Author: gshorkeyblt2

Speed in becoming a subject matter specialist is as essential a writing quality as creative production, so the combination of interviewing skills, research ability, and client input to produce the voice, length, or look of desired projects begins Day One. CDTalent Enterprises is a contract resource featuring informational blogging, SEO and feature length content writing, and editorial support functions. Client-facing verbal skills are at core of effective-successful group interactions and one-one situations. Variety of projects accomplished means writing-wise, I'm confident about 'smarter than the average bear' who only does one thing well.
Uncategorized

‘Unbelievable’ a Less Useful Term Now

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on ‘Unbelievable’ a Less Useful Term Now

I had planned on writing about the social imprinting a small black child has received when I watched him walk with one hand holding onto his mother and the other unnecessarily grasping the top of his small gray sweatpants. Trying to remember when walking around with one’s pants belted below butts/around their thighs became mandatory for so many isn’t a memory I’ll spend time trying to research, but why it has such staying power is a mystery. Compared to say, 7-9 million previously uninsured people choosing health coverage through the ACA in one year as a positive change, I’m befuddled.

The negatives of that imprinting couldn’t stand up to seeing ANOTHER white police officer– Michael Thomas Slager of Charleston, SC to be precise–putting *8 BULLETS* in the back of a black man who ran away after he’d been stopped for a minor traffic violation. The officer failing to even TRY running after him, just drawing and blazing away, is a minor footnote of depraved behavior. That the murder, which is the charge Slager now faces, was captured in toto by someone’s ever-present cell phone, including the officer handcuffing the corpse and dropping his taser beside the body (he claimed the man took it), is why the word ‘unbelievable’ is no longer effective in describing such real life situations.

‘The X-Files’ tag was “We are not alone,” and brother, you can count on that when it comes to pulling something like that shooting; SOMEBODY has a cell phone picture, and even if it didn’t help that poor SOB in New York when a cop choked him to death, I bet it has Slager’s union appointed lawyer saying OMG, OMG, OMG steadily.

I thought similar footage of **5** officers shooting a NAKED man in LA would’ve been an absolute low– couldn’t that many guys somehow control an unarmed, naked man WITHOUT gunning him down?– but it’s difficult to call those two events a tie. Unbelievable? Sorry to say, its actually NOT something we can see and find a corner of our minds that can’t comprehend it at this point. I’m watching for a verdict on this closely, because anything beyond a 2-day deliberation before a guilty verdict would be, uhhh, cause for extreme concern? Nothing is probably going to be a while though– the police chief ‘handling’ the Tamir Rice (12 yr. old kid with a pellet gun) shooting was on news last night, says they STILL have “witnesses and forensic evidence to work on…”

===

I’m going to give Duke’s ‘Forgotten Freshman’ Grayson Allen a huge and gratuitous attaboy! for making the Dookies NCAA champs. While Okafor, the studly Winslow Justise, and Tyus Jones (19 second half points and Most Outstanding Player, he probably deserves some props, too) were starters, Grayson’s 16 points led them from nine points down and dead in the water to OMG! 68-63 victory. I admit to being a Sam Dekker (Wisconsin) fan during the tournament, but when a highly regarded recruit like Allen gets the chance and truly produces, THAT is why college ball is different from pros.

On a similar note, eight of Calipari’s ‘one and done’ (check that, some were ‘two and skidoo ‘cuz i gave up checks for nuthin’) recruits at Kentucky immediately opted for the NBA draft, along with Duke’s Okafor and Tyus. Okafor is a back-to-basket center, but I think many others will learn how unexceptional they are when confronted by experienced pros over an 82-game season. That’s still a part of things I’m thinking sends a bad message.

Just like a pre-kindergarten child holding up his sweatpants.

Glenn Shorkey

Uncategorized

Coldest February Since 1820, Not Quite as Long Unemployed

by gshorkeyblt22 Comments on Coldest February Since 1820, Not Quite as Long Unemployed

On an ugly, rainy Sunday in Charlotte, I guess I should be glad I’m not still in upstate NY. Was up there five days this past week, and Friday on flight back, sis-in-law texted me it was coldest February since 1820, second coldest month since 1970. I recall one of those days in 1970 as minus-60 with wind chill as I delivered my paper route– promised God I’d *never* say it was too hot if I made it home without something falling off.

For the record, when I moved to Florida in June,1981 and my Aunt Jo said (re: 94 and like 80pct. humidity), “Oh my, darlin’, you must be dyin’ in this!” I said only, “Yeah, its pretty warm.”

Not planning on riding my bike today for sure, but will have to call Mom and wish her happy 81st birthday. Trip to NY was ending to couple days clearing out miscellaneous crap from her place in Tampa, which is getting very close to sold, and dropping non-furniture stuff here in Charlotte as part of 3-day drive north with brother Dave. Threw a bunch of snowballs at side of a building in VA rest stop, and discovered that along with that shaky knee spelling the end of my jump shot, not having regular throwing sessions in 20 years has turned me into a chicken arm. Ahhh, so much to talk about at 40th reunion this Fall…!
===

About this ‘net neutral’ FCC deal– does that mean Coach Cowher will have to stop LYING about internet speed with TWC? I know its got to be in smaaaalllll print at bottom of screen, but if you’ve ever timed out of applications because that $14.99 level is criminally slow, and you didn’t think paying 2x as much for high-high speed would make THAT much of a difference, I’d love to see how not having different levels would work out. Based on how phone service rates have become so competitive, I’m believing they won’t be able to charge that robber baron rate for the good speed stuff, or just provide the crappy speed for that ‘no, thats regular rate, not a special deal we’ll change in three months’ level I ground my molars about.

Went to a Davidson basketball game last night, and while they’ll almost certainly make it to the NCAAs in a couple weeks, the fact a 6’10” semi-thick center for George Washington ate their lunch on offense and made them almost totally reliant on jump shots for scoring by altering shots in the paint seems to signal uh-oh! time for the Wildcats. Add some 6’4″ defenders every mid-major program has for pressure and ‘nice bunch of shooters’ become first round victims.

===

I received another free resume review, and while it might come across as ego resistance, I am still kind of PO’d when the analysis points to ‘only having done things’ vs. achievement relative to resume pointed towards administrative/EA positions.

I copied and sent a totally random and *lengthy* position description back to reviewer, because the an EAs job core has *always* been about PRODUCTION, not about raising sales by 22%, bench-pressing 825 lbs., or even publishing a 73,000 word book, only one of which I’ve accomplished. If recruiters actually READ resumes– and yes, I know they get plenty every day– even a *little* more carefully, and didn’t refuse to have anyone come for an interview unless they were 110% of what client put in description (WHAT software program don’t I have after spending Great Recession in retail?), unemployment as an E-6 wouldn’t be my most pressing problem.

Glenn S.

POV - Content Creation

Smooth Transition on Super Sunday-Last Stuff Moved, Great Football

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Smooth Transition on Super Sunday-Last Stuff Moved, Great Football

Yesterday was Groundhog Day, plus cousin Frank’s b-day, and the second anniversary of my Dad’s burial down in Tampa, FL. Nothing dramatic about the day this time around, and I’ll always maintain his death went about as smoothly as anyone could conceive. I went directly to the hospital after driving in on Monday afternoon from Charlotte, got to be of service with sips of water till after eleven. He died the next afternoon, and I’d known since Mom told the doc there weren’t going to be any extra-ordinary measures, this was going to be the end. My three brothers flights all came in at 6:00, and everyone appreciated a steady week of family to take the edge off. I got the talk at graveside done pretty well, glad I’d written/printed it as a giveaway at time of the happiest event in their lives, their 50th in 2005.

The line Frank used that day was perfect: “Uncle Walt kept all those extra pieces of wood because he thought some project might need it. When you’re thinking like that, you’re not worrying about dying.” Dad died two days after his youngest brother, Donald, died in the same hospital, also of congestive heart.

I always mention that he got the last joke I made, about his meatloaf-mac ‘n cheese-green beans plate needing tabasco. Dad rolled his eyes, because he’d said for years I would put it on corn flakes.
=====

It’s certainly been examined and opined about since the second of decision, but “Twice in Beast Mode” wasn’t ABSOLUTELY the BEST call that should’ve been made? Bro’s chili was his best effort ever. The word most asked was ‘cemented’ regarding Brady, and that is a stone-cold fact when discussing his place in the QB hiearchy. Hiya, Joe!
===

Simple, Cheap, Tasty ‘Shorkey Soul Food’ for Singles

Today was almost a deluxe edition, with an entire Andouile sausage (vs. hamburger) cut up, and a Medium onion, diced. The stars of dinner are snap peas and bean sprouts, and this goes over 2 pks. ramen noodles beautifully (most selections are done with rice as default).

I’ve used olive oil to sautee the sausage and beans– in my humble opinion, thick fresh beans show you care in this dish, especially since nobody leaves the pointy ends on, right? Some of my SSF variations include garlic; I feel the andouile sausage gives all the flavor necessary here, but I make a generic-thorough couple revolutions with hand ground pepper.

Couple extra items experimented with: small jar of pimentos– good! Slivers of red were noticeable and the second half use of .85 condiment. Added a large handful of frozen-chopped spinach– very good effect. You know there’s never anything wrong with an extra leafy green, and it clings to stuff nicely, a constant reminder something good is definitely in this.

Lastly, an unknown amount of jalapeno slices from the jar, but the *juice* is what turned this into something distinctive. Yes, some spiciness from sausage and jalapeno, no problem throwing anything you want in as ‘end of the saving it’ fodder. Hey, its over ramen noodles…!

Glenn Shorkey

Business

How I Became a Better Candidate This Week

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on How I Became a Better Candidate This Week

It’s been somewhat– make that *definitely*– frustrating to be a week from turning 58, and seven months into search for employment, without a lot to show for it. ‘The Great Recession’ might officially have been over a while ago, but you wouldn’t be able to convince my bank account of that.

There’s an old adage about ‘with age comes wisdom’, and while I’ve locked in several important facts of Life years ago– never guess a woman’s age; don’t drink and drive; forget playing one more game of basketball after a shaky left knee has signaled ‘time to go’– the factors about becoming a better candidate for career Next’s shouldn’t have been major revelations.

The Reality is, I ABSOLUTELY knew this stuff, and though I’m not generally a List Guy, three specific ‘oh, rights!’ that support the premise have come through crystal clear.

1) However its phrased, look ‘I could never do that’ in the eye and accomplish one small step towards a goal anyway.

2) Stay in touch with those who really count in your search (including ‘cheerleaders’)

3) SSDD (same stuff/different day) won’t get what you desire, even assuming you know what that is

On the first point, I’ll give a shout out to Jeff Haden; I read two pieces of his thought-provoking philosophy on Monday, and I’m going to make it a habit to continue feeding my mind similarly going forward.

The most obvious change I made was putting my book, ‘CARDS & CONSEQUENCES: Return of Marlena the Magnificent’ into a book contest (please check link at the end), and then posting that fact in two places, as ‘currently happening’ on LinkedIn profile and in ‘LinkEds and Writers’. The question I had to ask myself was, why DIDN’T I think I could do those simple and obvious things to publicize something I’d put so much effort into achieving? Even if I’m not chosen for a share of Bookbzz’s $$ in first contest, $25 on the credit card *should* get me some level of reviews, and thats kind of important in a bigger picture. The ‘C’ in CDTalent Enterprises stands for Confidence, so you have to believe in yourself/the product at least that much.

I sent a short note to the artist who’s supposed to be working with me on a children’s read-along book for the South Carolina Hugh O’Brian Youth organization. Without his production, the two years-plus of material I’ve written is left in limbo. Our last meeting was late August and I hadn’t seen a single thing more from him; I needed to push things, get concrete results. My first boss out of college told me (as a ‘road guy’/regional rep for TIME, Inc.) that nobody would throw People magazine out of their stores if I pushed for getting it displayed at the register; what did I have to lose if the artist didn’t produce after I asked him to come through with what was needed/expected?

Staying in touch, especially with recruiters and references, definitely counts. To show how serious I was about entering home solar power industry in the sales area with a major energy company, I found a relevant article about real estate industry financially recognizing solar on house as an asset, and e-mailed it with a short note to person I’d done a phone interview with. Then I cc’d several references, including Charlotte Works counselor, to let them know what I was considering, sales being a very different idea from administrative areas that have been my focus.

I talked to a recruiter from a temp agency about re-taking some tests, because I know my home equipment contributed to lower than expected scores, and the possibility of getting short term gigs HAS to go up when you’re perceived as being more capable, right? Why not take the obvious step?

As for SSDD, doing same things and expecting different results is supposedly the definition of insanity, and I’m a writer, not crazy. Okay, I’ll always consider myself a writer no matter what I do for a regular paycheck, and blogging 3x/week like this (and LinkedIn contributions) was a New Years resolution; I also fixed old information on three job boards, so I’m taking righteous small steps in that direction.

I’m also figuring out how to do links: http://bookbzz.com/cards-consequences-by-glenn-shorkey

POV - Content Creation

Opinions on ‘Madam Secretary,’ 3.6MM French March after Hepdo, and Clooney

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Opinions on ‘Madam Secretary,’ 3.6MM French March after Hepdo, and Clooney

Having already sent out two more resumes with cover letters this morning, and knocked off the final third of a nursed-through-the-weekend terrific cigar brother Steve gifted me with for Christmas, it seems legitimate to put the end of a drippy, contemplative Monday afternoon in Charlotte towards honoring a New Years vow to blog 3x a week.

Last night was my first time watching ‘Madam Secretary’, and I’ll offer kudos to the writers who nailed Tia Leone’s struggle about going to the funeral of a slain prep school classmate.

Having been told that, even as the representative of the United States government, she would have to view the funeral from behind a screen with the other women, her bind was obvious:  How could she acquiesce, knowing it would certainly be viewed as accepting another cultures regard for women (slavery was a major sub-topic to the show) as less worthy than any other man’s ability to pay their respects?

In a 1-1 post-private dinner discussion she’d convinced this Bahranian prince to honor certain beliefs he’d espoused years before. Given recent events in the real world, that he’d be killed by someone who felt the direct opposite about what he said back in his own country wasn’t surprising.

I appreciated the Secretary’s solution, seemingly stuck between flying all night to speak privately with the grieving King vs. not paying final respects to a cherished friend at all, or causing a major furor by trying to bulldoze the custom. One small detail: Even if the King agrees to meet with his dead son’s friend just before the event, and she wears a respectful head scarf, you still wouldn’t show up wearing makeup and pants.

3.6 million Frenchmen march for Hepdo

3.6 million Frenchmen marching over the slaughter of Charlie Hepdo cartoonists by Muslim extremists has to elicit a Sacre bleu! Who knew they cared that much about anything?

That the event caused such an over-whelming response, can we somehow start to think that killing of ‘others’ – with the twisted notion it will cause events one group or another finds disrespectful to totally cease – or that it will be repudiated by the masses that radicals pretend they represent? There didn’t seem to be any similar reaction to the Chechen  slaughter of 400 children in a raid on Russia what seems like soooo long ago, nor the 140+ killed at a school for the children of Pakistani military more recently.

I live in Charlotte, NC, “The Buckle on the Bible Belt” as many proclaim it – and I am grateful EVERY DAY that I don’t have to worry about someone from one (of over a thousand) churches deciding to strap on an explosive device and kill believing-in-a-somewhat-different-way worshipers while shouting ‘God is Great!’

Bad news #3

The animals that call themselves Boko Haram took DAYS to destroy multiple villages and systematically kill over 2,000 is somehow beyond comprehension. Don’t even try to tell me there was a reason or God involved with that.

(Harry Potter creator) J.K. Rowling’s succinct tweet about a Rupert Murdoch comment regarding Islamic extremism and the worlds Muslim population being represented by violent action didn’t actually convince me Murdoch was 100% wrong with what he foolishly tried to get out in 140 characters. On more than one previous occasion I’ve noted that seeing the words ‘Muslim extremists’ in front of so many brutally negative events doesn’t bring up the idea “they aren’t representative of the Muslim religion.”

I question his methodology more than any essential fact, because Murdoch owns an un-Godly (?) number of media outlets around the world. Screw a 140 character tweet! Put a thoughtful, double-truck message in the middle of all those newspapers about how that violence is beyond scary for people. Explain how the distrust that living next door to someone who might just walk into your grocery store tomorrow and kill you and a dozen friends is engendered.

Have your FOX network people throw 30 seconds of your minimally expressed thoughts out for consumption on a massive scale, or are you afraid ‘they’ will punish you?

Because I have this ‘soapbox’

On a much lesser topic, how could Dez Bryant’s catch in the Dallas-Green Bay game be overturned? I’ve heard the ‘control-going to the ground’ explanation of the rule, but he was CLEARLY controlling the ball in his left hand, and took two strides after the catch before it bounced off the ground on impact.

I watch a lot of TV football, scream regularly about “defenseless” 6’5″, 260 lb. behemoths getting whacked at the instant they make a catch because they shouldn’t be hit when a QB squeezes a throw into the foot of space between defenders. Not a catch? Sorry Cowboys, you got stiffed.

And then, George Clooney, SuperGuy

As for George Clooney’s comments, including how glad he was to be Amal’s husband after accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, it was one more large brick in the huge personal Manhood he represents. He got married when HE was ready, to a beautiful, smart, All That Woman. While he was humble about “whatever alchemy,” he also wasn’t apologizing for taking 53 years to make the decision.

I have the utmost respect for the fact that he took his DAD into Darfur to “make it less possible for the world to ignore that situation,” knowing full well if the bad guys somehow showed up, they wouldn’t think twice about shooting everyone in that convoy, movie star or not.

Second, his grip on fame while defending his aunt (Rosemary Clooney), with the comment that “she didn’t suddenly lose all her talent” when parts that involved her signature singing vanished, pretty much from one year to the next, is super stuff.

Lastly, and I smile at the super cool guy-ness of it, was after Danny Devito went on ‘The View’, still pretty well lit after a night out with Clooney doing shots of Lemongello. Told that Devito had talked about their night out, George gave that killer grin and one-lined it: “Yeah? So how’d he do?”

Glenn Shorkey

POV - Content Creation

Grandma Said Being 80 Allowed Saying Anything; I’m Almost 58 and I Can’t Wait

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Grandma Said Being 80 Allowed Saying Anything; I’m Almost 58 and I Can’t Wait

Ask ten managers or recruiters whats most important on a resume, and you will undoubtedly get ten different answers. Having commented/semi-raved about this situation several times, committing to an at-length discussion about unfairness of “ya gotta show ACHIEVEMENT, not *just* did things” mind set seems legitimate. The 6-8 seconds aspect of recruiter viewing is certainly a gripe many others will have too, but for now, lets use three examples regarding resumes and delineating production/achievement relative to executive-administrative assistant roles.

I’ve seen a particular article about the high desirability of ‘soft skills’ several times recently, a factor which I (perhaps immodestly) know I’ve got an abundance of– both freelance writing and significant sales background rely on the Q&A style of determining what needs to be known, rapport building, taking care of whatever blips or situations come up. Communications ability rarely generates verifiable ACHIEVEMENT; most often being the oil that keeps gears rolling smoothly is what makes up the EA-AAs job.

As a temp replacing an EA that handled three VPs, I was the primary coordinator for a quarterly meeting of a 175-190 person Residential Master Servicing group for a bank. I love a challenge, so determining the site (maximum convenience), the menu/costs for feeding everyone lunch, the AV equipment setups, which logo-ed gift the participants would receive and team building exercises were all wrapped in the project.

Yes, there was a sub-set of 9-10 others who helped, especially on idea of gift (a sweet umbrella, large with padded grip) from corporate catalog, but it was my job getting the factors together. That the ballroom location and equipment needs were essentially ‘free’ once the luncheon cost ($17 x 190= approx. $34k) was negotiated was a no-brainer when I presented it to the VP with oversight responsibility. The idea of a scavenger hunt for a team building exercise was, IMHO, brilliant, and everything worked exceptionally smooth. The lady who didn’t put a printout in teams box by ‘zero’ as rest of room counted down end of exercise certainly won’t forget it.

Problem: Sure it was an achievement, the first item at top of my resume on Pg. 2– but HOW MUCH under whatever budget can I claim? Banks were fat then, it was almost a blank check really, but knowing what previous meeting looked like– including having people drive to another part of Charlotte– what magnitude of Great Job is legitimate?

Second: A multi-functional job as Customer Service Administrator, including the quantifying of technician hourly/travel expenses, researching any customer billing questions (and those techs weren’t always great on their documentation), putting together $30-60,000 consignment orders of parts for new locations, and interfacing with three mutually exclusive data bases.

I utilized writing skills several times, with a specific ‘Parts Ordering and Return Policies’ piece being an ‘achievement’. The Parts Dept. was often called on to diagnose what part had failed, based on customer description of a machine not working. Codifying how company wanted callers– generally the guys in the pits with machines, not office personnel– to present needs in 1st, 2nd, 3rd best ways to determine the required part IMPROVED process-efficiency for Parts (diagnosing being a Service situation), but QUANTIFYING that achievement from an administrative POV for resume, hmmmm.

Third: During a reorganization of a 105 person Purchasing department, I was tasked to the change coordinator, and based on my abilities in several areas, became point of contact for five Team Leaders. I didn’t have to make travel plans for all of them, but beyond creating and disseminating all new policies through the e-mail system, DOING for multiple execs or managers is frequently in position descriptions for EAs.

THEN comes the 6-8 seconds of ‘attention’ factor by a recruiter, who we *know* is trying to fill a specific need for their clients– but who often won’t sit with someone to determine the extras their experience/under-utilized skills might bring if known about.

I’m coming back to administrative arena after working in retail during the recession, taking Excel and Outlook courses on line to refresh things I knew cold seven years ago, but while the 112.6% of goal (achievement!) I nailed in 2013 in retail job barely counts, you can’t leave out all that time. Retail paid my bills during a hellacious economic time, and for sure it involved those soft skills and production, yet its not super relevant to the admin-organizational roles I want/need to present in a resume. Two counselors agreed a ‘functional’ resume (without dates!) that minimized retail worked better to promote my previous admin experience; several other recruiters said dates, including when NOT working, were mandatory– clients felt you were trying to hide something otherwise, and yeah, just describing the job wasn’t enough, resume needed to include achievements. I couldn’t tell you how many never responded at all, or number of insurance companies who wanted the sales experience because it was at the beginning (or popped the right word in algorithym).

As a possible fix I’ll offer this:
Like the NASCAR app I came across with a 2000 word limit to describe ‘career experiences’, applications need a heckuva lot more flexibility to include ‘other stuff’, AND RECRUITERS SHOULD READ IT. Sure you’ve got a bunch of resumes for every position, you’re sooooo busy/focused on getting a payoff result, but eliminate a candidate because you only took six seconds and didn’t see an EXACT match for job order that included ‘achievement’, where something like a quarterly meeting *should* count for something, dang it, that’s wrong.

Take a whole MINUTE maybe, tell yourself TODAY is the day you discover a unique, shining example of someone whose paper portrait includes a factor you hadn’t considered. Maybe even call them and ask for an explanation of whatever drew a huh! from you. It’s January baby, if you’re just BSing around the water cooler because (as one recruiter stated) “The only thing I have is a job upselling people who have basic membership on a dating site,” you’ve GOT the time.

Glenn Shorkey

Business

High School Journalists on PBS: Obviously a Different Ballgame

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on High School Journalists on PBS: Obviously a Different Ballgame

Yesterday, PBS brought three students from T.C. Williams HS and their journalism teacher on the show, and it was almost impossible not to cast a somewhat disparaging eye regarding projects they put together to gain that exposure. The bone of contention is they essentially *reviewed* media from this past year, while HIGHLIGHTS, the school newspaper Ray Patterson rode herd on at Linton HS during the tumultous ’70s, produced an 8-16 page product every two weeks.

Frankly, as dramatically different as the technology of multiple outlets/’platforms’ in the world of 2015 is from 1975, its apples and oranges between CREATING (including 2-3 days of actual physical pasting of copy onto waxed tabloid-sized sheets) an award-winning paper and compiling memorable stuff others produced.

That said, I read the NYTimes online version with a first cup of coffee this morning, and while perusing the weekly Creative Loafing in Charlotte, NC is a regular habit, picking up an actual newspaper is perhaps a once-a-month event, the holy grail that TIME magazine was is now an annoyingly thin red-bordered periodical that can be done without.

Since year-end is the time for reviewing all manner of ‘Best of’ or ’10 Events That Shocked’, admitting the significance of the change is legitimate. This piece is being done on an iPad, and if a tone signals something has landed in an electronic mailbox, that can be examined immediately with the push of a button. That immediacy is a singular important difference between ‘old’ journalism and any 2015 version.

The Vietnam War ended with a roar in 1975, after years of having TV deliver graphic video and body counts of dead-wounded nightly, dividing nearly every demographic in America– especially older “its a duty to your country” WWII or Korean War veterans/fathers and young-enough-to-become-part-of-‘Nam’s-meat grinder-ugliness males. Half a world away, we waited until 6:00 for Walter Cronkite, or a similarly serious news anchor, to watch the final helicopter depart the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, barely unlucky enough final figures trying to jump on-stay attached to its skids. As seminal an event as that was, who in 2014 didn’t know an unarmed (if aggressive) black man named Michael Brown was shot to death by a white police officer in the small town of Ferguson, Missouri, or see the as-it-happened “I can’t breathe!” video-taped final words of another black man (Eric Garner) being choked to death by another white officer in New York City?

In 1968, Bobby Kennedy made the dangerous, incredibly courageous decision to address a largely black crowd in Indianapolis the night of Martin Luther King’s assassination in Memphis, and many of those people were only becoming aware of that event hours after the fact. Would ANYONE in their right mind step before a similar crowd under similar conditions today? That city was one of the few that was unscarred by rioting that erupted across the rest of the country. Kennedy’s absolute sincerity, delivered with the reminder he had suffered exactly the same incredible loss– the well-documented assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, in 1963– was personal, unfiltered, and amazingly, not a fact he ever brought up again in public. Those present understood this was a time to mourn, not senselessly rage.

‘Journalism’ has changed, as has much in this country. Woodward & Bernstein’s efforts, still the gold standard in investigating and writing so much of what became the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post, took *months*, even years, to unravel the presidency of Richard Nixon. Today we know about a cop jumping out of his patrol car and– within two seconds, fatally shooting a child waving a toy gun– and every aspect of that is available immediately on a device we can talk about or send to someone else.

‘Disparaging’ eye of comparison might be harsh; if the opportunities were available 40 years ago (Geraldo Rivera’s ‘bushwhack journalism’ style was just beginning), how many j-majors would’ve wanted their faces in front of people vs. ‘just’ a byline? We know about an almost overwhelming number of things around the world *as they’re happening* now, and shaping that tidal wave into some format, including the terrifying ‘sound bite’ reduction, should probably still be regarded as a legitimate function.

It’s also still apples and oranges to compare a class project to having everyone in school with a newspaper in their hand as ‘real’ journalism.

Glenn Shorkey

Sports

ACRC as Much Spiritual as Ruck ‘n Roll

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on ACRC as Much Spiritual as Ruck ‘n Roll

With all due regard given to the need for writing cover letters to resumes–and a decent quantity of progress on two sexy chapters for next book– it shouldn’t have taken me a month to knock out a blog in praise of the ten game slate of American Collegiate Rugby Championships matches assembled by Steve Siano’s Sevens Sports operation. Showcased at the Rugby Athletic Center on South Tyvola Ave. in Charlotte, NC, the event was, for every ex-rugger, newbie enthusiast, or player in attendance, a Friday afternoon-all day Saturday slice of what live sports is supposed to be about.

From the 4 tries by Corey Patton of North Mecklenburg— correctly identified as a star to watch in a gorgeous full color glossy tournament guide– in their 33-5 whacking of Hough in the high school exhibition that kicked things off, through the 53-19 pillaging of previously unbeaten (8-0) Army by the electric lime-green stockinged hordes of major independent Life(their ‘B’ side punched out Western Michigan 42-10 in Saturdays top-‘o-the-morning match), it was glorious stuff to watch.

Boston College beat Iona 29-19
North Carolina St. devastated Texas St. 63-7 in Fridays nightcap
UMass pounded North Texas 46-0
Kutztown (9-1 as Rugby East champs, only loss to Army) overwhelmed Michigan 43-17
American International pulled out a highly competitive 46-40 thriller over Bowling Green
Clemson (Atlantic Coast champs) pulled away from 20-14 halftime score to beat always a rival South Carolina (Southeastern CRC champs) 40-14 in after-Life Bowl Series finale

Beyond the almost un-rugby-like precision that the schedule maintained, it would be a serious breach of sports journalism not to give generous credit for the overall effect to the RAC facility and Sevens Sports as well.

While Saturday was sunny, and the weather of a satisfying Fall crispness all the way, viewing a premier pitch from the comfort of the triple-tiered and sub-divided into ‘booths’ arena a former golf driving range created, was an exceptional experience. There was never a peep of negatives to be heard about *anything*– despite its college-age participants, beer was cold and available, the toilets clean and always operational; even the fire pit between the foosball table and the 3rd level concession stand created its own smoky ambiance. The fact of $2 for 16-ounce PBRs, $4 cans of Guiness, and the meaty warmth of Chik-fil-a sandwiches were appreciated Goodnesses for anyone who ever lugged their beverages field-side (and then wondered where to take a leak). Enjoying said supplies with a nephew who was left off the Stony Brook (Empire Conference champs and 21-20 victors over West Virginia) roster was cool, as was his low key “thanks for letting me use your extra jacket” after several hours.

While its never been on any personal ‘bucket list’, watching Life’s continuous forward motion as tackled runners popped short passes to others blasting along in close support, made believing their program is every bit of what its advertised to be a Real Deal fact. Having been involved in a 52-0 ass-kicking by Old Blue in a 20-minute halves tournament game (Saranac Lake, NY) almost 30 years ago, and earning a last-play-of-the-game karate chop to left ear (think cartoon sound of broken china when shaking head) for getting close to tackling an Old Blue inside center, brought memories to what a full game of barely slowing down the other guys must’ve felt like.

Memories are actually rugby’s stock in trade, so here’s a pretty good one: Seeing an older gentleman (NCHSRA President P.J. Anderson) in Springbok yellow/green outfit at the games required relating how the city of Albany (NY) hosted the South African team in 1990, when it was still an athletic pariah. Lacking a definitive “you can’t do it” from the state, mayor Erastus Corning ignored anti-apartheid protesters– and a small bombing of the ticket office– to allow the game against the Eastern Rugby Union (ERU), played in a driving rainstorm.

In relating that meeting to a random ex-rugger, it turned out he’d BEEN to the game, even got in free. Part Two, he’d played for Binghamton, a member of the Upstate Rugby Union I’d played in. Memory Part Three, telling Sevens Sports leader Steve Siano about the coincidence of talking with guy who went to that game brought reply (believe it or not) that he’d PLAYED at fullback in the game as a college sophomore.

What more could you ask for from a weekend of rugby, an exceptionally well-run event that brings ancient memories into close order with what those participants (and my nephew) will be part of forever? Not sure who won the ‘canoe races’ between rivals UMass and Boston College, but someone will probably still be telling stories about that this Christmas break.

Glenn Shorkey

Sports

Booing for W’s? Nahh, Otherwise Philly…

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Booing for W’s? Nahh, Otherwise Philly…

As I’ve maintained throughout the Bobcat years– especially when owner Bob Johnson complained about not getting the community love he’d expected– if there is anyplace that knows what good hoops looked like, it was North Carolina. I also opined that since people could watch at least two ACC games/their alma maters a week for free, ‘supporting’ over-priced nobodies (sorry Mr. Wallace) that even Hubie Brown couldn’t coach wasn’t high on a lot of people’s lists.

Yes, the home opener featuring the return of Hornets name and that knowledge base presented a mixed emotional bag; the crowd certainly had expectations for Victory #1, since Milwaukee was last years worst club. In the third quarter theHornets were down 24 and playing lousy enough to elicit significant boos says something; giving them props for actually turning things around for a 108-106 overtime win is equally legitimate. While Kemba Walker went 9-28 FGs, he nailed both the tying trey in regulation and the gamer; the chances of very many more victories will diminish with 31% shooting nights. Its every fans right to express displeasure in the product being presented– as Madden memorably said, “Philly fans even boo Santa Claus.” (I saw the game, it was a pretty raggedy, stupid acting Santa), and I salute the crowd for their candor, especially since it worked.
——–
There must’ve been a couple fans who were willing to try motivating more inspired play by expressing displeasure at the big Thursday night Panthers-Saints game as well. The final was 28-10, but if you watched it, you never got any feeling the now 3-4-1 Panthers would come out on top. Okay, nice that Cam’s running effectively again, his big stretch to stick a TD in at the cone another of those things we will definitely cheer, and become antsy about when its lacking.

Two weeks ago commentator Howie Long said this wasn’t the 2013 Panthers #2-rated in league defense, which provided the backbone to their 12-4 record. If you allow (I don’t) for “we don’t have Greg Hardy” laments, the secondary hasn’t been getting toasted as regularly as many might’ve suspected; clearly, getting field goals offensively instead of TDs has killed them, even more than fact other teams keep putting together multi-play drives on the D. Moral victories for defensive intensity in a 13-9 loss the previous week to Seattle Seahawks mean nothing– I was pretty sure those 3 FGs by the Panthers Gano would be cancelled out if Russell Wilson of Seattle put a single drive together, and thats exactly what happened.

There was some booing done Thursday, although my noise at home was more groaning-griping about Panthers trying to cover Saints freaking star tight end Jimmy Graham one-on-one. I’m a Drew Brees fan, and he probably could’ve passed to someone else if Graham was doubled, but it looked like pitch and catch at times. This moves the Saints back into divisional lead, but almost everyone in the NFC South is still in the hunt on that point.

I’ll reserve booing at this point, although I believe it actually made a difference at the Hornets game. If booing always worked, Philly would be a dominant contender in every sport; right now I WOULD actually boo if that would eliminate the next 150 Hagan-Tillis ads I’ll inevitably be subjected to between now and Tuesday night. This Senate race is a STUNNINGLY ugly piece of negativity– there’s not a commentator in the country that doesn’t mention the mudslinging that **$200 MILLION** in outside funding has financed. How does that *obvious* a twisting of ‘voting voice’ truly relate to that of the North Carolina electorate? I don’t know, but yeah, I’d boo! it.

Glenn S.

Uncategorized

Sorry, Just Won’t Do It

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Sorry, Just Won’t Do It

I read an amazing bit of journalism this morning, an at-length piece on what they call The Inland Empire, about the proliferation– to tune of almost *15 million sq. ft./year* of warehouse space in California’s Moreno Valley. The nut was the pollution caused by massive volume of trucks in and around the area, which is also ‘at the end of the tailpipe’ of what gets blown out of LA across the Valley.

Respiratory problems of the people involved is significant, as is bribery of officials who continue to allow building of warehouses, which are a transmission point for goods arriving from Asia, to all points pretty much west of Chicago. One committee member (Mr. Co) is accused of taking the largest bribe in FBI sting history, $2.36 million. That he’s been out and about over a year since his arrest leads many to believe he’s been wearing a wire, so I wasn’t listening that much to those delineated as ‘bad actors’ in story proclaiming their innocence– time enough for that later.

I wanted to comment about the great journalistic effort, might have considered reposting, because while the pollution and negatives mentioned don’t affect me in Charlotte, NC, I reposted as much of Glenn Greenwalds Snowden/gov’t surveillance stuff as I could, because important stuff should be brought to light wherever its found. I didn’t post a comment, because Facebook login meant they get to look at not only MY information, but my entire Friends list.

I don’t do much on FB, in spite of many HS acquaintences contacting me in this year before reunion. I *HATE* the idea I can’t make a comment without putting a bunch of other names on the line. I’m writing as an individual– what right do I have to say, “check out/use the info from anyone else I know”?

Maybe its a useless consideration on my part, because theres no telling how many others are simply pushing the button and allowing my name on some list so they can post elsewhere. But for those I know, I’ll do what little I can to protect you. And yes, I will always appreciate good journalism.

Glenn S.