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May
24
Remains of the Day, 5-24-07
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Been wasting time reading, emailing, browsing. So getting right to it, and to sleep:
1. From Redhorse this morning (thanks for thinking of me) comes this NYT editorial that contains the following quote, encapsulating the dread we should note now, and not ignore, about the concentration of power in Russian President, Vladimir Putin:
The few remaining critics increasingly write or speak out at their peril, as new laws tighten the government’s grip. Most recently, the definition of extremism has been expanded to include media criticism of state officials. That can mean jail time for the reporter and the shutting down of the news outlet. Nina Ognianova of the Committee to Protect Journalists puts it chillingly: “The process of squeezing critical journalism out of the public space is now near complete.”
2. Listen here to today’s WCPN Sound of Ideas Regional Roundtable. It was interesting, if nothing else.
3. I can’t find anything about the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee hearing held yesterday about SB117 (see the fiscal analysis here and note, everything about the local impact? totally and undeniably negative).
How is it that the MSM hasn’t written a word about it? I think I saw one thing somewhere, something about a lot of lobbyists waiting around and then going to lunch. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places (Bill Callahan cannot, despite what it seems, do everything for us on utilities, much as we would love that). My state rep, Josh Mandel, is the Vice Chair of that committee. I sent him an email expressing my desires, as a constituent, for the issues involved. No response yet.
4. From Poynter Online (and my hands down a-okay Knight News Challenge winner, Amy Gahran), comes this news about how Moleskin, makers of reporter’s notebooks, has created Mokeskin City and will continue to create placeblogs. I think I know a few freelancers and other appropriate folks who should consider doing that for Cleveland.
5. Go watch this Hillary video. If you’re as tired as I am, and maybe, even if you aren’t, it will make you snort a little.
All I have time for! Sleep well.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:39 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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May
24
Remains of the Day, 5-24-07
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Been wasting time reading, emailing, browsing. So getting right to it, and to sleep:
1. From Redhorse this morning (thanks for thinking of me) comes this NYT editorial that contains the following quote, encapsulating the dread we should note now, and not ignore, about the concentration of power in Russian President, Vladimir Putin:
The few remaining critics increasingly write or speak out at their peril, as new laws tighten the government’s grip. Most recently, the definition of extremism has been expanded to include media criticism of state officials. That can mean jail time for the reporter and the shutting down of the news outlet. Nina Ognianova of the Committee to Protect Journalists puts it chillingly: “The process of squeezing critical journalism out of the public space is now near complete.”
2. Listen here to today’s WCPN Sound of Ideas Regional Roundtable. It was interesting, if nothing else.
3. I can’t find anything about the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee hearing held yesterday about SB117 (see the fiscal analysis here and note, everything about the local impact? totally and undeniably negative).
How is it that the MSM hasn’t written a word about it? I think I saw one thing somewhere, something about a lot of lobbyists waiting around and then going to lunch. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places (Bill Callahan cannot, despite what it seems, do everything for us on utilities, much as we would love that). My state rep, Josh Mandel, is the Vice Chair of that committee. I sent him an email expressing my desires, as a constituent, for the issues involved. No response yet.
4. From Poynter Online (and my hands down a-okay Knight News Challenge winner, Amy Gahran), comes this news about how Moleskin, makers of reporter’s notebooks, has created Mokeskin City and will continue to create placeblogs. I think I know a few freelancers and other appropriate folks who should consider doing that for Cleveland.
5. Go watch this Hillary video. If you’re as tired as I am, and maybe, even if you aren’t, it will make you snort a little.
All I have time for! Sleep well.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:39 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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May
24
Businesses failure to detect fake ID means we pay $100+? for licenses that arrive weeks later?
Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments
So here’s another thing from today’s press conference by President Bush:
At the end of the conference, he gets lobbed a question about the immigration bill in the U.S. Congress. And he says, hey, you know, small businesses and heck even large businesses – they can’t always tell if documentation is valid or not. That’s why we need to create tamper-proof IDs.
What is wrong with this man?
Number 1. There is no such thing as tamper-proof. Just as there is no such thing as “winning” the war against terrorism. There just isn’t, okay? You are delusional if you think otherwise. Can we reduce the likelihood of tampering and the damages, should it occur? Yes. Can we foster relations in the Middle East that will stabilize the region enough that 1) the sentiments that make people want to support or fear Al Qaeda are compromised to the point of no one paying attention to them and 2) those countries involved can get on with governing themselves and running their countries? I pray we can – but yes, I believe we can.
But get this – we’re not eliminating Al Qaeda. Possibly ever. We haven’t even eliminated small pox, and that’s about as close as we’ve gotten to eliminating anything.
And frankly, we should not be trying to kill off every single discontented person in the world. That’s just ill and the wrong approach.
Number 2. Why aren’t we making the business do a better job? Why is Bush satisfied with how the business discern valid versus invalid? Maybe he is – but he didn’t mention it. Isn’t anyone else tired of the burden falling on us to provide more and more and more, and the businesses not expected to amp up their ability to gather and evaluate the documentation?
I suspect, closer to the truth is the fact that the businesses don’t want to be checking documentation – they are making money off of not checking. Which is why Simpson-Mazzoli could simply be enforced and we’d be in a better situation that we are now, let alone than we’ll be after immigration reform, if it looks like the current proposal.
Number 3. The cost on the American people and way of life. It is too great now and it’s only going to increase as Bush and those who believe as he does pursue their ideology. Cost us too much in immigration reform – individuals and businesses, cost us too much in our liberties, cost us too much in “bringing ‘em to justice” because our countrymen get “brought to justice” too.
Bush said numerous times how dangerous Al Qaeda’s ideology is and that Osama bin Laden is dedicated to that ideology.
Mr. President – are you any different? You have an ideology and you’ve used our citizens to pursue it. Sure, you got elected so you figure you have the mandate to do this to us.
But this is a democracy, and not all Americans asked you to proceed this way and the majority of Americans do not want you to proceed this way. You say we just don’t know – that if we knew, we’d feel differently.
Guess what? We’re adults, those of us who voted and those of us who’ll suffer the consequences if you follow we we’re telling you we want you to follow.
What’s the number one rule in raising kids? They need to suffer the consequences. You say that you’re protecting us from ourselves, perhaps?
Well – if life is so risky now, I’m willing to have the troops brought home and diplomatic and political muscle inserted into the process at surge levels and take a risk that my life will get riskier. Because frankly, I don’t see how the world is going to be any less risky a place to live if we stay in Iraq.
Just some thoughts in need of debate.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:34 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | 3 Comments
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May
24
Bush’s favorite euphimism for "kill": "Bring ‘em to justice"
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I swear to G, (-od, not -eorge), if that man said “we need to bring ‘em to justice!” one more time, I was going to have a car accident. Lucky me, my drive home time from downtown corresponded precisely with President Bush’s almost 50 minute press conference today. Joy.
Of course, what President Bush means is, we need to kill them. Why don’t you just say “kill” if that’s what you mean? You’re supposed to be king of the plain speakers. Just say it – you want to annhiliate by death.
This request isn’t a judgement call on whether the people you want to “bring to justice” should be dead. But stop mucking up bringing people to justice with your hotness for killing, would ya? No wonder people don’t like lawyers and law enforcement folks – they think we’re going to kill them.
Here’s a USAToday account of what was asked. Here’s an MSNBC video of the conference, for all those who want to subject themselves to it again.
You know, he actually wants people to believe that Al-Qaeda had a connection to Iraq? And he tells us we don’t know the world we live in.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:18 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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May
24
Businesses failure to detect fake ID means we pay $100+? for licenses that arrive weeks later?
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
So here’s another thing from today’s press conference by President Bush:
At the end of the conference, he gets lobbed a question about the immigration bill in the U.S. Congress. And he says, hey, you know, small businesses and heck even large businesses – they can’t always tell if documentation is valid or not. That’s why we need to create tamper-proof IDs.
What is wrong with this man?
Number 1. There is no such thing as tamper-proof. Just as there is no such thing as “winning” the war against terrorism. There just isn’t, okay? You are delusional if you think otherwise. Can we reduce the likelihood of tampering and the damages, should it occur? Yes. Can we foster relations in the Middle East that will stabilize the region enough that 1) the sentiments that make people want to support or fear Al Qaeda are compromised to the point of no one paying attention to them and 2) those countries involved can get on with governing themselves and running their countries? I pray we can – but yes, I believe we can.
But get this – we’re not eliminating Al Qaeda. Possibly ever. We haven’t even eliminated small pox, and that’s about as close as we’ve gotten to eliminating anything.
And frankly, we should not be trying to kill off every single discontented person in the world. That’s just ill and the wrong approach.
Number 2. Why aren’t we making the business do a better job? Why is Bush satisfied with how the business discern valid versus invalid? Maybe he is – but he didn’t mention it. Isn’t anyone else tired of the burden falling on us to provide more and more and more, and the businesses not expected to amp up their ability to gather and evaluate the documentation?
I suspect, closer to the truth is the fact that the businesses don’t want to be checking documentation – they are making money off of not checking. Which is why Simpson-Mazzoli could simply be enforced and we’d be in a better situation that we are now, let alone than we’ll be after immigration reform, if it looks like the current proposal.
Number 3. The cost on the American people and way of life. It is too great now and it’s only going to increase as Bush and those who believe as he does pursue their ideology. Cost us too much in immigration reform – individuals and businesses, cost us too much in our liberties, cost us too much in “bringing ‘em to justice” because our countrymen get “brought to justice” too.
Bush said numerous times how dangerous Al Qaeda’s ideology is and that Osama bin Laden is dedicated to that ideology.
Mr. President – are you any different? You have an ideology and you’ve used our citizens to pursue it. Sure, you got elected so you figure you have the mandate to do this to us.
But this is a democracy, and not all Americans asked you to proceed this way and the majority of Americans do not want you to proceed this way. You say we just don’t know – that if we knew, we’d feel differently.
Guess what? We’re adults, those of us who voted and those of us who’ll suffer the consequences if you follow we we’re telling you we want you to follow.
What’s the number one rule in raising kids? They need to suffer the consequences. You say that you’re protecting us from ourselves, perhaps?
Well – if life is so risky now, I’m willing to have the troops brought home and diplomatic and political muscle inserted into the process at surge levels and take a risk that my life will get riskier. Because frankly, I don’t see how the world is going to be any less risky a place to live if we stay in Iraq.
Just some thoughts in need of debate.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:34 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
Print This Post
May
24
Bush’s favorite euphimism for "kill": "Bring ‘em to justice"
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
I swear to G, (-od, not -eorge), if that man said “we need to bring ‘em to justice!” one more time, I was going to have a car accident. Lucky me, my drive home time from downtown corresponded precisely with President Bush’s almost 50 minute press conference today. Joy.
Of course, what President Bush means is, we need to kill them. Why don’t you just say “kill” if that’s what you mean? You’re supposed to be king of the plain speakers. Just say it – you want to annhiliate by death.
This request isn’t a judgement call on whether the people you want to “bring to justice” should be dead. But stop mucking up bringing people to justice with your hotness for killing, would ya? No wonder people don’t like lawyers and law enforcement folks – they think we’re going to kill them.
Here’s a USAToday account of what was asked. Here’s an MSNBC video of the conference, for all those who want to subject themselves to it again.
You know, he actually wants people to believe that Al-Qaeda had a connection to Iraq? And he tells us we don’t know the world we live in.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:18 pm May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
Print This Post
May
24
Businesses failure to detect fake ID means we pay $100+? for licenses that arrive weeks later?
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
So here’s another thing from today’s press conference by President Bush:
At the end of the conference, he gets lobbed a question about the immigration bill in the U.S. Congress. And he says, hey, you know, small businesses and heck even large businesses – they can’t always tell if documentation is valid or not. That’s why we need to create tamper-proof IDs.
What is wrong with this man?
Number 1. There is no such thing as tamper-proof. Just as there is no such thing as “winning” the war against terrorism. There just isn’t, okay? You are delusional if you think otherwise. Can we reduce the likelihood of tampering and the damages, should it occur? Yes. Can we foster relations in the Middle East that will stabilize the region enough that 1) the sentiments that make people want to support or fear Al Qaeda are compromised to the point of no one paying attention to them and 2) those countries involved can get on with governing themselves and running their countries? I pray we can – but yes, I believe we can.
But get this – we’re not eliminating Al Qaeda. Possibly ever. We haven’t even eliminated small pox, and that’s about as close as we’ve gotten to eliminating anything.
And frankly, we should not be trying to kill off every single discontented person in the world. That’s just ill and the wrong approach.
Number 2. Why aren’t we making the business do a better job? Why is Bush satisfied with how the business discern valid versus invalid? Maybe he is – but he didn’t mention it. Isn’t anyone else tired of the burden falling on us to provide more and more and more, and the businesses not expected to amp up their ability to gather and evaluate the documentation?
I suspect, closer to the truth is the fact that the businesses don’t want to be checking documentation – they are making money off of not checking. Which is why Simpson-Mazzoli could simply be enforced and we’d be in a better situation that we are now, let alone than we’ll be after immigration reform, if it looks like the current proposal.
Number 3. The cost on the American people and way of life. It is too great now and it’s only going to increase as Bush and those who believe as he does pursue their ideology. Cost us too much in immigration reform – individuals and businesses, cost us too much in our liberties, cost us too much in “bringing ‘em to justice” because our countrymen get “brought to justice” too.
Bush said numerous times how dangerous Al Qaeda’s ideology is and that Osama bin Laden is dedicated to that ideology.
Mr. President – are you any different? You have an ideology and you’ve used our citizens to pursue it. Sure, you got elected so you figure you have the mandate to do this to us.
But this is a democracy, and not all Americans asked you to proceed this way and the majority of Americans do not want you to proceed this way. You say we just don’t know – that if we knew, we’d feel differently.
Guess what? We’re adults, those of us who voted and those of us who’ll suffer the consequences if you follow we we’re telling you we want you to follow.
What’s the number one rule in raising kids? They need to suffer the consequences. You say that you’re protecting us from ourselves, perhaps?
Well – if life is so risky now, I’m willing to have the troops brought home and diplomatic and political muscle inserted into the process at surge levels and take a risk that my life will get riskier. Because frankly, I don’t see how the world is going to be any less risky a place to live if we stay in Iraq.
Just some thoughts in need of debate.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:34 am May 24th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
Print This Post
May
24
Bush’s favorite euphimism for "kill": "Bring ‘em to justice"
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
I swear to G, (-od, not -eorge), if that man said “we need to bring ‘em to justice!” one more time, I was going to have a car accident. Lucky me, my drive home time from downtown corresponded precisely with President Bush’s almost 50 minute press conference today. Joy.
Of course, what President Bush means is, we need to kill them. Why don’t you just say “kill” if that’s what you mean? You’re supposed to be king of the plain speakers. Just say it – you want to annhiliate by death.
This request isn’t a judgement call on whether the people you want to “bring to justice” should be dead. But stop mucking up bringing people to justice with your hotness for killing, would ya? No wonder people don’t like lawyers and law enforcement folks – they think we’re going to kill them.
Here’s a USAToday account of what was asked. Here’s an MSNBC video of the conference, for all those who want to subject themselves to it again.
You know, he actually wants people to believe that Al-Qaeda had a connection to Iraq? And he tells us we don’t know the world we live in.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:18 am May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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May
24
Knight News Challenge Grant winners
Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments
This post is bittersweet. I’m too tired to say more. George, Gloria, Tim, Roger and all other MTB supporters, participants, users: we’ll do it sometime, I know it. And, imagine: what if we didn’t have MTB and its records? I know I can’t.
NB: “out-of-the-box community publishing solutions” won something. Ever punch a pillow?
2nd NB: Next deadline: Applications for the next Knight News Challenge round can be submitted at www.newschallenge.org starting July 1, with the application deadline Oct. 15.
MIT, MTV, and various bloggers are among the first-year winners of the Knight News Challenge announced today at the Editor & Publisher/Mediaweek Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show in Miami.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded the contest with $25 million over five years to help journalism continue moving into a digital future. The initial winners — chosen from among 1,650 applicants — will receive $12 million, including several multi-year awards.
Awarded the biggest grant ($5 million) was the Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The money will be used to create a Center for Future Civic Media to develop, test, and study new forms of high-tech community news.
Other grants that were given included:
– $1.1 million to journalist/Web developer Adrian Holovaty, 26, creator of chicagocrime.org, to create a series of city-specific Web sites devoted to public records and hyper-local information. Among the cities getting the sites will be Miami, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose, and Charlotte.
– $885,000 to VillageSoup in Maine to build free software to allow others to replicate the citizen journalism and community participation site VillageSoup.
– $700,000 to MTV to establish a Knight Mobile Youth Journalist (Knight “MyJos”) in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to report weekly — on cell phones and other media — during the 2008 presidential election.
– $639,000 to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism for nine full journalism scholarships for students who have undergraduate degrees in computer science.
– $552,000 to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University for an “incubator” in which students will learn how to create and launch digital media products.
Eleven other grants of between $25,000 and $340,000 were awarded. Also, nine bloggers will each get $15,000 to blog about topics ranging from GPS tracking devices to “out-of-the-box” community publishing solutions.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:25 am May 24th, 2007 in Politics | 4 Comments
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May
24
Remains of the Day, 5-23-07
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I’m lucky that I’m remaining at the end of the day. Here’s what else I’ve got:
1. Printable version of U.S. Congressman and Democratic candidate for president, Dennis Kucinich’s “It’s All About Oil” speech that he gave on the floor of the House today in Washington, D.C. Bedtime reading or nightmare inducing?
2. Plain Dealer Metro blog reports that “Charter school founder convicted of stealing money from the state.” Reverend Mark Olds, 62 counts. About 10 years in prison expected. For $1.4 million. Not sure what Judge Joan Synenberg said to Meet the Bloggers about Rev. Olds, but it might be worth a listen, hindsight and all.
3. Absolutely vile, how little thought or consideration went intothe public record by our legislators re: SB16, the usurpation of home rule over strip clubs law. Honestly. If you’re voting for something that you know will be constitutionally questionable, supported by just over 1% of the Ohio population (that’s the percentage of the 142K petition signatures out of our state’s population of over 11 million) and override a law you enacted less than nine months ago, you’d think that you’d have to have a pretty darn better reason for it than, Because Phil Burress told me to do it. Ugh.
4. Attorney General Marc Dann to regulate slot machines. Do I really need to editorialize on this one? Nah, I didn’t think so either.
5. Tomorrow, WCPN regional roundtable with yours truly and these topics:
Regional Reporter Roundtable
In the news this week: The Cleveland Schools Bond Accountability Commission reconvenes and finds a few promises won’t be kept. Congressman Kucinich takes shots at the Cleveland Fed for Ohio’s foreclosure crisis. The debate over tax abatements in Cleveland comes to a close – the status quo remains. And in the courts, Attorney General Marc Dann gets a victory against MySpace, and the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of two Parma parents. We’ll round up those stories and others on The Sound of Ideas roundtable Thursday morning at nine on 90.3.
Listen live here or by download later from here.
Phew. Made the donuts. G’night.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:53 am May 24th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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