Despite the bad press, there are still a lot of things happening in our country that we can be thankful for. But we may not be able to find those things in the latest news headlines.
Jonathan Franzen’s essay was not that bad
Several years ago, Jonathan Franzen made a bold promise. Five years later, he delivered a novel that had the potential to capture the post-9/11 generation. It also made Franzen a totemic figure for divisiveness. In the process, Franzen’s work became one of the most influential American novels of the decade.
Franzen writes novels that are a kind of state-of-nation novel about late capitalist anomie. The action takes place in a crumbling community, and the stakes are high psychically. But Franzen also has a visceral distaste for wind turbines. He is also willing to distort climate science to support his opposition to renewable energy.
Franzen’s novels have often been described as sprawling, bombastic plots, and they have featured bizarre coincidences. However, the plot of Franzen’s latest novel, Purity (2015), is actually a rather simple premise. It follows the story of a deranged, feminist recluse. The woman has a secret – a mystery about her father – that she is trying to solve. In order to uncover it, she meets an online evangelist who resembles Julian Assange. This gives Franzen the opportunity to rehearse his anti-internet arguments.
The New York Times headline was egregiously bad
Earlier this year, The New York Times published a piece in its op-ed section entitled “The Media: The Greatest Hits.” The piece, which was compiled in response to questions raised by members of the paper’s editorial staff, contains a few tidbits of interest. One is the paper’s 66 percent increase in profits after the election of Donald Trump. Another is its use of Twitter, which the paper has a history of ignoring.
The paper’s best known for its political coverage, but it also publishes some very impressive science and technology related content. For instance, its website is a gold mine of newsworthy articles about the physics of space travel. The paper has also made a splash with its Governing magazine, a free subscription for policy makers. This, of course, is not surprising considering the paper’s reputation for churning out the best science and technology journalism in the country.
The paper’s eponymous op-ed section contains more than a few snarky pieces of journalism. For instance, the paper’s chief editorial officer, David Remsen, has been known to cite the paper’s editorial staff as a source of some of his most embarrassing moments.
Bizarre and surprising news stories
Among the most bizarre and surprising news headlines for Todd Bowles is that he threw away a win against Cleveland. The Browns had a chance to tie the score, but Todd Bowles chose to rush only four men for most of the fourth quarter. The defense was exhausted, and they mismanaged the clock. This was a result of the conservative play-calling that Bowles has long complained about.
Despite these bizarre and surprising news headlines, Bowles has a large support base in the NFL, and is good guy. He has apologized for his televised comments, and has pledged to continue his race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill. In fact, many supporters of Todd Bowles were disappointed that he didn’t win the job in New York. Nevertheless, he will still get some criticism for the final minutes of regulation.
Todd Bowles is not the only one who has faced controversy for his bizarre and surprising news headlines. Among other bizarre news for the Browns, Pete Wilson has been accused of attacking his gay supervisor, Bevan Dufty, and his lesbian supervisor, Rebecca Goldfader.