Driving Mass Media

.

At least two recent events — the Trent Lott controversy and the Henry Kissenger debacle — highlight just how asleep at the wheel the mainstream media has become. But they also show that a vibrant and growing online community is becoming more and more influential in providing a true national discussion.
As Arianna Huffington points out in her recent Salon.com column, it was a community of bloggers who kept discussion and coverage of these events in play. But unlike traditional media, the discussion came up from the bottom rather than being dictated — or neglected — from the top. This is what Cokie Roberts was so worried about.
As mainstream news continues it’s transformation into entertainment and corporate propaganda, real news, information and perspective is bubbling up from below.

Counter Intelligence

.

Denver’s police department has been gathering and maintaining intelligence information on local citizens for decades. In recent years, the information was transferred from index cards to a computer program developed by Orion Scientific Systems.
Controversy erupted after files were leaked, showing the department had been tracking political and social activists, and had been classifying some of them as “criminal extremists.”

Going Electronic, Denver Reveals Long-Term Surveillance
Working under the direction of the Denver police intelligence bureau secretary, officers classified organizations like the American Friends Service Committee as “criminal extremist” groups, one of the choices offered in a pull-down menu by the software.
…
The police said that each officer had used his own judgment in characterizing a group and that it had often been labeled “criminal extremist” because it did not seem to fit any other choices.

Other police departments — including New York City’s — use the Orion system. Orion says the “criminal extremist” classification has been removed from the program. Perhaps it’s been replaced by “Arab.”
If surveillance systems like this have been in place for so long, it’s frightening to think what’s being developed, used and abused now. Law enforcement agencies need to be able to gather certain types of information, but the danger has always been in the abuse of systems when appropriate safeguards aren’t put in place.
On a brighter note, there are those who are stepping up to the plate to protest excessive spying. Let’s hear it for librarians!

Cities Say No to Federal Snooping
Fearing that the Patriot Act will curtail Americans’ civil rights, municipalities across the country are passing resolutions to repudiate the legislation and protect their residents from a perceived abuse of authority by the federal government.
…
Another group to vehemently oppose the act has been librarians. They are now required to divulge patrons’ book-borrowing and Internet-surfing habits to federal investigators and are prohibited from making such requests public.
In retaliation, some librarians have called special meetings to educate their communities about the Patriot Act’s implications. Others now routinely purge borrowing records and Internet caches. One former librarian devised a series of technically legal signs to warn patrons of FBI snooping.

I Went To Phuket

.

This is my second “funny language” post this week. I really don’t want to come across as mocking my students and others who are speaking a second language. It’s not an easy process, and mistakes and difficulties are a part of that process. But sometimes you just have to laugh (politely, behind their backs).
Someone in the educational resources department decided our students needed to learn how to say, “I went to Phuket.” Right, it’s not really pronounced that way, but how’s a beginning student to know that? I spent some time in class tonight correcting one student who just couldn’t manage to get the pronunciation right. And spent a lot of time trying not to laugh.

WTC Designs

.

wtcdesign.jpg
New World Trade Center Designs Unveiled
After the first round of designs were heavily criticized for lacking vision (and rightly so), new proposals for a rebuilt New York City World Trade Center have been unveiled. There’s a lot more of interest in these designs, and on first glance I especially like the one pictured above.
Unlike the other proposals, this one looks unfinished, like a shell of what used to be there. It evokes memories of the original structures, without being too fussy about it.

Bread And Celery

.

I just got home from having a drink with a friend whose ability to communicate is greater than his English proficiency. He’s the type who isn’t afraid to have a conversation, even if most of it isn’t grammatically correct. Contrast that with others who have a tremendous grasp of English grammar, but who can’t carry a conversation beyond a few hesitant sentences. The latter is the type who is paralyzed by the rules of grammar.
Communication is what it’s all about, so those who are willing to butcher another language are always more interesting than those who are not. And in order to encourage this communication, you learn not to correct every mistake. It’s a bit of an art picking and choosing what’s important to subtly correct and what’s best left alone. This leads to some entertaining and inadvertently humorous conversations.
My friend and I were discussing blood types. In Japan, blood type is a popular determiner of personality, in much the same way zodiac signs are in other parts of the world. First, the subject came up as “bread” types. Then there was the constant use of the phrase which I heard as, “It’s all because of celery.” I was kind of curious as to what he meant by “celery”, but I was more interested in hearing what each blood type signified, so I let it pass.

Christmas Spoiler

.

Customs declarations can sure spoil the gift-giving season. All overseas packages are required to have the contents listed on a customs form, thus giving away the surprise. I’ve been trying to rip off the customs forms on the packages I’ve been receiving (thanks everyone!) before I see what’s listed.

Like An Unusual Medley

.

I just listened to a bluegrass medley of Madonna songs on KCRW. Has anyone else heard this? KCRW doesn’t stream playlists, so I’ll have to wait until they post the playlist tomorrow to see who the brave — and successful — interpreter is. She covered Like A Virgin, Burning Up and Lucky Star.
UPDATE: Just found the song and artist information. Madonna Trilogy by The Meat Purveyors.