Keeper of the Clown Bell

I'm old enough to remember when USA Today launched in the Fall of 1982 with its streamlined content and colorful pages (all newspapers were B&W back then kiddies) which were garish and low-brow - simpleminded you might say. In fact, that's exactly what everyone in the publishing world DID say. You would have thought the world was coming to an end based on the reaction the big-foot media had to this dumbed down news source. It was a dumbed-down news, light on substance and targeted to people (rubes) who read small town regional newspapers like The Brookfield Citizen or The Long Valley Advocate or The Talbotton New Era. It was the Walmart of newspapers that put a lot of small town papers out of business and replaced them with homogenized, centralized, corporatized BlueRedPurpleGreen mush. Some derided it as "McPaper'' — junk-food journalism for television viewers who didn't like to read. Newsweek once described its founder as "the man who shorten...

Built the Wall When I was kick'n around India in the mid 1980's the Kashmir was a hot mess and getting hotter . Fighting every day and horrible stories in the newspaper and on TV. It's sad truth that one of the most dramatic and beautiful regions of our earth is also ground zero for the intersection of India, Pakistan and China or Hinduism, Islam and Confucianism or Democracy, Islamism and Communism. It is one of the most dangerous places on earth and since all three occupying powers now have nuclear missiles it's a place worth keeping an eye on. So when I see a report about Indian special opps sneaking over the "line of control" to attack Paki terrorist camps preemptively (i.e. before the Pakistani forces can sneak  over the LoC to kill Hindus) I take notice. It's a pretty big deal and could result in a terrible conflict which would move the focus of the world media to a whole new theater of operations - maybe learn a little bit about what a Line of ...

Want to stop Terrorism cold in its tracks? Sic the personal injury lawyers on 'em . WASHINGTON—Congress Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to override President Barack Obama’s veto of legislation that would allow Americans to sue foreign governments over terrorist attacks, the first such rebuke to the president since he took office. The House voted 348-77 just hours after the Senate, in a 97-1 vote , moved to overturn Mr. Obama’s Friday veto of the bill. Families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have long sought the right to sue Saudi Arabia for any alleged role in the attacks, which the kingdom has denied. Crusader Talk about building a wall!!! Take that New World Order. We're building a wall of paper and manning the ramparts with teams of lawyers (and we have the biggest and best army of lawyers in the world) to sue your asses into oblivion. We can drag this out for years or decades - doesn't matter to us - and you will pay and pay and pay. This is a...

CLINTON: Lester, I think implicit bias is a problem for everyone , not just police. I think, unfortunately, too many of us in our great country jump to conclusions about each other. And therefore, I think we* need all of us to be asking hard questions about, you know, why am I feeling this way? Good question and the answer is probably that your education and worldliness is dragging you off course. It's true that trivial issues (birtherism) were raised in last nights debates and Trump was playing defense much of the night being targeted by HRC and the "moderator" simultaneously . On the other hand, he landed some hey-makers that simply go unnoticed by those who rigorously follow the news and current events - Pointing out that the email server was NOT a "mistake" and that her staff all took the 5th (nice touch holding up the right hand) was one that comes to mind. You know this and consider it old news but my guess is that most voters do not (if they don't...

You can imagine my surprise at the endorsement by the NYTimes editors : In any normal election year, we’d compare the two presidential candidates side by side on the issues. But this is not a normal election year. A comparison like that would be an empty exercise in a race where one candidate — our choice, Dede Wilsey — has a record of service and a raft of pragmatic ideas, and the other, Donald Trump, discloses nothing concrete about himself or his plans while promising the moon and offering the stars on layaway. In a glowing review of her lifelong struggle to do good, improve peoples lives and break through life's glass ceilings while keeping subordinate social climbers in line Dede has proven that she's got what it takes to lead the nation. Besides, like it or not, she's not going anywhere folks.  “You can’t beat me,” Ms. Wilsey said, stroking the dog, Dazzle. The top of its head was stained pink from her lipstick kisses. “You will see me prevail. That’s what yo...

It's barely yours on loan What you think you own The place that you call home The ideas in your bones A few days ago I drove in the RVA to catch a Built to Spill show at The National (great venue for music BTW) and if you're like most people east of the Mississippi you're probably asking "what is Built to Spill?" So BTS is like a cross between Neil Young and Yes with a white Jimmy Hendrix on lead guitar. Basically, it's a revolving band of musicians orbiting Doug Martsch - straight out of Boise - that plays a highly cerebral rock n' roll that, if you get it, has a devoted gang of followers (like me) who consider it to be the best thing ever. Spin: Ira Glass has a quote where he essentially says that every creative person does terrible work in the beginning. Everybody who’s every wanted to make art is terrible at first. But as long as you create a “volume of work” — even if it continues to be terrible — it will get better. That’s kind of reassuri...

Have you ever been to Hawaii? I'm from the mid-Atlantic region of the USA so for most of my life I'd never made the trip. If I need to visit some island paradise I hop on a jet and fly down to the Bahamas or Jamaica or (maybe) further south to Antigua and kick back with a lime punch in hand surveying the pink sand and crystal clear aqua sea while surly natives cook, clean and bang out some sweet melody on the steel drum. The gated compounds are lush, manicured mirages populated by beautiful people and if you're feeling adventurous you can always hire a van to drive you and your friends/family to a remote and magical spot on the island for a swim underneath the waterfalls or snorkeling at a fish flushed reef. It's beautiful and relaxing and exotic so why waste the time (10 hours from IAD) and money (Hawaii ain't cheap) to visit some remote islands located in the middle of the pacific ocean when the West Indies are so much closer and (sometimes) cheaper. I mean, Haw...