Archive for April 8, 2010
Who Developed the Concept for the Show: “Supernanny?”
I was channel surfing just now and I landed on “Supernanny.” Why in the world would I want to watch and — more importantly — listen to, a bunch of screaming babies?
Ann Coulter Could Learn a Thing or Two From Keith Olbermann
The hateful Ann Coulter (see tweet below), has been on Twitter since July 10, 2007 — almost three years. She has 8,982 followers:
Keith Olbermann has been on Twitter for two hours. TWO HOURS. He has 10,816 followers (as of 10:48 p.m. E.T.).
Fred Phelps Takes Aim At the Dead West Virginia Miners
Say it ain’t so. This is awful: Protesters From Kansas Take Aim at Miners.
Protesters from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., headed to the Upper Big Branch mine Thursday morning to convey the message that the explosion there that left 25 miners dead was a result of e-mail messages allegedly sent from West Virginia threatening the Church and its publisher, according to a statement from the Church.
The church, which is led by Fred Phelps, has attracted attention in recent years by showing up at funerals for soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. At those funerals they carry signs that say that God hates homosexuality and that the death of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan is God’s way of punishing the United States for its tolerance of it.
Whoever composed that title — “Protesters From Kansas…” was overly generous. They’re not “protesters.” They’re terrorists who aim to terrorize the families of the dead miners, just like they terrorized the family of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder.
Ugh. Ugh. UGH!
Fox Drops the Hate, Picks Up The Masters. Anything For Ratings
I swear, not ten minutes ago I went to FoxNews.com and the headline was about the “shoe bomber” guy on that flight from New York to Denver last night. Voila, I blink, and this is what pops up:
Terror is on hold until Sunday might. It’s all about The Masters and it’s all about ratings, ratings, ratings.
Fox News — Like a Giant Can of Gas
I’ve spent wayyyyyy too much time on Fox “News” today but I can’t resist putting up a post about this line that so perfectly encapsulates the danger of Fox’s incendiary, irresponsible rhetoric: Fox News is Like a Giant Can of Gas Waiting for a Match.
Exactly. And it won’t be long before it has blood on its hands.
So Has Fox Criticized Obama For Being Left-Handed Yet?
I just saw video of President Obama signing the START treaty and that’s the first thing that came to mind — has Fox criticized Obama for being left-handed yet? I mean, that’s what it come down to.
Journalist Now “Moving on Up” to Become Lobbyists
As if there isn’t enough to worry about already in terms of the terrible state of our media, a new phenomenon is developing — journalists are “moving on up” and becoming lobbyists:
— Washington Post Reporter Covering K Street Becomes Corporate Lobbyist:
Jeffrey Birnbaum, one of the premier lobbying reporters, joined a leading K Street firm Tuesday.
Birnbaum has gone to BGR Group, formerly known as Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, as president of its public relations practice, BGR Public Relations.
Birnbaum has reported and written for several national publications, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time and Fortune. He has covered the White House and Capitol Hill and his former column at the Post, “K Street Confidential,” was widely read among lobbyists in Washington. Also, his 1988 book, Showdown at Gucci Gulch, co-authored with Alan Murray, is considered one of the best dissertations of K Street.
But the most egregious thing about this is that,
Birnbaum will remain as a supposed objective “journalist” for Fox News and the Washington Times even as he works at his corporate lobbying firm.
unbelievable. That should not be permitted.
Then there’s this:
— Former Times Reporter Stephen Labaton Lands With Goldman:
Stephen Labaton–who took a buyout from The Times in November, after nearly two decades with the paper–is headed to Goldman Sachs as a “full-time consultant on regulatory and legal issues,” reports Politico.
Mr. Labaton’s departure was part of a minor exodus from the D.C. bureau that started even before the buyouts. Mr. Labaton covered the capital’s response to the financial crisis and should help the company navigate the minefield down in D.C., though the company insists he won’t be lobbying.
So now, lurking behind the scenes of any article we read, is the possibility that the “journalist” who wrote it is tailoring his reporting to please the industry he’s writing about, in the hope of landing a million-dollar-a-year lobbying job sometime in the future.
What. A. Mess.
Break Time
Magical photos capture the first moments of life.
First the shell begins to crack. Then there’s a flurry of activity as the tiny creature curled up inside the egg breaks a hole in the shell.
Next, a scaly, pink foot emerges, flailing wildly, before – bit by bit – the miniature damp bundle bursts forth from the broken shell, making its appearance in the world for the very first time.
These extraordinary sets of pictures show the young of four different species hatching from their eggs.
Check ‘em out.
Glenn Beck — the $32 Million Man
Shsssss, don’t tell anyone but Glenn Beck rakes in about $32 million a year. Yeah, I know, he pretends to be just one of the guys but that’s because it sells. In the end, it’s about money. Lots of money:
Making money, on the other hand, is to be taken very seriously, and controversy is its own coinage. “We’re an entertainment company,” Beck says. He has managed to monetize virtually everything that comes out of his mouth. He gets $13 million a year from print (books plus the ten-issue-a-year magazine Fusion). Radio brings in $10 million. Digital (including a newsletter, the ad-supported Glennbeck.com and merchandise) pulls in $4 million. Speaking and events are good for $3 million and television for $2 million. Over several days in mid-March Beck allowed a reporter to follow him through his multimedia incarnations, with one exception, his 5 p.m. daily show on Fox News, which attracts just under 3 million viewers. (FORBES has a relationship with that channel via Forbes on Fox.)
Here we have a guy who will do anything for ratings, and that consists of whipping people into such a rage that they’re on the verge of assassinating people. Eventually someone will be assassinated. That’s how Glenn Beck gets a raise. His ratings go up, his television and radio contracts are renegotiated upward, he sells more books, he nabs more speaking gigs. Someone dies? Eh. So what.
Now that’s sick.
Quote of the Day
Glenn Beck: “I could give a flying crap about the political process.”
Fox Poll Finds People Don’t F-ing Care About Joe Biden’s F-Bomb
Hah. This is funny. A new Fox “News” poll shows that 57% of the respondents did not take offense when Joe Biden dropped the F-bomb a few weeks ago during the heath care bill signing ceremony. Only 37% did. Yet Fox went absolutely berserk over it.
Wrong again Fox!
Oh Good, Another Tiger Woods Controversy
Now we have The Controversy Over The Nike Ad.
I don’t care about Tiger Woods and I don’t care about Nike and I really, really don’t care about golf, but as an ad that Nike and Woods undoubtedly see as the one of the first steps toward Woods’ rehabilitation, I think it’s brilliant.
Who’s Calling Who a Nazi?
Again, Fox counts on its audience being a bunch of idiots: The Nazis banned (and burned) books, and now Fox wants to ban books too? Yet folks on Fox call Obama a Nazi? Okkkkaaaaay.
Fox & Friends this morning played host to Kurt Zimmermann, a Tennessee man who is on a crusade to get his local school board to ban a high school science text book, Asking About Life, for its so-called “bias against Christianity.” As I’ve written before, Fox News — their morning show hosts in particular — will unashamedly rally to the defense of Christians and Christianity, often to the exclusion of other faiths and journalistic propriety. In this case, the Fox & Friends crew bestowed kudos on Mr. Zimmermann, who is upset that this particular text book describes creationism as a “biblical myth.” Brian Kilmeade called him a “good example of somebody who saw something and you’re taking action, and that’s a great example for your kid.”
Airline Wants Us to Pay to Pee
The British air carrier, Ryanair is — are you sitting down? — considering charging people to use the bathroom on its flights.
What’s going on in the airline industry? Is it war-on-the-customer-month or something?
Four Days On, Don Blankenship Finally Tweets a Prayer for the Families
Don Blankenship, the Chairman and CEO of Massey Energy, finally got around to sending a tweet today, one in a series that were his first since March 26, in which he offered a prayer for the families of the victims:
Today’s the 8th. The accident happened on the 5th. What a guy.
Fox News Blamed For Gregory Giusti’s Rage
48-year-old Californian, Gregory Giusti, was arrested yesterday after threatening the life of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). ABCNews interviewed his 83-year-old mother, who said Giusti “has a history of mental problems,” but she didn’t think “he would be capable of carrying out the threat.” She blamed Fox News for “getting her son worked up:”
Greg frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family, which gets him into problems, Eleanor Giusti said. I say Fox News, or all of those that are really radical, and he, that’s where he comes from.
Fox is going to have blood on its hands sooner or later.
Here’s more, including video.
Good Morning
A friend sent this photo to me last night. Thought I’d share as a way to kick off the day on a lighter note. Good to see that our troops can still have some fun even in the midst of war.
