Cruising on a Sunday Afternoon

I should be flattered that Jeff Bezos listens to our evening dinner conversations.  I am a fan of his Washington Post newspaper, and it is the second of two digital subscriptions I access online.  A subscription fee is worth it for quality internet news.  While I still read the Huffington Post daily online, a reputable long-standing newspaper is a better source of accurate information.  I am a fan of Ashley Parker.  I make the mistake from time to time of contemplating real world romance.  Consequently I watch and listen to figures in the news and on television and film.  I force myself into a real life scenario trying to remember upon what a relationship is based.  (I have had these before, but it was twenty years ago.)  Ultimately I am seduced by a particular quality which reminds me violently to wake up!  There are a handful of female news anchors I enjoy, and it is for very particular reasons.  Many of the news programs in the rural South are casual.  It could be said this laissez faire approach to southern news is appropriate.  In a now staunchly divided America, finding peace among one's peer has become challenging.  How does a news agency appeal to a mass, when this mass has become racially diverse?  Television has been trying to accomplish this recently, and as Bill Maher says you can't turn on a prime time television program without encountering gay and mixed race couples.  Diversity is a challenge, and America has yet to reinvent herself.  For news reporting it should be easier.  Necessarily and problematically popularity stirs into the mix.  It is a necessary evil, because likeability provides a sense of comfort and security for the viewer.  Perhaps it is the most important qualification for successful relationships.  How is that possible?  It is possible the same way sex can public relations.  If you and your spouse don't agree on things (which in my mind is desirable if you are mature enough for discussion), then sexual attraction and bodily chemistry can bridge the gap.  Personality or appearance serve a similar function, although they could be considered vain and selfish.  When I watch female news anchors the attraction or enjoyment of their broadcast is a combination of things.  As a musician I must be remiss to say the sound of their voice is crucial.  They can be physically appealing, but if their speaking voices are colloquial and not professional and refined I turn the channel.  It is unlikely anyone will change their speaking voices voluntarily mid life, unless a network or job requires it by studying drama, oration, or speech.  It shouldn't be an issue, because once these disciplines were crucial in society.  I took a speech class in college, and I learned about Shakespearean drama and operatic vocal production, and their need to project the human voice beyond the stage.  (This was before electrical amplification)  Drama and music  are Humanities, something America has abandoned as necessary for youth education.  Talent is a thing of the past, because somehow the immediacy and capability of the iPhone have suggested talent is not necessary.  You can shoot your own movie, and that is convenient.  Consequently the in depth processes of art have been side stepped.  In music composition the composition lives in the time it takes to compose it.  That requires a quiet nurturing environment rife with inspiration and creativity.  Try composing in a vacuum.  It doesn't work.  A professional can produce a quality work from sheer cognitive knowledge, and it may be substantial.  The best and most lasting pieces of music are created from human feeling, something with which Arnold Schoenberg would disagree.  I think Henry Cowell thinks the same thing.  Usually with these statements comes an inability to invoke the appropriate human feelings when needed.  Those with no feeling for the music or natural musical expression unfortunately are not remembered.  The human processes of sexuality and personality are a necessary evil in our lives.  Once in a while I will indulge in these fantasies and contemplate how a date might go if I were able to meet any of these women.  I know full well what it is about them that is appealing to me, because I am surrounded by base, ugly, ignorant people.  We have Phil Berger and the North Carolina State Legislator to thank for that.  Our teacher salaries are next to nothing, because those with money send their children to private school.  The common people have become abandoned.  Society needs a powerful infusion of energy, diversity, and creativity.  Debutantes no longer can fill the cheer leading squad.  We can't just "Leave Children Behind."  Unfortunately although George W. Bush tried to address issues in public education, his "No Child Left Behind" translated to teaching to the test.  Teaching is an art form.  When you can't teach, you teach teachers.  I had plenty of poor teachers in my college experiences, and many of them were at UNC-Chapel Hill.  On the other hand I received a full dose musical artistry, and understanding of its necessity in life.  When America doubts science, literature and the arts are not far behind.  The Donald Trump presidency is a modern day equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition.  It was a disguising snipe hunt.  (That is a bit broad, but it is a good reference for suggesting the severity of the damage ravaged during his presidency. There is a better title, and I will think of it presently.)  We are living in a modern American Dark Ages, and no one can disagree.  Until the basics of the economy and survival are reestablished, no more creative and artistic ideals can be nurtured.  I tried to compose in Cowtown after I left OSU, and I could not.  I do not compose now.  My heyday of composition was while working on cruise ships in an environment of civility, leisure, respect, and integrity.  There were bouts of Norovirus and other challenges, but the separation of the cruise ship from the rapidly deteriorating infrastructure of America and fascism of the rich was a blessing.