Journalism with a capital "E"

Being here in France, I have two English language TV stations (which is better than zero...) to get my anglicized news from. CNN International and BBC World. BBC hasn't covered this hurricane to the same to degree as CNN has - obviously, most Brits don't live in the affected areas. CNN has decided that 70% of their programming must revolved around this, because hey, the Chinese, Europeans, and Africans need to know about this evolving story. This has actually been good for me. I wanted to know what was happening; the French stations were discussing the back-to-school procedures in the regions of France. BBC was interviewing someone with a thick accent about the affect the hurricane will have on global oil prices; only CNN was covering this with actual reporters on the scene.

This has its positives and negatives. They wasted (and I really mean wasted) 4 minutes of the lives of 100s of millions (or at least millions) of viewers while two local weather people were discussing where they used to live in Biloxi, Miss. This was insane - they just went on and on about the neighborhoods where they used to live...The funny thing was neither knew what the other was talking about.

But, this isn't the actual subject of the post. I want to know, has disaster coverage always revolved around the shameless exploitation of the harmed? Is this a new thing? I have only began to notice it, but I feel it is terrible on CNN lately. Anyone who has watched CNN has seen the middle-aged black man explain how he was holding his wife who was in the water and he had to let her go. He knew she was dead. CNN has made this man the "face" of the hurricane. I find this so disgusting, I can not begin to explain it. This poor man just lost his wife, at least partly because he wasn't strong enough to save her; and this damn station is using this, time and again. I have seen it in print on their site, and seen the video a half-dozen times. Leave this man in peace and mourning.

Then, in another coup, they managed to get video of a woman telling how her husband didn't have time to evacuate and got stuck at home. He called her after the worst had passed to say that he lived; but she hasn't heard from him in something like 24 hours since. As opposed to ending the clip there, they stick the microphone more into her face and wait as she descends into crisis as she thinks about losing her husband! I understand that we need to humanize the situation - I too have a hard time visualizing the people - but be humanitarian at the same time. We all understood the implications of what this woman was saying; we don't need you to force her to live her nightmare on international TV! The heartlessness of this is astonishing.

...oh, and hey, good thing that Bush has been planning on cutting back on FEMA's disaster prepareness, huh?

Idiocy Rules in the Big Easy

Let me just preface this with: I feel very bad for everyone that is and will suffer through Hurricane Katrina, and I wish no one any harm, but...

There was a mandatory evacuation order given to the residents of New Orleans, yet some idiots decided to stay, and lo-and-behold, they got stuck on the roofs of their houses (not the photo at left). CNN was reporting that police had received over 100 reports of people stranded in the 9th Ward.

I realize that there has been some debates about the have and have nots and where they are riding out the storm (far away for the haves, in the city for the have nots), but the city made the Superdome available for all residents. It was not full, and as far as I have heard they didn't turn anyone away. Yet some mavericks (or just plain idiots) decided to stay home and then when they needed help they called the cops, causing the already strained public services to waste their time to save their dumb-asses; let hope that other people don't die because of this senseless transfer of manpower.

As soon as I heard about this, it made me think about the law that Arizona passed back in 1995, being called the "Stupid Motorist Law." Arizona, in their wisdom, decided that if a motorist - usually an SUV driver - decides to do something stupid with their vehicle in questionable conditions (such as in a state of emergency or closed roads), the state or local government can now charge them for the rescue operation. As if the lack of insurance on formally closed roads wasn't enough...$2,000 per person would make me feel better about this rescue operation.

Maggie hits Homer with Hammer = Ok: No Seatbelt = Bad

Some researchers out in CA have decided that it's a bad example to people that the Simpsons don't wear seat belts in their show.

Ok, obviously we would all like every TV show (and for that matter radio program, book, and magazine) that we enjoy to preach to every possible moral and social issue in the book, but come on...

We're talking about a show that is a) animated and has seen b) Homer fall into the Springfield Gorge; Homer get hit on the head with nearly every object known to humankind; Homer drive drunk, many times; The Sea Captain get speared with a swordfish; I think you get the idea.

For real, ok maybe it is a bad example, but if people are making their seat belt wearing choices based on a animated television (that if it romanticizes anything, it's the stupidity of Homer), maybe they deserve what happens to them because of their lack of a seat belt.

from Autoblog

Mini Clubman coming back in 2008

One of my true passions are cars. When I have time I scour the automotive press for interesting information. Apparently, the hugely popular Mini is going to greatly extend it's model line in 2008. Parent BMW, no satisfied selling overpriced hunks of metal to only yuppies, have decided to offer everything from a mini "station wagon" to a mini truck during the next gen of the models.


The original Mini Clubman was a 2 door "wagon," that was essentially an extended regular Mini. There used to be one that lived in the same parking lot as my much less interesting cars. It was authetic Mini style, just a bit different, and much, much rarer.

Well, BMW has decided to offer the 2008 Mini in Clubman guise, including Mazda RX-8-esque suicide doors in the rear. I find this really cool. I'm hoping that enough people forego this model for the more typical 2-door, that it will be as rare as the original clubman. The 2-door New Mini, of course begs the question;when enough people buy Mini's to be "different" than the mainstream, that it becomes mainstream, where do these people find themselves? Are these people now mainstream? Anyway, there are too many of the original new Minis on the road today for a puchase to equal a "different" choice (at least where I live).

Thanks to Edmunds for the story.

Finally, a blog that I can call mine

About 18 months ago Jeff K. told me, "You really should get a blog, it's a really good way to communicate with your family and friends." I told him, yeah, yeah, I'll think about it.

A blog works well for Jeff; he's a meticulous person. A close look at his blog will confirm this (I assume absolutely no responsibility for the posts on his site, click at your own risk). He posts fairly often. I know me - It's going to be tough.

But...he has a point. So 18 months after it was suggested to me, the launch of "Arbitrary and Biased" is complete!. This blog will give me the ability to #1 vent my angers at the world (and believe me there are many) and #2 stay connected with the family and friends that I have back home in the States. I'm a current resident of Montpellier, France; where the sun shines 320 days per year, the average August temperature is about 85° F and the average January temp is around 50° F. I live five minutes from work and 10 minutes from the Mediterranian coast. Needless to say, life could be worse...Now to try to hall this post back on track; my parents do not live anywhere near France, nor do most of my Ami friends. So in an attempt to keep them in the loop as to my doings I'm going to try to be diligent and post here frequently.

Also, in keeping the "family friendly" format I'm going to try to keep this blog in the PG to PG-13 range. I share a blog that frequently (or quite possibily "always") dips into the "R" range, so I on this one I'll try to ensure that everyone is welcome!

Welcome!

In my ever increasing attempt to steer clear of Fox News (and their lawyers) - hell I even left the country - I am the antithesis of "Fair & Balanced." Ok, to tell the truth I (don't think I) have any outstanding lawsuits with Fox News, nor do they even know I exist. I just needed a blog and had a hard time coming up with a title that would be relevant in a couple of months. I didn't want to make one that was quickly dated. Anyway, that's that. I'll get some more info up here soon.

Welcome to my opinionated universe.