The weather in the USA...

[London_Calling]

.. why do I give a fuck?

Yes, I understand it's the most accessible, *media-friendly* story in the world, with endless dramatic images available and oodles of human interest angles, but it's a shit news story.

It happens every year and we'll continue to see the same images every year. And every year it'll be "potentially" the worst hurricane in 'living memory'.

What next, sunshine breaks out over Malaga? Old folks die of heat exhaustion?

And it just happens to coincide with the UK and USA engaging in a huge manhunt for that dictator chappy that isn't actually a manhunt because that would constitute state-sponsored murder and a war crime so it's *really" about weakening the regime so it can't kill civillians, the same civillians UK special forces have been training and equipping for months on end. Etc, etc.

/I'm less grumpy after breakfast, or lunch, maybe dinner

 

[claphamboy]

I agree, I also get pissed off with the amount of coverage of the circus known as the US presidential campaign, that seems to re-start just a few months after any fucking election and drag on for years, getting worst month by month as it gets closer to the next fucking election.

FFS - there's a whole world out there, beyond the US of fucking A, that needs reporting on.

/I'll be less grumpy after my morning workout.

 

[SaskiaJayne]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

 

[claphamboy]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

Yes, they know all the chaps wear bowler hats, we all take afternoon tea, the Queen does actually have some purpose and we must know their relative that lives in London.

 

[Meltingpot]

I was talking to somebody recently who had contacts in the upper mid-West and he said it was hard enough getting news for the US outside Minnesota, never mind Europe and the UK.

 

[London_Calling]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

I dunno, but lets appoint a US policeman, probably from New York, to find out because we really need to follow that social model; as we surely understand, the USA has answers to all social/criminal ills. Actually, it must have the solution to everything because the media and political class never stop referring to it.

Anyone recall the collective geographic name of that hugely varied range of social-democratic countries across the Channel?

 

[London_Calling]

I was talking to somebody recently who had contacts in the upper mind-West and he said it was hard enough getting news for the US outside Minnesota, never mind Europe and the UK.

Someone should invent the Internet for them.

 

[dessiato]

Because I have friends in the US, on the East coast, I am interested in what is happening with Irene. Also, having had first hand experience of three hurricanes I am interested to know how it will develop.
If I didn't know people who are likely to be affected I'd be really pissed off by now.

(I'm surprised how much it is on the international news here in Sudan)

 

[isvicthere?]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

Some of them do know the UK (which they call "England") exists, but mostly they think "overseas" and "hell" are the same place.

 

[claphamboy]

Some of them do know the UK (which they call "England") exists, but mostly they think "overseas" and "hell" are the same place.

 

[Meltingpot]

Nice one, but shouldn't Canada be "moose heads" rather than "mouse heads"? Or was that what was meant?

 

[dessiato]

I wonder how long Africa will be empty now that Libyan oil is likely to come back on line, and there's oil here in Sudan.

 

[quimcunx]

I wonder how long Africa will be empty now that Libyan oil is likely to come back on line, and there's oil here in Sudan.

Libya is in the orange bit.

And why do they care in Sudan? I guess everyone's got to care about the US.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Yes, they know all the chaps wear bowler hats, we all take afternoon tea, the Queen does actually have some purpose and we must know their relative that lives in London.

You forgot the pea-soupers that roll off the Thames every day.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

To be fair I think a story about the US East coast taking a hammering from mother nature has worldwide interest. It's a sort of natural justice thing.

And, America is the most important place in the known universe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeJMuEKF3wc

 

[Waiheke.Island]

They hammer the US storm shit on New Zealand TV. Most people here can't be assed with it anymore.

 

[editor]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

Their news stories generally portray a rather curious view of the UK. We're either bowler hatted toffs spouting Shakespeare or feral looters on the rampage.

 

[boohoo]

Do Americans know as much about the UK as we know about them?

No - but I'm not sure most people from the UK know much about the Americans. (And I'm talking proper stuff - not what you saw in a film!)

I'm interested in the storm because I have family in New York.

 

[boohoo]

.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Storms produce good pictures

Look at this beauty

 

[peterkro]

Meanwhile Typhoon Nanmadol kills seven in the Philippines and is slowly approaching Taiwan with winds possibly reaching 300kph but hey they're brown people so it doesn't warrant TV time.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Meanwhile Typhoon Nanmadol kills seven in the Philippines and is slowly approaching Taiwan with winds possibly reaching 300kph but hey they're brown people so it doesn't warrant TV time.

That's because they're used to typhoons whereas NY isn't used to hurricanes. I'm sure if the hurricane was just hitting North Carolina, it wouldn't be newsworthy

 

[London_Calling]

To be fair I think a story about the US East coast taking a hammering from mother nature has worldwide interest. It's a sort of natural justice thing.

It's more a Bank Holiday, fill the screens with unimaginative, newsfeed filler because most of the senior news room staff are away at festivals and/or in France/Italy.... thing.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

It's more a Bank Holiday, fill the screens with unimaginative, standard filler because most of the senior news room staff are away at festivals and/or in France/Italy.... thing.

That's the real answer. Probably. Also, that news is very image driven, and as has been pointed out - there are some very dramatic images. All those digital things in peoples hands - they will be inundated with free pictures and video to use.

 

[temper_tantrum]

This is the perfect example of the media tee-ing something up as being 'a big story' and then the gradual realisation dawning that it's not quite as much of a big deal as they'd hyped it up to be, in glorious knicker-wetting technicolour, but because they're fully committed to the story by then (resources-wise etc), they have to keep plugging away at it, with a gradually diminishing hope of anything really happening ...

(I now await mother nature proving me wrong by unleashing hell on the US east coast )

 

[peterkro]

That's because they're used to typhoons whereas NY isn't used to hurricanes. I'm sure if the hurricane was just hitting North Carolina, it wouldn't be newsworthy

I don't think that's true, even minor natural events in the US are done to death by the media including in the U.K.,whereas major events in the rest of the world resulting in many deaths are barely reported if at all.

 

[DotCommunist]

I hope the Statue of Irony falls over

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I want to know if this shop's still open

 

[editor]

Is this guy geting covered in raw sewage?!
http://gizmodo.com/5835100/watch-a-weather-man-get-covered-in-whats-probably-raw-sewage

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Is this guy geting covered in raw sewage?!
http://gizmodo.com/5835100/watch-a-weather-man-get-covered-in-whats-probably-raw-sewage

Won't play for me but at least he's still smiling