Stop the Stupidity

Ok.  Today was just stupid.

I like to watch local news in the morning while I'm getting ready for work but, unfortunatly, the only local morning television news is Global TV's Morning News with its very competent anchor Lynn Colliar and the ever chipper dufus, Steve Darling -- Global's answer to Ted Baxter.

He's annoyed me for years, he doesn't have a clue about the things he reads into the television, like geography, politics, pronunciation...though he does know sports...go figure.

This morning just really frosted me, I don't know why it triggered me as his blunder was no more egregious than prior gaffs, and less than many he's previously made , but it just rang. 

As I'm sleepily ironing my shirt and watching  the television Steve tells me in doughy seriousness about the three 18 year old students from Britain who were killed in a motor vehicle accident in South Africa travelling from "Switzerland to Nelspruit".

Switzerland?!  That's one hell of a bus trip Steve!

Wait, could that be "Swaziland" Steve?!

"Switzerland" is that neutral country in the middle of Europe, Steve!  Europe is like that place where they have a Disneyland  that's not in the United States, Steve!

"Swaziland" is in South Africa, Steve! You know the country where the accident happened?  The country hosting the World Cup? Africa, Steve is...oh forget it....

I e-mailed the Morning News and asked that they give this walking potato a geography lesson...or a reading lesson.

I haven't heard back from them, nor do I expect to, as they seem to have no qualms about hiring what I feel are incompetents;  they even seem to make it a policy.  Take Deborah Hope as an example.

This woman cannot conduct an interview that's not either fawning if it's some sort of celebrity, or embarrasing if  she's trying to do 'hard hitting' news...and she's as adroit as Steve on current events, english as a language, and geography.

I haven't watched Global BC's evening newscast for at least 10 years because of her; her inanity is irksome and profound.  Actually, I take that back, what is irksome is that Global has so little respect for it's audience that it keeps these misinformed hacks on  the air...

...or maybe the fact that they're still on the air speaks more to their audience.

Consider this:  A number of years ago, when I was still watching the show, Global decided to go on a tour of the Interior,  doing their live newscast from cities such as Penticton, Kamloops, Kelowna, etc.

When they were in Kamloops I made a point of watching as I went to highschool in Kamloops.

So, the show opens with Ms. Hope standing on the benchland above the city, with the two rivers that meet at Kamloops shining in the background in reflected light. She is going to do an in depth profile of the city; explore it and explain it to the rest of the province so those who are not as informed as the famous anchor can learn and marvel at her wisdom.

Ms. Hope cheerily announces, "I'm standing in Kamloops, where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers meet".

The Thompson and Fraser meet at Lytton, Deborah,  the South and North Thompson Rivers meet at Kamloops.

Now this mistake is not uncommon for tourists or casual visitors to the city, but this is Deborah Hope, news anchor who is explaining to the rest of British Columbia all about Kamloops and providing an intimate portrait of this lovely interior city....she can't even get it's location right.

What is even worse, the feature wasn't live, but pre-recorded, which gave her and her crew ample time for simple chores -- like fact checking.

With that kind of professional diligence, it's no wonder both Darling and Hope are still employed.

I think I might start a Facebook group to record Darling and Hope's gaffes...but I don't know that FB has the bandwidth.

An Introduction

Late to the party, I've decided to dip my toe into the blogging world. I'm not sure what this will look like, probably a series of churlish op-ed pieces, but it's better than muttering profanities at the stupidity displayed on television news.

Anyhow, here I go, and I guess we'll find out.