"Invitation to a Dialogue - Nameless on the Web?" - NYTimes.com

The only responsible thing for the owner of a website or online offering to do is to insist on real names, grant highly limited exceptions, police abuse and discourage, aggressively, the idea that "public performances" by anonymous "players" ought to bring public dientificaiton as well.

"For European Union and the Euro, a Moment of Truth" - NYTimes.com

There seems to be such a disconnect between a story like this and the lives of most people in Europe, at least in France. As I watch US and French news in various media from here, I sense almost a reluctance to cover this story of the economy the way it should be covered. Why? Because people's eyes glaze over so quickly when the subject is raised or simply start thinking the worst. How do we put in this in better personal perspective - not just how it affects pocketbooks but how a democratic society (ies) can work together with all their citizens to solve the problem. Surely, this is doable.
For example, here in Nice, what are 10 things that each of us might do in the week ahead to help address the problem? Is it a question of saving, spending, sending a message to someone, coming up with an idea, doing something differently? What is it? In a democratic society, we ought to be able to help out everyone and ourselves if we just get ourselves more knowledgeably organized.

"With Flixster, Studios Bet Consumers Will Buy Movies Again" - NYTimes.com

What an interesting idea.
If going to the movies costs 10-15 USD for two people, how much would I pay, when, to be able to watch it live in a theater and then later. 20?
Hmmm.

"Are Apps Making Cookbooks Obsolete?" - NYTimes.com

The answer to this question will tell us a lot about the future of newspapers, believe it or not!

"National Security and America’s Unnecessary Secrets" - NYTimes.com

Agreed.

Times Events

The New York Times does these very well.
What I keep thinking, however, is that every newspaper has their own set of internal stars and people whom they can attract to an event. Why are more newspapers not doing this on their own scale in their own markets and making it all part of the service those newspapers offer to their customers, present, past, and future?

Finding e-mail addresses

I don't know why it remains so hard to find an e-mail address for someone. Why don't the same rules apply as for phone numbers. They are so much easier to find.

Someone needs to come up with a way to do this. There are such simple ways to do it so that people don't get bombarded with spam if that is what worries many.

But if you are at a company or in business in some way and you don't at least allow me to click on your name and send through a form to YOU, there is something wrong with how you look at the world beyond yourself. Sometimes someone might just have something to offer and you may miss it if you frustrate their good faith effort to reach you in such a gentle way by e-mail.

We both lose when this happens!

"Citizen Journalism And The Need To Verify" - WUNC

It does not sound as though they are verifying anything other than that the video has not been doctored. That hardly constitutes verification, and the assertion of the need to allow anonymous posting of these things is ludicrous except in rare exceptional situations. Put your name on it if you want anyone to believe you, and even that is only a starting point, or at least should be!

"His Libraries, 12,000 So Far, Change Lives" - NYTimes.com

Sounds pretty exciting, and I don't recall reading much about this project. Need to read more, so to speak!

Times Wire - Sunday morning photos

This is what the photo section of Times Wire looks like right now at about 2:30 AM EST. Lots of happy couples, no? Look closely.

"Can Politicians Really Create Jobs?" - NYTimes.com

Finally, something on this subject makes sense however discouraging this is.

KARDASHIAN v. What's His Name?

I just saw a headline about something to do with the KARDASHIANs which I take it are reality television stars of some sort who hold a mysterious fascination for millions of people. So far, at least, I am not one of them, and can honeslty say I have never watched them in anything anywhere to my knowledge.
But here is my point. I remember the name and how, I think, to spell it.
The other day, I was writing something about the Greek crisis and for a moment I could not remember Prime Minister PAPANDREOU's name. Yes, I recalled it and miraculously seem to have spelled it one of the accepted ways.
What does it say that someone with no interest in the former and huge interest in the latter, remembers the first but not the second?
It says embarrassing to me, but what about everyone else?

"Dismal Tale of Arrest for Tiniest of Crimes" - NYTimes.com

What an awful message this send to the rest of the world. This should not happen anywhere in the US, or anywhere else!

"Is the Web Amplifying Consumers' Voices?" - NYTimes.com

What an important question!

"Israel and the Apartheid Slander" - NYTimes.com

This eminent writer misses the point, I believe. If Israel were not determined to be a Jewish state, everyone would be equal and problems might even become manageable. But this Jewish state mentality means that you are either one of us, or not, and if you are not, then you will be treated differently at least in our minds if not in our laws and acts. That's the problem, and until Israel decides that it just wants to be another fully democratic country and let the chips fall where they may in terms of who governs and the role that religion plays, claims, slanderous or not, about Israel's treatment of Arabs will persist.

"Trial of Officers in Haitian Prison Massacre Is Test of System" - NYTimes.com

Why can't we come to the point where we treat our neighbors as ourselves in terms of news coverage. This story is super as far as it goes. But I have trouble remembering the last Haiti story I saw on the NYT home page. Not to mention the rest of the Caribbean and Canada. Yes, Mexico appears more often, but usually only on one subject, as incredibly important as violence there is -- it is not the whole story of Mexico. Nor is this trial the whole story of Haiti.