Date posted: May 9, 2008 - Friday
Title: TW3 05/09/08
Current mood: busy
The Irrelevant Service?
The Iraq war has brought awareness of the Army and Marines to the forefront of the American consciousness, but what about the Air Force? I'm sure they have some role in the Iraq conflict, but the service's public image is not being exposed as much.
Well, apparently that has come to the attention of the Air Force brass as well.
Over the years I've heard about the battles in Washington D.C. between the services for influence and funding, even a battle for enlistments of the most qualified people. And I guess the flyboys thought they were losing ground. So they have come up with a new television commercial.
My image of the Air Force has been predicated on those movies of the 1950s. You know the ones I mean. Where Jimmy Stuart was the pilot flying the huge planes that patrolled along the Canadian border watching for Soviet missiles flying over the pole to destroy America. The missiles which would launch our nuclear response and wipe out the nasty Russians. And the new commercial plays on that history of missile defense, but puts a new threatening spin on things.
Picture outer space and a communications satellite floating overhead. The voiceover talks about how we could lose cell phone communication, banking records and life as we know it if this satellite is destroyed by a missile launched by a hostile foreign country.
Really?
Are we that dependant on a single satellite for our communication with the world? And just what country has the hostility and the technology to achieve such an aim? Is this really a credible threat?
Somehow I suspect this is a manufactured threat being used to raise the consciousness and image of the Air Force. And I resent it.
The protection from Soviet nuclear missiles may not be the primary mission of the Air Force any more, but I am sure they have valid jobs they are dong. But protecting us from hostile destruction of communications satellites just seems a little far fetched. And reviving Cold War paranoia seems to be an ill-conceived idea for improving the public profile of the Air Force.
The Politics of Rudeness
I have noticed an ugly tone to this year's Democratic campaign process. Maybe old line Democratic regulars are right and the party is eating itself.
While the candidates have, for the most part, maintained an air of civility, the rhetoric from others in the party and supporters of the candidates has been downright rude at times. And there have been surveys which say supporters of one Democratic candidate will not swing their support to the other person if their candidate loses the nomination.
This was demonstrated again Wednesday at a Clinton rally in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Tuesday's voting results gave Barack Obama an even bigger lead over Hilary Clinton and again prompted calls for her to leave the race. Clinton was at Shepherd University in a quickly arranged appearance to declare her intention to keep battling until the convention. Most of the crowd listened and applauded in the appropriate places, but she was also greeted with boos and rude remarks from Obama supporters. Clinton was introduced by her daughter who was greeted with cries of "End the dynasty."
I cannot support John McCain and I have no great love for Hilary Clinton. And while he may be a good guy, there is just something about the candidacy of Obama I can't get behind. I think it is the blatant media support pushing for his election as the Democratic candidate which disturbs me. While the news reports teeter on the edge of neutrality, there is an underlying current of disbelief anyone could support another candidate besides Obama. He has been anointed by the media as "the candidate." And his supporters attack and denigrate Clinton as rudely as hard-line Republicans. If Obama was a Catholic I would expect to see canonization papers for his sainthood filed any day.
There has been much talk about Obama drawing new, young voters to the campaign with his rhetoric and vision. There is also speculation that support may not translate into votes in November because younger voters are notorious for not following through when it comes to casting ballots. But the reaction to Clinton on Wednesday shows one thing. The young voters seem to lack the ability to contemplate the idea of their will not being preeminent and they don't treat someone who opposes them with respect.
Television - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Interesting things on TV catching my attention in recent days.
Usually good or interesting commercials are few and far between. You can count on the Super Bowl producing a few, but during the rest of the year they are rare. That's why I found a recent AT&T commercial really fascinating.
It starts showing exotic looking flowers. As they bloom they produce cell phones in a variety of colors. Eventually the phones develop into a seed like some plants have with fibers that allow them to float on the wind. I found it really pretty and interesting to watch.
Public service announcements are spotty in their quality. Far too often they take a harsh and preachy tone. One of these I have seen recently is an anti-smoking ad. It talks about the dangers of second-hand smoke and goes on to describe how it can seep through wall outlets, air ventilation ducts, floorboards and other cracks.
The commercial shows a child coughing as a result of smoke from somewhere else. Essentially it points out if someone in one apartment smokes it could effect the people in another apartment.
Let me state at the outset I stopped smoking over 30 years ago. Still, this kind of scare tactic disturbs me. We already have non-smoking regulations in public places, bars, restaurants and a raft of other locations. I have to assume this commercial is aimed at making apartment buildings non-smoking.
I don't mind advocating a point of view, but the use of scare tactics seems to be far too common a technique these days and I resent it.
CBS is hyping its' upcoming summer season. We have already had a chaotic television season because of the writer's strike and the attempt by networks to fill their airtime with reality shows and junk programming.
Now we are back to seeing some of the shows that started this season in September (those that didn't get killed by the strike), but the end of the current season approaches about the middle of this month. And the summer replacements sure don't look good if the example I saw is typical.
Apparently the people at CBS seem to think we are longing for a return to the 70’s, and for more racy fare. So what are they hyping? A series called "Swingtown". Yep a couple changes neighborhoods and winds up in a community of wife-swappers.
Give me a break! Just how low can the networks sink?
I Owe How Much?
The crisis in the economy has been moving along for a while now. And, yes, it is a crisis even though some sectors of the government still have their head in the sand about things.
It was all sparked by the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market. And now it is filtering through almost every aspect of the economy that touches our lives every day.
Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, Monday called for "concerted government and private sector response."
Nice call, Ben, but don't you think it could have come sooner? And what makes you think the government can make a concerted effort on anything?; or a timely one?
I don't hold out much hope for swift action by either the government or the private sector. They have been debating for some time now how to approach the housing crisis and just look at the weak efforts that have been made. A $600 tax rebate. A call (much opposed and ridiculed) for a summer hiatus from the federal gasoline tax. Seems like a case of too little and maybe too late.
In his remarks this week Bernanke said, "Realistic public-and private-sector policies must take into account the fact that traditional foreclosure avoidance strategies may not always work well in the current environment. High rates of delinquency and foreclosure can have a substantial spillover effects on the housing market, the financial markets and the broader economy."
Ya think, Ben?
The interesting part of Bernanke's appearance at the Columbia School of Business were the charts he unveiled. His visual presentation showed mortgage delinquency rates, job losses and home price changes. The point was job losses aren't the thing which explains delinquencies. The charts revealed areas where delinquencies were high were also areas where home prices had fallen.
He pointed to the use of so-called piggy-back loans. These are loans where there was a low, or even no, down payment. They were used extensively in the years when home prices were soaring. People who got the loans were betting on the value of the home increasing to the point where they could tap equity to pay their bills.
But the housing market didn't continue to soar and now these people may owe more on their homes than they are currently worth; a condition called being "upside down” or “underwater."
My point in all this?
I think it justifies my long-held belief that you have to look at your home as a place to live and raise a family and not like some kind of savings account or stock market account that will continue to grow and make you rich.
Can I Have A Latte While I Make A CD and Buy A Book?
All your media needs under one roof?
Maybe.
Borders is changing the way it does business in some markets to fight the declining sales of traditional books.
A poll conducted by the Associated Press in 2006, one in four adults did not read a single book of any kind that year. And apparently those who do still read are increasingly turning to e-books. Sales of e-books have grown at a rate of 55.7 percent a year since 2002. This is compared to only a 2.5 percent increase in traditional paper book sales.
To fight this trend and refresh its' business Borders is starting a pilot program at 14 of its' retail outlets to expand the media opportunities for customers. These stores will contain a digital center where customers can mix their own CDs, download books and music, publish their own books, trace their ancestry and create digital photo scrapbooks. Borders had already created a partnership with coffee house Seattle's Best creating mini-cafes in some of its' superstores.
While some industry analysts are skeptical the new approach will catch on, Borders says the new approach is just reacting to the market. "People read in so many ways these days, and we're adjusting to accommodate what people want," said Tim Anderson, vice president for the western region of Borders. "People want to be excited by their shopping experience -- online or in-store -- and this concept resonates with the future of retail and what retailers have to do."
While traditional books still dominate the publishing market, sales of audio books and e-books are increasing every year. Last year traditional book sales were $5.1 billion. Audio book sales increased 19.8 percent to $218 million. E-book sales increased 23.6 percent to $67 million.
But with the shift of consumers to downloadable digital media, Borders is just trying to avoid the fate of music giant Tower Records which closed all its' U.S. stores in 2006.
Most experts believe the traditional book won't become obsolete, but traditional booksellers may have to make changes to address the changing market.
Nope, Don't Save Him
A task force recently came up with a list of who would and who wouldn't be saved if the U.S. suffers from a flu pandemic or other disaster.
Saying the scarce resources like ventilators, medicine, doctors and nurses have to be used in a uniform and objective manner, these people have made the call on who qualifies to be treated.
The task force consisted of people from prestigious universities, medical groups, the military and government agencies like Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.
So if you fall into one of these categories you can kiss your ass goodbye if a major disaster strikes.
* People older than 85.
* Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
* Severely burned patients older than 60.
* Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
* Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.
I don't know, but this strikes me as a little callous and a violation of the precepts of medicine. And just who makes the call as to whether or not you fall into one of the "severe" categories? Maybe we ought to improve the system and the availability instead of just giving up and saying "let them die."
Quickies
It's long after the football season (although already some teams are holding mini-camps to get veterans and rookies working again) and I thought all the hoopla about last season was over. Not so.
The NFL was quick to dispose of 'Spygate' slapping both the club and the coach on the wrist for videotaping the coach's signals from the opposing team. All clear. Just an isolated incident declared the league. There were rumblings the New England Patriots had been doing it for a long time, but no evidence ever came up.
Not any more!
This week Matt Walsh, who had been an employee of the Patriots in their video department, turned over to the league copies of tapes the team had made of six games between 2000 and 2002. These were sophisticated, edited tapes that show the opposing coaches giving signals and then a view of the following play as it was run; sometimes from two separate angles. And for those who don't believe this helped the Patriots a review of their games against these teams after the ones that were taped shows the combined record was 31-9.
The world may not be totally saved from the Evil Empire, but at least it was given a small reprieve this week. Microsoft walked away from its’ bid to buy out Yahoo.
For some time now Microsoft was pressuring the Yahoo board to accept its' bid to buy the company. Bill Gates' Evil Empire was looking to take over the Internet company and gain a larger share of the online advertising business. Not content with a near monopoly of the software industry, Microsoft now wanted to knock off Google as the leader in Internet advertising as well.
The Yahoo board kept saying no. It wanted more money from Microsoft. And Microsoft sweetened its' offer, but not to the level the board wanted. The board was even threatened with a hostile takeover if it didn't settle for what Microsoft wanted to pay.
It was looking more and more like a proxy fight at the upcoming Yahoo shareholders meeting and then Microsoft walked away.
The company claimed it would find a different way to achieve world domination. OK, it only said it would go in another direction to expand its role in Internet advertising.
Yahoo isn't off the hook yet. Microsoft may not want to buy it, but the board now has to face angry shareholders who thought they were going to get rich on the fat dollars Microsoft was offering for their piece of Yahoo.
I missed relaying this piece of information a while back, but I thought it was worth note. They handed out the Pulitzers a while back and along with the normal awards for literature, drama, history, biography and such came a special award that impacted the world of Rock n; Roll.
Yep, Bob Dylan got a special Pulitzer award in the area of music. The citation in part noted his, "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."
OK, snide remark here. Do you think any rap singer will ever be recognized by the committee for the poetry or impact of their work?
Finally recognizing what is approaching a world food crisis, Republican congressmen called on the EPA to change its’ rules that call for a fivefold increase in ethanol production in the next 15 years.
Duh. Ya think there's a problem guys?
