Unbelievable. The last weekend of April! Time flies. WDEL will be broadcasting from our first church carnival / ethnic festival of 2012: Look for us on the stage of the main cafeteria at St. Helena's parish carnival, along the 600 block of Philadelphia Pike, Monday, April 30th and Tuesday, May 1st. Let me extend an invitation to ANY of you who read and/or comment on this blog to stop by.
So, which stories / issues / topics are on your radar this weekend?
Wilmington's Mayor Jim Baker - an ardent supporter of the proposed, 10-story convention center hotel for the Wilmington Riverfront - blasted hotel-owners concerned about the city's subsidy for potential competition: "Shut up".
Dying in committee in Dover: Legislation to offer in-state tuition and scholarships to illegal immigrants in Delaware - the DREAM Act - and a bill to hike Delaware's minimum wage by a buck.
The WALL STREET JOURNAL has a story about Secret Service agents engaged in all sorts of unprintable things at a Moscow strip joint, ahead of then-President Clinton's visit to the Russian capital.
Even by the standards of "hound dog" politicians, John Edwards emerges as the ultimate cad: Prosecutors released a trove of voice-mail messages between the former Senator and Presidential hopeful, Edwards' aide Andrew Young, and Edwards' secret lover Rielle Hunter. Perhaps the most disgusting message: Hunter laughs to Young about a news clip showing Edwards standing far away from wife Elizabeth.
Analysts who have studied photos of new North Korean missiles displayed at a recent military parade suggest the "missiles" were fakes.
Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, told an interviewer from the Israeli newspaper HAARETZ that he believes Iran will choose NOT to build a nuclear bomb. Gantz's assessment meshes with comments from other current and former Israeli officials in recent months, but clashes with the gloomier statements of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some members of his Cabinet... the folks close to some conservative Republicans here in the U.S. who keep suggesting President Obama is not adequately pro-Israel. But as we can see here, Israelis themselves are not of one mind about the Iranian threat.
Posted at 8:24am on April 27, 2012 by Allan Loudell
The United States has far more nuclear weapons than any other nations, so it is the U.S. that poses the greatest nuclear threat in the world and the only solution would be for the U.S. to disarm.
By the way, if you conclude Iran is a "threat" to Israel because it has nuclear energy, then Israel is also a threat to Iran and this could more be accurately described as an "Israeli threat" because Israel has nuclear weapons.
Mike from Delaware
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 3:20pm
Kareem: The one big diffence between Israel and Iran is the Iranians have publicly stated that they want to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth. We can argue about whether or not Israel has been fair in things they have done in the 60 year history of modern Israel (far as I can tell no nation would pass that test as all are run by humans). But the Jews don't go around saying they want so and so wiped off the face of the earth.
I'm making a generalization which is always dangerous as it can and probably will not represent the views of all of a given group, BUT it sure does appear that MOST Arabs truly hate the Jews and Israel. They don't seem to have a problem saying it in the public square either so its no secret. This is the sort of thing that makes Israel and yes the US nervous.
I sure don't get why the Arabs have so much of an issue with Israel. The Arab lands have the glut of the world's oil, they are by far way larger than "New Jersey sized" Israel. Why can't the Arab nations try to make peace with Israel? Why this constant bickering? The Arab nations are the richest in the world. Their people should be living real high. If they aren't it sure isn't the US or Israel's fault as we in the US surly are spending big time money in buying Arab petroleum products as does the rest of the world. The Arabs have the dome of the rock in Jersusalem, sure the Jews would like to rebuild their ancient temple there, but that sure isn't going to happen. So frankly, I don't get it.
mrpizza
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 11:40pm
For anyone who missed my interview with Amy Cherry from Thursday's newscast, here's the link. Video also included!
http://wdel.com/story.php?id=42391
JimH
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 11:04am
People are still showing a remarkable lack of regard for our media saturated society. Mutliple 24/7 news and sports networks. All with cameras and microphones everywhere. All with a lot or boring hours to fill with on-air content.
Nearly every human is walking or driving around with a camera. Every intersection in cities has a camera monitoring everything. GPS tracks your every move. And guess what? All of this is accessable to practically everyone on the internet!
To the John Edwards types and the Secret Service agents, wake Up!
mrpizza
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 11:34am
JimH: Most of them will never wake up. The next criminal never learns from the last one that got caught because they think they're smarter than the last one.
Hopefully, most of the cameras, I-phones, etc., will be used as a force for good and get more of these criminals off the streets.
teatime
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 4:14pm
Mr. Pizza,
Under the category of "questions that I've always wondered about," is what percentage of food service employees have ever spat in the food of undesirable customers?
Fast food servers, restaurant waiters, pizza deliverers all have omnipotent powers to spit in the food of customers who are rude, obnoxious, demanding or condescending.
I'm not asking whether Mr. Pizza has ever done it, but I'm asking for a rough estimate of the universe of all food servers, what percentage has ever done it?
A precise number would be helpful. Is it 1.3%? 15.6% or 87.7% that have spat in, or tampered with, the food of customers?
Mike from Delaware
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 11:32pm
Mrpizza: Enjoyed seeing and hearing your interview with Amy Cherry. Now I can put a face with the voice.
JimH: A lot of people apparently didn't read "1984". They seem oblivious to "Big Brother". I know folks who'll say, well if you're not doing anything you're ashamed of you shouldn't be worried about the cameras. I believe our society is losing that sense of privacy other than corporations and medical records of people, but people themselves don't seem to care about privacy. I'm always amazed at people who in a public place are having rather personal discussions on their cell phone as they talk in a "boiler factory whisper" so you can clearly hear at least THEIR side of the conversation 50 feet away.
mrpizza
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 11:46pm
Teatime: I have no idea whatsoever. I think most of what you've heard amounts to an urban legend. It's probably less than the 1.3% you mentioned, and I doubt it even amounts to 1%.
MFD: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
You're right about the privacy thing. The up and coming generation was not born yet even IN 1984, let alone having read the book, which came out when? I think you'd be hard pressed to find a baby-boomer or older even talking on a cell phone at all, let alone have such discussions in public. The generations born in the 80's and 90's just haven't been brought up to speed with what we learned, and by now they think we're just outdated anyway.
Mike from Delaware
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 5:51pm
I believe "1984" was originally published in 1948.
EarlGrey
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 9:30pm
See how far off Orwell was...there is no Big Brother, it's Big Sis ;) but he was definitely spot-on about doublethink, Newspeak and memory holes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_hole
Mike from Delaware
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 10:07pm
We'll have to stick my last post in the memory hole.
Here is the correct info:
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, first published by Martin Secker & Warburg, London, 1949. This reference, Penguin Books pocket edition, 1954.
mrpizza
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 6:15am
All of George Orwell's books are still in print and available at Amazon.com. You can even get 1984 in Kindle. His real name was Eric Arthur Blair, born 1903, died 1950, the year after 1984 was published. A short life, but a lasting legacy.
Mike from Delaware
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 8:14am
It would have been interesting had Mr. Blair aka George Orwell had lived to be 100 (2003) and then to got hear his thoughts on how society turned out (especially with all the electronic devices including "Security" cameras on poles at traffic lights and elsewhere. When he passed away, television was still in its infantcy, that one computer at Princeton (I believe) filled a room and our pocket calculators of today can do far more than it could. Not to mention back in 1950 only the US and the USSR (maybe England) had Atomic Bombs (A bombs) prior to Nukes (Hydrogen Bombs) and they weren't as portible or as small as they are today. Nations committed acts of terror, not individuals. Israel had only been a modern state for two years at the time of his passing. The world is very different now than in his day. Gas was about 20-25 cents per gallon. Plenty of oil to go around to the developed nations, not as many back then as China and India were third world nations.
Yea, it would have interesting to hear his thoughts on his 100th birthday.
EarlGrey
Mon, Apr 30, 2012 2:26pm
Animal Farm by Orwell is another excellent read.
"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."
Mike from Delaware
Tue, May 1, 2012 8:16am
EarlGrey: Sounds like a description of today's Political Correctness.
That was a good book as well. Probably neither of these books are being used in schools today. They'd rather have the kids reading books that are something like: Mom's Female Room Mate, Why I Live in a house with Two Dads, Condom Use 101, Those Evil White European Males Who Founded this Nation Got it Wrong, or God's Last Name is Damn, and other classics like these. Then folks wonder why America is in so much trouble today.
mrpizza
Tue, May 1, 2012 10:01pm
Don't forget "Heather has two mommies"!
Mike from Delaware
Tue, May 1, 2012 10:50pm
Mrpizza: Thank you, I was racking my brain trying to remember that book title. I think the other book that NYC tried to used in their schools was "Daddy's other roommate" or something like that.
kavips
Wed, May 2, 2012 1:38am
Changing the thread's course (forgive me) but when is your next high school journalism class special coming out on air? I've always enjoyed those...
kavips
Wed, May 2, 2012 1:55am
... and I want to touch base on another topic, briefly mentioned above in regards to Edwards.
Currently he is in a trial of his life. And his love life is being dredged up to prove he is this terrible guy, and should deserve eternal damnation by not only our justice system, but Catholic Bishops, Episcopal Bishops, Methodist Bishops, and everyone else who thinks their morals are superior.
I challenge the assertion that staying together in a marriage is always the right thing to do... It is obviously wrong for a woman to stay in a relationship without love if she finds out, yeah, she can get it elsewhere. Therefore under the equality clause, the same should hold true with a man.
Each person has one life... To criticize another for their actions taken in love, is outrageously wrong....
It is like saying: "you, who only have one life on this planet, must spend it being miserable because I, I am the ultimate judge, and YOU must abide by whatever I deem is the correct behavior."
"Your happiness will not part of the equation.. You, live like I want, how I say, and you MUST live up to MY expectations or face severe penalties."
This is what we do when we make statements regarding others who supposedly "err" during their lifetimes....
There is only one appropriate response to why a married couple should stay together over their course of their life... and that is: "that I still love my spouse more than anyone else I've ever met, and she loves me the same way"...
Any other justification for staying together in a marriage, is just wrong.
If either one ever falls out of love, both have the obligation go find happiness elsewhere.
Maybe I'm the only one. But I can find no honor in anyone who says: "Oh, I'm unhappy alright. I'm going to suffer the rest of my life."
Where's the honor in that? Forget about it. Go out and get some!
Allan Loudell
Wed, May 2, 2012 6:04am
kavips,
We just did a High School Journalism & Communicators' Night last Thursday, April 26th.
It's very difficult such broadcasts in May, with the school year coming to a close, and the resulting tests, prom, etc.
So it's unlikely we'd have another one until October.
Allan Loudell
Add your comment: Attention: In an attempt to promote a level of civility and personal
responsibility in blog discussions, we now require you to be a member of
the WDEL Members Only Group in order to post a comment. Your Members
Only Group username and password are required to process your post.
You can join the WDEL Members Only Group for free by clicking here.
If you are already a member but have forgotten your username or password, please
click here.
Please register your post with your WDEL Members Only Group username and password below.
