Note to self. Always wash before you wear.
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This just arrived in my inbox.
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Yup -- it trails off in the way above. Weird, huh ? Maybe some spam-filter counter-measure.
| Academics |
For those of you following the factual elements of the Terry Schiavo case (the right-to-die controversy down in Florida), her Independent Guardian has issued his report.
It is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, as to medical elements, he pretty much comes down totally on the side of the husband that Terry is not conscious and is not going to recover, ever. A little side research on the web helped me understand some of the videos making the rounds of Terry moving/smiling, etc. - involuntary reactions that are common to the condition but that do not indicate awareness or potential recovery (and which the Independent Guardian couldn't consistently elicit in response to repeated stimuli).
On the other hand, he doesn't (and really can't) address the core question: What were Terry's wishes? It is all very well and good to put to rest the PSV question, but her condition doesn't make a whit of a difference if she didn't really want to be killed under these circumstances.
So what does it all mean? Sadly, nothing. Litigation will continue down a variety of avenues, and while the medical question may now be settled, the factual question of what did this woman actually want may never be known. I think I'm going to put in my living will that I want to be killed if I'm ever at risk of having my unconscious body being used in the mass media as a grisly symbol for a cause.
Of course, not all forms of brain-death are inappropriate for the mass media. If you need to lighten your mood from all the recent hatchet burials, voting scandals and Kennedy-mourning, you can always check out Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie slumming it in a red state for a month on The Simple Life, a new "reality" show from Fox. Best moment of the first episode: Paris Hilton not understanding a reference to a soup kitchen ("what's a soup kitchen?"), tied with her asking if Wal-Mart is where you buy stuff for walls. I'm scared to think that she probably is that dumb. I mean ill-informed. No, wait a minute. I meant dumb.
| Terry Schiavo | Medicine | Florida | Reality TV |
So in a partial victory for free speech, electronic voting machine maker Diebold has agreed not to sue the pants off people who publish their failings. Ain’t that swell of them?
| Democracy | Diebold | Law | Free Speech | Civil Liberties |
David Foster Wallace. Finite jests. DFW noodles in various genres -- political history, tall tale -- but most of these miss the mark. 'My Appearance,' though, is superlative, as is the first story.
Maybe we shouldn't have watched this over several days, when it's supposed to take place in 'real time.' Not too gimmicky, but perhaps too -- French?
Junior Senior. The Deee-Lite of the 00's. I dare you not to dance.
It was with a mix of regret, interest and amusement that I read about how Progress Media is on the verge of taking to the airwaves with a liberal radio network meant to provide a left-wing alternative to the Rush Limbaugh/Savage Nation/etc. crowd.
Do we really need a left-wing version of Rush Limbaugh? I know some people here think yes - we need the "angry liberal" to counteract the "angry conservative" voices that fill the airwaves with distortions and spin. Personally, my gut says no - that is stooping to their level. But I have to admit, taking the high road with Bill O'Reilly and his ilk sure doesn't seem like a real great solution either.
I actually have listened to snatches of conservative talk radio from time to time, and I have to say, it is absolutely brutal. If you've never heard Savage Nation, try getting through five minutes of it to hear what some people are listening to for hours on end. It will really open your eyes. It does make Fox News look "fair and balanced." At the same time, I can't say I would be thrilled to hear an equally nasty and distorted voice ranting opinions I happen to believe in. I certainly wouldn't listen to it on a regular basis.
Can such a station succeed? Would that be a good thing as a general principal? An effective tactic for the upcoming election?
I truly and honestly have started to feel like the absolute best source of objective news in the mass media is The Daily Show. They may have an agenda, but it is simply to mock everyone, so they rarely have to spin anything - the truth is just so mockable . . . .
| Biased Reporting | Radio | Rush Limbaugh | Daily Show |