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The Blogtastic Blogonator
April 2009
Friday April 24, 2009
Posted by: psloth at 7:26AM CST on April 24, 2009
I’ve just learned that there’s nothing quite as unbecoming as a cable news tinkling (yes, you can't use the P-word) match between two egomaniacs. It’s one reason I don’t devote myself to the evening cable chat shows like “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” or “The O’Reilly Factor.” Another reason … it’s just not how I choose to spend my prime time. Even if I did, my other half can’t stand all the pompous blustering that emanates from both Olbermann and O’Reilly and others of their ilk. I think one of these talkers calls it bloviating. If I stop on these shows for just a second too long, my wife usually screams. So it’s rare indeed to watch both Olbermann’s and O’Reilly’s shows back to back … on the same night, in their entirety. It’s only possible when I can’t sleep. And so, there I was Friday morning watching repeats of the previous evening’s shows, one right after the other, while the rest of my family slept. Maybe I’m just catching up, but Olbermann and O’Reilly both spent what seemed like an inordinate amount of time attacking each other’s networks, when they weren't lobbing bombs at their ideological enemies at the other end of the spectrum. Whenever I’ve caught snippets of Olbermann’s show before, he’s always going after O’Reilly. If I happen to catch some of O’Reilly’s show, he’s either bragging about his ratings, or hawking his books, T-shirts or patriotic doormats. Olbermann attacks Fox (O’Reilly’s channel). O’Reilly attacks MSNBC (Olbermann’s channel). Apparently, it’s now so bad that O’Reilly is dispatching his minions to infiltrate shareholder meetings of rival networks, particularly General Electric, which owns MSNBC, which employs Olbermann. At least that’s what both he and Olbermann talked about on their shows Thursday. Fans of both Olbermann and O'Reilly have joined the fight, too. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that neither of them try to pass themselves off as straight news people, although it might not always be so clear. Their evening broadcasts and bromides are soaked in opinion. The sad reality is, so many people watch both shows … millions of people. I’m guessing when these people are swirling their martinis or swilling their beers, Olbermann’s and O’Reilly’s fans alike, they’re not swapping nuggets of information they’ve gleaned from the most recent piece of journalism they read. They’re probably sharing war stories gleaned from their favorite opinion makers. Sometimes, these war stories end up getting passed on as news rather than opinion. Olbermann and O’Reilly are two sides of the same coin. Olbermann provides aid and comfort to the left. O’Reilly does the same for the right. I get the feeling that those who watch either show, or both shows, are the ring of kids circling the two schoolyard bullies as they duke it out … in service to their country and their network bosses’s bottom lines. In the wee hours of the morning Friday, I guess I stopped to take a look and see who had drawn the most blood. Or maybe it was all just a dream. Thursday April 23, 2009
Posted by: psloth at 11:09AM CST on April 23, 2009
Racine’s own Mark Czerniec is without a doubt my favorite local Twitter personality (Tweeter, Twitterer, Twitterato, whatever you want to call them). A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer on Thursday anointed 20 local “tweeters” that she considered among the city’s Twitterati in an article in the paper’s Cue section. It made me think of Mr. Czerniec. I’m not gaga over Twitter. Truth be told, I spend more time on Facebook. Yes, to some, that could be considered a sad admission. I still check Twitter from time to time, but I consider myself a half-hearted hobbyist when it comes to this particular social networking site. I’m still new to the whole social networking thing. It’s hard to keep up. However, when I do check Twitter, I’m always glad to see Mark Czerniec’s Tweets. They’re always engaging. It could be his years of experience in radio. He considers his audience. He highlights recipes he’s working on, links to articles he’s read or lists the birds who’ve visited his yard in Racine. It’s all good stuff, in my opinion. So, are you on Twitter? Who do you follow in the Racine area? Who should we be following? Tuesday April 7, 2009
Posted by: psloth at 5:38PM CST on April 7, 2009
Here's a little campaign trivia tidbit. If you want to run for elected office in Wisconsin using your old nickname -- you know, that endearing name your chums gave you at summer camp or the one your sorority sisters gave you in college -- the state Government Accountability Board says that's just fine. John "Biff" Henderson or Melissa "Scooter" Smith can ditch their first names, leaving voters to choose between Biff Henderson and Scooter Smith. Good luck convincing the GAB that your pals used to call you "Lower Taxes" way back when. Don't even try to get them to believe your family has been calling you "None of the above" since before you could walk. From the GAB: "No titles are permitted. In addition, names such as “Red” or “Skip” are permitted, but names which have an apparent electoral purpose or benefit, such as “Lower taxes,” “None of the above” or “Lower Spending” are not permitted. It is also not permissible to add nicknames in quotes or parentheses between first and last names. For example, John “Jack” Jones or John (Jack) Jones are not acceptable, but John Jones, Jack Jones or John Jack Jones are acceptable.
What purposefully electoral nickname would you put on the ballot?
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About This Blog
While I write on a daily basis, as a reporter, I'm new to blogging.
Rather than mix business with pleasure, I've decided to use this blog for writing about subjects different from my work on the Education Beat. Since this is all new frontier to me, it may be a few days before I start a blog here devoted to education related topics, but I plan to do so. I'm no one trick pony. On this blog, I will occasionally wax poetic on a variety of delightful topics, like the ethics of Charlie Brown or finding spiritual nourishment from bad TV. All I ask is that, if you must comment, be kind. I do not suffer fools gladly. Enjoy!  0 rating(s)
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