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Club for Growth warns
against stimulus vote
By Donna Smith (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 9:51:53 AM
Beware any Republican who might fall
for President Barack Obama’s sales
pitch Tuesday for his $825 billion
economic stimulus plan. A vote for the
legislation will disqualify you from
receiving the Club for Growth’s“Defender
of Economic Freedom” award.
The conservative economic advocacy
group issued the warning just hours before
Obama was to meet with Republican
members of the House of Representatives
and the Senate in hopes of drumming up
more support for his economic recovery
plan.
“No congressman can vote for the
stimulus bill and claim to be a defender of
economic freedom,” Club for Growth
President Pat Toomey said in a statement.
“In fact, the Democrats’ package is the
antithesis of economic freedom. The bill is
a paragon of government run amok, a
ballooning deficit, fiscal irresponsibility,
and political greed.”
So far congressional Republicans have
been cool to the Democratic-backed
legislation, arguing it spends too much and
gives too little in tax cuts. But with U.S.
job losses mounting and consumer
confidence crumbling, it may be difficult
for many lawmakers to vote against the
legislation Obama says is urgently needed
to keep the economy from falling deeper
into recession.
The Club for Growth keeps a voting
scorecard of up to 100 points. Every year
its economic freedom trophy goes to those
who earn a score of 90 or better. The group
advocates conservative economic policies
that include making President George W.
Bush’s tax cuts permanent, limiting
government and cutting spending.
For more Reuters political news, please
click here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
(Snow cleared from Capitol grounds ahead
of visit from President Barack Obama)
27/01/09 - 29/01/09
First Draft: double vision
By Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:49:45 AM
WASHINGTON - Don’t rub your eyes.
Despite the early hour, you weren’t seeing
things when White House Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs somehow managed to be in
two places at once.
He showed up on ABC and NBC
morning television shows at the same time
to talk about how President Barack Obama
has no hard feelings toward Republicans
who refused to vote for the economic
stimulus, and in fact had them over to the
White House last night for a cocktail party
among other guests.
It was a neat trick, Gibbs being
questioned on different channels by
different TV personalities about the same
issue at the same time.
The party must have made for some
interesting conversation over drinks, or
perhaps it was all smiles since Obama got
the bill passed and Republicans had their
(no) say.
More bad economic news. U.S. weekly
jobless claims rose by 3,000 to 588,000
and U.S. durable goods orders posted
another decline in December, falling 2.6
percent.
Obama to meet with Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner this afternoon.
Economic concerns dominate the
Washington landscape. The Federal
Reserve can’t cut interest rates much more
or it would have to pay banks to take
Rush Limbaugh vs. Barack Obama
By Matt Lewis (Political Machine -
Politics Blog, Opinion and Analysis -
AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:30:00 AM
LibertyNewsprint.com U.S.
money.
And one word on the health front from
the FDA - Peanuts. Throw out anything
made with peanuts processed by Peanut
Corporation of America in Georgia over
the last two years.
For more Reuters political news, click
here
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed
(Obama walks with Gibbs between
meetings with Republicans on Capitol
Hill)
Filed under: Republicans I was just on
MSNBC talking El Rushbo. Gotta love
how my liberal counterpart said Rush was
"almost treasonous". Which side is name
Rep. Dick Armey
Is An Idiot
By Denise Williams (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:43:00 PM
Filed under: Gaffes, Media Republican
Texas Congressional Representative Dick
Armey seems to think that debating a
woman on a national news program is like
a prattling wife.
Tonight's MSNBC's Hardball segment
with Chris Matthews, Joan Walsh (editor-
in-chief at Salon.com) and Dick Armey
proved sexism in the media to a tee. The
discussion started out about Rush
Limbaugh, but quickly degraded into a
cocky Armey dismissing every word of
Walsh's.
I'm still trying to pick my jaw off the
ground on this. It took the New York
Times Bob Herbert in the next segment to
tell Matthews that Armey needed to
apologize to Joan Walsh and the viewers.
While the segment needs to be watched
in toto, the really nasty stuff starts at the 10
minute mark:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News,
World News, and News about the
Economy
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calling? Enjoy ...
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2 inauguration* Politics*
Sarah Palin starts a PAC
By David Alexander (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 4:35:31 PM
If you thought Sarah Palin was going to
just fade away, you clearly weren’t
listening when she said the only difference
between a hockey mom and a pit bull was
lipstick.
The Alaska governor, who was the
Republican nominee for vice president in
the race that John McCain lost to
Democrat Barack Obama last year, is
already laying the groundwork for another
run at something.
She has started her own political action
committee, SarahPAC, complete with a
website. And she’s learned a trick from
Obama — the site’s main feature is a page
where you can put down your name and
donate $25 or $5,000 or more.
“Welcome to SarahPAC, Sarah Palin’s
official PAC,” the site says. “Dedicated to
building America’s future, supporting
fresh ideas and candidates who share our
vision for reform and innovation.”
“SarahPAC believes the Republican Party
is at the threshold of an historic
renaissance that will build a better future
for all,” the site says. “Health care,
education and reform of government are
among our key goals.”
The site’s home page shows Palin
against a backdrop of Alaska’s sweeping
mountain vistas.
While declaring it is not authorized by
any candidate or candidate’s committee,
SarahPAC has a full biography of the
former vice presidential candidate.
It notes she made history by becoming
the first woman governor of Alaska and
the first woman on a Republican
presidential ticket.
“Gov. Palin has a long record of
achievement and experience in public
office,” it says, including her service as
governor, her time as mayor of the town
of Wasilla and her stint on the Wasilla City
Council.
For more Reuters political news, click
here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Tami Chappell
(Palin campaigns for Senator Saxby
Chambliss in Georgia in December)
First Draft: Obama courts
Republicans on the Hill
By Deborah Charles (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 5:50:52 AM
For the second Tuesday in a row,
President Barack Obama heads up to
Capitol Hill. Last week it was to be
inaugurated. Today it’s to woo
Republican lawmakers and try to build
momentum for the $825 stimulus package.
Faced with growing economic problems,
as more big companies lay off workers and
troubles mount in the housing and financial
sectors, Obama will meet with House and
Senate lawmakers to build support before
debate begins on Capitol Hill on the
stimulus package.
He will have separate meetings with the
House Republicans and Senate
Republicans in the early afternoon. The
White House says the meetings are to
“seek input” on the stimulus plan. The
House and Senate are expected to approve
the package by the middle of next month
regardless of whether Republicans
embrace it.
The Congressional Budget Office issued
a report late on Monday saying the
stimulus package falls billions of dollars
short of Obama’s goal to pump most of the
money into the eco nomy quickly.
Timothy Geithner, who was approved by
Obama Tally: Day 8 - The Stimulus
By Michael Kraskin (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:41:00 PM
Filed under: Economy, Obama
Administration Naturally, the big story of
the day is the passing of the massive $819
billion stimulus bill. I'm going to call this a
win for Obama, because he has spent the
last two days lobbying congress for its
passage.
However, it passed without a single
Republican vote. A serious blow to the
bipartisan spirit Obama was hoping to
the Senate as Treasury Secretary, was
sworn in on Monday night and he vowed
quick action to help fix the economy.
On the morning talk shows: A California
woman will now have to feed and dress
one extra baby. She shocked doctors —
who had expected her to have seven babies
– by giving birth to octuplets.
For more Reuters political news, click
here.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing
(Geithner’s wife Carole watches as he is
sworn in as Treasury Secretary)
bring to Washington.
The sleeper story of the day is that Eric
Holder, Obama's choice for Attorney
General, was voted out of committee 17-2
with 6 republicans voting for his
appointment. Eric Holder has been
possibly the most controversial nominee
by Obama due to his ties to the Clinton
pardoning of Marc Rich and other
questions concerning his qualifications.
Check out the running tally and learn
more about this list here.
Day
Event
+
Daily Digital Newspaper
The Winter Storm is
Obama's Fault
By Michael Kraskin (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:24:00 AM
Filed under: Viral Video, Obama
Administration Is the weather getting you
down? John Oliver of The Daily Show
explains why it's Obama's fault, after all, it
happened on his watch. Of course if you're
one of the million who lost power, not
even this will be able to cheer you up.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M -
Th 11p / 10c Obama's Smug Little Bubble
Daily Show Full Episodes
Daily Show Tickets More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour
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-
=
8
Eric Holder Voted Out of Committee
x
8
Stimulus Bill Passes Congress
x
8
Stimulus Bill Passes Congress without a
single Republican Vote
x
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Daily Digital Newspaper
First draft: House to vote on
economic stimulus
By Deborah Charles (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:51:32 AM
President Barack Obama faces his first
big political challenge as the House of
Representatives is due to vote on a $825
billion package to stem the U.S. recession.
Despite a trip to Capitol HIll to woo
Republicans on Tuesday, most House
Republicans are expected to oppose the
proposal. But Democrats were confident
they had enough votes to get the package
approved as they seek a final bill for
Obama to sign into law by mid-February.
The Federal Reserve meets to review
options on how to restore U.S. growth,
with a statement by the Federal Open
Market Committee around 2:15 p.m. EST
(1915 GMT). The Fed is discussing how to
revive the economy now that traditional
interest-rate cutting tools have been
exhausted. Fed officials are expected to
discuss uncoventional measures to improve
financial market operations.
At the White House, Obama will meet
with a group of business leaders from
across the country in a mid-morning
meeting to discuss the impact of the
weakening economy on businesses and
workers. He will make remarks on the
AT&T And Comcast Willing
To Cut Off File Sharers
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 7:01:00 PM
While ISPs have been reluctant to admit
to agreeing to be a part of the RIAA's three
strikes plan, if you had to take a guess who
would be involved, AT&T and Comcast
would probably lead the list (along with
Cox, which has already admitted to doing
so). So, it probably comes as no surprise
that News.com has confirmed from
internal sources that, indeed, both AT&T
and Comcast have agreed, in principle, to
participate-- though neither will admit to it
publicly for fear of public backlash. Of
course, in places like where I live, what do
they have to fear? The only options for
economy after the meeting, at 11:15 a.m.
EST (1615 GMT).
He then turns his focus to national
security issues, traveling to the Pentagon
with Vice President Biden for a meeting
with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
and other senior officials to discuss the
situation
For more Reuters political news, click
here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
(U.S. Capitol)
broadband here are... AT&T DSL and
Comcast cable. So it's not like there are
alternatives. It shouldn't impact me
directly, since I don't engage in any file
sharing, but the principle of the thing is
quite bothersome (not to mention the false
positives that occur). No matter what other
issues one might have with Verizon, the
company should be given credit for (a)
actually investing in much faster fiber
networks and (b) being willing to openly
stand up to the entertainment industry over
the years. If only FiOS were actually
available where I live.
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Obama to shivering
Washingtonians: Toughen up
By Matt Spetalnick (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:32:48 AM
President Barack Obama, steeled by
Chicago’s harsh winters, had some
unsolicited advice for shivering
Washingtonians on Wednesday — toughen
up.
Obama took a joking dig at residents of
Washington, his new adopted home, after
his daughters’ school was closed because
of icy streets and sidewalks in the nation’s
capital.
“My children’s school was canceled
today, because of what? Some ice,” he said
to laughter as he spoke to reporters while
sitting down with corporate executives to
discuss his economic recovery plan.
As one of his girls, who both attend the
Steve Bell: Britain faces worst year since 1930x, warns IMF
By Steve Bell (News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
inauguration* Tech* International*
private Sidwell Friends school, pointed
out, Obama added, “in Chicago, school is
never canceled. … You’d go outside for
recess. You wouldn’t even stay indoors.”
“We’re going to have to apply some
flinty Chicago toughness,” he said in an
amused tone.
Asked whether was calling
Washingtonians wimps, Obama — who
moved his family from Chicago before his
presidential inauguration last week — said,
“I’m saying when it comes to the weather,
folks in Washington don’t seem to be able
to handle things.”
For more Reuters political news, click
here
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed
(Obama meets business leaders)
Gordon Brown was forced to admit that
the UK is in 'a deep recession', despite
claims that the UK was well prepared
3
Online Publications Still
Think They Can Get Away
With Charging For Access
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:57:46 PM
As various news publications struggle to
find new business models, they keep
jumping back to the idea of "if we could
just get people to pay..." And, then they
look at the very, very, very few success
stories online of charging for content (such
as the Wall Street Journal) and think "hey,
we can do that..." Except, they can't, for
the most part. The WSJ gets away with it
because the level of their reporting really is
heads and shoulders above others on
certain topics -- and it happens to be on
topics which matter significantly to many
people (i.e., they can make money based
on that info). Unless you have both very
specialized and highly valuable content
that is not well covered elsewhere, you're
going to have trouble charging. And, of
course, even then you might have trouble.
Cutting off people through a subscription
wall presents additional problems, such as
convincing any new readers you're actually
worth it compared to all the free content
out there -- and, most importantly, staying
a part of the relevant conversation. These
days, that's a lot more important than the
content itself (though few newspapers
recognize it yet). Also, focusing on
charging simply opens up an opportunity
for others to create similarly compelling
and valuable content for free... and
siphoning away your paying readership.
So, it's pretty surprising that anyone
thinks that U.S. News and World Report
has even the slightest chance of making it
work, but folks at the magazine apparently
think people will pay $20/year for an
online subscription. It's difficult to see how
this would work -- considering that there's
plenty of (free) competition that covers
similar material (and already has a better
reputation for it). It seems like a last gasp
effort by a U.S. News that has greatly
trimmed back over the past couple of
years.
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4 Politics* Tech*
Shrinking Fast, GOP Now the Party of Rush Limbaugh,
Sarah Palin and 'No!'
By David Knowles (Political Machine
- Politics Blog, Opinion and Analysis
- AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 1:44:00 AM
Filed under: Senate, House, Republicans,
Featured Stories A curious thing has
happened to the Republican Party in the
wake of its resounding defeat in the
November elections. Rather than
recalibrate and update its message to meet
the challenges of the troubled times in
which we live, it has decided to double-
down on the philosophical bets that led to
its recent losses. No greater evidence this
bunker mentality can be found than in the
de facto anointment of Rush Limbaugh to
the ceremonial post of party king.
If it sounds far-fetched that a firebrand
talk-show host actually wields this much
power, consider the recent about face of
the one Republican who actually had the
nerve to criticize Limbaugh. Via CNN:
Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia
apologized Wednesday for criticizing
conservative hosts Rush Limbaugh and
Sean Hannity, assuring his supporters that
"I am one of you."
"I regret and apologize for the fact that
my comments have offended and upset my
fellow conservatives--that was not my
intent," Gingrey said in a statement.
Yes, it would be unthinkable to offend
the man who makes a living offending
people. But who are Gingrey's (and
Limbaugh's) fellow conservatives these
days? A new study by Gallup reveals an
altered American landscape, one in which
red state islands are increasingly
surrounded by a sea of blue.
Here's Nate Silver's take:
That's right: just five states, collectively
containing about 2 percent of the American
population, have statistically significant
pluralities of adults identifying themselves
as Republicans. These are the "Mormon
Belt" states of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming,
plus Nebraska, plus Alaska. By contrast,
35 states are plurality Democratic, and 10
states are too close to call.
While the Mormon factor might, at first
glance, seem like good news for Mitt
Romney, the fact is that those areas will go
Republican no matter who the party puts
forth. Ditto for Alaska and Sarah Palin.
The trick is in fielding a candidate who can
win outside of the safe-zone.
Palin contends that she is that candidate,
and this week took steps to prove it.
Unveiling SarahPAC, the Alaska Governor
continues her PR offensive on the country.
But, as with much of the GOP's press
materials, the offerings seem strangely
retrograde and light on substance. To wit,
while not offering a single policy proposal
on her website, Palin-PAC boasts:
SarahPAC believes the Republican Party
is at the threshold of an historic
renaissance that will build a better future
for all. Health care, education, and reform
of government are among our key goals.
With all due respect, health care,
education, and reform of government have
been the key goals of every person to run
for president for the last century (including
Obama). Then again, in the absence of
specific new ideas, there's always the fall
back rhetorical stand: What Would Reagan
Do? While that mantra seemed just dandy
in last year's pre-crash primary season,
calls for further deregulation don't sound
so sweet anymore. So, without a viable
way forward, the party has opted to repeat
after Limbaugh. Yesterday, House
Republicans cleared their collective throat
and said "No!" to the new stimulus
package.
"No," it turns out, might not be such a
bad word to hear from the GOP. There's
plenty in the stimulus bill that could use
trimming and refining. But "No" won't win
elections. "No" won't attract new voters.
Matt Lewis put up an excellent assessment
of the contest to see who will lead the
RNC, and I'd agree with him that the
people best suited for the job are the ones
who see that there's a problem with the
party, not those who send out racially-
charged songs to their back-slapping
constituents.
Meanwhile, Obama continues to garner
headlines for reaching out to Republicans
and attempting to build consensus across
party lines. Yes, Americans are watching
both parties. Should the stimulus fail to
bring the country out of its economic mess
in the next four years, they'll blame Obama
and the Democrats. It's as simple as that.
But waiting around and hoping things don't
get better is one hell of a lousy strategy for
rebuilding a party.
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Daily Digital Newspaper
UK Online Protest
Finds Success In
Just 48 Hours
By Blaise Alleyne (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:56:14 PM
Using social networking tools to organize
political protests is nothing new or
surprising, but online protests have been
growing increasingly efficient, especially
on Facebook. In Canada, for example, a
group protesting copyright legislation
caught the attention of federal parliament
last summer, and another opposing strict
restrictions on young drivers had the
Ontario Premier considering Facebook
consultations in the fall.
The latest story comes from the UK
where, in a mere 48 hours, a campaign run
through Facebook and
TheyWorkForYou.com by mysociety.org
helped stop legislation that would have
exempted MPs' expenses from the
Freedom of Information Act(via the Search
Engine). Thousands of emails were sent in
the two day period, reaching 90% of MPs,
before the opposition parties turned and the
government backed down. It's not so much
the scale that's worth noting, but the sheer
speed at which the campaign was
successful. The legislation was scrapped
before most snail mail would have had
time to arrive. Now, the online protest
likely wasn't the only factor, but it played
an important role in spreading the
message. It seems to be getting a lot harder
to sneak stuff through the legislature
(though that doesn't stop people from
trying) when it only takes a couple days to
build an opposition.
Blaise Alleyne is an expert at the Insight
Community. To get insight and analysis
from Blaise Alleyne and other experts on
challenges your company faces, click here.
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Obama's Signs First Law: The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
By David Knowles (Political Machine
- Politics Blog, Opinion and Analysis
- AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:05:00 AM
Filed under: President Bush, Barack
Obama, Breaking News After signing a
slew of Executive Orders, President
Barack Obama has added his John
Hancock to the first bona fide collaborative
effort with Congress. The law, The
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, seeks to right the
injustice in the case of Lilly Ledbetter,
who received a lesser salary than her male
counterparts simply because of her gender.
Nan Aron, President of Alliance for
Justice, has graciously sent us the
following letter to help detail this
important legislation:
Lilly Ledbetter rode the train on
President-elect Barack Obama's
whistlestop tour before the Inauguration.
She was at the Democratic National
Convention, and she was there today at the
White House when President Obama
signed his first bill into law, the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Lilly has traveled a long way from
Gadsden, Alabama, where she lives and
once worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber.
After decades at Goodyear, Lilly
discovered that she'd been paid less than
her male coworkers for years. She took the
company to court to get the pay she'd
earned, and the jury agreed that she
deserved justice. But Goodyear fought
back, so Lilly took another trip, to hear her
case argued before the Supreme
Will Senate Republicans Rescue House GOP?
By Tommy Christopher (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:07:00 AM
Filed under: Republicans, Barack Obama,
Economy, Obama Administration The
Republicans in the House of
Representatives spoke with one voice
yesterday, voting in unison against the
stimulus bill that Americans are counting
on to rescue the US economy. In doing so,
they have put their party in a n untenable
position. They are gambling, not just that
the bill will fail, but that the American
Court.Instead of standing up for equal pay
for equal work, the Court, led by newly-
appointed Chief Justice John Roberts,
ruled 5-4 against Lilly. The 2006 decision
rejected long-standing legal precedent, but
also plain old common sense. They said
Lilly should have filed her claim within
180 days of receiving her first unfair
paycheck, whether or not she knew it was
discriminatory. As Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg pointed out, the "Court does not
understand, or is indifferent to, the
insidious way in which women can be
people will want to hear it from them if it
does.
There's a big problem with that, though.
Barack Obama has outmaneuvered the
GOP revolt, creating an indelible
impression that he has acted in good,
bipartisan faith by seeking Republican
input and compromising on key aspects of
the bill. Obama has shown willingness to
pay a political price with his base in order
to get the bill passed. Such is the
magnitude of our problems that even if it
fails to miraculously revive the economy,
the stimulus bill will not likely be blamed.
Either way, all people will remember is
victims of pay discrimination."
Lilly wasn't the only one who suffered as
a result of this ruling. Ledbetter v.
Goodyear has been cited almost 350 times
in courts across the country. The decision
has been used to deny justice in cases on
age discrimination, housing for the
disabled, and access to sports programs for
women athletes.
Lilly's journey had just begun. She
became an outspoken advocate for fair
pay, working the halls of Capitol Hill to
urge passage of the law that bears her
that the GOP tried to stand in the way,
while offering, as an alternative, only the
same policies that Americans rejected in
name. Not because it will help her-the
Supreme Court ruling closed Lilly's case-
but to take a stand for the millions who are
denied justice every day.
The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a
"Supreme Court fix" designed to undo the
damage done by the Court's decision by
making the language of the law in question
absolutely clear. The new law takes us
back to where we were before the Court's
disastrous decision: each unfair paycheck
will be treated as a separate discriminatory
act. Instead of having to file suit before
you even know that you are being treated
unfairly, you have 180 days from your last
paycheck to take action.
Lilly and her allies in Congress spent two
years fighting for this law, against
filibusters, a hostile Bush White House,
and massive lobbying by corporations. In
spite of loss and personal sacrifice, her
journey has earned her a place not just in
the law books, but in the history books.
How fitting that the first law signed by
the nation's first African-American
president stands up for justice for all.
Finally, we have an administration
committed to equality, progress, and the
rights of people who work hard every day.
Lilly has traveled a long way, and we can
take the next steps in the journey with her.
Ask your Senators to support the Paycheck
Fairness Act and help all Americans win
justice at work.
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November.
The bill is going to pass, make no
mistake about it. Even if the Senate
Republicans decide to send the same
message, they will do so in a straight up-or
-down vote. There is no way in hell they'll
filibuster it and reclaim ownership of the
failed economy that Bush just unloaded.
As Obama reminded them last week, he
won, precisely because the American
people are fed up with partisan "Stop"
signs. Nobody wants to hear Rush
Limbaugh's noise anymore. The
Republicans have too much baggage, yet
not a lot of weight to throw around.
Politics* Tech* 5
You Need To See This
Video (1981 TV Report On
Birth Of Internet News)
By Robin Wauters (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:22:57 AM
“Imagine, if you will, sitting down to
your morning coffee, turning on your
home computer to see the day’s
newspaper. Well, it’s not as far-fetched as
it may seem.”
Thus begins this video of a 1981 KRON
report predicting the rise of news reporting
on the internet.
You need to see this, it’s pure gold.
My favorite quotes:
David Cole (S.F. Examiner): “This is an
experiment. We’re trying to figure out
what it’s going to mean to us, as editors
and reporters and what it means to the
home user. And we’re not in it to make
money, we’re probably not going to lose a
lot but we aren’t going to make much
either.”
KRON reporter: “This is only the first
step in newspapers by computers.
Engineers now predict the day will come
when we get all our newspapers and
magazines by home computer, but that’s a
few years off.”
This article was written by Robin
Wauters (owns home computer).
(Source: i-am-bored, via
popurls@Twitter)
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
So, the Senate Republicans have a choice
to make. It should be an easy one. They
can either stay on the bus a little longer, or
get out and walk now. 4 years is a long
walk.
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6 Politics* Tech* International* Comic*
Keith Olbermann Drinks
Alba Kool Aid, Gets Worst
Person Facts Wrong
By Tommy Christopher (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Filed under: Democrats, Republicans,
Gaffes, Humor, Media I can't believe I'm
actually doing a third Jessica
Alba/Billo/Sweden story, but in fairness to
me, I had no way of knowing that Keith
Olbermann would force me into it.
Quick backstory: Jessica called Bill
O'Reilly an A*hole(so far, so good), Billo
was dickish in return, Jessica said
"Sweden" when she meant to say
"Switzerland," TMZ and O'Reilly were
dicks about that, then Jessica fired back at
them. That's where Olbermann comes in.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News,
World News, and News about the
Economy
OK, Keith, let's put our cards on the table
here. Jessica's rationale stretches just about
far enough to cover the embarrassment, but
she didn't school O'Reilly. Everyone
knows Switzerland is the land of neutrality
(and delicious cheese, and versatile
knives). Jessica simply misspoke, and
while O'Reilly is right (it hurts!), he is also
a dick for being a dick about it. Also, you
said it was a Fox reporter to whom she
made the savory meatballine gaffe, when
in reality, it was CNS reporter Nicholas
Ballasy.
Now, I know I defended Alba earlier
today, but what disturbs me here is the
difference in our motivations. I did so out
of an objective realization that Jessica Alba
is the one true light of the world.
You, sir, seem to operate from a Khan-
Kirk-like principle of neverending
revenge, and it has con-sumed you! Your
Steve Bell's If ... Putting everything into dead dogs
By Steve Bell (From the Guardian:
G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Sarah Palin and Barack
Obama to Face Off at
Alfalfa Club Dinner
By Tommy Christopher (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
invocation of the film Catch 22 was telling,
not just for its thin support of your Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:19:00 AM
premise, but for the conundrum inside Filed under: Democrats, Republicans,
which you now yourself find, for the more
Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Obama
you highlight the chasm between you and Administration I guess the Arugula
your nemesis, the narrower it becomes.
Banquet was already booked? (Sorry.)
I beg of you, sir, step back from the From Politico: In what could be a preview
precipice, allow your white whale to sink
of the 2012 presidential race, Sarah Palin
to the bottom of the sea, and live to fight and Barack Obama will share a stage
another day.
together this Saturday night in
Good night, and good luck. Washington, D.C., Politico has learned.
Tommy on: BlogTalkRadio I Digg! I
The Alaska governor and former GOP
Facebook I Twitter vice presidential nominee, making her first
Order The Audacity of Democracy trip to the nation's capital since the
Starring Tommy Christopher election, will join the President at the
Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Alfalfa Dinner, a venerable gathering of
Comments the city's political elite.
Palin and Obama will both address the
black tie crowd at the Capital Hilton, aides
to each say. The event is closed to the
Steve Bell's If ... press, so we have to hope that one of the
old shrivs in the audience knows how to
work a cellphone camera.
Palin told reporters yesterday, that she's
attending the dinner because of Obama,
saying, "How often will I have an
opportunity to have dinner with the
president?"
True, but is it worth the risk that Obama
will run ads against her in 2012,
questioning who she pals around with?
Politico describes the dinner as a roast-
like affair, something Obama has shown a
flair for in the past. Palin, for her part, was
excellent in her Saturday Night Live debut.
The Politico article omits a pretty
interesting detail. From WaPo: The Alfalfa
Club was founded in 1913 by four
Southern gentlemen, apparently for no
purpose other than holding an annual
dinner on the last Saturday of January (in
historical reverence of the Jan. 19 birthday
of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.) What
the...isn't this taking "reach across the
aisle" to a ridiculous level? Maybe there's
some sarcastic element that I'm missing
here. Really? Barack Obama and Sarah
Palin are going to speak at a dinner
honoring General Lee's birthday? And it's
not the one from The Dukes of Hazzard?
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Daily Digital Newspaper
More Details On Proposed
DTV Delay: This Just Gets
Better And Better
By Carlo Longino (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:24:18 PM
As mentioned, the House has rejected the
attempt to push through the delay to the
digital TV transition that the Senate
approved earlier in the week. The measure
needed a two-thirds majority to pass in this
attempt, which it did not get. However, it
did garner a simple majority, which means
it will probably be brought to the floor and
passed in the next few days. But it's worth
looking more closely at some of the details
to understand that this proposal seems
likely to make things worse. While the
general gist of the measure is that it would
delay the transition until June 12th, it
actually says that broadcasters can switch
off their analog signals any time between
February 17 and June 12. So it removes the
hard deadline date, instead letting
broadcasters make the transition whenever
they like in a four-month period. If there's
already so much confusion over the
transition that a delay is needed, how will
the switch from a hard deadline to a
whenever-you-feel-like-it plan help? It
would seem that one way to ensure people
find out about the transition would be to let
it happen: if people lose their TV signal
(and really care that much), they'll take
some action to rectify it. Of course, that
still wouldn't solve one of the big issues of
the transition: the bungled converter
coupon program.
Carlo Longino is an expert at the Insight
Community. To get insight and analysis
from Carlo Longino and other experts on
challenges your company faces, click here.
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Space Elevators
(xkcd.com)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 9:00:00 PM
Daily Digital Newspaper
White House Cocktail Party Must Have Been AWK-
ward!
By Tommy Christopher (Political
Machine - Politics Blog, Opinion and
Analysis - AOL News)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 1:18:00 AM
Filed under: Democrats, Republicans,
Barack Obama, Obama Administration
According to several reports, President
Barack Obama was to host a bipartisan
cocktail party at the Wh ite House last
night. From Jake Tapper: Here's the list of
President Obama's invited guests to the
White House cocktail party tonight --
essentially the bipartisan bicameral
leadership of the House and Senate.
Six House Democrats, six House
Republicans, six Senate Democrats, six
Senate Republicans. Their spouses are
invited as well.
Hors d'œuvres -- chicken curry, wagyu
steak -- will be served in addition to
drinks.
Pipl.com: People Search Engine So Good, It Will Scare Your Pants
Off
By Roi Carthy (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:14:21 AM
Google may be good at many things, but
people search is not one of them. For that
you’ll have to use a more specialized
search engine. Spock and Wink ( merged
with Reunion.com) are the people-search
destinations most TechCrunch readers
could probably name off the top of their
head. However, slowly but surely—and
mostly, very quietly—a new player has
been making serious headway in this
search vertical, and it’s name is Pipl.com.
Going by ComScore’s December
numbers, Pipl is leading in the US with
557K unique users to Spock’s 260K, but is
trailing internationally with 1.35M uniques
to Spock’s 2.38M. How has Pipl pulled
this off? Matthew Hertz, the company
CEO, tells me it’s mostly word-of-mouth.
It’s a simple answer but it rings true. Just
Who wouldn't love to have been a fly on
the wall at that gathering? "Hey Boehner,
could you pass me a...oh, never mind, I'll
do it without your help."
There is the kernel of a good idea here,
but I question the execution a little bit.
Wouldn't it have been better to get the
take it out for a spin and you’ll see
why—it’s just good. In fact it’s so good
it’ll probably scare some people’s pants off
when they see what information it is able
to—legally—drudge up.
It produces not only links to all of your
profiles on social networks like Facebook,
MySpace, and LinkedIn, blog mentions,
and photos on Flickr. It finds mentions of
your name in public records, including
property records, SEC filings, and birth
databases. It also finds e-mail addresses
and summarizes “quick facts” about the
person. For instance, a search for“Roi
Carthy” turns up quick facts like these:
Roi Carthy is an Israeli-based
entrepreneur and startup consultant…
Editor’s note: Roi Carthy is currently
writing for TechCrunch…
Unlike most search engines, Pipl crawls
the Deep Web. I’ll explain. A general
purpose search engine typically crawls the
House Republicans trashed before the
stimulus vote? And, while the red meat
was a good idea, announcing that you're
serving jillion-dollar-a-pound Wagyu beef
on the day you pass recession-fighting
legislation is kinda dissonant.
I think the idea of the Republicans and
Web by following links to URLs found in
other pages. By contrast, the Deep Web is
made up of pages that no other pages link
to. Dynamic pages are a good example of
these sorts of pages. This means that if an
engine wants to index pages located in
Deep Web repositories it has to “guess”
possible URLs. Just how big is the Deep
Web? No one really knows but it’s
generally accepted that it is vastly greater
(orders of magnitude greater) than the
Surface Web—the pages which are easily
indexed by search engines.
The folks at Pipl were hesitant to discuss
their “secret sauce” with me, so their
explanations were on the vague side but
here it is in broad strokes: First, Pipl’s
Democrats drinking together is a good one,
but maybe not in this setting. Standing
around sipping martinis and snarfing
pricey appetizers doesn't really engender
the kind of bro-code camaraderie that these
troubled times require.
Maybe they should've ordered up a keg
and spent the evening playing "quarters"
and "beer pong." It might lack decorum,
but it's also a lot more likely to result in an
evening-ending chorus of "I love you,
man!" Of course, it could also end with
Obama and Boehner in the parking lot
slurring "What's your problem?" at each
other.
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Starring Tommy Christopher
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crawlers hunt out Deep Web sources and
URLs. Special algorithms they developed
then perform the “guesswork” of possible
inputs. The ensuing pages are then parsed
for various types of data and images (Pipl
even augments with meta data that appears
elsewhere). Finally, using advanced
language analysis and ranking, Pipl floats
the most relevant portions of information
about an individual. Remember, all of this
is very tricky because in the Deep Web
there is no real way to rate a web page
based on its importance, for the simple fact
that no other page is linking to it.
Obviously, Pipl is designed for people
search by name, but it also just debuted the
ability to search emails, usernames and by
reverse phone number lookup. The results
page is designed as a “one page report”
that categorizes information in an easy to
read manner. Results are displayed based
on accuracy, relevance and importance,
Politics* Tech* 7
More People Realizing
Broadband Stimulus Is
Targeting The Wrong
Problem
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:23:00 PM
We've been worried about the details of
the broadband stimulus bill, since it has
looked mostly like a way to give money to
incumbent telcos, rather than to actually
stimulate any broadband. Obama advisor
Blair Levin insisted this was just part I,
and was more about creating jobs than
tackling the broadband problem, but it
looks like more folks are getting worried,
as well. Scott Bradner points out the
obvious at Network World: the broadband
stimulus package seems focused on getting
broadband to people who aren't that
interested in broadband, more than it's
about improving broadband for those who
do want it.
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particularly useful for results for common
names (”John Smith”).
Pipl’s business model is pretty straight
forward: Sponsored links and results, all in
the form of text ads, displayed on the
results pages—there are no banners,
keeping the look and feel clean. Most if
not all ads are linked to background-report
providers, which are far more relevant to
US users than the international ones, but
hey, revenue is revenue.
So next time you want to search for your
former high school sweetheart or a long
lost relative, try Pipl, it seems like the best
place to start.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile
Gadgets and Applications, Delivered
Daily.
8 Tech*
Reading Comprehension: A Terrible Thing To Waste
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:58:00 AM
Nearly four years ago, Amazon.com
announced its Amazon Prime shipping
club. The idea was that high volume users
of the site could sign up, pay $79/year, and
get free two-day shipping. I don't buy
enough (or enough that I need quickly)
from Amazon to make this worthwhile for
me, but some friends use it and like it.
When it launched, we wrote about it. No
big deal.
In 2007, some people who somehow
signed up for the program without meaning
to, started Google searching the program --
and commenting on that post, often
complaining that they were signed up
against their will. In April of 2007, one
person noted that the charge on his credit
card was denoted as being for AMZ*Prime
Club. Within days, if you did a search on
that phrase, we were the top result. At first,
our comments started to fill up with angry
messages from people who claim they
never agreed to sign up for the program.
Then... people started emailing and calling
us demanding a refund. For a while it was
a deluge of calls and emails, leading me to
write a post warning Amazon that it was
clear to us that many, many people were
confused by the way they explained the
Amazon Prime offering. That was because
Amazon offered people a "free month"
trial of Amazon Prime, after which they
would be automatically charged the $79.
Many people apparently signed up for the
free month, and failed to read the details.
This continued for many months, and we
ended up writing a second open letter to
Amazon, pointing out that whether they
knew it or not, an awful lot of people were
confused and all of them seemed to be
blaming us for the confusion. It was
becoming quite a nuisance dealing with the
various calls and emails. Some people in
our comments noted Amazon was quite
straightforward in how they described the
Irish ISP Accused Of Copyright Violations Agrees To Implement Three Strikes
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:52:27 AM
Last year, the IFPI sued Irish ISP Eircom
for copyright infringement. This was quite
a leap. While the IFPI, RIAA and other
details of the program, and we were wrong
to tell them that it was too confusing. That
may be so, but I can assure you that there
are an awful lot of people who still don't
understand the details of the program.
It has continued to this very day --
though we tend to only get two to three
emails and calls per week nowadays, as
opposed to the multiple complaints per
day. To be honest, we've taken to ignoring
most of the calls and emails, because it's
just not worth responding. There was one
very confused older woman who called a
bunch of times, and we just had to help her
because she sounded so distressed, but for
the most part, we let them go. Until... this
week.
I'm not sure why, but I was glancing at
the customer service email account the
other night when one such email came in.
It read: Subject: refund my $79.--
immediately [CustomerService]
------ Comments ------
I ordered some things from Amazon (for
the last time, believe me) before
Christmas. When I went on line tonight to
check my bank balance I discovered that
$79.00 had been deducted from my
checking account withut my permission or
prior warning. This is certainly not the way
to get and keep customers. I want the
money credited back to my account
immediately, please. I do not remember
anywhere on your website where it asked
if I was willing to participate in this
program. If there had been, I would have
said NO!
I will be expecting an e-mail from you
tomorrow. My cell phone is broken and I
am waiting for a new one to be shipped to
me which should take about a week. I
certainly do not hope that I have to speak
with you about this again. I was going to
just ignore it, but since the woman seemed
to realize that the problem was with
Amazon, and it only took a second, I
figured I'd email her back a quick note:
Perhaps you should try contacting Amazon
such organizations had been pushing ISPs
to filter file sharing or cut off file sharers
via a three strikes approach, this was the
first time that an ISP was being sued for
being actually liable for the infringement
as well. The "evidence" appeared to be
instead of us? Simple, to the point... I
thought I was being helpful. The woman
clearly saw the email, because she replied
immediately to me... but it was a blank
email, other than her signature being
appended above my response to her. I
thought it was odd, but let it go, figuring it
was an accidental reply (or maybe she
even meant to say thanks for sending her in
the right direction). The next morning, we
received another feedback form message
from the same woman: Subject: need
money put back into my checking account
[CustomerService]
------ Comments ------
This morning as I was checking my
bank, I realized that your organization had
debited $79.00 from my checking account
for something called : "tech dirt". This
simply looks like current events. I am not
interested in it and need to have the $79.00
redeposited into my husband's and my
checking account immediately before we
become overdrawn. I can be reached at my
e-mail today - my cell phone broke and I
am waiting for a new one to be shipped to
me.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Now, at this point, it's obvious the woman
is lying. She had emailed us the night
before about it, recognizing that it was a
charge from Amazon and not Techdirt.
This was confusing, but maybe (maybe?!)
she was just confused. So, I tried to be
helpful: I am afraid you are confused. We
do not charge people anything. We do not
even have a merchant account with which
to charge you. From your *other* email
last night, it seems clear that it is
Amazon.com that charged you for their
Amazon Prime service, which costs $79.
Please contact Amazon to have them take
care of it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/
display.html?nodeId=518316
Thanks,
Mike Ok. I figured we were all done with
some internal emails where Eircom
employees joked about piracy. That
seemed like a stretch... but rather than go
through a full lawsuit, it appears Eircom
has settled. Reader eoinmonty points us to
the news that Eircom has agreed to
things. But... a day and a half goes by and
suddenly: Subject: $79.00 refund
[CustomerService]
------ Comments ------
I truly do not remember authorizing you
to take $79.00 from my checking account
using my bank card. I simply would not
have approved of that high a debit. While I
am sure your web-site is a good one, it's a
site in which I have no interest.
Because of that I am asking for a refund
of the $79.00 as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, my cell phone broke the
other day and it will still be a few days
until my new one gets here. The only way
you can communicate with me is through e
-mail: [email address deleted] Hmm. Ok.
Perhaps my emails to her went into her
spam filter...? Even though she had
actually replied (blankly) to that first one?
I gave it one more shot: Hi [name deleted],
This is your third email to us. We have
replied to each of the first two -- including
the original one where you properly
noticed that it was Amazon that had
charged you -- not us, so I am somewhat
confused as to why you are now saying we
charged you. We are a publication that
merely wrote about Amazon's program.
We do not even have the ability to charge
credit cards.
Your problem is with Amazon.com and
you should probably contact them.
Thanks,
Mike Five minutes later, she replies:
How the hell do I contact Amazon - it
seems to me that you and Amazon are
probably working in collusion to fleece
people. And... with that I give up.
Apparently, it wouldn't matter how clearly
Amazon explains their program. There are
still some people who will not be able to
figure it out.
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implement a three strikes policy as a part
of the settlement. Interesting that this
comes just days after the neighboring UK
announced that it will not require three
strikes policies from UK ISPs. Of course,
now the IFPI and the record labels have a
Daily Digital Newspaper
Google Gobbled Up 90
Percent Of All U.S.
Search Growth In 2008
By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:15:37 PM
Google ended the year with 63.5 percent
market share of all search queries
performed in the U.S., estimates
comScore. And that market share has
inched up steadily from 58.5 percent in
January, 2008. But the market share
numbers mask the absolute growth in
searches and how Google has ben able to
Gobble up all of that growth.
The chart above tells a clearer story. It
comes out of the comScore 2008 Digital
Year In Review, and shows the share of
raw number of search queries in the U.S
captured by the five major search engines.
All the lines are pretty flat, except
Google’s (the purple one). Of the 137
billion estimated total searches performed
in the U.S. last year, 85 billion were done
on Google.
What’s even more impressive is that
nearly 90 percent of all the growth in
search volume was also captured by
Google. Most of that growth came from
increasing the number of searches per
person, rather than bringing more people to
Google.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over
the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
framework: sue ISPs, and then push them
to implement three strikes as a part of the
settlement.
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Why Is It So Difficult To Opt-Out Of
Copyright?
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:31:00 AM
Every so often, when someone new
shows up on Techdirt, reading a post about
our complaints about overly aggressive
copyright holders, they'll make a comment
along the lines of "well, you wouldn't be
saying that if someone took Techdirt's
content, copied it and started making
money from ads! I'm going to do just that,
and I bet you'll be just as angry!" And,
every time someone posts this, we end up
linking back to the fact that a bunch of
folks already do this, and we're perfectly
fine with it. Here's the explanation I gave
for why it's fine with us a while back: We
have no problem with people taking our
content and reposting it. It's funny how
many people come here, like yourself, and
assume you've found some "gotcha." You
haven't. There already are about 10 sites
that copy Techdirt, post for post. Some of
them give us credit. Some of them don't.
We don't go after any of them.
Here's why:
1. None of those sites get any traffic. By
themselves, they offer nothing special.
2. If anything, it doesn't take people long
to read those sites and figure out that the
content is really from Techdirt. Then they
just come here to the original source. So, it
tends to help drive more traffic to us.
Looks Like Bilski Decision Is Leading To Many
Software Patent Claim Rejections
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 1:41:14 AM
When the Bilski decision came out, we
said that it would greatly limit software
patents, but various patent system
defenders (mostly lawyers) insisted that I
was wrong and most software was still
perfectly patentable. Basically, they said it
just meant everyone had to write claims
differently, and we'd have just as many
That's cool.
3. As soon as the people realize the other
sites are simply copying us, it makes those
sites look really, really bad. If you want to
risk your reputation like that, go ahead, but
it's a big risk.
4. A big part of the value of Techdirt is
the community here. You can't just
replicate that.
5. Another big part of the value of
Techdirt is that we, the writers, engage in
the comments. You absolutely cannot fake
that on your own site.
So, really, what's the purpose of copying
our content in the manner you describe,
other than maybe driving a little traffic our
way?
So, if you really want to, I'd suggest it's
pretty dumb, but go ahead. I should note,
by the way, that by ignoring these copycat
sites, most go away. There's one (relatively
nicely designed one) that's managed to
stick around for a while, but most fade
away pretty quickly. Still, we're perfectly
fine with people taking and repurposing
our content. We hope they give us
attribution, but we don't worry too much if
they don't (actually, it would be even
cooler if sites added more value to our
content). There's really no reason to spend
much time thinking about it. Yet, we still
get people emailing us all the time to ask
for "permission" to reuse our content --
software patents as before. Listening to
them (there was a hilarious conference call
of lawyers insisting this was nothing to
worry about), it sounded like they were in
serious denial, claiming the only patent
this ruling would lead to being rejected
was the Bilski patent -- all others would be
fine. Things aren't actually turning out that
way, however, with a much more
aggressive rejection of software claims
than those lawyers insisted would happen.
and of course, we always "grant" the
permission, even though they don't need it
at all.
Sometimes people ask us why we don't
put Techdirt under a Creative Commons
license. The answer is that while CC-
licenses are certainly a good overall
concept and I think it's great when people
use a CC license, they still rely on
copyright to function, and we believe that
content creators should experiment with
getting by entirely without copyright to see
what happens -- and we try to live up to
what we promote. Of course, it's actually a
lot harder to do that then you might think.
As Stephen Kinsella recently discovered
putting your content into the public domain
is incredibly difficult. In some cases, it's
not even possible. Thanks to (relatively
recent) copyright law that grants a
copyright the instant content is put into a
fixed medium. And, while you can put a
"public domain declaration" on content, it
won't apply in many countries. Effectively
it's nearly impossible to legally make your
content public domain. So, as for us, we
just leave things alone, and figure that
most people will figure out sooner or later
that they're free to help promote our
content by reusing it however they want.
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This is a good sign... though now we get to
wait to see if the Bilski ruling is appealed
to the Supreme Court. Update: No waiting
necessary... should have checked the wires
before posting this, because, indeed, Bilski
has been appealed. Will have more on this
later...
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Adobe AIR Is Flying: 100
Million Installations
Accounted For
By Robin Wauters (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:30:11 AM
Adobe has announced that they’ve
recorded 100 million successful
installations of Adobe AIR, the company’s
cross-platform runtime environment for
RIAs, at the same time boasting that the
newest version of Adobe Flash Player (10)
was installed on over half of computers
worldwide in just the first two months of
its release.
The company made the announcement at
the Adobe MAX Japan event, notably less
than one year after the official release of
Adobe AIR.
Adobe says the 100 million mark for
Adobe AIR installs is a minimum for the
total install base of the AIR runtime (read:
they think it’s actually more than that)
since they only count the ones that are
deemed 100% successful (i.e. they can be
confirmed by code running after the
installation). As for developers building
Web applications using the Adobe Flash
Platform, the company claims that in the
last 12 months there have been over 1
million downloads of the AIR software
development kit (SDK), open source Flex
framework and Adobe Flex Builder.
Based on the results of a Millward
Brown survey, Adobe also boasts that
Flash Player 10 has been installed on 55%
of computers worldwide, and they expect
to surpass 80% penetration by next quarter.
In total, no less than 99% of internet-
enabled desktops are said to have at least
some version of Flash Player installed.
You can see the percentages broken down
by version here but keep in mind that the
Kakuro 872 hard
(From the Guardian: G2 |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:05:11 PM
Fill the grid so that each run of squares
adds up to the total in the box above or to
the left. Use only numbers 1-9, and never
use a number more than once per run (a
Tech* International* 9
numbers come from Adobe.
As we’ve noted before, Flash Player is
still struggling to make the jump to mobile
phones.
For the sake of comparison, the last time
Microsoft shared numbers on its Flash
Player competitor Silverlight was when the
company released Silverlight 2 in October
2008. They didn’t publish actual install
numbers, but said the adoption rate was
nearing 50 percent in some countries and
30 percent in the U.S.
Going back to Adobe AIR, in a blog post
the company’s Group Manager, Flash
Platform Product Marketing Adrian
Ludwig says that the vast majority of
installations are driven by applications
rather than people going to Adobe.com to
install the runtime environment.
Ludwig cites TweetDeck, Twhirl, AOL
Top 100 Videos and eBay Desktop among
the most popular applications ( full list). I
personally use AIR powered desktop
applications Twhirl, Yammer, Google
Analytics Reporting Suite, Finetune
Desktop and Snackr the most.
What about you?
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free
database of technology companies, people,
and investors
number may reoccur in the same row, in a
separate run).
Buy the Guardian tomorrow or subscribe
to our Digital Edition to see the completed
puzzle. guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
10 Tech* International*
Glam Snaps Up
AdaptiveAds
By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 9:19:05 PM
Glam Media has acquired AdaptiveAds, a
startup based in Mumbai, India that serves
display ads targetable by the demographic
characteristics brand advertisers
understand (such as “Women 24-40,
Fashionista, Beauty”). It calls its
contextual display ads BrandWords. They
will now be called Glam AdaptAds.
In addition to the ad targeting,
AdaptiveAds brings a self-serve ad server
for ad agencies, as well as “brand
engagement” tracking and reporting tools.
The purchase price was not disclosed,
but AdaptiveAd was shopping around a
series B round with a valuation in the $25
million to $40 million range when Glam
entered the picture and snapped them up.
The three-year old company raised $2
million in late 2007, and then another $1.5
million in a series A, for a total of $3.5
million. Draper Fisher Jurvetson is an
investor in both AdaptiveAds and Glam
Media.
Glam Media sites and its affiliate
network collectively saw the second-fastest
audience growth last year among
comScore’s top 100 Web properties. It was
also the ninth largest publisher of display
ads, serving up an estimated 2.1 billion ad
SocialMedia Raises $6 Million From IDG
By Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:57:20 AM
Social networking advertiser SocialMedia
raised $6 million from IDG Ventures.
Existing investor Charles River Ventures
also participated. The company was
shopping around for a larger investment of
around $20 million with the investment
bank Savian, but decided to take a smaller
impressions per month.
With the acquisition, Glam will be
keeping 20 employees, bringing its total up
to 200. This comes after layoffs and other
recent cutbacks. Also, in an effort to
conserve cash, Glam has slowed down
payments to its partner publishing sites.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free
database of technology companies, people,
and investors
amount. At least, that is the story the
company is going with.
The company claims that it had $16
million in revenues last year and says it
was profitable for three consecutive
months thanks to the launch of a new
Atlas Closes A Leaner But Meaner
$283 Million Fund
By Mike Butcher (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:57:03 AM
Atlas Venture has closed its eighth fund,
which comes in at $283 million. The bad
news is Fund VIII is smaller than Fund VII
($385 million) and comes in well below
their original target of $400 million. But if
there is a silver lining, it is that there are
still VC houses out there raising any funds
at all in this car crash of an economy. Plus
the leaner, meaner fund will necessarily
have to look at at early stage startups as a
result. The company is spinning the
reduced fund as a positive thing, of course.
“The new fund is the right size for our
CrunchBoard Jobs: Director of
Marketing, VP Mobile Ad Sales, CTO
By Jeff Widman (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:18:11 AM
While this week saw fewer new jobs on
CrunchBoard, companies are still adding
jobs in New York, Silicon Valley, Boston,
Philadelphia, and telecommute.
(Here at TechCrunch, we’re looking for a
Rails Developer.)
New jobs on CrunchBoard:
• Software Engineer Yelp - San
Francisco, CA
• Vice President Online & Mobile Ad
Sales MocoSpace - Boston, MA
• Director of Product Management Stealth
advertising product called Word of Mouth.
These are opt-in display ads that asks
people on social networks to answer a
question or take a poll. The point of these
ads are to find people who have an affinity
for a brands and then rebroadcasting that
affinity to their friends.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because
it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
early-stage focus and organisational
structure,” said Jean-Francois Formela,
partner. Amongst VCs themselves some
will snipe about the “size” of each-other’s
fund, but frankly if a startup secures
backing, who cares. One of the go-to guy
for tech startups in particular will therefore
be the same guy as before: Fred Destin, a
VC who also doesn’t mind firing off a few
opinions on his blog now and again.
Project - San Francisco, CA
• Director of Marketing Xpree- Redwood
City, CA
• CTO/Lead Developer NowHound -
New York City or Telecommute
International readers can check out our
British and French job boards as well.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile
Gadgets and Applications, Delivered
Daily.
Obituary letter: Sheila Allen
(News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Charles Elliott writes: Among the many
contributions to Bradford made by Sheila
Allen (obituary, 27 January) was her
membership of the commission that gave
an incisive view on the causes of the 1995
Manningham disturbances and offered a
way forward.
She was most supportive about setting up
a one-stop shop delivering public services,
and led by the community, making it
customer rather than producer-led.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Student Cleared Of Charges
She Spammed Teachers At
Her University
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 5:48:16 AM
Back in December, we wrote about a
student at Michigan State University, who
was disciplined by the school for
spamming, after she sent out an email to
all of the professors at the school
concerning a schedule change that would
impact their class schedules in a future
semester. One teacher complained, and the
student was found to have violated the
school's anti-spam policy, which said you
couldn't email more than 30 people at a
time. This seemed silly, as the message
was clearly not spam in the traditional
sense at all. After a widespread public
outcry, and the EFF preparing a lawsuit on
the student's behalf, the school has backed
down and cleared the woman of any
wrongdoing, and said that it will review
and potentially change its anti-spam
policies.
Permalink| Comments| Email This Story
Empowering that community so that those
in need of services should have a say in
how they were to be delivered would have
been a way to help overcome the barriers
of exclusion. Sadly, local government
remained within its tramline and lost an
opportunity to make a real difference.
However, Allen maintained her optimism
that change would happen - and worked to
ensure that it did. guardian.co.uk©
Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 |
Use of this content is subject to our Terms
& Conditions| More Feeds
Daily Digital Newspaper
When IBM Beats Facebook And
Twitter: Discover Relevant People
Within Your Network
By Jeff Widman (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:15:20 AM
When twitter recently added a"Suggested
Friends" feature, I was more than a little
disappointed. Unlike Facebook's "People
You May Know" feature, no explanation is
provided for why these people were
suggested. In an enterprise setting, the
most valuable people are the connectors:
"The people who know which people
know what", according to Alan Lepofsky.
The larger the organization, the more
likely someone else is working on the
same problem. And the less likely you'll
find them. While touring IBM's Innovation
Songsmith Makes You Calm, Fitter, Healthier and More
Productive
By John Biggs (TechCrunch)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:34:27 AM
While this could have been anything from
Kid A, this is actually a version of "Creep"
reworked by Microsoft Songsmith and the
peppy beats could potentially completely
cure the melancholy infused into countless
proto-Goths by this moody yet charming
OnPar's touchscreen GPS rangefinder could almost
be a phone
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:36:00 AM
If uPlay's uPro was the " iPhone of golf
GPS technology," what then would you
call this? Savant GPS has just come clean
with what's likely to be the most
sophisticated GPS rangefinder to date. The
simply-titled OnPar measures in at 4.17- x
2.8- x 0.63-inches and features full
touchscreen (3.5-inch) operation. It's also
claiming to be the planet's first "GPS
rangefinder with a dynamic hole layout
display and GPS positioning that provides
instant distances to anywhere and
lab at Lotusphere last week, I was
surprised to see IBM is also tackling this
problem with their "Social Networks &
Discovery" project (SaND for short). And
it looked FAR better than anything I've
seen previously. (Screenshots after the
jump.)
band over the years. The strange thing is
this: SongSmith actually brings out some
remaining distance to the green,
personalized club averages, and simple
score and shot tracking." The unit is
designed to hold up to 300 golf courses
Sudoku 1,160 hard
(From the Guardian: G2 |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:05:11 PM
Fill the grid so that every row, every
column and every 3x3 box contains the
numbers 1 to 9.
For a helping hand call our solutions line
on 09068 338 228.
Calls cost 60p per minute at all times.
Service supplied by ATS.
Buy the Guardian tomorrow or subscribe
to our Digital Edition to see the completed
puzzle. guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
of the original music here but the quality
here is nill. It reminds me of chiptunes. I
once heard "Closing Time" done on a
Gameboy's audio processor and the song,
which is a bit schmaltzy in the first place,
sounded like one of the songs the Music
Department would would generate for
Hate Week in 1984.
with no membership fees or course map
fees, and it'll be available for the taking (er,
purchasing, we should say) early next
month for an undisclosed price.
[Thanks, Scoopster]
Filed under: GPS, Handhelds
OnPar's touchscreen GPS rangefinder
could almost be a phone originally
appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
Tech* Gadgets* International* Movies*
Cox follows Comcast down
the data discrimination road
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:14:00 AM
It's a sad day for Cox internet subscribers,
'cause if the FCC or some other almighty
agency doesn't step in soon, your traffic
could be slowed. The carrier has just
announced a rather significant update to its
data management policies, as it lays out
plans to test a system next month that will
"give priority to Internet traffic it judges to
be time-sensitive, like web pages,
streaming video and online games." We're
also told that "file downloads, software
updates and other non-time sensitive data
may be slowed if there is congestion on the
local network." Thankfully, "streaming
video" was listed in the category that'll
Grammy's Greatest Performances
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:24:00 PM
The 51st annual Grammy Awards is just
over a week away . Take a walk down
memory lane and see some of the best-ever
Grammy performances. From Prince, to
Madonna to Beyonce and Bonnie Raitt, ET
11
supposedly get first dibs on available
bandwidth, but one always has to wonder
what kind of juju is going on behind closed
doors when a plan such as this is
announced. If all goes well in the Kansas /
Arkansas test markets, the system could be
rolled out to all Cox internet customers
(business users notwithstanding) by the
year's end. Lovely.
[Via HotHardware]
Filed under: Networking
Cox follows Comcast down the data
discrimination road originally appeared on
Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:14:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
has glimpses at the some of the best and
most memorable Grammy performances of
all time!
To see this year's most memorable
moments, tune into the 51st Grammy
Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8 on CBS.
12 Gadgets*
Toshiba rolls out four new Satellite Pro
S300-series laptops
By Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:04:00 AM
Toshiba sure seems to love a quiet,
conservative business laptop, and for good
reason -- the last thing you need in the
offices of middle America is a sudden dash
of color causing a "wig out" as bad as
anything you'd experience on a tab of
Beige Sunshine. Certainly not bucking this
trend, ol' Tosh has just added four more
15.4-inch widescreen Satellite Pro S300
series notebooks to its roster. Both the
S300-EZ1511 and S300-EZ1512 sport an
Intel Pentium T3400 processor, 1GB
memory, and a 120GB hard drive. Selling
for $529, the former sports integrated
GMA 4500M graphics and Vista Home
Basic, while the later is going for $579
with GMA 4500MHD graphics and Vista
Business. Moving on up the ladder, $649
will land you the S300-EZ1513, which
sports an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400
processor, 160GB hard disk storage, 1GB
memory and GMA 4500MHD graphics.
Lastly but certainly not leastly, the S300-
EZ1514 comes to the table with a Core 2
Duo T6570 processor, 2GB of memory,
GMA 4500MHD graphics and a 160GB
hard drive. This bad boy will set you back
a cool $699.
[Via iTech News]
Continue reading Toshiba rolls out four
new Satellite Pro S300-series laptops
Filed under: Laptops
Toshiba rolls out four new Satellite Pro
S300-series laptops originally appeared on
Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:04:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Samsung NC20 sees foreign
review, universal appreciation
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:21:00 AM
According to a remarkably lengthy
review penned in Russian, the NC20 is a
real stunner. Somehow, Samsung managed
to stuff six hours of battery life into a
machine with a 12.1-inch display, which
ought to please anyone truly looking for
ideal netbook functionality. Of course, it
didn't fare so well under intense gaming
pressure, and even the art of multitasking
with three or more applications seemed to
bog it down. That said, we are talking
about a netbook (and not an ultraportable),
and its ability to handle HD video was
Daily Digital Newspaper
rather impressive in its own right. So far as
we can tell, reviewers were pretty pleased
with the overall package given the
relatively low anticipated price (we're
hearing $500 or so for the US market), but
you can draw your own conclusions by
giving the read link a visit.
[Via Slashgear, thanks Brian]
Filed under: Laptops
Samsung NC20 sees foreign review,
universal appreciation originally appeared
on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:21:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily Digital Newspaper
Netgear's Coax-Ethernet Adapter
up for pre-order
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:53:00 AM
Netgear quietly introduced us to its
MCAB1001 MoCA Coax-Ethernet adapter
(among other things) at CES this year, but
the curiously useful device has just now set
itself up for pre-ordering. Put simply, this
is the device to get for those who both
loathe wireless (and all those inexplicable
dropouts) and can't pony up the courage /
fundage / willpower to wire their home
with Ethernet. By enabling users to extend
Ethernet signals over existing in-wall coax
cabling, you can easily pass along web
jOG gives you a newer, more annoying way to get fit on your Wii
By Tim Stevens (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:59:00 AM
How would you like to pay about $40 for
a gadget that makes you jump up and down
like a six-year-old hopped up on Pixy Stix
to play your Wii games? That's the idea
behind the jOG, an accelerometer that
connects in-line between the Wiimote and
Video: Pandora hardware prototype demoed
By Laura June (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:29:00 PM
We've seen Pandora(in various build
states) doing a few things on video in the
past but we have never -- and we mean
never-- seen it playing a Sonic the
Hedgehog game. Actually, what we're
looking at is a nearly complete prototype
content, Blu-ray / DVD material or
practically any other digital signal over the
coax network that's (hopefully) already
established within your domicile's walls.
Yeah, $229.99 is a bit pricey, but go price
out a house full of Ethernet and then
reevaluate.
[Thanks, Matt]
Filed under: Networking
Netgear's Coax-Ethernet Adapter up for
pre-order originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:53:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds. Read|
Permalink| Email this| Comments
the Nunchuck, making sure you're not
having any fun unless you're running in
place -- thereby decreasing the amount of
fun you could be having otherwise. The
little heart-shaped gadget also has a
pedometer to count your steps and one
particularly brilliant feature that might just
make it usable: a button to turn the thing
off. Video of the good-times jogging
of the hardware, and though the unit is still
admittedly in rough-around-the-edges
prototype form, it's good to know the
project is progressing (and should be
welcome news for all those people that pre
-ordered way back in October). Near the
end of the video there's an epic struggle
between the pint-sized console and the
hands that would seek to enslave it. Trust
Wasabi DX modchip lets you
hack the 'unhackable' Wii, dream
the impossible dream
By Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:43:00 AM
Well, it wouldn't be Thursday without
another way to, er,"upgrade" your Wii. In
this case, we're proud to present to you the
Wasabi DX. Like many a drivechip, this
one promises to hack the "unhackable"
Wii, sporting plug and play installation on
your console's (DMS, D2A, D2B, D2C,
D2C2, D2E, epoxy D2E, or D2nothing /
D3) drive. The firmware is stored in flash
and can be upgraded from DVD, or
downgraded (if you ever need to do that)
from a backup on the chip itself. Like
Wasabi's previous offering, drive read
speeds are limited to 3x, which might
effect some games, but you were probably
expecting that anyways. Pretty exciting,
huh? No word on pricing or availability
yet, but the company says to expect all that
"soonish."
Filed under: Gaming
action after the break.
Continue reading jOG gives you a newer,
us: you don't want to miss this one, guys.
Continue reading Video: Pandora
Wasabi DX modchip lets you hack the
'unhackable' Wii, dream the impossible
dream originally appeared on Engadget on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:43:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds. Read|
Permalink| Email this| Comments
more annoying way to get fit on your Wii
Filed under: Gaming
jOG gives you a newer, more annoying
way to get fit on your Wii originally
appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
hardware prototype demoed
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Video: Pandora hardware prototype
demoed originally appeared on Engadget
on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds. Read|
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Gadgets* Movies* 13
Super Talent unloads
32GB / 64GB SSDs for
ASUS Eee PC S101
By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:03:00 PM
If your prior budget forced you to select
an ASUS Eee PC S101 with just 16GB of
succulent SSD storage space, Super Talent
has the cure. The outfit has just introduced
three new solid state drives made
specifically for the aforementioned
netbook, all of which tout 90 MB/sec
maximum sequential read speeds and up to
55 MB/sec write speeds. You can select
from the FPM16RSE (16GB), FPM32RSE
(32GB) or the FPM64RSE (64GB), though
you'll have to guess on the prices of the
first two. As for the big daddy? It'll run
right around $169.
[Via HotHardware]
Filed under: Laptops, Storage
Super Talent unloads 32GB / 64GB
SSDs for ASUS Eee PC S101 originally
appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
ET Blog: YouTube's
Dancing Obama!
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:47:00 PM
He's the YouTube sensation burning up
the Internet -- and ET's got him!
Of course he's not actually President
Barack Obama, he's 26-year-old Ohio
native Iman Crosson-- who goes by the
YouTube handle AlphaCat -- and his
musical spoofs are quickly becoming the
talk of the net.
His parody of Beyonce's "Single Ladies"
has become a mega hit, with nearly two
million views!
14 Gadgets* Business* Biz Buzz*
Samsung Propel Pro in the wild, caught
on camera
By Ross Miller (Engadget)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:27:00 AM
More spy shots from the net, eh? This
latest set shows what's purported to be the
Propel Pro, an update to Samsung's
QWERTY that launched last October.
There's a more streamlined interface under
the screen, including a new optical joystick
that according to Boy Genius Report's
source is "worthless." The Windows
Mobile 6.1 device also sports 3G and a
camera of unknown quality, although we
expect to at least match its 1.3-megapixel
predecessor. Mum's the word on price and
availability.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Samsung Propel Pro in the wild, caught
BlackBerry Storm Rages On
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 9:00:00 PM
T wo months ago Research In Motion
released Storm, its first touchscreen phone,
to some of the harshest reviews that a
phone has seen in recent times. Yet sales
of the device tell a different story.
The BlackBerry Storm is doing pretty
well, to the tune of 1 million sold since its
launch on Verizon's network.
That may not be success on the scale of
the iPhone, which sold 1 million units in
just a weekend, but it is a respectable
showing. Storm's success is comparable to
the much-anticipated first phone based on
Google's Android operating system, the
HTC G1 from T-Mobile. It's also far more
than you might expect from a device that
was labeled "dark, sodden and
unpredictable," by prominent gadget
reviewer David Pogue.
"It shows that there are two worlds that
exist out there," says Michael Gartenberg,
a technology analyst. "The digerati, and
the mainstream consumers who are just
looking for a reasonable experience with
the carrier they want."
So what's behind the Storm's surprising
success?
Two words: BlackBerry and Verizon.
on camera originally appeared on
Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:27:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
"If you want true push e-mail and have
been a longtime BlackBerry user, there's
really just one touchscreen phone out there
for you," says Peter VanRysdam, a Storm
user who is vice president of marketing of
352 Media Group, a web design company.
Other factors have helped, too, such as
the availability of the device on Verizon
Wireless, the biggest cellphone service
provider in the U.S., strong promotion of
the phone, and the loyal BlackBerry fan
base.
"This underscores the symbiotic
relationship between carriers and handset
vendors," says Gartenberg. "For a lot of
users, Verizon is the network of choice and
a BlackBerry is the device of choice."
RIM launched the BlackBerry Storm on
Nov. 21 in the U.S. as its first touchscreen
device. Despite innovative features—most
notably, a touchscreen with tactile
feedback that gives users a feel similar to
Analyst upgrades, downgrades and
initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX
By Eric Buscemi (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:11:00 PM
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst
upgrades and downgrades, Netflix, Inc.
(NFLX), Applied Materials (AMAT),
CIGNA Corp (CI), Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
• Jefferies upgraded MSC
Industrial(NYSE: MSM) to Buy from Hold
after meeting with management as they
believe shares are attractive at current
levels. The firm raised their target price to
$44 from $32.
• UBS upgraded DuPont Fabros(NYSE:
physical buttons—the phone drew some
harsh criticism.
Wired.com gave it six out of 10 while
New York Times reviewer David Pogue,
in one of his harshest reviews ever for a
device, said the Storm "even muffs simple
navigation tasks."
Still, sales have been strong. Since its
release, RIM has said it is pleased with
how consumers have been taking to the
Storm. The company also offered updates
for the phone to fix problems such as the
accelerometer lag and the unexpected lock
up of the phone.
Reports of the Storm's problems may
have been greatly exaggerated, says
Simona Jankowski, an analyst with
Goldman Sachs, in a research note.
"Our retail checks suggest that the Storm
is Verizon’s best-selling smartphone, and
the rate of returns is relatively low,
contrary to recent market concerns and
DFT) to Buy from Neutral and raised their
target to $7 from $2. The firm believes
DuPont Fabros will receive a waiver on its
CH1 Construction loan for at least a year.
• Royal Bank of Scotland upgraded
Credit Suisse(NYSE: CS) to Buy from
Hold to reflect the company's derisking of
its trading book.
• Smith & Nephew(NYSE: SNN) was
upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman
and added to the Conviction Buy List;
Cigna(NYSE:CI) was also added to the
Conviction Buy List.
• Affymetrix(NASDAQ: AFFX) was
raised to Equal Weight from Underweight
internet blogs."
Some Storm users say their initial
negative reaction to the phone turned into a
more positive experience after using the
device for a few weeks.
The bad reviews for the Storm did make
longtime BlackBerry user Evan Bartlett
nervous initially, he says. Bartlett, who is a
senior account executive for Angelsoft, a
company that makes a deal flow
management platform for venture
capitalists and angel networks, says he was
a T-Mobile subscriber using the
BlackBerry Curve before switching to the
Storm on Verizon.
Now there's no looking back for
him."The true push e-mail, the ability to
search through your e-mail, copy and paste
were all features that I use very heavily,"
says Bartlett, "which is also the reason
why the iPhone doesn't work for me."
The Storm's web browser has also
Daily Digital Newspaper
at Morgan Stanley.
• Airtran Holdings(NYSE: AAI) was
upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jesup &
Lamont.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades,
downgrades and initiations: CS, CI, UNH,
AMAT, NFLX
Analyst upgrades, downgrades and
initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
Email this| Comments
attracted fans. "The two things I do most
are e-mail and browsing," says
VanRysdam. "And the browsing
experience on the Storm is unlike any
other BlackBerry device and as good as the
iPhone."
Ultimately the Storm's success can be
attributed to the power of Verizon and
BlackBerry's marketing efforts.
"The Storm has been the subject of a
tremendous ad campaign by Verizon," says
Avi Greengart, an analyst with research
firm Current Analysis. "So if you are a
user at Verizon it is one of the most
exciting devices to have."
Could the BlackBerry brand also been
enough to draw in users? "Absolutely,"
says Greengart.
Meanwhile, even die-hard Storm users
agree that the device is still fairly buggy.
The shutter delay on the camera can be
frustrating as is the lack of Wi-Fi and the
third party applications for the phone.
They are, however, willing to be patient
for more updates from RIM to fix those
problems. Their Storm, they say, is worth
the wait. Related Links
BlackBerry's Storm and the Coolness
Factor
Verizon's Anti-iPhone Campaign
Big, Bold Moves
Daily Digital Newspaper
Fashion's Glass Half Full
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 9:00:00 PM
C hin up” might seem like a fairly lame
response to the deepening recession, but
fashion insiders insist a little optimism is
essential to offset the media’s round-the-
clock coverage of the gloom-and-doom
economy.
Perhaps building on the momentum of
Barack Obama, whose presidency was sold
on hope and the promise of change,
fashion types are trying to execute their
own administrative shake-ups. There is no
denying the scale of this decidedly uphill
battle. Deflation is a brewing threat, credit
lines are being tightened, the 7.2 percent
unemployment rate is the highest it’s been
since 1993, energy prices are on the rise
again, job security is as predictable as a
lottery ticket–and that is just a sampling of
the new realities with which consumers are
grappling.
Sunless and severe as that might sound, a
few intrepid designers and business owners
are forging ahead with novel pitches and
products. Their ideas range from the
pragmatic, such as Freehands’ new iPhone-
friendly gloves, to just plain fun. To fight
the winter blues, the Mall of America is
offering Minnesotans who spend $150 or
more in its stores or restaurants two free
passes to the mall’s indoor amusement
park. The Irvine Co.’s Fashion Island in
Newport Beach, Calif. has torn down a 30-
year-old Macy’s store to make way for an
138,000-square-foot Nordstrom that will
bow in spring 2010. Orlando Fashion
Square, a 150-store shopping center, held a
four-day inaugural sale that ended Jan. 19.
Marketing director Dave Ackerman said,
“It ties in with the optimism of the new
administration coming in and hopefully a
new day for the economy and the country.”
Many are taking stock of the lessons of
recent months and even farther back.
Emmanuelle Linard, a 20-year veteran
with Li Edelkoort’s Trend Union
forecasting service, said, “One thing we
[have] learned is that while the world
might not be any better, our perspective
will have to shift from fear to joy. Trend
Union believes in optimism as a necessary
attitude for 2009,” she said.
After all, fashion has been through
similar dark times. As Christian Dior’s
president and chief executive officer
Sidney Toledano recently noted, “Don’t
forget that Mr. Dior and the New Look
came after the war. It was an optimistic
collection.”
There are those industry executives who
contend a different viewpoint is what’s
needed. Burt Tansky, chairman, president
and CEO of Neiman Marcus Inc., voiced
definite views about just how much misery
loves company earlier this month at a
forum hosted by Financo. Frustrated by the
lack of spending by the rich, he lowered
the boom on the media. “The media thrives
on bad news. They started early in the
year. It was negative and harmful,” he said,
explaining that stories telling consumers
where to get the best bargains didn’t help
luxury spending.
And husbands aren’t helping the cause
either. “Husbands used to say ‘Enough.’
Now they say, ‘Don’t even think about
it.’” Tansky said.
These times are prime for self-reflection,
according to Envirosell CEO and Why We
Buy: The Science of Shopping author Paco
Underhill. “The fashion industry has gotten
so wrapped up in itself and has not kept up
with what its customers’ needs are,” he
said. “Getting back down to the services it
can provide—that people can afford and
use—is a very necessary part of our new
world.”
Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion at
Parsons The New School for Design, has
said there is opportunity for brands with a
genuine point of view and real direction.
But some designers soldier on. Late
November wasn’t prime time for store
openings, but the perennially upbeat
Cynthia Rowley didn’t blink about
unveiling one in Charleston, S.C.
“What do they say? ‘When the going gets
tough, the tough get going.’ At this time,
I’m encouraged to be even more inventive,
and I’m given the opportunity to take more
chances and do things that have never been
done before. We’re all already outside of
our comfort zones, and experimenting with
new product categories, new territories and
new strategic alliances only promotes
creative and innovative thinking,” she said.
“Optimism is a core value of our brand. I
feel like everything we do has that spirit.”
Giorgio Armani clearly has a similar
attitude, pressing ahead with the opening
next month of his 43,000-square-foot
megastore on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Armani admitted the timing wasn’t great,
but recently said of the store and its decor,
“I was determined to send out a clear
message of change, interpreting the current
trend for mixing genres and juxtaposing
items in different price brackets.”
Freehands founder Josh Rubin was
equally undeterred about his company’s
launch last fall and is close to selling all of
the first season’s 20,000 units. Freehands
are gloves with flipback fingertips that
allow wearers to take calls, text, e-mail and
snap photos. Rubin, who is also the
founder and editor in chief of
Coolhunting.com, said, “Yeah, things are
challenging, but there still are
opportunities. Even when the economy is
down, you can still find something to
design that is new, better or appeals to
consumers’ needs.”
Rob Plaza, senior equity analyst with
Zacks Equity Research in Chicago, thinks
it would behoove the fashion industry to
reference Depression-era chic. “Not to be
too cynical, but they could look back
historically at what people were wearing in
the Great Depression. But people today
don’t want to look too extreme or too
dour,” he said. “It’s a tightrope for the
fashion industry. People don’t have money
to spend, but they still have to design
something that people will look for or are
willing to buy.”
Aware that December retail sales were
“as expected pretty bad,” Plaza said,
“things are not going to turn around
anytime this year. Trends have been
worsening. If you didn’t have reason to go
out and shop in December when there was
all that deep discounting, then what reason
are you going to have in January, March or
May? The first half of this year is going to
be worse than the holiday selling season.
This year has already been written off.
“By the end of last year, people were
taking pride in being frugal and spending
less. They talked about going to the
Goodwill store instead of a brand name
one. That’s a lot to overcome,” he said.
A few entrepreneurs are finding ways to
cash in on consumers’ cost consciousness.
Trend Union president Jane Buckingham
cofounded Handmedowns.com, an e-
commerce site for used children’s clothing.
“If regifting was last year’s trend, reselling
is this year’s hottest new habit,” she said.
Former publicist Melanie Seymour
Holland also considered consumers’
overstuffed closets before recently starting
The Closet Dominatrix. Her business
offers wardrobe purging, resale advice and
closet organizing among other services. “I
realized that most women, myself
included, have too much clothing and too
often fall victim to retail therapy. Why not
really take a look at what one owns, what
one buys and why hold onto items just
because of sentimental reasons and or
price?” Holland said.
Her business’ unexpected name has
triggered one recurring question. “Of
course, a lot of people ask if I bring a
whip,” she said.
In the U.K., Twiggy’s Fashion Frocks, a
clothes-swapping show, was such a hit last
fall on BBC Two, that its Web site now
provides step-by-step instructions for
hosting a swap. Others capitalizing on the
old-is-new trend include Londoner Jo
Poole, better known for her business The
Dress Doctor. For $380 a day, she will
rework ill-fitting clothes to make them
more of-the-moment. “Nobody is a
standard size in every store, and it seems
people have increasing numbers of
underused items in their wardrobes,” Poole
said. “I am also now getting requests from
Business* 15
husbands who would rather buy a day of
my services as a gift for their wives than
the latest trophy handbag.”
These types of pragmatic and handmade
cottage industries are right in step with
Trend Union’s D.I.Y. outlook. Linard said,
“We need to figure out how to undo our
20th century-acquired consuming ways.”
To that end, “Consumers will work on
narrowing down our real needs, and
hopefully apply our new level of clarity to
a more collective level. Cleaning up and
creativity,” she said.
Stores’ bloated inventories reflect a
supply-and-demand system that no longer
works and needs to be cleaned up, Linard
said. Plaza, the analyst with Zacks Equity
Research, agreed. Business will not
improve until something is done about the
overabundance of stores, too much retail
square footage and too much inventory, he
said.
Adding to that difficult situation is
consumers’ worrying about their job
security, retirement funds, the volatile
stock market, food inflation and the yo-
yoing price of oil, said Planet Retail’s
global research director Bryan Roberts.
“It’s simple mathematics. All people have
to do is to look at their bank statements to
see their ever-diminishing disposable
income. People are reluctant to borrow
money as well. There is a powerful sense
of trepidation in regards to people’s
confidence in the economy and their own
personal situations,” he said.
The fact that December sales at Wal-
Mart, Family Dollar and Kmart
outperformed those at Saks Fifth Avenue
and Sears seems to be testimony to that,
Roberts said. And a new administration
might not necessarily be enough to
encourage consumer spending. “We have
had a few politicians in the U.K. who have
tried to evoke a we-can-spend-our-way-out
-of-this attitude, but if you’re even
remotely concerned about your job you are
not going to be spending. And it would be
foolish for consumers to splurge with their
credit cards,” he said.
Interestingly, though the average current
credit card rate is 14.32 percent, a slight
decrease compared with this time last year,
many shoppers are being squeezed. Justin
McHenry, president of
FASHION'S page 18
16 Business* Biz Buzz*
Ecuador's Dangerous Game
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:30:00 AM
E cuador is one of the foremost serial
defaulters in the world. When it defaulted
on bank loans in the 1980s, the debts were
restructured into Brady bonds. When it
defaulted on its Brady bonds in 1999, they
were restructured into new global bonds,
maturing in 2012 and 2030.
Now it's defaulted on those global
bonds—although not on its third global
bond, maturing in 2015, which was issued
when the current president, Rafael Correa,
was finance minister.
Ecuador has hired Lazard Freres as an
adviser, and is rumored to be planning a
tender offer where it will attempt to buy
back its defaulted debt at around 30 cents
on the dollar.
Abby McKenna, a fund manager at
Morgan Stanley Investment Management,
is a co-founder of the Emerging Market
Creditors Association, which was set up in
the wake of the last Ecuadorean default.
Here, she and her colleague Federico
Kaune explain why they think any
unilateral tender offer is doomed to failure,
and why Ecuador should start talking to its
creditors instead.
—The Editors P resident Correa’s efforts
to restructure Ecuador’s sovereign external
bond obligations have rightfully caused
concern among the country's international
creditors. Their disquiet stems from two
facts: first, that significant debt forgiveness
has been granted on numerous previous
occasions; and second, that Ecuador is
solvent with sufficient liquidity to honor its
international commitments.
Creditors correctly believe that
Ecuador’s decision to default reflects its
lack of willingness to service its debts, not
its ability to do so. Unfortunately, for other
Latin American borrowers, Ecuador’s ill-
conceived actions reinforce negative
stereotypes about Latin America and its
Ford plows into a wall, loses record $14.6 billion
By Peter Cohan (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:45:00 AM
Filed under: Earnings reports, Ford Motor
(F)
You have to hand it to Ford Motor
Co.(NYSE: F) -- despite losing a
attitude towards debt. These actions will
taint other borrowers and cause investors
to reassess levels of risk within the region.
Equally concerning is President Correa’s
disregard for the rule of law and his claim
to lack any understanding of international
capital markets. The President would have
us believe that Ecuador lacked the
intellectual capital, over a number of
decades, to understand the fundamental
underpinning of a contractual agreement.
The government argues that weak
institutions and rampant corruption led
Ecuador to acquire excessive levels of
public debt, making such debt illegal and
illegitimate. The government relies on its
own “expert” debt commission report,
which attempts to shift the blame for
Ecuador’s debt problems abroad to the
U.S. Federal Reserve for interest rate hikes
in the early 1980s, to its creditors for
capitalizing unpaid interest, and to its
lawyers for allowing Ecuador to submit to
New York legal jurisdiction.
The president has also argued that
because the bond contracts were drafted in
English, they were too difficult for
Ecuadorians to understand, and therefore
illegal and illegitimate.
The law is clear that debt cannot be
deemed illegitimate simply because the
borrower claims not to have benefited from
it. Bond investors did not bribe, trick, or
force Ecuador to borrow funds in
international capital markets.
New York law is also clear that issuers
can neither manipulate market prices nor
buy back debt at distressed prices with the
record$14.6 billion in 2008, it steadfastly
refuses to take government money.
Personally, I wish more American
companies had that attitude. Unfortunately,
it could be a matter of months before
deteriorating sales force Ford to join its
peers at the taxpayer trough.
intent of using the bonds to affect a
coercive debt exchange. This is something
Ecuador’s creditors will surely examine
more closely over the next few weeks and
months.
A bond is a legal contract in which a
borrower is obliged to repay principal and
interest to the lenders (bondholders) at a
later date. The most important part of the
contract is the borrower’s commitment to
repay the lender.
Also important, however, is a series of
legal covenants included in bond
indentures, which give lenders comfort that
they are protected from a wide range of
potential abuses. The thousands of
individual investors that own Ecuador’s
sovereign bonds in their savings and
retirement accounts relied on the
borrower’s representations that the debt
was authorized by the Ecuadoran
authorities—an assurance that is clearly
stated in all three of Ecuador’s bond
prospectuses.
Ecuador also represented that their
external bonds were the unconditional
general obligations of Ecuador. The
country has pledged its full faith and credit
toward the payment and performance of its
external bonded debt. These bonds rank
pari passu among themselves—that is,
each has the same rights to repayment as
all the others—and at least pari passu in
priority of payment with all other present
and future unsecured and unsubordinated
external debt of Ecuador.
Ecuador has repudiated its external
obligations three times in the past three
How bad were Ford's results? Ford lost
$5.9 billion, or $2.46 a share, in the fourth
quarter alone, compared with a loss of $2.8
billion, or $1.33 a share for the same
period in 2007. Due to tight credit markets,
buyers stayed away from dealers its sales
fell 36% to $29.2 billion. And after
decades. In each of the last two debt
workouts, Ecuador received substantial
debt relief.
With the 1995 Brady Plan debt workout,
Ecuador benefited from a 55 percent
reduction in the face value of its defaulted
bank loans. The government of President
Correa claims that the Brady plan—which
provided substantial debt relief to 18
emerging countries on four continents—is
illegal and illegitimate. We suspect that
most of Ecuador’s neighbors would
disagree.
In 1999, Ecuador’s economy collapsed
under the strains of poor financial policies
and low oil prices, driving its external
public debt and debt service to about 80
percent and 7 percent of GDP,
respectively. The government argues that
the 1999 default could and should have
been avoided, and thus concludes that
2000 debt workout—which resulted in a 30
percent reduction in the face value of its
defaulted Brady and global bonds—is
illegal and illegitimate.
Now Ecuador has decided to declare a
unilateral moratorium on its bonds
maturing in 2012 and 2030. The
government offers spurious arguments for
the legitimacy of the bonds maturing 2015,
engineered under the tenure of then
Minister of Finance Correa to lower
Ecuador’s debt servicing costs. However,
creditors and judges in other jurisdictions
are likely to disagree with its view.
Ecuador’s decision to default on its
external obligations rests on purely
ideological grounds, as its capacity to
adjusting for special charges, Ford lost
$1.37 a share, seven cents less than
analysts expected.
Continue reading Ford plows into a wall,
loses record $14.6 billion
Ford plows into a wall, loses record
$14.6 billion originally appeared on
Daily Digital Newspaper
service debt is as strong as it has ever been
during the last three decades. Ecuador’s
external public debt is a manageable 21
percent of GDP—of which 8 percent of
GDP is from bonded debt.
Selectively choosing to default on a
small portion of its external debt
obligations is neither fair nor likely to
resolve any perceived debt problems.
Currently, external debt service is a very
manageable 3.5 percent of GDP—of which
0.8 percent of GDP is from bonded debt.
Furthermore, Ecuador’s international
reserves amount to a sizable 10 percent of
GDP.
Borrowers seeking to break their
contracts must make a good faith effort to
build a consensus among creditors rather
than acting unilaterally. Lack of
consultation with external creditors could
create a very disorderly, protracted process
with suboptimal outcomes for both
Ecuador and its bondholders.
Proposing a draconian debt exchange,
not grounded in economic reality, to a
select group of creditors will not lead to
meaningful discourse. Quite the opposite,
it will merely antagonize bondholders and
waste precious resources on legal and
advisory fees while endangering
Ecuadorian assets abroad.
Could Ecuador and its advisor really
believe that bondholders of the 2012 and
2030 issues will agree to a haircut while
other bondholders remain untouched? Will
official sector lenders participate in this
charade? Will other borrowers in the
region remain silent as Ecuador further
tarnishes the reputation of the emerging
market debt asset class? Only time will
tell.Related Links
Fragmented Bondholders
Debt Datapoint of the Day, EMBI+
Edition
Ecuador Approches Default
BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily Digital Newspaper
What Caused the Meltdown?
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:30:00 PM
F irst day at the World Economic Forum
annual meeting in Davos. It's almost 5 a.m.
(but only 8 p.m. in California—I got a
company to run at home!) and I'm
exhausted.
The world economic crisis is the key
underlying topic in every conversation and
speech, though interestingly the organizers
(and in particular Forum founder Klaus
Schwab) have really tried to steer the
debate towards determining what
businesses and governments are to do once
the crisis has subsided: the theme this year
is "Shaping the Post-Crisis World."
In his opening remarks, Klaus said
something along the lines of "we don't
want to hear the reasons for this collapse
anymore; we want to define the steps out
of it." He was immediately contradicted by
Vladimir Putin, who gave one of the
opening speeches.
The Russian prime minister offered his
recap of what went wrong: one side of the
world (the West) spent money it didn't earn
on cheap stuff produced by the other side
(the East), which saved up too much of the
money it got for the cheap stuff.
A really interesting session today
featured Matthew Bishop of the
Economist, Matt Cohler of Benchmark
Capital, and Nancy Lublin of
DoSomething.org. Lublin's group is a not-
for-profit that is trying to sell voting shares
to investors as means of fund-raising,
while pushing themselves to be more
transparent (quarterly reports, investor
Obituary letter: John Rettie
(News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:11:14 PM
Chris Birch writes: In 1956, when John
calls, etc).
The concept initially sounds fantastic to
a free-marketer like me, though there are
some real issues here. Although the shares
do bestow a right to vote on key issues for
the nongovernmental organization, the
shares are not transferable, and therefore
won't have liquidity or a floating price.
The next step has to be finding a way to
create a secondary market for these shares
and letting people vote with their
dollars—without harmful effects on the
mission of the organization. (We don't
want charitable organizations optimizing
their quarterly results just to keep the share
price up!)
My off-the-cuff proposal (which, I think,
requires some modifications to U.S. tax
law) was to associate an annual tax
break—smaller than the total share
price—with each share, and make them
transferable at a floated price.
I believe there is some legal precedent
for this sort of thing with selling tax credits
from NGOs. Really, I have barely an idea
of what I am talking about here, but I
learned a good bit, and have been inspired
to think about something meaningful and
interesting that has little to do with my
current business undertaking.
I think that's what the Forum is supposed
to be all about.
The security in this place is hardcore.
Groups of police who seem to speak
different languages are stationed every few
hundred yards. Every hotel where
conference attendees are staying has metal
detectors and X-ray machines. Entry to any
part of the Forum meeting requires you to
Rettie (obituary, 20 January) was breaking
the news of Nikita Khrushchev's 1956
speech on Stalin's crimes, I was working in
Budapest.
The British Communist party sent me a
produce registration badge and scan it.
Speaking of that, this morning we had to
make our way to the registration, to
procure the badges. It's a bit off the main
road, and so we had to walk through a
frosty little street guarded on each side by
a small Italian-speaking contingent.
We were quizzed at the entrance gate
(everything has gates) by a guard who
eventually allowed us to go through to the
registration, but just as we approached the
exit gate, the guards suddenly started
sealing the street off, working feverishly
on pulling the gate in, fitting it into
concrete anchors on the ground, and finally
hanging a giant padlock on it.
Startled, we stood around waiting for the
guards to tell us something, but as soon as
they were done on each side of the street,
they raced into a gated parking area, and
performed the same procedure
there—sealing themselves in!
We found ourselves in a small,
completely frozen and empty street, staring
at each other and laughing nervously,
while the guards broke out some serious-
looking riot gear and put it on feverishly.
Finally, one of them noticed our
confused stares and yelled "Not a problem!
Just a little practice! Five minutes!" About
10 minutes later, the guards calmly
unsealed themselves and let us out of our
little lockup.
We are definitely quite safe here.Related
Links
The Changing World, in Microcosm
Air Heads
Dissecting the Crisis in Davos
copy of the Observer which had the full
text. It was accompanied by a letter, saying
that the party had no reason to think that
the text was inaccurate. Colin Chambers
(letters, 26 January) rightly says that the
Business* International*
Activists Land in Davos
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:00:00 AM
P lenty of CEO's decided to skip Davos
this year but there's one group that couldn't
stay away: protesters.
Some 150 pro-Tibet activists
demonstrated against the scheduled speech
of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the
World Economic Forum in Davos on
Wednesday morning. The protesters
arrived by train, where they demonstrated
less than a mile from the railway station,
according to Robert Dilenschneider,
president of the public relations firm
Dilenschneider Group, Inc., who is on the
ground in Davos.
According to reports, they carried signs
saying, "Change in Tibet - Wen?"
“Though the protest was relatively
peaceful, protesters were throwing clods of
ice at the police,” says Dilenschneider.
There were several reports that protesters
had been situating themselves in Davos
leading up to the forum because the
security there is incredibly tight. The
conference has historically attracted
protesters to what some anti-capitalist
groups consider an affront to the have-not
nations of the world.
There are reportedly 5,000 Swiss police
on duty, and various checkpoints hinder
any uninvited guests from driving up the to
the mountain ski resort where the annual
forum is held.
The protesters arrived via train, most
likely leaving from Zurich, transferring in
a mountain town called Landquart and then
arriving in Davos, close to a local
McDonald’s, where past objectors have
smashed windows of the ubiquitous fast
Soviet Communist party denied that the
speech had taken place, but the the line of
my Soviet colleagues was that it was an
internal party affair - and none of my
bloody business. guardian.co.uk©
17
food chain. In previous years, the Swiss
police have dealt with demonstrators by
using water cannons, armored vehicles,
and electrified batons, according to
Dilenschneider.
Each year at Davos, there are about
2,500 conference invitees, including nearly
all of the world’s most powerful political
and economic leaders, although this year
has seen a slump in attendance due the
global economic crisis.
The protests bleed into other parts of the
country as well. Laurent Moutinot,
Socialist President of the Council, told
Reuters on January 26 that he felt he was
not banning a protest "but taking measures
against a gathering of rioters,” by declaring
a ban against a January 31st protest
planned in Geneva.
"The protests at meetings like Davos, or
the WTO negotiations, arise out of
frustration," says New York University
Stern School of Business Economics
professor Kim J. Ruhl. "I think some
perspective is helpful: there will always be
people making poor decisions and
engaging in bad acts. The actions of, say,
Bernard Madoff, are not an indictment of
the capitalist system any more than a
senator taking bribes is a reason to scrap
democracy."
While peaceful protesters certainly have
rights, their actions won't likely change the
system anytime soon. "The truth is,
capitalism isn't perfect, but it is the best
system we have right now," Ruhl says.
Related Links
Dissecting the Crisis in Davos
Putin Shows Dell the Love in Davos
The "Anti-Davos" Sees an Opportunity
Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 |
Use of this content is subject to our Terms
& Conditions| More Feeds
18 Business* Biz Buzz*
FASHION'S
continued from page 15
Indexcreditcards.com, a Web site that
compares credit card features, noted that in
the past six months, “Many people have
seen their credit card rates jacked up by
issuers, even when they have missed
payments or exceeded their credit limits
[instead of simply having their cards
canceled]. If suddenly consumers have to
pay back debt in a hurry or at a higher rate,
they may be less likely to make further
purchases with their credit cards.
“You can’t expect consumers as a whole
to say, ‘Let’s be optimistic and go buy
some new stuff,’ if their real feelings are
fear and uncertainty. There have to be
some real signs that things aren’t as bad as
the media has reported them to be before
consumers will dip their toes back into the
water,” McHenry said, adding that decent
sales reports from a few public companies
and anticipated improved performances
could create a snowball effect, reviving
stock prices and reassuring consumers
about spending.
Regardless, some Seventh Avenue types
are trying to maintain an air of optimism.
At Adspace’s “Let’s Jumpstart the
Economy in 2009” party earlier this
month, Adspace founder Eddie Kreinik
Wall Street loses $35 billion in 2008, uses TARP for $18.4
billion bonus
By Peter Cohan (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:15:00 AM
Filed under: Employees, Economic data,
Financial Crisis
Just when you think you've heard it all,
you hear more. In the last year, Wall Street
-- or more specifically, the brokerage units
of New York financial companies --
lost$35 billion. (Worldwide, financial
institutions have taken $1 trillion in write-
offs of bad assets). Those firms received a
made one request of his 200 guests: to talk
solely about good health, happiness and
prosperity. A few days earlier,
Weatherproof threw its annual winter party
for out-of-town buyers. President and chief
executive officer Frederick Stollmack
shrugged when asked about the economy
and noted everyone likes a party. “Now we
need to be positive more than ever,” he
said.
But good thoughts will only go so far,
according to Scott Plous, Wesleyan
professor and author of The Psychology of
Judgment and Decision Making. “I think
that many consumers are indeed affected
by fears over whether the economy will
worsen and, in my view, encouraging
people to remain optimistic will only work
in the long run if the economy improves.”
Related Links
Cutting Corners
Morning Hemlines: Asprey, Marc
Jacobs, H&M
Morning Hemlines: Rochas, Retail,
Narciso, Lululemon, LA Fashion Week,
Project Runway
large proportion of the $350 billion TARP
and persuaded the Treasury to guarantee
losses from hundreds of billions worth of
their financial toxic waste. Their reward?
$18.4 billion in bonuses.
How much of the TARP went to paying
for those bonuses? The banks have
cleverly neglected to report that. But let's
face it -- money is fungible. So if they did
not use the money from the deposits they
received from the Treasury to pay bonuses,
our tax dollars freed up cash they may
The Changing World, in
Microcosm
(Portfolio.com: Top 5)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:30:00 AM
A t this edition of World Economic
Forum Annual Meeting, delegates are
looking—now more than ever—for some
certainties on the financial crisis, on its
future trends, and on its impact on society.
One thing that has really impressed me
so far is the selection of opening
speakers—representatives of two countries
that were considered as emerging countries
only a little while ago: Vladimir Putin,
prime minister of the Russian Federation,
and Wen Jiabao, premier of the People's
Republic of China. This represents a
perfect portrait of the fast evolution of the
world we are living in nowadays.
Obviously all of us keep looking to the
U.S.: it's where the crisis started and where
the world expects that the solution should
come from. Furthermore, there are big
expectations on the recent election of
Obama and his resolutions for the future.
I consider myself as an optimist, even
though the world is undeniably
experiencing a profound crisis. In my
have had from other sources that did go to
paying those $18.4 billion in bonuses.
Continue reading Wall Street loses $35
opinion there is only one way to get out of
it: investing in innovation and offering
products that represent a concrete answer
to customers' needs and products that are
unique.
The annual meeting here in Davos
represents a unique opportunity for global
dialogue between an excellent mix of top
leaders: I expect it will give to all
participants reliable suggestions for the
trends of the next months. This would also
help me as an entrepreneur in all the
business decisions I'm about to make.
Crisis or no, one thing remains the same
at Davos: how difficult it is to arrange
meetings. All World Economic Forum
participants are used to traveling all over
the world, all of the time: but when we're
all within the Congress Center in this small
town it often becomes impossible to agree
on a time and location to meet.Related
Links
Obama Snubs Davos
What Caused the Meltdown?
Air Heads
billion in 2008, uses TARP for $18.4
billion bonus
Wall Street loses $35 billion in 2008,
uses TARP for $18.4 billion bonus
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds. Read|
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily Digital Newspaper
Big Three use
bailout bucks to sue
state governments
By Bruce Watson (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
Filed under: Ford Motor (F), General
Motors (GM), Stocks to Sell, Recession
Looking over the recent history of
America's automakers, one theme seems to
stand out. Regardless of their situation, the
economy, or the issue at hand, the Big
Three have an almost preternatural ability
to determine the most foolish course of
action and pursue it with amazing vigor.
Regardless of whether we're talking
about the Ford Motor Company's (NYSE:
F) decision to focus its attention on cars(to
the detriment of its truck lines), Chrysler's
decision to channel stuff its dealerships, or
General Motors' (NYSE: GM) decision to
sit on its fuel cell cars, Detroit seems
determined to misjudge the economy and
the customers.
At their best, the three have minimized
innovation while milking their successes.
At their worst, they have spent time and
money on expensive acquisitions or dead-
end technologies, to the detriment of their
bottom line.
Continue reading Big Three use bailout
bucks to sue state governments
Big Three use bailout bucks to sue state
governments originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Daily Digital Newspaper
Senate likely to revise stimulus Shocking: 40% of world's wealth
package after House approval destroyed in last five quarters
By Joseph Lazzaro
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:30:00 AM
Filed under: Politics, Recession
Following's Wednesday's 244-188 House
vote-- one in which, despite President
Obama's efforts to cultivate Republican
ideas, every House Republican voted
against it -- the focus on the stimulus
package shifts to the Senate, where plan
revisions are likely.
Assuming Senate passage, any
differences between the two versions
would have to be resolved in a conference
committee.
Republicans are complaining that the bill
has too many traditional Democratic-
constituency-based programs and 'pork,'
while some Democrats are concerned the
bill does not contain enough spending - - in
particular infrastructure spending, to create
jobs the U.S. economy needs. The U.S.
economy lost more than 2.6 million jobs in
2008 -- including 1 million in the past two
months -- and the nation's unemployment
rate has soared to 7.2%.
Bank of America board lends
support to CEO
By Zac Bissonnette
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:45:00 AM
Filed under: Management, Bank of
America (BAC) Bank of America(NYSE:
BAC) CEO Kenneth Lewis has received
the dreaded vote of confidence from his
company's board of directors.
In a statement, Bank of America lead
director Temple Sloan said that "The board
today during their regular meeting
expressed support for Ken Lewis and the
management team, noting their experience
in managing through challenging
environments and in assimilating mergers."
Is Mr. Sloan on crack? Ken Lewis has
presided over an acquisition-fueled
destruction of shareholder value that is
Continue reading Senate likely to revise
stimulus package after House approval
Senate likely to revise stimulus package
after House approval originally appeared
on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
almost without precedent in the history of
the world. If Mr. Lewis has experience in
assimilating mergers, it is only because he
has made so many boneheaded
acquisitions.
Continue reading Bank of America board
lends support to CEO
Bank of America board lends support to
CEO originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
By Connie Madon (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:30:00 PM
Filed under: International markets, China,
Russia, Money and Finance Today,
Economic data, Financial Crisis
An almost incomprehensible destruction
of wealth has taken place. Stephen
Schwarzman, Chairman of The Blackstone
Group said that "40% of the world's wealth
was destroyed in the last five quarters". Let
me repeat that: "40% of the world's wealth
has been destroyed in the last five
quarters."
At a meeting in Davos, Switzerland,
world leaders met to discuss the condition
of the world. Putin of Russia said: "the
existing financial system has failed."
Growth was based on greed. One partner
printed money and consumed wealth while
the other manufactured cheap goods and
saved money. These comments were
swipes at the United States and China.
Continue reading Shocking: 40% of
world's wealth destroyed in last five
New York Times has pension
drama
By Zac Bissonnette
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:00:00 AM
Filed under: New York Times'A' (NYT)
The New York Times Co.(NYSE: NYT)
reported a fourth quarter profit decline of
48% yesterday, but that actually managed
to top analysts' expectations and the stock
moved up 6.79%.
But there could be more trouble for the
company. The Wall Street Journal
reports(subscription required) that the
market meltdown "blew out the Times's
unfunded pension obligation to $625
million from $48 million at the end of
2007. The new figure is a whopping 73%
of the Times' market capitalization."
Unless the market makes a miraculous
quarters
Shocking: 40% of world's wealth
destroyed in last five quarters originally
appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29
Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink|
Email this| Comments
rebound reminiscent of the Boston Red
Sox (which the Times is in the process of
trying to sell its stake in) 2004 ALCS
comeback. the Times will have to fund that
obligation over the next seven years.
Continue reading New York Times has
pension drama
New York Times has pension drama
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds. Read|
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Biz Buzz* 19
Citigroup in
chains is good
for shareholders
By Douglas McIntyre
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:19:00 PM
Filed under: Citigroup Inc. (C) Now that
the government has given
Citigroup(NYSE: C) billions of dollars and
has agreed to back-stop hundreds of billion
in potential losses on toxic paper, it has
decided that the bank may not be able to
run itself. At least it may not be able to run
itself as well at the government wants it to.
According to The Wall Street Journal, "
Citigroup Inc. has recently started
operating under a regulatory agreement
that could subject the company to greater
restrictions on its operations." While the
filings are not detailed, it appears that
activities at some of Citi's businesses will
have to be disclosed to the government.
Continue reading Citigroup in chains is
good for shareholders
Citigroup in chains is good for
shareholders originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009
12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use
of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
20 Biz Buzz* Web 2.0 Web Apps* Movies*
Virtual Radiologic feels the pain
By Tom Taulli (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:30:00 AM
Filed under: Earnings reports,
Technology Virtual Radiologic(NASDAQ:
VRAD) is an interesting company. It
allows physicians to remotely interpret x-
rays, CTs and MRIs. The company has 620
clients and supports about 1,025 medical
facilities.
This week, Virtual Radiologic reported
its Q4 numbers. Revenues increased 23%
to $28.3 million and adjusted net income
was $2 million. In all, the company has
about $29.3 million in the bank.
All in all, it's been a busy year for Virtual
Radiologic. The company made its first
acquisition deal as well as secured several
20+ Great Twitter Tools for Firefox
By Sean P. Aune (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:39:53 AM
People love Twitter, and they love
Firefox, so it only seems natural that there
would be quite a few tools to merge these
two items.
Whether you want to have a full Twitter
client inside of your browser, or just the
ability to share parts of a site, a whole Web
page or just the URL of the site you are
reading, there is a tool for you. Take a look
through these 20+ tools and there is sure to
be something that appeals to you.
As with all Firefox tool lists, we do
recommend you don’t install all of these
unless you want your browser to slow
down considerably.
What is your favorite Twitter tool for
Firefox?
Clients
Friendbar- See your incoming tweets
right in the toolbar as well as post updates
of your own. Also works with Facebook
friends.
Twitter Line- Displays incoming tweets
from your friends timeline in a toolbar, and
allows you to post updates to your own
account.
Twitter StatusBar- A discrete tool that
New Video: Donny Osmond Won't be on Next Season of 'DWTS'
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:39:00 PM
customers overseas.
Continue reading Virtual Radiologic
feels the pain
Virtual Radiologic feels the pain
originally appeared on BloggingStocks on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
Email this| Comments
collapses into your status bar when not in
use. Just click on the “T” symbol to bring
it up and send out your latest update.
Twitter Toolbar- A toolbar that allows
you to post updates any time you want as
you browse. Also includes pre-written
messages for common sayings on the
service.
TwitBin- Opens up a Twitter client in
your sidebar so you can send and read
tweets no matter where you are on the Web
without changing tabs or windows.
TwitKit- A sidebar Twitter client that
breaks down into tabs for @replies,
account stats, public timeline, sending
tweets, your friends’ latest tweets and a list
of all your followers.
TwitterBar- Type your tweets in the
address bar and press the icon at the end to
send them. Also allows you to easily tweet
about the page you are currently looking at
by leaving it in the address bar when you
type out your message.
TwitterFox- A Twitter client for Firefox
that will allow you to see your friend
updates, add your own, retweet, delete read
tweets from your stream and more.
Utilities
BlogRovR- While mainly a tool to help
you see linked blog posts as you surf the
Donny Osmond sets the record straight
with ET regarding the rumors that he will
be a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars"
Share MP3s as tweets with Songly
By Josh Lowensohn
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:33:00 PM
If you're looking to share an MP3 with a
friend, or with a bunch of other folks on
Twitter, worth checking out is Songly. The
service takes the URL of any MP3 that's
hosted on the Web and will both shorten it
for micropublishing tools like Twitter, as
well as package it in a slick little Flash
player. This is especially useful since your
recipient can play it back without having to
download it first.
Compared to TinySong, which we
Web, you can also send out tweets about
what you are reading and share them with
your followers.
Clipmarks- Clip parts of a Web page that
you specifically want to share, and then
share them with all of your Twitter
followers amongst other services.
DashBlog- DashBlog lets you easily
tweet about items you find on the web such
as videos, text, quotes, images and more.
Also works with Tumblr, WordPress and
Blogger.
Feedly- A magazine style feed reader
that allows you to tweet about any post you
read and find interesting.
Mahalo Share- Share sites you find
interesting across multiple services
including Twitter.
Power Twitter- Power Twitter adds
several features such as revealing the URL
behind TinyURLs, embedding of YouTube
videos, showing Flickr streams and a
whole lot more.
StockTwits- A Firefox add-on that works
with the StockTwits site. It will turn any
StockTwits tagged tweets on the site into a
link back to the StockTwits site so you can
follow the conversation.
Tw-autocomplete- Allows for
autocomplete of Twitter usernames for @
this spring.
"I'm definitely not doing this upcoming
season," Donny tells ET. "If there was an
looked at back in June, the big benefit here
is that you're not limited to a catalog of
licensed music. The flip side of that is that
the music track must continue to be hosted
somewhere for it to keep playing.
In addition to its Web interface Songly
has a freshly-released Firefox extension
and D messages as you are typing them on
the Twitter site.
TweetStalk- Adds a “Stalk” button next
to the “Follow” button on Twitter so you
can follow someone without them knowing
it. Can also create an RSS feed of their
tweets so you can read them in your
favorite reader.
TwitThat- A bookmarklet that lets you
tweet about the current Web page you are
reading.
TwitterEyes- An extension to be used
specifically on the Twitter site that will
keep track of your characters entered and
assist you in shortening your message
when necessary.
Twitter Search- The name says it all for
this handy tool that gives you access to the
real-time Twitter search.
TwittyTunes- Works with FoxyTunes to
submit the songs you listen to that you
wish to share with the Twitter community.
If you choose not to use it with
FoxyTunes, you can also post about sites
and videos you are viewing.
Twitzer- Allows you to tweet messages
longer than 140 characters by adding a link
to the overflow text, you can also de-
Twitzer text and have it displayed directly
on the Twitter site
offer on the table, I'd do it in the fall. I
would make room for it. Absolutely!"
Donny's sister, Marie Osmond, was a
Daily Digital Newspaper
that lets you right click to shorten and
share any audio file you come across. If
you're feeling extra geeky, you could
theoretically feed the Songly URL into
another shortening service like Bitly to
keep track of how many people click on it.
Songly takes an MP3 track hosted
somewhere and gives you both a Flash
player and a direct download link. Its big
feature, however is the option to send its
shortened URL out to Twitter.(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Yoono- Yoono allows you to combine
various social networks, instant
messengers and other tools into your
sidebar, and allows you to send tweets no
matter where you are on the World Wide
Web at the time. More Twitter resources
from Mashable:
- Twittermania: 140+ More Twitter Tools
- 20+ Great Greasemonkey Scripts for
Improving Your Twitter Experience
- Tweets to Go: 35+ More Twitter
Resources for Your Phone
- 10 Ways Twitter Will Change Blog
Design in 2009
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's
New on the Web:
400 Million Firefox Downloads
30Boxes Brings Us Power Twitter
TwitBin: Twitter in Your Firefox Sidebar
MyBlogLog Lets You Add Twitter
Updates
Firefox Campus Edition Launches
8 Awesome Firefox Plugins for Twitter
BlogRovr Adds Twitter
contestant on the fifth season of "DWTS."
Daily Digital Newspaper
Helium Zones: Google Knol for Pro
Writers
By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:52:53 AM
Writing community Helium has launched
a new product in beta: Helium Zones. They
describe it as a micropublishing platform
for professional writers (we’re talking
journalists, mostly, although creative
writers are also a part of Helium), that
“gives writers the tools to present their best
work to thousands of publishers and
millions of readers.”
Helium tries to push Zones as a new
concept, but it seems oddly familiar. It’s a
“rich web destination dedicated to
whatever you want it to be” with the
possibility of several writers contributing
to the same Zone.
Let’s call spade a spade: it’s a website.
With words and images. Essentially,
Google’s Blogger, Wordpress or any other
blogging service can serve the same
purpose; Helium tries to make a distinction
between professional writers and other
writers, but that line has already been
blurred. Create a blog, slap some ads on it,
and boom: you’re a professional writer.
Whether you’re any good is beside the
point; all that counts on the net is how
many people are reading your stuff and
how much money you’re making.
As far as presentation goes, Helium
Zones look more like online newspapers
than blogs; content can be arranged into
boxes of various sizes containing text,
Firefox-branding start-up gets funding
By Stephen Shankland
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:41:00 AM
Brand Thunder, a company that lets
people customize Firefox with brands, has
received an undisclosed amount of funding
from Ohio TechAngels and other angel
investors, the company said Tuesday.
links, videos and images. You can also add
live information such as weather info, or
give other members of Helium the
possibility to add content themselves. And,
of course, you can add Google, Amazon or
eBay ads and share revenue with Helium.
Unfortunately, the design of Zones (and
they all look quite similar) is a bit bland
and leaves a lot to be desired.
Whether this will work better than
“standard” blog form is debatable; I think
that, for the most part, it won’t. It is,
however, better for certain types of
content; for example, offering a relatively
static archive of articles about a subject. In
this sense, Zones are competing with
Google’s Knol, which is probably not a
very good place to be in, especially since
Knol itself hasn’t taken off the way Google
wanted it to.
On the other hand, Helium has a
relatively large community (over 100,000
members), plus some additional perks:
members get access to Helium’s
marketplace for freelancers, guaranteed
payments for qualifying articles that make
it to Helium.com, and “professional writer
The company revamps the open-source
Web browser with various brands such as
Nascar, hockey teams, country singer
Julianne Hough, and various other
partners.
To fund its business, Brand Thunder also
changes the default search engine to
Yahoo, which shares resulting advertising
revenue with the company.
credentials” and a “status badge” that
proves you’re a pro writer, which you can
probably do without. Furthermore, unlike
Knol which merely lists a couple of
featured Knols on the front page, Helium
tries harder to push content on the front
page, featuring more articles and dividing
them into categories called “channels.”
Is it enough to compete with Knol? I’m
not sure; Knol as a concept is murky, and I
still think that a good blog, in most cases,
beats a good Knol any time of the day.
Helium widens the concept a little, which
almost makes it a general purpose web
publishing platform, but conceptually, as
well as design and presentation-wise I’m
not seeing enough novelty in Zones to
make a breakthrough.
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's
New on the Web:
Helium Marketplace: A New Writer’s
Job Platform
Free Advertising on Mashable for Three
Lucky Startups
Crazy Egg is Crazy Delicious!
Freelancers’ Toolbox - 30+ Online
Freelance Resources
Mahalo Follow Offers Poor Comparative
Search Tools
Advertise with Mashable
DigitalLife NYC Event Discount for
Mashable Readers
Brand Thunder also said it's signed a
new partnership with Major League Soccer
Make To-Dos Dead Simple
With Deadline
By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:36:16 AM
The last thing you need is yet another
calendar application trying to make you
more efficient or productive, right? By
now, you’ve probably discovered the right
methodology that works for you. That’s
great, keep your system - but now you can
add a simple layer to your workflow for
quick to-do adds and updating via IM,
email, and Ubiquity command with
Deadline.
Deadline is a dead simple reminder app
that lets you type your upcoming meetings,
events, lunches, and what not, in plain
English - “lunch with Matt on Friday at
1pm” - and receive reminders via email or
Jabber/GTalk. Users can also do quick-
adds through those services, plus a custom
Mozilla Ubiquity command, and get
desktop alerts via Fluid or Bubbles.
The latest news for this multifaceted
reminder app is the addition of SMS
reminders, currently offered free of charge
to the first 50 people to use the code
“mash9 during registration. SMS
reminders will only be free for a limited
trial period, and you can only receive up to
10 per day, but it’s a convenient addition
to the product that you can test out for free.
If you miss your window of opportunity to
use the code, but still want to take
advantage of the free SMS trial, just get
three friends to sign up to Deadline and
your SMS trial will be activated.
The great thing about Deadline is that
you can configure it to go where you go.
Add a lunch date on the fly with the
Ubiquity command (when enabled)
“deadline-add,” or the “add” command via
for a branded browser.
Update 9:45 a.m. PST: The company
followed up with details of the funding:
$350,00 from TechColumbus, $200,000
from the Ohio TechAngels Fund, and
$200,000 from other angel investors.
In addition, the company said it expects
to break even by the end of the quarter. It
had hoped to do so in February, but a
Web 2.0 Web Apps* 21
Jabber, and then let Deadline send you
reminders, or update your preferred
calendar by subscribing to the feed/URL
(grab it in the settings section) for iCal,
Google Calendar, or any other calendar
app with feed support.
Meanwhile, if you simply opt to use the
Web interface for updates and editing,
you’ll notice the sleek interface with a one
line text box, search capabilities, a few
simple task options for scheduled to-dos,
and the ability to customize Deadline’s
appearance.
So what do you think of Deadline? Tell
us your opinion in the comments. More To
Do Resources From Mashable
- 40+ Tools For Google Calendar
- 65+ Online Calendars and Calendar
Tools
- Online Productivity Toolbox: 30+
Resources to Get Things Done
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's
New on the Web:
Yahoo Gives Microsoft More Time to
Nominate Directors
Plugg Conference - 25% Off
CNET: Microsoft and Yahoo in
“Informal Talks”
Yahoo And Microsoft - The Stalemate
Continues
YouTube Concedes To Japanese
Demands
YouTube’s Japanese Deadline is Today
Wow: AOL Acquires Bebo For $850
Million
slowdown in Yahoo search delayed it
slightly. The company also receives
revenue from maintenance, upfront fees,
and other sources.
Brand Thunder lets people customize
Firefox with assorted brands.(Credit:
Brand Thunder)
22 Web 2.0 Web Apps* Movies*
Yahoo Mail Chases Gmail with IM and
SMS Features
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:07:35 AM
Yahoo Mail has rolled out SMS and IM
options, allowing users to send messages
to their friends’ phones or instant
messaging accounts from within the Yahoo
Mail interface. The features were already
available in the new version of Yahoo
Mail, but with millions of users still on the
“Classic” version, today’s rollout brings
them to a whole new audience.
And the features are good – sending an
SMS to friends is quick and easy,
functioning like a typical IM chat. And the
built-in messaging is nice – if you use
Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live
Messenger. But unlike Gmail, the most
popular IM platform – AIM – isn’t built-in
to the chat, shutting off access to the bulk
of my IM contacts. This, along with other
issues like weaker spam filtering and an
interface rife with graphical ads, leave me
with absolutely no reason to switch to
Yahoo Mail.
It’s not just a Yahoo thing either. When I
revisited AOL Mail last week after a few
years of absence to check out their new
Access, Download, and View Your Mac Files From
Your iPhone
By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 1:15:12 PM
You already know that you can use your
iPhone to view your computer remotely.
That’s yesterday’s news. What is current,
though, is the brand new ReachMyFile
iPhone app that lets you remotely access
your files on your Mac and download them
or send to contacts via email.
ReachMyFile adds the missing piece
between your iPhone or iPod Touch and
your iMac or MacBook — essentially
giving you complete access to your Mac
from your mobile. There is an additional
software download required, but together
with the mobile app, ReachMyFile
provides an encrypted peer-to-peer
network for you to securely transfer files
app platform, the results were much the
same. The bottom line is that while these
services continue to add nice new features,
the core product, email, is just not very
good.
Nonetheless, I can understand why these
services still have tens of millions of users
– AOL, Yahoo, and Hotmail landed on
Plymouth Rock before Google did, there is
a huge amount of lock-in with email, and
switching addresses is not a viable option
for lots of people. But the Gmail team
simply gets user experience in a way that
its competitors do not. For example, just
yesterday, Gmail launched offline support,
making it further on-par with the desktop
mail clients that many corporate users still
rely on.
While Gmail’s marketshare might still be
small relative to its competitors, it’s only
because those companies had a big head
start. If you’re new to the Web (which,
let’s not forget millions still are every
year) or finally making the switch from
from your home base to your pocket-
friendly device.
The app gives you access to all your files
- everything - which includes images,
presentations, videos, icons, and even
Skitch content, and both iPhoto and Photo
Booth libraries.
You can also download and view audio
and video files [image above is a screen
grab from .mov video], as well as Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, PNG and JPEG
file formats. Previously downloaded
content is made easily accessed from
within the app and can be deleted if need
be.
Another cool feature is the email option,
which once configured from the
ReachMyFile desktop software, can send
your files to your iPhone contacts, or a
desktop to webmail, Gmail should be your
email provider, hands-down. More
Resources from Mashable
- 13 Gmail Extensions for Firefox 3
- GMAIL TOOLBOX: 60+ Tools For
Gmail
- 75+ Email Services That Aren’t Gmail
---
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AOL Mail Updates Include Increased
Storage, Maps and Video Integration
Ymail And Rocketmail? Sorry, Yahoo,
But That’s Not Enough to Thwart Gmail
Would You Like to Play Games While
You Check Your Email?
Daily Poll: Will Yahoo Life!
Revolutionize the Way We Use E-Mail?
Yahoo Upgrades Spam Filters to
Completely Block “eBay” Frauds
manually entered email address.
If $19.99 is too steep a price for remote
file access, the lite version is nice free
alternative that limits file downloads and
doesn’t let you email files from the app.
I noticed a few minor bugs when
returning to the main menu after
downloading and watching a .mov file, but
as a whole the app works extremely fast, is
straightforward to use, and something that
will definitely come in handy when my
computer is out of reach. More iPhone
Resources From Mashable
- 50+ iPhone Apps to Enhance Your
Photo and Video Experience
- 15+ Free iPhone Apps to Navigate Your
World
- 70+ Free iPhone Apps for Social Media
Mavens
Opera Mini 4.2 shakes off
its Android beta
By Jessica Dolcourt (Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:25:00 AM
Opera Mini 4.2 enables standard features
absent in the beta.(Credit: Opera Software)
The final release of Opera Mini 4.2 for
Google Android adds regular features of
the Java browser that were disabled in its
November beta version. Think more of a
mechanic tightening up loose nuts and
bolts, rather than operating on engine guts,
and you've got the premise.
Available starting Wednesday in the
Android Market, Opera Mini 4.2 for
Google Android now lets you upload and
download files, save pages, and zoom in
and out in response to a double tap.
You'll also be able to enter URLs
directly into the address bar--instead of
having to go through the phone's native
input system--and, as with Opera Mini on
other mobile platforms, launching a video
from a Web page links up to your media
player. Video playback had not been
supported in Opera Mini 4.2 beta.
Opera has also dispatched some bugs in
this final version, including one that
displayed the characters of your password
- 100+ iPhone Games That Use the
Accelerometer
---
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Apple Making a Directory for iPhone
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Reboot Your Media Temple Server from
Your iPhone
Steve Jobs Will Fight iPhone Unlocking
Hacks
Box.net Extends Your iPhone Storage
Zimbra Optimized for Your iPhone
Daily Digital Newspaper
when you typed it in, and another that
caused upheaval when you closed the app
via the Back button. Opera Mini 4.2 also
boasts a speedier response to the trackball
and a slightly larger font size on most
pages to improve readability.
Bringing the Mini browser up to snuff
does improve the surfing experience for
owners and future owners of Android
phones. But for Opera, getting its browser
first to Google's mobile platform, and
maintaining a dominant presence on all the
mobile platforms, is the company's big
win.
Isla Fisher Joins
Depp for 'Rango'
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:23:00 PM
'Confessions of a Shopaholic' star Isla
Fisher is joining Johnny Depp in an
ensemble cast for the animated adventure
'Rango,' according to Variety.
Fisher will voice the female lead in the
movie opposite Depp, who plays a
household pet who goes on an adventure to
discover his true self. More details about
the film are being kept tightly under wraps.
Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Ray
Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned
Beatty round out the cast of the project that
reteams Depp with his 'Pirates of the
Caribbean' director Gore Verbinski,
scheduled for a 2011 release.
Daily Digital Newspaper
YouTube’s New Users:
Denzel, Crowe, and Bay?
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:07:55 PM
YouTube built its business around user-
generated content, but more recently, has
been looking to add more professionally
produced video from the likes of CBS so it
can offer more attractive options to
advertisers. The company might be taking
a turn back towards user-generated content
with its latest move, albeit, with slightly
more famous users.
The world’s #1 video site is “close to
signing a deal” with the famous William
Morris Agency, home to Hollywood stars
like Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe,
and Michael Bay. According to The New
York Times, the concept is to give top
talent ownership in the videos they
produce, using YouTube’s massive
distribution to spread them virally.
While a deal is yet to be signed, this
sounds like a more natural fit for YouTube
than their attempts so far to go the Hulu
route by adding TV shows and B (and C,
and D) list movies. Celebrities – at least
the savvy ones – are eager to use the Web
to improve their image and popularity, and
YouTube’s roots (beyond the illegal
copyright content) are in user-generated,
authentic content.
Not to mention, plenty of stars are
already producing video content on their
own – just to name a couple, each update
to Diddy’s somewhat ridiculous video blog
(see below) is getting hundreds of
thousands of views, while Ashton Kutcher
has launched a Web startup of his own to
For Fring mobile VoIP app, a Last.fm add-on
By Jessica Dolcourt (Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:27:00 PM
Fring's Last.fm add-on will play out first
on Symbian S60 phones.(Credit: Fring)
Although Fring has long let you chat
with friends over Skype, IM, Facebook,
and Twitter, the recent introduction of a
Last.fm add-on is the start-up's first foray
into streaming content.
produce original video for online
distribution.
In short, YouTube cutting deals with top
Hollywood talent agencies seems like a
logical move – even if the money isn’t
quite there yet to provide stars with the
enormous paychecks they’re familiar with
in traditional media. Additional YouTube
Resources from Mashable
- 20+ Greasemonkey Scripts for
Improving Your YouTube Experience
- 20+ Firefox Plugins to Enhance Your
YouTube Experience
- Video Toolbox: 150+ Online Video
Tools and Resources
---
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Geek Entertainment Purveyor Giant
Realm Raises $3.5M
A Giant Realm Requires Giant Funding
Universal Music: MySpace and
YouTube Owe Us Millions
YouTube Liable for up to $150,000 Per
Video?
Music Companies Seized a Part of
YouTube
Podcast: A Conversation with Will.I.Am
of The Black Eyed Peas
Starting this week, Symbian Series 60
users with the latest version of Fring can
sign on to their Last.fm accounts from the
Fring add-on's screen.
From there, you can play custom- and
public-streaming stations, with the familiar
controls to stop, skip, save, and ban a song.
There's album art on the mini player
interface, and basic details about the song
title, album name, and artist name.
Stats: Old Media’s Decline,
New Media’s Ascent
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:49:18 AM
Quick: what was the most widely-used
form of media in 2008? If you guessed
Internet news sites, blogs, or social
networks, you’d be way off. Network TV
news (NBC, CBS, ABC) is still used by
the highest percentage of adult Internet
users, with local newspapers and local TV
news occupying the 2nd and 3rd positions,
respectively, in a recently released survey
from Ketchum.
While old media is still on top, the trends
in the survey, which has been conducted
each of the last three years, point to a
familiar story: media consumption habits
are quickly changing. That said, some
forms of new media are performing much
better than others. For example:
- Blogs are now used by 24% of Internet
users, up from 13% in 2006
- Social networks are now used by 26%
of Internet users, up from 17% in 2006
- Videocasts are now used by 11% of
Internet users, up from 6% in 2006
Slower growers include:
- RSS feeds: growing from 5 to 7 percent
- Podcasts: growing from 5 to 7 percent
- Business news sites: flat at 8 percent
Meanwhile, on the old media side of the
house, some mediums are shrinking faster
than others, with local TV news leading
the decline, from 74% usage in 2006 to
There's a social aspect, too. Pressing the
"friends" button takes you a screen that
62% last year. Cable news seems to be
taking its place to some extent, growing
from 47% to 49% usage in the same
period. Here’s the full chart, courtesy of
eMarketer:
The declining usage for old media isn’t
much of a surprise. But looking at the
growth rates for different forms of new
media, it’s apparent that some tools are
catching on way faster than others, also not
a surprise if you consider the topics we
tend to focus on: social networking,
blogging, and video. In all, the study re-
enforces what you should be focusing on
and prioritizing if you’re responsible for
getting a company up-and-running in the
world of new media.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl
---
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CD Sales Fall Faster Than Digital Music
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shows you what your friends on Last.fm
are listening to, and lets you chat with
them using you other IM and social
networking add-ons, without leaving the
Last.fm module.
Although support for Twitter was not
available for the initial release, Fring
promises on its Web site that the
implementation is coming soon.
Sorry, Windows Mobile and iPhone
Web 2.0 Web Apps* 23
Linja Zax replaces
'multitouch' with
one finger gestures
By Josh Lowensohn
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 9:48:00 AM
Multitouch gestures on the iPhone are
simple and really easy to use. Mobile touch
-screen devices that don't have it, however,
can make Web browsing a harrowing
experience. Enter Linja Zax, a new project
that's trying to give users an easy way to
zoom in and out of Web pages (and
potentially other UI elements) with one
finger only.
Similar to the "wax on, wax off" mantra
of Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, this
simply involves moving your finger in a
circular motion. Going clockwise zooms
in, while counterclockwise zooms you
back out. In the demo, which I've
embedded at the end of the post, you can
see how this would be useful to let users
select from multiple pages, which would
remove the need to add a dedicated on-
screen button.
Technology like this and Swype is giving
us less reliance on peripheral devices and
making computing on devices without a
mouse and keyboard a lot easier to
swallow. The project has been open-
sourced on Mozilla's development site. If
you've got a tablet PC or touch-screen
display you can add it to Firefox with the
use of an extension.
users. Fring almost always test-runs on
Symbian first before the fun stuff (first file
transferring, now music streaming) trickles
down to other platforms. But it could be
worse--Fring doesn't develop for
BlackBerrys at all.
Editors' note: Last.fm is owned by
CNET's parent company, CBS.
24 Web 2.0 Web Apps* Tech Tips*
Google’s Measurement
Lab and What it Means
By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:28:58 AM
Google today introduced Measurement
Lab, a set of tools (some already working,
some upcoming) for network diagnostics.
To create them, Google partnered with the
New America Foundation’ s Open
Technology Institute, the PlanetLab
Consortium, and several academic
researchers.
These tools include the Network
Diagnostic Tool, which tests your
connection speed and gives you a
diagnosis on speed issues; Glasnost, which
tests whether your ISP is blocking or
throttling BitTorrent connections, and
Network Path and Application Diagnosis,
which helps you find problems that usually
plague last-mile broadband networks.
The thing is, tools of this kind have
existed for years. There’s literally dozens
of them, so what Google and partners are
offering is nothing new.
However, Google is making a statement
here. Before, tools such as these have been
reserved for network administrators,
hackers and other experts; now, Google is
trying to introduce them to a wider
audience. It’s not really that important if
this wider audience will actually use these
tools; what’s important is the fact that
Google is taking a stand, saying: we’re
going to help you fight for net neutrality
even if the ISPs don’t like it.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, even
for a giant like Google. If these tools were
Daily Tidbits: PayPal jumps on OpenID bandwagon, joins board
By Don Reisinger (Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:51:00 AM
The OpenID Foundation announced
Wednesday that it has added PayPal as a
corporate member of the board. Andrew
Nash, PayPal's senior director of
information risk management, joins the
board, which is populated by
representatives from Google, IBM, and
Microsoft, among others. According to
Nash, PayPal elected to become part of the
OpenID board because "open standards-
coming from another source, the ISPs
would probably simply employ measures
that render them useless. However, it’s
much harder to block a service if Google
stands behind it. On the other hand, even
Google doesn’t want to anger every ISP
that’s throttling network traffic in some
way - and many of them are doing it. Net
neutrality has just received a huge push;
probably one that will ultimately turn the
tide to its favor.
---
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Tracking Tools
based user-centric identity is clearly
becoming an increasingly important part of
the evolving web infrastructure" and his
company believes it can add to OpenID's
desire to bring more security to the Web.
HealthCentral, a site that provides a
collection of condition-specific consumer
health information, announced that it has
acquired Wellsphere, a health technology
company, that aims at informing the public
on specific health issues. According to the
company, the acquisition will create a
combined entity that has 10 million unique
Find Your Brand’s
Influential Voices With
BuzzGain
By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:38:11 PM
With the prevalence of social media
properties and the propensity for people to
use the Web to express their thoughts on a
company, it’s obvious why professional
buzz tracking is a hot commodity right
now. BuzzGain, a newbie in the space, is
hoping to best competitors by focusing on
finding the influential voices and
conversations around your brand.
This all-in-one tool, currently in use by
Lenovo and SAP, launched to the public
today and aims to be the final destination
for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and
other corporations looking to avoid the
high cost of a PR company, with a do-it-
yourself dashboard to monitor and measure
buzz across the Web.
BuzzGain’s application helps companies
listen by including a summary page with
an overview on news, blogs, and
microblogs, and the ability to drill down
deeper into each section. If you’re in the
“Blog” section, for example, you can add
individual entries as favorites, view
information about the author, and email
items to contacts.
If you opt to learn more about a blogger
or news source, you can dig even deeper to
discover their search engine rankings,
Alexa and Compete rankings, readership
data, content type, as well as their network
visitors per month and creates "the largest
organic aggregation of online health and
wellness communities." The exact terms of
the deal were not disclosed.
CoveritLive, a company that offers a free
hosted live blogging platform, announced
that it has received $1.2 million in funding
from Flagstone Capital to help it increase
its customer base and improve its business
model. According to the company,
Flagstone Capital's commitment will
provide support to the company until it can
break even.
and reach.
When it comes to analytics, BuzzGain
uses FusionCharts to display data in a
summary view, or by buzz type. For each
category type - blog, microblog, or news -
users can be activity per day or hour, top
authors, and unique authors.
Starting at $99 per month, BuzzGain is
priced competitively for business types
craving a deeper understanding of social
activity related to their brand.
Unfortunately there are still a few kinks
that remain to be resolved. The time it
takes to fetch buzz can take be inordinately
long, with some items that never load, and
a few queries that return errors. We can
only hope that these blips will improve as
the service matures, because the tool has
the potential to add valuable insight to
your company’s social awareness. More
Tools For Your Brand From Mashable
- Top 10 Reputation Tracking Tools
Worth Paying For
- Top 10 Free Tools for Monitoring Your
Brand’s Reputation
- How to Build Your Online Brand
Bemba Media, a company that offered a
bookmarklet that allowed users to
bookmark pages across the Web and share
them with others, announced Wednesday
that it will shut down on February 8.
According to a post on the company's site,
the company's founders were forced to
shutter their business "because the amount
of Bemba users is not growing fast enough
to pay" its expenses.
Radar, a photo-sharing site that allows
users to upload pictures and connect with
others, has launched an iPhone app. Users
Daily Digital Newspaper
Whspr Lets Anyone Send
You an Email Without
Revealing Your Email
Address [Privacy]
By The How-To Geek (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 1:00:00 PM
Web application whspr! creates a private
feedback form that you can share on
services like Twitter without revealing
your real email address.
Simply enter your real email address, a
description of what the form is for, and the
number of days you want the form to be
active. Once completed, you'll be given a
URL to the form to share with others. This
application could be useful for job
postings, blog contests or
giveaways—pretty much anything where
you'd like email responses but don't want
to give out an email address.
If you want to send private messages
instead of receiving them, check out
previously mentioned Whisper Bot, or you
can send your awkward messages
anonymously with NiceCritic. whspr!
can take pictures with their iPhone camera
and immediately upload those to their
Radar page. That page can be kept public
or private and other users can comment on
pictures or send private messages to each
other. The tool features basic editing tools
for those who want to fix photos and a
statistics page to see how many people
have looked at the pictures. The app is free
and available now in the iPhone App Store.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Add Mass Transit Our guide to sports statistics sites
Directions to Your Website
with HopStop’s API
By Adam Ostrow (Mashable!)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 12:24:52 PM
Most websites that want to get you to a
physical location – like a store or an event
– offer directions of some sort. But with
HopStop’s new API, you can now offer
your visitors not only driving directions,
but also options for getting to you via mass
transit (train or bus), taxi, or by foot.
To demonstrate how it works, HopStop
has put together mashups with Google
Maps, MapQuest, and Yahoo Maps. For
each of those, you can download code to
get you started on implementing HopStop
on your own site.
While HopStop faces some significant
competition in providing mass transit
directions from the likes of Google Transit,
they have beaten them to the punch in
offering up an API. And while HopSpot
services fewer cities, it’s the huge metro
areas that it does have indexed where its
service is most useful and where they’ll
likely find the most interest for its API.
HopStop is offering a free version of the
API, which is limited to 1,000 calls per
day. If you need more, there is a premium
version that also lets you private label the
feature - a good business model for
HopStop if they’re able to attract high
volume retailers within their target cities.
HopStop also makes money on local
advertising.
Impressive Gives Your Slideshows a Stylish Presentation [Downloads]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:30:00 AM
The Python-based app (read: goes pretty
much anywhere) takes in PDF files
exported from most any slideshow
maker—PowerPoint, Impress, Keynote,
and many more—and loads either from the
Despite the competition, HopStop is
doing well – Compete shows the service
almost doubling its traffic year-over-year,
and the company claims to be reaching
nearly 2 million visitors each month.
Additional Resources from Mashable
- 12 Resources for Navigating Your Local
Mass Transit
- HopStop vs. Google Maps: It’s a ‘Walk
Off’
- Google Maps: 100+ Best Tools and
Mashups
---
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Users
200+ Tools for Surviving the Economic
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command line or by simply dragging your
PDF onto it. The app launches, your slides
load, and it cycles through a series of
transitions that aren't too hard on the eyes
(or indicative of your My First PowerPoint
skills). Hitting Tab gives you a slick grid
view you can zoom to any slide from, and
you can dim slides and highlight key
By Don Reisinger (Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:10:00 PM
It's a fun time for sports fans. There's the
Super Bowl extravaganza on Sunday, and
a few days after that, Major League
Baseball's spring training starts up. March
Madness is right around the corner and in a
couple of months, all our favorite sporting
pastimes will be in full swing.
Because of that, I've found four
relatively unknown sports statistics sites
that will provide you with all the sports
research you need to make more informed
decisions in your fantasy baseball league
or make you look smarter with your
friends.
Sports Data Hub isn't just a statistical
hub for those who want information about
a football player's performance over the
past year; it provides users with an
incredibly useful stack of information that
narrows basic statistics down to its most
detailed level.
Do you want to know how Peyton
Manning (quarterback for the Indianapolis
Colts) has performed in outdoor stadiums
on Sunday afternoons during the month of
November for the past four years? Sports
Data Hub will provide that information.
That said, the site isn't just a directory of
stats. Sports Data Hub also lets users share
insight with others through the site's blog
and forums.
The only problem with Sports Data Hub
is that it currently only offers statistics for
the NFL, and it has not indicated whether
or not stats for other sports organizations
will be coming soon. But since it's free
with registration, it's definitely worth using
if you want to find out which players will
give you the best shot of winning each
week in your fantasy football league.
SportsGenie, much like Sports Data Hub,
tries its best to provide users with the
opportunity to make more informed
points with a mouse, or use a roaming
spotlight with the Enter key.
Web 2.0 Web Apps* Tech Tips*
decisions in their fantasy leagues. But
unlike its competitors, SportsGenie
employs calculations using formulas and
algorithms to make predictions on a
player's future performance.
Once you sign up for SportsGenie, you're
allowed to run scenarios on player
performance and team variables to
determine if you should start a player or
bench him for someone else.
SportsGenie is updated daily with player
statistics to help you make the most
informed decision. In fact, the company
claims that it currently has a database of
more than 750,000 games that it uses as a
frame of reference.
Unfortunately, SportsGenie isn't free.
Upon registration, you only have access to
one prediction. Subsequent to that, the
company charges $20 per week for its
service.
Sports Reference provides the most
comprehensive statistical data I've ever
seen. Ranging from baseball to football to
hockey, the site caters to just about every
sports fan and allows you to find
information about any team, person, or
coach for free.
To give you an idea of the scope of
information Sports Reference currently
provides, you need not look further than its
Baseball page. The company's baseball
statistics date back to 1871 for major
league players, teams, and leagues. Minor
league stats are available for 1992 to the
present and minor league box scores are
available back to 1952.
But Sports Reference doesn't just cater to
baseball fans. The company's football page
features every statistic and game result
ever recorded in the NFL, including Pro
I had some trouble getting the transitions
to record in Windows 7, so I reverted to
the ScreenToaster web recorder I'd tried
out before and my wife's laptop. The
transition effects are still missing, and
there's a bit of frame drop, but the other
features are visible in this demonstration
(using an old PPT I found lying around the
25
Bowl selections and draft picks. Its
Olympics page contains data for "every
year, every athlete, every sport, every
country, and every event." It's filled with
more than 150,000 pages of statistics.
Sports Reference is easily one of the best
places to perform exhaustive research on
sports figures. It's huge, it's useful, and it's
free. It's a winner.
Although it originally started as a college
basketball site where users could find any
statistic they wanted on hoops players,
StatSheet has quickly grown into a hub for
those who are looking for statistics on the
NBA, NFL, and even high school
basketball.
But the main issue facing StatSheet is
that much of its data is still incomplete. If
you're looking for college basketball
statistics, StatSheet is an ideal destination.
But so far, its NFL statistics leave much to
be desired. In fact, its NFL page is
populated mostly by 2008 data and little
else.
Regardless, StatSheet provides
exhaustive data on the world of basketball.
Whether you're looking for scores, player
statistics, or coach information, the site has
it all. It even boasts a chart builder so you
can compare multiple data points, and
gives users the option of embedding the
site's widget, which contains statistical
information, into their own sites.
StatSheet still has some growing to do
and right now, it's not ideal for those who
want information outside of basketball. But
if you're looking for basketball
information, StatSheet is a great source.
And it's free, so that makes it worth trying.
Can't get enough of sports? Good!
Coming Thursday and Friday, we're going
to take a look at how to stay updated on the
Super Bowl without actually watching it--
and we'll find other related online activities
aside from the big game.
net):
Impressive is a free download, works
wherever the Python scripting language
does. Impressive[via FreewareGenius.com]
26 Web Apps*
Best political sites: Liberal, conservative, and nonpartisan
By Don Reisinger (Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:08:00 AM
Now that the U.S. has witnessed a
peaceful transfer of power, some in the
country are saying that it's time to unite.
And while that may be possible for some,
others still frequent political commentary
sites that aim to sway public opinion in one
way or another.
There are people on both sides of the
political fence--left or right--that use the
following sites as sources for their own
political understanding and to help them
formulate their own agenda. To those
folks, these biased sites provide value. But
to some, nonpartisan sites are important
and they want to hear the unbiased truth.
Either way, politics is an extremely
contentious business. And whether you're
looking for liberal-leaning posts on the
greatness of President Obama or
conservative discussions on the problems
with the president's stimulus package, you
can find it all in the following sites.
Conservative sites
Drudge Report
Drudge Report may just be a collection
of links, but critics say they tend to lean to
the right. Perhaps that's because Matt
Drudge, the site's founder, became famous
by being the first source to break the
Monica Lewinsky scandal after Newsweek
decided not to publish it.
Since then, Drudge Report has become a
daily haven for conservatives who want to
take aim at liberals. It works: Drudge
Report has over 3 million unique visitors
each month, according to its internal
figures. Conservative rating: 4 out of 5
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin may be just one person,
but her conservative punditry has ignited
fierce debate across the Web.
Malkin first started as a newspaper
reporter over a decade ago. Since then, she
has become a well-known conservative
thinker, nationally-syndicated columnist,
and author of three antiliberal books. She
updates her blog daily with antiliberal and
right-leaning opinions. Conservative
rating: 5 out 5
National Review Online
National Review Online is the online
version of the conservative magazine of
the same name. Designed for the
Republican or conservative, the site
features news, commentary, and opinion
on some of the most important political
happenings of the day.
The National Review is widely
considered one of the most influential
conservative publications in the world and
as it explains in its "About" page, it
constantly aims at providing the "right's
take" on political issues facing the world.
Conservative rating: 4 out of 5
TownHall
The self-proclaimed, "No. 1 conservative
Web site," TownHall provides political
commentary and analysis from more than
100 leading conservative columnists to
"amplify those conservative voices in
America's political debates."
TownHall takes aim at the barriers
between news and opinion and provides an
arena for conservatives to espouse their
opinions on the state of the world. The site
is often updated with discussions on why
President Obama's policies may hurt the
world. Conservative rating: 5 out 5
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard made its debut in
1995. Since then, the publication, which is
edited by William Kristol and Fred Barnes,
two Fox News contributors, has become
one of the leaders in the conservative
punditry space.
Unlike National Review, which reports
on the news, The Weekly Standard's
writers opine on the political events from
the week and the site is populated with
columns written specifically for the print
version of the magazine. Because of that, it
doesn't offer much unique online content.
Regardless, it's still a popular destination
for those who don't want to spend money
on the subscription. Conservative rating: 4
out of 5
Sites for liberals
Daily Kos
Started in 2002 by Markos Moulitsas,
Daily Kos provides liberals with an outlet
to express their anger with the right. The
blog is filled with left-leaning opinions on
the day's topics and traces its roots back to
"those dark days when an oppressive and
war-crazed administration suppressed all
dissent as unpatriotic and treasonous."
It must be working. The site has more
than 2 million daily visits and a full list of
paid staffers that churn out content. Liberal
rating: 5 out 5
Huffington Post
Although Arianna Huffington,
Huffington Post's founder, claims her site
does its best to provide content outside
politics, the vast majority of its visitors go
there for liberal commentary on world
events.
That said, Huffington Post does feature
many more news stories than it did in the
past and most seem to be more objective
than those found on other left-leaning sites.
But once you dig into the comments and
columnist commentary, it becomes
blatantly clear that Huffington Post still
has a solid liberal following and it does its
best to cater to that group. Liberal rating:
3.5 out of 5
LiberalOasis
If you're looking for one of the most
liberal sites on the Web, look no further
than LiberalOasis. The blog has a stated
goal of "revitalizing liberalism" and
provides commentary on the political
world each morning.
The vast majority of those posts take aim
at conservative thinkers and Republicans
in Congress, while being apologetic to left-
leaning politicians and ideals. The site also
features a Links section for those who
want more content from liberals and
features posts from other sources across
the Web that fall in line with its agenda.
Liberal rating: 5 out 5
MoveOn.org
More of a political action committee than
a content site, MoveOn.org has enjoyed
growing popularity thanks to hard-hitting
commentary on former President Bush and
other major Republican figures.
As the organization's "About" page
explains, MoveOn.org "conducts major
campaigns, from its work to protect the
Supreme Court from a hard-right justice to
its campaign to defeat the right wing and
elect moderates and progressives in 2008."
Although it stumbled in 2004 when Bush
won the presidential election handily over
Senator John Kerry, MoveOn's influence
helped Democrats take control of both
houses of Congress in 2006 and see
President Barack Obama become the 44th
president of the U.S. Liberal rating: 5 out
of 5
The Nation
The Nation proudly calls itself "the
flagship of the left." It should: the
publication, which has been operating
since 1865, frequently attacks conservative
thinkers (a recent blog post pokes fun at
conservative pundit, William Kristol, for
losing his column in The New York Times
op-ed page) and heaps praise on the left.
The Nation provides readers with videos,
podcasts, and a student section where it
aims to enlighten those in post-secondary
schools. All the while, it plans to "wage
war upon the vices of violence,
exaggeration, and misrepresentation."
Liberal rating: 4 out of 5
Nonpartisan sites
Not every political site has an agenda,
however. Here are sites that, by not taking
anyone's side and focusing on in-depth
research, provide a nonpartisan view of the
world of politics.
FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org is a self-proclaimed
"nonpartisan" site that tries to hold
politicians accountable. And by providing
a wealth of research, it does a fine job.
Instead of espousing one side's beliefs,
FactCheck.org tackles a politician's record
or major issue and sets the record straight.
It performs in-depth research to find out if
both sides are being truthful in their
statements on a subject and allows the
reader to formulate their own opinions off
the collected facts. It's a great source for
those who want to cut through all the
politics.
Political Base
Political Base is a structured wiki that
allows readers to edit much of the text,
giving the site's community the
opportunity to compare data, while still
creating and editing the political content.
The site is broken down into money,
people, issues, elections, and other
categories and each features posts taking
Daily Digital Newspaper
one side or another.
Political Base also provides information
on political candidates, including public
data on campaign donations and a full
listing of celebrity donations. The site
features commentary from all sides. And
although some posts are extremely liberal
and others are extremely conservative, the
simple fact remains: the site provides all
views.
Disclosure: Political Base was founded
by CNET Co-Founder, Shelby Bonnie
Project Vote Smart
"Picture this: thousands of citizens
(conservative and liberal alike) working
together, spending endless hours
researching the backgrounds and records
of thousands of political candidates and
elected officials to discover their voting
records, campaign contributions, public
statements, biographical data (including
their work history) and evaluations of them
generated by over 100 competing special
interest groups."
That's Project Vote Smart in a nutshell.
The organization provides outstanding
information on every current or
prospective elected official and does what
it can to inform the public about the
respective person's entire history. Its
research is exhaustive and its accuracy is
never put into question. Project Vote Smart
is one of the best nonpartisan sites on the
Web.
Spot-On
Spot-On originally started in 2003 as a
forum for Chris Nolan, the site's founder,
to express her opinions on politics. Since
then, the site has grown into a syndication
platform where clients can acquire articles
on the site and place them into their own
publication.
Armed with more than 10 writers, Spot-
On provides readers with viewpoints from
both sides of the aisle and allows its
writers to say whatever they think. The
content is individually liberal or
individually conservative, but taken
together, the site's vision is nonpartisan.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Gmail offline: A guided tour
By Stephen Shankland
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:33:00 PM
Wondering how Gmail offline works?
Here, we walk you through it.
In short, people familiar with Gmail
already are mostly familiar with its offline
incarnation, which Google said it's
releasing gradually to its users in coming
days. The biggest difference is of course
that you can't see new messages, and e-
mails that you send are merely queued up
until they can be delivered when a network
connection is re-established.
Gmail uses Google's Gears technology,
which among other things lets browsers
store data on a computer in what's called a
local cache. I'm using Firefox 3.1 beta 2,
with which Gears isn't compatible, so to
access Gmail offline I used Google
Chrome instead, which has Gears built in.
Since Gears is a relative rarity, though,
most folks will have to install it first,
which Google walks you through.
There are some limitations to offline
Gmail: Only about 10,000 messages will
be downloaded--the newest and most
recently used. You can't use the contacts
tab to manage your connections, though e-
mail address autocomplete works so you
won't need to worry about remembering e-
mail addresses. You can't include
attachments on new messages. It's only
available in Gmail for English speakers.
But overall, it's certainly worth it if
you're ever on a plane, taxi, train, vacation
retreat, or coffee shop with an overstressed
connection.
How do you use it? First things first. In
the Gmail settings section, go to the "Labs"
tab, click the "enable" button next to
Offline Gmail. Then go all the way to the
bottom of the page and click "Save
Changes." This is an experimental feature,
Ghostery Watches the Web Sites that are Watching You [Downloads]
By The How-To Geek (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:00:00 AM
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux):
Firefox extension Ghostery alerts you
when you visit a web page that uses scripts
to track your information and browsing
habits.
and Google warns they've occasionally
seen issues keeping the local cache in sync.
There's more to be done to set it up,
though. Go back to your in-box, then click
the "Offline 0.1" link in the upper right
corner. That'll walk you through the next
stage of setup, including the setup of Gears
if you don't have it running yet.
Next comes the explanation of what
you're doing and the warning not to install
offline Gears on a public machine.
Then comes the permission phase.
You're granting Gmail access to Gears,
which means the software is granted access
to your hard drive.
Do you feel you don't have enough icons
in your life? Is your desktop just not
cluttered enough? If so, now's the time to
let Gmail sprinkle some more icons
around. I actually don't mind this for
valued applications: on Windows I assign a
keyboard shortcut to the icon so I can
launch it with a Ctrl-Alt-G combination.
When you launch Gmail off the icon using
Chrome, it fires up the application with no
tab and navigation bar, so you get
maximum screen real estate for the
application; clicking links opens them in a
new browser window.
Next comes the synchronization process.
Depending on your in-box size and
network connection, this could take
awhile. And unfortunately, if you enable
offline mode on a separate browser--
Internet Explorer, for example--Gmail has
to download the whole shebang again.
Happily, Gmail still can be used while
you're creating the cache, because Gears is
multithreaded--in other words, it can walk
and chew gum at the same time.
The synchronization process is
interruptible. Gmail tells you how far back
into your archive it's delved and how many
messages have been downloaded so far.
The database is optimized for about 10,000
The extension embeds itself into your
status bar and shows you a list of all
tracking scripts in a small notification
rectangle in the upper right-hand corner of
each page you visit. The idea is very useful
in principle and fits right in with Data
Privacy Day, but since the vast majority of
web sites (including this one) are
messages, and searching them is swift,
even if it returns incomplete results
compared to Gmail's performance while
connected to your full archive.
Once the messages are done, Gmail
tackles the attachments. You can view
attachments when offline, but you can't
include attachments in new e-mail you
create while offline, at least for now.
The control panel in Gmail settings
shows how far back Gmail's offline
archive goes. It also tells you which tags it
includes, which is handy--if you want all
messages from your folks in the archive,
label them "family" (I have my account set
up to apply that label when the messages
arrive from various e-mail addresses). Any
label you've clicked on will be archived
offline. (In this image, my labels have been
blurred. No peeking!)
If you're offline, Gmail detects it
automatically. Clicking the gray circle-
with-a-bar icon that indicates no network
will produce this pop-up that lets you
manually try to reconnect. The status bar--
whether online or offline--also lets you
enter the intermediate "flaky connection
mode," which is designed for times when
your network access is intermittent. With
it, Gmail will try to retrieve new messages
and deliver the ones you've instructed be
sent, but won't get too ruffled if the
network isn't up.
After this, you're set up for offline
Gmail. All the rest of the interface is the
same as online: messages can be read,
starred, labeled, and archived; search and
conversation view work with the messages
in your archive; and new messages can be
written. I'd like contacts management, but
overall, the experience is good and a big
improvement for the application.
advertising supported, you'll see the
notification on every page load if you keep
Web Apps* Tech Tips*
Measurement Lab Checks if
Your Connection is Being
Throttled [Net Neutrality]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 4:00:00 AM
Google and a host of net-savvy partners
have opened up a free set of web tools to
help anyone determine if their net
connection is blocking or throttling
BitTorrent or otherwise limits their
bandwidth.
At the moment, three tools are
available—when their servers aren't
jammed up, and they seem to be pretty
popular at the moment. The Glasnost tool
determines how your ISP is handling
BitTorrent traffic and gives a readout on
whether it's being denied, throttled, or
otherwise impaired. Network Diagnostic
Tool covers other problems that might
affect your upload or download speeds.
And the Network Path and Application
Diagnosis tries to reveal the routing,
network tools, and other "last mile" issues
that affect net performance.
The tests are fairly simple, and each
it enabled, which can quickly get
tiring—preferably, you could toggle the
visibility of said window. Still, if you're
worried about your privacy online, this
extension is definitely for you.
Ghostery is a free download, works
anywhere Firefox runs. For more on
keeping your data private, see Adam's
27
seems to require a working Java plugin to
run. The Glasnost test, for instance, creates
a fake BitTorrent stream between your
connection point and the test's servers, then
monitors what happens to the packets.
That's one reassuring block of HTML.
It doesn't take a senior analyst to see that
Google is looking to shine some light on
internet providers' moves against net
neutrality, such as Cox Communications'
"time sensitivity" throttling. In fact, the
next two products due out of the
"Measurement Lab" are DiffProbe and
NANO, which will tell a user whether
certain types of traffic, for specific
applications or users, are getting priority
over others. The side effect of the net
giants' tussle, though, are some handy tools
that (should) tell the user exactly why they
are or aren't getting the speeds they paid
for. Measurement Lab[via Google
Blogoscoped]
guide to bolstering your privacy at work or
our top 10 tips to lock down your data.
Ghostery[Mozilla Add-ons via Download
Squad]
28 Web Apps* Tech Tips*
How to get your Davos fix on the Web
By Caroline McCarthy
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 6:33:00 AM
If you can't visit beautiful Davos this
week, there's always the Internet.(Credit:
CC Andy Mettler/World Economic Forum)
In case your invitation to the exclusive
World Economic Forum got lost in the
mail, you can stop feeling so down about
it. The closed-doors event in Davos,
Switzerland, has loosened up a bit, thanks
to the Web and the whole "transparency"
thing that's been trendy for the past few
years.
Besides, you can bet a few people will be
blogging photos from their iPhones
anyway.
This year, the World Economic Forum,
which runs Wednesday through Sunday,
has chosen to take advantage of just about
every kind of social-media app you can
imagine.
Broadcasts of many of the forum's panels
and discussions are being streamed live on
the Web by video start-up Mogulus, with
an official Twitter account providing alerts
and updates as to which global luminaries
are talking at what times.
You can also go to a Flickr photo stream,
check out a Netvibes page that
aggregates...everything, and chat with
other armchair philosophers in a
FriendFeed room.
Plus, there are live broadcasts from
CNN.com.
Two formally sanctioned "citizen
reporters" have been chosen to attend
through social networks. One won a
MySpace/ Wall Street Journal contest, and
one won a "Davos Debates" video contest
sponsored by YouTube. The MySpace
delegate, Rebecca McQuigg of Los
Angeles, is blogging at the MySpace
Journal site, as well as on a Wall Street
Journal blog. YouTube videos from the
summit will come from contest winner
Pablo Camacho, a Bogota, Colombia-
based writer and singer.
Many of the notable attendees are on
Twitter, and you can track them with a
Twitter search for the hash tag #davos.
That'll bring you to a flood of updates,
breaking news stories, and general
observations on the first Davos gathering
since the markets crashed in the fall.
"Here there is a smaller crowd, even more
techies than usual, rampant fear and
pessimism, and much talk of social
responsibility," journalist David
Kirkpatrick posted to his Twitter account
on Wednesday.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Cox Steps All Over Net
Neutrality, Throttling by "Time
Sensitivity" [Net Neutrality]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:00:00 PM
The AP reports that Cox Communications
is testing a new way to handle internet
congestion. The method:
Cox will give priority to Internet traffic it
judges to be time-sensitive, like Web
pages, streaming video and online games.
File downloads, software updates and other
non-time sensitive data may be slowed if
there is congestion on the local network
Currently the test is taking place only in
Kansas and Arkansas, but it sounds like
they're hoping to increase the use of the
system. Unfortunately, as weblog
TorrentFreak points out: arbitrary at best, since you could easily
Cox does not explain what the definition make an argument for and against time
of a congested network is, how often its sensitivity for virtually every item on
users can expect to be throttled and more Cox's Congestion Management FAQ.
specifically, at what times of the day this is Conveniently enough, Cox's time
likely to happen. Secondly, it is currently sensitivity criterion just happens to throttle
unknown what measures Cox will actually primarily the very same P2P apps that
take, and what applications will be used to Comcast was ordered to stop throttling.
slow down its customers. Photo by JasonWalton.
The "time-sensitive" filtering seems
Post Office Could Cut One Day of
Delivery--Tuesday [Mail]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 5:30:00 AM
Facing a potential $6 billion shortfall this
year, the U.S. Postal Service is considering
cutting one day of mail delivery—and it
would actually be Tuesday, not Saturday.
Photo by SC Fiasco.
It's just a proposal at this point, but
having one day of the working week
without mail sounds like it could be an
interesting/frustrating change-up for
businesses who rely on next-day deliveries did go through, you'd be well served to
and regular mail flow. If you had to pick a know where your nearest mailbox is for
day of the week to live without mail (other those 4pm Monday mad dashes.
than Sunday, of course), what would it be? Postmaster General says massive deficits
Is five days of snail mail just fine by you? may force post office to cut 1 day of mail
Tell us in the comments. And if the change delivery[Chicago Tribune/AP]
Daily Digital Newspaper
It's Data Privacy Day: Do You Know
Where Your Data Is? [Privacy]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:00:00 PM
Today is Data Privacy Day, during which
we're encouraged to reflect on the state of
our data and bolster security where we
can—so let's take a closer look at our
favorite data privacy tips.
Photo by sunside.
We've covered oodles of privacy apps
and topics over the years at Lifehacker, but
here are some of our personal favorites:
• Data Encryption: Encrypt Your Hard
Drives with TrueCrypt
• Web Browsing: Tor, Tor, Tor, Tor!
Okay, so the anonymous browsing
network, Tor, is our first answer, but there
are also plenty of other methods you can
employ to bolster your browsing privacy at
work.
• Secure Password Management: Try
securely tracking your passwords with
KeePass(grab some of these great plug-ins
for an even better KeePass)—you can even
sync your secured passwords across
computers.
• Securely Delete Files: There are so
many tools out there capable of securely
Affixa Integrates Gmail, Others with Your Desktop for
Easy File Attachment [Downloads]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:00:00 PM
Windows only: If you prefer web-based
email like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, Affixa
seamlessly bridges the gap between the
web and your desktop for painless file
attachments, mailto links, and more.
Affixa integrates webmail with every
corner of your desktop. As you can see in
the video, each time you encounter an
email situation in Windows, Affixa lets
you choose what email account you'd like
to use—meaning that you can easily switch
wiping files and hard disks. We've covered
Eraser, Darik's Boot and Nuke, DP
Shredder, the Windows File Shredder, and
Permanent Eraser(for Macs), to name a
few.
• Encrypt Your Communication: We've
shown you how to encrypt your email
between sending an attachment via
Outlook for work or your personal Gmail
account, for example. Affixa will handle
attachments you send to your email from
the right-click menu or directly through
any applications (like Word's Email
option). If your email client has limits on
attachment size or file-type, Affixa can
upload the attachment to previously
mentioned file-sharing webapp Drop.io.
Affixa also allows you to create
"baskets" into which you can drag and
drop any files, zip them up, and email them
quickly and easily.
using Thunderbird as well as Gmail. If you
get all antsy at the thought of unencrypted
instant messages, we've also shown you
how to encrypt your IMs with
Pidgin(formerly GAIM).
• Protect Your File Sharing Habits: You
don't have to do a lot of eye-patch related
file sharing (*ahem*) to want want to
protect your privacy from snoops. Our
intermediate guide to BitTorrent includes a
section on protecting your file-sharing
privacy with PeerGuardian2, but we also
went more in-depth with PG2 when we
covered how to protect your privacy when
downloading. It's not foolproof by any
means, but it's better than nothing.
Now that you've seen how we like to go
secure, we're curious about your privacy
measures. Do you secure your private
data? All of it? Let's hear more about how
you handle your data privacy in the
comments. For more great privacy tricks,
check out our top 10 tips to lock down
your data. Data Privacy Day in North
America: Spreading Awareness of Data
Privacy
The application is actually an improved
version of previously mentioned gAttach
and yAttach, which brought much of the
Tech Tips* International*
Wobble Wedge Stabilizes Tipsy Tables
[Stuff We Like]
By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:30:00 AM
Laptop users know all too well the
disconcerting feeling of hoisting their
system onto a wobbly coffee shop table.
Save your laptop from a potential mocha
latte death with the Wobble Wedge.
The Wobble Wedge is essentially a
lightweight polymer version of the
traditional wood shim used to stabilize
everything from bookshelves to pedestal
sinks. A pack of six is a mere $4, so
throwing a few in your laptop bag won't
strain your wallet or the compartments of
your laptop bag. Armed with a few
Wedges, you'll never find yourself doing
same functionality to Gmail and Yahoo
mail accounts individually. If you use
Gmail as your main email account, I can't
think of a good reason why you wouldn't
want to use Affixa.
Affixa is a free download for personal
use, Windows only. If you want the full,
unlimited functionality, you can upgrade to
Affixa's subscription version for rougly $3
per year. Affixa
29
the table-balance lean or shoving folded-up
index cards from your Hipster PDA under
the wobbly leg to shore things up. Wobble
Wedges[via Cool Tools]
Obituary letter:
John Fairfax
(News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:11:14 PM
Richard Rees Jones writes: In the early
1980s, John Fairfax (obituary, 21 January)
was a visiting poet at my school, Bishop
Wordsworth's in Salisbury. As a callow
sixth-former with an overinflated sense of
my own poetic importance, I was in need
of friendly advice and encouragement.
Fairfax delivered these and much more,
patiently and lucidly drawing out the areas
where I could improve my writing. His
long poem The Fifth Horseman of the
Apocalypse (1969) made an enduring
impression on me, and I treasure my
signed copy.
Fairfax's admission that he disliked
adverbs, and his recommendation to avoid
their use wherever possible, has stayed
with me ever since. guardian.co.uk©
Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 |
Use of this content is subject to our Terms
& Conditions| More Feeds
30 Tech Tips* Web Tech*
Get the Best Sound from In-
Ear Headphones [Audio]
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:10:00 AM
When you grow weary of the pedestrian
sound from "ear bud" headphones, the in-
ear models might be your next step up.
Here's a few tips on making your music
sound great inside your ear canals.
Audiophile Steve Guttenberg, who had
no role whatsoever in Police Academy,
suggests creating a very specific,
personalized fit for the pointy headphones.
One ear canal may be bigger or differently
shaped than its companion, so try all the
fitting pieces in each ear. You generally
want to gently push the tips until you hear
external noise soften. If that doesn't work,
try the "lobe tug":
Before you push the headphone in,
gently tug your earlobe down and/or out,
then push the headphone in, then release
the lobe. I use this technique with my
Monster Turbine headphones. Again,
experiment with the tugging direction, as it
might take a few tries before you get it
right.
There's an alternate "ear pull" technique,
and many more fitting specifics, in
Guttenberg's guide linked below. How
have you gotten the best in-ear headphone
fit? What brand are you rocking, or which
do you dream of getting? Air your
audiophile aspirations in the comments.
How to get the best sound from in-ear
headphones[The Audiophiliac/CNET]
Eight Mobile Technologies to Watch in
2009, 2010
By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:52:33 AM
Analyst firm Gartner has just released a
report that highlights eight up-and-coming
mobile technologies which they predict
will impact the mobile industry over the
course of the next two years. According to
Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at
the firm, the technologies they've identified
will evolve quickly and will likely pose
issues that will have to be addressed by
short term strategies.
Sponsor
The eight technologies identified include
the following: Bluetooth 3.0
This is one of the no-brainers on the list.
The Bluetooth 3.0 specification will be
released this year and devices will start to
hit the shelves by 2010. At this point, it's
expected that the 3.0 spec will include
faster speeds, reportedly transferring files
at 480 megabits per second in close
proximity and 100 megabits per second at
10 meters. It will also feature an ultra-low-
power mode that Gartner predicts will
enable new peripherals, sensors, and
applications, such as health monitoring.
The technology will be backwards
compatible, allowing old devices to
communicate with new ones, so there's no
reason for it not take off in the upcoming
years. Mobile User Interfaces + Mobile
Web/Widgets
Mobile user interfaces and mobile
web/widgets were listed separately,
accounting for two items on the list, but we
think they can be lumped together. They
all point to how mobile computing is
rapidly becoming a new platform for
everything from consumer mobile apps to
B2E (business-to-employee) and B2C
(business-to-customer). (Gartner did not
include B2B on their list.) Modern day
smartphones like the iPhone, Android,
Blackberry, the upcoming Pre, and others
deliver better interfaces for browsing the
web, thus making it accessible to more
people. Widget-like applications, including
those that replicate thin client technology,
will become more common especially in
B2C strategies. Yet the mobile web still
has challenges ahead. For example, there
are no standards for browser access to
handset services like the camera or GPS,
the report notes. Location Awareness
Location sensing, powered by GPS as
well as Wi-Fi and triangulation, opens up
new possibilities for mobile social
networking and presence applications.
Technology's earliest adopters are already
familiar with social networks like
Brightkite and Loopt which let you reveal
your location to a network of friends. But
we're still on the tip of this iceberg. Take
for example, the iPhone IM client Palringo,
they're just now adding location services to
their application. This allows users to see
how far away their contacts are,
introducing a whole new dimension to
mobile communication. Over the next year
or two, this sort of technology is expected
to become more commonplace, but it will
also raise questions about privacy. Will
you want your network of online friends
and acquaintances to really know your
exact location? Will turning off location
awareness signal that you're up to
something sneaky ( so asks the suspicious
wife, husband, boss, etc.)? As a society, we
will have to answer these questions and
more in the near future. Near Field
Communication (NFC)
NFC is a technology that provides a way
for consumers to use their mobile phones
for making payments, among other things.
It's something that has taken off in many
countries worldwide, but certainly not all,
and definitely not in the United States just
yet. Unfortunately, Gartner predicts that
Daily Digital Newspaper
the move towards mobile payment systems
will still not occur this year or the next in
mature markets like the U.S. and Western
Europe. Instead, NFC is more likely to
take off in emerging markets. Other uses of
the technology, such as the ability to
transfer photos from phone to digital photo
frames, will also remain elusive to more
developed markets. 802.11n & Cellular
Broadband
802.11n, a specification for wireless
local area networks (WLANs), initially
gave us pause. Although not ratified as an
official standard yet, the technology is
already commonplace. However, until it
"goes gold" so to speak, it won't really
infiltrate the mobile world. Even the
ubiquitous iPhone only supports 802.11
b/g at the moment.
On the flip side, the other internet
connection technology, cellular broadband,
has the potential to make Wi-Fi almost
unnecessary, at least for achieving high
speeds. In addition to mobile phones,
laptop makers will likely continue to
incorporate this technology into their
netbooks and notebooks using modern
chipsets that provide superior performance
to our current crop of add-on cards and
dongles. Display Technologies
Display technologies will also see
improvements in the upcoming years. New
technologies like active pixel displays,
passive displays and pico projectors will
have an impact. Pico projectors - the tiny
portable projectors we saw being
introduced at this year's CES - will enable
new mobile use cases. Instant presentations
in informal settings could become more
common when there isn't large,
cumbersome equipment to set up. The
different types of display technologies
introduced in 2009 and 2010 will become
important differentiators between devices
and will impact user selection criterion,
says Gartner.
For more information on these above
technologies, you can read through the full
report available here on Gartner's web site.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the
comments on how you think the mobile
space will be impacted in the future.
Discuss
Daily Digital Newspaper
5 Problems of Recommender Systems
By Richard MacManus
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 7:11:49 PM
Earlier this week we posted a Guide to
Recommender Systems, as part of our
series on recommendation technologies. In
this post we look at some of the challenges
in building or deploying a recommender
system. And yes, Napoleon Dynamite is
one of them.
This week an event called Recked was
held in Amsterdam, aimed at engineers
interested in these systems. The event was
hosted by Wakoopa and Strands (we've
embedded the presentations below). In
those presentations, there were some hints
at the problems that these companies have
to overcome to build an effective
recommender system.
Sponsor
1. Lack of Data
Perhaps the biggest issue facing
recommender systems is that they need a
lot of data to effectively make
recommendations. It's no coincidence that
the companies most identified with having
excellent recommendations are those with
a lot of consumer user data: Google,
Amazon, Netflix, Last.fm. As illustrated in
the slide below from Strands' presentation
at Recked, a good recommender system
firstly needs item data (from a catalog or
other form), then it must capture and
analyze user data (behavioral events), and
then the magic algorithm does its work.
The more item and user data a
recommender system has to work with, the
stronger the chances of getting good
recommendations. But it can be a chicken
and egg problem - to get good
recommendations, you need a lot of users,
so you can get a lot of data for the
recommendations.
2. Changing Data
Soleful tribute: Bush shoe-throwing now a work of art
By James Sturcke (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:24:40 AM
A statue of a giant shoe has been unveiled
in Saddam Hussein's hometown in honour
of the Iraqi journalist who threw his
footwear at the former US president
George Bush.
This issue was pointed out in
ReadWriteWeb's comments by Paul
Edmunds, CEO of 'intelligent
recommendations' company Clicktorch.
Paul commented that systems are usually
"biased towards the old and have difficulty
showing new".
An example of this was blogged by
David Reinke of StyleHop, a resource and
community for fashion enthusiasts. David
noted that "past behavior [of users] is not a
good tool because the trends are always
changing" (emphasis ours). Clearly an
algorithmic approach will find it difficult if
not impossible to keep up with fashion
trends. Most fashion-challenged people - I
fall into that category - rely on trusted
fashion-conscious friends and family to
recommend new clothes to them.
David Reinke went on to say that "item
recommendations don't work because there
are simply too many product attributes in
fashion and each attribute (think fit, price,
color, style, fabric, brand, etc) has a
different level of importance at different
times for the same consumer." He did
point out though that social recommenders
may be able to 'solve' this problem. 3.
Changing User Preferences
Again suggested by Paul Edmunds, the
issue here is that while today I have a
particular intention when browsing e.g.
Amazon - tomorrow I might have a
different intention. A classic example is
that one day I will be browsing Amazon
for new books for myself, but the next day
I'll be on Amazon searching for a birthday
present for my sister (actually I got her a
gift card, but that's beside the point).
On the topic of user preferences,
recommender systems may also incorrectly
label users - a la this classic Wall St
Journal story from 2002, If TiVo Thinks
You Are Gay, Here's How to Set It
Straight. 4. Unpredictable Items
The statue also features a poem
honouring Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi
journalist who shot to international fame
last month when he hurled his shoes at
Bush during a farewell press conference.
The shoes narrowly missed the then
president and Zaidi was quickly bundled to
the ground by security staff.
The public artwork went on display in
In our post on the Netflix Prize, about the
$1 Million prize offered by Netflix for a
third party to deliver a collaborative
filtering algorithm that will improve
Netflix's own recommendations algorithm
by 10%, we noted that there was an issue
with eccentric movies. The type of movie
that people either love or hate, such as
Napoleon Dynamite. These type of items
are difficult to make recommendations on,
because the user reaction to them tends to
be diverse and unpredictable.
Music is full of these items. Would you
have guessed that this author is a fan of
both Metallica and The Carpenters? I
doubt Last.fm would make that
recommendation. 5. This Stuff is
Complex!
We're stating the obvious here, but the
below slide from Strands' presentation at
Recked illustrates that it takes a lot of
variables to do even the simplest
recommendations (and we imagine the
below variables only scratch the surface):
So far only a handful of companies have
really gotten recommendations to a high
level of user satisfaction - Amazon, Netflix
Tikrit, 90 miles north-west of Baghdad.
The Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-
Amari, said his fibreglass-and-copper work
was a homage to the pride of the Iraqi
people.
Zaidi, who has since been dubbed by
some as the Baghdad Clogger, was
charged with assaulting a foreign leader
and is in detention awaiting trial.
(although of course they are looking for a
10% improvement on their algorithm),
Google are some names that spring to
mind. But for those select few success
stories, there are hundreds of other
websites and apps that are still struggling
to find the magic formula for
recommending new products or content to
their users. Indeed we at ReadWriteWeb
would love to get readers clicking around
our site more to discover other content, and
we've tried several plug-ins and methods to
achieve this - but we're not satisfied yet.
What Have We Missed?
There are many other issues that can
happen with recommender systems - some
offer up too many 'lowest common
denominator' recommendations, some
don't support The Long Tail enough and
just recommend obvious items, outliers can
be a problem, and so on.
Let us know your thoughts and what
other problems recommendation
technologies face as they continue to ramp
up. ReadWriteWeb Resources for
Recommendation Technologies
We also invite you to explore using our
custom ReadWriteWeb Resources:
• RWW Recommendation Industry Feed
Favorites OPML file(save link)
• RWW Recommendation Industry Feeds
- Best of Feed(copy and paste to your
reader)
• Click to preview the above feeds before
subscribing(pop-up window)
• RWW Recommendation Site
Search(Visit and Bookmark)
Also, we've embedded the three
presentations (Strands, Wakoopa and
Reccoon) from Recked below:
Discuss
• George Bush
• Iraq
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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Web Tech* World* 31
Somali pirates hijack
German tanker and
seize crew of 13
By Mark Tran (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:01:19 AM
Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden
hijacked a tanker and its crew of 13 today,
despite an increase in western naval forces
in the area. The German-owned MV
Longchamp, carrying liquefied petroleum
gas, is the third ship to be taken this year, a
maritime group said.
The Longchamp was hijacked with a
crew of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian,
said Andrew Mwangura of the East
African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
It was not clear where the tanker, which
was flying the Bahamas flag, was headed.
It has a capacity of 3,415 tonnes.
Gunmen have caused havoc in one of the
world's busiest shipping lanes, hijacking
dozens of ships last year and collecting
tens of millions of dollars in ransom
payments. The attacks have raised
insurance costs, prompted some owners to
send their ships round South Africa instead
of through the Suez canal, and triggered
deployments by foreign navies.
Earlier this week, a French frigate
arrested nine Somali pirates as part of the
growing international effort to protect
vessels from pirates.
Acts of piracy jumped 11% in 2008,
driven by an unprecedented series of
attacks by Somalis in the Gulf of Aden, the
International Maritime Bureau said this
month. About 20 warships from 14
different countries, including the US, are
now patrolling the vast area of the gulf.
Somalia has not had a functioning
government since 1991 and its coastline
has turned into a haven for pirates, who
attacked 111 ships in the gulf last year and
seized 42.
In the most dramatic hijacking of recent
years, pirates seized the Saudi-owned
supertanker Sirius Star last November.
Earlier this month, five of the pirates
drowned with their share of a reported $3m
ransom after their small boat capsized.
• Somalia
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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32 Web Tech*
4 Realistic Things You Should Know on Expert System Brings
International Data Privacy Day Semantic Smarts to
By Marshall Kirkpatrick
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:25:55 AM
Advertising
Today is being observed as the second
annual International Data Privacy Day by
the United States government, Canada, 27
European countries and a number of big
corporations, including Yahoo! and Intel.
Though data privacy is a big issue these
days - it's not a whole lot of fun to think
about. We offer below a list of four things
you should make sure to know about
regarding privacy, including some pointers
to discussions of how the privacy situation
today is more complicated than a
traditional approach to privacy protection
may allow for. We're not going to focus on
how to get your tin foil hat to use PGP
encryption, we've got a short list of things
that all of us realistically should know
about for a baseline of online privacy
awareness.
Sponsor
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation
The EFF is the foremost watchdog
organization on electronic privacy,
copyright law and related matters. Right
now they are running a campaign
challenging the White House regarding
cookies on the White House website. You
should know about the EFF, and you
should consider making a donation to help
them keep on looking out for us all. Big
vendors like Google and Yahoo! simply
cannot be trusted so organizations like the
EFF are essential. If you're a Twitter user,
you can follow the EFF there too.• Basic
Privacy Settings
It's a new world online and there are new
ways that information gets passed around.
If the rules of the road in the US changed
to mirror those in Europe or Japan, you'd
probably read the driver's manual again -
right? Now that it's a social networking
world, it would be a good idea to take a
few minutes to familiarize yourself with
privacy settings in these new places we're
all communicating. One good place to start
is Sophos's guide to Facebook profile
settings. You may or may not agree with
all their recommendations, but they are
asking many of the right questions about
privacy on social networks.• Browser
Protection
It's a good idea to know what
technologies are available to let you
browse or otherwise use the web
anonymously, just in case you ever decide
you want to. We're not going to focus on
this much, but it's kind of like knowing
where the fire extinguisher is at work and
home. Maybe you'll never need to use it.
There's private browsing in IE or the
stealth mode in Chrome. This author uses
an awesome Firefox plugin called
URLbarEXT which does a lot of things
and anonymous surfing just happens to be
one of them. If you or someone you know
lives under a repressive government, or are
part of a culture that lived someplace for
thousands of years before a government
now considered "freedom loving" stole it
from you and gave you all their nuclear
waste, you might want to check out
BlogSafer.org. It's a wiki in multiple
languages about best practices for
anonymous blogging.• More Complex
Perspectives
In the Good Old Days you could just
threaten to punch anyone who repeated
your secrets into a tin can that had a string
coming out of it, but as the privacy
landscape has changed, philosophical
considerations have as well. It's not as
simple as "don't tell anybody my secret
stuff!" anymore. For some insight into
other ways of looking at data privacy, you
should check out the following articles:
Toward an Internet Publicy Policy The
makers of 43 Folders argue that..."millions
of people are building online identities and
reputations that are accumulating meaning
and value. That value gets created as we
build an online reputation, as we move our
private knowledge into the public domain.
The issues that this brings up get lost when
the only policy folks have to reference is a
'privacy policy'. Perhaps we need a
"publicity policy" for 2.0 websites."
Privacy, Publicity and Open Data Open
web thought leader Chris Messina starts
with this premise: My somewhat
pessimistic view is that privacy is an
illusion, and that more and more historic
vestiges of so-called privacy are slipping
through our fingers with the advent of
increasingly ubiquitous and promiscuous
technologies, the results of which are not
all necessarily bad (take a look at just how
captivating the Facebook Newsfeed is!)
How Should Dynamic Privacy Work?
Bringer of affliction to the comfortable
Marc Canter tackles the debate around
Facebook's trailblazing Dynamic Privacy
strategy. He says: Well let me just say that
one way to figure out what's valuable - is
to find out who DOESN'T want to give
you access or control over it. And in this
case - trust me - moving my data around IS
the most valuable thing we need to
preserve, control and fight for. The VRM
Project Harvard and Cluetrain co-author
Doc Searls are working on a project called
VRM, or Vendor Relationship
Management. It's the flip side of CRM,
Customer Relationship Management.
Privacy is one of many matters for which a
static policy may not be as desirable as we
people/consumers/users having an
empowered relationship with vendors.
Those are the things we think are most
important, and realistic, to know about on
International Data Privacy Day. What
about you? Discuss
By Richard MacManus
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 1:59:58 PM
Expert System is a perhaps little known
"semantic intelligence" company; but it has
15 years of experience in the tech industry,
115+ employees and is bringing in a very
solid $12 Million a year in revenues from
over 100 corporate and government clients
(at 40% growth over the past two years).
The Italian company's core technology is
the Cogito platform, a sophisticated system
which searches, extracts and classifies
unstructured information and makes it into
structured data. Cogito (which translates to
"I think" in Latin) is bringing semantic
technologies to the mainstream
commercial world, including online
advertising.
Sponsor
We spoke to Brooke Aker, CEO of the
US subsidiary of Expert System, to find
out more about the underlying technology
of Cogito and its commercial applications.
In particular we talked about how Expert
System is using semantic technologies to
power a new type of advertising.
The basic premise of Cogito is that it
transforms unstructured information into
structured data. Out of this process comes
a "semantic network", which is much the
same thing as what rival company
Cognition called a "semantic map" in our
September '08 interview with them. It's
important to point out that Cogito isn't
necessarily a 'Semantic Web' application,
but it does use things like natural language
processing and other semantic analysis. It
can output RDF, but that isn't a
fundamental part of Cogito.
Brooke Aker described the system to us
as being like an "electronic dictionary".
There are 350,000 words and 2.8 million
"relationships" in Cogito. Cognition
claimed 10 million "semantic connections"
in its map back in September, but Aker
suggested that it wasn't quite an apples and
oranges comparison. According to Aker,
Daily Digital Newspaper
Cogito's semantic network is "richer" than
Cognition's.
Expert System's new semantic
advertising solution, Cogito Semantic
Advertiser(CSA), came about because the
company saw that traditional contextual
keyword advertising is resulting in a lot of
inaccuracies and mistakes when matching
ads to page content. The classic example is
the jaguar one, where a story about a
jaguar (the animal) is accompanied by a
'contextual' advert for jaguar the car.
Expert System told us that this kind of
scenario won't occur with their semantic
advertising system.
Expert System claims to have come up
with an advertising solution that
understands "the real meaning" of words,
based on theories of human
comprehension. For example, their system
analyzes the semantic meaning of words
and their context. So in the jaguar
example, Expert System would
'understand' that jaguar is an animal in the
context of the story - and therefore it
would not serve up ads about the jaguar
car.
One feature of Cogito Semantic
Advertiser that stood out for us was the
granular categorization, which allows for
very fine grained targeting of ads. Brooke
Aker told ReadWriteWeb that their
product has already created around 2
million niches for advertisers to target,
which is something that many Long Tail
publishers will find appealing.
We're impressed by the semantic
software that Expert System is producing,
not just with advertising but in other
commercial and government applications.
Let us know in the comments if you've
come across this company before and if so,
what your thoughts are. Discuss
Daily Digital Newspaper
SEAmail: Applying Semantic
Technology to Email
By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:00:00 AM
A prototype email system being
developed at Stanford University is
designed to bring the power of semantic
technology to our inbox. Called SEAmail,
short for "semantic email addressing," the
system will help its users route email to the
correct person or persons without needing
to know their names or email addresses
and without the need for preexisting
distribution groups.
Sponsor
How SEAmail Works
According to MIT's Technology Review,
the program allows users to select email
recipients by creating a search query as
opposed to typing in names, addresses, or
the name of a mailing list. For example, a
user could use SEAmail to send a message
to a group - created on the fly - like "all
professors who graduated from Harvard
University since 1960."
Being able to pinpoint your recipients in
this way would not only be helpful, it
could also stem the overflow of email that
creates information overload by making
sure that only the exact recipients who
need to get the message are contacted. A
Semantic Email Chooser
In SEAmail, a email addressing interface
(as shown here) could be used to build a
list on the fly, without necessarily needing
to know a single name. Instead, all an
email user would need to do is fill in the
parts of the form using the drop-down
boxes to guide their selections along the
way. The system would then take care of
the rest. Pulling from Databases
Obviously, in order for a semantically-
based email system to work, there needs to
be a rich database on the back-end that
contains relevant information about the
people sending email to each other and
New Video: YouTube's Dancing Obama Takes the ET Stage!
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:42:00 PM
their interests. In the Stanford tests, this
data is being retrieved from already
existing databases which are then
integrated into the system.
While such a thing may work well at a
university like Stanford, it may be less
useful to real-world businesses where there
aren't numerous existing databases to draw
upon, only Active Directory or some other
resource management system. Drawbacks
and Concerns
1) Does this solve real problems?
There's also the small question as to
whether SEAmail is solving a problem that
really needs to be solved. Take for instance
one of the touted benefits of the system:
name resolution. The article provided an
example where people wanting to send a
message to "Michael Genesereth" could
simply type his name as a recipient, and
his most recent email address would
automatically be selected. Sounds
excellent, right? Except for one minor
problem - that technology has existed in
most email systems, and certainly within
Microsoft Exchange, for years on end.
To continue the comparison with
Microsoft Exchange, the advancements
SEAmail makes have more to do with
putting the power of creating these queries
into the hands of users, who often don't get
involved with the business of creating
distribution lists, leaving it up to I.T. to do
it for them. Exchange's built in ability to
create query-based distribution lists
already make it dead simple for admins to
create lists based on almost any
requirement you can dream up: city, state,
organization, company, department, title,
floor, supervisor, etc. In order for SEAmail
to be revolutionary, it would need to do
more than make it easy to create relevant
lists - it would need to so while using
much more detailed data about the
intended recipients than any system allows
Hail to the comic relief! YouTube's
"Dancing Obama" -- the Web sensation
everyone's talking about -- is dancing up a
for today.
2) Or Does it Create More Problems (like
spam)?
Although in theory, the system's ability
to pinpoint users could cut back on
unintended email, there's also the
possibility that the system could lead to
more email. Oren Etzioni, director of the
Turing Center at the University of
Washington, has some concerns about the
potential for misuse of the system. "This
technology has clear benefits, but it's also
ripe for misuse," he says. "The technical
issues are solvable. The tricky things are
the social issues. How do we create a
workable system, given the vagaries of
human nature?" Etzioni worries that a
system that makes it too easy would lead to
some people receiving overwhelming
amounts of mail and no good way to limit
it.
3) What about Social Networking?
Technology analyst Craig Roth thinks
that the most glaring issue here is that the
system doesn't take into account how
social networks are being used by those
who need to contact, market to, or inform
others. He notes that consumers today can
use LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, and
Xing while enterprise customers have IBM
Lotus Connections, MySites in Microsoft
SharePoint, and the social search
capabilities that were in BEA Pathways
were merged into Oracle's secure
enterprise search. Arriving Later this Year
Of course, it's hard to get a real feel for
the potential of a system like this until it's
actually put into practice. As it turns out,
that will happen very soon. SEAmail will
be launched at Stanford later this year,
initially in the computer science
department. It will later be rolled out to the
rest of the university over time. Discuss
storm on the ET stage.
We've got the sensational Obama look-
alike and sound-alike, a.k.a. 26-year-old
RssPlayer: A Better
Podcast Client for Your
iPhone
By Frederic Lardinois
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 9:05:05 AM
Managing your podcast subscriptions on
the iPhone and iPod touch while on the go
and without having access to your
computer is not exactly an enjoyable
experience. Last year, Apple rejected Alex
Sokirynsky's Podcaster from the App Store
because it duplicated "the functionality of
the Podcast section of iTunes." Now,
however, Podcaster has returned to the
App Store as RssPlayer ( iTunes link),
which brings back most of Podcaster's
features, though with some frustrating
concessions to Apple's iPhone SDK.
Sponsor
Apple's own implementation of over-the-
air podcast downloads on the iPhone and
iPod touch is haphazard at best. Not only
do you have to switch between the iPod
and iTunes applications, but the iPhone
also doesn't allow you to download files
over 10mb, which is a serious limitation
given that most podcasts are far bigger
than that. The iPod app also can't go out
and download new shows for you without
having to go to the iTunes app first.
RssPlayer is a step in the right direction,
and we are happy that Apple has finally
allowed it into the App Store. The app
does a lot of things right, but it also has to
abide by Apple's stringent restrictions. The
Good
Compared to Apple's own podcast
implementation, RssPlayer is a major step
forward. You can check for new episodes
right from the app, stream audio to the
device without having to first download
the show, and you can even download
password-protected feeds. The app also
displays show notes and has some other
basic functions like marking episodes as
played or deleting a download. The Bad
Ohio native Iman Crosson, doing his
"presidential thang." It's a hilarious song-
and-dance routine you won't soon forget!
Web Tech* Movies* 33
The app still has its limitations, however.
There is no way to search for feeds, for
example. You have to enter the URL of the
podcast feed by hand (including the
'http://'). You can also point the app to an
OPML file with your podcast
subscriptions. Starting with the next
version, RssPlayer will also allow you to
simply click on a podcast feed in Safari
and automatically subscribe to it in the
app.
Far more damaging, however, is the
complete lack of playback controls. We
don't know if Alex decided to leave these
out as a concession to Apple, but we can't
believe that the developers of an audio
playback application would deliberately
leave this basic functionality out.
According to the developers, this feature
will return the next version of RssPlayer.
Because Apple insists that the apps only
function within their own sandbox
environment, your subscriptions won't
appear in the iPod application and the
audio will stop when you exit the
application (though playback automatically
resumes when you re-open RssPlayer).
Verdict
In most respects, RssPlayer is a major
upgrade over Apple's built-in podcast
player, but the downsides of having no
playback controls and no podcast directory
make it a bit hard to recommend the app
just yet. If you are already frustrated by
Apple's podcast support, however, the
$1.99 for the application is money well
spent, especially once the Apple approves
the new versions that iron out most of the
bugs we mentioned above.
Of course, if you want to take the risk,
you could also jailbreak your iPhone and
install the latest version of Podcaster on
your phone. Discuss
Click the video now to watch!
34 Web Tech* Entertainment*
Blogging Days May Be Waning at AOL's
Weblogs, Inc.
By Marshall Kirkpatrick
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:42:19 PM
A source close to AOL has informed
ReadWriteWeb that it will be shutting
down and relaunching the Weblogs Inc.
"Lifestyle Blogs" as online magazines.
These blogs make up roughly 1/4 of what
remains of the Weblogs Inc. network that
AOL acquired four years ago. From the
heady days of carrying the flag of the blog
revolution in 2003 and 2004, to a high
profile buy-out by AOL in 2005, the near-
term future of Weblogs Inc. raises
interesting questions about the ballyhooed
medium of blogging itself.
Sponsor
This news comes just after major staffing
cuts at AOL were unearthed earlier today.
Lead bloggers at the "lifestyle blogs", sites
like ParentDish and SlashFood, have been
told that they will be terminated in
February but have apparently been told not
to tell their staffs yet.
These shuttered sites will be relaunched
"magazine style," highly edited,
presumably long-form and no longer
written by the rag-tag bunch of aspiring
journalists that Weblogs has long paid
dollars per article.
Update: AOL's Stephanie Dolgins has
responded to our request for comment,
saying that "There is absolutely no truth to
this rumor. In fact, it's quite the
opposite...We are so enthusiastic about the
growth potential of our Living blogs that
we need people to spend MORE time on
them, and we are asking for more of a
commitment from our lead bloggers than
has been needed in the past so that we can
Life on Mars: Take a Look at the Lawmen
By Brad Trechak (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:55:00 PM
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-
Free, Life on Mars
(S01E08) This show has found a new
directive. That directive is: deviate from
the original British series as quickly as
possible. It was bound to happen. I just
didn't think it would happen so soon or to
provide consumers with more engaging
and interactive experiences across our
sites..." Take that for what it's worth, for
now we believe our original source on this.
Six months ago AOL told an angry mob
of Weblogs writers that despite cutbacks
and work slowdown orders, everything
was actually better than ever for the
network. Several requests for comments on
this story haven't been responded to yet.
Weblogs Inc. has long been a great place
for new bloggers to find part time work
writing on topics they love for between $5
and $15 per post. This author started there,
for example, before getting a job at
TechCrunch and then here at
ReadWriteWeb.
There used to be a strong sense of
camaraderie at Weblogs. In the early days
every blog in the then sprawling network
would put up one post each week linking
out to the most popular posts on other
blogs, as if the differences in content were
less important than the blogging format
readers were believed to love.
The egalitarian ethos suffered some
turbulence with the rise of electronics blog
Engadget as one of the very strongest
blogs on the entire internet and presumably
worth far more than the estimated $25
million that AOL paid for the entire
network in 2005. There have been a
handful of other standouts, but the majority
of the Weblogs blogs have failed to deliver
like AOL would have liked. Why, no one
may ever know. Travel blog Gadling, for
example, has only had 4 stories hit the
such a large extent.
To begin: WTF??? When we last left
Sam Tyler, he was answering a mysterious
front page of major traffic driver Digg in
the past year, despite frequent pleas for
promotion on its internal email list and an
affinity for "boobs around the world"
schlock content. If that formula doesn't
work then maybe nothing will. Update:
AOL wrote again to tell us that Gadling is
no longer considered a Life Style blog.
Lucky them.
Over the years, tensions never got
resolved between the more corporate AOL
and the scrappy Webloggers. Network co-
founders left after their contractual
requirements were up, Jason Calacanis
now runs human search and Q&A site
Mahalo and Brian Alvey runs another blog
network called Crowd Fusion, focused on
particularly high quality content and
sophisticated publishing technology.
Meanwhile the market for remainder
content has grown more crowded by the
expansion of Canada's B5 Media and
MySpace co-founder Brad Greenspan's
acquisition-happy web of crap called
LiveUniverse.
What's AOL to do with Weblogs Inc.?
Maybe turn it into what AOL knows and
trusts more than blogs, a collection of
mainstream-feeling magazine sites run by
more traditional journalists.
The web won't be better for it. The loss
of opportunities for aspiring pro-writers is
a real tragedy. The failure of this landmark
network of blogs calls the financial
viability of blogging in general into
question. We and others believe that an
"anyone can do it" media economy is
emerging, but if only a handful of blogs
are truly able to effectively monetize then
one has to wonder.
Discuss
phone call. Now we have a jump in time
out of Lost and he's at the scene of a
suicide in mid-attempt. That's page one of
sloppy serial storytelling.
Continue reading Life on Mars: Take a
Look at the Lawmen
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Google Announces Measurement
Lab: New Initiative to Expose Traffic
Shaping and Throttling by ISPs
By Frederic Lardinois
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 12:32:07 PM
A number of ISPs have lately started to
clamp down on peer-to-peer networks and
are actively restricting heavy usage of
'unlimited' connections. For users,
however, there is very little transparency in
this process and it can be very hard to
figure out if an ISP is actually actively geared towards examining whether an ISP
is selectively degrading performance for a
throttling a connection or preventing
certain applications from working subset of users or a certain application.
DiffProbe can also examine whether an
properly. In reaction to this, Google,
together with the New America ISP is giving priority to certain kinds of
traffic.
Foundation's Open Technology Institute
and the PlanetLab Consortium announced The data gathered by Measurement Lab
initiative will be made public. Google and
the Measurement Lab, an open platform
for researchers and a set of tools for users Net Neutrality
These tools, of course, are not new
that can be used to examine the state of
your broadband connection. (Google is just hosting them for the
researchers), but it is interesting that
Sponsor
In the course of 2009, Google will Google is putting its weight behind these
efforts through the Measurement Lab. In
provide researchers with 36 servers in 12
locations in the U.S. and Europe that will the announcement, Google doesn't directly
take sides on the net neutrality issue, but
allow them access to a widely-distributed
number of servers and data for examining instead, the announcement refers to the
importance of keeping Internet users "well-
broadband connections and the way ISPs
are manipulating them. At the same time, informed about what they're getting when
they sign up for broadband." It is also
Google is also hosting a set of tools that
allow users to examine their own interesting to note that the announcement
on the Google Blog was coauthored by
broadband connections. Check Your Own
Connection Vint Cerf, the "father of the Internet" and
Google's Chief Internet Evangelist, which
For now, Google has made three tools
available to users that are running on the puts even more weight behind the
importance of this initiative for Google and
company's servers in Mountain View. A
basic networks diagnostic tool lets you test the message the company wants to send by
supporting this project.
your connection speed, while the aptly
named Glasnost checks if your BitTorrent For the first time in three years, net
neutrality will once again be discussed by
transfers are being blocked or throttled. A
network path and application diagnosis the U.S. House of Representatives today,
tool allows you to run some basic, low-
level diagnostics on your broadband
so it seems safe to assume that this
announcement was timed to coincide with
connections. this.
Google will also soon host DiffProbe and Discuss
NANO, two tools that are especially
Daily Digital Newspaper
Synop.it: A Different Take Collaborative Whiteboard
on Cataloguing the Web Turns iPhones into Linked
By Rick Turoczy (ReadWriteWeb)
Sketchpads
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:05:00 AM
Tagging. It has fundamentally changed
the way we find and manage content on the
Web. Take a page, an image, or a chunk of
media, surround it with keywords, and
allow others to do the same. Then mix that
tagged content with more tagged content
and suddenly context starts to form. But
tagging, for all its benefits, will only get
you so far. Between tagging and the
content, there's the opportunity for another
level of classification - brief summaries of
content. And that's where Synop.it hopes
to find its niche.
Sponsor
While Synop.it's workflow is similar to
social bookmarking - find a site and add it
to a repository for future reference - the
level of detail is quite different. Synop.it
doesn't allow the user to tag content.
Rather, it offers the opportunity to provide
the next level of detail - a short summary
of the content.
Yes, it's similar to the "summary" area
provided by most social bookmarking
sites. But as we all know, that's an area that
very few users take the time to complete -
or they choose to fill the area with the first
sentence of the content being saved. It's
rarely a summary.
Synop.it is designed expressly to capture
those summaries, encouraging contributors
to distill the content in a way that gives the
reader context for the story as a whole.
And if they find a summary that doesn't do
the article justice, they're encouraged to
help revise it. It's like the wiki way meets
social bookmarking.
CubeCheater solves that Rubik's Cube for you
By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor,
Software, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends,
iPhone, App Store, iPod touch As we
know from the iPhone television
commercials, if there's something you need
to do, there's an app for that. And so
As far as drawbacks go, there's no way to
judge the how one "takeaway" compares to
another. Without a voting mechanism or
ranking, readers may struggle to find the
best summaries of content. But, users can
deduce some of that information based on
how many times the summary has been
revised - and who has done the revising.
And if the service develops a following of
regular users, the on-going curation of the
takeaways may make this a non-issue.
As a new service, Synop.it is still sparse
in terms of content. But there's a great deal
of potential here for beginning to catalogue
the Web in a way that directly
complements the activities of millions of
social bookmark contributors. More
importantly, it's an opportunity for a
different kind of cataloguing that - when
used in combination with other types of
categorizing - can provide semantic clues
for us to better understand the information
around us.
If you're interested in reading some of
the synopses or trying your hand at
distilling Web content into a short
paragraph, give Synop.it a try. Getting
started is as easy as registering and adding
a bookmarklet to your browser. Discuss
apparently, if the thing you want to do is
solve a Rubik's Cube, then yes, there is an
app for that. CubeCheater will help you
quickly solve a Rubik's Cube -- all you do
is punch in the colors on your cube right
now, and then you get directions, complete
with rotating graphics, on what steps to
take to solve the cube.
It's not built from scratch -- the app uses
an algorithm already developed for solving
By Rick Turoczy (ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:33:56 AM
If two minds are better than one, then two
minds with two iPhones must be even
better. But how can you get those two
great minds working together and thinking
alike? Try Whiteboard, a new app that
turns an iPhone or iPod Touch into a
collaborative workspace for sketching and
sharing ideas in real-time.
Sponsor
Whiteboard turns any iPhone into a
virtual sketchpad, allowing you to quickly
rough out images using the your finger on
the touch screen. Users can choose from a
set of standard colors with the option of
changing pen sizes. An eraser is also
available. Consider it the latest version of
the "back of the napkin" sketch.
But the real magic happens when two
Whiteboard users come into close
proximity of one another. Using the built-
in wi-fi functionality, Whiteboard gives
users the option to wirelessly tether two
handsets together. The result? A
collaborative sketchpad where users can
draw on the same surface - even if they're
the Cube -- but it does take advantage of a
surprising amount of the iPhone's features.
You can draw the colors on the virtual
cube yourself, or even take a picture of
your cube's sides and the app will
recognize where the colors are. The latest
update adds support for non-standard
cubes, so if the colors aren't quite the same
on your cube as on the screen, you can
change things around.
across the room from one another.
Our expectations weren't high. We
expected some lag between drawing on
one surface and having it appear on the
other iPhone. But we were pleasantly
surprised. The app is incredibly
responsive. Watching the drawings on one
iPhone almost instantaneously replicated
on the other user's screen is, if nothing
else, entertaining. And entertainment is
most likely going to be the most prevalent
use.
Granted, using Whiteboard to sketch
wireframes before your big client meeting
or drawing a quick diagram of a process
for your colleague are all perfectly
reasonable and serious uses of the tool. But
it's far more likely that - as fun as the app
is to use - you'll find yourself using
Whiteboard to engage in games of Tic-Tac
-Toe and Dots & Boxes with colleagues
during meetings.
Whiteboard is a free application. To try
it, download it from the App Store or
search for "Whiteboard: Collaborative
Drawing" from the App Store on your
iPhone. Discuss
Impressive, even if it is a little limited in
practicality. It's in the App Store right now
for 99 cents. Obviously, the point of a
Rubik's Cube is solving it yourself. And if
you really want to cheat, you don't need an
iPhone. Just do what I do: take the little
stickers off and replace them in the right
places.
[via Cult of Mac]
Continue reading CubeCheater solves
Web Tech* Apple* 35
iLife Tip: Enable
Multi-Touch maps
in iPhoto '09
By Cory Bohon (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/28/2009 6:00:00 PM
Filed under: iLife, Terminal Tips After
using iPhoto '09 for a couple days, I have
come to love the new features, in particular
the Places feature. However, one thing that
annoyed me is that you cannot use the
Multi-Touch feature on newer MacBooks
to manipulate the maps (zooming in/out,
etc.).
However, thanks to a Tweet-tip from
Steven Troughton-Smith
(@stroughtonsmith), there is a way to
enable this functionality. To add Multi-
Touch maps to places in iPhoto '09, just
open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities)
and type (or copy/paste) the following
statement and press enter:
defaults write com.apple.iphoto
MapScrollWheel -bool YES
When you restart iPhoto, you will notice
that you are now able to scroll in/out of the
Places maps with ease. If it turns out that
you don't want the scrolling feature, just
retype the statement, replacing "YES" with
"NO."
Thanks for the tip, Steven!
Continue reading iLife Tip: Enable Multi
-Touch maps in iPhoto '09
TUAW iLife Tip: Enable Multi-Touch
maps in iPhoto '09 originally appeared on
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
that Rubik's Cube for you
TUAW CubeCheater solves that Rubik's
Cube for you originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
36 World* Entertainment*
Starving Zimbabweans face food aid cut
By Chris McGreal (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:26:51 AM
The United Nations is to halve the food
ration to millions of Zimbabweans,
bringing it below what will keep an adult
alive, as the numbers of people dependent
on aid rises sharply and donations from
foreign governments fall well short of
demand.
The World Food Programme is to cut the
core maize ration in February from 10kg to
5kg a month – or just 600 calories a day –
for 7 million Zimbabweans, about 70% of
the people left in the country. The
recommended ration is 12kg a month.
As a result of the cuts, many
Zimbabweans will be fortunate to eat once
a day. Millions have been left dependent
on food aid because of years of crop
failures mostly caused by the knock-on
effects of the government's seizure of
white-owned farms and the collapse of the
economy and infrastructure. Most shops
sell food only for US dollars because
hyperinflation has wiped out the value of
the Zimbabwe currency, and what is
available is relatively expensive imports
beyond the reach of the mass of
unemployed and desperate Zimbabweans.
The WFP says it has cut the ration to
meet increased demand and cope with a
shortfall in donations. It says it requires
another $65m to keep feeding
Zimbabweans until the end of March. But
donors are reluctant to put more resources
into the beleaguered African state and what
aid there is has been partly diverted to the
cholera crisis that has claimed 3,000 lives.
Richard Lee, a WFP spokesman in
southern Africa, said that while the calorie
count would be boosted by a ration of
America (hearts) Jay Leno
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:23:00 PM
Filed under: Celebrities, Reality-Free
Jay Leno is officially America's BFF.
The late night (soon to be 10pm) talk
show host has come in first place in the
annual Harris Poll to determine who is
America's favorite TV personality. Here is
the rest of the top 10 to give you an idea of
who he's up against:
beans and vegetable oil, recipients of food
aid would now have to find additional
means to stay alive.
"The new ration falls below what is
considered the survival ration. They will
be sending their children to hunt for wild
fruits or selling the possessions they
haven't already sold to buy food," he said.
"People will be more vulnerable, they will
be more malnourished and they will be
more susceptible to disease."
Oxfam is feeding 253,000 in Zimbabwe's
Midlands province. One of its workers
there, Caroline Gluck, said the
organisation relied on food supplied by the
WFP and so would be forced to halve the
ration.
"Families are being stretched. They're
selling livestock, they're selling household
goods to buy staple foods," she said.
"People told us they were having a meal a
day. Sometimes adults are skipping a meal
so the children can be fed. They are
supplementing what they have with wild
fruits.
"But now it's going to be a disaster
because people have sold what they can
sell. There's very little they can do to
supplement their rations. I think it's going
to be extremely hard for families, it's going
to make them incredibly vulnerable. You
look at people and they are already thin,
their frames are skin and bone. When you
look at the fields you see there's been no
agricultural inputs. The soil is little better
than sand."
The WFP is already feeding about 4.5
million Zimbabweans, with a coalition of
non-governmental organisations
distributing to another million. Next
month, the total number of Zimbabweans
reliant on food aid will rise by 1.5 million.
"We are concerned. The reason we are
2. Hugh Laurie
3. Ellen DeGeneres
4. Oprah Winfrey
cutting the ration is so we do provide
assistance to everybody who needs food
assistance so that we can make sure they
can get through these two hungriest and
worst months of the year, February and
March, before the harvest starts in April,"
said Lee.
"But on top of that we haven't received all
the resources we had hoped for. The
donors have been very generous. We've
now received over $200m for our
operations in Zimbabwe in 2008 and 2009.
It's just that the scale of the crisis, the
worsening crisis, means that we do require
additional resources."
The food shortages are contributing to
the rising number of cholera deaths. About
1,000 people have died in the past
fortnight, many of them too weak for
treatment because they have not had
enough to eat. Nearly 58,000 people have
been infected.
The food crisis has been compounded by
the government's failure to meet a target of
importing 800,000 tonnes of maize. It is
believed to have bought only 200,000
tonnes.
The April harvest is unlikely to bring
relief. Agriculturalists say it will again fail;
they estimate it will provide less than a
quarter of the country's needs and that
drastic food shortages will continue into
next year once the results of the harvest
have been consumed.
• Zimbabwe
• International aid and development
• United Nations
• Food
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
5. David Letterman
6. Jon Stewart
7. Charlie Sheen
8. Steve Carell
9. Stephen Colbert
10. Mark Harmon
Continue reading America (hearts) Jay
Leno
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Israel and Hamas attacks
undermine Gaza ceasefire
By Mark Tran (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 4:50:39 AM
Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli air
strikes today threatened to undermine
efforts by the US Middle East envoy to
reinforce a fragile Gaza ceasefire as he
held talks with the leader of the Palestinian
Authority.
Palestinian militants in the Hamas-ruled
Gaza Strip fired a rocket into Israel late
yesterday – the first since the 18 January
ceasefire – and another today. No one was
hurt.
Israeli aircraft struck in southern Gaza,
hitting and wounding a man on a
motorcycle, and attacking a metal
workshop that the Israeli military said was
a weapons factory. Two militants and 10
youths were injured, medical workers said.
The violence provided a sombre
backdrop for talks between George
Mitchell and Mahmoud Abbas, the
president of the Palestinian Authority in
the West Bank. Mitchell, who was in
Jerusalem yesterday, said it "was of critical
importance that the ceasefire be extended
and consolidated".
The latest hostilities came despite
separate ceasefires called by Israel and
Hamas that ended a 22-day Israeli
offensive in which 1,300 Palestinians,
including at least 700 civilians, died,
according to the Hamas-run health
ministry in Gaza. Israel put its death toll in
the war at 10 soldiers and three civilians.
Mitchell said on Tuesday that any
durable truce between Israel and Hamas
must end smuggling into Gaza and reopen
border crossings controlled by Israel to
relieve its economic blockade. Half of the
1.5 million people in the territory depend
on food aid.
Ehud Olmert, the outgoing Israeli prime
minister, told Mitchell that Israel would
object to reopening any crossings into
Gaza – except to allow the flow of vital aid
– until an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza
Daily Digital Newspaper
militants in a crosws-border raid in 2006
was freed.
"We don't intend to open the crossings
before Gilad Shalit returns home,"
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, an Israeli cabinet
minister, said.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon,
today launched an emergency appeal
seeking more than $600m (£420m) to
assist the rebuilding effort in Gaza.
"Help is indeed needed urgently," Ban
said at the World Economic Forum
meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "The
civilian population suffered greatly during
three weeks of military operations. More
than one-third of the 6,600 deaths and
injuries were children and women."
In Qatar yesterday, Hamas's supreme
leader, Khaled Mashaal, said the group
would not link the opening of crossings to
the release of the Israeli soldier. Hamas
wants Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners in exchange for Shalit.
Mitchell's trip comes just a week after
the US president, Barack Obama, took
office, and signals the new US
administration's willingness to make a
determined diplomatic push early on.
Mitchell, a former US Senate majority
leader and a broker of the 1998 Northern
Ireland Good Friday peace agreement, said
he would make recommendations to
Obama and Hillary Clinton, the secretary
of state, after consultations in the region
and with European leaders.
Mitchell did not meet officials from
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist
group by the US, the European Union and
Israel.
• Gaza
• Israel and the Palestinian territories
• Middle East
• Obama White House
• United States
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Iran should keep its distance from US,
says senior cleric
By Robert Tait (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:16:38 AM
One of Iran's most powerful clerics
-issued a stern warning against
rapprochement with the US today and
denounced supporters of the idea as
"troublemakers" who belonged to "hated
groups".
In a graphic display of hardline
resistance to the restoration of US-Iran
ties, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati – chairman
of the influential guardian's council and a
vocal supporter of Iran's president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – accused
proponents of failing to appreciate the
1979 Islamic revolution and of harbouring
westernising tendencies.
He also said the US feared Iran more
than any other nation.
"The US does not have any stake in our
country," Jannati, who is renowned for anti
-western tirades, told Iranian journalists.
"I am warning some of society's most
abandoned and hated groups who are
intending to establish relations with the
US, want to meet with Obama and give the
US president a green light: do not go in
this direction. You are just troublemakers.
EverSave adds universal autosaving
By Mat Lu (The Unofficial Apple
Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/28/2009 7:00:00 PM
Filed under: Software, Productivity,
Freeware Auto-save has saved my bacon
several times with Word and I really miss
it in apps that don't offer the feature
(Apple's Pages, for example). Now a third-
party solution has popped up that
supposedly offers autosaving in any
application. EverSave runs in your
menubar and allows you to save either at a
particular interval or when you switch
applications (or both). You can have it run
Do not damage yourselves more. Do not
rely on America and do not hurt people."
His comments came after the Guardian
revealed that President Barack Obama was
considering sending a conciliatory letter to
Iran's leadership aimed at improving
-relations between Washington and Tehran
and clearing the way for direct talks.
Some Iranian analysts believe the move
could contribute towards allaying Tehran's
mistrust of Washington – especially if
accompanied by a US pledge not to seek
regime change and a promise to lift
economic sanctions.
But Jannati's outburst illustrates the bitter
divisions a US attempt at conciliation
would sow within Iran's theocratic ruling
system.
It also bears out warnings from some that
an American gesture is unlikely to result in
an immediate transformation in relations.
Analysts say the strength of radical
opposition to renewed ties makes a prompt
positive response from Tehran unlikely.
Nevertheless, Amir Mohebian, political
editor of the pro-fundamentalist Resalat
newspaper, said a letter which ruled out a
US attempt at regime change in Iran would
be seen as "a good signal".
But he added: "It would not be enough. It
for all applications or pick particular ones.
In my testing with Pages '08 it worked
just as advertised. I set the save interval for
45 seconds and as shortly after I opened a
new Pages document it brought up the save
dialog. I put in some text, waited a few
seconds and then simulated a crash by
force-quitting the application.
When I reopened the document, my text
was there. Unfortunately, I've found that
EverSave does not work quite as well with
all applications. With TextMate, for
instance, it insists on bringing up the save
dialog box every time it saves, making it
too annoying to be useful. Nonetheless, if
would need actions, especially the removal
of sanctions as well as a change in the US
language towards Iran from the militaristic
to the diplomatic."
He said the US should address any letter
to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei – despite his known scepticism
about restoring ties – rather than to
-Ahmadinejad.
He also played down the need for an
American apology for alleged past
misdeeds, despite Ahmadinejad's demand
for one yesterday.
"The letter should say that they [the US]
understand the realities," Mohebian said.
"It's not an apology. The US is a country
and so is Iran. What is needed is mutual
respect."
• Iran
• Barack Obama
• Obama White House
• US foreign policy
• United States
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you use iWork and miss auto-save,
EverSave is a must-have.
EverSave is a free download(donations
requested) from Tool Force Software.
[via Macworld]
Continue reading EverSave adds
universal autosaving
TUAW EverSave adds universal
autosaving originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
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US security firm
Blackwater faces expulsion
from Iraq
By Mark Tran (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:27:40 AM
Iraq has taken the first move in
effectively throwing Blackwater
Worldwide out of the country, by
informing the US security company that it
will no longer be authorised to work within
its borders.
Iraqi officials said that the US embassy,
which employs Blackwater guards, was
notified by the Baghdad government last
Friday.
An interior ministry spokesman, Major
General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, said that the
decision was prompted by what he called
the guards' "improper conduct and
excessive use of force" in a shooting that
killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured dozens
of others, in September 2007.
Five guards from Blackwater
surrendered to the FBI in Salt Lake City,
Utah, last month to face charges in
connection with the incident, which
inflamed Iraqi public opinion and soured
relations between the Iraqi government and
the Bush administration.
The 17 Iraqis were killed when guards
protecting a convoy of US diplomats
opened fire in Nisour Square, in Baghdad.
The guards were accused of acting like
trigger-happy cowboys, who shot with no
fear of consequences.
The interior ministry revoked
Blackwater's licence after the shooting, and
threatened to expel its employees, but the
US ignored the order and renewed the
company's contract the following April.
It is unclear when Blackwater will have
World* Apple* 37
to leave, as a joint Iraqi-US committee is
in the process of drawing up guidelines for
private contractors under a new security
agreement that was drawn up earlier this
month. But Iraq has made it clear that it
wants Blackwater to leave as soon as
possible.
"When the work of this committee ends,"
Khalaf said, private security companies
"will be under the authority of the Iraqi
government, and those companies that
don't have licences, such as Blackwater,
should leave Iraq immediately."
Blackwater, which has earned more than
$1bn (£708m) from the US government in
the last nine years, has a bad reputation in
Iraq, as it has been involved in nearly 200
shootings since 2005, according to a
congressional report.
Blackwater employees and other US
contractors had been immune from
prosecution under Iraqi law until the new
security agreement came into force. The
US failed to persuade the Iraqi government
to extend the immunity of its contractors
after a UN security council resolution
authorising the US presence expired in
December.
The Iraqi government said that
Blackwater employees who have not been
accused of improper conduct will be
allowed to continue working in Iraq if they
switch employers.
• Iraq
• United States
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38 World* International* Movies*
$10tn bill to save the planet
By Larry Elliott (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:42:11 AM
More than $10 trillion must be invested in
clean technology between now and 2030 to
spare the Earth from an unsustainable
increase in global temperature, the World
Economic Forum warned today.
A report from the body that organises the
Davos meeting of political and business
leaders said at least $515bn should be
spent annually on measures to limit carbon
emissions.
Although the worsening financial and
economic crisis has pushed climate change
down the Davos agenda this year, the WEF
study stressed that countries needed to
vastly increase spending on safeguarding
the environment.
Green investment has increased more
than fourfold, from $30bn to $140bn,
between 2004 and 2008, but would still
need to triple to meet the target set by the
WEF and the co-authors of the report, New
Energy Finance. Outlays of $500bn a year
would be needed to prevent a rise of more
French workers down tools in general strike over
Sarkozy's handling of financial crisis
By Angelique Chrisafis (World news
| guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 2:20:38 AM
Hundreds of thousands of French
employees have stopped work and are
expected to demonstrate across France this
afternoon in the first general strike to hit an
industrialised nation since the start of the
financial crisis.
Public and private sector workers have
joined forces to protest against Nicolas
Sarkozy's handling of the crisis, saying too
much has been done to help businesses and
not enough to protect jobs and boost
French workers' low wages.
It is the first wide-ranging general strike
since Sarkozy took office and a rare show
than 2C in global temperatures by 2030.
The study identified eight emerging,
large-scale clean energy sectors that were
seen as playing a crucial role in the
transition from fossil fuels to a clean
energy strategy over the next two decades.
These were: onshore wind, offshore wind,
solar photovoltaic, solar thermal electricity
generation, municipal solar waste-to-
energy, sugar-based ethanol, cellulosic and
next-generation biofuels, and geothermal
power.
Max von Bismarck and Anuradha
Gurung from the World Economic Forum,
and Chris Greenwood and Michael
Liebreich from New Energy Finance, said
"enormous investment in energy
infrastructure is required to address the
twin threats of energy insecurity and
climate change. In light of the global
financial crisis, it is crucial that every
dollar is made to 'multi-task' to create a
sustainable low-carbon economy."
At a time when the global economy has
been struggling, the report said business
had an opportunity to make healthy profits
from the fight against climate change. An
of unity from France's main unions. Train
drivers, airport staff, teachers, postal
workers and tax inspectors joined private-
sector employees including bank clerks,
car workers, ski-lift operators, supermarket
check-out staff and even employees from
the company that operates France's stock
exchange.
With lawyers and journalists from state
TV and radio also walking out, the various
groups are protesting for job protection and
better wages and against a raft of Sarkozy's
reforms, ranging from justice to hospital
and school reforms, and changes to the
running of state TV.
Car workers downed tools over the crisis
hitting the French auto industry. The arts
world joined the ranks as north Paris's
index of the world's 90 leading clean
energy companies had a five-year
compounded annualised return of almost
10%, unmatched by the world's major
stock indices.
Earlier a group of climate change experts
including Lord Nicholas Stern, author of
the UK government's report on the
economics of climate change, warned
against complacency in the UN climate
talks, due to conclude in December in
Copen-hagen to replace the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol. They said the economic and
climate change agendas should be yoked
together in 2009 to ensure that spending
had long-term benefits for the
environment.
• Davos
• Climate change
• Global economy
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cutting-edge new arts centre, Le 104,
staged its own strike.
"We need to sound a cry of anger," said
François Chereque, head of the moderate
CFDT union.
Early this morning there were delays and
cancellations at Paris airports and to
regional and national train services, as well
as school closures. A scaled-back service
was running on buses and the metro in
Paris. State radio stations broadcast music
on a loop, and the telecoms, gas and
electricity sectors were all affected.
Polls have shown that around 70% of the
French public think the strikes are justified
– the highest approval for such action since
Sarkozy took office. France has not
experienced the banking woes that Britain
Radio review
(From the Guardian: G2 |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
The Most Godless Town in Britain(Radio
4), presented by Jolyon Jenkins, showed
how radio documentaries should be done.
The topic was a good one: to see how the
Anglican church is attempting to build
spirituality in Telford, a town with one of
the UK's lowest per capita church
attendances. But it was the way the story
was told that did the vital work, with
Jenkins firmly from the raised-eyebrow
school of reporting, but never nasty with it.
So gently did he put his points across
that all the nice Christians agreed with
everything he said.
"I'm not sure you know how to do it," he
told Mark Berry, whose job for three years
has been to drum up religious interest in
and Ireland have faced but, as the country
enters its first recession in 16 years, rising
unemployment – predicted to top 10% next
year – has sparked a mood of fear and
anxiety. The latest unemployment figures
could not be released today because
statisticians are on strike.
About 200 demonstrations and marches
around France are planned for this
afternoon.
• France
• Global recession
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Telford. "No," Berry agreed.
The way so far appears to have been to
tag along with anything new-agey, and not
mention Jesus if possible. Even at the
"Christian answer to Glastonbury",
Telford's efforts were a bit religion-lite,
with high hopes for a "gong shower"
where a man hits a gong very hard and
makes a shimmering noise that some find
very spiritual. "My main experience was
mainly of being assailed by a very loud
noise," said Jenkins, not sounding
noticeably closer to God.
• Radio
• Radio
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'Mad Men' Costume
Designer Talks
New Fashion Line
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:40:00 PM
The Golden Globe winning show "Mad
Men" is known for its iconic costumes --
now, costume designer Janie Bryant talks
about the possibility of creating her own
"Mad Men" inspired fashion line and how
modern women can attain this vintage
style.
"I’m working on some things right
now…I hate to be so mysterious but I can't
really say! It would have my name
attached to it though," Bryant tells
Glamour magazine.
Bryant says the key to attaining the "Mad
Men" style without wearing a costume is to
combine the vintage look with a
contemporary piece. "You know what’s
really fun, is to get a great vintage blouse
of the period, with some pin tucks or
ruffles, and wear them with skinny jeans,"
the costume designer advises.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Man charged with throwing 4 Get paid for your time: On The Job 3.0
-year-old daughter off bridge
in Melbourne, Australia
By Associated Press (World news |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:15:03 PM
A man has been charged with throwing
his four-year-old daughter to her death
from a bridge above a river in Melbourne,
Australia.
The 36-year-old father was scheduled to
appear in a Melbourne court later today
charged with her murder, police sergeant
Creina O'Grady said. He faces a maximum
life sentence if convicted.
The girl was rushed to the Royal
Children's hospital after being dragged
barely alive from the Yarra river. The
hospital said she died about four hours
after the 190-foot fall.
The father had appeared before a family
court earlier this week to settle custody of
the couple's three children with their
mother, a court official said.
Police have not named the suspect, the
victim or other members of the family.
The alleged murder happened during
rush hour on the bridge, an eight-lane
HTV: Miley Cyrus, Mickey Rourke & More!
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:24:00 PM
When the stars come out at night,
Hollywood.tv is there for all the candid
moments!
First up, teen queen Miley Cyrus is
iTunes Plus upgrade available on a per track basis
By Mat Lu (The Unofficial Apple
Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:00:00 AM
Filed under: iPod Family, iTS, iPhone
Apple has apparently bowed to pressure
because the iTunes Store is now allowing
upgrades to iTunes Plus on a per track
basis. Back when Apple first dropped
DRM on some of their music they started
allowing customers to upgrade their
freeway linking central Melbourne with
the city's western suburbs.
Shocked witnesses called police shortly
after 9am.
A man "dropped [her] over the bridge"
into the water, and police in a boat rescued
the child about 10 minutes later, Detective
Inspector Steve Clark told reporters. He
said the mother had been informed.
A court official, who declined to be
named because she was not authorised to
speak to the media, said the custody
hearing over the children had ended on
yesterday without a ruling because the
parents had agreed to share access.
The hearing had been listed to resume
today, but neither parent had been
expected to attend for a third day in court,
she said.
• Australia
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swarmed by photogs while she takes a
stroll with her mom.
Oscar contender Mickey Rourke stops to
sign autographs for fans -- and he reveals
that his beloved pooch is sick.
previously purchased tracks to the higher
bit-rate and DRM-free iTunes Plus
versions. Unfortunately, until recently
Apple required you to purchase the
upgrades for all of your qualifying music
all at once, whether your wanted them all
or not.
Now it seems you can upgrade your
previously purchased music to the iTunes
Plus versions for 30 cents per track. The
albums in my account seem to cost
By Brett Terpstra (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:00:00 PM
Filed under: Software, Productivity
On The Job 3.0 was released today, and
it's poised to give my long-standing
favorite time-tracking app, Billings 3, a
good run for its money. On The Job 3
represents a complete rewrite of the
application. It's such a new and different
beast from its previous incarnations that --
in the words of the developer-- it "really
feels much more like a version 1.0 than a
3.0."
On The Job is designed for individuals --
freelancers, contractors, etc. -- who need to
track their time and expenses, send
invoices for multiple jobs with multiple
clients, and handle payments. It, like
Billings, is especially geared toward those
who want the extra features which can
make them look utterly professional in
their invoicing and billing.
Let's start with its looks: it's just plain
gorgeous. From the main UI to the popup
entry forms, and from the client editor to
the template editor, the minute details of
the interface have been treated with great
care. I'll go ahead and say that the invoice
template selector is eerily similar to
Billings', but I'm not sure where the credit
for the first such interface belongs. Let's
just say it's a good one to pick up on. The
default templates are definitely
competition for Billings, whose selection is
already above-par for time tracking and
billing apps. Editing templates in either
app is far more pleasurable than the first
time I ever tried to edit a template in
Quickbooks.
The first thing that struck me when I
between $3 and $4 to upgrade. You can
find all your qualifying music on the
iTunes Store by following this link(iTunes
World* Apple* Movies*
opened up the demo was the sheer
simplicity of the interface. Everything you
need is there, exactly where you want to
look for it. The play/pause button for
timing jobs is big but not overly obtrusive,
and you can turn its default, obnoxious
spinning to a pleasant throb in the
preferences. That sounded dirtier than it is.
There's a menubar control of the timer as
well. The overall feature set is not as
robust as Billings, but there's definitely
something to be said for simplicity. If you
don't need the additional features, such as
Pro Forma invoices, full account tracking
and statements, it's very possible that On
The Job might be a great candidate to serve
your time-tracking needs.
Other features in the new version
include:
• Invoices for a specific date range
• New outstanding invoices panel
• Custom hourly rates for specific tasks
• Individual timing sessions are tracked,
and can be "edited in post"
link) or from the iTunes Store home page.
It's nice to see that Apple has seen the
light on this. Note that Macworld is
reporting some kind of glitch with using
the shopping cart and are saying you need
to turn on the buy with 1-click option in
the iTunes Store preferences to get the
correct upgrade price (and not be charged
the full album price again).
[via Macworld]
Continue reading iTunes Plus upgrade
39
• Expense types now include quantity and
mileage
• Per client currency settings
• Automatic and fully customizable
invoice number generation
On The Job is selling for $39.95US. I
have to mention that the " Main Street
Sale" of Billings is still going, and it's at
$39.99 right now. Both have free demos,
so if you're a freelancer or contractor in the
market for a slick way to track time and
send invoices, make your own comparison.
Personally, I'm torn. I'll decide in the next
20 days which, coincidentally, is the length
of the On The Job demo period.
TUAW Get paid for your time: On The
Job 3.0 originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
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available on a per track basis
TUAW iTunes Plus upgrade available on
a per track basis originally appeared on
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
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40 Apple* International*
Mac 101: 7 tips for Data
Privacy Day 2009
By Robert Palmer (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:00:00 PM
Filed under: Security, Mac 101
Today is Data Privacy Day, a global
initiative to highlight information security
rights and practices, especially among
teens, professionals, corporations, and the
government.
As part of the celebration, TUAW (along
with our sister blog Download Squad) has
seven good ideas for you about how to
keep your data safe and away from prying
eyes with Mac OS X Leopard. Also, be
sure to browse TUAW articles filed under
Security for other tips and alerts about
keeping your data safe. 1: Turn on your
firewall
Leopard, as we all know, comes with a
built in firewall to prevent other computers
from connecting to internet-facing ports on
your computer. But: Did you know it's
turned off by default?
To turn on your firewall, open System
Preferences, and click the Security icon.
Then, click the Firewall tab. Make sure
either "Allow only essential services" is
selected, or you can choose to "set access
for specific services and applications"
yourself.
You can also use "Stealth Mode": when
enabled, computers that send data to
Found Footage: The Macintosh Software Dating Game (1983)
By Steven Sande (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:00:00 AM
Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends,
Found Footage In 1983, Apple was trying
to get software developers excited about
the new Mac platform and a new way of
working with computers. The YouTube
blocked ports won't even get
acknowledgement that the data was
received. To enable Stealth Mode, click the
Advanced button on the Firewall tab of the
Security preference pane, and click the
check box next to "Enable Stealth Mode."
2: Set a screen saver password
A feature popular with Windows users,
Mac OS X can also lock your screen when
your computer sleeps or when the screen
saver comes on. Simply open System
Preferences, select Security, and choose
the General tab. Click the check box next
to "require password to wake this
computer from sleep or screen saver," and
you're all set.
If you have automatic login enabled and
click the "require password" check box,
Mac OS X will recommend that you
disable automatic login. This means you'll
have to enter your password to turn your
computer on, too; nefarious nogoodniks
won't be able to restart your Mac while the
screen saver is on to circumvent the need
for a password. Good thinking.
Continue reading Mac 101: 7 tips for
Data Privacy Day 2009
TUAW Mac 101: 7 tips for Data Privacy
Day 2009 originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
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video below shows highlights of an Apple
event in which Steve Jobs plays the part of
The Dating Game host Jim Lange, asking
questions about software development to
three bachelors software magnates -- Fred
Gibbons of Software Publishing Company,
Mitch Kapor of Lotus Development, and
some guy named Bill Gates from
Microsoft.
Does Apple have a case
against Palm?
By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:00:00 AM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,
Portables, Apple, iPhone There's been
some growling and teeth-baring between
Apple and Palm lately, but Engadget
wanted to know: does Apple really have a
case against Palm for their patented
technology? They put their (and our) legal
correspondent, Nilay Patel, on the case,
and in this long but very interesting
analysis piece, he answers: probably.
But things, as usual, aren't that simple.
Apple's patents don't just cover
"multitouch" -- they cover very specific
behaviors using the multitouch feature, and
if Palm's Pre phone doesn't use those
behaviors, there's no infringement. Of
course, Patel is only going off of video of
the Pre -- they don't have it in hand yet --
so things could change before the unit is
released, but they do find significant
evidence that Palm may have stepped on
some lines it shouldn't have.
Then again, as Patel and patent attorney
Mathew Gavronski discovered, Palm's got
some tricks of their own -- they've got a
whole slew of easily findable patents that
the iPhone appears to infringe upon,
including using an ambient light sensor to
define brightness, looking up contacts just
by using initials, and a number of other
functions. Then again again, Apple's got
pending patents in the fire that it can revise
in case they think Palm is really trying to
hone in on their business.
So bottom line, this could be really
Of those three software giants, only
Microsoft has really survived into the 21st
Century. Software Publishing Company
left the PC scene in 1994 and Lotus was
assimilated into the corporate body of
IBM.
The video has edited out most of the bits
with Gibbons and Kapor, so you get to
hear Bill Gates gush about how wonderful
messy or it could be really simple, and
Engadget concludes that the ball is in
Apple's court -- if there's going to be a war,
they say, the first shot will be from them.
Personally, I think it's all corporate
posturing -- as Patel points out, Palm has
much less to lose, not having sold a single
unit yet, and Apple is just making sure
they know what's what. But there is a lot of
money here, and if one side decides it'll
cost less to go after the other, the fur could
fly.
TUAW Does Apple have a case against
Palm? originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
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the Mac platform is and how Microsoft in
1983 honestly expected Macintosh
software to account for one-half of their
revenue.
It's a weird little video, and very
indicative of the type of PR stunts that
were popular in the early days of the
digital revolution. Enjoy!
Tipped by a tweet from Dennis
Daily Digital Newspaper
Phil Daoust:
Radio pick of
the day
By Phil Daoust (From the Guardian:
G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Adrian and Kirsty meet at work, on her
first day in a new job. He's the boss's son,
in his thirties, married, slightly sleazy and
with a dodgy taste in ties; she's a PA, 10
years younger, single, with great legs and a
free approach to other women's partners.
Adrian's wife Lucy is away on a business
trip, and before you can say "How's your
father?" he and Kirsty head for the marital
bedroom.
"He seemed like a fun distraction for
lunch," Kirsty later explains. "Take my
mind off carbohydrates."
But things don't go according to plan.
Lucy arrives home earlier than expected,
and Kirsty is forced to hide in the loft,
where she somehow slips down inside the
house's cavity wall. When she and Adrian
do finally consummate their affair, it is
hours later, through a hole that Adrian has
drilled in the living room wall, while Lucy
snores away upstairs ...
Does that seem a little far-fetched? Of
course it does - yet Cavity(2.15pm, Radio
4) was allegedly "inspired by true events".
Sean Grundy's comedy stars Julian Rhind-
Tutt, Ingrid Oliver and Kerry Godliman.
• Radio
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TUAW Found Footage: The Macintosh
Software Dating Game (1983) originally
appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW) on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Daily Digital Newspaper
AT&T loving the iPhone
By Mel Martin (The Unofficial Apple
Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:00:00 PM
Filed under: iPhone AT&T has released
fourth quarter and 2008 results and it's not
all roses for the telecommunications giant.
Wireline telephone subscribers were down
significantly, and AT&T has spent a
bundle (US $453 million) upgrading the
3G network to serve the iPhone and their
other Smartphone offerings. The bright
spot for AT&T is the iPhone itself, which
contributed to very positive gains in
subscribers and revenue. Even with the
boost from our favorite phone, AT&T
profits fell to 64 cents a share in the fourth
quarter compared to 71 cents one year ago.
Here are the interesting iPhone stats:
• AT&T activated 4.3 million iPhone 3Gs
since it came on the market including 1.9
million in the fourth quarter alone. Those
activations are more than double the
number from a year before with the 2G
iPhone
• iPhone owners provide about 60%
higher revenue than other AT&T
customers
• About 40% of fourth quarter activations
of iPhones were customers that were new
to AT&T. Most came from other carriers
like Sprint, Verizon, etc.
• Customers who drop AT&T aren't
usually those with iPhones (although many
iPhone users would like to because of bad
coverage or service).
'The Biggest Loser' Is Over for Daniel
Wright
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 12:37:00 PM
The orange team comprised of Daniel
Wright, the heaviest-ever "The Biggest
Loser" contestant, and David Lee were the
losers last night when they were sent home
from the ranch.
Even though Daniel had lost 60 pounds
in his four weeks at the ranch --12 of those
the week he was voted off -- because of his
For just about anyone selling anything,
the fourth quarter of last year was dreadful.
The iPhone was not exempt from this
trend. Activations were down 21%
comparing the fourth quarter to the third
quarter of 2008, but the iPhone still
clobbered the Blackberry Storm.
TUAW AT&T loving the iPhone
originally appeared on The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 28 Jan
2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms
for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
large size, his percentage of weight loss for
the fourth week put him below the yellow
line. He says going into the vote, he knew
he was going home.
"Although, I was the biggest contestant
and there was some sympathy, it came
down to Bob's team was going to vote for
Bob's team and Jillian's team was going to
vote for Jillian's team, and they had one
more vote," Daniel tells ET.
Payback brings a GTA clone
to the iPhone
By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming,
Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Grand Theft Auto isn't out for the iPhone,
but Payback is --it's basically a 3D version
of the old top-down GTA gameplay,
improved with better rendering and
lighting. You control the game by pressing
"buttons" on the screen, and tilting the
iPhone around, and Touch Arcade says it
works well. Some missions are apparently
tough, but in terms of what GTA is really
about -- driving around and generally
causing mayhem -- Payback will deliver.
Unfortunately, textures (both visual and
audio) are rough, as are the actual physics,
so it seems Payback is more of a " GTA
Apple* International* Movies*
could work on the iPhone" demo rather
than an actual game (though of course you
can play it, it probably just won't be as
fun). Still, we're in favor of any game
reaching high on the iPhone, and this one
definitely does.
Payback is out in the App Store now, for
a substantial $6.99. But it's worth it,
especially if you're a big GTA fan, just to
see such a complex game on Apple's little
handheld. Video on the next page.
Continue reading Payback brings a GTA
clone to the iPhone
TUAW Payback brings a GTA clone to
the iPhone originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
41
Photography: Katy
Grannan's best shot - 'She
wore a white wig and drew
all over her face and neck. I
knew I'd met my match'
By Leo Benedictus (From the
Guardian: G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
We've been working together for four
years, but Nicole still surprises me. I first
met her one morning in downtown San
Francisco. I saw her from across the street,
and I couldn't tell if she was a man or a
woman, or if she was starting her day or
ending her night.
I got her phone number, and eventually
we met up. I think it took some time for
her to trust me; then she found out that,
actually, she really enjoyed the work. She
is a very mercurial and elusive person, and
she presents a really interesting paradox:
she imitates what she thinks beauty should
look like, but then she tears it down like a
punk-rock Marilyn. She's like family now,
although I'd rather not say what she does;
if I reveal her life I think it would take over
the picture.
On this occasion, we were in the parking
lot at Crissy Fields, a really beautiful
tourist area near the Golden Gate bridge. I
want to be surprised, so I never plan
anything. But we were together, so we just
decided to go to the beach. On the drive
there, I'd said to her: "Let's do something
natural today. Let's not dress up or overdo
it." I just wanted to see her face without
any makeup.
While I was setting up the camera, she
got changed in the car. And this was what
she came up with. She was wearing this
white wig, and had drawn all over her face
and neck with black eyeliner. It was a very
strong gesture, and I had to laugh. It was
like, "Fuck you. This is how I feel like
being today." I knew I had met my match.
• Katy Grannan: The Westerns is at the
Photographers' Gallery, London W1 (020-
7831 1772), until 8 February.
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media
Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
42 Religion* Special*
Vatican update (boooooooo)
By E.E. Evans
Submitted at 1/28/2009 5:11:59 PM
It’s always interesting when writers take a
controversial story and approach it from
very different angles.
Such was the case today in the
continuing and complicated drama of the
Pope’s move to lift the excommunications
of the four traditionalist Society of St. Pius
X bishops.
Warning for mature audiences—the two
mainstream press stories contain the “r”
word (rehabilitate), one deemed inaccurate
by some folks in the comments pages. The
Catholic News Service story does not.
Let’s start with the lede of today’s article
from the Los Angeles Times:
The Vatican stood firm Tuesday on a
decision to rehabilitate a Holocaust-
denying bishop, even as Jewish leaders
warned that the move will set back decades
of Roman Catholic overtures to mend
strained relations between the two faiths.
The Vatican joined Jews and fellow
Catholics in condemning the British
bishop’s assertions that no Jews died in
Nazi gas chambers. But the Vatican also
said Richard Williamson’s ideas had
nothing to do with the decision by Pope
Benedict XVI to return him and three other
traditionalist bishops to the fold.
The controversy over lifting the
excommunication of Williamson came as
people worldwide Tuesday observed an
annual commemoration of the Holocaust.
This story focuses on the controversy
between Jewish leaders and Pope Benedict,
while paying almost no attention to the
internal dynamics of the Lebrebrevist
bishops and the laypeople in the Society of
St. Pius X.
The writer does include quotes from
Catholic leaders and from SSPX leader
Bishop Fellay himself expressing regret for
Radioshift from Rogue Amoeba
(Scripting News)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 8:02:26 PM
I've been wanting to record some NPR
shows that don't have podcasts, and I'd like
to record FreshAir as soon as its available,
so I've been looking for software that runs
on the Mac that will do this, and this
Bishop Williamson’s comments —it just
doesn’t headline them.
Here’s a revealing quote from Vatican
spokesman Father Lombardi:
Vatican spokesman Father Federico
Lombardi said Williamson’s
“unacceptable” ideas had “nothing to do
with the thinking of the pope or the ideas
expressed in the many documents of the
church that condemn the Holocaust.”
He said there has been no talk of
revoking the decision because it represents
a first step toward eventual reconciliation
with an entire religious community, not a
single clergyman. “This regards an issue of
the internal life of the Catholic Church,”
Lombardi said in a telephone interview
Tuesday.
That is certainly a view shared by many
of our commenters.
Lombardi then goes on to express
“surprise” at the breadth of the reaction-
and an apology.
Oh, and there’s another “R” word
mentioned here-the oft-noted, oft-quoted
Jesuit priest Thomas J. Reese. He does not,
nor can he, represent the entire spectrum of
opinion in the Catholic world, and it would
be a nice change if we saw other scholars
mentioned more often.
The article by in the New York Times
leads with Bishop Bernard Fellay’s
apology to the pontiff. Then the author
takes a closer look look at the SSPX.
The group’s founding documents,
available on its Web site, paint a picture of
a group deeply at odds with contemporary
society, nostalgic for the French monarchy
and hostile toward Jews, Muslims and the
Vatican itself, some of whose
pronouncements Archbishop Lefebvre
called “satanic.”
The society has “always refused to
follow the Rome of neo-Modernist and neo
-Protestant tendencies which were clearly
evening I stumbled across Radioshift, and
installed it.
I decided to go with this app because I
use Audio Hijack Pro and really like it, and
figured this would have the same fit and
finish, and so far it's even nicer that Audio
Hijack Pro
I'm curious if anyone else is using this
evident in the Second Vatican Council and,
after the Council, in all the reforms which
issued from it,” Archbishop Lefebvre
wrote in a “rebuttal to modernism” in
1974.
It is fair to ask whether the current
bishops share these views or are in the
process of changing the face of the
Society.
The writer goes on to present some
evidence that Williamson is not the only
Society member to hold anti-Jewish views:
In a letter to Germany’s 27 official
app and if so what do you think of it?
Do you use some other software on the
Mac to record Internet radio?
I was able to set up a subscription to
FreshAir in a couple of mouse clicks in
less than 30 seconds. It's hard to believe it's
that easy, but if you think about it, why
shouldn't it be that easy? Here's a screen
bishops in October, the director of the
society’s German branch, the Rev. Franz
Schmidberger, wrote that Jews “are not
‘our older brothers in faith,’ ” as Pope John
Paul II said in his historic visit to the Rome
synagogue in 1986.
Instead, Father Schmidberger wrote, “for
as long as they do not distance themselves
from their forefathers’ guilt through the
avowal of Christ’s divinity and baptism,
they are complicit in the deicide,”
according to a copy of the letter available
on the society’s Web site.
shot of what the subscription looks like. If
you choose to edit the subscription this is
what you get. Choose Preferences from the
File menu.
In other words, if you use AHP, it's
exactly what you would expect. Nice
work! Now let's see if it does its job
tomorrow morning. Maybe I can find
Daily Digital Newspaper
The Catholic News Service writer
emphasizes the repudiation of
Williamson’s anti-Jewish comments in her
lede:
Remarks made by a traditionalist bishop
who denied that millions of Jews were
murdered during World War II are
unacceptable, “foolish,” and in no way
reflect the position of the Catholic Church,
said the Vatican’s top ecumenist and major
dialogue partner with the Jews.
“Such gibberish is unacceptable,” said
German Cardinal Walter Kasper, president
of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity and the Pontifical
Commission for Religious Relations With
the Jews in an interview with the Italian
daily La Repubblica Jan. 26.
“To deny the Holocaust is unacceptable
and is absolutely not the position of the
Catholic Church,” he said, adding that the
bishop’s remarks were “foolish.”
Judging by the extensive coverage given
here to church officials distancing
themselves from William’s views, it
appears that Catholic leaders do not now
believe this to be solely an internal church
matter, but one that has consequences for
external relationships.
Yes, there are some highly debatable
points in some of the articles appearing in
the non-denominational media.
Some will argue that the baby should be
thrown out with the bathwater. I don’t.
Taken together, with appropriate
skepticism, they offer us morsels of insight
(the Lombardi quotes) additional
information (the SSPX website) and a
broader perspective.
“Correcting” that perspective has now
become a much more democratic venture
— time to hear from you.
Picture of Pope Piux X is from
Wikimedia Commons
something to record in the middle of the
night. Yup. I've got it programmed to
record three shows, with the first starting at
3AM.
Daily Digital Newspaper
What does “Christ-like approach” mean?
By dpulliam
Submitted at 1/28/2009 11:26:15 AM
Newspaper sports columnists around the
world jumped on an “incident” between
two Texas schools involving a 100-0
blowout as a juicy opportunity to explore
the issues surrounding youth athletic
competition (see here, here, here, here and
here). Aside from this well-reported
ESPN.com piece by Jeff Miller on the
history of high school blowouts, Barry
Horn of The Dallas Morning News has
provided much of the reporting muscle in
this story that combines youth athletics,
competitive values and Christian
educational institutions.
Horn’s story Friday on how the losing
school’s athletic director marked the 100-0
loss up as a win because his “girls never
quit” — as the opposing team continued to
apply a full-court press and score quick
and easy layups despite the lopsidedness of
the competition — launched the
international attention the schools are
receiving. The game actually occurred
about 10 days prior to the appearance of
this article, but the frenzy that occurred
after the article appeared touches some on
the religious element that drifts in and out
of the articles.
Here is Horns first article on the incident:
Queal said he hopes his school will work
“behind the scenes” with Dallas Academy
to make sure the schools continue their
“long-standing” relationship.
“I’ll say this,” Queal said of the Dallas
Academy girls, “that was an amazing
testimony to their tenacity and
perseverance.”
Edd Burleson, director of 236-member
TAPPS, had a different description. He
called the Class 2A, District 3 game an
“embarrassing incident.”
“Our motto is ‘Competition With
Honor,’” Burleson said. “I can’t see how
the one school can live up to that.”
TAPPS is the Texas Association of
Private and Parochial Schools, and the
losing school announced in this article that
they would no longer participate in the
league and canceled a game later this
month against the winning school. If one
reads between the quotes in this article,
this was not being considered a routine
beatdown. Something deeper was at stake.
Perhaps it is the special, undeserved,
sacredness the number 100 receives in
basketball lore?
Note how what becomes a series of
articles starts out focusing on how the
losing school played with the “amazing
testimony” of “tenacity and perseverance.”
This morality tale quickly changed its
focus.
The next day, Horn published an article
on the “winning” school’s apology for the
“victory without honor.” The school told
TAPPS that they really wanted to forfeit
the game, but the school on the losing end
of the game said they didn’t want to be
considered to have won a game they didn’t
win on the basketball court.
That is when the national spotlight
started shining brightly, according to
Horn’s article the following day. The story
steamrolled as the coach of the “winning”
team denounced his school’s apology,
stating that his girls “played with honor
and integrity.”
The article then quotes the entire
statement/apology from the winning
school, which interestingly includes the
claim that the incident did “not reflect a
Christ-like and honorable approach to
competition.” A companion piece explores
further what it means to play athletics with
honor:
Arin Harrison, an English teacher at Life
School in Oak Cliff, experienced what it’s
like to lose a basketball game, 103-0. She
was the center on a Duncanville ChristWay
team that lost to Arlington Oakridge in the
winning school’s Christmas tournament in
1998.
“It was a very vulnerable feeling being
out there on the court and having people
watch and laugh at you, basically,” she
recalled, adding that the Covenant-Dallas
Academy game brought back memories.
“It’s also the responsibility of the coach
on the winning team to teach lessons,”
Harrison said. “Let’s not take this
opportunity to completely crush another
team’s spirit. In high school sports, it
should be about building skills and
character as well, and it’s the coach’s
responsibility to instill that character into
Religion* 43
players.”
This talk of character, players’ spirits and
life lessons could easily be seen as secular,
non-religious lessons, but I can’t help but
noting that many of these incidents,
including the one from earlier this month,
involved religious institutions. Many of the
statements invoked Christian themes. Is
there more to their statements when they
say that they want to instill “character”
into their student athletes? As the story
plays out, apparently that is the case.
The next day, the “winning” coach was
fired, giving Horn yet another opportunity
to explore the morality of the story he had
been covering over the weekend. I would
love to know what Horn first thought about
this story when he published the first story
and whether he had any idea where it
would go.
Here is the end of the article:
Cheryl Bugg, whose daughter is one of
Covenant’s top players, said she didn’t
want to talk about the firing.
She said the parents of the team’s eight
players met with school officials Saturday
and outlined three goals for the program:
“We want to represent Christ with the
highest respect, we don’t want to humiliate
anyone ever and we want our students to
be enthusiastic in everything they do.”
What does it mean, as the school said in
its original statement apologizing for the
loopsided margin of the victory, to play
sports with a “Christ-like” approach? As
the mother of one of the student athletes
says above, what does it mean to
“represent Christ?” Is there a deeper
meaning to the athletic offense because the
students, administrators and family
members say they are representing Christ
as opposed to a vaguer sense of secular
athletic honor?
More specifically, do these student
athletes hold themselves to a higher
standard than one expected of athletes who
do not play for religious institutions? More
broadly, is there a religious angle to this
story that could receive more attention in
the news pages?
44 Religion* Entertainment*
What was he thinking?
By E.E. Evans
Submitted at 1/27/2009 2:28:18 AM
What was Pope Benedict’s intent when he
revoked the excommunications of four
bishops (one of whom is a Holocaust-
denier) from a movement that broke away
from the Roman Catholic Church twenty
years ago?
Do his conciliatory actions reveal an
intent to privilege internal unity over
external relationships between Catholics,
Jews, and various Christian bodies?
Is he trying to move the Catholic Church
away from the reforms (now almost half a
century old) of Vatican II? Did he foresee
the controversy? What of his previous
attempts to build bridges between Jews and
Catholics?
To my mind, these are all very legitimate
questions.
But when what we have are the terse
words of a spokesman, or the words of an
anonymous “Vatican insider”, the media
are left to piece together the evidence in a
detective-story way that inevitably has an
element of speculation.
Take the lede of this article from the
New York Times:
Pope Benedict XVI, reaching out to the
far-right of the Roman Catholic Church,
revoked the excommunications of four
schismatic bishops on Saturday, including
one whose comments denying the
Holocaust have provoked outrage.
The decision provided fresh fuel for
critics who charge that Benedict’s four-
year-old papacy has increasingly moved in
line with traditionalists who are hostile to
the sweeping reforms of the Second
Vatican Council in the 1960s that sought to
create a more modern and open church.
A theologian who has grappled with the
church’s diminished status in a secular
What's On Tonight: CBS Evening News, Life On Mars, Top Chef
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:03:00 PM
Filed under: Late Night, Programming,
Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch
Tonight, Reality-Free
• At 8, CBS has a special edition of The
CBS Evening News.
• NBC has a new Knight Rider at 8.
world, Benedict has sought to foster a
more ardent, if smaller, church over one
with looser faith.
But while the revocation may heal one
internal rift, it may also open a broader
wound, alienating the church’s more
liberal adherents and jeopardizing 50 years
of Vatican efforts to ease tensions with
Jewish groups.
The writer makes a few assumptions. It
isn’t clear whether the Pope intended to
reach out to the “far-right” within the
church as much as to traditionalists outside
it (insiders who aren’t identified).
I sincerely doubt that the Pope wants a
“smaller” church.
And while some of the Pontiff’s actions
have stirred controversy among Jewish
leaders and more liberal elements in the
Catholic church, he has also made attempts
to reach out to Jews.
Let me go out on the proverbial limb
here and confess that I like the way Time
handled this hot potato.
Here’s the lede:
Pope Benedict XVI has reinstated four
bishops from an archconservative
breakaway wing of the Roman Catholic
Church, a decision that is bound to stir
controversy within his own flock. But
Saturday’s announcement that the Vatican
will undo the 20-year schism between the
Vatican and the so-called Lefebvrian
movement is all the more sensitive because
it comes only days after the broadcast of an
interview in which British-born Bishop
Richard Williamson, one of those Benedict
is bringing back into the fold, denies that
the Nazi Holocaust ever happened.
“I believe there were no gas chambers,”
Williamson said. The bishop, who has
been accused of anti-Semitism in the past,
declared that the historical evidence was
“hugely against” the accepted belief that
• FOX has new episodes of American
Idol and Lie To Me.
• PBS has a two-hour installment of Make
'Em Laugh at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new Lost, then a new
Life on Mars.
• Food Network has a new Throwdown
with Bobby Flay at 9.
• There's a new Ghost Hunters
close to 6 million Jews were systematically
exterminated as part of Adolf Hitler’s Final
Solution. Williamson claims that no more
than 300,000 Jews died during World War
II.
The Vatican made no mention of those
remarks in the communique that
announced the papal decree that revokes
the 1988 excommunication of Williamson
and his three fellow bishops. Papal
spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said
the decree in no way means the Pope, a
International at 9 on Sci-Fi.
• Fine Living has a new Whatever,
German, shares Williamson’s views on the
Holocaust.
Basically, the writer’s lede avoids
inflated adjectives and lets the facts speak
for themselves. But he also got some
revealing quotes from a few Vatican
(unnamed, of course) officials that open up
the possibility that the Pope’s decision met
with some questions even within the walls
of the Vatican.
According to the Vatican official,
Benedict circumvented standing procedure
Martha at 9.
• Sundance has a new Spectacle at 9.
• At 10, NBC has a new Law and Order.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler
Perry's Meet the Browns at 10.
• FX has a new Damages at 10.
• MTV has a new Real World at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Top Chef.
Check your local TV listings for more.
Daily Digital Newspaper
“in cases of schism and heresy” that calls
for consultation with the doctrinal
Congregation office that he himself used to
lead. “There wasn’t the consultation as
there normally is in these cases,” the
official says. “There was much perplexity
in the Congregation.” He added that in
cases of revoking an excommunication
there must be a “concrete act of faith” to
demonstrate obedience to the Church’s
teachings and authority. The official
Vatican statement cited a letter by
Lefebvre’s successor, Bishop Bernard
Fellay, stating that the group has always
considered themselves obedient Catholics.
Here’s another perspective from Catholic
World News — one which doesn’t
mention the views of Bishop Williamson.
And from across the pond at the
Guardian.co.uk, we get a more incendiary
point of view, helpful for its quotes from
British groups—Williamson is British.
Listen to this brief interview with veteran
Vatican tea-leaf-reader, National Catholic
Reporter senior correspondent John Allen
on National Public Radio last night.
Short-term, at least, Allen describes the
Pope’s reinstatement of the four schismatic
bishops as a “catastrophe” for Catholic-
Jewish relationships.
There are undoubtedly tons of other
news links on this unfolding story. Please
send us some.
The firestorm has, predictably, already
aroused strong reactions from some of our
readers.
As in a forensic investigation, reporters
will continue to try to pull together the
facts to make a coherent and logical
whole—but it is almost guaranteed that
major questions will remain.
Picture of Pope Benedict XVI is from
Wikimedia Commons.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight:
CBS Evening News, Life On Mars, Top
Chef
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Daily Digital Newspaper
The undivisive issue of abortion
By Mollie
Submitted at 1/27/2009 7:26:34 PM
I’ve been under the weather for a few
days but didn’t want to overlook some
news coverage from the end of last week.
First, here’s a great local story about that
large March for Life that took place —
without much media notice, as per usual —
last week on the National Mall. (Above is
a YouTube of the March aired by EWTN,
a Catholic cable outlet.) The short piece is
by Ann Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette:
At least 5,000 people from the Pittsburgh
region were among the vast crowd of
abortion opponents who marched around
the capital earlier today on the 36th
anniversary of the Supreme Court decision
that legalized abortion nationwide. … The
march on the heels of the inauguration was
by one of the groups most opposed to his
election. But while most speakers at the
rally on expressed great concern about his
agenda on the issue, they nearly always
spoke of him with respect and called him
to dialogue with their movement.
After writing that march organizers
believed they’d exceeded 300,000
protesters this year and giving some
examples of respectful rhetoric, Rodgers
introduces us to one of the people who
made the trip from Pittsburgh:
Maria Ferreya, 36, an economics
professor at Carnegie Mellon University
was on one of two buses that left Oakland
before dawn carrying students from five
universities and parishioners from St. Paul
Cathedral. It was her first trip to the march.
“I felt a real urgency to come because of
the Obama administration,” she said, citing
his statement that the question of when a
human fetus is entitled to human rights is
“above my pay grade.” …
President Obama “is a very thoughtful
and reflective individual and it would be
NBC greenlights a remake of a remake of Parenthood
By Danny Gallagher (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:01:00 AM
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows,
Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free If
you're are sick of your TV remaking shows
wonderful if he would engage the question
and not dismiss it as outside his realm,”
she said.
The next day President Obama engaged
the question alright — by forcing
taxpayers to fund abortions. On Friday, he
lifted a ban on taxpayer funding of
international organizations that perform
abortions.
Here’s a story headlined “ Obama breaks
from Bush, avoids divisive stands.” Here’s
a sample of reporter Liz Sidoti’s puffery:
[Obama] largely avoided cultural issues;
the exception was reversing one abortion-
related policy, a predictable move done in
a very low-profile way.
Not divisive, one simple little policy,
predictable, done not just in a low-profile
way but a very low-profile way.
Gosh, it’s amazing that anyone found out
about this little move, much less cared!
Let’s go to Time magazine’s Jeff Israely:
President Obama is probably not itching
for a fight over abortion. But he might get
one. With unusual speed, the Vatican has
condemned Obama’s Jan. 23 repeal of the
ban on U.S. funding for foreign family
planning aid groups who offer abortion
services.
The repeal fulfils a campaign promise
Obama made to pro-choice supporters. But
if the late Friday afternoon signing was an
attempt to get the change in under the
radar, it didn’t work. Top Vatican officials,
usually hesitant to respond directly to
Washington’s domestic policy decisions,
pounced quickly. By Saturday afternoon,
the Holy See was emailing reporters the
Sunday edition of its official daily,
L’Osservatore Romano, which features a
front page headline describing Obama’s
decision as “very disappointing.” ( Read
“Shhh. Obama Repeals the Abortion Gag
Rule, Very Quietly.”)
and movies every season, don't fret. Your
TV has found a solution: remaking the
stuff they've already remade.
NBC has given the big ol' emerald glo-
stick to a remake of the movie Parenthood,
a movie that they have already turned into
The same day, the secular Milan daily
Corriere della Sera published an interview
with a top Vatican official lashing out at
the new U.S. President. Archbishop Rino
Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Academy
for Life, told the newspaper that the repeal
of the abortion-funding ban was done with
“the arrogance of those who, having
power, think they can decide between life
and death.” Troubled by the swiftness of
Obama’s pro-choice move, Fisichella
brushed off earlier vows by the new
president to try to cut the number of
abortions, while ensuring a woman’s
access to the procedure. “On ethical
questions, you can’t play with words,” said
the Italian Archbishop, considered close to
Pope Benedict XVI. “Hiding behind
sophisms isn’t worthy of he who has a
responsibility towards citizens. People
want clarity.”
I do look forward to reading more stories
about all the pro-lifers — evangelical,
Catholic and otherwise — that Obama
successfully courted during his campaign.
How do they feel about this action taking
place in the first week of the presidency?
Catholic columnist and Obama supporter
E.J. Dionne wrote back in November that
signing such abortion-related executive
orders upon taking office would “be both
politically foolish and a breach of faith
with the pro-life progressives” who
supported him. By yesterday he’d written
about the huge victory pro-lifers had by
getting Obama to wait one day in signing
the executive order lifting the ban on
taxpayer funding of international abortion.
Doug Kmiec is hoping for the Vatican
ambassadorship, but what about the other
pro-lifers who supported Obama? Are they
also pleased with this first week and, if so,
why? It would be nice to see some more
coverage of that angle.
a show.
Religion* International* Entertainment*
Former Labour minister Lord Truscott
resigns advisory role with multinational
energy company Lantis+Gyr
By Nicholas Watt (News: Main
section | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 1:26:00 AM
Lord Truscott, the former Labour minister
at the centre of allegations about "cash for
amendments", has resigned from a
multinational energy company that hired
him as a consultant. As further questions
were raised about another peer under
investigation, it emerged last night that
Truscott stood down as an adviser to
Lantis+Gyr after what company sources
described as a "difficult conversation".
Sources for the firm, one of the world's
largest manufacturers of smart meters for
gas and electricity suppliers, said they
were surprised when the peer, who was
paid £20,000 for his work, allegedly told
undercover reporters for the Sunday Times
that he had won "a commitment that smart
metering would be in the energy bill".
One company source said: "Gordon
Brown talked about smart meters three
years ago. The idea that Lord Truscott got
smart meters into a bill is fanciful. On
Sunday we had a discussion with him.
After a difficult conversation he resigned."
Lord Taylor of Blackburn, a second peer
who allegedly told the Sunday Times that
he had helped to amend draft legislation
"quietly, behind the scenes", was also
under pressure from firms that hired him as
a consultant.
As a Guardian inquiry found that
parliamentary rules about declaring outside
interests may have been broken after
payments to Taylor were made through a
business run by Janet Robinson, who is
now his assistant in the Lords , companies
which hired him indicated that they were
reviewing his services.
An Experian spokesman said: "We are
surprised by the descriptions given by Lord
Taylor about what he does for us. The full
The show is being produced by Imagine
Entertainment, the Ron Howard company
that produced and made the original
movie. The network has asked for a pilot
and former Friday Night Lights writer-
executive producer Jason Katims will
45
extent of Lord Taylor's role as consultant is
limited to providing us with general
advisory and introductory activities, which
he has declared as an interest. His role is to
keep us appraised on developments which
may be of interest to our industry and
provide basic advice on the appropriate
people our team ought to speak directly
to."
Canatxx, an energy company for which
the peer acts as adviser, issued a terse
statement. A spokesperson said: "As
declared on the publicly available register
of Lords' interest, Lord Taylor has been
working with Canatxx on its Lancashire
gas storage project since 2002. It would be
inappropriate to comment any further."
Taylor also faced new questions last
night after a Guardian investigation found
that he has been paid by Canatxx through a
company run by Robinson. Payments
totalling £44,264 in 1997 and £45,567 in
1998, when Taylor was a director of
Canatxx Energy Ventures Limited, were
paid to Janet M Robinson Business
Consultants "in respect of services
rendered by Lord Taylor", according to the
company's financial statement.
The payments were made 10 years ago
but Robinson is currently listed as one of
two staff in Taylor's office. This gives her
a security pass granting full access to
parliament. In the current register of
interests of Lords members' staff ,
Robinson lists her outside interests as
"none".
• House of Lords
• Lords reform
• Labour
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breathe life into it.
Continue reading NBC greenlights a
remake of a remake of Parenthood
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46 Religion* International*
Obama: Get (civil) religion
By tmatt
Submitted at 1/27/2009 12:52:17 PM
Here’s a term that you should get used to
hearing once again, during the era of
President Barack Obama — “civil
religion.”
You could, of course, make a case that
the Bush White House Mach 2.0 featured a
heavy dose of that brand of generic, lowest
-common-denominator religion that is so
popular with historians and scholars. It’s
the kind of vague faith that helps hold a
complex culture together.
But there’s the rub: Civil religion is the
kind of term that is popular with historians
and scholars, the kinds of people who
don’t think too highly of red-zone yahoos
like George W. Bush, who major in prickly
moral absolutes. Or perhaps it’s more
accurate to say that they tend to admire
people like Obama, who major in nuance
and displays of academic dialogue.
But there is no question that the faith-
based rites to raise up Obama pleased
many people who normally do not cheer
for a non-naked public square. Thus, civil
religion is back. Here’s the lede on a piece
of analysis from Daniel Burke and Kevin
Eckstrom at Religion News Service:
Seeking to revive a dispirited nation,
President Obama on Tuesday (Jan. 20) told
Americans to get religion — civil religion.
“We remain a young nation, but in the
words of Scripture, the time has come to
set aside childish things,” Obama said,
quoting St. Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians, in one of the few explicitly
Christian references in his address.
Although at times Obama adopted the
cadences of the black church that he called
home for 20 years, he borrowed little of its
content. Instead, Obama’s inaugural
address, like that of previous presidents,
drew heavily on what scholars deem
America’s civil religion: the transcendent
ideals laid out in the Declaration of
Independence and other foundational
documents.
Those ideals are often assumed — but
not always said — to be divinely inspired
or granted.
With my church-state studies
background, I had precisely the same
reaction to the address. I thought that what
Obama was doing was claiming that old-
fashioned brand of civil religion that
worked in the first half of the 20th
Century, yet has faded in power on the left.
The question, of course, is whether this
new old culturally liberal brand of civil
religion will be a hit with the public.
Obama, of course, has something else on
this side — genuine talent as a
speaker/preacher. He is able to serve as a
bridge between the faith of the Civil Rights
Movement and the public. That was the
thesis of my column for Scripps Howard
last week. The inauguration was the
ultimate sign that the language and
symbols of the civil rights prophets have
been woven into the civil religion
mainstream.
But what is the unique purpose of
America’s civil religion? Here’s a chunk of
my piece, quoting a young scholar who is
trying to relate this old term to new
content.
Presidential inaugurations are the “high
feast days” of the vague, but powerful,
faith that binds together a nation of many
races and creeds. To no one’s surprise,
religion played a major role in the rites for
Obama, said Darrin M. Hanson, a political
scientist at Xavier University of Louisiana.
“Obama has a preacher’s emotional style
of speaking and he uses that to bring
people together. It’s a skill he will need in
the days ahead,” said Hanson, who will be
analyzing the 2009 address as part of his
research into the role that presidents play
in America’s civil religion.
In this speech, Hanson said, Obama
wanted to deliver a few sobering,
“prophetic” messages as well as offer
“priestly” words to encourage the million-
plus people on the National Mall and the
millions more watching from coast to coast
and worldwide. …
When scholars describe “civil religion,”
they discuss words and rituals that try to
accomplish four major goals, argued
Hanson, in an essay entitled “The High
Priest of American Civil Religion:
Continuity and Change.”
First, American “civil religion” attempts
to promote unity while accepting religious
pluralism. Second, this faith must remain
separate from both the state and any
specific religion, he said. However, if it
ever favors a particular creed, it does so in
defense of fundamental human rights.
Finally, this “civil religion” provides unity
by appealing to shared values and beliefs,
acted out in common rites that are
acceptable to most believers.
So, Godbeat specialists, open up a new
file folder — either analog or digital. Look
up the email address and telephone number
for Martin E. Marty. Get ready for the next
oldline-mainline “civil religion” wave.
Daily Digital Newspaper
Victoria Coren on
Poker: expensive
decisions on the flop
By Victoria Coren (From the
Guardian: G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:31:16 AM
For two weeks, in the teeth of rigorous
online debate about how I should have
played my 6 6 in the PCA, I have argued
my case that half-hands like this (small
pairs, medium aces) are useful for re-
raising in the late stages of a tournament.
Or they can be folded. Some advocate
calling a raise to try to hit big, but I'm
absolutely against it. You can't afford
hopeful calls at this stage - unless you have
a dominant stack, when a bullying reraise
is still better - and, with a hand that is
neither strong nor a total bluff, you can get
stuck with a tricky, expensive decision on
the flop.
Here's an example from earlier in the
same tournament. I raise to 17,000 with
king of diamonds, 10 of diamonds and the
small blind calls. The flop comes five of
diamonds, eight of diamonds, 10 of hearts.
Perfect for me. He checks, I bet 50K out of
my 110K stack, and he moves all in.
Obviously I call; he shows ace of
diamonds, jack of diamonds. In this case,
we're 50/50. But he has made a bad error,
moving in with this hand when it's too late
for me to pass. There is no fold equity and,
against my average expected range, he
should be less than 50% to win. Against
the top of my range he'd be less than 40%.
If he reraised before the flop, I would
pass. Or (not seeing my cards) he could
simply have folded his half-hand. But the
indecisive call, hoping to hit the flop, has
landed him in that spot where he gets
involved for nearly all his chips with
neither the best hand nor any chance I'll
fold.
• Poker
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Symbolic win for gay rites! News?
By tmatt
Submitted at 1/27/2009 2:39:35 PM
After nearly three decades on the
Godbeat, and 15 years in the classroom, I
am still fascinated with basic questions
about the process of reporting and writing
the news. But, before you report and write
a story, you have to decide if a particular
event, trend or statement is or is not news.
For example, here is a hot-button story
from veteran religion reporter Julia Duin at
the Washington Times that strikes me as
rather important for a host — yes, even
scores — of reasons. Let’s find out what
readers think, starting with the top of this
story from this weekend:
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
inched closer to blessing same-sex unions
… when delegates approved a resolution
affirming “the inherent integrity and
blessedness of committed Christian
relationships between two adult persons.”
The resolution, which passed by an
uncounted show of hands by the 700 or so
Episcopalians meeting at the Reston Hyatt,
first recommended the diocese respond “to
the pastoral needs of our faithful gay and
lesbian members.” A second paragraph
defined the “relationships” as
“characterized by fidelity, monogamy,
mutual affection and respect, careful,
honest communication and the holy love
which enables those in such relationships
to see in each other the image of God.”
“There is a time to take that step and
follow Christ,” said Matt Johnson, a
delegate from Grace Episcopal Church in
The Plains, Va. “I think this is one of those
times. Yes, these relationships have
integrity and are blessed. For 20 years, we
have been talking about this. Let’s go do
American Idol: Salt Lake City Auditions
By Jane Boursaw (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:16:00 AM
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol,
Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Host
American Idol was in Salt Lake City
tonight, home of David Archuleta and The
Osmond Brothers (more on that later). It's
definitely one of the happier places the
judges have been, and even (most of) the
it.”
Now, the issue of same-sex unions is, of
course, rather important right now at the
local, regional, national and global levels
of the Anglican Communion.
Why is that? The Virginia diocese is a
large and historic body. It is also in the
midst of a very high-profile legal battle
with a number of very powerful
conservative parishes that have fled the
U.S. Episcopal Church to align with
traditionalist Anglicans in the Global
South. Millions of dollars of property is at
stake, along with some legal issues that
contestants who bombed out were
amazingly polite and good-natured. Still,
with a huge crowd of adoring fans flocking
around Simon Cowell as he entered the
building, you've gotta wonder what's going
on out there in Salt Lake City.
Anyway, let's get to it ...
David Osmond, 28, "Something Within
Me"
This cutie is the son of Alan Osmond, the
may — not “will,” but “may” — have an
impact in courts elsewhere.
So it seems to me that it would be
important if that diocese took an open,
unabashed step toward supporting rites to
bless gay unions and, thus, acts of sex
outside of the sacrament of marriage as
traditionally defined. Thus, the big
question in this Virginia resolution is the
meaning of the word “monogamy.” That
has been the flashpoint issue for gay
theologians for many years.
So, for scores of reasons, this seems like
a rather important story to me. Thus, I
oldest member of the performing
Osmonds. Alan had to quit the business
Religion* Entertainment* Movies*
went looking for it in the Washington Post
and in other mainstream media.
It seems that, with a link to an
evangelical scribe, that one gay online
publication thought this was an important
development on the candid religious left.
But I can’t find anything in the Post or
other mainstream publications. Isn’t this
victory for gays and lesbians in the
Episcopal Church news? It’s clear that
Virginia Episcopalians remain on the big
newspaper’s radar, because this story ran
just the other day. And it includes this
blunt set of facts:
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, who has
been bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of
Virginia for 24 years, announced yesterday
that he will step down Oct. 1 to make way
for a successor who was named in 2007.
The diocese, which covers northern and
eastern Virginia and includes 80,000
members, is one of the largest in the
Episcopal Church, the U.S.-based branch
of the global Anglican Communion.
One of the largest in the United States?
In the old South, too? And the new bishop
will:
… (I)nherit one of the largest and
costliest legal disputes in the history of the
Episcopal Church, a land fight with a
cluster of Virginia congregations whose
members voted to leave the national
church over what they see as its liberal
distortions of Scripture — and sought to
keep their church properties, worth tens of
millions of dollars. The breakaway
conservative movement recently won a
decision in district court, but the diocese
and the national church are appealing.
Golly. Sounds important.
Photo: Back by popular demand.
because of his multiple sclerosis, and he's
utterly emotional as he says how proud he
is of David, who also has MS. While
David was in a wheelchair for a while, he's
on his feet now and says the disease has
ups and downs. But being a member of the
famous clan doesn't stop the judges from
critiquing him. Kara doesn't like his runs,
and Paula wishes he would have picked a
song from a solo artist instead of a group.
47
David Cook
Heads Out On his
First Solo Tour
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 3:45:00 PM
"American Idol" champ David Cook
heads out on his first-ever solo tour, "The
Declaration Tour -- 2009," in support of
his eponymous album, released last
November. The tour launches on Feb. 13
in Tallahassee, FL and continues through
April 25 at various college campus and
major venues around the country.
"I'm more than excited to hop on the road
and support this record. This tour
represents both a new beginning and a
return to form for me," said Cook. "It's our
first full tour, and we're all ready to pour
whatever blood, sweat, and tears that we
can muster into making this show, and
every show from here on out, an
experience. Part of that experience is
bringing back this college tour idea.
There's something inherently nostalgic
about playing college shows. So many
amazing acts used to do it, so it's nice to be
able to bring that ideal back, in some small
way. And besides, touring on a bus beats
what we used to do, which was cram five
guys into a seven passenger van for one
show, 13 hours away... "
Cook's first single, "The Time of My
Life," recently went platinum, with over
one million tracks sold. "The Time of My
Life" is not only the biggest single debut
but the highest selling debut single in
"Idol"'s history.
Still, David gets that Golden Ticket to
Hollywood.
Continue reading American Idol: Salt
Lake City Auditions
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48 Religion* Entertainment* World Sport*
Do any ghosts haunt that spending bill?
By Mollie
Submitted at 1/28/2009 7:45:29 PM
I’m not sure if a single person in
Washington knows what all is in — or will
be in — the $825 BILLION spending bill
about to be passed by the Democratic-led
Congress. There might not even be a
current copy of the bill for taxpayers or
journalists to peruse. It makes it a very
difficult story to report— not that many
reporters are known for in-depth budget
reporting.
Ostensibly, the bill is designed to
stimulate our sagging economy. Which led
one reporter — ABC’s George
Stephanopolous — to ask House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., about one of the
spending provisions:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of
millions of dollars to expand family
planning services. How is that stimulus?
PELOSI: Well, the family planning
services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The
states are in terrible fiscal budget crises
now and part of what we do for children’s
health, education and some of those
elements are to help the states meet their
financial needs. One of those - one of the
initiatives you mentioned, the
contraception, will reduce costs to the
states and to the federal government.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies
for that?
PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to
deal with the consequences of the
downturn in our economy.
Turns out the contraception inclusion —
something no economist has called for as
part of any stimulus — might not make it
into the final bill. Not every random
inclusion of pork or other spending spree
Lost: Jughead
By Jonathan Toomey (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 10:03:00 PM
Filed under: OpEd, Lost, Episode
Reviews, Reality-Free
( S05E03)"Because... he's one of my
people." - Locke
I really need to get in the habit of taping
my mouth shut while watching Lost
because my jaw is always on the floor by
the end of every episode. Time-traveling
will have as much of a religious angle as
this one, but I’m sure there are others in
the bill. Federal funding of birth control
under the rubric of stimulus spending
certainly has more than a few ghosts, of
course.
Unfortunately if taxpayers and the press
only have a few hours to peruse the
lengthy bill before it’s passed, it’s not
likely that we’ll see much disclosure or
coverage of such provisions in the
spending bill. Of course, Drudge is
highlighting the $ 335,000,000 FOR STD
PREVENTION at the top of the page. But
has added an entirely new dimension
(literally) to the story-telling techniques of
this show and the first three hours of this
season have been some of Lost's best. The
flash-backs always lacked a certain amount
of tension because they already happened.
On the flip side of the same coin, the same
can be said about the flash-forwards
because you know they're going to happen.
But time-traveling has created this new
ripple where nothing has permanence
what about the other non-stimulus but
certainly noteworthy spending plans — for
education, health care and other items with
aims supported by the National Council of
Churches? I know the media are covering
this as a “stimulus” bill but there are some
possibilities pregnant for religion
coverage, to say the least.
As for Pelosi’s comments, they lit up the
blogosphere and the religious and pundit
side of the press, but there wasn’t much, if
any, mainstream news coverage. Last time
Pelosi talked about human life issues on a
Sunday morning program, it was at least
anymore, whether it happened, is
happening, or will happen. This is
covered by the media. Perhaps that’s
because Catholic bishops across the United
States corrected her for using Catholic
teaching to defend her political support of
abortion.
Here’s James Pethoukis of U.S. News &
World Report’s Capital Commerce blog
commented on Pelosi’s unique stimulus
views:
This is wrong on so many levels, one of
which is looking at children born to the
“wrong people” as economic burdens
rather gifts, the music makers, the
dreamers of dreams. She sees them as a
cost instead of blessed benefits. Wow.
He goes on to present the economic
argument for why decreased birth rate isn’t
the best thing for an economy. But he’s a
business blogger and there are more overt
religious arguments dealing with House
Democrat plans for hundreds of millions of
dollars in birth control.
There are religious advocates of birth
control. There are religious opponents of
birth control, taxpayer funded or not.
Unfortunately, neither voice is presented in
mainstream coverage because the line item
and its significance aren’t really loked into.
Another religious ghost is the means by
which the provision may be bumped.
Apparently President Obama told Pelosi to
get the provision out of there. Is there a
religion ghost there as well? Would it have
been a bridge too far for some of his
Catholic or other religious supporters who
crossed the aisle to support him? This is an
ongoing story about how the Democratic
Party learns to deal with some of its newly
found religious supporters, not just a
campaign issue.
mesmerizing stuff to watch unfold because
everything becomes new the second
Faraday, Locke, and Co. make a new
jump. They may not be altering the
ultimate outcome, but they are altering the
moment.
Continue reading Lost: Jughead
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Premier League: Gareth
Barry confident Aston Villa
can maintain fourth place
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:58:17 AM
Gareth Barry believes Aston Villa's
players are starting to show the "strong
mentality" needed to sustain their push for
a Champions League spot. Martin O'Neill's
side are five points clear of their main
rivals Arsenal in the battle for a Premier
League top-four finish after the Gunners
were held to a 1–1 draw at Everton last
night.
Barry, who has regained the captain's
armband in the absence of the injured
Martin Laursen, said: "We are in the
Champions League places. We are in with
a good chance of staying up there. We
have played everyone now, we know we
can beat anyone on our day and get a result
anywhere.
"We have got to aim high and that will be
the Champions League now. There is no
point in denying it. We are in form with
our run of results. That sort of form breeds
confidence into players and we are going
into games confident of winning."
Villa achieved a sixth successive away
league win at Portsmouth on Tuesday night
to put them in touching distance of the
leaders but Barry knows clinching a top-
four place is the priority. He continued:
"The aim is to try and get that fourth spot.
We have got to be realistic about it. There
are players in the dressing room who
haven't been in this situation before,
including myself.
"The majority of players haven't been in a
run-in where the pressure is going to be
getting to players and there is going to be a
lot at stake. You are going to need strong
players and a strong mentality. I think we
are getting that. If you are winning games,
there is a strong mentality there. We are
not always playing well but the results are
there and that is down to a strong
mentality."
• Aston Villa
• Martin O'Neill
• Premier League
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New Monasticism without pity
By Douglas LeBlanc
Submitted at 1/27/2009 8:34:38 PM
Darrah Johnson has written a masterpiece
of a story for The Washington Post
Magazine about young Catholics living in
an intentional community known as
Simple House(or, more fully, A Simple
House of Sts. Francis and Alphonsus).
Johnson concentrates most of her 7,900-
word story on Laura Cartagena. Small
details adds up to an honest narrative about
the challenges of living simply. In one
moment Cartagena firmly resists a
housemate’s suggestion of using shower
caddies in a bathroom. In another moment
she rushes to the comfort the survivors of a
young man who was murdered. (Simple
House volunteers had visited and prayed
with him only a few hours earlier, Johnson
reports.)
In one moment Cartagena grows
impatient because she’s being delayed in
meeting her boyfriend. Later, she leaves
for a convent in Italy for further
contemplation about whether she should
become a nun.
These details sound flat in summary, but
Johnson weaves them together in a way
that makes the ministry of Simple House
come alive. As Cartagena struggles with
whether she should become a nun, readers
may cheer her along in either direction.
Johnson tells the story that well.
There are many finely wrought
paragraphs in the story, but I’ll highlight
only two. The first involves Lucy (a “72-
year-old homeless schizophrenic who
came with the house when it was
Patrick Barkham: The strange tale of the MP and the grime star
By Patrick Barkham (From the
Guardian: G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Tinchy Stryder is a 22-year-old grime
artist from east London, enjoying the
highest new entry at No 3 in this week's
singles chart; Norman Lamb is a middle-
aged Liberal Democrat MP from Norfolk.
Oddly, however, the man hailed as the
"prince of grime" owes some of his
success to the politician who can now call
himself parliament's leading grime expert.
Stryder's tiny independent record label
donated”) and the other involves Cartagena
forming Simple House with one of her
friends, Clark Massey:
Lucy is now the only person in the
rowhouse with her own bedroom, a
sparsely decorated, tidy space where she
makes her bed every morning. The other
three bedrooms are shared by the
missionaries. It’s not entirely clear what
Lucy thinks about the sudden influx of
young women, though she sometimes
seems overwhelmed and annoyed.
Somehow, she has come to believe that
was created by Lamb's son, Archie, when
he was just 17, after his Lib Dem dad
remortgaged their home to loan him
£10,000. Archie and his friend Jack Foster
dropped out of school after booking
Stryder - then completely unknown - for
their urban music nights in Norwich and
persuading him to sign to their new label,
Takeover Entertainment.
"We were nervous when our son left
school halfway through sixth form to set
up a record business," says Lamb. "At the
time it seemed very naive and a bit crazy
but I've got a lot of time for what they've
Simple House is a funeral home, and that
people come here to die. Laura has tried
explaining that Simple House helps people
live, not die, but Lucy persists in her
morbid impressions. “I don’t know why
you just moved in here,” she has informed
some of the new arrivals. “You’re not
going to last very long.” Lucy lights a
cigarette at the stove.
… She was a student at Catholic
[University], and they both volunteered
with the same organization, working with
disadvantaged children in Northeast
pulled off. It's amazing."
Their big break came last year when
Stryder got a single on to the Radio 1
playlist. Takeover has acquired major label
muscle by signing a joint venture with
Universal, and Stryder will tour with Mobo
winners N-Dubz to promote his current
single, Take Me Back, and his hotly tipped
new album. "English music has been
waiting for ages for a non-threatening
urban act," says Archie. "Tinchy has got
the ability to write hit songs and there is no
malice about him at all, he's just a normal
lad."
Religion* International* Movies*
Washington but never really getting close
to them. Laura and Clark decided they
could do better. During long walks around
the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception, when Laura’s
much shorter legs worked double time to
keep up with Clark’s long stride, they
brainstormed ways to create a more
intimate and loving ministry. They wanted
to live like Jesus, among the poor,
befriending the poor. They wanted their
lives to be the antidote to something
Mother Teresa once said: “Today it is very
fashionable to talk about the poor.
Unfortunately, it is very unfashionable to
talk with them.”
Be sure to visit the photo gallery that
accompanies the story. If you enjoy
reading transcripts of online chats, this
conversation involving Johnson, Cartagena
and Massey is worthwhile. Cartagena says
she liked Johnson’s story but she would
not have written it as Johnson did.
Massey and Caragena say that members
of Simple House take no vows of celibacy.
“All volunteers are committed to chastity
and voluntary poverty while they are at A
Simple House, but it is not a life long
vow,” Massey writes. Duly noted.
For the ministry’s self-portrait,
Cartagena refers readers to a newsletter
archive. The newsletters are okay, as self-
promotional material goes, but they’re
deadly dull compared to Johnson’s story.
Painting of St. Francis Receiving the
Stigmata, attributed to Giotto, is used
under a Wikimedia Commons license.
Meanwhile Lamb, who is confident
Stryder's success will help Archie repay
his £10,000 loan, is juggling his day job as
Lib Dem health spokesman with evenings
of grime. Last week the MP got the
midweek charts texted to his mobile during
a select committee meeting and he often
races straight from parliamentary debates
to grime gigs. "He comes in a suit," says
Archie.
"It was very late at night and we were
surrounded by people with a lot of bling,"
Lamb says of one recent gig. "It's a
refreshing contrast to Westminster and it
49
Update: Mickey
Rourke Staying out
of the Wrestling Ring
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:40:00 PM
Rourke's trademark "Ram Jam" attack
remains the stuff of cinema.
'The Wrestler' star Mickey Rourke won’t
be donning spandex tights for a
Wrestlemania match after all.
A rep for the Oscar-nominated actor tells
the Associated Press that Rourke will not
do battle with WWE superstar Chris
Jericho at April’s Wrestlemania 25 in
Houston. “He is focusing entirely on his
acting career,” Rourke’s rep says.
Earlier Wednesday, the AP reported that
Rourke would face Jericho in the wrestling
ring. On Tuesday night, the actor even
squared off with the dastardly WWE heel
(who appeared by satellite) on “Larry King
Live.”
keeps your feet on the ground."
Although his grime connections are a hit
with his younger constituents, Lamb
doesn't want elderly voters to get the
wrong idea. "When I'm driving around
north Norfolk playing grime music I have
to be careful to keep my windows closed,"
he says.
• Urban music
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50 Religion* World Sport* Entertainment*
God of the goalposts
By E.E. Evans
Submitted at 1/28/2009 1:44:10 PM
Football and Christianity. Christian
witness and football-the two are
intertwined in contemporary culture.
The synergy is reinforced when a coach
like Indiana Colts Tony Dungy or a player
like the Arizona Cardinal’s Kurt Warner
makes headlines talking about his faith.
But what about the team chaplains—the
guys who function as spiritual team
leaders?
We don’t hear a whole lot about them in
the mainstream press, although religious
practice infuses American football.
A recent story on KTAR.com(which bills
itself as Arizona’s sports page) quotes
Cardinals chaplain Chad Johnson but is
more focused on the fellowship that occurs
when teammates gather for Bible studies
and prayer.
The lede has an illuminating quote in
which Chaplain Johnson isn’t reticent to
use the “d” word to describe his team.
Behind the scenes, away from the field
and the limelight, many Arizona Cardinals
bond through prayer and faith.
Chad Johnson is the team chaplain and
he said this season has been incredible.
“We feel a sense of destiny, and there’s
been all kinds of things specifically over
the last couple of weeks, that we just see
God’s hand in all of this,” Johnson said as
the team prepares for Sunday’s NFC
championship game between the Cardinals
and Philadelphia Eagles at University of
Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
Here’s a more profane riff on the
“destiny” theme from a column by the
“Couch Slouch” on The State website.
This commentary just proves that even
when satirizing a sport with such deep
roots in popular religious culture, it’s hard
not to take it seriously.
In a recent article on Johnson for the
ABC thinking of bumping Nightline for Kimmel
By Danny Gallagher (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 10:04:00 AM
Filed under: Late Night, Programming,
Reality-Free Call it the start of the slow
destruction of Nightline or the unwavering
confidence the network has in Jimmy
Kimmel. Either way, someone is getting
online Baptist Press, writer Art Stricklin
echoes that quote, emphasizing once again
the intimate relationship between religious
practice and sports worship.
A second Baptist Press story focuses on
new Steelers chaplain (and former Campus
Crusade sports ministry staffer) Kevin
Jordan.
Yes, articles written for a religious
publication can have a clear bias—looking
for the divine hand in the events of
everyday life. Factor that in as you read
these stories.
But there’s also an advantage in such
stories. They are upfront about their
“agenda.”
And this case, we get a glimpse of two
men whose work might have gone
unnoticed in the blaze of publicity around
quarterbacks and coaches.
bumped and someone is getting dumped.
It's the high school prom all over again.
The New York Times reports that ABC
is considering switching Jimmy Kimmel
Live with Nightline's time slot sometime
before or after Conan O'Brien makes his
move from Late Night to The Tonight
Show. That means Kimmel would no
Stricklin’s first few paragraphs in the
Steeler’s chaplaincy article nicely blend
sports and religion, keeping the tone light
and a bit wry:
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t believe in
putting many rookies in key roles on their
team.
Seeking their sixth Super Bowl title in
seven appearances, the AFC champions
thrive on veteran players and leadership to
take the Black and Gold to the football
promised land.
But this year, the Steelers turned to a
newcomer for matters of the soul: chaplain
Kevin Jordan.
And he concludes with a paragraph that
reminds his readers that being a football
fan isn’t an guaranteed ticket to godliness.
But this Steelers rookie, culminating his
return to the East Coast with Sunday’s
longer be messing with the natural order of
late night television. He would be a direct
Super Bowl test against the Arizona
Cardinals, has proven to be a quick learner
in helping one of football’s most storied
franchises score in the things of eternal
importance.
What a useful reminder that while
football may have its holy moments, it
doesn’t rank for believers among the
“things of eternal importance.”
One other comment: if the Cardinals win,
then Johnson’s words about the team of
“destiny’ may be acclaimed as prophetic.
And the Cardinals do have a
destiny—we just aren’t sure yet what it is.
Picture of the Steelers’ Ben
Roethlisberger from Wikimedia Commons
competitor to Conan's new show when it
hits the air later this year.
Continue reading ABC thinking of
bumping Nightline for Kimmel
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Premier League: Gareth
Barry confident Aston Villa
can maintain fourth place
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:58:17 AM
Gareth Barry believes Aston Villa's
players are starting to show the "strong
mentality" needed to sustain their push for
a Champions League spot. Martin O'Neill's
side are five points clear of their main
rivals Arsenal in the battle for a Premier
League top-four finish after the Gunners
were held to a 1–1 draw at Everton last
night.
Barry, who has regained the captain's
armband in the absence of the injured
Martin Laursen, said: "We are in the
Champions League places. We are in with
a good chance of staying up there. We
have played everyone now, we know we
can beat anyone on our day and get a result
anywhere.
"We have got to aim high and that will be
the Champions League now. There is no
point in denying it. We are in form with
our run of results. That sort of form breeds
confidence into players and we are going
into games confident of winning."
Villa achieved a sixth successive away
league win at Portsmouth on Tuesday night
to put them in touching distance of the
leaders but Barry knows clinching a top-
four place is the priority. He continued:
"The aim is to try and get that fourth spot.
We have got to be realistic about it. There
are players in the dressing room who
haven't been in this situation before,
including myself.
"The majority of players haven't been in a
run-in where the pressure is going to be
getting to players and there is going to be a
lot at stake. You are going to need strong
players and a strong mentality. I think we
are getting that. If you are winning games,
there is a strong mentality there. We are
not always playing well but the results are
there and that is down to a strong
mentality."
• Aston Villa
• Martin O'Neill
• Premier League
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Behold, this is post No. 4000
By tmatt
Submitted at 1/28/2009 2:20:06 PM
There is nothing special about this
particular GetReligion post, other than the
fact that this is post No. 4000 in the history
of this here weblog.
So this might be a good time to click
here and cruise through the “What we do,
why we do it” post that announced the
birth of the site. Here is how that opens:
Day after day, millions of Americans
who frequent pews see ghosts when they
pick up their newspapers or turn on
television news.
They read stories that are important to
their lives, yet they seem to catch fleeting
glimpses of other characters or other plots
between the lines. There seem to be other
ideas or influences hiding there.
One minute they are there. The next they
are gone. There are ghosts in there, hiding
in the ink and the pixels. Something is
missing in the basic facts or perhaps most
of the key facts are there, yet some are
twisted. Perhaps there are sins of omission,
rather than commission.
A lot of these ghosts are, well, holy
ghosts. They are facts and stories and faces
linked to the power of religious faith. Now
you see them. Now you don’t. In fact, a
whole lot of the time you don’t get to see
them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t
there.
Now, there is a rather ironic fact about
the timing of post No. 4000. It comes only
a few days before another market on this
road in cyberspace.
Bob Saget may be returning to ABC
By Brad Trechak (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 11:00:00 AM
Filed under: Industry, Celebrities,
Pickups and Renewals, Casting, Reality-
Free It looks like Bob Saget might be
going back to the world of ABC sitcoms.
His previously-abandoned-by-The-CW
This coming Monday, Feb. 2, marks the
fifth anniversary of the birth of the site,
when the Rt. Rev. Douglas LeBlanc fired
up a humble little corner in Typepad and
the two of us started on this interesting
journey. We will do what we always do on
or around the anniversary date, which is
point you toward some of our posts from
the previous year that were the most
interesting or significant, to each of us as
writers.
Meanwhile, here is what we want you to
do.
Let’s consider this an open thread on
whether any of this matters.
vehicle Surviving Suburbia is looking to
find a home on the network that brought us
Saget in the 90's via Full House and
America's Funniest Home Videos.
I don't know much about Surviving
Suburbia outside of its premise (a couple
living in the suburbs get new wacky next-
door neighbors). It sounds too much like
Keep it clean, but read that founding
essay and give us some feedback on how a
tiny pack of hyper-busy, stressed-out stiffs
like your GetReligionistas could be doing a
better job. Yes, we already know that we
need to read all of the major papers in
major cities around the world and
comment on what we see. We wish we
could do so much more.
So be realistic. Tell us about some of
your favorite posts. Tell us about some of
your least favorite posts. And I’ll remind
you again, please focus on the journalistic
side of all of this.
Go for it.
those formulaic sitcoms that I loathe. Their
Religion* International* Entertainment*
Theatre review: Complicit /
Old Vic, London
By Michael Billington (News: Main
section | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:17:35 AM
Kevin Spacey has lately enjoyed an
excellent run of form at the Old Vic. It
comes to an abrupt halt, however, with this
ham-fisted American political thriller by
Joe Sutton.
Since the play raises such issues as
assaults on press freedom and the
executive's violation of the Geneva
Convention, it sounds fascinating; but Mr
Sutton has an extraordinary knack of
sidestepping the moments of real drama.
His hero, Ben Kritzer, is a Pulitzer Prize-
winning journalist who, in the wake of
9/11, had written a powerful opinion piece
advocating the use of torture in "the war on
terror".
Given hard evidence of America's brutal
military tactics and disregard for
international law, he has since undergone a
change of heart and, thanks to a state
department source, has published
incriminating documents.
As a result, he finds himself up before a
grand jury on a charge of espionage. The
key question is whether he will protect his
source and risk prison, or, as his wife and
lawyer fervently hope, save his own
skin.
Having devised such a scenario, a
dramatist has several options. One would
be to explore the hero's moment of
Damascene conversion.
Another would be to admit us to the
grand jury hearing, and show the hero torn
between moral defi ance and self-
preservation. But, unbelievably, Sutton
best bet for promoting something
interesting is having Saget act like the
pervert he acts like in his stand-up routine
(as seen in the movie The Aristocrats).
Make the show more for adults and make
Saget a dislikable main character similar in
execution to Archie Bunker.
Still, with a title like Surviving Suburbia,
51
ducks such golden opportunities and keeps
us hanging around in the antechamber of
drama.
What we get is a three-way tussle over
tactics between Ben, his wife, and his
lawyer, interspersed with TV footage of an
Andrew Marr interview. It is rather like
being kept waiting outside the Colosseum
while the Christians are being thrown to
the lions. It also doesn't help that the hero,
far from being a man wrestling with his
conscience, emerges as a posturing
windbag all too ready to deliver
sententious messages about the failure of
the post-Vietnam generation to live up to
its ideals.
Spacey's production is oddly cast.
Richard Dreyfuss as Ben never seems on
top of the material, and is given to
prowling around the Vic's new in-the-
round stage barking at people rather than
conversing with them. He also seems five
times as old as Elizabeth McGovern, who
is sadly wasted as his wife. It is left to
David Suchet to give us the evening's real
performance as his slippery counsel.
Through sheer technical finesse, Suchet
shows how even liberal American lawyers
are pressurised into doing deals rather than
pursuing justice. But not even the majestic
Suchet can redeem a play that talks about
the big issues without ever properly
dramatising them.
• Theatre
• Kevin Spacey
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it's more than likely that the show is going
to be formulaic and bland (think According
to Jim). There's likely a reason The CW
abandoned it (other than Saget) . Sadly, as
a result of his television work in the 90's,
"bland" is what Saget is mostly known for.
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52 International* Special Feature Daily Digital Newspaper

Zia Mahmood on bridge: A Letters: Wayne's world

scenario from last year's Gold Cup (News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
W Stephen Gilbert
Corsham, Wiltshire
which confounded even the experts Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM

Well, high hopes are often impossible to

By Zia Mahmood (From the
Guardian: G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:42:03 AM
The free service Bridge Base Online lets
you watch matches and tournaments from
all over the world. Commentary is
provided by expert players, but, from time
to time, even they can be confounded.
Take today's deal from the semi-finals of
last year's Gold Cup, Britain's most
important tournament - imagine you are in
the commentator's seat, and see if you can
explain to the audience what is about to
happen, and what should have happened.
seven to this trick, but East continues with
a third club ruffed by declarer. At this
point everyone was unanimous: South
would draw trumps and play a heart
towards the king in an attempt to set up a
discard for a losing diamond; when that
failed he would try a finesse of the jack of
diamonds and go one down. Is that what
you predicted?
How, then, will you explain to the
audience what happened instead? South
ruffed the third club, crossed to the jack of
spades, ruffed dummy's last club, crossed
to the king of spades and led the five of
hearts. East played the six to show an even
satisfy (Report, 24 January). Yet the
continued use of pilotless bombs on
villages in Pakistan shows two things: one
that even Obama evidently feels a political
need to show that he is "tough on
terrorism". And if three small children are
dead as a result, that is just Realpolitik as
the Germans say. The other is that the
suspense as to whether the new American
president will represent "change" or merely
more of the same is already over.
Martin Cohen
Editor, the Philosopher
I just caught up with Xan Brooks's
Mark Cocker is excited by the white-
tailed eagle's reintroduction to Norfolk
(Country diary, 26 January). But I've been
told by a resident of a Scottish western
island that the bird is killing the already
diminishing number of hares.
David Knight
Lewes, East Sussex
Jeremy Spencer (Letters, 28 January)
would like this one. At a recent social
More of London
gathering my wife, on being introduced to
someone, was asked, "What does your
from above, at
husband do?" When she replied, "He's a
pilot." They said: "Oh, so you were an air
hostess were you?"
night
(The Big Picture)
John Carter
Oxford Submitted at 1/28/2009 9:24:45 AM

Game all, dealer East.
You are off to a good start when you
predict that East will pass and South will
open one spade. Some of your fellow
expert commentators are of the opinion
that West should overcall two hearts,
others believe that vulnerable facing a
passed partner the call is risky. West is of
the latter persuasion - he passes and North
raises to four spades, which becomes the
final contract.
You keep up your flawless analysis when
you announce that West will lead the jack
of clubs. Now, will declarer make his
contract, and how will the play go? East
overtakes the jack of clubs with the queen
and cashes the king; the panel debates
whether West should play the ten or the
number, and South calmly covered with
the seven. Now it was all over - West won
the trick with the nine, but a diamond lead
would run round to declarer's tenace, and a
heart continuation would allow declarer to
discard dummy's losing diamond on the
king of hearts. Of course, once East - who
had passed as dealer - turned up with the
three top clubs, South knew that West had
the ace of hearts and played accordingly. If
you'd been in the East seat and not the
commentator's chair, would you have put
the ten of hearts on the five?
• Bridge
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sidebar (Those other miscast stars, 24
January) in which he cites the miscasting
of John Wayne in The Greatest Story Ever
Told, playing the centurion who delivers
the deathless line: "Truly, this man was the
son of Gaarrd. "But Brooks neglects the
greatest part of this particular story. After
several duff takes, director George Stevens
took Wayne aside and said, "Duke, could
you try to do it with awe." "Sure thing,
George," cried the thespian gamely. Back
on his mark, he essayed the line again this
way: "Aw, truly this man was the son of
Gaarrd."
Delia Smith recommends sieving flour to
aerate it when making cakes: my wife
agrees with the reasoning, but my son and
I think this is merely a leftover from the
time when flour was bought loose and
needed to be sieved to remove the detritus
that Veronica Duggan describes (Letters,
28 January).
Peter Baker
London guardian.co.uk© Guardian News
& Media Limited 2009 | Use of this
content is subject to our Terms &
Conditions| More Feeds
In August of last year, I was happy to be
able to share some amazing photos of
London, as seen from above at night by
photographer Jason Hawkes. That entry
continues to be one of the most
consistently popular ones I've ever put
together, so I was happy to hear from
Jason again recently, and to find that he
wanted to share another 24 photos from
2008 below. Jason shot these images with
a camera attached to gyro-stabilized
mounts from a Eurocopter AS355, hired
out at around £1150 (GBP) per hour, using
Nikon gear and either a 14-24mm or a 70-
200mm lens. Even with that, the low light
and heavy vibrations can make things
difficult, Jason says "I often shoot tethered
to my MacBook Pro to check the sharpness
of the images whilst I shoot." Mr. Hawkes

Sky sees brighter future in high definition
By Richard Wray (News: Main
section | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
BSkyB defied the economic gloom
yesterday with news that it is hiring 1,000
people as it begins its third decade with a
campaign to persuade customers to sign up
for high-definition television services.
Announcing that the satellite broadcaster
added a better-than-forecast 171,000
customers in the last three months of last
year, chief executive Jeremy Darroch said
there are 7m HD-ready television sets in
the nation's living rooms and enough
content to make it worth pushing the
technology hard, despite the recession.
"It's all too easy to hunker down and try
to ride out the storm but I think for our
business that would be a mistake," he said.
"If you already have an HD TV at home
and want to get HD-quality content, we
have over 11,000 hours of high-quality
content for the price of a Blu-Ray DVD."
Sky is slashing the cost of its Sky+HD
box by two thirds to £49 and launching a
multimillion-pound advertising campaign
as it tries to increase its HD customers
from the 779,000 it had at the end of last
year to more than 3 million by the London
Olympics in 2012.
To deal with its largest marketing drive
since the launch of broadband in 2006, Sky
is recruiting about 600 new engineers and
400 call centre staff as it opens a new
customer centre in Leeds.
Sky's 20th-birthday celebrations next
week are likely to be hearty after the
company announced better-than-expected
results that pushed its shares up 12%.
Sky added 171,000 new customers in its
second financial quarter - compared with
167,000 in the same period in 2007 - as
cash-strapped consumers opted to stay at
home. Sky now has 9.24 million customers
with 13% taking all three of its services -
TV, broadband and home phone.
Sky Broadband reached 1.955 million
has agreed to jump into the comments and
answer some of your questions as well, so
feel free to ask. ( 24 photos total)
subscribers, with 163,000 net additions, The O2, formally Millennium Dome,
and Sky Talk customers increased by now an entertainment complex in
139,000 to 1.5 million, reaching the 2010 Greenwich, London. (© Jason Hawkes)
target more than two years ahead of plan.
Revenue for the six months to the end of
December was up 6% to £2.6bn with
operating profit up 26% to £388m.
• BSkyB
• Television
• Media business
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Ronan Bennett and Daniel Letters: Negative impact of
King on chess: Halkias- the Severn barrage
Perunovic, Serbia, 2008
By Ronan Bennett (From the
Guardian: G2 | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 3:17:17 AM
Halkias-Perunovic, Serbia, 2008.
Black is under pressure.
How should he defend?
RB: On the principle that when you're
under pressure you should exchange if you
can, I'm going to take the knight on e5. But
first I have to check that the line actually
works - my queen, after all, is en prise:
1...Nxe5 (obviously I need the bishop to
defend the dark squares around the king)
and if 2 Bxe7 Nxg4 3 Bxf8 Bxf8 Black is
winning. So, in the absence of any
unpleasant tricks, White will have to make
a straightforward recapture of the knight
with 2 dxe5.
Trouble is I don't like the look of this:
White can either double rooks on the open
d-file or swing the d3-rook over to the h-
file, creating more threats against the king.
And, of course, Black's queen is still en
prise and there aren't a lot of available
squares. Should it go to the back rank or
c5, from where it threatens the e5-pawn?
The more I look at the position the more
worried I am.
DK: All White's pieces are in play, and
in threatening positions, while half of
Country diary: Highlands
By Ray Collier (News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Thirty-eight years ago I was warden on
the then Inverpolly National Nature
Reserve on the Sutherland/Ross-shire
border. Three of the locally common
breeding birds were the black grouse, rock
dove and corncrake. The black grouse used
to feed on the catkins and buds on birch
trees next to our garden fence. Rock doves
nested in sea caves along the coast and in
clefts in the towering cliff behind our
house.
Black's are still on their starting blocks - it
does not bode well for Black's king.
Exchanging the attackers is the best way
out, but I share Ronan's misgivings of
1...Nxe5 2 dxe5 Qc5. After 3 Qh4, with the
idea Rh3 or Be7 or Bf6, I don't think Black
can survive.
But 1...Bf6 isn't so bad. If 2 Bxf6 Qxf6,
one attacker has gone, and the queen can
slip back to g7 to defend the king. If 2
Bh6, Black hangs tough and chases the
exchange: 2...Bg7. OK, so White can
repeat and claim a draw, but from this
position that's a moral victory. White still
has attacking options, but Black's situation
is improving - he is still looking to chop
off the knight on e5, and in that case the
position gets better again. Black is a pawn
ahead, and with every exchange that pawn
gets more valuable.
In the game, Black played the suicidal
retreat 1...Qe8, giving White a free hand
on the kingside. We'll see what happened
to him next week.
chess@guardian.co.uk
• Chess
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In late summer, on the weekly visit to
Lochinver, just to the north up the coast, I
would see black grouse and rock doves
feeding on the stooks in the numerous
small hay fields. Corncrakes bred in the
hay fields and, although seldom seen, their
"crex crex" calls seemed everywhere,
especially at night. All three have long
since gone with the black grouse retracting
its range to the south and east. The rock
dove has so interbred with the feral
pigeons from doocots and racing pigeon
lofts that, as a pure species, it may possibly
now be extinct in Britain. As for the
corncrake it is difficult to imagine how
(News: Main section |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
While the Severn tidal power options are
innovative and bold (Report, 27 January),
it's clear not enough attention has been
paid to adverse effects on natural habitats
and shipping into Bristol and other ports.
Earlier government briefings recognised
that a barrage would need a lock to allow
ships through; however this will limit the
size and range of ships that currently go to
Bristol and elsewhere. It could also cause a
queue of ships, which would endanger the
future of these ports. The feasibility study
acknowledges that some of the more
substantial options for harnessing tidal
power (especially the Cardiff-Weston-
super-Mare barrage) will have negative
impacts on the port of Bristol to the tune of
hundreds of millions of pounds and
thousands of job losses.
While the amount of green energy
harnessed from any of the five shortlisted
options will be significant, limiting entry
to the ports of Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester,
Newport and Sharpness will have a
significant impact on carbon emissions, as
it will force businesses to move goods
currently transported on the water, back on
widespread it was in Britain but the
Northamptonshire poet John Clare gives us
an idea. In his poem, Landrail, written in
the 1820s, the first lines are: "How sweet
and pleasant grows the way / Through
summer time again / While landrails call
from day to day / Amid the grass and
grain." Clare knew the corncrake as
landrail and it was obviously a common
breeding bird with him. He even recorded
the chicks running as soon as they have
hatched and adults dust bathing.
The corncrakes may have gone from the
Inverpolly area but the fight for them in
parts of the Highlands goes on. Grants to
International* World Sport*
to already congested motorways. We fully
support alternative energy innovation and
believe the dynamic tidal processes of the
Severn estuary are crying out to be
harnessed, but this can and should be done
in such a way as to achieve the best
outcome for everyone.
Sam Webber
Freight by Water
The monolithic NHS IT project, which
has required huge public subsidy and
suffered massive cost overruns, while
earning lots of money for consultancies, is
"on the brink of failure". Meanwhile, the
shortlist of Severn tidal energy schemes is
strongly biased to expensive, monolithic
projects that will require subsidy, suffer
overruns and reward consultancies, instead
of cheaper, more flexible and less
environmentally damaging schemes such
as tidal lagoons.
Chris Webster
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
• Wave, tidal and hydropower
• Energy
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farmers and crofters in the Western Isles
have changed the pattern of hay-making to
favour the corncrakes. In the first study
year, 1993, there were 446 calling males
and then, in 2007, there were 1,236 calling
males. The dip to 1,140 males in 2008 is
under investigation.
• Rural affairs
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53
Premier League: Rob
Smyth questions why
Liverpool's Rafael Benítez
substituted Steven Gerrard
against Wigan
By Rob Smyth (The latest football
news and comment plus rugby,
tennis, cricket and horse racing |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:34:35 AM
Many observers feel that, in a sporting
sense, Rafael Benítez is losing his mind,
but arguably the real problem is that he
knows his mind too well. Benítez's much-
criticised decision to substitute Steven
Gerrard at Wigan last night was the latest
in a burgeoning list of dubious calls by a
man who is apparently so secure in his
own judgment that he is increasingly
struggling to see the wood for the trees.
Benítez is now in very real danger of
making a dogmatic breakfast of
Liverpool's title challenge.
He is becoming increasingly and
dangerously isolated, and if Liverpool do
not win the league he will, probably
unfairly, cop almost all of the blame. He
needs every friend he can get just now, but
that's no reason to have one of the few men
he can really trust, Gerrard, on the bench
with him in the closing minutes of a crucial
game. Independence of thought and
certainty in your own judgment are
hallmarks of a great manager – remember
the Brian Clough quote about talking over
something for 20 minutes and then
deciding he was right – but such a strength
can also be a weakness, and if Benítez
thinks any further outside the box he will
do himself a mischief.
He, like so many managers before him,
has a serious think problem. (Although
given that this is a blog about a
substitution, that statement may be the
definitive example of the pot doing what it
does to the kettle.) Tony Adams's decision
to omit Jermain Defoe from his first game
as Portsmouth manager, away at
Liverpool, was a classic example of
thinking too much, as was Graham
Taylor's decision to leave Paul Gascoigne
out away to Ireland in 1990 and play
Gordon Cowans. The undeniable slivers of
logic in both decisions were obscured by
their ostentatious eccentricity. The same
PREMIER page 55
54 World Sport*
Premier League: Rob Smyth questions why Liverpool's
Rafael Benítez substituted Steven Gerrard against
Wigan
By Rob Smyth (The latest football
news and comment plus rugby,
tennis, cricket and horse racing |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:34:35 AM
Many observers feel that, in a sporting
sense, Rafael Benítez is losing his mind,
but arguably the real problem is that he
knows his mind too well. Benítez's much-
criticised decision to substitute Steven
Gerrard at Wigan last night was the latest
in a burgeoning list of dubious calls by a
man who is apparently so secure in his
own judgment that he is increasingly
struggling to see the wood for the trees.
Benítez is now in very real danger of
making a dogmatic breakfast of
Liverpool's title challenge.
He is becoming increasingly and
dangerously isolated, and if Liverpool do
not win the league he will, probably
unfairly, cop almost all of the blame. He
needs every friend he can get just now, but
that's no reason to have one of the few men
he can really trust, Gerrard, on the bench
with him in the closing minutes of a crucial
game. Independence of thought and
certainty in your own judgment are
hallmarks of a great manager – remember
the Brian Clough quote about talking over
something for 20 minutes and then
deciding he was right – but such a strength
can also be a weakness, and if Benítez
thinks any further outside the box he will
do himself a mischief.
He, like so many managers before him,
has a serious think problem. (Although
given that this is a blog about a
substitution, that statement may be the
definitive example of the pot doing what it
does to the kettle.) Tony Adams's decision
to omit Jermain Defoe from his first game
as Portsmouth manager, away at
Liverpool, was a classic example of
thinking too much, as was Graham
Taylor's decision to leave Paul Gascoigne
out away to Ireland in 1990 and play
Gordon Cowans. The undeniable slivers of
logic in both decisions were obscured by
their ostentatious eccentricity. The same
applies to most of the decisions that
Benítez has made recently.
Last night, however, it was hard to see
even a sliver of logic. The reality is that
replacing Gerrard probably didn't matter,
so winded were Liverpool by the timing
and manner of Mido's goal, but the
decision was so wilfully controversial,
such an obvious assertion of Benítez's
authority, as to invite the perception that he
would have no qualms whatsoever about
munching off his nose if he thought his
face wouldn't like it. There are, as Minnie
Driver said in the film Grosse Pointe
Blank, some things that you do not do –
you do not do– in a civilised society. In a
sporting society, substituting Gerrard, the
most sacred of English footballing cows,
has become one such thing.
This is not to say that replacing Gerrard
is wrong per se. He is in the top 30 most-
subbed players in Premier League
history(is that the most tragic use of
statistics ever? Yes, yes it is), and last
night was the 25th time he had been taken
off by Benítez in a Premier League game.
More tellingly, however, it was only the
fifth time he had come off when Liverpool
were not ahead. Two were draws at Aston
Villa, in 2004–05 and 2006–07, that had
no relevance at all to the title race; another,
at Reading last season, came when
Liverpool were 3–1 down and Benítez
decided not entirely unreasonably to cut
his losses ahead of a crucial Champions
League game at Marseille 72 hours later.
The fourth was also last season, at
Goodison Park, and that time Benítez was
entirely justified (even if Gerrard's
replacement was Lucas Leiva). A hot-
headed Liverpool, taking their lead more
than ever from a frenzied Gerrard, were
struggling to break down 10-man Everton:
they needed the forensic rather than the
frenetic, and created chance after chance
after chance once Gerrard went off,
eventually winning the game 2–1. Gerrard
threw a wobbler and Benítez would have
barely received more public criticism had
he cast aspersions as to the sexual mores of
the granddaughter of a man who used to
play a Spanish waiter, but any detached
analysis of the game showed he was
absolutely right. In fact, in its courage,
insight and ultimate success, it was one of
the great substitutions of modern times.
Last night, however, was completely
different contextually. Anathema as the
notion is Benítez, whose control-freakery
was dissected splendidly in Paul Doyle's
recent blog, Liverpool needed hot heads to
chase two points that had been
unexpectedly taken from them. He cited
simple tiredness – and it was notable that,
on television at least, Gerrard did not
appear to dispute the decision one iota,
which contrasted markedly with that funk
at Everton last season – but surely with
Gerrard, one of maybe 10 players in the
world who almost redefine indefatigability,
who can run on pure bronca, that is as
close to an irrelevance as a legitimate
physiological concern could ever be. Add
in the fact that he has been playing
exceptionally well of late, carrying an
increasingly downtrodden team almost
single-handedly, and it became an even
more curious course of action.
Benítez, of course, had originally
planned to make that change at 1–0. In that
respect it was perfectly reasonable: Robbie
Keane, if nothing else on current form, is a
willing and loyal hound, who would chase
around the pitch as Wigan inevitably
dictated possession in a way that a weary
Gerrard would not have been able to do.
Tiredness, as any schoolboy knows, hits
you so much more when you are defending
than when you are attacking.
Yet once Wigan equalised, the narrative
of the game – and the season – had
changed so significantly that to persist with
this pre-planned strategy was as perverse
as going out in shorts and flip-flops even
though bright sunshine has just given way
to the mother of all storms. Maybe Benítez
simply didn't react quickly enough to that
changing narrative. Maybe in this instance
he wasn't so much overthinking as
underthinking. Either way, most will feel
that, at the moment, he is certainly not
thinking straight.
• Steven Gerrard
• Rafael Benítez
• Liverpool
• Premier League
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Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Football: Amy Lawrence
believes there are signs of
renewed optimism at Leeds
and Sheffield Wednesday,
two big clubs brought low
by financial folly
By Amy Lawrence (The latest
football news and comment plus
rugby, tennis, cricket and horse
racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:23:03 AM
It is doubtful that the Abu Dhabi
investors trying to throw money at
Manchester City have ever heard of Peter
Ridsdale, but they might be interested to
hear about "living the dream".
That famous phrase, used by the former
Leeds United chairman Ridsdale, was one
heck of a euphemism for reckless
overspending. It killed off the good times
with a flurry of bullets the club's money
men effectively loaded themselves. Leeds
have been paying the price of living the
dream for six-and-a-half years now, when
their tortuous downward spiral began with
the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester
United. What must Elland Road's finest
have thought when they saw City sidling
up to Kaka with promises of endless
riches?
Making a few quid by any means
possible remains so essential to Leeds that
they are currently advertising their
Valentine's Day special: "Love is in the air
and what better way to celebrate that with
us here at Elland Road." Don't all shout at
once, now.
Small steps is how Leeds must now
progress. Simon Grayson, their new
manager, is a popular appointment with
that in mind. After a rotten run of five
straight losses before Christmas, which
included purple faces at Histon as they
lurched out of the FA Cup in the second
round, Grayson has overseen a much
improved run of four wins in five. "You
never know what's round the corner,"
Grayson reckons. "I genuinely believe we
can catch second position."
Promotion would be a huge relief for all
at Elland Road, who last season found
themselves exiled from English football's
top two divisions for the first time in their
history as a direct consequence of their
FOOTBALL: page 57
Daily Digital Newspaper
Football: Amy Lawrence believes there are signs of
renewed optimism at Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday,
two big clubs brought low by financial folly
By Amy Lawrence (The latest
football news and comment plus
rugby, tennis, cricket and horse
racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:23:03 AM
It is doubtful that the Abu Dhabi
investors trying to throw money at
Manchester City have ever heard of Peter
Ridsdale, but they might be interested to
hear about "living the dream".
That famous phrase, used by the former
Leeds United chairman Ridsdale, was one
heck of a euphemism for reckless
overspending. It killed off the good times
with a flurry of bullets the club's money
men effectively loaded themselves. Leeds
have been paying the price of living the
dream for six-and-a-half years now, when
their tortuous downward spiral began with
the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester
United. What must Elland Road's finest
have thought when they saw City sidling
up to Kaka with promises of endless
riches?
Making a few quid by any means
possible remains so essential to Leeds that
they are currently advertising their
Valentine's Day special: "Love is in the air
and what better way to celebrate that with
us here at Elland Road." Don't all shout at
once, now.
Small steps is how Leeds must now
progress. Simon Grayson, their new
manager, is a popular appointment with
that in mind. After a rotten run of five
straight losses before Christmas, which
included purple faces at Histon as they
lurched out of the FA Cup in the second
round, Grayson has overseen a much
improved run of four wins in five. "You
never know what's round the corner,"
Grayson reckons. "I genuinely believe we
can catch second position."
Promotion would be a huge relief for all
at Elland Road, who last season found
themselves exiled from English football's
top two divisions for the first time in their
history as a direct consequence of their
financial turmoil. Thirty miles south of
Leeds lies another club, Sheffield
Wednesday, who fell on the "living the
dream" sword, and in a way their demise is
even worse because they blew money they
didn't have on much less dreamy players
such as Gilles De Bilde, Gerald Sibon and
two imported Scots who made such little
impression most Wednesday fans would
not have raised an eyebrow if they tripped
over them in the street.
The Owls didn't even manage the highs
of Champions League semi-finals before
finding themselves in a relentless
nightmare. They reached a nadir of sorts
recently when the club, which has been
poorly run for over a decade and saw
attendances dip to demoralising levels,
actually found itself with nobody left to
take care of its off-field affairs as it hurtled
towards administration and the sort of
points penalty that saw Leeds sink into
Division One.
There was nobody in charge at all. No
chairman, no board of directors, no chief
executive. Thankfully, at long, long last,
there is a chink of light. Lee Strafford and
Nick Parker, two long-time Wednesday
fans with firm business credentials, have
taken control and promised somehow to
find new investment by the end of March.
Wednesday fans are clinging hopefully to
the rumours that a supposed bid from
America will include their former full-back
John Harkes.
It is all part of the optimistic mood
installed by the new regime that this is a
club "run by Wednesdayites for
Wednesdayites".
Former idol Chris Waddle made a guest
appearance at Hillsborough for the first
game of the new era, and Howard
Wilkinson, who was the club's manager
with great success back in the 1980s, has
signed up to be the club's new technical
director. He has apparently taken up this
non-paying role to lend credibility to the
new directors in their bid to drum up new
investment.
They have set up all sorts of initiatives
designed to show goodwill to fans who fell
out of love with the club under the
previous regime. Ticket prices have been
reduced, and existing season-ticket holders
can get two free seats to a forthcoming
game as well as a 25% discount at the club
shop which will last until September and
will therefore include next season's new
kit.
Whether such tales of slow recovery
mean anything to Sheikh Mansour bin
Zayed Al Nahyan is debatable. But maybe
we underestimate him, and he does in fact
know the answer to the increasingly
nostalgic quiz question: Who was the last
English manager to win the top league in
English football?
You have to go back before all of Sir
Alex Ferguson's titles, before Jose
Mourinho, Arsène Wenger and Kenny
Dalglish. Howard Wilkinson managed it
back in 1992. With Leeds United.
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Leeds United
• Manchester City
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PREMIER
continued from page 53
applies to most of the decisions that
Benítez has made recently.
Last night, however, it was hard to see
even a sliver of logic. The reality is that
replacing Gerrard probably didn't matter,
so winded were Liverpool by the timing
and manner of Mido's goal, but the
decision was so wilfully controversial,
such an obvious assertion of Benítez's
authority, as to invite the perception that he
would have no qualms whatsoever about
munching off his nose if he thought his
face wouldn't like it. There are, as Minnie
Driver said in the film Grosse Pointe
Blank, some things that you do not do –
you do not do– in a civilised society. In a
sporting society, substituting Gerrard, the
most sacred of English footballing cows,
has become one such thing.
This is not to say that replacing Gerrard
is wrong per se. He is in the top 30 most-
subbed players in Premier League
history(is that the most tragic use of
statistics ever? Yes, yes it is), and last
night was the 25th time he had been taken
off by Benítez in a Premier League game.
More tellingly, however, it was only the
fifth time he had come off when Liverpool
were not ahead. Two were draws at Aston
Villa, in 2004–05 and 2006–07, that had
no relevance at all to the title race; another,
at Reading last season, came when
Liverpool were 3–1 down and Benítez
decided not entirely unreasonably to cut
his losses ahead of a crucial Champions
League game at Marseille 72 hours later.
The fourth was also last season, at
Goodison Park, and that time Benítez was
entirely justified (even if Gerrard's
replacement was Lucas Leiva). A hot-
headed Liverpool, taking their lead more
than ever from a frenzied Gerrard, were
struggling to break down 10-man Everton:
they needed the forensic rather than the
frenetic, and created chance after chance
after chance once Gerrard went off,
eventually winning the game 2–1. Gerrard
threw a wobbler and Benítez would have
barely received more public criticism had
he cast aspersions as to the sexual mores of
the granddaughter of a man who used to
play a Spanish waiter, but any detached
analysis of the game showed he was
absolutely right. In fact, in its courage,
insight and ultimate success, it was one of
the great substitutions of modern times.
Last night, however, was completely
World Sport* 55
different contextually. Anathema as the
notion is Benítez, whose control-freakery
was dissected splendidly in Paul Doyle's
recent blog, Liverpool needed hot heads to
chase two points that had been
unexpectedly taken from them. He cited
simple tiredness – and it was notable that,
on television at least, Gerrard did not
appear to dispute the decision one iota,
which contrasted markedly with that funk
at Everton last season – but surely with
Gerrard, one of maybe 10 players in the
world who almost redefine indefatigability,
who can run on pure bronca, that is as
close to an irrelevance as a legitimate
physiological concern could ever be. Add
in the fact that he has been playing
exceptionally well of late, carrying an
increasingly downtrodden team almost
single-handedly, and it became an even
more curious course of action.
Benítez, of course, had originally
planned to make that change at 1–0. In that
respect it was perfectly reasonable: Robbie
Keane, if nothing else on current form, is a
willing and loyal hound, who would chase
around the pitch as Wigan inevitably
dictated possession in a way that a weary
Gerrard would not have been able to do.
Tiredness, as any schoolboy knows, hits
you so much more when you are defending
than when you are attacking.
Yet once Wigan equalised, the narrative
of the game – and the season – had
changed so significantly that to persist with
this pre-planned strategy was as perverse
as going out in shorts and flip-flops even
though bright sunshine has just given way
to the mother of all storms. Maybe Benítez
simply didn't react quickly enough to that
changing narrative. Maybe in this instance
he wasn't so much overthinking as
underthinking. Either way, most will feel
that, at the moment, he is certainly not
thinking straight.
• Steven Gerrard
• Rafael Benítez
• Liverpool
• Premier League
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Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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56 World Sport*
Premier League: Kalou denies using his
goal celebrations to make a political
statement
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:20:38 AM
The FA is investigating the goal
celebrations of Salomon Kalou and Didier
Drogba following the a 2–0 win over
Middlesbrough.
The match-winner Kalou has denied
celebrating his goals with a political
"handcuff" gesture in support of an Ivory
Coast activist. His Ivory Coast team-mate
Didier Drogba also appeared to cross his
wrists and the FA is today looking into
whether the celebrations warrant further
investigation.
Kalou's double in the 58th and 80th
minutes was enough to lift Chelsea into
second place in the Premier League table
with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
Kalou celebrated both goals by crossing
his wrists but Chelsea and the player were
quick to deny it had political origins. The
gesture was alleged to have been in
support of the Ivory Coast political activist
Antoine Assalé Tiémoko.
Tiémoko was released from a one-year
prison sentence last month after being
convicted of "libelling the prosecutor's
office" and being in "contempt of court".
Tiémoko, an occasional contributor to
the daily Le Nouveau Reveil, was arrested
in December 2007 after the newspaper had
published his opinion piece on judicial
corruption. But a spokesperson for Chelsea
declared: "Salomon says there was nothing
in it. He was just trying out a new
celebration and it was a crossing of the
arms. He also sometimes puts his hand
over his face like a mask."
The speculation that it was a political
gesture was heightened when his Ivory
Coast team-mate Didier Drogba also
appeared to cross his wrists.
There was no doubt over Kalou's
finishing in a game that was largely
overshadowed by a touchline spat
involving the Chelsea manager, Luiz
Felipe Scolari, and the Middlesbrough
assistant coach, Malcolm Crosby.
Southgate, meanwhile, accused Scolari
of attempting to get Mohamed Shawky
sent off when the Middlesbrough player,
who had already been booked, was
penalised for hand-ball. Scolari appeared
to wave an imaginary card at the referee
Lee Probert and the gesture incensed
Crosby. The pair exchanged angry words
after the incident and Southgate later
revealed that Scolari had refused to shake
hands at the end of the game.
"There were words between my assistant
and Phil Scolari," said Southgate. "He
seemed to want to get one of my players
booked. He didn't shake hands at the end.
A strange reaction, but that's his
prerogative."
Southgate was generally pleased with his
team's performance but extremely
disappointed with the manner in which
they conceded their goals. "It's a big let-
down to lose to two set-pieces given the
quality we were up against," admitted
Southgate. "That's unforgivable because it
comes down to people not doing their jobs
at the end of the day.
"We're not where we'd like to be. We've
had a tough run. But I don't think anyone
in the country expected us to get anything
at Chelsea."
The Chelsea assistant coach, Ray
Wilkins, played down Scolari's outburst,
adding that the referee or the fourth official
would have intervened if there had been
anything to sort out.
"It's a very emotional game, isn't it?" said
Wilkins. "Passions run high. They ran high
on their bench. They did on ours. That's
the way the game is played. It's played
with great passion on the pitch and off it,
whether it is with supporters or managers. I
shook hands. It was a nothing
conversation.
"I didn't even see the incident, to be
honest. If the referee felt he [Scolari]
needed to be sent to the stands, he would
have done that. But he didn't do that. The
referee obviously felt quite comfortable
with the situation, and Steve Bennett [the
fourth official] obviously felt OK with the
situation."
• Chelsea
• Middlesbrough
• Premier League
• Football politics
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Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
Cricket: Pietersen given
reserve value of $1.35m for
IPL auction
By David Hopps (The latest football
news and comment plus rugby,
tennis, cricket and horse racing |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:03:00 AM
According to the IPL organising
committee, one Kevin Pietersen is worth
about 13 Monty Panesars – England's left-
arm spinner was given a reserve price of
$100,000 (£70,000) for the players' auction
in Goa next week.
But Panesar can take delight that at least
he is still in the mix, with a reserve price
that means he is bound to make the cut
when the IPL slims down the list of
candidates to about 60.
The IPL shortlist has swollen to about
148, with even the likes of Darren Gough
and Dominic Cork hoping they get lucky
and sneak a final payday at the end of their
careers. Both Gough and Cork would have
been ideal IPL performers at their peak,
possessing a natural affinity for its brash,
adventurous style, but while Gough is
rated as a 50-50 chance of making the cut,
few expect Cork's name to survive.
Two certainties to appear in IPL 2009 are
Pietersen, whose starting bid has been set
at $1.35m (£940,000), and Andrew
Flintoff, who begins at $950,000 but who
is expected to sell for more than $1m as
Mumbai and Chennai lead the race for his
signature.
The prospects for England's other
wanna-bees are less clear-cut. Steve
Harmison and Paul Collingwood both have
base prices of $250,000, while James
Anderson and Ian Bell would also require
a starting bid of $200,000, but the
mediocre form of players on England's one
-day tour of India has not helped their
chances.
The eight franchises are limited to a
maximum spend of $2m each on new
signings, which encompasses international
players, in next week's auction, uncapped
new players such as Essex's hard-hitting all
Daily Digital Newspaper
-rounder Graham Napier, or the re-signing
of any players who took part in 2008 as
temporary replacements.
Lalit Modi, chairman of the IPL
organising committee, said: "At the end of
the day the franchises have to choose who
the players are. Some are budding players
and some are players with great experience
behind them. The minimum price for
Kevin Pietersen is $1.35m and for Andrew
Flintoff $950,000 but what price they will
go to is anybody's guess."
Modi added: "This [the price] is based
upon the 14 league games. If they play 10
of the 14 games they get paid according to
ratio. If they play seven they get half."
Modi also dismissed suggestions that a
deal for Pietersen has already been done.
"That is not the case," he said. "The rules
prohibit that. All players must go through
the auction. They must be picked through
the auction at hammer price."
The English players on the preliminary
list are: Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff,
James Anderson, Ian Bell, Steve
Harmison, Monty Panesar, Paul
Collingwood, Matt Prior, Ravi Bopara,
Rob Key, James Foster, Sajid Mahmood,
Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Ryan
Sidebottom, Luke Wright, James Foster,
Graeme Swann, Darren Gough, Dominic
Cork and Ed Joyce.
Modi added: "Everybody is very much
looking forward to having England players
coming out here. The players are happy
they are all able to participate. They are all
very good players and I think it will be
very good for the second edition of the
IPL."
• Indian Premier League
• Kevin Pietersen
• Andrew Flintoff
• Cricket
• England Cricket Team
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Premier League: Kalou denies using his
goal celebrations to make a political
statement
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 6:20:38 AM
The FA is investigating the goal
celebrations of Salomon Kalou and Didier
Drogba following the a 2–0 win over
Middlesbrough.
The match-winner Kalou has denied
celebrating his goals with a political
"handcuff" gesture in support of an Ivory
Coast activist. His Ivory Coast team-mate
Didier Drogba also appeared to cross his
wrists and the FA is today looking into
whether the celebrations warrant further
investigation.
Kalou's double in the 58th and 80th
minutes was enough to lift Chelsea into
second place in the Premier League table
with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
Kalou celebrated both goals by crossing
his wrists but Chelsea and the player were
quick to deny it had political origins. The
gesture was alleged to have been in
support of the Ivory Coast political activist
Antoine Assalé Tiémoko.
Tiémoko was released from a one-year
prison sentence last month after being
convicted of "libelling the prosecutor's
office" and being in "contempt of court".
Tiémoko, an occasional contributor to
the daily Le Nouveau Reveil, was arrested
in December 2007 after the newspaper had
published his opinion piece on judicial
corruption. But a spokesperson for Chelsea
declared: "Salomon says there was nothing
FOOTBALL:
continued from page 54
financial turmoil. Thirty miles south of
Leeds lies another club, Sheffield
Wednesday, who fell on the "living the
dream" sword, and in a way their demise is
even worse because they blew money they
didn't have on much less dreamy players
such as Gilles De Bilde, Gerald Sibon and
two imported Scots who made such little
impression most Wednesday fans would
not have raised an eyebrow if they tripped
in it. He was just trying out a new
celebration and it was a crossing of the
arms. He also sometimes puts his hand
over his face like a mask."
The speculation that it was a political
gesture was heightened when his Ivory
Coast team-mate Didier Drogba also
appeared to cross his wrists.
There was no doubt over Kalou's
finishing in a game that was largely
overshadowed by a touchline spat
involving the Chelsea manager, Luiz
Felipe Scolari, and the Middlesbrough
assistant coach, Malcolm Crosby.
Southgate, meanwhile, accused Scolari
of attempting to get Mohamed Shawky
sent off when the Middlesbrough player,
who had already been booked, was
penalised for hand-ball. Scolari appeared
to wave an imaginary card at the referee
Lee Probert and the gesture incensed
Crosby. The pair exchanged angry words
after the incident and Southgate later
revealed that Scolari had refused to shake
hands at the end of the game.
"There were words between my assistant
and Phil Scolari," said Southgate. "He
seemed to want to get one of my players
booked. He didn't shake hands at the end.
A strange reaction, but that's his
prerogative."
Southgate was generally pleased with his
team's performance but extremely
disappointed with the manner in which
they conceded their goals. "It's a big let-
down to lose to two set-pieces given the
quality we were up against," admitted
over them in the street.
The Owls didn't even manage the highs
of Champions League semi-finals before
finding themselves in a relentless
nightmare. They reached a nadir of sorts
recently when the club, which has been
poorly run for over a decade and saw
attendances dip to demoralising levels,
actually found itself with nobody left to
take care of its off-field affairs as it hurtled
Southgate. "That's unforgivable because it
comes down to people not doing their jobs
at the end of the day.
"We're not where we'd like to be. We've
had a tough run. But I don't think anyone
in the country expected us to get anything
at Chelsea."
The Chelsea assistant coach, Ray
Wilkins, played down Scolari's outburst,
adding that the referee or the fourth official
would have intervened if there had been
anything to sort out.
"It's a very emotional game, isn't it?" said
Wilkins. "Passions run high. They ran high
on their bench. They did on ours. That's
the way the game is played. It's played
with great passion on the pitch and off it,
whether it is with supporters or managers. I
shook hands. It was a nothing
conversation.
"I didn't even see the incident, to be
honest. If the referee felt he [Scolari]
needed to be sent to the stands, he would
have done that. But he didn't do that. The
referee obviously felt quite comfortable
with the situation, and Steve Bennett [the
fourth official] obviously felt OK with the
situation."
• Chelsea
• Middlesbrough
• Premier League
• Football politics
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towards administration and the sort of
points penalty that saw Leeds sink into
Division One.
There was nobody in charge at all. No
chairman, no board of directors, no chief
executive. Thankfully, at long, long last,
there is a chink of light. Lee Strafford and
Nick Parker, two long-time Wednesday
FOOTBALL: page 58
Cricket: Pietersen given
reserve value of $1.35m for
IPL auction
By David Hopps (The latest football
news and comment plus rugby,
tennis, cricket and horse racing |
guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:03:00 AM
According to the IPL organising
committee, one Kevin Pietersen is worth
about 13 Monty Panesars – England's left-
arm spinner was given a reserve price of
$100,000 (£70,000) for the players' auction
in Goa next week.
But Panesar can take delight that at least
he is still in the mix, with a reserve price
that means he is bound to make the cut
when the IPL slims down the list of
candidates to about 60.
The IPL shortlist has swollen to about
148, with even the likes of Darren Gough
and Dominic Cork hoping they get lucky
and sneak a final payday at the end of their
careers. Both Gough and Cork would have
been ideal IPL performers at their peak,
possessing a natural affinity for its brash,
adventurous style, but while Gough is
rated as a 50-50 chance of making the cut,
few expect Cork's name to survive.
Two certainties to appear in IPL 2009 are
Pietersen, whose starting bid has been set
at $1.35m (£940,000), and Andrew
Flintoff, who begins at $950,000 but who
is expected to sell for more than $1m as
Mumbai and Chennai lead the race for his
signature.
The prospects for England's other
wanna-bees are less clear-cut. Steve
Harmison and Paul Collingwood both have
base prices of $250,000, while James
Anderson and Ian Bell would also require
a starting bid of $200,000, but the
mediocre form of players on England's one
-day tour of India has not helped their
chances.
The eight franchises are limited to a
maximum spend of $2m each on new
signings, which encompasses international
players, in next week's auction, uncapped
new players such as Essex's hard-hitting all
World Sport* 57
-rounder Graham Napier, or the re-signing
of any players who took part in 2008 as
temporary replacements.
Lalit Modi, chairman of the IPL
organising committee, said: "At the end of
the day the franchises have to choose who
the players are. Some are budding players
and some are players with great experience
behind them. The minimum price for
Kevin Pietersen is $1.35m and for Andrew
Flintoff $950,000 but what price they will
go to is anybody's guess."
Modi added: "This [the price] is based
upon the 14 league games. If they play 10
of the 14 games they get paid according to
ratio. If they play seven they get half."
Modi also dismissed suggestions that a
deal for Pietersen has already been done.
"That is not the case," he said. "The rules
prohibit that. All players must go through
the auction. They must be picked through
the auction at hammer price."
The English players on the preliminary
list are: Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff,
James Anderson, Ian Bell, Steve
Harmison, Monty Panesar, Paul
Collingwood, Matt Prior, Ravi Bopara,
Rob Key, James Foster, Sajid Mahmood,
Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Ryan
Sidebottom, Luke Wright, James Foster,
Graeme Swann, Darren Gough, Dominic
Cork and Ed Joyce.
Modi added: "Everybody is very much
looking forward to having England players
coming out here. The players are happy
they are all able to participate. They are all
very good players and I think it will be
very good for the second edition of the
IPL."
• Indian Premier League
• Kevin Pietersen
• Andrew Flintoff
• Cricket
• England Cricket Team
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58 World Sport*
Manchester City have left it too late to
sign Blackburn Rovers striker Roque
Santa Cruz
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:29:51 AM
The Blackburn Rovers manager Sam
Allardyce has told Manchester City they
have run out of time in their attempt to
sign Roque Santa Cruz. City have not
increased their offer since a £16m bid was
rejected earlier this month, but it is thought
their manager, Mark Hughes, will try again
before the transfer window closes at 5pm
on Monday.
But Allardyce maintains Santa Cruz will
be staying at Ewood Park, because he
would not have time to find a replacement
for the Paraguay striker. "There is not the
opportunity now to get the quality of
striker we need to allow us even to
consider letting Roque Santa Cruz move to
Manchester City," said Allardyce. "So for
me, he stays, although I can't put it to bed
completely until the deadline has passed.
It's impossible, from any manager's point
Manchester City have left it too late to sign Blackburn Rovers striker
Roque Santa Cruz
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:29:51 AM
The Blackburn Rovers manager Sam
Allardyce has told Manchester City they
have run out of time in their attempt to
sign Roque Santa Cruz. City have not
increased their offer since a £16m bid was
rejected earlier this month, but it is thought
their manager, Mark Hughes, will try again
before the transfer window closes at 5pm
on Monday.
But Allardyce maintains Santa Cruz will
of view, to see what happens between now
and then. But I certainly wish it was the
third of February tomorrow."
With Blackburn battling to beat the drop,
Santa Cruz underlined his importance to
Allardyce in last night's 2–2 draw at home
to Bolton. Rovers were trailing 2–0 just
before the hour, when the 27-year-old
came off the bench and made a discernible
impact, playing his part in helping
Blackburn to snatch a point. "He came on
and changed the dynamics of the game for
us by the fact he is a very clever player,"
said Allardyce. "He is six foot four, yet has
great touch and great control, and he also
knows where to run to find space. He is a
massive player for us, as we all know."
Unlike Santa Cruz, fellow striker Matt
Derbyshire is expendable, but only if
Allardyce can find a replacement. The
Greek side Olympiacos are saying they had
agreed a loan deal until the end of the
season for the 22-year-old, only for
Allardyce to claim they have jumped the
gun. "I'm happy to let him go, as long as I
be staying at Ewood Park, because he
would not have time to find a replacement
for the Paraguay striker. "There is not the
opportunity now to get the quality of
striker we need to allow us even to
consider letting Roque Santa Cruz move to
Manchester City," said Allardyce. "So for
me, he stays, although I can't put it to bed
completely until the deadline has passed.
It's impossible, from any manager's point
of view, to see what happens between now
and then. But I certainly wish it was the
third of February tomorrow."
With Blackburn battling to beat the drop,
Santa Cruz underlined his importance to
get somebody else in," confirmed
Allardyce. "When a player tells you he
wants a new experience, and he is not
getting any first-team football, you listen.
"It's different to the situation with Roque
because he will play virtually every week.
So we'll see how it pans out, but it will
only happen if there is a suitable
replacement. If Matt does go there will
certainly be one in, and if that player
doesn't come in, then Matt doesn't go. So
we're still looking to see if there is a player
in the market of the right standard and
quality for us."
• Transfer window
• Blackburn Rovers
• Sam Allardyce
• Manchester City
• Premier League
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Allardyce in last night's 2–2 draw at home
to Bolton. Rovers were trailing 2–0 just
before the hour, when the 27-year-old
came off the bench and made a discernible
impact, playing his part in helping
Blackburn to snatch a point. "He came on
and changed the dynamics of the game for
us by the fact he is a very clever player,"
said Allardyce. "He is six foot four, yet has
great touch and great control, and he also
knows where to run to find space. He is a
massive player for us, as we all know."
Unlike Santa Cruz, fellow striker Matt
Derbyshire is expendable, but only if
Allardyce can find a replacement. The
FOOTBALL:
continued from page 57
fans with firm business credentials, have
taken control and promised somehow to
find new investment by the end of March.
Wednesday fans are clinging hopefully to
the rumours that a supposed bid from
America will include their former full-back
John Harkes.
It is all part of the optimistic mood
installed by the new regime that this is a
club "run by Wednesdayites for
Wednesdayites".
Former idol Chris Waddle made a guest
appearance at Hillsborough for the first
game of the new era, and Howard
Wilkinson, who was the club's manager
with great success back in the 1980s, has
signed up to be the club's new technical
director. He has apparently taken up this
non-paying role to lend credibility to the
new directors in their bid to drum up new
investment.
They have set up all sorts of initiatives
designed to show goodwill to fans who fell
out of love with the club under the
previous regime. Ticket prices have been
reduced, and existing season-ticket holders
can get two free seats to a forthcoming
game as well as a 25% discount at the club
Greek side Olympiacos are saying they had
agreed a loan deal until the end of the
season for the 22-year-old, only for
Allardyce to claim they have jumped the
gun. "I'm happy to let him go, as long as I
get somebody else in," confirmed
Allardyce. "When a player tells you he
wants a new experience, and he is not
getting any first-team football, you listen.
"It's different to the situation with Roque
because he will play virtually every week.
So we'll see how it pans out, but it will
only happen if there is a suitable
replacement. If Matt does go there will
certainly be one in, and if that player
Daily Digital Newspaper
shop which will last until September and
will therefore include next season's new
kit.
Whether such tales of slow recovery
mean anything to Sheikh Mansour bin
Zayed Al Nahyan is debatable. But maybe
we underestimate him, and he does in fact
know the answer to the increasingly
nostalgic quiz question: Who was the last
English manager to win the top league in
English football?
You have to go back before all of Sir
Alex Ferguson's titles, before Jose
Mourinho, Arsène Wenger and Kenny
Dalglish. Howard Wilkinson managed it
back in 1992. With Leeds United.
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Leeds United
• Manchester City
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doesn't come in, then Matt doesn't go. So
we're still looking to see if there is a player
in the market of the right standard and
quality for us."
• Transfer window
• Blackburn Rovers
• Sam Allardyce
• Manchester City
• Premier League
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Daily Digital Newspaper
Rugby league: Michael Rugby league: Michael
Crocker's move to Hull FC Crocker's move to Hull FC
in doubt in doubt
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:12:40 AM
Michael Crocker's move to Hull is in
doubt after the former Australia
international's application for a UK visa
was rejected. The former Melbourne Storm
forward is Hull's major signing for 2009
but the club must now decide whether to
appeal against the decision or pull out of
the move.
It is thought a past conviction for affray
could be the reason for the failure to grant
the 28-year-old clearance to fly to
England.
A statement from the club read: "Hull FC
have today been informed that Michael
Crocker has had his application for a visa
rejected. Hull FC and Michael are
reviewing the papers from the consulate in
order to determine the next steps.
"Neither Michael nor Hull FC will make
any further comment at this stage until
their course of action is established.
"The visa system does provide a right of
appeal and the club does not wish to
compromise a potential appeal by making
public comment at this stage."
The British Consulate in Canberra has
not made public the reasons for denying
Crocker a visa.
The news comes in the same month
Isn't it about time for Willard Scott to retire? - VIDEO
By Joel Keller (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 12:07:00 PM
Filed under: News, OpEd, Video,
Celebrities, Reality-Free Willard Scott
doesn't do much around the Today show
these days; except for an occasional week
where he subs for Al Roker, all the semi-
retired weatherclown (hey, he was a clown
once) really does is his periodic shout outs
Huddersfield pulled out of a deal to sign
another Australian, Todd Carney,
following a decision by the British High
Commission not to grant a visa.
Celtic Crusaders have also fallen victim
to the tightening of application procedures,
with eight of their players still awaiting
clearance.
Crocker, who signed a three-year deal
with Hull last May, had been due in the
country early in the new year prior to
joining the club at their pre-season training
camp in Portugal. Yet after his arrival was
delayed, the second row revealed a
criminal conviction could have been
holding up the move.
He admitted that embassy officials had
requested copies of police and court
documents relating to his arrest and
conviction for affray following a scuffle
outside a Sydney hotel in 2005.
Crocker, who has won six caps for
Australia, also said last weekend he would
consider retiring if the move to Hull fell
through.
• Super League
• Hull FC
• Rugby league
• Australia Rugby League
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to the nation's centenarians.
But at this point, I'm starting to wonder if
those centenarians are more with it than
the man who's giving them the tributes.
Almost every time I've seen Scott lately,
he seems to mumble his way through the
birthdays. While he's always been known
for wacky asides and nonsensical ad-libs,
they seem to be getting wackier as time
goes on. But worst of all, he often falls
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:12:40 AM
Michael Crocker's move to Hull is in
doubt after the former Australia
international's application for a UK visa
was rejected. The former Melbourne Storm
forward is Hull's major signing for 2009
but the club must now decide whether to
appeal against the decision or pull out of
the move.
It is thought a past conviction for affray
could be the reason for the failure to grant
the 28-year-old clearance to fly to
England.
A statement from the club read: "Hull FC
have today been informed that Michael
Crocker has had his application for a visa
rejected. Hull FC and Michael are
reviewing the papers from the consulate in
order to determine the next steps.
"Neither Michael nor Hull FC will make
any further comment at this stage until
their course of action is established.
"The visa system does provide a right of
appeal and the club does not wish to
compromise a potential appeal by making
public comment at this stage."
The British Consulate in Canberra has
not made public the reasons for denying
Crocker a visa.
The news comes in the same month
behind the rotating Smucker's jar graphic
that serves up each centenarian's name,
World Sport* Entertainment*
Huddersfield pulled out of a deal to sign
another Australian, Todd Carney,
following a decision by the British High
Commission not to grant a visa.
Celtic Crusaders have also fallen victim
to the tightening of application procedures,
with eight of their players still awaiting
clearance.
Crocker, who signed a three-year deal
with Hull last May, had been due in the
country early in the new year prior to
joining the club at their pre-season training
camp in Portugal. Yet after his arrival was
delayed, the second row revealed a
criminal conviction could have been
holding up the move.
He admitted that embassy officials had
requested copies of police and court
documents relating to his arrest and
conviction for affray following a scuffle
outside a Sydney hotel in 2005.
Crocker, who has won six caps for
Australia, also said last weekend he would
consider retiring if the move to Hull fell
through.
• Super League
• Hull FC
• Rugby league
• Australia Rugby League
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location and photo. I mean, if you're a guy
who's survived 100 years, don't you at least
deserve to not have your face smiling on
national TV while the audience is being
told that you love wearing frilly dresses to
church?
Continue reading Isn't it about time for
Willard Scott to retire? - VIDEO
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
59
Rugby union: Scott
Johnson is new Ospreys
director of coaching
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:09:00 AM
The Ospreys today confirmed that Scott
Johnson, the former Wales backs coach,
will be their new director of coaching.
The Australian has agreed a deal to lead
the Welsh side after weeks of speculation.
He will arrive at the end of the season,
having served the three months' notice
required by his present employer, USA
Rugby.
"We have considered over 20 coaches
with the potential to measure up to a list of
firm criteria," said Ospreys' elite-
performance director, Andrew Hore. "We
believe Scott Johnson contains the right
mixture of technical ability – particularly
on the attacking side of the game – strong
character, excellent communication skills,
planning, management ability and
innovation to help the Ospreys take the
next step forward."
Sean Holley was made head coach and
the former Wales captain, Jonathan
Humphreys, will be his assistant. Hore said
the local pair, currently leading the side,
had "the ability to go from good to great
Welsh coaches in their own right" under
Johnson. "Vitally, Scott will help ensure
that progress is made on and off the field,
through the continued development of the
existing coaching team, to whom the
Ospreys are firmly committed."
"Sean Holley and Jonathan Humphreys
have shown enormous character and skill
during a difficult transition period for the
Ospreys and they have earned the respect
of the entire region. They are pivotal to the
future success of the Ospreys which is
why, three months ago, Sean and Jon's
contracts were extended for a further three
years."
Holley revealed that his new boss had his
approval. "Throughout the search for a
third coach, both Jon and myself have
played an active part in the discussions and
our views and opinions have been fully
reflected throughout the process.
"It has been an honour to lead my home
region over the course of this season to
RUGBY page 60
60 World Sport*
Rugby union: Scott
Johnson is new Ospreys
director of coaching
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 8:09:00 AM
The Ospreys today confirmed that Scott
Johnson, the former Wales backs coach,
will be their new director of coaching.
The Australian has agreed a deal to lead
the Welsh side after weeks of speculation.
He will arrive at the end of the season,
having served the three months' notice
required by his present employer, USA
Rugby.
"We have considered over 20 coaches
with the potential to measure up to a list of
firm criteria," said Ospreys' elite-
performance director, Andrew Hore. "We
believe Scott Johnson contains the right
mixture of technical ability – particularly
on the attacking side of the game – strong
character, excellent communication skills,
planning, management ability and
innovation to help the Ospreys take the
next step forward."
Sean Holley was made head coach and
the former Wales captain, Jonathan
Humphreys, will be his assistant. Hore said
the local pair, currently leading the side,
had "the ability to go from good to great
Welsh coaches in their own right" under
Johnson. "Vitally, Scott will help ensure
that progress is made on and off the field,
Champions League: 2011 final to be held at Wembley Stadium
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:06:52 AM
The most prestigious match in European
club football will return to Wembley
following a 19-year absence after Uefa
chose the stadium to host the 2011
Champions League final.
The Republic of Ireland is also to host its
first major European club final after
Dublin's Lansdowne Road was chosen as
through the continued development of the
existing coaching team, to whom the
Ospreys are firmly committed."
"Sean Holley and Jonathan Humphreys
have shown enormous character and skill
during a difficult transition period for the
Ospreys and they have earned the respect
of the entire region. They are pivotal to the
future success of the Ospreys which is
why, three months ago, Sean and Jon's
contracts were extended for a further three
years."
Holley revealed that his new boss had his
approval. "Throughout the search for a
third coach, both Jon and myself have
played an active part in the discussions and
our views and opinions have been fully
reflected throughout the process.
"It has been an honour to lead my home
region over the course of this season to
date, and Jon and I remain as committed as
ever to bringing long-term success as part
of this new-look coaching team, whilst
continuing our personal journeys aimed at
extending our coaching duties in the not
too distant future."
• Ospreys
• Magners League
• Rugby union
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the venue for the 2011 Europa League
final – the new name for the Uefa Cup.
Munich will stage the Champions
League final in 2012 and Bucharest's
National Stadium was awarded the Europa
League final in that year.
"We are delighted that Uefa has chosen
Wembley Stadium to stage the Champions
League final in 2011," said FA chairman
Lord Triesman.
"This is fantastic news for London and
the UK and is acknowledgement of
Wembley's ranking alongside the very best
Champions League: 2011
final to be held at
Wembley Stadium
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 9:06:52 AM
The most prestigious match in European
club football will return to Wembley
following a 19-year absence after Uefa
chose the stadium to host the 2011
Champions League final.
The Republic of Ireland is also to host its
first major European club final after
Dublin's Lansdowne Road was chosen as
the venue for the 2011 Europa League
final – the new name for the Uefa Cup.
Munich will stage the Champions
League final in 2012 and Bucharest's
National Stadium was awarded the Europa
League final in that year.
"We are delighted that Uefa has chosen
Wembley Stadium to stage the Champions
League final in 2011," said FA chairman
Lord Triesman.
"This is fantastic news for London and
the UK and is acknowledgement of
Wembley's ranking alongside the very best
football stadiums in the world. Wembley is
a stadium for the big games and has a
unique history that is sure to inspire
Europe's finest players."
Arsenal had hoped that the Europa
football stadiums in the world. Wembley is
a stadium for the big games and has a
unique history that is sure to inspire
Europe's finest players."
Arsenal had hoped that the Europa
League final would be hosted at the
Emirates Stadium but the club will miss
out because one nation cannot stage both
Uefa finals in the same year.
"As Wembley has been chosen to host the
Champions League final this means the
Emirates Stadium can't stage the 2011
Uefa Europa League final," Triesman said.
League final would be hosted at the
Emirates Stadium but the club will miss
out because one nation cannot stage both
Uefa finals in the same year.
"As Wembley has been chosen to host the
Champions League final this means the
Emirates Stadium can't stage the 2011
Uefa Europa League final," Triesman said.
"I would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone at Arsenal for all their
valuable support during the bid process
and recognise the very strong bid that they
put together."
The final will return to the UK for the
first time since 2003 when AC Milan
defeated Juventus at Old Trafford, and to
Wembley Stadium for the first time since
1992, when Barcelona beat Sampdoria in
the European Cup final in the season
before the competition became the
Champions League.
• Champions League
• Uefa Cup
• Arsenal
• European football
• Wembley stadium
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Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
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"I would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone at Arsenal for all their
valuable support during the bid process
and recognise the very strong bid that they
put together."
The final will return to the UK for the
first time since 2003 when AC Milan
defeated Juventus at Old Trafford, and to
Wembley Stadium for the first time since
1992, when Barcelona beat Sampdoria in
the European Cup final in the season
before the competition became the
Champions League.
Daily Digital Newspaper
RUGBY
continued from page 59
date, and Jon and I remain as committed as
ever to bringing long-term success as part
of this new-look coaching team, whilst
continuing our personal journeys aimed at
extending our coaching duties in the not
too distant future."
• Ospreys
• Magners League
• Rugby union
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
Boxing: All clear for Ricky
Hatton to fight Manny
Pacquiao in Las Vegas on 2
May
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:14:06 AM
Ricky Hatton is confident he can topple
the Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao when
the pair meet in Las Vegas later this year.
The on-off fight was officially confirmed
at a press conference today after weeks of
wrangling over the distribution of the
purse. Hatton, currently the world's top
light-welterweight, will face Pacquiao on 2
May, 18 months after losing to Floyd
• Champions League
• Uefa Cup
• Arsenal
• European football
• Wembley stadium
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
Daily Digital Newspaper
Boxing: All clear for Ricky
Hatton to fight Manny Pacquiao
in Las Vegas on 2 May
(The latest football news and
comment plus rugby, tennis, cricket
and horse racing | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 1/29/2009 7:14:06 AM
Ricky Hatton is confident he can topple
the Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao when
the pair meet in Las Vegas later this year.
The on-off fight was officially confirmed
at a press conference today after weeks of
wrangling over the distribution of the
purse. Hatton, currently the world's top
light-welterweight, will face Pacquiao on 2
May, 18 months after losing to Floyd
Mayweather Jr at the same MGM Grand
venue.
"I am brimming full of confidence that I
am going to win," said the 30-year-old
Hatton. "I have always said at 10 stone I
don't think anyone will beat me and I
firmly believe that. I have challenged the
best pound-for-pound fighter once in Floyd
Mayweather – obviously I came second –
but I am going to get another chance to
fight the best pound-for-pound fighter."
Hatton's lawyer, Gareth Williams, said
they had never deviated from the 50-50
split on the prize money agreed in the
original deal. "The reality was, the actual
negotiations were relatively
This Friday on Letterman: Bill Hicks?!
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
Submitted at 1/28/2009 1:11:00 PM
Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Talk
Show, Reality-Free Bill Hicks was only 32
years old when he died of cancer in 1994.
If you've never heard of him, or heard of
him but didn't get a chance to see any of
his work, tune into The Late Show with
David Letterman this Friday night.
One of Letterman's guests will be Hicks'
mom (the show was taped earlier this
week). She'll be there to mark the 15th
anniversary of Hicks' death. Now, this may
straight-forward," he said. "But at this time
last week the fight was not going to take
place. We never wavered from what was
agreed. We didn't want to take anything
away from Manny but we also recognised
what Ricky brings to the table and as far as
we are concerned Ricky is an equal
contributor to this fight."
Hatton spoke of his relief that the fight
was going ahead. "It has been a very
difficult few weeks. We had agreed the
deal so two weeks ago I was delighted," he
said. "I was devastated when I thought it
was not going to be on, and I told Gareth I
didn't want to go back into training not
knowing.
"I said 'As much of an honour as it is to
be fighting Manny Pacquiao, I don't want
to be sat around thinking: Who am I going
to fight?' I said if it was not done in the
next few days I would look for someone
else."
• Ricky Hatton
• Boxing
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News &
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More
Feeds
seem like an odd thing for a talk show to
do, have the mom of a deceased comic on,
but there's special meaning behind this
appearance. Just five months before his
BOXING:
continued from page 60
Mayweather Jr at the same MGM Grand
venue.
"I am brimming full of confidence that I
am going to win," said the 30-year-old
Hatton. "I have always said at 10 stone I
don't think anyone will beat me and I
firmly believe that. I have challenged the
best pound-for-pound fighter once in Floyd
Mayweather – obviously I came second –
but I am going to get another chance to
fight the best pound-for-pound fighter."
Hatton's lawyer, Gareth Williams, said
they had never deviated from the 50-50
split on the prize money agreed in the
original deal. "The reality was, the actual
negotiations were relatively
straight-forward," he said. "But at this time
last week the fight was not going to take
place. We never wavered from what was
agreed. We didn't want to take anything
away from Manny but we also recognised
what Ricky brings to the table and as far as
we are concerned Ricky is an equal
contributor to this fight."
death, Hicks appeared on The Late Show
and did a scathing stand-up routine (the
kind he usually did) which attacked
everything from religion to politics.
Unfortunately, it was too hot for the show
and the performance was never shown, and
this really hurt Hicks. On Friday,
Letterman is finally going to show the
performance.
Continue reading This Friday on
Letterman: Bill Hicks?!
Permalink| Email this| | Comments
World Sport* Entertainment* Copy Right* 61
Hatton spoke of his relief that the fight
was going ahead. "It has been a very
difficult few weeks. We had agreed the
deal so two weeks ago I was delighted," he
said. "I was devastated when I thought it
was not going to be on, and I told Gareth I
You Think
didn't want to go back into training not
knowing.
U.S. Copyright
"I said 'As much of an honour as it is to
be fighting Manny Pacquiao, I don't want
to be sat around thinking: Who am I going
Law is Bad?
to fight?' I said if it was not done in the By Jonathan Bailey
next few days I would look for someone (PlagiarismToday)
else." Submitted at 1/28/2009 8:22:12 AM
• Ricky Hatton
• Boxing The United States definitely has its share
guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & of copyright issues.
Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is We have a very powerful copyright
subject to our Terms & Conditions| More lobby that, among other things, has been
Feeds able to obtain a seemingly never-ending
series of copyright extensions that have
kept ever-older works out of the public
The Gatehouse Settlement
& RSS Scraping
By Jonathan Bailey
(PlagiarismToday)
Submitted at 1/27/2009 8:49:23 AM
Up until literally a few hours ago, the
New York Times Co. and GateHouse
media seemed to be destined for an epic
courtroom clash over which much of the
Web’s linking practices hung into balance.
The dispute was over a “hyper local” site
to the chagrin of legal scholars and Web
created under the boston.com banner, technologists hoping to see a solid ruling
which is part of The Boston Globe, which
in this area.
in turn is owned by the NYT. The site, The details of the settlement have been
featured links aggregated via RSS from a
slow to come to light, but a PDF on the
GateHouse-owned local blog, published New York Times corporate site lays out
under the “Wicked Local” banner.
the actual terms.
To be clear, this was NOT a case of RSS What does the settlement say and what
scraping. The boston.com site was merely
does that mean for the rest of us? That’s
using the headlines and linking out to the what we’re about to look at. The
GateHouse stories. However, GateHouse
Settlement
filed suit in the matter last month and the The settlement itself is a pretty basic
matter seemed to be heading to a trial this document. However, like most legal
week (one of the fastest turnarounds I have documents, it spends a lot of words saying
seen). something that can be summed up pretty
However, the matter was abruptly
settled, as was announced yesterday, much
GATEHOUSE page 62
62
YOU
continued from page 61
domain. We’ve been ground zero for the
music industry’s lawsuits against file
sharers and were also among the first to
pass the controversial anti-circumvention
laws that prohibit users from
circumventing DRM schemes, even for
otherwise legal uses.
Yes, U.S. copyright law has its problems.
But before we begin to play “The Grass is
Greener” we need to stop and actually look
at the laws that exist in other countries. As
it turns out, on average at least, the U.S.
copyright system is not that bad, at least
when considering the rights and interests
of users.
If you don’t believe me, consider the
following points before packing up and
moving abroad. Fair Use
Fair use has its flaws, it is only a defense
against an infringement and the only way
to be certain that a use is fair is to be sued
for it and then emerge victorious in court.
However, those of us in the U.S. should be
grateful that we have it as the idea is
almost wholly American.
Other countries have what is known as “
Fair Dealing” (Warning: Wikipedia link).
Though it sounds similar and has many of
the same concepts built in, fair dealing is
almost always much more limited than fair
use. Typically, fair dealing is limited by
types of uses, usually news reporting,
research and criticism.
The broad, flexible, open to
interpretation fair use exemptions in the
U.S. simply do not exist in most countries.
Though the laws of other nations provide
little extra clarity, they do, on the whole,
provide much greater restrictions on use.
Crown Copyright
In the U.S., the central government is not
able to hold a copyright interest in any
work they produce. You can read that on
the White House Web site.
This is for a lot of reasons.
• Since taxpayers paid for the creation of
the work, it makes no sense they should
have any restrictions on its use.
• To prevent the Federal government
from using copyright as a means to prevent
free speech.
• To encourage broad distribution of
works created.
Other nations, however, are not so
generous. In the UK, as well as some other
commonwealth nations, they have Crown
Copyright, and other nations have similar
provisions. Even Canada has a well-
established crown copyright that asks
people to obtain a license to use the work.
Such licenses are never required in the
U.S. Insane Notice and Takedown
Though the safe harbor provisions has
been a source of controversy in the U.S.,
they, over the past 10 years, seem to have
been viewed as a net positive. Though
there have been abused by more than a few
organizations, they have also enabled the
boom in user-generated content and, as the
Diebold case showed, laws preventing
abuse of the takedown system do have
teeth.
However, as the same provisions made
their way around the globe, many of the
protections that make the law work in the
U.S. were not included. Based on the
WIPO treaty, other nations took a very
different tact on the law.
Take a look at the EU. There, anyone can
file a copyright complaint, not just the
copyright holder. One does not have to
swear under penalty of perjury and one
does not even have to provide good contact
information when filing a notice. Though
different nations may have added elements
of this back, a 2004 study found that 70%
of hosts complied(PDF) when being
demanded to take down a public domain
work.
The study, legally, could not have been
performed in the U.S. as the DMCA would
have made it dangerous to file false
notices, even for research. Conclusions
Does the U.S. have it’s share of
copyright problems? Absolutely. If we
look at it strictly from the point of view of
user’s rights, the U.S. certainly has a lot to
worry about. Though many of the more
controversial aspects, including anti-
circumvention, have made their way
elsewhere too, the U.S. does have its share
of relatively unique copyright issues.
Of course, the most unique of those
issues impacts copyright holders. After all,
we’re the ones that have to register with an
outdated and outmoded copyright office
before we can sue for infringement. We are
also one of the few countries that does not
grant copyright holders moral rights
protections in their work, lessening
creative control and naming rights.
The U.S. is no copyright utopia, nowhere
near, but it isn’t as bad as many make it
out to be, at least as far as user rights go.
Simply put, the grass isn’t much greener
anywhere else and if we’re going to update
and improve copyright law, both for rights
holders and users, it is going to have to be
an international effort.
This country-by-country approach is
pure folly in the Internet age.
Need a Copyright or Plagiarism
Consultant? I am Here to Help.
jonb1324cdr
GATEHOUSE
continued from page 61
quickly:
• NYT has agreed to stop aggregating all
GateHouse content.
• NYT has agreed to remove all existing
links the best it can by March 1.
• GateHouse will take some undefined
steps to prevent future aggregation.
• Provided the other terms are met,
nothing in the settlement prevents deep
linking of content (Meaning this settlement
only pertains to automated aggregation).
• No money changed hands and both
sides are covering their own legal fees.
In short, regarding the use of its content
on NYT-owned sites, GateHouse got pretty
much everything that they wanted,
including a removal of all existing
aggregated links and a promise to not
aggregate in the future. NYT, on the other
hand, avoided a legal conflict and playing
any money.
It was a compromise settlement, as most
are, but one can not help but feel that
GateHouse just managed to bully one of
the largest and most prestigious new
organizations in the world. What Does it
Mean for Bloggers
The frustrating thing about settlements,
such as this one, as that they do not
become case law and have no bearing on
future cases. If and when this kind of
dispute arises again, we will be starting
over from square one.
What is interesting is that the NYT is
still continuing to aggregate headlines
form other sources, just not from
GateHouse sites. This kind of duality is
hard for many bystanders to justify.
However, it doesn’t bode well for RSS
aggregation that GateHouse was able to
push the New York Times into stopping
the systematic linking to their headlines.
On the positive side, this means that RSS
scraping and spam blogging is even less
likely to be viewed as legal and ethical. On
the negative, it makes the future of more
acceptable aggregation, such as headline
widgets, more tentative.
Where I think that this is more likely
Daily Digital Newspaper
heading is in a similar direction to search
engine indexing, which will likely mean
one of or a combination of these two
things:
• A system similar to meta tags and/or
robots.txt that will allow RSS publishers to
identify how they want their feeds to be
used. Disobeying the tags may be grounds
for legal action.
• A notice and takedown system by which
an RSS publisher can request their work be
removed, failure to do so could also be
looked at as an infringement.
In short, I feel strongly that RSS headline
aggregation, since it is already a
commonplace activity, will remain, for the
most part, an accepted practice. However,
there will be systems put into place, either
using technology or the legal system, that
will give RSS publishers who don’t want
to allow such aggregation a means to opt
out.
Wholesale, unlicensed RSS scraping, on
the other hand, will remain legally
dubious. Conclusions
Obviously, those who are outside the
case and building technologies around RSS
would have preferred an actual ruling.
Still, the settlement can provide clues as to
the direction we are heading in with RSS
aggregation, especially when you consider
it’s potential use as a negotiation tool in
future disputes.
This may not be the firm answers we
were all hoping for, but it may be the
beginning to the answers that we need.
Let us hope that when the ruling does
come down, it manages to draw the line in
such a way that rights and aggregation are
both protected.
Copyright law is always a tricky balance
and every ruling threatens to upset it. This
dispute is no different.
Need a Copyright or Plagiarism
Consultant? I am Here to Help.
jonb1324cdr