Haiku and Dan Rather

Dear W,
Have I got a surprise for you: your haiku was printed in The Honolulu Advertiser last week. One, froma friend of mine, is just the block of haikus. Another, from me, is the whole page - so you can see how it looks in proportion. If you want more copies, I think I can get some. Would you like the whole paper, the complete page or just the little haiku section? Be sure and show it to your English teacher. She should give you a special mark, for it is a lovely bit you wrote. Maybe she'll even put it on the bulletin board or in your school paper if you have one. I'd be very interested: Did the Advertiser notify you, or send one, or acknowledge it any way? Honestly, I couldn't be happier if I wrote it myself. Do you have a paper in your town? I'll bet it would love to print it, too. Don't be unduly modest. You are probable one of the youngest contributors the paper has ever had: and it's a beautiful little haiku you wrote.

Last time I wrote, I was telling you about our 27 (27!) radio stations and 6 television channels (a new one was added). Now, to make matters more complicated, our programs are usually a week (at least) late. Exept or news programs, or specials which come by satellite which is very expensive. Even in those cases we don't get them when you do because of the time element. Let's take a simple example. Let's say you get the CBS Evening news with Dan Rather at 6:00 o'clock. Over here it is only 12:00 noon (when you have daylight savings time) or 1:00 PM (if you are on standard time). And, of course, no one would be home to see it. So our CBS station records it on film (it's on satellite) and holds it for five or six hours to show here when it's 6:00 PM our time. Usually it works fine, but if something happens in the world unexpectedly in those 5 or 6 hours, our man has to make many additions. By that time, you people in the East are already getting your late (10:00 or 11:00) news. If the program is important (for example: the last movie of "Mash" or "Grammy" Awards or the "Oscars") we do get it on the same day. Otherwise, practically all the programs: "Winds of War", "Life of Grace Kelly", the daytime programs, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, etc are a week late (some later). Many big stars who are on talk shows, say Johnny Carson, and wat to see themselves (and can afford it) fly over here to see themselves the next week.

You must be getting spring vacation pretty soon? Around Easter? It sure comes early this year for you people in New England.

Congratulations on our haiku.

Love,
E.R.G.