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Media, politics and culture.
When I launched this blog on May 3, 2010, I promised, "Every day…we'll probe the latest media outrages, and uncover a few ourselves, while also providing links to important articles and blog posts at other sites (both mainstream and alt-), along with essential or amusing video. Since this is The Nation, we'll pay special attention to media politics and media culture, and update often, even at night and on the weekends."
The blog's original title and logo, MediaFix, soon bit the dust, but for more than four years, this promise, I believe, was largely fulfilled (especially the weekend part, as it would turn out). Today, however, marks my final post here. So, a few reflections and highlights.
Certainly worth recalling are two long-running, nearly "live" blogs.
The first, covering WikiLeaks revelations and controversies, started in November 2010 and ran nearly 24/7 for six months, establishing what some called the all-time record for a blog devoted to a single subject, with a dozen or more updates daily. (At least two fans created artwork likening this to Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak or Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak.) A Nation intern, Kevin Gosztola, played a strong supporting role. It would be the "most-read" offering on the Nation site almost every day for nearly the entire six months. Out of this, I wrote the first book about WikiLeaks and then, with Gosztola, the first book about Chelsea Manning.
The second "streak" concerned Occupy, and this time the daily, almost-live blog, started in October 2011, would run for five months or so. This too led to an ebook, the first on the movement. Like the WikiLeaks blog, this one would prove to be the popular material on the Nation site most days for many weeks.
Also popular, though not quite as long-running, were my daily postings on the 2012 election, which also led to an e-book. What I remember most vividly was somehow covering the final week of the campaign, with frequent updates, from a hotel room with spotty Wi-Fi—after we got knocked out of our home due to Hurricane Sandy. Never thought I 'd cover an election night from a Comfort Inn without the excuse of a candidate's headquarters in the ballroom.
I can't possibly cite, or even recall, many other highlights of roughly 1,000 blog postings. Although of much shorter duration, my coverage of the Steubenville rape case drew tremendous readership and linkage. An interview with my friend and co-author Robert Jay Lifton produced just about the wisest commentary on the Obama drone program anywhere, if I say so myself. I interviewed Oliver Stone and Alex Gibney and often tackled the scourge of executions—state murder—in this country. Along the way there were tributes to everyone from Beethoven and Upton Sinclair to Phil Ochs and Bruce Springsteen (not to mention Kurt Vonnegut, Steve Earle, Pete Seeger, Sam Cooke and Billy Bragg). I debuted my Vonnegut and Me book here. Also my book on when Hollywood turned left.
I tried to rally the forces that ultimately convinced President Obama not to bomb Syria last year. Very recently, I've attempted to do the same (with outcome uncertain) re: a return to air strikes in Iraq.
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Although the subjects ranged widely, in nearly every case I focused partly or mainly on media or pundit failures. Rarely did I go after Fox—that was too easy, as Stewart and Colbert show every week. Although hardly the worst actor, The New York Times probably drew most of my attention—for coming up short far too frequently. Several columnists—notably Bill Keller, Thomas Friedman and David Brooks but also Nick Kristof—drew criticism. At the same time, I often tipped my hat to the Times's excellent public editor, Margaret Sullivan.
I regret that I won't be able to write my multiple annual pieces here related to the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945, the aftermath and the nuclear lessons for today, but you can find some of the previous ones using the search function or check out my Atomic Cover-up book here.
But now, as they've told me, it's time to go. If you remain interested, please check out my long-running and popular blog, Pressing Issues, which also concentrates on politics and media but with (even) more rock 'n' roll and humor in the mix. (My e-mail remains email@example.com). For now, I'll just quote one of this magazine's patron saints, Woody Guthrie: So long, it's been good to know you…I got to be driftin' along.
Read Next: Greg Mitchell on right-wing violence—and the media's unwillingness to call it terrorism.
The new crisis in Iraq has brought out of the woodwork (in some cases, gutter) some of top officials and pundits who helped lead us to war, and long occupation, in the country, but it also has brought back to television some of the top critics and thoughtful analysts of our tragic blunder.
Case in point this past weekend: Jonathan Landay of McClatchy on CNN and Andrew Bacevich for the full half-hour with Bill Moyers (video below). I first met Bacevich, then known mainly as a former military officer and West Point instructor, a decade ago when he wrote an op-ed questioning the war for The Washington Post. Then I covered the death of his son in Iraq, and his many columns that followed.
Now for a few highlights from the transcript of the Moyers show, including key discussion of "American exceptionalism":
ANDREW BACEVICH: Well, [Robert Kagan's] notion of American history, particularly since 1945, is one that we might term an extended liberation narrative where the United States devoted itself, in the wake of World War II, to promoting liberal values, democracy everywhere, fighting against evildoers, and he concludes that this success is being squandered by Barack Obama and those who are unwilling to continue this crusade.
Now, that narrative is only sustainable if you leave a lot of important facts out, or if you distort those facts. So we get no mention of overthrowing Mossadegh in Iran in 1953. We get no mention of the CIA overthrowing the president of Guatemala. We get virtually no mention of the Vietnam War, which he dismisses as sort of an unfortunate incident of no particular significance. And perhaps most egregiously, he utterly ignores the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which he served as a cheerleader for. And which to a very large extent, account for the problem that we're dealing with today in the greater Middle East.
BILL MOYERS: This week, one of his allies, former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Elizabeth wrote a long essay in "The Wall Street Journal."
AB: Well, I'd say rarely has a major American newspaper published an op-ed that was so thoroughly shameless. Again, what is the cause? What was the catalyst of the instability that racks Iraq today? The simple answer is the one that Cheney and his daughter don't want to mention: the unnecessary, misguided, and frankly immoral war launched by the United States in 2003. We destabilized Iraq. In many respects, we destabilized the larger region. And misfortune of Barack Obama is that he inherited this catastrophe, created by the previous administration.
Once you got to Iraq and took it over, and took down Saddam Hussein's government, then what are you going to put in its place? That's a very volatile part of the world, and if you take down the central government in Iraq, you can easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off: part of it, the Syrians would like to have to the west, part of eastern Iraq the Iranians would like to claim—fought over for eight years. In the north you've got the Kurds, and if the Kurds spin loose and join with the Kurds in Turkey, then you threaten the territorial integrity of Turkey. It's a quagmire….
I think the contrast between what Cheney said in 1994 and what he says 20 years later is actually very illustrative of this point. And that is that what passes for foreign-policy debate today, is just nakedly partisan. Back in 1994, he was in the business of defending George Herbert Walker Bush. Now he's in the business of defending George W. Bush. But basically attacks Barack Obama, blaming Obama for any difficulties that we're having. And the point about naked partisanship I think really applies in a somewhat larger stage. When you look at the people who get invited on the Sunday talk shows, or whose op-eds appear in "The New York Times" or in "The Washington Post" or other prominent organs of opinion, they are people who are participating in this partisan debate.
There is very little effort to look beyond the Bush versus Obama, Republican versus Democrat, to try to understand the larger forces in play that have brought us to where we are today. And the understanding of which could then make it possible for us to think somewhat more creatively about policy than simply having an argument about whether we should, you know, attack with drones or attack with manned aircraft.
BM: What are those larger forces at work? Because Robert Kagan says, quote, "world order shows signs of cracking, and perhaps even collapsing." And that these changes signal a transition into a different world order, which the United States should attempt to lead.
AB: When Kagan uses phrases like world order, he's describing something that never really existed except in his own imagination. But again, the point is worth reflecting on. Kagan believes, many people in Washington believe, perhaps too many people in the hinterland also believe, that the United States shapes the global order. That there is an order for which we alone are responsible.
Where does this kind of thinking come from? I mean, I think in many respects, what we see here is the contemporary expression of the whole notion of American exceptionalism. That we are chosen. We are called upon, called upon by God, called upon by providence, to somehow transform the world and remake it in our own image. Now, Robert Kagan wouldn't state it as bluntly as I just did. But that is the kind of thinking that I think makes it very difficult for us to have a genuine and serious foreign policy debate.
BM: So the other side would argue, as they are, that well, look at the beheadings and the murders, the brutality and cruelty that the radical Islamists are inflicting upon their adversaries, and the people of Iraq. Isn't that an evil to which we are the only ones can respond?
AB: Well, first of all, it is an evil to which we contributed by our folly in invading Iraq back in 2003. There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq under the previous order. That'd be the first point. And the second point I think would be: let's be practical. Let's be pragmatic. If indeed we are called upon to act, let us frame our actions in ways that actually will yield some positive outcome.
I'm personally not persuaded that further military action in Iraq is actually going to produce an outcome more favorable than the last one. If what we have here on our hands in Iraq, in Syria, elsewhere in the Middle East is a humanitarian catastrophe, then let us become serious about asking ourselves, what is the appropriate response? What can the richest and most powerful country in the world do to alleviate the suffering of innocent people who are caught up in this violence?
And my answer to that question is not air strikes. My answer to that question is, well, if indeed we have a moral responsibility to come to the aid of suffering Iraqis and Syrians, then we better start opening up our wallets to be far more generous and forthcoming in providing assistance that people need.
You know, we live in a country where if you want to go bomb somebody, there's remarkably little discussion about how much it might cost, even though the costs almost inevitably end up being orders of magnitude larger than anybody projected at the outcome. But when you have a discussion about whether or not we can assist people who are suffering, then suddenly we come very, you know, cost-conscious.
* * *
BM: So do we conclude from that that you don't believe there is anything practical we can do on the ground to separate the warring forces or help the government forces in Iraq prevent this violence? Is the only option murderous genocide and optimum paralysis?
AB: We have been engaged in the Islamic world at least since 1980, in a military project based on the assumption that the adroit use of American hard power can somehow pacify or fix this part of the world. We can now examine more than three decades of this effort.
Let's look at what US military intervention in Iraq has achieved, in Afghanistan has achieved, in Somalia has achieved, in Lebanon has achieved, in Libya has achieved. I mean, ask ourselves the very simple question: is the region becoming more stable? Is it becoming more democratic? Are we alleviating, reducing the prevalence of anti-Americanism? I mean, if the answer is yes, then let's keep trying. But if the answer to those questions is no, then maybe it's time for us to recognize that this larger military project is failing and is not going to succeed simply by trying harder.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, the events that are unfolding in Iraq at this very moment promote a debate within Washington revolving around the question, what should we do about Iraq? But there is a larger and more important question. And the larger and more important question has to do with the region as a whole. And the actual consequences of US military action over the past 30 years.
BM: As you know, Iraq has formally asked the US government to launch air strikes against those Jihadist militants. How do you think that's going to play out?
AB: Well, I don't know. My guess would be that this will substantially increase the pressure on the president to do just that. And my question would be if we launch air strikes, and if the air strikes don't have a decisive effect in turning the tables on the ground, then what? I mean, this is always, I think, a concern when you begin a military operation that you have some reasonable sense of what you're going to do next if the first gambit doesn't succeed.
* * *
BM: Many people are saying that Barack Obama is feckless, lacks will, or strength, and that he's enabling the defeat of our interest in the Middle East by pulling the troops back and by being indifferent to what's happening there now.
AB: Well, he's not indifferent. I mean, I'm not here to defend the Obama approach to foreign policy, which I think has been mediocre at best. That said, the president has learned some things. I think the most important thing the president learned from his predecessor is that invading and occupying countries in the Islamic world is a pretty dumb idea. It leads to complications and enormous costs. So we see him reticent about putting so-called boots on the ground. That said, the president certainly has not been reluctant to use force in a variety of ways. Usually on small-scale drone strikes, commando raids, and the like.
Where I would fault the president is that he hasn't been able to go beyond learning the negative lessons of the Bush era to coming up with a positive approach to the Islamic world. Shortly after he was inaugurated he went to Cairo, gave a famous speech, speech proposed that there was going to be a new beginning, turn the page, a new beginning of US relations with the Islamic world.
Who would not endorse that proposition? I mean, I certainly do. But it has come to nothing. Nobody in the Obama administration, either in the first term or in the present term, as far as I can tell, has been able to figure out how to operationalize this notion of a new relationship between ourselves and the Islamic world. One can give Secretary Kerry credit for trying to restart the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Were we able to broker a peace that created a sovereign, coherent, viable Palestinian state, that actually could be the one thing we could do that would seriously change the tenure of US relations with the people of the Islamic world. But that effort has failed.
* * *
BM: What is it, about how we go to war? We poured blood and treasure into Vietnam and Iraq and wound up with exactly the opposite consequences than we wanted. And we keep repeating, hearing the same arguments and claims that we should do it again.
AB: Well, war itself is evil. But war is an evil that should command our respect. War is something that we should not take lightly, that we should not discuss frivolously. And I think that that's one of the great failings of our foreign policy establishment. That our foreign policy establishment does not take war seriously. It assumes that the creation of precision guided weapons makes war manageable. Removes from war the element of risk and chance that are always inherent in warfare. So these are people who, quite frankly, most of them don't know much about war and, therefore, who discuss war in frivolous ways.
BM: And yet, there's this still almost religious belief in force as the savior.
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AB: Well, I think your use of religious terms is very appropriate here. Because there is a quasi-theological dimension to their thinking related, again, to this notion that we are called. We are chosen. We are the instrument of providence. Summoned to transform the world. And therefore empowered to use force in ways not permitted to any others. I mean, the ultimate travesty of the immediate period after 9/11 was the Bush administration's embrace of preventive war that became then the rationale for invading Iraq in 2003. But it was a general claim. A general claim that the United States was empowered to use force preventively. Before the threat emerges. Not simply—
BM: Pre-emptory strikes.
AB: Not simply in self-defense. And we should note that as far as I can tell, President Obama has not repealed that notion. Indeed, has used it himself in order to employ force in lesser ways in various situations.
BM: So is it duplicity or self-delusion?
AB: It depends I think on who we are talking about here. For somebody like Vice President Cheney berating Barack Obama for somehow surrendering American leadership and in the course of doing that simply ignoring the record of the administration in which he served—that's duplicity. That's malicious partisanship.
Greg Mitchell's book, So Wrong for So Long, which covers ten years of media malfeasance, starting with the run-up to the Iraq war, features a preface by Bruce Springsteen. This is his final week at The Nation. His popular personal blog is Pressing Issues.
Read Next: Robert Scheer on our government's soft spot for brutal dictators.
There's been a rising tide of criticism of mainstream media coverage of the US response (real or desired) to the new crisis in Iraq, from Maddow to Maher and with even Megyn Kelly joining in. The reliance on officials and journalists who were so wrong back in 2003, and often for years after, has been decried, culminating in a segment this morning on one of the networks that has joined in the disgraceful resurrection of ye olde Iraq hawks.
Brian Stelter hosted a segment on his Reliable Sources today, introducing it with a reference to my recently updated book and ebook on Iraq and the media, So Wrong for So Long. Then he introduced one of the heroes of that book (one of the few in the press who was not "wrong"), Jonathan Landay, of McClatchy; and Peter Beinert, who favored the war but has repeatedly attempted to repent.
Landay said:
There seems to be this historical habit of the American media to rehabilitate people… On the Iraq invasion, I mean, you have people on CNN who were mouthpieces for the Bush administration and were handing out misleading and inaccurate information to the American public and the world—who are treated as legitimate, credible political commentators. I think that is a very serious problem for the media that it needs to get a grip on.
I think it's definitely true that the media's foreign policy conversation has an instinct towards kind of Beltway insiders who share basic assumptions. And some of the people who had the intellectual foresight and creativity to question the assumptions that led us to Iraq still don't get on the air, which is a big problem…
But I don't have a problem putting on people who were architects of the Iraq war on to talk today—as long as they have to reckon with what happened in the past. We shouldn't treat the past as if it's irrelevant. It's not irrelevant. It's highly relevant.
David Carr at The New York Times joins in today with a column on the media and the war—and Micheal Hastings' new novel, set at the beginning.
Here's video of the full CNN segment:
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Greg Mtichell's book, So Wrong for So Long, which covers ten years of media malfeasance, starting with the run-up to the Iraq war, features a preface by Bruce Springsteen. This is his final week at The Nation. His popular personal blog is Pressing Issues.
Take Action: Tell President Obama: No Military Intervention in Iraq
Read Next: Obama sets us a on a slippery slope to war in Iraq.
Finally, a major newspaper has axed George Will—and apologized—for his truly disgraceful column on how "privileged" and "alleged" rape victims on campus are often the real victimizers. And are so often "delusional." Why? Because victomhood has supposedly become "a coveted status that confers privileges."
The column was turned down by the Chicago Tribune, criticized in Congress and led to some groups calling for the Washington Post (his home paper) to drop him.
Now the venerable St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the leading news outlet in that neck of the woods, has decided to free Will. Editors revealed yesterday:
The change has been under consideration for several months, but a column published June 5, in which Mr. Will suggested that sexual assault victims on college campuses enjoy a privileged status, made the decision easier. The column was offensive and inaccurate; we apologize for publishing it.
Now for the bad news: Will will be replaced by the equally disturbing (on other issues) Michael Gerson.
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It's worth returning to what Will actually wrote.
Colleges and universities are being educated by Washington and are finding the experience excruciating. They are learning that when they say campus victimizations are ubiquitous ("micro-aggressions," often not discernible to the untutored eye, are everywhere), and that when they make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges, victims proliferate. And academia's progressivism has rendered it intellectually defenseless now that progressivism's achievement, the regulatory state, has decided it is academia's turn to be broken to government's saddle.
Consider the supposed campus epidemic of rape, a.k.a. "sexual assault."…
Now the Obama administration is riding to the rescue of "sexual assault" victims. It vows to excavate equities from the ambiguities of the hookup culture, this cocktail of hormones, alcohol and the faux sophistication of today's prolonged adolescence of especially privileged young adults…
UPDATE: Will continues to defend the column, even some say, doubling down. And it turns out all of the Washington Post editors who okayed it were male.
Note: I will be leaving The Nation after four years next week. You can continue to follow my posts daily at my long-running blog Pressing Issues. Thanks. -- G.M.
Read Next: Michelle Goldberg on why the campus rape crisis confounds colleges.
The incident drew wide coverage earlier this week: an audience member at a large right-wing forum in Washington, DC, on, what else, Benghazi, was taunted by a crowd after simply asking why panelists were acting like most Muslims are terror-connected. The woman was clearly identifiable as a Muslim herself. Dana Milbank of The Washington Post was there to offer the bad news.
But then Dylan Byers, media reporter at Politico, after getting the organizers' spin, charged that Milbank's account was misleading. He claimed that the event was merely held at the Heritage Foundation, they were not behind it. And he asserted that the taunting was over-hyped and the woman didn't seem to really mind all that much. So Milbank's account was a "disaster."
Well, Milbank has responded this morning by throwing the same charge back at Byers. He claimsthat the Politico columnist was basing his retort on a nine-minute video of the entire proceedings—while Milbank was actually there and saw the whole thing. Heritage, in fact, was a co-sponsor of the event. The woman, in fact, was very upset. The taunting and cheering actually was considerable. And so on.
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We'll chart how Byers responds. But Milbank, while qualifying a couple of his own statements (now that a full video is out), hits him hard, especially for allegedly lazy "armchair" reporting.
It's possible, of course, that Byers could have sat at my side for the entire event and still thought I misjudged it; such interpretations are subjective. But had he witnessed all these remarks, and heard the hisses in the audience and observed the moderator's sneers, he might have understood better the exchange with Ahmed that followed. That's why there is no substitute for shoe-leather reporting.
UPDATE Byers so far has only responded on Twitter, with: "Two quick thoughts -- 1. Funny that
@Milbank's talking shoe-leather journalism after failing to adequately report on an event he attended...… and 2, you'd be surprised, @Milbank, how much news you can break from an armchair." Meanwhile, latest Milbank piece has drawn 613 comments, and counting.
Read Next: Leslie Savan on how Fox News created a monster—and made two others disappear
What a Sunday of surprises in our two leading newspapers.
A column by Nick Kristof at The New York Times did the impossible—almost letting George W. Bush off the hook on the current crumbling of Iraq because, you know, so many are to blame. There's Maliki, of course, but he also cites John McCain and others blaming Obama—and with classic "balance," states that "some on the left" somehow find "fault" with Bush. As if they're the only one in the US who blame Bush for setting all in motion with his invasion.
And factually, I suppose, it should be "everyone of the left."
Then there's this from Kristof: "The Democratic narrative is that President Bush started the cascade of dominoes. The problem with that logic is that Obama administration officials were boasting just a couple of years ago about how peaceful and successful Iraq had become because of their fine work." Again: It's just "the Democratic narrative," not an objective fact, that Bush "started the cascade of dominoes."
Just the latest Kristof embarrassment. And let's not forget that he strongly urged Obama to bomb Syria last year—which would have aided the ISIS rebels.
On the other hand, in the same edition (even the same section), the Times handed over op-ed space to Chelsea Manning, and here you go. It's mainly on journalists and the "embed" (or "in bed") program, with claims that reporters play along with the military for access. (See my updated book on Manning.) Much of all this should hardly be news to most but still… from her "Fog Machine of War":
Among the many daily reports I received via email while working in Iraq in 2009 and 2010 was an internal public affairs briefing that listed recently published news articles about the American mission in Iraq. One of my regular tasks was to provide, for the public affairs summary read by the command in eastern Baghdad, a single-sentence description of each issue covered, complementing our analysis with local intelligence.
The more I made these daily comparisons between the news back in the States and the military and diplomatic reports available to me as an analyst, the more aware I became of the disparity. In contrast to the solid, nuanced briefings we created on the ground, the news available to the public was flooded with foggy speculation and simplifications.
Meanwhile, over at The Washington Post, there was quite an account, with full details on the frantic attempts by the US to seize or trick or snatch Edward Snowden after he released his NSA bombshell, hoping he'd do something stupid—like get on a plane to Bolivia or some such (and they famously did divert one flight).
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As it crossed Austria, the aircraft made a sudden U-turn and landed in Vienna, where authorities searched the cabin—with Morales's permission, officials said—but saw no sign of Snowden.
The initial, official explanation that Morales was merely making a refueling stop quickly yielded to recriminations and embarrassment.
Austrian officials said they were skeptical of the plan from the outset and noted that Morales's plane had taken off from a different airport in Moscow than where Snowden was held. "Unless the Russians had carted him across the city," one official said, it was unlikely he was on board.
Even if Snowden had been a passenger, officials said, it is unclear how he could have been removed from a Bolivian air force jet whose cabin would ordinarily be regarded as that country's sovereign domain—especially in Austria, a country that considers itself diplomatically neutral.
"We would have looked foolish if Snowden had been on that plane sitting there grinning," said a senior Austrian official. "There would have been nothing we could have done."
And finally, a great John Oliver segment last night ripping Washington Redskins team owner ("Chief Running Without Moral Compass") over failure to change team name.
Read Next: Bob Dreyfuss on how Iraq's crisis got started—and how it didn't.
In a column yesterday I asked, "As Iraq Crumbles, Will US Media Back Obama Bomb Strikes?" As the day went on, as you know, things in that country went from worse to worst. And top news outlets here started weighing in, on their editorial pages or commentary, on the question.
Among the few to strongly oppose US intervention, at least for now, was The New York Times, which did so much in its news pages to help pave the way for the 2003 invasion. From an editorial posted late last night:
The United States has a strategic interest in Iraq's stability and Mr. Obama on Thursday said America was ready to do more, without going into detail. But military action seems like a bad idea right now. The United States simply cannot be sucked into another round of war in Iraq. In any case, airstrikes and new weapons would be pointless if the Iraqi Army is incapable of defending the country.
Why would the United States want to bail out a dangerous leader like Mr. Maliki, who is attempting to remain in power for a third term as prime minister? It is up to Iraq's leaders to show leadership and name a new prime minister who will share power, make needed reforms and include all sectarian and ethnic groups, especially disenfranchised Sunnis, in the country's political and economic life—if, indeed, it is not too late.
On the other hand, Times columnist David Brooks in a new column blames most of the problem on… Obama. Of course, he leaves out the part about the Iraqis ordering us to get out. Brooks concludes: "The president says his doctrine is don't do stupid stuff. Sometimes withdrawal is the stupidest thing of all."
Fareed Zakaria at The Washington Post casts most of the blame on Maliki and concludes: "Washington is debating whether airstrikes or training forces would be more effective, but its real problem is much larger and is a decade in the making. In Iraq, it is defending the indefensible." A columnist at the Los Angeles Times, Paul Whitefield, suggests Bush and Cheney should take care of the mess, since they caused it, but exactly how they'd do that remains a mystery.
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But that appears to be a minority view right now. The always-ready-for-war Washington Post called for action to halt an ISIS takeover: "Not to do everything possible to avert that outcome would be a dereliction, and one that Americans might greatly regret for years to come." David Ignatius may draw laughs with his urging the US to convene a Middle East "peace conference" where Sunni and Shia would, you know, "reconcile." John McTernan at The Guardian closes with this howler: "We have to go back to Iraq to rescue democracy. After all, as Margaret Thatcher said at the time of the Falklands, why else do we have armed forces?"
Representative John Boehner suggests Obama took a "nap" while Iraq crumbled and naturally ol' reliable arch-hawk (arch and hawk) Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post claims Obama isn't just napping, he's "surrendering." Michael Gerson also makes Obama the goat. And at the same site James Dubik argues that there are no good options—but, hey, the US must take action. The Wall Street Journal, what a surprise, slams Obama for the "Iraq Debacle."
And yes, the expert on all things Iraq, Judy Miller is back! And telling us she warned about all this, on Fox, natch (because Curveball told her?). Here's a roundup of Fox hawks calling for bombers or at least drones.
For context for all this, see my book (now in updated e-book edition) on the media failures for a decade of the Iraq war, So Wrong for So Long.
Read Next: William J. Astore explains how we all got drafted into the American national security state.
See my Friday column on updated commentary from New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, more.
It seemed absurd, at least to me (and maybe to Jon Stewart, see below), yesterday as the US media, including MSNBC, focused overwhelmingly on the defeat of Representative Eric Cantor in Virginia, with all of 65,000 votes cast, just as Iraq—where we have lost 4,500 of our own soldiers, killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and spent more than a trillion dollar—was crumbling.
Today that's even more true, as Iraq breaks apart even more. Now the Kurds have taken Tirkuk, and in Mosul the insurgents have liberated $435 million from just one large bank, making them, as The Washington Post points out, easily the world's best-funded anti-American terror group. And that's before the oil revenues roll in. But hey—as Jon Stewart pointed out after Cantor's defeat—now there will be no bipartisan action in Congress!
But later today, perhaps, the focus will shift to the question of what the US—which brought Al Qaeda to Iraq in the first place—will do now.
Last night it emerged that Iraq had asked Obama to bomb insurgents' positions last month, which he refused to do. But that was then and this is now, with Baghdad the next rebel target and the linkage with Syria conflict clear (and Iran, of course, very much in the picture). American bombing may now be a very open question. John McCain may call for another "surge" any minute now.
So we'll start monitoring here the emerging calls in the media for action or inaction. But note: recall how close we came to bombing Syria just last autumn, with many prominent voices in the media calling for that and Obama, at the last minute, bailing out (thank goodness).
UPDATE Rep. John Boehner claiming Obama took a "nap" while Iraq crumbled. Here's a roundup of Fox hawks calling for bombers or at least drones. Columnist at L.A. Times suggests Bush and Cheney take care of it.
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Read Next: Tom Engelhardt takes stock of fifty years of miserably futile American warfare.
A powerful, moving commercial boosting the escalating campaign to force a Washington pro football team name change—rejected for the Super Bowl on TV earlier this year—aired last night in our seven largest cities during half-time coverage of game three of the NBA finals.
And that's great. My only disappointment was that my Cherokee hero, Will Rogers, one of the greatest Americans ever, got cut out of the final version. He appears in the original two-minute version—which was cut to a minute for the current spot. You can watch both of them below.
I'd propose changing the DC team's name to the Washington Rogers. This would pay tribute not only to a great Native American but also Will Rogers's brilliant and biting commentary (still funny and relevant today) on the shenanigans on Capitol Hill and in the White House. And here's a bit of his reflections on his (and our) heritage.
I love being down here in pilgrim country. I bet you when the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and they had the whole of the American continent to themselves, and all they had to do to get another 160 acres was to kill another Indian, you know, well, I bet they kicked at the cost of ammunition. Now, I hope my Cherokee blood is not making me prejudiced, but it was only the generosity of the Indians that allowed the pilgrims to land in the first place. Suppose it was the other way around.
Yeah, my ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower. They met the boat.
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Read Next: Dave Zirin on John Carlos's standing up to an NFL slur
UPDATE: Terrorist couple in Las Vegas IDed, plus photos, videos, online rants. UPDATE #2 AP and Reuters defend not calling right-wing terrorists 'terrorists"--because they must follow government agency and FBI lead. Washington Post story on this also weak.
It was a busy, violent weekend for right-wing nuts in America. But will the US media dare call them "terrorists"?
First, you had the Sovereign Nation shootout plus explosives outside the courthouse in Forsyth, Georgia. I'll let the great Charles P. Pierce take it from here:
Let's not kid ourselves. [Georgia shooter Dennis Marx] is a product of more than his own psychoses. He is a product of a conservative movement that has lost its moral bearings, a gun culture than imbibes paranoia the way some people drink iced tea, a media infrastructure—from Roger Ailes's empire through the poison from which Clear Channel and other media conglomerate profit, all the way down to the guys broadcasting on short-wave from their root cellars in upper Michigan—that enables and encourages and empowers armed political paranoia and does so for the cheapest possible reasons, for political power and for corporate profit. And, no, Both Sides do not do this. There is nothing comparable on the Left to the vast ideological bunker of the mind that has been created and sustained by the institutions of modern conservatism within which Dennis Marx found a home. In a week in which Bowe Bergdahl has been slandered for cheap points and cheaper laughs, the emergence (once again) of an actual American terrorist should be a very sobering moment.
Then we have the Bundy-loving, Gadsden flag-draping Loonie and Clyde cop killers out in Vegas yesterday. From the major Las Vegas newspaper:
The shooters then stripped the officers of their weapons and ammunition and badges, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. They then covered the officers with something that featured the Gadsden flag, a yellow banner with a coiled snake above the words, "Don't tread on Me."
The flag is named for Christopher Gadsden, a Revolutionary War general who designed it. It has recently come back in vogue as an adopted symbol of the American tea party movement….
Like many of the neighbors contacted, Krista Koch said she didn't know the couple's last names. She described them as "militant." They talked about planning to kill police officers, "going underground" and not coming out until the time was right to kill.
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Brandon Monroe, 22, has lived in the complex for about two weeks. He said the man who lived in the apartment that was being searched often rambled about conspiracy theories. He often wore camouflage or dressed as Peter Pan to work as a Fremont Street Experience street performer. A woman lived with him, Monroe said, but he didn't see her as often.
They were weird people, Monroe said, adding that he thought the couple used methamphetamines.
The man told Monroe he had been kicked off Cliven Bundy's ranch 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas while people from throughout the U.S. gathered there in protest of a Bureau of Land Management roundup of Bundy's cattle.
Reached Sunday, the rancher's wife, Carol Bundy, said the shooting and the April standoff against the federal government were not linked.
In a later report, CNN naturally refuses to ID them as right-wing nuts, leaving vague that they left behind a "flag" and manifesto. Just hated cops. ABC does better, mentioning swastika symbols found at apartment and so on.
Read Next: Leslie Savan asks, "Why is the right obsessed with castration?"


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Just noticed that there is a Dropbox app on the Windows Store as of today I don't know how long it has been on there but I don't think for very long. Had a bit of play round and it looks pretty nifty, definitely a great app for the many dropbox users out there particularly those who own a Windows RT device like the Surface!
Link: http://apps.microsof...f5-9601892da4fa


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Singapore is an idealistic spot for those looking to make the best of both the East and the West. This is maybe the reason why Singapore is a favoured destination for expat Chinese and other Asians, who'd like their children get the best teaching, yet remain rooted and close to their cultivation. High park residences fernvale are exactly what you need to reside in Singapore.
What are the benefits of purchasing high park residences?
In fact, at that place are various stories that indicate that Singapore has become the third most popular destination for the affluent Chinese. Here are a few highlights to be restrained in mind when purchasing property in Singapore.
Foreigners in Singapore can buy non landed properties (read apartments and condominiums) without prior approval of the regime rule .The foreigners from buying property and the high park residences fernvale that are lower than six storeys or come under the category of condominiums. Though they still require to seek consent from the Singapore Land Authority to purchase properties like semi-detached houses, bungalows and vacant plots.
Extraordinary accommodations
They are also limited from buying a shop house, a house directly from the HDB, a resale flat that is permitted by the HDB, and a condo that is bought under the Executive Condominium Housing Scheme. This scheme was presented for people who desired to buy a little better than a flat, but not having enough money to buy private property. For the uninitiated, HDB is an acronym for Housing and Development Board- Singapore, the public housing authority of Singapore. This was set up by the government of Singapore, with an aim to help Singaporeans buy quality home at affordable prices.
Permanent Residents or PR's are allowed to buy HDB flats at once from high park residences, provided they make a family nucleus with a Singapore citizen. It can buy a flat from the re-sale market; provided that they register at least one tenant as a Singaporean citizen. To protect people from flipping their property, owners looking to sell apartments that are less than 3 years old, would have to pay a duty of 3 per cent of the resale value.


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MARY ESTHER — Residents looking out at Santa Rosa Sound on Sunday were greeted by what appeared to be a grand piano and a tall wooden cross on one of the uninhabited islands.
Stan Kirkland with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said his agency had received no complaints about the additions to the island near Channel Marker 42.
But, he added, when state officials learn the identity of those responsible for the stunt, the offender will be asked to remove the instrument.
"This could be a violation of Florida's litter law, which could be a misdemeanor or felony depending on its weight," Kirkland said. "Somebody will need to remove it. It's like dumping trash."
A similar scenario played out in Miami in January 2011 when a grand piano appeared on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay. A teen later confessed.
After viewing a photo of the ivory-colored piano, Playground Music's Kyle Hock said it appeared to be a Samick grand piano, which weighs between 550 and 700 pounds.
"In order for them to get it out there, they would have to have a skid board and put it down on its flat side to set it up," Hock said. "The more I think about it, they had to have used a barge because I don't know what type of boat would be able to carry a 700-pound piano."
Hock estimated the piano's value at around $5,000.
"It kind of looks like a Samick we used to have here, not saying it's ours," he said. "You can definitely tell it's been sun faded. I'm pretty stoked about it."
The network of small islands runs from waters south of Hurlburt Field to a point in the channel south and slightly east of Mary Esther Cut-Off.
The spoil island was created by dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1900s.
It's unclear what entity owns the islands, but an Air Force spokesman said they do not belong to the Department of Defense.
An official with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection was checking Monday to see if the state owns the land.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.


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+ - Andriod on HP TouchPad-> 1 1
Submitted by NicknamesAreStupid
NicknamesAreStupid writes: As fast as you can say "$99 blowout sale" PC World reports an Android port to the now defunct HP TouchPad. "Of course, it will turn out to be the best Android pad ever, making the iPad stink by comparison," reports Muphy's Law Reports.
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source


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Selina Foldover Clutch
Style # 232285
Glam it up. An ultra sexy clutch with stunning foldover detail and gold logo plated front. Perfect with our Geo Tribal Dress and your highest heel.
- 100% Faux leather
- Imported
- Model is 5'10" and wears a US size S
Rated 5 out of 5�by 2 reviewers.
Rated 5 out of 5�by Drezzy Very Bright Color This clutch is great in size. Perfect for carrying as a clutch or using strap and wearing it over the shoulder. It's a very bright color. It will definitely stand out. Matches the Micaela Sandals perfectly. April 24, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by lovelyE simply gorgeous Let me start off by saying, THIS CLUTCH IS HUGE! (In a good way). It comes with a removable chain strap and interior zip pocket. I purchased the "neon yellow". Not only that, I am really loving this color for spring/summer. Very eye catching. Overall, I'm happy with this purchase! April 16, 2014
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Sony Ericsson Spiro
Slick finish, music player audio quality, cheap
Fiddly buttons, no Wi-Fi, clunky web browser, small memory size
Ever since the introduction of the iPhone, Sony Ericsson (and every other mobile brand around) has had to up its game, particularly when it comes to the inclusion of a music player. With the long-estblished Walkman brand to back it up, the Sony Ericsson Spiro is squarely aimed at those who want a music player on their mobile, without having to pay through the nose for it. You can get the Spiro for around £40 on a PAYG basis, or if you prefer being on contract, these start at around £10 (with the phone itself for free).
Along with its music playing attributes, the Spiro also features a 2.0-megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video recording, along with the Obigo Q7 web browser and social networking apps. Other features include Bluetooth and FM radio with RDS. The handset has a pretty basic offering when it comes to memory, featuring a feeble 5MB of phone memory, with the option of expanding this with a 16GB microSD card.
On taking it out of the box, the first thing that we noticed about the Spiro was just how small it was. With its tiny 92 x 48 x 16.75mm dimensions, it can truly be described as "pocket size", although this tends to be a sign that it's going to be difficult to use. Weight-wise, the handset tips the scales at 90g, making it feel reassuringly robust without being too cumbersome.
There's a choice of colours, including pink and green, while our review unit was somewhat dramtically labelled as Stealth Black. The glossy front gives the phone a quality feel, which is slightly let down by the matte black back, although this does provide an extra bit of grip.
The 2.2-inch TFT screen is a bit on the small side, but its perfectly functional, although the 240 x 320 resolution does tend to make things look a little pixellated at times.
We found that the buttons on the camera face were far too small and cramped to be able to operate with consistent success. Although the buttons are very responsive, they're just too small, particulalry for those with less than dainty digits. The slide-out keyboard is pretty slick and the extra phone length makes long conversations a bit more comfortable. Thankfully the keypad buttons are more generously sized than those on the mobile face. Once we swiftly turned off the excrutiating Quick Text mode and reverted back to the conventional way of using an alphanumeric keypad, it was nice and comfy to use.
The onscreen interface is reasonable enough, with the picture-led navigation making things as simple as possible. The PlayNow icon offers a selection of downloadable content for you to buy, including wallpapers, ringtones, songs and games. However, as the phone only supports GPRS and EDGE, rather than 3G, any downloading could take a while.
Using the web browser is a tad painful especially if you're used to, or expecting to see, the usability of a high-end smartphone. The lack of 3G or Wi-Fi makes it a very slow process, and as there's no touchscreen, you have to make do with the circular button under the screen and the button on the side of the phone that lets you scroll up and down.
One of the selling points for the Spiro is the pre-loaded Facebook and Twitter applications. After a lot of searching around, we finally found the Facebook app hidden away in a folder in the Organiser section with the stopwatch and calculator, whereas we expected to see it on the homepage. Sony Erisson still hasn't figured out how to logically arrange the content of its phones. We never did find the Twitter app, but it's no great loss as the Facebook app was nowhere near as good as those found on iOS or Android and wasn't really much different from using the clunky browser.
The main draw here is the all-important music player, and not only that, but one bearing the iconic Walkman brand name. Suppporting MP3, AAC, AAC+ and eAAc+ files formats, the player is based on Sony's Walkman 4.0 software which is certainly the highlight of an otherwise mediocre handset. Also included is TrackID - a nifty piece of software that can identify a song by "listening" to a short snippet, although this can be a touch on the slow side.
The audio quality is really quite impressive, although you'll find it improves by a hell of a lot if you get some better headphones to use, rather than the ones that are included in the box.
To use the FM radio, you need to plug the supplied hands-free headphones in as they contain the antenna. However, you can still switch to the built-in speaker if you want to annoy people on the bus.
With crushing inevitability, we found that the 2-megapixel camera wasn't really very good at all. There are a few nice features - you can use several different picture effects including black and white, negative or sepia, and you can also change the shutter sound. You can alter the white balance and set a self-timer and there's even a night mode, although as there's no flash, this is pretty useless. The 2x digital zoom is also best left alone. If you desperately want to be able to take half-decent snaps on your phone then this one probably isn't for you.
The Spiro is certainly a modest phone, and there's nothing wrong with that, particulalry if you're after something that won't cost an arm and a leg. The lack of Wi-Fi and the tiny built-in memory certainly don't help its case but then at this price, we think that the Spiro can be forgiven. It's generally a reasonable phone, thanks largely to its music playing capabilities, as long as you don't intend to do too much web browsing on the move.


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* *" ^'" '^^'-' ' -;c*?1f^^^ • .'^•«^^li.f • I " : - • • i f i: i;r j^ 2!y Cotte I1S» , - .<» 33rd Y««. !l(»-,9, M .^iX#iinliBfeiiiggi ,,,....,.> «.i<K.«i;n,s.sStMr:.i,'i;iitip;. •;ii->aa. • " t./i NEWS & Vll^S w: ^ . .. ^DDIE VASIL *W, V. Nartpaptst Hrporters Aaut, ft'ntimal f'rcj(» Syndicate titim %i th* "KMMB "VASIL SlIOW" ' On ^Wtnif, 1528 oft-llii-' Di»l •MAKlMa THE-BOtlliDB . ; ; f m i i « r » MR^ K 1 ^ * ' RWFT , SCHORBH (local tyi>ewTU«i Co.). extra happy IhvM dAys.b«caiwe .Ihalr chiiTnuiig daughter. Kalhleen, and handzoma JOSEPH .KEA.TINii having become engaged. (Cliffs been a pioininant ' businessnian here ior 30 years) . . . Happy Buiinoss Annlv«z-sary lo ERHST VAKKAS and his two &on«. GUS VAKKAS and : JAMES VAXKAS (and oi course "Mama") who bam made heir BEIER'S BESTAURAMT (W, Merrick Hoad. Fweport.) one oi the busi«it on the South Shore. (The VAKKAS FAMlLV'came hwe'lnHn Washington. D.C.. where the father and sons held lop PQsitioiu.in the food departments of the besl hotels. Nice people 1} . . . Another popular spot on the waterfront (East End of Bay Street) is EDITH & HARRY'S HIDE-AWAY. Nice cosy atmo*- phero. excellent food and the famous musiman of 1001 meloiUes, JERRY LANE who entertains 5 nites a week. (The husband-wlle toanj of.EDITH and HARRY 3CKWARZE made it a faTorils •randozypua).. .' . Freeport's unofficial AinbassadQr-of-Ck«dwiU< jlDICk HUNGERFORD and hla djinning Mary/ bttck freitf<A«rir ^Mexican vacation and hoiiM guests of .Cookie and Hentjr All«ii- Student (Hofstia), handsome BILLY BpECKELMAN earning tuition money at mixologist (and very, good). , WE ARE TAKING BOTVS ,... Many coluinns ago your reporter forecasted a brilliant political Mure tor two younig Frceportera, JUOUS L; MINTZ and ALAN W.'VOLLMSR Our political crystal-boH gassing predicted many achievements 'and.honprs , . , And we weren't .wrong . . , June is known as the "Month of Roses" and for Mintz and Vbllmet has really ben a "Runs for the Roses" becaiLse thi'» month marhs their first ; annivoraary asr a close-knit team •'which handles the leaderthlp of lyepporf.Republi . . . Since they started their leadership, thby have made Republicanism a IZ-month eqdeavor with people Irort^ ?U w[tll!5:5Ly*|j:;' • Frceport is again considered a *op GOP communfty in,,Town,:Coiinty "and State Republican drcles V . . Freeporl endorsM .randldatea are not only in the limelight but are also in the;''Winners: Circle" with respect, stature iind position, r . . And this fcroly the p^^^ . . . Keep youi- eye on Mintz andVollmcr and remepber a special date: June 2T, 1988. (Could be very interesting and surprising?) Editor's Note Dear Headers: THE LEADER is printed by union members and this is vacation lime. So, fdrgivo us U soma of your favorite feature 'are missing due to space limitations. , Thank you, ED VASIL Photo above shows (L. lo R.) Alan W. VoUmar, Exacullvi^ CWn-mitteeman, BUI Casmailna, Journal Chairman and Frank Smilfa, reviewing the 1968 GOP Journal. Julius L. Mintz, Freeport GOP Leader, and Alan W. VoJlmer, Executive Committeeman, fllated that after a final check of the guest list, reseivatlons and-program hishUgbtS, the 1968 Freepott" Republican Club Installation Dinner-Dance Will break aU previout records. ' , ' - The colorful and troditlonnl affair, which annually nttratts tofi Republican personalities and hundred!! of gaeftis, will honor Wli- (Continucd on page S) Guy Lombardo's Open Full-fime Manager Buddy Sands, who created the popular "Pink Champagne Dinner" plan, announced that Guy Lombardo'a famous East i^oint Houae Restaurant is now open full-time for the 1968 season. This popular show-place, located at the extreme point at thr-foot of South Grove Street, has wal-to-wall picture windows which tiffer thrilling views of Freeport's fabulous waterfront and the Jone» Beach waterways. ' 'M Buddy Sands, a veteran rcstauranteur,. serves as General Man- Ofier with handsome Richard De Palma as hus Maitre D'. Al Simmons is the popular Marine Deck head waiter and Joe Molw serves as head mixologist. Nick George and Louis Tombakos are the catering department specialists. • •. ' Miss Sue supervises the now "famous Lombardo "Show .Time Special" which includes dinner at llic East Point House, a cnuse to and from the .restaurant to the Jones Beach Marine Theatre and choice seats for this year's hit, "South Pacific." (Starfi June 27 to Sept. 2. Phone FR 8-56S0). - ' - " , c, • Guy Lombardo's is operated under the management of Savarin Restaurants,-a Division of American, News Co. Open every day but Monday, it oflers Broadway-HollywoiHl-Las Vegas.stars m a bJfi (Continued (j-pn ^age 5)' "• . . " " •> FFD JULY 4tli By CARL WALLMAN Irving S. Gray, 1st Deputy Chief and Genuial Chairman, an-nounced tljat the-Frceport Fire Department will present its annual Fkemanic and Fue Works Show at-tlie Freeport Municipal Stadium Thursday July 4, 1968 at 7:45 p.m. (Halndate Sunday, July 7). TWj will be the 13th annual show and plans are fully developed to makn this years show one of,the best ' - ' ' '. ever. ^^^ aj the same Umo bomathing . .The evenings Events wiU ^ac n-^ ^ . ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ' S ' S ' ^ t a n l tuaUy begin at frp.m. when free The Frecpo^ tJ^^rn dance rkfpr.UieJ.iddies wUl.be ^>en h ^ ^ ^ . ' ^ S v m e ^ t ^ i n ^e wound the tx-ack-at the stadium, band which, wiB entertam ine crowd during the early part et the evening. " •' -" The Grand Parad* jnto.'.t*^ studiura will include Fireman ana [ apparatus from many Bunroimflp-H ing gommunlUes'.' Fire 'Depaif- , ments from Baldwin, .Ocea!Wldek>y Island- Park, Long Beach, .Ptola*'-; Lookout, 'Rockvi\i»Sipatxe,.Bti!e^':''^' M : ' • A ^ : 5%'!fEfe<S3S'Si?
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|This is a Newspaper distributed locally within the Village of Freeport and Baldwin.
|Linda Toscano
|L & M Publications, Inc.
|Scanned by Imaging & Microfilm Access, Inc. (Bohemia, NY 11716)
|Freeport Memorial Library
|United States
|This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this image is permitted without written permission of the Freeport Memorial Library, 144 W. Merrick Road, Freeport, NY 11520 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com
|This is a Newspaper distributed locally within the Village of Freeport and Baldwin.
|Linda Toscano
|L & M Publications, Inc.
|Scanned by Imaging & Microfilm Access, Inc. (Bohemia, NY 11716)
|Freeport Memorial Library
|United States
|This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this image is permitted without written permission of the Freeport Memorial Library, 144 W. Merrick Road, Freeport, NY 11520 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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Yummy Fourth of July treats for every celebration
Painfully shy around guys? Here's how to bust outta your shell
This 11 year-old girls amazing diss to her cheating boyfriend went viral
Exclusive: Teen Beach 2 stars tell all about their thoughts on the movie
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I expect Rutgers to beat Louisville with their strong defense and represent the Big East in a BCS game.
Originally written on Athlon Sports | Last updated 11/11/12
College football's bowl season is inching closer, but it's never too early to take a look at what the matchups might look like. With 11 weeks of...
7 Comments:
Rutgers has to beat Cincy first but I think RU loses both of those games. I'm a Rutgers grad and fan but this team is not very impressive and relies on the D to score or at least get several turnovers to shorten the field for the O. That's tough to do every week.
Under normal circumstances I would LOVE to see Nebraska vs Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl! How is it, though, that the Rose Bowl wouldn't take the next Pac-12 team after Oregon goes to the National Title game? I understand that at large big for the BCS, but thats what the Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl are for! Either way...I'm liking some of these match ups!!! Hopefully they stick and Alabama stays OUT of the title game!! GO BIG RED
Barring any minor miracles and an inordinate number of leprechauns on the field for Notre Dame, I pretty much agree with your litany of bowl matchups. As an ND Alum I, of course, hope for the best, but why wouldn't it be possible to match up ND with Alabama if the Ducks and the J-Hawks duke it out?
The "J-Hawks" haven't won a game since they beat South Dakota State at home in week 1. They still have to play Iowa State at home and will go to Morgantown to face West Virginia. They won't win either of these games, and will finish 1-11 on the season and 0-9 in the conference. So tell me, why would you think the "J-Hawks" will get to "duke it out" with the Ducks?
Oh, you meant to say "Wildcats," from Kansas STATE. Got it.
To answer your question, the BCS bowls don't just get to pick their teams. Each has conference tie-ins. Were there no BCS, under the current alignment, a Big XII champion K-State would play in the Fiesta, and Pac-12 Champion Oregon would go to the Rose to face the Big Ten champion (looking to be Nebraska). Since both bowls are losing the two highest ranked teams to the title game, they get to pick which at-large team they want to invite. Personally, I would expect the Rose to invite Notre Dame with the first pick (since I expect Oregon to switch places with K-State and finish #1), to face Big Ten winner Nebraska. The Fiesta would then pick OU as the Big XII runner up to maintain that tie-in, and invite the Aggies since they're closer to Tucson than Alabama. With two SEC teams already in, the winner of the conference championship would get an automatic berth in the Sugar Bowl, and the runner-up would go to some non-BCS bowl (since no conference can field more than 2 teams in BCS bowls).
. . . and I think Georgia may be getting short changed by you. They're a top notch team overall. I'm just sayin' . . .
The SEC top five Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M. Have played who out of conferance!SMU-South Carolina st-(Taxes A&M)!Buffalo-Florida Alt(Georgia)!Bolwling Green-LA Lafayette(Florida)!North Texas-Washington-Idaho-Towson(LSU)!Michigan-W Kentucky-Florida Atl(Alabama)! Non of those teams are really good-NO top 24-and only Washington and Michigan were ranked So they play No top teams out of conferance, they never travel north for the winter! How tough are they really?
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- Junior Shoes
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text: Design Stories - The Architecture behind 2012 Date 10:00 AM - 5:00 PMThis summer the world came together for London 2012 and celebrated the best Olympic games ever - an event that has redefined what hosting the games can mean. Design Stories examines the architecture and engineering behind the 2012 sporting venues that made it all possible. It provides a place where people can explore and view drawings, images, videos and amazingly detailed models of London's key new sporting venues. Watch a short film about this exhibition and hear from the curator The exhibition draws back the layers of complex engineering and explores the design principles that lie behind the venues. At its centre it features a stunning 14-metre graphic mural capturing the energy and contrasting styles of the new Olympic and Paralympic buildings. The 2012 sporting venues and lead architects featured in the exhibition include: Olympic Stadium – Populous Aquatics Centre – Zaha Hadid Architects Velodrome – Hopkins Architecture Basketball Arena – Wilkinson Eyre/KSS Design Group Handball Arena – MAKE Hockey Centre – Populous Shooting venue – Magma Architecture Waterpolo venue – David Morley Architecture Eton Manor - Stanton Williams. Design Stories is part of the official London 2012 Festival. Fees:Free admissionBooking:Contact:Admission to all RIBA exhibitions is free. Galleries at 66 Portland Place are open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm; and until 10pm on Tuesday. Please note, galleries may be closed early for special events. Call +44 (0)20 7307 3888 to check opening times. Organiser:Sponsors: Design Stories 2012 Mural Design by Dan Bissonnet© RIBA


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FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County commissioners say they have no plans to raise property taxes despite facing a projected $4.3 million in additional expenses in the coming year.
The board reached a consensus after getting its first look at estimated revenues and expenses for the 2013-14 fiscal year at a budget workshop Tuesday.
County Administrator Jim Curry outlined what he called "a very fuzzy look" at what the county's "fiscal challenges" might be as the budget season proceeds.
"Your general fund remains to be the challenge again this year," he told commissioners.
Among the projected additional expenses are $1.7 million for the Sheriff's Office to fill vacancies created when Sheriff Larry Ashley placed deputies in every public school in the district; $1.4 million for a 3 percent raise for county employees; $1.2 million for the replacement of county vehicles and equipment; and $675,000 in capital construction.
Curry presented the option of raising the property tax rate by 0.335 mills to generate the additional $4.3 million, but commissioners immediately rejected that idea.
"I'm not interested at this point in raising the millage," Commission Chairman Don Amunds said.
Commissioner Nathan Boyles agreed.
"With regard to ad valorems, that's one area where I'm not supportive of seeing any increase," he said.
The board's stance effectively kills any effort to include a 3 percent across-the-board raise for employees. But a majority of commissioners said they would consider a smaller increase.
County employees have not received a raise since 2009.
Commissioner Wayne Harris said now that the economy has started to improve, the county should be prepared to lose "good leadership."
"I think we need to be realistic about what we're doing to our employees when we do this," he said. "We need to look at something."
Commissioner Dave Parisot suggested the board consider a 1 percent to 2.5 percent raise.
But Amunds said he is hesitant to make a commitment to anything other than the status quo.
"I would love, in a perfect world, to give everybody a raise," he said. "Part of our job is tough … and if you don't have the money to fund it, you don't fund it. … I think it's crazy to get people's hopes up."
Instead of increasing the county's property tax rate of 3.28 mills, commissioners said they would consider raising the county's gas tax to help cover rising costs.
Counties in Florida are authorized to levy up to 12 cents. Okaloosa levies 7 cents.
Harris said he could support a gas tax hike because it's a "user fee."
"Thirty to forty percent of our roads and bridges and storm water is used by somebody else," he said. "It sure would be nice to have the tourists and other people who transit this area support some of that.
Curry reminded the board that gas tax revenues are limited primarily to road improvements.
"Those dollars are specific," he said. "You can't raise gas taxes and then use it to go put a new roof on the jail."
Boyles, whose district includes part of the north county, said he supports looking at raising the gas tax because his area is filled with rural roads that need work.
"I get more calls on roads from my constituents than anything else," he said. "We have a lot of challenges out there, and our staff is doing the best they can to patch up what we have."
He said the county's failure to levy all of the gas tax at its disposal makes it difficult to secure "matching funds from the state and federal level."
If the board decides to levy the remaining 5 cents of the gas tax, it would have to be approved by July 1 to take effect Jan. 1, 2014.
Commissioners also discussed the possibility of charging local gas and electric utilities a franchise fee to use county rights of way.
The board is scheduled to resume that discussion at its meeting Tuesday in Fort Walton Beach. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.


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The Ashe County Board of Education (BOE) was given an unqualified report again this year in an independent audit of its 2011-12 financial statements.
The audit, prepared by Anderson, Smith and Wike PLLC, reported no material weaknesses in the board's administration of its finances for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.
Financial highlights of the report illustrate the board's obstacles and its achievements during a period of continuing economic distress.
Net assets exceeded liabilities, "an indicator of the fiscal health of the board," according to the audit report.
The board's combined general and capital fund balances increased to $5,264,998, up $596,386 from 2010-11. The increase was attributed to cost saving measures, and use of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grants for some expenditures which would normally have come from the general fund, according to the audit.
Ashe Superintendent Dr. Travis Reeves explained the district's strategy on keeping its financial house in order and how it has prepared for past, present and future budget cuts.
"During the last three years, Ashe County Schools has strategically used ARRA and state stabilization funds, along with cuts in personnel through attrition, retirement and resignations, to help build the school system's local fund balance in an effort to offset increased discretionary reversions from state government," said Reeves.
He also explained the district's request to the county last year for additional funding in light of the positive financial report the audit offered.
"Knowing that our federal dollars were exhausted in 2012 and that our state discretionary reversion increased, we asked the county commissioners to share the responsibility so that we would not have to significantly deplete our fund balance in one year," said Reeves.
For 2011-12, the General Assembly again required the board to return a portion of their allocated funding, creating a shortfall of $756,447, up 12 percent from the year before.
In addition to a statewide 9.7 percent cut in public school funding, the audit report noted that available funding for public schools was further reduced by the GA's lifting of caps and restrictions on charter schools.
State funding was based on Ashe County Schools enrollment or "average daily membership" (ADM) of 3,205 students, down from 3,263 for 2010-11.
The dip in enrollment worked to ensure continued Small County Supplemental Funding by keeping ACS just below the 3,239 ADM maximum. Funds of approximately $1.5 million per year are available to small school systems under SCSF.
The Ashe County Board of Commissioners increased current expense funding $125,000 to $3,760,520 in 2011-12, while capital outlay remained at $300,000. The county also continued support of the technology program, again appropriating $118,072, according to the report.
The county paid $760,105 in debt service for Ashe County High School, and $874,966 for Westwood Elementary, according to the audit.
The State Board of Education approved allocation of $2,896,202 in Qualified School Construction Bonds to the school system in 2010, which it used in 2011-12 to replace roofs on Blue Ridge Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and the career center at Ashe County High School. The bonds will be repaid using state lottery proceeds.
Ashe County Schools per pupil expenditure was $9,578 for 2011-12, up from $9,292 the previous year.
This included the child nutrition program, which "due to improved management strategies…operated in the black," despite increased expenditures, according to the audit.
The report stated that "due to the state's economic trauma," teacher's, school-based administrators, instructional support and support personnel saw no pay raises for a third year. While pay scale by experience credit rose again, actual pay levels remained stagnant.


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Plane crash false alarm sparks Cumbria coast search operation
Last updated at 20:12, Sunday, 24 February 2013
EMERGENCY services have just ended a search operation after a plane had reportedly crashed in the sea off the Furness Coast.
A group of golfers reported seeing a light aircraft in distress, flying over the Ulverston area this afternoon.
Cumbria police and crews from Walney Coastguard, Barrow RNLI inshore lifeboat, Ulverston Inshore Rescue and Bay Search and Rescue were deployed on a search mission.
But the teams were stood down shortly after 7.30pm, when a witness informed police that the light aircraft was in fact a microlight on a training mission.
First published at 19:54, Sunday, 24 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Have your say
It was certainly not a wasted operation! My wife and I saw the incident. It was a Plane and not a microlight, and gave every indication the craft was in difficulty.
You cant win in this situation, people would have soon been moaning if there had been an accident and it hadnt been reported as they were busy playing Golf. Pretty harsh calling them a bunch of idiots! lets hope you never need anything reporting if your in distress! Its best to be a false alarm than not to be reported at all. Fortunately there wasnt an issue in this case but one day it might be!
View all 6 comments on this article


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A £3.5million project to create 21st century visitor facilities at Windermere Marina Village has been hailed as another "landmark" investment for Lake District tourism.
Windermere Marina Village – the largest marina on England's longest lake and in the whole of the North – has inked a major deal with the award-winning Barrow-based Leck Construction Limited to undertake an ambitious modernisation of the marina resort.
And both businesses have called on Cumbrian companies to go the extra mile in supporting each other during the economic downturn by using local firms and suppliers rather than sourcing work from outside the county.
In the coming months a new two-storey quayside bar will be built along with a 130-cover restaurant specialising in Cumbrian delicacies at the marina.
A stylish boating club house will be created with a range of new upmarket apartments for rental by holidaymakers, along with waterside penthouses.
The major project will create and safeguard around 30 jobs at the Marina and helps the 70-plus tradesmen and women employed by Leck Construction Ltd.
The news follows the successful granting of planning permission two weeks ago by the Lake District National Park Authority for a £4million conference centre on the banks of Windermere at the Low Wood Hotel.
An outpouring of patriotic fervour is to be unleashed across South Lakeland as residents gear up for a host of Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Community groups say the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne has inspired a 'collective nostalgia' in town and villages.
The Westmorland Gazette has been told of 54 events so far and 18 street parties and outdoor celebrations have been registered with South Lakeland District Council.
It is in contrast to the apathy in the area for last year's Royal Wedding.
Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria James Cropper said June 2 would give people in Cumbria an opportunity to celebrate the reign of the Queen, her long history, and her connection with the county.
"She's remarkable and has been to Cumbria four times during my role as lieutenant. I'm hoping everyone will get involved in marking this event."
Sylvia Emmott, chairman of SLDC, said: "We have a fabulous community spirit here in South Lakeland. People, the community leaders, that help run so many events in this area are behind that spirit."
Bunting is already on show at Webster's Yard, in Kendal, where 40 pensioners have been plotting their party for 12 months.
Mary Beavis, 83, said: "This is more important than the Royal Wedding because this is about Her Majesty and we're all very interested in what she does. We all have memorabilia."
In Windermere, final touches are being made to plans for a big outdoor party at the Marchesi Centre.Sonia Fallowfield said they were going 'all out' to enjoy their celebration.
"We're really going for it," she said. "We're going to have catering, with entertainment, food and alcoholic drinks. We want the event to bring back that old sense of community."
Meanwhile, more than 150 Union Jacks will fly above St Mark's School, in Natland, as young pupils launch patriotic kites to the wind.
Head teacher Peter Barfoot said the children would dress in red white and blue.
In Ulverston, the Queen's anniversary will see Victoria Park Gardens revamped and renamed Jubilee Gardens.
Ian Bradley, owner of Coniston Brewery, said they were running at full capacity on the run-up to the big Royal week.
Burgundy's Wine Bar, in Kendal, will produce a special Jubilee brew and in Kendal the Queen will be portrayed in flowers. The Federation of WI members have spent more than a year on the project, which will include replica crown jewels.
An 8ft by 4ft plywood golden coach, similar to the one used to take the Queen from Westminster Abbey in 1953, will be placed at the entrance to Kendal Parish Church during the festival from June 28 and 30.
A MAN who discovered a 48-year-old bar of Kendal Mint Cake in his loft believes it may be the oldest-surviving bar of the famous confectionery.
Peter Truelove, 68, of Windermere, bought the bar of Robert Wiper's Original Mint Cake when he and a friend visited Kendal as 21-year-olds in 1964.
The pair were on a 'boy's adventure' which took them from their homes in Kent to John O'Groats, the most northerly point on the Scottish mainland.
"We travelled the distance in an Austin 7 and it took us a week," said Mr Truelove, of Hill Top. "The car only did 35mph at best and it was blizzard weather – the snow was coming into the car.
"We called at Kendal on the way back and we'd heard about the mint cake, so when we saw some we thought we'd buy a bar."
Mr Truelove said he was not sure why he had kept the bar in a box in his loft.
"It was on a shelf as a memento of the trip but it's been in the loft since we moved to Windermere 16 years ago," he said. The bar is still in reasonable condition although some of the sugar is seeping through the wrapping.
Although the original Wipers recipe is still used, the company was sold to Romneys in 1987.
Managing director John Barron said: "We have been making it all these years and I don't think we have any that old – it's impressive.
"It wouldn't do him any harm to eat it now but I don't expect it would taste very nice."
Mr Truelove said what was also interesting to discover was the journal he wrote while travelling, which documented the stop-off in Kendal. He said: "I had to record everything we spent because my friend and I were splitting the cost of the trip. It's funny now to look back and see that someone offered to sell us a car engine and gear box for £2.50, and that 15 litres of petrol was 60p.
"Unfortunately, the price of the mint cake wasn't included, although I did write that we'd visited and purchased it."


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The Wilson College Athletic Department is excited to announce the launch of its new athletic website, sponsored by SIDEARM Sports. The new Wilson athletics website can be viewed at www.wilsonphoenix.com, beginning at 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 14th.
This new site offers easy access to all information regarding Wilson College sports teams, the Wilson College Athletic Department, and any additional activities or endeavors involving our athletes or athletic department. The website illustrates a colorful display of our primary athletic colors and logo, and these are embedded within every individual sport and information page.
The new website offers the ability to launch live stats for our sporting events, as well as direct access to our social media sites. In time, the website will provide viewers with an online photo gallery, you tube videos, and an online newsletter. Sponsorship ads are also prominently displayed on the website, highlighting those sponsors that are associated with the patronage of Wilson College Athletics.
We invite you to browse our site and witness the new design of Wilson College Athletics. As a token of appreciation from the athletic department, every student, staff, and faculty member of Wilson College will receive a "Wilson Phoenix" sticker decal in their campus mailboxes shortly before tomorrow's inauguration of the new website. Please show your support of Wilson College Athletics by utilizing the decal and checking out our new website. We also encourage you to navigate through our social media sites to discover the latest news from Wilson Athletics.


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By STEVEN NALLEY
firstname.lastname@example.com [2]
The number of students with registered bicycles on the Mississippi State University campus has grown by 62 percent so far this year versus last year.
Mike Harris, director of MSU Parking Operations, said 1,216 people on campus have registered their bicycles with his office since this fall semester began, compared with a total of 750 for the 2010 fall semester. Bicycle registration continues throughout the year, he said, so the potential to further outpace 2010 registration exists.
"Bikes are a big hit," Harris said. "It's easy to get around, it's certainly healthier using them, and it helps with traffic."
Further, Harris said, registration is not required, only recommended. He said those who register receive a bicycle permit to attach to the bicycle, allowing them to recover bicycles that are lost, confiscated or stolen when MSU staff find them.
"It's not mandatory," Harris said. "There's more bikes than that on campus. Those are just the ones we have registered."
Harris said vehicular traffic on campus has risen as well, suggesting that students and staff who use bicycles do not necessarily use their vehicles less. Many of them commute to campus, park their vehicles, and then use bicycles to continue moving around campus, he said. The growth of both vehicular and bicycle traffic on campus, he said, is likely a function of the continued overall growth of the student population.
Harris said MSU routinely works to make campus more bicycle-friendly.
"Bike racks have been added, and more are being added," Harris said. "Of course, our master plan committee is looking into the addition of bike lanes around campus."
One of MSU's efforts to increase bicycle use on campus is the MSU Bike Share Program, also known as Bully Bike. Harris said this program makes unique MSU-themed bicycles available for anyone to use wherever they find them on campus.
"You don't lock them up in a bike rack or anything," Harris said. "They're left open to be freely used by anyone. It's been very successful too, the students really like it. You don't see too many of them sitting still."
While MSU does not track how often the Bully Bikes are used, Harris said, their dispersion around campus from their origin point on the MSU Drill Field testifies to their popularity. Some have also tried to take Bully Bikes off-campus, Harris said, but MSU has an exclusive copyright on those bicycles' designs, making them easy to find and recover around town.
Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas said the Starkville Board of Aldermen have placed a great emphasis on bike and pedestrian systems. They have added bike lanes to existing roads, incorporated multi-use paths into new ones, and increased compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.
"We have constructed sidewalks in needed areas, and the sidewalk ordinance is working across town to develop sidewalks as construction projects take place," Dumas said. "Not to mention that over the coming year and as part of the louisville street (rebuilding) project, we will construct a new sidewalk linking Lynn Lane with Starkville High School. We are also working hard to complete a Safe Routes to School project and have submitted a proposal for transportation funds for sidewalk projects along Highway 12."
Starkville also has an ordinance requiring all cyclists in town to wear helmets. Dumas said the board passed it out of a sense of stewardship, to give everyone in Starkville a healthy framework for alternative transportation.
"What is interesting about Starkville is that we have a large percentage of our student population who move here from areas that are too rural or suburban to be comfortable areas for biking," Dumas said. "Thus, they have very little biking experience. Yet, as college students who live adjacent to the campus and have access to bikable areas, it is only proper that we require safe transit for all, whether they be novice or experts."
While MSU does not require cyclists to wear helmets like Starkville does, Harris said, students and others on campus are still encouraged to wear them, and MSU places a high value on bicycle safety.
Here are the rules for bicycle use on campus:
1. Cyclists should use extreme caution and slow down or walk their bicycles when interacting with pedestrians, such as when using sidewalks to access bike racks.
2. Pedestrian crosswalks are not for bicycles. Automobiles are not required by law nor equipped with the reaction time to stop for bikes shooting across crosswalks. Bicyclists wishing to use crosswalks should walk their bikes through the crosswalk as a pedestrian.
3. Bicycles using campus roadways operate with the same rules as automobiles.
4. Bicyclists are strongly encouraged to wear safety equipment while on campus (including helmets), as well as properly maintain the mechanical aspects of their bike for the safest riding experience possible. The City of Starkville also would like to remind bicyclists of the responsibility of riding between campus and the city. Starkville has a helmet ordinance which requires all persons on a bicycle to wear a helmet. Cyclists can be cited and fined for not wearing a helmet when riding in the city limits of Starkville. For more info, please visit http://starkvilleinmotion.org [3]
5. Bike rack use on campus is mandatory. All bike riders are asked to assist the university by not locking bikes in such a way that they block sidewalks or handicap access to buildings. Furthermore, bike riders are asked to refrain from locking bikes to campus trees or foliage, light poles or other freestanding posts or railings, or any other freestanding structures (except bike racks). Please keep in mind there is a large population of students with disabilities who require accessible pathways and specific access to buildings, and the university is required by law to protect this access.
6. Bikes locked or left anywhere besides a bike rack are subject to the lock being cut and the bike being impounded by University Police.
The owner also is subject to a fine as outlined in OP 91.307: Policies for Traffic and Parking Rules and Regulations for the Campus and Streets of Mississippi State University.
[1] http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/sites/default/files/DSCN9155xx.jpg
[2] mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
[3] http://starkvilleinmotion.org


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