Monthly Archives: January 2021

A short flight on the private jet is always a preferred choice for those who can afford it. But one doesn't need to own a private jet to experience its luxury and benefits. Many fliers are opting for private jet charter and choosing to fly privately over commercial airlines. With a direct short flight at their disposal, fliers can have the liberty of reaching remote holiday destinations without the tiring connections and hassles of commercial flights.

Wondering where these private jet flyers fly off for their vacations? Well, these destinations are exotic and mystical for sure. Let's give you a sneak peek into the top destinations that have been reported to attract most tourists reaching by private jets.

Private-jetters looking for a perfect Caribbean holiday often head straight to Barbados. The tropical island is best known for its hospitality and the unmatched comfort for tourists. The island offers a host of rich cultural experiences, feasts and fiestas for tourists of all ages and preferences.

This south-east Asian island country is regarded as a versatile tourist destination with attractions for travelers of all tastes. From expansive beaches to the exuberant mainland town, to enthralling outdoor activities, the Philippines deliver it all. Many private jet fliers frequent this destination for a fulfilling holiday.

Crete is a picturesque island in Greece frequently visited by private jet fliers for a dreamy soul-satisfying vacation. The island is replete with unparalleled experiences for an adventurous traveler. Beaches with panoramic views, exotic cuisine and a vivid culture, all lure vacationers to this mystical island.

The US Virgin Islands make for an enchanting holiday destination in the Caribbean. The inviting weather and charming sights make this location an all year tourist attraction. Vacationers can experience thrilling water sports or get immersed in the enamoring history and culture.

Albeit small in size, the island of Malta is a stunning holiday spot that private jet fliers can't afford to miss. The island is blessed with great weather, castles and forts and a charming local population. That's the perfect recipe for an ideal holiday, don't you agree?

Cayman Islands are regarded as one of the choicest luxury holiday destinations for private jet travelers. The islands offer a splendid opportunity to explore adventure sports in the ocean, sunbathe on the pristine beaches and exotic culinary treats.

Sicily is one of the favorite Italian destinations of private jet fliers. The island offers a rich cultural experience alongside the beautiful natural landscape. The island is also well known for its golf courses. It's true that a Sicilian holiday is nothing short of a visit to paradise.

Puerto Rico's capital city, San Juan is well known for its nightlife, the posh restaurants, casinos and clubs. Private jet fliers make the most of their Puerto Rican holiday shopping at exquisite fashion boutiques and relaxing at the beach.

Ibiza is undisputedly the most scenic islands of the Mediterranean and undoubtedly one of the most favored destinations for private jet fliers. Vacationers come here to witness the world's best parties and DJs in action. Although predominantly a destination for party-lovers, there are a lot of attractions that can keep families entertained as well.

The Bahamas is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean. Most private jets head to the Norman's Cay in the Bahamas to enjoy the luxury resort holiday destination. The Bahamas is a cluster of several islands and islets, adorned with corals and spectacular beaches.

The rest is here:

Top 10 Private Jet Destinations Around The World - Luxury Travel Magazine

The Patriot Ledger

Did you know there is a Boston Harbor Island you can walk to at low tide from Quincys Squaw Rock?

Thompson Island is a Boston Harbor Island that can be accessed at low tide by a large sandbar. This means you can walk from Nickerson Beach in Squantum, Quincy to Thompson Island. Manytimeseach month, the tide will be so low you can walk across the spit and visit the beaches surrounding Thompson Island for several hours. It is a beautiful way to spend time outdoors.

The law that allows people to walk the spit from Quincy to Thompson Island is called the Colonial Ordinance.The Colonial Ordinance reserved three specific and important rights of public use within the private tidelands for fishing, fowling, and navigation.

The permissible uses are interpreted by Massachusetts Court as 1) the right to fish on foot or from a vessel; 2) the right to navigate, including windsurfing and sailing; and 3) the right to hunt birds for sport on foot, which also covers birdwatching. Accordingly, the public has access to any so-called private beach or tideland area as long as they are legitimately engaged in fishing, fowling, or navigation.

In 2002, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. National Park Service paid $4 million to Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center to agree to a Grant of Conservation Restriction, which designated most of the east and west ends of the island asconservationareas, and protected them from development. Thompson Island is required to allow unescorted public access to theseconservationareas year-round via ferry, but this isnt happening.

In addition to preserving theconservationareas, the Conservation Restriction is also supposed to enhance public access of Thompson Island. In 2002, the year the Conservation Restriction Grant for Thompson Island Outward Bound was signed, there were 19,000 visitors to Thompson Island. This number included 5,600 participants in educational programs. This was according to the Boston Harbor Island General Management Plan. In 2012, when Marc Albert of the National Park Service did the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center assessment, he noted there were only 128 visitors. He stated in his report, this was a problem that needed a solution.

Thompson Island is supposed to be open to the public, but this isnt happening. Instead, a very few Boston Public School children spend a bit of time there. Thompson Island is really being used to raise lots of money with corporate events. Arthur Pearson, CEO of Thompson Island Outward Bound,is paid an exorbitant amount of money as the head of anon-governmental organization.

There are twoseparate,but equally important issues. First, the Colonial Ordinance allows for citizens to walk on the spit between Quincy and Thompson Island. And walk the beaches as long as they are birding, fishing, or navigating. It would be important to carry either a camera, binoculars, or a fishing rod. Sadly, Thompson Island Outward Bound Island staff is illegally telling people to leave the beaches.I understand fromAlbert of the National Park Servicethat,the public is allowed to access the tidal areas. (Marc Albert email 10/2/20).

The second issue is the Conservation Restriction Grant that was signed in 2002.Thompson Island Outward Bound Education has not honored the Conservation Restriction and National Park Service and the Department of Conservation and Recreationare not enforcing the Conservation Restriction.Thompson Island does not pay taxes. They contribute nothing but providing a brief learning experience for Boston Public School children. Thompson Island Outward Bound is required to provide access to the island year-round.

It is time that Thompson Island Outward Bound be held accountable. It is time for Michael CreaseyatNational Park Service and James Montgomeryatthe Department of Conservation and Recreationto do their jobs.

People more than ever need a green space. Walking across the spit along the beaches around Thompson Island, according to Colonial Law, will provide this opportunity.This is an issue of environmental justice. Otherwise, the Boston Harbor Islands are only available if you have lots of cash for a boat ride.

Joan Delaney is a family nurse practitioner, life-long Quincy resident, and believes that a small group of people can bring about meaningful change.

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Opinion: Thompson Island is supposed to be open to the public, but that isnt happening - The Patriot Ledger

Royal Caribbean has no shortage of fun things to do on a cruise, and a few them I have no intention of ever doing again.

Don't get me wrong, more often than not, I find some really enjoyable things to try on a cruise. But just like anything in life, some things do not jive with me.

Some are not to my liking, and other plans backfired after giving it a try. The good news, is I have since learned from these experiences and wanted to share what I came up against to help you decide what to do on your sailing.

Here are the top things I will never do again on a Royal Caribbean cruise in hopes it may save you the trouble as well.

When I first started to cruise, I never bought travel insurance because I thought it was a waste of money. Why should I spend money to prepare for a scenario that will very likely never happen?

I was in good health, relatively young, and had my own health insurance and coverages provided by credit cards.

It was not until years later when we were on a cruise and my wife did not feel well, that the decision not to buy travel insurance came back to haunt me. As my wife lay in bed feeling awful, we wrestled with should we seek onboard medical care that will cost us a lot of out pocket, or save money and risk my wife's health.

That choice did not sit well with me, and so I decided to invest in travel insurance from that point forward.

The peace of mind travel insurance offers is worth it to know that if something unforeseen minor or major occurs, your first thought will not be, "can I afford this?".

Travel insurance does not cover everything (be sure to read the policy carefully), but it is something I will never cruise without again.

Read more:Why you should get travel insurance for your cruise

When Royal Caribbean introduced the drink package a number of years ago, I never thought it would make financial sense to me.

Ultimately what changed my mind is a drink package makes it so easy to budget for a cruise.

Somewhat similar to the travel insurance example, when I do not have a drink package I torment myself mentally with the question of do Ineeda drink, or can I go longer and save money without it?

I found getting a drink package reduced that sort of mental anguish, and allows me to do what I love to do on a cruise: relax and enjoy my time onboard.

Moreover, the convenience of the drink package and value it provides by including not just alcoholic drinks makes it a slam dunk decision going forward.

By pre-purchasing and taking advantage of drink package sales, I have found a drink package to be a worthwhile investment every time.

Read more:Is the drink package worth it on Royal Caribbean?

The bill at the end of the cruise that has all of our onboard charges is never something I look forward to seeing, and the option to pre-pay gratuities really helps keep these costs down.

Royal Caribbean gives guests the choice of pre-paying gratuities before the cruise, or having them accrue each evening while onboard.

I never used to mind the daily charges, but they add up and I greatly value the opportunity to make spread out the overall cost of my cruise.

By pre-paying, there are two benefits: I get to avoid a larger onboard spending bill and I also lock in my gratuity rate. Royal Caribbean promises to lock in the gratuity rate at the time you pre-pay, which means if the cruise line raises the rate later, you still pay the lower amount.

Read more:Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise?

File this under "things Matt personally does not have the talent to do".

When Royal Caribbean announced there would be a sky diving simulator on Quantum of the Seas, I was excited to finally try sky diving without having to jump out of an airplane. Real sky diving is something I will absolutely, positively never do because it seems entirely too frightening.

When I sailed on Quantum of the Seas, I had my opportunity to see what it was like in a safe environment. I was so excited that I even volunteered to go first in my group.

Unfortunately, I failed miserably at it and somehow ended up inverted and on the bottom, and I was as disappointed in myself as I was embarrassed.

While I have many talents, coordination is not one of them, and I have written off Ripcord by iFly as one of those "been there, done that" experiences.

I would never tell someone else not to do it. I just know I will not be with them in line for it.

It seems easy enough when planning a cruise to squeeze it in by ensuring I will be among the first off the ship to make a flight home, or drive back in time to get to work.

The reality is getting up early enough to be among the first off the ship is anything but enjoyable.

Not only is waking up early unpleasant, a lot of other people have the exact same idea. You still end up standing in a line to disembark the ship, and it always seems no matter what early time I get out of my room to get in that line, there are always way more people waiting before me than I expect.

On top of all of that, I end up groggy and tired for the rest of the day, with a nap later in the day torecuperate.

Instead, I strive to make plans that do not require me to be off the ship quite so early (when possible) to avoid making the last morning quite so miserable.

I learned this lesson at an early stage with my children: I love them, but I do not love sleeping in the same room as them.

Just like at home, my kids have different sleeping habits than I do, and I prefer them go to bed at a certain time isnot necessarily the same time as me.

In addition, having four of us in one room is usually a tight fit. There are plenty of cabins for 4 people, but there is not usually a lot of space. Rooms that do have more living space for a family of four tend to be suites, and those prices do not fit in our budget.

Instead, we book two connecting rooms so that we have a common inside door between my wife and I and the kids. This way, the kids have their own space, their own beds, and their own sleep schedule. We turn off the lights, wish them a good night and close the common door.

Moreover, two rooms means two full bathrooms. As my daughters get older, this investment is worth every penny.

Getting two rooms is not as expensive as it sounds, and even if we have to move down from a balcony for four peopleto two inside connecting rooms, the added space is worth it every time.

Read more:Royal Caribbean adds connecting room feature to website search

I have generally had good luck in ports with walking off the ship and figuring things out as I go, but St. Thomas recently became the exception to that rule.

Due to the location of where your ship docks, a taxi is a must-have and if you want to go somewhere most others do not, getting a taxi became an exercise in futility.

On a cruise in 2019, Iwanted to go to a part of St. Thomas no other cruise guests wanted to go. The taxi drivers were unwilling to take me because they could make more money going to higher demand tourist areas.

The result was I abandoned my plans to go there, and in the future, I will make arrangements ahead of time to avoid this issue.

Read more:Guide to visiting St. John on a Royal Caribbean cruise

If you think Royal Caribbean's private island is another beach day that you can sleep in before going, think again.

Perfect Day at CocoCay is an amazing destination that offers so much now, and the best strategy for getting a great spot and avoid lines is to wake up and get off the ship early.

If you are visiting the water park, being among the first off the ship is an absolute must-do so that you can avoid lines for slides later.

Being off the ship early also allows you to pick the best spots near the pool, beach, or bar. This is especially important at Oasis Lagoon.

Read more:Do's & Don'ts of Perfect Day at CocoCay

Labadee and CocoCay are Royal Caribbean's private islands and the cruise line allows you to use your SeaPass card to pay for drinks, excursions and other incidentals.

However, the people working on the island that are not cruise line employees cannot take payment with a SeaPass card.

A few times I completely forgot to bring any cash, since it was a cruise line destination, and ended up having to go back to the ship to get cash for tips.

You will find locals working certain excursions, cabana attendants, tram drivers and more. Tipping is customary in some situations, so having a little bit of cash is a must-do from now on.

As you can tell, this list is very subjective to my experiences and I am willing to bet many others have their own set of "never again" things.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, our readers shared some of their top picks for things they will never do again on a cruise:

Be sure to share your own experiences in the comments below!

More here:

Things I've done that I'll never do again on a Royal Caribbean cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog

Private equity sponsors, investors, lenders and service providers will be well aware of the Cayman Islands' prominence as a domicile for global private equity funds. For the best part of 20 years, sponsors and their global advisers have been attracted by the Cayman Islands' neutrality, efficiency, quality and flexibility but also by its predictability.

So when, at the prompting of the European Union, the Cayman Islands announced in early 2020 that all Cayman-domiciled closed-ended funds (including private equity and real estate funds) would be required to register with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) by August 2020, this seemed like a shake-up.

Now that the dust has settled, what lessons have been learned?

The three unknowns are:

For this unusual year, it feels fitting to mandate private equity funds to accept a new normal. That so many thousands have done so says something about the resilience of Cayman private equity structures and perhaps even human nature.

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Snapshot: private fund registration - what have we learnt? - Lexology

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - Grand Hotels iconic swimming pool, created a century ago along the edge of the famous property, is being extensively renovated with modern and luxurious upgrades that will be unveiled to guests when the resort opens for the new season this May.

Long known as the Esther Williams swimming pool for the Hollywood star who filmed a 1947 movie there, work on the elongated hourglass-shaped pool began last year.

Grand Hotel has shared some of the renderings and details of the upgrades, giving a sneak peek of a pool space that shows a stunning makeover of what had been a kind of vintage-resort swim area.

A rendering of what the new pool area will look like at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel. Poolside cabanas can be reserved in advance.

Some of the changes will include:

This rendering shows a waterslide and jet-spray area, some of the kid-friendly upgrades coming to Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel pool area.

Along with the pool renovation, the pool house is being reconstructed and expanded to contain a fitness center and bathhouse, complete with upscale changing rooms, lockers and showers. Additionally, the resort will debut a new pool bar and kitchen for guests to enjoy elevated cocktails and bites, a Grand Hotel spokesperson said.

There will also be a pool area dedicated for private events, and the second floor of the redone pool house will feature new meeting and event space. This includes a covered, outdoor seating area with unobstructed views of the Straits of Mackinac. This new meeting space will provide a remarkable option for groups seeking an inspiring location for their event with the option for outdoor space, with the ability to reserve a poolside cabana for a relaxing post-meeting experience.

New pool furniture and decking are part of the improvements planned for Grand Hotel's swimming area, as shown in this rendering.

Big Changes

The pool renovation is one of a handful of noticeable changes planned for the islands landmark resort for the upcoming season. Grand Hotel willroll out its signature red carpets and open its doors for its 135th season on Friday, May 7.

On the ground floor where its retail corridor is located, the hotel plans to debut Grand Kids, stocked with merchandise that caters to its youngest guests. There will also be upgraded boutiques for men and women featuring clothing as well as accessories.

The hotels Grand Coffee and Provisions, which just opened last year, will expand its offerings to include more picnic-style and to-go items. This will let guests select their favorites and take them outside to enjoy on the resorts landscaped grounds, or bring them along on their island adventures.

A Hollywood Touch

Grand Hotel is heading into its second year under new ownership, and the pool renovations will likely be the most extensive improvement project to greet guests this season. The swimming area has been a touchstone - and a savior - for the resort ever since Williams aquamusical, This Time for Keeps, was filmed there post-World War II.

The lean war years had brought most big resorts to their knees, and Grand Hotel was no exception. It saw a 90% drop in guests. While it never closed its doors during those financially devastating seasons, there was one particularly dark day when 400 hotel employees were on staff to serve just 11 paying guests, according to resort historian Bob Tagatz.

But the Esther Williams movie put Grand Hotel on the map, Hollywood-style. People saw the film and wanted to stay in the resort they saw on screen. And they wanted to swim in the same pool where Williams had. The years after the movies release saw Grand Hotels guest registers begin to swell. The hotel filled up. We started making money, Tagatz told MLive earlier. And the pool that was as curvaceously-shaped as Williams was named after the swimming star.

For more tidbits from Tagatz about the history of the movie - like why Williams went through so many swimsuits, and the genius way hotel staff heated the pool for her - see this story on the era, complete with vintage photos of the pool.

Grand Hotel is now taking reservations for the 2021 season. For details, check the resorts website or call 1-800-33GRAND to speak with reservation staff.

READ MORE

Mackinac Islands Grand Hotel has its vintage carriages refurbished deep in Amish country

Is Lovers Leap the most bittersweet spot on Mackinac Island? Maybe not

Read more here:

Sneak peek at Mackinac Islands Grand Hotel pool renovations: waterslide, cabanas, adults-only area - MLive.com

On Friday, Verzuz postponed the Ashanti and Keyshia Cole battle set to air tomorrow night, breaking the hearts of R&B fans for a second time. "This has been an emotional week," the VerzuzTV page posted on Instagram, citing Wednesday's insurrection at the Capitol. "In addition, as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, safety is a top priority for us. As much as we enjoy having everyone together in the same room, to protect the artists and everyone who works with us in putting the shows together, we'll be going back to separate rooms for a bit." Certainly, none of us want to continue watching Verzuz on whatever shoddy internet connection Teddy Riley was using, but this response reads as if COVID's infection rates have not been increasing all along. It also makes one thing clear: Touring and live shows may have ceased, but the grandeur of celebrity keeps the haves and the have nots in completely separate worlds.

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's pivot to Instagram Live battles in March didn't just redefine who gets to be considered a legacy artist, but it made celebrities look like humans. They were confined to their four walls too, and even if they were sheltering in place in mansions, they were trying to adjust to a new normal like the rest of us. In a matter of months, the series evolved from a camera-phone quality operation from remote locations to a more fleshed out production, via an Apple Music partnership. The show began uniting artists and entourages in relevant locations, like Bounty Killer and Beenie Man's show in Jamaica (the series' first in-person battle) and Gucci Mane and Jeezy's Magic City takeover in Atlanta. With Verzuz, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland did what hip-hop has historically done: turn a shitty situation into a (virtual) party. The series' success (with its viewership beating out 2020's MTV VMA ratings) is a direct reaction to COVID and quarantine, but as time has passed, it began to feel like Verzuz's in-person was largely ignoring the reason it began in the first placeuntil the series, and its participants, were forced to address the pandemic-sized elephant in the room.

In December, many prepared to time travel back to Y2K, breaking out our defunct two-way pagers to watch Ashanti and Keyshia Cole defend their titles as staples of R&B and hip-hop of the 2000s. But 2020 had other plans. "Hey yall I can't believe I'm saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19," Ashanti shared on Instagram. "I'm ok and not in any pain. I'm actually down to do the Verzuz from my house We're trying to figure it all out."

A look at Ashanti's Instagram page makes the unbelievable a lot more believable. In October, she celebrated her birthday in Antigua, and was vacationing in Nairobi when the Verzuz battle was announced. Days before her arrival, the CDC issued a travel notice naming Kenya a Level 4, the highest level, for COVID infections: "Travelers should avoid all travel to Kenya." According to the notice, all travelers should be tested after their trips and quarantine for one week upon return. On December 8, Ashanti posted Verzuz merch, tagging Nairobi as her location, which seemed odd given that she was set to be in the same room as Keyshia Cole days later. But the next day, Nairobi News, a local paper, documented her arrival to the country. "Ashanti's visit comes a few days before her most anticipated Verzuz battle with fellow RnB singer Keyshia Cole slated for Saturday, December 12, 2020," the paper wrote. If you're keeping up, you're right: It would be impossible for Ashanti to return to the states in time in order to quarantine 7 days before sitting in a room with Keyshia Cole and a production team. But the larger question is, why was it scheduled when she was abroad to begin with?

Verzuz has been the closest thing we've gotten to live music in nearly a year. The news of yet another postponement stings, but it goes to show that the virus can affect everyone. A new year didn't wash away the residue of how traumatic 2020 was, and experiencing an insurrection in the first week of 2021 didn't make it any easier. Watching celebrities charter private jets and private islands to retain a sense of normalcy while 140,000 jobs in the US were lost in December alone and D.C. is in shambles is a grave reminder that the privilege of money transcends turmoil.

Kristin Corry is a Senior Staff Writer at VICE.

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Verzuz's Virtual Return Shows Celebs Have Always Lived in Different Worlds - VICE

It catered to those that had more money than most of us could spend in a lifetime, any could view choices in buying a yacht, choosing mega-million-dollar homes, or even traveling to obscure or interesting countries around the world.

To say that the people running this channel were out of touch with the average human being is an overstatement, but one has to assume that there were enough to watch them to pay their bills. With programming such asBoys Toys, Dream Cruises, Private Islands, and Platinum Playgrounds,anyone with enough money could sit back and be entertained with shows that matched their lifestyle. As you might guess, AWE was founded by an eccentric insomniac millionaire, Robert Herring.

It didnt take long for his news junkie focus to become bored with AWE and so in 2013 he decided to change the channel to OAN (One America News). All you have to do is watch this channel to realize that the name is an oxymoron. What may have started with the idea of a real news broadcasting organization made an abrupt right turn as the dawn of the 2016 approached. From that point on, OAN became a kind of Trump tv, and it was done to compete with Fox. OAN quickly transitioned from middle of the road reporting to a channel that tried to find the most outrageous and bizarre conspiracy theories and lies that they could tell to woo Trump to their side. . .and it worked.

Its quite apparent that 80-year-old Robert Herring has long forgotten his middle-class roots. Although he began his professional career as a circuit board sales rep in Orange County, California, he made his millions by founding and then selling two circuit board companies of his own. If there is one thing that we can say about many salesmen (or women) its that they usually have their pitch ingrained in their souls.

Sales reps know that it is ALWAYS about the sale whether the product is good, bad, destructive, or just an outright lie. This is the philosophy that Herring lives by.

Herring is adept at seeing what sells and in news junkie format, he became obsessed with how MSNBCs Rachel Maddow and Foxs Bill OReilly were redesigning information by beating one or two topics to death.

In a Washington Post articleentitledAn inside look at One America News, the insurgent TV network taking pro-Trump to new heights

In 2013, the family created its second channel, One America News. Robert Herrings idea was to provide something that had gone missing from the cable news landscape a basic headline service covering national and international news. Herring, long an active donor to political campaigns, had no journalism experience.

The channel he created is a rapid-fire cavalcade of headlines. Most stories run well under a minute. Almost all of the reports are read by the anchors over video footage provided by the Reuters, Associated Press and Euronews services, as well as by RT, the Kremlin-funded news outlet that a U.S. intelligence report calls Russias state-run propaganda machine.

The OAN Con: Appeal to Trump and the Trump Cult

Herring may be noted as one of the first to recognize that Trump was broadcast gold. His bizarre, strange, ridiculous, sick and twisted presence may make a majority of us want to vomit, but there is no doubting that mainstream media saw him as a draw for the public. Herring made sure that OAN broadcast all of Trumps Hitler-esque rallies, even when other channels werent. They also constantly praised Trump and never criticized or made a negative word about him.

Just having conservative so-called news that mimicked other broadcasts wasnt enough. Herring knew that he had to get national recognition in the WH Press Briefings. To that extent he sent so-called reporters to attend, and the success was shown when they were moved from the back of the room closer to the front when one of them refused to comply with social distancing and later began praising Trumps claim for the potentially dangerous drug, hydroxycholorquine, as a COVID-19 cure. Herring knew that Trump is a narcissist and always rewards those that compliment and coo to his side. But not everything went the way of OAN, as even when Herring had a meeting with Trump at the White House, the channel received only a positive comment about their graphics.

It has taken almost 4 years for OAN to gain favor with Trump, and one may give credit to Fox as having finally had enough of Trump as they have started to actually report news that wasnt the brainwashing propaganda that Trump wanted them to tell. Looking for another source to soothe his ego, Trump began to field more questions from the OAN reporters and talk about the station in a more positive light.

Trying to make a state-run news organization like the ones that we saw in pre-WWII Germany and Italy is a difficult job. In anarticleby CJR:One America News was desperate for Trumps approval. Heres how it got it.

Charles Herring, OANs president and Robert Herrings son, says that the networks news shows are unbiased. Our news anchors are NOT allowed to express their opinion, he wrote to me in an email. They are presenters, and the STAR of the show is the news, not the talent. But to tune in is to enter a dizzying alternaverse in which the least credible of Republican talking points are taken as fact. On OAN, Trump is perennially the victim ofdeep-state scheming Democrats efforts to block a census citizenship question werea ployto hijack the Electoral College. And the Pentagon, by investigating atrocities committed under the American flag, is waging a war on warriors. Last December, OAN rana three-hour specialin which Rion and Rudy Giuliani collaborated to debunk the impeachment hoax. (Russian state television laterrebroadcastpart of the special.)

[Andrew McCormick, CJR writer] spoke with more than a dozen former and current employees of OAN, some on the condition of anonymity because they feared reprisal. A few had kind words for the network and for their coworkers, but collectively they described a circus, where ethics are absent, turnover is high, and dissent is met with rage. At the helm, they say, is Robert Herring, a wealthy businessman and kind of mini-Trump, whose near-singular focus seems to be supporting the president and his policies. [Herring] is the network, a former anchor told me. He is in control of absolutely everything he wants to be, and if someone doesnt like it theyre fired.

Robert Herring is a kind of enigma. While he is in lockstep with most of Trumps ideologies such as anti-immigration, racism, bigotry, and climate change denial, he also drives a Tesla, invests in stock and demands that there are no negative stories on the company. Other topics that are taboo include police brutality against Black Americans, specifically unarmed Black men. The channel may have started out with a desire to be a middle of the road reporting, but it has turned into whatever Herring wants.

OAN may be parroting whatever the right-wing Trump cult wants to hear, including some of the tin foil hat stuff from the likes of Breitbart, but they have competition. Quite some time ago I wrote anarticleentitled: Sinclair Conservative Broadcasting Set to Spread Propaganda to almost Half of American Homes

THIS SHOULD SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF YOU

This is information regarding the hundreds of local broadcasting stations that Sinclair has bought up around the country:

As newspapers shut down across the country they create what is known as information deserts and its in these areas that Sinclair has jumped in to buy up local television stations so that they can fill the gap with the kind of propaganda that one would only expect to see or hear in an authoritarian regime.

Under the guise of balanced reporting, Sinclair is manipulating what the average American sees and hears to match what THEY want you to believe.

If you still doubt, just take a look at thevideothat was exposed to show the kind of cut and paste content that they are sending out in the over 193 stations that they own; which is currently 39% of American households.

Image source: Funny or Die

The Continuation of Crazy without Trump

Now that Trump is becoming yesterdays news and everyone from the State of New York to Deutsche Bank and the country of Scotland are coming after him for his criminal activities, the question to be asked is: will there be anyone to buy the nut job reporting of right-wing media?

Rupert Murdoch knew that there was a market in the U.S. for those that would believe absolutely anything. He made his millions in the U.K. with tabloids that did this kind of lying and then founded Fox (not news) in the U.S. These are the same people that continue to buy our grocery store tabloids and watch shows like Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty. Some have said that they arent the smartest tool in the shed and based on what we have seen in the last 5 years, I think a lot of us believe it.

As Fox has lost favor with Trump, we are seeing organizations such as OAN and now Newsmax add to the Sinclair Broadcasting efforts to accomplish the Orwelian mass brainwashing with propaganda that should be obvious to even 10-year-olds. Sadly, it appears that what many around the world think of our citizens is true Americans really ARE that stupid!

Thus far, there are billions of dollars invested in these right-wing extremist broadcasting groups and they arent going to let a little thing like a lack of Trump stop them. We can only hope that the new Biden/Harris administration will work with our legislators to introduce requirements for cable news to offer truth in reporting. . .what a concept.

(S. Novi is a journalist that worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one that is suspicious of cults and empty promises. This piece appeared on Medium.com.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

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From Wealth TV to OAN - Rich Conservatives are Brainwashing the Country - City Watch