Archive for July, 2008

L.A. TIMES BLOG EDITOR TONY PIERCE responds to critics: “I was really just reminding the bloggers that they write for the LA Times and they happen to be using blogging as a publishing platform . . . What I should have said is that if you find information — because these are real reporters — if you find any more information, or if there’s something that’s out there that you come across put out by a more reputable source, write it up and let’s talk about it.”

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: The Western Wall prayer controversy is getting complicated.

HAD A NICE PANEL ON BLOGGING FOR NEW LAW PROFESSORS, with Ann Bartow, the former blogger Jeff Cooper (who offered a cautionary tale of blog-addiction), Nancy Rapoport, and Paul Secunda.

One thing that occurred to me is that when Linda Greenhouse retired she was the last Linda Greenhouse, because now I go to blogs like ScotusBlog, or The Volokh Conspiracy, or How Appealing to find out what happened, before going to the NYT to find out how the story is being spun. I don’t think that any reporter will be able to dominate things the way Greenhouse did for most of her career, because the blogs are taking over a lot of the initial analysis, and diffusing the first-mover authority that Greenhouse enjoyed.

CHARLES LIPSON on Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture,” which was mentioned here a while ago:

With wisdom, good humor and a total absence of self-pity, he ruminated on his life’s lessons. Audiences loved it and, within weeks, his “last lecture” became a giant YouTube hit. The video led, quite unexpectedly, to a book, “The Last Lecture,” that has stayed on best-seller lists since it was published in April. Not bad for a guy forced to run a two-minute drill against pancreatic cancer.

To sum up your life’s work in a compelling, accessible lecture is every teacher’s dream. That is exactly what Pausch did. I say that as someone who paces the front of a classroom several times a week. I love teaching and working with students, just as Randy did. I love explaining new ideas, challenging my students’ preconceived notions, and responding (with good grace, I hope) when they harpoon my own.

To watch Pausch’s last lecture is to know that he shared that love. By displaying it so openly, in a video watched by millions, the professor of computer science also showed how great teachers connect with students.

Read the whole thing.

NO BIG SURPRISE HERE: “Employees with concealed weapons permits can keep guns locked in their cars at work in Florida, but businesses are allowed to prohibit customers from bringing firearms on their property, a federal judge has ruled.”

A BUNCH OF READERS ARE EMAILING ME about an earthquake in Los Angeles.

UPDATE: USGS says it was 5.8.

MORE: Reader Monica Showalter emails: “This thing went on and on….felt like a second bottle of whiskey kicking in or maybe sitting on Jell-O.” I don’t think she’s actually experienced either of those firsthand but I take the point. And hey, i could be wrong.

Roundup from Ed Driscoll.

STILL MORE: Brendan Loy reports that it’s been downgraded to 5.4, “which, because the magnitude scale is logarithmic, is actually a big deal. You’d expect significantly more damage from a 5.8 quake than from a 5.4.”

REASON TV: Earmarks, The Alien Menace.

I’m not actually sure that SETI is the best example here.

WHILE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT CORRUPTION, A LOOK AT FREDDIE MAC AND FANNIE MAE’S LARGESSE:

Congress sets the rules in favor of Fan and Fred, which then repay the Members with cash from their rigged profit stream. This is the government lobbying itself for more government.

And, oh, what a stream of political cash it is. First, there are Fannie and Freddie’s political action committees, which have already distributed roughly $800,000 to U.S. House and Senate Members this election cycle. Nearly half of the Senators have received funds and almost all of the money is directed to incumbents. Fannie gave $10,000 to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, $10,000 to third-ranking House Democrat Rahm Emanuel, $5,000 to Barney Frank, $10,000 to Republican House whip Roy Blunt, $8,500 to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and $7,500 to Minority Leader John Boehner and . . . you get the picture. . . .

Then there are the “charitable” foundations. Freddie Mac’s foundation handed out $25 million to political groups, think tanks and other Beltway outfits in 2007 alone, more than any other foundation in the country, according to the Washington Business Journal. Guess which foundation ranked number two? Yep, Fannie Mae’s, which gave out $21 million.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Via email, the following:

We have already notified the Wall Street Journal of their error, but can you please also make the correction.

Here:

Then there are the “charitable” foundations. Freddie Mac’s foundation handed out $25 million to political groups, think tanks and other Beltway outfits in 2007 alone, more than any other foundation in the country, according to the Washington Business Journal. Guess which foundation ranked number two? Yep, Fannie Mae’s, which gave out $21 million.

This is false. We told the WSJ those amounts made Fan and Fred the largest locally-based givers in the Washington area, only representing local giving…we have no stats on the rest of the country. Also, we do not track where the money goes. That’s information from the WSJ, not the Washington Business Journal.

Thanks in advance!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth Drachman
Managing editor
Washington Business Journal

So noted.