White House to Seek New Fed Power to Keep Markets Stable

The Bush administration plans to propose broad new authority for the Federal Reserve to oversee market stability, possibly exposing Wall Street firms to greater scrutiny, but avoidinga call for tighter regulation.
- from the New York Times, March 28, 2008: Read More.
* Is it not there? Has it been 'disappeared'? Kind of freaky, eh?

Everyone's gone to the moon

What?! Two citizens are suing a foreign scientific organization who are preparing the supercollider of particles, 'to explore what the universe was like seconds after the big bang'. They contend that the result will be a black whole that would swallow our globe as well as much else in the galactic region.
Cause for concern? Caue for conCERN.
CERN is the name of the Suisse-based science cooperative who are lining up the molecular explosion that could unleash the end of the world as we know it... according to the two U.S. citizens who have filed suit against the LHC experiment.
Read about it in the Saturday Seattle Times story.
What do you think about our legal system and global concerns? Should we have the ability to challenge choices abroad affecting commerce and other areas of critical concern, that affect our environment, our economic atmosphere, our well being?
What about the reverse - when U.S. policy may adversely affect other lives and societies?

Our Internet Garden

In a piece about the state of our U.S. internet service, Steve Bristow writes: "Our multifarious jurisdictions possess many linear feet of Byzantine, contradictory regulations. Old-line telecom companies deploy 10,000 layers and lobbyists. Those lobbyists are cash cows for elected officials. All want to control at the bit and byte level, maintain status quo and preserve nickel-and-dime regulatory folly."
read his entire op-ed piece from Monday's Seattle P-I.

FCC - Flares? Or, Smokescreen?

Recent news that the FCC was encouraged, along with ACLU and other civil liberties advocates, that the severe penalties for inadvertent use of profane words traditionally and famously not permitted by the current agency watchdog for public indecency on our airwaves, etc.

But, what is this actually?

perhaps a mere smokescreen held in reserve by the FCC to divert public attention from the more serious reformatting of the landscape of our public interests in media ownership, and other policies related to our right to know.

That's my diatribe on the goings on. What do you think about public policy, management of public information resources - such as 'big media', the many alternate channels for expression, and other new media members of the fourth estate??

Food Chain

Well, how far do you wish to follow down the rabbit hole?
The weekend papers were ablaze with Pop Trash journalism, but even the first layer of comment and analysis, combined with the bevy of stories, illuminates the shrouds and veils, if not the underpinnings - the kingpins - of our demise.

While the business sections quietly announced the saving of investment bank Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase, backed by the Fed, an Oregon woman takes on the music industry with lawsuit language claiming 'racketerring and fraud'. The local Post-Intelligencer celebrates Issaquah's Soundsation vinyl store run in the area for 17 years by entrepreneur Barry Resiman, who prefers the sound quality of LPs over MP3s. This is not news to the boomers - but welcome reminder nonetheless. Remember when the music biz was stoked by personal tapes made by fans to share with their circle of friends?! Gosh, what a way to get free buzz - an inexpendable but squirrelish marketing tool to a healthy industry that today would trash their own golden goat. "Where have all the flowers gone?"
Meanwhile, the 'SPAM King' pleads Guilty! and takeover talks grew over the weekend. Our beloved if beleagured WaMu, who can't get their apologies and new directions right, it seems when Moody's issues 'junk' rating.

Then we learn that over the weekend the Fed takes further action to bolster the economy.

What gives? What takes? Your comments please --

Marriage & Money

TenThousandOnly!

Perhaps this site that attempts to plan a $10,000 wedding could give you ideas for your own celebration. (Know anyone who might be interested? Pass it on.)



Let's look at the legal issues about forming a marriage. What should be thought through as a couple to increase the likelihood of a joyful and productive union, versus the 50% that end up in divorce, with many of those proceedings leading to acrimonious 'fallout'.

What are the key issues in preparing for a wedding - especially if it's your first time!!

[And, for those of you who haven't yet found that special someone, perhaps this video on the topic can help - or at least entertain you!

"Fall in love all over again, with Wainy Days."]

John Adams, Founding Father, TV shill

Got your attention?

The big TM (text messaging) craze of the late 1700s was letter writing in the New World that was to become the United States of America. The correspondence of founding father John Adams with his wife, Abigail, has long been held as a rich and informative romantic legacy of a couple who endeavored together as the nation comes to grips through revolution, formation, and the high ideals that led to a hallmark in forging the new democracy, embodied by the U.S. Constitution, and later, its Bill of Rights.

With the HBO debut of the television mini-series on John Adams this Wednesday, the New York Times reports in a story by Stuart Elliott (3/11/08, page C8), a unique sponsorship partnership with the US Postal Service to promote a return to letter writing. It's called "Using a founding father to promote the art of letter-writing".
The show should be good regardless. HBO is known for its quality movies for TV; Paul Giamatti (Adams) and Laura Linney (Abigail) are 'first-class' puns the USPS representative quoted, Joyce Carrier (I'm not making this up) in the article.
You can view several video clips of the show along with the article.
I'd love to hear how good (or not) the show is ...

Isn't it rich?

" ... Isn't it dear?"
Hard to resist the fun we can have with the apparent political, and perhaps personal, demise of New York governor Spitzer. But, really: Is it worth the distraction from more important real issues? Maybe so.

View the media frenzy, as video gets played, and played, and played, while Rome continues burning. (Check out the video mid-page.)
[Update, 3/12/08: CNBC Video of Spitzer's resignation.]

... Send in the clowns."
- from a song sung by Frank Sinatra

Music video from the Swell Season.
Who are they? (Independent artists who blew Hollywood by winning best song at the 2008 Oscars!!)

Today, the Seattle Times asks all of us to weigh in on the battle over our media, in opinion piece entitled, A chance to stand up (3/10/08).

Get informed (See Seattle Times series on media policy below, The Democracy Papers).
Contact your local representative.
Urge for your position to be represented in public policy on this matter.

References:
The Democracy Papers, a series on modern media by the Seattle Times.
Democracy Papers blog, where your interaction adds to the richness of the dialogue.

"The Devil Made Me Do It!"

Former lawyer and TV commentator, Arelia Margarita Taveras, has filed suit against Atlantic City casinos in New Jersey, where her gambling habit contributed to her losing nearly $1 Million. (Cue Mike Myers' Dr. Evil, from Austin Powers movie fame: "1 Million Dollars".)

At question is "Duty of Care", where the high roller status afforded litigant Taveras (at left) clearly brought attention from the casinos which in her mind should have also noticed when her behavior went South, clearly signaling that she had a problem. Caught in the spell of her habit, she claims to have gone for days without leaving the tables, "brushing her teeth with disposable wipes so she didn't have to leave" says the AP article by Wayne Parry that appeared in Sunday's Seattle Times (3/9/08).

The lawsuit seeks $20 million from seven casinos, one in Las Vegas, "claiming they had a duty to notice her compulsive gambling problem and cut her off".

Sonics, Gonics?

What's up with our Sonics?
Will our public officials keep them?
Or, should they say 'GoodBye, Good riddance'?!
The governor, our state reps & city officials: It's in their laps now, as local private citizens have ponied up in excess of $500 million -- $150M for stadium enhancements, $350M to buy out current ownership -- to sweeten the pot in attempts to keep the Sonics here in Seattle.
With court dates and back room negotiations looming on the horizon, current ownership is publicly and privately made it clear taht they plan to move the team.
A year ago, a Seattle city councilmember publicly stated that 'there is no redeeming social value' to having the team in Seattle.
What are your thoughts? Should they stay or should they go?
What legal recourse do we, and our public officials, have at our disposal in this case?
Why does our city have to bring a lawsuit to prevent the team from prematurely abandonning its lease - that is set to expire two seasons from now?!
Can we claim any ownership interest in a team whose legacy has been tied to the city for over thirty years?
Can we get an Australian Footy League team in here instead? Can it play within the confines of the Memorial Coliseum - er, Key Arena?

References:
PDF of Funding Group proposals March 9 letter to Washington State officials.
PDF of Response to Funding Proposal from Washington governor Christine Gregoire, Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown.
Recent article in Seattle Times, with links to other related articles.

Net, Net Now

As mentioned before, we appreciate the focus on current Fourth Estate issues that the editorial staff of the Seattle Times has been bringing to its readers in the midst of wholesale change in the media business. It goes beyond just the concern over the purveyance of 'good' news.

This editorial reflects on an issue of growing concern - the free and full access to use of the internet, and the powers who seek to move in a totally different direction. It also reminds that there are examples aplenty of abuse of power and position among the corporate marketplace leaders, as well as politicos.

It's called "Internet in jeopardy as neutrality erodes", and appeared on the Opinion page (B8) of the Wednesday edition, March 5, 2008. To dig further, follow the paper's series, "The Democracy Papers", with commentary over the past year on the media industry.

Miranda, 'Shmanda

"This is the story of the Hurricane ..."
Storied former boxer, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was in town to participate in a local court case having to do with potentially wrongful conviction.

In a Seattle Times story by Sara Jean Green, two are serving three life sentences in Washington state prisons and they may be doing so with false confessions holding them there.

Carter knows a thing or two about this topic, having been the victim of bad testimony landing him in prison. You may have heard the 1976 Bob Dylan song about him and his case. He spoke earlier this week at the University of Washington School of Law. Released from prison in 1985, Carter said false confessions play a huge role in wrongful convictions.

Your thoughts?

Habeas Corpus!

Habeas whose Corpus?
One who wasn't even charged, held for three months. Check the link to Seattle P-I, (3/2/2008) article on someone held for three months without being charged!

Agreements

When Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter, Jennifer Langston, comments on the "Chummy culture" at Port of Seattle, her article demonstrates a unique behind-the-scenes look at how negotiating for the deal has worked there.

Can you find the elements of an agrreement in the following, extracted from a sidebar to the article?

TUMMY RUBBING
Here's how a Port of Seattle consultant with WHH Construction and a project manager for Gary Merlino Construction Co., a Sea-Tac Airport contractor, resolved their differences over how much more the port should pay for unforeseen work on emergency generator enclosures and power systems.
Contractor's proposal:
$80,000
The port's estimate:
$50,000
On Jan. 18, the consultant e-mailed the project manager to say some costs were OK, but "still laughing at the rest ... (actually you and SE do have something coming so lets figure that out via tummy rub in lieu of you all documenting what is undocumentable.)"
On Jan 25, the contractor wrote: "Gee you're starting to wear me down on this. NOT." He offered $65,000; the consultant countered with $54,500.
The contractor's response: "You're getting closer but not close enough. Total of 62 for the both of them. Write it up and we're done."
The port consultant replied: "If it starts with a '5' we're there."
The change order was made final for $59,999
(Taken from the front page, of the March 3, 2008 Seattle P-I.)

Do we have an agreement here? Share your comments on her article, the 'e-negotiation', and any appropriate application of the law, in your view.

Censorship from the White House

Censorship, or any restriction on the free flow of information, has got to be a key concern for any U.S. citizen - or world citizen, for that matter - to keep informed and have a say in democratic society.

The current issue of Utne magazne (March/April 2008) discusses the top stories and key information that Bush and Cheney have squelched from their position of power.

Check out the story, and more at www.Utne.com.

Afar back as 2002, this story on censorship collected by Utne reader.

Comment on where you see the current environment for media communications about topics of import to the people, big vs. peoples media, the position of politics and policy in making available critical information, while allowing the marketplace to operate within standards of free markets, as well as protecting our right to know and be informed.

'Smoke Screen' journalism ...

The New York Times revelations about possible improper relations between (R) candidate-nominee McCain and a (F) communications lobbyist, set off and fanned the flames of interest in another Washington sex scandal.
But really, there are those pundits who were willing to say, "What about the real story?"
Not the one where Senator McCain might have to plead with his wife on knees, or a la Kobe Bryant, with expensive new finger-candy, but whereby the administrative governance of the Federal Communications Commission along with big media may be jeopardized.
Chief among attractions to McCain candidacy for the nation's highest office comes with the sense that he is unassailably going to follow his own conscience, that he is virutally unapproachable to improper, or questionable influences.
The story behind the story, so to speak, gives the nation a chance to focus on his politics of values in practice: Will we get that - investigation, exploration, dialogue in our national or mainstream media?
I applaud the theme of Ryan Blethen's Friday Seattle Times (Feb. 29) opinion piece on the issue, Next FCC must grasp change - and truly understand history, as part of a follow-up installment in award-worthy series on media, The Democracy Papers.
Your thoughts:

Seattle newsies

'Okay, okay, okay. - ok.' (Joe Vesci's character classico speaking)
We don't want you to think we look upon the Seattle Weekly as some sort of bastion of quality reporting ... but they do seem to hone in on the few stories that define what Seattle-ites are willing to do, or not do, to become who they are.

The recent issue caught us up on the trippings & trappings about actually getting a good thing done in Olympia. According to Aimee Curl's recent blurb, it seems like it's not enough that ZipCar merger with FlexCar is showing signs of being a bad-date purgatory for its members, the whole CarShare idea -- do we all agree it's a good thing to have this alternative? -- has been dealt a blow that might help ruin dinner.
But, you saw this coming earlier.
Stranger readers aren't liking what they hear about Zipcar!

Sonics, gone-ics? (tip of the hat to the t-shirt, 'Gonics'. Have you got yours?!)
Relive some of the moments, courtesy of the S-Weekly.