THE GREAT GULF SHORES DUST UP
The last time Bob Padecky had asked Kenny Stabler a question, he responded by using an action verb and the second-person personal pronoun and then walked straight past him on the Raiders' practice field behind El Rancho Motel in Santa Rosa. Of course, that was 30 years ago and times change, people change, events change people. The dust-up he and Stabler had in southern Alabama is ancient history for most people and he was now was curious if it would be the same for Stabler. I mean, after all, Padecky was the one thrown in jail, not Stabler.
(TUSCALOOSA NEWS)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
WHAT IS DPI?
European telecom companies have helped the Iranian regime develope one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet. Deep Packet Inspection enables authorities to monitor and gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation purposes.
European telecom companies have helped the Iranian regime develope one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet. Deep Packet Inspection enables authorities to monitor and gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation purposes.
REMEMBER CARNIVORE?
(MEDIA REFORM DAILY and link suggestions from Chris Fuchs and Tony Hines)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Twitter Unleashes Deluge of Sarcasm on Republican Congressman -- Daily Intel -- New York News Blog -
GOP/IRAN MEME
I must be the last person in the world who doesn't tweet. But this may get me to sign up. If you missed Jon Stewart's parody of this, it's bound to be on the Comedy Central website and is worth a quick peek. But it seems some congressperson's tweets comparing the GOP's travails to those of the Iranian dissidents has provoked the proverbial sandstorm of parody. The Twitter community, deeply immersed in the Iranian conflict, was appalled and the mocking began. A new blog devoted to the meme has already sprung up. Here are just a few:
I must be the last person in the world who doesn't tweet. But this may get me to sign up. If you missed Jon Stewart's parody of this, it's bound to be on the Comedy Central website and is worth a quick peek. But it seems some congressperson's tweets comparing the GOP's travails to those of the Iranian dissidents has provoked the proverbial sandstorm of parody. The Twitter community, deeply immersed in the Iranian conflict, was appalled and the mocking began. A new blog devoted to the meme has already sprung up. Here are just a few:
I got a sunburn last weekend. Makes me think of Hiroshima;
my softball game was rained out today. Now I know what Hurricane Katrina felt like;
fell off my surfboard in Malibu today, now I know what D-day felt like;
someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. Reminded me of Pearl Harbor.
(NEW YORK MAGAZINE, suggested by LEE-ANN WATERRS CAMP)
Friday, June 19, 2009
VIRTUAL WALLS AND GREEN TSUNAMIS
It's The Matrix, but real. A hearty group of freedom fighters parrying a formidable machine, living by their wits and besting the evil menace though their ubber-techno abilities. On one side is a powerful monolith firing bullets and on the other side are young protesters firing "tweets". What's not to love? This piece touches on a real question that the media has left largely unexplained, how the hell are the Iranian dissidents doing it? Can we help? Despite the Iranian government's efforts to curtail it, a secret Internet lifeline remains, and it’s a tribute to the crazy, globalized world we live in that the lifeline was designed by dissident Chinese computer engineers whose mission it is to battle against the Great China Virtual Wall in their homeland.
It's The Matrix, but real. A hearty group of freedom fighters parrying a formidable machine, living by their wits and besting the evil menace though their ubber-techno abilities. On one side is a powerful monolith firing bullets and on the other side are young protesters firing "tweets". What's not to love? This piece touches on a real question that the media has left largely unexplained, how the hell are the Iranian dissidents doing it? Can we help? Despite the Iranian government's efforts to curtail it, a secret Internet lifeline remains, and it’s a tribute to the crazy, globalized world we live in that the lifeline was designed by dissident Chinese computer engineers whose mission it is to battle against the Great China Virtual Wall in their homeland.
Be sure to check out the GLOBAL INTERNET FREEDOM CONSORTIUM mentioned in this piece. Geeks will especially love their white papers.
(NEW YORK TIMES, suggested by JOHN FURMAN)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
World | AlterNet
SOLIDARITY
The stars of Iran’s soccer team wore green wristbands in support of the anti-government protesters, during a game broadcast live on Iranian state TV yesterday. “State television, which has been broadcasting Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s competing rallies, has steered clear of images of Mr Moussavi’s protests,” the Financial Times notes. “But given the popularity of football in Iran, keeping the match off the air would not have been an option."
(ALTERNET)
The stars of Iran’s soccer team wore green wristbands in support of the anti-government protesters, during a game broadcast live on Iranian state TV yesterday. “State television, which has been broadcasting Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s competing rallies, has steered clear of images of Mr Moussavi’s protests,” the Financial Times notes. “But given the popularity of football in Iran, keeping the match off the air would not have been an option."
(ALTERNET)
The Secret Love Letters of Afghan Women | Mother Jones
LOVE IN RUINS
"There is no room for love in Afghanistan," the young teenage girl said to me as if it were true and had been true for years, for as long as she could remember. In the twilight of that evening and for several years after, her remark caused me to reflect on the kind of space that love itself can consume. In the tiny precipice of this Afghan girl's heart, where love and all of its beautiful unknowns should have blossomed, it didn't, it couldn't....And then one day, a surprise. A young man brought me a stack of letters. More than 600 pages, it was a secret correspondence of love, one that allowed the imaginations of two lovers to wander, for it was only in those pages and in their dreams that they could walk together. To disclose their love would mean the end and perhaps worse. That day I realized that love existed in Afghanistan - in a single glance, a certain tone, the shadow of a school yard - but not without grave risk or consequence.
(MOTHER JONES)
"There is no room for love in Afghanistan," the young teenage girl said to me as if it were true and had been true for years, for as long as she could remember. In the twilight of that evening and for several years after, her remark caused me to reflect on the kind of space that love itself can consume. In the tiny precipice of this Afghan girl's heart, where love and all of its beautiful unknowns should have blossomed, it didn't, it couldn't....And then one day, a surprise. A young man brought me a stack of letters. More than 600 pages, it was a secret correspondence of love, one that allowed the imaginations of two lovers to wander, for it was only in those pages and in their dreams that they could walk together. To disclose their love would mean the end and perhaps worse. That day I realized that love existed in Afghanistan - in a single glance, a certain tone, the shadow of a school yard - but not without grave risk or consequence.
(MOTHER JONES)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
HEALTH REFORM DEBATES START HEATING UP
ABC News has responded to the Republican National Committee's "pushback" that the network is excluding "opposing voices" during next week's White House conversation on President Obama's national health care plan. An ABC representative characterized the RNC letter as containing "a number of false premises." Explaining, she wrote that "ABC News alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the president." And, further, "ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience."
(TV NEWSER)
ABC News has responded to the Republican National Committee's "pushback" that the network is excluding "opposing voices" during next week's White House conversation on President Obama's national health care plan. An ABC representative characterized the RNC letter as containing "a number of false premises." Explaining, she wrote that "ABC News alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the president." And, further, "ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience."
(TV NEWSER)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Repeat the Question
CAN HEALTH CARE REFORM FAIL?
Sixteen years ago Stanley Greenberg conducted polling for Bill Clinton on the issue of health care reform. Recently, he has been reviewing old surveys and focus groups and memos to the president. He has returned to the field, posing the same questions to the public, to determine how the mood has shifted and how the forces that oppose reform can best be countered. He's looked at each question, remembering how it all went badly wrong. As he reached the last of the questions, he exclaimed: "Oh no. It can't be. Nothing's changed."
(NEW REPUBLIC)
Sixteen years ago Stanley Greenberg conducted polling for Bill Clinton on the issue of health care reform. Recently, he has been reviewing old surveys and focus groups and memos to the president. He has returned to the field, posing the same questions to the public, to determine how the mood has shifted and how the forces that oppose reform can best be countered. He's looked at each question, remembering how it all went badly wrong. As he reached the last of the questions, he exclaimed: "Oh no. It can't be. Nothing's changed."
(NEW REPUBLIC)
Urban Art Thriving in Berlin | Demotix.com
BERLIN'S STREET ART
Street art has a long historic and culture in London, New York, Sao Paulo, and in many metropolitan centers around the world. However in Berlin, it especially seems to be thriving since the wall came down in 1989.
(DEMOTIX)
Street art has a long historic and culture in London, New York, Sao Paulo, and in many metropolitan centers around the world. However in Berlin, it especially seems to be thriving since the wall came down in 1989.
(DEMOTIX)
WERE ELECTIONS RIGGED?
Middle East experts are falling into two broad camps on the Iranian election. One argues that numerous irregularities are de facto evidence supporting claims that a presidential coup has taken place in Iran. A second camp argues caution, suggesting that many in the media had come down with a case of "wishful thinking" that raised expectations beyond reason, and the gap between the expectations and results is leading to an eagerness to embrace the opposition's claims of massive fraud. Into that debate, a new statistical analysis of the election results is making the rounds that suggests that the numbers reported by the Interior Ministry are evidence of large-scale vote-fraud. But polling by our political guru Nate Silver finds the analysis unpersuasive. (CLICK HERE)
(ALTERNET)
Middle East experts are falling into two broad camps on the Iranian election. One argues that numerous irregularities are de facto evidence supporting claims that a presidential coup has taken place in Iran. A second camp argues caution, suggesting that many in the media had come down with a case of "wishful thinking" that raised expectations beyond reason, and the gap between the expectations and results is leading to an eagerness to embrace the opposition's claims of massive fraud. Into that debate, a new statistical analysis of the election results is making the rounds that suggests that the numbers reported by the Interior Ministry are evidence of large-scale vote-fraud. But polling by our political guru Nate Silver finds the analysis unpersuasive. (CLICK HERE)
(ALTERNET)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
KATZENJAMER
I'm a world music fan, with - as you might expect - a heavy concentration on Latin sounds. I don't know how the hell I came across this Norwegian (yes, Norway!) rock band, but I've become infatuated with this "girl" rock group that is kind of a cross between the Dixie Chicks and Spike Jones. Make sure you check out:
I'm a world music fan, with - as you might expect - a heavy concentration on Latin sounds. I don't know how the hell I came across this Norwegian (yes, Norway!) rock band, but I've become infatuated with this "girl" rock group that is kind of a cross between the Dixie Chicks and Spike Jones. Make sure you check out:
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Joe Scarborough Fires Back at Jon Stewart, Compares Him To Bill O'Reilly - mediabistro.com: TVNewser
SAY IT AIN'T SO, JOE
Oh no, he didn't? Did Joe Scarborough compare Jon Stewart to Bill O'Reilly? This has all the makings of a feud that may extend beyond the levels of the Jim Cramer/Stewart brouhaha. After Stewart responded to Scarborough's response to Stewart's segment earlier this week, Scarborough brought it all back up again this morning. He made some short jokes and, ironically enough, described Stewart as a "very angry guy". Stay tuned. This will be fun.
(TV NEWSER)
Oh no, he didn't? Did Joe Scarborough compare Jon Stewart to Bill O'Reilly? This has all the makings of a feud that may extend beyond the levels of the Jim Cramer/Stewart brouhaha. After Stewart responded to Scarborough's response to Stewart's segment earlier this week, Scarborough brought it all back up again this morning. He made some short jokes and, ironically enough, described Stewart as a "very angry guy". Stay tuned. This will be fun.
(TV NEWSER)
GUARDING THE BACON
Sheila Bair was reappointed by President Obama to head the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. A Republican, she is protecting the interest of taxpayers as no Democrat has in this administration. Huge financial decisions are being made by the government, involving trillions in future obligations of U.S. taxpayers, and Bair has been a rare effective voice for the interests of ordinary folk. That is why the big guys on Wall Street and their allies in the administration are out to get her.
(TRUTHDIG)
Sheila Bair was reappointed by President Obama to head the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. A Republican, she is protecting the interest of taxpayers as no Democrat has in this administration. Huge financial decisions are being made by the government, involving trillions in future obligations of U.S. taxpayers, and Bair has been a rare effective voice for the interests of ordinary folk. That is why the big guys on Wall Street and their allies in the administration are out to get her.
(TRUTHDIG)
Kansas City - Fat City - Nothing to see here folks. Rockstar Energy drink is in no way connected with Michael Savage.
BITTER TEA
Michael Savage's "Savage Nation" holds the third-largest radio audience in the country. His son is the founder of the popular Rockstar Energy drinks. Savage is using legal means to silence Web sites and even Facebook groups publicizing any connection between the two. Just to be clear, Michael Savage (real name Michael Weiner) has no connection to Rockstar. Even though his son is the founder and CEO and even though his wife is both secretary and treasurer for Rockstar, Michael Savage is shocked that this would lead some Web sites to believe that he has any connection with the company. In fact, as far as we know, Savage has never even heard of the energy drink that shares the same mailbox as his company.
Michael Savage's "Savage Nation" holds the third-largest radio audience in the country. His son is the founder of the popular Rockstar Energy drinks. Savage is using legal means to silence Web sites and even Facebook groups publicizing any connection between the two. Just to be clear, Michael Savage (real name Michael Weiner) has no connection to Rockstar. Even though his son is the founder and CEO and even though his wife is both secretary and treasurer for Rockstar, Michael Savage is shocked that this would lead some Web sites to believe that he has any connection with the company. In fact, as far as we know, Savage has never even heard of the energy drink that shares the same mailbox as his company.
SEE ALSO
(GAYWIRED, suggested by ALTERNET)
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
BASEBALL AND THE "LITTLE EASY"The Mobile Satchel Paige returned to in 1923 was full of optimism. The Great War had been good to the city, expanding Alabama's only deep-water port and making Mobile a trading hub for products as varied as lumber, tractors, and blackstrap molasses. Mardi Gras was back after a wartime siesta, as was the city's reputation as the Little Easy. It was less commercial and more free-spirited than its Big Easy neighbor to the West, New Orleans. Mobile joyfully embraced prostitution and intoxication and disdained the old evangelist Sam Jones, who a generation earlier had declared, "I'd be a stockbroker in hell before I'd be a director of a Mardi Gras . . . [where] men are drunk and carousing on the streets and girls go about in men's clothing." Keep it up, Jones admonished Mobilians, and "your city will be damned eternally."
(NPR, suggested by Garet Cox)
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