BBC TV News - Sophie's World

Millions without power; thirty five dead; patients in intensive care being evacuated from hospitals.  Hurricane Sandy is likely to continue on its destructive path for another three or four days.
But hold on.  The BBC's on the scene. They've set up an interview with a New York official. It's a chance to capture the horror and perhaps let viewers get some understanding of what it's like to go through this massive social upheaval. Sophie Raworth has got her first question ready.
'How long do you think will it take to clear up the mess?'
I thought she had missed the point slightly but at least  she didn't (however tempted she may have been) follow up with:  'How do think the hurricane will affect the Presidential Elections?'
But quite apart from Sophie's contribution the BBC's coverage throughout the rest of the day failed to capture the human dimension of the devastation.

Kentucky Fried Pancakes Offer for Under 12's

Just watched a shocking advert for a KFC Breakfast offer in TV.  If I heard it correctly; anyone who buys one of their wonderfully 'nutritious' breakfasts is entitled to an exciting extra. A young son or daughter (under 12)  doesn't have to watch and starve while the parent scoffs  a chicken burger. No: the youngster is entitled to three pancakes topped with loads of imitation maple syrup. What a wonderful way to start a new day!

* By the way KFC's signage on Millburn Road, Inverness is a total eyesore: four huge, ugly, crude signs.  How the Planning Department passed that is mystery.

Congratulations to BBC for Record-Breaking 'JT' Mentions

Thursday 27th Sept 2012 will go down in media history. Today the BBC  mentioned one particular sportsman more often than any other broadcaster ever.  Over  all their outlets, (including all its TV and radio channels) they managed to mention John Terry 10 million times!  This record-breaking achievement  overtakes both the Wayne Rooney and the David Beckham records by several million. Well Done!

England Invades Poland - BBC News: Sports Trivia

(Scene: Outside the England Team hotel in Krakow)

BBC Reporter: I’m standing outside England’s hotel in the centre of Krakow. The England team should be arriving soon. ……………………..blah , blah, blah, blah, blah..........  So the team should be arriving soon, so back to you in the studio.

BBC Newsreader in the studio: Thanks Tim. Hopefully they should be arriving quite soon.  

We all wait. We’ll just have be patient.  Maybe if we return to Krakow in a few minutes we’ll be lucky enough to see the coach sweep in through the gates.

This is the BBC News.  This is what passes as ‘sports coverage’.

Next news item: Leo Ferdinand: Why has he been overlooked for inclusion for the national team? What is the real reason Roy Hodgson decided to leave him out? Extended analysis follows….

Why, I wonder, is so much of the sports reporting on TV based on gossip and hearsay? Someone refuses to shake hands;  a player calls someone a bad name; the manager insults someone by not informing them properly why they’ve been over-looked for the team.  On and on it goes.  Celebrity gossip: reported on national news reports is bad enough but sports gossip is a killer!

I certainly don't grudge at all the proportionally extra TV coverage the England Team gets. They are, after all, Britain's only representative in Euro 2012. My issue is with the lack of substance in so much of new reporting.

Would You Believe it...? - Hen Lays Egg With Inch-Long 'Tail' In China

It’s probably not what you want to see staring back from your breakfast plate first thing, but this egg has an inch-long “tail”.

The unusually shaped egg was laid by a hen in Hukou, China, the Mail Online said.

It’s unknown if the misshapen offering was consumed, but it’s not the first time Chinese hens have offered up such oddities.

According to China News a “spoon-shaped” egg was laid by a hen in Huaibei City, Anhui province, in January 2005.

Railway worker Huang Yazhou apparently awoke to hear the hen responsible “making weird noises” before delivering the 8.5cm long egg.

(Huffington Post)

Robert Mugabe Envoy for Tourism - Next... Hannibal Lector in Charge of School Meals

The Guardian:

Improbable as it seems, Robert Mugabe, a man widely accused of ethnic cleansing, rigging elections, terrorising opposition, controlling media and presiding over a collapsed economy has been endorsed by the United Nations as a champion of tourism.

(Huffington Post UK)

Bureauracy Gone Mad - Olympic Organisers Ban Scottish Flag

Olympic organisers have been criticised for banning the Saltire flag from being flown over Scotland's national stadium during the Games.

The rule could also stop fans waving the national symbol when events are held at Hampden this summer, it has been claimed.

Under Olympic rules, Scottish athletes represent Great Britain, meaning only the Union flag should officially be flown at venues, but SNP MEP Alyn Smith has complained to Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee.

Mr Smith said: "It seems incredible that under the current Games rules, Scots will be banned from taking their own national flag into their own national stadium. I can only imagine this is an oversight and hope that once I point it out to Lord Coe, he will move quickly to make sure that common sense prevails and that fans who wish to proudly wave the Saltire will be free to do so."

The rule hit the headlines during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games in 2002. Skier Alain Baxter, from Aviemore, was ordered to cover up a blue and white Saltire he had dyed into his hair before competing.

Terms and conditions on tickets for the 2012 Games state there should be no flags of countries that are not participating.

The rule will mean the saltire cannot fly over Hampden, a spokesman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games confirmed. Common sense would be applied for fans, as long as there was no "political statement" linked to the flag or emblem, the spokesman said.

Mr Smith said: "The Olympic Games is one of the biggest events in world sport and should be a real festival of global culture and achievement and international companionship.

"It's natural that Scots who will be attending the Games will want to demonstrate their pride through our national flag. Just as many in Wales will wish to attend games in Cardiff while displaying the Welsh flag. They too deserve a fair kick of the ball.
(copied and pasted from: Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.)