COSTA RICA BLOG – Like everyone else, there are a few things that drive me bonkers and I cannot do much about it. And, I am sharing some of them on this blog.
CNN:
CNN news makes every tragedy, wherever in the world that tragedy might occur, into a min-industry unto itself. A CNN industry! Hour after hour, day after day and now that the downing of MH-17 has replaced the MH-370 search, my beef is the endless, sometimes senseless commentary saying the same thing, by the same person with different words over and again. Next, cut to the Israeli/Gaza battlefield and once again the diatribe continues. Nothing new is being said, it only sounds new. Notice that the CNN hosts start off with a general or prime minister for their expert opinion and after they tired of saying the same thing over and over, CNN eventually works it way down to some expert who once piloted a commercial plane or a tourist who visited Israel ten years ago. And then in every seen is this British expert with an amazing amount of white teeth and whose entire career has to be credited to over pronouncing each and every word, and has the gift to say essentially the same thing four to ten days in a row while using new verbiage with each interview.
There must be other important news?
GAME CHANGER:
“Yep Bob, that would be a game changer.” “Right,” says Bob, “That is certainly going to be a game changer, don’t you think Sarah?” “I certainly do Bill! By the way, what are we talking about?” asks Sarah.
It is like when people used to reply to your question, any question with “whatever” which was the duh response of choice only a few years ago. It has been replaced with “game changer”.
KARDASHIANS:
Who are they? What have they ever done and why do I need to follow them on every damn Internet news page, every day and then again on television? They’re not news, they’re not really entertainment but they just keep popping up and apparently making a lot of money by being ther mere existence. The latest is something about feeling unwelcomed at the Hamptons. Who cares except those who live in the Hamptons?
Remember Paris Hilton? The same thing but she has sort of faded off into “I did nothing, do nothing” space and I am grateful for that.
JUSTIN BIEBER:
My God, this kid is always in the news for throwing eggs, driving fast, having a new tattoo, changing hair styles and getting into fights while his two or three giant bodyguards rush to his defense when this twit gets mushed.
Somehow throwing eggs at a neighbors house is not international news worthy. Neither are his songs!
I guess now that Lindsay Lohan has sort of cleaned up her act, and Britney Spears is working again, with panties on, and seems to be normal as normal as she can be… no more gossip news and I thank them both. However, they have been replaced by none other than Mylie Cyrus whose international vulgarity is unavoidable.
SELFIES:
Should I really care if Snooki took a selfy photo with her baby that found its way to the Internet on page one of Yahoo? The world is full of selfies and if you do not have at least fifteen of them published before the age of 16, you ain’t nobody.
“Here’s a selfy of Boris with Julie and one of Boris kissing Susie, and Boris with his pet tarantula and again Boris and Julie together with their newborn.” Poor Julie!
SUMMARY:
I have many more and if I started on Costa Rica I could fill a book. Like the multi-use of those blinking car emergency lights. Does it mean emergency, thank you for letting me cut in, I am parked on the sidewalk and don’t want to move, I am parked in a handicap space but will be right back or, watch out I am driving backwards?
My bitch list goes on. Feel free to jump in with your pet peeves. Thank you, I feel better now.
(Yes, I know I could change channels on the television, click to another Internet news provider, don’t look at the selfies and just don’t worry about the blinking emergency lights. But I’d rather rant!)
Mi list includes asking directions to get to some place. A GPS system should be decreed by the President. Ticos cannot muster up “I do not know.” Therefore, you get directions no matter how incorrect they might be to get to some place. Lord bless their good intentions, but “I don’t know” is really a good answer.
Kudos Jaunito – on topic, reasonable length and cohesive – Journalism?? Jajajajaj – Its whatever dumb – down fear they can sell – nothing more. National Public Radio has at least some interesting non violent broadcasting – and no lame commercials… I listen on the net – and I am a supporter.
Thanks B.D. I am with you and NPR. Personally I am not an off the wall liberal who wants socialism to prevail all over the world. However, I cannot accept the crazy right wing of our country nor the U.S. who scream and shout but have nothing constructive to say. Thank God we are here and this news blurb is interested only in Central America because I would go loco with international stuff. Take care B.D.
Juancito – When the people who have determined what is to be the “news” get us to the point that it rings in our head and overtakes our daily attention it has become indoctrination. Indoctrination is the culture killing virus that has infected the gringos (for the most part). The media for the most part IS the enemy telling us what we need, what is acceptable and what is not. They have become “parent like.” The media as the mother, admonishing us, and the government doling out punishment like the father. I just sit still in nature and try to be balanced in my use of devices. What we need to focus on is what is important to us. Not what the media and government tell us is important. That means time alone unoccupied by the world – time alone to simply be still and think about what is important. Then align our lives with what we find. I try not to align myself with the buzz words they use to keep us separated like socialist and republicans and blue and red and blah blah etc – instead I seek independence by refusing to think in those terms. The government wants to divide us so they can over tax us. But its simple and Costa Rica has a better chance than any other country to maintain personal freedoms because its small and our small population can unite easily. All we have to do is refuse to participate in their government building. Do not participate in what we find unjust. That simple. Like Emerson wrote – civil disobedience. Boycott gringo values and well will be fine. Look for solution – even if they are little ones. Its not easy when they want us to be overwhelmed with the complications of the western world. Always make freedom the issue.
Media coverage of celebrities in the US is a distraction from the real issues that pose a real threat to democracy: purchase of the legislature by billionaires, corporate rights given greater status than those of people, a government hamstringed by a fringe group dedicated to causing problems, “big Brother” in the NSA operating an extensive surveillance state, etc.
Of course, the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus, and others who are famous primarily for being “famous” are shameless self-promoters with little talent who will not be remembered in a few years. It seems to be a family affair for the Kardashians who seem to be famous only for being Kardashians. Miley Cyrus comes by her attention whoring honestly, too – her father’s gyrating while singing the tiresome “Achy Breaky Heart” was the big non-event of 1992. Of course, Snooky is another one who is famous for being famous – a “reality” TV star.
Unfortunately, there is little independent news coverage in the US. Most news outlets, including the broadcast networks, are subsidiaries of a handful of mega-conglomerates that are heavily invested in the industries on which they report. This conflict of interests stands in the way of real objective reportage. The worse offender among the “news” sources is Fox News Network, which nothing less than is a tool of the extreme right-wing agenda that presents as “experts” every nut job who is too extreme to hold a real job (mostly former Bush administration decision makers who created all the problems in the US) . I don’t know if this channel is available here (it isn’t on my cable system), but I become angry after a few minutes every time I tune in while in the US to see what the enemy is doing – you should feel lucky that you don’t have to sit through their programming. At least, CNN doesn’t run absolutely false stories on a routine basis.
As for those hazard lights on cars, I thought that it was universally known that they are used whenever a driver is obstructing traffic, parking illegally, or doing some other asinine thing with a car. It seems to be widely believed that turning on one’s hazard lights gives the driver a free pass on whatever stupid thing he/she is doing.