NPR Juan Williams Flap Shows Old Media's Problem

National Public Radio or "NPR" showed how it's an Old Media organization, much as CNN did in sacking Rick Sanchez, by firing long-time contributor Juan Williams on Thursday, and for making a statement that one can disagree with, but is his rightful opinion.

On Fox News' Bill O'Reilly show Monday, Juan Williams's said that he essentially would be scared or "get nervous" if he saw someone in Muslim religious garb after 9-11:

I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.

The simple fact is that any American, even National Public Radio or "NPR" CEO Vivian Schiller, knows that's true. Even if we try to fight the assumption, as I have in the past, we can't help but have some wonder about someone who gets on an airplane wearing Muslim religious dress. It's there, and always just under the surface. Wrong? Yes. Of course. But there.

For National Public Radio or "NPR" CEO Vivian Schiller to oust Juan Williams for that, rather than using the episode to boost ratings and Internet traffic, shows why Old Media outlets like NPR just don't get New Media.  Meanwhile, New Media grows.

What do TMZ.com, RadarOnline.com, PerezHilton.com, TechCrunch, and Julliet Brinkdak's MissOandFriends.com site have in common? They were sites and blogs started by people who aren't journalists nor were trained in media. Two of the sites are blogs, TechCrunch and TMZ.com, and are ran by lawyers. Julliet is 21 and started her site when she was 10 years old.

All of these sites have one thing in common, in their way they encourage talk and communications, and for many, controversy. That sells today. Moreover, it creates the appropriate forum within which to learn something about society. People are attracted to that, if it's allowed to happen.

That's the problem with NPR and CNN: they don't get that real controversy, especially when it's internally developed, causes more views and revenue.  NPR and CNN want to control what's said and it's no wonder CNN's ratings suffer.

The best example of this that comes to mind is Rocketboom.com, the online video blog show that started in 2005. During the celebrated and very public dust-up between Andrew Michael Barron and Amanda Congdon, Rocketboom's audience zoomed from 125,000 visitors per day to just north of 1 million per day.

Need I say more?

Raul Grijalva’s Office Hit By Terrorist Attack In Arizona

From an email by Daily Kos Markos Moulitsas, the Progressive Caucus Co-chair Raul Grijalva (D - Arizona) is fighting for his reelection life in Arizona because he was against that state's psychotic illegal immigration law SB 1070.

Rep. Raul Grijalva’s Office has been hit now by not one, but two terrorist attacks, the latest one in a mail that had "An envelope arrived with swastikas drawn on the outside and a white powdery substance on the inside," said Adam Sarvana, Grijalva’s spokesman.

This is scary. It's enough for Arizona to have people so screwed up they have to pass laws to feed their racism, but to go the extra mile and threaten the life of a political candidate is criminal. Literally.

According to the Daily Kos:

Grijalva received death threats in April, shortly after SB1070 was signed into law and he called for a boycott in response. He closed his Tucson and Yuma offices as a result...In July, after he called off the boycott, staffers found a bullet and a shattered window inside his Yuma office.

Best way to hit back is to donate money via Act Blue: Go here - LINK - to help Rep. Raul Grijalva.

SF Giants Phillies Game 5 Lincecum vs Halliday: Giants 4-2 Loss Upsetting

The SF Giants Phillies Game 5 Lincecum vs Halliday match was perfect for a Giants fan like this blogger. It had the game's two best pitchers - Tim Lincecum vs Roy Halliday - and was at AT&T Park in San Francisco. All the San Francisco Giants had to do was win and they were on the way to the World Series for 2010.

Oh, and this blogger had cool 3rd base line seats to die for. But instead of a win, we got a weird game with bouncing balls, intermittent rain, and a ton of almost scores.

There's more to come on this with photos and video, but this had to be written now. That was a weird game. It didn't seem to matter if it was Tim Lincecum pitching for the Giants, or SF's Aubrey Huff, Pablo Sandoval, or Cody Ross, the Giants could never seem to get that extra run to get off the two-run mark.

A good portion of the reason for that was excellent infield play by the Phillies, particularly Ryan Howard at first base. The Philadelphia infielders were picking off would-be Giants base hits like they were swatting flies in the summer. And from 3rd base line, it was frustrating to watch.

And the ball was bouncing in a weird way such that for both teams, it seemed like the ball just didn't want to stay in the glove, and more so for the Phillies. But the Giants could never capitalize on the Phillies errors. Arrgh, is the word for the game.

It was an emotional affair: some long time Giants fans were so spent from three games of yelling that, when it seemed the Giants weren't going to do it, they just quieted down. It's as if all of the celebration energy was spent the night before. It was better to temper it and wait for Thursday. Alas, all of that, is too late now.

The Giants have to win one of the next two back in Philadelphia.

Parody Song Pokes Fun at President Causes Controversy as Video Goes Viral

There's been a number of comedians who have taken their shots at either imitating or making fun of President Obama. Most of the gestures have been hit or miss. This past week things changed when video directors Martin Usher and James Davis created a character named Baracka Flacka which is a play on popular rap star Wacka Flocka and his song 'Hard in the Paint' which they parodied.

When I saw this video I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry…On one hand its funny as hell. On the other hand we have a sitting President who is the constant target of racially charged jokes and threats. If Usher and Davis can go there with this raunchy song which uses the 'N' word throughout the chorus and in the lyrics, why can't Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity? Was a line crossed or is this just good fun with an adult theme?

In any case I certainly hope President Obama calls up his friends Jay-Z and Ludacris and has them give a solid response to this.. I mean the line about him making long speeches and putting people to sleep can’t go unchecked. Also I hope homeboy James Davis has his tax record straight cause you know they gonna audit..LOL

PS.. Do not listen to the song with the volume turned loud at work or in front of young kids. The language is colorful as he uses the N word a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ-hPNrKdZI

The State of Texas is at Again: GOP Candidate Stephen Broden Threatens Violence

They say alot of strange things come out of Texas. Earlier this year we heard elected officials like state rep Debbie Riddle talk about how this country needed to be wary of so-called Terror babies.

We heard another official, state rep Betty Brown insists that Asian people need to get English names. We heard the sitting governor Rick Perry threaten to haveTexas secede from the union.

If all that wasn’t enough we had to endure the literal white washing and re-writing of Texas History books by a far right fanatical group that took over the Texas State Board of Education.

Over the past year we seen disgruntled Texan Fausto Cardenas shoot up the state capitol a while an angry Joseph Andrew Stack flew his plane into an IRS building killing former 20 year army veteran Vernon Hunter.

Yes a lot of strange things go on in that state and far too often with violent consequences. Should we be concerned? Based on the history absolutely. This is why many in the Lone Star state aren’t laughing at the outlandish remarks made by GOP candidate Stephen Broden who threatened violence if the Republicans don’t get their way.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Broden a South Dallas Pastor who is squaring off against long time incumbent Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson in Dallas’ 30th Congressional District, said a violent uprising is not the first option but it’s on the table.

Broden explained in an interview with WFAA TV reporter Brad Watson “If the government is not producing the results or has become destructive to the ends of our liberties, we have a right to get rid of that government and to get rid of it by any means necessary,”.

He added to his remarks that the United States was founded on a violent revolt against Britain’s King George III and if we have a constitution remedy to Barack Obama administration which he sees as tyrannical. Broden feels the answer is ‘revolution the violent over throw of the government.

GOP leaders distanced themselves from his remarks, but stop short of calling for his ouster. Could you imagine if someone who was Muslim said this while running for office? How does a Pastor like Stephen Broden justify threatening violence if the GOP doesn’t win? What part of the Bible was he reading? We should all be appalled.

Oh yeah one added twist to this saga and I’m not sure if it makes much of a difference, Broden is a Black man..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvSIrR7itSw

Killed by Police: We Remember Oscar Grant & Pace University Student Danroy DJ Henry

Bay Area Residents were insulted to see this sign calling for Freedom of a killer cop during the SF Giants Playoff game.

Today is Oct 22, a day in which people all over the world remember those killed at the hands of the police. This is weighing heavily on many people's minds with recent killing of Pace University college student Danroy 'DJ' Henry in Westchester County, New York and the looming sentencing date of Oscar Grant out in Oakland, Calfornia

This past week the Bay Area and those who want Justice 4 Oscar Grant were insulted when the father and supporters of killer copJohannes Mehserle showed up to McCovey Cove in a Yacht next to Candlestick Park during the Giants playoff games and unfolded ‘Free Mehserle’ banners. The signs were seen nationwide as TV cameras would show the signs when panning into the outfield.

Bay Area folks weren’t having it and dispatched a boat of their own to the cove to unveil large Justice 4 Oscar Grant banners. Police supporters driving the Yacht attempted ram the Grant boat and now the Bay is on fire as the November 5th sentencing looms near.

This Saturday at 12 noon there will be a huge rally in downtown Oakland in front of City Hall.. The rally sponsored by theLongshoremen’s Union will be accompanied by them shutting down ports on the west coast to bring attention to the Oscar Grant case…

As folk here in Cali rally for Oscar Grant, many will also have their hearts, minds and attention on the recent police killing of 20-year-old star football player and Pace University student Danroy Henry aka DJ Henry.

For folks who don’t know the story, last weekend, Henry and fellow teammate and best friend Brandon Cox were parked in the fire lane in front of a bar in Westchester County near the Pace University campus, when a chaotic fight broke out. Henry and Cox weren’t involved. In fact Henry was the designated driver and was waiting to take his friends home. When police showed up on the scene and did what they normally do, start barking orders with a ‘take no mess‘ attitude as they began ordering folks around, trying to clean up the scene. Among those ordered was Henry.

According to police they tapped on the window of Henry’s car and ‘he suddenly sped off hitting an officer and putting his life in danger‘. Police claimed they were fearing for their lives as one officer was supposedly clinging to the hood of the car, thus compelling them to shoot and kill Henry. Note this is the story the police told and its been debunked by dozens of witnesses on the scene.

According to passenger Brandon Cox and witnesses to the horrific scene, cops tapped on the window and Henry slowly drove off believing he was being ordered move away from the fire lane. He didn’t speed off and no officer was hit and left clinging to his windshield, yet shots were fired into the vehicle killing Henry. This was a popular well mannered young man who was not a known troublemaker, had no criminal record and who was unarmed.

Our hearts go out to Pace University football player 20 year old Danroy Henry who gunned down by police & handcuffed while he lay dying. Thousands came out for his vigil. This week's Pace games were canceled

After the car was stopped/crashed, Henry was pulled out and handcuffed while he lay on the ground dying. His friends rushed to his aid and were tasered and handcuffed by Mt Pleasant police. . Some of his friends knew CPR and wanted to keep him alive. They were in shock he was shot by the police. It was only after witnesses, many of them white screamed at police that what they did was wrong that they relented and took the handcuffs off the mortally wounded Henry.

When the ambulance arrived, medical workers were directed to the police officers who were hardly injured (they got hurt after shooting Henry). While they looked after the police, Henry lay on the ground with bullets wounds for over 15 minutes before he was tended to…As we know he eventually died from his injuries. More details around this are still forth coming. Thousands came out for a vigil to honor Henry. This week’s Pace football game was cancelled

Our experience with Oscar Grant, had many of us here in Cali wondering if police in Mt Pleasant, NY employed similar tactics to cover up their wrong doings. If folks recall, in the first hours after Grant was shot, police funneled reports to local media about him having a criminal past. This was aired and used as some sort of justification for him being killed that fateful New Years morning. We’re almost sure police were looking for dirt on Henry. Fortunately this was a good kid and so the typical police narrative of the bad apple being shot doesn’t hold water. As we speak police have been combing the area ‘looking for witnesses to collaborate their story’ that Henry was in the wrong and put officers lives in danger.

Oscar Grant

We don’t think so. For many of us this is Sean Bell and Oscar Grantall over again. Our condolences and prayers to the Henry family. They stated in interviews that they want the truth. We hope that’s afforded to them and that the police do what never happened with Grant, apologize to them for this inexcusable behavior.

We also hope that good minded peace officers will take bold steps forward and speak out and say ‘enough is enough’. It’s good to see Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Henry’s home state, is speaking out and calling for an investigation. Hopefully President Obama will speak out the way he’s done when officers have been slain.

Many of us will be speaking out both today Oct 22 and tomorrow during the rally in Oakland, California as we pay tribute to Grant and other victims of police violence. We leave you with some videos that will hopefully raise awareness about the gravity of police brutality.

written by Davey D

Peter Thiel offers $100,000 to students who drop out of school

Peter Thiel is offering to give  $100 thousand to 20 kids under the age of 20 to drop out of school.

Thiel is a billionaire as a result of early Facebook investments and being the co-founder of PayPal. He is calling this his "20 under 20" program, and he thinks that by doing so he is encouraging young adults to not limit themselves by getting an education.

Slate informs that whoever has seen The Social Network has seen Peter Theil:


"If you've seen The Social Network, you may have caught a passing glimpse of Peter Thiel. Thiel was the first outside investor in Facebook, putting up $500,000 to finance the site's original expansion in 2004. In the film's version of events, he connives with Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, to deprive Mark Zuckerberg's friend Eduardo Saverin of his 30 percent stake in the company. Though the character based on Thiel appears on-screen only briefly, Aaron Sorkin's screenplay demolishes the German-born venture-capitalist in a single line: "We're in the offices of a guy whose hero is Gordon Gekko."


(Jacob Weisberg wrote that article for Slate, and I would like to point out that a lot of the articles and posts I attribute to are written by Jacob Weisberg. So, if you're reading this Mr. Weisberg, I like your work.)

Thiel previously supported the Committee to Protect Journalists, so he can't be completely horrible, but without an education there won't be any journalists to protect.

Indyposted.com reports that Thiel said:

“There are a lot of things people learn in school, but they don’t learn much about entrepreneurship. We think that actually trying to encourage this is good.”

Well, encouraging is one thing - offering someone under 20 a large sum of money to drop out of school is just repulsive.

Why would a business man think dropping out of college is such a bright idea - maybe it's because when watching The Social Network people see how easy Zuckerberg made his start. True, Zuckerberg is an evil genius, but the money basically just fell on his lap.

Maybe if Thiel was giving a grant or some sort of scholarship of the sort, but to actually go out and say "Drop out of school and I will give you $100 thousand" is ridiculous.

I'm 20 and I even think it is ridiculous. "Stopping out of school" is what he likes to call it, according to Techcrunch.

So he is just going to give out $2 million and let it be free? Is he going make sure that the kids don't go to school? There's probably some contract that states that the money MAY NOT be spent on any form of college education. Thiel does not plan on helping each of these 20 individuals manage the money that he is offering, and that is going to backfire into a lot of debt for those young adults who may have felt as though this was their "big break."



By Nikky Raney
Journalist & Blogger