Don’t Let Them Snow You

Recognizing Propaganda

Every minute of every day you are subjected to propaganda. People are using words, pictures, and even music to influence the way you think.  Before I get into how propaganda works, the techniques that are used, I should define the term as used in this post.

Propaganda is the use of one-sided messages to influence the emotions, opinions, attitudes, and actions of targeted audiences for political, ideological, or commercial purposes. The messages may or may not be factual.  That’s a paraphrase of a definition provided by Richard Alan Nelson in a Wikipedia article.

A very effective explanation of how propagandists manipulate us is a documentary, Propaganda and Manipulation: How mass media engineers and distorts our perceptions, by Jerry Kroft, Ph.D., a Psychologist, who wrote Duped! Delusion, denial, and the end of the American Dream.  You can see it on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfo5gPG72KM

He explains the basic tools that are used.

1.Reframing

2. Repeated Affirmations

3. Vicarious/ Imitative learning

4. Distraction and denial

5. Classical & operant conditioning.

It would be great, in my view, if this were shown to every11th grader in the United States.

 

 

 

Musical Chairs Make a Big Difference

Cameron Bean, Executive Director of Development for Columbia s State University, with Col. (Ret.) Hal J. and Marie A.Gibson standing by the new display for their donation of the Distinguished Chair in Conducting for the Schwob School of Music.

No doubt, one of the main reasons that the Schwob School of Music attracts extraordinarily talented student musicians from all over the world is that it has world-class instructors. And one of the main reasons is they are paid well, thanks to a large number of endowed chairs funded by generous benefactors.  Faculty members who are honored with Chairs in Music get significant supplements to their salaries.

Schwob Wind Ensemble conducted by Jamie L. Nix, The Hal J. Gibson Distinguished Chair in Conducting,

The latest faculty member to receive that honor is Jamie L. Nix, Conductor of the Schwob Wind Ensemble, thanks to Hal J. and Marie L. Gibson.  Cameron Bean, Executive Director of Development for Columbus State University, announced the addition of the Hal J. Gibson Distinguished Chair in Conducting at the Schwob Wind Ensemble Kick-off Concert for the 20th Anniversary CSU Conductors Workshop.  Bean said that Col. (Ret.) Hal Gibson is a retired Schwob School of Music faculty member, who, after leading the U.S.. Army Field Band and the United States Armed Forces Bicentennial Band, came to then Columbus College in 1976 to develop the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, gaining national recognition and acclaim for the Columbus State University band program. He retired from CSU in 1991. The Legacy Hall audience gave the Gibsons a standing ovation.

Col. Gibson and I had a nostalgic conversation during intermission. I got to know him when I accepted an invitation from him to emcee one of his Symphonic Wind Ensemble’s concerts. On June 1st. 1981, he reenacted a John Phillip Sousa concert at the Springer Opera House.  That was special for me because my mother, Sara McMichael, was in the audience. I informed the audience that she had actually attended  Sousa’s last concert at the Springer on February 18, 1922.

The 2nd balcony is used now for lighting, but it was built as a segregated balcony for African-Americans back in Jim Crow days. There was a second box office and flight of stairs that led to it.

The only seats left when her father decided to take her – she was about 11 years old – were in the second balcony, which was called the “peanut gallery” back then. That balcony was actually for “colored” patrons at that time.  However, for the Sousa performance, the high demand for tickets by whites led the Springer to close the second balcony to African-Americans and open it for whites. That was the way it was prior to 1964 when the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress, ending racial segregation in public facilities.

The NIM Giant Screen Laser Projector Experience – Part One

A Look at the National Infantry Museum’s State-of-the-art Giant  Screen Laser Projectors – Part One

The sea change in cinematic theatrical projection is the relatively recent switch to digital  systems. Just as the way film systems evolved technically, digital is doing the same thing.  Film went from grainy black and white flickering silent cinema to sound on film and color and from almost square screens to widescreens that got larger and larger.  Digital has gone from 2K definition which allowed some pixels to be seen to 4K which solved that problem and from and from light bulb to laser lights.  The National Infantry Museum has one of the very few theaters in the Southeastern United States with state-of-the-art Giant Screen laser projectors.  The museum’s theater also has one of the largest screens in the Southeast.

70 mm IMAX film projectors took up a lot space in the large NIM IMAX Theater projection booth. I took this photo in 2010.

Up until last year, the NIM still used  IMAX 70 mm film  projectors. IMAX 70 mm was as good as it got in theatrical projection until digital laser came along. When IMAX switched to digital laser, the museum dropped IMAX and switched to Christie 6P laser projection, and changed the name of the theater to Giant Screen.

When I saw the new documentary “Aircraft Carrier,” I was so impressed with the experience I decided I wanted to learn more about the Christie laser projectors. I wondered why the huge picture on the screen seemed so much more vivid and immersive than the one produced by 70 mm film projectors.  I was able to take a look at the projectors and get an interview with Theater Technical Manager Brad Skipwirth.

I’ll take you inside the projection booth in my next post.

 

 

 

 

Former Foreign Service Officer Facilitates C.A.L.L. Course

Lifelong learning is attracting some impressive volunteer teaching talent in Columbus.  For instance, how are you going to beat having a retired State Department Foreign Service officer to facilitate a discussion of global issues that affect everyone?  He is one of the new volunteer facilitators for the Columbus Academy of Lifelong Learning.  C.A.L.L.  has a great group of volunteer teachers and facilitators, but this post would be too long if I listed all of them.    

Bain Cowell, former Foreign Service officer, facilitator for Great Decisions

Bain Cowell,  who will facilitate the Great Decisions course,  worked as a Foreign Service officer, serving as a diplomat in Brazil, the Dominican Republic,  Paris, Luxemburg, and the U.S. Mission in NATO, the European Union, and other places.   I asked him why he agreed to facilitate the course, and he said, via email, “I volunteered as a facilitator for ‘Great Decisions’ because I enjoy teaching-and-learning, especially in the seminar/discussion format.  I have fond memories of previous stints as a graduate student teaching assistant at Yale in the 1960s, as a university instructor/lecturer at Emory and Georgia Tech in the 1970s, and more recently as an instructor at WHINSEC.”

Also, part of his impressive background is his Army service  in the Vietnam War, where he was decorated with a Bronze Star  and Air Medal.  

You’d never know he has that impressive background – oh, I almost forgot;  he speaks four languages – when you talk with him. He is quite  accessable and friendly. 

All facilitators do little promotional announcements at the C.A.L.L. registration meeting.  His class immediately filled up and ran out of the Great Decision course books.  

If  you would like to attend some of the C.A.L.L. classes – there are a lot of them – just fill out a form at the CSU Turner Center for Continuing Education, pay $55 and you’re in. The first class is on January 25th.

Wild Hogging it Again

I didn’t go this year so I had to depend on the AP story in the Ledger-Enquirer to tell me about it.  Actually, after reading the story, I got the impression that this year wasn’t much different from last year, the one I attended.

Last year the budget was the main concern of just about everyone I talked with when the politicians and lobbyists and media folks gathered at the Georgia Railroad building in Underground Atlanta, a stones throw from the Capitol.   It appears that’s the same main topic this year.  Last year the state had to cut spending and this year it’s going to have to do the same thing.

With the legislature struggling to balance the budget, does the Capitol really need a lavish gold dome? Gold is expected by some to go to $1500 an ounce this year. Why not melt it down and use the proceeds to help balance the budget?

Last year, gubernatorial candidates were smiling big and shaking a lot of hands. That was no different this year, from what I read. It will be interesting to see how legislators handle the huge problems of water, transportation, and education. With elections looming, their decisions could very definitely have an impact on who wins. 

I received this comment today from a person identifying himself as Norman on the post I did last year about the Wild Hog affair.  “Who pays for this dinner of 1500 or more people? If the budget is as bad as they tell us, be nice if things like this could be cut, not police, fire fighters, and teachers.”

According to what I learned last year, the state doesn’t pay for the Wild Hog Dinner. The affair is hosted by Agricultural Commissioner Tommy Irvin.  State Rep. Carolyn Hugley told me last year that it was paid for by “sponsors,”  which probably translates to lobbyists.  It’s pretty safe to assume that’s what happened this year, too.  So you don’t have to worry about the state paying for it, but those teachers, fire fighters, and police could decide to take retribution at the polls when the budget slashers who cut their compensation run for reelection?

CSU Philharmonic Concert Will be Special

FRED COHEN CONDUCTS THE ORCHESTRA IN THE WORLD PREMIER OF HIS PIANO CONCERTO SUNDAY AT THE RIVER CENTER

Fred Cohen, Director, Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University (Photo, courtesy of Columbus State University)

How often do you get to hear the world premier of a piano concerto?  I don’t think I have ever heard one, but I’m going to get the opportunity Sunday.  The excellent Columbus State University Philharmonic Orchestra is going to play Fred Cohen’s Piano Concerto Sunday afternoon at 4 at the River Center.  Cohen, the Schwob School of Music’s Director,  will conduct the orchestra. This will be no precedent.  A number of composers have conducted world premiers of their compositions. Beethoven was one of them.  CSU faculty member Gila Goldstein will play the piano solo.

The orchestra will also play the Overture from the Marriage of Figaro by Mozart,  and  Brahms’s Symphony No. 4.

I am always thrilled by how brilliantly the CSU Philharmonic’s student musicians perform.   It’s at the River Center, and will start at 4 p.m.  It’ll be one of the best bargains you will ever get.  Admission is free.

Common Cause Columbus to Hold Forum on E-SPLOST

PUBLIC INVITED TO FORUM ON SEPT. 3rd,  6 p.m., COLUMBUS PUBLIC LIBRARY

So far, I know of no organized resistance to the proposal to raise sales taxes in Muscogee County by a penny for capital improvements for the school system.  That doesn’t mean there won’t be, but you would have thought it would have raised its head by now.

Maybe it will happen when the Common Cause forum on the SPLOST is held next month,  on Thursday, September 3rd, at the Columbus Public Library at 6 p.m.  Common Cause Columbus Chair Alton Russell says that MCSD Superintendent Dr. Susan Andrews will be on hand to take questions.

“She and any pre-determined opposition group will be given time for opening remarks, written questions from audience, and then, open mike questions.”

He adds, “The forum is open to everybody in the Columbus community.  This is an opportunity to ask questions and understand all the reasons for voting for the SPLOST and reasosn not to vote for it.”

What Does the Future Hold for Today’s Medical School Graduates?

That was certainly on the mind of medical school graduates at a graduation ceremony I attended at Sunrise, a Fort Lauderdale suburb. My grand-nephew, Dr. Gibson Gray, was one of the graduates from Nova Southeastern University.  Keynote speaker, Florida U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, told them about the healthcare changes she supports.

Being a good Democrat, she made it clear that she supports President Obama’s initiative for Congress to come up with a new health care plan.  With costs going out of sight, and about 50 million Americans being uninsured, many believe something has to be done – not that everyone wants anything done, because some are making out like bandits with the system the way it is – but the sticking point is what will be done.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL (D), Nova medical college keynote speaker, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

 
Rep. Schultz says any new plan has to ensure that no one will be denied coverage, that no policy should deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions,  that no one can be excluded from coverage, and no one looses coverage because they changed jobs, and that the government offer an optional insurance plan.  The insurance companies will, no doubt, spend many millions of dollars to kill the government option part of the plan.  The government plan would provide competition by providing lower rates, and the private insurance companies would have to keep their rates down to sell any insurance.

This can and will be debated, but a lot of people believe that the plan will not really solve the problem because it will still rely on private insurers.  Among those who believe it won’t work and who are for single-payer is the organization  Physicians for a National Health Program.  They believe that only single-payer can actually cause the change needed.  They maintain the private insurance industry is the reason that  health care in America has reached this critical stage.  On their website, PNHP.org, Dr. Fred Silver of Florida says, “This is because private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume one-third (31 percent) of every health care dollar. Streamlining payment through a single nonprofit payer would save more than $350 billion per year, enough to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all Americans.”  Physicians for a National Health Program is a non-profit research and education organization of 16,000 physicians, medical students and health professionals who support single-payer national health insurance.

Naturally, health professionals are concerned about how healthcare reform will affect their careers, especially recent grads who owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in college loans.  Some believe that if the government plan does lower physician compensation, it should pay off those loans.  They have a good point. 

It appears there is little doubt that Congress will come up with some sort of healthcare reform legislation.  It also appears that the healthcare industry is going to cooperate, with health industry leaders pledging to reduce  healthcare spending by $2 trillion over the next ten years.  And the pharmaceutical  industry has agreed to spend $80 billion over the next decade to lower drug costs.  Reform is probably preferable to revolution,  and, no doubt, many drug industry leaders would consider a single-pay system a revolution.  It would be.  
 
 

Wild Hogging It on Opening-Session Eve

 

Muscogee Democrats arriving at GA State Capitol for Wild Hog Dinner

The Georgia Railroad building at Underground Atlanta, a stone’s throw from the Georgia Capitol,  was packed Sunday night, eve of opening day of the 2009 State Legislature, with state officials, representatives and senators, and people like me.   I was there mainly to gather information, but I did make one lobbying point.  I told Rep. Carolyn Hugley that I was disappointed that the transportation plan for the state failed to get through the legislature last year.  She said, “The House passed it, but it failed in the Senate.”  I told her that was a shame and that new thinking is needed,  that the emphasis needs to shift from pouring millions of tons of concrete adding new lanes to highways to developing rail, that rail is the most efficient way to transport massive numbers of people.   She didn’t respond to that point.

Rep. Carolyn Hugley, GA House District 133, Columbus, GA

Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin hosted the Wild Hog Dinner, but it was paid for by “sponsors,” which probably translates to lobbyists. “He didn’t pay for it,”  Carolyn told me.    The barbecue, Brunswick stew, and potato salad were delicious. Nobody, however,  goes to the Wild Hog Dinner just to get some good barbeque – good as it was, it was not as good as Macon Road, Smokey Pig or Country’s in Columbus – no, most people go to network.  And that’s what the affair was all about.

GA House Speaker Rep. Glenn Richardson, GA House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Calivin Smyre

   I got the above  shot of Georgia House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Calvin Smyre  of Columbus networking with Republican Rep. Glenn Richardson, Speaker of the Georgia House.  Calvin is a powerhouse in the legislature, serving since 1974.  Like every legislator I talked with, he said the legislature will be totally occupied with the budget crunch. 

Sen. Seth Harp, (R) Georgia Senate District 29

State Senator Seth Harp said it was going to be really hard to deal with the pressures that the recession is putting on the state budget, and he doesn’t see it getting any better soon.  Last year state spending was cut more than five percent. “This year it is going to be 10 to 12 percent.”

Deficit spending quite often accompanies a major recession,  but the Georgia constitution prohibits it, and Seth told me,  “We do not have a deficit; we have $1 billion in  a ‘rainy day’ fund that we can tap into if necessary,  though we don’t like to do that because it could adversely affect our AAA bond rating.  Georgia is one of only 6 states that have a AAA rating. ”

Governor Perdue, I read somewhere,  wants to use  state funds to increase improvements in infrastructure to provide jobs and lessen unemployment.  Seth says he’ll have to study that .  He doesn’t want to do anything to hurt the bond rating .

“Aren’t you concerned about umeployment?”  I asked him.

“Of course I am,” he emphatically replied.  “But, there are a number of ways to deal with that.”

“You might go along with the increased infrastructure idea if you determine it’s necessary?”

“Yes.”

All of the Columbus delegation I talked with agreed that many local projects  won’t be funded this year, things like grants to museums. etc.  It’s going to be tough enough not decimating education with more cuts.  Rep. Hugely is very much concerned about that,  emphasizing the important role education plays in the future of the citizens of Georgia, economically and otherwise.  She added,  “The central office hasn’t expressed concern about it.  What we keep getting from that office is that everything is fine.”

“Are you referring to the Superintendent of Education, Kathy Cox?”

“Yes.”

I told a number of legislators that while the budget is of top concern, Georgia is facing critical issues such as transportation and water shortages.  They all agreed but pointed out that money for those programs is part of the budget.  That’s true, but, in my view,  when cuts are considered, the cuts should apply the least to education, transportation, and water shortage solutions.

House Minority Leader Rep. DuBose, (D) District 143, and Carol Porter,

Rep. Dupose Porter of Dublin, minority floor leader of the Georgia House  – Carolyn Hugley  is second in command since she is the minority whip –  said in dealing with the budget crisis,  taking money from a home for elderly Georgia military veterans and shifting it to one of Governor Sonny Perdue’s pet projects for his county like  Go Fish  is the kind of thing that has to stop.  Dubose – I know him on a first name basis because he is married to my second-cousin Carol – is expected to announce for governor after this legislative session.  

 I haven’t been to one of those eve-of-opening-session affairs in about 30 years and forgot how much I enjoyed seeing the state’s power players networking intensely.  I have to admit that it was exciting and fun.  There was no formal program and none needed because the real program was raw networking by the state’s top lawmakers.  Almost everyone who is anyone in state government was there.  I didn’t spot Governor Perdue or Columbus State Senator Ed Harbison.

On the Way to “On the Shoulders of Giants”

  Every Thursday when I would arrive at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, yellow school busses would lined up on Front Avenue, and, inside, school children would be everywhere. They were obviously having a ball as they were exposed to space science. 

Jet FLight Simulator Line, Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Columbus, GA

  While operating for people of all ages -the CALL class “On the Shoulders of Giants,” about the great astronomers, that I just finished is an example of the center’s service to senior citizens –  the main target, says Assistant Director Larry Pallotta,  is the 5th grader. 

 Pallotta told me that kids also come from afar to participate in this program. Every year groups bus down from the Atlanta and Columbia, South Carolina areas and other out-town places.

 Kids like to do, not just sit and listen, and the center is a hands-on place where kids (of all ages) fly fighter jets in simulators …

Jet Flight Simulator, Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Columbus, GA

  Operate Mars rover minatures by remote control ..

Mars Exploration Rover, Coca-Cola Space Science Center

   Land a space shuttle …

Space Shuttle landing game, Coca-Cola Space Science Center

  Touch a screen to see the planets of our solar system …

Planet Identifier, Coca-Cola Space Science Center

  This experience is one of the new ones. 

  Add these to the Omnisphere Theater, a state of the art planetarium that features a number of different shows for different age levels, and the Challenger Space Center, where students get to experience what a ride is space is like,  the Meade observatory with a 16″ LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain  telescope, and numerous outside other programs, and you have a creative, active educational and entertaining center for learning about space science. If you haven’t been lately, go … and if you want to enjoy it to the max, take a kid with you.