The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Arianna Huffington Offers Exciting New Opportunities for You to Blog for Free!

Posted on | May 5, 2011 | 28 Comments

She should call it TheUnmitigatedGall.com:

Today we launch a great new chapter for Patch.com, AOL’s national network of hyperlocal sites currently covering community life in over 800 towns across America. . . .
Patch will provide an unprecedented infrastructure for citizen engagement in time for the 2012 presidential election, with a focus on community and local solutions. . . . As is the case on HuffPost, Patch bloggers will be free to post their views on a range of subjects — from politics to entertainment to local issues. These features will allow Patch readers to instantly put a finger on the pulse of their community.

So Arianna, who collected a sweet $18 million payoff, then stiffed her HuffPo contributors, now wants bloggers to contribute “hyperlocal” coverage for free.

AOL “pumped $40 million into [The Patch.com] in the first quarter of 2011 . . . on top of the $75 million AOL put into the venture last year,” and now they’re trying to “recruit 400 to 800 new bloggers in 10 days.”

Are there really that many stupid people in the world?

See also: “How to Lose $10 Million on a Startup Web Site in Three Months.” It’s amazing that with all these people slinging around millions of dollars for Web sites, none of that cash ever comes my way.

Category: Blogging, Huffington Post

Gerrymandering: Boring, Yet Important

Posted on | May 5, 2011 | 13 Comments

by Smitty

Over at Pajamas Media, Robert Zubrin touches on an important topic:

The degree of contrivance behind the design of a set of districts is directly related to the oddness of the shapes employed to reach the election-rigging objective. There is a precise mathematical way to measure such malformation. That is, if you take the square of the perimeter of any shape, and divide it by the shape’s area, you arrive at a number, which can be called its irregularity. For example the irregularity of any square, regardless of its size, equals 16 (because (4s)2/s2 = 16.) On the other hand, the irregularity of a rectangle whose long side is 10 times the length of its short side is 48.4 (because (22s)2/10s2 = 48.4.) The odder and more contrived the shape, the higher will be its irregularity.

Now congressional districts need to have equal population sizes, so the task of dividing a state fairly is more complicated than simply slicing it up into low-irregularity shapes. Still, there is a solution which can be objectively ascertained that does accomplish the goal of creating equal population districts with the minimum total irregularity. This can be found either by humans or computers.

I suggest it be done as follows. Let’s let the majority party in the state legislature take the first shot at proposing a redistricting plan. The sum of the irregularities of all the proposed districts can then be added up to create a score for the majority plan. The minority party can then be given 30 days to come up with an alternative plan. If they can come up with a design whose irregularity score is 1 percent lower than the majority plan, then the minority plan is adopted. If not, then the majority plan remains in place.

Between now and the 2020 census, I would have a contest to have Computer Science deparments derive mapping algorithms and data inputs to define what ‘optimal’ districts look like. The problem could be moved to the data collection and description of the algorithm for calculating a state’s layout. Make the data publicly available and transparent. Let the boundaries fall where they may. The only losers will be the political parties and the incumbents who are buttressed by the current approach. Boo hoo.

Category: Election

Bin Laden Dead; Liberal Media Sick

Posted on | May 5, 2011 | 7 Comments

The contradictory impulses stirred by the death of Osama bin Laden have sent the Left and their media friends stumbling into absurdity. Do you remember how we were told that the election of President Obama would restore U.S. international prestige and make the world love us? Tell that to the Pakistanis:

A senior Pakistani intelligence official reacted angrily Wednesday to comments by CIA Director Leon Panetta, who told U.S. lawmakers in a closed-door session Tuesday that Pakistani officials were either “involved or incompetent” in bin Laden’s case — and, “Neither is a good place to be.”
The official, who did not want to be named, said his country had been generously sharing intelligence with its American counterparts.
“Of all people,” the Pakistani official said, Panetta “knows how much we have been doing.”
“What worse statement can come than that we heard from Panetta?” the official said. “I am afraid this statement is totally regrettable.”

Here’s the CNN video report:

And here’s a similar report from ABC News:

What’s so absurd about this is how, on the one hand, it’s blindingly obvious that important people in Pakistani must have been helping protect bin Laden, while on the other hand, they pretend to be angry at us for suspecting them of collusion with al Qaeda, and complain about us intruding on their turf to take him out. Yet we must now tiptoe around (“We don’t need to spike the football“) for fear of offending their sensibilities. But wait — there’s more! Read more

Category: Barack Obama, Media Bias, Pakistan, Terrorism

LIVE AT FIVE – 05.05.11

Posted on | May 5, 2011 | 7 Comments

TOP NEWS
Signs Point To Pakistan/Al-Qaeda Link

Not hiding in a cave after all, eh?

Suspicion Falls On Pakistani Intel Service; Links Between ISI and Other Muslim Terrorist Groups Cited; Did ISI Factions Help OBL Hide In Plain Sight?


First GOP Presidential Debate Missing Key Players
Tim Pawlenty only participant regarded as serious contender

Engineers To Blow Third Hole In Levee As Floods Worsen
This year’s flood could be worse than the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927



POLITICS
House Passes Restrictive Antiabortion Measure

Rep. Christopher James, R-NJ, the bill's sponsor

Bill would codify Hyde Amendment, deny tax credits and deductions for abortions except in rare cases

Romney Still Dominant In NH, Poll Says

Wolves Taken Off Endangered List In Idaho, Montana

Suspect In 2010 Mosque Bombing Killed In Oklahoma

Deficit Reduction Talks Face Roadblocks

Secure Communities Program Meets With Strange Resistance

California Income Tax Revenue Running $2.3 Billion Ahead Of Projections



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Renren ADRs Surge 30% In NYSE Debut
US Stocks Fall, Pressured By Weak Economic Data, Earnings
Government Motors Recalls 2011 Cruze To Inspect Steering Column
Treasury To Reach Debt Limit Next Week With $72 Billion Bond Sale
Fed Ready To Fight Inflation, But Not Yet
Freddie Mac Reports $676 Million Profit, Won’t Seek Aid From Treasury
Apple iOS Update Fixes Location “Bug”
Lawsuit Accuses Apple, Others Of Fixing Workers’ Pay
Barnes & Noble Plans Launch Of New E-book Reader



SPORTS
Justice Department Has Questions About The BCS

NCAA president Mark Emmert

Justice may launch antitrust probe of NCAA; Emmert says of college presidents wanted playoffs they’d have one by now

Noah Leads Bulls Past Hawks 86-73


Hudson Pitches One-Hitter To Give Braves Sweep

MLB: Dodgers’ Financial Woes All McCourt’s Doing

Lightning Sweeps Caps As Bruins, Sharks Take 3-0 Leads

Athletic “D” Has Celtics Stuck In Miani’s Vise



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Marie Osmond Remarries First Husband

Marie Osmond and Stephen Craig

Reunited almost 30 years after first marriage in 1982

Jesse James’ Douchebag Tour Continues

Superman Actor To Marry Showjumper

Jackie Cooper Dead At 88



Oprah Saving Biggest Star For Last Show

A New Show For Charlie Sheen?

Kelly Preston To Play John Travolta’s Wife In Gotti Movie



FOREIGNERS
Palestinian Pact Shows Effect Of “Arab Spring” On Hamas
Irish PM Promises Bailout Rates Deal
EU Moves To Tighten Controls In The Schengen Zone
Assad Increasingly Reliant On Alawite Power Base
World Loses Last WW1 Vet with Death Of Perth Digger Claude Choules
France Mulls Faster Exit From Afghanistan After Bin Laden’s Death
Ivorian Troops Retake Pro-Gbagbo Area Of Abidjan
Thai-Cambodian Border Crossing Reopens As Fighting Dies Down



BLOGS & STUFF
American Power: Reuters Releases Pix From Osama Raid
Weasel Zippers: CIA Director Panetta – On Second Thought, There Was No Live Footage Of The Raid
Bookworm Room: The Administration’s Cloud Of Confusion Explained
Michelle Malkin: Photo Ops
Blackfive: Back To Being A Wuss – No OBL Picture
Lonely Conservative: GOP Calls On Administration To Drop Investigation Of CIA Operatives
Maggie’s Notebook: Remember John Yoo, Jay Bybee, And Torture Memos?
Jawa Report: Human Rights Watch Condemns Bin Laden Killing – Odious Moral Equivalence
NRO Corner: Giving Up On Medicare? Not So Fast


— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

Pneumonia Update, Etc.

Posted on | May 4, 2011 | 10 Comments

Three days since I went to the emergency room. I’m coughing less, but my chest is still sore. Everybody keeps telling me to drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. Which I do, but then news happens and I feel the need to blog it. Also, there are feminists who need to be offended . . .

Dave C at Point of a Gun writes:

Pneumonia Is Fun Until Someone Gets Hurt And Loses A Lung

As an excuse to take drugs, it’s as good as a Pink Floyd concert. So if you ask, “How are you feeling?” my answer is, better than bin Laden:

Thanks to those who have hit the tip jar for the “Get Well Fund,” including Joan in Georgia, Philip in Englewood, and Linda in Tucson. Just so you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth, here’s another vintage image that will offend the feminists: Read more

Category: Health Care, National Offend a Feminist Week

TheDaily.com: How to Lose $10 Million on a Startup Web Site in Three Months

Posted on | May 4, 2011 | 19 Comments

Step One: Get $10 Million. After that, the rest is easy:

Asked to comment on The Daily’s performance, [NewsCorp chief operating officer Chase] Carey says it’s a work in progress, which lost $10 million last quarter. Then, in the background, someone — most likely [chief financial officer] Dave DeVoe — mentions “800,000 downloads.”

So: 800,000 people have downloaded the iPad software needed to read NewsCorp’s online newspaper. And at the current burn rate, they’ll chew through $40 million in their first year of operation. When the site launched in February, there was a lot of world-historical blather:

“News Corp. is redefining the news experience with The Daily,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think it is terrific and iPad users are really going to embrace it.” . . .
The Daily is the first application made available on the App Store as a subscription — which will be billed directly to an iTunes account. And because this paperless paper requires no multi-million dollar presses or delivery trucks, it will be priced at just 99 cents a week (or $39.99 for an annual subscription).
“The Daily launches at a moment when advances in technology are changing the job of the modern editor,” says Mr. Angelo. “These advances are giving us new ways to tell stories. We intend to take advantage of all of them, and make The Daily the new voice for a new era.”

From their “about” page:

The Daily launched on February 2, 2011 with the mission to provide the best news experience by combining world-class storytelling with the unique interactive capabilities of the iPad.
Led by Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo and Publisher Greg Clayman, The Daily is a category first: a tablet-native national news brand built from the ground up to publish original content exclusively for the iPad.
The Daily is incisive, optimistic, and independent. It’s not just an app — it’s a new voice.

How many people have paid for TheDaily.com subscriptions? We don’t know. But however many it is, it’s not enough to keep them from losing $10 million in the first three months of the year.

You should hit my tip jar for $10.

Because this blog is at least 1/1,000,000th as good as those guys. And you don’t need an iPad to read it.

UPDATE: More background from TheDaily.com’s launch:

Murdoch says the company spent $30 million to develop it, and operational costs will run around $500,000 a week . . .

Good Lord. Half a million bucks a week? For a Web operation?

UPDATE II: TheDaily.com has been bleeding staff — three of their four hires on the culture beat left within two months. Maybe it has something to do with getting crazed memos like this from the editor-in-chief:

Folks, Egypt is over — time for us to get focused on covering America.  We need to get out there and start finding more compelling stories from around the country — not just scraping the web and the wires, but getting out on the ground and reporting. Find me an amazing human story at a trial the rest of the media is missing. Find me a school district where the battle over reform is being fought and tell the human tales. Find a town that is going to be unincorporated because it’s broke. Find me a story of corruption and malfeasance in a state capitol that no one has found. Find me something new, different, exclusive and awesome. Find me the oldest dog in America, or the richest man in South Dakota. Force the new White House press secretary to download The Daily for the first time because everyone at the gaggle is asking about a story we broke. Get in front of a story and make it ours — force the rest of the media to follow us. It’s good stories that will keep people coming back to The Daily — we’ve assembled a crack news team, so let’s show the world what we can do.

Yeah. good luck with that. Here’s a profile of the editor:

Angelo has already spent most of his life in the Murdoch orbit. He’s known Murdoch’s son James since they were in kindergarten. They went to Harvard together . . .
Angelo was born in 1973 and grew up on Central Park West. His father, John Angelo, founded the firm Angelo, Gordon & Co., which today manages about $23 billion in assets.

Joshua Benton analyzed social-media activity generated by TheDaily.com and suggested the site faces “a tough road ahead.” A similar estimate by Jeff Bercovici of Forbes:

Jeff Jarvis did a back-of-the-envelope calculation and estimated The Daily will need 750,000 subscribers at its current price of 99 cents a week or $40 a year before it starts breaking even.  It’s fair to say they have a ways to go.

Indeed.

UPDATE II: Welcome, Instapundit readers!

UPDATE III: Mary Rose Maguire: “Why Newspapers Online Are Still Failing.”


Category: Blogging, Journalism

Feminism: Synonym for Insanity?

Posted on | May 4, 2011 | 9 Comments

During his Sunday announcement that U.S. special operations forces had killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, President Obama said, “Justice has been done.”

Not even the president’s harshest Republican critics would argue with that. But you know who could argue? Jos Truitt at Feministing:

That’s not what I call justice. I don’t see justice in violence responding to violence. I see vengeance. I don’t see justice in one killing in the midst of many. Where’s the justice in 10 years of war, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, now Libya? In the killing of uncounted, unacknowledged civilians, including when bin Laden was killed? In sending young Americans, my friends, overseas to kill and be killed? In endless war?
Where’s the justice in pumping money into war overseas while there’s continued state violence against people on American soil? Against American Indians robbed of resources and exposed to sexual violence? Where’s the justice in our “criminal justice” system? A system that locks up far too many people, far too many young people of color including invisibilized queer and trans youth, for non-violent reasons in prisons that produce increased violence within their walls, that condition people to this state of violence and then send them to do violence outside?
Where’s the justice in funding wars while Americans experience the more subtle violence of lack of access to health care, including reproductive health care? When the US deports huge numbers of immigrants? When the divide between rich and poor in this country is getting bigger every day, the poor group growing and the rich group shrinking?

How far gone into moral blindness can you be, to view the unspeakable acts of Osama bin Laden as equivalent to, e.g., the deportation of illegal aliens?

Category: Feminism, National Offend a Feminist Week

Herman Cain Set to Win S.C. Debate

Posted on | May 4, 2011 | 22 Comments

Herman Cain appeared on the Neal Cavuto show Wednesday afternoon to talk about Thursday’s debate in Greenville, South Carolina. Asked about the presumed GOP 2012 candidates who are skipping the debate, Cain said: “I think they’re making a mistake by not being here.”

Indeed, the state’s new Republican governor says the same thing:

With the first 2012 GOP presidential debate Thursday in South Carolina, top Republicans in the Palmetto State are warning several hopefuls who have chosen to skip the event that it will hurt them.
“Anyone that discounts South Carolina is making a huge mistake,” said South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
South Carolina traditionally holds the first primary in the south. Since it began in 1980, no Republican has won the GOP presidential nomination without first winning the state. . . .
Gov. Haley believes skipping Thursday’s debate will put some of the candidates at odds with demanding Palmetto State voters eager to begin reviewing the candidates and their character.
“They’re gonna have to work twice as hard to prove that they’re in the game and while it is early, to show that you’re strong early makes an important difference in South Carolina,” Haley said. “So I would advise all of them get here, get here fast and make sure every part of the state notices you.”

Cain will be joined by Rep. Ron Paul, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson in Thursday’s debate (9 p.m. ET). Dave Weigel runs down the lineup, and explains why the no-shows are no-shows. The latest news from the Mitt Romney campaign is intriguing; one of his top New Hampshire supporters has quit:

Romney’s wishy-washy political identity and inability to stake out firm, consistent positions as a candidate were the reasons for his decision to cut ties with Romney. “He struggled with that in the last campaign,” [Bruce] Keough explains, “and to some extent I think he’s still struggling with it.”

Jazz Shaw at Hot Air: “For Keough to not only decline Romney’s invitation to the 2012 dance, but immediately take to the pages of Mother Jones to trash his former boss’s bona fides is fairly remarkable.” Also fairly remarkable: The Quinnipiac Poll ignores Herman Cain.

Meanwhile, back to Thursday’s debate, Carl Cameron of Fox News observes: “Retail politics is key in South Carolina. The voters here insist on meeting the candidates and kicking the tire and figuring out what the candidates are all about.” Retail politics is where Cain says he’s strongest in early primary states. As he told Cavuto in Wednesday’s interview: “Start looking at some of the results we’re getting on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

Cain mentioned his straw-poll win after Friday’s debate in Manchester, N.H., sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. Also, a poll of Hot Air readers showed Cain in a virtual tie for second place with Mitt Romney, behind front-runner Sarah Palin. Here is a video profile of Herman Cain by Brett Baier of Fox News:

Isn’t it time you joined the online grassroots army at Citizens for Cain?

Category: Debates, Election 2012, Fox News, Herman Cain, Republicans, South Carolina
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