HAPPY HALLOWEEN NO. 8…
2130 by Jeff Hess
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…
2030 by Jeff Hess
I’m doing my best to stay on top of events in Myanmar/Burma and it’s not surprising that the best sources are not inside the United States. I’m reading The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC, Irrawaddy, New Mandala and the Asia Times. I’ll daily post a digest of headlines from stories I just couldn’t get to.
Today’s batch includes:
Stumbling through Burma’s new capital
US Senate bill would tighten Myanmar sanctions
Burma army ‘recruiting children’
Commentary: My Burmese experience
Protests of the Burma Buddhists
British MPs called for an investigation into crimes
French Foreign Minister Calls for ‘New Spirit’ in Approach to Burma
Burma: Children Bought and Sold by Army Recruiters
Burma’s uncrowned opium king
Video Dateline: Myanmar:
And from the blogosphere:
Agence France Presse: Oil giant Total should not withdraw
Singapore Distancing Itself From Myanmar – Analysts
Secretary-General: Situation of human rights in Myanmar
Fall of Myanmar junta could lead to ethnic clashes
Myanmar or Burma?
Conservatives dominate parliamentary debate on Burma
Burmese Exile Media on Alert after Crackdown Warning
A Keyhole into Burma – Shwedagon Paya, the mother of all payas
Burma on 30.10.2007
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
MUCKING OUT THE BLOGPILE…
1400 by Jeff Hess
I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is Confessions Of A College Callgirl.
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
THOUGHTS ON JEFF CORYELL AND WIDE OPEN…
1224 by Jeff Hess
A few weeks ago I had lunch with Scott Piepho, Molly Danzinger, Jill Miller Zimon and Jeff Coryell. The Plain Dealer’s Wide Open blog experiment was still in the early stages and we all talked a bit about how the blog might develop. Because I have great respect for both Jill and Jeff I kept most of my comments to myself.
But I did make the observation that the Newspaper Guild might consider them scabs; horning in on beats that ought to go to its members. If Jeff had been a member of the guild he would probably still have his job; except that Jeff would probably not have been hired in the first place because of his overt political positions.
Not too long ago, journalists and newspapers were blatantly partisan. Publishers proudly added the tag Republican, Democrat or Independent to their flag. People read the Santa Rosa Democrat or the Republican American. And that was a good thing. Reporters could work for papers where they not only could takes sides but where their publishers demanded that they do so.
Then came broadcast journalism with its rules and the Fairness Doctrine. And suddenly print media started waving around the banner of objectivity which is really nothing more than a smoke screen used to hide the fact that you don’t really say anything that might offend people who pay your salary, or your publisher’s salary.
Here’s my prediction. The Plain Dealer will do one of two things in the very near future. It will either fold Wide Open because it can’t find a non-conservative blogger in Ohio willing to continue the experiment; or it will continue Wide Open by assigning two reporters to play non-conservative bloggers.
My money is on the former.
And to make it easier to follow the unfolding story, Jeff has a number of posts up today — including Plain Dealer Editor Susan Goldberg’s response.
31 October 2007
FROM THE SANDBOX…
1200 by Jeff Hess
Owen Powell (aka SGT Roy Batty): Golden sunlight dapples through the slender branches of the October trees, gracing the form of the three men in front of me. Their faces may be young but their expressions are those of much older men – frozen, confused, traumatized, as if they have freshly emerged from some shotgun terror hidden in the thin green…
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
WAL-MART WEDNESDAY…
1000 by Jeff Hess
It’s been a busy week in Wally World: the Universe’s source of cheap plastic crap. On The Writing On The Wal — the blog USA Today says should be on its readers’ radar — Jonathan Rees, Robert Feinman, Peter Sayles and I continue our work dedicated to drawing back the curtain on the Bentonvile Behemoth’s corporate disinformation and other flackery.
ILRF TO WAL-MART: STOP LOWERING WAGES… The International Labor Rights Forum released it”s 35-page report today. In Ethical Standards and Working Conditions in Wal-Mart”s Supply Chain, the advocate for the working-poor worldwide, comes to the conclusion that Wal-Mart”s Keep reading…
A BLOND RUNS INTO WAL-MART… A blond was weed-whacking her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat which had been hiding in the grass. Thinking quickly, she scooped up the cat and the detached tail, leaped into her car and rushed the cat and the tail to her nearby Wal-Mart. Keep reading…
CLEVELAND NEEDS MORE RETAILERS… NOT…! One of the No Cleveland Wal-Mart bloggers weighs in on the opening of the Steelyard Commons supercenter and levers another shovel-full of dirt to help bury the silly idea that the strip center represents any kind of growth for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Keep reading…
AND WHEN THE FREEBIES ARE ALL GONE…? How sad it is that the most important number Wal-Mart always quotes when opening a new store is the number of poor, often desperate, people it doesn”t hire. Here in Cleveland it turned away 5,700 souls, give or take a few hundred. But the party went on. Keep reading…
REASON 152 TO NOT BUY A CAKE AT WAL-MART… Thanks Jennifer. Keep reading…
HEY BBC…! HOW MANY OF THESE DO YOU GET…? I love reading our friend BBC American”s Five Finger Friday posts where he chronicles the after effects of shoplifting shrinkage at his store. I think a man in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, however, may have fallen to a new abyss with his alcoholic foray at his local Wal-Mart. Keep reading…
WAL-MART JUST SAYS NO TO DRUG AGENTS… This tale of Wal-Mart refusing to take part in a program to catch drug criminals making methamphetamine could convince you to stand up and cheer Wal-Mart”s championing of our civil liberties. But saying Wal-Mart and civil liberties together made me gag. Keep reading…
WORLD WRECKING… ONE ECONOMY AT A TIME… Napoleon was a piker at World domination compared to the Bentonville-Beijing Axis of Evil. Facing lackluster sales in the United States, Wal-Mart has followed its suppliers off-shore and established beachheads in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Keep reading…
AT THE WALLY PLEX… There are sound stages on Hollywood”s back lots smaller than Bentonvile”s behemoths, so it”s no surprise that budding video talent has been sneaking cameras in at odd hours. And now for the midnight show at the Wally Plex featuring MayorMichaelShell. Keep reading…
SO WHY ISN”T OHIO ON THE LIST…? Yesterday as I was reading Pallavi Gogoi”s story on Wal-Mart and local taxes, I began to wonder why it was that my home state of Ohio wasn”t on the list of states where Wal-Mart has ramped up its political contributions in shrink its corporate tax bill. Keep reading…
BUY FOOD FROM WAL-MART SIGHT UNSEEN…? My favorite gnome asked the question yesterday at Blogging Stocks: Can even Wal-Mart succeed at online grocery shopping? It”s a great question because, as Brian writes: it would mean entering largely failed waters. Keep reading…
A ROLEX…? IN WAL-MART…? OH COME ON… I know I”m going to catch grief for posting this, but I can”t resist. Years and years ago a business associate had his Rolex watch stolen by a prostitute in Las Vegas, a not uncommon occurrence he later discovered. And, of course, he lied about it. Keep reading…
A FEW PAGES FROM THE EDELMEN PLAYBOOK…? Keep watching…
WHAT IS WAL-MART”S AIR EXCHANGE RATE…? No. I”m not talking about the low, low price for air at Wal-Mart. I”m talking about how many times a day the volume of air inside a Wal-Mart is exchanged with (relatively) fresh air from out side the building. Do Wal-Mart”s even cycle in fresh air? Keep reading…
WHERE WAL-MART FOOD GOES TO DIE… Have you ever wondered what happens to Wal Mart foods after they pass their expiration dates? A story on Sina suggests that in China the food ends up on the shelf in local grocery stores. Without Wal-Mart”s approval, of course. From ChinaCSR: Keep reading…
BREAKING THE CHAINS OF CREDIT… A free copy of The Funny Times landed in my mailbox yesterday. I was an early reader, but I let my subscription lapse during a period when money and reading time were tight. I was pleased to see that the monthly still gives Americans something to laugh with. Keep reading…
WAY NO. 18 TO SAY NO TO BIG BOXES… Organizations around the world are setting aside a single day, Saturday, 17 November for groups, communities and individuals lto make their voices heard in the fight… to end practices that violate communities, hurt farmers and workers and degrade the environment. Keep reading…
WATCHDOGS GET YOUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER… A couple of weeks ago I gave Wal-Mart some credit for getting out in front of yet another dangerous toy recall. But they didn”t get it quite right, at least according to the United States Product Safety Commission. Keep reading…
IS ALCOHOL RECESSION PROOF…? Ho hum. Another Wal-Mart applied for and received another liquor license from another city. Big whoop, right? I thought so too at first, but then I read down deeper in the Buffalo Reflex piece and stopped to re-read the fifth paragraph. Keep reading…
CHINA… WAL-MART… $4 GENERICS… HMMM…? More than a year ago Wal-Mart announced its $4 generic drug plan and after reading the news this morning I realized that I never asked a question that I should have back then: who is manufacturing the drugs that Wal-Mart is selling so cheaply. Keep reading…
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
FROM MY DAD…
0800 by Jeff Hess
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
FROM MY CHAPBOOK…
0400 by Jeff Hess
My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.
This is a passage I copied from Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the border between science and spirituality by John Horgan.
Fritjof “Capra has apparently backed away from the implications of The Tao of Physics [“that modern physics has rediscovered mystical truths embodied in Hinduism and Buddhism.”]. In his essay Science and Mysticism (in Paths Beyond Ego, edited by Roger Walsh) Capra rejected the notion that modern science is “merely rediscovering ancient wisdom, known to the Eastern sages for thousands of years.”
There can be no synthesis between modern science and mysticism, he declared, because the two approaches are entirely different and at best complimentary.” p. 15
31 October 2007
31 October 2007
TIME POWER: TODAY…
0001 by Jeff HessToday, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: As you lay the basis for goal setting, consider these two basic principles of human action: first, we gravitate toward our comfort zones, and second, when we can”t get to our comfort zones, we recreate them. p. 50
30 October 2007
MY COMMENTS…
2102 by Jeff Hess
Part of being a good citizen of the blogosphere is visiting, reading and, most importantly, taking the time to leave a comment on other’s blogs. It’s all about the conversation. In the interest of setting an example I’ve decided to link to those blog posts that have compelled me to leave a comment.
2101 BREAKING: Congressman LaTourette Gets Blogger Fired
0936 Explain it: Crude futures@$93.53/barrel
0933 Field trip! Details for dinner and Diane
30 October 2007
GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…
2030 by Jeff HessI’m doing my best to stay on top of events in Myanmar/Burma and it’s not surprising that the best sources are not inside the United States. I’m reading The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC, Irrawaddy, New Mandala and the Asia Times. I’ll daily post a digest of headlines from stories I just couldn’t get to.
Today’s batch includes:
Battle to beat Burma junta’s siege mentality
Anti-corruption campaigner from Ireland elected to TI Board
Egat urged to assess impact of Burma dams
Burma protest targets petrol station
Any change in Burma is change for the better
Bishop Wester urges prayers for Myanmar (Burma), and Darfur
French FM Proposes Fund to Push Democratic Change in Burma
The Fish that Saved Burma
Burma’s status quo cannot continue
Tycoon close to Myanmar junta not feeling sanctions
Debate over tourism to Myanmar
Myanmar Junta Denounces US As ‘Bully’
BiTEX To Market E-Learning System To Myanmar
South Africa: SA Welcomes Myanmar Developments
South Africa: Myanmar Frees Protesters Ahead of UN Visit
Chevron to Keep `Commitment’ to Myanmar Project, O’Reilly Says
Fear Limits Internet Use In Myanmar
The loss of Myanmar’s democratic voice
France Suggests Incentives for Myanmar
Video Dateline: Myanmar:
And from the blogosphere:
Burma Update: October 29, 2007
Burma on 28.10.2007
Any change in Burma is change for the better
A Keyhole into Burma – You’ve got something on your face
Singapore: A Web of Cash, Power, and Cronies
Better late than never
France’s Kouchner proposes Myanmar “incentive” fund
French official proposes microcredit fund for Myanmar
Will Sanctions Be Enough for Myanmar?
JAPAN: Signatures sought to sway Myanmar
30 October 2007
MUCKING OUT THE BLOGPILE…
1400 by Jeff HessI’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is A Glass And A Half Full Production.
30 October 2007
FROM THE SANDBOX…
1200 by Jeff HessEddie: Today started off with me waking up at 0700 in the morning. Considering I have not been working, and have nothing to do but waste away on the internet or playing games or watching movies, my sleep schedule has been all wacked and I have been staying up late. Late last night/this morning my old squad leader came back in off of leave. The reason I…
