Eyebeam reBlog

NYMag Approval Matrix; Boing Boing TV on "Epic Prank"

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-19T13:36:43-05:00

Nice shout-out to Dr. Zizmor add in this week's New York Mag "Approval Matrix": http://nymag.com/arts/all/approvalmatrix/52166/

AND

CNN INTERVIEW: "HOW D'YA DO IT?"

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-17T14:22:01-05:00

The Yes Men's Andy Bichelbaum and Eyebeam senior fellow Steve Lambert explain on CNN's !ISSUES

If you haven't heard...Kudos to all involved!!!

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-13T11:59:34-05:00

http://www.nytimes-se.com/

AND THE LIST KEEPS GROWING!

In no particular order:

The New York Times City Room
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/pranksters-spoof-the-times/

Irish news
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1112/nytimes.html

NY Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/12/2008-11-12_fake_new_york_times_announces_iraq_war_e.html

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/nov/12/1

Sky News
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Fake-New-York-Times-Declaring-End-Of-Iraq-War-Handed-Out-After-Viral-Web-Campaign/Article/200811215150242?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15150242_Fake_New_York_Times_Declaring_End_Of_Iraq_War_Handed_Out_After_Viral_Web_Campaign

Gawker
gawker.com/5084164/fake-new-york-times-declares-iraq-war-over-heres-who-did-it - 2 hours ago

The Swamp - Tribune's Washington Bureau http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/11/fake_new_york_times_iraq_war_e.html

Media Life Magazine
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Newspapers_24/The_great_fake_New_York_Times_prank.asp

Gothamist
http://gothamist.com/2008/11/12/fake_new_york_times_hits_readers.php

The Laughing Squid
http://laughingsquid.com/the-yes-men-distribute-fake-new-york-times-iraq-war-ends/

Forbes
http://blogs.forbes.com/trailwatch/2008/11/iraq-war-ends-o.html

NBC
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Its-a-Fake-Bogus-New-York-Times-Declares-Iraq-War-Over.html

WIRED News
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2008/11/yesmen-still-on.html

New York Observer
http://www.observer.com/2008/media/new-york-times-suddenly-big-joke

ArtCal
http://zine.artcal.net/2008/11/no-times-like-the-future.php

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSN1229433020081112

Crain’s New York Business
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081112/FREE/811129940/1097/newsletter01

Politico
http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/1108/Fake_NYT_Iraq_War_Ends.html

BBC: Pranksters Print Spoof NY Times
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7725973.stm

Gawker New York Times Fake New York Times Declares Iraq War Over! Here's Who Did It
http://gawker.com/5084164/fake-new-york-times-declares-iraq-war-over-heres-who-did-it

Gawker The Official Times Spoofer Video Celebration (I like this one)
http://gawker.com/5084554/the-official-times-spoofer-video-celebration

The Independent (UK): Spoof 'Times' puts Obama on notice - Americas, World
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/spoof-times-puts-obama-on-notice-1016129.html

canoe.ca: Fake NY Times reports end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://money.canoe.ca/News/MediaHold/2008/11/12/7391596-ap.html#top

International Herald Tribune: Prank NY Times: `All the news we hope to print'
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/13/america/NA-US-NY-Times-Spoof.php

Fox News: Prank NY Times: `All the news we hope to print'
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov12/0,4670,NYTimesSpoof,00.html

CNBC: The New York Times Fake Out News Unfit To Print! - Funny Business with Jane Wells
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27683007

Telegraph (UK): Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over, according to 'Yes Men' NY Times spoof
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/3449636/Wars-in-Afghanistan-and-Iraq-are-over-according-to-Yes-Men-NY-Times-spoof.html

Times Of India: Hoax NY Times declares end of Iraq war
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Its_a_Mad_Mad_World/Hoax_NY_Times_declares_end_of_Iraq_war/articleshow/3706612.cms

NC Times-News: Spoof Times greets New York commuters BlueRidgeNow.com
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20081112/NEWS/811120273/0/NEWS05

The Guardian (UK): New York Times 'special edition' spoof perplexes readers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/12/new-york-times-spoof

St. Petersburg Times: Nothing but good news ... and it was free
http://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/article901133.ece

BusinessWeek: Prank NY Times `All the news we hope to print'
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D94DLKI00.htm

New York Post: PRANK NY TIMES `ALL THE NEWS WE HOPE TO PRINT' (This one includes the video)
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122008/news/regionalnews/prank_ny_times_138350.htm

Times Union: RPI professor has hand in New York Times spoof
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=738878

USA Today: 'New York Times' spoof circulated
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-11-12-new-york-times_N.htm?csp=23&RM_Exclude=aol

Los Angeles Times: Pranksters spoof N.Y. Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-timesspoof13-2008nov13,0,7172393.story

Straits Times: Spoof news from NYT
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_301720.html

ABC: New York Times gets pranked - 11-12-08 - Philadelphia News - 6abc.com
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=6501951

Chicago Sun Time: Fake New York Times Handed Out
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1275523,new-york-times-prank111208.article

BlackBook
http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/new-york-times-says-iraq-war-ends/4995
www.nytimes-se.com http://www.nytimes-se.com

Die Taz (Germany)
http://www.taz.de/1/leben/medien/artikel/1/times-meldet-anklage-gegen-bush/

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany)
http://www.faz.net/s/Rub475F682E3FC24868A8A5276D4FB916D7/Doc~E2321E607324A4D87ADD7C8DEFCC869DB~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html

Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/57/328918/text/

Dziennik (Poland)
http://www.dziennik.pl/swiat/article264434/USA_oglasza_koniec_wojny_w_Iraku.html

Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)
http://deser.pl/deser/1,83453,5917595,Dowcip___Falszywy___New_York_Times__oglasza_koniec.html

La Repubblica (Italy)
http://www.repubblica.it/ultimora/24ore/12-MLN-COPIE-NEW-YORK-TIMES-PER-quotFINE-GUERRA-IRAQquot/news-dettaglio/3406576

Mladina Daily (Slovenia)
http://www.mladina.si/dnevnik/13-11-2008-lazna_izdaja_new_york_timesa_oznanila_konec_vojne_v_iraku/

Radio Televizija Serbia (Serbia)
http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/7/%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%99%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8/27309/%D0%88%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5+%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%99%D0%B5%D0%BD+%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%B8+%22New+York+Times%22.html

Realitatea (Romania)
http://www.realitatea.net/un-grup-de-activisti-a-tiparit-o-editie-falsa-a-cotidianului-new-york-times_389721.html

Evenimentul zilei (Romania)
http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/828238/O-falsa-editie-a-The-New-York-Times-razboiul-din-Irak-s-a-incheiat/

Antena3 (TV) (Romania)
http://www.antena3.ro/etichete/new_york_times_fals/

Nezavizimaya Gazeta (Russia)
http://www.ng.ru/world/2008-11-13/100_nyt.html?mthree=1

Radikal.com (Turkey)
http://www.radikal.com.tr/Default.aspx?aType=Detay&ArticleID=908189&Date=13.11.2008&CategoryID=81

Obama Ready To Quickly Reverse Bush Actions, Executive orders

The Huffington Post News Editors — 2008-11-10T10:33:19-05:00

Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team.

A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify regulatory and policy changes Obama could implement soon after his inauguration. The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they regard as the most onerous or ideologically offensive, said a top transition official who was not permitted to speak on the record about the inner workings of the transition.

Obama To Make Good On Closing Down Guantanamo: Plans Detainee Trials

The Huffington Post News Editors — 2008-11-10T10:32:33-05:00

WASHINGTON — President-elect Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice.

During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.

Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.

A third group of detainees _ the ones whose cases are most entangled in highly classified information _ might have to go before a new court designed especially to handle sensitive national security cases, according to advisers and Democrats involved in the talks. Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans aren't final.

The move would be a sharp deviation from the Bush administration, which established military tribunals to prosecute detainees at the Navy base in Cuba and strongly opposes bringing prisoners to the United States. Obama's Republican challenger, John McCain, had also pledged to close Guantanamo. But McCain opposed criminal trials, saying the Bush administration's tribunals should continue on U.S. soil.

The plan being developed by Obama's team has been championed by legal scholars from both political parties. But it is almost certain to face opposition from Republicans who oppose bringing terrorism suspects to the U.S. and from Democrats who oppose creating a new court system with fewer rights for detainees.

Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor and Obama legal adviser, said discussions about plans for Guantanamo had been "theoretical" before the election but would quickly become very focused because closing the prison is a top priority. Bringing the detainees to the United States will be controversial, he said, but could be accomplished.

"I think the answer is going to be, they can be as securely guarded on U.S. soil as anywhere else," Tribe said. "We can't put people in a dungeon forever without processing whether they deserve to be there."

The tougher challenge will be allaying fears by Democrats who believe the Bush administration's military commissions were a farce and dislike the idea of giving detainees anything less than the full constitutional rights normally enjoyed by everyone on U.S. soil.

"There would be concern about establishing a completely new system," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee and former federal prosecutor who is aware of the discussions in the Obama camp. "And in the sense that establishing a regimen of detention that includes American citizens and foreign nationals that takes place on U.S. soil and departs from the criminal justice system _ trying to establish that would be very difficult."

Obama has said the civilian and military court-martial systems provide "a framework for dealing with the terrorists," and Tribe said the administration would look to those venues before creating a new legal system. But discussions of what a new system would look like have already started.

"It would have to be some sort of hybrid that involves military commissions that actually administer justice rather than just serve as kangaroo courts," Tribe said. "It will have to both be and appear to be fundamentally fair in light of the circumstances. I think people are going to give an Obama administration the benefit of the doubt in that regard."

Though a hybrid court may be unpopular, other advisers and Democrats involved in the Guantanamo Bay discussions say Obama has few other options.

Prosecuting all detainees in federal courts raises a host of problems. Evidence gathered through military interrogation or from intelligence sources might be thrown out. Defendants would have the right to confront witnesses, meaning undercover CIA officers or terrorist turncoats might have to take the stand, jeopardizing their cover and revealing classified intelligence tactics.

In theory, Obama could try to transplant the Bush administration's military commission system from Guantanamo Bay to a U.S. prison. But Tribe said, and other advisers agreed, that was "a nonstarter." With lax evidence rules and intense secrecy, the military commissions have been criticized by human rights groups, defense attorneys and even some military prosecutors who quit the process in protest.

"I don't think we need to completely reinvent the wheel, but we need a better tribunal process that is more transparent," Schiff said.

That means something different would need to be done if detainees couldn't be released or prosecuted in traditional courts. Exactly what that something would look like remains unclear.

According to three advisers participating in the process, Obama is expected to propose a new court system, appointing a committee to decide how such a court would operate. Some detainees likely would be returned to the countries where they were first captured for further detention or rehabilitation. The rest could probably be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts, one adviser said. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, which have been private.

Whatever form it takes, Tribe said he expects Obama to move quickly.

"In reality and symbolically, the idea that we have people in legal black holes is an extremely serious black mark," Tribe said. "It has to be dealt with."

I got this

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-06T00:03:26-05:00

Changing the World Involves Being Good Winners

Alex Steffen — 2008-11-05T18:13:39-05:00

A few lines that came in an email today:

"Try to be kind to each other. Do not radiate triumphalism or entitlement or disparagement or distaste. Do not gloat. Help your neighbor quietly, and speak encouragingly of all efforts to make things better. Take your lead from Obama and be respectful, gracious, understanding, and aware that at this time both joy and resentment are hateful to many, Do not presume. Celebrate quietly for what has been gained. Mourn quietly for what has been lost and what may yet be lost. Nothing is guaranteed or certain. Try to be the people we would want our conquerors to be."

I couldn't agree more. The best victories are those that change a power balance, but leave relationships between the adversaries that can be healed. Here in the U.S., there's a lot of bad blood between conservatives and progressives, but if we want to see change, we'll need those conservatives to at least agree that change is something they can accept, and they're much more likely to do that if dealt with respectfully and graciously.

Which is not to say that people should not be held accountable for their crimes and misdeeds over the last eight years. They should. People should go to jail. Nonviolence does not mean ignoring criminality and wrongdoing.

But the Bush administration and the Rovian Far Right don't make up the majority of the Republican Party, or even conservatives: the vast majority of American conservatives are decent people who want good to triumph in the world, and we need to win their support, or at least their consent, if we're going to transform the world.

Let's do this with some class.

Help us change the world - DONATE NOW!

(Posted by Alex Steffen in Nonviolence at 1:36 PM)

Originally posted by Alex Steffen from WorldChanging, ReBlogged by Elections 2008 on Nov 5, 2008 at 06:13 PM

And Still, Why Tuesday?

yatta — 2008-11-05T18:11:31-05:00

Joanne interviews Jacob Soboroff of WhyTuesday.org about the state of election reform and increasing civic participation in American politics.

Originally posted by yatta from Rocketboom (Quicktime), ReBlogged by Elections 2008 on Nov 5, 2008 at 06:11 PM

Cartoonists on Obama’s win

Johnny — 2008-11-05T18:09:03-05:00

It’s still several hours before any results pour in for the U.S. presidential election, but that hasn’t stopped editorial cartoonists from making predictions and readying their submissions. Daryl Cagle’s online hub of editorial cartoons has already started compiling cartoons depicting Obama’s victory.

MAD cartoonist Tom Richmond also recently posted a look at MAD’s efforts to not predict election results, but to prepare two versions of features or cover art that feature a winning presidential candidate.

Originally posted by Johnny from Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog, ReBlogged by Elections 2008 on Nov 5, 2008 at 06:09 PM

Mission Accomplished

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-05T17:57:58-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fcb/3005774124/

A Vision of America

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-05T17:52:27-05:00

and again - 'cause poplicks is killin' it

A VISION OF AMERICA

One thing that has struck me throughout this season, including at the RNC and DNC, and during the respective candidate speeches tonight is the remarkable contrast in the crowds that each drew. Obama's crowd in Grant Park looks like America, at least the America I see everyday. It's diverse. Compare that with the portrait of America gathered in Arizona. I think that says volumes about one factor that made this Obama victory possible.

The Guardian

Labels: 2008 presidential election

--O.W.

11/4/08

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-05T17:49:34-05:00

poplicks again...

11/4/2008

Hello to President-Elect Barack Obama.

So long to the nightmare of the last eight years. Hello to the next four (at least) of trying to clean it all up.

So long to PUMAs and their ridiculous split-ticket, gov't paralysis strategy. So long to their deluded visions of demographic grandeur; never has "statistically insignificant" been so apt. Hello to Palin/Clinton '12 predictions.

So long to paranoid lefties and hopeful righties who thought a hidden Bradley Effect was going to end this all. Hello to paranoid lefties whispering about assassination.

So long to 24 hour, cable news insanity, hologram punditry. Hello to TMZ and Perez Hilton coming back as our leading news sources.

So long to terrorist pals, atheists and Joe the Plumber. Hello to whatever new mud-slinging the next political cycle brings.

So long to the idea that a Black person can't be President in our lifetime. Hello to crazy talk that "racism is over in America."

Hello to the millions who waited in line to cast a ballot today.

Hello to those who waited their entire lives. And their parents' lives. And their parents' lives...to be able to cast a vote for someone besides a White man.

Hello to the humbling sense of hope and belief that so many Americans have taken to their heart the last few months, especially those for whom "hope" and "belief" have seemed like cruel jokes for so many years.

Hello America. Welcome the new dawn.

Labels: 2008 presidential election

--O.W.

ON THE APPALLING PASSAGE OF PROPOSITION 8

Elections 2008 — 2008-11-05T17:45:49-05:00

Via the consistently great Poplicks blog

ON THE APPALLING PASSAGE OF PROPOSITION 8

Separate and Unequal

Needless to say, I am ecstatic about the presidential election and will write later about what President Obama's election means to me.

But the passage of Proposition 8 -- along with other anti-gay initiatives in Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida -- is seriously dampening my celebration.

A majority of Californian voters just granted new fundamental civil rights to egg-laying chickens while stripping fundamental civil rights away from loving gay and lesbian human beings.

November 4, 2008 -- rightly heralded as a national civil rights milestone -- also marked the first time that a state has stripped away a marriage-related civil right to a discriminated minority group after initially granting it.

As someone who has studied the judicial branch's handling of sexual orientation and the law, I can confidently predict that no state or federal court will get in the way of Proposition 8.

Which is to say, unless California voters pass a new initiative that reinstates gay marriage, gay and lesbian Californians will never again have the right to marry.

(There is a strong legal argument that the 18,000 gay marriages that took place over the last few months will remain valid, however, as the language of Prop. 8 does not include any intent to apply retroactively.)

I know that Gloria Allred is filing a lawsuit to stop Prop. 8, but her suit is unlikely to invalidate the initiative. Unlike Prop. 22 in 2000, Prop. 8 amends the state constitution; thus, there's essentially no argument that Prop. 8 violates state law.

Moreover, there is no viable legal argument that Prop. 8 conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or any federal law. Sadly, not one federal court has interpreted the Equal Protection Clause to require marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Keep in mind that under federal law, there is no right to be protected, for example, against hiring discrimination by an anti-gay employer. It would require some seriously "activist" Supreme Court justices to read a right to gay marriage into the Constitution.

Theoretically, Congress could pass a law mandating marriage equality that is intended to preempt state law. But the chances of that happening are about the same as Sarah Palin's chances of dominating on Jeopardy.

Thus, for now, Proposition 8 represents a nail in the coffin for full gay and lesbian equality in California.

Although dispirited, I remain optimistic, however, that we will eventually see full equality again in California.

This will require a new smartly-worded initiative, a better-organized movement, more money, and only an incremental shift in public opinion. (It was close, after all.)

Since we've seen the successful scare tactics of the fundamentalists' Yes on 8 campaign, any new initiative should probably make clear that places of religious worship will not be required to offer gay weddings.

For those who are with me on this civil rights struggle, we have a lot of work to do.

(OW chimes in)

Junichi, thanks for that informative - though sobering - reality check. I do want to add something here...

I've noticed that some people seem to forget that Prop 22 passed just eight years ago and, to me, it says a lot that, collectively, Prop 22 actually has been forgotten. The idea of gay marriage is prevalent enough to - on the one hand, spark a reactionary backlash as we've seen - but it's also common enough that we take its possibility for granted.

The other thing worth noting is that Prop 22 passed by a massive margin: 20+ points whereas Prop 8 is going to get by on just 4 points. I don't think you can really quantify tolerance but a five fold decrease in opposition to gay marriage in just eight years seems something worth thinking about.

Back when Prop 22 passed, I said, despairingly, to a few friends that "gay marriage will never happen in our lifetime" and one of them chided me to pay attention to the long view and see just how far things had come, even despite that evening's results and I think it's worth thinking on this too in our moment of discouragement.

The beauty of the state initiative system which is also its curse is that, in any given year, who knows what will come to the fore? And there's nothing stopping a well-organized campaign from putting the acceptance of gay marriage on next year's ballot.

And the next year's ballot.

And the next year's ballot.

Until that 4 point spread is gone.

American social justice has never taken a path of linear progress. There are always set-backs and resurgent periods of reactionary behavior. But I think this issue is winnable - absolutely winnable - with better organizing and better education especially in communities of color. As some of the exit polling has shown, the single-most community that came out for Prop 8 were African Americans - at 70%! - and the Latino community was also largely in favor of it too (~55-57%). Strikingly as well: the counties that voted against it, overwhelmingly, were the best educated in the state. No county where less than 10% of the population had bachelor's degrees (~20) voted against it.

So there's work to be done but this is not an impossibility (least of all in a state as mercurial as California). I think there's every reason to think that within the next eight year cycle, we'll see gay marriage legalized in California.

Junichi, a question for you: you think there'd be a state movement to outlaw any form of civil union that essentially grants the same rights to non-hetero couples?

Labels: civil rights, gay rights, No on Prop 8

--Junichi

Batman can teach us so much...

Elections 2008 — 2008-10-31T11:11:35-05:00

So is the Dark Knight actually Bush? It's certainly another lens to look at the film with.

But let's see what we can learn from the TV show. Here, Batman is running against the Penguin for Mayor of Gotham.

Batman Vs. Penguin - The Debates:

Ten Things That Scare Me More Than A Horror Movie

2008-10-31T02:29:02-05:00

It's the time of year for scary and spooky things, so I came up with a list to meet the requirement. Here are my: "Ten Things That Scare Me More Than A Horror Movie" 1- John McCain mocking Barack Obama on nuclear power safety. Senator McCain is very pro-nuclear power, and it gives me the heebie-jeebies that the safety of it is not important to him. Senator McCain's quote: "You know, the other night in the debate with Senator Obama, I said his eloquence is admirable, but pay attention to his words. W...

Originally from TreeHugger, ReBlogged by Elections 2008 on Oct 31, 2008 at 02:29 AM

Eyebeam Residencies: Winter/ Spring 2009

bexta — 2008-11-14T13:02:23-05:00

December 13: Holiday Hackshop

bexta — 2008-11-14T12:58:12-05:00

November 15 – 20: Eyebeam Roadshow 2008

bexta — 2008-11-14T12:54:41-05:00