Hi, Ardith Hinton!
I read your message from 27.10.2019 00:56

 AK>>  -----Beginning of the citation-----
 AK>> The rapid exit of US forces that left the Kurds exposed
 AK>> was a gift to Putin: Russian journalists roaming newly
 AK>> abandoned US military bases played the moment for all it
 AK>> was worth, casting it a hasty helicopters-on-the-roof
 AK>> moment for American power.
 AK>>  ----- The end of the citation -----

 AK>> The last two lines are unclear for me, especially "casting it a
 AK>> hasty helicopters-on-the-roof moment for American power".

 AH> I agree with you that various journalists... regardless of who
 AH> their employers are, BTW... may have "exaggerated the American
 AH> retreat". And I agree with Paul that where he & I come from the
 AH> majority of TV journalists seem to be "in the business of selling
 AH> viable commercial air time to advertisers". If the upcoming news or
 AH> weather report sounds quite dramatic, folks are more likely to stay
 AH> glued to their seats during the ads because they don't want to miss

 AH> of the dramatic & performing arts. Or as people in the restaurant
 AH> business advised me, "Sell the sizzle... not the steak".: - Q

Or, IMHO better, "Sell the smell... not the steak". They say, modern chemists
can forge the smell of any food. Now in Russia we even have a new law according
to which the shops must tell if such technology had been used for a particular
product. Now I can see in the shops "cake with chocolate taste", "cake with
strawberry taste" etc. ;-)

Bye, Ardith!
Alexander Koryagin
english_tutor 2019

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