"Eliot Ness'" Major Corruption Accusal

I was watching MSNBC this afternoon and all that was on was the breaking news about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his political corruption crime spree. Reportedly, he tried to benefit from his ability to appoint President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald claimed that the governor tried to "auction off" the Senate seat to the highest bidder. Also, he said the alleged behavior "would make Abe Lincoln roll over in his grave." MSNBC has been reporting that Gov. Blagojevich is considered the Eliot Ness of our time. Mr. Ness was an American Prohibition Agent who helped with the arrest of countless corrupt politicians in U.S. government during the 1930s and 40s.

MSNBC has really only been reporting the governmental standpoint from attorneys and government officials. No word or interview has been seen from Bragojevich himself. I would like to see more about the governor to fully understand the story better. However, MSNBC has not tried to alter this story in any way thus far and I am grateful for it. Taking this news class has altered my opinion about who and where I get my information from.

An FBI affidavit claimed the Democrat was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife. However, no where on MSNBC can I find anything said directly from the governor himself. Maybe they are putting a Republican twist on the whole story and trying to make Democrats look bad. Who knows? We will just have to wait and see.

India's Political Downfall

Mark Magnier, of the Los Angeles Times, recently wrote an article reporting how public anger over the response of the Prime Minister's government and security forces to last week's assault on Mumbai. Throughout the entire two-page article, Magnier described how many people questioned whether the government's promise of reform would lead to serious changes whose problems were exposed due to the assault. All of Magnier's references were faced towards a negative outlook on the Indian government. No where did he comment on the positives of the government. As a reporter, one should tell about both sides to a story and not just one. Now because of this article, everyone around the world who knows nothing about Indian government will think the people and government are hostile and cannot function after reading this article.

Magnier reported that three of its top anti-terrorism officials almost immediately after the assault and how it took hours for officials to make decisions. I agree that this is a terrible tragedy and the fact that the government did not send help to people until hours after is atrocious. However, that does not give the reporter reason to simply not state the positives about the government. Also, still days later, militants are fighting commandos in Mumbai. The government's response is inadequate. Reporters should tell both sides of stories and let the reader decide which to believe.

Britney Spears: Lost Cause or Improving?

E! Entertainment news recently did a story about the ups and downs of Britney Spears' life. Personally I couldn't care less what any star does on their spare time, however, Britney has taken her personal life to the next level. She should not be allowed to drive, own anything, take care of children, or even breathe. Soooo, E! news described how Britney started out a one of the youngest female pop-stars of the 90s and degraded her way to sheer nothingness. Britney has appeared in public showing her private area, holding a 7 month-old baby infront of her while driving, and other numerous incompetent occurrences.

Although E! described Spears as a "wild child party girl", however, stated how she is attempting to turn her life around and someday wants to get married again. Britney stated "...I would like to be married and have a father figure for my kids, someone who is a provider and can be really stable." Of course she needs someone like that because she can't do that herself. Britney should be allowed on the same continent as her children. Anyway, E! commented about both opinions on Britney and stated both her negative and positive incidents. It is good that they stated both views instead of just one.

News media needs to keep true and not report false information or opinions.

Plaxico in jail?

On Friday November 28, New York Giants' wide receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh while at a club. He was admitted to a hospital and cleared the day after. Burress was not scheduled to play on Sunday, however, this incident did not bode well for the entire Giants organization. An article written by a CNN author described the whole situation and informed us that Plaxico will be turning himself in to police on Monday. The Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin, commented on the subject but was not specific. He made no harsh references towards Burress.

No where in the article did the author degrade or make opinionated statements. The author told the story of exactly what happened and what may happen in the future. I think that is great how the writer did not make any personal comments because thats how news shoul dbe told around the world, without any twists or turns. When writers make twists or turns or opinionated statements then the reader is subject to that information and the story is falsely explained. How can any country trust their news media if they post opinions or false information.

Al-Qaeda attack soon?

An article in the New York Times described a video from Osama bin-Laden's top deputy who condemned President-elect Barack Obama as a "house negro" who would continue a campaign against Islam that Al Qaueda's leaders said was begun by President Bush. The top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, made numerous references to Malcolm X and how Mr. Obama does not compare to "honorable black Americans" and is a hypocrite and a traitor to his country. However, later on in the article, the writer explains how this video is just a desperate attempt by Al Qaeda who suffered a defeat in the global war of ideas with Mr. Obama's election.

This may be true but why say this is a desperate attempt when it actually may not. This angle on the story is more opinionated then factual. An approach to a story like this can possibly anger Al-Qaeda and force them to make an attack on the United States. I understand that this is what the writer thinks but he must think about the wellness of this country.

I do agree with the writer that this was a poor attempt to merely poke at the United States because they are stating how Malcolm X was a good American, which obviously goes against their whole standpoint. However, to take this standpoint in a newspaper read around the world does not seem smart. Also, the writer states how the U.S. election results were a surprise to terrorists because they thought Americans would elect Senator McCain in order to leave things the same in the Middle East. Instead, Mr. Obama is going to withdraw from Iraq and focus his sole attention towards Al-Qaeda and Osama bin-Laden.

Paperless Newspaper?

Do you get annoyed when the black ink of a newspaper gets on your fingers? Is it annoying when turning big newspaper pages in crammed places like the subway? If so, then you are in luck. At Plastic Logic's factory in Dresden, British engineer Dean Baker has invented a new way to read newspapers. The most significant part of it is that it paperless and highly electronic. This new device looks just like a table mat and weighs as much as a magazine. It is composed entirely of plastic and you can download hundreds of newspapers and browse through them quite quickly.

BBC News reporter Steven Rosenberg interviewed Dean Baker and asked how the new invention worked. Everything, from the screen to the electronics inside, is made of plastic. This is why the electronic newspaper, as Baker calls it, is so light, flexible, and revolutionary. Baker believes that this electronic newspaper will save millions of papers a day because not only can you read newspaper but you can download books and transfer documents to it as well.

Steven Rosenberg asked questions and made comments from both sides of the new invention. Although he was shocked at this gadget, he commented on how the whole point of the newspaper is that you can bring it anywhere you want and the feel of paper is precious to people. The questions he asked were very neutral and concise. I personally like the feel of paper, however, this new device is very environmentally friendly and can speed up the transfer of news at a rate unlike ever before.

Inexperience or Wit?

The 2008 Vice-Presidential debate in my own opinion answered more questions than the Presidential debate did. Both Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin addressed every question with accurate and concise responses. i was very surprised at how well Governor Palin held her own in this debate and did not truly think she was going to do as well as she did. Senator Biden definitely answered every question with many facts behind his opinions and kept "throwing punches" at John McCain and his administration. Overall it was a much better debate than the first Presidential debate.

Both CNN and The New York Times stated that Governor Palin's lack of experience showed throughout the debate, "mostly repeating  cliches and tired attack lines and energetically refusing to answer far too many questions." Personally I do not think this is true at all. I felt that Governor Palin has a strong sense of what is going on and what needs to be done. The point that was made on a New York Times article got the most when the author stated, "On Iraq, all Governor Palin had to offer was the false accusation that Barrack Obama wants to surrender..." That is not true at all because Governor Palin specifically said what the Republican plan was in Iraq, which was, "We'll know when we're finished in Iraq when the Iraqi government can govern it's people and when the Iraqi security forces can secure its people. And our commanders on the ground will tell us when those conditions have been met." That states that whatever the plan is in Iraq now, will be the plan for the future. Therefore, if Barack Obama pulls out too soon, then whatever has already been accomplished in Iraq will be lost.

Joe Biden responded with much more supporting evidence than Palin did and i think he won the debate. Both the New York Times and CNN seem to think so as well. Overall the debate went very well and can be seen as a positive outlook on where each candidate stands and who seems to be more prepared for the job.

First Presidential Debate

The first of three Presidential debates went underway on September 26 at the University of Mississippi between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Many spectators believed this debate would define what each nominee would do if they were elected into the White House. However, the turnout was quite the opposite. Neither McCain nor Obama directly answered the questions addressed to them. All their answers were generalizations that revolved around the question and kept bringing up the same answers. Even Jim Lehrer, the moderator for the debate, tried to rephrase the questions numerous times and the candidates failed to properly answer them.

Overall, I thought the debate was going to be more entertaining in a debate and political aspect. Both nominees brought up small arguments and somewhat dodged the questions. However, Obama seemed more presentable and directed his main attention towards both the people and McCain. Obama consistently looked at McCain but McCain never bothered to even glance at Obama, which shows me he probably though the was on a higher level than Obama and did not want to be burdened with being in the same conversation as his opponent.

I followed the debate up with CNN, The New York Times, and BBC news. All three sources covered the debate with the same viewpoint as I did. Everyone stated that the candidates did not point to any major adjustments they would need to make to their Presidential duties. Both McCain and Obama focused more on claiming how each other was not well suited for the job. This debate, in my eyes, served as a reminder of how different these two men would be as president. We need to choose wisely as for our economy, politics, and foreign affairs are no where near the condition they need to be.

Lance Armstrong out of retirement

Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong stunned the sports world on September 9 when he announced that he would come out of a three-year retirement to attempt to win the Tour de France for a record eighth time. CNN reporter Kitran Chetry conducted an interview with Lance and asked questions about why and how he decided to race again. The main reason for Lnace is for the Livestrong campaign. Armstrong wants to take the message around the world and erase some of the stigma that exists with cancer and increase funding.

Chetry then began to ask Lance about how his body and mind will react to training after such a long period of doing nothing. lance replied that he believes in the theory of mind over body and even though he is 37 he feels like he is 25 and training will be much like it was before he retired. Armstrong claims the main and only reason for his return is for cancer and that the eighth title in the Tour de France does not even mean anything. Which I really can't believe because he could spread Livestrong without racing in the Tour.

The next part of the interview was a question asked about the Presidential campaign. Why would CNN ask him what he thought about McCain and Obama? The subject here is cycling and Livestrong. CNN covered this story around that basis and then switched directly to politics. I understand that the political campaign is a big issue right now but other stories should just stick to those stories.

Republican Presidential nominee John McCain is going to be on the next cover of People Magazine featuring his entire family. The Presidential election has certainly affected the lives of John McCain's closest relatives, including his wife and seven children. The news reports each family member has bonded closely together despite having mediocre relationships with with their father. What should we know about his family? How will a large family with some glitches function inside the White House? The media plays a very important role in this topic because it is their job to find out everything about the McCain family.

John McCain's campaign advisors suggested it would be a great idea to publicize his family in People Magazine. This is a great suggestion because because people all over the country want to know how these political figures function as everyday citizens. So what could be better than to have the entire McCain family featured in People Magazine? The answer is nothing. People Magazine is an average American news informant that tells everyone what the celebrities, politicians, movie stars, etc are doing in their everyday lives outside of their important jobs.

Pictures from the article include horseback riding, home photos, shots from John McCain while serving in the United States military, and many other family activities. However, the front cover picture of the entire family does not include McCain's sixteen-year-old adopted daughter Bridget. Why is this? Many sources say this is because she is "not white" enough to be part of their "All-American" family. Rumor has it that the McCain's are hiding her away on the advice of consultant Tucker Askew, who claims Bridget's skin tone is a nasty anti-McCain smear campaign. Although this is creating an issue the McCain campaign should most definitely try and avoid, the family is still extremely popular in the public's eyes.