Amazing. Forget rational, polite and sensible discussion (I doubt that sort of thing gets good TV ratings anyway, but I'm not a TV expert). Dismiss any notion of letting the other guy get in a word edge-wise, let alone fully explain himself (why bother?).
Furthermore, get your verbal punches, your insults and your name-calling in before the other guy does, and you'll do just fine. Especially if it's your TV show. If the other guy (tries to) fight back, quickly 'wrap up' the interview while he's still stunned and reeling from your rants and you'll have nothing to worry about.
That's how I felt after seeing what I saw tonight. I just finished watching O'Reilly's 'discussion' with Barney Frank, a U.S. politician who is/was involved in the supervision (or something like that) of Fannie and Freddie Mac.
What. The. Heck.
Why do people even bother going on The Factor? I'm not a fan, nor hater of the show. If it looks like O'Reilly has someone interesting on, then I'll watch. For a few minutes anyway. But tonight, wow. No doubt that he's a hard-hitting, no-nonsense, kinda guy and I'm sure he's just trying to do his job as a journalist by getting answers the way he does (and at the same time, possibly trying to boost his ratings), but to call his guest (Frank) a coward, and to verbally beat him down like that without giving the guy a chance to speak?
Sure, fire away with your questions, but dude, come on. IMHO, and without prejudice, all I think O'Reilly managed to do was to act like a bully and a tyrant towards Frank. Sure he may have had a valid point or two with regards to his performance, but that was all but lost (for me anyway) in the ensuing verbal fist fight. Is that what this is about? Shouting, screaming, insults and name-calling?
It must be for the ratings. It must be. I can't imagine why else anyone would watch The Factor, especially tonight's episode. If you're looking for an alternative to The Factor, or something just as hard hitting, consider HARDtalk on the BBC.
Is it safe to assume that Barney Frank will not be returning to The Factor, not anytime soon anyway?
Thoughts on Wal-mart, America and a poem
From 'China Inc' a book by Ted C. Fishman:
"Wal-Mart does not pay as well as many other retailers, but it is an embracing employer. Workers in the Pekin store range from the elderly to young people who have just entered the workforce. The company is famously forgiving of its workers' personal tastes outside work, and some of the younger clerks have rebel hairdos combed and pinned into a semblance of responsibility, their multiple piercings sparingly adorned. Some clerks are missing teeth, and some are unhealthily obese. The company is even known for taking on the mentally handicapped. In the aisles one meets workers who seen not to belong either because they are too bright or to slow, too antsy or too old, but Wal-Mart finds a fruitful place for them."
After reading that, I was reminded of a few important words that I had once read or had heard of elsewhere. A quick check via Google discovered what my mind was trying to connect Fishman's words with:
'The New Colossus' a poem by Emma Lazarus (Bartelby.com):
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
If one were to only read what Fishman and Lazarus said above, it almost sounds like Wal-Mart is America (in a very odd sort of way), doesn't it?
Hurricane Gustav
For those of you who were watching the Beeb (BBC) earlier today, but missed the URL of the lady blogger from New Orleans who was speaking, here it is:
The title is what grabbed me, followed by the subject matter. The actual content has been nothing short of provocative, revealing and attention grabbing (especially the bit about Chavez 'saving' OPEC, and how Rockefeller and Standard Oilcame about).
In one of her chapters, McQuaig mentions, in less-than-cozy terms, the American Petroleum Institute. The API, according to their website, is:
"...the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our 400 corporate members, from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry. They are producers, refiners, suppliers, pipeline operators and marine transporters, as well as service and supply companies that support all segments of the industry."
I'm mentioning them because some of their documents which, for whatever reasons or interests they are trying to serve, are interesting and worth reading, especially:
In other news..."Mswati was crowned king a mere six days after his 18th birthday, and the country has been a train wreck ever since. An estimated 26 percent of Swazis between ages 15 and 49 are HIV positive, one of the highest rates in the world. Mswati’s brilliant solution: a sex ban. In 2001, he instated the uncwasho rite, which put a five-year ban on sex for females under 18. The move proved unpopular, especially after Mswati—who at last count had 13 wives and at least 23 children—married a 17-year-old. The ban was lifted a year early."
"Everything made in America — from goods to entire companies — is near dirt cheap to many foreigners. Meanwhile, American consumers, both those who travel and those who stay at home, are seeing big price increases in energy, food and imported goods. The dollar has lost roughly a quarter of its purchasing power against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners from its peak in 2002."
"Whether it is an unexpected food crisis or a devastating hurricane, the world’s weakest states are the most exposed when crisis strikes. In the fourth annual Failed States Index, FOREIGN POLICY and The Fund for Peace rank the countries where state collapse may be just one disaster away."
Article: 'Will Soaring Transport Costs Reverse Globalization?'
A snippet from the article...
"Globalization is reversible. Higher energy prices are impacting transport costs at an unprecedented rate. So much so, that the cost of moving goods, not the cost of tariffs, is the largest barrier to global trade today. In fact, in tariff-equivalent terms, the explosion in global transport costs has effectively offset all the trade liberalization efforts of the last three decades. Not only does this suggest a major slowdown in the growth of world trade, but also a fundamental realignment in trade patterns."
The 19-year-old chart-topping R&B songstress became the first Barbadian to win a Grammy Award when she won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for her popular hit Umbrella featuring Jay-Z, on Sunday night at the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony. [via The Nation Newspaper]
"One of them twice flew about 2,000 feet over the deck of the USS Nimitz Saturday while another flew about 50 miles away, officials said. Two others were at least 100 miles away, the military reported. U.S. defense officials said four F/A-18A fighter jets from the Nimitz were in the air. The Russians and the U.S. carrier did not exchange verbal communications." [via CNN.com]
"Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is in Moscow to try to persuade Russia not to cut gas supplies to his country in a dispute over an unpaid bill." [via BBC NEWS]
Danish police have arrested three people suspected of planning to attack a cartoonist who drew caricatures satirising the Prophet Muhammad. [via BBC NEWS]
Please do not send me any junk mail, especially the Viagra or Cialis stuff.
DISCLAIMER
This is a personal web site, produced in my own time and solely reflecting my personal opinions.
Any and all statements, questions, comments, thoughts, etcetera, found on this website do not represent in anyway whatsoever, the views or policies of my employer, past or present, or any other organisation with which I may be affiliated with.
Under no circumstances does the information on this site represent a recommendation, instruction, advice or anything remotely related. View the contents of this site at your own risk.
