All the news unfit to print for Saturday, December 15, 2007
MAJOR NOR'EASTER FORMING
ACCUWEATHER'S CRAZY HENRY WATCHING THE STORM.. ALSO COMMENTING THAT HE HAS NEVER SEEN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SLEET UNTIL NOW, AND HE HAS NEVER SEEN SLEET THE SIZE OF SMALL HAIL. UNTIL NOW.
ALSO SPEAKS OF "THE PERFECT STORM HAPPENING IN FRONT OF OUR FACES"..
Always the excited meteoroligist..but no matter what way you look at it, right now heavy sleet is falling in Eastern PA and I am sure a lot more places--along with snow in many more.
A warm winter.. I guess it makes sense. It's warmer.. and the jet stream is always close by. Which puts many areas of the Midwest and East Coast in the danger zone of that icy mixture of rain/sleet/snow/freezing rain/you name it you get it.
My local forecasters weren't as jazzed up on the 11o'clock news tonight as Margusity is..
But what is interesting is how so many measure the intensity of a winter storm in snow depth. This one can't be treated that way. The remnamts of Olga are going to hit Florida tomorrow mornning and jump quickly in the deepening low along the East Coast setting the storm in motion that is set to criple the interior with deep snow and slam the Southern parts of the region with heavy sleet and freezing rain. Any changeovers to rain will be short lived when winds whip up and change it back to snow and freeze what ever else falls from the sky..
The film brought in nearly $30 mil on its first day. . box office watchers are watching it quickly rise in profitability.. It may top $80 mil for the weekend, says Nikki Finke..
Perhaps American can achieve the same objective but in a reversed style: Opt into buying toys exported and opt out of buying cheap toys made with questionable paint from China?
From the AP story, ""I dare not buy cheap wooden toys or toys with paint," said Lin Yan, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, whose 7-year-old daughter tested for elevated levels of lead in her blood.
"I have a stupid standard: I buy her expensive toys in big department stores. I can only assume most of the expensive ones are foreign brands and are guaranteed to have better quality," said Lin.
When her daughter is given toys she suspects are unsafe, she throws them away.
"Sometimes they have indescribable odors," she said."
That smell under this year's Christmas tree may just a bargain that parents should have never looked for.
A new video from the Paul campaign shows a happy family Christmas 2007 .. and he wishes us a great 2008. We wish him the same.. Kind of goofy ad. But it works because it shows a family and not a politician. Big family. Huge family. All with Myspace and You Tube sites promoting "Google Ron Paul" banners most likely.
Citizen journalists, reporters, photographers, and online opinion writers unite: Former NBC correspondent has written an in-depth article about how blogging and internet reporters are bad for the health of real reporters..
David Hazinski writes, "reliable information that the traditional media don't provide. While it has its place, the reality is it really isn't journalism at all, and it opens up information flow to the strong probability of fraud and abuse. The news industry should find some way to monitor and regulate this new trend."
Perhaps the real reporters should be monitored..
In the land before the net, it was tough to get news. They chose it for you. They picked and combed through what they felt was important. Now with access to news wires around the world you can see what happens oceans away in the click of a mouse.. With hurricane and storm dedicated weather sites you can watch live radar.. You can watch earthquake seismic graphs live when quakes occur. You can see streaming live footage of events, towns, cities.. you can watch your favorite or most infamous presidential candidates talk and walk with You Tube.
And what is so wrong with this?
Mr. Hazinksi goes on to say, "• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning.
• Journalism schools such as mine at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff's auxiliaries are trained and certified.
In this lone blogger's humble opinion, Mr. Hazinski should be honored. Real bloggers that don't just report rumors actually check their facts in the same tradition that "real" reporters do--err.. once did. (Remember, there are also websites out there soley dedicated to finding when real reporters make errors.)
Many bloggers or "citizen reporters" troll the AP news wire, the Reuters Photo wire, CNN's political ticker, the Drudge Report, Huffington Post, the UK NEWSNOW live news site.. They're not just pulling facts from the air and putting it on blogs for all to see--though I am sure more than few do that.
But there are also a few, and hopefully not more than a few, reporters that get their facts wrong. Jayson Blair from the New York TIMES could let us in on a few secrets..
The internet brings out one characteristic in reporting that some reporters say should not happen: Opinion laced news accounts. But then again, if you really read the real newspapers and magazine of the 20th century, you will find they lace their articles with more highbrowed opinions. Their opinions are better, most likely because their paid-for-degree was enough to tell them how to gather the facts first and then flush their articles with hidden opinions.
Maybe in the end, the think that Mr. Hazinki most overlooks is the 21st century marriage of journalism and entertainment. Paris Hilton.. oh my. Britney Spears.. and her kids. Oh boy.
The advertising.. drug company sponsorship of major news programs .. Those boardrooms have some interesting meetings.
While there are some blogs and citizen sites paid for by advertising revenue, the vast majority of all that post their notes online are not getting rich by their actions.. The Schmuckraker blog dropped the dotcom over a year ago because it was getting too expensive without advertising dollars to keep a site going. But the Blogger.com help led to a cheaper and faster way of reporting. I just don't think I own my stuff anymore.. right? But hey, you can take your words with you when you're gone I guess.
So back to Mr. Hazinki: He concludes, "on freedom of the press and journalism shouldn't be regulated.
But we have already seen the line between news and entertainment blur enough to destroy significant credibility. Continuing to do nothing as information flow changes will further erode it. Journalism organizations who choose to do nothing may soon find the line between professional and citizen journalism gone as well as the trust of their audiences."
The line between professional and citizen journalist .. gone. Perhaps that's fine. I'd rather see the line between entertainment and news stop being blurred. I'd rather see a news show without sponsorship of a major global company .. I'd rather see journalists not worried more about their hair than they are about the words a politician is spewing.
When I first started to really care about world events, read TIME magazine, and become a CNN junkie, I was about 12 or 13. And it always bothered me that when a major news story happened, life then seemed to go on. Few sources were around to get background info on what was happening at that moment. The net has given way to anyone to possess the ability to report from where they want to, how they want to, and what they want to.
From do-it-yourself sex sites to blogging by iPhones.. it's America in 2007. It's the modern evolution of journalism.. and how people get their news. It's time to get used to it.
Remember, Mr. Hazinski, those news wires are still flowing. It's the information age. With that comes challenges .. and information overloads. But it's better than information blackouts.
Players that were identified in the Mitchell Report as users of either steroids, human growth hormone, or other banned substances
Chad Allen
Rick Ankiel
David Bell
Mike Bell
Marvin Benard
Gary Bennett, Jr.
Larry Bigbie
Barry Bonds
Kevin Brown
Paul Byrd
Jose Canseco
Mark Carreon
Jason Christiansen
Howie Clark
Roger Clemens
Jack Cust
Brendan Donnelly
Chris Donnels
Lenny Dykstra
Bobby Estalella
Matt Franco
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagne
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Jason Grimsley
Jose Guillen
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Matt Herges
Phil Hiatt
Glenallen Hill
Darren Holmes
Todd Hundley
David Justice
Chuck Knoblauch
Tim Laker
Mike Lansing
Paul Lo Duca
Exavier "Nook" Logan
Josias Manzanillo
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Mark McGwire
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Hal Morris
Daniel Naulty
Denny Neagle
Rafael Palmeiro
Jim Parque
Andy Pettitte
Adam Piatt
Todd Pratt
Adam Riggs
Brian Roberts
John Rocker
F.P. Santangelo
Benito Santiago
Scott Schoeneweis
David Segui
Gary Sheffield
Miguel Tejada
Ismael Valdez
Mo Vaughn
Randy Velarde
Ron Villone
Fernando Vina
Rondell White
Jeff Williams
Matt Williams
Todd Williams
Steve Woodard
Kevin Young
Gregg Zaun
Those who already took it? Yes. Of course. No worry, says the Center for Disease Control.
According to the Dow Jones Newswire, "The recall involves 11 lots of a Hib vaccine, Pedvaxhib, and two lots of a combination vaccine for both Hib and hepatitis B sold under the brand name Comvax, Merck said. The Merck vaccine is made at a manufacturing plant in West Point, Pa."..
The "Superstorm" cometh.. Are they overblowing it again?
We've been here before.. But this time, I am more inclined to think that a "Superstorm" as Henry Margusity from Accuweather is predicting will happen..
He has been predicting this for over a week and a half.. computer models are beginning to suggest a major Nor'Easter in store for the Northeast..
In the meantime.. the Midwest hopes their Christmas gift is a Christmas meltdown...
Maybe. His speech last week defending his religous convictions and governing abilities got very good press even from the most liberal outlets..
But.. in the end, I can't imagine candidate Romney being able to connect to America the way a Rudy Guiliani or even John McCain--OR for that matter a Ron Paul!--could..
Romney was not able to truly answer with a conviction one of the most important questions of our time: Should America water board?
NATIONAL REVIEW admits: "Some conservatives question his sincerity. It is true that he has reversed some of his positions. But we should be careful not to overstate how much he has changed. In 1994, when he tried to unseat Ted Kennedy, he ran against higher taxes and government-run health care, and for school choice, a balanced budget amendment, welfare reform, and “tougher measures to stop illegal immigration.” He was no Rockefeller Republican even then"
..but the magazine goes on, "More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush’s virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney."
The question now: How much power does NATIONAL REVIEW still possess over the legions of conservatives.. how many have flocked to the net instead?
BARACK OBAMA SCORING HIGHER NUMBERS IN NEW CBS/New York Times poll ..
Of those polled, people believe that Hillary Clinton is the most experienced of the Democratic field for the presidency. But Obama scores on a major point that Mrs. Clinton does not: A breath of fresh air.
Barack Obama is seen as the candidate that would most likely bring a new set of fresh ideas to the White House..
And now, with Iowa only weeks ago, the voters must ask: Experience or freshness?
That, in the end, will decide who the candidate for the presidency on the Democratic side is.
The 16-year-old found Bush's secret White House phone number, called him, and asked him to come to Iceland and have a private meeting. The White House claims that the boy called the main switchboard, but the mother of the boy claims that he got the special phone number.. The young Icelandic friend of America said he had the number since he was about 11 or 12.. The boy was not charged.
The phone number most likely today has been deactivated.
Mike Huckabee, the Christ Ranger for President, said that the United States gave up on God and that is exactly why the US is in peril..
Even going further, the Chuck Norris-endorsed Republican for President said, "The reason we have so much government is because we have so much broken humanity. And the reason we have so much broken humanity is because sin reigns in the hearts and lives of human beings instead of the Savior."
Granted, he was speaking to the Southern Baptist pastors who probably wanted Huckabee to ratchet up the talk of God..
The religious-themed speech opens up a re-opens that always popular theme in primary politics on the GOP side: How much religious should be intertwined with government? Or how much shouldn't be.
Most recently before Huckabee's battle cry to the pastors, Mitt Romney said there is a place for God within government, but he should not be judged on his Mormon religion alone.
All the news unfit to print for Sunday, December 9, 2007
all WAS well..
Torture and waterboarding. Big issue now. Democrats have been leading the cause against it.. *Well, and John McCain, who I'd give 1000% more credibility to than anyone else on the issue*..
Now I'm getting even more excited for this movie.
You may all have known about or did some online digging for BATMAN viral sites. The unconventional means of promoting the film.. I just came across two more, The Gotham City TIMES and then of course the Ha Ha Ha TIMES..
BATMAN-ON-FILM news has more viral sites linked in its archive..
The sites are genius to me. Complete genius. The movie is probably the most anticipated film of 2008, and the online viral campaign is only aiding to it. The sites that appear the JOKER took them over.. Just as he is trying to take over Gotham City itself. Even E! ONLINE was struck with confusion over a ringing cake from "The Joker"
Also genius.. COMPLETE GENIUS .. the toll free line on the Gotham City TIMES website 1-866-237-6480 actually works. When you call it you get the feel that you're calling a real voice mail in a news room.
The amount of sites is in question.. More seem to be found by fanboys every day. While I'm not out there searching for them I am enjoying them when I see them link on the BATMAN related blogs I get to..
A few of the many related viral sites: Gotham City bank, Gotham police.. And there is even a site Remembering Gina dedicated to a girl slain in 'gang violence in Gotham City'...
In a way, this film is being released in small trickles now. The release date is really July 8.. but we have a lot of BATMAN related discoveries to find until then... maybe the anticipation even more exciting perhaps than the film release itself.
The again, we do have I AM LEGEND this weekend.. Can't wait for that, either.
New BATMAN poster released.. The build up to this film is getting big. The movie better live up to it. This is probably the most important BATMAN film ever made. I think. Maybe I'll talk about why next year.
War, disease, scary scary stuff. The media, though, seems to have shifted some focus away from those big issues and check into those even more important issues: Jennifer Love Hewitt's cellulite.
It began with photos--of course--by the paparazzi.. Unflattering photos that led Hewitt to post a blog on her site stating her anger over the photos being published, and saying that a size 2 is not fat and a size 0 is not always beautiful. After the release and publication of the photos of her in her bikini, headlines started appearing about it. One headline read, "I know what you ate last summer" and another "She Needs to do Some Jogging, Badly."
She wrote, "What I should be doing is celebrating some of the best days of my life and my engagement to the man of my dreams, instead of having to deal with photographers taking invasive pictures from bad angles. I know what I look like, and so do my friends and family. And like all women out there should, I love my body.To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini -- put it on and stay strong."
"Bad angles" aside, perhaps Hewitt would have been best to focus on the more important issue: The death of privacy for Hollywood stars. Laugh, scoff at me.. whichever. But really, the death of all forms of privacy.
While it's true that some stars in la la land want their entire private life unveiled to the public .. while some get off on it .. while some enjoy the limelight .. while some enjoy the fame, fortune, and front page stories regardless of the positivity or negativity of the headline .. some also don't.
The paparazzi rushes their ugly heads with camera lenses ready into the lives of many people, some too young, some too old.
Then the bloggers blog. The photos go around the world, iPhoned and Blackberried .. emailed and Gmailed. All around the world in only 40 seconds.
It's really not right, is it? Really?
While some readers in the world share interests in seeing their Hollywood starlets plastered all over grocery store magazines, it's clear that the photos get there in rather crude ways. The complete invasion of privacy.
The beyond tacky if not revolting costume made its way around the online world.. Though Penn State has identified the students, sent a letter of rebuke to Virginia Tech, and wrote that the students lacked common decency, they will not punish the students. The school's reason: Freedom of speech.
I think Penn State got it right. There would be many people that wouldn't want to forgive the students for the costumes, which is the right of anyone. But a school really shouldn't start regulating what can be worn at private parties. I think it was a good call by the University, but equally a very dishonorable costume.. Those supporting the right of freedom of speech have it right. Those shrugging off the insensitivity and distastefulness of these costumes have it very wrong.
I only wanted to make a quick comment on something. A post that existed on this site yesterday is gone today--but because of the numerous comments that disagreed with me, but instead because I neglected to put an important fact in my considerations.. Also because I choose now after much thought to not give credit to the person in general. Some of you may know what this means, especially if you came back to see if anyone responded to your comments. The whole post is gone. But not because of you, but instead me. However.. I still believe 99% of what I wrote in my now deleted post.
..but how much power will she have?
Oprah Winfrey begins her campaign trek with Barack Obama. A media feeding frenzy commenced.
But will it translate to votes? Will she be able to sway the undecideds?
Maybe: Below is video of Obama noticing someone in the audience in Iowa passing out. He mentioned that it's what happens when people get excited about Oprah.
AP PHOTOMajor ice storm from Oklahoma to New York State .. million homes .and businesses without power. States of emergency in numerous cities and states through the nation's Midwest..
It began with photos--of course--by the paparazzi.. 
..but how much power will she have?
Oprah Winfrey begins her campaign trek with Barack Obama. A media feeding frenzy commenced.
But will it translate to votes? Will she be able to sway the undecideds? 
News
