Guess what, folks? As you were checking out the Easter bonnets, our warriors were still paying the ultimate price in Iraq. Yes, America, the war in Iraq is still on the boil. We?re approaching 1,600 dead plus approximately 15,000 battle-wounded, along with thousands upon thousands of nonbattle casualties ? a deeply guarded Pentagon secret ? from accidents, sickness or stress disorders.
Lest we forget the sacrifices young men and women are making daily on our nation?s behalf, here’s one e-mail from the barrage we and Soldiers for the Truth (SFTT.org) receive weekly, a father sharing a letter from his son ?who is helping run the port in Kuwait where young heroes arrive in the war zone and depart from months later.? As Dad puts it, ?If this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, nothing will.?
So haul out your hankies and read on for some serious ?ber-reality:
Politics on Wheels
By analyzing new-car sales, surveying car owners and keeping count of political bumper stickers, they are identifying the differences between Democratic cars and Republican ones.
Among their findings: buyers of American cars tend to be Republican – except, for some reason, those who buy Pontiacs, who tend to be Democrats. Foreign-brand compact cars are usually bought by Democrats – but not Mini Coopers, which are bought by almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. And Volvos may not actually represent quite what you think.
Bud Selig vs Fay Vincent
Murray Chass takes an interesting look at the ongoing feud between former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent and ex-Milwaukee Brewer Owner and current Commissioner Bud Selig.
Midwest Airlines & Northwest Battle it out in Milwaukee
Midwest, in a somewhat bold move, is expanding Milwaukee service to Northwest’s fortress hub in Minneapolis. (Northwest has been expanding nonstop flights from Midwest’s Milwaukee hub to several cities in an obvious effort to kill their much smaller competitor).
Belle Isle Aquarium VR Tour
Designed by Albert Kahn, opened to the public in 1904. The Belle Isle Aquarium is North America’s oldest continuously operating public aquarium. The aquarium is the home of 146 species, many of these are native Michigan fish. The building itself is a one of kind. The interior is a classic example of early 20th century architecture.
FYI – 1927 Film: AT&T How to use the Dial Phone
Classic, via Cory Doctorow.
John Nichols on Local Endorsements
John Nichols comments on local endorsements from the Wisconsin State Journal:
As such, they’ve set up an interesting choice for Madisonians. If voters think that George Bush is a great president and that Tammy Baldwin is a rotten member of Congress, they will definitely want to back the State Journal’s slate of candidates.
This is a very interesting time….
Free Speech & Blogs Cause Flap in Tennessee
The fast growing internet writer (and free speech) world is making some waves. Bill Hobbs relates the story of the Tennessee House Speaker killing a representative’s bill because he “had the nerve” to start writing about the “goings-on” in the legislature. More here and here. Civil, respectful discourse can only benefit our society. Internet writers are simply stepping into the void created by a changing media landscape.
I think Therese Berceau would be an excellent legislative blogger.
Profit Margins Growing Faster Than Sales…. Newspapers
Or – “Harvesting a market position”:
Jay Rosen: Laying The Newspaper Gently Down to Die:
The Project for Excellence in Journalism, in its invaluable report on the state of the news media today, puts it this way: “If older media sectors focus on profit-taking and stock price, they may do so at the expense of building the new technologies that are vital to the future. There are signs that that may be occurring.”
Newspapers in 2004, for instance, increased their profits at double the rate (8%) that their revenues grew (less than 4%), according to the Newspaper Association of America, a distinct sign of profit-taking. The industry remains highly profitable. Margins averaged 22.9% in 2004, according to the analyst Lauren Fine, and are expected to rise in 2005. The investment in online publications, though, where the size of the profits is still fairly modest, remains by most evidence cautious.
Perhaps this local example is related?
Therese Berceau: 2cents for Alcohol Abuse
Madison State Representative Therese Berceau introduced 2cents for Alcohol Abuse Treatment Legislation. (pdf)