Archives for September 2005

That’s what they call the men and women who served during World War II. Many of them, thousands in fact, enlisted to fight after Pearl Harbor was attacked. They tell me they enlisted simply because of a sense of duty. Some of the men I talked with tonight were enrolled in college, sophomores or freshmen in 1942.

Staying in college they could have missed out on going to Europe or the Pacific. They would be allowed to stay enrolled and then once they graduated the armed services would likely draft them as officers. By staying in school, they might would have missed the war entirely. It could have been over by the time they graduated (it would have been over for some). Instead though, they felt a sense of duty to serve. In some of their college classes there would be 20 female students and only 5-6 male students.

One man told me tonight he just couldn’t stay behind as his friends were going off to war. Since his dad wouldn’t agree, he stopped going to classes and forced the dean to kick him out of school. Once he was out, he was drafted.

I’m hearing some fascinating stories and once I get back, I’ll put together a 2-5 minute demonstration of the documentary I hope to produce and then use it to find financing for a 1 hour documentary.

One other thing struck me today, this about the current generation of 20-somethings.

Sitting beside me on the flight from Memphis to Pittsburgh was a young girl, I figured to be about 23-25 years old. She’s a college counselor at the University of Pittsburgh. She was flying back home after volunteering for the Red Cross in south Mississippi.

She told me she was moved to do something while watching tv coverage of the aftermath of Katrina. The school wouldn’t give her any time off so she took her entire 2-week vacation.

Maybe there’s something good about this generation too.

hang out with old people.

I’m in Pittsburgh, shooting a documentary on the Battle of the Bulge. There are about 200 veteran soldiers and nurses from that battle in Belgium during Hitler’s last offensive.

Talking with one 83 year old man he asked me: “So where do you go to school?”

I love these people.

We’re beginning to find out what really happened at the New Orleans Superdome.

I saw mayor Nagin on Oprah talking about ‘hooligans raping children and killing people’. NOLA Police Chief Eddie Compass told Oprah that “little babies” were being raped.

Turns out, while things were certainly horrible inside for hurricane victims, it wasn’t as bad as the mayor and chief and the media reported.

article in Los Angeles Times

“Continued dependence upon welfare induces a spiritual disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole our relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit.”

The words were spoken by a President during a State of the Union Address. Who said it? Some conservative fundamentalist? Nope.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935, just as the nation was beginning to pull itself out of the depression.

Pat Buchanan has a very thoughtful column on his website about government programs and the Katrina disaster. Not the disaster of the hurricane itself, but of the situation brought on by many people in New Orleans.

He makes a point that the Sri Lankans and Indonesians who are much poorer than even the poorest in New Orleans, did not behave as badly as some of the people in NOLA.

Food for thought.

read the column

A sad day in Birmingham, the Birmingham Post-Herald has ceased publication.

Growing up in the Magic City, I read the Post Herald which was the morning paper in town. The Birmingham News published in the afternoon.

The Post brought us sports columnists Paul Finebaum and Bill Lumpkin and probably the most famous Birmingham newspaper man, Howell Raines.

It was an aggressive newspaper. The smaller paper in town, it could take chances.

Things changed. In 1996, in the event that likely spelled it’s future doom, the Post switched to an afternoon paper while the larger “newspaper of record”, B’ham News moved to a morning publication. That change resulted in a drop in circulation. When it died last week, only 7,500 people picked up the paper.

Birmingham simply could not support two daily newspapers.

I’ve been hearing the same thing about television stations the past decade. Even without the internet people began saying some markets would not be able to support 4 or even 3 television news departments. The ad revenue just wouldn’t be there forever. It’s already happening in some markets as news departments now produce newscasts on more than one station. I wonder how much longer it will be before some stations to decide it just can’t do it anymore.

Goodbye Birmingham Post-Herald, and thanks.

I read that companies were putting a new focus on customer service. Boy is that inacurate.

Two major companies the past two weeks have let me down. The first was Sears. Our house came equipped with appliances from Sears: microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stove. Our microwave died quickly.

I called the 800 customer service number and scheduled an appointment for a service call. Of course, they only tell you the technician will arrive sometime between 8-1 or 1-5, meaning you have to spend a half-day sitting around waiting.

The day came and nobody shows up. I called and they told me someone had called in sick and I would have to wait two more days for another appointment. Two days come and nobody shows up. Another call and I get no answer. The following Monday I call and finally get an appointment with another tech who comes out, looks and says they have to order a part. Another week goes by and we finally get the microwave fixed.

No apology. No ‘thank you for doing business with Sears’. This is the good stuff???

Today, Northwest Airlines let me down. I have a trip planned for Pittsburgh this week but my videographer called this morning to tell me he had a death in the family and the funeral was set for the same day we were to leave. A call to Northwest and I find out there is no bereavement policy. I couldn’t change the flight, not even with proof of a death certificate. My only option was to cancel the flight and lose the money I paid to book it.

To get him to Pittsburgh for the shoot I would have to eat the original price of the ticket, and then book another ticket for $1475!!

So, I’m making the trip solo. Lucky for me I bought travel insurance and should get a full-refund from the insurance company.

But what’s the deal with customer service??? If I did business like that with my customers I’d fail. These days, customers/consumers have more options for their business than ever before. They generally get similar products or results, the only thing that separates one company from the next is customer service.

I won’t be using these two companies again if I can help it.

Is this dude crazy? Or brilliant?

Ever notice how important music is to a movie? Not the big movie songs like “As Time Goes By” or “Over the Rainbow” or even “Stayin’ Alive”.

No, I’m talking about the music chosen for the end of the movie when the lead character makes a decision that brings the film to a climax. The song the producers choose to “close the deal”.

How about the last scene in “Planes Trains and Automobiles” when Steve Martin and John Candy walk up to his house with “Every Time You Go Away” playing underneath? Or one of my personal favorites, from “When Harry Met Sally” and he finally realizes he loves Sally and is running down a Manhattan sidewalk on New Years Eve to “It Had to Be You”?

Wow, that was perfect.

I’ve been working on my screenplay again and tonight I found the perfect song for the climactic moment of the film. It’s so perfect it sounds like it was written for my screenplay.

I know some of you are thinking I’m full of crap for thinking I could write a screenplay. I do too sometimes.

But I’m about halfway through it and tonight I found a bit more inspiration.