Updated Further: WCBS-FM A to Z - not quite

Someone at WCBS-FM radio (101.1 FM in New York City or wcbsfm.com), we don't know who, had a great idea: Play every song in the WCBS-FM library, from A to Z.

Great idea, as listeners finally get to hear more than just the small subset of songs the station keeps otherwise playing. Sadly, however, a lot of songs are missing.

Here is just a very small sampling of some songs that were and were not played:

Played	Not Played
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley	Love Me - Elvis Presley
	Loving You - Elvis Presley
Stay - Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs	Stay - 4 Seasons
	Stay - Jackson Browne
Little Darlin' - Diamonds	Little Darlin' - Gladiolas (Maurice Williams)
Silhouettes - Herman's Hermits	Silhouettes - Rays
Sukiyaki - A Taste of Honey	Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto
	Soon - 4 Seasons
Alone - Heart	Alone - 4 Seaons
	Bye Bye Baby - 4 Seasons
Could It Be Magic - Barry Manilow	Could This Be Magic - Dubs
Leader of the Pack - Shangri-Las	Leader of the Laundromat - Detergents
Gloria - Shadows of Night	Gloria - Cadillacs
Gloria - Them	Gloria - The Passions
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Crying in the Chapel - Elvis Presley	Cry - Johnny Ray
Do You Wanna Dance? - Beach Boys	Do You Wanna Dance? - Bobby Freeman
Do You Want to Dance? - Bette Midler
	Daddy's Home - Shep & The Limelites
Ain't That A Shame - Fats Domino	Ain't That A Shame - 4 Seasons
	Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone
Baby Blue - Badfinger	Baby Blue - Echoes
	Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime - Dean Martin
Go Away Little Girl - Happenings	Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
	I Feel Fine - Beatles
	Chances Are - Johnny Mathis
	It's Not For Me To Say - Johnny Mathis
Love Potion Number Nine - Searchers	Love Potion Number Nine - Clovers
Surfer Girl - Beach Boys	Surf City - Jan & Dean
Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
Surfin' U.S.A. - Beach Boys
In The Still of the Night - Five Satins	Tonite Tonite - Mello-Kings

(Just added the last item above - They played "In the Still of the Night" but not "Tonite Tonite", and the latter was glaringly missing while Norm N. Nite was on the air broadcasting from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Why didn't he say something or just make sure it got played?)

The order of a number of songs is totally illogical. Sometimes a song beginning with "The" fell into the letter of the next word, and others fell into the "The" section of the survey. Same for song titles beginning with "A" or "I". Very strange and confusing.

Although lots of other great songs from the 50's through the 80's were played, many great songs are missing. Instead, some never heard of before (and hopefully never to be heard again) songs got airplay. I can't even tell you the names of the really bad non-hit songs that got played, because I never heard them before and no one ever said what was played. (Perhaps the DJs were just too embarrassed to tell us.)

So while this was a great idea, the claim by the station that they are playing everything in their library is clearly not quite accurate, because the real WCBS-FM would have played the songs listed above and the many, many, more that have been skipped along the way. It is hard to figure out the logic of the choices, as many singles were excluded, but a number of album-only songs got played. I hope they do this again -- and next time really play ALL the music from A-Z from the 1950's through the 1980's.

As I've pointed out in previous articles, there would be no rock & roll of the 60's, 70's or 80's without the rock & roll of the 50's.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Public Transportion in NYC Getting Worse

Every time the fares go up, the service goes down. This seems to be a recurrent theme whenever the transit services raise their fares.

Several months ago, the fares on the NYC subway system went up. So did the fares on the PATH trains. Travel on both of these services, and transferring from one to the other, have since gotten much worse.

On the subways, for example, the E and F trains in Queens now run slower than ever during rush hour, and there are regular mishaps. The local R and V service actually sometimes get from Continental Avenue to Queens Plaza faster than the E express. Audio announcements are fewer and are again at times unintelligible.

The PATH trains have had many many delays and mishaps since the fare increase.

The transfer between the two services at the World Trade Center location is a story unto itself. The underground transfer between the E, for example, and the PATH train survived the 9/11 attack but was clearly in need of some repairs as there were constant water leaks. So PATH built a new entrance and closed down the old one. But no one at the MTA/NYC Transit or at PATH seemed to have thought the changes through very well. On day one several months ago, shortly after the fare increases, the old entrances that could accommodate the hundreds of thousands of commuters transferring between the two services or simply entering or leaving the World Trade Center area, were closed. Instead, these hundreds of thousands of commuters were directed to/from the E train via one (yes I said one) very narrow staircase that could barely accommodate one way commuter traffic, let alone two-way for hundreds of thousands of commuters. Then, all who were going toward the PATH train or toward the subway (opposite directions) were relegated to one enclosed street where construction was also going on, to get to/from the E and the PATH. What a nightmare.

The folks in charge of the MTA, NYC Transit, and PATH should all be replaced with people who think ahead and look at the ramifications of changes and then fix the problems before they become problems. And the poor service on both systems clearly do not warrant the fare increases already imposed or those threatened to be imposed in the near future. Instead, fares should be rolled back and a thorough investigation launched into the clear mismanagement of both services. Where is all that fare money going? It clearly isn't going into service improvements or to people with common sense to avoid such nightmares. And where has the asleep-at-the-wheel press been? I haven't seen any articles about this.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Unfair Fares

In New York City and vicinity, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) ignored the voice of the people and voted this week to raise the fares on the majority of commuters. On the very day that the vote took place, service on the subways was worse than usual. On top of that, it was reported recently that the MTA was swimming in a huge surplus. Yet service is down, station maintenance is down, and the homeless are moving back into the stations. On the roads, tolls continue to be collected and raised when the purpose of those tolls, especially for bridges and tunnels, was to recoup the original cost of building them. The tolls were never meant to be indefinite or to be used for other means.

The increases in fares and tolls hurt the middle and lower classes of society, which make up the majority of society. There should be no tolls on any roads or bridges or tunnels, and public transportation should be free. General taxes should be used to pay for the providing of these public services. There should be certified and vetted persons managing and maintaining the roads and rails and buses and they should be answerable to the public. A public, annually reviewed audit should occur showing exactly where and how money is being spent.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Gonzales is Gone, But the Disease Remains

I was thinking about writing an article about the resignation of Alberto Gonzales and how that, along with the prior resignation of Karl Rove, does nothing to correct the problems created by the current administration.

Then I saw this article by Steven Brant. Hard to top it, so I won't even try. Go read Steven's article titled "Gonzales is Gone, But the Disease Remains". In addition to that article and all the valuable links in the article, you might also find "The Myth of The Rule of Law", written a number of years ago by an Associate Professor at Georgetown University, interesting as well.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Corporate Cost Cuts Have A High Price

According to this article, " The recent health and safety scares that led to major toy and food recalls highlight the pressures facing companies that export their manufacturing, and just how quickly a corporate image can become tarnished." However, the article, in this writers' opinion, misses the larger point. This is just the latest display of how shipping work and jobs out of the US has been a disaster for the the citizens of the USA. The press has done a very poor job of reporting on all the people in this country who have lost their jobs and have either never found work or had to take lower paying jobs if they could find any in order to support themselves and their families. And of course none of the government statistics address this. For example, the reported unemployment rate is not anywhere close to reality. At best it only counts those who are currently collecting unemployment. It does not count those whose benefits have run out or who were never entitled to benefits in the first place.

There is a serious but under-reported crisis in this country. Hopefully some of the media will wake up and start reporting regularly on the true state of unemployment and corporate greed and how off-shore outsourcing of jobs and other factors have contributed to this sorry state of affairs.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Second Impression: WCBS-FM

A week ago I posted my first impressions of the return of WCBS-FM. It appears what I wrote was read by the management of WCBS-FM because they appear to have addressed the issues I raised:

• That obnoxious jingle telling us where "Jack" went (no one cares and it was ticking everyone off) is gone (or at least it wasn't played during any time I tuned in this past week).

• They seem to have discovered that there are more songs over a 30+ year spread than can be played within 48 hours, and although there still are some repeats, each time I've tuned in over the past week I heard songs I had not heard played since the relaunch.

• And most importantly, WCBS-FM is playing songs from the 1950's and early (pre-1964) sixties. As I stated in the previous article, "there would be no Rock & Roll of the 1960's, the 1970's or beyond without the Rock & Roll of the 1950's."

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

First Impressions: The Return of WCBS-FM

First Impressions: The Return of WCBS-FM

Here in NYC, WCBS-FM has been an institution since the early 1970's, playing the greatest hits of the 1950's and the 1960's. Then, several years ago, they started fiddling with the format and isolated the 1950's to a once-a-week show, and the rest of the time played songs from the 1960's and 1970's. Then, one day, after more than 30 years of being the favorite station of most New Yorkers who listened to music on the radio, playing the music "we" wanted to hear, WCBS-FM ceased to be. All the DJs were let go and replaced by a voice claiming to be some guy named "Jack" who was going to play what "he" wanted to hear instead of what "we" wanted to hear. Not quite sure why anyone thought that was a good idea.

Well as you can imagine, that caused a major uproar, and the new format failed miserably. It took two years before the management decided to drop the new format and go back, sort-of, to what they had abandoned - the music "we" wanted to hear. But it's not quite the same. Gone are the 1950's all together. Gone are most of the DJs that were the on-air personalities that helped make the station what it was. Instead what is back is music of the 1960's and 1970's, supplemented with songs from the 1980's, plus a few of the DJs that were let go, and some new (to WCBS-FM) DJs.

WCBS-FM came back on the air on Thursday July 12, 2007 at 1:01PM. I listened at different times of the day for the first 48 hours. By day two I was already hearing repeats of songs that had been played. Why are they already repeating songs? Surely they could not have run out of 30 years' worth of music after only one day. And I have yet to hear any song from earlier than 1964. The 1960's start in 1960 after all.

Another thing: They should immediately stop playing that obnoxious promo that includes telling folks where the old and failed "Jack" and the songs "he" wanted to hear could still be heard. We don't care -- and any mention on air of "Jack" just makes us want to hit the button and change channels. They should vow never to mention "Jack" again. He's hit the road and should not come back. In fact, Ray Charles singing "Hit The Road Jack" is what should have been the first song played. I didn't hear it played during the time I listened before writing this article.

And finally, there would be no Rock & Roll of the 1960's, the 1970's or beyond without the Rock & Roll of the 1950's. So to live up to the motto, "The Greatest Hits", the station needs to include the music that started it all.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Forgotten Generation Get's Rediscovered

Back in June 2005 I posted this article about the demise of WCBS-FM. Well, today at 1:01pm it will return, but not quite as the same station. Many of the DJs will not be back, either because they have other commitments now, or have retired, or, sadly, have passed on. Also, it will be a rare moment if any music from the 1950's gets played. The new WCBS-FM will span from the 1960's to the 1980's.

I hope that there will at least be a show somewhere in the lineup that plays music from the 1950's and that they change their mind and play some 50's in the general mix.

Welcome back, sort-of.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

The Fairness Doctrine

The problem with what is on the air today is there is a blurry line between news and opinion. What should occur is as follows:

NEWS programs should be forced to be NEWS programs and not opinion factories. If they wish to have opinions expressed, there should be CLEAR visual/audio statements that the following is an OPINION and NOT news, like when the news programs once upon a time had a segment clearly labeled opinion or editorial. If there is to be an interview of someone representing a specific point of view, equal time must be given to the opposing viewpoint, or else the program becomes a biased opinion show and not a news program.

OPINION programs (like Rush and others), as long as they are CLEARLY marketed and explained as OPINION and not NEWS programs, are fine, because listeners or viewers know that they are tuning in to an opinion show.

The above also applies to print media and Internet media. If a publication bills itself as a NEWS publication, then it should be reporting news, with a clearly defined opinion/editorial section for such opinions/editorials. If a publication bills itself as an opinion/editorial publication, then it is clear that is what it is.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Warning: Counterfeit Toothpaste - may be harmful - if you've got any, stop using it immediately

If you buy your toothpaste at 99 cent or similar stores, you may have purchased counterfeit toothpaste.

Currently Colgate is warning everyone about counterfeit Colgate found in at least 4 states.

I suspect other brands will follow.

The counterfeit Colgate contains Diethylene glycol - a chemical used in the production of polyester resins, plasticizers, acrylate and methacrylate resins and urethanes. It comes labeled as a 5 ounce or 100 ml tube, a size not made or sold by Colgate in the United States. You can identify the counterfeit product by the words on the package, "Manufactured in South Africa", and there may be several misspelled words on the product carton including: "isclinically", "SOUTH AFRLCA" and "South African Dental Assoxiation." Colgate does not import toothpaste into the U.S. from South Africa.

If you've purchased this product, you should stop using it immediately.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Democrats cave; Bush wins

That is clearly the only way to describe the invasion of Iraq funding bill that will be voted on this week by Congress. The bill removes all time-tables for getting our troops home safely; removes any requirements of accountability by the president; and essentially grants everything Bush has demanded.

What a sad, sad, day for this country and for our troops in harms way in a war that we should not be in in the first place. Clearly the democrats in Congress are not listening to the overwhelming majority of the people who elected them. If they were, then they would be sending the same bill they sent the first time, over and over again until the president could no longer get away with murdering innocent Americans by putting them where they don't belong and never should have been.

Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and the persons and countries responsible for the attack on the USA on 9/11 still have not been brought to justice.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://TheOpEdPage.com

Sixty Million Containers of Pet Food Recalled After Dog and Cat Deaths

If you buy pet food, you want to go to the links below.

See:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/
for the products being recalled and the number to call for more info.

and here is an article summarizing the problems:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,259223,00.html

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

FDA warns consumers of online drug scam: You may have actually received a schizophrenia drug

If you or someone you know purchased sleep aids, antidepressants, or other drugs over the internet, you should read this article. According to the Food and Drug Administration, what may have been shipped instead was a schizophrenia drug.

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

"Offshore-developed software projects have 2.8X as many bugs as average software projects"

For details, start here:
Offshore-developed software projects have 2.8X as many bugs as average software projects

Richard Kuper
The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

The Decline of Customer Service

November 13, 2006

The Decline of Customer Service

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

Businesses usually rise and fall, at least in part, on the quality of their customer service. That leaves one to wonder why many companies, especially the larger ones, have chosen to outsource their customer services to places where, for starters, English is not the native language, and so those hired to be the customer-facing company representatives for these customers are, for the most part, incapable of having a clear and understandable conversation with the customer.

The modern world provides for multiple means of providing customer support. There is, of course, the in-person -physically-at-the-company customer support, where that is feasible (physical stores, for example). Such companies usually take care to ensure that the persons who represent them are presentable and can communicate clearly with the customer. Technology has added other options. There is, of course, customer service by telephone. Calling customer service has proven to be a nightmare for a wide variety of citizens here in the USA, as they are more often than not connected to someone in a far-away country with less than adequate English-speaking skills, and often no clue as to how to address the problem. In addition, there is now e-mail and on-line chat, and the written responses show the glaring issues that now exist. More often than not there are multiple words missing making the information incomprehensible. Also frequent are canned paragraphs and phrases that usually have nothing to do with responding to the help that has been requested.

It is a mystery to this writer why it is that companies have gone so far out of their way to do what they can to alienate and infuriate their customers. Do they not want our business?

Irresponsible and innacurate reporting?

November 8, 2006

Irresponsible and innacurate reporting?

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

The new Senate will be 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans and 2 Independents. No party is the majority. And even if the 2 Independents (one being Lieberman who got back into congress thanks to the Republicans who voted for him) may tend to side more often with the Democrats, they are not Democrats, they are Independents. So, technically, all committees must be co-headed, and there is no such thing in the next Senate as a Majority and Minority leader, just co-leaders.

So why is the press saying the Democrats are now the majority party in the Senate? It's just not accurate.

The future of the US depends on your vote: Remember to Vote

November 6, 2006

The future of the US depends on your vote
Remember to Vote

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

Hopefully your vote will count. If you are voting on an electronic voting machine, do everything in your power to confirm that your vote is registering as you intend it. If you see something that doesn't seem right, say so at the time you see it. If you suspect foul play and do not get satisfaction at the polling place, contact the media and get them to your polling place.

The state of our democracy is at risk. Elections have been stolen since 2000. Yes, that is an accurate statement. No, it is not some sort of conspiracy theory. If you have not seen the documentary on HBO "Hacking Democracy" it's still airing so look it up and watch it. Here on the east coast it will re-air on Election Day at 9am. If you don't have HBO, see http://blackboxvoting.org for more info. You should also see if the Lou Dobbs special on electronic voting on CNN is still airing and catch that as well. Sadly, the majority of media have not reported on this major issue.

Remember to vote and remind all your neighbors and family and friends and coworkers or whomever to vote. And pay attention, and tell everyone you know to pay attention, to what is happening at your polling place, and to every part of the voting process, from signing in to recording your vote.

Must See Regional Production of Mame

October 8, 2006

Must See Regional Production of Mame

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

On October 7, 2006 I saw a wonderful production of Mame at the Barrington Stage Company Theater in Pittsfield, MA. If you are in the area or can get there before October 15, I recommend you do so. It is a "concert version," production (a la "Encores!"), so there are no fancy stage sets, just various guides every now and again on stage telling you what has taken place or how many years have passed or where the current scene takes place.

This production stars Sandy Duncan as Mame, and she does a fabulous job. In fact, everyone in the production does a fabulous job. Part of the production unintentionally comes right out of many Broadway tales - someone needs to be replaced and another star is born. Well, it seems that one of the actresses (Patti Perkins) had a mishap during the prior night's production and another actress (Megan Rozak) was volunteered (as I understood the announcement) to take over in the second act. I'm sure Ms. Perkins was doing a great job, but her substitute Ms. Rozak, which is who I saw, was terrific as both Madame Branislowski and Mrs. Upson.

There were a few stand-out performances (besides the fabulous performance by Sandy Duncan) that deserve special mention. Diane J. Findlay, who plays Vera Charles, was wonderful as Mame's foil. Joyce Chittick, who played the nanny Agnes Gooch, made the most of every moment she was on stage and was superb.

Finally, let me take a few moments to talk about the other star of the show, the 12 year old boy from PA named Johhny Shaffer who plays young Patrick Dennis. Before the show I happened to meet and chat with his parents. Dad had already seen the performance but this was going to be Mom's first time, and she was a bit nervous. It seems young Mr. Shaffer has been acting since he was 5, and his parents are very supportive and proud. And they should be very proud. He did a really wonderful job, and it was clear that Sandy Duncan was enjoying playing opposite him, and vice versa. I happened to bump into Mr. Shaffer's parents both at intermission and after the show, and my parting comment to them was that I would be watching to see their son appearing on Broadway. They beamed at the suggestion.

In fact, it is my opinion that this show should be expanded to a full production and find it's way to Broadway with the current cast intact. But until that happens, if you have the chance to see this very limited run production, do see it.

For more information, go to http://www.barringtonstageco.org/ or call 413-236-8888.

Don't be fooled again!

September 25, 2006

What's the plan?

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

We are quickly approaching the 2006 elections. Now that the summer is over and the electorate is starting to pay attention, we have gas prices suddenly dropping (but still way to high), and now we have some slight easing of the clear liquids rules for what can be in your carry-on luggage when flying. That seems odd since no change has been made to the technology at the airports to determine what those liquids you are carrying might actually be, and the threat has not gone away. A seemingly arbitrary decision of "travel size" (e.g., 3 ounces) is the new maximum standard as I write this. So perhaps, if one is actually carrying all the necessary liquids to create an explosive device, it won't make a big enough explosion to blow up the whole aircraft, but it seems to me it probably could still be sufficient to blow out a window which would still bring down an aircraft.

So between these relaxed but inexplicable rules on liquids, and the sudden drop in gas prices, what is really going on? Is this the 2006 version of bogus terror alerts that unfortunately conned many citizens to mistakenly think the republican party's fear tactics meant only they could protect us? This year's version seems to be an attempt to give a 'false sense of security and feeling good so things must be getting better so why change' aura.

I, for one, hope that the citizens of the USA have learned their lesson and won't be fooled again.

Ah, but then there is the leaked security assessment clearly stating that the top security agencies and officials in our government know that invading Iraq has made us, and the rest of the world, less safe and helped the terrorists in their recruitment efforts. Hopefully this will wake up anyone who still mistakenly thinks that invading Iraq, which had nothing to do with the events of 9/11/01, somehow made us or the world safer. In reality, it made the world a less safe and a more dangerous place.

It's time for a change. Dont't be fooled again!

Letter To The Editor Re: Men Not Working, and Not Wanting Just Any Job

NY Times
Letter To The Editor
via email
August 2, 2006

I am extremely dismayed at the way "Men Not Working, and Not Wanting Just Any Job" (NY Times, July 31, 2006) was reported and at the biased selection of letters (August 2, 2006) in response. The truth is that a large number of unemployed and underemployed men and women in this country are college educated, highly skilled individuals who have lost their jobs and cannot find comparable work at comparable pay. The article implied that only uneducated or non-college educated people were having this problem. That is not true.

There is an article in The Op Ed Page from April 7, 2006 titled "The Broken Press" that primarily addressed the inaccurate reporting by the press of the unemployment numbers and jobs reports.

The problem is not "lazy" men (or women), as the article and the selected letters imply. Part of the problem is that many jobs formerly filled by hard working US citizens in the United States are now being performed by low-wage people in other countries, eliminating many jobs and also reducing money going back into the US economy. (Also not being reported is the rework that needs to be done from the poor work products being provided by at least some of these low-wage off-shore workers, increasing dramatically the true but unreported cost of such offshore-outsourcing.)

Owners of major (and not so major) US companies either don't understand the harm they are doing to their own firms and to their country or they don't care because it is putting more money into their personal pockets. They also don't seem to understand that combining remaining jobs with unrelated skills into fewer jobs complicates this problem even further. For example, project manager, business analyst, and programmer are three distinct and different jobs. Many employers have attempted to combine these into one job, not understanding that by doing so they will get the worst of all three, because one person cannot adequately perform any one of them well if trying to do all three (and each job - project manager, business analyst, programmer - has many aspects to it). See "Gathering Business Requirements: Reality Check" written in 2002 for a fuller description of the reasons not to combine these particular jobs. This is but one example. There are many, many more such poor decisions being made by US companies.

As was indicated in passing in the NY Times article, another complication is age discrimination. There is a significant but unreported number of men and women in their 40's and 50's that are having difficulty finding work because of their age.

It would be helpful if the NY Times would do more research, and report more accurately, the truth about the deteriorating US job market and the inability of a significant number of qualified men and women to find work in this country.

Yours truly,

Richard Kuper

What's the plan?

July 17, 2006

What's the plan?

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

The world is getting more dangerous and hotter by the day. The problems in the Middle East are getting worse by the minute, thanks in large measure to the failed policies in Iraq and the terrorist actions of Hezbollah and Hamas on Israel. Then there are the increasing nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran. Here in the USA, the first half of 2006 was the hottest on record.

There was the train bombing in India recently, one in England not that long ago, train bombings in other countries in the recent past. The World Trade Center in NYC was attacked by terrorists twice. The first time with a car bomb in the early 1990s. The second time on 9/11/2001 with jets. In the early 1970's, a terrorist bomb blew up Fraunce's Tavern in lower Manhattan.

Heat waves have caused power outages on the East coast, multiple times since the 1960s. Fires and floods have caused serious problems in other parts of the country.

There are many threats to the safety and security of the people across the United States and elsewhere. But lets take the number one target, the City of New York, and ask: What's the plan?

The Homeland Security Department, clearly misnamed, thinks some goat petting zoo is a more viable terrorist target than the City of New York. The federal government has not laid out a plan for it's citizens in the event of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster (like hurricane Katrina), or a major power outage. The State of New York has not laid out a plan. The City of New York has not laid out a plan. Or if any of them have, they have failed to inform the citizens so the citizens are prepared and know what to do in the event of an emergency. And although NYC is the primary terrorist target, it is far from the only place in need of plans communicated to it's citizens. Have the residents of New Orleans been told what to do in the event of another hurricane? Is that city and it's neighboring cities prepared should it happen again? Are there any cities or towns in the USA that have educated citizens so that they are all calmly prepared for whatever disaster may strike? None that I've heard about.

All the good jobs have moved overseas. The jobs that are getting filled here in the USA are, with rare exceptions, paying less, and a significant number of college educated citizens have been forced to take low wage, sometimes minimum wage jobs just to get by.

We are neither better off, nor more safe, than we were before 9/11. In fact, I would say that we are worse off and less safe. We need leaders and government representatives that care, that do what needs to be done, and that communicate with the citizens of this country and help us stay safe and secure. Sending men and women to die in an unwise occupation of another country that was not a threat the to USA, and by doing so seriously destabilizing a barely stable region of the world, was probably the dumbest action any government could take. Sadly the government that did this was the government of the USA, headed by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

So in the event of a real emergency, what's the plan?

You Don't Have To Be A Victim

July 11, 2006

When a Stranger Calls

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

On July 9, 2006, The New York Times ran an editorial about illegal debt collection activities that are on the rise as the real economy (not the one the administration says we have or most of the press seems to report) continues to make more people poorer. Many folks seem to be getting letters and phone calls claiming they owe a debt they do not owe.

You are not powerless and are not obligated to pay debts you don't owe. If you are a victim of such harassment, call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

The NY Times article can be found here.

Tony Awards Agree: "Jersey Boys: The Best Musical On Broadway"

June 11, 2006

Tony Awards Agree: "Jersey Boys: The Best Musical On Broadway"

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com


Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
Cast members performed a number from "Jersey Boys," which was named best musical.

On December 20, 2005, I wrote the review found here titled: "Jersey Boys: The Best Musical On Broadway." Tonight, the Tony Awards agreed:

Best Musical: "Jersey Boys!"

Lead Actor in a Musical: John Lloyd Young, "Jersey Boys."

Featured Actor in a Musical: Christian Hoff, "Jersey Boys."

Lighting Design - Musical: Howell Binkley, "Jersey Boys."

Strawberry Fields at BB King's Blues Club - A Review And A Warning

June 8, 2006

Strawberry Fields at BB King's Blues Club - A Review And A Warning

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

On Monday night we went to hear the group Strawberry Fields at BB King's Blues Club in NYC. As you may have already guessed, they are a Beatles sound-alike band, made up of folks who were in the Broadway production of Beatlemania. So, of course, we expected a terrific show.

Instead, what we got was earsplittingly loud and distorted noise. If one stuck their fingers in their ears, one might then determine that the group really wasn't all that bad, if only they would lower the volume.

After a complaint, the manager, Eric Gunther, claimed he lowered it. When pressed, he stated that the volume was originally at 95 db, and he lowered it to 90. That was still way too loud. His solution was to get us some ear plugs. We tried them, but the show continued to be totally un-enjoyable. He refused to refund our money. We finally left.

As we were leaving, the volume cranked up even louder. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Gunther pushed it to over 100 db, as he truly did not seem to care about the damage he was causing to the patrons and to the workers as well.

I did some research. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO):

"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in its Hearing Conservation Amendment of 1983, requires hearing conservation programs in noisy work places. This includes a yearly hearing test for the approximately five million workers exposed to an average of 85 dB or more of noise during an 8-hour work day."

Notice that it said "exposed to" and "85 db or more." None of the staff were wearing ear plugs or other protective devices, so I hope that BB King's is following the law and providing free annual hearing tests to it's employees. It is apparently also required to provide free ear plugs to it's employees. I wonder if they know that.

The following is also from the AAO:

"What Are The Laws For On-The-Job Exposure?

* Habitual exposure to noise above 85 dB will cause a gradual hearing loss in a significant number of individuals, and louder noises will accelerate this damage.

* For unprotected ears, the allowed exposure time decreases by one-half for each 5 dB increase in the average noise level. For instance, exposure is limited to 8 hours at 90 dB, 4 hours at 95 dB, and 2 hours at 100 dB.

* The highest permissible noise exposure for the unprotected ear is 115 dB for 15 minutes/day. Any noise above 140 dB is not permitted."

Also according to the AAO, the typical rock concert (this was not supposed to be one of those) is at least 115 db, so anyone attending one for more than 15 minutes without extreme hearing protection is asking for trouble.

The club gets around the NYC Ordinance of the sound not exceeding 45 db because it is below ground and not causing a disturbance to an apartment or on the street.

I would encourage anyone considering going to BB King's to not go there until they lower the music. If you must go (the server was very nice and the chicken wings with bbq sauce was good, but the prices are on the high side for the food), make them give you high-quality ear plugs before the show begins, and make sure that you follow instructions on how to insert them in your ears or you won't be getting the appropriate protection.

Microsoft Is Spying On Your PC Every Day

Reposted from:
The Kuper Report
http://TheKuperReport.com

June 8, 2006
Microsoft Is Spying On Your PC Every Day
Richard Kuper

According to an AP report posted on yahoo news ( http://tinyurl.com/qjqf8 )
Microsoft admitted that its tool, called Windows Genuine Advantage, which checks to see if you are running a legal copy of Windows, checks your pc every day. According to the article, "The company said the undisclosed daily check is a safety measure designed to allow the tool ... to quickly shut down in case of a malfunction."

It seems that if Windows Genuine Advantage were to malfunction and incorrectly deem a legitimate copy of Windows to be a pirated copy, it would disable that computer from being able to download any but the most urgent of patches, and could conceivably prevent the computer from functioning properly.

Without this software installed, downloading updates is a significantly more difficult process,
and all but the truly tech-savvy would find it onerous, which would cause most windows-based
computers to not be updated with the many security and other patches Microsoft needs to keep issuing.

'Singles' vs. 'Albums'

June 4, 2006

'Singles' vs. 'Albums'

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com


I've now read in a few different places folks complaining about the music companies wanting to "bundle" downloadable songs into collections so they can be purchased as "albums" as if this was a new concept or that somehow the concept of a "single" would disappear if this occurred. This seems a bit odd to me.

Before there were 99 cent 'single' tunes from itunes, there were "single" cds. Before "single" cds there were 45's (also known as "singles") and before that there were 78's. For as long as any of us, or our parents or grand parents (depending on the age of those reading this), there has always been a way to only purchase the hit without purchasing a 'collection.' The difference is that now the 'single' is, in fact, only one song. All prior 'singles' were actually two songs, the hit, and the 'flip-side', which, sometimes, became a hit as well, and then you had two hits for the price of one. And to be honest, sometimes I thought the flip-side was an even better song than the one that became a hit.

Based on history, it would seem that the concept of 'singles' can exist side by side with that of 'albums' -- so, in my opinion, this is a non-issue. The larger issue is that the quality of the recordings provided via the internet are significantly inferior to a well recorded CD or record. Hopefully, someday in the not-too-distant future, someone will figure out a way to have a computer-based file match the fidelity of the original recording and sound the same as a well recorded CD or record, and sound that good (and be playable on) a good quality stereo system.

Data Security: An Oxymoron

Richard Kuper

Reposted from:
The Kuper Report
http://TheKuperReport.com

On May 9th, I gave a presentation on Data Security at the NYC Software Process Improvement Network (NYC SPIN) annual Ten Minute Madness Event. In my presentation, titled: "Data Security: An Oxymoron?" I highlighted news that had come out over the prior several weeks:

-Laptops stolen with unsecured data from financial firms

-CDs distributed with private data by, in this case, the Republican
Party

-University systems getting hacked

-State and local governments posting private data on the internet

-A breach allowing Retail Credit Card holder information to be accessed

-Unauthorized access to data by insiders

-The Federal Government hiring a firm that allowed criminals to set up
fake ids and access private data to guard the security of data for the
government

-A company not validating the practices of the firm they hired to
securely scrub data from recycled hard drives and finding the
unscrubbed hard drives on ebay

In the past week, there has been news about a stolen laptop that contained names, addresses, social security numbers and more on over 26 million veterans and news about a Red Cross employee having improper access to sensitive data such as social security numbers of over 1 million blood donors.

In my presentation, I pointed out that if all of the government agencies, colleges, retail stores, major corporations, and others had good

-Policies,

-Processes,

-Procedures,

-Standards, and

-Best Practices

(and enforced them), then perhaps much of this could have been avoided.

How Many More?

May 2, 2006

How Many More?

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

On May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished," 140 brave US Citizens had given their lives in the invasion of Iraq.

Three years later, the mission is clearly not accomplished, and now more that 2,400 brave US Citizens have given their lives in the invasion of Iraq.

On June 28, 2005, George W. Bush said: "The Sacrifice in Iraq has been worth it."

Has it really?

How many more must die because of this mistake?

Saddam Hussein did not attack the US on 9/11/01. Osama bin Laden was behind that attack.

It has been 1,688 days (more than 4 1/2 years) since George W. Bush said he would catch Osama bin Laden "Dead or Alive!"

When will the war on terrorism actually begin?

Regular Gas Just Went Up another 14 Cents!

April 20, 2006

Regular Gas Just Went Up another 14 Cents!

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://ReadTheOpEdPage.com

I have a link to NewYorkGasPrices.com and in the middle of the day today the lowest price of regular gas here in in the NYC metro area jumped 14 cents to $2.93 per gallon. It was $2.79 when I woke up this morning. Again, that is the lowest price, which means that for many, the price is already over $3.00 per gallon. This is absurd. The oil companies report record profits. The president pretends he cares, as he and the vice president and the secretary of state and others in the administration with ties to the oil industry get richer as the general public gets poorer.

Of course Saudi Arabia and Venezuela are getting richer too, and so, apparently is Russia. According to today's news: "The best performing billionaire over the year was Vagit Alekperov, 55, chief executive officer of LUKOIL, Russia's biggest oil company, whose wealth tripled to $12.7 billion."

Yet as the rich are getting richer, the poor and middle class are getting poorer. As former Senator John Edward said, just yesterday: This country's "great moral issue of its time" is poverty.

So where are the mass demonstrations to stop this (literally) highway robbery? Where is the press on this issue?

Sadly the USA is spiralling downward and downward and . . .

The Broken Press

April 7, 2006

The Broken Press

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Why is it that that press has become nothing more than secretaries -- simply reporting what they are told, rather than investigating to see if what they are told is actually true and factual and provides any value?

Take, for example, the reports about jobs and employment. The government and the press know very well that the numbers the government provides are not anywhere close to accurate. The unemployment numbers, for example, do not even come close to reality. The rules keep changing for who is counted as unemployed. Is it just those folks who are eligible for unemployment benefits and have applied for such benefits? Does it include those whose benefits have run out but are still looking for work (and how does the government track this?) Does it count those who have no job, no income, would like to have a job and income, are trying to have a job and income, but are not eligible for unemployment benefits? Not likely, since there is no way to track and count such folks. So the unemployment numbers are, in essence, meaningless as they do not reflect the true level of unemployment in this country, which is much higher than the number reported.

And how about the jobs report? The claim is that more jobs are being created. But what kind of jobs? Many of those fortunate enough to find work these days, end up taking jobs at much lower pay than they used to get, and often in a different line of work. Many who formerly were in various technology jobs, for example, have seen their jobs disappear to other countries or be consolidated into one, low paying job taking the place of other multiple and often unrelated jobs. Many of these highly skilled individuals have been out of work for many years, or have had to take jobs like selling toilets at national hardware chains.

Where is the press in all this? All they do is regurgitate the numbers and spin provided by the administration. Just like they continue to do despite the overwhelming evidence that came to light years ago that the administration came into office planning to go after Saddam Hussein and simply used the attack on 9/11 by Osama Bin Laden (no ties or relation to Saddam Hussein) as an excuse.

The Press is broken!

Wag the Dog: Change the Subject Again!

March 16, 2006

Wag the Dog: Change the Subject Again!

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Back in November 2005, I wrote an article titled: Wag the Dog: Change the Subject.
Well, the Bush administration continues to try to change the subject, and they are now going to extraordinary measures to do it. Now they are using an army website to do it. On Wednesday March 15 they published the first of what they say will be many declassified documents over the next many months in their latest attempts to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Clearly having the lowest approval ratings in history (Bush very low, Cheney half of that), plus the looming mid-term elections, have played heavily into this decision. The Bush administration is counting on the press going back to their lapdog ways and just reporting this without pointing out what I've just stated above. (Note that if there actually was a great "liberal" media, they would have questioned and investigated everything all along.) They are also counting on the American people having short memories and forgetting and ignoring all the documentation showing how Bush planned to go after Saddam Hussein before 9/11 and simply used 9/11 as the excuse to invade Iraq. For those who only read the newspapers or watch the evening news, perhaps you missed a big story that was poorly reported. The following links from May 5th, 2005 may be helpful:

http://political-stuff.blogspot.com/2005/05/impeachment-time-facts-were-fixed.html

http://political-stuff.blogspot.com/2005/05/secret-downing-street-memo.html

I, for one, hope the American people and the press have finally awoken from their stupor and won't be taken in by this latest attempt to change the subject.

Opting Out vs. Opting In

Opting Out vs. Opting In

February 24, 2006

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Somewhere along the way logic and what is in the best interest of individual citizens and consumers got twisted around. Take, for example, telemarketing calls. Most of us don't want them. Those of us who also wear the hat of business owners or marketing/sales folks, would like nothing more than to call on truly potential customers and not alienate those who might otherwise someday be customers. The government's solution? If you don't want these calls, you must register your number with the Do Not Call registry. Not only that, the request only holds for a few years, and then you need to do it again! The better solution from a consumer/citizen perspective would be to register your number if you want the calls. Same for faxes. I'll draw the line at snail mail, because there does need to be a way for businesses to make you aware of their products and services, and that is far less intrusive.

Another example of this twisted logic is the concept of search engines capturing and presenting, for their own profit no less, the content of other websites without their express permission. As was reported this week, Google has been sued for presenting copyrighted material without permission. Google finds itself in this position because it goes and captures stuff from all the websites on the internet (as do Yahoo! and the other search engines). Google and others have decided that they have the right to capture and display information from websites. If you don't want to have your information captured, you need to opt-out. Assuming this model is not found illegal by a court or by some international agreement, there should be more publicity about this for the multitude that are not aware of this. Also, because of the lawsuit against Google, Google and the other search engines may have to figure out a way to not capture and redisplay copyrighted material without express written authorization from the copyright holder. This may also further affect Google's plan to capture copyrighted print material and store it on the web for access to the world without first getting express written authorization from the copyright holder.

Another example of this twisted opt out vs opt in logic is with credit cards and financial institutions and others regarding the sharing of personal and financial information. Here again consumers have the burden of having to take proactive steps to inform every institution that they do not want such information shared with others. This is wrong. If a company or entity has a legitimate need to share information, such as a doctor sharing health information with another doctor for consultation, that is one thing, but if a company simply wants to share information because they can receive income by doing so, that should not be allowed by default.

The correct approach in all cases is unless one opts in, he or she is opted out by default.

Dubai Ports World and the Bush administration: Connecting the dots

Dubai Ports World and the Bush administration: Connecting the dots

February 23, 2006

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

In December 2004, Dubai Ports International (DPI), a leading world port operator, acquired the international terminal business of CSX World Terminals.

British owned P&O Ports North America, Inc is the P&O Ports company responsible for all port operations in North America. Among it's responsibilities is the loading and unloading of cargo. P&O Ports is also the managing company of the New York Passenger Ship Terminal.

In November 2005, United Arab Emirates-backed Dubai Ports World agreed to buy UK ports and ferries group Peninsular & Oriental Steam (P&O), creating the world's third-largest ports company.

The Dubai Ports World purchase was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Treasury Secretary John Snow (former CEO of CSX, who's CSX World Terminals division is now part of Dubai Ports World) is chairman of the Committee.

President Bush recently nominated David Sanborn, a senior executive of Dubai Ports World, to run the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. Mr. Sanborn had been running the company's operations in Europe and Latin America.

So clearly Bush & Co fingerprints are all over this, but the bigger question is why any foreign owned company, friend or foe, is controlling the loading and unloading of cargo in the USA.

Networks increasingly alienate viewers

February 15, 2006

Networks increasingly alienate viewers

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

There is a very annoying trend by the networks to extend programs by one to several minutes past the hour, and then start the next program. The only possible excuse for this is they want to squeeze in extra commercials. It also prevents the viewer from switching stations to see the show they might otherwise have begun watching on the hour on another channel. This also wreaks havoc when one is recording programs for later viewing, and is recording a program on another channel at the top of the hour. The viewer then misses the end of the program, and doesn't know they will be missing the last minute or several minutes until, suddenly, the program changes.

Don't the networks understand how much they are alienating viewers at a time when there are increasing viewing choices? Do they really want to chase away what viewers they still have?

Beware of these Phone Scams

January 26, 2006

Beware of these Phone Scams

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Someone I know received a call this morning that went something like this:

The caller says: "You have been selected for a government grant of $12,500, tax free."

The caller asks: "Are you an American citizen?"
You say "Yes."

The caller asks: "Are you over 18?"
You say "Yes."

The caller says: "The money will be wired within 48 hours to your bank account. Can I have your banking information for the wire?"

If you have caller id, at this point you should be capturing the number and reporting it to the SEC and the FTC. If you don't have caller id, you should try to get whatever info you can from the caller, such as his/her phone number, name, business name, address, etc. but under no
circumstances should you give him/her any of your personal information like your name, address, or bank information.

Jersey Boys: The Best Musical On Broadway

December 20, 2005

Jersey Boys: The Best Musical On Broadway

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

On an early summer day back in 1962, I was a young pre-teenager playing ping pong and pool at the" Y" when the radio station that was on played a new song: "Sherry" by "The Four Seasons." Like almost everyone else, I stopped what I was doing to listen to the song. Before that day I did not have a favorite rock group. That changed in an instant. And as anyone who knows me will tell you, not only was I a fan, I also was able to sing those high notes, just like lead singer Frankie Valli.

Those days are long since gone, as are the days that I could hit those high notes, but a new Broadway show, "Jersey Boys," presents the next best thing with actors/singers that are superb. But don't mistake this show as being just another concert show, for it is not. It tells the story of the original Four Seasons, their trials and tribulations, and how they came to be the Four Seasons. I knew a handful of facts, but this was a riveting and at times heartwrenching story.

The performances were amazing, and John Lloyd Young, in his Broadway debut, was outstanding as Frankie Valli. In fact, some in the audience liked his renditions even better than the originals. All the performers sang their hearts out and were amazing. There were many standing ovations throughout the show -- all well deserved.

With the ever increasing price of Broadway tickets, fewer and fewer folks can afford to see a Broadway show these days. If you can only afford to see one show this season, Jersey Boys is the one to see.

Wag the Dog: Change the Subject

November 1, 2005

Wag the Dog: Change the Subject

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

George W Bush and his administration have mastered the concept of "Wag the Dog: Change the Subject." The top news today is that Bush finally decided to acknowledge the possible pending bird flu pandemic. Yesterday he nominated a right-wing conservative judge for the US Supreme Court. Last week Lewis "Scooter" Libby took one for the team by falling on his sword and getting indicted. No one expects he will serve a day of jail time because, in the event that he is convicted, Bush will immediately pardon him.

So, no longer on the front pages:

The cover-up of the outing of a covert CIA Operative.
Karl Rove's involvment in the cover-up.
The fiasco of failures by Bush and Fema and others in the multiple hurricanes, including the most recent one in Florida.
And, of course, the many, many lies and documented proof of those lies, that led to the unprovoked invasion by the United States into another country.

The press has been an utter failure in reporting the important news that affects all US citzens. They are more concerned with which celebrity is getting married or having a baby or selling their ranch.

This administration does not tolerate anyone who disagrees with its political ideology. It has passed laws that restrict individual rights, allows for secret courts, disseminates propaganda through the right-wing conservative media, restricts free discussion and criticism, and uses the fear of terror to scare the public into complacency. Sadly, this is pretty much the definition of Totalitarianism.

Fed Chair nominee Bernanke - logic flawed on Outsourcing

October 24, 2005

Fed Chair nominee Bernanke - logic flawed on Outsourcing

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

In June 2004, Minneapolis Fed Research Director Art Rolnick interviewed Ben S. Bernanke, whom President George W Bush has today nominated to succeed Alan Greenspan. Of interest to US citizens seeking work in the United States is Mr. Bernanke's response to a question about outsourcing. Restated below is that section of the interview. The entire interview can be found at:
http://minneapolisfed.org/pubs/region/04-06/bernanke.cfm

OUTSOURCING CONTROVERSY AND ECONOMIC LITERACY

Rolnick: The outsourcing of jobs to India, China and elsewhere has become a huge controversy in the United States. Most economists would say such job flows are a normal and healthy phenomenon. And as you indicated in a recent speech, outsourcing abroad accounts for a very small fraction of total job loss in the United States each year—perhaps a bit more than 1 percent.

Does this controversy indicate that the economics profession has failed to educate the public about international trade in particular and economics more generally? What can be done to improve economic literacy?

Bernanke: As I argued in my recent speech, there is an overwhelming case that trade increases economic welfare. With respect to jobs, it is true that trade promotes structural change that displaces some jobs, but trade creates many opportunities for increased employment as well, including high-wage employment. While recently many people have been concerned specifically about the outsourcing of business services, few are aware that the United States runs a healthy trade surplus in services—that is, there is considerably more (and higher-value) “insourcing” to the United States than there is outsourcing from the United States abroad. Employment of Americans by foreign-owned firms, such as foreign automobile manufacturers, is a major source of domestic employment as well.

With respect to economic literacy, I have no magic bullet; responsible economists just have to keep getting the word out. Specifically with respect to trade, though, I think there is a legitimate issue arising from the fact that you can't buy insurance against losing your job to new foreign competition, so that workers who are displaced by trade bear most of the associated costs, rather than society at large. We should consider expanded support and retraining for workers displaced for any reason. I think if people were a bit less fearful of the impact of change on their own financial well-being they might be more amenable to arguments that trade is highly beneficial to the economy as a whole.

Comment:

Sadly, there is a major flaw in Mr. Bernake's arguments, and he is not alone in perpetuating this flaw. What he and others fail to recognize or acknowledge is that there is a major difference between the following:

Scenario 1: A company in country U opens a branch office or a plant in country Z and employs citizens from country Z at that branch office or plant to provide goods and services for country Z. This is NOT (offshore) outsourcing.

Scenario 2. A company in country U opens a branch office or a plant in country Z and employs citizens from country Z at that branch office or plant to provide goods and services for country U. This IS (offshore) outsourcing and the kind that replaces workers in country U to the detriment of both the workers of country U and the economy of country U.

The New York Times becomes irrelevant

September 25, 2005

The New York Times becomes irrelevant

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

The New York Times, following the lead of the Wall Street Journal, has begun charging for access to their website. By removing themselves from the public discourse, the Times, like the Journal before it, has rendered itself and its reporters and Op Ed writers, irrelevant.

Moves like these only increase the relevance of bloggers such as this writer.

Thank you New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Oil Company Greed

August 31, 2005

Oil Company Greed

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com


There is no other description than oil company greed, when, overnight, gas prices jumped 30 cents a gallon. Or maybe it's called collusion? And isn't that against the law? And where is our government which is supposed to be protecting the consumers against such actions? Oh, yeah, I forgot, the key players are in the oil business.

Where is the world's support?

August 31, 2005

Where is the world's support?

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com


The tradgedy caused by Katrina is tremendous. If this had happened anyplace in the world other than the USA, words of support, rescue missions, fund raisers, etc. would have already begun here in the USA for the victims and their families and for the country or countries affected. Just look at the response to the tsunami not that long ago as a perfect example.

Yet the tradgedy of Katrina has not yet resulted in any reported words of support, rescue missions, fund raisers, etc. from any other countries. In the aftermath of 9/11/01 there was an outpouring from all over the world and help was offered almost immediately. So far, there have been no reports of offers of help from anywhere in the world. Why is that? Has this administration so alienated the USA from the rest of the world that it is now unwilling to offer US citizens help in their hour of need?

When will the rest of the world step up to help the USA?

Invading Iraq Has Not Made Anyone Safer

July 7, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Hours after Londoners were cheering, having won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, tragedy struck when terrorists detonated explosives in the London Underground and on a London bus, killing and wounding many. The reported numbers of dead and wounded are changing hour by hour.

The so-called press has leaped to the conclusion that the attack was in response to the G8 conference currently underway. This reporter has a different take. This reporter believes that it is very possible that if it was New York City that won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, then it would have been New York City that would have been attacked.

The United States and the United Kingdom were and still are the prime movers behind the invasion of Iraq, a country that was not a threat to either country, and was not involved in any way, shape, or form in the attack on the United States on 9/11/2001. Many thousands of innocent Americans, Brits, Iraqis and others have been killed or seriously wounded that would otherwise be alive or unwounded had this invasion not occurred. Iraq, prior to this invasion, was not a haven for terrorists. Now it is recruitment central.

Invading Iraq has not made anyone safer.

BigFish Has Big Heart

BigFish Has Big Heart

June 21, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Most producers just want to put on the best show they can for the audience. Bernie Furshpan and his company BigFish Productions have, in their brief time so far in the business, managed to take it a step further.

At the "Legends of Motor City" show on June 10th in New York City, starring the Temptations, Martha Reeves, and the Spinners, young musicians from Delaware State University backed up the legendary artists. According to its website, Delaware State University was established on May 15, 1891 as the State College for Colored Students by the Delaware General Assembly, under the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1890. This was the way in which land-grant colleges for Blacks came into existence in states maintaining separate educational facilities. For the modern day students of Delaware State University, performing with the "Legends of Motor City" was an opportunity of a lifetime.

This was not the first time that BigFish Productions has shown a big heart. Last October they produced a show called “Russian Splendor.” Weeks before the scheduled show, tragedy struck in Russia. Thirty two terrorists stormed a school and took some 1,200 adults and children captive in a 48-hour siege. The siege ended with the deaths of 335 hostages, about half of them children. Mr. Furshpan, whose parents emigrated from Russia, announced that a portion of the proceeds from “Russian Splendor” would be donated to the families and victims of the community. In addition, at the show, Curtis Sliwa, leader of the Guardian Angels, presented an honorary membership in the Guardian Angels to a young Russian student hero who helped rescue his friends during that terrorist siege.

Opening Night: “Alice’s Restaurant 40th Anniversary Massacree Tour”

Opening Night: “Alice’s Restaurant 40th Anniversary Massacree Tour”

June 16, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Last night I attended the opening night of “Alice’s Restaurant 40th Anniversary Massacree Tour” at Rockefeller Park in NYC. What a show! First, the Mammals came on and performed an extremely varied mix of bluegrass, folk, folk-rock, and other interesting music. They performed for an hour and, except for a few numbers being overly loud and distorted, they were terrific. One of the members of the group is the grandson of Pete Seeger. I’m sure Pete is proud.

Following the Mammals, someone from the Parks Department made Arlo Guthrie an honorary Park Ranger. Then Arlo started his most famous story: “Alice’s Restaurant.” It was like going back in time 40 years, and the audience went back and talked/sang along. Along the way Arlo ad libbed now and again, which made it even more fun.

When he completed the twenty-something minute piece, Arlo received a standing ovation. Arlo told more stories and weaved them into some of his most famous songs, such as “Coming into Los Angeles” and “City Of New Orleans.” Sadly for this writer, he did not play one of my other favorites, “The Motorcycle Song.” Instead, he made time to do a rousing bluegrass-style number with the Mammals, who backed him up during his set, he talked about his father, Woody Guthrie, and closed his set with “This Land is Your Land,” interrupting it several times with more stories.

This was an outdoor concert in a park, and so the show was supposed to end by 9pm, but the audience wouldn’t stop its standing ovation until Arlo came back on stage, and so he did one more number. I won’t give it away, in case he varies it at different shows, but it was a great rendition of an old song written by a famous songwriter/musician and made even more famous by a famous folk group with another famous songwriter/musician.

I’m not sure if Arlo and company are still feeling out the sets, or if they are just making it seem that way as part of the show, but I have a suspicion that other than including “Alice’s Restaurant,” “Coming into Los Angeles” and “City Of New Orleans,” each show on the tour will be somewhat different than the one I saw last night.

If the “Alice’s Restaurant 40th Anniversary Massacree Tour” is coming to a venue near you, I recommend you find a way to be there. It’s a happening! You might even say: "It’s a movement."

Getting less safe every day

Getting less safe every day

June 13, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

In an article titled "They Won't Go" Bob Herbert writes in the June 13, 2005 issue of the New York Times:

"With the war in Iraq going badly and allegations of abuse by military personnel widespread, young men and women are increasingly deciding that there's no upside to a career choice in which the most important skills might be ducking bullets and dodging roadside bombs."

In an article titled "Take My Privacy, Please!" Ted Koppel writes in the June 13, 2005 issue of the New York Times:

"The Patriot Act - brilliant! Its critics would have preferred a less stirring title, perhaps something along the lines of the Enhanced Snooping, Library and Hospital Database Seizure Act. But then who, even right after 9/11, would have voted for that?"

Then there is the continuing failure to secure our borders and guard our nuclear plants and other power facilities. There is the faking of the intelligence and the lies this administration has told and keeps telling about the US invasion of Iraq (see today's news about a British memo warning about post-war instability that was expected because the Bush administration had no post-war plans, and couple that with the Downing Street Memo). There are all the issues surrounding Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. There are the significant increases in terrorism in Iraq and around the world.

All these sadly bring us to the same point. We are getting less safe every day thanks to the actions of the current administration. Now if only there were some members of the so-called press who would report on these issues as the lead story every day and night until the truth is known and understood by every citizen of the USA. Then maybe, just maybe, something will be done to correct the erroneous and extremely dangerous course the US is on.

Trucks banned, curbed, on NY bridges

Trucks banned, curbed, on NY bridges

June 10, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

According to an article in the NY Daily News (Truck curb on 2 ailing bridges, http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/317346p-271353c.html), "Heavy trucks are being banned from the Whitestone Bridge and restricted on the Throgs Neck Bridge because of concerns over the spans' sturdiness." If one reads all the way to the end of the article, one finds the following statement:

"[T]he problems with the two bridges - as well as with some 300 other bridges with repair needs across the state - underscore the need for the $2.9 billion transportation bond act that will go before voters in November. [T]he potentially higher cost of consumer goods amounts to "the kind of indirect tax that happens when government doesn't maintain the roads and bridges.""

So here is my question (and probably yours too):
Where the heck is all the toll money going if it is not going toward maintenance and repairs?

Another Forgotten Generation

Another Forgotten Generation

June 6, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page
http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

First it was the Greatest Generation. Now it is the Baby Boom Generation.

A few years back, the music of the Greatest Generation-- big band, swing and pop music from the 1930's, 1940's and early 1950's -- disappeared off the radio airwaves. This music should be on the free airwaves of radio. This was a great loss, as the music from that generation was phenomenal and stands the test of time.

This past weekend, the music of the Baby Boom Generation-- real rock and roll music from the 1950's, 1960's, and early 1970's -- disappeared off the radio airwaves with the demise of WCBS-FM in New York City. Elvis Presley is off the air! The 4 Seasons are off the air. The Beach Boys are off the air. The Beatles are off the air. The Rolling Stones are off the air. The Supremes are off the air. The Drifters are off the air. The Temptations are off the air. Stevie Wonder is off the air. Many, many other great artists are off the air. One can still catch some of the late 1960's and early 1970's music on a few other radio stations, but this is the death knoll, and those stations will likely be disappearing soon. This is a great loss. This music should be on the free airwaves of radio.

Now it may be true that the bulk of the music-buying public is the teenage market of the day, but the rest of the population also likes to listen to the music they enjoy, and also still buys music. In fact, I would argue that the odds are that more adults actually still buy music from establishments that sell CDs and other media than do teenagers, who find ways to get their music for free. And it seems to me that the record companies (or whatever they call themselves now that records, as such, are no longer the media recordings are made on), would want to do everything in their power not to lose any segment of their paying customer base. Yet, as I recall, when the music of the Greatest Generation disappeared from the airwaves, I did not hear any cries from the music industry, while these days they take children to court for downloading songs from the internet. There was also no central voice from the Greatest Generation demanding that their music be on the radio. They just quietly receded and listened to whatever records they might have owned, and satisfied themselves with that, and perhaps someone (e.g., a son or daughter) would surprise them with an occasional gift of a CD with recordings of the music they loved.

So now the question is: will the record companies again take the disappearance of the music of the Baby Boom Generation lying down? Will the Baby Boom Generation also take this lying down? Will the advertisers who are trying to reach the Baby Boom Generation also take this lying down?

Well, here is your chance to be heard. A new blog has been created to voice your opinion. It's called: "Bring Back The Music" and it can be found at:

http://bringbackthemusic.blogspot.com

Make your voices heard. Let the radio executives know that you want your music to be available on the radio.

What's your opinion? Make it known at:

http://bringbackthemusic.blogspot.com

"Liberal Media" is a myth

"Liberal Media" is a myth

May 26, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

It's time, once and for all, to end the fallacious term "Liberal Media" when describing the US Press.

If the US Press was truly a "Liberal Media" then:

1. The story about the Downing Street Memo would have been a PAGE 1 story in every leading Newspaper. It would have been the LEAD STORY on every major broadcast station. It would be the number one topic on every talk radio program. And the majority of talk radio would be "Liberal." Clearly none of this has yet occurred, and the story was reported on PAGE 1 in the British Newspapers on May 1, 2005.

2. The many impeachable offenses by the President, Vice President, and others in the administration would be headline news. Not one headline is about any of them. Not one lead story on the evening news is about them. Not even Woodward or Bernstein are doing the kind of investigation they did to report Watergate. We have Iraq-gate and Oil-gate and Halliburton-gate and on and on.

3. The many, many voting irregularities in the 2004 election would have been Page 1 news and the lead story on the evening news every day and night. Reporters would have done in-depth investigations. The detailed report on this subject presented by some in Congress would have received widespread press.

4. Monica-gate would never have happened. That's right, if this were truly a "Liberal Media" the story would have never come to light.

"Liberal Media" is a myth.

The Nuclear Compromise

The Nuclear Compromise

May 25, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Much has been written in the last day or so about the Senate compromise on the Republican threat of the Nuclear Option to end the Filibuster option in the Senate. Most of the pundits seem to believe that the Republicans were the bigger losers on this issue. I disagree. Just look at the fact that Judge Owens was approved today, about as extreme as they get, and Bolton will likely now be approved to represent the US at the UN. The Republicans are already saying that when the Democrats try to use the Filibuster, which they agreed to use only under "extreme" circumstances, they will impose their nuclear option. Since it will be hard for the Democrats to say that anyone is more extreme than Owens, it is this writers' opinion that it is the Democrats who lost big-time with the compromise.

Of course the biggest losers are the citizens of the United States.

Republicans show their true colors

Republicans show their true colors

Jan. 7, 2005

By Richard Kuper

The Op Ed Page

http://theopedpage.blogspot.com

Yesterday was actually election day for the election of the President and Vice President of the United States. That's right, the votes of the electoral college were certified by a joint session of Congress. The last time the vote was challenged was in 1877. The goal this time was not to actually discard or overturn the Ohio electoral votes (or those of other states with many election irregularities). The challenge this time was only a half-hearted one. The democrats took this move to raise the issue that concerns at least half this country -- the serious problems with allowing every voter to vote, and for every vote to be cast as intended and to be counted properly.

There was great hoopla after the 2000 election and it was supposed to result in major reforms to ensure these rights. That sadly did not happen. So the democrats used the opportunity to raise the issue in a public forum.

This was an opportunity for the republicans to take the high ground and to agree that from the reports that have come out, it is clear that the system still needs fixing, and they will make it a priority this year. But of course they did not. They showed their true, repugnant colors. They called the democrats all kinds of names, and many went out of their way to bad mouth Michael Moore as well. He must really scare them.