Editorial

The soundbite has become a nibble

Discussion time on our broadcast media is getting shorter and shorter. The fear of viewer boredom is everywhere

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The Shadow Of Your Smile

Ever since my Dad died this past April, I’ve been on a mission to locate beautiful arrangements of the song, “The Shadow Of Your Smile“. This particular piece is also known by the name, “Love Theme from The Sandpiper“.

The main reason for this search has centered over the fondness that both my parents shared for this piece of music.

The music was written by Johnny Mandel, and the lyrics were written by Paul Francis Webster. The film was introduced in the 1965 film, “The Sandpiper“, with a trumpet solo by Jack Sheldon. It won a Grammy Award for Song Of The Year, and the Academy Award For Best Original Song. Later on, the song became a hit for Tony Bennett.

After  listening to and enjoying multiple variations of the song from so many truly talented musicians, I believe that my search has ended and I have finally located my personal favorite.

It’s performed by the Oscar Peterson Trio and Singers Unlimited, off the album “In Tune”.

Listen To: “The Shadow Of Your Smile“
[audio:http://tbirdsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/06 - The Shadow Of Your Smile.mp3]

If you know of other great arrangements please let me know, as I’d love to check them out. Just list them in the comment section. Thanks and enjoy!

The Joy Of Spring

Spring arrived March 20th, and while I don’t know about you, for me, it seemed to take forever getting here. Based off that, it’s important to cherish and take advantage of these brief beautiful days.

When I was younger, it was always a bit confusing hearing adults talk about spring-cleaning. The confusion didn’t necessarily center so much on the word spring, but on cleaning. Why was it that adults always combined those two words ? After all, wasn’t cleaning something that had to be done throughout the year. Why wait until spring to get started ? Well, as years passed, I finally began to understand the phrase with more clarity.

Spring, and everything it brings, is a chance to not only put away all the bulky coats, blankets, and portable heaters, but also a chance to open up windows, clean the sills, and let the crisp fresh air circulate. It gives us the much needed opportunity to toss aside and wipe clean the heaviness, clutter, and length of old man winter.

I find that as the years pass, spring’s significance, at least for me, is more astounding than ever. Familiar music, birds chirping their springtime melodies, the warmth of the sun, brisk breezy air and fresh flowers, it’s meaning is so much more than just closing winters door. It’s springs fresh start, a new chapter on life. Spring ahead and jump into it. Embrace it!

[audio:http://tbirdsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/George-Duke-Spring-Is-Here.mp3]

Photograph, “Humble Gift”. by marielliot.

American Hero Heckled by Columbia Students

At a town-hall meeting concerning bringing the ROTC back to campus, a handful of Columbia University students placed their intellectual learning ability on display, and proved to the rest of the world exactly why Mommy and Daddy sent them away to an “institution of lower learning“.

As former Army Staff Sergeant, Anthony Maschek, begin to speak to fellow students concerning their perceptions of the military, he was hissed, booed, laughed at, and called a racist.

“It doesn’t matter how you feel about the war. It doesn’t matter how you feel about fighting,” said Maschek. “There are bad men out there plotting to kill you.”

In 2008, Anthony Maschek, a 10th Mountain Division Infantryman and Idaho native, was awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 9 times during a firefight in northern Iraq. He spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical recovering from his wounds, and is now studying economics at Columbia, where he enrolled last August.

Reports also showed pictures of students holding up anti-military placards, such as, “1 in 3 female soldiers experiences sexual assault in the military”, and “the military preys on low-income communities”.

Columbia University has had a military ban in place for the last 42 years. They last voted to reject the ROTC in 2005, citing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

The fact is, it’s ridiculous to only blame the students at Columbia for this sort of outrageous behavior. The professor’s quotes below proves where this train-of-thought originates from.

“Universities should not be involved in military activities,” Sociology Professor Emeritus Herbert Gans told The New York Post. “Columbia should come out against spending $300 billion a year on unnecessary wars.”