Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Haz-Matters

Where oh where did my sense of humour go? I’ve been checking under the bed, in closets, as well as in the refrigerator next to the organic vegetables (too serious) - to no avail. My humour is playing perverse games with me. One minute I feel a quiet chortle slipping out from under the cloak of my furrowed brow, but the sound of laughter fades as it makes an attempt to break through the face mask I’m wearing to stave off the first whiff of radiation we have been told will soon hit the shores on the West Coast of America.

I’m prepared for the onslaught, I tell ya’. A mask may not be necessary in my case. I’m so full of radiation from the hundreds of x-rays my body has been through in my life that the glow once thought to be the inner goodness of my being is simply my personal radiation fallout.

Let’s take a look at those who are in closer range than the West Coast is to the nuclear reactor explosions in Japan. What can be said/written other than caring, empathetic words to all in that lovely country who are affected by the disasters of late? Nothing funny about what they are going through, is there? Nor is there anything to flog beyond the obvious: nuclear power plants.

Where the focus of a bit of wry black humour can be found in the midst of sorrow and deep concern is on the expressions of several reporters on the ground trying to look professional when you know that of all of the disaster's they have covered, they would rather be anywhere else but there - in the vicinity of testy nuclear reactors. Probably another reason why Anderson Cooper decided to evacuate the disaster site on Monday.

Poor Anderson. Wherever he goes to cover the news these days still comes across as if he’s being assaulted by Kathy Griffin on another Times Square New Year’s Eve romp. What is his choice? Watching Kathy toss his $$$$$$ glasses to the crowd and trying to remove his clothes; being whacked upside his silver fox head in Egypt, or now, in Japan, where he might feel vulnerable without Hazmat gear. Manhattan with Kathy may win out. Then again, Kathy can be rather radioactive at times….

Last night while watching local and national news, I noticed a strain on the faces of many seasoned reporters. A well-respected local newsman covering the story was stumbling over his words – completely out of character – and each shot of him with darkness in the distance reminded me of what a kid looks like when they’ve been sent to the corner of the room based on bad behaviour. His body language said “I want to get out of this place, what did I do to deserve this assignment?” Whoa. Such a vision and listen caught my attention. Made me feel really safe and secure, for sure.

But hey, I told myself, he’s not used to this kind of coverage, so it might be best to ignore his obvious fright. Moments later, Ann Curry’s story of the devastation and how she brought a family together via a pleading tweet popped into view. Oh my. Ann’s hair was all awry and she looked a tad jumpy. The smooth tone of her comforting “all is well” reporting voice had gone up several octaves. Gulp.

Surfing around other networks, a similar tone is heard when reporter’s are asked by their news anchors (who are sitting safely in Manhattan studios), “How are you doing? This must be a difficult time filled with tension for all.” Staring through sleep-deprived reporter’s eyes with as much poise as they can present, the answers by many pro's have been fairly consistent:

Words:"We’re doing all we can…”
Visual: Arched eyebrows, strained confidence.
Words: “For now, no one knows what’s next but we’re on safe ground and doing well.”
Visual: Clears throat, briefly looks away from camera to the ground.
Words: “Considering that the aftershocks continue to rattle the nerves of Japanese citizens left homeless from the disaster, people are calm.” 
(Wavering voice, scared-sheetless eyes.)

Bravo to the brave reporters from all countries who dare to walk into the cracks of history. Just try to look a bit more like NBC’s Lester Holt whose on-camera steady tone and fabulous natty garb with stylish scarves conveys a savoir faire attitude as if he’s on his way to a lovely evening at the local sushi bar. Now that’s an encouraging sign.

7 comments:

  1. Thank you for finding another way to see the problems through lighter eyes. You are a joy to read.

    Peter

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  2. excellent post. happy birthday, btw

    xxxxx

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  3. Glenn Beck did it.

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  4. Good morning Shauna. First off, I must correct a statement I made yesterday. I identified the producer of "Media Malpractice," as a democrat. That is wrong. He is a libertarian who only gave money to democrats. I went back and watched that movie again at 4:00 a.m. this morning. If you do not believe in the media conspiracy, you REALLY need to watch this movie. As far as the Palin/Couric bit of business, it starts at 54 minutes into the film. One other thing of particular interest, was comparing her intellect to Joe Biden's. Any small misspoken item by her was mercilessly hammered by the media. Whereas as Joe said that economic recovery was all about a three letter word: J-O-B-S. ??? He also said, that when the great depression hit in the early part of the century, the President went on national TV and addressed the country. Television wasn't invented for another 25 years. And of course, he invited his supporters to meet him at at diner to celebrate, however that diner had been closed for 20 years. Also, nothing was said about Obama stating he had just been to 57 states. ??? But these left wing mental giants got a pass on all of this from the media. Sarah Palin DID NOT say she could see Russia from her back yard. That was Tina Fey, and yet the news media took that and ran with it. What she said, was you could see Russia land mass from Alaska. That's true. I've been there and seen it myself. There's going to be a large email coming to you, dear birthday girl, because it's way too large for this format. John

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  5. Interesting.......

    Am listening, but know that it's a bit too touchy for everyone to freak over how Tina used the Russian reference as satire. It was understood that Russia can be seen from Alaska. All news outlets made that point. Gotta have a sense of humour on that one, John.

    Biden isn't always thoughtful in his off-the-cuff remarks. Many would have been happy to see a woman in a VP position for the first time - ever - but Palin's errors were and are ignorant. Her tongue didn't "slip" when she made ill-advised, uneducated remarks. In this case, I have to call a foul on comparing Obama's error to most of what continues to flow from that woman's bitter tongue.

    C'mon. Every time Bush opened his mouth he could barely make a complete sentence. He was an embarrassment to this country on every single level.

    Scared to death of opening that email, John. It sounds like I'll need to take a Xanax before reading it.

    Hope your B-Day was fun. I had one of my fav foods! Scallops!

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  6. EXCELLENT POST!

    Was it your birthday yesterday? Happy one, then. Cheers!

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  7. Hey there lady,
    My Birthday was great!! Hope yours was as good as mine.
    That "long email" is going to have to take a
    back seat for a while. I had a bonified sound engineer over here this afternoon, and it turns out that everything I've been doing is WRONG. (HOW 'BOUT THAT??? A conservative who will admit when he's wrong) So, I have completely erased all 14 songs I've been working on so far, and am starting from scratch.
    I laughed as much as any liberal at Tina Fey's "You can see Russia" routine. I really did. What I took exception with, was the left wing media going on the air, and using that bit of comedy against Palin. Palin DIDN'T say that!!
    Based on your comments dear Shauna, I really believe you NEED to watch Media Malpractice. It may put some of your beliefs, or opinions in proper perspective. Still love ya!!! John
    PS: I sent you the TV interview with the nuke accident interview. Looks like I may have got more radiation than the Japanese at the moment. Did you get that email??

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