Remember Laure Manaudou, who famously quit this year's Summer Olympics because of the stress of making a comeback after the tripple story of the breakup with Luca Martin, her boyfriend who may have posted nude photos of her on the Internet, then the appearance of Martin at the Olympics with Italian swimming star Frederica Pellegrini, and the added need to break the World records she set in 2006, has broke her record in the women's 50 backstroke at the French Short Course Nationals, posting a time of 27:30, which just shaved her previous time of 27:46, a meet record set in 2006.
This is a sort of comeback for Manaudou, as her Olympic trip was a total disaster. Here's my video explaining what happened:
Monday, December 15, 2008
Charles Barkley says Auburn's Choice of Gene Chizik Over Turner Gill Was Racism - ESPN
ESPN - Charles Barkley outraged by Auburn Tigers' hiring of Gene Chizik: “Former Auburn and NBA star Charles Barkley ripped his alma mater on Monday, saying the only reason the Tigers did not hire Buffalo's Turner Gill as the school's new football coach is because Gill is black.
Auburn on Saturday hired Iowa State's Gene Chizik, who had a 5-19 record in two seasons with the Cyclones. Chizik was the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2004, when the Tigers finished 13-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country.
Chizik replaces former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who won 85 games in 10 seasons but was forced to resign earlier this month.
"I think race was the No. 1 factor," said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. "You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume."”
--- Charles is correct. Auburn hired a person who's record shows he's not competent over Turner Gill, who's performance shows he is competent. That could only happen in a racist environment. Just because President-Elect Barack Obama is America's first Black President does not mean racism suddenly ended, it just stopped as we knew it. Now, it's marginalized to specific areas of America. But it's also now seen as a mental illness.
Auburn on Saturday hired Iowa State's Gene Chizik, who had a 5-19 record in two seasons with the Cyclones. Chizik was the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2004, when the Tigers finished 13-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country.
Chizik replaces former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who won 85 games in 10 seasons but was forced to resign earlier this month.
"I think race was the No. 1 factor," said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. "You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume."”
--- Charles is correct. Auburn hired a person who's record shows he's not competent over Turner Gill, who's performance shows he is competent. That could only happen in a racist environment. Just because President-Elect Barack Obama is America's first Black President does not mean racism suddenly ended, it just stopped as we knew it. Now, it's marginalized to specific areas of America. But it's also now seen as a mental illness.
Meg Whitman, homophobe - valleywag.com
Politics: Meg Whitman, homophobe valleywag.com: “With her unofficial bid to be California's governor, Meg Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of eBay, is leaning hard to the right. Her support of a gay marriage ban could doom her campaign.
Whitman, as we've noted, is an oddity among Silicon Valley Republicans, who tend to worry more about lower taxes than hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage. In the Republican presidential primaries, she supported Mitt Romney, a Mormon with conservative social views. But it wasn't until recently that Whitman started talking about her own support for Proposition 8, California's recently passed ban on same-sex marriages.”
Whitman, as we've noted, is an oddity among Silicon Valley Republicans, who tend to worry more about lower taxes than hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage. In the Republican presidential primaries, she supported Mitt Romney, a Mormon with conservative social views. But it wasn't until recently that Whitman started talking about her own support for Proposition 8, California's recently passed ban on same-sex marriages.”
President Bush Dodges Shoes Thrown by Iraqi Journalist
Wow. What I now think is shoes should be removed and stored during a press conference. I'm rather serious here.
Greta Van Susteren Goes Off On CNN Layoffs - Gretawire
Blood Bath at CNN ? No “heroes” in management there! « GretaWire: “They did it again! CNN fires people just in time for Christmas! Make you sick?
People often ask why I left CNN…..I didn’t like management. I liked my colleagues in the news gathering but the corporate culture that seized management when AOL came in (Steve Case and Gerry Levin) was disgusting. Everything changed. Don’t get me wrong - I like corporate organization and a corporation should make money - what I don’t like is a mean spirited selfish management that, despite not doing its job of efficiently running the company, lines it pockets. And then the topper? because the management didn’t run the company well, CNN fires loyal people to meet some bottom line the management failed to meet. Blame the little guy not the way the company is run? Go figure! Well….CNN management did not disappoint me yesterday…meaning, it met my low expectations.”
--- This is a crass move by CNN management. It's the timing. Why the holidays?
People often ask why I left CNN…..I didn’t like management. I liked my colleagues in the news gathering but the corporate culture that seized management when AOL came in (Steve Case and Gerry Levin) was disgusting. Everything changed. Don’t get me wrong - I like corporate organization and a corporation should make money - what I don’t like is a mean spirited selfish management that, despite not doing its job of efficiently running the company, lines it pockets. And then the topper? because the management didn’t run the company well, CNN fires loyal people to meet some bottom line the management failed to meet. Blame the little guy not the way the company is run? Go figure! Well….CNN management did not disappoint me yesterday…meaning, it met my low expectations.”
--- This is a crass move by CNN management. It's the timing. Why the holidays?
Franken Camp: Coleman Is Desperate, Knows He's Going To Lose TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo |
TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Franken Camp: Coleman Is Desperate, Knows He's Going To Lose: “In a press briefing just now, a very exuberant Franken campaign put forward a clear message about today's big news that the wrongly-rejected absentee ballots can be counted, which the Coleman campaign is trying to halt by going to court: Norm Coleman is desperate, because he knows he's going to lose.
The shift in tone from the Franken camp, compared to their more defensive posture in previous calls, reflects just how suddenly the dynamics of the race have shifted in his favor today.”
The shift in tone from the Franken camp, compared to their more defensive posture in previous calls, reflects just how suddenly the dynamics of the race have shifted in his favor today.”
Iraqi reporter throws shoes at Bush, calls him dog TPM: News Pages | Talking Points Memo |
TPM: News Pages | Talking Points Memo | Iraqi reporter throws shoes at Bush, calls him dog: “BAGHDAD, Dec 14 (Reuters) - An Iraqi reporter called visiting U.S. President George W. Bush a "dog" in Arabic on Sunday and threw his shoes at him during a news conference in Baghdad.
Iraqi security officers and U.S. secret service agents leapt at the man and dragged him struggling and screaming out of the room where Bush was giving a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
The shoes missed their target about 15 feet (4.5 metres) away. One sailed over Bush's head as he stood next to Maliki and smacked into the wall behind him. Bush smiled uncomfortably and Maliki looked strained.
"It doesn't bother me," Bush said, urging everyone to calm down as a ruckus broke out in the conference room.
When asked about the incident shortly after, Bush made light of it. "I didn't feel the least threatened by it," he said.”
Iraqi security officers and U.S. secret service agents leapt at the man and dragged him struggling and screaming out of the room where Bush was giving a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
The shoes missed their target about 15 feet (4.5 metres) away. One sailed over Bush's head as he stood next to Maliki and smacked into the wall behind him. Bush smiled uncomfortably and Maliki looked strained.
"It doesn't bother me," Bush said, urging everyone to calm down as a ruckus broke out in the conference room.
When asked about the incident shortly after, Bush made light of it. "I didn't feel the least threatened by it," he said.”
Tina Brown And "The Daily Beast": Any Black Folks Around There?
The Daily Beast is a new website along the lines of The Huffington Post from a content standpoint and started by long-time magazine editor Tina Brown and with an investment by Barry Diller. The rumor has been that $18 million was invested in the site and that the company was burning through $1 million or so in a month. Here in the video, Brown dispells those rumors.
In all, The Daily Beast is certainly an interesting "go" in that Brown is not going to have a set of unpaid bloggers, as The Huff Post does, but all paid writers, In other words a news and content staff.
I think that's a terrible idea because it places a high cost template in the business model and causes a higher level of revenue to be reached. Translation: a constant burn rate. But what's even more alarming to me is this staff photo we see: where the hell's the staff diversity?
Has Tina ever heard of Black folks at all? Indeed, she wasn't a fan of President-Elect Barack Obama, but one of those who knee-jerk pointed to the "media bias against Hillary Clinton " while walking ignorantly past the dark racism that Obama faced during the campaign.
Regardless, assembling an almost-all-white (one Indian) news staff in an era that prizes diversity is massively irresponsible.
Partly as a result of this "one-think", The Daily Beast is woefully devoid of any original content at present. It's a cross between the online version of The New York Daily News, and The Huffington Post. If "news is advertising" as Brown says in the video, The Beast has terrible ad content.
For some reason I can see this lasting two or three years -- tops. That's not because of the staffing, but the total package. There's nothing original here.
Interview: New NYT.com GM Denise Warren: | paidContent.org
Interview: New NYT.com GM Denise Warren: Tip-toeing Into Aggregation With Guarded Optimism | paidContent.org: “As if heading advertising for the New York Times (NYSE: NYT) Media Group wasn’t tough enough in this climate, Denise Warren is taking on the role of GM of NYTimes.com as the site fends off increased challenges from competitors and the economy. Warren has been chief advertising officer of the NYT Media Group for three years and has been with The New York Times Company for 20 years.”
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Oakland Raiders Stink - New England Up 42 to 20 In Rain-Soaked Game
I've been an Oakland Raiders fan since I was little, and went to a lot of games. I've seen bad years, but this one's too much to take. For the second straight year, the Oakland Raiders are guaranteed of a high -- second pick in 2009 -- NFL Draft pick. It's not that the Raiders need the players; the Raiders need a coach and a system.
Right now, they're losing 42 to 20 to the New England Patriots at the Raiders home, a windy, cold Oakland Coliseum. The main problem is the defense; good in places, the Pats no-huddle strategy got them off guard. What's the best answer? Blitz and from different angles. Make them think about what they're doing. But the Raiders didn't do that.
Still, this 3 and 10 team could come back. It's 3:30 in the third quarter, and the Raiders just need to score three more touchdowns and a field goal to win.
Oh, and hold the Pats to zero additional points.
Let's see what happens.
Right now, they're losing 42 to 20 to the New England Patriots at the Raiders home, a windy, cold Oakland Coliseum. The main problem is the defense; good in places, the Pats no-huddle strategy got them off guard. What's the best answer? Blitz and from different angles. Make them think about what they're doing. But the Raiders didn't do that.
Still, this 3 and 10 team could come back. It's 3:30 in the third quarter, and the Raiders just need to score three more touchdowns and a field goal to win.
Oh, and hold the Pats to zero additional points.
Let's see what happens.
David Gregory on Meet The Press - White males rule Sunday news shows - SfGate.com
White males rule Sunday news shows: “This is David Gregory's first Sunday as the host of NBC's long-running "Meet the Press," beginning what one of his rivals calls a new, post-Tim Russert era for the network Sunday public affairs shows. But some wonder if anything will really change.
Not only does Gregory's promotion in the aftermath of Russert's death ensure that all the shows will continue to be hosted by white men, roughly 80 percent of the newsmakers and pundits who have appeared on the shows over the past eight years also have been white men, according to an ongoing study by the liberal think tank Media Matters for America. (The organization's latest figures for "Fox News Sunday" are from 2005-06. In that period, 80 percent of the show's guests were male and 82 percent were white.)”
Not only does Gregory's promotion in the aftermath of Russert's death ensure that all the shows will continue to be hosted by white men, roughly 80 percent of the newsmakers and pundits who have appeared on the shows over the past eight years also have been white men, according to an ongoing study by the liberal think tank Media Matters for America. (The organization's latest figures for "Fox News Sunday" are from 2005-06. In that period, 80 percent of the show's guests were male and 82 percent were white.)”
Bailout’s critics? Republicans from states with foreign automakers | Muckety.com - See the news
Bailout’s toughest critics were Republicans from states with foreign automakers | Muckety.com - See the news: “Richard Shelby of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, for instance, took a particularly harsh tone with auto executives, suggesting their restructuring bids “are not a serious set of plans.”
Since the 1990s, Alabama has won three assembly plants, from Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, and an engine plant by Toyota.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who slammed the bailout plan Thursday, has a Toyota plant in Georgetown.
And Bob Corker of Tennessee, who played a starring role in efforts to broker a last-minute Senate compromise Thursday, has the American headquarters of Japan’s Nissan, several Nissan plants and a planned factory by Volkswagon in his state.
But Corker’s compromise effort collapsed after the United Auto Workers refused to accept Corker’s insistence of wage and benefit concessions in 2009 to create parity with workers at U.S. factories owned by Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and other foreign companies.
“We offered any date in the year 2009 - any date - any date, just when will we actually get there,” Corker said on the Senate floor after his proposed deal collapsed.”
Since the 1990s, Alabama has won three assembly plants, from Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, and an engine plant by Toyota.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who slammed the bailout plan Thursday, has a Toyota plant in Georgetown.
And Bob Corker of Tennessee, who played a starring role in efforts to broker a last-minute Senate compromise Thursday, has the American headquarters of Japan’s Nissan, several Nissan plants and a planned factory by Volkswagon in his state.
But Corker’s compromise effort collapsed after the United Auto Workers refused to accept Corker’s insistence of wage and benefit concessions in 2009 to create parity with workers at U.S. factories owned by Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and other foreign companies.
“We offered any date in the year 2009 - any date - any date, just when will we actually get there,” Corker said on the Senate floor after his proposed deal collapsed.”
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