Random

8:57 Dec 19, 2007 104

I spent six hours in meetings yesterday, and I am not normally a meetings person. Worse, they were meetings in which I had to pay attention and contribute. I got home just in time to feed the kids, change my shirt and head off for drinks with, among others, a photographer, a costume designer, a novelist, a talent agent and an old friend who is looking forward to his sexual reassignment surgery. I drank slightly too much.

In just over an hour, I have to go and be funny for the radio. The coffee machine is playing up. And I wish it was just Christmas already. So forgive me for not having a clever, nuanced and fully-referenced rhetorical argument this morning.

But anyway, reader Gordon McLauchlan sent the following:

"Dear Russell: You may be interested for your blog in the following flyer sent recently (dated 13 December) under People Publishing letterhead to some businesses in Auckland … Seems a strange commercial decision to alienate a substantial number of potential readers with such a bad-taste flyer. Or would Auckland's middle class think this funny?

Latest issue of "weekend" (sic) magazine
Over the last five days 45,000* of Auckland's wealthiest homes received a copy of Weekend Magazine.
Weekend suits advertisers that have products or services that are enjoyed by "rich pricks" and "scumbags" who travel, eat out, shop and enjoy their weekends more than the poor bastards who votes for Michael Cullen.
Yours sincerely
[signed]
Mike Taillie
Publisher

Mr Taillie has a blog, where he expresses "random" views.

Also, Alison Broad was in touch with "a note of clarification":

Tokanui in Southland District is NOT the same place as Tokanui in Waipa District (which the single mum link takes you to). Southland's Tokanui is a great wee hub of a fabulous rural community, but your article muddles it with the Waipa version (with which i am unfamiliar). I profoundly hope we Southerners are spared the horrors of rapid population growth - cheap housing notwithstanding.
Happy Christmas to you!

And yourself, Alison.

I try not to go in for evil-MSM ranting, but I really have to agree with the bloggers venting about the Washington Post's awful front-page story about Barack Obama -- and about big media's own self-serving response to the subsequent furore.

In the story, headed Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him, WaPo staff writer Perry Bacon reels off a list of nutjob talking points about the Democratic candidate -- all revolving around the idea that he's a secret Muslim sleeper agent -- but neglects to say that they have not merely been denied by the candidate, but debunked by journalists doing actual reporting. The phrase "Muslim ties" in the headline reads as fact.

Yes, of course, it shouldn't matter that amid the armies of God-botherers in American politics, a believer in Allah might appear. But Bacon's story, as Paul McLeary of the Columbia Journalism Review points out, "may be the single worst campaign ‘08 piece to appear in any American newspaper so far this election cycle."

The WaPo's own Ombudsman wasn't too happy with the story either, pointing out that there was no new or credible information that justified the story even being written, let alone run front-page, and "that Obama's connections to Islam are slender at best; that the rumors were old; and that convincing evidence of their falsity wasn't included in the story."

So the New York Times writes it up -- and its big angle was: a journalism professor blogger guy was a bit mean and implied the 27 year-old reporter lacked the experience to be writing that kind of story. Um, really?

I'm with this guy: it's a "circle the wagons" scenario.

In other news, Hilary Swank swallows 45 food supplements every day while Amy Winehouse prefers cocaine (mildly NSFW celebrity site).

104 responses to this post

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JP Hansen, 09:24 Dec 19, 2007

Funny that Amy's drawn on teardrop disappears between the coke-nosed close up and the Seinfeldesque expectoration shot.

Waitakere • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report
Evan Yates, 09:49 Dec 19, 2007

I drive through Tokanui (the Waipa one) a fair bit. It is well-known in the district for being the site of the old Waikato DHB mental health hospital (now closed).
It is also just a few kms from Waikeria prison.
The surrounding land is pretty sweet dairy country so I assume the cheap houses are ex-DHB or ex-Corrections staff housing.

Hamiltron, Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Nov 2006 • 197 posts Report
Neil Morrison, 09:50 Dec 19, 2007

i don't get what was so awful about the WaPo article. There is a right wing fringe saying this crap about Obama. the writer clearly thinks it's all crap that's why he wrote the story.
from the WaPo article -
Despite his denials, rumors and e-mails circulating on the Internet continue to allege that Obama (D-Ill.) is a Muslim, a "Muslim plant" in a conspiracy against America, and that, if elected president, he would take the oath of office using a Koran, rather than a Bible, as did Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the only Muslim in Congress, when he was sworn in earlier this year.
In campaign appearances, Obama regularly mentions his time living and attending school in Indonesia, and the fact that his paternal grandfather, a Kenyan farmer, was a Muslim. Obama invokes these facts as part of his case that he is prepared to handle foreign policy, despite having been in the Senate for only three years, and that he would literally bring a new face to parts of the world where the United States is not popular.
i can't see the problem. this all looks pretty positive for Obama to me.

Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 09:53 Dec 19, 2007

I try not to go in for evil-MSM ranting, but I really have to agree with the bloggers venting about the Washington Post's awful front-page story about Barack Obama -- and about big media's own self-serving response to the subsequent furore.
Well, I'd take a slightly different POV from most: I think it is a perfectly legitimate story to report and critically analyse nasty (and untrue) faith-based smears being used as campaign tools, and that doesn't change because this story was indefensibly bad, and the NYTimes still lacks much authority on the subject of professional ethics.

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
Che Tibby, 09:58 Dec 19, 2007

i'm loving that the wapo "islam-scare" staff writer is called bacon.
dog-whistle? i think yes.
and re:christmas exhaustion. i soooo hear you. someone bring me back regular working weeks. please. anyone.

the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report
Robyn Gallagher, 10:06 Dec 19, 2007

Mr Taillie has a blog, where he expresses "random" views.
Of course, looking at his blog, it seems that all of his posts are restricted to the area of sales, business and the NZ economy. OMG! Randomz!!!
I'd like to see an actual random blog, with entries on such topics as even-toed ungulates, Berlin-Mitte, sludge metal, representation theory and Saskatchewan Highway 782 (selected courtesy of hitting the "Random article" link at Wikipedia).

Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 10:09 Dec 19, 2007

There is a right wing fringe saying this crap about Obama.
And at least two Clinton operatives in Iowa who were quite happy to pass it on, until they got busted. Who the hell knows how many others are out there who aren't stupid enough to put one of Chris Dodds' senior staffers on the distribution list.
I don't know if it's fair to characterize Hilary Clinton or her supporters as 'right wing fringe', but I'm not the only one who is noting a, shall we say, Rovian tinge to her campaign as the inevitable coronation meme is falling apart.
I'm all for outing and shaming anyone who plays it like that.

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
Neil Morrison, 10:18 Dec 19, 2007

and that doesn't change because this story was indefensibly bad
i'm missing something here, how was this article so bad?
from the article about the Clinton staffers it's hard to know what exactly happened. It seems they forwarded on haox emails. Why they did that is not addressed. People forward on jokes. or did they believe the emails or were they involved in a smear cmapiagn. Or did they forward them just to show what sort of crap is bing said about Obama.
who knows, the article certainly doesn't provide much to go on.

Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report
Neil Morrison, 10:22 Dec 19, 2007

should have read to the end of the Clinton staffers article -
Rose has said she did not agree with the e-mail but was sending it to other area Democrats to show them how dirty politics was getting. Olson did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.
maybe not a great decision but that's quite different from the actions the WaPo article describes.

Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report
Tom Beard, 10:34 Dec 19, 2007

I'd like to see an actual random blog, with entries on such topics as even-toed ungulates, Berlin-Mitte, sludge metal, representation theory and Saskatchewan Highway 782 (selected courtesy of hitting the "Random article" link at Wikipedia).
And very informative articles they were. Personally, I'd always had trouble distinguishing between Stoner Sludge Metal and Southern Sludgecore, but now I know.
By comparison, Taillie's "random thoughts" are a fairly predictable melange of vapid salesman's "wisdom" and barely coherent right-wing rants:
Lets stop the underfunding of the higher income areas and give it to the poor areas. What are we trying to do, create a country of average people!
Quite apart from the apostrophe catastrophe (TM Jo Hubris) and other punctuation crimes, what is that first sentence supposed to mean?

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 10:34 Dec 19, 2007

Neil;
Fair enough, but I think any PAS reader who is really interested can find endless reports on the resignations of the two volunteers. All I wanted to do is provide a link that showed I just wasn't making it up in some Clinton-hating fever dream.
When you get right down to it, WTF were these people thinking forwarding a nasty smear against an opponent, period? Domestically, if I was National's campaign director I'd be making it pretty damn clear that nobody connected with the campaign should be forwarding anything about an opposing candidate to anyone I wouldn't be happy to see leading the six o'clock news. Its only as complicated as you want to make it, IMO.

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 10:39 Dec 19, 2007

I'd like to see an actual random blog, with entries on such topics as even-toed ungulates, Berlin-Mitte, sludge metal, representation theory and Saskatchewan Highway 782 (selected courtesy of hitting the "Random article" link at Wikipedia).
A lot of livejournals come close.

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report
Danielle, 10:40 Dec 19, 2007

Quite apart from the apostrophe catastrophe (TM Jo Hubris) and other punctuation crimes, what is that first sentence supposed to mean?
I think it's a conjugation abrogation. Doesn't he mean 'giving' rather than 'give'? (Although, if you're asking what 'higher income areas' and 'poor areas' are in this context, I got nuttin'. He makes no sense.)

Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report
Robyn Gallagher, 11:05 Dec 19, 2007

what is that first sentence supposed to mean?
Perhaps he means to say something like this:
[Let's] stop the underfunding of the higher income areas and [stop giving funding] to the poor areas [above higher income areas].
Yeah, them po' folks have had it too easy for far too long (?)
And I wonder, are these the same "poor folks" he mocks in his press release - the ones who don't enjoy their weekends as much as the residents of Auckland's wealthiest homes?
Actually, I'm sure I don't come even close to qualifying as one of the "rich prick" Weekend readers, but I enjoy my weekdays and weekends.

Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report
Kyle Matthews, 11:09 Dec 19, 2007

When you get right down to it, WTF were these people thinking forwarding a nasty smear against an opponent, period? Domestically, if I was National's campaign director I'd be making it pretty damn clear that nobody connected with the campaign should be forwarding anything about an opposing candidate to anyone I wouldn't be happy to see leading the six o'clock news. Its only as complicated as you want to make it, IMO.
I think that's true if you're the campaign director. But in a dogfight like the Democratic primaries are turning out to be, to low/medium level campaign staffers who are slogging it away and probably passionately believe in their 'guy' and probably can't see that forest for the trees.
I bet there's a heap of jokes and stories and whatnot going around most political campaign headquarters around the world, which you wouldn't want getting out in the public domain. Their problem is probably using email which is a publishable source rather than 'gossip over a late night beer' which would end up as background at best to a story.
And obviously they paid the price for it.

Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report
Tom Beard, 11:44 Dec 19, 2007

Perhaps he means to say something like this:
[Let's] stop the underfunding of the higher income areas and [stop giving funding] to the poor areas [above higher income areas].
Yeah, them po' folks have had it too easy for far too long (?)
That's pretty much how I read it too, but his writing is so appalling it's hard to tell for sure. Someone who rails against "creat[ing] a country of average people" should ensure that his writing is at least up to average standard. Or perhaps he grew up in a criminally-underfunded higher-income area, which would explain his inadequate education.

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report
Gareth Ward, 11:55 Dec 19, 2007

I bet there's a heap of jokes and stories and whatnot going around most political campaign headquarters around the world, which you wouldn't want getting out in the public domain.
Slightly off-topic, but last night I flicked on Parliament TV for the first time to see exactly what it was, and found Rodney Hide giving a "thanks to all the people who make Parliament tick" speech to an empty chamber.
Watched about 4 sentences but thought it was quite funny when he said "and thanks to the security guards, primarily for their discretion - they see and hear so many things from us, especially on the security cameras, that we would hate to get out into the public domain". Points for honesty I guess!

Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report
Snelly Boy, 12:12 Dec 19, 2007

Can anyone actually remember seeing the "Weekend Magazine"?
I note I'm smack in the middle of their distribution zone but can't recall ever reading one. No doubt another glossy that dupes advertisers out of their cold hard cash and ends up in the bin unread with the publishers quickly fading away.
I'm chuffed to be referred to as a scumbag though. Perhaps their targeted marketing is spot on after all.

Auckland • Since Nov 2007 • 6 posts Report
WH, 12:19 Dec 19, 2007

I thought the "Bacon is not a paedophile" analogy drawn was harsh but apt in this respect: the impression and associations created by the article are misleading and in this case apparently unsupported by any demonstrable facts. There was no attempt to find the truth, simply a repetition of unsubstantiated allegations and the corresponding denials. The net effect is to give front page credence to non-information.
Climate change all in Gore's head, rumours suggest.

Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 12:20 Dec 19, 2007

I think that's true if you're the campaign director. But in a dogfight like the Democratic primaries are turning out to be, to low/medium level campaign staffers who are slogging it away and probably passionately believe in their 'guy' and probably can't see that forest for the trees.
Quite true, Kyle. Which is why it actually matters that leadership... well, leads, even if you're not the person who coined the phrase "vast right-wing conspiracy". :)
It's just not good enough to position yourself as the only person who can stand up against the Republican smear machine, and then have your own campaign workers caught taking a leaf out of the Rove play book. It just lays you open to questions about whether you can run a country when you can't even keep your primary workers in line. At worse, you're raising the perception that you're a hypocrite who doesn't even have the guts to sling your own dirt, but will tacitly condone expendable proxies doing it instead.
As I said on another thread, people respond to Obama because they believe he can change the game, while Clinton is the status quo.

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report
Robyn Gallagher, 12:23 Dec 19, 2007

No doubt another glossy that dupes advertisers out of their cold hard cash and ends up in the bin unread with the publishers quickly fading away.
It's a strange genre of magazine - the kind that deliberately attempts to go for a rool high claaaass reader. But the main hallmark of these magazines seems to be really poor subediting. Not just apostrophe catastrophes, but overall sloppy writing.
And then you end up with editors of such magazines getting annoyed when their publication's spelling/grammar/syntax is criticised because, dammit, that's just a trivial typo and, like, you should be paying attention to the advertorial on the posh car rental place, not quibbling over apostrophes.

Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report
Joanna, 12:47 Dec 19, 2007

It's a strange genre of magazine - the kind that deliberately attempts to go for a rool high claaaass reader. But the main hallmark of these magazines seems to be really poor subediting. Not just apostrophe catastrophes, but overall sloppy writing.
That sounds familiar...

Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 746 posts Report
Rich of Observationz, 12:55 Dec 19, 2007

My favourite wankiness is the advertising on George FM.
As in the AA advert that includes the lines "..for when you get a flat tyre on the way home from a manicure".
And a restaurant ad that coins the noun "delish". As in "..sample our delishes..".
The saving grace is that I think most of the perpetrators are being ironic.

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report
Neil Morrison, 13:02 Dec 19, 2007

WTF were these people thinking forwarding a nasty smear against an opponent, period?
poor judgement call. Just goes to show the right has no monopoly on that.
...and then have your own campaign workers caught taking a leaf out of the Rove play book.
pfff, they weren't. Mind you that allegation's been getting a bit of oxygen over at The Nation.
Now that's a dishonest and profoundly stupid article.

Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report
Craig Ranapia, 13:16 Dec 19, 2007

Obama's a smoker too? Dang, my gay-dar might be crap but I knew there was something about the guy I liked. :)

North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report