From the White House:
President Obama makes key announcements regarding the safety of our nation's food.
(this video is public domain)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
President Barack Obama - 3/14/09: Your Weekly Address
Friday, March 13, 2009
Stock Market Gained 700 Points This Week
Finally it seems the stock market hit bottom. After losing value since last fall, the market gained -- in fits and starts -- 700 points. To me, it means the market hits equilibrium where the total wealth spent in the market has matched the price level. Now, the President's policies have not entirely taken effect, but we can say that the efforts to save key Wall Street businesses set the ground work for this recovery. To me we're all the way there -- recovered -- when the market his 10,000 again and that can happen.
SXSW Has "Blacks in Tech Meetup Tonight at the Carver"
I saw this on the SXSW website, and would you believe I've still not been to a SXSW! Terrible me. But I'm happy to report SXSW is hosting the "Blacks in Tech Meetup Tonight at the Carver" as the decription reads, "this event celebrates our ongoing effort to bring a more diverse lineup of panelists to SXSW Interactive. The Blacks in Technology Meetup is open to new media professionals as well as those who are hoping to break into this industry. In other words, no badge required to attend."
That's awesome and worth more commentary. A great effort. I'm happy to see this and wish I was there.
That's awesome and worth more commentary. A great effort. I'm happy to see this and wish I was there.
Why Does Anti-Intellectualism Exist?
As an observer and student of pseudoscience for thirty years, I have long been puzzled as to why exactly this phenomenon exists at all. Why is anti-intellectualism so pervasive? What possible benefit do people get from clinging to demonstrably false ideas? Why are education and inquiry so grudgingly supported, and so often regarded with suspicion?
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
AOL Gets A New CEO: Google's Tim Armstrong
Google(GOOG) sales chief Tim Armstrong becomes chairman and CEO of the troubled Web property, effective immediately.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Did Britain have a black queen?
Queen Charlotte was the wife of George III and, like him, of German descent. But did she also have African ancestry?
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
5 Facts About Friday the 13th
If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 is an unusually unlucky year. This week's Friday the 13th is one of three to endure this year.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
High IQ Linked to Reduced Risk of Death
A study of one million Swedish men has revealed a strong link between cognitive ability and the risk of death, suggesting that government initiatives to increase education opportunities may also have health benefits.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Newsom Oakland Town Hall Interrupted By Bayview Protester...
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom came to Oakland to give a town hall meeting on his plans for California as governor. The meeting went well, but it was interrupted by protestors from the Bayview Neighborhood.
Journalist Union End Game for Chronicle Could Be Purchase: News: SFAppeal
More at SFAppeal: “As the California Media Workers Guild at the San Francisco Chronicle prepare for a ratification vote on job and compensation concessions to Hearst Corp., the union leadership is exploring potential partnerships to eventually acquire the newspaper.
"In 16 months," said Carl Hall, local Guild representative at The Chronicle, "we should be talking about buy in and not buy-outs."
In an interview Tuesday, Hall was looking past the painful week of negotiations that produced the tentative agreement on concessions that Chronicle publisher Hearst had been demanding under threat of a sale or closure of the 144-year-old paper.
"We are working on it," Hall said. "We hope to form an investor group that would be prepared to step in."”
-- Can they come up with the money, that's the question? And can they generate enough revenue to operate it -- second question. They should team up with Craigslist.
"In 16 months," said Carl Hall, local Guild representative at The Chronicle, "we should be talking about buy in and not buy-outs."
In an interview Tuesday, Hall was looking past the painful week of negotiations that produced the tentative agreement on concessions that Chronicle publisher Hearst had been demanding under threat of a sale or closure of the 144-year-old paper.
"We are working on it," Hall said. "We hope to form an investor group that would be prepared to step in."”
-- Can they come up with the money, that's the question? And can they generate enough revenue to operate it -- second question. They should team up with Craigslist.
SF Chronicle Owned By Craigslist? A Possible Future
According to Real Clear Politics, The San Francisco Chronicle is one of ten newspapers in trouble. The total list in order from "still alive" to "almost passed on" is:
10. NY Daily News
9. LA Times
8. St. Paul Pioneer Press
7. Chicago Sun-Times
6. Detroit News
5. San Francisco Chronicle
4. Miami Herald
3. Philadelphia Daily News
2. Rocky Mountain News
1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The San Francisco Chronicle, at number five, may cease to exist if management and union can't get together on an adjustment to the collective bargaining agreement. (UPDATE: Seattle P-I reported close to closure). That did happen on Monday, with Thursday of this week set as the day for a large meeting for the Chronicle Guild to ratify the agreement. As of the making of the video, no place was secured but that was to happen today, Tuesday. It did according to Mediaworkers.org.
The day and time of the meeting is Thursday, March 12, 5-8 p.m respectively and the place is Cyril Magnin room, Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin St in San Francisco (north from the Chronicle building on Fifth Street and across Market), and discussion will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. They expect to have the vote at 7:30 p.m.
The Chronicle is threatening to cut 225 or more guild positions if the union that represents journalists and other employees doesn’t meet the company’s demands, according to Mediaworkers.org.
The paper has about 500 total guild members, according to a source at the Chronicle.
If the union does agree to concessions, then the paper would cut at least 150 guild positions. The paper wants workers to give up senority rights, cut back vacation and sick leave. So the paper lays off employees, agreement or not.
While this is happening, people are steadily moving online to get news. The number of people visiting newspaper Web sites in January reached a new high, according to the Newspaper Association of America. During that month, 74.8 million unique visitors went to newspaper Web sites, an increase of
11% year-over-year and due to the interest in the Obama Inauguration. It is the highest number of unique users recorded since the association started tracking online industry stats in 2004.
Meanwhile, San Francisco-based social listing site Craigslist drew 26.7 million unique visitors in May 2008 alone according to Nielsen Online. That's just over one-third the total number of new visitors for all of the newspapers in their best month in history. Craigslist earned $81 million in 2008, $55 million in 2007, and could "easily top $200 million" with some small increase in fees. All of this with a staff of about 20 people.
Craiglist is a giant, dwarfing the New York Times and SFGate.com in unique visitors by a large margin claiming 60 percent of daily page view traffic in an Alexa comparison with the two sites. Why did the SF Chronicle not copy Craigslist?
Or more to another point, is the SF Chronicle going to merge with Craiglist? I can tell you from a good source that conversations have taken place on some kind of relationship. Will it lead to Craigslist
buying the Chronicle is anyone's guess, but it's a possible future.
YouTube, MySpace, Metacafe, DailyMotion, Blip.tv, Crackle, Sclipo, Viddler and Howcast
10. NY Daily News
9. LA Times
8. St. Paul Pioneer Press
7. Chicago Sun-Times
6. Detroit News
5. San Francisco Chronicle
4. Miami Herald
3. Philadelphia Daily News
2. Rocky Mountain News
1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The San Francisco Chronicle, at number five, may cease to exist if management and union can't get together on an adjustment to the collective bargaining agreement. (UPDATE: Seattle P-I reported close to closure). That did happen on Monday, with Thursday of this week set as the day for a large meeting for the Chronicle Guild to ratify the agreement. As of the making of the video, no place was secured but that was to happen today, Tuesday. It did according to Mediaworkers.org.
The day and time of the meeting is Thursday, March 12, 5-8 p.m respectively and the place is Cyril Magnin room, Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin St in San Francisco (north from the Chronicle building on Fifth Street and across Market), and discussion will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. They expect to have the vote at 7:30 p.m.
The Chronicle is threatening to cut 225 or more guild positions if the union that represents journalists and other employees doesn’t meet the company’s demands, according to Mediaworkers.org.
The paper has about 500 total guild members, according to a source at the Chronicle.
If the union does agree to concessions, then the paper would cut at least 150 guild positions. The paper wants workers to give up senority rights, cut back vacation and sick leave. So the paper lays off employees, agreement or not.
While this is happening, people are steadily moving online to get news. The number of people visiting newspaper Web sites in January reached a new high, according to the Newspaper Association of America. During that month, 74.8 million unique visitors went to newspaper Web sites, an increase of
11% year-over-year and due to the interest in the Obama Inauguration. It is the highest number of unique users recorded since the association started tracking online industry stats in 2004.
Meanwhile, San Francisco-based social listing site Craigslist drew 26.7 million unique visitors in May 2008 alone according to Nielsen Online. That's just over one-third the total number of new visitors for all of the newspapers in their best month in history. Craigslist earned $81 million in 2008, $55 million in 2007, and could "easily top $200 million" with some small increase in fees. All of this with a staff of about 20 people.
Craiglist is a giant, dwarfing the New York Times and SFGate.com in unique visitors by a large margin claiming 60 percent of daily page view traffic in an Alexa comparison with the two sites. Why did the SF Chronicle not copy Craigslist?
Or more to another point, is the SF Chronicle going to merge with Craiglist? I can tell you from a good source that conversations have taken place on some kind of relationship. Will it lead to Craigslist
buying the Chronicle is anyone's guess, but it's a possible future.
YouTube, MySpace, Metacafe, DailyMotion, Blip.tv, Crackle, Sclipo, Viddler and Howcast
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Chevron: Ecuador Court Ordered Inspections To Resume Tuesday
More at CNN Moneyy: “QUITO -(Dow Jones)- After a nearly 10-month pause, judicial inspections will resume Tuesday in a lawsuit in Ecuador against Chevron Corp (CVX), the oil company said Monday.
Chevron said in a press release that presiding justice Juan Nunez of the Superior Court in Nueva Loja has ordered four of eight remaining judicial inspections to be carried out this week.
They are on oil well Auca-17, oil well Auca-19, Auca Central Station and Auca Sur Station.
Four remaining inspections are scheduled to be carried out by March 26.
"Judge Nunez ruled in response to a request by the plaintiffs' lawyers that he move quickly to issue a ruling in this case," Chevron said.”
-- I have to say I think this court's a total joke. It's in Ecuador, and the judge is under the influence of the President in a society not known for fair due process. While Chevron reportedly asked for the venue to be Ecuador, it would have been better here in America. We'll see, but I would be surprised if a fair ruling came out of this judicial system.
Chevron said in a press release that presiding justice Juan Nunez of the Superior Court in Nueva Loja has ordered four of eight remaining judicial inspections to be carried out this week.
They are on oil well Auca-17, oil well Auca-19, Auca Central Station and Auca Sur Station.
Four remaining inspections are scheduled to be carried out by March 26.
"Judge Nunez ruled in response to a request by the plaintiffs' lawyers that he move quickly to issue a ruling in this case," Chevron said.”
-- I have to say I think this court's a total joke. It's in Ecuador, and the judge is under the influence of the President in a society not known for fair due process. While Chevron reportedly asked for the venue to be Ecuador, it would have been better here in America. We'll see, but I would be surprised if a fair ruling came out of this judicial system.
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