Say that again?

The big story about Carmike Cinemas being bought by AMC made me think of a way to increase concession stand revenues for the new company. They can start selling high-fidelity earplugs. That way maybe when you leave the theater your ears won't ring as much. I use hearing aids because of a frequency problem, but I only use them after the trailers run because they are extremely loud.

I learned about the high-fidelity earplugs Christmas when my son gave a pair to his wife to wear at choir practice. The mega church they attend is now using a really loud sound system.

The recommended safe-sound peak is 85 decibels. I read that is the standard movie industry peak level. However, a study conducted by TV station KXAN, Austin, Texas, found that in some theaters levels peaked as high as 101 decibels. A report in Ear, Nose, and Throat Journal said some theater levels hit peaks as high as 120 to 130 decibel levels.

One problem for sound engineers is that when you lower the overall level, when actors speak in whispers audiences can't understand what they are saying. Maybe a solution is to tell actors to use stage whispers, developed back in the days when stage shows didn't use electric amplification,

Next time you attend a movie and the sound hurts your ears, tell the manager. Maybe if enough people do that the theaters will do something about the problem. I am a movie buff from way back and still love to go to the movies, but I guess I'll have to buy some of those hi-def earplugs.

Infernal prospect

Our country and its precious resources are in the most perilous position of our long history. Those whose agenda includes gifts and free passes to Wall Street; license to callous billionaires; authorization to destroyers of our environment; and consent to polluters of our air and water have been promised a belated bag of Christmas treats by the president-elect.

If Trump carries out his disastrous campaign promises, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Endangered Species Act will be shredded, old-growth forests will be slashed to the ground, ravenous exploiters will be given ownership of our public lands, and polluters will have free rein to poison our water and air. His den of foxes will create ruthless mayhem in the henhouse.

Trump doesn’t feel that he, in his exalted posture of ignorance, needs any security briefs or instructions to assist him in serving as president, for in his own bumbling, inarticulate words, “I don’t have to be told — you know, I’m, like, a smart person.”

Those whose God advised them to vote for this apocalyptic debacle must have been praying to Lucifer himself, because the evil that we will see in the next four years can only have been concocted in the inner realm of Hell itself.

Two thumbs up

We recently had the pleasure of seeing two different outstanding performances at two different outstanding venues here in Columbus. The first was “The Little Mermaid”performed at The Springer; and the other was “The Nutcracker” at the RiverCenter. They both were absolutely joyous.

Both performances had a number of things in common. Though the venues were different, both are terrific and are as wonderful as any you will find in Atlanta or New York.

A second similarity was the high quality of the actors and dancers. Some were from out of town, but the overwhelming majority were from Columbus and the Valley and all were magnificent.

Finally, a third similarity was the kindness, respect and dignity of both audiences. There were large numbers of children in attendance at both and there was not an out-of-place peep from any of them; all were quiet and attentive. They should be proud of themselves. We certainly are proud of them and the parents and grandparents who helped instill such character.

Be proud, Columbus. We are indeed fortunate.

Higher calling

"In God We Trust" works for America. It is printed on all our money, as an instrument of trust between individuals involved in commerce, politics, personal relationships. The basis of that trust comes from mutual respect for a source greater than fallible man. In a functioning society, each succeeding generation is taught a genuine respect for a higher power lest Trust fail and life devolves into a Hell on Earth as the forces of ego and physical dominance become the ultimate method of resolving conflicts.

When that common thread of respect is diminished people begin jockeying for power in seeking personal happiness as opposed to mutual happiness.

A truly successful nation meets in the middle "under God" when their commitment is to something higher than their own personal aggrandizement, hubris, and feelings of self-worth. Without constraining himself to the humble and grateful recognition of a higher power, man becomes in the end just a passing fancy, leaving only ashes and pain behind in the pursuit of personal glory.

In conclusion, given the predicament of man alone being fallible, nations are now seriously needing to deal with the great problems of 1) mutually agreeing to trust God, and 2) deciding in whose God do we trust?

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Say that again?."