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MACWORLD 2010

Jeramy C goes behind the scenes at MACWORLD amidst vendors, developers, and aspiring... more

ericjeller
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Bassnectar: Interview in NYC

In this episode I interview Bassnectar and play one of the songs from his new album.... more

Mike_Johnston
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Internet Freedom Is Not a Universal Value, Secretary of State Clinton

BusinessWeek Editorial Overview
Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on January 22

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on the universality of Internet Freedom is a wonderful speech that I personally applaud but it is seriously flawed when applied to China and to Google in China. Absolute internet freedom is a value widely shared among hundreds of millions of North Americans, Latin Americans and Europeans but not among the vast, vast, vast majority of Chinese.

I recently spent two weeks in Shanghai and Beijing talking with designers and academics. Here is my sense of how internet censorship and “freedom” work in China. The stereotype of of a distant, old, militaristic censor shutting down blogs and web sites on whim is incorrect. Both the young. high-tech entrepreneurs developing new online businesses and the government censors come from the same good universities, are extremely well-educated and know each other personally. The two sides are in constant contact every day, pushing and pulling, reshaping the zone and focus of censorship. In general, both sides, mostly men in their 20s and early 30s, I am told, are trying to increase the space of what is allowed. I am also told that one problem with Google in China was that it was not tied into this network of censor and censored as well as Baidu and other Chinese web companies. And Google didn’t share the accepted culture of dynamic censorship, further antagonizing the censors.

Two weeks is not a long time in any country, but I did take away the conclusion that for nearly all Chinese, Tibet and Taiwan are as much a part of China as Hawaii and New Mexico are of the US. Government censorship of individuals and groups calling for Tibetan independence is widely applauded, not criticized. It is not an internet space that the younger generation in China wants expanded. However, there is an enormous amount of expressed anger at the rich and powerful all over the net. And throughout contemporary Chinese painting.

I remember going to the 798 art district of Beijing and looking at one installation that listed words. The first word was “propaganda.” The second was “advertising.” The flow of other words expressed the artists conclusion that two were basically the same—messages from powerful institutions designed to persuade you to think one way and behave in a particular way.

more--

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2010/01/internet_freedo.html
http://img.labnol.org/di/periodictableoftheinterum5.jpgBusinessWeek Editorial Overview Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on January 22 Secretary... more

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The politics of 'Avatar:' Conservatives attack film's political message

James Cameron's "Avatar" may have smashed box-office records, but... more

02
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2 months ago
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152 comments

Feeding the hungry video by microdac | ifood.tv

We waste 40% of our food and we have 49,000,000 hungry Americans. Why is that?

microdac
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4 months ago
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The Mammogram Media Blitz Tactic

Dan Pfeiffer writes, "One of the hallmark tactics from opponents of health... more

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4 months ago
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Obama's right. It's time to stop taking the network's skewed news seriously.

Take a look at Fox's own Web story on the episode. It begins by quoting a Fox News senior vice president named Michael Clemente, who says: "It's astounding the White House cannot distinguish between news and opinion programming. It seems self-serving on their part." Then it quotes David Gergen, the gravelly voice of Washington's conventional wisdom, who says the attack diminishes President Obama and works to Fox's benefit. Then we hear from Tony Blankley, Newt Gingrich's former press secretary and a frequent Fox contributor, who agrees that criticizing Fox makes no sense: "Fox has an audience of not just conservatives. They've got liberals and moderates who watch too." Then a White House correspondent for Politico echoes the claim that the controversy will boost Fox's ratings. Then comes an old quote from Fox anchor Chris Wallace, who calls Obama's team "the biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington." Then the story's anonymous author cites a joke Obama made at the White House Correspondents Dinner as evidence "that Fox News has gotten under his skin." Finally, the piece cites a Pew study that suggested that while Fox was equally negative about John McCain and Obama during the last six weeks of the 2008 campaign, CNN was more negative about McCain.

Let's do a quick study of our own. Five people are quoted in this article. Two of them work for Fox. All of them assert that administration officials are either wrong in substance or politically foolish to criticize the network. No one is cited supporting Dunn's criticisms or saying that it could make sense, morally or politically, for Obama to challenge the network's power. It's a textbook example of a biased news story.

If you were watching Fox News Channel, you saw the familiar roster of platinum pundettes and anchor androids reciting the same sound bites: criticizing Fox was Obama's version of Nixon's enemies list, the rest of the news media are in Obama's corner, Obama should get back to governing, Fox opinion shows are different from its news shows, it's always dumb to go after the press. On The O'Reilly Factor on Oct. 13, the evanescent Alan Colmes, the network's weak, battered house liberal, mumbled semi-agreement while "Doctor" Monica Crowley and Bill O'Reilly lit up the scoreboard with the familiar talking points.

Any news organization that took its responsibilities seriously would take pains to cover presidential criticism fairly. It would regard doing so as itself a test of integrity and take pains not to load the dice in its own favor. At any other network, accusation of bias might even lead to some soul-searching and behavioral adjustment. At Fox, by contrast, complaints of unfairness prompt only hoots of derision and demands for "evidence" and "proof," which when presented is brushed off and ignored.Take a look at Fox's own Web story on the episode. It begins by quoting a Fox... more

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5 months ago
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Audrina Partridge = Scandalous

'The Hills' star was on the cover of 'Maxim,' and that means... more

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6 months ago
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5 comments

"Tea party" photo shows huge crowd — at different event

Over the weekend, conservatives enthusiastically passed around a photo they said... more

slarabee
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6 months ago
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51 comments

Brendan Benson Performs on SPIN's Rooftop!

There are few better places to spend a warm summer evening than a rooftop with friends... more

xiola
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7 months ago
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1 comment

Why Obama Is a Lame Duck

Because he's: -Not white enough -Not Republican -Not John McCain More trash... more

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7 months ago
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2 comments

A Right Wing Industry: Fake Grass Roots Heath Reform Oppositon

Rachel Maddow reports that the organized groups who have shown up at heath reform town... more

JonRaymond
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8 months ago
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2 comments

Why music magazines are dying

Slate has an article that lists the three main reasons music magazines are dying:... more

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8 months ago
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Health Reform CAN Pay For Itself

Alarmism is setting in about the health reform bill. "Alliances In Health Debate... more

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8 months ago
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Watch Acoustic Sets from Backstage at Bonnaroo!

Everest, the Low Anthem, Alberta Cross, AA Bondy, and Dear and the Headlights. From... more

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9 months ago
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2 comments

Dem's Bogeyman Luntz Schooled Reid, Other Dems On Messaging

The Senate Democratic leadership attacked GOP pollster Frank Luntz at its weekly press... more

slarabee
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9 months ago
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1 comment

Media conservatives claim Holocaust museum shooter a "leftist"

In responding to the June 10 shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, several... more

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9 months ago
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Sam Seder Shuts Down Limbaugh & Cheney on Torture @ BreakRoomLive

http://breakroomlive.com In this "Cheney edition" of Random Rush, Sam... more

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10 months ago
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Sam Seder Exposes Rush Limbaugh on Credit @ BreakRoomLive.com

http://breakroomlive.com BreakRoomLive w/ Maron & Seder is LIVE weekdays, 3-4pm... more

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10 months ago
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The Nancy Pelosi "Scandal" Made Simple: BreakRoomLive.com

http://breakroomlive.com Did Nancy Pelosi know about the Bush administration's... more

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10 months ago
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TAGS

tagged w/ Spin

MACWORLD 2010

Bassnectar: Interview in NYC

Internet Freedom Is Not a Universal Value, Secretary of State Clinton

The politics of 'Avatar:' Conservatives attack film's political message

Feeding the hungry video by microdac | ifood.tv

The Mammogram Media Blitz Tactic

Obama's right. It's time to stop taking the network's skewed news seriously.

Audrina Partridge = Scandalous

"Tea party" photo shows huge crowd — at different event

Brendan Benson Performs on SPIN's Rooftop!

Why Obama Is a Lame Duck

A Right Wing Industry: Fake Grass Roots Heath Reform Oppositon

Why music magazines are dying

Health Reform CAN Pay For Itself

Watch Acoustic Sets from Backstage at Bonnaroo!

Dem's Bogeyman Luntz Schooled Reid, Other Dems On Messaging

Media conservatives claim Holocaust museum shooter a "leftist"

Sam Seder Shuts Down Limbaugh & Cheney on Torture @ BreakRoomLive

Sam Seder Exposes Rush Limbaugh on Credit @ BreakRoomLive.com

The Nancy Pelosi "Scandal" Made Simple: BreakRoomLive.com

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