Dibs and Dabs

Aging is a funny thing . Middle age creeps up on you without warning . If you are like Moi and at times cursed with the heart and inner mind of an 18 year old....the realization that you are a part of the demographic that made shows like "NCIS" a hit slaps you up side the head. I believe the quote was along the lines of referring to the 50 plus year old viewing audience..blah blah blah that carried a tone to it that made me think I had by Gawd one foot in the grave and the other on a greased ball bearing. And any one in real life who knows ol Pol knows that gracefull ....she ain't.

Take the news. I grew up in a house that watched Huntley and Brinkley , a personal favorite of Dads. We watched Uncle Walter also. We trusted these guys and they in turn trusted their audiences to have the brains and common sense to understand what the hell was going on. These gentlemen didn't pander to the camera, worry about the lines on their faces or perform stunts to increase the ratings. They covered the war in Vietnam, the assassination of many gifted people taken far to soon and did it with respect. They were journalists, not personalities and for many of them , when they spoke about the war , you could sense that maybe they had been in country during a conflict....and knew what the F they were talking about. They didn't let their personal opinions color their delivery, except with the noted exception of the historic emotion on Walter Chronkite's face as he announced the death of JFK. It was an historic moment because it just didn't happen on a regular basis..

I consider most of todays news reporters here in the US to be little more than floating heads. There are a few exceptions...Christine Amapoor ( sp) comes to mind. We lost the other one today.

Rest in peace Mr. Bradley.

SU and I have a habit of watching " 60 Minutes " every Sunday. It's the law in the Casa. Even the reruns. SU has a fondness for Andy Rooney and I note the similarities of the two as SU ages. I call the SU a Curmudgeon in training. Ed Bradley had the gift of being respectful in his delivery, humorous when appropriate and keenly interested in being in the moment . But more than anything else, he listened. He gave his full and undivided attention to the topic at hand. When he covered war torn areas, you remembered that he himself had been injured in Cambodia without being hit over the head with it. There was no chummy " Hey Buddy, I can relate " crap that is so patronizing that it makes me want to gak. He had the ability to take his work and not himself seriously which is an art. I shall miss seeing him on Sunday nights and had hoped that his passing was swift and gentle. Sadly it seems that was not the case. He's two or three year battle with leukemia resulted in the need to remove his spleen. That resulted in his body shutting down and thus causing his untimely demise. The fact that the man had the grace to keep a clear divide between his personal and professional life speaks to his character. In a world of idiotic celebutants and stalkerazzi whores where you aren't famous until you've had your very own " Nip Slip", been thrown out of the latest " in " club or busted like a Baldwin...there are those with style, grace and a sense of propriety . That rarified and select group gained a new member today. And the world lost a member of a dying breed, a gentleman.

RIP Mr Bradley.