Water Cooler Ed. 6
Welcome to the sixth edition in the series of the Water Cooler – appears every Sunday on this blog. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion.
Here we go.
Politics
Whitehouse vs. Fox News
Winner: To be Announced
Obama
The Obama administration got off to a blistering start. They delivered on fixing the economy, the debt is down, American citizens are back on the job, manufacturing is good, no worries about the new levels of unemployment, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are successful and the next move is to pull all the troops and the vote to secure health care reform is on the way. Barack Obama is also seeing great favourable figures and most of his critics are visioning a double term for the current President.
That is far from the truth and Obama faces more issues locally than he is fighting internationally. The Obama administration has been a failure in regards to lies about the stimulus package, the new rates of unemployment never seen, the rising debt and now a fight with a news organization. How clever of Obama?
First Obama ignores FOX NEWS on his media run to push health care reform (remember that) and one would think that this disrespect would continue because after all who watches Fox News. Annita Dunn, a member of Obama’s communication team said this in a CNN interview about Fox News saying Fox is like “a wing of the Republican Party”.
Now, all good thinking, objective media junkies may agree that Fox News’ coverage on major issues may lean to the Republican Party. There is nothing wrong with that conclusion, after all, all the major networks CNN, MS NBC etc are all in favour of a particular position. So to go all out against Fox News is rather cynical and makes the Obama administration looks immature and afraid of the opposition’s views. Obama’s war with Fox News will see his image diminish more and his policies will be scrutinised more.
This is the reality with the news media in the 21st Century. No longer are they objective, fair, balanced, the most trusted name in news or a world leader in breaking news. They have become so invested in presenting opinions that most of their coverage is twisted along these lines misleading millions in the way they present news. So instead of airing 100% opinions on issues (if they like that version) they have mixed journalist reports with their opinionated pieces which blur the real purpose of journalism.
The news media can be good and it can be bad. Certainly Obama isn’t benefiting in any way from the right winged reporting of Fox News, so to hit them where it hurts, Obama sends his communication team to bash Fox News saying they are not a real news organization. Like CNN etc are. I wished the Obama team could talk about health care reform like how they bash news agencies that does not support their socialist thinking.
I am disappointed in Obama. I expected much better from the Noble Prize Winner who is becoming more of a warrior than a ‘Mother Theresa’. For Obama to claim that Fox News isn’t a legitimate news agency is simply playing politics. Will he succeed with an all out war against Fox? He cannot, people should see this as him not being able to accept the truth.
TV & Entertainment
Do you know the Heene family? No. I’m sure you know them, they are the ‘balloon hoax team’, now you know the Heene family.
I will not go over what happened with the family in the past week but just to say that it takes nothing to be a celebrity these days. I was watching cable news recently and they covered a car chase for hours on end. I am not surprised that they were obsessed with this story. Don’t we love crazy families with interesting stories? This just makes my point that ridiculous behaviour will always be rewarded, this was just hot air. The world is so crazy that most people immediately thought of this family having their own reality show. J I think they should get their own show, why not?
With the drama they created I think they would make great reality t.v. The dad gets crazy when he’s upset and the boys are used to the screen.
Photo
Portland, Jamaica
Corve DaCosta's Blog 
interesting
I think with what Glen Beck has done, and the definitely right slant of Fox News, having some push back and accountability is not a bad thing. As far as the Heene family, it certainly starting to look like a hoax, I feel sorry for the boy, getting sick on TV twice when asked about the situation. Love the phote.
Photo that is :o)
A crazy world we live in. Thanks for ending the post on a high note with the photo.
Beautiful photo! I think I want to be there. LOL
I agree about Obama, my husband really is anti O so he suspected it to happen but anyhow, I wish that he would redirect and fix things (in real not just in words).
Thank you very much for the visit.
By the way, I am trying to generate some support for our daughter. I entered her into a Smile Contest, so if you could please vote for her (just once), the contest runs until October 31st. Your vote would be so much appreciated.
To cast your vote, please go to this link. Please look for Jillian Rylie Cottrill.
Thank you very much for your help!
I just did. The top 2 are so close. Hope u guys win. Send it out to more people.
Corve 🙂
Hope you don’t mind my joining in on the fun. They’re all so cute, but your little angel received my full support.
Fox News, we don’t get it here, so don’t know them like we know CNN. Still I think, US news is so different from International news. Even CNN. I think US news is too analytical, while International news is statements of facts.
The balloon hoax, is this the one we heard on radio about a boy kidnapped by some flying saucer-like balloon? We commented saying that the description of the balloon sounded like it’s a hoax. Boy.
The photo is a hit. We need to escape.
The question becomes…whose facts.
However I like international news more just b/c US news never covers what happens elsewhere with the exception of wars.
I believe that the last president to go to war with the media was Richard Nixon and he lost. In fact, Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew’s war on freedom of speech, Nixon’s manipulation of the media and finally their attack against the media are reminiscent of what we are witnessing today coming out of the White House, i.e., the Obama administration.
The Obama administration would do well to remember Ben Franklin’s quote that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” There is no way that they can win this fight without violating the Constitution of the United States and doing so would bring an unimaginable wrath down upon the president and his minions. There are signs of the Obama administration attacking the freedom of Americans and the Constitution just as there are signs of Americans fighting back. Obama should take heed. Furthermore, their attack on Fox News is as biased as the coverage of news in the United States PERIOD.
Now for the Heene family. Shame on Mother and Father Heene! Shame on them for wasting a nation’s time and taxpayer dollars. Shame on them for using their children in the manner in which they did. My heart aches for their six year old who loves his parents unconditionally and has no revelation whatsoever that his parents are nuts.
Lastly, as I sit in my apartment at my laptop with 40 degree outside temperature and a chilling rain falling outside of my window, your photo warms the cockles of my heart.
Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been disappointed in American journalism for the longest and Fox and MSNBC are major reasons why. I’ll stick to PBS & the BBC. Even if they have agendas, at least it’s not in my face in ways that make my skin crawl like the others. Free speech is free speech and it’s a right in the US for better or worse. I exercise my right by not listening to what I deem as irrelevant banter and try like heck to find the facts in an effort to make up my mind.
Administrations that bash opinion based reporting is nothing new, so that doesn’t bother me so much. It’s not an exception but a rule in politics. Both parties are guilty of doing it.
On a better note: Love the picture of my Mom’s side of family home parish. I’d love to retire there someday. =)
I wonder why Obama is wasting his time and energy with Fox news too.
The Heene family needs pyschiatric help, it’s sad that these folks use their children for their own selfish gains. What a nutcase!
Love the beautiful photo. I ❤ Jamaica!
Portland pic is pretty.
well my father is over seas in iraq and will be there for like a year, and this is his second time going. so geez looks like its gonna take obama quite a while to make some moves.
lmao@ that balloon situation, that boys father is an idiot hahaha
The balloon family wasted like 2 hours of their time. If someone needed a helicopter because they were injured or something, then too bad-they were off spending too much time looking for a balloon kid! lol ty for commenting on my blog, and congratz on 10,000 hits!
Less than 10% of the stimulus package has been spent so the verdicit is out and there have been right wingers screaming no to the package but are now flip flopping and begging for the money.
It can not be denied that Fox is the mouth piece of the Republicans, saying anything other than that and your delusional. Is is comical that anyone would consider them a news agency and they should be treated as an opponent od the administration and nothing more. That being said yes the administration made a mistake by calling out the obvious and thus giving Fox yet another reason to stay away from the facts and cry bloody murder. They were better off ignoring them as they did when they excluded Fox from the President’s sit down interviews. Thats the way you handle them.
As always a well thought out and insightful article. I think you’re right Corve; Obama and company are making a mistake attacking a news (media) outlet. Freedom of the press is still dear in America, even to those of a left-leaning nature.
Most of the outfits that keep track of the media, back during the elections, rated Fox as right around 50/50 on their coverage. When the left is so far left, anything close to the middle looks like the right. I used to be a political cartoonist so I think my view isn’t delusional. I agree that editorial has been passing as reporting for far too long. The media is as bad as the government.
Glad you liked the pictures, I’m enjoying this site.
I just wanted to say thanks for following my blog. This is a great post to read about what is going on in this world we live in.
Sad that politics is getting on the way of good journalism AND good presidency. I think unfortunatelly that’s the way it’s always going to happen.
About ballon boy, it is hillarious how things like that become such discussed topics. The parents wanted media attention, and they’re definitely getting it; whether the outcome is good or bad (now with allegations that it was all a scam – which i personally don’t doubt), the family will end up earning money, through interviews, etc.
Finally, beautiful picture, love it when you share them 🙂
I have an award waiting for you on my blog…
I couldn’t work out how to use twitter for a long time. Once I started tweeting in earnest, I found it quite enjoyable. One reservation is that I don’t think twitter is as powerful (where link sharing is concerned) as people think. I’ve had more traffic to my blogs and articles from places like SU and google. I’ve only ever had a couple from twitter.
Well written, and interesting. Obama may turn out to be the worst President wwe have ever had. I am starting to wish Biden would take over.