More at the New York Post: “
The film was "The Last Seduction," but those who know Linda Fiorentino say the character that made her famous isn't far from the actress' own life. And in the real-life story, the "she done him wrong" role is played by her FBI-agent boyfriend, Mark Rossini.
The former G-man, 47, turned in his badge several weeks ago for accessing agency files on the case of private investigator Anthony Pellicano without authorization and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts.
So far, the only connection between Rossini - who faces jail time but may only receive probation under a plea deal - and Pellicano is Fiorentino, who had an obsession with the Pellicano case, the former agent's friends say.”
-- Art imitates life? I wonder to what degree Fiorentino's roles impacted her real life in this case?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Blagojevich Investigators Won't Subpoena Obama Aides - FOXNews.com
More at FOXNews.com Transition Tracker: “CHICAGO -- The Illinois House committee investigating a possible impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't subpoena two incoming White House advisers, the committee chairwoman said Saturday, shutting down a request from the governor's attorney.
In a letter received by the committee Friday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the special investigative committee specifically to not subpoena President-elect Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nils Larsen, a Tribune Co. executive vice president.
Fitzgerald said any such subpoenas "would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation into the activities of Governor Rod Blagojevich and others."”
-- To me this is evidence that it was a member or members of the Obama camp that "outted" Blago to begin with. They're being protected and rightly so. Blago should not have disrespected the President-Elect with his behavior.
In a letter received by the committee Friday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the special investigative committee specifically to not subpoena President-elect Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nils Larsen, a Tribune Co. executive vice president.
Fitzgerald said any such subpoenas "would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation into the activities of Governor Rod Blagojevich and others."”
-- To me this is evidence that it was a member or members of the Obama camp that "outted" Blago to begin with. They're being protected and rightly so. Blago should not have disrespected the President-Elect with his behavior.
Planes landing at Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport 香港 啟德機場 Compilation 1
This is a disaster waiting to happen. I can't believe how low these planes fly over this hyper-urban Hong Kong or that nothing -- no crash -- has ever happened. But what about near misses?
How To Get More Women to Be Video Bloggers
There's an idea out there that there are more male than female video-bloggers and an anecdotal scan would seem to confirm that. My video explains how we can change that by encouraging women to vlog, and protecting them from harm and harrasment online to the extent that's possible. Here's the iReport version .
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Republican candidate Chip Saltsman Distributes Racist Obama song
More at TheHill.com: “RNC candidate Chip Saltsman’s Christmas greeting to committee members includes a music CD with lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro,” first played on Rush Limbaugh’s popular radio show.
Saltsman, a personal friend of conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, sent a 41-track CD along with a note to national committee members. ”
-- And the Republicans wonder why they lost the election?
Saltsman, a personal friend of conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, sent a 41-track CD along with a note to national committee members. ”
-- And the Republicans wonder why they lost the election?
Israel expels UN rights envoy Richard Falk - Dec 17 08
From AlJazeera English:
"The United Nation's top human rights official has condemned Israel's expulsion of Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories, from the country, calling it "unprecedented" and "deeply regrettable. Al Jazeera's Ghida Fakhry spoke to Falk about his expulsion and the potential repercussions."
Another example of Perez hard-line war-like stance. Not a good pattern of behavior here.
Raw Video: Israel Strikes Hamas
This attack reported by the AP here:
"Israeli aircraft have struck Hamas security compounds across Gaza in an unprecedented series of simultaneous strikes. Hamas reports dozens of people were killed. The first strikes came just after noon. (Dec. 27)"
was unexpected, and tests American support of Israel. There are 225 dead and it comes as Israel had said it would not carry out such an operation.
Israeli President Shimon Peres lied because he said Israel had no plans to do such a thing, but have stepped forward and done it. With no advanced warning.
Obama's saying nothing at this point, but he's right to do so: Bush is the president -- he could, of course, step down. But we still have the old Congress to deal with still.
Regardless, Perez must be held in check. If I were Obama, I would wait, then use my friends to cause him to fall in line once I were President, then back their actions.
12/24/08 President-elect Barack Obama's Weekly Address
President-Elect Obama gave a great presentation on Christmas Eve, and I've noticed that he's adjusted his suit since I pointed out the problem the first time! At any rate, Obama asked us to think about those who we pay our tax dollars to who are fighting for America, whether we like the war or not. He also turns attention to the economic problems at home, which call for trillions to solve.
Gov Blago's lawyer asks panel to subpoena Obama staff
More at SFGate.com : “In a move intended to force public testimony from President-elect Barack Obama's inner circle, a lawyer for Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including Obama's incoming chief of staff.”
-- Blago knows where the bodies are buried, but not with Obama's people. Things will get interesting when -- and if -- Blago turns to the Illinois legislature in the other issues surrounding the ethics charges.
-- Blago knows where the bodies are buried, but not with Obama's people. Things will get interesting when -- and if -- Blago turns to the Illinois legislature in the other issues surrounding the ethics charges.
Caroline Kennedy, in Senate Bid, Asked About Finances
More at SFGate.com: “(12-25) 16:30 PST New York (AP) -- At this time last year, Caroline Kennedy was promoting "A Family Christmas," her collection of essays that featured the memory of her father letting her use the White House switchboard to call Santa.
This year, after warily stepping into the political free-for-all for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's job, Kennedy's activities during the holiday season included fending off requests to disclose financial information.
The calls for Kennedy to release her financial information, required of many public officials including her uncle Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, come after a lifetime of carefully cultivated privacy.
By all accounts a very wealthy woman who could be worth as much as $400 million, Kennedy has said she will not release details of her finances unless Democratic Gov. David Paterson picks her for the Senate seat that will open up if Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state.”
--- If she has to do so, then so do the other candidates. That's only fair. I think there are opponents who are way too zealous in trying to find "something" on Caroline Kennedy.
This year, after warily stepping into the political free-for-all for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's job, Kennedy's activities during the holiday season included fending off requests to disclose financial information.
The calls for Kennedy to release her financial information, required of many public officials including her uncle Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, come after a lifetime of carefully cultivated privacy.
By all accounts a very wealthy woman who could be worth as much as $400 million, Kennedy has said she will not release details of her finances unless Democratic Gov. David Paterson picks her for the Senate seat that will open up if Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state.”
--- If she has to do so, then so do the other candidates. That's only fair. I think there are opponents who are way too zealous in trying to find "something" on Caroline Kennedy.
Israel demolishes Hamas compounds, over 200 dead - AP and SFGate
More at SF Gate.com: “Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing more than 200 people and wounding nearly 400 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.”
Friday, December 26, 2008
Loic Le Meur's Call For Twitter "Search By Authority" Is Misguided and Self-Serving
I just read at TechCrunch , and then at his own blog, and with some dismay, Seesmic founder and entrepreneur Loic Le Meur's call for a "Search by Authority " feature on Twitter based on the number of followers a person has. I have to say that call is -- to be blunt -- 1) way off-base, and 2) very self-serving. I'll take the second assertion first.
Le Meur has as of this writing 15,196 followers on Twitter. Do you for a moment think that he would dare dream of such a provision if he had, say 800 followers or less? Of course not. Le Meur's also very wrong and really horribly arrogant to be direct in his statement that "we're not equal on the Web." Well. that's not the point at all, and I'm really surprised that he would even concern himself with what is essentially a teenage concern: who's better than whom?
I thought the whole deal about New Media was that it not only equalized us but was fluid: at one point a person was up, but given the winds of change, could give way to a new comer. Quickly. That's the fun of all this. As Farid Zakaria put it in the latest edition (as of this writing) of Newsweek on "The Global Elite , "Knoweldge is Power" and he was referring directly to the Internet's impact on culture.
He's right.
For Le Meur to even call for such a provision on Twitter is an insult to those of us who understand that considering the capabilities of anyone of us, we really are all equal. Moreover, it's an attempt to lock in place the favored position he thinks he deserves.
Come on!
Loic knows damn well that one way to add followers is to follow people on Twitter first. Thus, he has 15,928 folks he's following, which is just ahead of his number of followers and indicates he's been a user of that way to gain followers over time. Now, Twitter has taken on the act of restricting the number of people one can follow, making it impossible to use that system -- as LeMeur has done -- to gain followers.
So he has this advantage and now wants to lock it in. Ah, all for the love of power and the maintenance of authority.
Forget it.
Now I'll take my first point, that Le Meur's off base. He is for the simple reason that I don't need or want some indicator to tell me what's important. I will do that for myself. If I want to pay attention to a new news brand on Twitter, Loic's idea could hamper their growth. An important call for action by someone small and liberal, could be blotted out by someone large and Republican and with "authority" as Loic see it.
No way.
Authority does not equal followers perfectly in this new society. It is an reward for being known for a moment, but also at times for gaming the system, again for a moment and that's true in Twitterville -- let's be real honest here.
Real authority, like it or not, is fluid and ever changing. It's a byproduct of power, which too is fleeting and today is tied to eyeballs that last for, again, a moment. I often laugh at those who believe they can capture it for themselves forever. Pure folly. Perhaps Loic can't deal with that kind of chaos of the fluidity of power, but I welcome it and will fight to make sure that it's maintained. As much respect as I have for Le Meur's accomplishments, this idea must be jettisoned.
Now.
UPDATE: fortunately, the blogsphere's rising up against this idea, not Loic, but the proposed plan. Check out Sarah Lacy's blog on the matter.
Le Meur has as of this writing 15,196 followers on Twitter. Do you for a moment think that he would dare dream of such a provision if he had, say 800 followers or less? Of course not. Le Meur's also very wrong and really horribly arrogant to be direct in his statement that "we're not equal on the Web." Well. that's not the point at all, and I'm really surprised that he would even concern himself with what is essentially a teenage concern: who's better than whom?
I thought the whole deal about New Media was that it not only equalized us but was fluid: at one point a person was up, but given the winds of change, could give way to a new comer. Quickly. That's the fun of all this. As Farid Zakaria put it in the latest edition (as of this writing) of Newsweek on "The Global Elite , "Knoweldge is Power" and he was referring directly to the Internet's impact on culture.
He's right.
For Le Meur to even call for such a provision on Twitter is an insult to those of us who understand that considering the capabilities of anyone of us, we really are all equal. Moreover, it's an attempt to lock in place the favored position he thinks he deserves.
Come on!
Loic knows damn well that one way to add followers is to follow people on Twitter first. Thus, he has 15,928 folks he's following, which is just ahead of his number of followers and indicates he's been a user of that way to gain followers over time. Now, Twitter has taken on the act of restricting the number of people one can follow, making it impossible to use that system -- as LeMeur has done -- to gain followers.
So he has this advantage and now wants to lock it in. Ah, all for the love of power and the maintenance of authority.
Forget it.
Now I'll take my first point, that Le Meur's off base. He is for the simple reason that I don't need or want some indicator to tell me what's important. I will do that for myself. If I want to pay attention to a new news brand on Twitter, Loic's idea could hamper their growth. An important call for action by someone small and liberal, could be blotted out by someone large and Republican and with "authority" as Loic see it.
No way.
Authority does not equal followers perfectly in this new society. It is an reward for being known for a moment, but also at times for gaming the system, again for a moment and that's true in Twitterville -- let's be real honest here.
Real authority, like it or not, is fluid and ever changing. It's a byproduct of power, which too is fleeting and today is tied to eyeballs that last for, again, a moment. I often laugh at those who believe they can capture it for themselves forever. Pure folly. Perhaps Loic can't deal with that kind of chaos of the fluidity of power, but I welcome it and will fight to make sure that it's maintained. As much respect as I have for Le Meur's accomplishments, this idea must be jettisoned.
Now.
UPDATE: fortunately, the blogsphere's rising up against this idea, not Loic, but the proposed plan. Check out Sarah Lacy's blog on the matter.
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