Random musings

I was reading a New York Times article on Dan Rather's last broadcast. It was in the arts' section. Does anyone know why the NYT considers television to be art?

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Speaking of Rather, he seriously messed up on the Bush documents thing. Even if the story may have been fundamentally right (and I don't know if it was, nor would it particularly matter to me), good journalists need to be careful of the details. Small details can destroy a story that's fundamentally right. That's what too many reporters forget in the rush to be first.

Then again, viewers share part of the blame as well. They demand instant news and instant analysis. They want it now, whether the information is verified or not. So, reporters willingly oblige. Sometimes too willingly.

This, plus its general superficiality (designed to give the consumers what they want, thus producing an orgy of stories on stuff like celebrity trials), is why I don't watch television news anymore.

Though it is refreshing to see that at CBS News, when someone seriously screws up, they're expected to do the honorable thing and step aside. In other places, when someone screws up, they're given the presidential medal of freedom.

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I was a soccer coaches' clinic in Connecticut last weekend. One of the speakers was Brandi Chastain, who was hawking her new book. She did a nice seminar on youth soccer. Many of you may remember Chastain for scoring the decisive penalty kick to win the 1999 Women's World Cup in southern California. Many more will remember the photo of her having taken off her shirt in joy after the kick revealing her sports' bra.

Anyways, her new book's main title is It's Not About the Bra. So quite naturally, what's on the front cover of the book? Yup, that famous picture of her in the bra.

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The coaches' clinic was held at the Mohegan Sun casino. I'm not much of a gambler but I decided to spend a few bucks there just for the heck of it. I only played the slots. At the end of the day, I was down $5. Not bad. I spend more far money buying soccer gear and books. And food ($6 hambugers, $18 buffets). I know some people go down to casinos every month or more often, but I thought it got boring pretty quickly. I guess I figure if I'm going to waste my money on anything, it should be clothes, electronics or food.

New York passed a state law banning smoking in pretty much all public buildings. It's funny how you take things like that for granted. Connecticut has no such ban. I noticed the smoke within two minutes of walking into the complex.