About Juan Williams Comment.
Everything has been said about what NPR did to Juan Williams. Not a lot said about seeing people in Muslim garb.
In TV news reports, I see American women in Muslim countries wearing head scarves. While I do not necessarily agree with that practice, I do not fault them for trying to be agreeable. When I see Muslims in America wearing Muslim garb, I see a visitor who does not wish to be agreeable; or I see a resident who refuses to assimilate. It is that attitude that makes me nervous. Are they sending me a message? (Then again, maybe like the guy who goes into a restaurant and sits eating his dinner with a ball cap on his head, they are just ignorant.)
As for Juan Williams and the NPR CEO's psychiatrist comment, listening to Juan and Bill Kristol exchange, I sometimes think Juan needs to see a psychiatrist. And, I guess there are times when Juan thinks Bill should see a psychiatrist. Isn't that what makes Fox News Channel so great? You get to hear opposing views almost every time! Fox calls it Fair and Balanced.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Down with brevity!
When I was doing news on local radio stations, I always hated the time constraints. It you were reporting local news, you couldn't really give details on any story. No time. If you were reading news wire reporting, you shuffled through stacks of stories, selecting only those very few you would have time to use. I envied newspaper reporters who could sometimes use several columns to tell their story.
Apparently, few people share my interest in details, as brevity is urged at every turn. In blogging, or even in writing a comment letter to a television news program, you are constantly reminded to be brief. But it has gone beyond that. Using full words is discouraged. If something is real funny, we LOL. If something is shocking, we write (or text) OMG! On Facebook, the comment is often only "Like." Huh? Is it Tweets that should be limited to 140 characters?
When I was in the Army, some soldiers were drafted in the Selective Service System. Others, like me, enlisted. Enlistees were said to be members of the Regular Army, abbreviated RA. Hence, my serial number began RA171..., and we remained soldiers until the end of our term of enlistment. Soldiers who were drafted were on a status of something like "the duration of the conflict.
The other day I saw a TV commercial for some medication for RA. Thinking only of the old Regular Army, I asked my wife if she knew what the medicine was for. "Rheumatoid arthritis", she translated. Is it bad to say rheumatoid arthritis on television?
During the Iraq War reporters often talked about the 4th ID. What? The fourth identification?? No, they were talking about the Fourth Infantry Division. Americans serving in the proud Ivy Leaf Division made a significant contribution to winning World War II, and most every other American military conflict. Are they not entitled to more than "4th ID"?
In my radio days we adhered to the old code of "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; tell 'em; then tell 'em what you told 'em". In other words, make sure your listeners knew what you said. Today, it's more like "Mumble mumble mumble and three persons were killed. Kansas State Police are investigating. Meanwhile, in Europe..." and you are saying, "What happened? Where in Kansas? Who was killed?" Forget it. You will not know until you hear it or read it from another source. Please, my friend, tell me what you told me!
Obviously the United States Congress also hates brevity. We now have laws that are thousands of pages long. Thousands of pages! Just to describe one law! William L. Shirer's "The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich", a complete history of Nazi Germany, is only 1140 pages and I thought it was a long book!
When I was doing news on local radio stations, I always hated the time constraints. It you were reporting local news, you couldn't really give details on any story. No time. If you were reading news wire reporting, you shuffled through stacks of stories, selecting only those very few you would have time to use. I envied newspaper reporters who could sometimes use several columns to tell their story.
Apparently, few people share my interest in details, as brevity is urged at every turn. In blogging, or even in writing a comment letter to a television news program, you are constantly reminded to be brief. But it has gone beyond that. Using full words is discouraged. If something is real funny, we LOL. If something is shocking, we write (or text) OMG! On Facebook, the comment is often only "Like." Huh? Is it Tweets that should be limited to 140 characters?
When I was in the Army, some soldiers were drafted in the Selective Service System. Others, like me, enlisted. Enlistees were said to be members of the Regular Army, abbreviated RA. Hence, my serial number began RA171..., and we remained soldiers until the end of our term of enlistment. Soldiers who were drafted were on a status of something like "the duration of the conflict.
The other day I saw a TV commercial for some medication for RA. Thinking only of the old Regular Army, I asked my wife if she knew what the medicine was for. "Rheumatoid arthritis", she translated. Is it bad to say rheumatoid arthritis on television?
During the Iraq War reporters often talked about the 4th ID. What? The fourth identification?? No, they were talking about the Fourth Infantry Division. Americans serving in the proud Ivy Leaf Division made a significant contribution to winning World War II, and most every other American military conflict. Are they not entitled to more than "4th ID"?
In my radio days we adhered to the old code of "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; tell 'em; then tell 'em what you told 'em". In other words, make sure your listeners knew what you said. Today, it's more like "Mumble mumble mumble and three persons were killed. Kansas State Police are investigating. Meanwhile, in Europe..." and you are saying, "What happened? Where in Kansas? Who was killed?" Forget it. You will not know until you hear it or read it from another source. Please, my friend, tell me what you told me!
Obviously the United States Congress also hates brevity. We now have laws that are thousands of pages long. Thousands of pages! Just to describe one law! William L. Shirer's "The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich", a complete history of Nazi Germany, is only 1140 pages and I thought it was a long book!
Friday, October 22, 2010
President Campaigns For Dems
So read the headline in many newspapers this week. Hmmmm!
Have you ever been any place where any U.S. president visited? Let me tell you about one such visit.
When President Eisenhower died he was buried in his boyhood hometown of Abilene, Kansas, location of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Then-president Richard Nixon attended the funeral. Abilene is a small city. The airport there will not accommodate Air Force One. The president would have to land at Salina, Kansas and helicopter to Abilene, 24 miles away.
Some days before the funeral, the government commandeered the largest hangar at the Salina airport, flew in three large helicopters and put them in the hangar. All private aircraft normally hangared there were moved and a 24-hour guard was placed at the hangar.
Near the hangar, the telephone company installed a special telephone line. They placed on a table an encrypted telephone of some sort, connected to the line. Two areas were set up for reporters. One, to which I was assigned, was for reporters covering the "event"... the arrival of the president. The other was for reporters covering the president. There job was to report anything that may happen to the president. All reporters were subjected to careful background checks.
A carpet was laid out on the ground, running alongside the table with the phone. Before Air Force One landed, the three helicopters were brought out of the hangars, one parked at the end of the carpet. When the president's plane landed, the pilot taxied up to the other end of the carpet.
I stood next to a reporter from some national publication. He explained the purpose of the phone. On Air Force One, the president has extensive communications facilities. Ditto on the helicopter. But, during the walk from the plane to the helicopter, he would have neither. thus the phone on the table.
Members of the White House Press Corps deplaned first boarded two of the helicopters. Then President Nixon deplaned. He waved to the crowd, walked along the carpet, past the telephone table and boarded one of the helicopters. Why three helicopters, I wanted to know... could the reporters not make the 24-mile trip by bus. "Decoys ", I was told. I laughed. Anyone could watch which chopper the president boarded. "Watch", I was advised. Then the helicopters took off. They flew very low over the hangars and other buildings at the airport. Like a huge, airborne shell game, the three identical aircraft circled and dipped behind the buildings. One moment all were out of sight. Then you saw one. Then another... or was it the same one again? Finally they rose and all three headed for Abilene. "Now which helicopter is the president on?" my new acquaintance asked.
When the helicopters left, an armed guard surrounded Air Force One. They remained in place until the funeral ended and the three helicopters returned to the Salina airport. When the president left his helicopter, he again walked back past the telephone on the table and boarded Air Force One.
When the President's plane took off for Washington, the helicopters were returned to the hangar. I don't know how long they remained, I didn't stick around.
The point being, it costs tens of thousands of dollars to bring a sitting U.S. president in for any event. Think how that is multiplied if he is to visit multiple cities. At each point, all sorts of people are brought in to do all sorts of security checks. If the event is not at the airport, special arrangements must be made to transport the presidential party from the airport to the event.
Once, President George W. Bush visited Las Cruces. A special large plane brought the president's fully secure, communications capable limousine in to transport the president to the event. In that case, that heavy aircraft damaged the runway and the Air Force paid the city $10,000 for repairs.
How much of all this is paid by the president's political party and how much is paid by taxpayer dollars, when the event is purely partisan political in nature? I don't know. But, regardless of party, I think it should all be paid by the political party.
So read the headline in many newspapers this week. Hmmmm!
Have you ever been any place where any U.S. president visited? Let me tell you about one such visit.
When President Eisenhower died he was buried in his boyhood hometown of Abilene, Kansas, location of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Then-president Richard Nixon attended the funeral. Abilene is a small city. The airport there will not accommodate Air Force One. The president would have to land at Salina, Kansas and helicopter to Abilene, 24 miles away.
Some days before the funeral, the government commandeered the largest hangar at the Salina airport, flew in three large helicopters and put them in the hangar. All private aircraft normally hangared there were moved and a 24-hour guard was placed at the hangar.
Near the hangar, the telephone company installed a special telephone line. They placed on a table an encrypted telephone of some sort, connected to the line. Two areas were set up for reporters. One, to which I was assigned, was for reporters covering the "event"... the arrival of the president. The other was for reporters covering the president. There job was to report anything that may happen to the president. All reporters were subjected to careful background checks.
A carpet was laid out on the ground, running alongside the table with the phone. Before Air Force One landed, the three helicopters were brought out of the hangars, one parked at the end of the carpet. When the president's plane landed, the pilot taxied up to the other end of the carpet.
I stood next to a reporter from some national publication. He explained the purpose of the phone. On Air Force One, the president has extensive communications facilities. Ditto on the helicopter. But, during the walk from the plane to the helicopter, he would have neither. thus the phone on the table.
Members of the White House Press Corps deplaned first boarded two of the helicopters. Then President Nixon deplaned. He waved to the crowd, walked along the carpet, past the telephone table and boarded one of the helicopters. Why three helicopters, I wanted to know... could the reporters not make the 24-mile trip by bus. "Decoys ", I was told. I laughed. Anyone could watch which chopper the president boarded. "Watch", I was advised. Then the helicopters took off. They flew very low over the hangars and other buildings at the airport. Like a huge, airborne shell game, the three identical aircraft circled and dipped behind the buildings. One moment all were out of sight. Then you saw one. Then another... or was it the same one again? Finally they rose and all three headed for Abilene. "Now which helicopter is the president on?" my new acquaintance asked.
When the helicopters left, an armed guard surrounded Air Force One. They remained in place until the funeral ended and the three helicopters returned to the Salina airport. When the president left his helicopter, he again walked back past the telephone on the table and boarded Air Force One.
When the President's plane took off for Washington, the helicopters were returned to the hangar. I don't know how long they remained, I didn't stick around.
The point being, it costs tens of thousands of dollars to bring a sitting U.S. president in for any event. Think how that is multiplied if he is to visit multiple cities. At each point, all sorts of people are brought in to do all sorts of security checks. If the event is not at the airport, special arrangements must be made to transport the presidential party from the airport to the event.
Once, President George W. Bush visited Las Cruces. A special large plane brought the president's fully secure, communications capable limousine in to transport the president to the event. In that case, that heavy aircraft damaged the runway and the Air Force paid the city $10,000 for repairs.
How much of all this is paid by the president's political party and how much is paid by taxpayer dollars, when the event is purely partisan political in nature? I don't know. But, regardless of party, I think it should all be paid by the political party.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
American Industry: R.I.P.
Have you noticed TV ads for tractors by Mahindra? For power tools by Husqvarna? The tractors come from India. The tools from Sweden.
When I was growing up on a farm we could not afford a tractor or power tools. We had horses, and In my teens, I spent many hours dragged along behind the team on a cultivator called a "go-devil" or on a wagon. For cutting firewood we used cross-cut saws and axes. For cutting tall grass, a scythe.
The tractors I did see bore the names "Farmall", "Allis Chalmers", "John Deere", "Case" and other American brands.
Now, I have nothing against India or Sweden. I am happy for them developing manufacturing capacity. But why does it make more sense for an American farmer to buy a tractor shipped from India than one from Iowa? I cannot answer that, but it saddens me! Like hearing of the death of a nice guy you once knew.
Have you noticed TV ads for tractors by Mahindra? For power tools by Husqvarna? The tractors come from India. The tools from Sweden.
When I was growing up on a farm we could not afford a tractor or power tools. We had horses, and In my teens, I spent many hours dragged along behind the team on a cultivator called a "go-devil" or on a wagon. For cutting firewood we used cross-cut saws and axes. For cutting tall grass, a scythe.
The tractors I did see bore the names "Farmall", "Allis Chalmers", "John Deere", "Case" and other American brands.
Now, I have nothing against India or Sweden. I am happy for them developing manufacturing capacity. But why does it make more sense for an American farmer to buy a tractor shipped from India than one from Iowa? I cannot answer that, but it saddens me! Like hearing of the death of a nice guy you once knew.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Numbers (...again)
I love numbers. Especially since the decimal system (the metric system - and our currency) is about the only place where tens play a role. We have 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, 365 or 366 days in a year. That throws everything into wacky patterns.
I was born on presidential election day, November 6, 1928. In my 82 years since then, the presidential election has fallen on my birthday only twice! 1956 and 1984. The reason is leap years. In a leap year, November 6 falls on Tuesday only if January 1 falls on Sunday. In leap years, that happens only every 28 years. Next time will be 2012. (Each time the presidential election has fallen on my birthday, a Republican won: Hoover, Eisenhower, Reagan. Hmmmm!)
In non-leap years (mid-term elections) November 6 falls on Tuesday only if January 1 falls on Monday. That has happened only three times in my 82 years: 1934, 1962 and 1990. Again, once every 28 years, and, again, it is because of leap years.
Think how different things would be if the earth were a little faster and made its trip around the sun in exactly 365 days?
Math teachers love this kind of thinking. Others scratch their heads and give me a strange look. If you have decided I am a nerd's nerd, it doesn't mean I am out of the mainstream... it only proves you are not a math teacher!
I love numbers. Especially since the decimal system (the metric system - and our currency) is about the only place where tens play a role. We have 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, 365 or 366 days in a year. That throws everything into wacky patterns.
I was born on presidential election day, November 6, 1928. In my 82 years since then, the presidential election has fallen on my birthday only twice! 1956 and 1984. The reason is leap years. In a leap year, November 6 falls on Tuesday only if January 1 falls on Sunday. In leap years, that happens only every 28 years. Next time will be 2012. (Each time the presidential election has fallen on my birthday, a Republican won: Hoover, Eisenhower, Reagan. Hmmmm!)
In non-leap years (mid-term elections) November 6 falls on Tuesday only if January 1 falls on Monday. That has happened only three times in my 82 years: 1934, 1962 and 1990. Again, once every 28 years, and, again, it is because of leap years.
Think how different things would be if the earth were a little faster and made its trip around the sun in exactly 365 days?
Math teachers love this kind of thinking. Others scratch their heads and give me a strange look. If you have decided I am a nerd's nerd, it doesn't mean I am out of the mainstream... it only proves you are not a math teacher!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Come see the Southwest!
For most of my life, I have heard people rave about the fall foliage displays in America's Northeast. One year, my wife and I spent a week in New England, and the raves were justified. The fall foliage was beautiful. At one point, my understandably proud host remarked, "You've never seen anything like this in Kansas!" Wrong. Much of Kansas is hilly and hardwood forests are abundant. Fall foliage there is as spectacular as anywhere else.
Now, I declare that foliage in the Southwest is also worth the trip. It is true that our tall mountains, (we think of New England mountains as foothills) are mostly populated with conifers that do not change colors, but there are lots of hardwoods, principally aspen, which turn beautifully gold each fall.
In this photo from New Mexico's Gila National Forest, groves of aspen in the distance leave the appearance of spilled gold paint.
In addition, New Mexico offers many other visual surprises. Like the Cliff dwellings, also in the Gila National forest:
And there is the huge Chino copper mine near Hurley, New Mexico.
Plus, such strange and wonderful geological wonders as New Mexico's City of rocks!
I have wandered and photographed New Mexico for over 60 years. This truly is "The Land of Enchantment". That is our state slogan... it is also a fact!
Remember, too, that by the time Europeans (principally from England) settled New England, other Europeans (principally from Spain) had occupied the Southwest for a century.
From Carlsbad Caverns to the oldest continuously occupied government building in America, New Mexico is a visual feast. And there are many other western states to explore.
Come see us!
For most of my life, I have heard people rave about the fall foliage displays in America's Northeast. One year, my wife and I spent a week in New England, and the raves were justified. The fall foliage was beautiful. At one point, my understandably proud host remarked, "You've never seen anything like this in Kansas!" Wrong. Much of Kansas is hilly and hardwood forests are abundant. Fall foliage there is as spectacular as anywhere else.
Now, I declare that foliage in the Southwest is also worth the trip. It is true that our tall mountains, (we think of New England mountains as foothills) are mostly populated with conifers that do not change colors, but there are lots of hardwoods, principally aspen, which turn beautifully gold each fall.
In this photo from New Mexico's Gila National Forest, groves of aspen in the distance leave the appearance of spilled gold paint.In addition, New Mexico offers many other visual surprises. Like the Cliff dwellings, also in the Gila National forest:
And there is the huge Chino copper mine near Hurley, New Mexico.
Plus, such strange and wonderful geological wonders as New Mexico's City of rocks!
I have wandered and photographed New Mexico for over 60 years. This truly is "The Land of Enchantment". That is our state slogan... it is also a fact!
Remember, too, that by the time Europeans (principally from England) settled New England, other Europeans (principally from Spain) had occupied the Southwest for a century.
From Carlsbad Caverns to the oldest continuously occupied government building in America, New Mexico is a visual feast. And there are many other western states to explore.
Come see us!
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Never Dos
Life has taught me things I should never do! Here are a couple of them:
1. Never buy a piece of clothing for your wife. Years ago, on a bitter cold winter day, I spotted a ladies' corduroy coat that was sheepskin lined. I thought it would keep her warm on the coldest winter day, and she would look cute as a bug in that big, cuddly coat. I bought it. She hated it and would not wear it - finally sold it in a garage sale! Another time I bought her a pair of PJs from Victoria's Secret. They truly looked fabulous. She said the bottoms were cut wrong for comfort and refused to wear them.
2. Never recommend a restaurant. Years ago, at the Kansas City stockyards, there was a restaurant called The Golden Ox. Their steaks were cooked on a real charcoal grill and they were absolutely the best. I bragged about them to a friend in Connecticut. Finally he had occasion to visit Kansas City. His plane was an evening flight and he arrived hungry. I drove like a fool to get him to The Golden Ox before they closed. Being late in the evening and near closing time, they must have run out of prime beef and butchered an aged ox. The steaks were bad and my friend was forever convinced that I didn't know a good steak from shoe leather.
Life has taught me things I should never do! Here are a couple of them:
1. Never buy a piece of clothing for your wife. Years ago, on a bitter cold winter day, I spotted a ladies' corduroy coat that was sheepskin lined. I thought it would keep her warm on the coldest winter day, and she would look cute as a bug in that big, cuddly coat. I bought it. She hated it and would not wear it - finally sold it in a garage sale! Another time I bought her a pair of PJs from Victoria's Secret. They truly looked fabulous. She said the bottoms were cut wrong for comfort and refused to wear them.
2. Never recommend a restaurant. Years ago, at the Kansas City stockyards, there was a restaurant called The Golden Ox. Their steaks were cooked on a real charcoal grill and they were absolutely the best. I bragged about them to a friend in Connecticut. Finally he had occasion to visit Kansas City. His plane was an evening flight and he arrived hungry. I drove like a fool to get him to The Golden Ox before they closed. Being late in the evening and near closing time, they must have run out of prime beef and butchered an aged ox. The steaks were bad and my friend was forever convinced that I didn't know a good steak from shoe leather.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Dumb & Dumber
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill ordering that TV commercials must be no louder than the programming. The U. S. House has the same thing under consideration.
This is such a stupid waste of time and money, so void of logic, that ONLY the U.S. Congress could make such an effort.
First, understand that "loudness" from your TV is dependent on several factors. First, of course, is the level of the signal on the recorded commercial - or on the live program. But, whether the audio originates from microphones in the studio, from a network signal, or from a recording of a commercial or a program, it evolves to an electronic signal sent to the station's transmitting equipment. On the way it encounters a piece of equipment called a "limiter" which controls the maximum volume. If a signal is too strong, it lowers the level. It is automatic and it is required by FCC regulation.
The next factor is the nature of the audio. If it is an announcer describing a product, that announcer will be speaking directly to his microphone as clearly and distinctly as possible. If that is not the case, believe me, the announcer will have to re-record his/her lines. His signal will come across at full permissible volume.
If it is a dramatic program, where a small voice is sobbing into a handkerchief, or an actor mumbling as he/she turns away from the microphones, that voice will be lower in volume. If it is a car chase with screaming sirens and screaming mood music, it will be maximum loudness.
Finally, and often the deciding factor, are the speaker(s) on your TV set. If the speaker(s) and their associated audio amplifier are such that they are more sensitive to higher frequencies, commercials or programming such as music, which contain predominantly higher frequencies, will sound louder on your TV.
I make TV commercials. How can I control the sound to match all the possible variations in the volume level of TV programming? I cannot. How can I control the sound to match all the possible speaker configurations of the nation's TV sets? I cannot.
Can the TV station do that? Of course not. Listening on high quality TV station monitors, the station engineer may hear something much different than you hear coming from the small, inefficient speaker(s) on your TV set.
Let's compare the audio level to the picture level on your screen. Should every twilight scene be adjusted to match every bright sunlit scene - or vice-versa? Absurd.
The last thing a TV broadcast station wants is to broadcast anything that viewers will find offensive; that may drive viewers to another channel. If the problem could be easily solved, it would have been, long ago.
Congress go home. Quit trying to fix things that are not fixable!
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill ordering that TV commercials must be no louder than the programming. The U. S. House has the same thing under consideration.
This is such a stupid waste of time and money, so void of logic, that ONLY the U.S. Congress could make such an effort.
First, understand that "loudness" from your TV is dependent on several factors. First, of course, is the level of the signal on the recorded commercial - or on the live program. But, whether the audio originates from microphones in the studio, from a network signal, or from a recording of a commercial or a program, it evolves to an electronic signal sent to the station's transmitting equipment. On the way it encounters a piece of equipment called a "limiter" which controls the maximum volume. If a signal is too strong, it lowers the level. It is automatic and it is required by FCC regulation.
The next factor is the nature of the audio. If it is an announcer describing a product, that announcer will be speaking directly to his microphone as clearly and distinctly as possible. If that is not the case, believe me, the announcer will have to re-record his/her lines. His signal will come across at full permissible volume.
If it is a dramatic program, where a small voice is sobbing into a handkerchief, or an actor mumbling as he/she turns away from the microphones, that voice will be lower in volume. If it is a car chase with screaming sirens and screaming mood music, it will be maximum loudness.
Finally, and often the deciding factor, are the speaker(s) on your TV set. If the speaker(s) and their associated audio amplifier are such that they are more sensitive to higher frequencies, commercials or programming such as music, which contain predominantly higher frequencies, will sound louder on your TV.
I make TV commercials. How can I control the sound to match all the possible variations in the volume level of TV programming? I cannot. How can I control the sound to match all the possible speaker configurations of the nation's TV sets? I cannot.
Can the TV station do that? Of course not. Listening on high quality TV station monitors, the station engineer may hear something much different than you hear coming from the small, inefficient speaker(s) on your TV set.
Let's compare the audio level to the picture level on your screen. Should every twilight scene be adjusted to match every bright sunlit scene - or vice-versa? Absurd.
The last thing a TV broadcast station wants is to broadcast anything that viewers will find offensive; that may drive viewers to another channel. If the problem could be easily solved, it would have been, long ago.
Congress go home. Quit trying to fix things that are not fixable!
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