Promoting killers

In an interview last night on MSNBC, Mr. Williams said NBC had been concerned about the sensitivities of broadcasting as much of the material as it did.

“This was a sick business tonight, going on the air with this,” he said. (NY Times)

Why did you do it then? What was the news value in seeing photos and videos of the killer?

Is this going to be a regular thing now? Mass murderers write up essays, take some photo and video, knowing they will be broadcast nationally after their crime?

How is this any different than Al Jazeera broadcasting Al Qaeda propaganda?

It doesn't seem too long ago that media outlets didn't give murderous wackos a forum in which to spew their bile. I guess those days are over.

Update:

You know, there will always be people who go crazy and kill a couple of people around them. But one reason why a guy like this decides he’s going to go somewhere and kill dozens of people is because he knows that he can then access a national stage, and an international stage. He’s on the front page of newspapers all over the world. And I think in a sense, to make a crazy guy, to upgrade him from kind of small town burlesque to planetary wide superstar, which is what NBC is colluding in here, I think is terrible. I mean, in a sense, they’ve upgraded the show business aspect of the crime, and that is disgraceful. (Mark Steyn)

Scion xB

News about the next generation Scion xB comes from the New York auto show.

At the request of current xB owners, the next generation xB dimensions grow significantly in comparison to the current model. [...] xB owners asked for a more powerful engine. (Autoblog)

My question is, who are these owners? If they wanted a bigger car with a more powerful engine, why didn't they avail themselves of other cars on the market that fit the bill? Silly me, I thought the smallness of the first generation model was part of its charm.

Ah well, at least there's the smart in 2008.

Satellite imagery

With all this talk about Google maps updating its New Orleans imagery, why is the picture of my house more than 5 years old? (It's right there, just to the left of the arrow.)

iTunes & EMI

I stand by what I said earlier: $10 is too much for a downloaded album. I think it's great that iTunes is going to start selling EMI tracks without copy protection. But for 30% more? That'd be what -- $13 an album? What I can pay for an actual hardcopy CD? What's the advantage?

EMI thinks that a majority of buyers are willing to pay the price. Steve Jobs thinks half of iTunes purchases in a year will be without DRM. I dunno, not at those prices.

Most efficient form of transportation

If you are looking for the most efficient form transportation propelled by an internal combustion engine, you won't find it at a Toyota or Honda dealership. Or any other car dealer for that matter. In a study funded by the American Bus Association, it was found that the most fuel efficient transportation in the United States was by motorcoach. Based on mileage and passengers in 2004, highway buses achieved an average of 148.4 passenger miles per gallon. That's more than double achieved by intercity trains which achieved 74.1 passenger miles per gallon. Airlines managed 40.9 passenger miles per gallon, while cars came in last at 35.4 mpg.

AutoblogGreen

No opinion

Asked on ABC News on Wednesday if she agreed with General Pace’s view that homosexuality was immoral, Mrs. Clinton said, “Well, I’m going to leave that to others to conclude.”

[...]

A rival of Mrs. Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was asked the same question three times on Wednesday and sidestepped the issue, according to an article in Newsday. (NY Times)

Do people need to completely agree with a politician's views on morality to vote for him? Do we need a politician's full approval of our lifestyle? Why are we asking these questions? Don't a politician's policies speak for themselves? Would it be possible, say, for a politician to think homosexuality is immoral but also believe people have the right to act immorally in this case?

As it is, Clinton and Obama's spokesmen cleared up the issue for us.

a spokesman for Mr. Obama said last night that the senator disagreed with General Pace’s remarks and believed that homosexuality was not immoral.

[...]

a spokesman released a statement from Mrs. Clinton responding to the question: “I disagree with what he said and do not share his view, plain and simple,” she said. “It is inappropriate to inject such personal views into this public policy matter, especially at a time in which there are young men and women in such grave circumstances in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in other dangerous places around the world.”

That last part I can agree with. General Pace expressed regret for sharing his personal views. The press should not be pressing politicians to share their personal views.

Immoral opinions

Senior aides to the chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that Marine Gen. Peter Pace won't apologize for calling homosexuality immoral — an opinion that gay advocacy groups deplored. (Time)

You know, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that think being a military general is immoral (and aren't afraid to say so). I don't see calls on them to apologize. So Pace has a "deplorable" personal opinion. So be it!

Gingrich repents

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential Republican presidential candidate, will appear on James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio show and describe getting on his knees and seeking God's forgiveness for his moral failures, according to excerpts released Wednesday by the evangelical group.

Gingrich talked to Dobson by phone for a two-part installment to air today and Friday. (Denver Post)

Of course, inquiring minds want to know if this repentence occurred while he was single, or on wife #1, 2 or 3. Is all forgiven?

Multiple marriages

Well, maybe the Republican nominee for president won't be an adulterer and divorcé after all. But that doesn't mean he won't have multiple marriages in his past.

So the evangelical uncomfortable with adulterers has an out -- he can support Mitt Romney. But will he?

Americans against dollar coin

An AP-Ipsos poll found that three-fourths of people surveyed oppose replacing the dollar bill, featuring George Washington, with a dollar coin. People are split evenly on the idea of having both a dollar bill and a dollar coin.

A new version of the coin, paying tribute to American presidents, goes into general circulation Thursday. Even though doing away with the bill could save hundreds of millions of dollars each year in printing costs, there is no plan to scrap the bill coiin favor of the more durable coin. (AP)

How many of these Americans have actually used a dollar coin? Having spent a couple weeks in Canada, I found their dollar (and 2-dollar) coins vastly superior in ease of use than our 1-dollar bills. (Ditto for England and their 1- and 2-pound coins.) It's easier to tip, easier to make small purchases (don't have to open your wallet) and you don't have your wallet overly stuffed with bills. They also work well in vending machines (no worries about damaged bills).

What exactly is the reason for staying with 1-dollar bills? Other than ignorance and inertia?

"I really don't see any use for it," Larry Ashbaugh, a retiree from Bristolville, Ohio, said of the dollar coin. "We tried it before. It didn't fly."

Ah, that would because the idiots at the mint created a dollar coin that was barely larger than the quarter. Hello? It's not like we don't have hundreds of examples in other countries on how to do it right. Make the dollar coins different than all the other denominations. I'm not a coin expert and I have to tell you that?

Oh, and if you want the 1-dollar coin succeed, don't keep the 1-dollar bill around. There's no real good reason for it. (Ditto for the penny.)