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The Media as Watchdog
This week's recall of thousands of salmonella-tainted eggs is proof that the media is anything but a watchdog.
Two years ago, in the film "Food, Inc", Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation", and Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma", were featured by director Robert Kenner in a brutal expose of the deleterious practices of the food industry.
In one of the most disturbing segments of the film we see chickens crammed together in cages, hardly able to move, their feces dropping through the wire floor into spaces rarely cleaned. The buildings holding the chickens are hundreds of feet long, lit day and night, and dead birds are left to rot for days before anyone comes by to check on things.
Two years after a documentary vividly laid out the facts about industrial farming, the mainstream media is finally forced to report them because its practices have made large numbers of people sick - not to mention the money being lost by those having to recall their eggs.
This morning, a week after the recall of thousands of salmonella tainted eggs, CNN finally turned to Eric Schlosser and Dr. John Boyd, Founder and President of the National Black Farmers Association, who is a chicken farmer, for "insights" into this shocking state of affairs.
Alas, the excellent medical reporter Elizabeth Cohen, instead of being allowed to add her expertise on salmonella to the information provided by the chicken farmer, is there to exonerate the industry, pointing out that it is more difficult to be on top of things in industrial-size farms.
Instead of using the 'teachable moment' to suggest that industrial production of eggs is a bad idea, as eloquently demonstrated by a serious film two years ago, and explained today by the small producer and the investigative reporter, the message of the news channel that reaches into every household, is that salmonella is a minor matter compared to the (supposed) benefits of big agriculture.
The drill is the same for questions of war and peace - notably, this week, the growing threat of violence in our own streets over the building of a Muslim Community Center that will house a mosque. No meaningful information about Islam, its roots, its history, its brilliant scholars, etc.
But under the enlightening morning news features, the tiny crawler announced that Levi Johnson has filed papers to run for mayor of Wassila.
Labels: Eric Schlosser, Food, Inc. National Black Farms' Association, Michael Pollan, salmonella
Puck the Magic Dragon or Willie the Woolly Mammoth?
The swirl of speculation, invective and silliness reached truly epic proportions this week, hence my title.
The idea is this: Can President Obama magically instill the fear of a dragon in Republicans bent on destroying the republic, or will a credulous, untutored America, like the Woolly Mammoth that required grasslands when climate change brought forest, lumber into extinction?
The back cover of the September issue of In These Times presents a tale that everyone should read: "The Manchurian President: Chicago's Commie Liberal Puppet" by Chip Berlet. The title evokes McCarthyism for good reason. As Berlet says for openers: "America is in the midst of a 21st century witch hunt. A loose-knit network of right-wing ideological strategists, Republican Party operatives and media demagogues generate the odious smears. Their goal is to stymie the Obama administration's policy initiatives, capture Congress in November and unseat President Barack Obama in 2012. This propagandizing echoes the scapegoating of liberals, union and community organizers, peace activists, gay people, Jews and people of color during the anti-Communist witch-hunts of the McCarthy era."
Berlet recalls that flyers claiming Martin Luther King Jr. was the dupe of a communist conspiracy were distributed nationwide, depicting liberals as either tools or agents of a plot to build collectivism and global governance. FDR had been labeled a fascist, now Obama is tagged as both Hitler and Stalin. Yet Kennedy, who famously exhorted "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" was never accused of submitting the individual to the state.
A new book entitled: The Manchurian President accuses Obama of ties to communists, socialists "and other anti-American extremists". According to its right-wing authors, Obama was "groomed for office by a nest of socialists, communists and other dangerous radicals based in Hyde Park, the South Side neighborhood that includes the University of Chicago."
According to a public relations consultant quoted by Berlet, Obama's opponents cannot attack him openly on race or on his qualifications, so they "map out 'who-knows-who'"(known as guilt by association).
In these efforts, the conspirators stumble all over the fateful combination of "socialist" and "democratic", boastfully condemning the idea of "social democratic organization based on the idea of local autonomy".
The right-wing version of local autonomy is 'it's every man for himself', while the social-democratic idea favors the basic notion of the solidarity of the group toward the individual. The two political currents criticizing Obama are like two careening bumper cars in a theme park, and we can't foresee whether the left's magic dragon will win out over the fate of the right's woolly mammoth, the danger being that some in the public will confuse the two.
Labels: Chip Berlet, Domestic affairs, ideology, In These Times
A Professional Left? Really???
You would have thought Robert Gibbs was referring to card-carrying communists - or at least socialists - when he lashed out at the political class he owes his and his boss's job to.
How far can knee-jerk professions of innocence go? ("Change? Who said anything about change? Change to what? Canadian health care??")
How ruthlessly can our president - who showed he could be ruthless in Chicago, thereby reassuring us before we elected him, that he would put those indispensable political skills to good use Washington - throw us off the train instead?
With Gibb's fatal words, the President metamorphosed into a clone of one of those right-wing homophobes who turn out to be gay. Trans-lation: Obama knows that the forces arrayed against him are invincible, to the extent that his life is on the line if he makes one false move (Fidel Castro is not the only one who fears for his survival). He cannot follow in FDR's footsteps and submit legislation to Congress while wielding a big stick; he can only survive if he pretends that he wouldn't consider imple-menting his progressive promises to those who elected him.
The worst of it all is that this is a forty-year-old story. Read Andrew Bacevich's new book: Washington Rules and you'll find this, page 32:
"What Americans mistook for politics - the putative rivalry that pitted Democrats against Republicans, the wrangling between Congress and the White House - actually amounted to little more than theater, he implied. Behind the curtain, a consensus forged of ambition, access, money, fevered imagination, and narrow institutional interests determined the nation's actual priorities. Although Eisenhower was about to surrender his office to a handsome young successor who promised dramatic change - neither the first nor last president to make such a commitment - he knew that John Kennedy's personal qualities, however attractive, counted for little given the forces arrayed against him. "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist," the outgoing president warned. "We should take nothing for granted."
Kennedy's election marked the fatal moment when the left gave in to Washington's consensus that America should maintain its superpower status through war. Kennedy got sucked in first to the Bay of Pigs, then to the Cuban missile Crisis, and finally to Vietnam. The same forces that manipulated "the most powerful man in the world", saw to it that the left survived only as a convenient tool of 'fevered' imaginings of (always) 'clear and present dangers'. Now it is probably too late for Americans bereft of their homes and jobs to organize to obtain the rights that were grandiloquently included in the Constitution, a hundred years before the word socialism was invented. The populist but not for the people Tea Party is beating them to it.
There is no "professional left" but there is a professional class of writers and pundits who, in exchange for upper class salaries, occupy a niche reserved for those who do not wish to be called conservatives - or even liberals. most of them do not even wish to be called progressives! Oh, there is a progressive caucus in the congress, and Raul Grijalva does it proud. But without Wellstone, it doesn't amount to the hill of beans that Robert Redford immortalized in The Milagro Beanfield War.
While European Marxism has renewed itself into an green, decentralized, no-growth movement, our "professional leftists" have been left behind.
Labels: Andrew Bacevich, Domestic affairs, Fidel Castro, ideology, Robert Gibbs, Washington Rules
Americans are Caught Between Two Fundamentalisms
You maybe wondering what I mean, but think about it for a minute: on the home front we have the Tea Party which wants to turn back the clock to the eighteenth century, when the Constitution was written, and barring that, to the nineteenth, when the 14th Amendment declared that anyone born in the United States was automatically a citizen, with all the protections of the law.
Overseas, we have, loosely speaking, the Taliban, or Al Qaeda, or any number of other fundamentalist Islamic groups who don't care about citizenship, since they dream of a universal umma , or community. But, like Americans on the extreme right, they want women to stay at home, and they're fiercely against homosexuals.
Both fundamentalisms believe the commandments of God take precedence over the laws of men, many going so far as wanting the U.S. to be officially declared a Christian nation (which was not in the minds of the founders!).
I sometimes wonder how fundamentalist Christian-American soldiers rationalize killing fundamentalist Muslims who proclaim so many of the same principles? Has anyone looked into that aspect of the psychological toll on our troops? The answer is probably that American soldiers are unaware of the opinions about God, politics and women that they share with the enemy.
Moving on to the 14th Amendment, few Americans know that in the West, there are basically two conceptions of citizenship, based on the Napoleonic Code (I don't know what goes on in the Orient). According to the most widespread usage, jus soli, (soli meaning the land) a person is automatically a citizen of the country he or she is born in. But there is another possibility, called jus sanguinis, (sanguinis meaning blood) in which either the father, the mother, or both must be a national of the country in which a child is born for the child to be considered a citizen.
Until the year 2000, unlike the rest of Europe, (but like Switzerland), children born in Germany to foreign parents were not entitled to German citizenship. It was only when pressure from Turkish guest workers reached a tipping point, that the ancient law was changed. Children born of immigrant parents are now Germans at birth, but must choose by the age of 23 whether to retain their German citizenship, or be citizens of their parents' country of origin.
In Germany, there is also a law of return: Germans who had been expelled from Germany during the wars can claim German citizenship if they speak the language. But now, the right-wing government of Hungary, a country that has historically had close ties to Germany, has been inspired by the German law of return, to extend the right of Hungarian citizenship to all ethnic Magyars living beyond the country's 1918 borders. This includes Romanians, Slovaks, Serbs and Ukrainians, two million people in all.
Although the Hungarian move is in response to events that took place almost a hundred years ago, now, nationalistic legislation is not likely to amount to much in the context of the European Union. But the fact that during what should be a lazy month of August, august American lawmakers fill the airwaves with calls for a repeal of the 14th amendment, that would deny citizenship to children of mainly Mexican immigrants born in the U.S., will, I wager, have long legs, leading ultimately to the creation, as I've already suggested, of USCANMEX.
Our political class has chosen to fight yesterday's battle, instead of those of today and tomorrow: meeting the consequences of climate change that defy governments and their poor human means everywhere, from China, to Pakistan, to Moscow, to the American Gulf Coast.
Fundamentalists both Christian and Muslim may be right after all, to consider that man's laws cannot compete with those of God/Nature.
Open Letter to Vice-President Joe Biden
Dear Joe:
A few days ago you sent out an email asking for contributions so that we could have a government 'by the people, for the people and of the people'.
I find that a bit stiff, given the situation.
Those words were written 200 years ago by white, Protestant men who could no more conceive of a government of, for and by 'the people' than you can. There were the only real players. The farmers and crafts-people were nothing more than a - excuse me for mixing my metaphors - Greek chorus.
(Later we had 'chorus lines' but now we have only unemployment lines.)
Joe, you don't seem to understand. (If it's any consolation, you're not the only one: twenty years ago, when the long-patient Russian people finally got angry, the well-intentioned, intelligent Gorbachev didn't under-stand that it was too late to reform the Soviet system, so he was swept aside. The Russians lost their free health care and got inflation.)
Now, the American people are angry, but most of them figure they can't do anything about it because they don't have a leader. Oh, there are a lot of organizations on the left, but we have no national leader. On the right, it's a different story: they have the equivalent of a communist party. I say that because the Communist Party was the most famous top-down organization the world had ever seen. Fascist parties were also top-down parties, and they worked pretty well for a while. But they couldn't hold a candle to the communists because they were mainly into war.
The Communists weren't interested in war: they wanted.... government of the people, for the people and by the people. They started with local Soviets: people power - in the beginning. Then they got the Supreme Soviet and that was the end of people power/
Here in America we've been taught that communism, socialism - any kind of real people power - is bad. It's all right to be a democract - or even a Democrat. But that doesn't allow you to talk about people power. The Tea Party talks about taking back 'our' government. But when the right goes out for rifle practice, it's getting ready to take back 'its' government.
It's not gonna be people power. They're gonna stop paying taxes because taxes benefit welfare moms. They're gonna do away with social security because folks who've been clever with their money shouldn't need a common pot.
They might actually 'bring the boys home' from wherever they're fighting when the Tea Party comes to power, because they're gonna need them on the frontier - I mean the border. They're gonna need them to round up all the immigrants and ship them back to wherever they came from (Hitler shipped 'inferior' peoples to concentration camps and gas chambers, but our Tea Partiers are just gonna ship them back to wherever they came from, even if there's nothing to eat there.)
So Joe - and Barack and Nancy, and John and Howard - quit holding your hands out. It's unseemly. Money can't buy spine. And if you don't get it, hopefully 'the people' - who thought you had it - are gonna realize they don't need more voices in the wilderness, but a top-down organization like a Tea Party - or a Politburo. Before the glaciers melt, the sea rises, the oil and gas wells and electric lines come tumbling down, leaving us without even a fridge to keep a people's dinner in.
Labels: Barack Obama, Howard Dean, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nancy Pelosi
Puck the Magic Dragon or Willie the Woolly Mammoth...


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An all paved option with granite boulder views, take US 60 out of Apache Junction. Past Miami, Arizona and before reaching Globe, Arizona, turn left (North) on Highway 188 heading toward Roosevelt Lake. Globe is a good stopping point to pick up those last minute forgotten travel items. Remain on Hwy. 188 for about 20 minutes where you will arrive at Roosevelt Resort's long winding driveway entrance to your right. You'll see a highway sign 'Roosevelt Lake Resort', then our front entrance sign shortly thereafter. You have arrived at your vacation destination, Roosevelt Resort Park.


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Current (https://current.org/2015/11/anna-sale-on-podcasts-people-feel-a-relationship-with-the-show/)
Anna Sale on podcasts: 'People feel a relationship with the show'
By Adam Ragusea, Journalist in Residence and Visiting Assistant Professor, Mercer University Center for Collaborative Journalism | November 13, 2015
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(Photo: Amy Pearl/Courtesy WNYC)
Launched in May of 2014 — five months before Serial — WNYC's Death, Sex & Moneywas one of the first hit public media podcasts that wasn't also a radio show. In interviews with both well-known and unknown people, host Anna Sale finds ways to painlessly pry out the most intimate, revealing details imaginable about their lives. In an interview on Current's podcastThe Pub, recorded live at the Online News Association conference in September, Sale talked about how the podcast got started and much more. This is an edited transcript.
Anna Sale: Death, Sex & Moneystarted because I got an email while I was sitting at my desk covering politics in the WNYC newsroom that there was an invitation for anybody who worked at our company to submit a show idea. There was going to be a contest, and finalists would get an opportunity to pilot a show. I was a little tired of covering politics and knew that this was an opportunity that I didn't want to see pass me by, but I didn't have a show idea.
So then it became this process of walking the dog, thinking, writing down, scribbling notes and figuring out what I really — if I could do anything — most wanted to do. And it was to have intimate conversations around the things that I was having difficulty figuring out in my life, the things that I think other people had difficulty figuring out in their lives, but didn't feel like there was a safe space in the public conversation to explore them.
Current: Had you done the kind of interviews that you now do on Death, Sex & Moneyin the process of being a political reporter that maybe couldn't make it to air?
Sale: They did make it to air. One of the most important stories, when I was covering the mayoral race in New York City, was an interview with Bill de Blasio about the suicide of his father and his father's alcoholism. In the context of the race it made sense, because his family had become a big part of the narrative of his campaign. So we did an interview, and it went up on the air. We did a longer version that went out online, and I think it really helped me see, "Oh like this is what I'm bestat, and I want to do more of this kind of interview."
Current: That's the prototype for Death, Sex & Moneyright there. You did an episode about cheating; it's, like, the best episode. Here is a clip in which you ask the most unfathomable question. This is the question that you do not ask — ever. You're talking to a guy who has this relationship pattern — he's always the other man — and halfway through this clip, you ask this guy something that I would never have been able to ask.
Sale (speaking in clip): There's a pattern that you can look back on your life and see that you've been with a series of women who weren't available to be just with you. It sounds like you haven't quite figured out why that is.
Male voice: Yeah, well I've got reasons why I believe that. Physically, I'm an overweight guy, so I feel like that's probably why I can't be the number one choice. They may love my sense of humor and my kind of compassion side and the fact that I'm not afraid to let out my feelings and tell them different things. All that loses to the fact that I'm not 6-foot-4 and have rock-hard abs and look fabulous or something.
I really try to help my guests sense that I'm not asking questions to just be provocative for the sake of being provocative, but because it's about trying to find those emotionally resonant dimensions.
Sale: How tall are you, and how much do you weigh?
Male voice: I'm 6-foot-1, and I'm very happy to say that I'm about 295 right now. I lost about 45 pounds in the last year.
Sale: Congratulations.
Male voice: Thank you very much. I'm trying to be done being ashamed of anything about me and just putting it out there and saying, "This is me. This is who I am."
Current: You asked the dude how much he weighs!
Sale: I did.
Current: And it got you to this beautiful place. From the storyteller's perspective, it gave you your resolution to your story, which was great. What gives you the gumption to ask that question?
Sale: Because he said, "I'm not this." And I'm thinking — we were in a studio; I couldn't see him and I was also thinking about the listener, so "What do you look like and how do you feel like that's shaped your relationships with women?" So I asked. And then it's interesting to me that it opened up this dimension to the conversations about cheating and about what people felt like they deserved in relation to the body that I wasn't expecting at all, and it was actually a theme that we heard in several listener stories. That episode about cheating was all derived from emails and voice memos that we got from listeners. But when I left that interview, I thought, "Very brave of him."
Current: I just want to listen to one of the quick clips from the cheating episode. This is when you were just right there with the perfect question. You're talking to a lady who is a biologist, and she used to think that monogamy was unnatural. But then she had to put that theory into practice because she caught her boyfriend cheating, and she really just couldn't handle it and they broke up.
Sale (speaking in clip): What do you think you'll say the next time you have a conversation with somebody you're beginning a relationship with? What will you say about your expectations?
Female voice: I think I want to make sure that the person that I'm with can answer the question, Do you know what you need to be happy?
Sale: Do you know what you need?
Female voice: More so now than ever.
Current: You immediately turned her question onto her. That is some deep, like, seventh-level black-belt ninja listening that you're doing right there as you're interviewing. Tell me about the headspace that you get in when you interview people.
Sale: That interview also was one that wasn't in-person, and it's a slightly different process when you're with someone than when you're not in the same room. But when you're not in the same room, I hear her say, "This is what I want from this person who might be in my life next." And I'm trying to understand what she's learned from this trauma of feeling really betrayed. So I knew I needed to know not just what she hoped for, but how she felt like she had been changed. So that was why that pivot happened that way. But when I'm interviewing, it's always about if you say one thing — like in the moment you played before, about, like, "This is what I'm not" — it's how am I going to make it concrete. "You need to tell me more so I can understand and see it and kind of understand exactly what you're trying to say." So it's asking about physical details; it's asking about, if someone says, "Yeah, that was a really crazy moment." Well, what was it really? What was it like? Tell me more about that. Where if someone says, "Like, yeah, we went on this camping trip and all these things happened. . . ." Did you go on a bus together, all of you together? What was it like? And then they have to describe more. So it's just about continually trying to make it more concrete so that Ican understand, and then that also really helps with the storytelling because it makes it more vivid for the listener.
Current: People have compared you to Terry Gross in the sense that you're the person who gets things out of people that other interviewers don't get.
Sale: That's an honor; she's my hero. Give it up for Terry! [applause]
Current: You're both kind of like Barbara Walters, but with dignity.
Sale: Aww, Barbara had a long career. Let's be respectful.
Current: No, you're right, I'm sorry. But what do you do to communicate to people that they can open up to you?
Sale: At the very beginning of a Death, Sex & Moneyinterview, I say, "The show is called Death, Sex & Money.Thank you for agreeing to this interview." But I say, "The reason it's called that is because it's really about trying to strip away the things that we don't talk about to get to the moments of life transition that we all go through. So if you're describing something that's happened in your life that was difficult or a point of transition, I'm asking for details because I want to help other people understand. And so if there's things that I ask you that you'd rather not talk about, the show is edited, you can tell me you don't want to go there." But I really try to help my guests sense that I'm not asking questions to just be provocative for the sake of being provocative, but because it's about trying to find those emotionally resonant dimensions.
Current: To me as I listen, and if I imagine myself being interviewed by you — which, let's hope that doesn't happen, ever — I imagine that the timbre of your voice would actually help. It's so lovely but it's not so incredibly gorgeous as to be threatening . . .
Sale: Thank you. [laughs]
Current: Sorry, I mean it's a voice that I want to talk to.
Sale: Yeah, I think that that's actually really important, and it's something I learned early on as a young woman reporter, that I could use my non-threatening-ness to my advantage. It's not that I'm being mercenary about it, but I think the show is really about trying to understand and trying to pull out. There's sometimes moments where — I was talking to some listeners — we did a meetup in L.A. a few nights ago, and one listener was just like, "I just can't believe when people say these things you, I just want to go, 'What the hell? How could you do that?' And you just go, 'Tell me more about that.'" And I think it's part of my personality that my first impulse is to really try to understand and kind of pull out the story and the narrative and not go to the place of judgment. But it's a constant sort of thing; I'm trying to make sure I'm not letting people off the hook, as well.
Current: Here's a clip from your interview with football player Domonique Foxworth.
Sale: It's one of my favorites. I love that episode.
Current: I love this because you ask him this question that I think a lot of people will regard as kind of a softball or frivolous or just something to get where you're trying to get him to some kind of cheap fun college sex anecdote. But you stick with this line of questioning and it gets you to someplace really intense, really meaningful. This is a couple of minutes long, and I should say that I cut it down a little bit.
Sale (speaking in clip): What was life like in the dorms for you?
Foxworth:I don't know. It's definitely a different experience than the average freshman, because you're kind of a celebrity on campus.
Sale: What was it like to be a celebrity on campus with women?
Foxworth: There were some easy opportunities, or lay-ups as I was an 18-year-old guy. I mean, forgive me, I hope I would get a chance to get into a conversation about the more mature . . . and a better perception on masculinity than racking up numbers. That's how I thought when I was when I was 18. Forgive me. When those opportunities presented themselves, there was a specific type of person who was looking for you. Those are not the type of people that you're necessarily looking for for a long-term relationship, if that makes sense.
Sale: It's an extension of fandom.
Foxworth: Yeah, I think there is probably a racial component also, and going to a predominantly white school it's like these women who wouldn't necessarily be interested in you as kind of a long-term relationship type of person. . . . Well, this big kind of like Mandingo-strong black man, let's experiment with that and see what this is all about.
Sale: Were you aware of that at the time or looking back?
Foxworth: I think I was aware of it at the time, or I kind of used it to justify some of the things that I would do. So I wasn't like the best boyfriend or the best everything at the time, and I think I would use things like that, like, they're just after me because they just want to be close to the football guy. Or they just think that I'm in great shape and I'm like this stereotypical oversexed black male — they want to give that a try, but they don't actually want to take me seriously. So I mean, whatever, I don't care if I am with her and her friend and don't think much about it. I think I was aware of it to the extent that it gave me cover.
Current: Shit got real there. Were you ready for that?
Sale: No, I was like, "Whoa, we're really talking about this," and I really liked that he brought in the racial dimension of being a star athlete on a college campus and probably white campus. What he was saying is, "I felt objectified and dehumanized, and so I objectified and dehumanized women" — and that's something that happens a lot in sexual relationships. I was just so appreciative that he was willing to be honest.
A really incredible gift of podcasting is that people feel a relationship with the show, so much so that they will send really personal stories in.
Current: What made it one of your favorite interviews?
Sale: I love that interview because I'm from West Virginia and I grew up loving college football and the West Virginia Mountaineers. And when you love a college football team, you love these players for four years, and then you kind follow them as they go into the NFL, but otherwise you sort of stop knowing their stories. And to hear Domonique's story of growing up from the age of like 7, and starting training knowing he wanted to be a professional football player. And now he's in his early 30s and with the time he was at Harvard getting his MBA after leaving the NFL, just to hear his story of what it was to be recognized as a teenager that you were going to be one of the special ones that was going to make millions, and how that changed his college career. How it changed his relationships when he became a professional athlete and most of his teammates at the college level didn't. How he felt when he was working for the union for the NFL. He was one of the union reps, and the way that he felt interacting and negotiating with owners and ultimately realizing, "These guys aren't that much smarter than I am. What is this?" And ended up feeling pretty OK when he got injured and needed to leave the league.
We hear that these professional athletes are just so much a part of American culture, but we don't hear these stories at that level of detail. So I loved it; I loved it that he was willing to just go there with me.
Current: One difference between you and Terry Gross is that primarily Terry Gross is interviewing celebrities, or just people who have chosen to be in the public eye for one reason or another. You do celebrity interviews, but you also just talk to a lot of "normals."
Sale: We sometimes say "everyday people." We said "everyday people," and now we say "people who are well-known" and "people who aren't well-known."
Current: So is it easier for you to interview people who are well-known versus people who are not well-known?
Sale: It's a really different thing. The challenge with people who are well-known and who've been in the media spotlight is that they've said all of their clever anecdotes many times. And to be a revealing interview, you've got to cut through some of those, so it's figuring out the angle. We do a lot of that when we're pitching; it's like, what might they be willing to talk about that they haven't talked about a lot? And we try to get celebrities who aren't on book tours, who aren't in the promotional cycle, so they're not immediately going to the talking points that they have rehearsed and are saying again and again.
Current: That's a thing because I'm someone who, because I hate myself, I read a lot of comment threads on NPR.org, and you see that one of the conspiracy theories that people have out there is that they think that people are buying their way onto NPR so they can promote their thing, as evidenced by the fact that they happen to have a book out. Kim Kardashian happened to have a book of selfies out when she was on Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!But in fact that's not how it works. We get them on their promotional cycle because that's when we canget them; that's when they are available. So how do you get them?
Sale: When we first launched — in piloting, actually; the show didn't exist yet — we got our interview with Jane Fonda. That was because she'd written a book that came and went but came out of her activism around adolescent health and adolescent sexual health; it was called Being a [Teen], and 76-year-old Jane Fonda had just published a book called Being a [Teen]. So we contacted Random House and said, "Could we talk to her about what it was like when she was a teenager, and also some other things?" and they were like, "Yes." That's how we got that interview, because it was a small book and we knew that that —
Current: She was right on topic for you, as well for the show.
Sale: Yeah. And then in another episode, Ellen Burstyn, who's an actor who's in her 80s and she wasn't working on any projects at the time that we did the interview, but she lived in New York and we just pitched like, "Here are the things that we know about your life, and here the things we want to talk to you about, and here's why." We were just lucky enough that she said yes and got to interview her in her apartment along Central Park West. We get a lot of no's, but you just pitch the people who — you say why I want to talk to you about this thing, and you try to give thoughtful pitches. And sometimes they say yes.
There are people on Death, Sex and Moneywho aren't famous. When we were coming up with the show, I didn't think about celebrity interviews as part of the show. It grew out of doing voter interviews and covering politics and knowing that there were incredible personal stories of people that, they fit in the top anecdote of a story about polls and why this person was leaning towards Obama versus Romney, but you didn't get to hear the full story. I was having these incredible conversations with people and learning a lot, but a lot of that didn't fit in the narrative so it wasn't going on the air.
So that's what I wanted to do; I wanted to include those stories, because I think that you can just get really good stuff. And the listener-generated episodes were a total surprise, and those are all people who aren't famous. We just ask a really broad question like, Tell us your stories about cheating. And a really incredible gift of podcasting is that people feel a relationship with the show, so much so that they will send really personal stories in.
Current: And they happen to be walking around with an almost broadcast-quality mic in their pocket, most of them, and they send you voice memos.
Sale: Yeah, my favorite voice memos are when you hear, like, windshield wipers going, and you can tell someone was driving home at the end of the day, and there's, "I'm just going to leave my message for Anna at Death, Sex & Moneywhile I'm doing other things."
Current: What's wonderful about you as a producer, and your team, is that you get those voice memos and you could just follow up with that person and book a real interview with them and often you do. But you also work in the original voice memo, because that has an intimacy and an immediacy that the other tape just doesn't have because of the solitary aspect of it, where it's someone talking by themselves to the disembodied you; you're not even there.
Sale: Yeah, I mean, picture that; picture someone in a room by themselves talking into the end of their phone because they have a story to tell and they need to share something. That's good tape. And so we try to use those a lot in those episodes.
Current: It's called Death, Sex & Money. One of those things people like to talk about a lot more than the other two, especially when they're a little bit lit, as we are this evening. Do you find that audience-response rates are higher for the sex episodes? Is it easier to get people to talk about sex, as opposed to death and money?
Sale: I would say easier to talk about, but people feel a real need around it. When Death, Sex & Moneyfirst started, the reason the cheating episode came about was because, immediately, that was the story that we were getting in our inbox. Like this really pivotal thing happened in my romantic relationship, and this happened as a result of that. Questions of gender and sexuality: Those come up a lot. But money also comes up in the inbox, more than I would expect. But definitely the thing that's the most difficult to get people to talk about with specificity is money. That's harder than death and sex.
Current: Scariest thing of them all.
Sale: Yeah. Well, it's also like we don't have anycommon language around how we talk about where we fit —
Current: And it's rude to talk about it. It's all right to talk about sex in some social circumstances, but in this social or social circumstance that we're all in right now, if we talk about sex it wouldn't be that weird.
Sale: I think it would be weird.
Current: I guess you go to different bars than me.
Sale: Lulu Miller from Invisibilia— I got to know her more once we sort of landed into podcasting. But one thing she said to me when I met her at a conference, she was asking where I was from, she was asking about my family and just really trying to kind of get me. She's just like, "I'm just really trying understand how you were raised because the things you ask, I would never ask." And it kind of caused me to contemplate whether I just didn't have any manners. But I think a lot of it comes from having been a reporter and having to be the kind of reporter where you have to shout rude questions at Anthony Weiner when he has a sex scandal. Like, "Why should we trust your judgment?" But the muscle that you develop when you're a reporter is asking the straightforward question that any person who had good manners, they would not ask it.
Current: Former NPR sports correspondent Mike Pesca has this great podcast now for Slate called The Gist. The other day he was talking to this guy about pizza. He made this just epic analogy connecting pizza and radio shows and it made me think of you, for reasons that will now become obvious.
Pesca: Let me say this, a good pizza is I think like a good radio show. I've noticed this, that any time a committee tries to start a radio program, it never works. But when one guy, one guy like Ira Glass, one Howard Stern, one person saying, "This is my vision," that's a good — sometimes it's a huge train wreck, but that's the only way to get a transcendent slice of pizza or a good radio show, I think. I think that makes sense.
Current: Does that describe your show? Is this the show that you've always been wanting to do and then finally somebody cut you loose and you could just do it?
Sale: I thought about a lot, like, where did this come from and . . . I started at West Virginia Public Radio in 2005. And then I worked for Connecticut Public Radio, WNPR. And then I moved to WNYC. And I was always, before hosting Death, Sex & Money, in a newsroom, so I was doing the things you get to do in a public radio newsroom, which is cover news and do the occasional in-depth feature that's off the news. And always stories about people's personal lives and the details of how they got from here to there and what they've gone through. That always was the thing that I went to. Like the bluegrass musician that I interviewed my first year at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, about why he moved back to West Virginia from Boston, where he was successful, after his son died — that could have been a Death, Sex & Moneyepisode. So it was always there, and it's always been the stories that I've been drawn to.
But a really cool thing that's happening now is like when you go through the piloting phase, that that is when I felt the most isolated and terrified, when WNYC said, "OK, try this." And it was me in a corner with a laptop, and I just learned Pro Tools. Emily Botein, my editor, sat me in a conference room and taught me how to use Pro Tools, because I had always used other audio editing software. And it was just figuring out what was the sound going to be, who were the guests, and I had this huge blank slate.
So that was really figuring out what my voice was going to be. But now we're at a phase where I have an incredible producer, Katie Bishop, who has very clear, strong opinions of her own. Emily Botein is an incredible, precise editor, so it feels more like a team and more and more like it's less myvision and it's definitely ourvision. And it's the vision of the listeners as well because they let you know if they feel like you're deviating from what they've come to expect from the show or if something is felt like a dodge, when I should have gone harder-hitting.
And the listener stories have definitely been all from the people who've come to think of Death, Sex & Moneyas a community. So I feel really proud that I get to be the voice and the convener of this, but it definitely feels like it's a collaborative process.
Related stories from Current:
WNYC adds three podcasts, looks to expand offerings hosted by women
'The Pub' #37: Death, Sex & Money's Anna Sale, live from Los Angeles
WNYC plans new podcasts in push to build on successes
Anna Sale
A new health podcast from WNYC Studios tries to engage listeners beyond the usual call-ins
One avenue: Only Human partnered with a hearing-test iPhone app and encourages listeners to share their data with the show.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Census data presents rise in multiracial population of youths
SUSAN SAULNY
Among American children, the multiracial population has increased almost 50 percent since 2000, making it the fastest growing youth group, according to census data released Thursday.
WASHINGTON — Among American children, the multiracial population has increased almost 50 percent, to 4.2 million, since 2000, making it the fastest growing youth group in the country. The number of people of all ages who identified themselves as both white and black soared by 134 percent since 2000 to 1.8 million people, according to census data released Thursday.
Census 2010 is the first comprehensive accounting of how the multiracial population has changed over 10 years, since statistics were first collected about it in 2000. It has allowed demographers, for the first time, to make comparisons using the mixed-race group — a segment of society whose precise contours and nuances were largely unknown for generations. The data shows that the multiracial population is overwhelmingly young, and that, among the races, American Indians and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are the most likely to report being of more than one race. Blacks and whites are the least likely.
In what experts view as a significant change from 2000, the most common racial combination is black and white. Ten years ago, it was white and "some other race" — a designation overwhelmingly used by people of Hispanic origin, which is considered by the government to be an ethnicity not a race.
"I think this marks a truly profound shift in the way Americans, particularly African-Americans, think about race and about their heritage," said C. Matthew Snipp, a professor in the sociology department at Stanford University.
Across the country, 9 million people — or 2.9 percent of the population — chose more than one race on the last census, a change of about 32 percent since 2000. But in the South and parts of the Midwest, the growth has been far greater than the national average. In North Carolina, for instance, the multiracial population grew by 99 percent. In Iowa, Indiana and Mississippi, the group grew by about 70 percent.
"The numbers, for mixed race families like my own, mean that the world must stop and recognize the changing face of today's family, the changing face of today's individual," said Suzy Richardson, founder of Mixed and Happy, a news and opinion Web site focused on issues of concern to multiracial families.
There are 57 racial combinations on the census. But of the population that chose more than one race, most chose one of the four most common combinations: 20.4 percent marked black and white; 19.3 percent chose white and "some other race." The third most common pairing was Asian and white, followed by American Indian and white. These four combinations account for three-fourths of the total mixed race population.
For Michelle Hosenbackez, who is white and Hispanic and is married to a black Cuban man, the data suggests a future for her 16-month-old daughter that may be much different from her own childhood. Mrs. Hosenbackez, 27, of Raeford, N.C., said, "With the mixed race population growing the way it is, she will be able to say, 'Hey, that person is like me.' I want her to be able to build confidence in that identity."


text:
Catalan Institute of Finance () or ICF for short, founded in 1985, is a public financial institution 100% owned by the Government of Catalonia. ICF's main objective is to foster the Catalan economy by supporting the country's business base, complementing the role of the private financial sector.

The ICF is a public entity subject to private law. This means that it has its own legal personality and its operations are subject to its own law, the Catalan government-owned enterprise charter and the rest of the legal system. The ICF is regulated by Legislative Decree 4/2002, of 24 December, approving the recast text of the Law on the Institut Català de Finances, of 14 January 1985, subsequently amended on a number of occasions, most significantly by Decree Law 2/2015, of 28 July, and afterwards by Decree Law 4/2015, of 29 December, and by Law 5/2017, of 28 March, on tax, administrative, financial and public sector measures.

The institution's internal governance, structure, procedure and operations are in accordance with the criteria laid down by European banking regulations (mainly Directive 2013/36/EU, Regulation No 575/2013 and Basel III) and national regulations (Law 10/2014, of 26 June, on the planning, supervision and solvency of credit institutions and Royal Decree 84/2015, implementing Law 10/2014).

The highest decision-making body of the Entity is the Governing Board and the CEO. Currently the CEO is Víctor Guardiola Flores. In 2020, the ICF Group provided 3,781 freelancers, businesses and organisations with €1.33 billion in funding. €1.05 billion of this funding was arranged through the Institut Català de Finances (ICF) and €282.9 million via Avalis de Catalunya. The financing awarded by the ICF Group in 2020 helped to maintain and/or create close to 123,500 jobs. As in previous years, 97% of the loans went to the self-employed and SMEs.

Business model
ICF's main objective is to foster the Catalan economy by supporting the country's business base, in particular SMEs and self-employed, complementing the role of the private financial sector. ICF finances projects via loans, guarantees and venture capital investments, among others.

 Loans for companies: loans to fund projects of investment and/or current capital for SMEs, self-employed, companies and institutions.
 Guarantees: providing guarantees for bank loans in order to improve the credit access and conditions for the companies.
 Venture capital investments and participative loans: impulse, manage and participate in venture capital instruments in order to support the creation and growth of companies.

Grup ICF subsidiaries
The ICF Group includes two subsidiaries: IFEM (Financial Instruments for Innovative Companies) and ICF Capital.
 IFEM manages European funds addressed to funding companies of new creation and/or in their initial phases.
 ICF Capital (Managing Society of Entities of Venture Capital), manages, promotes and advises venture capital funds and firms that invest in Catalan companies. The ICF manages through ICF Capital three funds of its own: ICF Capital Expansió II, ICF Venture Tech II, and BCN Emprèn.
Apart from ICF's two wholly owned subsidiaries, the institute also has a stake (alongside other financial institutions and businesses) in Avalis de Catalunya, SGR. Avalis is a reciprocal guarantee company, a public-private venture set up by the Catalan Government in 2003, which provides access to credit by SMEs and self-employed by providing technical and economical guarantees for banks.

References

External links

Government of Catalonia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A video system having a transmitter in which a composite signal is formed by combining digital information with scanlines of an analog video signal generated by a line scanning device, and a receiver in which the digital information is recovered. The digital information is combined with the analog video signal at predetermined locations along scanlines of the video signal, and these predetermined locations are varied in order to prevent visible deterioration of the video image. In the video receiver, the digital information is recovered by examining the composite signal at the predetermined locations to extract the digital information. Each bit of digital information to be conveyed is represented by a first pseudo-random digital pulse sequence (or its complement, depending on whether the data bit is 1 or 0) which is superimposed on a selected scanline of the analog video signal to form the composite signal. The digital information is recovered at the receiver by generating a second pseudo-random digital pulse sequence in synchronism with the first sequence, and by examining the composite signal at locations determined by the second digital pulse sequence to extract the digital information contained in the composite signal.
The invention relates to video systems, and relates specifically to systems for forming a composite signal by combining digital information with an analog video signal and for recovering the digital information from the composite signal.
A number of systems exist for transmitting information in conjunction with an analog video signal. In order to avoid flicker or spotting at the TV receiver, a number of these prior art systems modulate portions of the transmitted signal which are outside the visible scanlines. Typically, systems of this type modulate scanline sync pulses, transmit control information during the vertical blanking interval of a frame field, transmit control information between video cuts, or utilize a separate frequency band for transmitting additional information. Systems of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,752,907; 3,493,674; 3,730,986; and 3,145,262. Since these systems transmit information outside the visible scanlines of a video signal, they are capable of utilizing only a small portion of the total video transmission time for conveying additional information, and are therefore likely to have a slower rate of transmission and possibly a higher occurrence of errors than a system capable of transmitting information concurrently with the visible portion of the video signal.
One system for superimposing digital information on the visible portion of an analog video signal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,669 to Leek. In Leek, the output of a first TV camera is converted to a pulse-amplitude-modulated train of narrow, high-amplitude pulses which are then superimposed on the visible scanlines of a second TV camera output. At the receiver these narrow pulses are removed from the analog video information and are converted back to an analog video signal by amplitude demodulation and pulse stretching. While the Leek disclosure is very sketchy and does not discuss this question, it would appear that the Leek system would require additional bandwidth for transmission of the composite signal. Additionally, since there is nothing to prevent the occurrence of the same pattern of narrow pulses on successive scanlines or frames of the analog video signal, it would appear that visible flicker and spotting on the video receiver could not be prevented. A similar technique applied to an audio signal is shown in Tomsa, U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,048. In Tomsa, an audio signal is interrupted by short pulses conveying additional information. Since these pulses can occur at any time, this system is not suitable for use in video applications where visible flicker and spotting may result, and the pulses may even interfere with the horizontal and vertical sync signals.
Other known techniques for transmitting additional information in conjunction with a video signal include inversion of selected scanlines, and transmission of information in a narrow portion of at least one scanline per frame, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,069,492 and 3,746,780, respectively. A technique for introducing additional digital data into a digitized signal stream is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,005.
The prior art discussed above indicates that numerous systems have been developed to transmit information on portions of a video signal that are outside the visible scanlines. When digital information is applied to the visible portion of video scanlines, as in Leek, no provisions are made to prevent the occurrence of repetitive pulse patterns on successive scanlines, which are likely to cause visible flicker and spotting on the received image. Furthermore, in the prior art discussed above no provision is made for maintaining the fidelity of the video image while concurrently minimizing the bandwidth of the composite signal.
The invention is in the field of video signals, and relates specifically to systems for forming a composite signal by combining digital information with an analog video signal and for recovering the digital information from the composite signal.
An object of the invention is to provide a system and method for digital data transmission and recovery suitable for use in conjunction with scanlines of an analog video signal. A further object of the invention is to provide a system and method for transmitting digital information on a video signal without increasing the bandwidth of the video signal. Still another object of the invention is to provide a system and method for transmitting and recovering digital information in conjunction with an analog video signal while preventing flicker and spotting of the transmitted video image.
To these and other ends the present invention combines digital information with the analog video signal at predetermined locations along the analog video scanlines. These predetermined locations are varied between scanlines to prevent visible deterioration of the video image. The digital information is then recovered by examining the composite signal at the predetermined locations to extract the digital information from the composite signal.
Specifically, a video transmitter embodying the invention receives a line-by-line analog video signal, a frame sync signal and a scanline sync signal from an imaging device such as a television camera. The video transmitter also receives the digital information to be combined with the analog signal. When a frame sync signal is received by the video transmitter, the system is reset to an initial condition. Subsequently, scanline sync pulses are counted, and a pseudo-random digital pulse sequence is generated synchronously with each scanline. The pulse distribution of this pseudo-random digital pulse sequence is a predetermined function of the scanline count so that pulse sequences corresponding to adjacent or nearby scanlines are not repetitive. Each scanline is thus associated with a corresponding pseudo-random digital pulse sequence which is a function of the scanline count.
For each scanline, one bit of digital information is selected for transmission, and the information content of this bit controls the phase of the pseudo-random digital sequence corresponding to that scanline. The pseudo-random digital pulse sequence of selected phase is then superimposed upon the analog video signal to create a composite signal containing both analog video information and digital information.
This composite signal is transmitted to a video receiver embodying the invention, along with frame sync and scanline sync control signals. In the video receiver a second set of pseudo-random digital pulse sequences is generated. These second sequences are in pulse-location synchronism with the corresponding first pseudo-random digital pulse sequences, because they are also generated as a function of the scanline count. The second sequences are utilized to coherently detect the corresponding first sequences superimposed upon the video signal at the transmitter. This is done by multiplying each line of the composite signal by its corresponding second sequence. This multiplication produces a product signal which is a function of the phase of the first pseudo-random digital pulse sequence. The product signal is then integrated for the duration of its associated scanline, and the integrated signal is compared to the average level of the composite signal. From this comparison the phase of the pseudo-random digital pulse sequence superimposed upon each scanline of the analog video signal at the transmitter is determined. Finally, the content of each transmitted bit of digital information is established from each corresponding phase determination, so that the original digital information can be reproduced at the receiver.
In the system described above, the digital information is not removed from the composite signal. For most applications this is entirely adequate, because the viewer is generally not aware of any visible deterioration in the video image due to the digital information added in accordance with the invention. In some applications, however, it may be desirable to remove this digital information for absolute fidelity of the image. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, this is done by generating an inverted replica of the pseudo-random pulse sequence contained on each line of the composite signal, and subtracting this inverted replica from the composite signal to reproduce the original analog video signal. Since a replica of the pulse sequence contained on a given line can not be generated until the phase of that pulse sequence is determined after examining the entire scanline, the resulting analog video signal must be generated with a one-scanline delay from the composite signal. By using a charge coupled device serving as an analog delay line synchronized to the receiver to obtain the desired delay, any time-base variations occurring in the receiver are automatically removed.
FIG. 1 is a simplified timing diagram of waveforms associated with the disclosed invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of a video transmitter embodying the invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portion of a video receiver embodying the invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the invention incorporating a system for removing digital information from a composite signal to restore the original video signal.
FIG. 5 is an alternate embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to the illustrative simplified timing diagram of FIG. 1 for a general explanation of the principles involved in this invention, a video transmitter embodying the invention receives an analog video signal, a frame sync signal, and a scanline sync signal from a conventional imaging device such as a television camera, typically as shown in lines 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The digital information to be transmitted is provided to the video transmitter at the rate of one bit per scanline, as shown in line 4. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates, in simplified form, representative rather than actual waveforms.
In the transmitter a representation of this digital information is combined with the analog video signal of line 1 in a manner which prevents visible degradation of the video image formed by the analog video signal. This includes generating a pseudo-random representation of the digital information and combining it with the analog video signal.
To do this, a first pseudo-random pulse sequence and its complement are generated, as shown in lines 5 and 6. A different pulse sequence is generated for each scanline of the analog video signal so as to avoid a repetitive modulation pattern on the video image, since repetitive patterns tend to produce visible degradation of the image, such as flicker, spotting, streaks and the like. A composite signal as shown in line 7 is generated by combining each scanline of the analog video signal with either the first pseudo-random pulse sequence or its complement. The selection of the desired pulse sequence for a given scanline is controlled by the level of the bit of digital information to be transmitted during that particular scanline. A logical one bit causes the first pseudo-random pulse to be selected, and a logical zero bit causes the inverted sequence (complement) to be selected. This process results in a composite signal as shown in line 7, in which the inverted pulse sequence is combined with the analog video signal during the scanline from T1 to T2, corresponding to a logical zero bit of digital information, and in which the non-inverted pulse sequence is combined with the analog video signal during the scanline from T2 to T3, when a logical one bit of digital information is to be transmitted. Similarly, for each succeeding scanline either the pulse sequence of line 5 or the inverted pulse sequence of line 6 is combined with the analog video signal depending upon whether a logical one or logical zero bit of digital information is to be transmitted.
The transmitted digital information is recovered from the composite signal by generating a second pseudo-random pulse sequence in pulse-location synchronism with the first pulse sequence of line 5, as shown in line 8. This second pulse sequence is then multiplied with the composite signal to produce an analog multiplier output as shown in line 9. For the illustrative signal levels shown in FIG. 1, namely, an analog video signal level of approximately +1.0 volt and pseudo-random pulse sequences going from -0.1 volt to +0.1 volt, a composite signal varying from approximately +0.9 volt to approximately +1.1 volts is produced.
For these illustrative signal levels, the second pseudo-random pulse sequence shown in line 8 goes from +1.0 volt to -1.0 volt, and is multiplied with the composite signal to produce the analog multiplier output of line 9. If the inverted first pseudo-random pulse sequence is combined with the analog video signal, as occurs during the interval from T1 to T2, the analog multiplier output varies from -1.1 volts to +0.9 volt. Since it is a property of pseudo-random pulse sequences that the number of ones is approximately equal to the number of zeros, the average level of the analog multiplier output during this interval from T1 to T2 is negative. Conversely, for the scanline from T2 to T3, the first pseudo-random pulse sequence was combined with the analog video signal to convey a logical one bit of digital information; for this scanline, the analog multiplier output varies from -0.9 volt to +1.1 volts, resulting in an average positive level. Similarly, subsequent intervals (each representing the period of one scanline) exhibit either a positive or negative average analog multiplier output level depending upon the level of the bit of digital information conveyed by the composite signal during that scanline interval.
The analog multiplier output of line 9 is then integrated over each scanline interval in produce either a negative-going ramp for a negative average level, as shown from T1 to T2, or a positive-going ramp for a positive average level, as shown from T2 to T3. A negative-going integrator output results in "zero" bit decision at the end of the corresponding scanline interval, as shown at T2 in line 11, while a positive-going integrator output results in a "one" bit decision, as at T3. Each bit decision is thus the result of a high-redundancy pulse sequence integration over the duration of a full scanline, and the possibility of an erroneous bit decision resulting from an error in one or even a number of pulses is minimized. Furthermore, this high redundancy technique permits the digital information on the composite signal to be of substantially smaller amplitude than the analog video signal, to thus minimize interference with the transmitted video image. Interference is further reduced by the pseudo-random nature of the pulse sequences used to convey the digital information. This technique precludes the appearance of repetitive pulse trains on the composite signal and prevents visible flicker, streaks and spotting on the video image. Additionally, since each sequence has an approximately equal number of ones and zeros, the average level of the analog video signal is not appreciably changed.
Referring to FIG. 2, a video transmitter embodying the invention receives an analog video signal, a frame sync signal and a scanline sync signal as shown in FIG. 1, lines 1, 2 and 3, from a conventional imaging device such as a television camera (not shown) and one bit of digital information for each scanline, as shown in line 4. For each scanline a composite signal is generated which comprises the analog video signal and a superimposed pseudo-random sequence whose phase corresponds to a one or to a zero digital information bit, as shown in line 7. The system is initiated by a frame sync signal which triggers a one-shot 10 and thereby resets a maximum length sequence generator 12, a divider 14 and a scanline sync counter 16.
Following the frame sync pulse, each of the scanline sync pulses occurring during that frame is fed through an amplifier 18 to scanline sync counter 16 and free-running monostable 20. The scanline count generated by scanline sync counter 16 goes to maximum length sequence generator 12 and a decoder 22. Maximum length sequence generator 12 is of conventional design, utilizing a shift register in conjunction with feedback logic to generate a pseudo-random maximum length sequence pulse train. When clock pulses are applied to a sequence generator of this type the waveform of the pulse sequence at its output is a function of its internal feedback logic configuration (which is fixed) and of the initial condition which is applied to the generator. Sequence generators of this type are disclosed in Golomb, et al., Digital Communications With Space Applications, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1964. The initial condition on maximum length sequence generator 12 is provided by scanline sync counter 16, to cause a different pulse sequence to be generated for each scanline of the video frame, in response to a clock pulse train received from divider 14. The pulse output rate of sequence generator 12 is determined by the rate of the clock pulses applied from divider 14. Free-running monostable 20 is synchronized with the scanline sync pulses by a signal from amplifier 18 and generates a carrier frequency signal which is applied to divider 14. The clock signal applied to sequence generator 12 is thus derived from the carrier frequency. Divider 14 is selected to provide an even-integer division ratio so that there will always be an even number of carrier pulses from each clock pulse. Typically, a division ratio of 4 may be selected, in which case the clock rate to sequence generator 12 is one quarter of the carrier frequency, resulting in a pseudo-random pulse sequence output rate of one quarter of the carrier frequency. The carrier frequency is typically about 512 times the line sync pulse rate.
The portions of the video transmitter thus far described have the function of generating a carrier signal synchronized to the scanline sync pulses, and of generating a different pseudo-random pulse sequence for each scanline of a video frame, with the pulse rate of this pseudo-random pulse sequence being a submultiple of the carrier frequency.
Digital information is provided to the video transmitter from suitable prior art services (not shown) at the rate of one bit per scanline, as shown in line 4 of FIG. 1. This digital information may be accepted in either serial or parallel form, as selected by a switch 25. When digital information is provided in serial form the information is conveyed directly to the SET input of a data holding flip-flop 26 by switch 25. When digital information is provided in parallel form, the information is fed to a digital multiplexer 24. Decoder 22 selects the appropriate bit of digital information for the corresponding scanline sync count and causes multiplexer 24 to convey this information to the SET input of flip-flop 26 through switch 25. Data holding flip-flop 26 is reset at the start of each scanline by an output from scanline sync counter 16. If the bit of digital information to be conveyed on a given scanline is a digital zero, no input appears on the SET line of flip-flop 26 for that scanline after the flip-flop has been reset, and its Q output remains low. Conversely, if a digital one is to be conveyed, a signal is received on the SET line of flip-flop 26 through switch 25, and this causes the Q output of flip-flop 26 to go high.
The outputs of data holding flip-flop 26, along with the carrier signal from monostable 20 and the pseudo-random pulse sequence from generator 12, are applied to an exclusive-OR network 30, along with the complement of the pseudo-random pulse sequence provided by an inverter 28. The two pulse sequences, labeled first and inverted first pseudo-random pulse sequence at lines 5 and 6 respectively of FIG. 1 are the outputs of an exclusive-OR gate 31 and an exclusive-OR gate 33 respectively. These outputs represent the carrier signal from free-running monostable 20 modulated by the pseudo-random pulse sequence output of sequence generator 12 (in gate 31) and by the inverted pseudo-random pulse sequence output of inverter 28 (in gate 33). These outputs are then combined with the Q and Q outputs of data holding flip-flop 26 in an exclusive-OR gate 37 and an exclusive-OR gate 35 respectively. The combined output of exclusive-OR gates 35 and 37 comprises a pseudo-random pulse sequence with a waveform corresponding to the first pseudo-random pulse sequence when data holding flip-flop 26 is set and corresponding to the output of the inverted first pseudo-random pulse sequence when data holding flip-flop 26 is reset. The output from exclusive-OR network 30 is therefore a pseudo-random pulse sequence which is phase modulated as a function of the information stored in data holding flip-flop 26. Since this information corresponds to the bit of digital information to be transmitted, the phase of the pseudo-random pulse sequence output of network 30 conveys the digital information to be transmitted.
The output from network 30 is combined with the analog video signal in an amplifier 32. A level adjust control 39 is provided to vary the amplitude of the analog video signal applied to amplifier 32. This control is typically set so that the pseudo-random signal is a small fraction (typically 5 to 10 percent) of the peak-to-peak video signal level. Amplifier 32 thus generates a composite signal consisting of an analog video signal combined with a phase modulated pseudo-random pulse sequence of relatively small amplitude, as shown in line 7 of FIG. 1. This phase modulated composite signal conveys the desired digital information.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a video receiver embodying the invention receives the composite signal from the video transmitter, as well as frame and scanline sync pulses, such as the illustrative signals of FIG. 1, lines 2, 3, and 7. The video receiver uses the frame sync and scanline sync pulses to generate a second pseudo-random pulse sequence, and this second sequence is used to recover the transmitted digital information from the composite signal. The frame sync and scanline sync pulses are processed by circuitry identical to that of the video transmitter of FIG. 2 to generate a duplicate carrier signal synchronized to the scanline sync pulses at the output of a free-running monostable 50, and a duplicate pseudo-random pulse sequence for each corresponding scanline of a video frame at the output of a maximum length sequence generator 42. The circuits numbered 10 to 22 in FIG. 2 correspond in sequential order to the circuits numbered 40 to 52 in FIG. 3. As in the transmitter, the pulse rate of these pseudo-random pulse sequences is a submultiple of the carrier frequency. The carrier signal from monostable 50 and the pseudo-random pulse sequence from a generator 42 are combined in an exclusive-OR gate 56 to generate a second pseudo-random pulse sequence such as the one shown in line 8 of FIG. 1. This second pulse sequence is in synchronism with the corresponding first pseudo-random pulse sequence of line 5.
The typical composite signal shown in line 7 of FIG. 1 is amplified by an amplifier 57 and is then multiplied with the second pseudo-random sequence in line 8 in an analog multiplier 58 to produce an analog multiplier output of the type shown in line 9 of FIG. 1. As discussed above, this multiplication generates a signal with a negative average level when the first pseudo-random pulse sequence is combined with the analog video at the transmitter, and produces a positive average level when the inverted first sequence is so combined. With reference to FIG. 1, during the one-scanline time interval from T1 to T2 a digital zero bit of information is transmitted on the composite signal by combining the inverted pulse sequence with the analog video signal. Thus, during this time interval the digital information on the composite signal of line 7 is out of phase with the second pseudo-random pulse sequence of line 8, resulting in the typical analog multiplier output waveform of line 9, which has an average negative level. Conversely, during the one-scanline time period from T2 to T3, a digital one bit of information is transmitted and the digital information on the composite signal of line 7 is in phase with the second pseudo-random pulse sequence of line 8. This results in an analog multiplier output with a positive average level, as shown on line 9 from T2 to T3.
The analog multiplier output is integrated over each scanline interval in an integrator 60 to generate an integrator output as shown on line 10. A negative average level from analog multiplier 58 results in a negative-going ramp output from integrator 60 as shown during the one-scanline interval from T1 to T2, while a positive average level from multiplier 58 output results in a positive-going ramp, as for the scanline from T2 to T3. To determine if the average level from multiplier 58 is positive or negative, a reference level proportional to the average video level signal is generated from the composite signal by a DC restorer 62 and a threshold adjust control 63, and is compared with the output of integrator 60 in a comparator 64. When comparator 64 is triggered by an output from a one-shot 72 at the end of a scanline, a bit decision output is generated, as shown in line 11. For a negative-going integrator output, the reference level derived from the composite signal is not exceeded, and the output level of comparator 64 remains low, as shown at T2 on line 11. For a positive-going integrator output, however, the reference level is exceeded and a bit decision output signal occurs, indicating that a digital one bit of information was transmitted, as shown at time T3 on line 11. Integrator 60 is reset at the start of each scanline by a switch 68, shown as a FET switch in FIG. 3. This switch 68 is controlled by a signal from a one-shot 66 which is in turn triggered by the output from a scanline sync counter 46. A counter 70 is reset by one-shot 40 at the start of each frame, and is preset to generate an output after counting aa predetermined number of clock pulses from divider 44. Typically, counter 70 may be set to generate an output when a number of clock pulses corresponding to a full scanline have been generated by divider 44. Thus, at the end of each scanline, counter 70 generates an output and thereby triggers one-shot 72. One-shot 72 resets counter 70 when it is triggered so that counter 70 may begin counting clock pulses from divider 44 for the subsequent scanline. One-shot 72 also provides a sample strobe signal to comparator 64 to generate the bit decision output discussed previously.
The bit decision output from comparator 64, shown on line 11 of FIG. 1, provides a set input to a bit decision flip-flop 74. This flip-flop is reset at the start of each scanline by a signal from amplifier 48, and may then be set by a bit decision pulse from comparator 64 upon the occurrence of a sample strobe signal from one-shot 72. As discussed above, when a digital zero bit of information is transmitted, the bit decision output of comparator 64 remains in the zero state and no output pulse is generated. This condition, shown at T2 on line 11, causes bit decision flip-flop 74 to remain in the reset state, with its Q output low. Conversely, when a digital one bit of information is transmitted, a bit decision pluse is generated on the SET line of flip-flop 74, as shown at T3 on line 11. This set input causes the Q output of flip-flop 74 to go high, corresponding to a digital one bit of information. The output from bit decision flip-flop 74 may be utilized directly to provide a serial digital information output, or the output of flip-flop 74 may be converted to parallel digital information in a digital demultiplexer 54. A decoder 52 decodes the contents of scanline counter 46 to cause digital demultiplexer 54 to generate an output corresponding to the level of flip-flop 74 to appear on the appropriate output line of digital demultiplexer 54 to provide the desired parallel output format. The recovered digital information is directed to suitable prior art recording or control devices (not shown).
In the system previously described, the digital pulse sequence is not removed from the composite signal. For most applications this technique is entirely adequate, as the viewer is generally not aware of any visible deterioration of the image. In some critical applications, however, as where the image must be examined for high frequency detail, it may be desirable to remove this digital information.
FIG. 4 therefore shows an alternate embodiment of the invention capable of removing the digital pulse sequence from the composite signal. A receiver 76 (of the type shown in FIG. 3) provides bit decision flip-flop outputs Q and Q which represent the level of each bit of digital information recovered from the received composite signal, and a modulated sequence output which is a regenerated pseudo-random sequence corresponding to the second sequence (from gate 56 in FIG. 3) associated with the scanline for which a bit decision flip-flop output has been generated. These signals are combined in an exclusive-OR network 80 to generate an inverted replica of the pseudo-random pulse sequence on the composite signal. Since network 80 must await the bit decision output, which occurs at the end of each scanline before the proper sequence can be generated, the regenerated pseudo-random sequence output of network 80 is delayed by one scanline from the pulse sequence contained on the composite signal.
To compensate for this delay, the composite signal obtained from the receiver 76 (at the output of amplifier 57 of FIG. 3) is delayed by one scanline interval at a delay line 78. This delayed composite signal is then fed to the input of an amplifier 82 along with the regenerated pseudo-random sequence output of network 80. The amplitude of the regenerated sequence from network 80 is adjusted by a level adjust control 81 to correspond to the level of the digital information on the delayed composite signal from delay line 78. Accordingly, the digital information contained on the delayed composite signal from delay line 78 is cancelled by the equal but inverted pulse sequence derived from network 80. The output from amplifier 82 thus comprises an analog video signal which is delayed by one scanline from the composite signal and which is substantially free of digital modulation.
In the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 5, delay line 78 comprises a charge coupled device (CCD) 72 serving as an analog delay line and a two-phase generator 84. The carrier signal from receiver 76 is used to activate two-phase generator 84, which provides clock signals for CCD 72. CCD 72 serves as a solid state electronic delay circuit which essentially samples the incoming composite signal and transfers the charge associated with each sample down a delay line comprising coupled capacitor storage devices. By driving the CCD delay line with a signal derived from the digital carrier generated in receiver 76 (at the output of monostable 50 in FIG. 3), any time-base variations occurring in receiver 76 are automatically removed. Finally, the output of CCD 72 is combined with the correction signal generated in exclusive-OR network 80, at the input of amplifier 82, to produce at the output of amplifier 82 a delayed analog video signal with digital information removed.
means for recovering the digital information by examining the composite signal at said predetermined locations along the scanlines to extract the digital information combined with the analog video signal.
2. A system as in claim 1 including means for removing the digital information from the composite signal subsequent to recovering the digital information to regenerate the analog video signal.
means for combining each of said digital pulse sequences with its corresponding video scanline.
4. A system as in claim 3 wherein the means for generating the first digital pulse sequences comprises a pseudo-random maximum length sequence generator, said generator providing digital pulse sequences in which the location of the pulses is a selected function of the output of the scanline counting means.
5. A system as in claim 3 wherein the first pulse sequences are superimposed on the analog video scanlines; and wherein the amplitude of the superimposed digital pulse sequences is substantially less than the average amplitude of the analog signal on said video scanlines.
means for combining each said first digital pulse sequence with a scanline of said analog video signal.
means for examining the composite signal at locations determined by said second digital pulse sequences to recover the first digital pulse sequences and to extract the corresponding bits of digital information represented thereby.
means for recovering said digital information from said composite signal by comparing the selected parameter of said first pulse sequence at said locations with the constant selected parameter of said second pulse sequence at the same locations, to determine the value of the corresponding bit of digital information represented by said first digital pulse sequence.
9. A system as in claim 8 wherein the means for generating the second digital pulse sequences comprises a pseudo-random maximum length sequence generator, said generator providing digital pulse sequences in which the location of the pulses corresponds to the location of the pulses of said first sequences for corresponding scanlines.
10. A system as in claim 8 wherein each scanline of the analog video signal is preceded by a line synchronization signal, and including means for initiating said first and second digital pulse sequences in synchronism with said line synchronization signals.
11. A system as in claim 8 wherein the selected parameter of said first and second pulse sequences is the phase of said pulse sequences.
means for comparing said integrated phase coincidence detector output with the reference level to recover from each scanline the bit of digital information represented by the corresponding first sequence.
13. A system as in claim 12 wherein the phase coincidence detector comprises an analog multiplier.
means for combining the regenerated digital pulse sequence with the delayed scanline of the composite signal to regenerate the original analog video signal.
15. A system as in claim 14 wherein the means for delaying each scanline of the composite signal comprises a coupled device serving as an analog delay line.
recovering the digital information by examining the composite signal at said predetermined locations along the scanlines to extract the digital information from the composite signal.
17. A method as in claim 16 including the step of removing the digital information from the composite signal subsequent to recovering the digital information to regenerate the analog video signal.
combining each of said digital pulse sequences with its corresponding video scanline.
19. A method as in claim 18 wherein the first digital pulse sequences are pseudo-random maximum length digital pulse sequences.
20. A method as in claim 18 wherein the combining step comprises superimposing the first pulse sequences on the analog video scanlines, and wherein the amplitude of the superimposed digital pulse sequences is substantially less than the average amplitude of the analog signal.
combining each said first digital pulse sequence with a scanline of said analog video signal.
examining the composite signal at locations determined by said second digital pulse sequences to recover the first digital pulse sequences and to extract the corresponding bits of digital information represented thereby.
recovering said digital information from said composite signal by comparing the selected parameter of said first pulse sequence at said locations with the constant selected parameter of said second pulse sequence at the same locations, to determine the value of the corresponding bit of digital information represented by said first digital pulse sequence.
24. A method as in claim 23 wherein the step of generating the second digital pulse-sequence comprises generating pseudo-random maximum length digital pulse sequences in which the location of the pulses corresponds to the location of the pulses of said first sequences.
25. A method as in claim 23 wherein each scanline of the analog video signal is preceded by a line sychronization signal, and wherein the signal initiates said first and second digital pulse sequences in synchronism with the start of each analog video scanline.
26. A method as in claim 23 wherein the selected parameter of said first and second pulse sequences is the phase of said pulse sequences.
comparing said integrated phase coincidence detector output with the reference level to recover from each scanline the bit of digital information represented by the corresponding first sequence.
combining the regenerated digital pulse sequence with the delayed composite signal to regenerate the analog video signal.
29. A method as in claim 28 wherein the step of delaying each scanline of the composite signal comprises passing each scanline through a charge coupled device acting as an analog delay line.
generating a signal to indicate whether said pseudo-random digital pulse sequence or its complement was superimposed on each line of said analog video signal.
means for generating a signal to indicate whether said pseudo-random digital pulse sequence or its complement was superimposed on each line of said analog video signal.
32. A system for forming a composite signal by combining digital information with scanlines of an analog video signal generated by a line scanning device, which comprises means for combining digital information at predetermined locations along scanlines of the analog video signal to form said composite signal, the predetermined locations being substantially different as between a multiplicity of scanlines to substantially prevent visible deterioration of the image represented by the analog video scanlines.
means for combining each said digital pulse sequence with a different scanline of said analog video signal.
35. A system as in claim 34 wherein the selected parameter of said digital pulse sequences is the phase of said digital pulse sequences.
36. A system as in claim 34 wherein the means for generating the digital pulse sequences comprises a psuedo-random maximum length sequence generator.
37. A system as in claim 34 wherein the digital pulse sequences are superimposed on the analog video scanlines, and wherein the amplitude of the superimposed digital pulse sequences is substantially less than the average amplitude of the analog video signal.
38. A method for forming a composite signal by combining digital information with scanlines of an analog video signal generated by a line scanning device, which comprises combining digital information at predetermined locations along scanlines of the analog video signal to form said composite signal, the predetermined locations being subtantially different as between a multiplicity of scanlines to substantially prevent visible deterioration of the image represented by the analog video scanlines.
combining each said digital pulse sequence with a scanline of said analog video signal.
41. A method as in claim 40 wherein the selected parameter of said digital pulse sequences is the phase of said digital pulse sequences.
42. A method as in claim 40 wherein the step of generating the digital pulse sequences comprises generating psuedo-random maximum length seqences.
43. A method as in claim 40 wherein the digital pulse sequences are superimposed on the analog video scanlines, and wherein the amplitude of the superimposed digital pulse sequences is substantially less than the average amplitude of the analog video signal.
44. An apparatus for recovering digital information from a composite signal containing video scanlines and digital information combined with scanline portions at predetermined locations along each of a multiplicity of scanlines, said predetermined locations being substantially different as between a multiplicity of scanlines to substantially prevent visible deterioration of the image represented by the analog video scanlines, which comprises means for examining the composite signal at said predetermined locations along the scanlines to extract the digital information, and means for providing the extracted digital information.
45. A method for recovering digital information from a composite signal containing digital information at predetermined locations along scanlines of an analog video signal generated by a line scanning device, said predetermined locations being substantially different as between a multiplicity of scanlines to substantially prevent visible deterioration of the image represented by the analog video scanlines, which comprises examining the composite signal at said predetermined locations along the scanlines to extract the digital information, and providing an indication of the extracted digital information.
46. A system as in claim 1 wherein the scanlines are organized in video frames and wherein the combining means comprise means for combining the digital information with the video signal at predetermined locations which are different for each of the scanlines of at least a substantial portion of the scanlines of a video frame.
47. A method as in claim 16 wherein the scanlines are organized in video frames and wherein the combining step comprises combining the digital information with the video signal at predetermined locations which are different for each of the scanlines of at least substantial portion of the scanlines of a video frame.
48. A method as in claim 30 wherein the step of generating said sequences comprises generating a different sequence for each of the scanlines of a video frame.
49. A method as in claim 30 wherein the step of generating said sequences comprises generating a different sequence for each of at least a substantial portion of the scanlines of a video frame.
50. An apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the means for generating said sequences comprise means for generating a different sequence for each of the scanlines of a video frame.
51. An apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the means for generating said sequence comprise means for generating a different sequence for each of at least a substantial portion of the scanlines of a video frame.