RamblingDyna

I took a picture with CNN's 360 anchor Anderson Cooper! Well ...I took a picture with a poster of him reporting in the field but it’s good enoug h for me. Anyway, he’s based in New York City and he ne ver re turns my call. :o) I did witness, w ith about 50 other ethnic journalists, Dr . Sanjay Gupta, CN N’s Chief Medical Correspondent and Brain Surgeon, do a taping at CNN's Atlanta headqu arters. The free ($12 value) two ho ur tour was part of my two day ticket to the National Ethnic Media Expo and Awards event at the Hyatt Hotel. Thousands of ethnic news organizations reach out to over 60 million ethnic Americans acc o rding t o a recent poll conducted by Ne w America Media (NAM), the main organizer of the annual event. Even as print newspapers continue to shut down or shrink its staff, it's great to know that ethnic newspapers continue to survive. I hear time and time again from ethnic journalists from California to Michigan that the Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese...

Weary, baggy eyed airport travelers are stranded for the second day in a row as winter storms shut down planes and ice runways. Retailers keep their fingers crossed praying that second black Friday will reap extra change. Gas prices are down by 60% but people are still watching their mileage as with any other expenditures. Families are tightening and streamlining their belts. Xmas wish lists are pared down or done without. In the Xmas 24 hour marathon television favorite, A Xmas Story, the mother of the main character, Ralph, asks him what he wants on his Xmas wish list. Initially, she denies him his Red Ryder BB gun because it's dangerous. In the end, Ralph and his brother get everything they wanted. Even though it's a fictional and all time movie classic favorite, I'm sure financially strapped families now watch these idyllic scenes with a sobering perspective. People are coping and learning, most for the first time, how to really save and buy what's necessary. Can...

So for the last 3 days I've been watching CNBC's morning Squawk reports about the financial fiasco. I'm not a regular watcher but I check in now and then when I have time. Financial news is usually boring but even prior to the Wall street mess, the CNBC commentators and reporters are an entertaining bunch. Most of their dialogue is non scripted and the impromptu questions and market hourly changes reveal that these men and women know their stuff. The hosts and reporters also have a sense of humor, that New York sarcasm and quick wit which helps soften the blow of the changing hourly news. First I'd like to comment on their presentation. Now I understand that when you're reporting from the busy NYSE trading floor, you need to raise your voice but that doesn't mean the on-set anchors have to shout at each other. Even the women hosts fall prey to this. But I do like that despite the shouting and some of the disagreements between the hosts and reporters, at the e...