Hello, everybody. As always, a whole lot to cover, so here we go!
First up...the unemployment rate for February released Friday rose to its highest in over a quarter-century: 8.1% as 650,000 jobs during that month were lost. And since the recession began in 2007, over 4.4 million Americans have been out of a job.
Now this comes as job fairs all over America are happening, and like I said before, with summer about to creep in on us it's going to be a tough time filling those jobs even if most of them are temporary. President Obama in his weekly address over the weekend may have said that we will get through this, but he doesn't have a magic wand to wave around and end this overnight. It's going to take a few years before most of us will be back on our feet.
A couple weeks ago, we've seen another newspaper roll the presses for the last time, as the "Rocky Mountain News" after 150 years published its last ever edition. We here in Alaska experienced something similar, as the "Anchorage Times" (famous for screaming out the "WE'RE IN!" banner headline in 1958 when the Statehood Act passed) stopped their presses for good in 1992.
But come June 12, though some already signed off forever on the original February 17 date, all other TV stations across America will be shutting off their analog transmitters for the final time as they'll be broadcasting only in digital. For them, it'll be the end of an era; and for us? Six decades of smacking the tops of our TVs and fiddling with our antennas struggling for a better picture will be done away with once and for all.
Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, I think there should be analog TV shut-off parties being thrown on June 12 to celebrate and witness this historic transition. If you have old TVs stashed in the storage shed that still work after countless years (black-and-white or color, portable or console), hook those "rabbit ears" antennas and tune each of them them to whatever stations who'll still intend to sign-off. Also, I should consider livening up the atmosphere with decorations and illustrations proclaiming the end of analog TV and the beginning of digital TV; one example is a tombstone reading "R.I.P. Analog TV: (insert date and year the first station signed on in your area)-June 12, 2009".
We don't know when each station will press the "OFF" buttons for the final time, but they should have a final countdown to the big moment. And yes, we'll be counting down along with them, and I'm certain those videos will be hitting YouTube almost immediately, just like those Britney Spears concerts so far!
Speaking of which...Britney's first concert tour in five years, "The Circus Starring Britney Spears", kicked off last week in her home base in New Orleans where I first saw her back in 2000 during her second tour. And looking back at that (covering it of course as an "Allen Report Special Report"), I thought it was a bit cheesy and paltry.
The marquee outside the New Orleans Arena on the first night of the "Circus" tour still said "Tickets on sale now", but shouldn't it have said something different, like "SOLD OUT!"? Also, I remember most of the crowd at the 2000 show being tweens and younger teens (and handfuls of horny adults like myself); now of course, it's teens and older adults; the latter who've followed Britney's adventures every step of the way over the years. Even though I'll be following it thanks to the magic of YouTube, I'm sure Britney Spears' tour will be one of the most-talked entertainment stories of 2009 so far...that and Octo-mom, Chris Brown/Rihanna, and "The Bachelor" scandal.
Last but not least...Britney may be scorching up venues all over the Lower 48, but here in Alaska, we're cooling things off with the 37th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race already underway. And this year's field is a bit paltry as well: 67 of the world's finest mushers including familiar faces like back-to-back winner Lance Mackey as they challenge 1,150 miles of the most treacherous terrain known to mankind, facing bone-chilling weather and whatever else comes their way. Also, after a successful trial last year, all mushers have GPS tracking devices so we could follow their every move in real-time.
Even though the recession has hit them with a smaller purse, $69,000 and the keys to a new Dodge pickup truck awaits whoever musher's lead dog marks the first pawprint under the Burled Arch in Nome. Will it be Mackey in a three-peat? Will it be Dee Dee Jonrowe, after coming so close so many times before. Or will it be someone from out of the blue, like a rookie? We'll find out in the next 1 1/2 weeks, so so long and stay strong.
First up...the unemployment rate for February released Friday rose to its highest in over a quarter-century: 8.1% as 650,000 jobs during that month were lost. And since the recession began in 2007, over 4.4 million Americans have been out of a job.
Now this comes as job fairs all over America are happening, and like I said before, with summer about to creep in on us it's going to be a tough time filling those jobs even if most of them are temporary. President Obama in his weekly address over the weekend may have said that we will get through this, but he doesn't have a magic wand to wave around and end this overnight. It's going to take a few years before most of us will be back on our feet.
A couple weeks ago, we've seen another newspaper roll the presses for the last time, as the "Rocky Mountain News" after 150 years published its last ever edition. We here in Alaska experienced something similar, as the "Anchorage Times" (famous for screaming out the "WE'RE IN!" banner headline in 1958 when the Statehood Act passed) stopped their presses for good in 1992.
But come June 12, though some already signed off forever on the original February 17 date, all other TV stations across America will be shutting off their analog transmitters for the final time as they'll be broadcasting only in digital. For them, it'll be the end of an era; and for us? Six decades of smacking the tops of our TVs and fiddling with our antennas struggling for a better picture will be done away with once and for all.
Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, I think there should be analog TV shut-off parties being thrown on June 12 to celebrate and witness this historic transition. If you have old TVs stashed in the storage shed that still work after countless years (black-and-white or color, portable or console), hook those "rabbit ears" antennas and tune each of them them to whatever stations who'll still intend to sign-off. Also, I should consider livening up the atmosphere with decorations and illustrations proclaiming the end of analog TV and the beginning of digital TV; one example is a tombstone reading "R.I.P. Analog TV: (insert date and year the first station signed on in your area)-June 12, 2009".
We don't know when each station will press the "OFF" buttons for the final time, but they should have a final countdown to the big moment. And yes, we'll be counting down along with them, and I'm certain those videos will be hitting YouTube almost immediately, just like those Britney Spears concerts so far!
Speaking of which...Britney's first concert tour in five years, "The Circus Starring Britney Spears", kicked off last week in her home base in New Orleans where I first saw her back in 2000 during her second tour. And looking back at that (covering it of course as an "Allen Report Special Report"), I thought it was a bit cheesy and paltry.
The marquee outside the New Orleans Arena on the first night of the "Circus" tour still said "Tickets on sale now", but shouldn't it have said something different, like "SOLD OUT!"? Also, I remember most of the crowd at the 2000 show being tweens and younger teens (and handfuls of horny adults like myself); now of course, it's teens and older adults; the latter who've followed Britney's adventures every step of the way over the years. Even though I'll be following it thanks to the magic of YouTube, I'm sure Britney Spears' tour will be one of the most-talked entertainment stories of 2009 so far...that and Octo-mom, Chris Brown/Rihanna, and "The Bachelor" scandal.
Last but not least...Britney may be scorching up venues all over the Lower 48, but here in Alaska, we're cooling things off with the 37th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race already underway. And this year's field is a bit paltry as well: 67 of the world's finest mushers including familiar faces like back-to-back winner Lance Mackey as they challenge 1,150 miles of the most treacherous terrain known to mankind, facing bone-chilling weather and whatever else comes their way. Also, after a successful trial last year, all mushers have GPS tracking devices so we could follow their every move in real-time.
Even though the recession has hit them with a smaller purse, $69,000 and the keys to a new Dodge pickup truck awaits whoever musher's lead dog marks the first pawprint under the Burled Arch in Nome. Will it be Mackey in a three-peat? Will it be Dee Dee Jonrowe, after coming so close so many times before. Or will it be someone from out of the blue, like a rookie? We'll find out in the next 1 1/2 weeks, so so long and stay strong.
