Find a show you like and click the 
button. The show will be added to your My Playlist page and updated 24/7 with new videos.
Search Results
6 Views
20:00:10 12/14/11
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) Calls Out Lowe's Bigotry
[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:10 12/14/11
Murphy doesn't mince words here. He'll be a welcome addition to the U.S. Senate next year when he replaces the awful Joe Lieberman.
via The Hill : >
"This is a major American company rubber-stamping basic foundational bigotry against a major American religious group," Murphy said. "Lowe's pulled these ads because one right-wing anti-Muslim group in Florida said that the show hides the 'true agenda of Islam,' which according to this group is to destroy America," he added. "It's one thing when a fringe group or a radical, unhinged pastor is doing it. It's quite another when a fortune 100 company is endorsing this nonsense."
Murphy, who is running for the Senate, rejected Lowe's statement that said some of its customers have "strong political and social views."
"Congratulations to Lowe's for acknowledging that there are some really bigoted people in the world," Murphy said. "That doesn't mean that Lowe's or any other company should acquiesce to this kind of behavior. For instance, there are, unfortunately, a lot of people out there who still hold racist views about African-Americans, but I don't think that means Lowe's is going to be pulling its ads from television shows featuring African-Americans."
UPDATE : John Amato:
After Scarce posted this yesterday on Video Cafe, it's taken off in the main stream media. Greg Sargent writes: Turning up the heat on Lowe’s and anti-Muslim bigotry >
By now you may have heard that retail behemoth Lowe’s Home Improvement yanked ads from TLC’s “All-American Muslim” reality show after a single conservative Christian group complained that the show is “propaganda” that endangers “American liberties and Christian values.”
That one of the “American liberties” we hold to be important is freedom of religion was an irony lost on the group — and on Lowe’s — and the decision has been widely pilloried . Lowe’s subsequently offered a strikingly weak justification for the move, arguing that the program had triggered “strong political and societal views” and insisting that it is “best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.” Lowe’s, of course, is only “deferring” to the bigoted views that one conservative group holds about millions and millions of Americans.
Now Dem Rep. Chris Murphy — who’s running for Senate in Connecticut — has given a wonderful speech on the House floor lambasting Lowe’s over the decision, mocking the company’s justification for it, and vowing that Congress will turn up the heat on Lowe’s to reverse course. Murphy says to Lowe’s: “You’re better than this”
12 Views
20:00:10 12/14/11
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) Calls Out Lowe's Bigotry
[LESS INFO] 12 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:10 12/14/11
Murphy doesn't mince words here. He'll be a welcome addition to the U.S. Senate next year when he replaces the awful Joe Lieberman.
via The Hill : >
"This is a major American company rubber-stamping basic foundational bigotry against a major American religious group," Murphy said. "Lowe's pulled these ads because one right-wing anti-Muslim group in Florida said that the show hides the 'true agenda of Islam,' which according to this group is to destroy America," he added. "It's one thing when a fringe group or a radical, unhinged pastor is doing it. It's quite another when a fortune 100 company is endorsing this nonsense."
Murphy, who is running for the Senate, rejected Lowe's statement that said some of its customers have "strong political and social views."
"Congratulations to Lowe's for acknowledging that there are some really bigoted people in the world," Murphy said. "That doesn't mean that Lowe's or any other company should acquiesce to this kind of behavior. For instance, there are, unfortunately, a lot of people out there who still hold racist views about African-Americans, but I don't think that means Lowe's is going to be pulling its ads from television shows featuring African-Americans."
UPDATE : John Amato:
After Scarce posted this yesterday on Video Cafe, it's taken off in the main stream media. Greg Sargent writes: Turning up the heat on Lowe’s and anti-Muslim bigotry >
By now you may have heard that retail behemoth Lowe’s Home Improvement yanked ads from TLC’s “All-American Muslim” reality show after a single conservative Christian group complained that the show is “propaganda” that endangers “American liberties and Christian values.”
That one of the “American liberties” we hold to be important is freedom of religion was an irony lost on the group — and on Lowe’s — and the decision has been widely pilloried . Lowe’s subsequently offered a strikingly weak justification for the move, arguing that the program had triggered “strong political and societal views” and insisting that it is “best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.” Lowe’s, of course, is only “deferring” to the bigoted views that one conservative group holds about millions and millions of Americans.
Now Dem Rep. Chris Murphy — who’s running for Senate in Connecticut — has given a wonderful speech on the House floor lambasting Lowe’s over the decision, mocking the company’s justification for it, and vowing that Congress will turn up the heat on Lowe’s to reverse course. Murphy says to Lowe’s: “You’re better than this”
11 Views
20:00:16 10/31/11
New Hampshire Haunted by Alinsky Ghost - BOO!
[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:16 10/31/11
Wow, keep it up tea partiers. This is really stunning. A 15-year old student asks a legitimate question about voting rights and is completely ripped on by Bill O'Brien, New Hampshire's Speaker of the House. Way to alienate young people from conservatism there, Billy-boy.
Here's the backstory, from "michael" on Blue Hampshire : >
However, this is when I lifted my hand and asked my question. I asked him about the aforementioned quote about students and whether or not he believed that there should be a litmus test based on ideology determining who gets to vote easily and conveniently. His response was not to answer the question I quite politely posed, but to start speaking in a rather untoward, declamatory manner about how I "demonized" him and how liberals "demonize" conservatives instead of talking about the important issues of the day- namely, supporting business, lowering taxes, cutting spending and family values. He then went on to distemperately rant about Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals", bitterly implying that I, a flipping fifteen year old, am a Communist subversive, sandwiched between lines about me demonizing Republicans.
I think it's worth reading the transcript of Michael's question: >
First, you mentioned in a conversation with several Tea Party members at a Tea Party meeting that you wanted a law passed that would stop out-of-state students from voting in New Hampshire because, quote -- Students, when they're in college -- I'm paraphrasing here -- Students, when they're in college, they're sitting around, they're voting their feelings, they're being foolish, they're voting liberal.
What is the threshold for when someone can actually exercise their Constitutional right to vote? Is someone's ideology supposed to be a litmus test? Or age, when it's Constitutionally allowed, intended on being a litmus test on who can vote? I mean --
OBRIEN: No, no, no. What's your second question? There's a series of questions. What's your second question?
What do you think, C%L readers? Fair question? I think so, particularly in light of the ongoing war on voting happening around this country, courtesy of the Tea Party and conservatives.
But the answer is just...well, it's like Glenn Beck's more-evil twin was sitting at the front of the room. >
OBRIEN: You know there's a [unintelligible] thread in all of this. Namely Saul Alinsky. And Saul Alinsky realized that something -- you know, he was a Marxist back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. He realized something. He realized that the United States would never, never turn socialist. And so he thought to himself, how do I get socialism? And so he wrote this book that still [unintelligible]...he operated out of Chicago and he wrote this book and it's called "Rules for Radicals." And the Rules for Radical work never taught any substantive issues with conservative politicians. Try to demonize them, try to marginalize them, try to radicalize them, make them something strange and different and exotic.
And so we see among conservative Republican leaders in this country a constant effort to try to marginalize them. You know, Sarah Palin's, not a leader, she's not educated well, and Newt Gingrich is kind of a fat guy, and Herman Cain is -- you know.
What we find is that people want to talk about issues like that, rather than issues that are important to our state.
In fact, I was joking around with some people talking about voter ID and voter laws and having a joke with people, and that's all they want to talk about. Marginalize this guy, make sure that his conservative agenda isn't being talked about. Let's not talk about the substantive issues of overtaxing. Let's not talk about the issues of bringing jobs and affordable government back here. Let's see if we can just marginalize him.
And that's what you're doing.
Yes, Alice, you've fallen down the conservative rabbit hole into that other place where they do what they say others do. That would be the conservative rabbit hole with the unending assault on anyone who disagrees, the turning-around of a substantive question by conjuring forth Saul Alinsky from the corridors of the dead to distract, deflect, and otherwise ignore a reasonable question by a soon-to-be voting citizen of this great country.
Let me see if I can actually pull the substance away from the fiction. Evidently Mr. O'Brien was heard to say that he didn't think students should vote because they vote liberal. Mr. O'Brien doesn't like liberals very much. Therefore, he feels that it's his duty to remove their constitutionally guaranteed voting rights from them.
Do watch the video past the transcription, where another student stands up, outraged that Mr. O'Brien is marginalizing him and his right to vote coming up in a few years. It will restore your faith in humanity, at least, a little bit.
This video is a remarkable sleight-of-hand on Mr. O'Brien's part. Even when confronted with the vote in New Hampshire's House of Representatives which would have disenfranchised student voters there, O'Brien ducks the real question and chooses instead to launch an attack on the person asking it, as though the question itself were simply justification to trash liberals rather than actually address a legitimate concern.
In fact, that concern is more than well-founded. The first version of New Hampshire's Voter ID bill was vetoed by the Governor, prompting a second version to be put forward in the House of Representatives. This is the bill michael is asking about. Via PeoplesWorld : >
According to their detractors, New Hampshire Republican leaders are part of what is called a corporate-driven Republican national agenda. The American Legislative Exchange Council, which, according to the American Association for Justice, operates as " the ultimate smoke-filled back room ," is seen to have its hands in New Hampshire politics. In August, Granite State Progress called on New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O'Brien to release a list of state legislators who had attended ALEC's recent conference.
The voter ID drive in New Hampshire is itself far from dead, however. Republicans in the state's House of Representatives plan to revive it, possibly entering a new bill as early as Weds.
The original bill was drafted in the State Senate, more right leaning than the House, and did not include the provision allowing people those without photo ID to cast provisional ballots. However, the House, in passing its version of the bill, added the rule.
Fortunately it sounds as though the Governor will backstop any bill that's more to the right than the one he already vetoed, but given the push by O'Brien and his House of Representatives, it sounds like Michael asked a question regarding a substantial and far-reaching policy issue, only to be demonized, Alinsky-style.
Shame on Speaker O'Brien, and kudos to Michael and his friends for standing up for their rights and putting up with that barrage of verbal abuse.
[h/t Daily Kos ]
14 Views
20:00:16 10/31/11
New Hampshire Haunted by Alinsky Ghost - BOO!
[LESS INFO] 14 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:16 10/31/11
Wow, keep it up tea partiers. This is really stunning. A 15-year old student asks a legitimate question about voting rights and is completely ripped on by Bill O'Brien, New Hampshire's Speaker of the House. Way to alienate young people from conservatism there, Billy-boy.
Here's the backstory, from "michael" on Blue Hampshire : >
However, this is when I lifted my hand and asked my question. I asked him about the aforementioned quote about students and whether or not he believed that there should be a litmus test based on ideology determining who gets to vote easily and conveniently. His response was not to answer the question I quite politely posed, but to start speaking in a rather untoward, declamatory manner about how I "demonized" him and how liberals "demonize" conservatives instead of talking about the important issues of the day- namely, supporting business, lowering taxes, cutting spending and family values. He then went on to distemperately rant about Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals", bitterly implying that I, a flipping fifteen year old, am a Communist subversive, sandwiched between lines about me demonizing Republicans.
I think it's worth reading the transcript of Michael's question: >
First, you mentioned in a conversation with several Tea Party members at a Tea Party meeting that you wanted a law passed that would stop out-of-state students from voting in New Hampshire because, quote -- Students, when they're in college -- I'm paraphrasing here -- Students, when they're in college, they're sitting around, they're voting their feelings, they're being foolish, they're voting liberal.
What is the threshold for when someone can actually exercise their Constitutional right to vote? Is someone's ideology supposed to be a litmus test? Or age, when it's Constitutionally allowed, intended on being a litmus test on who can vote? I mean --
OBRIEN: No, no, no. What's your second question? There's a series of questions. What's your second question?
What do you think, C%L readers? Fair question? I think so, particularly in light of the ongoing war on voting happening around this country, courtesy of the Tea Party and conservatives.
But the answer is just...well, it's like Glenn Beck's more-evil twin was sitting at the front of the room. >
OBRIEN: You know there's a [unintelligible] thread in all of this. Namely Saul Alinsky. And Saul Alinsky realized that something -- you know, he was a Marxist back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. He realized something. He realized that the United States would never, never turn socialist. And so he thought to himself, how do I get socialism? And so he wrote this book that still [unintelligible]...he operated out of Chicago and he wrote this book and it's called "Rules for Radicals." And the Rules for Radical work never taught any substantive issues with conservative politicians. Try to demonize them, try to marginalize them, try to radicalize them, make them something strange and different and exotic.
And so we see among conservative Republican leaders in this country a constant effort to try to marginalize them. You know, Sarah Palin's, not a leader, she's not educated well, and Newt Gingrich is kind of a fat guy, and Herman Cain is -- you know.
What we find is that people want to talk about issues like that, rather than issues that are important to our state.
In fact, I was joking around with some people talking about voter ID and voter laws and having a joke with people, and that's all they want to talk about. Marginalize this guy, make sure that his conservative agenda isn't being talked about. Let's not talk about the substantive issues of overtaxing. Let's not talk about the issues of bringing jobs and affordable government back here. Let's see if we can just marginalize him.
And that's what you're doing.
Yes, Alice, you've fallen down the conservative rabbit hole into that other place where they do what they say others do. That would be the conservative rabbit hole with the unending assault on anyone who disagrees, the turning-around of a substantive question by conjuring forth Saul Alinsky from the corridors of the dead to distract, deflect, and otherwise ignore a reasonable question by a soon-to-be voting citizen of this great country.
Let me see if I can actually pull the substance away from the fiction. Evidently Mr. O'Brien was heard to say that he didn't think students should vote because they vote liberal. Mr. O'Brien doesn't like liberals very much. Therefore, he feels that it's his duty to remove their constitutionally guaranteed voting rights from them.
Do watch the video past the transcription, where another student stands up, outraged that Mr. O'Brien is marginalizing him and his right to vote coming up in a few years. It will restore your faith in humanity, at least, a little bit.
This video is a remarkable sleight-of-hand on Mr. O'Brien's part. Even when confronted with the vote in New Hampshire's House of Representatives which would have disenfranchised student voters there, O'Brien ducks the real question and chooses instead to launch an attack on the person asking it, as though the question itself were simply justification to trash liberals rather than actually address a legitimate concern.
In fact, that concern is more than well-founded. The first version of New Hampshire's Voter ID bill was vetoed by the Governor, prompting a second version to be put forward in the House of Representatives. This is the bill michael is asking about. Via PeoplesWorld : >
According to their detractors, New Hampshire Republican leaders are part of what is called a corporate-driven Republican national agenda. The American Legislative Exchange Council, which, according to the American Association for Justice, operates as " the ultimate smoke-filled back room ," is seen to have its hands in New Hampshire politics. In August, Granite State Progress called on New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O'Brien to release a list of state legislators who had attended ALEC's recent conference.
The voter ID drive in New Hampshire is itself far from dead, however. Republicans in the state's House of Representatives plan to revive it, possibly entering a new bill as early as Weds.
The original bill was drafted in the State Senate, more right leaning than the House, and did not include the provision allowing people those without photo ID to cast provisional ballots. However, the House, in passing its version of the bill, added the rule.
Fortunately it sounds as though the Governor will backstop any bill that's more to the right than the one he already vetoed, but given the push by O'Brien and his House of Representatives, it sounds like Michael asked a question regarding a substantial and far-reaching policy issue, only to be demonized, Alinsky-style.
Shame on Speaker O'Brien, and kudos to Michael and his friends for standing up for their rights and putting up with that barrage of verbal abuse.
[h/t Daily Kos ]
1 Views
21:00:58 08/09/11
China's Tuidang Movement Part 1: Why 100 Million People Are Leaving the CCP
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 21:00:58 08/09/11
China's Tuidang Movement Part 1: Why 100 Million People Are Leaving the CCP
Part 2 ? www.youtube.com Click here to watch the Nine Commentaries in video ? me.lt For more news visit ? english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ? http Add us on Facebook ? facebook.com A grassroots movement is challenging the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. It's a movement that 100 million Chinese people have now participated in. Few people outside China have heard of it, but it may be playing a key role in determining China's future. Today, we bring you Part 1 of a three-part series on what's called the "Tuidang movement." Tomorrow, in Part 2 of this special series, we'll look at the unlikely source behind the Tuidang movement, and why it continues to gain supporters so rapidly. This year, the Chinese Communist Party marked its 90th anniversary. And the party has ruled China for nearly 62 years. But a grassroots movement is sweeping the country%mdashand challenging the status quo. It has millions of participants. But for many reasons, this movement has gone largely unnoticed by the rest of the world. [Yi Rong, Vice President, Global Quit CCP Service Center]: "It could be said that this is the biggest movement of spiritual awakening happening for the Chinese people in history." Scenes like this are seen around the globe%mdashexcept in mainland China. Organizers call it the "Tuidang Movement." "Tuidang" means to withdraw from or "quit" the Party. It's made up of people from mainland China and overseas Chinese who are publicly renouncing their ties with the Chinese ... From: NTDTV Views: 103 11 ratings Time: 06:24 More in News & Politics
75 Views
19:11:05 12/13/10
Rapper Wiz Khalifa Sparks Controversy w/ New Song Called 'Huey Newton'
[LESS INFO] 75 VIEWS | ADDED 19:11:05 12/13/10
Pittsburgh artist Wiz Khalifa has been making a lot of noise as of late. Most recently him and rhyme partner Currensy did song called Huey Newton which has ruffled the feathers of more than a few people who feel like the Black Panther Party co-founder who fought tirelessly for the liberation of Black people is being disrespected.
The song in question has nothing to do with Huey or the Panthers. It’s about smoking weed and kicking it. Hence it left many wondering why name check Huey? Was it to bring controversy or was it a reflection of one’s ignorance where freedom fighters and civil rights icons are seen as fair game for dismissal, ridicule and attacks?
Outkast caused quite abit of controversy with their Rosa Parks song
When I heard the song, two things went through my mind. First was the controversy surrounding Outkast when they used the name of Rosa Parks , the mother of the Civil Rights Movement in the biggest hit single off the critically acclaimed Aquemini album.
Many felt it was a huge disrespect, including some of Park’s people who wound up suing Outkast for using her name without permission. According to her representatives, Ms Parks didn’t like the fact that the group used profanity in a song that in no way reflected what she had stood for.
Outkast felt they were being mis-understood. They claimed that they were paying tribute in an artistic sort of way. Parks’ name was used as a metaphor to lay claim that the group was putting others on notice that it was time to make way, ‘move to the back of the bus’ and make way for Outkast.
Many in the Civil Rights community wasn’t buying it. While many in the Hip Hop community questioned the motives behind a lawsuit. Was this really Rosa Park’s sentiments or her people trying to make a buck? The counter to that question and ultimately one of the basis for the lawsuit-was Outkast trying to make a buck off of Rosa Parks?
Eventually famed lawyer Johnnie Cochran got involved on behalf of Parks. The lawsuits were dismissed on freedom of speech grounds but Outkast wound up settling with Ms Parks. They shot her some money and agreed to do a few community benefits for her foundation.
The other thing that went through my mind were the recent name checks where iconic freedom fighters are publicly clowned.
We saw this two years ago when a young columnist from Ebony magazine named Jam Donaldson of Hot Ghetto Mess fame took shots at political prisoner and former Panther Mumia Abu Jamal . In her piece she stated;
Mumia Abu Jamal
“One day I’m like, ‘Free Mumia’ and other days I’m like, ‘That n***** probably did it.’ And I’m not afraid to admit it, and I’m not afraid to write about it.”
Donaldson’s remarks angered many of Mumia’s supporters who felt her flippant remarks in a respected publication like Ebony not only added but in some ways legitimized an already poisonous climate set by police department unions who had been on a mission to see Mumia put to death.
Donaldson noted that her remarks and take on things are a reflection of how many in her generation feel these days. They’re sarcastic and have no problem crossing what many in the past may have seen as sacred lines. In her case she saw nothing wrong with dissing a man who was fighting for his life on death row. A few years prior comedian Cedric the Entertainer saw nothing wrong with clowning Rosa Parks by calling her lazy in the movie Barbershop. Parks boycotted the NAACP image awards in which Cedric was appearing as a result .
Today an artist like Wiz Khalifa may see nothing wrong with naming a song after Huey Newton without reflecting his legacy. These are just names to people who now live in an increasingly disposable society.
Here’s a video to the song Huey Newto n
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1kpwbx_fU%feature=related
Needless to say… the Huey Newton song got a quick rebuke from more than a few people including Minista Paul Scott of the Militant Mind Militia . Below is his video response where he goes in on Khalifa and Currensy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jo7rV5VTPA%feature=player_embedded
Lastly, weighing in on this is fellow Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X who feels like situations like this can lead to teachable moments. He knows both Wiz and Paul Scott and feels that we should be building bridges and not causing further divisiveness.
Huey Newton
I agree with Jasiri X and I like the video he did in response to the song. At the same time one thing that all of us need to keep in mind is the importance of empathy. We need to walk in each other’s shoes. We need to keep in mind that each generation has heroes and sheroes they hold dear and sadly there are outside forces that routinely malign those leaders and important figures in our community. Hopefully all of us young and old understand this and don’t add to the attacks or in Wiz’s case neglect.
In my generation the icons were Chuck D , KRS , X-Clan, Minister Farrakhan and others who we rallied around. A generation before that, it was the Malcolms, Martins, Shirely Chisolms and Hueys.
The generations after mine came to admire Tupac , Biggie, Diddy . and later Jay-Z .
For today’s generation those figures don’t hold the same emotional cache. They have their own heroes. Is it Lil Wayne ? Souljah Boy ? Rick Ross , Beyonce ? The best way to find out is to ask the young folks around you and build. Who are the heroes and sheroes for today’s generation?
Remember we are in a date and time where ethnic studies is being cut from college campuses all around the country and history text books are being re-written as we speak. Freedom fighters like Thurgood Marshall and Cesar Chavez are being removed and replaced with Newt Gingrich and Jerry Falwell . Community leaders are less and less known while pundits seen on TV and entertainers and music moguls have become the new Civil Rights leaders Should we be surprised if a Wiz Khalifa doesn’t hold a Huey Newton close to his chest in 2010?
-Davey D-
Here’s Jasiri X’s remarks: >
I saw the controversy over the Wiz Khalifa and Currensy song called Huey Newton , including the video response by Paul Scott of the Militant Mind Militia, and being that I know both Wiz and Paul I thought I should weigh in.
I certainly understand why the conscious community would be upset with Wiz and Currensy considering the subject matter of the song, but I just wanted to offer some perspective. I grew up in a very conscious household, however in my early 20s, I dropped out of college and spent most of my days smoking weed, writing rhymes and hustling to support my habit. I figured I was gonna be an MC so I was gonna have as much fun as I could on the way to the top.
Eventually, that lifestyle got old and by the grace of God I regained my conscious mind and began trying to use my talents and gifts to uplift humanity. Wiz grew up around conscious people and he’s one of the most mature young men I’ve ever met. Where he is now…experiencing the tremendous highs of living his dream…does not mean he’s going to stop growing as a person.
I don’t know Currensy , but I did find it interesting that Huey Newton was born in his home state of Louisiana.
I don’t think Paul Scott was wrong in expressing how he felt and his frustration with the state of Hip-Hop. Knowing Paul, I know he spoke out of sincere love for his people and a desire to see us do better. But, I felt like instead of creating more division, I could use this as a teachable moment, so I grabbed the instrumental and did what I do. Paradise recorded the session at James Webb Studios, we added a interview Huey Newton did with William Buckle y plus one of his speeches and pieced together the video we called “The Real Huey Newton”.
One Hood,
Jasiri X
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfotb2pwNI
7 Views
00:00:33 11/22/10
This Week: Are We Going To Be Taken Seriously By The Very Serious People On The Debt Ceiling?
[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 00:00:33 11/22/10
Nothing reminds me to take my blood pressure medicine like another Sunday morning in Absurdistan! Is it just me, or is it crazy to turn the deficit "crisis" into a political argument, and not an economic one? Have the Villagers so completely bought into the Grand Bargain narrative that it doesn't even occur to them that this is a really bad idea?
Oh, you already know the answer. These shows are nothing more than a high school vanity project for the Village elders. And that, of course, includes the media "journalists" who take part. What an incoherent mess.
Why does multimillionaire host Christian Amanpour [$2m salary, married to James Rubin , executive editor at Bloomberg News, adjunct professor at Columbia University, salaries unknown] allow Sen. Jon Kyl [worth between $519,090 to $746,082 ] to get away with saying a targeted tax increase on billionaire hedge fund managers is a "job killer"? She probably asks tougher questions of her 11-year-old son.
And OMB head Jacob Lew [In 2009, got $944,578 bailout bonus after working for Citigroup, where his salary was $1.1 million and "additional compensation". Current salary unknown] speaks in spin, all of which whizzes past Amanpour like a whiffle ball.
Could we just once have a real discussion on the nuts and bolts of the issues, instead of partisan spin? >
AMANPOUR: This morning there are reports of a resurrected grand bargain. So, is a breakthrough on the horizon? Joining me, a man at the heart of these tense negotiations, White House budget director Jack Lew.
Thank you for joining me.
LEW: Good to be here, Christiane.
AMANPOUR: How worried should the American people be? Is the country going to default? Is a deal at hand?
LEW: I do not believe that responsible leaders in Washington will force this to default. I think that all of the leaders of congress and the president have acknowledged that we must raise the debt limit. And the question is how?
I think the question is, do we do more than that? Do we do as much as we can to reduce the deficit and provide some assurance that we're taking seriously the fiscal problems this country faces?
AMANPOUR: So is there a grand bargain still on the table?
LEW: Well, I think that there's multiple tracts that are being discussed. It's not a given how we get to raising the debt limit. There are some extreme voices that are saying, we should push it over the edge. I think the risk of taking that path is just enormous. The present referred to it as Armageddon. It would mean higher interest rates, which are taxed on all Americans, it would undermine our standing in the world and it could have a cloud for a long time over the United States.
I think the question how we get there -- Senator McConnell, Senator Reid have been working on a path that would, in fact, give congress perhaps a way to get that done.
I [think] the challenge is doing more. It's not enough for us just to do what we have to do. We have to do as much as we possibly can to deal with the fiscal challenges.
AMANPOUR: Sitting here today with the time ticking away. What do you think is the realistic? Will it be the McConnell sort of last-ditch effort which allows the president to raise the debt ceiling and allows Republicans or anybody to register their disapproval of it?
LEW: I think that what we face now is not a challenge of do we have the time. It's a question, do we have the will.
The president has shown through his leadership that we must take action, we must take it now. He's spoken to the issue in his State of the Union, in his budget, he spoke to it over the last few days to the public. He is pressing these discussions forward that we should do as much as we can. And he's willing to take on some very, very difficult issues that will require for both sides to move into areas to make them uncomfortable to get this done.
AMANPOUR: Well, let's talk about entitlements. The Democrats, you've heard Nancy Pelosi, you've heard Senator Reid talk about not touching entitlement. Is that just a public posture or will that be part of a deal?
LEW: I think it's very, very hard for Democrats to make these changes in entitlement programs and for good reason. They have an effect on people that's really very significant.
We are concerned first and foremost about the stability of Medicare as a system to provide for the medical needs of our elderly. It does contribute to the problems we face in terms of rising costs over the years. The challenge is could we get a balanced package together? It's not fair to ask senior citizens to pay a price, to ask families paying for their college educations, for their children to pay a price , but to leave the most privileged out of the bargain.
And everything has to be on the table.
Um, Jack? We've already paid a price. High unemployment, declining wages and public services. We had our turn, leave us out of this "balance" argument. It's their turn, the rich people. The people like you - and Christiane. >
AMANPOUR: But who would be part of the big deal -- entitlement cuts, correct?
LEW: I think the president made clear that, depending on the size of the package, there would be different kinds of things that could be done in entitlements. There are some relatively small technical changes and there are structural changes.
In order to get the kinds of structural reforms that would be needed in a long run, there has to be a balanced package that puts taxes, revenues as well as spending on the table.
There's that "balance" fetish again. Hey Jack, WE PAID AT THE OFFICE!!! >
AMANPOUR: Does the president have his own plan? What is on the table? You saw Speaker Boehner saying where are the president's cards?
LEW: I think Speaker knows quite well how far the president is willing to go. There have been detailed conversations on many, many subjects. And I think the president has shown that he's willing to move into space that is a very hard place for Democrats to go . And the challenge is, can we find a place where there will be some kind of fairness and balance.
And leadership takes partnership as well. The president has shown a willingness to go there. We need a partner to work with.
Yes, and apparently leadership takes deep cynicism and an abiding faith in disreputable economic theories -- that just happen to dovetail with the desires of the elite. Funny how that works out! >
AMANPOUR: If it gets down to that, would the president, as Representative Cantor suggest, do a one-year extension to save the country from going into default?
LEW: The president has been very clear on that subject. It would be a very unacceptable outcome to have...
AMANPOUR: But would he do it?
LEW: He's made clear that he will not have this debate over should we raise the national debt a year from now. It would be a bad thing for the economy and a bad thing for the country.
AMANPOUR: So to be clear, he could be pushed into default then?
LEW: I do not believe the country will be pushed into default. I think congress knows what it has to do. It's got time do it. The president has made clear what he is prepared to do and the parties are going to have to come together.
It's kind of unfortunate that things always have to get to the last minute. Sometimes there are no consequences, right now, we're in a place where the world is watching. And we should get our business done, congress should get its job done and the president has been working every day for the last month trying to work with them to get it done.
AMANPOUR: And some kind of a deal, whether it's the grand bargain, or the Mitch McConnell last-ditch effort, plus whatever it might be. Would the president agree to any deal that does not include revenue raising?
LEW: I think the president made clear that there are reasonable steps that can be made to reduce spending. We've already made many, many deep cuts in spending. There's more restraint that we think is in order. He has made it clear that for a big deal, there will have to be balance between revenue and spending.
The question is how much can we get done? And the president's view is clear. We should get as much done as we possibly can to give assurance to the market and to the American people that we got our fiscal house in order.
No matter who we have to screw and leave by the side of the road. Tough luck, chumpies! >
AMANPOUR: So if you had to predict right now, what would be the deal that will get done to avoid this deadline, this potential catastrophe as we're calling it?
LEW: So I think the minimum is I believe the debt will be extended. I think notwithstanding the voices of a few who are willing to play with Armageddon, responsible leaders in Washington or not.
Our efforts over the next days will be to, in addition to that, do as much as we possibly can to make the tough decisions -- this is a question of leaders coming together and saying, we are going to do hard things on both sides. And the time is now, as the president said, if not now, when.
Yes, because that's what disaster capitalism is all about : Seizing the opportunity. >
AMANPOUR: On that note, Jack Lew, thank you so much of you for joining us.
LEW: Thank you.
NOTE: I'm continuing my little experiment (inspired by this ) of illustrating just how large a class divide exists between us and our elected representatives. As has been reported elsewhere, members of Congress seem to have amazing luck with the stock market - frequently beating the Street by significant margins. So let's keep in mind that their interests may not always align with ours.
10 Views
00:00:33 11/22/10
This Week: Are We Going To Be Taken Seriously By The Very Serious People On The Debt Ceiling?
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 00:00:33 11/22/10
Nothing reminds me to take my blood pressure medicine like another Sunday morning in Absurdistan! Is it just me, or is it crazy to turn the deficit "crisis" into a political argument, and not an economic one? Have the Villagers so completely bought into the Grand Bargain narrative that it doesn't even occur to them that this is a really bad idea?
Oh, you already know the answer. These shows are nothing more than a high school vanity project for the Village elders. And that, of course, includes the media "journalists" who take part. What an incoherent mess.
Why does multimillionaire host Christian Amanpour [$2m salary, married to James Rubin , executive editor at Bloomberg News, adjunct professor at Columbia University, salaries unknown] allow Sen. Jon Kyl [worth between $519,090 to $746,082 ] to get away with saying a targeted tax increase on billionaire hedge fund managers is a "job killer"? She probably asks tougher questions of her 11-year-old son.
And OMB head Jacob Lew [In 2009, got $944,578 bailout bonus after working for Citigroup, where his salary was $1.1 million and "additional compensation". Current salary unknown] speaks in spin, all of which whizzes past Amanpour like a whiffle ball.
Could we just once have a real discussion on the nuts and bolts of the issues, instead of partisan spin? >
AMANPOUR: This morning there are reports of a resurrected grand bargain. So, is a breakthrough on the horizon? Joining me, a man at the heart of these tense negotiations, White House budget director Jack Lew.
Thank you for joining me.
LEW: Good to be here, Christiane.
AMANPOUR: How worried should the American people be? Is the country going to default? Is a deal at hand?
LEW: I do not believe that responsible leaders in Washington will force this to default. I think that all of the leaders of congress and the president have acknowledged that we must raise the debt limit. And the question is how?
I think the question is, do we do more than that? Do we do as much as we can to reduce the deficit and provide some assurance that we're taking seriously the fiscal problems this country faces?
AMANPOUR: So is there a grand bargain still on the table?
LEW: Well, I think that there's multiple tracts that are being discussed. It's not a given how we get to raising the debt limit. There are some extreme voices that are saying, we should push it over the edge. I think the risk of taking that path is just enormous. The present referred to it as Armageddon. It would mean higher interest rates, which are taxed on all Americans, it would undermine our standing in the world and it could have a cloud for a long time over the United States.
I think the question how we get there -- Senator McConnell, Senator Reid have been working on a path that would, in fact, give congress perhaps a way to get that done.
I [think] the challenge is doing more. It's not enough for us just to do what we have to do. We have to do as much as we possibly can to deal with the fiscal challenges.
AMANPOUR: Sitting here today with the time ticking away. What do you think is the realistic? Will it be the McConnell sort of last-ditch effort which allows the president to raise the debt ceiling and allows Republicans or anybody to register their disapproval of it?
LEW: I think that what we face now is not a challenge of do we have the time. It's a question, do we have the will.
The president has shown through his leadership that we must take action, we must take it now. He's spoken to the issue in his State of the Union, in his budget, he spoke to it over the last few days to the public. He is pressing these discussions forward that we should do as much as we can. And he's willing to take on some very, very difficult issues that will require for both sides to move into areas to make them uncomfortable to get this done.
AMANPOUR: Well, let's talk about entitlements. The Democrats, you've heard Nancy Pelosi, you've heard Senator Reid talk about not touching entitlement. Is that just a public posture or will that be part of a deal?
LEW: I think it's very, very hard for Democrats to make these changes in entitlement programs and for good reason. They have an effect on people that's really very significant.
We are concerned first and foremost about the stability of Medicare as a system to provide for the medical needs of our elderly. It does contribute to the problems we face in terms of rising costs over the years. The challenge is could we get a balanced package together? It's not fair to ask senior citizens to pay a price, to ask families paying for their college educations, for their children to pay a price , but to leave the most privileged out of the bargain.
And everything has to be on the table.
Um, Jack? We've already paid a price. High unemployment, declining wages and public services. We had our turn, leave us out of this "balance" argument. It's their turn, the rich people. The people like you - and Christiane. >
AMANPOUR: But who would be part of the big deal -- entitlement cuts, correct?
LEW: I think the president made clear that, depending on the size of the package, there would be different kinds of things that could be done in entitlements. There are some relatively small technical changes and there are structural changes.
In order to get the kinds of structural reforms that would be needed in a long run, there has to be a balanced package that puts taxes, revenues as well as spending on the table.
There's that "balance" fetish again. Hey Jack, WE PAID AT THE OFFICE!!! >
AMANPOUR: Does the president have his own plan? What is on the table? You saw Speaker Boehner saying where are the president's cards?
LEW: I think Speaker knows quite well how far the president is willing to go. There have been detailed conversations on many, many subjects. And I think the president has shown that he's willing to move into space that is a very hard place for Democrats to go . And the challenge is, can we find a place where there will be some kind of fairness and balance.
And leadership takes partnership as well. The president has shown a willingness to go there. We need a partner to work with.
Yes, and apparently leadership takes deep cynicism and an abiding faith in disreputable economic theories -- that just happen to dovetail with the desires of the elite. Funny how that works out! >
AMANPOUR: If it gets down to that, would the president, as Representative Cantor suggest, do a one-year extension to save the country from going into default?
LEW: The president has been very clear on that subject. It would be a very unacceptable outcome to have...
AMANPOUR: But would he do it?
LEW: He's made clear that he will not have this debate over should we raise the national debt a year from now. It would be a bad thing for the economy and a bad thing for the country.
AMANPOUR: So to be clear, he could be pushed into default then?
LEW: I do not believe the country will be pushed into default. I think congress knows what it has to do. It's got time do it. The president has made clear what he is prepared to do and the parties are going to have to come together.
It's kind of unfortunate that things always have to get to the last minute. Sometimes there are no consequences, right now, we're in a place where the world is watching. And we should get our business done, congress should get its job done and the president has been working every day for the last month trying to work with them to get it done.
AMANPOUR: And some kind of a deal, whether it's the grand bargain, or the Mitch McConnell last-ditch effort, plus whatever it might be. Would the president agree to any deal that does not include revenue raising?
LEW: I think the president made clear that there are reasonable steps that can be made to reduce spending. We've already made many, many deep cuts in spending. There's more restraint that we think is in order. He has made it clear that for a big deal, there will have to be balance between revenue and spending.
The question is how much can we get done? And the president's view is clear. We should get as much done as we possibly can to give assurance to the market and to the American people that we got our fiscal house in order.
No matter who we have to screw and leave by the side of the road. Tough luck, chumpies! >
AMANPOUR: So if you had to predict right now, what would be the deal that will get done to avoid this deadline, this potential catastrophe as we're calling it?
LEW: So I think the minimum is I believe the debt will be extended. I think notwithstanding the voices of a few who are willing to play with Armageddon, responsible leaders in Washington or not.
Our efforts over the next days will be to, in addition to that, do as much as we possibly can to make the tough decisions -- this is a question of leaders coming together and saying, we are going to do hard things on both sides. And the time is now, as the president said, if not now, when.
Yes, because that's what disaster capitalism is all about : Seizing the opportunity. >
AMANPOUR: On that note, Jack Lew, thank you so much of you for joining us.
LEW: Thank you.
NOTE: I'm continuing my little experiment (inspired by this ) of illustrating just how large a class divide exists between us and our elected representatives. As has been reported elsewhere, members of Congress seem to have amazing luck with the stock market - frequently beating the Street by significant margins. So let's keep in mind that their interests may not always align with ours.
17 Views
01:38:35 11/19/10
Wintergrasp - Rated BGs - BestBuy DevChat
[LESS INFO] 17 VIEWS | ADDED 01:38:35 11/19/10
Wintergrasp queuing changed in 4.0.3
In patch 4.0.3, Wintergrasp queuing was changed so that each battle attempts to match the factions at a 1-to-1 ratio. This is the exact system being used for Tol Barad in Cataclysm. While we understand that this inflates queue times for factions which are vastly overpopulated on select realms, we prefer this system over using Tenacity. In addition, the new system at least encourages playing on a faction that's better balanced against the opposing faction. With the old Wintergrasp functionality, players were almost encouraged to be on an overpopulated faction, further contributing to realm balance issues.
That said, we'll review realms with significant faction imbalances on a case-by-case basis in the event we need to take further action.
Rated Battlegrounds FAQ
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is just around the corner -- and that means Rated Battlegrounds will soon be available. While Rated Battlegrounds will only be open to level-85 characters, we know many of you may still have some questions about this new system, so we’ve put together an FAQ to help address some of the more common inquiries we've seen.
Q. What are Rated Battlegrounds?
A. Like the Arena system, Rated Battlegrounds are an alternative way for players to battle against opponents of similar skill levels and accrue rating to purchase powerful PvP gear. Instead of competing in a 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 bracket, though, you'll be testing your mettle in familiar environments like Arathi Basin and Eye of the Storm, as well as all-new Battlegrounds set to release in Cataclysm.
Q. How are Rated Battlegrounds structured?
A. Rated Battlegrounds are broken down into two brackets: 10v10 and 15v15. These brackets rotate weekly and can be viewed in-game via the calendar by activating the Battleground holiday filter.
Q. What Battlegrounds are eligible for Rated Battleground matches?
A. Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, Eye of the Storm, Strand of the Ancients, Battle for Gilneas, and Twin Peaks.
Q. What happened to the 25v25 bracket?
A. We decided to remove this bracket. We don't feel it's feasible to ask players to coordinate a group of 25 players for Rated Battlegrounds. If any player happens to drop group just before a match begins, the raid group would not be able to enter the battle. We anticipate most players or guilds will stick with fairly dedicated 10-player groups, and making the jump to 15-player groups shouldn't be too difficult.
Q. How can I queue for a Rated Battleground?
A. Before entering the queue, you must first create a raid with the full number of players required for the weekly bracket (10 or 15). Any level-85 player on your realm and of your faction may participate in the battle regardless of guild association.
Once you have a raid of the appropriate size, simply open up the PvP window, click on the Conquest tab, highlight "Rated Battleground," and then click "Join Battle."
Q. Can I queue up solo and just be matched with a Rated Battleground team?
A. No. You will need to first join a raid of the appropriate size and level before you can queue up for a Rated Battleground. Individual queuing will not be available for Rated Battlegrounds.
Q. Do all players in the raid group have to be from the same guild in order to queue for a Rated Battleground?
A. No. So long as the raid group size matches the weekly bracket and is comprised of level-85 players, you can queue up for a Rated Battleground no matter what guild you are in. Guild membership has no effect on the formation of Battleground teams.
Winning a Rated Battleground with a team composed of at least 80% guild members, however, will result in the additional benefit of guild experience gain for that guild.
Q. How can I tell if my Rated Battleground team meets the minimum guild requirement?
A. If you join a Rated Battleground with the minimum number of required guild members, a special guild banner will appear in the upper-left corner of the in-game mini-map. This will let you know if you are eligible for the bonus guild experience.
Q. What are the normal benefits of winning a Rated Battleground?
A. When you win a Rated Battleground, you will be rewarded Conquest points, up to your weekly cap. Weekly caps are individual for each player and are based on your highest single PvP rating from the previous week (the cap resets on Tuesdays). This rating can be derived from your 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 Arena rating or your Rated Battleground rating.
Q. What Rated Battleground rating do players start out with?
A. Players start at zero Rated Battleground rating and progress upward from there. If you lose a battle, your Rated Battleground rating will only be reduced if that rating is currently higher than your Match Making Value (MMV). For the most part, a rating only goes up.
Q. What’s MMV?
A. Match Making Value (or MMV for short) is our best measure of an individual player's skill. MMV is the skill rating per format (2v2, 3v3, 5v5, Battleground) and per character that is used for matchmaking. It exists to help the matchmaking system create great matches as quickly as possible for all players. It's generally not a rating we show, with the exception of an average MMV for Arena teams.
Q. Will my MMV go down in the event of a Rated Battleground loss?
A. Yes; however, unlike Arenas, all players in a Rated Battleground team will win or lose the same amount of Rated Battleground rating per match depending on its outcome.
Q. Does MMV for Rated Battlegrounds function the same as it does in Arenas (i.e. does it go up more when you beat a higher-rated team, and go down more when you lose to a lower-rated team)?
A. Yes. Your MMV will go up faster if you defeat a Rated Battleground team with a higher average MMV.
Q. What’s the plan to prevent your Rated Battleground rating from skyrocketing at high win ratios? If your rating only goes down when it is above your MMV, it seems that ratings will just be high on average (compared to Arena).
A. If your Rated Battleground rating gets inflated much beyond your MMV, you’ll only receive a minimal amount of points when you win. Similarly, you’ll lose many more points after a defeat, until your Rated Battleground rating gets back in line with your MMV. This will prevent inflation.
Q. Can consumables and engineering items be used in Rated Battlegrounds?
A.Yes, but they will follow the same rules and restrictions as Arenas.
Q. Will Rated Battleground teams only be matched against other teams in their Battlegroup?
A. No. Rated Battlegrounds will be region-wide, meaning that when you queue for a Rated Battleground, you will have the opportunity to be matched against a team from any of our North American World of Warcraft realms.
Q. Are there any plans to reward players with the highest Rated Battleground rating, similar to Arenas?
A. Epic ground mounts will be rewarded at the end of each season to the top 0.5% of players according to Rated Battleground rating. Titles are also available as you gain rating in the system. The titles are rewarded directly from achievements earned from gaining the required rating.
Developer Chat Hosted by Best Buy (transcript)
Will the heirloom items scale to 85?
The current plan is to have heirloom items stop at level 80 at the moment.
I was wondering what new and exciting mounts there will be and what your favorite so far is?
Not surprisingly there are all kinds of new mounts, we have spectral wolf/horse mounts, a dark phoenix, a camel, the new alchemy mount that turns you into a drake can ride, among others. Also a scorpion for the horde and a lion for the alliance. My favorite has to be the camel though... i mean really, who doesn't want to be a camel jockey?!
Has Blizzard considered adding a "Tabards Tab" to the UI, so that tabard collectors can switch out tabards more effectively without having to take up bank and bag space? --Thanks! Deathunholy of Galakrond
We have talked about adding a tabard tab. We've talked about doing a closet tab to handle it. It isn't something we are adding for Cataclysm though.
Will it be as long of a wait to fight Deathwing as it was for Lich King?
Hopefully not, we definitely have a goal to get our content patches out more quickly than we have in the past, without sacrificing quality of course, we plan for deathwing to be the most amazing encounter we've ever made! =]
Are there any plans to potentially add queueing to the rated battlegrounds instead of it having to be a pre-made raid team? I was really excited when I first heard about this feature, but after reading the FAQ i was a bit disappointed with that design.
We're currently looking into the possibility of having players in the honor battleground queue be able to be called to action by groups that aren't quite full, but we're going to see how the current queue'ing works out first so, that isn't something that would be available just yet
Will you allow players to fill their quest log with say, 25 dailies, and then turn them in right after Midnight on December 7th to get a quick boost towards 85? This is how it worked in the beta, but some players are confused on whether it will work on Live. Thanks!
Regarding 25 daily quests to turn in when the expansion goes live, this is something players have been able to do for the last 2 expansions and we aren't talking about changing it now.
I understand the decision from an economic perspective but I was wondering if the deveopers were disappointed in the decision to allow race changes immediately following the release of the expansion.
Regarding allowing race/faction change on day one. Actually this wasn't an economic decision at all. This was a decision that the leadership team made. Our priority as a dev team is to allow players to play the game with their friends, the way they want too. We also talked about the fact that this is a week one problem. So we made the decision not to restrict anything.
Will Darnasus be re built to be a real tree or will it always look like a dead stump with trees at the top?
...but now that Deathwing is doing his thing it makes much more sense than it used to! ;]
Deathwing hates trees.
A lot of players I know are trying to plan out what characters to roll for the new expansion, and the big question is: Will there be ANY new realms tagging along with the release of Cataclysm? Some point to low pop realms as a reason against, but surely with the redux'd 1-60 experience and the droves of returning players desiring clean slates, there has never been a better time for a fresh realm or two?
We haven't decided exactly what the new realm decisions are yet, but we open new realms when there is player demand for them. One thing we can't do is plan all realms for day one. The goal is for realms to have good concurrency so everyone has a great game/matchmaking experience.
Could you comment on the plan for raids in Cataclysm? If i remember it was said that there would be smaller raids in cata but more of them. Would that mean like two small raids per patch or more patches in total?
The idea is that we'll have more raid environments, but fewer bosses in each environment, but a similar total number of raid bosses overall... if that makes sense. =] so, for cataclysm launch we have the skywall environment, the twilight bastion environment, and blackwing descent, versus having almost all the bosses in one environment like we did with naxrammas.
With the changes to the game environment itself, what new computer requirements will be optimal to run the game smoothly?
One of the things that is really important to us is a great gaming experience regardless of your hardware. While the system requirements do go up over time, we do want the experience on slower machines to be great. We do this by trying to add a lot of graphical options to allow players to control the experience from "runs fast" all the way to "looks great".
Will there be more than one Legendary weapon in Cata? Will there be a Caster DPS legendary? Any info or plans would be awesome =) Thanks!
It's likely there will be more than one legendary weapon, although it's too early to say for sure. We do, however, have a plan to do a caster dps staff soon.
Where did Uldum come from?
Egypt ;]
The idea with Uldum is that it has always been there, cloaked from the eyes of the players. The emergence of Deathwing has damaged some of the technology that kept it hidden. There is a story in the zone that explains this and what has been happening in the player absence.
With resource systems now broadened to include focus, rage, energy, and runic power as well as mana, and there being conditionals like enrages, holy power, combo points and runes, will classes that just use mana be getting similar treatment or remaining as they are?
Really that decision is made on a class-by-class, talent tree-by-tree basis. If we feel like the talent spec in question needs a broader resource management then we do it, but we don't like to unnecessarily complicate a spec's resource management if it isn't absolutely necessary.
Why is it that we are not able to use Archaeology before the expansion? I thought it was really cool how you guys released Inscription last time and would love to have the opportunity to level it before the expansion drops.
Using archeology before the expansion was something we talked about, but ended up adding everything about the profession to the "post sundered" world. Thus, you won't be able to use archeology before the sundering happens.
The first tier of Cataclysm raiding has 3 separate instances to tackle. Are you guys planning on keeping with the Burning Crusade model (SSC/TK, BT/Hyjal) and having multiple instances per raid tier? Will Deathwing have to share the spotlight with some other instance?
We'll evaluate that on a tier by tier basis. When we have awesome ideas that we can successfully make happen we'll do multiple environments, but it won't necessarily always be the case. We do have a super cool idea for the deathwing tier though... ...or at least so we hope. =]
What happened with the Worgen district in Stormwind?
We decided it didn't really fit very well, it was looking kind of awkwardly forced into the city. Plus deathwing would have destroyed it anyways.
As the world of Azeroth is changing I was wondering if the Death Knight zone will stay the same or will it also be affected by the cataclysm?
The death knight zone doesn't have any changes for Cataclysm.
I have been confused from the different posts for tier gear. Will there be three levels within each tier still or just heroic and normal and in either case will u just be getting them with points or will u still have to get certain things off drops off certain bosses to get the higher more heroic version of the tier gear?
There is still just normal and heroic difficulty for the raid and dungeon content, and the heroic gear has a higher item level than the corresponding normal gear
Do you feel faction imbalance is a problem at the moment? My queue is around 10-15 min at prime time as a member of the Horde and I know this is the case on at least two of the battlegroups. If so, do you think Worgen will fix the problem? And if they do not, will free faction changes ever be a possibility in the future on battlegroups or servers with a major problem?
We are working on some technology to further combine the PVP queues at server sites. This has been going on behind the scenes for a few weeks now in preparation for Cataclysm. Queue time is one of those things that gets a lot of attention and time, but will change significantly post Cata. Really good question.
What would you say was the hardest and/or easiest parts of developing this expansion? After all, many are saying this is the best expansion to date... So, what was the biggest challenge/easiest feat in creating it?
There have been huge challanges with this expansion, unlike any we've seen in the other two expansions. The scale of Cataclyms is huge for us, and something we didn't really expect when we started development. But we certainly feel like the effort has been worth it, and feel it's our best expansion so far.
Why does it seem the scorpion guild mount doesn't have a guild flag where the lion does? I was hoping to see Hordes of scorpions from our guild walking around with our tabard hanging from the tail like a flag behind them.
When riding a scorpion mount, your character displays holding a large standard with your guild symbol on it.
Why did you decide to make 310% mount speed purchasable in 4.0? It's a huge price for such a tiny speed upgrade, and used to work well as a just-above-vanity perk for people who completed the toughest achievements.
The primary reason was to equalize the awesome vanity mounts players had, and change the mechanic to one where you used the mount you were most excited about using. We wanted players to be able to see the mount players want, without considering the speed differential as a factor.
Will you allow players to change their login screen? I'd love to be able to use the Classic login screen, the unreleased one that was shown at Blizzcon, or perhaps a login screen of a previous expansion.
Players are not able to change their login screen.
How would a person get a Guild Mount? Would it be guild rep? If so how would that be calculated or obtained?
Once your guild gets to a high enough level and unlocks the guild mount, any player in the guild with a high enough guild reputation is able to buy the mount.
Will heirloom items work for goblins and worgens leveling from 1-80 at release?
Heirloom items will work perfectly for Worgen and Goblin characters! Enjoy!
Has there been any discussion of changing the heirloom items to true "Bind on Account" instead of the bind on server limitation that it has currently?
That is something we would like to do. Currently the servers mail carriers refuse to work together, and haven't worked out the economic terms from transferring mail from one server to another. One day we hope to resolve the union issues.
Will the option ever be available to change ones class, contingent upon what's currently available to the race restrictions at the time?
Never say never, but we don't currently have plans to do that.
There's any through about making account wise achievement, like Starcraft ones? It a reason for many players to not reroll/change mains since its look like a lot of work wasted when you switch your main char. Even changing to another char to help with one fight look a bit wrong now, if you are after achievements.
We do have plans to solve this problem, as it is limiting people from re-rolling for sure. This is something we want to solve, but don't have a good solution on how to do it at the moment.
Was there anything you guys regret not being able to include at launch? Possibly something that didn't have enough polish to it that me way see in the future? (You don't need to mention the Dance Studio at this point, really, it's okay)
Well... there is the dance studio. ;] There are of course always things we'd hoped to get into any patch/expansion that get pushed out until later. One example would be the idea to have a built-in atlas that details every encounter in each dungeon/raid. We're not super happy about the fact that the first time anyone encounters a new boss, the only way to learn about it (other than looking up strategies on the web) is to charge in and die a lot.
We'd love to give players some idea of what they're about to fight before they engage the boss. =]
Do honor points and Badges roll over into CATA, or do they reset to zero?
Yes, honor points and justice points carry over into cataclysm. Stock up now!
Is there any talks of maybe some faction cooperative campaigns? Since the cataclysm is threatening to destroy all life of azeroth, to me a logical response from the heroes of azeroth would be to set aside their differences and be able to work together in a raid. An Idea to maybe lessen the frequency of such groups is make the raid difficulty increase by choosing to work with the other faction, a sort of Heroic mode. Possibly even dual faction specific raids. Has there been any talks of such poss...
This is a common request, but not something we are looking to do. While there is a singular main bad guy in this expansion, the Horde and Alliance have their own unique challenges and agendas, and typically don't look to team up. After all it's the World of Warcraft, not the World of Peacecraft.
When designing expansions and content patches, do you have a list of new features to choose from that are planned out in advance or is there more of a brain storm session?
The feature set for each patch is determined by a combination of doing things (or finishing things) that we've been wanting to do for a while, along with completely new ideas that emerge as a result of the immediate needs of the game
The primary things you won't be able to do if you don't have Cataclysm are create a new Goblin/Worgen, level to 85, and fly in the orld world.
We like to stay as flexible as possible, so it's important to us to make sure that we aren't "over planned" into the future even though the real needs players have are changing
With the previous two expansions, the new content was actually on other continents, so if you didn't have the expansion, you just couldn't visit the continent. Since Cata is largely reworking of old-world content, however, how do you differentiate between someone with or without the xpac? What kinds of things will and won't be available to players don't have the upgrade?
See my answer above!
Will the 80 to 85 experience be closer to the 18hr mark or the 5 day mark that was 70-80?
That totally depends on the player to be honest, you'd be amazed by the differences in play patterns. That being said, somebody usually finds a way to level up very quickly.
What new feature(s) in WoW: Cataclysm are you guys most proud of?
I would have to say the 1-60 revamp, it's a ton of fun to play through the zones and an incredible amount of new content.
I'm most happy with the new Worgen and Goblin starting experiences. I think they are the best starting experience we've ever done, and that includes the death knight.
I have is why not have this latest expansion as a new territory like a Southrend similar to Northrend or a Moon body like Outlands instead of destroying Azeroth and Kalimdor? Were there limitations to expanding outwards or was this just to facelift the original game?
We make decisions like this on a case by case basis.. again depending on the needs of the game. In the case of Cataclysm, the world was due in for an overhaul, and we wanted to make everything fly-able, so it was important to flesh out any areas that were originally unfinished.
Can you clarify and confirm what will be available to players when 4.0.3a hits and what will be unavailable until 7th Dec?
4.0.3a will be the patch that actually causes the world to shatter and change forever. At that point you will be able to experience the new 1-60 leveling experience, as well as the new race/class combinations.
Is there an alternative mount for worgens that other races can ride
Worgen can ride the other mounts in the game, if that's what you're asking. They're not limited to their feral run.
With the level 1-80 Heirloom items, when Cataclysm is released will the xp gain work while leveling until you hit level 81? Or will XP gain be disabled for those on release?
They will not. Heirlooms stop granting their XP bonus at level 80. Not level 80.999999.
Will achievement points ever be able to be used to purchase any perks?
We have no plans to allow this. Achievements are a badge of honor only.
Druid
Is the Moonkin form for troll and worgen on the beta and ptr the final form or is it just a placeholder?
Final!
Mage
Right now, up to 50% of Ignite damage disappears due to the technical limitations of spells critting within certain timeframes. This has implications for Mage dps and the value of Mastery as a stat. Is overall damage being balanced to compensate and can we expect a solution in the near future?
We're resolving that by rolling up any "lost" ignite damage into the next ignite that overwrote it
Warlock
Are there any plans for a new Lock mount? I would love to see a possible flying mount for Locks..
One of the things we look at with mounts is broad appeal. While we do specific class mounts from time to time, most of the time we look to have mounts that all classes can use.
Warrior
Is Hit rating intended to tramp all other stats but Str for Fury till the 27% hardcap? Seems excessive
Generally speaking, we do balance hit rating to be the "best" stat until you're at the hit rating cap
0 Views
19:28:05 12/07/09
Batman Parody: The Dark Knight is Confused. Key of Awesome #8.
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 19:28:05 12/07/09
Batman's beginning to wonder if his movie makes any sense at all. Watch Behind the Scenes HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ9kDr4z9bc Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=barelypolitical Written by Mark Douglas and Rusty Ward Music by Jake Chudnow All characters played by Mark Douglas Directed by Tom Small Lyrics: KID Batman! Why is he running, Dad? GORDON Because we have to chase him. KID Why? GORDON Because he can take it. Because hes not a hero, hes a silent guardian, a watchful protector, the Dark Knight KID I dont get it. GORDON Neither do I son, but it sounds cool. BATMAN As I ride on my bike at the end of Dark Knight Theres a few plot points that just dont feel right Like why the hell did I agree to take the rap Harvey Dent killed those people. Who gives a crap? And the Joker pulls crimes in such an orderly manner He must write it down in an evil day planner His henchmen are psycho and expendable Yet somehow completely dependable And why is Morgan Freeman all pissed at me? He seemed to resign kind of randomly Its OK to build me an armored tank-car But ooh, tapping phones, thats going too far Chorus This movie of my life just doesnt hold together At least is beats the crap out of Batman Forever I enjoy car chases, explosions and suspense Is it too much to ask that it all make sense? ALFRED No no Master Wayne, you dont understand You cant kill a symbol, but you can kill a man BATMAN If I want to quit then thats my choice ALFRED Were alone you dont have to use that voice And what about Ms. Dawes its like you just forgot her BATMAN In Batman Begins she was so much hotter ALFRED Joker, are you busy? Lets call a truce. I need you to help explain the plot toBatman JOKER Call me insane, but I consider us friends I brought the DVD so we can watch it again ALFRED Ill make the popcorn and pour the sherry Ooh, maybe we could watch it with the commentary BATMAN How does Harvey Dent do total 180? ALFRED Well they barbequed his face and he lost his lady BATMAN When did you have time rig up both of those boats JOKER Does talking that way ever damage your throat? BATMAN Well at least they got rid of Joel Schumacher JOKER You know movie is really good the Hurt Locker BATMAN Oh I heard that was good. Ive been meaning to see it. ALFRED Whos in it? JOKER Anthony Mackie ALFRED I dont know who that is. JOKER He was in Eight Mile. ALFRED Oh, he the guy who hosted the rap battles. BATMAN No that was Mekhi Phifer. ALFRED Joker youre getting white makeup all over the popcorn. JOKER Sorry, Hey did I ever tell you how I got these scars? BATMAN YES! Several versions. ALFRED Maybe some other people would like to hear the story. Click above to subscribe for new comedy music videos every week!! Music by: http://www.myspace.com/barelyjake -- MORE BARELY: Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=barelypolitical Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/thekeyofawesome Get the songs on iTunes! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-key-awesome-deluxe-edition/id374349910 TShirts! http://thekeyofawesome.spreadshirt.com Mark's Channel: http://youtube.com/markdouglas Todd's Stuff http://youtube.com/wombatron http://www.twitter.com/toddwomack Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/barelypolitical http://www.twitter.com/barelydigital Leave us a voicemail 1-(646)-827-2202 Write us a letter! The Key of Awesome P.O. Box 23 New York, NY 10113
0 Views
19:28:05 12/07/09
Batman Parody: The Dark Knight is Confused. Key of Awesome #8.
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 19:28:05 12/07/09
Batman's beginning to wonder if his movie makes any sense at all. Watch Behind the Scenes HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ9kDr4z9bc Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=barelypolitical Written by Mark Douglas and Rusty Ward Music by Jake Chudnow All characters played by Mark Douglas Directed by Tom Small Lyrics: KID Batman! Why is he running, Dad? GORDON Because we have to chase him. KID Why? GORDON Because he can take it. Because hes not a hero, hes a silent guardian, a watchful protector, the Dark Knight KID I dont get it. GORDON Neither do I son, but it sounds cool. BATMAN As I ride on my bike at the end of Dark Knight Theres a few plot points that just dont feel right Like why the hell did I agree to take the rap Harvey Dent killed those people. Who gives a crap? And the Joker pulls crimes in such an orderly manner He must write it down in an evil day planner His henchmen are psycho and expendable Yet somehow completely dependable And why is Morgan Freeman all pissed at me? He seemed to resign kind of randomly Its OK to build me an armored tank-car But ooh, tapping phones, thats going too far Chorus This movie of my life just doesnt hold together At least is beats the crap out of Batman Forever I enjoy car chases, explosions and suspense Is it too much to ask that it all make sense? ALFRED No no Master Wayne, you dont understand You cant kill a symbol, but you can kill a man BATMAN If I want to quit then thats my choice ALFRED Were alone you dont have to use that voice And what about Ms. Dawes its like you just forgot her BATMAN In Batman Begins she was so much hotter ALFRED Joker, are you busy? Lets call a truce. I need you to help explain the plot toBatman JOKER Call me insane, but I consider us friends I brought the DVD so we can watch it again ALFRED Ill make the popcorn and pour the sherry Ooh, maybe we could watch it with the commentary BATMAN How does Harvey Dent do total 180? ALFRED Well they barbequed his face and he lost his lady BATMAN When did you have time rig up both of those boats JOKER Does talking that way ever damage your throat? BATMAN Well at least they got rid of Joel Schumacher JOKER You know movie is really good the Hurt Locker BATMAN Oh I heard that was good. Ive been meaning to see it. ALFRED Whos in it? JOKER Anthony Mackie ALFRED I dont know who that is. JOKER He was in Eight Mile. ALFRED Oh, he the guy who hosted the rap battles. BATMAN No that was Mekhi Phifer. ALFRED Joker youre getting white makeup all over the popcorn. JOKER Sorry, Hey did I ever tell you how I got these scars? BATMAN YES! Several versions. ALFRED Maybe some other people would like to hear the story. Click above to subscribe for new comedy music videos every week!! Music by: http://www.myspace.com/barelyjake -- MORE BARELY: Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=barelypolitical Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/thekeyofawesome Get the songs on iTunes! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-key-awesome-deluxe-edition/id374349910 TShirts! http://thekeyofawesome.spreadshirt.com Mark's Channel: http://youtube.com/markdouglas Todd's Stuff http://youtube.com/wombatron http://www.twitter.com/toddwomack Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/barelypolitical http://www.twitter.com/barelydigital Leave us a voicemail 1-(646)-827-2202 Write us a letter! The Key of Awesome P.O. Box 23 New York, NY 10113
10 Views
00:02:11 08/04/09
Bridgestone Golf Feature
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 00:02:11 08/04/09
Inside Golf Magazine takes you behind the scenes to hear how this Japanese tire company became the fastest growing American golf company, Bridgestone Golf. See Bridgestone's new ball technology is bringing municipal golfer into tour caliber equipment. Distributed by Tubemogul.>> I'M HERE WITH DAN MURPHY FROM BRIDGESTONE GOLF. DAN, TELL ME, HOW IS IT THAT A COMPANY CAN GO FROM MAKING PREMIUM TIRES TO PREMIUM GOLF BALLS; HOW DOES THAT WORK? >> WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS BUT, IT REALLY STARTED WAY WAY WAY BACK IN THE 1930’S IN THE JAPAN. THE FOUNDER OF OUR COMPANY IS ISHIBASHI AND, ISIBASHI IN ENGLISH MEANS STONE BRIDGE. WHEN HE FOUNDED THE COMPANY, HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO ENGLISH AND HE CALLED IT BRIDGESTONE SO THAT’S THE BEGINNING. ISHIBASHI WAS A POLYMER SCIENTIST; HE UNDERSTOOD MATERIALS AND RUBBER TECHNOLOGY. HE APPLIED THAT TO THE TIRE BUSINESS VERY SUCCESSFULLY BUT, HE HAD A GREAT PASSION FOR GOLF. A POLYMER SCIENCE THAT’S REQUIRED TO MAKE A TIRE THAT INTERACTS WITH THE ROAD SURFACE IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY, IN RAIN AND SNOW AND DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. IT’S A VERY VIOLENT INTERACTION. THERE’S A LOT OF STRESS ON THE MATERIALS. IF YOU TAKE THAT AND APPLY IT TO GOLF, WHEN A DRIVER IMPACTS A GOLF BALL, THE MATERIAL IMPACT IS VERY VERY SIMILAR. THEY’RE BOTH VERY VIOLENT INTERACTIONS SO THE POLYMER SCIENCE REQUIRED TO PERFORM UNDER THAT KIND OF PRESSURE, THERE’S A STRONG, STRONG PARALLEL. >> THAT INTERACTION CAN BE A BIT MORE VIOLENT FOR SOME THAN OTHERS, I IMAGINE. >> YOU’VE SEEN ME PLAY. >> A LOT OF GUYS ON TOUR HAVE ISHIBASHI TO THANK FOR THE GREAT BALLS THAT THEY’RE USING, NOW. >> WITHOUT A DOUBT. WITHOUT A DOUBT. WE’RE VERY THANKFUL TO ISHIBASHI, AS WELL. IN THE LAST 5 YEARS, WE'VE LAUNCHED BRIDGESTONE GOLF HERE IN THE U.S. AND IT’S BEEN VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR US. ACCEPTANCE FROM THE U.S. CONSUMER HAS BEEN GREAT WITH OUR TOUR TEAM AND ALSO WITH A PROGRAM THAT WE CALL THE BRIDGESTONE CHALLENGE BALL-FITTING PROGRAM. IT’S BEEN VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR US. >> YOUR ROSTER OF GUYS ON STAFF IS REALLY COOL AND IMPRESSIVE. YOU’VE GOT FREDDY COUPLES, CHARLES HAL III, BRAD CONNECTICUR BUT, I HEARD THAT YOU’VE GOT A NEW GUY COMING ON. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT. >> WE'VE GOT AN OLD/NEW GUY COMING ON. I GOT A PHONE CALL 3, 4 WEEKS AGO AND THIS FELLOW WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC. IT WAS A FAMILIAR VOICE BUT I COULDN’T QUITE PLACE IT. HE SAID, I FOUND A GOLF BALL ON A GOLF COURSE AND I HIT IT, AND I'M 10 YARDS LONGER. THIS IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT. I SAID, WHO IS THIS? THIS IS LEE TRAVINO, HE SAID. SO LEE TRAVINO CALLED US ABOUT OUR B330RX GOLF BALL. >> THE FIRST ONE I HIT, I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. HOW WELL IT FELT AND HOW FAR IT WENT. THEN, I FOUND IT AND THEY CAME DOWN AND MONITORED MY SWING SPEED AND, I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS SWINGING UNDER 100 MILES AN HOUR. SO I QUALIFIED FOR THE RX, BABY, RIGHT THERE. >> THAT’S THE BALL WE MADE FOR SLOWER SWING SPEEDS. A TOUR-CALIBER BALL FOR SLOWER SWING SPEEDS. IT’S A SOFTER COMPRESSION BALL SO IT'LL GO FURTHER OFF THE DRIVER FOR YOU. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO COMPRESS IT. IT’S GOT THAT URETHANE COVER SO IF FEELS GREAT AROUND THE GREEN. >> I WANTED TO DO THIS, SIMPLY, BECAUSE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, A COMPANY HAS COME ALONG TO TRY TO HELP A GUY WITH A SLOWER SWING SPEED. THAT’S THE SECRET. IF YOU CAN COMPRESS A GOLF BALL WITH A SLOWER SWING SPEED, YOU’RE NOT ONLY GOING TO GET MAXIMUM DISTANCE, YOU’RE GOING TO GET MAXIMUM HEIGHT ON THE BALL AND, YOU’RE GOING TO GET MAXIMUM SPIN. THERE’S NO REASON NOT TO HIT A GOLF BALL THAT FEELS GOOD AND YOU GET MAXIMUM DISTANCE EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE UP IN AGE AND YOUR SWING SPEED IS BETWEEN 70 AND 90 AND 100 MILES AN HOUR. >> LEE CALLED US AND HE SAID, I’VE GOT A BOY SCOUT OUTING IN DALLAS, TEXAS, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH SOME BALLS? I SAID, YOU’RE LEE TRAVINO, WE'LL SEND YOU SOME BALLS. FROM THAT, WE GREW A RELATIONSHIP AND HE’S NOW ON STAFF WITH US AND APPEARING IN A NEW COMMERCIAL WITH FREDDY COUPLES, THAT A LOT OF YOUR VIEWERS MAY BE ABLE TO SEE ON TV IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. >> I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ENTERTAINED BY BRIDGESTONE COMMERCIALS. YOU'VE GONE A GREAT JOB. >> WE DON’T BELIEVE IN BEING THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD. WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE IN EVERYTHING WE DO BECAUSE WE’RE A CHALLENGER BRAND. WE HAVE AN INTERESTING IDENTITY IN THIS MARKET BECAUSE WE’RE BACKED BY THIS HUGE, HUGE MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANY. BRIDGESTONE CORPORATE IS A $30 BILLION COMPANY. IT’S BIGGER THAN MICHELIN, IT’S BIGGER THAN GOODYEAR. >> NO WONDER IT’S THE TOP-SELLING LADIES BALL. NO WONDER I WON SO MANY TIMES. >> WE WON SO MANY TIMES. >> I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS A HUG. >> WE’RE ALSO VERY SMALL. WE CAN BE CREATIVE, WE CAN BE ENTERTAINING IN OUR COMMERCIALS. THAT’S RESULTED IN A LOT OF COOL SPOTS. CURRENTLY, WE'VE GOT A SERIES OF SPOTS CALLED FAN MAIL. >> WELCOME BACK TO BRIDGESTONE FAN MAIL. >> HERE’S ONE FROM DALLAS. >> DEAR BRIDGESTONE. LAST WEEK, A BUDDY OF MINE GOT ME TO TRY YOUR RX BALLS AND, LET ME TELL YOU, I WAS BLOWN AWAY. THANKS FOR A GREAT BALL. LEE TRAVINO. >> TRAVINO? >> I THINK HE WAS A BULL FIGHTER. >> WHAT? >> OH, YEAH, BRIDGESTONE. >> I PARTICIPATED IN ONE OF THE BRIDGESTONE BALL SITTING AND, THE B33RX WAS THE BALL SELECTED FOR ME. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT THE BRIDGESTONE THAT LEE TRAVINO LOVES SO MUCH? >> WHAT MOST CONSUMERS LOVE ABOUT THE BALL IS, IT’S LONGER FOR THEM. HE’S EXPERIENCED THAT BY ACCIDENT; BY FINDING A BALL ON A GOLF COURSE, TEEING IT OFF AND PLAYING IT FOR A FEW HOLES. HE RECOGNIZED THAT THAT BALL, BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN, REALLY FIT HIS SWING SPEED. JUST LIKE YOU WERE MEASURED ON OUR LAUNCH MONITORS, WE MEASURED LEE ON THE LAUNCH MONITORS. HE HAD A 98-MILE-AN-HOUR SWING SPEED, WHICH IS RIGHT THERE IN THE WHEEL HOUSE FOR THE RX. WHAT THAT’S GOING TO DO WITH A 98-MILE-AN-HOUR SWING SPEED IS, HE’S GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPRESS THAT BALL BECAUSE IT’S GOT A SOFTER COMPRESSION AND, BECAUSE HE CAN COMPRESS IT IT’S GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR HIM, OFF THE TEE. HIS EXPERIENCE IS 10 YARDS, SO THAT’S WHAT HE LOVED ABOUT IT. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY DOESN’T WANT 10 MORE YARDS. IT’S A CLUB LESS IN ANY GREEN. >> TELL HIM TO LOOK FOR THE BOX IN THE RED. SUN BE RED. I'M THE ONE THAT STARTED THAT; NOT TIGER AND NOT CURTIS STRING. 1968, BABY, U.S. OPEN. JACK NICHOLAS BIT THE DUST. >> DAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE WORKING HARD TO HELP PLAYERS IMPROVE THEIR GAME. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. >> THANK YOU FOR COMING. CAN YOU SAY ISHIBASHI. CAN YOU SAY IT 3 TIMES, FAST? >> ISHIBASHI, ISHIBASHI, ISHIBASHI. >> THAT’S GOING ON YOU-TUBE.
0 Views
00:02:11 08/04/09
Bridgestone Golf Feature
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 00:02:11 08/04/09
Inside Golf Magazine takes you behind the scenes to hear how this Japanese tire company became the fastest growing American golf company, Bridgestone Golf. See Bridgestone's new ball technology is bringing municipal golfer into tour caliber equipment. Distributed by Tubemogul.>> I'M HERE WITH DAN MURPHY FROM BRIDGESTONE GOLF. DAN, TELL ME, HOW IS IT THAT A COMPANY CAN GO FROM MAKING PREMIUM TIRES TO PREMIUM GOLF BALLS; HOW DOES THAT WORK? >> WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS BUT, IT REALLY STARTED WAY WAY WAY BACK IN THE 1930’S IN THE JAPAN. THE FOUNDER OF OUR COMPANY IS ISHIBASHI AND, ISIBASHI IN ENGLISH MEANS STONE BRIDGE. WHEN HE FOUNDED THE COMPANY, HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO ENGLISH AND HE CALLED IT BRIDGESTONE SO THAT’S THE BEGINNING. ISHIBASHI WAS A POLYMER SCIENTIST; HE UNDERSTOOD MATERIALS AND RUBBER TECHNOLOGY. HE APPLIED THAT TO THE TIRE BUSINESS VERY SUCCESSFULLY BUT, HE HAD A GREAT PASSION FOR GOLF. A POLYMER SCIENCE THAT’S REQUIRED TO MAKE A TIRE THAT INTERACTS WITH THE ROAD SURFACE IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY, IN RAIN AND SNOW AND DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. IT’S A VERY VIOLENT INTERACTION. THERE’S A LOT OF STRESS ON THE MATERIALS. IF YOU TAKE THAT AND APPLY IT TO GOLF, WHEN A DRIVER IMPACTS A GOLF BALL, THE MATERIAL IMPACT IS VERY VERY SIMILAR. THEY’RE BOTH VERY VIOLENT INTERACTIONS SO THE POLYMER SCIENCE REQUIRED TO PERFORM UNDER THAT KIND OF PRESSURE, THERE’S A STRONG, STRONG PARALLEL. >> THAT INTERACTION CAN BE A BIT MORE VIOLENT FOR SOME THAN OTHERS, I IMAGINE. >> YOU’VE SEEN ME PLAY. >> A LOT OF GUYS ON TOUR HAVE ISHIBASHI TO THANK FOR THE GREAT BALLS THAT THEY’RE USING, NOW. >> WITHOUT A DOUBT. WITHOUT A DOUBT. WE’RE VERY THANKFUL TO ISHIBASHI, AS WELL. IN THE LAST 5 YEARS, WE'VE LAUNCHED BRIDGESTONE GOLF HERE IN THE U.S. AND IT’S BEEN VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR US. ACCEPTANCE FROM THE U.S. CONSUMER HAS BEEN GREAT WITH OUR TOUR TEAM AND ALSO WITH A PROGRAM THAT WE CALL THE BRIDGESTONE CHALLENGE BALL-FITTING PROGRAM. IT’S BEEN VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR US. >> YOUR ROSTER OF GUYS ON STAFF IS REALLY COOL AND IMPRESSIVE. YOU’VE GOT FREDDY COUPLES, CHARLES HAL III, BRAD CONNECTICUR BUT, I HEARD THAT YOU’VE GOT A NEW GUY COMING ON. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT. >> WE'VE GOT AN OLD/NEW GUY COMING ON. I GOT A PHONE CALL 3, 4 WEEKS AGO AND THIS FELLOW WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC. IT WAS A FAMILIAR VOICE BUT I COULDN’T QUITE PLACE IT. HE SAID, I FOUND A GOLF BALL ON A GOLF COURSE AND I HIT IT, AND I'M 10 YARDS LONGER. THIS IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT. I SAID, WHO IS THIS? THIS IS LEE TRAVINO, HE SAID. SO LEE TRAVINO CALLED US ABOUT OUR B330RX GOLF BALL. >> THE FIRST ONE I HIT, I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. HOW WELL IT FELT AND HOW FAR IT WENT. THEN, I FOUND IT AND THEY CAME DOWN AND MONITORED MY SWING SPEED AND, I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS SWINGING UNDER 100 MILES AN HOUR. SO I QUALIFIED FOR THE RX, BABY, RIGHT THERE. >> THAT’S THE BALL WE MADE FOR SLOWER SWING SPEEDS. A TOUR-CALIBER BALL FOR SLOWER SWING SPEEDS. IT’S A SOFTER COMPRESSION BALL SO IT'LL GO FURTHER OFF THE DRIVER FOR YOU. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO COMPRESS IT. IT’S GOT THAT URETHANE COVER SO IF FEELS GREAT AROUND THE GREEN. >> I WANTED TO DO THIS, SIMPLY, BECAUSE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, A COMPANY HAS COME ALONG TO TRY TO HELP A GUY WITH A SLOWER SWING SPEED. THAT’S THE SECRET. IF YOU CAN COMPRESS A GOLF BALL WITH A SLOWER SWING SPEED, YOU’RE NOT ONLY GOING TO GET MAXIMUM DISTANCE, YOU’RE GOING TO GET MAXIMUM HEIGHT ON THE BALL AND, YOU’RE GOING TO GET MAXIMUM SPIN. THERE’S NO REASON NOT TO HIT A GOLF BALL THAT FEELS GOOD AND YOU GET MAXIMUM DISTANCE EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE UP IN AGE AND YOUR SWING SPEED IS BETWEEN 70 AND 90 AND 100 MILES AN HOUR. >> LEE CALLED US AND HE SAID, I’VE GOT A BOY SCOUT OUTING IN DALLAS, TEXAS, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH SOME BALLS? I SAID, YOU’RE LEE TRAVINO, WE'LL SEND YOU SOME BALLS. FROM THAT, WE GREW A RELATIONSHIP AND HE’S NOW ON STAFF WITH US AND APPEARING IN A NEW COMMERCIAL WITH FREDDY COUPLES, THAT A LOT OF YOUR VIEWERS MAY BE ABLE TO SEE ON TV IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. >> I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ENTERTAINED BY BRIDGESTONE COMMERCIALS. YOU'VE GONE A GREAT JOB. >> WE DON’T BELIEVE IN BEING THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD. WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE IN EVERYTHING WE DO BECAUSE WE’RE A CHALLENGER BRAND. WE HAVE AN INTERESTING IDENTITY IN THIS MARKET BECAUSE WE’RE BACKED BY THIS HUGE, HUGE MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANY. BRIDGESTONE CORPORATE IS A $30 BILLION COMPANY. IT’S BIGGER THAN MICHELIN, IT’S BIGGER THAN GOODYEAR. >> NO WONDER IT’S THE TOP-SELLING LADIES BALL. NO WONDER I WON SO MANY TIMES. >> WE WON SO MANY TIMES. >> I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS A HUG. >> WE’RE ALSO VERY SMALL. WE CAN BE CREATIVE, WE CAN BE ENTERTAINING IN OUR COMMERCIALS. THAT’S RESULTED IN A LOT OF COOL SPOTS. CURRENTLY, WE'VE GOT A SERIES OF SPOTS CALLED FAN MAIL. >> WELCOME BACK TO BRIDGESTONE FAN MAIL. >> HERE’S ONE FROM DALLAS. >> DEAR BRIDGESTONE. LAST WEEK, A BUDDY OF MINE GOT ME TO TRY YOUR RX BALLS AND, LET ME TELL YOU, I WAS BLOWN AWAY. THANKS FOR A GREAT BALL. LEE TRAVINO. >> TRAVINO? >> I THINK HE WAS A BULL FIGHTER. >> WHAT? >> OH, YEAH, BRIDGESTONE. >> I PARTICIPATED IN ONE OF THE BRIDGESTONE BALL SITTING AND, THE B33RX WAS THE BALL SELECTED FOR ME. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT THE BRIDGESTONE THAT LEE TRAVINO LOVES SO MUCH? >> WHAT MOST CONSUMERS LOVE ABOUT THE BALL IS, IT’S LONGER FOR THEM. HE’S EXPERIENCED THAT BY ACCIDENT; BY FINDING A BALL ON A GOLF COURSE, TEEING IT OFF AND PLAYING IT FOR A FEW HOLES. HE RECOGNIZED THAT THAT BALL, BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN, REALLY FIT HIS SWING SPEED. JUST LIKE YOU WERE MEASURED ON OUR LAUNCH MONITORS, WE MEASURED LEE ON THE LAUNCH MONITORS. HE HAD A 98-MILE-AN-HOUR SWING SPEED, WHICH IS RIGHT THERE IN THE WHEEL HOUSE FOR THE RX. WHAT THAT’S GOING TO DO WITH A 98-MILE-AN-HOUR SWING SPEED IS, HE’S GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPRESS THAT BALL BECAUSE IT’S GOT A SOFTER COMPRESSION AND, BECAUSE HE CAN COMPRESS IT IT’S GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR HIM, OFF THE TEE. HIS EXPERIENCE IS 10 YARDS, SO THAT’S WHAT HE LOVED ABOUT IT. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY DOESN’T WANT 10 MORE YARDS. IT’S A CLUB LESS IN ANY GREEN. >> TELL HIM TO LOOK FOR THE BOX IN THE RED. SUN BE RED. I'M THE ONE THAT STARTED THAT; NOT TIGER AND NOT CURTIS STRING. 1968, BABY, U.S. OPEN. JACK NICHOLAS BIT THE DUST. >> DAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE WORKING HARD TO HELP PLAYERS IMPROVE THEIR GAME. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. >> THANK YOU FOR COMING. CAN YOU SAY ISHIBASHI. CAN YOU SAY IT 3 TIMES, FAST? >> ISHIBASHI, ISHIBASHI, ISHIBASHI. >> THAT’S GOING ON YOU-TUBE.
1 Views
13:51:00 06/05/09
THE NEWEST PHARAOH REACHES OUT
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 13:51:00 06/05/09
An Egyptian vendor displays a copper plaque in Cairo's Khan el-Khalili market a few days before the newest pharaoh's arrival yesterday. The inscription reads, "OBAMA, New Tutankhamen of the World".
Photo: AFP / Khaled Desouki N
o, I'm not making an incendiary wingnuttist joke, as can be seen by the photo here. Cairo souvenir vendors have been selling a range of 'New Tut' paraphernalia (the t-shirts are big sellers) in anticipation of the American Messiah's arrival in the Land of the Pharaohs yesterday. If his hosts are receiving him with this attitude, who am I to judge? Just go with the meme, I say. The President evidently felt the same way during a visit to Giza after his big speech at al-Azhar, pointing out a depiction of his own likeness on one of the pyramids.
His earlier arrival in Riyadh went without a gaffe — unlike his previous meeting with King Abdullah at Buckingham. It was interesting watching the raw video feed here, with several cameras offering close-ups as he appeared at the door of AF-1, and as he descended the stairway. But at the moment he approached the king, and as I watched intently to see how much of a bow would be performed this time , the view switched to a long distance shot from behind the monarch. Not a hint of a bow could be detected though, not even a slight dip. Just the customary Arab/French double kiss.
I could practically hear Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (who makes even Bush's Scott McClellan seem like a competent straight-talker by comparison) heave a sigh of relief. He won't have to come up with any more creative excuses . After the deep royal bow at Buckingham, Gibbs said it was absolutely necessary in order to shake hands, because the King is so very much shorter than The One. Yet this time, the handshake and the kisses could be accomplished without it. > "Greetings, Your Majesty. My, how much you have grown since our last meeting!" A better message could have been delivered if this had been Indonesia's S.B. Yudhoyono instead of Egypt's President-for-Life Mubarak.
Photo: AFP / Khaled Desouki After a few hours of meetings and sight-seeing (and receiving some heavy-duty gold bling from the king), it was a short hop to Cairo and the long awaited and over-hyped "outreach to the Muslim world" speech.
Excuse me for saying so, but this was the wrong venue for him to be proclaiming the hope and change message to the world's Muslims who hunger for democracy and freedom. Not all of them do, of course, but for those who are hungry for those things, a much better example of the possibilities could have been selected. And some Egyptians with those very aspirations agree with me on this .> "It is a disaster," said Wael Abbas a renowned journalist and blogger. "He shouldn't be coming to Egypt. It's not a free Muslim country.
"He should speak in a Muslim country where they respect the rule of law." The most populous Muslim majority country on earth, Indonesia, would have been a much smarter choice. It would have sent a far more powerful message to "the Muslim world" had Obama been seen embracing the democratically elected President S. B. Yudhoyono rather than the Egyptian 28-year-long autocracy of Mubarak who jails, and yes, tortures his critics. Prior to his arrival Obama hailed his Egyptian counterpart as a "stalwart ally" — not exactly the change many are hoping for.
All that said, the major focus of the world's interest was the speech itself. As I watched it yesterday (conveniently timed at 5 pm here), I marvelled at his ability to appeal to everyone . Human rights defenders had parts to cheer, and the anti-Israel folks had other parts to cheer. People who believe America is a force for good could cheer at some points, and those who blame America for everything that's wrong in the world could cheer at others. It was striking to see this back-and-forth, "on the one hand... but on the other hand..." construction play out with the audience — cheering the "one hand" but sitting absolutely silent on the "other hand" in most cases. If you're wondering how to write your own Obama speech, see here . There's a definite pattern.
He seemed to be showing off his knowledge of Islam quite a bit, recalling the azan (call to prayer) he heard blaring from mosques during his youth in Indonesia, "at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk" (leaving off the mid-day one, the afternoon one, the night-time one, and the extra ones during Ramadan). He spoke of the zakat , and the hijab (but not the burqa). That last was troubling for me, and only one of the numerous instances of false moral equivalence that are easily spotted in the speech . There was implicit criticism of those who would deny women the right to wear hijab in his country, yet nothing to criticize those who would force women to wear it (or the burqa) in others. As the courageous author of "Infidel", Ayaan Hirsi Ali once said , "The veil is to show that women are responsible for the sexual self-control of men."
And, by the way, he actually said "hajib" in the speech rather than "hijab". I'll bet you won't find that in any transcript, but that's what he said.
There were many clever lines, well delivered (I especially liked, "Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons..."), but I was left with an uneasy feeling I couldn't put my finger on. It felt too much like pandering, to everybody at once. And if he could get away from those darn teleprompters and just speak with his heart from bullet-point notes, he could avoid the dizzying ping-pong head effect. And somebody needs to tell him to avoid that constant looking down his nose, jutting out the chin pose after applause lines. Way too much like Mussolini.
The moral relativism was just too thickly planted in those 55 minutes, and new policy or initiatives were absent. I had expected at least one solid new announcement among the platitudes, but I can't find any. There were far more apologies than there were policies. The esteemed Dr. Charles Krauthammer puts this very well, far better than I will ever do ( wai AllahPundit for the clip).
It would be great if at least a few of the establishment media personalities could manage to climb out of the Messiah's tank, or even poke their noses out, long enough to exercise their journalism degrees. What follows, if you have twelve minutes to spare, is a delightful instance of a very smart, well-spoken woman (Liz Cheney) figuratively pulling one of these personalities (Andrea Mitchell) up for a moment of air. Andrea was down pretty deep, and after a breath or two fights to get back down into the depths of that tank. Toward the end she pleads for time to "do my homework", so determined not to accept the truth is she. One doesn't skate around Liz Cheney that easily, as you will see.
The hardest truth here is that Liz knows her stuff, and Andrea unfortunately doesn't. They discuss yesterday's speech, then a couple of other very important subjects which most Americans still don't seem to have a clue about.
Truth Teaser: Liz' father never linked Saddam Hussein with the attacks of September 11, 2001. Strangely, most Americans apparently recollect exactly the opposite. Saddam's contacts with al Qaeda went back at least 10 years, and strangely, most Americans apparently recollect exactly the opposite. The intel services have never recanted this established fact (Liz misspeaks "recounted" rather than "recanted" I believe here). Saddam paid for terrorist attacks against Israel. I'm sure most Americans still don't get that either. Saddam could have easily given his known WMD technology to other terrorist-supporting regimes or terrorist groups.
But Barack says the overthrow of Saddam was an unnecessary "war of choice" after September 11, 2001. He really did. (Oh, but also that the Iraqis are far better off now without Saddam, so at least there's that.)
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy
Again, wai AP at Hot Air for the clip.
.
1 Views
21:28:48 06/16/08
FREEDOM CALLING
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 21:28:48 06/16/08
http://www.ralphbuckley.com
Freedom...it is a strong word.
It's a word that conjures up a wide variety of imagery in any individual.
But like everything else...it has a multitude of meanings and definitions...
A man might be free...but still enslaved to the ideas and influences that surround him!
I like the way Jordan Maxwell put it: "I don't trust anyone who professes that they've found the truth...implying that there is no need to go any further. I would be much more inclined to befriend someone who is still 'looking for the truth'....keeping an open mind. Still open to learning new things".
This is a real pickle....for the one who claims to know the truth...implies that it's kind of a 'closed end affair', and if you happen to disagree with the found 'truth' of an individual...then you may be about to embark upon a disagreement that could very likely end up turning into WW3.
"I don't claim to know the truth...but I do claim to have glimpses of it...however brief...from time to time." said I to myself...
Mind control in the 21st century has become quite the art form for the elite. Just how far the technology has come...is incomprehensible.
Science fiction or fact...
The little tid' bits of 'fringe' information that gets leaked out, here and there, is mind boggling enough in itself.
Holographic technology? Human genome project??? Project looking glass??? Genetically Modified food??? this is some of what we've heard about.
What about the stuff we haven't heard about??? What about the ground breaking discoveries (or nightmares) of....today???
_______________________
Let us simplify...
Whatever faith you choose to endorse...whatever political party or candidate that turns your crank....whatever opinion you may or may not have about anyone, anybody or anything...
Doesn't mean anything whatsoever without.....FREEDOM...!!!!
_______________________
Freedom Calling is another improvised 'jam session'...again it is more about capturing the moment then it is about perfection...
Not that I don't love producing and multi-tracking and mixing tracks...It's very much like being able to paint a picture with music...and the effects give you an endless array of colours to choose from.
I love recording...and I started doing it when I was young by layering tracks with 2 portable cassette players. I knew that I wanted to do this....a long long time ago.
But for right now...staying in the moment is what counts.
I would love to expand on this song...let the imagination within your ear hear multiple percussion instruments and a stage full of people joining together.
Can anyone see or visualize "Toobstock West - Peace Festival"
Do you think we can make this happen?
Do you want to see this happen...? There is a lot of folks...right here at u2b who are 'Wide Awake' as far as I'm concerned...if you know what I mean...!!!
We can start a trend right here and NOW!!! Let us set a precedent!!!
Let us give 'each other' a voice....4 PEACE & FREEDOM...!!!
--------------------------
http://www.ralphbuckley.com http://www.ralphbuckley.com
7 Views
06:13:07 10/08/06
Beach Walk #153 - Mind to the rescue!
[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 06:13:07 10/08/06
The synchronicities between this show and my life are quite curious. Life served up frustration today and it was time for my mind to come to the rescue! All this when my car stopped running in downtown Honolulu. Well, I could have just floored it and not stopped for traffic or lights, to keep it from idling off, but I really don't like the idea of "collateral damage."
So I sat still, gathered my thoughts (i.e. called on the power of my mind) to both help me trouble-shoot the car problem but to also keep the frustration and anxiety at bay. It worked. Happily it even worked on my car, which after a 15-minute time out started working again and now seems 2 b doing fine.
Have any of you car geeks heard about cars stalling out the first time they have ethanol in the tank?? The guard at the parking garage said that happened to him recently.
We are now releasing our shows in Flash in hopes that Windows users will have less trouble viewing them. We also have a new process for encoding that makes the movies a much smaller file size! If you subscribe, no problem as our feed still includes an iPod-ready movie. Please email me if you experience any problems!
We always appreciate a vote for us over at Podcast Alley . Today we are #7 today out of 917 video podcasts! How high can we go? It all depends on you.
Our wonderful theme music is Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment
Hawaiian words
ʻUhane: soul
Manaʻo: mind
Puʻuwai: heart
Kino: body
