From NFL Media.com
Following is a list of injured players for Week 6 Games (October 14-15):
CAROLINA PANTHERS at ARIZONA CARDINALS
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB David Carr (back), RB Nick Goings (concussion), CB Ken Lucas (shoulder), LB Dan Morgan (ankle), LB Adam Seward (calf)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
LB James Anderson (thigh)
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Anquan Boldin (hip), WR Bryant Johnson (quadricep)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
T Levi Brown (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DE Joe Tafoya (hamstring)
CINCINNATI BENGALS at KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
T Willie Anderson (knee), LB Rashad Jeanty (shin), S Ethan Kilmer (knee), WR Tab Perry (hip)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
LB Ahmad Brooks (groin), DE Jonathan Fanene (knee), RB Rudi Johnson (hamstring), LB Caleb Miller (back)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
S Dexter Jackson (illness), DE Frostee Rucker (hand), C Alex Stepanovich (knee)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Eddie Kennison (hamstring), S Greg Wesley (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Dimitri Patterson (hamstring)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
LB Keyaron Fox (hamstring), QB Damon Huard (right shoulder), CB Benny Sapp (ankle), T Kyle Turley (ankle)
HOUSTON TEXANS at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
HOUSTON TEXANS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Andre Johnson (knee), LB DeMeco Ryans (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
K Kris Brown (left foot), DT Travis Johnson (knee), WR Jacoby Jones (shoulder), DE Ndukwe Kalu (hand)
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
K Josh Scobee (right quadricep)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
TE George Wrighster (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
G Chris Naeole (knee)
MIAMI DOLPHINS at CLEVELAND BROWNS
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Trent Green (concussion), WR Derek Hagan (hamstring), DT Vonnie Holliday (ankle), C Samson Satele (neck), S Travares Tillman (knee), DT Rodrique Wright (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DE Jason Taylor (neck)
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
TE Darnell Dinkins (hand), RB Jamal Lewis (foot)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
RB Charles Ali (toe), S Gary Baxter (knees), WR Joe Jurevicius (knee), S Brodney Pool (thigh), TE Kellen Winslow (shoulder)
MINNESOTA VIKINGS at CHICAGO BEARS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Practice Report
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Tarvaris Jackson (groin), LB Ben Leber (ribs), S Dwight Smith (hamstring)
CHICAGO BEARS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Bernard Berrian (toe), DT Tommie Harris (knee), T John Tait (ankle), CB Charles Tillman (ankle), CB Nathan Vasher (groin), DT Darwin Walker (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
G Ruben Brown (shoulder)
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at DALLAS COWBOYS
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
T Wesley Britt (team decision), S Mel Mitchell (groin)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), CB Randall Gay (thigh), C Dan Koppen (ankle), RB Laurence Maroney (groin), G Steve Neal (shoulder), CB Asante Samuel (foot), WR Donte' Stallworth (knee), LB Adalius Thomas (ankle), WR Kelley Washington (hamstring)
DALLAS COWBOYS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
WR Terry Glenn (knee)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Anthony Henry (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Courtney Brown (biceps), LB Kevin Burnett (thigh), S Keith Davis (shoulder), RB Oliver Hoyte (neck)
OAKLAND RAIDERS at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Josh McCown (toe), DT Gerard Warren (quadricep)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DE Derrick Burgess (calf), LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (foot), RB LaMont Jordan (back)
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
WR Eric Parker (toe), RB Andrew Pinnock (knee)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Vincent Jackson (shoulder), LB Brandon Siler (back), DT Jamal Williams (coaches decision)
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at NEW YORK JETS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
S Brian Dawkins (neck), G Todd Herremans (knee), T Tra Thomas (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Greg Lewis (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Lito Sheppard (knee), TE L.J. Smith (hernia), RB Brian Westbrook (abdomen)
NEW YORK JETS
Practice Report
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
T Anthony Clement (thigh), S Erik Coleman (concussion), WR Laveranues Coles (knee), DE Shaun Ellis (foot), WR Justin McCareins (ankle), QB Chad Pennington (ankle), DT Dewayne Robertson (knee), S Eric Smith (thigh)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
RB Darian Barnes (thigh), TE Jason Pociask (back)
ST. LOUIS RAMS at BALTIMORE RAVENS
ST. LOUIS RAMS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
RB Steven Jackson (groin), WR Dane Looker (thigh), LB Raonall Smith (knee)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Isaac Bruce (hamstring), WR Dante' Hall (ankle), WR Torry Holt (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Marc Bulger (ribs), S Corey Chavous (pectoral), DE James Hall (pectoral)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
QB Gus Frerotte (ankle), CB Tye Hill (back), S Todd Johnson (neck)
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
DT Trevor Pryce (wrist)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Derrick Mason (illness), T Adam Terry (ankle), TE Daniel Wilcox (toe)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
C Mike Flynn (knee), TE Todd Heap (thigh), T Jonathan Ogden (toe), CB Samari Rolle (illness), LB Gary Stills (knee)
TENNESSEE TITANS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TENNESSEE TITANS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DT Albert Haynesworth (ankle), WR Brandon Jones (knee), G Benji Olson (team decision)
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
RB Michael Pittman (ankle)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Brian Kelly (groin)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Joey Galloway (team decision), LB Barrett Ruud (knee), DE Greg White (shoulder)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Ike Hilliard (shoulder)
WASHINGTON REDSKINS at GREEN BAY PACKERS
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
G Randy Thomas (triceps)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DE Phillip Daniels (shoulder), WR Antwaan Randle El (hamstring), RB Mike Sellers (heel), LB Marcus Washington (hamstring)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
WR Santana Moss (groin)
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
CB Will Blackmon (foot), C Scott Wells (eye)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
T Chad Clifton (knee), TE Bubba Franks (knee), CB Al Harris (back), WR Greg Jennings (shoulder), DE Mike Montgomery (knee), RB Vernand Morency (team decision), CB Charles Woodson (foot)
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS on Sunday night
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Practice Report
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Jason David (forearm), K Olindo Mare (right groin)
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
WR Deion Branch (foot), T Ray Willis (knee)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DT Rocky Bernard (groin), WR D.J. Hackett (ankle), TE Marcus Pollard (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
CB Josh Wilson (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
RB Shaun Alexander (wrist)
NEW YORK GIANTS at ATLANTA FALCONS on Monday night
NEW YORK GIANTS
Practice Report
Wednesday Team did not practice
ATLANTA FALCONS
Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday
T Todd Weiner (knee)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
LB Keith Brooking (hamstring), TE Alge Crumpler (knee), LB Stephen Nicholas (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Wednesday
DT Jonathan Babineaux (knee), TE Dwayne Blakley (pectoral), DT Roderick Coleman (knee), S Chris Crocker (knee), CB Lewis Sanders (shoulder)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
www.marblejars.com Causing Controversy With Vloggers
Marblejars.com at www.marblejars.com is an online video distribution site that's designed to give attention to video makers by providing "marbles" for them. Now that's the problem, no one knows what the hell a marble is. The site itself reports that...
"Each jar can hold a maximum of 1 million marbles. Each marble represents one U.S. dollar. You can cash out your marbles and collect your money at anytime. And when your jar is filled, make sure to upload a video testimonial to thank the people who helped you out. That will make the people who gave to you feel good, and it will keep the community helping each other!"
This caused a bit of a row over at the Videobloggers Group on Yahoo! Take a look at these exchanges:
1) Hello my name is Robert O'Dell and I am the founder of
www.marblejars.com. I recently joined this group,I would like to
find out if you know of any vloggers or people that have an idea or
cause that would be interested in trying out our site.
We have several categories
http://www.marblejars.com/browse_category.asp that we are looking
for users to submit video's to.
We are specifically trying to find film makers to announce that they
have a project and say how much they need to complete their project,
and when the project is done, then make sure everyone who gave
marbles to their jar get to see it first as well as get access to
all the dailies and different creative commons edits.
Also we are seeking users that have an idea for a business or
invention that they want to receive funding for.
If you know of anyone that may be interested they can contact me.
Thank you
2) hey robert
i looked at your site and its def interesting
just the usual questions -- how is it funded? how many users do you have?
has anyone filled up a jar yet?
3) I went to marblejars.com, and I didn't see any instructions on how to
use the site. Nothing really indicated to me what a marble was (I
assume it has something to do with money) or how much a marble cost,
or how it works to help this people out.
Perhaps you could explain it here, or better yet, explain it on the
website. It was somewhat interesting, but difficult to understand.
Thanks,
Milt
4) Hello Milt, sorry you had trouble with the site or finding out what
it is about, if you click on the marbles
http://www.marblejars.com/how_it_works.asp tab at the top you should
see a page with the text below.
(It's pretty simple actually. Just join Marblejars and you can get a
jar or buy some marbles to give to others.
When you buy your jar, you can choose a specified amount of marbles
you want your jar to collect. Then upload your video describing what
you want in the right category. And don't just sit back and relax;
promote it! Go out, tell your friends, put the embed link in your
MySpace page, send it around and watch your jar fill up with Marbles.
Each jar can hold a maximum of 1 million marbles. Each marble
represents one U.S. dollar. You can cash out your marbles and
collect your money at anytime. And when your jar is filled, make
sure to upload a video testimonial to thank the people who helped
you out. That will make the people who gave to you feel good, and it
will keep the community helping each other!)
So feel that we have tried to make it easy to use and user friendly,
the problem that we have found is that most people are visual and do
not like to read anything. But we can't make everyone happy, so
again sorry for the confusion.
And as far as your question on who it could help, it could help
anyone that might fit one of these categories.
http://www.marblejars.com/browse_category.asp
Or if you need to you can find more information on giving marbles
here. http://www.marblejars.com/give_marbles.asp
It is a video community with a twist, you can earn money from every
video you upload, someone can just give to you if they like your
vlog or your look , or to help your cause, the possibilities are
endless.
Also the user that decides to give marbles actually gets to drop
them into the jar and hear the sounds of marbles falling into the
jar, so the receive some entertainment along with the giving.
Robert
5) I am fascinated by micropayment systems, and so this stuff interests me.
I guess the main issues you face are getting a critical mass of users,
getting sponsors, and gaining the apparently vital 'trust' component.
Ive heard it said that ebays sucess and value is in being a platform
that encourages trust between people, or at least negates risk of
trust being broken.
So I dunno, for a site & business concept like yours, the trust factor
could be make or break. The focus of the site so far, on people asking
for donations for various needs, is certainly a tricky one on which to
build trust, but hopefull iy will be ok, and less of a problem if
theres a greater focus on people wanting marbles to fund works that
people then get to benefit from by seeing on the web. Then theres also
the issues of trust in the service provider, where you may benefit
from putting more detail on your site about your company structure,
have more than a PO box address, and other techniques such as blogging
or making more videos about yourselves. And crucially being upfront
and clear about where in the system you make money, as Im not
understanding that bit yet, if I buy marbles for $1 and the person who
receives them gets $1 for them, hows that actually sustainable for
you? If tehres fee's or a cut somewhere, where can info on this be
found currently?
Cheers
Steve Elbows
6) Steve thanks for the great response!
Yes the site is focused on people asking for users to give money to
them, and this will remain the focus of the site, because that is
what we designed the site to do.
The issue of trust of the service provider (Marblejars), is
definitely the biggest obstacle we feel that we face. This is why we
have designed features into the site to help facilitate this.
The user testimonials, these are designed so when a user decides to
cash out their jar and collect their money, that everyone that is on
the mailing list with marblejars that donated to the jar will
receive an auto email from us informing the givers that the user has
cashed out and uploaded a testimonial, thus allowing the user's to
return and see that their donation was used in the way that they
thought it should be.
But this trust issue is something that will take time to build,
trust is an issue with anything from the environment you leave your
kids in at school, to the bank you use, to some place like paypal
freezing accounts on not giving users their money, or eBay and all
of the fraud that they are plagued with.
I do agree it would be nice to have a physical address but, if I
were to put this then it would be my actual home address and my wife
and I decided against that. I have two beautiful children and a wife
of 17 years and their safety comes first. I also am not going to put
some fake address or go rent a office space to have nothing in. This
may come at a later date but for now the PO Box will have to work.
This is a small business and we created this not get rich but to try
and help out the people that are less fortunate in the world.
I have invested very much money into this site to help with the
trust issue, but this will have to be tested and proven by users in
time, money can not buy trust in my opinion, so we will have to let
the community grow and hopefully the trust will build.
Our philosophy about the site is if it helps one person on this
planet and that is all then it is worth our time and money to create
it. To often in today's society people can't won't and do not even
want to help anyone other than themselves, so we hope that are site
will be able to connect people with the average person that may need
help in some way or another.
As far as the money issue with the site, at this time a visitor can
find information about the costs associated with the site in the
http://www.marblejars.com/help.asp and the
http://www.marblejars.com/player_issues.asp sections of the site and
of course the http://www.marblejars.com/terms.asp section of the
site.
If they are a registered user they can just login and click on a
collect my money link on the site and it will go to a secure page
describing the same.
Here are the options for users wanting to cash out.
Get paid by company check (Free)
Get paid by wire transfer (a $25.00 fee will be deducted from jar
contents and they may have to pay a small fee at their receiving
bank)
When a user decides to cash out a jar and collect the money, they
will be charged a 5% processing fee (based on the total amount of
money in your jar). This fee covers credit card transaction fees
incurred by marblejars during the cash out process.
We will make our money on the jar sales, also merchandise and
apparel that will be added to our store soon.
Also we have defiantly thought about and we have attempted to create
a living marketing video from myself about the site, but we are
finding that this has been more difficult than we thought, one it
seems that when I attempt to make the video I either look to angry
or to happy in a fake way, so we are trying to put one together, but
it has proven to be a task in itself.
Also it is of some concern and has been discussed by us over and
over again, if we do put this video up will it have an effect in a
positive or a negative way.
On one hand it lets users visually connect with the company, and can
possibly help with the trust issue.
On the other hand, it is someone listening to a song on the radio
and saying "man I really like that song" then when they get home
they see this artist on the tube and say " damn I can't stand that
freak"
So it is a catch 22 in some respects. Please let me know your
opinions about this and if you feel that the positives out weigh the
negatives.
Thanks
Robert
I'll stay tuned on this firm.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Maintaining status quo with Hillary Clinton
Why have Wall Street, Drug companies, the defense industry, Rupert Murdoch and convicted felons like Peter Paul and Norman Hsu supported Hillary Clinton more than any other presidential candidate? Please read on for explanation and poll.
The sketchy people in the photo above didn't just make big donations to Hillary's campaign, they were or are major bundler's and have held personal fund raisers for Hillary. Peter Paul was convicted for possession of 15 pounds of cocaine and fraud, years before he produced Hillary's largest gala fund raiser in 2000. Hillary and Bill managed to stiff Paul for at least $600,000 to pay for the event. Norman Hsu allegedly stole $60 million dollars and was black mailing investors into donating to Hillary's campaign and was scheduled to hold a major fund raiser with Quincy Jones in late September, 2007 before he was caught as a fugitive felon, wanted for fraud. Candidates may not be able to check every donation they get, but they certainly should be responsible for checking out the people who are bundling hundreds of thousands of dollars for them and holding major fund raising events that the candidate actually attends.
Rupert Murdoch is the creator, owner and CEO of the "Republican Attack Machine" FOX News and the NewsCorp media empire, responsible for tearing down Democrats and putting George Bush in the White House two times. Hillary actively courted Murdoch and last year he held a personal fund raiser for Hillary in the FOX building and earlier this year bundled money for Hillary from his family and top NewsCorp executives and this alone should be inexcusable to every Democrat in America.
We know how to fix global warming and pollution with greater efficiency, conservation and renewable energy. We know how to fix health care by restructuring the outrageous profit incentives for long term drug treatments and by focusing more on prevention and cures. We know how to fix weak levees and bridges before they break and cause major catastrophes. We also know how to help people after a hurricane or flood with rescue and evacuation planning and by implementing those emergency plans without red tape.
We know how to fix our massive $9 trillion dollar debt by cutting spending and raising revenues with a simplified tax code that eliminates loopholes, by adjusting tariffs on imported products and by investing in real economic growth. We know how to fix illegal immigration by cracking down on companies who hire undocumented workers. We know how to fix the outsourcing and off shoring of jobs and manufacturing by stopping companies from outsourcing and off shoring jobs and manufacturing.
We know how to protect ourselves from dangerous products by cracking down on companies who produce dangerous products. We know how to fight terrorism by going after the terrorists who actually attack us. We even know how to prevent wars with greater diplomacy.
The United States of America is by far the wealthiest country, with the largest market place in the world and we have all the leverage and knowledge we need to solve all of these problems but we don't do it. Why is that? What is it that keeps us from fixing the problems we already know how to fix?
Why do we let the media lead us around by the nose with distractions about Brittany, Paris and Lindsey, with all of these real problems hovering over us and our children? Why do we let politicians tell us how bad our government is and then we elect them so they can prove it? And why do we fall for this same crap over and over again?
We even know the answer to these questions and that answer is: Our system is rigged by big money special interests who control our government and the media and they tell us who we can and can not elect and their main goal is to keep our government working for their interests and maintain that status quo as much as possible. I'm not talking about a conspiracy, there is no need for that. I'm talking about the mutual self-interest of Wall Street, defense contractors, big pharmaceutical, big oil and energy companies and the mainstream media, who are owned by those same companies. They all have the same interest of keeping our government working for them, (which it does) and maintaining that status quo and this includes preventing any major changes to their rigged system.
So how do they do this? How did they pick George Bush in 2000 and again in 2004? Like any school of fish, they look at which candidate moves in their direction, supports their agenda, makes them self "open for business" and who needs their support and then they line up behind that candidate. In 2000 and 2004 it was George W. Bush.
So what about 2008? Who is Wall Street, defense contractors, big pharmaceutical, big oil and energy companies and the mainstream media, lining up behind in this next election? Who have they chosen to be the establishment candidate to maintain the status quo as much as possible?
Well, that shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. After major debacles with Enron and Exxon/Mobile's obscene profits, big oil and energy are more low key this election and hedging their bets with several different candidates but the rest of the usual suspects are pretty transparent. Wall Street is giving most of it's money to Hillary Clinton and Hillary is getting most of her money from Wall Street. Hillary is the top recipient of special interest money from lawyers and lobbyists in Washington and number two in the Senate (after Rick Santorum) in total donations from lobbyists and PACs in the last 2006 race.
Hillary Clinton Reigns as Queen of Federal Pork - Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/finances/index.html
Lawyers & Lobbyists: Top Recipients, 2006
http://www.opensecrets.org
Hillary's recent DC fund raiser / mixer with defense industry lobbyists and Congressional Committee members and her massive 2008 defense bill earmarks and support for military action against Iran should make it clear that Hillary is working hard for the military industrial complex to maintain the status quo as much as possible. Remember, Hillary didn't just vote for the Iraq War, she said "With conviction I support this resolution" and then persistently defended the war until it went bad and claimed it was mishandled and then it got worse and claimed she was fooled by brain surgeon, George W. Bush.
Hillary Clinton Piles on Pentagon Earmarks
http://thehill.com/leading-the
Clinton's Iran Vote Prompts A Harsh Back-and-Forth
http://blog.washingtonpost.com
Oh, and by the way, Blackwater was formed and empowered to do their mission under the Clinton administration and Hillary's senior adviser, Mark Penn runs Blackwater's PR firm.
The Rise of Blackwater
http://news.newamericamedia
Clinton Strategist Represents Blackwater
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes
As for the media, they are giving Hillary a smooth path by ignoring massive campaign financing "problems" and making a huge deal out of leading polls in New Hampshire with only 9% of strongly decided voters and then picking apart polls in Iowa when they show someone else leading. But no one has done more to hurt Democrats and put George Bush in office both times than Rupert Murdoch, creator, owner and CEO of the "Republican Attack Machine" FOX News and the NewsCorp media empire. Hillary actively courted Murdoch and last year he held a personal fund raiser for her in the FOX building and earlier this year bundled money for Hillary from his family and top NewsCorp executives and this alone should be inexcusable to every Democrat in America.
FOX's Rupert Murdoch Holds Fundraiser For Hillary Clinton - CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories
Hillary Shuns Fox Debates, Pockets Murdochs' Money -- Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
There is no doubt that any competent human being in the White House would be a huge improvement over what we have there now. But the only way we will get the change we need to fix the problems we face is to ignore the rigged system and elect a candidate who represents real change, stands a chance of getting elected and who can lead our country in a new direction. If we wait for a candidate who perfectly fits our expectations or support a candidate who has no chance of winning, we will continue to loose our country. We need a candidate who attracts the largest number of donors, not the wealthiest few. A candidate with good judgment, character and the natural abilities to bring people together around common goals, change the status quo and move our country forward.
While I like John Edwards and I believe he is sincere in the strong positions he takes, I don't believe he is the best candidate to make the changes we need. He does not have the broadest base of donors and he did not have the good judgment to oppose the Iraq War before it started and he was badly beaten in the one debate with Dick Cheney in 2004. He does not have the best skills to work across the aisle and bring people together. He is a good person but we need something more and Barack Obama is it.
Obama has attracted the largest base of donors in all of American history, he has the most money to run in this primary and he had the good judgment to oppose the Iraq War before it started. Obama has the character of someone who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School, president of the Harvard Law review and could have cashed in and become a very rich Wall Street lawyer but he returned to Chicago to become a Civil Rights lawyer and to teach Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago. That is the kind of character we need in the White House. Barack Obama has written over 800 pieces of legislation and has had over 300 of them passed into law by reaching across the aisle on important and land mark legislation to reform campaign financing, end racial profiling, fix a broken death penalty system and bring transparency to government contracting. That is the kind of experience and judgment we need in the White House.
Jena LA, Now New York, NY - Hangman's Noose Is Criminal and Racist Symbol
When is anyone going to realize that a hangman's noose is no joke. It's a criminal act implying someone's desire to murder someone else because they're different and historically because they're Black.
This was just done in New York at Columbia University , but totally unlike the town of Jena, LA and its terrible district attorney , the people at Columbia called a town hall meeting on the issue.
I hope they catch the person who did it and jail them for a good long time.
The main problem is we don't teach young people that this is wrong or that diversity is good and racism is bad. So with each passing generation, we're doomed to see the same mistakes we made in the past as a culture.
I hope I'm wrong on this.
This was just done in New York at Columbia University , but totally unlike the town of Jena, LA and its terrible district attorney , the people at Columbia called a town hall meeting on the issue.
I hope they catch the person who did it and jail them for a good long time.
The main problem is we don't teach young people that this is wrong or that diversity is good and racism is bad. So with each passing generation, we're doomed to see the same mistakes we made in the past as a culture.
I hope I'm wrong on this.
FOX News Chris Wallace Supports Barack Obama On Flag Pin Issue
Hey, I've got to chime in on this, too. Wearing a Flag Pin has been a symbol that you support the Iraq War, and I don't. I wore a flag pin, then stopped wearing one when it became clear that I was sending the wrong signal. Period.
Fox News Chris Wallace actually backs Senator Obama on this issue. Thank God someone at Fox has a brain!
Fox News Chris Wallace actually backs Senator Obama on this issue. Thank God someone at Fox has a brain!
CNN's Wolf Blitzer Interviews Ron Paul - Video
This interview reveals Ron Paul's first CNN interview on the Situation Room. He did well just be speaking planly. It -- this performance -- is why I'd like to see my CNN/YouTube Republican Debate Question answered. I want to hear his response.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Google's Stock Value Shocks The World - Joe Mandese MediaPost
Will Google hit $1,000? That's the question.
IF THERE WERE ANY DOUBTS that we were back into a new, digital media economy, they were laid to rest Monday when the price of Google's shares topped $600 for the first time, giving it a price to earnings multiple of 49.54, and a market capitalization greater than the three biggest traditional media companies - Time Warner, Walt Disney Co., and News Corp. - combined. Based on Monday's closing price of $609.62 per share, Google has a market cap of $190.28 billion.
Based on their closing prices, traditional media's Big 3 - Time Warner ($71.23 billion), Walt Disney Co. ($68.50 billion) and News Corp. ($49.00 billion) - equaled a combined $188.73 billion.
Looked at another way, Google's market value is now 3.6 times greater than all of Madison Avenue's publicly traded ad agency holding companies - WPP ($17.72 billion), Omnicom ($16.43 billion), Publicis ($8.57 billion), Interpublic ($4.89 billion), Aegis ($2.96 billion), Havas ($2.484 billion), and MDC Partners ($274 billion) - combined.
The relative valuations of the new and traditional media companies are more than just symbolic. They signal investor confidence that allow companies to leverage their share value in stock-based acquisitions that can help companies grow even bigger and more dominant over time. And if Google's high price/earnings multiple seems bubblish, it wasn't apparent to experts on Wall Street.
Analysts from investment giants like Piper Jaffray and Thompson Financial raised their expectations for Google last week, as the company moved closer to releasing its latest quarterly earnings on October 18. Due in part to improved revenue forecasts, analysts at Bear Stearns, for example, have pegged the search giant's stock to reach $625 per share by the end of 2007--setting a target price of $700 dollars.
Google's share price has grown along with its share of search, and push into areas like contextual advertising, and hosted email, calendaring and publishing applications. Shares initially sold at $85 when the company went public in August 2004--and had closed at about $460 by the end of last year.
The search giant's progress has even driven some industry analysts (namely Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget) to forecast shares to hit $2,000 over the next few decades--but this quarter's all-important earnings release will most certainly determine the stock's performance for the near term.
Joe Mandese is Editor of MediaPost.
IF THERE WERE ANY DOUBTS that we were back into a new, digital media economy, they were laid to rest Monday when the price of Google's shares topped $600 for the first time, giving it a price to earnings multiple of 49.54, and a market capitalization greater than the three biggest traditional media companies - Time Warner, Walt Disney Co., and News Corp. - combined. Based on Monday's closing price of $609.62 per share, Google has a market cap of $190.28 billion.
Based on their closing prices, traditional media's Big 3 - Time Warner ($71.23 billion), Walt Disney Co. ($68.50 billion) and News Corp. ($49.00 billion) - equaled a combined $188.73 billion.
Looked at another way, Google's market value is now 3.6 times greater than all of Madison Avenue's publicly traded ad agency holding companies - WPP ($17.72 billion), Omnicom ($16.43 billion), Publicis ($8.57 billion), Interpublic ($4.89 billion), Aegis ($2.96 billion), Havas ($2.484 billion), and MDC Partners ($274 billion) - combined.
The relative valuations of the new and traditional media companies are more than just symbolic. They signal investor confidence that allow companies to leverage their share value in stock-based acquisitions that can help companies grow even bigger and more dominant over time. And if Google's high price/earnings multiple seems bubblish, it wasn't apparent to experts on Wall Street.
Analysts from investment giants like Piper Jaffray and Thompson Financial raised their expectations for Google last week, as the company moved closer to releasing its latest quarterly earnings on October 18. Due in part to improved revenue forecasts, analysts at Bear Stearns, for example, have pegged the search giant's stock to reach $625 per share by the end of 2007--setting a target price of $700 dollars.
Google's share price has grown along with its share of search, and push into areas like contextual advertising, and hosted email, calendaring and publishing applications. Shares initially sold at $85 when the company went public in August 2004--and had closed at about $460 by the end of last year.
The search giant's progress has even driven some industry analysts (namely Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget) to forecast shares to hit $2,000 over the next few decades--but this quarter's all-important earnings release will most certainly determine the stock's performance for the near term.
Joe Mandese is Editor of MediaPost.
Barack Obama, African Americans, Clinton, and Black Fear Of Success
The way Rev. Al Sharpton's treated Senator Barack Obama earlier this year reminds me of something that happened to me in Oakland, and it's a sign of how we as African Americans fear social success and breaking the glass ceiling. Indeed, given that Barack could be our next President, you'd think there would be an automatic Black voting block.
Instead some of us are backing Hillary Clinton, but don't believe for a moment that it's because of Hillary Clinton -- it's because some of us are scared of seeing the reality of a Black person in charge of America. Let me explain.
In 1998, I worked for the City of Oakland, and then-Mayor Jerry Brown, fresh from his election victory, was moving into City Hall, I was to be transfered over from my office in the Mayor's Office, to ...somewhere.
Then-Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb personally asked me to talk with then-Economic Development Director Bill Claggett, with whom I did not entirely get along with at the time. But I did have lunch with him and he told me that he thought I talked like I knew everything. To which I said it wasn't that I did, but many people -- himself included -- were not used to hearing someone Black speak well.
At that point, I didn't want to go over to Economic Development
When I told Robert Robb what happened, his reaction was that he expected Glaggett to say that. "Oakland," he said, "Is a crabbarrel town. You know what I mean? You? Bright. Young. Articulate. Black. They can't stand that. They want to pull you down."
Because Bobb said that, I went to Economic Development -- simply because he knew what the problem was and how stupid some of the people were being. The same can be said for Reverend Al -- well the stupid part that is.
One big reason some of us African Americans have been slow to overcome the chains of the past and also willing to back Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama is that people like Reverend Al won't let us take them off. That's certainly not my problem as I'm a stauch supporter of Senator Obama for President, but that's not what I'm writing about here. I'm writing about those Blacks who actually fear Barack's success. Those who think he can't win because he's Black -- like them.
And for every one of us who does overcome that mentality and the chains that come with it, like Barack Obama, there's someone like Reverend Al, right there to put them back on again -- or at least try to. According to an article in the New York Post , Sharpton doens't like Obama and is jealous of his success. Or he was at the time the article was written.
Now Sharpton knows that if anyone can help him achieve his agenda, it's Barack Obama, but the possibility of success was not desirable to him as long as he had to deal with someone who's able to be something that Sharpton doesn't see himself as: bright, smart, and attractive.
So, Sharpton says Barack's "not Black" knowing all the time that slavery is not a measure of Blackness and never was. There were "free" Blacks even during Slavery. He also knows that many of us have some measure of "White blood," -- whatever that means as I tend to think in terms that are more specific to region and not skin color -- and that's certainly true for Barack. Big deal. It's how society regards us, and everyone sees Barack Obama as Black, including himself.
I've gotten the same slings and arrows from not just Blacks, but people like Bill Claggett, who's White, that Barack Obama's getting today. Fortunately, America's waking-up to the stupidity of people like Claggett and Sharpton, and in such a way that Sharpton's childish attitude could wind up hurting his friend and presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. More and more people are responding to Senator Obama as an individual who's a born leader and one who's capable of bridging gaps in society. Barack can win the presidency.
But such an outcome seems to be an issue to a "Crabbarel" like Reverend Al. As long as Blacks remain second class citizens and there's room for his "victimization" approach, and he's on top, that's all. It's all about Reverend Al, no matter how much it hurts other Blacks like me or Senator Obama.
He's just trying to pull us down.
Havard Professor Derrick Bell has explained these problems well. Bell once said that he got into a cab on the way to the airport, when the cabbie, who's African American, asked him what he did. "I'm a professor at Harvard," he said. "Oh, " responded the cab driver, It's folks like you who make it harder for the rest of us."
What the cab driver meant, and Bell understood, was that his position as a professor at Harvard was a sign that other African Americans could achieve that status, and that Bell's success made it harder for the cab driver to see his Blackness as a block to achivement.
Some of us who are Black may look at Barack the same way as the cabbie looked at Professor Bell, but it's wrong. We should see Barack as a role model and someone who can win the nomination, should win the nomination, and in doing so break that glass ceiling. Indeed, you'd think intelligent African Americans like Stanley Crouch would know this, but even he can't help tugging that mental chain. Crouch stupidly -- that's what it is -- said that Barack wasn't Black because he didn't have the background of slavery.
That's just plain dumb. It is.
To be frank, if Barack were Italian or Asian, people who identify themselves as Italian or Asian would speak of him with pride, not fear. We're the only set of people with the tendency to express fear of success, and that should be a major concern to everyone in America, regardless of race, creed, or color.
If we as a major part of American Culture can't feel good about ourselves, then we harm the ability of the country itself to improve. We've got to take off our mental chains and follow Barack, without fear.
Police Officers In A Very Bad Light - Are We Hiring Mentally Ill Officers?
As I write this I'm watching CNN's presentation of a terrible image of a White Maile police officer arresting, then spraying, and punching a young Black woman who was all of 90 pounds. Regardless of the explaination, it's obvious that it was an application of excessive force.
Then there was the other police officer -- again White and Male -- who's repeatedly tazering a young woman -- time after time.
Then there was the student at the John Kerry panel even in Florida -- a young man who like anyone else just wanted to have his say.
Then there's the Black preacher who wanted to get into the Iraq War Hearing and was wrestled to the ground and arrested -- even as others were allowed to pass him by.
Then there's the officer who went off and killed his girlfriend and others just a few days ago.
I could go on and on.
This is happening all too often and so the question must be asked "Are we hiring police officers who may be mentally ill?" What I mean is that the "modern" officer is one that uses force first, and not reason and does this all too often and all too quickly. Plus, the officers seem to do this more often with Blacks and other people of color.
Why?
Perhaps it's the kind of people who are attracted to the job, combined with the lack of screening to keep people who may be racist, sexist, or have anger management problems.
Moreover, why do police officers have to be male? Why not have more female officers?
Whatever the case, it's clear America needs to reform its law enforcement system, and before it's too late.
Then there was the other police officer -- again White and Male -- who's repeatedly tazering a young woman -- time after time.
Then there was the student at the John Kerry panel even in Florida -- a young man who like anyone else just wanted to have his say.
Then there's the Black preacher who wanted to get into the Iraq War Hearing and was wrestled to the ground and arrested -- even as others were allowed to pass him by.
Then there's the officer who went off and killed his girlfriend and others just a few days ago.
I could go on and on.
This is happening all too often and so the question must be asked "Are we hiring police officers who may be mentally ill?" What I mean is that the "modern" officer is one that uses force first, and not reason and does this all too often and all too quickly. Plus, the officers seem to do this more often with Blacks and other people of color.
Why?
Perhaps it's the kind of people who are attracted to the job, combined with the lack of screening to keep people who may be racist, sexist, or have anger management problems.
Moreover, why do police officers have to be male? Why not have more female officers?
Whatever the case, it's clear America needs to reform its law enforcement system, and before it's too late.
Leinart out for the season; Cards sign Rattay as backup to Warner
Associated Press
PHOENIX -- An already difficult second NFL season came to an end for Arizona's Matt Leinart on Tuesday when he was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone.
Kurt Warner, the 36-year-old quarterback who had shared duties with Leinart, moves into the starting job. The team signed Tim Rattay on Tuesday to be Warner's backup.
Leinart, a left-hander, fractured his left collarbone when he was sacked by Will Witherspoon in the second quarter of the Cardinals' 34-31 victory over the Rams in St. Louis on Sunday. He sat on the sideline in the second half with his arm in a sling.
"We didn't want to rush him back," first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "To hold a roster spot for that long is difficult, with some of the areas we are banged, with the hope he can get back in time. I am more concerned about him trying to rush back and maybe jeopardize his future."
The uncertain timetable was a major reason for calling an end to the young quarterback's season.
"Whenever you have a fracture there will be six weeks or however long it takes to heal," Whisenhunt said, "and then, especially because it is his throwing shoulder, you have to do the rehabilitation of it throwing the football. Who knows what it could have been? Could have been 8 weeks, could have been 12 weeks."
Leinart, the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft, had been unhappy with the two-quarterback system employed by Whisenhunt. The former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at USC has started 16 games for Arizona, including the first five this season.
But Whisenhunt used Warner when the team went to a no-huddle offense that often has been effective.
Warner's statistics are better than Leinart's.
Warner has completed 62 percent of his passes (43-of-69) for 580 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. Leinart has completed 54 percent (60-of-112) for 647 yards, with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Warner, a former NFL and Super Bowl MVP, is in his 10th NFL season, the past three with the Cardinals. He started the first four games last season before losing the job to the then-rookie Leinart.
Rattay, an eight-year veteran, played in four games last year for Tampa Bay and completed 61 of 101 passes. He played for the San Francisco 49ers for six years before being traded to the Buccaneers.
"He has competed in this league and he has started in this league," Whisenhunt said. "That will help him pick up the offense. Just the way he understands the game -- you see it on tape -- that's why we were interested in him."
PHOENIX -- An already difficult second NFL season came to an end for Arizona's Matt Leinart on Tuesday when he was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone.
Kurt Warner, the 36-year-old quarterback who had shared duties with Leinart, moves into the starting job. The team signed Tim Rattay on Tuesday to be Warner's backup.
Leinart, a left-hander, fractured his left collarbone when he was sacked by Will Witherspoon in the second quarter of the Cardinals' 34-31 victory over the Rams in St. Louis on Sunday. He sat on the sideline in the second half with his arm in a sling.
"We didn't want to rush him back," first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "To hold a roster spot for that long is difficult, with some of the areas we are banged, with the hope he can get back in time. I am more concerned about him trying to rush back and maybe jeopardize his future."
The uncertain timetable was a major reason for calling an end to the young quarterback's season.
"Whenever you have a fracture there will be six weeks or however long it takes to heal," Whisenhunt said, "and then, especially because it is his throwing shoulder, you have to do the rehabilitation of it throwing the football. Who knows what it could have been? Could have been 8 weeks, could have been 12 weeks."
Leinart, the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft, had been unhappy with the two-quarterback system employed by Whisenhunt. The former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at USC has started 16 games for Arizona, including the first five this season.
But Whisenhunt used Warner when the team went to a no-huddle offense that often has been effective.
Warner's statistics are better than Leinart's.
Warner has completed 62 percent of his passes (43-of-69) for 580 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. Leinart has completed 54 percent (60-of-112) for 647 yards, with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Warner, a former NFL and Super Bowl MVP, is in his 10th NFL season, the past three with the Cardinals. He started the first four games last season before losing the job to the then-rookie Leinart.
Rattay, an eight-year veteran, played in four games last year for Tampa Bay and completed 61 of 101 passes. He played for the San Francisco 49ers for six years before being traded to the Buccaneers.
"He has competed in this league and he has started in this league," Whisenhunt said. "That will help him pick up the offense. Just the way he understands the game -- you see it on tape -- that's why we were interested in him."
The Mess Congress Made: Immigration inaction is fueling Irving panic
This article was written by the Dallas Morning News. www.dallasnews.com
06:47 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Many North Texans are reacting to Irving's crackdown on illegal immigrants by saying: Darn right, they're breaking the law, and it's about time we sent them packing. Folks on the opposite side counter: This is a harsh overreaction against people who are working, contributing to the economy and paying taxes.
The mood is getting nastier by the day. Fear abounds within the Hispanic community. Latino U.S. citizens, along with legal and illegal immigrants, worry that they could be hunted down and deported. Irving schools have noticed a drop in attendance because some parents, fearing deportation, have gone into hiding with their children.
"They get this notion that someone is going to actually come to school and snatch their children," Irving ISD Superintendent Jack Singley told The Dallas Morning News last week.
No matter where you stand in the illegal-immigration debate, this state of affairs should be unsettling. No one wins when children are on the streets instead of in the classroom. Federal law requires schools to educate children regardless of immigration status. A climate of fear, whether prompted by police action or unsubstantiated rumor, can only disrupt learning and ultimately wastes taxpayer dollars.
The crackdown in Irving – along with Farmers Branch and dozens of other communities across the country – is a reaction to a more profound problem. Local governments are getting involved in immigration enforcement because Washington is too timid to confront it.
Congress has repeatedly failed to tackle the issue of comprehensive immigration reform, a hot potato that few politicians want to handle before the November 2008 elections. Having lost patience, local governments increasingly are intervening, even though immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.
This is an abysmal state of affairs. Members of Congress are fooling themselves if they think immigration reform will somehow get easier the longer they delay it.
We think it's pathetic that Irving schoolchildren are being kept home out of fear. But what's even more pathetic is the fear – of voter reprisal – that is preventing Congress from doing its job.
06:47 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Many North Texans are reacting to Irving's crackdown on illegal immigrants by saying: Darn right, they're breaking the law, and it's about time we sent them packing. Folks on the opposite side counter: This is a harsh overreaction against people who are working, contributing to the economy and paying taxes.
The mood is getting nastier by the day. Fear abounds within the Hispanic community. Latino U.S. citizens, along with legal and illegal immigrants, worry that they could be hunted down and deported. Irving schools have noticed a drop in attendance because some parents, fearing deportation, have gone into hiding with their children.
"They get this notion that someone is going to actually come to school and snatch their children," Irving ISD Superintendent Jack Singley told The Dallas Morning News last week.
No matter where you stand in the illegal-immigration debate, this state of affairs should be unsettling. No one wins when children are on the streets instead of in the classroom. Federal law requires schools to educate children regardless of immigration status. A climate of fear, whether prompted by police action or unsubstantiated rumor, can only disrupt learning and ultimately wastes taxpayer dollars.
The crackdown in Irving – along with Farmers Branch and dozens of other communities across the country – is a reaction to a more profound problem. Local governments are getting involved in immigration enforcement because Washington is too timid to confront it.
Congress has repeatedly failed to tackle the issue of comprehensive immigration reform, a hot potato that few politicians want to handle before the November 2008 elections. Having lost patience, local governments increasingly are intervening, even though immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.
This is an abysmal state of affairs. Members of Congress are fooling themselves if they think immigration reform will somehow get easier the longer they delay it.
We think it's pathetic that Irving schoolchildren are being kept home out of fear. But what's even more pathetic is the fear – of voter reprisal – that is preventing Congress from doing its job.
Oakland Raiders Invade San Diego To Maul Chargers
That's what's going to happen. The Oakland Raiders are going to maul and manhandle the San Diego Chargers. Get tickets for the game here -- NFL Tickets Exchange
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