Kansas City Illustrated; 112

The program is Kansas City Illustrated and these are among tonight's stories our kids don't just have to go to math an English course they've got you know a drug and alcohol problems they've got severe emotional problems in some cases. So to provide the resources for them you know you just can't cut those those those areas out without impacting our overall effect. We feel we have to make a stand at this point and say this is the kind of program Kansas City needs. We're serving a lot of kids we could serve more. But to cut back any more to say to Kansas City that we can serve these kids and any less than what we're asking for right now would be really unrealistic it would do a disservice to the kids. When I hear sound I get color in me because the vibe. On the audio visual hearing sounds like I see college. They're actually the same color sensitive that translates to your machine. About three here we go.

And they are the owners of the real world. But the last year and a half has been worthless. Good evening and welcome to a Kansas City Illustrated. I'm Laurel the John M. is off tonight. Among tonight's stories a report on special schools in Kansas City for youngsters. Some would call misfits will get to know more than we knew about the Kansas City Times cartoonist Lee judge. Well visit a new art gallery in Kansas City. Well learn about high school football officiating and indoor soccer injuries. And finally we'll take a look at the bright now afflicting video games. First to the schools. If the US educational system is failing good minds as some allege think of the damage to marginal students and those with more than their share of problems. Jim Pritchett looking on to a unique Kansas City schools where success requires a special dedication. He discovered that the young people there have shouldered a surprising burden of responsibility. Someone. Called.

Me. Because. They never really. Doors on my command to look out. It was 20 something. It should be obvious this is no typical student government group. For one thing it's unlikely that at any typical area high school student leaders would be discussing the possibility that the entire student body might have to pay for something that was stolen from the school. You know. Where. To. Begin. To do it but it's not our fault. I don't think so because people know if you've got calculators in a drawer of money to draw people know that then below where that is can you. Yeah it was careless that we had to be responsible for this if you're not feeling like you're. OK when ur left it was

I. Was still a classic. Do you separate them with at this point I will not stand my nephew or the police. Yeah. Said. Sam I hope. You. Find the this is the student board at Genesis school Genesis and deal or sour are the two independent alternative schools in Kansas City. These young people are participating in a serious lesson in civics and a lesson in responsibility as well that goes beyond the routine student government business at the typical high school. For these youngsters the alternative to Genesis or dealer cell is often being out on the streets. I don't know aimlessly shifting for themselves with no skills little opportunity for even the slightest feeling of success and feel hopeful prospects in sight. And for some Genesis and Della south are the alternative to a worse fate. A juvenile institution or even jail.

Even if the opportunity presents itself to you at present and here take banter we run the whole course you can't come. Once it's for something. I think what is called peer pressure. Is like if somebody took something out of here someone else to try to do is get the materials at Genesis and dealer Sal success is really measured in much the same way as in regular schools. Most kids might get some do very well. I didn't graduate from the public school because you know my senior year. You know I just plain dropped out because I had a son that time and had to sponsor to take care. Of us watch. Did you have any idea that you could do this kind of thing. Not of fires until I came here and I. Did teach as I got to know and a lot of courage. I feel like the teachers control the academic atmosphere of the school. But most of the students control the social atmosphere in other words what they will accept and what they will not

accept from the other students. A lot of the stamp I think after hearing some of the problems of the students have had they have more respect for the students. We have quite a few students at a an early age of 15 16 17 years old. They're literally raising themselves. We have some girls that have. Two or three kids and they're here in the morning at 8 o'clock and I'm a mother and it's hard for me to get dressed. Dress to kids on the bus be here by 8:30 and we have some girls that are 17 16 15 years old that are dressing two kids taking them to the babysitter on the bus coming back to school maybe the other way and being here at 8:30 in the morning I think that requires an awful lot of discipline. And those are some of the special things that you really don't know about when you walk in here. You really don't know what processes students have to bear. And when you begin to know some of the things that the students are going through it makes you have a

great appreciation for the students that you have a great respect for. Racial things. When I first came here from Westport. I was really scared because I came in here and I saw it was a most black majority. And I thought oh my God you know in trouble. But they accept you for what you are not what color you are. And the staff here they just treat you like family. Like the way you would want to be treated. I will have to get. A phrase book. So I can get away from live and get to my right. Good luck. Right great baby graduate on time. When I will I will do no work. Have you changed. Yes. Why have you. Because.

Because. They help me because when I first came up here I used to have fights and arguments and. Now you know you will hardly hear me. I'm doing better. A biscuit at the school making good grades and their teacher just passed me up. Great cause I made good grades. I make an F isn't. That good. Yes for me. Academically it's just the basics of Genesis science and English and math and no frills. And that Gen. there are no janitors so the students take turns cleaning up. Genesis executive director Allen DuBois has been at the school from its inception. What we have here is a program that provides short term a comprehensive. Educational counseling and vocational services with a mission of returning the young people back to the public schools so that we really are looking at

trying to provide a focus for the student to improve their capabilities and their attitude. We're not trying to provide all the things that you could do for these young people who are saying rather we want to get you ready to go back so you can try again. The general educational approach at dealer Sal is the same though the school is larger and offer some vocational coursework in addition to the basic math English and science. For example there are no computer classes. Typing a print shop and the woodworking class where practical experience is being gained with rehabilitation of a residential property. I got three kopeks found the dealer Sal about a dozen years ago. I'm not saying the school system is doing a bad job with kids that are motivated kids and have good parental interest. And the kids have a sense of values. I'm not saying that they don't do a good job with those kids. But if your educational system is supposed to educate everybody let happen to these kids. Why do you put a kid out on the

street for three days with no parental supervision. Why do you put a kid out on the street for 30 days with no privacy and say that's not my problem. Why in nineteen eighty did I get a statement from the State Department of Education and the canceled school district that they're not responsible for these kids. I could not find out any but I cannot find anyone to say they were for the kids in this building. We have several different programs and several different goals for our students. So we measure our success in different ways. Number one of course we can measure our success by graduates and last year we had thirty nine students graduate with a high school diploma or GED. So that's one way of measuring our success. Also we have many job training programs that we work with different students on so in different areas we've been able

to successfully train and get kids employed. So that's another area where we can measure our success. We also look at basically some of the intangibles. They come to do a sale and they find out that they are not stupid. They are not mentally retarded. They are not incapable of learning. They are not behavior disordered to the point of you know no one can control them. And they start seeing this and they start believing in themselves and they start doing the very things that they despised when they came into the program. Get this. Yeah matter of fact I missed a hundred something day that I just don't like gone. You know one man arrested tell me but up you know every day when I came you know it might look a sickness I'm like but I'm here every day I do my work I guess.

What do you plant. Well I'm in a computer class and I want to continue computers at our pick so many fights so many teachers and so many kids. They sent me to principal's office and then he told me has this building and this is the vice principal told me that I was expelled. So by the time I was told that I had it whenever I did that they had security and police come up there take me away. What else is it about the dealer cell besides the fact that the teachers will take time to talk with you but also is it about the atmosphere up here if there is anything that that has helped you. Well sometimes it's fun being quiet. That's right I like that. Some people they come up here whenever the first star they get their bad and you know people start talking to him calm down. And I like that. And so everybody helps each other. Thanks. Rodney Wilson is a dealer South grad now

working in the print shop of a local real estate firm on the plaza. Rhea Spears is a dealer South grad who went on to college and is now back at the school as activities director. I was 14 when I came here and I was already a veteran of a juvenile place because I just didn't like school and school is the most horrible thing in the world to me. And I came down here and I thought OK I'll give it another try. And I did and I wound up graduating I really liked it and wanted to be here and wanted to come. And they worked with me and cared and most of the other places they you know you were another number and you know that was. When I was in public schools I used to you know have a lot of fights and. Different types of things I didn't really didn't like to go to school at first and after I found out that I really needed an education to you know be somebody in the world that's why I went back to school and the only school that was except me was deal so at the time because I got

kicked out of the cell and west for it. What changed anything in particular. I wanted teacher Bill Lance. He was a friend of mine he was I could say he's about the best teacher I ever had. He says he talked to me you know sit down and you know discuss things ask me about problems that I had you know Israel concerned you know. Not every student succeeds but enough do to make it worth the effort. It's hard to put a dollar value on the salvaging of a young life. But according to the old saying you have to spend money to make money and the schools do need money. So at this point we're talking about a transition from 1980 which wasn't even our origin when we were not a 5 percent federal to a person action this coming year for 84 were going to be 13 percent public sector. City state and federal. Currently do the sound Genesis the only two programs in town it will take young people off the street and try to build their schools skills so they

can be successful in school. There are two alternative schools run by the school district one for you and the other is Chester Anderson. But both of those work with the court system or with students still enrolled in school. Genesis and dealer Sal officials complain of a month to month existence a constant battle to meet payroll. Both are working now to tap the state's school fund Hopefully the same way public schools receive state aid based on daily student attendance. State funds are used for similar schools in some other states but there is a longstanding and for some a better debate in Missouri over whether these young people are a state responsibility. Supporters of state aid for the two schools point out that ironically a youngster can become a state expense in the criminal justice system but state aid isn't used for educating that same youngster at either school.

Our kids don't just have to go to math and English course they've gotten a drug and alcohol problems they've got severe emotional problems in some cases. So to provide the resources for them you know you just can't cut those those those areas out without impacting or overall effect. We feel we have to make a stand at this point say this is the kind of program Kansas City needs. We're serving a lot of kids we could serve more. But to cut back any more to say that you can't a city that we can serve these kids and any less than what we're asking for right now would be really unrealistic it would do a disservice to the kids and we just don't feel we can do that. At growth schools officials say Kansas City corporations and foundations have taken up most of the slack from the loss of federal funds. But the financial pressure is still intense. Now today it's this with us tonight to take note of one of his favorite anniversaries. Tomorrow is a special day it's Mark Twains birthday and I'll celebrate it as long as I'm able. I've discovered in our country a full tilt boogie 20 in industry.

It's really incredible. In fact I calculate that without 20 in this country's unemployment rate might be 20 percent. Oh maybe that's a structure but if we had three Twains in our history or six yes six or seven would do it. The shortage of labor in America would be acute. There is of course the tourist industry in such places as Hannibal Missouri and Hartford Connecticut in Hannibal I've stayed at the Mark Twain motel on Mark Twain Avenue and eaten at the Mark Twain diner before taking a cruise on the Mark Twain riverboat that passes under the Mark Twain bridge. Beyond that 29 who came into the world in 1835 in tiny Florida Missouri and Samuel Clemens has become a legitimate subject for scholarly inquiry. Universities all over the country scholars are now taking toying our greatest humorists seriously. I'll mention just one breathtaking example at the Berkeley campus of the

University of California. There's a multimillion dollar scholarship and publishing empire officially known as the Mark Twain Project. By 1995 the university's press plans to publish a total of 70 scholarly and fully annotated editions of tweens works his journals his letters plus 25 more Twain books for less scholarly readers. Each edited with the precision of a great Steamboat Pilot in Sholay water. So let those of us who love Mark Twain cheer on his economic legacy. A Twain industry employing scholars and instructors printers and motel owners editors and museum curators trinkets salesmen and actors river pilots recording artists and yes journalists and TV commentators. Bill to me is isn't always a TV commentator. Sometimes he works at the Kansas City

Star in Times writing the star beams column. One of his colleagues is the subject of our next essay. In the Kansas City Times in the letters to the editor column called speaking the public mind the subject under attack is frequently the newspaper's own editorial cartoonist. Judge. Mister judge does have a way of gouging sacred cows and politicians. And as a consequence irritating certain readers as an example take the case of W. Merritt Jr. of Kansas City who in a recent letter confessed to quote studly my wife at the breakfast table with loud expletives unquote. Upon seeing the work of Lee judge. Mr. Merritt said he was a member of what he called the Conservative right. And he said he had formed a mental image of Mr. Judge. Well we decided to check Mr. Maritz mental image against the facts. We dispatched an investigative reporting team in search of the truth. Lead judge has been observed leaving places where international journalism is known to be

practiced. He has been seen in public with an avowed dedicated journalist a man some have called Boss. Mr. Judge is elusive. He does not like to be sneaked up on and photographed. Using tactics learned as a high school football player judge tried to dodge and weave his way past our waiting cameras. He is a government approved motor vehicle operator. He has a driver's license. Mr Mehra thinks judges five feet four. He's six feet. Mr. Merritt thinks judges slightly overweight. He's a trim 174 pounds. Mr. Merritt thinks judge has shoulder length hair. He does not now nor has he ever had shoulder length hair. To correct other flaws in Mr. Maritz image Lee judge does not wear thick glasses he wears soft contacts. He is not a native of Washington D.C. or of New York

City. He is from Sacramento California. He is not an Ivy League graduate. He attended a West Coast college then dropped out. The better to draw pictures. I know Mr. Merritt leave judge's father is not an attorney for the ACLU. His father now deceased was a policeman judge's mother is not a social worker although she raised a family in her younger days for a time she drove a truck an 18 wheeler. Mr. Merritt pictures Lee judge is one who quote sails his Frisbee at least once a week unquote. Lee judge says he's not into frisbees he likes boxing and has been a boxer taking more punches than giving he said three colleges sought to recruit him for their football teams. But judge says there wasn't much call for a 170 pound defensive lineman. He likes baseball. He likes bull fighting. He used to hunt game birds and thinks he'll go back to it. Well that's about it except for the politics. As Mr. Merritt might have suspected Lee judge

is not fond of Ronald Reagan and would if offered the choice vote for Miss Piggy instead. You're just a regular I don't get high. Or ignition or average and I know that and you know manly stuff I should say this is lead to liven in the question and contrary to our report he was not very elusive. Yeah that's true. Does the criticism bother you. I mean some of it tends to be a little bit vitriolic. Well I'm sure some of it does but but you know I do the same thing to people so I guess I'll be able to take it if I can just describe for me the creative process. You read a lot I know you always keep up you read your own newspaper you read magazines but how do you come up with an idea for a particular cartoon or that's a good question and I wish I had a good answer I think when you talk about particularly scathing cartoons that's got to come from inside you've really got to feel something. You know you've got to really dislike something that's happening or someone that's doing something to

get that edge on a cartoon I think one person you don't like is James Watt who is no longer the secretary of the interior. Did you experience some. Grief or a loss. Yeah my job's going to be a little harder since he left. Yet you know to a certain degree it's like I don't think it's very good for the country. But he was certainly good for cartoonists. Same thing with Richard Nixon and quality. You know you try to be big about it and realize that maybe we'll all be a little better off without these people office. Sure they were real fun the cartoon one is why it's such a good character from an artist standpoint I mean aside from the some of the allegedly ridiculous things he said and did I'm sure you know that that's for the best from my point of view but one of the things that was great about OUAT is he looked like he acted OK you know he was very brash aggressive an arrogant person in you know in the guy looked like a bullet you know hair in these you know

goggles you know Coke bottle glasses he used to look for I guess he still does and he was a good character his looks matched the way I felt about Ronald Reagan though. You have said in the past it's hard to do and I don't mean well because I'm a lousy artist. I don't know that he's a guy who doesn't look and act the way you know I like I try to depict him as this is horrible guy going around cutting you know social programs and stuff but he's really a genial looking nice person you know on the air you know he's smiles a lot and you know and cracks jokes and all that stuff. So he's a person whose personality doesn't fit the way I would like to depict him politically. He's probably a guy that if you knew him you might live on I bet I would you know I'm sure he's a great next door neighbor. I'm just not sure he should be you know having his finger on the button and running the world. Well speaking of presidents the presidential year on year is approaching and the Democrats have a whole list of candidates but is there one or two of the candidates that you prefer and that you'd like.

From the cartoonist standpoint from a cartoonist standpoint you know they're all pretty boring so far. Jesse Jackson is kind of interesting but. No so far no one is really leaping out of the pack and being a good person for a cartoonist to work with you to the same degree that in the news business there are waves there are good times there are lot of stories having a particular time and sometimes is this complete drought variance that is where are you going in one of those now. Find out why you back the office. I know there's a lot of good things going on right now good things in the sense of cartooning are doing commentary but yeah I know you know what you're talking about sometimes you open the newspaper and you know and we've got those marvelous stories about you know man living under a bridge with five cats you know and that's a story and you know we all go through that so it's right now there is a lot going on there are a lot of issues that are worth commenting on. So it's it's a good period right now. What are you working on now. Well let's see I've got a couple things dealing with El Salvador and.

Soviet president hasn't shown up in public for a while about a cartoon on that and of course all the nuclear arms stuff is a big subject right now and it should be. Lead judge doesn't always produce editorial cartoons of their ridiculous or scathing nature sometimes he does things that are are fairly sensitive as witnessed by this morning's editorial cartoon the one about Michael Conrad. Yeah that's that's a side of me I don't like to show that you're not an icon. Yeah yeah well I think the cartoons as we call them business are I think it's a chance to kind of come outside and quit telling people what to think and just say something nice about someone you care about. Do you ever wish that you could respond in some way to those letters to the editor. I mean would you like to say to America you know that we can broadcast on television. Now if I thought his letter is funny I wish I wish more letter writers would show the sense of humor that he did. I think the only time I get upset with a letter writer you know it's it's their right to

criticize me. Don't tell me get upset is when they say that I don't have the right to be printed. And they often say that you know that this shouldn't be put in the newspaper. So I want to in a sense are saying. You know I've got the right to say what I want to about we judge that we judge doesn't have the right to say what he wants to about you know politics in the world. The only thing that. When you get a lot of letters when letters come into the editor do you get the feeling that you've done your job the way you should. Yeah I was very fortunate that a lot of the people who brought me along in this business felt that that was really an indicator of how good a job they're doing if they didn't get that kind of some of that vitriolic hate mail that they were missing the mark because what can you do in politics what stand could you possibly take in politics that someone isn't going to while we disagree with. And so I think you know I think the letters are a sign that maybe I'm doing something right. Judge thank you and thank you for putting up with us. You're welcome. Turning now from artist to artist if not from the ridiculous to the sublime. A new gallery opened this month inside the renovated Plaza Londra building of Westport. A show painting is called

Kansas City jazz suite pay tribute to this city's special brand of jazz music. Joe Brisbane talked with Painter Wayne in's RWD who describes the show as his abstract expressionist salute to the energy of jazz. Temper. Is not to premeditate not to consider the situation. I use the idea of a jazz musician. So just about all you may know is that you're going to play in the key of the key of red your blue purple. You begin there. And then you must allow yourself. The. Total freedom. For the Muses the gods. The magic of creation to take you. To absolutely take you on this wonderful ride for the viewer. To enjoy.

If I can use that word to respond to the word. They're going to have to. Read live. All of that. By examining the painting very carefully now with the mentality of what does it mean. They just have to start in the red and go through on the red the blue go through on the way. And when you do that. You are starting to walk in the shoes of the painter so that your rhythm that you arrive with. It's like dancing with someone. It's easy to dance around your living room by yourself and someone else comes along and all the two of you are have to take no arms right and you have to get together and I have to pay attention to the other one. And so that you can gracefully move together. So you make the music together. I think the thing has to happen here there has to be this identification completely so that in order to paint a cloud you have to become a class. You have become a mountain. So in order to paint. The jazz whatever the tune is I tried to become that that's why the importance of remaining a virgin or open to whatever may happen.

I feel compelled to pay tribute to jazz Kansas City style jazz in particular with a Kansas City style is totally different than New Orleans or Chicago. Right. And so I decided to come here to do this to send paintings of flowers or baby carriages. Or anything that might be a little more familiar seemed like it already been done. And since I'm sort of close to some of the jazz people like you Jamie Shannon Big Joe Turner Joe Williams Count Basie been here last night. It seemed like it was more connected with Kansas City and maybe the people would find an interest in it more than they would to other subject matters of just more paintings again. But the son of the Kansas City jazz has a kind of drive and a bounce in the snow by touting his very masculine. It's a totally different sound than the other so I'm trying. In doing the paintings what I did was listen to. These tunes. And have all of the paintings here are named for the songs. There's one wonderful one called Hootie ignorant oil. So if if

AJ McShan watches this program it's named for him back in the 30s here. I want a young man first starting out. They gave him some cold beer to cool him off. But they spiked it with gin and they were saying he was getting hooted. So the name Hootie and they referred to the drink as oil if you drink the oil. It makes you ignorant. So one of the paintings is Hootie ignorant oil. So I try to keep it in that vein for the things I have a lot of I hope a lot of zip bounds by telling the same sort of drive. To Kansas City which is very different. Joe Turner. Is a very powerful individual with an incredible voice.

You know more masculinity than any ten men together. So how to convey that kind of power. But you have a sense of a warmth and he said especially in the picture I've greens and I've actually seen very deep blues which I hope bring out the quality that sound in his voice. Then there's a shot of red because he always comes up and gives you a little zinger in there and I did the MC Shan piece has the great you know the power

the masculine and all that he does. But I find a certain sort of jolliness a certain sort of. Didn't like it kind of like a little twinkle it's always there but I don't quite get with my Joe tire seems like one get in his way. So maybe the painting conveys that this is serious man I. Jamie Chan very serious but there's always a joke there's always a jolly in it. So I was much more lyrical lines in that vein and a big splash of red you know which I hope is the life sign itself. Did you do you consciously have knowledge of. Colors psychological effects on people. Did that enter in at all. It's only after the fact I think I think. One has to. Sort of become a sponge and very clear and very open. And nothing should be there you know as I should be as. Clear. Verge and.

Open as the cameras in the beginning without any idea at all so that I can respond to the impressions coming to me. So they impress upon me I respond I respond in the expression which becomes out in the shapes and colors. Let's say with the obvious red would be a trumpet. Right so I use or at that point an alto saxophone might have a green quality to me. Now it's when I hear sounds I get color images. Because the vibration for me crosses over from the audio to a visual. So as I'm hearing sounds like close my eyes I see colors. They correspond. I don't make them up they're actually the same vibration picked up in color terms. If you're sensitive to that it just translates. So are the tenor sax came to me as a blue. So it's just as I'm listening to these pieces. I would respond in a like manner try to. So I've tried the paintings of spontaneously which is the most the key to the painting is

that in looking at the paintings if you can find one stroke one mark one section that does not have about it that is in the jazz improvisation in attempt to be on top of the colors in the painting has a temple. The paintings have to be more than we. The old sports cliche has come true. There is no tomorrow for Missouri and Kansas high school football teams. But there is next year when Rockhurst defends the state title in one Saturday and one Harrisonville and Shawnee Mission West. Try again to

claim the crown. Those two schools lost in Saturday's title games. The players and coaches remain heroes around the school and local hangouts. The referees. Well once they're back in street clothes fade into the background but not before the story photographed and edited by Rod been moved are. You follow the officials at two different high school games. Really. If I get a profit last week or anything you see during the week.

Anything you read this week we will talk about Sirius. Yes and yes. Which you are. That's my you know if you're my hero today these guys right out there of a member of. The defense of Blair. Bush is a good receiver. Consider the M.A. catch. But it says a man goes out of bounds also tackle it. Then he was out there thinking that you're just going to lead this nation. There will be more right here because it will be like we're just you're winning as we talk about free will. But boy they are definitely the one.

I want you to will come and we have an automatic camera. And we all know stuff like this. Back at your goal because of all of the kind of coverage that is on the white that's like OK. Here's our current state. OK. All right. But I don't have this. OK.

I'm not going to turn it over OK. But he called ahead. He got a tails and we got a real one every time. With. Eat.

Anything eat. With us. And you're. With. Us. With. The thought that you're. With. Connect the. Thing with the thing. The thing. Actually the men with the whistles on rulebooks are going away. They're just moving inside for the

winter. High school basketball has already begun. Indoor soccer in Kansas City is attracting players as well as Watchers with Arenas popping up all over him and games lasting well past midnight. A unique game may bring unique problems with injuries. On the surface of it indoor soccer may seem injury free. But as Mike Farmer reports in our fitness segment the surface is the problem. The popularity of soccer continues to grow at all levels. We see this growth primarily dealing with indoor soccer. There are some problems to develop with indoor soccer whether you're a great school high school or college player that sometimes can become chronic. One of those problems deals with the artificial are the soccer turf that we play on. If you look at the playing surface itself you can tell right away that there is some inherent problems. First of all it's made out of plastic like material which tends to increase the friction in the heat that's built up when the skin slides across it. Additionally there is a concrete surface underneath here which makes it a fairly firm playing surface as opposed to outdoors. What problems can develop just because of the

surface itself. You can get a bruise because of the fact that it's so hard when you hit the turf. You can get an abrasion because of the friction that's built up in an abrasion is kind of a burn to the skin where the protective outer layer is kind of skimmed off. And from the abrasion you might get an infection from the turf itself because of the fact that we don't have natural sunlight or water cleansing the surface were in an indoor facility. You don't have that anti-bacterial effect that water and sunshine gives to outdoor surfaces. Let's look at some of the commonsense ways you can use to perhaps prevent or take care of those abrasions or infections if they do occur. We have Daryn with this from the independent strikers and we're going to look at the elbow joint that tends to be the most common area that you get a rug burn on because the player skids across the surface a lot on the elbow. You know you could wear a protective pad but that's a little bulky. Really common sense approach is to put Vaseline on the OBO before you play just lubricate it really good elbows and knees that give you some lubrication and allows for some anti friction against the surface. But let's say that you come home and you've got that kind of bleeding

abrasion on it. Well first of all you want to make sure that it works really good to soap and water and then you want to use some type of antibacterial ointment on it just to prevent further infection and be certain to cover the area up. Once you have that women on there. If you're going to go back and practice again it's a good idea to use some type of a gauze material this is a real soft stockinette. You can apply that over the elbow joint putting some anti-bacterial appointment on it. Impregnating the gauze and that allows for good anti friction plus keeps it from getting infected again. And you can tape it on the top and on the bottom you can do the same thing with the knee or you can do the same thing with the wrist or the opposite arm also. Those are really three good approaches that you can use to do prevention or probably treatment of those rug burns that commonly occur as a result of playing indoor soccer. More on soccer injuries next week for Mike Farmer. A less strenuous pastime swept the country in recent years. Coin operated video games in 1981 and the estimated seven billion dollars worth of quarters went into game

machines. But since then the amusement industry has witnessed a decline in consumer demand. Roberts took a look at how things stand now in Kansas City. Video machines are great. About three years we did and they were you know the owners of the machines didn't real well too. But the last year and a half they just haven't been worth the space. And what has happened the last couple of years every corner store everything else had a game. Consequently it diluted the interest for the arcades. I don't see many people playing them anymore like in the store. Sometimes you come in at lunch and it was hard to get on the line you have to pick orders up like you would on a cold table and now you come in and they're empty. America's love affair with video games appears to be fading. The bubble of easy money burst along with player's fascination for this past time

what used to be a sure thing has wiped out many smaller arcades and at least one local distributor. I have been together for 22 years or so and in the last five years I seen some dramatic changes I just couldn't believe the amount of public acceptance for videogames as there has been the last four or five years. Again because of a little bit of oversaturation. And marketing skills maybe by ourselves or our factories and a little bit a little bit. Obviously we've had quite a few small arcades not handled the shakeout that we are going through. Even some of the larger arcades are tightening their belts laying off employees and noticing that although the new laserdisc games bring in more money a first income declines along with the newness of the game. Are Bigger arcades are getting bigger. They are adding more things to it. They are doing more innovative things in promoting rigorous promotion to stimulate their business park like one of the biggest editors in heaven and all that I guess they can afford. You

know they have their own big disturbers no doubt. That's what is happening right. Now. The individual owner with only one or two arcades doesn't always have the capital to keep up with all the newest trends he sometimes relies on more traditional music. But many people are now going back to. Get it that's the way they have to get off of you know a video that you like to buy some. Of the restaurants and bars that feature video games I'm likely to go under. Many of them are feeling the loss of revenue too. We had people came in and played them. And then the video game started and we had just a real steady increase in business with video games people and more people coming in and guys got to the point where they'd stand in line and play the games and everybody around drinking beer and get involved with this thing and then kind of all of a

sudden say year a half ago. It started to decline and the decline was much more rapid and the increase in the increase was the slow building process and the decline was real quick. What's the future here. I'm not really sure. Last week when he asked me the question I was ready. Do away with the machines in the dining area back in here now and just recently back Friday had a gentleman come in and say that like myself I've had experience with a fine and he's got a great number of machines just sitting around not doing any good. A lot of the newer machines. So I told him that he could put one of the sit down models in the lounge area and would give it a try. So I might give it one more crack depending on how this new machine works. Again I might take them all out refurbished the room and turn it into dining space. Because right now it's not paint. Why do you suppose.

Oh I think there's a number of things involved the people that played the machine got very efficient on the few the proud. Initially there were only three or four that were real good and the people that were into it got very good at the machine and the challenge and then all of a sudden boom there's two dozen more that come out and to get profession on one of these machines takes a lot of quarters it cost a lot of money to get good at it seems like at the same time the home video thing became very big and people started playing it at home where you can go out and buy essentially buy the machine for X number of dollars and I have to be certain there won't be a quarter in it every time you do a spin on every you know sad hours line for $4 or $5 an hour. That's only a game when you first get to know the game. Then of course the more you play the game the less you speak. Then I guess the point where you don't spend as much money if you spend more time so if you know it's the worse of

two evils. What is that. $20 a week. So I mean like three or four thousand pound I started playing pinball machines who were in junior high and that's been a long time ago. And then we went on the video games and there were so high school. You just keep playing and playing and playing and playing and it's just getting to that point where you can get a high score and then you need to change games or are quite bland. Claimed they have not been affected by the decline of player interest. Others are hoping the trend will reverse itself. What new technology might brighten the future. I wish I knew. Whatever it is it would be nice to be in on the ground floor of a laserdisc is not going to take away from the conventional video games. Only difference being that the conventional video games are going to have to be a little bit better nature than what they've had in the last

year or so. It's a point. You know with the laser just. Come out you know they're really expensive. You don't want to do a couple years. Of the larger more established arcade stand the best chance of surviving. Easy fast money for video games appear to be over. The video games people see only two ways of survival. New technology and innovative promotion. And so a little of both is going on now. Last Friday was traditionally the best day of the year for American retailers. Michael Murphy chose to get out of the earshot of the ringing cash registers and took his camera out of town for a look at things the shoppers that day were not seeing.

The peaceful look of the countryside near Kansas City between Kansas City and Lawrence

on the day after the day after Thanksgiving. And we'll be back December 13th with another edition of Kansas City Illustrated. Until then I'm Laurel Defoe. Thanks for being with us and good night. Kent City Illustrated will not be broadcast next week during the subscription period called the next edition of Kansas City Illustrated will be broadcast Tuesday December 13. We may be in the.