The Ranting Room

fandango wrote: ^^you are not wrong there...er, Hyphen Abuse...   the BBC News has certainly dumbed down...I've all but given up on the 6pm effort, preferring either Radio 4 or Channel 4 at 7pm, which is infinitely better....

Have you seen the BBC Breakfast news in recent years? It's moved almost totally over to the GMTV format. They even have a doctor who comes in every day to tell us to eat our vegetables, and they spend license payers money on sending one of their bimbos to Hollywood to cover the Oscars. It's truly awful..

Now now, Iareyay, I had a smashing good time last night.  I went to a specialist organic food pub, had a wonderful meal and not once did my partner and I debate our love for each other or anything, it was really good.  She also enjoyed herself and it was a good day overall.

I do agree that it is a bit of a pointless exercise though, because one should not need a special day to express ones love for someone.

I did get a card from her and I bought her one, but being as I am not a traditionalist, I bought a plain card, with no greetings or anything in and wrote my own message in it.  It's much better than buying one with a silly pre-written message in, plus it does not have a silly image or greeting on the front either.

Luckily for me too, my girlfriend was not expecting flowers or chocolates, which made my life immensely easier.

Fandango wrote: the BBC News has certainly dumbed down...I've all but given up on the 6pm effort, preferring either Radio 4 or Channel 4 at 7pm, which is infinitely better.

You and me both Jared ; for Radio news, you can do little better than Radio 4 & as far as TV is concerned, Channel 4's 7 o/c news has been in the vanguard since the TV station came on air in the 1980s.

Heavyfreight wrote: I think "well obviously" is just one of the many phrases that the Westminster spin doctors tell polititions to use when the answer isn't obvious at all.

It's a similar expression to my pet hate one "well, basically"; the use of this phrase usually means the interviewee actually knows very little about the subject in question, so will give a small soundbite answer (again, courtesy of a spin-doctor) to avoid having to fully answer the question.

1800iareyay wrote: I know St. Valentine was martyred. I hope it was slow and agonizing, and I hope that every Valentine's Day Satan gives him a   -ing pearl necklace. Yeah, I said it.

I think "well obviously" is just one of the many phrases that the Westminster spin doctors tell polititions to use when the answer isn't obvious at all.  It throws the disarray back on the listener and interviewer who, if inexperienced in political bullsh!t, think that they've missed something.  The only obviousthing to me in any of these interviews is that the only belief most politicians hold these days is the belief that they need to keep the Murdoch press sweet.

Does anyone remember when the BBC News was actually any good, instead of just good compared to the American counterpart? The journalists have all become dire - when EVERY SINGLE person you interview begins their sentence by saying "Well obviously..." then perhaps the questions you're asking aren't quite as incisive as they could be, hmm? The man who spoke with George Bush today was allowed to relate his interview process in a remarkable display of meta-broadcasting, and made every single one of his points twice in slightly different ways. If I was involved with the production of the NATIONAL news I'd be ashamed to have my name associated with it at present. ;P

It is becoming nearly as bad as the local news, and as soon as our main reporters start trying to establish themselves as personalities as opposed to fscking newsreaders, it will be exactly the same program twice in a row. I hate the phrase "dumbing down" and those who use it, but... well, how else can you put it? I don't even claim to be all that intelligent, aware, eloquent, or anything of the sort, but the quality of the BBC News is embarrassing. A group of six people chosen at random could do better.


Edited by laplace - February 14 2008 at 13:39

Jared, change your glasses - this is the ranting room

James wrote: That is terribly sad news about Planet Rock.  I've not listened to that station for ages, but the last time I did, I noticed how much better it had gotten since the previous time I'd heard it.  Fish and Wakeman have shows on there, as does Alice Cooper and if you like Nicky Horne, then so does he.

Not to mention Tony Iommi & occasionally Phil Manzanera & Gary Moore; this is a great radio station with (I'd hope) a lot of influence, given their supporters - we can but hope...

Jim Garten wrote: Anyone got any tips to clean vomit from a PC keyboard?

Jim, I misread tips for lips...

Anyone got any tips to clean vomit from a PC keyboard?