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All rights reserved. webmaster@world-of-newave.com (Webmaster) Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:11:43 GMT Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:11:43 GMT Newave Lisa XML Engine v1.0 - http://www.world-of-newave.info/about.htm 60 http://www.world-of-newave.info/images/wi8831.gif World-of-Newave.info - Knowledge and Informational Database http://www.world-of-newave.info/ 88 31 {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - In post-detention KSFO interview, Corsi claimed critics of Obama are "now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed" http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/in-post-detention-ksfo-interview-corsi-claimed-2008106637.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/in-post-detention-ksfo-interview-corsi-claimed-2008106637.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:53:32 GMT On the October 9 edition of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, Rodgers interviewed author Jerome Corsi, following Corsi's detention and eventual departure from Kenya, where he had reportedly been attempting to promote his book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality . During the interview, Corsi said of his detention: "I think the story here is really the suppression of the press. ... I hate to think of what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative book or criticize [Sen. Barack] Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed." Rodgers replied: "Yeah, well, that's the mentality of these people." Earlier in the interview, Rodgers said to Corsi: "Kenya used to be a nice country, but I'll tell you -- I'll tell you what's scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of Barack Obama in Kenya, who are trying to intimidate a journalist. ... I'm telling you, this is scary. I have heard from Obama supporters telling me: one way or another, boy, when we're in office, we're going to shut you down." Corsi claimed on the October 7 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose that he was being detained in Kenya because immigration had lost his entry papers, but other media outlets reported that, according to immigration officials, Corsi was detained because he attempted to conduct business without a work permit. During the October 9 edition of Rodgers' program, Corsi also claimed that Obama "campaigned with" Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a 2006 trip to Kenya, when Odinga was challenging incumbent Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. However, according to an August 20 PolitiFact.com article, that assertion -- which Corsi also made in The Obama Nation -- is false. PolitiFact.com wrote that it "scour[ed] the public record for evidence that Obama supported Odinga" and concluded that Obama "has remained neutral in Kenyan politics, and did not support Odinga during his trip." PolitiFact.com concluded: "Corsi states that Obama 'openly supported' Raila Odinga. We found public statements from Obama during the trip saying the exact opposite. We found no other evidence to support Corsi's statement, so we rate his statement False." Additionally, Corsi falsely claimed on The Lee Rodgers Show that he "[d]isproved every point" that the Obama campaign made in a "40-page rebuttal" to his book. In fact, as Media Matters for America has noted, after the Obama campaign released the document to which Corsi referred -- which debunked numerous falsehoods in Corsi's book -- Corsi provided a list of 11 "corrections to the next printing of The Obama Nation," many of which correct falsehoods that were identified by the Obama campaign, Media Matters, or both. As Media Matters has noted, Corsi has repeatedly suggested that the Obama campaign is attempting to censor him. On the October 7 edition of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Corsi suggested that Obama was responsible for his detention in Kenya, stating at one point: "[J]ust don't write anything bad about Senator Obama, because, otherwise, this is what happens to you." He previously questioned whether "an Obama administration might have a censorship department in which a book critical of a President Obama might be banned from publication," and said that if Obama were elected president and someone were to write a book critical of him, "Obama might just have to create a department of hate crimes and put them in jail." As Media Matters has noted, in appearances on C-SPAN and other media outlets, Corsi has promoted the falsehoods in his book even though they have been widely discredited. From the October 9 broadcast of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show: RODGERS: Kenya used to be a nice country, but I'll tell you -- I'll tell you what's scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of Barack Obama in Kenya who are trying to intimidate a journalist. CORSI: Right. RODGERS: In this country, the Obama campaign has tried to intimidate TV stations in Pennsylvania into not running commercials bought and paid for by John McCain's campaign, and his thugs in Chicago have tried to intimidate WGN radio from interviewing people who know some unpleasant things about Senator Obama. I'm telling you, this is scary. I have heard from Obama supporters telling me in one way or another, "Boy, when we're in office, we're gonna shut you down." This is the mentality of these people. CORSI: Well, that's right. And look, Chapter Five -- Chapter Four of my book, The Obama Nation -- this whole Kenyan story I told is absolutely true. Obama went out of his way -- and now I've even got the government videos asking Obama to leave the country for interfering in their politics in 2006, when he's over there in the Senate visiting, campaigned with Odinga, and Odinga showing up everywhere Obama was. The Obama campaign called me a liar, but they don't -- then they don't -- I wrote a rejoinder -- you know, they wrote this 40-page rebuttal, saying my book was unfit to publish. I wrote a 50-page rejoinder to it. Disproved every point that they made, showing how bad their arguments were. They never answered me, but yet they call me the liar. You know, everything I wrote -- if you read The Obama Nation, Lee, you'll see -- RODGERS: I have. CORSI: -- why they don't want it read, 'cause what I'm saying is the truth. They've called me -- you know, they tell me I'm a hack writer, and I'm a smear artist. Anything you say that's negative to Obama, they say it's racist, it's a smear -- RODGERS: Like using his middle name, for example. CORSI: True. That is his -- Hussein is his middle name. I mean, you know, it's not smearing him to point out his middle name. And in my book, what I do is I very carefully documented -- I've got about 700 footnotes in the book, and, of course, they want to ridicule the footnotes. You know, but the Obama campaign is using the Saul Alinsky tactics. Obama was trained by Saul Alinsky -- an organization -- Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" said ridicule your opponents and call them names. Do everything you can to make people not listen to them. I'm telling the truth in The Obama Nation, and if people read the book, they'll see that it's true. RODGERS: So, you're out now, you're in London. I would assume you have no plans for a return visit to Kenya, which is too bad. The beaches down at Mombasa are very nice -- very nice, indeed. CORSI: Mombasa's beautiful. RODGERS: But when are you coming back to the US of A? Are you going to be back in time for the election, or what? CORSI: Yes, Lee. I'll be back on -- I'll be back on Saturday. The first television --Hannity & Colmes has me on tonight at 9 o'clock. I'll be doing it from London. It'll be the middle of the night here in London. That'll be the first TV since I was, you know, detained and thrown out of Kenya. And I think the story here, really, is the suppression of the press. You're exactly right. I hate to think of what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative book or criticize Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed. RODGERS: Yeah, well, that's the mentality of these -- of these people. And I would assume we could tell everyone that they can read a full account of your vacation in Kenya at WorldNetDaily.com? Mediamatters.Org In post-detention KSFO interview, Corsi claimed critics of Obama are "now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed" {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - On the October 9 edition of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, Rodgers interviewed author Jerome Corsi, following Corsi's detention and eventual departure from Kenya, where he had reportedly been attempting to promote his book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality . During the interview, Corsi said of his detention: "I think the story here is really the suppression of the press. ... I hate to think of what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative book or criticize [Sen. Barack] Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed." Rodgers replied: "Yeah, well, that's the mentality of these people." Earlier in the interview, Rodgers said to Corsi: "Kenya used to be a nice country, but I'll tell you -- I'll tell you what's scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of Barack Obama in Kenya, who are trying to intimidate a journalist. ... I'm telling you, this is scary. I have heard from Obama supporters telling me: one way or another, boy, when we're in office, we're going to shut you down." Corsi claimed on the October 7 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose that he was being detained in Kenya because immigration had lost his entry papers, but other media outlets reported that, according to immigration officials, Corsi was detained because he attempted to conduct business without a work permit. During the October 9 edition of Rodgers' program, Corsi also claimed that Obama "campaigned with" Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a 2006 trip to Kenya, when Odinga was challenging incumbent Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. However, according to an August 20 PolitiFact.com article, that assertion -- which Corsi also made in The Obama Nation -- is false. PolitiFact.com wrote that it "scour[ed] the public record for evidence that Obama supported Odinga" and concluded that Obama "has remained neutral in Kenyan politics, and did not support Odinga during his trip." PolitiFact.com concluded: "Corsi states that Obama 'openly supported' Raila Odinga. We found public statements from Obama during the trip saying the exact opposite. We found no other evidence to support Corsi's statement, so we rate his statement False." Additionally, Corsi falsely claimed on The Lee Rodgers Show that he "[d]isproved every point" that the Obama campaign made in a "40-page rebuttal" to his book. In fact, as Media Matters for America has noted, after the Obama campaign released the document to which Corsi referred -- which debunked numerous falsehoods in Corsi's book -- Corsi provided a list of 11 "corrections to the next printing of The Obama Nation," many of which correct falsehoods that were identified by the Obama campaign, Media Matters, or both. As Media Matters has noted, Corsi has repeatedly suggested that the Obama campaign is attempting to censor him. On the October 7 edition of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Corsi suggested that Obama was responsible for his detention in Kenya, stating at one point: "[J]ust don't write anything bad about Senator Obama, because, otherwise, this is what happens to you." He previously questioned whether "an Obama administration might have a censorship department in which a book critical of a President Obama might be banned from publication," and said that if Obama were elected president and someone were to write a book critical of him, "Obama might just have to create a department of hate crimes and put them in jail." As Media Matters has noted, in appearances on C-SPAN and other media outlets, Corsi has promoted the falsehoods in his book even though they have been widely discredited. From the October 9 broadcast of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show: RODGERS: Kenya used to be a nice country, but I'll tell you -- I'll tell you what's scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of Barack Obama in Kenya who are trying to intimidate a journalist. CORSI: Right. RODGERS: In this country, the Obama campaign has tried to intimidate TV stations in Pennsylvania into not running commercials bought and paid for by John McCain's campaign, and his thugs in Chicago have tried to intimidate WGN radio from interviewing people who know some unpleasant things about Senator Obama. I'm telling you, this is scary. I have heard from Obama supporters telling me in one way or another, "Boy, when we're in office, we're gonna shut you down." This is the mentality of these people. CORSI: Well, that's right. And look, Chapter Five -- Chapter Four of my book, The Obama Nation -- this whole Kenyan story I told is absolutely true. Obama went out of his way -- and now I've even got the government videos asking Obama to leave the country for interfering in their politics in 2006, when he's over there in the Senate visiting, campaigned with Odinga, and Odinga showing up everywhere Obama was. The Obama campaign called me a liar, but they don't -- then they don't -- I wrote a rejoinder -- you know, they wrote this 40-page rebuttal, saying my book was unfit to publish. I wrote a 50-page rejoinder to it. Disproved every point that they made, showing how bad their arguments were. They never answered me, but yet they call me the liar. You know, everything I wrote -- if you read The Obama Nation, Lee, you'll see -- RODGERS: I have. CORSI: -- why they don't want it read, 'cause what I'm saying is the truth. They've called me -- you know, they tell me I'm a hack writer, and I'm a smear artist. Anything you say that's negative to Obama, they say it's racist, it's a smear -- RODGERS: Like using his middle name, for example. CORSI: True. That is his -- Hussein is his middle name. I mean, you know, it's not smearing him to point out his middle name. And in my book, what I do is I very carefully documented -- I've got about 700 footnotes in the book, and, of course, they want to ridicule the footnotes. You know, but the Obama campaign is using the Saul Alinsky tactics. Obama was trained by Saul Alinsky -- an organization -- Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" said ridicule your opponents and call them names. Do everything you can to make people not listen to them. I'm telling the truth in The Obama Nation, and if people read the book, they'll see that it's true. RODGERS: So, you're out now, you're in London. I would assume you have no plans for a return visit to Kenya, which is too bad. The beaches down at Mombasa are very nice -- very nice, indeed. CORSI: Mombasa's beautiful. RODGERS: But when are you coming back to the US of A? Are you going to be back in time for the election, or what? CORSI: Yes, Lee. I'll be back on -- I'll be back on Saturday. The first television --Hannity & Colmes has me on tonight at 9 o'clock. I'll be doing it from London. It'll be the middle of the night here in London. That'll be the first TV since I was, you know, detained and thrown out of Kenya. And I think the story here, really, is the suppression of the press. You're exactly right. I hate to think of what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative book or criticize Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed. RODGERS: Yeah, well, that's the mentality of these -- of these people. And I would assume we could tell everyone that they can read a full account of your vacation in Kenya at WorldNetDaily.com?
Media Matters - In post-detention KSFO interview, Corsi claimed critics of Obama are "now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed" {...} On KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show , Jerome Corsi asserted regarding his detention and departure from Kenya: "I think the story here is really the suppression of the press. ... I hate to think of what the First Amendment is going to mean. If you write a negative book or criticize [Sen. Barack] Obama, I think you're now going to have to risk being thrown in jail or killed." Rodgers said, "I'll tell you what's scary about this, to make the connection here. These are friends of Barack Obama in Kenya, who are trying to intimidate a journalist." {...}
Published: October 10, 2008, 11:53 pm - Indexed: October 11, 2008, 10:39 am - Page Size: 23KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Hannity vs. Hannity: Is he, or is he not, a "journalist"? http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/hannity-vs-hannity-is-he-or-is-he-not-a-journalist-20081072915.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/hannity-vs-hannity-is-he-or-is-he-not-a-journalist-20081072915.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:45:29 GMT Within a matter of days, Fox News host and syndicated radio host Sean Hannity identified his professional position in contradictory ways. As Media Matters for America documented, on the October 7 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Hannity defended the presence of Andy Martin -- who has called a judge a "crooked, slimy Jew" and accused African-American public officials of corruption -- on the October 5 edition of Hannity's America by saying: "I'm a journalist who interviews people who I disagree with all the time, that give their opinion. Fox has all points of view." By contrast, in an October 8 New York Daily News article highlighting Hannity's "new multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract" with Fox News, Hannity reportedly said the opposite about his position: Hannity doesn't call himself a journalist, but rather a talk show host, which is significant because it frees him to offer opinions when he wants. "Somedays, I'll do a fair and objective, balanced interview; somedays, I'll be arguing with somebody, and somedays, I'll have an investigative report," he said. "I have an opinion. Everybody knows it. Everybody who sees me, watches me, knows I'm a conservative." Hannity made a similar claim four years earlier, when he said on the July 7, 2004, edition of Hannity & Colmes: "I'm not a journalist. I am an outspoken, compassionate, thoughtful, independent-thinking conservative -- a Reagan conservative, in my view. Unlike these other guys that claim to be fair." From the July 7, 2004, edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes (transcript retrieved from the Nexis news database): HANNITY: Here is -- one of the things that I find interesting, too, I am not -- and you lay this out. You even mention my name. Thank you very much. Thanks for the plug. BRENT BOZELL (president, Media Research Center): Yes. You needed it. Your career needed a boost from me. HANNITY: It does, it does. But they say Sean Hannity -- I'm not a journalist. I am an outspoken, compassionate, thoughtful, independent-thinking conservative -- a Reagan conservative, in my view. Unlike these other guys that claim to be fair. They have the agenda. For whatever reason, there is a really antipathy, animosity, outright hatred and hostility to the success of conservative media, talk radio, the Internet. They can't stand that the voices -- all sides are heard on FOX. BOZELL: No. They can't stand you folks at FOX. HANNITY: They hate me. BOZELL: They really do. And frankly, look what's happening. The more they attack FOX, the better FOX is doing in the ratings. Because people take look at FOX and like it. Mediamatters.Org Hannity vs. Hannity: Is he, or is he not, a "journalist"? {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - Within a matter of days, Fox News host and syndicated radio host Sean Hannity identified his professional position in contradictory ways. As Media Matters for America documented, on the October 7 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Hannity defended the presence of Andy Martin -- who has called a judge a "crooked, slimy Jew" and accused African-American public officials of corruption -- on the October 5 edition of Hannity's America by saying: "I'm a journalist who interviews people who I disagree with all the time, that give their opinion. Fox has all points of view." By contrast, in an October 8 New York Daily News article highlighting Hannity's "new multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract" with Fox News, Hannity reportedly said the opposite about his position: Hannity doesn't call himself a journalist, but rather a talk show host, which is significant because it frees him to offer opinions when he wants. "Somedays, I'll do a fair and objective, balanced interview; somedays, I'll be arguing with somebody, and somedays, I'll have an investigative report," he said. "I have an opinion. Everybody knows it. Everybody who sees me, watches me, knows I'm a conservative." Hannity made a similar claim four years earlier, when he said on the July 7, 2004, edition of Hannity & Colmes: "I'm not a journalist. I am an outspoken, compassionate, thoughtful, independent-thinking conservative -- a Reagan conservative, in my view. Unlike these other guys that claim to be fair." From the July 7, 2004, edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes (transcript retrieved from the Nexis news database): HANNITY: Here is -- one of the things that I find interesting, too, I am not -- and you lay this out. You even mention my name. Thank you very much. Thanks for the plug. BRENT BOZELL (president, Media Research Center): Yes. You needed it. Your career needed a boost from me. HANNITY: It does, it does. But they say Sean Hannity -- I'm not a journalist. I am an outspoken, compassionate, thoughtful, independent-thinking conservative -- a Reagan conservative, in my view. Unlike these other guys that claim to be fair. They have the agenda. For whatever reason, there is a really antipathy, animosity, outright hatred and hostility to the success of conservative media, talk radio, the Internet. They can't stand that the voices -- all sides are heard on FOX. BOZELL: No. They can't stand you folks at FOX. HANNITY: They hate me. BOZELL: They really do. And frankly, look what's happening. The more they attack FOX, the better FOX is doing in the ratings. Because people take look at FOX and like it.
Media Matters - Hannity vs. Hannity: Is he, or is he not, a "journalist"? {...} Sean Hannity defended the presence of Andy Martin on the October 5 edition of Hannity's America by saying, "I'm a journalist who interviews people who I disagree with all the time, that give their opinion. Fox has all points of view." But Hannity told the New York Daily News that he "doesn't call himself a journalist, but rather a talk show host." And in 2004, Hannity said: "I'm not a journalist. I am an outspoken, compassionate, thoughtful, independent-thinking conservative. ... Unlike these other guys that claim to be fair." {...}
Published: October 10, 2008, 1:45 am - Indexed: October 10, 2008, 12:04 pm - Page Size: 14KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance {LITERATURE > CYBERPUNK} - If It Walks Like A Duck and Talks Like a Duck Dept: The McCain-Palin Mob http://articles.world-of-newave.info/arts/literature/genres/cyberpunk/if-it-walks-like-a-duck-and-talks-like-a-duck-dept-the-2008106318.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/arts/literature/genres/cyberpunk/if-it-walks-like-a-duck-and-talks-like-a-duck-dept-the-2008106318.htm Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:57:42 GMT The things that has always alarmed me most about the right wing Republican/conservative/FOX News-watching types is how they wear their own IGNORANCE as a badge of honor! I can't get my head around the notion of how unashamed they are of their own ignorance. It used to be that abject stupidity was something to be embarrassed about. Is it somehow now HIP these days to be a total dumbass? Did I miss the memo? It's even worse when Republican politicians stoop to cultivate the least intelligent amongst us. Why is it that the Republican party seems to consist solely of the top 5% of America's wealth holders and the lower third of the IQ spectrum with NO ONE in between? Here is what Blogger Interrupted saw at a McCain-Palin rally in Strongsville, Ohio: The fact that my videos of McCain-Palin supporters are blowing up online tells me a lot. First, the media should be ashamed of themselves for not covering this until now. The McCain-Palin supporters in my videos are not new, they are not exceptional, they are not hiding. This is who they are. It has been brewing for months, and not one mainstream media outlet has taken the time to expose them. Not one. And that is dangerous. If America is about to decide on its president based on this level of hate and ignorance, without a single question being asked as to why, then America is in for a rude awakening. There are some seriously ignorant people on display in these videos (and no, not just the governor of Alaska). These people are clearly SO DUMB that they'd believe any darn thing you told them! Be afraid, be very afraid... McCain-Palin Mob in Ohio (video) part 1 | McCain-Palin Mob in Ohio (video)part 2 (Richard Metzger is a guestblogger)... Boingboing.Net If It Walks Like A Duck and Talks Like a Duck Dept: The McCain-Palin Mob {new window}   Www.Boingboing.Net - The things that has always alarmed me most about the right wing Republican/conservative/FOX News-watching types is how they wear their own IGNORANCE as a badge of honor! I can't get my head around the notion of how unashamed they are of their own ignorance. It used to be that abject stupidity was something to be embarrassed about. Is it somehow now HIP these days to be a total dumbass? Did I miss the memo? It's even worse when Republican politicians stoop to cultivate the least intelligent amongst us. Why is it that the Republican party seems to consist solely of the top 5% of America's wealth holders and the lower third of the IQ spectrum with NO ONE in between? Here is what Blogger Interrupted saw at a McCain-Palin rally in Strongsville, Ohio: The fact that my videos of McCain-Palin supporters are blowing up online tells me a lot. First, the media should be ashamed of themselves for not covering this until now. The McCain-Palin supporters in my videos are not new, they are not exceptional, they are not hiding. This is who they are. It has been brewing for months, and not one mainstream media outlet has taken the time to expose them. Not one. And that is dangerous. If America is about to decide on its president based on this level of hate and ignorance, without a single question being asked as to why, then America is in for a rude awakening. There are some seriously ignorant people on display in these videos (and no, not just the governor of Alaska). These people are clearly SO DUMB that they'd believe any darn thing you told them! Be afraid, be very afraid... McCain-Palin Mob in Ohio (video) part 1 | McCain-Palin Mob in Ohio (video)part 2 (Richard Metzger is a guestblogger)...
If It Walks Like A Duck and Talks Like a Duck Dept: The McCain-Palin Mob - Boing Boing {...}
Published: October 9, 2008, 11:57 pm - Indexed: October 10, 2008, 10:44 am - Page Size: 165KB
Category: Arts > Literature > Genres > Cyberpunk

]]> Arts > Literature > Genres > Cyberpunk {NEWS > BREAKING NEWS} - The World's Greatest Aviation Innovations http://articles.world-of-newave.info/news/breaking-news/the-world-s-greatest-aviation-innovations-2008107379.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/news/breaking-news/the-world-s-greatest-aviation-innovations-2008107379.htm Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:43:11 GMT It seems all news is bad news when it comes to aviation these days, and it's too bad because it overshadows just how wonderful it is that we can fly. Think about it -- 100 years ago, few could imagine it. Today we take it for granted. It's an amazing accomplishment, and too often people lose sight of that. Aviation.com has compiled a list of the greatest innovations of aviation that have taken us ever further and faster in the 100 years since the Wright Brothers took wing. It includes things like the monoplane, transatlantic flight, the steam catapault and human-powered aircraft. We looked at their list, tweaked it a bit and came up with our top 12 because 10 wasn't enough. 1. Cabin pressurization -- The average passenger doesn't think about cabin pressurization until their yellow safety masks fall from the ceiling, but the reality is that if the technology hadn't been developed during WWII, we wouldn't be able to fly much above 10,000 feet. 2. Black Box -- Morbid but essential, the black box was invented in the mid-1950s, and not only helps investigators learn why a plane crashed, but how that information can be applied to other aircraft to prevent a repeat. 3. The Concorde -- It never delivered on its commercial promise, and it was an environmental bad boy, but who can deny that breaking the sound barrier aboard a commercial aircraft is cool. And have you ever seen a more beautiful plane? 4. Radar -- Sure, the airlines are dying to replace it with GPS technology, but for decades it's been radar that helps air traffic controllers locate and track planes up to 200 miles away. Would our modern air traffic infrastructure exist without it? Probably not. 5. The jumbo jet -- Whether you think they're graceful or ungainly, you can't deny that jumbo jets have changed the face of commercial aviation. The economies of scale provided by a 400-seat airliner meant airlines could offer cheap tickets that made it possible for the masses to fly. 6. The hub and spoke system -- People hate, hate, hate having to make stopovers at jam packed airports controlled by a single airline. Yeah, they're expensive to fly into and delay prone, but hub airports are a big part of the reason that you have 20 flights a day to choose from when flying between most large American cities. 7.The Very Light Jet (VLJ) -- It's been a tough road for the VLJ, with manufacturers suffering production problems and customers going out of business, but that doesn't diminish the allure of a 37 foot, 3,500 pound plane designed to carry four to six passengers on short hops that would otherwise require a car ride. 8. Winglets -- Here's another one that most of us don't think about. The small upward-pointing extensions at the tips of aircraft wings reduce drag, improve climb performance, increase range, and make flight more fuel efficient. With oil at over $100 a barrel, no wonder most airlines have added winglets across their fleets. 9. The flying wing -- Yves Rossy keeps breaking records and defying expectations with his 8-foot-diameter, carbon composite flying wing. Last week he made a successful 13 minute, 125 mph trip across the English Channel. 10. Stealth aircraft -- What's cooler than a plane that can outsmart radar? Because the surfaces of a stealth are designed to absorb radio waves or reflect them away from the receiver, stealth planes can sneak in and sneak out undetected. Too bad they're so expensive: The 21 plane B-2 program cost over $45 billion. 11. Jetway -- Another one most of us don't think about is the long covered walkway the connects our departure gate with our plane. It means we don't have to wait outside on the tarmac in sleet and rain, or contend with the shriek of jet engines. The A380 is served by three jet bridges, one of them leading directly to the first class lounge.  12. Deicing -- Ice buildup is the cause of many fatal aircraft accidents, which is why applying monopropylene de-icing fluid to wings pre-flight has become standard operating procedure. Without it, air traffic would ground to a halt every time things got a little stormy. That's it. That's our top 12. Use the Reddit Widget below to tell us what we got wrong, what you'd add and why you think it's important. Photo by Flickr user adpowers Tell us what you consider the most important aviation innovations ... Show suggestions that are: hot | new | top-rated or submit your own suggestion   Submit a suggestion While you can submit as many suggestions as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed. Back to top Blog.Wired.Com The World's Greatest Aviation Innovations {new window}   Blog.Wired.Com - It seems all news is bad news when it comes to aviation these days, and it's too bad because it overshadows just how wonderful it is that we can fly. Think about it -- 100 years ago, few could imagine it. Today we take it for granted. It's an amazing accomplishment, and too often people lose sight of that. Aviation.com has compiled a list of the greatest innovations of aviation that have taken us ever further and faster in the 100 years since the Wright Brothers took wing. It includes things like the monoplane, transatlantic flight, the steam catapault and human-powered aircraft. We looked at their list, tweaked it a bit and came up with our top 12 because 10 wasn't enough. 1. Cabin pressurization -- The average passenger doesn't think about cabin pressurization until their yellow safety masks fall from the ceiling, but the reality is that if the technology hadn't been developed during WWII, we wouldn't be able to fly much above 10,000 feet. 2. Black Box -- Morbid but essential, the black box was invented in the mid-1950s, and not only helps investigators learn why a plane crashed, but how that information can be applied to other aircraft to prevent a repeat. 3. The Concorde -- It never delivered on its commercial promise, and it was an environmental bad boy, but who can deny that breaking the sound barrier aboard a commercial aircraft is cool. And have you ever seen a more beautiful plane? 4. Radar -- Sure, the airlines are dying to replace it with GPS technology, but for decades it's been radar that helps air traffic controllers locate and track planes up to 200 miles away. Would our modern air traffic infrastructure exist without it? Probably not. 5. The jumbo jet -- Whether you think they're graceful or ungainly, you can't deny that jumbo jets have changed the face of commercial aviation. The economies of scale provided by a 400-seat airliner meant airlines could offer cheap tickets that made it possible for the masses to fly. 6. The hub and spoke system -- People hate, hate, hate having to make stopovers at jam packed airports controlled by a single airline. Yeah, they're expensive to fly into and delay prone, but hub airports are a big part of the reason that you have 20 flights a day to choose from when flying between most large American cities. 7.The Very Light Jet (VLJ) -- It's been a tough road for the VLJ, with manufacturers suffering production problems and customers going out of business, but that doesn't diminish the allure of a 37 foot, 3,500 pound plane designed to carry four to six passengers on short hops that would otherwise require a car ride. 8. Winglets -- Here's another one that most of us don't think about. The small upward-pointing extensions at the tips of aircraft wings reduce drag, improve climb performance, increase range, and make flight more fuel efficient. With oil at over $100 a barrel, no wonder most airlines have added winglets across their fleets. 9. The flying wing -- Yves Rossy keeps breaking records and defying expectations with his 8-foot-diameter, carbon composite flying wing. Last week he made a successful 13 minute, 125 mph trip across the English Channel. 10. Stealth aircraft -- What's cooler than a plane that can outsmart radar? Because the surfaces of a stealth are designed to absorb radio waves or reflect them away from the receiver, stealth planes can sneak in and sneak out undetected. Too bad they're so expensive: The 21 plane B-2 program cost over $45 billion. 11. Jetway -- Another one most of us don't think about is the long covered walkway the connects our departure gate with our plane. It means we don't have to wait outside on the tarmac in sleet and rain, or contend with the shriek of jet engines. The A380 is served by three jet bridges, one of them leading directly to the first class lounge.  12. Deicing -- Ice buildup is the cause of many fatal aircraft accidents, which is why applying monopropylene de-icing fluid to wings pre-flight has become standard operating procedure. Without it, air traffic would ground to a halt every time things got a little stormy. That's it. That's our top 12. Use the Reddit Widget below to tell us what we got wrong, what you'd add and why you think it's important. Photo by Flickr user adpowers Tell us what you consider the most important aviation innovations ... Show suggestions that are: hot | new | top-rated or submit your own suggestion   Submit a suggestion While you can submit as many suggestions as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed. Back to top
The World's Greatest Aviation Innovations | Autopia from Wired.com {...} It seems all news is bad news when it comes to aviation these days, and it's too bad because it overshadows just how wonderful it is that we can fly. {...}
Indexed: October 9, 2008, 11:43 am - Page Size: 61KB
Category: News > Breaking News

]]> News > Breaking News {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Wash. Times misrepresented Obama debate comment, repeated false claim about his Pakistan comment http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/wash-times-misrepresented-obama-debate-comment-2008106287.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/wash-times-misrepresented-obama-debate-comment-2008106287.htm Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:39:50 GMT In an October 8 Washington Times article, senior White House correspondent Joseph Curl falsely suggested that, during the October 7 presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama said he doesn't think the United States can "face the challenge" in Afghanistan "after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq." Curl also uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's false claim during the debate that Obama "threaten[ed] to invade Pakistan," and quoted Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that Obama has been "palling around with terrorists" without noting Palin's distortion of a New York Times article about former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers that she used to make that claim. Curl also claimed that Palin's "palling around with terrorists" remark "refers" to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in addition to Ayers, but provided no evidence that Wright is a "terrorist." Curl noted that, during the debate, McCain said that Obama "does not understand our national security challenges." Curl then asserted: "Mr. Obama countered with sarcasm, saying he didn't understand some things -- like how the United States could face the challenge it does in Afghanistan after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq." But, as Media Matters for America noted when the Associated Press also misrepresented Obama's comment, Obama did not say that. Rather, Obama said: "There are some things I don't understand. There are some things I don't understand. I don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9-11, while Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are setting up base camps and safe havens to train terrorists to attack us." Curl also asserted that "Mr. McCain targeted his rival's lack of experience, saying Mr. Obama foolishly threatening [sic] to invade Pakistan and said, 'I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Senator Obama did.' " But as Media Matters has repeatedly noted, Obama has not "threaten[ed] to invade Pakistan." Rather, during an August 1, 2007, foreign policy speech, he stated: "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and [Pakistani] President [Pervez] Musharraf won't act, we will." Indeed, in comments from the debate that Curl did not mention, Obama said: OBAMA: Look, I -- I want to be very clear about what I said. Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. Senator McCain continues to repeat this. What I said was the same thing that the audience here today heard me say, which is, if Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should. Now, that I think has to be our policy, because they are threatening to kill more Americans. Curl went on to assert: "Mr. McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, accused Mr. Obama of 'palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.' The charge refers [to] Mr. Obama's ties to 1960s-era radical William Ayers and to the Democrat's former pastor, the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr." Curl provided no evidence to support the claim that Wright is a "terrorist." Moreover, Media Matters has repeatedly documented that the October 4 New York Times article Palin cited in making that claim reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' " Indeed, as Washington Post White House reporter Michael Abramowitz noted in an October 5 article, Palin's comments are a "distortion of what the Times story concluded." From the October 8 Washington Times article: Mr. McCain targeted his rival's lack of experience, saying Mr. Obama foolishly threatening to invade Pakistan and said, "I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Senator Obama did." He also said Mr. Obama has declared he would speak directly with leaders of rogue nations, like Iran, dismissing that stance as naive. The Democrat struck back, but Mr. McCain got the last word. "Now, Senator McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I'm green behind the ears and I'm just spouting off, and he's somber and responsible," Mr. Obama said, pausing. "Thank you very much," Mr. McCain said, drawing a laugh from the crowd. He explained that when he sang the words "bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys "Barbara Ann," "I was joking with a veteran -- I hate to even go into this. I was joking with an old veteran friend, who joked with me, about Iran." Mr. McCain also said his rival "was wrong about Iraq and the surge. He was wrong about Russia when they committed aggression against Georgia. And in his short career, he does not understand our national security challenges. We don't have time for on-the-job training." Mr. Obama countered with sarcasm, saying he didn't understand some things -- like how the United States could face the challenge it does in Afghanistan after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq. [...] With just four weeks left in the campaign, both sides have gone heavily negative. Mr. McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, accused Mr. Obama of "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." The charge refers Mr. Obama's ties to 1960s-era radical William Ayers and to the Democrat's former pastor, the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Mediamatters.Org Wash. Times misrepresented Obama debate comment, repeated false claim about his Pakistan comment {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - In an October 8 Washington Times article, senior White House correspondent Joseph Curl falsely suggested that, during the October 7 presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama said he doesn't think the United States can "face the challenge" in Afghanistan "after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq." Curl also uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's false claim during the debate that Obama "threaten[ed] to invade Pakistan," and quoted Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that Obama has been "palling around with terrorists" without noting Palin's distortion of a New York Times article about former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers that she used to make that claim. Curl also claimed that Palin's "palling around with terrorists" remark "refers" to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in addition to Ayers, but provided no evidence that Wright is a "terrorist." Curl noted that, during the debate, McCain said that Obama "does not understand our national security challenges." Curl then asserted: "Mr. Obama countered with sarcasm, saying he didn't understand some things -- like how the United States could face the challenge it does in Afghanistan after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq." But, as Media Matters for America noted when the Associated Press also misrepresented Obama's comment, Obama did not say that. Rather, Obama said: "There are some things I don't understand. There are some things I don't understand. I don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9-11, while Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are setting up base camps and safe havens to train terrorists to attack us." Curl also asserted that "Mr. McCain targeted his rival's lack of experience, saying Mr. Obama foolishly threatening [sic] to invade Pakistan and said, 'I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Senator Obama did.' " But as Media Matters has repeatedly noted, Obama has not "threaten[ed] to invade Pakistan." Rather, during an August 1, 2007, foreign policy speech, he stated: "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and [Pakistani] President [Pervez] Musharraf won't act, we will." Indeed, in comments from the debate that Curl did not mention, Obama said: OBAMA: Look, I -- I want to be very clear about what I said. Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. Senator McCain continues to repeat this. What I said was the same thing that the audience here today heard me say, which is, if Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should. Now, that I think has to be our policy, because they are threatening to kill more Americans. Curl went on to assert: "Mr. McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, accused Mr. Obama of 'palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.' The charge refers [to] Mr. Obama's ties to 1960s-era radical William Ayers and to the Democrat's former pastor, the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr." Curl provided no evidence to support the claim that Wright is a "terrorist." Moreover, Media Matters has repeatedly documented that the October 4 New York Times article Palin cited in making that claim reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' " Indeed, as Washington Post White House reporter Michael Abramowitz noted in an October 5 article, Palin's comments are a "distortion of what the Times story concluded." From the October 8 Washington Times article: Mr. McCain targeted his rival's lack of experience, saying Mr. Obama foolishly threatening to invade Pakistan and said, "I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Senator Obama did." He also said Mr. Obama has declared he would speak directly with leaders of rogue nations, like Iran, dismissing that stance as naive. The Democrat struck back, but Mr. McCain got the last word. "Now, Senator McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I'm green behind the ears and I'm just spouting off, and he's somber and responsible," Mr. Obama said, pausing. "Thank you very much," Mr. McCain said, drawing a laugh from the crowd. He explained that when he sang the words "bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys "Barbara Ann," "I was joking with a veteran -- I hate to even go into this. I was joking with an old veteran friend, who joked with me, about Iran." Mr. McCain also said his rival "was wrong about Iraq and the surge. He was wrong about Russia when they committed aggression against Georgia. And in his short career, he does not understand our national security challenges. We don't have time for on-the-job training." Mr. Obama countered with sarcasm, saying he didn't understand some things -- like how the United States could face the challenge it does in Afghanistan after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq. [...] With just four weeks left in the campaign, both sides have gone heavily negative. Mr. McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, accused Mr. Obama of "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." The charge refers Mr. Obama's ties to 1960s-era radical William Ayers and to the Democrat's former pastor, the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
Media Matters - Wash. Times misrepresented Obama debate comment, repeated false claim about his Pakistan comment {...} In an article about the second presidential debate, The Washington Times falsely suggested that, during the debate, Sen. Barack Obama said he doesn't think the U.S. can "face the challenge" in Afghanistan "after spending years and hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq," and it uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's false claim that Obama "threaten[ed] to invade Pakistan"; and quoted Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that Obama has been "palling around with terrorists" without noting that Palin distorted a New York Times article in making that claim. {...}
Published: October 9, 2008, 1:39 am - Indexed: October 9, 2008, 12:29 pm - Page Size: 17KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - NRO column repeated debunked claim that Obama attempted to delay troop withdrawals http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/nro-column-repeated-debunked-claim-that-obama-attempted-2008104107.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/nro-column-repeated-debunked-claim-that-obama-attempted-2008104107.htm Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:15:07 GMT In an October 6 National Review Online column headlined "Take This and Run: Ten things the McCain campaign needs to do to win," Lisa Schiffren claimed that "[i]n personal conversations," Sen. Barack Obama "asked that the Iraqi leadership wait for the next administration (his) to begin serious troop withdrawals -- as Amir Taheri has documented. Apparently, he wanted to make it look as if the troops were coming home due to him." But a Bush administration official has reportedly said that Taheri's assertion, made in a September 15 New York Post column, that Obama "tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence" was not true. The Obama campaign has also reportedly denied Taheri's allegation. In a September 19 post on his Political Punch blog, ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper reported that "[t]he Obama campaign said that the Post report consisted of 'outright distortions,' " and that contrary to Taheri's claim, "[a] Bush administration official with knowledge of the meeting says that during the meeting, Obama stressed to [Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki that he would not interfere with President Bush's negotiations concerning the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, and that he supports the Bush administration's position on the need to negotiate, as soon as possible, the Status of Forces Agreement, which deals with, among other matters, U.S. troops having immunity from local prosecution." Tapper further reported: Two officials of the Bush administration say that if Obama had done what the Post story asserted -- which they believe to be untrue -- U.S. Ambassador Crocker and embassy officials attending the meeting would have ensured that the Bush administration heard about it immediately. If such an incident occurred in front of officials of the Bush administration, it would have constituted a foreign policy breach and would have been front-page huge news; it would not have leaked out two months later in an op-ed column. Schiffren also repeated other false and baseless claims in her column providing "suggestions" to the McCain campaign. For example: Schiffren falsely described Obama's health care proposal as "state health care," writing: "Ask why Barack Obama wants to make us all wards of the state, with state health care. Is this a good moment to embrace 20th Century Socialism Lite, even if we are facing a year or two of belt tightening? Shouldn't the future be freer, with less state interference in our lives?" In fact, as Media Matters has noted, Obama's health care plan does not mandate that the government take over health care; rather, Obama's plan allows individuals to keep their private health insurance if they so choose, while he says it also "addresses the large gaps in coverage that leave 47 million Americans uninsured." A Q&A released by the Obama campaign says: "His plan will not tell you which doctors to see or what treatments to get. Under the Obama health care plan, you will be able to keep your doctor and your health insurance if you want. No government bureaucrat will second-guess decisions about your care." Schiffren baselessly suggested that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is to blame for the current financial crisis, by writing: "For a real fight, mention the Community Reinvestment Act. Ask what happens in the near future when the 'A team' -- Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Rangel, Barney Frank, and Barack Obama -- are in charge of the economy, during the coming recession." But, as Media Matters has noted, the suggestion that the financial crisis was caused by banks lending irresponsibly to comply with the CRA has been debunked. The CRA applies only to depository institutions -- such as banks and savings and loan associations -- which have been estimated to have issued approximately 20 percent of subprime mortgages. Further, a study released earlier this year by a law firm specializing in CRA compliance estimated that in the 15 most populous metropolitan areas, 84.3 percent of high-cost loans in 2006 were made by financial institutions not governed by the CRA. In fact, Janet Yellen, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, stated in a March speech that "studies have shown that the CRA has increased the volume of responsible lending to low- and moderate-income households" [emphasis added]. In a section headed "Bill Ayers and other close friends," Schiffren claimed that Obama has had a "long-term" relationship with "domestic terrorist Bill Ayers." Schiffren also wrote: "Ayers served with the candidate on the Woods Fund board, and Obama was handsomely paid for that work. Who introduced them, and when?" In fact, as Media Matters has noted, contrary to Schiffren's assertion that Obama and Ayers are "close friends," an October 4 New York Times article reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' " The Times also reported that in 1969, Ayers helped found the Weather Underground and "[t]wenty-six years later, at a lunchtime meeting about school reform in a Chicago skyscraper, Barack Obama met Mr. Ayers, by then an education professor. Their paths have crossed sporadically since then, at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obama's first run for office, on the schools project and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors." From Schiffren's October 6 National Review Online column: At this point, the McCain campaign's goal should be to raise doubts about Obama's trustworthiness, and thus ability to lead. This will require a strategy and a tactic. The campaign's strategy should be to attack from all directions: character, past associations, political practice in Chicago, "present" votes, lack of a record of accomplishment. It should question what it means for a law professor to leave no academic paper trail, yet produce two well-written autobiographies. [...] Here are ten suggestions for the campaign: 1: The economy. Democrats are blaming the current crisis -- the one requiring the now-$800 billion bailout -- on McCain's aversion to regulation. Explain the difference between more regulations and useful regulations. Explain that all the regulations in the world, applied to financial institutions, won't help if government policy mandates that banks issue mortgages to people who can't repay them. Explain who wanted so badly to expand homeownership, and why, and who benefitted from the work of Freddie and Fannie. List the top three recipients of Freddie and Fannie's campaign donations. That's the history. Here is the abstract point to move to: Obama and his allies truly, deeply believe that markets are bad, and a small group of smart, good-hearted people -- them -- should be running things. The smart people had the good intentions of having the poor own homes. So they overrode traditional banking norms, which they called racist. Now we are all paying for their leftist ideology. For a real fight, mention the Community Reinvestment Act. Ask what happens in the near future when the "A team" -- Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Rangel, Barney Frank, and Barack Obama -- are in charge of the economy, during the coming recession. Don't sugar-coat the economic situation. If McCain wins, he presides over tough times. 2: Taxes. Contrast McCain's tax policies with Obama's by explaining the difference between letting people (and businesses) keep their own money, and giving them benefits at taxpayer expense. The former is what it means to have economic freedom. The latter is a real cost to taxpayers. McCain would not "spend" $300 million dollars, as Obama alleges, by failing to confiscate $300 million from businesses or individuals. Also explain that Barack Obama's tax "cuts" for the poor consist of straightforward, massive redistribution of taxpayer dollars to people who already are not required to pay taxes. Hammer the point that only about 60 percent of American earners even pay taxes. Taxes for the working poor are called the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the opposite of a tax. Cite statistics indicating that decided "tax recipients" are pro-Obama, support higher taxes for those who pay, and want bigger checks. Ask why Barack Obama wants to make us all wards of the state, with state health care. Is this a good moment to embrace 20th Century Socialism Lite, even if we are facing a year or two of belt tightening? Shouldn't the future be freer, with less state interference in our lives? And on the matter of the recession we are facing -- explain in language a 10-year-old can understand that we will get through it faster if we don't gum up the job-creating process with new taxes. [...] 6: Bill Ayers and other close friends. Discuss the details of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers' long-term relationship with Obama. Ayers served with the candidate on the Woods Fund board, and Obama was handsomely paid for that work. Who introduced them, and when? Make Obama explain why the Woods Fund gave grants to racial programs ("Juneteenth education") rather than basic education for deprived minority kids. Speaking of terrorist buds, Barack and Michelle were close with Rashid and Mona Khalidi, convicted terrorism supporters. What was that about? Make the analogy to the Reverend Wright. Hit the larger point that there are so many of these long-term social relationships with people who hate this country and find it mean-spirited and racist. What does Barack enjoy about hanging with these types? 7: Arrogance bordering on treason. On his listening tour last summer, Senator Obama attempted to undermine Bush administration policy in Iraq. In personal conversations he asked that the Iraqi leadership wait for the next administration (his) to begin serious troop withdrawals -- as Amir Taheri has documented. Apparently, he wanted to make it look as if the troops were coming home due to him. Mediamatters.Org NRO column repeated debunked claim that Obama attempted to delay troop withdrawals {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - In an October 6 National Review Online column headlined "Take This and Run: Ten things the McCain campaign needs to do to win," Lisa Schiffren claimed that "[i]n personal conversations," Sen. Barack Obama "asked that the Iraqi leadership wait for the next administration (his) to begin serious troop withdrawals -- as Amir Taheri has documented. Apparently, he wanted to make it look as if the troops were coming home due to him." But a Bush administration official has reportedly said that Taheri's assertion, made in a September 15 New York Post column, that Obama "tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence" was not true. The Obama campaign has also reportedly denied Taheri's allegation. In a September 19 post on his Political Punch blog, ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper reported that "[t]he Obama campaign said that the Post report consisted of 'outright distortions,' " and that contrary to Taheri's claim, "[a] Bush administration official with knowledge of the meeting says that during the meeting, Obama stressed to [Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki that he would not interfere with President Bush's negotiations concerning the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, and that he supports the Bush administration's position on the need to negotiate, as soon as possible, the Status of Forces Agreement, which deals with, among other matters, U.S. troops having immunity from local prosecution." Tapper further reported: Two officials of the Bush administration say that if Obama had done what the Post story asserted -- which they believe to be untrue -- U.S. Ambassador Crocker and embassy officials attending the meeting would have ensured that the Bush administration heard about it immediately. If such an incident occurred in front of officials of the Bush administration, it would have constituted a foreign policy breach and would have been front-page huge news; it would not have leaked out two months later in an op-ed column. Schiffren also repeated other false and baseless claims in her column providing "suggestions" to the McCain campaign. For example: Schiffren falsely described Obama's health care proposal as "state health care," writing: "Ask why Barack Obama wants to make us all wards of the state, with state health care. Is this a good moment to embrace 20th Century Socialism Lite, even if we are facing a year or two of belt tightening? Shouldn't the future be freer, with less state interference in our lives?" In fact, as Media Matters has noted, Obama's health care plan does not mandate that the government take over health care; rather, Obama's plan allows individuals to keep their private health insurance if they so choose, while he says it also "addresses the large gaps in coverage that leave 47 million Americans uninsured." A Q&A released by the Obama campaign says: "His plan will not tell you which doctors to see or what treatments to get. Under the Obama health care plan, you will be able to keep your doctor and your health insurance if you want. No government bureaucrat will second-guess decisions about your care." Schiffren baselessly suggested that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is to blame for the current financial crisis, by writing: "For a real fight, mention the Community Reinvestment Act. Ask what happens in the near future when the 'A team' -- Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Rangel, Barney Frank, and Barack Obama -- are in charge of the economy, during the coming recession." But, as Media Matters has noted, the suggestion that the financial crisis was caused by banks lending irresponsibly to comply with the CRA has been debunked. The CRA applies only to depository institutions -- such as banks and savings and loan associations -- which have been estimated to have issued approximately 20 percent of subprime mortgages. Further, a study released earlier this year by a law firm specializing in CRA compliance estimated that in the 15 most populous metropolitan areas, 84.3 percent of high-cost loans in 2006 were made by financial institutions not governed by the CRA. In fact, Janet Yellen, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, stated in a March speech that "studies have shown that the CRA has increased the volume of responsible lending to low- and moderate-income households" [emphasis added]. In a section headed "Bill Ayers and other close friends," Schiffren claimed that Obama has had a "long-term" relationship with "domestic terrorist Bill Ayers." Schiffren also wrote: "Ayers served with the candidate on the Woods Fund board, and Obama was handsomely paid for that work. Who introduced them, and when?" In fact, as Media Matters has noted, contrary to Schiffren's assertion that Obama and Ayers are "close friends," an October 4 New York Times article reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' " The Times also reported that in 1969, Ayers helped found the Weather Underground and "[t]wenty-six years later, at a lunchtime meeting about school reform in a Chicago skyscraper, Barack Obama met Mr. Ayers, by then an education professor. Their paths have crossed sporadically since then, at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obama's first run for office, on the schools project and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors." From Schiffren's October 6 National Review Online column: At this point, the McCain campaign's goal should be to raise doubts about Obama's trustworthiness, and thus ability to lead. This will require a strategy and a tactic. The campaign's strategy should be to attack from all directions: character, past associations, political practice in Chicago, "present" votes, lack of a record of accomplishment. It should question what it means for a law professor to leave no academic paper trail, yet produce two well-written autobiographies. [...] Here are ten suggestions for the campaign: 1: The economy. Democrats are blaming the current crisis -- the one requiring the now-$800 billion bailout -- on McCain's aversion to regulation. Explain the difference between more regulations and useful regulations. Explain that all the regulations in the world, applied to financial institutions, won't help if government policy mandates that banks issue mortgages to people who can't repay them. Explain who wanted so badly to expand homeownership, and why, and who benefitted from the work of Freddie and Fannie. List the top three recipients of Freddie and Fannie's campaign donations. That's the history. Here is the abstract point to move to: Obama and his allies truly, deeply believe that markets are bad, and a small group of smart, good-hearted people -- them -- should be running things. The smart people had the good intentions of having the poor own homes. So they overrode traditional banking norms, which they called racist. Now we are all paying for their leftist ideology. For a real fight, mention the Community Reinvestment Act. Ask what happens in the near future when the "A team" -- Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charles Rangel, Barney Frank, and Barack Obama -- are in charge of the economy, during the coming recession. Don't sugar-coat the economic situation. If McCain wins, he presides over tough times. 2: Taxes. Contrast McCain's tax policies with Obama's by explaining the difference between letting people (and businesses) keep their own money, and giving them benefits at taxpayer expense. The former is what it means to have economic freedom. The latter is a real cost to taxpayers. McCain would not "spend" $300 million dollars, as Obama alleges, by failing to confiscate $300 million from businesses or individuals. Also explain that Barack Obama's tax "cuts" for the poor consist of straightforward, massive redistribution of taxpayer dollars to people who already are not required to pay taxes. Hammer the point that only about 60 percent of American earners even pay taxes. Taxes for the working poor are called the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the opposite of a tax. Cite statistics indicating that decided "tax recipients" are pro-Obama, support higher taxes for those who pay, and want bigger checks. Ask why Barack Obama wants to make us all wards of the state, with state health care. Is this a good moment to embrace 20th Century Socialism Lite, even if we are facing a year or two of belt tightening? Shouldn't the future be freer, with less state interference in our lives? And on the matter of the recession we are facing -- explain in language a 10-year-old can understand that we will get through it faster if we don't gum up the job-creating process with new taxes. [...] 6: Bill Ayers and other close friends. Discuss the details of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers' long-term relationship with Obama. Ayers served with the candidate on the Woods Fund board, and Obama was handsomely paid for that work. Who introduced them, and when? Make Obama explain why the Woods Fund gave grants to racial programs ("Juneteenth education") rather than basic education for deprived minority kids. Speaking of terrorist buds, Barack and Michelle were close with Rashid and Mona Khalidi, convicted terrorism supporters. What was that about? Make the analogy to the Reverend Wright. Hit the larger point that there are so many of these long-term social relationships with people who hate this country and find it mean-spirited and racist. What does Barack enjoy about hanging with these types? 7: Arrogance bordering on treason. On his listening tour last summer, Senator Obama attempted to undermine Bush administration policy in Iraq. In personal conversations he asked that the Iraqi leadership wait for the next administration (his) to begin serious troop withdrawals -- as Amir Taheri has documented. Apparently, he wanted to make it look as if the troops were coming home due to him.
Media Matters - NRO column repeated debunked claim that Obama attempted to delay troop withdrawals {...} In a National Review Online column, Lisa Schiffren claimed that "[i]n personal conversations," Sen. Barack Obama "asked that the Iraqi leadership wait for the next administration (his) to begin serious troop withdrawals -- as Amir Taheri has documented." In fact, a Bush administration official has reportedly said that Taheri's assertion was not true. Schiffren also repeated other false and baseless claims in her column providing "suggestions" to the McCain campaign. {...}
Published: October 9, 2008, 1:15 am - Indexed: October 9, 2008, 12:29 pm - Page Size: 24KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance {LITERATURE > CYBERPUNK} - Historic Halloween Steampunk Airship Ride With Victorian Rockers Abney Park http://articles.world-of-newave.info/arts/literature/genres/cyberpunk/historic-halloween-steampunk-airship-ride-with-2008106886.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/arts/literature/genres/cyberpunk/historic-halloween-steampunk-airship-ride-with-2008106886.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:53:52 GMT Okay, all of you people who love to hate on steampunk, STFU. Because this is awesome, and I'd love to go myself. The band Abney Park, who you may have seen at Bay Area Maker Faire earlier this year with their wild musical instruments, is teaming up with Airship Ventures to make history: On October 31st, Airship Ventures will return airship travel to the people --- with the first commercial airship flight in the U.S .in over 70 years, aboard the largest Zeppelin in the world! And you can come along on this flight into history with Abney Park! Hell, if you want us too, we can even play you a few songs on the flight! (...) The Flight will be in the Bay Area,and the opening day of the California Steampunk Convention. No mean jokes about the steampunk convention. Focus with me here. These things are so cool. Also, the Airship Ventures pilot who will steer this baby is the world's first and only female Zeppelin pilot -- she just got her visa in Munich, I'm told, and is headed to the Bay Area for these flights. How cool is that? Tickets on the inaugural flight are $785. More info on signing up here, and press release from Airship Ventures here. Below, a video from Airship Ventures (more here and more photos here): "A Zeppelin NT flies into Friedrichshafen airport, landing after a turn into the wind. The pilot holds the airship down by its engines. The small ground crew take the steps to help the passengers alight. " (Thanks, Robert and Brian)... Boingboing.Net Historic Halloween Steampunk Airship Ride With Victorian Rockers Abney Park {new window}   Www.Boingboing.Net - Okay, all of you people who love to hate on steampunk, STFU. Because this is awesome, and I'd love to go myself. The band Abney Park, who you may have seen at Bay Area Maker Faire earlier this year with their wild musical instruments, is teaming up with Airship Ventures to make history: On October 31st, Airship Ventures will return airship travel to the people --- with the first commercial airship flight in the U.S .in over 70 years, aboard the largest Zeppelin in the world! And you can come along on this flight into history with Abney Park! Hell, if you want us too, we can even play you a few songs on the flight! (...) The Flight will be in the Bay Area,and the opening day of the California Steampunk Convention. No mean jokes about the steampunk convention. Focus with me here. These things are so cool. Also, the Airship Ventures pilot who will steer this baby is the world's first and only female Zeppelin pilot -- she just got her visa in Munich, I'm told, and is headed to the Bay Area for these flights. How cool is that? Tickets on the inaugural flight are $785. More info on signing up here, and press release from Airship Ventures here. Below, a video from Airship Ventures (more here and more photos here): "A Zeppelin NT flies into Friedrichshafen airport, landing after a turn into the wind. The pilot holds the airship down by its engines. The small ground crew take the steps to help the passengers alight. " (Thanks, Robert and Brian)...
Historic Halloween Steampunk Airship Ride With Victorian Rockers Abney Park - Boing Boing {...}
Published: October 8, 2008, 5:53 pm - Indexed: October 9, 2008, 11:09 am - Page Size: 71KB
Category: Arts > Literature > Genres > Cyberpunk

]]> Arts > Literature > Genres > Cyberpunk {NORTH AMERICA > NEWS AND MEDIA} - Security Matters: The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Terrorists http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/society-and-culture/politics/news-and-media/security-matters-the-seven-habits-of-highly-ineffective-2008103922.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/society-and-culture/politics/news-and-media/security-matters-the-seven-habits-of-highly-ineffective-2008103922.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT Most counterterrorism policies fail, not because of tactical problems, but because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what motivates terrorists in the first place. If we're ever going to defeat terrorism, we need to understand what drives people to become terrorists in the first place. Conventional wisdom holds that terrorism is inherently political, and that people become terrorists for political reasons. This is the "strategic" model of terrorism, and it's basically an economic model. It posits that people resort to terrorism when they believe -- rightly or wrongly -- that terrorism is worth it; that is, when they believe the political gains of terrorism minus the political costs are greater than if they engaged in some other, more peaceful form of protest. It's assumed, for example, that people join Hamas to achieve a Palestinian state; that people join the PKK to attain a Kurdish national homeland; and that people join al-Qaida to, among other things, get the United States out of the Persian Gulf. If you believe this model, the way to fight terrorism is to change that equation, and that's what most experts advocate. Governments tend to minimize the political gains of terrorism through a no-concessions policy; the international community tends to recommend reducing the political grievances of terrorists via appeasement, in hopes of getting them to renounce violence. Both advocate policies to provide effective nonviolent alternatives, like free elections. Historically, none of these solutions has worked with any regularity. Max Abrahms, a predoctoral fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, has studied dozens of terrorist groups from all over the world. He argues that the model is wrong. In a paper (.pdf) published this year in International Security that -- sadly -- doesn't have the title "Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Terrorists," he discusses, well, seven habits of highly ineffective terrorists. These seven tendencies are seen in terrorist organizations all over the world, and they directly contradict the theory that terrorists are political maximizers: Terrorists, he writes, (1) attack civilians, a policy that has a lousy track record of convincing those civilians to give the terrorists what they want; (2) treat terrorism as a first resort, not a last resort, failing to embrace nonviolent alternatives like elections; (3) don't compromise with their target country, even when those compromises are in their best interest politically; (4) have protean political platforms, which regularly, and sometimes radically, change; (5) often engage in anonymous attacks, which precludes the target countries making political concessions to them; (6) regularly attack other terrorist groups with the same political platform; and (7) resist disbanding, even when they consistently fail to achieve their political objectives or when their stated political objectives have been achieved. Abrahms has an alternative model to explain all this: People turn to terrorism for social solidarity. He theorizes that people join terrorist organizations worldwide in order to be part of a community, much like the reason inner-city youths join gangs in the United States. The evidence supports this. Individual terrorists often have no prior involvement with a group's political agenda, and often join multiple terrorist groups with incompatible platforms. Individuals who join terrorist groups are frequently not oppressed in any way, and often can't describe the political goals of their organizations. People who join terrorist groups most often have friends or relatives who are members of the group, and the great majority of terrorist are socially isolated: unmarried young men or widowed women who weren't working prior to joining. These things are true for members of terrorist groups as diverse as the IRA and al-Qaida. For example, several of the 9/11 hijackers planned to fight in Chechnya, but they didn't have the right paperwork so they attacked America instead. The mujahedeen had no idea whom they would attack after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, so they sat around until they came up with a new enemy: America. Pakistani terrorists regularly defect to another terrorist group with a totally different political platform. Many new al-Qaida members say, unconvincingly, that they decided to become a jihadist after reading an extreme, anti-American blog, or after converting to Islam, sometimes just a few weeks before. These people know little about politics or Islam, and they frankly don't even seem to care much about learning more. The blogs they turn to don't have a lot of substance in these areas, even though more informative blogs do exist. All of this explains the seven habits. It's not that they're ineffective; it's that they have a different goal. They might not be effective politically, but they are effective socially: They all help preserve the group's existence and cohesion. This kind of analysis isn't just theoretical; it has practical implications for counterterrorism. Not only can we now better understand who is likely to become a terrorist, we can engage in strategies specifically designed to weaken the social bonds within terrorist organizations. Driving a wedge between group members -- commuting prison sentences in exchange for actionable intelligence, planting more double agents within terrorist groups -- will go a long way to weakening the social bonds within those groups. We also need to pay more attention to the socially marginalized than to the politically downtrodden, like unassimilated communities in Western countries. We need to support vibrant, benign communities and organizations as alternative ways for potential terrorists to get the social cohesion they need. And finally, we need to minimize collateral damage in our counterterrorism operations, as well as clamping down on bigotry and hate crimes, which just creates more dislocation and social isolation, and the inevitable calls for revenge. --- Bruce Schneier is Chief Security Technology Officer of BT, and author of Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. Wired.Com Security Matters: The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Terrorists {new window}   Www.Wired.Com - Most counterterrorism policies fail, not because of tactical problems, but because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what motivates terrorists in the first place. If we're ever going to defeat terrorism, we need to understand what drives people to become terrorists in the first place. Conventional wisdom holds that terrorism is inherently political, and that people become terrorists for political reasons. This is the "strategic" model of terrorism, and it's basically an economic model. It posits that people resort to terrorism when they believe -- rightly or wrongly -- that terrorism is worth it; that is, when they believe the political gains of terrorism minus the political costs are greater than if they engaged in some other, more peaceful form of protest. It's assumed, for example, that people join Hamas to achieve a Palestinian state; that people join the PKK to attain a Kurdish national homeland; and that people join al-Qaida to, among other things, get the United States out of the Persian Gulf. If you believe this model, the way to fight terrorism is to change that equation, and that's what most experts advocate. Governments tend to minimize the political gains of terrorism through a no-concessions policy; the international community tends to recommend reducing the political grievances of terrorists via appeasement, in hopes of getting them to renounce violence. Both advocate policies to provide effective nonviolent alternatives, like free elections. Historically, none of these solutions has worked with any regularity. Max Abrahms, a predoctoral fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, has studied dozens of terrorist groups from all over the world. He argues that the model is wrong. In a paper (.pdf) published this year in International Security that -- sadly -- doesn't have the title "Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Terrorists," he discusses, well, seven habits of highly ineffective terrorists. These seven tendencies are seen in terrorist organizations all over the world, and they directly contradict the theory that terrorists are political maximizers: Terrorists, he writes, (1) attack civilians, a policy that has a lousy track record of convincing those civilians to give the terrorists what they want; (2) treat terrorism as a first resort, not a last resort, failing to embrace nonviolent alternatives like elections; (3) don't compromise with their target country, even when those compromises are in their best interest politically; (4) have protean political platforms, which regularly, and sometimes radically, change; (5) often engage in anonymous attacks, which precludes the target countries making political concessions to them; (6) regularly attack other terrorist groups with the same political platform; and (7) resist disbanding, even when they consistently fail to achieve their political objectives or when their stated political objectives have been achieved. Abrahms has an alternative model to explain all this: People turn to terrorism for social solidarity. He theorizes that people join terrorist organizations worldwide in order to be part of a community, much like the reason inner-city youths join gangs in the United States. The evidence supports this. Individual terrorists often have no prior involvement with a group's political agenda, and often join multiple terrorist groups with incompatible platforms. Individuals who join terrorist groups are frequently not oppressed in any way, and often can't describe the political goals of their organizations. People who join terrorist groups most often have friends or relatives who are members of the group, and the great majority of terrorist are socially isolated: unmarried young men or widowed women who weren't working prior to joining. These things are true for members of terrorist groups as diverse as the IRA and al-Qaida. For example, several of the 9/11 hijackers planned to fight in Chechnya, but they didn't have the right paperwork so they attacked America instead. The mujahedeen had no idea whom they would attack after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, so they sat around until they came up with a new enemy: America. Pakistani terrorists regularly defect to another terrorist group with a totally different political platform. Many new al-Qaida members say, unconvincingly, that they decided to become a jihadist after reading an extreme, anti-American blog, or after converting to Islam, sometimes just a few weeks before. These people know little about politics or Islam, and they frankly don't even seem to care much about learning more. The blogs they turn to don't have a lot of substance in these areas, even though more informative blogs do exist. All of this explains the seven habits. It's not that they're ineffective; it's that they have a different goal. They might not be effective politically, but they are effective socially: They all help preserve the group's existence and cohesion. This kind of analysis isn't just theoretical; it has practical implications for counterterrorism. Not only can we now better understand who is likely to become a terrorist, we can engage in strategies specifically designed to weaken the social bonds within terrorist organizations. Driving a wedge between group members -- commuting prison sentences in exchange for actionable intelligence, planting more double agents within terrorist groups -- will go a long way to weakening the social bonds within those groups. We also need to pay more attention to the socially marginalized than to the politically downtrodden, like unassimilated communities in Western countries. We need to support vibrant, benign communities and organizations as alternative ways for potential terrorists to get the social cohesion they need. And finally, we need to minimize collateral damage in our counterterrorism operations, as well as clamping down on bigotry and hate crimes, which just creates more dislocation and social isolation, and the inevitable calls for revenge. --- Bruce Schneier is Chief Security Technology Officer of BT, and author of Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.
New research demonstrates that terrorist groups are chronically ineffective in achieving their stated goals. But they thrive anyway. Here's why. {...}
Published: October 2, 2008, 5:00 am - Indexed: October 5, 2008, 11:28 am - Page Size: 48KB
Category: Regional > North America > United States > Society and Culture > Politics > News and Media

]]> Regional > North America > United States > Society and Culture > Politics > News and Media {INTERNET > W} - I Recommend You Go to Hell http://articles.world-of-newave.info/computers/internet/on-the-web/weblogs/personal/w/i-recommend-you-go-to-hell-2008109923.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/computers/internet/on-the-web/weblogs/personal/w/i-recommend-you-go-to-hell-2008109923.htm Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:47:09 GMT No, not you. Of course not you. I'm talking about Amazon -- or more specifically, the 'Recommended for You' bug prank 'feature' on their website. That nasty little bastard can go straight to hell, and I hope as many pitchforks as possible poke it right in the ass on the way. "I thought from my previous experience that the worst thing Amazon could do is ignore me. I was wrong. So very, very wrong." Don't get me wrong. I like Amazon; I shop there all the time. And I appreciate automagical systems that can figure out what I might like -- when they actually work, that is. I only ask three things of a recommendation system -- or for that matter, a friend, spouse, or government -- and in the past week, Amazon has failed me on all three. Observe: 1. Pay attention to what I'm telling you. A few days ago, I logged onto Amazon, looking for some CDs. Here's the conversation (only slightly rephrased) that I had with the recommendation system: Amazon: Hi, Charlie! Welcome back! Can I help you find a CD? Me: Okay, sure. Amazon: I bet you'd like Bridge. It's by Blues Traveler! Me: Oh. Um, yeah, I don't think so. Amazon: No problem! How about Save His Soul? It's great! Me: I dunno -- who's it by? Amazon: Blues Traveler! Me: You know, I'm really not a Blues Traveler fan. Amazon: Say no more! I know of a great CD you'll love! Me: Fine. Just tell me it's not by- Amazon: The CD's titled Blues Traveler! Me: *sigh* Let me guess. It's- Amazon: That's right! It's by Blues Traveler!!! Gosh! Me: Look, seriously. Not a Blues Traveler fan. I swear. Amazon: But you said six months ago that you own Four. Me: Yeah... I did. But- Amazon: And that's by Blues Traveler! Me: I know. But it's my wife's, really. And I listed dozens of CDs I own. Amazon: I know how you feel! Probably like buying Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics. Right? Right? Me: Dude. I gave Four two stars. Out of five. Two. Amazon: That's more than one! Bet you'd love Blues Traveler's Greatest Hits. Betcha would! Me: No. I wouldn't. Look, see here? I'm telling you not to use Four to suggest music any more. Okay? I happen to own one disc, but that's it. No more Blues Traveler, got it? Amazon: Absolutely! Me: No greatest hits, no tribute albums, no cover bands, nothing. Okay? Amazon: You're the boss! Me: Great. So. Do you have any other recommendations? Amazon: Sure! You're gonna love this CD Zygote! It's super! Me: Okay, I'm game. What type of mu- Amazon: It's by John Popper! Me: Wait. Isn't he- Amazon: He's the lead singer... of Blues Traveler! Yippee! Me: God, I hate you. Amazon: How many copies should I put you down for? Me: I absolutely fucking hate you. Amazon: Don't forget One-Click Checkout™! It's the best! I nearly strangled my monitor with the mouse cord. Evidently, I should stop being so fricking honest with Amazon about the music I technically own. Lord help me if it ever finds out my wife has the entire Madonna catalog somewhere under our roof. Jesus. 2. Don't throw 'paying attention' back in my face. I thought from my previous experience that the worst thing Amazon could do is ignore me. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. See, I'm a big British comedy fan. Mostly the older shows -- Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Kiss Me Kate, Keeping Up Appearances, just about anything. The subtle stuff, the bawdy stuff, the outlandish stuff, it doesn't much matter. I once even managed to sit through nearly an entire episode of Are You Being Served?. Just once. And I called in sick to work for the rest of the week. But you get the picture. So, last night I was poking around Amazon again, trying to find a DVD with clips from the old Alas Smith and Jones show. I'm not even going to bother trying to describe it, other than to call it 'two-man sketch comedy' and point you to the BBC's take above. My wife walked in last night while I was cackling giddily over a Smith and Jones 'Swiss News' clip on YouTube, and -- after I replayed it and made her watch it -- all she said was: 'It's kind of cute. But not laugh-out-loud cute. You're weird.' Probably. But that's not important right now. The only important detail to note is that the show featured well-travelled Brit comedy stars Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. (Hence the name, you see. Clever ones, those British are.) The astute film buffs among you may remember Mel Smith from his role as 'the Albino' in The Princess Bride, where he tended lovingly to the Pit.... of Despaaaaiiiir. The less astute among you -- including me -- may not know that there's also a Mel Smith (a different Mel Smith, presumably, what with her evidently being a woman and all) who writes gay cowboy erotica novels, and sells them via Amazon. Astute or not, I'd like to believe that if my recent browsing history included the phrases 'John Cleese', 'British comedy' and 'Blackadder', but not -- I can't stress this enough, now, NOT -- any phrases such as 'burly cowhand', 'assless chaps', or 'rope my dogie, Tex', then you would probably guess the context of the 'Mel Smith' search correctly. As opposed to waiting until I logged in tonight and saying: 'Hi! Welcome back! Can we recommend 'To Love a Cowboy' for you today? It's a wild, steamy tale of a young boy and the older man he... no? Okay! How about 'Twice the Cowboy, Twice the Ride'? You'll lose yourself in... not interested? No problem! 'Stallions on the Range' it is!' A 'Mel Smith' search is one thing. But I still can't see why Amazon loaded up so far on gay cowboy fare. Maybe Blues Traveler fans watch a lot of Brokeback Mountain. I dunno. 3. Make me feel cooler by taking your advice. Following the Blues Traveler debacle above, I finally managed to straighten Amazon out regarding the kinds of music I like. And generally, those kinds fall into one big category -- old. I remember the days, back in the mid-to-late '80s, when I would laugh -- laugh! -- at people listening to the Beatles, or the Doors, or early Rolling Stones. 'Geez,' I'd say with a wrinkle-free sneer, 'some of that crap is twenty years old. Get with the times, already!' I still listen to a lot of the same music I did back then. Which was, it turns out, just about twenty years ago. It seems the sneerer has become the sneeree. Ouch. In my defense, at least I'm not listening to the drivel you probably cringe over when you think of '80s music. I figure it's pretty hard to point and laugh over somebody 'still' listening to a band, if you have no idea who the hell they were in the first place. I'd like to claim that was a carefully planned strategic decision; actually, it just turns out that I have weird tastes in music as well as comedy, apparently. The point is, this is where I thought Amazon might actually be able to help me, for once. So while I whipped up an order for a few CDs (by the Broken Homes, Royal Court of China and Buckwheat Zydeco, from 1988, 1989, and 1987, respectively), I asked -- nay, begged -- Amazon to find me something hipper. Something I'd like, but could brag about to all the young whippersnappers at the parties with their droopy trousers and ball caps askew. So I hit Amazon with my (ever so slightly) more modern preferences. I may have one foot in the auditory grave, but there are some bands I like that have seen the light of this millennium, if only barely. So I rated up my 'cool' bands, like Soul Coughing and the Propellerheads and the Crystal Method. Find me something like these, I told Amazon -- something good that I've never heard of, and that all the cool kids are into these days. The Recommendorator beeped and booped for a while, and finally spat out a name that wasn't simply the 'limited edition' version of one of the albums I'd claimed. Nor the import issue of the same album. Nor some Blues Traveler shit. Instead, the name was: 'Fluke'. Nice. I'd never heard of Fluke. The ratings looked good. I saw comparisons to Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and the like -- another positive sign in my book. So I amended my order to include the suggested disc from this hot new act, this 'Fluke' that was no doubt all the rage at the raves and clubs and raves and yes-I-know-I-already-said-raves and clubs and raves and I-just-have-no-freaking-clue-where-else-kids-hang-out-these-days and raves where the kids are hanging out these days. Smugly satisfied with my newly purchased street cred, I eagerly awaited delivery of my CDs. They came today. Four CDs in total. The old stuff is great -- just like I remembered, catchy and clever and steeped in nostalgia. Better yet, the Fluke CD is awfully good, too. After a couple of turns through the disc, there are only a couple of songs that I'm 'enh' about, and three or four that really stand out as gems. As a newly-bought and never-heard disc, it's really quite a catch. And as a conversation piece and ticket to street cred, it's a steaming pile of dingo shit. Turns out this 'new' band that's all the rage with their new CD was, in fact, all the rage back in 1997. They released their first single back in 1988. And the Wikipedia blurb including the CD I bought is two full sections before 'Current work'. Damn it. Fluke's not new; I'm just old. And they happened to stay off my radar for, oh, twenty years or so. But I never would have realized the tragic depths of my unhipness, were it not for Amazon's trusty 'Recommendations' system taunting me with decade-old CDs and laughing and pointing. So thanks for zippo, Amazon. Take your ballad pop and your cowboy porn and your aging techno albums and shove them up your mail slot. Next time I want recommendations, I'm going to fricking Pandora. (But I can still come back to buy CDs, right? That Super Shipper Saving™ is awesome!!!1!OMGeleventy!) Wherethehellwasi.Com I Recommend You Go to Hell {new window}   Www.Wherethehellwasi.Com - No, not you. Of course not you. I'm talking about Amazon -- or more specifically, the 'Recommended for You' bug prank 'feature' on their website. That nasty little bastard can go straight to hell, and I hope as many pitchforks as possible poke it right in the ass on the way. "I thought from my previous experience that the worst thing Amazon could do is ignore me. I was wrong. So very, very wrong." Don't get me wrong. I like Amazon; I shop there all the time. And I appreciate automagical systems that can figure out what I might like -- when they actually work, that is. I only ask three things of a recommendation system -- or for that matter, a friend, spouse, or government -- and in the past week, Amazon has failed me on all three. Observe: 1. Pay attention to what I'm telling you. A few days ago, I logged onto Amazon, looking for some CDs. Here's the conversation (only slightly rephrased) that I had with the recommendation system: Amazon: Hi, Charlie! Welcome back! Can I help you find a CD? Me: Okay, sure. Amazon: I bet you'd like Bridge. It's by Blues Traveler! Me: Oh. Um, yeah, I don't think so. Amazon: No problem! How about Save His Soul? It's great! Me: I dunno -- who's it by? Amazon: Blues Traveler! Me: You know, I'm really not a Blues Traveler fan. Amazon: Say no more! I know of a great CD you'll love! Me: Fine. Just tell me it's not by- Amazon: The CD's titled Blues Traveler! Me: *sigh* Let me guess. It's- Amazon: That's right! It's by Blues Traveler!!! Gosh! Me: Look, seriously. Not a Blues Traveler fan. I swear. Amazon: But you said six months ago that you own Four. Me: Yeah... I did. But- Amazon: And that's by Blues Traveler! Me: I know. But it's my wife's, really. And I listed dozens of CDs I own. Amazon: I know how you feel! Probably like buying Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics. Right? Right? Me: Dude. I gave Four two stars. Out of five. Two. Amazon: That's more than one! Bet you'd love Blues Traveler's Greatest Hits. Betcha would! Me: No. I wouldn't. Look, see here? I'm telling you not to use Four to suggest music any more. Okay? I happen to own one disc, but that's it. No more Blues Traveler, got it? Amazon: Absolutely! Me: No greatest hits, no tribute albums, no cover bands, nothing. Okay? Amazon: You're the boss! Me: Great. So. Do you have any other recommendations? Amazon: Sure! You're gonna love this CD Zygote! It's super! Me: Okay, I'm game. What type of mu- Amazon: It's by John Popper! Me: Wait. Isn't he- Amazon: He's the lead singer... of Blues Traveler! Yippee! Me: God, I hate you. Amazon: How many copies should I put you down for? Me: I absolutely fucking hate you. Amazon: Don't forget One-Click Checkout™! It's the best! I nearly strangled my monitor with the mouse cord. Evidently, I should stop being so fricking honest with Amazon about the music I technically own. Lord help me if it ever finds out my wife has the entire Madonna catalog somewhere under our roof. Jesus. 2. Don't throw 'paying attention' back in my face. I thought from my previous experience that the worst thing Amazon could do is ignore me. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. See, I'm a big British comedy fan. Mostly the older shows -- Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Kiss Me Kate, Keeping Up Appearances, just about anything. The subtle stuff, the bawdy stuff, the outlandish stuff, it doesn't much matter. I once even managed to sit through nearly an entire episode of Are You Being Served?. Just once. And I called in sick to work for the rest of the week. But you get the picture. So, last night I was poking around Amazon again, trying to find a DVD with clips from the old Alas Smith and Jones show. I'm not even going to bother trying to describe it, other than to call it 'two-man sketch comedy' and point you to the BBC's take above. My wife walked in last night while I was cackling giddily over a Smith and Jones 'Swiss News' clip on YouTube, and -- after I replayed it and made her watch it -- all she said was: 'It's kind of cute. But not laugh-out-loud cute. You're weird.' Probably. But that's not important right now. The only important detail to note is that the show featured well-travelled Brit comedy stars Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. (Hence the name, you see. Clever ones, those British are.) The astute film buffs among you may remember Mel Smith from his role as 'the Albino' in The Princess Bride, where he tended lovingly to the Pit.... of Despaaaaiiiir. The less astute among you -- including me -- may not know that there's also a Mel Smith (a different Mel Smith, presumably, what with her evidently being a woman and all) who writes gay cowboy erotica novels, and sells them via Amazon. Astute or not, I'd like to believe that if my recent browsing history included the phrases 'John Cleese', 'British comedy' and 'Blackadder', but not -- I can't stress this enough, now, NOT -- any phrases such as 'burly cowhand', 'assless chaps', or 'rope my dogie, Tex', then you would probably guess the context of the 'Mel Smith' search correctly. As opposed to waiting until I logged in tonight and saying: 'Hi! Welcome back! Can we recommend 'To Love a Cowboy' for you today? It's a wild, steamy tale of a young boy and the older man he... no? Okay! How about 'Twice the Cowboy, Twice the Ride'? You'll lose yourself in... not interested? No problem! 'Stallions on the Range' it is!' A 'Mel Smith' search is one thing. But I still can't see why Amazon loaded up so far on gay cowboy fare. Maybe Blues Traveler fans watch a lot of Brokeback Mountain. I dunno. 3. Make me feel cooler by taking your advice. Following the Blues Traveler debacle above, I finally managed to straighten Amazon out regarding the kinds of music I like. And generally, those kinds fall into one big category -- old. I remember the days, back in the mid-to-late '80s, when I would laugh -- laugh! -- at people listening to the Beatles, or the Doors, or early Rolling Stones. 'Geez,' I'd say with a wrinkle-free sneer, 'some of that crap is twenty years old. Get with the times, already!' I still listen to a lot of the same music I did back then. Which was, it turns out, just about twenty years ago. It seems the sneerer has become the sneeree. Ouch. In my defense, at least I'm not listening to the drivel you probably cringe over when you think of '80s music. I figure it's pretty hard to point and laugh over somebody 'still' listening to a band, if you have no idea who the hell they were in the first place. I'd like to claim that was a carefully planned strategic decision; actually, it just turns out that I have weird tastes in music as well as comedy, apparently. The point is, this is where I thought Amazon might actually be able to help me, for once. So while I whipped up an order for a few CDs (by the Broken Homes, Royal Court of China and Buckwheat Zydeco, from 1988, 1989, and 1987, respectively), I asked -- nay, begged -- Amazon to find me something hipper. Something I'd like, but could brag about to all the young whippersnappers at the parties with their droopy trousers and ball caps askew. So I hit Amazon with my (ever so slightly) more modern preferences. I may have one foot in the auditory grave, but there are some bands I like that have seen the light of this millennium, if only barely. So I rated up my 'cool' bands, like Soul Coughing and the Propellerheads and the Crystal Method. Find me something like these, I told Amazon -- something good that I've never heard of, and that all the cool kids are into these days. The Recommendorator beeped and booped for a while, and finally spat out a name that wasn't simply the 'limited edition' version of one of the albums I'd claimed. Nor the import issue of the same album. Nor some Blues Traveler shit. Instead, the name was: 'Fluke'. Nice. I'd never heard of Fluke. The ratings looked good. I saw comparisons to Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and the like -- another positive sign in my book. So I amended my order to include the suggested disc from this hot new act, this 'Fluke' that was no doubt all the rage at the raves and clubs and raves and yes-I-know-I-already-said-raves and clubs and raves and I-just-have-no-freaking-clue-where-else-kids-hang-out-these-days and raves where the kids are hanging out these days. Smugly satisfied with my newly purchased street cred, I eagerly awaited delivery of my CDs. They came today. Four CDs in total. The old stuff is great -- just like I remembered, catchy and clever and steeped in nostalgia. Better yet, the Fluke CD is awfully good, too. After a couple of turns through the disc, there are only a couple of songs that I'm 'enh' about, and three or four that really stand out as gems. As a newly-bought and never-heard disc, it's really quite a catch. And as a conversation piece and ticket to street cred, it's a steaming pile of dingo shit. Turns out this 'new' band that's all the rage with their new CD was, in fact, all the rage back in 1997. They released their first single back in 1988. And the Wikipedia blurb including the CD I bought is two full sections before 'Current work'. Damn it. Fluke's not new; I'm just old. And they happened to stay off my radar for, oh, twenty years or so. But I never would have realized the tragic depths of my unhipness, were it not for Amazon's trusty 'Recommendations' system taunting me with decade-old CDs and laughing and pointing. So thanks for zippo, Amazon. Take your ballad pop and your cowboy porn and your aging techno albums and shove them up your mail slot. Next time I want recommendations, I'm going to fricking Pandora. (But I can still come back to buy CDs, right? That Super Shipper Saving™ is awesome!!!1!OMGeleventy!)
I Recommend You Go to Hell [Where the Hell Was I?] {...} Life, from a comic perspective. Original articles, humor, & funny stories daily from an aspiring Boston standup comedian. {...}
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Category: Computers > Internet > On the Web > Weblogs > Personal > W

]]> Computers > Internet > On the Web > Weblogs > Personal > W {NORTH AMERICA > RENTALS} - Room Available in Great 4 Bedroom Flat! (alamo square / nopa) $768 http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/california/metro-areas/san-francisco-bay-area/business-and-economy/real-estate/rentals/room-available-in-great-4-bedroom-flat-alamo-square-2008105301.htm http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/california/metro-areas/san-francisco-bay-area/business-and-economy/real-estate/rentals/room-available-in-great-4-bedroom-flat-alamo-square-2008105301.htm Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:12:25 GMT The house: We live on the top floor (of three) of a huge old building, built in 1905. It's got all the old detail you want and sometimes it feels like it's just barely holding on. But it's a sturdy old place, full of life and we love it. The rooms are huge. Seriously, really big. Tall ceilings throughout (which is important, as one of our housemates is 6'7"!!)and hardwood floors in the hallway and all the bedrooms. The layout is faily typical with the living room, kitchen rooms (yes there are two kitchen rooms) and bathrooms (there's only one bathroom, but the toilet is in a seperate room from the shower and sink, which is nice when everyone is trying to get ready in the morning)are all at one end of the house while the four bedrooms are on the other. The living room is large and currently has two couches and a recliner. The recliner isn't going anywhere, but if you have a nice couch, we're happy to part with either of the ones we currently have. We also have access to the roof, which is a really nice bonus when the fog hasn't rolled in yet. Location: Centrally located like nobody's business. We are within five blocks of the following major bus lines: 5 Fulton (1/2 block) 31 Balboa (block & 1/2) 21 Hayes (4 blocks) 38 Masonic (1 block) 24 Divisadero (5 blocks) We are also a block a half from Lucky's, five blocks from Trader Joes, five blocks from all the cool stuff on Divisadero (Bar 821, Little Star Pizza, Waizema, Farmer's Market on weekends, Fly Bar, Madrone, Herbivore, ect). Five blocks to the Panhandle. Ten blocks to Haight Street. A block and half to Papalote and Poleng Lounge. It's pretty much the best neighborhood ever. If you have a car, street parking is fairly easy. I've never had to park further than two blocks away. Who We Are: -Jeff, 28, Teacher. Jeff is tall, hilarious and likes to dance. He doesn't want me to describe him, but too bad. He's really a good guy and has a biting sense of humor. He's fun to live with and easy to be around. -Jenny, 25, Non-Profit Do-Gooder. Jenny is the newest member of our little family, having only moved in a month ago. She is from New York and is amazingly sweet, genuine, funny, super smart and a real joy to have around. She likes to ride her bike around town and is enjoying getting to know San Francisco. -Amber (that's me) 32, Non-Profit Office Manager/Massage Therapy Student/Magazine Editor. I'm not home too much, but when I am, I am pretty easy to be with. I am funny, smart, sarcastic and generally a happy person. We all get along and actually like one another. We'd like someone who can fit into that dynamic. We go out together sometimes, but for the most part we watch some tv or read or play games. I know there are those who hate tv...if you are one of those folks, this may not be a good fit for you. While it's not our life, the tv or a movie is usually on in the living room in the evenings. Stipulations: We all drink, so if you're sober this isn't the right place for you. This IS NOT a party house, however. This is our home, and we are adults and we'd all like to live with other sane but funny people who have their shit together. Amber smokes a little but never in the house. She also smokes a little pot, but again never in the house. There are no hard core drugs now and we