History's Dumpster = GLORIOUS trash! Kitsch, music, fashion, food, history, ephemera, and other memorable and forgotten, famous and infamous pop culture junk and oddities of yesterday and today. Saved from the landfill of time...
Apparently, there was supposed to be a meteor or an asteroid crashing into planet Earth. And God and his angels would blow their trumpets and we'll all be treated to the end of all humanity in a horrific catastrophe with a nice jazzy soundtrack. Or something to that effect.
The internet is filled with crazy videos and websites from wacky conspiracy theorists claiming that "The End Times" are coming.
You'll have to pardon me if I'm not much fun here. I've seen and heard it all. You can only see and hear so much of this nonsense before you just get bored of it (and before anyone starts firing off any comments about repentance and it's-for-real and you-just-wait, save your breath. Or keystrokes.)
You can't set an exact date on such a thing either.
But fear in America isn't just an emotion. It's a big industry. Politicians use fear to get votes. Radio and TV personalities use fear to get ratings and sales. And people on the internet like spreading fear for fun. Which translates into dollars for enterprising scam artists that feed off the money of the fearful, who are often the same people who tout the virtues of "freedom and liberty" (or the far-right version of it.) Which is odd because you can't have either if you're always scared.
Nibiru is an alleged planet that every year since 2003 was supposed to crash into Earth or tilt its rotational axis, causing the usual global catastrophe.
Much of this is spread further by radio hosts such as Art Bell, George Noory and
Alex Jones, who host syndicated radio talk programs to audiences who
are looking for something to justify their own delusions about "The Great Unknown" or "What The Government Won't Tell You". Who then make
outlandish videos for YouTube and websites supporting the theories these hosts entertain or these individuals add their own twist to them.
Religious people especially like to get people worked up over doom and gloom. And for the same reason; It makes money. Hundreds of books have been written on "The End Times", some of them New York Times bestsellers.
In 2011, evangelical broadcaster Harold Camping made an infamous prediction over his Family Radio network of stations predicting the return of Jesus Christ on May 21, 2011. This prompted many employees and listeners of Family Radio to sell or donate their worldly possessions in anticipation of "The End".
When this did not materialize, Camping pushed back the date by five months to October 21,2011. When nothing happened on this date, Camping quickly disappeared from the airwaves, replaced by reruns of his own program. Camping died on December 15, 2013. He is survived by the world. The failure of his predictions as well as falling listener donations have led to the sale of many of his radio stations.
But as any of you who have had to deal with friends or relatives who were panicky about the whole "Y2K" debacle, you begin to seriously wonder if there needs to be a law requiring a disclaimer to all these programs and websites to at least protect the mentally unstable (which will surely cause stock in tinfoil to collapse.)
Then when nothing happens, they scramble for some explanation to save their asses. Which makes them and those that believed in them the first time around look even more foolish.
Personally, the only thing that can really destroy the Earth is the greed of the human race itself. Not some bipolar "god". Or things from outer space. But as long as there are fragile minded, easily terrified people, there will be always be someone trying to exploit that fear.
And as I speak, there's someone out there making up another end of the world story. And this time, it's for real. It's the big one. You better get ready this time.
Today, I'm going to give folks in other states and around the world a primer into the world of legal marijuana here in Washington State. In Colorado, the rules and particulars are pretty much the same with not too many variables. And future state legalization laws and the cannabis sales systems in other states will likely follow ours and our friends in Colorado's example.
Support for legalizing recreational marijuana is spreading. And there is a lot of curiosity about it. Especially amongst those who are completely inexperienced with cannabis. Or haven't used it in many years in other states and countries. Or haven't used in many years, or even decades.
To help give cannabis users of all stripes an idea of the new world of legal recreational marijuana that is coming nation wide. And yes, that includes new users too. I'm going to talk about legal marijuana here in Washington State. Consenting adults have the right to choose and have proper information given to them to help make informed choices. "Just say no" is not a choice. (And terrible manners too. Why not just politely say "No, thank you"?)
I-502 And it's Effect
Recreational marijuana has been legal in Washington State for nearly three years and we've learned this much:
1. The world didn't end.
2. Marijuana is safer than alcohol
3. The crime level has fallen significantly.
4. The state economy is booming with thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new businesses. With more opening weekly.
5. Tourism has increased.
6. Drug and alcohol overdose rates have fallen dramatically.
When marijuana was legalized in Washington State, social conservatives automatically assumed the worst. They predicted millions of stoners laying about on the dole, eating chips and watching Netflix all day long. And stoned out drivers clogging up the highways. And the stoners would be demanding the legalization of cocaine, heroin, crack and meth.
Absolutely NONE of that has happened here.
And as far as the so-called "gateway drugs" are concerned, that's usually the salt, sugar and high fructose corn syrup in nearly everything and/or the caffeine in coffee and sodas. To say nothing of alcohol and tobacco. Are we going to ban these things?
Good luck with that.
Bottom line; The legalization of recreational cannabis in Washington and Colorado in 2012 was an experiment in social freedom gone wonderfully right. And the critics were wrong.
More states have legalized. Alaska is the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana. Washington DC has also legalized it and California and Vermont may be next. Expect more in all but the most extremely conservative states in the next 10-20 years. But even they will fall with time.
And finally, marijuana is a plant. It is NOT a "drug". Coffee is a plant. It contains a mind altering, sometimes disorientating substance (caffeine). Yet coffee is not called a "drug". Why is cannabis?
You can effectively end the underground black market, the dangerous synthetic drugs, increase tax revenue and help stamp out the gangs and drug cartels while SAVING resources, untold billions in tax dollars and unclogging courts and prisons. With common sense regulations and taxation. Like here in Washington State.
And I'll admit while I-502, which legalized recreational marijuana in Washington State was an excellent decision on the part of voters, the bill left a LOT to be desired and it's very heavy handed, I'm hoping the law will eventually be amended to reflect the actual realities of today's cannabis user rather than decades of false and negative stereotypes.
Preparing:
An excellent source of information, including dispensary menu prices, selection and where to buy is Leafly. Leafly is one of the very best sources of information about cannabis and related products available online and your first stop before you shop. It's full of information on the various strains/products, their availability, dispensaries in areas around the US where both medical and recreational cannabis is legal, plus current news and feature articles.
And the Leafly information pages on the various cannabis strains/products are generally spot on with the descriptiveness of them and their effects.
There is also WeedMaps, which is more Washington State specific.
They often have the menu selection for each dispensary. Be aware that some dispensaries that affiliate with Leafly may not have menus available on WeedMaps or vice versa. And some dispensaries don't publish their menus online at all. Or keep them updated. But most do. Also read the reviews for each dispensary.
(Note: Some dispensaries also do not publish their prices online. That's because prices can also fluctuate depending on availability of some products.) It's not like a convenience store, where you can find the same products in each store day after day.
The Dispensaries:
First, many of you who smoke pot illegally in your state have probably never seen an actual recreational cannabis dispensary. Or have any clue of what one looks like.
Most look something like this.
The big video screens in most dispensaries have the current menu selection and other information. Worth a glance.
They are professional retail establishments. But mostly obscure, hidden in light industrial zones and office parks. You'll never see big flashy signs, they're required to keep a low visual profile on their facades. But they are very clean and very safe. Not much different than a finer shop of any kind. Their staffs are often really friendly people.
The products are always sold from behind the counters. There are no consumer accessible shelves. This is for security reasons. And required by law.
Recreational cannabis can be an intimidating thing to buy if you're not used to it. Even for longtime cannabis users like myself were when I first started shopping at a legal dispensary. On the streets where it's illegal, you got what you could get off the streets with questionable potency (too low for some people, too high for others.)
Now we have a full market selection of not only THC levels, different strains and even flavors of pot to smoke. But the different gourmet food and drink products as well as concentrates.
You can vape it in special oils through an e-cigarette. You can eat it in specially made candies and cookies. You can drink it in infused drinks. And there are other cannabis products.
If you're new to dispensaries:
- You MUST be 21 or older to purchase at or even enter a recreational marijuana dispensary in Washington State. There is a doorman/woman at most dispensaries (some have locked access doors and they have to unlock it before you can come in.) They are there to make sure you're of age. Legal marijuana dispensaries are very classy, upstanding places and they pride themselves on maintaining that image.
- Don't be shy. Or scared. You don't need any special card. Or have to sign up for anything or join any club. After you're screened at the door, just walk in. Someone will always greet you.
- Most dispensaries also sell heatproof glass smoking pipes, bongs, vaporizer systems and of course, lighters. If you prefer pre-rolled, they have those too in selected varieties (they cannot open a bag and roll any for you. However you can buy a grinder and rolling papers at most dispensaries and do it yourself at home.)
- Don't be embarrassed by the selection. Marijuana comes in many varieties. Each strain of cannabis or cannabis infused product has a different effect and level of THC content. Pre-rolls tend to have the lowest. BHO waxes the highest.
There are three main varieties of cannabis that you should know about.
Hybrids - Hybrids are "the best of both worlds". They have both distinct body and head highs and can vary from one type to another.
If you're not sure of anything, ask for the best sellers on the menu.
Be aware of this:
- You can't legally buy more than an ounce of smokable recreational marijuana from a dispensary. There are also limits to edibles and concentrates. Always ask before you buy a larger amount of these.
- There are also no free samples. Don't ask.
- Please be aware that the dispensary staff cannot legally give you any medically related advice. So don't be offended if they rebuff any medically related question. That's not what they are there for. Only your doctor can help you in that category. Please understand and respect this.
- Taking selfies or photos in/of the interior and around the premises without express permission from management is frowned upon. Always ask first before you whip out your phone. Even though cannabis is legal here, many users are still sensitive to their privacy. Please respect that.
- You also can't consume cannabis in any form anywhere on or near the premises of a dispensary. They are not hangouts. Feel free to browse the selection, ask questions and buy. But you can't stay and consume anything there.
The Selection:
Pre-packaged recreational cannabis and cannabis product come in thick plastic, foil backed, vacuum sealed packages. It preserves the freshness of the cannabis and unopened, it can keep for a few years. They are also foil-backed for security reasons.
You have to remember this is not your uncle's stash. This is Top Shelf stuff. No stems or seeds. And quality product. All prices include tax.
You might notice 3.5 grams (on the streets, it's called an "eighth" or 1/8th of an ounce and the standard street distribution amount) for $60 for some popular strains is a LOT to pay for good cannabis (on the street, eighths usually sold for $40 and there are eighths that still sell for $40 at most dispensaries.) Some products however do not come in sizes higher than 2 grams. Check for availability.
But the good thing going in the legal market out here is you know exactly what you're getting, it's very high quality and the weight is correct. Plus you have a wide selection of products and prices. So you're not getting ripped off. If $60 is too expensive, look for lower cost eighths. But $40 is usually the lowest price for an eighth of cannabis in most recreational dispensaries.
Flowers
Also called "buds", this is the prime cannabis product and the vast majority of what is sold. There are hundreds of varieties of sativas, indicas and hybrids to choose from. They are sold in 1 gram, 2 gram, 3.5 gram and 7 gram (quarter ounce) packages and also in pre-rolled packages. Again sizes and availability differ from product to product and place to place
Storing Cannabis Cannabis, like tobacco, tea, coffee or any other plant based material needs to be stored in an airtight container and in a cool dark place away from sunlight. Black plastic 35mm film canisters were often the best for storing small amounts. But any good, airtight container will do.
Advanced Cannabis Products
Eating Cannabis Infused Products:
If you've never tried them before, eating a cannabis product is like eating any other brownie, cookie or candy. Kick back. Relax....You won't feel a thing at first. But depending on your metabolism, you'll be feeling the effects anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. And when you start to feel it, it will be instant. Like "Hit you like a train" instant. You'll be talking with someone in mid conversation and suddenly, everything will get funny. Or you'll forget what you were just talking about.
It might not be the thing you want to happen in public though. The sudden high can go in any direction. But some people can get panicky and/or really disoriented (and sometimes both when you're in a crowded party full of strangers.) It can get really scary and bum your whole trip. So stay in a nice comfy place with good friends or by yourself if you're new to the edibles and drinks.
Be aware the edibles are usually very expensive. But they're usually also very potent. You may think four small candies for $12 is crazy. But eat just one of these and you won't.
Vape Pens:
The vape pen concentrates are not for lightweights. With a 40% - 80%+ THC content, it's for the advanced stoner.
The packages containing vape oil cartridges look like hardly anything (the photo of the vape cartridge above is only slightly smaller than actual size) and a total rip off for $35-60 or more. But this isn't plant material, it's concentrated THC.
Since pure vaping oil is VERY thick, use a 350 mAh, 510 thread e-cigarette battery, which is the best power for these cartridges. Higher regular e-cigarette ones, 650 mAh and above, can ruin them. You can find these for cheap on eBay and other sources for $7-25.
These are pure cannabinoids you're inhaling, not burning plant material or e-liquid. So the clouds won't be as fluffy when you exhale like with e-cigarette liquid. Take gentle tokes and inhale it slowly and hold it as long as you can. You may not even see any significant vapor when you exhale, but give it a few seconds and you WILL feel it.
The vaping oil cartridges are very strong concentrates. And stealth too. You can puff them almost anywhere discreetly. That's why they're so popular today. But as always, be careful.
BHO wax
- BHO
BHO (or "dabbing") is smoked through a special pipe that requires a blowtorch. I don't have any personal experience with this method. Besides, that's a lot to buy and prepare when all you simply want is a good stone.
For this, I defer to the Ultimate Cannabis Authority; High Times magazine.
Another thing to remember is BHO waxes are extremely strong, 70% THC and beyond. It's absolutely not for the squeamish.
Finally
If you're a cannabis user living in a state or country where cannabis is illegal, join a pro-cannabis legalization group (Google for the ones in your state/country.) Get to know your state/country's laws on cannabis and volunteer to collect signatures to put a legalization bill on the ballot in your state/country. Or donate money to help the cause.
We live in changing times today. Public attitudes about marijuana are changing in favor of legalization. And it's important we keep fighting the good fight for cannabis legalization nationwide and around the world. And vigorously defend our rights once it is legalized.
And the best defense is to always set a good example of responsibility.
There are forces who will do anything to push us back into the dark ages of prohibition for nothing more than vicarious control over the lives of people who disagree with them and we must never allow that. Because if they can succeed in doing that, they will be emboldened to attack other rights we fought long and hard to gain (such as LGBT rights, which they already are.)
But for now, let's light up and celebrate what we have gained. Which is a LOT compared to even 3 years ago. But never give up the fight.
They lurk around shopping centers and box stores....Shady people, usually young men (but sometimes young women) in vans and SUVs.
They look at you and lick their chops as they pull over to you and make you a deal you just can't refuse; a brand new set of surround sound speakers and subwoofer for $200.
And this wasn't just any run of the mill surround sound set-up. This one is from a super boutique audiophile brand, renowned all over Europe; Olin Ross. Only the super snobs can afford this stuff. But by some strange ordering fluke, today is your lucky day and they just happened to have this Olin Ross surround sound thing that retails for $5,000 in a high-end audio shop, but if you act quick and run to the ATM and pull out $200 cash, you can get this thing off their hands and be the envy of everyone on your block...
Who is Olin Ross? you ask?
He/She then whips out a glossy brochure and even reviews in an audiophile magazine. And you begin to salivate at the superlative filled testimonials and reviews by audio experts who were left breathless by the performance of this thing.
So....You give them $200 and even an extra $20 for beer money because they were so cool. You race home and begin to set this thing up.
And it's right there you find out you've been had.
You got speakers, but really crummy and tinny sounding ones. The subwoofer is particleboard slapped together with glue. The volume control has static and overall, it's garbage. The magazine with the glowing reviews? Fake. The brochure? Fake. The company web address on the brochure? Fake too. And you wouldn't have bought this at all if you knew what it really was.
You my friend, have fallen victim to the White Van Speaker Scam, aka "The Speaker Guys"
It's not a new scam, it goes way back into the early '70s. And it isn't just speakers or even exclusively white vans the cons use. But any fishy sounding person who sells any kind of stuff from the back of a van or SUV in the parking lot of a Walmart, Home Depot or a supermarket. I have heard many stories from people who got screwed already so when I was first approached by these cons in the '80s, I was able to fend them off (but not easily, they just don't know the meaning of give up.) But in recent years, the scam has really been on the rise.
You can find more details here.
And it's not just in America. You can find these scammers all over the world.
Protecting yourself is easy; Buy A/V equipment only from reputable dealers and not from vans.
Here's a list of some of the brands associated with this scam. Also be aware many of these brands are also being sold on eBay as well. So buyer beware:
The January 14, 2015 issue of Charlie Hebdo. Headline: "All is Forgiven".
It has been nearly a week since the massacre at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper. And words still fail me.
This was a direct attack not just on a little French weekly. It was an attack on all of us who cherish freedom of speech. The artists, writers, journalists, reporters and bloggers of the world, be they on paper or online. And their readers. No matter where we are in the world.
And a painful reminder that even in America, there are hateful forces right here that are willing to silence those who they do not agree with through deadly force.
The surviving staff of Charlie Hebdo in spite of enduring the most horrific tragedy imaginable, have chosen to carry on. Because you cannot give in to evil no matter what the threat may be.
The path of freedom has always been a long, painful and bloody one. But stopping is not an option.
Your friend posts this on Facebook and shocked and horrified, you just click on it, just to see if there is really some nefarious thing "they won't tell you".
And I have to just smack my head. In the age of Photoshop, it's no wonder these phishing scams (that's what they are folks) get spread so easy.
Come on!
Do you honestly think if any cosmetic product company put out a product that actually caused THAT, that it would have NOT made WORLD headlines?
What happens when you click on that "video" is keystroke recording software is downloaded and installed on your computer, recording passwords and personal information
From the same cretins who brought you the "One Weird Trick" scam, what you're looking at is the Lotus Flower Seed Pod Scam.
That's right, a lotus flower seed pod (and Photoshop.)
No weird chemicals, no space parasites, no government conspiracies. Just pure, unadulterated bullshit for an easily manipulated and gullible public that still believes if they saw it on the internet, it must be true.
So next time someone you know shares something like this, call them out on it and stop the phishing scams.
Certain radio stations across America and Canada begin dropping their usually Adult Contemporary, Religious or Oldies formats for all Christmas music.
On the surface, the reason is simple enough - it's the beginning of the holiday season. And regardless if you're still nauseated from all the Halloween candy you ate this weekend and still have your pumpkin outside the front door, it's time to start planning.
But more importantly, the all Christmas music format is one of the most successful in ratings and in sales. Radio stations in this format get lots of advertising and they can charge more for it. If this format could be viable all year round, they would do it.
But by December 25th, some of us are already annoyed by the holiday music overkill and can't wait until the 26th when sanity and regular programming returns.
It's true some radio stations start this format just waaay too early. Yes, the air is getting nippy, but the first week of November is really pushing it. There should really be some breathing room between holidays.
But the bottom line is the bottom line; It's the make or break time for last quarter profits for retail businesses. And Christmas music tends to get people in a spending mood.
Holiday music was once a staple of radio in the 1950s, but as the 1960s to the 1990s progressed, it was usually limited to December 24th and 25th. After the 9/11 attacks, the format returned en masse. We were a nation in shock and in need of comfort. And Christmas music was the perfect aural comfort blankey. It was wildly successful and began yearly traditions at many radio stations.
With that, here's a run down of terrestrial AM and FM radio stations that have already flipped to all Christmas formats (if you really can't wait.) Most of them you can hear online or with streaming mobile.
You know Bernie Sanders as America's Senator, the lovable underdog determined to take on the Koch brothers, corporate greed mongers and corrupt government policy.
But did you know he has a musical side?
Bernie released this cassette album in 1987, Side One is a mix of traditional folk covers, Side Two is a recorded conversation with Bernie.
Video disc players of some kind have been around as far back as 1898.
The Spiral Motion Picture Camera (1898)
The Spirograph (1907) Similar to The Spiral (above)
The Phono-Vision (1964) used video recorded on vinyl LPs, a technology that would come into commercial use as the Selectavision CED player (below)
MCA DiscoVision - The unfortunately named, very first practical consumer video disc was invented by the Pioneer Corporation of Japan and first licensed and marketed by American record conglomerate MCA Records, the owners of Universal Studios (MCA Records is known today as Universal Music Group) beginning in 1978. It was the very first laser based consumer medium, predating the CD by four years. These discs were two sided and the video quality was not much better than the best video tapes of that time.
They were also ridiculously expensive. In spite of stereo sound (on some discs) and their cool look, there was no way it could compete with the video tape. Video tapes could be home recorded. Video discs could not.
And then there was that name.
You couldn't sell something with "disco" anything in it in America in the early '80s without creating PTSD flashbacks of mirrored balls, white three piece suits and Bee Gees music. We were a nation still in recovery then and sales began to seriously tank.
They tried renaming it the Video LP (VLP), even CD Video before MCA finally gave up on the format.
Pioneer renamed it the Laserdisc and enjoyed some modest success in the early 1990s. They were still outrageously expensive. But there were many technical improvements. But the VHS video tape still dominated. The final blow came with the introduction of the DVD in 1996. Which also successfully killed off the VHS tape format by 2004 with the introduction of the recordable DVD-R and later by, YouTube, Netflix and cloud sharing.
RCA Selectavision - Also known as the CED video disc. Introduced in 1982. what made these different was instead of a laser, they used a stylus, similar to a vinyl LP record. Which is why you inserted the CED disc into the player through it's case and it is removed with the case to play each side.
However, even with the sturdy plastic case, they were not immune to the same problems that plagued vinyl LPs. Including dust (from inside the machine) minor scratches and if you had a smart toddler, they can physically remove the disc from the case by pressing the tabs on the upper corners of the case. And out falls the actual disc. (I knew one guy who had his entire CED disc collection ruined by his girlfriend's mischievous four year old son one horrifying Saturday morning.) The stylus like any vinyl format also had to be changed. By a professional. Often. Or else, the discs would wear out and skip like any other record. And they were not pleasant to look at.
They were discontinued in 1986.
CD-ROM - Most CD's are pretty much CD-ROMs. Meaning they could only be read and not re-recorded. With the CD-RW, they could. However in the mid '90s, computer software and video games was only available on CD-ROMs including your operating system. So all computers of that time had them. And some low quality music videos began appearing on standard music CDs, meaning you could play this disc in your CD-ROM equipped home computer and watch the video on your monitor. There were also instructional videos on CD-ROM. Remember these commercials?
"Try my product?......"
DVD - The DVD format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996, in the United States
on March 1, 1997, in Europe on October 1, 1998 and in Australia on
February 1, 1999. The DVD became the dominant form of home video
distribution in Japan when it first went on sale in 1996, but did not
become the dominant form of home video distribution in the United States
until June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD rentals
began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals. The very first movie ever released on DVD was Twister (1996) The DVD could store 4.7 GB of data per disc.
Blu-Ray - is a format designed to supersede the DVD format, in that it is capable of storing high-definition video resolution (1080p). The Blu-Ray disc could store 25 GB of data.
HD-DVD - HD-DVD was a format designed to compete with the Blu-Ray. But the format failed to get a foothold.
On August 13th, Disney announced it would be ending it's Radio Disney network on nearly all of it's mostly AM radio stations and selling the stations to concentrate on the network's digital platforms, such as online and satellite.
The stations affected are:
98.3 WRDZ-FM Plainfield/Indianapolis (their only FM station.)
590 WDWD Atlanta
620 KMKI Plano/Dallas
640 WWJZ Mount Holly
NJ/Philadelphia
910 WFDF Farmington Hills/Detroit
990 WMYM Miami
990
WDYZ Orlando
1250 KKDZ Seattle (See below for more info on KKDZ)
1250 WDDZ Pittsburgh
1260 WWMK
Cleveland
1260 WSDZ Belleville IL/St. Louis
1260 WMKI Boston
1300
WRDZ La Grange/Chicago
1310 KMKY San Francisco
1380 WWMI St.
Petersburg
1440 KDIZ Golden Valley/Minneapolis
1470 KIID Sacramento
1480 WGFY Charlotte
1560 WQEW New York
1580 KMIK Tempe/Phoenix
1590
KMIC Houston
1640 KDZR Lake Oswego/Portland
1690 KDDZ Arvada/Denver
The stations will leave the air until they are sold. It's currently unknown if there will be a single buyer of all or if stations will be sold one by one. But one thing is guaranteed; the formats will change.
Radio Disney however is keeping it's flagship station, 1110 KDIS Los Angeles, but the rest are to be sold.
This brings to an end to the longest running AM children's radio network chain. Radio Disney was one of many networks started in the 1980s, '90s and 2000s to rescue failing 2nd tier, mostly AM radio stations with unique programming unavailable on most FM radio stations (such as hard rock, LGBT programming, personal motivation, progressive talk, business talk and others.) In Disney's case, programming for pre-teens.
However, they weren't the first network to cater to children. There were earlier networks, such as Radio AAHS (pronounced "Radio Oz", founded in 1990 and based at 1280 WWTC Minneapolis - now a conservative talk station.) Radio AAHS also offered a monthly magazine with a CD or cassette tape.
Radio AAHS entered into a early deal with Disney which quickly turned
sour, as Disney was quietly preparing it's own radio network
(unbeknownst to Radio AAHS.) It's been said the only reason Disney entered into the deal was to learn all they could about Radio AAHS's successful children's radio programming model. And then use it to their advantage and shutting out it's benefactor.
Seattle based KidStar was an aspiring competitor to Radio AAHS. Founded in 1993 and based at 1250 KKDZ Seattle, KidStar offered similar programming to Radio AAHS, but KidStar was a bit edgier, offering more rock based music selections than the mostly kiddie-tune Radio AAHS. There were plans to expand into a full network, like Radio AAHS, but they were quickly dashed as Disney began flexing it's muscles with Radio AAHS.
Both the Radio AAHS network and KidStar relied on advertising from giants of kid marketing, such as Disney, Warner Bros., Mattel and General Mills. However as Disney became more powerful in the children's radio format at an alarming rate, these accounts quickly dried up by the time Radio Disney was launched in 1996 and there was no way tiny KidStar could compete with the Disney empire. KidStar had no other option than to sell it's one and only station, KKDZ Seattle to Radio Disney in 1997.
Radio Disney is scheduled to end programming on their affiliate stations around September 26th.
(UPDATE: Radio Disney will continue to operate on all it's current stations until each are sold. - L.W.)
98.3 WRDZ-FM Plainfield/Indianapolis
590 WDWD Atlanta
620 KMKI Plano/Dallas
640 WWJZ Mount Holly NJ/Philadelphia
910 WFDF Farmington Hills/Detroit
990 WMYM Miami
990 WDYZ Orlando
1250 KKDZ Seattle
1250 WDDZ Pittsburgh
1260 WWMK Cleveland
1260 WSDZ Belleville IL/St. Louis
1260 WMKI Boston
1300 WRDZ La Grange/Chicago
1310 KMKY San Francisco
1380 WWMI St. Petersburg
1440 KDIZ Golden Valley/Minneapolis
1470 KIID Sacramento
1480 WGFY Charlotte
1560 WQEW New York
1580 KMIK Tempe/Phoenix
1590 KMIC Houston
1640 KDZR Lake Oswego/Portland
1690 KDDZ Arvada/Denver
An old friend of mine recently sent me a package - and a challenge: Review these MREs.
What are MREs?
They are Meals Ready to Eat. They are issued to army troops in combat or anywhere outside the mess hall. They are in nearly every army around the world.
And so, always up for any challenge that involves eating. Beginning tomorrow, I'm going to review each MRE. There are 12 of them in this box. Each one contains one meal. Plus other essentials in a vacuum sealed bag (necessary because soldiers do a lot of fighting in dirty areas.)
But to do this, we are not going to go on the battlefield front line (I'm totally missing out on the atmosphere and service, I know.)
My kitty, Sgt. Smokey Gato has already established his base camp....
