Saturday, March 01, 2008

Clinton Camp Trying To Cheat Obama Voters in Texas

The Clinton campaign is telling its supporters to show up at Caucuses in Texas at 6:30 PM, whereas the Obama campaign has said 7 PM. It seems the idea is to essentially block Obama supporters from entering the caucus. Here's a note going around the Internet listservs:

The Clinton camp is telling folks to arrive at the caucus at 6:30 and
Obama is stressing 7:00pm.

This was forwarded to me. Please pass this around to all your Texas
Groups and anyone you know in the media! I was wondering today why
Hillary was telling her supporters to be at the caucus at 6:30!

In addition to the comments below, be aware that the potential impact of
this is that a full parking lot at 6:30 PM could dissuade late Obama
voters from casting their Primary ballot because they cannot find a
parking space. This could be considered impeding voting.

For Obama Precinct Captains who are monitoring their voting location on
March 4 (100 feet from the polling location until 7:00 pm or until the
last voter is done) stay alert and report any questionable activities to
the election judge and call the Obama Precinct Captain Hotline for
election day questions and concerns at 1-877-48-OBAMA (62262) or the Texas
Democratic Precinct Convention at 1-800-336-3254.

"Clinton has been telling her supporters to show up at 6:30
[Dallas/Mesquite speech on Saturday, March 1], while Obama keeps stressing
7:00. I'm afraid there's going to be some shenanigans involving closing
the doors at caucus sites when at capacity or at 7:15 PM whichever comes
first. There was a similar gambit run in Nevada where the Clinton camp
shut out a good number of caucus goers by barring the doors.

Anybody who has got a line on Obama folks or Texas caucus goers please
pass along the heads up to show up early and not to get muscled. Know your
rights!

Compounding this issue is the possibility there may not be enough caucus
chairs to go around for the 8,000 sights leading to the 1st person in the
door being the caucus arbiter (TDP's apparent policy).

Again let's try to get the word out about this possibility as there is no
doubt the Clinton camp is going to try to game this one."

Zogby Survey: 67 Percent View Traditional Journalism as "Out of Touch"

This is the survey that I've been waiting for. I've known that more and more people and perhaps a majority get their information online, but I never had proof beyond old studies from 2006 -- two years ago.

But Zogby reports that 67 Percent View Traditional Journalism as "Out of Touch". I could have told them that.

Here's the rest of Zogby's findings:

Two thirds of Americans - 67% - believe traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news, a new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

The survey also found that while most Americans (70%) think journalism is important to the quality of life in their communities, two thirds (64%) are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities.

Meanwhile, the online survey documented the shift away from traditional sources of news, such as newspapers and TV, to the Internet - most dramatically among so-called digital natives - people under 30 years old.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, an increase from 40% who said the same a year ago. Younger adults were most likely to name the Internet as their top source - 55% of those age 18 to 29 say they get most of their news and information online, compared to 35% of those age 65 and older. These oldest adults are the only age group to favor a primary news source other than the Internet, with 38% of these seniors who said they get most of their news from television. Overall, 29% said television is their main source of news, while fewer said they turn to radio (11%) and newspapers (10%) for most of their news and information. Just 7% of those age 18 to 29 said they get most of their news from newspapers, while more than twice as many (17%) of those age 65 and older list newspapers as their top source of news and information.

Web sites are regarded as a more important source of news and information than traditional media outlets - 86% of Americans said Web sites were an important source of news, with more than half (56%) who view these sites as very important. Most also view television (77%), radio (74%), and newspapers (70%) as important sources of news, although fewer than say the same about blogs (38%).

The Zogby Interactive survey of 1,979 adults nationwide was conducted Feb. 20-21, 2008, and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. The survey results will be featured at this week's fourth-annual We Media Forum and Festival in Miami, hosted by the University of Miami School of Communication and organized and produced by iFOCOS, a Reston, Va.-based media think tank (www.ifocos.org). This is the second year of the survey.

"For the second year in a row we have documented a crisis in American journalism that is far more serious than the industry's business challenges - or maybe a consequence of them," said Andrew Nachison, co-founder of iFOCOS. "Americans recognize the value of journalism for their communities, and they are unsatisfied with what they see. While the U.S. news industry sheds expenses and frets about its future, Americans are dismayed by its present. Meanwhile, we see clearly the generational shift of digital natives from traditional to online news - so the challenge for traditional news companies is complex. They need to invest in new products and services - and they have. But they've also got to invest in quality, influence and impact. They need to invest in journalism that makes a difference in people's lives. That's a moral and leadership challenge - and a business opportunity for whoever can meet it."

The survey finds the Internet not only outweighs television, radio, and newspapers as the most frequently used and important source for news and information, but Web sites were also cited as more trustworthy than more traditional media sources - nearly a third (32%) said Internet sites are their most trusted source for news and information, followed by newspapers (22%), television (21%) and radio (15%).

Other findings from the survey include:

Although the vast majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism (64%), overall satisfaction with journalism has increased to 35% in this survey from 27% who said the same in 2007.
Both traditional and new media are viewed as important for the future of journalism - 87% believe professional journalism has a vital role to play in journalism's future, although citizen journalism (77%) and blogging (59%) are also seen as significant by most Americans.
Very few Americans (1%) consider blogs their most trusted source of news, or their primary source of news (1%).
Three in four (75%) believe the Internet has had a positive impact on the overall quality of journalism.
69% believe media companies are becoming too large and powerful to allow for competition, while 17% believe they are the right size to adequately compete.


More on this later.

DE Justin Smith Signs With 49ers

Justin Smith has decided to travel west to San Francisco for the opportunity of greener pastures and a completely fresh start with a rising organization.

The green will be overflowing in abundance for the fourth-pick in the 2001 draft after he agreed to a six-year, $45 million plus contract during the second day of free agency. Smith has been assured $20 million in guaranteed money.

At 6-4 and 275 pounds, Smith will be a valuable addition to a defense that ranked
25th last season en route to a 5-11 record.

Fresh Free Agent Signings Around The League

A plethora of impactful players switched zip codes Friday after agreeing to terms with their new teams.

Safety Gibril Wilson, who was instrumental in the Giants first Super Bowl Victory since 1990, signed a six-year, $39 million deal.

Veteran Issac Bruce, who amassed 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns in his 14 prolific seasons in the gateway city, secured a two-year, $6 million contract with rival San Francisco. Kick return specialist Allen Rossum signed with the 49ers as well.

Todd Collins, who guided the Redskins to an improbable playoff run last season, re-signed with Washington, agreeing to a three-year, $9 million deal.

Bill Parcells remained highly active in free agency,signing wide receiver Ernest Wilford, trading for the Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson and adding former Raiders quarterback Josh McCown.

Due to the departure of Quinn Gray, the Jaguars signed Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon to be their backup. Lemon led Miami to their lone victory last season.

Tampa Bay signed center Jeff Faine after electing to not re-sign John Wade.

Tommy Kelly resigned with the Oakland Raiders earlier this week to a seven-year contract worth more than $50 million. The productive defensive lineman has been assured more than $18 million in guaranteed money.

Rams Jeff Wilkins Retires, Kicker Josh Brown Signs

The same day after 14-year veteran and all-time leading scorer Jeff Wilkins announced his retirement, Josh Brown bolted from the division rival Seahawks to sign with the St.Louis Rams.

Brown agreed to a five-year, $14.2 million contract that includes a $4 signing bonus. Brown's new contract will propel him to the status of highest paid kicker in the league.

During his five seasons in the Northwest, Brown connected on 80% of field goals and 99.6% of extra points. The former Cornhusker has a knack for timely kicks, accumulating four game -winning field goals in 2006, two of which were against his new team.


Undrafted out of Youngstown State in 1994, Wilkins firmly established a name for himself as one of the premier place kickers in NFL history. Since joining the Rams in 1997, Wilkins played in very game except for five in the year 2000. Consistency evolved as the benchmark of Wilkins's career,as he connected on 307 of 375 field goals and 26 that were from 50 yards or greater.

“Throughout my 11 years with the Rams, everybody in the organization has been fantastic - from top to bottom,” Wilkins said. “But retirement is the best for me, my family and the Rams.”

Lauren Cleri Admits Cheating On Hubby For Money, Loses Money

This is a sad tale of a woman who thought disclosing a family secret and embarassing her husband in the process would win a lot of money for her. Instead, it left her without money and with a lot of national embarassment. The NY Post article reports that they say they can't be married after this, but the question is who would trust her?

From The NY Post:

February 27, 2008 -- The buxom blond wife of a city cop yesterday said she humiliated her husband in front of 8 million viewers of the reality show "Moment of Truth" - revealing she slept around and wanted to be wed to another guy - in a bid for fame and fortune.

But Lauren Cleri, 26, and her baby-faced hubby, rookie NYPD Officer Frank Cleri, 24, of Rockland County, said after appearing on the Fox show Monday night, they came away without any prize money, no immediate job offers for her - and a potentially irrevocably broken marriage.

"We're kind of up in the air right now - I want to [get back together], but I don't think he does," Lauren said in their tiny apartment in Piermont.

"It's not very easy to overcome," said Frank, a cop with the 48th Precinct in The Bronx.

Frank Cleri said he had been aware of his wife's cheating but not prepared for the emotional drain of their going public with it for the money.

Standing tensely next to his wife yet still wearing his wedding ring, he said, "Everything that was mentioned during this show, we had talked about before. We've had our issues. Unfortunately, now they're not just our problems. Everyone knows about it."

The pair catapulted into the national spotlight on the stomach-churning episode when Lauren revealed that she had cheated on her husband of two years and really wished she was married to an old boyfriend.

The show has contestants take a lie-detector test off-stage beforehand. They are asked some of the same questions later posed to them in front of the audience.

On Monday's show - taped two weeks ago - Lauren's ex-boyfriend made a surprise appearance and asked: "Do you believe I am the man you should be married to?"

As Frank Cleri grimaced on the sidelines, his wife said, "Well, wow, um. I'm going to be honest and say yes."

Here's the video set:

Tara Reid Works To Get Extra Friend Into Villa - Video