The Huffington Post hs three people on site in Iowa to blog about the debate. I participated in this as an AOL Instant Messenger user for the CNN / YouTube Debates, but not this time. It's Sunday morning and too early for one who needs his rest: me. Plus, I'm on the West Coast, where this program's going to be pre-recorded so I can see for myself when I'm awake. If I get up.
There's a pattern emerging with these debates. Barack Obama's being painted as the different candidate as much by his challengers as himself. Hillary Clinton's pressing the obvious fact she's a woman. John Edwards makes long statements of feeling, but always misses the soundbites. And the rest are, well, the rest.
I don't think the debates themselves are boring, just the way ABC does it. Remember their fake experience at videoblogging? Well, they entirely ran away from it this time, thanks to me and Newbievids. But hey, they could have improved on the video format, but that's for another blog post.
Heres' the Huffington Post Live Blog text...
Welcome to yet another installment of HuffPost's Debate Liveblog Series ™ — where we watch the debates and critique the candidates in real time. Today we're joined by nonverbal communication specialist John Neffinger, Political Brain author and language expert Drew Westen, and HuffPost/Eat The Press contributor Glynnis MacNicol (with occasional piping up by me — your moderator, ETP editor Rachel Sklar). We are instant-messaging our comments to each other in real time, except for Drew, who will add in his comments later this morning when the debate is broadcast at his local affiliate (learn to stream, ABC!). It will be a fluid and chatty session — refreshed consistently over the morning. So keep checking in — in the meantime, here are some introductory thoughts by our panel!
John: So, here we are again. Another few days, another debate.
Rachel: I know! Did you hear that Obama said he's going to stop the insanity and pull out of the debates?
John: I did -- official, mandatory debates only from here on out.
Rachel: Apparently it's in a memo by Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. (Hee hee, "Plouffe.")
Glynnis: Yes - which will either give everyone else the opportunity to do the same...or give Hillary the opportunity to have way more face time
John: Looking back over the debates so far, was this format necessarily favorable to Hillary for some reason, or did it just work out that way?
Rachel: Interesting. Well, it's certainly been favorable to her visually - the eye picks her out of the lineup instantly. That was driven home watching the GOP debate
John: She is the only candidate who can get away with wearing pink. Er, coral.
Drew: We're certainly getting a good picture of how he is or isn't being coached for the debates. It looks too much like it's from Shrum handbook and not enough from Obama's natural style.
John: That's right, very cerebral. Only in the most recent AFL-CIO debate did Obama regularly display any facial expression whatsoever.
Glynnis: I think it has to be said only a small slice of the population is getting a fuller picture of things from these debates...I can't imagine a lot of people are tuning in at 9am on a Sunday in August. Which is why soundbites are smart i.e. "I'm your girl!"
Rachel: Ha, good point. Yet bizarrely ABC claimed that they had a great audience for this last week (even though it was still beaten by "Meet Russert's Giant Head").
Glynnis: On a side note - Karl Rove is doing all the morning shows except "This Week."
Rachel: Oh! That's so interesting! A subtle undermining of the Dems even in retirement.
Glynnis: I think everyone should take a lesson from Kucinich's Chicago performance -- had any of the top three candidates played to the crowd so well, I think it could have defined them better in the mainstream media, "I'm your girl!" notwithstanding.
John: You also mentioned earlier Glynn, given how few people are watching these debates closely, memorable moments (on the upside or downside) are what matter here.
Glynnis: I think that Edwards is going to be the one under the gun tomorrow...he has some 'splaining to do regarding Katrina and mortgage foreclosures.
Rachel: What???
Glynnis: Short version: he has investments with a company that is currently foreclosing on poor people's houses in New Orleans.
Rachel: Yikes. Talk your way outta THAT one, Mr. War On Poverty!
(see the rest of our pre-debate chatter here — the debate starts....now!)
THE DEBATE
Glynnis (9:05:37 AM): Welcome to the first Democratic debate ...from Iowa. George runs through the lineup by talking about Iowa poll support Biden and Kucinich are tied at 2%. Gravel has none.
Rachel (9:06:40 AM): Which gets a rather uncalled for laugh, I think. Shame on you, George.
Glynnis (9:05:55 AM): Stephanopoulous goes straight for the jugular. The big question is does Obama have enough experience? Hillary?
Glynnis (9:06:10 AM): She's wearing a taupe suit. Not showing up so well on the background of red white and blue.
Rachel (9:06:40 AM): I know - her first fashion misstep!
Rachel (9:06:47 AM): Where is the Vogue-sanctioned Huma when you need her?
Glynnis (9:07:19 AM): Biden dodges the question a bit.
Rachel (9:07:49 AM): "Is Senator Obama ready?" George leads with a challenge, to everyone.
John (9:08:00 AM): Hillary began her morning with a nice warm smile today. Is she our girl?
Rachel (9:08:17 AM): And Obama rises to it! Great joke: "To prepare for this session, I rode in the bumper car at the Iowa State Fair" - funny.
Glynnis (9:08:18 AM): Richardson dives in with taking it back to himself: "Clinton has experience, Obama has change. I have both." First laugh from the crowd.
John (9:08:58 AM): I was wondering whether this Pakistan disagreement would be left to lie. George Stephanopoulos goes right for it.
Note that George has set up a direct confrontation between Hillary and Obama here. The disagreement on the facts you can read about in the paper — what "wins" these confrontations in this setting is body language and tone. Hillary is not only firm, but slightly angry and disapproving when her integrity is challenged — her posture stiffens and her brow furrows and she raises her voice. She is not going to stand for attacks on her or her positions.
Obama, by contrast, attempts to take the high road. His response minimizes the disagreement rather than sharpening it as Hillary does, and while he stands firm, he projects serenity instead of toughness, looking disapproving only fleetingly. This shows a form of strength, and is a valid strategy if your toughness has already been established. But next to Hillary it is not clear that he is showing quite enough toughness, enough firmness. She makes clear with her body language when she objects to something. With Obama, you often have to listen closely to what he says to know where he objects.
Why is this so important? Remember the Swift Boaters. The specific facts of the Swift Boat accusations were not the issue. The issue was that when John Kerry's was challenged personally on his integrity, he would not stand up for himself. How then could Americans trust him to stand up for them? This is a dangerous world, and voters are looking for a leader who will stand up for all of us when our enemies challenge us.
Rachel (9:09:30 AM): Wow, that is an interesting way of looking at it. Obama is on the hook to show strength today, since he's the one taking all the heat right off the bat.
Glynnis (9:09:53 AM): Does this line of questioning strike anyone else as strange? Why is everything being viewed in the light of Obama?
John (9:10:36 AM): Very strange... but now George is going after Hillary's flip-flop on the nuclear option being on the table. George is stirring the pot here.
Glynnis (9:11:07 AM): The lighting at this debate is terrible on all the candidates. Everyone looks a bit orange.
Rachel (9:11:26 AM): Wow, it's an actual debate!
Rachel (9:11:30 AM): This is a nice change.
John (9:11:40 AM): Well done George.
Rachel (9:11:48 AM): I will add that the lineup has changed - Hillary is now stuck on the end
Rachel (9:11:55 AM): Good day to wear the bland beige suit.
Glynnis (9:11:55 AM): Hillary is off to the very right of the stage, at the podium usually reserved for Kucinich
Glynnis (9:12:22 AM): George is grinning. He knows he's stirring it up.
Glynnis (9:12:37 AM): Oh John Edwards!
John (9:13:56 AM): Edwards opens on a sunny note: "How about a little hope and optimism?" Unfortunately, we're talking about terrorism and national security, where a big sunny smile does not demonstrate the strength to handle this stuff.
Glynnis (9:14:11 AM): George is trying to turn this debate into a Obama Clinton showdown. Why aren't the other candidates reacting by pointing out they are all still in the game!
Glynnis (9:15:42 AM): Gravel is back! "I think they are all wrong" "Cheney should be committed"
John (9:16:04 AM): Oh brother. When you hear "Here's what I would do...." you know you're listening to Bill Richardson.
Glynnis (9:16:19 AM): Everyone sounds like they have a cold. Perhaps the lack of summer holiday is catching up with them.
Rachel (9:16:42 AM): There's a Bush/Iraqi parliament joke in here somewhere.
Glynnis (9:17:01 AM): George now brings it back to Karl Rove.
John (9:17:14 AM): Now George invites Obama to take a shot at Senator Clinton based on her soaring negatives in the polls. True to form, he is much too gentlemanly for that.
Glynnis (9:18:05 AM): They just did a crowd shot and there is a woman asleep in the audience.
Rachel (9:18:28 AM): I'm your guy!
John (9:18:30 AM): If they did a whole-stage shot, they might catch somebody napping up there too.
Rachel (9:18:32 AM): And nobody reacted!
Glynnis (9:18:40 AM): Obama has slipped into "hopeful" platitudes.
Rachel (9:18:41 AM): Obama is doing well today.
Glynnis (9:18:54 AM): George is trying to press him for details.
Rachel (9:18:58 AM): I'm not sure they're platitudes - and he's certainly not alone in THAT, anyway.
Rachel (9:19:09 AM): (Cf. Edwards, Richardson.)
John (9:19:28 AM): Yeah, Obama tried that at a moment when George was itching to cut him off. Wrong moment if he was trying to make that his soundbite.
Rachel (9:19:55 AM) has left the room.
Glynnis (9:19:58 AM): Edwards jumps in now : "America wants change in the most serious way"
[Technical difficulties courtesy of AIM - yay, Drew gets to fill this part in!]
Glynnis (9:29:09 AM): The questions have moved on to Iraq.
Glynnis (9:30:59 AM): Joe Biden is looking good. The fact that he isn't forcefully jumping in to the questions, however, seems to drive home that conclusion of the last debate that he is now vying for an alternate position.
Glynnis (9:33:03 AM): Hillary says getting out of Iraq is dangerous and people don't like to hear this. She says she doesn't want to oversell the evacuation.
Rachel (9:33:12 AM): She sounds strong and authoritative here. Dropping facts like a vandal.
Rachel (9:33:33 AM): (Um, not a good time for a Vanilla Ice lyric?)
Glynnis (9:33:34 AM): Gravel wants to make it clear that he disagrees with everyone!
Glynnis (9:34:24 AM): I like how Clinton and Obama are looking at him as though they are taking Gravel seriously.
John (9:34:39 AM): Yes, let's talk about the Turks. Hillary is going into the details just to show off that she can speak about them fluently.
Glynnis (9:35:22 AM): Edwards concedes that he understands that George is trying to create a fight up here. If George continues to be so aggressive I think that he is going to unite the candidates against him.
John (9:35:57 AM): Richardson now directly challenges Hillary, saying that Hillary has talked about leaving non-combat troops behind in Iraq without combat troops to protect them.
Glynnis (9:36:20 AM): Well, now Richardson is questioning Clinton and Obama. Richardson sounds good on pape, but is awkward visually.
Rachel (9:36:23 AM): We don't need no civil wa-a-ar!
Rachel (9:36:34 AM): (Um, not a good time for a Guns N' Roses lyric?)
Glynnis (9:37:43 AM): Biden may be so far down in the polls that it's safe for everyone to agree with him. The other candidates seem to be turning him into the wise old sage.
John (9:38:05 AM): He is awkward visually. When Richardson emphasizes his question: "What is the purpose of the residual force?" he holds out his hands and nods from his waist, and for a moment he looks like Bluto Blutarski.
Glynnis (9:38:14 AM): But George wants to bring it back to Obama and Clinton.
Glynnis (9:40:10 AM): Oooh. Obama starts out all friendly and then drops in the point that he wishes all the people on this stage had considered these points earlier!
Rachel (9:40:12 AM): "Nobody had more experience than Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney" - brilliant point.
Rachel (9:40:22 AM): And man does he sound authoritative.
Rachel (9:40:31 AM): Something is different about Obama today. He has it.
Glynnis (9:41:02 AM): Obama just turned his lack of experience into a positive...just as Hillary turned her "negatives" into a positive.
Glynnis (9:41:49 AM): I agree. Obama seems to be at the end of his rope with the "lack of experience" comments.
John (9:41:51 AM): He is doing pretty well today. I wonder though if any of this rises to the level of a clip that anyone not awake right now will ever see.
Glynnis (9:42:50 AM): Kucinich says the Democrats on this stage have to take responsibility for this war. The camera cuts to Hillary and she nods.
Glynnis (9:43:21 AM): George isn't even pretending that the other candidates matter.
Rachel (9:43:52 AM): I'm just a caveman, I don't understand your world...
Glynnis (9:43:59 AM): Apropos of nothing. Hillary is really good on stage. So polished.
Rachel (9:44:48 AM): Oh, gosh. John Edwards, talking about the death of his son, and Elizabeth's cancer. Wow.
Rachel (9:45:03 AM): This is a sobering reminder of what this man has been through. What his family has been through.
John (9:45:39 AM): Hillary nodded very empathetically when she had the question re-read to her. That was her answer right there.
Glynnis (9:45:42 AM): And now she manages to turn a question about a personal God into an answer about her experience. "If I wasn't a praying person before I got to the White House I would have been after a few days."
Glynnis (9:48:32 AM): Obama is owning this question. He takes it out of the personal sphere and equates prayer with the ability to effect change.
Rachel (9:48:52 AM): Nice ice-breaker from Kucinich!
Glynnis (9:49:18 AM): Kucinich is funny! "I've spent the last twenty minutes praying you were going to call on me."
Glynnis (9:49:36 AM): He is also the only candidate to refer to specific Biblical passages.
Rachel (9:50:37 AM): I think Dodd is a wonderful speaker. And there's his trademark Kelly green tie! (He favors those.)
John (9:50:41 AM): Matthew 25, every liberal's favorite Bible verse, will not impress evangelicals.
Rachel (9:51:03 AM): I rather like Genesis 38:10, but that's just me.
Glynnis (9:51:22 AM): George isn't even pretending to be representative of the larger viewing public. He is showing his colors as a Washington insider here.
Glynnis (9:54:09 AM): Somebody needs to do something sharp soon! Or John is right, this Sunday morning August debate won't even make a wave in the MSM.
Glynnis (10:00:41 AM): This debate is not furthering a whole lot in my opinion except to strengthen Obama's decision not to participate in them anymore.
Rachel (10:01:04 AM): Yikes. This ain't no snowman!
Rachel (10:01:48 AM): I'm gonna say it: This is a boring debate.
John (10:02:21 AM): Joe Biden just brought down the house with one of his trademark "I'm a big-mouthed idiot" jokes.
Glynnis (10:02:51 AM): Yes, we love Joe Biden and his self-deprecation!
Rachel (10:01:04 AM): Well, you do, Biden girl!
John (10:04:37 AM): Obama has a good response here, highlighting his speech to Detroit automakers telling them we need to raise fuel efficiency. It was a good moment that has not gotten all the attention he had hoped.
Glynnis (10:04:52 AM): Edwards is far from owning this debate, but I think if he can hang in there until Feb/March I think he could be the alternate for those independents that Hillary supposedly alienates.
John (10:06:13 AM): That's interesting: despite his stumbles, Obama has been leading the race for the not-Hillary candidate. But at this point maybe there will be room for a not-Obama not-Hillary candidate as well.
Glynnis (10:07:09 AM): Richardson says he is not the "scripted candidate" alluding perhaps to his homosexuality is a choice remark at the LOGO forum.
John (10:08:04 AM): Richardson saying he is "averaging about one mistake a week" is endearing, but not a compelling case for supporting him.
Glynnis (10:08:40 AM): Especially not when he follows it up with talk about nukes and Iran.
Glynnis (10:09:58 AM): Despite all of George's antagonism, the candidates seem to be going out of their way to point out how they agree with eachother.
John (10:10:30 AM): Everyone except Hillary.
Rachel (10:10:52 AM): What? She kicked that off from the very beginning, talking about building herself up and not tearing others down, taking it back to being a united force agains the GOP. C'mon, give our girl a little more credit.
Glynnis (10:12:52 AM): Considering this debate is being held in Iowa (some of the most privileged voters out there) they are very tame! Perhaps everyone there really is in church.
John (10:13:48 AM): Richardson is strong on education here, with a nice ringing response that does not sound canned. But the camera catches him looking sad and out of sorts for several long seconds after George cuts him off.
Rachel (10:13:57 AM): As in the GOP debate, George let's them talk, so it's telling when he does actually cut someone off. Perhaps he was doing Richardson a favor, cf. Melissa Etheridge ("I don't think you understood my question..."). God, that just never gets old.
John (10:14:07 AM): Glynnis, you were wondering if Gravel was going off the cliff..?
Glynnis (10:14:25 AM): Gravel is speaking truth to power. We are 46th in literacy in the world he points out. And then somehow makes it about nukes...
Glynnis (10:14:38 AM): ...and then goes right off the cliff
John (10:14:46 AM): Even he was chuckling at how disjointed that was after George finally brought the curtain down.
Glynnis (10:16:21 AM): Biden says regarding education: "don't tell me what you believe in, show me your budget."
Glynnis (10:17:56 AM): Richardson excessively laughs at Gravel's response before responding himself. Badly timed, and makes Richardson look like the silly one.
John (10:19:20 AM): Gravel aside, all of these people have a coherent, strong story to tell on education. I wonder what any of them could actually get done on education as President.
John (10:19:26 AM): Would any one them make it a priority? Would they have any political capital or budget left after a bruising health care fight?
Rachel (10:19:34 AM): Obama looks prescient here - this debate seems like a tipping point of non-relevance. When's Karl Rove on?
John (10:19:56 AM): Good question.
Glynnis (10:20:04 AM): Can we watch Karl Rove after this?
John (10:20:18 AM): Okay, the final question - what decisive moment shaped your character?
Rachel (10:20:30 AM): I would like to see some of Obama as an angry young man here, frankly. He doesn't move the needle much on showing emotion.
Glynnis (10:21:02 AM): With his working class ties and his radical plans...
Rachel (10:21:59 AM): Nice! This is the song-droppingest liveblog ever.
Glynnis (10:22:47 AM): Guess what? John Edwards father worked in a mill...had you heard?
Rachel (10:22:49 AM): Aw. That was a nice story about Edwards' dad. Today he's connecting with me. I think a lot of Americans would connect with that notion, the notion of self-improvement and aiming high - it taps into the upward striving element of the American Dream.
Glynnis (10:23:19 AM): Hillary on feminism: She owns this answer.
Rachel (10:23:24 AM): HILLARY IS A SISTA!!!!
John (10:23:25 AM): Wow. How is it that these people speak in public for a living, and are asked for a compelling personal story from their lives, and can't come up with anything memorable?
Rachel (10:23:35 AM): (Note how she folds in people of color.)
Glynnis (10:23:48 AM): ...and she does by alluding to the women's movement. I really think she needs to play this angle a bit more.
Rachel (10:23:54 AM): I'm sorry, I was inspired by that last interchange. John, I think these are actually quite compelling personal stories. I'm with them.
Rachel (10:23:57 AM): Which is the point, right?
Glynnis (10:23:58 AM): And then she brings it back to her mother. Nice.
Glynnis (10:25:23 AM): She says thirty years ago she could never have imagined herself as president. And then refers to the women's movement/civil rights movement
Glynnis (10:25:49 AM):...and then takes it to a personal level by saying how much she owes her mother, who never got a change to go to college.
Rachel (10:26:07 AM): Like I said: Inspiring. Look at all these candidates, running for president - something their parents could never have dreamed of doing. That, right there, is the best of America. (Says the Candian. But still.)
Glynnis (10:26:35 AM): Okay! Impressions on the whole?
John (10:26:43 AM): Thanks for that. What I could see was that she said it with a warm smile, which we are now seeing more regularly from her.
John (10:28:53 AM): Yeah, she does. And she is now showing us real warm smiles occasionally too.
Glynnis (10:29:17 AM): However, I don't think that we learned anything new from this debate. If anything, this debate seemed like a bit of an ego exercise for George Steph..perhaps a metaphor for the media in general as far at these debates are concerned
Glynnis (10:31:16 AM): I think it's interesting though what wasn't mentioned. No 9/11 mention despite yesterday's fire at ground zero. No mention of Obama opting out of futher debates.
Glynnis (10:31:28 AM): ON TO ROVE!
John (10:31:42 AM): Should we liveblog him? We can follow him from channel to channel.
Rachel (10:31:52 AM): Neat timing — to pass off gracefully to NBC.
John (10:33:34 AM): The only thing I saw new here was Hillary being warmer. George started strong, trying to start arguments, but Hillary swatted away his challenges.
John (10:33:39 AM): And no one -- not George, not her rivals -- would hold her feet to the fire either on the substance of the Iran/nukes issue or on the separate issue of why she would accuse Obama of things she had done herself.
John (10:34:35 AM): There were some good substantive responses along the way, but nothing for the highlight reel.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Senator Barack Obama On Cover Of "GQ" - Gentleman's Quarterly
Always one to be in fashion and like JFK, set the dress tone for an era, Senator Barack Obama's on the cover of this months' "GQ." In the article , Obama says "“I come from a varied background,” he said, without needing to remind me of his white Kansas-born mom, his black Kenyan dad, or his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia. “I feel that there is a piece of me in everybody.”
New NFL Website Still Places League In New Media Catch-Up Mode
This is a copy of an email I wrote to Greg Aiello regarding the new NFL.com website:
Hi Greg,
I hope you had a nice vacation. Here's my feedback on the website. I like the design, but what concerns me are small things. For example, if I click on a player, just that person's name -- John Abbate -- comes up in the title page. That's it. There's no repeat of his name in the title of the page -- nothing for a search engine to chew on.
Thus, if I type his name in Google, it doesn't show the NFL page. The number one page is for the Wake Forest Site.
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jon+abbate&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
My point is that the site's fine, the presentation of video's better, but it does not reflect an understanding of the need to use natural search to generate traffic to the site.
On top of that, there's no social network functionality and no connection to blogs. It's almost -- but not quite -- state of the
art.
Hope you're well.
Best,
Zennie
Hi Greg,
I hope you had a nice vacation. Here's my feedback on the website. I like the design, but what concerns me are small things. For example, if I click on a player, just that person's name -- John Abbate -- comes up in the title page. That's it. There's no repeat of his name in the title of the page -- nothing for a search engine to chew on.
Thus, if I type his name in Google, it doesn't show the NFL page. The number one page is for the Wake Forest Site.
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jon+abbate&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
My point is that the site's fine, the presentation of video's better, but it does not reflect an understanding of the need to use natural search to generate traffic to the site.
On top of that, there's no social network functionality and no connection to blogs. It's almost -- but not quite -- state of the
art.
Hope you're well.
Best,
Zennie
Violent Crime & Arrest Rates In Oakland, Lake Merritt, Downtown Oakland - 2002-2006
This is a shocking report delivered as a video by me and about a document and its findings called "Violent, Property, Crime & Arrest Rates" in Oakland. The video has the details and I'll lay them out in a text fashion in another blog post.
In Canada, Bloggers Are Muzzled By Lawsuits - Video
This is a terribly great example of how bloggers can be silenced -- in Canada. Still want to move there? Take a look at this:
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Barack Obama In Iowa - Says Problem Is More Than George Bush
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Not all the nation's ills can be blamed on President Bush, Democratic candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday as he called on Americans to change the nature of politics and institute more openness in government.
"Part of the problem here is not just George Bush and the White House," Obama told a crowd of hundreds gathered at a park in Cedar Falls. "We can't just change political parties and continue to do the same kind of things we've been doing. We can't just go about business as usual and think it's going to turn out differently."
Obama, a senator from Illinois, said average Americans must be brought back to the table when dealing with every issue, from health care to education to trade.
"We've got to make sure workers are represented, not just CEOs. We've got to make sure patients are represented and the nurses are represented, not just drug companies," he said.
To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online.
Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies. He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest.
Obama cited his record of backing ethics and lobbying reforms, including co-authoring a bill that requires all government spending to be posted online _ allowing anyone to do a simple Internet search and find that information. He said that during his time as a state lawmaker he helped to create hospital report cards so that patients could understand the quality of care offered at each hospital.
"Part of the problem here is not just George Bush and the White House," Obama told a crowd of hundreds gathered at a park in Cedar Falls. "We can't just change political parties and continue to do the same kind of things we've been doing. We can't just go about business as usual and think it's going to turn out differently."
Obama, a senator from Illinois, said average Americans must be brought back to the table when dealing with every issue, from health care to education to trade.
"We've got to make sure workers are represented, not just CEOs. We've got to make sure patients are represented and the nurses are represented, not just drug companies," he said.
To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online.
Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies. He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest.
Obama cited his record of backing ethics and lobbying reforms, including co-authoring a bill that requires all government spending to be posted online _ allowing anyone to do a simple Internet search and find that information. He said that during his time as a state lawmaker he helped to create hospital report cards so that patients could understand the quality of care offered at each hospital.
Dick Cheney in 1994 Video Says Getting Sadam Hussein Was Not The Answer
Wow. You've got to see this video that's circulated by MoveOn. Dick Cheney says -- in 1994 -- that going in and taking out Sadam Hussein and invading Iraq's not the answer because it would just create an instable place.
Well I Guess I've Got To Get Skype - Much Discussed On Technorati
Wow. Skype's the most searched for term right below Noella's Sex Video and over Ron Paul! I'm impressed to see that the device has become so widely used!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Michael Vick attorneys negotiating plea - AJC.com
If this is true, and it reads so, then Mr. Vick was indeed involved in dogfighting. A very sad tale.
Vick attorneys negotiating plea
Falcons QB would serve prison time if agreement reached
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER, BILL RANKIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/14/07
Michael Vick's attorneys are engaged in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors and the Falcons quarterback could reach an agreement before new dogfighting charges are handed down next week, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
The negotiations follow news that two more of Vick's three co-defendants are scheduled to enter guilty pleas later this week as part of a deal with prosecutors.
If prosecutors accept a plea agreement from Michael Vick, the Falcons QB will likely serve some prison time, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Collins Spencer, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, declined to comment Tuesday on any possible negotiations.
He added that Vick did not meet with his attorneys last night but said they will have a conference call with Vick this morning and may have an announcement this afternoon. Spencer did not indicate what the announcement would be.
On Monday Spencer said the legal team was "very surprised" by the pleas from Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips and said they would not affect plans to move forward toward a Nov. 26 trial.
Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin, could not be reached for comment.
If the announcement is that Vick has reached a plea agreement, the embattled star quarterback is expected to be sentenced to some time in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Vick's motivation to enter a guilty plea is likely fueled by the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement last month that it will seek a new "superseding" indictment against Vick by the end of August. With the cooperation of Vick's three co-defendants, there will likely be new, and more specific, allegations against Vick. The federal grand jury in Richmond is expected to hand up that indictment sometime early next week.
If Vick can reach an agreement by the end of this week, he would not have to answer to any additional charges.
This week, Vick learned that in the criminal justice system, friendship only goes so far.
On Monday, guilty plea hearings were scheduled for two of his co-defendants and long-time associates. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, has a plea hearing scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond at 9 a.m., while Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, has a plea hearing set for Friday at the same time. The hearings showed up Monday on U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson's docket.
The third co-defendant, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton pleaded guilty July 30 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their case against Vick. Just days earlier, Taylor had joined Vick and the others in pleading not guilty.
Attorneys for both Peace and Phillips declined to comment Monday.
"There's no telling until the actual pleas, but this doesn't sound like good news for Michael Vick," said Kent Alexander, once the U.S. attorney in Atlanta and now Emory University's general counsel. "Usually, if people plead guilty early in a case they may be cooperating with the government. That's what it sounds like here."
A federal grand jury indicted the men last month on a single count of conspiracy to cross state lines to engage in illegal gambling; to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture; and to buy, transport and receive dogs for animal fighting.
They face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, but defendants often receive more lenient punishment when they accept responsibility and enter guilty pleas.
A 13-page statement of facts Taylor signed with prosecutors last month says Vick, Peace and Phillips set up a business called "Bad Newz Kennels" in rural Surry County, Va., to raise and train pit bulls for dogfights.
It also says the men gambled on the fights in Virginia and several other states and that Vick almost exclusively funded the dogfighting operation and gambling monies.
At various times, Taylor, Peace and Phillips executed dogs they didn't think would fight well by shooting them, the statement says. The indictment issued earlier in July said Vick also executed dogs.
The plea deals for Taylor, Peace and Phillips emerged after federal prosecutors announced at their arraignment hearing last month that they would be seeking a superseding indictment, meaning they could name additional charges and defendants in the case. That indictment is expected to be announced before the end of this month.
Vick's jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 26, deep into the Falcons' schedule. The Falcons will have played 11 of their 16 regular-season games by then. Vick will remain free until the trial, but his availability to appear on field is unclear. The NFL barred Vick, with pay, from being with the team pending the outcome of its own investigation.
A call to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, was not returned Monday. The Falcons declined to comment on the latest developments in Vick's case.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to make a decision on Vick's future in a few weeks. Goodell said he is waiting for a report from investigator Eric Holder before rendering a verdict, according to a league spokesman. No timetable has been set for Goodell's decision, NFL vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said.
Tailback Warrick Dunn, who spoke to Vick recently, said Falcons players are already of the mindset that they'll have to play without him.
"Mike is going to be missed, and he has been missed, but at the same time, you have to go on," he said.
Should Holder's report lead Goodell to determine Vick violated the NFL's player conduct policy, he could issue a suspension. Holder's report also could show that Vick did not violate the policy and that no league-ordered suspension or other discipline is warranted.
A high-ranking NFL team official said Goodell likely would meet with Vick or his legal representation before levying any suspension. Such a meeting has yet to take place.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and president and general manager Rich McKay have said they had enough information to lead them to draw up papers to suspend Vick for four games — the maximum a team can suspend a player for disciplinary reasons. The league could suspend Vick for a year.
Blank and McKay also said there were discussions about cutting Vick.
Coach Bobby Petrino said Monday he had not been told of any developments from the NFL regarding a decision on Vick.
"I'm not aware of any recent updates on this situation," Petrino said.
"We've been proceeding as if — we have to — he's not going to be here, and we're doing the best we can at that."
Vick attorneys negotiating plea
Falcons QB would serve prison time if agreement reached
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER, BILL RANKIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/14/07
Michael Vick's attorneys are engaged in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors and the Falcons quarterback could reach an agreement before new dogfighting charges are handed down next week, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
The negotiations follow news that two more of Vick's three co-defendants are scheduled to enter guilty pleas later this week as part of a deal with prosecutors.
If prosecutors accept a plea agreement from Michael Vick, the Falcons QB will likely serve some prison time, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Collins Spencer, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, declined to comment Tuesday on any possible negotiations.
He added that Vick did not meet with his attorneys last night but said they will have a conference call with Vick this morning and may have an announcement this afternoon. Spencer did not indicate what the announcement would be.
On Monday Spencer said the legal team was "very surprised" by the pleas from Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips and said they would not affect plans to move forward toward a Nov. 26 trial.
Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin, could not be reached for comment.
If the announcement is that Vick has reached a plea agreement, the embattled star quarterback is expected to be sentenced to some time in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Vick's motivation to enter a guilty plea is likely fueled by the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement last month that it will seek a new "superseding" indictment against Vick by the end of August. With the cooperation of Vick's three co-defendants, there will likely be new, and more specific, allegations against Vick. The federal grand jury in Richmond is expected to hand up that indictment sometime early next week.
If Vick can reach an agreement by the end of this week, he would not have to answer to any additional charges.
This week, Vick learned that in the criminal justice system, friendship only goes so far.
On Monday, guilty plea hearings were scheduled for two of his co-defendants and long-time associates. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, has a plea hearing scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond at 9 a.m., while Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, has a plea hearing set for Friday at the same time. The hearings showed up Monday on U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson's docket.
The third co-defendant, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton pleaded guilty July 30 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their case against Vick. Just days earlier, Taylor had joined Vick and the others in pleading not guilty.
Attorneys for both Peace and Phillips declined to comment Monday.
"There's no telling until the actual pleas, but this doesn't sound like good news for Michael Vick," said Kent Alexander, once the U.S. attorney in Atlanta and now Emory University's general counsel. "Usually, if people plead guilty early in a case they may be cooperating with the government. That's what it sounds like here."
A federal grand jury indicted the men last month on a single count of conspiracy to cross state lines to engage in illegal gambling; to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture; and to buy, transport and receive dogs for animal fighting.
They face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, but defendants often receive more lenient punishment when they accept responsibility and enter guilty pleas.
A 13-page statement of facts Taylor signed with prosecutors last month says Vick, Peace and Phillips set up a business called "Bad Newz Kennels" in rural Surry County, Va., to raise and train pit bulls for dogfights.
It also says the men gambled on the fights in Virginia and several other states and that Vick almost exclusively funded the dogfighting operation and gambling monies.
At various times, Taylor, Peace and Phillips executed dogs they didn't think would fight well by shooting them, the statement says. The indictment issued earlier in July said Vick also executed dogs.
The plea deals for Taylor, Peace and Phillips emerged after federal prosecutors announced at their arraignment hearing last month that they would be seeking a superseding indictment, meaning they could name additional charges and defendants in the case. That indictment is expected to be announced before the end of this month.
Vick's jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 26, deep into the Falcons' schedule. The Falcons will have played 11 of their 16 regular-season games by then. Vick will remain free until the trial, but his availability to appear on field is unclear. The NFL barred Vick, with pay, from being with the team pending the outcome of its own investigation.
A call to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, was not returned Monday. The Falcons declined to comment on the latest developments in Vick's case.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to make a decision on Vick's future in a few weeks. Goodell said he is waiting for a report from investigator Eric Holder before rendering a verdict, according to a league spokesman. No timetable has been set for Goodell's decision, NFL vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said.
Tailback Warrick Dunn, who spoke to Vick recently, said Falcons players are already of the mindset that they'll have to play without him.
"Mike is going to be missed, and he has been missed, but at the same time, you have to go on," he said.
Should Holder's report lead Goodell to determine Vick violated the NFL's player conduct policy, he could issue a suspension. Holder's report also could show that Vick did not violate the policy and that no league-ordered suspension or other discipline is warranted.
A high-ranking NFL team official said Goodell likely would meet with Vick or his legal representation before levying any suspension. Such a meeting has yet to take place.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and president and general manager Rich McKay have said they had enough information to lead them to draw up papers to suspend Vick for four games — the maximum a team can suspend a player for disciplinary reasons. The league could suspend Vick for a year.
Blank and McKay also said there were discussions about cutting Vick.
Coach Bobby Petrino said Monday he had not been told of any developments from the NFL regarding a decision on Vick.
"I'm not aware of any recent updates on this situation," Petrino said.
"We've been proceeding as if — we have to — he's not going to be here, and we're doing the best we can at that."
Research Hillary Clinton's White House Years? You Can't!
According to the Huff Post, you and I could not even research Hillary Clinton's White House years as First Lady, even if we wanted to -- and we do. It's blocked!
So when she talks about her experience, the open question is "experience at what?"
Gov. Richardson Getting Hammered For "Gay Lifestyle Choice" Remark - Huff Post
This was on the Huff Post:
"Richardson again apologized for saying last week he believes homosexuality is a lifestyle choice rather than a biological characteristic. The comment at a candidates' forum on gay issues sparked outrage in the gay community.
"I made a mistake. I screwed up," he said, acknowledging that the gay blogosphere is upset with him."
That's a touchy subject. But I think what he's referring to is that it's easier for someone to choose to be Gay or hide that they are. For decades prior to the 20th Century many Gay entertainers had to hide -- be in the closet -- rather than reveal who they are. Many even got married.
My take is the people who were attacking him were undoubtedly too young to know this.
"Richardson again apologized for saying last week he believes homosexuality is a lifestyle choice rather than a biological characteristic. The comment at a candidates' forum on gay issues sparked outrage in the gay community.
"I made a mistake. I screwed up," he said, acknowledging that the gay blogosphere is upset with him."
That's a touchy subject. But I think what he's referring to is that it's easier for someone to choose to be Gay or hide that they are. For decades prior to the 20th Century many Gay entertainers had to hide -- be in the closet -- rather than reveal who they are. Many even got married.
My take is the people who were attacking him were undoubtedly too young to know this.
"Star Trek" Debate Question: NASA After Challenger - CNN/YouTube Debates
The Star Trek introduction forms the foundation for my newest CNN / YouTube Debate question.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Oakland Raiders Offense Getting Rave Reviews Already
Last year at almost this time, I called for then-Oakland Raiders Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh to be fired. The problems with the offense were simple: terrible and outdated blocking schemes, passing plays that contained the 70s style of deep patterns, lack of formation variation, and inflexibility.
Many Raiders fans wanted my head, but I stuck to my point.
The result with new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin is not just an up-to-date offense, but many of the problems I identified -- ok, all of them -- are gone. What's in place is the kind of offense that I have wanted the Raiders to install for years. It's only the first game of preseason, and yet the Raiders offense is getting rave reviews and deservedly so.
Let's review why.
1) Blocking.
It's simplictic to write "the blocking is better." What's better is that the linemen aren't being asked to hold blocks for a long time. What's better is that the timing of the pass patterns are matched with the kind of block the linemen are asked to make. And what's better is that the Raiders are using a variety of pass patterns, including one of my favorites where the receiver just turns to the quarterback and waits for the pass, because the cornerback's about 10 yards off of him.
Great.
2) Formations.
Last year, the Raiders didn't seem to understand that there were a ton of different ways to line up and create mismatches. Not so this year. The Raiders employed about 45 formation for the first game of preseason this year. Many of the sets were simple, and use of the shotgun was intelligent. What I'm getting at is the Silver and Black's going to present more complex approaches as the year goes on.
What's the point of all this? The defense can't zero in and stop the attack based on one concept -- there's too much to deal with for a defensive coordinator.
3) Pass Patterns.
As I stated before, pass patterns are more varied by far. It means more ways to get the receivers and backs opens. It means more ways to move the ball through the air.
In closing, the Raiders offense is not just better, it's much better. This is a credit to Coach Kiffin and Coach Knapp as well as The Raiders organization for making a bold step when it was needed.
Flush With Cash, Karl Rove To Resign - Wash Post
Now, I'm guessing about the cash matter, but it reads he's not going to take another job. Plus, he's going to write a book (!) which means - drum roll, please -- a large book advance! Personally, as one who's worked in politics, I admire Karl Rove's work and the reputation he crafted as a top-flight political strategist.
Karl Rove, Adviser to President Bush, to Resign
By Peter Baker and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 13, 2007; 7:34 AM
Karl Rove, the architect of President Bush's two national campaigns and his most prominent adviser through 6-1/2 tumultuous years in the White House, will resign at month's end and leave politics, a White House spokeswoman said this morning.
Bush plans to make a statement with Rove on the South Lawn this morning before the president departs for his ranch near Crawford, Tex. Rove, who holds the titles of deputy chief of staff and senior adviser, has been talking about finding the right time to depart for a year, colleagues said, and decided he had to either leave now or remain through the end of the presidency.
"Obviously it's a big loss to us," White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino said this morning. "He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind. He will be greatly missed. But we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family, his wife Darby and their son. He will continue to be one of the president's greatest friends."
Rove, 56, who escaped indictment in the CIA leak case, has been under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress for his role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and in a series of political briefings provided to various agencies across government. Citing executive privilege, he defied a subpoena and refused to show up for a congressional hearing just two weeks ago on the allegedly improper use by White House aides of Republican National Committee email accounts. Fellow Bush advisers have said they believe the congressional probes have been aimed in part at driving Rove out.
The White House said his departure was unrelated to the investigations. In an interview published this morning, Rove told Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul A. Gigot that he had been interested in leaving last year but did not want to go immediately after the Democrats took over Congress, nor did he want to abandon Bush as he fought for his troop buildup in Iraq and an immigration overhaul.
"I just think it's time," Rove told Gigot in comments confirmed by the White House. The Journal said White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten told Rove and other senior aides that if they stay past Labor Day, they would be expected to remain through the end of the second term, Jan. 20, 2009.
"There's always something that can keep you here," Rove said, "and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family."
Rove said he was finished with political consulting and plans to spend much of his time at his house in Ingram, Tex., with his wife, Darby, and near their son, who attends college in San Antonio. He said he plans to write a book about Bush's years in office, a project encouraged by the president, and would like to teach at some point, but has no job lined up for now. He does not plan to work on a presidential campaign nor would he endorse a candidate.
Rove is the latest of a string of high-profile presidential aides to head for the door as the Bush administration enters its final stages. In recent months, presidential counselor Dan Bartlett, budget director Rob Portman, deputy national security advisers J.D. Crouch and Meghan O'Sullivan, political director Sara M. Taylor, strategic initiatives director Peter H. Wehner and a string of other longtime aides have resigned one after the other.
None came close to Rove's stature or influence, however. His departure is the end of an era in modern GOP politics, the conclusion of 14 years that began with advising the son of the last Republican to hold the White House, then guiding that son first to the Texas governor's mansion and, ultimately, to the White House. Along the way, Rove became the most prominent political strategist of his generation and a bete noire for liberals and even a number of conservative critics.
Along with Karen Hughes and Joe Allbaugh, Rove was part of a group known as the "Iron Triangle" who were central to Bush's early political success in Texas, but he was the most enduring of the three. Bush termed him "The Architect" for his role in capturing the White House in 2000 and Rove was similarly credited with midterm Congressional election victories in 2002 and Bush's reelection over Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004. The ouster of the Republican Congress in 2006, punctured Rove's long winning streak and empowered his enemies.
Rove's influence extended far beyond the politics of electioneering, deep into policymaking. He helped craft the first-term Bush agenda of tax cuts, which succeeded, and the second-term agenda of Social Security private accounts, which did not. More broadly, he provided the intellectual and historic framework for the Bush presidency and hoped to use it to open a new era of Republican political dominance, a project that today looks potentially crippled by the unpopularity of both the president and the Iraq war.
Rove was investigated for his role in leaking the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative whose husband publicly criticized the administration's handling of prewar intelligence. Although White House spokesman Scott McClellan initially spoke with Rove and publicly denied that Rove had anything to do with the leak, the investigation later determined that he had in fact divulged or confirmed Plame's identity to columnist Robert Novak and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper.
Special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald brought Rove before the grand jury multiple times and considered charging him in the case but ultimately decided not to. Fitzgerald did indict I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to investigators, although Bush later commuted his sentence. Libby's attorney asserted at his trial that he was being sacrificed to protect Rove.
Rove told Gigot that he remains confident Bush will recover politically despite his low approval ratings. "He will move back up in the polls," Rove said. And he said Republicans could still retain the White House next year. The Democrats are likely to nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate," he said, but Republicans have "a very good chance" of beating her.
Rove laughed off his own reputation as the svengali of the Bush presidency. "I'm a myth," he said. "There's the Mark of Rove. I read about some of the things I'm supposed to have done and I have to try not to laugh."
Staff writer Howard Schneider contributed to this report.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Merv Griffin Passes On Of Prostate Cancer - 82 Years Old - CNN.com
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Merv Griffin, the entertainer turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire, has died. He was 82.
Merv Griffin, 82, died of prostate cancer Sunday, according to a spokeswoman. He was 82.
Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his family that was released by Marcia Newberger, spokeswoman for The Griffin Group/Merv Griffin Entertainment.
From his beginning as a $100-a-week San Francisco, California, radio singer, Griffin moved on as vocalist for Freddy Martin's band, sometime film actor and TV game and talk show host. His "The Merv Griffin Show" lasted more than 20 years, and Griffin said his capacity to listen contributed to his success.
"If the host is sitting there thinking about his next joke, he isn't listening," Griffin reasoned in a recent interview.
But his biggest break financially came from inventing and producing "Jeopardy" in the 1960s and "Wheel of Fortune" in the 1970s.
After they became the hottest game shows in television, Griffin sold the rights to them to the Columbia Pictures Television Unit for $250 million, retaining a share of the profits. He started spreading the sale money around in treasury bonds, stocks and other investments.
He made Forbes' list of richest Americans several times, but he went into real estate and other ventures because "I was never so bored in my life."
Don't Miss
Merv Griffin hospitalized for cancer
"I said, 'I'm not going to sit around and clip coupons for the rest of my life,' " he recalled in 1989. "That's when Barron Hilton said, 'Merv, do you want to buy the Beverly Hilton?' I couldn't believe it."
Griffin bought the slightly passe hotel for $100.2 million and completely refurbished it for $25 million. Then he made a move for control of Resorts International, which operated hotels and casinos from Atlantic City to the Caribbean.
That touched off a feud with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Griffin eventually acquired Resorts for $240 million, netting a reported paper profit of $100 million.
"I love the gamesmanship," he told Life magazine in 1988. "This may sound strange, but it parallels the game shows I've been involved in."
It was in 1948 that Martin hired Griffin to join his band at Los Angeles' Coconut Grove at $150 a week. With Griffin doing the singing, the band had a smash hit with "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," a 1949 novelty song sung in a cockney accent.
The band was playing in Las Vegas, Nevada, when Doris Day and her producer husband, Marty Melcher, were in the audience. They recommended him to Warner Bros., which offered a contract. After a bit in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," starring Day and Gordon MacRae, he had a bigger role with Kathryn Grayson in "So This Is Love." A few more trivial roles followed, then he asked out of his contract.
In 1954, Griffin went to New York where he appeared in a summer replacement musical show on CBS-TV, a revival of "Finian's Rainbow," and a music show on CBS Radio. He followed with a few game show hosting jobs on TV, notably "Play Your Hunch," which premiered in 1958 and ran through the early 1960s. His glibness led to stints as substitute for Jack Paar on "Tonight."
When Paar retired in 1962, Griffin was considered a prime candidate to replace him. Johnny Carson was chosen instead. NBC gave Griffin a daytime version of "Tonight," but he was canceled for being "too sophisticated" for the housewife audience.
In 1965, Westinghouse Broadcasting introduced "The Merv Griffin Show" in syndicated TV. At last Griffin had found the forum for his talents. He never underestimated the intelligence of his audience, offering such figures as philosopher Bertrand Russell, Pablo Casals and Will and Ariel Durant as well as movie stars and entertainers.
With Carson ruling the late-night roost on NBC in the late 1960s, the two other networks challenged him with competing shows, Griffin on CBS, Joey Bishop (later Dick Cavett) on ABC. Nothing stopped Carson, and Griffin returned to Westinghouse.
Meanwhile, Griffin sought new enterprises for his production company. A lifelong crossword puzzle fan, he devised a game show "Word for Word," in 1963. It faded after one season, then his wife, Julann, suggested another show.
"Julann's idea was a twist on the usual question-answer format of the quiz shows of the '50s," he wrote in his autobiography "Merv." "Her idea was to give the contestants the answer, and they had to come up with the appropriate question."
"Jeopardy," begun in 1964, became a huge moneymaker for Griffin, as did a more conventional game show, "Wheel of Fortune," starting in 1975.
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. was born in San Mateo, south of San Francisco on July 6, 1925, the son of a stockbroker. His aunt, Claudia Robinson, taught him to play piano at age 4, and soon the boy was staging shows on the back porch of the family home.
"Every Saturday I had a show, recruiting all the kids in the block as either stagehands, actors and audience, or sometimes all three," he wrote in his 1980 autobiography. "I was the producer, always the producer."
After studying at San Mateo Junior College and the University of San Francisco, Griffin quit school to apply for a job as pianist at radio station KFRC in San Francisco. The station needed a vocalist instead. He auditioned and was hired.
Griffin was billed as "the young romantic voice of radio." He attracted the interest of RKO studio boss William Dozier, who was visiting San Francisco with his wife, Joan Fontaine.
"As soon as I walked in their hotel room, I could see their faces fall," the singer recalled. He weighed 235 pounds. Shortly afterward, singer Joan Edwards told him: "Your voice is terrific, but the blubber has got to go." Griffin slimmed down, and he would spend the rest of his life adding and taking off weight.
Griffin and Julann Elizabeth Wright were married in 1958, and a son, Anthony, was born the following year. The couple divorced in 1973 because of "irreconcilable differences."
"It was a pivotal time in my career, one of uncertainty and constant doubt," he wrote in the autobiography. "So much attention was being focused on me that my marriage felt the strain." He never remarried.
Merv Griffin, 82, died of prostate cancer Sunday, according to a spokeswoman. He was 82.
Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his family that was released by Marcia Newberger, spokeswoman for The Griffin Group/Merv Griffin Entertainment.
From his beginning as a $100-a-week San Francisco, California, radio singer, Griffin moved on as vocalist for Freddy Martin's band, sometime film actor and TV game and talk show host. His "The Merv Griffin Show" lasted more than 20 years, and Griffin said his capacity to listen contributed to his success.
"If the host is sitting there thinking about his next joke, he isn't listening," Griffin reasoned in a recent interview.
But his biggest break financially came from inventing and producing "Jeopardy" in the 1960s and "Wheel of Fortune" in the 1970s.
After they became the hottest game shows in television, Griffin sold the rights to them to the Columbia Pictures Television Unit for $250 million, retaining a share of the profits. He started spreading the sale money around in treasury bonds, stocks and other investments.
He made Forbes' list of richest Americans several times, but he went into real estate and other ventures because "I was never so bored in my life."
Don't Miss
Merv Griffin hospitalized for cancer
"I said, 'I'm not going to sit around and clip coupons for the rest of my life,' " he recalled in 1989. "That's when Barron Hilton said, 'Merv, do you want to buy the Beverly Hilton?' I couldn't believe it."
Griffin bought the slightly passe hotel for $100.2 million and completely refurbished it for $25 million. Then he made a move for control of Resorts International, which operated hotels and casinos from Atlantic City to the Caribbean.
That touched off a feud with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Griffin eventually acquired Resorts for $240 million, netting a reported paper profit of $100 million.
"I love the gamesmanship," he told Life magazine in 1988. "This may sound strange, but it parallels the game shows I've been involved in."
It was in 1948 that Martin hired Griffin to join his band at Los Angeles' Coconut Grove at $150 a week. With Griffin doing the singing, the band had a smash hit with "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," a 1949 novelty song sung in a cockney accent.
The band was playing in Las Vegas, Nevada, when Doris Day and her producer husband, Marty Melcher, were in the audience. They recommended him to Warner Bros., which offered a contract. After a bit in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," starring Day and Gordon MacRae, he had a bigger role with Kathryn Grayson in "So This Is Love." A few more trivial roles followed, then he asked out of his contract.
In 1954, Griffin went to New York where he appeared in a summer replacement musical show on CBS-TV, a revival of "Finian's Rainbow," and a music show on CBS Radio. He followed with a few game show hosting jobs on TV, notably "Play Your Hunch," which premiered in 1958 and ran through the early 1960s. His glibness led to stints as substitute for Jack Paar on "Tonight."
When Paar retired in 1962, Griffin was considered a prime candidate to replace him. Johnny Carson was chosen instead. NBC gave Griffin a daytime version of "Tonight," but he was canceled for being "too sophisticated" for the housewife audience.
In 1965, Westinghouse Broadcasting introduced "The Merv Griffin Show" in syndicated TV. At last Griffin had found the forum for his talents. He never underestimated the intelligence of his audience, offering such figures as philosopher Bertrand Russell, Pablo Casals and Will and Ariel Durant as well as movie stars and entertainers.
With Carson ruling the late-night roost on NBC in the late 1960s, the two other networks challenged him with competing shows, Griffin on CBS, Joey Bishop (later Dick Cavett) on ABC. Nothing stopped Carson, and Griffin returned to Westinghouse.
Meanwhile, Griffin sought new enterprises for his production company. A lifelong crossword puzzle fan, he devised a game show "Word for Word," in 1963. It faded after one season, then his wife, Julann, suggested another show.
"Julann's idea was a twist on the usual question-answer format of the quiz shows of the '50s," he wrote in his autobiography "Merv." "Her idea was to give the contestants the answer, and they had to come up with the appropriate question."
"Jeopardy," begun in 1964, became a huge moneymaker for Griffin, as did a more conventional game show, "Wheel of Fortune," starting in 1975.
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. was born in San Mateo, south of San Francisco on July 6, 1925, the son of a stockbroker. His aunt, Claudia Robinson, taught him to play piano at age 4, and soon the boy was staging shows on the back porch of the family home.
"Every Saturday I had a show, recruiting all the kids in the block as either stagehands, actors and audience, or sometimes all three," he wrote in his 1980 autobiography. "I was the producer, always the producer."
After studying at San Mateo Junior College and the University of San Francisco, Griffin quit school to apply for a job as pianist at radio station KFRC in San Francisco. The station needed a vocalist instead. He auditioned and was hired.
Griffin was billed as "the young romantic voice of radio." He attracted the interest of RKO studio boss William Dozier, who was visiting San Francisco with his wife, Joan Fontaine.
"As soon as I walked in their hotel room, I could see their faces fall," the singer recalled. He weighed 235 pounds. Shortly afterward, singer Joan Edwards told him: "Your voice is terrific, but the blubber has got to go." Griffin slimmed down, and he would spend the rest of his life adding and taking off weight.
Griffin and Julann Elizabeth Wright were married in 1958, and a son, Anthony, was born the following year. The couple divorced in 1973 because of "irreconcilable differences."
"It was a pivotal time in my career, one of uncertainty and constant doubt," he wrote in the autobiography. "So much attention was being focused on me that my marriage felt the strain." He never remarried.
San Francisco Transbay Terminal Design Competition Video
This video is of the public display at SF City Hall of the three concepts developed for the San Francisco Transbay Terminal Design Competition. I'll use the information from the official website of the San Francisco Transbay Terminal Redevelopment effort:
In November 2006, the TJPA launched an international Design and Development (D/D) Competition to allow world-class architects and developers from across the globe the opportunity to partner and bid for the rights to design and build what will be the Grand Central Station of the West. (Link to archived Stage I and Stage II Competition Materials and Releases.)
The TJPA sought a team that would create a unique, world class Transit Center and adjacent mixed-use Tower whose aesthetic, functional and technical excellence are worthy of their position as the centerpiece of the new Transbay neighborhood in downtown San Francisco.
Three D/D teams are in the final stage of the competition. The remaining teams are:
Richard Rogers Partnership and Forest City Enterprises with MacFarlane Partners
Skidmore Owings and Merrill and Rockefeller Group Development Corporation
Pelli Clark Pelli Architects and Hines
Process
Each team presented its design concepts for the new Transit Center and Tower to the TJPA Board of Directors on August 6, 2007 in the Board Chambers of San Francisco City Hall. Read the Press Release here (.pdf)
The three proposed designs are being evaluated by the D/D Competition Jury, a nine-member panel with a broad spectrum of design and development expertise. All jurors were selected by the competition manager and approved by the TJPA Board. The D/D Jury recommendation will be brought before the TJPA Board on September 20, 2007, at San Francisco City Hall at which time the Board will vote on the final proposal.
How to Comment
The designs are shown and described below, and comments may be submitted by emailing D&DComment@transbaycenter.org, or by submitting a comment card to:
Transbay Joint Powers Authority
Attn: D&D Public Comment
201 Mission Street, Suite 1960
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 597-4615 fax
The public will be able to comment until September 17, 2007.
Comments from the public will be forwarded to the TJPA Board with the Jury's recommendation at the September 20, 2007 Board Meeting.
_________________________________________________
My favorite? I actually like the SOM scheme. To me it's the most San Franciscan in its form. It fits with the surrounding context and has an air of monunmentality currenly missing from San Francisco's urban design culture.
SF Chron's Scott Ostler On BILL WALSH MEMORIAL SERVICE
BILL WALSH MEMORIAL SERVICE
Last of the 49ers struck it rich as a pioneer
Scott Ostler - SF Chroncle
Saturday, August 11, 2007
BILL WALSH MEMORIAL SERVICE - Last of the 49ers struck it rich a...
08/11/2007
They came to the old football stadium Friday, fans and players and friends, to say goodbye to Bill Walsh, the last of the true 49ers.
Walsh wasn't the last of the football 49ers, but the last of the 49ers who began migrating to San Francisco 150 years ago because their dreams were too big to fit anywhere else in America.
They were wild, restless, desperate and a little bit crazy, and the spirit of those 49ers may have seen its last spark in a gray-haired football coach who struck gold without getting his hands dirty.
Walsh's story is the last great gold-rush saga. A window into what he achieved and the impact he had on so many lives was opened up at the public memorial service Friday at Candlestick.
It was what you might call a West Coast service - innovative, entertaining and choreographed by Bill Walsh. While he was slowly dying of leukemia, Walsh planned his own services, down to the music piped into the stadium speakers as the 8,000 or so fans filed in, a river of 49er red.
It was mostly country music - Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens.
The music had a wistful thread. "Always on My Mind." "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)." "Hello, Walls." "(You'll Always Find Me Here at) Closing Time."
But you can't plan everything, and Walsh surely would have appreciated the man who stood up in the grandstands early in the service and recited a poem about the 49ers.
The emcee, Chris "Boomer" Berman, is a Bay Area guy who knows about the Beat poets, so he let the man do his thing, then said admiringly, " There's a 49er fan."
The rest of the program went pretty much as scripted. The previous day's private service at Stanford was mostly about Walsh the man, while Friday's event was more about what Walsh created here. It was an amazing machine and all he did was select the parts, assemble them by his own blueprint, teach, coach, inspire and lead.
"The man who brought it all together," Steve Young said.
And the man who held it all together for a decade. Who else but Walsh could have pulled off that miracle? As Ronnie Lott observed after the service, "Abraham Lincoln said, 'We are all copies.' Bill is not a copy, he's an original."
For sure, nobody but Walsh could have built such a marvelous contraption from the ground up, and made it soar. Former team owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who had many bitter battles with Walsh, went poetic on us, likening the 49ers' glory days to Camelot.
"Bill Walsh was our King Arthur and this stadium was our castle," Eddie D said.
It was DeBartolo who hired Walsh when the 47-year-old's window of opportunity as an NFL head coach had just about slammed closed. DeBartolo was either incredibly lucky or a true visionary, because that hiring had a major lasting impact on San Francisco's culture, self-image and world reputation.
DeBartolo's longtime sidekick Carmen Policy took us back to the beginning, when DeBartolo's father advised Eddie Jr. not to hire Walsh because trusted NFL insiders had convinced the senior DeBartolo that while Walsh was a smart guy, he wasn't head-coach material.
So true. Walsh was way overqualified for the job. But instead of dumbing down his system to the league's level, Walsh lifted his players and assistant coaches.
So Eddie DeBartolo Sr. was strongly opposed to his son hiring Walsh?
"That's Carmen," DeBartolo Jr. said after the service, in a tone indicating that Policy's speech had been overly dramatic. "(My dad) was just a little concerned about the salary. He wanted to pay Bill $45,000. Bill wanted two-something ($200,000-plus)."
So how much did Walsh get?
"Two-something," DeBartolo said.
For his dough, DeBartolo got a genius who had the kind of plan and faith and determination that gets Golden Gate Bridges built.
Joe Montana explained after the service how the West Coast offense had been a new way of thinking. Opposing defenses hated to give up four yards on a running play, but a four-yard pass? No biggie.
"In their mind," Montana said, "they were saying, 'It's only four yards (gain on the pass play), we stopped 'em.' "
Four yards and a cloud of Jerry Rice's cologne.
Four yards at a time, Walsh's 49ers won three Super Bowls. Critics disparaged Walsh's schemes, but couldn't stop them.
The bad guys, Walsh didn't dink-'n'-dunk 'em as much as he out-thunk 'em.
Along the way, he berated his men and he praised them, made them cry and laugh, tore them down and built them up, made them hate him and, in the end, love him.
Walsh swung a mean pick, and no 49er ever struck it richer.
Last of the 49ers struck it rich as a pioneer
Scott Ostler - SF Chroncle
Saturday, August 11, 2007
BILL WALSH MEMORIAL SERVICE - Last of the 49ers struck it rich a...
08/11/2007
They came to the old football stadium Friday, fans and players and friends, to say goodbye to Bill Walsh, the last of the true 49ers.
Walsh wasn't the last of the football 49ers, but the last of the 49ers who began migrating to San Francisco 150 years ago because their dreams were too big to fit anywhere else in America.
They were wild, restless, desperate and a little bit crazy, and the spirit of those 49ers may have seen its last spark in a gray-haired football coach who struck gold without getting his hands dirty.
Walsh's story is the last great gold-rush saga. A window into what he achieved and the impact he had on so many lives was opened up at the public memorial service Friday at Candlestick.
It was what you might call a West Coast service - innovative, entertaining and choreographed by Bill Walsh. While he was slowly dying of leukemia, Walsh planned his own services, down to the music piped into the stadium speakers as the 8,000 or so fans filed in, a river of 49er red.
It was mostly country music - Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens.
The music had a wistful thread. "Always on My Mind." "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)." "Hello, Walls." "(You'll Always Find Me Here at) Closing Time."
But you can't plan everything, and Walsh surely would have appreciated the man who stood up in the grandstands early in the service and recited a poem about the 49ers.
The emcee, Chris "Boomer" Berman, is a Bay Area guy who knows about the Beat poets, so he let the man do his thing, then said admiringly, " There's a 49er fan."
The rest of the program went pretty much as scripted. The previous day's private service at Stanford was mostly about Walsh the man, while Friday's event was more about what Walsh created here. It was an amazing machine and all he did was select the parts, assemble them by his own blueprint, teach, coach, inspire and lead.
"The man who brought it all together," Steve Young said.
And the man who held it all together for a decade. Who else but Walsh could have pulled off that miracle? As Ronnie Lott observed after the service, "Abraham Lincoln said, 'We are all copies.' Bill is not a copy, he's an original."
For sure, nobody but Walsh could have built such a marvelous contraption from the ground up, and made it soar. Former team owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who had many bitter battles with Walsh, went poetic on us, likening the 49ers' glory days to Camelot.
"Bill Walsh was our King Arthur and this stadium was our castle," Eddie D said.
It was DeBartolo who hired Walsh when the 47-year-old's window of opportunity as an NFL head coach had just about slammed closed. DeBartolo was either incredibly lucky or a true visionary, because that hiring had a major lasting impact on San Francisco's culture, self-image and world reputation.
DeBartolo's longtime sidekick Carmen Policy took us back to the beginning, when DeBartolo's father advised Eddie Jr. not to hire Walsh because trusted NFL insiders had convinced the senior DeBartolo that while Walsh was a smart guy, he wasn't head-coach material.
So true. Walsh was way overqualified for the job. But instead of dumbing down his system to the league's level, Walsh lifted his players and assistant coaches.
So Eddie DeBartolo Sr. was strongly opposed to his son hiring Walsh?
"That's Carmen," DeBartolo Jr. said after the service, in a tone indicating that Policy's speech had been overly dramatic. "(My dad) was just a little concerned about the salary. He wanted to pay Bill $45,000. Bill wanted two-something ($200,000-plus)."
So how much did Walsh get?
"Two-something," DeBartolo said.
For his dough, DeBartolo got a genius who had the kind of plan and faith and determination that gets Golden Gate Bridges built.
Joe Montana explained after the service how the West Coast offense had been a new way of thinking. Opposing defenses hated to give up four yards on a running play, but a four-yard pass? No biggie.
"In their mind," Montana said, "they were saying, 'It's only four yards (gain on the pass play), we stopped 'em.' "
Four yards and a cloud of Jerry Rice's cologne.
Four yards at a time, Walsh's 49ers won three Super Bowls. Critics disparaged Walsh's schemes, but couldn't stop them.
The bad guys, Walsh didn't dink-'n'-dunk 'em as much as he out-thunk 'em.
Along the way, he berated his men and he praised them, made them cry and laugh, tore them down and built them up, made them hate him and, in the end, love him.
Walsh swung a mean pick, and no 49er ever struck it richer.
Friday, August 10, 2007
USA Today Gallup Poll Rigged To Favor Clinton - Video
This is the video follow-up to the blog post I wrote on the USA Today Gallup Poll.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Hillary Clinton Flip-Flops Yet Again - This Time On Nukes!
Let's see. She's flip-flopped on Iraq, diploamacy, and now the use of nuclear weapons. And all to counter Senator Barack Obama. She's really scared of losing to him, so much so she's endangering the Democratic Party's chance of winning against the Republicans should she win the nomination.
Clinton Expressed Views on Nukes in 2006 - Huff Post
BETH FOUHY | August 9, 2007 04:33 PM EST |
NEW YORK — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who chastised rival Barack Obama for ruling out the use of nuclear weapons in the war on terror, did just that when asked about Iran a year ago.
"I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," she said in April 2006.
Her views expressed while she was gearing up for a presidential run stand in conflict with her comments this month regarding Obama, who faced heavy criticism from leaders of both parties, including Clinton, after saying it would be "a profound mistake" to deploy nuclear weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the table," he said.
Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said of Obama's stance on Pakistan: "I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."
But that's exactly what she did in an interview with Bloomberg Television in April 2006. The New York senator, a member of the Armed Services committee, was asked about reports that the Bush administration was considering military intervention _ possibly even a nuclear strike _ to prevent Iran from escalating its nuclear program.
"I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," Clinton said. "This administration has been very willing to talk about using nuclear weapons in a way we haven't seen since the dawn of a nuclear age. I think that's a terrible mistake."
Clinton's views on the potential use of nuclear weapons appear to have changed since then.
Her campaign spokesman, Phil Singer, said the circumstances for her remarks last year were different than the situation Obama faced.
"She was asked to respond to specific reports that the Bush-Cheney administration was actively considering nuclear strikes on Iran even as it refused to engage diplomatically," he said. "She wasn't talking about a broad hypothetical nor was she speaking as a presidential candidate. Given the saber-rattling that was coming from the Bush White House at the time, it was totally appropriate and necessary to respond to that report and call it the wrong policy."
Clinton Expressed Views on Nukes in 2006 - Huff Post
BETH FOUHY | August 9, 2007 04:33 PM EST |
NEW YORK — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who chastised rival Barack Obama for ruling out the use of nuclear weapons in the war on terror, did just that when asked about Iran a year ago.
"I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," she said in April 2006.
Her views expressed while she was gearing up for a presidential run stand in conflict with her comments this month regarding Obama, who faced heavy criticism from leaders of both parties, including Clinton, after saying it would be "a profound mistake" to deploy nuclear weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the table," he said.
Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said of Obama's stance on Pakistan: "I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."
But that's exactly what she did in an interview with Bloomberg Television in April 2006. The New York senator, a member of the Armed Services committee, was asked about reports that the Bush administration was considering military intervention _ possibly even a nuclear strike _ to prevent Iran from escalating its nuclear program.
"I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," Clinton said. "This administration has been very willing to talk about using nuclear weapons in a way we haven't seen since the dawn of a nuclear age. I think that's a terrible mistake."
Clinton's views on the potential use of nuclear weapons appear to have changed since then.
Her campaign spokesman, Phil Singer, said the circumstances for her remarks last year were different than the situation Obama faced.
"She was asked to respond to specific reports that the Bush-Cheney administration was actively considering nuclear strikes on Iran even as it refused to engage diplomatically," he said. "She wasn't talking about a broad hypothetical nor was she speaking as a presidential candidate. Given the saber-rattling that was coming from the Bush White House at the time, it was totally appropriate and necessary to respond to that report and call it the wrong policy."
TPM: Obama Spot On About Pakistan, Gives Washington Insiders Bellyache
Obama and Pakistan
08.09.07 -- 11:16AM
By Josh Marshall - talkingpointsmemo.com
I'm always interested to try to tease apart and find the meta-debates operating beneath the surface of campaign debates. As I wrote a few years ago in what I called the bitch-slap theory of GOP electoral politics, the whole swift-boat saga was less about the specifics of Kerry's injuries forty years ago than whether he could defend himself from the charges today. Someone who can't defend himself is weak; and if a guy can't defend himself he can't defend you.
That's what that whole song-and-dance was about.
So what is this back and forth about Obama and Pakistan about?
What this has boiled down to -- and this became even more clear after Tuesday night's labor-hosted debate, when Biden and Dodd acted as Hillary's proxies -- is Hillary, in league with the party's foreign policy establishment, trying to make Obama, implicitly or explicitly, concede an error, that he misspoke.
Precisely what he misspoke about is largely beside the point. The key is that they get him to concede that in the complex and serious world of foreign policy big-think, where words have consequences, he made an error. Of course, it's almost good enough if most observers decide that Obama screwed up. But once he concedes it himself, if he does, he stipulates from now through the end of the Democratic primary campaign that his inexperience in foreign policy is a basic premise of the campaign upon which the battle between him and Hillary will be waged. He can learn, improve, make progress, whatever, but his inexperience compared to Hillary will continue to be the reference point throughout.
But I think he's done a pretty good job so far refusing to get put in that box. And the truth is that I think Obama's actual words are so clearly unobjectionable that this is all Kabuki theater of a particularly strained and disingenuous sort. All Obama said was that if we have actionable intelligence about the whereabouts of high-value al Qaeda targets in Pakistan, and Pakistan won't act, we will act.
Clearly, no Republican can quibble with this. They're on the record for invading countries because they might become dangers to us at some point in the future. They're hardly in a position to disagree with Obama if he says we'll hunt down people who committed mass casualty terror attacks within our borders. And I'm not sure Democrats are in much of a position to do so either.
The unspoken truth here, I suspect, is that Obama has struck on the central folly of our post-9/11 counter-terrorism defense policy -- strike hard where they aren't and go easy where they are. I think everyone can see this. But Obama got there first. So they need to attack him for saying it.
Courant's Jessica Marsden Reports We've Got Too Much Media
Media Consumers Finally Saying, `Enough Already!'
Begin Cutting Claims On Time
By JESSICA MARSDEN | Courant Staff Writer
August 8, 2007
Americans' appetite for time in front of the computer, iPod or television may finally be on the wane, after almost a decade during which our media consumption grew steadily.
Consumers spent slightly less time with media - including both traditional and digital offerings, in print and onscreen - in 2006, compared with 2005. It was the first decline since 1997, private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson reported Tuesday.
We now log an average of 9.7 hours each day consuming media. Some experts say we're at the saturation point.
"There's only so much time available to add more kinds of media," University of Hartford communications Professor Jack Banks said. "At some point, something's gotta give."
That something is likely to be traditional, ad-supported media like broadcast television and printed newspapers, which the report found are enjoying less attention from consumers as emerging media take up more of their time.
The 3,530 hours that the average consumer spent with media in 2006 - a whopping 40 percent of all hours, including sleep time - represented a 0.5 percent drop from 2005. Over the previous decade, media usage typically increased 1 percent to 3 percent a year, said Leo Kivijarv, vice president for research at PQ Media, which produced the report with VSS.
The term media was widely defined, including TV, newspapers, movies, books, music and video games, not to mention the wide world of the Internet.
Much of the previous decade's growth in media consumption stemmed from new technologies that generated new excitement. Kivijarv said. For example, consumers replacing VCRs with DVD players tended to spend more time with the new devices.
The slowdown in media consumption in 2006 represents a saturation point, Kivijarv said, but that doesn't mean Americans are waning in their hunger for the offerings on the vast media menu. Rather, he suggested, "on-demand" digital technologies allow consumers to be more efficient. Instead of leafing through several sections of a newspaper, readers are able to call up the two or three articles of interest to them, almost immediately on a newspaper's website, he said.
"Somebody goes online, they're very specific for what they're looking for," he said.
In a landscape as broad as American media, there could be plenty of room for growth in some areas even as others are saturated. For example, we could be unable to digest more active, leisure-time media at home, but have time available for more at the office, said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
The VSS report notes that media use at businesses and government offices - for legitimate work purposes - increased by about 3 percent in 2006, to an average 260 hours per employee. With a 40-hour week totaling 2,000 hours a year, that represents room for growth.
Then there is the matter of procrastination at work, as computers bring a festival of time-wasting opportunities that expand as old-line media jump online, Thompson said. Now that TV networks have started to offer their programming online, you can spend a very long lunch hour catching up on the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy."
Last year, Thompson said, "was a big year for being able to watch TV at work and get away with it. You could never have dragged a portable TV set into your cubicle."
Young people are "probably at 100 percent media saturation, even counting sleeping," he said. Multitasking intersperses media consumption with the rest of life, and portable technology makes it possible to bring those habits anywhere, he said.
The report draws a sharp distinction between media that are mostly paid for by advertisers, such as broadcast TV and print journalism, and subscriber-funded media, including cable TV, video games and some websites. The first group, the heart of traditional mass media, is declining. The latter group is growing.
Advertisers have already followed audiences into new media, and that trend will gain speed. By 2011, the VSS report estimates, the Internet will surpass newspapers as the largest medium for advertising.
Contact Jessica Marsden at jmarsden@courant.com.
Begin Cutting Claims On Time
By JESSICA MARSDEN | Courant Staff Writer
August 8, 2007
Americans' appetite for time in front of the computer, iPod or television may finally be on the wane, after almost a decade during which our media consumption grew steadily.
Consumers spent slightly less time with media - including both traditional and digital offerings, in print and onscreen - in 2006, compared with 2005. It was the first decline since 1997, private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson reported Tuesday.
We now log an average of 9.7 hours each day consuming media. Some experts say we're at the saturation point.
"There's only so much time available to add more kinds of media," University of Hartford communications Professor Jack Banks said. "At some point, something's gotta give."
That something is likely to be traditional, ad-supported media like broadcast television and printed newspapers, which the report found are enjoying less attention from consumers as emerging media take up more of their time.
The 3,530 hours that the average consumer spent with media in 2006 - a whopping 40 percent of all hours, including sleep time - represented a 0.5 percent drop from 2005. Over the previous decade, media usage typically increased 1 percent to 3 percent a year, said Leo Kivijarv, vice president for research at PQ Media, which produced the report with VSS.
The term media was widely defined, including TV, newspapers, movies, books, music and video games, not to mention the wide world of the Internet.
Much of the previous decade's growth in media consumption stemmed from new technologies that generated new excitement. Kivijarv said. For example, consumers replacing VCRs with DVD players tended to spend more time with the new devices.
The slowdown in media consumption in 2006 represents a saturation point, Kivijarv said, but that doesn't mean Americans are waning in their hunger for the offerings on the vast media menu. Rather, he suggested, "on-demand" digital technologies allow consumers to be more efficient. Instead of leafing through several sections of a newspaper, readers are able to call up the two or three articles of interest to them, almost immediately on a newspaper's website, he said.
"Somebody goes online, they're very specific for what they're looking for," he said.
In a landscape as broad as American media, there could be plenty of room for growth in some areas even as others are saturated. For example, we could be unable to digest more active, leisure-time media at home, but have time available for more at the office, said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
The VSS report notes that media use at businesses and government offices - for legitimate work purposes - increased by about 3 percent in 2006, to an average 260 hours per employee. With a 40-hour week totaling 2,000 hours a year, that represents room for growth.
Then there is the matter of procrastination at work, as computers bring a festival of time-wasting opportunities that expand as old-line media jump online, Thompson said. Now that TV networks have started to offer their programming online, you can spend a very long lunch hour catching up on the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy."
Last year, Thompson said, "was a big year for being able to watch TV at work and get away with it. You could never have dragged a portable TV set into your cubicle."
Young people are "probably at 100 percent media saturation, even counting sleeping," he said. Multitasking intersperses media consumption with the rest of life, and portable technology makes it possible to bring those habits anywhere, he said.
The report draws a sharp distinction between media that are mostly paid for by advertisers, such as broadcast TV and print journalism, and subscriber-funded media, including cable TV, video games and some websites. The first group, the heart of traditional mass media, is declining. The latter group is growing.
Advertisers have already followed audiences into new media, and that trend will gain speed. By 2011, the VSS report estimates, the Internet will surpass newspapers as the largest medium for advertising.
Contact Jessica Marsden at jmarsden@courant.com.
Someone Help ESPN Redesign The ESPN 360 Website
According to Valleywag, ESPN's ESPN 360 website is getting a makeover, adding live streaming video of certain sports events. Frankly, I still don't think ESPN really gets new media.
Given its presence in sports, one would expect a state-of-the-art approach, as well as the realization that they can do better than just sticking videos on a page.
Oh well. It's obvious ESPN's not located in the SF Bay Area.
Given its presence in sports, one would expect a state-of-the-art approach, as well as the realization that they can do better than just sticking videos on a page.
Oh well. It's obvious ESPN's not located in the SF Bay Area.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
An Email From The Animal Fighting & Cruelty Campaign On Michael Vick
For some reason I don't think this is an official organization; rather, it seems to be an email from a single person. Regardless, it explains the pain animal rights activists have over the entire Michael Vick Dog Fighting Issue. Here's the email.
Dear Friends of Animals,
We received your comments regarding the recent dogfighting allegations
against Michael Vick and we understand you disagree with our call for
the NFL to suspend the celebrity quarterback as well as our call for
Nike to drop him as a spokesperson. We apologize for the delayed
response. We wanted to take a moment to explain on position.
As you know, in late April Surry County Virginia Sheriff's Office raided
Vick's 15-acre property and massive evidence of animal fighting was
found. There were blood splatters on the floor of one room and a
blood-stained rolled-up carpet in the corner of another. Veterinarian
drugs and, according to one account, syringes were found in the house.
More than 60 dogs were also found, some of them heavily scarred with
gashes on their bodies. One had a severely injured leg that was bent
at a grotesque angle.
Since the raid, Vick has been indicted for charges related to
dogfighting. The indictment cites horrible instances of animal cruelty,
including killing dogs by means of electrocution and slamming one to the
ground several times. The NFL has taken these allegations seriously
enough to bench Vick and he has been dropped by many of his corporate
sponsors, including Nike.
The judicial system will determine whether or not Vick is guilty of
violating state or federal laws against animal fighting, but at the very
least, Vick turned a blind eye to the horrible animal cruelty on his
property. We believe that our nation should have a zero-tolerance policy
for dogfighting. Michael Vick has not been denied his right to due
process and in fact, he even has the means to hire top-dollar lawyers,
which is more than most people can do. He has his day in court.
Regardless, our nation should not just focus on this case, but the fact
that this blood-sport is an epidemic in our society and warrants our
immediate attention.
We appreciate your interest in dogfighting issues and we also encourage
you to contact the NFL to urge them to adopt a zero-tolerance police on
dogfighting.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl
Thank you for your considerate thoughts on this issue.
Animal Fighting & Cruelty Campaign
Interested in taking action online to help animals? Then join our online community! Go to http://humanesociety.org/join
Dear Friends of Animals,
We received your comments regarding the recent dogfighting allegations
against Michael Vick and we understand you disagree with our call for
the NFL to suspend the celebrity quarterback as well as our call for
Nike to drop him as a spokesperson. We apologize for the delayed
response. We wanted to take a moment to explain on position.
As you know, in late April Surry County Virginia Sheriff's Office raided
Vick's 15-acre property and massive evidence of animal fighting was
found. There were blood splatters on the floor of one room and a
blood-stained rolled-up carpet in the corner of another. Veterinarian
drugs and, according to one account, syringes were found in the house.
More than 60 dogs were also found, some of them heavily scarred with
gashes on their bodies. One had a severely injured leg that was bent
at a grotesque angle.
Since the raid, Vick has been indicted for charges related to
dogfighting. The indictment cites horrible instances of animal cruelty,
including killing dogs by means of electrocution and slamming one to the
ground several times. The NFL has taken these allegations seriously
enough to bench Vick and he has been dropped by many of his corporate
sponsors, including Nike.
The judicial system will determine whether or not Vick is guilty of
violating state or federal laws against animal fighting, but at the very
least, Vick turned a blind eye to the horrible animal cruelty on his
property. We believe that our nation should have a zero-tolerance policy
for dogfighting. Michael Vick has not been denied his right to due
process and in fact, he even has the means to hire top-dollar lawyers,
which is more than most people can do. He has his day in court.
Regardless, our nation should not just focus on this case, but the fact
that this blood-sport is an epidemic in our society and warrants our
immediate attention.
We appreciate your interest in dogfighting issues and we also encourage
you to contact the NFL to urge them to adopt a zero-tolerance police on
dogfighting.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl
Thank you for your considerate thoughts on this issue.
Animal Fighting & Cruelty Campaign
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Yearly Kos Has Endangered Hillary's Nomination - Paul Hogarth in Beyond Chron
Yearly Kos Has Endangered Hillary's Nomination
by Paul Hogarth
http://www.opednews.com
I wrote this for today's Beyond Chron , San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily
With 1,500 delegates at Yearly Kos, I only met two Hillary Clinton supporters. She is the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is hoping to get it by inevitability. But this doesn’t mean the blogosphere is “out of touch,” although blogger demographics clearly work against her. Hillary Clinton’s current lead in the polls comes from a higher name recognition, and a strategic muddling of her position on Iraq so that progressives don’t hate her.
Hillary was the biggest loser in the Convention’s August 4th Debate, as she defended taking money from Washington lobbyists and argued that we are now “safer” than on September 11th. While Iraq never came up in her pre-debate break-out session, that’s because only five people – including myself – got to ask her a question. Hillary’s response to my question about the Clinton years was the session’s “only moment of tension,” and confirmed she is a ruthless triangulator who will take progressives for granted. If Democrats realize this, she will lose the nomination.
“It is really no mystery why Hillary Clinton’s current lead is not reflected in the netroots,” said Chris Bowers of Open Left, and formerly MyDD.com. “The blogosphere is 60% male, and she does better with women. It’s 45% secular, and her voters are religious. Bloggers are younger, richer and better informed. In every single circumstance, it’s the worst demographic for Hillary Clinton.”
Of course, one media narrative to explain why bloggers don’t support the front-runner is that they are “out of touch” with Democratic voters, a common theme that is often used to marginalize progressive activists. But making the Yearly Kos Convention sound like a gathering of Naderites is absurd. When Dennis Kucinich said at the Debate that voters see “no difference” between the two major parties, he was loudly booed.
Another theory is name recognition – Hillary Clinton is a known quantity that reflects her lead in the polls, and less informed voters are most likely to pick her. Although 64% of New Hampshire Democrats recently said they are “still trying to decide” among the candidates, only 9% mark “undecided” when asked to make a choice. With voters less familiar with John Edwards and Barack Obama, Hillary’s the main beneficiary.
But while that’s a factor, Clinton has also modified her position on Iraq so that bloggers now thinks that she would make an acceptable nominee – though far from ideal. “She’s done a great job blurring on the war,” said Markos Moulitsas. Pandering on this issue is a strategy that’s been used before. In early 2004, when John Kerry was trailing Howard Dean because of the Iraq War, he started shifting his position – and it worked.
Clinton got a tame reception at the Convention – leading most of the media to wrongly conclude that it was favorable. But if the bloggers had been more aggressive in expressing their true opinions about her, Hillary would have called them rude and mean-spirited. Then she would have used that image to marginalize them as disgruntled lefties.
All things considered, I’m glad that the bloggers were polite. When Dianne Feinstein ran for Governor of California, she got booed at the state party convention for supporting the death penalty – and then used that in a commercial to prove she wasn’t a liberal. It is painfully obvious that Hillary wanted to get booed at this Convention; when she finally did, she said, “I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”
Hillary got booed during the Yearly Kos Presidential Debate because she refused to join Edwards and Obama and stop taking money from Washington lobbyists. Incredibly, she rationalized her refusal by saying that lobbyists “represent real Americans – nurses, social workers, and they represent corporations who employ a lot of people.”
Hillary dug herself in a hole with that statement, and all it took to bury her was Obama’s reminder of how the insurance lobby defeated health care reform in 1994. "You can't tell me that money did not have an influence,” he said. “You can't tell me that money was for the public good.” If anyone won that debate, it was probably Obama.
Hillary lost even further credibility when she said that we are now safer than before September 11th. Everyone knows that the invasion of Iraq has ruined our standing in the world, and her statements that “we’ve made a lot of changes” such as taking off our shoes at airports was both naïve and insulting. Edwards had a great response about how the use of torture and other attacks on our civil liberties has made us less safe.
Besides the Debate, delegates got to attend an individual break-out session with one of the candidates. None of the delegates asked Hillary about Iraq, but that’s because only five people got to ask questions. And unlike Edwards and Obama – who in their sessions blindly called on the bloggers themselves – Hillary had her Internet Director, who has heavily courted the netroots and knew who in the room was friendly, pick on people.
The first person he called upon asked a softball question about education, which Hillary proceeded to answer for nine of the session’s 30 minutes. While I don’t know if that question was a plant (and many people suggested that later), it’s clear that she chose to give a long-winded answer in order to kill time. But because I had strategically placed myself in a visible part of the room – and by dumb luck was wearing a bright red shirt that day – her Internet Director called on me during the last five minutes.
“Senator Clinton,” I said. “My name is Paul Hogarth, and I am from Beyond Chron in San Francisco. First, I’d like to thank you for having gone on the record saying that you would repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – which passed during your husband’s administration. I want to ask you about four other pieces of legislation that happened in the Clinton years, and whether you would be willing to advocate their repeal – the Defense of Marriage Act, the Telecommunications Act, NAFTA, and the Welfare Bill.”
Her answer to my question was absolutely awful. Like her statements in the Debate, it exposed her as an anti-progressive triangulator – and was the tensest moment of the break-out session. If Democrats wake up and realize that the Bill Clinton years (although far better than the Bush years) had some serious issues and we cannot trust Hillary to be a progressive leader to get us out of the wilderness, she can be defeated.
Here’s what each of the laws did and what Hillary’s answer was to my question:
Defense of Marriage: DOMA, passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deprive Bob Dole of a campaign issue, allows states not to recognize an out-of-state gay marriage. “DOMA served a very important purpose,” she said. “I was one of the architects in the strategy of fighting the 2004 Marriage Amendment, and DOMA gave us a bright line to be able to pull back the votes.”
Telecommunications Act of 1996: The Telecommunications Act is one of the main reasons why Clear Channel and Hillary’s new friend, Rupert Murdoch, today own most of the airwaves. “I don’t know,” she said, “ask Al Gore.”
NAFTA: The 1993 trade agreement has been absolutely devastating to labor and environmental standards. “NAFTA did not realize what was promised for a number of reasons,” she said. “We need to have an ongoing evaluation.”
Welfare Repeal: Also passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deny Bob Dole a campaign issue, the Welfare Bill denied legal immigrants the right to get Food Stamps and SSI. It was an awful piece of legislation, and her response was that “the positive consequences outweighed the negative.”
You can watch a clip of the break-out session here.
I could have been far more confrontational in asking my question, but that would have played right into her hands because I would have sounded shrill and mean-spirited. Which is why I made a point to thank her for agreeing to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Hillary’s campaign was ready to spin the Convention regardless of a warm or cool reception. Either she made peace with an important constituency that makes her nomination “inevitable,” or else she was harshly attacked by a group of extremists who “don’t represent” the party.
The truth – that the bloggers knew better than fall in that trap and were just being polite – is too subtle for the mainstream media to pick up. What’s news here is not what the bloggers said or did, but what Hillary did. She hung herself when asked tough questions, and exposed herself as an anti-progressive triangulator.
Readers of this website know that we are highly critical of the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, our name – Beyond Chron – derives from the paper’s terrible coverage of state and local politics. But as someone who played a small role in this news story, I have never been angrier at the Chronicle for painting such a rosy picture of Clinton’s support at the Convention.
The Chronicle’s coverage was by far the worst coverage of Hillary Clinton and the Convention that I have read. Most newspapers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times led with the Clinton-Obama flap about lobbying money, and the Washington Post said she got “mixed reviews.” None was so uncritically positive about the myth that Hillary made peace with bloggers.
The Chronicle also referred to me as “one blogger with a challenging question” – and failed to mention that I happen to be from their hometown. There was no excuse for the Chronicle to claim ignorance. I stated in my question that I was with Beyond Chron, and the Washington Post mentioned that I was from San Francisco.
Hillary Clinton did not get a warm reception at the Yearly Kos Convention, nor was she attacked by a shrill minority. Through the break-out session and her own ridiculous statements during the debate, she was exposed as an anti-progressive triangulator. And this is what could put her nomination in doubt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Stay tuned for tomorrow's Beyond Chron, where Paul Hogarth will conclude his report about the Yearly Kos Convention. Send feedback to paul@beyondchron.org
by Paul Hogarth
http://www.opednews.com
I wrote this for today's Beyond Chron , San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily
With 1,500 delegates at Yearly Kos, I only met two Hillary Clinton supporters. She is the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is hoping to get it by inevitability. But this doesn’t mean the blogosphere is “out of touch,” although blogger demographics clearly work against her. Hillary Clinton’s current lead in the polls comes from a higher name recognition, and a strategic muddling of her position on Iraq so that progressives don’t hate her.
Hillary was the biggest loser in the Convention’s August 4th Debate, as she defended taking money from Washington lobbyists and argued that we are now “safer” than on September 11th. While Iraq never came up in her pre-debate break-out session, that’s because only five people – including myself – got to ask her a question. Hillary’s response to my question about the Clinton years was the session’s “only moment of tension,” and confirmed she is a ruthless triangulator who will take progressives for granted. If Democrats realize this, she will lose the nomination.
“It is really no mystery why Hillary Clinton’s current lead is not reflected in the netroots,” said Chris Bowers of Open Left, and formerly MyDD.com. “The blogosphere is 60% male, and she does better with women. It’s 45% secular, and her voters are religious. Bloggers are younger, richer and better informed. In every single circumstance, it’s the worst demographic for Hillary Clinton.”
Of course, one media narrative to explain why bloggers don’t support the front-runner is that they are “out of touch” with Democratic voters, a common theme that is often used to marginalize progressive activists. But making the Yearly Kos Convention sound like a gathering of Naderites is absurd. When Dennis Kucinich said at the Debate that voters see “no difference” between the two major parties, he was loudly booed.
Another theory is name recognition – Hillary Clinton is a known quantity that reflects her lead in the polls, and less informed voters are most likely to pick her. Although 64% of New Hampshire Democrats recently said they are “still trying to decide” among the candidates, only 9% mark “undecided” when asked to make a choice. With voters less familiar with John Edwards and Barack Obama, Hillary’s the main beneficiary.
But while that’s a factor, Clinton has also modified her position on Iraq so that bloggers now thinks that she would make an acceptable nominee – though far from ideal. “She’s done a great job blurring on the war,” said Markos Moulitsas. Pandering on this issue is a strategy that’s been used before. In early 2004, when John Kerry was trailing Howard Dean because of the Iraq War, he started shifting his position – and it worked.
Clinton got a tame reception at the Convention – leading most of the media to wrongly conclude that it was favorable. But if the bloggers had been more aggressive in expressing their true opinions about her, Hillary would have called them rude and mean-spirited. Then she would have used that image to marginalize them as disgruntled lefties.
All things considered, I’m glad that the bloggers were polite. When Dianne Feinstein ran for Governor of California, she got booed at the state party convention for supporting the death penalty – and then used that in a commercial to prove she wasn’t a liberal. It is painfully obvious that Hillary wanted to get booed at this Convention; when she finally did, she said, “I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”
Hillary got booed during the Yearly Kos Presidential Debate because she refused to join Edwards and Obama and stop taking money from Washington lobbyists. Incredibly, she rationalized her refusal by saying that lobbyists “represent real Americans – nurses, social workers, and they represent corporations who employ a lot of people.”
Hillary dug herself in a hole with that statement, and all it took to bury her was Obama’s reminder of how the insurance lobby defeated health care reform in 1994. "You can't tell me that money did not have an influence,” he said. “You can't tell me that money was for the public good.” If anyone won that debate, it was probably Obama.
Hillary lost even further credibility when she said that we are now safer than before September 11th. Everyone knows that the invasion of Iraq has ruined our standing in the world, and her statements that “we’ve made a lot of changes” such as taking off our shoes at airports was both naïve and insulting. Edwards had a great response about how the use of torture and other attacks on our civil liberties has made us less safe.
Besides the Debate, delegates got to attend an individual break-out session with one of the candidates. None of the delegates asked Hillary about Iraq, but that’s because only five people got to ask questions. And unlike Edwards and Obama – who in their sessions blindly called on the bloggers themselves – Hillary had her Internet Director, who has heavily courted the netroots and knew who in the room was friendly, pick on people.
The first person he called upon asked a softball question about education, which Hillary proceeded to answer for nine of the session’s 30 minutes. While I don’t know if that question was a plant (and many people suggested that later), it’s clear that she chose to give a long-winded answer in order to kill time. But because I had strategically placed myself in a visible part of the room – and by dumb luck was wearing a bright red shirt that day – her Internet Director called on me during the last five minutes.
“Senator Clinton,” I said. “My name is Paul Hogarth, and I am from Beyond Chron in San Francisco. First, I’d like to thank you for having gone on the record saying that you would repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – which passed during your husband’s administration. I want to ask you about four other pieces of legislation that happened in the Clinton years, and whether you would be willing to advocate their repeal – the Defense of Marriage Act, the Telecommunications Act, NAFTA, and the Welfare Bill.”
Her answer to my question was absolutely awful. Like her statements in the Debate, it exposed her as an anti-progressive triangulator – and was the tensest moment of the break-out session. If Democrats wake up and realize that the Bill Clinton years (although far better than the Bush years) had some serious issues and we cannot trust Hillary to be a progressive leader to get us out of the wilderness, she can be defeated.
Here’s what each of the laws did and what Hillary’s answer was to my question:
Defense of Marriage: DOMA, passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deprive Bob Dole of a campaign issue, allows states not to recognize an out-of-state gay marriage. “DOMA served a very important purpose,” she said. “I was one of the architects in the strategy of fighting the 2004 Marriage Amendment, and DOMA gave us a bright line to be able to pull back the votes.”
Telecommunications Act of 1996: The Telecommunications Act is one of the main reasons why Clear Channel and Hillary’s new friend, Rupert Murdoch, today own most of the airwaves. “I don’t know,” she said, “ask Al Gore.”
NAFTA: The 1993 trade agreement has been absolutely devastating to labor and environmental standards. “NAFTA did not realize what was promised for a number of reasons,” she said. “We need to have an ongoing evaluation.”
Welfare Repeal: Also passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deny Bob Dole a campaign issue, the Welfare Bill denied legal immigrants the right to get Food Stamps and SSI. It was an awful piece of legislation, and her response was that “the positive consequences outweighed the negative.”
You can watch a clip of the break-out session here.
I could have been far more confrontational in asking my question, but that would have played right into her hands because I would have sounded shrill and mean-spirited. Which is why I made a point to thank her for agreeing to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Hillary’s campaign was ready to spin the Convention regardless of a warm or cool reception. Either she made peace with an important constituency that makes her nomination “inevitable,” or else she was harshly attacked by a group of extremists who “don’t represent” the party.
The truth – that the bloggers knew better than fall in that trap and were just being polite – is too subtle for the mainstream media to pick up. What’s news here is not what the bloggers said or did, but what Hillary did. She hung herself when asked tough questions, and exposed herself as an anti-progressive triangulator.
Readers of this website know that we are highly critical of the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, our name – Beyond Chron – derives from the paper’s terrible coverage of state and local politics. But as someone who played a small role in this news story, I have never been angrier at the Chronicle for painting such a rosy picture of Clinton’s support at the Convention.
The Chronicle’s coverage was by far the worst coverage of Hillary Clinton and the Convention that I have read. Most newspapers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times led with the Clinton-Obama flap about lobbying money, and the Washington Post said she got “mixed reviews.” None was so uncritically positive about the myth that Hillary made peace with bloggers.
The Chronicle also referred to me as “one blogger with a challenging question” – and failed to mention that I happen to be from their hometown. There was no excuse for the Chronicle to claim ignorance. I stated in my question that I was with Beyond Chron, and the Washington Post mentioned that I was from San Francisco.
Hillary Clinton did not get a warm reception at the Yearly Kos Convention, nor was she attacked by a shrill minority. Through the break-out session and her own ridiculous statements during the debate, she was exposed as an anti-progressive triangulator. And this is what could put her nomination in doubt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Stay tuned for tomorrow's Beyond Chron, where Paul Hogarth will conclude his report about the Yearly Kos Convention. Send feedback to paul@beyondchron.org
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
AFL-CIO Democratic Candidates Forum - Huff Post , Daily Kos Bloggers Score It For Barack Obama
I missed the AFL CIO Democratic Candidates debate to have dinner with my Mom and friends, but figured that I could get a great recap via the Huff Post Live Blog, and I was not disappointed.
The Huff Post writers seem to give Senator Barack Obama the best marks with Senator Clinton and Dennis Kucinich close behind.
And this is reflected in a Daily Kos poll , where Barack Obama is the winner, but followed by John Edwards, and then Senator Clinton.
The Huff Post writers seem to give Senator Barack Obama the best marks with Senator Clinton and Dennis Kucinich close behind.
And this is reflected in a Daily Kos poll , where Barack Obama is the winner, but followed by John Edwards, and then Senator Clinton.
Zennie's Vlog Of The CNN Roland Martin Show
This is a vlog not so much of my trip to New York to be on the CNN Roland Martin Show, but of the time leading up to the show in the green room and the show itself. It features all of the CNN / YouTube Stars who appeared on the show: CNN / YouTube debate stars, Kim Friedrich, Lucas "Brown Eyes", and Lori Harfenist aka "The Resident" and me. (Almost forgot about me.)
This video's for anyone who wonders how a person comes to be on a TV program and how they're taken care of by a network. It was a great experience. I have a lot of people to thank which I do in the video. This is also for the others who were on the show, but may not have gotten a copy of their segment.
This video's for anyone who wonders how a person comes to be on a TV program and how they're taken care of by a network. It was a great experience. I have a lot of people to thank which I do in the video. This is also for the others who were on the show, but may not have gotten a copy of their segment.
USA Today Gallup Poll Rigged To Favor Clinton
I've written this before and it bears reminders that the USA Today / Gallup Poll can't be trusted in the wake of the June "redo." That was an outrage and should not go unnoticed.
Frank Newport of Gallup openly admitted he redid the poll because he could not believe Senator Barack Obama was tied with Senator Hillary Clinton.
Frank Newport of Gallup openly admitted he redid the poll because he could not believe Senator Barack Obama was tied with Senator Hillary Clinton.
Senator Mike Gravel Pissed Of Over Not Being Invited to AFL-CIO Debate Forum
Senator Mike Gravel's on MSNBC now on their "Super Tuesday" program, and is really pissed off over being passed over for the AFL-CIO debate forum. "They said I didn't answer a certain question on time," he explained. Gravel then said it was basically a kind of trick to keep him out of the program, and it's not fair.
Given that this is a presidential campaign and not an application for graduate school, I agree with Senator Gravel. There are too many attempts to "fix" this presidential race and make it less than authentic.
Given that this is a presidential campaign and not an application for graduate school, I agree with Senator Gravel. There are too many attempts to "fix" this presidential race and make it less than authentic.
Bob Allen - Sick-In-The-Head Florida Senator Says Fear Of Black Men Cause For Sexual Behavior - TampaBays10.com
Here's one sad sick man who Floridians elected to office.
Titusville, Florida - An audiotape reveals new details about the arrest of a state lawmaker in the men's room of a public park. Investigators say State Representative Bob Allen offered an undercover officer 20 dollars, if he could perform oral sex on him. The Merritt Island Republican says its all a big misunderstanding.
In an audiotaped interview with Titusville Police, Allen says he was intimidated after a man offered a sex act for money. He says he went along with the conversation, because he was afraid of becoming another crime statistic.
On the audiotape, Allen said, "Listen. A public park. I got my name on the damn building. I'm not gonna do that. You know, maybe I said it in the wrong order, but this was a pretty stocky black guy, and there were a lot of other black guys around in the park, and, you know..."
Titusville Assistant Chief John Lau said, "If you were nervous, then how come you went back into the stall? Not in the stall, the bathroom?"
Allen responded, "I went back the second time around because >>unintelligible<< I says, 'I gotta use the bathroom.' But, I said, 'The building is safer than standing out here,' so I went back in, and sat down, and that's when he came back the second time, and that made me very nervous."
Allen says he will not resign, and may still run for the state senate.
Titusville, Florida - An audiotape reveals new details about the arrest of a state lawmaker in the men's room of a public park. Investigators say State Representative Bob Allen offered an undercover officer 20 dollars, if he could perform oral sex on him. The Merritt Island Republican says its all a big misunderstanding.
In an audiotaped interview with Titusville Police, Allen says he was intimidated after a man offered a sex act for money. He says he went along with the conversation, because he was afraid of becoming another crime statistic.
On the audiotape, Allen said, "Listen. A public park. I got my name on the damn building. I'm not gonna do that. You know, maybe I said it in the wrong order, but this was a pretty stocky black guy, and there were a lot of other black guys around in the park, and, you know..."
Titusville Assistant Chief John Lau said, "If you were nervous, then how come you went back into the stall? Not in the stall, the bathroom?"
Allen responded, "I went back the second time around because >>unintelligible<< I says, 'I gotta use the bathroom.' But, I said, 'The building is safer than standing out here,' so I went back in, and sat down, and that's when he came back the second time, and that made me very nervous."
Allen says he will not resign, and may still run for the state senate.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Gets First Win Of Preseason Over Saints 20-7 - ESPN
Mike Tomlin's first game as Steelers coach is 20-7 win over Saints
ESPN - Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense guy. So he didn't seem particularly interested in all the extracurriculars surrounding his debut as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Oh, he got a kick out of being interviewed by Deion Sanders before the game. And out of meeting the five new Hall of Fame members who were on hand for the preseason opener: Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli and Charlie Sanders.
Otherwise, it was a business trip to Canton for only the third head coach of the franchise since 1969.
"I took myself out of it. I tried to create an environment for the coaches and players to do their jobs," Tomlin said Sunday night after a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. "You do that, you get involved in the process."
The process of getting the 2005 NFL champions back to the top began well. Less than three minutes into the game, the Steelers were ahead to stay under the man replacing the retired Bill Cowher.
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series, going 2-for-3 for 73 yards to Cedrick Wilson. On a 55-yard play, Wilson got behind safety Kevin Kaesviharn, then he beat New Orleans' top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, on an 18-yard crossing pattern.
"This was the start of all of us getting repetitions with a new coordinator (Bruce Arians) and new coach," Roethlisberger said. "There's going to be some new things, of course, but I think we made adjustments and did well first time out."
Najeh Davenport, starting for 1,400-yard rusher Willie Parker, bulled in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead.
Pittsburgh's first-stringers were so much more efficient than New Orleans' starters, who missed blocks and dropped passes on offense and couldn't handle Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch when they threw. And that was just in the first quarter.
In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained New Orleans 305-56, including 205-32 in the air. Overall, it was 413-214.
"I thought we gave up some big plays -- I could point to 15 things. We've got to look at our preparation coming into this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were lethargic, especially in the first half. You're always looking to see how your first group does."
Pittsburgh's second group didn't fare badly, either. Nor did the third-string.
The Steelers made the Saints look inept in coverage at times, an unfortunate carry-over from last season for New Orleans, which allowed 16 plays of more than 40 yards in 2006 -- a league high.
Along with Wilson's big gainer on the game's second play were a 38-yard screen pass to Carey Davis and a 41-yard completion from Brian St. Pierre to Santonio Holmes. St. Pierre hit Holmes on a 3-yard fade for a 14-0 edge.
"It was back to business for us," Steelers tackle Max Starks said. "We have some new coaches, but a lot of players here have been together and know what to do. So it wasn't that surprising that we got some good yardage."
The lead grew to 17-0 on Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal set up by Davis' 58-yard run.
"In the first preseason game, you are finally getting a chance to go against someone else, and see where you have progressed," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said after going 1-for-6 for 6 yards. "Obviously, we still have some work to do."
But the Saints' third-stringers staged a 16-play, 72-yard drive capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard TD pass from Jason Fife to Kevin Dudley to open the second half. Pittsburgh's subs answered with a 13-play, 44-yard march to Reed's 39-yard field goal, taking up the remainder of the third period.
Not on hand for the game was the ailing Gene Hickerson, the sixth hall inductee this year.
ESPN - Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense guy. So he didn't seem particularly interested in all the extracurriculars surrounding his debut as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Oh, he got a kick out of being interviewed by Deion Sanders before the game. And out of meeting the five new Hall of Fame members who were on hand for the preseason opener: Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli and Charlie Sanders.
Otherwise, it was a business trip to Canton for only the third head coach of the franchise since 1969.
"I took myself out of it. I tried to create an environment for the coaches and players to do their jobs," Tomlin said Sunday night after a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. "You do that, you get involved in the process."
The process of getting the 2005 NFL champions back to the top began well. Less than three minutes into the game, the Steelers were ahead to stay under the man replacing the retired Bill Cowher.
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series, going 2-for-3 for 73 yards to Cedrick Wilson. On a 55-yard play, Wilson got behind safety Kevin Kaesviharn, then he beat New Orleans' top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, on an 18-yard crossing pattern.
"This was the start of all of us getting repetitions with a new coordinator (Bruce Arians) and new coach," Roethlisberger said. "There's going to be some new things, of course, but I think we made adjustments and did well first time out."
Najeh Davenport, starting for 1,400-yard rusher Willie Parker, bulled in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead.
Pittsburgh's first-stringers were so much more efficient than New Orleans' starters, who missed blocks and dropped passes on offense and couldn't handle Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch when they threw. And that was just in the first quarter.
In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained New Orleans 305-56, including 205-32 in the air. Overall, it was 413-214.
"I thought we gave up some big plays -- I could point to 15 things. We've got to look at our preparation coming into this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were lethargic, especially in the first half. You're always looking to see how your first group does."
Pittsburgh's second group didn't fare badly, either. Nor did the third-string.
The Steelers made the Saints look inept in coverage at times, an unfortunate carry-over from last season for New Orleans, which allowed 16 plays of more than 40 yards in 2006 -- a league high.
Along with Wilson's big gainer on the game's second play were a 38-yard screen pass to Carey Davis and a 41-yard completion from Brian St. Pierre to Santonio Holmes. St. Pierre hit Holmes on a 3-yard fade for a 14-0 edge.
"It was back to business for us," Steelers tackle Max Starks said. "We have some new coaches, but a lot of players here have been together and know what to do. So it wasn't that surprising that we got some good yardage."
The lead grew to 17-0 on Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal set up by Davis' 58-yard run.
"In the first preseason game, you are finally getting a chance to go against someone else, and see where you have progressed," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said after going 1-for-6 for 6 yards. "Obviously, we still have some work to do."
But the Saints' third-stringers staged a 16-play, 72-yard drive capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard TD pass from Jason Fife to Kevin Dudley to open the second half. Pittsburgh's subs answered with a 13-play, 44-yard march to Reed's 39-yard field goal, taking up the remainder of the third period.
Not on hand for the game was the ailing Gene Hickerson, the sixth hall inductee this year.
Rudy Giuliani's Daughter Backing Barack Obama - Member of Facebook Group
Here's the whole story from SFGate
Giuliani's Daughter Backing Obama
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007
(08-06) 13:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
The daughter of Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani has signaled she's backing Democrat Barack Obama for president.
According to her Facebook profile, Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter, Caroline, belonged to Democrat Barack Obama's Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)." She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate sent an inquiry.
Her profile can be viewed by Facebook users who have access to New York City's Trinity School or Harvard University networks. Caroline, who is Giuliani's daughter with his second wife, Donna Hanover, recently graduated from Trinity and will attend Harvard in the fall.
Slate posted a screen shot of her profile, which uses a slightly different last name. She lists herself as having liberal political views.
Giuliani, campaigning in Iowa, declined to comment on his daughter's political preference.
"My daughter I love very much," he told reporters outside an Italian restaurant in Clear Lake. "I have great respect for her, and I'm really proud of her, and I don't comment on children, because I want to give them the maximum degree of privacy.
"The best thing to do, if you want to ask the press to leave the children alone, the best way to do it is not to comment on them one way or the other, except to say you're very proud of them, and you love them very much, which I do," he said.
The Obama campaign did not have any comment.
Giuliani, a leading Republican candidate, has asked for privacy to deal with strained relationships in his family. Son Andrew, 21, has said their relationship became distant after Giuliani's messy divorce from the children's mother and his marriage to third wife Judith Nathan.
"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," Andrew Giuliani told The New York Times earlier this year.
In May, Giuliani attended his daughter's high school graduation but kept a low profile, sitting in a last row balcony seat with his wife and leaving without speaking to his daughter, the New York Daily News reported.
Giuliani's Daughter Backing Obama
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007
(08-06) 13:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
The daughter of Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani has signaled she's backing Democrat Barack Obama for president.
According to her Facebook profile, Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter, Caroline, belonged to Democrat Barack Obama's Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)." She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate sent an inquiry.
Her profile can be viewed by Facebook users who have access to New York City's Trinity School or Harvard University networks. Caroline, who is Giuliani's daughter with his second wife, Donna Hanover, recently graduated from Trinity and will attend Harvard in the fall.
Slate posted a screen shot of her profile, which uses a slightly different last name. She lists herself as having liberal political views.
Giuliani, campaigning in Iowa, declined to comment on his daughter's political preference.
"My daughter I love very much," he told reporters outside an Italian restaurant in Clear Lake. "I have great respect for her, and I'm really proud of her, and I don't comment on children, because I want to give them the maximum degree of privacy.
"The best thing to do, if you want to ask the press to leave the children alone, the best way to do it is not to comment on them one way or the other, except to say you're very proud of them, and you love them very much, which I do," he said.
The Obama campaign did not have any comment.
Giuliani, a leading Republican candidate, has asked for privacy to deal with strained relationships in his family. Son Andrew, 21, has said their relationship became distant after Giuliani's messy divorce from the children's mother and his marriage to third wife Judith Nathan.
"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," Andrew Giuliani told The New York Times earlier this year.
In May, Giuliani attended his daughter's high school graduation but kept a low profile, sitting in a last row balcony seat with his wife and leaving without speaking to his daughter, the New York Daily News reported.
Arizona Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt Like Scrimage
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- The Arizona Cardinals wound up their first week of training camp under new coach Ken Whisenhunt on Saturday with a workout that started badly but ended well.
Several thousands lined the practice field on autograph day and, for a while, especially for the offense, it was not a pretty show.
"You know what? I hope they understand it's one day of practice," Whisenhunt said. "We built a pretty good week. A lot of people have seen that and recognize that."
After Whisenhunt broke up the controlled scrimmage and had a few words with the players, the defense played better and the offense finished strong, capped by a pair of touchdowns in a full-contact goal-line drill.
"Something was missing," Whisenhunt said. "I didn't see the intensity. We didn't have the same level as we had before."
Matt Leinart's touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Troy Bienemann and a pair of crunching runs up the middle by Marcel Shipp for scores ended the workout as a thunderstorm rumbled nearby.
"The defense picked it up," Whisenhunt said. "The offense picked it up at the end. We had a good goal-line session, so I'm very pleased with the way it resolved itself."
For the enthusiastic fans, most of them clad in Cardinals red, the goal-line success made up for the fumbled snaps, false starts and assorted other miscues earlier in the session.
"The challenge for a good football team is one that can respond to that," Whisenhunt said. "I think I saw that at the end of practice, and that's hard to do, to change that attitude during practice. So I was very encouraged with that."
Leinart was visibly upset with the mistakes.
"He should be angry," Whisenhunt said. "I think he showed some good leadership today because he was upset with the offense, and that's what we need."
The offensive line remains a critical work in progress.
"The line's playing physical. Our problem is just working together," Whisenhunt said. "Our defense is throwing a lot of blitzes at us. What we have to get better at is working together and picking those things up."
Whisenhunt said his biggest concern going into next week is resolving the competition for a few starting jobs. Oliver Ross and recently signed first-round draft pick Levi Brown are competing at right tackle, and there are several players in the mix for tight end and cornerback.
He hasn't decided on punt or kick returners, either. Decisions will be easier, Whisenhunt said, after the Cardinals play their first preseason game, next Saturday at Oakland.
The organized autograph session came before practice. According to Northern Arizona University, four fans spent the night in sleeping bags to be first in line. A few others slept in cars or RVs.
"Unbelievable," Whisenhunt said.
Larry Fitzgerald has had a standout first week of camp, catching virtually everything thrown to him and working hard at improving the details of his game, Whisenhunt said.
Fitzgerald said it's normal for the defense to be ahead of the offense this early in camp. The difference is magnified, he said, because it's a new offense but the defense remains largely the same under the same coordinator, Clancy Pendergast.
As for the big crowd?
"This is nice right here," Fitzgerald said after signing dozens of autographs. "And as soon as we get in the playoffs, it's going to be like this every year."
Buffalo Bills' Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny Sit Out Scrimmage
From http://www.buffalonews.com
Bills swap some paint
Updated: 08/05/07 7:37 AM
Fans got a little extra treat Saturday as coach Dick Jauron ended practice with a 10-minute, full-contact scrimmage with most of the rookies and young veterans. Some rookies, such as running back Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny sat out, and no prominent veterans participated.
The Bills do very little hitting and no tackling in practice, so the brief but hard-hitting scrimmage was intended to give the coaches a better look at young players in a more physical setting.
“With a lot of the guys we don’t know, we need to see them and see where they are,” Jauron said. “We ran about 14 or 15 plays and that was good. Now we’ll look at the tape. At least it will help us evaluate them under live conditions. That’s not like a game will be for them, but at least it gives us a look at them.”
Neufeld hurt
The injury bug continues to plague the Bills. Tight end Ryan Neufeld suffered a hyperextended knee on a running play during an 11- on-11 segment of practice. He walked off the field under his own power and was examined by head trainer Bud Carpenter, but was held out the rest of the day.
Jauron doesn’t think the injury is severe, but isn’t sure how long Neufeld will be sidelined. Neufeld suffered a season-ending foot injury a year ago.
Starting left tackle Jason Peters got very little work because of a sore calf muscle he hurt during last Thursday’s night practice. The injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to practice Monday.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle John McCargo’s strained oblique kept him from practicing Saturday. Cornerback Jason Webster (hamstring), offensive guard Brad Butler (hamstring), running back Josh Scobey (calf) and defensive end Anthony Hargrove (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
Sideline views
The defense clearly got the better of the offense during the short scrimmage. Two of the best hits
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Linebacker Coy Wire has been making his presence felt during practices. were delivered by linebacker Kevin Harrison. After catching a short pass, running back Fred Jackson juked linebacker Josh Stamer off his feet, but Harrison leveled Jackson with a jolting tackle. Harrison also forced a fumble with a blow to running back Dwayne Wright in the backfield.… Josh Reed turned in the best catch of the day, making a one-handed grab after beating safety Ko Simpson over the middle.… Linebacker Coy Wire had another good day, blowing up a pass to Wright and intercepting rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to end a drive during a two-minute drill.… Linebacker John DiGiorgio (hip flexor) and offensive lineman Christian Gattis (knee) returned to practice, but both were limited to mostly individual work.… Punter Brian Moorman was the only absentee from practice. He was excused to tend to a personal matter.
Bills host young Backers
The Jr. Bills Backers were special guests of the team Saturday. About 400 kids, ages 3 to 14, attended practice and received gifts such as cameras and autograph books. They also were treated to a postpractice autograph session with several players. Brothers Stephen and Nicholas Phillips (ages 9 and 12, respectively) of Kenmore won a contest to interview Lynch and
Posluszny for feature
stories that will appear
on the Bills’ Web site in the future.
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25
miles to Exit 25 (Fairport
Directions
Road — 31F). Turn right or left and follow signs to fan parking. Shuttle buses take fans from the nearby lots to the practice fields.
Schedule
After 10 consecutive days without a break, the players have today off. The Bills return to work on Monday with a night practice from 7 to 9:05 p.m. There are no tickets available and you must have one to attend. The team will work out Tuesday from 1 to 3:05 p.m.
Bills swap some paint
Updated: 08/05/07 7:37 AM
Fans got a little extra treat Saturday as coach Dick Jauron ended practice with a 10-minute, full-contact scrimmage with most of the rookies and young veterans. Some rookies, such as running back Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny sat out, and no prominent veterans participated.
The Bills do very little hitting and no tackling in practice, so the brief but hard-hitting scrimmage was intended to give the coaches a better look at young players in a more physical setting.
“With a lot of the guys we don’t know, we need to see them and see where they are,” Jauron said. “We ran about 14 or 15 plays and that was good. Now we’ll look at the tape. At least it will help us evaluate them under live conditions. That’s not like a game will be for them, but at least it gives us a look at them.”
Neufeld hurt
The injury bug continues to plague the Bills. Tight end Ryan Neufeld suffered a hyperextended knee on a running play during an 11- on-11 segment of practice. He walked off the field under his own power and was examined by head trainer Bud Carpenter, but was held out the rest of the day.
Jauron doesn’t think the injury is severe, but isn’t sure how long Neufeld will be sidelined. Neufeld suffered a season-ending foot injury a year ago.
Starting left tackle Jason Peters got very little work because of a sore calf muscle he hurt during last Thursday’s night practice. The injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to practice Monday.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle John McCargo’s strained oblique kept him from practicing Saturday. Cornerback Jason Webster (hamstring), offensive guard Brad Butler (hamstring), running back Josh Scobey (calf) and defensive end Anthony Hargrove (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
Sideline views
The defense clearly got the better of the offense during the short scrimmage. Two of the best hits
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Linebacker Coy Wire has been making his presence felt during practices. were delivered by linebacker Kevin Harrison. After catching a short pass, running back Fred Jackson juked linebacker Josh Stamer off his feet, but Harrison leveled Jackson with a jolting tackle. Harrison also forced a fumble with a blow to running back Dwayne Wright in the backfield.… Josh Reed turned in the best catch of the day, making a one-handed grab after beating safety Ko Simpson over the middle.… Linebacker Coy Wire had another good day, blowing up a pass to Wright and intercepting rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to end a drive during a two-minute drill.… Linebacker John DiGiorgio (hip flexor) and offensive lineman Christian Gattis (knee) returned to practice, but both were limited to mostly individual work.… Punter Brian Moorman was the only absentee from practice. He was excused to tend to a personal matter.
Bills host young Backers
The Jr. Bills Backers were special guests of the team Saturday. About 400 kids, ages 3 to 14, attended practice and received gifts such as cameras and autograph books. They also were treated to a postpractice autograph session with several players. Brothers Stephen and Nicholas Phillips (ages 9 and 12, respectively) of Kenmore won a contest to interview Lynch and
Posluszny for feature
stories that will appear
on the Bills’ Web site in the future.
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25
miles to Exit 25 (Fairport
Directions
Road — 31F). Turn right or left and follow signs to fan parking. Shuttle buses take fans from the nearby lots to the practice fields.
Schedule
After 10 consecutive days without a break, the players have today off. The Bills return to work on Monday with a night practice from 7 to 9:05 p.m. There are no tickets available and you must have one to attend. The team will work out Tuesday from 1 to 3:05 p.m.
ABC Debates Video - Disney Is Looking - Disney Worldwide Services Captured On Traffic Report
Well, someone from Disney Worldwide Services in Burbank, Ca, has seen my video at least from the Valleywag point of view. The person went to Valleywag, then clicked through to my blog and looked at the same blog page seven times! That means they were listening to the video more than once. Which also means the may be trying to see if I made a statement I should not have.
I did not.
But before I get to that, the photo of the traffic report are presented here. The Disney person -- or persons -- visited at 12:06 PM PST and looked at the page repeatedly until 12:20 PM PST. Nice. Page view traffic!
First, what I stated was indeed my opinion, and I do use that term in my video.
Second, Disney and ABC are for all practical purposes public institutions which can be openly criticized in this free speech nation.
But my real hope is that Disney puts Amanda Congdon in charge of running the ABC Debates. I really hope they give her more juicy assigments regarding politics!
My Response To Valleywag's Tim Faulkner's Article On My ABC Debates Video
Valleywag's known for its "hotvlogger" contest!
Hello,
Clever? ABC Marketing. No way man; are you kidding? First, ABC only received about 60 videos, and not the 2,900 for the CNN / YouTube debate. So to call the ABC Marketing Team clever is just plain intellectually sloppy. But -- and you must admit this -- the fine point you introduce (for some reason) isn't fine point at all. You present the text as if it states "submitting a video does not mean we will use it in the debate." NO. ABC's presentation, including the emails sent, imply that our videos will be used in the debate.
I can't for the life of me understand why you took a contrary view to an issue that's on the center scope of a number of vloggers and one that -- if you visit my blog Zennie's Zeitgeist -- even Amanda Congdon agrees with. But you did, thus my reply. (Delivered with considerable respect for you and your publication!)
Now, pleasantries aside, back to my retort.
The reference to the "blonde" was both true and a trap. I totally detest stereotypical behavior in media. Thus, the installation of my trap, knowing that someone would point to -- as you put it -- "the irony" of mentioning Amanda Congdon. Hey, I placed a photo of her in my video for a reason. If one reads the exit text at the end, they will note my expressed displeasure for the media's habit of using blonde images to attract, but not employing someone blonde to run something -- in this case the ABC Debates.
I knew there were going to be TWO reactions -- the one I got from a female vlogger who immediately got what I was saying and showing and expressed support, and this one. Ah, people are so terribly predictatable and in a way I wish they were not.
Your text also communicates that you did not actually see the debate. You referred to the effort by "The Disney-owned network" as "America's Funniest Home Videos" when it was not that at all. Geez, they only used two -- TWO -- videos, and as I understand it, the video with the blonde was made BY ABC, and not submitted by the woman in the video!!!
I learned that after I made my video.
Please help wake people up -- well, OK, one can state that by presenting my video and setting the stage for this exchange, you've done just that. But there's a bigger issue here.
I am one who believes in effective change, and not accepting things they way they are. Your text implies that you like the media landscape as it exists. That's actually an unusual position in an industry that's in a total state of flux -- just witness the success of this publication versus its offline competitors.
We've got to have a serious conversation about the direction of media and how we can impact positive and beneficial change. It's not that we should expect ABC to behave in a way that's "controlling", rather we should demand that ABC and traditional media -- and the Republicans skipping the CNN / YouTube debate and thus causing a rescheduling of the event, to come into this century and embrace a more democratic process.
By not being part of this change, you're being -- in effect -- conservative and stiffling to social advancement. I don't think you intend that. At least I do hope not.
NFL Blackout / Broadcast Policy Text - NFLMedia.com
This is the official NFL policy on blackouts from NFLMedia.com
BROADCASTING POLICIES
Glossary of Terms
Franchised Market - television market (ADI or DMA) that has an NFL franchise (i.e. Buffalo, NY or Phoenix, AZ).
Secondary Blackout Market - television market in the home territory (with station(s) having signal penetration to within 75 miles of the game site) of an NFL franchise that is subject to blackout restrictions.
Early Game - Game with kickoff at 1:05 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Late Game - Game with kickoff at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Blackout Policy
To ensure an NFL club's ability to sell all of its game tickets, and to make televised games more attractive to viewers through the presence of sellout crowds, the following policy is observed by the NFL:
For a home game to be aired locally in the franchised market and in any secondary blackout market(s), the game must be sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff. If the game is not a sellout by the 72 hour cutoff, both the home franchised market and the secondary markets of the carrying network will air an alternate game.
Number of Games in a Market
With regard to the number of NFL games seen in a particular market on a Sunday afternoon, there are three different situations.
An NFL franchised market (i.e. New York, Chicago, Dallas, etc.).
On a week when the NFL team (or teams) in a market is on the ROAD Sunday, Monday or Thursday night or Saturday afternoon, the market will receive three Sunday afternoon games... two telecasts by the network with the doubleheader week and one game by the network with the single game week. When an NFL team in the market is playing at HOME on Sunday afternoon, the market will receive two games... one game on FOX and one game on CBS, regardless of which network has the doubleheader week. Unless 1) the home team's assigned telecaster that day (CBS or FOX) is also on the doubleheader network and 2) the game is sold out 72 hours in advance. Then the three games would be the home team's and two other games in the remaining early or late window.
All other television markets (including secondary blackout markets).
Network affiliates in these markets will receive three games on Sunday afternoon, two on the doubleheader network (one early and one late) and one game on the single game network (either early or late).
Selection of Games to be Telecast Regionally
By network contract, all team road games must be telecast back to that team's home territory (franchised market and secondary blackout markets).
Other than the above requirement, the televising network is the sole selector of which game(s) will be aired in all markets.
BROADCASTING POLICIES
Glossary of Terms
Franchised Market - television market (ADI or DMA) that has an NFL franchise (i.e. Buffalo, NY or Phoenix, AZ).
Secondary Blackout Market - television market in the home territory (with station(s) having signal penetration to within 75 miles of the game site) of an NFL franchise that is subject to blackout restrictions.
Early Game - Game with kickoff at 1:05 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Late Game - Game with kickoff at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Blackout Policy
To ensure an NFL club's ability to sell all of its game tickets, and to make televised games more attractive to viewers through the presence of sellout crowds, the following policy is observed by the NFL:
For a home game to be aired locally in the franchised market and in any secondary blackout market(s), the game must be sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff. If the game is not a sellout by the 72 hour cutoff, both the home franchised market and the secondary markets of the carrying network will air an alternate game.
Number of Games in a Market
With regard to the number of NFL games seen in a particular market on a Sunday afternoon, there are three different situations.
An NFL franchised market (i.e. New York, Chicago, Dallas, etc.).
On a week when the NFL team (or teams) in a market is on the ROAD Sunday, Monday or Thursday night or Saturday afternoon, the market will receive three Sunday afternoon games... two telecasts by the network with the doubleheader week and one game by the network with the single game week. When an NFL team in the market is playing at HOME on Sunday afternoon, the market will receive two games... one game on FOX and one game on CBS, regardless of which network has the doubleheader week. Unless 1) the home team's assigned telecaster that day (CBS or FOX) is also on the doubleheader network and 2) the game is sold out 72 hours in advance. Then the three games would be the home team's and two other games in the remaining early or late window.
All other television markets (including secondary blackout markets).
Network affiliates in these markets will receive three games on Sunday afternoon, two on the doubleheader network (one early and one late) and one game on the single game network (either early or late).
Selection of Games to be Telecast Regionally
By network contract, all team road games must be telecast back to that team's home territory (franchised market and secondary blackout markets).
Other than the above requirement, the televising network is the sole selector of which game(s) will be aired in all markets.
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