Cruel Decision?
CBC News is all abuzz over what it considers a 'cruel decision'. In yesterday's PGA Golf Championship, Dustin Johnson's second shot on the 18th hole was played from sand up on a hillside.
As he prepared for his shot, I was wondering, "Is that a bunker?" He clearly did not think so, and illegally grounded his club behind the ball. He played out the hole, appearing to qualify for a playoff, though along the way he had a putt with a great chance to appear to win the tournament.
It WAS a bunker, he was charged two strokes penalty, entirely appropriately, and did not make the playoff. Surely a disappointment for him, but he managed a fine discussion with David Feherty on-screen only a few minutes after the decision. A bit glassy-eyed, he admitted his disappointment, but was hardly devastated, and admitted it was his error. He even had a sardonic sense of humor, pointing out that it would have been worse if he had made the putt that would have let him and everyone think he had won his first major tournament, only to have it grabbed away ten minutes later.
Of course reporters love emotion; apparently he did not show enough so our CBC talking heads prattled on about how long it would take him to recover. As pointed out at some level he had recovered quite quickly. But there is more. In the US Open a couple of months ago, he blew a tremendous opening lead over the field in the final round. He appears to have recovered pretty quickly from that.
And now he knows he has learned a good lesson; make sure you know local rules, and always ask when your ball is in sand a simple question. He's young, he's fine, and he'll be back.
Why reporters have to spend so much time on speculating about emotions and not reporting actual facts and events is beyond me. Wait! That first thing is easy, the latter requires a little work, especially at the CBC.
Labels: CBC, emotion, stupid reporting
CBC Spelling is Devestation
Yup, that's how CBC News are spelling 'devastation' on-screen as part of the report on Pakistani floods.
Maybe they could replace one of their endless supply of cute young women on screen with someone wqho can spell, or perhaps knows how to use a dictionary?
Hiring practices when under budget distress have hardly shown the organization to be very skilled.
I'm curious to see if this repeats shortly.
UPDATE: 10 minutes later, it is fixed. No doubt a viewer with a kinder view of the CBC, and who could spell (I am not sure how many such viewers they have), phoned it in.
Labels: CBC, spelling
Metro Morning Exposes, but does not Name, Two Slacker Teams
After reporting on the outcome of the final game of the Pittsburgh-Washington NHL playoff series, the sports reporter on
Metro Morning said, roughly, "Two teams will be vying tonight to reach the next round of the playoffs as Carolina meets Boston and Detroit Meets Anaheim."
OK, c'mon Metro Morning, which of these FOUR teams are you accusing of tanking?
Labels: CBC, innumeracy
Canada and the 49th Parallel
The CBC has chosen a somewhat unfortunate name for
its campaign.
Five days of public online voting will determine the final tally of "49 songs from north of the 49th parallel" for Obama — to be revealed on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.
Almost all of the population of Canada from Ontario east lives south of the 49th parallel, as pointed out in a folk music mailing list I follow that is currently discussing this contest. Taken literally that would mean that, effectively, only Western Canadian songwriters are eligible for this contest.
Something not as well recognized as it should be is that Toronto, located south of the 44th parallel, is closer in latitude to Rome (between the 41st and 42nd) than to the 49th parallel.
Paris is nestled right up against the 49th parallel and all of the United Kingdom is north of it.
So perhaps I live in what might be called the Great White South, at least relative to some spots.
In the end, I have to be fair to the CBC - this 49th parallel meme is pretty hard to shake - but really, it is pretty misleading.
Labels: 49th parallel, CBC
Talk about a Sad Country, not just Silly
This is utterly sorry. Count on the CBC.
It contains narcissism of the sort that the most insecure narcissists have.
Beginning Monday, January 5, CBC Radio 2 invites Canadians to help select the top “49 songs from north of the 49th parallel” that would best define our country to the incoming U.S. President Barack Obama.
His playlist could definitely benefit from some Canadian content, especially given the depth of our musical offerings – spanning a wide variety of genres and representing our culture from coast to coast.
It also has a happy dose of major windbaggery:
“One of the best way [sic] to know Canada is through the depth and breadth of our artistic expression,” says Denise Donlon, Executive Director, CBC Radio. “We're excited about the new President and we want him to be excited about us, so we're asking our audience to help compile the list of our most definitive Canadian songs!”
I shake my head in dismay. What a lofty goal - getting some songs on Obama's iPod!
Radio 2 used to feature a lot of good programming. Now they have a small amount of good programming surrounded by a clown show.
As an aside, if you follow the links, and check out the comments, we are off to a very bad start. The comments seem more a way to show off than to make serious suggestions.
Labels: CBC, ridiculosity, silly
The CBC and Long Names
Somehow or other, Canada has entered into the Olympic Heptathlon an individual with a very long name.
She is doing well and I am impressed. Her name appears to be "Jessica Zelinka of London Ontario". (The "of" might be "from".)
She is currently very happy, though her name is misleading as she seems to live now in Calgary, Alberta. Two personal bests in four events. Way to go!
Labels: CBC, Jessica Zelinka, Olympics
The CBC Does its Thing
This article is a very interesting report on a
Statistics Canada report.
The CBC chooses to give prominence to the clown at the centre of last week's entertainments, the ridiculous
Mohamed Elmasry.
Why on Earth do they even bother talking to this guy? He has appointed himself a spokesperson for Canadian Muslims and I know of no evidence that he plays the role in any real way. And my God my views would be different about what we should be doing in Canada if I thought so.
Of course, I do think there is a reason they pick him rather than, say,
Tarek Fatah; and my thinking is no compliment to their reporting or editorial skills.
If I had voted Conservative in the last election I could ask what I had wasted my vote on, when this
silly organization, our "national broadcaster", now writhing in the crisis engendered by letting a stupid little piece of music have its license expire, continues to play its sleazy games. But I did not, so I have to wait for some later election (the next one is likely devoted, in my mind, to our numbingly stupid notion of "human rights".
Labels: CBC
