Category: All Posts

Another TV Break-Up

Long before I was declared, with Morley Safer’s approval, to be a member of the CBS Family, I followed The CBS Evening News.

For me, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on NBC seemed cold, off-putting and intimidating. They conveyed a sense that “beware, the world is a scary place.”

Walter Cronkite on CBS was a firm authority figure, while also being warm, welcoming and reassuring that, “we can get through this.” I was a big fan of Cronkite’s series The 21st Century. That was when I first heard about lasers over fiber optic cable. Having been myself, albeit not in a big way, a broadcast journalist, I consider Cronkite to be the reference standard for integrity.

By today’s age standards, Cronkite was required to retire much too soon, but I thought Dan Rather was a capable successor. I remember watching his infamous 1974 exchange with Nixon as it happened.

After Rather, CBS News lost its way, especially when the news division was put under the entertainment division. Consistency and stability were finally restored to the evening newscast by Nora O’Donnell. Now Nora is gone, and I am not surprised by this news item.

CBS News Ratings Collapse After Norah O’Donnell Exit

https://www.tvinsider.com/1177996/cbs-news-ratings-norah-odonnell-john-dickerson-maurice-dubois/

I disliked the new format so much that after two nights I switched to NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. So ended my sixty years following The CBS Evening News, and now Lester Holt has announced that he’s leaving!

Fortunately, there is The PBS News Hour, that I began watching when it was the MacNeil/Lehrer Report. They’ve been providing excellent, professional coverage of the chaos that has gripped the nation with the return of Trump to the White House.

Oh, Canada!

I’m staying at a hotel near Mass General Hospital. Having almost no clue about professional sports, I’m glad Samjay told me there’s a big hockey game at Boston TD Garden, and that I shouldn’t be surprised if the hotel has a lot of Canadian fans. They’re here, and I’m not surprised. Good thing I made my reservation a month ago, eh?

https://www.boston.com/sports/sports/2025/02/19/us-canada-4-nations-final-at-td-garden-is-the-hottest-ticket-in-town-and-for-good-reason/

The Mystery of the Orange Line

I noticed an orange line going all the way across the end of my driveway. What is it? I called the DPW and was told it wasn’t something the they did. Orange? They suggested it could be from Verizon or Comcast.

I went back outside to examine the line again. Ah. I know. Too thin for spray paint, and it isn’t chalk. So it must be rust from the snowplow blade.

Update: Further investigation revealed the culprit was none other than my own snow blower.

I’m a Grill Watcher

The old gas grill cover tore. They all do that eventually, especially in freezing weather, with the good ones lasting a few years. With a big snow storm forecast for tomorrow night, I wanted to get a new cover. I usually get grill covers at Ocean State Job Lot, but this time I went to Lowe’s, because it’s closer. Lowe’s ended up being a longer distance.

The first cover I bought today was supposed to be the right size, but it was too small. I returned the cover and got a refund. A bigger one of the same type was 15 bucks more, $45 vs. $30, so I bought a cheaper large cover for $25. The size was good, but it didn’t last a minute, because it ripped immediately. Back to Lowe’s I went for another refund and to buy the $45 cover. Tt’s okay, except it doesn’t have the side handles as shown on the box. All I care about is it fits and doesn’t get torn.

So, let’s see. That’s three 9-mile round-trips, for a total of 27 miles, compared to the almost 20-mile round-trip to the Job Lot. Can you tell I couldn’t think of anything else to write about?

Well, nothing, that is, other than Trump and Musk. Why are there kiddie programmers, with no financial system experience or expertise, looking at the Treasury’s payment system, unless they intend to do some coding. To what end?