Oct 2007
It's Been Awhile... Lots Of Stuff To Follow
Oct 30 2007 Filed in: General Posts
Busy, busy, busy getting ready for a bunch of upcoming events, travel and other goodies. WP.com has been updated, too, with a few new items. To wit:
> New Tunes page. With iTunes reviews and a last.fm playlist, the page is a bit livelier.
> Updated Seattle page. The Seattle Pollocks are successful, multiplying and extremely photogenic.
> More YouTube clips added, with Hanson videos to follow.
More soon...
> New Tunes page. With iTunes reviews and a last.fm playlist, the page is a bit livelier.
> Updated Seattle page. The Seattle Pollocks are successful, multiplying and extremely photogenic.
> More YouTube clips added, with Hanson videos to follow.
More soon...
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The Crush Grows, As If I Needed An Excuse
Oct 29 2007 Filed in: YouTube | Cool Events
This is ROTFL stuff... I was wheezing laughing so hard.
A Return To Depth And Understanding...
Oct 25 2007 Filed in: Quotes 2 Remember | YouTube
John Amaechi, speaking on Oprah's "Gay Around The World" program this week, was asked about why he came out of closet."There's something incredibly powerful about people who are genuine or authentic," he said, "not just in terms of their sexuality, but in every regard. There is something almost transcendent about it."
If you haven't heard him speak, watch it on YouTube, or below. And if you don't think we still have a problem, just look at the user comments on YouTube -- they'll change your mind about how much work's left to do.
Alert The Media: I'm Officially Switching Allegiance To NBC News
Oct 23 2007 Filed in: Ascribe.net Preview
I'm back from my first-ever Yoga session, and as I limped home, I crawled into bed to watch Countdown, as I do every night.
Tonight, our Southern California friends are facing arguably the worst and most destructive, disruptive fires in their history. Keith Olbermann interviewed NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams at the top of the broadcast - Williams hung around to give viewers a more intimate and casual yet confident, personal view of what's going on there.
I used to worship Peter Jennings, and his ABC News field reporters. But today, after living through "The Path to 9/11" and other seemingly odd GOP influences at ABC, I have fully gravitated to the NBC and MSNBC nightly broadcasts. (My TV is, of course, tuned squarely on CNN throughout the day, culminating in The Situation Room.)
I highly recommend them, although Keith's new set doesn't give him enough room to throw his papers.
Tonight, our Southern California friends are facing arguably the worst and most destructive, disruptive fires in their history. Keith Olbermann interviewed NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams at the top of the broadcast - Williams hung around to give viewers a more intimate and casual yet confident, personal view of what's going on there.
I used to worship Peter Jennings, and his ABC News field reporters. But today, after living through "The Path to 9/11" and other seemingly odd GOP influences at ABC, I have fully gravitated to the NBC and MSNBC nightly broadcasts. (My TV is, of course, tuned squarely on CNN throughout the day, culminating in The Situation Room.)
I highly recommend them, although Keith's new set doesn't give him enough room to throw his papers.
Eleanor Roosevelt Was A Cool Chick
Oct 23 2007 Filed in: Quotes 2 Remember
"Women are like tea bags - you never know how strong they are until they get in hot water."
Just heard on the Situation Room while Wolf was interviewing Maria Shriver. How cool is that??
Just heard on the Situation Room while Wolf was interviewing Maria Shriver. How cool is that??
Crusty Gives Thumbs-middle To Shaun's
A group of us, including Chris "Crusty" Haddle, went to Shaun's on Saturday night. His review on AccessAtlanta is spot on:
"While I admit that Shaun Doty is a talented chef, it's too bad that talent didn't get transferred to the operation of his eponymous restaurant. I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance for 8pm on a Saturday night. It was apparent that the hostess didn't have a good handle on the seating because it took us 45 minutes to be seated, even with a reservation. She showed us the table, then walked off. Is it too much to expect a little apology for the wait? Our waiter was apathetic and only mildly efficient. The food was OK, but I was hoping to be "wow-ed," especially by a chef of Doty's caliber. The best part of the meal was the dessert of sticky toffee pudding, but even that was a small portion. Basically, Shaun's is just OK, but I would suggest going during the week. I must say it baffles me why the AJC continuously puts mediocre-to-mildly decent restaurants on their Top 50 List (see Trois...ugh!). This city has so much more to offer."
They really did seem to be in over their heads... but I still think the joint has a lot of potential.
Medill School Of Journalism's Reputation Matters. Period. (Vol. 2)
I had a number of factors converge in the past few days -- a wave of editorials, e-mails and other news -- so I could no longer contain myself. I wrote the following editorial and sent it to the Medill School of Journalism alumni listserv. Here it is:"I'm thoroughly enjoying our discourse on preserving the name and reputation of our beloved Medill School of Journalism... Seems like it's long been simmering, and it makes me proud to be an alum and a subscriber to this listserv. I'm more convinced than ever that Dean Lavine's truncated name and focus change for his Medill is dangerous for the school's place in the J-school universe -- and is coming at precisely the wrong time.
Why?
We are now well into our sixth full year of seeing the maddening machinations of a wholly neutered D.C. press corps, with polite hand raising and (what appear to be) unnecessary allowances for a challenged Commander in Chief; we are constantly seeing journalists put in the line of fire and, some would argue, have been complicit in advancing a single line of rationale as we charged off to a devastating conflict (I am still, to this day, angered by CNN's "TARGET: IRAQ" series in the fall of 2002); and our credibility as a profession as a whole is, shall we say, "peppered" by people of dubious credentials and training.
I'm not writing to make a political statement, quite the contrary, so please don't read it that way. Bottom line: Are you satisfied with the quality of journalism you're seeing, and if not, does that make Lavine's change appropriate? The answer is categorically "No." I'm not surprised for us to have heard from Donna Leff, one of my most prized and memorable Medill professors, due to her leadership on journalistic ethics and law -- a topic that I found gravely lacking in my Medill education. I want us to spend more time on theory and practice, on the "classics," and not be tantalized by how blogs, news feeds and on-demand e-mail have somehow eclipsed the import of traditional reporter training. It's absolutely preposterous.
We also heard from Abe on how we can thankfully count on *at least* keeping the brand name "Medill," due to donors' displeasure. To say I'm relieved is an understatement. To that I'd also add this: we as alums are donors ourselves, and I'm curious if you would hesitate giving back to a school that is seemingly abandoning the very spirit and letter of the journalism law that we signed up for, that many of us are indebted to, both financially and otherwise. I myself will curb all gifts until we re-shift back to what I see is our true purpose.
I've been blogging/getting the word out about this issue for a number of months now, and just recently picked up a Google alert about Jon Friedman, reporter for MarketWatch (where I myself did a rotation at Medill News Service in D.C.), who posted both a written and video editorial on the subject.
The video piece is available here:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1260615388
The editorial, here:
http://tinyurl.com/3b9lpc
Friedman refers to Medill as the "Sellout School of Journalism." I agree.
If an alum, a leader in Internet reporting, is impugning Medill's direction and decision-making to lean more in favor of new media, I'd say it's time to rethink what we're doing. Also, the D.C. Rotation for Medill students is a good litmus: What do our news partners -- from MarketWatch to the Lake County News-Sun in Peoria -- think of this rebranding? (Art Janik's "Clairvoyant Journalism" post last month was dead on the money.) Medill's D.C. Web site also has been stripped of any mention of the word, "journalism." Further, Medill's main Web site now looks like it could be a third-rate cable company's Internet splash page -- not one from a storied, respected institution. Hardly any Northwestern purple, and again, no "Journalism."
One last point: Medill needs the IMC and Journalism arms both separate and strong. I was part of the Magazine sequence (Urban Classroom) at Medill and yet I snagged a long-term, corporate-writing gig through the IMC listserv after graduation. I am proof of the unbelievable connection that both arms of our school have. Dropping the "journalism" is just absolutely the WRONG direction -- it will weaken, and has already weakened, that dual-pronged strength we have embodied for coming up on 100 years. Let's dump the Kool Aid down the drain and return back to what we're known for: real-world, feet-on-the-pavement JOURNALISM. In the coming years we will be called to be even better, more seasoned, at-the-ready professionals in an ever-growing definition of what "journalist" means. If anything, we should redouble our efforts in classic Medill training and not go further down this troubling path."
I've gotten a few great responses -- I'll post them later.
Georgia Drought News Conference Ignored By Atlanta Media
Oct 20 2007 Filed in: Seriously? | Ascribe.net Preview
As you know, I get upset about a great many things... but this is just unbelievable. The Governor of the State of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, just gave a news conference this morning about our state's rapidly disintegrating water supply -- reason enough to declare a state of emergency in a number of our counties. We are taking the Army Corps to court, and Florida and Alabama and threatening action of their own.
But you wouldn't know it because nobody carried it on the air.
Yes, shockingly, NONE of our local affiliates carried this news conference. NONE. The only local news channel who did, in fact, carry a piece of it, was CNN -- which is not local at all. And even with CNN, based here in Atlanta, with the network's Planet in Peril series coming, they themselves did not stay with Perdue's news conference.
We are three months from our taps running dry, in Atlanta and elsewhere, and ABC (WSB-TV), NBC (WXIA) and CBS (WGCL) *ALL* kept children's programming going. WTF?
We are a city of stations who feel beholden to cover the state of Georgia, instead of focusing more on our great city, so this huge omission. Further, our great TV stations cut into prime time when a mattress falls off a truck on I-85, so WHY in God's name would they not cover this?
Outrageous. Somebody correct me and tell me I'm missing something...
But you wouldn't know it because nobody carried it on the air.
Yes, shockingly, NONE of our local affiliates carried this news conference. NONE. The only local news channel who did, in fact, carry a piece of it, was CNN -- which is not local at all. And even with CNN, based here in Atlanta, with the network's Planet in Peril series coming, they themselves did not stay with Perdue's news conference.
We are three months from our taps running dry, in Atlanta and elsewhere, and ABC (WSB-TV), NBC (WXIA) and CBS (WGCL) *ALL* kept children's programming going. WTF?
We are a city of stations who feel beholden to cover the state of Georgia, instead of focusing more on our great city, so this huge omission. Further, our great TV stations cut into prime time when a mattress falls off a truck on I-85, so WHY in God's name would they not cover this?
Outrageous. Somebody correct me and tell me I'm missing something...
Hanson Brings Their A Game To The Roxy In Buckhead
Come hell or high water, I always say.
Not even a suicidal maniac could put the kybosh on this rare nighttime trip to Buckhead. My boys, Hanson, rocked the house at The Roxy.
See below, and enjoy.
Not even a suicidal maniac could put the kybosh on this rare nighttime trip to Buckhead. My boys, Hanson, rocked the house at The Roxy.
See below, and enjoy.
Congratulations To Brenda McMillen For Winning Best In Show!
Oct 16 2007 Filed in: Cool People | Cool Events
ARTvision artist Brenda McMillen recently won Best in Show at a recent exhibit at DeFoor Centre. The piece, pictured here, was purchased by the owner of The Art School in Sandy Springs. Brenda will once again be exhibiting in ARTvision 2007, with at least two pieces. Stay tuned for more. Make sure to send Brenda congrats.
New Stuff Coming Soon!
Oct 15 2007 Filed in: General Posts
Stay tuned for:
-- New movie posts to YouTube
-- An interactive Tunes page with music reviews and other playlist info
-- News about ARTvision 2007, totally redesigned this year; sneak peek coming soon
-- The latest Green Machine post, this week
-- Much, much more!
-- New movie posts to YouTube
-- An interactive Tunes page with music reviews and other playlist info
-- News about ARTvision 2007, totally redesigned this year; sneak peek coming soon
-- The latest Green Machine post, this week
-- Much, much more!
Gunn, Pelosi & Ugly Betty Players Lead A Star Parade In D.C.
(Washington, D.C. ~ 14 October 2007) - The tuxedos and ball gowns came out in full force for HRC's National Dinner, led admirably by Ted Toon and Sarah Booth. What an awesome time!We had the absolute pleasure of sitting with many of Ted's family members, Rolando, as well as other pals Clarke, Sam, Val and Rebecca. The food was tasty, when we weren't glued to the stage -- and since this photog was six feet from keynote speaker Nancy Pelosi and one table from Tim Gunn, I didn't spend very much time eating!
Ken and Dale and Laurice and Rebecca were all within spittin' distance from us, too. So much fun to be amongst so many familiar faces.
The best way to describe the night is as a "peak experience" - where people came together to hear how hard Pelosi has worked from the beginning on representing her San Francisco constituents in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS, as well as many other issues. Even some surprise war protesters could not dull the evening.
Once I saw how close I was to Tim Gunn, I was immediately on a mission to meet him and have a good story to tell Penny -- who is a stalker-level fan of Guide to Style. I treated Pen to a tribute page with a collection of pix from my meeting with Mr. Gunn, who gave me some props for my "cream" colored tuxedo. Thanks to Sam for his great shots of that moment, and to everyone for alerting me to the many other photo opps we had throughout the evening. 
Thanks also to Ted and Rolando for being such spectacular hosts; to Ted's whole family for being so awesome; and to Rolando and Rebecca for asking me to design the program ad. How in the hell did we keep that a secret??For more, visit the Kodak Gallery event pictures, as well as the page I loaded on candids. Movie clips to follow...
Enjoy!
Call For Participation In ARTvision 2007; ASP Named Beneficiary
Oct 11 2007 Filed in: Cool Events | Charity
ARTvision will return for another year with a new focus -- and a new beneficiary. Here's the story:(ATLANTA – 11 October 2007) ARTvision is pleased to announce a second year of its online art and photography benefit, returning in 2007 with a new beneficiary: AIDS Survival Project (ASP). Atlanta's own ASP is a leader in fostering self-empowerment and enhanced quality of life for people living with HIV, working through advocacy, education, peer support and treatment activism.
With a number of other organizations under its umbrella, ASP works throughout the state of Georgia using community-based advocacy and HIV treatment education.
ARTvision is now known as ARTvision Atlanta, with the intent on enhancing global awareness of ASP and to bring attention to the philanthropic spirit and burgeoning growth of our great city.
ARTvision Atlanta's sales will open on December 1st, World AIDS Day, and conclude on December 31, 2007 - punctuated by Will Pollock's Sixth Annual Gourmet Pizza Extravaganza on New Year's Eve.
ARTvision is now in its Call for Participation phase. If you or someone you know would like to donate a piece for this online art show, or know a potential sponsor, please contact Will Pollock or ASP's Craig Eister via e-mail. More details on artists and sales to follow. - Will Pollock
Busting The Dope Rhymes: Hilarity On A Hillbilly Cartoon Date
Oct 10 2007 Filed in: YouTube | The Funnies
Do We Need Science To Compel Us To Take Care Of Planet Earth?
Bollocks. It's all hooey.CNN's Rob Marciano ignited quite a shitstorm a few days ago when he unexpectedly slammed the global view in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Marciano questioned whether or not the strength of recent hurricanes like Katrina could be attributed to global climate change.
CNN apparently got a lot of mail about his comments, and the next day he retreated into neutral territory by examining both sides of the climate crisis argument.
Actually, there's quite a strong anti-climate-change movement out there - in the blogs and elsewhere.And my thought for this Green Machine post is simple. We as Americans can only be responsible for ourselves and live by example... And yet we're notorious for living in excess, lacking in the ability to self-police or self examine.
Seriously: this is actually a call for cultural change, underscored strongly by natural signs. Some of this climate-crisis blowback is, at best, misplaced, since we should be lessening (read: correcting) our impact on the planet regardless of where the facts point us.
Some of these folks espouse contrarian views for the sake of being fancy assholes... on the way to fat ratings. But hey, Fox Noise needs a reason for being, too.
With its forthcoming Planet in Peril series, Rob's comments are, shall we say, against the CNN grain.
In The Electronic Age, Always Remember The Personal Touch
Oct 09 2007 Filed in: Articles
Great piece in the Sunday Times about how e-mail can be misinterpreted... and how a phone call or a drop-by can be the best cure-all. E-mail, the article reads, might be behind much of the miscommunication we have with one another:
"This is becoming more apparent with the emergence of social neuroscience, the study of what happens in the brains of people as they interact. New findings have uncovered a design flaw at the interface where the brain encounters a computer screen: there are no online channels for the multiple signals the brain uses to calibrate emotions."
Shows the irony of the "reach out and touch someone" ads of the past... although I still think that e-communication can be just as powerful, thoughtful and effective when done with care.
(Illustration by Stuart Goldenberg for the NYTimes.)
New Travel Logs & Captures To Follow Shortly
Oct 08 2007 Filed in: New Captures | Travel Blogs
The Rumors Are True
Oct 05 2007 Filed in: The Funnies
Like A Green Neighbor...
Oct 04 2007 Filed in: The Green Machine
A Medill student named Sarah Baicker, working in the position I had at MarketWatch while at Medill, wrote a piece recently on the effect of conservation on neighbors. Since I've started a green renovation of my home in midtown, here are some other changes I've made to help ease our impact on the planet:
-- Kleenex, kitchen towels and other paper products are now 100% recycled
-- Transitioning from standard cleaning products to environmentally sensitive detergents of all kinds (dishwashing, laundry, etc.)
-- Using Atlanta's recycling and reducing landfill waste
If Chicago can do it, anyone can.
I'll post with other conservation methods later on. If you have a unique way that you're conserving, let me know, and I'll put it up!
-- Kleenex, kitchen towels and other paper products are now 100% recycled
-- Transitioning from standard cleaning products to environmentally sensitive detergents of all kinds (dishwashing, laundry, etc.)
-- Using Atlanta's recycling and reducing landfill waste
If Chicago can do it, anyone can.
I'll post with other conservation methods later on. If you have a unique way that you're conserving, let me know, and I'll put it up!
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