'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
Internet Safety Month
By Baron Dave Romm
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Science, Politics and Solutions
Shockwave
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Internet Safety Month
I was alerted by Farhad Manjoo: The U.S. Senate says the Internet is very dangerous salon.com June 7, 2007 (requires Premium membership):
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring June as National Internet Safety Month.
It's easy to make fun of this. I'm going to do my share. (Kids only "spend an hour online each week"? A major victory!) Is any senator going to vote against the Prevent Bad Things From Happening To Our Children Act? But let's not let the senators' cluelessness mask the real problems on the net. There are spammers, viruses, predatory loan sharks, pedophiles, religious cults and worse available to anyone with an internet connection and a computer.
But why now? I don't see the problems as appreciably different than 10 years ago. Or even 20 years ago, pre-web. I might argue that the net is far safer now than a few years ago: Many of the legal issues surrounding accountability have been dealt with, watchdog groups abound, and kids aren't quite so clueless as their parents think, and most parents know to keep a watchful eye on their kids' computer use. Maybe parents can't shield a kid from "inappropriate material" such as nekkid ladies, but watching inappropriate videos in their room at night is a whole different ball game then surreptitiously going to see an adult they've only met online. Because we know more, and many parents grew up in the computer age, I would argue that the percent of problems is way down, even as the raw numbers show that the problems still exist. We are a victim of our own success.
The danger for kids on the net is real and can't be ignored, but it's of the same type as the danger at school, in the park or at a family reunion. Parents need to keep an eye on their kids, and kids need to know about the Real World (tm).
So... why Internet Safety Month, why now when the problems are fewer?
Part of the assault on the net, I think, is the continuing effort to regulate the internet. Congress, especially the conservatives, have been trying to control the net for a long time. The same right-wingers who want government out of regulating business and insist that people can bring automatic weapons into church also want the government to prevent people from using the net without restrictions. From the debate over Network Neutrality, as Congress Poised to Unravel the Internet to the lawsuits generated when Congress did the bidding of the RIAA and ratified royalty rates for webcasters.
Congress cares less about children than about control over what they don't understand
The regulation is very selective. Congress may consider mandatory ISP snooping but the partisans in Congress don't bat an eye when the Vice President orders his e-mails to be destroyed. This flip-flopping by Republicans demonstrates just which side their bread is buttered. Ah, but Republicans understand corruption and arrogance. They don't understand freedom of speech.
There are people who are fighting smoking bans, and smoking kills more children than the net ever will. We still drive cars, which kill more children than the net ever will. If saving children were paramount, the ban on assault rifles would have been extended.
No one disputes that parents need to oversee the activities of their children, but some things are more dangerous than others. Some of the dangers are best left to Congress and some best handled at home.
Trying to regulate the net is part of the larger effort to control information
The mainstream media is failing at its appointed task. The right-wing is trying to gain control of all media outlets. This isn't a secret plot; they've been whining about their lack of total control for decades, and arrogantly preen when the ultra-conservative Fox "News" gains in the ratings.
The effort to destroy the credibility of the news media is nearly complete. Lies, Signs and Politics, commondreams.com archive of a Paul Krugman NYTimes article, June 8, 2007:
The mainstream media is astonishingly partisan, totally in the pocket of the sphincter conservatives. Here is an analysis from Devilstower on DailyKos, as reporters ask presidential candidates The Wrong Question. CNN and others news sources constantly harp on "Islamic Jihads" while ignoring the Christian Crusades in this country. Frederick Clarkson on DailyKos, What's Really Scary (at least to me). The religious right does not believe in the world G_d created, and bears false witness to American History, as detailed by Liars For Jesus.
It will get worse before it gets better
The US has always had A Thing for celebrity. Fame is royalty, or something. Our lives are so boring and tedious that we have to live vicariously. The pain and suffering of You Know Who and You Know Who Else is, gosh darn it, fun to watch. Entertainment news is news of a sort, but chronicling the rise and fall of the rich and famous is not actual journalism.
One of the ways that you can tell a society is on the decline is how we report on Nero while Rome burns. We rarely associate Nero with the first Jewish-Roman War (ending in the siege of Masada) or any of the military and political machinations of running the Roman Empire; we remember the salacious bits. (Do you really want your children to know about Roman orgies? Why doesn't the Senate pass a resolution declaring a Roman History Safety Month?) American media have been so cowed by the ultra right that they don't honor our fallen soldiers by showing flag draped coffins and have to carefully pick and choose to air the two sentences Bush Lite doesn't screw up.
Real news is not covered for the sake of celebrity hissy fits and Republican talking points. This is why supposedly "free market, anti-regulation" conservatives are so intent on stifling the internet. Not that everything on the net is true or even worthy -- Sturgeon's Law applies -- but real information sometimes squeaks through the noise and that's a major threat.
The scandalous decline of journalism is a continuing story, and I haven't come down from my soapbox yet.
Want Ad: Media Consultant in the Bay Area
My former uncle Dr. Arthur Lipow is starting The Institute for Peace and Democracy in the San Francisco area. They have the brainpower, but they lack media savvy. I spoke to him about various aspects, and it's clear they need a Media Consultant in the area. This is still in the formative stages, and I don't know payscale or time involved, and I'm guessing the qualifications are along these lines:
If you are such a person, or know anyone who might be interested, let me know and I'll pass it on. This is still in the talking stage, but I'd like to make connections as soon as possible.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
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Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Michael Mandel: The Real Cost Of Offshoring (businessweek.com)
U.S. data show that moving jobs overseas hasn't hurt the economy. Here's why those stats are wrong.
Jenny Sherwin: Meet the Boys of Gay Radio (afterelton.com)
The hosts of Sirius OutQ talk about their shows.
Alonso Duralde: Movie marathon (advocate.com)
For the month of June, Turner Classic Movies celebrates Pride by airing a treasure trove of gay films.
"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert": Sand, Sequins and Song (afterelton.com)
The beloved gay film is just out in a special "Extra Frills" DVD.
Malinda Lo: Interview With Donna Deitch (afterellen.com)
The director of "Desert Hearts" on the classic film and its long-awaited sequel.
Shauna Swartz: Where Are They Now? The Women of "Desert Hearts" (afterellen.com)
The lead actors look back at making a lesbian classic.
scribegrrrl: The AfterEllen.com Hot 100 List (afterellen.com)
Let's face it: Maxim doesn't cater to lesbians. ... How is our list different from Maxim's? Eight of the top 10 women on our list aren't mentioned anywhere on the Maxim list (Angelina Jolie and Lena Headey are the exceptions), and only four of the women who made Maxim's top 10 (Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel and Lindsay Lohan) appear somewhere on the AfterEllen.com list.
Funny MasterCard Commercial (youtube.com)
Funny Bud Light Commercial (youtube.com)
Another Funny Bud Light Commercial (youtube.com)
Funny Budweiser Commercial (youtube.com)
Hubert's Poetry Corner
OLEB and the Curse of George W
Justice in reversing injustice?
Reader Comment
Hey Hamburger Dude
Hey Hamburger Dude!
Who Got E.Coli in my Ground Beef ?
(And My Pets Food, Chicken, Pork, Spinach, and Peanut Butter)
Meat Supplier Expands Beef Recall to 5.7 Million Pounds in 11 States Over E. Coli Concerns
David Goldman, acting administrator of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection
Service, announced on Saturday that the recall would be expanded to
include products with sell-by dates from April 6 to April 20. The beef,
sold in 11 Western states, was distributed by California-based United Food
Group LLC.
Customers with questions about the recall can call United Food Group's hot
line at 1-800-325-4164. Those with recalled products should either throw
the product away or return it to the point of purchase for a refund. Source: USA Today
Marty, We've been to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Web Sight
and discovered a fun "An Activity Book for You to Color"
So while you're having Bloody Diarrhea and Dying of Kidney Failure, you
can Fondly Remember The Weekend Barbecue, The USDA Bush Cronies & Budget Cuts!
KevKev
in Arizona
Thanks, KevKev!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Mostly sunny, and a bit on the cool side.
Urges People To Vote
Spike Lee
Spike Lee, screening his documentary about Hurricane Katrina, urged people to vote to ensure government functions better in the future than it did after the deadly storm.
Lee, who attended New Haven's annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas, showed his Peabody Award-winning 2006 HBO documentary, "When the Levees Broke: a Requiem in Four Acts."
"It was a fiasco, a mockery on the local, state and federal levels, and once again, Americans got hornswoggled, led astray, bamboozled," he said. "And too many people have died so we all have the right to vote. Never tell anyone your vote doesn't matter."
Spike Lee
Tells Of Last Night
Yoko Ono
John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment after deciding he wanted to return home to see his son rather than go out for dinner, Yoko Ono said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
"We were returning from the studio, and I said: 'Should we go and have dinner before we go home?' and John was saying, 'No, lets go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep.' And it was like he wasn't sure if we would get home before he (Sean) went to sleep and he was concerned about that."
Ono, 74, the wife of the late Beatle, made the comment on "Desert Island Discs," the British Broadcasting Corp. radio program that interviews famous people and plays their favorite songs.
She said Lennon uttered no dying words when he was shot and killed by deranged fan Mark Chapman outside their Dakota apartment building in Manhattan on Dec. 8, 1980.
Yoko Ono
Rose Parade Grand Marshal
Emeril Lagasse
Emeril Lagasse will spice up next year's Rose Parade.
The celebrity chef will serve as grand marshal of the traditional New Year's Day parade and toss the coin before the Rose Bowl football game, it was announced Friday.
"Emeril Lagasse is the very best ambassador for our theme, 'Passport to the World's Celebrations,'" said C.L. Keedy, president of the Tournament of Roses. "Food is an integral part of celebrations and traditions around the world, and Emeril is a master at bringing us all a taste of the fun and excitement through his culinary skill and creativity."
Emeril Lagasse
What They Reveal
Blogging Celebs
A number of celebrities have taken up the keyboard to blog to their fans and loyal readers. This digital skip over the velvet rope - a leap into public discourse rather than shrouded publicist-released statements - has offered a new perspective of the famous.
Mark Cuban. The entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner blogs at Blogmaverick.com, where he spouts on everything from YouTube's future to NBA refereeing. Cuban, known for his outspokenness, has sometimes appeared clownish in his courtside conniptions. His blog entries are typically combative, but he's frequently spot on; you don't become a billionaire by being dumb.
David Byrne. The former Talking Heads frontman has long had one of the best blogs on the Web. He's very consistent in posting his thorough, well-written entries on DavidByrne.com; expect a large diet of music, biking and modern art. What makes Byrne's blog especially enjoyable, though, is how he shines through - like us - as a fan. If he goes to an excellent concert or museum exhibit, he returns to his computer bursting at the seams to discuss and analyze it.
Miranda July. The multi-hyphenate July, an author, filmmaker, artist and musician, has increasingly used the Web as an outlet for her seemingly boundless creativity. While she does post entries on MirandaJuly.com, the reason she's on this list is because of the site for her new book, the title of which is in the Web address: noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com. The whole site is a series of messages written on her refrigerator.
Jeff Bridges. The star of such films as "The Big Lebowski" and "Fearless" has only hinted at his doodling abilities in movies like "The Door in the Floor," in which he played a children's-book author. But his posts on JeffBridges.com, aren't typed. Instead, they're brilliantly colorful drawings that announce his new projects or make various recommendations to fans.
Blogging Celebs
Too Ancient To Revisit Brideshead
Aloysius
At the ripe old age of 100, Aloysius is too weary to revisit Brideshead -- but one of the world's most famous teddy bears may consider a cameo appearance.
Aloysius gained iconic status as the teddy bear clutched by effete Oxford student Sebastian Flyte in the 1981 television adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh classic "Brideshead Revisited."
Now, with a remake of Brideshead being filmed, stardom could beckon again -- if age does not catch up with him.
"He is in good spirits but is getting on in years and really looks like a centenarian," said Ian Pout, owner of the Teddy Bear Museum in Witney, where Aloysius resides.
Aloysius
Says Guantanamo Should Be Closed
Colin Powell
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay for foreign terrorism suspects should be immediately closed and its inmates moved to the United States.
"Guantanamo has become a major, major problem ... in the way the world perceives America and if it were up to me I would close Guantanamo not tomorrow but this afternoon ... and I would not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system," Powell told NBC's Meet the Press.
"Essentially, we have shaken the belief the world had in America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission. We don't need it and it is causing us far more damage than any good we get for it," he added.
Colin Powell
Says Race Involved In Tax Charges
Wesley Snipes
Actor Wesley Snipes is a victim of "unscrupulous tax advice" and is being selectively targeted for prosecution on federal tax evasion charges because he is black, his attorneys argue in a motion to dismiss the indictment.
In a June 4 motion to dismiss the indictment, Snipes' attorneys argue that prosecutors filed additional tax evasion charges against him and not against two other defendants because they are "Caucasian, while Mr. Snipes is African-American."
The Oct. 17 indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. The star of the "Blade" trilogy and other films also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.
Wesley Snipes
Washington Court Will Hear Suits
Vaccine
A special court that will pit scientists against activists in the debate over whether vaccines have caused autism in many children begins hearings on Monday with the first test case, involving a 12-year-old Arizona girl.
More than 4,800 cases are pending, filed by parents who believe their children have autism that was caused by vaccines. The little-known U.S. Court of Federal Claims has set up an omnibus hearing in Washington, D.C., with the first case expected to last three weeks.
No judges but instead three "special masters" will hear the test cases. They are Denise Vowell, a former U.S. Army chief trial judge; Patricia Campbell-Smith, a former environmental lawyer and clerk at the Federal Claims Court; and George Hastings a former tax claims expert at the Department of Justice.
Vaccine
Congo Rangers Treat Orphan Gorilla
Ndakasi
National park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are battling to save a 2-month-old gorilla found clinging to its dead mother, who was shot dead through the back of the head, conservationists said on Sunday.
"She's more or less OK. It is certainly a worrying situation, but not hopeless," Paulin Ngobobo, senior warden in eastern Congo's Virunga National Park, told Reuters from the city of Goma where he is looking after the female infant.
He said the young mountain gorilla, born on April 15 and named Ndakasi by conservationists, had accepted baby formula from a feeding bottle. Mountain gorillas usually suckle for up to three years in the wild.
Only 700 mountain gorillas survive in the wild, more than half of them in Virunga.
Ndakasi
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