Sunday, November 29, 2009

“Popularity and Inaccuracy Are A Dangerous Combo - WebProNews” plus 4 more

“Popularity and Inaccuracy Are A Dangerous Combo - WebProNews” plus 4 more

Popularity and Inaccuracy Are A Dangerous Combo - WebProNews

Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:17 PM PST

Yes, it is true about negativity being added to Bush.
I remember looking at his entry some time ago, about the $15billion for AIDS in Africa.
Incidentally, that was many times more than anyone else had ever committed to Africa.

Now something has been added to the end:
"Unfortunately, some of Bush's humanitarian efforts failed to address larger picture items, such as with his AIDS fight, stressed only abstinence."

This is actually a lie. from research I did earlier this year, they actually sent more condoms to Africa, than had ever been sent before. - His point man on AIDS was a, openly gay physician, who was booted out by Obama, a week before he took office, after agreeing to keep him on.

Bush's entry isn't all negative though, it appears (right now) to be fairly factual, with just a little bit of opinion added - but that little bit is too much.

I think there is a lie in the Obama entry.
He did not lead the racial profiling legislation. In fact, as far as I can tell, he had nothing to do with it until right up to the end, when his name was attached to it as sponsor and the man who had championed it for years, was bumped out of the way so Obama could have his name on it. Obama's sponsor was Emil Jones, Jr., the Illinois Senate Majority Leader, who arranged that and many other things because he wanted to give Obama a stellar voting record. The Senator who did all the work on that legislation was Rickey Hendon - and he wasn't happy, after doing all the legwork.

NewsBlaze does a lot of straight reporting, but when you do straight reporting, you miss a lot of stuff like this. When adding investigation and insight, it is then difficult to keep opinion and bias out of such a story, but we have to try to do it. The main thing needed is to ask lots of questions and follow lots of trails, do a lot of reading and listening. So what I am saying is the Obama entries seem to be straight reports, but several of the Bush entries contain opinion and common rumors.

I hope wikipedia can get its act into gear because it could be a great resource - but it has to be impartial and truthful. I do use it as a good resource, but you have to be careful and kids generally don't know how to do that.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

In Japan, an Odd Perch for Google: Looking Up at the Leader - New York Times

Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:45 PM PST

TOKYO — In 2001, a fledgling Internet company named Google opened its first overseas office in Japan, eager to tap a huge technology market.

But after eight years, Japan is one of a few major countries Google has yet to conquer. The Web giant still trails far behind Yahoo Japan, the front-runner here, operated by the Japanese telecommunications giant Softbank.

In a reversal of the rivalry in the United States, Yahoo Japan dominates Japan's Web search market with 56.5 percent of all queries, according to the Internet research company, GA-Pro. Google, at 33.7 percent, is a distant second.

Unaccustomed to being second, Google is bending some of its most time-honored traditions in a renewed push into the Japanese market. Earlier this year, Google's splash page for Japan abandoned the company's classic spare design and added links to YouTube, Gmail and other services — an attempt to lure Japanese users who favor sites decorated with a cacophony of text and graphics.

And in a first for Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., it initiated branding ads for Japan and staged attention-grabbing publicity stunts, including one in which it invited passers-by to float into the air with the help of 2,500 balloons.

Google's dogged interest in Japan has partly to do with sheer size. Japan is one of the world's most wired countries, with more than 90 million regular Internet users — of which three-quarters use fast broadband connections and two-thirds also log in from cellphones.

And despite a sluggish economy, Japan's 6.6 trillion yen ($77 billion) advertising market remains the world's second-largest, one that an increasingly global advertising force like Google cannot afford to ignore.

"Japan is absolutely a key market for Google," said Koichiro Tsujino, president of Google Japan. Every day, for example, Japanese view 10 million clips on YouTube, Google's video-sharing site — and that is just from their cellphones, making them the world's most avid adopters of video on-the-go. "Japan leads the world in many ways," he said.

That Japanese propensity to try new things is the other reason Google is intent on staying put in Japan. Over the years, Japan has become a testing lab for many of the Web giant's cutting-edge new ideas, especially in mobile technology. Google's Tokyo-based programmers, immersed in Japan's mobile and Web culture, have become a valuable source of ideas for the entire company.

Overseas markets now account for half of Google's revenue, and the company is becoming more keenly aware of the need to tailor its services to local markets, as well as the advantages of absorbing ideas from outside the United States, company executives say. "Japan made us realize that non-U.S. ideas can go global," David Eun, a vice president for Google, said on a recent trip to Japan, where he closed deals with two Japanese broadcasters to allow YouTube to run some of their content.

Google Japan's offices occupy several floors in a skyscraper in Shibuya, a Tokyo neighborhood popular with start-ups that is also a hangout for the city's hippest teenagers. Minutes away from where Google developers work, young Japanese perch on sidewalks, playing with their Web-enabled cellphones, thumbs flying and eyes glued to the tiny screens.

But most of those trendsetters do not regard Google as being very Japanese — a big headache for the company. Google has never been able to overcome Yahoo's advantage as the first Web-based search engine. And although 35 percent of Yahoo Japan is owned by Yahoo in Sunnyvale, Calif., it is viewed as a local company.

"Yahoo Japan is a Japanese company, and most of their employees are Japanese people who fluently understand how the Japanese mind-set and business work," said Nobuyuki Hayashi, a technology analyst. "But Google's still a foreigner who's learned how to speak some Japanese."

Popularizing Google in Japan has been fraught with 21st-century versions of the cultural mishaps that have long plagued American companies here. In May, Google was forced to reshoot its entire "Street View" image stock in Japan — with a camera positioned to capture views 15 inches lower — after intense criticism that the service peeked over fences and into people's homes, invading privacy. The narrower width of Japan's roads made the service especially intrusive, bloggers fumed.

Google Earth also came under fire after posting historical maps that detailed locations of former communities of an "untouchable" caste, still a sensitive topic in Japan. Human rights advocates were furious that the maps could be used to identify families that had lived in the low-caste neighborhoods.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Review: Mountain Stage's Christmas Show Closes the Season - Charleston Gazette

Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:31 PM PST

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Closing out Mountain Stage's 26th year, host Larry Groce and company made their final show of the season an early Christmas party with old acquaintances, new friends and returning family. It was a pleasant respite from the holiday hustle and bustle.

A real holiday show for Mountain Stage seems like something of a rarity. Because it's a radio show broadcast around the world weeks after it's recorded, and rebroadcast months after that, any holiday theme would be problematic. It could only be aired in a very narrow window and its use for rebroadcast would be limited.

Besides, by this time of the year, the show has wound down, with the staff taking a well-deserved rest, leaving only Bob Thompson to prepare his annual "Joy To The World" production. This year, everyone stuck around after the turkey and the shopping for an early Christmas treat.

It was not all holly jolly and ho-ho-ho, however. Songs for the night ranged from the silly, The Richie Collins 3-0's rockabilly version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and Winterbloom's slightly ticked off for the holidays "Thanks For The Roses" to John Cowan's undeniably reverent "Go Tell It On The Mountain."

High points for the evening included opening act Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons. Chisel joked the band would have to work their way to a Christmas song. Chisel's lyrical leanings don't point to particularly happy places, but they do lead to places honest and true, if wounded. Chisel still managed to pull off a spare version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" that captured the grief of not being home for the holidays.

The singer/songwriter collective called Winterbloom also provided some alternatives to Christmas cheer with songs about loneliness, loss and the song about ditching your loved one at Christmas because he's kind of a jerk. Winterbloom's five songs captured an amazing array of emotions.

It should be enough to say Holly Cole and John Cowan sounded wonderful. It's what they do.

Mountain Stage's holiday show was also a chance to showcase a couple of locals. Pianafiddle's Adam Degraff hails from Lewisburg and Richie Collins has been a member of the Mountain Stage crew for years.

It was good to see both show off a little Mountain State talent and Pianafiddle's infectiously entertaining set drew the night's loudest applause and the only standing ovation.

Mountain Stage's holiday show at the Culture Center was a fine way to close out the year and leave hopes for another fine season next year.

Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5195.

 

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Santa's image changes through the years - Lafayette Journal and Courier

Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:02 PM PST

Florence Grisham of West Lafayette remembers seeing images of Santa Claus as a child in Christmas catalogs and storefront windows.

In retrospect, that grandfather image of Santa has stuck with her all these years.

"I think Santa Claus looks like the Santa Claus in 'The Night Before Christmas' with red cheeks, fluffy white hair and a red suit," said the 52-year old.

Judy Nixon, professor of library science at Purdue University, said Clement Clarke Moore's description of Santa Claus in the poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" is the most significant influence on the American image of Santa.

"He probably didn't invent a lot of this, he just wrote it in a memorable way," she said.

Nixon will be talking about the changing image of Santa as found in the illustrated versions of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," commonly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas," at a Tippecanoe County Public Library program on Wednesday.

At her talk, Nixon will be discussing the three prevalent images of Santa -- the dwarf, elf and grandfather that can be found in the illustrated books. Her knowledge stems from her own personal collection of more than 200 illustrated versions of the poem dating back to the early 1860s.

Nixon enjoys looking at how the pictures have evolved over the years.

"It's just so enchanting and delightful," she said. "Every illustrator is influenced by those who went before them."

She said all three images of Santa -- the elf, dwarf and grandfather -- can be seen at any given time, but at one particular time, a certain image predominates.

This is the era of the grandfather image as Santa Claus, she said.

"Our culture wants Santa Claus to be more familiar and a grandfather is less threatening to a child than an elf, fairy or dwarf," she said.

Sophie Burkes of Lafayette is someone who has identified Santa with a grandfather image.

When asked what Santa Claus looks like, the bubbly 5-year-old pointed to her own grandfather, Frank Burkes.

Envision a casual Santa, bent over a toy in his workshop, spectacles tilted forward. Frank resembled such an image sporting an authentic white beard, round belly, glasses and suspenders to keep his jeans pulled up over his flannel shirt.

Frank, who was in Lafayette visiting family for Thanksgiving, actually makes appearances as Santa Claus in his hometown of Carthage, Miss.

"I love kids and I love fun," the 60-year-old said. "It's fun to see their eyes light up."

Having seen the same grandfather image as a child, grandpa Frank had a good idea of what Santa Claus is supposed to look like.

"He is supposed to be a very distinguished handsome devil," he said amidst a hearty chuckle.

If you go...

What: "Right Jolly Old Elf" program with Judy Nixon

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: McAllister Meeting Room B at the Tippecanoe County Public Library, 627 South St.

How much: Free

For more information: Call (765) 429-0113. Guests may bring their own copy of "Twas the Night Before Christmas," so Judy Nixon can discuss the illustrator.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Winter Albums - Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas - Gather.com

Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:10 PM PST

As the air turns colder, the sky more dreary and the flurries start to flutter, it is time for a different kind of music. Maybe more reflective, more relaxed, perhaps more emo, but whatever this winter music is, there are some records among them that you need to give a listen if  you haven't yet. One such collection is the Sufjan Stevens Christmas Box Set. At five discs it is almost too much to listen to between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that is no reason to skip it.

The collection, which is comprised of the Christmas EPs Sufjan would give his friends and family each year, range from bedroom recordings to developed studio efforts, all while maintaining a quaint, rough around the edges essence. There are quite a few covers of Christmas classics, some more inventive than others, all good enough.

 

The real reasons to peruse the collection, however, are the original songs. The first of note is "Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day." It's a classic Sufjan narrative filled with subtle detail and sleigh-bells, accompanied by a catchy melody. There's also "Sister Winter," a slightly gloomier song about loss and snow. And then the lighthearted "Get Behind Me, Santa!" which admonishes the negative side of Christmas Culture.

 

All in all, it's an enjoyable collection for the holidays, at the least be sure to give the originals a listen.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)