Yeah, I know it's been a while since I posted. This is really bothering me enough to mention it, though. A man is possibly dying from a stroke and the main press coverage is that it may shift the balance in the Senate. I really want a Republican-held Senate but not by the death of Democrats. While I do wish some of them would just go away I don't wish this on any of them. Priorities, people.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Kanye should be proud...
and in fact he is. He is VERY proud of himself. Now if those stupid fans would just do what they're supposed to do and elect him the new God of All Creation everything would be fine. I mean, he would have been in the BIBLE if he was around back then. What were those idiot fans thinking?!
Friday, October 20, 2006
OK, fine...
It turns out the North Koreans did have a nuke that caused that tiny bang. It just fizzled.
And now their really sorry about that whole "we will go to war with our new nuclear arsenal" thing. If the US will just lay off those sanctions they promise to be good while we're looking. Really. Cross their little hearts. Just like when Clinton gave them all the nuclear technology they needed and lots of aid.
Yeah, just like that.
And now their really sorry about that whole "we will go to war with our new nuclear arsenal" thing. If the US will just lay off those sanctions they promise to be good while we're looking. Really. Cross their little hearts. Just like when Clinton gave them all the nuclear technology they needed and lots of aid.
Yeah, just like that.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
HA HA!!
I've been waiting to get a little more info on this North Korea nuke test, and all the signs point to it being - maybe - nonexistent. The calculated yield was .55 KT, which is a really tiny nuke. There seems to be a lot of speculation in the intel business that Lil' Kim packed a cave full of TNT and just lit the fuse. No nuke. He just wants attention because he's "so ronery..."
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Before I forget...
We had a birthday party to go to last Sunday morning at Chucky Cheese's, so we went to the early service at church. When we left to go to the party, my son asked from the back seat "Daddy, why did God make Chucky Cheese?"
Well son, it was to punish your daddy for dragging his parents to Showbiz Pizza as often as possible when he was a kid. Near as I can tell.
Well son, it was to punish your daddy for dragging his parents to Showbiz Pizza as often as possible when he was a kid. Near as I can tell.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
YAY!
I have (1) commenter! AND my first Troll! Accusing me of making bold statements with only all the evidence given at the time by making a bold statement on the basis of one witness not being exactly sure what he saw, which only happens in approximately 100% of crminal investigations.
Feel the love...
In all seriousness, A. Nonymous, I do appreciate you taking the time to read my stuff and not just blanket spamming all of my posts with personal attacks as I've seen on some of the bigger blogs. It's not ALL politics, ya know. :)
Feel the love...
In all seriousness, A. Nonymous, I do appreciate you taking the time to read my stuff and not just blanket spamming all of my posts with personal attacks as I've seen on some of the bigger blogs. It's not ALL politics, ya know. :)
Monday, September 11, 2006
Today...
Somehow the loss seems sharper this year. I'm probably just kind of programmed to go by fives and this being the fifth anniversary brings it a little closer. I want my kids to know someday, so I'll write here what went on with me personally.
I was at work like every other day and it had been a pretty good morning so far. Relaxed, no big projects going, just a "coaster" of a day, really. Just before break time the guy at the video test bench said "Some idiot just flew a small plane into one of the World Trade Center towers". We all laughed a little. How dumb/drunk do you have to be to miss seeing something that big out of your front windows?
A little while later we all came in from the little area around the front door where some of us went for fresh air and sun and others went to get in a smoke. As we got back to the benches a new report came in. Another plane had hit the other tall tower. This one was a big passenger jet (we still didn't know that the first had been, as well). Suddenly everything was different. The whole crew - even the Supervisor - stood there watching that little 15-inch TV monitor. I remember we were all waiting for more information on the people in the buildings when the report came that the Pentagon had been hit, too. Instantly everything focused sharply. I can remember saying, mostly to myself, "Holy God, we're at war. And we don't even know who with, yet." Then came the story of the plane that had gone down in rural PA, flight 93. They, at least had had the time and enough foreknowledge to fight back and prevent that plane from killing more innocent people.
Somewhere in there the President spoke to the nation and I was very glad at that moment that we had elected this man. His voice was steady and matter-of-fact as he laid out the facts as they were known at the time. But his face betrayed an inner Rage that gave hope that this time Something Would Be Done. Not a strongly worded no-no to the bad guys like after the WTC bombing, the embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, etc., etc., but an all out hunt for those who would do such a thing. Not to arrest. Not to capture, except to extract information from. Not to reason with - they're far removed from that. Only to bring swift justice. To eliminate the threat.
The news was talking about tall buildings being evacuated across the country and we all felt like it just wasn't right to continue the work day. We did though. I don't know how much got done, but we all stayed there and put up a semblance of production at least. More and more it felt like continuing was the only proper response. They wanted to paralyze us, cause us to freeze up, and disrupt our society. It worked to a certain extent, but not as well as they had hoped. And then the anger set in. I really don't believe that they were ready for the hellstorm they unleashed as their operatives were rounded up or killed at an astonishing rate, driving their top people underground. Literally in some cases. They put forth videos on the internet and through friendly media sources claiming victory after victory from their remote caves in the mountains of Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
The sick part is, that part of their attack has worked far better than the rest. There are large numbers of people in this country who have come to believe the propaganda of the bloodthirsty animals cowering in their holes over the first-hand reports of the troops on the front line. Much of this probably can be laid at the feet of the media vultures who say bodycounts sell and put their own political view into what gets sent out to the masses. These are the ones who will publish anything claiming the "public right to know". So they freely tell the terrorists how to avoid surveillance and capture while denigrating our fighting men and women with any unfounded accusation the enemy accuses them of without any shred of evidence. And all the while news of schools, power plants, and hospitals being built by US troops in former totalitarian countries goes unreported and news of the first truly free elections many of the citizens of those countries have ever seen is muted at best.
The terrorists can not stand against our military. If they are just patient enough, though, they believe we will defeat ourselves with a media-sapped will to continue the fight and partisan recriminations that tear us apart from within. We have no real choice but to prove them wrong.
I was at work like every other day and it had been a pretty good morning so far. Relaxed, no big projects going, just a "coaster" of a day, really. Just before break time the guy at the video test bench said "Some idiot just flew a small plane into one of the World Trade Center towers". We all laughed a little. How dumb/drunk do you have to be to miss seeing something that big out of your front windows?
A little while later we all came in from the little area around the front door where some of us went for fresh air and sun and others went to get in a smoke. As we got back to the benches a new report came in. Another plane had hit the other tall tower. This one was a big passenger jet (we still didn't know that the first had been, as well). Suddenly everything was different. The whole crew - even the Supervisor - stood there watching that little 15-inch TV monitor. I remember we were all waiting for more information on the people in the buildings when the report came that the Pentagon had been hit, too. Instantly everything focused sharply. I can remember saying, mostly to myself, "Holy God, we're at war. And we don't even know who with, yet." Then came the story of the plane that had gone down in rural PA, flight 93. They, at least had had the time and enough foreknowledge to fight back and prevent that plane from killing more innocent people.
Somewhere in there the President spoke to the nation and I was very glad at that moment that we had elected this man. His voice was steady and matter-of-fact as he laid out the facts as they were known at the time. But his face betrayed an inner Rage that gave hope that this time Something Would Be Done. Not a strongly worded no-no to the bad guys like after the WTC bombing, the embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, etc., etc., but an all out hunt for those who would do such a thing. Not to arrest. Not to capture, except to extract information from. Not to reason with - they're far removed from that. Only to bring swift justice. To eliminate the threat.
The news was talking about tall buildings being evacuated across the country and we all felt like it just wasn't right to continue the work day. We did though. I don't know how much got done, but we all stayed there and put up a semblance of production at least. More and more it felt like continuing was the only proper response. They wanted to paralyze us, cause us to freeze up, and disrupt our society. It worked to a certain extent, but not as well as they had hoped. And then the anger set in. I really don't believe that they were ready for the hellstorm they unleashed as their operatives were rounded up or killed at an astonishing rate, driving their top people underground. Literally in some cases. They put forth videos on the internet and through friendly media sources claiming victory after victory from their remote caves in the mountains of Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
The sick part is, that part of their attack has worked far better than the rest. There are large numbers of people in this country who have come to believe the propaganda of the bloodthirsty animals cowering in their holes over the first-hand reports of the troops on the front line. Much of this probably can be laid at the feet of the media vultures who say bodycounts sell and put their own political view into what gets sent out to the masses. These are the ones who will publish anything claiming the "public right to know". So they freely tell the terrorists how to avoid surveillance and capture while denigrating our fighting men and women with any unfounded accusation the enemy accuses them of without any shred of evidence. And all the while news of schools, power plants, and hospitals being built by US troops in former totalitarian countries goes unreported and news of the first truly free elections many of the citizens of those countries have ever seen is muted at best.
The terrorists can not stand against our military. If they are just patient enough, though, they believe we will defeat ourselves with a media-sapped will to continue the fight and partisan recriminations that tear us apart from within. We have no real choice but to prove them wrong.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Now THAT'S guts.
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."
So said Guy Gabaldon, former Marine and WWII hero. This guy had guts AND class, convincing over a thousand Japanese troops to surrender to him during fighting on the island of Saipan.
Rest in peace, Sir.
So said Guy Gabaldon, former Marine and WWII hero. This guy had guts AND class, convincing over a thousand Japanese troops to surrender to him during fighting on the island of Saipan.
Rest in peace, Sir.
Friday, September 01, 2006
A small clarification:
In case you're not sure of the differences between them, Remulak Moxargon has this little educational film.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
A true hero honored
The Mudville Gazette has a story link about a new middle school in Holiday, FL being dedicated to the only Medal of Honor recipient in the Iraq war so far. Sgt. Paul Smith was with the 11th Engineering Battalion building a POW holding center when his unit came under heavy fire from a Company-sized group of Iraqis. Sgt. Smith directed the defense as well as the rescue of wounded soldiers from a stricken armored vehicle, then made his way under fire to an exposed position manning a .50 calibre machine gun on a damaged vehicle to fight off the attack. He stayed in that position, reloading the heavy gun 3 times, before being hit and killed by an enemy bullet.
His family and friends feel that Sgt. Smith would not like the attention of the naming ceremony, but are glad that the school is being named for him. His widow is quoted as saying "If he were here today, he would be explaining he was only doing his job. He was an honest man who did not enjoy being in the spotlight." Others expressed pride that it was a school bearing his name. It was deemed fitting by the 3rd Infantry Division chief of staff Col. Mark McKnight. "I think it's very appropriate. Smith wasn't born a hero, he was developed a hero, and part of that development is your school experience."
The Army website has a tribute page up as well, including the citation and video links.
This is so far reported only on blogs and four military news sites. The mainstream media isn't running it.
His family and friends feel that Sgt. Smith would not like the attention of the naming ceremony, but are glad that the school is being named for him. His widow is quoted as saying "If he were here today, he would be explaining he was only doing his job. He was an honest man who did not enjoy being in the spotlight." Others expressed pride that it was a school bearing his name. It was deemed fitting by the 3rd Infantry Division chief of staff Col. Mark McKnight. "I think it's very appropriate. Smith wasn't born a hero, he was developed a hero, and part of that development is your school experience."
The Army website has a tribute page up as well, including the citation and video links.
This is so far reported only on blogs and four military news sites. The mainstream media isn't running it.
Hippies are getting meaner...
From the dedicated anti-war, non-violence advocates we have this:
National Guardsman Brutally Attacked In Pierce County
POSTED: 4:33 pm PDT August 30, 2006
UPDATED: 6:15 pm PDT August 30, 2006
PARKLAND, Wash. -- The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon.
The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.
The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.
“And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
The suspects were driving a black Chevy Suburban-type SUV.
“This is something new for us, we have not had military people assaulted because they were in the military or somebody's opposition to a war or whatever,” Troyer said.
The driver is described as a white male, 25-30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavy build, short blond hair, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and armed with a handgun.
The vehicle's passengers are described as white males, 20-25 years old. Some of the suspects wore red baseball hats and red sweatshirts during the attack.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and charging of the individuals involved. Informants can call 253-591-5959, and callers will remain anonymous.
It's always good to have a friendly debate with others whose political opinion differs from yours, huh? These guys should be sent to speak with the Hezbos and learn how we can all get along if we would just do the honorable thing and die. Starting with these five.
I copy/pasted this from the KIROTV website.
H/T RWN
National Guardsman Brutally Attacked In Pierce County
POSTED: 4:33 pm PDT August 30, 2006
UPDATED: 6:15 pm PDT August 30, 2006
PARKLAND, Wash. -- The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon.
The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.
The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.
“And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
The suspects were driving a black Chevy Suburban-type SUV.
“This is something new for us, we have not had military people assaulted because they were in the military or somebody's opposition to a war or whatever,” Troyer said.
The driver is described as a white male, 25-30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavy build, short blond hair, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and armed with a handgun.
The vehicle's passengers are described as white males, 20-25 years old. Some of the suspects wore red baseball hats and red sweatshirts during the attack.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and charging of the individuals involved. Informants can call 253-591-5959, and callers will remain anonymous.
It's always good to have a friendly debate with others whose political opinion differs from yours, huh? These guys should be sent to speak with the Hezbos and learn how we can all get along if we would just do the honorable thing and die. Starting with these five.
I copy/pasted this from the KIROTV website.
H/T RWN
Monday, August 28, 2006
Thank God...
The two Fox news reporters were released yesterday and got back to Israel safely. They were held for about two weeks and forced at gunpoint to say that they had converted to Islam, but were let go relatively unharmed. There was one odd little note in the article I read, though:
So why didn't they do anything if they're such an upstanding government? The full article is here.
The journalists had been seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14 by a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades. However, senior Palestinian security officials said Sunday the name was a front for local militants, and that Palestinian authorities had known the identity of the kidnappers from the start.
So why didn't they do anything if they're such an upstanding government? The full article is here.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Still Missing...
I haven't posted about this before, but a Fox News correspondent and his cameraman were abducted in the Gaza Strip on August the 14th and are still missing. A video was released yesterday by the "Holy Jihad Brigades", a previously unknown group, showing the two sitting in a dark location saying that they are in good health. Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig appear disheveled but not in physical distress in the video.
It must be noted that Bob Laurence of the San Diego Union-Tribune had this to say:
I, for one, join with many other bloggers and non-bloggers in calling for their release and pray that they remain unharmed.
It must be noted that Bob Laurence of the San Diego Union-Tribune had this to say:
Fox has deliberately set itself apart from other news media. Starting at the top with Roger Ailes, the Fox sales pitch has been to deride other media, to declare itself the one source of the real truth, the sole source of 'fair and accurate' news reporting. As a result, there's not a reservoir of kinship or good will with Fox on the part of the rest of the news media. You can't keep insulting people and then expect friendship when you need it.
They've made it a policy to keep a distance between themselves and the rest of the media, far beyond the usual competitive spirit, so that's where they are: at a distance.
Not "Hopefully these fellow jounalists and citizens of the free world (Wiig is a New Zealander) can be returned unharmed", but "Serves ya right, Fox News!". Disgusting, yet enlightening.They've made it a policy to keep a distance between themselves and the rest of the media, far beyond the usual competitive spirit, so that's where they are: at a distance.
I, for one, join with many other bloggers and non-bloggers in calling for their release and pray that they remain unharmed.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Not even bothering to photoshop anymore...
The Australian Herald-Sun has an article about a picture on a Hezbo-run website claiming to be a shot of an Israeli warship being sunk by a Hezbo missile. They also have the same picture from their archives of an Australian destroyer-escort being intentionally sunk by the Australian Navy.
If you can't do it yourself, make it up and slap your name on it.
The link is here.
If you can't do it yourself, make it up and slap your name on it.
The link is here.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Anti-Israel bias
From Little Green Footballs, the blog that exposed the "Rathergate" faked documents and the recent Reuters faked photo scandal:
(note: this is CTL-C/CTL-V from here)
(note: this is CTL-C/CTL-V from here)
LGF Exclusive: How Much Does It Cost to Buy Global TV News?
An LGF reader who worked for Associated Press TV News sent me the following article explaining how APTN works, and suggesting a reason why their coverage of the Middle East is so overwhelmingly biased against Israel:
How Much Does It Cost to Buy Global TV News?
The vast majority of the TV news pictures you see are produced by two TV news companies. Presented here is a case for how a large amount of money has been used to inject a clear bias into the heart of the global TV news gathering system. That this happens is not at question, whether it is by accident or design is harder to tell.
You may not realize it, but if you watch any TV news broadcast on any station anywhere in the world, there is a better than even chance you will view pictures from APTN. BBC, Fox, Sky, CNN and every major broadcaster subscribes to and uses APTN pictures. While the method by which they operate is interesting, it is the extra service this US owned and UK based company offers to Arab states that is really interesting.
About the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is a not-for-profit news gathering and dissemination service based in the US.Formed in 1848, the AP grew up from an agreement between the six major New York newspapers of the day. They wanted to defray the large telegraphy costs that they were all independently incurring for sending the same news coast to coast. Despite being highly competitive, they formed the Associated Press as a collection agency and agreed to share the material. Today, that six-newspaper cooperative is an organization serving more than 1,500 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast outlets in the United States. Abroad, AP services are printed and broadcast in 112 countries.
Associated Press Television News
Associated Press Television News (APTN) is a wholly owned subsidiary of AP. It was formally set up as a separate entity in 1994. It is run as a commercial entity and aims to make a profit. Any profit it does make is fed back to AP (which is non-profit making: APTN profits reduce the newsgathering costs incurred by the 1500 US newspapers that collectively own the AP). APTN is the largest television news gathering player (larger than Reuters, its only true competitor in this field). While AP is based in the US, APTN operates out of large premises in Camden, London. They have news teams, offices and broadcast facilities in just about every important place in the world.
APTN uses news crews and broadcast facilities all over the world to record video of newsworthy events (in News, Sport and Entertainment). These pictures are either sent unedited or very partially edited back to London. Most news is fed back within hours but they also cover and feed certain events live (news conferences in Iraq, press conferences after a sporting event etc.). Most of these stories are sent in with “natural sound”: there is no journalist providing a voice over, but the choice of what to shoot is in the hands of the local producer and camera crew. Local crews are sometimes employed directly by APTN, or more often “stringers” are hired for a particular event or paid for the footage they have already captured.
Once the stories have been fed back to the UK they are edited. This is a round the clock operation. The goal is to produce a 30 minute news bulletin comprising 6 or 7 stories every few hours. These stories are made by editing down the raw “rushes” that come in from all over the world. This is done by a team of producers who work for the news editor. They don’t supply a voice over but they do edit, discard and sequence pictures dictating the emphasis and direction of the story. They will accompany each story with a written description of each shot and the general reason this was a story. This is repeated for News, Sport & Entertainment with a geographical emphasis that shifts around the world as different markets wake and sleep. The output of this is called the “Global News Wire” (GNW).
The Business of TV News
This is how APTN makes its money: news organizations (mostly TV but not all) subscribe to APTN and pay an annual amount to both watch and then re-use the stories that are fed over the GNW. The stories are supplied with sound, but no journalist to do a voice over. Most commercial news stations (like the BBC, SKY, Fox or CNN) would take this feed, decide which pictures to use then re-edit it and supply an appropriate voice over for the story. The video comes with a written description of the shots and the events that occur in them.
The fee for this feed depends on the size of the receiving organization, their audience size and a negotiation with APTN’s sales force. It is pretty much impossible, however, to operate a TV news organization without taking feeds from either APTN or Reuters or usually both. The agreement with APTN usually allows the receiving news channel unlimited use of the video for two weeks. If they want to re-show those pictures after that they have to separately license the pictures (which can cost anything from $100 to $10,000 per 30 seconds depending on the content).
A Separate Service for Arab States
However, there is another significant part of their business model that affects the rest of the business. While most of the world takes news pictures with minimal interpretation beyond editing, the Arab Gulf States have asked for and receive a different and far more expensive service. These states pay for a complete news report service including full editing and voice overs from known journalists. The news organizations in the Arab countries don’t do anything (beyond verify that they are appropriate for local tastes) before broadcast.
What this means is that while there are around 50 people producing news pictures for the whole world working in Camden at any time, there are a further 50 Arabic speaking staff producing finished stories exclusively for the Arab states of the gulf. This has a tremendous effect on the whole feel of the building as these two teams feed pictures and people back and forth and sit in adjacent work areas. The slant of the stories required by the Gulf States has a definite effect on which footage is used and discarded. This affects both the Gulf newsroom and the main global newsroom.
This full service feed is much more expensive for the customers than the usual service, but it is also much higher margin for APTN. This is partly because there is great commonality in what they can send to most of the Gulf States taking this service: stories are made once and used in a number of countries.
Disproportionately Negative Coverage of Israel
Anything involving Israel is a favorite with Gulf Arab states for showing to their viewers. Could this be the reason why Israel receives such a disproportionate amount of particularly negative coverage especially and increasingly ever since the early 1970’s? HonestReporting is usually unable to decide which is most biased: AP or BBC. As the BBC is often using APTN footage, the difference is minor. A significant twist to what is seen, concerns what is not seen. Footage such as the Palestinian mob joyfully lynching two Israeli reservists in Ramallah in October 2000 is held by APTN’s library: any attempt to license this film for reshow is carefully vetted. Requests for the use of “sensitive clips” are referred directly to the Library director. This is not the case with clips that paint Israel in a bad light. Likewise, the re-showing of Palestinian celebrations on 9/11 is considered “sensitive”.
The way in which raw footage such as APTN’s is compiled into a news report and sent round the world has also been analyzed. The Second Draft gives a comprehensive view of how editing can make all the difference. APTN is the gatekeeper that sits between you and the actual event. You will never see what the editors at APTN see before they compile your evening news. What do you think is cut out?
The Wrap-Up
Was this organization set up with this in-built bias on purpose? Is there some way that the expensive payments made by Gulf state governments form part of a deliberate attempt to skew the media?
In “Islam and Dhimmitude” (2002) by Bat Ye’or on p294-296 she recounts how decisions were taken in the wake of the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 to try to put across an anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist message. Successive conferences resolved to contribute vast sums “to universities, centers for Islamic studies, international communications agencies, and private and governmental organizations in order to win over world opinion.” (p296).
The messages from these conferences stressed an addition to the more familiar violent jihad: they also emphasized the importance of jihad by the written and spoken word—what we would recognize as classic propaganda. Without question APTN’s interesting business model represents a concrete example of an ongoing financial “contribution” to an important communication agency promoting a pro-Arab bias.
An LGF reader who worked for Associated Press TV News sent me the following article explaining how APTN works, and suggesting a reason why their coverage of the Middle East is so overwhelmingly biased against Israel:
How Much Does It Cost to Buy Global TV News?
The vast majority of the TV news pictures you see are produced by two TV news companies. Presented here is a case for how a large amount of money has been used to inject a clear bias into the heart of the global TV news gathering system. That this happens is not at question, whether it is by accident or design is harder to tell.
You may not realize it, but if you watch any TV news broadcast on any station anywhere in the world, there is a better than even chance you will view pictures from APTN. BBC, Fox, Sky, CNN and every major broadcaster subscribes to and uses APTN pictures. While the method by which they operate is interesting, it is the extra service this US owned and UK based company offers to Arab states that is really interesting.
About the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is a not-for-profit news gathering and dissemination service based in the US.Formed in 1848, the AP grew up from an agreement between the six major New York newspapers of the day. They wanted to defray the large telegraphy costs that they were all independently incurring for sending the same news coast to coast. Despite being highly competitive, they formed the Associated Press as a collection agency and agreed to share the material. Today, that six-newspaper cooperative is an organization serving more than 1,500 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast outlets in the United States. Abroad, AP services are printed and broadcast in 112 countries.
Associated Press Television News
Associated Press Television News (APTN) is a wholly owned subsidiary of AP. It was formally set up as a separate entity in 1994. It is run as a commercial entity and aims to make a profit. Any profit it does make is fed back to AP (which is non-profit making: APTN profits reduce the newsgathering costs incurred by the 1500 US newspapers that collectively own the AP). APTN is the largest television news gathering player (larger than Reuters, its only true competitor in this field). While AP is based in the US, APTN operates out of large premises in Camden, London. They have news teams, offices and broadcast facilities in just about every important place in the world.
APTN uses news crews and broadcast facilities all over the world to record video of newsworthy events (in News, Sport and Entertainment). These pictures are either sent unedited or very partially edited back to London. Most news is fed back within hours but they also cover and feed certain events live (news conferences in Iraq, press conferences after a sporting event etc.). Most of these stories are sent in with “natural sound”: there is no journalist providing a voice over, but the choice of what to shoot is in the hands of the local producer and camera crew. Local crews are sometimes employed directly by APTN, or more often “stringers” are hired for a particular event or paid for the footage they have already captured.
Once the stories have been fed back to the UK they are edited. This is a round the clock operation. The goal is to produce a 30 minute news bulletin comprising 6 or 7 stories every few hours. These stories are made by editing down the raw “rushes” that come in from all over the world. This is done by a team of producers who work for the news editor. They don’t supply a voice over but they do edit, discard and sequence pictures dictating the emphasis and direction of the story. They will accompany each story with a written description of each shot and the general reason this was a story. This is repeated for News, Sport & Entertainment with a geographical emphasis that shifts around the world as different markets wake and sleep. The output of this is called the “Global News Wire” (GNW).
The Business of TV News
This is how APTN makes its money: news organizations (mostly TV but not all) subscribe to APTN and pay an annual amount to both watch and then re-use the stories that are fed over the GNW. The stories are supplied with sound, but no journalist to do a voice over. Most commercial news stations (like the BBC, SKY, Fox or CNN) would take this feed, decide which pictures to use then re-edit it and supply an appropriate voice over for the story. The video comes with a written description of the shots and the events that occur in them.
The fee for this feed depends on the size of the receiving organization, their audience size and a negotiation with APTN’s sales force. It is pretty much impossible, however, to operate a TV news organization without taking feeds from either APTN or Reuters or usually both. The agreement with APTN usually allows the receiving news channel unlimited use of the video for two weeks. If they want to re-show those pictures after that they have to separately license the pictures (which can cost anything from $100 to $10,000 per 30 seconds depending on the content).
A Separate Service for Arab States
However, there is another significant part of their business model that affects the rest of the business. While most of the world takes news pictures with minimal interpretation beyond editing, the Arab Gulf States have asked for and receive a different and far more expensive service. These states pay for a complete news report service including full editing and voice overs from known journalists. The news organizations in the Arab countries don’t do anything (beyond verify that they are appropriate for local tastes) before broadcast.
What this means is that while there are around 50 people producing news pictures for the whole world working in Camden at any time, there are a further 50 Arabic speaking staff producing finished stories exclusively for the Arab states of the gulf. This has a tremendous effect on the whole feel of the building as these two teams feed pictures and people back and forth and sit in adjacent work areas. The slant of the stories required by the Gulf States has a definite effect on which footage is used and discarded. This affects both the Gulf newsroom and the main global newsroom.
This full service feed is much more expensive for the customers than the usual service, but it is also much higher margin for APTN. This is partly because there is great commonality in what they can send to most of the Gulf States taking this service: stories are made once and used in a number of countries.
Disproportionately Negative Coverage of Israel
Anything involving Israel is a favorite with Gulf Arab states for showing to their viewers. Could this be the reason why Israel receives such a disproportionate amount of particularly negative coverage especially and increasingly ever since the early 1970’s? HonestReporting is usually unable to decide which is most biased: AP or BBC. As the BBC is often using APTN footage, the difference is minor. A significant twist to what is seen, concerns what is not seen. Footage such as the Palestinian mob joyfully lynching two Israeli reservists in Ramallah in October 2000 is held by APTN’s library: any attempt to license this film for reshow is carefully vetted. Requests for the use of “sensitive clips” are referred directly to the Library director. This is not the case with clips that paint Israel in a bad light. Likewise, the re-showing of Palestinian celebrations on 9/11 is considered “sensitive”.
The way in which raw footage such as APTN’s is compiled into a news report and sent round the world has also been analyzed. The Second Draft gives a comprehensive view of how editing can make all the difference. APTN is the gatekeeper that sits between you and the actual event. You will never see what the editors at APTN see before they compile your evening news. What do you think is cut out?
The Wrap-Up
Was this organization set up with this in-built bias on purpose? Is there some way that the expensive payments made by Gulf state governments form part of a deliberate attempt to skew the media?
In “Islam and Dhimmitude” (2002) by Bat Ye’or on p294-296 she recounts how decisions were taken in the wake of the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 to try to put across an anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist message. Successive conferences resolved to contribute vast sums “to universities, centers for Islamic studies, international communications agencies, and private and governmental organizations in order to win over world opinion.” (p296).
The messages from these conferences stressed an addition to the more familiar violent jihad: they also emphasized the importance of jihad by the written and spoken word—what we would recognize as classic propaganda. Without question APTN’s interesting business model represents a concrete example of an ongoing financial “contribution” to an important communication agency promoting a pro-Arab bias.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
We had the coolest thing at the church today. The message was about basically doing what you're told when you're told and the analogy they used was of horsepower. Working on your own is essetially 1 (spiritual) horsepower, while following God's directions opens up access to much more power than you can create on your own.
To illustrate this, they had a horse and buggy out in front of the church and next to it a new Aston-Martin DB-7 Vantage V12. 435 horses. Wow.
We go to the only church I've ever seen that is actually fun to go to. And the message is always somehow clearer. If anyone's interested the website is www.crossroadsconnect.com .
To illustrate this, they had a horse and buggy out in front of the church and next to it a new Aston-Martin DB-7 Vantage V12. 435 horses. Wow.
We go to the only church I've ever seen that is actually fun to go to. And the message is always somehow clearer. If anyone's interested the website is www.crossroadsconnect.com .
Friday, August 11, 2006
I wanna go back!!
Since there's a serious lack of anything happening today I feel the need to entertain myself by speaking to the air again. They used to say people were crazy for that, but now you can just say that your blog just hasn't been discovered yet. And given the quality of my writing thus far that's probably a good thing in my case. All of that has nothing to do with wanting to go anywhere.
This does. In mid-July Joy and I packed up the kids and went to the family lake house in Tennessee. My 2 year old daughter had never been and my son was a baby the one time he was up there, so they were both at a NEW PLACE. They loved it as much as I always have. The road in is graded every once in a while now but is still just dirt and gravel for the last half mile or so, which is a real novelty to them. Add to that the fact that we could just walk down the hill in the back yard to go swimming off of the dock, play outside and still be "inside" on the screened back porch, build a little fire in the back to roast marshmallows or just throw rocks at a floating log and this place is almost a kid paradise.
It's nice for Joy and I, too. The kids slept great at night in the bed right next to ours (though it is about 3 feet off the ground and my son rolled out once). During the day there's the distant drone of boats going up and down the lake and a lazy feeling in the air but I think night time is the best up there now that I'm, ahem, "grown up". It's DARK up there at night and the only sounds are cicadas and peepers. Just turning on the stove light and going out to sit on the back deck watching nothing, not talking, just sitting together is sublime.
When I was a kid the entire road in, about 3 miles or so, was dirt and there were only a few houses around the cove that our house is at the end of. Most of those were put up by relatives or close friends of the family. We could walk over to the point and shoot bottle rockets over (or into) the water, or hike up the hill behind my great aunt's place on the other side of the road from us, or shoot my grandad's little .22 revolver at beer cans the adults stored out on the deck to pack out with us.
Nowadays most of the road is paved, albeit still with the contours of the gravel road beneath. I think it's called "improved" instead of "maintained" by the DOT but I for one have always hated that "improvement". Many more houses have gone up in the past 10 years or so and it's just not the same place anymore. There's still a good distance between places out on our end but I don't know how long that will last. I hope my kids get to enjoy it as it is for a long time before it becomes a subdivision instead of a hide away. Maybe we can get up there one more time this year.
Probably not, though.
Shame.
This does. In mid-July Joy and I packed up the kids and went to the family lake house in Tennessee. My 2 year old daughter had never been and my son was a baby the one time he was up there, so they were both at a NEW PLACE. They loved it as much as I always have. The road in is graded every once in a while now but is still just dirt and gravel for the last half mile or so, which is a real novelty to them. Add to that the fact that we could just walk down the hill in the back yard to go swimming off of the dock, play outside and still be "inside" on the screened back porch, build a little fire in the back to roast marshmallows or just throw rocks at a floating log and this place is almost a kid paradise.
It's nice for Joy and I, too. The kids slept great at night in the bed right next to ours (though it is about 3 feet off the ground and my son rolled out once). During the day there's the distant drone of boats going up and down the lake and a lazy feeling in the air but I think night time is the best up there now that I'm, ahem, "grown up". It's DARK up there at night and the only sounds are cicadas and peepers. Just turning on the stove light and going out to sit on the back deck watching nothing, not talking, just sitting together is sublime.
When I was a kid the entire road in, about 3 miles or so, was dirt and there were only a few houses around the cove that our house is at the end of. Most of those were put up by relatives or close friends of the family. We could walk over to the point and shoot bottle rockets over (or into) the water, or hike up the hill behind my great aunt's place on the other side of the road from us, or shoot my grandad's little .22 revolver at beer cans the adults stored out on the deck to pack out with us.
Nowadays most of the road is paved, albeit still with the contours of the gravel road beneath. I think it's called "improved" instead of "maintained" by the DOT but I for one have always hated that "improvement". Many more houses have gone up in the past 10 years or so and it's just not the same place anymore. There's still a good distance between places out on our end but I don't know how long that will last. I hope my kids get to enjoy it as it is for a long time before it becomes a subdivision instead of a hide away. Maybe we can get up there one more time this year.
Probably not, though.
Shame.
Lotta callin' to do
Clicking on one of the headlines on The Drudge Report today brings up this story. Why are these guys not being held at least until the Feds talk to them? OK, OK I know they claim that they're just reselling for a profit, and I have absolutely no problem with capitalism or enterprising business men, but if you're going to buy a phone from some guy for about 40 bucks wouldn't you at least want a charger and battery? Maybe even a handy package to keep it all together? Two guys in the back of a rented moving van sorting the pieces of untraceable cell phone packages sounds just a mite suspicious to me. Of course they live in Texas so their Pakistani heritage doesn't make a blip on the radar.
Where were they going to sell 1000 phones at a time anyway. Wouldn't you buy maybe 100, 150 to turn a quick profit and then go back for more? Is there that big a market for loose prepaid cell phones sold out of the back of a truck? Even if these guys aren't terrorists their clientele probably isn't all squeaky-clean in a legal sense.
Where were they going to sell 1000 phones at a time anyway. Wouldn't you buy maybe 100, 150 to turn a quick profit and then go back for more? Is there that big a market for loose prepaid cell phones sold out of the back of a truck? Even if these guys aren't terrorists their clientele probably isn't all squeaky-clean in a legal sense.
Celebrity and Security
An article up at Contact Music quotes Sandra Bernhardt as saying she will refuse to go by the new security rules banning liquids and gels from carryon luggage.
That's it, Sandra. Forget that they're trying to prevent your plane from being blown out of the air. We must have what's convenient for spoiled semi-celebrities!! I wish I could be there when she either goes along without a word against the screeners or gets her butt hauled out of line to an interview room.
BERNHARDT TAKES ON AIRPORT SECURITY
Comedienne SANDRA BERNHARDT has threatened to fight new security measures at airports imposed after a terrorist attack on planes flying from the UK to the US was averted. From yesterday (10AUG06), passengers flying from and to America have been banned from taking non-essential hand luggage onboard jets. But Bernhardt, who is scheduled to fly out of New York's JFK Airport today (11AUG06) is determined to break the rule. She tells the New York Daily News, "When I go to the airport and they try to take my MAC Plushglass away from me, it's going to be World War III!"
11/08/2006 12:16
Comedienne SANDRA BERNHARDT has threatened to fight new security measures at airports imposed after a terrorist attack on planes flying from the UK to the US was averted. From yesterday (10AUG06), passengers flying from and to America have been banned from taking non-essential hand luggage onboard jets. But Bernhardt, who is scheduled to fly out of New York's JFK Airport today (11AUG06) is determined to break the rule. She tells the New York Daily News, "When I go to the airport and they try to take my MAC Plushglass away from me, it's going to be World War III!"
11/08/2006 12:16
That's it, Sandra. Forget that they're trying to prevent your plane from being blown out of the air. We must have what's convenient for spoiled semi-celebrities!! I wish I could be there when she either goes along without a word against the screeners or gets her butt hauled out of line to an interview room.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
My boy's growin' too fast..
Well, it's official. My son's been to his classroom and met his new teacher while my wife and I sat in on the parent's orientation meeting. I don't think he even knew we weren't in the room with him. They got snack and a chance to run around and check out the room. He immediately found the gerbil and wanted to know why it was sleeping while he was playing. I pity that poor animal in a room full of 4 year olds. Even if they "can't" get to it.
My wife seems OK right now but I think that may be a different story come Monday morning when he actually starts. I just hope she doesn't start crying and freak him out.
'Night for now.
My wife seems OK right now but I think that may be a different story come Monday morning when he actually starts. I just hope she doesn't start crying and freak him out.
'Night for now.
Mobloggin'
Apparently that "mobile blogging" thing is a little slower than I was led to believe. I uploaded a picture of the view from our lake house in Tennessee about an hour and a half ago and it's not there yet. Stay tuned to this channel for updates.
It's called an "homage"
In my defense, this is the best looking premade format for a blog that Blogger offers and I don't have the first clue how to write HTML... yet. That being said, this site is...........inspired..........yeah..........by Johnny Virgil's 15minutelunch . I found him by accident a while back and he's a comedic genius. If you haven't read his blog, go there. Start with the archives, it's all good.
There lies my final inspiration to put up my own blog since stupid things seem to happen either to or around me with stunning regularity. Plus I just don't "get" Myspace. Way too many freaky people on there that I don't want to have aaanny form of contact with. So now you have the explanation for the genesis of this page and yet still know nothing. Ain't web communications great?
OK, that's it for now. Later today we get to take my son to his Pre-K orientation and begin his career in school. He's excited right now. Heh. Don't worry buddy, you'll outgrow that soon enough.
There lies my final inspiration to put up my own blog since stupid things seem to happen either to or around me with stunning regularity. Plus I just don't "get" Myspace. Way too many freaky people on there that I don't want to have aaanny form of contact with. So now you have the explanation for the genesis of this page and yet still know nothing. Ain't web communications great?
OK, that's it for now. Later today we get to take my son to his Pre-K orientation and begin his career in school. He's excited right now. Heh. Don't worry buddy, you'll outgrow that soon enough.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Brrrrr...
For those of you out there who may run across this and think you're going to sleep tonight, don't continue.
Still here? OK, don't say I didn't warn you.
(Deep breath)
I got "The Eye" from an old lady today. When I say old I mean if she was under 85 I'm a rich Democrat. I ain't. Either one.
When I got home from work today I noticed I no longer had a lawn as it had been replaced by a tropical jungle. This seemed odd since I live a little North of Atlanta, but being the genius that I am I immediately deduced that it was time to cut the grass. Bear in mind that the temperature at that time of day in Georgia lately is the major cause of traffic because cars are not meant to drive with the tread of their tires 6 inches below the surface of semi-liquid asphalt. Therefore I decided it would be best if I did not mow in my jeans and new silk shirt. (see, I told you I was smart).
Well, I got the back yard done first since it always grows fastest and thickest for some reason, which may or may not have to do with the three dogs we used to have back there, and had completed about a third of the front yard as well. I was now, excuse me ladies, soaked. In the country music video - pickup truck commercial way that's supposed to drive women wild and makes my wife say "Eeeewww, go get a shower!! Don't touch me..."
Where was I? Oh yeah..
So there I was pushing the mower wonder if I'm going to die of a heat stroke when I see motion out of the corner of my eye. I glance over and catch this little old lady staring at my backside. When she saw me looking (it took a second for her eyes to get that far north) she hit the gas. I was simultaneously flattered and REALLY creeped out.
On the plus side, that cold chill down my spine helped with the heat. For a minute.
For those of you out there who may run across this and think you're going to sleep tonight, don't continue.
Still here? OK, don't say I didn't warn you.
(Deep breath)
I got "The Eye" from an old lady today. When I say old I mean if she was under 85 I'm a rich Democrat. I ain't. Either one.
When I got home from work today I noticed I no longer had a lawn as it had been replaced by a tropical jungle. This seemed odd since I live a little North of Atlanta, but being the genius that I am I immediately deduced that it was time to cut the grass. Bear in mind that the temperature at that time of day in Georgia lately is the major cause of traffic because cars are not meant to drive with the tread of their tires 6 inches below the surface of semi-liquid asphalt. Therefore I decided it would be best if I did not mow in my jeans and new silk shirt. (see, I told you I was smart).
Well, I got the back yard done first since it always grows fastest and thickest for some reason, which may or may not have to do with the three dogs we used to have back there, and had completed about a third of the front yard as well. I was now, excuse me ladies, soaked. In the country music video - pickup truck commercial way that's supposed to drive women wild and makes my wife say "Eeeewww, go get a shower!! Don't touch me..."
Where was I? Oh yeah..
So there I was pushing the mower wonder if I'm going to die of a heat stroke when I see motion out of the corner of my eye. I glance over and catch this little old lady staring at my backside. When she saw me looking (it took a second for her eyes to get that far north) she hit the gas. I was simultaneously flattered and REALLY creeped out.
On the plus side, that cold chill down my spine helped with the heat. For a minute.
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