Thursday, December 21, 2006

In case you weren't sure


UCLA is superior. Thank you.

If they are timely...

What am I? A Psychic?

Gawker Book Club: Extra-Timely Edition

Some people like to say that living well is the best revenge. Well, living well is pretty good revenge, but the best? We think that'd have to be something along the lines of: writing a roman a clef about your evil ex-boss that's being published at around the same time that said ex-boss is getting fired and dragged through the mud in the media. Congratulations, Bridie Clark! You're one lucky bitch, and your book, Because She Can, is the next subject of our occasional Book Club. If you've sat around the coffee table with us for previous installments of the Club, you recall that the way this works is that we flip to a random page and give you a little dose. But this time, we're going to focus on the bits of the book that squeaked most narrowly through what must've been the most scrupulous legal read EVER. After the jump, our heroine's job interview with Rudith Jegan. Okay, okay, "Vivian Grant."

Gawker just LOVES to talk about Ms. Regan. For more of Gawkers coverage, see here.

Holiday Funnies


Thanks, Britta.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Because I can't

While doing some further investigation into how a MediaBistro editor could find this blog out of the millions out there, I found that my blog had been linked to an article they had written in late September.

Just shows how careful you have to be.

Oh, Gawker Media Mole and FishBowl LA, how I wish I could talk. I'm sure all the other anonymous sources that have been spilling the beans will give you plenty to write about; just find the ex-Regan Assistants/Editors support group.

One thing is for sure, Bridie Clark couldn't be publishing her book at a better time.


Technorati

For those of you who aren't immersed in media market lingo on a daily basis, Social Networking sites are those we refer to fondly as facebook, myspace, friendster and the like.

There was a huge uproar when facebook began it's feeds a few months ago. Labeled as the "Facebook Riots," It seemed as if (even if only temporarily) people did not want other users to have access to their every-day online movements. After a huge public apology by Mark Zuckerberg and assurences of preservation of privacy through the site, feeds have become an everyday part of the facebook experience.

What I think Mark Zuckerberg and other Social networking geniuses (I use the word genius lightly here) tapped into was that people want information. I know you are thinking, well...ok, people want information big woop right?

No, no, my friend, People want information about you! User Generated Media sites or UGM's for us Media Marketing professionals, exploded this year through sites such as YouTube, Wikipedia and yes, Facebook and Myspace.

You think people don't notice when you change the background on your myspace page? Think again. Linking your blog to your myspace page or mentioning past jobs is harmless right? Nope.

I have had run-ins in the past with saying too much on a previous xanga, and in the past three days I have been contacted by both LA Weekly and FishbowlLA wanting to interview me because of a friend I have on Facebook, and information they accessed through Myspace and this blog.

I think I already said too much in that entry but I'm glad I held my tongue just enough to keep me out of trouble.

Either way it's just a bit astounding to know how much access people have to information about you. People put restrictions on their comments pages because of a fear that future employers may read something inflamtory which would steer them away from wanting to hire that candidate. The information is out there, like it or not, and as much as I have rejected this archaic fear of posting personal photos, essays, and opinions, I am starting to think it may be wise to think twice before posting something that could be potentially damaging.

If you haven't already "googled" yourself (besides being an internet dinosaur) you'd be interested to see some of the stuff that will come up.

So since I have been become such an internet celebrity, Keith Olbermann or Andrew Sullivan, if you are reading, I'd love to sit down with a cup of coffee and pick your brain(s).

Oh, and I'll buy.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Judith Regan Fired

I can't say I'm very surprised, I think elated would have to be the word.

It's days like these I wish I hadn't signed that confidentiality agreement.

Apparently Judith got fired for making some anti-semtic statements towards her lawyer. Jane Friedman doesn't exactly have a soft spot in her heart for the hard hitting publisher so Judith giving her any room to budge during this controversial time was not a smart move. I've heard and heard of Judith saying some pretty awful stuff. She's pretty much uncensored and foul mouthed and its nice to see her have to finally face her consequences. There are millions of snubbed employees jumping for joy right about now.

If you want to read the LATIMES article they did a good job of laying the story out.

'Offensive' phone call by publisher preceded her firing

Sunday, December 17, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth

Just finished watching An Inconvenient Truth and if there were ever a movie to get you off your ass from mere guilt then this would be it.

Boyan and I have been always been fans of documentaries and more recently have had our eyes glued on BBC's new TV series Planet Earth as well as the Discovery Channels' Discovery Atlas. While these documentary shorts are focused on showing parts of the world with a new perspective, An Inconvenient Truth goes a step beyond by telling us how close we are to losing the beautiful and balanced climate which has made life on earth sustainable for so long.

I am not an environmentalist by any means. I don't vote Green, I eat meat, If I could afford fur I am sure I would wear it, but there are things about how humans abuse the environment that is truly upsetting to me.

1. Public Transportation: I've always had a problem with the public transportation system in Los Angeles. If you have visited any other major city in America or abroad and used public transportation you can't help but see fault in the way the city addresses mass transit.

It is true the city is stretched out over a large area, it is also true that our ability to create an underground subway system is limited, but other factors that can be changed are prohibiting the improvement of mass transit as well as pollution and traffic (such as, wealthy beach residents not wanting undesirable tourists bus-ing in from downtown or the fact that cars are such a status symbol in Los Angeles).

I am just as guilty as everyone else for driving my single passenger vehicle to work everyday. I am going to try to take the bus at least one day a week if not more, that is a promise.

2. Population: The population is growing at such an astronomical rate and our economy is struggling to keep up.

Two things that need to be addressed for this problem.
- Accessibility of Birth Control and Sex Education. It is down right irresponsible to promote abstinence while saying No to birth control. Teen pregancy cost U.S. Taxpayers 9.1 Billion dollars in 2004. Its a serious problem that is being inhibited by ignorance and moral issues which should have no place in politics.

Paul Ehrlich wrote an article in New Scientist magazine at the end of September addressing the problem of population and said, "Much of today's population growth is occurring is rural regions in the developing world..." It is safe to assume that a majority of these people have access to little or no birth control or sex education.

-Which brings us to Illegal Immigration. He went on to say that, "an increasing number of young people migrate to cities and to wealthier countries looking for a better life." Well, yea it's an obvious point but one that needs to be said. Illegal immigration leads to higher birth rates, (anchor babies or children born in the states insuring it's American citizenship), poor health care for those residents, and exploitation of immigrant workers. Numbers of working-age people are said to rise by 3% per year.

"Expanding populations also create rising demands for food, energy and materials. The strain this puts on ecosystems and resources in developing countries is compounded by demands from industrialized nations keen to exploit everything from timber and tropical fruits to metals and petroleum."


Its alarming how interconnected these problems tend to be, and how small changes can make a big difference in combating negative consequences.

In the end helping our environment does become political. An Inconvenient Truth harbors good intentions but there is a political message hidden between its statistics and charts. It tells the tale of the would-be President and how things could have and would have been different if he had not been cheated in Florida. Gore mentions the failure of the White House to uphold its promises of curbing Global Warming while clearly demanding citizens to "Vote for Candidates" dedicated to environmental issues, a thinly veiled way of saying Vote Democrat.

My own little speech is enough to show how interconnected saving the planet and the politics of our country truly are. It all seems to fall back on the faulty practice of dictating policy based on issues of morality. NO- it's not a crime to teach REPRODUCTIVE science in the classroom. Telling your children that sex is something you do only after you are married and abstinence is the only birth control is not going to prevent them from having sex-- but it will most definitely insure that if they do have sex it will not be done safely. Making sex education and birth control available is not enabling them, it's making them educated and preventing pregnancy and disease.

Protecting our borders, TRULY protecting our borders and penalizing businesses that employ illegal workers is not HARSH-- it is our right. It protects the workers from being exploited and protects tax payers from expenses created by these workers. It protects our citizens from terrorism and crime. Maybe even working with the Mexican and Central-American governments by helping them build their own economy would make their citizens want to stay and build their own economy.

Small things make a difference. Like I said before I am going to begin taking the bus more often. I plan on bringing my own bags to the grocery store. I already recycle but I will make sure I recycle more consistently and with a wider range of products.

The entirety of 2007 will be spent preparing for the 2008 elections and the two major changes I hope to see abound will be the expulsion of moral politics and the Christian conservatives (I am hoping people will see the failure of Bush as a signifier that putting religion over politics has devastating consequences-- pertaining to issues such as the war in Iraq, gay marriage [which in the future will be known as the SECOND Civil Rights movement], protection of roe v. wade if not a federal definition of sex education and birth control for minors) and a nation wide initiative to curb global warming (Kyoto anybody?).

The logic behind a country who refuses to accept the development of governments based on Islam in the middle east while try to create a Theocracy in the states is beyond my own comprehension. Are we saying that a government based on Islam is WRONG because it only exists in the form of Islamo-facism? What would the U.S. be if our government policy was dictated based on principles of Christianity? Christio-facism? Whatever it may be I am sure the founding fathers would roll in their graves. It's irresponsible and damaging to the health of our nation.

We only have 50 years before major consequences from our irresponsible consumption will occur and we have to start today to ensure a future for tomorrow. A Change is going to come. It's already at least six years past due.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Works of Journalistic Genius

For those of you who are interested in what I do everyday, please take a look at these Pulitzer worthy news pieces at iMedia Connection.






Sony Caught in Fake Blog Scandal

Ex-Myspace Chair Pushes ".tv" Domain

MingleNow Bridges Social Networking Gap