John Oliver's rant about Fox News

5/3 update:

Works of Love

Third essay for creative non-fiction writing. Not even close to finished, but not bad either.

1. Works of Love

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ii. Creative non-fiction essay 2
i. A Wednesday in Spring

Chaz W. Faubion, 21, Salina, died April 19, 2008. He was born September 25, 1986, in Salina. Chaz worked as Residential Trainer for OCCK, Salina.

1. Obituary — The Salina Journal

You'll be missed, Chaz.

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

"This is Just to Say"

by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

"Morning at the Window"

by T.S. Eliot

They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.

The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.

"So you need a student loan..."

A proposal for a decent news network

Some pointers, really:

• 24 hours of news every day means very little if viewers have to wade through hours of banter to get a taste of the day's news.


• The responsibility of news networks is to educate viewers. Viewers want to know what is happening in the world and society, and they want to see what is changing and what is staying the same. But they don't have the resources to document these. This is where news networks come in.


• Car crashes, rape convictions, kidnappings, small-scale natural disasters, and so forth do not matter outside of local news. There are more important things at work—in society, in politics, in culture, in economics, in world affairs, in science, etc. etc.


• Viewers don't want their information chewed for them. It is acceptable to feature a guest that is an expert in a particular field and to ask them for analysis related to that field, but Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and other news "personalities" do not serve to educate viewers. They truncate and simplify the wider conversation far more than they inform their audiences.

So here's my proposal. News networks should splinter into smaller networks with distinct functions. These include:

• Biased news: "Here's what I think. If you disagree with anything, you are wrong. -- 'We won Peabody awards!'" Pre-chewed food with no claims of impartiality. Maddox for a wider audience.


• The E! Channel: Celebrity gossip, fashion, and brainlessness.


• ShOcK nEwS!: "Disaster pornography." Bank robberies, murder and rape cases, car chases, that sort of thing. Tragedy for shock value. Jerry Springer but more real.


• Decent news: that informs the populace about issues pertinent to their communities, society, and the world at large. It provides the reader with facts, not opinions, that are sampled as fairly as possible. This is the fourth estate. It serves democracy.


• Specialized news (also decent): The weather channel, sports news, local news coverage, etc.

5/3 update:

One thing that I've noticed that The Daily Show does especially well, but "real" news networks seldom do at all, is pointing out blatantly contradictory statements on the parts of politicians and other figures. A "Decent news" network would have a deep memory and call out, say, our President and Vice President when they outright lie or change positions. Then, perhaps, the 24-hour news networks would air these before and after statements incessantly and really hound them on important issues rather than, for instance, droning on about Barack Obama's bowling ineptitude.






1. It's Funny How Funny Just the Facts Can Be

This morning

I woke up this morning not wanting to get out of bed. I had planned to get up early and study for a geography test (which I could care less about), but apparently it didn't work out. When I finally did get up, I was still feeling groggy and tired. Then, after a quick breakfast, I went to my car to drive to the school at which I tutor. I hadn't driven for about a week, and when I got inside I noticed a few things were different. The seatbelt was braided through the steering wheel, my rear-view mirror was turned side-ways, and I think some of my CDs were rearranged in the overhead organizer. (Nothing was stolen, though.) All of Lawrence went nuts on Monday night because our basketball team won the NCAA tournament. There wasn't very much serious damage that I heard of from this, but I think what happened is that someone got into my car that night and had fun with it. It was definitely unexpected but it livened up my day.

Then tutoring.. and Captain Underpants...

And I just took my geography test. When I rode back on my bike I was going against the wind on third gear. A gust came and actually stopped me, pushed me back two feet or so, and nearly tore my glasses from my face. The wind here is just obnoxious right now. (Why doesn't Lawrence have wind turbines?) And yeah.. so now I'm eating a burrito. Awesome story, yes?

9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous'

1. 9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

Poem 26

There are drops that waft through
rather than cling to the glass,
when the screen is half open or
the shadows run wet and fast,
but those streaks of shadow with
brass latches closed and stayed,
flow more thickly, and slowed
with hearts walled from the day.



4/18: What a clumsy poem...

Creative non-fiction essay 2

My second essay for creative non-fiction writing, before edits.

1. The Plaque Conspiracy


I'll have an improved/revised version up before long.

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i. A Wednesday in Spring