More is and less, and, well, less is less

Local newspapers throughout the U.S. are struggling with how to remain viable and profitable as more readers turn to the internet and digital media for their primary sources of information. Local papers are disparately attempting to salvage what can be maintained; in some cases, it is not enough. Here in Texas, The San Antonio Express laid off over a 100 staffroom and operation employees at the end of March in an effort to remain profitable. The Christian Science Monitor decided to eradicate it's print form and focus entirely on digital content. The least fortunate, The Rocky Mountain News in Denver ceased all operations and shut down at the end of February.

All of this now leads, for the purpose of this post, to Minnesota, where the former editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Joel Kramer, decided to break off and create Minnpost.com--a digital site focused covering all of the state without any reliance on the print medium. Of course all of these decisions by Kramer and the other papers mentioned come as a result of the need for advertising revenue. It appears for the time being the internet offers the brightest horizon for local newspapers and print media to remain profitable. While it might seem simple enough to suggest the imminent demise of local papers in the print form, if this were to happen what would be the intended and unintended consequences of such a profound action? 

Far be it from me to soothsay on this senario, it is a reality for local papers throughout the country to address and there is only one consensus: unanimity in finding a solution will not occur. Therefore, it is always helpful to seek the advise of those who are on both sides of this profound transition. Last night's Newshour with Jim Lehrer examined the transitional issue, striking me with one seminal question underlying the most important function of the media in general, and, in this case, the local media's role as the fourth estate: "How are we going to come up with a business model that allows us as citizens in a democracy to get the kind of local, rich, extensive, diverse information that we need?" Well... here's to hoping we find out.

Here's the "Newshour" link: As Newspapers Cut Back, Online Reporters Step In

Oh, the excesses of golf!

Just a friendly reminder that great golf courses and golf holes remain a rich man's game:

Where do we go from here?

Oh boy, it doesn't take but a flashing glance at "Drudge Report" to become inundated with despair. A week or so ago, I came across this article linked on "Drudge Report" about the increase amount of time we Americans are spending in front of various digital media: "Americans spend eight hours a day on screens". On average, with regards to only television, Americans aged 18-24 spend over three hours a day in front of the tube; more shockingly, Americans aged 65 and older spend an average of seven hours a day in front of a television! Combined with computer, cell phone, and other digital usage (ex. video games) we average out at a staggering eight hours per day!

At this point, I'm speechless. One can only assume this number will grow exponentially as technology marches onward. What the hell kind of effect is this having on attention span and focus? It can't be good.

My advice is to summon the Luddite sentiment rooted somewhere in all of us and just walk away from the screen, if only for an hour a day. So, if you're reading this, STOP AND PULL THE PLUG IMMEDIATELY!

Stranger than Fiction: Meet Mr. Ayers

Last night's "60 Minutes" profiled the relationship of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and a homeless schizophrenic who happens to be a classically-trained musician. Enjoy!



Watch CBS Videos Online

HBO's Real Sports is Real Journalism

For what it's worth, journalism--and sports journalism in particular--does not get much better than HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumble. While each segment may not appeal to all, they routinely report profound sports stories, which just so happen to be much greater than just the field of competition or the individuals who compete.

Such was the case recently when a story on a former major league baseball player's son who was critically shot outside his home in Bellaire, Texas appeared on "Real Sports". The report entitled "Black in Bellaire" investigates the shooting of Robbie Tolan, a young African-American minor league baseball player who was driving home on New Year's Eve last year when police started to follow him home suspecting he was driving a stolen car. What ensued speaks to the continuing frailty of race relations throughout the United States, especially in regards to racial profiling by police.

I had a post recently on MLK Day stating that while blacks and minorities have progressed greatly in our society, work remains in resolving the racial prejudice and profiling that has insidiously weaved itself into the fabric of American culture over time. The feat of journalism accomplished in segements such as these by "Real Sports" shines lights on society's most egregious transgressions. Rather than break any copyrights, I've attached a link to both the "Real Sports" website and the full segment on YouTube:

Real Sports website: "Black in Bellaire"

YouTube segment Part 1

YouTube segment Part 2

Let's Get Technological!

Reduced attention spans, desire for instant gratification, and an "infantilising" of the brain are now all possible effects of this younger generations reliance on digital technologies and social networking sites, so claims British neuroscientist Susan Greenfield. While studies can be geared and hypotheisized toward just about any cause and effect imaginable, I for one instinctively agree with her hypothesis. The rapid pace, one-click-away technologies now universally available promote little to no intellectual stimulation in the course of completing a task or action. For instance, the article references how some of these techonologies dissuade us from using our minds: "Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think. They point out that students no longer need to plan essays before starting to write - thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along. Satellite navigation systems have negated the need to decipher maps. " I'm not saying we should go back to the stone age of telephones with cords and typewriters, we should just remember that all the augmenting technological power surrounding us may come at a higher cost than just the price tag. Here's the article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1153583/Social-websites-harm-childrens-brains-Chilling-warning-parents-neuroscientist.html

Simon Schama on Bill Moyers Journal

A modern de Tocqueville in Simon Schama sits down with Bill Moyers to discuss his new book and BBC documentary, "The American Future: A History". Schama's documentary focuses on central themes in America's history such as religion, immigration, prosperity, and politics with a look to the past, present, and future. Being a huge fan of both Moyers and Schama (I've discussed his documentary "Power of Art" in previous posts) it was a pleasure to listen to a well-crafted interviewer prod Schama into divulging his outsider perspective on what America looks like to a British historian and art historian, who was raised in a Jewish household by refugee parents. Schama says to Moyers at the end of the interview, his fascination with our country arises from America being this "poetic place... about innocent ebullience followed by tragic illumination." While Schama's assessment may sound denigrative, the innocent ebullience and tragic illumination of our nation witnessed in both our boundless optimism (see pre-economic crisis) and nation's history cannot be denied--a truly poetic setting for complexity, innovation, progress, and, yes, imperfection.

Part 1:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01162009/watch2.html

Part 2:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01162009/watch2.html

Searching for the Stimulus Text

I read that the bill has grown to over 1,000 pages, but I've not found a link that has the updated text, yet. I found this site, and it may be one of the first to post the revised text once it's obtained:

http://www.readthestimulus.org/

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: The Story Behind Fallingwater

From PBS's "Frank Lloyd Wright" by Ken Burns... Genius

Best of the Best

I'm adding a new link hub on the right side of the page entitled: "Best of the Best". These links will profile sites I've found to be informative, interesting, engaging, substantial, and thought-provoking. I've included their location in the larger link listing, as well. Check 'em out if you've never heard of 'em!

Boggling the Mind: Stimulus Package Text

US Government websites (Senate, House, Executive) certainly did not make it readily apparent if the text of the stimulus package now going back to the House is available. Thankfully, however, there is Google's search engine. Here's the PDF form of the bill linked from the Huffington Post; brace yourself for nearly 800 pages of legal jargon:

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/senatestimamendment.pdf

TV in the Eye? Lord, no!

Norman Mailer once said something along the lines of, "The purpose of human beings here on Earth is not to obtain more and more technological power, but to refine our souls." Well... so much for that notion, coming from a story out of the UK Telegraph, as televisions are projected "to be fitted in contact lenses in the next ten years." Now, we have cell phones and IPods constantly pressed to our ears; do we really need invisible televisions in our eyes, too? Can anyone say information overload?

Televisions 'to be fitted in contact lenses within ten years'