Tag Archives: Big Media/Big Tech

The 10 Major Newspapers That Will Either Fold or Go Digital Next

1. The Philadelphia Daily News
2. The Minneapolis Star Tribune
3. The Miami Herald
4. The Detroit News
5. The Boston Globe
6. The San Francisco Chronicle
7. The Chicago Sun Times
8. NY Daily News
9. The Fort Worth Star Telegram
10. The Cleveland Plain Dealer
(Read more from news.yahoo.com)

GOOD! I am a blogger. Hear me roar!

Also, Our society suffers if newspapers fall silent

Hahahahahaha! Right. Without the Big Media, how will we know who to hate, who to fear and where to make war?

Conservatives Real and Imagined at CPAC 2009

There is a battle raging for the Republican Party between the conservatives who believe in conservative values (small government, non-intervention, individual liberty) and the neo-conservatives, who are neither conservative nor neo. Guys like Rush Limbaugh are party hacks at best, rationalizing whatever policy Republicans propose regardless any principles.

I hope my liberal friends see past the latter category into the former.

Hollywood’s New Censors

by John Pilger

“When I returned from the war in Vietnam, I wrote a film script as an antidote to the myth that the war had been an ill-fated noble cause. The producer David Puttnam took the draft to Hollywood and offered it to the major studios, whose responses were favorable – well, almost. Each issued a report card in which the final category, ‘politics,’ included comments such as: ‘This is real, but are the American people ready for it? Maybe they’ll never be.’

By the late 1970s, Hollywood judged Americans ready for a different kind of Vietnam movie. The first was The Deer Hunter which, according to Time, ‘articulates the new patriotism.’ The film celebrated immigrant America, with Robert de Niro as a working class hero (‘liberal by instinct’) and the Vietnamese as sub-human Oriental barbarians and idiots, or ‘gooks.’ The dramatic peak was reached during recurring orgiastic scenes in which GIs were forced to play Russian roulette by their Vietnamese captors. This was made up by the director Michael Cimino, who also made up a story that he had served in Vietnam. ‘I have this insane feeling that I was there,’ he said. “Somehow… the line between reality and fiction has become blurred.’

The Deer Hunter was regarded virtually as documentary by ecstatic critics. ‘The film that could purge a nation’s guilt!’ said the Daily Mail. . . .

My own 2007 film The War on Democracy, which inverted the ‘war on terror’ in Latin America, was distributed in Britain, Australia and other countries but not in the United States. ‘You will need to make structural and political changes,’ said a major New York distributor. ‘Maybe get a star like Sean Penn to host it – he likes liberal causes – and tame those anti-Bush sequences.’ . . .

These are extraordinary times. Vicious colonial wars and political, economic and environmental corruption cry out for a place on the big screen. Yet, try to name one recent film that has dealt with these, honestly and powerfully, let alone satirically. Censorship by omission is virulent. We need another Wall Street, another Last Hurrah, another Dr. Strangelove.” (Read more from antiwar.com)

How Village Voice Media Uses Digg to Game Their Traffic Numbers

“This is the story about a girl that’s actually a dude who’s brought in 3.8 – 19.4 million visitors* to Village Voice Media websites by gaming Digg.

Village Voice Media appears to be running an organized reciprocal Digg campaign using staff at their network of alt-weekly newspapers across the United States. Two Digg users, Ivanb and Philostrato, are responsible for the vast majority of that traffic” (Read more from thedeets.com)

9/11 Truth on “Rescue Me” episode

A coming episode of the acclaimed FX drama “Rescue Me” will tackle what may sound like a far-fetched plot line: that the attacks of Sept. 11 were an “inside job.” The actor who espouses the theories on camera, it turns out, also subscribes to them in real life. Claims that Al Qaeda terrorists were not solely responsible for the attacks have a lively following on the Internet, including on YouTube, but the second episode of “Rescue Me’s” fifth season, starting in April, may represent the first fictional presentation of 9/11 conspiracy theories by a mainstream media company (FX is operated by the News Corporation). “They’re not discussed a lot in the press,” Daniel Sunjata, the actor who plays Franco Rivera on “Rescue Me,” told reporters at a television press tour last month. (Read more from CSPANjunkie.org)

Obama left with little time to curb global warming

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Sun Dec 14, 6:49 pm ET

WASHINGTON – When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, global warming was a slow-moving environmental problem that was easy to ignore. Now it is a ticking time bomb that President-elect Barack Obama can’t avoid. (from news.yahoo.com)

***

“I am a skeptic. . . Global warming has become a new religion.” – Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever.

Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history. . . When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” – UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.

“The IPCC has actually become a closed circuit; it doesn’t listen to others. It doesn’t have open minds. . . I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists,” – Indian geologist Dr. Arun D. Ahluwalia at Punjab University and a board member of the UN-supported International Year of the Planet.

“Creating an ideology pegged to carbon dioxide is a dangerous nonsense. . . The present alarm on climate change is an instrument of social control, a pretext for major businesses and political battle. It became an ideology, which is concerning.” – Environmental Scientist Professor Delgado Domingos of Portugal, the founder of the Numerical Weather Forecast group, has more than 150 published articles.

See this earlier post for more.

The Unspeakable has been Spoken: Devaluation

The fact that a Forbes columnist used the D-word is very significant. Usually the media supports the government’s desire to maintain confidence in the dollar. Government needs this confidence to preserve the dollar’s value as it prints trillions from thin air to support wars, domestic spying and the salaries of 22 million federal employees. Why are rumors of devaluation dangerous? Think about it. What would you do if you knew dollars were about to lose half their purchasing power?

In my mind, the fact of devaluation’s discussion is news in itself.

“What began as government social tinkering–with implied threats to banks and mortgage companies to extend home loans to even the most marginal of borrowers–led to a greed-blinded mortgage banking business and the meltdown we are experiencing today. Now we are asked by the same congressional leadership to go along with taxpayer-funded bailouts of the very banksters who, while making millions, created the mess.

Despite the trillions of dollars already expended recapitalizing banks, there is very little, if any, progress to show. Will a few trillion more do the trick? That seems to be the consensus among Congress and the banks. ‘They are simply too big to let fail,’ or are they really just too big to save? We can go back to “Plan A” and buy the toxic assets. If so, at what price? What if a few trillion does not remove enough toxic waste from the system or doesn’t get credit flowing again and the economy bustling?”

“A quick dollar devaluation would work wonders for submerged borrowers. Don’t kid yourself: It could happen.”

“It can be done on a country-by-country basis, but a coordinated devaluation would work best. A devaluation of 30% would raise the dollar value of all assets by 43%. A $200,000 home with a $230,000 mortgage would become a $286,000 home with the same mortgage. Presto! The homeowner who was $30,000 upside-down now has $56,000 equity and a good reason to make his payments. Both the homeowner and the bank are immediately better-off.

It would even benefit those who purchased their homes responsibly, as the value of their homes would rise by the same 43%. The current course of throwing trillions of dollars at the culprits is without any benefit to those who acted responsibly. Admittedly, this is not a solution without the price of inflation.” (Read more from forbes.com)

On Gaza

Israel bombs University
“Gaza’s interior ministry and Islamic University were the latest targets.” (Read more from news.bbc.co.uk)

Israel kills scores in Gaza air strikes
“GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli warplanes pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 229 people in one of the bloodiest days for the Palestinians in 60 years of conflict with the Jewish state.” (Read more from reuters.com)

Gaza facing ‘critical emergency’
“The UN has warned that Palestinians in Gaza are facing a serious health and food crisis, as Israeli air strikes continued for a seventh day.” Read more from news.bbc.co.uk

Jewish Organizations Call For End to Gaza Bombings
“As Israeli air strikes continue to pummel the Gaza Strip for a fourth day and crude homemade rockets launched by Palestinian militants land in Israeli towns near the densely populated and besieged Strip, Jewish groups in the U.S. are taking two distinctly differing tacks at addressing the latest Middle East bloodshed.

Some of what are traditionally thought of as pro-Israel groups are undertaking a major public relations campaign to support the bombing runs against Hamas that have claimed more than 370 Palestinian lives – largely parroting the Israeli government line that the attacks are a justified defense of Israelis. . . .

But instead of offering unquestioning support of Israel’s latest military venture in the decades-long conflict, four major Jewish organizations are calling for an immediate end to the bombings, and for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.” (Read more from antiwar.com)

Iranian Jews protest Gaza ‘slaughter’
“Different groups representing Iran’s Jewish community on Tuesday gathered in front of the United Nations office in Teheran in order to protest “Israeli war crimes and the slaughter of the innocent people in Gaza Strip,” the Iranian IRNA news agency reported. The protesters, led by the Jewish representative in Parliament, Siamak Mara-Sedq, carried placards with anti-Israel slogans in both Farsi and Hebrew, the report said. ” (Read more from jpost.com)

Israel mounts PR campaign to blame Hamas for Gaza destruction
“So, while the military marshalled its forces, the foreign ministry honed its message and amassed its staff, ready for Saturday’s attack. Israeli diplomats were recalled from holidays and ordered back to work and in the rocket-bombarded southern Israeli town of Sderot, on Gaza’s northern perimeter, it opened a multilingual media centre to brief foreign journalists. . . .” (Read more from guardian.co.uk)

Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign
(Read more from Haaretz.com)

White House backs Israel’s attacks on Gaza Strip
(Read more from news.yahoo.com)

Violent protests at Israeli Embassy in London
“Violent confrontations broke out at the Israeli Embassy in London today as up to 1,500 protesters against Israel’s Gaza campaign gathered in a vociferous demonstration. Campaign supporters, Palestinians and British Muslims stood on the pavement of High Street Kensington, west London, and chanted in unison: “Five, six, seven, eight – Israel is a terror state.”” (Read more from timesonline.co.uk)

Protests in NYC
(Pictures at desertpeace.wordpress.com)

Israeli, foreign press more free than America’s on Gaza
“In the usual process, the U.S. government, media here – and most liberal bloggers – are silent or playing down questions about whether Israel overreacted in its massive air strikes on Gaza, while the foreign press, and even Haaretz in Israel, carries more balanced accounts.

Anyone who cares should consult the respected Haaretz site often, if for no other reason than to learn that criticism of Israeli military actions are usually more heated inside that country than in the USA. You may recall the lockstep support (in the U.S.) for Israeli’s invasion of southern Lebanon, which included the use of U.S.-made cluster bombs.” (Read more from huliq.com)

Israeli troops mobilize as Gaza assault widens
“Israel widened its deadliest-ever air offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers Sunday, pounding smuggling tunnels and a central prison, sending more tanks and artillery toward the Gaza border and approving a reserves callup for a possible ground invasion.” (Read more from news.yahoo.com)

Gaza’s desperate hospitals overwhelmed by casualties
“Two of Gaza’s highest-ranking security officials are among the victims of Israeli airstrikes. Medical personnel scramble to treat the wounded in facilities left low on supplies by a blockade.” (Read more from latimes.com)

See Also: Sabbah Blog

Five Predictions for 2009

1) The price for an ounce of Gold will again surpass $1000. This time, it’ll stay over $1000.

2) More of the same under Obama:
     -More war. Our presence in Iraq will continue. At best, there’ll be a decrease in troop levels. Troop levels in Afghanistan will increase. We’ll continue to have a military presence in about 130 of the world’s 190 countries. Only national bankruptcy, or the destruction of the dollar will bring the troops home. We may see the beginnings of this, but I don’t predict it’ll happen in 2009.
     -More government. Size and spending will increase under Obama.
     -More invasiveness. Washington will continue domestic spying, harassment, and illegal detention. The patriot act will not be fully revoked. US troops will take on an increased domestic role.
     -More support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Despite lip-service, Obama’s administration will continue financing, supporting and excusing the longest military occupation in history.

3) States and municipalities will consider bankruptcy.

4) The retail industry will be ravaged. It’ll never again be as it was.

5) The fault line will deepen between power and liberty. Despite Big Media’s best effort, the left vs. right paradigm will become less relevant. Expect increased tension over taxes, right to protest, right to bear arms, freedom of speech.

***

Last year’s predictions:

1) Corporate Media will believe their own propaganda and be astonished by Ron Paul’s success – starting tomorrow.

2) The push to attack Iran will resume once the presidential primaries are decided. If Israel bombs Iran, they’ll do so after the primaries, but before President Bush leaves office.

3) Our economic woes will be worse than predicted.
This is pretty evident.

4) The price of gold will reach $1000/ounce.
See here.

5) The threat of child predators will be leveraged as an excuse to regulate the internet, or internet access.
See here, and here.