The Guardian of Gimcracks

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:04:56 -0400
Ok…where is this storm?

Photo

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:27:34 -0400

Photo

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:26:34 -0400

frangry: ameliamagritte: Aww, a father’s love. OMG! This is...

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:53 -0400

frangry:

ameliamagritte:

Aww, a father’s love.

OMG! This is just too much.

testing from skype

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400

testing from skype

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400
Testing Twitt’d

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400
Testing using Twitt’d from Yahoo Messenger.

Twitt'd

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:49:00 -0400

Is anyone else using Twitt’d to give/get tweets via IM clients?

I just synched to it using Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and, Skype.

Seems to work okay.

maryrambin: Seated front row for the show behind a mound of gift...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:52:45 -0400

maryrambin:

Seated front row for the show behind a mound of gift bags. To my right is celeb chef/Desperate Housewife of NYC. Don’t know her name but she looks stunning in Herve Leger. Somewhere in here is Shannon Doherty. Poor girl looks a little beat, but she still rolls with security to clear the elevator for her. I’ll find a wire image pic for you tomorrow.

Bethenny Frankel!! She could cook you some good organic food!

gooneruk: British media coverage of the world never ceases to amaze me. We hear so much about what...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:10:05 -0400

gooneruk:

British media coverage of the world never ceases to amaze me. We hear so much about what is happening in the US, but other regions are mostly glossed over unless there is a major, major event/crisis there.

Yes, I know that there is a very close relationship between the two countries, and that America has a massive influence on the world as a whole, but does such a huge percentage of foreign coverage need to be about goings on in the 50 states?

Hurricane season is one time of year that this bias really comes into its own. Take this story from today’s Guardian: Deadly tropical storm hits Haiti and heads for US coast.

OK, so the headline mentions Haiti, but in the story itself that country’s experiences of Hurricane Hanna are very quickly disposed of. There is a fleeting mention of 60 people being killed, but then the story rapidly switches to Hanna’s potential impact on the south-east US.

There’s as big a paragraph on residents of Washington DC being warned about “the possibility of heavy winds and rain” as there is on 60 people dying, for crying out loud.

Now, I don’t blame America for being newsworthy (or, apparently newsworthy, at any rate). It’s the media’s fault for giving over so much of their coverage to that country at the expense of others. And why do they do so?

Nick Davies’ Flat Earth News book about British media production got it absolutely right on this one: cost. It’s all about the bottom line for media companies. Cheap is best, even if it doesn’t guarantee full coverage.

Why is news about America so prevalent in our media? It’s because there are already thousands of journalists in the States covering everything that moves. A British newspaper can just take copy off the wires, or rewrite/take inspiration from US copy, in its UK office at minimal cost. Certainly cheaper than having a US correspondent over there permanently.

In contrast, how many reporters are in Haiti permanently? It’s not even close on a per capita basis, so the output can be easily missed amongst the sheer volume of US news. It’s not that people’s lives there are less important, but more that they are unreported.

So, in this news story, we are able to read a quote from the Mayor of Nowheresville, USA, but in Haiti we need a line from the President before it’s newsworthy. Lest we forget, this is after 60 people died, whereas the US news is about preparations for a hurricane which will most likely have faded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches land. Look at the wind history of Hurricane Hanna to see how much and for how long Haiti was battered this week.

Again, it’s not the US’s fault that it gets so much coverage; it’s laziness and cost-cutting by non-US media that prevents the rest of the world from getting the sort of in-depth reporting that seems only to exist when America is the subject.

I find this amusing as we make a point of reading British papers and watching the BBC to get the REAL story of what is going on around the world.

someone needs a new nanny..

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:48:21 -0400

biteofpythias:

my buddy t and i were at a coffee shop in the village yesterday working and a young woman comes in with a stroller and a small infant. she went to the bathroom and left the kid outside in the stroller. she didn’t even ask us (we were closest) or someone else to watch the stroller.
i don’t care if you hate your job, but as a person - who puts a baby at risk like that?

She must be European…it is very common to do that there.

Book Mooch

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:46:50 -0400

georgiegirlnyc:

Village Vegan has informed me about this fabulous website where you can mooch books from people, as long you allow people to mooch books from you. The only thing you have to pay for is shipping. I have already joined, sent one book, and requested a British book that is not available here in the U.S. Yay!

The website can be found at Book Mooch.

Oh yes! I like paperbackswap.com much better than the Mooch. It has a better user interface, you can buy and print postage, and the selection seems larger.

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:35:24 -0400

samantopol:

So folks…I’m here. In majestic delaware. quick updates:

i have an amazing floor, and i’ve met some great people (and some not so great people, but isn’t that life?). my dorm is on the other side of everything and it is soo hot here.

I went to two parties my first night, and two my second night. Last night, I hung out with one of my best friend’s, whose a junior here, and i’m not sure about tonight…

Classes started today, and so far I like them all—although French may be a little tough for me. And I’m pretty sure I’m joining UDress—Delaware’s fashion magazine on campus. Right up my alley, eh?

I promise to write a much better post next time… :)

Until then…

Samantha Antopol

Delaware, 2012

Tonight is Wednesday and that means Nacho Night at the Deer Park!

Even better are Thursdays when the fabulous Mug Night is held at the DP.

We would hang there and then go to the Stone Balloon (which they recently demolished for condos) and watch Mr. Greengenes or Love Seed.

Am I dating myself here as I sit in my old UD tee in Wilmo reminiscing about my glory days?

Guardian of Gimcracks M ‘98

GPOYW I just ate a bag of COMBOS…can you see the crumbs on...

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:20:00 -0400

GPOYW

I just ate a bag of COMBOS…can you see the crumbs on my lips? DAMNATION!

This is a pix for a new reality show titled: The White House:...

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:29:00 -0400

This is a pix for a new reality show titled:

The White House: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

I hope it gets canned before it ever airs.

To rebut rumors, Palin says daughter, 17, pregnant

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:18:25 -0400

To rebut rumors, Palin says daughter, 17, pregnant:

caro:

Insert Jamie Lynn Spears joke here. Laugh for approximately 3 seconds, feel sorry for the poor girl for a few minutes, and then go back to monitoring Twitter search for “hurricane.” OK?

Now will they admit she was knocked up twice?

Amazing image of Hurricane Gustav.

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:59:54 -0400

Amazing image of Hurricane Gustav.

Sleeping panther

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:35:36 -0400

Sleeping panther

Swollen ankle almost gone!

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:31:37 -0400

Swollen ankle almost gone!

Let’s pray Gustav does not produce another Vera.

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:55:40 -0400

Let’s pray Gustav does not produce another Vera.

The Guardian of Gimcracks

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:04:56 -0400 Ok…where is this storm?

Photo

Photo

frangry: ameliamagritte: Aww, a father’s love. OMG! This is...

testing from skype

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400 Testing Twitt’d

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400 Testing using Twitt’d from Yahoo Messenger.

Twitt'd

maryrambin: Seated front row for the show behind a mound of gift...

gooneruk: British media coverage of the world never ceases to amaze me. We hear so much about what...

someone needs a new nanny..

Book Mooch

GPOYW I just ate a bag of COMBOS…can you see the crumbs on...

This is a pix for a new reality show titled: The White House:...

To rebut rumors, Palin says daughter, 17, pregnant

Amazing image of Hurricane Gustav.

Sleeping panther

Swollen ankle almost gone!

Let’s pray Gustav does not produce another Vera.

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:04:56 -0400
Ok…where is this storm?

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400
Testing Twitt’d

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:04:34 -0400
Testing using Twitt’d from Yahoo Messenger.