Uncork

401-651-7118 cold called my cell phone with a recording

2011-03-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

This was a telemarketing call from 401-651-7118 to my cell phone.

When I answered I heard a recorded message starting with "This is account services" and telling me I was eligible for lower interest rates and this was my "final notice." No company name was given.

I pressed "1" and got a live agent. I told her not to call me again. "Sure," she said, and disconnected.

That was a stark reminder that I must not have put my cell phone on the DNC registry. I guess Verizon and AT&T treated mobile numbers as unlisted numbers, but T-Mobile doesn't? Anyway, here's how to do it...

Federal Trade Commission Do-Not-Call Registry
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/donotcall/

Consumers can register on-line for the national do-not-call registry by going to http://www.donotcall.gov/. To register by telephone, consumers may call 1-888-382-1222: for TTY call 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone number you wish to register.

After your number has been on the DNC registry for 31 days, you may file complaints by calling the same number or going to the same web site above.

Even when you're on the DNC, not all unsolicited calls are prohibited. Nonprofits and companies you do business with can still call you.

Why Install Firefox: The One Good Reason You Need 2 Browsers

2010-11-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

I was traveling on business, dependent on my laptop for e-mail. My hotel and the conference center both provided wi-fi. All was well.

Then one morning I started up my Windows PC and Internet Explorer started crashing. No error message, just "poof!" it would close itself immediately.

Could I Google the problem and find a fix?

No, because my browser didn't work. I could get e-mail, though, right?

No, because the wi-fi hot spots required me to open a browser and accept their terms of service before they would renew my IP address.

Could I check for Windows updates? No internet access.

Could I download another browser, like Firefox? No browser to download it with.

I was stuck. What did I do? I skipped a session of the conference and, while everyone else was busy, I got onto one of the sponsored public kiosk PCs. I had a USB drive with me, and USB had not been disabled on the kiosks. I downloaded and saved the Firefox installer on the USB drive, then transferred that to my PC.

With the second browser, I was able to get on the internet again, catch up on my e-mail, and look for a fix for IE.

My lesson: Always have 2 browsers installed, whether it's Safari, Opera, Chrome, or Firefox. Because IE can quit unexpectedly, and being without it is a much bigger pain than I would have imagined.

How Bloggers Get Bought Off and Why You Shouldn't Trust Social Media

2010-09-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a legitimate-looking post is hiding something.
Blogs started as a way for people to share thoughts with friends. Today, social media spam is rampant, albeit usually obvious. Or is it?

Before you outright trust what you read in a blog, consider whether the blogger (or Twitter user, or Facebook profilee) is being bought off. I mean paid secretly for convincing you to buy something. Does that person really think thus-and-such a product is wonderful? Did they really try it and make money, get skinny, win friends? Would they tell you if they received commissions for every purchase resulting from their "honest sharing?"

Today I received this e-mail, a classic example of how bloggers get started misleading their readers. This kind of communication happens in the dark alleys of the blogosphere. Let's drag it into the light of day. Here's the e-mail, received shortly after midnight...

Hi my name is [omitted] and I'm a blog spotter. I basically
scour popular blogs in an effort to find great writers. I
loved your post on [first words of recent post title], nice job!

I'd like to get straight to the point.

Our client wants people like you to sponsor their products
and will pay you to do so.

They're launching an educational product on [date]
that teaches others how to make money on the internet by
using Facebook and Social Media.

We want to pay you for recommending that product to your
loyal blog readers and we will pay you up to $200 for each
person that you refer. If you make just one sale a day
you're looking at making around $6000 per month.

All you need to do is create a few blog posts that recommend
this product. You may also
use one of our nice banners and place it on your blog.

It's pretty simple, takes very little time (10 minutes or
so) and will be very rewarding.

All sales that you refer are tracked through your own
special link and you will get paid every week. Payments are
always on time and will be sent to you via Check.

This deal is totally legitimate and we will NEVER ask you
for any fee, or to sign any contracts.

What do you need to do if you are interested?

I have more details, a video and instructions for you here:

[URL omitted]

Regards,

Note that anyone could accept this offer and blog or tweet their hearts out about the "educational product." The sender of the e-mail doesn't suggest that the recipient hide their business relationship to the product.

Bloggers often simply leave their morals in a drawer, hoping to take more money to the bank. It's not hard to gush about a company. It's just too easy to leave out the part about "I get paid to say this" or "I stand to make financial gain when I 'Like' this."

People who write "social media" should adhere to a simple ethic: disclose the existence of vested interests and conflicts. The truth is, many do not.

OPPapers.com charging students for articles that are free online

2010-04-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

This looks like nothing less than outright plagiarism. "OPPapers.com has a huge online library of free essays and free term papers on almost any topic" -- and that's where I just found an article I published 5 years ago, verbatim.

Except neither the magazine nor I ever gave anyone permission to use it as a term paper!

If students are having trouble writing their term paper, research paper, or essay, OPPapers will charge them $30 a month to download "free essays," which, in my case, OPPapers.com copied from an online magazine.

There is no excuse for this. Plagiarism is globally illegal, universally unethical, and a horrible disservice to students.

Get Yer Bad English Term Papers Here!

2010-02-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

We're accustomed to seeing terrible English in spam -- but this latest trend in comment spam has me rolling on the floor laughing.

A seller of term papers is spamming blogs with comments like this one:

The funniest part is the URL, which I won't repeat here, but it contains the keyword "quality." (It doesn't say what level of quality, though.)

I think that there is no reason to compose the expository essay by your own! As for me, that is better to buy the critical essay at the (URL omitted) comparison essay writing service, just because that can save free time.

The saddest part is that there are ESL students who won't have enough English skills of their own to realize just how bad an idea it would be to buy an essay from a company that can't give its own "social media marketing team" a gramatically correct comment to post.

Republican National Committee 2010 Obama Agenda Survey

2010-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

Fundraising campaign, thinly disguised as a "survey," spells out the agenda of the Party of "No." The letter makes it clear that the only checkbox that matters is the one indicating the amount of the recipient's donation to the RNC.

Medical Benefits Association spam-calling my cell phone with a pre-recorded message

2009-07-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

"This is a public service message from the Medical Benefits Association ...." began the recorded message when I answered my cell phone in the middle of the workday. "Press 1 to obtain important information..."

The Caller ID was "unknown caller" and the number was 877-249-3538. I shouldn't have answered it, but I did.

If you get one of these, first, stay on the line and press 2 "to be removed from their database." Who knows if it actually does anything other than to instantly disconnect the call.

Second, write down the Caller ID information and the time of the call.

Then go to the FCC site for telemarketing complaints about prerecorded calls. Fill out the short form (1088C) and submit it. You'll get a letter confirming your complaint. Do this every time they call.

Finally, put your numbers into the National Do-Not-Call Registry.

Other reports of Medical Benefits Association telemarketing:
Telemarketers keep calling me: Mar 9: Recording of "This is a ...
(480) 543-1180 / 4805431180
(888) 514-5824 / 8885145824

LinkedIn's Polls

2009-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

It's $1 per response, minimum. Targeting adds to the cost of each response.

They don't tell you that until you've created your poll.

Then you set your budget, minimum $50.

To see the pricing, create a throw-away poll and click "Next Step." Then click "Cancel" if you don't want to pay.

iPhone reception at ski resort areas

2009-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

In Washington state, iPhone users ski Snoqualmie Pass, because there's no AT&T wireless signal at Stevens Pass ski area. (Verizon reception at Stevens is very good.)

Where do you ski, and can you use your iPhone cell phone (or other G3 mobile) there? Comment below!

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) Best of Scams Award?

2008-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Vanity scam? Looks a lot like the "Who's Who" directories and "Syndicated business talk show" videos of years past -- pay for false honors.

Here's an excerpt of the e-mail that came to our info@... mailbox from info@uslba2008.com:

I am pleased to announce that [company name, misspelled] has been selected for the 2008 Best of [city] Award in the Local Business category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA). In recognition of your achievement, a 2008 Best of [city] Award plaque has been designed for display at your place of business. You may arrange to have your award sent directly to [company] by following the simple steps on the 2008 Best of Bothell Award order form. Simply copy and paste this link into your browser to access the order form:
https://www.uslba2008.net

The order form asks for basic contact information that seems like it would be on file if the award winners were legitimately selected. It seems evident that the only information this outfit has about our business is the (misspelled) name, city, and an info@... e-mail address.

There is a web site for a USLBA; the content is the same but the domain is different from the one given in the e-mail. There are pages of shallow, keyword-rich copy that looks more like it's for SEO than CEO.

The cost of the plaque is not disclosed until recipient enters a phone, address and contact name. No, thanks, it's bad enough that they have our e-mail address.

BNET Offers Content Without Owner's Permission

2008-09-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to get a Google Alert pointing me to one of my own company's newsletters, represented as a white paper on BNET.com.

No record of granting permission to republish or host our content at BNET, or its owner CNET Networks, or their owner CBS Interactive... and the "blurb" they used to tease the newsletter was very poorly written!

I couldn't click through to our "white paper" without registering for BNET, so I did. Full name, e-mail, phone, mailing address, job descriptors and company size are all required fields. An e-mail confirmation was required, as well.

Once I finally registered and clicked through, the "download" link took me to my own company's web site!

Of course two more messages from BNET appeared in my inbox within minutes. One informed me that I had opted in for two categories of spam from them, even though I had unchecked every opt-in box on the registration form.

Sleazy? You bet. They're collecting personal profiles in return for linking people to content that was already available online.

CBS? Surprising, a little... the site is plastered with ads, and the tactic of posting others' content is a well-known Google link farm technique.

Your thoughts?

TeleFund Silent Calls

2008-08-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

I started answering the repeated calls from TELEFUND USA and there was never anyone on the other end of the line.

This is "nuisance calling"or "abandoned calls" and the FCC wants to know about it. If enough people report a telemarketer, FCC will investigate.

Telefund's number is 512-916-4001. Did you get a nuisance call from this company? Fill out a brief online form here:
FTC form 1088

Or call, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.

Then add your U.S. number to the Do Not Call Registry, online.

'Abandoned Calls' are 'Silent Calls,' or 'Dead Air Calls' from a telemarketer.

National Life Quotes telemarketing against FCC rules

2008-03-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

I've been on the FCC's National Do Not Call Registry since 2004. I got a call today with Caller ID of "Blocked" and when I answered I heard a recorded voice say:

"Hi, I'm calling from National Life Quotes. I wanted to tell you about..."

That's illegal. A telemarketer called a DNC number with a recorded message and concealed their Caller ID. Three strikes!

Option 1: Hang up in anger so they can call someone else, or

Option 2: Go to www.fcc.gov and fill out a Form 2000, you'll feel better!

You can also file a complaint by e-mail (fccinfo@fcc.gov), telephone 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY, by fax to 1-866-418-0232, or mail. See this web page for details.

Quod Google abbreviation, "q.g.," to mean "Google it"

2007-11-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

We need the modern-day equivalent of Quod Vide (abbreviated q.v. from Latin: see which).

Often we write about something in e-mail or blogs and feel obligated to include a link or paste some text. That's not necessary, since anyone can Google any term, any time.

Instead, I propose creating a term, q.g., meaning "Quod Google."

q.v. is outdated but still used in formal writing, like this:

Galileo designed the thermoscope, described in "Galileo Galilei," q.v., which led to the development of the thermometer.

It basically means, "I gave you the title, you go look it up."

QG would mean "You have fingers, you Google it."

It doesn't require a new emoticon :) It's as easy to type as ROFL or IMHO, or thumbed (774) on a phone keypad, and could even join Q and GA in the abbreviated vocabulary of TTY, qg.

It needs a Wikipedia entry, someone?

Meeting Setters meetingsetters.com clean?

2007-10-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Meeting Setters e-mailed me at an address that could only have been harvested or machine-guessed. I wonder how they get the other names in their database?

Nothing like a questionable spam-like business practice to start off a relationship!

"Meeting Setters is an outsourced provider of sales appointments, creating greater efficiencies within your organization. By leveraging the largest database of business executives in North America, we make it possible for sales and marketing executives to focus their sales groups on closing business rather than prospecting."

Others have raised similar questions about MeetingSetters.com:

McAfee Forum post

The e-mail appears to be a mass-generated mail-merge message via marketingtrain.org (Accu Mailer) with tags in the end that would help them identify bounced mail.

Best LinkedIn Invitation Messages (and Worst)

2007-10-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

LinkedIn invitations could be so much more creative, but most are boring, considering they're from people I know.

From a Berkeley webmaster to his wife:

“You are a person I trust. I’d like to invite you to join my network on
LinkedIn. I’m using it to discover inside connections I didn’t know I had.”

So I Googled, found zip, then decided there needs to be a web page for this.

What are your favorites? Use the Comments below.

Personally, I'd like to find a few limmericks to use. Here's a bad one...

Among friends of similar thinking,
There are handshakes, hugs, even winking.
Our careers are insistant,
Colleagues become distant,
Let's at least stay in touch by Linking.

Cancel Rhapsody - Go On, Just Try

2007-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Just try (to cancel) Rhapsody. I signed up for a 14-day free trial. I wasn't expecting the song and dance when it came time to cancel.

I wasn't looking for a new music service, I use iTunes, but I got into a "TrialPay" with ZoneLabs and had to choose something. I gave it a whirl, never actually got it to play any music, and gave up in frustration. I have friends who like the service, but I don't.

I decided to cancel before the automatic renewal and monthly charges started.

You can't cancel online, you must call 1-866-597-5465. Have your account number ready (it's in the e-mail from them) or the e-mail address you gave them when you signed up.

The India-based agent will try to keep you from cancelling and will put you on hold a few times. They'll try to engage you in a discussion about what you're looking for in a music service, and/or offer to extend the trial membership for another 14 days. Their sole objective is to get you into the paying program (they already have your credit card number).

Just be firm that you want to cancel today, and write down the cancellation number they give you.

Adobe Acrobat etc Requires Activation (Again)

2007-04-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

Adobe applications, most notably Acrobat Pro 7+, suddenly started asking me to re-activate the license. My work is totally interrupted by this nonsense. I need to consider some non-Adobe alternatives.

Two activations and an Adobe app refuses to activate without purchase of another license. So, without warning, today I can't use Photoshop, Acrobat, or Audition. This doesn't seem to affect my Illustrator, and I haven't tried to launch InDesign or Premier yet.

This apparently happens when a major change is made to the OS or hard drive, and the Adobe activation data file gets corrupted. The activated applications are not usable after their 2 activations are used up.

I called Adobe (in the "No More Activations" dialog, click "Activation Options" or "Phone Activation" and there's a 24-hour toll-free phone number there) when Audition crashed. They activated it for me over the phone.

I called an hour later when Acrobat Pro crashed. They said there is a patch, but they have to e-mail it to me. They took my name, address, county, phone, and e-mail address.

Getting the patch takes 24-48 hours. In the meantime, I can't use Acrobat.

I haven't changed my hard drive or my OS, but I strongly suspect a Microsoft Windows Update (which is automatic on my system). Yesterday morning my PC said Microsoft updated it and had to reboot.

S.E.C. Moves Against Spam That Pushes Hot Stocks

2007-03-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Apparently I wasn't alone in my frustration over spam that touts loser stocks.

The S.E.C. suspended trading in 35 stocks promoted in recent spam campaigns and said further investigation could lead to arrests.

The scheme works like this: Spammers find a penny stock and send millions of e-mails recommending that people buy the stock. When a fraction of a percent of the recipients buy the stock, the price edges upward. At that moment, the spammers dump their shares at a profit, which forced the price down again. Everyone else is left holding shares worth doo-doo.

Evite from a stranger -- latest spamming technique?

2006-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

I received an e-vite (www.evite.com) from a "business coach" I had never heard of. I've known a couple of people who marketed themselves as business coaches. Their self-promotion techniques were aggressive and shameless.

It seemed harmless, an invitation to "Charity Game Night" to play a game and network, with a small fee to be donated to a charity. This was to take place at the coach's "office," which appears to be an apartment address.

Suspicious: There was no host's full name on this evite, no phone, no e-mail, no business name. The evite was sent to an unusual address for me, one that only ever appeared in one organization's membership directory. That appears to be where this "host" got my e-mail address.

My name did not appear anywhere. The invitation list was hidden.

Anyone else getting evites like this from strangers? Is this an old Amway technique, revisited?

Low Flying Aircraft & Airplane Noise

2006-09-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Do low-flying aircraft bother you? Are you concerned about the safety of amateur pilots above homes and schools? Do you get tired of the noise of single-engine airplanes and large airline jets? Worry about slow, easily targeted passenger planes over your home, or solo pilots flying low above critical infrastructure such as power lines?

What can be done about it?

The FAA maintains a complaint line in most cities, and tracks complaints of dangerous pilots. You may encounter an FAA staffer who seems to want to talk you out of filing a complaint. Persist. Airports also maintain noise complaint lines or web forms.

Try to have as much information as possible -- describe the plane, give the tail number if possible, and supply the incident time, location, and direction of travel. Pictures are helpful for reporting hazardous flying.

The FAA requires small planes to maintain 1,000 feet above ground level when flying over populated areas. That's about two tenths of a mile. Pilots routinely violate this rule with impunity, especially in hilly areas. The altitude buffer is required, in part, to allow a crippled plane to glide a safe distance from developed areas before landing or crashing. It also gives them more maneuvering room to avoid a collision.

February 9, 2006
"Two small aircraft collide over El Cajon and La Mesa, California"
Investigators search back yards for debris.

Three people were killed when two small planes collided at an altitude of about 2,300 feet about three miles from the Gillespie Field (elevation 388). Authorities scoured the crash site – a neighborhood on the boundary between El Cajon and La Mesa – looking for debris. On Wednesday night investigators asked some residents around the crash site to turn on their backyard lights to help them spot pieces of debris. A Cessna 172RG had just taken off from Gillespie with a flight instructor and a student pilot aboard. The 172 was under the control of the Gillespie tower when the collision took place. The pilot of the other plane, a Cessna 182, was on a pleasure flight that began earlier that day at Montgomery Field in San Diego.

(dated) August 5 2005?
"Two Die After Two Small Planes Collide in Washington"
One Plane Was Sent Crashing Into a School

Two small planes collided over a busy highway in this Seattle suburb, with one smashing through the roof of a school, killing both people aboard. The second plane landed safely nearby. The collision was between the single-engine Cessna 152 and a float plane. Jim Blundred, a teacher who lives a half-block from the elementary school, saw the crash from his deck.

Saturday, January 25, 2003
"Five die as planes collide over Denver"
One plane hits home; other lands in back yard.

The single-engine Cessna 172 P Skyhawk plane hit a home on Moncrieff Road in a northwest Denver neighborhood and burst into flames. Three people died. A larger, twin-engine Piper Cheyenne landed almost intact a few blocks south in the back yard of another home. Two more people were killed. The planes collided about 2,200 feet above the densely populated residential area.

August 9, 2000
"Two Small Planes Collide Over Burlington, New Jersey; 10 People Dead"

Bad weather blamed for crash involving small commuter plane.

Points.com: A costly way to swap miles

2006-08-17T21:24:00.001-07:00

When I saw Points.com listed on my American Express Membership Rewards statement, I though I had found a panacea. Finally, I could use my AmEx points as miles on Alaska Airlines, which is not an AmEx partner.

Panacea? Not quite.

After I registered I explored the site and got the uneasy feeling they weren't telling me everything.

I was right. I found an excellent article by travel writer Tim Winship that spelled out the real cost of using Points.com.

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/Points-Mile-exchange-made.html?id=13839

In Winship's analysis, Points.com takes an 85% to 90% commission on miles swapped between plans. If I moved 10,000 miles from American Express to Alaska Air, I'd end up with under 1,500 miles on the Alaska end. 8,500 points or more disappear into the pockets of Points.com.

In addition, there's a Points.com fee of $5.95 per transaction. I could pay $15 a month or $50 a year, thus avoiding the transaction fee, but I would still give up 90% of my miles.

This would be ok for miles that are about to expire, on an airline I don't often use. I watched thousands of British Air miles expire last year, but couldn't find a way to use them. Getting 10% of them would be better than nothing.

For the rest of my points and miles, I'll wait.

Bogus Invoice for Web Site Listing Service from ListingCorp.com

2006-04-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest sleaze job I've been exposed to: An official-looking invoice for "Annual Website Search Engine Listing" at $47.50 a year.

It comes with a due date and a payment envelope with a note on the back: "Please include your remittance stub."

To be fair, the invoice says on its face that I am under no obligation to pay the amount unless I accept the offer in the solicitation outlined on the back of the invoice.

The offer comes from Listingcorp.com, supposedly located in NY. It appears to be a search engine optimization service.

The invoice and envelope push as hard as they can to get an e-mail address. Cheaper than mailing bogus invoices, I suppose.

Congratulations, Exxon Mobil! (No more need for subsidies, then?)

2005-11-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

"Exxon's quarterly revenue equals $45 million an hour" (LA Times) (NYSE: XOM)

Taxpayers have been investing in the future of oil companies for decades. Finally, our investment has paid off. Free enterprise has lifted the petroleum industry out of its financially-strapped startup phase and placed it firmly in the land of bountiful profits.

Now, can we stop subsidizing the oil industry? The energy bill provided over $50 billion in tax subsidies for energy. Only about $29 billion are to be collected in fuel taxes. Of $23 billion in net tax breaks, approximately 60% are for oil, gas, coal energy.

Forget about windfall profit taxes, just take away the tens of billions in tax breaks that are slated for oil companies in the coming decade.

That money could go to help energy technologies that are in their financially-strapped startup phases. Renewable energy and energy efficiency get a tiny slice of the federal subsidy pie today. But now it seems the oil and gas subsidies -- especially new gas refinery subsidies -- could be redirected.

What a difference that would make!

This idea has been suggested in the Senate by Jay Inslee in his Apollo Project. Tell your Congressional representatives you want to see it passed.

US used chemical weapons against Iraqis

2005-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

A documentary from Italy, not yet aired in the US, claims to have proof that the US military used white phosphorous bombs in the battle of Fallujah.

SEE THE VIDEO "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre" via TruthOut.org

The US Faces Fresh Chemical Weapons Claims in Iraq (with video)

"The United States is facing fresh allegations that it used chemical weapons against civilians during the fight for control of the Iraqi town of Fallujah. A documentary screened on Italian state television last night accuses the US military of dropping white phosphorous bombs on the insurgent-held city. It was a year ago today when US troops launched a fierce offensive to take over Fallujah."

US Iraq war veterans are quoted in the above article and one of them was also interviewed on European television today.

"I do know that white phosphorus was used, which is definitely without a shadow of a doubt a chemical weapon," he said.

There are more graphic quotes in the article and in other widespread coverage across Europe, especially Italy, where the documentary was aired in English.

Washington has tried to destroy any filmed evidence of the attack, according to the filmmakers. A medical team captured graphic images of the aftermath. The team was responsible for burying the badly burned bodies of women and children after the attack.

The Geneva Convention bans the use of white phosphorous against civilians. The documentary claims to have proof of widespread, indiscriminate use on neighborhoods from the air.

Hints of Kurdistan under Chemical Ali?

Of the hundreds of dead in Falluja, some still-clothed bodies seemed to be burned from the inside. Specialists say this points to "Willy Pete," or white phosphorous. The US does not consider it a chemical weapon.

Expect a broken-record message like this out of the administration in the coming weeks:

"We did not use chemical weapons. The Geneva Convention does not apply. We did what we had to do to protect Americans and fight terrorism in Iraq. Democracy. Freedom. Brutal Dictator."

Follow this story as it develops across the web.

Corrected 11/9/05: the military slang for white phosphorous is said to be "Willy Pete."

CNN's inaccurate coverage of France riots

2005-11-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

CNN's reporters in France are confusing the situation with scant outsider coverage peppered with inaccuracies and demonstrating a lack of understanding of the situation.

In a dramatic tone, CNN's Becky Anderson describes a country in a state of emergency for the first time since 1955. She wonders how the curfews will be enforced. The camera pans across a legion of police officers in riot gear. Cut to the most shocking scenes of burning cars from the past 12 nights of violence. She notes increasing numbers of arrests. Cut to a map of France showing cities where violence has erupted.

Facts: France passed its "state of emergency" law on April 3, 1955, during the Algerian War. It has been used a couple of times since then, as late as 1984, although apparently not during the Paris anti-war riots of May 1968. The state of emergency can be declared for a portion of the country, which is the case with today's invocation of the act.

Curfew violations are punishable by 2 months in prison and a EU3,650 (about $4k) fine. Minors, in particular, are the target of the curfews. They are not allowed out after 10PM in some areas without an adult. The families of curfew-breaking minors will be fined. The government has called in about 8,000 military and reserve police reinforcements (about the same troop levels as were called during the Rodney King riots).

And about that map: Toulouse is not in the east, Strasbourg is not in Germany, Lyon is not in the west. CNN might be placing too much faith in Google's Earth mapping service, credited on-screen for the inaccurate map.

The Aulnay-sous-Bois hotel has become journalist central, surrounded with satellite trucks and its lobby crawling with reporters. It reminded one reporter of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. In Iraq, the reporters seldom leave their hotel for safety concerns. Are CNN's reporters applying that rule in Paris as well?

In other countries, the media is acting on their agendas. I don't watch Al Jazeera but I wouldn't expect balanced or accurate coverage there. The channel set up a branch in France, but was soon shut down for promoting anti-Western extremism.

The Turkish press reportedly is savoring this opportunity to highlight France's weakness. France is among the EU countries who want Turkey to jump through social and economic hoops before being admitted into the European Union.

International CNN correspondent Christiane Ananpour walks through the streets of the project, flanked by French school children of Arab and African descent. In her observation liberte, egalite, fraternite don't apply in the projects. That part might not be far from the truth. In smaller cities like Amiens and Raincy, the whole town is under curfew. In the large cities, the curfew applies to the projects, sometimes called "suburbs." That's adding to the sensation that the projects' residents are outcasts.

Paris riots, Rodney, Iraq and Ben Barka

2005-11-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Many Americans jumped on the bandwagon to chastise and boycott France preceding the US invasion of Iraq. To correctly interpret France's UN actions requires understanding that Muslims are France's largest minority, and make up a very large proportion of their poor, who live in projects like those where violence is erupting.

To correctly interpret today's Paris unrest requires understanding the cycle of peace and unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims in France. The violence in the projects is blind and senseless, a corollary to the violence in L.A. following the Rodney King beating trial. It's not new. Since the riots of 1990, maintaining the peace has been of utmost importance.

Participating in the invasion of a Muslim nation would have brought much worse consequences. Siding with the US in Iraq would have been political suicide. It was so in Spain; it will likely be so in Italy.

Nicolas Sarkozy has probably dashed his chances at the 2007 presidential elections with one stupid remark. He's always acted like a tough guy toward residents of the projects. He ignited their anger last week in what was a tense but manageable situation. He is being politically isolated in France today, and might find himself once again squeezed out of government.

FYI-- "Banlieues" in French means "suburbs," but it also refers equally to the low-income housing projects that surround Paris. The Muslims who are rioting tonight are mostly not immigrants, but their parents are most likely from Algeria or Morocco. France was brutal toward these immigrants in the 50's and 60's, in some ways similar to segregation and police-backed white-on-black violence in the US. France has a more enlightened and integrated attitude today, but the road is long and memories are longer.

Last week was the 40th anniversary of the disappearance (and assumed assassination) of a prominent Moroccan activist in France, Ben Barka.

Current international affairs quiz

2005-10-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Consider the following statement made in 2005:

1. The statement was made by the head of which state?

"We are facing a radical ideology with unalterable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world."

(a) Israel
(b) France
(c) Palestine
(d) U.S.
(e) Pakistan
(f) North Korea

2. Based on your answer to (1) the "radical ideology" would be:

(a) Islamic fundamentalist
(b) Christian fundamentalist
(c) Nuclear proliferation
(d) Jihadist
(e) Judaic

3. In mid-2003, George W. Bush claimed before a delegation of Israeli leaders that he was on a mission from God when he launched the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

(a) True
(b) False

4. George W. Bush claimed this week that his administration had disrupted how many Al Quaeda attacks on the U.S. since 9/11?

(a) None
(b) 3
(c) 11
(d) 103
(e) Thousands

Answers:
1. (d) U.S. president George W. Bush made this statement 10/6/05.

2. (a) Islamic fundamentalist, presumably.

3. (b) False. George Bush was speaking to a Palestinian, not Israeli, delegation when he exhibited his religious fervor four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. His statements are recorded in a transcript of the meeting, and verified by one of the delegates.

One of the delegates, Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign minister at the time, said: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did." Guardian Int'l, 7 Oct 05

4. (b) 3 "disrupted" attacks in 4 years and billions spent on homeland security.
Bonus question: How many people have died in successful fundamentalist terrorist attacks in Iraq since the invasion, and how does that compare to any other four-year period in modern history?

While You Were off the Air

2005-10-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

I propose a cable TV show that specializes in makeovers of other TV makeover shows.

The interior decorating shows like "While You Were Out" would be first, followed by the fashion advisor shows like "What Not To Wear."

We could call ours "What Not To Air."

You heard it here first.

Katrina, Rita, Lame Duck and Avian Flu

2005-09-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

When bird flu breaks out in the US, let's hope it happens in Texas. As we've seen in the contrast between Katrina and Rita, those in George W. Bush's home state got a much faster, more efficient response from the feds.

W's not hiding it, either. Even though his photo ops are in places like unaffected San Antonio, far from hard-hit Port Arthur and Beaumont, they're his effort to be a president more visibly responsive for the Lone Star state than for Louisiana. Take the Bayou, but don't mess with Texas.

Cluck fest
National Geographic (October, 2005) reveals the deadliness of avian flu, and the US government's decision not to stock up on the only drug effective against it. Other, smaller countries are stockpiling tens of millions of doses, but the US has only enough for about 1/3 of 1% of the population. 1.2 million doses for 300 million citizens. That's if they can deploy it.

Humans don't have immune defenses against animal strains of the flu. The eventuality of an outbreak here has CDCC researchers sweating corn pellets. After WWI, Spanish flu (which was not from Spain) killed many more people than died in the war. Avian flu makes Spanish flu look like a mild case of goose bumps.

The sky is not falling
What is our federal government counting on to save us? The development of a vaccine before an outbreak kills millions of Americans. Some are under development, even human testing, but none are available today, after three years of outbreaks in Asia.

Maybe the administration is also counting on applying the lessons of Katrina and Rita: Duck the blame for the bad stuff, pointing instead to state and local agencies. Meanwhile credit the troops and FEMA with the things that go well. And conduct your own investigations of yourself.

Birds of a feather...
Watch for Bush to make well-televised visits to carefully prepared areas in Rita's path soon. He likes strut around looking like he's in charge, plus he gets to roost on board cool naval ships off the coast.

He's probably just upset that there wasn't some way to get Jeb Bush on national TV for this one. Somebody has to carry on the dynasty. Jeb's next in the pecking order.

There are three more years of this Bush, lame as he may be. Perhaps W hopes to rig it so he and Jeb can run on the same ticket. It worked for those twin brothers in Poland.

Can Bush match the guts of Germany's Schroeder?

2005-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schröder deliberately lost a parliamentary vote of confidence earlier this year as a way to dissolve parliament and force national elections a year earlier than scheduled. That's right, a sitting leader chose to face an unnecessary re-run, which takes place this Sunday.

Why would Schröder do such a thing? His party was coming under extreme criticism and losing popularity. His mandate was dissolving -- some say gone -- and he was, in effect, a lame duck who could do very little to move his agenda forward in the coming year.

Sound familiar?

It takes a strong, confident leader to make a move like that. Maybe someone else could consider doing the same thing. Perhaps the person who took personal responsibility for the botched relief effort following Katrina and the broken levees.

The man who called 51% a "mandate" should call for a special election, a vote of confidence, to restore that mandate for the remainder of his term in office.

Additional reading about Germany's elections:
Germany's Election 2005: The Players

"When Germans go to vote they choose the party, not the person, they want to govern. But in fact, everyone knows exactly who each party would put in the country's top spot."

Background: Germany's Election Explainer

"DW-WORLD's selection of background articles shows how the election system works, what past elections have shown and why this year's election is more complicated than previous ones."

Germany’s election sleepwalk (May 8)

"If it were not for the occasional TV talk show, one would not know that Germany is in the middle of an election campaign in advance of the expected 18 September vote. There are two reasons for this political quiescence... "

Energy Debate Enters Germany's Election Campaign (Sept 2)

"Energy is the hot topic in German politics as oil and gas prices are shooting through the roof. Less than two weeks before the country heads to the polls to choose a new government, the oil shortage has fueled the campaigns."

The world sees behind America's glittery mask

2005-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Mardi Gras mask is off. No more "holier than thou" for America around the world.

"Now it is America which stands exposed. And neither America nor the world much likes what it sees...When corpses float in the streets for five days, the indispensable nation looks like a society that cannot take care of its own. When Sri Lanka offers to send emergency aid, the humiliation is complete." ("Receding
floodwaters expose the dark side of America - but will anything change?" The
Guardian, UK, 5 Sept 05)

9/11/01	the world is reminded that Americans are proudly nationalistic.
Iraq invasion 2003	the world saw without a doubt that Americans are gullible.
(re)election of Bush in 2004	the world confirmed that a simple majority of Americans are, to put it nicely, simple.
9/1/05	the world discovered that America has serious racial and class divisions.

Every developed country has its issues with ethnicity and poverty, usually stemming from its colonial ways. The world has been awakened to the fact that America the Beautiful is no different.

"Hurricane Katrina acted as a revealer of America's weaknesses: its racial divisions, the poverty of its less fortunate, and above all the leadership deficit if its president" ("Cyclone: Bush Completely Overwhelmed by Catastrophe" in France's nationwide "Libération" newspaper, 3 Sept. 05)

Why do the attitudes of the French matter? Western Europeans and many other countries around the globe look to France for leadership in world issues. French president Chirac and Germany's Schroeder together wield enormous political power that extends far beyond Europe.

Via The Week, a print news magazine:

Germany--Remember that deer-in-the-headlights look when Bush was informed of the 9/11 attacks? said Stefan Kornelius in Munich’s Suddeütsche Zeitung. Bush seemed similarly helpless in this second national crisis. And he "showed the same political denseness."

England--"It’s cold comfort, but if you are a Muslim who believes that the West values Western lives above Muslim lives, the American president’s demeanor over the last days points to a more democratic reading: The leader of the Western world lacks a language in which to value any life," said Howard Jacobson in the London Independent.

Spain--Madrid’s La Razon said, We watched the richest country in the world let its poor die like animals. It’s beyond dispute that the U.S. had the means to rescue the hurricane victims. It simply lacked the will. "That the largest and most modern army in the world was so inefficient can only be blamed on leaders of doubtful competence." America’s image "has been tarnished as never before."

Canada--America doesn’t value community, said Doug Saunders in the Toronto Globe and Mail. It has never been a country of people pulling together in a joint project, but a pioneer land of self-reliance. Those "individualistic, egalitarian, anti-authoritarian values" have made the United States succeed. But the flip side of that virtue is "an every-man-for-himself ethos that can destroy the system itself."

...and from my own reading:

France*--One journalist noted that Bush, at a ceremony on September 11, 2005, "tried to rekindle the spirit of 9/11 to face the challenges of Louisiana and Mississippi." The author continues:

"The two events are opposites. One brought tragedy to the white-collar class in NY; the other to the poor of the South. One galvanized the country; the other revealed its social and racial divisions. One reinforced Bush's mandate; the other weakened it. Today, in Bush we do not see America's commander in chief, we see its chief bureaucrat." ("A New Scandal for Bush" in "Liberation" 12 Sept 05)

* The French are one of the largest foreign providers of supplies and military assistance to America in this crisis. Their special forces are helping all along the coast to recover the dead and upright sunken navy craft, among other missions. This in spite of America's vicious chastising and damaging boycots of France after the UN Security Council refused to back W's Iraq attack plans, just two short years ago.

I don't doubt this shift in world perceptions will have at least a small impact on USA's ability to bully the world, imposing its ideals for gleaming democracy, equality and freedom, increasingly at gunpoint, with no regard for diplomacy. Perhaps the effect on international relations will be larger, even permanent.

I would also expect an impact on our economic position in the world, but that was already on its way out.

Post (as comments here) or e-mail your favorite headline, quote, or link from the international media.

Kanarchy: Katrina's Kaos

2005-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Officials interviewed last weekend are saying that none of the 15 disasters planned for by our Homeland Security Department include the kind of social breakdown and anarchy encountered in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (CNN et al 9/10/05)

Didn't they watch Blade Runner or Mad Max? After the Rodney King riots in East LA, and WTO in Seattle, is this human behavior so unimaginable that Homeland Security wouldn't even consider it?

These are the people who make you hand over your fingernail clippers and take off your shoes before you can board a plane.

Angry people waiting days for relief reportedly shot at rescue helicopters that passed them by, and demanded help from first responders with threats of violence. Surprise, surprise.

What concerns me most is that Homeland Security will ignore or botch this issue, while the public will remember it and react in unpredictable ways in the next disaster, making things even more dangerous for victims and responders.

Domain Registry Support -- CAUTION

2005-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Domain Registry Support cold-called me today asking to verify my address and get my fax number. They said it was in reference to a specific domain name I own. The agent didn't identify herself at first.

Something smelled fishy. The domain, which I sold earlier this year, was registered with NSI. I've never done business with Domain Registry Support. The call came in with "Unknown" on Caller ID.

When I asked questions instead of answering hers, I got fast, hard-to-understand explanations with a thick Indian accent: "This is a notification we are doing for all domain owners," she said repeatedly. "You are required to keep your information updated."

This was sounding more like a scam every minute. The clincher: "We are responsible for all changes to your domain."

"So if I want to make any changes to my domain, I need to contact you?" I asked.

"Yes sir, that's right. Now you are understanding me," she said.

My impression at this moment was that Domain Registry Support was trying to pose as some kind of internet authority, as if I was required to provide information to them. Why did they want to verify my address? It's readily available in the "Who Is" database.

Was this an attempted domain-slam in progress? There are plenty out there:
"Warning: Domain Scam - Domain Support Group"
"SCAM - domain registry services"
"Register.com Wins Stay Against Domain Registry of America"

I never found out if it was fraud or not. I didn't provide the information she demanded. I got their phone number (800-591-7398). I said I wanted to check with my domain registrar and see if I should be sharing this information. The call ended very shortly thereafter.

I believe there are rules about unauthorized transferring of domain names, including the ability for a domain owner to reverse an unwanted transfer within a specific timeframe.

If you have any doubt about unsolicited calls, e-mails or postal mail you receive regarding an internet domain name you own, check with your domain registrar (like Dotster, Register.com, NSI, etc.) right away.

Katrina and the Economy

2005-09-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

Considering the U.S. economy slammed on the brakes in early 2001, recently it actually seemed to be saying, "laissez les bons temps rouler." We had high oil prices, no more budget surplus, and a big trade deficit, to be sure. But the administration had been trying to get key indicators up -- GDP, unemployment, inflation -- to bolster public confidence in the economy and the Republicans in charge of it.

After all, there's an election coming up. Then along comes Katrina with the potential to mess it all up again.

"Overall, there seem to be three broad effects: an employment effect, a gas price effect, and a rebuilding effect," wrote Dr. David Kelly, Senior Economic Advisor at Putnam Investments, in "The Economic Cost of Katrina" issued 6 Sept 2005.

The loss of jobs in the affected states is likely to raise unemployment by 1/4 point, or 350,000 jobs, Kelly said. But the specific loss of production from oil and gas operations along the Gulf is likely to hurt GDP more than the loss of low-income jobs will hurt consumer spending.

That's because earnings in that region are only 80% of the national average. But there's now a disproportionate allocation of household income/savings to buy gas at rising prices, which means postponing other purchases, nationwide.

Massive government spending to rebuild will soon stir the economic potpourri and make things smell a bit rosier than they are.

"One of the ironies of natural disasters is that they often add to economic growth, since a loss in wealth does not show up in the national income statistics, but rebuilding efforts do," Kelly wrote.

"All told, if the government response is swift, and if gasoline prices fall back relatively quickly, the economy should maintain most of the momentum it had eight days ago. GDP growth in the second half of 2005 may look more like 2.5% to 3.0% rather than the 3.0% to 3.5% which had looked likely earlier. However, as rebuilding gets into full swing economic growth should accelerate in early 2006."

Just in time for mid-term elections.

The Economist agrees:

"History suggests that the hurricane will have little effect on the national economy. Despite all the pictures of sinking hotels and flooded convention centres, the overall impact of natural disasters is often close to neutral..."

However, Katrina shut down 90% of the oil rigs in a critical region for that industry, according to coverage by The Economist. Panic sent the price of crude over $70 until Bush "loaned" some to the oil companies from the nation's strategic petroleum reserves.

Watch for more federal support for building new refineries, along the lines of what we heard earlier this year. Also watch for political spin, said The Economist:

"Beware any talk from the president about the disaster somehow underlining his fraudulent campaign to boost America's energy security. It doesn't. The United States will remain reliant on foreign sources of energy."

As for what to do now, Kelly concluded by saying that "long-term investment advice which seemed correct eight days ago still seems correct today, namely, to have a balanced portfolio of long-term investments, with small overweights toward stocks over bonds, international over domestic, large-cap over small-cap, and growth over value."

Hiking in France or Switzerland

2005-09-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'd like to go on a week-long hiking trip, as early as next summer, to a French-speaking destination like the Massif Central, Luberon, Jura, or western Swiss Alps. I've never done anything like it, but for example a piece of the Grande Randonee sounds like a blast.

I have enough of the language to easily get by. It would be ideal to make contact with someone who's done this before, to swap e-mails, maybe even meet up there; perhaps with someone who even speaks some Italian or German.

Comment if you know someone who might be interested in corresponding, or know a resource for finding out about this type of travel. I'll also post as I learn more.

Avoid the Nextel i860 camera phone with GPS

2005-09-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

Don't expect much from the Nextel (Motorola) phones that have a GPS and camera. I tried the i860 and had three fundamental problems with it:

Poor phone service. Coverage limited to major metro areas and some rural industrial zones. No roaming. Delay in audio (call your landline and listen to the delay) causes others to think you're cutting them off in conversation.
Poor camera. Tiny photos, fuzzy, or completely out of focus. Not usable for anything, really, other than showing them on the cell phone's tiny screen. Must e-mail your photos to yourself (for a fee).
Poor GPS. I tried the Trimble Outdoors software (for a fee). Big problems downloading it. Support was friendly, but could not fix the problem. Poor reception -- I mean, so bad you give up -- if you're in the backcountry, because the GPS relies on the nearest Nextel tower to narrow its location. Without that, it's lost. Eats up a battery in a few hours, so no good for hiking.

Nextel was hard to deal with, on top of it all. I couldn't get the same answers to some questions from any two people. The company mysteriously cancelled my first order without even contacting me.

The second order went through, I tried the phone, and returned it. Not without having to submit to the last-ditch hard sell from their sales department.

The two weeks of use cost me over $250, plus some long distance charges. They took their time refunding the additional $150 cost of the phone.