Hilarity in the Newsroom?

Earlier this month Hotair.com posted a satire video
in the mode of Obama Girl but instead it has a guy
dancing with a dress. It was done by the op-ed staff
of The Wtchita Eagle. In the same post Allahpundit
also notes this humorous piece done by the New York Times:



Posted yesterday on Youtube was this funny video of the whole
Sen. Craig debacle. Guess what!!! Turns out it is linked to a
newspaper newsroom! What is going on in our country's newsrooms???

While in J-school I made some news satire pieces. If I could do
it over would I make the same videos? Probably not. I've
gotten over the whole wanting to be the next Daily Show
host, Jon Stewart is doing a fine job. However, Comedy Central if
Mr. Stewart wants to retire soon, I've available and the jokes are
included.

I think people who work in newsrooms need to be careful in not
getting into the world of comedy. I admit it is enticing since you
see so many people getting laughs on television and the internet.
Most of the videos I've pointed where done by people in the opinion
section, which they understandably are given more freedom on what
they can say and do. But ridiculing the people they are talking about in
their op-ed articles strikes me as unfair. There needs to be a level of
professionalism exhibited by the staff of new organizations.

Joking about current events is the trendy and fun thing to do. Hey, a couple
of Bush or Cheney riffs and you've won the crowd. Journalists are
oftentimes smart and witty people whose job it is to focus on current
events. So who best to show up Mr. Leno or Lettermen? But a reminder
to reporters: You are not working to be a dispenser of hilarity but a
disseminater of, uh, news.

Hillary Clinton has a Top 10 list

(Via Hotair)
Ain't nothing wrong with pant suits.
Number 6 made me laugh.

Headlines 08/30/2007

Texas governor spares getaway driver (AP)- "Gov. Rick Perry, longtime
head of the nation's busiest death penalty state, spared an inmate
Thursday hours before he was to have been executed for being a
killer's getaway driver."
Boston: The bloggiest city- 'Dem New Englanders and their fancy internet
connections and colleges. And is blogging the best thing to happen to
Philadelphia since the song 'Motownphilly' (just thought I would insert random
reference)?
You're a big kid now- Very interesting interview. I agree with her assessment.
I'm one of those adults who is still trying to 'find themselves,' I just need to
grow up already! I'm getting there:)
Web video aims to be like TV- I've always thought those Youtubers and
video bloggers just wanted a way to get their faces on television. So they've
decided, "Hey, let's just make the internet like television instead." Hence, the
word 'broadcast' on Youtube's slogan.

You've been spun

Check out this creepy crawly story.
I'm gonna start watching out for the spiders
around here in Texas because I think they
want to take over the state. I won't let them!

Spelling Errors

I commit so many spelling and grammar errors in one
day one could justifiably think I don't know how to
read or write. I guess I just need to be careful before
I press the submit button.

A Republican finally comes up with a Youtubable campaign video

See Mitt run.
Very well done.

Katrina: Two Years Later

I'm sorta surprised at the lack of news coverage
from the national news media outlets on two years
to the date when the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast.
CNN.com has a section devoted to the natural disaster
and the devastation it caused and also the rebuilding
that still needs to be done. Then again the network did
a pretty good job covering it from the beginning.

My message to Miss Teen South Carolina

Here is the video I'm referring to.

Job searching and stuff

Allow me to get a little personal and talk about my
job search for a minute. I'll admit I haven't been
actively searching for the past few months but I'm
coming back in full force.

One of the reasons why I haven't been aggressively
on the job hunt is because I was hoping (and still am)
that I could make this whole blogging thing a career.
It has proven to be not the easiest thing to get into
so I've decided to focus on jobs that you would find,
for example, in a classified ad in a newspaper.

Another reason is that I've been struggling to focus
on what kind of jobs I should be applying . I never
thought I would a 25-year-old with a graduate degree
who is still trying to figure out what career path to take.
But here I am.

Perhaps, I've been fed the notion that a job not only can supply
you with financial resources but you can actually find some
kind of enjoyment if you choose the right career. Part still
wants to hold this to be true and the other part just wants
to go somewhere from 8 to 5 and get paid for being there.

Interesting conversation

I'm having an interesting conversation on Chuck Olsen's
blog, check it out. Some of the comments are somewhat
long but I think it is getting good even though it has been
going on for almost a week. I was a little snotty at first but
I apologized. I know that doesn't come off very well.

Jesus as PR

Today Michael Vick said he found Jesus.
It seems when celebrities get themselves
into trouble they say they found spirituality.
Another example of this is Paris Hilton when
she was about to be locked up. I would like to premise
what I'm about to say by stating I'm not trying to
question the honesty of the relationship these
celebs have with God because that is not the right
thing to do. I don't know their hearts and I truly hope
Michael Vick and Paris Hilton do have a relationship
with God.

I would just caution celebrities in using the name God
during a personal crisis. It might appear that they are
using faith as a public relations tool to get a more
favorable view from the American public and press.
Many people do turn to God during a crisis because their
world has just been shaken and they are asked to reevaluate
what is important in life. Let's just not make light of this
and make into some media tradition.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigns

There had long been rumors of this happening.
It seems one by one they all are leaving.

Roses

Headlines 08-24-07

Religious youth tend to be happy- "The Associated Press
and MTV found that people aged 13 to 24 who describe
themselves as very spiritual or religious tend to be
happier than those who don’t."
Mother Teresa had doubts- I think is normal for believers
to have doubts. I know when I go through my doubting
periods it helps he sift my faith and makes it even stronger.
I think this shows she was a very thoughtful and sincere
woman of God.
Presidential Candidates: Yo! Chat wit me- MySpace, MTV
will hold real-time online conversations. So who do think
MySpacers and MTV watchers most want to talk to?
Study: Chick Magnets today look like cavemen- The evolution
of facial appearance.

Random video

So I wanted to check out Blogger's new video
feature so I uploaded two random video clips
to see if the process is easy and simple. The first clip
is a zoom into the moon and second clip is gratuitous
video of my pet. So far so good. The only
negative I've noticed so far is no share or email
option but then again I guess you can email the
whole post.

American Christianity

I blogged earlier this week about the CNN series
"God's Warriors." Last night it ended with a discussion about
politics and Christianity and it did mostly focus on fundamentalist
as was expected. However, there were some religious leaders
that were interviewed that had different opinions than the
religious right. One pastor surmised that politics has no place
in the pulpit. Another religious leader spoke about how taking
care of the environment is a religious and moral issue.
Indeed, it is.

Everyone is trying to find their place in society and have their
voice heard. Religious people are no different, we are just like
everyone else in that aspect. Trying to find out what is important
to us as individuals and to us as a group. I know what is vital me
as a person. But when setting the priorities of a collective group,
well, now that is a different story? What should us as Christians
care about? What should our role be in society? How do we
communicate the message of the Good News? That's where we
get in trouble.

One thing I was impressed about last night is how the Christian
religious leaders Amanpour interviewed had vastly different
answers for the above questions. One would think that people with
same theological perspective would ultimately come to the same
conclusions. This is not so. The Christian community actually
has diversity of thought! Diversity is cherished and flourishes
here in America and I think our churches here reflect that.
The even more amazing part to me is that even among all these
disagreements on certain issues we are still remain united.

Many accusations can be rightly thrown at the American Christian
community but I don't think a lack of diversity is one of them. Church
to me is a place where even I; an ethnic minority in this country,
female, and a sinner, is valued. It is a true testament to God's love.

Did I Accept???

Good morning ladies and gentlemen,
today we are going to play "Did Terry Ann accept
or deny the MySpace friend request?" Ok, today
Terry Ann received a friend request from Planned
Parenthood of Connecticut. The profile has the song
'I am Woman' by Helen Reddy on automatic play
and proclaims to fight for reproductive rights. So did
Terry Ann accept or deny the request? You have 10 seconds
to answer (ok, not really).

I'm going to the place where my ancestors likely left in the 1600s

A childhood dream of mine is going to come true
next year. I've always to visit Europe and in June
2008 it will finally happen. I am taking trip with
my family to Spain!!!



I am planning to buy a digital camera soon so
I will take plenty of pictures to share with my
readers! Aren't trips good excuses for updating
your gadgets?

Since this it will be my first time in Europe and Spain
if anyone has suggestions or advice please feel free to
put in a form of a comment or email. I hope this trip
invigorates my zeal for life and seeing the world.

Another extremist portrayal (Updated)

You often hear about stereotypes in media along the
line of race and gender and those do indeed exist. What
about the stereotypes of religious people? How many
times have you've seen the portrayals of Christian
evangelicals as hypocritical nut cases.

Tonight CNN will premiere a documentary called
God's Warriors. Last night on Larry King, Christiane
Amanpour said it will focus on "fundamentalists,"
code word for religious wackos. For once I would like to
see a positive image of evangelicals and other religious
people. And if the media wanted to show Christians
in a good light to balance all the negatives it wouldn't
be hard. There are plenty of Christian missionaries in the
front lines in Africa in a fight against AIDS and poverty
and in other dangerous places in the world. But I've
come to believe that is not the image the gatekeepers
of mainstream media want you to have because that
would mean that religion actually has a beneficial purpose.
We couldn't have that image now, could we?

I suggest that CNN benefits from showcasing extremists
on a daily basis and not just religious ones. How many
times have you seen Bill Maher or Ann Coulter on
CNN's news programs promoting their books or shows?
How about the news media taking some sort of the responsibility
for these religious and political zealots they give a voice to on
regular basis? Instead of trying to higher the level of religion
and political discourse they get the most outrageous people to
represent a whole group.

I propose that CNN not invite bigoted religious figures or political
demagogues on air. Some might call this censorship because news
organizations have the right to put on controversial and divisive
people, which is true. However, they are not obligated in any shape
or form to give these people a platform.

I would never get two seconds speaking about religion or
politics on CNN because I don't use hateful and divisive
words. I know while airing 'God's Warriors,' the news
organization is going to pretend that it is an objective look
at the people of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam but
if it was it wouldn't focus on the 'fundamentalists,' as Amanpour
said.U

Update 8/22: I watched the first part of the documentary
last night and must admit every minute was interesting.
However, I felt it was heavily slanted toward the Palestinian
view of the situation.

Obama declares himself winner on MySpace bulletin

Wow... I didn't watch this debate but MySpace
tells me who won.

Hurricane Dean from Space

Absolutely amazing. (Hat tip- Hot Air)

Headlines 08/20/2007

Evangelicals, Jews in holy alliance- "If it wasn't for
what the Jews brought to Christianity, there would
be no Christianity," said Pastor Gary Christofaro.
Why girls go for pink- Pink is so pretty. I wish I
my wardrobe could solely consist of pinks and purples.
'Obama girl' not so funny for Obama's family- I agree
with Sen. Obama on this one, I wish more people would
think of their impact. Even if it is all in fun.
News shifts to election coverage from War in Iraq-Instead
of covering the actual war the news media is covering the
politics of war.

Plugging my church

My church, Bay Area Fellowship, posts the weekend
sermons online. Here is this weekends' message. Oh,
my pastor also has a blog. Welcome to church, Web 2.0
style that is.

Also I like looking at different church Web sites
and seeing what they are doing online. So feel
free to link your church in my comments section.

Love Story

Just having a little weekend fun! Hope you all
don't mind.

New MySpace Profile!!!

I just thought I would let my readers know that I have
changed my MySpace profile. So check it out!!! And
add me as a friend if haven't yet. Oh and if you are a
MySpace spammer don't even bother.

iAlways Connected

Yesterday I saw this now viral video about this girl
who received a 300 page I-Phone bill. It is now
featured on Yahoo! and Myspace:



I was curious about what type of person would
ring up a such a massive bill since I'm such a cell phone
loser and average one text message a month. Which led
me to her blog. Her name is Justine and she apparently
does live streaming throughout the day.

This incident got me to thinking about the whole nature
of the internet and access to the content creators. It seems
like now the cool thing to do online is become a 'web personality'
(for lack for a better term). One way to do that is by giving people
more access to you. Do live video chatting so throughout the day so
people can see what you are doing like Justine is doing. Upload

videos unto Youtube. Twitter throughout the day so you let people
know what are you doing at all hours of the day including when you
wake and what you eat. Use your digital camera to upload personal
pictures to Flickr. Then there are also social networking sites like
MySpace and Facebook so you can spread the word to a large list of
people what you are working on.

It seems now people want more access to the people they see online.
Even politicians have videos on Youtube, pictures on Flickr, and MySpace
accounts. But how much access to people should we have? Is all this
crossing the line?

I love blogging and I also like using all these neat tools. I do want to
connect with others through the internet and want to find out what all my
online and offline friends are up to. But are people like Justine giving
up way too much of their privacy for some notoriety (and I assume
she is also making a living doing this)?

I know a lot of people on the web believe in complete transparency
with their audience. I, however, am not of this view. I think there
needs to be a professional distance between the person producing the
content and the viewers, readers. Plus, I think it is only healthy to
be disconnect yourself from media sometimes and enjoy the world
around us. So, I believe I found out what type of person would receive
a 300 page cell phone bill. The type that doesn't disconnect from social
media.

P.S. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy receiving emails and comments
on my blog!!!

Hallo and Oi

It seems recently I had two foreign visitors, one
from Brazil and another from the Netherlands.
So I checked online on how to say hello in Dutch
and Portuguese. According to the internets, it is
Hallo (Dutch) and Oi (Portuguese). I just wanted
to take the time to say that foreigners are definitely
welcomed here (legally, of course). I hope you enjoy
my Tex-Mex view of the world.

Internet hater, Keen, still hating

Andrew Keen went on The Colbert Report last night.
Keen, I'm an educated and trained journalist and blog,
so it is possible. I find it ironic that Keen himself has
a blog. Don't hate the players, hate the game (whatever
that means).

ABC sends me creepy email at 3:27 a.m.

So I woke up to this email from ABC titled,
"Dirty Sexy Money." I think I am going to
unsubscribe to their newsletter now. There is
no good show on that network anyway, I'm
sorta over 'Grey's Anatomy.' They all sleep
with each other, gross.

Dick Cheney lurks

Headlines 08-15-2007

Can one be cool and Republican?- I think I'm living
proof you can be.
Romney still kinda confused about abortion- Is
abortion really such an important issue that candidates
always have to get grilled about it?
"The melting pot" makes some uncomfortable-A study
found that as the diversity within a community rises,
the number of people in that community who vote, volunteer
or give to charity falls.
Obama: 'The Decider' can't be blamed for everything- It looks
like Sen. Obama has been reading my blog.

CSI: Corpus Christi

There are cop cars and a CSI van down the street
in my neighborhood.

Sodden Texas

Click photo for attribution

This summer in South Texas has been wet.
Now tropical storm Erin has moved into the
Gulf of Mexico.

This morning I took a picture of a local park
that is usually brown and dry this time of year.

Update: Valley Lemon tree

Earlier this year I posted about the valley tree
in my front yard. Here are two of the lemons that
have been picked so far.

Don't drink the water

Water issues.

It takes a village

I hear a lot of chatter on the internet about how the web
is democratizing America and giving everyone a say in
our government. What I find ironic is the same people
who are glorifying this new 'power to the people' democracy
blame one person for all the troubles our country is facing.
That one person, President Bush. How can people who say
that it's the power of the collective simultaneous claim that
one singe person is the primary ill.

A clear example of this is Senator Hillary Clinton. She talks
about how it 'takes a village' to run a government but then
calls the Iraq War, "Bush's War." Never taking any responsibility
for her vote in authorizing it. Sen. Clinton, are you not part of the
global village?

It appears to me that liberals want our society to be more of a collective one.
I actually sorta agree with them on that. America is becoming too individualistic
of a society. Although, I don't think government can solve people only looking
inwardly. But doesn't a more collective society take mutual responsibility for
the problems they see in their country and not place it on one single person.

It's all the rage to Bush-bash these day. I say go ahead bash all you want and
give him credit for all the horrible things in the world. But while you're doing
that please don't give me any platitudes about how individualistic our society
is. Because the part of society you are decrying is also the very part that you
are happily using to spread your anger.

I'm tired of politicians getting sole credit (good or bad) for things they
they couldn't have possibly done themselves.

Update:
Hillary says troops are invisible to Bush.

I see your pain?

Headlines 08-13-07

'Bush's brain' to leave at end of August- Rove
resigned today. I've been reading some blogs
and seems like no one has a dispassionate view
about him.
America slips in life expectancy ranking- Forty countries,
including Cuba, Taiwan and most of Europe had lower
infant mortality rates than the U.S. in 2004.
Dems fear Clinton may be a negative- Say it ain't
so? Shocking.
Romney wins straw poll- Before Romney supporters
get all happy, it didn't include Giuliani or McCain.
Hey, he still looks presidential.

Video: Classic Barack

A look into some memorable clips of the Junior
Senator from Illinois.

Hot topic: Immigration

Click on picture for source

I've been noticing lately that whenever blogs
post about the issue of immigration their comments
inevitably increase. I'm curious why does this topic
garner such heated and spirited debates? It
must be touching people's lives in a such a deep way
to get this reaction.

I personally don't have strong feelings one way or
another, which is ironic since I live just 3 hours from
the Mexican border. I think both sides have some good
points. I have a couple of pointers to people debating the
issue. One is don't assume people who are for tougher border
enforcement are automatically racist because it truly might
not be the case. They probably just want people to follow the
rule of law. For the anti-immigration crowd my advice is don't
dismiss Hispanics when they call out racism. Some but not all
of the anti-immigration rhetoric is fueled by racism and that issue
shouldn't be avoided.

Closely related to immigration is the English-only debate.
Yes, English is our official language and people who want to
live and work here should learn it. BUT let's not get so
sensitive about seeing signs, documents, etc. translated into
other languages. I applaud and admire people who can
speak more than one language. When I went to Israel last
year, I was amazed at how many people I encountered that
knew not just one or two languages but several. Let's not sell
ourselves short. Plus, it is good for business. People in other
parts of the world learn different languages so they can do
business transactions.

Side read:
Here is a story I did two years ago about a Mexican immigrant
population in small rural city in North Carolina.

Role model

A Fox News article discusses the consequences of the
"sexualization of girls." Researchers found a "Girls Gone Wild"
effect on young girls who post nude photos of themselves online.
Here are the mental health issues mentioned in the article
that this oversexualization can lead to:

Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualization and
objectification undermine a person’s confidence in and comfort
with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems,
such as shame and anxiety.
Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualization with
three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls
and women—eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or
depressed mood.
Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualization
of girls has negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop a healthy
sexual self-image.

It is disturbing that so many females think that the only value they
have is their outward appearance. As a young woman I've always
gone against this trend. I want to be a woman of substance.
When I talk about the issues of our day I want people to listen to
what I have to say. Women throughout history and even today have
suffered too long and hard to get our voices heard. I don't want to undo
the all the work that has been done and be reduced to such superficiality.

The article also talks about bad role models like Paris Hilton and Britney
Spears. I'm the same age as Britney Spears. I remember when she
first came out with her first video. Back then I never (I guess I was
too young) thought of the possible consequences of young girls dressing
provocatively at such a young age. When your 16, you don't think 16 is all
that young. You think you are an adult and want to dress cool. With what
this article is saying I don't think it is unfair to speculate that perhaps Spears's
recent and very public mental breakdowns are related to her sexy persona
at such a young age.

Dancing with Tom Cruise

This is so fun!

10 reasons why I'm such a nerd

10. I enjoy watching Book TV on C-SPAN 2
on the weekends.
9. I subscribe to a tech vlogging group
on Yahoo! even though I don't vlog very much.
8. I've been watching almost all the presidential
debates.
7. I blog on a regular basis.
6. I hardly listen to music anymore but I just
finished to listening to the audiobook "The
Audacity of Hope," by Barack Obama. Good stuff.
5. I like books.
4. I get really upset when I misspell something but
still do it all the time.
3. I rather email than call someone.
2. I often contemplate the role of the internet in
our current society and the its future.
1. I make lists.

Girl Power?

Great quote by Hillary. But would it not have
been more politically correct to say 'woman'
instead of 'girl'? Just a thought.

Sorry

I apologize for not posting in the past couple of days.
I have not been feeling too good. I will be back tomorrow.

Matt Damon is mean

"He's Mexicanier."

Headlines 08-06-07

ATM's in the Church Lobby Yo! - Well, many churches
are diversifying the way they accept donations. Members
can make donations online at my church. Is this just local
churches adjusting to modern money transactions?
Democrats get Kostic- So Hillary and Barack didn't listen
to Bill O'Reilly not to attend this convention? Shocking!
Ok... not really.
Stewart snags high profile interviews on the daily- Forget
getting interviewed by Larry King or Diane Sawyer, let's
make awkward jokes and go on The Daily Show. Yeah!
We will aim for the one's that we cannot reach, young people.
And we shall pick on the young one- Now Sen. McCain is calling
Sen. Obama naive like Sen. Clinton did a few weeks ago. I actually
think Obama's newness to the political world is a plus not a minus.
What say you?

Jazzy and Blue

A couple of years ago I read this great book
called Blue Like Jazz and subtitled Non-religious
Thoughts on Christian Spirituality and written by
Donald Miller. I really enjoyed his honesty throughout
the book. Here is an excerpt:

But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs
something. And there is something inside me, some
selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the
truth at all because it carries responsibilities, and
if I actually believe these things I have to do something
about them. It is so, so cumbersome to believe anything.
And it isn't cool.

Miller writes the book in a Generation X voice. Where it
is at times unfocused and choppy but still manages to get
his point across. I loved it!

A running theme in the book is being authentic as a
Christian. I believe the number one thing that young
people are looking for today is authenticity. In the book
Miller admits he is sometimes skeptical about his Christian
beliefs. I believe it is alright to say you have doubts. Doubts
shouldn't be viewed as weak faith but as a critical and
reflective look at one's faith. There are many ills facing
contemporary American Christianity (consumerism...cough)
but this opening up to deeper questioning and not just
accepting traditions at face value is one of the positive
things I'm seeing.

The Father of Intelligent Design Speaks

Michael Behe talks to Stephen Colbert.
What do you think of Intelligent Design?

Avril Lavigne is so socially consciousness

Why do the singers always have to make that one
video that is somewhat 'socially consciousness'?
Avril Lavigne's new video has a soldier going to
war. Are we suppose to forgive you for all your
past transgressions (bad music videos) because
you made one semi-meaningful song. I guess I
can forgive Lavigne since she's young and has
many more years to tick me off.

Madonna on the other hand has been doing horrible
music and videos for decades. Her next song can be
about orphans, poverty, and saving dolphins and I
still wouldn't like her.

Live

It is amazing how much technology is changing the way
news is covered. We all in some ways become
eyewitnesses to such tragics events such as the
Minneapolis' bridge collapsing. Two things I've noticed
is how much the cable news networks are using
video footage and pictures that were sent by viewers
through the internet. Another noteworthy occurrence
is local bloggers stepping up to the plate and giving a local
perspective to a national news story.

Please don't send me your propaganda via Myspace

Ok, I just checked my MySpace account and
I was excited to see I had a new message. Then,
I opened it up and it was this piece of lovely propaganda.
Some Marnia girl sent it. I should have known better
than to open up a message from someone I don't know.
Anyways, to all the crazies on MySpace get a life.

I know you think your cool and such an anti-establishment rebel
but how anti-establishment can you be when you own a
computer (which many in the world don't have), high speed
internet access (which is needed to view MySpace because its
always slow because of all the spammers like you who traffic it),
and obviously the mass produced software PhotoShop (oh
and I am so sure you're so smart because you figured out
how to use it)? Take your propagandist material somewhere
else, please. At least I'm asking peacefully.

Nah...ah!!! I'm the mostest anti- Iraq war candidate!!!

I just read this AP article which states:

A public feud with the Pentagon generally and Cheney in
particular may help Clinton among Democratic primary voters
still uneasy over her 2002 vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq.

Her two main rivals, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John
Edwards, have sought to position themselves as more consistently
and more stridently anti-war than Clinton.

Since the Democratic candidates are trying to outdo each other on who
is more anti-Iraq war and Bush administration, I thought I would do
a poll asking 'Who do you think is the most anti-Iraq war?' And plus
Dems seem to like polls. Web poll located here.

1. Barack Obama
2. Hillary Clinton
3. John Edwards

They almost sound like children fighting....
Nah..ah! I get the front seat because I was against the war
first, nose picker!!!