Archive for December, 2008
The Obvious-Crotch-Jokes Ending of 2008
These December 31 stories are just too giggle-inducing to take seriously, but reporters are somehow avoiding the giggles (CNN stayed sober reporting both of these in its 10 am hour): Continue Reading
ABC Hypes Obesity Tax: Pay More; Live Longer
On Wednesday’s "Good Morning America," fill-in host Bill Weir and reporter Dan Harris touted the benefits of New York’s proposed 18 percent obesity tax on soft drinks. Weir teased the segment by enthusing, "One official says making you pay more could actually save your life later." Harris repeatedly played clips from New York’s state health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, who created a YouTube video to promote the tax. Continue Reading
For Media, 2008 Was Year of Hollywood Values
Celebrity breakdowns and comebacks, love triangles and teen pregnancy were the most covered entertainment stories. Continue Reading
2009 is a make or break year for the EU and Turkey
By Hugh Pope Commentary by Thursday, January 01, 2009 – Powered by An abrupt and unusual word buried in a European Union declaration on December 8 showed the mounting risks of a breakdown in Turkey’s EU membership talks. Ankara’s need to solve its problems with Cyprus, foreign ministers warned, has become “urgent.” Thanks also to Turkey’s failure to meet EU reform benchmarks since negotiations started in 2005, a showdown looks inevitable over the next year. Failure to reform and deep political polarization have led to a sense of lost direction in Turkey. Nationalism and human-rights violations are again on the rise. As the adoption of EU norms looks more distant, ethnic tensions between… Continue Reading
Russia’s economic downturn pushes Putinism into crisis
By Irina Yasina Commentary by Thursday, January 01, 2009 – Powered by “Owing to the harsh economic situation, it was decided to cut off the light at the end of the tunnel as a temporary measure.” That is but one of the jokes making the rounds in Russia these days, as the country faces its most severe crisis in a decade. Having been born in the early 1960s, my generation remembers two crises. The first, following the collapse of the USSR, was almost cataclysmic – nothing in the shops, the country in bankruptcy, all savings lost. The other affected everyone but was less severe – Russia’s 1998 default, which saw a fourfold devaluation of the ruble. Today’s crisis is acute, but there is no sense… Continue Reading
Gaza hides a war over the Arabs’ future
By Michael Young Commentary by Thursday, January 01, 2009 – Powered by Amid the carnage in Gaza, it’s not immediately obvious that what is taking place has less to do with Israelis versus Palestinians than with Arabs versus Arabs, principally to define the future of the Middle East. The Gaza conflict has become part of an ongoing confrontation between regimes emerging from the Arab state system established over six decades ago, and, with one exception, new regional players vying to take their place. Whether it is Hamas, or some groups in Hamas, that sought out this latest battle with Israel; whether it is the Israelis who picked a fight in a pre-election period; or whether it is some… Continue Reading
Seven Trends To Watch In Kids” Health In 2009
Copyright 2008 MarketWatch.com Inc.All Rights Reserved MarketWatch December 30, 2008 Tuesday 6:08 PM EST SECTION: PERSONAL FINANCE; Life & Money; Vital Signs LENGTH: 1727 words HEADLINE: Seven trends to watch in kids’ health in 2009 BYLINE: Kristen Gerencher, MarketWatch mailto:kgerencher@marketwatch.com. Kristen Gerencher is a reporter for MarketWatch in San Francisco. SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — For children and adolescents, 2008 offered a mixed bag of health trends and developments that are poised to carry over into next year. Many of the changes focused on preventing serious diseases and disability later in life…. Continue Reading
Brown warns of ‘crisis’ in Gaza
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza amid a “humanitarian crisis” in the Palestinian territory. His plea came after the UK pledged to give £6.9m in emergency aid for those caught up in the violence. The EU and UN have called for the violence to end while the US has said Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, should commit to a truce. Hundreds have died during the conflict… Continue Reading
Nokia India to launch take-back campaign from Jan 1
Text: NEW DELHI: Nokia India on Wednesday said that it will launch its ‘take-back’ campaign from January 1. The take-back campaign is aimed at educating mobile phone users on the importance of recycling eWaste and will be rolled out in phases across the country. As a part of this initiative, Nokia encourage mobile phone users to… Continue Reading
BSNL launches IPTV
Text: New Delhi: In yet another attempt to push its falling landline numbers, state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Wednesday announced the nation-wide launch of Interactive Personalized Television & Video Services (IPTV) for its customers. The telco said that… Continue Reading
Telecom tariffs set to fall in 2009
Text: NEW DELHI: Come 2009, telecom tariffs are set to fall significantly! Sector regulator TRAI on Wednesday set the ball rolling for lower tariffs by seeking the industry’s views on reducing the interconnect charges (IUC). Since IUC charges constitute a significant amount of the call charges, any reduction in this will reflect in a direct fall in tariffs. Telecom minister A Raja had earlier told ET that a… Continue Reading
Emilio and Gloria Estefan have new Cuban cookbook
He’s a Grammy-winning record producer. She’s known as the Queen of Latin Pop. Together, Emilio and Gloria Estefan have become one of the most powerful couples in the music industry. But in the world of celebrity cookbook authors, where Rachael Ray and Paula Deen reign, the Estefans have found their spot with a growing niche — Cuban food. “We have a big hardcore following of the Cuban food, and we were getting so… Continue Reading
Israel says Gaza truce proposal unrealistic
GAZA – Hamas rockets hit the major Israeli city of Beersheba on Wednesday and Israel described as unrealistic a French proposal for a 48-hour truce that would allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Foreign powers have increased pressure on both sides to halt hostilities and Israeli officials made clear that Israel had not rejected the French plan outright and was open to amendments. But ahead of a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet, political commentators predicted public anger over the widening of the rocket attacks to include Beersheba, 40 km (24 miles) from the Gaza Strip, would tip the scales against any suspension of strikes against Hamas. ‘(The French) proposal contained no… Continue Reading
AP Cries That People Are Mean to Poor Barack
While, instead of simply reporting the news, the Associated Press spends its days looking for every which way it can find to attack George W. Bush, Governor Sarah Palin and any number of other conservatives or Republicans, it has a corresponding penchant to go easy on The One and his Democrat cohorts. Nothing is a better illustration of the difference between the AP’s treatment of the right and left than this one little story headlined “Obama can’t shake the bowling jokes.” Continue Reading
NBC Laments Media-Generated ‘Bubble’ Around Obama
On Tuesday morning’s Today show, NBC substitute anchor Lester Holt and correspondent Savannah Guthrie all but expressed regret over President-Elect Barack Obama having to make an “adjustment” — not being able to “just pick up and go anytime he wants” due to “not just Secret Service, but a traveling corps of journalists now follows his every move, even in Hawaii.” Guthrie reported on the “signs Obama is growing a bit frustrated with all the attention.” The on-screen graphic accompanying her report inflated this apparent frustration on the part of future chief executive: “Man in a Bubble: Obama Chafes at Constant Scrutiny.” Continue Reading
Robert Plant and Terry Pratchett win UK honors
LONDON (Reuters) – Rock singer Robert Plant, fantasy author Terry Pratchett and Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton were all honored by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday. The queen also granted awards to members of Britain’s Beijing Olympics team, including a knighthood for triple cycling gold medalist Chris Hoy, the country’s most successful Olympian at a single games for 100 years. The credit crunch even made an appearance in the traditional New Year’s honors list, with a… Continue Reading
About 1,000 in Dearborn, Mich., protest Israeli strikes on Gaza; hundreds demonstrate in NYC
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Close to 1,000 Arab-Americans and others marched through the Detroit suburb of Dearborn on Tuesday evening, waving Palestinian flags and shouting slogans to protest Israeli military strikes against the Gaza Strip. Protesters braving 30-degree weather filled eight blocks of a major thoroughfare in Dearborn, widely seen as the heart of Arab America. Hundreds more gathered in New York City outside the Israeli consulate. Since Saturday, 374 Palestinians have died in the Israeli air onslaught against Gaza’s Islamic Hamas… Continue Reading
Pound hits 6-1/2 year low vs dollar
: Sterling hit a record low on a trade-weighted basis and a 6-1/2 year low against the dollar on Tuesday, nagged by a grim outlook for the economy in thin trade as the year draws to a close. The pound hovered close to record troughs against the euro, keeping parity with the common currency in sight on the view that the economy will deteriorate further, keeping intact the prospect of more aggressive interest rate cuts in Britain than in… Continue Reading
Merkel says crisis chance for tough financial rules
: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday she would press for stronger international financial regulations, saying the global economic crisis created an opportunity for more controls and greater transparency. In a speech for broadcast on New Year's Eve released in advance, Merkel said her government would raise spending on infrastructure and education to stimulate growth, but… Continue Reading
Phelps, Bolt named top athletes of 2008
BEIJING: Following are the top 10 athletes of the year 2008 selected by Xinhua News Agency: 1. Michael Phelps (United States) The 23-year-old swimmer won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, not only refreshing his compatriot Mark Spitz’s record of taking seven golds in one Olympic Games (Munich 1972), but also setting the total record of gold taking by a single person (14) in the Olympic history. 2. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) The 22-year-old sprinter collected three Olympic gold medals in Beijing from 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 meters relay races, and simultaneously broke the world records of the three events. He was elected by… Continue Reading
NYT Sued Over Story Implying McCain Had an Affair
The Associated Press is reporting that the lobbyist the New York Times insinuated had an affair with John McCain has filed suit against the paper to the tune of $27 million: Continue Reading
For PBS’s Margaret Warner, Israel-Gaza Apparently IS Rocket Science
For at least ten seconds there, it appeared Margaret Warner thought PBS stood for the Palestinian Broadcast Service. Continue Reading
CBS Laments Obama’s ‘Life in the Media Bubble’…of Adoration
On Tuesday’s CBS Early Show, fill-in co-host Chris Wragge seemed to feel sorry for Barack Obama having to withstand the media spotlight while vacationing in Hawaii: "Coming up, life in the media bubble. How is Barack Obama adjusting to the press following his every move?" However, as correspondent Ben Tracy later reported, that spotlight is not exactly harsh: "Tours of Obama’s childhood stop at the apartment building where he grew up, a favorite lunch hangout, and the ice cream store where he had his first job. Tourist shops are also riding the Obama wave. The soon-to-be president is already a global celebrity." Continue Reading
What will be the keys in Sunday’s rematch with Ravens?
The last time the Dolphins hosted the Ravens, it wasn’t pretty. The Dolphins didn’t do much of anything right during a 27-13 loss Oct. 19 in Dolphin Stadium, a defeat that might have been the most convincing by a Miami opponent this season. But that was then. This is now. The Dolphins are 9-1 since the Ravens loss and seem to be a much more confident, effective team. But will it be enough against the Ravens, who have won six of eight and are playing as well as any team in the NFL? Then: Chad Pennington had a first-half passer rating of 45.4 and made arguably the worst decision of his brilliant season – an interception to Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs for a TD. Now: Pennington… Continue Reading
What will be the keys in Sunday’s rematch with Ravens?
The last time the Dolphins hosted the Ravens, it wasn’t pretty. The Dolphins didn’t do much of anything right during a 27-13 loss Oct. 19 in Dolphin Stadium, a defeat that might have been the most convincing by a Miami opponent this season. But that was then. This is now. The Dolphins are 9-1 since the Ravens loss and seem to be a much more confident, effective team. But will it be enough against the Ravens, who have won six of eight and are playing as well as any team in the NFL? Then: Chad Pennington had a first-half passer rating of 45.4 and made arguably the worst decision of his brilliant season – an interception to Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs for a TD. Now: Pennington… Continue Reading
CNN Defines 'A Moderate Democrat'
Rush Limbaugh Used in Ad Bashing GOP