Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - Posts
-
sponsorship
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tumblr Goes Denby: The founder and CEO of Tumblr, David Karp, announced that five blogs in his "community" critical of Web personality Julia Allison have been taken down because they were "derogatory" and constituted "harrassment." ... I suppose Karp can kick whomever he wants off his site--but that's exactly what seems to be going on here. It certainly smells like a CEO protecting a friend. (Allison says "I haven't asked David to take down any sites in a long time." Oh.) ... Note to tumblr bloggers Alex Balk and Elizabeth Spiers: Hope you stay on Karp's good side! .... P.S.: Allison sees Karp's action as applicable, not just to his "community," but the entire Internet:.
There is no reason the internet should remain in its current Hobbesian state of nature. Someone needs to begin the long process of setting basic standards of decency online.
This is an argument so new it's already old. But Allison is a peculiarly unappealing complainant, having attempted to build a career out of exposing her private life in public on the web. Now people shouldn't be able to criticize her with the same vigor with which she promotes herself? ... P.S.: Here's a google cache for one of the sites tumblr deleted, Reblogging Julia. Seems pretty tame--at least by Atlantic standards! ... P.P.S.: Doesn't Allison understand that the only thing worse than having five sites devoted to trashing you is having four sites devoted to trashing you? [I think she does!-ed You're not suggesting she'll be happy to see this item too? This item is vicious! She'll never recover from this item!] ...
Update: Karp ("This is really upsetting") has now caved and abandoned his plan to rid his "community" of negativity."[W]e’ve decided to restore the accounts affected."... My theory: Spiers got to him. .. Or Sklar. ... Or this survey. ... Alternate theory: He just wanted some of that free Facebook F___-up publicity. ... Problem with alternate theory: If he's that calculating, he does a really good job of faking immature angst. ... Plus he's done real damage and made his company look like a high-school operation. ... 11:26 P.M.
____________________________
Gran Salida Requires Gran Fudging? Michael Barone notes how the relative decline in Hispanic immigration will increase the pressure on Latino leaders to make up for the losses in the 2010 census by getting the government to use statistical "sampling" techniques. ... The problem, of course, is that they may be sampling Latinos who are no longer there. ... Update: Mark Krikorian notes it's primarily illegal immigrant Hispanics whose numbers are dwindling--but they apparently still count when it comes to drawing district lines and allocating Congressional seats. Krikorian worries that "the reduction of enforcement which Obama and Napolitano will order will likely stop the slide in the illegal population and maybe even allow it to start increasing again," especially "in the period immediately leading up to the census count." ... 10:40 P.M.
___________________________
So Obama's going to try to reopen the stimulus bill on the much-debated banker pay cap provisions** but not on the little-debated welfare-expanding provisions? That would not be the "populist" choice, in either case. ...
**--sorry, I mean he "looks forward to working with Congress to responsibly address this issue." .... 10:32 P.M.
_________________________
-
sponsorship
Kooky Kabuki? From NYT:
The administration official said the president was reserving for himself any decision on the viability of G.M. and Chrysler.
Hmmm. Isn't this the sort of decision that plays out better if the president at least pretends that some cabinet or other official is making the basic decision? Does Obama really want to pull the plug on G.M. and Chrysler himself? The time-tested way of doing this, you'd think, would be to have some hard-ass Larry Summers type recommend cutting off federal subsidies. They take the heat. Then Obama can intervene to soften the blow a bit. ... Unless, that is, Obama has no intention of cutting off subsidies. ... But even if that's just a threat designed to prod the cost-cutting negoatiations, why make it a less credible threat? ... 2:28 A.M.
___________________________
News Flash: Mayors Want More Federal Money! Sorry, they want a new "urban policy agenda." This was the most depressing story of the day. Is there even a hint that all the ongoing bleating for subsidies will be accompanied by any reforms? Or will it simply be more money to maintain existing (unionized) civil service bureaucracies? ... P.S.: Of course, if the new stimulus welfare money helps rebuild the underclass, that will give big city mayors even more guilt-trip power, no? It's all beginning to make sense. ... P.P.S.: "Recovery Zone" bonds! I'm deeply suspicious. Sounds like a Carter-era Washington Monthly waste story waiting to happen. ... ... 2:06 A.M.
___________________________
Sorry, Steve. Back to Maxim! Reporter-turned-financier Steve Rattner won't be the car czar after all. There will be no car czar. ... Was Rattner ever really actually under consideration for this job, or is he just well connected at the New York Times and other media organizations? ... The Times' account of his non-ascension has a plaintive tone ("It was not clear why the administration changed course or whether Mr. Rattner would have a role on the task force."). ... [Wasn't he your candidate?--ed. I was working this one from both ends. You have a problem?] ...1:11 A.M.
___________________________
Nate Silver Infallibility Watch: Hah! The whiz who predicted the election correctly goes fish-out-of-water and uses his "logistical regression" to predict the Oscars. Please, let him be wrong. ... P.S.: Taraji P. Henson is his Achilles heel! (He picks her for Supporting Actress.) The rest of the awards are actually pretty cut-and-dried. Most people in the U.S. with indoor plumbing could get them right. ... 12:53 A.M.
___________________________
Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum
What did you think of this article?