REMEMBERING THE SHOOTINGS AT JACKSON STATE
Jackson State - May 1970

YOUR LETTERS

Valla Clements writes:

Having just watched the film In Debt We Trust upon which I commend all involved, I felt the need to share with you my personal experiences of the French and American banking systems. I lived in France for 12 years prior to being relocated out to the East Coast 6 years ago. In France, I was allowed to take on debt levels: which included all kind of debts : mortgage, car, consumer/appliances the total amount of which was not permitted to exceed 30% of my monthly income (which has to be proven in back-up documentation). Credit Cards at the time I was in France did not exist. I had a Visa card, my spending on which was debited from my checking account at the end of every month (a habit I have retained here in the US). Initially I was frustrated by such a system and later realized that it was in place to protect me and now am a strong supporter of the system.

LETTER ABOUT A LETTER ON MEDIACHANNEL

Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today wrote to me about a possible scam. I welcome any feedback from readers on this practice, a so-called “spoofing” scam with emails that are untraceable beyond a certain point because the scammer will change servers daily

Hi, As religion reporter for USAT, I’ve been getting a regular series of pro-Obama scam mail from untraceable addresses on hotmail or yahoo. They are invariably signed by people who had no idea their name has been taken for any email, much less a political one. Today’s email is signed by a gal who works in cotton research for the USDA and knows nothing about it. And then later today the same message came in from an “Ellen Gale.” If you google her, you get to your web page where someone under that name is posted with some comments.

A few weeks ago, the scammer used student athletes and cheerleaders names that had appeared on line — oddly enough from primary states which makes me think the scammer is a campaign employee or volunteer….

At USAToday, we can’t use emails that we haven’t verified with the sender.

Do you know the real Ellen Gale or have you touched back with her to see if she sent the comments posted on your page.

I wrote to this “Ellen Gale” whose letters I have published but have had no response.
Is she real, or Memorex or is something seriously wrong?

BIG BROTHER—THE NEW REALITY (NOT REALITY TV)

Britain mulls plan to store all emails and calls

[Email by mtsofan via Flickr] Britain is considering a massive government database to store the e-mails, Internet information, phone-calls and text messages of all residents to help security forces in the fight against crime and terrorism. At the moment, records of phone-calls and text messages are kept up to 12 months by telecoms companies in compliance with an EU anti-terrorism directive. But a new Home Office (Interior Ministry) proposal would see Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies handing over records containing billions of e-mails as well as Internet usage and voice-over-Internet calls, media reports said on Tuesday. Police and security services would be able to have access to the information after seeking permission from the courts. The Home Office said communication methods had changed rapidly during the past 15 years. ‘The changes to the way we communicate, due particularly to the Internet revolution, will increasingly undermine our current capabilities to obtain communications data and use it to protect the public,’ it said in a statement.

The draft Communications Data bill is expected to be released later in the year, but the plan has yet to be discussed by ministers. It is likely to raise concerns about civil liberties and data protection, especially after recent scandals including the loss of child benefits information. (Reuters)

MERCURY NEWS: JANITORS WALK IN SILICON VALLEY

At least 100 janitors are walking the picket lines this
morning at some of Silicon Valley’s largest high-tech
companies - including Cisco Systems and Apple - in
protest of a contract offer they are calling “totally
unacceptable.”

AFTER THE MERGER: THOMPSON REUTERS CUTS 1500 JOBS

REUTERS WANTS MURDER OF JOURNALISTS INVESTIGATED
Reuters.com - Reuters seeks new inquiry into Palestine hotel deaths in Iraq in 2003.

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

8 former TimeWarnerAOL execs charged with FRAUD

Children’s TV presenter hanged himself at station.

Robert Thomson named managing editor of Wall Street Journal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/21/rupertmurdoch.newscorporationbusiness

Tiscali founder buys former Italian Communist party paper L’Unita

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YURI—

I knew her in Harlem in the 1960’s and haven’t forgotten her along with so many others whose lives she touched

OAKLAND - Yuri Kochiyama embodies the spirit of
activism that one might find in an ebullient college
student, but this long-time activist for social justice
turns 87 today.

Kochiyama is most well known as the woman who cradled
Malcolm X in her lap after he was shot Feb. 21, 1965,
during a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York
City.

“I wanted to get up to where Malcolm was,” explained
Kochiyama, who was in the audience that day. “I sort of
put his head in my lap, praying and hoping that he was
still alive.”

That moment of Kochiyama cradling the revolutionary
leader was captured in a Life magazine photo.

STORIES FROM SOUTH AMERICA

Rory Carrol of the Guardian in reports from Venezuela:

“ a happy ending for Ronaldo to that misunderstanding with the three male, cross-dressing prostitutes he invited to a pay-by-the-hour Rio de Janeiro motel room. An innocent mistake that any heterosexual football star could make. Ronaldo has argued that upon discovering his error, he paid the trio to leave but that one, André Albertino, tried to blackmail him for $30,000 in exchange for not blowing the, er, whistle. Albertino has now been charged with extortion. And with one leap, Ronaldo breaks free of the silly innuendo and establishes he is as straight as his crosses. Todo bem?…

Finally, a crimefighting breakthrough in Mexico. For months, drug cartels have been terrorizing police and army officers with huge banners over motorways saying “Join us or die”. Not subtle, but it has proved effective and the cartels seem happy with the result. The type of direct approach which could just save Labour at the next election. Hats off, then, to police in Chiapas state who have braved the climate of fear. “Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed,” said officer Sinar Gomez, “no matter who they are.” Bravo. The suspect, now serving time for assault and battery, is a donkey who bit and kicked two men.

JOURNALISTS DISCUSS NARRATIVE JOURNALISM

By Alissa Quart

If there were an ashram for people who worship contemplative long-form journalism, it would be the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. This March, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, hundreds of journalists, authors, students, and aspirants came for the weekend event. Seated on metal chairs in large conference rooms, we learned about muscular storytelling (the Q-shaped narrative structure—who knew?).

WATCH: YOUR NEWS DISSECTOR ON GRIT TV ON THE “GOTCHA?” PRESS

GLOBAL PROWL

I am off Thursday to speak at a conference in Roanoke Va, so may not be able to blog Friday. I then leave for Malaysia and the Asia Media Forum. I have never been there and am so pleased that Mediachannel and yours truly are being welcomed.

If you don’t hear from me Friday, consider it a day off. Smile.

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