Eric Sevareid

In this writer's last post regarding the passing of the news man Walter Cronkite, reference was made to the news man Eric Sevareid (who's name was mis-spelled due to this writer's ignorance of the spelling of Norwegian names).
Mr. Sevareid was not so much, in his later years, a news reader or news man as he was a televised essayist. He was one of Murrow's Boys and spent much of World War II as a correspondent in the Asian Theatre, and as a European correspondent in Europe after the War.
Mr. Sevareid was a literate man of the type not seen on television today.
Below are two links showing Mr. Sevareid. As you watch them ask yourself if any news man or woman would take for granted the literacy of the viewing public that Mr. Sevareid did.
YouTube - Eldridge Cleaver returns to the U.S.
YouTube - Eric Sevareid Farewell Nov 30, 1977
While watching and listening to the videos of Mr. Sevareid your faithful correspondent was reminded that at the time the broadcasts were first made there was talk of professional boxing in the United States dying out because of the lack of a fan base. Boxing was considered brutal and barbaric.
Nowadays boxing looks tame compared to Ultimate Fighting.
We did not know it then, but, apparently we were experiencing a breather before the barbarians crashed through the gates. Guy Grand (refer to the novel The Magic Christian) has proven his point and we continue to suffer for the media's appeal to the lowest common denominator. If the promise of the late 1970s had held truth there would be no such thing as the Jerry Springer or Maury Povitch shows except as local programs produced by local stations looking for the leftovers from the networks.
How far we have fallen. And we continue to fall.
When will we hit bottom?

Walter Cronkite

The television news reporter/reader Walter Cronkite passed away this week. The man lived a very long life. He died at the age of 92.
For some reason, the news organs of the nation have deigned him the "Dean of Television news", when, in fact, his real claim to fame was being one of "Murrow's Boys" during WW II. Mr. Cronkite's fame lies much with his longevity i.e., he outlived his contemporaries. John Cameron Swayze was, if anything, the Dean of Television News because he was there first.
But, a generation and a half grew up with Cronkite on the television at six o'clock in the evening, so he got the title.
And, while Mr. Cronkite was a good news reader, and ad-libber, he was, during his on-camera career, no more special than the new readers on the other television networks. Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, and Eric Severide were as good or better. Severide was especially good. He was a news reader who, in his reading, demanded some thought from his audience. Cronkite, on the other hand, appealed to the middle-brow who took his word for Gospel.
But, let's face it. What is a television news reader but a herald or town crier standing in a village public square ringing a bell and crying that five sheep have been stolen from Mr. Jones' field or that a footpad is abroad?
We here at the Manor hope that Mr. Cronkite rests in peace, but we do not feel that his death is the death of journalism.

Porkpie Hats

Your faithful correspondent has never been a big fan of the porkpie hat.
In modern times the porkpie hat has been indicated by two elements.
1.) The crown of the porkpie hat is round with a round crease around the top of the hat instead of a longitdutinal crease. In other words, the crease on a porkpie hat follows the crown. In other words, the crown of a porkpie looks much like, when looked at from above, the crust of a pie.
2.) The brim of a porkpie hat usually narrow. Occasionally the brim of a porkpie is wide, as is the case of Buster Keaton or the old comic strip character Hipshot Percussion, but mostly the brim is narrow.
Wearers of the porkpie have been Gene Hackman in his character of Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, Buster Keaton in many of his films, and Mickey Spillane.
Mostly the porkpie has been worn, in movies and television, by characters who are rather questionable in
morals, but not really bad. They have been men who have not quite figured whether they want to be real criminals or law abiding.. In other words, they are apprentices who haven't quite made up their minds whether to be bankers or three card monte men or zoot suiters.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

In the past few weeks the following events have taken place:
Iranians (many Iranians) have protested against the results of their national elections claiming that that the results, given by the government, have been bogus. The results of the protests have been the disappearances and deaths of more than a few protesters.
The validly elected government of Honduras decided to eject the president of the nation because the president was violating the Honduran constitution.
Uighers (natives of Turkmenistan which is in the area now known as Western China) have protested and have been victims of Han Chinese suffered under the anvil of Peking for the reason that they (the Uighers) have demanded fair treatment. The result has been the disappearance of more than 1,500 Uighers and the deaths of more than 150 of the same.
What's wrong is that out Dear Leader had protested the constitutional action of the Honduran congress and supreme court while ignoring the situation in Iran and in Western China.
In other words, The One seems to think that the overthrow of a nation's constitution is a more favorable action than the exercise of protest against violators of human rights.
Once again. Follow the money.