OBSERVATIONS Written

A girl focused on her laptop 9/8

There was a girl in sitting on one of the classrooms focused on her laptop. Her eyes were filled with lightened shape of the computer screen. The older woman sitting next to the girl said something; the girl didn’t look in her direction but she smiled.

Words in the hallway 9/8

From the outside it looks like any other campus. Step inside Chattanooga State, you will find wide gray hallways with brown doors occasionally peeking open. Floor to ceiling nothing much stands except hanging from the ceiling; little inspiration quotes like “never let fear keep you from trying.” Small encouraging words can have a lasting impact.

Security guards 8/8

Smoke alarms guard the classrooms, waiting for a hint of smoke. Multiple warning lights alert of potential pressing danger. Yet no sprinkler system exists to protect the building from possible flames.

Making life easier 6/9

Many of the students at Chattanooga State have the tough job of balancing school, work, and their children. Here on campus there are facilities that meet the needs of working parents such as a playground and daycare; making life for full time parents that much easier.

Nature’s palate 7/9

The lights dance off the Tennessee River. The river serves as a theatrical backdrop to a campus already blessed with beauty. The state of the art buildings only add to nature’s palate.

Looming in the lobby 9/8

A sculpture looms in the lobby outside of class. It is a tripod of wood encasing steel on a low stage. The metal has been twisted into shapes and the wood is scarred with saw marks.

Littering unsecured halls 7/9

Chattanooga State’s business department students have observed that every semester the halls of the Omni Building are littered with desks, chairs, podiums and unidentifiable equipment from unknown sources. The items are usually stored in the unsecured halls for weeks or months. Some are marked as surplus with a request for the items to be removed.

The funniest video ever, see #5

What a funny video!  If you want another smile, check out this one-minute example of e-commerce gone bad … just skip to

Offshoring

OFFSHORING: Disappearing Dreams

By KEN BERRY, kwberry@email.unc.edu

The Internet has made outsourcing easy, leading more companies in the United States to seek inexpensive labor overseas. Amid the global proliferation of information technologies, however, our nation is experiencing new challenges, underscored by the loss of jobs to foreign countries, high unemployment rates, and unprecedented frustration among consumers who lament widespread deterioration of customer service.

“Offshore” production of car parts, electronics and garments for American companies was sporadic prior to the 1960s, when major auto makers began building assembly plants abroad. By the 1990s, manufacturing jobs were being offshored at unprecedented rates. During the past decade, many U.S. companies, including giants like IBM and Procter & Gamble, began sending sought-after, high-paying white collar jobs to India, where cheaper employees with remarkable IT savvy are available around the clock to write software codes, process home loans, read Xrays and file tax returns—for a fraction of the compensation.

Though its dominance has been challenged in recent years by other Asian nations including China, Vietnam and Malaysia, India still appears to be the offshore king, with higher rates of fluency in English, a better-educated work force and superior IT schools and universities. JP Morgan Chase, the second largest U.S. bank, planned during 2009 to increase its outsourcing to India by 25 percent, spending nearly $400 million. During the past decade, Dell computer, a company synonymous with outsourcing customer service to India, has sent most of its requirement there, though the experience has been less than seamless.

A 2006 report by CNN Money.com called into question the quality of services abroad, reporting enthusiasm for offshore call centers “isn’t delighting anyone.” It cited an earlier Gartner, Inc. study predicting “60 percent of firms outsourcing customer-facing processes” will see hoards of frustrated consumers switch allegiances. To wit, Dell this month ranks 153 out of 237 firms listed at CustomerServiceScoreboard.com, with 81 negative comments out of 87 documented responses, including:

•“OMG, everyone is having the same problem I have. I spoke to over 20 people in the last week.”

•“Dell can go to hell. Worst service ever.”

•“This is … why USA is going down, outsourcing our jobs to countries like India, people who you cannot understand…”

Efficiencies of sub-contracting nations or their products aside, “there are hidden perils and costs associated with outsourcing that have the potential to create unintended and untoward consequences,” observed Duke University scholar Sridhar Sourirajan in a 2004 paper, “Globalization and Offshore outsourcing.” Outsourcing “has always been part of the American economic engine, and after coping with the current wave of political backlash … will continue to happen.”

Though condemnation of offshoring is not universal among economists, the hidden perils referred to by Sourirajan presumably include devastating U.S. job loss. According to a 2003 report in USA Today, some 2.6 million jobs in the manufacturing sector were lost in the first three years of the new millennium, with the loss of another 3.3 million jobs forecast by 2018. This estimate appears conservative, with 11.1 million people currently unemployed in the U.S. The “hemorrhaging of American jobs … at a record pace” epitomized our recession in 2008, a year during which the American dream was put on hold for another 2.6 million unemployed workers. “The jobs aren’t coming back, that’s for sure,” said John McCarthy, an analyst for Forrester Research during his interview for the USA Today piece. The big question, of course, is when will they stop leaving for foreign shores?

FIVE FEARS

1. UNEMPLOYMENT–Job Loss, for many workers, translates to “financial and emotional havoc,” according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed adults. The potential for poverty or financial hardship—including the loss of home or health—exists for many if not most Americans in want of gainful employment. I fear we will experience escalating unemployment as the offshoring of white collar jobs continues to increase.

2. ECONOMIC DECLINE—Offshoring facilitates the transfer of manufacturing and wealth to foreign nations, resulting in correlating shifts and imbalances in power and influence. I fear a weakening economy may result in military and security compromises.

3. DETERIORATION OF PRODUCT QUALITY–Customer service notwithstanding, frequent news reports about tainted foods, faulty cars, and inferior textiles produced offshore may merely be tips of icebergs. I fear that regular announcements by governments of foreign nations about their crackdowns on manufacturing and processing of inferior exported goods (including, for example, defective drywall materials produced in China) are merely rhetoric.

4. DIMINISHED AFFLUENCE— According to economist Paul Rosenberg, the loss of economic prosperity and American affluence, along with an “entitlement problem,” began in the 1980s at the dawn of the information revolution, when “private wages and benefits stopped growing for the bottom 90% of income earners.” I fear globalization will continue to translate to the sharing of once-vast American resources in a disproportionate way with worldwide partners. Before the ink has dried on new U.S. legislation, innovative offshore entrepreneurs are already planning to capitalize on expanded healthcare while a relatively new phenomenon, personal offshoring, is catching on among some Americans hoping to maintain their standards of living.

5. INCREASED EXPOSURE TO ID THEFT—Losses of property and privacy in recent years to Internet scammers is fearsome. With remarkable foresight, a government handbook issued in 1997 included a warning about risks inherent in globalized communication—relevant in view of today’s proliferating technologies: “The use of an electronic channel to deliver products and services introduces unique risks for an institution due to the increased speed at which systems operate and the broad access in terms of geography, user group, applications, databases, and peripheral systems. In addition to the unique risks, traditional risks that are similar to those in customary banking activities are also present.”

SIX RESOURCES

The ethics of outsourcing customer service

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2007/ca20070927_836850.htm

This blog by highly-regarded consultant Bruce Weinstein condemns offshored customer service as “bad for business.” The overview is less critical of offshoring in general, and suggests businesses consider anything legal in order to survive, or to maximize profits, in the current economy.

An extraordinary, insightful look at outsourcing issues in general

http://www.soc.duke.edu/outsourcing/documents/sridhar.pdf

This scholarly paper by Sridhar Sourirajan examines offshoring arguments that continue to rage between businesses and “increasingly skittish employees who constitute the core of the American middle class.” With “everything is up for grabs,” the author concludes we are more susceptible to outsourcing, as well as the increasing destabilization of the middle class.

The impact of offshoring on the United States

http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2003-08-05-outsourcing_x.htm

An overview of offshoring and related economic issues, published as the United States began to send white collar jobs abroad. The piece provides perspective about labor cost variances between the U.S. and foreign nations, and why India has emerged as the leading provider of telemarketing and customer service.

How India became our back office (onyen required)

http://scholar.google.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/scholar?hl=en&q=outsourcing+to+india&btnG=Search&as_sdt=40000000000&as_ylo=&as_vis=0

This paper by Jurgen Schaaf (for Deutsche Bank Research) is an excellent source guide chronicling India’s ascendance as a global IT power and explaining its dominance as the leading offshore provider of quality IT-based services and business processing outsourcing.

The perceived impact of outsourcing on organizational performance

http://www.bsu.edu/mcobwin/majb/?p=146

This paper by Dean Elmuti of Eastern Illinois University published in the American Journal of Business advocates well-constructed outsourcing strategies with clear objectives, well-vetted outsourcing partners, and adequate planning. Elmuti claims “the world has embraced the phenomenon of

India emerges as a major player

http://www.bus.wisc.edu/erdman/pubs/Newsletter/Summer05.pdf

This 2005 newsletter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business points out the emerging pattern of offshore jobs flowing into India due to the country’s strong technical education systems in management and engineering, and “high levels of English competence among its educated elite. An increasing number of jobs (in India) involve the processing of information rather than material, a phenomenon of the Information Age.”

FIVE SOLUTIONS

What might we do to curb escalating globalization resulting from the Internet? As discussed in JoMC 710, lawmaking has not begun to keep up with technology. Data is proliferating so quickly that even search engines can’t keep pace. And we read this week our data storage requirement in a few years may double every 73. We’re like tinhorns in flip flops trying to lasso a wild horse. The Internet helped us get here, it will have to help us get out. Relying on existing and future Internet technologies, I think the unbridled spread of offshoring will ultimately be slowed or stopped by initiatives coming from different directions and likely in the following areas:

1. LEGISLATION: Despite potential adverse impact on outsourcing customers and vendors within the U.S., anti-offshoring legislation has increased dramatically. In 2004, the number of bills to restrict offshoring exceeded 200, compared to only five the previous year. Proposals generally seek to limit or stop offshoring when state aid is involved, or if personal identity information is included in transferred data.

2. ISOLATION: Limiting the flow of imported and exported goods was likely top-of-mind for leaders of 17 of 20 nations at a 2008 summit to brainstorm the global economic crisis. Incredibly, after agreeing to avoid “protectionist steps that could spark a global trade war,” all seventeen, including the U.S., Russia and China reneged, implementing measures aimed at slowing imports. Their action underscores the difficulty industrial nations will face in developing a viable but necessary mutual approach.

3. INCENTIVES: A report last summer in Business Week suggested that “America’s massive wave of offshoring could come to a grinding halt,” thanks in part to “some nifty incentives to keeping stateside.” Local government has offered generous statutory tax credits and negotiated economic incentives to induce corporate taxpayers to move and develop operations in their backyard. But the same piece acknowledged “near-shoring” would also represent an unlikely gigantic shift because annual worldwide business process outsourcing, according to an IDC report, has reached $168.5 billion in revenues.

4. TARIFFS: A hotly-debated topic, tariffs imposed on imported goods have occasionally been effective in manufacturing, but could be more problematic in the services sector. At least one congressman isn’t afraid of the potential trade war that might loom with new tariffs. Sen. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina wants to leave Iraq and Afghanistan and declare a trade war. “Congress must organize to do battle by correlating the Special Trade Representative and other entities of trade into a new Department of Trade and Commerce,” he says. “We don’t need any new trade laws; all we need is to enforce the laws on the books.”

5. PROSECUTION: New evidence suggests offshoring has been “far more common in the past” than thought. According to the Wall Street Journal, the IRS has been overwhelmed during a recent clemency program by tax cheats admitting they evaded taxes. Aggressive prosecution of parties abetting illicit offshoring activity is also apt to contribute to a solution.

–Ken Berry, March 31, 2010

An Indian Fighter’s Widow: Libbie Custer’s Plunge into Public Relations

KEN BERRY, kwberry@email.unc.edu

SECTION ONE: LIBBIE CUSTER

Elizabeth Custer’s idyllic 12-year marriage to Civil War hero, George Armstrong Custer, ended on June 25, 1876, when he and his cavalry battalion were killed by Indian warriors. President Ulysses Grant blamed the tragedy on Custer’s recklessness. Others claimed Custer disobeyed orders. Libbie, 34, a heartbroken, penniless widow would never take another husband and spent the next 57 years defending his reputation. Decades before public relations emerged as a vocation, when ‘respectable women’ worked only as teachers or dressmakers, Libbie created a career by speaking and writing books and articles perpetuating her own perfect image of her slain husband.

In contrast to hundreds of books devoted to General Custer, few credible biographies about Libbie have been published; I identified three. The purpose of my search project is to distinguish key tactics Libbie employed in order to mitigate negative publicity about her husband following his death, and to speculate about them and their long term impact.

SECTION TWO: BEST AND WORST WEB SITES WITH DATA ABOUT LIBBIE CUSTER

THE FIVE BEST

1. TITLE: Libbie Custer’s Last Stand: Image Restoration

WEB ADDRESS: UNC LIBRARY SYSTEM (Onyen required)

http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/ehost/results?vid=1&hid=7&sid=f3c33605-303c-46d8-a004-8f00007f82f7%40sessionmgr14&bquery=%28libbie+custer%27s+last+stand%29&bdata=JmRiPWFwaCZkYj1idWgmZGI9dWZoJmRiPXBzeWgmZGI9aGNoJnR5cGU9MSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d

This scholarly online document includes a bibliography consisting of some 265 newspapers and magazines, providing much useful, credible data relating to the publicity efforts of Libbie Custer.

This site provides considerable perspective about Libbie’s approach to restoring and preserving her husband’s image.

Despite occasional factual errors, most involving ages and dates, this (Academic Search Premier) document contains a wealth of unique and credible information culled from considerable research by authors, whose credentials are included.

2. TITLE: Monroe (Michigan) Library System

WEB ADDRESS:

http://monroe.lib.mi.us/books_movies_music/special_collections/custer_news.htm

Indexed pages dedicated to Libbie, along with reliable, related links, provide a credible overview of Libbie’s background and activities as presented by the press to the citizens of Monroe Michigan, where she grew up.

Though not particularly user-friendly in terms of navigation, the site appears to contain bits of unique information.

This site provides perspective about Libbie’s evolving personality and devotion to her husband through numerous newspaper and periodical reports (about personal activities and events like her last visit to Monroe at age 74 to attend the funeral of General Custer’s younger brother, Neville).

Trivial nuggets of information tucked between mundane reports provide visitors a sense of Libbie as a young woman, as well as her later indefatigable work to lionize her controversial husband.

3. TITLE: The Woman Behind the Myth

WEB ADDRESS: UNC LIBRARY SYSTEM/ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER (Onyen required)

http://web.ebscohost.com.libprost/resultsadvanced?vid=2&hid=5&sid=b723d5ec-3135-4e98-9499-a354982bddcc%40sessionmgr10&bquery=(the+woman+behind+the+myth)&bdata=JmRiPWFobCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d

This comprehensive, well-written online article by educator Shirley Leckie published in 1993 (American History Illustrated) provides considerable information about Libbie’s role in advancing her husband’s early career, as well as her later life in New York, including her efforts to create and maintain her husband’s heroic image following his death.

The document (ranking first on my CARS scale for this project) contains detail about Libbie’s influence on General Custer’s biographers, before and after her death.

4. TITLE: Kansas State Historical Society

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www.kshs.org/portraits/custer_elizabeth.htm

This site contains credible biographical and background information about Libbie during the five years she and her husband spent in Kansas following the Civil War.

The site provides a sense of Libbie’s adaption to life on the Plains, where she apparently became a prolific letter-writer.

User-friendly and accurate, the site contains links to interesting, if not useful, information about Libbie.

5. TITLE: Little Big Horn Associates

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www.thelbha.org/siteMap.shtml

This site, not fully accessible to non-members (there is a small registration fee), contains extensive information including accurate and rare historic articles, documents and military reports, as well as a subjective listing of the top 35 books about George Armstrong Custer. (Two of three books acclaimed for their depiction of Libbie, but not accessible online, are included in the rankings–General Custer’s Libbie, by Lawrence Frost, 1976; and Touched by Fire, by Louise Barnett, 2006.)

Links and member posts at this site sometimes include reliable data. Member posts, however, are frequently uninformed and biased, containing an abundance of misinformation and disinformation.

THE FIVE WORST

1. TITLE: Biblioteca.net

WEB ADDRESS

http://biblioteca.universia.net/html_bura/ficha/params/id/44536151.html

This garish, poorly-designed site sponsored by a university in Madrid, Spain, is dizzying to read. Though containing accurate information, data is presented so poorly as to suggest the data is not credible.

The site contains no links. Text is not webified for scanning.  It contains a mishmash of secondary content apparently aggregated from BYU University.

2. TITLE: Nationmaster Encyclopedia

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Elizabeth-Bacon-Custer

Site contains bias and dismisses the three books written by Libbie as “brilliant pieces of propaganda,” though they continue to be viewed favorably by historians.

The content is secondary, generally available on other Custer sites.

Data on the site is neither extensive nor well-presented.

3. TITLE: Texas State Historical Association

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www1.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/fcuqt.html

Unlike the Kansas State Historical Society site, this site lacks substance while presenting disparate attention on the Custer’s brief time in Texas.

Site contains no links or other navigational aids.

4. TITLE: Electric Scotland.com

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/custer.htm

This site contains a blog with considerable bias and misinformation. It contains no links relating to Libbie. Content is not webified for scanning.

The site is neither credible nor sourced. Its author is uniformed; for example, a closing reference to “two Scots” appears to allude to Libbie and her husband, who biographers describe as Pennsylvania Dutch; the Appomatox surrender table was presented by General Sheridan not only to Libbie, but to Libbie and her husband, who accepted the white flag of surrender; and the notion General Custer “utterly failed to distinguish himself in any positive way” at West Point is refuted by records of excellence in disciplines including tactics and horsemanship.

5. TITLE: Elizabeth Custer Library & Museum

WEB ADDRESS:

http://www.custerlibrary.org/newsbhc.htm

Little information about Libbie is contained at this site, despite its mission to support a museum in her honor.

Site lacks the look and feel of professionalism, with no hyperlinks. The design is difficult to read and not conducive to scanning.

SECTION THREE: CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING LIBBIE CUSTER WEB SITES (MY TOP 10)

1. ACCURACY

Due to the historical nature of my research (about a woman married to a myth-like hero), accuracy was my primary concern. Because misinformation and disinformation about General Custer appear to have been the rule rather than the exception for more than a century now, I was especially alert to factual errors about him or Libbie, viewing them as huge red flags.

2. UNIQUE INFORMATION

Uniqueness of information was also a top priority. Though two scholarly books about Libbie during the last 50 years contain rare and unpublished information, the preponderance of what has been written about Libbie appears dull, redundant and meager—particularly in view of Libbie’s known energy and proclivity to follow her husband to the edge of battlefields. I sought resources that provided specificity as to her interpersonal skills, her writing background and how, and with whom, she battled following her husband’s death.

3. COVERAGE

Coverage, another high priority, proved an exasperating pursuit.  A frustrating lack of detail exists at most websites, and I was even surprised to find what I recognized as factual errors and bias in scholarly papers at libraries. Each time I was on the verge of changing topics, however, I stumbled upon an encouraging, seemingly-remarkable nugget of information or an enlightening article at one of the sites above.

4. QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LINKS

Links I followed sometimes proved to be more fruitful than websites found using recommended search strategies. Early on in the assignment, I began assessing the quality of hyperlinks in terms of the quality of information they led me to.

5. RELEVANCE

Researching a minor historical figure was problematic mostly because many sites are secondary, or they publish redundant information that could not support my research. No website I found contained too much information. The opposite was generally true.  As relevance became a top concern, I was able to locate various accessible html text documents to support my project.

6. SITE OWNERSHIP

A few awful blogger sites, likely motivated by Hollywood, were instantly recognizable as such. I quickly began to value information posted by historical societies and libraries. I did not include any of several interesting sites maintained by bloggers among my top sites.

7. CURRENCY

Websites containing information demonstrating awareness of recently-published data were important to me, since considerable information about Libbie Custer appears only to have been published in the past half century. For example, I was pleased to find, and include, an essay by author Shirley Leckie, a Florida professor who after years of meticulous research, published in 1993 what some critics have characterized as the best-ever book on Libbie Custer.

8. ANTI-BIAS

I avoided sites reflecting extreme bias, many of which depict Libbie as a saint or her husband as a fool. In a few cases, good page design suggesting credibility tricked me, but disinformation or bias eventually jumped out. In the same way her perceived beauty and charm endeared her to diplomats and soldiers, photographs of Libbie, along with her devotion to a fallen hero, apparently inspire romantics to create online tributes to her.

9. CREDIBILITY

Along with accuracy and reliability, credibility of posted material was all-important. Many sites with seemingly plausible data lack authorship, citations or bibliography. I spent little time with them but always followed their links.

10. EASE OF USE

This became more important as the deadline approached. As time slipped away, I paid more attention to links and navigational aids. I discovered tidbits of unique historical information at the New York Times website, where visitors may scan NYT archives dating back to 1851. But navigation within archives proved especially slow and cumbersome, sometimes resulting nothing more than mention of my topic within in a lengthy society piece.

NOTES

I did not include online books among resources used for this project, though I read or browsed those written by Libbie Custer, as well as online excerpts from Shirley Leckie’s lauded Elizabeth Bacon Custer and the Making of a Myth (1993) and Jeremy Poolman’s attempt at non-fiction, A Wounded Thing Must Hide: In Search of Libbie Custer (2002). Archives from the New York Times were often interesting, as was a 1897 article in the Milwaukee Journal depicting one of her lengthy speeches about life on the frontier, and another more bias piece in the same paper 65 years later–though I did not include newspaper sites among my online sources.

Love, and Trading Privacy for Privilege

My response to reading the privacy policy

posted at one of my favorite websites

My best friend, Charlie, a 42-year-old Las Vegas financier, reached me on my cell phone as I entered my home in Hawaii with an armful of groceries.  Excitedly, he announced he had finally found the woman of his dreams and planned to marry her.  He directed me to put down my groceries and get to a computer. Five years earlier, I’d sensed a similar urgency in Charlie’s voice, albeit more somber, when he implored me to get out of bed and turn on TV during the attack on the World Trade Center.  Now, at my computer, he told me to join MySpace.

A few clicks later, I was a full-fledged MySpacer, gawking at the photo of his gorgeous, prospective fiancé on her profile page.  As he carried on about their future lives together, I checked out her well-designed site. She was a singer, dancer and actress, living in Hawaii like me.  She also had twelve zillion friends, and I mentioned to Charlie he didn’t appear to be one of them.  His fantasy exposed, he admitted their relationship was in its infancy.  I promised to find a way to introduce them when Charlie was next in Hawaii, terminating the conversation in order to put my groceries in the refrigerator. Later, like a kid with a new toy, I explored MySpace.  Though most members appeared to be younger, and pseudonyms were the rule rather than the exception, I wound up inviting users of all ages and walks of life, to become my friends.

Everybody does it

The last thing on my mind that day was the privacy waiver I’d approved with a single click, while being walked through the process of joining.  After all, Charlie, the president of a sizable mortgage and finance company, as well as a former officer in the Army’s elite Special Forces, wouldn’t lead me into a virtual minefield, would he?

Challenged this past week to reflect on privacy policies, I examined the current privacy policy posted at MySpace.  Struggling to put approximately 2,500 words of fine print into context, I began to see how a social networking site might be an excellent resource for ID pirates, spammers and scammers. Among the majority of consumers who don’t bother to read fine print, I wondered whether I would click ‘approve’ so quickly now, knowing what I think I know.

Well, probably. I haven’t logged on much this past year, but MySpace turned out to be a positive and educational experience.  I reconnected with old friends including a nomadic paraglider pilot with whom I’d lost contact; an estranged songwriter with whom I had once collaborated; and a distant nephew in high school.

Besides, how practical is it to read fine print when it matters most?  Hertz won’t negotiate  terms printed in small text with individuals waiting in line to rent cars; Visa won’t create special terms for the endless stream of needy credit card applicants; and attempts to persuade insurance agents to waive exclusions appearing in tiny words on their applications are apt to fall on deaf ears.  If you want homes, cars, credit and insurance, well, please initial here and here and here!  Just forfeit a bit of privacy for the privilege! If you want to be a MySpace social networker and enjoy the site’s coolest features, just click “approve!”

The price of privilege

Reading the MySpace privacy policy was nevertheless disturbing, and I found myself re-reading numerous paragraphs:

1. The posted policy acknowledges MySpace’s use and sharing of personally identifiable information (PPI—which includes “your full name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, or credit card number”).
2. The policy states My Space, “upon materially changing its practices regarding collection or use” of my information,” will ensure the information will continue to be governed by the policy under which it was collected”. That is, unless I have been provided notice of, and have not objected to, the changes.
3. The policy advises third party advertisements may contain cookies, not controlled by MySpace, and furthermore it is my responsibility to check the privacy policy of those advertisers to see whether and how they use cookies.

I was coherent when I provided personal information to MySpace that first day. But I failed to assume it would be shared, presumably moving quickly to the information superhighway. Too, I didn’t realize it would be up to me to protect my information by monitoring the site’s advertisers and their respective use of cookies, which for me would involve a higher degree of technical proficiency and more spare time.  And I don’t recall ever receiving notification of policy changes.

With my blood pressure climbing, I took some comfort in verbiage appearing midway through the fine print:

“When you voluntarily provide PII to MySpace, we will make sure you are informed about who is collecting the information, how and why the information is being collected and the types of uses MySpace will make of the information to the extent it is being used in a manner that differs from what is allowed pursuant to this Privacy Policy.”

Hmmm. Maybe not that much comfort, given the doublespeak. I don’t recall receiving a single email from MySpace during the last four years. Despite hundreds of visits, I don’t recall prompts, pop-ups or notices pertaining to privacy at the site. What might a contract attorney say? The right to privacy is a principle as old as common law, “but it has been found necessary from time to time to define anew the exact nature and extent of such protection,” according to a fascinating 120-year-old essay from the Harvard Law Review. Since lawmakers and their definitions have not kept up with technology, I can empathize with MySpace’s dilemma.

What to do

Meanwhile, the remaining small print says there are steps MySpace users may take to opt out of accepting various conditions, including information collection by third party companies. Naturally, in exercising such options, users lose or risk losing cool features.

Finally, the privacy policy explains users may opt out entirely, though MySpace will retain “any record of your PII that is necessary to comply with applicable federal, state or local law.”

It’s probably time for me to opt out entirely.  Most of my MySpace friends don’t go there anymore. My nephew moved away to attend college. The Dixie Chicks stopped performing. Hillary was defeated. My flying buddy and my songwriter friend migrated to Facebook. Charlie hangs out on Facebook, too, still looking for true love.

–By KEN BERRY

MY ADVICE

To: MyFacebookSpaceNews.com

From: Ken Berry, Advisor

Subject: My Review of Libel Complaint filed by David Simmons

___________________________________________________

After reviewing the article, “Six Killed in Pair of Wrecks,” published on Dec.  2, 2009, it is my opinion the libel complaint filed by David Simmons (Plaintiff) is weak. Moreover, MyFacebookSpaceNews.com’s exposure, I feel, might be mitigated by 1) taking steps to secure documentation including notes and files that might help establish truthfulness, accuracy and professional handling of information used in processing the article; and 2) continuing investigation into facts of the incident, and possible publication of a follow-up clarification, or retraction, in the event it is determined inaccurate or misleading information was in fact published.

Here is the basis for my opinion:

1. The preponderance of published information appears to be essentially true.
2. With the possible exception of comments of Sgt. Ruggiero and witness Robin Hubier, I see nothing to suggest culpability, unless it turns out there are factual errors which might be held up as examples of recklessness, and strengthen the plaintiff’s allegations of negligence.
3. Published comments of Ruggiero and Hubier will be central to the plaintiff’s case.  Since the witness, Hubier, is reported to have said she merely “heard a sound and saw something, but that’s about all,” the plaintiff will argue published contradictory remarks alluding to speed, drunkenness and stupidity are opinionated, prejudicial and reckless. To help MyFacebookSpaceNews.com present plausible explanation for publishing Hubier’s opinion pertaining to the driver of the van being “in too much of a rush” and “too stupid to know when it’s unsafe to drive,” it is my suggestion you move quickly to depose both Hubier and Ruggiero in order to establish their testimony on record.
4. Provided Ruggiero’s identification of the plaintiff as the driver of the van is in keeping with standard procedures and policies of his department, and provided it is indeed true that the plaintiff was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, it is my opinion statements attributed to Ruggiero are protected by the First Amendment.

Will the Court declare Simmons a vortex public figure?

Notwithstanding prominence the plaintiff might enjoy on campus and as a vice president of his school’s SADD chapter, it is my opinion the court will classify Simmons as a private citizen rather than public or limited vortex public figure. I think it can be argued he was not drawn into the eye of the public, but rather contributed to his own immersion as a licensed driver with inherent responsibility for attentiveness to prevailing road conditions and safety, whether he was cited for carelessness or not.

What is the requisite standard of fault?

The plaintiff will argue libel occurred because reasonable and ordinary care was not given to the article as it was rushed to print.  Since negligence is the requisite standard of fault for a private citizen, MyFacebookSpaceNews.com should be prepared to demonstrate its reliance on generally-accepted journalism procedures as well as trained and competent journalists during the preparation of the article. Though Hubier’s comments may be deemed prejudicial, they might nevertheless be held up as accurate, properly attributed, and reflective of the prevailing sentiment in the aftermath of the accident.

Will the plaintiff be able to prove negligence?

MyFacebookSpaceNews.com needs only to demonstrate its investigation and reporting was reasonable under the circumstances, given the dearth of accessible information and witnesses at the hour, including Simmons himself presumably.  In my opinion, the court is unlikely to find negligence because it will not perceive horrible reporting or malpractice.  MyFacebookSpaceNews.com needs to show its reliance on two reasonable sources—Hubier who apparently was among the first, if not only, witnesses at the scene, and Sgt. Ruggiero, presumably an official spokesperson—was sensible.

Are there other defenses that might be considered?

• Damage claims of the plaintiff might be lessened by introducing the “single mistake rule,” which holds the community will not think less of Simmons because no pattern of drunkenness or poor driving exists.

• Any attempt by the plaintiff to claim culpability based on Ruggiero’s representations might be mitigated by the qualified privilege defense, since Ruggiero’s capacity as an official governmental spokesperson could be exclusionary.

• Hubier’s “stupid” comment as well as others might be considered rhetorical hyperbole–an unbelievable, exaggerated statement that might also be exclusionary.

Getting the most out of your advertising at the Chattanooga Times Free Press

Frequently Asked Questions

You’ve talked to an advertising representative, and received information about circulation and advertising rates for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, but you’re uncertain about when to start, or what you want to advertise. You’re not sure how much to spend, or how you want your ad to look. You are not alone. Here are the most common questions we hear from businesses starting new advertising programs:

1. How can I make sure my ad works?

2. How can I choose the right media?

3. Do small ads work as well as large ads?

4. Does my ad need to run more than once in the newspaper to work?

5. What is the right amount to spend on an ad?

6. Will the Chattanooga Times Free Press guarantee results?

7. What shape works best for newspaper advertisements?

8.  Can I run my ad only in the online version of your newspaper?

9. Do ads with high prices work?

10. How critical are color or design to advertising response?

FAQ

1. How can I make sure my ad works?

To be effective, your advertising should convey the advantages of your product or service in a memorable and persuasive way.  Headlines and images are important because they can stop readers of newspapers, or visitors to web sites, in their tracks. Descriptive text can heighten desire and increase response.  To be effective, say experts, ads must attract attention, create interest, stimulate desire and motivate action through the use of some, or all, of four basic elements: headline, illustration, text and signature.

2. How can I choose the right media?

Your ad’s “reach” is a crucial factor in achieving your objectives. Using verifiable information provided by representatives of media in your market area, estimate how many of your existing and prospective customers might be exposed to (or reached by) your advertising message in their respective products, and at what cost per prospect. If no single medium reaches most of your customers, a media mix involving two or more advertising sources may be advisable. Circulation of the Chattanooga Times Free Press is audited, with verifiable distribution to approximately half of the homes in the greater Chattanooga area. Its online version reaches thousands of additional residents who do not subscribe to the newspaper.

3.  Do small ads work as well as large ads?

Reader surveys consistently demonstrate small print ads, even when placed at the back of newspapers, can be effective, provided elements are not too small to be legible.  Large informational ads are especially effective for introductory messages for new products, services or locations.  Large ads with multiple images and text blocks suggest bigger selections, or more services. Dominance on a newspaper page, which can be achieved with larger ads, can infer the advertised product or service is more important than those featured in other ads. The Chattanooga Times Free Press believes such dominance online may be best achieved by the use of text ads.

4. Does my ad need to run more than once in order to work?

Timid and sporadic advertising achieves very little, according to advertising experts who believe businesses open year-around will benefit most by year-around advertising. Many advertisers choose to place fewer large-space ads in order to buy a greater number of small-space ads on a more frequent basis. The Chattanooga Times Free Press offers frequency programs with significant discounts for multiple placements, reserving its lowest rates for advertisers who order “combination” packages that include frequency in both print and online versions.

5. What’s the right amount to spend on an ad?

Advertising budgets are sometimes based on projections, or a manager’s expectations of increased business activity.  Many firms allocate a percentage of annual revenues to advertising and marketing.  Allocations generally depend on the nature of the business.  For example, grocers may allocate as little as one percent of sales to advertising, while retail furniture stores typically budget between five and ten percent; jewelers may allocate up to 15 percent of sales for advertising.

6. Will the Chattanooga Times Free Press guarantee results?

The Times Free Press provides documentation to verify newspaper circulation and readership, as well as statistical data pertaining to website traffic, but we are unable to guarantee how your potential customers might respond to your advertised products and services.

7. Which shape works best for newspaper advertisements, vertical or horizontal?

Though some experts favor vertical or rectangular formats for newspaper advertising, square and horizontal shapes can be effective for advertising messages containing longer headlines, or wide photographs featuring, for example, several people or broad landscapes. Many online advertisers report text ads, without non-specific shapes, are most effective.

8. Can I run my ad only in the online version of the Times Free Press?

Yes. Although your local audience can be maximized by utilizing both online and print versions of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, many web-only advertisers choose to place their advertising only on the website.

9. Do ads with high prices work?

Yes, particularly when your prices are below those of a competitor, or if your prices are supported by descriptive information relating to the quality of extraordinary products or services.  If your prices are the source of complaints or customer dissatisfaction, however, you may wish to exclude them.

10. How critical are color or design to advertising response?

Though some advertisers believe reversed or tilted ads attract more readers, the reverse is true. Most surveys show readership decreases about 20 percent.  In contrast, surveys show color significantly increases readership.

CHRISTMAS CRUNCH: Churches challenged by the recession

Amid increasing pleas from the needy, clergy in Chattanooga deal with a downturn in giving

By KEN BERRY

The tears are real.  Christmas stirs raw emotion in Ron Phillips, the venerable pastor of Abba’s House, Chattanooga’s largest church.  While seated with friends and colleagues in a well-appointed anteroom at his massive house of worship, the 62-year-old Southern Baptist minister shifts from talk about the birthday of Jesus Christ to economic hardship. He stammers, his eyeglasses concealing wetness on a lower eyelid as he promises a Christmas sermon “quite different than last year.”

“People are concerned,” says Phillips, whose evangelical ministry in Hixson draws about 4,500 weekly churchgoers from various denominations including Episcopalians, Methodists and Catholics. “They are asking, ‘When I get up in the morning, will I have a job?  Can I feed my family?  If I get sick, who will take care of me?’  That’s why Christmas is so important right now. In spite of everything going on, most people have food, more than most people in the world. We need to celebrate what we have.”

“Attendance is up,” adds Phillips, whose sermons are broadcast on the Church Channel, and WDSI in Chattanooga. “Despair is not causing people to leave God. They are coming in. The last three mornings, I’ve held prayer meetings for business people, or people who need a job.  At seven in the morning, I’ve had 75 to 80 people—day laborers, doctors and others, waiting.”

‘DUMB AS DIRT’

The hefty pastor praises approximately 100 employees and volunteers who help run Abba’s House, which dates back to 1887 when a faction of Chattanooga Baptists created Central Baptist Church. He talks about growing up in Alabama, where he and his wife, Paulette, marched with Martin Luther King, and where at 19 he was given his first Baptist church in Clanton. “I was dumb as dirt,” he says, “but they loved me and helped me get started.”

Times are tougher now, he says. Despite upswings in attendance, charitable giving is down about 20 percent. “We made financial adjustments about three years ago before the crisis hit, and I thank God we had the foresight to do it. We haven’t cut back. We still spend.”

EPIDEMIC REDUCTIONS

Reductions in giving are epidemic as churches almost everywhere struggle with the nation’s worst financial downturn since the Great Depression.  Staff cutbacks, pay freezes and other austerity measures are widespread among all denominations.  A few miles down Hixson Pike from Abba’s House, in the heart of Chattanooga, the much-smaller Christ Church Episcopal grapples with fallout from the recession, although tithing has remained stable.

“We’ve seen some reduction in giving but it hasn’t been as substantial as I expected,” says Reverend Jocelyn Bell, 66, whose 175-member Episcopal church tightened its belt last year, leaving her without any full time employees. “I see some very faithful people who I’m sure are being sacrificial in how they give because they believe that’s what to do. They know it’s important, and their church is important to them.”

CHURCHES BUILT IN THE 1600s

In the diocese of eastern Tennessee, nearly half of the congregations are without full time clergy at this point, she says. Several in Chattanooga have become too small to afford full time staff, so they’re hiring part time or bi-location clergy. In stark contrast to Abba’s House’s expansive, 4-year-old facility, her smaller Christ Church has stood on the same corner of Douglas and McCallie streets for more than a century, “a long time for Chattanooga,” adds Bell, a graduate of Yale Divinity School in New England, where people can still attend neighborhood churches built in the 1600s.

A stately woman in her eleventh year at Christ Church, Bell describes youth activities enjoyed as a Methodist growing up in Baltimore, college experiences during the 1960s and her many years of service to the Episcopalian church in the Midwest. Most congregants prefer the traditional style of worship, she says, which includes a more formal Anglo-Catholic approach, along with incense and chants. “The only people in the congregation who live around here are two men who rent apartments upstairs,” she says, pointing out members come from 27 different zip codes.

NO GLOOM OR DOOM

“We’re fortunate in that we have a lot of older people who weren’t working to begin with, so they haven’t lost their jobs,” adds Bell, who had a full time secretary before the recession. Except for a part-time musician and a five-hour-per-week educator who runs a children’s program, she counts on volunteers.

The Jewish Mizpah Congregation, just three blocks down McCallie Avenue, reaches out to the community through a responsive social action committee consisting of Mizpah volunteers. Its food drive over the past few months made it possible to “contribute an enormous amount to the Chattanooga Food Bank,” says Bill Tepper, 52, Mizpah’s new Rabbi who was ordained last year at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati.

Tight-lipped about the recession’s fiscal impact on Mizpah, Tepper says attendance at regular services Friday nights and Saturday morning has remained stable.  Mizpah has been impacted, he acknowledges, “but we still offer the best possible programs,” he says. “We still have a vibrant religious school on Sundays, a Hebrew school on Wednesdays, adult education and confirmation classes on weeknights, and occasional activities and programs on Saturdays.”

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY

Tepper, who left a good career as a high school teacher to become ordained, says he is pursuing a partnership with the Interfaith Homeless Network. The potential alliance, he says, could do a lot to help alleviate the needs of those who are homeless or transient during the winter months ahead, and ensure “people have a roof over their heads” and hot meals.

“I don’t believe anyone has really been spared by the difficulties this country is facing right now,” says Tepper, who recently attended a biennial conference for the Reform Jewish Movement in his native city of Toronto.  Though the gathering typically draws up to 5,000 attendees, there were just over 3,000 this year, he adds, “most likely because the economy has made it more difficult for people to enjoy the luxury of taking a trip to a conference of this nature.”

Like other Jewish communities that do not celebrate Christmas, Mizpah looks forward to Hanukkah, its traditional 8-day celebration of Jewish freedom, beginning this year on Dec. 11.

On Christmas Eve, at least for a few hours, Tepper will become Santa Claus.  He says he and his wife, Deborah, will help Mizpah congregants provide gift wrapping at Hamilton Place Mall.  Donations from the last-minute shoppers will go to help worthy causes, he says, and other “volunteers who normally wrap gifts can then go home and spend time with their families. We did it last year, and it was a lot of fun.”

SIDEBAR

The Remarkable Global Ministry

of Abba’s House

Since arriving in Chattanooga in 1979 to take over his then-500 member church, Pastor Ron Phillips has built an empire, crafting a remarkable global media ministry with a satellite network tailored to reach millions of people via radio and television. “I didn’t do it,” says Phillips, whose broad appeal extends to charismatics and emergents. “God built it.  I didn’t know how to do it.”  Telecasts are carried on the Armed Forces Network. Among other things, Abba’s House supports orphanages in Guatemala and India.

This year, Abba’s House will spend $1.3 million to send the gospel around the world through its television and radio ministry. A communication center with 24 phones is staffed mostly by volunteers, explains Angie McGregor, the director of communications who on slow days may review up to 1,000 or more e-mails. “We’ve heard from soldiers, Muslims and people on every continent but Antarctica, almost every country in the world.” During global broadcasts, the system sometimes “locks out” from all the traffic, she adds.

BEATING THE DEVIL WITH TECHNOLOGY

“What a day we’re living in,” exclaims Phillips, whose favorite new toy is a Kindle. “The devil can use the technology, but we have the ability to embrace these things.  When I first arrived, we had an addressograph machine. Ink flying everywhere. There was a board meeting and one of the deacons stood up and said, ‘It’s the mark of the beast coming into the church!’ Now we’ve got wide screens hanging everywhere.” A worship center, with comfortable stadium seating to accommodate more than 3,500 visitors, features state of the art sound and lighting. A gourmet coffee shop featuring WiFi permits visitors and congregants arriving before services to plug in their computers. “I’m not good with this stuff but I like it,” adds Phillips.

Services are telecast on various channels throughout the week, but don’t call Phillips, who says he “accepted God as an eight-year-old boy growing up in Alabama,” a televangelist.  “I am NOT a televangelist,” he emphasizes. “I am a pastor. Yes, they tape me and edit me so they can show it on television. But I’ve got a wedding Friday night.  I do funerals. I counsel people.  I preach and teach.”

THE END OF THE WORLD

Phillips, who graduated from Samford University before earning a doctorate in ministry from the New Orleans Theological Seminary, says parishioners are more concerned about tomorrow than speculation about the end of the world in December, 2012, the theme of a movie released in November. “We’re going to have turmoil in the world, he says.  “I wish I could stand up and say war is going to end tomorrow. It’s not.  Do I think we’re facing Armageddon in 2012? No.  Could Christ come back? Yes. The book of Revelations does forecast some dark times coming on, but it says we’re to live righteously.” Phillips says there will be catastrophes on the earth, but “God would not allow all of that to come without warning. I don’t think we can ruin our lives expecting that kind of demonology to drop down on our heads.”

The congregation at Abba’s House is just one of an estimated 250 in Chattanooga, including many upstarts without meeting places to call their own. Though definitive statistics for area activity are non-existent, a recent survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion estimates nearly 80 percent of the nation’s religious are Christians—55 percent Protestant and 21 percent Catholic. Nearly one fifth of the total adult U.S. population is Baptist.

THE NEW GENERATION

Evangelical growth in the U.S. is not due to strictness, say theorists, but rather the accommodation of traditionalism, as well as elements adaptable for younger, mobile and affluent adherents. The new generation, says Phillips, is like that he encountered upon arriving in Chattanooga, “the hungriest for spiritual things I’ve seen in 30 years. Masses are coming back, and the whole church is interactive.”

Abba’s House has its own Facebook site for members—MyPlace. “People may think we’re a little too contemporary, or our music is too loud,” he says. “The South loves its traditions.  When I was in high school, we sang three hymns, we did the doxology, we took the offering, we had a solo, we had a sermon.  That’s the way we did church.  It worked in the fifties.  It doesn’t work now.”

Phillips came up in the “dark ages, before all this media,” he adds. “I think it’s a great thing, but I also think the news media—it doesn’t matter if it’s ABC or Fox, or any of them—I think we’re getting bad news. In America, this is the greatest opportunity the church has ever had, to show people there is hope.”

–Ken Berry

DEATH OF A WAR HERO

CELEBRITY CUSTER

Burdened with unfavorable approval ratings, Andrew Johnson while campaigning for the U.S. presidency in 1865 persuaded three Civil war heroes to stump with him:

• General Ulysses S. Grant
• Admiral David B. Farragut
• General George A. Custer

Though destined to become a controversial figure, the enigmatic Custer’s immense popularity following the Civil War stemmed from his impressive achievements in battle:

• His decisive and timely action at Gettysburg helped repel Pickett’s famous charge
• Custer was the U.S. officer whose troops received the white flag of surrender by rebels at Appomattox
• Custer, the youngest-ever soldier to become a general, captured in the war’s final battle several generals, 31 flags, 16 pieces of artillery and more than 5,000 confederate prisoners

THE CUSTER MYTHS

During the decade following the war, the flamboyant general was frequently in headlines.  Then, in 1876, Custer and his immediate command were killed in Montana Territory by an overwhelming number of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors as he attempted to round them up and force them on to government reservations.

Custer, brother Tom (standing), and wife Libbie

Because neither Custer nor any of his soldiers survived to tell the then-incomprehensible story of his demise, speculation began immediately. Custer’s legend has become enormously conjectural, a source of endless fascination and debate among the few of us who continue to pour over facts and hypotheses about his last hours. At Wikipedia, facts are occasionally presented out of chronological sequence, or combined with others in such a way as to render information misleading.

 

WIKIPEDIA

A thorough and responsible edit of Wikipedia pages devoted to Custer’s Last Stand might take days, if not weeks or months. I understand this to be outside of the scope of this course, and made edits only to the brief introductory section entitled, “Battle of The Little Bighorn,” which follows  Wikipedia’s preview.  My takeaway from this exercise: without gatekeepers, citizen journalists running amok may increasingly have the potential to adversely impact history.

ORIGINAL TEXT FOUND AT WIKIPEDIA

Early in the unedited account, Wikipedia refers to three “columns” of combat-ready forces moving from three different directions in order to corner an elusive quarry. Then, General Terry’s column is characterized as a “command” containing several elements that include individual battalions commanded by Major Reno and Captain Benteen; this particular characterization is confusing and misleading since neither Reno’s nor Benteen’s elements had been created or were functional as battalions at the time. Both officers were part of the Seventh Cavalry, which was a regiment under the operational jurisdiction of General Custer while attached to Terry’s command. Terry  exerted no control over the Seventh’s operational composition, nor would he influence deployments of the Seventh while it operated as a detached entity as intended.

WHAT I CHOSE TO EDIT

I wound up making minor tweaks throughout, but the text (in red) below was the focus of my edit. The “late June” meeting was particularly troubling; this actually occurred on June 9, before Custer was defeated:

Battle of Little Bighorn (original version)

After the 1875 Sun Dance alliance, made by Sitting Bull between the Lakota and the Cheyenne, thousands of Indians had slipped away from their reservations in early 1876. Chief Sitting Bull during this Sun Dance had a vision of “soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers from the sky.”^[2] Military officials planned a summer campaign to force them back to the reservations, using both infantry and cavalry in three prongs:

Col. John Gibbon‘s column of six companies (A, B, E, H, I, and K) of the 7th Infantry and four (F, G, H, and L) of the 2nd Cavalry marched east from Fort Ellis in western Montana on March 30, patrolling the Yellowstone River.

Brig. Gen. George Crook‘s column of ten companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, L, and M) of the 3rd Cavalry, five (A, B, D, E, and I) of the 2nd Cavalry, two companies (D and F) of the 4th Infantry, and three (C, G, and H) of the 9th Infantry, moved north from Fort Fetterman in the Wyoming Territory on May 29, marching toward the Powder River area.

Brig. Gen. Alfred Terry‘s command (Companies C, E, F, I and L, 7th Cavalry under Custer’s command, Companies A, G and M under command of Major Marcus A. Reno, Companies D, H and K under command of Captain Frederick W. Benteen, and Captain Thomas M. McDougall’s Company B with the regimental pack train under the command of 1st Lieutenant Edward G. Mathey;^{[3][dubious – discuss][unreliable source?]} Companies C and G, 17th U.S. Infantry; and the Gatling gun detachment of the 20th Infantry) departed westward from Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory on May 17. They were accompanied by teamsters and packers with 150 wagons and a large contingent of pack mules. Companies C, D, and I, 6th U.S. Infantry, moved up the Yellowstone from Fort Buford on the Missouri River to set up a supply depot, and joined Terry on May 29 at the mouth of the Powder River.

The coordination and planning went awry on June 17 when Crook’s column was delayed after the Battle of the Rosebud. Surprised and, according to some accounts, astonished by the unusually large numbers of Indians faced in the battle, Crook was essentially defeated in battle and forced to stop and regroup. Unaware of Crook’s battle, Gibbon and Terry proceeded, joining forces in late June near the mouth of the Rosebud River. They formulated a plan, based on the discovery of a large Indian trail on June 15, that called for Custer’s regiment to proceed up the Rosebud River, while Terry and Gibbon’s united columns would move towards the Bighorn and Little Bighorn rivers. The officers hoped to trap the Indian village between these two forces. The 7th Cavalry split from the remainder of the Terry column on June 22 and began a rapid pursuit along the trail. Custer was offered the use of the Gatling guns but declined, saying they would slow his command.^[4] He also declined the offer of two further companies of cavalry on the basis that his regiment could handle anything they found without additional assistance.

While the Terry/Gibbon column was marching toward the mouth of the Little Bighorn, on the evening of June 24 Custer’s scouts arrived at an overlook known as the Crow’s Nest, 14 miles (23 km) east of the Little Bighorn River. At sunrise on June 25, Custer’s scouts reported to him they could see a massive pony herd and signs of the Indian village roughly 15 miles (24 km) in the distance, however after a night’s march the tired officer sent with the scouts could see neither, and Custer, when he joined them, could not make the sighting either due to the shadows in the valley. However Custer’s scouts also spotted the regimental cooking fires that could be seen from 10 miles away, disclosing the regiment’s position. Custer’s initial plan was a surprise attack on the village the following morning on June 26, but a report came to him that several hostile Indians had discovered the trail left by his troops.^[5] Assuming their presence had been exposed, Custer decided to attack the village without further delay. Unbeknownst to Custer, this group of Indians were actually leaving the encampment on the Big Horn and did not alert the village. Custer’s scouts repeatedly warned him about the size of the village, with scout Mitch Bouyer saying, “General, I have been with these Indians for 30 years, and this is the largest village I have ever heard of.”^[6] Custer’s overriding concern was that the Indians would break up and scatter in different directions. The command began its approach to the Indian village at 12 noon and prepared to attack in full daylight.^[7]

COMMENT ON WIKIPEDIA  REPORT

 

Custer's farewell prior to his last march

Wikipedia’s  depictions of Custer’s separation from Terry’s column on June 22 are convoluted. Custer and Terry had collaborated on various occasions about their mission. As customary, written orders were provided by Terry to Custer prior to deployment of his regiment, giving Custer broad prerogatives in making contact with the Hostiles. Custer departed without particular urgency, on a scout, and his occasional rapidity of march stemmed only from his own enthusiasm. The merit of Gatling guns had been discussed during the previous marches, and Custer had sensibly dismissed the idea.  He was a cavalry officer, in fact a master of mobility and maneuverability on horseback who did not want his entire regiment impeded by slow-moving, guns while pursuing a quarry that had  repeatedly demonstrated the ability to evade U.S forces.

(Likewise, Custer was asked weeks earlier whether he wished to have cavalry units from other regiments detached to the Seventh. The Gatling guns were subsequently put on a steam ship that moved up the Missouri toward Bismark, before moving west on the Yellowstone toward the Little Big Horn the following week.)

MY EDITED TEXT

My major edits are reflected in the screen grab above, and highlighted below in green. My Wikipedia footnotes credit works of John S. Gray (Centennial Campaign The Sioux War of 1876), and Paul Hutton (The Custer Reader), both highly-regarded historians and scholars of the Custer Battle:

Battle of Little Bighorn (edited version)

In 1875, Sitting Bull created the Sun Dance alliance between Lakota and Sioux tribes. This was a semi-religious festival where young men were transformed into warriors. One had taken place around June 5, 1976, on the Rosebud River on Montana, involving Agency Indians who had slipped away from their reservations to join the Hostiles.^[2] Sitting Bull during the event reportedly had a vision of “soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers from the sky.”^[3] At the same time, a summer campaign planned by military officials was well under way to force the Indians back onto their reservations, using both infantry and cavalry in a three-pronged approach:

Col. John Gibbon‘s column of six companies (A, B, E, H, I, and K) of the 7th Infantry and four companies (F, G, H, and L) of the 2nd Cavalry marched east from Fort Ellis in western Montana on March 30, to patrol the Yellowstone River.

Brig. Gen. George Crook‘s column of ten companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, L, and M) of the 3rd Cavalry, five (A, B, D, E, and I) of the 2nd Cavalry, two companies (D and F) of the 4th Infantry, and three companies (C, G, and H) of the 9th Infantry, moved north from Fort Fetterman in the Wyoming Territory on May 29, marching toward the Powder River area.

Brig. Gen. Alfred Terry‘s column, including twelve companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, and M) of the 7th Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer‘s immediate command,^[4]Companies C and G of the 17th U.S. Infantry, and the Gatling gun detachment of the 20th Infantry departed westward from Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory on May 17. They were accompanied by teamsters and packers with 150 wagons and a large contingent of pack mules. Companies C, D, and I of the 6th U.S. Infantry, moved along the Yellowstone River from Fort Buford on the Missouri River to set up a supply depot, and joined Terry on May 29 at the mouth of the Powder River.

The coordination and planning began to go awry on June 17, 1876, when Crook’s column was delayed after the Battle of the Rosebud. Surprised and, according to some accounts, astonished by the unusually-large numbers of Indians in the battle, a defeated Crook was compelled to pull back, halt and regroup. Unaware of Crook’s battle, Gibbon and Terry proceeded, joining forces in early June near the mouth of the Rosebud River. They reviewed Terry’s plan calling for Custer’s regiment to proceed south along the Rosebud, while Terry and Gibbon’s united forces would move in a westerly direction toward the Bighorn and Little Bighorn rivers, the likely location of Indian encampments where all elements would converge June 26 or 27, attempting to engulf the Indians. On June 22, Terry ordered the 7th Cavalry, comprised of 31 officers and 566 enlisted men under Custer, to begin a reconnaissance and pursuit along the Rosebud.   With the prerogative to “depart” from orders upon seeing “sufficient reason,” Custer moved out.  He had been offered the use of Gatling guns but declined, believing they would slow his command.^[5]

While the Terry/Gibbon column was marching toward the mouth of the Little Bighorn, on the evening of June 24, Custer’s scouts arrived at an overlook known as the Crow’s Nest, 14 miles (23 km) east of the Little Bighorn River. At sunrise on June 25, Custer’s scouts reported they could see a massive pony herd and signs of the Indian village roughly 15 miles (24 km) in the distance. After a night march, the tired officer sent with the scouts could see neither the herd no village. When Custer joined them, he was also unable to make the sighting.  Custer’s scouts operating close to the village claimed to see regimental cooking fires visible from 10 miles away, disclosing the regiment’s position.

Custer contemplated a surprise attack against the encampment the following morning of June 26, but he then received a report informing him several hostile Indians had discovered the trail left by his troops.^[6] Assuming his presence had been exposed, Custer decided to attack the village without further delay. On the morning of June 25, Custer divided his 12 companies into three battalions in anticipation of the forthcoming engagement. Three companies were placed under the command of Major Marcus Reno (A, G, and M); and three were placed under the command of Captain Frederick Benteen (H, D, and K). Five companies (C, E, F, I, and L) remained under Custer’s immediate command. The 12th, Company B, under Captain Thomas McDougald, had been detailed to escort the slower pack train carrying provisions and additional ammunition.^[7]

Unbeknownst to Custer, the group of Indians seen on his trail were actually leaving the encampment on the Big Horn and did not alert the village. Custer’s scouts warned him about the size of the village, with scout Mitch Bouyer reportedly saying, “General, I have been with these Indians for 30 years, and this is the largest village I have ever heard of.”^[8] Custer’s overriding concern was the Indians would break up and scatter in different directions. The command began its approach to the Indian village at 12 noon and prepared to attack in full daylight.^[9] Here is the link to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custer%27s_Last_Stand

Images from Son Entourage website.  (Photo, Matthew Brady, 1865; Oil, Don Stivers, 1991.)

WIFI CONNECTIONS IN CHAPEL HILL

Here are ten wireless access points in Chapel Hill, N.C., per the assignment:

 

These were not plotted in the same order that appeared on the assignment sheet.  I was unsuccessful in numerous attempts to override the “Home Team” text at the Chatham Downs Drive location, or to include an address for that location, even after satisfying myself the marker is at the correct location:

1. 101 East Weaver Street, 27510

2. 100 Europa Drive, 27517

3. 910 Raleigh Road, 27514

4. 103 E. Franklin Street, 27514

5. 141 Chatham Down Drive, 27514

6. 1748 Fordham Blvd., 27514

7. 213 W. Franklin Street, 27516

8. 409 W. Franklin Street, 27516

9. 116 West Barbee Chapel Road, 27517

10. 201 South Estes Drive, 2751

CAFETERIA WISDOM

Dedicated to my first-ever “followers” who inspired me with tweets earlier tonight, 10-28-09: Jessica, Julie, Andrew, Amanda, Noelle, Tyler, Josh, Mary, Stephanie and also the Leisure Bowling Alley in New York, whatever that is.

The man behind the counter

Says ‘what’ll you have today?’

I tell him ‘eggs and bacon

And, oh yes, by the way

I’d like to read a paper

While sitting here alone’

He stares back in disbelief,

Asks,’don’t you have a phone?’

He says his other patronsDon’t read papers while they eat

Instead they check their emails

And send out lots of tweets

I say, ‘I’ll need a lesson

He tells me where to go

Now I’m here in Brian’s class

With new me-media pros

–By KEN BERRY

(Though most of my tweets so far, including my “teasers” for Cafeteria Wisdom, were sent via iPhone, I entered the actual lines of the poem at a computer with a standard keyboard, attempting to hasten input and keep tweets together, uninterrupted. I thought this might make it easier to read, even backwards.)

Midnight Madness in the Middle of Nowhere

THE WARMUP

I’m a basketball fan, but Midnight Madness at Covenant College, Ga., a four-year Christian school secluded on Lookout Mountain, is a first for me.  I don’t know what to expect. Hopefully, it will mirror what’s happening at Chapel Hill, where fans eagerly await the Roy Williams shuffle, whatever that is. My brother, son and nephew were collegiate hoop stars.  I could never shoot.  My claim to basketball fame:  I once hung out with Duke players in their locker room following a game.  That was festive!

I’m nervous about the blogging, though.  This won’t be UNC or Duke.  The school seems to be in the middle of nowhere.  I’ve driven by it. Only about 1,000 students are enrolled here.  What if nothing happens?  What if players race out onto the court, shoot a few layups before a few inaudible words from the coach, and then retire abruptly to the locker room? How zany can Midnight Madness be at a school affiliated with the Presbyterian Church Association where, presumably, there will be no Dennis Rodman-type characters in the house?  No boisterous fans, clowns or dancing girls?  I’ll try to relax.  Kinks in these late-hour, season-opening madness events have probably all been worked out.  After all, they are almost 40 years old, according to Wikipedia.

8 P.M.–VOILA!

After a few wrong turns, I found Covenant College, then the basketball gymnasium.  Not easily. Lots of forks in winding roads atop the Georgia side of Lookout Mountain where the campus is sprawled out over a half mile or more of sparsely populated land.  The nearest restaurant was three miles away. It’s beautiful up here. Lush, forested country, impressive architecture. Wow, how does such a small college have such great facilities? There are two gymnasiums, and students direct me to the facility on the second level, one floor above the other. Nice, clean buildings, spacious well-equipped fitness centers.  I’m early.  On entering the gym, I see only four or five guys in street clothes shooting near the entrance, and a couple of guys at the scorers’ table.

Luke Herbert

Approaching the table, I’m greeted by assistant coach, Luke Herbert. “Are you Ken,” he asks. We’d talked on the phone earlier. I’d told him I wanted to blog the event for a college course.  He’s big. A good looking, good-natured fellow, far better-looking than his mug on the website, I tell him.  He nods, says he’s new. He has a bright smile, winning personality. He tells me he’s here to join head coach Kyle Taylor, who is in his rookie year running the college’s varsity basketball team, the Covenant Scots. I tell him he looks like an athlete, ask if he ever feels like jumping into games to help the little guys.  He laughs, shares an experience last year when, at 24, he was mistaken for a player, in Billings, Mont.

Luke points me to the best spot to plug in my lap top. The highest seat at the top of the collapsible bleachers, above the scorers table.  A thin shelf designed for computers and stat sheets has been fabricated to accommodate writers and statisticians seated on the bench. I see electricity. I introduce my wife, who has agreed to be a liaison between Luke and me. Earlier, I printed a roster, albeit one without jersey numbers.

8:10—MAYDAY!

Wireless communication fails

Hooked up, but I’m unable to access WordPress.  My wife, the tech expert in our family, can’t help. Will have to dead-blog into Word.

8:15—WHO SELECTS THIS MUSIC?

Hip hop, and rap are blasting on the PA system. My least favorite music, it drives me crazy. It’s too loud.  I’d expect Christian Rock here, like Casting Crowns or Matt Redmund. If I were out there, I’d shoot better with this stuff turned off.  Maybe Green Day or Dixie Chicks live would work for me!

The Dixie Chicks

Anything else!  If this were a paying job, I’d ask for a bonus.  The place is filling up with people.  About 17, 18 players including 2 or 3 women are shooting beneath one basket. About eight on each end. Maybe 20 persons in the audience, on bleachers across the court.  Five or six in bleachers on my side. There are no bleachers at the ends. This gym is new, it needs wall hangings, more flags, or something. Empty hospital-white walls above blue rubber matting behind the baskets to cushion  flying players.  A small flag is displayed on one end, next to a Coca Cola sign, next to the scoreboard.  Just a Coke sign and a scoreboard on the far end. Some ‘Go Scots’ signs are needed, or better, championship pennants.  Practice baskets at the sides of the court have been raised  from the floor and tucked into the ceiling—practices can involve six baskets in all.

8:25—WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE LIVE?

The court is filling up. Great. About 20 to 30 men, college age–are they even players?—are shooting at one end of the court. They look like they belong to the Scots, sort of, but all aren’t wearing uniforms.  Four or five women are shooting at the far end, two in white uniforms with blue trim, two in blue uniforms with white trim.   An older, happy-go-lucky guy mingles with the girls, talking but not shooting.  Maybe a father?  This is small-town USA. So far, there is no craziness, no remarkable characters on the floor or in the bleachers. Not much noise, either, except for the hip hop blaring over the sound system.

8:28—HERE SHE COMES!

Brenda Frese

The women’s coach just walked out on the floor to mingle with her players. I recognize her from Covenant’s web site. Oops, there she goes, back out the door, gone.  She doesn’t look like a women’s coach. She’s heavy. Looks angry, like Brenda Frese when the Terrapins get a bad call. She is dressed too casual for a coming out party, doesn’t come off as fit, fashionable and in control, like Brenda!

8:30—FANS

The bleachers are filling up, more than 100 persons now.

8:33—SOMETHING’S UP!

A quick huddle, about 25-30 guys gather around the key on one end of the gym, before they suddenly disappear into the locker room. The hip hop is turned down.

8:34—SILENCE

The buzzer sounds, the floor is clear.  The hip hop and rap stops. This is good. But nothing at all seems remarkable. Someone is going to speak.

8:35—WELCOME

Coach Taylor–wow, he’s really young–right beneath me faces the crowd assembling on the far bleachers, “I just want to welcome y’all,” he says.  He introduces Luke and another assistant, offers their credentials.  Turns the mike over to . . . who?  To a middle-aged guy with shaggy gray hair who my wife says is the “Philosopher,” for introductions.  A few people are still coming in.  Since there are so very few houses in the areas near the campus, this is remarkable.  The size of the crowd is starting to become impressive, probably 150-175 people are now in the gym.

The Philosopher is introducing the roster, just like it’s a real game, and everyone gets nice applause.  Not loud, just polite. He

Balloons, madness at Wal-Mart

introduces four guys from the men’s varsity, then a player from the women’s team, who trots down to the far end of the court and stands alone. The crowd applauds but its quiet applause. Midnight Madness? For an event that has M-A-D in its name, it’s dull. I scan the crowd again. No one is laughing, necking, drinking, leading a cheering section, shouting encouragement. I’ve seen more animation at Wal-Mart. My prediction at this point: no clowns,  balloons or dancing girls tonight.

8:45—INTRODUCTIONS COMPLETED

We’ve met 30 men and 10 women.  Still no music on the PA. This is good, but nothing is really happening here.  No one is eating or drinking . . . someone must be nipping from a paper sack, but I see no food or beverages.  I see a dwarf.   A small man, to be politically correct.  One of the men milling around on the floor in uniform is very small, maybe 5 foot tall.  He appears to be little more than half the size of the bigger players, and wears number 21. My assistant  is copping out. The roster I printed earlier doesn’t include numbers assigned to the team. She doesn’t want walk down the bleachers to ask Luke for names to go with numbers. My sense is a matching sheet doesn’t exist.  We’re too high up, and she’s wearing high heels, the only person for miles around wearing high heels!   Small town hoops.  Now, something’s up.  It’s very quiet in the gym. No blogging right now. We’re going to pray.

8:47—WINNERS?

There’s a raffle, Luke has given my wife, who is turning out to be a poor assistant, a couple of tickets with numbers.  She’s giving me dirty looks—she’s a

Luke Herbert, left, with the author

gamer who wants to see if Luke’s tickets might win her a door prize. The Philosopher is shouting numbers over the PA. I’m typing, shouting at  her, asking if my laptop does automatic saves.

8:50—THREE REFEREES?

Three refs in striped shirts form a line while the Philosopher introduces them.  The scoreboard clock is set for 8 minutes.  Four girls in blue walk–in the ACC, they run–from one side of the gym to center court, while four women in blue walk to center court from the other

The national anthem, performed at a bigger venue

side. This is not all that is wrong here.  Does anyone else notice?  There’s only four players on each team!  One sub will remain on the bench! A jump ball, and we’ve got a scrimmage in progress. The crowd seems to be appreciative. That was quick, but didn’t we forget the Pledge and National Anthem? Folks are coming alive now, as if this is what everyone came for, cheering every pass, but not loudly. You just know none of these people did any serious tailgating tonight.  White controls the ball, misses its first shot, and now blue is on offense.

Lots of oohs and ahs, as one turnover follows another.  I can understand how the turnovers occur. The hip hop is blaring again, though not quite as loud as it was.  A small, athletic black player wearing white hits a three for the first points, with 2:40 lapsed.  There is screaming, loud applause.  The Philosopher announces the player’s name, but it’s not clear over the commotion.  Total attendance is about 200 now, the place is about 40 percent filled.

8:55–THE FAVORITE

White is pulling ahead, as two adept ballhandlers seem to be taking charge. They score back-to-back buckets. The three refs aren’t using their whistles.  There is little if any floor discipline, but the coaches don’t seem bothered by this.

8:59–THE WINNER

Time expires, white wins 17-6.  Unimpressive basketball, but the girls nevertheless look more proud, athletic, and healthier than their male counterparts. They meander over to the sidelines, without conversation and without sitting down, gather their towels and sweats and head to the locker room.  Guys on the men’s team are coming on to the court from the audience and side rooms. They are milling around, waiting for something.

9:05—CROWD PLEASER

The Philosopher is shouting into his mike. A skinny Scots player is the first contestant in a dunking contest. He’s already made one and muffed one. This is exciting, sort of, because it breaks up the nothingness that is happening here. Five judges have just placed

Michael Jordan preparing to dunk

folding chairs in a semi circle directly in front of me and are now seated,  facing the opposite bleachers and holding up score cards. After four or five attempts and only one successful dunk, I think, the skinny player gets a “5″.  The crowd loves this!  There is a lot of cheering.  Number 97 is up next.  With a hot dog maneuver, he flings the ball against the backboard, then dunks his rebound.  The crowd is wild!  This is really amazing! Everything has changed, the place is alive!  Judges hold up 9s.  Now, this could border on madness!

This dunking competition must be bigger than basketball itself around here. A player in a tee shirt is next.  It’s not clear whether he is even a player, and he blows each attempt.  Still, there is a lot of cheering from the crowd and judges give him a “5″, too. The fourth contestant has a partner.  Is this fair? Doesn’t matter, he can’t put the ball through the hoop either.  He’s a crowd favorite, though. The noise is really something for a small audience, especially  when so many of the dunk attempts are bouncing off the rim in every direction.  It’s hilarious!  These guys can’t shoot any better than me!

Scoring cards like those used during the Midnight Madness dunking contest

9:15—GOING NOWHERE

The noise is still here but this dunking contest is deteriorating.  Still, lots of oohs and ahhhs without a legitimate dunk  in three or four minutes.

9:20 –THE OLD GUY

An old guy, maybe 50, dribbles in from a side door and conversation stops. Yay!  Who is the Dribbler?  He’s wearing glasses, looks like he might have played 30 years ago. He pounds the ball against the court.  Is this the Principal?  The crowd is into this, too.  People seem to know the Dribbler.  A mini-trampoline has been placed in the key, between the free throw line and the basket. The dribbler strips off his street clothes at center court.  Underneath, he wears a white uniform with No. 22.  He dribbles hard in  place, then darts from the top of the key, leaps with the ball in hand onto the trampoline and, in one huge, impressive bounce, he’s up at rim level and  . . . easily dunks the ball.  The crowd goes wild!  This is worth the drive up here!  It’s really cool, incredible!  I wanted to see clowns, this is madness!  The Dribbler had to be pretty good in his day!  The crowd is standing, applauding!  What is it, again, that Roy Williams is doing tonight?  A shuffle?  Okay, just like that, the noise dies down, the dunking is over, and ball racks are being wheeled from the court.

Roy Williams

9:25–DOWN TO BUSINESS

The guys on the varsity have divided into two groups, and refs are quickly preparing for another scrimmage.  The clock is set for fifteen minutes. Looks like blue on one end, black on the other.  I can’t tell if this is will be serious. The small man is among the ten starters. It can’t be too serious unless this guy is lightning fast and can hit from well beyond the three-point line!  His team controls the tip off.  Right away, he is fouled by a big man.  Yes, the crowd, less noisy now, sees the foul and calls it. This is hilarious. The three refs blow their whistles after the crowd screams for justice, just like they would if we were all here with Alice in Wonderland.  The small man gets to shoot . . . three shots.  He makes the second two. Black leads 2-o and the he is the hero at the moment, and the crowd is screaming his praise.

9:30—ABSENCE OF STRATEGY

This game is turning out like any parks and rec game. Worse, actually.  Up the court, down the court.  Three refs and no whistles. Oops there’s one, finally, probably the third after about four minutes. My assistant is tired, she is nodding off between buzzers.

My assistant

9:32—SUBSTITUTIONS

The small man is out. Platoon substitutions mean we’ve got two entirely different teams competing.  There’s more talent on the floor, but the caliber of play seems awful.  Chaotic, with no whistles, no  time outs, seemingly no input from the coaches.  Defense is man-to-man all around as both sides hack away. No discernible offense, no one running the post or setting up.  Can’t see any semblance of a 2-1-2, or 3-2, or a 1-2-2.

9:35 –LET THE MUSIC PLAY

The crowd is not into this game.  The same hip hop—the same crowd murmur during warm-ups, plus two consecutive air balls, on each end of the court!  Wait, just when you thought it couldn’t happen, finally a good pass! With 10 minutes expired. Another air ball. There may be great players here, but these guys wouldn’t scare anyone tonight. Luke is managing, or at least standing with the the black team. The other assistant is standing alongside the blue team.  I think I  know what they’re thinking. They’ll just let everyone hack away and determine who they want to keep on the roster after they figure out who the most ruinous liabilities are.  I see three players who I would keep: Calum Sears looks like he might be able to play with anybody.  Sam Bowman, too. And another guy who has handled the ball well outside.

9:40–AN END TO THE MADNESS!

The final buzzer, and black wins 18-16.  The Scots may be able to put a decent six- or seven-man offense together, but finding two or three shooters who can take care of the ball outside will be a challenge. I’m not sure they’ll find even one shooter.

9:45–NOW WHAT?

The guys divide into two units, one at each end, for a shooting contest. Each takes turns, quickly grabbing balls from a ball cart and shooting repeatedly. This is really anti-climatic. People are leaving.  Bring back the Principal and his trampoline. One of the girls is competing with five guys at one end of the court. On the other end, another old guy is  competing with five players.

9:50—POOR ATTENTION SPANS

The crowd is dwindling fast.  The shooting contests at both ends are dull, and it’s hard to discern what’s happening, who’s winning.  The hip hop is still maddening.  Wait! The fans who left are missing out!  One of the girls, No. 35, at the far end is beating the men.  What great shooting! A couple of the men are hanging with her.  She sinks her final shot from outside the three! And this makes her the winner! What’s left of the crowd loves it!  Lots of noise from the house, maybe 40 or 50 who are still here! The girl and the male players walk over to the sidelines without conversation, as if nothing has happened. Strange, the lack of emotion.

10:00—CURFEW?

A few onlookers applaud the girl, the hip hop is turned up. Everyone is leaving. It’s over.  Just like that.  The crowd seems regimented in the way they are walking out, without emotion.  Like Stepford Wives.  No horseplay, laughing or animated conversation.   The stern- looking women’s coach is showing  three other ladies at the door how to twirl a ball on one finger, but she’s not very good at it. This is funny. She keeps dropping the ball.  One of the ladies, probably in her nineties, seems impressed.  Luke comes over and reaches up from a chair on the floor to hand me a card worth a free loaf of bread. I thank him, and tell him I’ll give him a call.

10:05 –CLEANUP

About 30 persons, mostly players and about five girls hanging out on the floor are chatting while floors are swept and the collapsible bleachers are being folded into the walls.  Lots of clean up going on.  Now they’re folding the bleachers back on my side, which means I’m out of here!

A RETROSPECTIVE ON LIVEBLOGGING

Without regard for the quality of my work, or lack thereof, I found my liveblogging exercise to be a valuable and intensely practical experience, with benefits far exceeding anything I might have gleaned from a textbook or lecture.  Looking back, I feel my concerns, challenges and ultimate experiences were the same as if I had been able to access WordPress, as the event was about to begin.  I keyed in my thoughts and observations, just as I would have typed notes while covering a live sporting event. I type fast. I was psyched up for liveblogging.  At frequent junctures, I would read back over my past two or three sentences, attempting to correct misspelled words like “ndlryns;;”  and convert them into intelligible words like “basketball.”  The number of typos I failed to detect or correct was nevertheless surprising; my takeaway lesson here is to slow down when liveblogging, and to pay more attention to corrections in order to make live updating cleaner.

My style of writing seemed to go where it hadn’t gone before.  I was one of the boys, enjoying and commenting on a spectacle in our sports arena, communicating over the noise with short, incomplete sentences and slang.

Though unfamiliar with Madness activities, from  newspapers and television news, I assumed all Midnight Madness events were festive rallies, and coming out parties. In bigger, D-1 markets, coaches know arenas filled with fans impress everyone, especially high school prospects in attendance. Compelling programs generate ticket sales and other revenues-producing opportunities. I didn’t do enough research. I went into this expecting cheerleaders, bands, and local rock stars would provide good copy.

The event at Covenant College fell short of my expectations, but all the folks with whom I came into contact, on and around the campus, struck me as very good people. What and who were available to work with were probably managed quite well.  I admit the Dribbler was more compelling than dancing bears or a light show. Nevertheless, I tried to liven up my posts with images of what I would try to feature, if it were up to me, during Midnight Madness at my school, for my teams: live music from groups like the Dixie Chicks, animated coaching from intense mentors like Brenda Frese, a dunking exhibiton by someone like Michael Jordan, and a bit more excitement, like folks sometimes really do experience at Wal-Mart.

–Ken Berry

The Struggle To Save A Fraternity

MASONS COMBAT MYTHS, DECLINING MEMBERSHIP

“I can’t believe what some folks think. They think we sacrifice animals, undress, and ride goats.”

For centuries, their special handshakes and ancient rituals have been veiled in mystery behind guarded temple doors.   But in their struggle for survival, Masons are breaking tradition, placing welcome mats outside more of their lodges, and debunking myths with open houses and media advertising.  Like medieval knights whose history they embrace, the world’s oldest fraternal order is charging boldly ahead to reverse trends revealed by research, and fight a modern foe: declining membership.

“We are forbidden to ask anyone to join,” says Pete Holsomback, 77, a retired Army sergeant who served as presiding officer, or Past Master, of his Masonic lodge in Hawaii, and is an aide to one of the nation’s highest ranking Scottish Rite masons. “If a man is interested, he must seek us out.  This makes it difficult to survive in today’s world, and we desperately need to attract new blood.”

POWER AND WEALTH

The House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., home of the Supreme Council for Scottish Rite Freemasons

With an aura of power, wealth and exclusivity, famous masons include 16 U.S. presidents and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who based his opera, “The Magic Flute,” on Masonic ritual. Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill may have shared a secret Masonic handshake at Yalta.  So might have Ben Franklin and John Hancock at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Actor John Wayne, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and five justices of the Supreme Court have also taken Masonic vows.

About 1,600,000 men belong to approximately 6,500 Masonic lodges—or temples—in the U.S.  Each lodge has a core of officers, headed by a Worshipful Master elected each year by members. A Grand master in each state presides over a Grand Lodge with jurisdiction over individual lodges.

• Worldwide, an estimated 3.5 million masons belong to about 12,500 lodges in nearly every free country.
• The average member is a senior citizen.

• Since the early 1960s, the number of Masons in the U.S. has declined nearly 60 percent, from an estimated 4.1 million members.

With rolls plunging nearly 30 percent in the past decade, Masons are thinking out of the box to dispel misconceptions and spark new interest in the world’s oldest fraternity.

DECLARED ILLEGAL BY HITLER

Though Masons are proud their order was declared illegal by Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco, they do mind the mistaken assumption they belong to a religious organization, says Holsomback, a native of Rome, Ga., who currently lives in Honolulu.  “Masons must profess only a belief in a supreme being, but we are not a religion,” he says.  “We are non-denominational with members of all color and faiths, including Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists.

A lodge meeting room in a traditional Masonic Temple.

“Though we have the reputation of being secretive, we have no secrets in the logical definition of the word,” says Holsomback. “We wear lapel pins and rings. Our buildings are marked with Masonic symbols and we advertise meetings and social events. Our objective is only to help members become better men by encouraging them to acquire good character and respect for God, as well as for other people.”

But age-old Masonic allegories and symbols, combined with perceptions of secrecy, are the stuff from which good myths are made, he adds.

“I can’t believe what some folks think,” says Holsomback. “They think we sacrifice animals, undress and ride goats. Not a bit of it is true. The rituals of Freemasonry are the most beautiful and meaningful ceremonies in the world.”

ANTI-MASONIC MYTHS

The first untruths about the fraternity, often tied to anti-Semitic propaganda, began in the early 18^th century with the formal organization of modern Freemasonry.  Many myths sparked by anti-Masonic hysteria in the U.S. during the late 1820s have been resurrected by the release of films and books like The Lost Symbol, proliferating with the aid of new media:

●Freemasons don’t ride goats, symbolic of the devil since the Middle Ages–when stories circulated about witches calling for Satan, who would ride a goat into town to arrange blasphemous orgies.  Masons, however, have helped perpetuate this myth by joking with nervous initiates.

●Masons don’t use Satanic Bibles in their ceremonies.  People see Masonic Bibles on eBay and assume they are somehow different. Actually, lodges are generally required to have books considered sacred to members open on a lodge altar during meetings—whether the Bible, the Muslim Koran, the Hindu Veda or the Hebrew Tanach.   Some lodges in predominantly Christian communities present to newly-initiated Masons a copy of a bible—usually a King James version containing special pages allowing the them to document important events in their Masonic lives.

●Masonic imagery of the All-seeing Eye over an Egyptian pyramid, as seen by moviegoers watching National Treasure, is a source for myths about government conspiracies to exploit its people.  But the All-seeing Eye began appearing in Christian art in the 1600s. It was selected in 1776 to represent God on the Great Seal of the United States by four designers—a committee with only one Freemason member.  As films and books give new life to old myths, a U.S. News web posting last month focused on the role of Masons in American history, effectively dismissing Masonic conspiracy scenarios.

HIGH DRAMA AND TRAGEDY

Mysteries surrounding the Knights Templar have fueled Masonic myths

Ironically, popular movies rely on high drama and tragedy, which abound in Masonic legend.  Masonry’s behind-closed doors past and its evolution is not really clear, even to Masons.  Mysterious symbols and rituals were secretly used for centuries before modern Masonry began–or revealed itself–in London at the dawn of the 18^th century. Some Masons think their roots stem from the Knights Templar, a highly regarded military order formed following the First Crusade to protect pilgrims bound for the Holy Lands.  The Templars, however, perished two centuries later when their last Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, a figure central to Masonry, was burned at the stake in Paris by a French king who coveted vast wealth amassed by the order.  The disappearance of the Templar fortune before the King could lay his hands on it continues to fuel both Templar and Masonic myths.

Other Masons, however, believe masonry predates Julius Caesar’s Rome, when societies of stone masons formed and eventually held secret mathematical formulas for construction of palaces and cathedrals.

COMPETING INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES

For Masons, the war against declining membership also involves retention of existing members.  Early experiments in Portland, OR, included bus placards reading, “Freemasonry.  We’re committed to morality, honesty and integrity.  Are you?”  In Massachusetts, a 2006 recruitment campaign included open houses and an $800,000 radio and television pitch. Texas Masons in 2007 purchased advertisements in movie theaters, and began conducting occasional one-day classes enabling candidates to attain the three degrees of a Master Mason in a single day—a practice that is gaining popularity but heatedly debated within the fraternity.  In many cases initiatives appear to be working, though older members argue the verdict is not in. While advertising and one-day classes contribute to quantity, they believe the quality of members, as well as the Masonic experience, is being diluted so that results will not prove  to be long term.

All Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners

“There are too many competing interests and activities today,” says Lee Skinner, 75, a former transportation officer with the U.S. Navy and a Past Potentate of the Shriners.  “I think people are simply not familiar with us. They may have heard of Shriners without realizing all Shriners are Masons.  We need to educate the community.” Masons in the U.S. contribute some $2 million daily to charitable causes, including Shriners hospitals.

HOW MEN BECOME MASONS

Generally, “a candidate applies to a specific lodge and is interviewed by at least two masons who determine his character and willingness to join,” explains Holsomback. “Then he is initiated by learning and reciting certain moral values and principles, after which he is awarded a degree.  When a candidate earns three degrees, he becomes a full-fledged Master Mason.”

Masons seeking further “enlightenment” must join one of two other Masonic organizations, Scottish Rite or York Rite, before becoming Shriners.

–By Ken Berry, e-mail tenberries@comcast.net, or write Box 4796, Chattanooga, TN 37405