April 9, 2012

Geek out: Stunning interview with Nichelle Nichols

I didn't know where else to post this. But with the recent post of the pic of President Obama posing with Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura from TV's Star Trek, I have no choice but to post this to flesh out why Obama might have chosen Ms. Nichols, beyond the fact that the President just might be a geek at heart.

I cannot describe this interview as anything but exceptional. It is from the Star Talk radio program, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

You'll want to listen to this. It will forever change your mind about what this campaign is all about. After hearing this for the first time today, it's no wonder that Obama chose to publicize the picture with Nichelle. She's brilliant and passionate and eloquent. It's an interview about a time when blacks were portrayed differently in the media.

The interview brought tears to my eyes more than once. It's a stunner.

Star Talk - Nichelle Nichols

Highly recommended. I didn't know that Martin Luther King was a Star Trek fan.

On edit: OMG, the interview is a two parter. The second is about Nichelle's relationship to NASA. You have no idea what influence she has had on policy. Another unbelievable interview. Look up The Nichelle Nichols Youth Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Technology. She walks the walk!

So, the back story of that picture is so much more important than the mere photo opportunity.

March 18, 2012

Podcast interview: The Fox Effect. Highly recommended

This week's Point of Inquiry podcast features an interview with Ari Rabin-Havt, who co-authored, with David Brock, a new book, The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine.

You may know David Brock from Media Matters for America. Rabin-Havt is the Executive Vice President of MMA.

The interview is conducted by Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science, the regular host of this podcast.

I highly recommend that DUers take the time to download and listen to this. It really cuts to the core of what has been going on at Faux News.

It's a very compelling, highly informative interview. They discuss the history of Fox News and speculate about its future. The book is going on my must read list.

Oops! Here's the link:
POI: The Fox Effect

March 1, 2012

9 Unforgettable Moments in Political Mudslinging

LynnParramore has written a history of which people should be educated. The lesson here is that "dirty tricks" are an integral part of politics. The big lesson here is that we should all --- meaning of all political persuasions --- should learn from these case studies. If you profess to support democracy and our country's heritage and the founding document, the US Constitution, you should read this essay.

Smear campaigns. Muckraking. Last-minutes lies and dirty dealings. As the GOP primary battle turns nasty, we turn to the venerable tradition of American political mudslinging. A recent Pew Center survey says that half of Americans already think the presidential campaign has been too negative. But it’s nothing new.

...

This list brings you a few of the nastiest moments of American political mudslinging. The following is by no means exhaustive -- there have been scores of down-and-dirty elections we didn’t have space to cover.

This a well-researched accounting that paints the dismal past of what can only be called politics as usual. The following cases are cited:

1. Andrew Jackson v. John Q. Adams

2. Martin Van Buren v. William Henry Harrison

3. Al Smith v. Herbert Hoover

4. George Smathers v. Claude Pepper

5. Lyndon B. Johnson v. Barry Goldwater

6. Michael Dukakis v. George H.W. Bush

7. Harvey Gantt v. Jesse Helms

8. John Kerry v. George W. Bush

9. Elizabeth Dole v. Kay Hagan

Highly recommended, and informative, read.

Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Satanyana

On edit: My bad. Forgot the link to the essay. Here it is:

You're an Atheist Madam! 9 Unforgettable Moments in Politcal Mudslinging

Difficult to do on an iPhone.