bravobravo
I can’t even begin to think about the amount of work that went into this. If you’re a regular reader of boingboing, you’ll marvel at the detail of this parody site, done up in time for April Fools Day.
Update: Awesome.
Subtle Bias II
The media is doing it again.
A week ago it happened with Jeff Weise. Today, they’re doing it with Terri Schiavo. Look around the web, and you’ll see what I mean.
Drudge has this picture…
Yahoo news has this…
MSNBC heads their main story using this picture…
And still others, with this…
Yet, the reality of what Terri Schiavo has been the past decade is this.
…and this.
Is the media purposely displaying a young, healthy, attractive Terri Schiavo to emphasize a life snuffed out too soon? Are we more outraged when we see the “before” pictures?
If the Pope dies, will we see more pictures of him from the late ’80’s and early ’90’s than pictures of the past couple of days? Jerry Falwell has been ill lately – if he passes, will we see today’s bloated, fat version of Jerry or the 1970’s skinny hipster edition?
I wonder.
If you were running a news organization, which photos would you choose and why?
Possessing the Very Power of God
If you visit, browse and read as many websites as I do, you probably have a short list of places that never fail to enrage you. It might be a militant left wing wacko blog, an MSM news site, or a bulletin board filled with whiners. Have you ever secretly wished you could simply click a button and immediately launch a missile attack, a meteor shower, or even nuclear holocaust on every square inch of that cursed HTML? Well, now you can, from anywhere in the world, muster God like powers to smite the blog, or vaporize the annoying columnist.
Look no further than Netdisaster.
Type in the “soon to be anhiliated” URL, choose your catastrophe, and the level of destruction. Control the burn yourself or sit back and let NetDisaster do your bidding. It’s up to you.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
UPDATE: I believe I’ve found a new site to smite. I’ll be “pushin the button” in your honor Jeff.
1st Birthday
Congratulations Arthur.
The End
The National Press Club Welcomes Jeff Gannon
There are so many things wrong with this that it’s hard to know where to start.
The same day that the prestigious Washington, D.C., journalism organization plans to present a lunch talk by former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, it will also allow the former White House reporter/escort to be on a panel discussing bloggers and online journalism.
Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, resigned his job with the conservative Talon News last month after it was revealed he had used a pseudonym, had little journalism background, and had ties to male escort Web sites.
Gannon said he always considered himself a legitimate journalist, and “perhaps their invitation is recognition of that.”
Actually, it’s not recognition at all Jeff. This invitation is akin to inviting a turkey to Thanksgiving dinner.
Press Club President Rick Dunham, who also covers the White House for BusinessWeek, called Gannon “a figure in the news” who is involved in an important journalistic issue.
“The panel came together because we wanted to discuss some issues that came about from the Gannon case,” said Mike Madden, a Gannett News Service reporter and a member of the Press Club’s Professional Affairs committee, which is organizing the free event. “So we thought, why not try to get him?”
“Why not try to get him…” Uh huh…exactly. Like any good horror movie, the victim is always the last person to know what is going to happen to him. Only this time, I don’t think there are any people yelling at the screen, saying things like, “Watch out!”, “They’re setting you up!”, and “Don’t go in there!”
“The idea was talking about these issues and who should be allowed to set up shop [as a legitimate journalist],” Madden said. “It is not intended to be a forum for [Gannon] to present his side unchallenged. It is going to be moderated and there will be others on the panel.”
Unfortunately, the “others” on the panel won’t include Ace or Goldstein. (There’s still time guys!)
Press Club president Rick Dunham said “journalists should be given a chance to question him.” Reminded that many reporters had interviewed Gannon in the past month, Dunham still believed his presence would be good for the event. “I want us to be on the news,” he said. “I think it is better to have people ask any question they can ask.”
Oooh yeah. Unvetted questions, no holds barred, free-for-all. And a special guest appearance by Wonkette! You suppose there will be a happy hour with half price well drinks before the show?
Gannon said he “thinks it is a good opportunity for me to speak to issues related to bloggers.” He also added that he was, “trying to stay out there where people can see me.”
There’s a phrase that describes “staying out there where people can see me”. It’s “Self Flagellation”, and apparently Jeff Gannon doesn’t own a dictionary.
The circus comes to town on April 8th. Mark your calendars.
Stone Age Warning System
Via Bloomberg.com: Asian Goverments Raise Tsunami Alert Using Faxes, Local Media
Asian governments relied on phone calls, faxes and the media to alert citizens of a possible tsunami after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck near Sumatra, in the absence of an alert network they promised to build.
“After we received the readings on the earthquake we contacted all government institutions by fax and by telephones, but we couldn’t contact officials in Nias and the other affected islands because communications were cut,” said Budi Waluyo, an official in Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. “From then on, we only heard and read from the media.”
Oh, and there’s that bit about the quake hitting in the middle of the night, when no one would have been around anyway. And another thing…what happens if someone forgets to load new paper in the fax machine?
One More, In Honor of Johnnie
I just couldn’t pass this up.
I Was Innocent, But He Believed It!
That’s what O.J. Simpson said today when asked to comment on the death of Johnnie Cochran.
“I’ve got to say, I don’t think I’d be home today without Johnnie,” Simpson said by telephone from Florida after learning of Cochran’s death in Los Angeles.
Simpson noted other members of his defense team but said: “Without Johnnie running the ball, I don’t think there’s a lawyer in the world that could have run that ball. I was innocent, but he believed it.”
Sounds like even O.J. couldn’t believe that. But did Johnnie really believe in Simpson’s innocence? You have to wonder, given this quote by Cochran:
“Give me a jury with only one Black on it and I’ll guarantee a hung jury [even though the client is guilty, of course].”
And there were nine Blacks on the Simpson jury.
Here’s Cochran’s closing argument in the Simpson case, and his most famous quote:
“Let me show you something. This is a knit cap. Let me put this knit cap on. You have seen me for a year. If I put this knit cap on, who am I? I’m still Johnnie Cochran with a knit cap. And if you looked at O.J. Simpson over there–and he has a rather large head–O.J. Simpson in a knit cap from two blocks away is still O.J. Simpson. It’s no disguise. It’s no disguise. It makes no sense. It doesn’t fit. If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
RIP Johnnie. Oh and one more thing. O.J. wants to be sure you say “hi” to Ron and Nicole…for him.
UPDATE: O.J., others attend Cochran funeral in Los Angeles.
An Actual Tsunami and the Threat of a Tsunami
Apparently, that’s what it takes to put together a tsunami warning system in India.
Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal has told NDTV that a state-of-the-art tsunami warning system will be soon put in place in the country.
The proposed Rs 125 crore project, which has already been approved by the government, would give India the capability to know of a possible tsunami in five to 10 minutes.
“If we can buy and get the technology in place quickly, at least we will be able to tell if a tsunami is on its way so that we can inform our people,” Sibal said.
Sibal also said this system would be more efficient then the already existing Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning System located in the Pacific Ocean.
Though the state and the Central governments reacted promptly to the latest quake off Sumatra, predicting a natural calamity continues to be a challenge to scientists.
Now, how long will it take them to put this into action? Governments do nothing quickly. Hopefully, there won’t be another disaster in the meantime.