SIGNIFICANT DATES, VACCINE, NON-PROFIT NEWSPAPERS

 LESS THAN A COUPLE WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS 2020

The U.S. Government Election Officials report:

"The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history."

Significant Past Date .....

December 8, 2020:  Safe Harbor Deadline -- States had to choose electors to be accepted by Congress; voting disputes had to be resolved.

Personal POV .....

The present White House occupant still continues his efforts which very much resemble those of someone trying to stage a coup in his desperate attempt to stay in office as U.S. President for another four years in any way possible, legal or otherwise, despite having lost both the popular and electoral college votes.

Just when it seems he could sink no lower in the tactics he would employ to achieve such a travesty of justice, he descends even deeper into the morass of his behavioral cesspool to establish himself in what appears to be an effort to convert our nation to an autocracy, thus destroying our democratic republic, betraying his oath of office and the U.S. constitution.

Tragically for our nation in this effort many of his cult-like supporters have mindlessly accepted his falsehoods, fear of socialism, other bizarre conspiracy tales as fact -- apparently so confused they are no longer able to discern truth from fiction.

Other Significant Countdown Dates Reminder .....

December 14, 2020:     Electors Convene and Vote in D.C.         Be alert for possible efforts to coerce Congress to alter electors legal votes.

January 5, 2021:        Georgia runoff election for 2 Senate seats -- results will determine control of the U. S. Senate

January 6, 2021 at 1 pm: The vote will be finalized and certified in a joint session of Congress.

January 30 20, 2021 at noon: The President is inaugurated.

Pandemic:

--My city's Covid-19 infection reached the fourth highest new case rate in Los Angeles County this past Friday                            -- L.A. County ICU hospital beds available are continuing to dip down, currently at 5.3% as I write this Saturday night 12/12.                --for those with other medical requirements including from surgeries  beds may not be accessible.

--One nearby local hospital official reports in our local Courier newspaper,"we are in internal disaster mode."

Pfizer Covid-19 first shipment to Los Angeles County of 327,000 vaccines will occur Sunday, 12/13.                                     --The first hospital to receive the vaccine is Cedar-Sinai prepared to store in their required deep freezer.                                  --One-half dozen hospitals will receive the Pfizer vaccine.            --Vaccinations will be administered to health care personnel and residents in long term care facilities. 

--The first shots are expected to be given Monday, 12/14.              --A second shot will be required in the future to complete virus antibody resistance.                                                   --Anti-body immunity development will take several weeks after both shots received.                           

-- Long Term Care facilities in my city will be among the first including the one I had most recently served who report expecting to receive the vaccine and begin inoculations Monday, 12/14.

Local newspapers going out of business in cities are a concern I've previously written about. They are referred to as legacy media in the net lingo of today.  The term means media that is considered "old" which newspapers are considered to be as are radio, and television; also applies to Web sites using outdated technology.  Netlingo says: "With legacy media, the receiver does not contribute or interact with the content and remains totally passive."

Newspapers are important because they tell us what is going on in our town.  Local reporters also keep us informed about our local government and what officials are doing affecting all of us.  This can be positive actions officials take, reveal information we might want to change, and even be a deterrent to instances of official corruption.

Also, Pewtrusts.org reports: "Covid-19 is crushing Newspapers, Worsening Hunger for Accurate Information."

A year ago Salt Lake City's Tribune became the first legacy newspaper to adopt a nonprofit status as described in this NPR article in an effort to adapt and survive which has been successful to date.  

My city's local newspaper, Claremont Courier, has been struggling to survive also.  I've maintained my subscription which is now only weekly, also receive their Net highlights.  The Facebook page I prefer to not access but is available which my adult children can appreciate who live in other states.  The original publisher's son who was in the newspaper business on the east coast became the editor some years ago but his parents are now deceased.

Peter Weinberger, who is that publisher is in the process of sustaining our Courier's life by converting our newspaper to nonprofit status much like the Salt Lake paper has done.  The Courier is three months away from adoption of this transition if the IRS accepts their application.  They expect to accomplish this reinvention by Spring 2021 which pleases me immensely.  I also learned in the recent update my neighbor is intimately involved through a tech company he founded in aiding with this process.

Do you have a local newspaper where you live, perhaps one that didn't survive or has adapted to the Net so you can keep your finger on the pulse of your community?  

I think this is vitally important to insure good government starting at the local level, a critical element in our democracy.  Maybe your life is such that you have less focus on these matters which may need to occur for some of us, especially in our aging years.  What do you think and how do you learn about what's going on where you live or are you caught up with other matters in your life? 

                                                                  

LIFE'S ACTIVITIES POTPOURRI -- AGING DENTITION

Another exciting week in this strange viral infused earthly dimension in which we live.  My gradual but limited re-entry into the outside world where that infamous Covid-19 virus awaits to sneakily invade our bodies continues, though caution remains wise.  The latest word is the treacherous germs are proliferating, infecting increasing numbers of us, so increased care may be the order of the day.

--My long postponed dental checkup and cleaning that I finally rescheduled went well.  Then,  a few days later a long-ago broken tooth suddenly became released from its adhesive as it has a couple times in the past.  Fortunately, I did not swallow the tooth section.  There was no pain.  Later my dentist stated consideration of a possible root canal with an Endodontist was in order. Multiple x-rays revealed said canal could not be seen.  Seems as we age those canals can narrow and might not easily be found -- who knew, I didn't.    

Pondering the issues I imagined what complications an Endodontist might encounter trying to find the canal as the victim patient reclines with their oral cavity exposed -- mouth open -- for the unknown period of search time.  Fortunately for me, with my questioning and hesitation, my dentist concluded another, hopefully, long term adhesive applied to the broken tooth was a viable option in preference to a root canal. 

I hope this tooth portion will continue to adhere for a lengthy time, allowing me to avoid any other intrusive dental procedures.  The last time of gluing lasting only a little over a year, so I would like to set an endurance record this time as it has lasted much longer in the past.  How about a super glue that lasts forever?  Or, one of those adhesives resisting thousands of pounds of pressure and stress?  

Digressing in a different direction.....

--Health care workers who observe and treat the whole person within appropriate professional limitations as opposed to more narrow interventions are the kind I like and was the type service I provided.  So, I was delighted to be the recipient of such service at my dentist's office when a piece of equipment I was using, unrelated to dentition, received much needed adjustment I had thought wasn't possible.  Considering during previous weeks/months several other medical offices directly associated with that item had been completely oblivious to the issue, much less adjusting it, I was impressed with such observing caring sensitivity.

Moving on to a variety of other topics.....

--I received in the postal service mail a sample newspaper specifically addressed to me that I'd never heard of previously.  Very impressive in size, sections, topics covered.  The editor's letter explained how objective the content was and yet even a superficial skimming through quickly revealed the newspaper was very biased.  

I think this is an example of the forces that will be at work in the coming years to weaken and undermine our democratic government, to continue promoting views the majority of our voters just rejected.  The paper will remain unnamed since I have no desire to provide publicity or promotion of any kind including that which is negative.

--Don't you love it when you receive conflicting recommendations from two different medical doctors for just relatively common ordinary matters where you wouldn't usually seek a third opinion?  Take that med -- don't take that med -- huh?

--Our lame duck President still has not admitted defeat -- still keeps spreading his fantasy falsehoods that massive election fraud has occurred accounting for his lower popular vote in his effort to buy time.  The U.S. Government Election Officials report "The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history."

The current President's actions continue to be a threat to national security, damaging to democracy, weakening our system of government, betraying his oath of office to safeguard American citizens.  Incredibly his political party leaders say and do little to rein in this dangerous loose cannon.  

He fails to provide transitional cooperation with our newly elected President which is damaging to our nation's security.  One might wonder how any patriotic citizen who supports our constitution, believes in our democratic form of government and freedoms could continue to support our prevaricating current President over our newly elected one.  

--My furnace stopped working -- the penalty of having a long-lasting piece of equipment is manufacturers stop making parts so that if you need one, it's not readily available, but if you do get one it's very expensive.  Is that what is meant when they say, you can't win for losing?  Fortunately, that part of my furnace, though determined to be at risk for malfunction, is still operating but who knows what the future may bring.

--Our local commercial television stations interrupt all sorts of programming to cover vehicle chases as news -- local community police departments, county sheriff departments, California highway patrol following behind cars, vans, even trucks with police helicopters overhead and TV news stations 'copters flying along, too.  They televise this action because it attracts increased viewership.  I wonder if such news coverage is popular in other metropolitan areas?  

--The joys of living have been interspersed with various interruptions such as I experienced this past week as noted above.  They do serve to be an interesting contrast with the routine ordinariness of life as we live in this current pandemic environment.  Each of you have your own unique experiences infusing your lives.  

--Our existence does go on with both the serious and mundane challenges of daily living -- the same, but ever-changing from day to day, week to week, month to month.  What is keeping your life in motion? 

MEMORIES OF MOTHER

Memories come to mind of my Mother born into the predominantly agrarian nineteenth century and her transition from living in a farming community into the twentieth century industrial world.  I first shared some of these thoughts on Mother’s Day in 2009.

These days when so many experience difficulties encountered as a consequence of a nation and world with such wealth inequity, coupled with government upheavals – nations moving away from democracy -- are unlike any in my lifetime. I often wonder what my mother would have to say on the subjects.

Mother become a young married woman during the twenty’s heydays preceding the Great Depression. I recall her descriptions of a none too easy early married life though that evolved into a more prosperous existence in their later married years as occurs with many couples.  

She said the hardships during the depression’s financial downturn did not directly adversely affect our family.  The challenging years occurred before I was born later in her life.   Our immunity to severe hardship was primarily because my father’s work was associated with the newspaper business. Newspapers were the primary source of news, so they were in much demand by almost everyone regardless of their financial situation. In fact, two of the most prominent state newspapers were vying for his distribution services.

Radio was just beginning with unprecedented broadcasting power thanks to Powell Crosley and the ultimate “Nation’s Station” WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio.  “Constructed to sell the radios his factory produced, WLW became the most powerful AM broadcast station ever licensed for use in the U.S.”  Years later they were prominent in television broadcasting including presenting talk shows before networks adopted them.  This was the several state broadcasting group that had been sold to another corporation with which I was ultimately associated.

Those early years in my life I recall we enjoyed some radio programs selectively chosen by my mother – lots of music, some drama, comedies and news.   There was no TV yet during my mother’s young midlife years, much less computers and the Internet of today. Newspapers were a primary source listing employment opportunity for those seeking work. People placed ads to sell belongings so they could raise some desperately needed cash while others with limited cash sought bargain prices as they needed these items but had little money themselves. Everyone wanted to subscribe or at least access a newspaper. This is hardly the situation that exists today in the newspaper business. 

In fact, more and more local newspapers are ceasing publication leaving serious questions about the implications for democracy.  These community publications serve as monitors of local governments, investigating as needed, distributing news to a local populace likely not disseminated otherwise.  Even any local radio stations once a news source generally no longer are.   News staffs for ordinary local news in the multitude of this nation’s small communities are typically non-existent.  Think about available sources of local news in your own community.  

During the Depression my mother continued to be active in her women’s church group. They devoted themselves to helping others in need, an activity in which she engaged for many of those years and throughout her lifetime when she was able.  In those years  after the Depression when Mother unexpectedly was on her own with our young family there was a holiday in which we became the needy recipients of aid as she had provided others. 

A few years after I was born our fortunes had changed and my mother had become a single parent in a time when a woman raising a family alone found life could be very difficult. My immediate family had never lived extravagantly, but as I entered my early childhood years, I was absorbing from observing my mother the lessons of needing to be even more practical and frugal.  I was also learning everyone, including women, needed to be able to provide for themselves and even others for whom they might have to assume complete responsibility – that this could occur quite unexpectedly.

Mother was a remarkable woman who in her later years in the face of other adversity, when she became legally blind and limited in visual activities, created unique multi-colored hooked rugs that became unexpectedly desired by others who even wanted to  purchase them. Her vision prevented her from quilting, sewing or making other fabric or fiber items she had once enjoyed creating.  She had simply wanted something to occupy her, keeping her awake while she listened to what was then called “Talking Books”, long before audio books were available today. 

My mother had an amazingly optimistic and positive attitude toward life. She made multiple transitions and adaptations to her varying circumstances. I marvel at how well she coped as she lived happily independently most of her remaining almost 90 years. My brother and I were able to assist her being able to do so though not to the extent we might have wished.  I miss her and wish I could have her company in my aging years.  We would probably have our moments of irritation with each other for one reason or another.  There would also be lots of laughs.  We would be good housemates together and have so much to talk about.

Memories of Mother

Memories come to mind of my Mother born into the predominantly agrarian nineteenth century and her transition into the twentieth century industrial world. I wrote about some of her world last year on May 11th in “Mother’s Day Thoughts.”

These days when so many experience difficulties encountered as a consequence of a nation and world economic upheaval unlike any in my lifetime, I often wonder what my mother would have to say on the subject. She had become a young married woman during the twenties heydays preceding the Great Depression. I recall her descriptions of a none too easy early married life that evolved into a more prosperous existence in later years as occurs with many couples.

She said the hardships during that financial downturn did not directly adversely affect our family. They occurred before I was born later in her life. Our immunity to severe hardship was primarily because my father’s work was associated with the newspaper business. Newspapers were the primary source of news, so were in much demand by almost everyone regardless of their financial situation. In fact, two of the most prominent state newspapers were vying for his services.

Radio was just beginning with unprecedented broadcasting power thanks to Powell Crosley and the ultimate “Nation’s Station” WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio.

There was no TV yet, much less computers and the Internet of today. Newspapers were a primary source listing employment opportunities for those seeking work. People placed ads to sell belongings so they could raise some desperately needed cash while others with limited cash sought bargain prices as they needed these items but had little cash themselves. Everyone wanted to subscribe or at least access a newspaper. This is hardly the situation that exists today in the newspaper business.

During the Depression my mother continued to be active in her womens religious group. They devoted themselves to helping others in need, an activity in which she engaged for many of those years and throughout her lifetime when she was able.

A few years after I was born our fortunes changed and my mother became a single parent in a time when a woman raising a family alone had a very difficult time. My immediate family had never lived extravagantly, but as I entered my early childhood years I was absorbing from my mother the lessons of needing to be even more practical and frugal.

She was a remarkable woman who in her later years in the face of adversity when she became legally blind and limited in visual activities created unique hooked rugs that became unexpectedly desired by others. This is a one-of-a-kind small rectangular throw rug which she experimented hooking before her vision deteriorated even further necessitating larger different geometric patterning. My photography does not do the colors justice. My mother would be amused the tips of my shoes appear.



My mother had an amazingly optimistic and positive attitude toward life. She made multiple transitions and adaptations to her varying circumstances. I marvel at how well she coped as she lived happily independently most of her remaining almost 90 years. I miss her.

NEWS IN JEOPARDY

The World and the L. A. Times


This is a potent post which I believe is of vital interest to anyone in the world who is interested in news. This is also a blatant promotion on my part for an upcoming public television program "Frontline," and the fourth in their series about the news upon which we are all so dependent in order to accurately know what is happening in our country and the world. This episode is titled "Stories From A Small Planet." Please check your local PBS TV listings for when the program will air in your area. The program will air on KCET-TV in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 9-10 p.m. PDT. (Click for links on PBS TV and KCET-TV above.)

I have long believed soon after the tragic horrendous events of 9/11 that the true war on terrorism was for the hearts and minds of peoples all over this world which is the subject of this PBS program. I found the reaction of the leaders of governments abhorrent when they chose to resort to the means by which they did to win this war against terror by attacking Iraq. Such an act has done little more than to exacerbate the situation. That is not to say there might not be instances in which our country and others might have to resort to physical means in order to secure their citizens and country's safety, but the ill-conceived means by which our leaders chose to react have clearly done more damage to our country than 9/11 ever did.

A failure or stubborn unwillingness to recognize, much less even consider how the real war needed to be fought, should give us all pause, since the actions by our leaders and some others around this world were taken in my name and yours. The blood of innocent civilians and those of countless deceased and maimed military persons is on our hands. We have betrayed true meaningful justice for our own -- our victims of 9/11.

I have found this whole "Frontline" series to be of special interest. The previous episode which aired 2/13/07 focused on the critical aspect of "News Wars" going on within our own country. The sources of information from which we can derive accurate news are diminishing. Those of us enamoured with the Internet, the blogosphere and blogs would do well to examine from whence our actual news comes.

I don't have a news team on the ground in Iraq, or in any other country, including my own, that feeds me news reports. I am dependent upon many sources I read, hear or see that are provided by a decreasing number of newspeople. I respectfully will credit those sources from whom I obtain my information, thus, in turn, those from whom my sources derive their news -- crediting those who often place their lives at risk, so that I can know what is happening elsewhere, as well as what is being done in my name.

The "News War" episode is of interest to everyone since it encompasses the state of news and can be seen by clicking on this link HERE, then clicking on "Frontline," and finally selecting "News War."

There is a segment of special interest to all, as well as readers of the Los Angeles Times, which includes an interview with the publisher, who regrettably is not local. He smilingly expresses his intent to eviscerate the paper's Pulitzer Prize winning news department to focus more on entertainment world information, along with claims of an increased focus on "local" news, but that is hardly likely to have much benefit for me or most other readers. There certainly is a need for more entertainment news, to which all can attest, since there is so little of it anywhere. (I'm saying this bitterly and sarcastically.) Any thought of public service responsibility is relegated to the film cutting room floor by this Chicago publisher, since they own our paper, who is more concerned with 20% profit than a meager 10% other successful public-minded publishers are willing to accept elsewhere as reported in the "News War" program.

Subsequent to my viewing of this program, other major news media reports have recently revealed a refusal by this same publisher to accept buy back offers for local Los Angeles ownership. Powerful groups of varied individuals composed those blocks bidding for the paper. I don't suggest that either one of them would have been desirable except for the fact that I believe the illustrious Los Angeles Times deserves local ownership and owners dedicated to shepherding the newspaper through these difficult times of converging print, with other media and the Internet while maintaining a quality publication. I understand this is no small task for the feint at heart with the final outcome yet to be seen. In other words, there's also a lot of money at stake. I would like to believe there are still individuals and groups less greedy than our current publisher -- those who care more about our southern California, with a greater sense of commitment to our residents, and moral sense of responsibility to the public.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if the stockholders to whom this Chicago publisher is beholden would stand up and let him know that they are not only willing to be satisfied with a smaller profit margin, but demand that he take the morally responsible high road with this award winning newspaper, since he lacks the courage to do so on his own?

Media Consumption Diet Meme

I didn't expect to write another blog meme, but was intrigued with one which Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By posted to which she credits two other bloggers, one of whom, Virginia Debolt, brought the meme to her attention and the other devised the meme, at Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owang. This is a very interesting project revealing some bloggers information-seeking activities to inform their lives and blog posts, from which I hope to learn.

I can recall being interested in what was occurring in U.S. political elections beginning at an early elementary school age, probably because this was a topic of conversation in my home. World awareness and interest was certainly stimulated by WWII with family members then currently being in military service abroad, coupled with knowledge there had also been a WWI in which family members and others had served in Europe. The only news information sources were radio, newspapers, plus black and white newsreels seen at a movie theater. These times were, of course, before all the other news sources were available that we enjoy today. I didn't see television until the early 1950s. During the ensuing years I followed events, issues of the day through the various outlets which were available then. My attention to news, reading of any kind, has temporarily not been as consistent the past ten months as heretofore, but new patterns are developing.

Web:
I have been using a computer for about two years and probably didn't begin to explore Internet offerings extending into the blogosphere until less than a year and a-half ago. I receive no regular news feeds as I haven't yet taken the time to figure out how to set that up. I have accumulated in my bookmarks a number of reliable news links to various newspapers, magazines as I have encountered them over these months from knowledgeable family member computer users, following links on blogs and websites, as well as specifically searching for some others -- all of which I presently visit on an irregular basis. My bookmarks have increased exponentially while simultaneously becoming grossly disorganized with the blogs and websites I've added. They are in need of reorganization using technical skills I have yet to develop.

I assess to the best of my ability the reliability and credibility of any blogs or websites I use, as I have always established with any other source of information including print, audio, video.

I have not begun to list on my blog roll all the various blogs which I visit, but am gradually adding them. I do visit them all, a very few consistently, but currently most inconsistently, and may not always leave a comment, though I usually try to do so.

Music:
About a year ago I first experimented with transferring my music to the computer, but that process is far from complete. I am selective about what type of music i.e. instrumental or vocal, a specific genre, that I play at different times when I'm using the computer, but sometimes I just want absolute quiet because in editing I read what I write aloud. I do not like headphones, instead enjoy the fullness of sound in a room or even filling the room with music, if possible, though I realize I might have to adjust should my living arrangements place me in closer proximity to neighbors.

I listen to some music on select radio stations, PBS television special music programs, including Great Performances, that are usually played in our area during pledge weeks when they ask for viewer donations to support the station.

Radio:
I usually turn on a radio in various rooms of the house including my bathroom and listen to a couple of primarily news radio stations for local, national, international news headlines. They also feature periodic traffic reports, weather. I listen to them on my car radio, too, occasionally switching to a jazz music station. Weekends I sometimes listen to part of a computer expert's, Jeff Levy, call-in radio show where he troubleshoots and teaches computer use. He usually has one specific lesson at some point on his several hour program that is also available along with all the others on his website. Preceding his show is a call-in cooking show to which I sometimes enjoy listening. The hostess, Melinda Lee, also has a website with an archive full of recipes and cooking tips. I'm not sure why I even listen to the cooking show, since I don't cook that much any more, especially with my oven still out of commission.

TV:
In the years since traditional commercial network news and news specials have been watered down to cheapened entertainment shows, I have ceased viewing them regularly. I have free TV with an antenna on the roof, have access to 12 stations and several more foreign language stations, receive excellent reception. Two of the stations are PBS, a third Los Angeles County Schools (televises L.A. County Board of Supervisors Meetings,) ABC, CBS, NBC, and others, including some independents, one with the same ownership as the L. A. Times newspaper, one with the same ownership as the CBS station. Occasionally, I may watch a station or flip through local news and weather, also surf the network news shows. I go to PBS for BBC News which gives a different perspective on some events. Frequently I view The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Week In Review, California Connected, and occasionally, California's Gold, The Charlie Rose Show, Tavis Smiley.

Strictly entertainment shows I view at PBS often include Masterpiece Theater, but currently the others I would view in drama, comedy, mystery series (all from Great Britain) are repeats I've seen. Sometimes commercial TV viewing includes 60 Minutes, depending on show content, also, Cold Case, Boston Legal, selected specials. I view little television, especially beginning in the past year due to my inconsistent viewing habits, despite how this list may read.

I have no desire to subscribe to cable or satellite, but am familiar with their offerings from viewing them over the years while visiting family members who do subscribe. I subscribed for a time when cable first came into being and we lived in an area where that was the only way television signal reception could be achieved. There have been a few programs I would have enjoyed seeing but watch them, or excerpts on the Internet, i.e. Jon Stewart; including some on HBO, but I sometimes rent them on DVD later. Periodically I see cable TV shows or their excerpts on the Internet.

Communications:
I utilize Mozilla Firefox, have email; in the past have used Skype successfully, but no longer do so. My home telephone is a land line which was necessary for my husband's Pacemaker checkups, that I continue to use for local and long distance calling. I may consider a DSL package to include my phone (changing from my current DSL provider) but also am considering VoIP alternatives. I might become more interested in other options if and when I convert to wireless, but I would like a hands free ear piece with microphone allowing me mobility through the house if such equipment is available for other than a cell phone. A month ago I purchased a Tracpone Prepaid Wireless to carry in the car strictly for emergency purposes, but activation is incomplete.

Movies:
I haven't been to a movie theater since my husband and I went to see "The Remains of the Day" some years ago, learning through that experience, when he missed the feature's conclusion, that he was no longer able to comfortably and enjoyably sit through an entire showing without several intermissions. Even then, I found the experience unpleasant for different reasons, because the surround sound system was programmed too loud for my auditory sense as I'd noticed with theater movies for several years. Many others I know have expressed the same problem with the sound systems, complained to theatre personnel, but nothing changes, I'm told. I stuffed tissues in my ears a couple of times which helped some, but was generally unsatisfactory due to altering the actors vocal quality, or sudden changes in volume resulting in their speaking in low soft tones. This and music too loud on headsets already has had and will have serious implications for an increased incidence of hearing loss for all generations, especially younger ones, now and in the future.

Our town is expected to have a theater in a newly constructed extension of our downtown area, so anticipate enjoying the movie theater experience again with the first feature possibly opening as early as this coming fall. They will feature independent, foreign and other special films. I hope it proves to be successful, draws some of the young locals and college crowd along with other local and surrounding area residents.

I rent DVDs locally at a store catering to tastes like those planned for the new theater, or I sometimes go to a regular video rental store. However, I watch movies rather erratically and may go for lengthy periods without seeing any, so a regular DVD subscription service is not cost effective for me -- had one a few years ago for about $9 monthly at a local video store before Netflix and others. Found there were too many months when there was nothing I wanted to see, or that I would rent movies to be sure and get my moneys worth and I was watching more movies than I really wanted or would have ordinarily watched. When they claimed a computer error had accidentally cancelled me on this trial and they wouldn't be able to reinstate me, that I would have to purchase another plan they had which was more expensive, I said "No, thanks."

Magazines:
I subscribe to John Hopkins "Health After 50" which I've done for several years, after rotating annually a number of the health newsletters distributed by prominent name universities and hospitals. I receive a number of weekly, monthly professional newsletters, journals, reports which I review. I recently pared down other subscriptions I liked, that I could never find time to adequately read, like National Geographic, Smithsonian, Sunset Magazine, Arizona Highways, Forbes, Money, The Economist, Wired, PC World, others. I now receive Scientific American, Consumer's Report, Westways, AARP. I purchase individual issues at the store of Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report if I see an article of interest, or often I can find a link to access the desired article on the Internet.

Newspapers:
I subscribe to three newspapers: Los Angeles Times, but if they follow the direction the current publisher wants to take the paper, by turning it into another Hollywood entertainment rag, with just local news (which likely won't include our area,) eviscerating the paper's international news standing, I will probably cancel my subscription. Without the L. A. Times national and international newspeople and focus, that will leave only two U.S. papers of value for me, the New York Times and Washington Post, but I currently subscribe to neither. I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal which also allows me to access it on the Internet, but I may cancel. I have a subscription to a daily local/surrounding area newspaper, and a bi-weekly city paper. I do have access to some of these and other newspapers on the Internet, and take advantage of any links or opportunities to visit any other newspaper websites on occasion, but none regularly.

Books:
I have a backlog of unread books, but find myself purchasing more whenever exposed to them in a bricks and mortar bookstore which I prefer to visit over shopping online, but I do purchase both places i.e ordered three books online just last night around the midnight hour. I'm partway through a couple of books, including, What Are Old People For by William H. Thomas, M.D. I am susceptible to book threads with one leading to another, and so on. The thread can be following an author or a subject evolving to related subjects or new authors. There are times when I read extensively in the various sciences, behavioral studies, communication, aging, death, dying, but have tired for now of heavy duty philosophy, psychology, or other such theory-laden analytical tomes in deference to biographical and autobiographical accounts of figures, books with perspective of newspeople covering events in my lifetime, their views of current events and the future.

Lighter reading can include writers such as Tony Hillerman, Annie Prouix whose fiction describes with respect a culture, a vivid sense of place, others. I occasionally visit a used bookstore where they will also buy back used books. Since I began blogging I had a period of reading a number of books including writers journals.

I've probably told you more than you wanted to know. My activities in all areas are evolving, in part as my technical skills increase, but then technology is evolving also, so a year from now what I might write could be somewhat different.