FRESH UPDATES TO ” NO SACRED COWS” WILL RETURN VERY SOON

Random Thoughts…

There’s a lot of stuff rattling around in my brain—random thoughts about this and that…

So, as the late comedian George Carlin used to say—here’s a few of my brain droppings.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY

The disappearance of Air France flight #447 over the Atlantic has unleashed a huge amount of speculation from the media— more than usual perhaps because the plane was lost over a desolate section of Ocean with no aural communication from the crew.

One of the early—and oft reported pieces of speculation was that “lightning brought down” the huge jet.

Trouble with that “theory’’  is that it can be disproved with the click or two of a computer key, and the blabbering no-nothings of the media did not a seconds research before spewing out useless garbage.

All the speculating newsies had to do was a quick Google search for “aircraft & lightning” they would have found a tons of information about how planes are designed to withstand lightning strikes…

They’d find stats showing dozens of aircraft are struck every month by lightning world-wide.

Do the genius brains in newsrooms need more proof?

A few more keystrokes  would have revealed this video of Qantas Jet struck while in mid air:

OR this video of a jumbo jet getting struck just after takeoff…

There are several other videos on line, including a small, private plane getting zapped by lightning and shots from inside the cabin of an aircraft of a lightning strike.

It’s not necessary to post ‘em all—you get the point.

WHOSE THE BIGGEST TWIT?

Back in April, Actress Demi Moore got all kinds of headline coverage when a San Jose, California woman sent her an on-line suicide threat via Twitter.

Her followers saw the threat and called the local police who interrupted the woman’s suicide attempt.

Although Moore didn’t save the life, she got the credit…

Now— a city councilor in Atlanta, Georgia has used the Twitter to save someone right in front of him.

As you can read here, Councilman Kwanza Hall spotted a woman having a seizure on a street corner.

He decided to Tweet for help because his cell phone battery was low, and he feared he wouldn’t have enough juice to stay on the line with the local 9-1-1 center.

His text: “Need a paramedic on corner of John Wesley Dobbs and Jackson st. Woman on the ground unconscious. Pls ReTweet

That message was picked up by his followers—and with-in seconds—an ambulance was dispatched, arriving in time to save the woman’s life.

EYE betcha she’s “singing” the praises of Twitter today.

—InstantEYE

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Bits & Pieces, Odds & Ends Version6.0

Gasoline prices are marching upward again….

The North Koreans are threatening to unleash the nuclear genie….

The automakers are still reeling….

And the media desperately continues to scare us with Swine Flu horror stories about a disease that’s about as mild as a bad head cold…

So how does this blog respond to all of that?

We ignore it all, and look at the wackier side of life in this installment of:

SMILE  AND  THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON….

Thanks to Osama Bin Laden and his ilk—we can now look forward to having our crappy driver’s license photos look even worse…

Seems that states around the country are prohibiting smiling for picture that’ll go on your license..

The reason—facial recognition software.

Seems the smile wrecks the software’s ability to recognize photos already in the data-base of known faces.

So, smile at the risk of national security.

If you do, EYE guess law enforcement won’t be able to tell if you’re just a speeder, or someone who wants to destroy all American infidels.

GETTING YOUR GOAT #1

A tiny, little turtle is getting the goat of the Maryland State Highway Administration—literally.

Seems a highway bypass project has to go around the habitat of the endangered Bog Turtle.

That’s the easy part.

As you can read here, the hard part is trying to figure out how to remove weeds and brush in the habitat without using chemicals or techniques that might harm the little reptiles.

Enter the goats.

As the video below shows—they’re pretty good at clearing the land–while letting the turtles live in their bog.

GETTING YOUR GOAT #2

Goat herds may be good for Maryland Highway officials—but not for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Seems a family outside the city proper had a herd of 15 goats, two horses, a llama and an emu.

As you can read here, neighbors complained about the smell and noise of the animals—so,  the city slickers on the board of supervisors came up with a solution.

They said the family could ONLY keep 10 goats, two horses, a llama and an emu.

Apparently, 10 goats don’t make as much noise or smell as bad as 15 goats.

EYE never knew that.

—InstantEYE

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We Must Never Forget Them…

As we pass another Memorial Day, we continue to have troops engaged in active military operations in several countries.

Some will never return from the field of battle.

In their memory, we present this clip, because we can never forget them and the scores who followed before them…

~~~~

That masterful piece of storytelling is the work of Emmy-award winning reporter Boyd Huppert, with KARE TV 11 in Minneapolis.

It’s part of a series he does called Land Of 10,000 Stories…

You can see more of Boyd’s work here.

~~~~

Artist Kaziah Hancock is part of something called Project Compassion, which involves 4 other artists doing the same thing.

You can learn more about their efforts by clicking this link here.

—InstantEYE

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Eat Up…..

A number of fast food places have tried to dispel the nation that fast food is bad by coming up with a variation on the slogan:  It’s not fast food—its good food fast…

But many still regard fast food as bad food…and there are continuing attempts to warn us that we are what we eat…

Here’s a couple of the most recent examples:

DRIVEN TO OVER EAT….

Saying that it’s worried that over half the adults in its state are obese—the Massachusetts Public Health Council got a law enacted requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more in-state locations to post calorie counts next to each item on their menus or menu boards— including all items sold  at the drive-up window as you can read here.

Apparently, figures show 65% of ALL fast food purchases occur at the drive-up window..

Do you think a little calorie sign next to those burgers and fries is going to thin-up those hungry hoards who are too fat to get out of their cars to when ordering their fast food?

EYE think not…

Maybe they ought to require folks get out of their cars and WALK to the fast food place to get their grub.

At least they’d burn off more calories than if they drove up to the take-out window.

THAT’S A BIG ORDER…

Daly City is a small community South of San Francisco with about 10,000 residents….

Although small, students at the local high school are trying to make a big decision… They have decided they don’t want any more  fast food joints in their town.

As you can read here, 900 Jefferson High students presented the town council with a petition asking it  for a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in town.

They say there’s already too many unhealthy places to eat in Daly City..

And they aren’t stopping at local  fast food restaurants either.

They say their next project is to “fix the food in their cafeteria.”

Considering the “mystery meat” and other inedible concoctions that EYE remember from my high school cafeteria days—the Daly City kids could be on to something.

PSST..WANNA BUY SOME STONE GROUND OATS?

One of the fastest breakfasts on the planet is a bowl of cereal…

Some, like the high-sugar kiddy stuff are defiantly in the category of “junk food”…

But would you call a breakfast cereal a DRUG?

Well, that some are calling Cheerios.

As it says here, because the cereal box cites a clinical study which reads “eating two servings a day of  Cheerios helps to reduce bad cholesterol — when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol” the FDA figures that makes Cheerios a drug.

Cheerios maker says the FDA  approved the health claims 12 years ago—but is now upset about how the information is presented on the box…

It’s enough to give you a headache..

Hey— could EYE take a Cheerio for that instead of an aspirin?

—InstantEYE

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The Day The Gas Ran Out….

Former president Jimmy Carter sat before Congress recently complaining that things haven’t changed much since he was president with regard to dependence on oil.

And he warned the problems we faced back then when the gas ran out are bound to happen again.

The gas stopped flowing late in 1973, when the oil producing countries of the Middle East decided to teach the world a lesson..

On October 17, 1973 OPEC, the oil cartel voted to stop shipping petroleum to countries that were supporting Israel in a war with two of its Arab neighbors.

That conflict began when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kipper.

The effect of the embargo was swift and dramatic.

Gas prices jumped from about 25 cents a gallon to nearly a dollar—if you could get gas.

Service stations ran out of fuel.

People waited in lines for two or three hours to buy gas—which service station operators voluntarily rationed to stretch their supply as much as possible.

A nationwide speed limit of 55mph was imposed to save fuel—and the Department of Energy was formed to create a cohesive energy policy…

On March 17, 1974 OPEC voted to end the embargo—but the United States was wary–and was looking at conservation….

In 1977, in a speech that was rife with conservation symbolism, newly inaugurated President Jimmy Carter sat next to a lit fireplace, in a sweater—talking about creating a long range energy policy for our country.

But in 1979—the gas ran out AGAIN.

This time the precipitating cause was the Ayatollah Khomenini’s Iranian revolution that forced the dictatorial Shah of Iran from the country.

Once again— shortages created gas lines…

Service stations shut down several days a week—and gas was available either on odd or even days—depending on the whether the last number of your license plate was odd or even..

The situation got so bad—the government printed gas rationing coupons—but they were never issued…

People lowered heating thermostats to 65 degrees—and tried other ways to conserve petroleum…

Eventually the shortages abated..

Now, more than 30 years later, many of the initiatives proposed in the 70’s under Jimmy Carter have gone unheeded.

Had we worked toward energy independence THEN— we might not be in the situation we’re in now.

After a brief respite—gas prices are on the march upward again. And as they burn more and more of our disposable income, are we going to let another 30 years slide by before we do anything— or are we going to demand our leaders begin crash programs now to help mitigate our energy problems today?

The choice is yours.

Don’t let them fuel us again.

—InstantEYE

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Bits & Pieces, Odds & Ends Version5.0

There’s always something happening that frosts my cupcakes—and when EYE get enough cupcakes sitting on my mental counter-top it’s time to serve them to you in :

IT GIVES ME FEVER….

After several weeks of Swine Flu coverage—we may be on the verge of learning the real truth about the way this strange genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus came about.

As you might recall scientists said it contained a here-to-for unseen combination Swine, Bird and Human flu…

A couple of weeks back, we speculated in this post the virus might have been artificially created.

Now as you can read here the researcher who helped create the anti-viral medicine TAMIFLU believes the H1N1 virus was a HUMAN creation that accidentally escaped a research lab.

Adrian Gibbs bases his conclusion on H1N1’s genetic blueprint, and says so in a report.

The World health Organization is investigating his claims while some are trying to pooh-pooh Gibb’s allegation.

But with four decades of studying the evolution of germs, my money’s on Gibbs.

GENERATING A CONTROVERSY…

First they told us we were running out of oil—but not to worry because we had plenty of coal that we could use to generate power..

Now, these two studies by researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Washington claim we’ve overestimated the amount of coal we have available—and that we’ll hit peak production of it by 2025..

So, that pretty much gives us about 15 years to come up with workable, available alternative energy sources.

Can we beat the clock—or will we wait till 2024 before we do something?

IF x2=y>4 YOU MUST BE A THIEF….

The latest piece of Big Brother technology comes in the form of mathematical algorithms that check out surveillance video to figure out if you’re a shoplifter.

The BIG Y supermarket chain in Massachusetts has installed a system in its 57 stores that takes video camera feeds and runs them through a mathematical formula

As you can read here, the algorithms then decide if the store’s cashiers are engaging in an activity known as “sweethearting” where-by cashiers don’t ring up items as they work the check-out line.

If the system detects a problem, it alerts store security and then shows them the suspected video clip.

Stoplift, the company that invented the system claims on its website that it’s an accurate detector of employee theft.

But, knowing that math errors do occur in computer code, EYE would be a little worried about getting accused by a line of code that might corrupted.

—InstantEYE

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The Road Less Traveled…

While the American  automotive industry begs for bailout cash and threatens us with dark tales of bankruptcy and economic turmoil—-

—-there are folks out there who are trying to innovate and improve the automotive industry…

Check ‘em out….

SHOWING ‘EM THE DOOR….

A California based company has come up with a concept that’ll make any car cool—while getting rid of the standard door.

Jatech uses what it calls a rotary drop door to allow easier access into and out of any automobile.

It turns your ride into an elegant coach.

As you can see in this video— the door just disappears under the car—sliding away in a matter of seconds.

As the company’s website shows, the disappearing door can be outfitted any ANY kind of vehicle—and has the approval of major automakers.

THIS CAR’S SWEET….

How’d you like to have a car that’s not only Biodegradable—but runs on Chocolate?

Well, a team of British researchers from the University of Warwick have developed just such a vehicle.

World First Racing’s Formula 3 race car runs on Bio-diesel that’s made from vegetable oils and waste from chocolate  factories.

Not only that—but the major components  of this little beauty are made from various organic substances.

• * The steering wheel  is constructed from carrot fibers
• * The foam in the seats is from soybeans
  
• * The rear view mirrors and body panels are made from potato starch
• * The brake pads are made from cashew shells.

95% of the vehicle is Biodegradable, as you can read on World First Racing’s website here.

Researchers think that’s the way to go with ALL cars in the future.

Of course, with all those parts made from food, EYE suppose you could always serve your old car for dinner instead of trading it in for a new model.

DO WE REALLY WANT TO DO THIS…..

With the government moving closer and closer to taking over the U.S. auto industry, we really ought o give this some thought.

The following video gives us a taste of what could happen if the folks who brought you FEMA decide they’ll start selling us cars too.

—InstantEYE

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It’s A Crime They’re So Stupid….

Being a cop’s not always an easy job—but it does have its moments…

Especially when the bad guy is dumb enough  to do your work for you.

And that’s the case with these folks.. Dumb as a box of rocks—and just waiting to taken for ‘Granite’…

HE’S GOT A TICKET TO RIDE (TO JAIL)…

If you’re on probation—-it’s a good idea not do do anything that might make your parole officer suspicious. And that would include showing up at his office in a stolen car when you are on probation for a car theft rap.

But that’s exactly what one criminal master-mind did.

It was pretty easy for the cops to figure out the vehicle had been stolen because this Tampa, Florida guy shows up in a car with Washington State plates that has the ignition column  punched out and a screwdriver shoved in the side of  the steering column being used as an ignition key.

SHE WAS IN A REAL (DOOR) JAM…

Here’s an audio tape from a 9-1-1 call where a woman needs the police to help with  her locked automobile.

Listen carefully as the dispatcher figures out what’s wrong almost instantly—and tries to suppress a giggle  as she explains how to remedy the situation…

HIS EXCUSE KINDA BOMBED…

Jamiel Williams was supposed to report for a court-ordered drug test, in Lawrence, Massachusetts but was a afraid he was going to fail the test.

So, how best to avoid it?

Well — how about planting a fake bomb on the steps of the courthouse?

Part one of the plan worked perfectly.

The building was closed for hours.

Part two of the plan wasn’t so good.

You see, Jamiel left a handwritten note with his fake bomb, and his note also contained his fingerprints so the c0ps had TWO ways to tie him to the device.

On the plus side, Jamiel won’t have to take any drug tests in jail…

—InstantEYE

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Pigging Out On The Swine Flu….

Like a toddler in a playpen grasping at the most shiny object that captures its attention, the media has glommed on to the Swine Flu story as the most desirable object at the moment and is engaged in frenzied, saturation coverage…

Before you run in fear at the sight of a pig, someone sniffling—or go hide under the covers till all this passes—you may want to know—some of us have heard all this before.

It was back in 1976—and a soldier at Fort Dix told his drill instructor he wasn’t feeling well.

With-in the day, 19-year-old Army Private David Lewis died.  The government identified the culprit as a “Swine Flu”—and predicted a horrifying epidemic…

It recommended mass inoculations—and along with the the frenetic news reports predicting dire consequences—-the government created a massive public relations campaign aimed at selling the fear of Swine Flu death.

The funny thing was— the supposed epidemic never materialized and  the only one person who ever succumbed to the  Swine Flu back then was Private Lewis.

Although just one person died from the Swine Flu, records indicate hundreds died from talking the shots that were created to protect people from the virus.

As you can read here there were a lot of political pressures and other factors involved in creating the turmoil about the ‘76 Swine Flu epidemic.

LOCATION…LOCATION…LOCATION…

Although it’s been over 3 decades since the Swine Flu was first discovered at Fort Dix— researchers have never been able to figure out HOW it originated there.

And that’s the funny thing about this latest outbreak of Swine Flu.

All the experts say they can’t figure out WHY it started in Mexico.

These viruses usually take root in Asia, and work their way around the world.

There’s no known reason for it to begin in Mexico.

THE  “B”  WORD…….

There’s one more little tidbit about this strain of the Swine Flu that’s odd.

It’s  makeup is something no one has ever seen before—and it’s highly unusual in its structure.

You see, it combines elements of three KINDS of flu: Swine, Bird and Human flu.

No one has ever seen a virus with all three of those characteristics together.

It almost sounds like it was specifically designed.

Let’s try and connect what few dots are out there.

• * A hither-to unknown kind of virus, showing up in a place where it shouldn’t be.

• * A virus with unusual characteristics that appears to be “created.”

• * Mexican population panicked by threat.

Hmm…

Does it sound like maybe this was a test run of a generically engineered bit of Bio-Terrorism?

Before you dismiss that possibility—let’s see how this one plays out…

—InstantEYE

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Peeking Behind Closed Doors….

Years ago, Charlie Rich had a hit song titled Behind Closed Doors whose refrain was: “Oh, no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors…”

But, that may no longer be the case.

Just ask the government.

One of the men currently running for Governor of New Jersey apparently approved using  the GPS chip inside of  cell phones to track U.S. Citizens WITHOUT any warrants.

The story linked here claims when Christopher Christie was U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, he used that warrantless tracking in close to 100 instances.

Christie claims it’s all legal—but tracking without a warrant disregards an internal U.S. Justice Department recommendation that “prosecutors obtain probable cause warrants before gathering location data from cell phones.”

Taken alone, Christie’s action may sound unique in terms of government intrusion.

But consider this gem from the man who is Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence—uttered a couple of years back.

Dr. Donald Kerr says Americans have to change their definition of privacy—because it should no longer mean anonymity.

Back in 2007, in testimony quoted here before Congress, Dr. Kerr said the only privacy you’ll have is what  ”government and business provide for people’s private communication and financial information”…

Sounds OK right?

Well.. Maybe not.

You see that same story details a claim by a retired AT&T technician who says he installed a device in 2003 that ”diverted and copied every call, email and Internet site” accessed via AT&T’s San Fransisco switching office.

And where did this copied information supposedly go?

You shouldn’t need more than one guess.

Yep… A U.S. government computer.

The story claims there’s close to 2 dozen similar sites all over the country doing the same thing!

It appears our friends in Washington are indiscriminately collecting each and every piece of information about us without worrying about those annoying ol’ search warrants…

No wonder they’re telling us we need to change our definition of privacy.

They’ve already done it…

So—what do we do?

If we live with the technology—we live with the potential for its abuse.

In the meantime, EYE fully expect this post is going to end up in some file somewhere—marked with a notation to keep tabs on the guy who wrote it—because he’s dangerous.

—InstantEYE

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Double Takes….

Sometimes things are not what they seem at first glance…

What you see is NOT always what you get.



Below are a few examples of things that deserve a closer look.

THEY WERE ANYTHING BUT STATION-ARY…

Imagine yourself in a crowded train station during the height of the morning commute. The background music playing on the building’s speakers is a classic show tune from The Sound Of Music.

Someone is so entranced the by music they begin singing and dancing to it..

Soon someone else joins in.. Then another, and another ’til 200 people are all creating a song-and-dance performance right before your eyes.

Well, that’s what happened in Antwerp’s Central Train station when a group of performers staged what appeared to be an ad-lib musical before scores of startled commuters.

In all, 200 performers participated in this stunt that was to serve as a promotion for a Belgian TV channel that was producing its own production of The Sound Of Music.

The best part about this video is the reaction shots of various commuters as the performance unfolded.

WHO NEEDS A SPELLCHECKER…

Here’s little item that you should be able to read it with ease— despite the fact it looks like gibberish on first glance

Not Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rgh it pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Turns out the human brain doesn’t always see spelling—but rather recognizes patterns.

So as long as the first and last letter of the word is in the right spot—and the word has the correct number of letters, your brain will process it correctly..

TRAIN YOURSELF TO BE A BETTER OBSERVER….

Take a look at this photo.

There is a train in it.

Well, strictly speaking—the train isn’t in the picture yet…

But if you click on this clip below you’ll see how this active railroad line suddenly becomes a market in Bangkok, Thailand.

Seconds after the train passes—there’s no sign of a railway…
NOW that deserves a double-take !

—InstantEYE

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A Tale Of Two Brains…..

There’s been a lot of shouting in recent days over the tea-bag protests that have been occurring all across the country.

The left and the right have been clashing with each other in vitriolic terms claiming the opposing side is just too stupid and hard-headed to understand their position.

But it may not be all politics.

It may be that each side CAN’T help but believe in what they believe.

All of it could just be preordained.

A study linked here that was done not that long ago by New York University and UCLA indicates there’s a real difference between a liberal’s brain––and a conservative’s brain..

In other words—-politics isn’t a choice–-it’s genetic..

You’re either born a blue brain…

Or a red brain…

Now.. EYE may not be the smartest guy in the room—and EYE don’t have a string of letters following my name to indicate my degree of brilliance—but you have to wonder about this piece of research.

Let’s look at this… You would think that one’s political views are formed by a confluence of experience…

And, you would think different events and experiences in your life would mold your views—and thus your political viewpoint.

Yeah.. you might think that….

But the folks who know better than us say HOLD ON—you were born with your politics already decided.

Nope, your views can’t change. You can’t become more conservative—or more liberal as you go about life.

You’re stuck. A Blue Brainer, or a Red Brainer. Case closed.

Does this mean EVERYTHING we do is predetermined at birth?

Hey GREAT!

So long personal responsibility!

Sorry EYE robbed the bank officer, but it can’t be helped. EYE was born with a bank robbers brain! Genetic, you know!

Nope… Honey, EYE really wasn’t cheating on you.. It’s just that ole’ brain of mine. It’s hard-wired that way. Now let’s forgive, forget and move on!

Yeah, this opens a world of possibilities!

Nothing will ever be our fault again. We’re just born that way!

Now—perhaps EYE am reading a little too much into this study. But, did you notice WHERE it was conducted? At schools in NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES.

And aren’t those parts of the country considered centers for liberal thinking—

—or am EYE just being a no-brainer?

—InstantEYE

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It’s Alive….

It was a very healthy Mark Twain who said in 1897 that “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” after a newspaper published word that he had died.

And it seems EYE too may have greatly exaggerated the death of a literary operation whose humor Mark Twain might have appreciated.

We’re talking about the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS.

A year ago, EYE lamented the loss of that spinner of great yarns when the company that owned the paper shut it down.

Originally posted:

September 13, 2008 in the blog BETWEENtheLINES

THE PRESSES ARE STOPPED !!

As a kid, EYE read a lot of comic books… and  NEVER really gave ‘em up.. They just changed form. EYE am talking about the Weekly World News.

Where else could you get updates on Elvis’s comings and goings, find out the latest Bigfoot diet, or discover what the Space Aliens were up to?

Only in the TAB that liked to bill itself as “The World’s Most Reliable Newspaper.”

Now ALAS….

We will no longer be able to learn why Lincoln was a woman, Cheney a robot, or what Bat Boy is up to anymore.

The Weekly World News has ceased publication.

A victim of declining circulation–and quite possibly the Internet. They just couldn’t make up fake stuff as good as what you can find in cyberspace these days–especially on some blogs.

~~~~

Now it seems, the Weekly World News is back—well–in abbreviated form

The company that owns the SUN supermarket Tabloid (and used to publish the Weekly World News) has begun to include a Weekly World News insert in the SUN —and just like the original —the insert is in glorious black and white.

The SUN is the same paper that specializes in horoscopes, end of the world predictions from psychics and other off-beat topics..

Although it mined the same territory as the Weekly World News—it always took itself WAY TOO seriously for a paper that has shown a lack of accuracy about Armageddon…

Now—at last, we can get the REAL thing once again.

By the way—don’t be fooled by  the on-line version of the Weekly World News.

The rights to use that name were purchased by a fellow who tries to keep the tradition alive—but his stuff is pretty lame compared to  the masters who specialized in Elvis sightings and Bigfoot adventures.

—InstantEYE

 

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How Times Have Changed…

What passes for political news these days is vastly different than when EYE was first starting as a broadcast reporter back in the 70’s….

Much of today’s “news”  is gossip-related and driven by the insatiable news cycle that includes blogs, cable news channels, and talk radio—-both liberal and conservative…

A moment in time that once would have been largely ignored, is now the fodder for days upon days of pundification from all those who make their living trivializing the easy catch—while largely ignoring the more important, serious issues…

Here’s what I mean….

The other day, ABC NEWS had a “GOTCHA” moment with Joe Biden.

In greeting an old colleague an open microphone picked up his comment telling his friend to “give me a fu**ing break” in referring to him as Mr. Vice President.

Senior White house corespondent Jake Tapper blogged it here.

From there it was off  to the races….Real Clear Politics, among others—ran the audio here, and Drudge picked it up.

Compare that to a similar event more than 30 years ago—-memorialized in a little newspaper clip that EYE kept nestled in one of the plastic pockets of my wallet because it tickled me back in 1972…

It was a simple 16 lines—used a “filler” at the end of another unrelated story back in the day when newspapers didn’t have the ability to lay out their pages with computers.

When a story ran short—typesetters like these fellows tucked in a few lines of something to avoid having a white hole in their layout.

This “filler” story refers to the 1972 presidential campaign when Richard Nixon was running for re-election…

“Four more years” was one of the slogans of his campaign against George McGovern.

The reporter covering the story treated McGovern’s remark as a light anecdote…

THAT was then… THIS is now.

Today— a moment like that is  Media Madness!

Front page headlines around the world blare out the tale of the candidate with the foul mouth !

Political blogs would postulate on the candidate’s fitness for public office!

The radio talk shows and the 24-Hour-a-day cable networks would endlessly explore—in depth—the implications of such an outburst by an obviously unstable and anger prone hothead !

A grizzled old editor once told me there were only two kinds of news.

• News that people NEED to know…
• News that people WANT to know…

We all WANT to know the latest gossip or pop culture tid-bit—but we NEED to know things like what the Congress is doing with our money.

Maybe it’s time in our 24-hour-a-day, blogesphered society that we pay a LITTLE more attention to the NEED to KNOW news, instead of the WANT to know news.

—InstantEYE

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