Those ancients were wild and crazy.. Imagine the scene: A naked herd or folks dancing while the sacrifice of animals takes place.. There are smiles and cheers, and hopes that the burning animals wi…
The strange weather phenomenon hit Chelyabinsk, in the Russian Urals, sparking fears the snow was contaminated with toxic materials.
It sure looks beautiful. In a toxic sort of way..
PBS series ‘Food Forward’ centers on one question: How did something as fundamental as food go so fundamentally wrong?
Looks like a good documentary..
I hope the information presented will occur. I want my generation and the one coming after me to make food better, healthier, fresher, and cleaner..
It’s a hope.
LIVE FOREVER. BABY.
liked.
Cars.. Houses.. Things. Things of tangible value.. They are passed down and willed to others after death. Why not Facebook, or even going further, blogs and other social network space! We may not have a tactile ability to touch our Facebook page, but your digital life has become a branch of your existence. Selfies and all..
There’s good news for those who want to forever live online after death: Facebook is about to let more than one billion users to decide who takes over their account when they die..
Sure some may scoff at such news.. Others may deem it another example of our digital and self addicted society . But it makes sense..
There’s a caveat to this story–and perhaps a relief for millions: ABC reports:
Once Facebook is notified someone has died, the profile page will turn into a memorial with “Remembering” listed before the person’s name. The digital heir will be able to change the profile photo, make posts on the page and respond to friend requests.
The one thing off-limits: Private messages. Facebook said a person’s heir will not be able to log in under their identity or see any of their private discussions.
It will be called Facebook Legacy. And it will set into place a concise plan Of action for who represents our memorial page once we are not within an earthly realm..
I have pondered something, though.. If EVPs and VHS tapes can prove ghostly presences as so many believe, how long until these spirits learn to communicate on Facebook.. Perhaps one day when you log into your deceased family’s facebook page, you’ll be greeted by evidence that they were recently there as well.
"What was my wow … I’ve been so fortunate. “I was at the Brandenburg Gate the night the wall came down."
Williams went on to tell a possible whopper at the Gipper’s Ronald Reagan museum in 2008..
The only problem with him standing at the Brandenburg Gate is that he really didn’t. Tom Brokaw did. Williams arrived 12 hours after it came done. But it was a long time ago, right?
I figured six months would be ample time to find the other Williams whoppers ..
The NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER says this:
"A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data. However, there is the small possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a hundred kilometers from the earthquake epicenter."
Get ready America..
Coors light..
Hoagies..
Cheesteaks with fake meat..
Philly faces.
Mullets and boots.
And the Pope.
All coming to the city of Brotherly Love.
I know for a fact that my Paterno statue post would cause some commentary.. This one being shown here is among the most innocent, a few others detailed some awful things I should do to myself..Unprintable things. Sandusky things..
And you’re right, anonymous, Paterno didn’t do the wretched deeds that others did..
But for some record, I’d like to place a number of news items from the memory hole back into the cyberworld of today:
Penn State’s Rap Sheet Way Longer Than Sandusky Scandal
Why did Penn State hire the president of football-rape-probe-cover-up U?
And we also cannot forget the Freeh report: Freeh Report Slams Joe Paterno
All of this does not matter to some fans, though.. But it matters to me.. Just as any group of highly placed people abusing their rights or the decency of their human presence, it bothers me..
You may have already guessed which ones: Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia prohibit it. And many more in Central Asia.. the theory is that it runs completely opposite to Islam..
Until I saw—quite literally—a black cat walk underneath a ladder this morning, I completely forgot the calender read Friday the 13th..
So for all of those out there with that sick sense of doom lurking behind every bad event, happy day to you all..
In 2004, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC detailed the horror that some people face when they wake up on the 13th when it’s on a Friday.. the fear.. the refusal to even get out of bed! In that report 11 years ago, NAT GEO said that over $800 mil was lost in productivity because of people neglecting to live their normal lives, instead fearing the 13th..
I would imagine that fear is only amplified as time goes on..
For those with triskadekaphobia, it’s going to be a long day.
It’s a tweet that ultimately fell on deaf ears: “#ServicioPublico Infalgan solution of 10 Mg for injection is needed for Vanessa Chacón.” S ent from San Rafael del Piñal, a small town in Venezuela near the border with Colombia, the tweet was sent on behalf of Chacón, 22, who needed the medicine to survive a severe coronary condition. Unfortunately, it’s simply not available there — and isn’t likely to be anytime soon.
Think for a second of the utter horror that many are now feeling in this nation.. Several hundred tweets—at this point—are being posted daily asking for the same help. Oil prices dropped.. an economy crashed.. This nation seems to be teetering on the brink of destruction..
The ECONOMIST is summing up what it calls mismanagement and an oil slump as the main culprits for the decaying social fabric of the nation.. The publication reports,
About this, at least, Mr Rondón is correct. Sixteen years after Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela, and two years after he died, his “Bolivarian Revolution” faces the gravest threats yet to its survival. The regime is running out of money to import necessities and pay its debts. There are shortages of basic goods, from milk and flour to shampoo and disposable nappies. Queues, often of several hundred people, form each day outside supermarkets. Ten patients of the University Hospital in Caracas died over the Christmas period because of a shortage of heart valves.
Another aspect of the trouble in the nation: Education is at risk of becoming meaningless there as the LATIN AMERICAN HERALD TRIBUNE writes in an editorial:
If something has been evident during 16 years of “socialism of the 21st century” is that education has stopped being a priority, unless the State finds it useful to get its ideology into the heads of citizens.
Evidence of this contempt for education is there for everyone to see: schools and educational centers have collapsed; professors and teachers are poorly paid and poorly prepared; curricular changes eliminated basic subjects, distorted reality and introduced indoctrinating concepts and materials; evaluations and automatic promotions were eliminated, among others.
Meanwhile: Bonds are tumbling..
And as mentioned above: The pharmacy shelves are empty and barren..
Monster hurricanes once plagued New England.. new predictions today that the history of horror may repeat itself.. While Europe was going through the Middle Ages, America’s East Coast was being pummeled by hurricanes at least as intense as Katrina every 40 years or so.. Such storms would be catastrophic if they hit the northeast U.S. today, according to lead author Jeff Donnelly of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution…
Is this simply a plant of a story to mentally prep us for something they know is coming?
WIRED magazine argues the case: How to get Silicon Valley anti-vaxxers to change their minds.. But quick the alternate argument was presented in TRUTHOUT with a piece written by ALEX JAMES, who says the dangers presented by recent revelations about MERCK are much more troubling than anti-vaxxers.
NBC is already making a big deal of the 40th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” — and now it’s making it a little bigger.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 40th anniversary special will be more than three hours long.. Which I think is well worth it. The show, for all its troubles through time, has given us memorable pop culture moments.. sadly most cast members were forgettable.
Maybe it was because it was when I was younger and dumber, but I think some of the best humor on the show came from the 92-94 seasons and then the 97-2004 years.. The most recent few have showcased how the program is quickly losing its influence as the power of television wanes..
Seems like the entire state of Pennsylvania forgot about the crime of children being molested, having their dignity and innocence stolen, and have a head coach who couldn’t care less.. A new poll shows that a vast majority of Pennsylvanians want the Joe Paterno statue to return to Penn State..
Musingsinhtx is referring to this just posted tonight..
And to answer: Indeed I did hear Clyde Lewis—I also sent him the link tonight through Twitter of the most recent two deaths, and he spoke about it on his show only moments ago..
The ‘brain drain’ he is talking about is interesting.. He compared it to the way the Dirty War was fought in Argentina.
There’s one thing about Clyde Lewis that I love.. he makes me think differently than any other host or program out there.
Yesterday Bob Simon of CBS was killed in a car crash..
Ned Colt, NBC News Journalist, Dies in Boston at 58
David Carr, Media Columnist for The Times, Is Dead at 58
Bob Hager, the man you may know very well for commentary on aviation on NBC NEWS, was unhurt after a head-on crash today..
For the first time, Facebook has become NSFW..
A few other thoughts from the news world on the movie:
A FIFTY SHADES OF INSANITY weekend:
FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY described as ‘domestic violence dressed up as erotica’
Family groups fury..
SUPERMAN with sex..
It is really, really, really hard being an Art Bell fan on days like today..
This is Craig Stephen Hicks, 46.. He surrendered to police after allegedly killing 23-year-old Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, in their home..
Disgusting to say the least..
One fact worth noting:
Some reports point to a possible parking dispute as the catalyst, although Hicks also appeared to harbor vehemently anti-religious views, not only toward Islam but toward all faiths. His Facebook page includes a post denouncing both Christianity and Islam. In January, Hicks posted a photo of what he claimed was his .38-caliber revolver.
Parking anger.. And hatred of all religions..
I suppose another killing in the name of no god.
This gives the chance for me to tell my readers this: Follow snlbound, she may be profiled on the 60th anniversary special.
Injuries involving sex toys has doubled in the US since 2007, according to new figures, with a particular jump since the release of Fifty Shades of Grey
I can only imagine ER visits after the newest film is released..
This is a story from my local area—but worthy of some attention from fans of the macabre or slightly paranormal..
In Auburn, PA, a tiny little hamlet in Schuylkill County, a secret existed behind the walls of a quaint house..
FOX 43 ran a story about the Bretzius and their discovery of a disturbing secret behind their walls: It was insulated with dead animals..
WNEP interviewed the family .. as expected, Kaiji Bretzius was a little shocked and horrified by what was hidden in their home..
We were shocked, horrified, and disgusted
Fair to say that would be the emotional of us would experience if faced with the same circumstances, no?
WNEP’s Jackie de Tore goes on to report more:
The mother of four said they first found animals in the walls back in 2012 and have been removing the items ever since.
The dead animals were all wrapped in old newspapers from the 1930s and 40s.
She said when they got a home inspection before they bought the place in Auburn, the inspector didn’t find a thing.
“We got the radon inspection. We looked for everything. We didn’t know to look for chickens.”
The family said when they bought the house in 2011, it was their dream home because they weren’t going to have to do any work, but now that’s all they’ve been doing.
Insurance isn’t covering the situation since the corpses of the animals were there long before this family bought what they thought would be their dream house.
A dream became a nightmare according to their account. They aren’t sure if all the dead animals are out..
Various reports indicate that the animals were most likely placed there because of the old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of pow-wowing—an American folk and magic belief held by the Dutch in the Keystone state decades ago, taking from even older traditions that link back to Germany..
So what a tale! Witch doctors and powwows.. the Dutch. Home ownership. Undoubtedly a perogie and sausage sandwich will show up sooner or later..
But there are some not buying it.
The family has chosen to begin a GO FUND ME campaign to raise more money to get more dead animals from out behind the walls.. but at least a few viewers of WNEP and readers of the article aren’t believing the tale..
A few snippets from a few commentators on the WNEP article:
Get freakin real! Mold? There is NO WAY, NO HOW in the WORLD, mold will be caused from a dried up old carcass from the 1930s-1940s. There’s no moisture there. There wouldn’t even be a smell. Creepy? Yeah. Insurance claim? Come on. Welcome to home ownership. Inspectors can’t find everything. They don’t have x-ray vision.
Another:
GoFundMe? How about this: go after whatever home inspector who didn’t do his job, or the previous owners who didn’t disclose the Dead Animal Insulation. Asking for handouts is so damned cocky.
This:
Someone should do a fundraiser to help remove the bones and spices. Maybe a few of the hunting clubs, wait, wait, I know……….THEY COULD SELL T-SHIRTS………
This one from ‘neighbor’ is interesting:
This was actually my aunt and uncle’s house. They lived there for close to 50 years before it was sold, but they did move in it after the critters would have been put in the walls and I can honestly say that they had no clue that any of this was there. I visited there many times growing up and they raised 4 boys and we never were sick or noticed odd smells. It must have been exposed when the walls were ripped out in construction.
Regardless of a few ‘spicy’ comments—powwow pun certainly intended there—the Go Fund Me campaign is already raising some cash.. The story is also making some national news now that various other ABC and FOX affiliates are picking it up.
One comment the Go Fund Me account perhaps said it best.
Look on the bright side… It’s not haunted
As long as the powwow inspired Dutch medicine man in Pennsylvania got his ancient potions and magic right of course.
This story from THE NATION sort of compliments another one I read in the WASHINGTON POST today by Chris Cilliza about how no secrets from past stay secrets these days..
Amazingly good point, thank you for making it. People will now, because of all of these revelations about what SAMSUNG’s products (and others too) can do, they will be a little more fearful walking in their homes.. a little more self-censored. A little less themselves.. Even if people go by that awfully annoying motto “if you have nothing to fear you won’t be worried” nonsense, they will still act different knowing what their living room friend can hear.
I also think this: Red light cameras have led to less people picking their noses at red lights.. Think about it.
Also street light cams have led to quieter streets..
People, when they are being watched, act different.
I try to be myself no matter where.. But I certainly don’t want a third party knowing me THAT well..
Of course, I have a PHILLIPS. But I didn’t read their legal agreement .. I assume I’m being listened to as well.
Self-censorship is dangerous. Marching to the beat of ‘their’ drum, regardless of who ‘they’ are, is an insult to your character and your own personality. And it’s going to be more commonplace as our technology tracks our every move.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With executions in Oklahoma on hold amid a constitutional review of its lethal injection formula, Republican legislators are pushing to make Oklahoma the first state in the nation to allow the use of nitrogen gas to execute death row inmates
Oh.. so AMERICA is bringing back the gas chambers..
I see..
You’re used to ads in regular TV programming, but what would you say if your smart TV started inserting ads into videos you own?
If people are creeped out by this, they must have missed last week’s big news that SAMSUNG is warning purchasers of smart TVs that they should not have personal conversations in front of the device for fear that third party advertisers will get a hold of it..
It should all be creepy..
I can foresee one day coming soon—very soon since it seems to be going so fast lately—when you’ll be watching a home video of you in your private setting.. and your “SMART” device will note a product in the house. Perhaps a beer can, Pepsi bottle, or particular cereal.. suddenly you’ll be beamed an advertising lallapalooza ..
Until then, people will lament their smart TEEVEES..
Physicists have found a new model that could explain the origin of the universe without needing the Big Bang theory.
Try to contemplate that one. Try..
I dare you.
BUZZFEED offers a list of things that kids of today don’t have to experience like me and other kids of my day.. God I’m 34.. and each one of these things that made the list is something I also experienced in my own life as I grew up..
Pretty strange time for a typhoon to form..
During amazing earth changes I suppose anything can happen..
HALLOWEEN is coming back.. and the writers from SAW are going to make it happen… I am going to put myself in the category of not being overly enthused about this yet.. Maybe the SAW folks will bring some form of gore and creativity.. I don’t know. But can we get on with it already? Can we move beyond Michael Myers at some point soon? And quite frankly, if any Halloween movie deserves a remake, it’s SEASON OF THE WITCH–that movie had potential but ended up being a laughable parade of accidental humor.
No chance for damage control at SAMSUNG.. the company has been in the news for having actual text in their documents warning consumers of smart TVs not to have personal conversations in front of them.. They will be recorded and sold to third party people.. SAMSUNG shares fell and an outcry has ensued among people who suddenly realize their privacy got sold when they bought their TV.
And a fellow blogging friend musingsinhtx has a great photo along with a message to the sheeple on his site tonight..
Major accident on the NJ Turnpike this evening near Cranbury/Monroe by the Molly Pitcher Service Area.
For anyone driving in Pennsylania, New York, Jersey, and Delaware: The roads are completely covered in lots of spots.. Everything is icing over. Stay slow..
I know my Boston readers may roll their eyes at this, but I’d rather their 20 inches of snow as opposed to my one inch of ice..
The astronaut had secretly kept equipment from the moon mission, including the camera used to film footage of the landing, for more than 40 years
He apparently did what any one of us would have done: Slipped out of work one day with interesting mementos of when he made history.
Except our jobs are mundane and the best most of us could probably do is bring home a fancy stapler.
HE was the first man to walk on the moon and tucked away a few interesting things to prove it.
This map shows how much of the 20th century still existed.. until now.
All of the Rs are about to shut down..
Now I see why MSNBC has about 5 viewers left..And four of them are in the control room..
I’m not the only one who noticed an unsettling image of a sweaty Obama last night.. Matt Drudge did too.. Of course he took it a step further pondering if Obama knows ‘something terrible’ is on the way ..Though I still think the 2009 phase of flies being attracted to Obama was much creepier..
It was a tense moment..At least Beck and Taylor Swift weren’t together on stage..
The one post that gets reblogged over a 100 times and you realize you have a dumb misspelling..
Forever reblogged with problems..
The perils of the robot future.. Sweeper terminators plugged and ready to kill the master human..
Whoa..
This is quite the swerve in the information department..
The UK MIRROR running this story by Lucy Thornton..
Among the troubling text, this:
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror the shaken MP has told how she ‘nearly lost her mind’ after victims turned to her for help - unable to trust the police or local council.
She is currently getting an average of 10 victims a week coming to her for help.
Fighting back tears she told how she feared having a nervous breakdown worried about failing the “amazing women” and her horror after finding out a manual for grooming existed for paedophiles.
This has been ongoing for some time.. Five months ago, I had a post about this when news broke that UK politicians failed to stop the crimes against children in Rotherham that went on for almost two decades..
The UK seems to be the place of perversion as of late.. Not long ago Jimmy Saville’s disgusting image was gracing lots of publications each time a new tidbit of perversion was revealed to the public about his life and ability to molest without much ado..
This new MIRROR article detailed more:
"It feels like the Government is leaving Rotherham to die. It feels like we’re not on their doorstep so it doesn’t matter.”
She welcomed experts coming into Rotherham to help them but said the Government should have stepped in after the Jay Report, six months ago.
“We would have been able to move forward as a town much quicker,” she said.
“There are hundreds of thousands and I think there could be up to a million victims of exploitation nationwide, including right now. Girls in the process of being groomed,” she said.
“I have met people from all over the country.
“If you just think we know at least four big cases each with a couple of thousand each in smallest towns. It’s extraordinary.
“I was talking to sixth formers on Monday and all of the girls there had either personal or direct experience of people trying to manipulate them through sexting. You have online grooming.
There is some more news on the matter.. such as this: Nigel Farage has cancelled a public appearance in Rotherham because of protests outside his party’s office.
Can’t leave out this: Rotherham Abuse Scandal Policeman DiesThe death of PC Hassan Ali, who was reportedly being investigated by the police watchdog, is not being treated as suspicious… Suspicious? how silly..
I think a lot more will be coming out. And being said. And being reported.. rumors and fact will collide in a storm of horror.. But the number of victims will grow. It always does..
Back in September 2007, the LONDON TELEGRAPH reported that Russia had tested the ‘father of all bombs’ .. this is how reporter Adam Blomfield described the new weapon at that time:
Developed in secret, the unchristened bomb, a vacuum device capable of emitting shockwaves as powerful as a nuclear weapon, was unveiled with great theatre on state television’s main evening broadcast.
Boasting that the weapon had “no match in the world,” ORT First Channel television showed a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber dropping its payload over a testing ground, followed by a massive explosion.
Pictures of what appeared to be crumpled multi-storey apartment blocks were also broadcast.
And the picture of what it looked like:
Things have changed since 2007. Then it was Georgia on Vlad’s mind.. Now Pootie Poot’s focus has changed, of course, to Ukraine..
But last night there was an incident that sent shockwaves over the landscape of Ukraine and across social networks—although the mainstream media thoroughly refused to report anything of it and instead focused heavily on Beyonce’s dress from the Grammy awards.
Oh and ACDC performed..
Did you see Kanye? And Beck? ! Oh the controversy.
Nonetheless, this is what last night’s explosion in Ukraine looked like:
There is also a lot of debate in the comments and reblogs of a post I put up last night showing the video of the blast, which many rumored on Twitter and Facebook to be a nuke..
Could it be that the father has been unleashed? Is it possible we are seeing a chemical weapons blast like some say, or perhaps a larger more battle-ready capable new way of killing?
I don’t know..
Speculation. Speculation..
Speculation.
But it’s worth speculating about..
This Russia Ukraine deal still has a chance of dragging the world down with it in a geo-political quagmire..
There are two sides to all coins.
ON this matter, there’s about about 20 different sides with coins on the table..
Perhaps the dumbest but yet creepiest song I ever heard..
This was a Reuters report filed 5 hours before the big explosion hit the social media feed around the world.. Did the dramatic spiral already start?
The day when Merkel, Hollande, Putin talk ‘peace’ something big occurs.
In case you missed the GRAMMYS tonight in favor of some more positive activities, you missed Madge trying to out do herself..
Forgive me Madonna, I know you’re trying to show off the remaining sex appeal you possess.. but you left me just thinking that you simply forgot to secure your adult diaper before the night began..
Another video of whatever that explosion was in Ukraine Sunday..
….the highway to hell.
I am all in favor of this message, but can someone please get the President a towel!? His entire forehead looks like Richard Nixon’s top lip in the 1960 presidential debate with JFK..
His words were meaningful. But I couldn’t get passed the grease pit that developed on his face..
Isn’t the White House air conditioned anymore?
And this was pre-recorded?
yeeeaaassh…
Symbolism is strong with the GRAMMYS…
The timing couldn’t have been weirder. Don’t you say?
This is video of the purpoerted ‘nuke’ or something bomb going off in Ukraine.
While the world seems fixated on pagan rituals and Illuminati messages at the Grammy awards, this big news just happened..
This is a photo screen grab from a video making big waves on YouTube tonight.. Some are saying is evidence of a tactical nuclear weapon being used in Ukraine.. Others say it’s evidence if a chemical weapons plant being hit..
Some speculate it’s a nuke . Others say it’s just a big big blast..
All things are sketchy right now and rumors are sort if insane
I keep thinking back to that nuclear clock moving closer to midnight..
This is a developing story worth watching..
You can read the only bit if mainstream link source I found on this so far here: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1243441-did-a-tactical-nuke-just-go-off-in-ukraine-big-explosion-rocks-donetsk/
Reason.com takes me back..
Because in a nerdy political geek I recall vividly the argument about Hillary and this incident..
But to compare to Williams is not accurate. Journalists are expected to tell the truth. Politicians are known to misremember just about everything..
The headline from Techcrunch speaks volumes.. No new to adjust your Teevee.. It hears everything..
Art Bell continues to detail his plans for a July return.. Free streaming, and now a paid listening function that can help gain revenue..
Sure, it’s pure.
But it’s still business..
And should be as cheap as a STARBUCKS coffee..
American’s measles numbers pale in comparison to those in Europe..
MOMS ACROSS AMERICA infiltrate Monsanto by purchasing shares of stock! And now they were able to submit their shareholder proposal to make a plea about the dangers of MONSANTO.. An amazingly interesting and creative form of protest.. For those expecting a suddenly organic and NON-GMO Monsanto, don’t get your hopes up. That is of course unless you eat at the MONSANTO cafeteria.
Good article from MOVIEPIOLOT.COM: Why modern horror movies don’t get it right. I agree with the point of this article by Pedro Asdrubal Diaz.. modern horror is not memorable. Last night after many things led me to miss the ANNABELLE release in theaters, we finally found a copy in a REDBOX and watched it .. The group of us who saw it figured it was going to be a modern classic. It was not. It was actually quite forgettable and unmemorable.. Creativity seems to be completely lost.
Will there be some horror hope? Here are 10 movies of the horror genre to look forward to this year. UNFRIENDED looks creepy.. 31 looks avoidable in my opinion.. `KNOCK KNOCK looks ridiculous.. IT FOLLOWS will be great, judging from early reviews..SPRING looks creepy.. And POLTERGEIST? After a good trailer I am suddenly accepting this remake. We will see and time will tell if the film is as good as the two minute preview..
NBC THE CHIMES OF DOOM PLAY FOR BRIAN WILLIAMS
The NBC NEWS chimes of doom are famous.. when they break into the television norm to tell of breaking news, you know the world has changed in some way, whether small or large.. They sound, quite frankly, frightening. Especially for those who vividly recall things like 9/11, when the chimes were busy for days.. A memory recall for those not familiar with the doom-ish feeling that comes from hearing the NBC breaking news theme:
Those chimes are playing for Brian Williams now.
It seems quite unlikely that Brian Williams will be able to continue news in the current environment. As we now have come to learn, Williams is taking a leave of absence from the NBC NEWS job, writing this:
In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions. “As managing editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”
His statement sounded complex.. It’s difficult to figure out if he’s done for good or just hoping some of the feeding frenzy lessens.
I don’t think it will..
People following Williams on Twitter already know that his entire Twitter feed vanished early on think ‘my helicopter took fire’ scandal.. Even further, Williams became associated with interesting comments about watching bodies float by him after Katrina–trouble was, he wasn’t in a place of New Orleans where that was happening. He also said he got sick from drinking flood waters.. But it does not appear other surrounding him recall that vividly..
I ponder to myself if Williams just wants to fantasize about these tall tales as a way of giving himself more street cred? Drum up the news and include himself in there so he seems more trustworthy. Get into the action, and if the action doesn’t find you, just pretend it did.
Any return to the news, this age, won’t work.. You don’t have to look too far in the past to realize how truth often begins to slowly leak out and then sooner or later floodgates are broken. And the levees fail. In Williams’ case, even with NBC NEWS deleting his entire online history, there’s enough history in other places. Bill Cosby wanted to be ‘memed’ online. Instead he was maimed and his life turned upside down when this generation found out that the previous generation ignored rape claims for various women.
People will scour through every bit of public record for other flaws in Williams’ character. And when that starts to happen, undoubtedly even the cleanest person will become tarnished with some mistruth and consequence..
This is a lesson: Be honest. Be good. Be real.
People love real. And quite frankly, I think human beings are becoming a little better adapted at figuring out who is real and who isn’t..
Except on this one. Brian Williams had me fooled..
Did he commit a crime? No. Did he do something unforgivable? Not really. But did he include himself and brag about things that never occurred? Yes. And in doing so, he may very well have destroyed his career..
