Rusty Saber: Ray Charles' significance overshadowed by Reagan's death

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.

Last week's Rusty Saber was made up of questions and comments, but I ran out of space before I ran out of questions and comments. Therefore, make way for the sequel.

Since singer Ray Charles died during the period of national mourning over the death of former President Ronald Reagan, his passing didn't receive as much attention as it would have at another time. Both Reagan and Charles were national treasures; we shall never again see the likes of either of them.

Charles, blind since childhood, was a brilliant musician and blues singer. I remember the uproar among some fans when he became one of the first singers to accompany himself on an electric piano, an instrument for which I have little use. But when Charles did it, the end product was an unforgettable slight dissonance that added to his one-of-a-kind singing voice. I still prefer his recordings with a real piano.

His versions of "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Georgia" are as close to perfection as a singer can get. His enormous talent remains a glorious gift.

I never thought I would have anything less than disdain for some drivers who make left turns at intersections after the green arrow is off. Understand, I don't condone it, but I can understand why drivers might throw caution to the wind and make the dash. When turn arrows are green for very short periods, drivers who have waited through one or two previous traffic light sequences might decide to go for it. Frustration can cause people to do dumb things.

The intersection at National and Sunshine is an example. It has double turn lanes intended to speed up traffic flow. Unfortunately, the arrow allows only four cars to make it through comfortably, the fifth goes on amber, and the sixth goes on red. Hopefully, car seven waits until the next go-around. Allowing so few cars to turn left legally encourages some to push their luck, and the luck of oncoming drivers.

Although I have never watched Oprah Winfrey by choice (I have been subjected to it in a couple of waiting rooms where I had no choice), I understand writers appearing on her program to promote their books led to the establishment of the Oprah Book Club. Apparently, the "Oprah" label on a book is a path to best-seller territory.

I wonder: If interviewing authors on TV leads to creating a book club, will CBS establish a "60 Minutes" book club? It seems that this news program has become the place for authors to come to promote their books. If she can create a book club, why not "60 Minutes?" Oprah could continue to promote fiction writers, leaving nonfiction for "60 Minutes'" book club. It's an idea.

When it comes to creative excuses used by speeders when stopped by police, I thought I had heard them all. I was wrong. A New Zealand driver was stopped for speeding. He told the arresting officer that he wasn't speeding, he had just washed his car, and he was blow-drying it. Sounds reasonable to me.

Could this advertising be deceptive? A TV commercial features an attractive automobile in an elegant setting. The car looks elegant and expensive. The voice-over boasts that the car sells for as little as $23,000. In tiny, hard-to-read print is the disclaimer: "Car as shown, $31,000." Deceptive? You decide.

In most newspaper stories making reference to the president of the United States, a head and shoulders photo of the president will appear. Why? People so unaware of current events that they need a picture in order to know what the president looks like probably won't be interested in reading the article.