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August 16, 2004

And Fisk represents all journalists

: The Independent paints Ann Coulter as all too representative of America:

There's no one like her in Britain, I say, not even on the crazy fringes of the Tory party. "I know," she agrees, "it's horrifying what the Conservatives are in England. You make clear that I'm not one of them."

Is Ann Coulter a nutcase? If she is, she's one listened to and approved of by a frightening number of Americans. Surely, I say, hoping she will concede that she sometimes provokes to amuse, she doesn't believe everything she comes out with. "This is the shocking thing for your readers," she replies. "I believe everything I say."

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And while we're at it, weblog is one word

: At long-last, Wired News decides to uncapitalize internet, web, and net because they're just media now (well, Doc says it's not media "but rather a place, an environment, a collection of locations. Like a marketplace, or a commons").

And, by the way, TV should never be written T.V.; it doesn't stand for two words starting with T and V.

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If Craig were an editor

: Patrick Phillips of IWantMedia asks Criag Newmark of Craig's List one question:

Q: Is Craigslist a threat to newspapers?
A: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark: "Sure, by providing free classifieds, we deprive newspapers of some revenue. But in context, we're not a significant threat. The real problem is decreasing audience and circulation for mass media, which I think results from decreasing credibility. For example, we rarely see reporters asking tough questions of authority -- the best case being the White House press corps. To be fair, Helen Thomas and Jon Stewart are notable exceptions. Maybe this is the time for a call to action, since I know most reporters want to report these matters. I don't mean to be critical, but compared to this, Craigslist is pretty penny-ante."

Helen Thomas? Helen Thomas? She has been loopy for decades now. Just because press secretaries don't like her, that doesn't mean she's H.L. Mencken.

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Leading the way

: Iranian blogging pioneer Hossein Derakshan lists what he's working on.

He plans to get mid-70s diaries of Iranians online so today's generation can see that back then, Iranians had social freedom and economic well-being. Today, he says, "they have low expectations and as a result no will or effort to change the status quo, and thus, the political apathy."

He wants to cross-translate American and Persian blogs to show how much we do have in common. I'm so eager to see this happen.

He wants to start an Iranian/Israeli project: "In an article in Persian, a few months ago, I explained why in the long-run Iran and Israel could -- and perhaps should -- be the best allies in the Arab-dominated region of middle east. Now to back it up, Given the total lack of information that the two side have about one another -- especially Iranians about Israelis, I'll to try to find some Iranian-Israelis who can blog in Persian from Israel about their ordinary lives and observations."

He is putting together wiki-powered textbooks for Iranian high school students: "Those books can later be printed and used by parents, who do not agree with the content of the official ministry of education textbooks, as alternatives in a couple of sensitive subjects such as History, Social Studies, etc."

And he wants to offer blogging awards to encourage the best of Iranian blogging and also promote photo blogs.

This is a man who brought weblogs to his country and they are helping to change his country. It's just a beginning.

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Your tax dollars

: Took the family to the local Post Office to get their passports Saturday (a new service at more Post Offices lets you hand in the docs there for a fee). As a result, we went behind the door into the bowels of the place and what do we find but damned nice furniture in the postmaster's large office: leather chairs and couches all around, dark wood desk and table, and dorky inspirational poster. Why the hell does a Post Office have leather and solid-wood office furniture?

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Good morning, fellow commuters

: So this morning I dash down to the PATH platform to rush into New York and I debate whether to take the midtown or the World Trade Center train; I prefer the latter but have been taking it less lately, since the newest terror warnings about financial buildings, there being lots of those downtown. And I glance up at the TV screen that gives us advertising all day and see a mug shot for Amer El-Maati and an appeal from the FBI to look for the guy. Says Mugshots.com:

This is Amer El-Maati, another one of the Al-Qaeda operatives wanted for questioning by the FBI for the possible terrorist attacks on the U.S. in the summer or fall of 2004. This guy's a Kuwaiti by birth, and wears coke-bottle glasses. He's also got a bunch of aliases, so if you know where he is, drop a dime on him and let the Feds know so they can pick him up.

Oh, joy. Other commuters in the world have to worry about dumb drivers. We have to worry about terrorists.

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Change what?

: So the much hyped ChangeThis collection of uninteractive PDF essays launches. And what do they want to change?
: Don't kill children with sugar in drinks.
: Don't execute children (I sense a theme here).
: Email etiquette (a fresh topic!).
: Marriage as a basic human right.
: Customer evangelism.
: Guy Kawasaki on start-ups.
Haven't read them yet. Would have liked to have browsed them this morning but you can't browse PDFs.

: Meanwhile, note that MoveOn has named its anti-Bush music tour the Vote for Change tour.

Change is the word of the day these days.

But change what? Change why? Change how? Change for the sake of change is meaningless and even destructive. The communists made change for change's sake a political philosphy and see where that got them. Change on its own is an empty word and that's just why these folks use it: They want you to fill this empty vessel of a word with whatever you have in mind.

I'd rather vote for someone than for change.

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McGreevey PR

: Howard Stern says this morning that McGreevey's staff called the show last week to try to get him on the air to talk about stem-cell research (McGreevey was going to say that he'd use state funds for research). But they got a call at the last minute saying they'd have to reschedule; McGreevey's daughter was coming into town; he had a family thing to do. He was supposed to be on Thursday morning.

: Is it cynical to wonder whether this was a straight strategy? Rather than coming out as a "Gay American," what if McGreevey had tried to tough it out with Golan Cipel? Wouldn't appearing on Stern talking babes and boobs have given him a few straight points?

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