Sounds like...

...not much of anything. But researchers have re-created an audio tape of the earliest known recording by mankind. Read the story and listen to the recording in this morning's New York Times. Kind of amazing to hear a voice from before the Civil War! Imagine if visual and aural media existed thousands of years ago...you could listen to the actual voice of Alexander the Great or Jesus. Today of course we are leaving behind such a huge record of who we are that the tough part for researchers thousands of years from now will be figuring out what's worth listening to...Let's see, this one is marked "Little Jimmy's 3rd Birthday" and that one "the Monica Lewinsky Impeachment hearings"...

Siegelman Freed

Sometime later this morning, the former Governor will be released, at least temporarily, from the prison where's he's been held since last Summer. The Federal Court decision freeing him found "substantial" reasons to believe he can succeed in an appeal of his conviction. This morning's Montgomery Advertiser story includes speculation that once out, he'll stay out if either Senator Obama or Clinton are elected in November. Obviously this will be the hot topic tonight on FTR...8:00pm on your local APT station and later online.

An Awareness Test

OK, you can tell it's a slow weekend, with everybody off visiting...so here's a little test of your power of concentration...take it! Go ahead...Take It!

Sweet Home Leningrad

From another blogger(www.tothepointnews.com). Just about the most bizarre act I've seen....watch this performance, which he describes this way:

"Back in the days of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Red Army had an official choir composed of male soldiers and musicians. It still exists. The Red Army Choir performs throughout Russia to this day.Now consider the Finnish rock band called The Leningrad Cowboys. A little while ago, they held a concert in Russia, in which - to the screaming applause of Russkie teen-agers - they got the Red Army Choir to join them on stage for a performance of "Sweet Home Alabama." In English. You couldn't make this up.We're talking seriously off the wall here. "

I have not done any research into it, but it's certainly worth a watch. (-:

Iraq + 5

This Friday's on FTR we'll talk with Major General A. C. Blalock, Adjutant General of the Alabama National Guard. Thursday is, of course, the 5th Anniverary of the invasion of Iraq. Almost four-thousand American lives have been lost, plus countless Iraqi deaths. One non-military site that tracks those deaths reports 66 Alabama fatalities and a half-dozen or so in Afghanastan, including the war's first casuality, CIA operative Mike Spann of Winfield.

Ireland

Hate to be a buzz kill on this Irish-American holiday, but let me recommend a reading of an opinion piece by Timothy Egan last week in the New York Times. Egan certainly has the credentials to back up what he believes, and if it helps, my credential for recommending it is my dual-citizenship with the land where three of my four grandparents were born. I've never been one to slap on a green shirt or pass out green snacks on March 17Th, seeing it as a fake Halloween-like marketing effort by Retailers anxious to make up for poor Valentines Day sales. So Egan's commentary stuck a familiar chord. Now I just have to make plans and actually visit Ireland, a trip that so far has eluded me. Let me end with one of those Irish toasts people are always mangling...."Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbour. It makes you shoot at your landlord-- and it makes you miss him." Here's to you!

Another Anniversary - AFVN - 1973

I received a reminder from the operator of the main online newsgroup for Vietnam Vets who worked for Armed Forces Vietam Network (Radio and TV). Today is the 35th anniversary of closing of AFVN.

Last person on the air was the station commander LTC Paul Hutchison.
Last radio news was done by SP4 Tom Fowlston.
Last TV newscast was done by SP5 Bob Morecook (who is also the aformentioned newsgroup operator).

I did TV news for AFVN for half of my year-long tour 1970-71 at Detachment 5 in Quang Tri.

Peach Blooms & Tuscaloosa

Had a great visit with the members of the Civitan Club in Tuscaloosa...good conversation and food and company..my idea of a perfect Wednesday. On top of that the weather was great, so I stopped in Chilton County on the way back on Highway 82 and shot pix of the peach trees in bloom (see up top). Now let's hope no serious freezes come our way!

Friday's FTR - The SEC and Larry Langford

We've already taped the second half of Friday night's FTR because the Commissioner of the SEC (No, not the football one), Christopher Cox, was in town and available today...the same day N.Y. Gov. Spitzer resigned. We talk with him about Spitzer AND about Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, whom the SEC is investigating, at least according to published reports. He doesn't say much (about Langford), but it probably is worth a watch anyway. Joe Borg, Cox's state counterpart, is on the program with him. 8:00pm Friday on APT and later online. We'll tape the other half of the program, the journalists' panel, on Friday.

Civitans in Tuscloosa

I'll be meeting with the nice folks at the Tuscaloosa Civitan Club Wednesday, talking about the Media in general, TV in particular. I'm sure there will be digital transition questions (Could the broadcasting industry make it any more difficult for customers to be customers???) and a discussion of the other extraordinary changes taking place in the media landscape. I'll post an after-report on Thursday.

Moving The Governor's Mansion...

The Montgomery Advertiser has a lengthy, fascinating article in today's edition about proposals to make the former Red Blount home the new official Governor's Mansion. While there are arguments both ways, the most specious as far as I'm concerned is this: "Although there are streets surrounding the mansion that are lined with fine homes, parts of South Perry and adjacent neighborhoods -- particularly the area from the governor's mansion to Interstate 85 -- show signs of decay." Uh, really? So the answer is to have the Governor move out? Shouldn't the answer be to fix the problem instead of fleeing, like so many retailers have in Montgomery to the East side of town? I think it's a great experience for a governor and his family to live in an area facing difficulties. Nothing like a daily reminder of what life is like for somewhat average folk to keep a governor grounded. Of course by that measure we should move the state's first family...into the almost vacant Montgomery Mall.

Joe Turnam on FTR

State Demo Party Chair (and uncommitted superdelegate) Joe Turnham will be on tonight's FTR (8:00pm on APT, then online here.) With the Democratic Presidential nominating process so close, superdelegates like him may have the decision in their hands. We'll also talk about the Legislative Session and oh yea, those subpoenas issued to an almost all-Democratic group of lawmakers yesterday.

Are You Qualified to Vote?

I came across an interesting web page on the Alabama Department of Archives and History site. It allows you to try your hand at being an Alabama voter in 1965, faced with taking a test before being allow to cast a ballot. The tests were eventually outlawed, but not before a lot of people, mostly poor blacks and whites, were prevented from having a say in their own state government. Would you have passed it? Give it a try!

Saved from Bird Bankruptcy

Just as the new backyard bird cafe was about to be auctioned on the courthouse steps, things picked up. A flock visited the new place and we took in enough cash to stave off the bankruptcy court. But the rest of the day was slow! May have to look into hiring a new chef or something.

3rd World, Alabama

The AP reports the Birmingham City Council has agreed to buy those aforementioned "$100 laptops" for the city schoolkids...and the story highlights the fact that the machines were designed for "3rd World" countries. The story will be carried everywhere, like in The Boston Globe, spreading yet another negative story about that city, and by extension, the state. Weren't there enough red flags flying above this plan for at least getting some experts to take a second look?

The FCC and The Blackout

The AP is reporting today that the FCC has started an investigation into WHNT's "blackout" of the 60 Minutes report on Former Governor Don Siegelman's prosecution and conviction. There's not a chance in a million that they'll take any action against the Huntsville station, presuming it truly was a case of equipment failure. WHNT had no reason to block the story (As if in this YouTube era they could somehow hide the contents of the report from their viewers?) And on top of that, they rebroadcast the segment twice after the misfire. Conspiracy theorists may see the black helicopters blocking the satellite signal or something, but this is one story that's not going anywhere.

Bird Feeder Failure

I know there is a huge failure rate among new restaurants, but is that also true of feeders for birds? I purchased this new one (on the right)and moved the old one to a different spot (on the left) but I have yet to see a single visitor. Is my advertising at fault? I have a great health rating (98) and have positioned the new places conveniently (and away from cats and other predators)...maybe I need a neon sign?