Saturday, May 20, 2006
IN YOUR VIEW We seem to be in a period during which we are hearing more-and-more criticism of current TV programing. The wireless worry warts seem to be everywhere! Seldom is there one complete day with some complaining about the loss of a favorite program, or the strange popularity of a specific show which, to them, has no merit whatsoever. Most of the time, the person making the charge has someone in mind whom the "blame" for the proper judgment about poor TV shows. It might be "the big TV production companies", "the Hollywood" or they blame "the big TV production companies", "them Hollywood movie makers..." and others for poor programming very much as we are blaming "them big oil company's" and others as being the cause of our paying the highest gasoline prices we have in decades. Seldom do we find that it can be we, ourselves be, at least a part, of the steady decline of American television in recent years and has been eating away at the bone and marrow of the industry for some time. It has, just recently experienced a hard kick in it's technology gut with marked advances in the "wireless" side of the communications world. Much of the TV scene is being shifted about. You may even have noticed the appearance of the letters "H" and "D" along "T" and "V" in the corner of your local station's ID frame and even painted on the sides of their service vehicles you see around your community. The letters tell you they have made required technical modifications necessary when we, as a nation, shift over to "high definition" television - exclusively. The technical change upcoming for everyone - viewers and broadcasters alike - will modify such industry areas as programing. The fate of channels, as we know then today in doubt. In fact the entire aspect of the phenomena we know TV to be is in a state of constant change to something which it has never been. It remains to be see how we use the newer HD TV mode. Much of what TV and the Internet are going to mean in our future depend to a large extent on what the standards of attainment become for educational potential for all citizen the nation can, and will, maintain. The educational advancement of the nations population must be safeguarded and revised for us to make best used of our technical attainments. We are self-contained now within an era in which find a multitude of vies say they prefer th 30-to- 50 year-old series programs being shown steadily on many non many channels. It appears that TV and our schools have stranded them there without guidance to newer, and potentially better level of attainment. Andrew McCaskey May 20, 2006 [c 472wds]
Friday, May 19, 2006
CULTURE CRUD I would not call myself a prude. Quite far from that, be it, herewith, recorded that neither do I get my bladder all a-bubble when life offers an innovative change from staid routines. So much of the media hype we swim in our means of listening to each other is sheer cosmetic concoctions compiled to make the mid-sets we already have even more intense and oppressing. Don't believe all you hear, see or think you did. This Di Vinci Code thing that's going the reading-seeing-roasting rounds right now, for instance, maliciously mingles medium thinking about a loose edge of theology and attaches to a story which would hardly qualify. To foist such a packet of mis-information off on the general to let them believe it to be fact rather than, as even the author of the book insists, it is intended to be read as fiction." One get the feel it is hardly worth of comment here or anywhere else. I get very much the same feeling about a "literary work" which is now in its final "road show" round for testing and and touch-up and right now it appears as if it will migrate to the United States within the next ninety days. It will, backers seem to feel, become believed, quickly accepted, praised and passed along as Broadway's favorite musical production. Even as it getting ready to be shipped out it seems unworthy. The show, which has been a sellout favorite at London's "National" Theater. The entire musical show is found upon a typical, two-day series of what blurbs have been lauding as "America's favorite TV show!" and is titled "Jerry Springer: The Opera". It is structured of a series of playlets or sketches done at a British Art Center theater to-do. The plot consists of typical Jerry Springer misfit people - to day-loads of such stellar characters and the first half of the play play sets up their problems. Very briefly one older, fat and unhappily married man, a transvestite, wants to be his girl friends baby. In their dancing she pulls his pants off and he is already wearing snow-white "nappies" - which will change to "diapers" in the American version. There is a line of dancing nurses and a fully gowned Klu Klux Klansman and white-hooded buddies burning a burning cross on stage and joined in their dance by the nurses and forty Jerry Springer, look-alikes. Jerry, having a rough day with such guests, shoots his warm up guy and is whisked off to Hello without delay to reconcile with Satan and Jesus. Who, after all is this Jerry Springer? God tries to save him and a dead guest nearby takes up for Jerry insisting he was really a rather nice fellow. He was all that bad. All he ever did was to hold a mirror to people's failings and desires so we might see them as they really are or were. Isn't it true we all want our Jerry Springer fifteen second of fame? Get ready. Watch for advance advertising lauding "Jerry Springer: The Opera". ..our next great Broadway musical production. Plan now to miss it. Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net May 18, 2006 [535wds]
Thursday, May 18, 2006
AT LAST! I am another one of those persons who has been wondering for many years and occasionally asking why we allowed an open border, more or less, to the south. Since the first bombing of the Trade Towers in New York and the incident in which a man was caught bringing in explosives into Washington State. He, it was thought at the time, had plans to bomb the "Space Needle" in Seattle. He was was caught at the border by a more-or-less routine customs check. Had he tried to come into the country from Mexico, he may well have made it. Millions of such "illegals" do so each year; some again and again. If apprehended , entire bus loads of the "immigrants" are shipped back to Mexico. Many simply take a week's forced vacation with the relatives; then, re-cross the border to their same boarding house rooms and job which have been kept open expecting their return. This situation, to me, has been a major weakness in our National defense plans and it has made our Home and security a joke. I have not understood how it was ever thought it could be ignored. Had the nation along our southern border between a strong one, and an ally, a relaxed guard might be possible, but not in the present-day Mexico. President Vicente Fox, the present head of the government, is a friend and would curb the illegal flow of his people northward if he could do so. How so many Americans expect him to prevent alien infiltration of his country and ours is beyond my comprehension. Our National Guard is stressed in many ways. It will continue to be so until such time as our leaders get enough nerve to set up an efficient draft system to provide more troops. The deployment of National Guard troops to the Mexican border, must be a temporary thing and they must be limited to policing duties, construction of roads and work stations etc. rather than rushed in to "gun' em down with assault weaponry" as TV news clips are showing them doing. Theirs is a strange role in strange moment of our history. Their presence is more valuable, perhaps, than their power as he enlarge the Immigration Regulations forces already deployed along the border but not to replace them. President Bush's action was a first step. Further innovative steps are essential to solve the Immigration problems. Putting some real teeth in existing. No more blanket amnesty for employers who go along as if things are legal when they know full well the individual is here without authorization. They know his Social Security papers are faked, his health and criminal records glossed over, yet they hire him at a low wage anyway to make some business gains. He is not even chided for such dishonesty and duplicity. Let's clean up our own act - then worry about what needs to be done to help immigrants "come over" in a proper manner. Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net May 17, 2006 [c509wds]
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
THE BALANCE There are people among us who insist that this Earth of ours and the society composing all such habitants have the world are set on downward, ruinous course. I can't believe it is so universally bad as some insist it has already become. I suppose it is natural for each generation to think of themselves as having been "put upon" to a greater degree than others; that their shortcomings were too severely punished. With such a hindsight iew, it might be possible to find some of the curative actions taken to have been too strict, perhaps, but, by and large, the balance maintained seems to have helped solved many of the problems for that partricular group or faction. Fairness not always judged strictly by numbers, but, rather, by enduring qualities of native improvements. Right now I find people who think they have it rough because they are, or not, counted as being "baby boomers." Other complainers pin the problem to "war", "The War" or specific ones such as "Afgan", "Iraq", "Desert", "Panama", various parts of old Tito-land as well as our current war on Terrorism. Various people choose aspects of these during which they were born to explain any cause of living. I have had a special lot if such eras on which I can blame all my failures. I was born during the World War I era; lived through the prosperous years up to 1929; thru all of the Great Depression years and my life changed radically to adjust to the demands of World War II and also the years of recovery after the war - always, for me, five years or so behind schedule in everything done. Yes, I agree that when you were born does play an important role in our lives and our individual accomplishments. The important thing to remember is that it must not be used as a crutch for support during all manner of ills physical or social in nature.. We must train ourselves to see the background as part of the overall picture and one of the many reasons why we have done certain things correctly...perhaps differently than others - but adequate and proper to meet today's essential needs. Use your background - what you have been - to become what you wish to be. Profit from the right choices you made; become aware of errors and avoid such pitfalls in your future. Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net May 16, 2006 [c417wds]
Monday, May 15, 2006
THE LINE UP We are just beginning to become aware of the persons who are going to be active in the process of the election of a new president in the forthcoming election. The starting list is varied and the entire list will, of course, be unknown for weeks and even months, yet. Talk about the event has started and many of those from whom we have heard this early have, certainly been considering the possibility of such a run for many years. This is something that is rarely taken without deeply seated assurances make the extremely high costs worthy. There are wide elements of such expenditure, too. It demands cash, coins, species papers of all kinds, deft banking operations and there are social and psychic costs as well for candidates, their family and close associates. Amounts can hardly be calculated, but it is an oddity that all candidates - those who win as well as those who lose suffer some such loss. We have heard one such statement from a naturally honest and forthright man Colin Powell, who has very recently when urged by many to run for the office, said he would not be candidate and the reason which guided him to say so was obviously that he did not want to put his wife and family through such a campaign as would be necessary. Such a refusal, in itself, could strike some citizens as just the sort of thing which makes him an outstanding person and they will re-new their efforts to get him to run. Other national service work - yes; but the Oval Office? No. The "Ladies First" sign is a special feature of the run this time. The banner has been waved far and wide with more courage and assurance since Hillary Clinton took on the title and political twang of being a Senator from New York. Many people quickly accepted the idea that the nominating body of the Democratic party would rush to support any such attempt by Hillary Clinton to gain the nomination. The same people, so often, seemed to accept the idea that Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice would be the Republican named to oppose her. The war of two winning women seemed a sure thing to many, but I am still of the opinion that such a run - to be a success - must wait until the American voters are ready for a female head of state. Hillary Clinton still has to prove she is not Bill Clinton all over again and Condaleezza Rice has to prove she is not black. Each...both...and neither of them can do that which is, thus, required of them. It will be a while, I feel , before the average American voter is prepared to even consider electing a woman to the Presidential office. This is, I feel unfortunate, because we are avoiding some remarkable talent and special abilities as we pass over our capable women citizens. The American citizen, who take pride in being active as a steady voter does not, unfortunately, realize how ignorant and uninformed he or she might. It may be difficult for you to accept, but many vote-casters are often totally ignorant of that for which they are balloting. So many men seem to feel all women are thus situated; women think such mis-miscreants are men. Members of one party think the culprits are simply members of any other party or faction thereof. We are hearing names now and being treated to Commencement Speeches at various colleges and universities by "presidential hopefuls." Look at that list and see how many individuals you really think you "know". Check out names such as J. McCain, H. Clinton, C. Rice, Al Gore, N. Gingrich, J. Thomson, H. Giuliano and names from your state or general area. In my own Virginia sphere , two former governors are testing New Hampshire and Iowan political currents - Mark Warner and George Allen - who may mean nothing to you just as yours are unknown in my book We all have a lot to do learning about those who are interested in running. Try to decide why you vote at all! Most important - admit to yourself who or what compels you to vote as you have done, are doing and will - most likely continue to do. Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 5-15-06 [c726wds]
Sunday, May 14, 2006
ARRAGANT AMERICANS Even as we are following established rules of conduct which should make us, at least, appear to be "regular guys", we seem to fall short of that much desired measurement in world opinion. What creates this obvious tendency in many sections of the peoples of this complex world? Is it a certain something we can put a finger and, possibly change? Or, is it caused by incidents in the past or anticipated wrongs which might occur in the constantly changing future? The "Hate America" banner , in some form or another, waves in the far corners of the Earth - even where we are, truly, all but unknown. When we find such signs we suspect they have been planted there by our enemies. This is, in all likelihood possible because among nation we have the same sneaky little jealous tendencies and enviousness which make social life into a living segment of Hell for so many malcontent individuals here in America who export their anger out of personal, deep-seated ignorance coupled, at times, with a marked tendency to refuse to conform when ,more or less, in agreement. We, at times, can be guilty of actually exporting such discontent through our oft-called "cultural exchanges" and by washing our political laundry openly displayed on international clothes lines for everyone to see and interpret by their own reasoning. Hatred comes, very often, from what we may think of as petty circumstances. For example, I had no idea that the Arapaho tribe and others, long residents of the Black Hills area of our Dakotas, North and South, objected so strongly. Many of them hate the Mount Rushmore memorial and wish the entire monument blow to bits! The May 2006 issue of "Smithsonian Magazine" (www.smithsonianmag.si.edu) has a fine article detailing the construction and its troubles. Originally, it seems, the plan called for it to be a massive represent ion of Chief Crazy Horse with lesser depictions of the Lewis & Clark Expedition and of Buffalo Bill. It shifted to other plans about like the ground Zero site in underway in New York right now. It was started in 1925 and today shows four white men, all presidents of the United States and no Indian chief at all. It all climaxed when the monument was completed in 1941. Since that time more Indians than Custer ever saw have wished it could be blown to smithereens. No doubt a few Yankee holdovers say some nasties when the see the Robert E Lee carved on Stone mountain, Georgia. In what seems to be largely a belated attempt to placate some of the disturbed persons a mega monument is now being carved on a mountain side not too far from away. The head of the new mountain is large enough to contain all four of the prexy head on Mt. Rushmore. So, there! The Natalie Halloway case in Aruba created an enmity in that so many Americans seem to feel that our F.B.I. could have solved the case in a week or so. It seemed to make little difference that the event took place in another country operating under rules and regulations of their own which are quite different from ours. his attitude and the heavy news coverage of the vents The "arrogant American" become evident in the mind of many Dutch citizens and others. Hate America banners wave in far too many lands,very ofter as offshoots of disagreement among factions here at home. The sentiment against war, for instance, can, at times, even align itself with actions leading to violence. We may think we are acting with everyones best interests at heart, but that is a vain concept because we don't even know our own intent most of the time. Back off a bit. Think it through. Question your own motives. Do you typify the "arrogant American"? Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 3-14-06 [c646wds]
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