercise?

[30:39] >> Uh, lift weights. Panic is a good form

[30:41] of exercise.

[30:42] >> Very good. If you do it while laughing,

[30:44] you

[30:44] >> Yeah. I'll spend my time in the gym when

[30:45] I can.

[30:46] >> Yeah.

[30:46] >> Yeah.

[30:47] >> Pilates. Well, what about you?

[30:49] >> Uh, thinking about your Pilates

[30:51] [laughter]

[30:52] >> and laughing.

[30:55] >> Okay, here's another question we're

[30:56] going to be addressing in this half

[30:57] hour. Should we cut each other a break

[30:59] on calling in sick? Does everybody fake

[31:02] at least one

[31:03] >> sick day?

[31:04] >> Absolutely.

[31:05] >> They say one in three of us.

[31:06] >> One in three. They say do. And here's a

[31:08] question. Should it be a firing offense?

[31:10] Is it okay for your boss to fire if they

[31:12] catch you? And how do they get you?

[31:14] Well, stay with us for that. But first,

[31:16] in this half hour to the young family

[31:18] that vanished on their Thanksgiving

[31:20] vacation. The Kim family disappeared

[31:22] more than a week ago while on a road

[31:24] trip in the Pacific Northwest. And this

[31:26] morning, the police are well, they're

[31:28] trying to put together new clues trying

[31:29] to crack this case. And ABC's Neil

[31:31] Carlinsky is live in Seattle with the

[31:33] latest details. Good morning, Neil.

[31:36] >> Good morning, Rob. The drive from San

[31:38] Francisco to here in Seattle was

[31:40] uneventful and the Kim family spent a

[31:42] happy Thanksgiving here. But on the

[31:44] drive back home, something went wrong.

[31:46] Somewhere in Oregon, a family of four is

[31:48] now missing with very few clues.

[31:52] >> Hi, this is James Kim.

[31:54] >> James Kim lives and breathes the latest

[31:57] portable gadgets and as a result is

[31:59] always in touch. But somehow a week ago,

[32:02] the 35-year-old technology writer, his

[32:04] wife, and their four-year-old and

[32:06] seven-month-old daughters dropped out of

[32:09] sight while driving through a remote

[32:10] part of southwestern Oregon.

[32:12] >> We're trying to find a missing family.

[32:14] >> In the last 24 hours, friends of the Kim

[32:16] have flown in from across the country to

[32:19] conduct their own search.

[32:20] >> We're going around um hanging up flyers,

[32:24] uh talking to local businesses, talking

[32:25] to people along the route. James Kim is

[32:28] a familiar name in the tech world. As a

[32:30] senior editor at cnet.com, he makes a

[32:33] living reviewing the latest in high

[32:34] tech, including the iPod.

[32:37] >> Is 60% brighter.

[32:39] >> The family of four was returning from a

[32:40] Thanksgiving road trip from San

[32:42] Francisco to Seattle and was driving

[32:44] through Oregon. Their last known phone

[32:47] call was to this oceanfront lodge a week

[32:49] ago during terrible weather. Kim's wife,

[32:52] Katie, was on the phone to say they

[32:54] would be late. Katie called and said

[32:57] that uh James said they would just they

[32:59] were going to press on and that yes,

[33:00] they would be here.

[33:01] >> They never arrived. Police say witnesses

[33:04] and a credit card receipt put the

[33:06] family's last known location at this

[33:08] Denny's in the small town of Roseberg,

[33:10] Oregon. Friends have concentrated their

[33:13] efforts in this area, even renting their

[33:15] own helicopter to search the vast forest

[33:18] land filled with windy roads, rugged

[33:20] terrain, and often spotty cell service.

[33:23] and they've gone online posting their

[33:25] own stories and videos on YouTube in the

[33:28] hopes that someone will help find the

[33:30] lost family of four.

[33:32] >> And we're worried about my brother and

[33:34] his wife, but it just it seems really

[33:36] unfair um that the girls are there and

[33:40] just maybe suffering.

[33:42] >> Search efforts are now concentrated on

[33:44] several roads the family may have used

[33:46] to head out to the coast. Some of those

[33:48] areas go through an elevation of 4,000

[33:50] ft and are still covered in snow and ice

[33:52] from a week ago. It's a huge area and so

[33:55] far nothing. Robin

[33:58] >> baffling. All right, Neil, thank you.

[34:00] Time now for the weather and Sam

[34:01] Champion.

[34:02] >> Morning, Robin. Let's uh take a look.

[34:04] I'm just kind of pulling that all

[34:05] together chatting with the audience.

[34:06] Let's show you what's going on in the

[34:07] nation today. We are going to deal with

[34:09] this. Uh, it's a Santa Ana wind, no

[34:11] doubt about it. But it has been a fierce

[34:12] one, a strong one, as this big area of

[34:14] high pressure forced a lot of strong

[34:16] winds through the mountains, down the

[34:18] mountains, dried everything up and out,

[34:19] and the winds have been more or greater

[34:21] than hurricane strength. Now, they'll

[34:22] slow down a bit during the day today,

[34:24] but they're still pretty strong. You're

[34:25] looking at red flag warnings, which

[34:26] means high fire danger, and still about

[34:28] a 30 to 50 mph wind possibility. Let's

[34:31] show you some other locations that we've

[34:32] got around the nation and things that

[34:33] other people are dealing with. The deep

[34:35] south getting some cooler temperatures.

[34:37] That starts tonight really with low

[34:39] temperatures like this. Check out Little

[34:40] Rock at 25 degrees and this cold blast

[34:42] pushes all the way toward Orlando at

[34:43] about 50. South Florida is one of the

[34:45] places that holds on to the warmer air.

[34:47] But Raleigh's at about 25°. New Orleans

[34:49] at a 33°ree low temperature. Montgomery

[34:52] at 26 as well. These are some of the

[34:53] coldest temperatures of the season and

[34:55] you wake up with them tomorrow morning

[34:56] and they start with your tonight low

[34:58] temperatures. Here's a look at

[34:59] temperatures uh high temperatures. Look

[35:01] how cold it is in northern areas. And

[35:02] again, Atlanta coming in with 44°. So,

[35:04] we'll just begin to drop some of these

[35:06] cooler temperatures in during the day

[35:07] today and overnight. Dallas at about 50,

[35:09] New Orleans at about 50° as well. No big

[35:12] patterns across the nation today except

[35:13] for one in toward the northwest. This

[35:15] one's not a big one. It's two inches of

[35:16] snow at higher elevations and some gusty

[35:18] wind and rain right along the coastline.

[35:20] Everywhere else is dry, big areas of

[35:22] high pressure parked all over the

[35:23] nation. One storm system toward the

[35:25] northeast. That's the weather around the

[35:26] nation. Here's what you can expect this

[35:27] morning.

[35:29] Rhonda Shelby in the K2 Storm Alert

[35:31] Weather Center. Expect scattered showers

[35:33] from a weak disturbance over the Pacific

[35:34] Northwest today. West of the Cascades,

[35:36] temperatures will be in the 40s. Some

[35:38] scattered snow showers are possible in

[35:40] the mountains of eastern Oregon. Highs

[35:42] in the 30s east of the Cascades.

[35:45] >> And this weather report has been brought

[35:46] to you by Zales. Robin.

[35:48] >> All right, Sam. Thank you. All right, so

[35:49] it's Monday morning. Maybe you're nice

[35:51] and warm in your bed. You've had a great

[35:53] weekend, and you're like, I don't want

[35:54] to go to work. You thinking about

[35:56] calling in sick today? You know who you

[35:58] are thinking about that. We're going to

[35:59] show you how to be six day savvy ahead.

[36:02] More and more folks are doing it.

[36:11] [music]

[36:18] [music]

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[36:38] >> Due to near blizzard conditions, all

[36:40] flights have been cancelled.

[36:42] >> Oh no, the kids.

[36:43] >> This Christmas.

[36:44] >> Make sure they don't get out of this

[36:45] room.

[36:46] >> Five strangers [music] will discover.

[36:48] >> This is so not the Christmas I had in

[36:50] mind.

[36:50] >> What being a family is all about.

[36:53] >> I want a captain named minor. Let's say

[36:55] we expand our family a little bit.

[36:57] >> Jingle bell, jingle, jingle,

[36:59] >> what?

[36:59] >> My children are trapped in an airport on

[37:01] Christmas Eve. Do you have any idea how

[37:02] miserable they must be?

[37:04] >> Unaccompanied minors.

[37:05] >> Happy holidays, everyone.

[37:06] >> Great to teach out December 8th. If you

[37:08] have a certain type of chronic dry eye,

[37:11] you should know that only Restasis with

[37:12] [music] continued use helps increase

[37:14] your natural ability to produce tears,

[37:16] which may be reduced by inflammation

[37:18] [music] caused by chronic dry eye.

[37:20] Ordinary drops just treat symptoms.

[37:22] Restasis should not be used by patients

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[39:11] Okay, so it's one of those times of year

[39:13] when you're thinking about maybe I'll

[39:16] just call in sick today. I mean, after

[39:18] all, we're talking about the holidays.

[39:20] You got a lot to do. It turns out sick

[39:23] calls are on the rise, especially at

[39:25] this time of year, and people give some

[39:27] pretty well creative excuses. Let's turn

[39:29] to ABC's John B.

[39:32] >> Sometimes you call in sick with a bad

[39:34] cough. Sometimes it's a bad snipple. And

[39:38] sometimes it's a bad case of I can't

[39:40] possibly deal with work today. It's a

[39:43] common ailment. According to the

[39:44] CareerBuilder survey, 32% of us faked

[39:47] the sick day at least once last year.

[39:50] There are websites with good excuses. I

[39:52] have an abscess tooth, food poisoning,

[39:54] I'm having an asthma attack. Bosses tell

[39:57] us they've heard it all. What are some

[39:58] of the most outrageous reasons people

[40:00] have given you when they've called in

[40:01] sick? I lost my iPod late last night and

[40:05] I didn't sleep looking for it and I

[40:06] can't come to work.

[40:08] >> I get Blackberries fairly regularly. My

[40:11] Blackberry's broken. I need to go fix

[40:13] it. It's a disaster.

[40:14] >> I was up until 4:00. I'm completely hung

[40:17] over. There's no way I can come in.

[40:19] >> How can you tell when someone's making

[40:21] it up?

[40:21] >> One time, uh, somebody called in sick

[40:23] and I heard in the background the, uh,

[40:26] flight attendant announcing boarding.

[40:28] >> How can you avoid such a faking it flop?

[40:31] Ellie Bishop wrote the Sick Day

[40:33] Handbook. Her first rule,

[40:35] >> remember your lie and to always be able

[40:37] to back it up.

[40:38] >> There are also ways to sound sick.

[40:40] >> About five minutes before phoning in,

[40:43] you should clear your throat and cough.

[40:45] You can go outside and scream if you

[40:47] want to. Something to make your voice

[40:49] sound.

[40:51] >> Then Ellie advises, pick an ailment

[40:53] people don't want to talk about. For

[40:55] instance,

[40:56] >> when you say your irritable bowel

[40:57] syndrome is acting up, nobody wants the

[41:00] details on that.

[41:01] >> A sick way to get a sick day, but liars

[41:04] can't be choosers. For Good Morning

[41:06] America, John Burman, ABC News, New

[41:08] York.

[41:09] >> Okay. What are the dos and don'ts of

[41:10] calling in sick? Well, here to make us

[41:12] savvy is Jod Smith, president of the

[41:14] etiquette consulting firm Manor Smith.

[41:16] Welcome, Jody. Good to have you with us.

[41:19] Okay, let's let's talk about this. Is it

[41:21] okay? Should we all just acknowledge

[41:23] that a white lie about being sick is

[41:24] okay?

[41:25] >> I actually am not a big fan of lying. I

[41:28] think that if you need to take a mental

[41:29] health day, go ahead and call in sick.

[41:32] It's the mental health sick as opposed

[41:34] to the physical sick. But don't lie. I'm

[41:37] not People get caught up in the lying

[41:39] and then they forget what they've said.

[41:40] >> Are you saying it's really okay to call

[41:41] in to your co-workers and your boss and

[41:43] say, "I just need to stay in bed today,

[41:45] or I need to reorganize my underwear

[41:48] drawer today. I've been putting it off."

[41:50] Is it okay to do that?

[41:51] >> It's okay to call in sick, but don't

[41:53] explain. You really don't need to tell

[41:55] people either why you're sick. We really

[41:57] don't want to hear if it's physical

[41:58] symptoms or number two, if it's a mental

[42:00] health day, if you've been working hard,

[42:02] if you've had a two week stressful

[42:03] period of time, take the time to have a

[42:05] reprieve and get refreshed

[42:07] >> because I think a lot of people think

[42:08] that the company budgets for six six

[42:10] days anyway, and if you don't take them,

[42:12] you're kind of a fool.

[42:13] >> Well, it is a use or lose in most

[42:15] situations. But a number of

[42:17] forward-thinking companies, what they do

[42:18] is they actually have a leave bank. So

[42:20] instead of giving vacation days and sick

[42:22] days where people feel they have to lie

[42:24] in order to use the time off, they're

[42:26] able to use from the bank and that way

[42:28] there's no explaining and they can

[42:29] actually schedule it which makes it

[42:31] easier for the co-workers.

[42:32] >> Okay, a couple of questions about the

[42:33] boss now.

[42:34] >> Yes.

[42:34] >> First of all, can a boss by law fire you

[42:37] for lying because you said you were sick

[42:40] and you weren't? Well, this is one of

[42:41] the things I'm not a corporate attorney,

[42:43] so you have to understand that no legal

[42:44] background, but in human resources, a

[42:47] number of states are employees at will

[42:49] states. So, unless you have a signed

[42:51] contract or unless you're part of a

[42:53] union, employers can fire you um because

[42:55] you came in late because they didn't

[42:57] like your earrings that day. If you're

[42:59] an employee, well, they don't need to

[43:00] have a reason to fire you.

[43:01] >> But do they tend to fire? Because we

[43:03] read that 27% of bosses say they have

[43:06] fired because people called in sick when

[43:08] they weren't. Well, they may have fired.

[43:10] That might have been the straw that

[43:11] broke the camel's back. But calling in

[43:13] sick once is not going to be a cause for

[43:15] firing. What happens is usually that

[43:17] employee, their work is a little bit

[43:19] sketchy. They're not getting along with

[43:21] co-workers. They're disruptive in staff

[43:23] meetings and then they call in sick and

[43:25] they use that as the catalyst to not

[43:27] >> sick a lot. Do they tend to check up on

[43:28] you?

[43:29] >> Um, most bosses you would hope that

[43:30] you'd have a trustworthy relationship

[43:32] and don't necessarily call or send

[43:34] somebody by with chicken soup to make

[43:35] sure you're really sick. All right, let

[43:37] me let me talk about the hierarchy of

[43:39] sins you commit in the workplace then.

[43:41] >> Is it worse to call in sick when you're

[43:44] not or to come in when you are sick and

[43:46] give it to everybody else?

[43:47] >> This is one of my pet peeves is people

[43:49] who are sick and contagious coming in.

[43:52] I'd much rather you call in sick for a

[43:53] mental health day than to come in and

[43:55] infect everyone.

[43:56] >> And among these three things, which is

[43:58] the worst sin? stealing time on your

[44:01] computer, doing your own thing, stealing

[44:03] supplies from the office supply closet,

[44:06] or or gossiping.

[44:08] >> The office gossip, I think, is really

[44:10] the number one phauxa in the workplace

[44:12] because it's just so negative, and you

[44:14] never want to be the person that's

[44:16] starring in the office soap opera. Um,

[44:18] if you hear rumors, let them stop with

[44:20] you. And certainly don't be the one to

[44:22] start rumors in the office.

[44:23] >> Okay, we've kind of freed us from guilt.

[44:26] I'm glad to hear that. I think I'm

[44:27] feeling a little something coming on.

[44:29] Maybe tomorrow morning. Anyway, thanks a

[44:31] lot, Jody.