Bits & Pieces
Bits and pieces from this reporter’s notebook.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Being essentially off line for three days, I’m sure I missed enormous stories. But it’s likely we all did, what with the continuing domination of the headlines by The Sunshine State voting machinations. Indeed, people bearing bad news probably rushed out their press releases on days when the Florida muss predicted to be multi-faceted if not compelling. One item was from the USPS: they’re raising the price of a first-class — their term — stamp, up a peg to 34 cents. The reason why this is particularly egregious is that the post office is raking in tons of unforecast revenues from Internet sales. Watch for them to bonus their managers $200 million for their performance.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Speaking of crimes against the state, Peru’s soon to be ex-presidente Alberto Fujimori is house-hunting in Japan. He already had announced new elections, in the wake of a scandal involving his "spymaster". Spymaster, in Peru? Gimme a break. It’s almost as ridiculous as Canada needing a missile defense system. I was never clear on why Peru chose Fujimori, and it may one of those situations that forever evades elucidation.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Another presidency in transition, our own, has generated a remarkable amount of smoke considering the lack of light provided by the news media. The problem is that they are finding themselves with a major story, plenty of air time, and nothing new to say. CNN, which surely must stand CrapNotNews, insists on reading on the air viewer comments posted on their websites. Usually there’s one from each of the Gore and Bush camps — their version of balance — but their selections seem to require neither intellect or even facts. Worse, they are hyping a poll which informs us that 40% of the Bush supporters won’t accept Al Gore if he’s anointed our next president. Right, and what are they gonna do? Join the Montana mutant militia? Refuse to vote next time, if they in fact bothered to cast a ballot this year, which half the country failed to do?
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Buffaloans are digging out from two feet of snow, and more’s on the way. It wasn’t so long ago that the upstate New York city weathered 454 inches of snow one winter. Here in Kauai is a mountain that receives the most rain of any spot on the Earth — 450-ish inches a year. Were it snow, that would translate into about 375 feet. By the way, though Mount Wai’ale’ale is the wettest spot on average, there was a village in India that suffered significantly more rain during one particularly onerous year, including 339 inches in one month, which comes to an average of almost a foot of precip a day, and who thinks that is a good idea?
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Finally, Robert Trout died last week. He was a correspondent with CBS and ABC, from back before the advent of television news. He was a man of impeccable dignity and flawless professionalism, in a field where today there is none of either. Commented colleague Andy Rooney, "If all reporters of news were as fastidious with the facts and as perspicacious with their presentation as was Bob Trout, the nation's opinion of reporters would be greatly higher than it is." True fact.
And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.