Quote of the day

"I'm crazy about the food chain and love being at the top of it..." 

--David Rakoff, writer, contributor to NPR's "This American Life" who passed this year.

Links:  343: Poultry Slam 2007

David Rakoff | This American Life

David Rakoff, Award-Winning Humorist, Dies at 47 - NYTimes.com

David Rakoff - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

David Rakoff: 'There Is No Answer As To Why Me' : NPR

KCUR's new GM

NPR radio station KCUR 89.3 FM announced that it has found and hired their new General Manager. He is Nico Leone, formerly of KDHX of St. Louis.

Just one question: They couldn't find anyone from here in Kansas City for the job?

It always surprises me when a company selects a person or a company--especially architects and the like--from outside the city.

Maybe a radio station GM for an NPR station is tough to get from here in town. It just seems there ought to maybe be enough people from some organization which they could choose.

He'll know radio.

He just doesn't know Kansas City or the people here.

Link: http://kcur.org/post/kcur-names-new-general-manager

Another dinosaur: FM Music Radio

I've come to the conclusion that FM music radio stations are, like the US Postal Service and paper catalogs and so many other things, just one more dinosaur of the last age.

Think about it, we have our MP3 players or our iPods or iPhones or Shuffles or Android phone or Sirius XM radio or whatever. They play all our own music already, without all the talk time and commericials. Or if it isn't that, we're listening to Pandora or Spotify. It's a much better solution to our music choices, too, since we don't have to listen to some irrelevant babble from people we either don't know or don't care for and advertisements we REALLY don't want to hear.

It even, finally, applies to our cars, too, the last bastion of need for the FM music radio station. This is one more benefit of computers, too, since we get more of either our own music or new things we wouldn't otherwise hear because the radio only plays mind-numbing familiar top-40 songs. Some stations have tried to play different things over the years but it never works. It's not as though it's not some of their faults but most radio music is pretty stale if not out-and-out dreadful. No catalogs and no mail? Great. Less trees cut down. No FM music radio? Good riddance. Sorry, guys. You're outta' here. Eventually, anyway. Find new jobs now, while you can.

Happier news coverage: NPR also went to Gates BBQ

Yes, fortunately, Scott Simon, reporter and voice for NPR not only covered our dreadful KCMO School District yesterday but also went to our very own Gates Barbecue restaurant, thank goodness, and reported on them, too: At Gates Bar-B-Q, The Ultimate Flavor Lies in Burnt Ends Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/18/147062213/at-gates-bar-b-q-the-ultimate-flavor-lies-in-burnt-ends

On my Father's Day gift this year and Kansas City

My daughter found for me this year the most terrific gift in a book by one formerly local photographer, one David Douglas Duncan. The book is called "Photo Nomad."It seems the gentleman got exposed to photography at a young age here in town with one of the first plastic cameras that happened to be his sister's. From there, he eventually shot for the old Kansas City Star and then for Hallmark under Joyce Hall. From there, he went out across the world. He ended up shooting for National Geographic and many other very famous international media organizations. One of those was Life Magazine for Henry Luce and company. He took pictures covering World War II, Vietnam and a great deal of the world. The heck of it is, he also shot very personal and private pictures of and for Pablo Picasso and his wife. What occurred to me is, I'm thinking it could make a terrific story for someone in Mr. Duncan's family to maybe retell, if possible, on, say, Steve Kraske's radio show on KCUR. Anyway, if you're interested, you might look out for it. One of the most fascinating things about it for me, too, is that in 1953, Mr. Duncan told the media mogul Henry Luce that France's Vietnam War was not going well and basically that it shouldn't continue. He got called on the carpet for it at the time, by Mr. Luce himself. If only we would have followed his advice, as a country, since Mr. Duncan was there, on the ground with the troops, photographing it at the time with the soldiers. Anyway, you might want to look into a copy. It's not a difficult read as so much of it is his photography and some light writing. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Nomad-David-Douglas-Duncan/dp/0393058611

In fairness, then: great job today, Jabulani

A few days ago, I wrote my second note here, expressing disappointment in the new "Central Standard" show on KCUR 89.3 FM radio (10 am M,T,W, Th).

After listening today as I crossed town for work, I have to say, this interview with The Kansas City Star's cartoonist Lee Judge was so much of an improvement, it was great to listen to.  (Good on ya', Mr. Leffall).

Now, that said, that's it--I'm not giving any further "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on this show.  I don't pretend I'm any arbiter of taste, good or bad, for the city, area or the world.  I just mentioned, in passing, how I didn't think the show was working or was off to a good start.

That said, I consider the issue closed.  It's not like Mr. Leffall or KCUR, for that matter, need me or my input.  (Just my annual contributions).

Link:  http://www.kcur.org/centralstandard.html#Wednesday

If you didn't hear the show today but still want to, hopefully you know you can go online at KCUR and listen to their archives.

Enjoy that great, late Autumn weather y'all.

Quote of the day

"Life throws a lot at you. Sometimes you don't like it."

--Frank Morris, KCUR FM News Director, paraphrasing Louisianans on the Gulf, after Hurricane Katrina, the cleanup (and lack thereof) and the current Gulf oil spill.



Have a great weekend, y'all.

Things I'm tired of

Yesterday, I was listening to KCPT and NPR as usual and, as usual--at least of late--they were speaking of the oil mess in the Gulf and I got to thinking, "Man, I'm tired of this."

And that got me thinking.

It got me thinking of all the things I'm tired of and tired of hearing about.

In spite of what anyone might think or say--you know who you are--this is not a negative entry/post. It's not. This is just a list of things that, yes, I'm tired of but that, if they weren't in the world, it would be a better place.

Herewith:

Oil
British Petroleum
Gulf Oil Spill
Israel
The Middle East
The Middle East War
Iraq
Afghanistan
Soldier Casualties
"Earmarks"
Politician's hypocrisies
Terrorists
Terrorism
Murder/homicides
Religious intolerance
Bigotry
Discrimination
Famine
Pollution
Religious Fundamentalism
Sunni Muslims
Shiia' Muslims
Hate
Al qaeda
Pakistan
WMD's
Recession
AIDs
Closed-mindedness
Ignorance
SUV's
Urban sprawl
Poverty (we should have solutions for this, that's why I'm tired of it)
Facebook (actually, a friend thought of and added this but I have to agree)

Mind you, I think it's important we hear about these, in some ways, so we can create solutions but, really, they can get so tiresome.

Later today---the positive and good things in life.

Yeehaw!

Let's have a great weekend, y'all.

NASCAR, anyone?

Lindsay Lohan?

Check.

Eric Massa?

Check.

Sex scandals?

Check.

Afghanistan and Iraq wars?

Fugghedaboudit.

Walt Bodine retiring, mostly--at 90

I just saw at Bottom Line Communications that KCUR announced Walt Bodine is retiring, as I said above, mostly, at 90 years of age.

Zounds.

I remember as a kid in the 60's, my Mom listened to Walt and won $64.00 listening to his show. She told of what his show meant for her at the time.

We're from St. Joe and she was raising the ten of us (seriously) so I think they gave it to her out of sympathy. She'd likely agree.

So, anyway, Walt and this city go back decades and he's done great work for us and we'll miss him but this has got to be good news for him, I'd think.

Five days a week at the station?

And I always love to hear the restaurant critics every other Friday when I can--I do have that pesky job, you know--and the movie reviewers.

So we all wish Walt well and thank goodness he's going to still be on once a week, for the Friday shows, thank goodness, but I have to put in a "plug" right now for what should happen for and to this time slot.

Here's hoping Steve Kraske takes it over.

The guy does great research and interviews and gets terrific guests.

It would clearly be the best thing KCUR could do for this city, radio, themselves and that time slot in replacing Walt.

KCUR? You listening?