Mash up!

Tears for Fears was always one of my favorites back in my DJ days in the 80s.  (Roswell, New Mexico!)

When a friend of mine posted a video of Andy McKee playing “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” on guitar I knew I had to try to combine it with the Tears for Fears version.

So, here it is.  My first ever attempt at a Mashup.  Not perfect, but I hope you enjoy it.

And I hope it doesn’t get yanked off of YouTube :-)

Reptile Dysfunction

Don't you hate it when you've just popped some corn and the family gathers around for a little evening TV and one of those Cialis commercials comes on?  If no one is talking, suddenly someone brings up something, anything, so the family can talk instead of stare uncomfortably at the screen.

While I'm on the subject I've been wondering, just what is "Reptile Dysfunction?"  I live in the desert and see lots of reptiles.  I even came face to face with a rattlesnake a few Springs ago, not to mention a Gila Monster and numerous other slithery and scaly critters.  They all seemed fine.  Frankly, I'm a big fan of all the lizards that run around here.  It kinda brings out the big kid in me!  All of that excitement seeing a lizard dart up a wall or a snake crossing the street.  I don't think I've seen any reptile dysfunction.

What?  What's that you are saying?

Really?  Oh.  That's different.

Never mind.

April Foolin’

In general I'm not big into April Fool's Day.  Those that know me pretty well are usually surprised to hear that.  I tend to be a fun-loving guy who likes to laugh a lot.  I guess it can be surprising when I say that I have a tough time coming up with April Fool's pranks, or jokes, that are good.

Sure, stoopid April Fool's jokes are a dime a dozen.  Usually it's based on a lie that isn't hard to detect as a lie.  Everyone has an uncomfortable laugh and then gets on with the day.  Worse yet is a made up tragic story that causes wailing and sobbing only to be replaced by fists flying when the truth is revealed.

However, I do have one story of a joke that I actually planned out and pulled off that wasn't half bad.  This is that story.

It was years ago in Roswell, New Mexico.  I was the main Weather Anchor on the 6:00 and 10:00 news on KBIM-TV.  I brought my son and daughter to work with me on April Fool's Eve along with the suit and tie that I was going to wear the next night.  I used a photog to shoot the video.  By the 6:00 o'clock news on April Fool's night, I was ready.  I instructed my director to mess with the clipping on the weather wall shortly after I started my weather and then roll tape once I walked off camera.  It worked brilliantly.  Here's what the viewer saw that night in 1993: 

We came out of the commercial and I got 10 or 15 seconds into the weathercast when I started to fade in and out on the air.  I turned to the camera said, "something's not right, I'm gonna go check this out."  I then walked off camera and out the studio door with the camera following behind.  I walked into the control room and up to the "director" and it was my 4 year old son and 10 year old daughter.  My son had the headsets on and my daughter was at the controls of the switcher.  I looked at 'em and said, "I know it's your first time directing and all, but can you please try and get it right?"  They said in unison, "OK Dad.  NOT!"

I then walked back into the studio shaking my head and went on with the weather.

Fun times!  Great team work between a news photog, director, tape op and my kids.  My only regret is I didn't save a copy.

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Chris!  Seriously.

So, you want to be in TV News

Hilarious video a couple of my friends posted on Facebook.  The lure of bright lights and adoring fans draw so many to the business, but it’s in the trenches of busted equipment, long hours, working every holiday, annoying consultants and small towns that separate those that are truly talented, and driven (and few that are clueless but strikingly beautiful) from the those that thought it was gonna be all fun and flowers.

After you hang in for awhile and make it to a big market (or stay in a smaller one) then you can make a decent living and have folks stop you in the store asking you when it’s going to rain.

Hahaha! I remember getting so embarrassed when my gear would break down while interviewing a Congressman. Or working several Christmas’ in a row. I was poor, but I had a dream and I worked through it. I finally had a house and a nice contract and THEN I left. What is wrong with me?

Don’t answer that!

Sorry, Remodeling

Oops!  Really.  I didn’t mean to send my subscribers 37 emails last night.  Here’s what happened.

I moved the content from ShortForOrdinary.com over here to MikeShaw.tv and when I did it alerted my blog subscribers that there were a bunch of new blog entries!  Well, most of them were fairly old.  My only hope is that the deluge of notices wasn’t too annoying and perhaps you even read some of the new old entries?  I also hope that you can forgive my error.

Why move the stuff over?  I am trying to consolidate my brand and my blogs.  I have several out there and I am hoping to consolidate most of them here.  While I can’t change the name of my YouTube Channel from ShortForOrdinary to MikeShawTV I can move the content from ShortForOrdinary.com to MikeShaw.tv and forward ShortForOrdinary.com to this site.  That’s what I am doing.  I may be making some changes around here as well.

Again, sorry for the trouble.

Election Eve Reminiscing

This post is going to be more about my own personal journey this election cycle.  My life has changed a lot in the last year and a quarter.

I guess it started with the decision to leave Family Life Radio.  I was the News Director for a national radio network and living comfortably.  It was a good job, but there was a stirring in my heart for almost a year before I left.  After much prayer, and then a job change, I felt the timing was right to start my own business.  I jumped off a cliff into the world of web design and online video.  AgapeMedia.net, LLC was born.

As a news guy for 20 years, I was very interested in current events and politics.  Even before I broke into news really.  I remember being intensely interested when Nixon resign, watching that as a kid with my Dad.

As a weather anchor for many years and a fan of science it isn’t hard for me to understand the way I reacted in August of 2009.  My Congresswoman voted for Cap & Trade!  Are you kidding me?!  That in no way represented me.  In no way!  (did I mention that)  I had to do something!  I didn’t have to wait long.

About that time the Democratic Committee came out with an ad complaining about the “angry mobs” that were protesting the President’s agenda.  Bitter about the election the ad said.  American’s for Prosperity had a rally planned in front of Gabrielle Giffords office and I decided to do a story.  I took my FlipUltra HD down to the rally and I talked to this “angry mob” to expose them for who they were (are).

Caleb Howe had created a hastag on Twitter, #iamthemob.  That’s what I called the video.  That video was picked up by HotAir, Red State, Breitbart.tv and many many others.  theBCast interviewed me on their show!  It literally changed my life.  The Tucson Tea Party called and wanted me to do videos.  And I did.  “Signs of the Times” and “Not a Blue Dog” and one of my favorites, “Tucson Town Hall and Fun and Game Show.”  I also got involved in the Jesse Kelly campaign early on, doing a video when he took over for a town hall when Gabby Giffords canceled.

I was (and am) determined to send our self proclaimed Blue Dog Democrat packing.  After voting for Stimulus, Cap & Trade and Obamacare, she ain’t no Blue Dog!

In the last year I have had the privilege to get to know, and work with, candidates and public servants on all levels of local and state government and their wonderful staff and volunteers.  I am now an elected Precinct Committeeman and I have a new circle of wonderful Conservative friends.

What the future holds, I can’t say.  But I do know that on this election eve;  I am praying that our passion and hard work result in Conservatives sweeping into office in Congress and in the State Senate and House.  This country is awake and I am so happy to be working along side my Conservative friends to bring about the change that will get people working again.

These Rights We Hold to be Self Evident (funny how they aren’t evident at all to some).  We are endowed by our creator with unalienable rights!  Government need only be big enough to protect those God-given rights.  Then we are free!  Free to live, enjoy liberty and pursue happiness.  I pray that God grant us victory for He has truly blessed America.   believe that if we return to Him and His values that He isn’t done with us yet!  Blessed to be a blessing to the rest of the world.

Frustrated at Traffic? or Just Frustrated?

The answer is yes.  I am frustrated.  For me, my level of frustration at traffic is a good barometer of my overall mood.

I just got back from a trip to Phoenix.  Interstate 10 most of the way and that’s where my frustration begins.  Or is it?  I have to say that there isn’t a stretch of Interstate anywhere that I know of where that many people purposefully camp out in the left lane.  The speed limit is 75 through most of that stretch and most of the folks going 65 or 70 do hang out in the right lane.  However there are exceptions.  There are also a surplus of folk who go 74 and refuse to move into the right lane when faster cars approach them from the rear.  What is going on there?  Did their folks teach them wrong or not at all?  Are they too lazy to actually engage in the driving process?  Too lazy to actually change lanes as road conditions and traffic warrant?  It not only annoys me, but it’s dangerous!

EVERY time I drive to Phoenix I get annoyed with this bad driving behavior.  However, there is more going on here.  Many times, I am able to set aside my disgust and/or anger and cut the obviously bad drives some slack.  Maybe they weren’t taught by good driving parents like I was.  My Dad is a fantastic example of how to drive correctly, especially on cross country drives on the interstate.  Perhaps they don’t know any better.  (of course the signs that read, “Slow Traffic Keep Right” could be a helpful hint, but I digress)

In the Bible Paul talks about helping out our brothers with weaker faith.  Romans 14:1-3

¹Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. ²One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

Driving and eating meat aren’t exactly the same, but hopefully I am drawing the connection for you.  In Christianity, we accept our brothers and sisters who might have weaker faith and don’t pass judgment.  On the highway, when I am in the proper mood, I don’t pass judgment on poorer drivers because I figure they are just clueless and it’s not really their fault.

When I am in a bad mood, for whatever reason, I have a much harder time cutting slack.  It’s a good barometer for me.  Good mood, my gift of mercy is fully functional.  Bad mood, I struggle.

The solution lies in me.  These other drivers aren’t likely to change.  (I may still launch a Public Service Announcement campaign)  The answer lies within.  I gotta maintain the attitude of mercy.  Just because you (not you.  the proverbial you) can’t drive doesn’t mean I’m gonna let it ruin my night!  I will pray that God helps you because obviously you don’t have good driving examples in your life.  That shouldn’t make me mad.  It should, and does, make me sad :-(

One Reason I Left TV

It left me.

There are many reasons why I left, but a Newsbusters story this morning reminded of something that used to really bug me.

I used to anchor the morning news on two stations in Lubbock, Texas.  CBS13 from 5:30-6:00.  ABC28 from 6:00 – 7:00.  Back on CBS for news 7:00-8:00 and then weather cut-ins on CBS from 8:00-9:00.  Yeah, it was busy.

Occasionally, our producer would want some time off and some of those times, I would come in at Midnight and produce my own shows.  Part of that process is pulling down news stories (packages as they are called) from the various satellite feeds from the networks.  It used to bug me to no end how hard it was to find down the middle reporting.  I trusted many of our local reporters to give an honest look at both sides more than I did the supposed leaders of our industry!

Being a watcher of the news these days, and also an unapologetic conservative reporter in the “new media,” I can tell you that yes, it has gotten worse.  It seems like when the networks crowned Barack Obama as President the veil was lifted.  Network news isn’t unbiased reporting any more, rather it’s reporting with a liberal slant in much the same way that this blog and my videos are reporting with a conservative one.  I don’t mind so much that ABCBSNBC are liberal, except they try to pretend that they are fair!

So here’s the story from Newsbusters.  Seems the by a margin of 12:1, ABC, CBS and NBC have been reporting negatively on the new immigration law in Arizona.  No kidding (sarcasm).  Translation?  They are lying to the American people.  Propaganda even.  No wonder their ratings are down.  Americans are around 60% in favor of this law, and that’s even while they are bombarded by lies!  Honest reporting on the facts of the bill might even put a damper on some of the violent protests against the bill.  It couldn’t hurt anyway.  Certainly good journalism requires telling the truth.  Right?

Thank God that the term “media” is plural.  There are all sides being discussed on various mediums.  The TV networks used to do a better job of balancing themselves out.  Now we consumers of news have to turn to a variety of sources.

I don’t miss being on TV so much… well, maybe weather anchoring.  Maybe that’s why I started TucsonWeather.us.  See ya there!

and the Peeps

These guys are pretty entertaining even without Glady’s

Why I Hate the Proposed 1% Sales Tax in Arizona

And why you should too.

I have a friend who is a teacher in Tucson.   Recently on Facebook she asked for folks to support the proposed 1% sales tax to save her job.   She might be right.  If the sales tax goes through her job may be saved for awhile, but at what cost?  Most likely at the expense of thousands of other jobs in the state.

What really upsets me about this starts at the national level.  This is how misplaced priorities in Washington, D.C. trickle down to the state level and into our personal lives.  The Obama Administration has been determined to grow government instead of creating jobs.  He gives himself a B+.  If his aim is to vastly increase debt and the size of government, I’d say he’s about right so far, although passing the government takeover of health care might bump that up to an A-.

The so-called stimulus bill didn’t stimulate anything except for the growth of government.  That means at a time when tax revenues are low because so many people are out of work the government grew itself which demands even more revenue.  Since revenue is down we have to raise taxes and go deeper into debt.  This Administration is shattering records for debt creation all the while blaming the Bush Administration.  Shameless, wrong and dangerous.

The proven method of stimulating job growth and tax revenue is cutting tax rates for individuals and corporations.  It’s how Reagan got us out of the mess Carter created and it’s how George W. Bush saved the country from an economic disaster after the 911 attacks.

Instead, we have an administration that is very dangerously growing government and creating a HUGE debt load.  It is a huge drag on an economy that should already be pulling out of this deep recession.  Instead we have near 10% unemployment for the foreseeable future.

So, that brings me back to the proposed 1% sales tax in Arizona.  Instead of a better national economy that would spur the local economy, we have a high jobless rate and the State of Arizona is broke.  Now the debate is about;  do we agree to a 20% sales tax increase to save some teachers jobs? or do we reject higher taxes, save private sector jobs and watch teachers get layed off?  What a lousy choice.

I’m against the tax increase because a new tax increase will bog down the local economy even more than it is which will delay any hope we have of pulling out of this recession.  I know that “they” promise it’ll be “temporary,” but I know better than that.

I love my teacher friends.  You watch how this debate is going to be framed.  “It’s about the children.  If you are against the tax you hate children.”  They are going to pull on emotional strings to get folks to vote to increase their own taxes.  Because Obama has taken fiscally wise solutions off the table we are reduced to emotionally charged debates over the best ways to tax ourselves into deeper trouble.

If the self imposed sales tax increase is self imposed the problem ultimately isn’t solved.  We’ll just have to go back to well again and again.  More debt, more taxes, more jobs lost… a downward spiral.

We MUST have fiscal conservatives back in charge at the state level and at the federal level.  This debt is unsustainable and if we don’t apply proven solutions to the problem and fast, a 1% sales tax will be the least of our problems.

« Previous Page — Next Page »