I saw this item when surfing the LA Times on the web: "College Overseer Gets Bodyguard". Apparently, a special trustee overseeing the state takeover of the Compton Community College District will receive bodyguard protection after receiving a threat to his safety.
Well, maybe that means the thuggish ways that spawned NWA still linger.
=- =- =- =- =- =-
And speaking of the LA Times, kudos to Peter Hong on his recent article about home real estate prices in Baghdad. I'm sure it taps into the Calif. obsession with home prices (one that also exists elsewhere on both coasts).
I remember Peter from his days in DC. I particularly remember one question he asked of Clinton during an AAJA convention one summer in DC. ('92 or '96? - one of those election years). [Note: AAJA = Asian American Journalists Ass'n.]
He asked Clinton about his thoughts on Japanese American internment in WWII. Can't recall exactly what prompted the question, but it seemed that Clinton's ready acknowledgement of internment camps in Arkansas (Jerome and Rohwer) made it seem that the exchange had been set up beforehand.
Of course, Clinton is a master of empathy ("I feel your pain"), and his response touched the audience of Asian American journalists. (He was speaking via satellite from Arkansas.) I don't know if Hong's question was preplanned, but I'd rather imagine that he'd known of Clinton's awareness of the issue.
Anyhow, it became readily apparent to me that this was a softball question. I remember scrutinizing Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX), who was at the luncheon, in person, representing the Republican campaign. I wondered how he could top or neutralize Clinton's remarks. Gramm's remarks that followed couldn't neutralize Clinton's empathic appeal.
(It's interesting to recall how his wife had been on the Enron board. She'd joined with a week or so of leaving her job as head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Don't wanna discuss this, 'cause it's better dealt with in other stuff you can find on the web.)
The other day, Clear Channel Radio announced that they would begin limiting the number of commercials played on their more than 1200 stations. A NY Times article reported that some stations play ads 15-20 minutes out of each hour.
I believe it, although I've never listened through a whole block of ads. Usually, when I realize that I'm listening to the start of a string of commercials or a big stretch of fundraising time (for non-commercial stations), I'll switch the frequency.
Clear channel has gotten itself into much controversy in recent years, not least of which is due to the fact that it owns the most radio stations in this country. And invests in 240 radio stations world wide. And is said to control 60% of all rock programming. And owns 37 tv stations. And owns 200 entertainment venues. And controls over 500 million outdoor displays (billboards, street furniture, mass transit ad space, etc.)
There's a website that tracks Clear Channel with a critical eye, www.clearchannelsucks.org. Of course if you wanna know the official image, go to www.clearchannel.com
I happened to be in San Antonio last week, and stumbled upon the Clear Channel World Wide headquarters. I was trying to find my way to a Borders bkstore. at the Quarry Market shopping center (off of 281), and found myself driving past the Clear Channel building.
I wonder if they've ever been picketed? Given that it's in Texas, demonstrators are probably shot first, and questioned, posthumously. (And then their balls or ears are dried and strung together as momentos.)
When it comes to broadcast media conglomerates, there are a few in this state that bear scrutiny. Such as Radio One and Sinclair.
For almost a week, my sense of smell and taste have been deprived (perhaps deleted might better description). I’m recovering from some viral bug that I picked up about 2 weeks ago. My nasal passage has been wiped out.
It came to a head last Friday morning, when I was fairly feverish. Upon staggering to my feet, I felt some aching in my elbows and swelling in my lower legs. Lyme disease? Meningitis? West Nile Virus? These suspicions of seasonal maladies swirled through my febrile consciousness. So I called my HMO and they diagnosed me as suffering some flu-like illness.
I’m on the mend, but what I’ve discovered is that for the past 5 or 6 days, I’ve been unable to taste or smell anything. Sometimes I’ve been able to detect sweetness on the tongue, or rather a sensation of warmth, but little else.
It’s very bothersome to have lost my sense of taste, because I feel it would be a waste of time to eat or cook various items. If you can’t taste the food, why bother eating it?… unless you appreciate the texture.
In some ways that’s simplified my food preparation. For example, I recently ate some hot dogs without condiments after I realized that I couldn’t taste the relish, mustard, and ketchup.