HURRICANE GUSTAV FIZZLES... AS DOES SARAH PALIN

Sometimes one never knows if the media are making things up for the sake of scoring big on the ratings games or they are just stupid. The way CNN was going on and on about Hurricane Gustav, with the visuals of menacing red swirls approaching New Orleans in its weather reports, I was on the edge of my seat, almost fainting from the coverage-fatigue. "Ooo, that red swirl of the storm that CNN keeps showing must mean Hollywood-special-effects-grade kind of destruction for New Orleans!" I'd thought.

No, I am not evil and do not wish such a thing on the inhabitants of New Orleans. And I was happiest when the leaders there instructed people to evacuate parts that were in the path of Hurricane Gustav. My grouse is the emotional fatigue everyone went through because the American media spinning the web and trying to outdo one another in the doom-and-gloom-weather-forecast stakes.

From Category 3 storm, Gustav was downgraded to Category 2. And the quality of news coverage fizzled as did the storm. Thankfully!!!!! Amen! Now we can also focus our undivided attention on Sarah Palin and how unsuitable she is as a candidate for VP. Boy, does McCain suck in his choice of VP as far as the world audience is concerned! And CNN's Jonathan Mann and that other old guy (as Paris Hilton would have put it!) who're covering the Republican convention are so very lame as Republican apologists as far as Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter is concerned.

Anyway, back to Hurricane Gustav, it was a serious enough storm -- as these pictures from New York Times show.

(The weather maps are from CNN -- the red-yellow-green swirly one -- as well as from the US National Hurricane Center at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml)

IT IS HILLARY CLINTON'S WHITE HOUSE

It is kind of shocking and shameful to read the American media trying to rationalise why Hillary won the New Hampshire round. Everyone is saying that it is because there was that moment when her voice broke and her eyes welled up and thus all women voters in a frenzy of sympathy went into th epolling stations with a vengeance and save their sister, as Oprah Winfrey would have said.

But Oprah-fying the situation is the most idiotic thing that the American media could be doing (which it IS doing!). It shows the media writers/commentators' utter lack of undertanding of their fellow Americans.

To a keen observer of world politics like me, the reason is plain and simple: it is the words that she uttered (her vision of what the U.S. should be and can be) during the so-called teary-eyed-moment that convinced voters that she should be sitting in the white house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for the American media's foolish obsession with exit polls and also a propensity for conjecturing things out of thin air (like women like to see Hillary's softer side etc) -- this is all utter rubbish.

Like one of Larry King's guest put it SO accurately -- American's will choose a candidate who they think can best do the job in the White House and not choose a candidate because she is a woman or he is black. (Sorry Obama - you are inexperienced - so you're out! Along with the rest of the men. It is going to be Hillary's White House!)