Bye-atus

A quick note…

Newspinion.org is currently on hiatus as its ponders its existence in light of some new opportunities.

It might come back. It might not.

Thanks for reading.

Is “Going Green” the New “Atkins Diet”?

Remember the Atkins Diet?
Remember how Madison Avenue started pimping Atkins-friendly EVERYTHING?
Remember how everybody got sick of it?

Well, I predict a similar backlash against “going green”?

Why, do you ask?

Because the nitpicking is potentially endless and polarizing.

Consider this comment from a piece in today’s USA Today:

“At every (green) event that I’ve ever been to,” Goldfeld says, “somebody is pushing some kind of disposable item or things in plastic packaging. … There are always rules for exhibitors about no alcohol, no firearms — the legal stuff — but I’ve yet to see one that specifically says ‘Only bring earth-friendly materials.’ “

That’s right: many eco-friendly folks are now complaining that eco-friendly events are not eco-friendly.

Man, this is so sweet. Can you imagine all the new layers of “outrage” that can now be marketed?

As much as Americans are really psyched to “go green” these days, too much is always too much. While I am personally dedicated to recycling every week and not being a wasteful slob, I am officially sick of the word “green.” It’s EVERYWHERE. It’s trendy. It’s wanton. And it’s being run into the ground the same way all fads are. While there is a lot of good environmental science out there, there’s a lot of bad environmental science out there, too. Regardless of what environmental science we’re looking at, however, I think we should studying what the environmental scientists have to say about it, and not actors or politicians.

Vaya con verde.

Almost Feeling Sorry for Hillary: The Media Turns on Itself

Will Bunch cracks me up.

Will Bunch, a Philadelphia Daily News writer, posted an open letter to Gibson and Stephanopoulos on his blog. He wrote that he was so angry that “it’s hard to even type accurately because my hands are shaking.” He said the ABC newsmen spent too much time on trivial matters that didn’t concern most voters.

“By so badly botching arguably the most critical debate of such an important election, in a time of both war and economic misery, you disgraced the American voters, and in fact even disgraced democracy itself,” Bunch wrote.

Shales also criticized the early line of questioning, and said ABC’s coverage appeared slanted against Obama. He mocked Gibson’s closing thank you to the candidates for a fascinating debate.

After weeks of slanting the universe against Hillary Clinton, the MSM’s true colors are becoming harder to obscure.

Wow. Good stuff.

Here’s How It Is: Be Cynical about Government

I’ve heard and read the speech. And I’ve watched the fallout. The part that sticks out to me?

Here’s how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn’t buy it. And when it’s delivered by — it’s true that when it’s delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).

My fellow Americans, I implore you. Be cynical of your government.

In a condescending speech in front of a room of like-minded San Franciscans, Barack Obama sent yet another clear message that, in his view, the only way to achieve “change” — the only way to “turn this country around” — is more government.

Considering that government is either the originator or the enabler (or both) of virtually all of the problems that government is now claiming to have the keys to fixing, why, oh why, would we give government more power? (And if you think I’m being partisan here, think again. Both sides of the aisle have been — and continue to be — equally destructive.)

The premise and attitude behind Obama’s speech might just be the biggest reason that a) I remain proudly party-less, and b) why I am not voting for Obama in November.

McCain’s Tortuous Torture Positions and Did the Rev. Wright Fiasco Really Hurt Obama?

Excerpts to ponder from a couple of recent works by longtime fave, Tara Servatius:

From “Throwing Darts in the Dark: The problem with media polling“…

Take the two big polls that dominated the news last week, the ones that claimed the Rev. Jeremiah Wright scandal hasn’t hurt Sen. Barack Obama.

A three-day Pew Research Center poll claimed that Obama maintained a 10-point lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton after a serious battering over Wright’s racially inflammatory sermons. Pew determined this by polling 1,503 adults who had heard “a lot” or “a little” about Obama’s famous race speech and Wright’s sermons.

Did you catch that? Pew polled adults. Not registered voters, not likely voters, but “adults.” Will these people be voting? Have they voted in recent years? Ever? These are questions of huge significance if your aim is to find out what the electorate is actually thinking. If you don’t poll the people who will show up on election day or those just like them, you are wasting your time.

and…

Last week, the Wall Street Journal and NBC News published what a Journal article called a “myth-buster” poll that also claimed that the Wright fiasco hadn’t hurt Obama. Unlike the flawed Pew poll, which had Obama up by 10 points over Clinton, the Journal/NBC News poll showed Clinton and Obama in a tie nationally. It polled 700 “registered voters” over three days. That’s better, but only slightly so, because the Motor Voter Act, which allows people to easily register, in some cases by merely checking a box, when they renew their driver’s license. Tens of millions of people who have never seen the inside of a voting booth have been registered that way. The voter rolls are crammed with them. So polling registered voters is only a slight improvement over polling “adults.” Again, no campaign manager in her right mind would pay for a poll of “registered voters” for the campaign’s own internal use. If you can’t ascertain if poll respondents will be voting, what they think is irrelevant.

The widely publicized (unfortunately) Journal/NBC poll had other serious flaws. While a sample of 700 might work for a poll in a congressional district, nationwide it adds up to the equivalent of a mere 14 people a state, which is frighteningly thin. Even more bizarre is the fact that 25 percent of the respondents polled in the Journal/NBC poll were black, while just over 12 percent of the American population is. Since African-American voters overwhelmingly favor Obama, doubling their sample makes the poll nearly useless.

From “Straight Talk Express Just Talk: And not so straight, either“…

Amazingly, after years of bashing Bush for supporting the torture of known terrorists, by the end of February, McCain was demanding that Bush veto the torture-ban bill passed by Congress. Bush did in the beginning of March. Less than a week later, when asked about it by the media, McCain came out and reaffirmed that he opposed waterboarding because it is technically illegal, a sentiment McCain didn’t share when he was calling for the waterboarding ban that he eventually voted against.

This could be McCain’s main weakness. He is a serial flip-flopper with a potentially terminal case of the wobblies. It is a near compulsive thing with him, a habit I figured his campaign staff would beat out of him as November got closer.

Buckner Throws Out First Pitch at Fenway

I was 12 years old and living in my hometown of Madison, CT when the Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series. While Bill Buckner’s error (arguably) lost Game 6, the Red Sox (definitely) lost Game 7 as a team. Unfortunately, all people ever remember is that play.

Buckner was a class act, a true professional, one of the hardest guys of his generation to strike out, and a guy that drove in 100 runs that year despite barely being able to walk.

Today, Buckner threw out the first pitch following the Red Sox receiving their 2007 World Series rings.

The place went nuts.

As it should have.

From the “I’m Not Making This Up” File: Toby Keith and Wayman Tisdale Team Up to Cover Barry White

Despite the fact I left The Pulse more than six months ago, I still get a plethora of press releases from book publishers, movie distributors, event promoters, and, most of all, record labels. One such press release, found this morning in my inbox, has me, um, intrigued. I’ve pasted it below for your consideration:

Toby Keith Joins Wayman Tisdale On Remake of Barry White’s Hit “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up”

Former basketball great and accomplished jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale is no stranger to one-on-one match-ups but playing with country music star Toby Keith was an unexpected pairing. The duo recently joined forces for a remake of Barry White’s hit “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” on Tisdale’s eighth album ‘Rebound,’ set for release on Rendezvous Entertainment on June 3rd.

Driven by Tisdale’s steady bass performance, “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” features a vocal rendition by Keith, who embodies the sounds of a true Barry White protégé. While reminiscing on first hearing Keith’s interpretation, Tisdale notes, “My mouth was wide open. I could not believe what I was hearing! Toby nails it!”

New York Daily News suggests that the song may be a reflection of the county’s open-minded political climate. Coupling Keith, a traditional country star famous for his “red-state patriotic songs” and Tisdale, a soulful jazz musician, demonstrates that “America might be ready for President Obama.”

‘Rebound’ personally marks Tisdale’s recovery following a bone cancer diagnosis last year. According to Tisdale, “this record is definitely a reflection of me and where I’m at today.”

While I’m not a particularly big fan of Toby Keith or Wayman Tisdale (although I did like to watch him during his NBA days), I am definitely going to have to check this one out.

Well, I Guess Michael Moore is Gonna Have to Find a New Alzheimer’s Patient to Push Around Now

In case you missed it, Charlton Heston has passed away.

The Theatrical Release Is the New Infomercial

Perhaps I’m way late to the party on this, but aren’t stories about box office disappointments kind of anti-climactic when you consider how much money the studios are raking in from home video rentals/sales? While I’m of the opinion that Hollywood produces way too much dreck, many of even their crappiest offerings seem to be generating quite nice returns.

The News in the News

Journalism is being honored at the “Newseum” in D.C., while angry journalists (and their critics) are talking smack about it here.

Also, want the press to ask a bunch of questions? Ask them not to.