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| Latest hand-selected Michigan political news and analysis headlines |
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Blogging 
Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 01:00:31 AM EST
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Our favorite irascible media tyrant is in the news once again, and once again it’s time for me to bring you a story of doing one thing while wishing for another.
In a November 6th interview, Sky News Australia’s David Speers spent about 35 minutes with the CEO of NewsCorp, Rupert Murdoch; the conversation covering topics as diverse as software piracy, world economics, the role of Fox News (and Fox NewsPinion©) in American politics, a strange defense of Glenn Beck, and, not very long afterwards, an even stranger defense of immigration.
We have heard a lot about the...how can I put this politely...challenges Murdoch seems to face associating factual reality with his reality, and we could have lots of fun going through his factual misstatements—but instead, I want to take on one specific issue today:
Rupert Murdoch says he hates it when people steal his content from the Internet to draw readers to their sites...which is funny, if you think about it, because he has no problem at all stealing my content (and lots of yours, as well) for his sites.
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Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 22:37:47 PM EDT
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It has been an amazing week in Iran, and you are no doubt seeing images that would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago.
For most of us, Iran has been a country about which we know very little…which, obviously, makes it tough to put the limited news we’re getting into a proper context.
The goal of today’s conversation is to give you a bit more of an “insider look” at today’s news; and to do that we’ll describe some of the risks Iranian bloggers face as they go about their business, we’ll meet a blogging Iranian cleric, we’ll address the issue of what tools the Iranians use for Internet censorship and the companies that could potentially be helping it along, and then we’ll examine Internet traffic patterns into and out of Iran.
Finally, a few words about, of all things, how certain computer games might be useful as tools of revolution.
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Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 14:04:19 PM EDT
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I was sent this email today, we should help support the College Democrats with their efforts. More information under the fold...
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Tue Aug 26, 2008 at 00:14:19 AM EDT
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For the past two weeks we have paid more attention to the rest of the world than usual, what with the Olympics drawing our attention to Asia, and the conflict in the Balkans forcing us to learn that Atlanta is not in danger...that indeed, there is another Georgia—and how events in that Georgia could affect life in our Georgia.
As it happens, I belong to an international blogging collective (the Blogpower community) with voices that happen to be especially well-placed and often powerful to boot...a combination that will be most helpful for today’s exercise.
We are going to take a journey, Gentle Reader, all the way from India to Australia. We’ll visit Canadian friends, then we have much to discuss in the UK...and we get to meet a friend in the Sudan—and just for fun, we’ll toss in a few discussion questions based on Russian history.
Finally, through the miracle of Facebook, we’ll meet an actual volunteer soldier from South Ossetia who will describe the Georgian attack on his city.
There’s a lot to cover, so put on your travel hat, grab your virtual passport, and let’s hit the road.
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Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 23:51:34 PM EDT
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(Wow! - promoted by JPowers155)
In August of 2006, a man named Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) defeated incumbent Congressman Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) in the Republican primary. Those that live in Michigan's 7th District may remember the vicious primary campaign, in which Walberg-- funded by the Club for Growth and other radical right-wing groups-- destroyed the name and good work of a dedicated public servant. Schwarz was conservative, but he was honest and hard-working, and was one of the few "good" Republicans left. And Tim Walberg, a former far-right minister, attacked Schwarz without mercy. A few days after the primary, I started a blog called Walberg Watch. Originally hosted on Blogspot, I wanted to create an online record of Walberg's extreme positions as the 2006 election approached, facing the terribly underfunded Democratic nominee Sharon Renier. Walberg won that election by just four percent, and I found myself with a new blogging mission: following Tim Walberg's adventure through what will hopefully be his only term in the United States House of Representatives. Over the last two years, a lot has changed, with much of it building toward the re-launch at the new www.WalbergWatch.com. Below the fold, I'd like to walk you through some of the additions to Walberg Watch. I'm excited by what we can accomplish in the next 126 days as we work to bring about better representation. I hope that by the time you're done reading this, you are too.
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Mon Jun 16, 2008 at 03:02:38 AM EDT
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Hi.
Many of you read Walberg Watch, my blog, which is great. I hope you appreciate the posts I've written and others have written, and I can promise a lot more in the coming months as we all work to replace Congressman Walberg with a much better representative.
Still, I want to do more than just write blog posts. I want to provide resources for you to use when working to convince others that Walberg has to go. In fact, I want to provide resources to convince you that Walberg has to go if you're an undecided voter. I want to make sure that on election day, you get out there and vote. I want to make sure that when Tim Walberg and his friends start to smear his Democratic opponent with lies and half-truths, there's an immediate response. And I want you to be able to help contribute content toward this goal, because any good political effort is the result of many people standing up, not just a few.
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Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:47:14 AM EDT
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We all know that some of the best things come out of Michigan. It certainly is the case with Jeffrey Feldman, native of Michigan and one of the most highly-respected progressive bloggers on the Tubes of the Internets.
Feldman got his start on DailyKos and My DD back before many of us had even heard of blogs. In 2005 he left to go solo and opened shop over at Frameshop where he's risen as the master of his craft - framing the debate.
Last year he launched his first book, co-authored with the granddaddy of progressive political thought - Dr. George Lakoff, titled Framing the Debate: Famous Presidential Speeches and How Progressives Can Use Them to Change the Conversation (And Win Elections!) which was one of the year's most talked books.
He might have topped it all with the release of his second book out just this month and that's sure to knock the socks off everyone with Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy. Find out what all the buzz is about as you read the first chapter of the book available here, which includes this bit that I think we can all agree with - Becoming a progressive framer begins with changing a set of habits with respect to how we receive and process information. Framers make a choice to stop being passive consumers of political debate and to start producing the debate themselves-to seek out the situations where politics happens and drive the debate.
Progressive framers must be willing to step into the shoes of the traditional media. Gone are the days of reading one daily newspaper to get information; framers must read dozens of sources each day, tracking political ideas and issues as they take shape across the broad landscape of media- driven contemporary politics.
Blogs are the central haunting ground for progressive framers because they offer a nexus between political organizations, mass media, and the chatter of popular culture. There are many really interesting things about this Bloomfield native, and if you joined us last year at Yearly Kos in Chicago, you might remember Jeffrey who moderated the Presidential Candidate Panel with all (then) seven candidates. It's also where I first met him and discovered how truly great this guy is.
Tomorrow we're lucky enough to have Jeffrey join us at the Michigan Policy Summit in Lansing. We're even luckier that Jeffrey was gracious enough to have a chat with us beforehand, and not to worry, I ran the official "You know you're a Michigander if..." test. Answers below the fold!
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Fri May 02, 2008 at 08:53:46 AM EDT
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MLive is apparently getting more proactive with their blogging. A couple of blogs have been launched this last week that are worth keepig an eye one. It is with great satisfaction that I welcome Susan J. Demas to blogging. Bloggers and blogs have both felt warmth and support from J. Demas many times over the last several months, to where my heart races at the mere mention of her name. Despite our differences, however, she is a pretty good reporter, and did make Tim Walberg's people so angry once they put her on the "do not talk to" list. She officially kicked her blog off this week with some stuff on the primary, and then segued into Leon Drolet and his army of recall ... chetlys or Droletonauts (vote for your pick in comments!). We have no such relationship with Jeff Alexander, whose work on the environmental beat is a continuing thing of marvel. His blog, EcoLogic, I think will offer an important contribution to discourse on environmental issues. Both blogs are worth keeping a regular eye on.
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Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 15:25:57 PM EDT
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The fur flies in the third Blogger's Edition of WKAR's Off the Record, with Senior Capitol Correspondent, Tim 'The Skoob' Skubick. While the main topic discussed is the McCain v. Clinton/Obama race, the recalls of Speaker Andy Dillon and the 2010 gubernatorial race are also talked about. Things get quite heated between our own Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), Nick DeLeuuw of RightMichigan.com and Emily Zanotti of AmericanPrincessBlog.com and myself. You can watch online, download the pod cast, or check their website and figure out when it will be airing on TV in part of the state.
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 14:21:47 PM EST
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Update: Due to a huge interest in the event, the registration deadline has been extended till Thursday evening. (the schedule's below the fold) There's been a lot of buzz around the ol Tubes of the Internets about this Saturday's upcoming Activate '08 Training/Bloggers Institute and Eric was kind enough to allude to it yesterday when discussing what constitutes good bloggers from the rotten eggs of the bunch.
As one of the volunteer trainers, I'm really excited about the training, resource-sharing, and networking opportunities that will be available for those who join us, and it's my hope that after reading this post, it's something you'll consider coming to.
For me, this training is about building a Farm Team, not just for the Granholm/Cherry folks, or even for the established party system. The Governor's Leadership Fund is kind enough to put the event together, but this is really about passing along skills that are very much needed in the entire progressive world, whether it's candidates, or organizations, or just a movement.
We've already seen how hard-hitting the '08 election cycle is going to be, and this is just the beginning. As the entire progressive movement speeds up and really starts rolling, there is an increasing need for well-trained, dedicated activists both on and off-line.
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Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 01:23:41 AM EDT
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 As a reader of MichLib, you know how the Internet is drastically changing the face of Democratic politics across Michigan and the country.
For the first time in a very long time, ordinary people are getting much more directly involved in shaping the face of politics, whether it's at the local, state or federal level.
Here in Michigan, we've got one of the strongest netroots communities in the entire country. Yes, you heard me right, we're leading the pack. I've heard from people in D.C., New York, California, and everywhere in between who are envious of the size and power of the Michigan progressive netroots.
And now, we're really about to grow leaps and bounds.
Over the next 48 hours, there will be a mass exodus of Michigan bloggers and netroots activists who will be heading to Chicago to take part in a momentous event that Bill O'Reilly and the Right can only drool over - YearlyKos 2007.
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