Well, let's see, aside from portraying me as a LOSER, and aside from calling me a GADFLY which I think comes with unkind connotations, and aside from implying that NOBODY ever listens to me, I guess, apart from all that, I ought not to object to the silly article in the daily newspaper. Actually, I have heard from other local radio and TV guys who are jealous that they did not get a mention in the article. Bill Hooper has a good sense of humor to take the effort to pass on this story. Frustrating to me is that on so many things which seem to me more important, I can't get the paper to say a word. For example, over the last two months I have sought repeatedly for the paper to do a story which explains the legal reasons I contend that a judge will eventually rule our "Better Jacksonville Plan" to be invalid. At this point the readers know that Andy Johnson is trying to defeat it in court, but they have no clue, from the paper, about the issues involved. And another example, of course, is the issue of metrication. Over the last 25 years I have sought many times to find somebody, anyone, in the our daily paper willing to write about various metric issues, such as the Florida Metric Council's creation and demise, such as my success and failure in metric road signs, and, in 25 years, although the paper will feature me in big silly stories, like the one mentioned by Hooper, I can get not a word into the paper about metrication. But... now I pledge to try once more. This time I will try to get an article about this usma message board. All other angles have failed. So I will try the internet angle. We have a reporter looking for internet news, so I will try that approach. Thanks, Bill, for going to so much effort. And here is a reminder for everyone: Feb. 21 I will have Bill Hooper in my studio with me as we devote my entire show, 9--noon, to the cause of metrication. You can tune in at http://www.wjgr.com and join in the fun. Please pass it on. Sincerely, Andy Johnson --- "Hooper, Bill and or Barbara" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 16:11:03 -0500 > Subject: [USMA:10697] survivor > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Hooper, Bill and or > Barbara) > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Those with a passing familiarity with the Survivor > TV (television) show in > the US may find it amusing to learn that one of our > own (a metric proponent) > is involved. It is not in the real TV program but a > fictitious one dreamed > up as a humorous story in The Times-Union newspaper > in Jacksonville, Florida > (2001 Jan 26, section D, page 1). > > The author (columnist Charlie Patton) selected > sixteen people to "compete" > for a million dollars by being the final survivor on > a hypothetical "desert" > island in the middle of the St. John's River in > downtown Jacksonville. The > people he selected are all prominent people in > Jacksonville, including the > Jaguars (football team) coach, Jacksonville Mayor > John Delaney, a retired > member of Congress now being mentioned as a possible > choice for Secretary of > the navy, a famous golfer, a rock singer, a popular > TV weather man, the > sheriff AND ... > > radio personality and talk show host, ANDY JOHNSON! > > Andy is known best to most of you for his frequent > shows devoted entirely to > promoting metric conversion in the US (next one Feb > 21) and his sometimes > posted or forwarded correspondance on this > listserver. He is also a former > member of the Florida Legislature who brought about > some positive > legislation for metric a few years back. > > The gimmick in the (fictitious) adventure is that > each day, one of the group > is voted off the island by the remaining > participants. Our Andy Johnson > coasts by for the first four days but then gets > involved on day five when he > and Mayor Delaney get into a dispute over the > mayor's "Better Jacksonville > Plan" (a multi-million dollar political football in > that city). As an aside, > I note that after Andy's recent two metric talk > shows, he devoted the next > two shows to fighting the mayor's plan. > > The story goes on (quoting now from the newspaper): > > It's clear that (the group) is going to vote against > either Delaney or > Delaney's arch-enemy Andy Johnson, one-time > politician turned talk show > gadfly. Johnson has spent most of his time on the > island standing on a > soapbox that he found among the flotsam along the > river bank and giving > long, passionate explanations of why he's against > the Better Jacksonville > Plan. For the first time in two decades, Johnson > gets the most votes in an > election. Unfortunately it's an election to see who > leaves. He does. > > (end of quote) > > Sorry, Andy. Too bad that you didn't use your > soapbox for promoting metric > instead of for challenging the mayor (in the story, > at least). > > from > Bill Hooper > > ============ > Make It Simple! > Make It Metric! > ============ > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. http://auctions.yahoo.com/
