tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109765732011-11-18T11:16:08.548-08:00This is another one of those personal musing blogs but written by a former newspaper and wire service reporter and editor. Ever heard of that old Chinese curse, "May you have an interesting life?" Blog owner: Mark McBride, BS, MJ, MBA, Baton Rouge LA 70805-8344. Copyright 2005-2009. All rights reserved. See "<a href="http://news4a2.blogspot.com/2005/02/my-motto-aka-in-beginning-mac-created.html">My Motto.</a>" Beat Army!NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-90678440157909007582007-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:002007-09-06T18:15:37.512-07:00

Whatever happened to the airline "Put" options story?What the 9/11 Widows never knew ...

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1133551265795171302005-12-02T11:12:00.000-08:002005-12-03T15:39:01.166-08:00

BEAT ARMY!Navy (U.S. Naval Academy aka Annapolis) vs. Army (U.S. Military Academy aka West Point), December 3, 2005, Philadelphia. The game begins at 14:30 and will be broadcast over the air by CBS.---Update 12/3/2005: In the 106th contest between Navy and Army football teams, Navy was successful in defeating Army 42-23. Number of instances of "Beat Army" on the web according to Google: 36,000.

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1128891408372083182005-10-09T14:00:00.000-07:002005-10-15T17:07:57.713-07:00

If I read one more column or hear one more opinion from a socialist with a skewed perspective of the anarchy and looting in New Orleans I'll bust. If they aren't making a point that everything we saw on television never occurred in the first place, they're claiming that any looting was a result of economic status and/or race and the only thing standing between a looter and the throes of death by

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1127653557561407312005-09-25T05:55:00.000-07:002005-10-10T05:36:33.490-07:00

Sometimes external factors force you to make decisions you'd rather not make or change the direction you want to take. I'm not talking about Katrina. The post size limitation of Blogger is one such factor affecting me now. I can't continue my previous post ... it's getting too long and Blogger apparently won't accommodate a post of that length. So I'm forced by something beyond my control to

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1125517702933615452005-08-31T12:50:00.000-07:002005-12-12T11:46:42.346-08:00

It's eerie watching the images from a city just 70 odd miles down the road and reading about the looting. I want to hit the button and eject the DVD. I've played this video game and seen this post-apocalyptic vision many times before -- "Demolition Man," "Escape from New York," and even "Mad Max" but where the heroes drive flat-bottomed air boats.But it's not a video game or a DVD. It's real and

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1124134423517024552005-08-15T12:30:00.000-07:002005-09-04T14:41:55.716-07:00

Oh, have I been feeling guilty for not posting to The 6th Estate for so long! I'm even having dreams of my old editor from Electronic News, a sage curmudgeon and ex-postman named Jim Lydon, screaming at me for copy!!!Well, I still don't have time to post much. I've got some great road stories, some razor-sharp commentary, some major venting to do (rebate scams, cell phones, etc.) and a promised

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1119337220487894642005-06-20T21:59:00.000-07:002005-07-05T12:16:32.720-07:00

I received a letter in the mail today from a company named "D.O.N." in Warminster, Pennsylvania. It was bulk mail, but it was in a nice glossy envelope. I am familiar with the direct mail business, and this was a nice piece. With postage, the company had spent close to a dollar to contact me. I opened it."D.O.N." turned out to be Department of the Navy. The direct mail piece was a device to

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1118804101553560842005-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:002005-07-10T20:46:51.916-07:00

The primary drawback to journalism is the inevitable depression and cynicism that follow when you realize you're tilting at windmills and no matter what you write or what you do, you come to the stomach-churning revelation that the greedy and selfish will dominate. It's why I don't earn my living in journalism today.A true believer in Darwinism understands this better than one who believes in the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1117833963581112602005-06-03T16:45:00.000-07:002005-07-29T07:45:52.006-07:00

Until Watergate and "Deep Throat," the use of the anonymous source was invoked rarely, and then mostly by gossip columnists and police beat reporters. After Watergate and, even more so, after the movie "All the President's Men," every editor wanted to be Ben Bradlee/Jason Robards, and every reporter wanted to be Bob Woodward/Robert Redford. It changed the public image of newspaper reporters from

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1116383864853879662005-05-17T20:45:00.000-07:002005-05-18T08:48:04.316-07:00

Islamists sure know how to push our buttons and work the sympathies of the western press. Their guilt is expressed through cutting themselves with swords and whipping themselves with chains until bloody; our guilt is spread across the front pages.It doesn't matter if the article in Newsweek claiming U.S. interrogators flushed a copy of the Koran is true or not. The radical Islam propaganda

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109047279109103872005-05-16T10:04:00.000-07:002005-05-14T01:14:28.476-07:00

[There is a graduate level post and it has a pre-requisite. If you haven't read my comment "First you have to admit you're a wingnut," do so. Then come back and read this.]This is the first of a four post conspiracy theory concerning the alleged suicide of ADM Jeremy "Mike" Boorda, who died from at least one allegedly self-inflicted gun shot wound to the chest.I've divided the post into four

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109044300836837042005-05-16T10:03:00.000-07:002005-05-14T00:42:40.033-07:00

Part 2 of 4.=================================Washington Post: How rumor becomes news fact - the Adm Boorda cover-upNavy's Top Officer Kills Himself After Medal InquiriesAdm. Jeremy Boorda Faced Media Questions About Legitimacy of HisCombat Valor PinsBy Bradley Graham and John MintzWashington Post Staff WritersFriday, May 17 1996; Page A01The Washington Post-clip-Boorda left two notes, one to his

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Part 3 of 4.==========================================Re: Enterprise Reporting is dead: the Admiral Boorda cover-up remains unchallengedDid you hear the news? On 19 Jun 96 09:14:52 MDT, our ether buddybad...@cc.usu.edu (Roger L. Perkins) spaketh thusly::)the same questions as you have posed. For example... just how do you shoot:)yourself twice in the chest? I mean, you can do it if you are

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109043558945775952005-05-16T10:01:00.000-07:002006-06-18T21:47:16.576-07:00

If you're starting here, please don't. Go to Part 1.This article is pretty long. I'm just getting used to this blog and the way it handles postings. It's backwards. If you want to read my first post, you have to go to the end of the blog. Well, let me circumvent that cludginess, at least this once, and put this article into four postings, beginning with part 4, then part 3, then part 2, then

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(Originally published 3/7/2005 -- my remembrance to share with you this Mother's Day. And it's appropos that May 8-14 is National Nurses Week. Love a Nurse, P.R.N.)That used to be a cutdown among 8-year-olds when I was growing up: "Ya mudda wears combat boots!"In my case, it was a little closer to home than most of the other kids realized. Actually, my "mudda" wore U. S. Air Force sensible

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1115450441705583562005-05-07T00:15:00.000-07:002011-06-01T09:48:36.657-07:00

I was about 40 minutes from home Thursday night driving my own vehicle, just three miles from the end of the Atchafalya Spillway as I decided to pass some slow moving 18-wheelers. I moved into the lefthand lane to pass and, within seconds of doing so, drove over a large piece of metal that stretched from one edge of the hammer lane to the other.Ka-thump!I was going about 60 miles per hour when I

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1115364810125159562005-05-06T00:30:00.000-07:002005-05-11T13:35:17.173-07:00

Wasn't I pleased Wednesday night to hear actor Gary Sinise repel Scottish-born Craig Ferguson's, host of CBS' The Late, Late Show, attempt to focus Sinise on the negative aspects of Operation Iraqi Freedom!Sinise, who has been travelling with his rock group, "Lt. Dan's Band" on a USO tour for troops in Germany, Italy, Iraq and elsewhere, countered Ferguson's lead with a complaint of how biased

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1115258742141242452005-05-04T19:15:00.000-07:002005-05-13T11:15:04.010-07:00

If I read something in the New York Times or any other news entity that I believe misleads the reader, I usually contact that organization and request an official response. Sometimes, like the Associated Press, they choose not to respond. Other times, these organizations do respond, although some respond and then in their response claim they haven't responded while responding.The NYT Public

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1115091086815708972005-05-03T12:15:00.000-07:002005-05-04T17:20:59.616-07:00

What information should the editors and reporters of a newspaper give you, the reader, to make informed decisions about events which impact your life?That's the question editors and reporters answer on a daily basis. They make their living by collecting information, sifting through it, editing it and then finally distributing it to you. One would think that there is an abundance of news going on

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110766272358853512005-05-02T21:55:00.000-07:002005-10-07T11:38:37.870-07:00

Originally published 13 March 2005; last update 2 May 2005:Did you know that Cinderella's name was actually "Ella?" Her mean step-sisters added the "Cinder" to her name to tease her about her plebian chores cleaning up cinders from the fireplace. And now you know the rest of that story.I was like any other blogger when I read the news that a blogger was given credentials to join the daily press

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1114546396097905892005-04-26T13:00:00.000-07:002005-05-02T14:45:36.343-07:00

I'm taking the easy way out. It's going to be a busy week for me so I'm offering you to The 6th Estate's first guest columist, the late folksinger Jim Croce. Being dead, Jim has a lot to say about life, time, the roller derby and washing cars, but his most salient reflections are on age and the paths we choose in life:AgeWords and Music by JIM & INGRID CROCE1.I've been up and down and around and

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1114300162152422452005-04-23T16:45:00.000-07:002005-04-23T20:40:13.716-07:00

Maybe not all the blame for the noxious gases spewed into the atmosphere and for the rising fuel prices can be traced to city planners, departments of public works, or whoever's in charge of your entity's traffic engineering, but much of it can -- and now there's proof.The Institute of Transportation Engineers has reported that most of the traffic lights are either not synchronized or there is

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1114146350770874792005-04-21T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-23T09:51:11.380-07:00

When I heard the Democratic allegations that John Bolton, President Bush's nominee for United Nations ambassador, chased a subordinate down the halls, tossed papers at her and -- oh my gawd! -- slid letters under her door, I knew this was the guy we needed at the U.N.!We need an ambassador for the U.N. who's a maniac. It doesn't matter to me if the allegations are true or not. Really, it doesn't

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113969020888336332005-04-20T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-29T19:26:40.296-07:00

The Washington Post, Miami Herald, Associated Press and a myriad of mainstream media have been repeating some misleading figures released recently by the General Accounting Office.The data say that American taxpayers paid some $190 million over the past 10 years susidizing the costs of the screwy Clinton legacy "Don't ask, don't tell." Those costs, according to these sources, are costs necessary

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113887053007093752005-04-18T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-18T22:33:36.953-07:00

Will the scientific community realize it when they meet the next Einstein or read about his or her ideas? Don't count on it, say the scientists themselves. "Maybe there is an Einstein out there today," said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, "but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard." Especially considering what Einstein was proposing. "The actual fabric of space and

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113791536581727762005-04-17T20:15:00.000-07:002005-06-05T19:42:51.876-07:00

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Air Force General Richard B. Myers, last week spoke to the annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.ASNE is comprised of the editors of the country's leading newspapers. These editors determine what news you, as a news consumer, will read.Considering the sheer number of the nation's editors gathered under one roof, one might

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113671215763641112005-04-16T10:00:00.000-07:002005-04-17T12:28:18.680-07:00

I've written before how much I've been enjoying the commentary of Kathleen Parker. She's gone and produced another excellent view, this time on media. Read her latest column on the media elite contemplating their eliteness, laugh at the verities of it, scan the headlines and pity the media elite for their insightlessness and obvious partisanship and then head outside and enjoy your Saturday.

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113536643819835332005-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:002005-04-15T11:53:03.740-07:00

Many of the stories you read in the newspaper and in magazines, or hear on the radio or see on television are the result of information contained in a press release.A press release is generally a single viewpoint, usually prepared by former journalists working in public relations, that espouses a position that favors a particular client, whether it's an individual company, an organization or an

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113453572182581722005-04-13T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-14T11:37:55.136-07:00

My friend St. Scott is the latest recipient of The 6th Estate's prestigious "Faith Popcorn, eat your heart out! Award*" for noticing the latest trend in citizen journalism.Print media, the 4th estate, apparently is feeling the pinch of blogging as an outlet for the disgruntled voices of middle America and is seeking to welcome the voices of the conservative. Bloggers compete for reader attention,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113368739069992952005-04-12T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-12T22:58:04.033-07:00

Alaska has its mosquito and mud season. Vermont and New Hampshire have their mud seasons when the winter snows begin to thaw. Western states have their fire seasons. And down south, we have Sudafed season.Until I moved to Louisiana, I had no allergies to pollen at all. Cats, yep. And for some reason, handling some fibreglas fabrics made my hands swell up like balloons. I found that out helping

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113279770108475672005-04-11T21:55:00.000-07:002005-04-12T10:24:10.060-07:00

It's rare to see a member of the 4th Estate, print media, write like a blogger. But Dan Neil, a Pulitzer Prize winning auto critic for the Los Angeles Times, did just that last Wednesday when he lambasted the management of General Motors in a column that didn't mince many words at all.Neil blasted the Detroit automaker's management for failing to make competitive vehicles, notably slamming the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113189377305272702005-04-10T20:15:00.000-07:002005-04-10T20:46:16.770-07:00

I don't like the liberalism of CBS News or the anti-veteran attitude of the network's owner Viacom but I enjoy watching several shows on the CBS network when I happen to catch them. One of those shows is normally broadcast on Sunday and it's called "Cold Case."From the web site description:COLD CASE is a drama about Lilly Rush, the lone female detective in the Philadelphia homicide squad who

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1113076616411781612005-04-09T13:00:00.000-07:002005-04-24T12:04:09.726-07:00

I'd like to be able to support President Bush in his quest to privatize social security. If the financial securities markets were actually regulated and controlled, I might. But these markets aren't controlled and I doubt they ever will be.This position I take doesn't even consider the fact that any change in social security would be costly, and that conversion of social security, without a

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112988763340414422005-04-08T14:30:00.000-07:002005-04-10T12:51:46.073-07:00

Since at least as early as 2003, there has been a growing movement in academia to force book publishers to offer lower-priced college textbooks.The movement is supported by various segments of PIRG, Public Interest Research Group, which claim the average student spends $900 a year on textbooks. Yesterday, reports the Boston Globe's David Mehegan, some 700 math and physics professors at more than

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112857299025251662005-04-07T01:55:00.000-07:002011-08-04T03:43:28.720-07:00

7 April 2005 I'll bet no one will be shocked to hear that large people -- the "obese" to the media -- are more apt to be treated rudely and with disdain when they shop.I'm betting that because, right alongside the article containing that report from researchers at Rice University in Houston, were hyperlinks to three related stories about large people. As you can see from the graphic above, each

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112847226068704832005-04-06T21:15:00.000-07:002005-04-06T22:40:40.966-07:00

When someone asks you who had the right stuff, you tell them Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith, U.S. Army, did. He believed in what he was fighting for, believed in who he was fighting with, and he paid the ultimate price, with his life.If tomorrow all the things were gone,I’d worked for all my life.And I had to start again,with just my children and my wife.Because of him, say his fellow

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112730833851946972005-04-05T16:10:00.000-07:002005-04-06T08:04:26.883-07:00

Just about everyone has an opinion about the Terri Schindler Schiavo case. But this post isn't about any opinion; it's about who could have prevented Mrs. Schiavo's health problems in the first place -- someone just like you but with a knowledge of CPR, Cardio Pulmonary Resusitation.It's been reported that Mrs. Schiavo's heart stopped and her brain was deprived of life-giving oxygen for 10

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112631377839858182005-04-04T09:15:00.000-07:002005-04-05T13:49:34.716-07:00

It continues to amaze me how the liberals happily accept double-standards, especially when it saves their bacon from the frying pan.As you might have read, Sandy Berger, former National Security Adviser to President Clinton, finally admitted culpability to what he was caught on camera doing -- stealing and destroying classified documents in an obvious effort to impede an investigation of "What

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112561033684101492005-04-03T18:00:00.000-07:002005-04-05T16:21:34.463-07:00

I can understand how the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed and Moses might easily have been misconstrued from their original meanings despite a written account of their beliefs. To see how this might have occurred, one need only watch the reports interpreting the life of Pope John Paul II and the maneuvering that follows in the wake of his death.To hear the news reports, Pope John Paul II was an

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112473433015230982005-04-02T11:37:00.000-08:002005-04-05T17:36:10.673-07:00

The mainstream media have been speculating on how The Holy See might announce the passing of the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II.They've reported that mourners would wait for the light to go out in the Pope's Vatican apartment as the sign of his death. Or that the window shutters would be closed. Or the bells would peel in the church towers in Rome. Or the Vicar of Rome would

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112388392031736172005-04-01T12:45:00.000-08:002006-06-20T21:35:01.420-07:00

If you're too young to have watched a tv commercial by Frank Perdue, you've missed one of the most courageous men in advertising.Perdue was wimpy skinny -- not svelte skinny, had a face like chicken with the eyes and nose to match and pitched his company's poultry in a high squeaky voice on the nation's airwaves from coast-to-coast.The tagline that accompanied the advertising for Perdue chickens

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112292303382316552005-03-31T09:55:00.000-08:002005-04-01T11:15:13.393-08:00

The outcome of the Terri Schindler Schiavo case will be felt for decades, if not generations to come.1. There will almost immediately be a rush from Hollywood and the publishing industry to get the rights to the story from the participants. I'm sure talks have already started. Considering the enmity between Michael Schiavo and The Schindlers, there will no doubt be at least two authorized

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112247491932848622005-03-30T21:55:00.000-08:002005-04-12T08:50:24.610-07:00

I was on the road again today but I was able to listen to a great segment on NPR's Marketplace on the shortage of closed-captioners and the problems they encounter. I tried to find the script on the Marketplace website but there was none. Not only that but the segment wasn't mentioned in the brief description of today's program. [This post has been updated. Please see the update at the end of the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112139960347061282005-03-29T21:55:00.000-08:002005-04-03T20:50:51.106-07:00

Lately some liberal female opinion writers have been having a hissy fit, claiming the mainstream media doesn't employ enough liberal female opinion writers. Apparently this latest grumble started with ex-Clintonista Susan Estrich's specific lambasting of Michael Kinsley, op-ed editor of the Los Angeles Times. She's a lawyer so I don't know whether she's threatening legal action or not. Maybe

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1112075390647734372005-03-28T21:50:00.000-08:002005-03-28T22:16:08.240-08:00

Sorry, gang. A busy Monday for me and I just don't have time for original copy today. However, that doesn't mean that what I have is unimportant.1. I updated The Cinderella Story That Wasn't today. VERY IMPORTANT if you're a reservist, in the National Guard, or are an employer.2. I updated Hype and Tripe late last night.3. I found the answer(s) to the nagging question from your youth. Or at

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111968132142489772005-03-27T18:05:00.000-08:002005-03-27T22:29:42.326-08:00

What's the difference between holding a perpetual "Yard Sale" every weekend and selling items on eBay? Some folk who use eBay as their storefront may find out the big difference is regulation, bureaucracy and the tax man.eBay has grown from being a place for small time exchange of goods to BIG BUSINESS, with some 135 million users transacting business worth $34 billion last year, according to

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111867340079777492005-03-26T15:00:00.000-08:002005-03-27T19:05:22.216-08:00

If you feel like taking a drive tomorrow, you might want to head to Homer, Georgia. It's not only tobacco-wad spittin' distance from the birthplace of pre-steroid baseball legend Ty Cobb, it's also the home for what locals claim is the world's largest Easter Egg hunt. Visitors will be searching for 150,000 eggs, including 100 containing some kind of prize (hopefully not a chicken embryo). The

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111768085646189452005-03-25T19:00:00.000-08:002005-03-30T18:39:27.480-08:00

I have sent two requests to PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, asking what their organization's position is on the Terri Schindler Schiavo case and have received no reply. That may be an answer in and of itself. [A response from PETA was received on March 30, 2005. Please see updates.]It's doubtful to me that, were Terri Schindler Schiavo an animal, PETA would allow her death by

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111684314180361252005-03-24T16:30:00.000-08:002005-03-26T07:08:20.576-08:00

Neurologists quoted in USA Today claim that Terri Schindler Schiavo feels no pain because only her brain stem remains intact, which governs only reflex action and basic motor function. Keep this in mind when you visit the:Website of the Day:Mike, the Headless ChickenJust got back in from the road and see from a quick perusing of the headlines that there actually exist physicians who disagree with

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111637070384881162005-03-23T20:00:00.000-08:002005-03-24T08:49:25.813-08:00

Is Osama bin Laden a fan of the short-lived "X-Files" spinoff "The Lone Gunmen?" It may be; there's at least one common denominator. It's repeat night, another blast from my usenet commentary past:Google groups hyperlinkIt appears that Osama bin Laden may be an X-Files fan. Or more specifically, a fan of the short-lived spinoff "The Lone Gunmen."The premier episode of "The Lone Gunmen" has

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111512271175953982005-03-22T10:01:00.000-08:002005-05-06T08:42:01.363-07:00

Why is it that liberals believe it's discriminatory to joke about homosexuals, harassment to joke about women and sex, and racist/discriminatory to joke about minorities or someone's cultural heritage, but if you're religious, old or overweight, it's open season for public ridicule?I was browsing around today on the New York Times and found an advertisement ridiculing overweight men on one of its

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111458251026879992005-03-21T20:00:00.000-08:002005-04-23T02:46:31.750-07:00

Until last week, you couldn't be a 39-year-old lesbian and be able to enlist the day before your 40th birthday in the Army Reserve or National Guard even if you kept your mouth closed about your sexuality.Discriminatory? You bet.In the Army National Guard, you can ... be a man and physically love other men and the Army would want you.In the Army National Guard, you can ... be any color, any

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111352454854643982005-03-20T19:45:00.000-08:002005-05-05T22:28:29.576-07:00

Who would've known there would be collateral damage from Palm Sunday observances?For persons without a knowledge of Christianity, let me explain. Palm Sunday, the sunday before Easter, commemorates when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem for Passover. According to scripture, he was feted by city residents who waved at him with and covered his path in palm fronds as a sign of

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111264374413502962005-03-19T12:40:00.000-08:002005-03-20T14:00:37.483-08:00

The perception and reality of corporate compensationBless me readers, for I have contemplated. My last missive was yesterday. These are my thoughts:It's not as uncommon as one might think to find some good information in a column in the New York Times. Now, most often the good information comes from guest op-ed columnists with a view contrary to that of the Times' muckamucks but today the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111195855984614032005-03-18T16:32:00.000-08:002005-03-22T07:41:21.050-08:00

Editor & Publisher is an industry-specific weekly publication for the 4th estate, the newspaper industry. Now I realize I promised not to bore you with steroid news you already knew but I thought you'd find this case of balance interesting.On the very same page in today's online edition as an E&P interview with the crusading Associated Press sportswriter who broke the baseball steroid story in

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111170476555233142005-03-18T13:15:00.000-08:002005-03-22T16:06:54.386-08:00

Hit that link in the upper righthand corner of this page that says "Next blog." A whole new world will open before your eyes.Blogger, which is owned by Google, offers blogging free to the world. Anyone who wants a blog can get one. All they need is some computer literacy and access to the web. Communication is liberating!I hit that link and instantly I'm transported to The Philippines, Portugal,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111123889780957522005-03-17T22:15:00.000-08:002005-03-29T11:43:39.343-08:00

Or, how the mainstream media swallowed a beltway publicity stunt hook, line and steroidLook, the headline and subhead says it all. I am NOT going to spend your valuable time on the posturing by politicians on some little known congressional oversight subcommittee trying to get face time on the nightly news by making Mark McGwire cry. Or even, shades of McCarthy, getting him to "name names!"I am

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111043922641781792005-03-17T08:00:00.000-08:002005-03-17T20:01:57.663-08:00

There is an easy solution to the problems in Ireland and no one has yet addressed it: Great Britain should sell and Ireland should buy Northern Ireland.It's obvious Great Britain and the Democratic Unionists do not want to give it up freely. And why should they, the DUP members have homes and businesses there.And it's obvious that the Irish Republicans view Great Britain's "colony" in Northern

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1111034040025394212005-03-16T20:30:00.000-08:002005-03-16T20:53:36.276-08:00

It's been a busy day for me and I really don't have time to develop fresh commentary so I'll run with this blast from the past I created, partly as a tongue-in-cheek dig at the U.S. Army prior to the Army-Navy game in 1996 and partly as my sarcastic extrapolation of the political correctness hitting the military. It was originally posted on the usenet and it's still appropriate. And, because I

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110930404343101582005-03-15T15:00:00.000-08:002005-03-22T16:07:46.223-08:00

Citizens of the U. S. already know what happens when fewer than 10 letters containing anthrax spores are sent through the mail system to politicians and media personnel -- there is a nationwide panic with people, regardless of where they live, demanding the uber-antibiotic Cipro.Back then my own aunt told me that if she even came down with the sniffles, she was going to demand Cipro from her

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110835635564050372005-03-14T14:00:00.000-08:002005-03-22T16:09:27.976-08:00

There's a great article in Wired Magazine by reserve Army Capt. Kris Alexander suggesting the military intelligence agencies use blogging to obtain and share realtime field intelligence. Not a bad idea if you think about it. I mean al Qaeda allegedly is using blogs and web sites to recruit spies and disseminate information to its lobotomized suicidal followers.My friend St. Scott thinks the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110821757864507162005-03-14T09:00:00.000-08:002005-03-14T10:33:32.580-08:00

Found some great news this morning in my e-mail inbox from the folk at TVShowsonDVD.com that they've picked up word "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" tv series is coming to DVD in October. And TV Tome reports discussions of a new version of the Kolchak series is underway between ABC and X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz.A DVD of the pilot that spawned the "The Night Stalker" series is available on DVD,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110654571648137692005-03-12T11:10:00.000-08:002005-03-20T01:41:00.506-08:00

Some few weeks ago a friend asked me what I thought about the February 20 suicide of gonzo journalist Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. I replied:I tried to read Hunter Thompson's stuff but it was just so far off the wall for me I couldn't get into it. It was a fun diversion but no long lasting relationship there. Hemingway is an equine of a variegated spectrum however. He started out as a journalist.

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110591392504409542005-03-11T17:31:00.000-08:002005-03-12T09:03:59.616-08:00

Who said apples don't bite back?In another setback for free speech as the 6th estate, online journalism, struggles for recognition, a judge in the Apple v. 1st Amendment and free speech rights of all journalists suit ruled today that an internet service provider can be forced to give up documents that reveal the identities of a journalist's confidential sources if the information given to the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110562355270836332005-03-11T09:26:00.000-08:002005-03-22T16:11:46.746-08:00

I have posted an update to my commentary "A milestone for the 6th Estate," some late breaking news that is a bit disheartening and doesn't bode well for the future of blogging.---Daffynition of the Day:"BAH-KOH-DOH" 1. Bastardized, romanized Japanese for the word "barcode."2. A really bad comb-over, as in "Look at that bald fellow, he has a bah-koh-doh!"---Blog of the Day:Marquette WarriorI

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110511236105506242005-03-10T19:50:00.000-08:002005-03-11T20:36:47.223-08:00

Since I've started writing this blog, I'm beginning to feel like I'm back in journalism. I'm having fun with it (obviously), and it's a good outlet for my vents and thoughts. So I thought I'd see about renewing my lapsed membership in a professional organization called Society of Professional Journalists.And I see there now are perks to being a journalist I hadn't realized, the perk, for instance

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110478175200319242005-03-10T09:20:00.000-08:002005-03-15T17:51:09.263-08:00

There's an old joke that I receive in my e-mail inbox every so often that notes: "They'll never take God out of the classroom or stop the children from praying as long as there are tests."Some folk believe that the separation of church and state means taking God out of all legal documents. But I know they will find strong argument every time they try, not only from the evangelicals but also from

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110374367256453252005-03-09T04:51:00.000-08:002005-03-10T16:33:26.913-08:00

Companies that have employees who blow the whistle on unethical, immoral and/or illegal behavior often label those employees as "disgruntled." If you're a "go along, get along" kind of person who turns a blind eye to the unethical, immoral and/or illegal behavior, you usually get rewarded with the "team player" label. "He's a team player!" is analogous to "He's a Goodfella!"One of the Central

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110366914883837942005-03-09T04:00:00.000-08:002005-03-16T20:50:09.793-08:00

The 6th Estate congratulates Garrett M. Graff, the young editor of FishbowlDC, a blog covering the news media in Washington, D.C.On March 4, Graff became the first blogger to be credentialed for the White House. He joined the daily press briefing in the West Wing on March 7, which he described in his blog as "surreal" but "anti-climatic."Other newspapers covering the White House publish blogs

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110322174297069172005-03-08T14:40:00.000-08:002005-03-09T04:32:36.586-08:00

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal's "Best of the Web Today" carried this item in its March 7, 2005 issue:The First One Was a Warning Shot"The chief of Ukraine's security service said Saturday that the country's former interior minister, Yuri F. Kravchenko, had shot himself twice in the head on Friday, refuting speculation that he had been killed by someone else."--New York Times, March

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110250266861248692005-03-07T21:59:00.000-08:002005-03-08T10:15:31.556-08:00

Sometimes I have a cynical view of things and this was one of those times. I knew it was going to happen; I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.Surprise! U. S. and Austrian lawyers have filed suit against Thai and U. S. forecasters, and the Accor hotel group of France for not warning vacationers a tsunami was headed toward southeast Asia.I know how this is going to turn out, and it

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110145118268591912005-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:002005-03-07T01:38:54.603-08:00

The prognosticator of the day award goes to a week old post from The Blog from Another Dimension for its insights into the continuing formation of the 6th Estate, what I call internet news gathering and reporting.In his post from February 25 this year titled "The Sixth Estate" he recognizes that the power of the internet as a tool for mass communication and mass dialogue provides not only the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1110058562990580822005-03-05T13:30:00.000-08:002005-03-05T19:17:06.943-08:00

Each year, on the 22nd of January, I see tiny crosses on lawns and fields. The crosses are placed there by pro-life advocates to mark the anniversary of the controversial Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ushered in legalized abortion in the United States.Those crosses are not the reason pro-life advocacy has thus far failed to achieve goals, but it indicates one of the

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109965601658769262005-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:002005-03-12T20:44:13.606-08:00

The following is a copy of some commentary I've also written on the usenet regarding why the internet -- the 6th estate -- is so important to news gathering and how technology may finally help people destroy the weapons that start the most wars and hurt most:Anyway, here's the deal as my commentary concerns the practice of journalism and why I posted it within these newsgroups. For reference,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109893403105522822005-03-03T16:50:00.000-08:002005-03-03T21:57:24.176-08:00

Look, I've told you before, you've got to get an e-mail subscription to The Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal "Best of the Web Today," edited by James Taranto with Carol Muller. They suffer for their art! This is the last time I'm telling you!!! Well, probably not, but read today's issue anyway if you want keen insight and a lot of good chuckles, including the best journalistic retraction/

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109881761578078902005-03-03T16:47:00.000-08:002005-03-04T14:56:39.826-08:00

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports that NFL.com won't let anyone order a particular football jersey -- a New England Patriots jersey with the last name of cornerback Randall Gay embroidered on it.The report says an LSU professor attempted to order the jersey but the sale was denied when she typed in "Gay" as the name to be embroidered. The reason for the web site's computerized rejection?

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109795152909921872005-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:002005-03-05T12:22:08.680-08:00

CBS Sportsline.com's Dennis Dodd didn't mince words Monday when the NCAA released its listing of how colleges and university athletic teams faired under academic scrutiny: "NCAA's new scarlet letters are APR" -- APR being "Academic Performance Rate."It's something that most know about and have closed their eyes to -- a lot of top players at top schools were graced by the creator with prowess on

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109728222478303812005-03-01T16:41:00.000-08:002005-03-02T18:06:58.876-08:00

Many of 4th and 5th Estaters panned the Oscar night performance of Chris Rock, a black stand-up comedian who tends to perform blue, for his frequent use of the word "ass" and his singular use of the word "damn."Adam Buckman of the New York Post wrote that "Chris doesn't rock"The Irish Examiner exclaimed: "Chris' jokes hit rock bottom"And Eleanor O'Sullivan, movie writer for the Asbury Park Press,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109659653756723712005-02-28T22:47:00.000-08:002005-02-28T22:47:33.756-08:00

Ambulatory metabolically challenged AmericansTerm used by James Taranto and Carol Muller of The Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal "Best of the Web Today" to describe zombies.(And I'm not saying that just because I got another nod for a newstip in that particular edition either.)

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109651723498032962005-02-28T18:56:00.000-08:002005-03-24T19:53:54.856-08:00

My friend St. Scott, who also happens to run my domain host, pointed out to me today an article on Silicon.com about how much time is wasted each day dealing with spam, an average 90 minutes a day, 10 hours a week per person. Spam clogs St. Scott's servers so I expect he, Eric, Chuck and the rest of his associates spend more than that as web janitors for the sludge spewed from far and wide. I'm

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109568661254562282005-02-27T21:14:00.000-08:002006-06-28T18:47:57.923-07:00

No, it ain't so. But it sure looks like him doesn't it?Photo on very top is the mugshot of alleged BTK serial killer Dennis L. Rader. Photo by some unnamed police photographer in the booking area, photo credit taken by AP.Photo below is the very talented actor Jason Alexander who played the character "George Costanza" on the hit tv sitcom "Seinfeld." Photo courtesy of Movieprop.com.

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109547291864161682005-02-27T15:00:00.000-08:002005-02-28T17:35:03.813-08:00

During the Academy Awards tonight I'll be most intent on seeing if the Academy voters blacklist Martin Scorsese again tonight. He is one of the nominees for "Best Director" for his work on the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator."Scorsese, who was honored by the American Film Institute in 1997, has produced and directed more than 40 critically acclaimed films including Taxi Driver, Goodfellas,

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109537465967229122005-02-27T12:33:00.000-08:002005-02-27T12:51:05.973-08:00

A blast from the past. Think the VLWM has your best interests at heart? Why has there been no follow-up on the search for missing Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher or this story?THE NEW YORK TIMES September 20, 2001 FBI, SEC on Hunt for Attack - Related Trading By REUTERS Filed at 8:07 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - America's top markets regulator said Thursday that several U.S. agencies, led

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109527981556374812005-02-27T09:11:00.000-08:002005-03-05T12:06:52.760-08:00

If you haven't been following the news from the middle east in the past few weeks, you've been missing history being made. For the big picture, I'll point you to the New York Times op-ed column Feb. 26 by David Brooks, "Why not here?" and the column Feb. 27 by Thomas Friedman, "The Tipping Points." Yep, the New York Times. (Registration is required to read the columns. It's free and I've never

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109466866932098472005-02-26T18:33:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:33:01.826-08:00

This post originally was published on the usenet on Feb 4, 2005, just days ahead of Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday," a celebration of New Orleans and the world over. Not much introduction is necessary:Google Groups hyperlinkThe most famous place in Louisiana to buy a Mardi Gras King Cake is Gambino's. Anyone who has lived in New Orleans will tell you that Gambino's is the Betty Crocker of King Cakes

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109351069163588092005-02-25T08:32:00.000-08:002005-02-25T09:37:15.140-08:00

As you might have guessed, I think it's important that folk who seek to lead have at least a sense of humor, if not a sense of the ironic. Some things definitely are not funny but you've got to be able to laugh off the minor problems of day-to-day life just to keep sane.Maybe it wasn't in the Bible or the Koran that Jesus or Mohammed had a sense of humor, but I can just about guarantee they did.

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109310469237438602005-02-24T21:26:00.000-08:002005-03-12T20:51:42.386-08:00

When I was writing that last post, I was pretty excited to see that the "Drudge Report" was being published by Voice of America. I thought, "How far the 6th Estate -- internet news gathering and reporting -- has come in the last few years if the notorious Mr. Drudge has found mainstream acceptability enough to grace the pages and airwaves of the quasi-official voice of the U.S. State Department!"

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109265918274518872005-02-24T08:56:00.000-08:002005-03-12T21:06:44.046-08:00

I have read that the monarchy kingdom of Saudi Arabia just summoned its ambassador home from Hungary. The reason?According to the report by ArabicNews.com,The Hungarian mass media quoted the Hungarian prime minister as praising in a special celebration the Hungarian team in bravely fighting "against Arab terrorists" after the end of a friendly competition game between the two teams ended in

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109203674924070392005-02-23T15:16:00.000-08:002005-02-23T23:04:16.933-08:00

This is a rant. If you don't want to read a rant, don't read this.Office Depot has one of the worst computer systems of any of the major e-tailers. Someone there should have their ass kicked. And I'll give you my reasons after I give you a little background on this situation.I have a watch that is also a pager and I love it! It's called a Timex Internet Messenger. It was made and marketed

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109099401603744242005-02-22T11:02:00.000-08:002005-02-27T12:11:12.303-08:00

Just a quick thought here ...I understand that ABC -- fearful of an FCC fine -- is going to have a 60 second delay when comedian Chris Rock hosts the Academy Awards.I bet Chris Rock can cuss for more than 60 seconds in a row. I know I can, and I'm just an amateur. All I have to do is stub my toe or bang my thumb with a hammer or have some lame brain on the highway cut in front of me with no turn

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109061704661040632005-02-22T00:38:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:31:27.570-08:00

Again, an older post from the usenet. But the information it contains is nonetheless still valid. No explanation required. E-mail this to the whiney liberal who knows nothing but what Donald Graham (Washington Post) and Pinch Sulzberger (New York Times) and the other owners of the VLWM (Vast Left Wing Media) tell them. I've got nothing against liberal thinkers. [I do have something against those

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109052378340025672005-02-21T21:47:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:29:58.496-08:00

Yeah, it's an old post, as much of a has been as Britney Spears, but the commentary is good. As you might have guessed, this is my commentary on the HYPErbowl halftime incident during the Superbowl football game, 2004.Whiney liberals claim that anyone who found the show to be not in good taste is a prig or a prude. Trust me, I'm far from that pigeon-hole. I'm ex-Navy and I swear like a sailor. My

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109038520019550562005-02-21T18:10:00.000-08:002008-12-26T14:00:46.151-08:00

[There is a graduate level post and it has a pre-requisite. If you haven't read my comment "First you have to admit you're a wingnut," do so. Then come back and read this.]This post is on how the intelligence agencies, under President William Jefferson Clinton (DArk), were redirected away from following terrorists and threats to the U.S. and toward commercial espionage. I've been working on this

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109033545144663802005-02-21T16:24:00.000-08:002010-07-01T04:47:20.396-07:00

Okay, I'm a wingnut. I admit it. I'm also a conspiracy theorist. If you want to laugh, get it over with now. But open your mind to the possibility that conspiracies do, in fact, exist. That cover-ups are engaged upon on a daily basis. Sometimes it's a reason of pride and sometimes it's a reason of power/money.Some conspiracies just aren't theories.Still in denial? Consider this: Most of your

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109030240347482412005-02-21T15:48:00.000-08:002005-03-16T09:08:41.473-08:00

Well ... don't be a pest, but do consider the following grassroots action. Remember, the good Lord helps those who help themselves. What I do when I think about it and have a few extra moments is browse through the local Sunday "Help Wanted" section, searching for companies large enough to have received federal contracts but who don't place the M/F/D/V in their recruitment advertising and who do

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109028373571449662005-02-21T14:55:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:12:05.536-08:00

Some two years or so ago I was in trouble. Again. I was fired from a job for refusing to work overtime and perform tasks I considered unsafe because of fatigue. I was denied unemployment (Thanks to the good ole boy network at Louisiana Labor Dept. and the employee leasing company I was working through, I'm sure. A lawyer took my case pro bono, the case is still in the system but the state won't

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109025193604482762005-02-21T13:57:00.000-08:002005-03-26T20:14:50.196-08:00

Information is power. Not knowledge, information. If you obtain information, THEN you have knowledge.Some folk keep information from reaching others because it gives them power over them. On Wall Street they call this "insider information," but insider information applies to all walks of life. Who knew that instead of buying aspirin you could chew on a piece of willow bark, which contains

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109021049352545342005-02-21T13:12:00.000-08:002005-02-23T23:55:43.430-08:00

I never got to review movies when I was a reporter ... but I love them! Movies are a true narcotic to me. I remember when a friend in graduate school was going somewhere for the entire weekend and he said I could borrow his Sony Betamax player to watch movies. I went to the local video store, rented 12 movies -- (none of them adult btw, in case you're wondering) -- and watched them back to back

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109019765637168382005-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:02:17.946-08:00

My second prognostication on what the internet could become, hopefully will become was posted in 1999 in reply to a post by a usenet friend in a journalism-oriented newsgroup. He was having a pity party over the demise of the economy and wondering about his future:Google Groups hyperlinkFrom: Publis...@6th.Estate.com (Mark W. McBride, President/CEO)Subject: Re: Between Economises - A tale Most

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10976573.post-1109017947027169512005-02-21T12:31:00.000-08:002005-03-12T17:01:06.346-08:00

I think that the best way to get this blog rolling is to grab some stuff I've previously published in various parts of the net and republish them here so the reader can see a foundation of my interests. Where possible, I'll include a link back to the original site.Faith Popcorn is a futurist, a highly respected prognosticator of trends with a great and memorable name! John Naisbitt also is a

NEWS4A2, blood-sucking journalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14483959423045341696noreply@blogger.com0