LOADED STATEMENT ON PEARL
The BBC is reporting that that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was "over intrusive" when pursuing the story that got him killed. The BBC does not elaborate much except with one more paragraph explaining he made his remarks at a "conference in Islamabad (and said) that journalists needed to be aware of the risks they face and act accordingly."

And since I neglected to link to it early in the week, now seems a good time to point out the latest bit of violence against reporters doing their job in Afghanistan. This time, a Toronto Star reporter was badly injured when a grenade was thrown into a car carrying several journalists.

- posted by Amy @ 3/07/2002 10:31:00 AM

 

BEST LITTLE, UNDERFUNDED, SNARKY MEDIA WEBSITE RUN FROM A SHACK, A MESSY KITCHEN TABLE AND A 5TH FLOOR WALK-UP
Big kudos to my friends at LA Examiner who garnered some ink in the LA New Times. The site was named the "Best New Web Site Covering Local Media" and in my biased opinion (Aha! Bias?!) the LA Examiner unquestionably deserves the honor. There's also a nice profile of the site's kingpins, Matt Welch and Ken Layne.
- posted by Amy @ 3/07/2002 09:41:00 AM

 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH CALIFORNIA?
A 31 percent voter turnout? What are you guys thinking? There are a lot of links and coverage with the final numbers at the LA Examiner.
- posted by Amy @ 3/06/2002 12:43:00 PM

 

'IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER'
Jeff Jarvis is linking to some commentary about the WTC video CBS will air Sunday night and makes his own case for why the network is justified in airing the footage.

"I need to watch this show, just as I needed to visit the Here is New York gallery and just as I needed to buy books about Sept. 11, to see others' images of the day because, even though I was there -- no, because I was there -- I find it hard to grasp the memories, to convince myself that it was real, that this was not just a nightmare, that this evil took flight and flame -- and that there is life after the cloud of death and darkness and destruction cleared. It is important to remember and it is not too soon to work at it."

Jeff also links to a Rossi Rant that had me nodding my head, especially these lines: "I wake up every morning and look out the window to make sure The Empire State Building is still there" and "My heart crawls into my throat at the sight of a plane descending, (they always seem to be flying too low)."
- posted by Amy @ 3/06/2002 12:29:00 PM

 

AIRLINE SECURITY - IS IT STILL AN OXYMORON?
American Airlines is in a little dustup after a couple U.S. air marshals got shoddy treatment when trying to secure seats near the cockpit. But you have to read both stories in USA Today to get the full picture. It sounds like the Marshals showed up late and had mistakenly booked themselves into coach. American didn't want to bump anyone from first class and attitude ensued. The American employee said the airline "was growing tired of air marshals taking high-revenue seats," according to the memo obtained by USA Today. The airline denies it, of course. (Thanks to Ed Mazza for flagging the stories.)

There's always more airline news:

The year-end deadline to screen all checked bags probably will be missed.

A pair of scissors in a trash bin shut down a Connecticut airport.

The Wall Street Journal's airline columnist reports (subscription required) that Southwest Airlines and other low-cost carriers are finally making headway in edging out the big guys who hoard gate space merely to discourage competition. Now, airports are less likely to be captive to long-term gate leases.

United Airlines mechanics approved a new contract, avoiding a strike that could have crippled the airline.
- posted by Amy @ 3/06/2002 11:59:00 AM

 

CALIFORNIA PRIMARY
California predicts only 36 percent of registered voters will vote today. This is a democracy, folks. It doesn't work right unless you do your part.
- posted by Amy @ 3/05/2002 11:21:00 AM

 

SERVICE AT A PRICE
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed their Internet connection via Earthlink has slowed significantly and the mystery disconnects have increased in the past couple months? I'm beginning to think my connection speed is inversely proportional to the number of ads Earthlink runs trying to convince me to upgrade to DSL.
- posted by Amy @ 3/04/2002 03:33:00 PM

 

THE ORIGINAL NYC BLOGFEST
The New York Blogfest made for a weird but good Friday night. We met at Mary Ann's but neglected to come up with any secret code that would help us identify each other once inside the crowded bar. I thought I'd spotted the group, and then realized I would have to walk up and say something like, "Excuse me are you the bloggers?" As the thought developed in my head, I realized if it was the wrong group, my line would meet with the same confusion as if I'd asked, "Excuse me, did you go to high school in Bakersfield?" Luckily it was the right group on my first try and no stranger asked me what I meant by "blogger."

Megan from Live from the WTC appeared to have the most fans coming into the evening, though most of us were only familiar with a couple other NY blogger sites before Friday. (When the LA bloggers met up, apparently they all knew each others' blogs well and started off the night as if in mid-conversation.) Several people had funny, panicky stories about discovering they'd just been linked by uber-blogger InstaPundit for the first time. There were those who live in fear that their boss at work would find out they have a personal weblog, and others who figured it's too late to reclaim anonymity.

I regret I couldn't stay longer into the evening, but by my third drink, I was already losing my voice to the cold-that-will-not-go-away.

Kudos go out to organizer Sophismata.com, who has a nice run-down on his site of those present and a picture as proof that we exist in "real life." Check out More Than Zero and another BlogFest pix. There's also a list of 20 Things I Learned at the Blogfest, including a reference to the well-known west coast blogger who has a past as a professional country crooner.

Other bloggers in attendance included Letter from Gotham, The Illuminated Donkey, Ramblings of a Blue-Collar Slob, Mind Over What Matters and CW Postings.

I volunteered to organize the next BlogFest, which I'm guessing will take place in April or May. Like this first one, it will be open to anyone who feels like showing up.
- posted by Amy @ 3/04/2002 03:09:00 PM