A Tale Of Two 'Cities'

or 'Twilight's Last Gleaming'

Before I begin, this is not another re-working of a classic story. Neither is it a comparison of the un-mentionable city to the un-discussable one.

These two 'cities' are like a pair of Siamese twins joined at the hip or in this particualar case, as older viewers will remember, the corridor which is not as long as it first appears to be.

On one side is the image that reminds one of the the USA. There are bridges. There are tall buildings. And in it's first incarnation there was that well-stocked bar that invited it's patrons in. And the connection with the USA is all the more fitting when you listen to the anthem :

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The anthem summed up the philosophy of the tv. Some will argue that it was brave in where it went. Some may argue that it went too far and now pays the price for the mis-adventure. Just like America has often gone too far in it's adventure and pays a heavy price for that. For even the 'Land Of The Free' has a price to pay.

So we cross the corridor and return to where we all started. We are back to nature. We are back to learn. The primitives also learnt very quickly. They learnt that it was much more practical to be clothed than to be always naked. Of course the explorer to the jungle was surprised to see the natives clothed but he soon also discovered that there was a time and place for more revealations.

Yet in the jungle there is one basic law - only the strongest survive. They survive quite often by simply adapting to the conditions that they find themselves in. The climate of the world is changing. Those that do not adapt for that change will not survive.The seasoned explorer may not like what he finds but it is best that he travels ferther to seek out new discoveries than rely on older travels. This tv could have been written off months ago yet it is still here as it adapted to the change. If it does not survive then it will be an echo of the life in the jungle. You can be strong. You can adapt. But if your habitat is taken away from you then even that survival can be threatened.

Hi Bill80-As I said below--maybe the lease of the transponder at 10 Deg is due for renewal. Like any other company when times are bad they cut costs and get rid of smaller income units. As they cant show anything during the daytime they could rent out the transponder to a shopping channel. It would generate a guarranteed income rather than wait and see who calls a show.They are on slow meltdown and are trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. They need to change to what will make money and not go along with stupid rules.

@ glassy
ETV to stop its broadcasts on the satellite w2 10 ° E.
its starting to feel the scorched.

The only reason that this tv is still hear is not because of all the money the shows are making (they are running at a huge loss)-but bcause they are being heavily subsidised. Five or six models sitting around talking to each other most of the show does not pay the bills. They may have adapted the studio to meet customer complaints but the shows are still the same.How long they can survive by just sitting around talking to each other is anybodys guess. Maybe when the transponder lease needs renewed we will see if the channel is worth saving--I doubt it.

The experienced traveller can read a lot in that post... Welcome to the club :)