WNOZ Public Service Radio

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 Since I was tired of only limited frequency AM radio playing show tunes, bluegrass, or big band music I came up with an idea for a new type of radio station. WNOZ Public Service Radio would be a radio station without any commercials.

Now this was before NPR and all the other public techniques of presenting music or news, but the idea of a commercial-free radio supported by the local area and programmed by the local listeners.

It wouldn’t be difficult. Get a frequency that is not used and a method for transmission (plus all the paperwork from the FCC) and start programming. My idea was just to start small, like a college radio station, with a limited broadcast area around an area of town that was young, affluent, and progressive in their musical taste.

I even had advertising planned. Teaser flyers would be placed all over the broadcast area before the first sound was broadcasted. And the theme was “Who Noz?”  The main graphic would be a 1940’s box radio, the mascot would be a teddy bear with the theme song being “Teddy Bear Picnic”.

Of course it was a pipe dream but in my high school mind I even planned certain shows and formats. Every day would be a “theme”. The themes, like "water", "love", "war", "cars", "girls", "space", etc., would be presented the week before to all the listeners so they have a chance to call in request.

“The Great American Music Theater” is a mix of live and pre-recorded. “The Ha-Ha Hotel” takes the local comedians to do live in the studio or recorded at local venues. “Disco Bagger” a daily soap opera about a guy who works in a grocery store and dances to the music in his head. “Jaws 27” is the continuing story of why we don’t go into the water. “Radio Rick” is the story of a struggling everyman who can make it as a stand up comedian. “Tunnel Guard”, the fascinating tale of those uniformed men and women who walk the rails in the dark tunnels making sure the traffic continues to flow. Another soap opera, “The Crowd Thickens” presents new characters every week living to find each others problems, give bad advice and eat. “Roots of Music” would take one genre of music and explore where and how it was developed.

And every hour would be news, sports, weather, gossip, reviews, and reports on interesting subjects. In the morning the soothing music will wake you up then help you plan with events of the day. Music reviews will fill the later morning before news at noon. The history of “Roots of Music” followed by “Music System Review” covering the latest tech innovations and techniques.

Any show that gets positive responses will be replayed in “Encore”.

Of course I never furthered the dream. I could not get a sponsor or financing and my friends lost interest but today it would make a great iPod list. Who Wnoz?

Alienation

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I think of how I relate to the people around me and realize I’ve alienated so many.

Alienation refers to estrangement, division, or distancing of people from each other, or of people from what is important or meaningful to them, or of a person from their own sense of self. The concept has many discipline-specific uses, and can refer both to a personal psychological state (subjectively) and to a type of social relationship (objectively).

In sociology, the concept has been summed up as 'the distancing of people from experiencing a crystallized totality both in the social world and in the self' (Kalekin-Fishman, 1998: 6). It was first the writings of Karl Marx in the 19th century and later the works of particularly Melvin Seeman that popularized the concept in sociology, along with Emile Durkheim's anomie.

Alienation is most often represented in literature as the psychological isolation of an individual from society or community. In a volume of Bloom's Literary Themes, Shakespeare's Hamlet is described as the 'supreme literary portrait' of alienation, while noting that some may argue for Achilles in the Iliad. In addition, Bartleby, the Scrivener is introduced as a perfect example because so many senses of alienation are present. Other literary works described as dealing with the theme of alienation are: The Bell Jar, Black Boy, Brave New World, The Catcher in the Rye, The Chosen, Dubliners, Fahrenheit 451, Invisible Man, Mrs. Dalloway, Notes from Underground, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus, The Trial, Waiting for Godot, The Waste Land, and Young Goodman Brown. Contemporary British works noted for their perspective on alienation include The Child in Time, London Fields, Trainspotting, and Regeneration (Senekal).

Anyone I’ve ever known must understand and adapt to this condition.

Attachment relationships in adults can also involve feelings of alienation. Indeed, emotional alienation is said to be a common way of life for many, whether it is experienced as overwhelming, or is not admitted to in the midst of a socioeconomic race, or contributes to seemingly unrelated problems.

I’ve always thought this was a psychological issue rather than a social issue.

Self-estrangement is an elusive concept in sociology, as recognized by Seeman, although he included it as an aspect in his model of alienation. Some, with Marx, consider self-estrangement to be the end result and thus the heart of social alienation. Self-estrangement can be defined as “the psychological state of denying one’s own interests – of seeking out extrinsically satisfying, rather than intrinsically satisfying, activities...”(Kalekin-Fishman). It could be characterized as a feeling of having become a stranger to oneself, or to some parts of oneself, or alternatively as a problem of self-knowledge, or authenticity.

Since I like being around other people and behave myself with social manners, I figured it wasn’t me after all.

Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian (seventeenth century Venetian) quarantena.

The 2012 Long Olympics

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So for two weeks all regular programming on NBC (the network I normally watch) was inundated with the London Olympics. The Olympics presented pomp, pageantry, excitement, competition, and fireworks. Lots of fireworks. To have a spectacular nowadays you must blow things up.

The beginning ceremony had the pyrotechnics with winged bicycles, monsters and Mary Poppins, Mike Oldfield (where did they find him) and Sir Paul (always the ham). There were so many countries I had never heard of, but of all the uniformed athletes from all over the globe waving their flags and taking pictures on their smart phones, only 80% or maybe less will be recognized or win a medal.

Cheerleaders? Really? Cheerleaders trying to work up the crowds between matches or sets, but there were not at every occasion. Where were the cheerleaders in the rowing? Where were the cheerleaders in the rasslin? Where were the cheerleaders in the horses jumping over the sticks?

But the “games” as they are called is all about competition. Who will get more medals than the other country? At the end you can say, “ My country is better than yours because we have more ribbons.” What about those who didn’t win anything? Why are they there in the first place?

Watching the games, because you can’t resist, I saw sports or activities I used to participate in like swimming, badminton, shooting, fencing, volleyball and rowing…. But realized a lot has changed. One, I could never compete with these guys and two; many techniques have been changed from back in the day.

The blocks for swimming used to be just flat with a black sandpaper finish on top. There was no dolphin kick. I was good at freestyle and butterfly and crawl but was never a good kicker. Backstroke was all over the place. I didn’t know you had to lose at badminton to win. I also didn’t know girls could shoot that well. The one knee down canoe racing was exhausting but the crew stuff was fascinating. I never did see any archery but would have liked to.

The track and field stuff I will leave to Jo-Jo because he knows more about it than me. I don’t run unless someone with a very heavy object is chasing me.

The water polo looked almost deadly but the beach volleyball made up for it.

My favorite spot in the “games” was the guy running on springs. I know there is the Para-Olympics happening now, but here was a guy who decided to accomplish a goal no one could have realized. That is what the “games” should stand for, just like all those who came to the village, competed and went about with the experience and a flight bill and maybe lost luggage.

I bet they sell a lot of those day-glo yellow shoes.

And why are all the coaches fat?

Then it was time for a final blow up. George Micheals in a skull belt buckle? So many scooters it looked like Quadraphenia with a Goth Annie Lennox? Interesting Victorian themes that were similar to the giant smokestacks from the beginning played out with thousands of costumed folks. Was this the best years of the British Empire? Where were the folks from India? Where were the Zulus? There was a nice plug for Rolls Royce but I didn’t see my favorite Spice Girl. Where was “Oregano” Spice?

And that was about it.

Concede to Victory

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Relationships are a lot of work.

Working or living with another person one has to compromise. What you might want to do may not be acceptable with the other so what do you do?

The balance of these daily decisions becomes the future of your life.

The learning process of what in the final conclusion is necessary to maintain the balance of life is the challenge.

We all find a way to live our lives in whatever circumstances presents itself.

One may need to find a space…. a space to survive. A space that will allow both the freedom to stay together in the relationship that both have agreed upon.

Realization this is the best accommodations for both, with no alternatives, then we concede to victory.

Cheating

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I was never good at this, at least in school. I didn’t know how to sit next to the smart kids and copy their answers so I just failed the test. My only cheat there was to sign my parents name to the results.

With relationships, as I always say, I am like a dog. I will follow you anywhere and though I might take a look or a sniff somewhere else, I always come home if you feed me and rub my tummy.

I learned from an early age that cheating could easily interrupt connections between two people, no matter how intense or dynamic it seemed.

Now my definition of “cheating” is a person who doesn’t follow the rules.

And what are the rules?

Well when two people decide to become a “couple” there are certain ground rules that should be established. Sure there is the ring passing or maybe some special gift that will remain forever and of course those deep long glazes that seal the deal.

If it continues there is even a contract declared by the state that the both of you are a couple by name? During the establishment of the contract each vows to be faithful to each other until death do you part.

Really?

Sure many play by the rules or even give the excuse of “for the kids” to maintain living together.  Some know how to fake it. Some know how to cover it up. Some just don’t know what other options there are because they only hang around others doing the same thing reinforcing the rules.

But then there are the normal human reactions to someone else who is attractive or intelligent or in someway enticing.

Choices must be made to stay away or wander into unknown territory. Then one must decide how far to wander into that territory.

And what about the partner? Do they have the same freedom to “wander”? And here is where the “rules” get fuzzy.

As hedonist, we want it all. A warm comfortable home and a person who is devoted to you as a couple is what has been signed in the contract, but there is that excitement, even danger, of the unknown.

The consequences can be emotional and expensive but desire can override logic.

Family

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“I pregnant” she said

I jumped up in bed

Those words bore a hole in my brain

What have we just done?

Do I stay or do I run?

Or do I give her half of my name?

 

Family? They are your closest friends? The ones you have spent more time with than anyone else?

But who are these people? Some are older and some maybe younger and other than having the last name what do you have in common?

These are the people you go on vacation with. These are the people you eat with. These are the people you sleep with. These are the people who teach you faith. These are the people who teach you values. These are the people who teach you ethics.

These are the people who provide you with food and shelter. These are the people who force you into education. These are the people who tell you what to wear and when to eat and when to sleep. These are the people who buy you gifts during holidays and birthdays and make you cakes so you can take picture with them.

These are the people who define your history. These are the people who you have family gatherings with and find new people who are associated to you though some may be strange but you have to like them because they are family.

A family may have an uncle who gases himself in his garage or a grandmother who is always happy or another grandmother only know by pictures or a cousin who breaks the family tradition and becomes pregnant out of wedlock or another cousin who takes his own life before his father is accidently electrocuted by his brother. There are more stories and time spent on families.

When a new family branch is formed? Is it a solid branch that follows the wisdom of the elders and the energy of the youth or is it the black sheep that should be avoided.

Then there are new friends made in school or church or the country club with new names and family traditions. Some might seem very familiar to your family with a house and toys and mom and day and a car and a religion while others are different.

Some have single moms or dads that commit suicide or big houses and fancy cars and clothes or thoughts and values brought up by different life experiences.

So checking ancestry thinking of each generation of family and how their lives changed with travel and desires and requirements and wars and children and all those things a family goes through in time.

When you estimate your time spent on this planet, most of it surrounds family.

And when the others with the same last name are gone there is only one. And that is the new family.