[Rant: The Death of Newspapers]
I have mentioned in the past my childhood desire to be a newspaper writer (if it was good enough for Superman...), so I have grown increasingly concerned with the decline of the newspaper industry:
NEWSPAPERS MERGING = LESS UNIQUE VOICES
I have previously mentioned (on this blog) my issue with the government lifting the regulation of one person or corporation owning several news sources in one market. In the good old days, an entity couldn't own a newspaper,tv station, and radio station in the same city. That rule doesn't exist anymore and you have a guy like Rupert Murdock owning several newspapers in a market, controlling the local Fox news station (if not outright owning it), and also radio stations. I should also note that Murdoch also recently purchased Myspace. Makes you wonder what his next target is eh?
If you have a corporation owning several news sources in more market, it goes without saying they are going to try to increase efficiencies by combining departments, reducing head count, and eliminating "extras". But in the case of the news - it is good to have people walking the beat and checking any area of interest they can.
Let's not even mention the conflict of interest if said owner decided to support a political candidate or got pissed off at someone...
INCREASED POPULARITY OF OTHER NEWS SOURCES
Television news "personalities" like Bill O'Reilly and Michael Moore present hand picked items as news but it is really entertainment. Americans are becoming more dependent on these "voices" to help them formulate their opinions and beliefs (because Americans like to be entertained). In addition to these news personalities, the internet has overtaken newspapers for readers (source). While I love the internet , it is massive and an unregulated source of information. As you read this, how do you know I am not pulling this information out my ass?
Internet advertising is not as precise and harder to measure effectiveness than in newsprint. This makes advertisers less willing to spend their dollars on websites. Without a solid revenue stream, you are seeing more part-time and do-it-yourself journalism which is great, but we still need full time people watching the chicken coup to keep the wolves out. The problem is the wolves are getting all the money. Since they are bringing in viewers on a national level, those advertisers are spending their money to keep politically extreme shows like the O'Reilly factor on the air.
MASSIVE REDUCTION OF READERS
Less people are reading - period. The masses seem to prefer to get their mental stimulation through TV and visual internet sources (like youtube). This is a problem that has existed since the dawn of the printed word: If you allow people to spoon feed you your information, you can't form your own opinions. The Catholic church actually wanted people to be illiterate during the dark ages so the priests had more power over their subjects - they didn't want the masses to be able read and interpret the bible themselves. Now we are willingly allowing ourselves to be deceived.
The average reading ability for most adults in the US is estimated at the 6th grade level (click here for more). This means that people are becoming dumber because reading aptitude is a key indicator of intelligence. As America collectively becomes less intelligent, we don't read newspapers because WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND THEM ANYMORE.
I have to be honest with you - I think I have to end it here. Wait - one more thing: Go read a book and then read the New York Times before it goes out of print (it won't be long).
[Reblog: Thanksgiving Eve 2006]
I re-wrote an old story about Thanksgiving Eve 2006. If you didn't see the blog over the weekend, you can read it here
[Recipe of the Week: Lentil Tacos]
I am actually stealing this one from my wife this week, but of course with my own twist ;-)
INGREDIENTS
1 package of lentils
1 large Spanish onion diced
1 package of taco meat seasoning
2 cups of beef broth
2 bulbs of pressed garlic
1 package of whole wheat tortilla/soft tacos
4 cups of shredded low fat cheddar cheese (or you can get the "Mexican Cheese Mix" you see at the stores for tacos
4 cups of shredded lettuce
DIRECTIONS
NOTE: you want the lentils to have to consistency of ground meat mixture, so don't add too much broth to make it soupy (and if you do, drain it out before adding the seasoning)
1. Put a splash of oil in a large pan - heat on medium heat - and add the onions and the garlic and allow to cook for 6 minutes
2. Rinse off the lentils and let them sit
3. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil
4. Add the lentils - keep the broth boiling for 5 minutes and then drop to simmer for 20 minutes
5. While simmering, add the taco seasoning and (optional) salt (if you add the salt, wait until the end, it makes the lentils hard)
6. When the lentils are done, assemble to tacos by adding lettuce and cheese to your liking and then of course add the lentil mixture
Delicious
[DIY of the Week: Make a Halloween Rotting Corpse]
Delight your neighbors by hanging a rotten corpse in front of your house
Click here for the full tutorial
[Video of the Week]
Paul McCartney 'I'll Kill' - watch more funny videos
[The Back Window]
New Feature Alert: As you know, I like throwing in a picture I have discovered in my weekly surfing and as of last week, I figured out how to put music on the blog, so I am putting my hands together friends...
CREDIT: Ryo Tomo - Love and Heartbreak Series
CREDIT: Ola Podrida
[Conclusion]
Thanks for reading this week! If you need to reach me, you can contact me via email: "blog at joeylombardi.com". As always, don't take shit from anybody.
Smell You Later,
~ Joey
Joey Lombardi | Create Your Badge
