A Nation Of News? Not Really

Here is an interesting post I dug up from a blog today about where news originates in the U.S.. The map, located here, broke down where news originates based on datelines from newspapers.

Obviously, the number one place for news is Washington D.C.. This shouldn’t be a surprise since it is our nation’s capitol and where the president is from.

California is second on the list of news makers. Most populous state plus Hollywood and San Francisco equals a ton of news.

The most interesting part of this map to me is that Texas receives less news coverage than Georgia and some other states. Texas has three major cities — Dallas, San Antonio and Houston — and a cultural epicenter, Austin. Why wouldn’t it be higher than Georgia? The author’s reason: CNN.

Bless This Mess? No, Pick This Shit Up!

We are all familiar with the way that a house looks following a party the night before. Now imagine that you go over to your new girlfriend’s/ boyfriend’s house and are greeted by a large mess. You might wonder, “Why was I not invited to the party?” What if there was no party?

This is a story for all of you who are finding out you are dating a beautiful slob.

The story on CNN.com

Cheney’s Naughty Sunglasses

The buzz surrounding the blogosphere and internet this morning is a question that involves national security: what is in the reflection of Vice President Dick Cheney’s sunglasses?

If you look closely at a photograph of Cheney fly-fishing in Wyoming, it appears you can see a naked woman in the reflection of his glasses.

The VP’s staff has yet to see the humor in the incident and said, in a mocking tone from what I hear, that it is is a hand-rod preparing to cast.

Is Cheney trying to be Tricky Dick the redux?

Feel free to comment about this post and what you believe is really reflecting from our vice presidents glasses.

Check out the picture at USAToday.com

The Office is back!

The Office, my choice for the best show running, returns tonight after a several month hiatus. The writers are back, fresh off strike, and ready to write the next chapter in the lives of Michael Scott, Pam Beasley, Jim Halpert and the rest of the gang. The future looks bright for the NBC Comedy depicting a dysfunctional office held hostage by the antics of boss, Michael Scott.

Tonight’s episode entitled “Dinner Party,” portrays Jim and Pam worst nightmare, when they finally run out of excuses to avoid having dinner with Boss Michael and his girlfriend Jan Levenson. Needless to say, this episode appears to have all the makings of a classic.

Check out The Office tonight on NBC at 9/8 c  

NY Times Editorial: Bush’s Boos

Here is an interesting Op-ed column from the New York Times blog “The Board.” The post examines the debate on the blogosphere about whether President Bush received more boos or applause when he threw out the opening pitch at the Washington National’s first game in their new stadium on Sunday night.

Check out the videos on YouTube and the Washington Times.

Samsung Instinct: iPhone Killa

The touchscreen Samsung 3G is the latest, and appears to be the most formidable, opponent to Apple’s iPhone, according to Yahoo.com

The phone has a sleek design, flash menus, haptic feedback and full-on 3G access for its Sprint customers.

The 3G capability allows access to quick downloading and browsing and the phone has a replaceable battery -one of the major flaws of the iPhone.

Although the Samsung 3G looks sweet, I must admit that I have been delighted with my newly acquired Blackberry Pearl. I feel that the Blackberry is more of a PDA device for business oriented folks, while the iPhone and now the Samsung 3G aim for everyday consumers interested in a phone that will give them entertainment options.

Samsung’s 3G Instinct takes on the iPhone : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

Daily Briefs…and no not the underwear

Ted Turner Apologizes, Partners With Churches

Ted Turner, who operates TNT, TBS and cable news giant CNN, announced his $200 million partnership with Lutheran and Methodist churches to fight malaria on Tuesday.
Turner, 69, said he apologized for remarks he made in the past criticizing organized religion, and that as he grows older his thinking has evolved and changed.
‘I regret anything I said about religion that was negative,” he said in a brief interview with The Associated Press.
Turner once called Christianity a “religion for losers” but now says he prays for sick friends because “it doesn’t hurt” and attends church every so often.

Stanford’s Lopez Twins Enter NBA Draft

Robin and Brook Lopez, the two 7-footers who made up Stanford’s formidable front court, are entering the NBA Draft according to a San Francisco Chronicle story.
The twin brothers, who hail from Fresno, Calif., are expected to make a formal announcement at Stanford on Tuesday.
On Monday, Brook was named to the AP All-American third team and is expected to be a top-5 pick. Robin, a primarily defensive player during his tenure at Stanford, is expected to be a late first round or early second round pick.
Stanford was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament last week when they were crushed by Texas.

Clinton: ‘Rocky And I Have A Lot In Common’

Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton likened herself to Rocky Balboa, saying both her and Rocky aren’t quitters, during a campaign event in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
“Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. And neither do the American people,” Clinton said in excerpts of prepared remarks to be given Tuesday to a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
Clinton also told Democrats that Sen. Barack Obama might not be up for the fight against the Republican machine -that I assume she is calling Ivan Drago.
Apollo Creed (a.k.a. Obama) is not joining other Democratic Party leaders who are calling for Clinton to exit the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“My attitude is Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants,” he said.
Where is Mick (a.k.a. James Carville) when you need him?

Daily Briefs…and no not the underwear

Side note: I won’t have a chance to blog much this week since I am getting ready for my move to Sacramento and the switching of jobs. I will try and provide my daily briefs Monday to Thursday, and will post anything else I find interesting.
Without further adu, here are the daily briefs for March 31, 2008 (Happy Ceasar Chavez Day for our Spanish readers out there.)

Four No. 1 Seeds Head to San Antonio
Kansas, UCLA, Memphis and North Carolina made college basketball history this past weekend by winning their respective regional games and making the 2008 Final Four an all No. 1 seed event.
Kansas was the final No. 1 seed to join the Final Four by defeating No. 10 Davidson in a game that went down to the wire Sunday night. Davidson’s Jason Richardson –no relation to the former Golden State Warrior with the same name– had a chance to win the game in the final seconds but clanked a three pointer.
Kansas will end up meeting their former coach Roy Williams and his overall number one seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. UCLA will face Memphis in the other semifinal.
Check out Andy Katz’s article on what to expect from this year’s Final Four in San Antonio by clicking the link above.

McCain Back On Bus Tour
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain kicked off a bus tour across America on Monday to tell his story and introduce himself to the general electorate.
“I have lived a blessed life, and the first of my blessings was the family I was born into,” McCain said.
McCain will tour five states that he says are part of his “formative experiences.”
The Arizona senator is currently in Mississippi, where the McCain family first settled when arriving in America, and will head to Arlington, Virginia and Annapolis, Maryland later this week.
His bus tour will end in his current hometown of Prescott, Arizona.

Bill Clinton: Debate Does Not Hurt Democratic Party
Allowing the race between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination will not hurt the party’s chances in the November general election, former president Bill Clinton said Sunday at the California state Democratic Party convention in San Jose.
Clinton said that his wife was not hurting the party by staying in the race against Obama and that critics need to “chill out.”
“There is somehow the suggestion that because we are having a vigorous debate about who would be the best president, we are going to weaken this party in the fall,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama said it is up to Hilary Clinton to decide if she wants to stay in the race despite her dropping in national polls and falling behind in delegates to Obama.
“My attitude is Sen. Clinton can run as long as she wants,” he said in Pennsylvania.

Today’s News Briefs

After a week-long vacation I return with my daily briefs. Here is a list of news happening on March 28, 2008.

Poll: Obama Leads Clinton By 8 Points
Illinois Senator Barack Obama pushed his lead to 8 point over Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton according to Friday’s Gallup “tracking poll” -putting his lead outside the margin of error.
It is Obama’s largest lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and shows that he has successfully weather the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, while Clinton is reeling from inaccurate comments she made about a 1996 trip to Bosnia.
According to the poll, Republican presidential nominee John McCain has a 46% to 44% lead over Obama, but there is a 3 point margin of error.

Study: Microsoft Brand Declining
Microsofts brand power has been on the decline during the past four years, a study by the Core Brand Power 100 discovered.
According to the report, Microsoft was ranked No. 12 in brand power according to business executives in 2004 and dropped to No. 59 last year. This is strong indication that Microsoft is losing recognition in the minds of of U.S. business users and credibility among consumers.
“When you see something decline with increasing velocity, it’s a concern,” said James Gregory, CEO of CoreBrand.
In 1996, Microsoft was number one in CoreBrand’s survey.

Sports:
I will of course be watching Stanford vs. Texas tonight. The winner of that match up will play the winner of the Michigan St. versus Memphis game. Go Cardinal!

Hookers Made Famous By Eliot Spitzer

Disclaimer: I am not one who enjoys tabloid journalism, but I must admit that I’ve been glued to the Eliot Spitzer story. In case you are a new arrival to our planet, Eliot Spitzer is the former governor of New York who was caught being part of an alledged prostitution ring. Spitzer, named Client 9 according to Federal tapes, then resigned from his post as governor due to the fallout.

The New York Post has this slideshow about the hookers made famous by Spitzer.