A somewhat jaundiced, but hopefully progressive and common sense view of the news stories, articles and headlines seen in today's in Northern California newspapers, Saturday, 6 March 2004
by James K. Sayre
6 March 2004
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, 6 March 2004.
FRONT SECTION:
PAGE ONE: Martha, my dear.
Guess all those tongue-in-cheek stories about her knitting her jail-cell cozies will receive some real-time tests in a few months. The "Club Fed" at Lompoc, California has tennis courts for the low-security inmates. Martha will not be knitting an escape rope to exscape from federal prison.
PAGE ONE: Girl Scout Cookies:
trapped between the toxic trans fats in their ingredient list and the insane rightwing wacko boycott from Waco, Texas. Note: Waco, Texas is just a hop, skip and a holler from Crawford, Texas, the Bush hideout.
PAGE TWO: Some actual good news: Vitamin B9, otherwise known as folic acid, may be useful in protecting the body from heart disease and strokes. Note: avoid daily doses of Vitamin B9 that exceed 1,500 micrograms per day, to avoid unpleasant side effects, such as intestinal gas, nausea and poor appetite. Note: a microgram is one-millionth of a gram. 1,500 micrograms = 1.5 milligrams (mg).
PAGE THREE: Attorney General John Ashcroft has been hospitalized with gallstone pancreatitis. This is a very unpleasant condition: been there and done that. No more wine for me. Dear John, Hope that you recover completely and can return to your job of eroding our civil liberties and knawing away at our Constitutional rights.
PAGE TWELVE: Senator Edward Kennedy says that Bush distorted pre-Iraq invasion "intelligence.
In the San Jose Mercury News, Saturday, 6 March 2004.
Front Section:
PAGE THREE: Shock-talk Howard Stern thinks that his morning radio show may be canned by Clear Channel/Viacom/Infinity. Well, gee. it was the most vulgar, tasteless, voyeur-pandering show ever to hit the airwaves in recent times. This is hardly a case of "free speech" or if it is construed as such, it is a waste of a good idea on trash and juvenile "adult" entertainment. Maybe Mr. Stern needs to get a real job now.
Business Section:
PAGE ONE: Another stupid self-centered toy from Microsoft for the truly self-absorbed wireless-life folks. This tiny digital camera recorder is called a "SenseCam" and can be placed on one's chest and aimed at the outside world. Better yet, call it the SenselessCam or the InsaneCam and place it on your shoulder (The Chip on the Shoulder) and dare anybody to make faces at it. Why would anyone in their right mind want to replay all the scenes that the just went through during the day? The gridlock traffic jams, the crowded buses, the long line at the ATM, the eight-hours of working on a PC, the abusive supervisor. Imagine, coming home after a hard day's work facing a glowing video monitor and playing back your SenselessCam to see it all again. Imagine uploading this rubbish to your personal web page so that you can bore all of your friends and relatives with it. After all, it's all about me, is it not? Are we all becoming TOs (The Terrible-temper-tantrum Terrell Owens, the self-centered pro football player who was finally just dumped by the San Francisco 49ers and traded to the Baltimore Ravens, where he is refusing to report...)? Why do people think that they have a brain? Partly, so they can forget most of the rubbish that passes for life each day. Let your brain do its thing and let go.
The digital wired "life?" Turn off the PC, forget "surfing the web," email and spammail. Get a grip: go smell a flower, hug a tree, watch a bird, watch a bug, take a walk, hop a scotch, skip to me, lou. Speaking of getting a life, I'll have to sign off now.
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