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By 2004, Wal-Mart plans to open a new store every business day... Call me an out-of-touch lefty, but this PBS documentary bummed the hell out of me. Small town + giant corporation + old-guard legislators = steamroller
comment posted at 10:22 PM on Jun-21-01

Press sez "good", public sez "bad" I'm not posting this story to discuss Bush's EU tour (lord knows we've done that one to death), but rather to examine this line: "Mr. Bush's European tour, though it drew largely upbeat news coverage, did not appear to help him in the eyes of the public." I'm a pretty big believer that the media (oh, let's just go ahead and capitalize it: "The Media") plays a huge role is shaping public perceptions of politicians, and I too thought the coverage of Bush's EU trip was pretty positive -- certainly in comparison to the "he's gonna go over there and get suckerpunched" predictions they were running before his departure. And, still, his numbers go down. What do you think? How large an influence does The Media really have? Does the public just believe what Peter Jennings tells 'em, or is it possible that, *gasp*, they can think for themselves?
comment posted at 1:53 PM on Jun-21-01
comment posted at 3:20 PM on Jun-21-01

I hope you'll consider participating in the "Roll Your Own" Blackout tonight. Just shut off all the lights and appliances that you (reasonably and safely) can between seven and ten p.m. your time.
comment posted at 11:58 AM on Jun-21-01
comment posted at 2:48 PM on Jun-21-01

Minesweeper - It offends me so ban it!
comment posted at 9:59 AM on Jun-21-01

The only thing TaxRebatePledge.org is asking you to do is pledge that when you receive your tax rebate check, you will donate that money to an existing organization that is engaged in the fight against Bush and his agenda.
comment posted at 9:53 AM on Jun-21-01
comment posted at 10:25 AM on Jun-21-01
comment posted at 10:47 AM on Jun-21-01
comment posted at 11:52 AM on Jun-21-01

Currently, consumer personal debt is at an all time high, and at the same time we're being inundated with ads asking us to "live richly" and pay for all those "priceless" moments with credit. Credit card companies have maintained a steady stream of advertising that focuses on living in the now, and worrying about the consequences later. Without discounting personal responsibility, should credit card companies be left to advertise their message unfettered, or does anyone think they are too good and perhaps somewhat responsible for the high consumer debt levels?
comment posted at 11:19 AM on Jun-20-01
comment posted at 3:20 PM on Jun-20-01
comment posted at 3:09 PM on Jun-21-01

Racial discrimination at ford? White male managers accuse the Ford Motor Co. of reverse discrimination, claiming they are victims of racial, age and gender bias. After reading this article, I'm really at a loss as to where the racism is. They are reviewing all management and ditching those in the worst 5%...

"... older white managers who received "Cs" after long highly productive careers say they feel they are victims of discrimination."

Golly Pal. You know, the past counts for something but you have to keep producing or you're gonna get canned. What's the problem here? This isn't racism, it's meritocracy and I'm all for it. If they were giving bonuses to the evaluations based on ethnic background or sex then I could see the gripe. But the article doesn't say they are so what exactly is wrong with cutting the fat?
comment posted at 4:28 PM on Jun-20-01

Arbitron just sent me a dollar..? I've been invited to participate in a once (sometimes occasionally twice) in a lifetime opportunity. No wonder our radio waves are so screwed up. Station owners think they learn what the public wants through a short-sighted random process, which obviously doesn't work. What's most amusing to me is they're buying my opinion for a buck. Even jury duty was kind enough to pay me six!
comment posted at 9:25 PM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 10:04 PM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 11:10 PM on Jun-19-01

Bush Wants to Settle Tobacco Case Two Bush administration sources said there has been concern about the government's case. These officials, discussing the matter only on grounds of anonymity, said the department would prefer to go for a settlement now rather than risk losing.
comment posted at 6:40 AM on Jun-20-01

I think I'll fix myself a cheese sandwich
"Cheese sandwiches, fucked up punctuation and all! I don't give a rat's ass, I just wanna hear about people's lives." Weblogs together are learning to develope community and I miss the great blogs that are gone, but when I surf around it is to read about people's lives. "Are you ready for a breakdown, sugar? Live it up, it's blogtastic!"
comment posted at 9:55 PM on Jun-19-01

Forced to apologize to McDonald's The company recruited students during a school visit, which involved an assembly that was supposed to help students prepare for job interviews. When a student at the assembly criticized McDonald's, he was forced to apologize to the entire school.
comment posted at 1:31 PM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 1:33 PM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 3:30 PM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 11:18 PM on Jun-19-01

juan garza was executed in indiana this morning, in the same room where timothy mcveigh died. why no hullabaloo this time?
comment posted at 10:45 AM on Jun-19-01

For all of you who missed the Cold War (NyTimes/Free Reg Req.) If America builds a shield, Putin says he'll arm his missles with multiple warheads. Twenty years orf arms control going down the drain for a failed technology. Remember kids, duck and cover.
comment posted at 2:41 PM on Jun-19-01

Microsoft and Truth This particular mistruth has long been a bone of contention with Microsoft ever since they tried to migrate Hotmail from FreeBSD over to Windows and found that Windows couldn't scale. <sigh> Yet another Microsoft lie? [from rc3.org
comment posted at 11:16 AM on Jun-19-01

Highway to Hell billboard depicts Satan giving McVeigh his lethal injection. This is an advertisement for the same Dallas radio station that employs the DJs responsible for the recent Spears/Timberlake car-crash rumor. What's the difference between political propaganda and savvy demographic pandering? Via davezilla.com
comment posted at 11:34 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 2:46 PM on Jun-19-01

From its origins as Stalinist rhetoric in the 30's, to ironic Left-wing jibe in the 70's, to Iconoclastic taunt in the 80's, to the Conservative pejorative of today, has the term Political Correctness had its day? It's probably just me but it seems to be used far more frequently by people who are in positions of power or by those more in tune with society's mainstream orthodoxy than by those who aren't. Of course, no one ever calls themselves politically correct. What do you think, what does the p.c. term mean to you?
comment posted at 9:46 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 10:09 AM on Jun-19-01

The first Friars Club Roast ever open to the public is reported on by Frank DiGiacomo of The New York Observer. Some funny stuff, some interesting stuff, and some vulgar stuff. Who knew that Paul Sheaffer was actually funny?
comment posted at 8:36 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 9:58 PM on Jun-18-01

McCain Pushes Clinton Program Even as GOP campaign strategists begin to plot his role in the 2002 Congressional campaign season, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is launching a legislative initiative sure to warm the hearts of moderates and liberals and further antagonize some conservatives.
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Jun-18-01

"We damn sure are not about to let black folks buy up all the property in our neighborhood. Integration is overrated." Now, change "black" to "white" and the racism magically disappears! Thanks, political correctness!
comment posted at 9:35 AM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 3:00 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 3:24 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 10:33 AM on Jun-19-01
comment posted at 10:47 PM on Jun-19-01

College Students are massing to go to Europe to protest about the Kyoto treaty. While this may seem to be a non-story, the kids aren't protesting against Bush or Blair for not signing on, but to the attendees of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for thinking that Kyoto would work in the first place.
comment posted at 10:19 PM on Jun-18-01

Should the killers of James Bulger be released? 8 years ago, two 10-year-old boys killed the toddler James Bulger. Now 18, having served the minimum of 8 years of their juvenile sentence, they are eligible for parole. Have they changed, as some say? Are they safe to be released back into society, albeit under new identities to protect them? Or are the protestors right that they should stay locked up for life? For those not familiar with the case, check this link.
comment posted at 9:12 AM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 10:18 AM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 1:46 PM on Jun-18-01
comment posted at 2:21 PM on Jun-18-01

73-year-old woman attacks pit bull in Tallahassee, Florida. God, is it good to hear news from home.
comment posted at 3:37 PM on Jun-17-01

Funniest man on radio. There are hundreds of television channels, and multimillion dollar movies being made, but I'd rather listen to an AM talk show. You can also listen on the internet here.
comment posted at 2:34 PM on Jun-17-01
comment posted at 2:54 PM on Jun-17-01

I generally don't have anytime for large scale protest's (wto riots - and mayday riots) and i dont agree with them when they start a vicious offence. Police are only defending themselves with water cannons and tear gas - *BUT THIS* is completly out of hand....
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Jun-17-01

As to be expected the dumb critics are ripping Lara Croft to shreds; I mean really tearing it a new orifice. Which means of course I must see this film. Major argument against? A hack plot designed only to engender scenes of mindless violence. Duh. It's not supposed to have emotional impact. It's just supposed to be fun. Did any of these critics actually play the game? What frightens me though is that Roger Ebert enjoyed it... I'm so torn...
comment posted at 9:17 PM on Jun-16-01

China pops back a collective Beano. (NY Times link. Free registration required.) One of Bush's main objections to the Kyoto protocol is China's exemption from regulation, but it seems they're doing their collective best to cut down on CO2 emissions, with success. Even with China's rapid rate of expansion, this weakens our administration's argument a bit by setting forward the number of years it will take China to match our own emissions. At what point do we start to play nice with the other kids?
comment posted at 2:16 PM on Jun-16-01

Japan corners the market on square fruit. I suppose this is the ultimate example of form over function. Finally a solution for the widespread refrigerator overcrowding problems.
comment posted at 11:24 AM on Jun-16-01