.... since I last posted in LJ.

Not much has changed since my last batch of blogs back in the first quarter. The Russians are still causing trouble in the Ukraine, the Tea Party still hates Obama, the middle east is still a cluster fuck, our nation is being constantly exposed for the police state it is ... and the media is just part of the system, ( Read more... )

In recent weeks I've developed a mild addiction to podcasts. I find them a nice change of pace from the usual listening-to-music during my workday. I have the good fortune of being able to plug my isolation pod into my ears while in the workplace. The podcast is my new distraction, a tool to help a boring day slip by a little quicker

I've tried more ( Read more... )

I scan most mainstream media websites daily to see what's in the news. My usual suspects are AZCentral for local news, CNN, Fox, Slate and BBC. Many of the stories are the same from site to site but I'm always interested in seeing what stories make the headlines on one service but not the others.

Today on Fox, but nowhere else, was this headline: ( Read more... )

In the last 48 hours a great deal has said about the fifty volunteers who've remained at the Fukushima nuclear plant attempting to prevent the worst possible disaster. These are brave individuals sacrificing their lives. There is no equipment, not even state-of-the-art protection, that will stop their body's absorption of radiation. The men who ( Read more... )

After reading openscarf 's recent post about the internet being shut down in Algeria I scampered off to the major media websites hoping to find news about protests in Algiers. Nothing. Apparently the Bouteflika regime was so thorough in shutting down the internet CNN, Fox, MSN, Yahoo, The Nation, Slate, Mediaite and all my 'usual suspects' in the internet- ( Read more... )

Regardless of whether I agree with them on a given issue there are pundits I respect on the left and on the right. There are many more I loathe, especially the made for TV politicos. Being a liberal or conservative is not a crime. The demagogues assign every opposing politico with scarlet letters, L & C. This week I was pleased to see a media made ( Read more... )

I have always felt our news outlets have a slant that attracts like minded people? I believe people seek bias in their news. I've blogged this opinion before.

I read the same news on multiple websites to compare content and tone. Is FoxNews biased to the right? You betcha. In CNN left leaning? Absolutely. When they decide what stories and issues to ( Read more... )

The 5.9 aftershock in Haiti rattled previously frayed nerves but may be overshadowed by the boots thumping on the ground. Thousands of people have descended on Port au Prince, none louder than our western media aftershock.

I understand the magnitude of the human tragedy. I feel terribly for the people in the affected city and villages but there's a ( Read more... )

I love the HBO series Entourage. Ironically, Vinny Chase and the boys represent many of the excesses I question in our liberal western society. But the show is funny, well written and acted. Sure, the boys are shallow, materialistic, pretentious, but the writers make us care about the characters. Good writers can make us root for bad men. Being on ( Read more... )

There's no getting away from the nuttiness. It doesn't matter that I'm atheist. I don't have to seek out religion. It's right here, every day, in the media, influencing government, invading our lives. Whether we believe in god or not, we live in a world full of god and majority belief is ever present.

This morning I saw a link to a blog claiming  ( Read more... )