Swine Flu Hysteria

The only thing spreading faster than the so called “Swine flu” is the misinformation about the disease, it’s causes and effects, thanks largely to an unfiltered media and the millions of internet posts from around the world by ignorant people.

I am certainly no expert on health, but it does seem a bit over-the-top, the way that we are reacting to this ….what has it been called? PANDEMIC? Take out the “DEM” and you are left with PANIC, which is where many people are headed.

The problem is not in the quality of information coming from credible media sources. It is rather the TONNAGE of “coverage”, from every angle and every corner of the earth.

The 24-hour cable news networks have to put SOMETHING on—and they, like the rest of us-are sick and tired of hearing about how bad the economy is. So, being true to their mission of filling our waking moments with as much death, doom and disaster as we can stomach- now these media types have a new toy to play with—The Swine Flu…or..excuse me, what is it? The H-1-N-1 Flu.

That’s a catchy name.

Whatever the effects-and I am not dismissing the sickness and death caused by this flu, the truth is that our reaction is (in my humble opinion) all out of proportion to the level of the threat. I learned today that over 36,000 people die every year in the U.S. from the good ol’ fashioned REGULAR flu. To me, that’s A LOT of people, but is doesn’t make headlines-because it is somewhat normal and expected. Many of these victims –and perhaps some of the swine flu victims—will actually die of underlying and pre-existing medical conditions that surface in the wake of any flu’s attack on a person’s immune system. So, did these people actually DIE of the flu? Or did they die from other causes brought about by the flu?

Common sense needs to take over-below is a short video on the symptoms of the Swine Flu. No hype, no nonsense, no hysteria:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wK1127fHQ4

Here’s hoping you stay healthy and happy!

Obama's First 100 Days

Hard to believe that President Obama has been in office for 100 days-as of today.

Regardless of your views on what he has done (or not done), you have to at least concede that he and his administration have not been idle.

From the economy to foreign affairs to stem cell research—and NOW, dealing with the swine flu, it has been a whirlwind of activity perhaps never before seen.

Personally, I think it’s a lot to ask of ANY President to judge their performance based on what amounts to just over three months on the job. Hell, I’d still be roaming around the White House looking for the executive rest rooms!

Obama will hold a news conference tonight-and although Fox is the lone holdout in the network coverage (they refuse to cover it), there will likely be a very large audience to hear the President’s assessment of what he has accomplished-or started in these first 100 days.

Below is a video of “people on the street” and their thoughts on Obama’s first 100 days in office..

Enjoy!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhqOFGWRUXY

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The Speed Of Sound

As a radio guy, I am fascinated by sound—and by the physics of how sound travels.

On my show, my voice travels from the microphone into the studio equipment-from there, it journeys several stories to the top of our building at One City Center in Portland.

From there, it enters a microwave system that sends all of the audio-voice and music on 94.9 WHOM to the summit of Mt. Washington, nearly 80 miles away (as the crow flies)-this, after having broken done the analog signal into a digital stream.

At the summit, the signal is received, converted again and sent to the transmitter, which then feeds an antenna system that allows all of WHOM’s programming to be heard on radios throughout Northern New England. The time between when a word is spoken and can then be heard on the air is virtually INSTANTANEOUS. In fact, the greatest delay results from the analog to digital to analog conversion processes- and not the distance that is traveled.

Of course, many radio stations use a “delay” system on purpose—it allows someone to delete objectionable content before it is broadcast. Here at 94.9 WHOM, we generally don’t have to worry about one of our DJ’s uttering a forbidden word. Callers are recorded, so there is no chance of listeners offending the audience either.

Enjoy the short video about the sound barrier—incredible how a jet breaking that speed of sound not only emits a “sonic boom”—but also a VISIBLE phenomenon that is nothing short of spectacular!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d9A2oq1N38

Some of us DJ’s talk fast, but I don’t think any of us will break the sound barrier anytime soon!

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Have a terrific day!!

Ya Gotta Love YouTube!!

What on earth did we ever do BEFORE YouTube?

Well, this blog would largely not exist (and of course the value of THAT can be debated)-as I use a YouTube video clip every day-to either reinforce my feeble points-or to showcase something interesting that I have found.

While many useless videos exist, burning up untold hours of viewing by millions of users, there is something there for everyone-and plenty of knowledge and expertise that used to come expensively is now at our fingertips for free.

Case in point-and I am a bit embarrassed about this, but here goes:

My college age son had one of his bicycle tires slashed on campus. We went to visit him this weekend and purchased a new inner tube and tire at a large sporting goods chain. After the purchase, we were informed that their in-house bike shop could not install said tire because the “technician” was not in that day.

Of course, I said—“How hard can it be to change a bike tire?” I am 50 years old-have ridden bikes all my life, but never had to actually change a tire on one.

I found out.

While the rest of my family went grocery shopping, I told them that I would try to mount the new inner tube/tire while they went inside. So, here I am in the parking lot, wrestling without tools and losing miserably to the rim from hell. Very entertaining to my fellow parking lot inhabitants, some of whom I am convinced are delaying their entrance or exit from the parking lot in order to watch my epic struggle.

After my laughing family comes out with the groceries to discover the carnage I have wrought in a public place, we decide to drop back 15 and punt.

So, I go to You Tube and type “changing a bicycle tire” in the search bar. MANY search results, but this one from Expert Village (which presumably aggregates experts in many fields to instruct idiots like myself on a variety of topics)—this one caught my attention and I decided to share it with you:






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oFXewhx3BE

Looks easy, doesn’t it? Looks like I have my evening planned-and I’ll let you know how I did, assuming my efforts tonight don’t include a trip to the emergency room!


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It’s free!

The Birth Of The PC-And The Evolution Of Attitudes

IBM introduced the very first Personal Computer-or “PC” on this date in 1981.

Main frame computers were already prevalent, used by business and government for years. In this stage of infancy, though, mistakes were rampant-and mistrust about computers was the norm, leading to maxims like:

“To err is human, but to really $#%& things up requires a computer!”

So, we fast-forward 28 years-and the feeble IBM PC (that at the time was state-of-the-art) now has less computing firepower than your digital wristwatch-a lot less. We are downloading entire movies, carrying around cell phones that are internet-capable computers—with features not even dreamed of back in 1981.

As the technology has changed, so too have our attitudes towards the reliability of computers. Now, it’s more likely we will collectively trust the output on ANY computer over the word of ANY human. We are much more likely to have made the mistake-the computer will likely be dead-on.

Is this progress?

I guess so, but it was always convenient to be able to blame a machine-even if the error was human input into that machine.

I wasn’t able to find an IBM TV ad from 1981, but I did dig up one from the Commodore 64, which was the market leader! What happened to them is the stuff of business legend-infamy, really, but it is entertaining to see from the commercial:

a) how little firepower these boxes had and
b) how EXPENSIVE they were!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okHAmAxztNk

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Have a great weekend!

I Scream For Ice Cream!!!

The surest sign of Spring is not the melting of snow, the days getting longer, warmer or even the start of baseball.

When neighborhood ice cream stands open for the season, THEN I know that winter has gone for good (at least until next year)-and it’s time to DIG IN!!!

I am a huge fan of what Dairy Queen calls the “Blizzard”---ice cream with chunks of peanut butter cups or other disgusting fattening candy ingredient mixed in! Every ice cream stand worth their salt will offer THEIR version of this delectable treat. Although they each call it something different it’s clear that whatever name they use will imply that you, the customer are a pig for ordering one.

I am, therefore, a pig.

A happy pig, willing to stand in line in inordinate amount of time waiting for my pimply teenage ice cream pimp to prepare my treat, which should be served in a brown paper bag, such is my shame.

Ah, summer (and late spring) means ICE CREAM, loaded with gobs of tasty gunk! Bring it on!.. Here’s an old Meadow Gold TV commercial I thought you would enjoy:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYVu4hY11ZI

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Enjoy!

Happy Earth Day!

It was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist. A day set aside to observe the value of our planet-and the importance of taking a proactive approach in keeping it green (or restoring it to such a state)

The first Earth Day was in 1970-and was thought to be the primary domain of hippies and other fringe groups. This was probably the case-as so-called “tree-huggers” led the way to a revolution that is now embraced (at least nominally) by the public at large-and corporate America, which sees profits in “being Green”.

Ecological awareness DID increase—and later that same year, the Environmental Protection Agency was established to enforce laws-both on the books and those still to be enacted—to protect Mother Earth!

On the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990, more than 200 million people in 141 countries took part in festivities and activities—a far cry from that lonely first year!
Different groups celebrate Earth Day on different days. The United Nations observes Earth Day on the vernal equinox, which usually falls around March 21st.

I can’t say that I am an active environmentalist, but I do see the value of recycling and make sure that all paper products at home and the office get recycled. Little things add up to BIG things—and the following video ( a bit cheesy) may give you some tips on how to be more “green” at work!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5RlwMzQiQg

If you’d like my blog in your e-mail box daily, just let me know! NO WASTE OF PAPER!! Tim.moore@citcomm.com

Make your daily contributions to conserving, recycling and re-using a habit-and lead others to follow your example!

Old Marital Roles-As Depicted On TV

Enjoy the old Folgers Coffee TV commercial below—but try to watch it WITHOUT cringing—or throwing something at your screen!

It is extremely entertaining-but only because we shake our collective heads in DISBELIEF that anyone could actually conceive of a scenario where a wife would allow that cretin of a husband to judge her based on the quality of her coffee—and then she sits idly by while he insults her efforts to PLEASE him. To top it off, his insults actually prompt her to seek out help!

Of course, it’s Folgers Instant Coffee to the rescue! And, as expected, the situation resolves itself to everyone’s satisfaction-as the coffee is now tasty, the husband now satisfied-and the wife is happy because her husband is. Maybe there are men out there that dream of a return to those days, but I am not one of them.

Let’s watch the video, then contemplate how things might play out in 2009:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMvQ-WWbWfc

Here’s how that scene would likely roll out today:

a) Husband insults wife’s coffee
b) Rolling pin to the head, delivered by wife
c) Husband, recovering enough to remember his next line, unfavorably compares the coffee at home to that which “the girls” make at work
d) Frying pan to the head, this time delivered with more force
e) Wife still investigates Folgers Coffee after ambulance arrives to take husband to the hospital
f) Wife notices the improvement in taste-and her satisfaction comes from not only having tastier coffee, but also in knowing that her husband is unlikely to insult her in the future.
g) Husband agrees that Folgers Instant Coffee is delicious and decides not to press charges


Another happy household—and another satisfied Folgers customer!

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It’s free—and even tastier than Folgers Instant Coffee!!

Patriots Day Means Avoiding Work

Happy Patriots Day!!

Now here’s a holiday you can appreciate…and maybe one you don’t get. OK, the banks are closed, some government offices are shut down-are you off the job? No, even though you are as patriotic as the next guy/gal, you are at work. Maybe you are secretly keeping up with the Red Sox game(they won it) or the Boston Marathon (it's over and someone you never heard of won it), but you are on-site, getting the job done.

Patriots Day is one of those weird holidays-New England-only in scope, but many companies don’t observe it anyway, mine being one of them.

Of course, you don’t need an officially sanctioned holiday to avoid work. Many of our colleagues are experts at “looking busy” whilst accomplishing absolutely NOTHING. Either they have maxed out the “sick days”, “personal days” or “mental health days” that companies provide—and/or they have become especially adept at actually showing up-but doing nothing at all. This takes some skill, but each of us in any workplace can identify those people who manage to dodge duties and responsibilities that the rest of us are saddled with.

In fact, it is usually only the BOSS who is completely unaware that our lazy colleague is…well…lazy. He or she will usually conclude that our do-nothing peer is really a hard-working individual. That’s because our hero is totally focused on deceiving that one person. Memos, e-mails and in-the-hallways conversations with the boss always portray an associate with their nose to the grindstone. The truth, of course, is that said nose is BROWN, but not because of any grindstone.

While this may cause resentment among those who ARE actually working, it shouldn’t. Take heart in the fact that you are EARNING your paycheck and really making a contribution to your firm—or the customers that it serves. You’ll sleep better knowing that your energy is directed towards DOING, not in DECIEVING.

Of course, if your inclination is the other way, you’ll find the following videos both humorous and useful-the first is just a link (embedding was blocked) and the second comes in both video and link mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYgtUvgYi8U





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-5kNeHuvgY

If you’d like my blog in your box daily (it’s no work for me to send and reading it may look like work to your boss), just let me know! Tim.moore@citcomm.com

Excuse me while I avoid work for a moment to surf the web….have a great holiday!!

The Odd Couple Rides Again!

I am taking the easy was out today-as it has been “one of those days” where even going to the restroom was a stretch! Too busy to even tend to THAT kind of business!!

An old college buddy sent me the following two clips from the hit TV show “The Odd Couple”, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman—and I laughed out loud! I completely forgot how much I enjoyed that show—and just how hilarious it was! Terrific writing combined with masterful comedic timing in the acting made Felix and Oscar a HUGE hit!

One of the first attempts at creating a TV from a hit movie starring Walter Mattheau, the prospects for a small-screen version were not good—but TV’s “Odd Couple” proved to be bigger than the movie, in much the same way (albeit it to a smaller degree) as M*A*S*H.

Enjoy the following clips-when TV could get a laugh without sexual innuendo (or at least not as much as we see today!)




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgIN4I6LzQk



And now this one, where Jaye C. Morgan has another way of delivering Felix’s “masterpiece”



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4ii0gbf3Q


Have a great weekend!!

Cat People Versus Dog People

Although my family now owns a beautiful Golden Retriever named Molly-and for 14 years before that, another Golden named Kacie, I grew up with cats-or I should say CAT (George Meloon). It’s fair to say that I love critters of all kinds, but I think that most people can be divided into two groups:

1)Cat People
2)Dog People

These groups each tout the virtues of their preference-and at the same time discredit the merits of the OTHER group. Dogs are friendly, cats are aloof. Dogs require walking and help relieving themselves, cats are self-sufficient. Dogs are good with children, cats can be dangerous.

While my cats have all been rather social, the bad rep of a few tends to be spread across all cats in general. My wife, for instance, is NOT a cat person. When she married me, it was for better or worse, which in my case was that I came equipped with Eunice the Cat. While Eunice is now destroying furniture in heaven, she co-existed with Kacie for several years with no issues, other than the fact that the dog (entering the house as a puppy which had previously been ruled with an iron paw by Eunice) was scared to death of the cat. This made for many embarrassing moments for a dog that eventually became about 8 times bigger than the feline she was afraid of---it never dawned on the hound that she could have snapped Eunice in two once fully grown--great entertainment for us, which of course is the entire point of having a pet.

If you love cats, you will love the following video clip. If you HATE cats, you will still love the video:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvo-g_JvURI

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The Sea Dogs Media Home Run Derby

Well, yesterday was my big day. The day every boy dreams of…walking to the plate of a big ballpark, bat in hand and taking in the roar of the crowd as he approaches the batters box to face an ace hurler….

WAKE UP!!!!

OK, so it wasn’t Fenway Park—but it was the beautiful Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox AA Team. And maybe the crowd wasn’t exactly ROARING-as they were just starting to arrive for a 6pm game. Spotty at best for the expected 5:20pm start. And maybe I wasn’t facing an ace pitcher. It was a pitching machine, but let’s not let reality get in the way of my fantasy, allright?

The event was what is billed as the First Annual Media Home Run Derby, pitting area radio and TV people against each other for bragging rights-plus the use of a skybox for an upcoming Sea Dogs game. I can assure you that NONE of us were disappointed that this display of athletic prowess was scheduled before the stands were full of people.

First of all, to call it a “Home Run Derby” was in itself a laugher. Not one of us got close to putting one over the wall. The point system was as follows:

Hit in the infield: 1point
Hit that makes the outfield: 2 points
Hit that flys to the outfield: 5 points
Hit that rolls to the wall: 10 points
Hit that strikes the wall in the air: 20 points
Home Run: 40 points

Each batter received 2 practice hits, then 3 swings that would count.

As I walked to the plate, wearing my Varitek Red Sox shirt, I was hoping that I wouldn’t mimic his hitting in 2008. All I wanted was contact. It wasn’t lost on me that I was standing in the very spot where players like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury stood (among countless other big league stars)

First practice pitch—WHIFF!!!!!
OK…concentrate Tim….the eyes of my colleagues are upon me! Luckily, I connected on the next practice pitch and went three for three on the ones that counted. Two were hard shots into left field and one was a fly ball into left (I’m a natural pull hitter) That was good for a total of 9 points. Not enough to make the top three, but luckily nowhere near the bottom of the scoring either. I don’t remember who was where in the final totals, but everyone had a terrific time!

For me, it truly was great fun-and I was given a Sea Dogs cap as a souvenir—I was so pumped I wanted to get into the game! Sea Dogs were a winner over the Rock Cats! Thanks to the Seadogs for a terrific event—and just look out for ol’ Mr. T next year!

Check out the video of the Sea Dogs Experience below to get a feel for how great it is to see a game at Hadlock!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BieU-GGM2wA

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GO SEA DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Was It Like To Be At Ford's Theatre?

Can you imagine being in the audience for “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington 144 years ago TODAY?

A range of emotions were experienced-from elation that the Civil War was officially over, to the thrill of knowing the President of the United States was in the audience—and then the confusion as you witnessed John Wilkes Booth leap to the stage after shooting Abraham Lincoln. Then came the horror and realization that you had witnessed the murder of our Chief Executive.

If you’ve ever been to Ford’s Theatre, you know it still has a eerie feeling about it. Same for the house across the street when Lincoln died the next day-where the blood-stained pillow that was next to his head is preserved in a glass case.

April 1865 was a momentous 30 days in our history, but perhaps no day remains burned in our national psyche as that of April 14th, where the President, truly relieved and, according to his wife, truly happy-met his violent end. The plot, of course, was extensive-as Secretary of State Seward was also a victim and the Vice President was supposed to have been.

Watch the video clip below for further background:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qAeFjCscRY

I have often thought that I would have liked to have been in Washington on that fateful night, but only in hindsight can one truly appreciate the man and the President that Abraham Lincoln was. At the time, emotions on his term was mixed-and it’s hard to believe that many in the nation (even above the Mason-Dixon line) rejoiced at the news.

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Masters Classic Choke

Indulge me with another GOLF blog, OK?

After watching Kenny Perry self-destruct yesterday, I can at least now appreciate those golfers of great skill who manage to control their nerves enough to get through the final holes without becoming unglued.

It was sad to see Kenny Perry follow a near ace on the 16th hole—with a pair of bogeys on the last two holes-forcing a playoff with Chad Campbell-and the eventual winner, the Argentinean Angel Cabrera. Perry was rock solid throughout the tournament-making his way across Augusta National with solid play. Not a birdie machine, he grew his below par score of –12 by generally not giving up bogeys or worse. That is..until the final two holes. He would have been the oldest player to EVER win a major tournament of any kind-and at 48, he may never get another chance. Like all of us weekend golfers, he will spend much time pondering the “what ifs” of those last two holes. A par on either would have garnered the coveted (albeit ugly) green jacket.

But it was not to be.

Chad Campbell could have had it too, but he squandered his second shot on the first playoff hole and then failed to save par. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, for all of the hype and early round heroics-also failed down the stretch. Phil choked with mis-hits at Hole #12 and a missed eagle putt at 15, I believe. It is notable that as poorly as Tiger played (for Tiger anyway), he was still only 4 shots short of making the playoff.

Angel Cabrera, whose unathletic frame used to be accompanied by multiple packs of cigarettes chain-smoked in a round—managed to fool everyone and steal the tournament crown from those who the pundits said were a lock. Every weekend golfer should learn from one thing from his performance: YOU ARE NEVER OUT OF IT UNTIL EVERYONE IS DONE!

Rewind to the first playoff hole, 18, re-played. Angel hits his tee shot into the woods, then proceeds to ricochet his second off a few trees. Meanwhile, both Perry and Campbell are sitting pretty in the fairway with their tee shots. Who, at THAT moment, wouldn’t have bet a million dollars that Cabrera would be out?

Well, he wasn’t….and the perseverance to have NOT given up at that point makes his eventual victory even more deserved!.

So, Kenny Perry wasn’t the oldest Masters winner ever---but the youngest winner ever-Tiger Woods---did it on this date 12 years ago! His record 270 still stands, as does the 12 stroke margin of victory. Below is a “Masters Moment” that recounts that achievement:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75h5QEeKL7Q


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Next up-The Players Championship!! I’ll be rooting for Kenny Perry!

I Love The Masters!

I look forward to this week all year long! The world’s best golfers converge on Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters.

Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT a “PGA” event. In fact, the PGA has always been a bit jealous of the standing that the Masters holds in the hearts and minds of golfers worldwide. The Masters, born from legend Bobby Jones-is an independent event of the USGA-and a profitable one at that!

Naturally, the focus is on Tiger Woods, playing in his first major tournament following a season-ending knee operation. This, of course occurred AFTER he won the U.S.Open in dramatic fashion last year with a bum leg.

Who knows if Tiger will be able to pull it off? At this writing, he is into his second round and is several strokes off the lead. If anyone can do it, he can. There are other stories worthy of attention.

Greg Norman at 54, qualifying after his 3rd place finish in the British Open last year-has endured his share of pain at Augusta National. Besides a couple of runner-up finishes, his lingering legacy (and one that may unfortunately define his career) may be the complete MELTDOWN he suffered in 1996. He entered the final round with a 6 stroke lead and proceeded to become completely unglued-losing to Nick Faldo. Along with new wife, former tennis great Chris Evert , Norman has his “mojo” back and could contend this week.

There’s Padraig Harrington, who won the last two majors, looking for the “Paddy Slam”. Add to the mix names like Phil Mickelson, defending champ Trevor Immelman-and even aging former title holders like Larry Mize, who scored well enough in the opening round Thursday to be just a few strokes behind.

Here’s a little Masters clip of the AMAZING Tiger Woods chip in 2005 on Hole 16 to get ya juiced!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qkBFGpNPC0

No matter the spread-and no matter who wins, there will be drama galore-and long after the hidden eggs have been found and the chocolate bunnies consumed, my Easter Sunday will be capped off with TV viewing of final round Masters action!



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FORE!

Beatles Breakup!

It was on this date in 1970 that Paul McCartney announced the breakup of the greatest rock band the world has ever known. Of course, by then the cracks were already showing in the Beatles relationships.

First, it was the almost constant presence of Yoko Ono in the studio that rankled the other three fourths of the Fab Four. John and Yoko were inseparable, but the bizarre behavior that led to the installation of a bed for Yoko in the Abby Road studios was symptomatic of the many idiosyncrasies that drove a wedge into the creative juggernaut that took the world by storm a mere six years earlier.

While fans mourned the breakup-and many blamed Ono directly, the truth was that all four Beatles had become different people with different aspirations. All four members dabbling with drugs only accentuated the problems that were already lying close to the surface.

John was less inclined to create music that was “pop” in the sense that it needed to be a “hit” with a mass audience. Paul, ever the capitalist, felt the opposite. For George, a growing resentment of his pecking order in the band, especially with regard to songwriting was beginning to surface. His gravitation to Eastern philosophy and music, while influencing all of the Beatles-still separated him from the rest. As for Ringo, sheer boredom from being excluded from so much but the actual recording in the studio finally took its toll.

And then, there were the business deals. Below is a clip of an interview with John and Paul regarding the Apple label and associated businesses. When you look closely, you can see already see the strain, even though this interview was conducted in 1968:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYMWofSqWNQ

Luckily for us, the recorded legacy of the magic created by the Beatles will be with us and enjoyed by millions forever. The Long and Winding Road had to come to an end someday…and that day was today, some 39 years ago.

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Baseball Is Back!

Great to see the Boston Red Sox opened the 2009 campaign at home with a big win over the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays yesterday, 5-3!

Beckett throws a terrific game, AL MVP Dustin Pedroia hits a homer-as does Jason Varitek—and a game postponed from Monday starts the season off right!

There is no other game like baseball-combining the fascinating aspects of the game itself-with the community-building facets that have made baseball truly America’s pastime !

It was on this date in 1974 that Hank Aaron broke the all-time home run record belonging to Babe Ruth by slapping #715 out of the park-the video is below in a tribute to the Atlanta Brave superstar:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FlP_r1-lPU
Regardless of what happens to the Sox this year, I’ll be there-cheering them on all the way—and enjoying the chatter with friends and family about our “boys of summer

No More Superstars?

It’s entirely possible that there will never be another SUPERSTAR musical performer.

Now that’s a rash statement, but the evidence leans that way.

Why?

Well, the complete fragmentation of pop culture into ever smaller slices of a pie that used to be a homogeneous group is virtually guaranteeing that the lack of MASS EXPOSURE will make the outcome (no standout artist or group) a moot point.

Consider the history of the megastar in our culture since the age of mass media.

1940’s-Frank Sinatra
1950’s-Elvis Presley
1960’s-Beatles, Rolling Stones
1970’s-Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Elton John
Bruce Springsteen(fragmentation starting?)
1980’s-Michael Jackson, Madonna, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi. Police, etc

From here, things really splinter-and even in the 60’s, you could add in the Beach Boys, etc. There are a lot of people left out—and groups like U2 that span more than one decade. The point is that the fragmentation of media, which first shows up as radio “formats”-created subsets of fans and “superstars” only within that smaller group of fans.

It was on this date in 1956 that Elvis appeared on the Milton Berle Show-a show that was watched weekly by a HUGE percentage of the American population (hence no fragmentation) Ed Sullivan garnered the same huge audience, especially when the Beatles showed up. The Elvis appearance on Milty's show is featured in the clip below:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcG0gnld6OI

As we continue to move into our own little world of musical niches, we isolate ourselves from the commonality of experience that was actually defined by LESS CHOICE. All of America watched “I Love Lucy”---were we complaining that we only had two or three channels to choose from?

No! We were grateful for this new medium called “television”.

The huge audiences garnered by “American Idol” are today's closest example of a pervasive media experience. You can always find someone to talk to at the office about “Idol”. Not as easy to find someone who watched “Ultimate Kick Boxing”. With music, it’s getting harder to find an artist whose popularity transcends formats (or iPod barriers!) to be known and enjoyed by masses in numbers large enough to make that artist a superstar.

And I think we are the worse for it.


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Birth Of The American Cinema

It was on this date in 1902 that the very first movie theatre opened in the U.S. It was (appropriately) in Los Angeles—in a tent! It was called the Electric Theatre and admission was about 10 cents!

My, what a long, long way we’ve come in a little over a hundred years! From “Kinetoscopes” developed by people like Thomas Edison—to the digital creation and transmission that we enjoy today! Short films of less than a minute were shown before vaudeville acts. From there a system of renting the films came into existence and was the precursor for the way it’s done today.

Can you IMAGINE what it would be like to yank a turn-of-the-century citizen into an IMAX theatre—or any other—to witness the films we have today? Aside from the content onscreen-cars, computers and machines of all sorts that didn’t exist back then—to the incredible special effects that most of us take for granted!

View this movie trailer for the new Transformers sequel and try to put yourself in 1902 shoes watching this very clip! Think of how you would react if you saw this:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmgbbGJW6ZE

I, for one, appreciate the enormity of putting such a production together, for even a couple of seconds of action on the screen could take weeks or MONTHS of work or programming to accomplish. Although I disapprove of the real destruction that occurs to make movies, the computer-generated effects now mean that a lot less material is actually wasted in the making of today’s thrillers!

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Lights, camera, ACTION!

A Non-Smoking April Fools Day

Here’s hoping you were NOT a victim of an April Fools Day prank today! Gotta keep your guard up-as there is nothing “practical” about being the butt of a practical joke.

It was no joke on this date in 1970 when President Nixon signed legislation banning cigarette and cigar advertising from TV and radio. At the time, tobacco companies represented the largest advertising category on television.

Despite growing evidence that tobacco was linked to cancer, the powerful industry lobby worked overtime to thwart efforts to restrict advertising of their products. Nixon himself was an avid pipe smoker, but decided that the influence exerted over children by the broadcast media was pervasive enough to warrant a total ban.

As a former smoker, radio guy and advocate of free speech, I have always been critical of the selective ban this law represented. Print media was still free to accept advertising-heck, the cigarette companies could put a full page ad in “Children’s Highlights” magazine if they wanted to, but a late night TV show watched by adults was banned from airing any such ad. In fact, the last TV commercial for a cigarette aired during the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at 11:50pm on January 1, 1971

Having said that, I was surprised at seeing the following TV commercial for Winston cigarettes----where the pitchmen were none other than The Flintstones! Watch:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZvHiiWFbBU

Perhaps the regulators had a point after all. While the absence of TV and radio ads didn’t curb appeal and demand for the product (it may have enhanced it), the recent data showing declines in young people starting to smoke is good news….and THAT’s no April Fools joke!

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It’s free…and so far, not banned by any federal law that I’m aware of.