CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, June 17, 2002

Keeping up via satellite and Internet

So much happens in the course of just one day, not to mention a full week, that staying abreast of local, state and world events can be a daunting task. But, thanks to the Internet plus satellite or cable connections to the world of news, keeping up can only take a few minutes.

When television via satellite became available, we purchased one of those big movable dishes and it has served us well ever since. Someday, I suppose we will switch to the newer 18-inch fixed dish; however, we only pay about $150.00 per year for just the programs we want we watch. Oops. I forgot NFL Sunday Ticket -- without which Wonder Wife would be lost come football season. That’s another $145.00.

Back to the news. The first thing this news junkie does each morning is check for the emails that may have arrived during the night. Next, I go to www.drudgereport.com to see if Matt Drudge has any news items not likely to found (yet) on the more regular news outlets. After that, I go to www.upi.com for a more in depth look at what is happening abroad. Finally, I check out www.jewishworldreview.com but it is an excellent source of news about the Middle East and Israel.

When Wonder Wife is up and about, the Fox News Channel is watched for the latest news, fair and balance and as devoid of spin and bias as humanly possible. Fox News Channel runs a banner across the bottom of the screen. So, after about 30 minutes of both watching and listening, the sound is muted. But the banner is checked every half-hour or so. If there is breaking news a different graphic comes on and, if the news is of interest, the sound may come back on for awhile.

Do we watch the evening news shows from ABC, CBS and NBC? No. Read Bernard Goldberg’s book Bias, for why we do not watch news via the standard broadcast channels. Oh, we might watch Tom Brokaw now and then but that is only because he has shown an interest in the men and women of the “greatest generation” that fought World War II. CNN? Heavens, no. If we wanted that point of view, it would be simpler to read the press releases coming from the Democratic National Committee. By contrast, the view from the Republican National Committee can be seen at: www.newsmax.com.

But the Internet has its hazards as well. Take on-line shopping, for example. Most of the time we get what we pay for and it arrives on our doorstep in good order. But, now and then, things backfire.

Recently, I ordered a pistol holster from the Desantis Holster Company. The photograph of the holster shown on-line was just what I wanted. It had a split belt loop feature making it easy to attach the holster to one’s belt. But when the holster arrived, it did not have the split belt loop feature.

I immediately sent an email to the Desantis Holster Company in New Hyde Park, New York. What followed was an exchange of half a dozen emails each more confusing as what became a debate worn on. First, they claimed they sent the correct holster. So, I took a digital photo of what they sent and I took a digital photo of the holster depicted in their printed catalog and on their website and sent them to Desantis.

Clearly, what I ordered and I what I got were a world apart. But, even after being confronted with photographic evidence that they had either sent the wrong holster or one that had not been manufactured properly, Desantis refused to make things right. Finally, in disgust, I asked for a return authorization number and the holster is awaiting pickup by UPS.

As I say, sometimes these things work out and sometimes they do not. Meanwhile, back to the news.

William Hamilton, a nationally syndicated columnist and featured commentator for USA Today, is the co-author of The Grand Conspiracy by William Penn – a novel about a terrorist attack on the water storage facilities in the Colorado high country.

©2002. William Hamilton.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com