Rant #1,752: 1966

Oh, to be a kid growing up in the 1960s ...

Yes, we only had three major networks and just a handful of TV channels we could choose from, but the term "Less is Better" certainly applied to TV back then.

What we didn't have in choice, we had in quality, and we didn't realize it back then--or care--but looking back, the shows that were on the air were filled with not only quality, but creativity.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the premiere of two TV shows that were highly influential on the makeup of television for years to come. One is pretty much acknowledged as such, the other had just as much influence, but in a more subtle way.

NBC's "Star Trek" debuted 50 years ago yesterday, and television science fiction--and science fiction in general--has never been the same since it came into our consciousness.

Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future--and his dealing with social issues within the context and framework of science fiction--was not anything new--Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" certainly opened the door for "Star Trek"--but putting this into the structure of a weekly show with regular characters was something new and different.

Capt. Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Chekhov, Scotty, Bones, Uhura ... they helped us relate to what Roddenberry was trying to say, and while not every episode was a social commentary about the world of the 1960s, many episodes were, all brought to us in the context of science fiction.

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the rest of the cast became household names--all from relative obscurity--and many people today probably think the show was a success from the get-go.

Of course, the show was not that popular when originally shown, became a phenomenon in reruns, has spawned countless movies and followup series, but for the purity of Roddenberry's vision, the original "Star Trek" still cannot be beat.

Another show made its debut on the very same day. I cannot remember if I watched the premiere of "Star Trek" or this particular show, but suffice it to say, I did probably watch one of them, was taken by it, and have become a life-long fan of both shows.

The other TV show that came on the air for the first time 50 years ago yesterday featured a much more subtle look at mid-1960s culture, and its influence is not often acknowledged, but looking back, it helped changed the role of women on the small screen forever.

"That Girl" was an ABC sitcom featuring a single girl trying to make it in the big city, meaning New York, as an actress. Featuring Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie and Ted Bessell as her journalist boyfriend Donald Hollinger, the show--a vision of Thomas, who was the un-listed executive producer of the show--was as revolutionary as "Star Trek" was, but in a different, more down to earth way.

Ann Marie lived alone as a single woman in Manhattan, had a regular boyfriend, and pursued her dream of becoming a big-time actress. The show went as far as it could in portraying Ann Marie as a chaste good girl, but times were a-changin', and Thomas delivered, as an independent woman who had a clear goal and went after her dream.

Thomas, a feminist herself, insisted that the show portray the character as independent, even with boyfriend Hollinger and her father in tow. But Thomas' character at least opened the door a little bit for even more independent female characters, where the innuendo was out the door and the lifestyle of single women was talked about openly.

And there was plenty of innuendo here. Hollinger was always seen running out the door during every episode, but looking back at the show as an adult, you pretty much figured that he would eventually run back in, and stay for a while, if you get what I mean. I mean, you just couldn't show that side of the obvious on TV back in 1966.

Yes, "That Girl" was criticized for being nothing but a showcase for the fashion whims of Thomas, was knocked as being unbelievable as far as where she lived, how she lived, and her overall lifestyle on the show in lieu of the fact that she was supposed to be a struggling actress, but the show made the theme of single women living their lives apart from their families somewhat plausible.

Mary Tyler Moore, even when few would listen to her, has acknowledged many times that without "That Girl," there would have been no "Mary Tyler Moore Show" to throw the door wide open on the emerging feminine lifestyle, and in the context of that, "That Girl" was as influential as "Star Trek" was.

1966 also saw the debut of other extremely influential shows, including "Dark Shadows," "The Monkees" and "Batman," so if there was a watershed year for television, 1966 was it.

Having been there when all of these shows debuted, all I can say is that it makes me feel old and young again at the very same time.

Speak to you again on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

Rant #406 (December 16, 2010): The Saga Continues

No, I still don't have Internet access at home. Let me tell you why.

I hooked up the new router yesterday. I had no problems hooking it up at all.

However, through trial and error, and some help via the help line offered by my service provider, we determined that the problem was not with the router, but with the coaxial cable leading from the computer out of my house.

I scheduled a technician to visit my house tomorrow morning. Hopefully, the problem will be fixed then.

Hopefully ...

This is upsetting my whole household--me, my son, my wife, and my mom, who will be at home tomorrow when the technician arrives.

But what can you do? Technology is nice, but it brings its own set of problems to the table.

I remember when we just had a TV and a phone to worry about. Just a few channels on the TV, and a rotary dial phone that would last a lifetime.

As a kid, I remember that our old Dumont used to go on the fritz every once in a while, and we had that era's high-tech technician actually come to the house and fix the thing.

He was a nice guy, but had female problems, which he told to anybody who would listen, including little old me.

As a little kid, it was the first time I heard the word "divorce," and, of course, based on my own personal odyssey, certainly not the last time.

He would pull out the back of the TV, and put in new tubes or something, and the TV would then work just fine ... in between divorce stories, of course.

But now, 50 years later, we have a whole set of new problems to worry about because of the latest technology.

As Dr. Smith on "Lost In Space" used to say to his own high-tech marvel, The Robot ...

"Oh, the pain, THE PAIN!"

Rant #1,751: Good Fortune

I had an interesting lunch break yesterday afternoon.

After toiling at work in the morning--right now, I feel as if I live at my place of business, which is not a good feeling--I ventured out to the AutoWorld Kia dealership on Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, Long Island, New York, where I have purchased my cars, the dealership that is my "home" dealership for the contest that I was one of the winners of.

(Yes, I bet that not too many of us can use the word "dealership" three times in one sentence, but I proved that it can be done. Clumsy, but OK.)

The manager of the dealership had called me at home during the workday to tell me that they wanted to make a presentation to me for winning the contest and having them as my home dealership, I called them back when I got home from work, and left a message.

The call was returned late Tuesday night, and we made a date for about 12:45 p.m. yesterday to get it all done.

I left work at lunchtime, went straight to the dealership, and within a couple of minutes, I was put on a high that I haven't been on in a long time.

I met the dealership manager and another executive, and the photo op began.

During the presentation, I was given a nice trophy noting my accomplishments as a loyal customer, and I was also given some other gifts that will come in handy both when my wife and I are in Seoul and when we come home.

I also had a chance to relate my story once again, and with this contest win, I basically turned coal into diamonds, lemon into lemonade.

The photos were taken, they are up on the Internet and were being sent to Kia's corporate headquarters, and that was that.

So for about 10 minutes, I felt like I was on Cloud Nine, only coming down to the ground as I was driving back to work and realized that my workday was far from done.

Kia's "Loyalty Has Its Rewards" contest is a very big thing for the automaker, and I recently found out that there are actually two legs to the event, one happening this week, the next when my wife and I will be honored in two weeks.

The car maker sells its cars all over the world, and they honor winners in countries that they sell their cars in.

Thus, the first leg of the tour features winners from much of the Middle East, the Philippines and some other places, while my leg of the event features winners from the United States, Israel and some other places.

Yes, Kia knows not to mix people from certain countries with others, because everything has to be copacetic.

Anyway, my wife and I are off to Seoul--from New York to Los Angeles and then to Seoul--next weekend, and we are greatly looking forward to it.

What we have seen from those already there has been absolutely fantastic, and we are looking forward to a great couple of days on the other side of the world.

We will always have those memories, and I will always have my trophy to remind me how lucky, and fortunate, I was, from beginning to end, related to what happened and my good fortune in winning this contest.

Yes, right now, I am feeling like the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, that feeling will only be temporary, as within due time, I have to go to work, but it is nice to think that, even for a few moments.

Classic Rant #405 (December 15, 2010): You Think I Have Problems?

No, I still don't have the Internet at home, so I am continuing to do these Rants at another computer.

But heck, do you think I have problems?

What about the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets, and just about every other major league baseball team except for the Philadelphia Phillies?

As you probably know, Cliff Lee, the highly touted--and recruited--pitcher, just signed with the Phillies.

He is making millions with this deal, and could have made many more millions by signing with the Yankees or Rangers, but he chose to join a rotation that is stacked with No. 1 starters, including Cy Young's Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hammels.

The Yankees and Rangers really lost out, because they were pursuing this guy. Now they have to start over, and plug pitching holes with guys who don't nearly measure up to Lee.

The Mets lose out because the Phillies are in their division. But it isn't just the Mets, it's the Nationals, Braves, Marlins ... well, maybe the entire National League because there is no way the Phillies won't go to the World Series now with this starting rotation in place.

Of course, you don't play games on paper, but they look real good.

I think the Yankees will hold their own in the ultra-tough American League East, although the Red Sox have greatly improved themselves. The Rays, the Blue Jays and the Orioles figure to be tough, but I think the Yankees will win out, or at least get into the playoffs again.

The rest of the American League is good, not great, so I would say that it would not surprise me at all if the Yankees and Phillies met in the World Series.

Wow! It's just 10 days before Christmas and I'm talking baseball.

Remember, pitchers and catchers report in February to spring training.

I can't wait.

And by that time, my Internet problem will hopefully be a thing of the past.

What, me worry?

Rant #1,750: Body Graffiti

To all my readers--and I know you are there, because I have the metrics that you can't see to show me that people are reading this five-days-a-week column from all over the world--this column is not a knock against anyone personally, it is wholly my opinion.

Actually, all my columns are just that, but some people do take very personal offense to some of the things I say, and to them, I say that here is another column that you will needlessly take personal offense to.

Here goes ...

I don't like tattoos.

I don't like them on men, and I certainly don't like them on women.

To me, it is nothing more than body graffiti, a way to mark up the bodies that God gave us and make them less than perfect.

Tattoos are often garish, disgusting, and really do take away from a person's self.

And the body graffiti today is truly disgusting, almost being in your face.

Yes, I know that societal mores have changed, and tattoos--in particular, on women--are more accepted than ever, but let me tell you, I find them completely unattractive.

Tattoos used to be gotten during drunken forays while a man was in the service.

Today, people knowingly mark up their bodies with huge tattoos, taking away from the splendor of what they have.

I know, every tattoo tells a story.

Many people get tattoos, collect them like I collect vinyl records, and if you ask them, they will point to this one and that one and let you know what it is all about.

Their tattoos honor mom, dad, their wives, their husbands, things they like to do, and things they believe in.

I get that; it's like carrying a personal diary wherever you go.

But to mark yourself up like that ... not a thing I would do.

I always thought that some people hide behind their tattoos because not only is it expression, it is the only way they can express themselves.

This probably isn't true, though I guess one tattoo is worth a thousand words.

Jews are not supposed to get tattoos because of a variety of reasons, one of which is that we are supposed to leave this earth the way we came here, completely unmarked.

It also brings up the Holocaust, where many Jews were tattooed by the Nazis with numbers.

But even that is changing, and several generations removed from that horror, many young Jews are getting tattoos. My daughter has a few, as does my nephew.

Still, I don't get it, in particular on women.

God created women perfectly, and to add tattoos to the mix just makes a woman's body imperfect.

It is a complete and total turnoff to me.

I just remember days of yore, when as kids, we used to get cockamamies, or tattoos you applied with a little spit.

They went on your arm, but would come right off with a washcloth and some water.

Today, these huge, often garish tattoos cannot come off so easily, and an industry is developing for those who want to get rid of their tattoos.

It is a process, and science will one day come up with easier ways to remove these things, and there will be a big market for them in the coming years, as people look at the tattoos they got in their 20s and decide that they don't look so good when they are in their 50s.

There is really nothing much more to say about tattoos. Nothing really spurned me to do such a column, and I might have already written about my dislike for tattoos in a previous column, but here it is again.

What I wrote is my belief, my opinion, and no one has to agree with me on any of this.

Tattooed people are not bad people, they are very trendy, very with it, very now.

Me, I liked it better where the only tattooed people you saw were in the circus.

Today, the world is a circus, so I guess we are all under the big top.

Tattoo you, but don't tattoo me.

Classic Rant #404 (December 14, 2010): Internet, Sminternet

This morning, as I often do, after eating breakfast, walking the dog twice and reading the morning paper before I left for work, I turned on my computer and clicked my Internet icon to get onto the World Wide Web.

To my dismay, I could not get on. I noticed that my router wasn't lit properly--the Web icon was not lit at all--so I immediately called my service provider.

All of this at slightly after 5 a.m. in the morning.

After being on with a technician named Carl (or is it Karl with a K?) and even a call back, we discovered that the router was dead.

I need a new router.

Not to worry, Carl/Karl said. One would be shipped to me immediately, and he said I should have it tomorrow.

What do I do with the old router? I have to ship it back to the service provider. If I don't, I get charged $129 for it.

That's all fine and dandy, but now, at least for a day, my house is not wired to the Internet.

When I was a kid and through my 30s, who knew of such things?

But as businesses began to go online, and more and more homes followed suit, having Internet service became almost a mandatory part of modern life.

Sure, I can hook up a phone line to the computer, but honestly, who wants to bother doing that?

I had Internet service that way for a few years, and boy, was it slow!

As they say, once you are off the phone connection, you can never, ever go back, even in times of need like right now.

So how am I typing this out and putting it on Ranting and Raving, you say?

Well, I am using a totally different Internet connection outside of my home, that's how.

The whole situation stinks, but what can I do? I hope to be house-connected again real soon.

Until then, I have to go back to my pre-Internet life; watching TV, which I do with or without the Internet, and staying away from the computer.

Sorry, no Facebook, no email, no nothing at home.

In a funny way, I welcome the respite, but I guess I will miss at least the availability of these things while I wait for my router.

So it's like a vacation from the Internet, at least at home.

At work, it's still my best friend.

Rant #1,749: Odds and Ends

Welcome back from your Labor Day weekend!

As you know, I labored on Labor Day.

What a complete waste of time. It didn't save me any time for the rest of the week, or the tasks at hand.

It almost seemed like a punishment.

So goes the place that I work at, a place which is far more concerned about some people's quality of life over their own employees' quality of life.

It truly is appalling.

But that is the way the ball bounces.

Here is a compendium of subjects that I don't really believe need full columns to talk about, so here goes:

Hermine Bombs Out: We should all be very happy that Hermine, the hurricane/tropical storm/weather disturbance, pretty much bombed out in my neck of the woods.

Television forecasters and others prepared us for the worst, but all we got where I am is some rain, really nothing else off the beach. On the beach, we got some wicked rip currents, but nobody but surfers would really care about that.

Out in Eastern Long Island, they did get hit pretty hard, but they are probably as used to this as possible. But it was no Hurricane Sandy, that's for sure (hooray for that!).

Yet some people are very upset, and you really have to feel some pity for them, although in the long term, better to be upset than uprooted.

With all the negative forecasts about the storm, Long Island and New Jersey Shore beaches were closed pretty much the entire weekend--the Labor Day weekend, one of the most profitable weekends of the summer.

Yes, people still did venture to the beaches when they found the weather to be OK, but they didn't spend money like they would have if the beaches remained open, so many businesses took a real financial hit when they ended up not having to do so, because the forecasts were pretty much wrong.

Look, they would have lost money either way. If the storm would have hit like it was predicted to do, the storm cleanup alone would have cost these businesses plenty, so what's the problem here? Did they want another Hurricane Sandy to justify the beach closings?

I can understand their feelings, but for the overall good of the area, Hermine was nothing with nothing.

Sure, these businesses lost money, but would they rather have lost their businesses, period?

Kaepernick Doesn't Stand For the National Anthem: Again, the PC Police have found their latest hero in football player Colin Kaepernick, who refuses to stand for the National Anthem which is played before sporting events because of his belief that blacks do not get a fair shake from police.

Look, this is America, if he doesn't want to stand for the anthem, he doesn't have to, but that is not the issue here.

Kaepernick truly is missing the point of playing the anthem before sporting events, which is a tradition that goes back decades.

The anthem honors America and those who have fought to preserve the rights that allow Kaepernick to do what he wants to do.

This football player is already living the American Dream, playing a sport for pay, and a lot of pay it is.

I do not see him turning down his paycheck to play a game that most of us give up on by the time we are teenagers, and move onto other things.

He is the American Dream personified, but he has taken a stand, one that includes wearing socks featuring images of police officers as pigs.

It could be so easy to say that if Kaepernick doesn't like it here, he should move elsewhere, and well, I did just say that, but this guy is the ultimate hypocrite and racist, simply jumping on the phony, racist and anti-Semitic "Black Lives Matter" bandwagon.

Again, if he doesn't want to stand, that is his right in our country, a right that was fought for by not only whites, but people of all colors and backgrounds.

If he wants to ignore all of that, that is his right, but he is wrong, very, very wrong, but in this world of the PC Police, some look at him as a hero.

Tell that to some service member or police officer who really has fought the real fight.

Sanchez Cools Down: I mean, did you really expect the Yankees' Gary Sanchez to keep hitting like he did for about three weeks?

Although most sportscasters are saying that "he started his Major League career" with this surge, people forget that he was actually up from the minor leagues briefly last year, so that really isn't true.

What is true is that he was putting up Ruthian numbers, hitting in the .400s and swatting home runs as if they were flies.

He was the American League player of the week twice, the player of the month, and the rookie of the month.

He was also throwing out runners from his catching spot with regularity.

But once the Yankees went on the road, he slumped at the plate, only got a few hits during the six game trip, and yet, he is still hitting in the .350 range.

This guy appears to be a special player, but he is human, too, so a drop-off probably was inevitable.

But the Yankees, who are amazingly in the thick of the Wild Card race and who beat the first place Blue Jays yesterday afternoon, seem to have a real find here.

Time will tell, but Sanchez looks like a real gamer, and his hot streak notwithstanding, I think the Bronx Bombers might have found a player for today, tomorrow and maybe even for the ages with this guy.

He appears to be that good.

And I appear to be done.

That is it for now. Speak to you again tomorrow.