Hype and Tripe
Or, how the mainstream media swallowed a beltway publicity stunt hook, line and steroid
Look, the headline and subhead says it all. I am NOT going to spend your valuable time on the posturing by politicians on some little known congressional oversight subcommittee trying to get face time on the nightly news by making Mark McGwire cry. Or even, shades of McCarthy, getting him to "name names!"
I am not even going to spend your time by repeating what all the networks and newspapers said, that it was a publicity stunt to get press. And they still covered it anyway. Not only covered it but devoted their lead time and front pages to it!!
Professional athletes use steroids. The sky is blue. The earth is round.
Kids, don't do drugs. Like a beltway publicity stunt is going to solve that problem, right? Your tax dollars at work America. You voted for them.
Now do we have another day of testimony of people admitting what everyone knows anyway. Or can we get news coverage of some meaningful topics of interest?
Like how China loves capitalism so much it is sucking up every available limited natural resource and driving up prices worldwide.
Like how the rest of the world loves low cost goods from China and that means China will embrace free market capitalism even more.
Like how if even 25 percent of the 1.3 billion successful, capitalism-loving Chinese emulate American soccer moms and drive SUVs, how much pollution that will cause in 20 years if a fossil fuel alternative isn't developed. "But Bush didn't sign Kyoto!" cry the leftists. It doesn't freaking matter!
Yeah, it's another slow news day. At least if you're a bubble-headed bleach blonde or George Stefanopolous subbing for vacationing Ted Koppel and there's no Democrat running for office. Unless that unknown house oversight subcommittee is filled with Democrats facing re-election -- do you think?
[Update 3/27/2005: Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and Wired have caught the big picture re: China, SUVs and future pollution, except Friedman somehow manages to blame President Bush and the Republicans. If Friedman wants to blame someone, he should blame President Richard M. Nixon who helped open the door the China and, subsequently, Chinese capitalism. President Nixon's dead and everyone's used to blaming him for everything anyway ... except the VEVRAA, which he signed into law.]
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Top ten most popular e-mailed stories today from Yahoo! News, not any of which is about the beltway publicity stunt that sucked in the mainstream media:
1. Bay Area home prices hit new record
2. Rapper Lil' Kim Convicted of Perjury
3. Moderate Drinking Appears to Cut Diabetes Risk
4. Sopranos Psychiatrist Gets Tough on Depression
5. Professor Charged With Faking Grant Info
6. Sales Soar for Book Used in Hostage Crisis
7. Overworked -- and angry about it
8. Terrorists Train for Seaborne Attacks
9. S.D. Governor OKs Anti-Abortion Bills
10. Sleep Breathing Problem Raises Heart Attack Risk
What were they thinking? Toys 'R Us says it has agreed to a $6.6 billion buyout. It says it can't compete with discounters like Wal Mart. So ... instead of lowering prices, cutting costs and actually competing with discounters like Wal Mart, the executives and board agreed to sell the company to some equity firms and a real estate holding company. Let me guess -- golden parachutes? The executives of this company ought to be before a house oversight subcommittee explaining themselves, joined shortly thereafter by Krispy Kreme management. There went some more of your retirement funds America. It doesn't affect me. I have no money in the market, I'm destitute and plan to remain that way so I can continue to write stuff like this. When it comes time, I plan to retire where my $800 Social Security check will give me the life of leisure. I'm thinking the Kalahari with the bushmen, Central America or Kafiristan. I've got 15 years before all this happens so I'm all ears if you have suggestions.
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What were they thinking? Toys 'R Us says it has agreed to a $6.6 billion buyout. It says it can't compete with discounters like Wal Mart. So ... instead of lowering prices, cutting costs and actually competing with discounters like Wal Mart, the executives and board agreed to sell the company to some equity firms and a real estate holding company. Let me guess -- golden parachutes? The executives of this company ought to be before a house oversight subcommittee explaining themselves, joined shortly thereafter by Krispy Kreme management. There went some more of your retirement funds America. It doesn't affect me. I have no money in the market, I'm destitute and plan to remain that way so I can continue to write stuff like this. When it comes time, I plan to retire where my $800 Social Security check will give me the life of leisure. I'm thinking the Kalahari with the bushmen, Central America or Kafiristan. I've got 15 years before all this happens so I'm all ears if you have suggestions.
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Blog of the Day:
Jewaira's Boudoir
The liberals would have you believe that Muslim women don't wish to be liberated. Jewaira says she lives in Kuwait. I stumbled onto this site blog surfing one night and couldn't help but be intrigued by some of the frank, open discussions taking place in a supposedly closed society. Maybe the society is closed but the net ain't! Think of Jewaira as Dr. Ruth, Dear Abby, Dr. Phil and bodice-ripper novelists Barbara Taylor Bradford and Danielle Steele combined. You'll see what I mean. Make sure you read some of the comments that have been posted and peruse through the older postings. She rocks my world because she was urging her readers to protest for women's suffrage outside the Kuwaiti Parliament building on March 7 -- and they went!
The liberals would have you believe that Muslim women don't wish to be liberated. Jewaira says she lives in Kuwait. I stumbled onto this site blog surfing one night and couldn't help but be intrigued by some of the frank, open discussions taking place in a supposedly closed society. Maybe the society is closed but the net ain't! Think of Jewaira as Dr. Ruth, Dear Abby, Dr. Phil and bodice-ripper novelists Barbara Taylor Bradford and Danielle Steele combined. You'll see what I mean. Make sure you read some of the comments that have been posted and peruse through the older postings. She rocks my world because she was urging her readers to protest for women's suffrage outside the Kuwaiti Parliament building on March 7 -- and they went!
posted by NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalist @ 22:15
5 comments
5 Comments:
Hi Mr. Mark, sorry if this is unrelated to the current post, but just wanted to thank you for your reply on my blog post. It makes me feel better to know someone has also gone through the same thing, and for longer. I'm not frustrated because I don't get to go out on dates (was never the type), but I'm simply frustrated because I feel I'm wasting my time. But I'm taking your advice to find something else to do before i leave. Maybe cooking, who knows? hehe! I still want to write though. But I just want to take a break for a while. And there's always my blog too. :)
P.S. I didn't quite understand why the link to your friend? But it's a coincidence, I'm also interested in space. My childhood ambition was to be an astronaut.
Hi Mark,
This is indeed a pleasant surprise :)
Thank you for your compliments.
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