Monthly Archives: November 2012
‘Fiscal cliff’ poses dilemma
The “fiscal cliff” is (a) the nation’s route to financial ruin or (b) possibly the one mechanism to get the federal government’s spending practices into line. Take your pick. How does one learn more about the fiscal cliff, at which point the feds arrive on Dec. 31, 2012, absent a budget deal that overrides the […]
Hitting close to home
Reliving painful times can produce a sense of pride. Consider the highly acclaimed documentary, “The Dust Bowl,” which aired on KACV-TV on Nov. 18-19. It was directed by famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and it tells a story that thousands of our region’s residents know all too well. The four-hour documentary dissects the greatest manmade ecological […]
A frightening prospect looms … maybe
Ken Burns’ documentary, “The Dust Bowl,” has been getting high praise, and deservedly so. It also ought to send a chill to the descendants of those who lived through that terrible era in the 1930s. The documentary, which can be seen online at kacv.org, talks about how High Plains residents plowed the native grasslands into […]
Living a turkey’s life
Joe Hutto is as human as the rest of us. But he knows his turkeys. Indeed, the Florida naturalist knows turkeys so well he actually has “mothered” a brood of hatchlings to adulthood. His story is the subject of a PBS “Nature” program, to air Wednesday at 7 p.m. on KACV-TV. Hutto has been studying […]
Poor kids
One out of every 13 Americans is out of work today. The just-completed presidential campaign took note of the estimated 23 million Americans who cannot find work. And many of those unemployed Americans are parents of small children. So when someone is out of work, the effects are felt by those who depend on them for the […]
Voices of the young
Watching the PBS documentary “The Dust Bowl,” which premiered over the weekend on KACV-TV, one must be struck by many thoughts, even some emotions. My prevailing thought has been this: The people telling the story of the horror they endured while living along the High Plains in the 1930s are old now, but they were […]
This one could be decisive
It’s been said that vice-presidential debates don’t determine the outcome of presidential elections. Tonight’s face-off between Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan — the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively, for vice president — might be different. The debate occurs tonight at 8, and will air on KACV-TV. The venue for the debate […]
Imagining the worst …
Try to imagine going through absolute hell on Earth. Then multiply it by any factor you wish and you get an idea of the misery experienced by those who lived through the Dust Bowl. Ken Burns, the famed documentary filmmaker, has told a story that should be retold for as long as people live along […]
Ken Burns talks to the High Plains
Ken Burns is one of the world’s foremost documentary filmmakers. He’s also sitting down with Amarillo College’s Ellen Robertson Green to tell her about his latest project. It’s called “The Dust Bowl,” and it airs over four hours Nov. 18-19 on KACV-TV. Green’s conversation with Burns will be broadcast Thursday at 8 p.m.; the program will be rebroadcast at […]
Watch this program … then say ‘thank you’ to a veteran
Gary Sinise has played many roles in his distinguished film and television career. His most well-known role is his portrayal of “Lieutenant Dan” in the Oscar-winning film “Forrest Gump.” Lieutenant Dan suffered grievous wounds during the Vietnam War, losing both his legs. He returned home an angry young man. One of the men in his Army infantry platoon, […]
A Public View 