Here are a few observations on various subjects. As usual, I expect readers will either agree or disagree with my opinions.

The presidential campaign — I don’t know the record for the longest presidential campaign, but there are children born when this one started and now they’re walking and talking. The campaign has meandered down to a few more states and, as of this writing, it appears Sen. Barack Obama will be the Democrats’ nominee. 

If it’s true that it will all be over in early June, we can then look forward to another round of campaigning to see who will become the country’s next president. Let’s hope voters continue to turn out in record numbers in this historic contest. By the way, I think heavy voter turnout in primary after primary across the United States has been the real highpoint of the current campaign.

Where did the money go? — You may have heard some time ago that our government lost, I believe, $9 billion in funds intended to prosecute the war in Iraq.

I’ve also heard that similar huge sums — perhaps as much as a trillion dollars in total — are also unaccounted for in Bush administration spending. In either case, our media watchdogs don’t seem to be watching very closely. And if they are watching, they’re not talking.

The Myanmar tragedy — The shameful government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) has blocked media coverage of the recent cyclone that may claim over 100,000 Burmese lives. Still, I criticize both print and electronic media outlets for the lackadaisical way in which they have treated such a great human tragedy. In addition to the tens of thousands feared dead, millions have been displaced or otherwise severely affected by the deadly storm.

In addition to the backward Myanmar government’s resistance to media coverage, I think the sheer scope of the tragedy has contributed to what appears to be a degree of major media indifference. To the point, there’s some wisdom to the idea that, if two or three people are killed in, say, a traffic accident, people are deeply affected. On the other hand, if tens of thousands are killed by a natural disaster, it is outside the imaginative grasp of most of us. It’s called human nature.

More on media — Over the years, many of these articles have dealt with the subject of media and, especially, television. In some of these articles, I have made the point that it is not what is on television that’s important. The really important thing is that the television is in our homes in the first place. In other words, as a processor and disseminator of information, television affects our lives far more deeply than any particular “show” it might transmit.

In this regard, I recently came across an article titled, “Good TV is Bad for Kids.” The author, Deborah Hage, argues that watching “Sesame Street” is no better for children than watching “The Tonight Show.” According to Hage, it’s the process, not the content that retards their physical and intellectual development.

Her observations on television’s impact on children’s eye movement is a good example. She writes: “Watching television requires that the eyes learn to focus on the same spot. While there is movement within the spot, the spot itself does not move.”  She goes on to say, “however, reading requires an entirely different set of eye movement skills. In order to learn to read the eyes must learn to move from side to side, up and down, and in and out.”

The implication is obvious. Children grow up watching television, on the average, at least four hours a day. They read, on the average, 15 minutes a day. The way a child’s eyes must move to watch television is in opposition to what that child’s eyes must do to accomplish the reading task. The upshot is that, for many children, reading is not only difficult, but painful. So it’s not just that little Johnny can’t read, he also hates it.

The big blanket — Although Hage does not mention it, I suppose television has similar profound effects on adults. Subliminally, it tells us what is good and what is bad; what is pretty and what is ugly; what is true and what is false; and what is real, and what is not. We so much love the light and sound from television that we leave it on even when we’re not watching. It’s our electronic “blankie.”

Anyway, folks, I’ve got to go watch CNN. It’s a little chilly tonight, and I need warming up.

Have a nice day!

Primus Mootry is an Anderson resident and a high school teacher.