Feeding the Habit

So, for the past three months I've been without access to cable television (Yea, I know. Woe is me...). It's been a difficult time. I suppose I have an addiction to a constant stream of information and stimulus that may or may not be healthy. I don't think it's adversely affected me. I mean, I would much rather be out with my family and friends, performing, going to concerts or other cultural events, or even riding my motorcycle than sitting at home vegetating to Fear Factor. But, I would prefer the option of tuning in to MSNBC, CNN, or even the Discovery Channel during the interim. No matter how flawed they might be, they are providing information to the community that should be considered and processed.

Since I've been sans-cable and sans-satellite, I have been able to find marginally adequate alternatives such at Netflix and Hulu (I still can't find any Mythbusters episodes!). However, I have to give the most credit to a website called Live Times - The Live News Chat Blog. On this fantastic site there are links to live streams of MSNBC, CNN, Current TV, Al Jazeera, BBC News, and half a dozen other television news organizations. Although it isn't perfect, (The feed frequently has pauses and hiccups that disrupt the programming, although that may be due to overloading the household bandwidth.) this site has allowed me to hang on to some sense of connection to the world. I still feel like I know a little about what's going on out there.

So I offer a big thanks to the folks over there at Live Times. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

peace.

Current TV Has Been K.O.'ed

from "The Mouth That Roared Begins a New 'Countdown'" on nytimes.com

Keith Olbermann returned to cable television on Monday mad as hell and pointedly madder than other self-described liberal anchors on his former channel, MSNBC.

“This is to be a newscast of contextualization,” Mr. Olbermann told viewers on his new channel, Current TV. He promised to posit “that the weakest citizen in this country is more important than the strongest corporation.” His first guest and contributor was the muckraking filmmaker Michael Moore, who joined him in bemoaning President Obama’s decision to not seek Congressional approval before attacking Libya. At the same time on MSNBC, Mr. Olbermann’s successor, Lawrence O’Donnell, asked a longtime Obama confidant, David Axelrod, to respond to the president’s critics on the issue of same-sex marriage.

For more, check here.

I must admit, Keith's looking pretty good. It was endearing to see him back on television doing what it seems he absolutely loves to do.

I will say this. Keith is now the Chief News Honcho at Current TV in addition to hosting Countdown. And judging from the programming that book-ended his show, there's a lot of content there that's being overlooked due to our addiction to what Jon Stewart calls the "sensationalism and laziness" of the mainstream media (See CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, etc.). I hope Keith realizes that his presence on Current may possibly bring attention to many areas of social concern presently being tackled on his new network. However, that's no excuse to get carried away. No one needs yet ANOTHER 24-hour cable news network full of over-zealous pundits and polarizing shouting matches between the left and right. Fighting the urge to re-populate the place with more "contextualization" could, with a little luck, breath a little life back into the bewildering state of journalism.

Good luck, Keith. I'm glad you're back.

peace.

The Countdown has Ended

Not Keith Olbermann...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tonight I was at my new job finishing up my shift when I decided to have a quick glance at cnn.com to check on the happenings of the day. Nothing was out of the ordinary really (good to hear about Rep. Giffords, by the way), until I saw an article about Keith Olbermann. "Wait. Keith's on MSNBC. What's this?"

I supposed deflated was the best word for it.

Olbermann has been a foundational voice in my journey towards political maturity. I was first introduced to his show during the 2004 presidential election. My friend Mark and I would watch slack-jawed at the audacity and precision of Keith's perspective on the day's political events. Jon Stewart described him in his Nov. 2010 interview with Rachel Maddow as a "voice in the wilderness" during the early period of MSNBC's shift towards liberal and progressive commentary. For me, he articulated and illuminated thoughts on bureaucracy and policy making that I had never considered or explored. And even though it has become more difficult for me to watch 24-hour cable news due to my growing distaste for the amplified effect of opposing ideologies (I can't stand Glenn Beck OR Ed Schultz because they're both obnoxious.) I've always made sure to check in on Keith from time to time in order to restore my sense of progressive ambition.

I will truly miss his voice and his show. I hope he finds a new forum from which to continue inviting us into his world.

Thanks Keith.

peace.