Sunday, October 16, 2011

News from New Jersey on CBS Sunday Morning on October 16, 2011

Chalres Osgood introduced the stories for October 16. Recent advance in medical science are good, but Tracy Smith reports on prescription drug overdose (primarily oxycontin) in the cover story. A postcard from Venice by Seth Doane initially featuring gondola ride, but obliquely getting into IP issues in gondola making. Anthony Mason on Coldplay. Chris Martin. Bill Geist on public assistance programs, Mary Donnelly. Mo Rocca on New Jersey, with obligatory reference to inventions of Edison. David Edelstein on Margin Call. Rita Braver on Jill Abramson.

News: Occupy Wall Street moves to Times Square. Riot in Rome. Pope Benedict uses wheeled platform. Clinton's 65th birthday. MLK Memorial in DC. 52 year old Dewey Bozella beat Larry Hopkins. Texas won AL. Weather: windy and seasonably cool in northeast.

Tracy Smith starts the story in Pinellas County, FL. Dozens of pill mills in Pinellas: cash only convenience stores for prescription pain killers. Florida is awash in oxycontin. 7 people die in FL every 24 hours from overdose. In Pinellas County, police go after the buyers, using such as seat belt violations to get into car. "Suspicion of doctor shopping" is a felony in Florida. Chief Deputy
"The Oxy Express" describes drug traffic from Florida to the north, such as Ohio. Jason Davis is given as an example of a person who got hooked on oxy; went to pain clinic in West Palm Beach. Kids begin to sample prescription drugs at age 13. Rick Bradshaw of Palm Beach describes pill parties. Overdose death. Karen Perry mother of overdose child. Narcotics Overdose Prevention Task Force. Prescription drug abuse in FL among teens is finally down. Now, a statewide data base on drugs. EStimated that 48 million Americans have used prescription drugs for not prescribed purpose. [In passing, recall the patent issues with oxycontin.]

Almanac. Oct. 16, 1869: Cardiff Giant discovered. George Hull was fraudster who wanted to demonstrate how easily people could be fooled. Sunday Morning gave other examples of fraud: Trick on National Geographic about dinosaurs [The "missing link" dinosaur-bird in National Geographic magazine in November, 2004 was a fake. Archaeoraptor, the unofficial name of the fossil, was actually two animals pieced together ]. Balloon boy episode. Cardiff Giant now resides in Cooperstown. from wikipedia: David Hannum was quoted as saying, "There's a sucker born every minute" in reference to spectators paying to see Barnum's copy of the Cardiff giant. Over time, the quotation has been misattributed to Barnum himself.
Hannum sued Barnum for calling his giant a fake, but the judge told him to get his giant to swear on his own genuineness in court if he wanted a favorable injunction.
On December 10, 1869, Hull confessed to the press. On February 2, 1870 both giants were revealed as fakes in court. The judge ruled that Barnum could not be sued for calling a fake giant a fake.


Seth Doane in Venice. Gondolas have been around since 14th century. There are just over 400 licensed gondoliers. It's $110 per ride. Gondolas are tailored to fit the gondoliers, weight wise. Tremontine Boat Yard. Two months to make one, which goes for about $50,000. Oak, walnut, mahogany, and cherry. The Faro is the iron ornament on the front. Long black Armani dress with a slit up the side. When an artist dies, his knowledge dies with him.[not like in the patent world, wherein knowledge lives on.]

Rita Braver on NYT executive editor Jill Abramson. One of the most powerful jobs in the country. NYT sets the agenda of news. Premium is on the deep reporting. "Page 1" newsroom. Pig pilfering in the midwest. In the old days, 6 older men made decisions. She leads 1250 employees. NYT announced staff reductions this week. Consider the website as important as the web edition. Jill: people seem very attached to the Times in print. Jill was involved in weapons of mass destruction news. Jill grew up in upper west side. Jill went to Harvard, worked at Time. In 1997, met Maureen Dowd at a party. Started as hard hitting investigative reporter. In 2007, Jill was hit by a truck in Times Square. Scout, English Standard Golden Retriever. Husband is Henry Griggs. Jill started blogging about the dog Scout. Joke about fuller coverage of NYT as to dog.

Movie "Margin Call." Princeton's Paul Krugman is quoted in the movie review. "Peddling complex financial schemes." Zach Quinto; Stanley Tucci. About toxic assets. Be smarter or cheat. A firesale of worthless assets. Jeremy Irons in Boris Karloff mode. Simon Baker.

Sunday Passage. Franklin Kameny, gay rights pioneer. Clip of Dean Rusk: we don't employ homosexuals. Slogan: Gay is good.

Mo Rocca, in defense of New Jersey. Osgood opens the story with mention of Chris Christie. NJ the toll booth state, and other Jersey jokes. The real housewives of New Jersey and Jersey Shore. Benjamin Franklin said NJ like a barrel tapped at both ends. In fact, NJ is an economic powerhouse, 2nd richest state in US. 15% of state is farmland. NJ gets less back in federal taxes than any other state. Edison patented light bulb in NJ. Meryl Streep. Camden and Newark poverty. but 2nd highest per capita income. Most densely populated state. 22% of state is pine barrens with purest water. Victory Park in Rumson, NJ. Horse farm in NJ. Jersey Shore is shot in Seaside Heights. Shore is 127 miles long. Blame the Turnpike: views of NJ's gray side. David Chase of Sopranos: introduction sequence. Bruce Springsteen, unofficial poet laureate. Born to Run is about getting out. Tribute to a state that is unfiltered and proud of its toll booths. First baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ.
[The sad part of the story is that it is recycled from CBS Sunday Morning on January 16, 2011;
CBS Sunday Morning on January 16, 2011
; a preview of the Rumson component goes back to October 2010; did all the exposure of Chris Christie bring the video down from the shelves?]

Coldplay is one of the biggest bands around. Anthony Mason talks about them for the record. Viva la vida. Met at London's University College. Lead singer Chris Martin. Original name of band: Starfish. Then: The Coldplay. Parachutes with Yellow.
Martin: You have to work hard, but it's not hard work. Myl Oxyl. NYT: the decade's most insufferable band. Martin compared himself to Po of Kung Fu Panda. Wife: Gwyneth Paltrow. [ "It's a big leap? What, from being a loser, to going out with an Oscar winner?" It's a giant leap. Let's face it: it's like winning the lottery." ] Martin has a problem with sleeping. Most songwriters are deeply competitive. Refers to singer Adele. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins Viva la vida: your basic French revolution break-up song. [Of timeliness to this story on Oct. 16, note the fifth studio album, titled Mylo Xyloto, will be released on October 24, 2011.]

Ben Stein on post office. Just for me, email will not replace a communication on a piece of paper. This is because I'm 66 years old. I love the whole mail process. I love the smile of Barbara, my deliverer in West Hollywood. Bottom line from Stein: Let's pay more, but keep mail service as it is.

Block Island, Rhode Island's Mary Donnelly is profiled by Bill Geist. She arrived in 1958 as visiting nurse. She is 83 years old now. She tends to financial ills of people. There are 1000 or so residents of Block Island. There is a "Mary D" fund. Mary notes: you have to have a way to budget your money. Mary is the only one who decides. Mary does not hand out cash; she pays the bills directly. 30% of Block Islanders have received help from Mary D fund. Mary: I'm an ordinary person who has been gifted with this.

Next week: Martin Sheen

Moment of nature. Spriva handihaler. Utah's Monument Valley. A snake. A thunderstorm. [Backdrop of more movie Westerns than you can imagine.]

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