Accidentally on Purpose? . . .
Hundreds of voters in upstate New York received absentee ballots which identified the presidential candidate "Barack Osama." Dirty tricks? They claim it was just a mistake.
Meanwhile, where is the wraith Osama himself?
# Khalid Hasan reports from Washington DC that Stratfor claims: Mullah Omar is probably in the Quetta area of Balochistan, while OBL and the Insidious Dr Z are probably in the Dir/Malakand region.
The Monocular Mullah Omar has been spotted by numerous people in Quetta, which seems to lend weight to their assertion.
As for the alleged whereabouts of the other two, don't bet on it. Dr Z may be in the Dir area. But don't count on OBL living in any remote caves at this point - I'm rather skeptical about that.
The rest of Hassan's report,
though, makes for some interesting reading.
# NATO will attack opium factories in Afghanistan.
...
Friday, October 10
CROSS CURRENTS TODAY (3#) -
Slogging your way through traffic?
"President George W. Bush arrived in South Florida Friday in the early afternoon to attend a GOP fundraiser in Coral Gables and then to meet with leaders of the Cuban-American community." [cbs4]
* * * * * * * * * *
Today is also the start of The Great Schlep... it involves young Jews travelling to Florida to persuade their grandparents - who've been reluctant to support Obama, but who certainly love their grandchildren - to vote Democratic in November. As the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports, the first schleppers have already arrived...
:: From the UK ::
* * * * * * * * * *
:: Newish aggregator: Buzz Tracker [beta]
...
"President George W. Bush arrived in South Florida Friday in the early afternoon to attend a GOP fundraiser in Coral Gables and then to meet with leaders of the Cuban-American community." [cbs4]
* * * * * * * * * *
Today is also the start of The Great Schlep... it involves young Jews travelling to Florida to persuade their grandparents - who've been reluctant to support Obama, but who certainly love their grandchildren - to vote Democratic in November. As the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports, the first schleppers have already arrived...
:: From the UK ::
* * * * * * * * * *
:: Newish aggregator: Buzz Tracker [beta]
...
Thursday, October 9
OUR MAN
IN THE MEDIA WARS -
from an obscure niche
with or without the pajamas . . .
When last we regularly dropped in on Tim Dowling, he seemed deeply immersed in a series which was a sendup of a News Chat message board forum.
Some newspapers have humor columnists -
for example, The Miami Herald has Dave Barry.
What distinguishes Dowling, I believe, is his amazing talent for incredibly spot-on mimicry. In his message board series, as I recall, he established a number of characters who would post comments, yet each had his or her own distinctive diction. One almost came to feel these characters were real. Sure, it was a parody of sorts, nevertheless, it seemed to take on a life of its own.
What has he been doing lately? Well, I haven't been exactly stalking him. As far as I know, he has had a general humor column at least once a week in the Weekend Edition.
But now, it appears
that he may be undertaking a new series:
Hello subscribers, and welcome to this week's mailout, your guide to citizen journalism's "centre of excellence."
What problems could a citizen journalist run into?
He has already mastered the grassroots interview with the proverbial man on the Clapham bus. Or so he's led us to believe.
But what if some snoop from the Counter Terrorism Unit mistakes his website "benlagenlive" with "binladenlive?" That could cause a spot of trouble.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
:: Citizen journalist ::
...
with or without the pajamas . . .
When last we regularly dropped in on Tim Dowling, he seemed deeply immersed in a series which was a sendup of a News Chat message board forum.
Some newspapers have humor columnists -
for example, The Miami Herald has Dave Barry.
What distinguishes Dowling, I believe, is his amazing talent for incredibly spot-on mimicry. In his message board series, as I recall, he established a number of characters who would post comments, yet each had his or her own distinctive diction. One almost came to feel these characters were real. Sure, it was a parody of sorts, nevertheless, it seemed to take on a life of its own.
What has he been doing lately? Well, I haven't been exactly stalking him. As far as I know, he has had a general humor column at least once a week in the Weekend Edition.
But now, it appears
that he may be undertaking a new series:
Hello subscribers, and welcome to this week's mailout, your guide to citizen journalism's "centre of excellence."
What problems could a citizen journalist run into?
He has already mastered the grassroots interview with the proverbial man on the Clapham bus. Or so he's led us to believe.
But what if some snoop from the Counter Terrorism Unit mistakes his website "benlagenlive" with "binladenlive?" That could cause a spot of trouble.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
:: Citizen journalist ::
...
Wednesday, October 8
SoFlo: BOGUS & BOGEYMEN (3#) -
Manipulating readers and
winding you up for the holiday . . .
I was appalled to spot a piece of sleazy propaganda drivel, which is designed to incite hysteria, in one of our local newspapers on Wednesday. It has no other, more legitimate purpose. It generates a lot of heat, but no light. It informs the reader of nothing. It is all blue smoke, hot air and mirrors. And it is blatantly manipulative. It's there just to wind you up.
:: This piece pushes a lot of
inflammatory buttons, but says nothing intelligible.
Take your pick: anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, Real Estate Apoplexy, Generational Conflict, Demographic Dynamics, etc.
And the Sun-Sentinel is conducting this hate fest "coincidentally" timed to coincide with the Jewish fasting holiday of Yom Kippur.
The editor who is responsible for this piece
of reprehensible detritus is beneath contempt.
Did it work? Of course it did. It has generated
more than 350 comments. And it is pure drek.
* * * * * * * * * *
# Jack Shafer explains
how to write a bogus trend story.
"It's one of those works of journalism that
leaves its readers dumber than it found them."
* * * * * * * * * *
# And in another sign of the times:
Rick Redfern, a newspaper reporter
in the comic strip Doonesbury by
Gary Trudeau, is taking a buyout.
...
winding you up for the holiday . . .
I was appalled to spot a piece of sleazy propaganda drivel, which is designed to incite hysteria, in one of our local newspapers on Wednesday. It has no other, more legitimate purpose. It generates a lot of heat, but no light. It informs the reader of nothing. It is all blue smoke, hot air and mirrors. And it is blatantly manipulative. It's there just to wind you up.
:: This piece pushes a lot of
inflammatory buttons, but says nothing intelligible.
Take your pick: anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, Real Estate Apoplexy, Generational Conflict, Demographic Dynamics, etc.
And the Sun-Sentinel is conducting this hate fest "coincidentally" timed to coincide with the Jewish fasting holiday of Yom Kippur.
The editor who is responsible for this piece
of reprehensible detritus is beneath contempt.
Did it work? Of course it did. It has generated
more than 350 comments. And it is pure drek.
* * * * * * * * * *
# Jack Shafer explains
how to write a bogus trend story.
"It's one of those works of journalism that
leaves its readers dumber than it found them."
* * * * * * * * * *
# And in another sign of the times:
Rick Redfern, a newspaper reporter
in the comic strip Doonesbury by
Gary Trudeau, is taking a buyout.
...
Tuesday, October 7
WoT: ALIAS MANNU & more (4#) -
A Yahoo software engineer and two other computer techies are accused of direct involvement in sending terrorist emails in India.
"These are all highly qualified, computer-savvy people belonging to good and educated families," one of the top detectives said at a packed presser.
# Terrorists bombed a beauty parlor in the Garhi Shahu neighborhood of Lahore PK Tuesday night. Several people were injured, but no fatalities were reported.
# "I just do not understand
what the Taliban have against us girls."
:: An interview with some of the young gals
from the NWFP conducted by Munizae Jahangir.
..
"These are all highly qualified, computer-savvy people belonging to good and educated families," one of the top detectives said at a packed presser.
# Terrorists bombed a beauty parlor in the Garhi Shahu neighborhood of Lahore PK Tuesday night. Several people were injured, but no fatalities were reported.
# "I just do not understand
what the Taliban have against us girls."
:: An interview with some of the young gals
from the NWFP conducted by Munizae Jahangir.
..
Media: BRIGHT SPOTS (6#) -
with only one worrisome note . . .
Tina Brown's Daily Beast launched today. It joins an ever-burgeoning array of websites in this genre. Too many? No, I don't think so. A little competition can be a good thing. There's Gawker, Radar on Line, Anorak, and many more. Sometimes a website starts out well, but, after a while, deteriorates. Or one's tastes change.
This one features a large photo illustration carousel at the top of the screen. Personally, I don't care for those carousels very much.
In general, it's a nice layout, but the text in the articles seems to be in gray and rather small. Since when does gray text enhance legibility?
These websites can be fun to take a break with while on lunch hour or as a quick getaway from more pressing issues. Will I read it? I don't know if I would have much time for it. Even so, we wish them well.
:: The Daily Beast :: / About: [usat] - [pdcontent]
* * * * * * * * * *
Tina Fey is Doing Boffo:
NBC's Saturday Night Live drew another crush of viewers this weekend... [it] has catapulted to a level of cultural prominence the show hasn't seen for years...
:: SNL Rides High on Campaign Satire ::
-- By Rebecca Dana, WSJ --
:: The Palin Wink ::
-- By Patrick Barkham, Guardian --
* * * * * * * * * *
Choke Hold: Eileen Schulte from the St Petersburg Times reports in their Breaking News Blog that the press was imprisoned in one area at the Sarah Palin address in Clearwater Monday afternoon. Sounds ominous, but weren't they already wanded for weapons?
:: This Just In ::
...
Tina Brown's Daily Beast launched today. It joins an ever-burgeoning array of websites in this genre. Too many? No, I don't think so. A little competition can be a good thing. There's Gawker, Radar on Line, Anorak, and many more. Sometimes a website starts out well, but, after a while, deteriorates. Or one's tastes change.
This one features a large photo illustration carousel at the top of the screen. Personally, I don't care for those carousels very much.
In general, it's a nice layout, but the text in the articles seems to be in gray and rather small. Since when does gray text enhance legibility?
These websites can be fun to take a break with while on lunch hour or as a quick getaway from more pressing issues. Will I read it? I don't know if I would have much time for it. Even so, we wish them well.
:: The Daily Beast :: / About: [usat] - [pdcontent]
* * * * * * * * * *
Tina Fey is Doing Boffo:
NBC's Saturday Night Live drew another crush of viewers this weekend... [it] has catapulted to a level of cultural prominence the show hasn't seen for years...
:: SNL Rides High on Campaign Satire ::
-- By Rebecca Dana, WSJ --
:: The Palin Wink ::
-- By Patrick Barkham, Guardian --
* * * * * * * * * *
Choke Hold: Eileen Schulte from the St Petersburg Times reports in their Breaking News Blog that the press was imprisoned in one area at the Sarah Palin address in Clearwater Monday afternoon. Sounds ominous, but weren't they already wanded for weapons?
:: This Just In ::
...
Monday, October 6
Mez: THE LATEST HEARING (2#) -
Saturday's hearing did not produce any definitive results that were made public, as far as I could tell.
Frank in Perugia has more on it in his latest blog entry and its comment thread. This case seems to get more coverage in Italy than it does here in the U.S.
Meanwhile, back in Seattle, a prominent local attorney, Ann Bremner, engaged in what seemed like ethnic slurring when she derisively characterized the Italian CSI Unit's approach as "Fellini-style forensics," implying that they're conducting a circus over there.
One expects some"hometown team" support for Amanda Knox, especially from alumnae of her private high school which, ostensibly, is sponsored by the Society of Jesus.
Certainly, the Jesuits would not want to be associated with a convicted murderer, especially in a Halloween holiday homicide with pagan trappings, but it is never a good sign when one enters a house and sees blood on the walls.
:: Perugia Shock :: .......... :: KOMO ::
...
Frank in Perugia has more on it in his latest blog entry and its comment thread. This case seems to get more coverage in Italy than it does here in the U.S.
Meanwhile, back in Seattle, a prominent local attorney, Ann Bremner, engaged in what seemed like ethnic slurring when she derisively characterized the Italian CSI Unit's approach as "Fellini-style forensics," implying that they're conducting a circus over there.
One expects some"hometown team" support for Amanda Knox, especially from alumnae of her private high school which, ostensibly, is sponsored by the Society of Jesus.
Certainly, the Jesuits would not want to be associated with a convicted murderer, especially in a Halloween holiday homicide with pagan trappings, but it is never a good sign when one enters a house and sees blood on the walls.
:: Perugia Shock :: .......... :: KOMO ::
...
LaLaLand AZZAM
is back & more (6#) -
From another undisclosed location . . .
California native Adam Gadahn (aka Azzam al Amriki) has resurfaced in a new video, complaining about the U.S. and Pakistani air strikes in the tribal regions, where he is suspected of currently hiding.
In this new video, he allegedly claims that God is punishing us for those attacks with the "looming meltdown" of a financial crisis. Forging this type of causal linkage is an example of magical thinking generally redolent of cults.
I haven't seen a link to a full transcript yet.
::abc-blotter:: - [msnbc] - [ap/yahoo] - [cal tv]
* * * * * * * * * *
# Disturbing Cache -
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn: Police have discovered an apartment on Classon Avenue full of "al Qaeda news clippings, chemical manuals and weapons literature." An investigation is underway.
* * * * * * * * * *
# There are rumours that Taliban Mullah Omar the Monocular could be persuaded to disassociate from the Qaeda cult. At least, this is emerging as a possible strategy.
...
California native Adam Gadahn (aka Azzam al Amriki) has resurfaced in a new video, complaining about the U.S. and Pakistani air strikes in the tribal regions, where he is suspected of currently hiding.
In this new video, he allegedly claims that God is punishing us for those attacks with the "looming meltdown" of a financial crisis. Forging this type of causal linkage is an example of magical thinking generally redolent of cults.
I haven't seen a link to a full transcript yet.
::abc-blotter:: - [msnbc] - [ap/yahoo] - [cal tv]
* * * * * * * * * *
# Disturbing Cache -
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn: Police have discovered an apartment on Classon Avenue full of "al Qaeda news clippings, chemical manuals and weapons literature." An investigation is underway.
* * * * * * * * * *
# There are rumours that Taliban Mullah Omar the Monocular could be persuaded to disassociate from the Qaeda cult. At least, this is emerging as a possible strategy.
...
KHYBER PASS & BEYOND (3#) -
From an undisclosed location . . .
Interview with a pro-Taliban militant -
Haji Mulla: "The foreigners are after the country’s mineral wealth; they want to end Islam in Afghanistan; the roads they build are only for their own strategic interests." [afp]
# Earthquake reported in the region, but reports vary at this time. The Frontier Post website was down tonight when checked.
# A lovely tribute to Malalai Kakar, the Afghan police
woman who was assassinated recently by savages:
"Kakar died leaving a team of about 10 female police officers in the Kandahar police force – not a considerable number, but one that was unheard of when she started off on the job."
:: Written by Leela Jacinto at France24 ::
...
Interview with a pro-Taliban militant -
Haji Mulla: "The foreigners are after the country’s mineral wealth; they want to end Islam in Afghanistan; the roads they build are only for their own strategic interests." [afp]
# Earthquake reported in the region, but reports vary at this time. The Frontier Post website was down tonight when checked.
# A lovely tribute to Malalai Kakar, the Afghan police
woman who was assassinated recently by savages:
"Kakar died leaving a team of about 10 female police officers in the Kandahar police force – not a considerable number, but one that was unheard of when she started off on the job."
:: Written by Leela Jacinto at France24 ::
...
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