Starbucks Just Won Me Over
I'm watching Saturday Night Live right now, and just saw a commercial from Starbucks making the case not only to vote, but for just caring. Oh, and they promised a free cup of coffee if you vote on Tuesday.
More after the show.
Update: The ad is on the front page of Starbuck's right now (it's not embeddable).
Update 2: Found on YouTube (now).
Post show…(next day, after falling asleep after SNL)
I guess I should explain why this ad got me so excited. Essentially, I see this ad as a great experiment in viral marketing for both Starbucks and politics.
Starbucks has positioned themselves as a high-end, green, luxury, hang-out for hipsters and soccer moms both. Voting is such a good topic for them to try to tackle – it affects both groups equally. Giving out a freebie in this poor economy when luxury goods are suffering from their elastic nature is a great idea.
Far more important is the social example. Roughly 64% of the country votes, and that's despicable. If more companies publicly supported politics in general (as in Starbucks), or even took sides (as in many Silicon Valley Companies) perhaps the apathy that my generation feels would be decreased. Corporate sponsorship sounds like a good idea to me :)
How to Save Afghanistan – TIME
Our efforts in nation-building, governance and counternarcotics should be smaller and more creative. This is not because these issues are unimportant; they are vital for Afghanistan's future. But only the Afghan government has the legitimacy, the knowledge and the power to build a nation. The West's supporting role is at best limited and uncertain.
-How to Save Afghanistan - TIME
TIME's article How to Save Afghanistan is fantastically written and simply worded. It presents a surprisingly easy solution for how to fix Afghanistan – do less.
The solution is deceptively simple when you think about it. We suck at building a government. We're good at education (well, better than Afghanistan anyway). We're good at farming. We can train an army. We can build power plants. Let's stop trying to fight all these insurgents. Let's stop trying to tell the Afghans how to run their country. Let's just give them the support ask for to build their country up. If they try to build something we don't like? We don't support it.
Transforming a nation of 32 million people is a task not for the West but for Afghans.
Ooooo Shiny!
Warning: This post a rant. It is highly political, and … well, I really just want to get this off my chest.
Spurred by the continued housing crisis, turmoil in financial markets, spiking oil prices, disappearing jobs and shrinking retirement savings, the nation and its political leaders have begun to sour on the notion that the current market system [the free market] is the key to a fair, stable and efficient society.
-Americans may be losing faith in free markets - Los Angeles Times
I've blogged several times (1, 2, 3, more) in the last couple of weeks on the success of the free market in correcting downward trends in the news business. I've got a lot of faith in the law of supply and demand to eventually correct itself.
That's the keyword: eventually.
Markets don't correct themselves overnight. There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to economics, but it seems that the US populace has become so enamored with instant feedback that we expect everything to just happen.
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Loading a web page: just happens.
Finding out the names of Bardgelina's twins: just happens.
9 soldiers dying in Iraq Afghanistan (oh right, we already forgot about that war): just happens.
Global warming doesn't just happen.
The energyoil deficit doesn't just happen.
The Presidency eroding constitutional rights of the Congress, the Judiciary, the Press, and the People, doesn't just happen.
An economic recession doesn't just happen.
A robust economy doesn't just happen.
This society, that so needs instant gratification, needs to learn that there are limits to what technology provides.
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Just because the cell phone lets us say "I'll just call you," instead of planning ahead,
Just because you can text message, twitter, facebook status, IM, or blog,
Just because you can find, meet, date, engage, online,
Just because we can watch live pictures of our tanks rolling across foreign boarders,
It doesn't mean that technology has solved all the world's problems. Our country, our society, has a system in place that works. Yes, the system needs to be changed from time to time, we've done it a lot. But do we need to abandon our Constitution, our economic policies, our way of life just because there are bad times?
The free market works. It goes in cycles of good and bad times, but it works. It's natural. Please, please, just because we've allowed our government to abandon its system, don't think the economy needs to change. It's not worth it! It's not right!
STOP with the ADD! The grass is not always greener, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Try not to pick up every shiny object that comes your way, sometimes, it's a chainsaw.
Seen WallE? This Is Hilarious
This is really only funny if you've seen WallE, but it sure is funny.
...Until you start thinking about the sad truth about this site. The media industry is moving in this direction. This is an example of the ultimate media conglomerate. I'll leave it there before I get into a weird and far-fetched thought experiment.
For More, ‘I Told You So.’
As if the prove the now well-accepted fact that the Fourth Estate failed in its duties prior to the start of the Iraqi War and through out the Bush Administration, Scott McClellan, former press secretary, completely denounces his former bosses.
"If anything, the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq," the former spokesman writes. "The collapse of the administration's rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. In this case, the 'liberal media' didn't live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served."
-Bush's Former Spokesman Scorches White House with Tell All Memoir | MediaCulture | AlterNet
The more that comes out, the more it becomes obvious what the failure of the press means. High level government officials broke the law. They've lied (hey, look at that I used the 'L' word) and not been held accountable. Furthermore, no one's held the press accountable.
Come to think of that… who is the press answerable to? What's the check/balance for them? The people?
I'll leave this at "food for thought" before it becomes a rant.
Update:
The press is giving this story a fantastic spin.
The media has decided to cover this story, by getting a reaction from the ... White House. I guess when in doubt, turn to the administration to see what they have to say.
Coverage could have swayed toward other former-administration insiders who have also publicly talked about the administration's lies, but instead the media went with interviews from administration officials who said McClellan is "misguided for him to make these kind of broad accusations and draw these big conclusions about the president."
Here's a link to the NY Times more balanced coverage.
Not News to Me…
I've been straying away from posting 'general news' with the intent to focus more on journalism and photography related issues. However, there are sometimes issues that I can't help but comment on:
Surprise, surprise; Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
Part of the agency’s case hinges on 18 documents listed in the report and presented to Iran that, according to Western intelligence agencies, indicate the Iranians have ventured into explosives, uranium processing and a missile warhead design — activities that ordinarily would be associated with constructing nuclear weapons.
-Nuclear Agency Accuses Iran of Willful Lack of Cooperation - NYTimes.com
I recently wrote a paper on the Iranian nuclear problem – the argument was severely hurt by a report from the US intelligence community stating that Iran had stopped work on nuclear weapons in 2003. Well, here's to US 'intelligence:'
“The Iranians are certainly being confronted with some pretty strong evidence of a nuclear weapons program and they are being petulant and defensive,” said David Albright, a former weapons inspector who now runs the Institute for Science and International Security. “The report lays out what the agency knows and it is very damning. I’ve never seen it laid out quite like this.”
Actually, I can tie this back to the press. Let's talk about bias in the media. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the first article:
A National Intelligence estimate published last December by American intelligence agencies concluded that Iran suspended its work on a weapons design in late 2003, in response apparently to mounting international pressure, adding that it wasn’t certain whether the weapons work had resumed.
The agency’s report highlights the amount of work still to be done before definitive conclusions about the nature of the program can be made, a task that the agency-associated official said would require months.
[Bolding applied]
When this news was first broken, the New York Times' coverage took a stance directly contradictory. There was little mention the surety of the government towards the restarting of the program. The focus was entirely about the stopping of the nuclear program in 2003. Here's the lead from the article:
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.
-U.S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work - NYTimes.com
Though the article does go on to quote, "that intelligence agencies 'do not know whether it [Iran] currently intends to develop nuclear weapons,'" the news coverage at the time hardly focused on that angle. There is a bit of revisionist history here. The media has a bad tendency to focus on the sensational. If the NIE was inconclusive enough to say that it was not sure what the current status of the Iranian nuclear program was, then that should have been the focus of the reporting. Using the 'stopped in five years ago' angle is either poor reporting or dishonesty.
The second bolding from the excerpt is just another complaint I have about the whole international nuclear process/angencies/bumbling: It's been years since Iran started to develop nuclear weapons (clearly prior to 2003). It sounds like we've got pretty solid evidence that they're violating some rules:
- "The agency also said that during a visit in April, it was denied access to sites where centrifuge components are being manufactured and where research of uranium enrichment is being conducted."
- "The report makes no effort to disguise the agency’s frustration with Iran’s lack of transparency. It describes, for example, Iran’s installation of new centrifuges, known as the IR-2 and IR-3 (for Iranian second and third generations) and other modifications at its sprawling site at Natanz, as 'significant, and as such should have been communicated to the agency.'"
I'm unclear. What's going to take "months" to do? I don't get it; Iran is clearly in violation of the rules/international law. What's stopping someone from doing something about it?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Did Happen to That War?
Ashley Gilbertson, a freelance photographer who has covered the war for Newsweek, Time and The New York Times and has written about covering the conflict in a book called “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” will be going back to Iraq in June. It will be his sixth time there, temperatures will range up to 130 degrees, and each time he has gone back there have been new restrictions.
“Many of my colleagues have turned away from the story because it has gotten to the point where they feel they just aren’t going to get anything useful, which I completely understand,” he said, adding that nonetheless, when the surge ends this summer, he wants to be there to chronicle what follows.
-The Media Equation - The Wars We Choose to Ignore - NYTimes.com
David Carr, for The New York Times, wrote this excellent piece about the abysmal state of press coverage of the war in Iraq. Weaving in some fantastic personal reminders that the War is indeed still going on, Carr reminds the rest of Americans that on Memorial Day we ought to think long and hard about "a war that had cost thousands of lives and over $1 trillion" all the while loosing "news salience."
According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s News Coverage Index, coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has slipped to 3 percent of all American print and broadcast news as of last week, falling from 25 percent as recently as last September.
“Ironically, the success of the surge and a reduction in violence has led to a reduction in coverage,” said Mark Jurkowitz of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. “There is evidence that people have made up their minds about this war, and other stories — like the economy and the election — have come along and sucked up all the oxygen.”
This, is of course, just another example of the poor state of the Fourth Estate in this country. Carr is far from the first person to voice this concern and is probably not the most eloquent to do so, but the point still stands: the news media needs to do their job. It needs to report on the government and the war. Ratings, which are nothing more than poll results, ought to come secondary to the primary purpose of the news industry - to give news to the people. Yes, the media does in fact have a higher moral obligation that it is required to fulfill.
Furthermore, I don't buy the argument that there is nothing happening and therefore nothing to report. We manage to fill the airwaves with 24 hours of 'news' occurring in this country. Surely there is just as many stories to be told in not one, but two war zones!?
If the government is restricting access, then get around them. That's the job of the Fourth Estate: to uncover the things the government is trying to hide.
No doubt, reporting in a war zone in dangerous. Especially in the Middle East where kidnapping journalists has become a standard practice. Undoubtedly, having protection of US troops is a huge comfort and an increase in safety.
No trip outside the Green Zone is remotely safe. The enemy lurks everywhere among the population. Attackers show no mercy for innocent bystanders, who commonly outnumber intended targets. Each mission carries the threat of roadside bombs, suicide attacks by explosives-packed cars and trucks, and ambushes by insurgents.
-The Deadly Game of Private Security - The New York Times
Yet, I have to wonder if the press can't resort to the same tactics that the US military is resorting to – private military contractors. Surely someone can figure out how to not be as reliant (or complacent) as the press apparently is on the US government to tell them what to cover and where they can cover it from.
As I write this (22:31 PST) here are what some of the top news websites have on their front pages:
| CNN | FOX | NYT | WaPo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead: China quake | Lead: Mars lander | Lead: Midwest storms | Lead: China aftershock |
| Nothing on Iraq or Afghanistan | Nothing on Iraq or Afghanistan | 2 articles about Iraq, both small and buried | 3 tertiary articles (fairly prominent) about related issues, 1 buried link |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Shocking. The broadcast media has nothing about the war, while the print media carries a few stories.
The Middle East Gets Press Freedom?
“We aim to produce an excellent newspaper out of the region” that will set a new standard for other publications to aspire to, said Hassan M. Fattah, the deputy editor, who was a correspondent for The New York Times in the Middle East before joining The National. “Being government-owned does not equal being government-run,” he said. “There are no ministers sitting in my office” telling the paper what to write.
-A New Mideast Paper Vows to Be Different - New York Times
Abu Dhabi has a new, free newspaper – despite being owned by the crown prince (and therefore the government) So far so good, today's front page of their website had a story about rock quarries producing too much dust for government standards. The story not quite an exposè – it's actually not even new news, and the story doesn't specify the government's role in the matter beyond saying that the judiciary has already ruled on the matter. However, it is a good issue to call attention to, and good to see on a front page of a newspaper that's trying to separate itself from the government.
Already, the paper has attracted some serious competition: on Monday, The Financial Times of London said that it was introducing a new edition for the Middle East, with editorial offices based in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is one of the more westernized countries in the Middle East, and things look good so far, but it's definitely a 'wait and see' case.
CNN.Com Survives Random Outages – CNET News.com
To make the attack on CNN a literal truth, Chinese Hackers have launched a DoS attack on CNN.com. They've got so far as to launch a downloadable tool for all those interested in assisting in the next attack.
How does bringing down a media outlet help stop western media bias? …when the bias is that the Chinese society is closed and not open to hearing outside opinions?
Chinese ‘Free Press’
That's the image that has served as the banner on top of China's largest internet portal Sina.com. C|Net notes the violent imagery against CNN is disturbing, to say the least.
All of this in protest to CNN's 'media bias' against the Chinese.
Pakistan: Great US Ally?
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said his group had demanded Mohammad's release in discussions with the government.
"We hope the government will take more such confidence-building measures," he said.
-Pro-Taliban Leader Released by Pakistan - washingtonpost.com
So much for not negotiating with terrorists: the Pakistani government strikes again. First they ask us not to cross their borders – they will take care of their terrorist problem on their own thank you very much.
Well, looks like their way of taking care of it, is to release prisoner in exchange for talks. I understand that Pakistan doesn't want the US "meddling" in what are admittedly, their affairs, but this is just another problem that the US has and cannot control.
[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] added that Bush needs to tell the American people how keeping 140,000 troops in Iraq will help reduce the threat the nation faces because the U.S. military is bogged down in Iraq, what conditions will be needed for further troop withdrawals beyond July and how much longer the threat from extremists hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border will be allowed to "grow because our resource commitment in Iraq makes is impossible to respond adequately."
China Urges ‘Rational’ Protests – BBC
The official Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily, said patriotism should be expressed rationally.
They also accuse the West of supporting Tibetan separatists, and the Western media of bias.
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China urges 'rational' protests
Sort of the anti-protest protest in China, I find this to be… ironic.
- China has heavily state-controlled media. It censors the internet, specifically western news sources and sites (like wikipedia) that could contradict the State's version of events. Complaints about a western media bias are, needless to say, ironic.
- There were less than 1000 protestors. In China, the most populace place in the world, the number '1000' doesn't mean much when it comes to people. It is a very weak show of force. 1,300 people protested in London in the same time frame against the alleged media bias. If Londoners can gather that many people for this cause, than certainly, the Chinese conter-parts can at least match them in numbers. It's almost like a PR stunt by the State as a way to show that their people are behind them.
- China has a history of stopping free speech that they don't agree with. Clearly, they allowed this protest to continue despite being "closely patrolled by police."
All that said. The right to protest and voice an opinion is a welcome improvement to China's state-controlled politics.
Sidenote: a rather funny comic I came across the other day that pertains:
EU States Agree That Inciting Terrorism on the Internet Is a Crime
Representatives of the EU's 27 member states formally agreed today to harmonize their respective countries' definitions of criminally prosecutable acts of terrorism by expanding them to include three new types of crimes: "public provocation to commit a terrorist offence, [terrorist] recruitment, and training for terrorism." The definition of "public provocation" was especially controversial, and it encompasses content posted on the Internet, including not only direct incitements to violence but also terrorist propaganda and bomb-making expertise.
EU states agree that inciting terrorism on the Internet is a crime
As a timely follow-up to the recent news that the UK has jailed 6 men for publicly supporting terrorism through speech, the EU has legally declared that internet support of terrorism is also a crime. This is a severe blow to freedom of speech advocates everywhere.
Terrorists are using the internet to spread their message. I don't deny this at all. The problem with making that act illegal is the definition of who a 'terrorist' is. I heartily submit that this definition is by no means concrete enough to make their support illegal.
Al-Queda is a terrorist organization. Banning their internet activities probably enhances our security. Is Hamas a terrorist organization? They are also a political group. Should be ban them? What about PETA? Should their website be taken off-line?
Fortunately, there is still good news. Although the EU has passed this law, they have not really provided a means of enforcing it. Though the paper precedent is on the books, it does not look like it can be acted on … yet.
Curious How Much of a Mess Iraq Is?
U.S. and Iraqi troops clamped down on Sadr City after fighting spread and attacks against the Green Zone intensified in the wake of the offensive. Four Americans were killed in near daily shelling.
Iranian Ambassador Denounces U.S. - TIME
This TIME article does a pretty good job showing how much of a mess Iraq is right now. The Iraqi army is attempting to be effective, but they still rely heavily on the US and the UK to do their job. Their job of course, is to try to maintain some sort of status quo between themselves and the insurgents. Iran is not helping matters at all, with their ambassador calling for the end of bloodshed – but only for those on his side. US soldiers continue to die without accomplishing their mission. And, concrete walls are still being constructed in an effort to secure the green zone.
Right. It's been said before, but: "mission accomplished." Right.
BBC NEWS | UK | Six Jailed for Supporting Terror
Six men convicted of supporting terrorism through speeches at a London mosque have been handed jail terms.
BBC NEWS | UK | Six jailed for supporting terror
The UK has just sentenced six men to jail terms based on something they said. That's right, 'freedom of speech' – not guaranteed by the UK government exists just a bit less than it did.
Granted, these men were Muslims who spoke out in favor of Al-Queda or other Islamist terrorists publicly. Granted, I have no liking of what they said, and I am personally very glad to see them in jail.
The question remains though – is it okay for a government to abandon the freedom of speech so blatantly?
The Power of Photo Editorial Decisions
Speaking at the parade, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was the most powerful nation in the world.
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iran shows off its military might
The laughable statement made by Ahmadinejad is just another in is list of half-truths and lies that he's said on the world stage.
This however, is not what I want to address. This article, which is not much more than large blurb (it has no direct quotes, is only 11 paragraphs), is accompanied by the photograph above.
Now, I can guarantee that there are shots of large missiles, tanks, and even the 200+ aircraft that flew over as part of the parade. The editor, however, chose this rather humorous picture of Iranian troops on ¿dirt bikes? It looks like they're riding two to a bike.
I think that this a perfect example of editorial bias – for the better.
Papal President
Yesterday's Papal visit to the White House was a feel-good affair. President Bush spoke first, saying "Here in America, you'll find a nation that welcomes the role of religion in the public square." Which is a little bit frightening coming from the chief executive of a government that is supposed to firmly believe in the separation of the two.
The Pope followed with his speech, where said this:
"Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation," he said.
At White House, Pope Lauds Americans’ Faith - New York Times
Wonder if democracy is flourishing under Bush?
Can We Give Clinton’s Problem to Bush?
…enduring problem that threatens to undercut any inroads Clinton has made in her struggle to overtake him in the Democratic presidential race: She has lost trust among voters, a majority of whom now view her as dishonest.
Poll Shows Erosion Of Trust in Clinton - washingtonpost.com
Clinton is apparently having trust issues. Understandable considering her 'sniper fire' incident, Bill Clinton's defense of the same, among other issues. Polls show that just 39% of Americans trust her – way down from when she started her campaign.
Ironically enough, that polling puts her trust level just 6 points above President Bush's overall approval level. And yet, Bush doesn't seem to have had that moment in the media where they've said, "we can't trust you."
Despite the many mistruths/fabrications/streches/long stories/enter-your-euphemism-here/lies the Bush Administration has told about Iraq, the war on terror, the existence of WMDs, Scooter LIbby, torture, etc… The media has yet to denounce the President and his Administration as un-trustworthy.
//End liberal, leftist, but-oh-too-true rant
Graffiti Artist Banksy Pulls Off Most Audacious Stunt to Date – Despite Being Watched by CCTV | the Daily Mail
The article cover the entire story nicely. But I think I'll just leave it at a picture is worth a 1000 words.
Iraq: The Ten Commandments | Salon
Commandment I Thou shalt not launch preventive wars.
Commandment II Do not exaggerate the threat posed by terrorism.
Commandment III Dry up the terrorist swamp.
Commandment IV Recognize that not all terrorists are the same.
Commandment V Reject the idea of "a clash of civilizations."
Commandment VI Do not allow neoconservatives anywhere near Middle East policy.
Commandment VII Talk to Iran.
Commandment VIII Make resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis our top foreign-policy priority.
Commandment IX Get the media to grow a spine.
Commandment X Grow up and join the world.
Iraq: The ten commandments | Salon
That should give you a pretty good idea what the article is about. The intro is way lefty and liberal – deciding that there is no choice but the withdraw from Iraq – even if McCain is elected. The meat of the article however, is fantastic. I highly reccomend the read. The list of ten things that needs to be done is quite good in my opinion.
On the Economy, 70% Disapprove of Bush – washingtonpost.com
Summary of Poll Results
Public disapproval of the way President Bush is handling the nation's economy has hit a new high in Washington Post-ABC News polling, and his overall favorability rating remains near an all-time low.
In a poll that confirms what most of us already know… the economy is doing poorly and the Bush Administration is not doing any better.
Yes, that's my summary of the poll results :)
China ‘Gold Medal’ For Executions – BBC
In case you're wondering what all the Olympic torch protestors have been complaining about, the BBC is running an article about a recent report from Amnesty International on the death penalty around the world. The article focuses on China.
"As the world's biggest executioner, China gets the 'gold medal' for global executions," said the organisation's UK director, Kate Allen.
"According to reliable estimates, on average China secretly executes around 22 prisoners every day - that's 374 people during the Olympic Games," she added.
Apparently, the idea of capital crimes is a bit different in China than the rest of the world:
More than 60 crimes can carry the death penalty in China, including tax fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drug offences, Amnesty [International] said.
…and the idea of due process is a bit different than western states:
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, in Beijing, says justice is usually swift - most of those sentenced to death are executed only weeks after they are found guilty.
The article then goes on to discuss the findings in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries – where the death penalty is also prevalent. Iran was the only country to have more reported capital punishments than China.
The report and article end with a call for the world to stop employing the death penalty.
CBS Journalist Freed in Iraqi Raid – New York Times
Continuing the trend of Media Outlets reporting the good news of other outlets, The New York times is reporting that a CBS journalist has been freed in a raid. Richard Butler is a photographer for CBS who was kidnapped two months ago. He was found bound and gagged in a house in Basara.
It's good to see any journalist, let alone a photographer, freed.
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Olympic Torch Travels on to Oman
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Olympic torch travels on to Oman
Unsurprisingly, the Olympic torch hasn't sparked any protests in the non-democractic country of Oman. Of course it helps that the country is controlled by the Sultan who is an absolute ruler. His interest in limiting any protests is this:
Oman has strong economic ties with China, a major importer of its oil.
It seems that the stop in Tanzania was equally uneventful. The country is democratic, having developed it's government after it's British colonial experience. I suppose that the people of the country have worries greater than the human rights violations of China and/or the freedom of Tibet.
