This…from the NY Times???

I, along with the rest of the world, have become a huge Michael Phelps fan.  I just read this article on the NY Times website, and can’t believe how horribly it was written.  Words are missing, the article has no focus and it doesn’t really make sense.  Are they slamming NBC?  Praising NBC?  Do they like Phelps?  Who can tell from this article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/sports/olympics/17nbcphelps.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I copy and pasted the text below…in case an editor wakes up and realizes how bad it is:

By Richard Sandomir

For Michael Phelps’s Spitz-breaking gold medal, NBC’s Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines avoided the histrionics that have characterized some of their past swimming calls. They balanced emotion during the 4×100 medley relay with clearly-spoken narration and analysis, without losing lucidity.

Hicks sounded just right as he described the final moments of Jason Lezak’s freestyle lap — without a screechy interruption from Gaines.

 

 

“Just about 30 meters left for Lezak to give Phelps the greatest single performance in Olympic Games history,” Hicks said. “Lezak trying to hold off Eamon Sullivan above him. Lezak is going to break a world record, trying to stay ahead of Sullivan. And Lezak, the hero in the 400 free relay, won’t … let … Phelps … down. History in Beijing for Michael Phelps.”

Without lingering for a nanosecond on Lezak, NBC cut to an exultant Phelps, the same sequence followed by ABC Sports when Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal in Munich 36 years ago. Spitz swam the butterfly leg, the third in the relay, just as Phelps did. But the post-race reactions differed vastly: Phelps and his teammates were united by joy, while Spitz and his teammates were subdued and seemed to lack camaraderie.

(On the medal stand, Phelps and his mates held hands; 36 years ago, Spitz and his teammates looked as if they barely knew each other.)

While ABC did not have reaction shots of Spitz’s mother, NBC kept a camera on Debbie Phelps, a consistently telegenic character at the Water Cube during her son’s races. After swooning when her son won the 100-meter butterfly by a hundredth of a second the day before, she was seen Saturday night on NBC saying “Come on, Jason” five times followed by a relieved and giddy “Yessssssssss!”

And then came the Visa ad that congratulated Phelps for his eighth gold medal. I can’t be sure if Morgan Freeman, recently in a serious car accident, was standing by, waiting for the right moment. More likely, Freeman recorded his words weeks ago, in anticipation of the victory.

“One gold medal is amazing,” Freeman said. “Two is, well, incredible. Three? Practically unbelievable. But eight? Eight gold medals? That’s, well, we need new adjectives for whatever that is.”

As the night (or Beijing morning) moved toward Phelps’s live race shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern time, NBC restrained its urge to over-promote his eighth race. Sure, there was hype. It couldn’t be avoided. NBC showed Phelps’s arrival at the aquatics center, played highlights set to a Queen Latifah song, cut to him in the warmup pool and did a little feature.

But NBC kept its Phelpsmania at bay. Imagine what it could have done to pump up Phelps instead of spending two and a half hours, almost without interruption, with the live women’s marathon. That race was won in a rout by Constantina Tomescu of Romania and lacked the presence, after three miles, of the American Deena Kastor. NBC then kept its focus on Dara Torres for her two silver medal-winning races.

But Phelps’s victory melted NBC’s reserve. After he won the eighth gold medal, NBC started hawking a DVD of his races. He was interviewed with his teammates by Andrea Kremer, went solo with Bob Costas, then accompanied Costas to the international broadcast center for more chat.

Phelps’s races created a nightly viewing moment that NBC could rely on to boost its enormous prime-time viewership. NBC will miss him, especially with taped track and coverage filling much of the coming week in prime-time. During Friday’s prime-time, when he swam the 100-meter butterfly final between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Eastern, NBC’s rating peaked at an 18.8. It seems a certainty that Phelps repeated the feat Saturday night for NBC.

Wohoo – Regola quits Senate race

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08225/903590-178.stm

Thank goodness. However, it’s not surprising that Regola is blaming the media’s “unfair coverage” for his withdrawal. The guy can’t ever take responsibility for ANYTHING. Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County and Hempfield Township are so much better off without this shady, disgusting character in office.

Regola seeks to expunge charges

According to the AP, PA Senator Bob Regola wants to “erase all records of [his] arrest, including his mug shot and fingerprints.”

This is ludacris. He was charged with felonies and now wants to act like nothing ever happened? Not guilty does not mean innocent. Remember O.J. Simpson?

I’m sure the Farrell family would like to expunge this whole tragedy from existence, too. But, they can’t…they lost a son.

The Allegheny County Drink Tax

It’s been a long day and a fun evening…I’m quite tired. 

There’s a lot about Pittsburgh politics/government that don’t make sense to me.  The drink tax is one thing.  I don’t think it’s fair that every person who wants to enjoy a glass of wine or beer or whatever inside the Allegheny county lines should have to fund the Port Authority.  It’s not fair that small business owners are forced to charge higher prices.  Public Transportation is important, but it is not a given, and when a public agency has been mismanaged for so long, why is it my responsibility, as an occasional drinker, to pay for it?  Or why is a restaurant owner – a person taking a financial risk yet trying to contribute to the county’s economy – responsible?

But, that’s not even my biggest problem with the whole issue.  Lately, groups have been pushing to get the drink tax on a ballot this November.  Wow–what a modern notion…let the VOTERS decide if they want their drinks to be taxed in order to fund anything – let alone a corrupt Port Authority. 

Leave it to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to screw that up.  Shady Dan Onorato and his cronies have somehow fixed it so the referendum that was up for vote tonight goes something like this:  voters can vote to have the drink tax…OR have their property taxes increased.

WHAT?

For those of you unfamiliar with Allegheny County politics, property taxes are a hot issue around here.  I guess because they were being raised and raised a few years back because the morons running this area have no idea what they’re doing.

Anyway, I need to read up more on the issue and all of the proceedings (which I will do, don’t you worry!).  But I would like to ask these crazy politicians one thing – particularly Dan Onorato (who thinks he’s PA’s Governor-in-training):  why does repealing the drink tax automatically mean that property taxes have to be raised?  I don’t see or understand the correlation to a tax on drinks (that are already taxed once through the state’s liquor system - don’t get me started on that) and property taxes.  I understand that decades of fraud and bad behavior at the Port Authority have caused the agency to be totally strapped for cash.  I don’t agree with funding it through taxation, but I’ll save that argument for later.  I don’t see how there are just NO OTHER OPTIONS other than two – drink or property taxes – to fund the county’s transportation. 

Dan, can you please explain that to me?  Because from where I’m sitting, it just looks like you and your County Council buddies are dropping the property tax card just to make sure the drink tax isn’t repealed. 

Crappy Headlines

In today’s 24-7 news cycle, everyone with a web site or TV channel is constantly vying for our attention – which means headlines and leads are more important than ever. But lately, I’ve been feeling that the media either thinks we’re stupid, or they are too lazy to try and come up with a good, solid and accurate headline.

For example, a couple weeks ago I read an AP headline: Dungy hopes Manning recovers quickly from surgery. Really? That’s absolutely shocking that a head football coach would hope that his MVP Super Bowl-winning quarterback would recover quickly from surgery. How is that even “news?” Even if this is just a typical update story on Peyton Manning’s recovery, couldn’t they have done better? I don’t know about you, but that headline irritates me so much that I didn’t even bother reading the article.

Friday, post-gazette.com had an article in prominent placement on their home page titled Poverty leads to playing lottery, study says. So you mean being filthy rich and having more money than you know what to do with doesn’t cause you to play the lottery?! Get out of here! I didn’t read the article – I just wondered who authorized and spent money on such a stupid study that really just stated the obvious.

Sometime last fall, it was all over the news that Elisabeth Hasselbeck was taking a maternity leave from The View. She was pregnant with her second child at the time. It had to have been a slow news week for that to even be considered news – or a headline. What pregnant working woman doesn’t take a maternity leave? Now there’s something to write about – and an appealing headline!

And, I could go on and on with examples.

Today, Adele handed me a section from yesterday’s New York Times, and as I was glancing through it, I couldn’t help but love every single headline I read. From Putting the Dream Car Out to Pasture to Blogging’s Glass Ceiling to The Breakups That Got Under My Skin – they all enticed me and made me want to at least find out what the article was about.

Wait a minute – isn’t that the purpose of a headline?!

Maybe I’m just weird (wait – don’t answer that). I don’t know if it’s because I’m a marketer/writer that I notice these things, but better headlines would make the world such a much more interesting place. Or something like that

Did John Peck f-up the Louis Farrell case?

As if that question could be any more rhetorical. But, watch the below video starting at about 6:45…very interesting insights into how this whole situation was inappropriately handled from the very beginning.

http://www.wpxi.com/video/16946068/index.html

It’s so sad that elected officials – who we, as citizens, are supposed to put our trust in, cannot handle their jobs and act shady. This case is about the tragic death of a 14 year old boy. Getting to the bottom of what happened was their job, and they didn’t do that. Anyone who votes to re-elect either Regola or Peck (when/if he runs) is an absolute moron, in my mind.

The Louis Farrell Tragedy

I love when people write letters or emails or otherwise speak their minds when they’re upset about something.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s about bad customer service or a life changing issue – I admire people who take the time to eloquently put their thoughts together to let their voice be heard.  I’ve emailed NBC sports when I havent agreed with their extra sports coverage, reporters who aren’t getting the facts straight, newspapers who focus on one side of the issue and businesses who have given me less than satisfactory service. 

I just came across this wonderfully written letter in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune Review.  Here’s the excerpt:

I found Rhonda Miller’s comments about the outcome of the trial of Sen. Robert Regola beyond distasteful (“Acquitting Sen. Regola,” Letters, July 15 and PghTrib.com).Miller wrote that “Members of the media seemed to foam at the mouth, fueled by Democrat fervor, waiting to devour the freshman senator and his family.”

This case was not about Democrat vs. Republican. It was about perjury, negligence and reckless endangerment, all issues that could apply to anyone, regardless of his political affiliation.

Furthermore, if any family is in danger of being “devoured” through this tragedy it is the Farrell family.

 

First, they tragically lost a beloved son. Then, his death was ruled a suicide, seemingly because of lack of evidence to the contrary.

Finally, Miller wrote that Regola was acquitted because of “the bravery of the 12 men and women on the jury.”

If only Regola and his son possessed the bravery to tell the Farrell family what happened on that tragic night almost two years ago.

Then, maybe they would find some peace and not have to be revictimized by the judicial system and people like Miller who refer to their beloved, sensitive, life-loving son Louis as a “troubled young man.”

Bob Regola Verdict: O.J. Simpson was Not Guilty, too

As my faith in the American Judicial System declines even further….

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08193/896421-100.stm

Did we get through to the media?!

In today’s Post-Gazette article about the Regola trial, Milan Simonich stated “All the charges are connected to the shooting death in July 2006 of Louis Farrell, a 14-year-old neighbor of the senator’s who killed himself with Mr. Regola’s handgun, according to a coroner’s ruling.” 

He corrected the main problem I had with his coverage the past two days.

Milan, thank you for your more accurate reporting.

Update: To the media – call it what it is

Apparently Milan Simonich didn’t get my email yesterday. In today’s Post-Gazette article, he states “Not in dispute is that a 14-year-old neighbor named Louis Farrell took the senator’s 9 mm pistol from his bedroom, then used it to kill himself with a bullet to the head in July 2006.”

I do not agree with this. Where is the evidence that the gun was actually in Regola’s bedroom and not his son Bobby’s? Where is the evidence that Louis was in either of those bedrooms? Where is the evidence that he was suicidal and 100%, without a doubt, killed himself?

Yes an inquest declared it a suicide. So call it what it is, Milan. It’s a RULED SUICIDE. It most definitely was in question. And still is for many people who don’t believe Regola and his son’s actions make any sense.

Here’s a link to another blog that talks about Regola’s disturbing behavior.

And here’s an email that Gabby sent to Milan Simonich this morning:

Milan,

Thank you for covering the Regola trial.  As a former Westmoreland County resident, I appreciate the coverage it is getting in the Post-Gazette.  However, I take issue with the following statements:  ”Not in dispute is that a 14-year-old neighbor named Louis Farrell took the senator’s 9 mm pistol from his bedroom, then used it to kill himself with a bullet to the head in July 2006″ and “Instead, Louie evidently found Mr. Regola’s handgun after sifting through the house.”  It is, in fact, in dispute that that is what actually happened.  In fact, the Farrell family has reserved the right to challenge the ruling of suicide.  It would be much more accurate to report that Louie’s death was “ruled a suicide.”  By the evidence presented at the inquest, it seems that Louie’s death was ruled a suicide, because of a lack of evidence to the contrary, not because of strong evidence that that was what happened.  I also don’t find it “evident” that Louie found Regola’s handgun after sifting through the house…That came from a story told by a state senator currently being tried for perjury and his son who invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination.  To promote that story is a disservice to your readers.