Subject: [removed] Digest V01 #105
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 4/4/2001 9:53 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

    ------------------------------

                          The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                             Volume 01 : Issue 105
                       A Part of the [removed]!
                               ISSN: 1533-9289

                               Today's Topics:

     Lois Culver                          [Mike Ray <mikeray42@[removed];    ]
     the kerbango radio                   [leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass]
     april fool jokes new & classic       [leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass]
     Re: Lights Out Episode               [Lou Genco <webmaster@[removed]; ]
     Cipers, cyphers, codes and confusion [Lou Genco <webmaster@[removed]; ]
     April Fools Joke                     [Mike Ray <mikeray42@[removed];    ]
     Food Smuggling                       ["Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@worldnet.]
     Code O Graph                         ["Ryan Hall" <thepezman@[removed];]
     Re: April 1 [removed]               ["Robert Paine" <macandrew@[removed]]
     Re: april fool's                     [ecrasez@[removed]                ]
     That &*#@(^%!@ code                  [JackBenny@[removed]                  ]
     Radio Spirits at Sam's Club          ["Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self]
     Get'cher Secret Decoder Things ...   ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
     College students and OTR             [Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];       ]
     INSIDE OUT - LIGHTS OUT              ["stephen jansen" <stephenjansen@ema]
     WLS                                  [William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];]
     Mr. District Attorney/ Vinton Haywor [Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed]]
     April 1st [removed]                    ["Jeff Geddes" <jeffg@[removed];]
     #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig [lois@[removed]                  ]
     Re: RioVolt                          ["Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed];     ]
     re:College students and OTR          ["tas richardson" <tasrichardson@spr]

    ______________________________________________________________________

        ADMINISTRIVIA:

           Ok, ok, you can stop mailing me [removed]  ;)

           I've posted some comments, both my own, and others sent
           to me dealing with the April Fool's Day issue of the
           OTR Digest on the web at:

           [removed]

           ...note I didn't add any identifying information, so
           if you sent any of the excerpts listed on the page,
           your secret is safe with me.  ;)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 13:53:46 -0400
    From: Mike Ray <mikeray42@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lois Culver

    Recently, I received an advertisement from Radio Spirits. Always excited to
    see what Carl Amari is up to. RS was selling old time TV and old time radio
    shows on DVD. Well just having picked up our first DVD player just days
    before, I was intrigued by the offer. RS was offering 8 different DVD
    programs. Each DVD would have 3 old time TV shows from the 50’s with an OTR
    show that matched the program, but not the same episode. So I thought, “what
    the heck” I’ll get all 8…… They just arrived a couple of days ago, and I
    must say I’m most pleased. They are well done, and my entire family has
    enjoyed them very much. What was most interesting and exciting was DVD #1
    (Detectives) The 2nd show on the DVD was Boston Blackie from 1952. Kent
    Taylor plays Blackie and does just fine. But guess who plays Blackie’s
    girlfriend Mary Williams?
    It’s none other than our own Lois Culver. Of course her long radio history
    is “known” to all, but I was unaware of her TV work. Lois is very pretty,
    and does a very good job being Blackie’s girl. My 20-year-old daughter who
    is a big fan of OTR said Lois was very believable in that role. Hats off to
    our good friend Lois. What a joy to have one of your TV roles in our
    library.

    Best regards,
    Mike Ray

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 14:38:02 -0400
    From: leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  the kerbango radio

    is it totally canceled or perhaps just that one site will not be a
    source?

    [removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 16:17:42 -0400
    From: leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  april fool jokes new & classic

    thanks to this circle i know know the laser on the moon was a hoax, it
    sure took me in, does anyone remember who circulated the story.

    and the classic -- on npr, the year i think was the year of noah's
    return -- the story was starbuck's plan to build a pipeline from seattle
    to chicago or maybe the east coast. today with starbuck's everywhere no
    pipelines are necessary.

    [removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 16:45:09 -0400
    From: Lou Genco <webmaster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Lights Out Episode

    On Tue, 3 Apr 2001 13:42:58 -0400, Vince Long wrote:

>     Which episode of "Light Out" had the story about the mad scientist who could
>     turn people inside out?

    Well, it wasn't a mad scientist ... but the episode is "The Dark".
    Sound effects supplied by rubber gloves.

    (This question =almost= rates to be included in the OTR FAQ!)

    --
    Lou
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    THE WWW site for "Old Time Radio":         [removed]
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 16:45:11 -0400
    From: Lou Genco <webmaster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Cipers, cyphers, codes and confusion

    Appears as if lots of y'all are having fun with Charlie's embodiment
    of the Code-O-Graph.  If you are interested in similar
    coding/ciphering techniques, visit [removed]

    That page is an "unannounced special", just for readers of the OTR
    Digest, and will probably disappear before too long, so Ivan Shark or
    Fu Manchu don't learn our secrets (grin).  [Some of the links have
    already been compromised].

    --
    Lou
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    THE WWW site for "Old Time Radio":         [removed]
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 16:49:29 -0400
    From: Mike Ray <mikeray42@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  April Fools Joke

    Charlie you rascal. I was completely taken
    In.
    Smiles,
    Mike Ray

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 16:57:51 -0400
    From: "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Food Smuggling

    The agricultural land of Europe was devastated by the war. The United States
    and many of its allied partners kept food rationing into place well into the
    post war period. President Truman declared Tuesdays to be "meatless" in
    order to help feed the war-ravaged population of Europe.

    I would suggest you read anything you can on the Marshall Plan to understand
    post-war Europe on how it was rebuilt.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:08:51 -0400
    From: "Ryan Hall" <thepezman@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Code O Graph

    I have to also ring in and say that was a great prank. I have to admit it
    had me going for a few minutes. I had downloaded that digest and looked at
    it for a moment, and I thought Charlie must have gone out of his gourd. Then
    the phone rang and I forgot about it and didn't come back to it for several
    hours. When I finally sat down to figure out what was going on, I got a
    little suspicious
    when, upon further review, i saw Kallis was involved.
    But, on a lighter note, I think we might have actually stumbled onto a great
    way to stop SPAMming. We don't have to encode to whole message, but maybe
    just encode your e-mail address. And if anyone really wants to respond to
    you, they can take the few minutes to decode the address.
    Well anyway, Kudos again to Charlie for a truly great prank. I have pulled
    some beauties in my time, but I have to bow in homage to the great prankster
    whose nose I am not worthy to pick. I did enjoy printing out the decoder. I
    laminated it and have it on my wall. I chuckle everytime I look at it.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:08:49 -0400
    From: "Robert Paine" <macandrew@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: April 1 [removed]

    ....I didn't receive that [removed] don't suppose that was part of the joke?
    <lol> No [removed] lost my Captain Midnight decoder anyway.

    Re: [removed] late Harry Stewart, [removed] Yogi Yorgesson, from Al Pearce
    and His Gang, directed the radio version.

    There's a good deal of recorded material of the day President Kennedy was
    shot. My question is prompted  by something from a radio interview with Don
    Hastings, of As The World Turns (on the other medium) and brother of Bob
    "Archie Andrews" Hastings.  He said that day on the set the TV monitors went
    dark, possible because it could have been a national emergency.

    Mike Line, a call-in program, was on the air at WTIC, Hartford. Floyd "Hap"
    Richards and (possibly) Ed Anderson were hosting that day. In a letter, Mr.
    Richards related that he had to read the bulletin and the tone of the
    non-controversial program changed dramatically.

    Does anyone have an account or accounts of what went on in radio newsrooms -
    network or local - in the first few hours?

      Bob

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:16:25 -0400
    From: ecrasez@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: april fool's

    It's been 2 days and I still haven't got all the hook out! I think the
    success of the joke should be a measure of how much people look forward
    to getting the list every day. I only hope that anyone who couldn't
    refrain from firing off an 'unsubscribe' message will receive a
    reprieve. As for me, I printed a copy of the decoder just to remind me
    for next year.

    Bob S.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:16:32 -0400
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  That &*#@(^%!@ code

    I'm getting my E-mail while on a business trip (in cloudy, dreary, chilly
    Southern California, thankyouverymuch) and I get the April 1 issue.  Being an
    old programming hack, I set it aside thinking, "[removed], I'll just write a
    little program into which I can plug the code each day and it will translate
    it for me.  But [removed] will all the OTHER folks read theirs?"

    As Jack might have [removed]"WELL!"

    --Laura Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:40:59 -0400
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Radio Spirits at Sam's Club

    I wonder if it would be appropriate for a good OTR fan to purchase Radio
    Spirits stuff from Sam's Club, if he hates what Carl Amari is doing to
    [removed]

    I can't stand the man, but I'll be darned if he doesn't release good
    stuff.

    Rodney Bowcock  (who actually unsubscribed because he doesn't have the
    patience to decode his [removed])

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:56:36 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Get'cher Secret Decoder Things ...

    Hal Stone notes,

> >     1 45 62 3 78 15 29 4 57 27 48 4 53 77 67 31 70 5 72<<

    Very slick for a modulo 26 message field!

    Adding, a "translation"

> >     You obviously have nothing better to do with your time. <<

    Right!  There _is_ nothing better to do with our time. :-P

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:56:27 -0400
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  College students and OTR

    Alan Bell poses some interesting questions regarding the ability for his
    college students to concentrate on old time radio shows.  I find this of
    interest having been an educator who used OTR with my own students years
    ago (I've been in the business world for many years now).

    I think that listening skills have been one of the victims of our cultural
    development. Because everything comes at us now, not only visually, but in
    short bytes of information, I find that many people have difficulty
    focusing on something that is rather lengthy and literal. Old Time Radio is
    usually narrative and since the visual aspect is missing and one is forced
    to create images, one's concentration gets lost if the gist is not received
    quickly. I would suspect that young people today communicate in a cultural
    language that is completely alien to other generations. This is not to say
    that communication between generations fails, but rather that cultural
    aspects of previous generations are not understood.

    Combine this with a medium that no longer functions as it did 40 plus years
    ago and the difficulty to grasp or the desire to grasp a process such as
    old time radio was becomes something difficult for many younger people. I
    would posit that those younger people among this group come from a
    culturally different advantage than many of their peers.

    How to translate this into a studies class that uses the medium of radio as
    it existed before most of your students were born, I cannot answer. Perhaps
    focusing first on radio programs that touch cultural elements similar to
    your own students' experiences would be a starting point. I would challenge
    this group to suggest shows which might fit this definition.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 19:24:59 -0400
    From: "stephen jansen" <stephenjansen@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  INSIDE OUT - LIGHTS OUT

    Vince Long wrote:

    Which episode of "Light Out" had the story about the mad scientist who could
    turn people inside out?

         Well, of course, that was "The Dark".  It was a strange dark mist that
    turned people inside out, though.  Actually, if you watch one of those
    wonderful "Simpsons" Halloween episodes (I don't recall exactly which one),
    at the very end, this mist seeps into their house and turns them all inside
    out.  Then they to a song-and-dance kinda number.  A nice "in-joke" for
    those of us who know the Lights Out episode.
         12/29/37 was the original broadcast date of the show, although I don't
    believe any recording exists of that one.  There is a recreation hosted and
    directed by Arch Oboler himself, done in the late 1960's (?) for an LP of
    Lights Out material he did.  I think that is actually the only version there
    is - too often I've seen the 1937 date in catalogs, then heard the same
    recreation that I already have.
         Funny story about this Lights Out episode - and if you haven't heard
    it, then STOP READING NOW.  No [removed]'ll ruin it for you.  Okay.  If
    you're still reading, you've already heard it.  I went to a wonderful
    nostalgia store in Chicago (you may know the one) which had tons of OTR and
    great stuff like that.
         I had read something about "The Dark", and how creepy the sound of
    bodies being turned inside-out [removed] a lasting impression it had left
    on listeners.  I didn't see it listed on the Lights Out tape collection, but
    there was a catalog on the counter that had single tapes listed.  Thumbing
    through rapidly to "L"...."Lights Out"...."The Dark".  The Dark!  They've
    got The Dark!
         As I asked the NICE LADY at the counter for the number of the tape, she
    disappeared behind the wall where the tapes were kept, seeing if it was in
    stock.
         "Lights [removed] Dark?  Is that the one you're looking for?"
         "Yes, it is!  It's supposed to be REALLY [removed]" I replied.
         "Oh, my, yes.  With the bodies being turned inside out." she said. "You
    know, they made that sound with a surgical glove."

         And now, every time I hear "The Dark", I don't harken back to the first
    time I heard it, the time that chilled me to the bone, the time I heard
    human beings horribly turned inside [removed] just hear a plain, old regular
    surgical rubber glove.  Thanks for the info, NICE LADY.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 20:23:41 -0400
    From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  WLS

    There was recent mention of WLS standing for "worlds lowest salaries". It
    was WLW standing for "worlds lowest wages". WLW was owned by Crosley
    Radio, manufacturers of Crosley radios. Powell Crosley was the head
    honcho, notoriously cheap. During the late thirties I had the desire to
    return to my home state, Ohio, and applied for a job at WLW. I had a nice
    return letter from Chief Engineer Rockwell saying that he would be
    delighted to have me but that he didn't think that I would want to work
    there as they only paid their engineers $[removed] per week. He explained
    that they trained Crosley factory workers, promising that they could
    later get well paying jobs at other stations. However the annouincers did
    better. Durwood Kirby, the last time I saw him before he died, said that
    he got $[removed] a week when he went there. His father, an Indiana farmer,
    was annoyed that Durward could make that large a salary.

    WLW got into trouble with FCC at one point for illegally operating full
    time at 500,000 watts. They were only licensed by the FCC to operate at
    that power under an experimental license, which meant no commercials.
    (after about midnight) However they were operating full time at that
    power. Apparently an "RI" (FCC Radio Inspector) dropped by and read the
    meters (as they were wont to do) and Powell Crosley was in trouble.

    WLW was a good station. Their dance band remotes had a terrific sound.
    (The Florentine Room of The Netherland Plaza, another spot in Kentucky,
    etc.). I would listen to them late at night on my car radio, circa 1933.
    A lot of name people in broadcasting got their start at WLW. The Merry
    Macs  and Red Barber were two that I remember. Also sportscaster Red
    Barber. When Red came to New York we  fed his program to WLW via "The WLW
    Line", a two station network. WLW also made their own ribbon microphones.
    WOR annouincer Tom Slater came from there. (his brother Bill was a
    renowned sports announcer). As I recall, Bill did the West Point football
    games.

    Hope this takes WLS off the (?) list.

    Bill Murtough

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 20:37:13 -0400
    From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mr. District Attorney/ Vinton Hayworth

    David Bianculli in his book, DICTIONARY OF TELELITERACY (Continuum
    Publishing, 1996) notes that "Highway Patrol," one of my favorite early
    television series,  used the same theme as the popular radio show, " Mr.
    District Attorney." (page 134)

    Would any of you know if this was by design, or if the programs shared some
    of the same productuion staff or writers?

    Dennis Crow

    ------------------------------

    Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 21:14:22 -0400
    From: "Jeff Geddes" <jeffg@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  April 1st [removed]

    All,

    I've got to say that even being a practical joker myself, I totally fell for
    [removed] At the time I was talking to an OTR friend of mine on ICQ.  When I read
    the message I messaged him and asked if he was keeping up with the digest.
    He said no.  I said "Than you'll never believe [removed]" We both went on like
    idiots on how stupid an idea it [removed] I was absolutely repulsed, mostly
    because I couldn't understand how to get the goshdarn thing to work in the
    first place.  We both vowed to submit UNSUBSCRIBE messages.  Than, just as I
    was going offline he said "What was the date of the message anyway?" I said
    "I've got it here as April 1st".  Than he said "Could it be a joke?"  I said
    "You know [removed] That just might be it"

    When I checked the next issue of the digest, I felt soooo [removed] but
    admiration for Charlie.  He pulled that one off so well, and I look forward
    to falling for the next one on April 1st, 2002.

    Congrats, [removed] I'm still laughing :)

    jeff

    ---

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 04:52:00 -0400
    From: lois@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!

    A weekly [removed]

    For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
    Network, the channel name is #OldRadio.  We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
    and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
    over three years, same time, same channel!

    Our numerous "regulars" include one of the busiest "golden years" actors in
    Hollywood; a sound man from the same era who worked many of the top
    Hollywood shows;  owners of some of the best OTR sites on the Web;
    maintainer of well-known OTR digest lists (we all know who he is)..........

    and Me

    Lois Culver
    KWLK Longview Washington (Mutual) 1941-1944)
    KFI Los Angeles (NBC) 1944 - 1950
    and widow of actor Howard Culver

    (For more info, contact lois@[removed])

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 11:46:55 -0400
    From: "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: RioVolt

    Hello again!
    On Monday, April 2, Gary Rothy asked:

>     Any reviews on the Rio Volt?  The MP3 [removed] site is
>     giving both so-so reviews--but for music, that is.

    In answer to Gary's question, I'm very happy with my RioVolt, especially
    after trying the Philips Expanium. You may remember that I posted a note at
    this OTR Digest last month, asking if others had had the problems I had with
    that portable MP3 unit; its advertising promised it could read anything from
    32 kbps up to 320 kbps and it didn't. That is, my unit wouldn't read a
    half-hour OTR mono track recorded at 32 kbps for more than a few minutes,
    and then either it would  jump to the next track or shut down! Strangely
    enough, however, it would read my Speed Gibson serial, recorded at 16000 Hz
    @ 24 kbps! Perhaps because it was a shorter program it fit more conveniently
    into whatever memory chip (with a limited capacity?)  that had been
    installed. One Philips employee actually tried to tell me that the Expanium
    was aimed at the younger MP3 "Napster" type listener, and wasn't designed to
    play for more than five or six minutes, the normal length of a pop or rock
    track!  I was very relieved when [removed] graciously agreed to take the
    product back, although it had already been opened (and, pray tell, how is
    one to test the functionality of his electronic purchase without opening and
    playing it?)

    The RioVolt, however, is a great little instrument, and in the same $170 -
    185 price range as the Expanium. But it does so much more. For starters, it
    played all the MP3 OTR programs I have, all mono of course, but at 16000 Hz
    @ 24 kbps, 22050 Hz @ 32 kbps, and, for passable "high fidelity," 44100 Hz @
    64 kbps. It played each program in its entirety, from a scant ten minutes to
    a full hour! During a rough car ride, one is guaranteed no skips from the
    RioVolt, because the CD spins just long enough to transfer the selected
    program to its memory chip, and the program is played from there. In fact,
    the CD actually stops spinning after its contents have been read for each
    particular program. It has the standard controls of the Expanium, but with
    additional features such as a fast forward mode within a track (somewhat
    tricky to use), and its own rudimentary graphic equalizer (with four or five
    settings) which affects not only the headphones you might use but also the
    sound as it goes into your car radio.  It is fully programmable in any
    sequence of tracks you choose, and has a very large backlit LED window which
    not only displays the number of the track, but the same additional
    information you would see scrolling across the track if it was played on the
    WinAmp computer player, such as broadcast date, series, title, etc. of the
    program. Like the Expanium, the RioVolt has a sliding switch that locks the
    settings so that they can't be accidentally changed during playback by a
    casual brush of the hand.
    I have a few minor gripes, noticeable only by contrast with most of its
    terrific features. I find its round shape a little hard to hold, and I've
    dropped the unit twice because of this (however, it's a sturdy little player
    and wasn't hurt. Whew!). I find the two sliding switches on the edge of the
    machine - one to lock the controls, the other to flip the lid up when you
    want to insert or remove a CD - very awkward to use. I also wish the unit
    had the capability of fast review in addition to its fast forward. I have
    also found the unit hard to shut down because of the "rocking" circular
    control that has four functions; when I first started using the unit, I had
    my thumb too close to the center of this control to affect the unit in any
    way. Now I'm wiser, and use only my thumbnail at the base of the circular
    control in order to turn the unit off. The RioVolt also lacks an AC
    cigarette lighter adapter, but a compatible one can be purchased fairly
    cheaply from your nearest Radio Shack or Best Buy store.
    The RioVolt people say their product is upgradable. When new firmware
    features are originated, you are to download the information onto your hard
    drive from the RioVolt website, burn it onto a CD, then have the unit play
    the CD; the upgrade code is supposed to be read directly from the CD and
    absorbed into the RioVolt's design! And, of course, the RioVolt plays
    regular stereo CDs as well, better than the portable player I originally
    bought for that purpose only.
    Hope this has given you some encouragement to look further into the RioVolt
    and see if it serves your needs.
    Best,
    Jan Bach

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 11:46:59 -0400
    From: "tas richardson" <tasrichardson@[removed];
    To: "Oldtime Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  re:College students and OTR

    It is really sad that Alan Bell's students "find it difficult to concentrate
    on the shows, and can't seem to formulate their own pictures." (while
    listening to OTR).  My first thought was that it was because this is a
    generation, well two generations, that have grown up watching television.
    The need to use their imagination - "the theater of the mind" as Owens calls
    it, hasn't been cultivated as it has with those of us who grew up with
    radio.  But then I thought of all those Saturday matinee's I attended as a
    kid, not to mention the evening performances with my parents.  The Lux
    Theatre in Banff would drum up business during those long, cold, winter
    months, by occasionally offering a special ticket price to see a different
    film each night during the week.  The was during the war years, and I and my
    Mom would go. (before it became a year-round resort.)  One could see movies
    like: 'They Drive By Night', 'Crossroads', 'The Black Cat', 'Manpower', and
    'The Wagons Roll At Night', all in one week!  So we had a lot of visual
    entertainment too.
    It seems like the younger generation of today has a much shorter attention
    span than we had at that age.  Perhaps it is all those MuchMusic videos -
    the quick cuts from one scene to the next.  I am not sure of the cause and
    effect here.  But then, can one really cultivate, or learn imagination?  I
    rather think, either you have it, or you don't.  Not that I want to dump on
    the youth of today.  Our great niece and nephew, aged 11 & 9, were staying
    with us during their Spring break last week, and they were able to
    entertainment themselves by playing "detective & spies", using just their
    imaginations, pen, paper and a magnifying glass, and without resorting to
    the computer or Nintendo.  Surely, some of Mr. Bell's students can re-create
    in their mind's eye, the western plains, the exotic jungle, the Havana
    waterfront, the peaks of the high Andes, as they listen to those thrilling
    shows of yesteryear, the golden age of radio.  If not, I really feel sorry
    for them.

    So there I was, downloading the Capt. Midnight Code-O-Graph, cutting it out
    and tracing it and scotch taping it to cardboard, grumbling all the while
    that it would be easier to just delete the spam, then to spend all this time
    coding and decoding the messages, and then a light bulb went off (shouldn't
    that be, came on?) over my pointy head.  Today was April first.  Ah ha!  I
    quickly set the master code to X-1, & decoded that first set of numbers.
    Very funny, Charlie & Stephen!  But then I got out some coloured pencils &
    spruced up that black & white Code-O-Graph.  I am sure Rachel & Shaun can
    use this the next time they play "detective & spies".

    Tas.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #105
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