Bee Can't Verify 43 Sources in Columns

From the AP:

A newspaper investigation of a former columnist for The Sacramento Bee could not verify 43 sources she used in a sampling of 12 years of her work.

Diana Griego Erwin resigned May 11 as she came under scrutiny about the existence of people she quoted. She has denied making up information, but Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez said the Bee should have been able to locate the people named in the stories.

"It kills us that we can't," said Rodriguez, whose comments were included in a story about the investigation published in Sunday's Bee. "We still hope they will turn up, but we're presenting the facts as we found them. Obviously, we feel strongly that we should have been able to find these individuals."

Griego Erwin, who has said her resignation was for personal reasons, joined the Bee after a distinguished career at other newspapers. She worked on a project that won a Pulitzer Prize at the Denver Post in 1986 and also won a George Polk award and the 1990 commentary prize from the American Society of Newspaper Editors. [More]

Where are the gatekeepers?

More music consumers using legal downloads

From Reuters:

Around 35% of music consumers now download tracks legally via the Internet and the percentage will soon pass the 40% who have pirated music...

Fear of prosecution, Internet viruses, and inferior quality were cited as the main deterrents against illegal downloading, the report said. Nearly two-thirds of music consumers said immediate availability was the key reason for buying tracks online.

"The findings indicate that the music industry is approaching a strategic milestone with the population of legal downloaders close to exceeding that of pirates," Entertainment Media Research chief executive Russell Hart said...

...a couple of times since 2000

A brief sentence in an op-ed by Douglas Turner in the Buffalo News titled "Clinton's distrust of media runs deep" reveals another disparity in the media, though I don't think the author realized anyone would use this piece to make this point:

Clinton has met with the New York press corps only a couple of times since 2000. By contrast with the Moynihan regimen, where the reporters had a share in the agenda, Clinton totally controls it.

One technique is the "conference call" open to Washington reporters, and radio and television stations across the state. They are very brief, focused on an issue of her choosing. Sometimes she declines to take questions on any other topic, or closes off the session with a cheerful, "Gotta go."

Wait a second. Where have I heard this before about Hillary avoiding direct confrontation with the media? Oh yeah, never! That template has already been applied to Bush (the idiot)! But Hillary is the smartest woman in America -- what's her excuse?

Nothing bad happened until /. happened...

This is a followup to mypost from a week ago about the LATimes setting up "wikitorials" in which anyone could participate in the creation of an editorial. Now the NYTimes has a story that covers the demise of the wikitorial:

A Los Angeles Times experiment in opinion journalism lasted just two days before the paper was forced to shut it down Sunday morning after some readers repeatedly posted obscene photos. [more...]

The LATimes simply has this notice in place of the wikitorial:

Unfortunately, we have had to remove this feature, at least temporarily, because a few readers were flooding the site with inappropriate material.

Thanks and apologies to the thousands of people who logged on in the right spirit.

The NYTimes story quotes an LATimes editor who says that "Nothing bad happened really until after midnight on Saturday," which was shortly after a Slashdot story highlighted the wikitorial. The LATimes editor calls the /. crowd "malicious" and pretty much blames them for forcing the LATimes to remove the feature.

A /. story today covers the sordid disaster -- /. user RayDude commented "It would have happened sooner or later, they should thank us for finding the bugs right away." (His post was quickly modded "Funny.")

Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine picked up on the spin that the rest of the old media will now use:

"The New York Times and other media outlets have covered the collapse of its wikitorial project and I've heard more than one old-media person say, well, I see LA tried wikis and it's dangerous.

But no. This is like hearing Kathie Lee Gifford try to rap and then, upon hearing the results, declaring hip hop dead."

The concept of the wiki is sound -- Wikipedia is a great resource that opened up not only its editing functions to ordinary users, but also the moderating functions. To quote Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice: "Once again: the CONCEPT was sound; the execution needs some mechanism to weed out the dorks." That's the secret: if you let the mob in to write content, you've also got to unlease an army of moderators, and the tiny staff that the LATimes devoted to this was nowhere near large enough to handle the task of watching over their experiment. Where do you get that army? The answer is the same: open-source it.

Censored Nagasaki Bomb Story Found

George Weller, an American reporter, was the first foreigner who made it to Nagasaki immeditately post-atomic bomb. His account never made it past the censors, but now, sixty years later, a Japanese paper is running the story:

"The atomic bomb may be classified as a weapon capable of being used indiscriminately, but its use in Nagasaki was selective and proper and as merciful as such a gigantic force could be expected to be.

The following conclusions were made by the writer - as the first visitor to inspect the ruins - after an exhaustive, though still incomplete study of this wasteland of war...."

Read the rest in the Mainichi Daily News.

Durbin's pal and prisoner abuse

JWM writes on John In Carolina about prisoner abuse in Dick Durbin's backyard:

"Illinois Democrat Senator Richard Durbin compared American servicemen and women serving at Guantanamo to Hitler's Nazis, Stalin's gulag thugs, and Pol Pot's murderers.

But I could find no criticism by Durbin of his pal, political ally and Cook Country's Democrat Sheriff, Michael F. Sheahan, who's run the notorious Cook County Jail since 1990. I used Google and Yahoo search engines. The Senator's office didn't return a phone call inquiry about Sheahan and prisoner abuse at the jail.

During the 15 years Sheahan’s run Cook County Jail, there have been numerous reports by rights groups, attorneys, and a grand jury documenting systematic prisoner abuse there, including rapes and beatings by guards."

More...

Would if this could get some attention in the MSM.

Accelerando

A couple of days ago, Charles Stross released his new book Accelerando on the web in several different formats, in what he calls a "marketing exercise" to determine if more people will buy the physical book from Amazon or traditional booksellers, and to see if, after a spike in downloads from his site, a spike in sales occurs.

The RIAA should be interested in an experiment like this -- but they wouldn't be.

Which theologian are you?

Anselm 87% Karl Barth 67% Jonathan Edwards 60% John Calvin 53% Charles Finney 53% Martin Luther 47% Augustine 47% Friedrich Schleiermacher 47% Jürgen Moltmann 40% Paul Tillich 33% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

I looked it up, and Cur Deus Homo? can be read here in its entirety.

LA Times gets Wiki with it

The LATimes posted an "Editor's Note" on Sunday with a line introducing a new feature of their website:

"Watch next week for the introduction of "wikitorials" — an online feature that will empower you to rewrite Los Angeles Times editorials."

This should be interesting.

[Via blogging.la]

Euro and EU Trouble on the Horizon

Countries in the EU are considering using their own currency again. Italy especially is considering bowing out. This will only hurt what stability is left in the Euro. If the US fixes its deficit problem and China stabilizes then this is an even greater disadvantage for the Euro. The EU is also worried that countries like Poland and the Czech Republic will lose interest in joining because of this. And another harbinger of trouble is the no vote on the EU referendum in France and the Netherlands.

Bait Cars

These are some great short actual videos of cars being stolen. It's a program called Bait Cars and is being used to catch car thieves. They've now started a program of Bait ATV's, Snowmobiles, and Watercraft.

Neistat Brothers

These guys are funny guys! Read their bio to see what they have overcome. Some of their movies are really funny like:

I Think
Bike Theft
Blizzard Jump
Ipod's Dirty Secret
Atoms for Peace
Brillo Pad

Morals without Religion

Are reason and individualism really enough to form proper moral values?

The real alternative ... is a morality of reason. Such a morality begins with the individual’s life as the primary value and identifies the further values that are demonstrably required to sustain that life. It observes that man’s nature demands that we live not by random urges or by animal instincts, but by the faculty that distinguishes us from animals and on which our existence fundamentally depends: rationality.

Who's on First

A great update of the classic "Who's on First" using movie titles.

Study shows G-rated fare more profitable

A new study set to be released Tuesday shows that family-friendly movies are more profitable than R-rated films, throwing more fuel onto the fire of the long-running debate over sex and violence in entertainment -- and whether it sells...

In a follow-up to a 10-year study commissioned by the foundation in 1999 -- which found that between 1988-97 the average G-rated film made eight times the profit of an R-rated picture -- an extension of that study found that trend continuing and expanding...

"While the movie industry produced nearly 12 times more R-rated films than G-rated films from 1989-2003, the average G-rated film produced 11 times greater profit than its R-rated counterpart," said Dick Rolfe, the group's founder and chairman...

Rolfe said the foundation does not seek to eradicate R-rated films, and has endorsed select movies that have a redemptive message, including "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," "Amistad" and "The Passion of the Christ."

"Dove is not suggesting that Hollywood produce only G and PG movies," he said. "We just think the proportionality is out of balance, given the relatively few, highly profitable family-friendly movies released each year. Our study reveals that Hollywood is not serving the most prolific audience segment in the entertainment marketplace: the family..."

Do the chickens have large talons?

Headline: Spelling Bee contestant does a Napoleon Dynamite impression

"...One of the funniest moments of the National Spelling Bee yesterday (it was on ESPN) was when contestant Dominic Ranz Ebarle Errazo, before spelling his word, blurted out in his best Napoleon Dynamite voice: "Do the chickens have large talons?" The knowing kids in the audience laughed, but the adults were puzzled. The TV commentator said something like, "I wonder if he's giving some kind of code."

mp3

Hilarious.

United Airlines to Offer Internet Access

Figures. They won't have this on our plane, but wouldn't that be cool? ;-)

Small is the new big

From Seth Godin's blog:

Big used to matter. Big meant economies of scale. (You never hear about “economies of tiny” do you?) People, usually guys, often ex-Marines, wanted to be CEO of a big company. The Fortune 500 is where people went to make… a fortune...

And then small happened...

Read the rest.

A Study in Abuse

We've all heard or read the reports from Guantanamo of how some guards stepped on a Koran, splashed a Koran with a water balloon, and how a guard's urine got on a Koran. But that isn't the worst of it: the very worst Koran desecrations have come at the hands of a suprising group of people: the detainees!

From a piece in the Weekly Standard by John Hinderaker of Powerline, quoting the report by Brigadier General Jay Hood looking to allegations of abuse of the Koran at Gitmo:

On 14 MAY 03, a guard observed a detainee rip his Koran into small pieces. The guard recorded the incident contemporaneously in a sworn statement.

On 5 JUN 03, a guard observed two detainees accuse a third detainee of not being a man. In response, the detainee urinated on one of their Korans. The detainees resided in adjacent cells. The event was recorded in FBI FD-302s, on 5 JUN 03 and 19 JUN 03.

"ripped pages out of his Koran and threw them down the toilet"

On 19 JAN 05, a detainee tore up his Koran and tried to flush it down the toilet. Four guards witnessed the incident and it was recorded in the electronic blotter system.

On 23 JAN 05, a detainee ripped pages out of his Koran and threw them down the toilet. The detainee stated he did so because he wanted to be moved to another camp. Four guards witnessed the incident and it was recorded in the electronic blotter system.

Not to mention the numerous Koran defilings and desecrations that have happened as a result of suicide bombers attacking mosques in the Middle East -- or is blowing them up OK?

EmergentNo

"Exposing and examining those things which are connected to, and promoted by, the 'emerging church' movement."

Interesting read. The discussion in the comments of each post is pretty good from both 'sides'.

"Rapid coloured afterimage"

Cool visual effect (bigger image at link):

"On the right you see a circle of blue-violettish (=magenta) patches, one of which briefly disappears, circling around.

Let your gaze rest on the central fixation cross, but observe with your “inner eye” the patches just when they disappear. With good fixation, you should see a strong greenish colour whenever the violet patch has disappeared.

When you are fixating well, after a few cycles you will actually see a rotating green spot! If your gaze is really steady, the magenta patches will disappear, leaving only a rotating green spot!"

Western Ideals Only Ones Left

Victor David Hanson writes an interesting article on the decline of all other political ideals when compared to ours- and globalization is bringing it about as people in other countries see our standards of living and can compare them with theirs. We may not be perfect, but we still give hope to much of the rest of the world.

And to go with this read a history of our relationships with the French.

And read David Brooks essay on how the EU is discrediting American Liberalsim.

Loss of Middle Class a Crisis for Dems

A report released yesterday by Third Way says support for Republicans begins at much lower income levels than researchers had expected: Among white voters, President Bush got a majority of support beginning at an income threshold of $23,300 -- about $5,000 above the poverty level for a family of four.
The report says the economic gains of Hispanics have translated into strong Republican gains, as have economic strides across every category, save for black voters.
"As Americans become even modestly wealthier their affinity for Democrats apparently falls off. With middle income voters, it is Democrats -- the self-described party of the middle class -- who are running far behind Republicans, the oft-described party of the rich," the report says.

So, as people start making their own money, they want to keep it. Hence they become Republican?!

Internet Builds Communities

This is some of what we were talking about.

"People are physically more connected to their community because of Internet use," says Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which researches the impact of the Internet on everything from families and communities to education, health care and politics. "People can give an increment of their time because the Internet is facilitating that."

History of Wyoming and a series of letters from Charles Miner to his son William Penn Miner, Esq.

These letters desribe a "Martin Breakall", on July 12, 1780, being tried for and "found guilty of intending to desert to the Indians, take with him the Tory prisoners, and threatening to scalp one Adam Sybert". He was sentenced to "run the gauntlet four times to the troops of this garrison," and the sentence was carried out the next day.

1780 is the earliest mention of the name Breakall that I've ever seen.

Google Content Blocker

The newest Google web solution. It gets rid of the annoying web content so you can focus more clearly on the ads. It should not be used in conjunction with ad-blocker software.

Streamload

Streamload gives you a fast and easy way to send videos to all your friends and family. Streamload is the only service which lets you share your most special moments with everyone!


Streamload is a free service to share your videos. Paying users enjoy Unlimited Storage and no restrictions. Signup today and start sharing.

New Car Magnet

The web site is not up yet. I heard Mike Feeley (the designer) say that it should be up by Friday June 3. But you can read about these car magnets under "Left Jabs" and maybe then you will inderstand the discouraging time he has had trying to find a market for them.
I heard the interview on Mac Watson's show on Tuesday- it was a guest host. I wish you could have heard the interview. It was satire and irony at its best.

Wi-Fi Church

Cardiff vicar has addressed the problem of falling congregations by offering his flock a quiet wireless hotspot in which they can seek the meaning of the word salvation on Google while chewing the fat via email with Pope Benny 16.

Handwriting Analysis

Write a paragraph, then answer questions about your handwriting. It is time consuming but I think fairly accurate. Here's a sample from my analysis:

The total lack of dotted 'i's in the script indicates that the subject is extremely independent in nature and many, if not all, of the following points will apply:-
She is very likely to be cheerful, resilient and placid, and will also be less concerned about the opinions of others. She will be less fearful of the future and more active in her approach to life. Because she seldom broods on past mistakes she will have a tendency to feel less guilt for her actions. Her resilience allows her to go through a crisis without experiencing as much stress or fatigue as the average person. She is a self-sufficient, resourceful individual who prefers to make her own decisions and resolutely stick to them.
The comparative height of the capital letters to the 'ascenders' in the script indicates that the subject has a mildly assertive personality. In conjunction with a large signature this means that she will be more confident and dominant in relationships and can find it relatively easy to strike up conversation with strangers.
She is likely to speak out forthrightly and can defend herself quite well if under attack. In a quarrel she could argue quite openly to defend her rights. She is more likely to complain about shoddy goods or poor service. She will also make a good host and can liven up a party.
The handwriting shows some signs of expansiveness, and this is an indication of an extrovert personality. The writer has an above average need for space and dislikes being confined. This hunger for space is reflected in the script.
This expansiveness shows in the subject's social relationships. She is likely to be more comfortable in company than on her own, and perhaps takes life more lightly than the average person. She may become quite easily bored, and often yearns for change and variety.
She is likely to express her feelings and moods quite freely, and is reasonably unconcerned with disorder or lack of control.

WinRoll

"Make a window roll into its title bar, send it to the back or make it stay on top. Minimize, maximize or close all visible windows, including minimizing to the tray area. Make a window translucent on Windows 2000 or above. WinRoll is lovingly hand-crafted in 100% pure assembly language to give the fastest response and the smallest memory footprint. WinRoll is proudly a FREEWARE and OPEN SOURCE application."

Mac users have had this feature in their OS for years. I'm trying it now -- it's pretty useful.

So Long, Garage Jammers. Nowadays Laptops Rock

Sitting in Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan last week, Michael Cobden could hardly be blamed for tapping his toe. It was a glorious spring day, and he was playing hooky from his job as a restaurant manager on the Upper West Side. Like a lot of people in the park, Mr. Cobden was enjoying a bit of alfresco media, with a Mac G4 laptop and a set of headphones.

Except Mr. Cobden, 28, was not checking e-mail messages while listening to music, he was creating a pop song called "Bryant Park." In doing so, Mr. Cobden joined millions of people - trained musicians and amateurs alike -

"Computers are the new garage."

who are using powerful laptop tools to produce music that in an earlier age might have wailed out of a garage. "An artist is an artist, even if he is using things he found or stole and arranging them in an artful fashion," he said. "There are many composers who never played an oboe, but they write the music and give it to an orchestra to play." For himself, Mr. Cobden tapped the Mac in front of him lovingly. "I have a computer," he said. (Hear the song he created here.)

"Computers are the new garage," said James Rotondi, the editor of Future Music, a new magazine packaged with enough free software to get any would-be Moby started. "A lot of people who are making music right now have never recorded to tape. The concept is completely foreign to them."

Read the rest...

It seems to me that there are two things happening here:

More people will be creating content of all kinds since it's so easy to be in many forms of media. An example of this is Quantazelle (profiled in this post on CreateDigitalMusic), a "talented IDM, musician/producer; creator/editor of the electronic music zine Modsquare; owner of the jewelry company Zella (catalog); and founder, manager, and designer of the subvariant record label." She is the perfect example of a new kind of renaissance man.

In addition to those who will quit their day jobs and dive into the deep end of the new media, there will be a lot of hobbyist-types who give away the content they create, in exchange for donations perhaps. I think this NYTimes piece is a confirmation of that idea.

Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries

"HUMAN EVENTS asked a panel of 15 conservative scholars and public policy leaders to help us compile a list of the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries."

1. The Communist Manifesto
2. Mein Kampf
3. Quotations from Chairman Mao
4. The Kinsey Report
5. Democracy and Education
6. Das Kapital
7. The Feminine Mystique
8. The Course of Positive Philosophy
9. Beyond Good and Evil
10. General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money

Honorable mention: The Population Bomb

Complete story at Human Events Online.