Ask Schwall

Ken Schwall has made an art out of asking tough provoking questions to the citizens of East Tennessee.

Here is your chance to Ask Schwall a question and read responses to other WBIR viewer's questions.

I know you're not a marriage counselor but I understand you've been married for a long time so I thought I'd ask you for your help. The problem is my husband. I have a hard time having a serious discussion with him. We begin talking and within a couple of minutes I can tell that he's not really listening. He's looking at me...but he's really just kind of looking through me. I can tell he's not hearing a word that I say. His thoughts seem to be a million mile away. I snap at him but a minute later he's off in never-never land again. What can I do to hold his attention? Sarah, Knoxville

Hmmmm??? What???? Oh. I'm sorry. I must have dozed off. Just kidding. To be honest, this is a problem shared by wives all over the world. When it comes to serious discussions with their wives, husbands just don't do well. The only thing I would suggest is to be brief. If he'll pay attention for three minutes, figure out a way to get your point across in three minutes. It can be done. Succinctness is a lost art. Remember the words of Polonius.. "Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief..."

Ken: ...Caro's new book on Johnson is out. Do you think that LBJ was our ugliest president???!!! Steve, K-Town

That may be. But I got out my copy of Caro's "The Path to Power" about LBJ's early years and the future prez was a fine looking young man. He was no Brad Pitt, mind you, but he wasn't ugly by any means. I don't know what happened to him in later years, but it may prove the old saying "Power corrupts...and absolute power makes you ugly". Or something like that. LBJ was the first president I ever saw in person. It was the speech in which he outlined the goals for the Great Society. (He shared the platform that day with Michigan Governor George Romney...Mitt's daddy.) LBJ didn't look ugly to me that day...of course I was at one end of Michigan Stadium and he was at the other.

	Do you have any desire to travel into space? Amanda, Knoxville
	No. First of all, they're going to charge between 35 and 50 million dollars to take us up there. That's a little steep. (Pardon the pun.) Secondly, I don't even like to fly in an airplane. That's six miles up. The place they're talking about taking "space tourists" is around 250 miles up. Much more dangerous. Count me out. But send me a post card if you go. Airmail.

	Do you have any tips for my upcoming job interview? Mike, Knoxville
	Dress nicely. Speak calmly. Turn off your cellphone. Don't badmouth your previous employer. Or anyone for that matter. Get across your strong points without sounding braggadocious. Ask questions but don't sound clueless. Research the business ahead of time and let the interviewer know that you have some knowledge of the company. Good luck.

	Ken, does anyone wear a watch anymore? It doesn't seem like it. Nora, Loudon
	I think the watch has almost gone the way of the Chirakawa. Just about everyone I work with tells time with their phone. And those phones are reponsible for the near extinction of another thing...the pay phone. Those of us who don't carry cell phones have a hard time finding a pay phone when we need one. Also on the way out: newspapers, letters, books, encyclopedias and common courtesy.

Do you miss Newt now that he has dropped out of the race. Connie, Knoxville

To tell you the truth I was pretty shocked when I heard that Newt dropped out of the race. I didn't realize he was still in it. But it did give MSNBC a chance to replay all of Newt's gaffs from the campaign one more time. Newt's big announcement reminded me of Richard Nixon's news conference after he lost the Governor's race in California...after earlier losing the Presidential election to JFK. Nixon famously told the reporters that they "wouldn't have Nixon to kick around any more" because he was leaving politics forever. Six years later he was elected President. I doubt that Newt will have a similar result.

What's this about President Obama eating a dog. There was a story on the radio about it but I missed the first part of it. Sarah, Knoxville

In other words you just caught the tail end of it. Get it? Tail??? Never mind. In anwser to the question, Mr. Obama wrote in his autobiography that as a boy growing up in Indonesia, he had eaten dog meat. Backers of Mitt Romney, who had come under attack for strapping his dog's travel kennel to the top of the car while on vacation years ago, jumped on the Obama story. I think the statute of limitations has run out on both indescretions.

What's your best memory of the Worlds Fair? Lawrence, Farragut

That is a tough question. I made a lot of trips down to the fair in the six months it was there. I think the top memory is meeting one of my idols...Bob Hope. The good thing is that I wasn't disappointed. He was as nice as could be...no sign of a big ego. I even made him laugh...but perhaps he was just being kind. Another fond memory is something that didn't happen...huge traffic jams. Like when they shut down the interstate a few years ago, predictions of doom and gloom on the morning commute were completely overblown. Oh. And the Fair food was good too. One thing that amazes me is that you can walk into just about any antiques and collectibles store in East Tennessee and find tons of cans of World's Fair beer. I always wonder if, after 30 years, it's still good. )(Not that it ever was.)

	There's an older woman in the church I recently joined. I don't know her well but everyone brags about her. They say "she just says what she thinks!" I'm not sure that's a good thing. What do you think? Traci, Maryville
	So you're asking me to say what I think! I agree that saying what you think isn't always a great attribute. It all depends on what you think. But when people say that about someone, the "what she thinks" is usually something that some might find offensive. I guess when the person is older, younger people might find it somewhat charming.

	How can you tell when you're officially behind the times. Herb, Loudon
	Why are you asking me? One sign might be when you watch a promo for your own TV station listing all the ways the public can receive the news from WBIR and you have no idea what they're talking about!

President Obama did a comedy bit on Jimmy Kimmel the other night. Don't you think it's in bad taste for the President of the United States to be doing comedy. Charles, Loudon

I do. But apparently it's become a tradition for people running for President or, in this case, reelection to do that sort of thing to show that they're hip. (Don't ask me how hip get's us out of the mess we're in, but I digress). They also want to appeal to the youth vote...that's the one that's based largley on factors that have nothing to do with leading the country. I thought it was a relatively new tradition until I remembered seeing Richard Nixon on Laugh-In saying "Sock it to ME???" Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton both seem to have fairly good comedic timing, so their appearances probably helped them. I'm not looking forward to seeing Mitt trying to keep up with Leno or Letterman.

	Last year I saw something about the most and least trusted professions but I don't remember what they were. Do you know? Mandy, Knoxville
	There have been several polls done on the topic. Most of them show that nurses are the most trusted folks in the United States. They're followed closely by pharmacists and firemen. As for the least trusted, that would be congressmen. They're followed closely by bankers and journalists. I guess that last one puts this whole answer in doubt.

What is the "pig bowl"? How did it originate? Who hold the record for the most wins at the pig bowl? karri, oliver springs

You're probably referring to the Pig Bowl sponsored every year by the Norwood Boys & Girls Club of Oliver Springs. It's been going on nearly 40-years. I'm not sure who has the most wins but I suspect that if someone from that school reads this we'll know soon. There are several Pig Bowls around the country...most of them are fundraisers sponsored by and featuring local police agencies. I'm not sure when they started. I know there was one in the county where I lived back in 1969. It was pretty competitive with full contact. They used gear donated by a couple of local universities. Final score: Ann Arbor Police 19-Washtenaw Country Sheriff's Dept. 0. The series lasted four years and was dropped out of fear that the officers might get hurt.

	Are there any rednecks in the North? Surely the South isn't the only place they're found. Sandra, Knoxville
	There are rednecks everwhar....they're just called by different names. Back in Northern Michigan we were called.....I mean they were called stumpjumpers. In Pennsylvania it's huckle buck. While the terms themselves are not complimentary by any means, most of the people to whom they refer wear them as a badge of honor.

	Why??? Brenda, Seymour
	Cuz!!!

Speaking of pet peeves (in case someone was), it's not "Your welcome". It's "YOU'RE welcome". Thank you for the outlet, I feel better. Now to go drive less than the speed limit in the passing lane. Ken, Maryville

To further complicate the issue, I grew up saying "you're welcomed". I've since learned that while a lot of people say that, it's technically wrong. I say technically because a lot of grammar types now say either is right. I guess standards have loosened over the generations. Actually a lot of younger people don't say "you're welcome" or "you're welcomed". It's "no problem!". And as for your reference to people who drive slowly in the fast lane...that is a problem. I don't know if people just don't know the law or just don't care. But if you find yourself in the left lane on the Alcoa Highway and you're not passing anyone...or, worse yet, cars are passing you on the right...better move over. And now I feel better.

When we moved down south from Illinois our friends were making jokes about "kissin' cousins". I know that was a movie with Elvis but is that really a southern tradition? Marie, Knoxville

I'm not sure. I do have some cousins in Alabama but I don't see them often enough to find out. There is that joke about southern boys going to family reunions to meet girls. There is a website www.cousincouples.com for people who find themselves in love with their kinfolk. And they list famous people who they say married their cousins. They inlude Jerry Lee Lewis (we all know that) and Charles Darwin. In Tennessee law, "Marriage cannot be contracted with a lineal ancestor or descendant, nor the lineal ancestor or descendant of either parent, nor the child of a grandparent, nor the lineal descendants of husband or wife, as the case may be, nor the husband or wife of a parent or lineal descendant." I didn't see the word cousin. However, in Illinois you can't marry your cousin...unless your both over 50.

	Hi Ken i don't have a question but i did like the story about the frostee freeze in my home town of tazewell good place to eat. david, Tazewell
	You Tazewellians are a fortunate people. The Frostee Freeze is a place that a lot of poeple would love to live near. There are still a few around. Amburn's Hum-Dinger Drive-in in Murvil. Cardin's in east Knox County. Back in my day, we went to The Chick Inn in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It's still going strong. Google it if you get a chance.

Ken: In a perfect world, I would own the following: one good turntable (footnote 1), one good tonearm, one good pickup head, one good step-up transformer, one good integrated amplifier, and two good loudspeakers. And some decent cables. That's all, except maybe a home and a dog and some records and some books and one good guitar. Steve, K-Town

Sounds like a perfect world to me. In fact, my kids got me a turntable for my birthday this year. I hooked it up to my Bose sound system. It's been great listening to all those old albums once again. I'm sure glad I hung on to them. And now I agree with those who say that vinyl sounds better than a CD. Except for the scratches and the dust. I read a scientific explanation of why vinyl's better but I didn't understand much of it. It had to do with digital and raw analog and waveforms and stuff. Bottom line is the Beatles sound better on a turntable, scratches and all.

	Which do you like the best, chicken or beef? Larry, Knoxville
	Pork. But that wasn't your question. I'd probably take a steak over a piece of chicken. I am aware that a lot of people consider poultry to be more healthful than cow. But I read that lean beef is just as good as chicken. It just doesn't taste as good as fat beef. Give me a good, thick smoked pork loin, marinated in Catalina Dressing and grilled over hot coals.