Saturday, April 08, 2006
TOWER CROPPING. Build it anywhere you like, but not in my back yard! Have you ever been involved in one of those neighborhood wars about building anything new or different in the area? The most recent series of such community clashes has been about the building of communications towers which are popping up everywhere to help extend the practical range of our cell phones and making them more efficient,hence more valuable. As the telephones have become smaller, the towers they engender have gotten larger and a goodly crop of simulated, add-on Christmas-tree decorations have been appended up and down their cloud-tickling lengths. Just because a property owner oppose the construction a particular tower seldom means he or she is opposed to all raising of towers. They want to see even that tower built but not here - somewhere else - anywhere else - except "in their own back yard!" One single tower, stripped, is not too bad in too bad in appearance, but I can understand how some people might not like what so many of such towers have become. Many have sprouted add-ons in the form of simulated Christmas-like decorations tagged up and down their slender lengths pointing cloud-ward. Economically landowners have accepted "towering" as a practical, worthwhile "crop" They have come upon a new way to make the farm far pay and a new way to stay on the family farm for not another generation or two. A firm agreement for rental fees of a thousand or so for the main site - possibly fifty feet square at the most - plus several hundred hundred additional rent money as add-ons are appended. It can quickly become a good thing for the companies who need the towers to keep their businesses growing and any framer can use a bit of extra income. I wonder what we would find if we studied property sales for farms around our cities. I would like to know how many forward-looking urban persons bought hilly land in rural areas with tower cropping plans in mind. A.L.M. April 8,2006 [c353wds]
Friday, April 07, 2006
CRIME CLIMB The nature of crime in America seems to be that it is seeking constantly to find an even broader scope in which to operate. It does not seem to shown to so much physical or bodily growth but rather a searching for more aspects of our daily activities in which it might operate to its advantage. That is one of the common objections when a state begins a lottery project. We saw that sentiment expressed again and again this past week when the State of North Carolina started a lottery venture. Many people see any relaxation of rules concerning gambling in any form an open invitation fro criminals to exert their special talents for stealth, mis-judgments, faulty assertions, downright lies and certain elusive bits of charm as well. Their view has been correct on many occasions in the past so it cannot be ignored. Rather it might best be respected by all by taking seriously ways and means of preventing such mis-use of such facilities. What about other threats to our well-being? We are aware of the potential danger of flood waters. So we study rivers, ponds,lakes, rainfall, levees, pumps' take all sorts of precautions to help make suffer we don't suffer unneeded flood damage. We do the same as we study weather conditions of our area, state, nation and of the entire world. We even take occasional glances as the solar system to make sure we know what actions we might use to thwart ruin. Until we can, as fair minded citizens exert the same sort of dedicated efforts to our gaming instincts - all the way through our bingo games, chance drawings, contests, cake walks, sweepstakes, and other such "non-gambling" forms of gambling we are going too stay pretty much as we are. If we can do that and learn to control crime, think what the next steps might be for Mankind. We might be able to take on the nation's really serious crimes - static or growing. A.L.M. April 7, 2006 [c346wds]
Thursday, April 06, 2006
PROFILE I find it troublesome when small, insignificant items items get mixed in with the news. We had a good example of such a non-story taking up time in our newscasts this week – that of a black, female Congressperson roughed it up a bit with one of the guards at the Capital building in Washington, D.C. He failed to recognize here as being a Congresswoman when she tried to enter the building without warning anyone that she had undergone a transformational hairdo since her identification photograph have been taken. The wild, woolly explosion on her head did not remind him of then the skull-tight hairdo on ID card. Doing his job, the guard noticed that she was not wearing the small,lapel-type pin all congresspersons are required to wear if they wish to enter or leave the building without inspection. She accused the guard of “racial profiling”;of “touching her body improperly”; and stated that she was forced to strike out in self-defense to make the man remove his hands from her. A type of repetitive hell of h arranging broke loose and sought its level in the media marshes of America. So,just today, after riding it for all it was worth, the cross congresswoman has appeared in public and apologized for something but exactly what and why we will never really know. Her lawyers made quite a thing of it and proclaimed “racial profiling” to be a major cause of anything which happens to appear to be wrong today through out the land. It is unfortunate that such off-beat incidents eat up so much of our discussion time concerning issues of genuine importance. This also means ,I suppose,that security concerns will demand that the congressional pre-approved passage pins must all be discarded. What do you think the new safe-passage secret item ought to be this time? A.L.M. April 6, 2006 [c327wds]
PROFILE I find it troublesome when small, insignificant items items get mixed in with the news. We had a good example of such a non-story taking up time in our newscasts this week – that of a black, female Congressperson roughed it up a bit with one of the guards at the Capital building in Washington, D.C. He failed to recognize here as being a Congresswoman when she tried to enter the building without warning anyone that she had undergone a transformational hairdo since her identification photograph have been taken. The wild, woolly explosion on her head did not remind him of then the skull-tight hairdo on ID card. Doing his job, the guard noticed that she was not wearing the small,lapel-type pin all congresspersons are required to wear if they wish to enter or leave the building without inspection. She accused the guard of “racial profiling”;of “touching her body improperly”; and stated that she was forced to strike out in self-defense to make the man remove his hands from her. A type of repetitive hell of h arranging broke loose and sought its level in the media marshes of America. So,just today, after riding it for all it was worth, the cross congresswoman has appeared in public and apologized for something but exactly what and why we will never really know. Her lawyers made quite a thing of it and proclaimed “racial profiling” to be a major cause of anything which happens to appear to be wrong today through out the land. It is unfortunate that such off-beat incidents eat up so much of our discussion time concerning issues of genuine importance. This also means ,I suppose,that security concerns will demand that the congressional pre-approved passage pins must all be discarded. What do you think the new safe-passage secret item ought to be this time? A.L.M. April 6, 2006 [c327wds]
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
TO THE STREETS ! If you are in favor of just about anything and things are not, for some unknown reason, going exactly your way, there remains just one thing which can and must be done – that is to take it “to the streets!” That's what several hundred thousand of the good people of Paris, France are doing this evening - having a jolly old rioting time of it eagerly going against all who would oppose them, out to have a fine time running madly through the streets seeking out anyone who will try to stop them, crowding in to public places, loitering in historic squares and visiting walled courtyards usually forbidden. Water hoses, mounted on large trucks stand ready to douse any rioters ahead of them and when they do, spilling them over each other for twenty feet or more. Policemen dressed in bulky combat gear for as a shell of sorts with their long body shields and advance, looking for all the world like a giant armadillo nosing its way into a patch of swamp grass. There is something in their movements which reminds us of day when Roman soldiers went against foes in much the same fashion. It seems that those students, teachers, rioters, who are captured are well-trained in putting on a creditable dramatic with much cowering against imagined blows, twisting, falling, screaming, calling out, cringing, writhing in imagined pain, and generally contorting freakishly for any TV camera which may be clicking away nearby. After all, that is the main reason why a riot is still best taken “to the streets !” That's where the TV cameras are thicker. We had our own street gathering of disturbed citizens early in the week. They were upset over pending migration legislation. They were much better behaved than the Paris paraders who, the papers said “got a bit out-of-hand.” A.L.M. March 28, 2006 [c317wds]
Monday, April 03, 2006
TWO MEN Do the state-sponsored historic signs along Virginia's highways ever change? Does the text there ever vary with the years? As I recall from helping to get one of the sturdy, metal signs installed not too many years ago, it used to cost an associated sponsoring group about three hundred dollars or so. I was a charged with writing the copy to be used on the sign we did and requirements were strict and rightly so, concerning content and length. There is going to be very little re-writing or editing being done Year ago, probably in the 1950's judging by my notes at the time (thoughtlessly undated, of course) I was impressed by the state fact that two men were members of the Union force which faced General Jubal Early of the Confederacy, September 18th and thereabouts, during that which we now call “The Third Battle of Winchester” which we can imagine was not called by any such tidy terms few years later -war of those men would be further tested when called upon to do their best in the same job, which, like the making-of-war, they have never done before. There is no indication that the two men ever knew each other. “Rud” as close friends called the older man, was a married man who had three children and a fourth one on the way back in Ohio. He was one who readily attracted attention, however, so the younger soldier hailed from a won named Poland in north easterly Pennsylvania. “Rud” had been named a “.”when he indicated he was a eager to be an active war to fight seditonists and slaveholders. He believed, almost to a fault, that an officer should always lead his men into battle. Five times wounded in battle, it was his personal leadership of leading his men at the battle of Occoquan. In later days of the war. Back home people urged him to run for Congressmen. He agreed, but absolutely refused to do any campaigning. while in the army. Our second soldier was named William, so Billwas, what his friends tagged him. He alwaystook pride forhavbikng ellisted as a private soldier He stayed so for three months; was upped to Commisary Sergeant, Quartermaster and the Adjuant. then “Veteran”'. No doubt“Rud” who finished as a Brigadier General,. would have welcomed William as one of his troopers. Each man, in turn, became Commander In Chief: President Rutherford P. Hayes and President William McKinley. A.L.M. April 3, 2006 [c447wds]
Sunday, April 02, 2006
TOO MUCH?Are we trying too hard? That information we now call “ the news” comes to our attention in a complex mixture from ever-widening sources. Each and every one of these sources has the ability, and a marked tendency, to modify their version of the story which is, after all, is a prime reason for becoming either a basic or a secondary source. Are we looking at a forest that is far too large to be seen other than as the few trees right in front of us demanding our attention? Are we subject to error in the choice we make due to the very multiplicity of items spread before us? Are we, in effect, drowning in a riptide of information for which we have very little practical use? I find all of these points seem to apply my particular situation. The find a way to improve y I tried scoring myself on “Jeopardy” and, for a time I found the scoring helped me by showing me, very clearly, at I was fair to good on some type of question dismal on others. I needed practice in both area, and I found such a place by going to www.Iwon trivia. They offer some daily quizzes which are firm enough to merit trying them. I find doing a set a of these worthwhile. They are available daily in a variety of subject. There is a “General” quiz covering a variety of subjects – which I find I am more relaxed and “at home”. Other subjects include: “Movies”,”Music “,”TV shows”, “Tech Talk”....right on through and including “Sports” - which is my personal nemesis. When you complete each quiz, you are very quietly scored – your percentage and you see your standing among others who have taken the quiz that day. Some days you will be rather proud of your accomplishments and on others disappointed. Give it all a little time, however, I am sure, you will begin to see marked improvement in even your lowest marks. There is a very sound and sensible reason for this growth factor. Notice, as you read your scores that your answer was incorrect you get not only the right answer but also information about the subject which will enlarge your knowledge of the subject and you from making that mistake again. I have no idea who writes these “Iwon trivia” quizzes, but think of it in this way: If a quiz writer wants to keep on being a successful one, he or she, will be interested in keeping their customers happy. You come away from each session as a better informed,more knowledgeable person. I am grateful for this special help and I’m passing the idea along to you. Let me know if you,too, find it to be helpful. A.L.M. April 2, 2006 [c474wds]
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