Another Pet Peeve

       This is another non-chess post, but it really sticks in my craw the way local television news channels sensationalize news.
       When I tune in to the local news I want to hear news not about American Idol, or whatever other stupid ‘reality’ television show that appears on the local network.  I don’t care who wins Americal Idol or the X-Factor.  These are television programs for entertainment purposes...not news. These ‘news’ events and sensationalized stories don't belong on the local evening news.  I understand that often there’s not much going on locally so reporters have to report juicy stories and because they are in competition with other stations in the same city, the juicier the better.
       Sensational headlines are chosen in order to catch people’s attention so they are going over the top with every story to make you watch them and not their rivals. This doesn’t seem very professional to me.
       Then there is the weather. Every time there is a storm approaching, the media blows it way out of proportion and sends people scurrying to the stores for milk, bread, batteries, plywood, and generators. This is dangerous. After a while people become numb to the warnings and start ignoring them.
       Years ago I had a private pilot’s license and the FAA Flight Service Stations got to the point that when you called them for a weather briefing, if conditions were expected to be anything less than absolutely perfect, they ended the briefing with the recommendation that if you were not flying by instruments, don’t make the trip.  Most pilots ignored them.
       I really dislike those talking heads that pop up before the evening news and yell, “Snow is coming!  How much will we get?  I’ll tell you at 11:00.”  Come 11 o’clock, after a lot of teasing, you finally get some weather person telling you they are expecting a half an inch in the snow belt. 

       For the last couple of days our local weather people have been constantly babbling about a winter storm approaching complete with big headlines on their website “WINTER WEATHER IN AREA” and “WINTER STORM WARNING.”  I have to tell you, it is pretty crappy out there as I write this.  There is a big blob of snowy weather that when seen on radar appears to be centered right over my house and covers most of the NE United States. 

 

 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SEVERE WINTER WEATHER IS

EXPECTED. HEAVY SNOW AND/OR ICE WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING

CONDITIONS. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING IN THE WARNING AREA YOU

SHOULD CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE IF POSSIBLE... OR YOU SHOULD USE

EXTREME CAUTION IF TRAVEL IS UNAVOIDABLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA

WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

      The way they were talking, it sounded like the wind was going to be bad enough to blow the hair off a dog. It is a little windy, but not enough to damage anything unless you consider it messed up my hair pretty bad when I was pumping gas this morning to be damage.  It’s 35 degrees with a light, wet snow.  It’s supposed to clear out by tomorrow morning.  Sure, it’s a crappy day, but in this part of the country where we are near lake Erie this situation hardly rates as a big snow or bitter cold. 

     They like to play into people’s fears and that upsets me.