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14 Nov 00 - 11:44 PM (#340886) Subject: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Rick Fielding I simply can't believe this! Even though I've been busy with teaching, have lawn chores to do, and have been doing outta town gigs....every spare minute finds me checking out CNN for the latest predictable American election spin! Holy Moses, I got hooked during the groteque OJ-rama massacre, and went back to the tube for the Clinton/Monica night-time emissions. This is the same old thing of course...constant posturing by VERY partisan stuffed suits. All attempting to look sincere, fair and concerned. Endlessly spouting the same old homilies about "justice, bi-partisan," what the "American People" REALLY want, etc. One of them even admitted that were they working for the "other side" the arguments would be exactly the same.....but it's like a train wreck...I can't help but watch in fascination. The best line came from a young Congressman (guess none of the other TV "Polit-stars" were available at that moment. He said "I think the man who's finally elected will soon envy the one who lost". As I've mentioned several times, I've managed to enjoy Mudcat over the last two and a half years 'cause I GAVE UP TV!! Why can't I just ignore all the crap and get each day's carnage results from the morning paper? Anybody else become a slave to Ted Turner during this? Rick |
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14 Nov 00 - 11:50 PM (#340890) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: sophocleese Hey Rick! Listen to the radio then you can Mudcat and catch up on news at the same time. |
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14 Nov 00 - 11:54 PM (#340893) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: CarolC Yeah, a little bit. I was a news junkie before I found the Mudcat. Five hours a day average. All of the major networks, the public broadcasting stations (TV and radio), cable, you name it. I forgot all about it when I started 'catting, but lately... Carol |
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14 Nov 00 - 11:55 PM (#340894) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: ddw Yep, Rick — you've got the right idea, now just do it. You can get a lot more information in a lot less time from a newspaper. But they of the thousand-pound pencil do a good job of letting people know what stories they should look for in the paper, so we try not to be too hard on them. And of course there's the plus of not having to listen to that unbelievably annoying commercial that's all over the place now — a bunch of whiney voices yelling "Who let the dogs out?" over and over. Turns me plumb puce! david |
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15 Nov 00 - 01:27 AM (#340923) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Amergin Boy, Rick, next thing you know you'll be staring at the box with glazed eyes and drool dripping endlessly down your chin and onto your lap.... Amergin |
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15 Nov 00 - 02:07 AM (#340933) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: katlaughing Ah, Ricky, what would you do without America to entertain you up there in the cold north country?*BG* Frankly I am so sick of hearing about it, I immediately turn off the whatever whenever they start talking about it! One good thing in today's paper was the lawyer in FL who is claiming Bush/Cheney cannot have the Texas electoral votes. He makes sense from what I can tell: suit filed over Cheney's residency. |
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15 Nov 00 - 12:22 PM (#341148) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: DougR Yep, Rick, I'm hooked too. Never thought I would say this, but I'm leaning toward the hope that Al Gore wins this one. Whoever is elected is going to have one tough time governing with a contentious highly partisan congress. Sometimes, as some wise person said, we should be careful what we wish for because we might get it. I don't plan to post anymore to the political threads, but I don't consider this one political. This one is more of a why the heck am I not finding something better to do with my time, than staying glued to the television. DougR |
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15 Nov 00 - 12:34 PM (#341162) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: catspaw49 Rick my friend, I have no idea why we do this, but it is an illness! Yeah, I was hooked on OJ and every other damn thing. I think I'll try to shut this one off and wait for the TV Mini-Series!!! I see the OJ thing is on tonight so there are a lot of actors ready to go on this one as soon as the script is finished. We might as well get on with the casting. Lessee, Buffalo Bob is dead, so Howdy Doody isn't available for Bush, but I think the folks at "Mad" will loan out Alfred E. Neuman. There are bound to be some of those cigar store Indians sitting around to play Gore.................... Spaw |
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15 Nov 00 - 12:38 PM (#341166) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Matt_R WOO! Who let the dogs out!!! Great song by the Baha Boys! Folkies nightmare, America's youth's PUMP UP song! Rock it! |
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15 Nov 00 - 12:44 PM (#341171) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: MMario Wouldn't a cigar store indian be a bit too animated to play gore? I would say more a cardboard cutout. perhaps one of mr. whipple. |
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15 Nov 00 - 01:16 PM (#341197) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Amergin Have you all noticed that Bush has only one facial expression? I haven't seen such a blank stare since Reagan.... |
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15 Nov 00 - 01:25 PM (#341207) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: catspaw49 Would that be Ron or Nancy? Spaw |
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15 Nov 00 - 01:25 PM (#341208) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Jim the Bart For some reason. I'm not. I think I burned myself out raving all over the political threads. Now all I can think about are music and the upcoming holidays (with a little football thrown in for good measure). this is a great time of the year - too good to throw away on boobs on the tube. Enjoy yourselves and don't ask why. Bart |
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15 Nov 00 - 01:28 PM (#341210) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Jim Krause Well, Rick, I'n not exactly a slave of Ted Turner's or Rupert Murdock's either, for that matter. But I am a slave to NPR. I don't think that is much of an improvement. Slavery is slavery, after all. I think the Congressman you quoted above is alas, correct. And here's another prediction: It won't in the final analysis really matter who is President. Congress is so nearly evenly divided that no meaningful legislation will be inacted for four years. Like my friend Chester Drawers who hails from Two Foot Falls, KS said to me, "You ain't seen no gridlock like this here gridlock." |
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15 Nov 00 - 02:50 PM (#341253) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Little Hawk TV sets! There are just a few useful things one can do with them... 1. Rip the guts out of it and turn it into a plantholder. 2. Shoot the f**king thing. That's what Elvis did. 3. Drop it off the balcony, making sure first that no one is down below, of course. 4. Giant-size paperweight? I agree with the person who said you can get a lot more out of a newspaper a lot faster. Right on. And you don't have to read the bloody ads either....you just skip over them. With a TV you are at their mercy. My condolences, Rick. The monster has you in its clutches... |
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15 Nov 00 - 05:05 PM (#341328) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Rick Fielding Amergin, you got it. When the drool starts...ya gotta take stock of the situation. If it isn't settled in a VERY few days, do ya think one of them will be smart enough to say "I CONCEDE, I CONCEDE"!! Forever more the next Pres. will be known as the one who "stole the election" from the one who wanted "fairness" or the one who wanted "closure". Hell of a legacy. And of course, guess who's sittin' back quietly chuckling and mumbling to himself "Ah feel thair pain, heh, heh." Rick |
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15 Nov 00 - 05:10 PM (#341330) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: annamill It's even worse than that Rick. I have the CNN news channel sound on my PC internet! so, I sit here working and listening to CNN at the same time! Very low, of course. Love, annamill |
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15 Nov 00 - 06:06 PM (#341372) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Jim Dixon Hey, I watch TV, too, and I'm not ashamed of it. I was not hooked on OJ but I DID get hooked on Monica. I not only watched every minute of coverage I could find throughout the impeachment hearings and trial, but I downloaded the legal briefs from the Internet and read them. I think I learned a lot and I don't regret it one bit. Nowadays I have public radio on all day long at work - although, unfortunately, it only gets about 10% of my attention - and in the evening I watch CNN, CSPAN, CSPAN2, Fox News, and CNBC, whatever is carrying election news. On the way home from work, while NPR is carrying financial news, I often listen to talk radio in the car (not Rush Limbaugh, but a local guy who's more intelligent but equally right-wing). If I have anything to regret, it's that I CAN'T pay attention when there's no scandal going on. The debates and other campaign speeches put me to sleep, for example. Newspapers don't interest me much, because I've usually heard it all already on NPR - except that I sometimes read the columns on the op-ed page. So what's wrong with that? By the way, I don't think Ted Turner owns CNN anymore. Is it really Rupert Murdoch? |
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15 Nov 00 - 06:21 PM (#341387) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: GUEST,folkcensor Look for a 12 step program near you. I heard once that a higher percentage of folks in Canada (than the rest of the world) have TV's in their bedrooms so that they can boink and watch the hockey game at the same time. So long as you're not missing the game, Rick. Go Leafs Go! |
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15 Nov 00 - 09:22 PM (#341480) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Little Hawk That's why I don't have a TV at all. I'm trying to make up for all those other hosers here in Canada! Jim Dixon - you downloaded Monica's briefs??? Shame on you!!! :-) - LH |
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15 Nov 00 - 09:33 PM (#341486) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Clinton Hammond2 I watch TV... But I watch CANADIAN tv... nothing bores me more than American entertainment.. especially the trash they try to pass off as news... |
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15 Nov 00 - 09:46 PM (#341495) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Little Hawk Yeah, but have you watched bowling? Or golf? Or curling? Now, that's boredom for you! |
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15 Nov 00 - 09:47 PM (#341496) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: rangeroger I don't watch TV. Had the cable disconnected back in Jan.No local reception at all The only thing I use this 27" stereo set for is the occasional video and,of course,to Mudcat.It is the monitor for my webtv terminal, which is how I access the Mudcat. I do read the newspaper once in a while,every Sunday,mostly for the comics and the crossword. rr |
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15 Nov 00 - 10:18 PM (#341510) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: sophocleese Little Hawk, I took the guts out of an old telelvision and now use it as a cabinet to store my tapes, much more useful. What I find strange is the people who say that all the old ballads with ill-fated lovers, sneaky pages, nasty mothers, and everybody dying in the end are boring while they watch a news clip that says "Nothing new to report, we're all just waiting" every 30 minutes for a day. |
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15 Nov 00 - 10:18 PM (#341511) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Clinton Hammond2 L.H. There's only 2 sports I can even come close to stomaching... That's it... that's all... |
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15 Nov 00 - 11:10 PM (#341530) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: ddw Jim Dixon, noticed your post that said "Newspapers don't interest me much, because I've usually heard it all already on NPR - except that I sometimes read the columns on the op-ed page. So what's wrong with that? " Not much, if you want superficial news. Did you know that if you wrote out all of the words spoken in a 30-minute television newscast, then added a descriptive paragraph for every film clip and/or graphic they use, you would fill the top third of the front page of a newspaper? I spent the first few years of my working life in broadcast news, then realized how shallow it is and switched to newspapers. As I said before, they write headlines for us, but that's about all.... david |
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16 Nov 00 - 11:04 AM (#341701) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Mooh Without TV I wouldn't have seen that Allison Kraus (sp?) and Natalie MacMaster video. Now my fantasy life is assured. Now that I think of it, there is that west coast sportsfishing show with the two blondes... TV in my bedroom too, for those Leaf games. Mooh. |
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16 Nov 00 - 11:25 AM (#341706) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: CarolC (psst... ddw...NPR is radio...and it's anything but superficial...) |
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16 Nov 00 - 12:02 PM (#341728) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: DougR THREAD CREEP ALERT(Sorta): I wonder why Americans do not seem to show the same amount of interest in other country's elections that those living in other countries show in ours? I know Candada is having an election (I believe on November 27th) and I don't even know who the candidates are, or what issues are most important in the campaigns. Perhaps it is because American television only reports snippets of news about foreign elections, after they are over. I don't know. Is American television coverage more complete in those American states closer to Canada? Arizona borders Mexico, of course, and there was some coverage of their recent election but nothing compared to what is taking place now. That election was very important, too, because it unseated a political party that had been in control for ages. If one checks the political threads you will find comments about the American election from Mudcatters all over the world. Maybe our elections just present more "theater" than others do. I would be interested in your comments. DougR |
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16 Nov 00 - 12:54 PM (#341768) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Rick Fielding God Bless you Doug. Thanks for asking........but now that you've asked..... NUTHIN' beats Al and Dubya (oops, sorry...I mean their ever increasing teams of "advisors") for pure entertainment, thrills, chills, and cliff-hanging excitement. If I were the two actual candidates, I'd get the hell out while the gettin's good. but here's what's happening in Back-bacon land: Prime Minister Jean Chretien (centrist, and increasingly addlepated) running against: Stockwell Day, who believes in Genesis, good medical care for the wealthy, and hob-nobbing with Holocaust revisionists. Gilles Duceppe, who loves Quebec, and wishes the rest of Canada would disappear. Joe Clark, a former Prime Minister, who'd get NO ink at all except for his gorgeous blond daughter who travels the hustings with him. Alexa MacDonaugh, the (sort of) Socialist. In The U.S. you'd call her a liberal. Chretien will win again (no recounts) and probably lose his marbles completely during his next term. None of them can hold a candle to Dershowitz and Baker. I'm hoping for James Carville to come out of retirement! Rick |
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16 Nov 00 - 01:26 PM (#341785) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: mousethief DougR, it can't possibly be because what happens in America has a lot more impact on (say) France than vice versa? Naaaaaaaah.
O..O |
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16 Nov 00 - 01:39 PM (#341793) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Peter T. Rick has unerringly described the Canadian elections, except for spelling the NDP candidate's name wrong, which is mildly ironic. This year we may be racing the U.S. for most democratic country with the least number of active voters. yours, Peter T. |
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16 Nov 00 - 02:01 PM (#341811) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Bill D I saw part of a Canadian debate last week...they sure go at it! The moderator just let them yell for 5 minutes!,,,Much more lively than American (yawn) debates! |
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16 Nov 00 - 02:21 PM (#341836) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Amergin We have debates here? I thought they were just another for of the infomercial.... |
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16 Nov 00 - 02:24 PM (#341841) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: DougR Thanks, Rick. It appears to me you folks have got lots of possibilities for a pretty good show up there too! Oh, Alex, I'm sure you're right, but I wonder if the "entertainment" part of it isn't what really keeps them looking at the tube. DougR |
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16 Nov 00 - 02:28 PM (#341844) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: DougR This is probably as good a thread as any to make a prediction (sorry Rick but I don't think it is worthy of starting another thread). I predict George W. Bush is going to win! Al Gore is going to win the election though. DougR |
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16 Nov 00 - 02:58 PM (#341865) Subject: Turned on by the T.V. From: Clinton Hammond2 ... And vis versa...
DougR "I wonder why Americans do not seem to show the same amount of interest in other country's elections that those living in other countries show in ours?" People outside america care about your ellection?? Coulda fooled me.... Rick... well done yet again! |
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16 Nov 00 - 03:08 PM (#341875) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Troll I have a TV set in the syore room. I don't remember when I put it there but I know it's been at least five years. I don't miss the talking heads at all; By the way, my batchelors degree is in broadcasting.Funny, ain't it? troll |
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16 Nov 00 - 08:17 PM (#342083) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: CarolC That's an interesting question, DougR. Actually, we are interested in certain foriegn elections here in the U.S. We were watching the elections in Russia when Vladimir Putin was elected. We also had a lot of news coverage of the elections in the part of the former Yugoslavia where Milosevic recently was replaced by election with someone else (sorry, I don't know his name). The interesting thing about that particular election is that, like the one we are dealing with right now, in the end, it was the will of the people that became the issue. Carol |
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16 Nov 00 - 11:27 PM (#342160) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: ddw CarolC — I know NPR is radio, I listen to the station out of Detroit occasionally and the one in North Carolina when I'm there. I also listen to CBC radio in Windsor. But I stand by my statement that broadcast news is SUPERFICIAL. I've written for broadcast and for newspapers for 30 years and, believe me, a typical broadcast story is about the first three or four paragraphs of the newspaper story. In many instances newspapers and broadcasters are using the same wire services as sources and there's no constest on who gives you a more complete story. I've also had my newspaper stories lifted verbatim by broadcasters, but never more than a few 'graphs at a time. Also, most people can read silently much more rapidly than a person can read aloud — which means you can read a lot more stories and get a lot more information in a half hour reading than you can listening. Don't mean to offend if broadcast is your primary news source, but it's the NATURE of broadcast (radio or television) to be superficial. david |
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17 Nov 00 - 01:01 AM (#342182) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Rick Fielding Thanks for pointing out my illiteracy Peter. That's why I worked you so hard at your lesson tonight! Har Har! If I may add a serious note to all this...Peter's right. the voter turn-outs get smaller and smaller. Many people simply no longer care. Even the younger politicians appear to be old men in young bodies. I'm one of those people who seem to care only in making fun of the process. How sad. Don't know the answer. Perhaps a multi-party system, where voters know that their candidate will never win but may help to keep the rest honest. Rick |
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17 Nov 00 - 01:22 PM (#342486) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Jim Krause Jim, No, Rupert Murdoch owns Fox, I think. He also owns USA Today, and a few other newspapers. |
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17 Nov 00 - 01:35 PM (#342495) Subject: RE: Oh Shame! Glued to the Tube again! From: Jim Krause One more question, (possible thread creep here) this here Yank hasn't hung out with too many Canadians for awhile. So what's a hoser? Oh, come to think of it, I do know a Canadian couple living in my hometown. I'll ask them if they know. Would they be embarrassed? Soddy |