Soft Focus on Andrea Mitchell

On the NBC Nightly News tonight I perceived the use of "soft focus" during Andrea Mitchell's report. The clear, sharp, high definition picture took a short a break. Someone must be taking lessons from Katie Couric or the original Star Trek directors. I may start shopping around for a true HD newscast.

Nevada Pronunciation Nazis

What’s up with certain Nevada citizens in enforcing a single pronunciation of their state name? They appear to discriminate against people who pronounce “Nevada” in a way they don’t approve. It reminds me of stories of French citizens who mistreat people who don’t speak French perfectly. Don’t Nevadans realize that the word Nevada is of Spanish origin and means roughly “snow covered” and the word may be pronounced using Spanish rules? Do Hispanic Nevadans agree with the strict pronunciation rule? The English language imports words from many other languages and thus words may be pronounced in several ways. That is the beauty of English. Consider the words and proper names: good, food, chassis, cigar, salmon, valet, Quixote, Mario, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisville, La Jolla, Worcester, San Jose, Thames, Botetourt, Sioux, and Sierra Nevada. To say some of these according to standard English pronunciation rules may cause confusion. Others are pronounced in several acceptable ways and still understandable. Regional accents also come into play.

Outraged Nevadans have flooded Radio and TV stations and networks with phone calls and emails when they hear a pronunciation they don’t approve. GET A LIFE! Can’t they find better things to be outraged about?

If anyone should be booed for pronunciation it should be President Bush. His misreading of “nuclear” is not a matter of pronunciation, but of illiteracy. And he seems to be proud of it.

Nevadans should chill out and be more tolerant. A person’s pronunciation of “Nevada” is not an indicator of being or not being a member of the “master race”.

CLUB 1955

1955 was the best year ever! It was a pivotal year in the 20th century. It saw the close and the beginning of eras in the fields of history, politics, science, business, civil rights, sports, and entertainment. People born that year are in Club 1955.

In the year 1955 Disneyland opened. Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat. The first U.S. advisers were sent to Vietnam. Richard Daley became mayor of Chicago. Commercial nuclear-powered electricity became available. "Rock Around the Clock" became a hit. Polio vaccine was introduced. The Guinness Book of World Records was first published. Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi. The TV series Gunsmoke and The Honeymooners started. Colonel Sanders started franchising KFC. General Motors became the first American corporation to have a yearly net income over $1,000,000,000. Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Martin Luther King, Jr. received his Ph.D. Johnny Cash released his first recordings. Elvis Presley began his professional career with manager "Colonel" Tom Parker. Congress authorizes all US currency and coins to say "In God We Trust".

1955 saw the passing of Albert Einstein, James Dean, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ira Hayes, Charlie Parker, Cy Young, Shemp Howard, Carmen Miranda, Dale Carnegie, and Matthew Henson.

The business world can thank that year for the births of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Dodi Al-Fayed. American assassin, Mark David Chapman and wanna-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr were born. The entertainment world can thank 1955 for Bill Nye, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Willis, Chow Yun-Fat, Dana Carvey, David Alan Grier, Howie Mandel, Jane Kaczmarek, Jimmy Smits, Kelsey Grammer, Ken Weatherwax, Kevin Costner, Rowan Atkinson, Sandra Bernhard, Whoopi Goldberg, Arsenio Hall, John Kricfalusi, Penn Jillette, and Tom Bodett. Politicians Mike Huckabee and Nicolas Sarkozy and Chief Justice John Roberts were born. As were writers John Grisham and Lisa Scottoline. Famous musicians born in that year include: Alexander O'Neal, Billy Idol, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Reba McEntire, and Yo-Yo Ma. The following 55ers made significant contributions to sports: Chris Berman, Doug Williams, Earl Campbell, Edwin Moses, Moses Malone, Olga Korbut, Phil Simms, and Robin Yount.

In our formative years, Club 55ers shared some significant cultural events. On TV we saw The Flintstones, The Dick Van Dyke Show, McHale's Navy, Gilligan's Island, Tarzan movies, original Star Trek, news coverage of the Vietnam War and the race to the moon... We saw the opening of movies like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Shaft, the start of the James Bond 007 series, ... Our soundtrack was the music of the Beatles, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Supremes, The Chipmunks, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"... We read The Godfather, Catch 22, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, LIFE magazine,

The 70's are a blur - they were our college years. The 80's belonged to our young children. Forget the 90's - our kids were teens.

Club 55ers rejoice - you are in (mostly) good company.

Felicitations, malfactors!

Felicitations, malfactors! I am endeavoring to misappropriate the formulary for the preparation of affordable comestibles! Who will join me!? - Sheldon