OT:A new step forward

Bill Ravens wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:13 PM
For anyone who doesn't know me on a personal level, I need to tell you how much I love this business. It feeds me in a way that my "career" never did. Having said that, my wish is that everyone reading this can take it in the spirit in which it is offered.

I am not, and never have been, political. And yet, I am awed by the media presentation of this inauguration. No one, as of this point, has ventured a political opinion. Yes, I know political opinions are not welcomed on this website, and for good reason. That has never stopped someone from trying to post.

May the Aussies and Limeys understand the reality that is truly AMERICAN...

OK, this is my turn to be edited. I may be censored....so be it. Not in my lifetime, have I seen a man of such integrity as Pres. Obama. If he is a sham, he can't maintain it. If his humility is a sham, the pundits will reveal it. Lord knows, I could care less...but, a man who is artful, will promote and further the arts. The decline of artfullness began with the election of Ronald Reagan. It would seem that artfullness has returned to the American reality. May Great Spirit bless al who create, all who feel the art of the moment. And I say HO!!!!!!
__________________

Comments

rs170a wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:21 PM
Bill, other than the fact that you didn't label the post as OT, I have no issues with this at all.
As a Canadian, I wish your new president all the best and sincerely hope that he can deliver on at least a few of the things he talked about in his speech today.
He has a very hard job ahead of him and I wish him well in all his endeavours.

Mike
blink3times wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:26 PM
And I say I'm a Canadian... but if I was a "LIMEY" I think I would be pretty offended being referred to in that way... but then I guess it's just American not to consider it that way. Obama is good man but his talk of our "president" expresses my point. We don't have a "president".... we have a Prime Minister.

This BTW is the exact reason why these threads should not be here.
Bill Ravens wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:35 PM
Thanx to you guys for being understanding. In my own ignorance, I have no wish to offend, We are all one. Lord knows, I am not a part of the entitled community. See how words, in their simplicity can offend in ways that were never meant? Can't we just try to understand this, without cultural differences being obstacles? I'm of hispanic heritage. There's plenty of synonymns you can use..... and have. What does it matter?
blink3times wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:41 PM
I fully recognize you don't wish to offend and I am truly happy for the American public and I share in your excitement. (I myself am American by birth). But these kinds of threads ALWAYS offend SOMEONE. That's why they're best when they're not stuck on the board.
Bill Ravens wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:45 PM
OK, I'm outa here. Got better things to do than listen to other egos. Blink, I don't exactly know what your issues are, but, in all honesty, you're one of the people why I can rarely post here.
Coursedesign wrote on 1/20/2009, 2:55 PM
This may have been the best speech I ever heard.

I suspect it will be played back 100 years from now.

I also admired the sound setup they had: getting good sound coverage across 59 blocks and 1M+ people.

The audience a few blocks back obviously couldn't see much of the event even through binoculars, but they had set up 19' x 33' High Definition LED Displays in strategic places. These are a new generation with immensely better picture than in the past.

Interesting also how even with an unlimited budget, they found that Obama's voice sounded best through Shure SM58s...

Those mics have a certain "je ne sais quoi" as the Brits like to say (even though it's French :O), and it's amazing how they can be so good at sound reproduction and driving nails both (hence their use by many top rock bands).

Bill Ravens wrote on 1/20/2009, 3:04 PM
"je ne sais quoi"

Love it, Coursedesign....blessings on u
John_Cline wrote on 1/20/2009, 3:14 PM
To paraphrase Gerald Ford, "our long national nightmare is over" and that nightmare is finally back in Texas. I'm glad I will no longer be embarrassed by our country's top leadership.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 1/20/2009, 6:17 PM
I found it ironic that with an economic near-collapse, the $$ could still be found to put up huge TV's, PA systems, etc. for the public.

The public has access to TV & radio, I see no reason to spend extra $$ on stuff to show it to people there on my dime while everybody had the option to bring a portable TV or radio.

It wasn't an inauguration, it was a huge PR event. The long national nightmare has just begun: convincing generations of people the need to work harder & expect less to just survive for a while. Nobody voted him in for that, but that's what he said (in not so few words speech).
musicvid10 wrote on 1/20/2009, 7:20 PM
"I found it ironic that with an economic near-collapse, the $$ could still be found to put up huge TV's, PA systems, etc. for the public."

A good portion of that ($40M+) came from private contributions with tight restrictions on who could donate (individuals only, no foreign interests, no corps, no lobbies, no pacs), and a $50K cap per individual.

One of the things that could not be covered privately, and which cost the taxpayers plenty, was the cost of security. Hundreds of agencies took part.
musicvid10 wrote on 1/20/2009, 7:23 PM
They looked more like Beta 58's to me, but I wasn't paying close attention.
But hey, the guy's from Chicago. You thought maybe they'd put him on a German mic?
farss wrote on 1/20/2009, 10:51 PM
As an Aussie I've always understood what it is to be American. It's just that I haven't seen you elect a president who understood that for a very long time.
This is a change for the better not just for the USA but for the rest of the world. Let us all hope the citizens of all countries can find leaders of the same calibre regardless of which side of the political fence they come from.

Bob.
Jeff9329 wrote on 1/21/2009, 10:35 AM
I was in Costco for lunch during the inauguration.

The HD signal didn't look that impressive to me on the array of HDTVs they had. You would think it would have been as good as it gets on the broadcasters end.

Could have been the Costco signal setup.
Coursedesign wrote on 1/21/2009, 11:21 AM
That would have been Costco's setup. I've seen good signals and horrible signals at my Costco.

I watched it on KCET-DT Over The Air PBS via HDMI in glorious 1920x1080, couldn't have been any sharper.

There is also this amazing .

Tim L wrote on 1/21/2009, 4:16 PM
Coursedesign - your sat. photo link is broken -- has an extra "http:// " at the beginning...

http://www.geoeye.com/CorpSite/gallery/detail.aspx?iid=220&gid=1
drmathprog wrote on 1/21/2009, 4:30 PM
"And I say I'm a Canadian... but if I was a "LIMEY" I think I would be pretty offended being referred to in that way... but then I guess it's just American not to consider it that way. Obama is good man but his talk of our "president" expresses my point. We don't have a "president"."

We yanks have a more or less experienced one, recently out of work (like so many other of us yanks), who might be available. He is apparently unable to speak either one of your official languages, but that might not necessarily be a problem. :-\
je@on wrote on 1/21/2009, 5:55 PM
I believe the screens were installed in the mall by HBO. Part of the deal for the concert rights.
ushere wrote on 1/21/2009, 10:42 PM
I'M OFFENDED, I'M OFFENDED - what about i have no idea, but it still doesn't sop me being offended!!!!!!
FrigidNDEditing wrote on 1/22/2009, 12:16 AM
well, I'll wait to see what "change" this one brings as opposed to what "change" the other one was going to bring, but I haven't cared too much for some of his first acts in office. Really though, what does it all matter, banks own most of America anyway, and the President of the United States I consider little more than a puppet being bought out by special interest groups with deep pockets. (more or less, no matter who gets in)

I didn't care for some of the stuff Bush did, and I won't care for some of the stuff Obama does. I did like that Bush gave an air of knowing what he thought and sticking to it, while I haven't been given that impression by Obama as of yet, but there are pro's and con's to that as well. All I do know, is that Obama has a very heavy mantel on his shoulders, just as Bush did, and there is more stress in their lives than any of us can likely imagine. So, if you're a praying man or woman, I strongly suggest you pray for our elected leader to have a great deal of wisdom and discernment, and that he's kept safe (especially the first black president of America because you know that's got to get some people's dander up).

Dave
John_Cline wrote on 1/22/2009, 12:50 AM
"I did like that Bush gave an air of knowing what he thought and sticking to it, while I haven't been given that impression by Obama as of yet."

Wow. I have no further comment.
Cliff Etzel wrote on 1/22/2009, 7:57 AM
Wow. I have no further comment.

DItto

Cliff Etzel - Solo Video Journalist
bluprojekt | SoloVJ blog
Soniclight wrote on 1/23/2009, 2:05 AM
Yup, politics can get sticky, here or anywhere else on the Net. I've definitely got my own views as a life-long (Democratic) American citizen, but have no desire to waste my time getting all caught up in thorny debates here.

Talking about Pavarotti's passing was a far safer OT :o)
Skuzzy wrote on 1/23/2009, 7:31 AM
Meh

He did not say anything different that Bush had not said in many of his speeches.

Talk is cheap.
Coursedesign wrote on 1/23/2009, 10:17 AM
He did not say anything different that Bush had not said in many of his speeches.

You mean Obama didn't say anything different from what Bush had spoken based on reading, with some difficulty, his teleprompter?

Just like live music is special, it is also special when a speaker has written his own speech rather than speaking someone else's words.

I have immense compassion for George W. Bush. He had a real heart, which was often overlooked by "Bush haters," but he was expertly manipulated by others when he made 99% of his decisions.

The only two decisions known to have been actually initiated by W involved a) the very expensive Medicare Part D entitlement program that offered a drug benefit to seniors, and b) a prohibition on certain illegal activities that were taking place in the Department of Justice at the time.

The Medicare program ended up being massaged to get a wildly unpopular "donut hole" that was a real problem for many seniors, and an explicit prohibition against Medicare negotiating any kind of discount off full retail.

Senior officials at DOJ were worried about having to choose between losing their jobs for refusing to follow orders vs. being prosecuted later if they did follow those orders. With great effort they were able to reach W directly, and W at that time made his own decision to stop what was going on.

But that was not the end of illegal activities at our nation's highest institution of law enforcement. I expect to see lots of prosecutions coming, unless it is decided to just sweep everything under the carpet, which is certainly possible.

I don't think the RNC has understood yet how much it will take them to get the Republican party back on track. Some individuals I'm sure understand it, such as John McCain, a solid guy I have respected and supported for 25 years.

Too bad he wasn't running in this election.

The John McCain I knew disappeared just before the campaign started and didn't reappear until his concession speech.

But even if McCain had been running, I believe Obama is the leader best able to shepherd us "out of the wilderness into the promised land." Lots of change is needed, and that takes an ability to inspire, something that he has shown to possess in great measure.

Only time will tell, but I think Obama is the most qualified conservative candidate, and hopefully he can even inspire a new generation of conservative Republicans to actually espouse conservative values as expressed by Edmund Burke (often thought of as the father of conservatism).

I'm a core conservative who voted for Obama, and most of my friends are old-school conservatives who also voted for Obama, because they didn't see these values in the very non-presidential Palin/McCain campaign.