Category Archives: Uncategorized

I Support WFMU

In just about a week or so, radio station WFMU will begin its annual fundraising marathon. Lots of public radio stations are taking time out this time of year to hit up their listeners for money. Why is WFMU different? Why do I support this one and no other station?

Put it simply, WFMU gets zero corporate or government dollars. One hundred percent of their funds comes from listener donations. Well, OK, there are a few modest grants, their annual Record Fair, and some companies that have donation-matching programs, but that’s it. You’ll never hear “Support for this program comes from….” or “This broadcast is made possible by a grant from….”

What this means is that no one (other than the FCC) can tell the station what it can broadcast. It’s “freeform” – their volunteer DJs play whatever they want. Since they all clearly love their particular genre of music, the whole effect is that of having a bunch of good friends who want to share this love of music with you. There’s a gospel show, a 50s R&B show, international music, reggae…. And several talk and listener call-in hours to add to the variety.

They are also very supportive of the local music scene in NYC and northern NJ, with DJs hosting local events. And they’ve been innovative, too. In 1997, they started live online streaming of their broadcast, which soon led to them archiving their shows. There’s at least 100,000 hours of radio available! And that doesn’t include podcasts and their new “Web Only” streams! They’ve even begun curating a “Free Music Archive” where you can find all manner of free and “pre-cleared” music for your creative needs.

I’ve been supporting them for several years now, and the Marathons are very likely the most fun thing you’ll hear on the station. Most other public stations sound tired as they beg for your money; WFMU goes crazy with excitement, live performances, and goofy stunts as they essentially invite you to join in on the madness.

In addition to the load of swag (no mere “Thank You” gifts here!) that you can get for your donation, you can even buy naming rights to a part of the station or Adopt a DJ! Let’s see you do that, PBS!

Here’s a bit from NJTV News about a recent documentary, “Sex and Broadcasting”, about WFMU:

So check them out, give them a listen, and maybe join the Super Secret Club of Worldwide WFMU Fans by sending a few bucks their way!

https://www.wfmu.org/marathon/

A Personal Cold War

It starts with a little tickle of dryness back in the throat. You figure it might just be low humidity or dust in the air, but it stays with you throughout the day as you move from one environment to another. Still, it’s not that much of a problem, so you don’t pay that much attention to it. But then you wake up the next day… Whatever glands there are in your throat have swollen to the point where it feels like they’ve clamped it shut. Your sinuses are packed full of…something. Your entire body feels tingly – and not in a good way, either. As you stumble out of bed and try to stand up, your head protests madly at this unconscionable disturbance.

There’s only one possible cause of all this torture.

You are under attack by the Common Cold.

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On Black History Month

It’s that time of year again, when America as a whole makes a lip-service attempt at atoning for past injustices in the hope that it will absolve them from actually having to do anything about current injustices…

Why am I not surprised that it is the shortest month of the year?

It is also the time when teachers all over the country give their students assignments related to the observance. Prepare book reports, essays, and other presentations on African-American people of historical importance, in the hopes of learning something about their struggle. Unimaginative students and teachers choose the same people year after year – Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, etc.

While not to denigrate those who do choose to study those great people, there are many others who deserve at least a passing look in the grand pageant of history.

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The New Commissioner

Rob Manfred has officially taken the reins as Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He inherits a sport that is in better shape than a lot of people seem to realize. Financially, baseball as a whole is doing very well. Attendance is high and steady, even at a time when fans have many more ways to follow the sport than showing up in person. A lot of the griping one sees is from people who don’t appear to be fans anyway.

But there are a few issues that need to be addressed, and it looks like Mr. Manfred is willing to jump right in and get down to business.

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The Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Today, the Baseball Writers Association of America formally announced the apotheosis of four players: Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz. All four are worthy players, deserving of the honor. This is only the fourth time that four or more players have been elected at one time – and one of those was the inaugural class, so that one probably doesn’t count. It is the first time that this many players were selected under the current voting rules, and the first time that seven players (six of them on their first appearance on the ballot) were selected in two consecutive years.

As always, there are a number of writers and a great many commenters who take issue with the voting. Very little has changed since I wrote about the election process last year, so I won’t belabor those points.

There have been a few changes, though….

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2014 in Reveiw

Well, here it is. I’ve been at this for a year now, and like almost everyone, it’s time to take a look at the year just ended. It’s nice that WordPress sent me a summary of my blogging activity, though like all others in the media, they didn’t actually wait until the year was fully over to compile it.

I understand that news magazines need to go to press well before the end of the year in order to have their issues out on the newsstands in time, but it’s got to be annoying that any major news items that happen in late December won’t get included. Forget about making the lists of “Celebrity Deaths of the Year” if you die in the last few days of the year. Of course, you cannot be included in the lists for the next year, so you’re stuck.

Anyway, here’s what WordPress has for my annual report.

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Wassail!

One of the lesser holiday traditions is that of Wassail. Not just the warm apple-based drink, but the old Anglo-Saxon tradition of communal visits, drinking, and well-wishing. These days, our communities are a little too spread out for the door-to-door visits and the requisite drinking, but there’s no reason you can’t do it safely at home with your friends.

 

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Scoring the Holiday Displays

By now, you should be seeing plenty of holiday light displays out on people’s lawns. While it should not be a competition, one does get the sense that there are still a few people who try and outdo their neighbors. In any case, I do like seeing the different displays chasing away the darkness. And it is kind of fun to argue over whose is better.

So I’ve come up with a scoring system.

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