After rocketing to internet stardom thanks to his audition video for Oprah Winfrey’s Your OWN Show reality TV series — and unwittingly finding himself in the middle of a possible vote-rigging kerfuffle (see below) – the irrepressibly charming Zach Anner has taken his idea for “a travel show for people who never thought they could travel” to YouTube. Anner, who has cerebral palsy (which he calls “the sexiest of the palsies”), posted a series of videos about his current home town of Austin, Tex. back in June. But since he didn’t really need to travel all that far to shoot it, we’re counting the episode he posted Aug. 4 of his tour of Niagara Falls as the true series premiere of Zach in the Buff. And it is awesome.
I’m not sure what part I enjoyed the most: Anner marveling at Buffalo, N.Y.’s fine railings, his assertion that Niagara Falls itself is a conceptual art created in 1929 for the Guggenheim, or his determination to run over a seagull. But I do know for certain that I can’t wait to see the next episode.
As for Your OWN Show, on July 9 Anner was named one of eight Web finalists who nominally get to audition for 10 contestant slots on the reality competition series, which launches on Oprah’s OWN cable network in January, 2011 — but voting irregularities still seem to haunt this endeavor. Pay attention; this gets oddly complicated. The main page of the show’s website reports that Anner has 9.2 million votes and first place, while the page with the “official” count — i.e. the count that determines who will go on to compete for a slot on the actual TV show — gives Anner 3.5 million votes and seventh place, a drop of almost 6 million votes. Official first-place finisher Jacqueline Wattimo, meanwhile, has 2.3 million more votes than what’s listed for her on the main page.
When reached today for comment, OWN rep Beth Gebhard tells a that a third party (which she declined to reveal) reviewed the entire pool of votes, and discovered that some tabulated votes (like many of those for Anner) violated the contest rules and were discarded, while other votes that had been initially discarded (like many of those for Wattimo) were in fact valid and were added back to the official count. (The official rules of the contest state that “use of any computer auto-voting software or any other software or device intended to tamper with the proper functioning of the voting system and use of any other means to subvert the voting process is strictly prohibited and all such votes will be void.”) Gebhard stresses that while the top eight did change rank, they all remained in the top eight, and have been going through the standard audition process for the show. However, she also noted that only one finalist from the top five is guaranteed a contestant slot on the series. Get all that?
Regardless of whether Anner makes it on to Your OWN Show, after watching his tour of Niagara Falls, what do you make of his chances as a travel show host? Will you be eagerly clicking in to see his next episode?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
"Letters to the President of The United States of America" segment
Just an open letter to President Obama;
Dear President;
If you haven't noticed lately our Country is going the way of the Roman Empire. We are spread to thin, campaigning for democracy in countries that have had ethnic issues for centuries, and have a financial and economic crisis at home. Many of our population suffer from a feeling of entitlement and this in itself could be a bi-product of our having to much for so long. Our students rank lower than many other countries in education and our school systems are in complete disarray, our healthcare system is a joke and you've pumped money into a system that is on life support in a most erroneous way.
When we should be cutting waste and redundancy many still feel the need to keep up with the Jones? Who the hell cares about the Jones?!
Our nations electrical grid in holding on by a thread of band-aids and our nations borders are being breached at all ends. Innovation is no longer happening in the US but is happening in the nations that once looked to us as a leader of change.
When you took office you ran on the platform of "change that we could believe in" and yet very little has really changed. And that promised transparency you spoke about - can't say we've seen much of that either.
So since we're in such a crapper I thought I'd take a shot and helping you out with some suggestions;
1. Employment/Unemployment - Perhaps we could create jobs by creating a national task force that would create an UNIFIED WALL at our borders. Think the Chinese wall. This wall should be a military project and overseen by the Federal Government. Think Prison walls - they should be THICK, LARGE, REINFORCED, IMPENETRABLE and should be built in a way that one day others would look at it as one of this era's wonders. Now back to how this would create jobs. A) Each border state would receive funds to employ within it's states those who are currently unemployed (first) with skills necessary to complete the task. The employees must be US CITIZENS (first and at least 85%) with other jobs being allocated to a foreign labor force. B) Since it's a border issue we should station military patrols at each of the stations. Honestly, what is the world coming to when drug cartel's in Mexico place money on the head of a US Sheriff who is defending the borders of his/her town?!
Next, we should seek to revitalize our infrastructures. We should begin to incorporate green technologies at an accelerated rate. Solar and wind power should become first priorities in states such as FL, CA, TX, AZ allowing again for increased jobs NOW and for a decrease in utility costs in these and many other states in the years to come. Transportations systems and national grids should all be updates as we use a futuristic look at where we want to be 40 years down the line. We can only get there by making that "change" today.
Unemployment also needs to be overhauled. Might I suggest the following; When a person looses their job. For the first 8 weeks they will receive 100% of what their current salary is up to the max of $1,500 per week. For the next 6 weeks they would receive 80% and afterwards they would receive 30% of their salary for the balance of their benefits. Why? Because most people do not have a 8 months buffer cushion in the US to help them when faced with loss of a job. This way we help a person to manage their money and pay down debt while looking for a job. And their benefits should definitely be contingent on their actively looking for employment and they should have to provide a list of interviews and the like on a weekly basis. Companies should also receive incentives for hiring from the unemployed pool of workers. Unemployed workers should also not be allowed to just turn down jobs that have been offered because they do not "pay them what they are looking for." If an employer is offering a person a position at a rate that is the going rate for one with the experience and level required the one seeking the job should have to take what is being offered and come off the unemployment rolls.
2. Mortgages - Plain and simple - dictate that the banks adjust home values to their current levels for those who have purchased in good faith and whose paperwork show that they bought in good faith and could afford the home. By doing this you will show that as American's we can rise up and help those of "main street" in their time of need.
3. Wars - Just as you placed restrictions onto the Automobile makers who have taken government funds the Federal government should also have restrictions placed onto them. You are using our hard earned tax dollars to pay for the international wars currently in progress and like the automobile makers who had to decide which car lines to sell and/or scrap you need to decide which war to bring to an immediate end. Some suggestions that come to mind are; Iraq & Afghanistan just to name a few. Our immediate withdrawals from these conflicts will help us to shore up things at home and take care of our own national issues.
4. Education system - We need to scrap the "No Kid Left Behind" in favor of a system in which parents are held just as accountable as teachers for their children's education. Federal aid should go to schools that need immediate upgrade and schools that are beyond repair should be closed and/or fused into systems already working. We also need to expect more from our teachers and PAY them accordingly. It's insulting to see just what a teacher is paid in many areas of the US in comparison to other kinds of fields when these people are responsible for educating the nation. Incentives should be offered for people entering the field AND for those already in the system to update their skills. We also have to reign in those college educational costs. They are driving many young ones into debt.
5. Healthcare - You're going to need to revisit this because the latest polls show that 60% of American's do not like what was pushed through. Might I suggest first cutting out the redundancies in the system and streamlining systems that cause red tape. Just by this alone you will save millions of dollars a year. Get all hospitals and doctors offices onto ONE national platform for hospital records and the like which will again cut down on the duplication of processes. If a hospital can access a patients records through a unified system without paperwork being sent from one place to another we save HOURS, TIME, and MONEY. Once you cut that waste out and shored up the foundation you can then take a look at structuring the proper plans.
6. Unions - This is going to be a sticky point but UNIONS are BLEEDING the US dry. Many of our nations building projects are overpriced due to unions. I won't go into detail here but to cut to the chase unions must be wrangled in. The years of them sitting pretty are over. The salaries that some employees make for say just turning on a light and the OT that is paid to people who are on vacation are just some of the abuses of the system one that needs a dramatic overhaul. Perhaps a Federal system should be put into place to represent workers?
7. Immigration - We should respect the system that we have in place and begin to overhaul the system. ILLEGAL means just that and if a person is illegal and has a child in the US that child should NOT be a citizen. So, needless to say the 14th amendment needs to be reviewed and amended! The founding fathers DID NOT want for people that are illegal to benefit from entering our borders and dropping down a kid in order to stay. Persons who have overstayed their visa, green cards and the like are not IGNORANT of that fact and in doing so are committing a crime. Plain and simple they should be sent home right along with those who have come across the border illegally. If they have children who were born here those children should be sent with them and granted access only when they become of legal age to represent themselves. At that time they will be allowed back into the US as citizens but not before. Those who come here legally should also complete several courses in english as well.
Employers who hire illegal aliens should be fined and face criminal charges like anyone else who breaks federal laws.
8. Stimulus - You should have just given each American Citizen $75,000 as opposed to bailing out the banks. That would of boosted the economy immediately as people paid down debt, shopped, and invested. Call it "The Clean Slate Act", Yeah there would have been some who would have purchased nothing but lottery tickets with it but you could have stipulated that each person must sign up with an investment advisor before receiving the funds. This way an advisor would of had to sign off on the plan each person put together before the Federal Government releases the funds and bills that needed to be paid would have been applied first with the balances going to the person directly. So that's just a thought.
Well that is all I can think of today I'll had to this in future "Letters to the President" section.
Blog in if you have any further ideas.
Dear President;
If you haven't noticed lately our Country is going the way of the Roman Empire. We are spread to thin, campaigning for democracy in countries that have had ethnic issues for centuries, and have a financial and economic crisis at home. Many of our population suffer from a feeling of entitlement and this in itself could be a bi-product of our having to much for so long. Our students rank lower than many other countries in education and our school systems are in complete disarray, our healthcare system is a joke and you've pumped money into a system that is on life support in a most erroneous way.
When we should be cutting waste and redundancy many still feel the need to keep up with the Jones? Who the hell cares about the Jones?!
Our nations electrical grid in holding on by a thread of band-aids and our nations borders are being breached at all ends. Innovation is no longer happening in the US but is happening in the nations that once looked to us as a leader of change.
When you took office you ran on the platform of "change that we could believe in" and yet very little has really changed. And that promised transparency you spoke about - can't say we've seen much of that either.
So since we're in such a crapper I thought I'd take a shot and helping you out with some suggestions;
1. Employment/Unemployment - Perhaps we could create jobs by creating a national task force that would create an UNIFIED WALL at our borders. Think the Chinese wall. This wall should be a military project and overseen by the Federal Government. Think Prison walls - they should be THICK, LARGE, REINFORCED, IMPENETRABLE and should be built in a way that one day others would look at it as one of this era's wonders. Now back to how this would create jobs. A) Each border state would receive funds to employ within it's states those who are currently unemployed (first) with skills necessary to complete the task. The employees must be US CITIZENS (first and at least 85%) with other jobs being allocated to a foreign labor force. B) Since it's a border issue we should station military patrols at each of the stations. Honestly, what is the world coming to when drug cartel's in Mexico place money on the head of a US Sheriff who is defending the borders of his/her town?!
Next, we should seek to revitalize our infrastructures. We should begin to incorporate green technologies at an accelerated rate. Solar and wind power should become first priorities in states such as FL, CA, TX, AZ allowing again for increased jobs NOW and for a decrease in utility costs in these and many other states in the years to come. Transportations systems and national grids should all be updates as we use a futuristic look at where we want to be 40 years down the line. We can only get there by making that "change" today.
Unemployment also needs to be overhauled. Might I suggest the following; When a person looses their job. For the first 8 weeks they will receive 100% of what their current salary is up to the max of $1,500 per week. For the next 6 weeks they would receive 80% and afterwards they would receive 30% of their salary for the balance of their benefits. Why? Because most people do not have a 8 months buffer cushion in the US to help them when faced with loss of a job. This way we help a person to manage their money and pay down debt while looking for a job. And their benefits should definitely be contingent on their actively looking for employment and they should have to provide a list of interviews and the like on a weekly basis. Companies should also receive incentives for hiring from the unemployed pool of workers. Unemployed workers should also not be allowed to just turn down jobs that have been offered because they do not "pay them what they are looking for." If an employer is offering a person a position at a rate that is the going rate for one with the experience and level required the one seeking the job should have to take what is being offered and come off the unemployment rolls.
2. Mortgages - Plain and simple - dictate that the banks adjust home values to their current levels for those who have purchased in good faith and whose paperwork show that they bought in good faith and could afford the home. By doing this you will show that as American's we can rise up and help those of "main street" in their time of need.
3. Wars - Just as you placed restrictions onto the Automobile makers who have taken government funds the Federal government should also have restrictions placed onto them. You are using our hard earned tax dollars to pay for the international wars currently in progress and like the automobile makers who had to decide which car lines to sell and/or scrap you need to decide which war to bring to an immediate end. Some suggestions that come to mind are; Iraq & Afghanistan just to name a few. Our immediate withdrawals from these conflicts will help us to shore up things at home and take care of our own national issues.
4. Education system - We need to scrap the "No Kid Left Behind" in favor of a system in which parents are held just as accountable as teachers for their children's education. Federal aid should go to schools that need immediate upgrade and schools that are beyond repair should be closed and/or fused into systems already working. We also need to expect more from our teachers and PAY them accordingly. It's insulting to see just what a teacher is paid in many areas of the US in comparison to other kinds of fields when these people are responsible for educating the nation. Incentives should be offered for people entering the field AND for those already in the system to update their skills. We also have to reign in those college educational costs. They are driving many young ones into debt.
5. Healthcare - You're going to need to revisit this because the latest polls show that 60% of American's do not like what was pushed through. Might I suggest first cutting out the redundancies in the system and streamlining systems that cause red tape. Just by this alone you will save millions of dollars a year. Get all hospitals and doctors offices onto ONE national platform for hospital records and the like which will again cut down on the duplication of processes. If a hospital can access a patients records through a unified system without paperwork being sent from one place to another we save HOURS, TIME, and MONEY. Once you cut that waste out and shored up the foundation you can then take a look at structuring the proper plans.
6. Unions - This is going to be a sticky point but UNIONS are BLEEDING the US dry. Many of our nations building projects are overpriced due to unions. I won't go into detail here but to cut to the chase unions must be wrangled in. The years of them sitting pretty are over. The salaries that some employees make for say just turning on a light and the OT that is paid to people who are on vacation are just some of the abuses of the system one that needs a dramatic overhaul. Perhaps a Federal system should be put into place to represent workers?
7. Immigration - We should respect the system that we have in place and begin to overhaul the system. ILLEGAL means just that and if a person is illegal and has a child in the US that child should NOT be a citizen. So, needless to say the 14th amendment needs to be reviewed and amended! The founding fathers DID NOT want for people that are illegal to benefit from entering our borders and dropping down a kid in order to stay. Persons who have overstayed their visa, green cards and the like are not IGNORANT of that fact and in doing so are committing a crime. Plain and simple they should be sent home right along with those who have come across the border illegally. If they have children who were born here those children should be sent with them and granted access only when they become of legal age to represent themselves. At that time they will be allowed back into the US as citizens but not before. Those who come here legally should also complete several courses in english as well.
Employers who hire illegal aliens should be fined and face criminal charges like anyone else who breaks federal laws.
8. Stimulus - You should have just given each American Citizen $75,000 as opposed to bailing out the banks. That would of boosted the economy immediately as people paid down debt, shopped, and invested. Call it "The Clean Slate Act", Yeah there would have been some who would have purchased nothing but lottery tickets with it but you could have stipulated that each person must sign up with an investment advisor before receiving the funds. This way an advisor would of had to sign off on the plan each person put together before the Federal Government releases the funds and bills that needed to be paid would have been applied first with the balances going to the person directly. So that's just a thought.
Well that is all I can think of today I'll had to this in future "Letters to the President" section.
Blog in if you have any further ideas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
