Given enough time, even the roughest edges and the most acute angles will soften ... and so will the sharpest points of contention among us. We are more alike than we know, or care to admit.
It's hard for me to be completely objective, but I think Midland College is a wonderfully diverse institution, offering an incredible array of resources for people of all shapes and sizes, ages and interests, pasts and futures, who want to 'grow' their knowledge and their lives ...
... but, I have to admit ... we don't have Angelina Jolie's Leg !
I know ... I know ... I'm ranting ... but stick with me, here.
Let's face it, the web has grown to a size, a reach and a complexity that makes it a force to be reckoned with in the course of public debate. Every now and then, some denizen of the web delivers a well-deserved smackdown to someone else who insists on delivering wit ... especially when said wit is a figment of their own imagination.
Take Newt Gingrich ... PLEASE (rim shot)
No, seriously, take Newt Gingrich as an example of my rant. According to this report in mywesttexas.com, "speaking at ORU’s Mabee Center, Gingrich mocked environmental concerns." Okay, I'm cool with that, I've been mocked by far better people that Newt for my environmentalism. But he couldn't leave it there. Gingrisch, the report goes on to state, "received a standing ovation for saying, 'You can’t put a gun rack in a Volt.'”
Which brings us to YouTuber jtmcdole, who begs to differ with the gentleman (smirk) from Georgia.
According to this report from KOSA-TV, news anchor Mike Barker continues to recover from his cancer surgery at M.D. Anderson in Houston. "We are told that he is up and walking today," said the report on Thursday.
If you had to pick an elder statesman of West Texas television news, Mike would have to be one of the candidates. He was already an established presence here when I started working the local market in the late 80s. I worked as a writer and production assistant at KMID-TV/Big 2 News, while Mike was the station's lead anchor - the point man for what was then the dominant #1 news station in the market. Both of us have moved to other stations, other media over the years - and have even spent some time out of journalism altogether. But our friendship has lasted for 25 years now - and that's something I cherish.
He remains on my prayer list, as does Shelley, their family and friends, and the medical professionals in charge of Mike's care. Get well soon, Mike ... we miss you!
... and tweeting you, and friending you, and sharing you, and hash-tagging you, and doing who-knows-what-else to you. Case in point, the investigation into Thursday's bank robbery in Midland ... and the arrest of a suspect the following day, and how coverage/investigation of that robbery included contibutions through social media.
The suspect was identified by someone who started spreading the word via comments on the social media, according to reports on the investigation, and searches on the internet located the suspect's own presence on social media ... which helped confirm the allegations in those comments.
George, the proprietor of Sleepless In Midland who knows a thing or two about social media, has shared his belief that law enforcement is making good use of virtual fora such as Facebook. He also notes cases where robbers brag of their misdeeds on their Facebook pages, apparently not realizing just how public those statements are.
We also read of how colleges, employers and landlords are checking prospective students, employees and tenants on the internet - and that includes perusing your social media presence. Periodically, the Twitter feed I receive in my work at Midland College includes admonitions that updating (or cleaning-up) your social media profiles may become every bit as important as your resume, your entrance essay, or the references on your application.
It's the old 'live mic' quandry to the umpteenth power. Just as people would be warned to assume the microphone was ALWAYS on, and the tape was ALWAYS rolling ... maybe today we should always bear in mind that what we post is out there for all to see, and judge, and share (sometimes with a little added spin).
And times change, you grow and move on to other things ... there may come time where you really want to get a new profile photo (one where you're not naked, and sucking on a beer bong), no matter how well it served you in college.
... was one of my favorite Super Bowl ads also a political plug? Overall, a pretty good selection of ads in tonight's broadcast ... some variations on a theme from last year (Doritos, e-trade), some variations on an even older theme (Ferris Bueller/Honda), some whose attraction continues to elude me (Go Daddy), and some that I liked a lot more than most of the others. One of those was Chrysler's tribute piece featuring Clint Eastwood ...
I liked everything about the spot ... well scripted and well-shot, and a wonderful job of editing and audio-mixing in the post. I'm guessing that the credits for this spot would include some of the same names as Chrysler's spot (with Eminem) in last year's Super Bowl ... which was my favorite spot in THAT broadcast.
But even before the spot hand ended, I was wondering if "the second half" was alluding to a second four-year term for President Obama. And I've noticed that this same line of thought has already been popping up elsewhere on the net.
What do you think?
By the way my other favorite spots included Chevy/Apocalypse ... of course, I can hardly be objective about THAT. And I'm definitely going to hang on to my Chevy pickup until 2012 is over and done with!
... and I absolutely LOVED the way this Budweiser-Canada spot made me feel! I just wish Budweiser would have aired this during the U.S. Super Bowl broadcast instead of that 'eternal optimism' spot.
