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« February 2007 | Main | April 2007 »

Maine Senators Vote Party Line

I wrote previously about how Maine’s Senators Republican Susan Collins and Republican Olympia Snowe — disagreed with the President’s decision to send an additional troops to Iraq.  I see from their vote yesterday in the Senate, that they failed to support a troop withdrawal by March 31, 2020.  Are they as

Posted by on March 30, 2020 at 10:57 AM in Legal, Politics, War | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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University of Maines Says “No” To RIAA

The Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA) recently demanded that the University of Maine provide them with names of students who allegedly downloaded copyrighted materials. 

The University told the RIAA  to take a hike.

John Diamond, a spokesman for the University of Maine system, said, " it’s not the university’s role to, in effect, serve papers on our students for another party.  The only way the RIAA can get that information is if the RIAA takes us to court to get those names."

Hey RIAA, how you like them apples?


Posted by on March 29, 2020 at 12:06 PM in Business, Entertainment, Legal, Music, News | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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The Average American Male

The Wall Street Journal has a report in today’s paper about the unique video campaign used to promote the book "The Average American Male."  Unless you frequent video sites like YouTube, you probably haven’t heard about the book.  The reason, quite simply, is that the book is too risque for mainstream newspapers and magazines to review.

The Journal describes the publisher, Harper Perennial, as being concerned that the book would be seen as "juvenile, sexist and offensive."  Since print publications wouldn’t review the novel, the publisher decided that Web video marketing would be more accepting.  They were right.

The description "juvenile, sexist and offensive" seems to perfectly fit the vidoes on YouTube that the publisher spent $10,000 on to promote the book. The publisher reports that comments from women who have viewed the videos indicate that they find them funny.  I have to wonder if women don’t also find them degrading and insulting.

Bolstered by women’s comments, the publisher is now looking for a woman to write a female counterpoint to the book. 

My question is:  does the publishing industry really need to stoop this low to sell books?

Posted by on March 28, 2020 at 11:02 AM in Blogging, Books, Business, Comedy, Entertainment, Film, Web/Tech, Writing | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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10 Things In Golf That Sound Dirty But Aren’t

With spring arriving and the snow finally melting in New England, a person’s thoughts naturally turn to one of life’s most exquisite pleasures: golf.

  1. Look at the size of his putter.
  2. Nuts … my shaft is bent.
  3. You really whacked the hell out of that sucker.
  4. After 18 holes, I can barely walk.
  5. My hands are so sweaty I can’t get a good grip.
  6. Lift your head and spread your legs.
  7. You have a nice stroke, but your follow through has a lot to be desired.
  8. Just turn your back and drop it.
  9. Damn, I missed the hole again.
  10. Mind if I join your threesome?

Bonus:

11. Hold up. I’ve got to wash my balls.




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Posted by on March 28, 2020 at 10:12 AM in Comedy, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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SEA OF THUNDER by Evan Thomas

SEA OF THUNDER

Four Commanders and The Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945

Evan Thomas

Simon & Schuster

$27.00, hardcover, 414 pages; ISBN 13: 978-0-2019-5221-8 (2006).

 

If you’re a fan of military history – especially sea battles – this book is not to be missed. Evan Thomas does a great job of thoroughly explaining the strategy of World War II South Pacific naval warfare from both the Japanese perspective and that of the American fleet. Sea of Thunder is a thoughtful and fascinating account of the war in the Pacific based on extensive research in both the United States and Japan. The book culminates in the Battle at Leyte Gulf – the largest naval battle ever fought. 

As Thomas notes in the Prologue:

Curiously, in America, the Battle of Leyte Gulf has been largely forgotten. When Americans think of the victorious "Good War," they tend to think of D-Day and the liberation of Europe, not the Pacific War. Most people have heard of the Battle of Midway or seen the image of the marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. But the Battle of Leyte Gulf blurs together with a dozen other battles fought in jungles or on coral reefs on the other side of Civilization. Most Americans do not know when the Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought, where Leyte Gulf is, or even how it’s pronounced (lay-TEE). They certainly don’t know why the battle mattered.

 The book clearly answers all those questions and shows exactly why the Battle of Leyte Gulf was so important to the war effort. Sea of Thunder presents a riveting picture of four men: Admiral William ("Bull") Halsey, Commander of the American Third Fleet; Admiral Takeo Kurita, a Japanese battleship commander and Halsey’s counterpart; Admiral Matome Ugaki, the commander of the Japanese First Battleship Division, which included the world’s two largest battleships, the Yamato and Musashi; and Commander Ernest Evans, captain of the destroyer, the U.S.S. Johnston. These men are followed from the outbreak of war at Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Leyte Gulf – a clash that involved "more ships (almost 300), more men (nearly 200,000), and covered a larger area (more than 100,000 square miles, roughly the size of the British Isles) than any naval battle in history."

 Thomas, an assistant managing editor of Newsweek, is the author of five other books. For Sea of Thunder, he traveled to Japan and interviewed Japanese survivors of the Battle of Leyte Gulf and family and friends of the two Japanese admirals. Thomas presents a clear picture of these men by focusing on their beliefs and personalities and explaining the vast differences in the Japanese military structure and culture. The reader is left with an intimate portrait of these individuals that helps to explain their actions at the climax of the book.

 One of the reasons why this sea battle is relatively unknown is because at a key juncture just before the full confrontation, Halsey steamed north – with the strongest part of the American naval forces – in pursuit of a Japanese decoy consisting of just a few aircraft carriers. Kurita’s main force, two additional fleets composed of numerous battleships and cruisers, was poised to destroy General Douglas MacArthur’s landing force in the Philippines. Commander

Evans and the men of the U.S.S. Johnston play heroic roles by repeatedly sailing into harm’s way against overwhelming odds. Firing all her torpedoes, the Johnston manages to blow the bow off a Japanese cruiser. Japanese shells soon strike the Johnston and it eventually sinks. 270 sailors endure over fifty horrifying hours in waters infested with stinging jellyfish and sharks. Only 141 survive.

In large part due to Evans’ bravery and that of other American captains and crews in helping to repel the Japanese fleet, Kurita broke off the attack despite having clear naval superiority. With Halsey rushing back to the battle, Kurita refused to remain and fight and risk sacrificing his men at the end of a war he knew to be already lost. 

Thomas writes that "wars are fought, and won or lost, by the actions of individuals – heroes and cowards, the prudent and wanton, ordinary men reacting, not always predictably, to extraordinary circumstances." This fine novel shows what type of character these four men possessed and helps explain a battle that was the turning point in the South Pacific. It’s history brought to life. 

Buy it here.

 

Posted by on March 28, 2020 at 09:12 AM in Book Reviews, Books, Politics, War, Writing | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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The Republican Detachment From Reality

Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post today has an interesting column where he asks, in essense, why Republicans don’t get it?  With all the latest scandals, why has the Bush administration done so many bone-headed things after getting hammered in the last elections — knowing that Democrats were taking control of Congress?

Why did Attorney General Gonzales have a meeting to discuss firing federal prosecutors after the elections?  Why were they even fired after the elections? 

More importantly, why has President Bush insisted on pushing forward with the war in Iraq — even adding more troops — knowing the American public doesn’t support him?  And why is it that rank-and-file Republicans are still going along with Bush (just 2 Republican congressmen and 2 Republican senators voted for the Iraq bills) knowing  that polls show 59% of the American people support the bill requiring we leave Iraq next August?

Meyerson asks:
"What gives with the Republicans?  How have they — not just in the White House but in Congress, too — become so detached from reality?"

He provides four possible answers:

1.  Someone outside Washington (like Rudi Giuliani) will allow them back in power.
2.  Republicans will prevent Democrats from passing any meaningful legislation and then run against them as the "do-nothing" party.
3.  Rupublicans are not reality-based.
4.  The current crop of Republicans don’t know how to make good government.

What do you think?

Posted by on March 28, 2020 at 08:48 AM in Business, Current Affairs, Legal, Politics, War | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bloggers — It’s Time To Gather Around One Of Our Own: Kathy Sierra

The Laws vary from state to state so there’s a difference between being a California Lawyer and a Lawyer in New York. Likewise there are variances in the Fields of Law that make being a Personal Injury Lawyer very different than being a real estate lawyer.

 

If you don’t know yet what has happened to Kathy Sierra, read here.  For those new to the subject, Kathy is the author of the blog Creating Passionate Users. 

Kathy has been subject to death threats from fellow bloggers — including blogs authored or owned by some prominent names in blogging.  It’s shocking, disgusting and deplorable.

Other leading bloggers, like Doc Searls, are trying to get to the bottom of this mess.  Kathy, and many other bloggers, is upset and rightly so.  This type of conduct is outrageous and completely unacceptable. 

My understanding is that the people who engaged in it were trying to be artistic, pointed and insulting in their satire.  They failed miserably.

Instead they were demeaning, depraved, disgusting and perhaps even illegal.  Each one of them engaged in this conduct should come clean and make an immediate apology. 

Kathy — and every other blogger out there trying to provide a service, make a name, help others, share a part of themselves, or make a living — deserves to be treated with respect. 

As Hugh Macleod of Gaping Void notes, “identity matters.”  People who comment anonymously sometimes feel that they don’t have to be personally accountable for what they write.  They are wrong. 

Robert Scoble posted a comment on Hugh’s blog demanding a public apology from “ALL involved.”  He’s correct.  He’s also posted about it on his blog and has stopped blogging until Monday in support of Kathy.  Bravo.

It’s clear that Christopher Locke, in his half-hearted “defense” of his part in this tragedy, has no clue as to the magnitude of what has happened.  Chris ended his explanation of the events in this way:

“I do not like Kathy Sierra. I like her even less after her post of Monday. If she is waiting for me to apologize for something I did or said, she is going to have a very long wait.”

This either points out how callous and detached he is, or it shows his complete lack of understanding of the entire situation.  I suspect the public tide will be overwhelmingly in Kathy’s favor and all of those responsible for this conduct will not escape the consequences.

This public threats of violence are reprehensible and we as bloggers need to gather around in support of Kathy Sierra. 

Kathy, I don’t know you personally, but I understand your feelings and your fears.  I am repulsed by what has happened to you and offer my support in any way possible.

Hang in there … this too will pass.

Posted by on March 27, 2020 at 11:20 AM in Blogging, Business, Health, Legal, News, Writing | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Are Newspapers Dead? Doc Searls Knows How To Save Them

Lots of folks are saying that newspapers are gasping and on their last leg.  Many simple claim they’re dead but just don’t know it yet — kind of like uninformed zombies in a horror picture.

Doc Searls offers 11 ways for newspapers to come back to life. 

Posted by on March 26, 2020 at 09:35 AM in Business, News, Weblogs, Writing | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Getting Things Done — Again and Again and …

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday did a brief review of the enduring success of Getting Things Done by David Allen.  The book has been on the best-seller lists since in was published in 2001 because it offers a way to “hurry up and relax” that works.

Gettingthingsdone

Allen offers straight-forward ways to get through your work flow as efficiently as possible.  Quite simply, if you follow his advice you’ll have more spare time to do whatever you wish.  Trouble is, in today’s world free time is too often used not to relax, but to do even more work.

If you’re new to Getting Things Done or even if you’re an old-timer, take a look at The Ultimate Getting Things Done Index for lot more ideas on how to be more productive. 

Posted by on March 26, 2020 at 09:19 AM in Books, Business, Web/Tech | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Man Says OUI Arrest No Good Because He’s Gay

The Portland Press Herald reported a story about a gay man who was arrested for drunk driving last year and is now suing the Caribou Police Department claiming he was unfairly arrested because he is homosexual.

Named in the suit is the city of Caribou, the police chief and three officers.  Jeffrey Davenport claims that the police “conspired to file erroneous police reports as a result of personal animus towards the plaintiff for his sexual orientation.”

Davenport acknowledges that he had been drinking the night he was stopped for speeding.  And, according to criminal records, he’s had several convictions in the past, including two for driving drunk.

(The comments to the newspaper article are worth a look.)

Posted by on March 26, 2020 at 08:40 AM in Legal, Politics | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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