Jul
31
Verb Rationing Afflicts Broadcast News Media
Filed Under Writing | Comments Off
Jeff March And Marti Childs asked:
At one time or another, Americans have experienced shortages in petroleum, water, rubber, grains, sugar, butter, cheese, meats and flu vaccines. The latest shortage may be in a part of speech. Broadcast news media appear to have enacted verb rationing.
Verbs once were the stock-in-trade of action-oriented news media. Today, however, many television and radio newscasts are peppered with sentence fragments lacking verbs, masquerading as sentences.
In an evening newscast, an anchor declared:
“The President releasing his budget proposal today. And on the chopping block, California’s flood control projects and wildfire management.”
Neither of those statements is a complete sentence. The first contains a word that looks like a verb, but it’s not; it’s a gerund. That second fragment about the financial “chopping block” lacks a verb of any kind.
In order to form a sentence, a grouping of words must contain at least a subject and a verb, and must be able to stand independently.
The verb is such an essential component of a sentence that it can constitute a sentence on its own. Stop! Hurry! Listen! Jump! Those are imperative sentences, beseeching or commanding someone to take some action. In such sentences, the subject “you” is understood, a concept that the “Dick and Jane” readers dating to the 1930s taught. “Look, ****. Look, Jane. See Sally. See silly Sally.”
Not all verbs can stand independently, however. The verb “flow,” for example, is meaningless without an accompanying noun — a subject. What flows? Perhaps the river flows. That would make sense.
Likewise, a noun cannot function without an accompanying verb. Television. What about it? Watch television? Dust the television? Buy a television? Turn the television off? The verb specifies what you want to do with the television.
In a story about a series of fires in Southern California, a television news anchor reported:
“This is only the second week of May, and yet Cal Fire has already responded to three large wildfires across our state — one in Los Angeles County, one in San Bernardino County, and the latest in Tehama County. All of those fires, though, now 100 percent contained.”
That closing utterance is not a sentence because it lacks a verb. It consists only of a subject (”those fires”) and a parenthetical phrase (”though now 100 percent contained”). That fragment appeared to be leading to a concluding statement. An astute viewer might have expected something like “All of those fires, though now 100 percent contained, may continue smoldering for 48 hours or longer.”
Why, then, did the newscaster exclude a verb? It couldn’t have been to save time, because he could have turned his fragment into a sentence by plugging in a one-syllable verb: “are.” All of those fires, though, are now 100 percent contained. And if he truly couldn’t spare the half-second to add “are,” he could have deleted another single-syllable word — the preposition “of” — which is superfluous in the context of the sentence. The result: All those fires, though, are now 100 percent contained.
Broadcasters commonly mistake gerunds for verbs, resulting in sentence fragments. Here are a few examples of that recurrent goof that we heard on 13 of the 26 stations and networks that we monitored during the past few weeks.
“Harvard Business Publishing launching a new Web site for leadership development professionals who are seeking out interactive learning experiences and information on talent management and strategy.”
NO. Harvard Business Publishing has launched a Web site.
“Businessman racing mogul Roger Penske finally discussing in public all the problems surrounding Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Of course, Roger Penske was the quarterback of our successful Superbowl XL a couple of years ago.”
NO. Roger Penske finally is discussing (or finally discussed).
“Good morning. Stock index futures plummeting today after J.P. Morgan Chase bought Bear Stearns at a ‘fire sale’ price, and the Federal Reserve provided emergency cash to Wall Street.”
NO. Stock index futures plummeted.
“San Jose police investigating an early morning police chase yesterday that ended with officers shooting at the fleeing car. According to the CHP, the officers tried to pull a driver over on Highway 87 at about 2:30 in the morning. The driver, who didn’t have his headlights on, stepped on the gas instead.”
NO. San Jose police are investigating.
“The Ancient Order of Hibernians celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today with a parade in Dogtown. Grand Marshal Jim Mohan says it’ll start on Tam Avenue’s overpass at 12:30, and run to Manchester.”
NO. The Ancient Order of Hibernians will celebrate with a parade (which had not yet occurred at the time of the newscast).
“Atlanta residents bracing for more storms after a tornado hit downtown last night. National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for a large part of Georgia as well as parts of South Carolina and Alabama. President Bush granting federal aid to much of Texas following wildfires which spread across the state. More than 133,000 acres have burned since strong winds whipped up flames yesterday. No injuries have been reported. Firefighters still trying to put out those flames.”
NO. Atlanta residents are bracing or began bracing last night. President Bush has granted (or said he will grant) federal aid. Firefighters are still trying to extinguish flames.
A gerund is a word that, although derived from a verb, functions as a noun in a sentence. Gerunds are easy to recognize because they end in -ing. The words racing, painting, working and singing are gerunds.
In the sentence Flooding threatens the valley, the subject is the gerund flooding; the verb is threatens; and the direct object of the verb is the valley. The subject could just as easily have been another noun — inundation or deluge, for example.
The -ing ending also is used in the English language to form participles, which are verb forms but which cannot stand on their own. A participle can constitute an adjective — for example:
The plumber fixed the leaking faucet.
Dripping, Nancy took refuge from the storm in the old barn. (In that sentence, dripping is used adjectivally to describe Nancy’s appearance.)
A participle also is a verb form that is used to produce certain tenses in combination with auxiliary verbs. In the sentence Wilhelm is running in today’s marathon, the verb consists of two words: is running. Together, they form the present progressive tense, which is used to indicate a continuing action or condition. Its use in the example sentence is appropriate if the race is still under way, and if Wilhelm is running at this moment.
A participle also can be used to form the past progressive tense, which indicates a past continuing action that ended at some time in the past. Here’s an example: The committee members were traveling through much of April.
Another variation is the present perfect progressive tense, which consists of a three-word verb sequence and is used to indicate an ongoing activity that may continue indefinitely. Here’s an example: The technician has been working on the air conditioner for three hours, but he’s not finished yet.
Perhaps some newscasters, or writers who prepare their scripts, mistakenly think the suffix -ing signals action more than proper verbs do. That possibility might help explain the motivation behind these misguided news excerpts:
“Officials in Georgia asking people that work in downtown Atlanta to still take the day off, even though the weather is gorgeous in the ‘peach city.’ They’re still cleaning up the areas hit hard by Friday’s Atlanta tornado. Many streets are still closed; hundreds of traffic lights are still out in Georgia’s capital.”
“Former President Bill Clinton making a swing through Northern California today, trying to sway those undecided voters. Mr. Clinton speaking to supporters at Cal Expo today. He didn’t mention Barack Obama by name, but he did highlight the differences of Hillary Clinton’s health-care proposal.”
“After the break, we’ll tell you why an annual tradition facing some tough times.” [television station "teaser" for a story on an appearance by the Blue Angels at the California Capital Airshow]
“Sprint Nextel is merging with Clearwire to form a wireless firm — a new one. Backing that: Comcast, Intel and Google. This will set up competition for AT&T and Verizon. And Yahoo’s directors facing backlash now from shareholders after rejecting the Microsoft bid.”
The odd practice of verb rationing is not limited to local news stations. Network newscasts engage in it, too.
“In Iraq, fierce fighting under way in the southern city of Basra. Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces cracking down on Shiite militias there. The area around Basra is Iraq’s major source of oil.”
Only one of those three statements — the last — is a complete sentence.
“An accident on a Myanmar river involving a boat carrying supplies for the International Red Cross to victims of the powerful cyclone last week. The group’s Joe Lowry says the boat hit a stump and overturned. Lowry also saying they’ll take a different route next time, but that the river would have been a quicker way to get to the surviving victims. If you think it can’t get any worse, think again. CNN’s John Lawrence reports the price of gas still climbing.”
In some cases, sentence fragments lack any semblance of a verb, excluding even a gerund. Among 12 statements in a Fox News Radio report heard May 7 on KFBK radio in Sacramento, only four were complete sentences. Four others used a gerund in place of a noun, while four fragments — highlighted here in italic type — lacked verbs of any kind. Take a look:
“That’s Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd. House debate has just begun on that bill. The situation in Myanmar getting worse. Reports of rioting and fights over food days after a cyclone leveled the country. The U.S. Embassy believes the death toll could reach 100,000. And oil prices now above $123 a barrel for the first time. That’s a new record. Consumer borrowing now double the rate it was two months ago. Triple-digit losses on Wall Street. The closing bell with Dow Jones dropping 206 points. Philadelphia dealing with a situation with police officers and citizens. The city removing a sergeant and five officers from the street for an investigation into a video showing officers kicking and beating three suspects.”
With more astute writing, problematic sentence fragments in that newscast could have been rectified without adding a single syllable — and in some cases, with fewer syllables. Here are our revised versions:
Fragment: The situation in Myanmar getting worse. (12 syllables)
Corrected: The situation in Myanmar has worsened. (12 syllables)
Fragment: Reports of rioting and fights over food days after a cyclone leveled the country. (22 syllables)
Corrected: Riots and fights over food are occurring days after a cyclone leveled the country. (22 syllables)
Fragment: And oil prices now above $123 a barrel for the first time. (22 syllables)
Corrected: And oil prices now exceed $123 a barrel for the first time. (22 syllables)
Fragment: Consumer borrowing now double the rate it was two months ago. (16 syllables)
Corrected: Consumer borrowing has doubled during the past two months. (15 syllables)
Fragment: Triple-digit losses on Wall Street. (9 syllables)
Corrected: Wall Street bears triple-digit losses. (9 syllables)
Fragment: The closing bell with Dow Jones dropping 206 points. (14 syllables)
Corrected: By the closing bell, Dow Jones dropped 206 points. (13 syllables)
In addition, nearly all sponsored programs broadcast on commercial and public television stations use the same grammatically bereft credit line: This program brought to you by…. That corrupted passive construction lacks a proper verb. It could become a grammatically correct simple past tense sentence by addition of the auxiliary verb was (This program was brought to you by…) or it could be placed in present perfect tense (This program has been brought to you by…).
The next time you’re feeling generous, send a few verbs to your favorite television or radio station or broadcast network. Or let them know that they can make their own if they discard the -ing suffix from the many gerunds that they indiscriminately use. The result could be gratifying.
MILTON
At one time or another, Americans have experienced shortages in petroleum, water, rubber, grains, sugar, butter, cheese, meats and flu vaccines. The latest shortage may be in a part of speech. Broadcast news media appear to have enacted verb rationing.
Verbs once were the stock-in-trade of action-oriented news media. Today, however, many television and radio newscasts are peppered with sentence fragments lacking verbs, masquerading as sentences.
In an evening newscast, an anchor declared:
“The President releasing his budget proposal today. And on the chopping block, California’s flood control projects and wildfire management.”
Neither of those statements is a complete sentence. The first contains a word that looks like a verb, but it’s not; it’s a gerund. That second fragment about the financial “chopping block” lacks a verb of any kind.
In order to form a sentence, a grouping of words must contain at least a subject and a verb, and must be able to stand independently.
The verb is such an essential component of a sentence that it can constitute a sentence on its own. Stop! Hurry! Listen! Jump! Those are imperative sentences, beseeching or commanding someone to take some action. In such sentences, the subject “you” is understood, a concept that the “Dick and Jane” readers dating to the 1930s taught. “Look, ****. Look, Jane. See Sally. See silly Sally.”
Not all verbs can stand independently, however. The verb “flow,” for example, is meaningless without an accompanying noun — a subject. What flows? Perhaps the river flows. That would make sense.
Likewise, a noun cannot function without an accompanying verb. Television. What about it? Watch television? Dust the television? Buy a television? Turn the television off? The verb specifies what you want to do with the television.
In a story about a series of fires in Southern California, a television news anchor reported:
“This is only the second week of May, and yet Cal Fire has already responded to three large wildfires across our state — one in Los Angeles County, one in San Bernardino County, and the latest in Tehama County. All of those fires, though, now 100 percent contained.”
That closing utterance is not a sentence because it lacks a verb. It consists only of a subject (”those fires”) and a parenthetical phrase (”though now 100 percent contained”). That fragment appeared to be leading to a concluding statement. An astute viewer might have expected something like “All of those fires, though now 100 percent contained, may continue smoldering for 48 hours or longer.”
Why, then, did the newscaster exclude a verb? It couldn’t have been to save time, because he could have turned his fragment into a sentence by plugging in a one-syllable verb: “are.” All of those fires, though, are now 100 percent contained. And if he truly couldn’t spare the half-second to add “are,” he could have deleted another single-syllable word — the preposition “of” — which is superfluous in the context of the sentence. The result: All those fires, though, are now 100 percent contained.
Broadcasters commonly mistake gerunds for verbs, resulting in sentence fragments. Here are a few examples of that recurrent goof that we heard on 13 of the 26 stations and networks that we monitored during the past few weeks.
“Harvard Business Publishing launching a new Web site for leadership development professionals who are seeking out interactive learning experiences and information on talent management and strategy.”
NO. Harvard Business Publishing has launched a Web site.
“Businessman racing mogul Roger Penske finally discussing in public all the problems surrounding Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Of course, Roger Penske was the quarterback of our successful Superbowl XL a couple of years ago.”
NO. Roger Penske finally is discussing (or finally discussed).
“Good morning. Stock index futures plummeting today after J.P. Morgan Chase bought Bear Stearns at a ‘fire sale’ price, and the Federal Reserve provided emergency cash to Wall Street.”
NO. Stock index futures plummeted.
“San Jose police investigating an early morning police chase yesterday that ended with officers shooting at the fleeing car. According to the CHP, the officers tried to pull a driver over on Highway 87 at about 2:30 in the morning. The driver, who didn’t have his headlights on, stepped on the gas instead.”
NO. San Jose police are investigating.
“The Ancient Order of Hibernians celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today with a parade in Dogtown. Grand Marshal Jim Mohan says it’ll start on Tam Avenue’s overpass at 12:30, and run to Manchester.”
NO. The Ancient Order of Hibernians will celebrate with a parade (which had not yet occurred at the time of the newscast).
“Atlanta residents bracing for more storms after a tornado hit downtown last night. National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for a large part of Georgia as well as parts of South Carolina and Alabama. President Bush granting federal aid to much of Texas following wildfires which spread across the state. More than 133,000 acres have burned since strong winds whipped up flames yesterday. No injuries have been reported. Firefighters still trying to put out those flames.”
NO. Atlanta residents are bracing or began bracing last night. President Bush has granted (or said he will grant) federal aid. Firefighters are still trying to extinguish flames.
A gerund is a word that, although derived from a verb, functions as a noun in a sentence. Gerunds are easy to recognize because they end in -ing. The words racing, painting, working and singing are gerunds.
In the sentence Flooding threatens the valley, the subject is the gerund flooding; the verb is threatens; and the direct object of the verb is the valley. The subject could just as easily have been another noun — inundation or deluge, for example.
The -ing ending also is used in the English language to form participles, which are verb forms but which cannot stand on their own. A participle can constitute an adjective — for example:
The plumber fixed the leaking faucet.
Dripping, Nancy took refuge from the storm in the old barn. (In that sentence, dripping is used adjectivally to describe Nancy’s appearance.)
A participle also is a verb form that is used to produce certain tenses in combination with auxiliary verbs. In the sentence Wilhelm is running in today’s marathon, the verb consists of two words: is running. Together, they form the present progressive tense, which is used to indicate a continuing action or condition. Its use in the example sentence is appropriate if the race is still under way, and if Wilhelm is running at this moment.
A participle also can be used to form the past progressive tense, which indicates a past continuing action that ended at some time in the past. Here’s an example: The committee members were traveling through much of April.
Another variation is the present perfect progressive tense, which consists of a three-word verb sequence and is used to indicate an ongoing activity that may continue indefinitely. Here’s an example: The technician has been working on the air conditioner for three hours, but he’s not finished yet.
Perhaps some newscasters, or writers who prepare their scripts, mistakenly think the suffix -ing signals action more than proper verbs do. That possibility might help explain the motivation behind these misguided news excerpts:
“Officials in Georgia asking people that work in downtown Atlanta to still take the day off, even though the weather is gorgeous in the ‘peach city.’ They’re still cleaning up the areas hit hard by Friday’s Atlanta tornado. Many streets are still closed; hundreds of traffic lights are still out in Georgia’s capital.”
“Former President Bill Clinton making a swing through Northern California today, trying to sway those undecided voters. Mr. Clinton speaking to supporters at Cal Expo today. He didn’t mention Barack Obama by name, but he did highlight the differences of Hillary Clinton’s health-care proposal.”
“After the break, we’ll tell you why an annual tradition facing some tough times.” [television station "teaser" for a story on an appearance by the Blue Angels at the California Capital Airshow]
“Sprint Nextel is merging with Clearwire to form a wireless firm — a new one. Backing that: Comcast, Intel and Google. This will set up competition for AT&T and Verizon. And Yahoo’s directors facing backlash now from shareholders after rejecting the Microsoft bid.”
The odd practice of verb rationing is not limited to local news stations. Network newscasts engage in it, too.
“In Iraq, fierce fighting under way in the southern city of Basra. Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces cracking down on Shiite militias there. The area around Basra is Iraq’s major source of oil.”
Only one of those three statements — the last — is a complete sentence.
“An accident on a Myanmar river involving a boat carrying supplies for the International Red Cross to victims of the powerful cyclone last week. The group’s Joe Lowry says the boat hit a stump and overturned. Lowry also saying they’ll take a different route next time, but that the river would have been a quicker way to get to the surviving victims. If you think it can’t get any worse, think again. CNN’s John Lawrence reports the price of gas still climbing.”
In some cases, sentence fragments lack any semblance of a verb, excluding even a gerund. Among 12 statements in a Fox News Radio report heard May 7 on KFBK radio in Sacramento, only four were complete sentences. Four others used a gerund in place of a noun, while four fragments — highlighted here in italic type — lacked verbs of any kind. Take a look:
“That’s Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd. House debate has just begun on that bill. The situation in Myanmar getting worse. Reports of rioting and fights over food days after a cyclone leveled the country. The U.S. Embassy believes the death toll could reach 100,000. And oil prices now above $123 a barrel for the first time. That’s a new record. Consumer borrowing now double the rate it was two months ago. Triple-digit losses on Wall Street. The closing bell with Dow Jones dropping 206 points. Philadelphia dealing with a situation with police officers and citizens. The city removing a sergeant and five officers from the street for an investigation into a video showing officers kicking and beating three suspects.”
With more astute writing, problematic sentence fragments in that newscast could have been rectified without adding a single syllable — and in some cases, with fewer syllables. Here are our revised versions:
Fragment: The situation in Myanmar getting worse. (12 syllables)
Corrected: The situation in Myanmar has worsened. (12 syllables)
Fragment: Reports of rioting and fights over food days after a cyclone leveled the country. (22 syllables)
Corrected: Riots and fights over food are occurring days after a cyclone leveled the country. (22 syllables)
Fragment: And oil prices now above $123 a barrel for the first time. (22 syllables)
Corrected: And oil prices now exceed $123 a barrel for the first time. (22 syllables)
Fragment: Consumer borrowing now double the rate it was two months ago. (16 syllables)
Corrected: Consumer borrowing has doubled during the past two months. (15 syllables)
Fragment: Triple-digit losses on Wall Street. (9 syllables)
Corrected: Wall Street bears triple-digit losses. (9 syllables)
Fragment: The closing bell with Dow Jones dropping 206 points. (14 syllables)
Corrected: By the closing bell, Dow Jones dropped 206 points. (13 syllables)
In addition, nearly all sponsored programs broadcast on commercial and public television stations use the same grammatically bereft credit line: This program brought to you by…. That corrupted passive construction lacks a proper verb. It could become a grammatically correct simple past tense sentence by addition of the auxiliary verb was (This program was brought to you by…) or it could be placed in present perfect tense (This program has been brought to you by…).
The next time you’re feeling generous, send a few verbs to your favorite television or radio station or broadcast network. Or let them know that they can make their own if they discard the -ing suffix from the many gerunds that they indiscriminately use. The result could be gratifying.
MILTON
Jul
28
My vote counted. Erudite asked:
Source: CNN News on 21st feb 07. The war is not going well. I believe it will end up like Vietnam. We should not be here. I want to go home. Then he turned away from the Camera and cried his eyes out. Even the camera crew was crying.
PRESTON
Source: CNN News on 21st feb 07. The war is not going well. I believe it will end up like Vietnam. We should not be here. I want to go home. Then he turned away from the Camera and cried his eyes out. Even the camera crew was crying.
PRESTON
Jul
20
Why news meda blocked the CNN reporter in *** rope and drug scandal ?
Filed Under Current Events | 2 Comments
hyhdnkmn asked:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/cnn-star-caught-with-drugs-rope-and-toy/2008/04/21/1208629776034.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/cnn-star-caught-with-drugs-rope-and-toy/2008/04/21/1208629776034.html
It is not on Yahoo news, Nor it is on Google news section. and even Yahoo answer would not allow me to post it four days ago
Why ? Why ? Scorning hard on China, but itself doing the same thing ?
ELDON
Jul
18
Who Mr. Obama -
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Marcia Wood asked:
Whoa Senator Obama – You’re Starting to Push America’s Buttons
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Senator Obama’s leadership ability is minus 10. He can’t even take time out to help his Democratic Party or fellow Americans during this economic slump. His buddies are praising him for his support and gibberish about bipartisanship, but 93 fellow Democrats stood up today and said, “No” to Pelosi and Obama. Way to go Democrats!
What’s Senator Obama doing as we speak, he’s twisting and turning the economic crisis into another political farce – Americans will soon come to their senses when they see how many Democrats aren’t playing Obama games anymore.
His plan is to make the “Bad Guys” pay up and to knock our investors to their knees by raising their taxes and than have the terrorists sit down at his table for a little ”din din” and a couple of sodas. Do we really want our President playing house with the terrorists or abusing our investors at this time?
Besides, Mr. Obama most of the “Bad Guys” are going to go down in the next few months and won’t have the dinero to line the deep government pockets. Our investors don’t have to lay around and let you beat on them – there’s other countries that would love their money. The terrorists know which side of the bread their butter is on and they never turn down a free dinner.
Where does America think Senator Obama is going to get the money to finance all his dreams and whims? Lets get real here – there’s only one place to go for the kind of money! He had his chance in the Senate to make a real difference, but he was too busy dreaming of playing house in the “White House.”
Mr. Obama voted against strengthening the earmark reform 1/11/07. Voted “Nay” on improving access to affordable healthcare. “No” on making permanent certain education-related tax incentives. Senator Obama didn’t want to increase the minimum for States under the State Homeland Security Grant Program. Didn’t think Congress should be allowed to take a peek at “wasteful spending. His voting record, you’ll discover is somewhat like Enron’s accounting!
One more bill that speaks a thousand word is this one. He voted “Nay” To extend the 35, 33, 28,and 25 percent income tax rate structure and protect nearly 28,000,000 and individuals, including small business owners, from having their taxes increase to 39.6, 36, 31 or 28 percent.
By checking the senator’s voting record, you will discover that education, the middle class, our security, our troops and keeping the government honest didn’t seem to be any of Mr. Obama’s concerns. While you’re doing your homework, check on the Democratic Senate’s voting record the past several years.
Listen to him now as he prances around talking to Americans about his heart felt concern for little ole us! If he couldn’t assume his responsibilities as a Senator, why would we give him a second chance at leading our country?
A world class education for our children sounds awesome, but Mr. Obama doesn’t have a clue how to implement this program, nor does he have any inkling where the money will come from for our children’s world class education.
Health insurance for all is a hazy subject with Senator Obama and he’s having as much problem addressing this problem as Hillary Clinton did when she assured Americans that she had the perfect health plan in the works.
When Senator Obama was faced with the real issues during his short stay in the Senate, he was repeatedly a no-show when it was time to vote. One must wonder where this boy wonder came from for his ability to lead the Democratic Party is looking pretty bleak.
The big three, Pelosi, Obama and Dean have totally confused their own party in their “Bail Out” blunders. Seems to me around 93 Democrats voted no on this bill as they tried a slam dunk again - Democrats against Americans!”
“Indecision” seems to be a “kissin cousin” with Senator Obama and team; it appears to be raising its ugly head once again - how many more changes will the Democrats try to sweep under the rug for their Presidential Candidate? “Indecision” seems to be running rampant in the Democratic Camp – could it be the result of weak leadership or no legitimate platform?
Don’t drill – drill tax – don’t tax wire taping no – well maybe yes
immediate withdrawal from Iraq – well uuh, uhh maybe, maybe not
Invite the “bad boys” to his house for chocolate milk without any pre conditions – Henry Kissinger changed his mind on that “Blooper.”
Trouble with the trade issue – plenty of time to figure that out later
Fund Religious Organization – maybe or maybe not (not sure about this one)
Vote in the Senate – no vote, safer to be a “no show” (Keep Americans in limbo)
Proud of his preacher friend like family, mentor, close friend – changed his mind decided to ditch preach because the kitchen was getting too hot
Don’t use Hillary or Bill – well maybe use Hillary & Bill
Use Michelle – better not use Michelle (just keep her busy shopping)
Help with the bail out – maybe campaigning is more important (just stay in touch by phone).
Tread lightly with America on the “bail out” – straddling the fence is the safest
Blame John McCain for the Democrats blunders and greediness while “Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac” executives laughed all the way to the bank and the story goes that they lined Senator Obama’s pockets with gold – wrong again Senator.
Blame the Republicans for the “recession” – Mr. Obama what if the News Media put the Senates voting record on National TV for the past few years? There’s no doubt the Republicans helped, but the Democrats massacred us!
Why did your dear friend “Bill Clinton” refer to Senator McCain as “great” and he couldn’t spit out the word “great” when talking about you…
Seems that Bill described you as one who “saw and imagined,” don’t think seeing or imagining qualifies you for leading. I have a little 3 year old grandson, who spends his waking hours seeing and imagining.
Even Bill Clinton isn’t ready to jump on your band wagon with open arms. He will do whatever is necessary to keep his Senator Clinton in good standing with the Democratic Party, but the “buck stops there!”
America – it’s time to check out voting records, check out background of both President Elects, verify who has been leading and who has been following. If you’re strictly depending on CNN for the real story, it’s not going to happen!
They admit that their polls were biased and they gush with prejudice, bias and re edited news – none of our news media should be our voice or decide who our next President will be in 2008. CNN isn’t the only media with major problems – we have us an epidemic! America has the ability to think for themselves and hopefully make a wise choice when it comes to our next President
To all those journalists, columnists and editors that want to campaign for their party – take a leave of absence or do it after hours, but not on America’s time. We deserve the whole story from start to finish and we deserve the “truth.”
As Always, Annie
BORIS
Whoa Senator Obama – You’re Starting to Push America’s Buttons
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Senator Obama’s leadership ability is minus 10. He can’t even take time out to help his Democratic Party or fellow Americans during this economic slump. His buddies are praising him for his support and gibberish about bipartisanship, but 93 fellow Democrats stood up today and said, “No” to Pelosi and Obama. Way to go Democrats!
What’s Senator Obama doing as we speak, he’s twisting and turning the economic crisis into another political farce – Americans will soon come to their senses when they see how many Democrats aren’t playing Obama games anymore.
His plan is to make the “Bad Guys” pay up and to knock our investors to their knees by raising their taxes and than have the terrorists sit down at his table for a little ”din din” and a couple of sodas. Do we really want our President playing house with the terrorists or abusing our investors at this time?
Besides, Mr. Obama most of the “Bad Guys” are going to go down in the next few months and won’t have the dinero to line the deep government pockets. Our investors don’t have to lay around and let you beat on them – there’s other countries that would love their money. The terrorists know which side of the bread their butter is on and they never turn down a free dinner.
Where does America think Senator Obama is going to get the money to finance all his dreams and whims? Lets get real here – there’s only one place to go for the kind of money! He had his chance in the Senate to make a real difference, but he was too busy dreaming of playing house in the “White House.”
Mr. Obama voted against strengthening the earmark reform 1/11/07. Voted “Nay” on improving access to affordable healthcare. “No” on making permanent certain education-related tax incentives. Senator Obama didn’t want to increase the minimum for States under the State Homeland Security Grant Program. Didn’t think Congress should be allowed to take a peek at “wasteful spending. His voting record, you’ll discover is somewhat like Enron’s accounting!
One more bill that speaks a thousand word is this one. He voted “Nay” To extend the 35, 33, 28,and 25 percent income tax rate structure and protect nearly 28,000,000 and individuals, including small business owners, from having their taxes increase to 39.6, 36, 31 or 28 percent.
By checking the senator’s voting record, you will discover that education, the middle class, our security, our troops and keeping the government honest didn’t seem to be any of Mr. Obama’s concerns. While you’re doing your homework, check on the Democratic Senate’s voting record the past several years.
Listen to him now as he prances around talking to Americans about his heart felt concern for little ole us! If he couldn’t assume his responsibilities as a Senator, why would we give him a second chance at leading our country?
A world class education for our children sounds awesome, but Mr. Obama doesn’t have a clue how to implement this program, nor does he have any inkling where the money will come from for our children’s world class education.
Health insurance for all is a hazy subject with Senator Obama and he’s having as much problem addressing this problem as Hillary Clinton did when she assured Americans that she had the perfect health plan in the works.
When Senator Obama was faced with the real issues during his short stay in the Senate, he was repeatedly a no-show when it was time to vote. One must wonder where this boy wonder came from for his ability to lead the Democratic Party is looking pretty bleak.
The big three, Pelosi, Obama and Dean have totally confused their own party in their “Bail Out” blunders. Seems to me around 93 Democrats voted no on this bill as they tried a slam dunk again - Democrats against Americans!”
“Indecision” seems to be a “kissin cousin” with Senator Obama and team; it appears to be raising its ugly head once again - how many more changes will the Democrats try to sweep under the rug for their Presidential Candidate? “Indecision” seems to be running rampant in the Democratic Camp – could it be the result of weak leadership or no legitimate platform?
Don’t drill – drill tax – don’t tax wire taping no – well maybe yes
immediate withdrawal from Iraq – well uuh, uhh maybe, maybe not
Invite the “bad boys” to his house for chocolate milk without any pre conditions – Henry Kissinger changed his mind on that “Blooper.”
Trouble with the trade issue – plenty of time to figure that out later
Fund Religious Organization – maybe or maybe not (not sure about this one)
Vote in the Senate – no vote, safer to be a “no show” (Keep Americans in limbo)
Proud of his preacher friend like family, mentor, close friend – changed his mind decided to ditch preach because the kitchen was getting too hot
Don’t use Hillary or Bill – well maybe use Hillary & Bill
Use Michelle – better not use Michelle (just keep her busy shopping)
Help with the bail out – maybe campaigning is more important (just stay in touch by phone).
Tread lightly with America on the “bail out” – straddling the fence is the safest
Blame John McCain for the Democrats blunders and greediness while “Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac” executives laughed all the way to the bank and the story goes that they lined Senator Obama’s pockets with gold – wrong again Senator.
Blame the Republicans for the “recession” – Mr. Obama what if the News Media put the Senates voting record on National TV for the past few years? There’s no doubt the Republicans helped, but the Democrats massacred us!
Why did your dear friend “Bill Clinton” refer to Senator McCain as “great” and he couldn’t spit out the word “great” when talking about you…
Seems that Bill described you as one who “saw and imagined,” don’t think seeing or imagining qualifies you for leading. I have a little 3 year old grandson, who spends his waking hours seeing and imagining.
Even Bill Clinton isn’t ready to jump on your band wagon with open arms. He will do whatever is necessary to keep his Senator Clinton in good standing with the Democratic Party, but the “buck stops there!”
America – it’s time to check out voting records, check out background of both President Elects, verify who has been leading and who has been following. If you’re strictly depending on CNN for the real story, it’s not going to happen!
They admit that their polls were biased and they gush with prejudice, bias and re edited news – none of our news media should be our voice or decide who our next President will be in 2008. CNN isn’t the only media with major problems – we have us an epidemic! America has the ability to think for themselves and hopefully make a wise choice when it comes to our next President
To all those journalists, columnists and editors that want to campaign for their party – take a leave of absence or do it after hours, but not on America’s time. We deserve the whole story from start to finish and we deserve the “truth.”
As Always, Annie
BORIS
Jul
10
Rising Gas Prices Have You Down? Work From Home and Save Money at the Pump
Filed Under Business Opportunities | Comments Off
Diana Ennen asked:
Rising Gas Prices Have You Down? Work From Home and Save Money at the Pump
With soaring gas prices fueling the strong need to work from home, now is the perfect time to become the business owner you always dreamed about. Think how great that short commute to your home-based office would be for those of you who can no longer afford to travel. You not only save money, but you get to experience the thrill of being your own boss and earning the kind of money you know you are worth.
One of the top businesses to start at home today is virtual assisting. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled professionals who provide service from a home office to anywhere in the world. Through the use of high-speed Internet access, e-mails, fax machines, mail services, as well as many web-based applications Virtual assistants handle such things as publicity, Internet research, word processing, event planning, real estate transactions, legal briefs, medical transcriptions, proofing, editing, publishing and so much more. The Virtual Assistant industry is growing at an amazing rate and is regularly featured in such renowned media outlets as Time Magazine and CNN News.
And just who are using VAs? Just about everyone from corporate professionals to doctors or attorneys who rely on these professional assistants to keep their businesses running smoothly. Not to mention the authors and online shops that use VAs for their marketing and publicity. Putting their many years of knowledge and advanced training to work for them, these virtual assistants can take over administrative duties while executives concentrate on increasing profits—it’s a perfect fit!
How do you get started? Easy. Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker’s book, Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (Another 8 Hours Publishing) and the new accompanying VA The Series Workbook Edition provides you with everything you need to get well on your way to a successful new career. This book has already helped thousands of administrative professionals start their business and now with the help of the Workbook Edition, others are soon to follow.
Also here are a few tips on getting started in your VA business:
DO - Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area. By developing a “niche” in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert.
DO — Be creative about where you can find business. The Internet offers a large variety of potential for clients just waiting for you to contact them. Actively network and don’t limit your marketing to simply placing a few ads in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. You want to find where there might be a need- and go fill it.
DO — Write a complete business plan and marketing plan. Too many leave out this vital step and waste valuable time unorganized and without a clear-cut goal and direction for their business. When starting a business you will have tons of ideas floating around. You need to materialize all these and put them into a workable plan of action.
DO — Develop a website that looks sensational. Your website is often the first connection a potential client has with your services. It must immediately let them know that they are dealing with a professional. Your site must then have the POWER to draw them to you and contact you. Let them see that you value quality by the look and feel of it. Additional tips include letting them know what services you offer and why you are qualified to offer those services by mentioning your experience and education. Be sure to include points on why you stand out among the rest and are the BEST! For example, if you have been featured in articles, radio shows, etc., have them listed with the dates.
Start today and experience the financial freedom you’ve always wanted.
OWEN
Rising Gas Prices Have You Down? Work From Home and Save Money at the Pump
With soaring gas prices fueling the strong need to work from home, now is the perfect time to become the business owner you always dreamed about. Think how great that short commute to your home-based office would be for those of you who can no longer afford to travel. You not only save money, but you get to experience the thrill of being your own boss and earning the kind of money you know you are worth.
One of the top businesses to start at home today is virtual assisting. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled professionals who provide service from a home office to anywhere in the world. Through the use of high-speed Internet access, e-mails, fax machines, mail services, as well as many web-based applications Virtual assistants handle such things as publicity, Internet research, word processing, event planning, real estate transactions, legal briefs, medical transcriptions, proofing, editing, publishing and so much more. The Virtual Assistant industry is growing at an amazing rate and is regularly featured in such renowned media outlets as Time Magazine and CNN News.
And just who are using VAs? Just about everyone from corporate professionals to doctors or attorneys who rely on these professional assistants to keep their businesses running smoothly. Not to mention the authors and online shops that use VAs for their marketing and publicity. Putting their many years of knowledge and advanced training to work for them, these virtual assistants can take over administrative duties while executives concentrate on increasing profits—it’s a perfect fit!
How do you get started? Easy. Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker’s book, Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (Another 8 Hours Publishing) and the new accompanying VA The Series Workbook Edition provides you with everything you need to get well on your way to a successful new career. This book has already helped thousands of administrative professionals start their business and now with the help of the Workbook Edition, others are soon to follow.
Also here are a few tips on getting started in your VA business:
DO - Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area. By developing a “niche” in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert.
DO — Be creative about where you can find business. The Internet offers a large variety of potential for clients just waiting for you to contact them. Actively network and don’t limit your marketing to simply placing a few ads in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. You want to find where there might be a need- and go fill it.
DO — Write a complete business plan and marketing plan. Too many leave out this vital step and waste valuable time unorganized and without a clear-cut goal and direction for their business. When starting a business you will have tons of ideas floating around. You need to materialize all these and put them into a workable plan of action.
DO — Develop a website that looks sensational. Your website is often the first connection a potential client has with your services. It must immediately let them know that they are dealing with a professional. Your site must then have the POWER to draw them to you and contact you. Let them see that you value quality by the look and feel of it. Additional tips include letting them know what services you offer and why you are qualified to offer those services by mentioning your experience and education. Be sure to include points on why you stand out among the rest and are the BEST! For example, if you have been featured in articles, radio shows, etc., have them listed with the dates.
Start today and experience the financial freedom you’ve always wanted.
OWEN
Jul
4
Why do Fox News and CNN have such a difference in the amount of delegates each candidate has recieved?
Filed Under Elections | 8 Comments
John V asked:
I have been watching the 2008 presidential election religiously. I noticed that Obama is a lot closer according to Fox News than he is on CNN. As of this moment, Obama is 42 behind on Fox News, and 72 behind on CNN. How can 2 different news sources have 2 completely different totals?
CLAY
I have been watching the 2008 presidential election religiously. I noticed that Obama is a lot closer according to Fox News than he is on CNN. As of this moment, Obama is 42 behind on Fox News, and 72 behind on CNN. How can 2 different news sources have 2 completely different totals?
CLAY