The beginning of the silly season

fogo2

I love TV. TV is my only remaining vice since the fags went. A lifelong addiction that I am thoroughly ashamed of. I can do ANYTHING while the telly is on, unlike a lot of people who are reduced to vegetables as soon as they walk in front of one.

But I hate Portuguese TV. It sucks, it really sucks, for many reasons that are mostly ratings-driven, turning it into 24 hour drivel. More on that, regularly...

But this is the time of year when I get really MAD at Portuguese TV. It is Forest Fire Season. (I'll be amazed if we get through today without several fires starting, there's this hot dry wind and baking heat... ) Whenever there is a fire that a camera crew can get to, that crew go and cover that fire.

Then that crew try to get in as close as they can to the fire to take pretty pictures of the lovely yellows and reds and blacks of the scrub going up in flames. Very impressive pictures sometimes, very mundane sometimes.

But almost all of the time they are there at the same time as the locals and the bombeiros (fire crews) are trying to put out or subdue the fire. And almost all of the time they are getting in the way.

I am only amazed that while people are trying to put the fires out, watching their farm, their woodland, even their HOMES going up in smoke, they don't go down and punch those bloody cameramen on the nose. Nice pictures, but why don't you just put down your cameras and help.