Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Baltimore qv MD Baltimore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baltimore qv MD Baltimore. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

20071113 WBAL: Goodwin Gone As Baltimore Fire Chief

WBAL: Goodwin Gone As Baltimore Fire Chief

Goodwin Gone As Baltimore Fire Chief

BALTIMORE FIRE CHIEF WILLIAM GOODWIN RESIGNS. LISTEN TO WBAL RADIO FOR CONTINUING DEVELOPMENTS. UPDATES AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AT http://wbal.com

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

WBAL Radio

Baltimore's Fire Chief William Goodwin Jr. will step down December 31, bookending a tough year that included the death of a fire department recruit during a training exercise.

Goodwin, a 32-year veteran of the department who has been fire chief since February 2002, submitted his resignation to Mayor Dixon during a meeting Tuesday, said the mayor's spokesman, Anthony McCarthy.

Dixon did not ask Goodwin to step down, but "the mayor was not surprised that the chief decided to retire," McCarthy said.

[…]

The mayor will conduct a national search for his successor, McCarthy said.

[…]

Dixon had expressed lukewarm support for Goodwin since the February training exercise that killed recruit Racheal Wilson, 29, whose foot became trapped during a live burn in a vacant rowhouse.

Dixon fired the head of the department's training academy and suspended two lieutenants after Wilson's death. A state agency cited the department for "intentionally" and "knowingly" violating safety rules, and an independent investigation concluded that 50 safety standards were violated, including setting several fires when only one was allowed.

The two unions that represent city firefighters had called for Goodwin to resign, accusing him of failing to accept responsibility for Wilson's death and hurting department morale.

"We're elated," said Richard G. Schluderberg, president of the union…

[…]

Said Stephen Fugate, president of the fire officers' union…

[…]

Mayor Dixon Accepts Resignation of Fire Chief William Goodwin

Baltimore, MD (November 13, 2007) – Mayor Sheila Dixon has accepted the resignation of Baltimore City Fire Chief William Goodwin. Chief Goodwin informed the Mayor in a meeting this afternoon of his decision to retire in late-December after 32 years with the department. Goodwin became Chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department in 2002 after having served in every rank in the department.

"Chief Goodwin has served the City of Baltimore and the Fire Department with distinction. On behalf of the citizens I want to thank him for his years of sacrifice and commitment over an extraordinarily long and successful career," said Mayor Dixon. "The last year has been difficult for the department and Chief Goodwin has provided the steady and consistent hand that was needed."

Mayor Dixon will immediately begin a national search for a new chief.

To read the entire WBAL article click here: Goodwin Gone As Baltimore Fire Chief

LISTEN TO WBAL RADIO FOR CONTINUING DEVELOPMENTS. UPDATES AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AT http://wbal.com

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

20071105 Best of luck to Mark Newgent - Dist 14 Baltimore City Council candidate Nov 6 2007

Best of luck to Mark Newgent - Dist 14 Baltimore City Council candidate Nov 6 2007

Mark Newgent, who writes over at “The Main Adversary” is running for the Baltimore City Council seat from the 14th District in the November 6, 2007 Baltimore City general election. He deserves our support and Baltimore deserves someone of the caliber of Mr. Newgent. Please join me in wishing him well.

Please consider pasting the “Mark Newgent Republican for City Council” photo which appears above, on your blog for a show of support.

Thanks.

Kevin Dayhoff

Friday, June 22, 2007

20070620 News Clips


News Clips

June 20, 2007

STATE ARTICLES

Thousands turn out to greet Ripken
Harford names a day in former Oriole's honor, preceding his Hall of Fame induction

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/ripken/bal-md.ha.parade20jun20,0,1118978.story
The Iron Man hobbled up the stage showing a bit of rust.
A knee injury during a recent pickup basketball game was responsible for Cal Ripken Jr.'s slight limp. But the former Oriole great knows a little about playing with pain.
"I did have nagging injuries when I played. And in the same spirit, there was no way I was going to miss coming out here today," Ripken told a cheering crowd of thousands in Bel Air yesterday after a parade in his honor down Main Street.
It was Cal Ripken Jr. Day in Harford County, and the Aberdeen native returned t o his roots for an event put on by the county government to celebrate Ripken's coming induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and mark opening day for his minor league team, the Aberdeen IronBirds.


A drug-war setback
Red tape, doctors say, cuts buprenorphine prescriptions

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.bupe20jun20,0,3588367.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Faced with Medicaid's low payments and bureaucratic red tape, some Maryland doctors are reluctant to prescribe buprenorphine for heroin addicts, even though the drug has been promoted as a potential magic bullet in the war against addiction, according to a survey set for release today.
The survey, commissioned by the Center for a Healthy Maryland Inc., found that doctors were not always sufficiently reimbursed for their time and services and that there were other "hassles," including medication preauthorization, a process that in some cases can take 48 hours, and varying and confusing protocols among Medicaid providers.
The report comes as state officials are deciding how to spend an extra $3 million earmarked for buprenorphine treatment in the budget year that starts July 1.


Mayor seeks spending changes
Charter amendments would lessen power of council and public oversight of funds

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.ci.dixon20jun20,0,6488318.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon wants to make several changes to the city charter that would make it easier for the city to buy goods and services - but that also would lessen City Council and public oversi ght of how taxpayer money is spent.
Two charter amendments Dixon introduced in the City Council would reduce public notice requirements for purchases over $25,000, allow the city to adjust spending controls more freely and make it easier for the administration to win approval for over-budget spending.
The legislation comes a year after Dixon faced criticism for her spending practices as City Council president.


Dixon, police meet over crime plan
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.ci.police20jun20,0,3271376.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Facing increases in homicides and shootings and a dip in police morale, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon outlined yesterday her plan to reduce violence in a closed-door presentation before roughly 500 city officers who were ordered to attend.
"You hear rumors that people don't understand the [crime] plan," she said in a briefing to reporters after her 30-minute meeting with officers at the downtown police headquarters. "I just wanted to make it very clear what the plan is. ... Communicate the mission. Sometimes there's a breakdown."
The meeting, however, drew criticism from union officials who dismissed the mayor's plan as a "PowerPoint presentation," a political opponent who charged the meeting was a publicity stunt and former police chief Edward T. Norris, who introduced his own crime plan on his talk radio program.


Dixon Tells Police Her Crime Plan; Critics Blast It
http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=59517
During a half-hour, closed door meeting with some 500 police officers who were required to attend, Mayor Sheila Dixon described her plan to cut violence in a city dealing with increasing homicides and shootings.
The meeting was criticized by a union official, who called Dixon's plan little more than a PowerPoint presentation. And a political opponent said the meeting was a publicity stunt.


It's Ed Norris, armchair commissioner by Laura Vozzella
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella20jun20,1,5163921,print.column?coll=bal-home-columnists&ctrack=3&cset=true
In Baltimore, even the felons have crime plans.
And if the felon also happens to be the only guy in memory to knock down the city's horrific homicide numbers, Baltimore apparently is willing to listen.
Ex-commish/ex-con Ed Norris unfurled his prescription for a safer city on his radio show yesterday, and no fewer than seven reporters and four TV camera guys flocked to the WHFS studios for the occasion, The Sun's Julie Bykowicz reports.


Lawyer tries to exclude tapes
Bromwell attorney says FBI recordings won't allow fair trial

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.bromwell20jun20,0,1321438.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
A new lawyer appointed to represent indicted former state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell Sr. says that hours of secret FBI tapes peppered with the politician's racial and sexist epithets are irrelevant and should be excluded from his trial because they could impair a jury's ability to reach a fair verdict.
"The vast majority of the recordings simply have nothing to do with the core issues in the case," said Barry J. Po llack, repeating arguments that he made in recent court filings in the case.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, whose office is handling the prosecution, countered that the tapes of phone conversations and dinner chatter are vital to prove the bribery accusations lodged against Bromwell, a Baltimore County Democrat who served in the General Assembly for more than two decades.


Plan for expanded MARC urged
Metro leaders call on governor to develop strategic study on train service

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.marc20jun20,0,3040189.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Top elected leaders from the Baltimore region have called on Gov. Martin O'Malley to begin developing a strategic plan for the expansion of MARC train service to prepare for growth expected from military base realignment.

State fees for assisted living may increase
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_20-26/GOV
Proposed state fee increases for assisted-living facilities could have those businesses paying much more for a license.
Under proposed new regulations for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published on May 11, license fees for the estimated 1,280 assisted-living facilities in the state could increase by hundreds of dollars. There are 92 such facilities in Anne Arundel County.
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council - made up of Mayor Sheila Dixon and leaders from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties - wrote the governor asking him to work with them to increase service on the commuter rail system. Among other things, they suggested that Maryland look into the pos sibility of laying additional track to expand the Maryland Rail Commuter system.


Elected school board bid fails
Petition drive for ballot question falls a bit short

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.petition20jun20,0,7870410.story?coll=bal-local-arundel
A grassroots effort to get more say in selecting Anne Arundel County's school board has failed after a petition drive to put the issue on the Nov. 6 general election ballot came up 275 names short.Citizens for an Elected School Board in Anne Arundel County and freshman state Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire collected 6,726 signatures between the end of the legislative session April 9 and May 30, said Mary Cramer Wagner, director of voter registration for the Maryland Board of Elections.
The group was required to submi t 6,264 -- a third of the total required -- by the deadline


County limits emergency aid to schools
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.transfer20jun20,0,4986819.story?coll=bal-local-arundel
Tensions between elected officials and school leaders were aggravated this week when the Anne Arundel County Council approved an $18.9 million budget transfer that fell $3.7 million short of the school system's request and leaves key objectives unfunded.
The emergency legislation backed by County Executive John R. Leopold does not include money for a human-resources computer system, administrative trainees and substitutes for assistant principals. The transfer also does not reimburse the school system $2.6 million for charter schools.
Others concurred with the c ounty executive. Council Chairman Ronald C. Dillon Jr., a Pasadena Republican, said he doesn't want to establish a "use-it-or-lose-it mentality."


Draft transportation plan unveiled for U.S. 1
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.planning20jun20,0,2765467.story?coll=bal-local-howard
With efforts to rejuvenate a long-maligned but potential-laden section of U.S. 1 creeping forward, Howard County officials and the State Highway Administration unveiled a draft transportation plan that calls for adding paths, sidewalks, side roads, bike lanes, bus lanes, car lanes and a median to deal with increased traffic and use as the corridor grows.


Howard County councilman pushes living wage bill
http://www.examiner.com/a-789608~Howard_Cou%20nty_councilman_pushes_living_wage_bill.html
Howard County Council Chairman Calvin Ball is taking steps to require county contractors to pay its workers a sufficient minimum wage - a move he calls "the right to do."
"We should set a higher standard," said Ball, D-District 2.


Commissioners object to power line placement
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=61572
The Frederick County Commissioners will write a letter to the federal government objecting to a designation that could lead to an expedited process for building large power lines.
In a report released in August, the Department of Energy included Frederick County in a draft about the Mid-Atlantic Area National Interest Electric T ransmission Corridor. All of Maryland except Somerset County, and other states in the region, will also be designated in the corridor, according to the draft plan.


Natural Gas Company Seeks to Run 1st Pipeline Under Chesapeake Bay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901909.html
A Delaware natural gas company has proposed building the first pipeline under the Chesapeake Bay, to pump gas from Cove Point in Southern Maryland to Delaware starting in winter 2009, according to a federal official
Eastern Shore Natural Gas's $93 million project is in the early stages of the state and federal approval process, but some environmental groups and a state legislator are raising questions about its environmental effects.


NATIONAL NEWS
Evangelical voters may not help GOP
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller20jun20,0,7390936.column?coll=bal-oped-headlines
Here's a bold prediction: Evangelicals will present few if any obstacles for the Democrats in next year's presidential race, but may prove problematic for the Republican nominee.
I'm not suggesting that a majority of evangelicals will vote Democratic next year. What I am saying is the 2008 presidential race could be a turning point for evangelical politics in America.

Bartlett releases 'earmark' list; Capito and Shuster have not
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=168384&format=html
U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., on Tuesday released his list of fiscal year 2008 pet-project requests - $322.51 million worth - after The Herald-Mail asked for it.
"I am proud of my requests," Bartlett said in the statement. "In previous years, I followed the established procedure and waited until appropriations bills were finalized to distribute news releases with my lists of requests that received funding.
"With greater public interest and the support of Republicans to reform the Congressional budget process, I am releasing the requests for funding that I have submitted."


Progressive Maryland, citizens speak out on Gilchrest voting record
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/NEWS01/706200345/1002
Several co mmunity leaders joined a liberal grassroots organization Tuesday to praise and protest Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest's voting record across the street from his District 1 office.
Gilchrest signed a letter Monday siding with the president if he vetoes a Democratic-majority version expected to help Maryland with $31 million in Community Development Block Grants, $6.6 million for home heating assistance and $50.8 million for education, including 20 teachers in Gilchrest's district, according to Progressive Maryland's analysis of the unfinished budget proposals


House Primaries Come Early for Three Maryland Incumbents
http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/06/house_primaries_come_early_for.html
In most states, congressional primaries in 2008 will be held from March to as late as mid-September. So even most incumbents who face the possibility of primary challenges next year must view full-scale campaigning as still a quite distant prospect.
That, however, is not as true in Maryland, where next year's congressional primaries - dragged along with the "front-loaded" presidential primary contests - will be held on Feb. 12, the earliest-ever date in the state.
The sped-up process has already produced primary challenges, of varying degrees of risk, to Democrat Albert B. Wynn of the 4th District and two Republicans, Wayne T. Gilchrest of the 1st and Roscoe G. Bartlett of the 6th. At this juncture, eight-term incumbent Wynn faces the most serious threat, in the form of a rematch with a challenger who came close to upsetting him in 2006.

NAACP inauguration hosts top politicians
http://www.hometownglenburnie.com/vault/cgi-bin/gazette/view/2007G/06/16-09.HTM
The gala planned by the county's NAACP branch tonight has drawn RSVP's from the state's top politicians, organizers said.
The inauguration gala celebrating Wayne Jearld's ascendancy to the presidency will be attended by Gov. Martin O'Malley; U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin; House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer; Reps. Wayne Gilchrest, Dutch Ruppersberger and John P. Sarbanes; and Maryland Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, among others.


Cardin still working to close Oak Hill
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_19-10/CWC
In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin said he is still working to close the Washington D.C.'s Oak Hill Juvenile Detention Center in Laurel.Mr. Cardin is still pursuing a bill he introduced with Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski in March that would transfer parts of the prison land to Anne Arundel County, the National Park Service and the Army. Part of the county's land would be turned into a park and others could be open to development.


House bill puts border security over immigration
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA062007.1A.Immig.3a158f7.html
Republican leaders bucked President Bush on Tuesday and filed an enforcement-only bill in the House that calls for shoring up the Southwest border before guest worker and earned legalization programs can be offered.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he wasn't opposed to breaking up the bill, but signaled difficulties in passing sweeping reform legislation. "I am for a comprehensive bill if we can work out the appropriate provisions in that bill," he said.

Magnet program eyed for Ft. Meade
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_19-26/TOP
Congressional and local officials want to tap into the technical expertise at Fort George G. Meade and create a math and science magnet program at the public schools on post.
Still in the conceptual stages, the magnet program would concentrate on math and science at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The idea is to create standout students who are interested and qualified for the post's civilian jobs, said Heather Moeder Molino, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Baltimore County.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

20070619 The Ed Norris Crime Plan

The Ed Norris Crime Plan

For a bit of additional background go here: “20070615 Some good analysis on the Baltimore mayoral contest.”

WHFS’ ED NORRIS RELEASES HIS PLAN TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE CRIME IN BALTIMORE PRESS CONFERENCE June 19, 2007-12 Noon

The Plan to Drastically Reduce Crime in Baltimore By: Ed Norris

In light of the relentless violence we have experienced in 2007 and after the rising violent crime rates of the last several years, I feel compelled to put forward a plan.

Several candidates running for public office in addition to a myriad of community and religious organizations have put forth their ideas for crime reduction but none has authored a strategic plan; each has merely latched onto ideas that sounds good but will do nothing to stanch the blood flow in our streets.

No one to date has even attempted a comprehensive strategic plan while Baltimoreans are being murdered at a rate almost seven times that of New York City.

The lack of leadership has been stunning in light of all that is taking place.

My intent is not to embarrass but to help stem the violent crime wave that is literally killing our city.

I respectfully recommend the following for everyone's consideration:

Read the rest here: The Ed Norris Crime Plan

####

Saturday, June 16, 2007

20070615 some good analysis on the Baltimore Mayoral Contest

If you are looking for some good analysis on the Baltimore Mayoral Contest...

June 15th, 2007

I was watching the news on one of the Baltimore channels this evening, (Channel 11?), and they are now calling crime in Baltimore a “crisis” – and that is exactly the perception.

Increasingly – across the state and across the nation, the perception is growing that crime in Baltimore City is out of control.

Add to this challenge the perception that Baltimore and Maryland are horrifically anti-business and Baltimore City schools are a mess, and you have a recipe for ever-increasing serious problems for attracting jobs and economic development.

Of course let’s stipulate that the loss of life and impediments to succeed are dooming an entire generation of children who are being de facto denied an opportunity to be a part of the American dream and lead productive lives. This tragedy alone should be a call for action.

Of course the individual challenges can be overcome but not everyone can be an Horatio Alger. The statistically probability needs to be changed for the better for young Baltimoreans to have an opportunity to succeed. All of us have benefited from a leg-up at some point in our lives…

Meanwhile, taxes can’t pay for everything and if a business is afraid to locate in Baltimore or Maryland, the employment and tax base future looks bleak.

Now that there is a Democrat in the Statehouse and the Maryland General Assembly is essentially one-party rule – it can no longer be blamed on a Republican governor, not that most folks bought that explanation anyway.

The upcoming elections in Baltimore are critical if the population and tax base flight is to be turned-around. And the state has serious budget problems so that tax-well is looking pretty dry in the foreseeable future.

If you want put the brakes on urban sprawl, the City of Baltimore has to be an attractive place to live, raise a family and hold a job - - and this point the verdict is out as to whether or not things will get better in the foreseeable future.

The health of Baltimore has a direct impact on the rest of us in the state…

One place to begin understanding the byzantine machinations of Baltimore one-party politics is to take a good look at Baltimore Mayoral Race on the Web by: Andrew Kujan.

####

Sunday, June 10, 2007

20070610 The Last Train to Clarksville

The Last Train to Clarksville

June 10th, 2007

On June 10th, 2007 Maryland Politics Today had a post titled “The Last Money Train To Clarksville.”

As much as I appreciated P. Kenneth Burns calling to our attention the need of Baltimore mayor Dixon to go outside of the city for support for her re-election campaign, I was particularly intrigued with the reference to the “Last Train to Clarksville.”

And only Mr. Burns knows if he was referring to mayor Dixon’s trip to Howard County in the manner in which the 1966 Monkees’ meant it… Or if he was referring to mayor Dixon and “Betamax” metaphorically or if it is a coincidence…

But what a trip down memory lane that reference causes an aging Baby Boomer such as me. Although, I gotta tell ya, “The Monkees” were a little lame for my taste to put it mildly; it nevertheless brings back a time and place from many years ago.

And it comes on the heels of just writing a Westminster Eagle column on aspects of 1967 last Wednesday, June 6th, 2007: Dwight Dingle, 'Sgt. Pepper' and a bathtub band :

“It was 40 years ago last Saturday, June 2, 1967, when the Beatles released their eighth album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Although musical taste can be fiercely debated, many music critics and publications consider this album to be one of the most influential of all time. Rolling Sto...”

“The Last Train to Clarksville,” from 1966, may be considered to be a pop song and to be sure, it certainly has a bubblegum feel and sound to it. Nevertheless the song was about a serious dynamic in the lives of young men eligible for military duty.

The song, with its “pop flavor” and seemingly light-hearted approach is forever engrained in my head as a great example of cognitive dissonance…

Listen to the lyrics.[1]

The song is about a man who is trying to arrange one last date with his sweetheart because he has been drafted and he is about to be deployed to Vietnam. Listen for :

'Cause I'm leavin' in the morning

And I must see you again

We'll have one more night together

'Til the morning brings my train.

And I must go, oh, no, no, no!

Oh, no, no, no!

And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.

And the reference to “Betamax players [2] in home” was equally a hoot. Yes, I actually still have content on old “beta” tapes.” And I thought some of the data migration from my old columns and short stories in DOS-based “Word Perfect” was hard…

And I cannot imagine hardly any of our younger readers are aware of whar being “betamaxed” means… (“A superior technology that is overtaken by an inferior one.”)

Anyway, thanks a bunch for memory Mr. Burns…

Meanwhile if you are not reading Mr. Burn’s excellent work at Maryland Politics Today,” there is no better time than now…. Err, after ya watch, “The Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees:





Oh what the heck… Let’s hear more. This is a song that I did like:

“Valerie”



I liked this one too:

The Monkees - A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You





####



[1] Last Train to Clarksville

Words and Music by

Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

Take the last train to Clarksville,

And I'll meet you at the station.

You can be be there by four thirty,

'Cause I made your reservation.

Don't be slow, oh, no, no, no!

Oh, no, no, no!

'Cause I'm leavin' in the morning

And I must see you again

We'll have one more night together

'Til the morning brings my train.

And I must go, oh, no, no, no!

Oh, no, no, no!

And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.

Take the last train to Clarksville.

I'll be waiting at the station.

We'll have time for coffee flavored kisses

And a bit of conversation.

Oh... Oh, no, no, no!

Oh, no, no, no!

Take the last train to Clarksville,

Now I must hang up the phone.

I can't hear you in this noisy

Railroad station all alone.

I'm feelin' low. Oh, no, no, no!

Oh, no, no, no!

And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.

Take the last train to Clarksville,

Take the last train to Clarksville,

[repeat and fade]

[2] Betamax:

The first half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format, introduced by Sony in 1975 and commonly known as "Beta." The first Betamax cassettes held only one hour of video, but the capacity was subsequently increased to hold an entire movie. Sony later introduced Beta Hi-fi, which improved audio quality, and SuperBeta, which offered a better image.


Beta Vs. VHS


One year after Beta was introduced, the VHS format came out with a slightly larger cassette that held a full movie from the start. VHS began to overtake Beta almost immediately, but for several years, both formats were widely used, and pre-packaged movies were offered in both Beta and VHS. By the late 1980s, Beta had been almost entirely eclipsed by VHS, although Betamax machines were still manufactured by Sony until 2002.


Betamaxed!


The Betamax technology was considered to have superior image quality over VHS, but was hardly noticeable on ordinary home equipment, especially if the recording was done off the air and not from a high-quality master tape. To this day however, "Betamaxed" refers to a superior technology that is overtaken by an inferior one. See VHS, helical scan, Beta/VHS debacle and Betacam.