Weekend Quick-Eds (Like op-eds but shorter).
There are a lot of people powered news sites, from Huff-Po “Off the Bus” onward, but SPOT.US, a people powered news site which went live a couple of weeks ago, is conceptually interesting. The concept appears to be two-fold. An individual or group of individuals can fund their own news, or a journalist can propose a story, and subsequently find funding for that story through the site.
Simply put there are “tips” and “proposals”. Say a group of people in my city wanted to have a piece done on the toxic waste at Fort Detrick, that group could create a tip at the site ahoping a journalist picks up on the tip and proposes the story. A journalist could also propose the story on his own. Check it out.
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In passing while being interviewed about her new book A Mercy
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A brief quote from a few week old post at Inner City Press
“The UN let the Zimbabwe regime of Robert Mugabe take a cut of all aid money it raised and, until two week ago, converted at a government-imposed rate at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, two UN officials admitted to Inner City Press on November 26.”
At World Focus an audio discussion with Dele Olojede, a Nigerian journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner and former foreign editor of Newsday, discussing Robert Mugabe’s situation, the role of other African nations in Zimbabwe and the country’s future) .
When asked what he made of Mugabe’s claim the Cholera crisis was over Olojede began with “the best and most accurate way to put it is he has lost his mind”.
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Charles M. Blow wrote an insipid little Demise of Dating op-ed, and was ragged on by Jezebel wrongly (which I was going to try to point out, but commenting is disabled for my account). Most of what they were ragging on him for was actually Kathleen Bogle’s explanation, he merely paraphrased her. It’s important to spread the blame correctly. Though it might be wise for Mr. Blow to consider going back to purely being a graphic designer.
So, it’s to Kathleen Bogle I say, women get tired of hooking up, because quite frankly men can be extremely boring. Face it there isn’t much out there.
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On to dear Bettie Page. May she rest in peace.
I can’t help but feel a bit of discomfort when thinking about Bettie Page. I know she is hailed as a women who did much for women by allowing them to claim agency over their sexual choices, and according to Karen Essex co-author of Page’s biography, Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend, 
For me, however, there is a degree of uneasiness in knowing she was sexually abused by her father, sexually violated by a gang of strangers, allegedly suffered from a mental illness, possibly schizophrenia, disappeared at 1957 as if into thin air and got religion, only to show up in the early 90′s after she had become a cult hero of sorts. There is nothing in me which says this women was not preyed upon and exploited by both men and women. Just can’t get there.
Peace
you’re very right. i feel the same way about bettie page.
Cri’s last blog post..Photo Hunt Theme : Favorite
It’s pretty difficult to view it as simply as some (usually those who want to exploit) view it. I’m sure the book was very profitable for those writing it why would they portray her any other way?
Thanks fro stopping by cri.
I can see credentialing of the journalist being an issue on the spot.us site even though it could be worked out.
It’s easier to blame poor Charlie for parroting Bogle than to bother to read the article with an understanding of what it really is, but it’s clear Charlie has a few issues with the hook-up thing or he wouldn’t have written the op-ed.
Bettie Page I’d never heard about until she died. Where have I been?
Hugh Hefner, the man who made all the money off her, speaks highly of her – what more do you need to know.
john’s last blog post..The Rhythm is Gonna Get You
It’s nice to know you have better things to do than scroll around for old pin-up model photos.
yea, the thing n the credentialing of those who act as journalist was rather foggy. I like the concept though.
“spotus” looks interesting.
I could probably think of a few stories I’d like done but it would be easier to get groups to fund a story in my opinion.
I know very little about Bette Paige but from what I’ve read online I’m probably the only one.
Her mental health was questionable which is why it makes me uneasy too. Or would have had I paid any attention to it. After she became a cult icon someone saw more dollar signs and dragged her out convinced her to do a book, more preying on someone who would probably have rather been left alone.
casey’s last blog post..Everyone’s doing it.
I am in agreement with this, though I really have no idea.
I’m going to check out that spot us blog more when I have the time.
One man’s exploitation is another man’s true expression of beauty give or take which ever perspective you choose to summarize.
Regardless of what, or how Bettie page became what she’ll always be remembered in history as a beautiful woman that was both confident, & independent which ain’t so bad really.
Bennet’s last blog post..Startling Reality Of Where We Stand Webwise
It’s really hard to say if that was even the case, of course those writing about her, especially those making new money off her in her in later years as she became a cult icon, would say that, She might conquer given the new money coming in, but I can’t see how a women with questionable mental health could or should be put in a position like this by anyone.
I can think of a couple of stories I’d like to see done.
Most of those online magazines and blog don’t do a very good job of reading whatever it is they are ragging on at the moment, I don’t think their is much in the way of qualifications for the writers or the readers.
Wonder what Toni Morrison would see in Bettie Pagie’s eyes?
People who exploit will go out of there way to make it look otherwise, you can be sure of that.
jacob’s last blog post..Golf, now like Hollywood and Poiltics
People read things fast in their effort to get as much crap on the web as possible.
I do it often myself, shamefully.
I didn’t put in anything about Bettie Paige because when I wrote about the movie–which I still think was great, it briefly touched on her mental problems
Honestly I have been wanting to take down the Courting pin up for sometime but could never figure out what to replace it with
When I read Charles Blow’s piece I was mystified as this didn’t begin yesterday. Always say I got married without ever having been on a real date. Just a slight exageration–and love living in a world where it’s “acceptable” for a woman to buy her own home without people thinking she’s secretly a Lesbian or something
I was brought up to believe that the only person who could take care of me is me and am glad the country is catching up
The Blow article was really mostly Bogle, his opinion was based on Bogles opinion which is based on her research, though I’ve never given it much credence – but that is because I never found things the way she described them when I was in college, which was…oh look…not that long ago.
Well you can be a pin-up because you have the good sense you were born with.
Interesting that while one service appears, another disappears. Pownce in particular.
Charlie Blow was on CNN this morning. Or was it yesterday? He constantly attributed Bogle, which I thought was a bit weird since good journalists typically have their own opinions instead of simply being regurgitators of other people’s views. Essentially, it sounds like people form large groups of friends and then try each other out between the sheets.
And sometimes in hallway nooks.
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It was just pretty evident when I read the post it was written off of her research, none of it was him – he is not really a journalist anyway.
It just bothers me when someone rags on someone and the someone is not the someone the opinion came from it’s shoddy and it’s not like it wasn’t clear whose opinion it was, he was just taking her opinion and going wtf that really sucks. Not that that matters because who cares but still it just shows how poorly these things are written. Not that I would know for some reason they disallow comments for my account and I don’t think I’ve ever commented over there more than twice.
Katherine Bogle has ben watching too much Seinfeld, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
indeterminacy’s last blog post..Vote Twice then Write a Story
I never liked Seinfeld, maybe it was just before my time. Jerry Seinfeld never appealed to me.
Don’t we already have people powered news today with Fox News? Republican owners pay their reporters to do stories on items of their choosing. I’m not sure this is the concept exactly to what you are linking to.
I must admit I’m not really sure who Betty Paige is. Come to think of it, I really don’t know much about the pin up world. Other than Pamela Anderson I can’t say that I’ve paid much attention to the poster world. Anderson now, however, is a skank but back in the day she was it.
Chris’s last blog post..The War That Wasn’t
Cheryl Tiegs in a fishnet swimsuit was much hotter than anything Pam Anderson ever put on the wall. And, no, I don’t care that Anderson’s wompas are bigger. Tiegs was like ooo la la.
back in the day.
sauerkraut’s last blog post..Shirley Manson to Casey Anthony: you Stupid Girl
Who the heck is Cheryl Tiegs? I honestly don’t know much about the world of pin ups, if there even is a world as such.
A friend and me were discussing this today and he said the greatest pin up is Cindy Margolis. I can see that but I think in the 90s it had to be Pamela Anderson.
But let’s face it, no body looks as good in a bathing suit as Bill Clinton.
Chris’s last blog post..The War That Wasn’t
I’m kind of thinking the news at spot.us is presumably going to be real news by real journalists.
I had watched a movie on her other than that until I started to read about her, after her passing I really didn’t know all that much either.