The Writing on the Screen

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Writing on the Screen

I believe that there are "clues" along the way in this earthly journey as to who, or what, the future may hold for us.

There is nothing original about that statement, but my lunch the other day with an old friend and colleague reminded me of that. 

I knew his name long before I knew him because during the 1950s, my Sunday afternoons in the Fall were largely taken up by Washington Redskin football on TV.  And at the end of each game, there was a credit slide that read, PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY JIM SILMAN.

I believe the word "Invented" or something like that should have been in there somewhere, because at that time there were no guidelines or standards regarding how football games should be "covered" on TV.  Silman was one of those TV Directors "creating the art...as they did it."

Those Redskin's broadcasts were the first ever  professional football games broadcast on a regular basis. And, as often happens, the "pioneer's" efforts are often never surpassed.

Fast forward about 10 years to my home in Charlotte where I had just returned from a week's vacation from my job at WSOC-TV, much of which I had spent "auditioning" at a couple of  TV stations hoping for a career move to a larger market. The phone rang 

around 10 o'clock that beautiful morning in May....and it was long distance...from Washington

My life was about to change forever.

The voice at the other end explained that he was a Vice President of one of the stations for which I had just "auditioned,' Channel 9 (WTOP_TV) and  that he was offering me a full time announcer's job beginning as soon as I could move up to the Washington area.

I was in Heaven!  It had been my ambition to work at that specific station since my high school days!  The station I had visited while on tour of Washington in 1954 as a wide eyed senior at old CHS.

"And what is your name again?"

"Jim Silman," he replied.

That was the beginning of my 10 year career as an announcer/personality at the CBS outlet in Washington working closely with Jim.  Those years were the highlight of my broadcasting career.  Jim introduced me to his boss, who was a man named George Hartford who had a daughter who later became the love of my life, as my wife and Mother of our three children.

Silman and my careers at WTOP-TV ended about the same time 10 years later when the station completely changed management and its focus. and shortly thereafter, their Call Letters.  We both went in different directions, but to this day stay in touch and remain friends.

Good Friends.  the best kind...Old Ones.

-Ed

The Grass

If you ever get the chance to listen to a recording of Carl Sandberg....reciting his poem, THE GRASS.......you'll never forget it.  -Ed

Related Poem Content Details

BY CARL SANDBURG

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo. 

Shovel them under and let me work— 

                                          I am the grass; I cover all. 

And pile them high at Gettysburg 

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. 

Shovel them under and let me work. 

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor: 

                                          What place is this? 

                                          Where are we now? 

                                          I am the grass. 

                                          Let me work.

In Order To get My Drivers License...

I had to prove that I couldn't see out of one eye!

Say What?

Yep,   That's true. Read on........

It was 1952 and the day had finally arrived.  The one, that, wthout a doubt, was the most important birthday of my life! 

Number 16! 

The age at which it could become legal to drive!

All others pale after that one. And my guess is that most of you card carrying members of the "silent generation" feel the same way.  I'm sure the boys do...and probably the girls too.

That was the one        I believe that most dramatically marked the end of our childhood and the beginning of adulthood. The wonderful music of those car keys...rattling in our pockets...was number one ....on our  hit parade of 1952...and for many years afterward.

But, it almost didn't happen.

At least not without a fight.

My Dad and I were the the first ones in line at the DMV that morning.  There are still wrinkles on my face caused by an acute attack of angleman syndrome.  (excessive smiling).

The written test was a piece of cake.  The road test was a breeze.

Finally, the eye test.........

Well, this was when the goofy smile on my face came crashing down.

I failed.

However, the DMV official explained that....there was still a possibility that I could get special permission to drive....with  proper documentation  from  a qualified eye specialist.  There was an "exception" for "one eyed" persons, for which I qualified.  I was born with one almost perfect eye and one which was very weak,  (not correctable with classes). 

With persistence, my Dad was able to arrange for an eye specialist  to check me out and sign the proper forms and get me back to the DMV before they closed.

I think I got the last license issued that day.

That was my introduction to the wonderful world of bureaucracy.
You see, it was perfectly legal for a "one eyed" person to obtain a drivers license in North Carolina. However, I had to have a note from a Doctor...stating that I really......couldn't see out of one eye!

( A note from a Doctor confirming that I can't see?)

"It;s an ill wind that blows no good."

So...I thought, at least maybe this will keep me from being drafted! 

Nope.  They were drafting one eyed men (popeyes) regularly.  The only restriction was.....they could never be promoted to officers.

Oh great....two years as a "grunt!"

I'm still looking for some good wind from that pain in the butt event....to "blow"my way, but right now all I see in the next few years regarding the DMV is ...who the Hell knows.

One thing for sure...it won't be anything that keeps idiots, fools and nerds from getting drivers licenses.  Just look around.

-Ed

Sonny 3

A week after Sonny's death, I got a call from one of his uncles inviting me to meet at Sonny's house for an informal "goodbye." to my friend of almost 40 years.  He explained that there would only be a few relatives and Sonny's friends attending.

There were 6 aunts and uncles there.

And me.

I had been Sonny's only friend.  At least, who cared enough to attend his "goodbye" event.

He had been a good soul, but not one who made friends easily.  It required a lot of patience to understand him...and overlook his physical ...and "off and on"...mental......shortcomings.

It appeared to me that even his relatives, like many others, simply "wrote him off."

None were apparently aware of his accomplishments.  

So.....those of you who know me....won't be surprised to learn that was my cue to begin to "speechify."

I spoke of his  success in teaching himself electronics....told about his founding a successful recording studio....achieving the rare honor of producing a top selling pop hit.....and concluded with  "Sonny  accomplished MORE.......with the tools he was given....(by God) than anyone else I have known."

The small gathering of his relatives were amazed,  They knew none of that.

Rest in Peace, Sonny.

-Ed

(My friendship with Sonny was not a one way street. Over the years his electronic advice and expertise proved invaluable to me AND...to the company I finally retired from. Sonny also gave me several pieces of expensive equipment and microphones when he dissolved his recording studio, which played no small part in the success of my company.)

Sonny 2

Sonny passed away ...peacefully in his bed...almost 20 years ago. 

The odds of that happening  were astronomical.  They were overwhelming that Sonny would eventually meet his maker while driving erratically in the streets of Washington, DC.

The dictionary should have Sonny's picture next to the definition of 'Nerds on the highway."

One night he called me and mentioned that he had gone through Thomas Circle...one of the many "circles" in Washington....most of which have statues of American Heroes in the middle.

I thought he meant he went through the Red light....at Thomas Circle.

Nope.  instead of following the traffic around the circle....he went over the curb...and on the grass...THROUGH the circle.

How he missed hitting the statue....I'll never know.

Once, he told me that the DC police had invited him to come down to headquarters to discuss a citizen's complaint...which claimed that Sonny's car had side swiped a car parked legally on Massachusetts Ave.   

As the police read over the complaint to Sonny.....the officer.....paused....and said, "Wait a minute,...."this said the damage to his car was on the RIGHT side.  That's ridiculous....this report is obviously phony.  Sorry to have bothered you, sir. You're free to go."

It never occurred to him that Sonny regularly spent a good deal of time driving on the sidewalks of the Nation's Capitol.  The hotel, where he worked, banned him from parking in their garage...because he had hit the same post so many times.

I was with him once when he got a call from his insurance company informing him they were rejecting his latest claim.

Sonny was irate.  He let them know in uncertain terms that he was their "best customer."...and he just might cancel his policy.

I don't know what the reaction was on the other end.

Sonny

He was a high school kid that evening when he first walked into the lobby of the TV station and asked the receptionist if there if there was anyone who could "give him a tour" of the place.

That's exactly what I did that day in 1953 while visiting the Nation's Capitol. And a kind announcer by the name of John Trimble introduced me to the inner workings of a big TV station... WTOP TV ...where 10 years later...I would be employed.

So. I volunteered to show him around. He was a nice kid, but obviously physically disadvantaged...and at first glance, perhaps mentally as well.

But looks are deceiving.  That was certainly the case with "Sonny." After talking with him for no more than 5 minutes, I realized that hiding behind that blank expression....was a pretty  sharp  mind.

But the Lord had not blessed Sonny physically....with either appearance or coordination.

I showed him the studios and explained the workings of the place as best I could....and sent him on his way..

Normally, the story would end there.

But not with Sonny.

He came back...many times. Kinda got to be a nuisance....nevertheless I remained patient ...and answered all his questions.  A few of the engineers got used to his hanging around ....and most were patient and generous with their time as well.

Long story short....Sonny graduated from high school, enrolled in a engineering course....10 years later....with the help of  a substantial inheritance, he opened his own recording studio in Washington.

Meanwhile, hardly a week went by when I didn't get a phone call from him,

I was very happy for his success and even arranged for several recording projects I was involved in to be produced at his studio.

He sold his business at just about the right time...and took a less stressful job with one of the big hotels in DC....installing and operating their public address system.

As far as I know, the system he installed is still in operation....as it was the state of the art in the 80/s. But installing a complicated PA system....and operating it....are two different things.

It's a shame the hotel didn't discover that in spite of Sonny's mental agility....his physical agility was almost non existant. For example, back in those days, we recorded on reels of audio tape.  When editing, you would go to the word you wanted to remove...rewind the tape an inch of so...then take a razor blade and cut out the "offending" word...and make your "splice."

Well, Sonny was not agile enough to reverse the tape....a few inches....he would always rewind it all the way back to the beginning of the reel. It was a huge waste of time.

Also, when operating a PA  (Public Address) system....to activate a mic...he always did it backwards.....which produced a shockingly loud "feedback" noise. He made this same mistake for 40 years.

It was no big deal.

Until that evening in 1984, when President Ronald Reagan was attending an event in the ballroom of the hotel....and the lights dimmed....and the opening act was to begin..... and Sonny got his cue to open the speakers mic and.....

"WHAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM".......

Sonny's trademark "feedback"..........had struck again!

It was so loud and shocking.....that ...to Reagan's Secret Service Agents it sounded like an attack of some kind....so they piled on top of the President to protect him from ....whatever it was.

It was just Sonny....turning on a mc.

The picture made the next morning's Washington Post.

-Ed

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Our thanks for this internet discovery.....to Robert Clark!




By Jay Van Paemel

Keeps On Ticking

Like the TIMEX watch, our "Storyteller Extroadinaire".....Ellouise Schotteler...keeps on keeping on.....with her fabulous Storytelling .....IN SPITE ...of a recently broken shoulder!

OUCH!

"The surgery went well on the 15th and recovery has been easier than I expected which has been a good surprise.

So, now I am returning to the past to get myself back to normal.
Working on a new story about WWI nurses in France - a different group who were right on the edge of the battlefield - again lost in the shadows of history. I have applied for the 2017 Capital Fringe and I hope the new story will be accepted.

Ellouise     Don     Letty

She went on to write........

Almost ten years ago Donald and Letty and Jim and I bumped into each other at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN.

Since then we have had a meet up every year. - a great connection.

This yearI walked into the filling tent the first day and bumped into Donald and Lettie.A great way to start the week-end. Next day we took time to have a hamburger together at the local Wendys - a place to sit down and talk.

Ellouise

Hedwig Keisler

Like you, I have the greatest grand kids on earth!

The two youngest are in high school, so naturally. they're no longer as interested in their old grandaddy's tall tales as they once were. Even though my "tall tales" were (almost) always the Gospel truth!

Recognizing that today's youngsters are never very far away from their cell phones.  I decided that my topic for this Thanksgiving's story for the kids would be about the inventor of the cell phone.

Well, to be technically correct, there was no ONE inventer.....but many people contributed....however, if it weren't for one person....around 1942 or so.....our present cell phones would not exist!

Now those of us....long in tooth...and soon to graduate from this green earth...all  know who this inventor was. But to  the young people of today, the name  Hedwig Keisler... means nothing. 

But, of course, back then, the term "cell phone" meant nothing to us!

It didn't mean anything to Hedwig either, because the technology was meant for something else:

To allow our torpedoes NOT to be "misdirected" by the existing Nazi technology!  

This was all happening during the early 1940's of course.

It would have worked perfectly and I would love to write that this "frequency shifting" technology contributed mightily to our eventual victory in WW2.

But, it didn't.

Our government simply filed the technology somewhere in Washington and forgot about it.

Meanwhile our torpedoes keep missing Nazi ships.

Hedwig went on to other things and was very successful and famous for awhile. But as old age....and society's.....fickleness took its toll....Hedwig ended up broke.
Even going hungry....and resorting to stealing (shoplifting)....for food.

Hedwig's invention was finally resurrected and used by the US Navy in the 1960's....but no royalties were ever paid because Hedwig GAVE it to the government during WW2.

 Several years after Kiesler's death...the same formula which made the invaluable tool that is in you pocket or purse right now...the cell phone......was made possible.

Thanks to that hungry bum who died penniless on the streets of Florida.

We all knew that  famous inventor ... 

as the once "Most Beautiful Woman in the World".....by her stage name..

Hedy Lamarr


-Ed

Hedwig Kiesler  AKA Hedy Lamar

A Note From Above

I'm not sure if anyone reads "blogs" anymore. Perhaps an old codger like me is just "drooling" in the wind.  But, as long as I enjoy it (which I do) and can still find my way down to the Bat Cave where my wood-burning computer lives, I'll keep doing it.

The muse doesn't visit me very often anymore, but this morning nature did.....and left me a note on my weed infested front lawn......that said, "here's your story for today."

A Note from Nature

It used to be called Harvest. but ever since the 16th century most English speakers have called it Autumn, or Fall.

It's the only season we have two names for, and I believe that's because it's so special. Like "love" no one knows exactly when it begins....they just know it's very special.  Meteorologically, Fall begins on September first every year.

Astronomers base the date of the seasons upon celestial events, in this case the autumnal equinox, when night and day are roughly equal length. The equinox normally takes place around September 21st.

The third definition of the start of autumn, which is more fluid, comes from phenology – the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events.

The start of autumn in this field is dictated not by a set date or a single event, but the changes in the natural world, such as the tinting of the trees and the ripening of autumn fruits.

However,do not confuse phenology........with Phrenology...which is the study of  bumps on a person's head. 

More about that later, but for now, I'll just say that anyone who doesn't love the Fall Season....should have his head examined.

 
-Ed

How About a Little Respect for Kudzo and Friends

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but don't call my front yard friends "weeds!"

The Sophistocated Europeans were glad to get rid of the Riff Raff who left Europe to become the early Americans. They were considered the "weeds" of society. When they got here, they fought and struggled...and through sheer determination.... prevailed.

As nature author Michele Collins wrote:  These plants (weeds) are resilient and proud. More importantly, they are choke full of medicinal value.  Many are rich sources of vitamins and minerals and have powerful healing potential for a vast range of common diseases like diabetes, cancer, liver disease, just to mention a few. Plants like dandelion, burdock, red clover, chickweed, wild violet, couchgrass, kudzu, plantain.

Like the early pioneers, my favorite weed......in my yard ....is a survivor!

-Ed

But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something else.  In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit.  Weeds are people’s idea, not nature’s.  ~Author Unknown

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.  Doug Larson

I learn more about God
 from weeds than from roses;
 Resilience springing 
through the smallest chink of hope 
in the absolute of concrete….
~Phillip Pulfrey, “Weeds,” Perspectives

Huh oh

Tiangong-1

Time to get out your tin foil hats again.

Tiangong-1

    is coming!.......Down, that is....down from orbit...and you could wake up some morning and find it in your front yard.   Or worse.

Odds are probably a million, give or take a few, that it won't land on your head.

But, if you're wearing a tin foil hat.....the odds go up one billion to one!

Now, I'll take those odds.

That's the reason for the hat.  It's hard to argue with scientific statistics.

The Tiangong-1 satellite was launched in 2011, and should have come back down to Earth in the ocean in a controlled crash. But watchers have said that it now appears to have gone into freewill, with China losing control of it, and so it could crash down onto the Earth any time.

...and go boom!

-Ed

Getting Serious for Once

What the Hell are these trucks doing rolling down I-81 near Lexington, VA?

These photos were taken on Friday and posted on the Drudge Report this morning.

They are “Tactical Vehicles, with bullet proof glass. What ever could those be for, and why are UN vehicles here, in THIS country?!” Fernando Johnson questioned, while Vincent Sammons noted, “They are sealed against gas too.”

I'm sure our mainstream press is scrambling right now to find out the answer.

Yeah.

Ed

Where Did the Dark Go?

I didn't even know it had left.  But according to the just released "New World Atlas of Artififial Night Sky Brightness,"  one third of the human population cannot see the Milky Way at night due to the glow of artificial lights.

They call it "Light Pollution."

"Moreover, more than 80% of the world’s citizens and more than 99% of those in the U.S. and Europe live under an artificial sky-glow, or reflected light scatter in the atmosphere from the electric lighting below. This isn’t just a problem in megacities and urban areas. For instance, Death Valley is awash with skyglow from Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which are 80 and 150 km away, respectively.

“There’s almost no place in some of these countries that looks dark anymore, at least by this atlas’s estimates,” said Christopher Luginbuhl (Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition).

USA at night

Well, I know of one country Christopher could go to and live and never be bothered by "horrible light pollution:"

North Korea at night (Circled in white)

-Ed

Pigeons Aren't Pigeon Towed

...but many of our greatest athletes are.

Say what?

Yep, that's what I discovered. The reason people with their toes pointed inwardly, rather than straight (Technical term: Matatarsus Adductus) are called

"pigeon toed" is because of the slightly different different way they walk...similar to the way a pigeon walks.

And the reason it's called that .

In other words, Pigeons aren't pigeon towed...they just walk that way.

Get it?

(Talk about great writing........this ain't it.)

Many people are born with this handicap but are able to lead normal......

WAIT!  HANDICAP?  WHAT HANDICAP?...

Many of our top athletes are pigeon towed.....(Michael Jordon, Jackie Robinson, John Elway, etc.) and currently one trait the NFL scouts are looking for in new recruits...PIGEON TOWED players!

And here is the best explanation that I could find:

"People who are pigeon-toed may be able to contact the ground with less energy dissipation and as a result be able to apply greater propulsive forces to the ground in a shorter period of time. A good analogy would be that pigeon-toed athletes are like super-bouncy balls- they get on the ground and get off the ground quickly without losing much energy. People who are not pigeon-toed are more like a deflated beach ball- their foot lacks the stiffness of pigeon-toed people and as a result the energy return is not as efficient."

Makes sense to me.

And speaking of pigeons, many consider them a nuisance, especially in our crowded cities where they nest on building ledges and other man made structures and are not very good housekeepers.

But, all in all, they have worked well with humans, particularly in time of war.

According to the experts:

"Nearly all of the carrier pigeons during World War I and World War II were heroic, delivering important messages over enemy lines. 

Cher Ami

"On October 3, 1918, Major Charles White Whittlesey and more than 500 men were trapped in a small depression on the side of the hill behind enemy lines without food or ammunition. 

They were also beginning to receive friendly fire from allied troops who did not know their location. Surrounded by the Germans, many were killed and wounded in the first day and by the second day, just over 190 men were still alive. Whittlesey dispatched messages by pigeon. 

The pigeon carrying the first message, "Many wounded. We cannot evacuate." was shot down. A second bird was sent with the message, "Men are suffering. Can support be sent?" That pigeon also was shot down. Only one homing pigeon was left: "Cher Ami". She was dispatched with a note in a canister on her left leg,

"We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it."

As Cher Ami tried to fly back home, the Germans saw her rising out of the brush and opened fire. For several moments, Cher Ami flew with bullets zipping through the air all around her.

 Cher Ami was eventually shot down but managed to take flight again. She arrived back at her loft at division headquarters 25 miles to the rear in just 25 minutes, helping to save the lives of the 194 survivors.

 In this last mission, Cher Ami delivered the message despite having been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, covered in blood and with a leg hanging only by a tendon.

Cher Ami

Cher Ami became the hero of the 77th Infantry Division. Army medics worked long and hard to save her life. They were unable to save her leg, so they carved a small wooden one for her.

 When she recovered enough to travel, the now one-legged bird was put on a boat to the United States, with General John J. Pershing personally seeing Cher Ami off as she departed France."

Pigeons achieved a 98% success rate in the missions flown in WW II, despite enemy fire, and often with mortal injuries to themselves.  Cher Ami (stuffed) is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington. She was thought to be a male...until the taxidermist at the Smithsonian discovered differently.


-Ed

"Keep on Sassing"

Cassius Clay

Muhammad Ali passed away last Friday night. Officially it was from Parkinson's disease.

 Yeah.

That may be technically correct, but we all know the many years that he was "The Greatest" in the boxing ring was what caused the early deterioration and death of his once strong body.

But there's more to life than just "existing." And what he accomplished was quite amazing.

In 1960 he was just a very good young boxer...Cassius Clay was his name then, and he was frustrated by the fact that he had been an Olympic champion, and had won all his matches as a pro...he was still being ignored by almost everyone.   Then, he observed (on Television).....a man wearing high heels and thick makeup named George Wagner...whom he met shortly thereafter, and was
offered  the following advice:

Gorgeous George

 "A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth. So keep on bragging, keep on sassing and always be outrageous."^[1]

He took it, changed his name to Muhammad Ali...and the rest is ....well, you know.

Oh, George Wagner had also changed his name.  You probably remember him:

Gorgeous George.

-Ed