Sunday, December 07, 2008

DailyFill: MySpace launches another doomed gossip site

DailyFill: MySpace launches another doomed gossip site: “The celebrity-industrial complex will expand, must expand, can't help but expand until every site on the Web features gossipy famous-people headlines. The latest entrant: DailyFill, MySpace's slapdash copycat celebrity-news site.”

DailyFill: MySpace launches another doomed gossip site

DailyFill: MySpace launches another doomed gossip site: “The celebrity-industrial complex will expand, must expand, can't help but expand until every site on the Web features gossipy famous-people headlines. The latest entrant: DailyFill, MySpace's slapdash copycat celebrity-news site.”

Jojo's French Eatery In Oakland Closes Jan 1st - Hard times hit Bay Area restaurants

Hard times hit Bay Area restaurants: “Jojo, a neighborhood French restaurant in Oakland” is closing. It's at 3859 Piedmont AveOakland, CA 94611 (510) 985-3003

AFP: More online journalists than print journalists behind bars: CPJ

AFP: More online journalists than print journalists behind bars: CPJ: “For the 10th consecutive year, China was the leading jailer of journalists, the CPJ said, followed by Cuba, Myanmar, Eritrea and Uzbekistan.”

Michael Mele & Laura Garza: 'BLOODY SUV' IN CLUB-GAL HUNT - New York Post

'BLOODY SUV' IN CLUB-GAL HUNT - New York Post: “Cops hunting for an aspiring fashionista who disappeared from a Manhattan nightclub towed a bloodstained SUV from their prime suspect's upstate family home yesterday - hours after the sexual deviant called a pal begging him not to speak to police, sources said.”

Wonkette : We Went To A Robert Gibbs Party, And Then A Reason Party!

Wonkette : We Went To A Robert Gibbs Party, And Then A Reason Party! And Wonkette reported some rather silly exchanges. Here's some of their takes from the blog:

1) "The party for Robert Gibbs, famous for being the Obama campaign’s communications director and spokesman, was an unusual occurrence. Not because it was prominent political journalists partying with their future chief White House source — that awful conflict of interest is what makes Washington so “great,” after all! It was strange because we were under the assumption that all reporters HATED ROBERT GIBBS’ FILTHY LYING GUTS. Anyway, it was open bar and we chugged a lot of gin in Solo cups, probably on the dime of “Obama for America.” Hmm!"

2) "Among the attendees was a “who’s who” of Conventional Wisdom: George Stephanopoulos, Karen Tumulty, Chris Cillizza, Marc Ambinder (maybe?). Some other people who were not recognizable from Internet stalking."

3) "We talked with America’s favorite Bob Saget doppelganger, Jake Tapper of ABC News, whose blog was a frequent source for mean-spirited and useless Wonkette posts during the campaign. We said to Tapper something stupid like, “We write about your stuff a lot, on Wonkette,” and he responded in a STAGGERINGLY evil manner, “Oh, I KNOW.” (You must understand that every conversation Wonkette has at an event includes a moment when we try to explain away the various times we’ve called that person a “cocksmoker” or a “dickfuck” or something terrible.) Tapper was a delightful fellow anyhow; we told him that we’ve called him lovely things in the past (it’s true!) and blamed the mean stuff on you filthy commenters; we discussed the short-lived early ’90s sitcom The Powers That Be; and then Jake Tapper was gone, forever."

Well it goes on. I wonder if the Wonkette folks will be able to crash more parties in the future?

NBC's David Gregory to moderate 'Meet the Press' - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC- msnbc.com

NBC's David Gregory to moderate 'Meet the Press' - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC- msnbc.com: “David Gregory has been named moderator of NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” effective immediately. In addition, Betsy Fischer, the program's longtime executive producer has extended her tenure with the top-rated broadcast. The announcements were made today by Steve Capus, President of NBC News. 

“For 61 years, this program has played a vital role in our nation’s political discourse and millions of Americans’ Sunday mornings,” said Capus. “We lost a legend this summer, and today we hand the program over to someone who has a true appreciation and respect for the ‘Meet the Press’ legacy, and a keen sense of what it needs to be in the future. David and Betsy are first-rate and I’m thrilled to have them in their roles at a key time in the program’s, and the country’s, history. I'd also like to thank Tom Brokaw, whose tremendous dedication has helped to lead ‘Meet the Press’ through this critical transition and extraordinary election season. He did so out of honor and respect for our friend Tim Russert, and we'll always be grateful.”

Blogger Oliver Willis called Gregory,"pro-war". More on this...

Oliver Willis Turns 31, Thanks His Mom

31 | Oliver Willis

Prediction: Franken Will Win by 27 Votes - The Nation

Prediction: Franken Will Win by 27 Votes: From The Nation: “Nate Silver, whose website FiveThirtyEight.com had the most accurate predictions for the Nov. 4 vote for president and senators, has a new prediction: Al Franken will win the Minnesota Senate recount -- by 27 votes.
Franken came in 215 votes behind incumbent Republican Norm Coleman on election day, in an election where 2.9 million votes were cast. Under Minnesota election law, a hand recount was mandatory and began last Wednesday.”

Think Progress » Bush at portrait unveiling: ‘Welcome to my hanging.’

Think Progress » Bush at portrait unveiling: ‘Welcome to my hanging.’: “Today, President Bush presided over the unveiling of his presidential portrait, at the Union League. “Welcome to my hanging,” Bush joked to the crowd. The portrait “shows Bush staring straight ahead, looking comfortable but not quite smiling, against the backdrop of the White House’s Treaty Room.” Bush said the painter, Mark Carder, “did a really fine job with a challenging subject.””

U.S. Loses 533,000 Jobs in Biggest Drop Since 1974 - NYTimes.com

U.S. Loses 533,000 Jobs in Biggest Drop Since 1974 - NYTimes.com: “The nation’s employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Not since December 1974, toward the end of a severe recession, have so many jobs disappeared in a single month — and the current recession, far from ending, appears to be just gathering steam.”

Police Shooting Sparks Riots in Greece - NYTimes.com

Police Shooting Sparks Riots in Greece - NYTimes.com: “ATHENS — Mobs of militant youth angered by the fatal shooting of a teenager took to a weekend of rampage, battling police in central Athens and destroying scores of shops, cars and businesses across the country.

The riots, triggered late Saturday when a small group of youths attacked a police car in central Athens, sparked a spree of violence that ripped through the country, leaving many cities shattered like war zones.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said a senior police official who requested anonymity because of his involvement in the investigation. “The tension is so thick you can almost cut it with a knife.”

The circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting remained unclear.

Still, a police statement issued in the early hours of Sunday said the shooting took place while two officers were targeted by some 30 youths — many of them hurling stones — while patrolling the central district of Exarchia, an unruly haven of leftist extremists.”

Obama on Meet The Press: Economy to get worse before it improves

From the Associated Press: Obama: Economy to get worse before it improves President-elect Barack Obama said the economy seems destined to get worse before it gets better and he pledged a recovery plan "that is equal to the task ahead."

Obama also said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the survival of the domestic car-making capacity is important, yet any bailout must be "conditioned on an auto industry emerging at the end of the process that actually works."

Less than six weeks before he takes office, Obama said that help for homeowners facing foreclosure is an option as part of his plan. He sidestepped a question about when he plans to raise taxes on wealthy Americans.

Obama's interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" was his most extensive since winning the White House more than a month ago.

In the intervening weeks, the economy has showed clear signs of worsening. Employers said they eliminated more than 500,000 jobs in November alone and retailers reported disappointing holiday-season sales.

"The economy is going to get worse before it gets better," he said twice in the early moments of the interview, taped Saturday in Chicago.

The president-elect announced on Saturday he would call for the most massive spending on public works since the creation of the interstate highway system a half-century ago. In a word of caution to powerful lawmakers, he said the first priority would be "shovel-ready" projects _ those that could create jobs rights away.

Interview with Alicia Silverstone On Volunteering For Barack Obama

This is a cool interview in that we see the real Alicia Silverstone talking about how she has volunteered for the Obama For America campaign.