Things are getting crazy again between the Israelis and the Palestinians, which means that CNN has dispatched Anderson Cooper to Gaza, the epicenter of the conflict, where Israel has been dropping bombs like Cee Lo Green does after a breakfast buffet.
After a night of sustained Israeli strikes by air and sea and a morning of rocket attacks on Israel, the Health Ministry here said on Monday that the Palestinian death toll in six days of conflict had risen to 91 with 700 wounded, including 200 children, as the assault ground on unrelentingly despite efforts toward a cease-fire.
The casualties — 19 people reported killed since midnight local time — included Palestinians killed in strikes by warplanes and a drone attack on two men on a motorcycle. Another drone attack killed the driver of a taxi hired by journalists and displaying “Press” signs, although it was not clear which journalists hired it, Palestinian officials said. On Sunday, Israeli forces attacked two buildings housing local broadcasters and production companies used by foreign outlets, but Israeli officials denied targeting journalists.
An Israeli bomb pummeled a home deep into the ground here on Sunday, killing 11 people, including nine in three generations of a single family, in the deadliest single strike in six days of cross-border conflict. Members of the family were buried Monday in a rite that turned into a gesture of defiance and became a rally supporting Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers.
With that said, things got a little hairy for Anderson Cooper on CNN last night when a bomb of some sort detonated seemingly right over his shoulder. Be safe out there, Silver Fox!
(Via the Big Lead)
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Probably hit about what, a third of a mile away from him? (Flash seemed about a second and a half or so earlier than the boom, used me this.)
That’s pretty nuts. CNN should clearly be sending a less-likable person over there.
Yeah, I’m not sure he needs to be there for this. I’m seriously worried about his safety. The Israelis are not fucking around this time and don’t seem to care much about “collateral damage right now.”
“Another drone attack killed the driver of a taxi hired by journalists and displaying ‘Press’ signs, although it was not clear which journalists hired it, Palestinian officials said.”
The Israelis are seriously not fucking around right now. If you’re not already, follow the Israeli Defense Force spokesperson on twitter. Real time updates about who just got “exploded.” Their approach thus far has been if you don’t want to die, you may want to move away from the Palestinian standing next to you shooting rockets.
@IDFSpokesperson
I’m just glad to see someone else went full on in decoding about how far that explosion was from Mr. Cooper.
Yeah, that explosion seemed pretty close.
Look, I’m not an Anderson Cooper fan. He doesn’t take risks like the legit field reporters on CNN (hello, Arwa Damon). Anderson Cooper doesn’t really go into the shit. He only gets as close as he feels safe. And if it gets too rough he bugs straight out back to the studio (hello, Egyptian thugs who roughed up Cooper and his crew during the Egyptian Revolution).
Now, don’t get me wrong, you aren’t going to catch me hopping a flight to Gaza because, you know, FUCK THAT. But, also, I’m not a reporter. I don’t profess to be a serious journalist. I don’t need that kind of career cred to be an advertising copywriter, so I don’t chase it. But Anderson Cooper does. Because he wants to walk that line he’s got to go into the field every now and again. If he didn’t, then there would be a young up-and-coming reporter who’d through their field work in Cooper’s face and take his job. Still, Cooper isn’t riding around with the some Hamas big-shot telling you what it’s like in the bunkers or on the line with the dudes firing the shitty rockets at Israel. He’s in a hotel. With GPS co-ordinates emailed to every single email address in the Israeli military, intelligence service, government and press service so they know exactly where he’s at. And it’s probably got some kind of beacon on the roof for visual identification by Israeli air force pilots. He’s as safe as CNN can make him. Not as safe as sitting behind the desk in New York. But pretty safe, all things considered.
@ Cajun Boy
In response to your mention above re: a taxi getting smoked even though it had ‘press’ written on it…
Obviously, I can’t say for sure who was or wasn’t in the taxi but, just something to think about, most of the terrorist groups working out of Gaza (Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa etc.) all have press / media offices and most even have their own ‘news’ websites and / or print-edition newspapers.
Iron Mike Sharpie, Silver Fox did his time. In the early 90s, he was in the Balkans and the former Soviet Republics dodging shells during civil wars. Anonymous guy behind a keyboard probably shouldn’t be telling him how to be a badass or a journalist.
@Cajun Boy
“The Israelis are not fucking around this time”
this time? When exactly do they fuck around?
@ Holy Shit Snacks
Did you actually read my post? Or are you one of those dudes who just skims and insta-reacts?
No, I read it. You’re trying to play it as if he has something to prove to you.
What good does he do risking himself and a production crew to get next to people who are either targeted for killing or may kill him themselves?
Go home, Holy Shit Snacks. You’re drunk. I pretty clearly said that he needs to keep going into the field because there are younger, hungrier reporters (like Arwa Damon) who are still willing to actually go out in the real shit. Like…she was running around inside Syria with the rebels while Cooper was behind the desk. Cooper doesn’t have to prove anything to me. He’s going into the field because a) it’s good for his career and b) it keeps the younger reporters from usurping his position.
If either side lays a finger on Silver Fox, we invade with every solider that we have.
Now if it were Sean Hannity, on the other hand…
I’ll bring the mountain-folk!
So is AC the top or bottom in his relationships? If he’s the bottom, I’m going to be seriously disappointed.
spend a lot of time thinking about the position of gay couples, hey sailor?
Ha! Probably shouldn’t, but since I think he’s one of the baddest-ass journalists out there, it’s just hard (pun intended) to reconcile that, one minute he’s dodging rocket explosions and kicking the shit out of people in Haiti, to thinking to himself he can’t wait to get back to his hotel to get a big cock up his ass. Although, in his defense, I probably wouldn’t be thinking about anything other than getting laid after a near death experience as well.
/homophobia off
He better be power bottom if he’s the bottom
“Whoa! Well that was a rather large explosion.” – king of the understatement.
He starts off really nonchalant and professional, but as he continues, you can sense that he just wants to say “holy shit!”.
o_0
When your daytime talk show gets canceled you obviously just dont give a fuck.
I like how they have drones. And fighter jets. And dragons*
*I might’ve watched “Reign of Fire” late last night.