US President Barack Obama will trek through the wilderness in Alaska this week with British TV adventurer Bear Grylls, the NBC channel has announced. He is due to tape an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls to observe the effects of climate change on the area, it said. He is the first president to appear on the show, to be aired later this year.
President Obama is on a three-day tour of Alaska aimed at highlighting the pace of climate change. It is part of his administration's efforts to build support for new legislation significantly capping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the US, as well as raise attention to the ways climate change has damaged Alaska's natural landscape.
(Score: 2) by mendax on Wednesday September 02 2015, @10:20AM
I'm sure there are some Obama haters who hope that Bear and Obama run into a real bear and get eaten for performing such a stunt.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @11:03AM
Seriously, Biden needs to be ready in case something happens. Is Biden ready?
(Score: 2) by mendax on Wednesday September 02 2015, @04:09PM
Nah.... he could never be ready. Oh, he could do the job well enough, but Hillary could mop the floor with his balding pate come election time. She's a much more powerful politician in every sense.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:44PM
Having the general election be Hillary vs. Anybody-at-all is all but guaranteed to generate 100% Republican turnout.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @11:54AM
How could they encounter a bear when they're nowhere near the wild [youtube.com].
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Oakenshield on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:13PM
That kind of staged tourist destination crap is why I no longer take Bear Grylls seriously; well, that and the junk "survival" gear he puts his name on. It's funny that he behaves as though he is in mortal danger constantly, yet the cameraman is at his side, doing everything that he is doing, AND holding the camera on him at all time. The cameraman is the REAL hero...
As Obama's approval ratings continue fall, he is increasingly going after stunts like this to pander to his cheerleaders.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:16PM
As Obama's approval ratings continue fall, he is increasingly going after stunts like this to pander to his cheerleaders.
Better watch those approval ratings! At this rate he'll never get re-elected.
(Score: 1) by Oakenshield on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:50PM
I know. And it's a good thing he doesn't have to worry about getting anything through Congress for the next year and a half either.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday September 02 2015, @07:15PM
why I no longer take Bear Grylls seriously;
So that implies that you at one time did take it seriously?
Clue: You will never see anything on a scheduled series that was not staged.
At least you remembered the camera man. But what about the camera man's assistant, the sound man,
the engineer, the lighting guys, the guys in the truck with the generators and video storage gear, the caterer, the chopper
crew and the chopper - always close in case somebody trips and falls into the devils's club?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Oakenshield on Wednesday September 02 2015, @08:59PM
I see you have never watched any Survivorman. Les Stroud carries his own camera gear (80 lbs worth) and sets up his own shots, although he has a rescue team a few miles away that he can contact through satellite phone in case of emergency. His crew drops him off in the wilderness with very little useful gear and returns after a week. None of the survival shows except Bear Grylls attempt to create the illusion of imminent peril and excessive risk taking adrenaline rushes. Most stress the importance of avoiding those situations. I did give Grylls the benefit of the doubt when Man vs Wild debuted, but he quickly lost credibility despite being an alleged special forces soldier. He is only good for shock value like drinking his own piss, taking a dump while hanging from a vine, and eating rotted dead animals immediately after being dropped by helicopter straight from the airport. He is little more than a buffoon as another poster said.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:58PM
(Score: 1) by tannasg on Thursday September 03 2015, @02:51AM
Meh
Neutral on Obama (I'm not American), but would pay good money to see that idiot Grylls get his comeuppance from one of his nicknamesakes..all part of the great circle of life, Grylls eats crunchy frog, Grizzly eats crunchy 'Bear'..