Barackface

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Barack Hussein Obama And The White Boys In The Media

Reminds me of the Buddhist monks in California that the right wingers went after in 1996, and the Dems failed to defend. Oh look at them Buddhists, they are giving money to Al Gore! As if being Buddhist is dirty. The donations were small, pocket change.

Times, they are a changing. These whities are just going to have to measure up. This might be a US presidential campaign, but it will take place in a globalized world. Racists jokes are offensive, they are not funny. These white boys are going to have to find other ways to bond.

Imagine making fun of the Rodham name. Rodham is Hillary's middle name. Or Jefferson, like in William Jefferson Clinton, or the Jefferson Davis pie, named after a guy who was on the wrong side in the civil war. Or Herbert Walker, like in George Herbert Walker Bush, or just plain W, W like in George Dumbo Bush.

It is offensive enough when right wingers do it, and they stand to pay for it. They are going to get hit back. Hard. But these supposedly mainstream white boys in the media, what are they up to now?

Fitzerald, like in JFK.

I once met a guy at my college in Kentucky who talked of Arabs as sand n______s. This was way before 9/11.

Those who see the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as wars against Islam deserve to go down in defeat. The Al Qaeda are like the KKK. No Muslim elected them. They don't hold offices. They are a few thousand in an ocean of hundreds of millions of extremely poor Muslims who just want the best by their families.

Obama is not Muslim. But what if he were a Muslim American? This question is personal to me because I am Buddhist.

Within the framework of religious diversity, I appreciate the various faiths, Chistianity, Islam, Judaism, and all the rest of them. There is going to be mutual respect. Take that framework out, and I don't give a f____ about Jesus.

Let this election be about ideas and who can best lead the country in this new century where globalization and the internet are all the rage. I think someone with a cosmopolitan message stands a good chance. Obama got to know paddy fields as a child, like I did. We bond.

Don't throw stones from your glass house.

Barack: Personal Concerns
Policy Making The Matrix Way
Obama's Weapon On Clinton: Iraq
Obama Will Announce In January
Eliot Spitzer For Running Mate
Barack Obama: Time For A Generation Shift
New Orleans: 2008 Democratic Convention
Next Stop: White House
On November 7: In Harlem: For Obama
Democratic Vision For The 21st Century
The Matrix
The Audacity Of Gravitas: Restore Intelligence To The White House
Barack Is A Deaniac
Barack Obama: This Is A New Century
Barack Obama: New Approaches To Old Problems
Switching To Obama

In The News

The Obama backlash. It's started. Chicago Sun-Times a body of anti-Obama material is surfacing--centering around his record and his religious beliefs and yes, his middle name, Hussein. It's a backlash--and a foreshadowing of what is to come. ....... Schlussel: Should Obama be president "when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam"? ......... several media figures have taken it upon themselves to issue warnings to Obama of a purportedly ruthless Clinton operation that will attempt to win by brute force, or, as Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund put it, "haul out the brass knuckles." ......... Dick Morris falsely claimed that Obama has "never introduced a bill" in the Senate .......... right-wing pundit and regular MSNBC guest, Debbie Schlussel ....... Answering her own question, she wrote: “NO WAY, JOSE ... Or, is that, HUSSEIN?” ....... the bigoted conservative attacks against Senator Obama ...... The public discourse surrounding Senator Obama has devolved into a petty game of who can say his middle name more often or insult his character and ancestry with the most zeal. It’s time for this bigotry to stop. News outlets like MSNBC can make the first move. They shouldn’t give people like Schlussel airtime to spew their hate-filled conspiracy theories because when they do, they undermine their own reputations as legitimate news organizations.”......... numerous media figures have gone out of their way to highlight Obama’s middle name in recent weeks, a detailed accounting of which is available below or online at the following link: http://mediamatters.org/items/200612200005 ...... on November 7, co-anchor Chris Matthews remarked that Obama's "middle name is Hussein" and suggested that it would "be interesting down the road." ........ On November 27, MSNBC host Tucker Carlson referred to radio host Bill Press as "a true member of the Barack Hussein Obama fan club." ...... During the November 28 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, Republican strategist Ed Rogers referred to "Barack Hussein Obama." ....... On the December 5 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, senior political correspondent Carl Cameron told viewers: "Though he's written two books about himself already, most people know very little about Barack Hussein Obama Junior's uncommonly privileged life." ....... On the December 11 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, correspondent Jeanne Moos noted that "[o]nly one little consonant differentiates" Obama and Osama. She then added, "[A]s if that similarity weren't enough. How about sharing the name of a former dictator? You know his middle name, Hussein." .......... On the December 11 edition of The Situation Room, CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield compared the similarity of Obama's "business casual" clothing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "jacket-and-no-tie look." Greenfield concluded the segment by saying: "Now, it is one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread." He later explained on the CNN website that he was making "a joke." .......... On December 13, Matthews teased another interview with Rogers by describing the strategist as "the one who just loves Barack Obama's middle name Hussein." ...... On the December 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh gave Obama a "nickname" -- "Barack Hussein Odumbo" (in reference to Obama's "big ears"). ....... On the December 14 edition of Hardball, NBC's Mike Viqueira announced "a man named Barack Obama, whose middle name, incidentally, is Hussein, running for president."
Obama smackdown, round 1: his tainted blood Houston Chronicle Many months ago, readers began asking me whether Barack Obama is Muslim. [Apparently Schlussel's readers are unfamiliar with Google or Wikipedia. Or she's just making it up. - JW] Since he identifies as a Christian, I said, "no," and responded that he was not raised by his Kenyan father.......... In Arab culture and under Islamic law, if your father is a Muslim, so are you. And once a Muslim, always a Muslim. You cannot go back. In Islamic eyes, Obama is certainly a Muslim. He may think he's a Christian, but they do not. ....... Imagine that - he's interested in the land of his parents. Unbelievable! (Excuse me while I go erase any signs of my own interest in Ireland, where my parents were born.) She closes the column hinting darkly that Obama cannot help but betray America.
Pins for Obama's balloon Washington Times Did you know Sen. Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein? You do now. ... Make no mistake: If he decides to run for president, quite a few people will be reminding you of it. Those people are not his friends. .... Republican consultant Ed Rogers' frustration was showing in the way he emphasized Mr. Obama's middle name on MSNBC's "Hardball": "Count me as someone who underestimates Barack Hussein Obama," he said, pronouncing "Barack" in a way that rhymed with hard rock. ...... Conservative radio windbag Rush Limbaugh similarly delights in mocking Mr. Obama's full name. El Rush-bo even posted a caricature on his Web site of Obama with huge floppy ears and the title "Barack Hussein Odumbo." Cute. Sort of like the class clown taking on the class valedictorian and prom king who is also basketball team captain. ..... he joked about the middle-name thing with just the right tone: astute, self-deprecating humor. His middle name is no big deal, he says, "when you are already starting with 'Barack Obama.' " ...... he tried marijuana and cocaine in his wayward youth, a refreshingly straightforward and revealing contrast to President Bush, who dodged probing drug questions as a candidate, and President Bill Clinton, who claimed never to have inhaled.
taking a second look at Barack Obama Kansas City Star
Video: Carol Marin Explores Obama's Political Past NBC5.com
Obama the anti-Bush Los Angeles Times
Inexperience won't hold Obama back Wisconsin State Journal
Bill Clinton a looming force in Hillary's race Scotsman
Hint: He's tall, in the Senate, on TV a lot Chicago Sun-Times
US has `never had a mother' be president, Sen. Clinton says San Jose Mercury News

Obama to decide on White House run this week Chicago Tribune Another bit of Obama news is this. Gallup's pollsters are reporting today that nearly half of the public doesn't know who he is.

British Airways Cancels Heathrow Flights Amid Fog (Update5) Bloomberg
Drunk Muslim says divorce, Bihar village enforces it Telugu Portal
Six metros, rural Haryana to go WiMax Moneycontrol.com
US Carriers Vie for China Rights TheStreet.com
CORRECTED: New York's Spitzer refiles rejected H&R Block suit MSN Money
NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery Set to Land Friday NASA
Second lawsuit filed against Taco John's BusinessWeek
Israeli-Palestinian Summit Could Take Place by Year's End Voice of America
NEPAL: Ending impunity should be taken seriously by the government ... Reuters AlertNet
CPN finalizes representation in Nepal's interim parliament People's Daily Online
CPN reforms to adapt to peace in Nepal People's Daily Online

Google Takes Blogger Out Of Beta InformationWeek

WiMAX IPOs Are on the Way BusinessWeek
Wuhan picked to become China's fourth air hub China Daily
Mothers Against Drunk Driving severs ties with Miss Teen USA San Jose Mercury News
Nepal to deploy citizenship certificate distribution teams People's Daily Online
Barack Obama Disappoints Re Israel/Palestine New York Observer
IITs to come up in Rajasthan, AP and Bihar Daily News & Analysis
Kerala tops literacy chart, Bihar at the bottom Times of India
China fights EU shoe duty MSNBC
Sen. Clinton Talks About Oval Office Forbes
Sen. Clinton Would have Voted Against Iraq War Zaman Online
New York state board approves big Brooklyn redevelopment plan International Herald Tribune
Leader hints US should talk to al-Qaida Leading The Charge
India to ask Myanmar to crack down on terror camps Times of India
Nasa and Google reach for the stars Financial Times “This agreement between Nasa and Google will soon allow every American to experience a virtual flight over the surface of the moon or through the canyons of Mars,” said Michael Griffin, Nasa administrator. .... Nasa had more information on the planet and universe than any other entity in history, but much of it was scattered and difficult to access. .... the concept of an interplanetary internet
Google Earth Soon the Be Followed by Google Space Playfuls.com
US gives Sudan until year-end to accept UN force Reuters AlertNet
Eminem finalises divorce number two from long-time love Daily News & Analysis
Eminem and Kim Mathers Divorce Again AllHipHop
FIFA lifts soccer ban on Iran CBC News
Fat Bacteria in Human Guts Tied to Obesity NPR

Amitabh Bachchan, the most recognized face on the planet
YouTube: Amitabh

Monday, December 18, 2006

Laughing Liberally Brings The House Down December 30

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Bushism Means No Talk, All Gunfire, Just Flatten Them Out

Bushism is a terrorist ideology. It says you put out a political philosophy, and then you demand submission, and if that does not happen soon enough, you flatten them out.

That is what Bin Laden does. He says he wants a fundamentalist Islamist government in your country, and if he is not going to get it, he is going to send in suicide bombers to create "spectacular" acts of destruction.

I know from my Nepal democracy movement experience
(The First Major Revolution Of The 21st Century Happened In Nepal) that the Nepalis in the city played a key role in the magic that happened in Nepal in April. That has got to be potentially true also of the Arab immigrants. But guess what Bushism doles out to them? Racist demonization. If you are Arab, you are a terrorist. I suspect you.

There are millions of Arabs in the US and Europe. They came for the good life. They are mainstream, want the best by their families, are harmless, and are pretty much boring like the millions of Christians, and Jews, and what have you.

There might be a few terrorists here and there. But then there are also murdereres and rapists in society. They stand uneliminated. How many white males have been demonized for every Unabomber that there was?

These Arabs in New York City would be the front line soldiers of non-violence for raging democracy movements in the Arab world which is the only recipe for lasting peace in the region.

Iran holds elections at all levels. But the US does not get along with Iran, does not so much as want to talk to Iran. The Saudis hold no elections whatsoever. Bush and the Saudis are buddy buddies. What's wrong in the picture?

Political solutions have to be sought. The military options always have to come in last. And if the political options are sought to the point of exhaustion, the military options need not be harnessed.

But Bushism goes the other way. Talking is too many words for Bush. He is too in love with his few, simple phrases. Dumbo. And so the guy goes and creates havoc.

9/11 cost a lot of innocent lives. That was the tragedy of the situation. These were not soldiers fighting a war. Innocent lives lost during the American adventurism in Iraq fall in the same category. Third World lives are not less valuable than American lives.

Democracy as an ideology, and nonviolent organizing is the way to go. I am not exactly talking nonviolence, although that I am. I am talking nonviolent militancy, to be precise. I am also talking war, but I am talking war with communications technology. I am suggesting The Matrix as the tool to organize New Yorkers to help spread democracy into the nooks and corners of the world.

In The News

Hamas rejects Abbas call for early elections Euronews.net
US seeking to engage Raul Castro Jamaica Gleaner
Negroponte says Castro near death AlaskaReport
Bihar teenager in UNICEF campaign NDTV.com
WiMAX to Roll out in India Red Herring all broadband subscribers using the services of state-owned carrier Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) would be entitled to a New Year freebie. .... Their 256 kilobits per second (Kbps) broadband connections would be upgraded to 2 megabits per second (Mbps) speeds for no extra fee. The tariff of 250 rupees (slightly over $5) per month would also remain unchanged ..... Throwing a challenge at private sector competitors such as Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Indicom, Mr. Maran said BSNL’s rivals would have to offer similar or better services to keep their customers happy. .... WiMAX also has a range of up to 30 miles, making it attractive for countries such as India that want to provide broadband connections even in regions where basic landline phone connections are not available. ..... , Chennai, and Hyderabad .... Kolkata in eastern India, Ahmedabad in west India, and Pune, an up and coming high-tech city about 120 miles south of the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. ..... The government wants India to have 9 million broadband connections by the end of 2007, an ambitious target considering there are just 3 million or so broadband connections currently...... Maran expects broadband connectivity to be widespread by the middle of 2008, following a similar trajectory as mobile phone growth. India is currently adding over 6 million new subscribers to its mobile phone network every month. ..... In India, 2007 has been christened as the year of broadband.
Uphill run for repairing Taco Bell MarketWatch
Nepal finalises interim constitution Hindustan Times According to the constitution, which has 167 articles, all executive powers as well as those enjoyed by the King in the previous Constitution now vest upon the Prime Minister, Rajendra Mahato, General Secretary of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, who was also present during the meeting said. ..... All powers of the 238-year-old monarchy have been stripped, making King Gyanendra a civilian king, state-run Radio Nepal said adding the powers, including those enjoyed by the head of the state, will also vest upon the Prime Minister. ..... Of the total 409 Constituent Assembly seats, 205 will be elected directly and remaining will be elected through proportionate representation. One third seats in the 209 seats of the Constituent Assembly would be reserved for women.
Groundswell of support tries to sway Obama Boston Globe
Hawaii group launches Obama for president effort WQAD
Obama raises $1 million this year in small donations WQAD
Obama's candor is worth admission to '08 presidential race Salt Lake Tribune
Democrats 2008: Hillary at 39%, Obama Second Angus Reid Global Scan Barack Obama is second with 17 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 12 per cent, former vice-president Al Gore with 10 per cent, and Massachusetts senator and 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry with seven per cent
Taking cue from Obama, senator gears up spiritual side of ... WorldNetDaily
Behind the Obama bounce Washington Times
Huaneng Power: Power and Profit in China Motley Fool
China, at energy summit, urges oil consumers to unite NDTV.com
Tim Johnson Brain Can Tip US Balance Bayou Buzz
Google releases Google-flavoured version of Internet Explorer 7 iTWire
US wants real progress in N.Korean nuclear talks Reuters
One in 10 Russians Say Their Special Services Killed Litvinenko Bloomberg
British police say making progress in hunt for prostitute killer International Herald Tribune
One of serial killer's five victims was pregnant Sydney Morning Herald
Dell gets non-compliance letter from Nasdaq CNET News.com
Dell mulls buying Chinese PC maker Gulf News
India for building of strategic oil storage Financial Express
India open to new ideas on Kashmir: Manmohan Hindustan Times
Indian PM welcomes Musharraf proposal on Kashmir Reuters AlertNet
PM welcomes Musharraf's 4-point offer NDTV.com
Bush rejects most dramatic Iraq options San Jose Mercury News
Baghdad blitz on cards in Bush plan Unison.ie (subscription)
Report: Bush Administration Considering Troop Increase in Iraq Voice of America
White House criticizes senator's trip to Syria Boston Globe
Democrats Determined to Take the Lead Managing Mideast Unrest OpEdNews Sen. Bill Nelson traveled to Syria this week and sat down with President Assad for an hour asking for the Syrian leader's help in managing the partisan conflicts in Iraq. Assad, Nelson said, "clearly indicated a willingness to cooperate." Nonetheless, the Bush cabal reflexively criticized the efforts as "lending (Syria) a further specter of legitimacy" and, "undermining the cause of democracy in the region." ..... Democratic Sen. John Kerry is presently traveling in the Mideast, meeting with Egyptian leaders and others in the region before he flies to Syria for an anticipated visit with President Assad. While asserting that "Syria needs to respect Lebanon's sovereignty," Kerry also declared that he thinks "it's important to talk, to have dialogue." Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., are also expected to visit Syria. As Sen. Nelson pointed out, these visits are part of their "constitutional role" as members of Congress.
HarperCollins Fires Judith Regan Who Backed OJ Simpson Book Bloomberg
From sleeping on the streets to Wall Street CNN
Breast Cancer Drop Tied to Hormones Washington Post
Breast cancer rate dropped with halt in hormone use Houston Chronicle
Over 250 sick after eating at Indiana Olive Garden Reuters.uk
300 now report illness after eating at Indianapolis Olive Garden Chicago Tribune

Friday, December 15, 2006

Barack: Personal Concerns

Physical Safety

Be pragmatic about it. You are genuinely popular. You are popular like Michael Jordan. So if I have physical safety concerns, it is less because you are a black man in a largely white America and more because you are plain famous. You need bodyguards because Madonna needs bodyguards. Hire the right people, and let them worry about the details. If they feel the need to escalate the coverage over time, so be it. The voters will understand. After all, they are looking at their next president.

If you have physical safety concerns, hurry up and become president. The POTUS has the best security detail of anyone on earth. I mean.

Family: Wife, Children

Do what is right by them. You chose to keep them back in Chicago after you became Senator. That was right by the family.

Now is the time for a repeat performance. Don't bring the two girls to any public events. They don't need an iota of media glare. Michelle can continue to stay home since that helps. And by stay home I mean she does not need to make public appearances with you. She is a working woman. Most important, talk to them. All three of them. Both of you need to explain it to the two kids. They need to be prepared for what is coming. They have to be explained to in terms they will understand.

Do not, do not cut on family time. Your runnig is hard enough for you and your family. Don't make it harder for them and for you by cutting on family time. Not cutting back on family time is right by your family, right by you, and right by the voters. The voters want a president who is an actively involved, loving, doting father and husband. You don't do it because it helps your campaign, but it helps your campaign if you keep doing it. Be a family man. That is what you want, that is what your family wants, that is what the American people want. There is no clash of priorities.

But do it. Run. Your two daughters are no excuse for you to not run. You run for them. You run because you want them to have a great future.

Political Safety

They are going to make your age an issue. The counterhit is easy. You make their age an issue. The biggest thing working for you is you signify a generational shift. Your age is a huge plus, that is the best thing working for you.

Health And Well-Being

Running for president is a lot of travel. But stick to the basic rules on eating, sleeping and exercise. You have to keep being yourself. The challenge is to invite the media glare and still be yourself.

Policy Making The Matrix Way
Obama's Weapon On Clinton: Iraq
Obama Will Announce In January
Eliot Spitzer For Running Mate
Barack Obama: Time For A Generation Shift
New Orleans: 2008 Democratic Convention
Next Stop: White House
On November 7: In Harlem: For Obama
Democratic Vision For The 21st Century
The Matrix
The Audacity Of Gravitas: Restore Intelligence To The White House
Barack Is A Deaniac
Barack Obama: This Is A New Century
Barack Obama: New Approaches To Old Problems
Switching To Obama

In The News

EMI buyout of Toshiba signals change of strategy The Daily Yomiuri
Intel Quietly Ships New Quad-Core Xeon DailyTech
Cisco Systems Buying Tivella MSN Money
Secure? We Are What We Eat! Huffington Post
Dell reportedly eyes PC business of China's Founder Group MarketWatch
Hewlett-Packard board cutting ties with top Silicon Valley lawyer San Francisco Chronicle
HP board distances itself from longtime counsel MSNBC
Hewlett-Packard Offers Some Free Upgrades to Windows Vista PC World
Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard forge alliance newratings.com
Skyworks Surges on Possible Apple IPhone Houston Chronicle
Toshiba, Sony, NEC Electronics unveil system chip process China Post
Intel set to launch UK-based movie download service PVR Wire
Cisco approaches WiMAX with caution ITBusiness.ca
Cisco Inc invests US$50 million in Chinese telecom Taipei Times
Google Plays the Name Game MSNBC
Microsoft Patches Windows XP Wireless, Tells No One InformationWeek
Yahoo Fixes Messenger Flaw InformationWeek
Amazon hits back at IBM over patents CNET News.com
Ahead of the Bell: Oracle BusinessWeek
Oracle sees opportunities in broadband sector Economic Times
Oracle finds India better than China Business Standard
Does Oracle Need an Attitude Adjustment? InfoWorld
Sun Microsystems releases Java 6 SWBusiness.fi
Wal-Mart.com Suffered Brief Outage InformationWeek
Wal-Mart’s arrival jolts more into action Daily News & Analysis
Comets' origins may turn out to be hot San Francisco Chronicle
S. Africa's AIDS policy makers may consider circumcision plan People's Daily Online

Smashing The Clock BusinessWeek The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours. ..... Work is no longer a place where you go, but something you do. It's O.K. to take conference calls while you hunt, collaborate from your lakeside cabin, or log on after dinner so you can spend the afternoon with your kid. ..... Best Buy did not invent the post-geographic office. Tech companies have been going bedouin for several years. At IBM, 40% of the workforce has no official office; at AT&T, a third of managers are untethered. Sun Microsystems Inc. calculates that it's saved $400 million over six years in real estate costs by allowing nearly half of all employees to work anywhere they want. .... 85% of executives expect a big rise in the number of unleashed workers over the next five years. In fact, at many companies the most innovative new product may be the structure of the workplace itself. ...... By the end of 2007, all 4,000 staffers working at corporate will be on ROWE. ..... its clockless campaign to its stores--a high-stakes challenge that no company has tried before in a retail environment. .... It wasn't imposed from the top down. It began as a covert guerrilla action that spread virally and eventually became a revolution. ..... old-guard saboteurs, who continue to plot an overthrow and spread warnings of a coming paradise for slackers. ..... average voluntary turnover has fallen drastically ..... productivity is up an average 35% in departments that have switched to ROWE ..... tailoring stores to local markets and training employees to turn customer feedback into new business ideas ...... most companies are stuck in the 1930s when it comes to employees' and managers' relationships to time and work. "Our whole notion of paid work was developed within an assembly line culture," Moen says. "Showing up was work ...... Outside the office, Thompson and Ressler couldn't help noticing how wireless broadband was turning the world into one giant work kibbutz. ..... protect ROWE and then dribble it out under the radar in tiny pilot trials. ...... Top performers were complaining of unsustainable levels of stress ..... classic work-life hex: jobs with high demands (always-on, transcontinental availability) and low control (always on-site, no personal life). ...... Managers would base assessments on data and evidence, not feelings and anecdotes. ...... opposition to it grew more intense. Critics feared executives would lose control and co-workers would forfeit the collaboration born of proximity. If you can work anywhere, they asked, won't you always be working? Won't overbearing bosses start calling you in the middle of the night? Won't coasters see ROWE as a way to shirk work and force more dedicated colleagues to pick up the slack? And there were generational conflicts: Some boomers felt they'd been forced to choose between work and life during their careers. So everyone else should, too. ...... "It wasn't hugs and smiles," she says of Ressler's and Thompson's campaign. "Managers in the old mental model were totally irritated." ....... In enemy circles, Ressler and Thompson are known to this day as "those two" and "the subversives." ..... the 13 ROWE commandments. No.1: People at all levels stop doing any activity that is a waste of their time, the customer's time, or the company's money. No.7: Nobody talks about how many hours they work. No.9: It's O.K. to take a nap on a Tuesday afternoon, grocery shop on Wednesday morning, or catch a movie on Thursday afternoon.
....... Achen's performance metrics ...... He could measure how many orders per hour his team was processing no matter where they were. ...... ROWE'ers are posting higher metrics for quality, too. ..... Cube-Free ...... a paper, prewireless mentality ...... Offices also waste space and time in an age when workers are becoming more and more place-neutral. ...... Work groups that go cube-free will be able to redesign their spaces to better accommodate collaboration instead of working alone. ....... their boldest move yet, testing ROWE in retail stores among both managers and workers .... slash its 65% turnover rates in stores ..... disgruntlement is common and workers form groups on MySpace with names like "Best Buy Losers Club!" ..... If Best Buy's business goes south, human nature dictates that the people who always believed the clockless office was a flaky New Age idea will see an opportunity to try to force a hasty retreat. ...most big companies fail to grow at the rate of inflation. That's true in part because the bigger the company gets, the harder it is to get the best out of each and every employee. ROWE is one of Best Buy's answers to avoiding that fate
The Google/YouTube Come-On once we get advertising and revenue sharing worked out. ... YouTube's reach. (Some 23.5 million unique visitors went there in October.) .... no publicly traded media company today is in a position simply to dismiss, say, $100 million. Such a sum far exceeds what any single broadcast network can extract from the online world--and drops straight to the bottom line ...... But taking the dough fortifies an already threatening rival. One executive privy to the discussions says: "The reality is, if they are able to lock in major media [companies] for three years, then by default YouTube is the place to go" for Web video. ...... believing that 5 or 10 of them can grind through nightmarish cross-corporate decision-making and emerge with something as simple and compelling as YouTube is nuts ..... no programming giant has sued YouTube yet .... they know that they can't sue their way out of this.
The 25 Best Affordable Suburbs in the U.S.
Vista's Many Turnoffs How many geeks does it take to shut down a computer? ... Vista, for all its capabilities, could end up being too complex for the average consumer ..... the involvement of dozens of people, operating in too many teams, led to what he calls "the lowest common denominator." ..... Microsoft has a specific way of designing software where they never want to eliminate an option that users have had in the past. They always want you to have 37 different flavors ...... a bloated organizational structure with too many engineers working on small problems likely contributed to Vista delays and unnecessarily complex designs ....
Challenges Await Mexico's New Leader the poverty, drug violence, and incessant political infighting that threaten growth and competitiveness in Latin America's most developed economy. .... and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger watched the chaotic scene. "It's good action," Schwarzenegger said. ...... Mexico's $720 billion economy is Latin America's second-largest, after Brazil's. It is also one of its most open, with free trade agreements with more than 30 countries. Over the past decade, thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico has become an important manufacturing center for the hemisphere—and has helped the country become the U.S.'s No. 2 trading partner. ...... more than 40% of all Mexicans still live in poverty. .... 15 years of focusing almost exclusively on export-related industries. ..... Calderón and Fox both hail from the pro-business National Action Party (PAN). ..... During Fox's six-year term, Mexico grew just 2% annually. .... most economists believe Mexico must grow by more than 5% annually if it is to achieve its full potential and pull millions out of poverty. ...... Calderón's biggest challenge is to convince the nearly two-thirds of all Mexicans who didn't vote for him that he will represent their interests. ...... His main goal, he said, is "to reunite Mexico." That could be an even bigger challenge than creating jobs and jump-starting the economy.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Rangel, A No Show

December 12 DL21C Bash

I got off the 34 St station off the F train and walked upto the venue. First I went a block east, and then a few blocks west. I expected to have to pay, maybe $10, even $20 maybe. But there was none of that. Even the drinks were okay priced, kind of low. So how does David Pollack make money doing this? Or maybe David Pollack is rich.

It was only a few weeks away - maybe two weeks - when Justin Krebs mentioned to me casually how guess-who-is-state-Democratic-Party-cochair-now-David-Pollack. It was after a guy who lives in Staten Island (read, Not Manhattan) bugged him about maybe Justin should help the guy find some living space nearby. He thought Justin was feeling too comfortable with me, and maybe it was because I also lived in Manhattan (false assumption).

That's not just with white guys. I was in Harlem on November 7, deep into the territory. At a curb, this guy brings his car right next to me at the turn, I am walking, and looks at me through the window and says, "You are lost motherfucker!" (On November 7: In Harlem: For Obama)

David Pollack always struck me as a party kind of guy, but I guess he is also a Party kind of guy. How else would he be state chair?

I walked into the ballroom thinking, okay, so everyone who is someboby among the young progressives in the city is here, maybe. After greeting a few people I knew, and a few people I didn't, I just walked the room a few times, sizing up the faces. Could The Matrix go head to head with these people if it had to? Could The Matrix swallow these people? Could Obama have this crowd? If he could arouse the generational animal, he could.

I wished there were a way to catalogue everyone in the room. Smile for the camera, and here, write down your name and email address. There you go into the database. That would be a way to give David Pollack a run for the money.

There were DFNYC phantoms spread across the room. I remember having serious personal space issues when I was considered one of the crowd. A DFNYC white asshole male was on stage for a few glamorous minutes. I say all this without venom. It is playful. Maybe I should go ahead and say something nasty about Mistry too. The guy noticed aloud that he outdressed me. I went all the way to minus the tie. Then I got rid of the shirt. Then the jacket. I think I like to dress up just the bottom half. I am a true progressive. And I like the color black. It is nothing to do with the African American heritage. Black just looks good on me, I think.

ABCD, American Born Confused Desi.

Leila goes spared. Maybe that will stay, because both sides of her family might get represented on the next Democratic ticket.

Seriously. DFNYC is Windows 95. The Matrix is Windows Vista. I would love to see the entire DFNYC crowd in The Matrix.

And the dance floor. The square reminded me of that scene in Saturday Night Fever (Clip 2). I danced alone. Mild. Just warming up. Workout is Webster Hall territory.

Kristina Hoke was looking good, looking in control. I admire her strength. You should go to one of her meetings. The entire hierarchy knows who calls the shots. She is sharp too. I once tried to get her to let me interview her on camera. When I went online on her, some of the things that showed up were journal style biological sciences articles. Maybe she is one of those rocket scientists.

Krebs suggested I hurry up and get my ticket for the December 31 Laughing Liberally event, or there might be none left. My propensity to do things last minute. I should probably go ahead and get the ticket today. Katie Halper is the most intellectual of the Laughing Liberally comics, and I mean that as a compliment. Some of her jokes fly high, if you know what I mean.

Some black dude mayor from across the water in New Jersey filled in for Rangel. I had never heard of him before. That does not mean the guy is not famous. It means something else.

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