David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
Channel of Darkness Many years ago I read the great biographical work “Murrow: His Life and Times,” by A. M. Sperber. Since that time I have owned six copies — each had to be replaced because I kept giving them to journalism majors. Most of these students were specifically hoping for careers in broadcast journalism, and it was my hope that learning more about one of the first, and still the finest, broadcast journalists ever, might inspire them to focus their careers on the pursuit... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
The parable: The dear, elderly widow, Mrs. Whatever, dies in her sleep at the age of 93. The coroner says it was a heart attack, her doctor concurs, adding that it was her fifth, the police don’t feel any need to investigate. Her only son, Steve Whatever, inherits her vast fortune. Everyone agrees it’s sad, but no one thinks anything is amiss. Enter Squirrely Yates, a local bag lady whose only outstanding features are her addictions to eyeliner, the sound of her own voice, and the sound... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
“What is wrong with you? Did your mother drop you on your head when you were a baby?” Everyone has heard this little facetious gem from time to time, some of us hear it quite often; for me, it seems like theme music. It is the “Evergreen” to my “Star is Born;” the “One Tin Soldier” to my “Billy Jack;” the Ba-bah-bump-ba-da-bump-bump to my “Beverly Hills Cop,” and I for one have grown weary of its gross overplay. Thus, I will... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
The Eyes… By David Sherman Preston looked down at his hands, dim in the flickering light of the lone candle. The water running over them was cool, though he noticed that only the hot faucet was turned. The basin was of antique design, enameled cast iron and chipped on the front edge. He bent to splash water onto his face, and straightening, saw his own reflection in a corroded oval mirror just as ancient in appearance as the rest of the tableau. Sluggishly, his mind tried to make sense of... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
Most of us have seen “The Matrix.” For those of you who either shun all things sci-fi, don’t watch movies at all, or live in a cave, I will briefly summarize the reference. The protagonist, Neo, is offered a choice between a blue pill, which will allow him to forget his worries and return to an existence of blissful ignorance, and a red pill which will give him the answers to all his most pressing questions. If Bush & Cheney, Inc. can use Jack Bauer to rationalize torture, I... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
The following is offered as a work of fiction, and therefore should not be construed by any attorneys as a reason to justify their retainers or pad their billable hours. It is a purely hypothetical musing on the current state of what were once lofty ideals, precepts held on high, and on how easily such fragile fictions may be toppled by the seemingly innocuous acts of petty men. Should any one man find too many similarities herein and think himself maligned, that would be his problem. Should he... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
“Oh yeah? Well, if the South seceded again today we would win ’cause now we’ve got Fort Bragg, and NASA at Cape Kennedy and Houston, and we’ve got the guns at Dahlgren!” I remember this exact argument coming from one of my best boyhood friends in Virginia around ‘71 or ‘72. While Fort Bragg in South Carolina is a military installation of major significance, NASA never became the sort of missile super site my friend mistakenly believed it to be. The big guns... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
April’s showers bring May’s flowers — at least that’s how it works in most of the rest of the northern hemisphere. Here in Florida, where “showers” is synonymous with, “Oh, it must be 3:30,” we tend to get a little less worked up over seasonal change. I suppose our version would be, “April’s tourists pay May’s taxes,” though admittedly it’s not the same without the rhyme. One thing, however, does tie us together with our... [Read more...]
By: David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders. – Article IX, Section 1, Florida State Constitution “What is a Haridopolos?” This question was first put to the voters of Brevard county in 1999. It’s been repeated in every election cycle since. It was a cutsie way for aspiring politician Mike Haridopolos... [Read more...]
By David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
I shouldn’t be surprised as I sit here in the wee morning hours of my 48th birthday that numbers keep running loudly through the cluttered back hallways of my mind. Granted, most of the ruckus is being caused by the number 50! This comes as no surprise, since the only concern I remember leading up to my 30th birthday lasted twenty minutes and came around my 28th. Just as my only apprehension about turning 40 was two hours of mild panic when I hit 38. Apparently, some part of me prefers to avoid... [Read more...]
