Senator Ted Kennedy has done it.

So has Mitt Romney, Chris Matthews, Wolf Blitzer and Dan Rather.

The New York Times has even written a story about it.  Click here to read it.

Tonight, I joined the list of those who accidentally said Osama instead of Obama. (Just Google "anchor confuses obama osama" and you'll see what I mean.)

It was not intentional of course, and it came when I was trying to read a story from my back-up copy instead of the teleprompter.  As I tried in vain to maintain eye contact with the camera, I made the mistake.

Believe me, I do my best not to make mistakes, but occasionally they happen.

Do I regret it happened?  Yes.

As I have been told, you can't unring that bell.  

Twenty years ago, WALA sent me and a team of newspeople to cover both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.  It was part of a group effort by the company that owned us at the time, Knight Ridder.  I anchored our coverage, live by satellite (no mean feat back then), introducing stories put together by our reporters, photographers and producers.  I also selected sound bites from the various featured speakers to be played during our late newscast, and the following morning during a wrap-up I taped and fed back to Mobile.

The Democrats met in Atlanta at the Omni as they prepared to nominate Michael Dukakis, the Massachusetts Governor.  It was my first time covering a national political convention and it was an exciting time for me.  Our group (all the Knight Ridder television stations) had a limited number of "floor passes", which as the name suggests, would give you access to the convention floor and the delegates.  We had to share them in 15 minutes increments, which barely gave you enough time to squeeze past the hoard of delegates and reporters, say hello to someone, and fight your way back.  The rest of the time, we had seats in our news perch, high above and to the right of the podium.

Say you don't remember the Democratic convention of 1988?  Sure you do, or at least have heard of what happened there.  

For example, I remember the late Ann Richards, then state treasurer and soon to be Governor of Texas, using her most pronounced Texas drawl to refer to George Herbert Walker Bush as the man born with a "silver foot in his mouth".  And then there was the young Arkansas Governor who droned on for so long, that he got the biggest cheer when he said, "In conclusion...". That was of course, Bill Clinton, who probably saved his political career by going on the Tonight Show to talk with Johnny Carson about it. I honestly don't remember what Dukakis said during his acceptance speech.  That may have been a sign right there.

By the way, the 1988 Democratic convention was the place where Joe Biden received exactly 2 votes for the nomination.

The following month, all of us took the shorter drive to New Orleans, for the Republican National Convention and the nomination of the current President's father.  As opposed to the Democratic convention, where the WALA crew was scattered in rundown hotel rooms across downtown Atlanta, in New Orleans we stayed at the Hilton on Riverwalk.  Much nicer accommodations!

This was the convention where George H.W. Bush unveiled his "Thousand Points of Light", and coined the phrase that led to his demise 4 years later, "Read my lips..no new taxes!"

It was during the Republican convention that one member of the Knight Ridder staff brought our attention to an article in a financial magazine that quoted the president of the corporation saying Knight Ridder was thinking about selling off its television division.  It is probably why, when the convention was over, somebody from corporate invited all of us (and there were a lot of us from all the Knight Ridder stations) to "Breakfast at Brennan's".  The bill must have been tremendous, but a meal never tasted as good.

First ,I want to say that; I love Mobile, it is where I was born and raised. My gripe is that Mobile's mayor is a money grubbing tax rangler. I live in Eight Mile and I am indirectly affected by this annexation of Semmes Wal-Mart. We shop at this Wal-Mart because it is convient and the taxes are way less than Shillengers Rd. I wish Sam Jones would get through his thick head that we in the Semmes area do not want to be apart of Mobile and it's stupid high tax system! Sam Jones is going about these tax grabs in the wrong way and he knows it! It is a shame that Mobile's mayor cannot come up with a more logical way to get money. The only original idea this idiot can come up with is to grab high profile tax areas and force his ideas on others through the behest of free freakin trash pick-up. How about actually saving some money and doing away with duplicated programs that do not work or that are not being used.  I wish that  the people that do acually get to vote on this stuff would realise that we will all have to pay for this bad idea in the long run and on the back end of it all. But alas, all  of those idiotic people that vote for a dummy  like this, see is, the free promise moderated that is right in front of them and not all of the high taxes and bad benifits that follow down the road. We have to vote this guy out ASAP and protest him as much as we can. He is going to ruin our area before we even get going good. In closing Sam Jones is being crooked and it shows on his interviews with TV, he knows exactly what he is doing and it is WRONG. VOTE NO ON ANNEXATION!!!!!!

As Tropical Storm Fay approaches the Gulf Coast, Fox 10 News is ready to provide the information you need to keep you and your family safe, whether it's through Fox 10 or this website, fox10tv.com.

Next year could be more challenging, after analog television goes away and television stations across the country switch to digital transmission.

I've brought up the issue before, here on this blog.  What happens to the family with a battery-powered analog TV that can't pick up a signal?  Or the portable radio that can no longer pick up television audio?

Here's the response to those questions I just received from the Federal Communications Commission.

A battery-powered analog television will not receive local broadcast station transmissions after the February 17, 2009 transition deadline unless it is connected to a digital-to-analog converter box.  Like televisions, digital-to-analog converter boxes require electrical power to operate. 

There are currently no battery-powered digital-to-analog converter boxes on the market.  We understand that a company called Winegard plans to offer a battery adaptor for their DTV converter, and they are targeting the end of August.

In addition, new battery-powered digital televisions are currently available in retail stores and online.  These televisions can receive digital broadcasts without additional equipment.  They are marked with words such as “Integrated Digital Tuner,” “Digital Tuner Built-In,” “Digital Receiver,” “DTV,” “ATSC,” or “HDTV.”  A few models are currently on the market, and manufacturers are developing additional models.

Bottom line?  If that old, battery powered TV or portable radio that currently picks up TV audio is your only lifeline to emergency information, start looking for a replacement before the 2009 hurricane season. 

in a time of hardship almost a depression we have companies that are suppose to be here to help instead they hurt you instead companies like baldwin emc that have the only market on power came up with this new idea that if your late on your bill they will charge you a new deposit which i believe is wrong since you have no choice but to use there power its not like you can go some where else how do they expect people to survive with the economy the way it is there has to be something we can do to stop this madness im mean come on now everybodies late every now and then especially in this day and time all it is is another way to get the little man just like the gas companies they can do whatever they want and you only have one option and thats to pay pay pay

I just received my 2 "credit cards" for digital TV converter boxes.  You should apply now, too.

The plastic cards, issued by the U.S. Government are worth $40 each toward the purchase of a device that will allow your old fashioned (analog) television to receive state-of-the-art (digital) television signals.

Don't wait until the last minute to apply for them.  You can be sure there will be a run on the boxes as we get close to the cutoff date for analog broadcasting next February.

To me, even if you have satellite or cable, it makes sense to get a converter box anyway.  How many times has your cable signal unexpectedly disappeared?  At least if you have a converter box, you can hook it up to your rabbit ears or outdoor antenna, and you're good to go.

Remember, analog TV goes away forever in February, 2009.

For more information, go to http://www.dtv2009.gov .

Every couple of years, the Pew Research Center for People and the Press releases a study on how people get their news.  If you ever wondered why newspapers like to take cheap shots at television, the first line of this AP story will give you the answer:


      NEW YORK (AP) - Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are
instead getting their news online, but television remains the
leading source of news in the country, according to a survey
released Sunday.
      Not surprisingly, younger people tend to get more of their news
on the Internet, while older folks use traditional media such as
television and newspapers, the Pew Research Center's biannual
survey on news consumption habits said.
      Pew said the results show an increasing shift toward online news
consumption, but that there is now a sizable group of a more
engaged, sophisticated and well-off people that use both
traditional and online sources to get their news.
      The Pew researchers referred to these people as "integrators,"
and says they account for 23 percent of those surveyed, spending
the most time with the news on a typical day.
      "Like Web-oriented news consumers, integrators are affluent and
highly educated. However they are older, on average, than those who
consider the Internet their main source of news," the survey said.
      It is this group that advertisers typically like to target,
which helps explain why newspaper publishers have seen sharp
declines in ad revenues as spending shifts online.
      Pew found that the largest group of news consumers - 46 percent
of those polled - have a "heavy reliance" on television for their
news at all times of the day. This group is the oldest, with a
median age of 52, and least affluent, with 43 percent unemployed.
They are unlikely to own a computer or go online for news.
      Overall, among those who get some of their news from TV, fewer
are watching the 6:30 broadcast network newscasts, and instead
opting for cable news sources such as CNN or Fox News Channel.
CNN's audience is now majority Democratic, while 39 percent of Fox
News viewers are Republicans, 33 percent Democrats, with the
remainder independent or didn't specify.
      The group that relies most on the Internet for news is the
youngest at a median age of 35. It is also the smallest, at 13
percent of those polled. Fewer than half of them watch television
news on a regular basis. Eighty percent of this group has a college
education and they are twice as likely to read an online newspaper
than a printed version.

  The emergence of this group and the shift among integrators
online led to an overall decline in the percentage of people who
said they read a newspaper the day before, to 34 percent from 40
percent two years ago, the researchers found. That is also
reflected in a shift in the industry that has seen circulation
figures slip in recent quarters.
      The beneficiary of less print newspaper consumption has been
other online news sources, with about 25 percent of the people
surveyed saying they go to an Internet site for news at least three
times a week. That's up from 18 percent in the 2006 survey.
      Pew found that consumers of online news tend to be more educated
than those who get their news from traditional sources, with 44
percent of college graduates saying they read news online every
day. Just 11 percent of those who topped out with a high school
education go online for news.
      About one-third of those younger than 25 said they get no news
on a typical day, up from about 25 percent in 1998.
      The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates
International. It polled 3,615 adults 18 years or older by
telephone between April 30 and June 1, and has a margin of error of
2 percentage points.

   I would be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge that the percentage of people who watch local TV news is also down.  That is why we spend so much time and effort updating our website throughout the day, and trying to include as much video as possible, something that newspaper sites are trying to do, if you notice..

EPA on HOW TO CLEAN UP A NEW LIGHTBULB.

Humans use mercury in a variety of manufacturing processes and products such as thermometers and fluorescent bulbs. If you improperly dispose of products with mercury in them, they may break and release mercury vapors which are harmful to human and ecological health.

• Dispose of used mercury-containing items properly.
• Clean up mercury spills properly and report them to the proper authorities when necessary.

---

Spills What Never to Do with a Mercury Spill

• Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury (but see the "What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks" section below for more specific instructions about vacuuming broken fluorescent light bulbs). The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.

• Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them.

• Never pour mercury down a drain. It may lodge in the plumbing and cause future problems during plumbing repairs. If discharged, it can cause pollution of the septic tank or sewage treatment plant.

• Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct contact with mercury should be discarded. By "direct contact," we mean that mercury was (or has been) spilled directly on the clothing. For example:
  • if you broke a mercury thermometer and some of elemental mercury beads came in contact with your clothing, or
  • if you broke a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) so that broken glass and other material from the bulb, including mercury-containing powder, came into contact with your clothing.

  You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, like the clothing you happened to be wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.

• Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around.

Top of page

What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are lighting more homes than ever before, and EPA is encouraging Americans to use and recycle them safely. Carefully recycling CFLs prevents the release of mercury into the environment and allows for the reuse of glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights.

EPA is continually reviewing its clean-up and disposal recommendations for CFLs to ensure that the Agency presents the most up-to-date information for consumers and businesses. Maine's Department of Environmental Protection released a CFL breakage study report on February 25, 2008. EPA has conducted an initial review of this study and, as a result of this review, we have updated the CFL cleanup instructions below.

Pending the completion of a full review of the Maine study, EPA will determine whether additional changes to the cleanup recommendations are warranted. The agency plans to conduct its own study on CFLs after thorough review of the Maine study.

Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal below. Please also read the information on this page about what never to do with a mercury spill. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

• Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out. Make sure all pets are removed from the area. Open all windows and doors to the outside; shut all doors to other parts of the house.

• DO NOT allow children to help you clean up the spill.

• Mercury can be cleaned up easily from the following surfaces: wood, linoleum, tile and any similarly smooth surfaces.

• If a spill occurs on carpet, curtains, upholstery or other absorbent surfaces, these contaminated items should be thrown away in accordance with the disposal means outlined below. Only cut and remove the affected portion of the contaminated carpet for disposal.

• Cleanup Instructions

  1. Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.

  2. If there are any broken pieces of glass or sharp objects, pick them up with care. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.

  3. Locate visible mercury beads. Use a squeegee or cardboard to gather mercury beads. Use slow sweeping motions to keep mercury from becoming uncontrollable. Take a flashlight, hold it at a low angle close to the floor in a darkened room and look for additional glistening beads of mercury that may be sticking to the surface or in small cracked areas of the surface. Note: Mercury can move surprising distances on hard-flat surfaces, so be sure to inspect the entire room when "searching."

  4. Use the eyedropper to collect or draw up the mercury beads. Slowly and carefully squeeze mercury onto a damp paper towel. Place the paper towel in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.

  5. After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of small paint brush and gently "dot" the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see beads. Alternatively, use duct tape to collect smaller hard-to-see beads. Place the paint brush or duct tape in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.

  6. OPTIONAL STEP: It is OPTIONAL to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb the beads that are too small to see. The sulfur does two things: (1) it makes the mercury easier to see since there may be a color change from yellow to brown and (2) it binds the mercury so that it can be easily removed and suppresses the vapor of any missing mercury. Where to get commercialized sulfur? It may be supplied as mercury vapor absorbent in mercury spill kits, which can be purchased from laboratory, chemical supply and hazardous materials response supply manufacturers. Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics a dark color. When using powdered sulfur, do not breathe in the powder as it can be moderately toxic. Additionally, users should read and understand product information before use.

  7. If you choose not to use this option, you may want to request the services of a contractor who has monitoring equipment to screen for mercury vapors. Consult your local environmental or health agency to inquire about contractors in your area. Place all materials used with the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag. Place all mercury beads and objects into the trash bag. Secure trash bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.

  8. Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority or your local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

  9. Remember to keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after your successful cleanup. Continue to keep pets and children out of cleanup area. If sickness occurs, seek medical attention immediately. View information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury. For additional information on health effects, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides a Mercury Fact Sheet that also presents information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury.

  Recommendation: If there are young children or pregnant women in the house, seek additional advice from your local or state health or state environmental agency.

  Top of page

  Spills of More than the Amount in a Thermometer, but Less Than or Similar to Two Tablespoons (One Pound) Cleanup Instructions

  1. Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out.
  2. Open all windows and doors to the outside.
  3. Turn down the temperature.
  4. Shut all doors to other parts of the house, and leave the area.
  Don't vacuum.
  5. Call your local or state health or environmental agency.

  Top of page

  Spills of More than Two Tablespoons (One Pound)

  Any time one pound or more of mercury is released to the environment, it is mandatory to call the National Response Center (NRC). The NRC hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call (800) 424-8802. Note that because mercury is heavy, only two tablespoons of mercury weigh about one pound.

• HOW IS THIS BETTER????   ANYONE?

• www.poedpatriot.blogspot.com

• gc

Why did it take so long for the MSM (mainstream media) to pick up on the John Edwards' scandal? Phil Bronstein of the San Francisco Chronicle may have said it best. "Most MSM in general had stayed away, picking at it with their noses held, as if looking for something valuable in a moldy dumpster," said Bronstein.

I think it comes down to elitism.  You can be sure if one of the networks or the wire services ran with the story first, everyone would have converged on the story.  But since the story broke in the National Enquirer, no one in the MSM wanted to be seen following up the Enquirer's lead.

Clark Hoyt, the Public Editor for the New York Times wrote this weekend, "I do not think liberal bias had anything to do with it. But I think The Times  — like The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, major networks and wire services  — was far too squeamish about tackling the story."  He continued, "But The Times did not try to verify it, beyond a few perfunctory efforts, which I think was wrong....I think it was a mistake for Times editors to turn up their noses and not pursue it." Hoyt quoted the Times' executive editor.  “There was a tendency, fair or not, to dismiss what you read in the National Enquirer,” Keller said. “I know they are sometimes right.” 

The Times, with all its reporters and resources, could have tried to independently verify the story.  It just didn't want to.

John Edwards was clearly more than just your run-of-the-mill adulterer. If you remember, he made his family a cornerstone of his presidential campaign. During his interview with ABC News (an interview he requested, perhaps because he knew it would air while most of the world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics) he said of his affair, "It happened during a period after she [his wife, Elizabeth] was in remission from cancer, that's no excuse in any possible way for what happened." How he could possibly think that makes it any more acceptable is beyond me.   

Was Edwards telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth during the interview?  He wasn't under oath, so there is no way of knowing.  But I do believe he was telling the truth when he tried to explain why he chose to betray his wife and family.  He had to do with the allure of political power.

Edwards said, "... I went from being a senator, a young senator to being considered for vice president, running for president, being a vice presidential candidate and becoming a national public figure. All of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want. You're invincible. And there will be no consequences. And nothing, nothing could be further from the truth." 

I think every student should be given the opportunity to TRY OUT for football...male or female!

Also, every College football game I have ever attended there are MALE cheerleaders, so what is the differnce?

I see nothing wrong with a female football player...maybe the team is scared she may show the guys up!

 

I don't know if anyone else is encountering this, but I went to the dentists recently and was charged what I was told was my cost after the insurance company pays its share. When I contacted my insurance company- they informed me my dentist over charged me by almost two hundred dollars.
When I called the dentist office it was explained to me that the overage I was charged would be placed in an account and used for future dental work when needed. It was explained as if it were a mandatory procedure. My insurance company informed me that it was basically unlawful to do so unless I initiated it.
I called the dentist back and they continued to insist this was a mandatory procedure. When I explained what I had been told by my insurance company, in frustration she said we'll mail out your check this week.
If you're overcharged the excess monies are yours to do with as you please. Don't let them tell you any different.

It was an unusual project for a seventh grader.

During my first year in junior high school, we had to do book reports and, in conjunction with our art teacher, had to produce a cover for the report that illustrated the theme of the book.  I chose a book at that been in the news a lot back then.  It was called, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a Russian survivor of Stalin's death camps.

The book was Solzhenitsyn's first-hand account of living and nearly dying in a labor camp.  He was sent there because of an innocuous comment he made about Josef Stalin in a letter.  The book was a rare look behind the "Iron Curtain" as it was called then, and took the wind out of the sails of anyone who still had a romantic vision of life in Soviet society.

I had always enjoyed History class, so the book was a natural for me. I used construction paper to make a brown building for the cover that was surrounded by thin, copper wire which I had knotted in places to resemble barbed wire.  I got an A.

I kept reading Solzhenitsyn and following his career, including his expulsion from the Soviet Union, his exile in the United States and, after the fall of Communism, his return to Russia.

During graduate school, Solzhenitsyn became a topic, not of a book report, but of a research paper based on the author's "hero" status in the United States.  My premise was that, if most Americans actually read his books instead of just buying them and storing them on a bookshelf, they might be shocked.  Solzhenitsyn did not believe the Soviet Union would readily adjust to western-style democracy, because it simply wasn't in Russian tradition.  They went from being ruled by the Czars to ruled by the Soviets.  Democracy, as we knew it, was simply not in their DNA.

Secondly, Solzhenitsyn condemned the western-style business model that required higher and higher profits, year after year.  He believed an expectation of infinite growth was not sustainable, and could lead to its collapse.

His death this past weekend was his ultimate triumph.  He outlasted the regime that did its best to humiliate and destroy him.

Our childern need boundaries and so far, we are allowing them to make decisions from their own conception of their fantasy world, which is causing a lot of to conflicts in our community.  The lack of good parenting is not just from the one parent discipline procedures, but also from TV role models which is confusing to them.  We have bonbarded our childern with video games  and allowing them to listen to the music of their choice.  We are confusing them. Many of them are not in church because of either clothes since we have invested in the uniform policy in the school system , or the lack of faith in our religious institutions that the parents are spending their budget to keep up the growth of the child and Christian living has been deleted from their lives.  The schools no longer have values or religion taught in them, not that this is a prequisite for the teachers, however, teenage pregnancy is evident and many of them are falling in between the cracks.  There is too much Idle time on their hands and we definitely need a curfew.or positive programs develop in our community.

Once in a while, I come across an article that I can't wait to share.  This is one of them.

In Friday's issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Thomas H. Benton writes about a number of books that offer opinions about declining standards in education, and the dumbing down of America.

He points to Naomi S. Baron's book, Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, which blames electronic communication for impairing "students' ability to write formal prose...it discourages direct communication, leading to isolation, self-absorption, and damaged relationships."

As Benton continues, "..the prevalence of multi-tasking--of always being partly distracted, doing several things at once--has diminished the quality of our thought, reflection, self-expression, and even, surprisingly, our productivity."

Sound familiar?

He cites another author who claims extensive use of the Internet is rewiring our brains for "skimming" rather than sustained concentration needed to read books or listen to lectures.

To quote from Benton again, "It seems that our students are dumb and ignorant, but their self-esteem is high so they are impervious or hostile to criticism".

Finally, he sees too many students that are, in his words:

    *Primarily focused on their own emotions — on the primacy of their "feelings" — rather than on analysis supported by evidence.
    *Uncertain what constitutes reliable evidence, thus tending to use the most easily found sources uncritically.
    *Convinced that no opinion is worth more than another: All views are equal.
    *Uncertain about academic honesty and what constitutes plagiarism.
    *Unable to follow or make a sustained argument.
    *Uncertain about spelling and punctuation (and skeptical that such skills matter).
    *Hostile to anything that is not directly relevant to their career goals, which are vaguely understood.
    *Increasingly interested in the social and athletic above the academic, while "needing" to receive very high grades.
    *Not really embarrassed at their lack of knowledge and skills.
    *Certain that any academic failure is the fault of the professor rather than the student.

As a part-time college teacher, I can tell you his observations are on target.  I once had a failing student tell me that I couldn't fail him, because his family was coming for graduation (he didn't graduate).  I had 2 other students who saw no problem with one copying from the other one, saying she just "wanted to help".  Others drop hints that, "I have straight As coming into your class...", trying to guilt me into giving a high grade.

What do you think?  Is Benton on target?  If so, what should be done about it?

When you think of southern literature, authors like Truman Capote, Harper Lee, William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor come to mind.  Each in his or her own way wrote about the extreme characters found here in the Deep South.  A story that broke overnight in Mobile might have interested all of them.

It has to do with a murder.  Not your usual, all-too-common murder.  Just consider the elements of the story:

• The suspect's name is Anthony Hopkins.
• The body of a woman was found in a freezer in his home.
• It might be the body of his wife, who disappeared three years ago, but was never reported missing.
• He's also accused of sexually abusing a family member.
• And, police arrested Hopkins in Jackson, Alabama where he was in the middle of hosting a revival.

I can't wait for the New York Times to get a hold of this story.

UPDATE:  As if those details aren't enough, after watching Renee Dials' story tonight about Hopkins appearing with his children as a musical ensemble, something clicked that sent the story climbing up the creepy-meter for me.

I introduced Anthony Hopkins during an event.

He and his children provided musical entertainment for a non-profit group for which I served as the MC.  I remember the family, dressed neatly and behaving perfectly, and the story of how he was raising the children after his wife "died at childbirth", as we were told. 

To me, my Mom was a pretty typical TV viewer; she liked what she liked because she liked it.  While she was living in Connecticut, I would ask her what newscast she watched.  She'd tell me and I would try to find out why.  

"Was it the quality of the writing or reporting?", I asked, "The way the graphics looked?".

No, it wasn't any of the explanations I brought up.  "I like that person," she would tell me.  "She dresses well", or "He has a nice smile".  She wasn't watching a newscast so much as inviting some old friends to visit each day.  (This may be why she also enjoyed watching HSN and QVC).

Those running this year's political campaigns know the power of images all too well.  The importance of imagery may be the only thing on which Chris Matthews on MSNBC and Bernard Goldberg on Fox agree.  The campaign that exploits this power of images may be the one that wins the upcoming election.

Speaking of that, I was watching a news show that talked about the latest poll numbers in the presidential campaign, and it struck me how misleading those figures are.

We don't elect a president by simple majority, as Al Gore could tell you.  A candidate has to win in the electoral college which may be why the candidates won't spend a lot of time stumping for votes in Alabama (they may come here for money, but that's a different part of the campaign).  Alabama is expected to go Republican. Period.

Florida is a different story.  It's leaning Republican, but not entirely in that column.

Rasmussen Reports keeps track of voter preference in terms of  the electoral college vote.  Right now, Barack Obama is leading, but there are still months to go before the only poll that really counts, the one on Election Day.

My heart breaks for the family of the slain officer.  His wife and children are in my prayers.  My heart also breaks for the family of Mark Rohlman.  I grew up just down the street from the Rohlmans and remember Mark, and his brothers, as sweet, friendly, nice kids.  It is so difficult trying to connect Mark with the horrible events of the past 24 hours.

How was Mark able to escape from a pysch ward multiple times?  Sneaking out once seems unheard of, but more than once?  What responsibilty does the hospital have to protect its patients and community?  Please tell me that an investigation is ongoing so this tragedy does not touch yet more Fort Walton families.

Newspapers across the country are hurting and the Internet is to blame.  That's the bottom line of a study conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.  Read it and see for yourself....The bold type is mine....
 
     NEW YORK (AP) - The many and deepening cuts at newspapers across
the country are starting to take a toll on their content, according
to a study being released Monday.
      The challenge newspapers must meet immediately is to find more
revenue on the Internet, according to the Project for Excellence in
Journalism's study, called "The Changing Newsroom: What is Being
Gained and What is Being Lost in America's Daily Newspapers."
      Newspaper managers need to "find a way to monetize the rapid
growth of Web readership before newsroom staff cuts so weaken
newspapers that their competitive advantage disappears."
      Stories are shorter overall, the study found, and staff coverage
tends to focus on local and community news.
      "America's newspapers are narrowing their reach and their
ambitions and becoming niche reads," the study said.
      Even when foreign and national news makes it into the papers, it
is being relegated to less prominent pages.
      "To make the front page, it has to be a significant development
or a story that we can see through Florida eyes," said Sharon
Rosenhause, managing editor of the Fort Lauderdale-based South
Florida Sun-Sentinel and a longtime newspaper executive.
      The reasons for the newsroom cutbacks are well known: Newsprint
costs have jumped, and advertising and circulation revenue have
quickened their descent this year as advertisers follow readers
online. Newspaper Web sites capture only a small fraction of the
revenue lost as they sell fewer print ads, which fetch more money.
      "The seams and threads are beginning to show in U.S. journalism
even though newspapers are by far the greatest source of news,"
Lou Ureneck, chairman of the journalism department at Boston
University, said Friday.
      The PEJ study surveyed senior newsroom executives at more than
250 newspapers and interviewed editors at papers in 15 cities to
document the way these cuts have affected newsrooms and the quality
of their product.
      The results show that papers carry fewer stories on foreign and
national news and devote less space to business, science and arts
reporting, and many have reduced the crossword puzzle and
eliminated television and stock listings.
      Many editors said they must ask reporters to cover more beats,
reducing their ability to produce authoritative stories. Others
said, in what may create a vicious circle, that staff cutbacks
reduce their ability to shape coverage to fit their communities'
needs, and Ureneck said that coverage is shrinking.
      "This is a strategic move not driven by lack of demand but (by)
a revenue model that is broken," Ureneck said.
      Still, 56 percent of the editors surveyed said their news
product is better than it was three years ago because coverage is
more targeted.
      "There's an improvement in enterprise, in investigations and in
the coverage of several core beats," the study quoted an unnamed
editor of a large metropolitan daily talking about his staff's
coverage, not the makeup of the paper overall.
      Local news is "very essential" to their product, according to
97 percent of editors surveyed, and they said that's where they're
putting a larger share of their shrinking resources.
      "They are giving a greater piece of a smaller pie to local
news," Ureneck said. That makes sense because where they can
"develop the most expertise and strongest bond with readers is
covering the local community."
      The newsroom is much younger than three years ago, and reporters
are more technology savvy and able to meet the demands of print and
online stories, according to the study.
      Editors once leery of producing content for the Web are
increasingly embracing its potential to diversify readership and
improve journalism, even if it sometimes saps print resources.
      "Editors feel torn between the advantages the Web offers and
the energy it consumes to produce material often of limited or even
questionable value," the study said.
      The Web speeds delivery of news, allows interaction with readers
and opens nearly infinite space for news.
      "The downside is that is has eroded the advertising base in
print publications, and that is by far the main source of revenue
to pay for large news staffs," Ureneck said.
      Editors see the ability to track readership of any specific
story online as an advantage for improving content. It provides an
"indisputable link between strong editorial content and the kind
of higher readership that attracts advertisers," the study said.
      The editors, 97 percent of whom said they are active in trying
to develop new revenue streams, can then convince the advertising
sales staff to become more targeted in selling to the Web.
      Many said, though, that they were uncertain improved editorial
content would ensure a bright future - especially since most
organizations failed to anticipate the changes that have wracked
newsrooms in recent years.
      Only 5 percent of the editors surveyed said they were confident
they could predict what the newsroom would look like in five years.
      "I feel I'm being catapulted into another world, a world I
don't really understand," Virginian-Pilot editor Denis Finley told
PEJ. "Things are happening at the speed of light."
      The results of the survey, conducted online by Princeton Survey
Research Associates International between Jan. 29 and Feb. 29,
include responses from over 50 percent of U.S. papers with 100,000
or more in circulation and more than 30 percent of papers with
50,000 to 100,000 in circulation.

Department of Corrections (D.O.C ) is wanting to take the jobs of 24 blind vendors. These vendors are located at D.O.C. locations all over the state of Alabama. It will not only affect them but also, their employees and families. They dont want handouts or pity. They want to work like everyone else! Please help support the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind and help these vendors keep their jobs!!!!!!!!!!  Please leave your comments.

Anyone have any info on the robbery that just took place at Dottie's Country Store in Gulfcrest?  I heard that one person was shot, and South Flight was in route.  The robbers are still on the loose.  This is becoming an everyday occurance, and is ridiculous!!  What are these people gaining by robbing?  Are they collecting enough money or goods to last a life time or is it a quick fix?  It is very obious that these animals do not treasure life.  I am irrate, and sick of hearing about the daily robbings. My husband and I both work, and we still financially struggle.  Never has it crossed our minds to steal, rob, or kill.  I hope that there are others that will join with me, and let our voices be heard. Our only hope is for believers to stick together, and pray for forgiveness and safety.