There’s an old riddle that goes something like this: if a tree falls in
the forest and no one hears it – did it make a sound? And what if an
activist ”acts” and no one sees it – did it really happen? With
television, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, radio, etc. it’s
getting harder and harder to get noticed. Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator Julia King wonders how far a person should go to be heard
above all the noise:
Author: Julia King
Commentary – Working From Home
The gift-giving season has come and gone. Some folks ended up withsweaters that were two sizes too large, some folks got sparkly baubles,and lots of people were the beneficiaries of gifts promising to simplifytheir lives – including their work lives. With millions of Americansworking out of their homes, Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentatorJulia King thinks home-office life after the holidays is going to besmooth sailing! Or is it?:
Transcript
The gift-giving season has come and gone. Some folks ended up with sweaters that were two sizes too large; some folks got sparkly baubles; and lots of people were the beneficiaries of gifts promising to simplify their lives – including their work lives. With millions of Americans working out of their homes, Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator Julia King thinks home-office life after the holidays is going to be smooth sailing! Or is it?
Testing, testing, one, two, three. Testing, testing listen to me.
This is great. I’m standing in my living room right now because my generous, genius husband got me recording equipment for Christmas. I’m his very favorite NPR commentator. I think.
So, I used to have to go to an actual studio for this kind of thing. *LOOK AT MY PICTURE, MOMMY* Not now, honey. I had to get in my car (and burn fossil fuel), drive miles away (sometimes in snow or pouring rain) and then *VIOLIN PLAYS IN BACKGROUND* I’d hope that the engineer would show up.
Hey, Sweetheart. Mommy’s working here. Can I get a little cooperation? Thanks.
Anyway, one of the studios had this weird hum. We never could figure out exactly what it was… *MAN YELLS QUESTION IN BACKGROUND* I think I saw it in the upstairs bathroom.
I remember once I brought a big wool blanket into the studio and we hung it over some buzzing generator but it…
*PHONE RINGS*
Hello. Oh, hi. What’ cha doing? Oh yeah. That’s too funny. Hey, can I call you back? I’m actually recording right now. Uh huh. No. It’s serious, high-quality stuff. Stuart got it for me for Christmas. Yeah. Isn’t that great? Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.
So the wool blanket didn’t work. And the other studio was, well, let’s just say we had a
minor disagreement about my importance. You know how that is.
Generally speaking, the only downside to this whole commentary thing has been the recording aspect. Now it’s like all my problems *DOG BARKS* are solved. Can somebody let the dog out? Now I’m going to be working all the time. Wow. I recommend this set up to anybody who’s considering working for radio.
This is fabulous. I wonder what great idea my husband will come up with next year for Christmas. I hope he gets me a snow-cone maker.
Commentary – Hand-Me-Downs
When seasons are in transition they silently urge us to take stock. Suddenly we remember that there are blankets in the cedar chest andwinter boots in the closet – boots that are now three sizes too smallfor little Johnny. And as old leaves drop to replenish new soil, GreatLakes Radio Consortium commentator Julia King takes a lesson from natureand tries to reuse the old:
Transcript
When seasons are in transition they silently urge us to take stock. Suddenly we
remember that there are blankets in the cedar chest and winter boots in the closet – boots
that are now three sizes too small for little Johnny. And as old leaves drop to replenish
new soil, Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Julia King takes a lesson from
nature and tries to reuse the old.
When the days grow shorter, leaves drop from the trees, and the air grows crisp, it’s That
Time again. “That Time” is when parents experience the joy of coming together with a
child and sorting through clothes for the next season.
“That Time” often means the presentation of the environmentally sound, economically
wise, age-old Hand-Me-Down. Hand-Me-Downs are wonderful clothes with history and
personality and also, they are free.
Parents, due to their genetic and fiscal make-up, love Hand-Me-Downs. Children, due to
an apparent desire to make their parents loony, hate Hand-Me-Downs. For better or
worse, the ritual goes something like this:
My up-to-this-minute perfectly healthy daughter puts on a pair of hot pink pants from her
cousin and suddenly she is unable to stand. Her legs wobble; her feet turn in; her head
begins to swirl in circles.
“They don’t fit! They don’t fit!” she screams like a hyena. I pretend not to notice. I pull
out shirts that will match the pants.
“Those are great!” I say. “Try this shirt.” The shirt immediately turns her spine to rubber.
Waves ripple through her body as she grabs for the tag in the back.
“It’s scratchy! It’s scratchy!” she says, like Jan in the Brady Bunch itching powder
episode. She hops up and down while I fawn over a pair of plaid overalls with a big rip
in the crotch.
“I can sew that up in no time!” I smile, pretending I can sew.
As one torturous outfit replaces the next, time begins to slow. Both parent and child are
sure we’ve been at this for days, months, maybe longer.
And then it happens:
“You ought to be grateful to have clothes at all!” I say. “Do you know there are children
with nothing to wear? Even in winter. No coats. No shoes. Nothing. How would you
like that?” I ask.
She would not like that, she concedes. I continue like the parents of untold generations
past, like the grown-ups on the Charlie Brown specials: “Wahwahwah LANDFILLS
OVERFLOWING wah, wah wah, EXPLOITED GARMENT WORKERS,
wahwahwah GRATITUDE.”
“OKAY!” She says. And it’s over. I’ve done my job; she’s done her job. There’s
nothing more to do – until spring comes.
Commentary – All Natural Irritability
In growing numbers, Americans are bypassing traditional medicine and getting "back to nature" for what ails them. From chamomile tea to St. John’s Wort, herbal remedies are becoming wildly popular. The move toward nature could be a sign that we are finally understanding our connections to the Earth. Then again, Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia King, wonders if we aren’t just trading one vice for another:
Commentary – Snack Attack
Ethiopia is in the news again, as drought causes renewed famine
in the country. Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing record
high
obesity rates, with 1 out of every 4 children overweight. Great Lakes
Radio Consortium commentator Julia King wonders if our nation’s
pampered youth can ever feel kinship with their starving counterparts:
Commentary – The Grass Is Always Greener
With warm weather comes America’s annual lawn competition.
Homeowners spend time and money in an effort to achieve a thick, green
carpet of grass, sometimes hiring professionals to apply herbicides,
pesticides, and fertilizers to their yards. Great Lakes Radio
Consortium
commentator, Julia King, is opting out of what she considers an
unhealthy
practice. For this, she hopes to be rewarded:
Intimate Disclosure
Warm weather means sprinklers, car washings, and
jumbo plastic pools. In the Great Lakes region, where water is
virtually everywhere, we sometimes need to be reminded that water is a
precious resource. Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia
King, can think of at least one way to conserve – but technology is
thwarting her effort:
Responsible Pet Ownership?
According to the Humane Society and the American Bird
Conservancy, hundreds of millions of small animals and birds are killed
each year by domestic cats. The two organizations are working together
in an effort named “Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and
Cats.” But Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia King,
wonders just how safe is too safe:
Second Best
There’s something enchanting about the crisp feel of a brand new shirt
or the scent of a book that’s never been read. In our preference for
what’s new, Americans toss about 116-million tons of what’s old into
landfills each year. But commentator Julia King suspects that if we
took the time to look (and listen), we’d find that it’s not only the
shiny and new that’s worth keeping:
All Natural Irritability
In growing numbers, Americans are bypassing traditional medicine and
getting “back to nature” for what ails them. From chamomile tea to St.
John’s Wort, herbal remedies are becoming wildly popular. The move
toward nature could be a sign that we are finally understanding our
connections to the Earth. Then again, Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator, Julia King, wonders if we aren’t just trading one vice for
another: