Phoenix News & Information

I was having a conversation the other day with a 6 year old.  So she and I were having a chat about an incident that happened to her at school.  It was one of those unfortunate days, you know the girls were acting mean and cliquish.  They didn’t want to play with her.  She first noticed it in class and then later, on the playground.  The girls were playing a game and refused to include her.  It hurt my heart just hearing this story.  So I asked how she dealt with this: Did she persist with the group to try to get in on the game?  Did she go to another group to try to make some new friends?  Did it make her cry?  Nope – none of those.  She looked at me square in the face and said the following (I am quoting here), “Care its fine.  They didn’t want to play with me so I went to find something to do on my own.”

Her answer was as calm and self assured as possible.  I could see the whole incident really didn’t bother her.  She wasn’t letting it boil inside.  She wasn’t talking behind their backs to other six year olds.  Surely she wouldn’t need therapy to deal with this rejection.

I couldn’t help but to think about some of the ridiculous antics that I have witnessed or sadly let bother me over the years.  The times I’ve heard about someone saying this or that, the necessity I have sometimes felt to analyze situations that really aren’t worth a second thought. 

Thankfully, I have grown to a point where I don’t let much bother me anymore.  I guess that’s the beauty of getting older and applying what you’ve learned over the years.  Where in my 20’s something would have really hurt my feelings (perhaps I was a little on the sensitive side), now in my 30’s I can laugh it off.  Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in being as kind as possible.  I just don’t get hurt if people don’t return the feeling.

The good thing is, if I have a moment of weakness where I read a blog that is potentially hurtful or listen to a critic, all I have to do is go upstairs.  That 6 year old with the amazing sense of self, just happens to be my step-daughter. 

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Looking for ways to cut your grocery bill in half? You can do it without ever using a coupon.
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Carey Peña, Cheap & Free!, Gary Harper cheap, groceries

I once read that Diane Sawyer’s career philosophy is as follows, “I don’t read my good press and I don’t read my bad press.”

See the thing is when you work on TV, there’s a lot of good. And when people tell you how much they love you, it’s easy to fall deeply in love with yourself. But then, there’s the bad. And when it’s bad, it is usually really bad.

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3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Last night, after my story aired I received a voice message. It began, “I think all of that bleach has affected your brain.”

 AUDIO: Voicemail 

You know when a message starts out like that it is probably all down hill from there.

The woman proceeded to tell me, in her angry voice, that I had basically abandoned my “Hispanic” roots.

What you need to know to understand her phone call is this:

I had just aired a story about a woman named Patsy Perez. She’s a sweetheart of a woman who cleans houses for a living. The name of her service is Nana’s House Cleaning. Patsy had recently donated her kidney to one of her client’s, a man whose house she cleans. She saved his life.

It goes without saying that Patsy is a remarkable woman and her story was a very positive one. Or so I thought.

The woman who left me said voice mail was upset because she felt that I had “Americanized” Patsy’s name. That I didn’t roll my R’s when I said “Perez” and that I failed to say “Nana” with proper Spanish pronunciation.

As often happens when someone leaves a nasty message, she neglected to leave her name or call back number. Had she done so, I would have gladly called back to clear a few things up.

First, Patsy doesn’t roll her R’s when she pronounces her own name. Neither does she say Nana with a Spanish accent. I did not find it appropriate to arbitrarily alter her name or the name of her business.

Second, while my last name is Peña, I find it presumptuous for her to assume anything about my heritage or background.

For the record, my Father was actually half Spanish, half Greek. My grandfather, Emilio Peña came to the United States (as an orphan) from Spain. While my grandfather does speak fluent Spanish, I was not brought up speaking the language.

The irony in all of this is that I’ve had people tell me I’m not really Hispanic (in fact, one of my co-workers said this to me not long ago).

The definition of Hispanic, as I understand it is: “Of or relating to Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America”. I’m pretty sure since my grandfather is from Madrid — that includes me.

So, I’m either not really Hispanic or not Hispanic enough. I’m not sure which one it is.

The one thing I can say for sure, I don’t bleach my hair. It’s called highlights!

WATCH PATSY’S STORY

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

There’s nothing that seems to bring out the boy in a man more than politics. Well, maybe football but that’s a different story.

Some of the behind the scene antics I have seen and experienced first hand this political season are mind boggling and downright disgusting. Grown men slinging mud, throwing tantrums, writing blogs under pseudo names so that they can say really, really mean things without owning up to it. At best it is childish, at worst it is scary: These are the guys who want to run our cities and counties, to enforce laws and to govern. These are the guys making decisions that matter.

I’m sure there are women out there acting like bratty little girls, but they have not come to my attention this election cycle. Or perhaps the women are staying above the fray? I don’t know.

What I do know is that I am sick and tired of asking relevant, fair questions and being greeted with the moniker, “liberal media”. I am not liberal. And I am not conservative. For the record, I’m an Independent.

But none of that really matters when it comes to work. My job is to ask questions – and sometimes tough ones. However, it never fails — ask a question someone doesn’t want to answer and there goes the tantrum. The “liberal media” is out to get me!

If you are running for office, you should be ready and willing to answer questions. Period. You shouldn’t feel that you can pick and choose the subjects that are most comfortable to you. Nothing should be off the table – except, in my opinion, a person’s family. Other than that, step up. Be a man.

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Several years back I was asked by the mother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq to go there with her. The Department of Defense was facilitating her trip to see the hospital where her son and other soldiers were ambushed and killed. I wanted to go but my station was worried. In the end, they wouldn’t allow me to make the trip — security concerns. I was upset. I thought if this mother is brave enough to travel to a war zone — I should be, too. But also…I wanted to see for myself what was really going on.

We hear so much about the war. We hear that the situation is getting better and then worse. We hear that the surge is working — for now. Sorting through all of this, as a journalist and as a person can be tough.

I wonder, has Iraq really become the #1 breeding ground for terrorists (as has been reported in recent weeks) where the average person on the street resents Americans?

I recently had this conversation with a documentary filmmaker named Raied Khayoun. Raied fled Iraq ten years ago and hasn’t seen his family since. He now lives in Phoenix. His dream was to make a movie, not about the war but about the people inside Iraq.

Raied went to Iraq with Penelope Price, a documentary filmmaker and teacher. She’s fearless. Any student who takes her film class at Scottsdale Community College is very lucky.

They traveled to the northern region of Kurdistan, not exactly where the fighting is fierce. But it could be — very soon. Depending on what happens when the elections are held in Iraq later this year to figure out how the land and oil should be distributed. That election could very well determine much of the future of Iraq, and what role the U.S. will play. Whether we stay or go: And if we stay — for how long?

Raied was pretty frank, he has no idea what will happen next. But one thing he seems sure about, the people he says don’t hate us. Actually Raied says most are grateful. He talked to me about what life was life before and after Saddam Hussein. Before, they had one newspaper. Now he says they have 122. Before, they had one state run television station. Now they have satellite TV and unlimited stations. Cellular phone use, internet use… all of it he says will help to transform the country. Before, there was one political party, Saddam’s Baath party. Now there are more than 100.

I asked him if he has hope… if he really has hope. He looked me square in the eyes and said without hope there is nothing. Raied believes when this war comes to an end, a better country will emerge.

Hearing this at least makes me feel better.

I keep thinking about that mother who traveled to Iraq to see the hospital where her son was ambushed. He was killed by those who hate us, there is no doubt about that. But I think we need to remember, they are the minority. Her son was fighting for the majority.

See my story, Inside Iraq featuring Raied and Penelope on my Facebook page www.azfamily.com/facebook/carey

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Politics brings out the best and the worst. Some of the worst seems to be happening at rallies (not all, but many) around the country.

Barack Obama’s ethnicity and religion continues to be called in to question. Despite the fact that it has been reported over and over again: Barack Obama is a Christian. Yes, I know… his middle name is Hussein. And mine is Marie. Who cares.

Well obviously someone does.

Just a couple of days ago a woman at a rally for John McCain stood up and said, “I don’t trust Obama. I have read about him and he’s an Arab.”

If you didn’t see the exchange, Sen. McCain took the microphone and attempted to set the record straight, “No ma’am, no ma’am. He’s a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues…. he’s not, thank you.”

I was glad to see John McCain stop the woman in her tracks. Still, this whole thing makes me wonder:

Why is being called a Muslim or an Arab translated and reported as inflammatory? Granted, it is a false statement. But why is it considered so inflammatory?

I would love to hear Obama, McCain, Biden or Palin when faced with such a statement, just simply say — it happens not to be true but so what if it were?

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Marriage – what is it? Does it need to be defined?

When I asked this question for a story about prop 102, I got very heated answers on both sides. That’s to be expected. People are passionate in their beliefs and I love that.

Here’s the thing though. No one would go on camera to talk openly about the undercurrent of this Proposition: It would preclude same-sex couples from taking their case to the High Court. This is exactly what happened in California and many people, whether they are willing to go on record or not, are afraid that it could happen here, too. Simply put, this proposition would make certain that same-sex marriage never happens here in Arizona.

After my stories aired (a two part series that focused first on prop 102 and the marriage amendment followed by an in-depth story about a gay couple who went out of the country so they could adopt), I received some rather interesting emails. One stood out. A man wrote to me saying that he was a Christian and that quote, “A GAY LIFESTYLE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE NOR SHOULD GAYS BE ALLOWED TO RAISE CHILDREN!!” He put it all in caps so I assume he wanted to shout those words at me.

I wrote back (not in caps) to thank him for taking the time to email. What I should have asked, the question that was really on my mind was this: If a person is a devout Christian, isn’t that supposed to make them more tolerant and loving? That’s what I was always told having been brought up in the Christian faith.

I think these are conversations that need to be had. Even if we don’t come up with definitions, we can perhaps come to some better understanding of where other people are coming from.

http://www.azfamily.com/video/careypena-browse.html

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Wow — what a night last night.

All week long we’d been reporting live from the Pepsi Center, which is about two miles from Invesco Field. Moving those two miles in the midst of crushing crowds, not to mention the tightest security perhaps I have ever seen. Well it was a bit of a pain.

They put all the media on buses; ours was kind of like a tour bus, which we rode to the exterior check point. Swat teams and secret service waited with bomb sniffing dogs to search us. Next we moved to the interior security check point where we went through metal detectors.

PHOTOS: Democratic National Convention

Inside Invesco, we were stationed right on the field. Everywhere we looked there was a famous face from the world of politics, entertainment and media.

The Reverend Al Sharpton was there, so was Fergie, Hadyn Panetttiere, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, the list goes on and on. The family of Dr. Martin Luther King was there, too.

There was a very touching tribute to Dr. King, fitting because yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of his famous Dream speech.

I can’t imagine what must have been going through Barack Obama’s mind before stepping out on the stage; was he thinking about Dr. King. Was he nervous? There was so much riding on his every word.

Before Obama, Al Gore spoke to the crowd. Gore is a great speaker, very witty. One line that drew a lot of applause was when the former Vice President said, with regard to John McCain, “We don’t need more of the same policies. I mean, I believe in recycling but this is ridiculous.” The crowd loved it.

One of my favorite moments was when Michael McDonald took the stage, sat down at the piano and performed an amazing rendition of “America”. To see 80,000 + people in an open air stadium waving flags — incredible. It reminded me of the 2001 World Series, right after 9/11 at Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field). The DBacks took on the Yankees (and pulled off a surprise victory). Before the game, Ray Charles sat at his piano and played “America”, it was beyond amazing.

What struck me last night was all these people showed up. Whether you like Barack Obama or not, whether you agree with him or not, it is cool to see so many people engaged. To me it says people are energized, they really want to have a say in what happens in our country. And this is a crucial time, to be sure.

By all accounts, Obama’s speech was a hit. At least the people who were at Invesco seemed to love it. At one point, right before Obama was about to leave the stage, the fireworks were going off, the crowd was going crazy, the American flags were waiving — he looked very emotional. Again, I wondered was he thinking about Dr. King. After all, had it not been for the efforts and heart of the Civil Rights Leader, Obama might not have had the opportunity to stand on that stage.

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

I want to say right off the top… full disclosure here… I’m a registered Independent. I believe members of the media should be open about their party affiliations — especially when covering politics.

That having been said, yesterday at the Democratic National Convention was amazing in many ways.

First there was high drama surrounding Hillary Clinton delegates. We’ve been talking to her supporters all week — and let me tell you, a lot of them remain very angry.

We caught up to a group of women protesting in downtown Denver; they are actually going all over the country raising as much commotion as possible. Basically they feel the Democratic Party ripped them off.

It wasn’t quite clear what was going to happen when all the states’ delegates hit the convention floor. Some thought the Hillary delegates were going to refuse to stand and support Obama. Hillary Clinton herself put an end to that. She showed up at the convention and basically said to everyone, hey — let’s move on. Barack Obama is the nominee.

I have to say, Hillary Clinton showed tremendous class throughout the entire week.

Here is a woman so scrutinized — what she’s wearing, whether she shows too much emotion or not enough… I mean it goes on and on. But she really showed what she was made of this week. And the crowd here gave her big props for it. I talked to a woman last night who said she came to Denver not at all a fan of the Clintons. She found them, in her words… to be selfish and self serving. But then she went on to say this week changed everything… she has new found respect and fondness for both Hillary and Bill.

President Clinton spoke to the crowd last night. He’s famously long winded but a gifted speaker to be sure. There was no doubt that he came here to get the job done, to leave no doubt about where he stands. Differences are being put aside, he’s supporting Barack Obama.

The crowd loves Bill Clinton. No matter what happened in the past, he has rock star status among Democrats. He got a standing ovation that lasted a good five minutes when he came to the stage last night. I watched the look on Chelsea Clinton’s face, it was sweet to see. In that moment, she just looked like a daughter who was proud of her father. Not a girl who grew up in the White House.

Later in the night Barack Obama made a surprise appearance, he was introduced by Joe Biden’s wife Jill. Apparently Senator Biden didn’t even know that Obama was going to join him on stage. Well… I can tell you that something seemed too suspicious early in the night. The security seemed to be especially tight. We had been told early on, when Barack Obama is in the building that there would be somewhat of a lock down. That’s what happened last night, just before Bill Clinton came on stage. Secret Service locked the doors leading to the seats inside the arena. So anyone who was out getting food, going to the restroom or just standing around chatting — well, they were pretty much out of luck. Many delegates who got locked out had to stand around and watch Bill Clinton’s speech on the televisions in the pavilion. They weren’t real happy about it.

After Clinton’s speech, I caught up to Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson and asked him if he was worried about security risk tonight at Invesco. Already there have been three guys arrested for allegedly plotting to kill Barack Obama. Reverend Jackson answered by talking about the day Dr. King was killed. I have to say, it was chilling to be having this conversation with someone who was there when we lost one of our nation’s greatest heroes.

We are on our way now to begin work on a story about the significance of this day, August 28th: The anniversary of Dr. King’s Dream Speech. Let me leave you with this, the other day I spent some time with a beautiful and spirited 80 year old African American woman who said, no matter what your politics, you can’t help but to be moved by the significance in what is going on here in Denver this week. She said, “Dr King would be looking down and would be very proud.”

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña Democrats; Election

Wow am I glad that I brought flats on this trip. And I never wear flats.

Day two at the DNC. Our day started early this morning with a story about a very sweet 76 year old woman named Aurora who might just be Hillary Clinton’s number one supporter. She was all decked out in “Hillarywear”.

She’s one of those Clinton delegates, you know the ones everyone in the media (including me) has been talking about. They’ve become the X factor. The speculation has reached fever pitch about what will happen when Senator Clinton speaks and perhaps more important, how her supporters will react. What happens tomorrow is a roll call vote on the floor. If a whole bunch of Clinton delegates make a fuss and refuse to vote for Senator Obama, it could be rather embarassing. And thats not what the Democratic Party is looking for.

My photographer James and I criss-crossed this city the past few days. You just never know who you are going to run in to. Today our path crossed with President Clinton, who was being ushered out of a speaking engagement by a bunch of secret service guys. And speaking of secret service… they are everwhere. This place is crawling with guys wearing ear pieces who have very serious looks on their faces.

Tonight we were just coming off the convention floor after shooting Governor Napolitano’s remarks when suddenly a bunch of secret service swept in and closed the entire area off. There we were — stuck. So we waited. As did a fast growing group of people who couldn’t get through. Turns out they were bringing in Senator Obama’s family, who is under heavy protection now more than ever (several arrests were made here in Denver after alleged threats on Obama’s life).

I have seen his two young daughters here, the youngest was very close to where we were shooting our story last night. She was standing there so sweet and innocent waving a flag. I wondered how much she understood about what was going on. She is, after all … only 7. Old enough to grasp that your dad is running for President but perhaps too young to understand the full scope of what that means. Anyway, without making any political endorsements, I did think his daughter was adorable.

We’re off now to get ready for our next live broadcast. The second I have some time, I will post pictures!

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

Day one of the Democratic convention in Denver and what a day it was: Security is incredibly tight, we had to go through a perimeter check where they look closely at credentials… then a very long line that lead to an interior check where we were wanded and sent through metal detectors (picture 15,000 members of the media going through this process). I had some perfume in my purse which they took…liquids are considered possible explosives. I really didn’t think my bottle of Angel would be a threat but that’s the situation — no exceptions.

We learned tonight that three people were arrested here in Denver for allegedly planning to assassinate Barack Obama. I’ve not been able to independently confirm this information as of right now (11:30 Denver time) but local stations are reporting that one of the suspects was found with two rifles and a telescopic scope. Apparently they are all white supremacists. I will investigate this further tomorrow.

Meantime tonight we ran in to a lot of high profile political figures at the convention including Governor Bill Richardson from New Mexico, thought to be in the running for VP before Obama chose Joe Biden. President Carter was here surrounded by secret service. Also getting a lot of attention was the man who won the Veepstakes, as it is often called — Senator Biden. He was sitting one row up from the Arizona delegates. Delaware — his home state — got better real estate after Biden became Obama’s running mate.

I’m off now to finish cutting my last story of the night … will be back with you from Denver bright and early tomorrow. And tomorrow is the day many people have been waiting for (and speculating about) when Hillary Clinton addresses the convention. The question is: will her delegates cause controversy on the convention floor. Personally, I doubt it will happen. I spoke to a friend and advisor of Senator Clinton’s today and he told me that her message will be about Unity, that she will encourage her supporters to transfer their enthusiasm and loyalty over to Obama. Stay tuned.

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña Convention, Democratic

I have been such a bad blogger. Basically I haven’t blogged in months (don’t tell my boss). My excuse is that time has gotten away from me. I got married on New Year’s Eve and I feel like I am just now (three months later) finding some respite.

The thing is, today I am moved to take time to blog because I’m working on a story that blows my mind.

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3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

For many months I’ve been following the story of Casey Johansen. He’s a young husband and father of two.

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3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña

I was at the grocery store the other day and something happened. It wasn’t a big deal, really. But it got me thinking?

I was in line with a cart full of groceries. Basically I was the annoying person who is stocking up when everyone else is just there to buy one or two things. There was only one line open (of course!). And a lady walked up behind me with just a couple of items. She seemed really stressed so I asked her if she’d like to go ahead of me. No big deal. I wasn’t in a hurry. Well she was so thankful and appreciative that I offered and, as she hurried out of the store, she said to me something about paying it forward.

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3TV Anchors & Reporters, Carey Peña