Journalistic Integrity, the new jumbo shrimp?

I've read the back and forth about the power or lack thereof of bloggers and blogging vice the mainstream media. I also started watching Bill Moyer's production on PBS last night. We've all witnessed the erosion of integrity of our journalists in pursuit of advertising dollars or in support of the orchestrated chaos we see in our foreign policy. Objectivity is ever more questionable, and a story that sounds just a little too juicy probably didn't have the proper research, or confirmation of sources, but it sells so ship it. That is where I place the importance of bloggers. I am sure there are analysts and writers much more practiced and skilled than myself that do more justice to the topic, but I see blogging as a check to the power of the mainstream media. It keeps them a little bit more honest, because someone just might be watching for more than the fluffy stuff. Those of us that have been around a while used to put a lot of faith in those reporters and anchors that we trusted to keep us informed. Now we have to wonder about every one of them. It's sad, when a good part of the public still relies on those questionable folks to tell them about local, national, and world events. Relying on mainstream media is just informed ignorance. It's too easy to pull the wool over too many eyes. Enter the bloggers. I don't include myself in that group because I just usually bitch about something I think could be better, but there are folks that invest a good deal of themselves and their time just to tell the truth as best they can. Hopefully it will be enough, because as we've seen, the paid guys and gals, the one's we've relied upon, the one's we've looked to for the truth, are no longer worthy of our trust. And that is sad. Journalistic integrity is like saying honest politics. You need a little tongue in your cheek. Nevertheless, I'll attempt to remain hopelessly optimistic that journalists see the error of their ways. Otherwise democracy as we know might one day wake up dead.

Close, but try again

Voting solution?

Now, I agree they've got to do something, just not sure this is it. The votin' system is broke, so they need to fix it. This here's a stab in the right direction, but needs to go further. I think we oughta take this a step further and change that to "None of the bums." I know, I know, it would have to be a bit more pc than that, but the dreamer in m thinks we ought to set it up where if none of the bums get enough, they have to try again. Sounds good, but it wouldn't work in reality as no one would ever get elected eventually. How about a ranking system where you vote for each candidate ranking them from high to low. Overall highest score wins. Whatever they do, they gotta do something. I guess "I choose not to vote" is better than nothing(and would have still gotten you into Mons for free!)

Judge not lest ye be judged

Nothing like taking a story out of context and jumping to the wrong conclusions. The St. Pete Times latched on to a discussion back in February about the encroachment of latino-oriented restaurants upsetting the neighborhood. Of course it didn't take long for someone without all the facts to pull a Johnny Cochrane and immediately cry foul, and claim we're all a bunch of stuck up racists in Seminole Heights. Funny thing about calling someone a racist, once you call it, the assumption is of guilt and it's pretty difficult to argue to the contrary. The other thing funny about it is that the connotation nowadays is that only non-hispanic, and non-black folks can be racists even when discrimination is practiced by everyone, excluding folks just because they aren't like you is wrong no matter what color you are. A couple of problems with the racist scenario amigo. First off you ought not assume that everyone posting on that there blog is from Seminole Heights. Though I imagine most are, there's been plenty of evidence that commenters often come from elsewhere. Second, there are plenty of anonymous posters there that get their rocks off posting all sorts of trash regardless of topic. Third if you followed the underlying discussion, the problem expressed is the excess of a single type of restaurant that have left those who tried them feeling excluded and undesired, the businesses just happened to be hispanic. In the neighborhood we've got about three, maybe four types of restaurants. Home-cookin' diners, latino, pizza, and the new deli. Technically I reckon, there's a couple of fast food joints but do we really want to call that a choice? If the majority of new restaurants coming in were any single type we'd be bitching. The one thing that Seminole Heights is desperate for, old-timers and newcomers alike is local businesses that keep us close to home. That outsiders comment indicated that it the businesses were aimed at people outside the neighborhood, while excluding folks within, not that it brought in outsiders. Enclave comment aside, my street has seen only a few newcomers in the past 3 years or so, most have lived here 10 years or more. As far as gentrifying and stereotypes the most "suburban white bread" neighbor we have is a latino fella that moved in a little over a year ago. His kin all have Cadillac SUV's and the like, boat, trailer, etc.
You shouldn't even mention Angelica in this conversation, it's, what do they call it, non-sequitur. Do your homework on that one. Her failure was poor management and poor execution of what could have been a pretty good idea. Folks that ate there could count on nothing but half-assed service and hit or miss food. Occasionally folks would sit for half an hour and never even get acknowledged by a waitress. That and the outdoor concerts pissed off near about every neighbor within a 1/4 mile.
You should read the Seminole Heights blog on the Cappy's thing too for some background before you hurt yourself making the racist leap. If you just read the blog with all the pissin' and moanin' you'd think that most folks hated the pizza place even though a fair number of them turned out to City Council. Feel free to call the neighborhood a bunch of gripes, bitchers, piss-and-moaners, whiners whatever. If anything thats more what this issue is about than race and gentrification. Folks here definitely like to gripe. The Times just latched on to a discussion to try to illustrate what thinks is citywide feeling, and someone else just latched on to a small part of that article to jump to the wrong conclusion

Who did Imus hurt?

Now, don't get me wrong, what he said is in extremely poor taste at best. He was stupid. He made a huge mistake. I don't really listen to the old fart(ha ha look whose talking right?), so I don't even know what exactly he said but "that" phrase. But how does what one dottering old loon says affect a bunch of lady basketballers? Does this man have that much influence over the hearts and minds of people that they swing their opinions based on a bad joke? It's like those folks that listen to Rush, he's preaching to the choir, they're already convinced. I imagine Imus devotees are similar. If the pot hadn't been stirred, outrage insisted, indignation incited, it would have passed quickly and silently into oblivion. Instead Imus is now more relevant than ever to a broader audience than he would have had. Much more destructive words are uttered every day in our houses of legislature falling on deaf and disinterested ears. The various "offended" communities should focus on those problems that truly affect them instead of generating outrage over a rambling old fool. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had named it the Raghead Reduction Act instead of the Patriot act? Then again, who am I but another dottering old fool?

Winter passeth but rebirth follows with the Spring. Godspeed and calm seas to you good Sir. May you find peace and renewal as you journey forward.

Local television personalities are a special sort. We welcome them into our homes and our lives. We grow with them, and they with us. We bear witness to tragedies and triumphs together. Their families become extensions of our own. A birth, a death, illness or marriage. All these events they share with us and we're all the better for it. The Tampa Bay extended family suffered a tragic loss when John Winter was found deceased. We knew him, yet most of us had never met him. We mourn the passing of one of our own and our lives will be a bit emptier with him gone. Whatever turmoil he carried in this life, may he cast off those burdens and travel swiftly and peaceably onto and in the next. Rest in peace John Winter.

And Today's Problem Is

Folks, a comment a while back came from a fellow blogger across the pond who publishes his take on the world similar to mine. Please take a look.

And Today's Problem Is

Let him know you stopped by.

Is it easier to complain than compliment?

Over there on the Seminole Heights blog there's been a lot of talk about bad service.

This here comment brought up a point that there's a lot more complaining than complimenting. I wondered about that, since my little spot here in Blogville has a whole lot of complaining on it. Hell, it's what got me doing this to begin with.
Anyhow, I figured that it's sort of like tipping, just sort of. Should you compliment when a person just does the minimum of what is expected? Meets expectations ain't really a high goal worthy of praise, it's just what someone should be doing anyway. I'd say if on a scale of one to ten you're getting all fives on your performance, be it your job, your business, your representation of your constituents, or whatever you might not really be deserving of anything more than your customers paying their bill, leaving a minimal tip, or having just enough turnout to keep you in office or maybe keep the other guy out. If, however you fail to meet expectations that's when the complaints start. Now, some folks have unrealistic expectations, but most of us just want what's right. Since most of that postin' over there was about restaurants I'll use that as the example here. I'd say most folks just want moderate prices, decent quality, and prompt polite service. That expectation is why chain restaurants tend to fare so well. It's a known quantity, and you have a good idea when you go, what the food is going to taste like, how long it should take to get it, and about what you're going to spend for dinner. I'm sure someone, somewhere, whose smarter than me said it sometime before, but I'd say unrealized expecations are the biggest cause of unhappiness in life. Even if something's going to be be bad, if you expect it, it ain't so bad. It's that curve ball life throws at you that whacks you upside the head that pisses you off. So that's why I think folks bitch so much more than they praise. Meets expectations is just that. People don't deserve compliments for just doing their job, that's what a paycheck is for. Courtesy yes, but not compliments. So I'd guess it's like a Bell curve, where most service falls in the middle, with only limited experiences that are very very good or very very bad. I'd put the compliment threshold probably somewhere about a 7 or 7.5 on that scale where the complaint threshold is anything less than 5 so you'd automatically get more complaints. Tack on the fact that the whole experience would have to sum to better than average, where it would only take a single instance to trigger a complaint, then that might factor in too. Either all that or maybe the world is just more grumpy than not. What do y'all think?