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Where Jill Will Talk Like She Writes
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The White House Project
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Apr
30
Validated on national public radio re: media makes up "Mommy wars"
Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments
It’s not so much in what I said and what she said in response (click on “listen” and my call is about nine minutes in). It comes a couple of minutes after my call ended and the NPR guest, E.J. Graff, says she wants to go back to what the caller, Jill, said. That was kind of cool.
My son also thought it was remarkable that his mom got onto Talk of the Nation in the first place. Always good to impress the teen.
And Wendy: couldn’t help myself but I had to mention Judith Warner, one of the biggest peddlers of the media’s Mommy Wars myth. Sooo bad.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:19 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 4 Comments
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Apr
30
Validated on national public radio re: media makes up "Mommy wars"
Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments
It’s not so much in what I said and what she said in response (click on “listen” and my call is about nine minutes in). It comes a couple of minutes after my call ended and the NPR guest, E.J. Graff, says she wants to go back to what the caller, Jill, said. That was kind of cool.
My son also thought it was remarkable that his mom got onto Talk of the Nation in the first place. Always good to impress the teen.
And Wendy: couldn’t help myself but I had to mention Judith Warner, one of the biggest peddlers of the media’s Mommy Wars myth. Sooo bad.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:19 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 4 Comments
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Apr
30
Elected officials, Technorati and MySpace
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I keep a lot of names on my Technorati watchlist. Most of the names are elected officials. I keep phrases on my watchlist too, like “school funding ohio.” And yes, I even have my own name on the list, so I can see where it gets mentioned and by whom.
Today, an elected official’s name came up on a MySpace page. At first, I thought, might be the wrong person - a mistaken identity - always need to verify. So I went a bit deeper and could see that the MySpace person is in Ohio, the person has a few things very much in common with the elected official, and in all likelihood, the name mentioned on the page (the one on my watchlist) was indeed the person for whom I try to find news.
Anything scandalous in the MySpace entry? Eh. We’ve also seen what people can turn into scandal but probably not, although some expletives are used in the paragraph that the MySpace person writes to the watchlisted person. So, why bother mentioning this?
Because it’s not a completely innocent page to someone who would be interested in tabloid blogging. And the elected official mentioned probably doesn’t monitor this kind of stuff but, given the recommendations people have been making about how everyone would be well advised not to expose themselves on places like MySpace, if any elected official suspects that this might be him or her, I’d urge you to search for your name on Technorati and see what comes up, or write me and I’ll let you know. Because if you do want to know if it’s you, I would in fact urge you to ask the friend to remove the reference.
Lesson learned for all of us: You can do a lot to keep yourself out of and off of such collections of memories etc. But you cannot control what others do with their words of admiration for you.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:44 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
Winograd Committee Interim Report on last summer’s "Northern Campaign" between Israel and Hezbollah
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You can read it here at the Jerusalem Post.
Hattip to Yid with Lid.
I haven’t read it yet but after I do, I’m sure I’ll have something to say. 
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:49 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
[UPDATED] PD’s daily circ edges up, but Sunday down almost four times the increase
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
Daily circ:
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, 344,704; (+0.45%)
It’s number 19 in circulation out of the top 25, in the last six months period ending 3/07. NY Post is up more than 7% and Dallas Morning News is down more than 14%.
Sunday circ:
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, 442,482; (-1.86%)
It’s number 16 out of 25. NY Post again with the biggest, positive increase (and only one of two papers with an increase at more than 6%) and the Dallas Morning News is down more than 13%.
Also:
Industry-wide, circulation slipped more than 2% daily and 3.5% for Sunday.
What explains which?
UPDATE: Here’s more from E & P on the numbers; here too.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:36 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Apr
30
Listen here and read UnSpun when you can (good Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift). The authors are Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
And do not forget - FactCheck.org is our friend! Now, use it!
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:07 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
Elected officials, Technorati and MySpace
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
I keep a lot of names on my Technorati watchlist. Most of the names are elected officials. I keep phrases on my watchlist too, like “school funding ohio.” And yes, I even have my own name on the list, so I can see where it gets mentioned and by whom.
Today, an elected official’s name came up on a MySpace page. At first, I thought, might be the wrong person - a mistaken identity - always need to verify. So I went a bit deeper and could see that the MySpace person is in Ohio, the person has a few things very much in common with the elected official, and in all likelihood, the name mentioned on the page (the one on my watchlist) was indeed the person for whom I try to find news.
Anything scandalous in the MySpace entry? Eh. We’ve also seen what people can turn into scandal but probably not, although some expletives are used in the paragraph that the MySpace person writes to the watchlisted person. So, why bother mentioning this?
Because it’s not a completely innocent page to someone who would be interested in tabloid blogging. And the elected official mentioned probably doesn’t monitor this kind of stuff but, given the recommendations people have been making about how everyone would be well advised not to expose themselves on places like MySpace, if any elected official suspects that this might be him or her, I’d urge you to search for your name on Technorati and see what comes up, or write me and I’ll let you know. Because if you do want to know if it’s you, I would in fact urge you to ask the friend to remove the reference.
Lesson learned for all of us: You can do a lot to keep yourself out of and off of such collections of memories etc. But you cannot control what others do with their words of admiration for you.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:44 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
Winograd Committee Interim Report on last summer’s "Northern Campaign" between Israel and Hezbollah
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
You can read it here at the Jerusalem Post.
Hattip to Yid with Lid.
I haven’t read it yet but after I do, I’m sure I’ll have something to say.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:49 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
Is here in the Plain Dealer’s Monday feature, This Week at the Statehouse:
No floor votes of importance were taken last week.
Well, correct me if I’m wrong but I would guess that the people who drafted the bills that were voted on, and the people who sponsored the legislation that was voted on, or, at a minimum, the people who asked for the legislation in the first place all consider the votes to be important.
Helloo?
This is the Internet. The PD could include - and thereby make it a heck of a lot easier for its readers to find - a list of what floor votes did occur. Or a link to that list. Or a subject summary of what the GA voted on.
And then decide for themselves what is and isn’t important.
More ugga ugga. Sigh.
Come on.
You know, this kind of shortcut is precisely why blogs and other web-based news provision will not be going away and will continue to cut into traditional news dissemination: because this kind of shortcut says, “Accept our opinion that “no floor votes of importance were taken last week.’”
What? It’s a space thing? It’s a lack of interest thing? It’s a “they won’t understand it” thing?
Wrong. Wrong. And wrong.
It’s a “I’ll decide for myself whether it’s important or not” thing.
What will be the death of MSM? Its failure to recognize that they are not the final arbiters of what is and isn’t important. There are simply too many people who want to judge for themselves and too many ways for them to do that now for such practices to continue. (And let’s not get started on the reasons why people want to judge for themselves - a little thing about not trusting the sources these days, maybe?)
Finally, how on earth is making the judgement as to what is and isn’t an important floor vote “neutral” news provision?
Want to complain about a lack of critical thinking in the American public? Then look no further than the MSM’s abuse of power over pretending that they can do it all for us.
My exercise of discretion says, I think not.
*By the way, if you’ve made it to this point, let me just say that I have nothing againt Aaron Marshall whose name appears at the bottom of this week’s This Week. This observation of mine would exist regardless or which reporter’s name was attached to the item. However, if anyone can provide any background (for example, some people want to provide more but said no, or…it’s never occurred to anyone to provide more, etc.) as to why the This Week feature uses such a conclusory statement, I’d definitely like to learn about that.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:46 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 5 Comments
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Apr
30
Or at least that what this article indicates. Google plans to announce Monday that it has already partnered with four states - Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia - to remove technical barriers that had prevented its search engine, as well as those of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) (MSFT) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) (YHOO), from accessing tens of thousands of public records dealing with education, real estate, health care and the environment. These newly available records will not be exclusive to the search engines owned by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. J.L. Needham, who manages Google’s public-sector content partnerships, said at least 70 percent of visitors to government Web sites get there by using commercial search engines. But too often, he said, Web searches do not turn up the information people are looking for simply because government computer systems aren’t programmed in a way that allows commercial search engines to access their databases. Still, if users can’t get the information they’re looking for, they blame the search engine, not the government, Needham lamented. The remedy, which Google has been working on with state technology officers for roughly six months, is to create virtual roadmaps by which search engines can find the databases that store public records. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, said many public health and financial records shouldn’t necessarily be widely available because they often contain citizens’ Social Security numbers. Such information should be redacted from records regardless of whether they’re viewed online or in person at a government office, he said. Rotenberg also said Google has a “checkered past” on privacy, noting that the company tracks Internet search users who access government data in order to target ads at them. EPIC recently filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission urging it to investigate Google regarding such activities, as well as its proposed acquisition of online advertising company DoubleClick Inc.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:19 pm April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Apr
30
News Alert: SOS Brunner on WCPN/SOI for full hour, taking calls
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
Be sure to listen tomorrow to WCPN’s Sound of Ideas with Daniel Moulthrop and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, live, right here or by podcast here when you have time.
I just know people who read this blog have questions and comments for them.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:55 am April 30th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Apr
30
[UPDATED] PD’s daily circ edges up, but Sunday down almost four times the increase
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
Daily circ:
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, 344,704; (+0.45%)
It’s number 19 in circulation out of the top 25, in the last six months period ending 3/07. NY Post is up more than 7% and Dallas Morning News is down more than 14%.
Sunday circ:
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, 442,482; (-1.86%)
It’s number 16 out of 25. NY Post again with the biggest, positive increase (and only one of two papers with an increase at more than 6%) and the Dallas Morning News is down more than 13%.
Also:
Industry-wide, circulation slipped more than 2% daily and 3.5% for Sunday.
What explains which?
UPDATE: Here’s more from E & P on the numbers; here too.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:36 am April 30th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Apr
30
No. Not climate control. Not Iraq.
Nope.
The Mommy Wars. BARF
The Washington Post wrote about Caryl Rivers’ new book, Selling Anxiety: How the News Media Scare Women, yesterday.
I wrote about her book last month.
Think about it. Do we let, do we like, do we want anyone to spin what we know to be otherwise?
Then fight the spin on this too.
As the WaPo article concludes:
Most women today have to work: it’s the only way their families are going to be fed, housed and educated. A new college-educated generation takes it for granted that women will both work and care for their families — and that men must be an integral part of their children’s lives. It’s a generation that understands that stay-at-home moms and working mothers aren’t firmly opposing philosophical stances but the same women in different life phases, moving in and out of the part-time and full-time workforce for the few years while their children are young.
“The mommy wars thing is a little simplistic,” confirms Julie Huck, a 38-year-old working mom with two preschool children. “It’s all hyped up and a little silly.” Like Fassino and others, she longs for a cultural shift and family-friendly policies that allow everyone — women and men — to work more flexible hours, without career penalties.
Would that end the Mommy Wars? Let’s hope.
Redhorse - did I not just write something like this to you last night re: sequential living? Scary.