Imus vs Couric by Technorati Graphs

CBS has been in the spotlight lately due to the gaffes of Don Imus and Katie Couric. Clearly, the Imus “Nappy-Headed Hoe” issue has been bigger than the Katie Couric Video Notebook plagiarism issue, but how much bigger?

Technorati’s records of blog site postings that mention “Imus” vs “Katie Couric” give some indication from the perspective of the blogosphere.

The upper graph to the right shows blog postings that include “Katie Couric.” It shows a small baseline of activity surrounding a couple of spikes in the range of 300-400 hits per day. The second spike is a result of the library card story taken from a piece by Jeffrey Zaslow that appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

The lower graph shows blog postings that include “Imus.” It shows little or no baseline of activity, but a huge surge reaching nearly 14,000 at its peak.

So, “how much bigger?” The Imus story was about four to five times bigger than the Couric story at the peak…. assuming the Couric story has played out.
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Katie Couric and CBS Perpetuate Undercount of Iraqi Civilian Deaths

So, how many inaccuracies can be found Katie Couric’s Video Notebook? Here’s another.

On March 19, 2007, Katie Couric reported 50,000 Iraqi civilian deaths, despite the well-known Lancet study citing an estimated 654,965 additional deaths in Iraq between March 2003 and July 2006 (the low end of the estimated range was about 400,000).

A Johns Hopkins School of Public Health web site states:

The mortality survey used well-established and scientifically proven methods for measuring mortality and disease in populations. These same survey methods were used to measure mortality during conflicts in the Congo, Kosovo, Sudan and other regions.

The Guardian reports:

Scientists at the UK’s Department for International Development … concluded that the study’s methods were “tried and tested”. Indeed, the Johns Hopkins approach would likely lead to an “underestimation of mortality”.

The Ministry of Defence’s chief scientific adviser said the research was “robust”, close to “best practice”, and “balanced”. He recommended “caution in publicly criticising the study”.

We know that people are buried quickly in the Islamic tradition, leading to lower reporting of deaths to officials. We know that the mass media is unable to report on vast areas of Iraq due to increasing violence, again leading to under reporting.

So, why does Katie Couric and CBS continue to report a number that is an order of magnitude lower than the best available estimate? Partly because of the human capacity for denial. Partly because corporate media insiders live in a celebrity bubble; they and their wannabe helpers are isolated from realities that would allow them to believe the numbers of additional civilian deaths could be so high. Perhaps to avoid accepting responsibility as a democracy for such a gross crime against humanity.
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Another Couric Video Notebook Error?

Noted as “A sign of the declining modern media,” among other things, d-day blog finds another Katie Couric Video Notebook misrepresentation (no video on this one). How many more are there?

On April 13, 2007, d-day blog reports, in Zombie Lies that Katie Couric’s video notebook repeated the rumor that Barack Obama had been educated in an Islamic madrassa. Compare the original and revised versions. This was reported on by media matters. In particular, they expose CNN’s Glenn Beck for perpetuating the rumor.

Sources:

Katie Couric Notebook Entry Obama’s Background, April 11, 2007: Note it has been Corrected.

Huffington Post, Eat the Press for the before and after comparison.
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Couric: Faux Journalist Reflects Twilight of America

It is one more sign of the decline of America.

CBS News said this week the April 4 installment of “Katie Couric’s Notebook” consisted mostly of passages lifted verbatim from a Wall Street Journal column by Jeffrey Zaslow that was published in March.

Rigor and professionalism has given way to false appearance and the bottom line. For a highly-paid news anchor to blunder into plagiarism is unacceptable in a first-rate nation, which is the point. The U.S. is fading in the same way Rome, Spain and Britain faded from preeminence.

Morris Berman, and others, are writing books on the decline of the American Empire. A review of Berman’s “The Twilight of American Culture,” sums it up:

Morris Berman discusses the decline in American life, evidenced by growing class inequities, the deterioration of literacy, and the pervasiveness of anti-intellectualism.

The deterioration of literacy is exemplified in this case by a failure to recognize plagiarism. Couric didn’t even write the video essay, despite the impression given that she does.

Here’s another example of the decline, a failure of accountability:

The producer responsible for Couric’s piece was fired on Monday night, hours after the Journal contacted CBS News to complain.

“Couric’s” piece? First, it was phony theater, foisted on the American public; Couric wasn’t mouthing a memory about her library card. She was mouthing someone Else’s memory about their library card, written by an as-yet nameless producer (UPDATE: Now named as Melissa McNamara).

Second, if it’s truly “Couric’s piece,” isn’t she also responsible? Apparently not in the twilight of America, where it’s OK for CBS to give the impression that it is “Couric’s piece.” It was faked, like most of what passes for journalism on corporate media as the American Dark Ages approach.

Sources:

Reuters, April 12, 2007, CBS says Couric unaware video essay plagiarized.

Melanie Ho, Review of Berman’s “The Twilight of America.”

See Also:

Regret The Error, a blog that was cited in the Reuters article.

The Daily Background, a blog that was cited in the Reuters article. Raises the question of double-plagiarism. What The Daily Background calls “double-plagiarism” I call “phony theater.”

High Tech Parent on Couric

On the ligher side, gotta take a look at the visual on Milk Was a Bad Choice

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NAFTA Chapter 11

Everyone should be aware of “the other Chapter 11″ that is Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA includes rules on protection of foreign investments. It undermines democratic choices by allowing foreign businesses to challenge local laws if those laws infringe on their profits.

Examples include the California legislature self-censoring legislation, because of fears that Mexican of Canadian businesses will bring a costly law suit. The State’s fear was based on a nearly $1 Billion legal challenge by Canadian corporation Methanex, claiming lost profits after the State tried to ban the sale of the gasoline additive MTBE. California scientists had discovered MTBE was leaking from underground storage tanks and contaminiating drinking water. MTBE is a suspected carcinogen. (See timeline with “happy” ending below).

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would expand this to apply to all corporations in the Western Hemisphere doing business in the USA.

An excellent expose’ on NAFTA Chapter 11 was done by Bill Moyer:
Moyer Link

You might also consider reading the beginning of George Soros’ “The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered.” It provides a powerful indictment of “free market fundamentalism,” which even speaks to those who strongly believe in the capitalist system.

MTBE Chapter 11 Case Timeline:

MARCH, 1999
California governor calls for the phase-out of MTBE, which is used to help reduce air pollution, citing fears it is creeping into groundwater. MTBE has been linked to cancer.

JUNE, 1999
Methanex uses a controversial chapter of NAFTA accord to demand US$970-million in compensation from the U.S. government, alleging the California ban unfairly undermines its market.

AUGUST, 2005
NAFTA panel dismisses claim and orders company to pay US$4-million in legal fees. (The unsettling thing is that the “NAFTA panel” is a secret procedure run by unelected officials, which could easily be corrupted.)

Popular Issue: US Foreign Money Addiction Means Trouble

Lets face it, the theme of this Blog is a bit esoteric, that is, concern about the role of excessive commercial power in the World. My reading and web peruzing is almost exclusively “News.” However, knowing that pop culture plays a role in what makes the World turn, I clicked on the Yahoo “Most Popular” link today; a first for me.

The most popular issues were listed:

Miss Iceland is a Surprize Winner of Miss World
Pioneering Comedian Richard Pryor Dies
US Foreign Money Addiction Means Trouble

Article Link

Actually, when ranked by “most e-mailed” the US Foreign Money Addiction article was #2.

OK, so it is 7:30 am (EST) on a Sunday, and only the sick’o business-minded are awake yet. Just wait until the rest of the nation wakes up and starts e-mailing articles to their friends. We’ll check back in and see what happens to the ranking.

7:30am (EST) “US Foreign Money Addiction” article is #2
9:00am “US Foreign Money Addiction” article is #1
5:30pm “US Foreign Money Addiction” article is no longer in the top 10, however…. #2 is “Pope: Christmas is Polluted by Consumerism”

According to the AP article on foreign money addiction, featured by Yahoo, “At our current rate of trade and budget deficits, foreigners need to purchase $2 billion in dollar-denominated assets each day just to keep the dollar stable.” (Source: Axel Merk).

“Over half the national debt is now financed by foreigners, according to Roger Ibbotson, chairman of the financial consulting firm Ibbotson Associates in Chicago and a professor at Yale School of Management.” If one of the foreign entitities that buys US bonds to finance our debt stopped buying those bonds, Ibbotson says it could be like a “run on the bank.”

David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s, is also concerned. “If this money stopped coming, the dollar would take a dive and U.S. bond yields would have to come up. That would constrain capital spending and housing and slow down the U.S. economy.”

“We need the money because we’re not saving any,” Wyss said. “We need it from anyone who has a spare yen to lend us.”

The gush of foreign money “is critical to keeping the U.S. dollar from collapsing, because we have a large trade deficit,” said Daniel Katzive, foreign exchange strategist at UBS. “If the deficit wasn’t financed, the dollar would fall until it reached a level where U.S. assets were more attractive to foreign investors.”

It’s simple accounting, he said: Cashflow in must equal cashflow out. “If it doesn’t, you have a big adjustment until you reach equilibrium.”

Normally, Wyss said, foreign investors would be reluctant to stake so much on the Treasury market because they would be worried that a decline in the dollar would erode their returns. But, in recent years, the Japanese and Chinese central banks have intervened to keep the dollar high.

“Central banks have trained investors that there’s not much risk there,” he said. “That scares me.”

Cell Phone = Tracking Device

Cellular operators like Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless know, within about 300 yards, the location of their subscribers whenever a phone is turned on. Even if the phone is not in use it is communicating with cellphone tower sites, and the wireless provider keeps track of the phone’s position as it travels. The operators have said that they turn over location information when presented with a court order to do so.

This is according to Matt Richell in a December 10, 2005 NY Times editorial.

If in doubt, turn your phone off. If you need more assurance, remove the battery.

List of Those Who Have Left the Bush Admin

Over the past few years we’ve all caught the news stories about high-level people leaving the Bush Administration. If you’re like me, you’ve wondered “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of all these people?”

Nick Turse, who works in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University and is the Associate Editor and Research Director at TomDispatch.com, has done it. He calls the list “The Fallen Legion.”

Fallen Legion LINK

I’ve suggested Nick consider Armando Falcon as a “fallen legion” candidate:

Falcon was director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), which has oversight over the two giant housing-finance enterprises known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

On Feb. 4, 2003 the OFHEO released a report entitled, “Systemic Risk: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Role of OFHEO.” In a nut shell, OFHEO was concerned that Mae and Mac might become insolvent. OFHEO was exploring the possibility of obtaining legal (Congressional) authority to take over Mae & Mac in the event either collapsed. The concern was that these two institutions were so strongly coupled to the overall economy that their failure could result in a “systemic” economic failure.

For his service to the Nation, Falcon was asked by the Bush Administration to resign soon after the report was released.

You might not like the source, but you can verify the facts:
Article

Appeal for Hostage Release

(Originally Posted 12/09/05)

The deadline set for execution of the four Christian Peace activists taken hostage has arrived.  I add my small voice to those appealing for their release.

Many in the Iraqi resistance understand that these activists are not religious missionaries, and in fact spoke out in opposition before the US invasion.  They also rightly think that the killing of these people would undermine the legitimacy of the resistance.

Many appeals are being by iraqis on behalf of the hostages.  For example….

During prayers in the al-Imam al-Aadam mosque in Baghdad’s predominantly Sunni Arab neighborhood of Azamiyah in north Baghdad, cleric Ahmed Hassan Taha demanded that the four charity workers be released.

“I stress on the necessity to release the four kidnapped foreigners who have helped the residents of Azamiyah,” he said. “We ask those who have authority and power to do their best to release the four European people who work in Christian peace organization, in fact those activists were the first who condemned the war on Iraq.”   (AP)

Money, what is it?

What is money?  A funny thing happened on my way to the bank… the bank created money out of thin air.  Yes, it’s true.  In the US, we have a system of finance by which our private banks can create money.  It is moderated to some degree by the Federal Reserve, which is itself a creature that is part government part private sector.  “Secrets of the Temple,” by William Greider, now with the Nation magazine, goes deeply into this subject.  I happen to be reading it with two other people at this time.

The way money is created by the private sector is as follows.  Lets say a bank has one million dollars.  It is supposed to keep a percentage in reserve in case people want to come and get cash, say 10% in reserve.  The remaining 90% can be loaned out to individuals and businesses.  That 90% is typically put right back into a bank in the system of US banks.  This bank can, in turn, loan out 90% of that 90% (81%), holding 10% in reserve.  That 81% is stored in another bank, or the same bank that gave the loan, and then 90% of that 81% can be loaned, and so on.  This multiplying process effectively creates money where none existed before.  It isn’t printed by the government.

Surely it’s more complex than this, and the percentage of reserves required is something other than 10%, but that’s the basic concept.   Ultimately, the “money” in circulation is mostly loans, or debt.  Now, if that debt is invested to produce goods and services, the debt can be paid back, with a little left over, and the system works.  However, if that debt is simply used for consupmption, with nothing to show for it afterwards, and no way to pay back the debt, then we face an unsustainable situation.  Eventually, the system fails.  Unfortunately, to a great degree, the later is ocurring in the United States.

Obviously, there’s more to money than that.  There are the various ways of counting money:  M1, M2 and M3 are categories of “money,” that are increasingly less liquid.  That is, less readily available upon demand.  Less liquid money might be yours, but it might be locked up in a certificate of deposit that matures in three months, and cannot be spent right now (unless you pay a stiff penalty for early withdrawl in some cases).

Below is a summary of the trends in M1, M2 and M3 over time.  Note how the money supply has expanded much more rapidly than the population in the US.  Shouldn’t we all be richer?  Well, the fact is, and I’ve not shown it here, the wealthy top percentage of Americans ARE wealthier, but the lower tier have actually lost wealth over the past few decades.  I’ll save that discussion for another time.

US Population:
1950 151 Million
1980 226 Million
2000 281 Million
2005 292 Million

Wealth Distribution (1):
1979  86% of financial wealth held by top 10%

M1:  currency and demand deposits held by consumers & businesses;
1950 $130 B
1979  $362 B (range 359 -381B)
2005  $1,365 B approx
11% growth per year between ’79 & ’05 on average

M1 per capita:
1950 $861k
1979  $1,601k
2005  $4,675k

M2:  M1 + small savings accounts, CDs, mutual funds.
1950 $287 B
1979  $1,425 B (range: 1,372 – 1,473)
2005 $6,500 B (range: 6,400 – 6,600)

M3:  M1+ M2 + large CDs (100k +), less liquid assets.
1950 $295 B
1979  $1,725 B (range: 1,656 – 1,808)
2005 $9,750 B (range: 9,502 – 10,058)

Velocity:  GDP/MX (2)   Turn-over of money
1960:  3.5 for M1
1979:  6.8 for M1 ($362 B)
2005:  8.9

The difference between GNP and GDP is a matter of the nationality of the producers and the location of production:

GNP = goods and services produced by US corporations in USA + goods and services produced by US corporations in other countries  (our countrymen’s production)

GDP = goods and services produced by US corporations in USA + goods and services produced by foreign corporations in the USA  (within boarder production)

<b>Sources:</b>
1.  p 39, Greider, “Secrets of the Temple”
2.  http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/data.exe/var/vel-gdp-per-m1