Hi Dan,

On Thu 2037-May-28 15:58, Dan Ceppa (1:138/666) wrote to Richard Webb:

 RW> right now by a fellow named Andro Linklater on how borders boundaries
 RW> and property rights shaped the U.S.  Just received it from the library



DC> The title sounds familiar...  Was he ever a guest on The Daily Show
DC> or  The Colbert Report?  That's where I get a lot of my book
DC> reviews!   


WOuldn't know, as I don't have a television so don't watch
either.  I get my news from NPR or shortwave radio.  I don't do tv news
even. Haven't owned a television now for over a
decade and don't miss it.



 RW> OF course it is, and I have never liked that approach.  but, the
 RW> internet still can't supplant real quality investigative journalism. 
 RW> ONe has to be able to trust those engaging in such activity, and those 
 RW> who would wish to pursue it need funding.  sOurces of information need
 RW> to be verified, research conducted, traveling to various places, etc. 
 RW> All this takes money, and just as with music and other creative
 RW> work done from one's basement on a computer, the right
 RW> expertise needs to be brought in at certain points in the
 RW> process.


DC> Can't say much to that but that I agree.  Individuals are great 
DC> starting points. But, as you mention. they don't have the resources
DC> nor  oversight to full flesh out a story.  There are some out there
DC> that are  moving in that direction.  But, the real problem is that
DC> the local  community gets lost in the shuffle.  Everyone reads whar
DC> they want and  there ends up being little local debate on any item. 

Agreed, and nobody to do real investigative journalism,
because the corporates don't want it when they can do flash
trash and not jeopardize the bottom line by making
advertisers uncomfortable if their pet ox gets gored.  THe
blogosphere is not real investigative journalism because all these
individuals ooperating in isolation don't have the
resources for research, the scientific experts that can be
called in, who want money for their troubles, editors to
clean up their work, etc.



 RW> YEp, and if you further compromise real journalism and
 RW> stifle the internet you can be sure that the Abu Ghraib that happens
 RW> after all this is done will never be shown to the public at all.  With
 RW> a simple click of the mouse and a flick of the swithc your right to
 RW> know, and your right to question just got flushed, along with your
 RW> right to privacy. 

DC> Sounds like what happens when my Windows system crahses, but on a
DC> more  permanent basis. 

even more ominous.  tHey hijack that url you thought you
were pointing your browser at, and you never see the
content, but it looks similar enough to the way the site you wanted looks
that you don't even think.  IF the corporates
and governments have their way your free and open internet
will be a thing of the past rather soon.  CHina is beta
testing it for 'em right now.

IT scares me a bit that folks really don't want to consider
the issues of privacy, right to be let alone, freedom of
information.  these are interrelated issues.  THE only free
and open part of the internet that will remain when they get done is the
part that lets them look at what you're doing
and put the big picture together from all the little pieces
of data about you.  THat's the only open part of it that the authoritarians
have an interest in.  OTherwise what they
want is good consumer wal mart shoppers.  Just shut up and
buy more shit, preferrably on credit.

Regards,
           Richard
... Man made Booze. God made Grass. Who do you trust?
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+