""Sell The Vatican Save The World": Sarah Silverman's Campaign To End Hunger"

As they say, this may offend some viewers, so be forewarned! But if you stop only at the headline, imagine how much more could be accomplished if "we" sold Israel as well, and put all of that money to work to cure the ills of the world! It this turned out to be a two-fer, imagine how much conflict in the world would likely go with the sale as well.

"War on Terry" - Schott’s Vocab Blog - NYTimes.com

Well, I guess it is good to know that I have a name that "..is simply a common or garden"!

Missed newspaper opportunities

I am going to give two examples of big missed opportunities at newspapers. Both examples are in French, from the Nice Matin newspaper serving Southeastern France. I don't mean to pick on them as the same applies to every newspaper I know.

The first is the story of a young Italian woman who was attacked in a local train restroom. She opened the door when she was inside because she thought it was the conductor. The assailant entered instead. It's a good story as far as it goes. What's missing, tho, is perhaps most important - what advice does the train operator, or others, give to people, mostly women, who are in a train restroom and someone knocks on the door? What could be more important than that and it is nowhere to be found?

The other is a story of a sewer backing up at a local school, something that happens regularly. Once again, a good story with some candid commentary by one mother. What's missing tho, again, is the most important - having reported on a stinky, messy, unhealthy problem, how do we the readers followup to know whether the problem got addressed and resolved?

I do not understand why there is such continued resistance to such service to customers.

"Still Fragile, Haiti Makes Sales Pitch" - NYTimes.com

Why is is so hard for the US and its people to figure out a way to work with Haiti to improve everyone's lot in the process? Surely, if we had a state or a city in the US that looked like Haiti we would try to do something to help them as we did in New Orleans, for example. The situation in Haiti is far worse but that makes the need far greater and how can we turn a blind eye to the desperate plight of the people there?

Imagine if we aggressively chose to solve the twin challenges of the Caribbean - Cuba and Haiti. Imagine the accomplishment for the OBAMA Administration if that were to happen! If we worked on both together, and put our best creative minds to work on the problem, we surely can improve so many lives and end so much misery, can't we?

"Globalist - The Public Imperative" - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Extremely well said....

Driven to Distraction - At 60 M.P.H., Office Work Is a High-Risk Job - Series - NYTimes.com

The only way that anyone should be using electronic devices while in a vehicle is when someone else is driving. The risk to the driver is for her or him to assume; if they do and are injured, they have contributed immensely and almost certainly to whatever they suffer. But it is unconscionable for public policy to allow them to conduct business and injure other people in the process.

"Boy, Oh, Boy" - NYTimes.com

I have made this same point for months.

"Land First, Then Peace" - NYTimes.com

I sure think that this makes a great deal of sense. We need to rethink where we stand so that we can better see the full picture. I believe we will find that knee-jerk support of Israel is neither good politics or good morals.

"Driven to Distraction - Backseat Drivers Are Now Nagging the Multitasker" - Series - NYTimes.com

If someone starts using a device while driving - I don't care who it is - there are only two options. Stop the vehicle so I can get out or stop using the device. Period.

"Israel Approves Settlement Construction" - NYTimes.com

The Israeli announcement once again makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to believe that Israel contemplates anything approaching "fair" in resolving the quagmire over how to divide up the land ultimately that Israel was given, that which it took by force, and that which has been the Palestinians'. I can only imagine what it must be like to negoitate with a government that does these things so brazenly.

"Kennedy's death: Ireland mourns a "true friend"" - GlobalPost

This is such an important part of th KENNEDY legacy.

"Rendition of Terror Suspects to Continue Under Obama" - NYTimes.com

President OBAMA, whom I supported vigorously, is risking the loss of a huge measure of my support if he continues to take positions like this one. I cannot believe what I am reading and am sorely disappointed he has made this decision.

"Under Agreement, UBS to Give Up 4,000 Names" - NYTimes.com

I'd like to know what's being done to deal with the same problem in Monaco. Does the IRS believe that it knows the names and has the required financial information on all US taxpayers whose financial holdings in Monaco are taxable under US law? I very much doubt it, and I am surprised not to see this being discussed.

"President Obama is the real target of health care protesters, not policy"

This is perhaps the best analysis of what we are witnessing in some number of places around the country. I have thought this from the beginning and this commentary explains this very well.

"Jewish Groups Say Obama’s Pick for Medal Has Anti-Israel Bias" - NYTimes.com

If the Jewish groups opposing this award can look at themselves in the mirror and not grimace, I feel sorry for them. There is no need for anyone to have an unblemished record of support of Israel in order to receive anything, and the groups that think they can make this a litmus test insult themselves, I am sorry to say.

Mary ROBINSON explained herself fully and that should be all it takes. She has advanced more human rights in more places for more people than the office workers in these groups who probably write these protests. They make it hard for anyone to support Israel when its rabid supporters do silly things like this.

The next person they will be criticizing is Justice SOTOMAYOR for being biased since she is a Roman Catholic. The Israeli supporters are going to learn that we all have to get along and accept the fact that support of Israel is not a prerequisite to get there. It's their choice whether we do.

"Health Debate Turns Hostile at Town Hall Meetings" - NYTimes.com

Whatever the competing merits may be in health care reform, there is no place for violence and no place for people who cannot respect our marvelous informal rules of civil discourse. Those rules are founded on the notion that allowing the expression of as many views as reasonably possible is a good thing for our democracy. That is not always easy to do, but disrupting presentations and interfering with the speech of others is neither necessary nor productive. If people have ideas and points of view to express, let them work to voice those opinions in a civil and respectful manner whatever their political orientations might be.

It is an embarrassment to our stellar system of freedom of expression to see what is happening around the country. Those who realize this will move to correct it; those who do not .... well, I feel genuinely sorry for you.

"Shape of planet blogging" - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com

What a great and sad point!

"FreeScore.com: Not Exactly Free" - MousePrint

This is one of the most deceptive marketing programs I have ever seen and if this is what Ben STEIN wants us to associate with him, he is free to do so. I think he ought to be ashamed of himself, but there is something about his money-making instincts that probably prevent him from doing so. Thank goodness for this blogger who signed up to get the answer on fees. If news media were really concerned about reporting what is important to customers, they would be telling us all what the advertising for freescore.com is not.

"Driven to Distraction - Cabbies Stay on Their Phones Despite Ban and Proven Risks" - Series - NYTimes.com

I refuse to stay - or pay any fare - in a taxi whose driver uses a telephone of any kind while driving, or any other handheld advice.

Cash for clunkers....

I am a very strong supported of President OBAMA and his programs, and the idea of getting fuel INefficient cars off the road is a good one.

However.....

Replacing them with more cars may help the economy but I do have to swallow hard on anything that means more cars on the road, even if more fuel efficient. Who knows whether the cars being scrapped were driven very much by their owners and whether the new cars will actually result in increased air pollution because they are used a lot more.

In my own case, we own two 1988 Hondas. We made conscious decisions at the time to opt for good fuel efficiency, and we have been very happy with both cars. Neither qualified for this program because they are rated at higher than 18 MPG. While it is good to focus on the worst offenders, I have to ask myself, at least, whether it is fair for someone who - in 1988, for example - bought a gas "guzzler", and who has been polluting our air to excess during twenty years to receive up to $4,500 from the government when we receive nothing toward the purchase of our next car which we hope will be much more efficient than the ones we own.

This system has worked successfully in France, Germany and perhaps elsewhere but I do not know if they have the same requirements. In France, for example, it appears that the only requirement is that the car being traded in is older than 15 years. Even if a lower amount is offered, that seems much fairer.

"Detained journalists get no media play" - Abby Phillip - POLITICO.com

"Driven to Distraction - Texting Raises Crash Risk 23 Times, Study Finds" - Series - NYTimes.com

Why does anyone else have to die or be injured before we stop to this madness? No one driving a motor vehicle should be permitted to use ANY electronic device, period. Pull over to use your phone, your GPS, or whatever other toy you may have with you. That's common sense. That's what the law ought to be.

"Measure to Expand Gun Rights Falls Short in Senate" - NYTimes.com

So many of us want to see many more good outcomes like this one.

"Driven to Distraction - In 2003, U.S. Withheld Data Showing Cellphone Driving Risks" - Series - NYTimes.com

To me there is no need for further research in order to impose a country-wide (either by federal or collective state action) ban on the use of any electronic device while driving a motor vehicle. The ban should be imposed immediately.

Dismissing the Risks of a Deadly Habit - Multitasking on the Road - NYTimes.com

Anyone who uses any telecommunications or any other electronic device while driving an automobile is quite simple a stupid jerk. I have no use for anyone who does this, and will tell any driver to stop if they want me to remain in their car. If I could help anyone sue a driver who had an accident and caused injury as a result of using one or more of these devices, I would do so pro bono.

"Editorial - Newspapers’ future" - FT.com

Yes! I would add to this.... the word "essential". If newspapers do not find a way to become essential - to address essentil information and service needs of customers - others will continue to overtake them. On a base of "essential" both great journalism and profitable additional lines of newspaper business can be built. Take away the essential and the future is newspapers remains very bleak.

"President’s Detention Plan Tests American Legal Tradition" - NYTimes.com

Justice delayed is indeed justice denied. Either try these people in a US court or set them free. No more, no less.

In the name of our system of justice, I accept the risks that are associated with that move. I would rather fear someone on the loose than to see that person imprisoned without the procedural safeguards the rest of us enjoy. Period.

"Portfolio May Rise Again! In North Carolina" - Gawker

"After Boston Crash, Cellphone Ban May Loom" - NYTimes.com

Will it take something awful like this happening, God forbid, here in NC to lead to a ban on using any device whatsoever when driving? Everyone behind any "wheel". Every device. What could be simpler and better than that?

"How Well Have Media Covered The Flu Outbreak?" - NPR

"NPR Reporter Looks Back On A Year In Iraq" - NPR

Prisoners in Iran and North Korea

It is impossible to understand fully how terrifying it must be for these three women - two in North Korea and one in Iran - to be behind bars in those countries. I hope that they are all proven innocent of all charges and released very quickly.

What surprises me about these cases is not that they have happened, but that a) we are surprised and b) it took so long for these kind of cases to emerge.

Regardless of whether there is any merit to any of the charges, North Korea and Iran are able to use the fact of these incarcerations to their advantage in all matter of negotiations in which they are involved.

I fear we will see more of this whether it results from the fair and equal application of laws that have been violated or simply because people find themselves in a country which chooses to deploy this tactic as a negotiating tool.

In either case, it makes the task of overseas reporting tremendously more challenging and we are likely to see less of that.

Everyone sadly loses in the end, I think.

"Reclaiming America’s Soul" - NYTimes.com

I agree wholeheartedly with what KRUGMAN has written.

Iranian court sentences U.S. journalist to 8 years - Los Angeles Times

I would certainly advocate on her behalf and would be delighted to do what I could in her defense.

Similarly, I would surely join those who ask simply that she be released.

That said, how do we know that the charges are unfounded and unproven?

Imagine an Iranian-American arrested in this country on charges of spying. Would the Iranians not be in good order to demand her or his release in a similar fashion, assuming that the charges could not possibly be valid?

I think we need to understand a lot more about this case, and give the Iranian's every opportunity to explain why she was convicted before we jump to conclusions about guilt or innocence or potentially unnecessarily insult the legal system in Iran.

"Students affirm free speech" - Daily Tar Heel

This is positive but hardly enough....

More on the TANCREDO incident....

This story updates the situation.

Here is a further e-mail that I have sent to the UNC Chancellor, along with a longer version of his statement in response to the incident:

"Dear Chancellor,

I wrote to you last evening after reading what your news office sent me as your statement following this incident. What you have included here appears to be a longer version.

While I find it somewhat better than the initial statement, I find several elements missing.

One, is a clear restatement of position - not the position of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but the position of our cherished system of freedom of expression embodied in the First Amendment and interpreted by so many courts since then - that each of us has the right to speak as we choose and that no voice should be suppressed because it is out of a multitude of such voices that the truth and good judgment emerge. It is too bad that there is a need to restate this idea to a university community, but that clearly appears necessary and nothing is to be lost by doing so. You should do so very clearly and quickly.

Second, I take it from coverage that I saw this evening on MSNBC that included Mr. TANCREDO, that UNC teaching staff may have participated in the effort to suppress Mr. TANCREDO's speech. I find this quite concerning, if true, and I believe that these people - if proven to be the case - along with students should be subject to the severest disciplinary action. If any laws were violated, of course, criminal prosecutions should be undertaken by state or federal authorities, as appropriate, but that is not your decision to make.

Third, as Chris MATTHEWS noted in that MSNBC segment that included apparent video from the TANCREDO event, it is seemingly evident that those involved have not received an education that I would have expected all to have had before entering UNC in any capacity. With that education clearly needed, I hope you will institute a requirement that every UNC student and all teaching staff enroll in either a course on our system of freedom of expression or attend an intensive multi-day program focused on the same subject. I'd be happy to volunteer to help organize and lead such a program as you will see from my earlier note that I have the real world experience that may be uniquely suited to meeting this need. I'll not burden this e-mail with a bio, but if you want one, I'll be happy to send it along. That's not the point; the point is that you need to announce a proactive plan to insure that students and teachers - all of them - know and understand the importance of seeking all points of view and insuring that all can be, and are, heard.

As it stands, you lead a university with a huge black eye. An approach as I have outlined it will mean not only that the eye heals more quickly, but that it's both a better eye and far less likely to suffer a shiner in the future.

Regards,

Terry MAGUIRE

-----Original Message-----
From: FYI Carolina Online [mailto:FYICarolina@unc.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:56 PM
To: Carolina Alumni and Friends
Subject: Message from the Chancellor: Free Speech at Carolina

Dear Carolina alumni and friends,

Many of you have heard or read about a protest on campus Monday night, and I'm writing to share with you the message I sent yesterday to our campus community. I think you will find that the message speaks for itself. But if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Holden Thorp, Chancellor


=================================

Message from the Chancellor: Free Speech at Carolina (April 15, 2009)

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I want to express how disappointed I am in what happened last night when former Congressman Tom Tancredo wasn't able to speak when a protest got out of hand, and our Department of Public Safety had to take action. Congressman Tancredo felt threatened and left without making his remarks.

Mr. Tancredo was scheduled to speak about immigration. We expect protests about controversial subjects at Carolina. That's part of our culture. But we also pride ourselves on being a place where all points of view can be expressed and heard. There's a way to protest that respects free speech and allows people with opposing views to be heard. Here that's often meant that groups protesting a speaker have displayed signs or banners, silently expressing their opinions while the speaker had his or her say. That didn't happen last night.

On behalf of our University community, I called Mr. Tancredo today to apologize for how he was treated. In addition, our Department of Public Safety is investigating this incident. They will pursue criminal charges if any are warranted. Our Division of Student Affairs is also investigating student involvement in the protest. If that investigation determines sufficient evidence, participating students could face Honor Court proceedings.

Carolina's tradition of free speech is a fundamental part of what has made this place special for more than 200 years. Let's recommit ourselves to that ideal.

Sincerely,

Holden Thorp"

"UNC protest grows unruly at Tancred..." - Herald-Sun

I just sent this e-mail to the UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor:

"Dear Chancellor,

We have not met.

My wife and I have called Chapel Hill home for 10 years.

We have no connection to UNC.

I have spent my continuing career covering more than 35 years defending and advocating freedom of expression here and abroad. Over a nearly 20 year period, I served as general counsel to all of the major newspaper publisher trade associations in the US, Europe and globally.

When I graduated from Brown in 1969, we chose to express our opposition to the Vietnam War when Henry KISSINGER received an honorary degree. Not a sound was heard, but we made our point. A large percentage of my classmates and I simply rose from our seats and silently turned our backs. Nothing was interrupted and we made the point that we chose to make at the time.

From what I have read of what transpired at UNC last night when Mr. TANCREDO was to speak, I find appalling the decision of some number of students to oppose speech with which they disagree by attempting to silence it – and apparently succeeding. In our system of freedom of expression, there is no place for that, least of all on a university campus like UNC.

Bad speech, if one thinks it so, is best answered by good speech. It sounds to me that Mr. TANCREDO was prepared to hear other points of view, but never got a chance.

Instead, he got very bad manners.

I write this to you because I asked your news office to give me a copy of your statement and they have now sent me Roger PERRY’s as well. I find his far better than yours. You fail to embrace the core issue of freedom of expression and it is clear to me that those who have taught the offending students either at UNC or earlier in their young lives, failed to explain this to them. Surely, no one worthy of a UNC education could be expected to choose otherwise.

Let me reiterate…. I fully support the expression of all points of view, and have spent decades defending some of the most unsavory ideas and people imaginable, all with the firm belief that better ideas will win out over them. I probably agree with many of the views likely to be expressed by the students whose actions ended TANCREDO’s speech.

But I cannot tolerate as an NC resident, and I do not believe that you should tolerate as UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor, this kind of conduct. Instead, the offending students should be subject to public rebuke, and disciplinary action. Let them speak out in opposition to that if they choose, but appropriate punishment is merited, it should come from you, it should be meaningful, and it should be public.

Thanks for considering my views,

Terry MAGUIRE"

Live Piracy Report

They don't seem able to keep up to date with all of them.

"Making a statement with chocolate" - Global News

Showcase of best North Carolina journalism in real time?

Where can someone interested in seeing what difference NC newspapers made today, for example, in their reporting to their readers.....where can that interested person see examples? I don't know of any such place.

"Oregonians Seek Personal Energy Revolution" - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com

"Detention at Afghan Base Is Subject to U.S. Courts" - NYTimes.com

I continue to believe that anyone taken into US custody anywhere in the world for any reason should be subject to all of the safeguards - all - that he or she would enjoy if taken into custody in the US for the same reason and with the same charge. How the law carves out different treatment continues to baffle me, but if the law ultimately proves to support fewer rights to those "arrested" overseas, then I believe we should change the law.

We cannot expect to be respected by the world for the quality of our criminal justice system if we operate it with two settings - one for here in the US and one for overseas. Rights are rights, and they should not depend on the ground on which someone stands, sits or lies.

In the face of the law, everyone should be equal and there is no place for some being more equal than others.

"The Orphans of Ireland" - Timothy Egan Blog - NYTimes.com

"Haiti’s Woes Are Top Test for Aid Effort" - NYTimes.com

"A Boy Living in a Car" - NYTimes.com

"Doctor's (Gag) Orders" - NPR

It's a difficult subject that I think leaves patients on the short end of the stick.

"Jim LEHRER" - The Diane Rehm Show for Thursday March 26, 2009

This is a really interesting discussion with Jim LEHRER. One of the most thought-provoking comments he makes is that newspapers have failed to promote themselves very well. I could not agree more. He urges a campaign along the lines of "you don't know what you're missing" - more precisely, "you're missing something by not reading the paper...."; I think that it is an outstanding idea. When was the last time that you saw any newspaper in print or online talk about what you missed by not being "there" yesterday or at any time in the past when the paper was doing its job by reporting but you may not have been doing your job by consuming whatever the newspaper produced?

Local small business use of communication technologies

It really is astonishing to see how little creative action there seems to be among local businesses who rely on local customers....to use electronic technologies of all sort to connect to those customers. What a missed opportuity for them!

That extends, by the way, to what they place in the advertising space that they buy in local print media as well, including newspapers.

"Companies Tailor Ads For Recession" - NPR

Smaller advertisers, more locally focused, could do so much more of this, and they do not.

"New Web Site Features All Things Irish" - NYTimes.com

"Your Money - A Layoff Survivor’s Duty to the Less Fortunate" - NYTimes.com

What are some of the most compelling uses of the web to convey who someone is and what they can do?

Cuomo Seeks A.I.G. Bonus Information - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com

A.I.G. should make these names public and allow any who choose to do so to voice their concerns directly to any neighbors, friends, etc. who appear on that list. I believe all of the A.I.G. executives could make an astounding gift to the confidence of the American people by refusing to accept the bonuses. Will they? It only takes a few, armed withe list, to get that ball rolling in the right direction.

"Town Green - Hog River Journal Putting the Porcine in the Past" - NYTimes.com

"In Tough Economic Times, New Jersey Libraries Are Flourishing" - NYTimes.com

United, Newspapers May Stand - Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com

I don't usually add comments in these kinds of situations, but I added one here. What strikes me in reading through some of the others are these points:
+ I really doubt anyone reads the comments
+ Those who post do it to massage their own egos
+ Most people have really very little to say
+ This whole exercise seems more waste producing than understanding enhancing

"European Commission renews 'Broadband For All' calls" - vnunet.com

"E-net! - Elon Poll: Majority of N.C. residents support banning cell phones while driving, anti-smoking initiatives"

Great, now let's turn public will into public law!

"Keeping the Faith, Ignoring the History" - NYTimes.com

"Broadband Expansion Popular in Stimulus Plans" - NYTimes.com

"NYC - Even for a Chimp Cartoon, the Right to Offend Is Sacred" - NYTimes.com

Amen.

NCPA Idea Bank: A money back guarantee

Reflections of a Newsosaur: Strapped publishers skip NAA dues

"Chinese-Language Paper in New York to Close" - NYTimes.com

"When news is free, there will be no news" - TheChronicleHerald.ca

"WAN, the world's largest newspaper forum, falls victim to economic slump" - guardian.co.uk

"Google Halting Print Ad Program With Newspapers"

"USA Today to stop publishing international edition" - Yahoo! Finance

"The Media Equation - Will Someone Please Invent iTunes for News?" - NYTimes.com

Good idea!

"Washington News Bureaus Are Shrinking" - NYTimes.com

"Worldwide, Employment on a Sharp Decline" - NYTimes.com

This is a very informative and chilling story about unemployment trends here and around the world in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

Despite everything that has happened in web-based services, and specifically on the nytimes.com site, there is NOTHING here that in anyway helps a reader/customer who would like to see next month's (if that is when it comes) update of this chart. Why cannot the NYTimes offer either a link to the place where it will appear or at least promise to send me an e-mail if and when the Times chooses to publish an update on this story? Instead, the person reading this story in the paper and/or viewing it here comes up against a deadend. That, increasingly, seems to me to be incredibly short-sighted when it so relatively easily can be fixed with great value delivered to all in the process.

"No Papers in Certain Cities by 2010?"

"Survey of teens reveals entrenched habits of dishonesty — stealing, lying, and cheating rates climb to alarming rates" - Josephson Institute

"Presto - Send email and photos to people who don't have a computer"

This service continues to intrigue me, but I think it is just too expensive to be a viable substitute for home newspaper delivery unless heavily supported by advertisers, but why not? Imagine if a newspaper stops printing and distributing the Monday paper, for example - a real possibility, and offers one of these printers in its place at no cost; all you have to do is pay for the paper and ink? There is some value in thinking of having 8-10 pages printed out next to the breakfast coffee in the morning. Many newspapers tried this with faxed editions but they did not work out all that well. The difference here could be the quality of the color printing and a tailoring of the content in those 8-10 pages BOTH in terms of advertising and news.

Hundreds Feared Dead in Riots in Nigeria - NYTimes.com

I hope that this story will merit equal attention to that given to the tragedy in Mumbai. Why shouldn't it? If, indeed, 300 people turn out to be dead in Nigeria, is that not worth twice the coverage given to 170 murdered in Mumbai?

If this does not get the same attention, we have a lot of questions to ask ourselves about news judgments, news priorities, technology, and strategic interests.

At the end of the day, it is horrific when anyone dies in any of these incidents and as human beings we are obliged to divide our attention span - whether measured in minutes or nanoseconds among all of them.

Each death is exactly equal to every other death whether the person carries an Indian, Nigerian or, yes, even a US passport.

If anything less than equality, we all bear and bare the shame.

"Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death by Customers" - NYTimes.com

This is not tolerable in our society. We need to grieve for the person who died and work with friends and neighbors to convince them that such animal behavior is simply not acceptable to us or anyone else. Walmart has an obligation to provide crowd control, and they could have prevented this based on this report, but the crux of the problem and the cause of this calamity is greedy people losing touch with humanity over some ultimately stupid purchase. Everyone who pushed anyone in that crowd - every one of them - shares full responsibility for this death, and I hope they each suffer a lifetime sentence of extreme guilt for what their negligence caused.

"Remembering Tom Gish, A Voice Of Appalachia" - NPR

I sure hope we will continue to have, to support, and to celebrate the Tom and Pat GISH's of the world, however endangered their species has always been and continues to be.

"Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal comes to rescue of Citigroup" - guardian.co.uk

The Prince may still be the largest single shareholder in Citigroup. It is curious, given the amount of control that even 4-5% of ownership can wield, that this is not mentioned in any news report I have seen today on the US actions to bailout the company. Surely, the Prince stands to gain considerably by this move, and I think we all need to know this. And we should all know more, too, about who are the other owners of Citigroup. How many employees at Citigroup make more than, say, 150,000(USD)/year? Given how badly the company has been managed, shouldn't "we" who are giving them all this money insist as a condition of the action insist that no employee earn more than 150,000/year? Those who are unhappy with that cap can seek employment elsewhere. Imagine explaining to the bulk of Americans why 150,000/year is not enough?

"Amanpour to Lead Daily Show on CNN" - NYTimes.com

This is, of course, very positive news. Let's just hope that apparent increased interest in news from outside the US continues strong for US viewers.

"A Rewired Bully Pulpit - Big, Bold and Unproven" - NYTimes.com

Whether it be for the White House and the Presidency or for any company in the US or the world, or any person, the free technology at our disposal allows us to create vast empires of the interconnected. We know it is cheap and we know that it works. What we do not know very well is how to manage it. I think the world is about to start climbing a steep learning curve of how to use all these tools constructively. It is far more than simply imposing rules on usage, etc; it is a fundamentally different way of looking at how we make the best use of vast groups of people to whom we are instantaneously connected, with whom we may agree or disagree, but whom we cannot ultimately control. I am not sure that the communications and media worlds, let alone US Presidents, have ever been confronted with such an immense challenge.

"Associated Press staff to shrink 10 pct, CEO says" - Yahoo! Finance

In our interent world today, can we say that we are better informed than we used to be, and are we ready to replace the Associated Press with sifted and unsifted words read by people using the internet?

"Out of kilter: Stock slide hits NYT activists" - Reflections of a Newsosaur

Will we look back on the first decade of the 21st century and see it as the years when we lost The New York Times and replaced it with something or some other things? It increasingly is looking that way.

"Is Out Of Town News On Its Way Out?" - NPR

The passing of a newsstand anywhere in the world is a very sad occasion. Let's hope this does not turn out to be another of those.

"Harbinger Cuts Stakes in Media" - WSJ.com

"Live Piracy Map 2008"

What a great use of Google Maps technology..... It's astounding on so many levels that in 2008 we are looking at a map of the world and probably finding more incidents of piracy in recent months than in any other similar period of time in world history, even when pirates piracy were at their zenith (when? probably in the 18th or 19th centuries?).

"Reflections of a Newsosaur: Newspaper profits swoon, more cuts likely"

"Pendant la campagne américaine, le Web a eu plus d'influence sur la presse que sur les électeurs" - LeMonde.fr

The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

I noticed today for the first time that the NYTimes.com site as a "minimize ads" button up near the top of the page. Maybe it is there because of the obnoxious Mac ad that appears there. The minimize ads button is a good idea but at least I need to wait a long time after clicking for it to take effect. It seems like almost as dumb an idea as accepting the Mac ads in the first place. Why cannot newspapers create a more seamless presentation of editorial and advertising content on their sites? I am not suggesting any compromise on the bright line between the two, but make it easier for the customer to consume it all without one working relatively well and the other slowing down the whole process. Why can't the consumer experience design the page and its presentation instead of us being forced to accept whatever each contributing party - editorial and advertising - sends down the internet pipe?

"Delta announces new flight from RDU to Paris" - newsobserver.com

Print on newsprint at home?

Reading another story about the Christian Science Monitor moving out of print entirely, and seeing the publisher's comment about how we all enjoy reading the paper with a coffee, it made me wonder if anyone has come up with a version of newsprint that computer printers can handle? Imagine if you could program your printer to print out the very latest version of the paper for you in the morning just as your coffee is brewing? Instead of going outside to get a plastic bag full of newsprint, you simply stop at your printer and go from there?

A good omen?

Walking to get the newspaper today, this is what I saw here on Mt Boron. One end of the rainbow is in the heart of Nice, it passes over the observatory, with some interesting structural ties to the US through Gustave EIFFEL, and then drops into the Alpes Maritimes. In any case, rainbows are nice and its appearance today says a lot for me about the next President of the United States.

"A Splash of Green for the Rust Belt" - NYTimes.com

And for North Carolina?

"Share Information - Independent News & Media"

The president of the World Association of Newspapers is the chief operating officer of this company.

"The Star-Ledger of Newark Plans 40% Cut" - NYTimes.com

Although Newark has its unique characteristics, especially in terms of the chronic problems of the city itself, I place a lot of stock in the NEWHOUSE family and their commitment to the newspaper business. When they are forced to make such cuts, it says a lot to me about how dire are the straits where newspapers generally find themselves today in so many places.

People and Their Press - Mt Alban, Nice

This fellow seemed so engrossed in reading today's paper that he barely paid any attention to me or the spectacular view from Mt Alban in Nice, not far from one of the homes of Sir Elton John.

"In Age of Impatience, Cutting Computer Start Time" - NYTimes.com

That sure sounds good to me!

Pop up using Orange.fr connection in France

I have found this to be a lot more useful than I at first expected. It is nice to be able to see the weather so handily; it just seems to work better than many of the other pages with weather on them.

People and Their Press

I am going to start posting some photos of how people interact with "their" press -- their newspaper or other printed publications. This fellow passed me on the quai in the Port of Nice, France, today, and I was struck by his finger-tip hold of the paper. I could not help but wonder if he had read anything yet, was savoring the thought of reading it soon, or hoping that not too much of the ink would come off on his fingers! It was only after I took the picture that I realized his walking, somewhat forlornly, off into the distance was so well matched with the speed limit there - 30. That is, indeed, the end of the story.

"Shocker: Tribune Co. Gives Notice To Drop AP"

"Mainstream News Outlets Start Linking to Other Sites" - NYTimes.com

This was so incredibly long overdue.

"Huge Offshore Wind Farm Wins Approval" - New York Times Blog

Would we do better in North Carolina to "drill, baby, drill" these structures offshore?