Here are some remedies offered this morning from a few local bloggers.
To Ease The Pain
I haven't smoked pot in many years, but I believe I would be a lot healthier if I smoked a joint for my rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, ruptured discs in my neck and anxiety than the prescribed medicines I take for these conditions. [If A Joint Had Pfizer Written On The Side, Pot Would Be Legal - Sharon Cobb - 07-25-06]
To Protect Yourself
It almost smells like black jelly beans, but not as strong and not sweet. At least on me, that's what it smells like. I didn't notice that smell at all in the jar. In the jar, it smells slightly of baby oil. [The Protection Oil - Tiny Cat Pants - 07-25-06]
To Strengthen Family
I pick my son up from daycare, we go home and I take him out of his car seat and for 15 minutes we just sit in the bed and talk and talk and talk. He wil giggle,coo, giggle some more and just stare at me. It is 15 minutes that make the highlight of my day, every day. [The Best 15 Minutes - Big Joe On The Go - 07-25-06]
To Save Teenage Girls
As threatened, Billie Frist will hold a senate vote today on the Child Custody Protection Act, aka the Teen Endangerment Act. If the Teen Endangerment Act passes, it will be a federal crime for someone other than a parent to accompany a teen, in search of an abortion, across a state border - unless the teen has complied with onerous state parental-involvement laws. [Frist Hopes To Endanger Teen Girls - Tennessee Guerilla Women - 07-25-06]
Just a few posts from local bloggers I found myself reading all the way through. Oh, if posts had calories!
To B. or Not To B. - Y'all, can I tell you something stupid and you promise not to laugh? I'm a little scared. I'm used to my life being at a certain level of shittiness, where we can't have things too nice or do things too nice or be too nice to each other or it's like we're tempting the gods to squat down and take the biggest shit on us they can. [I'm Not COmplaining, But I'm Disconcerted - Tiny Cat Pants - 07-24-06]
MySpace Stalker - You see, I've developed a routine. I ignore her 4 to 5 calls every other night, and then, the next morning, I delete her 2 to 3 myspace emails without reading them. (Myspace email allows the sender to see whether their message has been read or is unread.) This morning, I logged in and I see that she has this picture as her new profile picture. Today's subject line: HELLLLLLO??? [Myspace Down, Again - Thursday Night Fever - 07-24-06]
Are You Ready? - Steven are you ready? Are you ready for your new life covered in the precious blood of the Lamb? Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? [The Baptism - The-Skew - 07-24-06]
Here is another nice picture from Kerry Woo's blog featuring a few local bloggers that got together at the Mothership yesterday. Kerry is a really neat guy. If you ever sit under Rod Stewart's ass at the corner table in the front room of the Mothership, you can thank Kerry Woo. The life size promotional piece is from Kerry's days in the record business. ThisIsSmyrna has a roundup. Malia was there, too. Since I didn't bring my camera, I'm hoping to find a pic of her in some other posts that I can use to edit her in like the Aflac duck.
I found this pic posted over at Kerry Woo's blog. Kerry saw us yapping yesterday on his way to grab a drink and snapped it. That's me holding a half-eaten rib in my hand. I got priorities.
I expected a bit of smoke, but I didn't quite know what I was in for. My condo totally filled with a white fog, the kind that thick rich white smoke that elects popes. I left the pan on the stove and went to open the front and back doors to ventilate the house. Abbydog, being the smart dog that she is used this opportunity to liberate herself out the front door, only looking back after she got outside to wonder if she was going to have to pull a Lassie and go ask for help. [Inspired by the Funkenswine... - TimMorgan.com - 07-19-06]
Why don't media outlets treat bloggers with a scoop like any concerned citizen? Behind a post by Bill Hobbs today is a story of media picking and chosing when bloggers are regular citizens and when they are competing media.
A Nashville blogger nailed the campaign manager for the Bob Clement for Mayor campaign for setting up several political action committees to allow individual donors to give more to the Clement campaign than allowed to individually by law. The Nashville City Paper is doing a good job following up on the blogger's scoop, with stories Wednesday and Thursday - but a terrible job crediting the blog with the original scoop. [Credit Where Credit is Due - Bill Hobbs - 07-20-06]
Suzanne Marie Collins is dead and forgotten. You remember Suzanne, don't you: she was murdered by the man Wayne Christeson of the Nashville Scene would rather you mourn.
Sedley Alley is dead and forgotten. You do remember Sedley, don't you: the most recent casualty of the State of Tennessee's death apparatus at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. But it seems that no matter how heinous a man is, he shouldn't just disappear un-remarked and, even, un-mourned. He was a child of God, after all, and a complex human being. [Dead Man Talking - Pith In The Wind - 07-19-06]
More about the victim, Suzanne Marie Collins, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps.
Suzanne Marie Collins may now rest in peace. Her vile murderer has finally been put to death by the State of Tennessee for the brutal and terrible crime that he inflicted on this fine young woman. [Arlington National Cemetary Website - Suzanne Marie Collins - 07-28-06]
Wikipedia
Suzanne Collins was the daughter of Jack and Trudy Collins. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia. [Suzanne Marie Collins - Wikipedia]
[UPDATE 2:02PM]: A commenter claiming to be Sedley Alley's sister has a message for the Nashville Scene.
I am Sedley Alley"s sister. I loved him, but he was guilty. Sedley told me "I killed her." His sentenced was the death penalty. The ANTI"S need to grow up and get a cause that will help the world.
Ms. Collin's family have suffered enough. [BRENDA HOFFMAN (07.20.2006, 11:36 AM)]
Nashville Scene's blog Pith In The Wind was viciously attacked this morning by an annonymous commenter. The studied drive-by in reaction to Pith In The Wind's post pointing out grammatical errors on Bob Mueller's WKRN blog is excerpted below.
Why don't you assign Willy Stern to do another blistering investigative piece on spelling errors in local news blogs? Or, even better, take this opportunity to quit pointing the finger at other publications/news outlets and start fixing the rampant misspellings, grammatical errors and content in your own paper which is rapidly becoming a shitty yuppie lifestyle rag. The Scene definitely doesn't represent the Nashville I know and love as it once did. [why (07.19.2006, 10:24 AM) - Pith In The Wind comments]
Here are some posts that I found myself reading all the way through this morning. I guess that means I should share them with you.
I think too often the meaning of the word "journalism" is needlessly debated by bloggers, and about bloggers. I actually am a journalist, but what I do here is not journalism -- except when it is. I don't lie. I express opinions. I'm transparent in my motives and relationships. When I'm just passing on gossip, I admit it. But the reason this weblog exists and the reason I post to it has more to do with telling stories than about journalism -- unless you want to debate the meaning of the word, and I don't. [Why people blog: - Rexblog - 07-19-06]
God says it’s a no-no - Sure, maybe God did. But he also said I shouldn’t eat shrimp, that I should sacrifice a bull upon the altar of God, and that it’s OK to sell my daughter into slavery. Well, I eat shrimp, don’t sacrifice bulls and would die or kill before selling my daughter off. [More Gay Cooties In Tennessee - Say Uncle - 07-19-06]
US Senate candidate Bob Corker released the results of an internal poll that he released to supporters last week that shows him with a commanding lead in the race to replace Bill Frist. The poll showed Bob Corker with 46% of the vote, Ed Bryant 24% and Van Hilleary 17%. The poll of 600 likely Republican primary voters was conducted by Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies on July 10-11, 13. The margin of error is ±4.0%. [Corker Releases Poll / Attack Ads - TNPoliticsBlog - 07-19-06]
Fuck me, it's hot out. Already. Mrs. Wigglebottom and I came back from our walk and both just had to stand in front of the air vent and let the coolness blow on us. [The Weather - Tiny Cat Pants - 07-19-06]
S-townMike deleted my "Steve Gill" comment. I guess people have the right to delete comments from their blogs. I personally have never done it in 6 years of blogging for reasons well known to regulars. For the first time, one of my comments has been deleted from a local Nashville blog.
First, an excerpt of s-townmike's rant about WKRN hiring conservative commentator Steve Gill as a pundit:
07/16/2006 12:30 a.m. Update: Steve Gill's first evening commentary on Friday pretty much confirmed my concerns of a drift to the right at News 2. His knee-jerk, Israel-right-or-wrong stance was the typical neoconservative red meat we've seen thrown around by the right for years. [More on the WKRN-Gill Marriage - Enclave - 07-14-06]
My deleted comment:
Mike, keep watching. You might be able to get a great quote or two down the road to confirm that Gill is, indeed, a conservative.
At some point critics have to understand how they willingly promote an opposing opinion. Any criticism that WKRN is hiring conservative voices might be taken seriously if it constructively offered suggested alternative voices for conservative principles. I doubt that will come from people dead set on there being no conservative voices.
[UPDATE 4:26PM]: S-townmike has restored my comment.
[UPDATE 7:42PM]: "I never deleted your comment." S-townmike explains in comments.
It's that time of the something or another when I scour the blogroll and think to myself: Do I REALLY read this blog, or am I trying to make people think I do? I've decided it's so Y2K to list blogs I don't really read. So, the list has shrunk to fit my true taste (OK, I DO have some more pruning to do today).
I've added a few local blogs I found myself frequenting a lot over the past few weeks. I'm sure I'll add more, but for now, check out the local ones I added. Are there others I should be reading if I like these?
While the sprinkler runs up our water bill this morning, I was shocked, SHOCKED, to read these things on the blogs this morning.
The citizen journalist is a myth. You are either a journalist or you are not and theoretically we are all citizens of the web. [The myth of the citizen journalist - Pontiff - 07-17-06]
Is Kleinheider an actual journalist?
He's getting paid by WKRN, which implies paid journalist. And as such, where is the fine line between journalism and blogging, and can these two means of communication be fully merged? [TV On The Fritz - A Rebutal - 07-17-06]
And frankly, I'm tired of the 'let's see what blogger we can run out of the blogosphere' bullshit that seems to bubble up here in Nashville every four or five months. First Brittney, then Bill Hobbs. Is this the first rumblings of something similar against Kleinheider? [In Defense of Kleinheider, Kind Of - Tiny Cat Pants - 07-17-06]
I saw this story and went bonkers. I wanted to drive to Cookeville, post their bail, drag them outside and just beat them with a big stick, over and over and over. I could not believe that these two complete dirtballs would or could do something like this. Kids right there, and you are in the kitchen making meth? [Mad, Mad, Mad, and Mad - Big Joe On The Go - 07-18-06]
Dorky, sanitized, controlled and unhip as it may be, Wal-Mart will learn more than other marketers who aren't trying things like this. (Wait. Was that me who just said something positive about Wal-Mart?). [My Wal-Mart Space: - Rexblog - 07-18-06]
No offense to the V.P., but isn’t that soft on terror? One percent? Shouldn’t it be a zero percent doctrine? I mean even if there’s NO chance that someone’s a threat to the United States, and they just look at us funny, shouldn’t we just--[beats a fist into his palm]--tag ‘em?
The problem with evidence is that it doesn’t always support your opinion...That’s what the Vice President was protecting us from...If we waited we wouldn’t have invaded...we would have tripped over our preparedness. [Colbert to Suskind: We Need a ‘Zero Percent Doctrine’- TruthDig - 07-13-06]
Bob Corker is put-together and adult. Van is a whiny child who appears to be running for student body president. And Ed…I like Ed, but it was almost as if he wasn’t there.
"I am very excited about becoming a part of the WKRN team," Gill said. "With the station's video journalists expanding the boundaries of local news, their emphasis on the emerging blogosphere and the aggressive approach to telling the important stories that affect our communities, WKRN is poised to dramatically shake up the local news business."
John Hutcheson of SalemsLot doesn't get President Bush's threat of a veto on funding stem cell research.
I understand opposition to abortion. I understand the implications of eugenic tampering and why that should give us more than pause. What I will never understand is why anyone would be opposed to using stem cells that would otherwise be discarded and derived solely from embryos DONATED by fertilization clinics in excess of need.
I'm so glad that WKRN is starting to make they're station cool again, I believe that it has alot to do with my MANIFESTO that I wrote back in the spring!!
TV On The Fritz is not happy with the new faculty advisor for MTSU's student paper.
Who knew that this new era of journalistic geniuses have trouble spelling the obscure phrase, "law suite?"
BuzzMachine has Fred Graver's take on the demise of Rocketboom. Graver is executive producer of VH-1's Best Week Ever.
And at this point, I freeze the image on the screen and ask you all… how is this different from anything we’ve seen in the past 300 years of show business? If you’re having ANY trouble understanding what’s going on here, read Trav S. D.’s brilliant history of vaudeville, “No Applause, Just Throw Money.” The phrase “Hit the bricks, kid, I got a million of you” was born at the same tame as the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen, on with the show.”
A video camera and an Internet connection do not a reporter make. But the same can be said of a journalism degree. What matters is nerve, scruple and a willingness to look where no one else will—and to keep looking when everyone else says move on. WKRN’s experiment—not just paying vloggers but its whole new approach to journalism—may well flop. But if it pays off, we’ll suddenly see our city through many new eyes.
This is the first film for producer David Letterman, who is maybe the biggest Amy Sedaris fan in the world. Here's her recent visit to his show to promote her new movie. It's hilarious
The Internets and cable were down this morning. It was weird having coffee without them, almost like having a little vacation ... where you went by yourself and just found out they don't have the Internets.
A little caffeine, Google Reader says, "Hello," and all of a sudden...
Meredith says she's too old for the American Idol auditions coming soon.
There goes that career option...guess I'm stuck with marrying rich.
The 80's glam band Poison was in town last night and me and Nashville's newest celebrity, Greg from Buffalo Billiards (we made up) went to see them. For one night, I was 18 again.
If you people want to be pissy about insensitive and offensive humor, I'm your huckleberry. Let's get some panties in a wad.
TENNESSEE GUERILLA WOMEN has a roundup of rightwing news
In Dean's words, "[T]hey're very aggressive in their effort to pursue and help their authority figure out or authority beliefs out. They will do whatever needs to be done in many regards. They will blindly follow."
The Citizen Kane of racist animation is undoubtedly Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs. This classic cartoon is one of the Censored Eleven. I think there are more than just eleven cartoons that have been yanked due to having wildly offensive sequences, but these eleven are the big ones.
I suppose Christian then is OK with the notion of denying rights to gays. I mean to do otherwise would be to not care for the actions taken by the majority, as represented by their elected officials. Right?
Chip Manor, who is a local school bus driver in real life, recounts how one of the kids on his route recently lost her father.
On their way home, someone pulled out in front or sideswiped the motorcycle and seriously injured the dad, and the girl. The two were taken to Stonecrest here in Smyrna, then the dad was lifeflighted to Vanderbilt while the girl was driven to childrens hospital. Sometime yesterday morning, the dad was pronounced dead.
The state of Tennessee announced yesterday that the state's tax revenue surplus will be significantly larger than the $300 million surplus the governor and legislature raced to spend just two months ago. So far, online one news media outlet in the state thought that was newsworthy - the Memphis Business Journal, which regurgitated the press release on its website.
A few responses to this post and associated videos of vicious pit bulls.
Why must I be punished because other people are idiots? And, Mr. Grantham, would you be standing there with me if I have to put Mrs. Wigglebottom down, should your wish for a breed ban go into effect or do you prefer to hide from the pain and suffering that would result from you getting your way? [The Pit Bull Quiz - Tiny Cat Pants - 07-09-06]
The solution is to hold folks criminally liable for dog attacks regardless of breed. But I suppose it’s just easier to ban things, like dogs, guns, bathtubs, cars and anything else. For the children. [I see dumb people - SayUncle - 07-09-06]
I watched the vid up until the point where I knew the dog was going to get shot. At no time did the owner seem to do anything other than run and scream. I'm a dog owner (of a Bernese Mt. Dog & an American Eskimo) and I KNOW that if my dogs here me running and screaming their first instinct is to think I am hurt or threatened. So they protect me by attacking the perceived threat. So, bonus ignorance points go to the dogs' owner in the video. [Ban This Nashville - NashvilleIsTalking - 07-09-06]
The problem with this dog is that sometimes the PitBulls of responsible owners also do this kind of thing. There are enough dogs in the world without a good home that we can do without one particular, sometimes out of control, breed. [NIT Comments - Kevin Barbieuax (The Homeless Guy) - 07-09-06]
As far as I know, proposed legislation banning pit bulls doesn't call for killing pets, but I'll look into that. According to the Tennessean, the proposed ban does call for banning people from owning pit bulls in dense neighborhoods. If a ban on pit bulls in Putnam County succeeds, I don't see why people couldn't still own pit bulls on 5 acres beside people who also own horses, chickens and other animals banned from dense neighborhoods.
[UPDATE 12:42PM] - I have a call into Sparta City Administrator Marty Carmichael asking for the text of their city's ban on pit bulls that was passed last year. I'll share what he shares. Putnam County is considering a similar ban.
[UPDATE 2:46PM] - The City Of Sparta responded and supplied me the text of the ordinance (ORDINANCE #05-795) banning pit bulls. The full document is linked here. Here are a few sections.
10-302. Restrictions. It shall be unlawful to keep, harbor, own or in any way possess a pit bull dog within the corporate limits of Sparta. Provided, that persons owning such dogs at the time this section was adopted, shall be allowed to keep them subject to the provisions of § 10-303.
10-308. Violations and penalties. Any persons violating or permitting the violation of any provisions of this code shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be subject to the fine as prescribed in the general penalty clause of the Sparta Municipal Code. Each day such violation shall continue constitutes a separate offense. Further, the city court may order the dog removed from the City of Sparta. Should the defendant refuse to remove the dog from the City of Sparta, the city judge shall find the defendant in contempt and order the immediate confiscation and impoundment of the animal. In addition to the foregoing penalties, any person who violates this code shall pay all expenses, including sums for shelter, food, handling, veterinary care and expert testimony, which are necessitated by the person's failure to abide by the provisions of this code. [City of Sparta ORDINANCE #05-795]
It was only four miles up the road, and besides that, what a perfect reason to take a shower. I did get my hair cut for this, afterall.
With gas at almost $3 a gallon, I convinced Vince to tag along to the Middle Tennessee Bloggers and Podcasters Meet-up so we could make a grocery stop all in one swoop. As soon as we entered Espresso Joe's in Smyrna, I could smell them. BLOGGERS! They were all crammed around a small table in a corner booth cackling over a tiny computer to which one of them was plugged and talking into a microphone, narating the entire experience. How spooky is that? I think it's called a podcast or something like that.
"I hope Tennesseans will take advantage of this unique opportunity to purchase a piece of history from The Tennessee Residence." ~~ First Lady of TN Andrea Conte
14 days to go! Copy and paste the following code onto your website for a countdown to the end of TN Gov. Phil Bredesen's toilet auction. You can see this on the right ad panel here. Proceeds go toward needed renovations of the Governor's mansion.
UPDATE 12:30PM:OUCH - After returning from the Supercuts to get my hair did for tomorrow's Middle Tennessee Bloggers and Podcasters Meet-Up in Smyrna, I got an email from an angry reader about Bredesen's Toilet Auction Countdown.
This is nothing more than a distasteful stunt. What is your point tying the governor to a toilet auction countdown? Aren't you a Democrat? I wish you would take it down and stop embarrassing our governor.
Democrats believe in a "pay as you go" approach to getting the people's business done. The First Lady of TN could have taken the "borrow and spend into record deficits" approach by giving our property to a charity of her choice and using our tax money to buy a new toilet.
Even after the Tennessean's story about this auction, the toilet remained at a measly 6 bids, up to $55. I personally want to see this toilet turn into a $500 throne over the next 14 days. I bet the First Lady of TN does, too. It's a $900 toilet, setting aside a chip on its base and its private moments with the Governor.
You might remember Dennis The Peasant from my earlier post introducing the cast of characters in the ongoing story of Pajamas Media. Take a look at his recent review of their content to date. (via Atrios)
I've received a whole lot of email since November 16 asking two simple, fundamental questions:
1) What is Pajamas Media supposed to be?
2) Why is Pajamas Media so bad?
The short answers are, in my opinion, as follows:
1) Interesting.
2) It isn’t interesting. [On The Difference Between Having Something Of Interest And Being Interesting... - Dennis The Peasant - 12-08-05]
Well, it pretty much seems to be conventional wisdom: Newspapers are old, slow, tired, out of touch, boring and obsolete, and any day now we'll be getting our news from blogs and podcasts and cell phones and we can kiss those ink-smudged relics goodbye.
Or something like that.
There's just one problem with this scenario: Newspapers provide the overwhelming amount of news in this country. Washington news, investigative news, state news, local news, business news, sports news, science news, you name it. Everyone else, from Web sites to TV to magazines, poaches off newspapers. Which could create a problem if their advertising base is swallowed up by online portals and there's no revenue to pay the battalions of editors, reporters and photographers who churn out the stuff that the rest of the world feels free to borrow, steal, disparage and argue about. [Last Throes - Washington Post - 12-02-05]
I apologize for legally borrowing an excerpt from Howard Kurtz's ink-smudged relic talk and arguing about it here, but I just read it through my FREE online Washington Post subscription. Dell, Hydroderm, Vonage and whoever else advertised on that page might appreciate it, though.
I hope Kurtz isn't expressing some fear that his writing wouldn't fetch what it's worth in digital media. The written word isn't diminished by new digital mediums and the decline of printed newspapers. I've never read as much as I have over the past 5 years, and that is thanks solely to the digital medium of the Internet. It's not my fault the Washington Post, like most industrial-age media distributors, didn't prepare for it.
For 50 cents a day, a regular Washington Post reader not only helps pay the salary of Howard Kurtz and his "battalions of editors, reporters and photographers," but also a monstrous money eating print operation, delivery trucks, and the work force necessary to distribute Kurtz's printed words every day. I'm sure the Washington Post can figure out how to get 50 cents online, put the printing press in a museum, and give poor Howard Kurtz a raise.
I have to take exception to Kevin at Catch for the following observation about Pajamas Media:
They're not even trying to hide their bias. And they can't blame this "obvious secret agenda" on the fact that lefties haven't signed up for PJM because their staff picks these links from all over the blogosphere. [Pajamas Media Mash-Up - Catch - 12-02-05]
Are left-leaning blogs "even trying" to be involved with Pajamas Media's venture? It seemed easy enough for me. I was listed in their first "carnival" on intelligence failures hosted by Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds. There is no doubt that an overwhelming majority of the blogs listed on Pajamas Media are conservative leaning, but if you want to be listed give it a shot. I know I've covered their embarassing opening act, but they're on to something.
Since other blogs are getting on-board, I will make an official announcement Saturday Night at 7:30 EST calling for a boycott if FOX News doesn't change this. We specifically want the words "Holiday Ornament" and “Holiday Tree” changed in the description to "Christmas Ornament" and "Christmas Tree".
I am hereby announcing my intent to launch a massive e-mail campaign against FOX News. The only reason I’m not calling for a boycott of their network immediately is because I already don’t watch the other networks, and I do need some news to watch on TV.
Because of this, and I’m calling for other blogs covering the War on Christmas to join me, I’m starting an e-mail campaign towards FOX, and unless things change, I will call for a boycott of their network Saturday Night. While I understand I don't have the necessary readership or support to influence such a campaign, I am hoping other conservatives pick up on this. We cannot abandon our principles just because FOX is the only non-liberal Cable News Station. [FOX News Holiday Hypocrisy - StopACLU - 11-30-05]
Buy war bonds. The War On Christmas just drank a soda pop! RealTeen was responding to a post earlier today from Media Matters.
Despite O'Reilly's specific criticism of those who use the term "holiday tree" instead of "Christmas tree," an O'Reilly Factor ornament for sale at the Fox News store features this tagline: "Put your holiday tree in 'The No Spin Zone' with this silver glass 'O'Reilly Factor' ornament." [Fox betrays Christmas crusade, sells "Holiday" ornaments for your "Holiday tree" - Media Matters - 11-30-05]
UPDATE 11:49: FOX News has changed the site to properly acknowledge the birth of Jesus, but...
Fox has changed the “Holiday Ornaments” to Christmas Ornaments. Now if they can just fix that dang “Holiday Tree”. Our deadline still stands, but unless they turn a deaf ear, they should be changing it. [We’ll Give Fox 72 Hours - RightOnTheRight - 12-01-05]
Real Teen is lobbying bloggers to call for a boycott of the Fox News Channel if they don't change the wording from holiday tree and holiday ornament to Christmas tree and Christmas ornament. The boycott will start on Saturday, December 3, 2005 at 1930 EDT.
[Fox News Holiday Ornaments? - Backcountry Conservative - 11-30-05]
Don't forget about that ding dang darned it "Holiday Ideas." Hello. Wasn't Jesus born?
If you've been following the bumpy start of Open Source Media, you are likely aware of the problems they had with their name following an announcement of receiving $3.5 million in venture capital. After admitting their error and changing their name back to "Pajamas Media," it was relentlessly lampooned in the blogosphere over the choice of a cartoon bathrobe as a logo for "Pajamas." Their own editorial board was critical of the way things were being run. Now comes the loss of an editorial board member, Tim Blair.
As of yesterday, Pajama Media’s editorial board is missing one member.
Me.
Simple decision, really. PM needs people who can devote themselves full-time to rescuing the project after a launch that was, to say the least, problematic. It would be wrong for me to continue any involvement without being able to help to that extent. Hopefully PM will turn things around; I’d love to see it succeed. [PM AND ME - Tim Blair - 11-28-05]
Duncan Black of Atrios talks numbers in a public spat with blogger Ann Althouse.
Anyway, according to extreme tracking The site had 188,886 views yesterday. About 21.5% of those were reloads, and about 78.5%, or 148224, were unique. According to sitemeter it was about 225K of the former and 200K "visits" as it measures them. Blogads lists me at about a million page views for the week.
In any case Althouse is entitled to her pet theories about the value of internet real estate, but those are the facts. [On Traffic - Atrios - 11-22-05]
It looks like the guys at 'Open Source Media' are slipping back into their pajamas and becoming "Pajamas Media." This is more drama and wig wars than you'd find in a drag show.
So how did this happen in the first place? Back at the beginning, certain, shall we say, paternalistically minded parties (i.e., the guys in suits) decided that we should act like grownups, and being as yet somewhat immature—at least as businesspeople--we did as we were told. [Excuse us while we change back into our pajamas - OSM - 11-21-05]
But in my opinion Roger L. Simon thought so little of me that he felt he could do with me as he pleased, and then fast-talk his way out of any possible problems. After all, I was Jethro Bodine and nothing more. [The “Certain Thing” - DennisThePeasant - Kenton E. Kelly - 11-20-05]
Open Source Editorial Board
I'm still waiting to see OSM straighten itself out. The debut was hardly that of a powerhouse site, and changes, I'm told, are in the works. I hope quickly in the works. The site needs more action, pizzazz, and raison d'etre. Believe me, I've thrown much more than two cents into the internal discussion about the site, its problems, and the potential solutions...
OSM's startup problems have not been ideological; they've been editorial. The content and presentation have not been sufficiently compelling. [Winning the War...over the War/OSM's Less-than-Stellar Launch - David Corn - 11-19-05]
Taintophobic Launch Party Attendee
You may not need good ethics or manners to succeed in business, but I can't imagine that this much taint attached to the CEO of a brand new company is a good thing. [Big Roundup Post on OSM/Open Source Media/Open Sores Media/Pajamas Media/Name to be Announced Media Problems and Controversies - The Young Curmudgeon - 11-21-05]
Co-Founder Meltdown
Recently my OSM colleagues and I have been subjected to all kinds of criticism, much of it well intentioned and warranted. But a fair amount has been surprisingly personal, bordering on the abusive. (My wife and I were about to allow our precocious daughter to have an internet connection, but now we think we'll postpone it.) Some of this criticism came from people my colleagues and I thought were friends who did not even give us the common courtesy of querying us on why we did a certain thing. Besides being rude, that's not very good reporting from an MSM or blog perspective.
Of course, we at OSM are making all kinds of mistakes. This is something brand new and we're going to be flopping around for some time, much like a kid learning to ride a bicycle. And even when we learn to ride, we're going to run into plenty of brick walls. But frankly I've been rather upset by some of the more personal criticisms and listening to Judith reminded me of what my words could do. I don't know if she read them at the time through that glass partition. I didn't have the guts to ask her and, if she had, she was too gracious to say so. But in the future I'm going to try to be more careful about how I phrase things when they impinge on the personal. You don't have to be a Buddhist to see the karma in that. [Words - Roger L. Simon - 11-18-05]
The Real 'Open Source Media'
I’m not sure what their lawyers confirmed, because an email to the domain’s registration service provider could have determined that the URL is still registered for our use. [The Name Problem, Part II - Open Source Media - 11-18-05]
How bad does "Pajamas Media" want to use the name "Open Source Media" commercially? I guess that depends on how fast they want to burn through $3.5 million in venture capital on legal bills.
Last Wednesday, conservative blogging co-founders of Pajamas Media, Charles Johnson (Little Green Footballs) and Roger L. Simon, relaunched as "Open Source Media" at Rockefeller Plaza's Rainbow Room. The only problem is there is already a media outfit operating as "Open Source Media," complete with a blog and radio show. Pajamas Media even acknowledged the original owner in their own "About" section.
A gentleman named Christopher Lydon has an excellent web site called Open Source. His URL is www.radioopensource.com, and he graciously agreed to give us opensourcemedia.net.
At least that's what it used to say before the real "Open Source Media" refuted that claim on November 18.
This is just not true. And weird. We didn’t graciously agree to give them anything. We’ve never talked to them. They didn’t answer our email. [The Name Problem, Part III - Open Source Media]
Now Pajamas Media provides a lengthy and confusing description in their "About" section that seems to justify their use of "Open Source Media," claims opensourcemedia.net has been "relinquished," and then corrects this correction with yet another correction.
CORRECTION (11.19.2005): Christopher Lydon did not "relinquish" the domain opensourcemedia.net, as we wrote above. He does still own the name, and although he doesn't use it as his primary domain, it redirects to the radioopensource.org address. We apologize for the confusion. [About Our Name - OSM]
I'm confused. Is this A) an apology for and admission of confusion on the use of a mark already in use, B) an apology for continuing to use someone else's name, or C) an apology for inaccurately claiming someone "graciously" "relinquished" the name to be used by Pajamas Media?
Open Source Media (OSM), a for-profit chaired by conservative blogger Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit), has a news feed. As Daily Kos points out, the OSM feed is promoting the official line of Communist China's state run paper Xinhua News Agency. Here is a snapshot of the top stories on yesterday's OSM news feed. Today's feed is no better with 8 of its 9 stories all from Communist China's official party news paper. Perplexing.
The Blogs
Suzanne Marie Collins is dead and forgotten. You remember Suzanne, don't you: she was murdered by the man Wayne Christeson of the Nashville Scene would rather you mourn.
Christian Grantham is an internet and television producer living in Murfreesboro, TN. Grantham has produced liberal and conservative talk radio, was a consultant to the Clinton-Gore White House on domestic policy forums and worked as a blogger for a political campaign for state office.
