Sunday, July 31, 2016
VOA still amazingly neutral
I was getting desperate this morning, trying to find some kind of readable news without slamming my blood pressure. Finally I remembered a much earlier observation: The Voice of America had always been 'neutral enough'. Can this still be true, even after 30 years of government satanization?
Yes. Still true. Maybe not unbiased in terms of story selection; VOA covers the same stories that CNN or NYTimes covers; but their language is STRICTLY objective.
For example, their story on DNC hacking is JUST THE FACTS and nothing more. Statements from both sides are quoted, and the language outside quotes is precisely neutral.
Bookmarking VOA, deleting all other news aggregator bookmarks........
= = = = =
One of today's features deals with skill-estate. Ivory Coast is a major producer of raw cocoa but makes very little edible chocolate for its own consumption. The feature shows two businesses trying to solve the problem. Both are purely hands-on, not automated. One is run by a Lebanese Arab lady. Her operation uses quantity tricks like multiple molds and multiple wrapping jigs to produce a hundred items at once. Very little waste, neat-looking results. The other is run by an African. Clean but inefficient. One item at a time, purely hand-wrapped. Looks like 70% of the chocolate is wasted, and the result is sloppy. Clearly there's a need for more skill training! Wouldn't require a lot of extra capital to buy the multiple molds.
Irrelevant sidethought: With the help of a little Ludlow-style technology, you could make yummy edible texts. Eat a poem or a Bible verse or a private message.
Hey! I'm not a Luddite, I'm a Ludlowite!
Yes. Still true. Maybe not unbiased in terms of story selection; VOA covers the same stories that CNN or NYTimes covers; but their language is STRICTLY objective.
For example, their story on DNC hacking is JUST THE FACTS and nothing more. Statements from both sides are quoted, and the language outside quotes is precisely neutral.
Bookmarking VOA, deleting all other news aggregator bookmarks........
= = = = =
One of today's features deals with skill-estate. Ivory Coast is a major producer of raw cocoa but makes very little edible chocolate for its own consumption. The feature shows two businesses trying to solve the problem. Both are purely hands-on, not automated. One is run by a Lebanese Arab lady. Her operation uses quantity tricks like multiple molds and multiple wrapping jigs to produce a hundred items at once. Very little waste, neat-looking results. The other is run by an African. Clean but inefficient. One item at a time, purely hand-wrapped. Looks like 70% of the chocolate is wasted, and the result is sloppy. Clearly there's a need for more skill training! Wouldn't require a lot of extra capital to buy the multiple molds.
Irrelevant sidethought: With the help of a little Ludlow-style technology, you could make yummy edible texts. Eat a poem or a Bible verse or a private message.
Hey! I'm not a Luddite, I'm a Ludlowite!
Labels: defensible spaces, skill-estate
¶ 10:00 AM
