What People Don't Watch

 As a kid growing up in rural NW Alabama....I had three networks which delivered a 30-minute nightly local newscast.  

My folks were mostly a CBS-type.....so you counted on seven things to appear on this local news piece (1970s): (1) bank robberies, (2) new malls, (3) traffic accidents involving five cars or more (one car accident were rarely worth getting excited), (4) federal stuff with the Arsenal, (5) weather predictions, (6) tornado chatter (this would go on for an entire week), and (7) farm/drought reports.  

The weather stuff?  It was presented by some stern WW II weather guy, who could have stepped out and delivered Shakespeare if you'd asked him for a line or two.  If he uttered the phrase 'potential tornado'....you sat glued to the TV and expecting some serious chatter.  

My brother (still there in the region) brings up this topic.....that things have kinda changed. 

Around three months ago, I attempted to watch two or three of these broadcasts (data-streaming).  Mostly what you got were fifteen minutes of Covid-chatter and Covid-vaccination business.....some brief sports, and five minutes over the weather.  I sat there shaking my head.....no one much is going to watch this.....over and over....nightly.

Like he says and I've watched once this week.....it has changed slightly.....now carrying the insurrection stuff out of DC....some crime stuff, local weather, and local sports.  Again, it's mostly stuff that locals wouldn't care for.

It's kinda funny.  All you had to do is carry local news that folks cared about, and they'd watch your piece.  

Observations

 1.  Apparently President Biden, President Jill, President X, Y  and Z....were all sitting around and watching the under-the-bridge episode at the Texas border play out....then noting (via the Fox News coverage, since CNN doesn't tell this story) that Customs Border Patrol came in on BIG horses.  Word quickly came to the Patrol guys that horses are forbidden.....too scary for the poor Haitian folks.

I sat and thought about this, and agreed.  To be honest.....bald and shaved Patrol dudes are too scary for me.....they should be forbidden from patrolling.  Also, exceptionally tall Amazon-type women are too scary for me, so they should also be forbidden from patrolling.  

I'm also scared of exceptionally intelligent Patrol folks, so they need to be forbidden from patrolling.  Also, I'm fearful of Patrol folks who wear sunglasses that reflect like a mirror.....so they gotta be forbidden from patrolling as well.  I think that only leaves Marvin (the only safe CBP guy in Texas).

2.  The CIA came up and admitted literally dozens of cases at the Vienna embassy.....with that Havana-syndrome business (radio frequency waves by some 'bad-boy' characters).  What they 'hint' is that folks would report health problems and the guy/gal marginally did the 'right-thing'.  

3.  President Biden had to go and make up some apology to France....to get the French ambassador to come back....because of that Australian sub business.  My take?  I don't think Joe ever knew anything about the sub deal, until someone on his staff told him it was done.  If you did bring up subs around Joe....he'd probably tell you about his years in the Navy and how he was a sub-driver back in 1962 for six months.  As for the apology?  It kinda makes you wonder who wrote the piece?  Maybe Hunter or his wife?

4.  There's actually a poll made up (functional) to ask people if they think President Biden is 'mentally sharp'.  Right now, it's floating between 40 and 50 percent.  Probably not a good sign for the 2022 election.  They need to get scenes of Joe in some lab with the science jacket on, or some pictures of Joe staring through a microscope.

5.  Currently, Auckland (NZ) is locked-down (hard double-lock-down).  Cops got called with a tip....on a couple of guys with KFC chicken (apparently had left their homes.  Will be serious trouble for them.

6.  Finally,  some poll done for the 2024 Presidential election.  Trump ahead of Biden by ten points.