Saturday, June 26, 2010

The Week, Weakly



Marketplace Minute 6/25 from Marketplace on Vimeo.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Recap - Week of 6/21/10
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Recap - Week of 6/21/10
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorFox News

Videos: Comedy Central, Marketplace & MSNBC

Compromise In Committee









Videos: CBS, CNN, MSNBC

Here Come The Judge



Videos: MSNBC

PDF of Judge Martin Feldman's 2009 financial disclosure statement.

Two Martin Feldmans... Only one gave us anything to laugh about.

Rubbers Meet The Road

Starting in September, children attending Provincetown, Mass public schools will have access to free condoms. The school committee voted unanimously to provide them on request... But only if the kids agree to counseling on proper use and health concerns.

Although the policy doesn't specify arbitrary age or grade limits, school nurses may deny a child’s "inappropriate" request.
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 6/24/10. Host: Robin Young.



The local TV reporter bought into Talk Radio's hype & hysteria...
Sometimes you get a clearer perspective from 3,000 miles away.
Audio Embed: Dave Ross, KIRO-FM/Seattle, 6/25/10.

World Cup, WTF

France's team was an embarrassing mess of dissension and public disagreement throughout group play... Their only consolation is that the team that beat them in 2006, Italy, has been eliminated, too.
Audio Embed: WBUR & NPR's Only A Game 6/26/10, Host: Bill Littlefield.

Dollar Dragon

No Matter How You Try, You Can't Fold Your Gold

See more green-back origami.

Mouthwatering

Salma salivates on Dave


CBS 6/21/10

Bluetech

Evan Bartholomew mixes down-tempo electronica with Jamaican dub jams on his latest Bluetech CD: "Love Songs To the Source."
Audio Embed: Echoes, an ambient music program on public radio with an extensive archive of audio for download via subscription.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Crude Awakening





A Safer Way from Norway

Norwegian offshore drilling plots licensed to Maersk Oil in February 2008.

One of the world's biggest oil and gas producers, Norway has a good safety record. But the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is prompting Norwegians to think even more carefully about its offshore drilling until the causes of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico are known.

The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Oslo.
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WGBH's The World n6/24/10, Anchor: Jeb Sharp.

Restrepo

In 2007, British photographer Tim Hetherington (pictured at right) and American journalist Sebastian Junger (left in photo) traveled to Afghanistan to make a documentary.

The resulting film, Restrepo, is an unflinching look at the war David Petraeus just inherited through the eyes of the soldiers fighting it -- just life in combat...
No talking heads allowed.
Audio Embed: All Things Considered 6/24/10, Host: Michele Norris.

Incredulity

CNN's Brooke Baldwin and Barbara Starr were typical of mainstream media's response to Rolling Stone's Michael Hastings scooping them.



Read the article that started it all: "The Runaway General," at Rolling Stone.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Who War It Best?
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorFox News

Who's Paying?

The House of Representatives has an answer for the Supreme Court: a bill to shine some light on who's paying for political campaign ads from corporations and independent groups. The measure aims to lessen the impact of a Supreme Court ruling that said corporations have the same free-speech rights as individuals -- and can therefore spend corporate funds on campaigns.
Audio Embed: All Things Considered 6/24/10, Reporter: Andrea Seabrook.

High Flying Designs

Look Out

Lexus Concept Car by Artur Szymczak for the Fermi design competition.

Look Up

The United States Army has awarded a contract to Northrup Grumman to build its LEMV surveillance ship, a blimp longer than a football field. It can carry 2,500-pounds while hovering 20,000-feet above sea level at a whopping 34 mph for a three-week period. Three are expected to enter service by the end of 2011.

Marathon Match

Preliminary round matches are under way for The Championships at Wimbledon, a tourney that should end before the World Cup, unless...


Multi-source video analysis by Newsy.com

Kinda DIY

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren 6/23/10
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorFox News

Indie Pop


Seattle's Minus the Bear performs "Hold Me Down" on Jimmy Kimmel Live 6/23/10.

I tried using Minus the Bear as a starting point on Pandora, and among the first to appear in the stream were:
Modest Mouse
Gravity Rides Everything
The Moon & Antarctica (2000)

Bloc Party
Blue Light
Silent Alarm (2005)

The Sea and Cake
Four Corners
One Bedroom (2003)
... All of which were harmonious matches to the elements of style characteristic of Minus the Bear's pop/rock song structure, electronica flavored backing and syncopated rhythms.

Less satisfying was in inclusion of "Time To Pretend" by MGMT.

But 3 of 4 wasn't a bad start.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Breaking Points



The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
McChrystal's Balls
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party


Videos: Comedy Central & MSNBC

Chain of Command








Videos: MSNBC

Is Time Running Out?

Magazines Racked

Monoliths Of Media: Time and its classic competitors, Newsweek and Businessweek (now Bloomberg Businessweek), have all been in print for more than 70 years, but Time alone has made it through the decline of the print journalism industry relatively unscathed.
Audio Embed: All Things Considered 6/23/10, Reporter: David Folkenflik.


Music video

iDad?

Quick Call Maury Povich

Photo Match from cheezburger.com

Subway From Hell

Moscow Subway Map via Wiki Commons.

A new metro stop in Moscow is dedicated to 19th century Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky... But in being true to his epic work, the dark imagery of Crime and Punishment has become decor, and the stop has become known as “the station of suicides.” Reporter Jessica Golloher survived her visit.
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WGBH's The World 6/23/10.

Golden Goal




Videos: ABC, MSNBC

The nightmare comes home.

Good Luck With That

From the print edition of the Honolulu Advertiser via Failblog.

Los Links

The Bing search engine has been advertising its usability with a series of commercials in Spanish that are reminiscent of "Conando" O'Brien and the style of Latin American telenovellas.





Interestingly, Bing is owned by Microsoft and headquartered in Redmond WA, where the closest international border is with the province of British Columbia, Canada.

But no part of America can truly escape the reach of right wing talkradio... And even the generally logical, tolerant and moderate population of Washington state strongly supports Arizona's new immigration law, particularly now that agricultural areas that have attracted an influx of undocumented Latino farm workers.
Audio Embed: Puget Sound Public Radio , Reporter: Tom Banse

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Driller Thriller




Videos: MSNBC

They promise to drill safely... This time.

Photo: Energy Industry Photos dot com

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal:
"We cannot afford this kind of bureaucracy. Our bottom line is, it is important that we treat this like a war. We use every resource we can. This oil threatens are very way of life."
Among his weapons, Governor/War Leader Jindal filed an "amicus brief," (or legal argument) in support of a company called Hornbeck Offshore Services who are suing to lift the President's deep-water drilling moratorium.
Audio Embed: Dave Ross, KIRO-FM/Seattle, 06/21/10

Fallout

BP in Russia

Illustration from Twilight Earth environmental forum

As President Obama promised BP's $20-billion compensation fund was just the beginning, Gulf residents might have been reassured, but BP’s stock has nearly halved in value since the accident.

It’s reportedly going to raise $50-billion to pay for all the damages. It’s against this backdrop that the company’s CEO Tony Hayward, now removed from direct supervision of Gulf clean-up operations after his painful performances in front of Congress and cameras, is said to be planning to travel to Russia to reassure President Dmitry Medvedev that BP is not on the brink of collapse.

Marco Werman speaks with Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group, a political risk research company, and author of “End of the Free Market.”
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WGBH's The World, 06/21/10




Videos: MSNBC

Funny... I always thought the real shakedown was guys like Mr. Barton soliciting campaign funding from the industries they regulate.

King Kong Visits Beach

Only One Car Crushed!

Photos by Jonathan Alcorn Santa Monica, California, 6/3/10.

All signs point to this being a part of a publicity stunt for Universal Studios Hollywood’s upcoming King Kong 3D attraction, which will open as part of the theme park’s tram tour on July 4th.

Vermont Roots Rockers

The old joke is that all anyone can grow in Vermont is rocks... Which should make it a great place for rockers, and the bands who do.


YouTube embed: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Tiny Light music video

Rolling Stone gives some major props to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, calling the bluesy central Vermont natives one of the best new bands of the year. While the characterization fits, their new self-titled record is their fourth album since 2004 and as the band heads out on the road they'll find friends already in place in places they've never been... At least not yet, 'tho' their reputation got there first.
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 6/21/10, Host: Robin Young with lead singer Grace Potter.

Pulling the Plug


Video analysis by Newsy.com

Pop Go The Weasels


YouTube music video from Jon Lajoie

Monday, June 21, 2010

Bloody Well Time


U2 Video from "Bloody Sunday" (2002 movie)

The long-anticipated Saville Inquiry's report was finally released last week, 12 years after it was commissioned by former PM Tony Blair. It caused current Prime Minister David Cameron to apologize on the floor of Commons... Both for the conduct of the British Army on January 30, 1972 and the previous official cover-up of the massacre.
Audio Embed: WNYC's On The Media 6/19/10, Host: Brooke Gladstone with London Guardian reporter Peter Pringle.

Black Water (BP version)


Video: A Doobie Brothers parody by comedian Steve Goodie.

Payback

Settling the claims of oil spill victims is an the task that's now on the shoulders of Kenneth Feinberg. Richard Schlesinger reports.


Video embed: CBS News

Grief Ain't Good

Take That, Charlie Brown!

Graffiti from Ottawa, Ontario on Nylon magazine's blog.

Legend and Legacy

It's been 29 years since Bob Marley died, leaving behind reggae songs of rebellion, redemption and celebration that are still known around the world. He also left behind a huge family to carry on his legacy. Kelly Cobiella reports.


Video embed: CBS News

Calmer Waters

"Serenity Creek" from Quincy MA Daily Photo.

Apple as Morality Police

Default values seem to censor apps & iTunes content on autopilot... Seemingly without any human intervention.

Among the casualties, the iPhone's own dictionary.

Making Apple's world safe for elementary school kids dumbs it down for adults who'd like to use their own standards and judgment about content.
Audio Embed: WNYC's On The Media 6/19/10, Host: Brooke Gladstone with Radiolab host Jad Abumrad and DailyFinance media columnist Jeff Bercovici.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Already Scene It

We have all been here before... When it cost less.

In January of this year Den of Geek counted 86 Hollywood movie sequels "in development." That's an all encompassing term that can include anything from kicking around ideas to tweaking a final print. But some of them are done and now playing at a theater near you.
Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on why the line-up at the local multiplex is looking like one big paint by numbers flashback.

Audio Embed: APM's Marketplace 6/18/10.


Video embed: Newsy: Multiple Source Analysis 6/19/10.

Premature Punditry

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
-- Mark Twain (1897)

Actually, the quote itself is a misquote. Twain did a rewrite in the retelling to make a better story... Like my friend David, whose wit, prominence and bravado grow with time.

As witnesses to the actual events, his wife and I know better... But we also accept exaggerated stories about himself as being a part of who he is.

So it is with pundits who serve up conventional wisdom, which is always conventional but only sometimes wise. That's their nature... Instead of reporting after the fact, they jump the gun.

NPR's Scott Simon and news analyst Juan Williams discuss why political pundits has been off the mark lately in declaring several political careers dead.
Audio Embed: Weekend Edition Saturday 6/19/10.

Chambergrass

Two examples of genre bending music by classically trained string players who did the unthinkable... Crossed over into Country and in the process turned their fancy violins into fiddles.

In Boston, the Folk Arts Quartet brings traditional Celtic and American folk forms to dignified chamber music venues.

And Time For Three, a trio where a double bass also doubles as an incredibly expressive cello, looks to the West for inspiration.
Audio Embed: WBUR FM, Boston Reporter: Andrea Shea
6/17/10
Wyoming 307/Forget About It
Time For Three
3 Fervent Travelers (2010)

Analog Kid

What if your digital and analog worlds collided?


The Art of Analog Computing from meltmedia on Vimeo.

Weird Beard

If you need to keep your face protected from the elements, or admire ancient Assyrian statuary, the beard hat may be just right for you!

The add-on beards come in a variety of hair-color tones and attach (via buttons) to caps in a range of snazzy colors and patterns.

Photo from Just Whatever.